Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Fiesta Stuffed Mushrooms w/ Chardonnay Dipping Sauce


This recipe is a quick and easy way to add a little spark to any menu or gathering.  It's just in time for the holidays and the wonderful dipping sauce can be made with the wine you plan to serve for the occasion.  The ingredients can be grouped as decidedly Latin inspired with the incorporation of the bollio roll, in conjunction with the peppers and jack cheese.  These puppies keep well at room temperature and re-heat well also.  For a vegetarian fare, simply omit the sausage and add a pinch of sage, maybe even a pinch of cumin, for a well rounded Latin effect.  Boca crumbles may be added instead if you prefer for texture variance.  This recipe makes 14-16 stuffed mushrooms or 6 to 7, 2 'shroom appetizer servings.
Recipe:
1 lb. baby bella mushrooms, wiped clean, stems removed
1/3 lb. good quality sage sausage
1 small shallot, small dice
2 tbsp. mini peppers, various colors
pinch celery seeds
1/2 bollio roll, crumbled roughly
2 tbsp. butter
4 oz. Monterey Jack cheese, plus more for broiling
Preheat Broiler.
Brown sausage over medium high heat.  Add shallot, peppers, celery seed and bollio.  Cook for about 2 minutes and stir in cheese and remove from heat.
Divide stuffing equally among mushrooms, depending of course on size of the mushroom.
Sprinkle a scant amount of cheese atop each mushroom and broil on bottom rack until cheese melts and mushroom is heated through, about 5 minutes.
Chardonnay Dipping Sauce:
2 tbsp. red pepper jelly
2 tbsp. tamari
2 tbsp. Chardonnay
In small saucepan, bring up to a boil, stirring constantly and continuing a rolling simmer until alcohol is cooked off, about 4 minutes and reduced by about 1 tbsp.
Remove from heat.
Makes about 1/4 cup.




Sunday, December 16, 2012

Frenched Teriyaki Chicken Drummettes


I saw the technique for these drummettes in a cookbook from the early 90's called "What's Cooking". It is a wonderful and informative book, with lots of exercises and terms of proper French cooking, as well as tons of ideas and to spark your interest and creativity. The sauce of course is at your discretion. I happen to be partial to the Teriyaki wings at Buffalo Wild Wings, so when thinking of a great snack wing, they instinctively popped into my mind. "B Dubs" as my friends and I called it substantiated much of our free time, during and after college, when we were not working, and was the hub of our social lives while attending Bridgewater College and living in Harrisonburg, also the home of James Madison University and Eastern Mennonite. I can only imagine how many gallons of big Bud Lights and pounds of wings of various sauces and degrees of heat. Lest I fail to mention, it had the longest and most stocked bar in town. Alas, I digress. I have only been to Buffalo Wild Wings maybe twice in the past 10 years. Thanks for the memories. Anywho, back to the recipe, feel free to toss in the sauce of choice, since the overall effect will be gained from the unique and fabulous way in which the drummettes will be fashioned. This style reminds me of the Frenched bone of a lamb chop or bone-in rib roast of beef or pork. The technique is worthy of a place even at a formal social or dinner party, as the guests' fingers will be virtually free from the sometimes problematic sauce if one is wearing their best digs. There is less waste when consuming this drummette also and one won't have to feel as though they've reverted to the days of a caveman or primate!! The fun of the wing will remain, but you probably won't go back to eating wings at home the same, this way is just too darn cute and fun and your friends will think you've taken a cooking class!!
 Recipe:
 2 lbs. chicken drummettes
salted water
seasoned flour
oil for fryng
Teriyaki or your favorite sauce for wings
 With a sharp knife, par the skin and meat away from the bone starting at the smallest end of the drummette, scraping the bone clean,coaxing it down to the meatiest side, pulling the meat and skin over the rounded end to form a sort of meaty base. It should look like an inverted, miniature version of a candy apple of sorts. 
 Soak in salted water for 30 minutes to 1 hour, or until ready to prepare. Preheat cooking oil to 375*F. Drain and rinse chicken thoroughly in colander or strainer. 
Toss chicken pieces in seasoned flour, shaking off excess and frying in batches until crispy and golden, about 3-5 minutes, drain on paper towels.
 Once all chicken has been cooked, in a large bowl, toss in Teriyaki until desired wetness is achieved. Plate and serve. 
 Makes about 30 drummettes, portion size for appetizers being 3 per person.
NOTE:  These wings do not have to be dredged in flour before frying and they will be just as enjoyable.  I prepared them both ways and never missed out on overall appearance or flavor!!!
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Saturday, December 15, 2012

Swamp Punch!!


This quick and fun drink recipe is from the archives of our Halloween escapades!  The kids, my sister Hollie and I went trick or treating, then returned home for a small Halloween dinner party.  The kids had a blast visiting the ornate and elaborate decorations and scenes set up on Broad Street and the  homes on both sides, near the high school in Altavista.
 I came up with a hauntingly fun and entertaining menu, souped up with macabre names for finger foods and appetizers for overall effect and spooky genius of Halloween.  They had everything from Werewolves Loins (fried chicken drumsticks) to Critter Cakes (chocolate cupcakes with multi-toned toasted coconut) to witches' skin (sour cream and onion chips), graveyard bones (pretzel stix), ghoulish pizza bites (mini pizza cups with green dough) and Swamp Punch, which recipe follows.  I will be posting the rest of the menu shortly, but for now I hope this one makes you smile, like the kids and I did.  This punch is sure to liven up any occasion, or at least make for an interesting conversation starter!
Recipe:
1 3 liter lemon lime soda, chilled
1 quart lime sorbet
1 pkg. plastic eye balls
Large serving bowl
Place half the contents of the sorbet into serving bowl.
Pour soda atop.  you may need to break down the sorbet faster by using a potato masher!
 We had a great time as a rag doll, Bronwyn, a rock and roll princess, me, a witch, Genesis, and an action figure, Braelyn!


Serves plenty!

Chocolate Eclair-Gone Bananas, Sweets to the Sweet!


The following recipe is inspired by a recipe of my sister Brenda.  She has been making a Chocolate Eclair recipe our family loves for years and years.  Brenda's recipe involves whole graham cracker squares, vanilla pudding, whipped cream and chocolate, organized in a layered fashion with the cream in the middle and spiked with a touch of cinnamon.  The preparation is minimal, and the results are deliciously wonderful.  Her recipe crossed my mind one day, and I started out constructing  it myself, with some prompting from my niece Laura.  The components are similar to that of a banana pudding to a degree, and I happened to have 3 bananas that were still firm, but the peels had turned brown from refrigeration.  I thought it would be nice to incorporate them into her recipe, for an original take of my own.  I hope you enjoy this super simple, simply delicious rendition of a Chocolate Eclair-Gone Bananas!
Recipe:
2 pkg. cinnamon graham crackers, pulverized or smashed into crumbs, leaving a slight variation in texture
2 boxes french vanilla instant pudding, prepared using 3 cups of milk, instead of 4.
1 8 oz. container whipped topping
3 medium bananas, sliced
1 regular sized container chocolate frosting
In an 8x11x2 baking dish, spread 1 c. of graham crumbs.
In a medium bowl, fold pudding and whipped topping together, just until blended.
Fold in bananas.
Add Cream mixture to baking dish atop crumbs.  Add remaining crumbs to top of cream, spreading carefully as not disrupt layering effect.
Heat frosting in water bath in container, just until it becomes pour-able  about 3 minutes, and pour evenly atop the crumbs, spreading as evenly as possible.  Use a rubber spatula or a fork to add texture and design to the frosting as it comes back to room temperature.  Let stand for several minutes.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for several hours or overnight until serving.


Use a moistened knife to create serving lines, and a deep spoon to plate.
Makes 12 or more servings.

Sweet and Sour Marinated Flat Iron Steak


I am a huge steak and beef  fan. To me, there's nothing quite like a fabulous, well seasoned, medium rare cut of tender beef, alongside a baked potato with all the fixins' and fresh steamed veggies with a green salad in tow.  Today's featured recipe is a marinated flat iron steak.   Flat iron steak is a term used by Americans.
This same cut is referred  to as a "butler"  or "oyster blade" steak in countries like the UK and New Zealand.  Other names for this cut include petite steak, top shoulder blade, top boneless chuck, lifter as well as book steak and chuck clod.  The flat iron is a more affordable way for people to enjoy a steak, but is somewhat tougher, because it is cut with the grain, as opposed to across.  This steak comes from the shoulder with normally fantastic marbling that generally weighs between 2 to 3 pounds, and is cut several times to make smaller marketable portions.  This is a piece of beef that responds well to marination, and care to cooking it only to medium rare for maximum tenderness and flavor. The marinade for this recipe consists of a sweet/salty/spicy which I favor highly, and is inspired by those flavors and spices familiar in Asian cuisine, as you can probably see from some of my recipes prior.  Feel free to use this marinade on your personal favorite proteins, including but not limited to tofu and Portobello mushrooms.  I served these sumptuous medium rare steaks with Stir-fry veggies and Couscous steamed together and tossed with a Thai Green Curry Spice blend.  Stay tuned for more recipes that utilize this spice to make the best of it's freshness and shelf life.  Also, look for recipes that I've created that involve the use of uncommon ingredients called for in some of my recipes to explore it's diversity and save on waste, i.e red pepper jelly, pickled ginger slices etc... in publications to come.
Recipe:
1 1/2 lb. flat iron steak
2 tbsp. tamari
2 tbsp. brown sugar
1 tbsp. less sodium soy sauce
1 tbsp. garlic flavored red wine vinegar
1 tbsp. pickled ginger slices
pinch of red pepper flakes
SPST (Salt and Pepper to Suit your Taste)
Black and plain sesame seeds for garnish
Combine all ingredients in resealable bag and shake until blended.
Pierce rinsed steak with a knife or fork and place slices of ginger atop.  Place in resealable bag and turn to coat.
Press out excess air and seal.  Marinate refrigerated for up to 24 hours and at least 4.  Take out of refrigerator 1 hour before cooking
Preheat grill or grill-pan to medium high heat.  Remove meat from marinade and pat dry.  SPST
Cook until desired done-ness, flipping once, with medium reached at 145*F.




Let rest and slice on a bias.  Serves 6 to 8.

Thursday, December 13, 2012

Kamikaze Shrimp w/ Thai Clam n' Coconut Jasmine Rice


My family enjoys the recipes that I create and often stop by to bring ingredients for me to experiment with or to see the direction in which I can take them.  Most recently, my niece Laura, named so by my oldest sister Cherie, after our mother, requested that  I come up with some "deliciousness" for her to nosh on while stopping in on one of her multitudes of weekly visits.  She gave me the money and requested that I just 'get some stuff to make something good", so I opted for a 3 lb. bag of shrimp, that was on sale for less than twenty dollars.  These fresh frozen shrimp were absolutely gorgeous and of the 21-25 count variety.  I set out to prepare 3 recipes using 1 lb. of shrimp each, and have them all taste  and exhibit different flavor and texture profiles and equally satisfying.  The first recipe of course was a simple butterflied shrimp, fried and served along side other appetizers of different and colorful flavor notes.  The second recipe was comprised of a garlic, olive oil and butter sauce and pasta, tossed with fresh spinach and lemon, showered with Pecorino Romano and served with an awesome SP Mozzarella Cheesey Bread   The third recipe and the one I am most proud of consists of  Asian style marinated shrimp, rolled in Panko, fried and served along side a sultry and flavor packed dish of Thai flavor infused jasmine rice and a wonderful sauce made with hot pepper jelly and Tamari, spiked with a little sesame oil.  My family of testers thought very highly of this recipe, as did I and I felt it worthy of sharing!  The portions are designed to please without overwhelming, and you can mix and match the different counterparts of this recipe with other dishes that you may already prepare.  Enjoy!
Recipe
For Shrimp:
2 tbsp. Red Miso paste
1/2. pineapple juice
2 tbsp. Tamari
1/4 tsp. Sambal Oelek
2 tbsp. bread and butter pickle juice
1 lb. 21-25 count thawed  raw shrimp
Whisk all ingredients in a bowl until smooth and fold in shrimp. Place in resealable bag.  Marinate for 30 minutes to 4 hours.  Refrigerate until ready to use.
For Frying:
seasoned flour
Panko
egg wash
oil for frying
Heat cooking oil to 375*  F.
Peel and butterfly shrimp and dredge in flour, shaking off excess.  Dip in egg wash and roll in Panko.  Fry until golden n small batches, about 3 minutes.  Drain on paper towels.  Serves about 7, 3 shrimp each.
For Rice:
1 c. jasmine rice, rinsed under cold running water in strainer several times
1 c. Thai coconut milk
1 6.5 oz. can chopped clams, juices reserved
1/2. c. clam juice
1 pkg. powdered chicken bouillon
1 tsp. granulated sugar
1/2. tsp. onion powder
1/4 tsp. Sambal Oelek
1 tsp. sesame oil
Parsley for garnish (optional)
Bring milk and clam juice up to a boil medium high heat and add rice over .  Bring back up to a boil and stir in remaining ingredients except clams and sesame oil, then reduce heat to simmer and stir in clams.  Cover tightly and cook until rice is tender, about 20 minutes.  Drizzle w/sesame oil and toss with a fork before serving.  Makes about 6 1/3 c. servings.
Kamikaze Drizzlin' and Dippin' Sauce:
1/4 c. hot pepper jelly
2 tbsp. Tamari
dash of sesame oil
Combine until smooth, heating slightly if desired to encourage blending.  Makes 6, 1 tbsp.servings.
Serve as desired, a la carte or plated as shown.

A Delicious Quiche on the Cheek!


I have always adored quiche and the simple elegance of it's ingredients and design.  My nephew and fellow foodie Rob Holland often made the quiches served at the Peaks of Otter Retreat and Restaurant, a beautiful lodge nestled in the Bedford area of the Blue Ridge Mountains, which sadly closed it's doors just last week.  One day while reminiscing about the decadence of his quiches, I decided to create one of my own, using some apples that my sister Terry and I picked fresh from the trees and along the ground one day whilst dropping by to see Robbie at work.    I wanted a unique quiche but with traditional and easily accessed and  less expensive ingredients, and I came up with this crowd pleaser.  The recipe makes 2 9 inch deep dish quiches that will freeze well, if you only need one.  It is amazingly simple to prepare and will have your family thinking you spent hours preparing this savory dish perfect for a casual breakfast,  brunch or lite dinner. Just pair this with some fruit or a green salad for a complete and satisfying meal, strutting your inner gourmet stuff!  Vegetarians or less meat enthusiasts can simply add sauteed mushrooms in place of the sage sausage for a wholesome, filling and hearty cacophony of wonderful flavors.  The taste is as exciting and warm like your first kiss from the beginning, to the end.
Sausage, Apple and Spinach Quiche
2 deep dish pie crusts
1/2 lb. good quality sage sausage
1 c. chopped onion
4 tbsp.salted butter
2 c. fresh tender spinach
1 c. firm apples, small dice
1 can evaporated milk, plus 4 oz. water to make 2 c.
4 large eggs
1/2 tsp. Sriracha
1 1/2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese
1 c. shredded cheddar cheese
1/4. c. Parmigiano Reggiano
SPST
Preheat oven to 425*F.
In a cast iron skillet over medium high heat, cook sausage and onions until sausage is no longer pink. Drain.
Add butter and stir until melted
Fold in spinach until wilted and turn off heat.  SPST
Fold in apples and set aside.
Meanwhile, slightly beat eggs, milk and Sriracha until blended.  SPST
Divide sausage mixture b/t crusts and sprinkle with Parmigiano Reggiano, then mozzarella, then cheddar.
Pour egg mixture equally over cheeses.
Bake at 425* for 15 minutes.  Cover loosely with foil.
Reduce heat to 300* and bake an additional 35-40 minutes or until a knife inserted into center comes out clean.
Let stand 10 minutes before slicing.  Each quiche makes 6 servings.

This recipe freezes well when wrapped tightly with plastic wrap and will keep for 3 months.
Variations may be made to this recipe to reduce fat and calories like using extra lean turkey, fat free evaporated milk and/or reduced fat cheeses.