Party Foods
“Chef Z’s” Turkey Chili
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I have been promising my Chili recipe forever. The trouble with that promise was the fact that I never seemed to take the time to jot down the ingredients as I made it. I don’t think I told you guys but I was recently hired to teach a Teen Cooking Class at a local teen center. I’ve successfully completed ONE round (about 8 weeks, maybe?) and I am hooked!! 
The kids are inspiring, they hang on to my every word and they call me “Chef Z”. <–that rocks! Anyway, along with the candy apples in the previous post, they asked if we could do Chili. Well, maybe they didn’t, I don’t know…I really don’t listen to them. lol So when my family asked me to make it this week (maybe they didn’t, I don’t know), it couldn’t have come at a better time. 
It’s so funny how everyone asks for exactly what I want. Weird, right?
I have two secret ingredients – Green Mountain salsa and Muir Glen Fire Roasted Whole Tomatoes…shhhhh. Don’t tell anyone. (Notes listed below as well)
Ingredients:
1 med. white onion, chopped
1 med. green bell pepper, chopped
1 8-oz container sliced portabella mushrooms
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 lbs. ground turkey (or ground meat of choice: ground beef, sirloin etc)
1 28-oz can “Muir Glen” Whole Fire Roasted Tomatoes
2 cans tomato paste
3 16-oz cans “Bush” Chili Beans (Medium Heat)
2 16- oz can “Bush” Light Red Kidney Beans
1 jar “Green Mountain” Salsa (Medium Heat)
2 Tbsp. Crystal Hot Sauce (mainly for the vinegar, not the spice)
1 Tbsp. Smoked Paprika
1 Tbsp. Ground Cumin
2 Tbsp. Dried Oregano
1 Tbsp. Dried Basil
Salt
Pepper
Directions:
Heat a skillet on medium for about 5 minutes. Add 2 Tbsp of Olive Oil and continue to heat for another minute. Add onions, peppers and mushrooms to pan. Season veggies with salt and pepper. Sauté for 7-8 minutes, add garlic and continue to cook for another 3-4 minutes or until the veggies become tender and begin to “sweat”. Put veggies in Dutch oven.
Using the same skillet, add 2 tbsp of olive oil followed by your ground meat. Season meat with 1 ½ tsp. of salt and 1 ½ tsp. black pepper. Cook until scrambled and no longer pink. Drain in colander.
Turn pot to medium. Add the remaining ingredients stirring between additions. (Be sure to use a wooden (or even plastic) spoon and not a metal one). Once all ingredients have been incorporated, cook on medium for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to low until ready to serve.
Serve over white rice. I like to add a dollop of sour cream and a few sprinkles of sharp cheddar. We usually use Ritz crackers as well but you can definitely use Saltines, cornbread, etc.
Let me know how this comes out! It’s sooo flavorful and there is no need to look fwd to that “next day” like we do with sauce based dishes. Although, it DOES get even better!!! Perfect for the cols nights we have coming!!!
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Cook’s Notes: The porcelain enameled Dutch oven is ideal for cooking this type of dish because the porcelain coating is non-reactive when acidic ingredients like tomatoes are used. If you do have a problem with acidity (meaning the tomatoes seem overly acidic), sprinkle a little sugar in the pot and that should counter it.
Secret Ingredients: My first secret ingredient is the addition of Fire Roasted Tomatoes. These tomatoes will add another level of taste because of their smoky flavor. The other secret ingredient is the Salsa. If you were to think about it, it makes perfect sense. It is composed of tomatoes, onions, garlic, peppers with the addition of herbs and spices. Very similar to diced tomatoes but the added veggies, seasoning and liquid content makes it a better selection to me. I use the Green Mountain because it doesn’t have any gunk in it. It’s clean, organic and made without sugar. The veggie taste isn’t hidden at all.
Chocolate Covered Caramel Apples, Yes Gawd!
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We spent our Halloweens at the church for “Hallelujah Night” so while I don’t have much first-hand experience, candy apple say Fall and incidentally, Halloween. I’ve made caramel apples as a kid with the premade caramel discs found in the produce section. They never really worked out though. The problem was, caramel never stuck properly and it never produced the smooth polished finish it promised. After making homemade caramel for my Banana Pudding Pie with Salted Caramel, I knew I could do it! I did a little research and found out that supermarket apples have a wax coating that needed to be removed prior to dipping. To do this I dipped them in boiling water for 1 minute. You can actually see the wax that remains once you remove them from the water. Take a paper towel and wipe the rest off.
On to the recipe:
Caramel Apples:
6 small to medium, firm, blemish-free, apples*
4 Tablespoons butter (not margarine + more for parchment paper)
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/2 can (7 oz) of Sweetened Condensed Milk
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
*The favs are Granny Smith (extra tart) and Honeycrisp (sweet and tart)
Materials Needed:
6 skewers
Heavy bottomed pot
Cookie sheet
Parchment paper
Candy Thermometer
Remove stems, allow apples to dry completely and put them in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes and until you are ready to dip them. Chilled apples help the caramel set better.
First melt the butter in a saucepan until it browns. This will give you the nice dark caramel color. Stir constantly to avoid getting little brown bits of butter. Be careful because I had to throw out my first brown butter attempt. L (I hate waste)
Add all other ingredients except vanilla.
Stirring constantly over medium heat, bring to a boil and let boil until thermometer reaches soft ball stage (235°F–240°F).
After it reaches soft ball, remove from heat, add vanilla, then allow to sit for about 5 minutes.
Dip apple in caramel and swirl to cover. Twist apple to remove some of the excess but the excess is fantastic for that thick rimmed bottom that acts as a stand for the apples!
Working quickly, place onto buttered parchment paper.
You can stop here but if you want to dip them in chocolate, pop them in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to make sure the caramel is properly set. Recipe adapted from Grandma Betty’s Caramel Apples.
On to the chocolate…
10oz – 60% cacoa Ghirardelli Chocolate chips
2 Tbsp shortening (vegetable oil)
Crushed candy, sprinkles, nuts, whatever!
Lay out all of your fixings because you have a small window of time before the chocolate begins to cool and I like to use a 4 cup measuring cup when I melt chocolate because it is deep and I can fully submerge the apples with little effort. Put the chips in the glass, add the oil and heat on 40% power (depending on your microwave wattage), for about 45 seconds. Stir and keep heating in 30 second increments until melted.
You can fully dip or partially dip and immediately add your preferred toppings.
Allow to harden and enjoy!
Crabcakes and Remoulade Sauce
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Please note: You should start on Remoulade first because it has to be refrigerated for 30 mins. Additionally, to help them “set” after cakes are combined and shaped, you will have to refrigerate for 30 mins. as well. If you’re looking for an even easier morning, shape and store crab cakes overnight in the fridge on baking sheets wrapped in plastic; fry just before serving.
Crab Cakes
Crab Cake Ingredients:
- unsalted butter
- olive oil
- 1 cup small-diced red onion (1 med. onion)
- 1 1/2 cups small-diced celery (4 stalks)
- 1 cup small-diced red bell pepper (1 small pepper)
- 1/3 cup small-diced yellow bell pepper (1 small pepper)
- 1/3 cup minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 1 tablespoon capers, drained
- 1/4 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
- 1/2 tbsp. worcestershire sauce
- 1 1/2 tbsp. Old Bay Seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- crushed red pepper flakes, to taste
- 1 lb jumbo lump crab meat (in the refrigerator bin in seafood dept.)
- 1 cup plain breadcrumbs (or panko, Japanese bread crumbs)
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 2 extra-large eggs, lightly beaten
- Juice of 1 lemon
Directions
Place 2 tablespoons of butter, 2 tablespoons of oil, the onion, celery, red and yellow bell peppers, parsley, capers, Tabasco sauce, Worcestershire sauce, Old Bay Seasoning, salt, and peppers in a large sauté pan over medium-low heat and cook until the vegetables are soft, approximately 15 to 20 minutes. Cool to room temperature.
Empty crab into a bowl by itself and gently check for shells. Add bread crumbs, mayonnaise, lemon juice, mustard, and beaten eggs and toss lightly.
Add the cooled cooked veggies and mix well. (Whenever you’re working with raw eggs, you want to be sure to not scramble the eggs by adding them to anything hot) Cover and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Shape into crab cakes, and try to be as uniformed in size as possible. Be sure they are not too big because you need to be able to flip them.
Heat 2 tablespoons of butter and 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the crab cakes and fry for 3 to 4 minutes on each side, until browned. Drain on paper towels; keep them warm in a 250 degree F oven and serve hot.
Makes 8 crab cakes
Note: I’ve also been able to freeze uncooked cakes separated with parchment paper and they came out fine the next weekend when I set them out for a few minutes to defrost and serve after church. It would be just as easy to sub out the crab (if you feel like being cheap or just like eating fish) with canned or smoked salmon as I did in the Ina’s Salmon Cakes post.
Remoulade
Remoulade Ingredients:
2 cups mayonnaise
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons capers, minced
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tablespoons chopped parsley leaves
Several dashes hot pepper sauce
1/4 cup Chili sauce
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tea. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tea. black pepper
OPT: 1 tablespoon chopped tarragon leaves (I used them because I had them but the sauce will be wonderful even without it!)
Directions:
Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl. Refrigerate for 30 minutes before serving.
Spinach Ham and Gruyere Quiche
0I wonder where the ‘real men don’t eat quiche’ nonsense comes from… I bet they won’t say it to my husband’s face. lol Now, I will admit that he pretty much KILLED the whole thing so I will say that if you plan for you and the kids to get a bite in, recognize that a “real man may be looking for some bacon on the side” lol. This was terribly simple and makes for a great brunch dish as well.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 ½ shallots, minced
- 8 oz. deli sliced ham (kinda thick)
- 1 bag flat-leaf baby spinach, roughly chopped
- Coarse salt and ground pepper
- 4 ounces Gruyere cheese, grated (about 1 cup)
- 1 Pillsbury Refrigerated Pie Crust
- 4 large eggs
- 1 ½ cups half-and-half
- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- red pepper flakes (optional)
Directions
- Prepare your pie crust by gently unrolling into the pie dish. Push it down into the pan making sure the dough hangover is pretty even around the pan. (If it doesn’t come out perfect don’t worry. Look at mine, lol. I think that it gives it a homemade feeling and rustic quality. Here is a link to directions on crimping your crust: http://localfoods.about.com/od/piestarts/tp/crimping.htm Totally simple!
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees, with racks set in lower third. In a large skillet, heat butter over medium. Add ham and shallots, and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 1 to 2 minutes. Add as much spinach to skillet as will fit; season with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes and toss, adding more spinach as room becomes available, until wilted, 2 to 3 minutes. Make sure all spinach is used.
- Transfer spinach mixture to a colander. Press firmly with the back of a spoon to squeeze out as much liquid as possible. Put spinach mixture into pie crust, top with cheese. Place crust on a rimmed baking sheet.
- In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, half-and-half, nutmeg, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Pour egg mixture into crust.
- Arrange baking sheet on rack, and bake until center of each quiche is just set, 55 to 60 minutes, rotating sheets from top to bottom halfway through. Let quiches stand 15 minutes before serving.
I would’ve doubled the recipe but I was kinda peed off that I couldn’t find my other pie dish so I lashed out by starving everyone. lol If there are more than 4 people, double up! Also, play with your favorite meats and cheeses etc. It’s impossible to mess up, really. Enjoy!
Raspberry Tiramisu Bites
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Recently, I made these delicious treats for a friend’s 40th Bday party! It was a Dessert themed event so we were in HOG heaven! They are sophisticated, EXTREMELY easy and they can be prepared (the filling) several hours before your party and ready for assembly 2 hrs prior! Win, win, win…all the way around.
(Recipe adapted from Stephanie Hawkins, South Carolina, Southern Living Magazine 2008)
Special Equipment
8 dessert dishes- shot glasses, dessert glasses, mini trifle dishes, whatever your heart’s desire. Just be sure you can fill each one with the dessert and have enough for everyone.
Ingredients
3 tablespoons seedless raspberry preserves
1 tablespoon orange liqueur (I used Grand Marnier. Purchased a mini from Publix Liquors since I didn’t need but one tablespoon)
1 (3-oz.) package cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 prepared lemon pound cake, cut into cubes fitting the bottom of your chosen dish*
8 fresh raspberries
fresh mint sprigs, for garnish
*Feel free to use a store bought cake or if you’re in a truly decadent mood make this Lemon Cream Cheese Pound Cake. The original recipe called for the use of Italian ladyfingers. I probably would’ve been fine using them but after checking Publix, Fresh Market and a local Italian Market and not finding the soft variety, I gave up and moved on to plan B. Which I think was better anyway.
Preparation
Microwave raspberry preserves in a small microwave-safe bowl at HIGH 20 seconds. Stir in liqueur. In a a separate bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy (about 1 minute). In another bowl, beat heavy cream with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. (I know…I use a lot of dishes. Some one-pot meals coming up, lol) Fold your heavy cream mixture into the cream cheese mixture. Spoon into a zip-top plastic bag. (Do not seal.) Snip 1 corner of bag with scissors to make a hole (about 1/2 inch in diameter).
To begin layering, press your cake cube, into the bottom of your chosen glass dishes. Make sure it covers the span of the glass for visual effects. Presentation is HUGE with Fiercefoodie! Drizzle about 1/2 tsp. raspberry mixture into each glass. Pipe a small amount of cream cheese mixture evenly into each glass. Repeat procedure with remaining cake pieces, raspberry mixture, and cream cheese mixture. Top each glass with a sprig of mint and 1 raspberry. Cover and chill 2 hours.
Variations
Add pineapples, coconut, shaved dark chocolate, almonds, use a blueberry pound cake, strawberries etc. I think the possibilities are endless if you are greedy enough. 
Macaroni with 4 Cheeses
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So as you all know, I am a fan of Macaroni and Cheese and Mac n Cheese recipes. While there is such a thing as a bad dish of it, there are soooo many combinations and opportunities for fabulous ones! Before they flip the switch on the chair, there are two things I am requesting. First, this Macaroni and Cheese (on the finest of China, of course!) and a slice of the Kicking Key Lime Pie! Okay, okay…the whole pie. HEY! I’m dying I should get as much as I want! *side eye* After those two, I will repent and go in peace.
Anyway, this recipe calls for making a béchamel sauce. Basically, you’ll be making a roux (some type of fat i.e. butter, shortening, oil + flour) and then combining that with milk and cheese. Piece of cake!
- Ingredients
Macaroni & Cheese:
4 oz grated white Cheddar cheese
4 oz finely cubed Fontina cheese*
4 oz grated Gruyere cheese*
8 oz grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, or other good-quality parmesan cheese (about 2 c)
1 lb penne pasta (or your preference such as elbow)
1 tea minced garlic
7 T butter
4 T flour
2 c half and half
3/4 tea salt
1/4 tea ground white pepper
Topping:
1/2 c bread crumbs (fresh if possible)
1/2 oz grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, or other good-quality parmesan cheese
2 tea dried parsley
1/4 tea of white pepper
*Note: I get my cheeses from Publix’s deli and I rarely find the Fontina and Gruyere hard enough to get a good grate out of them. They are much softer than the cheddar and parmesan. When you ask for them at the counter, ask for a large brick of each instead of sliced cheese.
- Directions
In a heavy, medium saucepan melt 4 tablespoons of the butter over low heat. With whisk in hand, add the flour and combine. Cook, stirring constantly, for 3 minutes. It will look like corn meal and will be wet but thick.
Increase the heat to medium and whisk in the half and half little by little. (Big splash, whisk, big splash, whisk…) It should take you about 5 minutes to whisk it all in. There should never be a point when the liquid isn’t instantly absorbed into the flour/butter mixture. Take your time. As you’re adding it, it will start looking like the paste we used for the paper Mache projects from elementary school. Unlike in school, please try to resist the urge to eat it we need it for the dish. O_o Lol Cook until thickened, about 4 to 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from the heat, season with salt, pepper and 4 ounces of the grated parmesan. Stir until cheese is melted and sauce is smooth. Cover and set aside.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil over high heat. Add salt to taste and, while stirring, add the macaroni. Return to a boil, reduce the heat to a low boil and cook for about 5 minutes, or until macaroni is very al dente (slightly undercooked). DO NOT OVERCOOK! The macaroni will continue to cook in the oven. (IMO, one of the worst things you can do to a mac n cheese is to overcook the noodles; that and leave out the cheese. lol) Drain in a colander and return the macaroni to the pot. Add 2 tablespoons of the butter and the garlic and stir to combine. Add the béchamel sauce and stir until well combined. Set aside.
Using the remaining tablespoon of butter, grease a 3-quart baking dish or casserole and set aside.
In a large bowl combine 4 ounces of each, the parmesan, cheddar, fontina and gruyere cheese. Toss to combine.
In another small bowl, combine the topping ingredients and set aside.
Depending on the size/deepness of your dish, you may be able to do three layers which I think works better. However, my casserole dish (pictured) is very shallow and wide so I only have 2 layers. You’ll be able to tell once you spread a third of the noodles in the dish and seeing if it completely covers the bottom or not. If not, switch to two layers….still amazing don’t worry. So after you have your first layer (completely covering the bottom) add a 1/3 (or 1/2 if doing 2 layers) of the mixed cheeses. Go on to your next layer of noodles, followed by the next layer of cheeses…..etc. Once all of your macaroni is in the dish, cover with the topping mixture.
Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the macaroni and cheese is bubbly and hot and the top is golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow it to rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Voila! That is it! I defy you to find one that is better….but please do because I want it!!!
No for real, my bad. ;)
1In case you missed the backstory to this recipe, and the reason for the title of this post, here it is. I “accidentally, on purpose” forgot it earlier.
TC’s Lemon Cream Cheese Pound Cake
Cake Ingredients
3 cups swans down cake flour
3 sticks of salted butter
1 8oz package of cream cheese
3 cups sugar
5 large eggs
1 tablespoon of vanilla extract
1 – 2 tablespoons of lemon extract
Zest of 1 lemon
Icing Ingredients
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup 10x confections sugar
4oz of cream cheese
Juice of half of a lemon
Directions
In a mixing bowl, add 3 sticks of room temperature butter and room temperature cream cheese. Mix well. Add the 3 cups of sugar. Mix well. Add large eggs one at the time, blending between each egg. After the last egg has been incorporated, add 1 cup of flour at the time and mix well before adding the next cup. The batter will be thick but it’s ok. Add the extracts and zest and mix well. It should smell (and taste if you’re daring) like vanilla ice cream. Butter and flour your bundt pan (or spray with Bakers Joy baking spray which has flour and butter already added) so that the cake slips right out when done. Pour cake batter into pan. Bake cake in a preheated, 320 degree oven for 1hr and 15 minutes or until tooth pick comes out clean. Remember all ovens are different so make sure you watch the cake. If it looks like its browning too fast, turn the oven down to 310 degrees. Leave cake in the pan for 10 minutes and invert into your cake dish.
(NOTE: For my oven, after 50 minutes, turn heat to 310 degrees and keep checking thereafter)
Icing directions
Place room temp cream cheese in a bowl, add powdered sugar and vanilla flavor and juice of half a lemon and mix well. Place in microwave for 15 seconds and using a Wisk or fork, swirl over cake. Make sure to make it pretty lol!!!!
“Thebomb.com” Lemon Cream Cheese Pound Cake
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My work email needs to be cleaned out periodically but not because of all the personal stuff in there. While deleting, I noticed a message from one of my coworkers following an office party with “Did you make that pound cake?” in the subject line. In the body of the message it said “because it was THE BOMB!” I resisted the urge to reply with a snide remark about her joining us in the 21st Century and updating her compliment to “THEBOMB.COM“. (Does anyone else miss Tamar and the rest of the Braxton crew? I can’t wait for the new season, lol)
Anyway, I just accepted the compliment and thought that it was time to share this recipe with you guys! Let me tell you……it is pretty-freaking-awesome! I have had the recipe in my possession for a hot minute now but somehow it ended up on the bottom of the “recipes to try” stack. Everyone knows I go on Facebook to look at my own pics and laugh at my own jokes but on this rare occasion, I actually checked the newsfeed and saw several comments from people begging one of my FB friends to SELL them pound cakes. When I realized this was the same friend who gave me the recipe, I just HAD to bake it. (A lot of people send me things but with my budget, I need some reviews to see if it is even worth me trying to tweak it at all, lol). This cake takes the cake, literally. It was perfectly sweet, had a crispy and buttery crust and a tender middle. It smelled like heaven and tasted like it too. The lemon-cream cheese icing was the perfect finish of sweet and tangy. The only negative with this cake is that the bottom crust (with its delicious butter cookie flavor and texture) tends to separate from the cake a little yielding a less than perfect look. (If you know how to correct this, please let me know!) However, if you don’t it’s perfectly ok. No one notices at all and if they did, they forget after tasting it!
At first, I wasn’t going to share this because being the only one with it would make me an instant fave at all the family gatherings but I kinda already am…. soooo…. ummmm……. yeah. LOL! After all, I HAD to. Who can get missing for a month and NOT come back with something phenomenal?! So, here is my gift to you, hoping it will prompt you to let me back in the house. lol And trust me, I did not leave you for just any reason, Fiercefoodie is working on some BIG things and she can’t wait to take you with her!
(Note: the original recipe was awesome but it did not include any flavoring but I added lemon to take it into superstar status )
Thanks TC for sharing your cake with us! Your grandmother seemed like an awesome woman and baker. MUAH!
TC’s Lemon Cream Cheese Pound Cake
Cake Ingredients
3 cups swans down cake flour
3 sticks of salted butter
1 8oz package of cream cheese
3 cups sugar
5 large eggs
1 tablespoon of vanilla extract
1 – 2 tablespoons of lemon extract
Zest of 1 lemon
Icing Ingredients
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup 10x confections sugar
4oz of cream cheese
Juice of half of a lemon
Directions
In a mixing bowl, add 3 sticks of room temperature butter and room temperature cream cheese. Mix well. Add the 3 cups of sugar. Mix well. Add large eggs one at the time, blending between each egg. After the last egg has been incorporated, add 1 cup of flour at the time and mix well before adding the next cup. The batter will be thick but it’s ok. Add the extracts and zest and mix well. It should smell (and taste if you’re daring) like vanilla ice cream. Butter and flour your bundt pan (or spray with Bakers Joy baking spray which has flour and butter already added) so that the cake slips right out when done. Pour cake batter into pan. Bake cake in a preheated, 320 degree oven for 1hr and 15 minutes or until tooth pick comes out clean. Remember all ovens are different so make sure you watch the cake. If it looks like its browning too fast, turn the oven down to 310 degrees. Leave cake in the pan for 10 minutes and invert into your cake dish.
(NOTE: For my oven, after 50 minutes, turn heat to 310 degrees and keep checking thereafter)
Icing directions
Place room temp cream cheese in a bowl, add powdered sugar and vanilla flavor and juice of half a lemon and mix well. Place in microwave for 15 seconds and using a Wisk or fork, swirl over cake. Make sure to make it pretty lol!!!!
Before you go ordering Bellinis…
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This weekend I went to see the highly anticipated film, “Jumping the Broom” (at least to me, lol), starring some pretty big names as well as some new faces to the silver screen. Greg and I caught the very first Saturday morning showing because we really don’t like giving AMC our children’s tuition for a 2-hour flick. No need for a “spoiler alert” but the film takes place in Martha’s Vineyard and is centered around wedding (duh) activities. It is a bit of a classic tale- boy meets girl, boy wants to marry girl, boy AND girl’s families are absolutely crazy. When the white-gloved handpassed service offers Bellinis to the “downtown” folks, I noticed the look of unfamiliarity in their eyes as they accepted. But the greater response was from the audience itself, as the joke fell on deaf ears because they too, were unfamiliar with the libation. I heard whispers and “I don’t know“‘s. I literally wanted to stand and explain it to my fellow moviegoers so they could release the question from their mind and continue to enjoy the film. I explained it to Greg and the lady next to me asked me to repeat it. (I started not to since she had been a complete AZZ about the armrest the first 20 minutes of the film) but I did anyway.
I can just see you now, ordering a bellini all loud and wrong and looking crazy when it comes to your table and sending drinks back left and right. lol So to help you (moreso discourage that behavior), a Bellini is an Italian drink made from Sparkling Wine ( traditionally, Prosecco) and peach puree. That’s it! It’s that simple. For some reason, you don’t quite feel like a complete lush for drinking at 10 am so it’s traditionally a shower and/or brunch drink. Don’t go ordering it at the club, ladies and gents. (The same can be said for its cousin, the Mimosa which is the same but with OJ).
BTW- I LOVED THE FILM! Go check it out!
Coconut Shrimp
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We are serious shrimp people. Actually, we are serious seafood people. We LOOOOOOOVE being in the water. I won’t point her out but one of my sisters even has webbed toes. Lol j/k. Last night I made the infamous Linguine with Shrimp Scampi that is a fav to a few people around here. However, I stored a few for the people who have been asking me for the recipe for the coconut shrimp I posted pics of on Facebook a couple months ago. (See, I try to look out )
Well, I won’t keep you. (That’s what my aunt says AFTER keeping you on the phone for about 2 hours o_O) This is super easy, super quick and super tasty! Get to it!
Recipe slightly adapted from Simply Recipes
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons sweet chili sauce
- 1 teaspoon chili-garlic hot sauce (optional)
- 1 pound tail-on shrimp, shelled but leave tail on*
- 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoons coconut milk (or regular milk)
- Salt and pepper
- 1/2 cup Japanese panko bread crumbs
- 1/2 cup sweetened coconut flakes
- Oil, for frying (I used vegetable)
* I prefer at least the U15, flash frozen wild Jumbo shrimp (pictured). “U15” means that there are less than 15 shrimp in a pound. The larger the number the more shrimp you get in a single pound. (Popcorn shrimp would be about 41 to 50 per pound).
Directions
1 In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, sweet chili sauce and the chili-garlic hot sauce (optional). Set aside.
2 With a paring knife, slice down deep at the middle of the back of the shrimp, but do not cut all the way through. Discard the black vein/tract.
3 Set three shallow bowls side by side. Place flour in the first bowl; whisk the egg and coconut milk in the second; and combine the panko and coconut flakes in the third. 
4 Lightly season shrimp with salt and pepper.
5 Heat 2 inches of oil in a sauté pan over moderate heat until thermometer registers 350°F.
6 As the oil is heating, bread the shrimp by dipping the shrimp on both sides in the flour and shaking excess off. Next dip in the egg/coconut milk mixture and then in the panko/coconut flakes, patting to ensure the coating sticks well.
7 Fry the shrimp in small batches for 2-3 minutes until golden brown on both sides. Serve with Sweet Chili Mayo for dipping.
Serves 4.
Chocolate Cupcakes with Ganache Filling
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Chocolate Cupcakes with Ganache Filling
You all know I am a HUGE, HUGE, HUGE fan of America’s Test Kitchen/Cook’s Magazine so it should come as no surprise to you that when I found this “free” posting of their recipe for “Ultimate Chocolate Cupcakes with Ganache Filling” I HAD to try it. Like the original poster said, they are recipe hoarders and while I do subscribe to one or two publications I am always looking for more.
The cupcakes themselves were the best I’d ever had. They were moist, soft, rich and velvety. The depth of chocolate flavor really exceeded my expectations. A grown up cupcake, if you will. I profess to be a chocolate gurl. But the icing they provided coupled with the cupcake was a little toooooo chocolaty, even for me. I couldn’t handle it. It scared me. lol. (The kids seemed to not care but they aren’t known round these parts for their discriminating palates….except when it comes to veggies. o_O)
So, I sought out for something else to partner with the scrumptious cake and found this much lighter (and much less involved) frosting. (It’s FROSTING for heaven’s sake. It shouldn’t take longer than the cupcakes to prepare if you ask me… but who am I? #shrug) It has a taste similar to a cool whip but you can tell it is more substantial and more akin to icing.
This recipe makes 12 cupcakes and for 12 very happy people.
Ingredients
Ganache Filling:
- 2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped fine (I used the Ghiradeli chocolate brick. It’s 60% cacao and premeasured into 1/2 oz. pieces. each square represents a 1oz portion so measuring shouldn’t be a problem…for my slow friends, that is 4 pieces.)
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon confectioners’ sugar
Chocolate Cupcakes:
- 3 ounces bittersweet chocolate (6 pieces of the Ghiradeli block ), chopped fine
- 1/3 cup (1 ounce) Dutch-processed cocoa
- ¾ cup hot coffee
- ¾ cup (4 1/8 ounces) bread flour (While I usually use cake flour for baking, if they say use “bread flour” I am using it. I trust them.)
- ¾ cup (5¼ ounces) granulated sugar (regular table sugar)
- ½ teaspoon table salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 6 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs (room temperature)
- 2 teaspoons white vinegar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Frosting:
- 5 Tablespoons Flour
- 1 cup Milk
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla
- 1 cup Butter
- 1 cup Granulated Sugar (not Powdered Sugar!)
Preparation
Ganache Filling:
Place-chocolate, cream, and confectioners’ sugar in medium -microwave-safe bowl. Heat
in microwave on high power until mixture is warm to touch, 20 to 30 seconds.
Whisk until smooth; transfer bowl to refrigerator and let stand until just
chilled, no longer than 30 minutes.
Chocolate Cupcakes:
Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Line standard-sized muffin pan(cups have ½-cup capacity) with baking-cup liners. Place chocolate and cocoa in medium bowl. Pour hot coffee over mixture and whisk until smooth. Set in refrigerator to cool completely, about 20 minutes. Whisk flour, sugar, salt, and baking soda together in medium bowl; set aside.
Whisk oil, eggs, vinegar, and vanilla into cooled chocolate-cocoa mixture until smooth. Add flour mixture and whisk until smooth.
Divide batter evenly among muffin pan cups. Place one slightly rounded teaspoon ganache filling on top of each cupcake. Bake until cupcakes are set and just firm to touch, 17 to 19 minutes. Cool cupcakes in muffin pan on wire rack until cool enough to handle, about 10 minutes. Carefully lift each cupcake from muffin pan and set on wire rack. Cool to room temperature before frosting, about 1 hour.
Frosting:
In a small saucepan, whisk flour into milk and heat, stirring constantly, until it thickens. It should look like a thick, wet paste of sorts. Remove from heat and let it cool to room temperature. (You can also place the saucepan over ice in the sink for about 10 minutes or so until the mixture cools.) Once it is completely cooled, stir in the vanilla.
While the mixture is cooling, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. You don’t want any sugar graininess left. Then add the completely cooled milk/flour/vanilla mixture and whip it on medium high for about 4 to 5 minutes. If it looks separated, you haven’t beaten it enough! Beat it until it all combines and resembles whipped cream.
To frost, mound 2 to 3 tablespoons frosting on center of each cupcake. Using small icing spatula or butter knife, spread frosting to edge of cupcake, leaving slight mound in center.
Now eat! Told you they were good!!!!
Kicking Key Lime Pie
0
You can NOT be from Miami and NOT like Key Lime Pie. Sorry, it just aint happening. There is something about Key Lime that screams South Florida, The Keys (of course) and lazy summer days on one of the many beautiful beaches down there. I recall making Key lime pies in the kitchen with my mom and 4 sisters. We were sloppy and that “meringue” topping always looked like it had bubbled up from some active underwater volcano. However, we continued to take our pies to funeral wakes and various showers and feed whomever was moved enough (either with crippling grief or elation) to look beneath (literally) the presentation and taste our creations. They were always a hit. I believe we even tried our hand at peddling a few come to think of it.
I cannot understand for the life of me why my mother would have all of us “assisting”. We made such a mess, we fought over the strainers, dropped egg shells in the batter and were responsible for the many we had to “scratch” and re-make. But babaaaaaay, after squeezing 27 of those quarter-sized key limes allllll by my lonesome, I NOW KNOW WHY! That was a lot. But, I will say that I did not have the proper tools. I used a traditional reamer and that made it a little messy and tedious. Plus I’m sure I left a significant amount of juice behind because I just couldn’t get in there good enough. Here is an image of the latest in juicing…GOTTA GET ONE ASAP!
Ingredients
- 2 (14-ounce) cans condensed milk
- 1 cup key lime or regular lime juice (27 key limes- by one bag and grab 2 or 3 regular limes to carry you over if needed)
- 2 whole eggs
- zest of 3 persian limes or 6-8 key limes (be sure to zest BEFORE juicing)
- 12 Keebler prepared graham cracker pie crust tart shells
- 1 cup Heavy cream
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 2 tea vanilla extract
*Re Substitutions: Do NOT use store bought key lime juice, that’s just offensive. However, the common green limes (persian) will serve as good proxies if needed in this case. I was definitely surprised to see we even had key limes at our grocery store. They come in 1lb bags (about 20 per bag) for less than $3.00.
Directions
Heat the oven to 325 degrees F.
In a bowl, combine the condensed milk, lime juice, and eggs. Whisk until well blended. Place your prepared pie shells on a cookie sheet with sides (or risk dropping half of them like I did). Spoon filling evenly into them. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes and allow to chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.
Once chilled, make your whipped topping by combining cream, sugar and vanilla in a mixing bowl and whisk until soft peaks form. Place dollops of cream in the center of each or pipe it onto the pies. garnish with lime zest (or the zest of a few lemons for contrast like I did) and serve chilled. Amazingly simple with the perfect balance of sweet and tart. We got a winner right here, trust!
Strawberries n Cream Tarts
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I recently purchased a “Cook’s Illustrated; America’s Test Kitchen” magazine. Let me tell you, for instructional material, they have it on lock. Not only do they provide step-by-step guides, they let you know exactly WHY grandma’s recipe was sometimes hit or miss and why the variation and alteration you have in mind could possibly render a superb (or disastrous) recipe. They test several recipes and publish (often with pics) the outcome of each. I get excited because it brings out a little bit of the scientific geek in me. If only 10th grade science were like this…
I have to admit that I am “dieting” so please recognize the sacrifice I am making to bring you this recipe and excuse any drool on this post as well.
The original recipe was for a large tart but after making the graham cracker crust in the blender, I could not place my pie shell for the life of me. (IF YOU HAVE IT…..BRING IT BACK!!!) So, I ran to Publix and chanced upon mini prepared tart shells. These were probably more appealing to my nephews anyway. (But I STILL want my pie shell!)
Making the filling was surprisingly easy. I have to admit that it almost didn’t happen. The mixture failed to thicken as fast as promised and it wasn’t until I was about to throw it out (I don’t have time to waste on failed dishes, lol) that I noticed it was ready. So the lesson here is to be patient and WAIT!
FOR THE FILLING
1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin
1/4 cup sugar
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise and seeds scraped out (or 2-3 tea. pure vanilla extract if you can’t find a fresh bean. I couldn’t )
1 1/4 cups cold cream
1 quart strawberries, hulled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
To Make Filling: Sprinkle the gelatin over 1 tablespoon cold water in a bowl and let soften 5 minutes. Put the granulated sugar and vanilla seeds in a saucepan and rub the seeds into the sugar with your fingers. Add 1 cup cream and whisk over medium heat to dissolve the sugar. When the mixture comes to a boil, remove from the heat and whisk in the gelatin mixture. Transfer to a bowl, then set in a larger bowl of ice water and stir with a rubber spatula until the mixture begins to thicken. Add the remaining 1/4 cup cream and stir until thick, about 2 minutes. Pour into the tart shells and refrigerate until set, about 1 hour….or for whatever reason in my case…2 hours.
Before serving, top the tart with the strawberries and dust lightly with powdered (confectioner’s) sugar.
This is a very LIGHT dessert. It’s perfectly refreshing for a nice summer night with friends.
Jazzy Jiffy & Scallion Butter
0Digging up Patti’s Cookbook (mentioned in the previous post) I also found The New Woman’s Day Cookbook. I think it belongs to my mom but after these great recipes, I think I’m going to have to keep it. The recipe called for a cake pan but I put it in a muffin pan. I made these muffins with Patti’s (almost inedible) Cabbage Shuffle and coupled with the scallion butter….they were the highlight of the dinner. In fact, I honestly cannot recall what I served as the entree. This is a MUST TRY. You will not regret it.
Recipe Ingredients
Cornbread
- 2 boxes (8 1⁄2 oz each) corn muffin mix
- 1 can (11 oz) vacuum-packed Mexican-style corn
- 2⁄3 cup milk
- 2 large eggs
- 2 Tbsp stick butter, melted
- 1 cup (4 oz) shredded Cheddar cheese
Scallion Butter
- 1 stick (1/2 cup) softened butter
- 2 Tbsp minced scallions
Recipe Preparation
1. Heat oven to 375°F. Lightly coat a 9-in. round cake pan with nonstick spray.2. Stir first 5 ingredients in a bowl until blended; fold in cheese. Scrape into prepared pan.3. Bake 30 to 35 minutes until golden brown. Cool in pan on a wire rack. Cut in wedges.
4. Serve with Scallion Butter: Mix 1 stick (1/2 cup) softened butter with 2 Tbsp minced scallions.
Note: If you use a muffin pan, it takes a little less time (as you can see, it’s a lesson I LEARNED, lol)
Superbowl Sunday’s Coming
0Although I HATE foosball, my husband (and seemingly a lot of other idiots, lol) loves the game. Incidentally, I have to cook for it and THAT, I don’t mind. Here are a few of his favorite Super Bowl Snacks:
Bourbon-Glazed Chicken Drumettes
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 3 garlic cloves, peeled, thinly sliced
- 1 cup bourbon, divided
- 1 cup ketchup
- 1/2 cup hot pepper sauce (such as Crystal)
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- 6 tablespoons (packed) golden brown sugar
- 30 chicken drumettes* or drummette / wing combo (about 4 pounds)
- Blue Cheese Dipping Sauce (see recipe)
*A chicken drumette is the thick, meaty section of the chicken wing that resembles a drumstick.
Preparation
- Melt butter in heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic; sauté until golden, about 5 minutes. Add 3/4 cup bourbon; boil until most of liquid is absorbed, 6 to 8 minutes. Whisk in 1/4 cup bourbon, ketchup, hot pepper sauce, tomato paste, and brown sugar. Bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer until sauce thickens slightly, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Season marinade with salt and pepper. Remove marinade from heat; cool to room temperature.
- Place chicken drumettes in 15x10x2-inch glass baking dish. Pour marinade over and turn drumettes to coat. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Line baking sheet with foil or parchment paper. Place cooling rack atop prepared baking sheet. Arrange drumettes on rack, spacing slightly apart. Spread any remaining marinade from dish over drumettes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake drumettes (still on cooling rack) until cooked through and brown in spots, about 45 minutes. Transfer drumettes to serving platter. Serve Blue Cheese Dipping Sauce (recipe below) alongside.
Blue Cheese Dipping Sauce
Ingredients
- 8 ounces blue cheese (such as Maytag), finely crumbled (about 2 cups)
- 1 16-ounce container sour cream
- 1/3 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
Preparation
-
Whisk blue cheese crumbles, sour cream, and parsley in medium bowl until well blended. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to serving bowl. DO AHEAD Dipping sauce can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.
Devil Eggs
12 Large eggs (Peeled and cut lengthwise)
Mayonnaise
Sweet Relish (Completely drained)
Salt
Pepper
Paprika
Red Pepper flakes
Please follow the steps to preparing hard-boiled eggs in the post How to Boil an egg. I cannot tell you exact measurements for the filling because it is a matter of preference. However, I can tell you exactly WHERE I’VE SEEN THIS DISH GO TERRIBLY, TERRIBLY WRONG…
1) Too wet!!
Possible Cause: Too much mayo. It is okay to start with a little and build. You cannot GO BACK but you can always add.
Possible Cause: Pickles not drained. The pickle juice can be overpowering for the sweet pickle. When I say drain, I mean to press the pickles as hard as you can against the wall of the colander to get all of the excess juice out.
2) Not enough pickle. You should have a good balance of sweet and savory with the egg filing. You should be able to SEE IT.
3) Too much salt. Again, balance. If I find that mine are a little too salty, I add more pickle. Start out with a 1/4 tea of salt and a 1/2 tea. of pepper to begin.
4) HOT. THEY SHOULD NEVER BE HOT. Please be careful when serving folks, keep them cool and everyone will be safe and they taste better that way.
5) Overcooked eggs. The egg whites become rubbery and the yolks are no longer yellow.
6) Visually unappealing. I think we solved some of the trouble in the cooking process in “Tips for Perfect Devil Eggs” article. However, as far as presentation, there are a few simple tricks for “pretty eggs”:
- Instead of spooning them, pipe them into the egg whites with a simple Ziploc bag. All you do is cut a hole large egg for the filing to pass and presto. Equally filled and decorated eggs. If you wanted, you could go as far as using a pastry bag and decorative tip. If I’m doing a party, I like to pipe them onsite. I carry the whites in a Tupperware and my Ziploc bag with the filing separately.
- make sure they don’t slide and can turn over. If you don’t have a dish with devil egg cavities, use leafy stuff like Romaine lettuce, cabbage (green and purple varieties), I’ve even seen dry beans used before.
- Go easy on the paprika and try to sprinkle it on evenly among the eggs. Too much and your vibrant red accent color becomes a brown downer. I also LOVE parsley for garnish (curly or flat leaf). It adds a special touch and you’ll see that I use it a lot (but mainly because they make you buy a huge bunch and I never have any other uses for it). I also like green onions or chives.
Everyone makes devil eggs but everyone doesn’t take the care to make them GREAT! Follow these tips and you’ll be adding eggs to the list of things they ask you to bring to every function. (Hey! I don’t mind…this is CHEAP!! It’s the Jumbo Lumpmeat Crab salad I hate being asked to make, lol)
T.G.I.F. Spinach and Artichoke Dip
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
- 1/2 cup shredded mozarella cheese
- 1/2 tea. garlic
- 1/8 tea. onion powder
- 10 oz. frozen spinach (thawed and drained)
- 8 oz. artichoke hearts broken apart
- chopped tomatoes (to garnish)
Preparation:
- Lightly cover the bottom of a casserole dish with cooking spray
- Combine all ingredients in bowl and pour into dish with the exception of the tomatoes.
- Bake at 325 degrees for 25 minutes. (Usually, I multiply this recipe by 4 and bake at 350 degrees for 50 – 65 minutes. Just make sure the cheese is melted)
- Garnish with tomatoes
- Serve immediately in a bread bowl or in a pretty dish with tortilla chips, toast points or bread of choice. Or, if it’s for a party, I like to put it in the crock pot to keep it hot.
Buffalo Chicken Dip
2(Recipe adapted from Lakesha Cotton – THANKS BABE!)
1-12 OZ bottle Hot Wing Sauce
1-16 OZ bottle Blue Cheese
2-8 oz Cream Cheese
2 cups shredded cheese
4 chicken breasts cooked and shredded (or use 4 large cans of turkey breast meat as I did today)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Drain canned chicken, break up with fork. In a separate bowl, mix Hot Wing sauce, softened cream cheese and the dressing until creamy. (You’re supposed to use a “mixer” it but I didnt have one at work.) Add Chicken to it. Stir together and then spread into ungreased baking pan. Cover with cheddar cheese. Bake 30 – 40 minutes. Serve with Tortilla chips. I guess you could do veggies too but looking at the recipe…really? What’s the point? lol
The next time I make it will probably be for the fam and I will use real chicken breast but for my co-workers, they can get the canned meat. Not that I don’t love them, it’s just unneccessary. lol Normally I would post a pic but I made it at work and when I finally thought about it, it was too late. I’ll be certain to insert one the next time, though. (If you make anything with cheddar cheese then you know what I’m referring to when I say it was no longer camera ready) BUT IT WAS GOOD!! Three people emailed me requests for the recipe and that is always a good sign. Enjoy! Thanks Again, Kesha.
