CHoCoLaTe PaNiNi???

I was watching food network the other day and came across Giada's show 'Everyday Italian'. I normally don't watch her show, although I like her cooking, but the show featured chocolate and it is my DUTY to totally pause whenever chocolate is involved.

She did a couple of chocolate recipes but the one that grabbed me the most because of it's simplicity and it's seemingly fresh taste was the Chocolate Panini with Brie. I substituted plain brie for an herb crusted brie and it was delicious. You can find the link here:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1977,FOOD_9936_77104,00.html
This is such a unique way to have chocolate and I thoroughly enjoyed having it in a savory capacity. It was very simple and was an explosion of some of my favorite flavors in a unique combination.

PuMPKiN iCe CReaM...aS PRoMiSeD :o)

Recently I got some Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream from Yoder Dairy. I got this from the Princess Anne Farmers Market location and let me tell you...it is DELICIOUS! Worth EVERY BIT of it's slightly gourmet cost. I bought a prepacked quart and oh how *sweet* it was :o) There is something in this that even adds the crispness of a crust to the ice cream. I can definitely taste the cinnamon and other spices in this ice cream and boy was it CReaMY!!! My resident 'pumpkin-aholic' gave it a'one empty bowl' rating:o)

Here's a photo with a teaser...they have an 'apple pie' version too! Run, don't walk to your nearest Yoder Dairy :o) You may want to call your nearest location to ensure they have what you want and verify their store hours.

a PRoPeR Tea

I was invited to a quilt showing by a sweet lady I know. I am always so thrilled to see different quilts, my eyes can't get enough of colors and patterns and textures. I was not disappointed looking at all of her beautiful quilts, each stitch had been sewn with love. I can't thank her enough for sharing those treasures with me. I appreciate all craftmanship I encounter and this was no exception.

I was also treated to a beautiful tea. It was so beautiful, I was afraid to drink and eat off of her gorgeous dinnerware. She took the time to patiently explain some of the aspects of 'the tea' and just look at those beautiful folded rose napkins! That is how keen her attention to detail is. She had some fresh canteloupe along with some delicious sweet baked goods like her homemade shortbread. I have NEVER had better shortbread than hers.

Wouldn't this table make you feel special? What a gracious hostess!






Thank you so much for sharing your treasures with me. I cannot tell you how special this was and I thoroughly enjoyed the entire morning :o) You are very special and I am so happy that we met! This was my first official tea party and I hope it's the beginning of many :o)

SouPS oN :o)

I received an invitation a couple of weeks ago from a sweet lady whom I have had the great pleasure of meeting since coming to Virginia. She wanted to host a dinner at her home featuring soups to help raise money for a charity of her choosing. She invited some 'foodie' friends and I was so excited to be included!

There were two fantastic soups on the menu but what most inspired me was her kindness and generosity. There I was sitting in her kitchen, surrounded by some amazing women, and feeling truly blessed. This just proves that food can really bring people together.

She made Mexican Tortilla Soup, recipe compliments of Tyler Florence and it was delicious! Here are a couple of photos to share of some of the ingredients as well as the finished product.






She also made a Plantain Soup from Ingrid Hoffmann's Simply Delicioso. This soup was equally delicious. I honestly would not want to have to choose one over the other :o) Both were excellent choices!



Tonight was also my first time trying Passion Tea. It was absolutely thirst quenching :o) Look at these beautiful glasses! Who wouldn't feel at home having this glass of tea?



Both of these soup recipes can be found online so I won't post them here. If you have difficult locating them, drop me a line here and I'll be glad to send a link.

I want to thank my dinner ladies from the bottom of my heart for such a terrific night! Thank you also to my wonderful hostess for the fantastic inspirational tour.

I look forward to many more charity dinners with them :o) This truly was soup for the soul.

MY NeWeST STReSS THeRaPY: PLaYiNG WiTH PaPeR

Most of you know I am *considering* scrapbooking as a hobby...

It all started with one book and has turned into one big technicolor dream! I just recently carved a little niche for me to work. I am no way near organized but it's a start. You can see... I'm definitely in the 'considering' category, right? I'm working on a little more space to get those remaining thousand 'must haves' up and off the carpet :o( unfortunately space is a premium so I'm going to have to be creative :o) I took this photo while working on 'SWeeT'. Pardon my mess ;o)


I was up later last night playing with paper, stickers and other embellishments. I'm toying with some ideas I've seen and this is the culmination of some of those inspirations (THaNK Ye SCRaP MiSeR!). It's not 'PeRFeCT' but it is 'SWeeT' :o) (Hint: You can click on any image on my blog to enlarge it.)
Here are my newest pages.

*note the frog feet*




They are not totally complete but a good start has been made, that's for sure :o) I tried a couple of new things like rub-ons (all girl), 3d acrylic glaze on the fingers of the frogs (frog prince) and primary colors scrapbook paint on chip letters (sweet). My *SS* recommended that I add a rusty orange to 'sweet' page to lighten it up. What do you think?

I hope you enjoy looking at them as much as I enjoyed working on them :o)

ReCiPe ReMiX

Yesterday I fixed a Chili's Southwest Eggroll and today with the filling, I flipped it and imho it was even better :o)

Nachos with a southwest chicken twist. I did add some pepper jack shredded cheese to top the nachos and MAN were they good! I layed some tortilla chips on a baking sheet and preheated my oven for 350 degrees and layered the meat mixture on top of the chips, evenly spreading it as I went along. I then layered some pepper jack cheese on top and baked it until the cheese was slightly melted and the filling warmed again. It didn't take long and the result was definitely worth repeating!

Here's a photo of this southwest remix :o) Since I couldn't decide on a salsa, I did a little of each, salsa verde and pico de gallo.

CoPYCaT ReCiPe: SouTHWeST eGGRoLLS

Today for dinner it was a repeat performance of something my family loves. When I came across this recipe I hadn't tried them at the restaurant before. I had come across it online and decided to give it a try. All the ingredients were things I loved so I figured that they would be great mixed together :o) I also got to use my tortilla wrappers from Trader Joe's, spinach and chile flavored ones.

I found the recipe on one of my favorite online recipe sites, RecipeZaar. I like this site because you can usually find reviews on the recipes so you can adapt recipes or get great tips for variations.

Here is the recipe that I used compliments of Mysterygirl. I did quadruple the recipe and have a great deal of filling left over. Here's a photo of the filling inside the tortilla shells:



Chili's Southwest Eggrolls

Recipe #1831928


Eggroll
1 chicken breast fillet
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 tablespoons minced red bell peppers
2 tablespoons minced green onions
1/3 cup frozen corn
1/4 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained
2 tablespoons frozen spinach, thawed and drained
2 tablespoons diced, canned jalapeno peppers
1/2 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 dash cayenne pepper
3/4 cup shredded monterey jack cheese
5 7-inch flour tortillas


Dipping Sauce
1/4 cup smashed fresh avocados (about half of an avocado)
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon buttermilk
1 1/2 teaspoons white vinegar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon dried parsley
1/8 teaspoon onion powder
1 dash dried dill weed
1 dash garlic powder
1 dash pepper
Garnish
2 tablespoons chopped tomatoes
1 tablespoon chopped onions

Preheat barbecue grill to high heat.
Rub the chicken breast with some vegetable oil then grill it on the barbecue for 4 to 5 minutes per side or until done.
Lightly salt and pepper each side of the chicken while it cooks.
Set chicken aside until it cools down enough to handle.
Preheat 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil in a medium-size skillet over medium-high heat.
Add the red pepper and onion to the pan and sauté for a couple minutes until tender.
Dice the cooked chicken into small cubes and add it to the pan.
Add the corn, black beans, spinach, jalapeno peppers, parsley, cumin, chili powder, salt, and cayenne pepper to the pan.
Cook for another 4 minutes.
Stir well so that the spinach separates and is incorporated into the mixture.
Remove the pan from the heat and add the cheese.
Stir until the cheese is melted.
Wrap the tortillas in a moist cloth and microwave on high temperature for 1 1/2 minutes or until hot.
Spoon approximately one-fifth of the mixture into the center of a tortilla.
Fold in the ends and then roll the tortilla over the mixture.
Roll the tortilla very tight, then pierce with a toothpick to hold together.
Repeat with the remaining ingredients until you have five eggrolls.

*** I don't like to freeze these, I made them fresh instead because I find that when they are frozen and you fry them, the filling can still be a little cold inside if you don't let them thaw a bit first. You can pan fry them without using a toothpick but if you deep fry, be sure to secure it with a toothpick to keep it from opening.***

(If you decide to freeze them, follow these directions but allow them to thaw a bit as I recommended. I have fried them in the past and then tossed them in the microwave for a minute afterwards to heat it through.

Arrange the eggrolls on a plate, cover the plate with plastic wrap and freeze for at least 4 hours.
Overnight is best. )

While the eggrolls freeze prepare the avocado-ranch dipping sauce by combining all of the ingredients in a small bowl.
Preheat 4-6 cups of oil to 375 degrees.
Deep fry the eggrolls in the hot oil for 12-15 minutes and remove to paper towels or a rack to drain for about 2 minutes.
Slice each eggroll diagonally lengthwise and arrange on a plate around a small bowl of the dipping sauce.
Garnish the dipping sauce with the chopped tomato and onion.

TIP: To help the tortillas roll up easier, I microwaved 5-6 at a time for about 45 seconds between paper towels to help soften them and make them more pliable.
I didn't make the sauce this time but I have made it and I think it's pretty good :o) It was a little more effort than I was willing to make today so I passed on it.

I did try Goya Arroz Amarillo (Yellow Rice) for the first time today on a recommendation of a friend and it was pretty good. I've made spanish rice from scratch before but not really crazy with the recipes I've tried thus far. This had great flavor and a certain non-rice eater had 4 helpings! Yay! We found ourselves a WINNER!


I have nearly half of the filling left over and it will be used tomorrow to make southwestern style nachos :o) Two meals in one days work :o) If you're going to go through the effort to make this recipe, you may as well make a larger amount of it. That's also sensible because what are you going to do with the rest of the bell pepper and you do have to open a whole can of black beans. Might as well adjust the recipe to use the whole can.

We love these SouTHWeST eGGRoLLS! I hope you give this recipe a try :o)

SHRiMP eTouFFee

I love to look at the sale circulars to help decide what to make for dinner. Today 24-30 count shrimp was on sale for $4.99 per pound so that cinched the deal for me. It was a pretty nice day with the weather being in the mid 80's and a slight breeze so I didn't want anything too heavy on the menu. When I grocery shop and see specific items, pictures of finished foods flash through my mind. When I look at shrimp I think of Etouffee, Po' Boys, Low Country Boils and the list goes on and on...I made an executive decision and decided tonight would be etouffe. Emeril Lagasse has a recipe in his cookbook 'Real and Rustic' for crawfish etouffee that I substitute in peeled and deveined shrimp for the crawfish. If I do crawfish, I use 3 of those packages of crawfish tails in the seafood department. I love it either way, see what you think.

Here is the recipe from Emeril's website. The only differences I see from the one in the book are this one is doubled, the addition of garlic, which is never a bad idea *imho* :o) and the exemption of 2 bay leaves (4 for this recipe). Other than that, it's all the same.

I serve my etouffee with garlic bread and over jasmine rice.



SHRIMP ETOUFFEE

Ingredients needed:

1 1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons) butter
4 cups chopped onions
2 cups chopped bell peppers
2 cups chopped celery
2 teaspoons chopped garlic
2 pounds medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
2 tablespoons flour
2 cups water
6 tablespoons chopped parsley
1/2 cup chopped green onions

Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions, bell peppers, and celery and sauté until soft and golden, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Add the shrimp, salt, and cayenne and cook for about 4 minutes, or until the shrimp turn pink.

Dissolve the flour in the water and add to the shrimp mixture. Stir until the mixture thickens slightly. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the parsley and green onions. Stir and cook for about 2 minutes more.

Serve right away.

Yield: 4 to 6 servings


Enjoy!

'oNe MoRe THiNG...'

a well used expression between my friend and me. It's my friend that reminded me about this so here goes...

It must have been an oversight because I truly meant to blog about a trip I recently made with aforementioned friend to the Farmer's Market at the corner of Dam Neck Road and Princess Anne Road.

I've seen a lot of new construction going up across the street which is okay (could've been better with a Trader Joe's imho). Since there isn't scheduled to be a Trader Joe's, I'll be wishy washy on the whole new shopping center subject.



There's a cute little cafe 'THe PRiNCeSS aNNe CouNTY GRiLL'there that serves a nice little breakfast in the morning with blue plate specials (don't you just love that diner lingo?) for lunch and dinner. The servings are a good size and fitting in dessert is a challenge. I've had the biscuits and gravy there for breakfast and since that visit have had their house burger. The tea was sweet.(A REQUIREMENT in my book for a place to be 'deemed' good. Sorry, 'the sugar's on the table line doesn't work with me) :o) A cute little place and definitely popular among the locals with clearly some 'regulars' keeping the place hoppin'.



Just behind is a candy shop promising 'sweet addictions' THe CaNDY BaRN that just opened this year and I wanted to mention that because they have some delicious looking desserts in their cases. Buckeye's, chocolate covered Twinkies and pretzels along with a myriad of other sweet treats fill the bakery cases and boy do they all look good! Here are some photos I took with the point and shoot. I haven't been back to take more but you get the point :o) Doesn't this look like a place you would want to take your family?







There's also a butcher in the marketplace that sells a dry aged beef that is pretty good and various veggie stands. There's also a Yoder's Dairy with a full case of different ice creams and one called 'apple pie' ice cream! 'I scream you scream, we all scream FOR ICE CREAM!' No pictures of this, sorry. You'll just have to go there and buy a half gallon of it prepacked. YUMM! Think I'll head there myself! I feel another blog coming on...

Anyway...check out the Farmer's market there. When you step out of your car, I guarantee you'll feel like you've just slowed time down. Relax a while and take time to smell the flowers :o)

PiZZa'S ReaDY!

Remember this?


This is the pizza dough that I purchased at Trader Joe's and froze until I was ready to use it. Today was 'PiZZa DaY!'. I made 3 different kinds of pizza with the various doughs and of course I included photos.

I have a secret when it comes to pizza and that is my handy dandy pizza peel, my Pampered Chef 15" Round Stone and preheated 500 degree oven. I put the 'seasoned' stone inside to preheat as well. I allowed the dough to defrost and come to close to room temperature. This is my first time working with this dough and it was a very smooth dough and was pretty strong as pizza doughs go. I generally make my own crust but this was a real treat for all of us :o)

For the veggie pizza's I visited the salad bar at the local grocery store and picked up some green bell peppers, tomatoes, red onions, black olives, sliced banana peppers, crumbled feta cheese, mushrooms and spinach. I love doing this for two reasons: the first being it is cheaper than buying entire packages of each item or whole units and the second is some of the preparation is done. I also tried the boboli pizza sauce for the first time today. I prefer white pizzas or cream sauces, but my family likes tomato sauce. I felt that it was a little thicker after cooked than what I'm used to since I usually make sauce from crushed tomatoes. Enough about my obsessions...

The first pizza was made with one of the garlic herb pizza doughs. I layered some mushrooms, olives, red onions, bell peppers and banana peppers with mozzarella and feta cheese. Here are before and after photos:









The next pizza was one after my own heart :o) This one I drizzled with extra virgin olive oil and spread minced garlic over a garlic herb crust. I topped it with fresh tomatoes, red onions, bell peppers, spinach leaves, mushrooms and mozzarella cheese. Here's a photo of my low fat veggie pizza.


I always dust my peel with yellow cornmeal to keep it from sticking and slide the pizza off the peel and onto the stone. I use the peel to remove the pizza by sliding it swiftly underneath the pizza and lifting it off.

Last but not least, I made a couple of pepperoni pizzas with the plain dough. They came out great! My family really raved about these and they should know, they are pepperoni connoisseurs :o)


I loved this pizza dough. Both kinds were so smooth and very easy to stretch. I would buy these doughs again and often! Next time I'll make garlic knots with the garlic herb dough. YUMMMMMM! My favorite!

Give your local pizza joint a break and try a 'make your own' pizza night. Assemble a variety of toppings like precooked(not overcooked) Italian sausage, pepperoni, and an assortment of veggie's and let the kids get involved. See what kind of combinations they come up with.

Psst! (Leftovers make great lunches!)

HaPPY CoLuMBuS DaY ...

and 'yay me!' getting to spend the day alone with my hubby :o)


We started out the day having coffee at the Bad Ass Coffee Company down by the oceanfront. I heard about this from a couple of friends and have been there a few times since, it's my favorite coffee shop in Virginia Beach. This time I tried their blended Pumpkin Spiced Mocha and hubby got the Kona coffee. We also got a lemon bar and a pecan bar, both delicious with lemon definitely coming in first. It had a delicious bottom crust that was crisp and the lemon filling was fresh with a generous sprinkle of confectioners sugar on top.



The big news is that we made a return trip to the RTe. 58 DeLi on Virginia Beach Blvd. I love the food here, a little pricey but oooohhhh soooooo worth it. It was ironic because I had just been thinking about this deli yesterday and today it was my hubby's suggestion to go there. I hadn't even mentioned that I had been thinking about it either. It must have been in the air because we ran into a former co-worker of hubby's while there and it was a small party!

Now for the good stuff...this deli gets a few of their menu items directly from the Carnegie Deli in NYC like corned beef, pastrami and knishes. Black and white cookies and rugulach grace the counters to satisfy your sweet tooth. Today we got a pastrami on rye with mustard, matzo ball soup and a potato knish. If you have only ever eaten deli pastrami from a grocery store, you must try this...it's a world of difference. This sandwhich has a whopping half pound of pastrami on it and the rye is delicious. I love rye bread! The matzo balls in the soup are enormous yet fluffy and the homemade broth is very flavorful and soooo DELICIOUS! The knish is described as a whipped potato filling with onion seasonings wrapped in a pastry dough and fried. All of these are incredible and well worth trying!







If you are ever cruising down the Boulevard and hungry for some great deli food, stop by the RouTe 58 DeLi near the corner of First Colonial and Virginia Beach Blvd. It's like taking a mini-holiday to NYC without the traffic and crowds :o) You won't be alone here because they do lots of business but after you try the food, you'll see why!

CHeeRS To THe HoLiDaYS!

I got this recipe from a friend of mine. She prepared it at the best Pampered Chef show I ever went to (and I have been to my fair share!).

It's called HoLiDaY oR SPiCeD Tea from the BLue WiLLoW Inn BiBLe oF SouTHeRN CooKiNG and it makes a LOT!

Here are the ingredients:

8 cups of water
2 family size tea bags ( I prefer Luzianne)
2 cups of sugar.

Bring to boil, stir sugar until dissolved and allow to steep for 20 min. or so.

In a separate pan, combine:

2 cups of water
1 teaspoon of ground cloves
4 cinnamon sticks

Bring to a boil and then simmer for 10 minutes. You are NOT going to believe how good the house smells when you do this. After 10 minutes, remove the cinnamon sticks and add to the tea mixture.

Meanwhile, prepare one frozen can of lemonade(per instructions) and one can of orange juice (also per instructions) and add this to the tea along with a large can of pinapple juice. You need a very large bowl or pot to stir this in as it makes about 2 gallons of spiced tea. Serve hot or cold, depending on your own tastes.

I'm very grateful to my willing tea testers this evening! I hope this becomes as much a family tradition for you as it has for us. Bring on the season and CHeeRS!

BeRGie'S ReiNVeNTeD

Recently I got together with a couple of friends and we visited the new Bergie's Breadbasket on Mt. Pleasant Road in Chesapeake. I was very disappointed when they closed for business before and when I'd heard they re-opened, it was at the top of my list of places to visit. I'd been wanting very badly to make a trip out there and luckily the girls humored me. (Thanks girls :o) !)

What a great little place to stop for coffee and some freshly baked goodies. They had some delicious cinnamon rolls which I couldn't pass up. I was told that the cinnamon roll recipe was 50 years in the making! I believe it! Not too sweet and extremely fluffy :o) They have some very delicious looking apple crumb muffins, if that strikes your fancy. You could definitely tell they loved what they do :oP



Wanting something savory? Try the sandwhiches with freshly baked bread! You can also get some farm fresh milk there. These people had my heart in mind when they reopened and believe me...THEY'RE BACK! There's a nice selection of ice cream too :o)

I remembered they had cookies we used to always get when we visited it as a dairy farm. They were those pan type cookies and they are so soft and chewy. I had definitely been missing these so I picked up a couple today, chocolate chip(of course) and oatmeal raisin. YUMM!!!


I couldn't resist bringing some different kinds of cinnamon rolls home for the troops. They were very excited about the rolls and cookies in the 'take home' bag. I also picked up some 'Indian Candy Corn'. My favorite kind of candy corn :o) They had a great selection of candy classics, something for everyone in the family!


If you are heading down Mt. Pleasant Road, whether you're travelling from Virginia Beach to Chesapeake or vice versa, this is a great place for a short pause along the way. Say 'hello' and welcome them back! I for one am glad they returned :o) It was one long lonely road without them!

WHo'S YouR DaDDY!

Today I got an absolute deal on an eye of rib roast. This boneless version of a rib roast was on the menu before I even left the store :o) I love prime rib, it's my absolute favorite steak dinner, beef tenderloin coming in as a close second. I am always playing with different cooking methods for this cut of meat and believe me...there are many recipes for this!

An interesting site that I often find myself browsing different recipes for this is an engineer's take on the rib roast. These guys really get into it but I find their input very interesting :o) Well worth a mention! It has an Alton Brown-ish style about it, maybe even more so than the man himself! http://www.cookingforengineers.com/recipe/38/Prime-Rib-or-Standing-Rib-Roast Check it out, see what you think :o)

For roasted meat I always use Hawaiian Sea Salt. This was introduced to me by Pina and I am ETERNALLY grateful :o) The difference is night and day. I also used a little thyme and some freshly cracked peppercorns to help form a flavorful crust.

First things first, you must bring the roast to room temperature. If you skip this step it will not cook as evenly. I would leave it out for at least 45 min. After it has been coming to room temperature, preheat the oven to 450 deg. and roasted the meat for 25 min. then dropped the temperature to 325 deg. until the internal temperature is 130 deg. The meat will continue to cook as you let it rest and REST IT MUST! Do not start carving into this baby or you will regret it. All the juices will flow out and it will be quite dry and then you have wasted a pretty penny on the better cut of meat. I also believe, if you overcook it, you may as well have just bought a round roast instead and saved your money!

I usually make yorkshire puddings and today was no exception. I'm not going to include a recipe for this as there are as many as the day is long and the differences are few. As I was baking the roast, I prepared a couple of sweet potatoes for baking and baked them alongside the roast in the oven. They were perfect 2 hours later. Sprinkle a little brown sugar and a dollop or two of butter and it's like dessert!

I hope you try to make this roast, cheaper than dining out and much tastier imho. To reheat any remaining roast I use my GE Advantium oven on 'warm/moist' but there are many other recommendations for reheating prime rib and if you google it you'll see what I mean :o) The key here is SLOOOOOOWWWW!

PRoMiSeS PRoMiSeS...

I've been promising for a couple of days to make a version of 'fried ice cream', minus the frying because I really think all the other stuff is bad enough :o) and I couldn't put it off any longer. Here's my quickie version of a restaurant favorite.

LOADED Fried Ice Cream on a Sopapilla wannabe

Combine about 1/2 cup of crushed frosted flakes and cinnamon sugar(to taste).

Lightly fry a flour tortilla*preferably Trader Joe's...YES, it matters!* in preheated oil and sprinkle immediately with more cinnamon sugar. (It's like a tortilla trying to be like a sopapilla, minus leavening and all that gooey honey *slurp*...not to mention a lot less oil so I guess that makes it not a sopapilla at all??? LOL! now that I've got you totally confused...my total intention! Just kidding. Or am I? LOL!!!!)

Scoop a ball of your favorite ice cream and roll in the crushed flake mixture. place this ball on your tortilla and top with whipped cream, marashino cherries, chocolate syrup, nuts or whatever you like. Wait for the sounds of silence whilst the goods are being devoured!

Enjoy :o) (the silence and the treat!)

CoMFoRT FooD LiKe MaMa uSeD To MaKe...

A very sweet friend 'eLLe' has reminded me of a dish I grew up with as a child and I never knew the 'proper name' for it. I always called it that 'chicken and rice soup' when all along it had a perfectly good name :o) Arroz Caldo...

Recipe courtesy of eLLe! Hopefully she will be blogging soon *hint hint!* and then I can point you out to her blog so she can wow you with her gastronomical knowledge ;o) In the meantime, she has prompted me to post her recipe with pictures so she could see how I fared :o) I hope she is not disappointed in my attempt. There are many recipes for this on the net. I'm already partial to hers and if you try it, you'll see why :o) Just like mom used to make! I'm not one for listing ingredients and then relisting them in the process so I will give you the recipe the way that I take it down. You can make a separate shopping list based on whatever ingredients you might still need.

Arroz Caldo 'eLLe STYLe'

In a preheated pot with heat set to medium, (I used my risotto pot from Le Creuset *LOVE IT*), add a couple of tablespoons of oil.

To the preheated pan add:

about 3" of peeled fresh ginger root, sliced thinly

about 1/2 cup of onion, chopped

and 4 cloves of garlic, chopped.

Saute onions, garlic and ginger for 2-3 min. and add chicken drummettes or chicken thighs (I used drummettes, approx. 3lbs.) and lightly brown.

Add 2 cups of Calrose rice *eLLe's recommendation :o)* and stir another minute or so. Add approximately 8 cups of water or chicken broth (I always opt for broth for the maximum flavor) and cover. Allow to simmer for about 2 hours. Be sure to keep stirring so the rice doesn't stick. To finish, a pinch of azafran for color. You can find this at most hispanic /asian grocery stores :o) http://www.gourmetsleuth.com/equivalents_substitutions.asp?index=A&tid=1950 . It's not the same as saffron, but well worth having in your pantry.

For the salt in this recipe, you can use kosher salt (my family's preference) or patis (a fish sauce). I would add approximately 2 teaspoons to start of either one, your choice. Don't be nervous about the 2 teaspoons, this recipe makes a lot! At least 9-10 cups of soup. You can half it if you like.

Depending on your preference for a thicker, heartier soup or a brothy soup, you may or may not decide to add more liquid(water or broth) as you are cooking along. Either way, I promise you will end up with something that will keep them coming back for more. All that ginger can't be bad :o) Ginger is so good for the digestive system. Today wasn't a cold day here yet the soup was very refreshing and made the whole house smell heavenly :o)

There are many variations for this, from adding a hard cooked egg, green onions or a squeeze of fresh lime juice (which I really did want to try, forgot the lime :o( ) Not to worry, I'll be making it again REALLY SOON!

This was one recipe that made me pick up the phone and call my mom and sister for a trip down memory lane and to thank my mom yet again for such a great childhood memory! Thanks to eLLe for bringing this memory back to my table to share with my family.

a SPeCiaL LuNCH DeLiVeRY

and dinner inspiration...

Today my very sweet hubby surprised me with lunch from the Cheesecake Factory Bakery Cafe from MacArthur Center. He brought me the Asian Chicken Flatbread Salad *my favorite*... just when I thought I was over my obsession of learning how to make that dough! So delicious :o)

He got the Sante Fe Chick-en(hyphenation intentional ;o) ) Flatbread Salad for himself. Apparently it was the salad 'du jour' because three other people behind him were ordering the exact same salad. I'm including photos of both salads as a tribute to his thoughtfulness :o) I *think* there might be something there! Flatbread, romaine lettuce, black beans, corn, tomatoes, jalapeños, a special blend of spices and cheese and *wait for it*...corn tortilla strips :o) Sound yummy? I think so and so did he :o) Poor MiLou, no scraps for him :o(





After such a large lunch, I was not very hungry come dinner time. I did have some heavy whipping cream left *thanks leene* from the strawberry waffle breakfast. I also had a steak in the freezer that needed to be used along with some mushrooms. Are you following me so far???

A long long time ago... (back you sci fi fans!) I tried a recipe from one of those recipe cards (Great American Recipes) you get in the mail. (They were actually my first cookbook, collectively) LOL. I found a recipe for CReaMY MuSHRooM STeaKS and have repeated it several times since, always with great results. Now I realize that some of you DON'T. DO. FUNGUS! Please bear with me :o) and believe me, it pains me more that you DON'T eat 'shrooms :o)

The sauce is very delicious and MAKE the steak. I love this with a creamy buttered noodle. Tonight I used Farafalle. You can prepare the steaks any way you like then you can simmer them in the sauce briefly just before serving. The recipe calls for sirloin steaks and a bit of butter to pan fry them. Be sure to allow the steaks to come to room temperature before cooking.

For the sauce:

1/2 lb fresh mushrooms, sliced or quartered
1 T butter
2 T chopped onion
2 T flour
1 1/2 c. half and half or mix whipping cream with whole milk, equal portions of each
1 t soy sauce
1 t grated onion
salt and pepper to taste.

First, saute mushrooms in the tablespoon of butter until they are lightly brown. Second, add onions and saute until translucent and sprinkle with flour stirring to blend well. Add half and half, stirring a little here and there and simmer until it thickens slightly. Third, add soy sauce, grated onions and s&p to taste.

You have options at this point. You can grill the steaks, pan fry them or broil (watch carefully) and then very briefly introduce them into the lightly simmering sauce. Do not boil them in the sauce. You can use excess sauce over your noodles too, if you so chose.

We divided this plate three ways and everyone was satisfied :o) Once you make this, maybe you'll get a little twinkle in YOUR eye when you see steak, mushrooms and cream :o)