Thoughts of Gratitude...

I have missed you! And I have truly missed talking about food. Our trip to Eastern Europe included stays in Berlin, Germany; Warsaw, Krakow and Zakapone, Poland; Slovakia; Prague and Pilsen, Czech Republic; Budapest (my Mom's family's original home--my granparents are both from there), Hungary; and Vienna, Austria. Phew! Lots of new and different taste treats, but NO cooking. I thought there would be an opportunity in Budapest, but the cooking class was canceled due to lack of interest...I can assure you not on my part!

Me and Jerry in Zakapone which is high in the Tatra mountains!

One of the highlights of this fabulous journey was dinner in a Polish family's private home. The mother did the cooking, which involved many courses, shots of Polish vodka-Nostrovia!--and even some home-made lemon liquor that tasted a bit like limoncello. It was a night to remember and in a future blog I will share some food details of this dinner and other meals that I thoroughly enjoyed.

The focus of this trip was WWII history.  What an eye-opener. I had no idea that the Poles suffered so severely during this horrible time in history. The Poles we met were exceptionally warm, loving, bright and open to sharing themselves and their history--past and present. Our adventure also included music (even heard the Vienna Boys Choir!), folk dancing, architecture, and of course lots of eating!  Jerry and I have been waiting to take this trip for 20 years and every aspect pleased, surprised, entertained and amused us. What a wonderful experience. I am so grateful to have had the opportunity!

After 3 weeks away, we returned to our home in Massachusetts and the next afternoon had company arrive from Ireland to spend the week with us. Our friends, Barbara and Tim who look after our house in Spiddal joined us for a week of touring right here in America's home-town, Plymouth. Great visit and we were delighted to treat them as they do so much for us.

One week later we were on a plane again to Ireland with my 2 sons. This was the first time we had traveled together as adults. Another spectacular trip and this time I was able to do lots of cooking as we stayed in our own guest house overlooking Galway Bay.

Unfortunately my Dad became quite ill while we were away. We got back as quickly as possible and have been looking after him the last few weeks. I am grateful for the time we share together and so pleased that his sense of humor remains intact and we are able to have many happy times together.

This explains why I have not been in touch with you for so long. Thanksgiving is next week and provides us with the opportunity to pause from our busy lives and give thanks for all we have; to count our blessings and be happy for the love and joy of friends and family. Now, on to some food...!

OH NO, NOT SQUIRREL AGAIN!
I have had lots of game lately.  My Dad's neighbor shot a moose this year so we have feasted on both moose burger and moose steaks. Another friend got a deer and I made a fabulous venison stew; rich and delicious. Dad recently gave me a squirrel and I thought I would try something different. I talked about squirrel a few blogs back, but this dish was one of the best squirrel feeds I have ever had so I want to share it with you. If you don't have squirrel I think it would be equally good with rabbit or even chicken thighs.

Even though the meat is dark, squirrel is quite mild.

SQUIRREL CASSOULET
Cassoulet is the French word for casserole and makes the meal sound much more elegant.  Cassoulets originated in the south of France and usually contain meat-pork, goose, or duck, but as luck would have it, I had a fresh squirrel so decided to use it. I had prepared lentils with a rich tomato sauce the day before so it made this dish really easy to put together. This serves 2 people.

Ingredients:
1 squirrel, or rabbit, or 4 chicken thighs (skin and bone in)
1 stalk celery, chopped
2 carrots, thickly sliced
1 small onion, sliced in wedges
6-7 cloves garlic
Salt/Pepper
3 Tbsp. Olive Oil
1/2 cup red wine (I used Merlot)
1/2 cup water

1/2 cup dried lentils (I used Gonsalves brown lentils.)
15 ounce can whole tomatoes with their juice
1/2 cup onion, sliced
1 cup green cabbage, sliced in fairly thin wedges
2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
Salt/Pepper
1/4 tsp. dried oregano
1/4 tsp. dried gound bay

If you want to make this in stages as I did, begin by cooking the lentils. I had actually made the lentils for our lunch the day before and had leftovers.
Preparation for lentils:
Brown the onion, cabbage in a large pot in the olive oil over medium/high heat. Add salt/pepper and dried herbs. Add 1/2 cup dried lentils. Stir thoroughly so lentils get coated with olive oil. Once the veg is nice and browned, add the can of whole tomatoes and break them apart using a spoon or rubber spatula. Cover and let simmer for about 45 minutes or until lentils are tender.

Back to the Squirrel Cassoulet...
Liberally salt and pepper your squirrel. In a large saucepan over medium/high heat, add 3 Tbsp. Olive Oil, carrots, celery, onion, and garlic. Add the squirrel and stir all together so everything gets coated with oil. Cook for about 30 minutes stirring from time to time so it doesn't burn. Once this mixture is very browned (squirrel will not be done at this point), add 1/2 (+) cup (I didn't measure, but it looked like a half cup) red wine and 1/2 cup water.

Cover and simmer for another 45 minutes. The liquid will reduce by about 1/2. Let cool and tear the meat off the bones.

Add the lentil/tomato/cabbage mixure and stir together in your favorite cassoulet dish. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 35-45 minutes. I guarantee you will not be disappointed with this dish!

Back in August, before the back-to-back extravaganzas began, I was doing some experimenting with unflavored gelatin. I promised I would tell you about...

TOMATO ASPIC

Even though we are now well into fall and cooler weather Tomato Aspic still makes a nice light lunch served with a green salad and whole grain rolls. This recipe is easy to make and is not something you see served much anymore. Aspics were very popular in the 1950's ad 60's. Here is the plain, straight-forward recipe, but do not be timid about experimenting! I served mine with green salad dressed with citrus vinaigrette and wild shrimp.

Ingredients:
3 envelopes Knox unflavored gelatin
2 cups cold tomato juice
2 1/2 cups tomato juice heated to a boil
6 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 tsp. Worchestershire sauce
4-6 dashes hot pepper sauce

Are these ingredients sounding familiar? Adding a shot or two of vodka might be fun to try for an adult only aspic!
                                                                                    Preparation:
In a large bowl, sprinkle unflavored gelatin over cold tomato juice. Let stand 1 minute. Add hot juice and stir until gelatin is completely dissolved; about 5 minutes. Stir in remaining ingredients. Pour into a 5 qt. ring mold (I used my steamed pudding mold, but any vessel will work--even a metal bowl.) and chill until firm. To serve, unmold by dipping the mold in a pan of hot water and flip onto a serving plate. You may have to coax your aspic out, but once you break the seal it will pop right out. You can also fill the center with veggies. Cut into wedges and serve.



I love beans and the following recipe is easy to make and very satisfying.

13 BEAN SOUP with VENISON SAUSAGE

There is a store in Chichester, NH called the Healthy Buffalo which sells all kinds of game and unusual meats from bison to wild boar to ostrich and more . They make their own venison sausage which are really spectaular. You can place orders online (www.healthybuffalo.com). The sausage I used for this soup was made with red wine and demi glace.

Ingredients:
15 oz. package 13 Bean Soup (I use Bob's Red Mill brand)
1 1/2-2 qts. rich chicken broth (I like to have chicken broth in the freezer at all times!)
Mire poix-2 carrots, 2 stalks celery, 1 small onion; dice all
4 venison sausage (or pork sausage)
Big handful cherry tomatoes
1/4 tsp. dried thyme, oregano

Preparation:
Rinse and pick over beans. The other day I found a small stone in a bag of beans so this step is really worth doing.  Cover beans with water and soak for a couple hours. Rinse and add beans and chicken stock to large soup pot and bring to boil. If you like a very thick soup use 1 1/2 qts. broth. Turn to simmer and cook beans for about 1-1 1/2 hours. Add veg and herbs and cook for another hour at a simmer until both beans and veg are tender. Slice the venison sausage on the diagonal and drop into the soup and cook for another 30 minutes or so. Also add a big handful of cherry tomatoes which will pop as they cook. Serve with crusty bread for a healthy lunch!

I want to share my Thanksgiving menu with you and also the do-ahead rolls I make every year. You know my philosophy for big holiday or hoo-doo dinners is to make as much as possible ahead of time. I also am a list-maker and actually assign times as to when I am going to make which item...it helps me stay organized.

 

THANKSGIVING DINNER 2012

Appetizers:
Scallops wrapped in Bacon
Clam Dip with Assorted Crackers
Triple cream Goat Brie with Sliced Green Apples
Rich Banana Bread

Main course:
Stuffed Rolled Turkey Breast with Traditional Herby Bread Stuffing
Whole brined Turkey Glazed with Bourbon Butter with Traditional Bread Stuffing
Gravy
Glazed Whole Carrots
Steamed Peas and Onions
Duchess style Whipped Potato with Smoked Gouda Cheese and Crumbled Bacon
Cranberry Ginger Root Chutney

Dessert:
Mincemeat Pie
Cranberry Gelatin with Mandarin Orange Slices

 

FLUFFY MAKE-AHEAD DINNER ROLLS

 

Ingredients:
3 Tbsp. unsalted butter, plus 2 Tbsp. for bowl and baking dish
1 1/2 cups whole milk (I used 1 cup sweetened Almond Milk and 1/2 cup Half & Half)
1/3 cup Honey (Did you know I used to keep bees and made my own honey?)
4 Tbsp. vegetable shortening (I used butter.)
5-6 1/2 cups all-purpose white flour
1 Tbsp. Rapid-rise Yeast
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 large egg, plus 1 large egg with 1 Tbsp. water for brushing

Preparation:
Heat oven to 200 degrees. When oven reaches 200 shut oven off. Grease bowl with 1 Tbsp. butter and put bowl back in warm oven.

Line a 13x9 inch baking dish with foil overhanging edges of pan in all directions. Grease foil with 1 Tbsp. butter.

Place milk, honey, shortening (or 4 Tbsp. more butter) in a large measuring cup and microwave until milk is warm and butter melts--1 to 2 minutes.

Mix 4 1/2 cups flour, yeast, and salt in a large bowl. Slowly add milk (make sure it is not too hot or it will kill the yeast; should be just warm or tepid.)  The recipe calls for mixing this on slow in a standing mixer, but I don't have one so just use a hand mixer until the flour is combined with the milk/butter mixture. Add the egg and beat until it is mixed into the dough which should be smooth and elastic. Add another 1/2 cup flour and knead until dough is smooth and shiney--about 6-7 minutes. Roll the dough toward you and press firmly with the heal of your hand to knead the dough.

Add more flour if the dough is sticky. When the dough starts to feel silky you have kneaded enough. Knead the dough into a firm ball and place in the buttered bowl that has been sitting in the warmed oven. Roll the dough around so it gets covered with butter. Cover with a linen (not terry cloth) dish towel and place back in oven to rise for about an hour.

Punch down dough and press out into a rectangle that measures about 6 inches wide and 10 inches long. Cut the dough into 3 strips the long way and then cut each strip into 5 equal pieces making a total of 15 pieces of dough. Roll the dough into balls and place in the greased foil-lined baking dish.

Cover with the linen dish towel and place back in the oven to rise again for another hour.

Take rolls out of oven and heat oven to 375 degrees. Brush tops of rolls with 1 egg beaten with 1 Tbsp. of water. Bake for 25 minutes until tops are golden brown.

Cool in pan on a rack for 5 minutes then lift the rolls using the foil edges out of the pan and cool on a rack for an hour.

These rolls freeze well for up to a month. If you are freezing for that long peel the foil off the baked rolls and wrap them tightly in plastic wrap and then wrap the foil around them and freeze. If you are only freezing for a few days just wrap the rolls thoroughly in the foil and freeze.

To serve: Take rolls out of freezer for 2 hours to thaw. Heat oven to 325 degrees and re-heat rolls for about 1/2 hour.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

FROM MY KITCHEN TO YOURS!

 

ENJOY THIS MOST WONDERFUL OF HOLIDAYS!

Tune in again soon for more food from Eastern Europe,
holiday ideas, stories, recipes and more.

Peppers at the food market in Budapest

 

www.cookwithcindy.com

 

A Little This and That...

Tomorrow we are taking off for Eastern Europe for 3 weeks! This is a trip my husband and I have been planning and talking about for 22 years. I can't believe it is finally happening. I thought I would get one more post in before I leave as you won't hear from me again for awhile. I will be having a blast, but suffering from food-blog withdrawl. Hopefully I will take in lots of flavors and tastes and new treats to bring back to you.

A few weeks ago I made some hot pepper relish from peppers I grew in my little garden this year and it turned out pretty good so thought I would share it. What I liked about this relish was the blend of spicy hot pepper with a little sweet. It has lots of flavor and is easy to make. I have been making it just as the peppers ripen. Making one small batch at a time is much easier than dealing with a bushel of hot peppers.

HOT PEPPER RELISH

I used a combination of green and red cayenne peppers. You can also add a green, red, orange or yellow bell pepper to tone down the heat.

Ingredients:
20 -25 peppers, seeded with white inside spine removed (that is really hot!)
1 onion
2 cloves garlic
2 tsp. salt, plus 1/4 tsp.
1 cup cider vinegar
6 packets Stevia or regular sugar

Preparation:
Seed and core the peppers. DO NOT RUB YOUR EYES while doing this or after. In fact, I recommend safety glasses. Seriously. I sliced one of these peppers in half and juice came back and hit me right in the eye-ball. It felt like my eye had been pierced with a hot needle. Not nice. I now wear my glasses when I make this hot relish. Put peppers, onion and garlic through a blender or mini-max and chop until quite fine. Be careful when removing the lid of the blender as the fumes really waft out.  Place pepper mixture in a saucepan and cover with water. Add 2 tsp. salt. Let stand for 10 minutes. Drain off water pressing on solids to get out as much water as possible.  Add 1 cup cider vinegar; 1/4 tsp. salt; sugar. Simmer peppers for 20 minutes. Ladle into jar(s) pressing down as you fill so liquid covers the peppers. Wipe jar rim and adjust lid. You can either process to store or keep in the refrigerator without processing for about a month. (I don't think this stuff could ever go bad.)  To process: Place in a boiling water "bath" for 15 minutes. Start the time once the water boils. I have already given several jars as gifts. Just make sure the recipient likes it "hot" before offering!

PORTOBELLO PIZZAS WITH HOMEMADE RED SAUCE

A few years ago we started doing the South Beach diet every January to lose some of that holiday weight and I found this recipe in South Beach which we use often.  We use many South Beach recipes throughout the year, but go 'hard-core' in January!

Portobella Pizzas can be filled with whatever topping you would select for pizza with crust; just use the mushroom AS the crust. Last week I decided to make homemade red sauce as my tomatoes are really coming into their own. The fresh tomatoes give the sauce a very bright flavor that is so much bigger than using canned tomatoes and canned paste, but they are not always available so using canned tomatoes are still far superior to store-bought jars of sauce.

RED SAUCE
Ingredients:
20 plum tomatoes
2 big tomatoes (I used the Mountain Prides from my garden.)
2 Tbsp. olive oil
Salt/Pepper to taste
Fresh Basil, Oregano, Rosemary at your discretion. I like heavy on the basil/oregano; a pinch of rosemary
4 cloves garlic, smashed and chopped
Minced dried onion
Pinch of hot dried pepper flake

Preparation:
Fill a large saute pan with salted water.  Bring to brisk boil.  Carefully drop the tomatoes into the boiling water to just barely blanche until their skins start to pop. As soon as you see one skin split, pour off into a collander as the others should follow. Let them sit until they are cool enough to handle. Peel the tomatoes. In the same large sauce pan, lightly saute the crushed garlic in olive oil; add the tomatoes and gently smash them with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula until they are flattened; add minced dried onions; herbs; salt/pepper; pinch of red pepper flake and let cook down until it is sauce-like consistency--about 2 hours. Stir every once in awhile and continue smooshing the tomatoes so they begin to disentegrate as the sauce cooks. I like sauce a little chunky, but if you prefer, you can blend the sauce to make perfectly smooth. This sauce also freezes very well.

For the Portobello Mushroom Pizza:
Wash mushrooms by brushing off the outer skin with your fingers or a pastry brush. Remove the stem and any black edges so you have a nice deep 'well' for your ingredients.  Add a layer of red sauce, and whatever toppings you like.  I used sauted sweet Italian sausage, thinly sliced yellow and green peppers, garlic, onion and topped with both mozarella and parmesan cheese.

This picture DOES NOT do these pizzas justice! They look and taste much more delicious than this!
Truly amazing twist on traditional pizza!!

Place on a flat pan and bake for about 20 minutes. If the cheese is not bubbly, put under the broiler for a minute or two. I serve 2 mushrooms per person, which sounds like a lot, but there are no carbs in this meal (except for the veggies). These "pizzas" can also be cooked on the grill.

 

WHEN DO HORS D'OEUVRES BECOME DINNER?

We recently had our new neighbors, Karen and Dave, over for cocktails. They were going out of town the next day so I wanted to make appetizers heavy enough to count as dinner so they would not have to go home and cook. This is what I did...

CHICKEN THIGHS WRAPPED IN BACON WITH AVOCADO CREMA

This is kind of a play on my Southwestern Chicken Thighs stuffed with avocado and wrapped in bacon that I talked about last time, but it is done as a 'bite' so makes a great appetizer.  It does not really need a recipe.  Clean a bunch of chicken thighs and cut into 1 1/2 inch chucks.  I planned 3 'bites' per person/1 'bite' per skewer.  Marinate the chicken bites in olive oil, freshly chopped garlic, salt, pepper for a couple hours or all afternoon. Cut thickly sliced bacon in quarters by cutting in half lengthwise and widthwise. Stretch it out a bit and wrap 1/4 piece of bacon around each chicken thigh. Soak the wooden skewers for a couple hours in water. Skewer the chicken by piercing both sides of the bacon to keep the bacon intact around the chicken 'bite'.

Make the avocado crema (previous blog so go to the Search Engine, top left on the actual website: www.cookwithcindy.com and search for Avocado Crema and it will take you right to the recipe-I use it myself!). The only difference is with these appetizers I topped the crema with crumbled bacon.

I wanted to grill these kabobs, but it was pouring so I got the broiler hot and grilled inside under the broiler, about 5 minutes each side until bacon was super crispy.  When broiling inside you just have to be careful not to catch your skewers on fire!

SHRIMP RANGOONS

This is my take on Crab Rangoons, but they are not deep fried and as the name implies made with shrimp; not crab. Of all the apps I served that night, these were by far my favorite.

Ingredients:
1 extra large jumbo shrimp per rangoon or 2 smaller shrimps per rangoon
1/2 package puff pastry, thawed
1/2 lb. Cream Cheese

1/2 package puff pastry makes 9 rangoons. I planned 2 per person so I had one left over to sample since we had 4 people at this party.

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Shell and devein shrimp. Boil in a spicy broth. I used water to cover, 2 pieces fresh lemon grass, 2" chunk of fresh sliced and peeled ginger root; pinch of hot pepper flake; dried garlic; dried onion. Boil until the shrimp are just pink--3-4 minutes. You can boil your shrimp in any herb or spice you like, but this blend worked well. Let cool and then chop. Since I was making 8 for company, divide your portions appropriately so they fill puff pastry squares equally.

Flatten out each piece of puff pastry with a rolling pin or use your fingers. Place a piece of cream cheese on the bottom of the pastry. Put the chopped shrimp on1/2 side of the pastry and top with another piece of cream cheese. Carefully fold the pocket over into a triangle and pinch edges together. I think the beauty of this appetizer is its simplicity.  I would prefer a bit more heat, but was not sure how the crowd would react. You can goop it up with all kinds of things and it would probably be just as delicious, if not more! Experiment and let me know what you come up with!


Place the rangoons in preheated oven and bake for 25-30 minutes until golden brown on top.

Shrimp Rangoons ready to bake on greased foil lined baking sheet.

I popped them under the broiler for 1 minute after they were baked to really brown up the tops and decided to serve with no sauce to keep them very simple. They were a big hit!

Next I served a smoked salmon dip with crispy pita pocket triangles, some simple sausage kabobos, and mushrooms stuffed with sun-dried tomato Boursin cheese.

SALMON SPREAD WITH PITA POCKETS

This hors'doeuvre echoed the shrimp served in the first hors d'oeuvre course. Here's how to make it...take 5 slices of smoked salmon (preferably wild salmon) and mash it with a fork. Add 1/2 pound cream cheese and mash it all together. Add 1 Tbsp. of capers and some black pepper. Top with finely chopped chives and let set for an hour or more to allow flavors to blend. To make the pita chips, cut pita pockets (I used whole grain pockets with flax--yum! yum!), into triangles. Spray with PAM and top with onion/garlic seasoning. Put under the broiler and crisp until browned--it just takes a couple minutes.

Next in our line-up of 'Hors'Douevres as a Meal' were Sausage Kabobs...what could be easier.

Cook all ingredients a little bit before you skewer. Use any combination, but I took green and yellow pepper, cherry tomatoes and sweet Italian sausage. Get a pan very hot with a little olive oil and drop in sausage stirring to release some fat, add peppers and cherry tomatoes. Cook for 2 minutes. Cool. Cut sausage into bite sized pieces and skewer with the veg. I had also planned to grill this, but New England weather did not allow, so I put under the broiler for about 4 minutes on each side and served.

STUFFED MUSHROOMS WITH

SUN-DRIED TOMATO BOURSIN, TOPPED WITH BASIL

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Clean and stem mushrooms. Coat the bottom of a baking dish with a little olive oil. Roll mushrooms around, both sides to coat with a little oil, sprinkle with salt/pepper. Fill each cap with a generous teaspoon of sun-dried tomato Boursin cheese. Bake for about 30 minutes until the cheese gets bubbly and the mushrooms look done. Top with some chopped basil.

I actuallly had more food than necessary (what a surprise!) and the neighbors left very satisfied!  The whole plan included fish, meat, veg, cheese, and of course a couple cocktails!--a complete dinner!!

Thank you dear readers so sincerely for cooking with me once again.  I love talking about food and love cooking even more.

I am off on an adventure of a lifetime and look forward to sharing stories of lands I have never visited.  I don't think I will have much opportunity to cook, but sure do plan to eat!

Until next time, enjoy YOUR time in the kitchen, entertaining friends, family, and most of all being a complete free spirit when it comes to cooking!

Tune in again for another episode with:

www.cookwithcindy.com

Wake Up and Smell the Coffee!

It's Sunday morning, Labor Day weekend, beginning of a new month, second day into a beautiful Blue Moon, and I am thinking about breakfast. I prefer to eat breakfast after waking gently over a cup of coffee. On the weekend I like to eat brunch rather than breakfast and sometimes have it with a Bloody Mary.

Try garnishing your Bloody with different toppings such as draping a shrimp cocktail over the glass or skewer a combination of cocktail onion, cornichon, olives and roasted red pepper. Another fun combo are pickled mushrooms and fresh cherry tomatoes.

ON TO SOME FOOD...

Here are two different BREAKFAST SANDWICHES

SPINACH AND FETA CHEESE BREAKFAST SANDWICH

This wonderful blend of flavors goes very well with a Bloody Mary. Lightly fry an egg over easy. Try not to break the yoke. Top with a handful of fresh spinach and a generous amount of crumbled feta cheese.  Put a lid on the frying pan to steam the spinach and slightly melt the cheese. To make this sandwich even better, butter 2 slices of whole grain bread on both sides and fry it until golden brown. Serve the egg on the fried bread along with a small green salad.

BREAKFAST SANDWICH WITH AVOCADO

AND CRISPY PROSCUITTO

 

Slice a few pieces of proscuitto into strips and fry it as you would bacon until it is nice and crispy. Toast a slice of bread (or fry it as above) and mash 1/2 of avocado on the bread. If the avocado is very ripe you can do this with the back of a spoon so there are still some chunks in the avocado. Top with a couple strips of proscuitto, egg fried over easy and a couple more pices of proscuitto on the top to garnish. Easy and delicious!

I have always wanted to make my own sausage and finally tried making it using a recipe from Alton Brown. I made this pork sausage pretty much just as the recipe called for, but next time I would add some fennel seed. I would really like to try some exotic sausage and stuff into casings, like smoked duck with apple or chicken sausage with sun-dried tomato and fresh basil.

BREAKFAST SAUSAGE

Ingredients:
2 pounds pork butt (I used ground pork as it came from the store)
Alton calls for cutting into 1/4 inch dice
1/2 lb. fat back, diced into 1/4 inch pieces. (Because I bought my pork already ground there was plentry of fat in it so I skipped this ingredient.)
1 tsp. Kosher salt
1 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
2 tsp. finely chopped sage
2 tsp. finely chopped thyme
1/2 tsp. finely chopped rosemary
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
1/2 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp. red pepper flake

Preparation:
Combine diced pork with all other ingredients and chill for 1 hour. Using the fine blade of a grinder, grind the pork or as I did buy it already ground. Form into 2 inch rounds. Refrigerate and use within 1 week or freeze for up to 3 months. For immediate use, saute the patties over medium-low heat in a non-stock pan. Saute until brown and cooked thoroughly, approximately 10-15 minutes.

This plate could use a sprig of parsley or something to brighten it up!

FARM FRESH SCRAMBLED EGGS

These eggs are so yellow because they are farm fresh eggs. To make perfect scrambled eggs, lightly beat 2 extra-large eggs in a bowl, add a slight pinch of salt, and a scant 1/4 cup either milk or water. Beat lovingly with a fork until mixed. Get a non-stick frying pan sprayed with a little cooking oil hot and pour the eggs into the pan. Turn down heat to medium right away. Twirl the pan, but do not stir the eggs. When the edges of the egg start to thicken up, then you can very gently start folding the egg onto itself. Keep folding until it is cooked-3 to 4 minutes. The eggs will look soft and hold together well. That doesn't sound like much time, but the eggs keep cooking when you take them off the heat. Overcooked scrambled eggs are not good. I served with a few slices of avocado and a heated whole grain tortilla.

 

POACHED EGG WRAPPED IN SMOKED SALMON

This is what I ended up making for breakfast this morning. It was absolutely yummy!! Start by laying out 4 pieces of smoked salmon/2 slices per poached egg. My tomatoes are just ripening so I include them with almost every meal. Slice a few tomatoes, sprinkle with coarse sea salt and garnish with a sprig of basil. To poach the eggs, fill a frying pan with water nearly to the top, add 1/4 cap of vinegar. Any vinegar is fine, but tarragon infused vinegar adds a very subtle flavor. This keeps the eggs from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Bring the water to a roiling, but gentle boil. Open each egg into individual small bowl or custard cup. This helps keep the egg intact as it hits the boiling water. Gently pour the egg into the water and poach until the white firms up. Skim water over the top of the eggs as they poach to form a "skin" over the yoke.

 

I use a fine mesh spoon to remove the eggs from the water and place on the smoked salmon. Carefully wrap the salmon around the poached egg. This is easier than it sounds. Lay the salmon encased egg on a piece of toasted rye bread. Garnish with chopped chives and a caper berry if you like.

 

GRANOLA

I do not have a picture of this granola, but I want to include it because it is a delicious recipe and can be added to or changed any way you like to include your favorite fruit or nut.  It keeps well in a tightly sealed glass jar or container and also makes a great gift!  This recipe makes about 10 cups.

Ingredients:

4 cups old fashioned rolled oats

2 1/2 cups sliced almonds

1 1/2 cup sweetened flaked coconut

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup honey

1 cup dried cranberries

1 cup golden raisons

 

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a large shallow baking pan with foil and oil the foil. Toss together oats, almonds, coconut and salt in a large bowl. Whisk together oil and honey, then stir into the oat mixture until well coated. Spread mixture in baking pan and bake, stirring occasionally until golden brown, 25-30 minutes. Stir in cranberries and raisons, then cool completely in pan on a rack. It is important to put the cranberries and raisons in after the granola has baked. Once when I was making this I added all ingredients by mistake, including fruit, and then baked for 25-30 minutes. The fruit gets too cooked. The cranberries actually got a little burned so best to remember to add after baking.

 

Now you decide what you want to include: pecans, prunes, wheat germ, brown sugar or agave nectar instead of honey...whatever you like best.

 

EGG BAKE

This dish is also versatile and lends itself to many different combinations of breakfast meat, cheese or all vegetarian. It is prepared the night before and then baked in the morning, which makes an easy breakfast if you have a crowd. Once it is baked the bread disappears into the egg. It puffs slightly as it bakes and is light and richly flavored.

 

 

Ingredients:

6 eggs

2 cups milk, half and half, cream or a combination

1 lb. grated cheese-I used cheddar

6-8 slices (depending on how meaty you want it) thick-cut bacon

1 lb. mushrooms, sliced

3 shallots or 1 small onion, sliced

1 loaf French bread

Butter

 

Parparation:

Liberally butter the bottom and sides of a baking dish. Cut French bread into 1/2 inch slices and butter each side of the bread, then cut into 1 inch cubes and place in a large bowl. Cook the bacon until it is crisp. Remove from the pan and cut into 1/2 inch pieces. Add shallot or onion, mushroom and saute until cooked. Beat the eggs with an electric mixer, add milk or half and half. Add the bacon, veg, cheese and the milk into the bowl with the cubed bread. Mix well together and put it into the buttered baking dish. Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight. In the morning, let sit on the counter for about 1/2 hour to come to room temperature. If it looks dry, add a little more cream to the top. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Put the eggbake in the oven and cook for about 35-45 minutes. It is done when a knife inserted in the center comes out clean; same as testing doneness for a custard.  Cut into squares and serve.

 

I am going to conclude with one of my favorite breakfasts...

 

EGGS IN A HOLE, AKA EGGS IN A RABBITT HOLE

I was making this breakfast for my friend Diana one morning and she came up with the Rabbitt Hole name!

 

Now that is a serious face! I served Eggs in a Hole with big, fat breakfast sausages. To make the eggs, cut a circle out of each slice of toast. You can use a cookie cutter or small juice glass; whatever you have handy to remove the center. Butter each side of the bread and the hole. Fry both sides of bread and hole and drop an egg onto each piece of bread. Let it cook for a couple minutes then very carefully flip the whole piece of toast so the egg finishes cooking.

OK! That's better...now I am having some fun!







As you can see I don't often make sweet breakfasts, much to my husband's dismay. Occasionally I will make waffles which are especially good stuffed with a sweetened cream cheese and topped with strawberry sauce and fresh sliced strawberries. You can also turn the Eggbake into a sweet breakfast. One of my Mom's favorites (she had a huge sweet tooth!) was Yankee French Toast, which is also made the night before, but instead of savory ingredients uses sugar and bakes up more like a custard. We often would have Yankee French Toast on Thanksgiving or Christmas morning.

 

 

Thanks for sharing breakfast with me!

 

I had so much fun this morning talking about breakfast. Enjoy the rest of your holiday weekend and I will be back to you soon!

 

To see some of my previous food ramblings, go to:

 

www.cookwithcindy.com

 

 

 

 

 

 









South West Chicken, and a few other tantalizing tidbits!

My husband Jerry made this recipe up a few years ago. I entered it in one of those national recipe contests, but didn't hear from them. If they actually tried this recipe I think the outcome would've been different. I do not mean to sound boastful, but this one is so easy and so delicious; extremely moist and the bacon lends a beautiful smokey flavor to the chicken thighs and avocado. Here goes...

SOUTHWEST CHICKEN

Chicken Thighs with Avocado, Pepper Jack and Bacon

 

Ingredients:

8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
2 big cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
2 Tbsp. Olive Oil plus more for drizzling
Salt/Pepper
2 large avocados
8 oz. Pepper Jack cheese, sliced into 8 pieces
8 strips Bacon
Cilantro, chopped, optional

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut fat and gristle off chicken thighs. If you cannot find boneless/skinless thighs, it is not that much work to bone and skin yourself; just takes a bit of time. Thigh skin and bones make wonderful chicken stock.

Rinse trimmed thighs. Pat dry. Place in a shallow baking dish with Olive Oil, generous salt/pepper, and 2 cloves coarsely chopped garlic. Let marinate at least a couple hours, but if you left all day it won't hurt them. Peel, seed and slice avocado. There are many ways to skin an avocado, but what I do is cut in half and then hit the seed or pit with the knife and pop it out. Make 4 slices in the avocado while it is still in its skin. Take a teaspoon and run between the flesh and skin and the avocado will come out whole, but pre-sliced!  After they have marinated, lay the chicken thighs flat; inside up. Divide the avocado slices between the 8 thighs. Add 1 oz. of Pepper Jack to each thigh. Because the chicken has been marinating in olive oil, they will be slippery. Roll up and wrap with one strip of bacon pulled tight to go around the thigh like a belt. Drizzle with a little more Olive Oil and bake for about 1 hour or until bacon is crisp. Baste every 20 minutes or so with pan juices.  Let sit for 15 minutes. Top with with chopped cilantro and serve.  These South West Chicken Thighs are excellent with black beans and Mexican rice.

Here is a simple idea for a quick lunch that looks attractive enough to serve to guests. You can use either real crabmeat (always better, but expensive) or the immitation crab, which is actually made from pollock. I like the immitation stuff, although I don't think it really tastes like crabmeat.

 

TOMATO STUFFED

                                     WITH CRABMEAT

This does not really need a recipe.  If you are using fake crab, just chop it into a fine dice, add a bit of finely diced celery, salt, pepper and mayo. Mix it well.  Slice a tomato into eighths being careful not to cut all the way through so the tomato keeps its shape.  Salt the inside of the tomato.  Place about 1/2 cup crab salad into the sliced tomato. You may have to push the crab salad down into the tomato. Top with freshly chopped chives and a sprig of parsley and you have a nice little lunch that takes about 10 minutes to make. If serving to guests add a chilled glass of Sauvignon Blanc and a hard roll and you have a perfectly balanced meal. In fact, even if you don't have guests that sounds pretty good!

 

Another quick and easy lunch idea...

 

LETTUCE WRAPS

This also takes only minutes to prepare, is super healthy, delicious and different. You can add any ingredient you like or may have on hand.  This is especially fast if you have leftovers, but even if you don't, it takes no time at all to prepare. This time I used salmon and sauted veg.

 

 

My husband filling his leaves!

This does not need a recipe either. Chop/dice whatever vegetable you choose. I used tomato, celery, carrot, leeks, garlic, avocado and coho salmon. Saute the celery, garlic, leek, carrot, salt/pepper in a little olive oil until tender. Toss in the chopped tomato and diced salmon. Cook for 2-3 minutes until the salmon turns opaque. Take off heat and add chopped avocado. You can use any type of lettuce, but iceburg makes a nice wide surface. Lay out a few leaves of lettuce on each serving plate. Place the cooked veg and salmon in a serving bowl and let each guest fill and roll their own leaves. Most people like to be involved with their food and this easy luncheon dish gives them the whole experience.

Lettuce wraps can be messy, but they are worth it!

Doesn't he look a bit like a Rabbitt?? Chicken or shrimp and sauted vegetable also work well in a lettuce wrap. Or you can do an all vegie wrap with lots of fresh herbs. The choices are endless...

TIP:  This relates to nothing, but I just tried it recently and it is really yummy. We like to make popcorn at night as a snack. Next time you're popping, add a couple Tbsp. of truffle oil to the oil you are popping in. It makes the popcorn taste like it is dredged in butter. I like to use a combination of olive oil and grapeseed oil. The grapeseed oil has a higher smoke point (the point at which the oil begins to break down and starts to smoke just before burning) so pops the corn quickly making it very light. I know there are those who say you should never cook with grapeseed oil because it is mainly a polyunsaturated oil which releases lots of free radicals, when heated, but I choose to cook with it anyway because I love the taste. The addition of truffle oil elevates popcorn to a very decadent treat.

On to another different entre idea...

 

SPAGHETTI SQUASH

This is the strangest squash and really does turn into spaghetti once it is cooked. Use it as you would spaghetti and top with red sauce and meatballs or olive oil and veg which is what I made for dinner the other night.

This squash is very hard, similar to a Blue Hubbard so be careful when you are slicing.

Scoop out the seeds and other fibrous stuff inside. I cooked the squash as two separate halves which took a lot of time, but I wasn's sure if I cut it up if I would still get the long spaghetti strings. Next time I would cut it at least in long quarters. Boil in salted water until tender.

Using a fork, scrape out the squash by running the fork through the flesh of the squash. Plate it up just as you would spaghetti and add your topping. I used a very simple sauted mushroom, lots of garlic, chopped tomato and a splash of white wine. Garnish with basil. Again, the combinations for spaghetti squash are limited only by our imaginations. If you close your eyes while eating this, you really do think you are eating spaghetti!

THE QUESTION OF FAT:  This also has nothing to do with anything, but as you may know I am a big fan of Dr. Andrew Weil and read his health and cooking tips daily. This week he came out with a story on LARD. Yes, the solid, white pig fat that for years has been considered horrible for you. I happen to like fat of all kinds, pig included (pork rinds anyone?) and although I do not bake with lard it does add a flavor and flakiness to pastry that is unmatched. Dr. Weil claims the latest studies show that lard and other saturated fats formerly believed to cause coronary heart disease, high cholesterol, heart attacks, etc. are not really bad for you after all. Of course, he recommends you use lard from organic, grass-fed pigs. BRING ON THE LARD! 

What next?!? I am of the belief that "they" do not really know what is good or bad for us and you should pretty much eat, drink, DO whatever you like as long as it makes you happy and doesn't hurt anyone else. If eating something makes you feel good, it is probably good for you.


THERE IS ALWAYS ROOM FOR...

JELLO

 

I have started experimenting with unflavored Knox gelatin by making home-made jello. It is so much better than the stuff we ate as kids that is filled with artificial colors and flavors, and it is very easy to make. Mix 1 packet unflavored gelain and 4-6 packets of Stevia or sugar. Heat 2 cups of fruit juice. Add to the gelatin/sugar and stir until dissolved. You can either pour the gelatin in individual serving bowls or use 1 large mold. The first time I used V-8 Light  Fruit Fusion--Blueberry Pomegranate. It was fabulous. Next I tried Light Tropical Punch Fuze. I did not realize until after I made the jello that this particular Fuze has pineapple juice in it which impedes the thickening of the jello. If you used all pineapple juise it would not jell at all. I topped the tropical punch jello with alcohol infused whipped cream making it a little more grown-up. This whipped cream comes in different flavors. The vanilla worked well in this case. 

 

I think unexpected flavors like grapefruit or pear nectar will be fun to try. 

 

Remember tomato aspic? That will be the next one I try.

I have had a ball this afternoon thinking about food and hope you enjoyed reading as much as I did writing!  Now, let's get cooking!  Until next time...

Be bold in the kitchen. Try new flavors.

Get your creative juices flowing. Have fun!

There are no mistakes when it comes to cooking!

 

Tune in again soon for another episode of:

 

www.cookwithcindy.com

 

Fee, Fi, PHO, Fum...



My oldest stepson, Mike, just began his 37th beautiful year on earth. Every year for his birthday I make a "request" meal as my gift to him. Sometimes he will request a theme or country, like last year he said Mexican so we had spicy guacamole with chips to start, lobster enchilladas with avocado corn relish and salsa verde, black beans with red pepper topped with queso fresca, big salad, and for dessert tres leches. This year he said he wanted SEAFOOD PHO. I have to confess I have never eaten Pho so was at a bit of a loss, but had a blast researching ingredients and different points of view on Pho.

Mike about to dig into Seafood Pho

Apparently some believe Pho should be made only with beef, although I found recipes for chicken, pork and seafood. The important aspect of making Pho is the stock so I began making the stock the day before Mike's big dinner.

But let's start at the beginning...

We began the birthday feast with spring rolls and 2 different dipping sauces.

A friend of mine who is Vietnamese told me about an Asian market in Quincy, MA called the Kam Man. I found everything I needed at this fabulous and huge supermarket. In addition to fresh and wonderful produce, they had meats, fishes, whole ducks, spices, sauces, 2 aisles dedicated to different types of seaweed...you name it; they have it! Kam Man is very similar to my favorite market in Tucson that my friend Robb introduced me to a couple years ago. Lee Lee's carries foods from all over the world, plus has a fantastic Vietnamese restaurant next door. Back to Mike's dinner...

SHRIMP SPRING ROLLS

Ingredients:
2 ounces rice vermicelli noodles
8 rice wrappers (8.5 in. diameter)
8 large cooked shrimp
1 1/3 Tbsp. chopped fresh Thai basil (or regular basil if you can't find Thai)
3 Tbsp. chopped fresh mint leaves
3 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
2 leaves lettuce, chopped
1 thinly sliced cucumber (slice the long way; use a peeler to get slices super thin)
4 thinly sliced scallions, green and white parts

Sauce #1:
8 tsp. fish sauce
1/2 cup water
Juice of 1 lime
1 clove minced garlic
1 small hot chili, de-seeded and finely diced
3 tsp. white sugar
1/2 tsp. garlic chili sauce
Mix all ingredients. Let sit for an hour to ripen.

Sauce #2:
3 Tbsp. Hoisin sauce
1 tsp. finely chopped peanuts
Mix same as above.

In Arizona we used to have a neighbor who is Vietnamese. Way (I have not spelled her name correctly, but this is how she pronounced it.) made the most unbelievable spring rolls and she made it look easy. This was my first attempt at making spring rolls. They did not look as pretty as Way's, but they sure were delicious!


Here I am beginning to roll the spring rolls

Preparation:
Pour near boiling water into a bowl. Drop in the rice vermicelli for 3-5 minutes or until al dente. Drain. Fill another large bowl with warm water. Dip one wrapper into the hot water for a second to soften. Lay wrapper flat on a damp linen dish towel (do not use terry cloth). In a row across the center, place 2 shrimp halves, a handful of vermicelli, a couple slices cuke, 2 or 3 pieces of thinly sliced scallion, basil, mint, cilantro and lettuce. Do not put the filling all the way to the edges so you have room to wrap and roll. Fold in both edges and gently, but tightly roll up the wrapper to form a log. The rice wrappers tear quite easily so if you rip a hole you can add a second wrapper to enclose. As you can see in the above photo, I had all ingredients sliced and chopped and then as I made each spring roll I placed under another damp linen towel to keep moist until time to serve.

I think you could add any veg you like or thinly sliced pork or other seafood. Since the entree for Mike's birthday was simply soup, I thought we should have a second appetizer so I made...

CHICKEN SATAY WITH PEANUT SAUCE

Ingredients:

1 cup plain yogurt (I used 0 fat Chobani Greek style)

1 tsp. freshly grated ginger root

1 tsp. minced garlic

1 tsp. curry powder

1 Tbsp. tumeric

1 tsp. salt

Wooden skewers soaked for grilling or I used long metal skewers since I planned to take the chicken off the skewers to serve.

PAM or other vegetable oil for grilling

1 1/2 pound chicken breasts, slightly flattening (see previous blog for suggestions on pounding chicken) and cut into strips about 1 1/2 inches wide

Butter lettuce

Fresh cilantro, chopped

Peanut Sauce

Preparation:

Combine yogurt, ginger, garlic, curry, and tumeric in a shallow bowl. Stir to combine. Place the chicken strips in the yogurt marinade and gently toss to coat thoroughly. Cover and let the chicken marinate in the fridge for a couple hours.

Thread the chicken (this is a goopy job!) onto the skewers. Place on medium hot grill, spray with a little cooking oil to prevent sticking (it still will stick a little). Grill for 3-4 minutes per side until nicely seared and cooked through. Serve on a platter with lettuce leaves, cilantro and a big bowl of peanut sauce.

Peanut Sauce:

1 cup either chunky or smooth peanut butter

1/4 cup Ponzu citrus seasoned soy sauce (found this at the Kam Man's...fabulous!)

2 tsp. chili paste (I used Sambal Oelik)

2 tsp. dark brown sugar

Juice of 2 limes

1 Tbsp. Hoisin sauce

1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt

1/2 cup hot water

1/4 cup chopped peanuts for garnish.

Preparation:

Combine the peanut butter, soy sauce, chilli paste, brown sugar and lime juice in blender or food processor. Puree to combine. While the motor is running, drizzle in the hot water to thin out the sauce (you may not need all of it). Pour the sauce into a nice serving bowl and garnish with the chopped peanuts.

SEAFOOD PHO

I like to keep various soup stocks on hand in the freezer and I just happened to have a lobster broth which is what I used as a base to begin the Pho stock. To this stock I added another couple lobster bodies, shrimp shells, skin of striped bass and simmered for about 2 hours to rich up the original lobster stock. Drain. Add mirepoix (carrot, celery, onion) back into the drained lobster broth and simmer for another couple of hours. Drain. Now the stock is ready for its final simmer with spices braised onion, ginger and garlic.

Ingredients:

2 onions

Ginger root, about a 3 inch piece

5 cloves garlic

Spice blend: 2 large black cardamom pods, 2 cinnamon sticks, 6 star anise, 1 Tbsp. sea salt, 2 Tbsp. fennel seed, about 12 whole cloves

1/3 cup fish sauce

Dash of oyster sauce

Dash of Sriacha sauce

Shitake Mushrooms, about 1 cup

Mung Bean sprouts, about 1 cup

Garnish: chopped cilantro, fresh basil, mint, and limes.

Pea Shoots (optional garnish)

1 lb. scallops

1/2 lb. shrimp

1 lb. squid

1 striper filet (striped bass)

Rice noodles

My other son, Justin caught the striper.

Halve the onions, ginger and garlic. Brush with olive oil and roast them for 30-40 minutes at 450 degrees. Add these and the spice blend to the stock and simmer for another hour. Drain.

Add 1/3 cup fish sauce, a dash of oyster sauce, dash of Sriacha sauce and a pinch of sugar, and simmer for another 1-2 hours. Finally add mushrooms, bean sprouts, uncooked rice noodles, and fish and simmer until it is cooked. Serve with chopped cilantro, fresh basil, mint, limes and extra Sriacha for those who like it hot!

I sliced the squid into rings before adding to the Pho.

Extremely large shrimp and fresh sea scallops ready to drop in.



Time to eat--An ngnon nhe!

For the final course I made Mike a very non-Vietnamese cake using one of his favorite ingredients...and I do not mean Chocolate!

CHOCOLATE GUINNESS CAKE

This cake is ridiculously rich and delicious. This also was a first for me so I had no idea it would be so big. When all frosted it stood an impressive 18 inches high! This recipe came from the Barrington Brewery in Great Barrington, MA

I used pansies to decorate the cake!



Ingredients:

4 cups white flour

1 Tbsp. baking soda

1 pound good quality semisweet chocolate

1 1/2 tsp. salt

2 cups Guinness or other stout

4 cups sugar

1 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder

4 large eggs

1 1/3 cup sour cream

4 sticks unsalted butter (Yikes!...that's a lot of butter!)

2 cups whipping cream

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter three 8 inch round cake pans. Line with parchment paper. Butter paper. Bring 2 cups Guinness and 2 cups butter to a simmer in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add cocoa powder and whisk until mixture is smooth. Cool slightly.

Whisk flour, sugar, baking soda and 1 1/2 tsp. salt in large bowl. Using electric mixer beat eggs and sour cream in another large bowl. Add the stout/chocolate mixture to egg mixture and beat just to combine. Add flour mixture and beat briefly on slow speed. Using rubber spatula, fold batter until completely combined. Divide batter among prepared pans. Bake cakes until tester inserted into center of cakes comes out clean, about 35-40 minutes. Cool cakes on rack for about 10 minutes. Remove cakes from pans and cool completely on the rack.

I frosted the cakes with 2 cups whipping cream, a tsp. of sugar and 1 tsp. of vanilla. I actually could've used more whipped cream as the cakes were so gigantic.

Before adornment...

After...

Justin's birthday is in November so we will do this all over again with his choice of menu. I honestly think sometimes they come up with these things just to see if they can stump me. So far they have not!

We concluded the festivities with the mile-high cake, a wee glass of Guinness and a spectacular fireworks display shot off our back deck. It certainly was a birthday to remember. Happy Birthday all over again Mike!!

Here's a quick technical note before I sign off for today. If you are interested in searching for a certain recipe or tip, go to: www.cookwithcindy.com and enter the word you are searching for in the SEARCH BOX at top left of the first page of my website. If it is something I have blogged, it will take you to it. For example, Teriyaki Chicken wings will take you to the tribute to my dear friend Aggie. These wings were her favorite! Let me know if you have trouble finding something and I will help you out.

Thank you once again for tuning in and sharing 

Mike's festive birthday celebration!

As they say in Vietnamese...VO! or CHEERS!

www.cookwithcindy.com