Due Today: Pork

It's what's for dinner!

Next Week:  Drinks/Smoothies/Shakes

We're running out of topic ideas!  If I don't get some new ones we'll have to start cycling back through the old ones.

Any votes for next week's topic?

No recipe

Sorry that I didn't get a chocolate recipe posted. I am at Jekyll Island for the week, so maybe I will post some wonderful grits or collard greens recipes!! Phyllis

Magic Shell

This is a bit of a cheat since it is so simple and I've already pasted it to facebook, but it is sooooo tasty.  We haven't been able to get enough of it lately.

Preparation Time: About 10 minutes tops.

Ingredients:
2 parts coconut oil
3 parts chocolate
salt, oil-dissolvable extracts, etc.

Directions:
Melt coconut oil in a small sauce pan.  Coconut oil melts very quickly and had a high heat tolerance, so don't worry too much about burning it.  Drop in your chocolate and extras and stir until mixed thoroughly.  Pour immediately into a glass container or let cool and pour into an old magic shell bottle.

A couple of observations:
 * Unrefined coconut oil will taste like coconut.  Refined will not.
 * This is much more liquid-y at room temperature than regular magic shell, but hardens faster and better.
 * Since it is oil based, I don't recommend getting it on your clothes.
 * Make some homemade ice cream bars and then dip them into a pint jar of magic shell.
 * I want to buy a tiny ice cube tray and use it to make Dibs-like creations.

Source: All over the interwebs

Due Today: Chocolate

Next Week's Topic:  Pork

Votes for the following?

Flourless Chocolate Mousse Cake

I started making this when I fell in love with Whole Foods' mousse cake and needed a good flourless cake recipe to keep from going broke. It's a great option for any chocolatey occasion. Be aware that it's a very short cake, less than two inches high when done, so you may need to dress it up on a pedestal or other special plate. The recipe includes reserving 1/3 of the batter and using it as icing, so we always use pasteurized eggs.

Ingredients:
11 oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped
2 3/4 sticks of unsalted butter (mmmm butter!)
1 2/3 cups granulated sugar
11 large egg yolks
1 T brandy or rum
8 large egg whites
pinch of cream of tartar
cocoa powder for dusting
9 inch spring form

Directions:
In a double boiler, melt the chocolate and butter together. Move to a large bowl to cool. Butter the pan and dust with the cocoa.

Beat yolks in different bowl until cream colored, then add 1 and 1/3 cups of the sugar (not all the sugar, some mixes with the egg whites) a little at a time beating the entire time until the mix comes off the beater in ribbons.

In yet another bowl, beat whites with the cream of tartar until soft peaks, then add remaining sugar a bit at a time while beating untill stiff and glossy. Add the brandy and beat once more.

Stir 1/3 of yolk mix in with the chocolate. Fold in the rest (folding is important to keep it airy). Do the same thing with the mirage, mix 1/3 and fold rest.

Spoon 2/3 of the entire mixture into the springform pan and bake for 25 minutes at 350. It will look as if it's not done, but take it out anyway. If you panic and leave it in longer, you MUST take it out at 30 minutes, or it will be dry.

Leave the other 1/3 of the mix room temp because you'll use it to ice the cake.

Let the cake cool, take off pan, level the cake and ice the cake with the remaining 1/3 of the mix. Dust with cocoa if you wish. Refrigerate. Bring to room temp before serving if you wish; I prefer it cold.

Source: My friend Anique's mom found it in a magazine: Gourmet? Epicurious? No one is sure, but she's used it for years.
Servings: 4 (gourmand) - 16 (gourmet)

Mini Chocolate-Hazelnut Cheesecakes

Preparation Time:  This takes about 1 hour to complete

Ingredients:
15 oreo cookies
2 T raw or roasted hazelnuts, skinned
2 T softened butter
8 oz cream cheese, softened
¾ C Nutella
½ C sour cream
2 large eggs
2 T sugar
2 T mini choc chips

Directions:
Preheat oven 350..line muffin tin w/paper liners, spray liners with veg oil spray. In food processor combine cookies, hazelnuts and butter to very fine crumbs. Divide crumbs among cops and using a flat-bottomed glass, press on crumbs to compact them. Bake for 5 min.

Wipe out food processor bowl. Add cream cheese, Nutella, sour cream, eggs and sugar..puree until smooth. Spoon filling into cups until near the top. Sprinkle choc chips on top and bake for 20 minutes until risen and surfaces lightly cracked. Cool slightly then transfer tin to a rack and freeze for 10 min. Serve at room temperature.

Can be refrigerated in airtight container for 3 days

Basil Tomatoes

This is wonderful served on slices of Italian bread!

Preparation Time: About 15 minutes

Ingredients:
1 Cup chopped tomatoes
1 Tablespoon finely chopped basil
1 Tablespoon finely chopped lovage
1 Tablespoon crushed garlic
1 Tablespoon red or white wine vinegar
1 Tablespoon olive oil
Season with salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Mix everything together and refrigerate a couple of hours.

Hot Wings

There are several variations so they are GREAT for everyone. It has really easy cleanup with the foil lined pan. For those who don't like "bones" this can be used with boneless chicken pieces...just cook for about 30 minutes instead.

Preparation Time: 1 hour

Ingredients:
2 T flour
1 t salt
2 # chicken wings/drumettes
2 ½ T red hot sauce (we use Louisiana Hot Sauce)
2 T butter melted
Determine the sauce from below to determine what else is mixed with the flour and salt before cooking...

Directions:
Preheat oven to 500°. Line a large baking sheet with foil and spray with vegetable oil. In bowl, mix flour, and salt (I use a ziplock bag instead). Add chicken and coat. Spread chicken on baking sheet and spray with veg oil. Roast chicken for 45 min, turning 1 or 2 times until browned and crispy.

In a bowl, toss chicken with sauce and serve.

Sauces:

For Old Bay, add 1 T old bay to flour, then add 2 T Worcestershire sauce to sauce before tossing.

For Mango-Curry, add 2 t hot madras curry powder to flour, then add 2 T chutney to sauce and top with chopped pistachios.

For Ginger-Honey, add 1 t ground Sichuan peppercorns and ¼ t five-spice powder to flour, then add ½ T soy sauce and 2T each of honey, minced fresh ginger and scallions to sauce.

For Sweet & Sticky, add ½ t each of dried garlic and onion powder and 1 t smoked paprika, then add 2 T melted hot pepper jelly to sauce.

We like the Old Bay the best, but have tried the sweet and sticky and it is equally good.

Always serve with chunky blue cheese for dipping! Enjoy

Source: Think it was Food and Wine Magazine

Fried Squash Blossoms

One of the fun things about being a mom is the fact that you get to meet all sorts of other moms.  And in previous lives those moms had all sorts of fun and interesting jobs.  One of the moms that I've recently come to know used to be (and really, still is) a chef.  A couple of weeks ago, she told me what the squash blossoms you can sometimes find at farmers' markets are for.

Preparation Time: Maybe 20 minutes to stuff a dozen and another 10 to batter and fry.

Ingredients:
One dozen squash blossoms
some soft cheese or other filling
oil
egg
flour

Directions:

Waiting to be fried

Very carefully open the blossom, trying not to tear it.  Into the blossom, slide a couple of cheese slivers or some other stuffing.  Twist the blossom closed.  When you have all of your blossoms stuffed, start heating some oil in a pan, enough to fry the blossoms, not just saute them.  I used about half an inch.

In a small bowl whisk one egg with a tablespoon or two of water and place some flour in another bowl.  Individually dip each blossom in egg and then coat with flour.  Drop into the hot oil.  Once I got all of the blossoms into the oil I flipped them over (too cheap to use enough oil to cover them in the first place) and I took them out and placed them on a paper towel when they started to look crunchy.

Notes:
I'm sure these look prettier when done in a restaurant by a professional chef.  I've never actually fried anything before, so be nice ;).

I'm not sure where one finds squash blossoms.  We have them at our farmers' market for $2/dozen which Laura tells us is a really good price.

Even Cory liked them :)  Although next time I think I'll use goat cheese instead of Brie.  I always try to convince myself I like Brie and I usually fail.

Source: Laura
Servings: 4 or so

Due Tomorrow: Appetizers

Next Week's Topic:  Chocolate

Any votes for the following?  Any new topic ideas?  Are we getting bored with this whole recipe blog idea?  Or is the summer just busy?

Curried Chicken Salad

A friend of ours makes some fantastic curried chicken balls as appetizers.  It is more work making the little balls than I would like, so I've converted it into a chicken salad

Preparation Time: 10 minutes or so

Ingredients:
1/2 - 1 pkg cream cheese, softened
enough mayonnaise or Miracle Whip
2 tablespoons orange marmalade or apricot preserves
2 teaspoons (or more) curry powder
¾ teaspoon salt
¾ teaspoon white pepper
3 cup chopped, shredded, or ground cooked chicken
1 cup chopped macadamia nuts or almonds

Directions:
Mix everything together and serve on a bed of lettuce or in a sandwich.  The actual amounts are very flexible and depend on how strong your curry is and your mayo to cream cheese preference.  I'm sure you could toss in sour cream or yogurt in place of one or both as well.

Source: Modified from Joan Fletcher

Due Today: Salads

Next Week's Topic:  Appetizers

Any votes for the following?

Quinoa Salad

This is a tasty salad twangy salad that I make quite often. The measurements here are truly just guidelines. I really tend to fiddle with the amounts in this recipe quite a bit.


Ingredients:
1 bell pepper (pick your favorite color)
1-2 large carrots
3 tomatoes
1 cup raw Red Quinoa

Ingredients for the Rice Wine Vinaigrette:

1 tsp. finely grated ginger or 1/2 tsp. powdered ginger
6 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. soy sauce
1/2 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. sesame oil

Directions:
Cook quinoa (takes about 15 minutes)
Chop veggies
mix quinoa and veggies

Make the rice wine vinaigrette in a separate bowl (modifying measurements to taste)

pour vinaigrette over veggies.

Serve or cool in fridge and eat at your leisure

Source: Modified by me from this recipe: http://www.notderbypie.com/quinoa-salad-with-tofu-beets-and-avocado/

Cherry Salad

This recipe comes from my mother and was at EVERY family gathering while growing up...still good!

Ingredients: 
1 Quart Cherries (if you can them) or 2 cans pitted tart red cherries in water
1 egg
1/2 C sugar
1/2 C cream (whipping or 1/2 and 1/2)
mini marshmallows
banana

Directions: 
Drain cherries, saving juice. Add ½ C sugar to cherry juice and heat. Drop in cherries and let stand 1 hour.

Mix egg, sugar and cream. Heat in heavy pan over medium heat until thick and boiling. Stir continuously. Cool (so marshmallows don’t melt).

Drain cherries, add marshmallows and dressing. Cover and chill. Add sliced banana when ready to serve.

(Sauce can be doubled..)

Serves: 6-8
Source: Gram

Cauliflower Cashew Salad

This is a great tasting and very pretty salad.

Preparation Time: About 15 minutes

Ingredients:
1 medium head cauliflower, broken into florets
4 medium carrots, halved and thinly sliced
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
1 bottle (8 ounces) ranch salad dressing
1/2 cup cashews

Directions:
In a serving bowl, combine the cauliflower, carrots and peas. Drizzle with dressing; toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate until chilled. Just before serving, stir in cashews.

Source: Taste of Home
Servings: 10 servings

Overnight French Toast

This has been a family favorite for as long as I can remember... always requested

Preparation Time: 20 minutes, then overnight to rest, another

Ingredients:
16 slices white bread, trimmed of crusts, cut into cubes
2 pkgs (8oz) cream cheese, cubed
2 C milk
12 eggs
1 C maple syrup
2-3 peeled, thinly sliced apples
2 T sugar mixed with 2 T cinnamon

Directions:
Place half of bread in a greased 9 X 12 pan. Add cream cheese, then add rest of bread. Add mixture of milk, beaten eggs & syrup. Cover and refrigerate over night.

Top with sliced apples and sprinkle with cinnamon & sugar.

Bake at 375º for 60-90 minutes…until set. Serve with syrup.

Source: Carmen
Servings: 8

This Week's Topic: Salads

Sorry for the delay!

Chocolate Chip & Banana Muffins

When I saw this recipe I knew I had to try it. These muffins are so quick and easy to make, and are SO yummy! It's a simple recipe that is very easy to include kids in the mixing process. They are so good that you don't even need to put butter on them when they're done, but are even more delicious if you choose to do so! I also freeze them like the recipe recommends. Obviously they are not as tasty as just out of the oven, but I still enjoy them. A different recipe you can use to get rid of those overripe bananas!

Preparation Time: 10-15 minutes prep - approx. 30 minutes to bake.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, melted
2 cups mashed overripe bananas (about 6)
3 large eggs
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup mini chocolate chips (6 ounces)

Directions:
-Preheat the oven to 350° and line two 12-cup muffin tins with paper or foil liners. In a large bowl, combine the sugar, melted butter, bananas and eggs; mix thoroughly. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour with the baking soda and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and whisk until the batter is evenly moistened. Stir in the chocolate chips.

-Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups. Bake for about 28 minutes*, until a toothpick inserted in the center of the muffins comes out with a few moist crumbs attached. Let the muffins cool for 10 minutes before turning them out onto a rack to cool completely.

*I cook mine for almost 5 minutes less because I've found that 28 minutes in my oven makes the muffins too dry. Be sure to check them with a toothpick about 5 minutes before to see how your oven bakes them.

Make Ahead
The banana muffins can be wrapped in plastic and frozen for up to 1 month. Let thaw and toast in a 350° oven.

Source: Food and Wine
Servings: 24 muffins

Overnight Aspargus Strata

Preparation Time:
Prep: 15 min. + chilling Bake: 40 min. + standing

Ingredients:
1 pound fresh asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
4 English muffins, split and toasted
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded Colby-Monterey Jack cheese, divided
1 cup cubed fully cooked ham
1/2 cup chopped sweet red pepper
8 eggs
2 cups whole milk
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground mustard
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Directions:
In a large saucepan, bring 8 cups water to a boil. Add asparagus; cover and cook for 3 minutes. Drain and immediately place asparagus in ice water. Drain and pat dry.

Arrange six English muffin halves, cut side up, in a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish. Fill in spaces with remaining muffin halves. Sprinkle with 1 cup cheese, asparagus, ham and red pepper.   In a small bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, salt, mustard and pepper; pour over muffins. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Sprinkle with remaining cheese.  Bake, uncovered, at 375° for 40-45 minutes or until a knife inserted near the middle comes out clean. Let stand for 5 minutes before cutting.

Source: Taste of Home
Servings: 6-8

Due Tomorrow: Breakfast

Votes for next week?