Just Crumbs...

Potato and Brussels Sprout Souffle

2012-01-22T10:57:00.000-05:00

My new Eating Well magazine has arrived and as I was leafing through it I came across this recipe for Brussels Sprouts and Potato Frittata. We are fans of sprouts. Either you love them or hate them. We just happen to love them in this house. So I put this recipe on my list to make.

I like sweet for breakfast, that's just the kind of girl that I am. So this became an item that we had for brunch. It was tasty. I switched up the recipe just a tad and altered some ingredients; next time I will so the same. The recipe called for shredded potatoes. It was good, but next time I will go chunky. I want to taste a different flavor and texture with each bite. Same with the sprouts, I will halve them instead of thinly slicing. I may also add some smoked sausage too. I think that this will be superb. The possibilities are endless. Leave out the sprouts if you hate them, no big deal. the dish is creamy and delish ether way.

I made these in oven safe mugs, sprayed with cooking spray, they turned out fabulous. The presentation was amazing, as you can tell from the picture. Just remember to remind those dining with you that the mugs are HOT. I forgot and Mr. Crumbs needless to say grabbed right a hold of it and burnt his hand. Be sure to warn those about to consume the yummy goodness.

POTATO & BRUSSELS SPROUT SOUFFLE

1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
2 c. shredded potatoes
8 oz. Brussels sprouts, trimmed and thinly sliced (about 2 cups)
1/2 c. chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
8 eggs, or 1 16oz carton of egg beaters
1/3 c. grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 c. heavy cream or low-fat milk
1 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper
Preheat oven to 400°F. Coat four ovenproof mugs (or any other oven proof container) with cooking spray and place on a baking sheet.

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add potatoes, Brussels sprouts, onion and garlic and cook, stirring, until softened and beginning to brown, about 6 minutes. Divide the mixture among the prepared mugs.
Whisk eggs, cheese, milk, thyme, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Pour the egg mixture over the potato mixture and gently stir to combine.
Transfer the baking sheet to the oven. Bake until the eggs are set and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the souffle and registers 160°F, about 25 minutes.

Pineapple Cookies and The Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap

2011-12-12T01:00:00.012-05:00

Cookies, who doesn't love them? There are some many varieties, textures, flavors, etc... There is a cookie out there for everyone, and if there is not one for you, you should make one to suit you. I just participated in the Food Blogger Cookie Swap and it was fun, but trying to decide on a cookie and a flavor that would be unique and scrumptious, that was mind boggling. The thought, the ideas, the searches, the flavor combinations, it was overwhelming. Finally I decided.

I actually used 4 1/2c flour because the dough was not stiff enough with 3 1/2c.

The winner was a pineapple cookie that my great grandmothers used to make, back before the Great Depression (really I have know idea what time frame they made these, but it sounds dramatic and I am going with it). These cookies are a soft cookie, a melt in your mouth, kind of cookie. "A great cookie with afternoon tea. They are fluffy and puffy, flavorful, and satisfying (Mr. Crumbs 2011)". These really are a nice cookie they have little bits of pineapple and are sweet. Plus, they are pretty easy to make.

I baked them up and then they were packaged up and shipped to three lucky recipients: Megan Bailey at StylishFOOD, Nancy Root Miller at Rivertree Kitchen, and Stephanie Clemens at Will Run For Treats. I hope that these ladies enjoyed these cookies as much as Mr. Crumbs did, because the remaining were gone within two days at our house. This was a fun change of pace, a big Thank You to Love and Olive Oil and The Little Kitchen blogs for putting this together. There were over 600 food bloggers that participated in this event and it took a lot of work, dedication, and organization for these ladies to pull this event off. Kudos to them!

I was the lucky participant of a three different dozen of cookies courtesy of Elizabeth Darby at Immaculate Consumption , Melissa Beach at Shoots & Roots, and Christy Clark at Confessions of a Misplaced Southern Belle.

My first package to arrive was from Elizabeth at Immaculate Consumption. She made shortbreads, sandwiched between a layer of sweet chocolate hazelnut cream. Mighty tasty. So tasty that I forgot to take a picture before inhaling them...all (sorry). The shortbread was so tender and the filling was heavenish (and I am being biased because I love the chocolate hazelnut combo).

Pistachio Shortbread Cookies courtesy of Melissa at Shoots and Roots

Melissa from Shoots and Roots sent me my second package. Her package contained Pistachio Shortbread Cookies. They were crispy and buttery. They had a hint of salt, the perfect balance where it was a little more pronounced but in a delicious way.

Nana's Chocolate Chip from Christy at Confessions of a Misplaced Southern Belle

My last package to arrive was from Christy at Confessions of a Misplaced Southern Belle. She had sent Nana's Chocolate Chip Cookies. These cookies were a crumbly and crunchy chocolate chip, a good milk dunker. Lots of chocolate chips (which is a bonus for my likes).

This was a fun little venture off the normal everyday happenings and I was glad to be a part of it. I hope that next year there is a continuance and I get the pleasure of participating again.

***The recipe is posted in a picture near the top of the post***

Creamy Scallopped Potatoes with Bacon and Carmelized Onions

2011-11-13T15:10:00.000-05:00

It is that time of year when we are planning our Thanksgiving meal options. I have been planning for a few weeks and still can't make up my mind on my theme or what I want to serve. For some reason brussels sprouts are calling my name. I like them, but not many do. I am trying to steer clear of this vegetable, but it keeps popping into my thoughts. There are so many possiblilities on what to serve from the side dishes to the dessert. I have been testing, but still not sure of my master plan. Potatoes are a must, but what kind of potatoes?

There are so many ways to prepare a potato. Mashed, smashed, riced, candied, whipped, baked, etc... Then there are so many varieties of potatoes. Do I choose russets, fingerlings, yams, sweet potatoes, marble potatoes, red potatoes, gold potatoes, etc... The list is never ending. Stress that is what it is. So many options, so little time. What better way to determine what to make, is to make it, try it and circle it to keep it on the list or the big X to discard it. That has been my method of madness lately.

On the list scallopped potatoes. If not for the fact that they will be delicious on my dinner menu, but they are amazing left overs for breakfast. I mean absolutely amazing. I stack them on top of toasted piece of bread and then cover with an over easy egg, now that is bliss. Soft creamy potatoes with liquid gold oozing down the sides, with the crisp tender bread soaking up all this yumminess. Yep, this girl is drooling.

These scalloped potatoes take a little more effort. Not that it is difficult or anything, but the effort will add another layer of flavor. And this is an amazing thing. The only extra steps are to 1. heat your milk mixture and 2. slice and carmelize onions. See not a big deal. And the kicker is to use the same pot. Carmelize your onions first and then while your layering your potatoes and onions, heat the milk mixture. It doesn't have to be boiling, just warm. See it is not that bad. If you do not have a mandolin or a slicer I would suggest getting one. It is not necessary, but a HUGE time saver. I unfortunatly cut all my potatoes and onions by hand (because I am dedicated, no because when I moved I gave away my mandolin and have not yet replaced it). It is a great investment and you will use it more than you think. You can slice apples, onions, potatoes, cucumbers, carrots, etc... you get the idea. And you will want to make this recipe over and over again, not just for holidays.

SCALLOPED POTATOES

1 tsp unsalted butter, plus 3 Tbsp more for dotting

2 Tbsp olive oil

6 oz bacon, cut into 3/4 inch pieces

2 large yellow onions, peeled and thinly sliced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp thyme

2-3 pounds all purpose potatoes, cut into 1/4-inch thick slices

1 1/2 c. grated Gruyere, Cheddar, Parmesan, or Blue Cheese (I used a mix of all)

2 c. milk (I used 2%, but feel free to use whole, heavy cream or half and half)

1 c. chicken stock

Salt

Black Pepper

Cayanne Pepper

Garlic Powder

Paprika

Thyme

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Butter a 3 1/2-quart baking dish and set aside.

In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and cook until browned, about 4 minutes. Add the onions and season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring, until the onions begin to caramelize, about 20 minutes. Add the thyme and garlic and cook 1 minute.

Once the onions are carmelized remove from pot and transfer to a dish. Add the milk and chicken stock to the pot and heat until hot.

In the mean time, spread a layer of potatoes in the bottom of the prepared dish, slightly overlapping the slices. Sprinkle with garlic powder, paprika, thyme, cayanne pepper, salt, and black pepper, and top with a layer of the onions. Followed by more potatoes, onions, and seasoning. Repeat. Pour the milk and stock mixture over the potatoes, dot with butter, and cover with foil.

Roast until nearly all the liquid has been absorbed, about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Remove the foil and top with cheese, continue baking until golden brown and bubbly, an additional 15 to 20 minutes.

Remove from the oven and let sit for 10 minutes before serving.

***Liquid may boil over, take preventitive measures***

A What? Food Blogger Cookie Swap you say? Count me IN!

2011-11-06T13:52:00.000-05:00

The first annual Food Blogger cookie swap. Sounds amazingly fun. Brought to you by Julie from The Little Kitchen and Lindsay from Love and Olive Oil. I am definitely participating in this event. I think it will be the event of the year, forget the Oscars, the CMA's, or even Chris and Kim's 73 day long marriage ending in the Big D.
Here is how it works.You will receive three other bloggers addresses to send them homemade cookies (Mmmmm, cookies). You send them each a dozen of your cookies. In return you will receive 3 different dozen of cookies to drool over, eat, and then go into a sugar coma. Sounds fun! I told you. Then on December 12th everyone who participated will post their recipes and whom they sent their delicious concoctions to.
The deadline for entry is November 15th. HURRY and ENTER! To find out more and enter click HERE. Then click HERE to find out how to package and ship the cookies that you will send to me (feel free to send me cookies even if you do not get my name; trust me I won't mind).
As a side note if you do get my name, or not but still want to send me cookies, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE disinfect your counter and dishes before preparing my cookies, if you let your animals walk on your counter or eat off your dishes! Just sayin'.

Happy Baking!

Taco Bake

2011-11-03T22:49:00.000-04:00

Guest Recipe in her own words from the infamous K. Grub...

Ok - a recipe... I didn't use a recipe, silly... but I will try to remember how the Taco Bake came to be:

2 lbs of ground beef (from Miller's Meats of course) - seasoned with 2 packets of Hot & Spicy Ortega Taco Seasoning (on sale at Meijer coupled with a coupon... sheesh - I'm a walking advertisement!)

Actually, we made nachos out of the beef the day before, so it probably ended up being 1.5 lbs...

Anyhoo...

2 cans of Pillsbury Croissant rolls (no coupon... FOR SHAME!), spread them out zig, zaggity around your baking dish, roll the bottom so there's a crust, leaving the small pointy ends to hang over the side for now.

Can of Refried Beans (16oz - the big one), spread it out over the croissant rolls.

Spread out the cooked hamburger.

Layer with gobs of shredded cheese (about 2 cups?)

Take the pointy ends of the croissant rolls and criss cross them over the bundle of ingredients.

Sprinkle with fresh cilantro from your deck's garden pots, even though there was frost that morning.

Bake at 375 for 25-30 (I think???)

Dallop with sour cream and serve with salsa!!

Voila!!

Pumpkin Coffee Bread Pudding accented with Orange and Cranberry.

2011-10-23T17:54:00.000-04:00

    Fall is here...again. Cold weather is upon us. Its a time to start the ovens and let the baking begin. Fall is a favorite time with hayrides, cider, pies, crisp mornings and warm afternoons, beautiful colors. A great end to the dog days of summer.
     As part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program, I received two packages of Godiva Coffee. Coffee on a cool autumn morning, nothing like it. Add some flavors of the fall right along with it, and it is bliss, a great start to the day. One of the flavors Godiva sent me was the Pumpkin Spice blend. I started drooling on the possibilities I could make/bake with the brew. The other flavor was Carmel Pecan Bark, this one I drank and before I knew it, the package was empty.
     For this post I wanted flavors that represented the season. I came up with this easy recipe that can be a great start as breakfast or a delicious end as a dessert. A pre-purchased pumpkin bread, that is a few days old, makes this recipe a quick go to dish, leaving time for fall decorating. A coffee custard poured atop sweet pumpkin raisin bread accented with ruby red dried cranberries and citrusy orange zest. Who can resist?

PUMPKIN COFFEE BREAD PUDDING

5 cups day old pumpkin bread, cubed

1/4 cup dried cranberries

3 eggs, beaten

2 cups milk

1 cup strong brewed Godiva Pumpkin Spice coffee

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

pinch of nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix eggs, milk, coffee, brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a bowl. In an ungreased 8x8 dish mix bread and cranberries. Pour egg mixture over the bread. Let sit ten minutes to allow the bread to absorb some of the liquid. Place in the oven and bake for 35 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Cool slightly.

Roasted Guacatillo

2011-09-05T16:22:00.000-04:00

I went to the Mercado Mexicano the other day and was browsing around, checking things out. I ventured into the deli and there were some interesting finds. The one thing that I found was a dip called Guacatillo. It screamed of a bright green color and it caught my eye. I had to buy it, just to try it.

I brought it home and opened it up. It was a thin, salsa like substance. The way to eat salsa right out of the container...with a chip, of course. I dipped my chip and tasted the concoction. It was good. Really Good. It was bright, refreshing, acidic, a little bit of heat. I liked it. I checked the list of ingredients on the packaging. Simple, with ingredients that were available and that I knew what they were. It contained tomatillos, garlic, jalapenos, avocados, and onion. I knew I had to replicate it. I set out on a mission and conquered it on the first try. It was that simple and that good. I roasted most of my ingredients to concentrate the flavors and blended them together to develop a nice rich flavor. I also added diced tomatoes, to give it more of a guacamole appearance. It was easy and delicious. I served it with an assortment of vegetables that I cut up and a side of tortilla chips. Easy, simple, Amazingly good.

Those may look like green tomatoes, but they're not. Those are tomatillos!

GUACATILLO

12 Tomatillos, husked removed

1 Onion, chunked

2 Serrano peppers

6 Cloves of garlic

1 Lime, juiced

1/2 tsp Salt

4 Roma tomatoes, diced

1 avocado, pitted

1/4 c. Cilantro, chopped

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Arrange peppers, garlic, tomatillos, and onion on a rimmed baking sheet and roast 10-12 minutes. Cool slightly. Put into a blender, including any juices. Add lime juice, salt, and cilantro. Puree. Cool.

In a medium bowl add the avocado meat and mash to desired chunkiness. Stir in contents of the blender. Fold in the diced tomatoes. Serve with chips and assorted vegetables. Refrigerate.

Kale and Quinoa for Meatless Monday

2011-08-29T10:48:00.000-04:00

Quinoa pronounced keen-wah. What the heck is that? Well, it is a grain, a very small grain that can be very diversified from breakfast, to lunch, to dinner, and even dessert. It can be difficult to find, especially for those in the Midwest (at least when I lived there it was or when I did find it, it was very expensive). Don't let this discourage you. I substituted (oh yes, as I usually do).

I happened upon this recipe a year ago from Food52 (click the link for the original recipe) when I was wanting to try Kale, but didn't really know what to do with it. I couldn't find quinoa, so like I stated above I substituted. I used barley. Yep, good old cheap barley for 97 cents a pound. It worked and it was good. The original recipe called for walnut oil. I was not spending that kind of money on walnut oil, that I would use just a few times for it to sit on my pantry shelf. Now, I would MAYBE buy walnut oil, because I would use it as a substitute for some other oil that a recipe called for. Just use olive oil, I still do for this recipe. Oh and the pine nuts that the original recipe called for, yes they were substituted too. I used chopped almonds. Actually the only original ingredients I used for this recipe were the kale, goat cheese, salt and pepper (for this time and photos I did use Quinoa). Guess what it still turns out magnificent each and every time.

Did I mention how easy this was? It is. And it is all cooked in ONE pot. Clean up is easy. In the end you have a great delicious and nutritious dinner waiting for you to enjoy.

KALE AND QUINOA PILAF

2c. salted water

1c. quinoa or quick cooking barley

1 bunch of kale, washed and chopped into 1" length

1 lemon, zested and juiced

1 onion, sliced thin

1 clove garlic, minced

1 Tbsp. olive oil

3Tbsp. almonds or other nut

3-4 oz. goat cheese

salt and pepper

     Bring the water to a boil in a LARGE covered pot. Add the quinoa or barley, onions, and garlic, cover, and lower the heat until it is just enough to maintain a simmer. Let simmer for 10 minutes, then top with the kale and re-cover. Simmer another 5 minutes, then turn off the heat and allow to steam for 5 more minutes.
     While the grain are cooking, take a large serving bowl and combine half of the lemon juice (reserving the other half), all of the lemon zest, olive oil, nuts, and goat cheese.
    Check the quinoa and kale when the cooking time has completed -- the water should have absorbed, and the quinoa will be tender but firm, and the kale tender and bright green. If the quinoa still has a hard white center, you can steam a bit longer (adding more water if needed). When the quinoa and kale are done, fluff and transfer it into the waiting bowl with the remaining ingredients.    Toss to combine, seasoning with salt and pepper, and the remaining lemon juice if needed.

Italy remembered with a Rocciata Assisana pastry

2011-08-25T12:43:00.007-04:00

A few months ago I went to Italy, mainly Rome. Let me tell you there are A LOT of churches in Rome. I think that I seen them all...twice. They were nice, but it was too much and way too many churches; they were actually running together. Did I mention that I also seen a lot of Crypts? I had fun don't get me wrong. I met some amazing girls whom I had a lot of fun with, from what I remember anyhow (kidding). I wanted to see the sites, but I really went for the food (and the wine).

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Did I mention that I went for the wine? And NO, that is not my pack of cigarettes.

While on a day trip to Assisi I had this amazing pastry. I tasted it, I dissected it, I made notes about it, I even dreamed about it. It was lovely. Rocciata Assisana, Dolce tipico con mele e frutta secca. A sweet pastry with dried fruits and nuts. This was one of the first things I tried to replicate when I returned.

I did some research before setting out to conquer this magnificent sweet concoction and discovered that the pastry dough was made with olive oil. I tried and tried to make mine as they would in Italy with just the oil as the fat. It didn't work for me. The dough was very greasy. I tried reducing the amount that I added, but no luck. I was getting discouraged. I needed to taste my sweet memory and share with others what I was fortunate enough to have tickle my taste-buds. I went with a standard pie dough recipe. It was good, but just not as flaky as I remembered. I researched again, this time on pie dough and came up with a recipe from Cooks Illustrated via Serious Eats, it contains vodka (click HERE for the recipe). The responses were positive and claim that it was the flakiest pie dough that they had ever made. It was worth a try. I tried. I liked it. I will use it again and again and again. My results were fantastic. For a fluffier, chewier texture try using puffed pastry, rolled to about an 1/8" thick.

I had my dough, now for the filling. This was easy. I looked back over my notes and my photos. Reminisced sitting atop of the hill, looking down upon the fields and farmhouses of the Umbian countryside, sipping my cappuccino and reveling in the taste of my Rocciata. I remembered the apples, the pinenuts, the almonds, the raisins, and the apricot glaze all kissed with a touch of cinnamon. These were all layered and rollup, strudel style, baked until golden, cooled and then sliced into rounds.

My mouth salivating I went to work and created what I remembered in my dreams. Flaky pastry, moist filling, and a satisfied palate. This was my trip remembered. Sweet and tasteful.

ROCCIATA ASSISANA

3 c. apples, sliced thin (I leave the skins on)
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 lemon juiced
2 Tbsp. flour
1/4 c. pine nuts
1/4 c. almonds (walnuts, pecans, etc...)
1/4 c. dried fruit (prunes/plums, apricots, cranberries, etc...)
1/4 c. raisins
small jar of apricot jam

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Mix the apples, cinnamon, and lemon juice together in a large bowl. Sprinkle with flour and toss to coat. Roll out the dough into a large oval about 1/8" thick if using puffed pastry or 1/4" thick if using pie dough on lightly floured surface.
Apply the entire jar of jam on top of the dough covering the surface, except for 1/2" around the edges. Spread apple mixture on top. Layer with the nuts and dried fruit (raisins too), scattering on top of the apples.
Starting at a tapered end, gently start to roll up the dough, jelly roll style (or like making cinnamon rolls). Once rolled up, place seem side down on a piece of parchment paper (it is not absolutly necessary, but will make life and clean up so much easier expecially because there may be oozing). Brush the top and sides with an egg wash and sprinkle with course sugar if desired. Bake 35 minutes until golden brown, checking occassionally.

The following pictures of the Rocciata were made using a basic pie dough recipe. The above pictures were with puffed pastry.

Meatball Madness and a little guidance

2011-08-22T19:52:00.001-04:00

Last weekend my parents visited my grandma for the weekend. I decided to call while they were there and chit chatted for a bit. The topic of lunch arose and they stated that they were having meatball subs. I immediately began salivating. Meatball subs, huh? They sounded wonderful. I have not had a meatball or a sub, as a matter of fact, for awhile and thus conversation sparked a craving. A craving that I needed to fulfill.

How did I want to embark on this hankering that I just developed? Traditionally meatballs are made with beef and pork. Since I eat neither, it would be neither of the two. I chose turkey. I like it. It is my preference, feel free to substitute if you wish, but I would really recommend the turkey. Not only is it better for you, these turned out very light and tender. Melt in you mouth, amazing. Just saying.

Back to the meatballs, we established that we were using turkey. How did I want to flavor the turkey? My sauce was made from a previous nights pasta with marinara, so I wanted to play on those flavors that I put into the sauce. Nothing over powering but something that contrasted, I wanted to taste the meatball and the sauce both, not a meatball that tasted like marinara.

I decided to take guidance from a recipe that I acquired many years ago from an amazing Italian man, God rest his soul. He gave me a version of this recipe and a marinara recipe that gave me the confidence to cook. He always said that you add a little of this and a little of that. There is not a need to measure everything. The recipes he gave me had no measurements. I had to figure it out for myself. He also swore me to secrecy on these recipes. Therefore this "version" will be different from the original, somethings added and some deleted, but exactly how I made them for my subs.

I browned my meatballs in batches in a skillet, drained the grease, and then added marinara sauce to them. Dotted them with slivers of Parmesan cheese and put in a 375 degree oven for about 15-20 minutes to cook through and the sauce is hot and bubbly. This will allow the meatballs to slightly absorb a bit of the sauce and for the sauce to absorb a bit of the meatball's flavoring. A perfect marriage.

The marinara sauce was a simple throw together recipe that I always use. It comes together in less than twenty minutes, ten if you leave out the chicken stock and wine. Feel free to use this recipe *recommended* or use a jar of your favorite sauce. The ingredients I use in the sauce are those that I have on hand 99% of the time and if I am missing something or am out, I improvise. That is the great thing about cooking, you can almost ALWAYS substitute one thing for another, leave it out, or try something totally kooky and add an off the wall ingredient or two.
The assembly of the sub is up to you. I used multi-grain buns purchased from a bakery *Shhh, don't tell*, err, that I homemade. Toasted them slightly in the oven, laid the saucy meatballs in the bun, topped with some mozzarella and grated Parmesan, and added more bubbly sauce on top to melt the cheeses. Assemble how you wish. Add a variety of different cheeses. Add or delete ingredients. Use jalepeno cheddar buns. Whatever you do make this sub yours.

***Side Note*** The meatballs are even better the next day with horseradish and mustard. You have a ketchup (marinara sauce), mustard, and horseradish kind of thing going on and it is tremendous.

SIMPLE MARINARA SAUCE

1 15 oz can of diced tomatoes with juice

1 15 oz can of tomato sauce

1 small can of tomato paste

1 small onion, diced

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1/4 c. olive oil

1 Tbs. Italian seasoning

1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper

1/4 c. red wine (may omit)

1/4 c. chicken stock (may omit)

Heat oil over a medium to medium high heat, in a large saute pan or pot (I use the pot because I don't measure and end up with more than my skillet will hold, plus it is easier to pour if need be). Add diced onions, Italian seasonings, and crushed red pepper, saute until soft, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and stir until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Stir in wine and chicken stock and bring to a simmer (to burn off the alcohol and add depth to your sauce). Mix in remaining ingredients and bring back to a gentle simmer, stirring occasionally.

MEATBALLS

1 lb. ground turkey

1/2 loaf of french bread, crust removed

1/2 c. milk

2 egg yolks, slightly beaten

3/4 c. Parmesan cheese, grated

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

3 Tbs. parsley, finely chopped

Cut bread into cubes and add to a large bowl. Pour milk over top and allow the bread to absorb. Once milk is absorbed mash and tear the bread with your hands. Add egg yolks, cheese, parsley, garlic powder, salt, and pepper and mix again with your hands. Gently mix in the turkey until all ingredients are just incorporated, careful not to over mix or over work this will result in tough meat. Roll into meat into balls the size of a golf ball (a larger cookie dough or small ice cream scoop works great). Brown in a skillet with some olive oil over a medium high heat. Transfer to a baking dish and top with marinara sauce and cheese if desired. Bake 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes, until sauce is slightly bubbly. Makes 24 meatballs.

Cheese Please

2011-08-19T17:22:00.000-04:00

Very simple cheese tray thrown together in a matter of minutes

I love cheese! I don't want to marry it or anything, but I really like it. It is so versatile. You can add it to anything or just eat it on its own. I really like to entertain with it. It is so easy and fun. Thus enters the Cheese plate.
A cheese plate is a great way to share a snack with your guests. You may have it as an appetizer or as a course by itself (usually after dinner before dessert or in place of dessert). This is always my go-to pre-dinner choice.
You go to the market or your cheese monger, taste a few samples (this is a must), make a few selections (usually 3 to 5 ((normally an odd number)), add some fruit, nuts, meats, olives, crackers/bread...etc (options are endless), and you are good to go.
Here lately I have been adding jams to my cheese plates, they are great with Parmesan or other hard cheeses. Blue or goat cheese drizzled with honey is always good too. Eat what you like but definitely next time you have guests over, make a cheese plate, you won't regret it!

Its Party Time with Red Velvet Cupcakes!

2011-07-24T10:03:00.000-04:00

Happy Birthday! It has been one year since I published my first blog post so we had a party. Not because it was a milestone for Just Crumbs... but for other reasons. The party was a success. There was a lot of food and lots of cupcakes. Lets just say catering for 300+ people with minimal help (a BIG THANK-YOU to my Mom and Nona N) is an ENORMOUS amount of work.
"Summer Blueberry Pie" was the first post on the site. We were just reminiscing about that pie at the party. I am getting the urge to make it again real soon. I recommend that you check out the post and make it sometime in your near future.

Back to the party. Our menu consisted of Sloppy Joes, Pit Style BBQ Chicken, Spicy Molasses Baked Beans, Mrs. Ellis' Pasta Salad (no Mrs. Ellis didn't make it, but I always think of her when I make pasta salad), Layered Taco Dip, Vegetable/Relish Tray with Creamy Garlic Paprika Ranch Dip, and Pizza. All were good, but lets move on to the dessert...Red Velvet Cupcakes with Marshmallow Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting.

These cupcakes are a bright vivid red and so beautiful. The taste is soft and tangy with a essence of chocolate floating the background. I am personally a big fan of these cupcakes, and have been since I was little. The red cake with white frosting stands out in big way, not to mention the taste. Try these for yourself and let me know what you think.

RED VELVET CUPCAKES

2 c. sugar

2 sticks butter, room temperature

2 eggs, room temperature

2 Tbsp. cocoa powder

1 Tbsp. Nestle Quik powder

2 oz. red food coloring

1 tsp. vanilla

1 c. buttermilk

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 Tbsp. white vinegar

2 1/2 c. flour

1 tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream together butter and sugar. Add eggs one at a time. In a small bowl mix cocoa powder, Nestle Quik, and red food coloring together. Add to the butter and sugar. Mix until combined. Add in the vanilla. In a large bowl sift together salt and flour. Alternate adding flour mix and buttermilk to the butter and sugar mixture. In another small bowl mix together baking soda and vinegar (it will fizz) and fold into the batter.
Scoop into foil lined muffin tins and bake for 15 minutes. Bake until toothpick comes out clean. Cool and frost.

Marshmallow Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting

8 oz. cream cheese

1 stick butter, room temperature

1 c. marshmallows, melted

1 lb. powdered sugar

1 c. shredded coconut

Mix the cream cheese and butter. Add in the marshmallow and powder sugar until blended. Fold in the coconut. Spread on cool cupcakes.

Homemade Mayo

2011-07-17T12:26:00.001-04:00

I have been on a mayo kick lately. Not really eating it, but making it. It is so easy and kind of fun. Every morning I make Mr. Crumbs...breakfast. Usually an egg white sandwich at his request. Thus leaving 2 egg yolks. I was tired of throwing them away or saving them for a custard or some other sweet concoction. We were out of mayo one day and I thought that other than going to the store I was going to make my own. Chefs make aioli (a hyped up word for garlic mayo), I can make it too. So I set out on a journey to find out how to do this. Amazingly You Tube had videos and step by step instructions on how to do this. It was quite interesting and pretty quick.
There are two methods of making mayonnaise. One is with a food processor. The second is with a bowl and a whisk, the good ole fashioned way a little muscle and sweat (not really). This is the method that I consistently use. I don't know why, I hear it is much much easier to do the other way, but it is really easy to do it by hand too. Why dirty your entire food processor when a whisk, bowl, and measuring cup are all that is needed for the latter?
A quick trick to try. Before you begin set a dish towel down on the counter, set a saucepan on top, place another dish towel over the opening and top with your bowl. This will prevent the bowl from moving all around while you are continually whisking and give you more height so you are not hunching over.

This is all you will need, minus the small bowl

Just to warn you before hand...homemade mayonnaise is yellow. Not white. I am not really sure how companies get theirs that color. I have never seen white egg yolks before or white oil. Must be the preservatives. To start you will want to have 2 room temperature egg yolks. Don't be afraid. Just do it. Trust me your mayo will come together a lot quicker if your eggs are room temperature. Add 1tsp of mustard and whisk together. Then slowly SLOWLY start adding a thin stream of oil while whisking continuously. If your mayo starts to break. Stop adding the oil and slow down your whisk. It will come back together. Once it does start adding more oil. As you get half of the oil incorporated you may increase your stream. Continue until all the oil is mixed into the yolks and a thick cream has resulted from the emulsification. At this point you can add your seasonings. A key not for the salt. Do not add it and taste right away. Let it sit for a moment and dissolve, otherwise you will over season. At the end is when you want to any mix ins and remaining ingredients, that way it does destroy and interrupt the emulsification process. Stir and taste with a salad green, bread, vegetable, etc... not a spoon. You want to get the effect and balance of the mayo. Not just strict mayo off the spoon. Add some garlic or herbs, maybe some smokey bacon, or peppers. What ever you do make it yours.

Mayonnaise

2 egg yolks, room temperature

1 tsp mustard

3/4 c. oil (I used canola, if you use olive oil dilute it with another kind of oil otherwise it will be olive tasting)

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 lemon, juiced

In a medium bowl, whisk together egg yolks and mustard. Slowly stream in oil. Whisking continually until thickened. Add salt, lemon juice, and any other flavor. Stir. Let sit for a couple minutes. Stir and taste. Add more salt or seasonings if needed.

Marbled Peanut Butter & Chocolate Cake

2011-07-13T05:45:00.002-04:00

Who doesn't like chocolate? Who doesn't like peanut butter? Who doesn't like cake? I feel sorry for those who answered "ME" to any of those questions. I had seen a post by Foodies @ Home back in the fall and knew it was on my "to do" list. I tried it. I liked it. AND I want to make it again. It was a decadent blend of flavors. Rich and sinful. It was that good!

This cake was not an easy mix together out of the box cake. It was developed. It wasn't difficult. You made a common batter, divided it in half, added chocolate to one half, and peanut butter to the other. You then swirled the two cake batters together in a Bundt pan and baked. There you have it. Two more steps than a traditional "scratch" cake.

The original recipe called for a Salted Caramel Glaze. I made it. I glazed it. I didn't like it. I will leave it off next time. I will submit it for you and you can make the call to use it or not. I am a girl who is A-O.K. without frosting/toppings on my cakes (unless it is cheesecake ((note to self do a post on cheesecake)). Not a huge frosting lover. Just give me my cake ~~and I will eat it too~~.

My thoughts are that everyone needs a cake for their birthday. Today is my Aunt Beth's birthday, if she lived closer I would make this cake for her. I originally made it for Pa Crumbs... for his birthday. I think he liked it, wait, I am sure he liked it, even though he didn't tell me so. He is a man of few words sometimes, but if he didn't like it he would have told me. Anyway, back to my Aunt Beth, she turned 29 today (these are her words, whether she is or not I will never know). Happy Birthday Aunt Beth! I hope your day was magnificent and delightful.

Marbled Peanut Butter and Chocolate Cake

2 Cups all purpose flour
4 tsp. banking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
2 eggs
3/4 cup sour cream
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/3 cup milk
3 oz. bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

Set your oven to 350*F and prep your bundt pan with cooking spray. Mix up the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a separate bowl and set aside. In a separate mixing bowl (or KitchenAid if you have one) beat the butter for about 30 seconds. Add the sugar beating until fluffy, and add the eggs with one minute or so between each egg, then add the sour cream and vanilla. Next add the flour mixture alternating with the milk to the bowl until just barely combined.
Divide the batter between two different bowls. In one bowl stir in the peanut butter and in the other add the chocolate. Add the two bowls to the bundt pan, alternating between the two a little bit at a time and gently use a butter knife to create the swirl patter. Don't over-mix the two cake types!
Bake for 40-45 minutes and then let cool on a rack for another 15. Pull from the pan and let cool completely.

Salted Caramel Glaze

1/4 cup unsalted butter
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup whipping cream
1/2 - 3/4 tsp large grain sea salt

In a saucepan melt the butter and stir in the sugar. Bring it to a boil and ad the cream. Once it boils again, let it boil for 2 minutes before adding the salt. Pour over your cooled bundt cake.

KC Masterpiece Buffalo Marinade

2011-07-12T08:04:00.000-04:00

I recently had the opportunity to try KC Masterpiece's 30 minute Buffalo Marinade. I am skeptical about bottle marinades. It is easy to make your own, so why bother spending the money? Just my thoughts. KC Masterpiece sent me a bottle to try. I have been craving Buffalo wings lately and this was perfect timing. I thought about coming up with something creative or unique to do with it, but then thought against it. I wanted to give you a honest, easy, real taste of the product, so I bought some chicken leg quarters and tossed them in a bag for about an hour. Simple and easy.

When I opened the bottle I gave it a taste. It was bitey, vinegary. I really like a vinegary taste, but was unsure of the amount of tang. I proceeded to put the chicken legs in a Ziplock bag and dumped the contents of the bottle into the bag. One hour later (you only have to marinate it for 30 mins but I got busy) I removed it and baked it. It is grilling season, but being grilless for the time being ~~is absolutely gruelling~~ other options had to be put into play.

I pulled it out of the oven, let it rest, and made some seasoned steak and sweet potato fries as a side. Popped open an IPA and sat down to dig in. The results... surprisingly sweet. The tang and bite that was originally there had mellowed. The chicken was moist and tender. Still had a little kick. Impressive. The fries and beer were delicious too. A great meal and a craving satisfied.

Mexican Black Bean Salad

2011-05-05T12:43:00.002-04:00

How do you like the new camera photo?

Mr. Crumbs is on a kick of not eating foods from a can. That means no canned vegetables, fruit, or beans. When were at Whole Foods the other day we picked up a half of pound of dried black beans. What to do with them? I put them in their bath of cold water to soak, while I pondered how they would become a scrumptious meal for us. I then cooked them until tender. While I still browsed, surfed, and skimmed. I came up with a salad idea. A salad that could be served warm or cold. A salad with veggies, beans, and fruit. We were on to something, and with Cinco de Mayo ~~around the corner~~ today, it had to be Mexican-ish. And this salad was born.
This is an easy salad to make. It is healthy and delicious, and yes I said those two words in the same sentence. Picture a summer potluck and you show up with this salad. You are the star of the show. If it is ok to use canned items in your household, feel free to use them. I will make this salad even easier. I used fresh corn that I stole from my parents freezer (Shh!), fresh pineapple, and those beautiful black beans. I had some left over chicken breast, so that went in as well. Nothing like double protein to keep you full.. Feel free to mix up the fresh and the canned. Either way, simplicity is this salad.
This salad can be eaten alone, on a bed of lettuce, with chips, or wrapped up in tortilla. Substitue mango or even strawberries if you don't like pineapple. Try different spicy peppers. It is amazing no matter how you assemble it. Add or leave items out. Just make it! And as always, make it yours.

Mexican Black Bean Salad

1/2 lb black beans cooked and cooled or 2 cans, drained

1 quart of corn or 1 can, drained

1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved or quartered

1/2 c. red bell pepper, diced

1/2 c. onions, diced

1/2 c. pineapple

1/4 c. cilantro leaves, chopped

1 serrano or jalepeno pepper, seeded and minced depending on how spicy you like it.

1 chicken breast, cooked and cubed

6 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar

Juice of 1 lime

4 Tbsp. honey

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. black pepper

1/4 tsp. ground cumin

In a small bowl mix together the vinegar, lime juice, honey, cumin, salt, and pepper to make a dressing.

In a large bowl mix the remaining ingredients.

Pour the dressing on top of the bean mixture and toss to combine. Refrigerate overnight or at least a few hours to let the flavors blend together.

Morning Muffins and AWOL

2011-04-23T21:40:00.000-04:00

I have been missing in action for awhile and I apologize. There are just so many things going on technology wise. One my computer went in for random maintenance. Well two weeks and 139 viruses later, it is back. Then I broke out my new camera, that I have since Christmas, and have been playing around with that. It is a great camera! It takes amazing pictures. The only thing is....I don't know how to get the pictures off of my camera and onto my computer. So I have some yummy looking pics that I would love to share with you, but haven't figured out how yet. I am still learning and will eventually, someday, figure it out. Meanwhile I broke out my old handy dandy Kodak point and shoot just so I could get back to all of you and bring you more delicious treats for you to try in your kitchen, your families, or your neighbors. It doesn't matter whose, just try them. Enough of my excuses.

I was in Meijer the other day and the lady in front of me at the check out was purchasing some Carrot Pecan Raisin Muffins. I thought Mmmm, those sound good. I should make some. So I did! Except I added a whole bunch of miscellaneous ingredients to the batter as well. They are healthy for the most part, except for the sugar and white flour but there is not much of it so it will be okay to indulge in these eye opener breakfast treats. Something to start your day or since Easter is here, whip them up tomorrow. Quick. Simple. Tasty. Yes, that is what these muffins are.

MORNING MUFFINS

1/2 c. whole wheat flour

1/2c. all purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 c. applesauce

2/3c. brown sugar

1 egg
1/2c. oats
2 carrots, grated
1/2 c. coconut
1/2c. pecans, chopped
1/2c. raisins
1 banana, diced

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl whisk flours, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. In a large bowl mix sugar, egg, applesauce, and vanilla until creamed. Gradually add the flour mixture to the egg mixture and mix until combined. Add remaining ingredients and fold into the batter.
Grease muffin tin or line with paper liners and add 1/4c of batter to each muffin liner. Bake for 20 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Makes 12 muffins

Yogurt...Made fresh in my kitchen!

2011-03-14T20:07:00.002-04:00

The honey, aka liquid gold, that you see drizzled is courtesy of The Gritty Girl

Lately I have seen a lot of post from other foodies on homemade yogurt. I have to admit I was skeptical, but intrigued. Some posted about having yogurt making machines that did the trick. Well, I was not going to go out and buy any special equipment; I have enough gizmos and gadgets sitting around. Then other foodies started posting on making yogurt with items that you already have around the house, no special equipment, gadgets, or gizmos. My eyes brightened. I continued reading food blogs on yogurt making and to my excitement, it is miraculously EASY.

There are two, yes two, ingredients needed to make yogurt from scratch. Milk and a starter. Wait, don't stop reading because I said "starter". A "starter" can be purchased online, or you can go to the grocery and buy a container of.....yogurt. That's right, just a single serving container (about 6oz) of yogurt will do the trick. I bought Stonyfield Farm brand. I like it because it contains 6 live active cultures, compared to 4 with some other brands. I would recommend getting full fat or low fat yogurt and plain (if you can find it, I couldn't and used vanilla). On to the subject of milk, buy whole milk or 2 percent. Otherwise the result of the yogurt will be runnier. I purchased 1%, it was a dollar, I am cheap and I was still skeptical on this homemade yogurt thing. My yogurt is set, but runnier than I would have liked. It tastes good! I guess that is the main thing. Plus the homemade granola I made this morning tops it nicely, and makes up for its runny consistency.

Okay, you know the ingredients, now for the equipment. You will need a pot, thermometer (not necessary, but handy for precision), whisk, bowl, storage containers (I used glass bowls with lids), warming source (this can be anything from a heating pad, oven, crockpot, etc...), and towels. That's it. Nothing fancy schmancy here. I used my dehydrator for one batch and heating pad for another. Needless to say the heating pad worked wonderful. My dehydrator kept it too warm, so I would not recommend this method of incubating. If you use your oven, set it on warm or the lowest temperature, warm it up, then shut it off. You will wrap your container (with lid) in a towel to help insulate it, so please, PLEASE, make sure your oven is OFF and only warm. I wrapped up the heating pad and container and left it on low. If using a crockpot check out this method from A Year of Slow Cooking. This site gives you a step by step on how to make the yogurt using your crockpot. I find it more time consuming than other methods, but if you have it, use it.

Let's talk flavors. You can flavor your yogurt however you wish. I am a plain kind of girl. My feeling on this is that if I have plain yogurt I can flavor it anyway I see fit. For example, if I am wanting strawberry yogurt, I add strawberry jam and mix it up. I feel that my opportunities are endless with plain yogurt. I also use plain yogurt in place of sour cream or milk sometimes. If I have only strawberry yogurt then I can't replace or substitute, and that is not fun for me. So I will continue to be a plain kind of girl, because behind those plain girls there are always many opportunities of FUN;)

I recommend you at least try making your own yogurt. Add it to your bucket list and do it soon. The taste is clean and pure. You don't have any added sugars or chemicals. It is quick and easy. Yogurt is a superfood, it is healthy for you and does amazing things. Why pay to buy yogurt in the grocery when it takes less effort to make it? Make it with your kids, teach them that not everything has to be bought at the store. Get back to basics. Leave the sugary processed goop behind and broaden your horizons. Another added benefit, the WOW factor. When you started reading this and I told you I made homemade yogurt, you were amazed and wowed! The process is easy. Now go out and amaze and WOW your family and friends!

HOMEMADE YOGURT

1/2 gallon of whole milk

4-6 oz container of plain yogurt (not fat free)

1. Add milk to a pot large enough to hold at least a half gallon of milk. Heat until just before boiling (200 degrees), stirring gently and often to prevent scorching.

2. Let the milk cool until it is just hot to the touch (112-115 degrees). To speed up the process set pan in an ice water bath and gently stir.

3. Pour about a cup of the warm milk into a small bowl and whisk in the yogurt. Once it is smooth whisk the mixture back into the pan.

4. Pour into container(s), wrap with towel, and keep warm (using the method of your choice). Let sit for

8-12 hours. The longer the yogurt sits the thicker and more tangy it will become. Taste it around 6 hours, if it tangy and thick enough for you, take it out.

5. Chill. Yogurt will last 2 plus weeks in the refrigerator. If a watery whey forms on top, strain or stir back into the yogurt.

Paczki Time!

2011-03-08T21:08:00.002-05:00

Welcome to Fat Tuesday. Tomorrow is Ash Wednesday! It is time for the traditional Paczki celebration. Originally Paczki were made to use up lard, sugar, eggs, and fruit because they were forbidden during the Lenten season. It is a day to indulge in these spherical deep fried pieces of dough filled with a sweet filling, and boy did I.

This year I decided to make my own. Making Paczki was a first for me, and so was frying. I have never fried anything in my life and was a little skeptical on how this part was going to pan out. The pastry I figured I could deal with, it is like any other kind of sweet yeasty dough. You beat the eggs, add sugar, butter, yeast, flour, etc... let it rise, punch it down, let it rise, roll it out, cut, stuff, seal and then.... Then you add it to the hot grease. Grease, that I am very unsure of. And the question of "how do you know if the middle is done?" There is not a toothpick test in this situation. After hesitation. I added a little dough scrap as a tester. It sizzled and turned brown. OK, I can do this. After more hesitation, staring into the hot oil, I slid my first couple Paczki into the pot. They puffed and started turning golden. I flipped them over, they turned golden on the other side. Back to the question "How do you know if they are done or not?" I am still not really sure. I know that an oil thermometer helps and when the oil is 365 degrees then it is optimal for frying. A few of my Paczki were a little doughy on the inside, more like tacky. I think that my oil was hotter than 365 degrees. I actually had no idea, for I do not own an oil thermometer. For my first try at both, I think that they turned out amazing. Plus leaving them a little doughy was a bonus, because not all the brandy cooked out of them and the taste was quite delightful.
Next year I will definitely be making these again. It was not a difficult process. I did it over a two day time span, refrigerating the dough for its second rise, leaving it over night and then when I came home from work, I removed from the refrigerator and let it come up to room temperature while I made dinner. After dinner I punched it down, rolled it out, cut out my circles, placed my filling in the center, sealed with a top, and placed in the hot oil. Drained on paper towels. Then glazed. I let them sit overnight for the glaze to set and packed them up this morning to take to work. It does take time, but the end result is worth every minute of it. Plus everyone will think that you are a Rock Star! I made Apricot, Blueberry, and Strawberry. Flavor with your favorite preserves to make it your own.

POLISH PACZKI

6 egg yolks
3 whole eggs
1 teaspoon salt
2 packages active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water
1/3 cup room temperature butter
1/2 cup sugar
4 1/2 cups flour
1/3 cup rum or 1/3 cup brandy
1 cup scalded whipping cream
1 1/2 cups preserves
oil (for deep frying)

Directions:

1 Beat eggs and yolks with the salt in a bowl with an mixer at high speed until the mixture is thick and piles softly, about 7 minutes. Set aside.

2 In a small bowl add yeast w/warm water.

3 In another bowl cream butter, add sugar to it gradually, beating until fluffy.

4 Slowly beat in the softened yeast to the sugar mix.

5 Stir one fourth of the flour into the yeast/sugar mix.

6 Add rum/brandy and half of the cream.

7 Beat in another fourth of the flour.

8 Stir in remaining cream.

9 Beat in half of the remaining flour and then the egg yolk mixture.

10 Beat for 2 minutes.

11 Gradually beat in the remaining flour until the dough blisters.

12 Cover the bowl with plastic wrap.

13 Set in a warm place to rise.

14 When it has doubled in bulk, punch it down.

15 Cover and let rise again until doubled (I did this in the fridge).

16 Punch it down again.

17 Roll dough on a floured surface to about 3/4 inch thickness.

18 Cut out 3 inch rounds using a cookie cutter or glass.

19 Put 1 tablespoon of filling in the center of half the circles.

20 Brush the edges with water.

21 Top with the remaining rounds.

22 Seal the edges very well.

23 Cover the paczki on a floured surface.

24 Let rise about 20 minutes.

25 Deep fry in the hot fat until they are golden brown on both sides.

26 Sprinkle with powdered sugar, granulated sugar, or drizzle with glaze.

27 Cool

Limburger

2011-03-06T19:28:00.001-05:00

I wanted to do a quick post to open your eyes to Limburger Cheese. I have always heard horror stories of Limburger. It is smelly. Eww, that is gross. Smells like_____________ (fill in the blank), etc... These comments have honestly intrigued me.

The other night I was out to dinner with my good friend G, and I asked her opinion of Limburger Cheese. She really likes it. She shared the memory of eating it with her dad (may he rest in peace) while watching movies. She said that they always ate it smeared on bread and topped with onions. I knew then I had to try it.

The Limburger is the cheese with the candy cane spreader
(I know Christmas is over, but the spring spreaders are still packed away)

Today I purchased my first ever Limburger Cheese. I added it to my cheese plate along with some Gorgonzola, Gouda, Goat, Parmesan, and Mozzarella. When I cut into it, yes, it was "smelly", but nothing overwhelming. There are other "smelly" cheeses that fit into the same sharp smell category that this cheese produced. I tried it three different ways. The first all by its lonesome. The taste was fishy. Not a bad fishy, but like fish sauce in Asian cooking. The second was on a cracker. It was better. And the third was on bread with sliced onion. This was the best. I even added some of the red pepper pictured above and it was over the top. All the components complemented each other nicely. This is the way I will eat the remaining of the Limburger.

I need to tell you that a little of this cheese does go a long way. If you do try it,which I encourage you to do, put just a thin smear on your cracker or bread. When you find yourself in the cheese department of the grocery and you pick up that small square package, let me know what you think. As for me, I will purchase it again. It is not my favorite, but it is different and now I can say that I have had Limburger Cheese. Heres to you G, Red, and movie night!

Cherry Berry Scones

2011-02-19T15:36:00.002-05:00

Have I ever told you how much I ~~am completely obsessed~~ love scones? I don't know why. It is a ~~fetish~~ food that I think that I can't live without. I am continually in search of an amazing recipe. I believe I have found it.

I have been hiding this recipe from you for awhile. It is from Jacob at Jacob's Kitchen. I have made it different ways. I have added things, subtracted things, forgot things, etc... but it always turns out great. I made these this morning, kind as part of a last good bye to my kitchen. So when I didn't add the eggs (because I am ~~too lazy to go to the store~~ out of stock) or the vanilla, and used evaporated milk instead of heavy cream and they still turned out absolutely amazing. I knew it was time to share.

These scones are tender, moist, flaky, ~~orgasmic~~ buttery, melt in your mouth. Mr. Crumbs loves them and unlike me, his obsession with scones are not so much. He actually hates them, he states "scones are as dry as a duck", but not so nicely. These this morning he said are the best I have ever made. I explained that there were no eggs, he said he thinks that this way is best. I will agree they were good, but I could not tell much of a difference with or without the eggs.

I am including the original recipe, if you chooses to omit the eggs or substitute this for that, feel free. Let me know your version and how it worked out. And as always...Make it your own.

Yes, those are boxes that the wire cooling racks are sitting on.

CHERRY BERRY SCONES

4 c. flour
1/2 c. sugar
2 T. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 c. cold, diced butter
1 c. cold heavy cream
4 eggs, lightly beaten
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 tsp. freshly grated lemon zest

1 c. dried cherry berry mix or a mix of dried fruit
1/2 c. white chocolate chips

Glaze :
3 c. of powdered sugar, sifted
6 T. milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
pinch of salt

In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, salt, and butter. Set aside. In a large measuring cup, combine the cream, eggs, vanilla extract, lemon zest, and dried fruit.

Cover both with plastic wrap and refrigerate for thirty minutes. Cut the butter into the dry ingredients until the butter is the size of large peas. Add the wet mixture along with the chocolate chips, and mix until just combined.

On a floured board pat the dough out into a rough rectangle and fold it over onto itself four or five times to create flaky layers. Roll the dough out to one inch of thickness and cut out the scones using a large biscuit cutter. Chill the cut dough for at least one hour. You may freeze these at this point. Do not thaw, when ready for use, bake from frozen state for 5 minutes longer than normal time.

Meanwhile, mix together the glaze ingredients and whisk to combine. Brush the chilled scones with a beaten egg (optional, I didn't because I was out of eggs. They will be more golden brown if you do), and bake at 400° for 15 to 18 minutes or until the scones are golden brown and they move as a cohesive unit when nudged with the tip of your finger. Do not over bake them.

While the scones are hot, spoon a tablespoon of the glaze over each. Let the scones stand for several minutes to allow the glaze to form a crust.

Movin' On Up Mac & Cheese

2011-01-30T19:25:00.001-05:00

As they say "As one door closes, another one opens". I have spent the last couple days packing, packing up all my belongings that I have collected over the last 8 years in my house. We do not have too much, we live a pretty frugal life, but where does all this stuff come from? What is it like in the normal household with kids and people who hoard stuff? I can't even imagine.

We have finally sold our condo and it is time to move on. What does that mean? It means warmer weather, that is for sure. Ohio can be great, but it gets cold, and cold weather I am not a fan of. And it means cleaning out the pantry, refrigerator, and the freezer. We have to be out in less than a week so we are using up the food that we have collected, horded, and stashed away. It can lead to some interesting finds and unique food combinations. For example, yesterday for lunch we had French onion soup with corn in it. The soup was left over from a party that we had......last February (I honestly forgot it was in there), and the corn was from my parents' garden that was frozen. And then there are these little guys

Aren't they cute? Crawfish, so little, so sweet, and so tastey. Who has these in their freezer? I was thinking of adding them to a fondue with some other seafood, but decided against it. I thought about just baking them for about 15 minutes on a bed of rock salt and serving them with some lemon and thyme butter, but that is too easy and doesn't use up enough of the food that we need to consume before the week is out. I took inventory of what had and decided upon....Macaroni and Cheese. I had a couple of half full boxes of pasta, different cheeses to use up, artichokes, shallots (from my grandma's garden),evaporated milk (never have used it before in my mac and cheese, but what the heck), mushrooms, frozen jalapeños (from the garden), crab, and of course the crayfish. Oh yes, Mac and Cheese it is.

Did I mention that I am tired of packing? I am surrounded by boxes. My house is in disarray. My cookbooks are all packed away. And, I am depressed. I dislike Ohio weather, but I love looking out my great room window and watching the birds, ducks, deer, red fox, and other wildlife that congregate in my back yard. It is quite peaceful for city living. I am going to miss it, but on to bigger, brighter, and a new start.

Movin' Mac & Cheese

1/2 stick of butter

1/4 c. olive oil

1 c. shallots, thinly sliced (or onions)

1/4 c. garlic, chopped

1 lb. pasta

1 c. white wine

1 Tbsp. chicken bouillon

3 Tbsp. flour

2 cans (24oz) evaporated milk

2 tsp. pepper

3 c. cheese (use a variety) I used Gorgonzola, Dubliner, Parmesan, and Cream Cheese

1/4 c. jalapeños

12 oz. artichokes

1 c. mushrooms

1 1/2 lbs. crabmeat, chopped

1/2 lb. crawfish

1 c. bread crumbs

2 Tbs. olive oil

Put the pasta in a large bowl and cover with water. Let sit one hour, stirring occasionally. Drain and use as follows.

Butter a large 9x13 pan and preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large pot heat oil and butter over a medium heat. Add the shallots and cook 5-7 mins. Toss in the garlic and cook an additional 4 minutes. Pour in wine and bring to a simmer. Simmer 5 minutes to allow the alcohol to burn off. Stir in the the chicken bouillon until dissolved. Whisk in flour and cook 3-4 minutes. Add the evaporated milk, and heat until just steaming, stirring occasionally. Slowly stir in the cheeses, a handful at a time until they are evenly incorporated and melted. Add the artichokes, jalapeños, and mushrooms. Cook together for 5 minutes. Add the pasta, stir, and cook an additional five minutes, the pasta will absorb some of the sauce and thicken. Toss in crab and crawfish. Pour into prepared 9x13 pan. Mix bread crumbs and 2 Tbs. olive oil and sprinkle over the top.

Bake for 30 minutes until golden brown and bubbly. Remove and let rest 5 minutes.

Fresh Roasted Coffee

2011-01-12T18:42:00.000-05:00

I have a confession... I am a coffee snob, but cannot brew a pot a pot to save my life. I try and try, but it just does not taste as good as when Mr. Crumbs makes it. He has showed me time and time again, but it does not turn out the same. I have to admit I am getting better at it, but honestly I think that he is sandbagging and withholding some top secret trick. When I find out, I will let you know what it is, but until then I am just the roaster.

That is right I roast my own coffee beans. Mr. Crumbs' friend Bob roasts his own, and he set me on the right track to this new D.I.Y. obsession of mine. You would think that it is difficult and that you need all this fancy schmancy equipment, but you don't. It is quite simple actually. All you need is a cookie sheet (I use a pizza pan), an oven, a metal colander, a wooden spoon, and a resealable container (such as Tupperware), and some green (raw) coffee beans. Don't forget the grinder to grind your fresh roasted beans. You can also do this using an air popcorn popper instead of your oven. Check out the video from Sweet Maria's on how to use the air popcorn popper method.

The next question you may have is "Where do I find green coffee beans?" I find my beans online. I have ordered from two places; http://www.u-roast-em.com/ and http://www.sweetmarias.com/. There are many places online to order your beans, you just need to research which site has the best deal for you. I first ordered the Home Roasting Starter kit from U Roast 'Em, it was $8.99 and included one pound of Columbian Supremo green coffee beans, and that was pretty much it. I recently ordered the sampler from Sweet Maria's and it came with 8 one pound bags of different green coffee beans.

I use the oven technique of roasting. This is not as efficient as using the air popper, but I use my popper for popcorn and do not want anything to happen to my beloved snack machine. The following is the oven technique. Watch the video for the air popper technique.

Preheat oven to 500 degrees.
Pour beans in a single even layer on a cookie sheet. I roast about a 1/2 lb of beans at a time.
Place beans on middle shelf. Wait about 5-7 minutes for the "first crack", then 2 minutes more to start checking for color. Crack the oven open quickly if you must. Oven roasting is slower than other methods, but if it takes more than 12 minutes to reach the medium brown color then you should turn up the heat to 520-530 as the initial temperature for the next batch. If a batch takes more than 20 minutes it will taste flat.
After 10 minutes I recommend opening the oven every 1 minute and shaking the beans around to get your desired roast. Try to do it quickly and not let too much heat escape. When you open the door prepare for smoke. There will be lots of smoke associated with this roasting process.
Put on oven mitts, and dump the beans into the collander.
You want to pour the beans out when they are a tad lighter than the color you desire, since roasting continues until beans are cool.
Agitate beans in metal collander or bowl with a big spoon until they are warm to your touch. You may need oven mitts for this. You may want to walk out to a porch to aid cooling and let the chaff blow away. Otherwise, you'll want to keep the collander over the sink.
If beans have chaff still attached to them, simply agitating them in the collander should remove it. Blow lightly on the beans while shaking them and the chaff will fly off.
Coffee should be stored out of direct light (and not in a fridge or freezer) in an airtight container.

1st crack finishes 10:40 - 426 f

This is considered a City Roast. First crack is done and the roast is stopped.

Notice the bean surface is smoother somewhat from expansion but still has darker marks in the coffee, like a finely etched pattern. The edges of the seed are still fairly hard. At this point the coffee starts giving off carbon dioxide.

City+ roast 11:05 435f

City+ means the coffee has cleared first crack, and time is allowed for an even bean surface appearance to develop.

There are only very small changes between the #9 picture above and this one, notably the edges of the bean are a bit softer. The whole stage between the first and second crack is a short period ( 15 to 30 seconds) where a lot is happening chemically to the beans. The coffee gains heat once again until its woody cellulose matrix, the bean structure itself, begins to fracture ... that is, the Second Crack.

Full City roast 11:30 - 444 f
On the verge of 2nd crack

This image represents a Full City roast; the coffee is on the verge of 2nd crack. This might be hard to judge the first few times you roast; after a while, you will have a feel for it. The beans are have a slight sheen of oil and the edges are softer.

The internal bean temperature for second crack normally is 446 degrees farenheit. But in fact second crack is a bit less predictable than first crack, in my experience. Why? It could be due to the fact that first crack is the physical expansion of the coffee seed as water and carbon dioxide split and CO2 outgassing starts. Second Crack is the physical fracturing of the celllose matrix of the coffee. This matrix is both organized cellulose that reacts readily to heat, and not-so-organized cellulose that does not. Since every coffee is physically different in size and density due to the cultivar, origin, altitude, etc., it make sense that the particular cell matrix is different too, and not as universally consistent.

Full City+ roast 11:50 - 454 f
First audible snaps of 2nd crack

The darker side of a Full City roast is Full City +, where the coffee has barely entered 2nd crack. A few snaps are heard, and the roast is then stopped. Second crack may continue into the cooling phase - this is called "coasting". The more effective and rapid your cooling - the better your ability to stop the roast at the degree you want.

Compare the full size images from the Full City roast and this one, and I think it is easy to see a difference. Well, maybe not easy, but the Full City+ roast is a bit fuller, more small cracks on the face (or flat side) of the bean.

Vienna - Light French roast 12:15 - 465 f2nd crack is under way
(This is my darkest espresso roast)

The Vienna stage (also called Continental) to Light French stage is where you begin to find Origin Character eclipsed by Roast Character. A dark or heavy roast is at odds with buying coffee for its distinct origin qualities. Dark roast coffees tend to taste more like each other - as the differences due to distinct origins are obscured by the carbony roast flavors. Nontheless, some coffees are excellent at this stage (our Puro Scuro blend is engineered for this roast range).

By the way; Espresso is not a roast. But Northern Italian style espresso is usually roasted to 440 - 446 internal bean temperature. Southern Italian (Scura) is generally a Light French Roast or a tad darker.

Full French roast 12:40 - 474 f2nd crack is very rapid, nearing its end.

Sugars are heavily caramelized (read as burned) and are degraded; the woody bean structure is carbonizing and the seed continues to expand and loose mass. The body of the resulting cup will be thinner/lighter as the aromatic compounds, oils, and soluble solids are being burned out of the coffee and rising up to fill your house with smoke. 474 is well beyond any roast I do on the Probat. I will go as high as 465 on a couple blends, and that's my limit.

Notice how fast and dramatic the change is from the previous photo - all that happened in less than 30 seconds!

Courtesy of Sweet Maria's

Roasting coffee can be as simple or as complicated as you want it to be. I do recommend that you try it. It is fun and the taste is amazing. It is a cheap DYI project. The cost is half that of buying roasted beans in the store.

Sorry this pic turned out fuzzy and not clear.

Fondue

2010-12-31T10:28:00.024-05:00

The last post of 2010. Everyone is getting ready to ring out the old and bring in the new. It is a time for togetherness and celebration. With all the celebration there must be food. Food is part of the fun. Do you ever go to parties or functions and dread the drab selection of food? I will admit it, I do. Well this recipe will be a hit of the party. It is fun, easy, and colorful. Not to mention the variety or theme that can be brought together with this dish. Sweet, savory, crunchy, soft, etc... Adults and kids love fondue, it is different and unique. I made a classic swiss fondue with an arrangement of fruits, vegetables and different kinds of breads all in perfect dipping sizes.

I started by blanching the carrots and broccoli, just to take some of the raw taste out of them. I dunked them in a big pot of salted boiling water for a minute or two, pulled them out, drained them, and then left them to cool. I had some fresh mushrooms sitting in the refrigerator begging to be used so I sauted them in a little olive oil for a few minutes on a high heat to give them a little color. I went to the grocery and purchased a loaf of regular french bread and a loaf of multi-grain bread (sorry no homemade this time), cubed it and set on the serving platter. I cut up a granny smith apple and a red pear for color and sweetness and spritzed with lemon juice, to keep their flesh white and prevent them from turning brown. I added items that we like and what was readily available. Feel free to arrange your platter any way you wish. Add some protein of meat, fish, or seafood. Add potatoes. Or cauliflower. The options are endless.

The star of the show is the fondue. What wouldn't want to bath in a bubbly pot of cheese? Who wouldn't want to consume something that was bathed in a bubbly pot of cheese? Mmmm, Cheese! I love cheese. Ok, enough with the drooling. I used two different cheeses in this fondue an imported Swiss and a Gruyere, but feel free to use what you like. Normally fondue calls for Kirsch, which is a cherry flavored brandy. I could not find this anywhere, so I substituted apricot brandy. Hey I had it on hand, and it worked. That is what matters.

Here are some do's and don't of fondue

Do prepare the fondue on the stovetop before transferring it to the burner. Melt the chocolate or cheese fondue, or heat the oil completely. Over an alcohol burner or candle alone, it will never get hot enough to eat.
Do experiment with fondues beyond the traditional Swiss method. Make a British-inspired fondue with hard cider and Stilton, or a Mexican-flavored one with pepper Jack cheese and chipotle peppers. If you're watching your fat intake, try cooking fondue bourguignonne in boiling broth instead of oil.
Do stir the fondue pot frequently, whether it contains cheese, chocolate, or oil. Stirring distributes the heat, keeps the cheese and chocolate fondue smooth, and prevents scorched spots in the center of the pan.
Don't serve more than one type of fondue at a meal. After a rich cheese or meat fondue, serve something light for dessert, not a chocolate fondue.
If you're doubling a cheese fondue recipe, don't double the liquid. Increase the liquid by 1 1/2. Otherwise, the fondue will be soupy, not thick.
Don't throw away the golden crust left on the bottom of the fondue pot. It's considered a delicacy, to be peeled off and shared among fondue aficionados.

Here are some fondue "rules" for your party night enjoyment:

If a woman drops her cube of bread or meat off her fondue fork and into the pot, she must kiss all the men at the table.
If a man drops food off his fork into the pot, he must supply another bottle of wine for the table.

SWISS FONDUE

1/2 pound Swiss cheese, shredded
1/2 pound Gruyere cheese, shredded
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 garlic clove, peeled and grated
1 cup white wine, dry
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon apricot brandy, or a cherry brandy, such as kirsch
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
Pinch nutmeg

Assorted dippers

In a small bowl, coat the cheeses with cornstarch and set aside. Rub the inside of the fondue pot or small crock pot with the garlic, then discard.
In a medium saucepan over a medium heat, add the wine and lemon juice and bring to a gentle simmer. Gradually stir the cheese. Melting the cheese gradually encourages a smooth fondue. Once smooth, stir in brandy, mustard and nutmeg.
Arrange an assortment of dipping style foods on a platter around fondue pot or small crockpot. Serve with chunks of bread, fruit, and blanched vegetables. Spear with fondue forks or wooden skewers, dip, swirl and enjoy!
May you have a prosperous new year!

Stuffed Apricot French Toast

2010-12-15T13:44:00.000-05:00

The holiday season is here and dishes that can be made in advance are a great time saver. Imagine Christmas morning your family waking to the smell of sweet goodness of french toast and all you had to do that morning was to top it with a nutty strudel and toss it in the oven. Bake it while they sleep or bake it while opening the gifts that Santa had left. Either way it is so convenient because the majority of the work was done the night before.

This is a great brunch idea. Take this simple dish and you will be the star of the party. The presentation looks like you slaved away for hours, but in actuality the hardest part was slicing the bread. You may make this dish the same day, just make sure that you let it set at least an hour so the bread has a chance to soak up all that eggy goodness.

This dish is very versatile. If apricot doesn't appeal to you, use your favorite fruit and jam. Mix up the flavor combinations, maybe use orange marmalade and some fresh cranberries or peanut butter and jelly. Add cream cheese to your favorite flavors. For more simplicity use canned pie filling. Any way you serve it up I am sure it will be good. Another idea....use eggnog as your egg base. Now that would be a rich and tasty addition. Any way you prepare it, it will be good. And as always, make it your own.

STUFFED APRICOT FRENCH TOAST

1 loaf french bread, sliced 1 1/2" thick

2 jars of apricot jam

10 apricots, halved, pitts removed

10 eggs

2 c milk

2 tsp vanilla

1 tsp cinnamon

TOPPING:

1 c brown sugar

1/2 c butter, cubed

1 c chopped pecans

2 Tbsp maple syrup

Arrange 1/2 of the slices of bread in a greased 9x13 pan. Arrange the fruit on top of the bread, spread with jam, and top with remaining bread slices. In a large bowl, combine the eggs, milk, cinnamon and vanilla. Pour mix over bread. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, combine the brown sugar and butter in a small bowl until it resembles crumbs, add nuts and syrup. Sprinkle over the french toast. Bake uncovered for 40 minutes until egg mixture is set and knife comes out clean when inserted near the center.

Turkey & the Leftovers

2010-12-02T19:11:00.000-05:00

A quick entry for post Thanksgiving turkey leftovers...

Thanksgiving has been over for a week now, it is time to use up that turkey or throw it away. I would hope that you use it (remember that there are hungry children in Africa). First off save that carcass and scraps. It is very easy to make stock which will freeze until next Thanksgiving, if it lasts that long. It is great to have homemade stock to use in soups, sauces, and as an everyday cooking liquid. It is very easy to make and the aroma of your house is magnificent.
The following is a list of all the wonderful ideas to help use up your celebratory bird.

Turkey Tortellini/Noodle Soup (great use for that yummy stock you have simmering on your stove) (freezable)
Turkey Rubens
Turkey Omelet
Turkey Pot Pie (freezable)
Turkey Salad
Turkey Lasagna (freezable)
Turkey and Dumplings (freezable)
Turkey Taco Salad
Turkey Noodle Casserole (replaces Tuna) (freezable)
Turkey Gravy over Mashed Potatoes
Chipotle Glazed Turkey Tacos
BBQ Turkey Sandwiches (freezable)
Turkey Joes (sloppy joes) (freezable)
Turkey Tettrazini

Hopefully this will help in your left over bird consumption and gives you plenty of ideas for the present and future Thanksgiving leftovers.

TURKEY STOCK

Turkey carcass, bones, skin and all

3 carrots or more, no need to peel

3 ribs of celery, leaves attached, or more

2 onions, peeled

1/2 head of garlic

1 Tbsp peppercorns

3 Tbs salt

fresh or dried herbs to taste, I used sage, rosemary, dill, and thyme (just because I have them in my garden)

Water to cover

Throw everything in a big stock pot and cover with water. Simmer on medium low heat for 5 hours or so, until stock becomes brown and rich in color. You will see squash seeds because I had butternut squash that day too, so I threw in the peelings and some seeds happened to find their way into the pot too. Use whatever scraps you may have, that is the beauty of stock.

Strain and pour into containers, freeze until ready to use.

Tailgating for two

2010-11-27T18:51:00.001-05:00

Unconventional tailgating at its very best. You have to understand that I don't have a television, so therefore watching the game at my house is virtually impossible. I just really wanted to have a reason to have some "football" food. I came up with the idea to have a "tailgate party", I sent out the invite (yes, just one, remember tailgating for two; plus no one wants to come tailgate without at t.v.) and thought that I could figure out the rest when game day came.

Game day is here! Mr. Crumbs and I are tailgating together. We are listening to the game on the radio. It is cheesy, I know, but it is fun. I made a big spread of food and we are sitting back relaxing, having a few brew-skies all in the comfort of our home. It is different and I get to have "football" food. In a few years we will look back and say to each other "Remember that tailgate party we had?"

The menu for tonights big game includes: Layered Taco Dip, Homemade Guacamole, Southwest BBQ Chicken Taquitos, Salted Kale Chips, Buffalo Garlic Chicken Chunks, Fifteen Bean Soup, Cornbread, and Brownies. All paired with a couple of longnecks, who can/could resist?

Portabella Caps with Spinach, Sun-dried Tomatoes, and Blue Cheese

2010-11-22T19:44:00.001-05:00

It's Meatless Monday! For those of you who haven't heard about Meatless Mondays I encourage you to try it. It is a big rage right now in the food world, including in restaurants and with chefs. Foodies are encouraging others to replace one "meaty" meal a week, to a vegetarian meal. It doesn't mean that you are turning into a tree hugging neurotic psycho, who will chain yourself to a tree or die, type of person. It is just creating a more healthy awareness for your body and for the environment. It is one meal a week. I am not asking you to forgo your carnivoristic behavior all together, but one meal will not kill you. Plus think of the money that you will save by substituting ONE meal to be meat free. Your worried about not getting enough protein? Don't. For one thing it is one meal. Add beans, grains, nuts, the world is your ~~oyster~~ err, I mean umm... pecan, (insert which ever unmeat protein here).

For this "Meatless Monday" I made large portabella caps, grilled, and stuffed with spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, and blue cheese. These were quick and easy. Feel free stuff your mushrooms with whatever items sound delightful to you or, ingredients that you have on hand. Make it yours. These were Dee-licious! Resembling steak with creamed spinach and Gorgonzola. Try it. I promise it won't kill you!

Stuffed Portabella Caps with Spinach, Sun-dried Tomatoes, and Blue Cheese

4 large Portabella mushroom caps, wiped clean
10oz bag Spinach
1 Shallot, sliced (or small onion)
1 clove Garlic, minced
1 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 Tbsp Balsamic vinegar
4oz Gorgonzola, crumbled
1/2 c. Sun-dried tomatoes, chopped

Place portabella caps on a hot grill, gill side down for 4 minutes. While caps are grilling, add olive oil to a large saute pan and heat. Add shallot, sun-dried tomatoes, and garlic, saute until garlic and shallots are soft. Toss in spinach and wilt. Drizzle with Balsamic Vinegar and toss to coat. Turn mushrooms over, gill side up and divide hot spinach mix to all four mushroom caps. Top with blue cheese and heat until melted. Serve.
Serves 2.

Fall Strata

2010-11-10T07:00:00.004-05:00

Fall is in full swing. That means the flavors of fall are here too. Pumpkin, Apple, Pear, Squash, etc... are amongst us. Sunday I wanted something different for breakfast that did not involve omelets or oatmeal. Don't get me wrong they are both good, but can get tiresome (I wanted waffles, but was out-voted, as usual). Plus we have been on a health kick lately at the Crumbs... household (again), so I wanted to continue with this theme.

I started rummaging through cupboards, the refrigerator, the freezer, the pantry, looking for items. I didn't know what I was looking for; I was just looking. I pulled out a butternut squash, that sounded good. I was just at a class where they made a squash bread pudding, it was mighty tasty. I built on that idea, but instead of sweet, I was going to make it a savory, eggy, bread dish.
I continued my hunt for ingredients. I came across some mushrooms, left over chicken breast breasts, asiago cheese from the previous nights dinner party. I cut up an onion, threw in some fresh thyme from my garden, I was pretty much set.

I diced up my pretty little butternut squash, lightly toasted some 35 calorie bread, separated my eggs (remember this is healthy so I just used the egg whites), chopped my onions, chicken, and mushrooms, and thawed some chicken stock (no need to use homemade, if you have it great, if not use broth or even bouillon). This kind of reminds me of an eggy stuffing or dressing. Leave some of the eggs out, add some celery and garlic, saute in butter with some onion, and that is pretty much what you got.
This recipe weighs in at 180 calories. The following is the break down (thanks to the calorie calculator at sparkrecipes.com.)

Nutrition Facts
Servings Per Recipe: 8
Serving Size: 1 serving

Calories 179.7
Total Fat 5.1 g
Saturated Fat 2.6 g
Cholesterol 33.2 mg
Sodium 493.3 mg
Potassium 413.1 mg
Total Carbohydrate 16.3 g
Dietary Fiber 4.8 g
Sugars 0.8 g
Protein 23.0 g

FALL STRATA

2 c. Chicken Stock, Base, or Bouillon, heated
10 Egg whites, well beaten
8 oz. Fresh Mushrooms, quartered
1 1/2 c. Butternut Squash, cubed
1 1/2 Chicken Breasts, cooked
1 Onion, chopped
1 Tbsp Fresh Thyme, minced
8 slices 35 calorie bread, slightly toasted. I used Aunt Millie's Light Potato Bread
3 oz Asiago Cheese, grated

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Toss together all ingredients, EXCEPT egg whites, in a large casserole dish sprayed with non stick cooking spray. Then pour the well beaten, foamy egg whites over the top, do not mix the eggs will seep down into the crevices. Cover with foil. Bake 30 minutes, remove foil and bake another 30 minuted until set and golden brown.

Serves: 8

Dark Chocolate Cranberry & Orange Cookies

2010-10-30T14:28:00.002-04:00

The other night I was browsing through my recipes and came across this recipe. I LOVE (it deserves the bold red and underline) this recipe it is ~~a great~~ an amazing cookie. I am not much a of a cookie baking person so this recipe has fallen through the cracks, but is my go to recipe to wow guests. If you are going to have a holiday cookie recipe this is the recipe to make. Therefore, when you have your Christmas cookie baking exchange make sure to have this recipe on hand and bake up a double batch, because they won't last long.

This cookie is studded with accents of chocolate and cranberry, encompassed in an zesty orange dough. As you bring the cookie to your lips you will smell the sweet citrus of the orange, as you take your first bite the chocolate will coat your tongue, and as you chew you will bite into the dried cranberries that will explode in your mouth. The flavor combination of this cookie floods your mouth with a sense of ecstasy and sends your palate into heavenly bliss.

When making this cookie the key thing is not to over bake them. Do not leave them in for more than 12 minutes. They will be soft and doughy looking, and just barely set up. Take them out of the oven and leave them on the cookie sheet for 3 to 4 minutes and then transfer them to a wire rack to finish cooling. I promise when you move them to the wrack they will be set up and in "cookie" consistancy. As usual make this recipe yours. Mix up the citrus use lemon or even lime zest. Use blueberries, (ahh blueberries and lemon zest that would be a great combo, I am so going to have to try this now), or cherries. Use white chocolate chips or butterscotch chips or even semi-sweet chocolate chips.

DARK CHOCOLATE CRANBERRY & ORANGE COOKIES

2 c. all purpose flour

1/2 tsp. salt

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp. baking soda

1/2 c. butter, room temperature

1 c. sugar

1 egg

zest of one orange

1/2 c. dark chocolate chips

1/2 c. dried cranberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sift flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda in a medium bowl. Cream together sugar and butter until light in color. Add egg and orange zest. On a low speed slowly add the flour mixture and mix until just incorporated. Stir in chips and cranberries. Drop by Tablespoons onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake 9-12 mins (no more). Remove from oven and let cool 3-4 mins on the cookie sheet and then transfer to a wire cooling rack. Makes 3 dozen.

White Chocolate Cake with Raspberry Filling

2010-10-17T18:19:00.001-04:00

Last weekend was my Mom's birthday. My philosophy is that everyone needs cake on their birthday. So I made her a cake, a special cake. Just for my MOM! If you read my last post about Raspberry Jam, if not you can read it here, I explained that I had a recipe in the works to use with this Jam. This is the recipe! I wanted it to be a surprise for my mom. The thought process on what kind and how was weeks in the making. The tries were tedious, but well worth it, even getting up at 5am on Saturday morning to remake the cake that I made the night before because I didn't think that it had the right texture; but worth it. She is a special lady and deserves the best, so if getting up at 5am to remake cakes then by golly I was going to do it. I did it, and it was SPECTACULAR!

The cake was a layer cake flavored with decadent white chocolate, filled with semi tart raspberry jam, and frosted with a white chocolate cream cheese frosting. The flavors all complemented each other nicely. And was it delicious. Think white chocolate raspberry cheesecake. The frosting for the cake is not overly sweet it balances with the cake and does not overpower the other flavors. It is very complementary. The filling is a nice surprise. You have a sweet cake and then the fruity tart filling that floods your flavor senses. My mouth is watering, even though I have eaten this cake all week and should be sick of it by now. I am not, it is that good. Remind you that I had cakes one and two to eat too, PLUS the pieces that my mother MADE ME take home of her cake, so I should be full of cake and thinking or typing about it should make me cringe. I say: BRING ON MORE CAKE!

WHITE CHOCOLATE CAKE

3 c. all-purpose flour

3 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

2 sticks butter, room temperature

2 c. sugar

4 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

1 3/4 c heavy cream

11 oz. white chocolate, melted

Preheat the oven to 350°. Butter and flour two 9-inch round cake pans.

Sift the flour with the baking powder and salt. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the butter at low speed until smooth. Add the sugar and beat until fluffy. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the vanilla. At low speed, alternately beat in the dry ingredients and the milk in 2 additions. Add the melted white chocolate and beat just until incorporated. Scrape the batter into the prepared cake pans and smooth the surfaces.
Bake the cakes in the center of the oven for 35 minutes, or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the centers comes out clean. Let the cakes cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then invert them onto a wire rack and let cool completely. Chill.
Slice each cake in half and spread the raspberry jam on three of the cake halves, stacking one on top of the other as you go. Chill cake again. Once the cake is fully assembled, you will want to keep refrigerated. Let cake slices warm up to room temperature for best taste. Store cake in the refrigerator after slicing.

WHITE CHOCOLATE FROSTING

1 1/2 sticks butter, room temperature

12 oz cream cheese, room temperature

3 c. confectioner sugar

11 oz white chocolate, melted

Mix butter and cream cheese together until creamy. Slowly add confectioner sugar, one cup at a time. Add the melted chocolate and stir until incorporated. Chill slightly and then frost the entire cake.

RASPBERRY JAM FILLING

5 c. fresh or frozen red raspberries
4 c. white sugar
1 lemon, juiced
1 box pectin

In a large saucepan add sugar, berries, and lemon juice. Bring to a boil and cook until sugar and berries have dissolved, stirring occasionally to prevent scorching. Add pectin. Boil for 15 minutes and remove from heat. You may add to hot sterilized jars and seal at this point, or cool slightly and transfer to containers to freeze or store in the refrigerator.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOMMA CRUMBS...!!!

Raspberry Jam

2010-10-08T12:38:00.002-04:00

Homemade Jam. Mmmm! There are so many uses for jam. Not only is it made for slathering on morning toast, it provides a great filling base. Check out the Summer Blueberry Pie post and you will see what I mean. There are many things to do with jam. Monte Crisco sandwich anyone? I recently have been eating it with cheeses. Cheese and jam or honey is a big thing right now. I tried it at a cooking confrence that I attended and have been addicted ever since. I love it. My cheese plate is not complete without jam.

This jam recipe is simple and easy. It is a little on the tart side, but there was a method for this madness. I have a recipe in the works and this jam is going to be used in it. I will be posting this at a later date. Until that time I am going to keep you in suspense. Trust me it won't be long and even though it is agonizing it will be worth the wait.

Red Raspberry Jam

5 c. fresh or frozen red raspberries

5 c. white sugar

1 lemon, juiced

1 box pectin

In a large saucepan add sugar, berries, and lemon juice. Bring to a boil and cook until sugar and berries have dissolved, stirring occassionally to prevent scorching. Add pectin. Boil for 15 minutes and remove from heat. You may add to hot sterilized jars and seal at this point, or cool slightly and transfer to containers to freeze or store in the refrigerator.

Cheaters Chili

2010-09-27T20:36:00.001-04:00

It's Monday! It's cold and rainy. What a perfect day for Chili. Who doesn't like a big bowl of chili on days like these? Something hot and delicious to warm up the bones and take the chill off. Scrumptious! This is a quick recipe for days that are hectic and busy, meaning it is a good Monday food. You are just getting home from a busy day at the office (or wherever) and then have to figure out what to have for dinner. This is the go to recipe. It is not like other chili recipes where simmering all day long is an essential element to deep flavor. This is a throw together heat and serve.

The secret to this chili and its complexity of flavors is two unique ingredients; taco seasoning (I use spicy, because we like a little heat) and ranch seasoning (the packets from Hidden Valley or what ever other brand you may prefer). These two key ingredients help to develop this chili's flavors. They mingle together and dance around the other ingredients to form this delicious Monday meal. This recipe makes a lot, which means leftovers. I think that this chili is better the next day, but you be the judge. And don't forget the condiments!

CHEATERS CHILI

48 oz Randall Deluxe Mixed Beans, drained

1 large onion, diced

1 Tbs. olive oil

2 large cloves garlic, minced

3 cans stewed tomatoes, with juice

1 can mushrooms, drained

1 can mexi-corn, drained

1 packet taco seasoning mix

1 packet ranch seasoning mix

46 oz tomato juice

salt and pepper

2 cooked chicken breast, diced (optional)

Heat olive oil in large stockpot or large pot, sauté onion and garlic until soft and fragrant. Add remaining ingredients, stir, and heat through. Serve with raw onions, cilantro, sour cream, cheddar cheese, etc...

Chicken Breast Roll-ups

2010-09-16T10:39:00.003-04:00

I am home from vacation and ready to get back into my kitchen. How I have missed it. I am tired of processed junk food. I am ready for a home cooked meal. I think that Mr. Crumbs is ready too. He purchased a Cooking Light magazine for me at the airport. He stated that there are a lot of recipes in here that look really good. I think that he is tired of eating out EVERY DAY as well. This week we are dedicating our menu to Cooking Light. Our dinners each night this week are recipes or variations of a recipe from Cooking Light September 2010. Sunday we both sat down at the table, looked through the magazine, together (believe it or not Mr. Crumbs helps out quite a bit in the decision and prepartion of our meals), and decided that the Chicken Stuffed with Spinach, Feta, and Pine Nuts on page 96 was the meal we were going to start out our week with.

The recipe looked easy and stated that it would be ready in 40 minutes. That is not too bad. Well the night we were going to prepare this meal turned out too hectic and our schedules did not allow it. Since the chicken was thawed I figured why not go ahead and stuff them and prepare it for the following night. The filling was easy enough, even though I was out of Feta (oh the drama, no feta in the house). I found a bar of high quality (kidding) store brand Monterey Jack cheese and shredded to substitute for the Feta. The recipe also recommends to cut a slit in the chicken breasts to form a pouch and insert the stuffing. I had a little extra time on my hands. I decided to butterfly the chicken, pound it out, add the stuffing, and roll them up securing with kitchen string. It worked well. I then set them on a plate and refrigerated until the next evening. The recipe does not call for this, but it added another layer of flavor to the dish.

Mr. Crumbs says that this dish is a keeper. The chicken was moist, juicy, and tender. The side of couscous was flavorful as well, the dried cranberries and raisins I added were a nice touch. The mushrooms were an added extra that the recipe did not call for, but I had a plethora in the fridge and decided to throw them in to the final baking step. Omit or add whatever flavor combinations that will suite your tastes. And as always, make this recipe yours.

STUFFED CHICKEN BREASTS (adapted from Cooking Light)

8 oz. chopped spinach

1/2 c. feta cheese (or whatever cheese may tickle your fancy at the moment)

2 Tbsp. pine nuts, toasted

1 tsp. fresh thyme, minced

2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice

2 cloves of garlic, minced

4 boneless, skinless, chicken breasts

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

1 Tbsp olive oil

1/2 c. chicken broth

8 oz. fresh mushrooms, quartered

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Heat a large nonstick oven proof skillet over a med-high heat. Add spinich until it starts to wilt. Remove and squeeze out excess moisture. Wipe pan clean. Combine spinach, cheese, nuts, thyme, lemon, and garlic. Cut a horizontal slipt through the thickest portion of the each breast to form a pocket. (This is the part I butterflied and rolled up). Stuff with 3Tbs of filling into each pocket. Secure with picks (as in toothpicks) or kitchen string. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper (at this point I covered and refrigerated my rollups until the following day).

Heat oil in pan over med-high heat. Add chicken, cook for 3 mins on each side, until brown. Add broth and mushrooms cover pan, and place in oven. Bake for 15 minutes until done.

Cranberry and Raisin Couscous

1c. couscous

2 tsp. olive oil

1c. water

1/4c. dried cranberries and raisins (mixed)

1/4c. fresh parsley, chopped

salt and pepper

Heat oil over a med-high heat in a saucepan, add the couscous and toast for 2 minutes. Add water and fruit, cover, and reduce heat to med-low. Cook 5 minutes until water is absorbed and grains are heated through. Add the parsley, salt and pepper, and fluff with a fork. Serve.

Banana Fro Yo

2010-09-06T06:46:00.001-04:00

It has been amazingly hot this summer. Cool treats are the "IN" thing right now. I had stumbled across this post from Gena at Choosing Raw and thought that it sounded interesting. It was easy, cool, and refreshing; not to mention healthy. Yes, I said healthy (it is a good thing). She stated in her post that this is not really a recipe and she is right. It is more of a process than anything. Anyway, I wanted to share it with you, because of the simplicity of this.

Last night I decided to try it out. I handed a dish to Mr. Crumbs and at first he said "This isn't popcorn." I replied "Popcorn?" He said "Yes, I thought that you were making me popcorn." Let me explained that popcorn was never a conversation topic last night. My response to him was "Sorry, no popcorn. Instead we are having Banana Frozen Yogurt." His response "Oh, that sounds good too." He ate it and was amazed. He asked where I got banana frozen yogurt. I told him that I made it and explained the process. The process is taking frozen banans and putting them in a food processor, pulsing to break up the bananas, scraping down the sides and then giving the bananas a whirl until they become a frozen soft serve icecream consistancy. He was like "Really? I could do that." I replied "Yes, you can!" There you have it, if Mr. Crumbs thinks that he can do it, then you can.

Here is Gena's post from Choosing Raw, http://www.choosingraw.com/this-post-will-change-your-life/. I encourage everyone to check out her site, she has interesting recipes and lots of words of wisdom. She lives a semi-raw and vegan lifestyle, but please do not be discouraged by this. She has a lot of information to share and presents it in a sublte but effective way.

Summer Chocolaty Birthday Cake

2010-08-30T11:06:00.001-04:00

You have read the title "Summer Chocolaty Birthday Cake" and are thinking what does summer have to do with chocolate cake? Chocolate Cake can be served at any time, but this cake has a "secret" ingredient. Not really a "secret" ingredient, but a summer ingredient. The ingredient is....(drum roll, please)........ZUCHHINI! Another way to use zucchini and it is tasty. Very tasty. A coworker compared it to a famous restaurant's cake. I will give you a hint; is no longer in existence. Make this recipe and leave a comment and let me know the what you think the name of this restaurant is.

I created this recipe because like everyone else right now, I have zucchini in my refrigerator that needs to be used. It is that time of year and it is in abundance. Anyway, I saw this recipe for Chocolate Zucchini Cake and thought, Hmmm, I have all those ingredients I will make it. I made it. It had cinnamon and nutmeg in it. I am sorry cinnamon and nutmeg do not go in cakes. Not in my cakes anyway. When I think cinnamon, nutmeg, and zucchini, I think bread. When I think of cake, I think sweet and birthday-ish. No where in my mind does spice come into play, but I made it anyway. It had the texture of cake, but the spices came through and therefore it is not cake. It is bread. The difference between cake and bread is the moistness, texture and crumb. Growing up I never had a birthday cake that cinnamon and nutmeg were added to the batter, they were always in the sweet breads that we ate; but NEVER in my birthday cake. Therefore I was disappointed in the recipe and I needed to fulfill my expectations of what a Chocolate Zucchini CAKE was supposed to taste like.

I wanted to create a cake that one could serve for a birthday. I knew cakes consist of flour, oil, sugar, eggs, milk, baking powder. I wanted to reduce some of the calories and fat that a normal "birthday" cake would have, make it healthier. It has zucchini in it, how much healthier can it get? A lot. I took the regular ingredients and started substituting. I reduced the sugar and used half sugar and half honey. Instead of oil I used applesauce. I also used unsweetened almond milk. I always have almond milk on hand and at 45 calories per cup, who could not use it. I had used up most of my cocoa powder on my first cake so I used the cocoa powder and nestle quick powder. An explosion of chocolate was about to occur, the question was could my taste buds handle this? The answer was "Oh Yes, It Can"! It did. It was moist and fudgey.

Chocolate Zucchini Cake

2 c. cake flour
2 eggs
3/4 c. sugar

1/2 c. honey
1/2 c. applesauce (or oil)
1 c. buttermilk
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 c. cocoa powder
3/4 c. nestle quick powder
1 Tbsp. vinegar
1 tsp. vanilla
2 c. zucchini

Preheat oven to 355 degrees. Lightly grease and flour 2 nine inch pans. In a large bowl sift together flour, cocoa powder, nestle quick powder, salt, and baking powder. In another large bowl beat the eggs, sugar, and honey together until light and foamy. Add the applesauce and vanilla and mix. Alternately add the flour mixture and the buttermilk until just combined. Stir in the zucchini. In a small bowl mix the baking soda and vinegar together (it will foam), and fold into batter. Pour into pans and place into oven and bake for 25-35 minutes, checking intermittently with a toothpick. Cool and freeze until ready to frost. Remove from pan and frost while frozen. *This cake is very moist it is best to freeze in the pans and frost from a frozen state.* Refrigerate.

Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 stick butter + 1 Tbsp, softened
1 12 oz. bag of chocolate chips
1 c. confectioner sugar
1/4 c. milk

Cream 1 stick of butter and cream cheese together. Add the confectioner sugar and mix until combined. Over a double boiler add the chocolate chips and milk together and melt. Stirring constantly to prevent scorching. Once melted stir in 1 Tbsp. butter. Cool slightly and pour into the cream cheese mixture. Fold to combine and refrigerate until ready to use.

Garlicky Guacamole

2010-08-19T10:19:00.007-04:00

Fall is in the air, and so is football season. It is time to start making those game day snacks. What better to go along with your chips and salsa than guacamole? Rich and buttery avocados make the most creamy accompaniment to any game day fare. This quick and easy dip will be a crowd pleaser.

I like a little spice in my guac, so I add jalapenos. Pickled jalapenos to be exact. I have tried the pepper right off the vine and it just does not give the dip that special pizazz that your looking for in a game day spread. I also add garlic, lots of garlic, to give your breathe that amazing odor that everyone loves. As an added bonus, the spicier and garlickier the food, the more beverage consumption. I am into the beverage consumption. Food and beverages on a Sunday afternoon, how much more fun is that? Oh, and the game too; right and the game.

GUACAMOLE

3 avocados, seeded and diced

1 lemon, juiced

2 large cloves of garlic, minced

2 Tbsp pickled jalapeños, finely chopped

1 Roma tomato, diced (often I use canned tomatoes that are well drained)

1/2 onion, minced

2 tsp. coarse salt

Scoop the flesh from the avocados. Squeeze the juice of the lemon over top. On a cutting board pour salt over the minced garlic and run the side of your knife to scrape the two together to make a paste. Add to the avocado and lemon juice. Add the jalapeños, tomato, and onion. Mash ingredients and mix with a fork until the mixture forms a chunky dip. Serve with tortilla chips.

Bacon Wrapped Scallops with a Spicy Mayo Sauce

2010-08-15T13:03:00.006-04:00

This summer has been unbelievably hot! I have been on the look out for light, simple, and refreshing meals. The other day I was watching Cooking Channel, and FOOD 911 was airing. They were making this dish and my mouth was watering. What could be better than bacon (Mmmm.....bacon) wrapped scallops, buttery avocado, all cupped in crisp lettuce leaves, and smothered with spicy mayo? Garnish with a few sprigs of cilantro, sounds like a winner to me.

The original recipe calls for bacon, everyone assumes you must use bacon from a pig. You may or may not know this about me, I do not eat pork. I will cook pork for other people, but you won't find it touching my lips or entering my mouth. It is my parents fault; that is another story for another time. Anyway, the tasty scallops above, are hugged with turkey bacon. They came out just as delicious as those using pig bacon, only healthier.

Another substitution I made was with the spicy mayonnaise. The recipe calls for "good quality mayonnaise." I used Light mayonnaise, Hellmann's®, to be exact. I was adding other ingredients, so I didn't figure that I would be missing much taste by cutting some fat and calories. I was right. The creamy mixture was zesty, fresh, with notes of lemon and lime. I also added half of jalapeño, seeds and all. I like a lot of heat and this had some heat to it, heat that lingered on the back of your throat. That good kind of heat that keeps you coming back for more.

This makes a nice appetizer for a group, Mr. Crumbs... and I ate it as an entrée. There were only two of us, and enough scallops to make it a meal. I paired it with a Shrimp Cerviche and a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc. It was a meal that made my taste buds dance. There was a lot of "Oh my...Oh my gosh, this is so good" going on between each bite. I will post the Shrimp Cerviche at a later date. Enjoy!

P.S. REMEMBER TO REMOVE THE TOOTHPICKS! I was so excited to eat, I forgot, and bit into one; not a pleasant experience.

Bacon Wrapped Scallops

1 1/2 lbs. sea scallops (the large scallops)

1/2 lb. thin-sliced bacon (turkey or regular)

Extra-virgin olive oil

Salt & Pepper

2 heads Bibb lettuce, washed

3 avocados

Set oven to broil. Wrap each scallop in a piece of bacon and secure it with a toothpick. Place the scallops on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Cook under the broiler for 10-15 minutes until the bacon is cooked through, turn half way between cooking.

To serve, peel away the lettuce leaves, forming cups. Top each with a bacon wrapped scallop, 2 slices of avocado, and a spoonful of spicy mayo (recipe follows). Garnish with cilantro leaves.

Spicy Mayo

1 c. Mayonnaise (Light is acceptable)

1/4 c. hot chili paste (Sriracha)

1/2 jalapeño, finely diced (optional)

1 lime juiced

2 Tbsp. cilantro, chopped

Combine the mayonnaise, chili paste, lime juice, cilantro, jalapeño, and chopped cilantro. Stir until well incorporated. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Recipes adapted from Food 911; Mexican Fiesta.

Turkey Burgers topped with Caramelized Onions & Pear Chutney sitting along side of Parmesan fries

2010-08-10T21:00:00.011-04:00

I would like to start off by apologizing. I am sorry that I did not invite you to dinner tonight. It was absolutely amazing. The flavors. The textures. The smells. It was fabulous and easy. I think that tonight I ate the best burger of my life. Oh yeah, it was that good.

This morning I was sitting on my computer pondering what I was going to have for dinner tonight. I thought burgers...turkey burgers and french fries. Then I was thinking of what to put on my burgers. I had turkey on the brain. What goes well with turkey? Caramelized onions sounded good. OK, caramelized onions it was. I needed a condiment. I didn't want mayonnaise, mustard was a possibility. I wasn't feeling like mustard either. I went back to thinking about the turkey and what would pair well with it. It hit me! I wanted pears on my burger, but not raw pear slices. I was close to figuring it out. I wanted something sweet, tangy, spicy, savory. I wanted a menagerie of flavors that flooded my mouth and my senses. I wanted pear chutney as the condiment. There this morning at 6am, my burger was born. Then my mind went a little further, cheese...a nice creamy, mild, Brie. Encased in a whole wheat bun. I know it is complex, but that is how my mind works through its thought process.

I had my burger figured out, now I had to determine the seasoning that I wanted to coat my buttery Yukon Golds with. I didn't want spicy. I had spicy in the chutney. I wanted something subtle. Something that you could barely taste, but it made you come back for more. Rosemary, just a hint, and Parmesan cheese; salty and nutty.

This meal was utopia. It was the best meal that I have had in a long time. Yes, I have had nice elegant expensive dinners, but the simplicity and the flavors are what hit home with me. Wow! That is all I can say. Utterly Amazing. I hope that you enjoy it immensely, as I did.

Pear Chutney

1/2 large onion, chopped

1/2 Tbsp. dried ginger or 1 1/2 Tbsp. fresh, minced

4 oz apple cider vinegar

1/2 c. brown sugar, unpacked

1/4 c. maple syrup

1 clove garlic, minced into a paste

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. ground coriander

1/4 tsp. black pepper

pinch of nutmeg

pinch of ground cloves

pinch of salt

pinch of cayenne pepper

1/2 c. water

1 tsp. cornstarch

2 large pears, diced

1/2 c fresh cranberries or 1/4 c dried

In a medium saucepan, combine all ingredients except pears, cranberries and cornstarch. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for about 5 mins.

Add the fruit and cook until soft, at a simmer 20-30 mins. Stir in cornstarch, cook 5 mins more. You may have to mash with a potato masher if the pears are still in a cubed state. Let cool to room temperature. Place on top of turkey burgers.

Caramelized Onions

2 large onions, sliced

1 Tbsp. olive oil

1 Tbsp. butter

Heat olive oil and butter in a sauté pan over a medium heat. Add onions and cook until a golden honey color.

Rosemary Parmesan Fries

4 large Yukon gold potatoes, cut into wedges (about 8-9 wedges per potato)

1/2 tsp. dried rosemary

1/4 c. olive oil

2 tsp salt

pepper

1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven (400 degrees) or grill. Insert a cookie sheet into the oven or grill and preheat it as well (this will make for a crispier fry). Add the potatoes, rosemary, olive oil, salt, and pepper to a large bowl. Toss to coat. Take the cookie sheet out of the oven. Drizzle with more olive oil to coat the pan and place the potatoes on to the pan, making sure all the potatoes touch the pan. After 10 mins, flip the fries to cook on the other side. Grill or bake 10 minutes more or until the fries are cooked through and crispy. Sprinkle with cheese. Serve.

Turkey Burgers

1 lb ground turkey

salt

pepper

In the same bowl that you mixed your fries, add the turkey, salt, and pepper. Mix throughly. Shape into patties. Grill or cook in a skillet until done.

Whole Wheat Sourdough Pancakes

2010-08-08T11:48:00.007-04:00

A month ago I received some cookbooks dating from the depression era to the early nineties. Oh boy! I was in heaven. I have had a chance to go through some of them, but there is still a plethora to go through. One that I came across was a sourdough cookbook. I was intrigued. I remember as a kid having a starter in our refrigerator. I remember it being in there for a long time, until one day we threw it out. That is all I remember. I don't remember having anything sour-doughy from the starter, just that it was in the back of the fridge and it was stinky.

The cookbook is called Sourdough Cookin' It's "Starting" All Over Again, dated June 1978 from the Michigan State University Cooperative Extension Service. It has a recipe for a starter as well as numerous recipes for pancakes, waffles, muffins, coffeecakes, biscuits, etc... I read it and decided to make my own starter. The recipe calls for all purpose flour, yeast, and water. That is it. I started with this "original" recipe, until it was time to "feed" my living organism. At the time I was out of all purpose white flour, milk, and sugar. Everything I needed to "feed" it. I did however have whole wheat flour, honey, and almond milk. I thought a moment...Ok, I do have flour, sugar, and milk; just not your ordinary types. I tried it. The next day I checked it, it was bubbling, the yeast cells were working. A week later it was time to feed it again. I still did not have the ordinary ingredients, so again I added wheat flour, honey, and almond milk. I have added these ingredients each time I have "fed" my starter. Since it is a living thing, it should probably have a name. Let's name it Jack, as in flapjack. Sounds appropriate to me.

It now has been over a month since I have been "feeding" Jack. Last night I thought that a portion of him was ready to be consumed in some manner or another. What other way than to start with pancakes, it is traditional. This morning I got up and started with the recipe in the book for Original Sourdough Pancakes, as I was mixing batter I looked over and there on the other end of the counter there were a bunch of bananas calling to me. "We would taste amazing in those pancakes your making, pair us with some pecans and we will make them taste out of this world". Who could argue with a statement like that. I diced one up one large banana, chopped up a half cup pecans and folded them into the batter. I cooked them up on the griddle. I served the pancakes with some maple syrup, garnished with sliced bananas and more pecans. They were "out of this world".

I would recommend starting your "Jack", Jim, Fred, Betsy, etc... whatever name you call it, at least one week before making these pancakes. The starter will have more of a chance to ferment and develop more of a sour taste, and that is the point of having sourdough pancakes. I added bananas and pecans, feel free to add blueberries, apples, peaches, or even zucchini. Add-ins or plain they are still good and healthier than your average pancakes.

SOURDOUGH STARTER

2 c. all purpose flour

2 c. warm water

1 package of active dry yeast

Mix the yeast, flour, and water throughly in a glass or plastic bowl....don't use metal. Set the mixture in a warm place overnight. The next day the mixture should be bubbly and a yeasty smell. Refrigerate.

Over the course of time be sure to feed your starter 1c. milk, 1c. flour, and 1/4c. sugar (I used whole wheat flour, almond milk, and honey). Mix and leave at room temperature for 24 hours (not using in the mean time). Refrigerate.

SOURDOUGH PANCAKES

2 c. sourdough starter

1/2 c. flour

1 tsp. salt

2 Tbsp. sugar

1/4 c. applesauce (or oil)

2 eggs, beaten

1 tsp. soda

1 large banana, diced + more sliced for garnishing (optional)

1/2 c. chopped pecans + more for garnishing (optional)

Maple syrup

Preheat oven to 180 degrees (or lowest setting to keep warm). Stir the salt, sugar, applesauce, and flour into the starter. Mix the eggs and soda in a small bowl. Add the banana and pecans to the starter mixture, then the eggs and soda. Mix.

Bake on a greased griddle. As pancakes are done, place on a plate and keep in the oven to stay warm until the others are finished cooking. Garnish each individual plate of pancakes with extra bananas and pecans. Drizzle with maple syrup. Serve.

Grilled Zucchini & Goat Cheese Pizza

2010-07-28T22:00:00.001-04:00

ITS ZUCCHINI TIME!!!

You seen read the title and thought "What in the world?" Then you seen the picture and now your thinking, "Well, maybe". It is that time of year again when most of us have zucchini coming out of our ears. We all try to be creative in coming up with ways to use the bountiful crop that grows so plentiful this time of year. This is one of those creative recipes.

We have all had zucchini bread, had it in a stir fry, sometimes in lasagna, etc... we use every way imaginable. We get in zucchini ruts this time of year. I am about to add another recipe to your zucchini collection. How about on pizza? Yes, zucchini on pizza. It is out of the ordinary, nontraditional, but mighty tasty. I adapted this recipe from Deb over at Smitten Kitchen. I stumbled across this recipe last zucchini season, thought Hmmm, interesting. I will have to try this....tonight. Am I glad I did.

We eat pizza at least once a week at my house. We love it. We love unique toppings, and trying unique flavor combinations. Pizza is so versatile. Pizza is fun. Pizza is tasty. This pizza is a summer favorite at our house.

I make my own dough. I love making pizza dough. It is cheap and easy. Time consuming? Yes, but it is wait time; it is well worth it. You're more than welcome to use store bought dough, it will taste fine. I choose to make my own dough, because I can add garlic, italian seasonings, fresh cracked pepper, etc... Whatever I am in the mood for, I add to my dough. It builds character, not only for me, but to my dough as well.

There is plenty to do while the dough is rising for this pizza. I like to take the package of goat cheese and put it in a bowl, allowing it to soften. Then I mix in lemon juice to make it spreadable.

This is also the time that I slice my zucchini. When I slice my zucchini, I use a mandolin. I love this tool. I have a cheap one from Wal-mart. It literally cost me $10.00. I use it quite frequently. It has two blades, one for thick slices and one for thin slices. You don't need a mandolin, but it makes the job quick and easy. A word of advice...be VERY CAREFUL. This little gadget is SHARP. I speak from experience. A trip to the ER for stitches would not be uncommon in this household, but I feel that I can doctor myself; most of the time. Isn't that what they make butterfly bandages and super glue for? (Disclaimer...please do not try doctoring yourself at home. If medical attention is needed, seek immediately). If your not using a mandolin, try to slice as thinly as possible to ensure even cooking.

It is summer, so I put my grill to work. It tastes great and keeps the heat out of the kitchen. After rolling, tossing, patting, however you shape your pizza, I recommend sprinkling with cornmeal to help add a little texture and prevent sticking. I also would rub some oil on the grates to also help with the sticking. That is cornmeal on the grates on the right side of the picture below.

You are only going to grill the dough on one side before building it. Once the dough starts to get those beautiful grill marks on the underneath and turns golden (remember just on one side, you will cook the other side after you build the pizza) remove. The side that is nice and golden you are going to spread the lemony goat cheese base. It is going to start to melt and get all aromatic (careful not to let the drool drip onto the pizza).

Its time to add the star of the show...Zucchini. Layer however you want. I went in a circular pattern, as in the shape of the pizza crust. Add designs, patterns, shapes, whatever, however, more, less, it is your pizza. I then drizzle extra virgin olive oil and then sprinkle with salt and fresh cracked pepper.

Its back to the grill to finish cooking the bottom part of the crust and start cooking the zucchini. It is almost time to eat. The anticipation is killing you, I know I have been there. Your intrigued. You have smelled your wonderful creation baking. Your mouth is watering. I have been there too.

You bring your Zucchini creation in from the grill. You stare at it in admiration. It is too beautiful to eat. The temptation is too great you have to cut into it, taste it, savor it.

Enjoy it. It is summer you have the right to enjoy your vices and if pizza is one of your vices then enjoy it with a glass of wine and make life complete.

I urge you to try it, just once. If you don't like goat cheese try feta, brie, or the traditional mozzarella. Make this pizza your own.

PIZZA DOUGH

1 Tbsp Yeast

2 Tbsp Sugar (divided)

1 c. warm water

1/4 c. extra virgin olive oil

3 c. flour

1 Tbsp italian seasoning

2 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp fresh cracked pepper

1/2 tsp salt

Mix yeast, 1Tbsp sugar, and water in bowl. Mix and place in a warm spot, until mixture becomes foamy and yeast is activated, about 5-10 mins. Place in a stand mixer bowl and mix in remaining sugar, olive oil, spices and flour. Mix until dough forms a sticky ball. You may also mix by hand as well. Transfer to an oiled bowl, oil top of dough, cover and place in a warm area for one hour or until dough doubles in size.

Once the dough has doubled, turn out on to a floured surface. Cut dough in half, and knead each half into a ball. Let sit 15 minutes to let the gluten relax and shape each ball into formation. Grill or place in a 450 degree oven until crust is golden and toppings are soften and melted. Makes 2 pizzas.

Zucchini Pizza

1 prepared pizza dough (recipe above)

1 small zucchini, sliced into thin coins

1 small summer squash, sliced into thin coins

1 small package goat cheese (about 4 oz), room temperature

1 lemon, juiced

fresh cracked pepper

salt and pepper

extra virgin olive oil

Mix the goat cheese, lemon juice, and cracked pepper together in a small bowl. Grill one side of the dough, until golden brown. Remove from grill. Spread goat cheese "sauce" on the golden grilled side of the crust over the pizza. Alter zucchini and summer squash in a pattern, covering the entire pizza, leaving an inch of bare crust. Season with salt and pepper and drizzle with the extra virgin olive oil.

Return pizza to the grill to cook the dough and the zucchini. Cook until under side is golden and squash is tender. Slice and serve. Makes 1 pizza.

Summer Blueberry Pie

2010-07-20T10:00:00.000-04:00

Many months ago I had a request for Blueberry Pie. "Blueberry Pie?", I questioned. Yes,blueberry pie. The quest was on. I had to find the PERFECT blueberry pie recipe. I search cookbooks, other blogs, cooking sites, I asked chefs, etc... Nothing really seemed to stand out to me. I wanted this pie to be special. Don't get me wrong I want all my creations to be special and my own, but when someone puts in a personal request, it has to be over the top.

Last Sunday I got a decent deal on blueberries and it became crunch time. I was buying them, and then I was going to figure out how to make this pie. I was thinking on the way home how I was going to pull this off. I knew that I wanted nice plump whole berries that exploded in your mouth with each bite, but I also needed that "glue" that was going to hold the pie together. Then "EUREKA" it came to me. Why not make a blueberry jam and then fold in the whole fresh blueberries just before letting it spill into the buttery and flaky pastry shell.

Presto...I had blueberry pie. It was just how I had envisioned it. Well not exactly how I envisioned it, it would have been better if my crust had a little bit more appeal, but my oven was not hot enough when I blind baked it and it sunk. It happens. I regrouped and tried to make it a little more visually appealing. The show must go on.

I should have taken more pictures, but I get so wrapped up in what I am doing; I forget. Most of the time my significant other reminds me, but on this day he must of been as excited as I was on making this, or maybe I would just like to believe that last part. Oh well, we have a finished product picture and that is what counts.

I started with the pastry. I personally am not that huge of fan of pie dough, so I wanted to jazz it up some, give it some spunk. I did the necessary pasty dough ingredients, but then I added the flavors of cinnamon, nutmeg, and lemon zest. Yes, lemon zest. Lemons and blueberries make a fabulous combination when paired together. I also recommend added lemon zest to your pastry when making a lemon pie as well. It is an ingredient that I had never thought of before, but a friend suggested it and it makes for a well rounded lemony flavor through out the pie, not just in the filling.

For the filling, I used both fresh and frozen blueberries. I made the jam with the frozen blueberries, added some cinnamon, lemon zest and vanilla. I wanted to tie the crust into the pie and vice versa, so I used these ingredients again for the filling.

The overall result was sweet, but with a hint of tartness. Berries bursting into your mouth with each mouth watering bite. I also heard that there are specific directions on how to eat this pie. "SLOW and EASY" is what I am quoting you. You be the judge. Enjoy it as you wish.

BLUEBERRY PIE

1 16 oz bag frozen blueberries

2 lbs fresh blueberries, washed

2 c sugar

1 c water (1/4 c reserved)

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1 lemon, zested and juiced

1 1/2 Tbsp cornstarch

1 tsp vanilla

1 Tbsp butter

Place frozen blueberries, sugar, 3/4 c. water and cinnamon into a large pot. Slowly bring to a boil over a medium/medium high heat. Stirring occasionally. Add lemon zest and boil until a jammy consistency is reached (when a spoon is inserted it coats it with a thick layer) Stirring constantly to prevent scortching. Add lemon juice, stir and cook 5 mins. In the mean time mix the cornstarch and remaining 1/4c. water. Add to the cornstarch mix to the jam. Cook until thickened. Remove from heat. Add vanilla and butter. Stir for a few minutes, allowing the jam to cool some. Fold in fresh blueberries and evenly coat with the jam. Pour filling into a prebaked pie crust.

PIE DOUGH

1 1/2c flour

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp lemon zest

1 stick COLD butter, cubed

5 Tbsp ICED water

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and lemon zest to a food processor. Pulse to combine. Add butter and pulse to form pea size balls. Next add 3 Tbs of the iced water and pulse a few times until the dough starts to come together. Add more water if necessary to make "wet sand". Test with fingers to see if pastry dough sticks together. Pour onto a lightly floured surface and form a disc with the dough. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 mins. Remove from fridge, roll and place into deep pie dish. Prick bottom of crust with a fork. Bake 15 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven. Cool. Pour in filling and refrigerate until filling is set.