Happy Birthday Pops

Today is my father in law Jim's birthday. We all celebrated last Sunday since I am out of town today. Jim loves great food just like I do and he is always willing to try new things. He is always so complimentary of my cooking even when I make something up for dinner! I wouldn't experiment with most people coming over but I know Jim will be a good sport if its bad! :) Jim is an excellent cook, he is a single guy and I was shocked the first time Matt invited me for dinner at his dad's place at all the food! The man can barbecue a turkey, which is something I would never attempt! (This is where Matt get's his impressive grilling skills)
I came across this brunch recipe and thought this was something he would like to try out. Jim, I hope you have a really great birthday, we will have to try this recipe one day at one of our family get togethers at your place.
8 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 soft rolls, halved lengthwise
8 ounces prosciutto, thinly sliced
8 ounces Swiss cheese, thinly sliced

In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs, salt, and pepper.

Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Pour in the eggs and scramble until cooked through.

Divide the eggs among the bottom halves of the rolls. Add the prosciutto and cheese and sandwich with the tops of the rolls.

Melt the remaining butter in a grill pan or large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add half the sandwiches to the skillet. Cook, pressing frequently with the back of a spatula or placing another pan on top of the sandwiches to weigh them down, until the cheese has melted and the bread is golden, 4 to 6 minutes. Repeat with the remaining sandwiches.

Tortilla Pie

Real Simple has a list of easy Mexican recipes on line this week, these would be great simple recipes to divide into single servings.
I like this tortilla pie recipe because it is vegetarian, I was reading on MSN health that if you can eat vegetarian even one day per week the health benefits are amazing and it can also help to trim up your waist line. With a great recipe like this you won't even feel like you are sacrificing!

2 tablespoons olive oil
6 white corn tortillas
1 10-ounce package frozen chopped spinach — thawed, drained, and excess moisture squeezed out
6 ounces good-quality Feta cheese, crumbled
1 cup chopped fresh tomatoes (½-inch chunks) or one 14 ½-ounce can
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 fresh basil leaves, torn

Preheat oven to 375° F. Spray an 8-inch pie pan with cooking spray. Pour 1 tablespoon of the olive oil into a small bowl and lightly brush each tortilla on both sides. Place the tortillas around the pan to form an overlapping circular crust. Bake 5 minutes, until lightly golden. Spoon the spinach evenly over the tortillas, then put half the Feta on top. Sprinkle with the chopped tomatoes and top with the remaining Feta. Drizzle with the remaining olive oil and season with the salt and pepper. Bake 15 to 20 minutes, until the cheese is golden. Let stand for 5 minutes before slicing. Garnish with the basil.

Reader Question, part 2, wine

As promised here is part 2 of our reader's question this time concerning wine.

I am a new visitor to the site. I was wondering if you have done a post on wines that you enjoy that aren't too expensive...possibly from trader joe's?? or where do you get your wine from?? thanks, love the site for a beginner like myself!! :)also, do you happen to know of easy recipes for single people that are not too complicated or make a huge amount??

While I would love to claim to be a wine sommelier, I am not! I do love wine and I think you can get a great bottle under $10. I typically drink red, although I do like a Pinot Grigio. I am not a fan of Merlot, it is a little grapey for me, but I love Prosecco which is the Italian version of champagne. So if you think you're okay with recommendations from someone like that, read on! (We do often have friends over for wine and I don't ever get any complaints)

Most stores that sell wine are having the wines selected by a wine sommelier, sometimes if you ask they are even on site and will help you. Nothing thrills me more than when Franco, the sommelier at our local Safeway wants to help me out, although then Matt wonders where I am since my quick trip to the store takes 2 hours. I like getting wine at Safeway because they have great sales every week.

Louis Jadot Beaujolais Wine is one of my favorite reds, typically priced at $12 a bottle I can often pick it up for $7. A few other reds I love, Beringer Founders Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, Concannon Gate Label Syrah and Bolla's Chianti. Bolla and Bella Sera both make wonderful everyday wines in all their varieties and are always under $7 not even on sale.

Like I said before I don't drink a lot of white, it makes me a little itchy, but I do like Cavit's Pinot Grigio. (On the white wine I am defering to Megan, another blog author who loves her chardonay!)

Now what I do love is champagne! It makes me feel like Coco Chanel, lolling about with some bubbly, my favorite is Veuve Cliquot, but at $45 a bottle, we only have it on very special occasions, like when we got engaged! For bubbly for one try Martini and Rossi Asti these adorable single serving sparkling wines that come in the cutest blue bottle.

Our reader specifically asked about wine from Trader Joe's, I occasionally buy wine there but not often enough to make a good recommendation, but I found someone who does. Jason, of Jason's Wine Blog, drinks wine from Trader Joe's and reviews it. Click here to check out his top ten.

Reader, I hope this helps you in your wine search, if not email me and we can figure it out! Remember if you open a bottle that isn't great you can always save it for cooking.

Reader Question-Meals for One

Nothing thrills me more than someone asking my opinion, I guess I am a know it all! A reader recently left this comment asking my opinion, first I am going to address the cooking for one question. The wine question I am going to have to dump out my big bowl of corks to see what we drink most often :)

I am a new visitor to the site. I was wondering if you have done a post on wines that you enjoy that aren't too expensive...possibly from trader joe's?? or where do you get your wine from?? thanks, love the site for a beginner like myself!! :)also, do you happen to know of easy recipes for single people that are not too complicated or make a huge amount??

Reader, to answer your question of easy recipes that don't make a huge amount. I never want to deprive myself of any recipe by saying it is too much for just me. When I lived alone, if I made too much I froze a portion which was great on nights I worked late, to have something yummy in my freezer. If I was conscience of what I was doing I would simply divide the recipe. Now the only math that my brain computes is diving a recipe and percentages off on sales. That said, if you still don't want the work of dividing, buy one of Crate and Barrel's recipe dividers.

I love left-overs, so when there was lots left, I looked forward to bringing it for my lunch. Bringing lunch from home can save you a lot of money. Even if you eat a $6 meal at lunch 3 days a week you will spend over $80 a month. I would save that cash by bringing lunch and buy myself a crockpot!

If you would like a cook book that deals in cooking for one, Shoppings My Cardio recommends Little Black Apron. This book deals in healthy quick recipes for one. More on this tomorrow!

As far as simple recipes, try these to begin with and let me know how you do! Good luck, remember if you try something and its lousy get take out!

Honey Mustard Chicken

Chicken Soup with Cilantro Chile-Cream

Shrimp, Feta and Zucchini

BBQ Chicken

Greek Pizza

Happy Birthday Aunt Karen

Today is my Aunt Karen's Birthday, her family threw her a Mexican Fiesta to celebrate. A Mexican Fiesta is a perfect party for Aunt Karen, she loves life and loves to have fun! Kristin emailed me asking for an excellent Guacamole recipe. I am allergic to avocados, so I have never come up with my own, but I use this one from the Food Network and everyone loves it. Happy Birthday Aunt Karen! Love you lots! xoxo

3 Haas avocados, halved, seeded and peeled

1 lime, juiced

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon cayenne

1/2 medium onion, diced

2 Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced

1 tablespoon chopped cilantro

1 clove garlic, minced
In a large bowl place the scooped avocado pulp and lime juice, toss to coat. Drain, and reserve the lime juice, after all of the avocados have been coated. Using a potato masher add the salt, cumin, and cayenne and mash. Then, fold in the onions, tomatoes, cilantro, and garlic. Add 1 tablespoon of the reserved lime juice. Let sit at room temperature for 1 hour and then serve.

Happy Birthday Kristin

Today is my cousin Kristin's birthday. Kristin is the main reason I started writing this blog, she married her high school sweetheart and wanted recipes she could make after work. Kristin is turning out to be a great cook and throws great parties. It all makes this older cousin very proud! Happy Birthday Kristin! xoxo

Since Kristin and I share a love of Chick-fil-A, I thought a chicken nugget recipe was perfect for her birthday!

1 large egg

1/3 cup buttermilk

1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into bite size pieces

1 1/2 cups panko bread crumbs

1/4 teaspoon paprika 1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1 teaspoon Cavender's

1/2 cup peanut oil (The Chick-fil-A secret!)

Ranch, honey mustard or barbecue sauce for dipping

Whisk the egg and buttermilk in a medium bowl. Soak chicken pieces in egg mixture while you gather remaining ingredients. Meanwhile, in another shallow bowl combine panko with paprika, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, and Cavender's, to taste. Set a rack on a cookie sheet lined with paper towels.
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Lift chicken from buttermilk, letting excess liquid drain back into the bowl, then dip into panko and turn to coat on all sides. Carefully place chicken in oil and cook until they are golden and crispy and cooked through, about for 5 minutes per side.

Bananas Foster Pancakes

Resist the urge to start yelling BAM! Emeril has a recipe to turn your basic pancakes into Bananas Foster Pancakes. My brother in law Steve, should help with this, he makes Bananas Foster, we'll see if my mom let's him make flambe at her house next time we all visit. While technically pancakes are breakfast, I think this is best served as desert!

(This is Matt attempting not to get lit on fire)

Buttermilk pancakes
4 ripe bananas, peeled
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup paced light brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup banana liqueur
1/2 cup dark rum
1 pint vanilla ice cream
Confectioners sugar, garnish
Ground cinnamon, garnish

Keep the pancakes warm on a baking sheet in the oven at 220° F. Cut the bananas in half across and then lengthwise. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the brown sugar and cinnamon and cook, stirring, until the sugar dissolves, about 2 minutes. Add the bananas and cook on both sides until the bananas start to soften and brown, about 3 minutes. Add the banana liqueur and stir to blend into the sauce. Carefully add the rum and shake the pan back and forth to warm the rum and flame the pan. (Or, off the heat, carefully ignite the pan with a match and return to the heat.) Shake the pan back and forth, basting the bananas, until the flame dies. Remove the pan from the heat. Remove the pancakes from the oven and divide among 4 large plates. Top each serving with 1 scoop of vanilla ice cream. Gently lift the bananas from the pan and place 4 pieces on each stack of pancakes. Spoon the sauce over the bananas and ice cream and garnish with confectioners sugar and cinnamon. Serve immediately.

Latkes~Potato Pancakes

As long as we are this far into the week talking about pancakes, we better see it through! Latkes or Potato Pancakes are shallow-fried pancakes of grated potato and egg, often flavored with grated onion. Potato pancakes may be topped with a variety of condiments, ranging from the savory (such as sour cream) to the sweet (such as applesauce or sugar), or they may be served ungarnished. Potato pancakes are commonly associated with traditional German or Jewish cuisine. I have actually never made them but enjoyed them as a kid when our family friend Hermina would make them for us. I read that Latkes are traditional eaten for Hanukkah, the custom probably came from a preference for fried food to celebrate the miracle involving olive oil in the Second Temple of ancient Israel. (I wish I knew that off the top of my head but I got that info from Wikipedia) Either way I love trying out traditional cultural meals. I think these could be a lot of fun to vary, sweet potato pancakes anyone?

4 large potatoes
1 yellow onion
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
ground black pepper to taste
2 cups vegetable oil for frying

Finely grate potatoes with onion into a large bowl. Drain off any excess liquid.
Mix in egg, salt, and black pepper. Add enough flour to make mixture thick, about 2 to 4 tablespoons all together.
Turn oven to low, about 200 degrees F (95 degrees C).
Heat 1/4 inch oil in the bottom of a heavy skillet over medium high heat. Drop two or three 1/4 cup mounds into hot oil, and flatten to make 1/2 inch thick pancakes. Fry, turning once, until golden brown. Transfer to paper towel lined plates to drain, and keep warm in low oven until serving time. Repeat until all potato mixture is used.

Megan's Potato Pancakes

Ok, so I am not a huge fan of regualr pancakes, but I absolutely love potato pancakes. One of the best things about them, is that you can use left-over mashed potatoes from the previous night's dinner or even on the holidays. They are great for any time of day, but my favorite is for breakfast. Serve with sour cream or apple sauce on the side and your tastebuds will thank you for it.

2 eggs
1/4 cup milk
2 cups finely shredded uncooked potatoes, well drained
2 tablespoons thinly sliced green onions
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon butter or margarine

1. Beat eggs in medium bowl with hand beater until fluffy. Stir in milk, potatoes, onions and salt. Melt butter in 10-inch skillet.
2. Drop dough by tablespoonfuls into skillet.
3. Cook about 3 minutes on each side or until golden brown.
(Total time will vary; cook or bake time is per batch.)

Andrea's Pancakes

Andrea, one of this blogs readers was sweet enough to share her pancake recipe. (Andrea if you want to e-mail me a photo, I will change it on the post) Thanks Andrea, I love share recipes!


1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup quick cooking oats
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup milk
1 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg
Beat all ingredients until smooth. For thinner pancakes, stir in 2 to 4 Tbsp of additional milk. Our favorite addition to the recipe is grated apple.

Best Homemade Pancakes

The talk of pancake mixes sparked interest. There are so many varieties of pancakes that we could have a pancake week. This is a basic pancake recipe but a great one!

Nonstick Spray

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 egg

1 1/4 cups buttermilk

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 heaping teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 cup cooking oil

pinch of salt

Preheat a skillet over medium heat. Use a pan with a nonstick surface or apply a little nonstick spray. With a mixer, combine all of the remaining ingredients until smooth. Pour the batter by spoonfuls into the hot pan, forming 5-inch circles. When the edges appear to harden, flip the pancakes. They should be golden brown. Cook pancakes on the other side for same amount of time, until golden brown.
Makes 8 to 10 pancakes.

Best Pancake Mixes

Saturday morning I decided that I had to have pancakes for breakfast. The only problem was we just had a little bit left in each box of mix, I decided we could have an impromptu pancake taste test. The brands we had were Krusteaz (which is the brand I typically buy), Fresh and Easy's buttermilk pancakes and the Lehi Roller Mill mix. The Lehi Roller Mill is probably most famous for being the place that the dance was held in Footloose. They actually mill flour there but you can order amazing mixes from them.

All the pancakes were good, you really can't go wrong with pancakes...Each mix had its merits:

Krusteaz is available at your local grocery store and only need water added to the mix.

Fresh and Easy has no preservatives so you have to add eggs and oil. But over all the Lehi Roller Mill pancakes were much more delicious. (Thanks to Tom & Keri for getting us the mix!)

Our final decision was that maybe around the holidays we would place an order from the Roller Mill to be shipped to us, so that we could have special pancakes. I think I would also order some raspberry muffin mix.

What are your favorite pancake mixes? Or do you make your pancakes from scratch?

Rainbow Shots

Matt and I recently took a trip to Cabo, when we got home and showed off our pictures, everyone was mostly interested in this shot. Which says a lot, I had my picture taken with a baby lion! The shots came from Rip's which if you have been to Cabo it is the bar near Cabo Wabo with the Hippo on the front of it. We actually met Rip and he bought us the shots.
Once the shots were all poured I decided that Matt should drink the blue and green ones, I have strict rules against green and blue drinks, and candy! Must be the artificial color :)
Well after much searching this is what I found about making these lovely drinks:
Take a shaker tin and fill it 3/4 with ice. Add 2 ounces each of Malibu, Vodka, and Triple Sec first. Tilt the tin and add 2 ounces Grenadine. Then add 2 ounces OJ and 2 ounces Sweet and Sour. Finally topping it off with 2 ounces Blue Curacao. Do not shake. Watch the colors layer as you pour. You can use 6 shot glasses with about 2 ounces each. They taste like a screw driver to me, not my favorite cocktail but will impress your friends!

What I Want Today: Travel Chic

I have been asked to be a guest writer at Shopping's My Cardio, if you want to read my first official post, about traveling in style, click here.

Healthy Artichoke Pasta

My sort of Aunt Judy (who gave us the amazing mashed potato recipe) is pictured here with the Johnson Family, she is in the blue. I was very excited when I got an email with her healthy artichoke pasta recipe. Judy is a great cook and she focuses on a healthy eating lifestyle. I can honestly say that Judy looks younger now than she did when I was a kid! See what good food can do for you? From Judy: (My notes are in green!)

This is the description of the Carino's dish from their menu. (It's one of their lowest calorie dishes.)
Angel Hair with Artichokes
Delicious artichoke hearts, Roma tomatoes, chopped garlic, tangy capers, fresh basil, black olives and Parmesan cheese tossed with angel hair pasta. Add sliced grilled chicken or shrimp.
If you used Shrimp rather than Chicken you would lower calories even more.

Here's my version. I make it fairly often, usually with the Shirataki noodles (20 calories per serving!). It's a one-skillet meal. I almost always add fresh spinach. It's a pretty dish as well as healthy and tasty. Not only is this low calorie but using the tofu noodles makes it South Beach Diet Friendly!

Artichoke Pasta (Judy)
Serves 2-4.

1 pkg Shirataki Noodles (or 1-2 cups cooked angel hair pasta)
1/8 cup Olive Oil (or more)
1/2 med onion, diced
4 cloves garlic (or more)
1 can Artichokes, drained (if using water-packed, Progresso is best) Remember you can also use frozen Artichoke hearts, they have a little less sodium
1 small jar Capers (about 1/8 cup), drained
1/2 - 1 can Black olives, drained (either small pitted olives or sliced)
2-4 med Roma tomatoes, diced
Fresh Basil (or dried Italian spices if necessary)
1 med boneless skinless chicken breasts, thinly sliced and cut into bite sized pieces (Opt)
A few handfuls of fresh spinach (opt) I love wilted spinach, Judy says this is optional but it would be mandatory for me!
Mushrooms, (opt)

1-Prepare the Shirataki noodles or pasta and set aside.
2-In a large skillet, heat the oil and saute the onion until translucent. Add mushrooms and saute a bit more. Then add the garlic and saute just a minute or so (don't burn).
3-If using dried spices, add it now. If using fresh basil (better), wait until the end.
4-If using chicken, add it next and saute until done. Take care not to get the heat too high because you don't want to burn the garlic.
5-Add noodles, artichokes, olives, and capers. Stir until heated. If needed, add a little more olive oil and/or garlic.
6-If using spinach, add it and cover the pan long enough to wilt it.
7-Stir the spinach in, then add diced tomatoes and fresh basil. Cover until warm.
8-Serve with fresh Parmesan sprinkled on top.

Here's the Info on Shirataki Tofu Noodles. I get them at Whole Foods, in the refrigerated Tofu section. A two-serving bag is about $1.65 and has only 40 calories (20 cal per serving!). Use in place of pasta/noodles. I've never been able to find the angel hair style, but I hear they're very good. The spaghetti style noodles are MUCH better than the Fettuccine style noodles.

http://www.house-foods.com/our_products/popup/tofu_shirataki_1.html

Important to prepare them like this:
1. Dump them into a mesh strainer and rinse *very* well. (Try to avoid smelling that nasty brine!) I usually cut through them a few times with scissors because they're really long.
2. Now throw them into a hot, dry non-stick skillet and "stir-fry" for a few minutes. You'll know when they're done because they'll get drier and start to stick a little bit. You can skip this step, but it makes a lot of difference in the end result.
3. Use in your fave recipe in place of pasta. I do lots of quick one-skillet meals using them. The texture is slightly different than real pasta, but the taste of the recipe will be remarkably similar. (I've used these with Jeff and Debi in the Artichoke pasta and neither knew.) Jeff is Judy's son, I love that she fooled him into eating healthy :)

Thanks Judy, this sounds delicious and the noodles are a great diet tip!

Tomatoes with Goat Cheese

Today is my mother in law's Birthday, Happy Birthday Mom! I was trying to think of a recipe she would love that if she were here with us instead of off vacationing in Alaska. Mom isn't much for sweets, but I thought this tomato and goat cheese recipe that my friend Megan sent me was perfect. The recipe comes from Napa Style, as you know Michael Chiarello is one of my favorite celebrity chefs. (For anyone who is dieting, this recipe could become South Beach Friendly simply by omitting the bread crumbs, with such delicious cheese, you wouldn't even miss them!)

1/4 cup Fine Dried Bread Crumbs

Sea salt, preferably gray salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon water

1 egg

4 rounds fresh goat cheese, about 2 ounces each

4 thick, ripe beefsteak tomato slices

2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for the salad

2 cups lightly packed mixed tender fresh herb leaves such as basil, chervil, tarragon, Italian (flat-leaf) parsley, chives (1-inch lengths), or young cress

Red wine vinegar

In a small, shallow bowl, mix the bread crumbs with salt and pepper to taste. Add the water and work it in with your fingers to moisten the crumbs lightly. In another small, shallow bowl, beat the egg just until blended. Dip one flat surface of each goat cheese round in the egg, and then in bread crumbs, patting the crumbs in place. Repeat on the other flat surface, leaving the sides of the rounds uncoated. Refrigerate the coated cheese rounds for about 15 minutes.
Center the tomato slices on 4 salad plates. Season with salt and pepper.
Heat a large nonstick skillet over moderately high heat. Add the 2 tablespoons olive oil. When the oil is almost smoking, add the cheese rounds, one coated side down. Cook until lightly browned, about 45 seconds, then turn and cook on the second side until the cheese just feels quivery, about 45 seconds longer, depending on the thickness of the rounds. Place a cheese round on each tomato slice.
In a bowl, toss the herbs with a splash of red wine vinegar, a light drizzle of olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste. Mound the herbs on top of the cheese, dividing them evenly. Serve immediately.

Kitchen Tip: Perfect Hard Boiled Eggs

Sometimes there are simple little tricks in the kitchen that no matter how great a cook you are, you just don't know everything. I confess, every time I go to boil eggs I call my mom...How long do you boil eggs? Embarrassing, I know! So here is how to make the perfect hard boiled egg.

After some research I learned that, eggs that are too fresh are difficult to peel, so always keep eggs in the refrigerator for a week or two before making boiled eggs.
My mom told me to take eggs out of the refrigerator and let them come to room temperature before cooking. Place the eggs in a pan large enough to hold all the eggs in a single layer, with water to cover eggs by at least an inch. Bring water to a boil. As soon as it boils, turn off heat and cover eggs. Set timer for 12 minutes. After 12 minutes, drain eggs, and add cold water. Let eggs cool in cold water, then drain and store in refrigerator.

Now what to do with the eggs...Make deviled eggs with shrimp and bacon!

Zucchini Ricotta Cheesecake

I stumbled across this recipe on 101 cookbooks. Heidi Swanson the author of the site sums up her site by saying: When you own over 100 cookbooks, it is time to stop buying, and start cooking.

I am always searching for a new savory cheesecake recipe to try, I am a huge fan of the Parmesan Cheesecake at Uncorked in Scottsdale. So I had to try this one. This is the recipe straight from Heidi's site, I will make my notes in green. If you make this let me know how it turns out for you.

To shred the zucchini use a box grater - most micro planes are too fine, you want shredded zucchini, not mush. I used my micro plane and liked the results. Feel free to play around with the "add-in" ingredients - for example, use whatever chopped herbs you like. My favorite cooking philosophy! Make it your own. I had dill on hand, and I like how it tastes with summer squash, so dill it was. I suspect anything from chopped olives, sun-dried tomatoes, or chives, to spices, chopped spinach, or corn could work here. Also, when I have the time and inclination I'll drain the ricotta through cheesecloth to get even more moisture out of the cake, but to be honest, most times I won't bother. I did drain my ricotta because the version I love at Uncorked is not moist. Lastly, I use a springform pan here, but you could use an equivalent baking dish or deep tart pan as well. If you don't have a springform pan, next time you are invited to one of those Pampered Chef parties, pick one up. They have a great one.

2 cups zucchini, unpeeled & grated
1 teaspoon fine grain sea salt (I substituted my favorite Cavender's here)
2 1/2 cups ricotta cheese (I used the low fat)
1/2 cup freshly shredded Parmesan cheese
2 shallots, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 cup fresh dill, chopped
zest of one lemon
2 large eggs, well beaten
1/3 cup goat cheese, crumbled
drizzle of olive oil

Preheat oven to 325F degrees, racks the middle. Butter/oil a 7-inch springform pan. (Pam with flour, works like a charm!)

In a strainer, toss the shredded zucchini with the salt and let sit for ten minutes. Now aggressively squeeze and press out as much moisture as you can. Set aside.

In the meantime, combine the ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, shallots, garlic, dill and lemon zest in a medium bowl. Stir in the eggs and continue mixing until well combined. Now stir in the shredded zucchini. Fill the springform pan with the ricotta mixture and place on a baking sheet. Place in the oven and bake for sixty minutes. If there is any moisture left on top of the cake at this point, carefully use a bit of paper towel to dab it off. Now sprinkle with the goat cheese and return to the oven for another 20 -30 minutes or until the goat cheese is melted and the cake barely jiggles in the center (it will set up more as it cools).

At this point, if the cake is baked and set, but the top isn't quite golden, I'll zap it with the broiler (just about a minute) to get a bit more color on top. Remove from the oven and let cool five minutes, then release the cake from its pan. Cool completely, serve at room temperature drizzled with a bit of olive oil and a few sprigs of dill.

Happy Birthday Carolyn! Strawberry Shortcake

Today is my sister in law Carolyn's birthday. I am so lucky that we actually love each other and really are like sisters. I have heard nightmare stories! Carolyn loves strawberry shortcake, so I thought I would make the Southern version with the biscuits. Normally I would scent the whipped cream with a little liquor but Carolyn is expecting, so we will skip it! Another cute niece, like Miss Lily or nephew for us!
Happy Birthday Carolyn!

Biscuits:
2 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons sugar (you can use Splenda)
1 stick of chilled butter
2/3 to 3/4 a cup of half and half
Filling:
1 quart strawberries
1/3 cup sugar (you can use Splenda)
1 1/2 cups of whipped cream for topping

Rinse the berries under cold water; drain well. Hull and slice the berries; place in a bowl. Sprinkle with the sugar; cover and let stand at room temperature for about 1 hour. Whip the cream (sweeten with 2 or 3 tablespoons of sugar) until it holds a soft peak. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Set rack at center level.

In a food processor combine the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar and pulse to mix. Cut butter into about 8 pieces and add to the mixture. Pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal, but with few pea-size chunks of butter left in the mixture. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and make a well in the center. With a fork stir in the cream or milk, just until dough is moist. Be very careful not to overwork. The dough doesn't have to hold together well at this point. Let the dough stand for a minute. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Fold the dough over on itself (knead) 2 or 3 times, until it is holding together and is less sticky.

Gently pat the dough into a 6 by 12-inch rectangle about 3/4-inch thick and cut into 8 (3-inch) biscuits with a floured round cutter. Transfer to a buttered foil-lined cookie sheet. Brush on a little milk or cream and sprinkle tops with some sugar, if desired. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until risen and golden brown. Remove to a platter and split each biscuit horizontally with a serrated knife. Butter the hot biscuits then top with about 1/3 cup of berry mixture. Replace the tops and top with a tablespoon or so of berries. Serve with whipped cream for topping.

If you want to make this & the biscuits are too much to do, just use Bisquick! It's okay to fake it sometimes in the kitchen. :)

Olympics

This has nothing to do with food...
This morning the Today show had the best coverage on the Olympics, with all my Olympic excitement I wanted to share some of my favorite stories.

Follow this link if you want watch the Today Show coverage.

If you use this link there is a sign up to watch the games live.

My personal favorite was the story of the 'Lost Boy', Lopez Lomong, who will be the US flag bearer. Watching his story gives me the chills. He went to Northern Arizona University, just like Matt. I think that he might be my second favorite Olympian, next to my brother in law!
My other favorite thing about these Olympics are the cute little mascots, they are soo Hello Kitty! My first birthday cake had Hello Kitty characters, so Hello Kitty is deeply embedded in my culinary love! What is your favorite thing about these Olympics?

Orange Peel Chicken

With the Olympic opening ceremonies starting tomorrow morning I thought it would be fun to do a Chinese recipe, well an American style one, from P.F. Chang's. I am normally not so excited about the Olympics but my brother in law, pictured here, is an Olympian! Steve Green is on the Canadian Olympic Baseball team. Here is your Chinese food, Tivo the ceremonies to watch tomorrow night! And watch for Steve.

Sauce:
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 tablespoons minced garlic
4 green onions, sliced
1 cup tomato sauce
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons chili garlic sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce
Chicken:
1/2 cup vegetable oil
4 chicken breast fillets
1 egg, beaten
1 cup milk
1 cup flour
peel from 1/4 orange, julienned (into 1/8-inch thick strips)

Prepare sauce by heating 1 tablespoon of oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add minced garlic and sliced green onions. Add tomato sauce and water quickly before the garlic burns. Add sugar, chili garlic sauce and soy sauce and bring to a boil. Simmer 5 to 6 minutes or until sauce thickens, then turn off the heat.

Prepare the chicken by heating 1/2 cup oil in a wok over medium heat. Slice chicken breast fillets into bite-size pieces. Combine beaten egg with milk in a medium bowl. Pour the flour into another medium bowl.

Coat chicken pieces by dropping them into the flour a few at a time, then into the egg/milk mixture and back into the flour. Arrange coated chicken on a plate until all chicken is coated.

When oil in the wok is hot, add about half of the chicken to the oil and cook for a couple minutes or until brown on one side, then flip the chicken over. When chicken is golden brown, remove the pieces to a rack or paper towels to drain. Repeat with the remaining chicken. When all of the chicken is cooked rinse the oil out of the wok with water and place it back on the stove to heat up.

When wok is hot again add julienned orange peel and chicken. Heat for 20 to 30 seconds or so, stirring gently. Add sauce to the pan and cook for about 2 minutes. Stir dish a couple times but do it gently so you don't knock the coating off the chicken. Cook until the sauce thickens then serve up the dish with white or brown rice on the side.

Aioli Dip

Here is another great one from Trish, but I can not resist pictures of Miss Reese! This is actually Dave's recipe, Trish likes to do something that I do quite often in the kitchen take a store bought item & combine it with a homemade item to make it your own. Do you have any little secrets like that?

Dave made it for me while we were living in Arizona and it was amazing!

Aioli:
2 garlic cloves (minced, and mashed)
1 large egg yolk
2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp. dijon mustard
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 T. vegetable oil

Whisk together yolk, lemon juice, and mustard. Combine Oils and add a few drops at a time to mixture. Whisk constantly, until aioli is emulsified. Whisk in garlic paste and season with salt and pepper. If aioli is too thick, add a few drops of H2o.

Chill until ready to serve.

Serve with Bacon Wrapped Scallops. I buy the scallops from Costco and we wrap them with bacon. Then drizzle or dip with Aioli sauce.