A Corner of My Kitchen

Gazpacho with Basil Croutons

2008-08-19T07:38:00.000-07:00

I've never been a big tomato fan -- especially raw tomatoes, like on a sandwich or in a salad. But for some reason, every summer I end up craving a chilly bowl of tomato-y gazpacho.....my favorite recipe is this one, topped with crunchy, delicious basil croutons.

After some chopping, the whole thing is made in the blender - which my daughter found pretty hilarious. She walked past me in the kitchen and said, "Eeeeew! Are you making a tomato smoothie?! YUK!"

Aside from the three tablespoons of olive oil in the croutons, this is an incredibly healthy and lowfat soup. Other than that, I guess I don't have too much to say about this recipe -- my husband likes it and my kids despise it. But I make it once a summer because I love it!

I can't believe I bought, but forgot to add, the jumbo cooked shrimp that I was supposed to chop and stir in just before serving! What a ding-a-ling! I'll have to find another use for those today....maybe I'll make an orzo salad recipe I saw in one of my Barefoot Contessa cookbooks.

I'm so happy that leftovers are waiting for me in the fridge for lunch this afternoon!

Steak Salad with Roasted Redskins & Sauteed Mushrooms

2008-08-18T07:21:00.000-07:00

My husband's 4.0 tennis team competed this past weekend in the Midwest Championships down in Indianapolis. Sadly, they were edged out of moving on to National's by the team from Michigan -- but it was really close with many third set tie breakers over the course of three days of matches. This is the third year straight that his team has won the Wisconsin title and I know they really wanted to move on, but it just wasn't in the cards. Next year, boys!

We welcomed him home from Indy with another one of my favorite summer meals, the Blackened Steak Salad. Usually I make this more than once per summer, but for some reason last night was the first time this year....and it is gooo-oooooood! I was contemplating using chicken breasts to save on cost and calories, but tenderloin steaks were on special so I decided to go for it.

The original recipe (on Epicurious.com) calls for dunking the steaks in melted butter, then dusting them in the blackening seasonings, and searing them on a blisteringly hot skillet. Last night I skipped the butter step and just pressed the seasonings on the steaks, and tossed them on a hot grill. This worked well and we of course didn't even miss the butter step, although I wouldn't exactly call them "blackened" -- more like, just "spicy".

Alongside we had my favorite Roasted Potatoes with Garlic (yes, they're from Ina -- did you really have to ask?). I was kind of in a time crunch and didn't have the full hour to roast them, so I cut them into quarters, stuck them in a 9x11 Pyrex with a little water, covered them tightly and microwaved them on hi for about 6 minutes. Then I drained them off really well, and proceeded with the recipe. This worked like a charm and shaved off a good 20 minutes of roasting time.

Another favorite and natural accompaniment are these awesome Sauteed Button Mushrooms. These are incredible with any steak, but are especially good with this salad.

We're off to enjoy a hot, steamy day at the pool. I can't believe summer is dwindling down this quickly. My son starts school next Wednesday, eeeeek!!

Turkey Jalapeno Cheeseburgers with Spicy Ranch Sauce.....

2008-08-13T08:52:00.001-07:00

Jalapeno Cheeseburger with Bacon, Grilled Onions, and Spicy Ranch Sauce

We had a gorgeous Tuesday night at home last evening, and dinner out on the patio again. I was dying for a big ol' cheeseburger on the grill and decided to make one of my all time favorite burger recipes.

These Jalapeno Cheeseburgers (jcb's for short) are the BEST!! They were featured in the grill issue of Bon Appetit one or two years ago, and have become a summer tradition for me. I was feeling like lightening them up a bit though, and I tried them with turkey for the first time. I swear, they were just as good.

The original recipe calls for a coffee glaze that you brush over the burgers while they're grilling, but I've never bothered with that. Seems a little bit too putzy for me; besides, with bacon, cheese, grilled onions, and the amazing spicy ranch sauce, 'coffee glaze' might be a little overkill!

Don't be afraid of the jalapenos; my kiddos gobbled these up and even had seconds! Wish my husband hadn't taken the leftovers to work for lunch....I could go for one of these right now. Have a great day, everyone!

Back to the Lake!

2008-08-12T08:39:00.001-07:00

Hotdoggin'...

Wakeboarding.....

Well, the flood is over and we've cleaned up the aftermath....mostly. The poor lawn was drowned for three weeks, but hopefully it'll come back next spring. We've had to rip up the carpet on the first floor, and replace some mil-dewey drywall, but no big deal....and the dock.....well, let's just say that's a lost cause. That'll all be replaced in the springtime. For now, we're just enjoying the lake for what it is -- 'cause summer is fleeting and we have to savor every single second and not worry about stuff that just doesn't really matter!

SO! We spent the weekend out at the lake and we all had a total BLAST! The weather was amazing and the kids all got in a lot of tubing, wakeboarding, and skiing. I even got some time to cook in my little cottage kitchen.

Shrimp Salad Sandwich

One afternoon I made Ina's Shrimp Salad for the husband and myself. We both really liked it and I thought it looked pretty too; it was the perfect lakeside lunch.

I also made her Orzo with Roasted Vegetables (always a hit), which we took when we had dinner with some friends at their cottage. With roasted eggplant, garlic, yellow and red peppers, and red onion, the orzo salad was a nice compliment to the ribs that my friend Jane made. It also calls for fresh basil (which I have a TON of) and cubed feta....yum! I'm just giving you the links because I didn't divert at all from either recipe. Ya gotta love that Ina!

Orzo with Roasted Vegetables

I highly recommend both of these salads; they taste just like summer!

Passing along some Yum!

2008-08-06T07:13:00.000-07:00

I am so flattered that Lisa at Jersey Girl Cooks has given me a Yum Yum award! She must be one of my five readers, tee hee. ;-) It's so fun for me to know that someone else enjoys this little blog!

I'm going to pass this on to five blogs that I think are really cool. Each one of these ladies is a busy mom like me, and each one consistently posts family friendly recipes that I would absolutely make!

So, my choices for some Yum Yum are as follows:

Melanie, at My Kitchen Cafe

Pamela, at Cookies With Boys

Robin Sue, at Big Red Kitchen

Aggie, at Aggie's Kitchen

and Amey, at Dinners for a Year and Beyond.

Ladies, I love your blogs and check in often!!

Happy Birthday, Ad'....and a blog award!

2008-08-05T17:53:00.000-07:00

It's my youngest's 8th birthday today, and boy have we had fun!

The birthday girl and her favorite "friend who's a boy"!

We started the day with pancakes in our pj's at my friend Ann's house. Her son is my daughter's best "friend who's a boy" (NOT to be confused with a "boyfriend"!). It was a gorgeous summer day filled with fun and pals, AND this:

"Towering Sand Castle Cake"

I always say I'd never fit in with the Daring Bakers, and ain't it the truth. I was up to my elbows in icing and cursing a blue streak over this cake, but I have to say, I was quite pleased with how it turned out! Thank goodness her birthday only comes once a year, and lucky for me, my other two love Dairy Queen cakes! One of these fancy schmancy deals every 12 months is about enough for me. The recipe came from an issue of Family Fun Magazine. Click underneath the picture for the link!

Birthday Girl requested barbecued ribs and cheesy potatoes for her special dinner. I make this rib recipe all the time (including in the middle of winter when my son also requests the same dinner). It calls for "good quality barbecue sauce", but I'm partial to plain ol' Open Pit, so that's what I always use.

The cheesy potato recipe dates back to the mid-70's, when my mother-in-law didn't turn up to a potluck without a big batch of them. Read the recipe......it's a total throwback! It's not gourmet in the slightest but everyone loves them. I think I've given this recipe to about a dozen people in the past five years!

Chili-Rubbed Ribs

Cheesy Potatoes

Super Cheesy Potatoes
Serves: 6-8
Source: My Mother-in-Law, who probably got it out of a magazine sometime in the late '70's!

1 large bag of frozen diced hashbrown potatoes
1 medium white onion, diced
4 T. flour
1/2 stick butter, diced
1 jar (don't gag.....) Cheez Whiz (I know, I know!)
2 c. milk

Preheat oven to 375. Coat a 9x13 pan with cooking spray. Put half of the potatoes in the pan. Top with half of the diced onion, 2 T. flour, half of the diced butter, and half of the Cheez Whiz (just plop it on, don't worry about spreading it around). Repeat the layers. Pour the milk around the potatoes. Cover tightly with foil and bake for one hour. Remove the foil, stir the potatoes until well combined, and continue to bake for an additional half hour, or until potatoes are thickened, browned, and bubbly. Serve them to small children and watch them disappear!!
I'm stuffed. Ribs, cheesy potatoes, and sand castle cake.....ugh! I'm done. But before I go, I need to thank my cyberfriend Lisa from Jersey Girl Cooks for the fun YumYum Blog Award! Thank you Lisa! I'm going to pass it on tomorrow, but now I have to get my Birthday Girl and her siblings in to the bathtub and off to bed. ;-)

Grilled Chicken Kebabs with Red Onion & Mint

2008-08-04T07:43:00.000-07:00

We're getting back to normal here in the good old 'hood, and it felt great to make a real dinner last night! This is the only picture I got; sorry it's not the best representation of how good the meal actually tasted!

Summertime sometimes equals slacking in the dinner department at our house, and this family needed 'real' food -- not the pool food (popcorn chicken, mini pizzas, and cheeseburgers) we've been munching on since mid-June!

On last night's menu was a fantastic grilled chicken recipe that I love to do in the summer. It has some Greek flavors going on - mint, oregano, and garlic - and it's great paired with a big Greek salad. We also had one of my favorite redskin potato dishes, and although the picture is not that good, these are a standby for me in the summer and people always ask for the recipe! Toasted flatbread finished off the plate.

We shared this meal and a couple of bottles of wine with friends on the patio. We told stories about our friend Brad, and although there were a few tears, it does feel like things are starting to get back to normal in our wonderful neighborhood.

Grilled Chicken Kebabs with Red Onion & Mint

Serves: 4

Source: http://www.epicurious.com

1 1/2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, cut into 1 inch pieces (I used thighs and they were excellent)

2 T. extra-virgin olive oil

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 t. dried mint

1 t. dried oregano

1 t. salt

1 t. ground black pepper

1 bunch fresh mint

1 red onion, cut into 1-inch pieces

Mix chicken, olive oil, garlic, mint, oregano, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Let marinate 30 minutes (** I let mine go for about two hours).

Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Pull off the large mint leaves from stems. Alternate chicken, onion, and mint leaves on skewers; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill until chicken is just cooked through, turning occasionally, about 9 minutes. Serve alongside a big Greek Salad, Redskin Potatoes with Brown Butter, and Grilled Flatbreads.

Redskin Potatoes with Parsley & Browned Butter

Serves: 4-6

Source: I honestly have no idea but you MUST make these!

1 1/2 lbs. small redskin potatoes

1 very large pinch of chopped Italian parsley

1/2 stick butter

Salt and pepper to taste

Place the potatoes in a large skillet and add enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until potatoes can be pierced with a knife, about 20 minutes. Drain potatoes and return to the same pan. Sprinkle with parsley, and drop the butter onto the potatoes. Cover the pan and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook the potatoes for an additional 25 minutes, tossing occasionally, and watching to be sure the butter browns and doesn't burn. Transfer to a serving bowl and garnish with additional parsley if desired.

One week later.....

2008-07-28T13:39:00.000-07:00

.....and still no cooking.

I've grieved my friend Brad for exactly one week -- although I don't think the actual 'grieving' began until last Tuesday or so. Monday was strictly shock I think.

So, I've cried buckets for the past six days, but I think that for Carrie's sake I need to move past the sobbing, grieving friend and on to the rock hard, supportive friend she's going to need...easier said than done I guess. I've had moments today where I've broken down and lost it, but I'm trying to keep it together.

I thought I would share this nice article about Brad. The picture is one my husband took on the beach in Long Boat Key when we were all on Spring Break together back in March. You'll agree, they're a beautiful family. The one in the middle is my daughter's BFF.

http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=775871

I am planning on making something for dinner tonight, which I think is a good thing. A little normalcy would be welcomed in A Corner of My Kitchen. And thanks, everyone for your nice comments. It's so nice to have Cyberfriends!

Sad News from A Corner of My Kitchen

2008-07-21T11:59:00.000-07:00

I don't think I've ever blogged about how close knit our neighborhood is, but suffice it to say, we are all great friends, and our kids are all best pals. We've gone on ski trips together, had countless bonfires and parties, and been there for each other in good times and bad...and a bad time is upon us all today.

My dear friend Carrie lost her husband, Brad to a massive coronary sometime in the wee hours of this morning. He didn't stand a chance, it happened that quickly.

A few words about Brad -- he was a stand up guy...a 'guy's guy'. At 44 years old he was the chief of surgery at the hospital up the road, and a very well respected surgeon at that. More than a remarkable doctor though, Brad was a devoted and wonderful father to his three little girls. He was a good friend, and quite simply, a down to earth, all around nice guy.

44....what a shame. Three gorgeous girls have lost their father today. My friend is a widow at age 41. So, not to be dramatic or droll, I just don't know how much cooking is going to be getting done around here for the next little while and wanted to let you all know.

Everyone go hug your kiddos, life is short.

A healthy riff on taco salad....

2008-07-18T08:28:00.000-07:00

Here's another recipe from the backlog....I'm making' my way through the pile of recipes that have piled up this summer! I'm getting to the bottom of the pile though, and pretty soon I'm gonna have to start cooking again to get more new material!

My family was totally snowed and had absolutely no idea that this was a healthy version of tacos -- well, tacos for them, salads for the Husband and me. I swear, you will never believe this is a Weight Watchers recipe!

This could not be easier to prepare, and while some foodies (you know who you are) will scoff at the use of pre-packaged taco seasoning, there are enough little changes in this recipe to make it taste more dressed up than your every day Ortega tacos (not that there's anything wrong with Ortega tacos!). I love how some of the meat in this dish is replaced with corn and black beans -- I can never get enough black beans!

Lovely on a summer night, family friendly, and perfect for a Mexican craving!

Turkey Taco Salad

Serves: 4-6

Source: adapted from Take-out Tonight! by Weight Watchers, page 107

1 t. cooking oil

1 large onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2 lbs. ground skinless turkey breast (I confess, I used a mixture of light and dark ground turkey)

1 packet of taco seasoning mix

1 t. adobo chili powder

1/2 c. water

1 c. black beans, rinsed and drained

1 c. frozen corn, thawed

1/4 c. chopped cilantro

Mixed greens (I used green leaf and red leaf)

Julienned red onion, chopped tomato, sliced avocado and black olives

Shredded reduced fat Mexican Cheese blend

Baked tortilla chips (for the salads) and a box of taco shells (for the kiddos)

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Swirl in the oil, then add the onion and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, until golden, 7-10 minutes. Add the turkey and seasoning mix. Cook, breaking up the turkey with a wooden spoon, until browned, about 8 minutes. Stir in the water and cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until the water has evaporated, about 3 minutes longer. Stir in the black beans, corn, and cilantro; heat through. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Place a generous bed of greens on your dinner plates. Top with the turkey mixture and desired vegetables. Garnish with baked tortilla strips.

If your kids are doin' the taco thing (as opposed to the salad thing), bake your shells in the oven, and assemble their tacos with whatever they like.

Fabulous Summer Berry Fruit Tart

2008-07-17T07:07:00.000-07:00

Would you believe that this not-so-daring baker pulled off such a pretty fruit tart?! Any of you 'regulars' know that I do not usually do baked goods, but when my high school girlfriends were visiting last week, I decided we needed a summery dessert. And berries were on special for a really good price, so how could I resist?

The beauty of this tart is that the crust is made in the food processor, and then simply patted into the tart pan. No rolling needed, which of course is right up my alley! It couldn't be any easier.

I've done this before with bananas, kiwi, mangoes...anything you have on hand would work. There's also a glaze, but I've never bothered with it -- it would have added a pretty shine I guess; maybe next time I'll give the glaze a shot.

FRUIT TART
Serves: 10-12
Source: An Occasion to Gather, Milwaukee Entertains by the Junior League of Milwaukee

3/4 c. butter, softened
1/2 c. confectioners' sugar
1 1/2 c. flour

10 oz. white chocolate chips or vanilla chips
1/4 c. heavy cream
8 oz. cream cheese, softened

sliced bananas, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, sliced kiwifruit, sliced peaches, blackberries

1/4 c. sugar
1 T. cornstarch
1/2 c. pineapple juice
1/2 t. lemon juice

For the pastry, beat the butter and confectioners' sugar in a bowl until blended. Add the flour and beat until smooth, scraping the bowl occasionally. Press the pastry over the bottom and up the side of a 12-inch tart pan. Bake at 325 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until light brown. Cool in the pan on a wire rack.

For the filling, combine the white chocolate chips and heavy cream in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for 2 minutes and stir. Add the cream cheese and beat until blended. Spoon the filling over the baked layer.

For the topping, arrange the desired fruit in a decorative pattern over the top of the filling.

For the glaze, combine the sugar and cornstarch in a small saucepan and mix well. Stir in the pineapple juice and lemon juice. Cook over medium heat until thickened, stirring constantly. Drizzle the glaze all over the fruit to prevent browning. Chill, covered, in the refrigerator.

Grilled Cajun Chicken Salad....al fresco!

2008-07-16T07:48:00.000-07:00

Can you believe this? Three posts so far this week. This must be a record for me! I told you on Sunday that I had a backlog of photos and recipes to share, so here's another great summer dinner for you.

My only regret is that I don't have a photo of the composed salad with all of the components, but as they say, the natives were restless, starving, and annoyed that I was shooting their dinner while all they wanted to do was dig in!

This was a hit with my family! The recipe makes a ton of dressing, and it was a little spicy for my kids. Hub and I loved it though. All it needed alongside was a loaf of toasted French bread. Delicious!

Not the greatest chicken picture, but as I said, the DamFam was hungry and impatient!

Here's a link to the recipe:

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/GRILLED-CAJUN-CHICKEN-SALAD-WITH-SPICY-RANCH-DRESSING-105281

Favorite Flank Steak, Couscous Tabbouleh, and a BONUS!

2008-07-15T11:44:00.000-07:00

My family just returned home yesterday after a long weekend in Ohio. My husband was nice enough to take himself and the kids on a road trip to visit his mom and siblings so that I could have the house to myself to entertain my high school friends.

The road weary DamFam needed a good dinner after eight hours in the car, so I marinated everyone's favorite flank steak, and tried a new salad to have alongside. Both were outstanding, and there was just enough left for the hub to take to work for lunch today.

This flank steak is one of the first 'real' entrees I learned how to make; I got the recipe from my Aunt Trish way back in 1991, and I've made it several times a summer ever since. The couscous tabbouleh recipe is from Epicurious. We also had a blueberry crumble, but there aren't any pictures because it disappeared way too fast!

Favorite Flank Steak

Serves: 4-6

Source: Aunt Trish's Recipe File

3/4 c. soy sauce

1/4 c. vegetable oil

2 T. molasses

2 t. dried mustard

6 garlic cloves, minced

1 T. minced fresh ginger

1 1/2 lbs. flank steak

Mix all marinade ingredients in a big Pyrex measuring cup. Place the flank steak in a large ziplock bag and pour the marinade in. Squeeze out all the air and seal the bag; marinate in the refrigerator for at least four hours, and up to eight hours.

Allow the steak to come to room temperature before grilling over medium high. I usually do 6 minutes per side for medium rare. Remove steak to a large cutting board (with a rim for catching juices, if possible). Cover loosely with foil and allow to rest for 10 minutes before slicing thinly across the grain. Transfer to a nice platter and pour any juices over the meat. MMMMMMMM!!!

The Couscous Tabbouleh recipe can be found here:

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/COUSCOUS-TABBOULEH-12124

And now for the BONUS RECIPE I promised! My daughters have been asking for a turn to be Guest Bloggers, and just look at the delicious dish they thought up while away in Ohio over the weekend! It's called Pond Scum Surprise!

They gathered this fantastic organic scum from the pond at my brother in law's place, plated it up, and staged the perfect photo shoot - complete with a drink and fritos from their real lunch. I thought this was just too hilarious, so I just had to post. Ah, good times!DIG IN!!!

Panzanella & an Amazing Cheesecake

2008-07-13T18:21:00.000-07:00

We've had kind of a revolving door of parties and social functions going on around here for the past week and a half. I looked forward to this time for about two months, and it's been great, great fun -- out of town company, a huge 4th of July celebration, my big Four-Oh, dinner with friends in and out of the neighborhood, and a ladies tennis social. This weekend four of my favorite friends from high school came for a visit (an annual event for our little group), and that was a blast too! The partying with everyone was so, soooo much fun. I haven't laughed so hard in the longest time!

However, this morning I woke up and my voice was completely gone....this girl is partied out. I'm having a peaceful and quiet evening tonight at home, and have just enough energy to update the ol' blog. I've got a back log of photos and recipes that I'm going to try to get to this week.

I made these two recipes when my brother and his wife were here a couple of weeks ago. One is for my favorite Panzanella Salad (yep, that's from Ina), and the other is for my mom's cheesecake. People RAVE over this cheesecake, I'm not lyin'! I think the recipe is from 1968 (Mom, you can correct me if I'm wrong); it's tried and true, and you'll love it too.

One of the beautiful things about this recipe is that is has a sour cream topping that can cover a multitude of baking sins (your cracks, namely -- tee hee). I'm not a careful baker and inevitably, my cheesecakes always end up with massive fault lines. This topping disguises those beautifully, and you'll look like a total pro.

Panzanella

Serves: 12

Source: Barefoot Contessa Parties! pp. 102-103

3 T. olive oil

1 small French bread, cut into 1-inch cubes

1 t. kosher salt

2 large, ripe tomatoes, cut into 1-inch cubes

1 English cucumber, seeded and sliced 1/2 inch thick

1 each red and yellow bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1-inch cubes

1/2 red onion, cut in half and thinly sliced

20 large basil leaves, coarsely chopped

3 T. capers, drained

1 t. finely minced garlic

1/2 t. Dijon mustard

3 T. champagne vinegar (which I could not find, so I used Sherry vinegar instead)

1/2 c. good quality olive oil

1/2 t. kosher salt

1/4 t. freshly ground black pepper

Heat the oil in a large saute pan. Add the bread and salt; cook over medium heat, tossing frequently, for 10 minutes, or until nicely browned. Add more oil if needed.

For the vinaigrette, whisk the ingredients together. I used my stick blender to get it perfectly emulsified!

In a large bowl, mix the tomatoes, cucumber, red and yellow pepper, red onion, basil, and capers. Add the bread cubes and toss with the vinaigrette. Season liberally with salt and pepper. Serve, or allow the salad to sit for about half an hour for the flavors to blend.

My Mom's Cheesecake

Serves: MANY!

Source: A long since gone newspaper clipping circa 1968!

1/2 lb. graham cracker crumbs

1/4 c. sugar

1/2 c. melted butter

1/4 lb. butter, room temperature

3 - 8 oz. packages cream cheese, room temperature

5 eggs

1 1/2 c. sugar

1 1/2 t. vanilla

2 pints sour cream

12 T. sugar

2 t. vanilla

Preheat oven to 325. Mix the crust ingredients together in a medium bowl. Press into and up the sides of a 9x13" pan; bake for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, beat the butter and cream cheese together until blended. Add in the eggs, one at a time, until fully incorporated. Add the sugar and vanilla and continue to beat until well combined. Pour mixture into prepared crust. Bake for 1 hour, or until center of cheesecake is very slightly jiggly. Cool for 10 minutes but maintain oven temperature.

For the topping, combine remaining ingredients in a medium bowl and spread over the top of the cheesecake. Bake for 10 minutes. Allow to cool completely before covering and chilling overnight.

**Note: I ALWAYS cut this recipe in half and make it in my 10" springform pan. When cutting it in half, I use three eggs.

Birthday, Part 2.....or, give the drunks what they want!

2008-07-10T20:47:00.000-07:00

Sorry, my dear three readers. My local-yocal friends have asked for more party pics. So, by popular demand, I must do a party picture reprise. The funny thing is that all these friends think that my having a blog is so 'interesting' and 'cool'. I just laugh. I tell them that there are probably blogs about sock folding, weed pulling, and ditch digging, and that if they wanted to, they could have one too!

Anyway, give 'em what they want I guess, and back to food tomorrow!

My sister-in-law Megan, cozying up to Jose Quervo. He was a popular guy that evening. Go get you some limes and salt, girlie!!

Yes, I know my eyes are closed and this is not a flattering picture of me. But even though I AM THE BIRTHDAY GIRL, I sacrifice, because Adam, my YOUNGER BROTHER (yes, you're noticing his grey hair by now) needs attention and I'll accept looking queer with my eyes closed, even though he's looking handsome despite the GREY HAIR, nevermind he's almost two and a half years younger than me! WHICH ONE OF US LOOKS 40?!?!?!

My husband, Rob and our dear friend Mike. You can call him Waldo. He's married to Ann. She's in the next shot, looking guilty!

Yeah. She's going home with Waldo, if he's claiming her!

Lisa & Eric.....two of my favorite people on the entire planet! I love to split a 12-pack with Eric and then have an 'intellectual' conversation with him....he went to Yale Law, so he could have 24 beers and still sound like a genious! I love it. I know he humors me.

CONGA IN THE KITCHEN!!!!! A first! I'm going to try to get my kids to do this sometime. I think they'd dig it.

Julie and Kris.......

"SLAY-DAY! You bring me up when I'm down (up when I'm down!)" This is Slade. He's the party spin-doc.

Oh look! Two more of my favorite people, Jane and Ann. Love them!

Sorry you three loyal readers; you know who you are. I've TOLD all these fools that IF THEY WERE VERY, VERY LUCKY, that MAYBE, just MAYBE......Peter, or Krysta, or Stacey would drop by and leave them some sort of comment or critique on their outfit or their inhebriation.

I have a backlog of food photos to blog on.....good God, if this birthday week would ever just go away, I would be able to post on them.

Lordy, lordy, looks who's 40...or, pass the Botox!

2008-07-08T14:27:00.000-07:00

Surprise! This is me, (Jane is behind me, you can't see her), Ashley, & Kris

** a note about this post: I'm having trouble with blogger tonight. I think it's because I'm trying to put too many pictures on this post. Apparently I'm not a very good blogger because it's taken me forever to do this post and it's still not the way that I want it, but I'm so tired of working on it, that this is just the way it is!! If it seems confused and jumbled, well....that's kind of how the party went too!!!

Well, my Husband got me good on Saturday night when he threw me the mother of a birthday celebration. Here I thought we were meeting up with a group of friends, and then heading downtown to see Tom Petty (uhm, I was also duped in to thinking that we had amazing seats).....instead, I was surprised by 40 of our very good friends, waiting for me in my backyard.

Party go-ers......

I wish I had pictures of the tent and decorations....I think someone does, but these are some of the pictures that were taken on our camera. Dinner was done by a local caterer who brought huge grills and did whole beef tenderloins (so big that at one point one of my friends said, 'oh, look! he's grilling alligator!' -- she was totally kidding, of course!) with sauteed mushrooms and onions, grilled asparagus, a roasted yukon gold and blue cheese potato salad, and a fabulous caesar with giant garlic croutons......yum. No pictures of any plates, but believe me, it was a perfect 40th birthday dinner!

Ann, a co-conspirator who helped to pull it off!

Julie, me, Sarah, & Ashley

Uh, things are starting to get interesting.....mind you, it's about 12:45 am in this pic!
Lori, Ann, Shelly, Lisa (in front), me, and Julie

The evening wrapped up at around 1:45 (with some friends staying until 2)! One very dear friend (Lori; she's pictured above) was so kind that she delivered an Egg McMuffin and hashbrowns to me in my bed the next morning at around 10:00, which I gulped right down, and went back to sleep.

Our next door neighbors, Fred & Jane.....what could they possibly be looking at?!

......hhhhmmm, maybe they're horrified because they've spotted the birthday girl, dancing on her breakfast bar with a dollar sticking out of her top?

Rob, me, and my sister in law, Megan...it's getting late. Notice the oily shine!

I awoke a few hours later to enjoy the Wimbledon final (well done, Rafael!), go for a four mile run, shower, and enjoy a delicious Mexican dinner downtown.......I was in bed by 9 p.m!!!

Here's a very sad picture that in no way does justice to how gorgeous the flowers were! I loved them!

Forty isn't so bad....my actual birthday is today and I've had a blast!! I hope that everyone has girlfriends and family as dear as mine. I am truly blessed, and don't think that I don't know so!

A patio improvement project.....

2008-07-01T19:36:00.000-07:00

My back is breaking and I'm covered in mosquito bites, but dang! I have to say, for the first time in a couple of years, our patio looks good. I guess if there's an upside to our cottage being flooded, it's that our backyard has gotten some much needed attention. On normal summer weekends, I can push those awful weeds to the back of my mind and head out to the lake, but of course, this summer is different.

I grew a HIBISCUS! Unbelieveable...so unlike me!

Gardening is one of my least favorite things to do. I just don't have the passion and/or drive to go out and dig in the dirt....honestly, I'd rather unload the dishwasher fifteen times and fold never-ending whites than weed a flowerbed or prune a hedge. However, push has come to shove these past few weekends spent around the DamFam homestead. Even I couldn't stare at the weeds any longer, and really, it was getting a little bit embarrassing, having the only house in the neighborhood whose flowerpots were still filled with petrified evergreens and dogwood twigs leftover from the Holidays. We're having company the next two weekends and the thought of entertaining in my jungle of a backyard was just too horrifying. Something had to be done!

Daylillies....

Lucky for me my neighbor Carrie is a total natural in the garden. One afternoon last week, she came over with a six pack of beer and her giant bag '0 gardening tricks and whipped me in to shape. Actually, it was kind of fun! We had a good time visiting, and I was in total awe of the way she took charge of my weed-ridden flower beds and post-Christmas pots.

Homemade pesto is in my future....

Now, one week later, I'm totally hooked. The pots we planted last week are blooming like crazy and my herb garden has really taken off. Over the past seven days I've become the weed police, weilding my Roundup and showing no mercy to these relentless thistles that seem to pop up out of no where!

A new chair & candleholder, both from The Bullseye Boutique (uh, that would be Target!)

So, there's not much food related content here this evening, but watch for a post on tonight's dinner tomorrow sometime. It was sooooo good, but I'm just too bloomin' tired to write about it just now. I'm bushed (my apologies for that sad little bit of gardening humor)!!

Two Great Appetizers

2008-06-25T08:34:00.000-07:00

I've been meaning to post these recipes for about two weeks but, as I mentioned in my last post, I've been so busy with my summertime roll as the DamFam Taxi Driver and other summer stuff that my poor blog is suffering from lack of attention.

We're settling in to a summer routine; I have all the kid's daily schedules just about memorized, so I'm not as afraid of leaving someone somewhere or forgetting my carpool duties like I was last week! My oldest is away at tennis camp so that's one less kid in the whole driving equation, but the others have swim team, synchro practice, tutoring, and tennis, so we're still hoppin' around here.

One of the most frustrating aspects of the summer hubbub is the lack of cooking that's going on in a corner of my kitchen! Just for an example, yesterday I got so involved in a gardening project that I didn't even realize it had gotten to be 5:00, and had no idea what we were going to have for dinner, so we ended up going out (for about the fifth time in a week, which I'm embarrassed to report!). I have to get better at my mealtime organization, but squeezing trips to the grocery store in between all this taxi driving is proving difficult this summer.

Anyway, here are two great summertime appetizer recipes for you. I took these to a cookout a couple of weeks ago and they were both a huge hit! Serve 'em up with some cold beers or a light summer wine ...... yum!

Confetti Shrimp

Serves: 6-8

Source: I honestly cannot remember. I have this recipe scribbled on a piece of notebook paper so I must have gotten it from a friend at some point!

1 1/2 lbs. raw shrimp, peeled and deveined (I try to use the biggest ones I can find)

olive oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 T. minced ginger

1 1/2 T. fresh lemon juice

1 T. fresh lime juice

1/4 c. chopped chives or scallions, plus additional for garnish

1 roasted red bell pepper, chopped

Lemon and lime wedges for garnish

Place a large saute pan over medium high heat. Add enough olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan (maybe a tablespoon or so?). Saute the shrimp for two minutes, or until cooked through. Remove shrimp with a slotted spoon and set aside in a glass bowl.

Add a little bit more oil to the pan and saute the garlic and ginger until golden. Remove from heat. Add in the citrus juices; stir to combine. Pour this mixture over the shrimp, season with salt, and toss to coat. Chill for two to three hours, stirring occasionally. Add bell pepper and chives, toss to combine. Pour onto a pretty platter, garnish with additional chives and citrus wedges.

Serve with cocktail picks, and don't forget to put out a little bowl for the tails

Roasted Asparagus Wrapped in Prosciutto

Serves: 6?

Source: Food Network & Giada De Laurentis

1 lb. asparagus (about 19 stalks), trimmed

1 T. olive oil

Salt and freshly ground pepper

6-8 paper thin slices prosciutto, halved lengthwise

Grated Parmesan to garnish (if desired)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Snap the dry stem ends off of each asparagus and place on a heavy baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and toss. Roast until the asparagus is tender, about 15 minutes. Cool completely.

Wrap each asparagus with one piece of prosciutto, exposing the tips. Arrange on a platter and garnish with grated Parmesan (if desired); and serve at room temperature.

A Summer Bummer

2008-06-19T07:54:00.000-07:00

".....And the rain rain rain came down down down
In rushing, rising riv'lets

And the river crept out of it's bed

And rushed right in to Piglet's....."

This is the little tune I'm singing to myself this morning as I depart from the usual food discussion in order to report on what's been happening here in good old Mil-wau-kay. As they say in the Hundred Acre Wood, things are getting floodier and floodier!

Just wanted to show everyone HOW MUCH WATER there is! It's crazy! These are pictures of our summer cottage on Lac La Belle, a (normally!) very pretty lake about 45 minutes from our house in Milwaukee. The picture below shows the view from our street side. Wish I had a shot of the fish swimming in the yard and the minnows around the car!

All winter long we look forward to hot summer weekends spent swimming, boating and hanging out with friends here at the lake. I'm not blogging about this to complain or whine; I know that for our family, this flood is mostly just a very big inconvenience and disappointment. There are many people throughout the midwest (and here in Milwaukee) for whom things are absolutely devastating. We don't have raw sewage in our basement like some folks, and we don't live near a farm like some of those poor people in Iowa who have piggy poop and other nastiness floating about. Yuck.

This is a shot from the edge of our deck. You can tell that tree isn't really supposed to be growing in the middle of the lake! Over yonder is the bench where I like to sit while I have my coffee in the morning (and my margaritas at night!). It's going to be hard to get out there, since the dock is under water!

The sheriff came by yesterday afternoon and said the lake will probably rise an inch or two more before the water starts to recede, which means we will definitely end up having some water in the cottage. After that I have absolutely no idea how long it will take before the yard dries up...we're really going to need about 10 days of 90 degree heat for that to happen. That could be the middle of July for all I know!

Back to food posts shortly. I've been 'swamped' (literally and figuratively) with school getting out last week and all the kid's summer activities that began this past Monday. I've spent a very good deal of time in my car this week, shuttling kids from one place to another, and I'm looking forward to this weekend!

Sear-Roasted Sea Bass with Tomatoes & Shallots

2008-05-28T06:56:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago my husband suggested that we should eat more fish, and I had to agree.

I came across a variation of this recipe in the latest issue of Fine Cooking Magazine, and it jumped out at me because it looked so pretty and fresh. It called for halibut, when I got to the fish counter, they actually had sea bass so I decided to change it up a little bit.

I love sea bass - it's so mild and it has a great, almost buttery texture, but don't buy it that often because it's over fished and expensive to boot -- my favorite grocery store doesn't even have it all the time. But yesterday they had it, so I thought, what the hay, once a year for sea bass should be all right.

This completely bombed with the kids, by the way. After making a total stink, multiple gagging noises and their best "I'm about to barf" faces, they all split a Stouffers lasagna. I guess I don't expect them to like fish; I didn't like it until I was a grown up, and personally, I don't really want them starting anymore pricey habits anyhow! Pick your battles, right?!

Sear Roasted Sea Bass with Tomatoes & Shallots

Serves: 4

Source: Adapted/inspired by Fine Cooking Magazine, June/July 2008

1 pint grape tomatoes, halved

3 scallions, thinly sliced

small handfull cilantro or Italian parsley, chopped

1 tsp. white wine vinegar

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 lb. skinless sea bass fillet (or any other mild white fish, such as halibut or cod) cut into 4 even pieces

1/2 c. flour

1 T. extra-virgin olive oil

1 large shallot, sliced thin

Preheat the oven to 450.

In a medium bowl, mix the tomatoes, scallions, cilantro, vinegar, and salt and pepper to taste.

Season the fish with salt and pepper and dredge it in the flour. Heat the oil in a 12-inch (preferably non-stick) ovenproof skillet over medium high heat until shimmering hot. Add the fish, evenly spaced, and cook without touching until it browns and releases easlity from the pan, about 3 minutes. Flip the fish, sprinkle the shallot around it, and cook an additional 3o seconds. Pour the tomato mixture around the fish and transfer it to the oven. Roast until the fish is just firm to the touch and opaque when you pry open a thicker piece with a paring knife, about another 5 minutes.

Let the fish rest for a couple of minutes and then serve with the tomato mixture spooned over it.

I'll see you guys next week; I'm off to Raleigh tomorrow morning for a family wedding and to visit with my folks!

Red Curry Chicken Kebabs and Jamaican Rice with "Peas"

2008-05-26T19:37:00.000-07:00

Happy Memorial Day, all!

What a fun family weekend, filled with great friends, food, and lots of laughs. I have to say (and I never say this), I am tired of eating! Seriously! We had three nights in a row of cooking out (and cocktailing) with friends ... brats, burgers, hotdogs, tenderloin -- all delicious! Even though today is Memorial Day, I just couldn't stomach another food served in anything resembling a bun!

Yes, I am tired of stuffing my face, but we still had to have dinner tonight. So, I took a culinary departure from the usual all American cookout -- and since I was bemoaning the fact that my jeans were (uhm, ARE) feeling tight, I decided to make an exotic but lighter grilled menu for this evening.

The main course was delicious curry marinated chicken kebabs, and they turned out great! I used a new jar of red curry paste, and it wasn't spicy at all. My kids gobbled it up; my youngest especially liked the sweet yogurt sauce that was on the side.

For a side we had Jamaican Rice and Peas -- did you know that 'peas' in Jamaica actually means beans? (This is not knowledge that I just had in my head, I actually learned this from the June issue of Food & Wine!) This dish was supposed to have a seeded Scotch bonnet chile in it, but I left that out, thinking it would be entirely too spicy for my kids. It was good, but I would definitely use the chile next time; I thought it could use a little kick.

There are so many great looking recipes in June's Food & Wine -- I'm going to do my best to demo a bunch of them! Here are the recipes from today!

Red Curry Chicken Kebabs with Minty Yogurt Sauce

8-10 Servings

Source: Food & Wine Magazine, June '08

2 T. Thai red curry paste

1/2 c. vegetable oil

Kosher Salt

2 1/2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, cut in 1" cubes

3/4 c. plain, low-fat yogurt

1/4 c. low-fat mayonnaise

1 T. honey

1 T. fresh lime juice

1 T. finely chopped mint

In a large bowl, mix the curry paste with the oil and 2 t. of salt. Add the chicken cubes and toss to coat. Let stand at room temperature for up to 2 hours, or cover and refrigerate overnight (this is what I did).

Light a grill. In a medium bowl, whisk the yogurt with the mayonnaise, honey, lime juice, and mint and season with salt. Thread the chicken onto skewers, leaving 1/4 inch between the cubes. Grill over moderately high heat, turning frequently, until lightly charred and cooked through, about 8 minutes. Serve the kebabs with the minty yogurt sauce on the side.

Jamaican Rice & Peas

Serves 6

2 T. canola oil

1 small onion, finely chopped

1 1/2 T. minced ginger

2 c. jasmine rice

1 15 oz. can kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1/2 Scotch bonnet or habanero chile, seeded

1 14 oz. can unsweetened coconut milk

1 1/2 c. water (I used chicken broth)

Salt and freshly ground pepper

4 scallions, thinly sliced

In a large saucepan, heat the oil. Add the onion and ginger and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the rice and cook, stirring, until coated with the oil. Stir in the kidney beans and Scotch bonnet, then stir in the coconut milk and water. Season with salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Cover and cook over low heat until the rice is tender and the liquid is absorbed, 18 minutes.

Remove the rice from the theat and let stand, covered, for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork. Stir in the scallions and season with salt and pepper. Discard the Scotch bonnet and serve.

Who Shrunk My Jeans?

2008-05-22T07:50:00.000-07:00

It's a sad, sad day this morning. I could just sit down and cry in my coffee. Actually, I can't sit down, and here's why.

I took out my favorite white jeans this morning (yeah, with Memorial Day weekend coming up and all), slid them on....tugged them on....a few deep knee bends....check the rear view in the mirror......it's not lookin' good. Yes, they're 'on', and yes, they do still button, but seriously, is this someone's idea of a joke? I love these jeans and was sooooo looking forward to wearing them and they look like total CRAP! I'm so bummed....(big frown, sniff sniff).

Clearly, Leah has been spending a little bit tooooo much time in a corner of her kitchen and too little time in a corner of the GYM! Boo hoo, what an awful feeling.

This is the absolute wrong weekend to start counting Weight Watchers points. I've made plans with friends for margaritas tomorrow night, we have plans on Saturday for a cookout at the lake with some other pals -- ribs, cheesy potatoes, and beers, beers, and more beers. I know the kids will be hitting us up to stop at our favorite custard stand out by our cottage. It's a recipe for disaster!

So, I've never blogged about breakfast but after the jeans incident in my closet just now, I decided to whip up something healthy and low in Weight Watchers points. Of course, I could not just eat a waffle out of the toaster or yogurt out of the plastic cup. For me, half the fun of eating is having pretty food. It does look pretty, don't you think? And only 3 Weight Watchers points.

I'm hittin' the streets for a four mile run.....but before I go, does anyone know how many points are in Baby Backs?

Wow, an award...for ME?!?! And, Corona Chicken...

2008-05-19T20:06:00.000-07:00

The Arte Y Pico Award

Thank you Prudy for the first award of recognition my meager little blog has had the pleasure of receiving! I'm over the moon, and I appreciate you thinking of me! Let's hope my butt (I mean, my head) doesn't get too big thanks to this fun foodie award! I will be passing it on in the next day or so. Thanks again, Prudy - you are a sweetheart. ;-)

Now, for this evening's dinner.....a bit of a bummer with regard to the post. The dinner itself was delicious, and a real hit with the family. However.....the photo......ugh, the photo. My husband drove off with our good camera today, so I had to shoot dinner with my daughter's little camera and the pictures didn't come out all that great. I feel sad that I wasn't able to do justice to the dinner that Evil Chef Mom inspired, so, Sorry Krysta! We all loved it and it will definitely be repeated at our house again in the future.

"Corona Chicken" is the dish ECM blogged about last week (no beer involved, unless you count the one I sipped while prepping!) and I've been trying to make this meal ever since I read about it. Too bad life kept getting in the way and I wasn't able to get to it until this evening. Worth the wait, I must say! So kid friendly, my oldest didn't even realize he was injesting minced white onion.....I love it!

Two minor changes: I poured the teriyaki sauce over the bundles and let them marinade for a couple of hours, then baked them (the original recipe calls for grilling); it was raining tonight and I just didn't feel like standing outside. Roasting then broiling worked out great as an alternative to grilling.

Corona Chicken (aka, Hannah's Chicken)
Serves: 5-6
Source: http://evilchefmom.blogspot.com/

1 small white onion, minced
1 large handful cilantro, minced
1 jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped
5-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, pounded thin
1 c. shredded cheddar cheese
5-6 slices bacon
1 c. prepared teriyaki marinade/baste (I used the thin Kikkoman type)
10 or so small wooden skewers, soaked in water for a couple of hours prior to assembly

Combine the onion, cilantro, and jalapeno in a small mixing bowl. Place flattened chicken breasts on a work surface. Spoon a heaping tablespoon of the onion mixture in the middle of each chicken breast. Top with a tablespoon or so of the shredded cheddar. Roll up the chicken breast to enclose the filling. Wrap each bundle with a piece of bacon; fasten with a wooden skewer. Place bundles in a 9x13 pyrex pan. Pour teriyaki marinade over the bundles, cover in plastic wrap, and marinade for a couple of hours, turning and spooning marinade over now and then.

Preheat oven to 425. Place a rack on top of a cookie sheet. Place chicken bundles on the rack and bake for 25 minutes. Turn; continue to bake for an additional 5 minutes. Turn broiler to high and broil bundles until bacon begins to crisp, watch carefully (mine took 2-3 minutes per side).

Remove to serving platter, garnish with cilantro sprigs if desired.

Recycled Dinner Tonight....or, Making Prudy Proud!

2008-05-15T07:13:00.000-07:00

The husband called yesterday morning to let me know he had a late afternoon meeting and wouldn't be home for dinner. "Off the hook", thought I! I've been to the grocery store every day for the past five days, and really didn't want to go again - mainly because I looked like a total skank from running outside, and it's always on those days that I run into 15 people I know! So I went to my freezer to see what I could rustle up for myself and the kiddos.

A few weeks back I made spaghetti and meatballs (awesome recipe, from Barefoot Contessa Family Style, pp. 103-104). I had frozen about a dozen leftover meatballs and some sauce, which I turned in to Meatball Subs last evening. This was a major hit with my kids. MAJOR! Such a hit in fact, that next time I make these meatballs I'll do extras specifically so that we can have these subs again! They never even knew they were eating leftovers. If you don't have the cookbook, here's a link to the original recipe: http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_34023,00.html

By the way, the reference in my title line is to one of my favorite blogs, Prudence Pennywise. Stop by if you've never visited, it is darling! She has great recipes, a fun soundtrack, and nifty money saving tips for frugal homemakers. ;-) Here's a link to her blog:

http://prudencepennywise.blogspot.com/

Oatmeal Caramelitas....or, Pass the Slimfast!

2008-05-14T11:25:00.001-07:00

While blog-cruising one day last week, I came across the inspiration for these yummy, addictive bars on Pioneer Woman's site. She made a version of these with apricot preserves in the middle. Now, my kids can sniff out a fruited dessert blindfolded at 50 paces, so we're not even goin' there with them. Apricot preserves passed off as dessert is just a waste of good butter around here!

Someone in PW's comments section suggested "Oatmeal Caramelitas", which is essentially the same oatmeal struesel type base and topping, but with chocolate chips and caramel topping in the middle instead of the offensive apricots. I went on a google quest and found this recipe.

Would you believe my youngest said (and this is a direct quote), "Mom, I don't want to hurt your feelings but these taste too sweet." Well, I appreciate her honesty and I do have to agree somewhat; they are ridiculously sweet to the point that my teeth hurt, which (you'd think) would have stopped me, but I kept right on munching.

Now, I'm hitting the streets for a four mile run with my crazy dog. Trying to keep up with her might burn half off half of one of these bars!

Oatmeal Caramelitas

Makes 15-18 bars

Source: cooksrecipes.com

2 c. plus 6 T. flour, divided use

2 c. quick cooking oats

1 1/2 c. brown sugar, packed

1 t. baking soda

1 t. salt

1 1/2 c. butter, melted

1 1/2 c. semisweet chocolate chips

1 c. walnuts (I omitted)

1 12 oz. jar caramel topping

Preheat oven to 350. Grease bottom and sides of a 9x13 pan.

Combine 2 c. flour, oats, brown sugar, baking soda, salt, and butter in a large bowl. Firmly press half the mixture into the bottom of the baking dish; reserve remaining half for the topping. Bake for 10 minutes.

Sprinkle chocolate chips and walnuts over the crust. Combine the caramel topping with the remaining 6 T. flour, mixing well (I had to microwave mine for 20 seconds to get mine stir-able). Drizzle the caramel mixture over the chocolate chips and nuts. Sprinkle the remaining oat mixture evenly over the caramel. Bake for an additional 20 - 22 minutes. Cool completely before cutting into bars.

Thai Style Beef with Noodles....or, Slurping Your Supper!

2008-05-13T08:33:00.000-07:00

This morning, after I shoo'd the kiddos off to the bus stop, hit 50 tennis balls to my dog, and cleaned up the breakfast aftermath, I grabbed a cup of coffee, fired up the laptop, and cruised all my favorite blogs, searching for dinner inspiration.

Everything looked so delicious on these amazing blogs, and after perusing a large handful of them, I was completely confounded over what to make for dinner tonight. A grilled something with an asparagus salad on the side? Ginger lime skirt steak over portobellos and mashed potatoes? Salmon cakes? Stuffed eggplant? Butterscotch popcorn? The variety of choices and inspiration ran the gamut. Then Sticky, Gooey, Creamy, Chewy made my decision for me: she had some gorgeous dumplings and a beautiful fried rice, so Asian Night it was.

I didn't replicate her menu, but went instead for a recipe I had been eyeing for a long time: Thai Style Beef Noodles from February's Gourmet. The noodle bowls were a meal in themselves; protein, vegetables, and starch all in one dish.

For a Thai dish, I was thrilled (and slightly surprised) that my family gobbled up this meal. I embellished the vegetables by adding a pound of asparagus, just to make it a little more substantial. I also added cilantro and basil because I had them on hand and of course, I adore them! I spiced my bowl up quite a bit with Siracha sauce (LOVE IT!). Based on the hit it was tonight, I would definitely make the meal again!

Thai Style Beef with Noodles

Serves: 4

Source: Gourmet Magazine, February '08, and also available on Epicurious

1 T. soy sauce

1 T. honey

2 T. Asian fish sauce, divided

1 lb. flank steak

3 T. vegetable oil, divided

2 large shallots, thinly sliced (about 1 cup)

1 T. finely chopped peeled ginger

1 1/2 t. green curry paste

1 3/4 c. reduced sodium beef broth

1 T. fresh lime juice

1 red bell pepper, cut into 1/4" strips

1 bunch scallions, trimmed and cut into 3" pieces

3/4 lb. dried Asian egg noodles (I used Udon because egg noodles were unavailable)

Cilantro and basil to taste, chopped

Siracha to taste

Mix together soy, honey, 1 T. fish sauce, and 1/4 t. salt in a shallow baking dish, then add steak and turn to coat. Marinate at room temperature 20 minutes. (I let mine go two hours or so.)

While steak marinates, heat 2 T. oil in a small heavy saucepan over medium-high heat until it shimmers, then cook shallots, stirring occasionally, until browned well, about 8 minutes.

Add ginger and curry paste and cook, stirring occasionally, 1 minute, then add broth and simmer 5 minutes. Stir in lime juice, remaining tablespoon of fish sauce, and salt to taste and keep warm, covered.

Heat grill pan over medium high heat until hot, then lightly oil.

Grill steak, turning once, about 8 minutes total (for rare). (I broiled mine on high for three minutes a side.) Transfer to cutting board and let stand 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, toss bell pepper, scallions, and asparagus (if using) with remaining tablespoon oil, then grill, turning frequently, until softened, about 5 minutes (again, I broiled them until they started to char a little). Transfer to large bowl.

While steak stands, cook noodles in a pasta pot of boiling unsalted water until al dente, 4-7 minutes. Drain well, then add to vegetables and toss well along with the cilantro and basil (if using). Divide the noodles among 4 deep bowls and top with broth. Cut steak in half lengthwise, then thinly slice across the grain and serve on top of the noodles.

Personal Pizzas....or, Have it Your Way!

2008-05-12T19:11:00.000-07:00

Dinner at our house tonight was a marriage of two things I love: Costco and Cooks Country Magazine.

One thing I always look forward to in Cooks Country is the recipe card insert they have every month. There are eight cards with a simple but delicious recipe on one side, and a photo of said recipe on the back. I've made many of these recipes over the past year or so and for simple recipes, most of them have been pretty good.

A DamFam favorite is the French Bread Pizza recipe. I've made it many times, but never posted about it because I think of it as sort of a no-brainer -- I mean, who needs instructions to make French Bread Pizzas? But since I'm all about kid friendly (and the few people who read this blog are too), I decided to tell you about it. Also, there's an interesting little twist you'll see when you read the recipe.

Perfect for personal pizzas are these delicious ciabatta sandwich rolls (squares!) that I love to buy at Costco. If I time my shopping trip right, I'll find a bag that's still warm and toasty from the oven. I slice the tops off and freeze them for another day; usually I grind them up in my Cuisinart and use their crumbs for meatloaf or meatballs. The bottoms are of course the 'crust' for our pizzas.

Since the five of us cannot agree on much of anything with regard to food, these pizzas are a perfect option. I made tomato, basil, and mozzarella for myself and my husband, plain sausage for one, sausage and pepperoni for another, sausage and olives (ONLY GIVE ME SEVEN OLIVES, MOM!) for another. The rest I just got creative with, and there are enough leftovers for R to take for lunch tomorrow. Whipped up a big garden salad, and voila....dinner was on the table and no one was whining....not even me!

French Bread Pizzas

Serves: 5-6

Source: Cooks Country Magazine

1/4 c. olive oil

4 T. fresh basil, chopped

1/4 t. red pepper flakes

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 large French baguette (or 8 Costco ciabatta sandwich rolls), halved lengthwise

3/4 c. (or so) Parmesan

1 c. tomato sauce (they recommend Contadina, which I like too)

An assortment of toppings - browned Italian sausage, pepperoni, olives, diced bell pepper, diced red onion, quartered grape tomatoes, Buffalo mozzarella

Shredded mozzarella

Additional basil for garnish if desired

Preheat the oven to 475. In a small bowl, combine the olive oil. 2 T. fresh basil, red pepper flakes, and garlic. Microwave on high for 30-60 seconds. Place bread (cut sides up) on a cookie sheet. Brush bread with olive oil mixture. Sprinkle with Parmesan. Bake bread for 3-4 minutes, or until Parmesan is starting to turn golden. Remove from oven.

Combine any remaining olive oil mixture with the tomato sauce. Divide the sauce mixture over the bread, spreading evenly. Top with the shredded mozzarella, and then with your toppings of choice. Bake for 6 to 8 minutes, or until cheese is melted and pizzas are hot throughout. Remove to a platter and serve.

Mmmmm....Sesame Beef & the World's Most Delicious COOKIES!

2008-05-06T19:24:00.000-07:00

I've found it. The perfect kid dinner -- straightforward and simple, yet nutritious, easy to prepare, and pretty on the plate (all priorities for me, of course!).

We started with a dish I've made before, the Sesame Beef and Scallion Kebabs. Something interesting: the original recipe calls for 'boneless shell steak'. Hhhhm....never heard of it before. Took that idea to my favorite butcher and he'd never heard of it either. He asked around the meat counter and one other butcher (a transplant from New York) said, "Oh yeah! A boneless shell steak is the same thing as a boneless New York Strip!"

Well, while my butcher friend was asking around, I had my eye on the boneless sirloin steaks in front of me that were 7.99/lb. I thought that sounded pretty darned reasonable! When butcher guy came back with the New York Strip idea, those suckers were 12.99/lb., and I had to draw the line. I knew I was going to marinade the meat for at least three hours, so I figured, 'how bad can it be?!'

Glad I went with my instinct and sided with my pocketbook. The boneless sirloin was outstanding; I even over cooked it a little bit past my favorite medium-rare stage, and the skewers still came out great. Three hours in the marinade bought me a little forgiveness I guess. Here's the link: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/12725

Next I made a favorite of mine - Orzo and Rice Pilaf with Vegetables. I know you guys are thinking, 'another rice dish?! Does this girl make other sides?!' I promise, this will be the last rice dish I blog on for another little while. Just want to share this one because I've made this many, many times and it never fails. It goes well with nearly anything on the grill, it's simple and yummy, but upscale enough to serve to guests (and believe me, I have!).

Another side: simple roasted asparagus. Not complicated, not groundbreaking, you've all done it before so I'm not going to attempt to wax poetic on my basic roasted asparagus. But, my kids ate it up and it looked gorgeous on the plate!

Lastly, the cookies. Oh lordy, the cookies! You all know by now that I am no baker. These cookies are probably the least daring thing a baker could possibly attempt! I'm not even that big of sweets fan, but I just loved these; so did my kids, and seven or eight neighbor kids as well! I'm only going to give you the link, because I followed the recipe to the letter, with the exception of adding 1 1/2 cups of M&Ms instead of 12 oz of chocolate chips.

All of the recipes can be found on Epicurious. They are titled as follows: Sesame Been and Scallion Skewers, Orzo and Rice Pilaf with Vegetables, and Chocolate Chip Cookies. Have a look!

Indian Night....

2008-05-04T11:23:00.001-07:00

Friday afternoon I had worked on this post for a long time, only to find that somehow or another, it didn't get saved and landed somewhere in computer heaven. So, I've cooled off and gotten over my blogger rage, and I'm ready to make another attempt at telling you about the delicious dinner we had this past Thursday.

I'm a big fan of curries and all things Indian, and this meal did not disappoint. For a main course we had Tandoori-Spiced Chicken Thighs. The marinade is TO DIE FOR! And really, it's pretty healthy too - the only fat in the whole dish is from the plain yogurt and the chicken itself. The recipe calls for marinating the chicken for a good eight hours, but I only had three. Honestly, the recipe did not suffer from missing those five extra hours -- the flavor was amazing! I think it would be fun to play around with this next time; maybe skewer chunks of chicken along with peppers, onions, etc. for a great summertime grill menu.

Alongside the chicken we had a delicious Indian-inspired Curried Rice Pilaf with Peanuts & Cilantro. I've never made a pilaf-style dish in my rice cooker before, but that worked like a charm! Of course I did the saute steps on my cooktop, but then slid the whole she-bang in the cooker and 25 minutes later, I had a perfect pilaf. I'll be using this method again, it's foolproof! I only tinkered with the recipe slightly, by using roasted peanuts instead of the cashews that were called for. Here's the link: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/238405

Our veggie course was a gorgeous yet simple saute of carrots, zucchini, yellow squash, red onion, broccoli, and asparagus - no recipe, just a few simple steps. First I parcook the harder veggies in the microwave for three minutes or so. Then I heat up my biggest saute pan and add equal parts butter and olive oil. When the foaming subsides, I throw in the squash, zucchini, and red onion and let those work for a few, then add the parcooked veggies and give them a good toss. Season up with some sea salt, ground pepper, and a pinch of garlic powder and voila...a perfect and pretty saute!

Dessert cooled things off with Key Lime Parfaits, which were embarrassingly simple, but so pretty that I would serve them to company! Since I didn't futz with the recipe at all, I'll just give you the link to it. Here it is: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/102201

This dinner went over well with the whole Dam'Fam (well, with the exception of my oldest, and we all know by now that he doesn't like anything!). I kept everything pretty mild for the kiddos, but of course the marinade and the pilaf's seasonings could be easily adjusted depending on your tolerance for heat and spice. I'll definitely kick those up next time!

TANDOORI-STYLE CHICKEN THIGHS

Serves: 6

Source: The Gourmet Cookbook, p.

1 small onion, quartered

2 cloved garlic, smashed

1 (2") piece of ginger, peeled and grated

1/2 c. plain yogurt

1 T. fresh lemon juice

2 t. salt

1/2 t. tumeric

1/2 t. cumin

1/2 t. freshly ground pepper

1/4 t. cayenne

1/4 t. nutmeg

1/4 t. cinnamon

1/4 t. ground coriander

8 skinless, boneless chicken thighs (3 1/2 lbs. total), rinsed and patted dry

Garnishes: lime wedges and cilantro leaves

Combine all of the marinade ingredients in a blender. Pour over the chicken; cover and refrigerate for eight hours. Preheat broiler. Broil chicken 5-6 inches from heat source for 4 minutes per side. Place on serving platter; garnish with lime wedges and cilantro sprigs.

I H8 BLOGGER

2008-05-02T13:05:00.000-07:00

Sorry in advance for this little rant, but I just spent 45 minutes writing a post and trying to drag pictures around -- this stupid blogger kept messing up my formatting, adding spaces where I didn't put them, centering stuff I didn't center, and just pretty much frustrating me to the total be-Jesus! Now I'm totally aggravated and I'm out of time because I have to go do friggin' CARPOOL!!!!

ARRRRGGGHHHHH! I wish I knew something about computers! I'll have to post about my delicious thighs later! Chicken thighs, people. NOT my own!

Is it 5:00 yet?!?!?!?!

Ina's Creamy Cavatapi

2008-04-25T08:13:00.001-07:00

I meant to blog about this the other day but didn't get the chance. I know this picture is not gorgeous, but it's Barefoot Contessa's Mac & Cheese recipe and Lord have mercy, it is to DIE FOR (or from, if you ate enough of it!). I honestly am not that much of a pasta girl, but I could not keep from sticking my fork in this, it's that amazing! Even my notoriously picky oldest child was fighting his sisters for second helpings, and that never, ever happens at our house.

I thought it was a little pricey to make -- the Gruyere is 16.99/lb, and the sharp cheddar is 8.99/lb, for a grand total of about 14.00 just in cheese to make this dish. I know, it sounds like I'm being cheap, and I shouldn't expect dinner to be less expensive just because there's no meat involved...but this ain't exactly Kraft Dinner for 1.98!

Use the cavatapi as Ina suggests; it's a fun shape and dresses it up a little bit. I served it as a side dish to her Turkey Meatloaf, and for a vegetable we had Sauteed Green Beans with Almonds (from The Joy of Cooking). No pics of the meatloaf or the green beans!

Mac & Cheese

Serves: 6-8

Source: Barefoot Contessa Family Style, p. 202

Salt

Vegetable Oil

1 lb. elbow macaroni or cavatappi

1 qt. milk

8 T. butter, divided

1/2 c. flour

12 oz. Gruyere cheese, grated (4 c.)

8 oz. extra-sharp Cheddar, grated (2 c.)

1/2 t. freshly ground pepper

1/2 t. nutmeg

4 small tomatoes

1 1/2 c. fresh white breadcrumbs (5 slices, crusts removed)

Preheat the oven to 375.

Drizzle oil into a large pot of boiling salted water. Add the macaroni and cook according to package directions, about 6-8 minutes. Drain well.

Meanwhile, heat the milk in a small saucepan, but don't boil it. Melt 6 T. butter in a large (4 qt.) pot and add the flour. Cook over low heat for 2 minutes, stirring with a whisk. While whisking, add the hot milk and cook for a minute or two more, until thickened and smooth. Off the heat, add the cheeses, 1 T. salt pepper, and nutmeg. Add the cooked pasta and stir well. Pour into a 3-qt. baking dish.

Slice the tomatoes and arrange on top. Melt the remaining 2 T. butter, combine them with the fresh breadcrumbs, and sprinkle on the top. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbly and the macaroni is browned on top.

Garden Vegetable Enchiladas & Cowboy Beans

2008-04-24T19:15:00.000-07:00

I don't know how many blogs I've visited recently that have featured Mexican food -- Recipe Girl has been talking about Cinco de Mayo, Elly at Elly Says Opa wrote of her recent visit to Topolobompo, and Jenny at Picky Palate had a gorgeous taco salad last week...I know there have been more, but these are just a few that come to mind. Anyway, all this power of suggestion has given me a wicked craving for all things Mexican!

When a craving strikes, I turn to my notebooks and cookbooks for inspiration. I love the recipe I have for shredded beef enchiladas, but alas - did not have the three hours for braising and shredding a chuck roast today; besides that, chuck roast to me seems so 'wintery', and I'm DONE with winter food. Nothing else was jumping out so I did a search on good old Epicurious, and Garden Vegetable Enchiladas it was. It seemed like it would be 'healthy' enough -- a mixture of zucchini, yellow squash, onions and chilies rolled in flour tortillas and topped with a cheesy white sauce (okay, I know that cheesy white sauces are NOT healthy).

Paired with the enchiladas was one of my favorite Mexican sides: Rick Bayless' Quick Cowboy Beans. I just love those beans; I know I made them about ten times last summer when we had friends out to the lake. They pair great with all things Mexican, from fish tacos to fajitas on the grill. I thought they were nice with the enchiladas tonight.

Unfortunately, I did not end up hitting it out of the park with this dinner. My oldest wouldn't touch them with a ten foot pole and had a sandwich instead. My middle opted for the leftover Creamy Cavatapi from two nights ago. My youngest was the only one who enjoyed the meal -- my husband (who normally can be counted on to enjoy EVERYTHING) didn't even rave, although as he said, he's just not that big of an enchilada fan to begin with. I liked them though, which is good, since I spent the better part of the afternoon in a corner of my kitchen!

GARDEN VEGETABLE ENCHILADAS

The recipe for the Garden Vegetable Enchiladas can be found here: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/5672 /5672

QUICK COWBOY BEANS

Quick Cowboy Beans
Serves: 4-6
Source: Rick Bayless

4 slices thick cut bacon, cut into small pieces
3 cloves garlic, minced or put through a garlic press
1 -15 oz. can diced tomatoes (preferably fire-roasted)
2 - 15 oz. cans pinto beans
1 - 4 oz. can chopped chiles
1/4 c. chopped cilantro

Cook the bacon in a large kettle over medium heat until crisp. Add the garlic; saute for 30 seconds. Add half the can of diced tomatoes (including the liquid). Cook and stir for 3-4 minutes. Add the beans with their liquid and the chiles, bring to a simmer over medium heat. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer for 15-20 minutes. Add the cilantro. (I like to mash up the beans with either a potato masher or a pastry blender, just to make them a little creamier. I also sprinkle mine with a little feta just to make them look pretty!)

Asian Night

2008-04-10T12:32:00.000-07:00

If you hang out in A Corner of My Kitchen, you've probably caught on to the fact that I have an Asian menu in my repretoire at least one night of the week. This week is no exception...mainly because I am a freak for salty food, and Asian cuisine is the easiest, most delicious way for me to mainline sodium (hey, we've all got our habits, right?)!

Of course it was raining here again today, so I off I went to the kitchen, cranked up the iTunes, and started cooking away. Marinating the pork tenderloin was first on my agenda. This is one meat the entire clan can agree on (my youngest always says, "good chicken, mom!"), especially prepared with this particular marinade. It's salty and sweet at the same time. I usually let it go for about eight hours, but today I only did three. Really, I couldn't tell that big of a difference! The original recipe also calls for grilling the pork, which I do in nice weather, but today I roasted it off at 425 for 35 minutes -- it was perfect! I don't have a picture because truth be told, those tenderloins weren't all that photogenic. But I promise, they were delicious!

FRIED RICE WITH PEAS & CILANTRO

Next up was a different take on fried rice. Normally I do rice pilaf or roasted potatoes as a side, but this morning I found a recipe for Fried Rice with Cilantro and Peas on Epicurious, and decided to give it a try. I embellished by adding diced carrot, bean sprouts, and some eggs to make it a little more substantial. I loved the addition of the cilantro! I think fried rice can sometimes taste a little flat, but the addition of cilantro really helped jazz it up a bit. I don't know what I would do if my family didn't like it...I might have to sell them to the circus and get a new brood!

BRAISED BABY BOK CHOY

Although the fried rice had some vegetables, I didn't really consider that a vegetable course. I added Braised Baby Bok Choy with Sesame -- wow! This one is going in my permanent file. And a bonus: they're darned cute, too! One tip: I used a regular chicken broth in a box, which became VERY SALTY (salty for me, even, and you know by now how I feel about salt) -- at the end of the recipe you reduce the braising liquid way down, thereby concentrating the saltiness. Next time I would absolutely go with the low sodium broth.

DARK CHOCOLATE PUDDING

For dessert I made one of my oldest's favorites: Dark Chocolate Pudding, and Oh. My. Gosh. Sooooo rich and yummy and comes together in a snap! You probably have all the ingredients on hand as we speak. Last time I made it I used Ghiradelli bittersweet chocolate, which my girls didn't think came out sweet enough. Today I used semisweet chocolate and if they don't think that's sweet enough, then we have a problem! For a humble chocolate pudding, it's rich and slightly mousse-like in texture. I'd probably serve this to company, it's that good!

I think this post is getting a bit long-winded, so I'm going to cop out and just give you the names of the recipes; if you're interested in any of them, go to Epicurious.com where you can seek them out quite easily (and print them off, too)!

** Honey-Gingered Pork Tenderloin
** Fried Rice with Cilantro and Peas
** Braised Baby Bok Choy
** Chocolate Pudding

Panko Crusted Lemon Chicken, Greek Inspired Salad, & "6" Layer Bars

2008-04-09T12:23:00.000-07:00

Even though it was cold and rainy, I felt like having a springtime menu for dinner last night. It turned out great -- kid friendly (with the exception of my oldest, who made a disgusting gagging face/noise each time he took a bite of chicken, the little sh*t!) and healthy at the same time. Here is the recipe from Epicurious: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/2842. You'll notice it's called "Parmesan Crusted Lemon Chicken" -- I swapped out the breadcrumbs for an equal amount of panko, just because I love the crunch you get from it.

Missing from the pictures are the Parmesan Smashed Redskins (Ina Garten's recipe; here's the link: http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_24927,00.html). They are OUTSTANDING but didn't photograph that well so I left them to your imagination. They complimented the chicken and salad nicely, and since they have the skins left on, they added a pretty color to the finished plate.

As for the salad, I say Greek "inspired" because I'm not sure how authentic it is -- but the picture is pretty, right?! There wasn't a 'recipe', I just used romaine, tomatoes, cucumber, bell pepper, feta, and olives (although I punted and used plain olives instead of kalamata), and dressed the salad with red wine vinegar and olive oil. If anyone out there has a more authentic recipe, I'd love to have it.

For dessert we had the famous Six instead of Seven Layer Bars -- I leave off the nuts in order to avoid rebellion by my kids, who all act like they're being poisoned if there are nuts present in any recipe. Even though it's a total no-brainer, here it is:

Six (Instead of Seven) Layer Bars
Source: ??? No Idea!
Makes 2 dozen

1/2 c. butter, melted
1 1/2 c. crushed graham cracker crumbs
1 c. semisweet chocolate chips
1 c. butterscotch chips
1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
1 1/3 c. sweetened flaked coconut
....and if you want the 7th layer, 1 c. walnuts, toasted

Preheat oven to 350. Line a 9x13" pan with foil and spray the sides with Pam.

Combine the melted butter and graham cracker crumbs in a bowl and pat into the prepared pan. Top with the chocolate chips and the butterscotch chips. Drizzle the condensed milk evenly over the chip layer, and top it with the coconut (and nuts, if you wish). Bake for 25 minutes. Allow to cool before lifting the foil from the pan and cutting into bars. I like to use my pizza wheel for this job, it works great!

I'm Not Daring Baker Material

2008-04-02T13:04:00.001-07:00

I love the blogs from you who belong to the Daring Bakers -- the photos of the amazing cakes, pies, tarts, and breads you all turn out are so impressive! I don't think I'll ever belong in a class with you chics.

I'm not a baker, but today I did make my first attempt at a layer cake, just for haha's. It's Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting, from an old issue of Cooks Country. Before I talk about the cake, I just want to say how much I love that magazine! I think they must test to the never ending because I've been receiving it for about a year and I've never had a recipe 'bomb' on me.

Any hooo, we love pumpkin around here, so I decided to play Becky Home'Ecky (my mom always used to say that) and whip up a yummy dessert for this evening (instead of going to the gym. Maybe I'll run outside later.). Following the directions is easy enough of course, and the cakes came together just fine. I get in to trouble when I start to frost things. I end up with crumbs all in my frosting, I always have bald spots, and usually I have to go change my shirt afterwards because I make a total mess of myself!!! Also, I love to garnish, but what was I supposed to do with this? Plop a pumpkin on top? A knob of ginger? So what I have is a plain old cake. Oh well. I cut myself a slice, poured a glass of skim milk, and nibbled away.

It's moist and delicious (it oughta be, it has 4 eggs and a cup of oil!) as is, but my oldest thought it would benefit from a handful of chocolate chips. If I ever followed his advice, I would bake it in a 9x13 pan and leave off the icing - more like a snack cake.

Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Source: Cooks Country Magazine, Oct./Nov. 2007

Serves: 16

2 c. all purpose flour

2 t. baking powder

1 t. baking soda

1 t. salt

2 t. ground cinnamon

1/4 t. ground allspice

1/4 t. ground ginger

4 large eggs

1 c. vegetable oil

1 2/3 c. sugar

1 (15-oz) can plain pumpkin puree

FROSTING:

6 T. unsalted butter, softened

1 1/2 c. confectioners' sugar

1 (8-oz) package cream cheese, softened

1 t. vanilla extract

FOR THE CAKE: Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour two 8" round cake pans. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices in bowl. With electric mixer on medium high speed, beat eggs, oil, and granulated sugar until thick and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Reduce speed to low, add pumpkin, and mix until incorporated. Slowly add flour mixture and mix until only a few small lumps of flour remain, about 1 minute. Scrape batter into prepared pans and bake until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, about 30 - 35 minutes. Transfer pans to wire rack and cool completely.

FOR THE FROSTING: With electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat butter and confectioners' sugar until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add cream cheese and beat thoroughly. Add vanilla and beat until smooth. Turn cooled cakes out onto wire rack, then invert onto cake stand. Frost first layer, then add second and frost it. Serve!

So gorgeous, so yummy, so........disappointing!

2008-04-01T07:38:00.000-07:00

Sunday afternoon I made a recipe that I had been dying to make for a long time: Spicy Curry Noodle Soup with Chicken and Sweet Potato, from BonAppetit's 'best of the year' issue. I had had it dog-earred for months and finally decided to make it. Lots of chopping and prep involved, but it was AWESOME! Coconut, curry, cilantro, ginger.....all of my favorite flavors.

I didn't have time to shoot it on Sunday evening, so I saved leftovers and re-created a bowl on Monday afternoon. Set the whole thing up, got out the camera, and then discovered the battery was dead. No auto focus, no nothin'. I really wanted to share it with you guys because it looked EXACTLY like the shot in the magazine! But, the camera didn't cooperate, and I was hungry......so I ate the soup for lunch.

Anyway, here is the link to the recipe on epicurious. If you're a fan of Thai flavors, you will adore this soup! Check out the picture and pretend you saw it here first. ;-)

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/241112

Cravin' Asian: Peanut Lettuce Wraps

2008-03-19T07:16:00.000-07:00

Does anyone else ever wake up first thing in the morning and immediately ponder over what to make for dinner that evening? Three days ago I woke up and thought, "Ketchup. I must have something with ketchup!" Yesterday, before I even had my first sip of coffee, I was dreaming of my favorite lettuce wraps. I prayed that the repairman would be able to fix my range hood so that I'd have access to my stove, but believe me, I was fully prepared to haul the DamFam' across town for lettuce wraps at PF Changs if my stove wasn't in working order by 5:00!

Fortunately, we didn't have to make the trek and we had the wraps at home. My husband and I like them really spicy, and my middle one must too, because she gobbled down three! The oldest glumly poked at his with a fork, and my youngest took a bite and screamed, "SPICY!!!!! AHHHHHHHH!" More for the three of us, is what I said. The two dissenters settled for Cheerios.

This recipe is originally from epicurious.com, I believe it's called "Asian Turkey Lettuce Wraps" if you'd like to look it up. I've added a couple of different 'rifs' (as Rick Bayless would say) over the years. Try them next time you're craving Asian....they're delicious and relatively healthy way to get an Asian fix.

Asian Turkey Lettuce Wraps

Serves: 6, maybe?

1 medium onion, diced

1 large carrot, shredded

1 can diced water chestnuts, drained

2 lbs. ground turkey

1 very large handful fresh bean sprouts

Purchased (or homemade, I've done both) peanut sauce

1-2 T. hoisin

2-3 t. chili garlic sauce - optional, I use it because we like them with a little heat

Generous pinches of fresh cilantro and mint

For serving:

Bibb lettuce leaves, washed and spun dry

Seeded and diced English cucumber

Crunchy Rice Noodles (not necessary, but kids like them!)

Jasmine Rice on the side

Place a large saute pan and 1 T. cooking oil over medium high heat. Saute / stirfry the onion, carrot, and water chestnuts until the onion is tender, about 4 minutes. Add the ground turkey and cook, breaking up with a spoon, until no longer pink, about 6 minutes (if you used ground turkey breast there shouldn't be very much liquid in the pan. If you used regular ground turkey, you might want to drain off the fat before proceeding). Add the bean sprouts, peanut sauce to taste (I usually use about half a cup), the hoisin, and the chili garlic sauce if using. Stir to combine. Add the cilantro and mint. Taste and correct seasonings if necessary.

Place turkey mixture on a large platter and surround with the lettuce leaves. Have diners assemble their own wraps, and garnish with cucumber and crunchy noodles. Serve with the Jasmine rice on the side.

Help is on the way.....

2008-03-18T06:49:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to thank those of you who tried to help me feel better about my "lightbulb-changing- kitchen-fiasco" from yesterday by sharing silly things that you've also done. Here's a little sample:

** A trainer at my gym attempted to drive her car into her garage with her bike on top not once, but twice in one year, causing 1500.00 worth of damage both times

** My sister-in-law Megan locked herself and her dog out of their house last week in the middle of a snowstorm, while wearing a teensy weensy tank top, boy shorts, and her Ugg slippers - she had to walk 1/4 of a mile to the nearest house to call a locksmith

** My friend Betsey was in such a hurry while unloading groceries on Sunday that she put a box of tampons in the fridge!

So I'm feeling a little bit better today, especially because the repairman is here right now, hopefully fixing my mess......although it's a little quiet in there.....maybe I'm in deeper trouble than I thought. If it DOES get fixed, I'm going to fix something good for dinner tonight!

How many housewives does it take......

2008-03-17T07:21:00.001-07:00

.....to change a lightbulb?

I am so annoyed with myself. Really, really annoyed.

I came down to my kitchen this morning, turned on the lights over my stove and noticed that one of my halogen lightbulbs was burned out. Since I am a freak about lighting (and running out of Viva paper towels, and crumbs and watermarks on the counters....we all have our issues I guess), I immediately went to the cupboard and happily found that I did have a replacement bulb. Went back to the range to study how to go about changing the bulb, since in the five years that I've had this Dacor unit I've only had to change a bulb once.

The bulbs appear to be recessed into the unit itself. "Hhhhhhm," I thought. "I must have had to unscrew all of these lugnuts last time." Genious!

So I went to the toolbox and found a small wrench. Those suckers were tough to get out, but after about five minutes, some WD40, and a little elbow grease, I had a neat little pile of them on my counter.

BAM! With no screws left to hold it in place, the entire unit came crashing down, along with about four feet of the galvanized tube that vents the whole works to the outside. Uh oh.

My husband came down and was like, "What the hell's going on down here?!?!" Meanwhile, I am about to cry, because at this exact moment I am feeling like a kid who had just broken a beloved toy.

He layed himself across the cooktop and using both his hands AND his feet (nice visual, right?)tried to guide the entire updraft system (about 60 pounds) back into place. No such luck.......nothin' doin'. Absolutely impossible.

We now have the updraft unit wedged precariously back in it's proper spot. It is, of course, in no way fixed. I have two coolers stacked on my cooktop, lest the 'wedging' give way and the entire thing plummets once again. The coolers will stay there, awaiting the service tech who is not due to arrive until tomorrow morning. No cooking in my corner of the kitchen today I guess.

Here's the kicker: if I had taken the time to pour a cup of coffee and reaaaaalllly think about how I changed that bulb last time, (or, BRILLIANT!! gotten out the DIRECTIONS?!?) I would have remembered it was done quite easily, by using a tiny little suction cup that came with the unit, to be used in times such as these.

Teriyaki Style Chicken and Lemon Cake

2008-03-16T18:31:00.000-07:00

I was dying for Chinese style chicken and sticky rice and so I of course, went to Epicurious, my favorite source! I found this very simple, very healthy, and really yummy recipe and liked it so much I made it twice in one week! One time I made it with chicken thighs and it wasn't as good; the second time I followed the recipe exactly and used the flattened breasts as suggested. Mmmmm. I garnished with sliced scallions and a drizzle of the remaining marinade (boiled first, of course!). If you want to give it a try, go to Epicurious.com and search for "Teriyaki Style Chicken". Serve it with some yummy Jasmine rice.

I paired it with Roasted Brussel Sprouts -- odd, I know! They're not really Chinese in flavor at all, but I was having a craving. I have a thing for them! If roasted brussel sprouts are sitting there I eat them practically like popcorn! There's not really a recipe for them; I just fired up the oven to 450, tossed them with olive oil, sea salt, and ground black pepper, then placed them cut side down on a cookie sheet that I had lined with foil. I blasted them for about 25 minutes, flipped them and shook 'em around, then roasted again for another 10 minutes or so. Yummy!!

The Lemon Cake is from one of my Barefoot Contessa cookbooks, although I can't recall which one and truth be told, I'm just too lazy to get up off the couch and go into the kitchen to look! I found it on foodtv.com and if you're interested in making it, it's easy enough to find there. A bonus is that it makes two loaf pans and it freezes great! Go to foodtv.com and do a search for Ina's Lemon Cake. Oh, and I skipped the lemon syrup step that comes between the cooling cakes step and the icing step. ;-)

Bon appetit!

Italian Chopped Salad

2008-03-10T07:41:00.000-07:00

I've been neglecting my poor blog this past month! I've been cooking away in a corner of my kitchen, almost every day in fact -- I just haven't stopped to snap any food shots lately! I don't know why, just too busy I guess. Anyway, I did shoot this salad one afternoon last week. It was excellent -- I loved it so much I'm going to make it again tomorrow. It's like an antipasto without any meat. It was so colorful and crunchy, and the dressing was really yummy too. I made it to go along with Giada's awesome Lasagna Rolls that I posted about back in January; I didn't think I needed to shoot those again since they're already on my blog! ;-) Any readers I have left will begin to think that I'm a one-hit wonder!!

ITALIAN CHOPPED SALAD
Serves: 8
Source: Adapted from Epicurious.com

For Vinaigrette:
3 T. red wine vinegar
1 small garlic cloved, minced
1/2 t. sugar
1/8 t. black pepper
6 T. olive oil

For Salad:
1 medium red onion, julienned
2 hearts of romaine (12 oz.), torn into bite-sized pieces
1 c. loosely packed fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
1/2 can artichoke hearts, drained and quartered
1 red bell pepper, julienned
1 c. brine cured black olives
1 c. drained bottled peperoncini
1/2 lb. grape tomatoes

A little shredded mozzarella and a sprinkle of Parmesan if you like

Make the dressing: Whisk together all vinaigrette ingredients in a small bowl until combined well. ** I emulsified mine with a stick blender instead.

Arrange salad ingredients in a large serving bowl. Drizzle with dressing, salt, and ground black pepper to taste.

Low Fat Hazelnut Cinnamon Biscotti

2008-02-07T14:04:00.000-08:00

Well, the sun decided to shine for a fleeting moment this afternoon -- just enough time for me to snap a few shots of the biscotti I made. These are really yummy; not too sweet and perfect with a cup of chai on a cold afternoon. An added bonus: they're super low fat, and only 75 calories per cookie. The only change I would make next time would be to add a powdered sugar icing drizzle, but I still thought they were tasty without any icing.

Low Fat Hazelnut Cinnamon Biscotti
Makes: 36 cookies
Source: http://www.epicurious.com/

3 eggs
1 c. sugar
1 t. vanilla
3 c. flour
1 t. cinnamon
1/4 t. salt
3/4 t. baking soda
1/2 c. toasted hazelnuts, chopped

Preheat oven to 350. Line a baking sheet with parchment and set aside.

In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the eggs, sugar, and vanilla until well blended. In a medium mixing bowl, stir the flour, cinnamon, salt, baking soda, and hazelnuts. Add to the egg mixture and mix until well combined.

Turn dough out on to a lightly floured surface, gathering into a ball. Divide into two logs and transfer to baking sheet. Press dough to 1" thick, and smush into evenly formed logs. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and cool for 5 minutes or so. Transfer to cutting surface. Slice each log on a sharp diagonal, into approximately 16 pieces each. Place on cookie sheets and bake for 10 minutes, flip cookies, and bake for an additional 10 minutes. Cookies will continue to crisp as they cool.

UGH! Wisconsin.

2008-02-06T19:36:00.000-08:00

So I heard from my sister-in-law today. She and my brother live in LA. "No posts on your blog this week?" she asks. "NO!", I reply. "No f*#$ing posts. Do you understand the lighting issues I'm dealing with here in Milwaukee? No sunshine for days on end? How the hell am I supposed to do my food justice, when I have to shoot it with FAKE LIGHT?!?!"

That's why I have no photos lately. It's not because I've been cooking crappy food......Carnitas with Tomatillo Salsa....Chinese Style Short Ribs with Wasabi Mashed Potatoes...Triple Chocolate Brownies....Chicken Breasts in Sundried Tomato Cream...yeah, all of these items have been churned out of my kitchen in the past week. But I refuse to shoot crappy pictures from the artificial light in my house. 'Cause I know my shots will look like doo-doo, and I doo-doo not want doo-doo pictures!!

Today we had a snowstorm (you might have heard about it if you watch the news) where we got 18 inches of snow. Seriously. 18 inches! So hand in hand with the snowstorm were (duh) snow, and no sunshine, so once again, no pictures. Tomorrow the forecast is better, maybe I can shoot the Three Cheese Stuffed Shells I've got on the menu.

Does this ever happen to anyone else? You make something really amazing and you just don't have the heart to post a crummy shot? I'd love to commiserate.

SCOTCH-A-ROOOOOOS

2008-01-30T18:24:00.000-08:00

OKAY. Is there a better dessert in the whole world than Scotcheroos? I mean really. I'm not talking about Creme Brule or Bananas Foster. Or Baked Alaska or Crepes Suzette.....I mean, down and dirty DESSERT. Scotcheroos, people. Peanut butter, chocolate, butterscotch.....oh yeah. They're not gourmet. That's okay!! Scotcheroos. 'Nuff said. This is the kind of dessert that makes you happy you have kids around, 'cause it's not sophisticated or grownup. It's just yummy. Here's the recipe. As my daughter would say, "Happy belly"!!!

SCOTCHEROOS

Serves: Uh, not enough....maybe 4 hungry Damrons.

Source: http://allrecipes.com/

1 c. sugar

1 c. light corn syrup

1 c. peanut butter

6 c. Rice Crispies or Special K

1 c. semi sweet chips

1 c. butterscotch chips

Line a 9x11 Pyrex pan with foil and hit it with non-stick spray.

Place cereal in a medium mixing bowl.

Bring sugar and corn syrup to a rolling boil over medium high heat. Remove from heat and whisk in peanut butter until melted and smooth. Pour over cereal and stir until well blended. Scoop into prepared pan. Press with a spatula until mixture is spread neatly throughout the pan.

Microwave both semisweet and butterscotch chips in a glass bowl until melted and smooth stopping periodically to stir, about 2 minutes. Spread over the top of the cereal mixture. Chill until topping is set, about an hour. Cut into uniform slices and try to refrain from eating the entire pan within the hour. Sick...just sick...in a good way, of course!!!

Chicken Pot Pie with a Lattice Crust

2008-01-29T12:18:00.001-08:00

We have a winter storm warning here tonight -- high winds and -30 windchills. If that doesn't call for a comfort menu, what does? One of my favorite winter meals is this chicken pie with a pastry top. I like to have a big green salad alongside.

CHICKEN PIE
Serves: 5-6
Source: ?? I honestly cannot remember, I've been making this for years and have no idea where the recipe came from! Besides that, I've changed it so many times it doesn't resemble the original anyway. ;-)

2 c. cooked diced chicken
1 c. fresh broccoli
1 large carrot, small dice
2 leeks, white and pale green parts only, rinsed thoroughly and diced
3 T. butter
3 T. flour
2 c. whole milk or half & half
1 large chicken bouillion cube, dissolved in 1/4 c. whole milk
1 c. Parmesan
1/2 c. frozen peas
1 box refrigerated pie crusts

Preheat oven to 425. Remove pie crusts from box and allow to come to room temperature. Place one crust in the bottom of a glass pie plate, and prick all over with a fork. Line pan with pie weights and bake crust for 12 minutes. Remove and set aside.

Meanwhile, cook broccoli, carrots, and leeks in a pan of boiling salted water until tender, about five minutes. Drain and set aside.

Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add flour. Cook and stir for five minutes. Gradually add the two cups of whole milk and the additional 1/4 c. milk, whisking constantly until mixture begins to thicken, about 7 minutes. Add in the Parmesan, the cooked chicken, the frozen peas, and the reserved vegetables. Stir to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Pour filling into prepared pie shell.

To make a lattice-topped pie, follow the directions on Simply Recipes -- she has an amazing set of instructions and photos that show in gorgeous detail how to make the perfect lattice! Here's the link:

http://www.elise.com/recipes/archives/005134how_to_make_a_lattice_top_for_a_pie_crust.php

See what I mean? Aren't those awesome instructions?!

Place pie on a cookie sheet and bake in the middle of the oven for 35-40 minutes, or until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbly. Allow pie to rest for five minutes before 'slicing' (it won't really slice, it will probably mostly 'ooze') and serving in a shallow bowl.

I'm totally bummed about how these pictures turned out, by the way. I took some better ones in daylight this afternoon, then my husband came home and accidentally put them all on his computer! Shoot!!

Telluride Ski Weekend

2008-01-28T18:08:00.000-08:00

I'm coming down from a long weekend high and feeling a little sad tonight! We're just back from skiing with our good friends Sarah and Robert and they're four kids. Their family is spending the schoolyear in Telluride and we went out for a four day visit. The best word to describe it is AWESOME! What a fabulous time. The snow was amazing and of course the skiing was incredible. And the views! Stunningly beautiful, is all I can say.

Sarah's a foodie too. We didn't really cook anything together, but we did have some amazing smoked salmon bagels one morning -- Sarah made them look so good we decided to shoot them with the mountains in the background. She spread onion bagels with cream cheese, then topped that with capers, mixed baby greens, the salmon, red onion, sea salt and ground pepper, then a squeeze of lemon juice. So yummy! After the bagels and a rocket fuel latte, we were off for the slopes.

Back to reality tomorrow....tonight I'm still enjoying my Rocky Mountain high!

Double Chocolate Biscotti & Lasagna Rolls

2008-01-22T17:17:00.000-08:00

Man, it's cold here today. I mean, bone chilling cold -- I know I'm preachin' to the choir for you girls who live up here in the north land, but it's -15. FIFTEEN BELOW ZERO!! The wind is howling, and the day's only saving grace is that the sun is shining brightly. I can handle this weather long in to April as long as the sun continues to show her face on a regular basis!

Today I made two GREAT recipes. I'm showing pictures of both, even though neither of them photographed all that well; you'll just have to take my word for it! This lasagna recipe is simple and delicious, and tastes like it was SO much more work than it was. Usually, I make Giada's basic marinara but today, I have to admit, I punted and used Rao's Marinara. This sauce has had incredible reviews and believe me, it ain't cheap. A 4c. jar was 9.89! Criminy! But, between the tomatoes and fresh basil Giada's calls for, the cost was probably comparable. Anyway, there are two sauces in this recipe -- a bechamel, and the aforementioned marinara, which make it so rich and decadent! I love it!

The biscotti are amazing, especially since I used Valrohna cocoa. Wow. It's worth it to use the best quality cocoa you can afford. I hope you guys try these recipes -- they're perfect for a cold winter day.

Lasagna Rolls with Two Sauces
Source: http://www.foodtv.com
Serves: 6

2 T. butter
4 t. flour
1 1/4 whole milk
1/4 t. salt
1/8 t. freshly ground pepper
pinch of nutmeg

1 15-oz. container whole milk ricotta
1 10-oz. box frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 c. plus 2 T. grated Parmesan
1 large egg, lightly beaten
3/4 t. salt, plus more for pasta
1/2 t. freshly ground pepper
12 dried lasagna noodles
butter, for baking dish
2 c. Giada's Quick Marinara (or good quality purchased sauce)
1 c. shredded mozzarella cheese

Melt the butter in a medium heavy saucepan over medium low heat. Add the flour and cook for 3 minutes, whisking constantly. Whisk in the milk. Increase the heat to medium-high. Whisk the sauce until it comes to a simmer and is thick and smooth, about 3 minutes. Whisk the salt, pepper, and nutmeg into the cream sauce.

In a medium bowl, stir together the ricotta, spinach, 1 cup of the Parmesan cheese, the egg, 3/4 t. salt, and the pepper until blended.

Bring a very large pot of salted water to boil over high heat. Add the lasagna noodles and cook until just tender but still firm to the bite, stirring frequently to prevent the noodles from sticking together. Drain. Arrange noodles in a single layer on a cookie sheet sprayed with cooking spray.

Preheat oven to 450. Butter a 9 x 13" glass baking dish. Spread the bechamel sauce over the bottom of the prepared pan.

Spread 3 T. of the spinach filling evenly over each lasagna noodle. Roll the noodles up and arrange the rolls, seam side down and not touching one another, atop the bechamel sauce. Repeat with the remaining noodles and ricotta mixture. Spoon 1 cup of the marinara sauce over the lasagna rolls, then sprinkle with the mozzarella and remaining 2 T. Parmesan cheese. Cover the dish tightly with foil. Bake until the rolls are heated through and the sauce bubbles, about 20 minutes. Uncover and bake until cheese on top is golden, about 15 minutes longer. Let stand 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the remaining marinara sauce in a small, heavy saucepan until hot. Transfer the sauce to a sauce boat and serve alongside.

Double Chocolate Biscotti
Source: http://www.epicurious.com
Makes 30 Biscotti

1 3/4 c. flour

1/3 c. cocoa powder

2 t. baking powder

1/2 t. salt

1 c. sugar

6 T. butter, room temperature

3 large eggs

1 1/2 t. vanilla

8 oz. semisweet chocolate chips

Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Sift flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl.

Using an electric mixer, beat sugar and butter in a large bowl to blend. Beat in eggs one at a time, then vanilla. Beat in flour mixture. Stir in semisweet chips. Drop dough by heaping tablespoonfuls onto prepared sheet in two 10 - 11" long strips, spacing 3" apart. Using metal spatula or wet fingertips, shape strips into 11 x 2 1/2 " logs. Refrigerate 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350. Bake logs until tops are cracked and dry and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Cool 10 minutes.

Reduce oven temperature to 325. Using parchment as an aid, transfer logs to a clean work surface. Re-line cookie sheet with clean parchment. Using serrated knife, gently cut warm logs crosswise into 3/4" slices. Arrange sliced cookies on prepared baking sheet. Bake biscotti until just dry to the touch, about 8 minutes. Turn biscotti over. Bake until top is dry to the touch, about another 8 minutes. Cool on baking sheets.

Shrimp Quesadillas and the Packers

2008-01-20T13:50:00.000-08:00

It's a big day for football up here in Wisconsin .... but you couldn't pay me enough to sit outside at Lambeau Field tonight! It's -25 with the windchill, for gravy's sake. So the DamFam is hanging out at home enjoying a fire and football from the comfort of our family room.

Here's what we're munching on while we wait for our chili to finish cooking. I found this recipe on Simplyrecipes.com, I just love that site! I made these a couple of weeks back when I was asked to bring an appetizer to a neighborhood get together, and they were gone in a flash.

One note: the original recipe calls for sliced avocado as a garnish, but our grocery store's avocados were hard as rocks. Today I'm using fresh guac' from the deli instead.

Shrimp Quesadillas
Serves 2
Source http://www.simplyrecipes.com/

1/2 lb. large shrimp, cooked, peeled, and deveined
the juice of one lime
2 scallions, minced
a hefty pinch of minced cilantro
1 jalapeno, minced (seeded and deveined if you can't take the heat)
1/4 t. chipotle chili powder (I added this, it's not on the original recipe)
Shredded Queso Quesadilla (a semi-soft Mexican melting cheese)
2 or 3 Flour tortillas
Sliced avocado or guacamole
Sour cream & additional cilantro sprigs for garnish

Chop the shrimp into bite sized pieces. In a medium glass mixing bowl, combine the lime juice, scallions, cilantro, jalapeno, and chipotle chili powder. Toss shrimp in lime mixture and season with salt and pepper. Set aside to marinate for 20-30 minutes. Drain off lime juice.

Heat a grill pan or skillet over medium high heat. Spray one side of flour tortilla with cooking spray and set spray side down on a cutting board. Top one half with some shredded cheddar, then some of the shrimp mixture, the a bit more cheddar. Fold over and set aside. Repeat with another tortilla. Place both quesadillas in the grill pan and cover partially with a lid. Toast until golden and cheese is melting, then flip and repeat on the other side. Remove to cutting board and allow to rest for a minute or two. Cut into wedges and place on serving platter. Garnish with sliced avocado, a spoonful of sour cream, and cilantro sprigs.

Garlic Roasted Potatoes

2008-01-18T10:20:00.000-08:00

I made these potatoes earlier in the week to go along with pork tenderloin. The tenderloin, although yummy, turned out to be uh, how shall I say? Non-photogenic. The potatoes were picture worthy though, so here they are. (Dad, if you're reading this, I just want to point out the extra 'green stuff' I added for your benefit!) This is one of my favorite go-to side dishes. Here's the recipe:

Garlic Roasted Potatoes
Source: Barefoot Contessa Parties!
Serves 8

3 lbs. small red or white skinned potatoes (or a mixture)
1/4 c. good olive oil
1 1/2 t. sea salt
1 t. freshly ground black pepper
2 T. minced garlic (about 6 cloves)
2 T. minced fresh parsley

Preheat the oven to 400.

Cut the potatoes in half or quarters and place in a bowl with the olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic; toss until the potatoes are well coated. Dump the potatoes on a baking sheet and spread them out into one layer; roast in the oven for at least 1 hour, or until browned and crisp. Flip twice with a spatula during cooking to ensure even browning.

Remove the potatoes from the oven, toss with the minced parsley, season to taste, and serve.

Super Nutty Peanut Butter Cookies

2008-01-18T09:46:00.000-08:00

I've ended my quest for the perfect peanut butter cookie ... these are by far, the most delicious cookie ever to come out of my kitchen. Crunchy on the outside, soft in the middle.....mmmmm. Even better with a glass of cold milk!

Super Nutty Peanut Butter Cookies

Source: Cooks Illustrated.com

Makes 3 Dozen

2 1/2 c. flour

1/2 t. baking soda

1/2 t. baking powder

1/2 t. salt

2 sticks butter, salted

1 c. dark brown sugar

1 c. granulated sugar

1 c. extra crunch peanut butter, preferably Jif

2 large eggs

2 t. vanilla

1 c. roasted salted peanuts, ground in food processor to resemble bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 350 and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Sift flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.

In bowl of electric mixer, beat butter until creamy. Add sugars; beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes, stopping to scrape down bowl as necessary. Beat in peanut butter until fully incorporated, then eggs, one at a time, then vanilla. Gently stir dry ingredients into peanut butter mixture. Add ground peanuts; stir gently until incorporated.

Working with 2 tablespoons of dough at a time, roll into large balls, placing them 2" apart on prepared baking sheets. Press each dough ball with back of dinner fork dipped into cold water and make a criss cross pattern. Bake until cookies are puffed and slightly brown along the edges, 12 minutes (they will not look fully baked). Cool cookies on cookie sheet until set, about 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

I just joined the Foodie Blogroll!

2008-01-16T15:23:00.000-08:00

How exciting for me, my blog just got accepted into the Foodie Blogroll -- a huge list of food blog links that also now link to my blog. This is going to be a great way for more people to find out about my blog and then read my recipes and posts. FUN!!

Click here to find out more about the Foodie Blogroll:

www.leftoverqueen.com/the-foodie-blogroll/

Banana Cake for Griffin's Birthday

2008-01-10T12:51:00.000-08:00

Today is Griffin's 12th birthday! Wow....I can't believe I have a kid that old. That makes me.....OLD TOO!

We love this cake at our house....it's sooooo yummy. It's supposed to be a layer cake, but I made the two 8" pans and put one in the freezer for another day. Here's the recipe:

Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Source: Epicurious
Serves: 10-122 c. flour

2 c. flour
3/4 t. baking soda
1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt

1/2 c. unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 c. sugar
2 large eggs
1 c. sour cream (I often substitute 1 c. vanilla yogurt)
1 1/3 mashed ripe bananas
1 c. mini chocolate chips (optional)

2/3 c. powdered sugar
1 8 oz. package cream cheese, room temperature

Preheat oven to 350. Lightly butter two 8" round cake pans. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Using electric mixer, beat butter and sugar in large bowluntil blended. Add eggs and beat until fluffy. Mix in 3/4 c. sour cream and bananas. Add dry ingredients to banana mixture and beat until well blended. Transfer to prepared pans.

Bake cakes until top is golden and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Cool cake completely on rack. (Can be prepared 2 weeks ahead. Cover cake and freeze. Thaw before continuing.)

Beat remaining 1/2 c. sour cream, powdered sugar, and cream cheese in a large bowl until well blended. Spread frosting over cooled cake. Garnish with extra mini chocolate chips and banana slices.

Oatmeal Cookies -- Two ways

2008-01-09T13:57:00.000-08:00

Each day after school, my kids walk through the door and their first question is always, "Did you make any treats today?" I decided I would answer yes to that question this afternoon by making some of their favorite cookies.

Personally, I like my oatmeal cookies with raisins, but I always meet resistance from my tasters when I try to sneak something healthy in -- so I have to appease them by doing half the batch with chocolate chunks, which is what I did today. Make these for your gang sometime -- they'll love them!

OATMEAL COOKIES

Source: Gourmet Magazine, 9/1999

Makes 24 cookies.

1 3/4 c. old fashioned rolled oats

3/4 c. flour

3/4 t. cinnamon

1/2 t. baking soda

1/2 t. salt

1 1/4 sticks butter, softened

1/3 c. brown sugar

1/3 c. granualted sugar

1 large egg

1/2 t. vanilla

Options:

1/2 c. raisins or

1 c. chocolate chips or chunks

Preheat oven to 375 and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Stir together flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. Beat together butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla and beat until combined well. Add oat mixture and beat until just combined. Add in optional raisins or chocolate chips and stir until combined. (I like to divide the dough in half and put raisins in one half and chocolate chips in the other).

Drop dough by heapingj tablespoons 2 inches apart onto baking sheets and flatten mounds slightly with moistened fingers. Bake cookies in upper and lower thirds of oven, switching position of sheets halfway through baking, until golden, about 12 minutes total. Transfer to racks to cool.

Creamy Chicken & Rice on a Gloomy Winter Night

2008-01-06T14:12:00.000-08:00

What was it I said earlier in the week about eating healthy and clean? Seems that idea's already been kicked to the curb, right along with our poor, pitiful, dried up Christmas tree. My kids started ski lessons today and I knew they'd need something warm and filling after a long afternoon on the slopes, and 'clean and healthy' wasn't gonna cut it.

So, here's what we're having tonight. It's one of my favorite wintry comfort dinners; a creamy chicken and rice with a toasty breadcrumb topping. Mind you, I'm NOT a casserole girl (canned soups -- eeeewwwww), but this dinner kicks some serious butt! Another bonus: it freezes beautifully, so I made a pan for tonight and put one in the freezer for another wintry day.
Back to 'clean and healthy' tomorrow. Chicken and Rice and a big green salad tonight!!

CREAMY CHICKEN AND RICE WITH PEAS, CARROTS, & CHEDDAR
Source: The Best Make-Ahead Recipe, From the Editors of Cooks Illustrated
Serves 8 (personally, I think this serves about 10)

4 T. butter
1 medium onion, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced or put through a garlic press
1/4 t. cayenne
1/4 c. flour
6 c. chicken broth
1 c. heavy cream (I use half & half with no real difference in creaminess)
2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 5 breasts)
1 1/2 c. long grain rice
1-1lb. bag of frozen peas and carrot medley (about 3 cups)
2 c. sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
2 T. fresh lemon juice
Ground black pepper
1 recipe Toasted Bread Crumb Topping (see below)
Fresh minced parsley for garnish

Melt the butter in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion and 1 t. salt and cook until softened and lightly browned, 5-7 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cayenne and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, until golden, about a minute. Slowly whisk in the broth and cream.

Add the chicken breasts, partially cover, and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low, cover completely, and cook 10-15 minutes, or until chicken is completely cooked through. Remove the chicken and set aside to cool.

Stir the rice into the pot, cover, and continue to cook over low heat, stirring often, until the rice has absorbed much of the liquid and is just tender, about 25 minutes. When the chicken is cool enough to handle, shred it into bite-sized pieces.

Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the chicken, peas and carrots, cheddar, and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Pour the mixture into a 9x13 pan (or, as I do, divide it between two smaller pyrex pans). Sprinkle the pan with the crumb topping.

Bake the pan in the middle of the 400 degree oven until the sauce is bubbling and the crumbs are crisp, about 25 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley before serving.

TO STORE A PAN OF CHICKEN AND RICE: Cover pan tightly with plastic wrap, the cover with foil. Freeze up to one month. (If frozen, the casserole must be thawed completely in the refrigerator, about 24 hours.) Preheat the oven to 400; remove the plastic wrap, and recover with the foil. Bake for about an hour (or until hot throughout), remove the foil, and continue to bake until crumbs are crispy, about another 15 minutes.

TOASTED BREAD CRUMB TOPPING
Makes 2 3/4 Cups, enough for one 9x13 pan.

4 slices good quality white sandwich bread, quartered
2 T. butter, melted
2 T minced fresh parsley leaves
Salt and pepper
Preheat oven to 325. Pulse the bread and butter in a food processor to coarse crumbs, about 6 pulses. Spread out over a rimmed baking sheet. Bake, stirring occasionally, until golden and dry, 20-20 minutes. Let the crumbs cool, then toss with the parsley; season with salt and pepper to taste.

Something Fresh: Minestrone with Basil

2008-01-02T07:09:00.001-08:00

Here's an 'original' idea: fresh, clean, and healthy eating for the New Year! I'm sick of the heavy foods from the Holidays (although they were great going down), and my liver is flat out exhausted (the cocktails were good going down too)! So this week it's time for a new leaf. Today I'm making one of my favorite soups: Minestrone with Basil. I pulled this recipe off of Epicurious about a year ago, and I think I've probably made it 10 times. It's fresh, lowfat, filling and healthy all at the same time.

Served alongside the soup are some yummy Cheddar Scallion Scones (also from Epicurious). No, these aren't light, "clean", or nutritious, but we're being so well behaved with our healthy soup that we're allowed to have something just slightly naughty to dunk.

Minestrone with Basil

Serves 6

1 can kidney beans, rinsed and drained

6 c. chicken stock, plus an additional cup if needed to thin

2 c. shredded green cabbage

1 can diced tomatoes, drained

1 small onion, diced

1 stalk celery, diced

1 carrot, diced

1 small zucchini, diced

1 medium potato, peeled and left whole

1 small potato, peeled and diced

1 T. good olive oil

1 1/2 T. minced garlic

1 t. salt

1/2 c. small shell pasta

1/2 c. chopped fresh basil, plus additional sprigs for garnish if desired

Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Place beans in a large Dutch oven. Add stock and next 11 ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until all vegetables are tender, about an hour.

Transfer 2 cups of soup and the whole potato to blender and puree. Return puree to soup in pot. Add pasta and 1/4 c. basil; simmer uncovered until pasta is cooked through and flavors blend, stirring occasionally, about 25 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Mix in remaining basil, serve with Parmesan sprinkled on top.

Cheddar Scallion Scones

Makes 12

**Note: As originally written, these were supposed to be drop biscuits. After seeing a tip for "no roll" biscuits in Cooks Country Magazine, I've used that method ever since. It's explained in my modified version of the recipe below.

2 1/4 c. all-purpose flour

2 1/2 t. baking powder

2 t. sugar

3/4 t. baking soda

1 t. salt

6 T. (3/4 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch cubes

6 oz. shredded Cheddar (about 1 1/2 c.)

3 scallions, finely chopped

1 c. well shaken buttermilk

Preheat oven to 450. Line a baking sheet with parchment and set aside.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, sugar, baking soda, and salt in a bowl, then blend in butter with your fingertips until mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in Cheddar and scallions. Add buttermilk and stir until just combined.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide into two equal balls. Press each ball into a 6" round. Using sharp knife, slice each round three times, to create six scone shaped wedges out of each round. Transfer to prepared baking sheet and bake in the middle of oven until golden, about 15-20 minutes.

Happy New Year!

2008-01-01T11:02:00.000-08:00

We hosted a New Years Eve party last night for some of our favorite neighborhood friends. Everyone had a blast -- they must have; we still had familes here at 1:30 this morning! I can't believe some of the youngest of the Kenilworth (our neighborhood) Clan managed to rally that long -- this cul-de-sac is gonna be filled with some sleepy headed kiddos later on today!

I wish I had taken pictures of everything we served, but I only managed to snag one of the tartare. Between handing out the party hats, serving up cocktails, and pulling hors deourves out of the oven, things were a little hectic. Here's what was on the menu:

Tenderloin Sandwiches with Rosemary Horseradish Aoili
Pizzettas with Fontina, Tomato, Proscuitto, and Basil
Tuna Tartare with Wasabi on Sesame Crackers (as pictured above)

My neighbors chipped in and brought Artichoke & Crab Dip, Spanakopita, Mini Quiches, and Lettuce Wraps with Peanut Sauce. Everything was so delicious and suffice it to say - no one went hungry!

Soooooo happy we have leftovers and I don't need to cook tonight -- I've spent the better part of the day so far sweeping up "2008" confetti and picking streamers out of my carpet...but that goes with the partythrowing territory.

Back to cooking tomorrow.

Chocolate Fondue on Christmas....

2007-12-29T14:39:00.000-08:00

My daughter Olivia got a camera from Santa and she was trying her hand at a little food photography while we were having Christmas dessert; here's a slightly messy shot of the best chocolate fondue I've ever had! Definitely worth the extra expense for the Valrohna cocoa and semi-sweet chocolate. I never realized the difference between the regular grocery store chocolates and the premiums, but I'm a convert.

I might make this again when we have the neighborhood over for New Years Eve!

CHOCOLATE FONDUE

1 c. premium cocoa powder (such as Valrohna or Scharffen Berger), sifted
1 1/4 c. water
1 1/2 c. granulated sugar
1/4 c. light corn syrup
1/2 c. plus 5 T. heavy cream
5 oz. 62% semi-sweet chocolate, chopped

Angel food cake, pretzel rods, strawberries, bananas, shortbread cookies

Sift the cocoa into mixing bowl and set aside. Place the water, sugar, and corn syrup into a pot and bring to a boil. Allow to simmer for 10-15 minutes until sugar solution has reduced by about 30%. Pour the cocoa powder into the solution and blend with a whisk until smooth. Return the chocolate mixture to the stove and continue cooking over medium heat. Add cream, bring to boil and allow to simmer for five minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in chopped chocolate. Pour into fondue pot and keep warm.

Makes 4-6 servings.
Source: Epicurious.com

Just beneath this post is one of Olivia's first pictures, it's Garlic Mashed Potatoes!

Garlic Mashed Potatoes

2007-12-29T14:34:00.000-08:00

Welcome to A Corner of My Kitchen!

2007-07-18T13:37:00.000-07:00

I'm Leah. About 15 years ago I developed a passion for all things food -- I read about it constantly, talk about it obsessively, and cook almost nonstop. I've been looking around at many different food blogs recently and thought it would be fun to have one myself. I just got a spiffy new laptop for Christmas, and my husband got an awesome new Nikon -- throw my Kitchenaid mixer in for good measure and hopefully I'll be able to whip up some good recipes and photos .... that is, if I can figure out how to do all of this techy stuff!

I guess if I had a specialty in the kitchen, it would be for 'down home' foods.....meatloaves, potpies, pastas. I don't get overly adventuresome (except for the occasional five alarm curry) because I'm trying to please three kids, but luckily for me, my husband likes almost everything. However, I am passionate about making food look pretty, and sneaking gourmet / specialty ingredients in where I can.

Hopefully the recipes I post will inspire others to head into their kitchens too.