Well, I was told at work by a friend that I had been slipping in my posting, and i have.........it is true. I explained that I have been dating and just not been able to cook at home, but today I am back on course and decided to make something that sounded rather different from Rachael...........Stuffed Roasted Strawberries.
Ingredients
12 extra-large strawberries (the bigger the better:-)
1 to 2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 teaspoon sugar, optional
Spray whipping cream
Cocoa powder, for garnishing
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Slice the tops of the berries off just below the stem. Cut the tips off (about 1/4-inch), so that the berries will sit upright. Next, use a small spoon or a melon ball scoop to hollow out the strawberries, working from their tops, in order to create a cavity in each one. Stuff some chocolate into the cavity of each strawberry and place them upright in a baking dish. Lightly sprinkle the berries with sugar, if using. Roast the berries until soft and the chocolate is melted, about 10 to 12 minutes.
To serve, place 3 strawberries on a dessert plate in a triangle. If the berries have given off liquid in the baking dish, spoon it over them. Spray a small mound of cream in the center of the berries, and top each berry with a rosette of cream. Sift a little cocoa powder over the plate, and serve!!!!
The verdict.......well, I have eaten chocolate dipped strawberries and thought they were ok, nothing fantastic, just ok..........but these were really REALLY good. It took some looking to find the massive strawberries needed but it was worth it.....plus this is a low fat and low calorie dessert, so over all this was a great dish.
Until Tomorrow...........
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Hearty Fare
Just made a snack dish tonight Roasted Garlic, Feta and Walnut Dip, Toasted Flat Bread. Sounded tasty..........also i was watching a new thirty min meals with rachael, and I think she has put on a little weight.....now all my readers do not get angry, she still looks cute as a bug in a rug......I just notice stuff like that, anyway on to the dish.
Ingredients
1 medium bulb garlic, end cut off, 1 clove reserved
1 tablespoon evoo, plus some for drizzling
1 cup walnut halves, toasted
1 1/2 cups feta cheese, crumbles
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley, a handful of leaves
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 large clove garlic, reserved from above, cracked away from skin
4 flat breads or pitas, cut into wedges and toasted
Preheat oven or toaster oven to highest setting. Pour oil over cut side of garlic bulb and rub into skin. Double wrap garlic in foil and roast 20 to 25 minutes in toaster oven or hot conventional oven.
Combine walnuts, feta, milk, oregano, parsley, black pepper, red pepper and garlic clove in food processor and pulse process until spread is smooth. Scrape spread into serving dish with spatula. Drizzle dip with evoo and serve.
When you remove garlic from the oven, turn heat off. Arrange triangles of cut pita or flat brad on a small tray or cookie sheet. Place bread into the hot toaster oven or conventional oven. The bread will be warmed through and lightly toasted in 5 minutes
The Verdict..........this was very tasty as is most of rachaels recipes. I could see using plain yogurt instead of milk if you wanted to make the dip a little creamier. The feta and walnuts made a nice flavor together, so I say make this dear reader at your next party or get-together.
Until Tomorrow...........
Ingredients
1 medium bulb garlic, end cut off, 1 clove reserved
1 tablespoon evoo, plus some for drizzling
1 cup walnut halves, toasted
1 1/2 cups feta cheese, crumbles
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley, a handful of leaves
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 large clove garlic, reserved from above, cracked away from skin
4 flat breads or pitas, cut into wedges and toasted
Preheat oven or toaster oven to highest setting. Pour oil over cut side of garlic bulb and rub into skin. Double wrap garlic in foil and roast 20 to 25 minutes in toaster oven or hot conventional oven.
Combine walnuts, feta, milk, oregano, parsley, black pepper, red pepper and garlic clove in food processor and pulse process until spread is smooth. Scrape spread into serving dish with spatula. Drizzle dip with evoo and serve.
When you remove garlic from the oven, turn heat off. Arrange triangles of cut pita or flat brad on a small tray or cookie sheet. Place bread into the hot toaster oven or conventional oven. The bread will be warmed through and lightly toasted in 5 minutes
The Verdict..........this was very tasty as is most of rachaels recipes. I could see using plain yogurt instead of milk if you wanted to make the dip a little creamier. The feta and walnuts made a nice flavor together, so I say make this dear reader at your next party or get-together.
Until Tomorrow...........
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Living Lean
Not particularly hungry, but i saw this recipe and thought I would try it since it seemed a bit out there when I read the name...........Melon Soup........
Ingredients
2 ripe small to medium cantaloupes
2 rounded tablespoons sugar
1 lime, juiced
1 1/2 cups spring water
2 kiwis, peeled and diced or thinly sliced
1/2 pint raspberries
Cut ends off each cantaloupe and stand upright. Remove skin in strips working around melons. Halve melons and seed with spoon. Chunk melons and place pieces in food processor. You will work in 2 batches. Fill processor 3/4 full. Add 1 tablespoon sugar, the juice of 1/2 lime and about 3/4 cup spring water. Pulse grind them process soup until smooth. Adjust sugar to your taste and pour soup into 2 bowls, repeat process. Top each soup bowl with kiwi and raspberries and serve.
The Verdict..........this was just ok for me. I think it needed something else to make it taste like more then just pureed melon. I will say that the bites that contained some pureed melon, kiwi and raspberries was good, but over all this was not my favorite dish.
Until Tomorrow........
Ingredients
2 ripe small to medium cantaloupes
2 rounded tablespoons sugar
1 lime, juiced
1 1/2 cups spring water
2 kiwis, peeled and diced or thinly sliced
1/2 pint raspberries
Cut ends off each cantaloupe and stand upright. Remove skin in strips working around melons. Halve melons and seed with spoon. Chunk melons and place pieces in food processor. You will work in 2 batches. Fill processor 3/4 full. Add 1 tablespoon sugar, the juice of 1/2 lime and about 3/4 cup spring water. Pulse grind them process soup until smooth. Adjust sugar to your taste and pour soup into 2 bowls, repeat process. Top each soup bowl with kiwi and raspberries and serve.
The Verdict..........this was just ok for me. I think it needed something else to make it taste like more then just pureed melon. I will say that the bites that contained some pureed melon, kiwi and raspberries was good, but over all this was not my favorite dish.
Until Tomorrow........
Friday, August 7, 2009
Something for those lazy summer days
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...........
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...........
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.........
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