Paula Dines

White Chili...because every "chilly" queen needs a white chili "night" to the rescue!

2010-09-27T19:08:00.027-04:00

Once upon a time, in a place far far away, there was a swishy caterer/food shop to the elite. Said caterer treasured their recipe for the new and cutting edge "white" chili more than any sapphire, emerald or ruby (or even pesto torte). Alas, they fell foul of a disgruntled employee...who, to extract vengeance upon the evil overlord employer, disclosed the secret of the "blanco"...the heroin of the tale. Through an accomplice, who shall remain unnamed, I share this white gem with you...a glistening diamond of a soup.

The deal with this chili...well, besides the intrigue surrounding the acquisition of the recipe...is that it's perfect for either chicken or turkey or pork. It is even perfect without meat, should you so desire.

White Chili:

1 pound white beans (or 5 cans, drained and rinsed)
6 cups chicken stock

Either simmer the beans in the stock until soft, adding stock as needed, or if using canned beans, proceed as follows.

1 Tbs vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped fine
1 medium onion, chopped
4 4 ounce cans green chilis

Saute the garlic, onion and chilis in the oil until tender. Add the following:

4 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp ground oregano
1 tsp oregano leaves
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

4 cups cooked chicken, turkey or pork

Add to beans and spices and simmer one hour.

I used a pork roast for this version.

Covering the roast with water in a large stock pot, I added a whole onion, pepper corns, jalapenos, a head of garlic, bay leaves and some cayenne pepper:

The roast cooked until the meat fell from the bone. Remove the meat from the liquid, and "pull" into pieces (I take this opportunity to remove all fat):

Okay...so the cheats. Buy a couple of rotisserie chickens and pull the meat. Or, use your left over holiday turkey. Both are perfect.

Saute the onion, garlic and chilis and add spices:

Toss that mixture in with the beans and stock, add the meat and simmer one hour:

I fried up some corn tortilla strips and garnished the soup with some cheddar cheese, the chips, a dollop of salsa and some chopped green onions.

That's all there is to it! On a night when you'd like a white knight on a stead to rescue you from the gloom...inSTEAD, pull out this white chili; it'll warm your heart.

Paula

Wonderful World Wide (www.) Cooking (.com) = Taina's Stuffed Eggplant, FTW!

2010-09-16T19:23:00.023-04:00

The internets are a strange and glorious place. I've met many friends through my adventures at various sites; among them (and one of my favorites) is a lovely lady, Taina, who hails from Finland. We became acquainted through our shared love of Harry Potter, on a site that was for adults to discuss the ins and outs of that series. While there, we chatted frequently; often our conversations turned to food. This dish is my attempt to replicate a recipe that Taina posted about on Facebook when I talked about making pesto.

She described an eggplant dish that she makes...and it sounded so good, I thought I'd try to wing it and recreate it from her description. I've now made it twice...and altered it the second time based on her further comments. For lack of a recipe "name" I think I'll call it Taina's Stuffed Eggplant. I realize that this is taking major liberties, since I've neither seen nor tasted her version, but for her efforts in trying to school me (appropriate since she's a college professor) this post is dedicated to her. And as she told me in a message about the recipe, "Buon appetito!"

A photo of my second attempt:

The ingredients in the stuffing are basically the same each time, but I did alter the mixture assembly somewhat. I must admit to taking some liberties with her original description; I'll asterisk the items I added. Here's the recipe as I made it the second time around:

Stuffed Eggplant:
1 large eggplant, halved length-wise
1 medium onion, chopped
2 large cloves garlic, chopped fine*
4 ounces mushrooms, sliced*
2 Tbs olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

2 Roma tomatoes, diced
2 Tbs basil pesto

Added after further comments from Taina:
1/2 loaf French bread, hollowed
1 tin of anchovies, packed in oil
5 Tbs parmesan cheese
2 Tbs fresh parsley, chopped
2 Tbs butter, melted

Score the eggplant around the edges, being careful to not cut through the skin. Then, score length-wise and cross-wise:

Scoop out the "meat" of the eggplant, being careful to not rupture the skin. I did this with a spoon.

In a large skillet, sauté the eggplant, onion, garlic and mushrooms in the olive oil. Until just softened:

Add the tomatoes and the pesto to the skillet mixture:

Stir until incorporated and stuff the skillet mixture back into the hollowed skins of the eggplant:

In a food processor, add the bread, anchovies and their packing oil, parmesan and parsley. Process until crumbly:

Coat the top of the eggplant with this mixture and drizzle with melted butter:

Bake in a 350 degree oven until the mixture is bubbling and the topping is golden brown:

This is the first version I did, and while it was delicious, it is not nearly as appealing. Differences: There was no bread crumb top. The tomatoes were sliced and placed on top of the eggplant mixture and the pesto spread on that and baked. Micro-planed parmesan was added after it was baked:

I love cooking. I love sharing cooking ideas. I love the challenge of a new dish. This is the first time I've done a dish "blind", so to speak. I hope I've done it justice. If the remnants on Byron's plate are anything to go by, it was a hit!

Paula

In for a Penny...In for a Pound. Cake, that is.

2010-09-13T15:49:00.018-04:00

The title is my attempt to be clever; I'm on the redemption train for my absence from blogging for a while. "Chew, chew!!" :)

I suppose that whatever the slippery slope, I'm stuck here doing this, since food is a part of my soul, my very existence. I need to cook; I need to share it. So, here I am, as the mood strikes.

I've been thinking about recipes that are classics; pound cake is one. Many people don't know that the name comes from the actual weight of the ingredients in the original. A pound each of butter, sugar, eggs and flour, combined in that order to produce this amazingly adaptable and delicious, dense cake.

I had a bit of a major melt-down over doing this post, not because I was nervous about posting again after so long but because...I couldn't find my kitchen scales! I literally tore my house apart looking for them. It ended up my husband had taken them to our shop and hadn't returned them. The only good thing that came from the incident was I finally got around to cleaning out the catch-all-pit that is euphemistically called our guest room closet. :) So, moving on...scales found.

The reason I said this recipe is adaptable is...well, it IS! You can create any flavor you wish, simply by adding it to the basic recipe. In this version, I threw in the zest from one large lemon. Since I was planning on serving the cake with macerated blackberries, I wanted a hint of tart.

Pound Cake:

1 Pound Butter (Four sticks)
1 Pound Sugar (About 2 1/5 cups)
1 Pound Eggs (8-9 Large Eggs)
1 Pound Flour (4 cups)

In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar. Add the eggs, one at a time; beating thoroughly between additions. Once the eggs are fully incorporated, gradually add the flour.

At this point, you may add any flavorings you choose.

Place the batter in greased and floured pan(s). Either two large loaf pans or a bundt/tube pan. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 1 hour. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool fully.

Okay...here the pictoral:

The Infamous Scales:

A pound of butter:

A pound of sugar:

Cream the two ingredients in a heavy mixer:

A pound of eggs (in this case it was 9 large eggs):

Add the eggs, one at a time, beating between each one:

A pound of flour (added gradually):

The optional flavor...in this case, the zest of one large lemon:

Grease and flour your pan:

Pour the batter into the readied pan and bake at 350 degrees for one hour:

Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes in the pan:

Remove from the pan and continue cooling on wire rack until fully cooled:

I macerated some blackberries for the cake. Maceration is simply to soften something in liquid. In this case, I coated the blackberries with sugar, which helps to draw out the natural juices. Cover the fruit with some sugar, stir it up and let it sit for about an hour:

I whipped some heavy cream with a titch of powdered sugar and a smidgen of vanilla, et voilà!

Yes. I ate some. Yes. It was stupendous. Don't read it and weep...bake it and eat!

Paula

The Slippery Slope

2009-11-06T11:30:00.008-05:00

Food blogging can be a slippery slope. It's very easy to get over-invested in the blog and forget to have fun in the kitchen. I took a break from blogging for a while now; I've done this twice. I took breaks when it was evident that I was more concerned about a pretty picture than how a meal tasted...or when I freaked out if I didn't cook what I considered bloggable food.

These seem to be common feelings amongst food bloggers. I've read time and time again these same sentiments being expressed by others in the blogosphere. People quit and come back...and quit again, just as I have.

I've decided that blogging is something I really have to do...I'm drawn to it. I feel compelled to share food with people...even if nobody reads the blog, or comments. When I post, I've put it out there and it feels good to do just that part.

It's funny, but as I sat in the movie theater and watched Julie & Julia, I saw so much of myself in both of those women. The Julie in me is the one who is excited when anyone takes the time to make a comment on my food; the Julia in me is the older person who seeks more knowledge through culinary school (this is a bucket list item for me), simply for the love of excellent food.

I'm planning on live-streaming from my kitchen on November 25 and 26th as I prepare my Thanksgiving meal.

So, Hi there blogosphere! Nice to see you again!

Paula

Chorizo and Rice...It's Very Nice!

2009-06-23T18:48:00.015-04:00

I was looking for inspiration a few days ago. When I posted that on my facebook status and asked if anyone had seen it, someone jokingly suggested that, "It might be in the cupboard behind the rice". That was all I needed! Rice! Of course!

But what to do with rice? So, I kept that thought in the back of my brain. Then, I was at The Market at Washington and High and saw that the butcher had some wonderful looking Mexican chorizo. That settled it! Chorizo and Rice!

What follows is my own recipe...that I came up with "on the fly" after having searched for recipes I liked and found them all wanting.

Actually, you could leave out the meat altogether and this would be a nice spicy rice dish. It's a one dish wonder!

Chorizo and Rice:

Ingredients:
1 pound Mexican chorizo, remove casing, slice and brown
1 small onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, finely diced
1 jalapeno, seeded and finely diced
1 lime, juiced
2 large tomatoes, peeled and rough diced
1 15 ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 box frozen corn, thawed
2 Tbs tomato paste
2 tsp cumin
salt and pepper
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
1 1/2 cups long grain rice

Garnish: Fresh cilantro

Preparation:

In a large pan that has a lid that fits tightly (I used my paella pan), brown the chorizo. I chose to have medallions of chorizo, rather than crumbled. Remove to a platter covered in paper towel and cover with foil.

While the chorizo browns, chop the onion, tomato, jalapeno and garlic. Juice the lime.

In the fat remaining in the pan, saute the onion, garlic and jalapeno for about 3 minutes. Add the lime juice and scrape up the bits. If you're making this a vegetarian dish, use about 1 tablespoons of olive oil to substitute for the pork fat.

Add the tomatoes and the beans and simmer for a few minutes.

Add the corn, tomato paste, cumin, salt and pepper (to taste) and chicken stock and stir until the tomato paste dissolves. Then, add the rice and cover tightly. Simmer for 20 minutes, or until moisture is absorbed.

Now, I cheated...and opened the lid for a picture. Don't do this. :)

Once the rice is tender and the moisture absorbed, toss the chorizo back in and stir. Serve with fresh cilantro.

We had this warmed up for lunch today and it was yummy.

Like my marbles, I've lost inspiration again. Perhaps it's hiding in my pantry. *goes off to search*

Paula

There's hell and then there's....Salad?

2009-06-20T20:57:00.028-04:00

Yeah, so...what a post title, no? There's hell and then there's salad?

Allow me to explain, because this lovely salad was far from hell. In fact, it was heavenly.

Somehow, whenever it's hotter than Hades outside...that saying (with a twist) comes to mind. I knew someone once whose great-grandfather was incarcerated in a southern state during prohibition for running booze. This southern state in which he served his time was, shall we say, less than pleasant during the summer months. Upon his release, his only comment to his family about that time was, "Well, there's hell....and then there's...."

And, I've been thinking about culinary hell lately too. Stay tuned...it's all ahead.

Bistro Salad...the perfect cure for hell on earth...or a hot day where you don't want to heat up your kitchen. This recipe is originally from Cooking Light and I found it here, where it is printable.

Bistro Dinner Salad:

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons finely chopped walnuts
4 large eggs
Cooking spray
2 bacon slices (uncooked)
8 cups gourmet salad greens
1/4 cup (1 ounce) crumbled blue cheese
1 Bartlett pear, cored and thinly sliced
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon dried tarragon*****
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard

Preparation:

Place nuts in a small skillet; cook over medium-high heat 3 minutes or until lightly browned, shaking pan frequently. Remove from heat; set aside.

Break 1 egg into each of 4 (6-ounce) custard cups coated with cooking spray. Cover with plastic wrap, and microwave at high for 40 seconds or until set; let stand 1 minute. Remove eggs from cups; drain on paper towels.

Cook bacon in a skillet over medium-high heat until crisp; cool slightly. Remove bacon from the pan, reserving 1 teaspoon drippings. Crumble bacon. Combine walnuts, bacon, greens, blue cheese, and pear in a large bowl.

Combine 1 teaspoon reserved drippings, vinegar, oil, tarragon*****, and mustard in small bowl; stir with a whisk. Drizzle over greens mixture; toss gently. Arrange 2 cups salad mixture on each of 4 serving plates; top each serving with 1 egg.

My eggs turned out more done than I would have liked, but, it was hot and my microwave hates me...and I was out of more eggs...and I didn't want to go out and get more...so really, just imagine them a tad softer. How hard is that?

So, here's where my very own hell comes in to play. Because I am sure I'm going to culinary hell...I have a confession to make. And since this is the internets, it's out there... I suppose I'm goin' down as hard as my eggs. Someone, please read me my rights...you know that one? The right to remain silent?

*****I loathe tarragon. There, I said it. I DO! I loathe it! Lock me up! Send me to hell! It won't matter... that stuff tastes like perfume to me! So, I substituted thyme in the dressing...which is all perfect with eggs, and which I love. I love...love...LOVE thyme...

Since I'm goin' down over this confession...I'll gladly serve my thyme in hell, just give me a few minutes to pack some of this salad in my hand basket. ;)

Paula

Steak au Poivre - Burnin' Down the House

2009-06-18T20:41:00.020-04:00

Did you ever have one of those nights where things just didn't go according to plan? Yes? Well, extend sympathies to me...because I just had one. Please don't call a waahmublance, though. I've already had to call off the fire department. It's a long story. Buckle up...this one's an E-ticket.

Ahead, Steak au Poivre as done by Julia Child and Jacques Pépin, sauteed baby bellas and potato swirls. Warning...there were casualties.

To think, it all began in such a peaceful manner. The ingredients were assembled on the counter with care, in hope that great things soon would prepare...Meh. Never mind, that's been done! :)

Steak au Poivre:

This classic dish, Steak au Poivre, is French for steak with peppercorns. It sounds fancy, but it's not hard to prepare. It is served with a flamed cognac pan sauce. Yes, I said, flamed. This is a hint. (Bourbon or red wine may be substituted for the cognac.)

Ingredients:

2 thick-cut well-marbled strip steaks, about 1-1/2 inches thick
2 tablespoons mixed whole peppercorns (black, white, green, Szechuan and Jamaican/whole allspice)
Salt
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon butter

Pan sauce:

2 tablespoons minced shallots
2 tablespoons cognac (or bourbon or red wine)
1/2 cup flavorful dark stock
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, at room temperature

Preparation:

Trim the steak of all the surrounding fat and cartilage. Crush the peppercorns using the bottom of a heavy skillet (I smashed mine in my mortar and pestle).

Sprinkle salt to taste on the top and bottom of the steaks; then press each side into the cracked peppercorns, encrusting the steaks lightly or heavily, as you prefer.

Heat the oil and the butter in a heavy saute or frying pan over high heat. When the pan is quite hot, lay the peppered steaks in. Fry for about 1-1/2 to 2 minutes, until the undersides are well seared. Turn the meat and cook the second side for about a minute. Press with a finger to test for the slight springiness that indicates rare. Cook to desired temperature and remove to a warm platter and cover with foil.

At the same time as the steaks are cooking, you need to also be starting the sauteed mushrooms.

Sauteed Baby Bellas:

8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
2 shallots, sliced
2 Tbs butter
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 tsp balsamic vinegar
salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste

Preparation:

In a skillet, melt butter. Add shallots and saute until slightly transluscent:

Add the mushrooms and continue to saute until they are glossy. Add the white wine and balsamic vinegar and reduce the sauce by about a third. Add salt and pepper:

Making the pan sauce:

Add the shallots to the steak pan and saute briefly, stirring with a spoon to scrape up the drippings. Lean away from the stove (averting your face) and pour the cognac into the pan; tilt the edge of the pan slightly, over the burner flame (or use a long match if you have electric), to ignite the alcohol. The cognac will flame for a few seconds as the alcohol burns off.

Cooks note:

This is where things got fun. Recently, we changed our telephones to VoIP. In doing this, we had to upgrade our home alarm system. As part of this upgrade, our smoke detectors were rewired. This might seem like a good thing. Alas. It seems not to be. They are ultra sensitive. What follows is pretty much how it happened.

Me: *flaming cognac*
ALARM GOES OFF!!!!!
Me: *runs to turn off the alarm, flaming pan in hand*
PHONE RINGS!!!!
ADT Security: We are responding to a fire alarm at your residence.
Me: Yes, ma'am. There isn't anything burning. I'm flaming cognac.
ADT Security: So, there are flames at your residence?
Me: Well, there were, but they are out now. I'm cooking. With cognac.
ADT Security: Do you require the fire department at your residence?
Me: Only if they want to eat some Steak au Poivre.
ADT Security: *Crickets chirp* Is that a no? (No sense of humor here.)
Me: Yes, ma'am. Sorry. I'm not burning down the house. Nor am I burning my food...Oh, before you hang up, can you tell me how to reset my alarm?

Oy. This is the second or third time I've set off the alarms. Sheesh.

So, anyway...the casualties you ask? I was also going to post about my lovely potato swirls...but in the mayhem that followed...and my food was ready...and I needed to take pictures...and Byron was really hungry...I didn't get photos of the potatoes! Next time, I promise!

Back to the pan sauce:

Cook for a few moments more and then add the stock. Bring the liquid back to the boil, and cook about 1 minute to thicken the sauce, stirring occasionally. Taste and adjust seasoning. Finally, add the soft butter, swirling the pan until it melts and incorporates with the juices.

Then, by God. Eat it.

Eat it, and like it. Or else.

Paula

Chicken w/ Garlic Thyme Butter & Roasted Green Beans

2009-06-15T20:42:00.014-04:00

Looking for some comfort food? What's better comfort food than a simple roast chicken? Not much. And when it's accompanied by fresh, oven roasted green beans? It's a match made in heaven. Or your kitchen.

It is said that the perfect roast chicken is the ultimate goal of many a great cook. I've tried SO many different recipes for roast chicken and this one ranks right up there with some of the best.

This is the recipe as prepared by Grant Achatz. It is printable from that link.

Roasted Chicken with Garlic-Thyme Butter:

1 stick unsalted butter, softened
6 clove garlic, four crushed, 2 pressed or finely diced
1 1/2 tsp fresh thyme, plus two springs
salt and freshly ground pepper
One 4 1/2 pound chicken
One lemon, quartered
1/4 cup water

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375°.

In a small bowl, blend the butter with the minced garlic and chopped thyme and season with salt and pepper. Carefully loosen the breast skin of the chicken. Spread the butter evenly over the breast meat then smooth out the skin. Rub any extra garlic-thyme butter all over the outside of the chicken.

Stuff the crushed garlic, thyme sprigs and lemon quarters into the cavity and tie the legs together with twine (yeah...I didn't do this step...whatever. I hate twining legs). Season the chicken with salt and pepper and set it in a small, flameproof roasting pan.

At this point, honestly? Who'd eat this mess?

Roast for about 1 1/2 hours, or until the juices run clear when an inner thigh is pierced. Transfer the chicken to a carving board and let rest for 10 minutes.

Now, is that not beautiful?

Pour the pan juices into a small saucepan. Add the water to the roasting pan and bring to a boil over moderately high heat; scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Simmer for 2 minutes, then pour the liquid into the saucepan. Season the jus with salt and pepper and keep hot. Carve the chicken and serve with the jus.

My sister came by on Sunday with some of the first bounty from her garden. Among the things she brought? Some beautiful young green beans. Instantly, I thought of this bean recipe. It's simple and delicious; it's simply delicious!

I prepared the beans on the baking sheet and put them in the oven when the chicken was resting.

Oven Roasted Green Beans with Garlic, Pine Nuts & Onions:

Green Beans
1 small onion, diced
2 Tbs toasted pine nuts
1 clove garlic, pressed or finely diced
Olive oil
Salt & Pepper

Directions:

Place green beans, onion, pine nuts and garlic on baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil. Add salt and pepper. Toss.

In this recipe, I had some garlic thyme butter left over from the chicken, and I tossed it on there too. :

Roast in 375 degree oven for about 10 minutes. Tossing them once, half way through. This is what they look like when they are completed. The onions and the beans still have some crispness in them:

I plattered it for the beauty shot:

This is my plate. I love the white meat:

I feel comforted. You can too. And the best comfort food is easy to prepare. A win/win situation...

Paula

Don't Super Size! Have Super Sides!

2009-06-14T11:27:00.011-04:00

There are times when the star of the meal isn't the entrée. While my pork was lovely (note the perfect grill marks!), these sides should be Oscar winning supporting actors!

For this post, I'll just tell you about these simple, super sides! Crash Hot Potatoes from The Pioneer Woman (what food blogger hasn't done these beauties?) and Steamed Asparagus with Garlic, Lemon, Wine Butter.

There are not enough superlatives to describe these potatoes. Words fail me. And for those of you who know me, THAT is saying something!

Crash Hot Potatoes:

Here's a printable version

Several Smallish Potatoes, red or russet
Salt
Pepper
Olive Oil
2-3 Sprigs Rosemary

Preheat oven to 450º F

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add as many potatoes as you wish to make and cook until fork tender.

Drizzle baking sheet with olive oil. Place tender potatoes on the baking sheet, leaving plenty of room in between. With a potato masher, gently press down on each potato until it smashes. Rotate the sheet 90 degrees and smash again. Brush the tops of each potato with olive oil, sprinkle with kosher salt, fresh cracked pepper and chopped fresh rosemary (or whatever herbs you desire). Bake in oven until golden brown.

Steamed Asparagus with Garlic, Lemon, Wine Butter:

Asparagus
3 Tbs butter
1 Clove Garlic, pressed or finely diced
Juice of 1/2 Lemon, and a titch of zest
2 Tbs Dry White Wine
Kosher Salt & Fresh Cracked Pepper

Arrange the asparagus in a microwaveable dish.

Melt the butter in a small sauce pan. Add the garlic and saute for about 2 minutes over medium/high heat. Add lemon juice, zest and wine.

Pour over the asparagus. Add salt and pepper. Microwave on medium high for about 2 minutes or until asparagus is steamed, but still crisp.

Plate and serve. Also, I normally serve the Crash Hot Potatoes with a little ramekin of sour cream. Nom!

Now, doesn't that beat a Hardee's biggie burger and fries? With a meat mallet!?

A side note about the Crash Hot Potatoes: Every single person I have pointed in the direction of this recipe has made them at least three times in a row! They are just that delicious! Try 'em! You'll like 'em!

Paula

Piccata and Peas, If You Please

2009-06-11T21:11:00.025-04:00

I've done a post about Piccata before. It's found here. But, there can never be enough Piccata love in the world. Seriously. And this time, I did a different recipe (my own) and I've paired it with...Sherried Peas with Mushrooms! An absolute favorite of mine!

First the Peas. Can I tell you enough how much I love peas? Well, probably not. So you'll just have to take my word for it. Can I tell you how wonderful and easy these peas are? Well, I could. Should just try them for yourself? Yes. Now? Right now! Or soon.

This pea recipe is one that I discovered in the Junior League of Nashville cookbook, Encore! It has become a favorite. A serious favorite. I'm giving you the recipe as it appears in the book. For the purposes of tonight and just two of us, I cut it down.

Sherried Peas with Mushrooms:

1/2 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced
3 Tbs butter
2 10 ounce packages frozen baby peas
1/2 tsp marjoram
1/8 tsp nutmeg
3 Tbs dry sherry

In a large skillet, saute the mushrooms in the butter until tender, add marjoram, nutmeg and sherry.

Saute 2 minutes. Add the peas. Heat through. Done.

Chicken Piccata:

4 skinless and boneless chicken breasts, butterflied and then cut in half
Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper
All-purpose flour, for dredging
6 Tbs butter
2 Tbs olive oil
Juice of one lemon & a titch of zest
1/3 cup chicken stock
2 Tbs capers, rinsed
4 Tbs dry white wine

Dump some flour in a zip-lock bag. Add the salt and pepper. Shake. Toss in the chicken, seal the bag and shake again until the chicken is well coated with flour.

In a large skillet over medium/high heat, melt 4 tablespoons of butter in the olive oil. When butter and oil start to sizzle, add chicken and cook for 3 minutes. When chicken is browned, flip and cook other side for 3 minutes. Remove and transfer to plate.

De-glaze the pan by adding the lemon juice/zest, stock, capers and wine to the skillet, bring to boil, scraping up brown bits from the pan for extra flavor. Check for seasoning. Return the chicken to the pan and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove chicken to platter. Add remaining 2 tablespoons butter to sauce and whisk.

Pour sauce over chicken and serve.

Piccata? Peas? Yes, please!

Paula

Play With Ur Food, It's Pizza Night!

2009-06-09T18:12:00.027-04:00

Okay, so I've been away from blogging for a while. And honestly, last night I was tired. I just wanted something easy and frivolous.

This, of course, made me think of my mother, 'cause you know, she was neither of those things. =D Like, I'm sure your Mom always told you to not play with your food. Meh. FORGET ALL THAT, I say! It's nonsense!

Do it! Throw caution to the wind! Unwind! Pour a glass of wine and PLAY WITH UR FOOD!

So, here's how I played with mine!

My pizza was: Tomato, Basil, Red Onion, Oregano, Pepperoncini, Goat Cheese, fresh cracked pepper and just a titch of Mozzarella. The steps:

From an artistic point of play, one must prepare one's canvas, the playground, if you will:

Then, flourishes...flourishes are a very important part of playing with ur food. It's a hard and fast rule of the game. One must always flourish:

At this point, stand back. Pause. Reflect a bit. Sip some wine. Reflect a bit more. Then, with gusto... slop some more on there!

Bake and then!

EAT IT!

Now, wasn't that fun? =D

Happy playing with ur food,

Paula

Oh! I almost forgot. Byron likes a lot of junk on his pizza. A LOT of junk. So, he gets his very OWN pizza to play with!

Life is Good!

Lobster Crab Artichoke Pasta

2009-06-07T21:06:00.020-04:00

Oh. My. God. This recipe, which is a collaboration between me and my friend Sarah (conducted over IM), has got to be the best pasta dish I have ever eaten. What a way to come back to blogging!

Lobster Crab Artichoke Pasta! Behold!

The recipe:

Lobster Crab Artichoke Pasta:

8 Tbs butter
1 Shallot, finely diced
1 Garlic Clove, finely diced
1 Cup Roma tomatoes, peeled, seeded, diced
1 Cup Artichoke Hearts, quartered (or 1/8th if large)
2 Tbs Dry Sherry
2 Pinch salt
1 Pinch white pepper

1 1/2 cups Lobster meat, cubed
1 1/2 cups Crab meat, cubed (I used stone crab, any will do)

2 Tbs Scallions, finely chopped
1/3 Cup Heavy Cream

Remove lobster shells:

I totally had to include this shot...lack of flash made for arty farty photo:

Remove Crab shells:

Yummy meat:

Another foodie shot of ingredients:

In a skillet, melt butter. Add shallot and garlic, saute for 2 minutes. Add tomatoes and artichokes, salt and pepper:

While this is cooking, start your pasta water (whatever pasta you want...I used bow tie, 'cause it's pretty.) Add sherry to skillet.

When your pasta is about done, add the lobster, crab and scallions to the skillet. Remove from heat after about 3 or 4 minutes and add heated cream:

Pour over pasta. Serve immediately.

This is so darned good! If I changed anything, it would be to add more tomatoes. I'll probably double them next time.

Please, please try it!

Also, dudes, I totally forgot my lame tomato rose I carved for the garnish. So, here's the little beauty on the left overs. You will notice the distinct lack of lobster and crab on this plate! :)

Haha! Yay! Food blogging! I'm baaaaack!

Paula

I also posted this original recipe here. And it is printable from this link:

Faily McFailerson Finally Posts

2009-06-07T12:57:00.013-04:00

Wow. I'm made of fail.

Fortunately, this simple appetizer, Blue Cheese Toasts, isn't!

Super Simple Blue Cheese Spread:

8 0unces Blue Cheese
8 ounces Cheddar Cheese
8 0unces Cream Cheese

Mix in food processor until blended. Slice baguette (of which I had none, so I used a hoagie roll).

Place slices spread with mixture on un-greased cooking sheet.

Broil until toasted. Voila.

This stuff is great on crackers and fruit too. And! It keeps forever (well, almost forever) in the refrigerator. It's the perfect thing to have handy for drop-ins. Or to be scarffed all by your lonesome.

So, yeah. Sorry I've been away so long. Life and sick puppies got in the way. Happy to be back.

Thanksgiving Prep/My Onblog List

2008-11-21T10:54:00.029-05:00

Progress photos as the day continues!

My progress photos (well besides the first two) were shot down by me because I got distracted. Seitan Said Dance was live streaming from her kitchen! I was having so much fun watching her slave in the kitchen, I just gave up my photographing and enjoyed her. Hope you all had a great day!

Assembling recipes complete: 11/22

Cheddar/Cayenne Coins To Go with the Bloody Mary's =D
Herb Roast Turkey
Honey Baked Ham picked up
Artisan Bread Stuffing with Herbs/Apples & Pecans
Oyster Casserole
Roast Garlic Potatoes & Gravy
Sherried Peas With Mushrooms
Roquefort/Walnut Green Beans
Tomato Aspic
Broccoli/Cauliflower Salad
Fresh Cranberry Relish
~~Parker House rolls/Potato Dough~~
Award Winning Spice Cake/Caramel Icing
~~Buttermilk Pie~~

Make grocery list
Order Bread for stuffing. (Potato/Rosemary and French Wood fired oven baked. Nom.)
Order Honey Baked Ham. (A southern must have)
Plan table setting (Trying to decide between my French hand painted wild bird plates as a pre-serve...or just elegant cream and gold...decisions, decisions. I suppose I could just say, "screw it..." and do paper. :D )
Order flowers for centerpiece Complete 11/22
Polish silver
Iron Linens
Cleaning House (Can someone please tell me why this has to be part of meal planning? Gah.)
Clean out refrigerator. (Omg...This is not going to be a small chore, unless I get lawn bags and just pitch everything in there and then set off a clorox bomb inside of the frig.)
Put up Christmas tree and decorate it. (I know, it's early, but I have a 15 foot behemoth and my sis is free to help me on Monday.)

I'll be adding to my list and checking things off (turning them blue to indicate completed) as the time nears.

Thanksgiving Day Progress Photos:

I stuffed the cavity of the bird with apples, lemons, shallots, celery, sage, thyme and kosher salted and peppered the inside and out.

Put it on a rack and into the roasting pan with about 2 cups of chicken stock. It's tented with foil and in a 325 degree oven. The foil will come off in the last hour of cooking and the bird will be basted with clarified butter.

Red Wine Marinated Lamb Chops

2008-10-18T17:25:00.023-04:00

Lamb. Lovely, luscious lamb. I haz lamb. Red wine marinated lamb chops (not with the traditional mint flavors) are paired with steamed brussel sprouts tossed with garlic butter. Thanks to The Market at Washington and High, my new home, we'll be enjoying lamb much more frequently. I hope you'll try it too.

I'm one of those very strange people who love, love, love lamb, but I really don't like mint, a traditional flavor profile for lamb. The combination of garlic and rosemary really hits the taste spot for me. I'll sometimes use the following marinade with a teaspoon of Dijon mustard in it too, but I didn't have any Dijon this night.

Red Wine Marinade:
2 cups dry red wine
2 tbsp. lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 sprig of rosemary, whole
1 bay leaf, whole
1/2 tsp. salt

Pour all ingredients in a zip-lock bag along with the lamb chops and marinade for 2 hours in the refrigerator. Turn and shake several times. Remove the zip-lock bag from the refrigerator and bring the chops to room temperature before cooking.

Remove the chops from the marinade and discard (the marinade...not the chops! =D ). Chop fresh rosemary and sprinkle both sides of the lamb chops with the rosemary and salt and pepper. Place in a screaming hot skillet.

Cook on the first side until it's nicely caramelized. Turn and continue cooking on second side until rare to medium rare (Please don't overcook lamb), about 2 1/2 to 3 minutes on each side.

While the lamb was cooking, I steamed some brussel sprouts in a double boiler. In a separate pan, I melted butter and added a crushed clove of garlic, salt and pepper. Remove the crushed garlic before serving and toss the brussel sprouts in the butter.

That's all there is to some lip smackin' goodness. Can haz lamb!

Paula

Pan Seared Sea Bass

2008-10-05T10:24:00.009-04:00

This week I had a couple of OMG moments. The first one occurred when I finally found the time to check out a new local market. This store made me feel like I had died and gone to heaven! The market is set in this lovely old brick building that was renovated for its new use. This post is a result of this amazing new place, The Market at Washington and High.

I live (not literally, but it has seemed like it food wise) in the middle of nowhere. The availability of fresh sea food, fabulous meats, organic produce and other incredible products to cook with was limited. This new place is relatively close, about a 20 minute drive from my house. I can't believe that I finally have access to the wonders that are offered there without a 40 minute drive!

I wandered around like a kid in a candy store. They had cobia, so fresh that it had not a single odor. They had Chilean sea bass and wonderful Italian sausages and venison, lamb, elk, duck, fresh baked breads, organic produce (Chinese eggplant! I'm going to have to cook some of that), spices and dried mushrooms and peppers and incredible condiments. I'm in love.

The second OMG moment happened when I ate this meal. Pan seared sea bass with mushroom garlic parmesan grits and fresh spinach. Wow, was it ever tasty.

Mushroom Garlic Parmesan Grits:
4 Tbs butter
1 clove garlic, pressed or minced
1/8 tsp dry thyme leaves
1 Pint mushrooms (I used portobello)
1 cup quick grits
2 cups chicken stock
2/3 cup heavy cream
salt and black pepper to taste
4Tbs parmigiano reggiano cheese, finely grated

Directions:
In a sauce pan, melt 2 Tbs of the butter, add the garlic and thyme. Saute for about 3 minutes, add the mushrooms. Saute until golden. Stir in grits, add chicken stock, reduce heat and simmer until the grits thicken. Add the heavy cream, 2 Tbs butter, salt and pepper.

Transfer to baking dish and sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Bake at 400 degrees until golden brown and bubbly (About 20 minutes). This is enough time to prepare the fish and spinach.

Pan Seared Sea Bass and Spinach:
Center Cut Fillets of Sea Bass
Salt and Pepper
2 Tbs canola oil
6 ounces of fresh spinach, washed
2 Tbs butter

Directions:
Season the sea bass on both sides with salt and pepper. Place a heavy skillet over medium heat, add the canola oil and bring it to a very slight smoke. Add the sea bass and cook for 7 minutes (Don't move it). Carefully turn the fish and cook the other side for the same time. The beautiful golden color and crispy skin is your reward. Remove the sea bass and hold in a warm location.

In the same skillet, add the spinach. To the wilted spinach add the butter and season with salt and pepper.

Layer the plate with a square of the grits, a small amount of the spinach on the grits and place the sea bass on an angle.

Heck. Just toss it on the plate. You won't be looking at how pretty it is, you'll be chowing down. This is some seriously good stuff.

Enjoy!

Paula

Jack's Potato Salad...Not Jacked Up

2008-10-05T09:40:00.007-04:00

Summer isn't the only time to enjoy potato salad. In my world, it's a year round favorite side dish. I'm on a side dish kick lately! ;)

I learned the secret of really excellent southern style mustard potato salad from our friend, Jack Gregory. I'll share it with you. It's not jacked up.

The secret to really excellent southern style mustard potato salad you ask? Eggs. Lots and lots of hard cooked eggs. Really, you can just consider this an egg salad recipe with a few potatoes added in.

Mustard Potato Salad:

5 pounds potatoes, cooked whole/skin on until fork tender, peel, cube
12 eggs, hard cooked, chopped
1 3/4 cup onion, chopped
1 1/2 cup celery, chopped
1 tsp celery seed
2 tsp salt
1 tsp cracked black pepper
2 1/2 cups mayonnaise
1/2 cup + 2 Tbs yellow mustard

Jack uses pickle relish in his, but I'm not a fan so I left it out. I also added celery seed to mine. I hope he won't mind.

Being a southern girl, I can't think of a better comfort food side dish than potato salad. Except maybe macaroni and cheese.

This recipe makes a lot. This is good; it only gets better and if it's my house, it doesn't last long.

Enjoy!

Paula

Simply Spicy Side - Spicy Coleslaw

2008-10-05T09:09:00.007-04:00

Simple side dishes are a great thing to have on hand and this super simple spicy slaw is so unexpectedly good that I made it 938843847 times since I first sampled the recipe.

It was a lovely summer evening at the home of some friends where I first got to taste this recipe. The occasion was a fish fry and guests had volunteered to bring a dish. The spicy coleslaw was added to the menu by our dear friend, Steve Head. I instantly fell in love with the cool/hot nature of the slaw. It's now my absolute favorite slaw recipe.

As a matter of fact, I have made double batches and eaten for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I'm a bit of a freak.

Oh, did I say how simple it is to prepare?

Spicy Cole Slaw:
Ingredients:
1 16 ounce package coleslaw cabbage mixture
1 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
2 Tbs pickled jalapeno, minced fine
1 clove garlic, minced or pressed
2 Tbs green onions, diced
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
3 shakes hot sauce (I use Marie Sharp's)
2/3 cup Marzetti Slaw Dressing (I've made my own, but use the shortcut for ease)

Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl, toss with Slaw Dressing. Chill for 1 hour and serve.

Simple right? Can haz slaw.

Enjoy!

Paula

In Search of Cottage Pie

2008-09-13T19:06:00.020-04:00

My husband, Byron, is a meat and potatoes guy. He doesn't much get his wish for such food, but occasionally I try to make his day. I've been in search of a really great Cottage Pie (Shepherd's Pie) recipe. I've fiddled around with many. I haven't settled on one yet. I'm open to suggestions if you have them.

So, here's what I did this time.

Cottage Pie Ingredients:

1 pound ground chuck beef
8 ounces mushrooms, chopped
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 large cloves garlic, pressed or finely minced
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper to taste
1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 Tablespoon flour
1/2 cup beef broth
splash dry sherry
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 cups frozen peas
4 cups mashed potatoes, cooked with garlic and mashed with butter and sour cream
1/8 cup chopped chives (or finely sliced green onions with tops)

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 375 F.

Place ground beef, mushrooms, onion, garlic, salt, and pepper in a large heavy skillet. Saute, breaking up ground beef. When browned, drain fat off in colander.

Put beef mixture back in skillet and stir in Worchestershire, then flour. Cook 1 minute, stirring often. Add beef broth, stirring to combine, then add sherry and heavy cream. Simmer until gravy thickens.

Pour into glass baking dish. Let cool slightly, then sprinkle green peas evenly on top of beef.

Mash potatoes, cooked with pressed garlic, with butter and sour cream. Add chives or green onions. Pipe or layer and rough up the potato top to have texture to brown nicely.

Here's a side view of the layers:

Bake about 45 minutes until heated through. Turn oven on broil and brown the potato top. Let rest 15 minutes before serving.

I think this would have benefited from some thyme in the meat mixture. Oh well, does anyone out there have recipes?

Paula

Guacamole Amore

2008-09-13T18:09:00.016-04:00

I love Guacamole.

It's so changeable. And so delicious. And...so easy.

I promised in my last post I would give you my guacamole recipe, so here it is! I make a real hodgepodge salady guacamole.

Guacamole
2 Avocados
1 Lime, juiced
3 Tablespoons Red Onion, diced
2 Roma Tomatoes, diced
1 Tablespoon Fresh Cilantro, chopped
1 Tablespoon Pickled Jalapeno, chopped fine
1 Shake Garlic Powder*
Salt and Pepper, to taste

*Normally I use a clove of fresh garlic, pressed, but I was out. ;)

Cut the avocado length wise, scoring it around the seed. Twist the fruit and pull apart. Take your knife and whack the seed, twist the knife and pull the seed out. If you are afraid of this knife method, you can scoop the seed out with a spoon.

Pull the peel off, starting with the small end.

Mash the peeled avocado with a potato masher.

I like kind of chunky guacamole, if you want it smoother, you can process the avocado in a food processor.

Dump in the other prepared ingredients.

Voila!

Don't dine, devour!

Paula

TIPS: To ripen avocados, place them in a plain brown paper bag and store at room temperature. It will take about two to five days until they're ready to eat. To hasten ripening, place an apple in the paper bag with them.

To store guacamole in the refrigerator, put plastic wrap down directly on the surface of the guacamole.

Pretty Darned Good Black Bean Soup

2008-09-09T17:13:00.039-04:00

You see, unlike Cook's Illustrated, I would never claim to have "the perfect" anything with a recipe. And in all honesty, I don't think they should either (but they do...if you are interested in more on this topic, read this post). So, I have taken their recipe for Black Bean Soup, from January 2005, and improved it.

Doesn't that look wonderful?

I started with some really amazing beans from Rancho Gordo. I found out about the wonders of Rancho Gordo beans from Alosha's Kitchen when Melissa did this post about her Rancho Gordo love. I read the comments and it was unanimous that the beans are fabulous. Well, if you know me, that was too much to resist. So, I got online and ordered a variety of beans and some chili powder. Great company, Rancho Gordo! I say this being in the mail order business myself, as part of our retail store. They were just super to deal with and I hope you will give them a shout and order some beans too! I can't wait to cook more.

On to the soups. Here are the recipe ingredients from Cook's Illustrated:

Beans
1	pound dried black beans (2 cups), rinsed and picked over
4	ounces ham steak , trimmed of rind
2	bay leaves
5	cups water
1/8	teaspoon baking soda
1	teaspoon table salt
Soup
3	tablespoons olive oil
2	large onions , chopped fine (about 3 cups)
1	large carrot , chopped fine (about 1/2 cup)
3	ribs celery , chopped fine (about 1 cup)
1/2	teaspoon table salt
5 - 6	medium cloves garlic , minced or pressed through garlic press (about 1 1/2 tablespoons)
1/2	teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 1/2	tablespoons ground cumin
6	cups low-sodium chicken broth
2	tablespoons cornstarch
2	tablespoon water
2	tablespoons lime juice , from 1 to 2 limes
Garnishes
	lime wedges
	minced fresh cilantro leaves
	red onion , finely diced
	avocado , diced medium
	sour cream

Oh, yeah...don't try to get on to get the recipe from that site. You have to be a paying member. Or you can get a 14 day free trial, but you have to give them a credit card. Cook's Illustrated is like my mother, she doesn't share well either.

Okay, so here's my theory about bean soups and what I see as a major flaw in the Cook's Illustrated recipe. If you have to use a thickener, you started with too much liquid to begin with. The key is to give the beans the amount of liquid they need. As they absorb the liquid, they will tell you when they need more. You only give them as much as they need to get tender, and after that, as much as you want to achieve the thickness you desire.

It's perfectly great to remove a portion of the soup and puree it. That just makes it creamier. I didn't do that for this recipe. I wanted to see those beautiful beans in their full glory.

Another flaw in their recipe, as I see it, is their choice of liquid. Water? Low Sodium Chicken Broth? How boring.

Here's my adaptation:

Beans

1 pound dried black beans (2 cups), rinsed and picked over
Water enough to cover beans with 2" over the top of the beans

Soup

1 huge or 2 large onions, generous chop (about 3 cups)
2 carrots, generous dice (about a cup)
3 ribs celery, generous dice (about a cup)
1 tsp salt
5-6 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon ground cumin
3 12 ounce bottles of lager (I used Yuengling lager)
1 32 ounce box vegetable stock
1 hunk of tasso*
2 shakes of hot sauce (I used Marie Sharp's)***

Garnishes:

Sour cream
Red onion, chopped
Fresh cilantro leaves
Guacamole**

Beans: Cover with water and soak for 4-6 hours, until tender. Discard soaking water. You can do a quicker method by putting the beans and water in a pot with a tight lid and simmering them briskly for about 1.5 hours until the beans are tender. Still, ditch the soaking water.

Soup: Dump everything into your stock pot, with the exception of one bottle of lager which you will use as your reserve liquid to be added as needed. It looks like this starting out:

Cook, covered, at a low heat for about an hour. Remove the lid (now is a good time to taste it and adjust your salt, if needed) and continue cooking on low heat and adding lager, as needed, for about 1.5 hours. I was off work, so I let it slowly simmer most of the afternoon.

Remove the ham (it will be falling apart), pull it apart with a fork, add it back to the soup.

Ladle the soup out and garnish!

Hey, I'm sure it's not perfect (can't everything be improved upon?), but it was pretty darned good!

Feel free to change it up to suit your tastes!

And join me as I dine on some Pretty Darned Good Black Bean Soup! ;)

Paula

*Tasso is cajun ham, read the link, and I got a chunk of it from a friend who brought it to me from Louisiana. The cajun seasoning and the smokiness of the meat is perfect for this soup. Here's a site where you can buy it. Absent that, I would throw in any ham piece or a spicy sausage.
**Guacamole is a favorite of mine. I'll post my recipe soon. There are some good ready made ones out there, such as Wholly Guacamole. Diced avocado works well too.
***Marie Sharp's is a hot sauce made from habanero peppers. Fear it not! I promise it's not too hot! I just recently got a bottle as a gift from a friend...I'm hooked.

Oh! I almost forgot! Shout out to The Wooden Spoon. Maura is the one who inspired me to use lager in the soup. She's got a killer red sauce recipe that she uses it in.

I'm Back!

2008-09-08T09:05:00.006-04:00

Upcoming Post:

How Alosha's Kitchen introduced me to Rancho Gordo beans and how I am changing Cook's Illustrated's Black Bean Soup recipe from January 2005.

The beans are a soakin'. See you soon!

This Is Alarming! O hai, Cooks Illustrated!

2008-08-02T16:51:00.011-04:00

I haven't posted in a while. And I promise to do so soon. I just wanted to call your attention to the following posts by another food blogger. If you blog too, you need to read all three of these links. The second and the third are the important ones.

Aloshaskitchen's July 4th Picnic Post.

Aloshaskitchen's Follow-up Post. Is what we do legal or not?

Aloshakitchen's Second Follow-up Post.

I am seriously outraged by this situation. I fully intend to publish one of their recipes, modified. You'll be seeing it soon.

From the U.S. Copyright Office:

Mere listings of ingredients as in recipes, formulas, compounds, or prescriptions are not subject to copyright protection. However, when a recipe or formula is accompanied by substantial literary expression in the form of an explanation or directions, or when there is a combination of recipes, as in a cookbook, there may be a basis for copyright protection.

This poster on lj put it very nicely:

Check out the Wooden Spoon:

"Melissa thought she was doing the right thing by giving Cook's Country credit for inspiring her to create her own potato salad recipe. Instead, she received what was essentially a "cease and desist" e-mail from CI's PR firm. CI/CC's arrogance about their recipes is appalling, as is their hypocrisy."

Indeed.

Also, non drama related, I hope to be able to publish the posts that I haven't gotten around to putting up. My computer got fried, and I am hoping that it didn't kill the hard drive, since all the pictures I have taken are loaded there and erased from my camera. :/

I have gotten busy...

2008-04-19T21:58:00.004-04:00

Okay...I know...I need to post. I have many back logged posts that just need to be typed up. Thanks to you guys who have asked. They will be up, sometime. I hope soon.

Spinach and Portabella Pasta

2008-03-31T11:24:00.016-04:00

Love Spinach? Love Portabella Mushrooms? Love Pasta?
'Nuff Said!

This recipe is so easy and so tasty and without meat, but you wouldn't know it! Spinach and Mushroom Pasta behind the cut...

This recipe can be found here. I happened to have fresh spinach, portabella mushrooms, fresh basil and thyme...and of course, a block of parmigiano reggiano. Score! The ingredients are pictured:

When cooking with portabella mushrooms, especially with a cream sauce, it is important to remove the gills because they will discolor the sauce. You do this by just taking a spoon and scooping them out. Here is one that is cleaned of the gills:

The mushrooms cleaned, the spinach and basil chopped, the onion chopped, the thyme and the garlic ready:

Put the olive oil, onion, garlic and thyme in a skillet over medium heat and saute for a few minutes:

Add the mushrooms and stir often until they brown and they begin to release their juices. At this point, I added a splash of vermouth:

Sprinkle in the flour and stir for a minute or so. This step is important since cooked flour loses that "floury" taste. Think of it as a roux in the middle of your vegetables.

Drizzle in the milk. All I had was Silk, Soy Organic...it was great! See how thick and lovely it got?

Add the spinach, basil, salt and pepper and stir just until the spinach and basil begin to wilt:

Toss with the pasta and top with cheese. I used parmigiano reggiano. Crusty loaf. Done.

This was SO good! Join me as I dine...

Paula

The No Cream of Asparagus Soup

2008-03-30T07:38:00.010-04:00

What is "No Cream of Asparagus Soup?" It is a creamy delight of asparagus soup that is minus cream!

Yes, another soup! Honestly...the soup season is almost over. So, one last (maybe) soup behind the cut. I found a recipe on VegCooking, but I altered it so much I am going to just give you my version.

The ingredients:

No Cream of Asparagus Soup:

2 lbs fresh asparagus, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 cup celery, chopped
1 Tbs olive oil
1 large potato, peeled, thinly sliced
3 tsp fresh thyme
32 ounce box vegetable stock
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup soy milk

In a stock pot, heat the olive oil and add the asparagus, onion and celery and saute until slightly soft:

Peel and thinly slice the potato. Also, you can see some asparagus peelings there, I peeled the thicker parts of the stems because it was huge asparagus. The big woody stems are stringy and tough unless you peel them:

Add the potato slices and the thyme and vegetable stock to the pot and simmer with the lid on for about 30 minutes. The addition of the potato adds starch that will help make this soup creamy.

It will end up looking like this:

Use your immersion blender to puree the soup, or do so in batches in a regular blender. Add the soy milk and salt and pepper. It has this consistency:

Crusty bread and a bowl for the soup (I garnished mine with several asparagus heads that I steamed in a tad of water in the microwave for 15 seconds) and you are ready.

Can you tell I adore soups? Yes? Good...I hope you do too! Join me as I dine...

Paula

Left Overs...The Eternal Question, What to do with them?

2008-03-26T21:01:00.005-04:00

Quick post here...it's left overs! It doesn't have to look like it, or taste like it.

Lamb salad...behind the cut.

I made a whole semi-boneless leg of lamb for Easter. We had it on sandwiches, we had it with other side dishes...tonight, we had it in a salad.
Lamb salad:

lamb, cubed
fresh spinach leaves
romaine hearts, chopped
cucumber, halved, sliced
tomato, cubed
red onion, sliced thin
feta cheese, crumbled
balsamic vinaigrette

Done. Join me as I dine...on left overs!

Paula

The Easter Feast Post, 2008

2008-03-22T19:54:00.068-04:00

Happy Easter everyone! For those of you who don't celebrate Easter, I hope you will enjoy it this post also. It was posted in real time, originally, as I was preparing each dish.

I should have time stamped this post. The reason it shows Saturday is that is when I started with the flower arrangement. I began cooking at about 8:30 am on Sunday and finished food preparations around 6:50 pm. (I noticed the clock on the beam next to the side board.) Everything, from eating to clean up was done by 8:30 pm...so, about 12 hours.

The Easter table emerged. I folded napkin swans, but Byron dubbed them the Easter turkeys! He's a crazy man.:

The first order of business, the holiday cocktail. This makes the cooking fun, don'tcha know!

The Holiday Cocktails:
Byron prefers mimosa's (champagne and orange juice) but I am having a poinsettia (champagne and cranberry juice). Each of them is made special by the addition of a "flavor enhancer," for the mimosa add a splash of Cointreau (orange liqueur) and for the poinsettia add a splash of Chambord (raspberry liqueur):

A toast to Easter!

Now on to the cooking.

The first dish is a family favorite, tomato aspic. I will say, it's an acquired taste. It's a savory jelled dish; I love it. Think of it as a congealed bloody mary!

Tomato Aspic

4 cups tomato juice
6 packages of Unflavored Gelatin
2/3 water
1 Tbs Worchestershire
2 tsp salt
5 Tbs vinegar
2 1/2 cups green pepper, diced
2 1/2 cups celery, diced
1 cup onion, diced

Dissolve gelatin in water.

Heat all of the ingredients, with the exception of the gelatin and water, in a large sauce pan until almost to a boil. Remove from heat and add the gelatin. Stir until all the gelatin is dissolved.

Pour into a mold that has been sprayed with oil (or just a bowl if you prefer) and refrigerate until set.

Next, what is a Southern feast without deviled eggs, you ask? It isn't a Southern feast, that's what.

Deviled Eggs

6 Hard-cooked eggs (I always make spares...details later*)
1/4 cup mayonaise
1 tsp yellow mustard
1 tsp vinegar
Paprika or parsley sprigs (optional)

There are tricks to easily peeled hard-cooked eggs. The first is to buy the eggs a week or so ahead of time. If you forget to do so, as I did, just add about 1/4 cup of white vinegar to the water in which you boil the eggs. I only had one that gave me fits this time.

Deviled Egg Ingredients:

Cut the eggs in half, length wise and remove the yolks. With a fork, mash the yolks and then add the other ingredients and stir:

You can just spoon this mixture into the egg halves, but I always pipe mine:

Garnish with either a sprinkle of paprika or a sprig of parsley. *The extra ones I have on the deviled egg tray are for the person who likes to steal a few before it's time to serve them. (Looking at you, Byron!)

Garlic, Onion, Rosemary Mashed Potatoes

3 large baking potatoes
1 medium onion
5 cloves of garlic
1 box vegetable stock
1 sprig of rosemary
4 Tbs salt
1 tsp black pepper
4 ounces butter
4 ounces cream cheese

Peel and dice the potatoes, onions and garlic and place in a large sauce pan with the vegetable stock, rosemary sprig and salt. Boil until the potatoes are soft, approximately 40 minutes. I use vegetable stock to cook the potatoes in because they add to the rich taste of the final product. Additionally, I am making a rotisserie leg of lamb, so I will use that stock for a gravy later.

Drain the potatoes in a colander into another pan. Remember, the stock is being used later for a gravy. Notice that rich, golden color they took on from cooking in the vegetable stock.

Add butter, cream cheese and pepper to the pan the potatoes cooked in. Put the drained potatoes back in the same pan and roughly mash. Cover and hold for later.

This next dish I have been making for over 20 years. It may well be one of the reasons Byron married me, since it is just like his mom used to make. It is a must have on any of our holiday menus. While the original recipe came from Southern Elegance, the Junior League Cookbook from Gaston County, North Carolina, in 1987, I am giving you my portions.

Oyster Casserole:

6-8 oz containers of fresh oysters
3 sleeves of saltine crackers, crumbled coarsely
12 ounces butter, melted
salt
pepper
nutmeg
parsley, chopped
1/4 cup oyster liquor
1/4 cup milk

In a plastic bag, crumble the crackers and add the melted butter. This starts the first layer of the casserole:

Pour the oysters into a bowl, chop the parsley and get your salt, pepper and nutmeg ready.

Layer the oysters onto the layer of crackers, sprinkle with salt, pepper, nutmeg and parsley:

You will have two layers of oysters ending with cracker crumbs. Pour the oyster liquor (the reserve oyster juice) and milk over the layers. At this point, this casserole will hold. Bake it in a 400 degree oven for about 30 minutes when you are ready to serve it.

Have I mentioned that Byron is nuts? He was snacking on smoked mussels and crackers. This is his way of telling me he's getting hungry and ready for me to start the lamb:

Rotisserie Lamb with Garlic, Rosemary, Mustard Glaze:

Make the glaze with:

Dijon Mustard
Rosemary, fresh, chopped
5 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
pepper
salt
dry white wine

Salt and Pepper the lamb; put some slits in the roast, stick some extra garlic cloves into the slits. I line the rotisserie with foil for easy clean up, cause rotisseries are a pain in the tush to clean.

Turn on the rotisserie and baste the lamb with the mustard glaze. Notice I have inserted a meat thermometer, this will ensure a nice rare lamb roast.

After just a few minutes, you can see the browning and caramelizing of the fat and the glaze. Brush on more mustard glaze every 15 minutes or so.

A mid-way through glazing:

Almost done:

Sherried Peas with Mushrooms:

1 package frozen peas, thawed
3 Tbs butter
1 cup dry sherry
1 tsp dry marjoram
1/2 package of sliced mushrooms

Melt the butter in a skillet and add the sherry, marjoram and mushrooms. Saute until the mushrooms are softened:

Add the peas at the last minute to heat through.

For the gravy...it just winged it...so let me tell you what I did. First I took the vegetable stock that the potatoes cooked in. To that, I added about a cup of port wine and heated it. Then, I took about 4 Tbs of flour and added about a cup of the hot stock/port and whisked it.

I added that to the pan with the rest of the liquid and whisked. When it came to a boil it was thickened and lovely.

Added the water and the wine to the table:

Set it all out on the side board. [Note: I love that portrait of the pups and me. That was an anniversary gift to Byron from me many years ago; it was painted by our friend, Bob Cloyd]:

A close up:

Nom, nom! It was so wonderful! Thank you for sharing Easter with me and joining me as I cooked and dined...

Paula

No Longer Top Secret! My Great-Great-Grandmother's Coffee Cake

2008-03-20T15:26:00.023-04:00

This recipe is perfect for Easter morning, or any morning for that matter. The posting of this recipe will send shock waves through my family if they find out about it. I have no idea why, but the recipe was such a closely guarded secret that my grandmother didn't know my mother had it, and I had to steal it from my own mother. ;)

Of course, I am breaking that ridiculous tradition. My great-great-grandmother's coffee cake:

This recipe makes a very dense cake that is not overly sweet. The topping provides a wonderful, sweet bite with the cinnamon and sugar topping that melts and caramelizes with the butter as it bakes. It's a tradition that needs to be shared and enjoyed. The fact that it takes minutes to make is a plus.

The ingredients are basic.
For the cake:

2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
3 Tbs sugar
4 tsp baking powder
2 Tbs melted butter
1 cup milk

For the topping:

2 Tbs flour
2 Tbs cinnamon
3 Tbs sugar
3 Tbs butter

Sift the dry ingredients:

Add the melted butter and milk and stir with a wooden spoon:

The dough will be quite stiff and will pull away from the bowl and form a ball:

Press the dough into a greased cake pan:

Put the topping ingredients in a separate bowl:

With a fork, cut the topping ingredients until there are small pieces of crumble:

Sprinkle that on top of the cake dough and press indentions with your fingers so the topping will go down through the cake:

Bake for 30 minutes in a 350 degree oven.

Then, ditch the coffee. Pop open a bottle of champagne and make a mimosa!

Here's a toast! To my great-great-grandmother! May everyone now enjoy her simply wonderful, easy, delicious coffee cake!

Join me as I dine...

Paula

Spring Risotto & Baked Flounder with Wine & Herbs

2008-03-16T10:51:00.030-04:00

Yay! Spring Risotto and Baked Flounder! Can you get more yummy? The simple answer is, "No!"

So, there are two dishes behind the cut and both are easy and delicious. Try 'em, you'll like 'em!

The risotto was a featured recipe in Cuisine at Home, which is a really great magazine that my friend Pat has given to me as a Christmas gift for several years. The recipe is not posted online, so I will give it to you.

Cuisine at Home Spring Risotto:

3 ounces prosciutto, diced
2 Tbs olive oil, divided
1 lb. asparagus, trimmed, cut into 1" pieces
1 Tbs shallots (I didn't have shallots, so I used green onions)
2 tsp garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
6 cups chicken stock, hot
2 cups fresh spinach, chopped
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
1/2 tsp fresh tarragon (I omitted this/not a tarragon fan)
1/2 cup Parmesan, shredded

So, here is a photo of the ingredients for the risotto:

Baked Flounder is really simple...and it is a baking recipe for fish that I have used for years. You can use any firm white meat fish for this method.

In a baking dish, place:

Several sprigs of fresh parsley
Several sprigs of fresh thyme
Several cloves of crushed garlic
Several bay leaves
Fill the baking dish to the top of the herbs with dry vermouth

Place the fish on top of the herbs, sprinkle with kosher salt, pepper and drizzle on some olive oil.

Cover with foil and preheat the oven to 450 degrees. It will cook for about 20-25 minutes or until the fish is opaque. The thickness of the fish you choose will cause a variation in the cooking time.

Just prepare the fish in the dish, and I'll tell you when to pop it in the oven.

Chop the asparagus, prosciutto, scallions and garlic:

Put one tablespoon of the olive oil in a skillet and brown the prosciutto. Remove it from the skillet and set is aside when it looks like this:

Add the asparagus to the skillet and saute until tender, about 5 minutes. Remove it from the skillet and set it aside when it looks like this:

Add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil, scallions (or shallots) and garlic to the skillet and saute until translucent:

Heat your chicken stock:

Have your wine, peas and chopped spinach ready:

To the skillet with the onions and garlic, add the rice and stir until the rice is coated with the oil. Add the wine and cook until the wine is absorbed into the rice, about 2-3 minutes:

Put your fish in the oven now, because the risotto recipe should be finished about the same time.

You are going to start adding the hot stock in 1 cups batches to the risotto and stir it with a wooden spoon until it is nearly absorbed:

Side note: The wooden spoon pictured above was a gift from Pat's daughter, Amy. I just love hand carved wooden spoons! That is one of my all time favorites...thanks, Amy.

The process of adding the stock and stirring takes about 20-25 minutes and you can see what happens to the risotto...it is plumping up and getting creamy:

Heat the bowl you are going to mix the risotto in and add the spinach. Putting the spinach in a hot bowl will help wilt the spinach.

Remove the completed risotto to a bowl and add the asparagus, peas and parmesan cheese (I used parmigiano reggiano, of course.) Stir to mix.

Pull the flounder out of the oven and squeeze on some fresh lemon. Both dishes look like this:

Now, just plate them both, sprinkle some of the crisped prosciutto onto the risotto and add a fresh parsley sprig:

So delicious! Join me as I dine...

Paula

It's Chilly...How About Some Chili?

2008-03-08T10:22:00.016-05:00

I interrupt my regularly scheduled post to bring you the following announcement and unscheduled recipe. It's snowing...

Let's make some Chili!

I wasn't really planning on this post, but it's snowing...so let's do it. I made chili last night, but I didn't do the normal step by step pictures. I just made my chili without even thinking about a post...then it hit me! It was supposed to snow! I should have done a photo shoot! Well, after I made the chili, I did snap a few pictures so you could see.

Honestly though, you don't need pictures, this recipe is so easy even a caveman can do it! *wink*

Paula's Chili

3 pounds extra lean ground beef, browned, drained, rinsed (I mix in ground venison if I have it.)
2 Large Yellow Onions, lightly sauteed.
64 oz. tomato juice
2 10 ounce cans of Rotel tomatoes (or 2 cans diced tomatoes and one small can green chilies)
1 28 ounce can Hunt's Crushed Tomatoes
2 16 ounce cans Bush's Light Red Kidney beans, drained, rinsed
1 Tbs Cumin
2 Tbs Hot Chili Powder
1/4 tsp Cayenne Pepper
3 Tbs Pickled Jalapeno's, diced
Optional: 1 tsp Crushed Red Pepper Flakes; 2 Tbs Fresh Chopped Ciliantro (I forgot I had some Cilantro paste in the frig...I am adding 2 Tbs for the next day. You can find it in the produce section of most grocery stores...I found mine at Kroger.)

[Note: you can control the heat by using regular chili powder, eliminating the cayenne pepper and the jalapenos. My chili is hot, but it won't burn your mouth or anything.]

Dump all that stuff in a stock pot:

Simmer for a couple of hours on low heat with the lid off. This recipe makes a ton (of course...I have a hard time doing small soups), but it is even better the next day and it freezes very well.

Now, take a baking sheet, cover it with corn chips....top with cheddar cheese...slap on some jalapeno slices...pop in the oven at 350 degrees until the cheese bubbles. Nom, nom, nom!

Ladle some chili in a bowl and top it with some sour cream, diced green onions and some cheedar cheese...get you a plate of nachos...and chow down!

It's SNOWING! It's Chili! Join me as I dine...

Paula

Cauliflower Leek Soup...The "Not Potato" Leek Soup

2008-02-28T17:42:00.039-05:00

I love soup...really, I just love it. I was at the grocery store recently and they had some really beautiful leeks. So, immediately I thought of Potato Leek soup. Yum. The problem? Byron and I gave up potatoes, except for special occasions.

I got the brilliant idea (which I thought was so innovative) to substitute cauliflower for the potato. I was going to be a trail blazer in a new food combination of delicious low carbness. Not. When I googled cauliflower leek soup, there were pages of recipes. Oh well, I made it anyway.

Cauliflower Leek Soup, the "not potato" leek soup...awaits behind the cut.

Speaking of behind the cut...I owe a long overdue thanks to my friend, Sarah from Seattle. Without her help, I never would have been able to get cuts on this blog. Besides that, she is the inspiration for ideas for upcoming meals. Thank you, Sarah! You are truly made of awesome!

Here are the ingredients:

The recipe I used can be found here. It calls for the addition of heavy cream at the end. I opted out of that ingredient. Instead, I put a dollop of Boursin cheese and some chopped scallions as a garnish. By using the boursin as a garnish rather than cream as an ingredient in the soup, it allows you to control the amount you want...or gives guests the option of not having it at all. This recipe is so very easy and so very tasty.

This photograph illustrates why it is very important to wash leeks well:

Leeks are grown in very sandy soil, so as the leek emerges from the earth, the grit they are grown in gets trapped in the layers of the leek. It's gross, but easily cured. You simply cut the leeks and put them in a deep bowl of water. Swish them around and pop them apart and the dirt and grit falls to the bottom of the bowl:

Heat the olive oil and butter in a large pot over medium heat. Saute the leeks, cauliflower and garlic for about 10 minutes. This time, I used my garlic press. You can see, it is beat up. Just like the reviewer in that link to the Susi Garlic Press, mine is 20 years old and never fails to work beautifully. If you hate chopping garlic, get one.

The colors of these ingredients as they saute are just stunning. As I was at this point in the cooking, I found myself pulling a Rachael Ray, exclaiming to myself how wonderful it smelled...and how I wished you could get *smell-o-computer*:

After the ingredients in the pan soften a bit, you add the vegetable stock:

Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 45 minutes. When the time is up, it looks like this:

With an immersion blender (or in batches in a regular blender), puree the soup:

Add salt and black pepper to taste:

Stir it in and you have a soup that is this consistency:

It has a wonderful creaminess that is not quite the same as potato, but wonderful nonetheless.

Heat up some crusty bread, set the table and you are ready!

Soup's on! Join me as I dine!

Paula

Sauce Love...An All Day Adventure.

2008-02-25T21:13:00.053-05:00

Most of my days off are spent on all day cooking projects. I just love puttering in the kitchen and the smells of my favorite foods permeating the house. This post will be the first in which I share one of my own recipes. It was a revelation preparing it because I normally just dump things in; I had to take notes and measure! I offer Pasta Sauce...simmered all day.

The best things about this recipe are:

It makes a ton. So, you can freeze the remainder in serving sized containers for future meals.
It is totally adaptable to your tastes or dietary needs or wants.
It's yummy! Yes, that's a technical term.

Here is a photo of the ingredients, as I made it:

2-26 ounce boxes of Pomi Strained Tomatoes. (You can use tomato sauce, but I found this at Kroger and I'm here to tell you, it's fabulous!)
2-28 ounce cans of Hunt's Crushed Tomatoes
2 Bay Leaves
2 ounces Pesto (I used this because my regular grocery didn't have fresh basil. This is a nice substitute for dry basil. When converting fresh herbs to dry, use 1 tsp of dry for 1 Tbs of fresh.)
2 Tbs chopped fresh oregano
Black Pepper and Salt (I added about 2tsp of salt since the tomatoes are not salted.)
1/2 bottle of red wine (Remember, in cooking you want to use wine you would drink...I used a nice Bordeaux.)
2 red peppers*
2 yellow peppers*
2 red onions*
5 large cloves of garlic
1 Tbs olive oil
4 Links of Italian Sausage
2 Lbs Ground Round

Options for this sauce are:

Making it meatless. I do this often. Just leave out the meat.
Add mushrooms (I usually do, but I didn't have any) or any other lightly sauteed vegetables, i.e. squash or zucchini or eggplant.
Making it Vegan friendly, obviously make it meatless (or add a meat substitute). Also, you would not use the Pesto as a basil substitute because it contains Pecorino Romano cheese.
Making it Kosher friendly, obviously no pork sausage. If you use ground beef, leave out the pesto and the parmesan I add later.

[ *I used the red and yellow peppers and red onions because they provide a lovely sweetness to the sauce that I find lacking in green peppers and white onions. ]

The first step is to put the first six ingredients into a large stock pot:

Next, add the wine:

Dice the peppers and onions. For this recipe, I prefer a chunky dice, but try to make the pieces kind of uniform in size:

And then the garlic, I have a garlic press, the Susi by Zyliss, but I just chopped it. The garlic skins can easily be removed by taking the flat side of a butcher knife and giving the garlic a good whack! Also, you want to cut off the stem end of the garlic. Then, just chop away:

Add the olive oil to a hot skillet and add the peppers, onions and garlic. You want to saute them all slowly on low heat so they become translucent, but not browned:

Once they look like the picture above, just add them to the stock pot:

In the same skillet you sauteed the vegetables (no need to wash it), remove the casing (just cut a slit in the casing and peel it off) break up and brown the Italian Sausage:

I always drain the meat in a colander and rinse the fat off with hot running water. Then, add the browned sausage to the stock pot:

Next, again in the same skillet (no need to wash) brown the ground beef:

Again, drain in a colander and rinse with hot running water to remove excess fat and add to the stock pot:

And it looks like this:

Now, sit back and relax (remember, you have a half bottle of wine to drink *wink*). Enjoy the aroma as the sauce simmers slowly, uncovered, over low heat..all day. Stir it occasionally to prevent sticking. The sauce will reduce in volume and thicken naturally as the day goes on. Did I mention, it smells wonderful?

This sauce can be used on any variation of pasta. I used Ronzoni Healthy Harvest Spaghetti.

I also topped the spaghetti with a completely wonderful parmigiano reggiano. It is a bit expensive, but there is nothing to compare to the taste of this lovely aged cheese. I used my micro plane to finely grate it.

Set the table, add a fresh salad (I dressed it with a balsamic vinaigrette), and you are ready to dig in:

After a long day relaxing, join me as I dine!

Paula

Chicken Piccata with Lemon, Capers and Artichoke Hearts...An Early Taste of Spring

2008-02-22T11:04:00.026-05:00

It's still winter, but spring must be near! My taste buds are telling me it is so! I got a hankering for something a bit more spring like, so I made Chicken Piccata with Lemon, Capers and Artichoke Hearts.

The recipe served this over rice and lima beans, but I paired the chicken with some lightly sauteed zucchini and grape tomatoes. It's easy, elegant and it was delicious.

The ingredients are here:

The recipe calls for 4 chicken breasts but these were Dolly Parton sized, so I just used two. The first step is to flatten them. I have an old, old, old meat mallet that is horrible, so I just used my (yes pink...it was a gift from a friend) silicone rolling pin. If you don't have a meat mallet or a rolling pin, just smash the chicken with a heavy pan. Just about anything heavy will work. Putting the chicken in a zip lock bag makes for easy clean up and the bag comes in handy later.

Once the chicken is 1/4 inch thick, it looked like this:

The recipe called for the chicken to be salted and peppered and then coated in the seasoned flour, but I just dumped the salt and pepper right in there with the flour.

There is also lemon zest in this recipe; the zest of lemon holds the essential oils and is very fragrant and wonderful. Zest is just the finely grated rind. I use a micro plane to zest, but I have zesting tools too. You can use a very fine cheese grater or a sharp paring knife. When you zest you only want to get the top colored layer, not into the white pith, which is bitter. You can buy dried zest, but it's not the same as fresh.

All of the spices and the flour and lemon zest are added into the plastic bag with the chicken and tossed together to coat the chicken well. Heat the oil in a skillet and add the floured chicken (just shake it off a bit first). Saute it for a few minutes on each side until it is golden brown and cooked through.

Once the chicken is browned on each side, add the lemon juice, wine and stock.

That will simmer until the sauce thickens from the flour that has coated the chicken. While that is happening, slice up some zucchini and toss it in a skillet with 2 tsp olive oil, a pinch of garlic powder and salt/pepper. I also added a hint of the lemon zest. Normally fresh garlic is preferred but I was doing a super quick saute and it wasn't really enough time to sweeten the fresh garlic.

Now, both skillets are ready for the final ingredients. The chicken gets quartered artichoke hearts (I buy them quarted, so I don't have to cut them) and the capers. The zucchini gets some grape tomatoes that I halved.

Then, just plate it and serve.

Spring is coming! Join me as I dine!

Paula

Oh, For the Love of Aubergine...Eggplant Noshing?

2008-02-09T12:07:00.046-05:00

A while ago, we started a tradition called "appetizer night" on Fridays. That's the night that the shop is open late, so by the time Byron would get home it was too late to start dinner or eat a real meal. I got lazy after a while and it evolved into "crappetizer night." Anything frozen and yucky worked. Last June, we both vowed to make changes, so "crappetizer night" was gone. We haven't missed it. Now, we nosh most Friday nights; you can nosh with very healthy, easy foods.

This winter, Seitan Said Dance sent me "the Ultimate Vegan Cookbook", Veganomicon by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero. The day it came, I was headed out for an overnighter with the girls to play cards and told Seitan I would cook something from the book very soon. Well, as I scanned the pages, I found something that made me want it right then...Roasted Eggplant dip. I made it that night!

What is noshing? When is noshing dining?

Noshing is dining when you make the super awesome Eggplant/Aubergine dip from Veganomicon!

Veganomicon doesn't really have a recipe, per se, but a method for roasting the Eggplant/Aubergine, and some suggested ingredients for the dip. Here are the ingredients:

Eggplant/Aubergine, olive oil, lemon, salt and ground cumin. I added garlic and cracked black pepper to mine. On the garlic note, the first few times I made this dip, I just chopped up the garlic. I think the next time, I'll coat it in olive oil, wrap in foil and roast it in the oven along with the eggplant for a sweeter flavor.

The prescribed roasting method calls for pricking little holes all over the eggplant with a fork, placing it in a "cradle" of aluminum foil on a baking sheet, and baking it at 400 degrees for 25 to 35 minutes. I did that at the cabin and at home, I guess neither oven is correct on temperature, because it took way longer to get to perfect. So, this time, I cut the eggplant in half length wise and brushed it with some olive oil:

After 35 minutes in a 400 degree oven, mine looked like this:

The next step is the food processor. You could also just use a mixer/blender or an old fashioned potato masher.

First, you must scoop the sweet, wonderful meat out of the eggplant skin:

Put the eggplant, along with, to taste, the salt (1 Tbs kosher); lemon juice(three eggplant took juice of 1/2 of a very juicy lemon); the black pepper (2 tsp); the garlic (3 cloves); and the cumin (2 tsp) into the food processor.

[Note: Those are my measurements to my taste, but experiment with what you like. Also, remember I was using three eggplants; you would adjust the seasonings for fewer.]

Then as it processes, drizzle in some olive oil until the dip is just smooth:

If you are hand mashing, just drizzle in some olive oil, mash, drizzle, mash. It should end up looking like this:

Next, I just cut some whole wheat pita into triangles. I left mine double (you know, not split at the pocket, so they would hold up to the dip), brushed the triangles with olive oil and sprinkled on some kosher salt. I toasted them in the oven at 350 degrees until they were crisp:

Then, it was just setting it out. I made up a tray of the eggplant dip (I garnished it with a radish rose and a sprig of rosemary), the crispy pita triangles, some cucumber, radishes, red and yellow pepper slices:

Super fast...the longest part was the roasting time; super easy; super healthy; super light dining can be yours!

Join me as I nosh!

Paula

Comforting Combo for Hearth Side Dining

2008-02-06T14:28:00.009-05:00

It's winter and, when it's cold outside, nothing warms you like a squishy chair close to the fire and the comforting combo of tomato soup and a grilled cheese sandwich.

I spend my one day off a week cooking and cleaning, but I often have The Food Network on for background noise. Several weeks ago, Giada De Laurentiis did this recipe for Hearty Tomato Soup with Lemon and Rosemary.

The soup recipe was SO good, I started emailing it to friends immediately. It is only fitting that this recipe is the first featured dining experience; paired with grilled cheese sandwiches made from the artisan bread by Panera Bread, Miche Whole Grain, you have a hearth side dining experience made in heaven.

The soup is super simple. Here are the ingredients:
I substituted chicken stock for broth. I just think that adds to the rich wonderfulness of this hearty soup. [Note: This recipe can easily be Veganized or made a kosher combination meal by using vegetable stock and/or cheese substitutes.]

Also, my regular grocery store doesn't stock cannellini beans, so I used Bush's Great Northern Beans instead. The most important thing to remember is to read the labels. Most beans and canned tomato products have a lot of additives, especially high fructose corn syrup...hence my love of Hunt's and Bush's, they don't.

The onion, carrots and garlic saute for just a few minutes, until soft:
After that, you just dump in the other ingredients (note: mine is a double recipe, so it won't be nearly as big of a pot if you use the recipe quantities.):

Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for about 30 minutes. Then, remove the bay leaf and rosemary sprig and process in batches in a blender or with an immersion blender:
The texture of this soup is just incredible. The beans, while initially sounding like a funky thing to have in tomato soup, provide a creamy thickness as well as a shot of protein. Giada garnished her soup with creme fraiche and lemon zest. You could just as easily use sour cream or nothing.

In addition to that lovely grainy bread, I used a combination of cheddar and skim mozzarella for the grilled cheese.

Now, light the fire or pull up your most mushy chair, set a tray and you are ready!

It doesn't have to be complicated...it doesn't even have to be elegant...it doesn't take much effort...join me as I dine...

Paula

I noticed my copper pot was in need of polishing...don't expect that to change any time soon! =)

Welcome to Paula Dines!

2008-01-19T10:11:00.000-05:00

In the coming weeks I will begin posting in earnest here. I will be sharing recipes that will range from Continental to Southern to Vegan and everything in between. I am particularly interested in presenting dishes that are created from whole, healthy foods with step by step instructions and photos from scratch to plating.

I want to show that even with busy lives, with smart shopping and quick easy recipes, everyone can enjoy healthy, beautiful meals every day. There is more to food than eating...join me as I dine.

Paula

I was inspired to start this project because of the awesome blog of Seitan Said Dance. Thanks, Seitan!