Are you greedy?

Ok, I have not posted in a while though I have a post and recipe all ready (check back tomorrow) I don't have the time to put the finishing touches on it. So in Leiu of that, Someone sent me this. It's one of those things you are supposed to "REPOST if you love Jesus" things. I do love Jesus but those things bug me. I make it a point NOT to repost or foward them. I am not afraid to share my faith but I don't like to feel "bullied" into it. I did think the message in this was particularly poignant and it is one I have not seen before. I have writtenin the past about the feeling I get from "feeding" people. This reaffirms my feelings.
A holy man was having a conversation with the Lord one day and said,"Lord, I would like to know what Heaven and Hell are like."The Lord led the holy man to two doors. He opened one of the doors and the holy man looked in. In the middle of the room was a large round table.In the middle of the table was a large pot of stew which smelled delicious and made the holy man's mouth water.The people sitting around the table were thin and sickly. They appeared to be famished. They were holding spoons with very long handles that were strapped to their arms and each found it possible to reach into the pot of stew and take a spoonful, but because the handle was longer than their arms, they could not get the spoons back into their mouths.The holy man shuddered at the sight of their misery and suffering. The Lord said, "You have seen Hell." They went to the next room and opened the door. It was exactly the same as the first one. There was the large round table with the large pot of stew which made the holy man's mouth water. The people were equipped with the same long-handled spoons, but here the people were well nourished and plump, laughing and talking. The holy man said, "I don't understand."It is simple" said the Lord, "it requires but ONE SKILL. You see,THEY HAVE LEARNED TO FEED EACH OTHER, WHILE THE GREEDY THINK ONLY OF THEMSELVES.

Super Sweet 16!

Ok, I finally have something I am really proud of to post again! Fri night was my daughter's Sweet 16 party! It was a grand affair that came off without a hitch! It was definately all I had hoped it to be and I am PRETTY sure that it was everything SHE hoped it to be too. Yes, I was living a little vicariously through her but there is no harm in a little of that once in awhile. She is a great kid who deserved this and I loved doing it for her! To read more about her party check out my myspace blog here. http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=58552903
Of course much of my fun in throwing the party was that I "catered " all the food.
I have worked just one time so far with "The Chef" but I learned a great deal about presenting the food and I put it ALL into action for this event.Besides just wanting to make this a special day for my daughter, I am doing the food for a friends wedding in May so this was a great opportunity to give some things a dry run.
I look back at the pictures of the wedding reception that I helped with last year and I see how plain and uninteresting that it all looked in fact I even feel a little embarassed by them. BUT NO MORE!

I helped organize the food for a Valentines dance at church last month and it was a huge improvement from the wedding but unfortunately I was horribly sick with the flu that day and fell short of the vision that I had for that event.

At this party however, I was estatic with the way the table turned out! Not that there is not room for improvement, but now I know what I need/ want to make it even more beautiful for my friends wedding. So here are my pictures. I did not make any new dishes for this event so no recipes but concentrating on the presentation REALLY paid off. Comments and suggestions will be very much appreciated!

Hanging my head, AGAIN!

I have often said that my son is the bane of my culinary existence. He has issues with textures, most vegetables, pepper and most herbs (anything green). Although, lately he has been surprisingly adventurous in trying some new things. I even see him being a teensy bit interested in cooking some simple things. Mind you, they are some unusual things (a hamburger topped with an egg?) but at least he is trying to expand his diet of Mcdonalds, Ramen and chicken patties.
Believe it or not though, one of the things we do share is a love for Sushi (Sushi? The kid who will not eat ANYTHING eats Sushi????). That is my "go to" thing to suggest when I want to spend some quality time with him. It almost always guarantees a yes and his sister gladly bows out of the invitations (not a sushi fan). We do have some different tastes in Sushi though. I go for the simple raw fish and rice type sushi or Unagi and he prefers the rolls that often are fried and spicy. He will eat a few of the things I like and the rolls that he has gotten me to try have been tasty. I just wouldn't have ordered them without him there because I feel like Sushi is one thing I can indulge in, that I really love and is also good for me, if I get the fried stuff
that is kind blowing that.
He challenged me a few weeks ago to try to make a Lithuanian dish called Cepelinai. Where he found this I have no idea. I scoured the Internet looking for recipes for this and believe it or not I could only find 2(?!?) and they were woefully vague. From what I gathered, this is basically a meatball encased in a potato dough that is then boiled. Hmm OK, I am not going to refuse him when he wants to try something new so I decided to give it a try.
I would LOVE to be able to post some pictures of the lovely Cepelinai resting in a bowl. However what I ended up with was potato sludge in the bottom of a pot with boiled meatballs floating on top. The meat was edible however a little bland. A host of problems came up while making these not the least of which was that I was trying to make them before I went to work that night. I think that another problem was something to do with potato starch. So, I was definitely taken down a notch (or 5 ) in the vanity of my cooking ability. HMMMM Maybe that was what he had in mind all along?!?!?!?

A Foodie's shame

You really can't classify my post today as "cooking." I was stressed for a super fast and easy dessert to make to take to a church function. I have a well know reputation for my cooking at my church so I had to tread very carefully with this one. Besides being fast my other requirement was that it had to be something that already had all of the ingredients for. What I came up with was something that the kids loved and was not meant to rival the lovely cakes and pies that some of my usual competition brought. My only defense is that at least it was not store bought.
This is a twist on Rice Crispy Treats. Every time I make Rice Crispy treats I think of the commercial they had for them several years ago. The mom is in the Kitchen behind closed doors and the family is on the other side imploring "Are they done yet?" Cut back to mom who is reading a Romance Novel,"NOT YET! These things take time!" Eventually Mom picks up the plate of rice crispy treats, toussles her hair and flicks some flour on her face. Sighs, puts on a fatigued expression and delivers them to the cheers and accolades of her loving family. I LOVE that commercial!

This is where I reveal on of my guilty pleasures. I LOVE FRUITY PEBBLES! Growing up we did not keep sugared ceareals in our house, it was Cherrios (only the plain kind back then) or Rasin bran.When I got married (at not yet 18) I ALWAYS bought "the good stuff" ! Yes ,I know I talk about eggs bendedict and Feta cheese omlettes. I spend hours pouring over cookbooks and websites and debate the virtures of fresh herbs over dried. I have matured now. ....I don't eat sugared cereal for breakfast, now it is a late night snack!!!!!

ANYWAY, I have prattled on for long enough. I hope that no one finds this recipe TOO hard!

Fruity Pebbles Treats

3Tbs Butter
5 cups Fruit Flavored Rice cereal
1- 7oz jar Marshmellow cream

In a large bowl melt butter add Marshmellow cream and microwave just long enough to make stirring easy. Add Cereal and mix well making sure all cereal is well coated. Place in 9x13 pan press down very firmly with rubber spatula. Cool for 10-15 mins till bars are firm. Cut into squares. Enjoy your kids praises!!

Note: Coco Crispys are also pretty yummy!

New Toys

They say that the only difference in Men and boys is the price and size of their toys. I am not a man but I like toys too! OK, get your mind out of the gutter I am not talking about that kind of toys! Mine don't generally come with wheels, but there are some on my wish list that are pretty pricey. Like a new kitchen, island stove with grill top and convection oven. One of those hidden refrigerators that have different "zones" Granite counters and lots of other things I see on "Kitchen Trends" and " I Want that" Unfortunately unless I hit the lottery those are pretty much just pipe dreams.
But I did get some new toys for Christmas. One was a food processor and another was a Creme brulee set with a torch. I decided to play with my new toys today and used them to make dinner.

Menu:
Pork Tenderloin with Bourbon Plum sauce
Garlic-Truffle Smashed Potatoes
Steamed Veggies
Orange-Ginger Creme Brulee

Would you like to join me for Dinner?

Roasted Pork with Bourbon Plum Sauce

15 dried plums
1 1/2 cups beef broth
1 pork tenderloin roast
1/2 cup Dijon Mustard
2/3 cup brown sugar
1TBS brown sugar
1/3 cup bourbon
1 tsp dried sage
1 1/2 tsp dried thyme
Salt and Pepper to taste

In a small saucepan bring broth to a simmer and drop in plums let stand for aprox 30 mins. Trim roast if necessary, Rinse and Pat dry. Spread mustard all over roast then roll in brown sugar till well coated. Heat Oil in Dutch Oven. Brown Pork on all sides over medium heat. Strain off 1/2 cup of liquid from prunes and add to pan. Bring to a boil. Cover pan and bake at 350 degrees for 30 mins.
Remove from Oven and turn Roast over. Sprinkle sage and thyme over roast, Salt and Pepper to taste. Place Plums around roast. Return to oven and bake uncovered aprox 20 mins or until meat thermometer reaches 155 degrees.
Remove from oven. Place roast on platter and tent with foil. Allow to rest for 15-20 mins. Place prunes and liquid in food processor and Puree. Slice Roast on diagonal and spoon puree over top of roast.


I found a recipe for Low fat Creme brulee and tweaked the flavors to give it a little added interest. Let me tell you the aroma of the ginger, orange and vanilla bean heating in the milk makes you want to stop and drink it right there!

Low- Fat Orange-Ginger Creme Brulee

1/2 cup skim milk
1 Tbs cornstarch
12 oz can fat free evaporated milk
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup fat free half and half
4 egg yolks
1 vanilla bean

Zest of one orange
1tsp freshly grated ginger
2 tsp Grand Manier (or other orange liqueur)
3 Tbs sugar for topping

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place six 1 cup ramekins or custard cups in a large pan (I used my the bottom of my broiler pan).

In a medium heavy saucepan, combine fat-free milk and cornstarch. Mix until smooth. Add sugar and evaporated fat-free milk and stir until combined. Add grated ginger. Split vanilla bean down middle and add to mixture. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until mixture comes to a boil. Remove from heat.Take out vanilla bean

In a small bowl, combine fat-free half & half with the egg yolks. Beat lightly. Add a small amount of the hot milk into the egg mixture while stirring. Pour the egg mixture into the saucepan. Add Grand Manier. Stir to mix.

Divide mixture into the 6 ramekins. Place pan with ramekins on shelf in oven. Pour hot water into the large pan to make a water bath for the custard. Filling until water is approx 1/2 way up ramekin. . Bake for 30 minutes or until custard is set. Remove ramekins from water bath. Refrigerate several hours or until completely cold.

When ready to serve, sprinkle 1 - 2 teaspoons of sugar on top of each ramekin. Using a small butane-fuel torch, heat sugar until it caramelizes and turns light brown. If you do not have torch place ramekins under broiler for a few mins watching carefully that sugar does not burn

Forgive me Father, for I have sinned.

I have a confession to make. I don't make my own spaghetti sauce. That's right, I buy Jar sauce (Prego is my favorite) and then I add onions and peppers and spices to Doctor it up. Personally I think it is pretty good. My kids never complain in fact my son would just as soon I did not add the onions and peppers to it.
I have TRIED to make it several times before and the results were certainly acceptable. But the truth is, I just did not feel it was SO much better than the Jar sauce to make it worth my time.

So today while I was making my usual rounds on the food blogs I keep up with, One site had spaghetti sauce. It gave the recipe and a link to another blog site with a Sauce recipe. Certain things about each of them sounded yummy. I started thinking. "HMMM, maybe I should give it one more try.
NO, each time I start out with high expectations and am always disappointed!"
But I kept looking at more recipes and persuaded myself to take the leap of faith one more time.
Now most sauces have the same basic ingredients but everyone seems to have there own little twist. I probably looked at about a half dozen recipes and took the things from each that I thought sounded good. From my research it seems that one thing that I have not done in the past is cook it long enough. I am very impatient! Today however I am going to try my best!

1 1/2 hrs into sauce making. NOW I remember another reason that I don't make my own sauce. Have I mentioned that I am a messy cook????? What is it about tomato sauce that makes it cover the WHOLE stove top and half the kitchen? But the sauce looks good. It's thick and has lots of texture however. I burned my tongue when I tried to take a taste of it so honestly ...I can't say how good it is at this point.


2 hrs into sauce making. Ok ..hmmm it should cook at least one more hour ...but I COULD cook up a little spaghetti and "test" it while it continues to cook! Yea...cause then I can see if it needs more spices and salt ...YEA ... I NEED to ...no I HAVE to test it!!!

2 1/4 hrs into sauce making. So far so good! I usually don't like my spaghetti sauce without meat but this has enough texture to be good without it. I do know however that in the end I will probably puree it because my son has a thing about textures and ummm VEGETABLES. I think it needs a bit more garlic and Italian seasonings. Perhaps a TOUCH more wine too. I am glad I tested it. By the way, the wine is excellent!

3 hrs Sauce is DONE. Now for the verdict. The sauce is Great! I am really proud of it. It is the best sauce I have ever made! It is sweet and thick and hearty!Has none of the thin flavor of my past attempts.
I am going to be honest though, it's likely that I am going to still use Jar sauce most of the time. Though this IS better. I would say that it is not 3 1/2 hours better than Jar sauce. I WILL make it again though, probably for special occasions. I think that sauce is best made in big batches that you can or freeze. Likely this is only enough sauce for maybe 2 meals in my house. Perhaps THAT is the secret I missed!

Sindy's Special Sauce
2TBS Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 cup finely chopped Carrots
1 small to med, sweet yellow onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 rib diced celery(with leaves)
1/4 cup chopped green pepper
1/4 cup chopped shitake mushrooms (more to taste ..again, picky son)
1/2 cup Red wine (I used a shriaz/merlot blend)
2 Bay leaves

1Tbs dried oregano
28 oz can Diced tomatoes (with juice)
28 oz can pureed Tomatoes
2 Tbs Tomato paste
1TBS Truffle oil (optional)

Heat oil in large heavy skillet. Add carrots, onions and celery. Cook med/high for about 10 mins until tender and beginning to brown. Add garlic and green pepper. Remove and place in large heavy bottomed pot.(a dutch oven works well) Add a little more olive oil to skillet if dry and sautee mushrooms until they give off their water and begin to brown. Add wine to skillet and scrape bottom of pan. Add wine and mushrooms to vegetables. Add remaining ingredients except truffle oil. Bring up to a boil stirring constantly. Reduce heat to simmer. Simmer for about 3 hours stirring every 10-15 mins. If sauce becomes too thick( starts sounding and looking like a volcano instead of smaller bubbling) add a small amount of water (up to 1/4 cup). When the sauce is done it will be a deeper brownish red. At the end of cooking stir in Truffle oil. This gives the sauce and great earthy flavor !

NOTE:Tune in later for the disaster that follows!!!!!

I CAN bake!

Over and over I have stated that I am not a baker. Cookies though are not too hard to do. When I was a kid I used to make Snickerdoodles a lot because they were yummy and the ingredients were so basic that we always had everything you need to make them on hand. I have not made them in YEARS though. I found this recipe on Slashfood It sounded interesting so I thought I would give it a try. I will have to say though that unlike regular snickerdoodles, you might have to stock up on spices to have the things you need on hand. I for one had to purchase Cardamon which is NOT cheap. I will be looking for some more recipes that call for that so that I can get my moneys worth before it gets too old sitting in my pantry. These cookies are sort of spicy and have a unique unexpected flavor. I was not sure I liked them at first but they really grew on me. I will say though that they were the absolutely best texture of cookie that I have ever baked!!!! They were very crispy on the outside and nice and soft on the inside. They kept a nice texture stored for about a week. Though they definitely were still good almost 2 weeks after baking. I did not get pictures of the cookies but I do have pictures of a nifty gift Idea for them. I placed the dry ingredients in 3 ziplock bags and put them into a Chinese take out Gift box. (You can purchase these at the craft stores)It is a tight fit but it can be done. I will be adding instructions and giving these as gifts to my friends. Kind of a variation on the Cookies in a Jar gift. I would definitely recommend giving these a try!

Chocolate Chai Snickerdoodles
2 1/4 cups sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp cardamom
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1/4 tsp white pepper
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 cup butter, room temperature
2 large eggs
2 ts vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 t baking powder

Preheat over to 350F. In large mixing bowl, stir together sugar and spices; set 1/2 cup of the mixture aside. Add butter to mixing bowl and cream with sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in cocoa powder, followed by the eggs and vanilla. Stir in flour and baking powder by hand or at low speed. Form dough into 1-inch balls and roll in reserved sugar mixture. Bake at 350F for 12-15 minutes or until edges are firm. Cool on wire rack and store in an airtight container. Makes about 4 dozen cookies.

Cocktail Time!!

Friday night was my almost annual Christmas Cocktail party. I had a fabulous turn out of about 30 people coming and going. I had a brief moment of panic right before the party, thinking that I did not have enough food. I came up with a couple of back up plans that I could whip up really fast if it looked like the food was getting low but convinced myself that I always end up with WAY more food than I need.

I went for elegant this year. I sat up an official Bar AKA my desk and Made Roasted Pear and Cranberry Bellinis for the guests as they came in and there was lots of wine and liquor also.

I kept all of my serving dishes crystal (ok, mostly glass) or silver. I opted to use clear plastic plates but real glassware. It all turned out beautifully but man was that alot of dishes to do and my dishwasher, AKA my daughter, managed to skate out before clean up time came.

I came up with a fun idea that I am going to make a tradition. I put a guest book in the bathroom with a note encouraging people to leave me a message but never said a word about it. It made it a novelty rather than a boring task. I got some great, funny comments which is what I was going for. I hope that next time more people will find it and leave me their thoughts.

Only two minor mishaps #1 setting off the smoke detector when I tried to reheat the chicken on the same broiler pan that it was cooked on and #2 my Beautiful Ice bowl melted all over the table (what was I thinking?) But neither one put a damper on the party!

One of the most popular Hors d'Oeuvres was one of the easiest. I saw the recipe on Paula Dean. I don't make a lot of her dishes because they are a little too southern for my taste and usually contain alot of butter ..lol. But this one caught my attention right away and I am very glad I made it. It is a little time consuming but very easy. I think it will be one of my staple party foods from now on. Everyone loved it and asked for the recipe so here it is.

Sweet Chicken Bacon Wraps

1 1/4 pounds boneless, skinless, chicken breasts (about 4 breasts)

1 (1-pound) package sliced bacon

2/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar

2 tablespoons chili powder

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cut chicken breasts into 1-inch cubes. Cut each bacon slice into thirds. Wrap each chicken cube with bacon and secure with a wooden pick. Stir together brown sugar and chili powder. Dredge wrapped chicken in mixture. Coat a rack and broiler pan with nonstick cooking spray. Place chicken wrap on rack in broiler pan. Bake 350 for 30 to 35 minutes or until bacon is crisp.

Note: after 35 mins the bacon was still not crisp enough for my taste so I stuck them under the broiler for a few minutes. You know I had to change SOMETHING!

Food for thought

No fancy pictures today. If you happen to also read my Myspace blog then you can skip this one because its a repeat from there. After I read this post I realised that it belongs on here because after all...it's about food. Two of my loves in life are cooking and writing which is why I have 2 blogs. I think I am much better at cooking than writing. I look at it as Cooking as something I do for other people to enjoy and writing for myself to enjoy. For the most part just venting of my feelings is what I am after but I love it when I feel like something I have written really captures what I am feeling.

My First Chakra
While delivering tins of goodies to the ER, my partner (for the day) asked "Why do you do this?" He went on to say I need to "stop being so nice." It was a compliment. This person knows that my ultimate goal is to start a catering business, to actually get paid to do what I love which is cook. It just so happens that a few other times he was my partner I was working on projects ..catering a wedding for a friend, making appetizers for friends events. He got the opportunity to taste test for me and keeps encouraging me to take steps to start the business.
But all that aside, it got me thinking about why DO I cook and give it away to others (a lot) ? I have come up with several reasons.
1. I just love to cook and it gives me opportunities to try out new recipes.
2. If I keep all of the stuff I cook in my house, I will be as BIG AS A HOUSE!
3. I enjoy getting compliments on my cooking.
4. Hopefully people tasting my food and knowing I am interested in cooking as a business will eventually lead to people hiring me to do it.

All of those things are true but there is something else too. A while back I read a really interesting book (hold on long title coming) " Invisble Acts of Power , Personal Choices that Create Miracles" buy Caroline Myss. It was a very spiritual and uplifting book that encompasses many religions and beliefs. It draws from and quotes Christianity, Judism ,Buddism as well as other religions.It talks about Karma and Chakra's I don't know if I really subscribe to all of that but I felt like it took the best from all beliefs and it was a book that really made me think more about things I do and what effect they have on other people. But I digress
One of the chapters in the book is titled Gifts of the Earth. Of course Food being a Gift of the Earth. I feel like 2 quotes from that chapter really hit the nail on the head when it comes to me ..and cooking and giving food. So, Bill here are my reasons.

" We can reach out to people through food because food is one gift of the heart that so easily can embrace the intention of the heart."

"A man once asked the prophet what was the best thing in Islam and the latter replied, It is to feed the hungry and to give the greeting of peace to those one knows and to those one does not know." - Hadith of Bukhari

Food for thought (Pun intended)- Hunger is not always a physical thing and the food is not always the actual gift.

Chocolate Porn

Ok, again its been a long time since I have posted. I actually have been doing a ton of cooking just not had time to post. I am beginning my yearly holiday sweets overload. Even though I maintain I am not a baker I do make several kinds of cookies. My concentration though tends to be on candies. I make many many pounds of fudge! In fact I get requests for it all year but I only make it between Nov and Dec...That's what makes it special! I traditionally make some for the emergency department and each person on my shift as well as a general tray for the rest of the EMS department. I don't think I do anything out of the ordinary. I use the basic recipe on the back of the marshmallow cream jar. I do use different kinds of chips and add ins though. I still think the peanut butter is the the best and I probably get the most requests for this.
Last year I started making bon bons which though are a little time consuming but are ridiculously simple.
Bon Bons
pkg of oreos
1pkg of soften cream cheese
1 pkg of chocolate chips

Place oreos in food processor and pulse until they are completely ground. Mix oreos and cream cheese. Chill for about an hour for easier handling. Roll into walnut size balls. For easier dipping I recommend freezing. Melt chocolate chips ( I prefer dark chocolate) in microwave (I recomend doing about 1/2 cup at a time 30 second intervals, stirring in between till smooth) or over a double boiler. Let the chocolate cool down just a little before dipping in the cookie balls. Cool on a parchment paper lined tray. These freeze very well.
Variations: ENDLESS there are several different flavors of oreos and of chocolate chips! You could also add a splash of your choice of extract flavor too the cookies.

These are very rich! One or two with a cup of coffee is divine and very satisfying. But be aware addicting ...You are likely to be ready for another in an hour or so!

My son likes them undipped which makes them even more simple!

I am currently working on truffles which has had it's ups and downs. I made a pumpkin truffle which didn't come out so hot, likely due to my ..hmmm "what if I don't measure and just add whatever I want to this" attitude. I finally came up with one that although was Very tasty I just don't think had the WOW factor that makes it worth my time. I think I will stick to the fudge and Bon Bons.

Caliente

Yesterday my friend Savanna and I went to Salsaritas for lunch. It was pretty good and the servings were GINORMOUS! The salsa had a pretty good little "bite" to it but it really got me craving some really good Pico de Gallo. I was going to make it last night but my neighborhood grocery store did not have any ripe avocados. So, before I came home from work tonight I stopped by the BEST store in Fayetteville where they always have GREAT produce. They of course DID have ripe avocados. They even had the black skinned ones that I like ( as opposed to the bright green ones that are harder even ripe). It is unusual for me to come home and cook after working 12 hours but I was REALLY craving this. Besides, it is not really cooking, just a lot of chopping. This recipe is totally simple and any of the ingredients can be adjusted to your particular taste. I like LOTS of cilantro in mine!

Pico de Gallo

3 ripe tomatoes

1 small red onion

Cilantro (about 1/2 of a bunch)

2-3 cloves of garlic

1-2 jalapenos

1 ripe avocado

juice of 2 limes

1tsp salt

Quarter tomatoes and gently squeeze to seed then dice to taste (depending on how chunky you like) dice onion and avocado, mince garlic. Finely chop jalapenos (the seeds and ribs are the hottest part of the pepper so if you want less heat scrape these out). Mix all ingredients in a bowl add salt and lime juice. Let stand for about 15 mins. I think a bowl of tortilla chips and a nice frosty Margarita would go just fabulously with this! It also is a great topping for fish. Personally I can eat the stuff by itself especially if you add some cooked shrimp to it. I almost forgot ..quite yummy over scrambled eggs! Did I mention I REALLY love Pico de

A Leap of faith

When you hear what I have made today, I will bet that your first thought is going to be "EWWW!!!" I am not sure what made me think that this really MIGHT be good. I figured it would be interesting to say the least. I suppose I took the risk just because I like ...No love, Basil. (Just in case you have not noticed this already). AND I have a lot of basil growing in my garden and I am not sure how much longer it will last. So, open your mind. Last week I made (drum roll..........) Basil Ice Cream. Ok, I will give everyone a minute to wrap their minds around this......................................................................................................................................................... Hear me out! Basil is in the MINT family! The finished product actually tastes a bit like Mint Chocolate chip but it has a fresh twist at the end. A small scoop of this at the end of a meal is a light refreshing dessert. Don't get me wrong, I am not going to be running out to the store at midnight to get my basil ice cream fix or anything. My favorite is still Ben and Jerry's Triple Brownie fudge. But, I do think I will make it for my next dinner party. If for no other reason than to have fun seeing people's reaction to it. I think it is something interesting and something people will talk about. So here is the recipe, I got it from The Food Network (of course) It was on Easy Entertaining with Michael Chiarello. I cut the recipe in half and just made a pint for the trial run. YEA, I WAS SCARED! Plus 8 cups of basil is a lot..Even if you grow it yourself. I think I will make a quart soon though so I have some on hand for people to try out. So here it is I DARE you to try it!
Basil Ice Cream
8 loosely packed cups basil leaves
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/8 teaspoon powdered vitamin C
1 quart vanilla ice cream, softened
1 cup shaved, bittersweet chocolate

Blanch the basil leaves in boiling salted water for 5 seconds, then place in an ice bath. Drain and wring the basil dry in a dish towel. Chop coarsely.In a food processor, puree the basil with salt, vitamin C and just enough softened ice cream to make a puree (about 3 tablespoons). You should have about 1 cup basil puree. Add the remaining ice cream and puree. Quickly take the finished pureed ice cream and transfer it from the processor back to the freezer container. Add chocolate and mix in thoroughly. Place container in freezer. Freeze for at least 1 hour
Notes: That is the original recipe ( of course) I made some changes. I used regular kosher salt, I used Fruit Fresh instead of Vit C powder although I think if you eat it the same day this really is not necessary at all and I used a Hershey's Special dark chocolate bar and grated it.

Anyone out there????

I am probably going to be writing this to myself because if there was anyone reading my blog before I doubt they are now. I can't believe it has been almost 2 months since I have posted! I have cooked but I guess not anything I felt was good enough to post. I have been working on A recipe for a Chicken contest. I am sure that you would get sick of hearing about the same dish over and over again. I know I am getting sick of eating it! Besides ..If I post it here someone might STEAL IT! I KNOW that this blog is SO well read that SURELY there are spies out there looking for my perfect recipe!
Anyway, on to some dish on food (rim shot) I love to go out to eat for breakfast more than any other meal. In fact a breakfast or brunch buffet is my all time fave. I like so many breakfast foods that making a feast at home is WAY too much work. I want the biscuits and gravy and eggs and bacon and potatoes and waffles and fruit! BUT, for a good omelet..I want to make my own. That's because to me the EGG is only a background for my veggies and cheese. I love a HUGE omelet that is literally BURSTING with Peppers and onions, mushrooms and what ever other veggies I have on hand. I love it to be ooooooozing with ooey gooey cheese. This morning I decided to use feta cheese and I added some basil (of course when do I NOT add basil) and sundried tomatoes. YUMMM! What I really wanted in it was some fresh SPINACH! This ban on spinach is killing me. BRING BACK MY SPINACH!!! I was going to add some frozen but Alas, I have used it all working on my contest recipe (OOPS , forget that you read that looking over my shoulder for spies).
So, I know this is no culinary masterpiece but it was a nice hearty breakfast and something to get my blog up and running again.

A Trifling Dessert

So, can anyone tell me HOW...just HOW do you transport a trifle bowl? The only way I can think of is if you have someone hold it. What if you don't HAVE someone who can hold it?I can tell you how NOT to transport a trifle bowl. You DEFINATELY should not transport a trifle bowl in floorboard of you car. EVEN if you are holding on to it with one hand while driving! Because when you let go for a NANO-Second to answer your cell phone...even with one of those high-speed MCDonalds looking ear-piece thingys it WILL, I repeat WILL ,fall over and land on the floorboard of your car. Rendering an afternoon and several $$ completely wasted! It will also put you in a VERY VERY bad mood!!!

I was so excited. I was going to a dinner party and I decided that this Peach Melba Trifle sounded scruptious! I envisioned ohh's and ahh's from the other guests! I imagined moans as they took the first bite! imagined, "Oh, Sindy you are SUCH A GOOD COOK!" I got none of that ...what I got as I carried in the half empty, dasterdly trifle bowl with what now looked the birthday cake of a 1 yr old AFTER he smeared it all over himself. Were pitiful looks ...pats on the back , and "I am sure it will still taste wonderful" There was a enough left in the bowl to try. But it was ruined...it could be the best thing in the world ..but it just wasn't the same.

Ok, I did try it and it was good ...sigh ! Really it was ....sigh! OK, I just can't stop pouting enough to be objective. I would recomend that you try it ..the ingredients will tell you that there is no way that it wouldn't be good. But I WILL advise you that you should make it and SERVE it in the same location!
The only good thing is ...I actually had the presence of mind to take a picture of it BEFORE I left home. So ...YOU get to see it BEFORE it became a pile of mush! Pitty that my friends did NOT!

Peach Melba Trifle
6 cups Frozen sliced peaches (defrosted)
1/2 cup sugar
2 Tbs Fresh squeezed OJ
Zest of 1 0range
1/8 gound nutmeg
1/4 cup Grand Marnier
2 TBS raspberry Liqueur
1 1/2 cups seedless raspberry jam
1-16oz pound cake cut into 1/2 in slices
1/4 cup water
additional:
1 large pkg instant vanilla pudding prepared as directed except replace 1/4 cup of milk with 1/4 cup of Grand Marnier .

In large bowl combine peaches , sugar, oj, orange zest, nutmeg and 2TBS of the Grand Marnier. Stir well and set aside
Combine Raspberry Liqueur and jam and set aside
Place layer of pound cake in bottom of trifle bowl. mix remaining Grand Marnier and water, brush onto pound cake.
Spread 1/3 of jam mixture onto cake, Spoon 1/3 of pudding mixture on top and a layer of peaches ( removed from juice with slotted spoon) Repeat for a total of 3 layers. Chill for 1 hour.

I made some adjustments to the original recipe which I got from "Perfect Party Food" It actually had a recipe for a vanilla custard flavored with the Grand Marnier. It also called for topping it with 2 cups of heavy cream whipped to stiff peaks. I had plans to top it with store bought whipped cream ..but did not get that far ...SIGH It was also supposed to be refrigerated for at least 8 hour but I did not have time for that. ....SIGH! Did I mention that Trifle bowls by there very nature are TOP HEAVY??????

Aloha

Despite working all weekend I actually managed to do a lot of cooking. On Saturday I catered a dinner for my co-workers before I started my 12 hr shift. Unfortunately I forgot my camera so I have no ACTUAL EVIDENCE of this ...so you will have to take my word for it. We had Margarita Chicken, which is really just another recipe for chicken marinade . I just broiled it and served it with a lemongrass and ginger rice (box mix from Harris Teeter YUMM!) but you could also grill and afterwards do a wide variety of things with it like add to a salad or fajitas. I got good reviews from my co-workers. Proven by the fact that the container of left overs that I went back to get at the end of my shift had disappeared. Then again those guys will eat anything! I also made a Trifle with lime and angelfood cake ..along with the other usual suspects like whipped topping and cream cheese. I will post that recipe later as again, I have no pictures and since it was an experiment...it has no catchy name as of yet.
WHAT do you ask does any of this have to do with my title or the picture ? Not a darn thing I was just showing off my SUPERCOOK abilties to work 36 hrs AND get my cook on. Are you impressed? ..NO? Awww darn ( looking forlorn and dejected). Ok, well let me get on to my actual post topic.
Sunday at Church we had a Luau and contest for the best Hawaiian dish.
So I poured over my cookbooks and searched the internet for days looking for something that looked yummy, yet different. I ended up at the food Network and Emeril was kind enough to provide a recipe for Molokai Sweet Potato Salad. Initally I was not sure that I liked it but after it had a chance to sit and the flavors mingle I liked it a lot. I guess I expected a sweeter flavor but it turned out to be more Savory. The sweet potato did not take on that usual "Thanksgiving" flavor and the pineapple was very subtle. It was a refreshing change of pace and I would have to say that I have not ever tasted anything similar. Considering my love of food and willingness to try just about anything, that is quite an accomplishment. I would recommend that you give this recipe a try if you are planning a Hawaiian type meal or any casual meal that might include pork. The flavors are not too strong so unless someone has a strong aversion to the individual ingredients it should be a dish that is pleasant to most palates that are at least moderately adventurous. Much to my dismay the contest was not carried out due to lack of voting ..I guess no one wanted to compete against me (wink wink).
Margarita Chicken Marinade ("Perfect Party Food" cookbook)
1/4cup olive oil
1/2 cup OJ
1/4 cup lime juice
1/4 cup gold tequila
1/2tsp ground cumin
1canned chipotle chile in adobo sauce
1/4 cup fresh cilantro
Place all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth. Place chicken and marinade in ziplock bag and let marinate in Fridge for at least 4 hrs or overnight. Makes enough marinade for about 12 chicken breasts. Broil or grill chicken until juices run clear Garnish with fresh cilantro and slices of lemon, lime and orange.

DO YOU LIME?

I love creamy, decadent foods. Who doesn't? But I have noticed that in my day to day cooking I really swing the other way. Especially in the summer time. I crave things that are light and fresh tasting. This is why I love fresh herbs! My other love is citrus, lemon and lime especially. My absolute favorite dessert is Key Lime Pie. Depending on the recipe this can be creamy and decadent too, but the lime just gives that fresh, light burst of flavor that to me, is heaven! I was browsing through some recipes and came across a simple recipe for a marinade. It was specifically for pork chops but after tasting it I think it would be wonderful on chicken also. Of course, I can't ever make a recipe EXACTLY how I find it so had to tweak it up a bit by adding the lime zest and rice wine vinegar (actually it called for more lime juice than I had which was the real reason for the vinegar). The zest in citrus is where all that intense flavor lives and it's my personal opinion (for what THAT is worth) that it is simply a waste to not use it. I was in a hurry and did not marinate the pork chops as long as it called for and I broiled them. Let me just say they were delish! I think left to marinate all day or overnight and tossed on the grill would make them even better. BOTH of my children complimented them ..that is a miracle in itself!!!!!!

HONEY -LIME MARINADE
zest of one lime
1/4 cup fresh sqeezed lime juice
2Tbs honey
1/2 cup soy sauce (reduced sodium)
2 cloves of garlic,minced
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar (milder than regular)


Place ingredients in a large ziplock bag add pork or chicken, give a shake and let marinate for at least 4 hours. Remove meat from marinade. Discard marinade ( if you want to baste meat reserve a little marinade BEFORE adding meat). Grill or broil meat until done.
I served this with a lemon-grass and ginger rice (yes, I cheated! It was from a box) and a salad of fresh spring greens. Perfect summer dinner!

Confused Salsa

I was in the mood yesterday for some fruit salsa. My recipe was inspired by the recipe from "Pampered Chef" but of course I had to make it my own. It turned out pretty tasty so I took some with me while visiting a friend and between that and grazing on it everytime I passed the fridge yesterday, It was GONE before I went to bed last night. Low and behold my daughter liked it!!! My son's comment was that it was like picking up the wrong drink. Evidently his taste buds were confused by his eyes. He was thinking regular salsa That's ok ..he is easily confused. He said it was not bad but he did not eat any more. He said not to be offended. I told him I would never be offended by his opinion of anything I cook because has has NO TASTE! He was offended.
So, I decided that I would make some more . I tweaked it up a bit more today although I am not sure that the extra work of the cherries was worth the effort.
As a tribute to my son I will call this CONFUSED SALSA. I served it with cinamon tortilla chips I made by giving tortillas a light spritz of cooking spray, sprinkled on some cinamon and sugar then baked at 425 for about 8 mins turning over half way through. I am a big yogurt eater and I prefer to get vanilla yougurt and add my own fruit. I thought this would be really good in it.It would also be a nice filling for Crepes or topping on french toast or waffles.

Confused Salsa
1 pint of strawberries
2 Granny Smith apples

2 Kiwi

1 cup cherries
1 nectarine
2 oranges
3 TBS brown sugar
2 TBS dried Mint

Dice strawberries add brown sugar and mix. Peel and dice nectarines kiwi and apples add to mixture. Pit and chop cherries (optional). Zest one orange and add the juice of both oranges to mixture. Add Mint. Stir well. Cover and chill for at least 1/2 hour. Serve with Cinamon Tortilla
chips or as a topping for ice cream, french toast or yogurt.

No Talent, just pretty

Is that not pretty? Doesn't it just look YUMMY? I just got my shipment from William-sonoma with my Pineapple and Mango slicer and had to try them out. The Pineapple cutter I would definately recomend! You just slice off the top and screw it down into the pineapple and it is perfectly cored and sliced. If you are careful (which I was not) you will have an intact pineapple shell that you can use to serve your fruit salad or make cool frosty Drinks (Do, you like Pina Coladas...and getting caught in the rain...). The mango slicer also CAN work very well ...sliding down over that tough pit and leaving two halves that you can just turn wrongside out and slice off the peel. HOWEVER, you have to make sure you have a nice shaped mango with the stem in the center (Which I did NOT) Anyway this is just a basic tropical fruit salad. Pineapple , Mango , Papaya, Kiwi and Bananna.

Techical Difficulties

Here is the pictures from the previous post. Hopefully next time I can get them TOGETHER
Tortellini with Dip Recipe Courtesy of Indyfoodie http://www.indyfoodie.blogspot.com/

Stuffed Cucumbers

Savory Ham Cheescake

We interrupt this Diet for a Wedding

DISCLAIMER:I have been trying to keep my recent posts healthy and on the lighter side. But for me denial does not work. I have to give myself permission to occasionally be "bad". So please heed this disclaimer. There is NOTHING healthy or light in today's recipes. There are no LOWFAT, or LOWCAL or Fat Free ingredients. Today is about creamy, indulgent foods.

I love my job as a paramedic;but after a back injury I have come to the conclusion that I need to start exploring "back up plans" I am not looking to leave EMS in the near future but I can't physically do this job until retirement (Which at the hospital I work at would be about another 20 yrs or so) One of the "Second careers that I am exploring" is Catering. I got my first opportunity to try my hand at this yesterday. A lady in my church recruited myself and my friend Savanna to be in charge of food for her wedding. Estimated number of guests 200. I honestly had no idea how to figure how much food that was going to be. So, I concentrated on the menu and let Savanna take the lead on that stuff. We also had prep help of two other women Susan and Lila(who were also in charge of decorations). We worked great together and could not have pulled it off without the whole group along with the MANY other people who pitched in on the day of the wedding for all of the final setup. We pulled it off without a hitch and had lots more food than we needed which we felt was better than the alternative. Tons of compliments and most importantly the Bride was very happy! I learned a lot and have a starting point for my next endeavor.
The menu was heavy Hor d' Oeuvres. We had alot of the usual suspects like veggie trays meatballs and finger sandwhiches but I really wanted to do some special, elegant things that would hopefully, knock the socks off of the guests. One thing a little different ;I did I credit to a fellow Blogger Indyfoodie, was tortillini with dip. We had to modify the dip because the bride wanted to avoid anything with nuts and guess what, Pesto has nuts. So basically I used all the ingredients of pesto sans the Nuts. It was really nice but I think her original recipe would be better and hope to get to use that next time.
A recipe for Savory Ham Cheese Cake I found in "A Taste of Home" magazine. It was very elegant and was all that I had imagined it would be. I plan to keep it as one of my top signature dishes.
Savory Ham Cheesecake
3cups Oyster crackers, crushed
1 cup Grated Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup melted butter
Filling:
4- 8oz pkgs cream cheese, softened
4 eggs lightly beaten
2 cups(8-oz) shredded swiss cheese 2 cups finely chopped cooked ham
1/2 cup snpped chives
1/4 cup fresh minced basil
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp white pepper
Combine crackers,parmesan and butter. Reserve 1/4 cup for topping. Press remaining crumb mixture in the bottom and 2 inches up the sides of a greased springform pan. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 mins.
In a large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Add eggs, beat on low until just combined. Add remaining ingredients
and beat until just combined. Pour mixture into crust. Sprinkle top with remaining cracker crumbs.
Place pan on a baking sheet. Bake at 350 for 60-70 mins until filling is almost set. Turn oven off. Leave cheesecake in the oven with door ajar for 30 mins. Cool on a wire rack for 10 mins. Carefully run a knife around the edge of pan to loosen; cool for 1 hour longer. Refrigerate overnight. Remove sides of pan. Serve chilled or at room temp. with assorted crackers. About 40 servings
Visually, I think the most popular item was stuffed cucumbers, inspired by a wedding episode of"Semi- homemade" on Food Network. I did not however use Sandra's actual recipe. It is a Sindy original if I do say so myself was a great success.

Stuffed Cucumbers
12- english cucumbers
4- 8oz pkgs cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup drained and finely chopped roasted red peppers
2 cloves garlic finely minced
1/4 cup snipped chives
Beat all ingredients except cucumbers and place in a pastry bag with a large star tip
Run a grater or zester randomly down side of cucumbers to make a nice pattern. slice cucumbers very about 1 1/2 inches. With a small melon baller or grapfruit spoon make a small hollow inside of cucumbers. As you are cutting place cucumber slices upside down so that liquid does not pool inside. Pipe cream cheese mixture into cucumbers mounding it up well over top of cucumber. These can be made the night before. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.
Aprox 100 slices
GRRR..... PICTURES WILL NOT LOAD....CHECK BACK LATER.