Chocolate Cupcakes with Carmel Butter Cream and Gingerbread Cupcakes with Orange Frosting

So this weekend I turned my kitchen into a bake shop. 
It was fun to make a few different types of cupcakes, cookies and fudge.


I made a Chocolate Cupcake with Caramel Buttercream
and a Gingerbread Cupcake with Orange Frosting and
Toasted Coconut Flakes on top.


                                   Both cupcakes turned out great and they looked pretty too!

Fish with Spicy Orange and Black Cherry Sauce

This recipe from "Clean Eating" is a keeper.  It is so unique and delicious
that I will be making it again very soon!  I would have never thought to mix
carrots, oranges and black cherry jam together to make a sauce for fish but
it is amazing.


Fish with Spicy Orange and Balck Cherry Sauce

INGREDIENTS:


•10 oz couscous

•Olive oil cooking spray

•1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced, divided

•4 cloves garlic, finely minced, divided

•2 large carrots, peeled and diced

•4 green onions, diced, divided

•1 tsp dried cilantro

•Sea salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste

•2 large navel oranges

•4 tbsp no-sugar-added all-fruit black cherry jam

•1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

•1/8 tsp ground cayenne pepper

•4 4-oz cod fillets or other whitefish of your choice (1 lb)

•1/2 tsp Spanish paprika

INSTRUCTIONS:

1.Bring 2 cups water to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir in couscous, cover and remove from heat. Let sit for 5 minutes, then fluff with a fork and set aside.

2.Heat a large nonstick or cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat for 1 minute. Mist with cooking spray, add half of yellow onion and 2 cloves garlic and sauté for 2 minutes. Add carrots and sauté for another 2 minutes. Add all but 2 tbsp green onions and sauté for another minute. Add couscous, sauté for 1 minute more, then remove from heat. Season with cilantro, salt and black pepper.

3.In a small bowl, zest 1 orange, then squeeze juice from orange over zest. Slice remaining orange in half, then cut orange slices in half, leaving the peel intact. Set orange slices aside.

4.Heat a medium-sized saucepan over medium-high heat for 1 minute. Mist with cooking spray, add remaining onion and remaining 2 cloves garlic, and sauté for 2 minutes. Add juice-zest mixture and jam, bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to medium-low. Stir in cinnamon and cayenne. Cook for an additional 2 to 3 minutes or until sauce is thickened just enough so it will coat the back of a spoon.

5.Preheat broiler on high. Line a cookie sheet or shallow baking pan with aluminum foil and arrange fillets on top of foil. Sprinkle paprika over fillets, then top each with 1 orange piece. Broil for 8 to 10 minutes or until fillets are cooked through and flaky. **  I cooked my fish in a frying pan with a little oil about 3-4 minutes each side.  I always turn the heat up on the last minute of each side to get a crispy coating on the fish*

6.To serve, place 1 cup couscous-veggie mixture on a plate with 1 fillet, (I took off the orange piece when I plated the fish). Pour 2 tbsp sauce overtop of each fillet, followed by 2 tsp green onions and 2 to 3 additional orange pieces. (You will have 1 cup couscous and about 1/4 to 1/3 cup sauce left over.)

I am sorry that I don't have a great photo of this dish .  You will just have to trust me and make it because you are going to love  it!!

Unique Chicken Fingers with Honey-Mustard Dip

This past week I made several recipes from "Cooking For Isaiah". 
The author has put together  great recipes especially for people
who are intolerant to gluten and dairy.  After trying several of the recipes
and making them my own by adding or changing some of the ingredients
I can tell you that you will really enjoy her style of cooking and recipes.


Chicken Fingers with Honey Mustard Dip
adapted from "Cooking for Isaiah"

Olive Oil
6 cups of corn chips, Fritos
 *(I only used 3 cups of Fritos  because I used Panko for the other 3 cups)
salt and pepper
3 large eggs
1 1/2 lbs of chicken tenders
*dash of cayenne pepper ( I added this to the batter).

Honey Mustard Dip
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 tbs. Dijon mustard
2 tbs. honey
1 tbs. lemon juice

This recipe directs you to turn on the oven to 425 and lightly grease a baking sheet with oil.  I cooked my chicken tenders in a frying pan with a little peanut oil.   I took the Fritos and Panko and put them in my nut grinder under they were finely crushed.  Pour this mix into a bowl and added the salt, pepper and cayenne.  Beat the eggs in a different bowl.  Take your chicken and dip the pieces in the corn chip mix, then in the eggs and then back in the corn chip mix one more time. You can bake them on the baking sheet for 20 minutes or unitl lightly browned or you can fry them in a frying pan with a little oil until lightly brown and crispy.

To make the dip mix together the mayonnaise, mustard, honey and lemon juice. Add a pinch of salt.
Serve the chicken fingers with this dip. 

                                     YUM! Kids and adults will love these chicken fingers! 

Shrimp and Risotto Cakes

I know you are probably thinking that this does not look like much but these Shrimp and Risotto Cakes were very good.   They do take a little extra time due to the risotto but it is worth it!

Shrimp and Risotto Cakes

adapted from Silvana Nardone's "Cooking for Isaiah"

Makes 8 cakes

5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided

6 scallions, trimmed and coarsely chopped

1 tablespoon sugar

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 cup Arborio rice

2 cups vegetable or chicken broth

1/2 cup water

8 ounces medium shrimp, peeled, deveined and cut into 1/4-inch pieces

1 teaspoon hot sauce, (*I used red pepper flakes)

* 1 teaspoon basil, oregano, tomato seasoning
* 1 teaspoon lemon zest

Salt and ground black pepper
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
Start to finish: 3 hours 45 minutes (45 minutes active)

Turn your oven on to 375.  In a small pan, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over low heat. Add the scallions and sugar and cook, stirring occasionally, until caramelized, about 10 minutes. Add in the vinegar and let cook for 1 minute. Transfer to a small bowl.

In In a medium size ovenproof pan heat  2 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium. Add the rice and cook, stirring, until the rice is toasted, about 3 minutes. Stir in the broth, water and seasoning.
Transfer the pot, uncovered, to the oven and bake for 30 minutes.


Remove the risotto from the oven and stir in the scallions, shrimp, hot sauce (red pepper flakes), 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper and lemon zest. Let cool to room temperature. Stir in the eggs and refrigerate for about 1 hour.

Shape the cooled rice mixture into 8 cakes, each about 1/2 inch thick. Refrigerate for about 1 hour.
(I did not regrigerate the cakes this second time and they held true to form when I cooked them.  You just have to be gentle.  If you have the time - refrigerate them the second time).

In a skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high. Add 4 rice cakes and cook without moving them for 4 minutes. Flip the cakes and cook for another 4 minutes, or until golden and firm to the touch. Transfer to paper towels to drain. Repeat with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and rice cakes. It is important not to move the cakes around too much or they will begin to fall apart.


*I enjoyed this recipe. The carmelized onion flavor adds a nice flavor to the risotto cakes.  I served the cakes over some lightly cooked arugula that had a little lemon juice, salt and pepper.

Blueberry French Toast

I love trying out new recipes.  I am not really sure why. I guess I don't want to miss out on anything that might be super yummy! 

This recipe is for a Blueberry French Toast Casserole.   The reason I like these types of breakfast recipes is because you can make them in advance, refrigerate and bake it when you are ready.

I found this particular recipe to be very easy to make and not full of sugar.  (  I added just a few ingredients for fun (toasted almonds and agave nectar).


Blueberry French Toast Casserole

Ingredients

6 cups cubed, whole grain bread
8 egg whites
1 1/2 cups unsweetened almond milk
1/4 cup honey
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 tsp. almond extract
2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 cups fresh blueberries

*toasted almonds
* 2 tbsp. agave nectar
Directions

In a large bowl whisk the egg whites, almond milk, honey, agave nectar, extracts and cinnamon. Oil a baking dish (about 9 x 13), and fill it with the bread.
 Pour the liquid mixture over the bread and allow it to sit for at least 30 minutes, mixing once or twice to be sure all parts of the bread are moistened. Mix in the blueberries and toasted almonds.
I let the casserole sit overnight and then baked it the next day.
Bake the casserole at 350 F. for about 35 minutes covered.  Then uncover the casserole and turn the temperature up to 375 - 400 to brown the top of the bread about another 10-15 minutes. Cook until there is no longer any liquid between the bread.

You can serve this with a little powdered sugar dusted on the top or maple syrup.  

Hot Wings

Opps, I just found this post that never made it to the blog.

We invited the Hetzel family over to watch the Super Bowl
this year. I knew that my husband wanted to watch the game
and we enjoy our time with the Hetzel family so it was
a perfect combination.


For dinner I made hot wings with home-made
blue cheese dressing and a Greek salad.
I made salted, carmel brownies for dessert.

This is a great hot wing recipe because
the wings are cooked right in the oven ~
no fuss with a deep fryer. We took the
time to brine the wings before cooking
them so the chicken was crispy on
the outside and so tender on the inside
it was falling off the bones.

I think the hot wings were a hit because
there weren't any left over :)

Lentil Soup with Cauliflower

I usually use part of Sunday to get ahead with my cooking for the week.   It is a regular event for me to be cooking something like soup or a casserole that can be made ahead of time and served for dinner later in week. 

This weekend I took on a Moroccan recipe that I found in my Eating Well Magazine.
The recipe contains so many healthy ingredients and I really like the spice combination.
I made a few changes based on what I had in my pantry and refrigerator.

Moroccan Lentil Soup

2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil


2 cups chopped onions

2 cups chopped carrots

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon ground turmeric

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground pepper

6 cups vegetable broth or reduced-sodium chicken broth

2 cups water

3 cups chopped cauliflower (about 1/2 medium)

1 3/4 cups lentils
( I used a mix of green and orange lentils)

1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes

2 tablespoons tomato paste

4 cups chopped fresh spinach or one 10-ounce package frozen chopped spinach, thawed
   (I used kale instead of spinach, I find it freezes better).

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1.Heat oil in a soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat; add onions and carrots and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 10 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add cumin, coriander, turmeric, cinnamon and pepper; cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute.


2.Add broth, water, cauliflower, lentils, tomatoes and tomato paste; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, stirring occasionally, until the lentils are tender but not mushy, 45 to 55 minutes. Stir in spinach and cook until wilted, 5 minutes.

**Set aside any of the soup you want to freeze now, before adding the last two ingredients to the soup you are going to eat or serve.

3.Just before serving,  add the cilantro and lemon juice.


This is an incrediblly" rich in flavor" soup.  So many great flavors coming together to make
a delicious meal.

Brats

You gotta love a husband who cooks dinner, especially, a good dinner!
Jim saw my Fine Cooking magazine sitting on the counter.  He flipped through the pages and came across this recipe for Brats and said, "I'll make this".   Well, that is an offer I did not turn down. I added the ingredients to our grocery list and said you got it. 

Beer Braised Bratwurst with Slaw

For the slaw


1 cup very thinly sliced red cabbage
1/4 cup mayonnaise
3 Tbs. pickle brine (from a jar of pickles, preferably dill)
4 tsp. cider vinegar
2 tsp. granulated sugar
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2-1/2 cups very thinly sliced green cabbage
1/2 cup grated carrots
1/4 cup finely chopped white onion

For the bratwursts
2 12-oz. bottles lager beer, such as Budweiser
4 uncooked bratwursts
1 cup chopped white onion
4 Tbs. unsalted butter, melted
2 Tbs. spicy brown mustard, such as Gulden’s
Vegetable oil for brushing
4 hoagie rolls, split but not all the way through

Make the slaw

Soak the red cabbage in a bowl of ice water for 15 minutes to prevent its color from bleeding. Drain and pat dry. In a large bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, pickle brine, vinegar, sugar, 1/4 tsp. salt, and a grind of pepper. Add the red and green cabbage, carrot, and onion and toss well to combine. Refrigerate for 2 to 4 hours.



Make the bratwursts

In a 10- to 11-inch skillet, combine the beer, bratwursts, and onion. Add enough water to barely cover the bratwursts and bring just to a simmer over medium heat. Cover, remove from the heat, and let sit for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, position a rack about 4 inches from the broiler and heat the broiler on high.
In a small bowl, combine the butter, mustard, and 4 tsp. of the bratwurst-cooking liquid; set aside.

Arrange the bratwursts on a broiler pan and lightly brush them with oil. Broil until goldenbrown, turning once, about 4 minutes total. Transfer to a plate. Put the buns on a baking sheet cut sides up and broil until lightly toasted, about 30 seconds.

Spread the insides of the buns with the butter mixture and put the bratwursts in the rolls. Top with the slaw and serve.


                                                        Yum! What a great dinner. 

Sweet Potato and Parsnip Chips

I hope you all had a nice holiday!   We sure did have fun going home and meeting my new niece and nephew.   Be both babies are so cute and fun to be around.

Now that we are back at home I had a little time to clean up some of those recipes that I cut out of magazines hoping to make but never getting to them.

These Sweet Potato Chips  have been on my "want to try list" for the longest time but I don't have a madolin slicer.   I decided I had the time and went ahead and made the chips anyway because I was curious about how they would turn out.

I took  washed sweet potatoes and parsnips and sliced them as thin as possible.  I put them on a baking sheet and sprinkled them with oil.  I added kosher salt and thyme.  They baked in the oven at 400 degrees for about 25 -30 minutes.   Since my chips were a little thicker they took a little longer to bake.

They tasted very good but they weren't as crispy as I expected. I think that was due to their thickness.
I would make them again and serve them warm as a side dish. 

Easy Paella

It has been a busy but nice weekend. The weather on Saturday was beautiful!  I am thankful to have a few minutes right now to blog.

I usually order Paella when we go out because I have never considered it an easy dish to make. 
It seems difficult to me because paella usually has a lot of ingredients and takes a long time to make.
This recipe which I adapted from a recipe by Barefoot Contessa is very reasonable as far as time and difficulty level.  I really enjoyed the flavors in this dish and will definately make it again. 

Easy Paella

Ingredients


1/4 cup good olive oil

1  cup chopped yellow onion

2 red bell peppers, cored and sliced into 1/2-inch strips

2 tablespoons minced garlic (4 to 6 cloves)

2 cups white basmati rice

5 cups good chicken stock, preferably homemade

1/2 teaspoon saffron threads, crushed

1 teaspoon tumeric *

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1 tablespoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 - 2 lbs of shrimp*

1 pound kielbasa, sliced 1/4 to 1/2-inch thick

1 (10-ounce) package frozen peas

1 tablespoon minced fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves

2 lemons, cut into wedges

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Heat the oil in a large pan. Add the onions and cook over medium-low heat for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the bell peppers and cook over medium heat for 5 more minutes. Lower the heat, add the garlic, and cook for 1 minute longer. Stir in the rice, chicken stock, saffron,tumeric, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper and bring to a boil. Cover the pot. After 15 minutes, stir the rice gently with a wooden spoon, and return it to the heat to cook for 10 to 15 more minutes, until the rice is fully cooked.

While the rice is cooking, slice the kielbasa and brown it in a frying pan in a little oil or butter.

Turn the heat to low for the large pan of paella and add the shrimp, kielbasa, and peas and stir gently. Cover the paella, and allow it to steam for 10 minutes. Sprinkle with the parsley, garnish with lemon wedges, and serve hot.

Roasted Pears with Honey and Nuts

Saturday was all about food for us.  We took off for the Dekalb Farmers Market
to go grocery shopping.  The traffic on the highway was terrible but we were determined.
After arriving home and unpacking we sat down to a delicious pulled pork and carmelized onions sandwich - YUM!  The fresh market rolls made it even better. 

A little reading, errands and chores and then on to more cooking.
We made homemade fettucine and pesto for dinner which I will write about soon.
For dessert I made roasted pears with honey and nuts.  I had a few recipes for roasted
pears marked and after looking through them I decided to combine them together to come
up with this recipe.

Roasted Pears with Honey and Nuts
4 pears, peeled, sliced in half and cored
honey
1-2 Tbs. butter
1 cup sweet white wine
1/2 cup sliced almonds
1/3 cup cashews
1/4 cup cranraisins
nutmeg

Start by peeling the pears, slicing them in half and coring them.  Take a medium glass
baking dish and rub the sides and bottom of the dish with butter.  Place the pears
in the baking dish face cored side down. Drizzle honey over the pears (about 1/4 cup).  Pour a cup of sweet white wine over the pears.   Bake the pears in the oven for about 40 -45 minutes on 375 turning the pears over half way through the baking ( cook until tender). For the last five minutes I turned up the heat to 450 to carmelized the edges of the pears a little.   While the pears bake I toasted my sliced almonds and cashews in pan with a small amount of butter.  I sprinkled a little sugar over the nuts and then took them out of the pan and set them aside for later.   Once the pears were tender I placed them in serving dishes, reserving the juices in the baking dish.  I place the juices in small sauce pan on the stove.  I added just a little more honey and a pinch of nutmeg and sugar to the juices.  I cooked this on high until it thickened a little.  I poured this over the pears and then topped them with the nuts and cranraisins.

This dessert is delicious and beautiful.  The flavors are amazing !

Roasted Shimp and Orzo

I am feeling extremely grateful right now because my husband cooked dinner several times this week.  I left out the recipes, went to work and came home to a prepared meal.  It was so great!

Roasted Shrimp and Orzo
adapted from Food Network
Ingredients


Kosher salt

Good olive oil

3/4 pound orzo pasta (rice-shaped pasta)

1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (3 lemons)

Freshly ground black pepper

2 pounds (16 to 18 count) shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 cup minced scallions, white and green parts

1 cup chopped fresh dill

1 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1 hothouse cucumber, unpeeled, seeded, and medium-diced

1/2 cup small-diced red onion

3/4 pound good feta cheese, large diced

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Fill a large pot with water, add 1 tablespoon of salt and a splash of oil, and bring the water to a boil. Add the orzo and simmer for 9 to 11 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it's cooked al dente. Drain and pour into a large bowl. Whisk together the lemon juice, 1/2 cup olive oil, 2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon of pepper. Pour over the hot pasta and stir well.


Meanwhile, place the shrimp on a sheet pan, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss to combine and spread out in a single layer. Roast for 5 to 6 minutes, until the shrimp are cooked through. Be very careful not to overcook the shrimp.


Add the shrimp to the orzo and then add the scallions, dill, parsley, cucumber, onion, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Toss well. Add the feta and stir carefully. Set aside at room temperature for 1 hour to allow the flavors to blend, or refrigerate overnight. If refrigerated, taste again for seasonings and bring back to room temperature before serving.

* We did not have Orzo so we used a very small pasta which worked just as well in my opinion.
I really enjoyed this dish.  Love, love the lemon, dill and shrimp combination.    

Corn Cakes with Smoked Salmon and Lemon-Chive Cream

I hope you are not judging me because you noticed that it has been weeks since my last post.  :(
We have been very busy but with good things.  You never need to worry though because cooking and eating is always happening here at our house.

This recipe for Corn Cakes with Smoked Salmon came from
Cooking Light.
1/4 cup light sour cream
2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
1 teaspoon grated fresh lemon rind
2.25 ounces all-purpose flour (about 1/2 cup)
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
 1 1/4 cups fresh corn kernels, divided (about 3 ears)
 2/3 cup low-fat buttermilk
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1 large egg
12 thin slices cold-smoked salmon (about 6 ounces)

Directions

1. Combine first 3 ingredients in a small bowl; chill.

2. Spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 5 ingredients (through pepper) in a medium bowl. Combine 1 cup corn kernels, buttermilk, butter, and egg in a blender; process until coarsely pureed. Add pureed corn mixture to flour mixture, stirring until just combined. Fold in remaining 1/4 cup corn.

3. Pour about 2-3 tablespoons batter per pancake onto a hot nonstick griddle or nonstick skillet; spread gently with a spatula. Cook 3 minutes or until tops are covered with bubbles and edges look cooked. Carefully turn pancakes over; cook 3 minutes or until bottoms are lightly browned. Arrange 2 pancakes on each of 6 plates; top each pancake with 1 slice salmon and 1 teaspoon lemon-chive cream.    

I have to admit that I liked this dish more than I thought I would. I did not have fresh corn when I started to make this recipe.  I used frozen white, sweet corn.  This is a savory with a wonderful blend of flavors.  

Broiled Polenta with Roasted Tomatoes

I hope you are all enjoying a wonderful Labor Day.
We have spent the weekend catching up with old
friends which was so nice!

We did our market shop this weekend and so
I have so many good choices to make for dinner.
This one is a new recipe that came out of

an Italian Step by Step cookbook.  I changed a few

of the ingredients and added the roasted tomatoes to

top of the dish.   

Broiled Polenta wtih Fennel Seeds

4 cups water

1 2/3 cup instant cornmeal ( I used half cornmeal , half polenta)

2 tbsp. butter

1 tbsp fennel seeds ( I decided to put them in my nut grinder instead of leaving them whole)

1/2 cup toasted almonds ( I added this ingredient and also put it in the nut grinder)

2 tbsp. finely chopped parsley
olive oil
salt and pepper

*Cheese is optional

Heat the water, add salt and bring to a boil.  Sprinkle in the cornmeal, stirring .
Stir the cornmeal for about 10-15 minutes over a medium heat.  The cornmeal will

begin to thicken and come away from the sides of the pan.  Take the pan off the heat

and add the butter, fennel, nuts and parsley.  Season with a little salt and pepper.
Brush or spray a rectangular dish with oil (medium - small dish).
Spoon the polenta in the dish and smooth out the surface.

 Let sit a few minutes until the polenta sets.
Flip the polenta over onto a cutting board (carefully).  Turn your broiler on high. 
Cut the polenta into slices.  Place the slices on a baking dish and brush with oil.

Put them in the oven on broil until the tops become lightly brown and crispy.

I also made roasted cherry tomatoes to put over the top.

I take cleaned cherry tomatoes and put them in dish with 

olive oil, a little balsamic vinegar, sliced garlic.

I put them in the oven on 400 degrees for about 35 minutes. 

At the end, when they are done cooking I add fresh basil.   

My polenta was served with a little Asiago cheese and

roasted tomatoes.

Tomato Tart

I found this fabulous recipe for a Tomato Tart in Cooking Light.
I had to hurry up and try it before tomato season is over.
We still have good tomatoes at some of the local farmer's markets
so I made this tart for dinner last week with a nice garden salad.

Tomato Tart
from Cooking Light
(with a few small changes)
 (14.1-ounce) package refrigerated pie dough or a pre-made pie crust
Cooking spray
2 1/2 ounces fontina cheese, shredded (about 2/3 cup)
1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives, chopped
1/3 cup sliced shallots
3 heirloom tomatoes, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon cornmeal
1 tablespoon thyme
1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 1/4 cups 2% reduced-fat milk
1 1/2 tbs.  grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
3 large eggs
2 tablespoons fresh basil leaves
1 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered


Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°.

2. Roll dough to a 12-inch circle; press into a 9-inch deep-dish tart or springform pan coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with fontina, olives, and shallots. Arrange half of tomato slices over shallots Combine flour, cornmeal, and thyme; sprinkle over tomatoes. Top with remaining tomato slices; sprinkle with 3/4 teaspoon salt and pepper.

3. Combine milk, Parmigiano-Reggiano, and eggs; pour into pan. Bake at 350° for 40 minutes or until set; let stand 10 minutes. Top with basil.

4. Combine 1/4 teaspoon salt and cherry tomatoes. Slice tart; serve with cherry tomatoes.

* I made a few minor changes.  First, I used a pre-made crust . If you are going to do this you have to be careful how high you fill the tart.  For our tart, I cut up three different types of tomatoes: roma, heirloom and cherry tomatoes.  I also increased the amount of fresh parmesan to 1/3 cup. I had some pancetta so I added it into the tart as well.  My tart took a little longer than 40 minutes to bake but I would suggest checking on it as it cooks to determine when it is done. 

It was very, very good!

Watermelon, Feta , Olive Salad

I know , I know , I can hardly believe it has been a month since my last post!
So many good things are going on and so blogging had to be put on the back
burner.   As many of you know we started the 2012-2013 school year last week
and I am happy to say that it was a GREAT first week at my new school!


I sat down with the camera just a few minutes ago to see what food
photos I have saved that I haven't posted about yet. There are several recipes to
update all of you on.

Over the summer, my husband had some of his colleagues over for dinner.
They were all very nice.  Meka, who is from Finland, also enjoys cooking
so he put together this beautiful and delicious salad.

The salad was slices of watermelon, red onions that marinated in lime juice,
black olives, feta cheese chopped parsley and mint and then at the very
end a drizzle of olive oil over the top. This dish was both
stunning to the eye and delicious tasting.  

                                                                   Here is a photo!
                                      I will have to try to make this one on my own very soon.

Spinach and Ricotta Crepes - Gluten Free

I have been listening to so many people talk about Gluten Free recipes lately
that I thought I would give one a try. No one in my family has any gluten
allergies but I have several friends who do so learning a how to make a
gluten free meal will prove to be good resource. 

I liked this recipe for Spinach and Ricotta crepes because it reminded me of
Manicotti, which my family makes from scratch for Christmas Eve Dinner. 
I adapted this recipe from Simply Gluten Free.


Spinach and Ricotta Crepes

Ingredients


5 large organic, cage free eggs

7 tablespoons water – use divided

2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat leaf parsley

Kosher or fine sea salt and pepper

Gluten free, non-stick cooking spray

2 tablespoon olive oil – use divided

4 cloves garlic, minced – use divided

1/2 cup chopped onion

6 ounces baby spinach leaves

2 cups ricotta cheese (part skim or full fat) at room temperature

¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1tbs. lemon zest

½ cup grated parmesan cheese – use divided

1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved

½ cup fresh basil, chopped

1/2 tbs. dried oregano

Olive oil and Balsamic Vinegar for tomatoes



Directions:

Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat, add the chopped onion and cook for 2 -3 minutes, add 2 minced garlic cloves and cook for about 1 more minute. Add the spinach, 1 teaspoon of salt, ½ teaspoon of pepper and cook, stirring, until the spinach is wilted, about 2 minutes. Let cool then place the spinach in a paper towel and squeeze out all the water. Place the spinach in a mixing bowl, add the ricotta cheese and ¼ cup of grated parmesan cheese, lemon zest, nutmeg and mix well. Set aside for now.


In a small casserole dish put your cherry tomatoes, 2 minced garlic cloves, 1/4 cup  or so of olive oil and 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper and a sprinkle of dried oregano. Roast these tomatoes on 375 for about 20 - 25 minutes. Until the liquid gets a little thicker and the cherry tomatoes get real soft.   This can cook while you make and fill the crepes.  Add the fresh basil to the tomatoes when you take them out of the oven.    



With a fork, beat the eggs with 5 tablespoons water and a pinch of salt until the whites and yolks of the eggs are fully incorporated. Stir in the chopped parsley.

Heat a 6 inch non-stick crepe pan or small skillet over medium heat. Test the pan by dropping a tiny bit of water on it and listening for a "sizzle sound".  If you hear the sizzle - you are ready to start cooking.
Spray the pan lightly with some cooking spray. 
Pour or ladle about 3-4 tablespoons of the egg mixture into the pan (or enough to create a thin coating on the pan) .
Move the pan back and forth to evenly distribute the egg mixture.
Cook about 2 minutes or until the edges come away from the pan slightly and the bottom is browned. Carefully flip the crepe over and cook about one more minute then slide crepe out of pan onto a plate. Continue until you have 10-12 crepes.

Spray a 9 inch by 12 inch baking dish with some cooking spray. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Place about 2 heaping tablespoons of the ricotta mixture on each crepe, roll into a log and place seam side down in the prepared baking dish. Repeat until all crepes have been filled and rolled. Sprinkle with the remaining parmesan cheese. Bake for 15 minutes or until the filling is warm.

Top the crepes with the roasted tomatoes and serve.

 This is a very savory dish. Nice and light. The roasted tomatoes add a nice sweetness
 to the creamy ricotta filling.  Ok my gluten free friends I found a dish I can make for you. 

Making Baby Cakes at the Viking School of Cooking

This week I took the "Baby Cakes" class at the Viking School of Cooking with my friend Linda.
We had a great time learning how to make four different types of mini cakes.  

The Menu was:
Pound Cake Petit Fours
Chocolate Bouchons
Mini Mason Jar Strawberry Cakes
Little Lemon Pudding Cakes

As you will see from the photos below ~ I think all the cakes turned out great!
My favorite was Lemon Pudding Cakes and the Chocolate Bouchons.

If you like interactive cooking classes you should check out the
Viking School of Cooking.
http://www.vikingcookingschool.com/hc-cgi-bin/hc?templ=new_vcs/calendar.html&store=36
The chefs that taught our class, Sandra & Leslie,
were super friendly and gave a lot of great tips to us as they showed us
how to make each cake.    You also get to keep all the recipes! 

                                                           Pound Cake Petit Fours

                                                 Mini Mason Jar Strawberry Cakes

                                                      


                                                               Chocolate Bouchons

                                   One of each on a plate for eating of course - YUM!!

Peachtree Road Farmers Market

Thank you Robin for introducing me to the Peachtree Road Farmers Market.

What a delightful market, super organized and filled with so many great vendors.

We enjoyed a wonderful Saturday morning at the market listening to music and strolling

along as we checked out each vendor. 

Jim had a very yummy blueberry and peach tart from

the Red Queen of Tarts.

http://www.redqueentarts.com/

I had a excellent apple and cheddar tart from

the Little Tart Bakeshop.

http://www.littletartatl.com/

and of course we had to stop by the

King of Pops cart and try

some of their homemade pops.

              There were so many other great vendors but we couldn't get treats from all of them.
                                                                     
                                                                 H&F Bread Company

Greendale Farm - selling Artisanal Raw Milk Cheeses

 .

Souper Jenny

Peachtree Road Farmers Market, we will be back!!



Crock Pot Pulled Pork

There are not a lot of recipes on my blog that involve the crock pot and
that's not because I don't like it ~ it's just a different type of cooking.
Most of the time I enjoy the chopping, sautéing, multi-tasking that preparing
a meal usually requires but there area lso times where I wish making
dinner took less of my time.

I find that crock pot cooking is great for those times when you don't have
the time to be in the kitchen for hours but you still want a good meal. 
The beauty of crock pot cooking is you can put all the ingredients in the
 pot and walk away or even go to work and come back to a good meal.

This is a very easy recipe for Pulled Pork that is made in a crock pot.
The pork turns out so tender and has a wonderful flavor.


Pulled Pork Recipe


4-5 lb. Pork Shoulder or Boston Butt
1  ( 18 ounce) bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce
1 (12 ounce ) can of Root Beer
1/2 cup of Chipotle Enchilada Sauce
1 tbsp of spicy mustard
1 tsp. of chipotle seasoning


Pour all the ingredients in the crock pot
except the pork shoulder.  Mix the sauces
and seasonings around until they are
combined. Place the pork shoulder in the
crock pot.  It is ok if it is not completely
covered with the sauce.  Use a spoon
to pour a little sauce over the top.


Cook the pork on low for 7 -8 hours
turning it once or twice. 


You will know when it is done because
the pork will be so tender it will break
apart easily with a fork. 



I only had a 3.5 lb pork shoulder and it cooked for about
6 hours. It fell apart so easily.   I sauted onions and apples
 in a little butter and added a little spicy mustard and a
splash of apple cider vinegar. 

                                 I place the pulled pork on nice rolls and topped it with
                                                           the onion, apple mixture.
                                                                  EXCELLENT!