THE FOOD OF LOVE

TAST Week 5: Herringbone Stitch

2012-02-02T14:47:00.000-05:00

This week over at Sharon Boggons' Pin Tangle, the challenge was to learn the herringbone stitch. I don't mind admitting that this stitch has given me fits in the past. I don't know why, but I had to constantly look at the directions for left-handers while I stitched and it took many, many tries before I was able to just stitch without consulting those directions. I think I finally have the basic stitch down. I did try to do some more advanced work, but it's still not in my comfort area. I'm going to continue practicing until I can produce the stitch that reminds me of chicken wire. Meanwhile, I found one of the blocks I'd prepared for a beading class I took with Nancy Eha this summer and hadn't used. So now I have that as my second practice cloth before moving on to my miniature CQ.

Cheesy Chicken Bucatini

2012-01-31T08:00:00.003-05:00

If I could only eat one food for the rest of my life, right now it would be this cheesy chicken buccatini. If you've never had buccatini (or perciatelli), let me warn you upfront that you can't slurp it like regular spaghetti because it is a hollow tube. So, if you're not a good twirler, save this meal for weeknight eating. That said, you will want to put this in your rotation as soon as possible, it's that good.

Serves 4
2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
1 lb bucatini or perciatelli
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 tbs freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, plus more for serving
3 tbs chopped fresh basil
3 tbs chopped fresh Italian parsley
2 tbs unsalted butter
1 cup reserved pasta water

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil over high heat.

Heat 1 tbs oil in a large, deep skillet over medium high heat. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Add to the skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned on all sides and cooked through, about 6 minutes. Transfer to a plate and set aside.

Add the bucatini to the boiling water and cook according to package directions. Meanwhile, heat the remaining tbs oil and garlic together in the same skillet, stirring often, until the garlic is softened, but not browned, about 2 minutes. Add the wine and lemon juice and cook, stirring up the browned bits in the skillet with a wooden spoon. Add the chicken and juices from the plate and stir to reheat the chicken, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat.

Drain the bucatini in a colander. Return to the skillet and add the cheese and herbs, plus 1/2 to 1 cup of the pasta water. Toss. Add the butter and toss again. Serve with additional cheese on the side.

(adapted from Fabulicious by Teresa Giudice)
********************************************************************
TASTE NOTES
I've already said that I could eat this dish every day, if necessary. My addition of the pasta water makes the sauce creamier and seemingly decadent when, in fact, the fat content is very healthy. You could certainly substitute your favorite cheese; for example, I think Asiago would be equally delicious. I did cut the recipe in half for the two of us and still had leftovers. Next time I'm going to try it with farfalle and maybe another time I'll substitute shrimp for the chicken. This is a delicious and simple dish; try it!

TAST Week 4: Cretan Stitch

2012-01-26T14:18:00.000-05:00

Cretan stitch is one of the first I learned and it remains a favorite. I usually use an open cretan stitch, but have been playing with the closed version as well as echoing cretan stitches. After a few practice stitches on my doodle cloth, I embellished a few seams on my CQ sampler with this old favorite.

Below I combined cretan stitch with detached chain and fly stitch, then worked some beads into it.

Mushroom Lasagna

2012-01-24T08:00:00.001-05:00

I've made vegetarian lasagnas before, but when I saw this recipe in Cooking Light, I thought I'd give it a try. I should have gone with my first instinct and made a basic roux to create the white sauce. Instead I followed directions and ended up throwing out the first sauce and making it again, this time using a roux. There are some procedures that shouldn't be subjected to short cuts. When I made the second sauce, I decided to eliminate the 3 garlic cloves because I felt they were excessive and didn't add to the flavor in a good way--there is already shallot and garlic in the mushroom mixture. The changes are reflected in the recipe that follows.

Serves 6
1 cup boiling water
1 oz dried porcini mushrooms
2 tbs butter, divided
1 tbs olive oil
4 shallots, chopped
1 (8 oz) pkg presliced cremini mushrooms
1 (4 oz) pkg presliced shitaki mushrooms or mushroom blend
1 tsp salt, divided
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
1 1/2 tbs chopped fresh thyme
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup white wine
3 oz Neufchatel cheese
2 tbs chopped chives
3 cups reduced fat milk
1/4 cup all purpose flour
cooking spray
9 no boil lasagna noodles
2 oz (1/2 cup) grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine 1 cup boiling water and porcini. Cover and let stand 30 minutes. Strain mixture through a cheesecloth-lined sieve over a bowl, reserving liquid and mushrooms.

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 tbs oil to pan and swirl to coat. Add shallots to pan and saute 3 minutes. Add cremini and shitaki mushrooms, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper, and saute about 6 minutes or until mushrooms are browned. Add thyme and garlic and saute an additional 1 minute. Stir in wine and bring to a boil. Cook until most of the liquid evaporates, scraping pan to loosen brown bits. Remove from heat and stir in Neufchatel cheese and chives. Add reserved porcini mushrooms.

Add the remaining tbs butter to a skillet, sprinkle on flour and cook, whisking constantly, about 1 minute. Slowly add the porcini liquid and milk, whisking until liquid comes to a boil and thickens. Remove from heat.

Spoon 1/2 cup of the sauce into an 11 X 7 inch glass or ceramic baking dish coated with cooking spray. Top with 3 noodles. Spread half of mushroom mixture over noodles. Repeat layers, ending with remaining sauce. Sprinkle cheese over top. Bake for 45 minutes.

*I would recommend covering this with foil; I didn't and my noodles crisped. Take foil off for last 10 minutes of cooking.

Let set about 5 minutes before slicing.
***************************************
TASTE NOTES
I was very annoyed at having to make the sauce twice, which significantly increased the time it took to prepare this dish. That said, I really enjoyed the combination of mushrooms with the Neufchatel cheese (which is just reduced fat cream cheese). If I made this again for a main dish, I would add some roasted red peppers to the mushroom mixture to punch up the flavors.

Feather Stitch for TAST

2012-01-22T14:58:00.000-05:00

For week 3, feather stitch was the challenge. For those of you who haven't read other posts about TAST (Take a Stitch Tuesday), it is a year-long challenge offered by the very talented and generous Sharon Boggons (www.pintangle.com). Each week on her blog, Pin Tangle, Sharon offers a tutorial on a new embroidery stitch. The challenge is for beginning stitchers to master the stitch and for more experienced stitchers to try to get creative with the stitch. Being left-handed, I had always wanted to learn more than the few basic stitches I had learned in childhood, but could never figure out how to adapt them since books and tutorials were generally for right-handed stitchers. Thanks to women like Judith Montano and Valerie Stanton, left-handers now have excellent resources at their disposal.

I have used feather stitch fairly often in my stitching, but did some practice on my doodle cloth before adding a few seam embellishments on my miniature crazy quilt sampler.

Getting Ready for Superbowl Sunday

2012-01-17T08:00:00.001-05:00

Those of you who know me personally know that for me getting ready for Superbowl Sunday means finding a movie I've been wanting to see or a quilt shop that stays open late. However, in the interests of my readers who DO follow the antics of large men wrestling a pig skin (and not in the interests of making a good Sunday gravy), I thought I'd share an appropriate dish for the occasion. I apologize for the photo. I hadn't planned on blogging about this dish until after I tasted it, so I only got a shot of a leftover bowl.

I'll say upfront that I've never "gotten" why people eat chili. In fact, if truth be told, I've looked down my nose at this dish, placing it in the category of things people who don't know how to cook make. But DSO loves chili and had been talking about it for weeks, so I decided I would make him a chili that was more than a tossing of meat, tomatoes, and spices in a pot.

After doing a little research, I decided to do a riff on Jamie Deen's recipe. What drew me to it was that it combined ground beef with ground sausage, so we were already on our way to a little deeper flavor. Jamie's recipe, however, called for just 1 pound of meat, which I felt was stingy; I doubled it. It also called for both diced tomatoes and whole plum tomatoes rather than the ubiquitous tomato sauce. I used the petite diced tomatoes and put the whole plums through a food mill, which yielded a good consistency. I liked Jamie's suggestion for using red kidney, pinto, and black beans, but increased the amount to balance the increase in meat. Finally, while Jamie suggested using a packet of chili seasoning, he also called for ground cumin and ground chili powder to taste. I added some garlic as well. What follows is my adaptation of Jamie's recipe.

Serves 8 - 10 generously
1 lb each ground beef and ground sweet sausage
1 onion, diced
1 large green pepper, diced
2 cups chopped celery
2 (28 oz) cans petite diced tomatoes
1 (28 oz) can whole, peeled tomatoes
1-2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp garlic powder
salt
2 (14.5 oz) cans red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 (14.5 oz) pinto beans, rinsed and drained
2 (14.5 oz) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 pkg chili seasoning mix
shredded cheddar cheese, crema, guacamole, chopped scallions (optional toppings)

In a large Dutch oven, brown ground beef and sausage, drain, and set aside. In same Dutch oven, add the onion, pepper, and celery and saute 5-8 minutes. Stir in the diced tomatoes and run the whole tomatoes through a food mill and add to the mix. Add cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, and salt to taste and cook for an additional 5 minutes until vegetables are tender. Add the beans, browned meat, and chili seasoning. Partially cover the pot and let simmer for 4 hours. Serve with your favorite toppings and cornbread or rice.

*If you wish to make this in a slow cooker, after browning meats and veggies, set slow cooker to low heat and cook 6-8 hours.
***********************************
TASTE NOTES
I served the chili with homemade guacamole, Mexican crema, and shredded sharp cheddar cheese. DSO likes his chili served over rice, so that's what he had. I also made a simple corn bread. I actually broke up the corn bread in my chili, giving me the idea to make cornbread croutons next time. Have I been converted to a chili eater? Yes, perhaps once a year. The flavor of this chili was deep and satisfying. The recipe yields at least 8-10 good-sized servings (DSO brought a big batch to work to share with his friends, we gave his mom some, we ate it 2 nights, and there was still a bit left over). If you DO like chili, I exhort you to try this one. DSO pronounced it the best chili he had ever tasted, high praise indeed from a diehard chili man.

Goat Cheese and Sun Dried Tomato Stuffed Chicken Breasts

2012-01-11T08:00:00.000-05:00

We eat a lot of chicken in The Food of Love kitchen, though it's generally boneless, skinless chicken thighs. With a lovely log of garlic goat cheese in the fridge, I logged on to Food TV to see what Ina would do with chicken and goat cheese. Luckily, I happened to have some chicken breasts on hand, which I deboned (not as well as I'd like, but I didn't waste anything since I cooked the backs along with the breasts). I also had a jar of sun dried tomatoes in olive oil in the fridge, so we were good to go. Dinner came together quickly with some orzo cooked in chicken broth and some broccoli rabe sauteed in garlic.

Ingredients

3 boneless chicken breasts, skin-on
4 to 5 ounces garlic-and-herb goat cheese (recommended:Montrachet
3 sun-dried tomatoes, julienned
Good olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Place the chicken breasts on a sheet pan. Loosen the skin from the meat with your fingers, leaving 1 side attached. Cut the goat cheese into 1/2-inch-thick slices and place 1 or 2 slices plus 1/3 of the julienned sun-dried tomatoes under the skin of each chicken breast. Pull the skin over as much of the meat as possible so the chicken won't dry out. With your fingers, rub each piece with olive oil, and sprinkle them very generously with salt and pepper. Bake the chicken for 35 to 40 minutes, until the skin is lightly browned and the chicken is just cooked through. Serve hot or at room temperature.

********************************************************

TASTE NOTES

While I'm not a big fan of white meat chicken, these were moist and flavorful and very simple to prepare. There's no "wow" factor, just a simple, straight-forward weeknight dinner. As Ina would say, "How easy is that?"

TAST (Take a Stitch Tuesday) - Week 2: Buttonhole Stitch

2012-01-09T20:15:00.000-05:00

So it's week 2 and I'm relieved to find another familiar stitch: buttonhole stitch. What I like about this stitch is that it can be made to look very different just by varying the length or direction or by working it in a half or full circle. To the left is my "doodle cloth." I have to confess that I really dislike working on this linen because it requires me to count threads and holes to produce a uniform stitch. Never one to "color in the lines," I find I'm constantly ripping out stitches because I've miscounted. I also find it incredibly tedious to add counting to something as relaxing as stitching. That said, I decided after week one that after a few practice stitches, I would switch to a sampler that I'm more comfortable with and that I can actually use when the year's worth of stitches is done. I made a 9 block miniature crazy quilt in neutral tones with some gold accents. It is on this sampler that I will experiment with each stitch. Below are some of my first attempts at playing with the buttonhole stitch.

Cake Pops

2012-01-06T08:00:00.000-05:00

A few months ago, I was lucky enough to win a cake pop maker and cookbook over at Moogie and Pap, one of my favorite blogs (Moogie is a baker extraordinaire as well as a wonderful cook). Since DSO is a diabetic, I do try to keep my baking to a minimum, but with the holidays approaching, this was the perfect time to try out my new toy. The cake pop maker came with simple, but thorough directions and several recipes for batter that would work well for the pops. I chose to make the vanilla cake recipe. It was very simple to put together and yielded 28 cake pops (I actually used sticks for just a few since DSO was taking these to work and I didn't think the guys would "get" the lollipop sticks). I dipped them in melted semisweet chips and colored sprinkles.

I thought the first batch would probably stick, but each and every cake came out perfectly. Each batch took exactly 7 minutes to bake.

Since I'm certain the batter could be used for cupcakes, I'll include the recipe. I'd bake at 350 degrees for 15-25 minutes. I'm guessing the batter will yield 12 regular sized cupcakes.

1 stick unsalted butter
1/4 cup shortening
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup milk
1/2 tsp vanilla

Cream butter and shortening together. Add sugar, a little at a time. Stir dry ingredients together in a bowl and add to mixture alternately with milk, starting and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix in vanilla.

**************************************
TASTE NOTES
I loved, loved, loved these little cake balls! The cake is dense--a cross between a pound cake and a donut--and just incredibly delicious. These little gems could be quite addictive and I can't wait to try another recipe--probably the one for donut holes. Did I mention the little injector that came with the set so you can inject jelly or another filling into the cakes? This is a great little appliance for moms who are called upon to bake for school birthdays or scouts or bake sales!

TAST (Take a Stitch Tuesday)

2012-01-03T20:14:00.000-05:00

Cooking isn't my only interest, though this blog may make it seem as though it is. I am also an avid quilter, an interest I developed in the late 70's and that retirement has allowed me to pursue to my heart's content. Back then I was looking for something (non-cerebral) that I could do that would help alleviate stress, enable me to express my artistic side, and keep me occupied but not cut off from the company of others (an avid reader, I was accused on being anti-social when I would bury my nose in a book for hours). I began as a hand piecer and hand quilter, moved on to machine piecing and quilting about 10 years ago, and discovered crazy quilting last year. My enthusiasm for crazy quilting lead to a desire to pursue embroidery, something that I'd tried in the past without a lot of success.

Part of the reason for that lack of success is that I am left-handed, though somewhat ambidexterous, and live in a world of right-handers. I can't tell you how many times I've been told things like "sit across from me and just do what I do in reverse" or "sit in front of a mirror and reverse the instructions." Neither works. But thanks to people like Judith Montano and Yvette Stanton, there are now excellent resources for the left-handed stitcher.

That brings us to TAST 2012 (take a stitch Tuesday). Having taken 2 online classes with Sharon Boggons after finding her wonderful blog Pin Tangle, I was delighted when she decided to repeat this year-long challenge. Simply, each week Sharon posts a stitch, along with her wonderful tutorials and resources, and the challenge is to try to master the stitch and even use it in a creative way.

The first stitch was the FLY STITCH, one that I have used before. I am using a 25 count piece of linen as my "doodle cloth," and after practicing the stitch using several types of thread and attempting to work the stitch in a circle--more practice needed there--I used 2mm silk ribbon to add texture to one of the blocks that will be part of my latest crazy quilting project.

I'm looking forward to practicing the stitches that I know and learning many more that I have not used.

Navy Bean Soup

2012-01-02T08:00:00.001-05:00

When I saw this soup over at Deb's Kahakai Kitchen, I knew I had to make it. I ate few legumes as a child, but navy beans were something I enjoyed. A bowl of navy bean soup and a butter sandwich was my idea of a perfect meal. What I should have realized when I saw the recipe was that I was making soup for the neighborhood. After a hearty dinner and leftovers for lunch, I sent some to DSO's mother and still had a huge bowl to freeze for another time. You may want to cut the recipe in half unless you are planning to feed a crowd.

From The Feast Nearby by Robin Mather (as featured on Deb's Kahakai Kitchen)
Makes 8 very generous servings

2 lbs (about 5 cups) dried navy beans
1 1/2 lbs smoked ham hocks
1 onion, chopped
4 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 tsp dried thyme or summer savory
salt and freshly ground pepper

Sort the beans by spilling them onto a baking sheet and removing any debris and broken beans. Transfer the beans to a colander and rinse the beans with hot water until slightly whitened. Pour the beans into a large pot with a lid and add 2 quarts hot tap water. "Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cover, decrease the heat to low, and simmer for 1 hour. Drain the beans by pouring into a colander in the sink; rinse with cold water. Return the beans to the pot.

Add the ham hocks, onion, carrots, and 2 quarts hot tap water and bring to a boil. Decrease the heat to simmer, cover, and cook for 3 hours. Remove the ham hocks and set aside to cool. Allow the soup to continue to simmer.

Remove the meat from the ham hocks. Dice the meat and return to the soup, discarding the gristle and bones. Add the thyme or savory. Season with salt and pepper. Simmer the soup for 30 minutes longer, then serve.
****************************
TASTE NOTES
This tasted every bit as delicious as I knew it would and would be a great soup to make in the slow cooker--just fix it and leave it on slow for 5-6 hours. If you've only ever eaten navy bean soup in a can or at a diner (where it comes from a can), you will notice how much more subtle the flavors are. Leftovers will generally need to be thinned out--use water or broth. A delicious and economical way to feed a crowd.

Crabbies

2011-12-30T08:00:00.000-05:00

In my salad days, barely a weekend went by when I wasn't entertaining friends or family. A limited space and a limited budget just required a little creativity to produce food that was fun and filling. I've never been a "chip and dip" kind of person, but I have always loved finger food. When I was putting together our Thanksgiving menu this year, I was looking for a few nibbles to serve before dinner that wouldn't send us to the table already stuffed. For some reason, crabbies popped into my head. I haven't seen or heard of a crabby since the seventies, but once the thought was there, I knew I had to make them. Let me warn you that these are not haute cuisine. When you read the list of ingredients, I hope you won't turn up your nose, because the fact is, crabbies are delicious. That they are so very simple to make is another plus.

2 pkgs English muffins

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup mayonnaise

2( 5 oz) jars of Olde English cheese

2 cans crabmeat, drained and picked over

1 tsp garlic powder

Split the English muffins and toast each lightly.

Mix butter, mayonnaise, cheese, crabmeat, and garlic powder thoroughly. Spread evenly on muffin halves. Carefully cut each muffin half into 4 pieces.

TO USE AT A LATER TIME:

Place on cookie sheets and freeze. Remove from cookie sheets and place in freezer bags. Defrost in refrigerator before baking.

TO BAKE AT ONCE:

Preheat oven on broiler setting. Place quarters on cookie sheets, without crowding. Broil until the cheese is bubbly, watching carefully so they don't burn.

****************************************
TASTE NOTES
These were every bit as good as I remembered them and my guests who'd never tasted them before seemed to enjoy them as well. I still have a freezer bag full to enjoy the next time we have company because the recipe makes quite a few. The trick is to get the cheese bubbly and just a tiny bit browned.

Sauerbraten (German-style Beef Potroast)

2011-12-27T08:00:00.000-05:00

DSO is a hunter; I know, HOW did that happen? While our property is filled with deer and wild turkey, these are totally off limits. If he wants to hunt, he has to go to his hunting club. I tasted venison twice and both times it tasted like old meat to me. It is a disgusting color, has almost no fat, and is not allowed in our upstairs freezer. That said, I have made venison sauerbraten for DSO in years past (I use rubber gloves so I don't have to touch that grey meat). To his dismay, DSO has not gotten a deer for the past two years, so I haven't had to contend with cooking something I detest. That said, I did feel kind of sorry for him, so I decided to make him a "real" sauerbraten, something that's a bit labor intensive (just because you need to plan the days for the marinating), but very, very delicious.

Makes 8 - 10 servings
1 1/2 c vinegar
1/2 c red wine
1 c water
2 tbs sugar
1 tsp whole black peppers
4 bay leaves
4 onions, sliced
18 whole cloves
1 1/2 tsp ground mustard
3 1/2 tsp Kosher salt
4 lb boned rump roast
2 tbs flour
freshly ground pepper
1/4 c fat
1/3 c gingersnaps, crushed finely
1/2 c sour cream

Two to four days before serving:
In large bowl, make the marinade: combine vinegar, wine, water, sugar, 1/2 tsp whole black peppers, bay leaves, 3 onions, 12 cloves, 1 tsp ground mustard, and 2 tsp salt. Place meat in large ziplock bag and place bag back in a large bowl and pour in marinade. Refrigerate 2-4 days, turning bag each day.

On the day you plan to eat sauerbraten:
Remove meat. Strain marinade and set aside. Dry meat well with paper towels. Combine flour, 1 1/2 tsp salt, a few grinds of pepper. In hot fat in Dutch oven, brown meat well on all sides, about 15-20 minutes. This is a VERY important step, so don't rush it. Add 3/4 c reserved marinade (refrigerate the rest), 1 sliced onion, 1/2 tsp ground mustard, 6 cloves, 1/2 tsp whole black peppers. Simmer, covered, about 3-3 1/2 hours, until meat is fork tender, adding 1/4 cup marinade, if needed.

Remove meat to hot platter, slicing it first; keep warm. Strain drippings from Dutch oven into glass measuring cup. Let stand a few minutes to settle. Pour off all except the bottom 1/3. Return these drippings to the Dutch oven. Stir in crushed gingersnaps and rest of the marinade, stirring until thickened. Stir in sour cream, then add back the sliced meat (do not boil or sour cream will curdle). Serve with mashed potatoes or buttered noodles.

*************************8
TASTE NOTES
I'd forgotten just how wonderful a sauerbraten tastes. The few times I've ordered it out, it's been dry and stringy. Not so this with this one. The sweet-sour flavor of the marinade marries so well with the spiciness of the gingersnaps and the creaminess of the sour cream gravy. The meat was juicy and tasted even better the next day. Leftovers make wonderful hot sandwiches, too. This is just the meal for a cold night or for when you have company for dinner.

Rainbow Cookies

2011-12-23T08:00:00.001-05:00

I could never name my favorite cookie, but rainbow cookies would definitely be in the top 10 of my favorites. In fact, one item on my foodie bucket list (more about that later) is to celebrate an upcoming birthday with a rainbow cake like the ones I've seen in my favorite bakeries in Little Italy. When DSO asked me to bake cookies for his annual Christmas "eat-a-thon" at work, I decided to bake rainbow cookies. With a little bit of luck--and some new hiding places--I figured we'd have some left over to bring to my cousin's on Christmas Day.

MERRY CHRISTMAS from my kitchen to yours!

I've made rainbow cookies before, but decided to try a new recipe that calls for almond pastry filling in place of almond paste.

From Executive Editor Dana Bowen of Saveur magazine
Makes about 10 dozen

1 1/2 c unsalted butter, softened, plus more for pans
2 c flour, plus more for pans
1 c sugar
1 (12.5 oz) can almond pastry filling (such as Solo brand)
4 eggs
12 drops each red and green food coloring
1 (12 oz) seedless raspberry jam
12 oz semisweet chocolate, melted

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Green and flour three 9 X 13" baking pans and line with parchment paper; set aside.

Using a hand mixer on high speed, beat butter and sugar in a bowl until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes.

Add pastry filling; beat until smooth.

Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Add flour; beat just until combined.

Evenly divide batter into 3 bowls. Add green food coloring to one bowl, red food coloring to another bowl, and leave the third bowl plain. Stir colorings into batters.

Using an offset spatula, spread each batter into a prepared pan. Bake each pan until just beginning to brown, 10-15 minutes. Invert cakes onto wire racks to cool.

Heat jam in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring until smooth. Cool slightly.

Place green cake on a cutting board or foil-lined baking sheet. Use an offset spatula to spread half the jam over the green cake. Top with plain cake. Spread remaining jam over plain cake and top with red cake. Press down lightly. Chill cakes to set jam, 1 hour.

Using a slicing knife, trim cake edges to form an even block. Slice block lengthwise into 1 1/2" wide logs (5-6 of them). Separate. Use an offset spatula to spread melted chocolate over top, sides, and ends of each log until completely covered. Chill to set chocolate, then slice into 1/2" thick cookies to serve.
********************************************
TASTE NOTES
If you're lucky, there will be some end pieces that look a little gnarly--eat them, quickly! Don't let the length of the directions scare you off. Yes, these are a bit labor intensive, but they are so worth it. First, you get a large quantity. Second, and more important, these are mind-blowingly good.

I mentioned my "foodie bucket list" and was wondering what might be on the foodie bucket list of my favorite bloggers. What foods are you planning to try? What restaurants are on your someday list? What culinary masterpiece do you envision producing? Inquiring minds want to know....

How to Fill Your Cookie Tins in under Two Hours

2011-12-20T10:03:00.000-05:00

For many years, the day after Thanksgiving signaled the beginning of holiday baking. It wasn't unusual to find me forming loaves of stollen and baking dozens and dozens of all kinds of cookies. These cookies would be frozen until I'd amassed a few gross and could make up platters of cookies to give to family and friends. I get tired just thinking of how many times I'd have to wash those bowls and cookie sheets! I've long ago given up this marathon baking. For one thing, if you've never tasted frozen cookies, you don't know what you're missing. Those treats would call my name. Nowadays, I choose one or two favorites each year and bake them as close to Christmas as possible so I know there will be other people "responsible" for eating them.

However, for the past several years I've been volunteering in my local community, assisting seniors and adults with disabilities with transportation to doctor's appointments, friendly visits, minor repairs, and clerical chores. At Christmas, our group delivers a pointsettia and a goody bag of cookies to each of those neighbors, so it was time to grease those cookie sheets and get my cookie on.

I had just a few hours to accomplish this task, so I chose 3 drop cookies--sugar cookies, Snickerdoodles, and mint chip cookies--to produce the 10 dozen cookies I needed. With the help of my Kitchen Aid, Silpat mats, and 3 basic recipes, the cookies were baked, cooled, and wrapped in under 3 hours. Recipes are from the Good Housekeeping Cookies cookbook.

MINT CHIP COOKIES
Makes: 36 cooikies

1 1/4 c all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 c unsalted butter, softened
1/2 c packed light brown sugar
3/4 c granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
6 oz mint chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
In a small bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt.
In a large bowl, with mixer at medium speed, beat butter and both sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla until well combined. Reduce speed to low and beat in flour mixture until just blended. Stir in chips with a wooden spoon.
Drop dough by rounded tablespoons, 2 inches apart on two ungreased cookie sheets (I use Silpat mats). Bake until golden around the edges, 10-12 minutes, rotating cookies sheets halfway through baking. Repeat with remaining dough.
Use a wide metal spatula to transfer cookies to wire racks to cool.

DROP SUGAR COOKIES
Makes: 42 cookies

1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 c unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In small bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt.
In large bowl, with mixer at medium speed, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla until blended. Reduce speed to low, beat in flour mixture just until combined, scraping bowl with rubber spatula.
Drop dough by heaping teaspoons, 2 inches apart, on two ungreased cookie sheets. Bake until edges are browned, about 10-12 minutes, rotating cookie sheets between upper and lower racks halfway through baking. Repeat as necessary.
Use wide metal spatula to transfer cookies to wire racks to cool.

SNICKERDOODLES
Makes: 54 cookies

3 c all purpose flour
2 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp baking soda
1 c unsalted butter, softened
1 1/3 cups plus 1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
In a large bowl, stir together flour, cream of tartar and baking soda.
In separate large bowl, with mixer at medium speed, beat butter and 1 1/3 cups sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Reduce speed to low, beat in flour mixture until well blended.
In small bowl, combine cinnamon and remaining 1/4 cup sugar. With hands, shape dough into 1 inch balls, roll in cinnamon/sugar mixture, and place on ungreased large cookie sheets, 1 inch apart.
Bake until set and lightly golden and crinkly on top, 12 minutes. Cool on cookie sheet on wire rack 1 minute. With wide metal spatula, transfer cookies to wire racks to cook completely.
Repeat with remaining dough.
****************************
TASTE NOTES
When you have a limited amount of time, a drop cookie is your best bet. The ingredients for these 3 cookies are staples in most kitchens and the recipes don't require any wait time in the refrigerator. The sugar cookies had a delicate crunch; the Snickerdoodles perfumed our house with the smells of Christmas; and, the mint chip cookies added a festive look to my goody bag. You really don't need a lot of time to bake homemade treats.

Tiramisu

2011-12-14T08:04:00.001-05:00

Today was my guild holiday party, a pot-luck luncheon that mixes good food, good friends, and lots of wonderful quilting. This year I was on dessert duty and I spent a few days mulling over what I would bring. Our guild is large and we're asked to bring a dish that will feed 8-10. Since I'll be baking cookies later in the week, I dismissed them immediately. Buche de Noel seemed a bit fussy (and it's always a pain to cut). I was planning on making Death by Chocolate when I realized there was a wonderful Italian dessert I hadn't made in quite a while--tiramisu. An 80's dessert, tiramisu, which means "pick me up," is a variation of zuppa Inglese, another layered dessert. It consists of coffee-and-liqueur soaked Saviorde (Italian lady-finger biscuits) layered with a mascarpone zabione and whipped cream.

This recipe, which I happened upon many years back, simplifies the zabione, a welcome respite from standing over a double boiler and whisking for what seems like hours. I was lucky that there was one piece left over (DSO was very happy) and so was able to get a photo.

Ingredients (serves 12)

6 egg yolks
3/4 cup white sugar
2/3 cup milk
1 1/4 cups heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 pound mascarpone cheese
1/4 cup strong espresso, room temperature
2 tablespoons coffee liqueur (or rum)
20-24 Itallian ladyfinger cookies, carefully cut in half
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder

Directions

In a medium saucepan, whisk together egg yolks and sugar until well blended. Whisk in milk and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture boils. Boil gently for 1 minute, remove from heat and allow to cool slightly. Cover tightly and chill in refrigerator 1 hour.
In a medium bowl, beat cream with vanilla until stiff peaks form. Whisk mascarpone into yolk mixture until smooth.
In a small bowl, combine espresso and coffee liqueur. Split ladyfingers in half lengthwise.
Arrange half of split ladyfingers in bottom of a 7x11 inch dish, cut side up and sprinkle with half the espresso-liqueur mixture. Spread half of mascarpone mixture over ladyfingers, then half of whipped cream over that. Repeat layers and sprinkle with cocoa. Cover and refrigerate 4 to 6 hours, until set.

***************************************

TASTE NOTES

Although this tiramisu does not require the whole double-boiler, zabaione-like process, it tastes every bit as good as if you had taken the long way round. I hadn't made it in years and had forgotten just how heavenly this Italian-style trifle is. I won't let so much time pass again before I make this. It is light in texture, but rich and satisfying with a wonderful, full mouth feel. While not overly sweet, you DO know you've had dessert when you're finished.

Slow-cooker Pork Lo Mein

2011-12-08T18:12:00.000-05:00

Tis the season to be busy, so with appointments to keep I happily turned to a slow-cooker recipe for pork lo mein. There was a bit of prep and some finishing touches, but mostly this one bubbled away on its own while I was out and about.

Serves 4
1 1/2 lb pork tenderloin
3 tbs reduced sodium soy sauce
3 tbs oyster sauce
3 tbs oyster sauce (I substituted hoisin sauce, which I prefer)
3 tbs sherry
3 tsp grated fresh ginger
1 large carrot, cut into 2 inch matchsticks
8 oz mushrooms, sliced
1/2 cup fat free chicken stock
2 tsp cornstarch dissolved in 1 tbs cold water
1/2 small head Napa cabbage (I substituted one bunch of bok choy), cut into 1 inch pieces
5 oz dried soba noodles
2 tsp toasted sesame oil

Combine the soy sauce, hoisin sauce, sherry, and ginger in a large zip lock bag; add the pork loin and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Remove the pork from the bag, saving the marinade in the refrigerator. Place the pork tenderloin in the slow cooker, then add the carrot, mushrooms, and chicken broth. Cover and cook on low for 3-4 hours.

Remove the pork and let cool for 5 minutes before slicing into 2 inch long strips. Whisk the cornstarch in the water and add to the slow cooker along with the reserved marinade, the bok choy, and the slice pork. Cover and cook an additional 30 minutes, until sauce starts to thicken and cabbage wilts slightly.

Cook soba noodles according to package instructions; drain and toss with sesame oil. Add noodles to pork mixture, toss, and serve.
*************************************
TASTE NOTES
At 324 calories per serving (31 g protein, 34 g carb, 2 g fiber, 6 g fat, 482 mg sodium), this was a hearty serving of a tasty, simple meal. I must be completely honest, however, and say that it was a good dish, not a great dish. I much prefer the simple lo mein recipe I've used in the past (click here). But if you are looking for a slow cooker version and easy weeknight meal, you might want to give this a try.

Slow-cooker Lasagna

2011-12-04T20:20:00.000-05:00

Christmas decorating can't be rushed. I find it's best to spread it over several days and to have the house completely decorated before we cut and put up the tree. After spending the day in New York City viewing the tree at Rockefeller Plaza, the creche at St. Patrick's Cathedral, and the wonderful Christmas decorations throughout mid-town, I felt ready to begin. That meant I needed something quick and easy for Sunday dinner.

I've come across quite a number of recipes for slow-cooker lasagna and decided that now was the time to give one a try. I made an exception to my general rule for using the slow cooker in that it was necessary to brown several ingredients in a skillet. While I didn't use any one recipe, I did take some suggestions for the cooking method and time. This recipe serves 8-12.

no boil lasagna noodles (use Barilla; they're the best)

1 lb lean ground beef

1 small onion, chopped finely

1 clove garlic, minced

1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes

10 oz sliced white mushrooms

1 (28 oz) jar tomato sauce (I used Barilla's 5 cheese sauce)

1 (15 oz) container part skim ricotta

2 cups part skim mozzarella

grated pecorino romano cheese

Spray the slow cooker with cooking spray. In a large skillet, place the ground beef, onion, garlic, diced tomatoes, and mushrooms and cook for about 10 minutes over medium high heat, stirring to combine. Season with salt and pepper.

Fit 3 no boil lasagna noodles in the bottom of the slow cooker (I broke some apart so as to cover the bottom). Use a slotted spoon to spread 1/3 of the beef mixture over the noodles (there will be lots of extra liquid extruded from the mushrooms and you don't want this in your dish). Add 1/3 of the ricotta, spreading as evenly as possible, then 1/3 of the mozzarella. Repeat the layering 2 more times, finishing with the mozzarella. Sprinkle the grated cheese over this top layer, place the lid on the slow cooker and cook on low for 5-5 1/2 hours.

Eileen, this one's for you!

**********************************************

TASTE NOTES

I'll admit I wasn't expecting much more than a home made version of one of those boxes of pasta casseroles. I was wrong! While this will never take the place of real lasagna, particularly one made with handmade pasta, it was very tasty and had even set up when I was packing up the leftovers. DSO absolutely loved the taste and is even looking forward to eating the leftovers. This would be a great dish to round out a holiday buffet, to take as a contribution to a covered dish, or to put on the table for a special weeknight meal. It could be put together the night before and set to cook while you get your holiday shopping done. Whenever or however you make it, I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

Old-fashioned Apple Crisp

2011-12-01T06:00:00.000-05:00

One of DSO's favorite desserts is apple crisp. I've made it many times, trying a number of different versions. Generally the ingredients for the crumble remain the same; it's the variety of apples and the amount and type of sugar used to enhance them that changes. Frequent fliers to The Food of Love kitchen know that I worship at the shrine of the Barefoot Contessa, so it comes as no surprise that I decided to see what the goddess of good eats had to say about apple crisp. Her first ingredient made me smack myself on the forehead and cry, "Eurkea!" DSO does not like to waste chewing time with his apple crisp and balks at any "bite" to the apple component. When I read Ina's first ingredient--McIntosh apples--I knew I had hit paydirt.

5 lbs McIntosh (or Macoun) apples
grated zest of 1 orange
grated zest of 1 lemon
2 tbs freshly squeezed orange juice
2 tbs freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground nutmeg

For the topping:
1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/2 tsp Kosher salt
1 cup oatmeal
1/2 lb cold, unsalted butter, diced

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and butter a 9X13 inch baking dish.

Peel, core, and cut the apples into large wedges. Combine the apples with the zests, juices, sugar, and spices. Pour into the prepared dish.

To make the topping, combine the flour, sugars, salt, oatmeal, and cold butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle --OR-- do what I did and crumble between your fingers until the size of peas. Scatter evenly over the apples.

Place in the oven on a sheet pan and bake for 1 hour until the top is brown and the apples are bubbly. Serve warm.
************************
TASTE NOTES
Even if I hadn't tasted the crisp myself, I'd have known from DSO's glazed eyes that Ina had scored again. The McIntosh apples with their higher water content broke down beautifully and resulted in a filling that was perfectly soft and sweet and yielding to the bite. To save time I had assembled the entire crisp the night before and popped it into the oven cold an hour before we were ready to eat dessert. It was perfect with some freshly whipped cream and I'm sure would have been even more decadent with a scoop of really good vanilla ice cream. Ina reigns supreme.

Flourless Chocolate Espresso Gems

2011-11-27T09:23:00.000-05:00

The holiday season is officially launched and the pile of leftovers is dwindling each day. While cleaning up after Thanksgiving--which seemed to take as long as the cooking did--I decided to do a little organizing as well. I'm proud to say that my junk drawer is no longer a place you have to put on a glove to fish around. In fact, I'm so pleased with the results, I'm going back to the store to get some more organizers to do that bottomless bottom drawer that holds all the extras for my Robot Coupe, Kitchenaid, Pampered Chef paraphernalia, mixers, assorted foodie gadgets, and who knows what else.

Meanwhile, these little bites were a hit and at just 98 calories each, a treat I'm sure to make again.

Makes 24
4 oz bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1/2 cup unsalted butter
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 tsp espresso powder
3 large eggs
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tbs confectioners sugar

Heat oven to 375 degrees and coat 2 gem pans (12-cup mini muffin pans) with cooking spray.

Combine chocolate and butter in the top of a double boiler, stir until melted. Off the heat, whisk in the sugar, vanilla extract, and espresso powder. Whisk in eggs until well combined. Sift cocoa powder over top and whisk until smooth.

Divide batter among prepared pans (an ice cream scoop insures even sized gems). Bake until cakes have risen, 8-12 minutes. Cool in pans on rack for 10 minutes. Carefully remove gems from tins and cool on rack. Dust with confectioners sugar.
**************************
TASTE NOTES
Gems is the perfect description of these chocolaty bites. They are rich and melt on the tongue and two truly satisfy. I don't know how they freeze, but will definitely try that out next batch. These are worth having around for the perfect bite to go with your evening cup of tea.

Perfect Make-ahead Turkey Gravy

2011-11-20T14:28:00.001-05:00

Have you been blogging too long when you start to duplicate your posts? Or, is that just a sign that what you're posting about is really, really good. I prefer to believe the latter. My "faithful readers" may have noticed that my posts at the beginning of this month were sporadic. That was because my significant other's daughter was married at the beginning of the month. Following that joyous occasion, I headed to my refuge on Longboat Key, Florida for a little R & R, which, unfortunately, never happened. Instead I sat in my recliner staring longingly at the beautiful Gulf of Mexico while I fought a terrible cold and sore throat. On a positive note, I got lots of stitching on my latest crazy quilting project done. When I got home, I realized with a start that Thanksgiving was almost upon us.

About 10 years ago I began a system to stay ahead of holiday madness. It's very simple really. I maintain a file folder for major holidays and occasions (e.g. Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, summer BBQ's, birthdays, etc.). In each folder are tried-and-true recipes, shopping lists, countdown schedules, and other aids to making planning and execution less stressful. One of my appetizers, for example, is already made and frozen, ready to be popped under the broiler on Turkey Day. My shopping is about 90% complete and today I made my perfect make-ahead gravy.

When I came here to post about it, something made me look in my index and sure enough, there is was! I thought, however, that the photos I snapped today were better looking, and so I used them and will just give you a link to the recipe HERE.

The advantages to making your turkey gravy ahead of time are two-fold. First, it is far less stressful than trying to manage carving the turkey, getting all the side dishes to the table, as you stand and tend the gravy, which does take your full attention. Second, the turkey parts you use in this recipe can be used for salads, soups, sandwiches, or casseroles, a nice bonus.

Wishing you all a blessed Thanksgiving with family and friends!

Roast Chicken Redux

2011-11-16T21:10:00.000-05:00

In my book, Ina Garten is the Queen of roast chicken. No one can disabuse me of this fact. I've tried several of her recipes and every one of them has been a winner. This particular roast chicken is made even more drool-worthy because of the incredible sauce that accompanies it. From her newest cookbook, How Easy Is That?, Jeffrey's chicken is a definite keeper. I did add carrots, shallots, and some turnips, roasting them alongside the chicken, which I know made the sauce even yummier.

1 4-to-5 lb roasting chicken
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
2 lemons
1 whole head garlic, cut in half crosswise
olive oil
2 Spanish onions, peeled and thickly sliced
2 shallots, peeled and diced
6 carrots, peeled and quartered
3 turnips, peeled and quartered
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 tbs all purpose flour

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Remove and discard the chicken giblets. Pat the outside dry. Liberally salt and pepper the inside of the chicken. Cut the lemons in quarters and place 2 quarters in the cavity along with the garlic. Brush the chicken with olive oil and sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper. Place the chicken in a roasting pan.

Place the reserved lemons and the sliced onions in a large bowl and toss with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper. Pour the mixture around the chicken. Spread the carrots, shallots, and turnips around the chicken as well.

Roast the chicken for about 1 hour, 15 minutes, until the juices run clear when you cut between a leg and a thigh. Remove the chicken to a platter, leaving the lemons and vegetables in the pan. Cover the chicken with foil and allow to rest for 10 minutes while you prepare the sauce.

Place the pan on top of the stove over medium-high heat. Add the wine and stir with a wooden spoon to scrape up the brown bits. Add the stock and sprinkle on the flour, stirring constantly for a minute, until the sauce thickens. Add any juices that collect on the platter under the chicken and taste for seasoning. Remove the lemons, carrots, and turnips. Serve the chicken with the sauce on the side.
*********************************
TASTE NOTES
Of Ina's many preparations for roast chicken, this one is, by far, the best. I'm sure there are many reasons why Ina and Jeffrey have been married happily for many years, but I'm just as certain that this chicken must be counted among them.

Slow-Cooker Beef and Barley

2011-11-04T07:00:00.001-04:00

If you are a regular reader of The Food of Love, you'll know that my rule of thumb for using a slow-cooker is that I mustn't have to dirty any other pots and pans. When I spied this recipe in the November issue of Food Network magazine, I was delighted to note that it met that criteria. This is one you can easily put together before you go to bed or before you leave for work in the morning. With an 8-hour cook on low, it's definitely a keeper.

Serves 4
1 1/4 lb boneless beef chuck (in one piece)
1 cup pearl barley
1/2 lb cremini mushrooms, quartered
4 stalks celery, quartered
6 medium carrots, quartered
2 medium leeks, sliced (white and light green parts only; be sure to clean well!!!!)
1 sprig thyme
4 cups low-sodium beef broth
1 tbs low-sodium soy sauce
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
Optional: horseradish for serving (Yes! just do it!)

Combine beef, barley, mushrooms, celery, carrots, leeks, thyme, beef broth, and soy sauce in a slow cooker. Add 1 cup water, 1 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper. Cover and cook on low UNDISTURBED for 8 hours. (Yes, I'm talking to you, the one who takes off the lid!)

Uncover, skim off any excess fat, and transfer the beef to a cutting board to cool slightly. Slice or shred the beef into bite-sized pieces. Thin the vegetable-barley mixture with some water, if desired. Divide among shallow bowls, top with the beef, and pass the horseradish.
************************
TASTE NOTES
O!M!G! this is one tasty bowl of fiber-laden goodness. While it comes in at 647 calories per serving, it has a whopping 12g of fiber and 40g of protein (29 g fat, 57g carb) and needs absolutely nothing else to make it a meal. While a loaf of wonderful bread could only make it better, fitting into my clothes is important to me, so I skipped that luxury. Try this one ASAP.

Rarebit

2011-11-01T07:00:00.001-04:00

Rarebit--also known as Welsh rarebit--is a popular British dish. It generally consists of a mix of Cheddar cheese, ale, and seasonings like Worcestershire sauce and Dijon mustard and is served over toast. I recently encountered a recipe for turkey rarebit, a suggestion for an easy open-faced, post-Thanksgiving sandwich. With a lot of leftovers from an oven-stuffer I had roasted, I decided to give this comfort food a try. What follows is my version.

Serves 4
2 tbs unsalted butter, plus more for the baking sheet
8 slices sourdough bread, lightly toasted
2 tbs Dijon mustard
16 thin slices skinless roast chicken breast (or turkey)
3 medium scallions, thinly sliced
2 tbs all purpose flour
3/4 cup whole milk
1/2 cup brown or dark amber ale
8 oz aged English cheddar, finely grated
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Position a rack 4 to 5 inches from the broiler and heat the broiler on high.

Lightly butter a large, rimmed baking sheet. Smear one side of each slice of bread with the mustard. Set the bread slices mustard side up on the baking sheet and top with the chicken slices.

Melt the butter in a 2-quart saucepan over medium heat and add the scallions. Cook for 1 minute, stirring often. Whisk in the flour and cook for one minute more, whisking frequently. Add the milk and bear and whisk until thick and bubbling, about 3 minutes. Add all but 1/4 cup of the cheese and 1/2 tsp pepper, and the Worcestershire and whisk until bubbling, just a few seconds. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Spoon 1/4 cup of the cheese sauce over each sandwich. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese.

Broil until bubbling and browned, 4 to 5 minutes. Cool for a few minutes before serving.
******************************
TASTE NOTES
This isn't something my mother made, but I do remember making it as a young bride (I'm sure a variation of it is in my first big Good Housekeeping cookbook). We ate it twice during the week, once with a big tossed salad and the other night with tomato soup. It was a big hit with both DSO and me, both of us liking it even better the second time around when the ale flavor was more pronounced. My biggest issue right now is I have more wonderful ways to serve Thanksgiving leftovers than I'll have leftovers. I may need to return to making a second bird.

Sausage Patties

2011-10-28T07:00:00.000-04:00

It seems I can't turn the pages of a food magazine without running into a recipe for sausage and biscuits or sausage and gravy. I finally decided it was something I needed to explore. Eschewing recipes that called for ground pork, I decided to grind my own favorite cut of pork, the butt.

Sausage Patties - 8 small patties
1 1/4 lb Boston butt
2 cloves garlic, smashed and chopped into a paste
1 tsp onion powder
1 tbs dried sage
1/2 tbs dried thyme
2 tbs canola oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Cut the pork butt into 2 inch chunks. Place pork, garlic, sage, thyme, oil, and salt and pepper in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until ground (consistency of ground beef). Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 8 hours to let the flavors meld.

Shape the mixture into 8 patties, each 1/2 inch thick. Heat a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and cook the patties until golden brown, about 5 minutes on each side.

Cream Gravy
1 cup whole milk
1 tbs unsalted butter
1 tbs all purpose flour
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Heat the milk in a small saucepan until just simmering.

In another small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook for 1 minutes, whisking constantly. Slowly whisk in the warm milk. Raise the heat and continue whisking until the sauce thickens and the raw taste of the flour cooks out, about 3-5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Serve over the biscuits and sausage patties.

Baking Powder Biscuits
Here's one of my favorite biscuit recipes,simply and simply delicious.
http://arlene-thefoodoflove.blogspot.com/2009/04/baking-powder-biscuits-redux.html

****************************************
TASTE NOTES
DSO and I enjoy the occasional breakfast for dinner, so sausage and biscuits with gravy and a side of over easy eggs was a perfect Friday night meal. The sausage was very tasty and, though I'm not usually a gravy hound, I did enjoy spooning some of the "gravy" (white sauce, really) over my sausage and biscuit. These patties freeze well, cooked or uncooked, and taste just as delicious on a Sunday morning.

Chocolate Pecan Tart

2011-10-25T07:00:00.000-04:00

You all know the research: dark chocolate is good for you. In fact, I recently read an article that cited research regarding a reduced risk of stroke in women who indulged in a small amount of dark chocolate each day. For those who want to save up that daily 1 ounce of chocolate, this tart is for you.

From Real Simple, November 2011

1 3/4 cup pecan halves
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp Kosher salt, plus pinch for the filling
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/4 cup sugar
2 large egg yolks
1/2 lb bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped (I used Ghiradelli 70%)
3/4 cup heavy cream

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spread the pecans on a rimmed baking sheet and toast, tossing once, until fragrant, 6-8 minutes. Let cool, then roughly chop. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, and salt.

Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar on medium-high until creamy, 2-3 minutes. Beat in the egg yolks. Reduce mixer speed to low and gradually add the flour mixture; mix until combined, but still crumbly.

Press the dough into the bottom and up the sides of a 4X14 rectangular or 9 inch round tart pan. Line with a large piece of parchment paper and fill with dried beans or pie weights. Place the pan on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until the edges of the crust are dry, 20-22 minutes. Remove the parchment and the beans and bake until dry and set, 10-12 minutes. Let cool completely.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the chocolate and bring the cream to a bare simmer. Pour cream over chocolate and let stand 1 minute. Stir gently until the mixture is smooth. Stir in 1 1/2 cups of the pecans. Pour the mixture into the cooled tart shell and sprinkle with the remaining pecans. Refrigerate until set, at least 1 hour. Bring to room temperature before serving.
************************************
TASTE NOTES
Cut the slices of this rich tart small (12-16 servings) or it will make you swoon, for sure. I absolutely adored the chocolate crust and the ganache filling. Pecans are the perfect nut for this taste treat. I have noticed, however, that most men have a decided preference for milk chocolate, so you may end up having to eat more of this tart than is typically the case. Well, we all do what we have to do.

Cream-braised Brussels Sprouts

2011-10-21T00:00:00.002-04:00

I love Cook the Books, my online foodie book group, but life has been getting in the way of my participating lately. That doesn't mean I don't read the books, just that I haven't always cooked and posted a recipe from those books. Sadly, I missed joining in when the group posted recipes from Molly Wizenberg's A Homemade Life. Some of you may already be familiar with Wizenberg's blog, Orangette. I had certainly come across it before, but confess I wasn't a regular reader. But I will also declare that I absolutely loved Wizenberg's story of how the kitchen came to take center stage in her life. I could identify with how her memories of food were always inextricably bound to her memories of family. Ironically, I began The Food of Love just one month before my mom passed away. While she was ill, her death came as a shock. Writing this blog proved to be therapeutic for me as well since my memories of food always lead back to my mother. Molly's story touched me and while I'm no vegetarian, I did bookmark several of her recipes. One is for cream-braised cabbage. As soon as I saw it, I knew I was going to try it with one of my favorite veggies, brussels sprouts.

Serves 2
1 pint brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
2 tbs unsalted butter
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tbs fresh lemon juice

Trim and halve the brussels sprouts. In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the brussels sprouts in a single layer with one of the cut sides down. Allow them to cook, undisturbed, until the downward facing side is nicely browned, 5 to 8 minutes. Use a pair of tongs to gently turn them over and brown the other side in like fashion. When the second side has browned, season to taste with salt and pepper, add the cream, then cover the pan with a tight-fitting lid and reduce the heat to low. Cook for 20 minutes, until the sprouts are tender. Add the lemon juice, shaking the pan to distribute it evenly.
*********************************
TASTE NOTES
Move over roasted brussels sprouts, there's a new kid in town and she's going to be front and center on our Thanksgiving table. This is such an incredibly simple preparation, but the taste is nothing short of fantastic. I'm not breaking up with pancetta-studded sprouts or roasted sprouts or bread-crumb topped sprouts, but right here and right now, these cream-braised sprouts reign supreme. I'll probably have to make 3 pounds of these for Thanksgiving because there's so delish.

Beer-braised Country-style Pork Ribs

2011-10-18T00:00:00.001-04:00

Nothing says fall like a slow-braise filling the house with wonderful smells that make you glance at the clock to see if dinnertime is close. I clipped this recipe and instead of adding it to "the folder" (the folder that I have to edit judiciously every month or so when the clippings start fighting each other for space), I put it into this month's rotation. I'm fairly certain it came from Food Network Magazine, based on the print and format.

Because it requires browning the ribs, I passed on using the slow cooker. My rule of thumb is to dirty as few pots and pans as possible. This is not a weeknight meal since it takes a bit over 2 hours from start to finish. Don't let that dissuade you since much of the time the pork is happily braising away in the oven.

I'm fortunate to still have some thyme, sage, parsley, and rosemary growing in the boxes on my back porch. I think the end is near and I have to get cracking on putting together a small window garden. It pains me to pay $1-3 for an herb that I use for one meal and then find browned and wilted the next time I need it.

I served the ribs with some whipped potatoes and new brussels sprouts dish that I'll be posting later in the week.

Serves 6
4 lbs bone-in country-style pork ribs
Kosher salt
1 1/2 tsp hot paprika
3 tbs EVOO
3 medium onions, peeled and cut into wedges
1- 12 oz bottle amber ale
1 1/2 cups low sodium chicken broth
2 bay leaves
6 sprigs thyme
2/3 cup apple cider vinegar
3 tbs honey

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Pat the ribs dry, season with salt, and sprinkle with 1/2 tsp paprika. Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the ribs in batches and cook until browned (5-8 minutes per side). Remove to a plate. Add onions and cook until browned, about 10 minutes. Add the remaining 1 tsp paprika and season with salt.

Add the beer; bring to a boil and cook until the kiquid is reduced by half, about 8 minutes, scraping up the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon. Add the chicken broth, bay leaves, and thyme. When the liquid begins to simmer, return the ribs to the pot and transfer to the oven. Cook, uncovered, turning the ribs once or twice, until the meat is almost tender, about 1 hour.

Mix the vinegar and honey in a measuring cup. Remove the pot from the oven and place on the stovetop; bring to a simmer over medium heat. Add the vinegar mixture and bring to a boil, then return the pot to the oven. Continue to braise, uncovered, until the ribs are tender, another 10-15 minutes. Return the pot to the stovetop and transfer the ribs to a plate. Bring the sauce to a boil over medium heat. Skim off the fat and cook until thickened, another 10-15 minutes. Return the ribs to the Dutch oven to heat through. Discard the bay leaves and thyme sprigs before serving.
****************************************
TASTE NOTES
It wouldn't have mattered if I didn't like the ribs because the cider gravy was finger-lickin good. Happily, though, the ribs were fall-off-the-bone wonderful. There are lots of leftovers which I'm guessing will taste even better after sitting in the aforementioned ambrosial gravy. I'm also thinking that this same gravy would be fabulous on a braised pork roast. The bottom line was this was time well spent.

Perciatelli all'Amatriciana

2011-10-10T18:51:00.000-04:00

On my second trip to Italy, I spent a week on the Isle of Ischia in the Bay of Naples. It was a destination that I had planned to visit for 2 days and was reluctant to leave after a mere 7. One of the highlights of that trip was going down to Porto each evening for a meal beside the sea. At a small seaside cafe I had my first taste of pasta all-Amatriciana and the taste is forever associated with that beautiful island. It's difficult to find bucatini, an extra-long pasta tube that looks like a drinking straw on steroids, but I happened upon a box of perciatelli and decided it would do. While neither as long nor as thick as bucatini, the perciatelli reminded me of long-ago Sunday dinners and my father. We would typically eat the Sunday meal at 2:00--good thing since it took most of the afternoon to work off the extra calories and that stuperous feeling that comes from too many carbs (did I really say that? can there be too many carbs? ever?).

This dish requires a minimum of ingredients and time, so don't wait until Sunday to try it. If you absolutely can't find bucatini or perciatelli, you could use linguine, but don't use anything other than pancetta or the sauce simply won't be the same.

Serves 4
2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
6-8 oz of 1/4 inch thick slices pancetta cut into 1-inch long strips
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1/4-1/2 tsp dried red pepper flakes
2 small cans diced tomatoes with juice
salt and pepper
1 lb perciatelli
1/3 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese

Bring 6 quarts water to a rolling boil in a large pot.

Meanwhile, heat oil in a large skillet until shimmering. Add the pancetta and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned and crisp, about 8 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to a paper-towel lined plate and set aside. Drain all but 2 tbs fat from skillet and add the onion. Saute until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the red pepper and cook just to release the flavor, about 30 seconds. Stir in the tomatoes and season to taste. Simmer gently for 15 minutes.

Cook the pasta to the al dente stage. Drain and return pasta to the empty pot. Add pancetta to the sauce, then add the sauce to the pasta and toss over low heat to combine, about 30 seconds. Add the cheese and toss again. Serve immediately.

*******************************
TASTE NOTES
Food that is associated with happy memories is the best and this dish was a winner on all counts. Calling to mind childhood meals with my parents, both of whom are gone, is comforting and poignant at the same time. Reminiscing about my wonderful week in Ischia makes me long to return there soon. This is a simple dish, but a lusty one. Try it!

More from the Homesick Texan

2011-10-07T00:00:00.001-04:00

I practically sat by the side of the mailbox waiting for my copy of The Homesick Texan to arrive, so it pains me to report that my first 2 outings with this cookbook that has been all over the blogosphere were dismal failures. The first recipe I made was arroz con leche. I know the difference between this and rice pudding, but this recipe produced rice soup. It went over the bank behind the house and I hope some of our woodland creatures derived some nourishment from it. Relatively undeterred, I decided to make the tres leches cake. If you've ever eaten a piece of this, you know how decadent it is. I followed Fain's recipe to the letter. I've made genoise/sponge cake many times. The cake that I produced from this recipe did not look good, but I proceeded to poke holes in it and pour over some of the milk mixture. The next day we tossed that over the bank as well. DSO's suggestion was that I toss the cookbook over the bank, but I figured three's a charm and so I went on to make cheese enchiladas with chile con carne and Austin-style black beans. Finally, success!

After my lack of success with the first 2 recipes, I decided to use Fain's recipes as guidelines and made a few small changes. I used flour tortillas instead of corn tortillas; chipotle chilis in adobo instead of ancho chilies, and I put the chile con carne inside the enchilada along with the cheese. I also doubled the amount of ground beef called for.

Cheese and Chile con Carne Enchiladas (4-6 servings)
For the chile con carne:
1-2 chipotles chilies in adobo, finely chopped
1 tbs vegetable oil
1/2 medium yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 tbs ground cumin
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp ground allspice
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1 cup water
1/2 lb lean ground beef
2 cups beef broth
salt, pepper to taste

For the enchiladas:
10-12 small flour tortillas
4 cups grated cheddar cheese (16 oz)

In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat the vegetable oil and cook the onions, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds more. Place cooked onions and garlic into the blender along with the cumin, oregano, allspice, cinnamon, and 1 cup of water. Blend until smooth. Set aside sauce.

In the same pot on medium heat, brown the ground beef, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Add the chilies and the beef broth on high until boiling, then turn the heat down to low and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. After 30 minutes, adjust the seasonings.

To make the enchiladas, preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease a large baking dish. One at a time, dip the tortillas into the sauce, shaking off excess. Lay the tortilla on a plate and add 1/12 of the chile con carne and 1/4 cup of the grated cheese down the center. Roll the tortilla tightly and add to the prepared baking dish. Pour remaining sauce over the enchiladas and top with the remaining grated cheese. Bake for 15 minutes or until cheese is lightly browned and bubbling. Serve with additional chopped onion, if desired.

Austin-style Black Beans (8-10 servings)
1 lb dried black beans
1 tbs vegetable oil
1 medium yellow onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, diced
1 carrot, peeled and diced
2 canned chipotle chiles in adobo, chopped
1/2 cup chopped cilantro, divided
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tbs tomato paste
1/4 cup lime juice
salt, to taste

Rinse and sort through the beans, removing any stones or shriveled beans. Place the beans in a large pot and cover with 1 inch water. Bring to a boil, then cook for 15 minutes. Drain and rinse the beans in a colander.

Return the empty pot to the stove and on medium-low heat, warm the vegetable oil. Add the onions and carrots to the pot and while occasionally stirring, cook until the onions are translucent and the carrots are lighter, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic to the pot and cook for 30 more seconds.

Return the beans to the pot, along with the chipotle chiles and 1/4 cup of cilantro. Cover with 2 inches of water, bring to a boil, then turn the heat down to low and simmer UNCOVERED for 1 1/2 hours.

After 1 1/2 hours, add the remaining cilantro, cumin, tomato paste, and lime juice. Taste and add salt. Cook uncovered for 30 more minutes or until beans are tender. When done, smash a few beans against the side of the pot with a spoon to thicken the broth. Stir the pot and serve.
************************************
TASTE NOTES
I almost didn't post the pictures because, as you can see, these dishes aren't too "purty." That said, I'll be quick to add that they were absolutely delicious--as good as or better than what we get at our local "cantina." I'm so pleased that I didn't let DSO convince me to toss the cookbook along with the failed desserts. My decision to place the chile con carne INside the enchiladas was simply to assist with portion control. I could easily anticipate having just cheese enchiladas left over if I'd put the sauce on top. I'm glad I gave Fain a third shot and look forward to more delicious recipes (though I'm swearing off the desserts!).

Almost-famous Swedish Meatballs

2011-10-04T00:00:00.002-04:00

I remember the first time I discovered a Top Secret Recipe cookbook and found the recipe for Twinkies in it.Fast forward at least 20 yearswhen I rediscovered that same euphoria with Food Network Magazine's monthly "Copy That!" column. I haven't gotten around to making Macaroni Grill's rosemary focaccia yet, but the minute I saw the recipe for Ikea's Swedish meatballs, that iconic appetizer of the 50's and 60's, I knew I had to make them. While there's a recipe for meatballs in Ikea's Real Swedish Food Book, the article notes that reps confirmed that it is not the recipe for the meatballs served at their restaurants. I've only been to Ikea once and I did not eat there, but after making this recipe you can be sure I will try the meatballs next time for comparison purposes.

Servings: 45 meatballs
For the meatballs:
1 cup breadcrumbs (I used unseasoned panko)
2 tbs unsalted butter
1/3 cup minced white onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 tsp ground allspice
Kosher salt and freshly ground white pepper
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
3/4 lb lean ground beef
1/2 lb lean ground pork
1 large egg plus 1 egg white, beaten
vegetable oil for brushing

For the gravy:
2 tbs unsalted butter
2 tbs all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups low-sodium beef broth
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup heavy cream (I used light; it works great)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tbs chopped fresh parsley

Make the meatballs: put the breadcrumbs in a large bowl. Heat the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, allspice, 2 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp white pepper and cook, stirring, until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the milk and Worcestershire sauce and bring to a simmer. Pour the milk mixture over the bread crumbs and stir to make a thick paste; let cool. Add the beef, pork, egg and egg white to the bowl and mix until combined.

Brush a baking sheet with vegetable oil. Roll the meat into 1-inch balls and arrange on the prepared sheet. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Bake the meatballs until cooked through, about 20 minutes.

Make the gravy: melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the flour and cook, whisking, until smooth, about 2 minutes. Whisk in the beef broth and Worcestershire a little at a time and bring to a simmer. Add the cream and the meatballs. Cover and simmer about 10 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley.
**************************
TASTE NOTES:
I made these for dinner with egg noodles and roasted butternut squash. It was a party in my mouth! These are like no Swedish meatballs I've ever made or eaten. There was no sour cream and the meatballs were light as air. DSO practically swooned while he was eating them and happily carried some leftovers for lunch the next day. I can't say enough good things about the gravy. It was creamy, but not heavy; plentiful, but in just the right proportion to the amount of meat; and flavorful, but not so that it overpowered the delicate meatballs. Run, don't walk, to the store to buy the ingredients and whether you serve them with some lingonberry jam as an appetizer or with noodles for an entree, close the windows unless you want the neighbors to come knocking.

Peanut Sesame Noodles

2011-09-30T00:00:00.001-04:00

As much as I love Asian flavors, particularly Chinese, I am reluctant to order this cuisine in a restaurant. Even when the menu boasts "NO MSG," I find after eating a typical Chinese meal out, I am sluggish and bloated for days. Rather than give up these favorite foods, I look for ways to lighten them up and reduce the sodium. I also pay attention to portion size, often making the food in question a side dish rather than the main event. I can't think of anything better than combining the wonderful flavor of peanut butter with pasta and sesame seeds. It's like a triple-header for a baseball fan. As a side dish for Asian-inspired skinless chicken legs, these peanut sesame noodles were a delicious treat. The bonus was I didn't feel like the Pillsbury doughboy the next day.

Serves 4-6
Dressing:
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
1/3 c warm water
2 T fresh chopped ginger
1 clove garlic, chopped
2 T red wine vinegar
1 1/2 T sesame oil
2 tsp honey
red pepper flakes

Place all dressing ingredients in a blender and puree for 2 minutes, scraping down the sides as needed. T

Prepare 3/4 lb angel hair pasta according to package instructions, drain, and add to dressing. Toss to coat. Toss with:

4 scallions, sliced thin
3 T toasted sesame seeds

For best flavor, serve at room temperature.
*********************************************
TASTE NOTES
I loved the flavors of this easy side dish, but did not care for how the pasta stuck together. It got better as it cooled off, but adding a tiny bit of sesame oil and retossing is advised. I served this with sauteed bok choy and oven Chinese-style BBQ skinless chicken legs. There were plenty of leftovers which are just as tasty straight from the fridge (so be forewarned).

Cream-filled Cupcakes with Chocolate Ganache Frosting

2011-09-27T00:00:00.002-04:00

A little treat boxed and ready to go...

my new toy

ready to be filled

chocolate ganache frosting

better than Hostess's filling

love that shiny frosting

I've been wanting to buy one of these cupcake makers for a while, but just kept forgetting to order one. I know you can just cut a cone-shape out of the top and fill or you can use a pastry bag to put a smidge of filling inside your cupcakes, but I wanted to be able to put more than a smidge. The little silicone plug-like things are surrounded by batter and create a perfect pocket to be filled when the cakes cool. I baked one batch in my new toy and the other in my stoneware cupcake pan. For that second batch I did just use a pastry bag to put a bit of filling in each.

Ingredients
1 package (18-1/4 ounces) devil's food cake mix (or your favorite recipe)

Cream Filling
2 teaspoons hot water
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 jar (7 ounces) marshmallow creme
1/2 cup shortening
1/3 cup confectioners' sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Ganache Frosting
1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream

Directions
Prepare and bake cupcakes according to package directions for cupcakes. Cool for 5 minutes before removing to wire racks to cool completely.

For filling, in a small bowl, combine water and salt until salt is dissolved. Cool. In a small bowl, beat the marshmallow creme, shortening, confectioners' sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy; add the salt mixture.Cut a small hole in the corner of pastry or plastic bag; insert round pastry tip. Fill the bag with cream filling. Push the tip through the bottom of paper liner to fill each cupcake.

For ganache frosting, place chocolate in a small bowl. In a small saucepan, bring cream just to a boil. Pour over chocolate; whisk until smooth. Cool, stirring occasionally, to room temperature or until ganache reaches a spreading consistency.Top cupcake with frosting; chill for 20 minutes or until set. Store in the refrigerator. Yield: 2 dozen.
*************************************
TASTE NOTES
The best thing about these cupcakes is the ganache frosting. I could have eaten the whole bowful. I did use a mix (Duncan Hines) this time, but the cakes were still moist and yummy. The filling tasted a lot like the one in Hostess cupcakes, but better. I can't wait to try a peanut butter filling with chocolate cake and a cannoli filling with white cake. I love my new toy.

Gnocchi with Butternut Squash and Kale

2011-09-23T00:00:00.002-04:00

Food Network Magazine deserves kudos for being responsive to its readership. They have begun providing nutritional information for a number of the recipes they print each month. While this isn't my sole criterion, because I prepare meals for a diabetic, I am always interested in keeping a balance between grams of carbohydrates, fat, protein, and fiber. I also pay attention to the sodium since both of us tend to salt our food. In the October issue in the "Weeknight Cooking" section, I found this recipe for a favorite pasta that was relatively low in calories, high in fiber, and sure to be tasty. If you try to prepare meatless meals once or twice a week, this one's for you.

Serves 4
2 tbs unsalted butter
1/2 medium butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 tbs roughly chopped fresh sage
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
Kosher salt
1 1/4 cups low-sodium, fat free chicken broth
1 bunch kale, cleaned, stemmed, and roughly chopped (about 8 cups)
1- 17.5 oz package gnocchi (I ussed spinach gnocchi, which increased the fiber slightly)
3/4 cup freshly grated parmesan or pecorino romano cheese

Melt 1 tbs butter in a large, ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Add the squash and cook, stirring, until slightly soft and golden, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic, sage, red pepper flakes, and 1 tsp salt and cook until the garlic is soft, about 2 minutes more. Add the chicken broth to the skillet. When it starts to simmer, stir in the kale and cook until it wilts slightly, about 2 minutes. Add the frozen gnocchi, stirring to coat. Cover and cook until the gnocchi are just tender, about 5 minutes. Uncover and stir in 1/4 cup of the cheese and the remaining 1 tbs butter. Sprinkle the top with the remaining cheese and transfer to the broiler. Cook until golden and bubbly, about 3 minutes.
********************************************
TASTE NOTES
Another great 1- pan meal with the bonus of leftovers that tasted even better reheated. I was afraid the kale would overwhelm the dish, but when it cooked down, it was perfect. I used a whole, small butternut squash because I adore this winter vegetable. I strongly recommend that you not omit the red pepper flakes. I was tempted to, but was happy I did not. The dish needs this little bit of heat. I'm not one who eats fiery food, but I very much enjoyed the addition of the red pepper. DSO asked where the meat was the first night, but happily gobbled down his portion. This is a terrific weeknight meal that you can feel a bit virtuous eating--so virtuous that you may want to pour a lovely glass of pinot noir to enjoy with it.

Pesto Pizza with Pancetta and Baby Bellas

2011-09-21T20:48:00.000-04:00

I never tire of trying new combinations of ingredients for one of our favorite meals, pizza. The last of this season's pesto deserved to be showcased, so I gathered a few favorite ingredients and "voila!" another favorite pizza was born.

Chop 2 oz pancetta and fry until crisp; drain.

Lightly oil a sheet pan; toss or pat dough and prebake at 400 degrees for about 5 minutes. Add a light layer of pesto. Sprinkle with pancetta.

Roast a few red peppers; peel, seed, and chop. Spread over pesto and pancetta.

Chop 7 oz baby bellas and saute in a bit of butter. Add to pizza toppings.

Chop or tear 1 lb fresh mozzarella and spread evenly over pizza.

Bake at 425 degrees for 12-15 minutes.

*************************************************
TASTE NOTES
How can you go wrong with homemade pesto, pizza dough, roasted red peppers and some sauteed mushrooms and fresh mozzarella? This was heaven on a plate. I used to be embarrassed to photograph my pizza pan, but the discoloration is proof that my pan is getting well-seasoned. Like a good cast iron skillet, you can't beat a seasoned pizza pan.

Secret Recipe Club

2011-09-19T08:00:00.002-04:00

Next to food and cooking, I think what drives most bloggers to devote time and energy to posting about their foodie obsessions is the opportunity to interact with other like-minded people. In the 3 plus years that I've been blogging, I've "met" some wonderful folks from all around the world who share my passion for the art of cooking. I follow their blogs each day, derive inspiration from them, and widen my sphere of bloggers through them. This is how I happened upon the Secret Recipe Club, the brainchild of Amanda, whose story of her leap into the blogging world is nothing short of inspiring. When Amanda was searching for ways to bring more exposure to her blog, she conceived of the Secret Recipe Club. Her idea was to make a recipe from a fellow blogger who, in turn, would make a recipe from Amanda's Cookin. But Amanda thought it would be even more fun if more bloggers were involved and so she opened up the clubhouse. From the 19 members that first month, the Secret Recipe Club has grown to several hundred members. And now The Food of Love is one of those members.

For my first month's participation, I was assigned Nicole's wonderful blog The Daily Dish. Nicole is a mother of 5 who somehow finds the time to blog about food and family. I enjoyed getting to know Nicole better by reading through her posts. Her interests are quite varied and I picked up some great information. Deciding which recipe to try took a bit of deliberating, but I finally decided on this pudding-like banana cake with orange icing.

With a large bag of very ripe bananas in the freezer, this cake was going to be economical as well as delicious. The original recipe is here. I cut the recipe in half, tweaked it a bit, and used a loaf pan to produce 12 servings. That recipe follows:

1/2 lb unsalted butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
3 eggs
2-3 large overripe bananas, mashed
2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Icing:
1 3/4 cups confectioners sugar
1 1/2 tsp unsalted butter, softened
2-3 tbs orange juice

Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees Farenheit. Grease a large loaf pan and line with parchment paper. Beat the butter and sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla. Stir in half the flour, then half the mashed bananas. Incorporate completely, then mix in the other half. Pour the mixture into the prepared loaf pan. Bake for 1 hour or until a cake tester comes out clean. Let cool in the pan for 20 minutes, then cool on a rack.

To make the icing, melt the butter in the microwave. Add the confectioners sugar and orange juice to form a slightly runny paste. Pour over cool cakes, letting the icing run down the sides.
******************************
TASTE NOTES
DSO really, really liked this version of banana cake as did I. It's so moist that you'd swear it has some kind of pudding in it. It keeps very well in the refrigerator and the orange icing was a perfect topping, just sweet enough without being cloying.

Please visit all the other wonderful Secret Recipe Club members whose recipes are available below by clicking on the thumbnail.

Chicken and Egg Noodles with Wine Sauce

2011-09-13T00:00:00.000-04:00

Want to save at least $20? The next time you arrive home harried and needing to get dinner on the table in under a half hour, save the $20 you'd have spent on the pizza delivery and make this quick, but company worthy dinner instead. Oh, and did I mention that it cooks in a single skillet thereby making clean up an under 30 minute deal as well? The trick is to always have boneless, skinless chicken breasts in the freezer (that's what the defrost button on the microwave is for) and a bag of egg noodles in the pantry. The other ingredients are staples.

Serves 4
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (1 1/4 lbs), cut crosswise into 1/4 inch strips
salt and pepper
2 tbs unsalted butter
2 shallots, peeled and sliced into thin rounds
1/2 cup white wine
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
8 oz egg noodles
3 tbs heavy cream (I used fat free half and half)
2 tbs minced fresh tarragon
*I added 1 cup cooked baby peas to DSO's portion.

Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook chicken until no longer pink, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a plate and tent with foil.

Add shallots to the same skillet and cook until softened, about 2 minutes. Stir in wine and cook, scraping up any browned bits of fond, until pan is nearly dry, about 3 minutes. Stir in broth and noodles and cook, stirring occasionally, until noodles are tender and liquid has been absorbed, 8-10 minutes.

Stir in cream, tarragon, and chicken, along with any accumulated chicken juices and cook until heated through, about 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper and serve.
************************************
TASTE NOTES
It was amazing how good this simple dish tasted. It proves that a few, well-chosen ingredients can elevate the most simple preparation. The milder flavor of the shallots combined with a small amount of white wine yielded big taste. Cooking the egg noodles right in the same skillet not only saves on clean up, but also adds a bit of starch to the wine sauce. By deglazing the pan and using butter and cream, there's just a bit of richness to this simple sauce.(If you don't like tarragon, try chives instead.) I froze one portion in a zip lock freezer bag and the other portion made a lovely lunch for DSO the next day. I spent all the time I saved quilting and the $20 on a manicure. Life is good.

Molasses-glazed Beef Kebabs

2011-09-08T17:57:00.001-04:00

It seems we've been dodging natural disasters all winter, spring, and summer, so barbecuing in the "elements" has become commonplace. The mixture of sweet orange juice with the slightly bitter and smoky molasses promised to be a winning flavor combination. The original recipe is from an America's Test Kitchen magazine.

Serves 4
1 cup orange juice
1/2 cup unsulfured molasses
2 garlic cloves, smashed
2 lbs steak tips (flap meat), cut into 2 inch chunks

In a medium saucepan, bring orange juice to a boil over high heat and reduce to 1/3 cup, about 3 minutes. Stir in 1/2 cup molasses and boil until mixture reduces to 1/2 cup. Whisk in the smashed garlic. Season the beef with salt and pepper. Toss beef with the molasses mixture.

Thread meat evenly onto four metal skewers and grill over a hot fire, turning frequently and basting with the sauce, until meat is well-browned. Serve with rice and Chinese long beans.
**************************
TASTE NOTES
I love the idea of kebabs, but don't make them often because they are difficult to cook precisely. I have metal skewers that fit into a lovely rack that keeps them from sticking to the grill, but the skewers are round. They turn easily, but the meat does not. I need to find some flat skewers that will keep the meat in place when I flip the skewer. That said, the flavor of the molasses glaze was incredible. I'm going to try it on a flank steak and/or a pork loin very soon.

Hoisin Pork with Garlic Noodles

2011-09-06T00:00:00.000-04:00

I've amassed quite a collection of America's Test Kitchen magazines and have tried out quite a number of their dishes. This hoisin pork with garlic noodles combined one of my favorite proteins, lean pork tenderloin, with one of my favorite Chinese sauces, hoisin sauce. I've supplied the original recipe, but I made some changes. First, I used just 1 pork tenderloin, a bit over a pound, and only 1 package of dried Chinese noodles. I made the same amount of sauce, but brushed it on the pork at the beginning of cooking and throughout the grilling. Finally, I used my new favorite grilling technique, browning the pork on all sides over high direct heat, then turning off the heat directly under the pork, closing the lid, and using indirect heat to finish the cooking. I can't say enough about this method of cooking. It hasn't failed me yet.

Serves 4-6
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
2 tbs grated fresh ginger
1 tbs chili-garlic sauce
8 scallions, sliced thin
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp soy sauce
2 tbs vegetable oil
2 pork tenderloins (1 1/2 - 2 lbs total)
salt and pepper
2 (9 oz) pkg Chinese noodles

Whisk hoisin, 1 tsp ginger, chili-garlic sauce in small bowl and set aside. In another bowl, combine scallions, garlic, soy sauce, 1 tbs oil, and remaining ginger.

Pat pork dry with paper towels then rub with remaining oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill over hot fire until browned on all sides and pork registers 145 degrees, 12 to 15 minutes. Brush all over with hoisin mixture and cook for 1-3 minutes longer. Transfer to cutting board, tent with foil, and let rest 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring 3 quarts water to a boil in a large pot. Add 1 tbs salt and noodles and cook 3 minutes. Reserve 1 cup pasta water, drain noodles, then return noddles to pot and stir in scallion mixture, adding reserved cooking water as needed. Season with salt and pepper.

Slice pork 1/4 inch thick and serve with noodles.
********************************
TASTE NOTES
Hoisin sauce, a mix of spicy, sweet, and salty flavors, is a favorite of mine. The addition of the fresh ginger and the chili-garlic sauce was a perfect foil to the hoisin and really made the pork tenderloin sing. I used just 1 package of noodles, so the garlic and ginger was aggressive, but delicious. I served the dish with some stir-fried bok choy and it was all very flavorful and satisfying, but the real goodness came the next night when I repurposed the leftover pork and noodles. I sliced the leftover pork very, very thinly and stir-fried it, along with the leftover noodles and bok choy, in a bit of peanut oil, finishing it with a tablespoon of teriyaki sauce. Alongside some tempura shrimp, it was positively addictive. I will probably make lots more pork and noodles next time just so we can have this wonderful noodle dish again. Next time, I'll add some baby corn and sliced water chestnuts to the noodle dish. I highly recommend both meals. And, both are under 30 minutes, start to finish.

GRILLED CHICKEN WITH COLA SAUCE

2011-09-02T00:00:00.000-04:00

Since I began using indirect heat to grill my chicken, I've begun to use more chicken breast as opposed to thighs, so when I saw this recipe in the September issue of Cooking Light, I decided to give it a try. I've used cola to make a BBQ sauce before, but the combination of spices in this recipe promised more flavor.

Serves 6
1 tbs canola oil
2 1/2 tbs finely chopped onion (I used more)
1 garlic clove, minced
3/4 cup cola (I used diet Pepsi)
1/3 cup ketchup
1 tbs cider vinegar
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 tsp chili powder
1 1/2 tbs dark brown sugar
1 tbs sweet paprika
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cumin
6 (6 oz) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
cooking spray

Preheat grill to medium high.

Heat a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add oil to pan, swirl to coat. Saute onion for 2 minutes, stirring; add garlic and saute 1 minute more. Stir in cola, ketchup, cider vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, and chili powder and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer 15 minutes or until sauce is reduced to about 3/4 cup. Stir occasionally. Set aside 6 tbs of marinade to serve with cooked chicken. The rest will be used to baste chicken as it cooks.

Combine sugar, paprika, salt, and cumin. Rub this spice mixture evenly over both sides of the breasts.

Here I deviate from the method described to use indirect heat to cook my breasts.

Spray grill. Baste top of breasts with the marinade. Cook breasts over direct heat, 2 minutes on each side (or until you have grill marks), basting other side when you turn chicken. Turn off heat directly under the chicken, but leave it on on the other 2/3 of the grill. Baste, cook 5 minutes on one side with the cover closed, baste chicken, then turn chicken and cook 5 minutes more with the cover closed. Serve with reserved marinade.
************************************
TASTE NOTES
Once again, I cannot stress enough how perfect this method of grilling meat is. You get the grill marks and a bit of char without incinerating and drying out your protein. The cola sauce was not overly sweet and there was more than enough of it to baste the chicken and have a good amount left to serve over the cooked breasts. I was glad that I'd increased the onion since it gave some texture to the sauce. With fresh corn and a big salad, this was a great summer meal.

TAMALE PIE

2011-08-30T07:59:00.000-04:00

I don't think of Ladies' Home Journal as a foodie magazine and can't remember using any recipes from that source over the years. That said, their description of a tamale pie was a good springboard for a weeknight dinner. With quite a lot of tweaking, it will make its way into our rotation. With credit to LHJ for inspiration, here is my recipe for a one-dish dinner.

Serves 4
2 tsp canola oil
1 small onion, minced
1/2 small red pepper, chopped finely
1 lb ground beef
1 tsp chipotle chili powder
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 lb tomatoes, chopped
2 tbs cilantro, chopped
1/2 cup pitted olives (Kalamata or green), coarsely chopped
1/2 tsp each salt and pepper
1/2 can corn, drained
1/2 can black beans, drained
1 - 8 1/2 oz pkg corn muffin mix, prepared according to pkg instructions
3/4 cup shreddedd cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, and red pepper. Saute 3-4 minutes. Add ground beef, breaking it up with a fork. Add the chili powder and cumin and cook beef until browned. Add the chopped tomatoes, cilantro, olives, salt, pepper, corn, and black beans and stir to combine.

Prepare corn muffin mix according to package instructions.

Divide beef mixture among 4 casserole dishes and top with corn muffin mix. Divide cheese evenly among 4 dishes.

Place casserole dishes on a baking sheet and bake 15-17 minutes, until topping is cooked and mixture is bubbling. Serve with salsa and crema, if desired.
***************************
TASTE NOTES
I am not a chili eater, but I loved this simple casserole. The original recipe had no seasonings, corn, or beans. These additions amped up the flavor and also made the portions generous without adding lots of extra calories. We loved the flavor and I froze the leftovers right in the crocks for a night when there's no time to cook. It just proves that there's inspiration everywhere if we pay attention.

CHIPOTLE SHRIMP TORTILLAS

2011-08-26T00:00:00.001-04:00

Leafing through the September issue of Ladies Home Journal, I spied an article on a mix and match recipe for tortillas. Given our enthusiasm for all things Mexican, I decided to try a filling of chipotle shrimp on flour tortillas with a chipotle crema and shredded red cabbage. You could use corn tortillas or even turn these into quesadillas.

Serves 2
Filling:
1 tsp canola oil
1 garlic clove, minced
3/4 lb medium shrimp, peeled, deveined, and cut in half
2 tsp finely chopped chipotle in adobo
2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp kosher salt

Heat 1 tsp canola oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the minced garlic and shrimp and cook until just pink, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the chopped chipotle in adobo, ground cumin, and salt.

Sauce:
1/2 cup crema
1 1/2 tsp adobo sauce from the chipotle in adobo
cumin to taste

Whisk ingredients together until smooth.

Toppings:
shredded red cabbage
pickled red onions
chopped scallions

To serve 2:
Warm 4 small flour tortillas. Fill each with 1/4 of the shrimp, drizzle with chipotle crema, and top with the shredded red cabbage (or other toppings).
***************************
TASTE NOTES:
The hardest thing about this dish was peeling and cleaning the shrimp (my supermarket no longer does this). We loved the flavor of the chipotle crema, which reinforced the chiptotles in the shrimp. The shredded red cabbage added just the right amount of crunch. Served with some black beans and fresh corn, this dinner sings, "Ole!" Sometimes really simple is simply delicious.

CHINESE-STYLE CHICKEN WITH VEGETABLES

2011-08-22T00:00:00.001-04:00

Irene Kuo's The Key to Chinese Cooking was one of the first ethnic cookbooks I ever purchased. I've been using it since the 70's and it has never failed me. When we don't want "take out," it's still my go to source for more healthful eating with a Chinese twist. Chicken and broccoli is one of our favorite dishes, but moo goo gai pan (chicken with assorted vegetables) is a close second. If you love crisp Chinese vegetables with a nice glazy sauce, this dish is for you.

Serves 2-3 as a main course with rice
1 lb velveted chicken (velveting chicken)
1 large garlic clove, lightly smashed and peeled
2 quarter-sized pieces of ginger
3 tbs peanut oil
1/4 cup chicken stock

(you can mix up your veggies; these are what I chose on this night)
1 can sliced water chestnuts, drained
1/2 lb shitake mushrooms, cleaned and sliced (hard stems removed)
4 scallions, sliced
3 large bunches broccoli florets, trimmed and sliced

Sauce:
1 tbs light soy sauce
1 tbs hoisin sauce (I changed this from the oyster sauce recommended; I prefer its taste)
1 tbs dry sherry
1/2 tsp sugar
dash white pepper
2 tsp cornstarch dissolved in 2 tbs water
2 tsp sesame oil

Set out the velveted chicken.

Smash the garlic lightly and peel; slice the ginger; prepare the veggies. Mise en place is critical to a successful stir fry.

Heat a wok or large, heavy skillet over high heat until hot. Add the oil, swirl, and heat until hot. Toss in the ginger and garlic and press them against the side of the pan. Scatter in the vegetables and stir fry for a few minutes. Add some salt and continue to stir fry, using a tossing motion, for another 45 seconds. Add the stock, even out the vegetables, and spread the chicken on top. Cover, lower the heat to medium, and steam cook for about 3 minutes, being careful not to burn. Uncover, add the sauce, and toss again until the sauce glazes all the meat and vegetables. Taste for seasoning, adding more soy sauce, if desired. Pour into a hot serving dish and serve with rice.
***********************************
TASTE NOTES
What I love about moo goo gai pan is that it tastes different every time, depending upon what veggies you use. In the winter, I love bok choy, baby bok choy if it's available. If you love summer squash, add it in. I always love broccoli and mushrooms, but have also used red pepper slices, bamboo shoots, snow peas, string beans--mix it up! The chunkiness of the meat and veggies makes this a hearty dish. The sauce is lovely, not gooey or artificial looking as so many sauces in Chinese restaurants can be. While there is a lot of prep, once that's done, the dish comes together in minutes. I can't say enough about the importance of velveting. For health reasons, I velvet in water, not oil. It renders your protein into a delicate, tender morsel.

GRIDDLE BURGERS: CHEDDAR-AND-ONION SMASHED BURGERS

2011-08-17T08:11:00.001-04:00

A recipe for cheeseburgers? Really? That was my thought, too, as I flipped through the pages of my June copy of Food and Wine. After reading about these griddle burgers inspired by the sliders at White Manna in Hackensack, however, I clipped the column and placed it in my "to do" folder. DSO and I are both very glad that I did.

Makes 4 burgers
16 thin bread-and-butter pickle slices, patted dry
four, 4 inch potato buns, buttered and toasted (I used mini whole wheat potato buns)
1 1/4 lbs ground beef chuck (I used 85% )
salt and freshly ground pepper
1 small vidalia onion, sliced* paper thin (you'll have leftovers)
4 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, sliced
Optional: umami dust (I'll give you their recipe; I didn't have the ingredients)

Heat a cast-iron griddle* until very hot.

Without overworking the meat, loosely form it into 4 balls and place them on the griddle. Cook the meat over moderately high heat for 30 seconds. Using a sturdy spatula, flatten each ball into a 5-inch round patty. Season the patties with salt and pepper and cook for 2 minutes, until well-seared. Press a handful of sliced onions onto each patty. Using the spatula, carefully flip each burger so the onions are on the bottom. Top with the cheese and cook for 2 minutes. Cover and cook just until the cheese is melted, about 1 minute more.

Toast the buttered buns and layer the pickle slices on the bottom.

Transfer the burgers with the onions to the buns, sprinkle with umami dust. Top with the buns and serve.

Umami dust: mix together 3 tbs bonito flakes, 1/2 oz crumbled dried kambu mushrooms into a powder (or wait, umami dust will soon be available)
*********************************************
TASTE NOTES
As with direct and indirect grilling, using a cast iron frying pan (yes, it works as well as a cast iron griddle) has been key to perfecting some old favorites of mine. I eliminate the mess in the kitchen by using the burner on my outdoor grill, a bonus! In a word, these smashed burgers were the BOMB! The only change I'd make for next time is to chop the onions--they'll adhere better than the slices. The success of these juicy, flavorful burgers was using the very hot cast iron grill, using a fattier ground beef (85% instead of my usual 93%), buttering and toasting the potato rolls, and not overhandling the meat. I'm going to try the umami dust next time. Although I loved these as much as DSO, I couldn't help but comment that I got more "yummy noises" from him for these sliders than I get from my homemade pasta! Men!

CHICKEN AND BROCCOLI STROMBOLI

2011-08-16T00:00:00.002-04:00

This is another no-brainer, "I've just walked in the door and need dinner on the table pronto" idea.

1 can thin crust pizza dough
1 head broccoli, trimmed into florets and steamed
1 cup diced chicken (you can use rotisserie or poach a large breast)
1 1/2 cupsshredded Monterey Jack or cheddar cheese
1 cup favorite tomato sauce for dipping

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Steam the broccoli and chop roughly. Dice or shred the chicken. Unroll the pizza dough and gently pat into a large rectangle. Spread to within an inch of the edge the broccoli, the chicken, and the cheese. Fold in the short sides, then roll with the seam on the bottom. Make 3 or 4 slashes so the steam can escape. Bake for 12-15 minutes, until lightly browned. Remove from the oven and let sit for 5 minutes before slicing and serving with a side of your favorite tomato sauce. Serve with a large salad for a quick meal.
***********************************
TASTE NOTES
This take on stomboli (a wonderful crust filled with Italian meats) made a quick and tasty supper alongside a big salad. It's not rocket science and there's nothing gourmet about it, but children and adults will enjoy getting their protein, veggies, and carbs in a neat package and, let's face it, cheese makes everything better.

BRASCIOLE

2011-08-11T12:41:00.000-04:00

In Italy, brasciole are thin slices of beef, pan fried in their own juices or a small amount of olive oil, and ususally served with a salad and boiled potatoes. In Italian American cuisine, brasciole generally refers to those thin slices of beef, stuffed and turned into a roulade before being pan fried or cooked in Sunday gravy. In other words, what are known as brasciole in our country are known as involtini in Italian cuisine. In any cuisine, they are delicious. My mother's brasciole were sometimes stuffed with just seasoned bread crumbs and cheese. At other times, she used some sausage along with the bread stuffing. Her brasciole were put into the sauce after a quick browning and left to cook until meltingly tender. As much as I loved them, I was looking for a quicker, more healthful version.

Serves 2 (with leftovers)
1 lb flank steak, butterflied
2 oz prosciutto, chopped
2 oz Fontina cheese, sliced or shredded
2 tbs olive oil
2 tbs chopped fresh parsley
Kosher salt
freshly ground pepper

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Season the flank steak on both sides with salt and pepper. Spread the butterflied flank steak with the prosciutto, Fontina, and chopped parsley. Roll tightly and tie in 3-4 places with string. Heat the olive oil, then brown the meat on all sides. Place in a roasting pan and finish in the oven, about 25-30 minutes, until the meat is medium rare. Let the meat rest, then slice into 3/4 inch slices.
**********************************************
TASTE NOTES
This is a quick, delicious dinner. All it requires is a salad and a side of sauteed broccoli rabe. Of course, a glass of Sangiovese can't hurt either.

TACODILLAS

2011-08-05T00:00:00.002-04:00

If I could only eat one meal each day, I would choose to eat lunch. I would have to say that my decision is greatly influenced by the fact that the sandwich is often the star of lunch. Whether it's a PBandJ sandwich, a mozzarella and prosciutto panini, or a chorizo and cotija quesadilla, there's just something about being able to get your hands around your food that makes me smile. Next to pizza (which could be counted as an open-faced sandwich), quesadillas have been making a lot of guest appearances in the Food of Love kitchen this summer. I was pleased to learn that I'm not alone in my devotion to the Mexican cheese sandwich. Visiting one of my esteemed food-blogger friends the other day, I learned that the inimitable Foodycat is equally passionate about her cheese and breadstuffs.

Getting to the point (will she ever? you ask), I decided I had overlooked an obvious choice of filling and set about remedying this while indulging my obsession with this week's quesadilla fix. How had I not seen this before? Why not simply replace the messy taco, whose crumbs end up all over my dining room floor and whose sauce usually manages to migrate to whatever shirt I'm wearing, with an easy- to- hold, dainty triangle of taco filling and cheese and condiments on a non-crumbly flour tortilla? And that's just what I did.

There's no need for a recipe here. Just take your favorite taco meat filling, some lovely cheese (preferably Mexican), and your pepper of choice, place it on half a flour tortilla, fold over and gently press, then heat in a skillet that has been brushed with a small amount of oil until golden brown. Cut in half and enjoy with crema, guacamole, and salsa. Life is good!

BOURBON AND VANILLA BRINED PORK CHOPS

2011-08-02T00:00:00.001-04:00

Seldom does a week go by without my seeing a recipe for some protein or another that is brined. I've not yet brought myself to brine my Thanksgiving turkey, but thought that I'd see what all the fuss is about by trying this recipe found in the August/September issue of Fine Cooking.

For the brine:
1 oz Kosher salt
1/4 cup bourbon
3 tbs dark brown sugar
2 tbs unsulfured molasses
2 tsp pure vanilla extract

4 bone-in pork chops (2-3 lbs total)

For the spice rub:
1 tbs sweet Hungarian paprika
1 tbs dark brown sugar
1 tbs Kosher salt
1 tbs freshly ground pepper
2 tsp dried ground sage
1 tsp ground cayenne
1 1/4 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon

Brine the pork chops: in a large mixing bowl, combine 2 cups warm water with the brine ingredients, stirring until dissolved. Add 1 cup ice to the bowl to quickly cool the brine. Place pork chops in a 9X9 inch baking dish and pour the brine over. They should be submerged. Cover with plastic wrap and put on a tray (in case of spillage). Refrigerate for 3 to 4 hours. Remove the chops from the brine (discard brine) and pat them dry.

Make the spice rub: combine all of the spice rub ingredients in a small bowl or jar. The rub will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 months.

To prepare:
Prepare a gas or charcoal grill for indirect cooking over medium-high heat (400-450 degrees F). Sprinkle 2-3 tbs total of the spice rub generously over all sides of the chops. Grill the chops over direct heat, flipping once, until grill marks form on both sides--about 2 minutes on each side. Once the chops are marked, move them to the indirect heat, cover, and cook until their internal temperature registers 140-145 degrees F on an instant read thermometer, 4-6 minutes more per side. Transfer chops to a serving platter, tent loosely with foil, and let rest for 5 minutes before serving.
****************************
TASTE NOTES
Keeping it real, I have to say that in my opinion brining is much ado about nothing. The chops were flavorful, but I found them salty. I will use the rest of the spice rub on unbrined chops and I'm sure they will be much more to our liking. As for brining making the pork juicier, I contend that if you don't overcook your pork, it will be moist and delicious (and not too salty).

PESTO PIZZA WITH CARMELIZED ONIONS, CRIMINI MUSHROOMS, AND OIL-CURED OLIVES

2011-07-29T00:00:00.001-04:00

Don't wait until Friday to make pizza, especially when it's so easy. I love to try new dough recipes and recently tried one from the King Arthur Flour website. The dough recipe can be found by clicking on the link below:

http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/pizza-crust-recipe

A look in the refrigerator and the toppings were decided. This is a guide rather than a specific recipe.I diced a large Vidalia onion and sauteed it slowly in EVOO until it had carmelized nicely. In another skillet, I browned some chopped crimini mushrooms. I brushed the prepared dough with a few tablespoons of my homemade pesto (you can buy pesto ready-made). I then sprinkled the onions and mushrooms over the pesto. Next, I pitted and chopped a half cup of oil-cured olives and sprinkled them on. Then came my favorite part: I added some shredded mozzarella and sprinkled that with some grated Asiago. A quick run over the top with some EVOO and it was ready for a very hot oven (425 degrees F). The pizza was ready in 12 minutes.
********************************
TASTE NOTES
The dough was very tasty, but I could have gotten 2 pies out of this if I had made it as thin as ususal. The toppings were absolutely perfect together. I love sweet and salty side by side and the sweetness of the onions contrasted beautifully with the saltiness of the olives. Check out the King Arthur website for some wonderful recipes.

ONE PAN OVEN-ROASTED CHICKEN FEAST

2011-07-26T00:00:00.001-04:00

I remember my mother often made chicken in the oven surrounded by potatoes, onions, and whatever other vegetables were available--sometimes peppers, sometimes spinach. Looking through my copy of Skinny Italian by RHONJ Teresa Giudice, I happened upon her take on this Italian classic. I decided to try her version, but deviated a bit in the method of preparation. What follows is a recipe for 6 servings using a combination of Teresa's and my approach to this homey meal.

For the chicken:
Six 6-oz boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup white wine (I used my leftover Mateus)
1/4 cup EVOO
2 tsp dried oregano
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp crushed hot pepper

Lightly pound each chicken breast until it is about 1/2 inch thick. Whisk the wine, oil, oregano, garlic, salt, and pepper in a 13X9 inch glass dish. Add the chicken, cover, and refrigerate for 1 1/4 hours (no longer or you'll have mushy chicken).

While the chicken marinates, prepare the vegetables.

For the vegetables:
9 medium red potatoes, scrubbed and quartered
6 large carrots, cut into 1/2 inch rounds
1 tbs EVOO
4 ripe plum tomatoes, sliced into 1/2 inch rounds
2 medium onions, sliced into 1/4 inch half moons
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
1 tbs chopped fresh parsley

Toss the potatoes, onions, and carrots with the oil in a large bowl. Place them in the roasting pan. Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes.

To finish:
Remove the roasting pan from the oven. Scatter the tomatoes over the vegetables in the pan, add the salt and pepper, and toss together. Remove the chicken breasts from the marinade and arrange them in the pan on top of the vegetables. Pour the marinade over all. Return to the oven and bake until the chicken is opaque when pierced in the center, about 25 minutes. Sprinkle with the parsley and serve hot.
******************************
TASTE NOTES
You'll be looking at the clock while this dish finishes and the smells become impossible to ignore. Confirmed lovers of dark meat, DSO and I both loved this chicken. It was so moist and flavorful thanks, in part, to that marinade. Adding the onions in the beginning made more sense than adding them with the tomatoes, but what I'll be sure to do next time is uncover the vegetables after 30 minutes to allow them to carmelize a bit. Yes, there will be a next time. At 510 calories (49g carb, 16 g fat, 7 g fiber, 45 g protein), this is a healthy as well as delicious one pan meal.

NEW YORK STEAKS WITH MARTINI BUTTER

2011-07-22T00:00:00.001-04:00

One of the reasons steaks taste so incredible at a fine restaurant is that they are basted, liberally, with butter. When I saw this recipe in the August/September issue of Fine Dining, I knew I'd have to try this flavored butter the next time I craved beef. The original recipe serves 4, so I have plenty of martini butter left over. I've already used it on corn on the cob and I have a feeling it will be equally delicious on steamed broccoli and the pork chops I have in the freezer.

4 (9-10 oz) beef strip steaks, about 1 inch thick, trimmed of excess fat (I used bone in, though the recipe called for boneless)
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
2 tbs extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup drained, pimento-stuffed Spanish olives (martini olives)
2 tbs vodka or gin
1 tbs dry vermouth
2 tsp Dijon mustard
2 oz (4 tbs) unsalted butter, softened

Generously season both sides of the steaks with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering hot. (I use a well-seasoned cast iron skillet and cook outdoors on the burner of my gas grill--no mess in the kitchen.) Add the steaks and cook 4 minutes on each side for medium rare. Let the steaks rest for 5-10 minutes while you prepare the martini butter.

Combine the olives, vodka, vermouth, Dijon, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper in a food processor and pulse to combine. Add the butter and pulse, scraping down the sides as necessary.

Divide the martini butter among the steaks, letting it melt a bit.
**********************************
TASTE NOTES
I love a dry vodka martini, but I loved these steaks with martini butter even more. This is not a healthy choice for dinner, but it isn't something we'll be eating often (sadly). The compound butter turned a simple steak into something absolutely mouth-watering. It was so rich that only an ear of corn and a salad was needed to make it a meal. I guess I was feeling nostalgic eating an old favorite like this compound butter because I picked up a bottle of Mateus to accompany our meal. If you don't care for steak, try the martini butter with your protein of choice; you won't be sorry.

PANCAKE MUFFINS WITH BERRY SYRUP

2011-07-19T00:00:00.008-04:00

Today I qualified for Social Security. When I look in the mirror I don't see a 62 year old who's been retired for 7 years--I am blind as a bat and stand across the room from the mirror. I know it's true, though, because I have the time now to write this blog, to devote hours to my passion for quilting and beading, and because I could vacation for 2 weeks on what I spend for moisturizer in a year.

I recently spent 3 days at a Hudson River Valley Fiber Art Workshop at the Greenville Arms in the beautiful Catskill Mountains. Along with 8 other bead enthusiasts, I spent from 10-12 hours a day happily beading and laughing and, in general, having the kind of good time women have when they share a passion for art and living. The Greenville Arms is a lovely Bed and Breakfast and one of the specials on my last day was these pancake muffins with strawberry syrup. I did not try them, though they got rave reviews from all who did. I had already seen them on Chef Mark LaPolla's blog and decided to make them when I returned home. Since strawberries are no longer in season, I used some gorgeous fresh blueberries to make my syrup. I also halved the recipe, but got 12 muffins plus a small "cake" that resembled a Dutch baby.

Here is Mark's recipe with some notes from my experience:

Makes 24 muffins

Muffins:
Nonstick cooking spray

2-1/3 cups of all-purpose flour

1 cup of pastry flour

2 teaspoons of baking soda

2 teaspoons of baking powder

1 teaspoon of kosher salt

6 large eggs, at room temperature, yolks and whites separated in two bowls.

3/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled

6 Tablespoons granulated sugar

2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

3-1/3 cups buttermilk, at room temperature (in a pinch, milk with a tsp of white vinegar will do)

Prepare the Muffins:

Pre-heat the oven to 400F. Generously spray two 12-cup muffin pans with cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, mix the all-purpose flour, pastry flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt; and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until firm, but not dry. About 2 - 3 minutes. Set aside.

In another large bowl, beat the egg yolks with the mixer on medium-high until thick, ribbony, and lemon-yellow. About 6 minutes. Add the melted butter, sugar, and vanilla; mix on medium-low until combined. Add one-third of the flour mixture and mix on low speed. Add one-third of the buttermilk and mix to combine. Alternate adding the remaining flour mixture and buttermilk, ending with the buttermilk and mixing until just combined.

With a large rubber spatula, gently fold the whipped egg whites into the batter, leaving some streaks.

Fill the muffin pans, about 1/2 cup of the batter into each muffin cup. Bake, rotating the pans after 10 minutes, until browned on top and puffed, and a toothpick inserted in the centers comes out dry, about 20 to 25 minutes total.

Prepare the Strawberries in Syrup

1 cup pure maple syrup

1 cup quartered, hulled ripe strawberries (fresh blueberries were a wonderful substitution)

In a small saucepan, bring the maple syrup to a boil over medium-high heat. Put the strawberries in the syrup and turn off the heat. Set aside in a warm spot.

To Serve:

Pop the muffins out of the cups and arrange 2 to a plate, spoon syrup and strawberries of the muffins, and then sprinkle with confectioners' sugar.

Have the sous chef take care of the dishes!
*****************************************************
TASTE NOTES
I didn't have pastry flour, but found a substitution using cornstarch. I was expecting these to behave and taste like popovers, but to my great surprise, they were a lovely cross between a cake-like muffin and a buttermilk pancake. Two was more than enough for a satisfying breakfast and, according to Chef Mark, they are even better after being frozen, defrosted, and reheated. A bit fussy to make, but a real treat for Sunday brunch.

FIVE-SPICE CHICKEN WITH HOISIN-MAPLE GLAZE

2011-07-15T00:00:00.003-04:00

I've written about indirect grilling before and when I saw this recipe in the August/September 2011 issue of Fine Cooking, I knew I had to try it. We eat a lot of chicken and I'm always on the lookout for different ways to prepare it. Summer is a great time to grill and both DSO and I love a good glaze, particularly one with an Oriental flair. Using this method of grilling prevents flare ups and ensures that the chicken will be cooked inside without being incinerated on the outside.

Since we prefer dark meat, I used 3 pounds of chicken quarters. There were leftovers for lunch the next day.

2 tbs dark brown sugar
1 tbs sweet Hungarian paprika
1 tbs minced fresh garlic (about 3 cloves)
2 1/2 tsp Chinese five-spice powder
1 tsp dry mustard
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
3 lb bone-in chicken pieces
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
2 tbs pure maple syrup
1 tbs soy sauce
1 tbs honey
2 tsp Asian sesame oil
2 tsp minced fresh ginger
1/4 cup peanut oil

In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, paprika, garlic, 2 tsp of the 5 spice powder, mustard, 1 tsp salt, and 2 tsp pepper. Put the chicken pieces in a 9X13 inch baking dish and rub the spice mix all over the chicken. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and no more than 6 hours.

Prepare a grill for indirect cooking over medium heat (this means heating all 3 sections of the grill, then turning off the back 2--those are the indirect cooking sections). In a small bowl, combine the hoisin, maple syrup, soy sauce, honey, sesame oil, ginger, and the remaining 1/2 tsp of 5 spice powder.

Lightly brush the chicken pieces with the peanut oil and arrange skin side down over direct heat. Cover and cook until the grill marks form, 3-5 minutes. Flip the chicken and repeat so there are grill marks on both sides.Brush the chicken with the glaze, flip over and move the chicken to the indirect heat, cover, and cook for 20 minutes. Turn chicken over, brush with the glaze and cook for 20 minutes more or until an instant-read thermometer registers 165 degrees for breast pieces, 170 degrees for dark meat. Brush more glaze on the chicken, move to direct heat for 30-60 seconds, flip chicken and repeat. Serve immediately.

********************************
TASTE NOTES
Using both a spice rub and a glaze really amped up the flavor profile of this dish. The chicken was succulent inside and incredibly flavorful throughout as well. In the future I think I'll make legs and thighs on the bone rather than the quarters just because they're easier to pick up and eat. There's no comparison between boneless chicken and chicken on the bone. The latter is always more flavorful and juicy. We enjoyed this chicken with some potato salad and fresh corn on the cob. The recipe is definitely a keeper.

SPINACH ARTICHOKE MACARONI AND CHEESE

2011-07-12T00:00:00.001-04:00

When the lovely Kim from Stirring the Pot posted this recipe, I knew it would be cutting the queue so as to appear on our dinner table as soon as possible. I confess I don't own any of Rachel Ray's cookbooks nor have I watched her TV show very often. Seeing this dish on Kim's blog, it occurred to me that I may not have given her a fair chance before banishing her from The Food of Love kitchen. I prepared the dish just as Kim adapted it below:

Spinach and Artichoke Mac 'n' Cheese

Adapted from Rachel Ray's Look + Cook

Serves 6-8

Salt

1 pound cellantani

2 tablespoons EVOO (extra-virgin olive oil)

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/2 large Vidalia onion, finely chopped

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/2 cup dry white wine

2 cups 2%milk

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1 (14-ounce) drained artichoke hearts, chopped

1 (10-ounce) box frozen chopped spinach, defrosted & wrung dry in a kitchen towel

Black pepper

1-1/2 cups shredded Italian Fontina cheese, plus additional for sprinkling on top

1-1/2 cups grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, plus additional for sprinkling on top

Bring a large pot of water to a boil for the pasta, salt the water, and cook the pasta to al dente. While the pasta water comes to a boil, place a medium pot over medium-low heat with EVOO and the butter. Add the onions and garlic to the pan and cook until very soft, about 10 minutes. Heat the broiler and position the rack in the middle of the oven. Turn up the heat under the pot to medium-high and sprinkle the flour into the pot. Cook for about 1 minute, then whisk in the wine and cook for another minute to burn off the alcohol. Whisk the milk into the pan and bring up to a bubble. Add the nutmeg, artichokes, spinach, and salt and pepper to the sauce and simmer until thickened and the vegetables are warmed through, 2-3 minutes more. Add 1 cup of each of the cheeses to the sauce and stir until melted. Toss the prepared sauce with the cooked pasta and transfer to a casserole dish. Sprinkle the remaining Fontina and Parmigiano over the top and brown under the broiler for about 3 minutes.
***********************************
TASTE NOTES
I knew from the description of this dish and the gorgeous photo Kim took that this was going to be a delicious dinner and I was right. DSO and I both love spinach artichoke dip; we are also big fans of mac n' cheese. So, what's not to love when you combine the two? The creaminess of the sauce, broken up by chunks of artichoke and spinach, was as big a hit in the middle of summer as I know it will be when the leaves are falling. Leftovers--and there are plenty of those--make a great side dish with almost any protein. Make this soon; you won't regret it. And Rachel, my apologies.

VOLUPTUOUS VEAL PICCATA FOR COOK THE BOOKS

2011-07-07T12:00:00.000-04:00

While I almost always read the books suggested by the foodie book club,Cook the Books, I don't always find the time to participate in cooking something based on the selection. I was determined to get back in the swing of things despite deadlines for finishing my latest quilt, a family wedding, and life, in general.

Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen raises an issue dear to a foodie's heart: do certain foods really have the power to control our emotions? Claire Waverly, a successful caterer, prepares dishes with the mystical plants that grow in her garden. If it sounds like a familiar theme (e.g. Like Water for Chocolate), I would venture to say that is because those of us who take our food seriously believe that food can and does alter moods and emotions. How sisters Claire and Sydney resolve their long-standing issues and how Claire finally uses her special gifts to transform her own life are questions I'll leave you to discover by reading this charming southern novel.

While no mention was made in Garden Spells of the caper, in biblical times the caper berry was purported to have aphrodisiac properties. In fact, the Hebrew word for caper berry abiyyonah (אֲבִיּוֹנָה) is closely linked to the Hebrew root אבה, meaning "desire". That said, I decided my offering for this Cook the Books' event would be "Voluptuous Veal Piccata." I based my recipe on one I found in Skinny Italian, one of Teresa Giudice's (Real Housewife of New Jersey) cookbooks. While the veal was relatively healthy, I served it with creamy polenta (yes, it has heavy cream in it) and some lovely roasted asparagus.

Serves 2-4
1 lb veal scaloppine, cut into 8 pieces
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup all purpose flour
2 tbs EVOO
1 cup dry white wine
2 tbs unsalted butter
2 tbs freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tbs drained capers
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tbs chopped fresh parsley

Pound the veal between 2 sheets of waxed paper until about 1/4 inch thick. Mix the flour, salt, and pepper and place in a shallow dish. Dredge the cutlets in the mixture, shaking to remove excess flour.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium high heat and add the veal to the pan, in batches without crowding, to brown--1 minute per side. Remove the veal from the pan and set aside.

Add the wine to the skillet and bring to a boil, scraping up any brown bits with a wooden spoon. Boil until reduced by half, about 2 minutes. Add the butter, lemon juice, capers, garlic, and parsley. Return the veal to the pan and cook, turning the veal to coat with the sauce, until the veal is tender, about 1 minute more. Serve hot.
***********************************************
TASTE NOTES
This is a very simple recipe, but it is delicious. Served over creamy polenta, it was, indeed, voluptuous. Was my SO more amorous after finishing it? Some things are better left to the imagination. Be sure to head over to Cook the Books to see what other members are cooking up for Garden Spells.

PASTA SALAD WITH SUN DRIED TOMATO DRESSING

2011-07-05T00:00:00.000-04:00

It was time for something new! I love my pasta pesto salad and my antipasto salad, but let's face it, sometimes you just want to move out of your comfort zone and treat your taste buds to something different. For my cousin's annual Father's Day picnic, I decided to try out one of Ina's pasta salads, this one in her Family Style cookbook. The recipe that follows is a modified version of her recipe. I've added some roasted red peppers which I'd just made and increased the amount of pasta. To adjust for that, I doubled the dressing.

Serves 6 - 8
3/4 lb fusilli
Kosher salt
olive oil
1 pint grape tomatoes, quartered
1/2 cup kalamata olives, pitted and diced
1 lb fresh mozzarella, medium diced
10 sun dried tomatoes in oil, drained and chopped

For the dressing:
10 sun dried tomatoes in oil, drained
4-5 slices of roasted red peppers
4 tbs red wine vinegar
12 tbs extra virgin olive oil
1 large garlic clove, diced
2 tsp capers, drained
2 tsp Kosher salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper

1 cup freshly grated pecorino-Romano cheese
1 cup packed basil leaves, julienned

Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling water according to package directions. Add salt to the water after it comes to the boil. Drain well and allow to cool. Place the pasta in a large bowl and add the tomatoes, olives, mozzarella, and chopped sun dried tomatoes.

For the dressing, combine the sun-dried tomatoes, roasted red peppers, vinegar, olive oil, garlic, capers, salt, and pepper in a food processor until almost smooth.

Pour the dressing over the salad ingredients, sprinkle with the cheese and basil, and toss well.

This salad gets better as it sits, so make it a few hours ahead, if you like.
**************************************
TASTE NOTES
This was a delicious dish and one that I will make again and again. The dressing would be equally delicious on a green salad. I particularly enjoyed the saltiness of the capers and olives juxtaposed with the sweetness of the sun dried tomatoes and roasted red peppers. The corkscrew shape of the pasta was perfect to catch all that wonderful dressing.

GRILLED PIEROGIES AND KIELBASA

2011-07-01T00:00:00.000-04:00

I probably haven't eaten regular kielbasa in years; it's just too filled with fat to be a regular on our menu. Luckily, there are several more healthful versions of this sausage--turkey kielbasa or a light version of pork kielbasa. I prefer Hillshire Farms turkey kielbasa and was pleased to find a recipe in the July/August issue of Food Network Magazine that I could make more figure friendly. My modified version follows.

Serves 4
1 lb Hillshire Farms turkey kielbasa
2 tbs whole-grain mustard
2 tbs apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, divided
1 medium onion, sliced
1 box mini pierogies, do not thaw
1/4 cup roughly chopped fresh parsley

Preheat a grill to medium. Grill the kielbasa, turning until marked, 8 - 10 minutes. Transfer to a baking sheet and keep in a 200 degree oven.

Meanwhile, whisk the mustard and cider vinegar in a large bowl. Slowly whisk in 2 tbs olive oil until smooth.

Toss the onions and pierogies with the remaining 2 tbs oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill, covered, until the pierogies thaw and the onion begins to turn golden, 5-10 minutes. I used a grill pan to prevent food from falling through the grills.

Slice the kielbasa into pieces and add to the bowl with the mustard dressing. Add the pierogies and parsley and toss gently. Divide among 4 bowls.
***********************************
TASTE NOTES
What an easy dinner this made! The dressing is what pulls this meal together and makes it special. It also saves calories since I generally eat my pierogies with sour cream and/or applesauce. Another keeper, particularly during warm weather.

CAVATAPPI WITH TOMATO SOFFRITO

2011-06-28T00:00:00.002-04:00

A soffrito is a combination of onions, carrots, and celery, mixed with herbs and sauteed in olive oil. In addition to serving as the base for a meatless tomato sauce, it can also be a base for other Italian dishes. I've been using a soffrito as a base for my quick sauce since I bought my copy of Marcella Hazan's Classic Italian Cookbook over 25 years ago. As my regular readers know, I'm in the throes of infatuation with another Italian cookbook, New Jersey housewife Teresa Giudice's Fabulicious. When I saw Teresa's recipe for tomato soffrito, I decided to give it a try to see how it stacked up against my tried and true recipe. While I did tinker a bit with her recipe--I added a carton of crushed tomatoes to my 8 plum tomatoes--I loved her combination of herbs and was pleased to put my thriving herb garden to use. I would normally use just basil and parsley, but Teresa's addition of rosemary and sage to those two stand-by's was wonderful and I won't leave them out in the future. While the sauce cooks in just 15 minutes, I have always preferred a more robust sauce and simmered mine over a very low heat for about an hour and a half.

Makes enough to sauce 1 lb pasta; serves 4-6
3 tbs extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped
1 celery rib with leaves, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
8 ripe plum tomatoes, seeded and diced
1 (26 oz) carton Pomi crushed tomatoes
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
2 tbs chopped fresh basil
1 tsp chopped fresh sage
1/2 cup water
salt and freshly ground pepper
1 lb pasta
1/4 cup freshly chopped Italian parsley
freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Heat the oil in a large saucepan or skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, celery, and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes.

Stir in the tomatoes, rosemary sprigs, chopped basil, sage, and water. Cook, stirring often, until the tomatoes have cooked into a thick, chunky sauce. Season with salt and pepper and discard the rosemary sprigs. (as I mentioned, I don't like "raw" sauces; I simmer my sauce for 1-2 hours over very low heat).

Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add salt and pasta and cook according to pasta directions for al dente. Drain well.

Return the pasta to the pot and add the sauce and parsley and mix well. Serve hot and pass the cheese.
****************************************
TASTE NOTES
We loved, loved, loved this simple, meatless sauce. Clearly there are many similarities between Teresa's family's style of cooking and my family's. Since Naples and Salerno are relatively close to one another, I guess that isn't surprising. What is surprising is how much I am enjoying cooking my way through her two books. Too many celebrity cookbooks are vanity affairs and it becomes obvious that the "author" has no cooking chops. This is not the case with Teresa and I have to admit I am becoming a bit of a "groupie." Stay tuned because there are many more wonderful recipes I've tried and will be sharing.

CORNFLAKE-CRUSTED BANANA-STUFFED FRENCH TOAST

2011-06-24T00:00:00.002-04:00

While I eat breakfast every day, it's not my favorite meal of the day. Winter mornings I like a bowl of Irish oatmeal with blueberries. The rest of the year I switch between cold cereal, an egg, or the occasional toast with Nutella. Browsing through this month's Self magazine with its spread of spas around the country and some of the food featured at these spas, I came upon the Red Mountain Resort's healthful version of a classic breakfast dish. Though this is a far heartier breakfast than I usually eat, I decided to give it a try with just a few small changes.

Serves 2
1 cup Special K cinnamon pecan cereal, lightly crushed
1 tbs toasted sliced almonds
1/2 cup egg whites, or egg substitute
1/2 tsp pure vanilla
1/2 tsp cinnamon
4 slices cinnamon raisin bread
1 mashed banana
optional: blueberries or strawberries

Spray a griddle or nonstick skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium high heat. Combine cereal crumb and almonds in a shallow bowl. In another shallow bowl combine egg whites, vanilla, and cinnamon. Dip 1 slice bread in in egg batter, then dip in cereal mixture, gently patting to help crumbs adhere. Repeat with remaining bread slices. Spread 1/2 mashed banana on each of 2 slices, top with remaining 2 slices to make 2 sandwiches. Cook sandwiches about 4 minutes on each side, until golden brown. Cut in half and serve with fresh berries or powdered sugar.

N.I.: 321 calories per sandwich, 5g fat, 54g carb, 4g fiber, 14g protein
***************************************************
TASTE NOTES
This sweet, crunchy treat could make a breakfast lover of me for sure! If you love cinnamon, this is a perfect dish for you. The original recipe called for cornflake crumbs, but I love the Special K with cinnamon and pecans. Topped with blueberries this breakfast was so satisfying. It's a perfect brunch dish (or half a sandwich would be a great dessert or snack). While I think it's too much breakfast to have on a regular basis, I will definitely make it again for a Sunday special. Definitely yummy.

LOW-CAL FETTUCCINE ALFREDO

2011-06-21T00:00:00.000-04:00

Do you know how it is when you get something in your head and can't get it out? It can be a song (I haven't stopped singing/humming Born This Way since the CD came out) or a craving for a food. When Kim of Stirring the Pot mentioned garlic-crumbed broccoli the other day, I kept thinking of dishes that might benefit from that tasty combination. Then I remembered a recipe I'd clipped from Food Network Magazine for a lighter version of fettuccine alfredo and my search ended.

While I followed the recipe exactly, the directions got my English teacher up. I rewrote them based on what I learned from making the sauce and will make the dish again my way. If you wish to top your pasta with the bread-crumbed broccoli, I've added that recipe at the end. It would make a great side dish on its own.

Serves 2 - 4
1 tbs unsalted butter
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp grated lemon zest
2 tsp all-purpose flour
1 cup 2% milk
Kosher salt
2 tbs Neufchatel cheese (or low fat cream cheese)
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
3 tbs chopped parsley
12 oz fresh fettuccine
freshly ground pepper

Bring a large pot of water to a boil.

Make the sauce: melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and lemon zest and cook about 1 minute. Add in the flour and cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, about 1 minute. Whisk in the milk, 3/4 tsp salt, and cook, whisking constantly, until just thickened, about 3 minutes. Add the Neufchatel and Parmesan cheese and whisk until just melted, about 1 minute. Set aside while you add the fresh pasta. Cook the pasta 2-3 minutes. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta water, then drain the pasta and return to the pot.

Set the sauce over low heat while you add the reserved water, a little at a time, stirring constantly. When it reaches the desired consistency, add to the drained pasta, sprinkle with parsley, and toss gently to combine. Serve at once.

N.I.: 490 cal, 15g fat, 48mg cholesterol, 734mg sodium, 66g carb, 3g protein, 20g protein

Garlic-crumbed Broccoli
1 bunch broccoli, cut into florets
2 tbs olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced

Steam the broccoli. While broccoli steams, heat oil in a non-stick skillet until hot (ripple stage). Add the garlic and cook 2-3 minutes, making sure not to brown it. Add the bread crumbs and cook, stirring, about 3 minutes more, until just browned.
*************************************
TASTE NOTES
This is not the first lightened fettuccine alfredo I've posted on The Food of Love, but this sauce is, by far, the most abundant and the creamiest. The recipe as written called for adding the pasta water AFTER you put the sauce on the pasta, but this made it extremely difficult to thin the sauce without demolishing the pasta. I will caution that you must eat this as soon as it's made as the sauce tends to "seize" or harden up rather quickly. That said, for a lightened version the sauce is unctuous and plentiful. I think the addition of the garlic-crumbed broccoli made this special.

STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE

2011-06-17T00:00:00.002-04:00

What's the best thing about June? If you ask me, it's fresh strawberries. The farmers' markets are filled with them in our corner of the world and they are ripe and delicious. Such bounty cries out for buttery shortcakes and freshly whipped cream. This is a recipe I've used forever and one that is simple, but yields wonderful results.

Serves 6-9
1 quart of freshly picked strawberries, rinsed, hulled, and sliced (reserve 2 strawberries)
2 tbs sugar

2 cups all purpose flour
1Tbs baking powder
2 Tbs sugar
1 stick butter (1/2 cup)chilled and cut into cubes
1 egg
1/2 cup heavy cream

1 cup heavy cream
1 Tbs sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla

Mash 1-2 of the strawberries in a large bowl. Add the sliced strawberries and sprinkle with the sugar. Mix gently, then set aside for 30 minutes to 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Sift the flour, baking powder, and sugar into a large bowl. Cut in the butter until the flour looks like coarse crumbs. Beat the egg and add it to the heavy cream, then pour it over the top of the flour mixture. Stir until it comes together, then turn onto a floured board and knead 6-10 times. Roll or pat out the dough and cut 6-9 three-inch shortcakes (depending on the thickness of the dough, you'll get more or fewer shortcakes). Place on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake 12-15 minutes. Cool, then split.

Whip the heavy cream, adding the sugar and vanilla.

To serve: heap strawberries and cream on the split shortcakes.
***************************************
TASTE NOTES
The first true taste of summer!

CRISPY, SPICY CHICKEN DRUMSTICKS

2011-06-14T00:00:00.003-04:00

Look at that crunch!

Fabulicious is quickly becoming my latest favorite cookbooks. I've been making oven-fried chicken for years as I'm sure many of you have, but I'm willing to wager that you've never had a version as lip-smacking delicious as this one. Our cats even went crazy for the smell; they were trying to climb up on our laps as we were eating. I felt so guilty not being able to offer them a taste. Using the skinless drumsticks is genius since they are kid-friendly and could double as party food. Not having to pull out a frying pan to get crispy chicken is the icing on the cake.

Makes 12 drumsticks
1 cup plain yogurt (I used lowfat Greek yogurt)
1/2 cup milk (I used skim)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 - 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
1 1/4 cups plain Panko breadcrumbs
1 cup (4 oz) Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated
1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 1/2 tsp crumbled dried rosemary
12 skinless chicken drumsticks
3 tbs extra virgin olive oil (I used just 2 tbs)

Position a rack in the top third of the oven and preheat to 375 degrees. Spray a large, rimmed baking sheet with nonstick spray.

In a shallow bowl, mix the yogurt, milk, garlic, salt, red pepper. In another bowl, combine the breadcrumbs, grated cheese, oregano, and rosemary.

Dip each drumstick in the yogurt mixture, letting the excess drip back into the bowl, then add to the panko mixture and turn to coat. Place on the baking sheet. Drizzle the drumsticks with oil and bake for 20 minutes. Slip a metal spatula under each drumstick to keep the crust intact, and turn over. Bake another 25-30 minutes depending on the size of the drumsticks. Transfer to a platter and serve hot.
****************************************\
TASTE NOTES
Nothing beats on the bone drumsticks except on the bone, bread-crumbed, crispy and spicy drumsticks. These were so good I ate 3 of them! The yogurt and milk coating mixture lends a buttermilk tanginess to the meat and the small amount of red pepper adds just the right kick. Served with a pesto pasta salad at room temperature, this was an indoor picnic. I guarantee that I'll be getting lots of requests for repeat performances. Teresa has scored again with something simple, but delicious. I even think my photo rivals the one in her book and I'm not a food stylist by any means.

CALABRIAN PORK CHOPS WITH PEPPERS AND POTATOES

2011-06-10T00:00:00.003-04:00

I have a confession to make. I am addicted to the "Real Housewives of New Jersey." Since I've retired, I find myself watching far more television than I ever did in the past and--worse--I can assure you it's not PBS. If this is to be a good act of contrition, I have to add that I love, love, love Teresa Giudice. It isn't just because my mom's maiden name was Guidice (I'm sure the spelling differences happened at Ellis Island). I may not be a Jersey girl geographically, but the "Italian-ness" of the show sometimes resonates. When I learned that Teresa had not one, but two cookbooks, I had to have them. I had assumed they'd be filled with very pedestrian dishes and some of them are, but there are also a few gems and long-forgotten dishes that I knew I'd want to try. This one comes from her first book Fabulicious. I can't say that mom ever made this dish. It's Calabrian and mom's family hails from Naples. Dad's mom died when they'd been married just a few years, so she never learned to make her mother-in-law's cuisine. If she had, I think this might have been a favorite dish. Both my parents loved pork and I do as well. Since the dish calls for boneless pork loin chops and olive oil and potatoes in reasonable amounts, I agree with Teresa that it's a healthy dish. You can subsitute pickled cherry peppers, as I did, and turn up the heat by using hot cherry peppers instead of sweet.

This is my adaptation of Teresa's dish:

Serves 4
5-6 tbs olive oil, divided
2 tbs red wine vinegar
2 tsp finely chopped fresh basil
1 tsp dried oregano
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
4 (6 oz) boneless pork loin chops, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 1/4 lbs new red potatoes, sliced in half
6 sweet pickled cherry peppers, tops removed, seeded, and quarted
1 large roasted red pepper, cut into large dice

In a glass or ceramic mixing bowl, whisk 3 tbs olive oil with the vinegar, basil, oregano, garlic, salt, and pepper. Let stand for 10-15 minutes, then add the pork, coating it completely, and let sit for another 10-15 minutes.

Heat 2 tbs oil in a large skilled over high heat. Remove the pork from the marinade, letting the excess drip back into the bowl. In batches, add the pork to the skillet and cook, turning occasionally, until the pork browns, about 4 minutes. Do not overcook! Transfer the browned pork to a plate and leave any remaining fat in the skillet.

Add 1-2 more tbs olive oil to the skillet, reducing the heat to medium high. Add the potatoes and the peppers, stirring well. Cook, stirring often, for about 5 minutes. Add 1/2 cup water to the skillet and cover. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the water evaporates and the potatoes are almost tender and lightly browned, abaout 15 minutes. Return the pork to the skillet, stir, and cover. Let cook for another 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and serve.
*************************
TASTE NOTES
Heaven on a plate! If I were not watching calories, I'd have added a loaf of crusty bread and a bottle of my best red. The flavors come together perfectly in the dish and the potatoes are creamy inside with just a bit of carmelization. I could easily have eaten another portion (but didn't) and plan to make this again soon. The book was worth the price if only for this new favorite.

BLACK BEAN AND GOAT CHEESE QUESADILLAS

2011-06-07T00:00:00.001-04:00

Black beans are a favorite of mine; in fact, I prefer black beans to refried beans with my Mexican food. I haven't met too many cheeses that I don't like, but goat cheese is a particular favorite. So, when I saw this recipe in an America's Test Kitchen 30-Minute Suppers magazine, I knew it was something I'd have to try. I've been using the lower sodium black beans and can discern no difference in taste. I've always got whole wheat tortillas in the fridge, so that was what I used for the wrapper.

Serves 4
1 (16 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (4 oz) log goat cheese, crumbled
1 1/2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 jalapeno chile, seeded and minced
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
4 (12 inch) whole wheat tortillas

Combine the beans, goat cheese, Monterey Jack, jalapeno, cilantro, cumin, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Divide cheese mixture evenly over one half of each tortilla, leaving 1/2 inch border around edge. Fold tortillas over filling and press down firmly.

Add 2 quesadillas to large nonstick skillet and cook over medium high heat until golden and crisp, about 2 minutes. Using spatula, flip the quesadillas and cook until the other side is golden brown and the cheese is melted, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to cutting board and repeat with remaining quesadillas. Cut into wedges and serve with your choice of condiments (we prefer sour cream and salsa, but guacamole would be delicious as well).
********************************
TASTE NOTES
I like that all the ingredients were combined before assembling the quesadillas because it ensured that each bite contained a little bit of everything. This is a tasty, meatless meal which I rounded out with a chopped salad. I didn't feel it warranted a starch, but you could serve it with yellow rice if you're so inclined. It would make a great snack or appetizer as well and the ease of preparation can't be beat.

AM I GLAD IT'S SUNDAY STEAK HASH

2011-06-03T00:00:00.001-04:00

We've reached the point where we'd rather enjoy an exceptional steak dinner at home than a mediocre one in an overpriced, albeit fancy, restaurant. Last night we enjoyed an incredible ribeye with oven-baked fries and corn on the cob (not local, but sweet and delicious). We both prefer very thick steak, so we buy one and split it. There was a good-sized piece of meat leftover and I had made 3 potatoes instead of 2, so there was plenty left over there, too. We went to bed smiling, thinking of the hash and egg breakfast that awaited us.

Steak Hash for 2 (maybe 3)

olive oil

4-5 oz leftover steak, small dice

1 large potato (parboil it, then dice; I diced my rosemary/olive oil leftover oven fries)

1 small onion, diced

1/2 red bell pepper, diced

2-3 oz of your favorite cheese, shredded or sliced

eggs

salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Heat a cast iron skillet over high heat, then drizzle in 1-2 tbs olive oil, swirling to coat. Lower the heat to medium high and add the onion and pepper. Saute until just beginning to brown. Add the steak, potatoes, and salt and pepper and saute, stirring occasionally, until the meat and potatoes are heated through and just starting to brown. Top with cheese and place in the oven so the cheese melts.

While the cheese is melting, prepare your favorite fried eggs--we prefer over easy. To serve, place a portion of hash on a plate and top with the eggs.

**********************************************************

TASTE NOTES

This was Nirvana. The starch in the potatoes gave the hash an incredible creaminess. The red pepper added just the right amount of sweetness. The rosemary I had added to the steak and potatoes made the hash sing. Happily, there is one portion of steak hash leftover. Oh, and did I mention that DSO is going fishing early tomorrow morning? Before breakfast!

PASTA WITH OLIVES, SALAMI, ARTICHOKES, AND MOZZARELLA

2011-05-31T00:00:00.006-04:00

I can't help buying the America's Test Kitchen publications. They're sturdier than a magazine and well worth the price ($8 US, $9 Canadian). The summer issue of 30-Minute Suppers contained several pasta dishes, but this one caught my eye because right there in the name of the dish are foods that I love. I decided to use the recommended pasta, gemelli, because I love the twisted spiral shape. I couldn't find frozen artichoke hearts, but I always used the canned ones anyway. Instead of the 1/2 cup of mixed brine-cured olives that were suggested, I went with Kalamatas.

Serves 4
2 tbs olive oil
3 oz Genoa salami, cut into 1/2 inch strips
1 can artichoke hearts, drained and sliced thinly
1/2 cup pitted and halved Kalamata olives
1 garlic clove, minced
1/8 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 lb gemelli pasta
salt and pepper
4 oz smoked mozzarella, cut into 1/2 inch pieces (be sure to read Taste Notes)
1/4 cup chopped, fresh parsley

Bring 4 quarts water to boil in a large pot. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add salami and cook, stirring constantly, until salami is browned and crisp, about 3 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer salami to paper towel-lined plate and set aside.

Add artichokes to fat in pan and cook until browned, about 3 minutes. Stir in olives, garlic, and pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Remove pan from heat, cover, and keep warm.

Meanwhile, add gemelli and 1 tbs salt to boiling water and cook until al dente. Reserve 1 cup (they suggested 1/2, but you'll need more) of the cooking water, then drain gemelli and return to the pot. Stir in the artichoke mixture, mozzarella, and parsley, adding reserved cooking water until the consistency seems right. I used the full cup. To serve, sprinkle crisp salami over the top.
**************************
TASTE NOTES
I've eaten smoked mozzarella before, so I went with this suggestion. NEVER AGAIN!!! Not only did it add more saltiness where none was needed (the salami and the olives added plenty), but I just didn't care for the taste or texture. That said, we enjoyed the pasta but liked it even more the next day as a room temperature pasta salad. If you are watching your sodium intake, this must be a rare treat. Even the artichokes add saltiness to the dish. I will definitely make this again, but I will use fresh mozzarella and may even use regular black olives. While I love brine-cured olives, they are almost too "in your face" in this dish.

BEEF AND MUSHROOM SLOPPY JOES

2011-05-27T00:00:00.002-04:00

Having spent the greater part of my life in school, first as a student and then as an educator, I confess that sloppy joes are not what I think of when I'm planning my weekly dinner menu. DSO, on the other hand, has asked me to make them on several occasions.When I saw this recipe in the June issue of Cooking Light, I decided to put aside my memories of a building reeking of grease and unidentifiable smells and give it a go. I liked the idea that mushrooms extended the ground beef and not "mystery ingredients" shipped by the state to help schools extend their budgets. This is a great way to sneak veggies into your children's meals because unless they catch you in the middle of the act, they'll never guess that there's mushrooms in the ground beef.

4 servings
1 tbs olive oil
12 oz ground sirloin
2 (8 ox) pkgs sliced crimini mushrooms
1 cup chopped onion
3 minced garlic cloves
1/2 cup no-salt added tomato paste
1 tbs minced fresh oregano
2 tbs red wine vinegar
2 tbs Worcestershire sauce
salt and pepper
1/2 tsp hot sauce
4 (2 oz) Kaiser rolls or hamburger rolls, toasted

Heat a large, nonstick skillet over medium high heat and add the oil, swirling to coat. Add the beef and cook until browned, stirring to crumble.

While the beef cooks, place the mushrooms in a food processor and pulse 10 times, or until finely chopped.

Add the mushrooms, onion, and garlic to the beef mixture and cook until onion is tender, about 3 minutes.

Add the tomato paste, oregano, vinegar, and Worcestershire sauce and cook 5 minutes, until mushrooms are tender and liquid evaporates. Stir in salt, pepper, and hot sauce. Spoon about 1 cup beef mixture on bottom half of each bun; top with top halves of bun.

N.I. per sandwich: 439 cal, 14.7 g fat, 27.3 g protein, 49.2 g carb
**************************************8
TASTE NOTES
This was definitely NOT the cafeteria version of sloppy joe, thank goodness. I thoroughly enjoyed my sandwich and give the mushrooms star billing in the dish. I'd be willing to bet the men in your house will enjoy this new version of an old favorite. I intend to make it again and will sneak a bit of BBQ sauce in it next time (per my sous chef's request).

CREOLE MEATLOAF WITH TRINITY GRAVY

2011-05-24T00:00:00.001-04:00

The lovely Kim from Stirring the Pot posted this tasty-looking dish a few weeks back and I immediately put it in the queue to try. I decided to halve the recipe since the queue was getting crowded and I didn't want a lot of leftovers. I also made a few changes based on what I had on hand in the pantry and our own preferences, so the recipe below represents both Kim's and my tinkering with RR's original. Please check out Stirring the Pot for the original recipe and much, much more.

Creole Meat Loaves with Trinity Gravy

Adapted from Rachel Ray's Look + Cook

Serves 2 with leftovers

1 pound sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks

Salt

1/2 cup buttermilk (milk with a tbs white vinegar does the trick)

1 tablespoon EVOO, plus more for drizzling

1 small yellow onion, finely chopped

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 1/4 pound ground pork

1/2 tablespoon sweet paprika

1 tsp ground thyme leaves

Black Pepper

2 tbs grainy mustard

1/3 cup bread crumbs

1 egg

1 tbs butter

1 celery stalks, chopped

1/2 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped

1 tablespoons ketchup

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

3/4 cup chicken stock

hot sauce (DSO added his after the fact; I don't eat it)

3 scallions, sliced on the bias, for garnish

For the Potatoes:

Cover the potatoes with water in a medium pot and bring to a boil, then season with alt and cook for 12-15 minutes until tender. When the potatoes are ready, drain and return them to the hot pot and mash with the buttermilk to the desire consistency.

For the Meat Loaves:

Preheat the oven to 375F. Heat the tablespoon of EVOO in a medium skillet over medium heat, add one quarter of the onions and half of the garlic to the skillet, and cook to soften, 5-6 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and cool. To the cooled onion mixture add the pork, paprika, thyme, salt and pepper to taste, mustard, bread crumbs, and egg. Mix to combine and for four 2-inch-thick loaves. Arrange on a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet and drizzle liberally with EVOO and Cajun seasoning (my add-in), then roast for 35-40 minutes until firm and golden.

For the Trinity Gravy:

To the same skillet add the butter and when it has melted, add the remaining onions and garlic, the celery, bell pepper, and salt and pepper to taste. Cook to soften, 5-6 minutes. Add the tomato paste and stir for 1 minute. Sprinkle the flour (and Cajun seasoning if using) over the mixture and stir for another minute. Stir in the stock, then the hot sauce, and cook to thicken over medium-low heat for a couple of minutes. Turn the heat to the lowest setting to keep the gravy warm.

To Serve:

Slice the meat loaves. Arrange the sliced loaves alongside the buttermilk potatoes and pour the trinity gravy over both. Garnish with the scallions and serve.
****************************************************
TASTE NOTES
DSO and I both enjoy meatloaf and I've tried quite a variety of recipes this past year. This was the first made entirely of pork and we both enjoyed it. While the sweet potatoes were delicious, we both agreed that the tasty trinity gravy would be much better on rice. The gravy was so easy to prepare and the combination of onion-pepper-garlic (I'm guessing that's the trinity) was enhanced by the ketchup and celery. It was a pleasing color and consistency and I look forward to making this dish again with the aforementioned rice. Thanks Kim for another winning dish.

TEQUILA-GLAZED GRILLED CHICKEN THIGHS WITH BAKED BLACK BEANS WITH CHORIZO

2011-05-20T00:00:00.002-04:00

I can never make up for all the years I didn't eat Mexican food, but I have found myself searching out recipes for this cuisine that translate well for the home cook. The June issue of Cooking Light had 2 recipes that I knew I had to try at once, one for our favorite part of the bird--the thigh--and the other which used chorizo, a flavor-packed sausage.

If you've ever had your grilled chicken turn out "torched," you might want to try cooking it first over direct heat to sear in the flavors, and then finished over indirect heat. Even though the marinade had alcohol and honey in it, my skinless thighs did not burn and the flavor of the marinade permeated the meat.

Tequila-glazed Grilled Chicken Thighs
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp chili powder
3/4 tsp Kosher salt
1/4 tsp chipotle chili powder
4-6 bone-in, skinless chicken thighs (about 2 lbs)
3/4 cup pineapple juice
1/3 cup tequila
1/4 cup honey
2 tsp cornstarch
2 tsp water
2 tsp grated lime rind
3 tbs fresh lime juice
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
cooking spray

Preheat grill to medium-high heat using both burners. After preheating, turn the left burner off and leave the right burner on.

Combine the first 4 ingredients in a small bowl, then rub over both sides of the chicken.

Bring the pineapple juice, tequila, and honey to a boil in a small saucepan; cook until reduced to 3/4 cup, about 10 minutes. Combine cornstarch and 2 tsp water in a small bowl, stirring well. Add the cornstarch mixture to the juice mixture and stir with a whisk. Bring to a boil and cook 1 minute more. Remove from heat and add the lime rind, lime juice, and red pepper.

Place chicken on grill rack coated with cooking spray over the right burner (heat on). Cover and grill for 5 minutes on each side, basting with juice mixture. Move the chicken to the left burner (heat off). Cover and grill for 5 minutes on each side, or until done, basting with juice mixture.

N.I. per thigh: 241 cal, 7.6 g fat, 18 g protein, 17.7 g carb, 0.4 g fiber

Baked Black Beans with Chorizo - 6 servings
1 tbs olive oil
1/2 cup diced Spanish chorizo
cooking spray
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
1 jalapeno pepper, sliced
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp ground red pepper
5 garlic cloves, minced
3/4 cup fat free, lower sodium chicken broth
2 (15 oz) cans lower sodium black beans
1 cup chopped seeded tomato (I like salsa better, so substituted here)
1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees

Heat a large, nonstick skillet over medium high heat and add the oil, swirling to coat. Add the chorizo, saute for 2 minutes, and remove from pan. Coat pan with cooking spray and add the onion and jalapeno. Saute 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add salt, cumin, red pepper, and garlic and saute 1 minute more, stirring constantly. Stir in broth and beans and bring to a boil. Cook 5 minutes. Mash to desired consistency. Spoon bean mixture into an 8-inch square dish coated with cooking spray. Top with tomato, chorizo, and cheese and bake for 30 minutes or until lightly browned. Top with green onions.

N.I. per 1/2 cup serviing: 189 cal, 8.4 g fat, 10.2 g protein, 19.4 g carb, 6.2 g fiber
******************************
TASTE NOTES
My sous chef and I agreed that these will be terrific additions to a future BBQ. I will always use the direct-indirect heat method to cook chicken on the grill in the future. It yielded perfectly cooked, juicy chicken without any unwanted char. The beans, though they are not photogenic, are absolutely delicious. The lowfat cheese just doesn't melt well, though it saves calories. I'm sure the tequila glaze would taste just as good on a grilled flank steak or fish. In all, big props to CL for another healthy and delicious dinner.

RASPBERRY ALMOND BARS

2011-05-17T00:00:00.003-04:00

Raspberry Almond Bars from The Food of Love

Whenever I volunteer to bake for some occasion, I like to make something I love to eat. A local bakery makes the most wonderful raspberry almond bars. They are deceptively light (I'm sure they have 1000 calories each) with none of that artificial almond taste. They melt on the tongue, which is why I enjoy them rarely. For our evening volunteer refresher training, I decided to make my own raspberry almond bars and found this recipe from Taste of Home. I doubled the batch, as one reviewer suggested, and cut the bars very small as they, too, are rich and buttery. The recipe below is for one batch. If you double it, bake in a 9 X 13 inch pan and add about 10 minutes more to the final baking time.
INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup butter, cubed
1 pkg vanilla chips (10-12 oz), divided
2 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp almond extract
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup raspberry jam
1/4 cup sliced almonds

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a small saucepan, melt the butter. Remove from heat and add 1 cup vanilla chips. Do not stir.

In a small bowl, beat the eggs until foamy; gradually add the sugar. Stir in chip mixture and almond extract.

Combine flour and salt. Gradually add to egg mixture just until combined.

Spread half of the batter into a greased 9 inch baking dish. Bake at 325 degrees for 15-20 minutes, until golden brown.

In a small saucepan, melt the jam over low heat. Spread over warm crust. Stir remaining chips into remaining batter and drop by teasponsful over jam layer. Sprinkle with almonds.

Bake 30-35 minutes longer or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack. Cut into 24 bars.

TASTE NOTES

These bars, while not the same as my local bakery's, were rich and satisfying. They are very buttery, with a good ratio of cookie crust to raspberry filling. The white chips add sweetness, which is why cutting the bars smaller is recommended. I would definitely make these again, though I suspect they are as "dangerous" calorie-wise as the others.

GET READY FOR A MEMORIAL DAY BBQ

2011-05-14T20:29:00.000-04:00

The official start of the BBQ season is almost upon us and, while I'm not planning to entertain this year, I have done so many times in the past. That got me to thinking of some of my favorite food choices for this inaugural foray into al fresco dining. I should explain that BBQ is a misnomer since most of the foods I prepare are done ahead of time in my kitchen. But since my DSO insists that no outdoor dining is complete without hamburgers and hot dogs, we do actually turn on the grill.

If you're thinking about hosting your own celebration this year, you might want to check out some of these favorites that I've posted in the past.

An easy "starter" is hummus with crackers and vegetables.

Hummus
http://arlene-thefoodoflove.blogspot.com/search/label/Hummus

No BBQ or picnic is complete without these all-American salads.

Old-fashioned Potato Salad and Confetti Cole
slaw
http://arlene-thefoodoflove.blogspot.com/search/label/Confetti%20Cole%20Slaw

One of my favorites is pulled pork on toasted buns with cole slaw. This is an incredibly easy version.

Easy BBQ Pork
http://arlene-thefoodoflove.blogspot.com/search/label/Easy%20BBQ%20Pork

I love chicken and this quick and easy version is satisfyingly sweet and moist.

Huli Huli Chicken
http://arlene-thefoodoflove.blogspot.com/search/label/Huli%20Huli%20Chicken

This cake was a show-stopper and tasted even better than it looked.

Barefoot Contessa Flag Cake

http://arlene-thefoodoflove.blogspot.com/search/label/Barefoot%20Contessa%27s%20Flag%20Cake

Whether you host your own Memorial Day celebration or plan to bring something to share at someone else's party, enjoy the freedom to spend the day just as you please; and please remember that we enjoy that freedom because of the sacrifices we honor on that day.

MEDITERRANEAN LEMON CHICKEN WITH ARTICHOKES AND ORZO

2011-05-10T00:00:00.002-04:00

The Food of Love
Mediterranean Lemon Chicken with Artichokes and Orzo

It's hard to believe how much I disliked oregano when I was a child. Like capers and eggplant, I've come to love this herb and associate it with flavors of the Mediterranean. This quick and easy dish is as delicious as it is fragrant. Fresh lemon juice--and even some grated zest--amp up the flavors. It's based on a recipe from Everyone Loves Chicken.

Serves 2-6, depending on size of chicken legs (mine were very small)
6 oz orzo
2 oz reduced-fat feta cheese
8 pitted Kalamata olives, sliced
6 (1/2 lb) whole chicken legs, skinned (please let me know if you find these behemoths!)
salt and pepper
1 can artichoke hearts in brine, drained and quartered
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 tsp fresh oregano leaves (or 1/2 tsp dried)
1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
2 tbs fresh lemon juice
optional: freshly grated lemon zest

Cook the orzo according to package directions. Drain and transfer to a large bowl. Stir in the feta and olives; cover and keep warm.

Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper. Spray a large, nonstick skillet with cooking spray and set over medium high heat. Add the chicken and cook until browned, 3-4 minutes on each side. Transfer chicken to a plate.

Add the artichoke hearts, garlic, and oregano to the skillet and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Return the chicken to the skillet and add the broth and lemon juice and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook about 20 minutes, until the chicken is done.

Transfer the chicken to a plate. Pour 1 cup of the artichoke sauce over the orzo and toss well. Divide the orzo and chicken, sprinkle with the zest, if desired, and top with the remaining sauce.

N.I. based on 1 leg, 1/2 cup orzo, and scant 1/4 cup sauce: 365 cal, 10 g fat, 91 mg chol, 864 mg sodium, 32 g carb, 5 g fiber, 36 g protein
***************************
TASTE NOTES
Bright, bold flavors, succulent dark meat, and just the right amount of saltiness from the Kalamatas and the Feta make this a new favorite. I believe, in retrospect, that by "whole leg," the recipe was calling for the leg and thigh. Damn! I cheated myself out of some protein. Not to worry, though; I ate 2 legs. I heartily recommend this one.

BBQ BACON CHEESEBURGER AND ITALIAN SEASONED FRIES

2011-05-06T00:00:00.003-04:00

Think you can't eat burgers and fries if you're trying to lose weight or to eat more healthfully? Chef Devin Alexander, author of the New York Times bestseller The Biggest Loser Cookbook, would beg to differ. I've owned Alexander's Most Decadent Diet Ever for a few years now and am happily cooking my way through it. Unlike Hungry Girl, whose book I gave away after the first 2 recipe disasters, Alexander isn't trying to recreate fast food (my first bite of Hungry Girl's disgusting cereal-coated onion rings made me gag). Alexander's food makeovers actually taste like the real thing because they ARE the real thing. She uses fresh ingredients, a sparing amount of fat, and keeps her portion sizes reasonable.

In our second week of taking off the vacation pounds, I was craving a burger. I find that ironic since I seldom eat them, but this post isn't about what's going on inside Arlene's head. I made 2 changes in Alexander's recipe. The first was to substitute the multi grain Arnold's thin for her suggested light hamburger bun. I find the latter too similar to cardboard in consistency. So, our "buns" were a little large for the quarter pound hamburger. The second was to use 1/2 oz light cheese wedges instead of the light Swiss cheese slivers.

BBQ Bacon Cheeseburgers
Serves 4
1 lb lean ground beef (93% lean)
pinch of salt
6 slices center-cut bacon
6 reduced-calorie hamburger buns (or your preferred light roll)
2 oz light Swiss cheese slivers (or, 4 light cheese wedges)
red onion slivers
2 tsp BBQ sauce for each burger

Pack the beef tightly with your hands and then shape them into a 4 inch diameter patty. Sprinkle lightly with salt on both sides. Freeze for 5 minutes on a sheet of waxed paper to help retain the shape.

Preheat a grill to high. Cut the whole bacon strips in half and place side by side in a nonstick skillet to cook over medium heat until crispy. Drain on a paper-towel lined plate.

Cook the burgers on the grill to desired doneness. Toast the buns lightly. Add the cheese to the burger for the last 30 seconds of cooking. Place the burger on the bun and top with the 3 half bacon slices, then the onion slivers, and finally the BBQ sauce. Serve at once.

N.I. per cheeseburger as described above: 304 cal, 33 g protein, 23 g carb, 10 g fat, 3 g fiber, 752 g sodium

Italian Seasoned Fries
Serves 4
2 medium (8-9 oz) baking potatoes, peeled and cut into sticks about 1/2 inch
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbs reduced fat grated Parmesan
1 tsp finely chopped fresh parsley
1/4 tsp garlic powder
Optional: 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
Kosher salt

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees and line a medium nonstick baking sheet with parchment paper.

Toss the potato sticks with the other ingredients, then add salt to taste. Place the potato sticks in a single layer, not touching, on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes. Flip the potatoes and bake another 8 - 12 minutes or until the potatoes are tender on the inside and have some browned spots on them, but are not completely brown. Serve immediately.

N.I. per 1/4 portion: 97 calories, 2 g protein, 19 g carb, 2 g fat, 2 mg chol, 2 g fiber, 34 mg sodium
******************************************
TASTE NOTES
Usually a guilty pleasure, this BBQ bacon cheeseburger tasted even better because the ingredients were fresh and it was guilt free. The fries were a pleasant surprise, also fresh and flavorful and so much less fattening than the frozen kind served everywhere. I would definitely use fresh herbs on the potatoes next time out. I ate one burger and 1/4 of the fries, and with a big tossed salad, I was quite satisfied. You can be sure we'll be making this burger again and again. Next time I'll keep the kitchen totally clean by using the side burner for the bacon. I'm sure you noticed the paper plate in my photo. Welcome to BBQ season!

MONGOLIAN BEEF

2011-05-03T08:47:00.001-04:00

Mongolian Beef

Retirement is hard work and that means I appreciate quick and easy meals that are also healthy. An old Cooking Light magazine offered this garlic-and-ginger-laced stir fry that begs for wide rice noodles to catch all of the wonderful sauce.

2 tbs low-sodium soy sauce
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp cornstarch
2 tsp dry sherry
2 tsp hoisin sauce
1 tsp rice vinegar
1 tsp chili paste with garlic
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp peanut oil
1 tbs minced, peeled fresh ginger
1 tbs minced fresh garlic
1 lb sirloin steak, thinly sliced across the grain (I prefer using flank steak)
16 medium green onions, cut into 2-inch pieces

Combine the first 8 ingredients, stirring until smooth. Heat peanut oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add minced ginger, minced garlic, and beef; saute for 2-4 minutes or until beef is browned. Add green onion pieces and saute for 30 seconds. Add the soy sauce mixture and cook 1 minute or until thickened, stirring constantly.

Yields 4 servings, 1 cup each.
N.I.: 237 cal; 10.5 g fat; 26 g protein; 9.1 g carb; 1.7 g fiber; 60 mg chol; 517 mg sodium
*******************************************
TASTE NOTES
This slightly spicy dish had a more complex sauce than the speed of preparation would suggest. I've come to appreciate what a small amount of minced ginger can do to rev up the flavor profile of a stir fry sauce and coupled with the chili paste and hoisin sauce, this sauce was much more than your typical soy-based standard. Tracking down wide rice noodles can be a chore; if you can't find them, use vermicelli or Jasmine rice. Be sure to keep the beef on the rare side so it doesn't become chewy.

5-STAR GRILLED GREEN SHRIMP

2011-04-29T00:00:00.001-04:00

Grilled Green Shrimp

These herbaceous shrimp can be cooked indoors on a nonstick, ridged grill pan, as I did, or on an outdoor grill for an easy, delicious dinner that is friendly on your waistline.

4 servings
3/4 cup chopped parsley
3/4 cup chopped basil
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 tsp extra virgin olive oil
3/4 tsp salt
3/4 tsp pepper
1 1/2 lbs large shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails on

To prepare the marinade, combine the parsley, basil, garlic, oil, salt, and pepper in a zip closed plastic bag. Add the shrimp. Squeeze the air out of the bag, turn to coat the shrimp, and refrigerate 1 hour or overnight.

Spray a ridged, nonstick grill pan with cooking spray and set over medium-high heat. Working in batches, if necessary, grill the shrimp until they are just opaque in the center and lightly browned on the outside, 2-3 minutes on each side.

Serve alongside grilled vegetables or over angel hair tossed with olive oil.

N.I. (for a serving of the shrimp only): 125 cal, 3 g fat, 202 mg chol, 451 mg sod, 1 g carb, 0 g fiber, 22 g
prot
*****************************
TASTE NOTES
Served with a cup of angel hair pasta and some roasted cauliflower, this was a quick and easy dinner. The combination of parsley, garlic, olive oil, and basil is a no brainer and I think I would try this again with grilled veggies that I'd marinated (separately, of course) in the same flavorful combination.

CHICKEN BASQUAISE

2011-04-26T00:00:00.001-04:00

Chicken Basquaise

This is a lightened version of a classic dish from the Basque region (southern France and northern Spain). It is perfect for a weeknight meal, particularly if you chop the vegetables ahead of time, and uses a base of onions and bell peppers sauteed in olive oil until very tender. The recipe is from Best of Weight Watchers Magazine, but you'd never suspect it is healthy.

Serves 4
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast cut into 1 inch pieces
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp dried basil
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 tsp cayenne
2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1 Spanish onion, chopped
1 medium red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 medium green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
2 plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1 garlic clove, minced

Place the chicken pieces in a bowl. In another bowl, combine the paprika, basil, salt, cayenne, and pepper. Sprinkle 1 tsp of the seasoning mix evenly over the chicken pieces and toss to coat.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat and swirl in the oil. Add the chicken and brown, about 7 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a clean bowl.

Add the onion and peppers to the skillet and cook until the peppers are tender. Add the chopped tomatoes and garlic and the remaining seasoning mix and cook, stirring, about 2 minutes more.

Return the chicken to the skillet, turn the heat to low, cover, and cook until the chicken is heated through, about 10 minutes.

N.I.: 200 cal, 4 g fat, 66 mg chol, 227 mg sodium, 13 g carb, 3 g fiber, 28 g protein
************************
TASTE NOTES
Served over brown rice, this was a delicious and filling dinner. I had prepped the vegetables earlier in the day so it took less than 20 minutes from start to finish. After our vacation last week, it felt good to in control of our eating again, both in terms of choices and quantity. That said, I would make this dish again even if I weren't trying to shed a few pounds. It was that good.

GENERAL TSO'S CHICKEN

2011-04-22T00:00:00.041-04:00

General Tso's Chicken

The May issue of Food and Wine contained a recipe for DSO's favorite Chinese food, so what could I do? While very little frying goes on in The Food of Love kitchen, I put aside my prejudices for this one meal and was quite pleased with the results. I cut back on the sugar and the oil, in part for health reasons and also because I don't like sweet, greasy food and used chicken breasts instead of thighs since I had them on hand. As with most Chinese cooking, the key is in the preparation. Having everything chopped, diced, and measured out means dinner is on the table in under 30 minutes--it would be sooner, but that's how long the rice needs to cook. Here is the version I prepared:

1 1/2 tsp toasted sesame oil
1 large egg white
1/4 cup plus 1 tbs soy sauce
1/4 cup plus 3 tbs cornstarch
3 - 4 tbs water
1 lb skinless, boneless chicken breasts, trimmed and cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces
1 cup low sodium chicken broth
1 tbs Thai chili garlic sauce or Chinese chili garlic sauce (this was nicely spicy; adjust to taste)
2 tbs sugar
1 tbs vegetable oil plus more for frying (about 3 tbs)
2 tbs very finely chopped fresh ginger
2 large garlic cloves, minced
4 scallions, thinly sliced
steamed broccoli and white rice as accompaniments

In a medium bowl, combine the toasted sesame oil, the egg white, 1 tbs of the soy sauce, and 1/4 cup plus 2 tbs of the cornstarch; add just enough water to make a thick paste; add the chicken, stirring to coat and let stand at room temperature for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk the chicken broth with the chili garlic sauce, sugar, and remaining 1/4 cup of soy sauce and 1 tbs cornstarch.

In a large saucepan, heat the 1 tbs of oil. Add the ginger and garlic and cook over high heat until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir the broth mixture and add it to the pan, cooking until thickened and glossy, about 3 minutes. Keep the sauce warm over low heat.

In a large, deep skillet, heat the remaining oil until shimmering. Carefully add the chicken, one piece at a time, turning once or twice until browned and crisp, about 4 minutes. Drain each batch on paper towels, then add to the sauce along with the scallions. Cook until coated and serve immediately with rice and steamed broccoli.

TASTE NOTES

It's only recently that I've begun to enjoy spicy foods and that's a good thing because this was spicy--not overly so, but it had a nice kick. I confess that I enjoyed the dish immensely. The coating was beautifully browned and retained a bit of crunch even after it was added to the thick, sweetly tangy sauce. The ginger and garlic, along with the scallions, added several layers of flavor. There were plenty of leftovers for lunch, but only because we are careful to eat moderate portions. I will probably never order this dish out--the heavy batter and orange sauce are real turn offs--but I will make this again.

CHICKEN MARBELLA

2011-04-19T00:00:00.002-04:00

I came late to the slow cooker movement and I have to confess that I almost never leave the house while using this appliance. In part it's my mother's voice telling me not to trust that it won't burn the house down, but it's also because I have a very mischievous fur baby who I fear would look on it as a new plaything. That said, when I find recipes that call for the slow cooker, I generally reject any that call for dirtying another pot or pan for browning or pre-cooking. When I saw this recipe for chicken Marbella in an issue of Woman's Day, I knew it was for me. There was no need to use any other pot or pan or appliance. The main ingredient was chicken, my protein of choice. It called for capers, green olives, and prunes, all favorites.

Serves 4 (very easily, I might add)
1/3 cup white wine
2 tbs brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
3 tbs red wine vinegar, divided
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
6 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
1 tbs capers
1/2 cup (6) prunes, pitted (I used the ones in a jar)
1/3 cup pitted green olives (okay, I probably used 1/2 cup)
8 skinless chicken legs (avout 2 1/2-3 lbs total)
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1 cup long grain white rice
* MY ADDITION: I removed about 1/2 cup of the liquid, added a bit of cornstarch to make a slurry, and stirred it back into the pot to thicken the liquid a bit.

In a 5 to 6 quart slow cookerm whisk together the white wine, brown sugar, oregano, 2 tbs red wine vinegar, and 1/4 tsp each of salt and pepper. Add the garlic, capers, prunes, and olives and mix to combine.

Add the chicken legs, cover, and cook on high for 3 hours. Gently stir in the remaining vinegar and parsley and, if you like, add the slurry (see "My Addition" above)

Thirty minutes before serving, prepare the white rice according to package instructions. Serve the chicken and its sauce over the rice.
**************************************
TASTE NOTES
We really enjoyed this fragrant, fall off the bone chicken. The prunes add a rich sweetness that plays well against the vinegar, green olives, and capers. You can detect, ever-so-faintly, the brown sugar in the sauce. I love dark meat and will be making this dish again very soon, probably with legs and thighs. As easy as the dish is, I would definitely serve it to company. On a beautiful platter with a thickened sauce, it would make a lovely presentation. If you dislike prunes, which are classic Marbella, you could substitute dried apricots or nectarines.