Salads

Eat The Bowl

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This is just so cool, it is a Parmesan basket, which you can fill with any type of salad and serve guests. It is so impressive, yet so easy and they will think you have been studying the Julia Child cookbook all week.
Each basket takes about 4 oz of shredded parmesan cheese.
Spread shredded parmesan evenly in heated crepe pan (or small skillet); add chopped nuts, if desired to melted cheese.
Cook over medium-highheat 1-2 min until edges are lightly brown; lift out of pan with spatula.
Invert hot cheese disk over bottom of an inverted custard cup; allow to cool. Fill with salad and serve on salad plate with fancy crackers.

You can make ahead and store between layers of waxed paper in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week. Also you can add your favorite spice or fresh herbs while melting in skillet. Makes a pretty salad bowl to hold your green salads at Easter lunch.

Daily Thoughts

Saturday Night in California

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It has been a week today that I got back from Texas. It is beginning to feel like home. We got up this morning and went for a walk, which is all uphill on the way back, I might add, so it got our hearts pumping pretty good. Randy is outside washing his car, and I am inside having just made cream puffs for our company tomorrow night. We will be going today to buy a lemon tree for the patio. Everyone here has lemon or lime trees planted in yards and they just look so Californie (yes that is a word, in my world, anyway). So we will be off to explore the nurseries and buy a few plants for the patio today. We started to wonder what we should serve tomorrow night and Randy wants an “all junk food weekend” so we are having sloppy joes,salad (yes, the people out here always have a salad, no matter what they serve, fruit (we had to have fruit instead of chips because everyone out here does that) and cream puffs. That is our way of “meeting them in the middle, fruit instead of chips). Our new friends don’t know that we have a stash of chips in the den, so will be making several trips to “check out the game scores” in the den. I will just have to remember to take a napkin in the den to wipe the chip off our faces before coming back into the kitchen. Tonight instead of partying down with the stars down in the Grove, Randy and I will be looking for great hiding places to stash our chips, french onion dip and Dr. Peppers. No one out here drinks anything but bottled water or Chrystal Light. We will let you know if we get caught, sneaking our Texas trash food. If we do, we will just pretend that we are “under the influence” of Dr Pepper and we couldn’t help ourselves.

Uncategorized

Quick Pork Medallions with Mustard Cream Sauce

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I’m getting some flack from friends that tell me I have to get out of my chocolate mode and back to posting more than chocolate cobbler, chocolate cookies, chocolate candy, etc….so am sharing a most wonderful dish. Yes, I got it from Paula Deen (hum…that makes it sound like she gave it to me personally, ha). Although it is a dream of mine to actually sit and just talk food with her one day, I got this out of one of her magazines and it is really great. If you are not a pork eater, use chicken or beef, but we love the pork and that is what I am going with today.

2 (1 pound) pork tenderloins, trimmed and cut into 1 in slices
2 teas salt
2 teas ground black pepper
1/4 cup butter, divided
1 shallot, or onion, thinly sliced
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 teas dried rubbed sage
1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 tables coarse grained mustard
Pound pork slices to 1/4 in thickness. Sprinkle evenly with salt and pepper.
In a large skillet, melt 2 tables butter over medium high heat. Add pork in batches if necessary and cook for 3-4 min per side or until browned. Remove from skillet, and keep warm.
Melt remaining butter in skillet. Add shallot or onion and cook stirring constantly, for 2 min. Slowly add wine and sage and cook, stirring to loosen browned bits from bottom of skillet with a wooden spoon, until wine is reduced by half. Add cream and simmer for 4-5 min or until suace is thickened. Stir in mustard. Serve immediately over pork medallions which you could serve with wild rice and oven roasted asaparagus. Makes a beautifiul presentation.
Also, if you are in more of a hurry, use thin sliced pork chops and then no need to pound the pork.

Chocolate · Desserts

Turtle Fudge Chocolate Chip Cookies

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I know this has a very long name, but it starts with a mix and is so easy. The fudgey tastes is awesome.
1 (14 oz) can Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk
2 (7.4 oz) packages Martha White Chocolate Chip Muffin Mix
48 foil-wrapped chocolate-covered caramel candies, unwrapped (Hershey’s or Dove)
5 oz unsweetened chocolate
1/4 cup butter
2/3 cup chopped pecans, if desired

Heat oven to 350. Coat cookie sheet with Pam. Microwave chocolate and butter in bowl until butter is melted. Stir until chocolate is melted and smooth. Stir in condensed milk. Stir in muffin mixes until blended. Roll tablespoonfuls of dough into balls.
Dip bottom into pecans, if using pecans. Place on sheet with nut side up, 2″ apart. Bake 7-8 min or just until cookies look slightly cracked and centers are still soft. Press a chocolate covered caramel candy into center of cookie. Place on rack. Swirl chocolate gently with knife while candy is warm.

Chocolate · Desserts

Chocolate-Pecan Cobbler

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This is so good. You know those nights when you are sitting down watching Dancing With the Stars or Harry’s Law and you are craving something chocolate, but don’t have a piece of candy in the house. This takes 10 min to whip up, throw it in the oven and by the time Wheel of Fortune is over, you have this warm, gooey chocolate dessert to dish out and go enjoy the rest of the night. Plus, this is a Paula Deen recipe, so that right there should tell you how good it is.
6 tables butter
1 3/4 cup sugar, divided
1 cup self-rising flour *
*(By the way, if you have not ever bought this flour, do so, it saves you measuring the baking powder and salt and seems to save so much trouble and time)
6 tables unsweetened cocoa powder, divided
1/2 whole milk
1 teas vanilla
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup toffee bits
1 1/2 cups boiling water
Ice Cream
Chopped pecans
Preheat oven to 350. Place butter in an 8×8 in dish; place in oven until butter melts (about 3 to 4 min). Remove dish from oven and set aside.
In a medium bowl, combine 3/4 cup sugar, flour and 2 tables cocoa. Add milk and vanilla, whisking until smooth. Pour over melted butter in dish. In a separate medium bowl, combine pecans, toffee bits, remaining 1 cup sugar and remaining 4 tables cocoa; sprinkle over batter. Slowly pour the boiling water over top of cobbler. Bake 40 to 45 min or untill top appears set. Serve warm with ice cream and more pecans if desired.

Desserts

Double Citrus Tart

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1 1/2 cups crushed gingersnap cookies
5 tables butter, melted
1/4 teas ground cinnamon
1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
1/3 cup frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 large eggs, separated
1 cup heavy whipping cream (this immediately gets my attention as whipping cream is one of my favorite food categories,ha)
3 tables granulated sugar
Garnish, fresh mint leaves, lemon and orange slices
Stir together first 4 ingredients. Press mixture evenly into a 9 in tart pan with removable bottom; set aside* (if you do not have a tart pan, you can use a regular pie pan.)Whisk together sweetened condensed milk, orange juice concentrate, lemon juice and egg yolks until blended.
Beat egg whites at medium speed with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form; fold into condensed milk mixture. Pour into prepared crust.
Bake at 325 for 20 to 25 min or just until filling is set. Remove to a wire racki and let cool completely. Cover and chill at least 4 hours. Remove tart from pan (or if using pie plate, leave in pan) and place on a serving dish.
Beat whipping cream and sugar at medium speed with an electric mixer until stiff peas form. Dollop around edges of tart; garnish if desired.

Salads

Spinach & Strawberry Salad

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2 (6 oz) packages fresh baby spinach
2 pints fresh strawberries, sliced
Sesame-Poppy Seed dressing
Toppings: chopped cooked bacon, chopped fresh broccoli, blanced, sugar snap peas, slice red onion, mandarin oranges (drained). You can add any of these toppings, or just use the spinach and strawberries.
Sesame-Poppy Seed Dressing:
1 cup sugar
1/2 cider vinegar
1 tables minced onion
1/2 teas Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teas oil
1/4 cup sesame seeds, toasted
2 tables poppy seeds
Pulse first 5 ingredients in a blender 2 or 3 times or until smooth. With blender running, add oil in a slow, steady stream; process until smooth. Stir in seeds; chill 24 hours.

Casseroles · Starches

Three-Cheese Pasta Bake

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1 (16 OZ) package ziti pasta
2 (10 oz) containers refrigerated Alfredo sauce *See note below
1 (8 oz) container sour cream
1 (16 OZ) container ricotta cheese
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1 1/2 cuips mozzarella cheese

Prepare ziti pasta according to package directions; drain and return to pot. Stir together Alfredo sauce and sour cream; toss with ziti until evenly coated. Spoon half of pasta mixture into a lightly greased 13×9 in baking dish.
Stir together ricotta cheese and next 3 ingredients; spread evenly over pasta mixture in baking dish. Spoon remaining pasta mixture evenly over ricotta cheese layer; sprinkle evenly with mozzarella cheese.
Bake at 350 for 30 min or until bubbly.
*They used Buitoni Refrigerated Alfredo Sauce

Chicken · Vegetables

Lexington Style Grilled Chicken

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2 cups cider vinegar
1/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1/4 cup vegetable oil
3 tables dried crushed red pepper
4 teas salt
2 teas pepper
2 (2 1/2 -3 lbs) cut up whole chicken
Stir together first 6 ingredients until blended.
Place half each of venegar mixture and chicken in a large zip-loc plastic freezer bag; seal. Repeat procedure with remaining vinegar mixture and chicken, placing in a separate zip-top bag. Chill chicken at least 2 hours or up to 8 hours, turning occasionally.
Remove chicken from marinade discarding marinade.
Grill chicken covered with grill lid, over medium high heat for 35 yo 40 min or until done, turning occasionally.

Serve on platter with asparagus laying around the chicken in the middle.

Oven-Roasted Asparagus

3 pounds fresh asparagus
2 tables olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
3/4 teas salt
1/2 teas ground black pepper
1/2 cup slivered almonds, toasted.
Snap off and discard tough ends of asparagus; place on a lightly greased baking sheet. Drizzle evenly witholive oil; sprinkle evenly with garlic, salt and pepper. Bake at 350 for 10 min or to desired degree of tenderness. Transfer to the serving platter around grilled chicken.

Daily Thoughts

Spring Supper

Chocolate Castles3 Comments

As I have mentioned before, one of my most favorite nighttime activities is to look through old Southern Living magazines. It is amazing to see how recipes will either look apealing or “doesn’t get a second look” at different seasons of life. Food likes and dislikes change with the seasons, as other aspects of my life. During the kids “growing up years” the only recipes that looked appealing to me were recipes that included the words, “fast & easy”. As the years go by, I became enthralled with recipes that looked foreign to me, giving me a challenge. Now, I find that with the kids grown, entertaining friends, and having more time to be in the kitchen, I am drawn to recipes that either bring back memories of a special event, or that look “pretty” on the table, or recipes that require just a little more thought and make me feel proud that I was actually able to cook and….almost look like the picture of it in the magazine. With that, this recipe today is one that I had never noticed when first receiving the March 2005 SL. It is called, “Laid Back Sunday Dinner” and sounds and looks delish! If any of you decide to make this menu, please take pictures and send it to the blog. This Friday evening we are having 3 couples over and it is going to be my menu, with the exception of the dessert. All week, I have been having visions of homemade black forest cake, so will end the evening with that instead of the citrus tart. Am saving that for another time. The menu is:Lexington Style Grilled Chicken, Spinach and Strawberry Salad, Three-Cheese Pasta Bake and Oven Roasted Asapagus. Recipes to follow.