Eating Dinner With My Family

Well sometimes the simplest things really are best. I had my doubts at to how yummy this dish might be. It won't rank among my all time faves, but it will be made again and I suspect often since it was raved about by my husband. What I liked about it: easy (using store bought pie dough), easily vegetarian (just use veggie bacon or a veggie you like like onion or tomato), super frugal (even buying the pie crust I think with the salad the dinner was like $8) and it was great for a cold night since it used the oven and was very hearty. The only thing you must have to make this recipe easy is a mandoline or a v slicer so you can easily make paper thin slices of the potato. The cons, the edges burnt even with the application of foil and the yolk got too brown I just realized now as I am getting the link for the recipe, I left out the cheese!  We were even marveling at the fact that it didn't have cheese and we loved it.  How did I miss that.  The other deviations I m

Well I started with Alton Brown's Curry chicken pot pie recipe, but while we didn't dislike it, it is one we either wanted to play with or just forget.  Well my husband is not a fan of pot pie.  (me either for that matter)  However, we had chicken left from Thanksgiving, and we needed something to do with it.  I thought it was alright, my husband went back for thirds. (although he ended up not able to eat the last portion) Maybe we will have to give pot pie another try. Chicken Pot Pie Ingredients 4 cups frozen vegetable mix, peas, carrots, corn, lima beans 1 to 2 tablespoons canola oil 3 tablespoons butter 1 cup chopped onion 1 cup chopped celery 1/2 cup leftover green beans cut in 1" pieces 1 1/2 cups low sodium chicken broth 1/2 cup milk 3 tablespoons flour 1/2 teaspoon dried sage 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme 2 tablespoons dried parsley 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper 2 cups cubed cooked chicken 1 package puff pastry D

See the liberal use of hot sauce? Bland! I thought this sounded foul.  I thought it funny that the cookbook that I got this from, Nigella Bites from Nigella Lawson, noted that she thought the same thing but tried it on a whim.  She raves about it.  I''m not sure if it was that she used a raw ham or what, but I didn't get a lot of sweet in this ham.  It wasn't bad, but I didn't get a lot of flavor from the coke.  The corn pudding was disappointing. Bland and just odd. (insert your own English cuisine joke here;) I got the Halloumi recipe that I adore from this book, so I will still be trying more from it.  Ham in Coca Cola Ingredients 2kg mild-cure gammon 1 onion, peeled and cut in half 2-litre bottle of Coca-Cola FOR THE GLAZE: Handful of cloves 1 heaped tablespoon black treacle 2 teaspoons English mustard powder 2 tablespoons demerara sugar Method Serves: 8. I find now that mild-cure gam

Well in an attempt to not waste any thanksgiving leftovers, I thought I would give this a try.  It was good but didn't hold together well.  The fry daddy delcared they were tasty but too ulgy to allow a picture.  (snicker)  We had them with a salad an thats it.  Simple and satisfying.  We didn't make all of them for dinner;  the rest we will fry up in the morning with our eggs. Mashed Potato Cakes 3 c  mashed potatoes,chilled or at room temperature 1/2 c  white cheddar cheese (about 2 ounces),shredded on the large holes of box grater 2    medium scallions,thinly sliced (white and light green part 2    medium garlic cloves,minced 1    large egg,lightly beaten 1/3 c  all-purpose flour 2 T  vegetable oil Kosher salt Place all of the ingredients except the oil and salt in a medium bowl and stir to combine; set aside. Line a baking sheet with paper towels; set aside. Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium heat until shimmering, about 3 minutes. Drop 3 to 4 (1

Well I have wanted to try this sandwich for a while, and I got a recipe for it in an email the other day.  Well I didn't keep the one from the email because I wanted to try what is supposed to be the original.  This is from the Brown Hotel website.  I didn't have all Romano so I used some parm.  I used chicken since that is what we had from thanksgiving.  I also used half cream and half 1/2 & 1/2 because that was what I had on hand. Also I used 4 slices of bread and more chicken making 4 open faced sandwiches.  I still had twice as much sauce as needed.  I will also make sure I have super thick bread next time.  I would have liked more tomatoes because they cut the richness of the sauce.  I also think I would like some heat. Legendary Hot Brown Recipe 2 Servings 2 oz Whole Butter 2 oz All Purpose Flour 1 qt Heavy Cream 1/2 c  Pecorino Romano Cheese,Plus1 Tablespoon for Garnish Salt & Pepper to Taste 14 oz Sliced Roasted Turkey Breast 2 sl of Texas Toast (Cr

Thanksgiving Well because my husband has to work every Thanksgiving, I rarely cook.  All of our family is out of town and can't always make it also, so I often go to a friends house or we have something small.  Well my family was able to come this year! I was so happy to be able to do some of the dishes I grew up with as well as some new ones.  My mom hates turkey; we always have chickens instead.  I made two chickens but unlike her I don't stuff them.  I love, love, love stuffing but cook it outside the bird.  It is true that the inside the bird stuffing does get all those lovely drippings, but I think with a little chicken stock or bullion granules (skipping some or all of the salt if you use the granules) you get some chicken flavor and gravy adds the drippings anyways.  This is the first time making this roasted chicken recipe, but I enjoyed it.  I used sage in place of the parsley since I didn't have much parsley in the herb garden and I had some cut sage I needed

Well in the preparation for tomorrow night's Thanksgiving dinner I found it to be a bit too late to be starting the dinner I had planned, so I went with this 'breakfast' dish.  I had been wanting to try it for many reasons.  I think a baked egg sounds like the perfect poach and they have that cute little shape.  I did not serve them right away because I had some bacon I needed to use and was cooking it.  As a result the yolks were not as runny as I would have liked them but it was still really delicious.  I put the eggs on the buttered toast with the bacon.  I also made a bacon gravy for my mom. (who will be here tomorrow) for one of her breakfasts while she is here.  I drizzled a bit of it over the eggs as well. (so did not need it or the bacon for that matter but the bacon was good)  I also deviated from the recipe in that I added  chives as well as basil at the end.   I think chives and eggs are just a stellar combo.  The boy delcared this a favorite! Baked Eggs En Coc

I changed this only slightly.  I used the light wheat bread I had on hand and I don't care much for pickled jalapenos so I took a few slices of the jalapeno from the salmon night and put it in some pickle brine for a few days.  The pepper jack was not hot at all so I added the pickled chilies after cooking.  I don't know if they are particularly hot this year or if I though jalapenos were milder but they did add a lot of kick.  All in all tasty, easy and will be made again.  Oh and for the salad dressing I used the leftover dipping sauce from last night.  It was good, but I think next time will thin it a bit with olive oil and add some salt. Grilled Cheese And Chorizo Sandwiches  4 Servings 3    chorizo sausages (6 ounces) thinly sliced on the diagonal 2 T  unsalted butter,softened 8 sl of sourdough bread,cut from a pullman loaf 6    ounces Pepper Jack cheese thinly sliced 2 T  drained and sliced pickled jalapeños 6    ounces Havarti cheese            -thinly sliced 1.In a

So I saw this thing on yahoo about grown up chicken fingers.  I thought, the kids love chicken fingers and I love the idea of a grown up version of it. This was a very good grown up version of them.  It took a few bites before we all became accustom to them, but it is worth it to overcome your chicken strip preconceptions to enjoy it.  We had a bulgar pilaf with them and a salad. Mitzi's Chicken Fingers 6 Servings FOR THE DIPPING SAUCE 1 1/2 c  mayonnaise 1/4 c  honey 2 T  roughly chopped dill 2 T  fresh lemon juice 1 T  dry mustard powder Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper,to taste FOR THE CHICKEN FINGERS 2 lb boneless,skinless chicken breasts, cut into 3"-lo 1 T  sugar 1 T  kosher salt 1 T  freshly ground black pepper 1 1/2 t  garlic powder 1 t  paprika 1 t  dry mustard powder 1 c  flour 4    eggs,lightly beaten 3 c  finely ground fresh breadcrumbs or panko Canola oil,for frying [Note:  Fresh breasts are sliced into strips, then marinated ove

I did not make this exactly like the recipe says.  I made it for 2 so there was only one small piece of fish, one pound of tomatoes and only 2 peppers. Also I broiled the salmon instead of grilling it. I would have been happy to delete it, but the boy loved it.  My husband was at work so I didn't get second opinion of it.  I thought it was too spicy (and I am the one in the house who usually likes the most heat). Well I would have deleted it but the boy loved it so we are keeping it. Grilled Salmon With Melted Tomatoes 10 Servings 6 T  extra-virgin olive oil,plus more for rubbing 10    jalapeños,thinly sliced crosswise and seeded 4 lb ripe beefsteak tomatoes cored and coarsely chopped Salt One 4 1/2-pound salmon fillet in one piece,with skin Freshly ground pepper [Note: Our Pairing Suggestion   Full-bodied rosé ] 1. In a large, deep skillet, heat the 6 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the jalapeos in an even layer and cook over moderately low heat, without stirring, unti

This was my second time making this.  The first time we cooked it the boy loved it, but the hubby and I weren't wowed.  I couldn't find the escarole the first time round and substituted kale as recommended by gourmet sleuth. I saw some escarole in the store the other day, so I thought I would try this one again.  Now I love kale, but this one was so much better with the escarole.  I thought there were so much escarole, I skipped the salad. Spaghetti With Escarole And Bacon 4 Servings 1/4 lb Bacon,Cut Crosswise Into Thin Strips 2 T  olive oil 3 ea garlic,minced 1/4 t  red-pepper flakes 1 1/2 t  anchovy paste 1    head escarole (about 1 1/2pounds),leaves cut into 1/2-inch strips 2/3 c  canned low-sodium chicken broth or homemade stock 1/2 t  salt 3/4 lb spaghetti 1/3 c  grated Parmesan,plus more for serving 1 T  butter [Note: Crisp bacon complements escarole so well that you may be tempted to sauté the greens in the bacon fat, but don't do it; the bacon will

Well it is the Holiday Season, and that means weekly wine tastings at the OWC!  I was lucky enough to get to go to another one and left the husband and kiddies to enjoy leftovers.  I however got to eat one of the many delicious things on the menu.  I find I am often wanting to have so many items on the menu, I can't decide and then end up ordering my favorite: the Duck and Blue flat bread.  It has the most amazing spicy plum sauce.  I really don't care for much of the duck I have had. (I'm not a fan of birds in general) I do like it here.  So yay to tastings and no cooking for me tonight;)

 This is one of the all time favorites in this house.  We first learned to love machaca from a recipe from Marcela Valladolid .  She made these beef burritos that were amazing!  I poked around the Internet looking for other "machaca" style recipes.  This is the one we have been using for chicken.  I don't remember where I found it. I made it recently at a family gathering in Orlando.  It was well received by all. (like 12??) people)  We like the chicken as tacos with lettuce, hot sauce, scallions and chimichurri. The addition of chimichurri is a must for us on all our tacos. I have my own secret family recipe, so you are going to need to find your own;p. We serve all our tacos on the lazy susan so we can each build our tacos to our taste, and everything is easily accessible.  I got the lazy susan as a gift from a dear friend.  She really has a great knack for getting great presents.  I would never thought of it as an essential. (even though I have wanted one for some ti

Panini night tonight for a couple of reasons, first of all my MIL gave us this nice panini pan and I wanted to try it out.  Second reason, it is is quick and easy.  I was thinking about Cuban Sandwiches. (insert drooling sound) I also saw a recipe for a goat cheese, date and bacon one that sounded really good too.  As always I said lets do both.  But wait, I have blue cheese I need to use, OK a third one with blue and tomato. So the Cuban was the standard: ham, pork, Swiss, mustard and pickle.  The bacon one was softened goat cheese spread on both slices of bread, sprinkled with chopped dates and then filled with crispy bacon.  The tomato one was alright.  (Just tomato and blue)

This dish is not for the faint of heart. The name doesn't lie.  Holy cow there is a lot of garlic in this.  We all love garlic and enjoyed it thoroughly, however it was close to too much.  So if you aren't positively in LOVE with garlic (or are a vampire;) you might just want to go to another recipe.  That out of the way, it was super easy and super inexpensive.  I got it off the food network sight from   Melissa d'Arabian 's Ten Dollar Dinners.  I still like the Scarpetta's Spaghetti better, however this one was a lot faster. I will make it again, but I think I might play with it a bit. Garlic Spaghetti 9 ea garlic,minced 1/2 c  olive oil 6 T  butter 1    (15-ounce) can crushed tomatoes Salt and freshly ground black pepper 1 lb spaghetti,cooked al dente 2 T  chopped fresh basil Grated Parmesan,for garnish In a small saucepan, cook the garlic in the olive oil for 30 minutes on low heat. Stir occasionally to keep the garlic from drying out. In a medium

I happen to love Blue cheese, the boy likes it a little and my husband will tolerate it, so I was worried about the reception of this dish. I only used two chicken breasts, but they were on the large side and there was plenty of chicken.  I also went a tad light on the blue cheese. It was really good.  The only thing that kept this from being a fast dish was the long cooking time on the onions, but don't skimp on this step.  You want to make sure that you get that nice sweetness in them. I even liked the rosemary and I am not a fan. Orecchiette With Chicken, Caramelized Onions, And Blue Cheese Yield: 4 Servings 1 T  butter 3 T  olive oil 2    onions,quartered and cu into thin slices 1 t  salt 1 1/3 lb boneless,skinless chicken breasts (about 4) 1/4 t  fresh-ground black pepper 3/4 t  dried rosemary,crumbled, or 2 teaspoons chopped fresh 1 ea garlic,minced 1/2 lb orecchiette  2    ounces blue cheese,crumbled (about 1/2 cup) [Note:  .  The onions and cheese drive the

We had a date night and went to one of the two Halafax Food and Wine festivals.  I have no idea what is up with that.  It sounds like there is drama there.  I found out about the second one after the fact.  It seems stupid to do them on the same night because I would have liked to have gone to both. (had I known there were 2) Maybe I did but never realized it was two different ones because they have the same name.  We ended up at the one at the News Journal.  It was fun and there was lots to eat and drink.  It is hard to serve food there away from a proper kitchen but I think there were some poor choices of dishes that don't travel well. (crab cakes? not really a good lukewarm thing)  I will say that more than the positives the the big negatives stand out more and will be businesses I don't plan on ever using.  First Crush wine shop.  You send some arrogant guy who was not exactly a joy.  He did a few things I found really annoying, starting with asking what I liked, and then p

It's a big day for me, I have officially made my first souffle!!  My darling husband has made one before and it was very good, but daunting to me because I am totally not the precise, science project cook that makes good bakers.  I like to have a little wiggle room.  However, I poured myself a glass of wine and decided to have a stab at it.  While everyone loved it, I was worried in the process because there were a few deviations I made.  Some intentional, some just because it seemed to be prudent. First of all, I couldn't find Comté cheese.  I quick online search suggested Gruyere.  ( http://www.gourmetsleuth.com/Dictionary/C/Comte-cheese-6013.aspx ) Well for a block of Gruyere the size of two decks of cards was $17! Well I didn't want to ruin pricey cheese with my first souffle attempt, and I just don't want dinner to cost that much. I would have needed all of it. I opted for the fancy publix Swiss cheese over the regular Publix Swiss ($4.99)  I also cooked it a

Well, my wife is out with the girls for the evening, so that left me (the wonderful husband) in charge of dinner, and, therefore, the blog.  I don't measure, and rarely remember the ingredients I used, so there will be no recipe at the end of this entry, but here's what I made: We had four chicken breasts left from the other night, and four slices of prosciutto (coincidence, or fate?)  for the stuffing, I sauteed chopped onions and  minced garlic with some chopped pepperoni, and minced herbs from the window box (oregano, basil, and chives).  Then I laid out the flattened chicken breasts, put a spoonful of the stuffing, on them and wrapped the chicken around the stuffing.  Then I wrapped the prosciutto around them perpendicularly to help contain the stuffing.  The breading was seasoned flour (salt, paprika, garlic powder, pepper) and egg (dry, wet, then dry again).  I browned them in a skillet in 1/2 inch of oil, then baked at 300 until done (165F).  The sauce was: butter, the

I had a piece of panchetta  i needed to use and a case of the lazys.  So I totally cheated and sauteed the diced panchetta and added some Gia Russa tomato sauce, mixed in some cooked (frozen) beef ravioli and added ricotta.  Then I topped the whole thing with mozzarella and parm.  Baked it at 350 for about a forty five minutes.  Add a salad with just extra virgin olive oil, balsamic reduction, salt and pepper and viola, dinner she is done.  It was good but not as good as if I hadn't cheated. 

It always surprises me that French food can be so easy.  I know there are plenty of complex dishes out there but they all have a fairly simple start.  This is one of those base dishes (think of them like mother sauces) that can be elaborated on but there really is no need!  It was quick, easy and delicious. Supremes De Volaille A Blanc (Chicken With Cream) 4  Supremes Of Chicken,Thinly Sliced, Boneless Breast 1/2 t  Lemon Juice (more At End As Needed) 1/4 t  Salt (more At End As Needed) Large pinch White Pepper (more At End As Needed) 4 T  Butter,Unsalted 1/4 c  Beef Stock 1/4 c  Port,Madeira Or Dry White Vermouth 1 c  Heavy Cream 2 T  Fresh Parsley,Minced [Note: From Julia Child (she recommends buttered asparagus tips, green peas, artichoke hearts or creamed spinach, a good risotto cooked in chicken stock and a good white Burgundy or Traminer.] Preheat oven to 400.  Rub the chicken with the lemon juice and season with salt and pepper. Heat the butter until it foams (i

Top to bottom: Bean, Formage, Blue Well tonight was a movie night at the boy's karate school. A group of my friends who have their children in the school decided to take this opportunity to go out. However, as movie night started at 4 (and it's closest to my house) we decided to have some wine here before we went to dinner. I think it irresponsible (much less bad manners as a host) to serve alcohol with out some sort of food to go with it. I made a white bean dip, formage fort, blue cheese and chive spread for the savory options. To accompany them, I had some crackers, herbed flatbread crisps, pita triangles and marinated olives. I also made a marscipone and honey spread to put on some thin crisp coconut cookies. I choose what I did because I had almost everything on hand. I knew I needed to restrain myself because I tend to make too much and I didn't want to spoil our dinner. I started with the formage fort. I hadn't made it before but have always want

YUM! Tonight we went to have dinner with dear friends we don't get to see enough.  We brought a take out pizza but it was not my meal.  I ate there AMAZING croquettas.  Growing up in Miami, I have had my fare share of them, but these were by far the best.  I gorged myself on these tasty tubes until I felt "Thanksgiving" full.  Along with the croquettas, we had their signature mojitos! (in an earlier post)  I am looking forward to trying to make them.  (I'm also nervous I won't be able to get them as good as they did!)  YUM! Croquetas – Ham Croquettes 24 Servings  4 T  butter 1/2 c  onion,minced fine 1/3 c  flour 1    and 1/2 cups whole milk,at room temperature (more or less) 1/4 t  nutmeg 1 T  dry sherry 1 T  parsley,finely chopped 4 c  (about 1 pound) smoked ham ground 1 c  dry bread crumbs (more or less) 1/2 t  salt (more or less to taste) 1/4 t  black pepper (more or less to taste)            Coating 2    eggs,beaten with 1 tablespoon water

This is one of the family's favorites.  I love the spiciness of it but it can be easily adjusted to suit any taste.  It is quick and simple.  It is often served on pasta, but what I love about this recipe (that I can't for the life of me figure out were I got it) is that it is served with just crusty bread.  No additional cooking.  I usually pick up some at the bakery, but I did find frozen baguette dough from France in the freezer case of the grocery that are pretty good and not too many chemicals in them.  It is a nice back up to have on hand.  (for any meal not just this one)  I even skipped the salad.  There is so much tomato in this, I called it the veggie and then called it a night. Oh I almost forgot, turn on your fan in the kitchen, when you are cooking the shrimp, the pepper makes the air spicy and it will tickle the back of your throat! Shrimp Fra Diavolo 1 1/4 lb Shrimp,Shelled And Deveined 1/4 c  Extra Virgin Olive Oil 1 t  Crushed Red Pepper Flakes Salt And

Well we loves us some pizza.  It is so easy and everyone loves it; the only issue is to try and find new ways of making it.  I got this recipe from : What Would Brian Boitano Make?  on the food network.  I know he is a skater, but I had to see this show at least once.  I cant help but think he's super cool.  The theme song (and title of his show) is a play on a South Park song about him.  Gotta love people who aren't too uptight:)  I thought the flavors delicious, but I think need to go back and watch the video of it because the cheese seemed to all come off in one bite.  The sauce, SUPER, the onions, AMAZING.  Perhaps I sliced the cheese a bit too thick.  It didn't matter, I loved it.  I made a second pizza that had the charred cherry tomato topping I made before. Missed Putt Pizza Dough 1 1/4 c  warm water 1/2 t  sugar 1 t  active dry yeast 3 3/4 c  all-purpose flour,plus 1/4 cup for rolling out dough 1 t  salt 1 T  olive oil,plus 4 tablespoons, divided 1/4 c  c

Well I had some feta left from the grilled Greek chicken salad, and I remembered this recipe that my MIL had made for us years ago, so I figured I would try to replicate it. I remember it well even though it was at least 11 years ago.  This was before I was interested in cooking and was pretty limited in what I was willing to eat.  I didn't like shrimp or feta. (or so I thought) and was thinking how am I going to handle this meal with good grace.  Then she says, its a pasta sauce but I'm serving it over rice.  (not a fan of rice either but I loved pasta.  oh no!)  Turned out that I loved it.  However I had never made it.   I'm pretty sure she got it out of this cool little book of pasta sauces she got for us called Sauces for Pasta.  I haven't found a bad one in there yet.  So I looked through it and found what I believe was it. I did put it over rice again, and I used canned chopped tomatoes instead of fresh for two reasons.  The tomatoes weren't looking very good