Cooking and More Cooking…..

Posted by on September 21, 2011

I spend most of my time every day in the kitchen.  I often will come up with something I completely love it and think to myself, “gee, this would be great for my blog.”  About this time my people are starving and there is simply no time to break out the camera.

The other night I made tilapia.  It was one of the simplest preparations I’ve done but we all loved it! 

First I processed a couple of pieces of whole wheat baguette in the food processor.  I gave the crumbs a little olive oil drizzle and a sprinkle of granulated garlic.  I toasted them at 275′ for about 20 minutes, tossing every 5 minutes or so for even toasting.  Make an extra large batch and store in an air tight container.  Top salads or hot pasta dishes with them, such a nice touch.

I then seasoned my fish fillets with salt, pepper, and granulated garlic.   I then dredged them in flour and placed them on a non stick foil lined cookie sheet that I lightly coated with olive oil.  I gave the fish a little extra drizzle of olive oil.  I baked them at 425′ for 6 minutes, basted the fish with the oil in the pan with a pastry brush, topped them generously with the toasted bread crumbs and back into the oven for another 3 minutes.  Wa la…dinner.  I served it with fresh lemon wedges, brown basmati rice (I cooked in homemade chicken broth) and frozen peas.  That little bit of crunch of the savory and delicate fish was incredibly delicious.

So you see really great food does not have to be complicated.  Just the right seasoning and good timing while cooking.  Practice.  Practice. Practice.  Like anything else, you’ll get out of it what you put into it.  Step out.  Try new things, every week if you can.  You’ll become a great cook, I promise!

Keep on cookin’!

Have a great week-
Angie

Filed Under: Cooking and Budgeting Tips | Tagged:

Warm Tomato & Garlic Goat Cheese Dip

Posted by on September 19, 2011

 

I had my good friend Amy over for dinner the other night for a belated birthday dinner.  I just  so happened to have a good size chunk of goat cheese on hand, one of my friend’s fav’s.    How could I go wrong with  fresh  plum tomatoes, onions, and lots of garlic?   I made it ahead and put in the frige.   I popped it into the oven about 10 minutes before she arrived so it would give us a little time for chat and a glass of prosecco before we dove into the appetizer.  It was savory, creamy and delicious. 

Warm Tomato & Garlic Goat Cheese Dip

Toasted bread crumbs
1 slice of whole wheat bread, processed into crumbs
1 teaspoon olive oil

Dip
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small sweet onion finely chopped
2 large cloves fresh garlic, finely chopped
3 plum tomatoes, finely diced
2 pinches kosher salt
1 pinch black pepper
2 tablespoons of red or white wine
1/3 cup water
1/2 cup fresh basil, finely sliced (chiffonade)
4 ounces goat cheese, crumbled

1 Baguette thinly sliced on a diagonal

1)  Preheat the oven to 275′.   Process the slice of bread until you have crumbs.  Add the olive oil and pulse a couple of times.  Spread over a cookie sheet and toast in the oven for 5-8 minutes, give them a toss after about 4 minutes.  Bake a little longer if needed.  You’ll want them to be evenly toasted brown.  Watch them closely as they can easily burn.   Remove from the oven and cool.  Turn the oven temperature up to 350′.
2)  Heat a heavy skillet over medium heat, add olive oil.  Saute the onions until soft, about 5 minutes, stirring often.  Add the garlic and cook another minute. 
3)  Add the tomatoes, salt, pepper, and wine.  Cook until most of the moisture has evaporated from the tomatoes, stirring often.   Add the water.  Cook until most of the water has evaporated.  Remove from heat and add the basil.
4)  Coat a small 3-4 cup baking dish with olive oil.  Add the crumbled goat cheese.  Top with the fragrant cooked tomato mixture.  Bake for 20-25 minutes or until bubbly.  Remove from the oven and top with the toasted bread crumbs.  Serve with sliced baguette or pita chips.  Serves 4.

I hope you had a nice weekend!

Angie

Filed Under: Appetizers | Tagged: Tagged With: ,

My True Love of Food…..

Posted by on September 16, 2011

Hello Everyone-

What do you do when it’s time for a party?   How do you plan your week of meals?  Do you have an old “go to” cookbook, magazine, or recipe box?  What about the newspaper?  Does your newspaper have a food section? 

I find so many tidbits of information in so many places.  There is, of course, The Food Network, and many cooking shows all over network TV.  I love the show Chopped.  I would love to open a mystery box and the challenge of creating delicious dishes with the mystery ingredients.    Cooking is so great because options are completely endless when it comes to most any food ingredient.

I subscribe to Cooking Light, Food & Wine Magazine, and Bon Appetite.  I try to go through each magazine and cut out recipes I’m interested in and I file them in categorized hanging file folders.  It’s really great because each week I go through say the Chicken file and either come up with a recipe I like or adapt a recipe to my taste.  I make notes as to any changes I’ve made on the page. 

And cookbooks….Oh Boy!  My favorite read is a beautifully photographed cookbook.  A couple of  fav’s-anything by Ina Garten, The Barefoot Contessa and Jamie Oliver, a most real chef that uses lovely, real ingredients.  As far as Asian food goes, I love A Spoonful of Ginger, by Nina Simonds.   My go to Cookbook for any questions on basic technique or cooking times for things like a 25 lb. turkey or a 12 lb. ham would be Fanny Farmer.  I learned how to cook out of my Grandma Inez’s version.  French toast and pancakes.  Anything basic I wanted to know I went to that book.  It was easy to read and understand for the 10 year old girl I was at the time.  Yes, there is yet another source I use….

The Good Eating Section of the Chicago Tribune.  I have found some incredible recipes as well as cooking tips like using unflavored gelatin to set whipped cream.  This section also has  sale flyers for all local grocery stores.  I plan my menu based on what I can find on sale.  Shrimp might be on sale and if I want a different way to prepare it, I go to my fish file.  It’s that simple.

Mostly, my passion for pouring over recipes and coming up with menus all comes down to one thing.   Sitting around the table with people I love and sharing a warm and delicious meal together.  Talking and sharing what happened in our day.  I feel closest to my family at dinner time.  Good stuff.

Have a great evening.

Angie

Filed Under: Gardening and Food Stories | Tagged: Tagged With: ,

Warm Cabbage Salad with Bacon and Honey Mustard Dressing…..

Posted by on September 14, 2011

This is one of my favorite salads.  The dressing is warm so it slightly wilts the cabbage.  There is a small amount of bacon for a touch of delicious smokey flavor.  Soooo good!  Serve with a simply seasoned and grilled pork chop.

Warm Cabbage Salad with Bacon and Honey Mustard Dressing 

4 cups very thinly sliced green cabbage or nappa cabbage
4 ounces of raw mushroooms, sliced
2-3 strips of bacon, cooked crisp, chopped
2 plum tomatoes, finely chopped
1/4 cup of your favorite honey mustard dressing
2 pinches of black pepper

1)  Shred the cabbage and put it into a large mixing bowl.  Chop the tomatoes and toss into the cabbage bowl.  Slice the mushrooms and chop the bacon.
2)  Heat a medium skillet over medium high heat until very hot.  Add the mushrooms.  Stir often until they’re cooked,  2-3 minutes.  Add the bacon and cook another minute.
3)  Add the honey mustard dressing, stirring constantly.  Once it’s hot and bubbly, pour over the cabbage.  Toss well to coat.  Top with a couple of pinches of black pepper.  Enjoy!  Serves 2.

Enjoy!

Angie

Filed Under: Salads and Salad Dressings | Tagged:

Chili Lime Shrimp with Lime Cilantro Brown Rice Salad…..

Posted by on September 9, 2011

In case you haven’t yet noticed, I am in love with lime and cilantro.  This combination is fresh and makes most any grilled fish, chicken, or salad absolutely delicious!  I made this combination for the first time over Labor Day weekend and it got rave reviews.

For starters, marinated and grilled fish takes minutes.  Really.  I then save a bit of the delicious marinade to spoon over the cooked fish and a little over the salad…DELISH!  This brown rice salad is a wonderful accompaniment to the Grilled Chili Lime Shrimp.   The brown rice lends the perfect texture, the green onion and red bell pepper a little crunch, and the crumbled cheese a little salt and cream.  It’s perfect.

Why not make a whole bag (about 5 cups uncooked) of brown rice and freeze it for later use?  Defrost and use in this salad or any other quick weeknight dinner.  It’s best to use completely cooled rice for the salad.

Grilled Chili Lime Shrimp

1 lb. raw shrimp, peeled and deveined, and skewered

Marinade:
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 tablespoons chili powder (mild or to your own taste)
1 clove fresh garlic, crushed
1 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

1)  Combine all of the marinade ingredients, whisk well to combine.  Reserve a couple of tablespoons of the marinade to spoon over the cooked shrimp.  Use the rest of the marinade for the raw shrimp.  Marinade for 20 minutes before grilling.  Skewer the shrimp and cook over medium high heat for 4-5 minutes.  Shrimp will be bright pink when they’re done.  Spoon the reserved marinade over the shrimp when  ready to serve.  Makes 4 servings.

Lime Cilantro Brown Rice Salad

Dressing:
1/4 cup fresh or bottled lime juice
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt or more to taste
1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Salad ingredients:
2 cups cooked and cooled brown rice
1 small red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced
1 large bunch fresh cilantro, chopped
4 ounces *Fresco Mexican cheese, crumbled

1)  Whisk dressing ingredients together in a large mixing bowl.
2)  Add the salad ingrediens to the dressing bowl.  Mix well to combine.  Taste and add more salt and pepper if necessary.  Makes four 1/2 cup servings.

*Fresco Mexican Cheese is made from cow’s milk.  It tastes a bit like mozzarella yet has a crumbly almost grainy consistency.  It doesn’t  melt completely like mozzarella.
**If you’d like a more spicy shrimp, add a couple of pinches (or more) of cayenne to the marinade.
***If you’re using bamboo skewers, soak them in water for 20 minutes before using to prevent burning on the grill.

Filed Under: Fish, Grilling, Salads and Salad Dressings | Tagged:

Great Northern Bean Soup with Homemade Italian Chicken Sausage…..

Posted by on September 6, 2011

Great northern beans are a lovely, mild white bean.  Soak them over night to make for quicker cooking the next day.  For an extra creamy textured soup, puree a couple of cups after the beans have fully cooked or use an immersion blender for a few seconds.  Use a small amount of chicken sausage (recipe below) as the flavor goes a long way.

Great Northern Bean Soup with Homemade Chicken Sausage

1 lb. dried great northern beans, soaked over night, drained and rinsed
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 lb. homemade chicken Italian sausage (recipe below)
1 large sweet onion, diced (about 2 cups)
2 cups celery, cut into 1/2″ pieces
3 large cloves garlic, minced
2 cups carrots, cut into 1/2″ pieces
Water
2 tablespoons dried or fresh parsley
2 teaspoons dried thyme
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1)  The night before cooking, sort through the beans to pick out any debris.  Place in a large cooking pot and cover with 2″ of water.  Allow to soak over night.
2)  The next day, drain and rinse the beans. 
3)  Into the large pot, add the olive oil and warm over medium-high heat.  Add the Italian sausage to the hot pan and cook through.  Add the onion and celery.  Cook for about 7 minutes.  Add the garlic, cook another minute.
4)  Add the carrots, parsley, thyme, salt, and pepper.  Add the beans to the pot and fill the pot with water to cover the beans 1″.  Cook over medium heat for 1-1 1/2 hours.  Stir often to prevent sticking.  Add additional water if the water cooks below the beans.  Once the beans are done,  taste.  Add additional seasoning if necessary.  Remove a couple of cups of hot soup and place in a blender or food processor.  Blend until smooth and add back to soup.  Makes about 8 one cup servings.

Filed Under: Beans-Main Dish, Soups & Stock | Tagged: Tagged With: , ,

Homemade Italian Chicken Sausage…..

Posted by on September 2, 2011

Sausage is one of my favorite meat varieties.  I seldom buy commercially prepared pork sausage because of the high fat content.  I tried Whole Food’s Italian Chicken Sausage, it was FANTASTIC!  Very good, but very pricey.  One sausage came out to about $3.00.  So if I were to buy the usual 2-3 per person for my guys… you get the picture!   It was then that I decided to get into my kitchen and come up with my own version.  I must admit, I do not want to deal with the casings, so I make it in bulk and use it in soups, sauces, and pastas.    I have a meat grinder, but I find that using the food processor works nicely too.

Whole Food’s sausages were very juicy,  reminisent of pork sausage.  I decided the best cut of chicken would be chicken thighs.    You can kick up the spice simply by adding more red pepper flakes.

Here we go….

Ingredients needed:   

3 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken thighs, excess fat trimmed
2 tablespoons whole fennel seeds( toasted)
2 tablespoons fresh garlic (coarsely chopped)
1 1/2 tablespoons paprika
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon ground anise
2 tablespoons dried parsley flakes
3 tablespoons of red wine

Before you pull the meat out of the refrigerator,   toast the fennel seeds in a skillet over medium-low heat for about 5 minutes, shaking the pan often to prevent burning.   Coarsley chop the garlic.

Trim the skinless chicken thighs of excess fat and put it into the food processor. 

Process until it resembles coarsely ground meat.

Add the rest of the seasonings to the processed chicken. 

Process until all ingredients are well blended.   Allow the sausage to meld in the refrigerator for 12-24 hours.  Divide it up for freezing if you wish, date, and label.  When cooking in a skillet, add oil to the pan as the sausage is very lean and will stick otherwise.   Use in pastas, sauces, omeletts, or soups just to name a few.

Stay tuned for a couple of savory and simple recipes using this flavorful Italian Chicken Sausage.

Have a great holiday weekend!!

Angie

Filed Under: Meats | Tagged:

Eggplant Parmesan With Fresh Mozzarella And Marinara Sauce…..

Posted by on September 1, 2011

I’m crazy about eggplant.  This is my version of eggplant parmesan, only a little prettier.  I’ve coated white and purple eggplant with Italian bread crumbs and fresh grated parmesan, fried it in olive oil, and layered it with fresh mozzarella and topped it with fresh marinara sauce. 

Let’s begin…

I came across white eggplant and was very intrigued, I had to buy it!  I did not notice a difference in taste between the white and the purple.  When buying eggplant, you’ll want to pick out eggplant that is firm and is free of bruises. 

A must in the preparation of eggplant is to remove the bitterness and excess moisture by lightly salting it and allowing it to sit on paper towels for 20-30 minutes.  Blot off the liquid that accumulates with paper towel.  This will keep the eggplant from absorbing too much oil when cooking.

I LOVE parmigiano reggiano cheese.  It has a rich nutty flavor.  I buy it in a chunk and cut it into 1/2″ pieces, then into the blender for perfectly grated cheese.

Beat a couple of eggs in a bowl with a little water into one bowl, and Italian bread crumbs and parmigiano reggiano into the other.

 Add 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper and mix well.

Dip the eggplant into the egg first, then into the bread crumb mixture, coat well.

Heat skillet over medium heat until very hot and add a couple of tablespoons of olive oil, swirel around the pan and add the eggplant, cook until nicely browned.

The eggplant is equally delicious plain!  Enjoy!

Eggplant Parmesan With Fresh Mozzarella and Marinara Sauce

2 medium size eggplant, sliced into 1/4″ rounds
salt
1 1/4 cup Italian bread crumbs
1/4 cup parmesano reggiano
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 eggs, beaten well
2 tablespoons water
Olive oil
8 ounces fresh mozzarella
2 cups Marinara sauce or your favorite bottled sauce

1)  Slice the eggplant in 1/4″ slices, lightly coat both sides of the eggplant with table salt and place on a layer of paper towel.  Allow to stand for about 30 minutes.  Blot the eggplant with paper towel to remove excess moisture.
2)  Combine the bread crumbs, parmigiano cheese, and black pepper in another dipping bowl.
3)  Beat the eggs and water in a dipping bowl.
4)  Dip the eggplant into the egg, then into the bread crumb mixture, coat well. 
5)  Heat a heavy skillet over medium heat until very hot.  Add enough olive oil to coat the pan.  Fry each piece of eggplant in olive oil until nicely browned.  You will have to add more olive oil to the pan with each batch.
6)  Layer thin slices of mozzarella cheese between the cooked eggplant.  Top with warm marinara sauce.  Garnish with a fresh sprig of basil. (optional)  Serve immediately.  Makes 8 servings.

Enjoy!

Angie

Filed Under: How To, Side Dishes, Vegetarian | Tagged:

Archived Recipe Fav’s…..

Posted by on August 29, 2011

One of my favorite events of  this summer was reconnecting with my cousins at the Henderson family reunion.  I’m pictured here with my cousin Diane.  LOVE HER!!  Anyway, we talked at length about the past and she brought up “The Green Bean Incident.”  I am posting this link for Diane:-)   I love our reunion picnics as everyone brings their best “go to” dish to share.  The food was amazing!  This got me thinking that since I haven’t posted recipes in awhile, I thought I might repost a few of my fav’s.  Comfort foods come to mind when the days start getting shorter and it is getting pleasantly cooler.

I serve pasta at least once a week.  My kids LOVE it!  So easy to prepare and when I make the sauce, I always make extra for the freezer.  It is awesome to have a sauce stashed away in the freezer to use when you’re pinched for time.  Try changing up the shapes of the noodles too.  It all tastes the same but to a kid, new and interesting shapes make for a more enjoyable dinner.  Pictured here,
Rigatoni with Meat Sauce.

There is still plenty of time left for grilling.  I do this so simply.  I toss whole mushrooms and quartered onions into a bowl and drizzle with a small amount of olive oil.  Season with salt and pepper.  Skewer them each on their own skewers. (onions take much longer to grill, cook them first then the mushrooms)  Personally, I do not think a good steak needs much more seasoning than good ole kosher salt and fresh ground pepper.  Flank steak doesn’t need to be marinated to oblivion.  Cooked to medium (a 1″ thick steak should be grilled about 6 minutes per side and turned only once) and thinly sliced on the diagonal is all you need for a flavorful and simple supper.  If you’re ever in doubt as to whether your steak is done the way you want, use an instant read thermometer and follow the guidelines below.

*Internal temperatures for different degrees of doneness:
Rare-120′ to 130′
Medium rare- 130′ to 140′
Medium- 140′ to 150′
Medium well- 150′ to 160′
Well- 160+

Oh…and potato.  Noting like a killer potato with a great piece of steak, right?  If you love twice baked potatoes, you must try my
Twice Baked Potato Casserole.  Perfectly sized or shaped potatoes are not needed for this recipe.  

I hope you had a restful weekend!

Angie

Filed Under: Casseroles, Gardening and Food Stories, Grilling, Meats, Side Dishes | Tagged:

Our Beautiful Garden…..

Posted by on August 27, 2011

 

I thought I’d share pictures of my beloved garden.  This picture, of course, is the front of our house.  The garden really starts at the left of the house and continues around to the back.  I spend a bit of time every day giving all of our plants and bushes plenty of TLC. 

 Here’s a pic of our deck, can you see Mr. handsome sunning in the background?

 We’ve been spending much more time outside these days as the weather has been a bit more tolerable without all that humidity!  Fortunately, our plants loved the humidity and are quite happy.  In a few short months it’ll be time to say goodbye to our beautiful deck oasis. 

Here’s the side of the garden

Here you see the very back of our yard.  I’ve continued to feed the birds thoughout the summer.  My hubby’s ok with it when I put out seeded sunflower seeds and cracked corn as the seeds from sunflowers make a huge mess.  Of course, I’m loving the beautiful hummingbirds.  I watch them from my kitchen window.  They’re so delightful, they visit me when I’m watering.  Soon I’ll have to say goodbye to them as well.  Every spring I anxiously await their return.

 Of course, what cook can go a summer without potted herbs??  Here I have flat parsley, french tarragon, oregano, and rosemary.  My basil has its own pot, it gets huge!  I have sage and chives in the side garden.  I love simply going out to the pot to snip what I need.

 So sweet….

 

 My heirloom roses…just looking at this picture makes me so happy!

 One of my daily visitors….

 The ultimate potted plant, the Purple Passion….the bloom only lasts for one day, absolutely beautiful!

Enjoy what we’ve got left of summer!

Angie

Filed Under: Gardening and Food Stories | Tagged:
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