• 10Sep

    Honey, I Chopped the Herbs!

    Repeat after me: “I, (insert name here), promise to never, ever, ever use dried herbs when I cook. Dried herbs taste like tea leaves and are useful only if you want your food to taste like tea. I will only use fresh herbs, or I will use no herbs at all.”

    Whew. I feel better.

    Here are two gateway recipes to lead you out of the dried herb rut. These are both simple and tasty and can be used at snack time or for breakfast. The secret is fresh herbs and honey.

    Zesty grapefruit:

    Slice a grapefruit in half. Sprinkle freshly chopped mint over the top and drizzle with honey. Refreshing!

    Waffles with Ricblueney Basil:

    (OK … I know that ricblueney isn’t a word. I just thought it sounded better than ricotta, blueberry & honey.)

    Make your favorite waffles. Cover with a scoop of ricotta, blueberries, honey & chopped basil.

    Easy.

    Forgive the picture. Obviously I used a pre-made, frozen commercial waffle. I had a moment of inspiration and didn’t want to wait for homemade waffles to cook before trying this. To be fair it was a whole-grain waffle!

    Filed under: Breakfast
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  • 10Sep

    Green Salsa

    If you told me I would be stranded on a desert island for a month and could only being three food items with me, I’d list salsa as the #1 item. I doubt I could live without it. Seriously.

    So, to take advantage of the last of the serrano peppers from my garden I whipped this thing up. Literally…in the food processor.

    Ingredients:

    4 tomatillos
    2 green serrano peppers
    1 small onion
    3 cloves garlic
    1/4 cup loosely packed fresh cilantro
    Juice from 1 lime
    Salt & Pepper

    Directions:

    1. Husk tomatillos and cut into quarters. Peel garlic. Peel & cut onion into quarters. Roughly cut serranos into 4 pieces (seeds included).

    2. Throw tomatillos, serranos, onion, garlic & cilantro into food processor and process until everything is finely chopped. Remove from processor into bowl and add lime juice, salt and pepper to taste.

    Servings : 8
    Preparation Time : 10 mins
    Cooking Time : 0 min

    Filed under: Appetizers
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  • 09Sep

    Pumpkin Cranberry Granola

    My husband is training for a marathon. He rarely makes suggestions in the kitchen, but during marathon season (which is year round) he asks for granola. Now that it feels like autumn, I felt like introducing some autumn flavors into my granola. This is what I came up with. I forgot to measure as I was going, so don’t hold me to these exact measurements. Go with what feels right!

    Ingredients:

    4 cups oatmeal
    1 cup oat bran
    1 cup flax seed
    1 cup chopped pecans
    1 cup slivered almonds
    1 cup sesame seeds
    3/4 cup olive oil
    1/2 cup agave syrup
    1/2 cup canned pumpkin
    1 Tbsp cinnamon
    1 tsp nutmeg
    1/4 tsp cardamon
    1/4 tsp salt
    2 cups dried cranberries

    Directions:

    1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Mix the first six ingredients in a large bowl.

    2. Mix the remaining ingredients (except the cranberries) in a small saucepan and heat through until sauce simmers.

    3. Pour the sauce over the oat mixture and stir until completely coated. Spread mixture over a cookie sheet and toast in the oven for 45 minutes, or until toasted. Stir halfway through baking.

    4. Once granola is cooled, stir dry cranberries into mix and you’re done!

    Servings: 9
    Preparation Time: 10 mins
    Cooking Time: 60 mins

    Filed under: Breakfast
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  • 03Sep

    Roasted Tomatoes

    I have an over abundance of tomatoes. Living in the Garden State comes with it’s perks. I planted three different tomato plants and now have to figure out what to do with all the tomatoes. One of my favorite ways to cook tomatoes is to roast them. Simple and delicious.

    Ingredients:

    Tomatoes
    Olive Oil
    Salt & Pepper

    Instructions:

    1. Cut up tomatoes. Make sure they’re roughly the same size. I halve the cherry tomatoes and cut the larger tomatoes into the same size as the cherry tomato halves.

    2. Lightly coat tomatoes with olive oil; add salt and pepper to taste.

    3. Roast in a 300 degree oven for about an hour and a half to 2 hours. Juices should be bubbly when done.

    Variations:

    I added crushed garlic and sliced peppers into my last batch of roasted tomatoes. They added a nice kick. A sprig of rosemary added to the tomatoes during roasting adds a wonderful aroma. Chopped onions also roast nicely with this recipe. I also like to add fresh herbs at the end, such as basil or parsley. The possibilities are endless.

    Serve over fresh pasta and cover with Parmesan. You can also serve this as a bruschetta on top of toasted baguette slices and your favorite cheese. Delicious!

    Filed under: Sides
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  • 02Sep

    Grilled Berry Chocolate Shortcake

    Josh was craving something sweet. So I checked out my kitchen to see what was there and whipped this bad boy up.

    Ingredients:

    2 slices shortcake
    1 tsp olive oil
    1 cup frozen mixed berries
    1 Tbsp organic sugar
    1 ounce organic dark chocolate candy bar, broken into pieces
    1/2 cup + 1 Tbsp whipping cream (divided)
    1 tsp Trader Joe’s Sugar, Chocolate & Coffee Bean Grinder blend

    Instructions:

    1. Brush both sides of shortcake slices with olive oil and place on a hot grill. Grill until crispy on both sides.

    2. Mix berries and sugar in small saucepan and cook until warm and slightly syrupy.

    3. In a separate small saucepan, combine chocolate pieces and 1 Tbsp whipping cream; heat until chocolate is melted.

    4. Using a cold mixing bowl, whip the 1/2 cup whipping cream with a whisk attachment and add the Trader Joe’s Sugar, Chocolate & Coffee Bean blend while whipping. Continue whipping until peaks form.

    5. Put the dessert together: Swirl chocolate mixture onto bottom of plate and place grilled shortcake on top. Pour berries and juice over top of shortcake and top with whipped cream.

    Servings: 2

    Preparation Time: 5 mins

    Cooking Time: 5 mins

    Filed under: Desserts
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  • 12Apr

    Caramelized Peppered Bacon

    Maybe I did caramelize peppered bacon for a snack last night … maybe I didn’t. I’ll never tell!

    I love contrasting flavors in my food, such as sweet and spicy or sweet and salty. So, IF I were to make and eat something so sinfully delicious, I would’ve done it like this:

    1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place 4-6 slices of thick-cut bacon on a sheet. I may have used hickory smoked bacon, but I think applewood smoked bacon would be yummy, too.

    2. Sprinkle brown sugar and freshly ground black pepper over the top of the bacon.

    3. Stick the bacon in the oven for 7 or 8 minutes.

    4. Flip bacon over and bake for another 7 or 8 minutes … until the smoke detector goes off and bacon is brown, crispy and caramelized.

    I’ll never tell anybody how deliciously amazing it was … but you really should try it. Break into small pieces and sprinkle over maple-flavored ice cream. Eat it by itself for a midnight snack. Or maybe you shouldn’t.

    Filed under: Desserts
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  • 04Apr

    Deb’s Beef Melange

    Recently, my friend Deb came to stay with me from out of town.

    I was a bit nervous about her coming because she’s on a strict gluten-free diet and I wasn’t sure if I knew how to cook for a gluten-free lifestyle.

    I did some internet research on the topic, asked a lot of questions and studied labels at the grocery store. I learned a lot. Did you know that soy sauce has gluten? I even had a hard time finding chicken stock without gluten. This was frustrating. I typically make my own stock but I was out of stock. After reading the labels on the boxes and cans in the store, I’ve vowed to never run out of stock again.

    With renewed confidence in my new gluten-free knowledge, I tackled Boeuf Bourguinon (sort-of). O.K. I can’t pretend to pull off a gluten-free version of Julia Child’s famous recipe. I made up my own Burgundy Beef recipe inspired by my gluten-free friend … and Julia Child. I call it Deb’s Beef Melange.

    I cooked this in a slow cooker so we could go play while it was cooking.

    Ingredients:

    6 Strips Bacon (cut into 1-inch pieces)
    3 Pounds Beef Chuck (cut into bite-size cubes)
    1 Teaspoon Salt
    ½ Teaspoon Pepper
    ¼ Teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
    1 Teaspoon Smoked Paprika
    1 Medium Onion, sliced
    1 Large Carrot, peeled & sliced
    2 Cloves Garlic, minced
    1 Tablespoon Cornstarch
    1½ Cups Beef Broth (If you don’t make your own, use Organic. Everything else uses yeast extracts … not O.K. for a g-free lifestyle!)
    2 Cups Red Wine
    1 Tablespoon Tomato Paste
    1 Tablespoon Fresh Thyme, finely chopped
    1 Bay Leaf
    1 Pound fresh mushrooms, sliced
    1 Tablespoon Fresh Parsley, finely chopped
    2 Cups Brown Rice

    Directions:

    1. Saute’ bacon in a skillet over medium heat until crisp. Remove and set aside on a paper towel-covered tray.

    2. Season the beef with salt, pepper, cayenne & paprika. Add beef to same skillet and brown. Remove from skillet and add to the slow-cooker.

    3. Saute’ the onion, carrot & garlic in the same skillet. Once veggies are soft, remove from skillet and place in slow cooker.

    4. In a small bowl, take 1 tablespoon of beef broth and mix with cornstarch until smooth. Add that with the rest of the beef broth, wine, tomato paste, thyme, bay leaf, mushrooms and cooked bacon to slow cooker. Cook over low heat for 8 – 10 hours, or over high heat for 4 – 6 hours.

    5. About 30 or 40 minutes before serving, cook the rice according to package directions.

    6. Add the parsley right before serving.

    To serve, scoop rice into the bottom of soup bowls and cover with beef melange. I judge my dishes by how much food is left over at the end of the meal. The pot was empty … and I noticed that even my gluten-free friend had seconds. Success!

    Filed under: Main Dishes
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  • 13Jan

    The Flavor Bible

    I have a hard time following directions. I think that’s why I don’t like baking. It’s too precise for me. Cooking, on the other hand, is right up my alley. I pour over recipes and when I see one I’d like to try, I have a hard time sticking with the author’s interpretation of the dish. Once I step foot in my kitchen with a recipe, the questions begin. What if I added this spice instead of that? I wonder if this vegetable would work instead of that? Why did the author do this? Why didn’t the author do that? Sometimes I feel as if I’ve conquered a dish by tweaking it … other times I kick myself for not trusting the author.Because of this dysfunction of mine, I’ve discovered a cookbook that I can’t live without. It’s a cookbook without recipes. This book changed what I do in the kitchen. For somebody like me who loves to experiment, this is my guide … my inspiration … my motivation. The book is called The Flavor Bible, by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg.

    The Flavor Bible is a flavor matchmaker. For example, say you’re at the farmers market and the butternut squash is calling your name, but you don’t know what to do with it. Don’t let that stop you … BUY IT! Take it home with you. You have nothing to worry about because you have The Flavor Bible. All you have to do is look up Butternut Squash and you’ll get a list of flavor affinities and suggestions. Did you know that shrimp and butternut squash compliment each other? I did not … but I applaud the person who discovered this.

    Some flavor affinities include butternut squash, bacon, maple syrup & sage. Maybe you could sprinkle some cayenne pepper & salt on the squash, roast it in butter, and serve it over baby spinach with bacon, red onion and toasted pumpkin seeds with a maple syrup and sage vinaigrette. Or perhaps you’d like to keep it simple. Soup is always a great option. Make a butternut squash soup by first sauteing some shallots, garlic & celery. Add peeled and seeded butternut squash, finely chopped sage, and chicken stock. Simmer for 20 minutes. Puree and top with a sprinkle of nutmeg, chopped flat leaf parsley and creme fraiche. These are only ideas that popped into my head as I’m looking at the flavor chart. I haven’t tested them. Yet.

    Tonight The Flavor Bible came in handy. I came across a whole chicken on sale while grocery shopping. Roasted chicken sounded perfect for a cold winter day. The great thing about chicken is that it compliments almost anything. As I was looking in my refrigerator, I found some limes and cilantro. Why not use those in my chicken? The Flavor Bible confirmed my flavor hunches and made more suggestions. The tip was “Always use fresh, not cooked (cilantro) — or, if you must, add at the very last minute. Use cilantro to provide a cooling note to chile pepper spiced dishes.”

    I buttered my bird and sprinkled salt, pepper, chili powder and cumin on the top of the bird and inside the cavity. I stuffed the bird with a quartered onion, a quartered lime, cilantro and mint. After roasting the bird, I decided to make gravy with the drippings. I made a standard gravy with chicken stock. I squeezed some lime juice into the gravy and sprinkled chopped cilantro on the top. The lime juice & cilantro gravy received rave reviews from Hot Hubby and Co. when served over the roast chicken, mashed potatoes and green beans.

    You no longer have to fear the kitchen when armed with The Flavor Bible. Now if only there was an app for that.

     

    Filed under: Cookbooks
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  • 09Jan

    Celebrity Chef Stalker

    I’ve got a problem. This is kind of embarrassing to admit but I’ll just get it out there. I’m a celebrity chef stalker. I will bypass any so-called “A Lister” on the street (yawn), but if I see a famous (or even semi-famous) chef, my heart starts to palpitate and I get butterflies in my stomach.I’ve seen Giada deLaurentiis at a Today Show taping, Rachael Ray at a Rachael Ray Show taping, Rocco DiSpirito at an NYRR race, and Mario Batali at Eataly in NYC.

    I even have cookbooks signed by reality show celebrities, Bethanny Frankel & Teresa Giudice. I know they’re not famous for being chefs (Teresa is not even a chef … just a home cook), but they’ve both written cookbooks so it counts, right?

    I took a knife skills class at the Institute of Culinary Education taught by Norman Weinstein … the author of THE book on knife skills. I have the book, but forgot to bring it in to have him sign. But it was SO fun to sit in class and be taught by him. He’s so fabulously quirky. I even took a sauces “boot camp” at the same school taught by James Briscione who was a contestant on Chopped Champions (and lost at the very last moment because a hair fell into his plate.) I just checked his blog and he’s writing a cookbook with his wife.

    To add to that list, I have three favorite sightings.

    In October of 2009, I took my daughter to Food Network’s Wine and Food Festival in New York City. They have several sessions for kids and this is what Mini-Me wanted to do for her birthday that year. We chose three sessions. Our favorite session was with Cricket Azima where the kids learned how to make cactus salad. Cricket is my hero … I love her. She needs to be a celebrity chef and if Food Network doesn’t give her a show soon … I’ll boycott the network.

    Her philosophy is that if you teach kids to cook, you teach them life lessons. In her own words: “We can learn about so much more than just food, while in the kitchen. In addition to cooking skills and techniques, children in my classes learn about history, geography, math, nutrition, science, foreign language, art, and much more.” (Yes … I asked her to autograph a cookbook, too.)

    I digress … that wasn’t the point of my story.

    So, in between sessions at the festival, Mini-Me and I were sitting in Chelsea Market and she asks me if we’ll see any celebrity chefs. I told her that we wouldn’t see anybody, that they were all busy hosting their own sessions across the city. All of a sudden she smiled and said, “What about that guy? I recognize him!” and pointed out a man walking towards us. I turned around to see the unmistakable face of Michael Proietti. He noticed that she noticed him and gave her a smile as he passed. She blushed. Who’s Michael Proietti? He was a contestant on The Next Food Network Star, Season 5. He was known for his big personality and big hair. He’s not on the scene anymore … but the fact that my daughter recognized him makes me proud.

    My second favorite sighting was here in fabulous Jersey. Two summers ago, I planned an outing to the Liberty Science Center in Jersey City. I decided to surprise the kids and stop in Hoboken for a treat before going to the Science Center. As we walked into Carlo’s Bake Shop, the kids’ eyes got quite huge when they realized they were in The Cake Boss’s shop.

    I told them they could pick out a cupcake to munch on, but they were more interested in seeing Buddy Valastro. We were standing in line and a loud Jerseygirl in front of us asked Buddy’s mom if “The Boss” was in the shop and demanded to meet him. Buddy’s sister and mom looked at each other with annoyed looks and mumbled some excuse about him being tied up with something.

    After Jerseygirl left, Buddy’s sister said, “Buddy’s not the only star of the show, you know. It’s about the whole family.” This made me giggle. However, I had to break my kids’ hearts and let them know they would not see Buddy that day. They took the news OK … especially when we sat down and buried our faces in sugary goodness.

    I was facing the front door when three little girls with big blue eyes and long blonde, curly hair walked through the door with their mom. As they walked past to order their goodies I overheard their sweet, sing-song voices ask, “Can we see Buddy?” Awwww!

    All of a sudden, both of my kids stood up and excitedly said, “There’s Buddy!!!” I turned around, and sure enough the three little beauties were able to lure him from his work and he came downstairs to say, “Hi!”

    I encouraged the kids to go meet him. He shook their hands, called them by name and posed for pictures. He was particularly impressed when Lilly said, “Congrats on finally winning 1st place on the Food Network Challenge.” His smile indicated that she warmed his heart. It was a very sweet experience.

    My favorite celebrity sighting was with my biggest celebrity crush. Last October, I logged onto Twitter and saw a tweet from Bobby Flay saying he was going to be in King of Prussia, PA, signing his new cookbook. I didn’t think twice. I called the store he was going to be at and reserved a ticket to the event. I drove to Mini-Me’s school and pulled her out of class. This event was worth a possible arrest by the truant officer.

    Of course, I wouldn’t tell Lilly why I pulled her out of school as we drove to Pennsylvania. We got to the event and found a seemingly endless line of people and hopped into line. At this point, Mini-Me saw the posters with Bobby Flay’s picture and figured out the big surprise. The normally reserved girl almost couldn’t contain herself. Heck … I would’ve jumped up and down if I felt it was appropriate. As we chit-chatted with people in line, most people agreed with me that this event was worth skipping school for … making me feel as if I still had a chance at the Mom-of-the-Year Award.

    And before I knew it … there he was! My palms started to sweat as I tried to figure out what to say to Bobby Flay. He was as nice as I thought he would be … even called Lilly by name. He was also impressed that she skipped school to meet him. I asked him about the NYC Marathon he was running a few weeks from that day. He didn’t sound too excited at the thought of running 26.2 miles. At the risk of sounding like a crazed fan, I told him we’d be cheering him on. He signed our book, posed for a picture and then the moment was over.

    Where do I go from there? I still keep my eyes and ears open for excuses to meet other celebrity chefs. I have passed up opportunities. Alton Brown, Lidia Bastianich and Nigella Lawson were both in town last fall for book signings and I did not take advantage of those opportunities. There will be more opportunities.

    The next time I see a famous culinary face … you’ll be the first to know.

     

    Filed under: Celebrity Chefs
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