Well I have been on vacation the last couple of days and have been through some excitement. Yesterday while driving to the theater, a SUV stuck a overpass pillar and flipped over right in front of me, so I had to quickly stop, called 911 and rushed to the overturn vehicle and got the driver out of the car. She was not seriously hurt, and I left as soon as the police arrived..............missed my movie, but hey, it was not like I could not stop. Today was better, I finally saw my film, 500 Days of Summer, and I really recommend it to all my readers. Anyway, after the film, I was out enjoying the nice weather and just pretty much relaxed the rest of the day and felt I needed something to help me i that endeavor, so I found rachael's recipe for Sparkling Sangria.
Ingredients
1/4 cup orange flavored liqueur, I used Grand Marnier
1/4 cup almond liqueur, I used Disarrono
12 strawberries, sliced
1 pint raspberries
1 bottle sparkling wine, I used a bottle of Ice Wine
4 seedless grapes
Combine liqueurs and fruit in the bottom of a medium pitcher and lightly muddle. Fill pitcher with sparkling wine. Place a single grape in the bottom of each glass. The yeast on the grape skin will help retain some fizz in your drink. Spoon a bit of muddled berry from the pitcher into each Champagne glass then pour in the liquid. Serve immediately. Cheers!
The Verdict............well let's just say, i am still feeling the buzz as I type this out.........easy to make and very very tasty :-)
Until Tomorrow...........
Friday, August 7, 2009
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Roadside classic
Had a bit of a sweet-tooth today so I made rachaels Chocolate Banana Cream Pie. I have always had a "pro pie' stance, so I was glad to see this recipe of rachael and a little surprised to since she always say that she is not a baker. She has just come out with her own line of bake ware called "oven lovin"......a name I think is just great.....anyway on to the pie.......
Ingredients
1 frozen pie shell, pricked several times with tines of a fork
1 package instant chocolate pudding, prepared to package directions
2 ripe bananas, sliced thin on an angle
1 can spray whipped cream
1 dark chocolate candy bar
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Bake pie shell 10 to 12 minutes, until golden. Remove from oven and let cool.
Line the baked and cooled pie shell with a layer of chocolate pudding, half of the prepared amount. Add a layer of bananas. Top with remaining prepared instant chocolate pudding and remaining bananas. Cover the top with a giant swirl of whip cream from the spray can, starting at the center and working out. Shave a chocolate bar with a vegetable peeler and top pie with shavings. Serve immediately
The verdict..........This was a really a tasty treat, one of the best pies I have ever had. The only thing I would have changed about this is that, I had to make a second pie do to the fact that I tripped taking the first one from the oven and ended up slinging it across my kitchen. Even managed to get some of it in the fish tank.........on the plus side, the fish took a nibble, so i think they liked the pie.
So if you decided to follow in my footsteps......double the ingredients......
Until tomorrow...............
Ingredients
1 frozen pie shell, pricked several times with tines of a fork
1 package instant chocolate pudding, prepared to package directions
2 ripe bananas, sliced thin on an angle
1 can spray whipped cream
1 dark chocolate candy bar
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Bake pie shell 10 to 12 minutes, until golden. Remove from oven and let cool.
Line the baked and cooled pie shell with a layer of chocolate pudding, half of the prepared amount. Add a layer of bananas. Top with remaining prepared instant chocolate pudding and remaining bananas. Cover the top with a giant swirl of whip cream from the spray can, starting at the center and working out. Shave a chocolate bar with a vegetable peeler and top pie with shavings. Serve immediately
The verdict..........This was a really a tasty treat, one of the best pies I have ever had. The only thing I would have changed about this is that, I had to make a second pie do to the fact that I tripped taking the first one from the oven and ended up slinging it across my kitchen. Even managed to get some of it in the fish tank.........on the plus side, the fish took a nibble, so i think they liked the pie.
So if you decided to follow in my footsteps......double the ingredients......
Until tomorrow...............
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Simple Comforts
Tonight, I am feeling a tad down about something, so I decided to make on of my favorite comfort foods Roasted Tomato Bruschetta. I know a lot of readers might think if this as an appetizer, but I can eat the stuff all by itself as a meal.
Ingredients
2 pints grape tomatoes
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 loaf sesame semolina bread (I just used french bread or "freedom" bread to make my republican friends happy))
2 cloves garlic, halved
4 scallions, finely chopped
1/2 cup basil leaves, thinly sliced
Heat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Coat the tomatoes in olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast 20 minutes to concentrate the flavor and burst the tomatoes.
Cut 2 large "planks" of bread each 1-inch thick by slicing the bread lengthwise horizontally. Reserve the rest of the loaf for another use.
When you remove the tomatoes from the oven, switch on broiler. Char bread on both sides then rub hot bread with cut garlic.
In a bowl, lightly mash the roasted tomatoes and combine with scallions and basil. Top the large planks with tomato mixture then cut each giant crostini into 4 pieces, 8 pieces total.
The Verdict...........delicious......I can see also hadd a bit of cheese to the top if you wanted, but it really is a tasty dish as is........
Until Tomorrow...........
Ingredients
2 pints grape tomatoes
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 loaf sesame semolina bread (I just used french bread or "freedom" bread to make my republican friends happy))
2 cloves garlic, halved
4 scallions, finely chopped
1/2 cup basil leaves, thinly sliced
Heat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Coat the tomatoes in olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast 20 minutes to concentrate the flavor and burst the tomatoes.
Cut 2 large "planks" of bread each 1-inch thick by slicing the bread lengthwise horizontally. Reserve the rest of the loaf for another use.
When you remove the tomatoes from the oven, switch on broiler. Char bread on both sides then rub hot bread with cut garlic.
In a bowl, lightly mash the roasted tomatoes and combine with scallions and basil. Top the large planks with tomato mixture then cut each giant crostini into 4 pieces, 8 pieces total.
The Verdict...........delicious......I can see also hadd a bit of cheese to the top if you wanted, but it really is a tasty dish as is........
Until Tomorrow...........
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Fruit Fiesta
I was shopping grocery shopping after work and was purchasing various fruits and melons to make up some fruit salads for work this week and I ran across something called an Athena melon. I had never heard of an Athena melon, although it looked a it like a large smooth skin cantaloupe, but I like trying new thins, so i grabbed one. So I got home chopped it up and took a taste........it's cantaloupe....I did some research ad Athena melon is just an american cantaloupe, although it looks a bit different from the ones from europe that I think most of us are used to. So with the melon identified, I have made Margarita Melon Salad.
Ingredients
2 limes, juiced
2 shots tequila
2 tablespoons orange liqueur
3 teaspoons sugar
1/2 cantaloupe, seeded and cubed
1/4 honey dew melon, seeded and cubed
1/4 small watermelon, cubed
Many markets sell halved melons and wedges of watermelon, making it easy to prepare this salad closer to desired amounts. I myself save money buying purchasing the whole melons and chopping them down to size:-)
Combine lime juice, tequila, liqueur, and sugar in a bowl. Add melons and toss to coat with tequila and lime. Serve in shallow bowls.
The verdict........simply to make and a pleasure to eat.......delicious and refreshing.........this would go great at a cookout and also something that would be an item to make for a date if you are cooking for that someone special.
Until tomorrow.........
Ingredients
2 limes, juiced
2 shots tequila
2 tablespoons orange liqueur
3 teaspoons sugar
1/2 cantaloupe, seeded and cubed
1/4 honey dew melon, seeded and cubed
1/4 small watermelon, cubed
Many markets sell halved melons and wedges of watermelon, making it easy to prepare this salad closer to desired amounts. I myself save money buying purchasing the whole melons and chopping them down to size:-)
Combine lime juice, tequila, liqueur, and sugar in a bowl. Add melons and toss to coat with tequila and lime. Serve in shallow bowls.
The verdict........simply to make and a pleasure to eat.......delicious and refreshing.........this would go great at a cookout and also something that would be an item to make for a date if you are cooking for that someone special.
Until tomorrow.........
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Breakfast
With family coming up today, I decided to rise early and make myself some breakfast, so I looked to Rachael for something tasty and thought I would try making Olive Frittata. Now I have never made a Frittata before, but I do know that basically it is like an open faced omelet that you finish cooking in the oven instead of folding over in the skillet.
Ingredients
3 tablespoons evoo
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 roasted red pepper, drained, pat dry and diced
1/2 to 2/3 cup drained chopped Spanish green olives with pimiento
6 eggs
Generous splash half-and-half or milk
Salt and pepper
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Heat the evoo in a small 6 to 8-inch oven-proof skillet over medium heat. Add onion to the hot oil and cook until soft and tender but not caramelized - keep the onion white. Add roasted peppers and olives and combine. Beat the eggs with half-and-half or milk and season them with salt and pepper. (Go easy on the salt because of the olives.) Pour the eggs into the skillet and keep settling them to the bottom of the pan as you would an omelet. When the eggs are firm on the bottom and set, transfer pan to the oven for about 10 minutes until top is golden brown. Cut and serve from the skillet or invert the frittata on to a serving plate.
The verdict......pretty good little dish. I had never had olives and eggs before, so I was thinking the olives could be a tad overpowering but they were not. The flavors really blended well together and really with the olives, very little salt had to be used. The only thing I might do different next time is may add a bit more red pepper, but that is because I really love red pepper and maybe a few mushrooms, cause, hey, they just go with eggs.
This was also a really cheap dish to make and took about 15 to 20 mins to prepare............o'h yea, and the cats dug this too:-)
Until Tomorrow..........
Ingredients
3 tablespoons evoo
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 roasted red pepper, drained, pat dry and diced
1/2 to 2/3 cup drained chopped Spanish green olives with pimiento
6 eggs
Generous splash half-and-half or milk
Salt and pepper
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Heat the evoo in a small 6 to 8-inch oven-proof skillet over medium heat. Add onion to the hot oil and cook until soft and tender but not caramelized - keep the onion white. Add roasted peppers and olives and combine. Beat the eggs with half-and-half or milk and season them with salt and pepper. (Go easy on the salt because of the olives.) Pour the eggs into the skillet and keep settling them to the bottom of the pan as you would an omelet. When the eggs are firm on the bottom and set, transfer pan to the oven for about 10 minutes until top is golden brown. Cut and serve from the skillet or invert the frittata on to a serving plate.
The verdict......pretty good little dish. I had never had olives and eggs before, so I was thinking the olives could be a tad overpowering but they were not. The flavors really blended well together and really with the olives, very little salt had to be used. The only thing I might do different next time is may add a bit more red pepper, but that is because I really love red pepper and maybe a few mushrooms, cause, hey, they just go with eggs.
This was also a really cheap dish to make and took about 15 to 20 mins to prepare............o'h yea, and the cats dug this too:-)
Until Tomorrow..........
Thursday, July 30, 2009
A Taste of Home
OK, I know it has been a little bit, but your ever lovin green-eyed chef, was on a date the other evening and ate out. But I am back tonight and since I had a plain old salad for dinner, I decided to make on of Rachael's tasty desserts, so I made Super Stuffed Baked Apples a la Mode!!!!
Ingredients
4 large apples, cored
1 tablespoon lemon juice
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup instant oatmeal mix or rolled oats
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, a healthy grating
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces
2 ounces, 1/8 cup, golden raisins, chopped
1/4 cup chopped walnuts or walnut pieces or pecans
1 pint vanilla icecream
Whipped cream, in a canister
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
Sprinkle cored apples with lemon juice. Mix next 7 ingredients and over-stuff apples. Bake 20 minutes in a small oven safe dish. Transfer apples to small bowls with a spoon and top with ice cream and whipped cream.
The Verdict.........well if you are wondering if I liked this, then you did not really pay attention to the ingredients, cause there was nothing in this baby not to love. This was a VERY VERY satisfying dish and one I will make at my next family get together, this just really rocked.
And to my regular readers who wondered what my cats thought.......they liked the ice-cream :-)
Until Tomorrow.............
Ingredients
4 large apples, cored
1 tablespoon lemon juice
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup instant oatmeal mix or rolled oats
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, a healthy grating
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces
2 ounces, 1/8 cup, golden raisins, chopped
1/4 cup chopped walnuts or walnut pieces or pecans
1 pint vanilla icecream
Whipped cream, in a canister
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
Sprinkle cored apples with lemon juice. Mix next 7 ingredients and over-stuff apples. Bake 20 minutes in a small oven safe dish. Transfer apples to small bowls with a spoon and top with ice cream and whipped cream.
The Verdict.........well if you are wondering if I liked this, then you did not really pay attention to the ingredients, cause there was nothing in this baby not to love. This was a VERY VERY satisfying dish and one I will make at my next family get together, this just really rocked.
And to my regular readers who wondered what my cats thought.......they liked the ice-cream :-)
Until Tomorrow.............
Monday, July 27, 2009
Brunch
Ok, I was in the mood for breakfast food for dinner, it is a feeling that I think we all get now and then, so I decided to try something from rachael that is brand new, never been had before by me.......Scrambled Eggs with Smoked Salmon.........now I know your thinking "Fish mixed with eggs???Brad have you lost your mind? Do you dare cross that line??".......yes folks, I dare........
Ingredients
1/4 pound sliced smoked salmon
12 eggs
1/2 cup heavy cream
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons butter
12 to 15 blades of fresh chives, finely chopped
Reserve 2 slices of salmon for garnish. Chop the remaining salmon into very small pieces.
Whisk your eggs and cream together. Add 1/2 of your chopped chives and season eggs with salt and pepper. Preheat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Melt butter in the pan and add eggs. Scramble eggs with a wooden spoon or really any spoon will do. Do not cook eggs until dry. When eggs have come together but remain wet, stir in chopped salmon. Remove pan from the stove and place on a trivet. Garnish the eggs with remaining salmon and chives and serve right out of the warm pan.
The Verdict........this was fantastic, the flavor of the salmon did not overpower the eggs like I thought they might. I only took a couple of bites(thank you diet)but it was enough to know that this would make an excellent brunch item. I could also see maybe tossing a few sauteed mushrooms to this dish or maybe top it with some caviar.
Also the cats went nuts for this one, they each ate about 1/2 a cup each, so kudos to rachael from the cat community.
Until tomorrow......
Ingredients
1/4 pound sliced smoked salmon
12 eggs
1/2 cup heavy cream
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons butter
12 to 15 blades of fresh chives, finely chopped
Reserve 2 slices of salmon for garnish. Chop the remaining salmon into very small pieces.
Whisk your eggs and cream together. Add 1/2 of your chopped chives and season eggs with salt and pepper. Preheat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Melt butter in the pan and add eggs. Scramble eggs with a wooden spoon or really any spoon will do. Do not cook eggs until dry. When eggs have come together but remain wet, stir in chopped salmon. Remove pan from the stove and place on a trivet. Garnish the eggs with remaining salmon and chives and serve right out of the warm pan.
The Verdict........this was fantastic, the flavor of the salmon did not overpower the eggs like I thought they might. I only took a couple of bites(thank you diet)but it was enough to know that this would make an excellent brunch item. I could also see maybe tossing a few sauteed mushrooms to this dish or maybe top it with some caviar.
Also the cats went nuts for this one, they each ate about 1/2 a cup each, so kudos to rachael from the cat community.
Until tomorrow......
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