**I have a new feature on my blog, where you will see a printable version of every recipe that you can print and save. It will be at the bottom of this posting**
I have to admit that I admire Rachael Ray, but I have grown tired of her over-the-top too perky and chatty TV personality. How diplomatic was that!? Seriously, I give kudos to Rachael Ray for showing me that I don't need to cook with canned cream soups, or processed foods, to put a good meal on the table in 30 minutes. I also give her a lot of credit for giving me a baseline on what pantry staples I should keep on hand, so that I can throw together a good meal.
I think that the reason I've tuned out of her show, in the last couple of years, is that I noticed a lot of recipes were repeats of others I had made. With that said, I happened to catch Rachael Ray's show when I was home on a school holiday. Pork marsala-- that intrigued me. So, I watched the show and realized that I had an unopened bottle of marsala, a frozen pork tenderloin and I try to keep a bag of Trader Joe's Pappardelle Pasta (a long wide egg noodle). All I needed was some fresh cremini mushrooms, and I was all set!
To prep the pork I cut the tenderloin into equal pieces:
Then I used my offset meat pounder (you can use a heavy skillet, but I'm a gadget freak) and gave the meat a good whack:
After dipping each medallion into seasoned flour, I seared the pork (yes, I am using a non-stick skillet...and I am able to achieve a nice crust-- but I also own some heavy bottomed skillets)). Once all the pork was seared, I kept it warm under foil and then I started to saute' the cremini mushroms:
I love cremini mushrooms!
Then sprinkled flour over the mushrooms, and got ready to add my liquid:
...and watched the sauce thicken
... and I realized that I wish I had made more sauce (and I admit, I didn't measure)
The sauce was outstanding! I was beginning to feel very hungry, as I added the pork back into the sauce:
I served this with a vegetable side dish I had made on Valentine's Day. My family was very, very happy.
Rachael Ray, great job! This recipe will be a repeat performance. It was that good!
I had a pretty rough day at the office, but too tired to cook anything that required a lot of energy. I peeked into my freezer and found a bag of frozen shrimp that I had completely forgotten about (I have to say, I am thankful to have an upright freezer in my garage-- it makes cooking fast meals a little easier on me). I grabbed a box of pasta (I keep a variety on hand, because pasta is one of my favorite "go to" fast meal solutions. I had "Shrimp Scampi" on my mind...
In my fridge, I also found one chicken breast that needed to be cooked. My husband isn't wild about shrimp, but my son and I love it. So, I quickly marinated the chicken in olive and oil and garlic-- and I then I grilled it on my cast iron pan:
I figured I'd slice the chicken and serve that with the pasta-- that way everyone would be happy!
I love Shrimp Scampi, but there is a ton of butter and garlic which adds up to a LOT of fat grams. I thought of a delicious Tilapia Picatta recipe I had recently made, and so I got busy in the kitchen. This version is one that I make as a quick Work Week Meal. I use less butter and more chicken stock, but it's still very tasty and satisfying.
Shrimp "Skimpy: I didn't measure, so I've tried to recreate what I think would work:
Ingredients: Raw Shrimp, deveined (tails on or off)-- I was cooking this dish for three servings, so I calculated about 8 large sized shrimp per person (Note: I buy my frozen shrimp at Trader Joe's) 2 Tbsp. Olive Oil, divided 1 Tbsp. Unsalted Butter Generous Splash (about 1/4 cup)White White (I use sauvignon blanc) Chicken stock (about 1/2 cup) 2 cloves of garlic, finely minced Italian parsley, finely chopped (about 1-2 Tbsp) Linguini (cooked according to box directions-- fettuccine or any kind of spaghetti pasta is OK) Parmesan cheese (grated) Preparation:
If the shrimp is frozen, I do a "quick thaw" by soaking in water (takes 10 minutes)
Cook pasta, in salted water, according to directions.
Drain pasta, reserving about 1 cup of pasta water
In a skillet, heat 1 Tbsp olive oil and saute' shrimp, until they just turn pink (no more than 2-3 minutes). Overcooked shrimp turns tough!
Remove shrimp and set aside (I put mine in a lightly warmed oven)
Add the rest of the olive oil and butter.
Add garlic and cook, until just fragrant (about 30 seconds)
Add the wine and cook for about 1 minute
Add the chicken stock; cook at medium heat until slightly reduced (3-5 minutes)
Return the shrimp to the skillet
Add the pasta and combine; turn off heat
Note: if the pasta appears too dry or stick, add a little pasta water to moisten
Add fresh parsley and parmesan cheese
From start to finish, this meal was on the table in 20 minutes! My husband loved the chicken and pasta and my son ate two huge helpings. I dubbed the recipe "Shrimp Skimpy" since I didn't use nearly the amount of butter that a true Scampi calls for.
I felt much better-- especially when the "boys" did the cleanup!
I found this recipe a few years ago, but forgot exactly where. This recipe is foolproof...honest! When I make this, I also whip up a batch of ricotta pancakes. It's a wonderful change from pancake syrup.
You can use Eureka lemons, but I might suggest that you increase the sugar-- taste it! If you use Meyer lemons, they are the tastiest-- Myer's have a sweeter taste.
Either way, please try this. You'll never buy lemon curd in the jar again. Trust me.
FOOL PROOF LEMON CURD 3/4 cup fresh lemon juice 1 Tbs grated lemon zest 3/4 cup sugar 3 eggs 1/2 cup unsalted butter, cubed 1
In a 2 quart saucepan, combine lemon juice, lemon zest, sugar, eggs, and butter.
Starting to thicken....
Cook over medium-low heat until thick enough to hold marks from whisk, and first bubble appears on surface, about 6 minutes.
There! It's thick!
There are a few ways I like to enjoy this wonderful curd-- gently heated on ricotta pancakes...
with Aebelskivers... with scones, or even as the middle layer of a white cake.
This stores for about a week in a tight-fitting jar-- if it lasts that long! One of these days, I'm going to learn how to "can" food. Maybe this will work? Who knows...?
For some great tips on making Lemon Curd, from Fine Cooking (I found this link AFTER I posted my recipe, wouldn't you know it?) click here: "Lemon Curd tips"
I have no idea why, but my fridge has too much ricotta cheese and an abundance of Meyer lemons! Then I remembered a recipe from Bobby Flay (Food Network) on making ricotta pancakes. It's been over a year since I've made these, so I went to my "Recipe Keeper Binder" and there it was! I opened a jar of lemon curd from Trader Joe's (I was feeling lazy) and I paused...
Ugh. The best used by date was March 2007 and the curd looked...well, brown!
I hesitated. Do I really want to make my own lemon curd? My stomach growled.
OK, I'll do it! I was glad that I did-- seriously, it took 10 minutes to make my own and it's so good and so delicious...and so easy!
I stopped buying Bisquick and pancake mix a long time ago. Making pancakes, from scratch, is so easy and I think they taste much better. Adding ricotta cheese to pancake mix produces tender, and fluffy pancakes. Oh, and I realized (after I made the lemon curd) that my son had polished off all of the milk! Fortunately, I keep 2% buttermilk in my fridge as a "staple". My son was redeemed (after a lecture about writing things on my grocery list) because the buttermilk made the pancakes even better!These pancakes reheat, well, in the microwave. I had stashed the last two for my breakfast, since I'm home alone for a day of vacation. Too late! My son found them. He says they were delicious.
Ingredients 3/4 cup all-purpose flour 1 tablespoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1/4 teaspoon salt 2 tablespoons sugar 1 cup ricotta cheese 2 eggs 2/3 cup buttermilk (I used 2%) 1 lemon, zested and juiced (see my note in directions) Butter, for griddle 1 (11-ounce) jar prepared lemon curd (I make my own!) (optional):Fresh raspberries, for garnish Confectioners' sugar, for garnish
Directions Preheat a nonstick griddle. Combine flour, baking powder, nutmeg, salt, and sugar in a small bowl. Whisk together the cheese, eggs, milk, lemon juice and zest in a large bowl. (note: I skipped adding the lemon juice and zest and my pancakes turned out great!) Whisk the flour mixture into the wet ingredients until just combined. Brush the hot griddle with butter. For each pancake, pour approximately 1/4 cup measure of the batter on the griddle and cook on both sides until light golden brown. Repeat until no batter remains.
For those of you who don't make my lemon curd recipe: Empty the contents of the lemon curd into a small saucepan and warm over low heat. Alternatively, remove the lid and place in a microwave oven on 50 percent power for 2 minutes, stopping after 1 minute to stir the curd. Drizzle a few tablespoons of the curd over the pancakes, top with fresh raspberries, and sprinkle with confectioners' sugar. NOTE: I add a thin layer of lemon curd between my pancakes.
This is a recipe that I would never have tried to make by just reading it. In fact, I passed it up until I caught Rachael Ray making it one night. So, I took a chance and made it. This recipe is one of my husband's very favorites. He smiles every time I make it for him, and it really is simple.
There are several different flavors that work together so well-- chipotle chili, cumin, honey, maple syrup, tamari sauce. I just love water chestnuts-- they really don't have much flavor, but they give a nice crunch to the recipe along with the cashews. **A WARNING: Chipotles are very spicy-- we're talking heat! I now use about 1 teaspoon of chipotle for this recipe and I freeze the rest (it keeps well, and I toss it in to thaw from the heat of a dish). Seriously, the first time I made this recipe I went with Rachael Ray's measurement and it was way too hot for me to eat. Go easy! Trust me!
Rachael Ray's recipe includes a brown rice to serve this with. Since then, I've switched to making coconut rice. This meal reheats well, for taking to work-- and I do look forward to leftovers...if my family doesn't polish the whole thing off first! Chipotle Cashew Chicken Recipe & quote courtesy Rachael Ray:
I was in a Park City, Utah Albertson's grocery store and picked up a sack of nuts: chipotle coated raw cashews. They were gone before I made it to the check-out. I paid for the empty bag and immediately wrote this recipe based on the ingredients of those nuts. This may look like Chinese Take-Out but the maple, chipotle flavor makes for a North-Western American surprise! Leave the nuts raw - they taste buttery and extra sweet. Toasting will develop a deeper flavor, but the sweet butter nuts have a unique texture when eaten raw.
Ingredients 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil 1 medium onion, thinly sliced 2 pounds chicken meat: tenders, boneless, skinless breasts or boneless, skinless thighs, cut into 2-inch pieces 2 tablespoons grill seasoning blend (recommended: Montreal Steak Seasoning blend by McCormick) 2 to 3 tablespoons tamari dark soy sauce, eyeball it 4 cloves garlic, chopped 1 red bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced 10 to 12 water chestnuts, whole 1 cup frozen green peas 3 tablespoons chipotle in adobo** (2 peppers and their sauce), available in cans on the international foods aisle or substitute 1 1/2 tablespoons ground chipotle powder 1 tablespoon ground cumin, a palm full 2 to 3 tablespoons honey, 2 healthy drizzles 1/4 to 1/3 cup real maple syrup, eyeball it 2 to 3 tablespoons chopped cilantro or parsley leaves, your preference 1 cup raw cashews Directions
Heat a large skillet over high heat. Add vegetable oil, 2 turns of the pan, then the chicken. Season the chicken with grill seasoning.
Brown the chicken on both sides, season with soy sauce then move off to one side of the pan. Add the remaining onions, garlic and peppers. Cook 2 to 3 minutes then add water chest nuts and green peas and mix vegetables and meat together. Add the chipotles and cumin. Toss to coat. Glaze the mixture with honey and maple syrup and turn off the heat. Add in the chopped cilantro or parsley and the cashew nuts. Top rice with cashew chicken and serve.
I hope that everyone had a wonderful Valentine's Day-- even if you're single, it's a share time to "share the love". Mine was very low-key because my husband was feeling tired, and a little under the weather. Since we live in a world famous tourist spot-- Monterey, California-- we have the AT&T Pebble Beach Golf Tournament happening this very weekend. That means that every restaurant in town is packed with golf enthusiasts, celebrity seeking tourists, vacationers on President's Day weekend and Lover's who are wanting to enjoy the beautiful area that I call home. That also means that there is no way you'll get me to even try dining at my favorite restaurants!
My Valentine was happy for me to cook something special for him. His stomach has been a little "iffy"-- to play it safe, I opted to make fresh salmon. I seriously wanted to make a pan sauce, for the salmon, with shallots, white wine, chicken stock and fresh lemon... but I decided to keep it simple. My method of searing and roasting salmon is foolproof-- it never turns out overcooked or dry...thank you Barefoot Contessa!
I also made a clever, but simple, vegetable side dish from Proud Italian Cook
(These potatoes are unbaked... but after 20 minutes sat 425F, they were amazing!)
The dinner was on the table in 30 minutes! It was simple and delicious-- and romantic, because my son was at a friend's house. It was just the two of us, and that's exactly what I needed. (Plus, my husband did the dishes and that was his gift to me)
What was for dessert? Well, it was Valentine's Day-- and I can't post that recipe! Besides, we're still enjoying the chocolate cake that I made on Thursday!
So, um (blushing a bit), on to sharing the recipes. I will post the potato recipe, because it's a side dish that I love as much as my roasted fingerling potatoes.
First, the salmon-- (I buy fresh salmon, locally caught if possible. I choose from the center of the fish, skin left on)
Seared and Roasted Salmon adapted from watching Ina Garten make this on Food Network
I love a good, fresh brewed cup of dark roast coffee. I have inherited the fine art of coffee making from my mother, who was as German as you can get. I admit, that I'm almost "OCD" about what kind of coffee I drink, and how it's prepared. My precious cup of coffee needs to be freshly ground and brewed, please! I also drink my coffee with half and half creme, and no other substitute works for me. I cannot stand the thought of using skim milk-- the site of "green coffee" isn't appealing to me at all. I'd rather go without drinking coffee if I have to use Coffeemate... especially if it' s powdered. I'm a bit of a coffee purist-- I'm not a fan of flavored coffees. I don't want the flavor of vanilla, or caramel, or raspberry to interfere with my dark roast coffee. Can you tell how much I appreciate a fine cup of coffee?
A few months ago, my husband and I took a vacation to Kauai. We stopped to visit the Kauai Coffee Company and to enjoy a picnic lunch on their property, overlooking acres of coffee trees and beautiful views of the ocean . I so enjoyed tasting their many coffees, and their friendly service-- so we returned to them the day before our vacation ended. I bought some coffee to bring home, and I also decided to join their coffee club--and I have not regretted it. There are a few luxuries-- even in this tough economy-- that I am unwilling to give up. My two bags of coffee-- a medium roast, pre-ground, for my husband (he's not as picky as I am) and a bag of dark roast, whole bean for me. It's so worth $29.00 a month!
So, when Lady JayPee, from the food Blog "Eating Etc." posted her recipe for OMG Chocolate Cupcakes with caramel frosting, she got my attention. I have learned that coffee really enhances the depth and flavor of chocolate. You can't really taste the coffee, but it is my favorite combination when I bake.
I love chocolate, but I eat it sparingly. Otherwise, I'd be in big trouble with my bathroom scale. I've been bombarded with Valentine's Day chocolate recipes, but I settled on making this recipe. I made a little too much of my Blue Mountain coffee, and I did not want to toss it out-- so this was my perfect excuse to bake.
I grew up with Duncan Hines cake mixes and prepared frostings. Nowadays, I cannot fathom baking with either one of these "prefab" products. I admit that I have acquired a lot of baking gadgets, and I feel as though King Arthur Flour knows me by my first name (I so love their website).
Even if you are a beginning baker (I consider myself to be intermediate), this cake recipe is pretty darned fool proof. With experience, I've organized my baking pantry with all of the staples that I need. If I could share some beginner tips, I use the best quality ingredients as possible. I no longer buy cheap dutch baking cocoa, but I splurge and buy a quality Dutch baking cocoa (at either Trader Joe's or Whole Foods). I bring my ingredients to room temperature-- butter, eggs and I buy the best pure vanilla. Parchment paper, and my silpat baking mats are my best friends, as is my Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer.
I was craving chocolate, and I was in a hurry! I decided that I did not want to spent any extra time into icing cupcakes. I had just purchased a brand new 9X13 non-stick baking pan, so I decided to make a sheet cake. So, I printed the recipe and got started-- I had the cake batter in the oven within 15 minutes, it was that easy a recipe to make.
Now, the caramel frosting took more work. Browning butter can be intimidating to a beginner cook/baker, because it will burn if you don't watch it closely. I've gotten pretty practiced at this because I enjoy using browned butter for pasta dishes and also in baking cookies-- I love the "nutty" taste of it.
Making caramel has been intimidating to me, and it has been a while since I've made caramel flan. So, making the caramel sauce requires that you use care-- if you are not keeping a watchful eye, you can burn the sugar and then you might have to resort to canned frosting (I would not wish that on anyone). I wondered why I had to add water to the amber sugar (I found that the sugar turned crystallized, and finally liquified). Now, I understand! I took Lady JayPee's warning to be extremely careful-- I used an oven glove and poured water into my skillet with care. It was so worth it! The caramel sauce turned out a beautiful amber syrup.
I ended up baking my sheet cake for about 29 minutes. It turned out to be a beautiful dark brown with a wonderful aroma!
My son stood, anxiously, hovering over me (he's 6'3) waiting for me to frost the cake. I couldn't photograph the frosting, because he was totally impatient (he loves cake). It was almost my bedtime, so I ate a small piece. It tasted good, but I wanted to wait until morning to fully enjoy it with a fresh cup of brewed coffee. (Who says you can't eat cake for breakfast?!)So, this morning, I unpacked a setting from my storage. I have several sets of dishes that I inherited from my mother. In honor of my mother's love of coffee, I chose a set of dishes that must be at least 50 years old. I have to tell you-- this cake is rich and moist and absolutely my favorite chocolate cake recipe, so far! The frosting has more of a browned butter flavor, with a hint of caramel. (Note, I used 4 Tablespoon of the caramel syrup, but I'd still like more of a caramel flavor).
I think that the next time I bake this cake (and I know I will), I'd be tempted to make a 7-minute frosting. This cake is the star of the recipe. It's fantastic!
Please try this recipe-- you won't be sorry that you did.
I love cremini mushrooms!
