Sunday, August 17, 2008

Light Night!

Light night will be on Tuesday! I think I said it would be at 7:00 let me know if that is wrong. (I guess I should let you guys know I have short term memory loss, so correct me if it is wrong!)
Our main dish will be Chicken with Fennel, Carrots and Orange en Papillote from ATK. I've never made it before but I am thinking Cooking Club is a good time to try something new, right?!? I think pretty much any kind of side will go with it. I kind of need a count on who will be attending though, since you make them in single serving packets. Can I get a roll call?

Diana- Chicken with Fennel, Carrots and Orange en Papillote
Rachel-Fruit salad
Miranda-Mini Fruit Pizza
Serin - Artichoke Dip
Christy- Ratatouille Casserole
April-Oven-Roasted Broccoli with Parmesan

Did I forget anyone...remember, short term memory loss! See you all Tuesday!!

Chicken with Fennel, Carrots and Orange en
Papillote




Ratatouille Casserole


1 small (about 3/4-pound) eggplant, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch slices
1 large yellow squash, cut into 1/4-inch diagonal slices
1 medium zucchini, cut into 1/4-inch diagonal slices
4 tsp olive oil
1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into matchstick-size pieces
1 onion, very thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup tomato paste
1/2 cup water
2 tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley
2 tbsp finely chopped fresh basil
2 tsp finely chopped fresh thyme
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
1 tomato, thinly sliced

1. preheat oven to 400; spray nonstick baking sheet and 1 quart casserole with nonstick spray. In large bowl combine the eggplant, both squashes, and 3 teaspoons of the oil Spread in a single layer on the baking sheets (depending on their size, you may need 2 or 3) bake 12 minutes; turn the vegetables over and bake 8 minutes longer. Reduce the oven temperature to 350
2. In a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, heat the remaining 1 teaspoon of oil. Saute the bell pepper, onion, and garlic until softened, about 5 minutes. Cook, covered, shaking the skillet occasionally, 5 minutes longer
3. in a small bowl, combine the tomato paste, water, parsley, basil, thyme, salt, and pepper.
4. In the casserole, combine the roasted vegetables, bell pepper mixture, tomato slices and tomato paste mixture. Cover with foil and bake until the vegetables are tender, about 50 minutes. Uncover; bake until browned on top, about 15 minutes longer.



Oven-Roasted Broccoli with Parmesan


1 pound (about 6 1/2 cups) broccoli florets
2 tablespoons grated reduced-fat Parmesan
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
salt
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Trim broccoli, leaving about 1/2 inch of stem attached to the florets. Toss broccoli in a large bowl with the Parmesan, parsley, garlic powder, black pepper, and salt to taste. Drizzle with olive oil and toss again until all of the florets are thoroughly coated.
2. Transfer to a medium nonstick baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes, and then toss the broccoli again and bake for another 5 to 7 minutes or until the florets are lightly browned and tender. Serve immediately.



Fruit Salad




1 honeydew melon
3 nectarines
1/2 pound purple seedless grapes
2 limes
1 bunch mint

Scoop melon using fancy melon baller you hardly ever use. Chop nectarines and halve the grapes. Toss in a bowl with chopped mint. Sprinkle with lime juice, toss again, and serve.


Roasted Artichoke Dip


Dip
• 2 (9 oz) boxes frozen artichokes (They recommend Bird's Eye, I could only find Private Selection in 12 oz - I bought one)
2 teaspoons olive oil
• salt and ground black pepper
• 1 med. onion - minced
• 2 med. garlic cloves - minced
• 1 cup reduced-fat mayo (Here I was thinking all along that it called for fat-free and I just could not make myself buy fat free mayo, so I got reduced fat. Good thing)
1/2 cup light cream cheese, at *room temperature*
• 1 oz Parmesan cheese - grated (about 1/2 cup)
• 1 tablespoon juice from 1 lemon
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme leaves (I used 1 teaspoon dried)
pinch cayenne pepper (didn't use)

Topping
• 1 cup fresh bread crumbs
• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
Vegetable or olive oil spray

Heat oven to 450°, toss artichokes (still frozen) in 1 tsp olive oil, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper until evenly coated. Spread on baking sheet lined with foil (or disposable pan) and bake for 20-25 minutes until edges are brown on middle rack, rotating front to back halfway through. Let cool and then chop coarse. Reduce oven temp to 400°.

Combine onion, garlic, 1 tsp oil, and 1/2 tsp salt in non-stick skillet. Cover and cook over med-low heat, stirring occasionally to prevent burning, until softened - 8-10 minutes. Scrape into a large bowl.

Add the mayo, cream cheese, Parmesan, lemon juice, thyme and cayenne to the onion mixture and stir to combine, making sure to smooth any lumps of cream cheese. Gently fold in the chopped artichokes. Season with salt and pepper. Scrape mixture into ungreased 8-inch square baking dish (or the pan you cooked the artichokes in).

Topping - Toss the bread crumbs and Parmesan together until combined, then sprinkle evenly over dip. Spray the bread crumbs lightly with oil (forgot) and bake until browned, about 20-25 minutes. Serve immediately.


Dessert Pizza

(You can make this with your favorite sugar cookie recipe or store-bought cookie dough if you're in a pinch. Remember...they're light because they're small!)

Crust:
3/4 C. Shortening or Margarine
1 C. Sugar
2 Eggs
1 tsp. Vanilla
2 1/2 C. Flour
1 tsp. Baking Powder

Topping:
1 Package Cream Cheese (reduced fat)
1/2 C. Sugar
Assorted fruit

Mix together shortening, sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Blend in flour, salt, and baking powder. Cover and chill if you have time. Divide dough in two equal parts (or cut with cookie cutters). Roll onto pizza pan or pat onto large cookie sheet. Bake at 375 for 12 minutes. Blend cream cheese and sugar together. Spread on cooled crust and decorate with fruit.
1 tsp. Salt



Friday, July 18, 2008

Italian Night

This was very hard for me! I felt sooo much pressure to live up the previous cooking nights, but here it is:

Italian Sausage Cavatelli will be the main dish. It is a pasta dish (cavatelli) with a sausage mixture over it. I don't have a picture, but if you really want to see the recipe before you pick what you are going to bring let me know and I will post it.

So have at it. Drink, sides, maybe bread this time could be fun, dessert, etc.

My house, Tuesday July 29th 7:00. See you there.

So here is the line up for Tuesday:

April: Italian Sausage Cavatelli
Serin: Bread w/ dipping herbs/oils
Sarah: Dessert (fruity and creamy)
Amanda: Antipasto platter/salad
Diana: Italian Cream Sodas
Christy: Strawberry Spinach Salad

Italian Sausage Cavatelli

Ingredients:
1/2 lb. or 3 links sweet Italian Sausage
1/2 lb. or 2 cups dried Cavatelli or other small
shell-shaped Italian pasta
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 bunch broccoli
1 1/4 cup low-salt chicken broth
1/4 cup raisins
1 tbls. unsalted butter
Parmesan cheese
Directions:
To cook sausage, squeeze from casings and saute in a heavy skillet or cast iron frying pan. Stir until no longer pink and sausage has broken down into small chunks. Remove with slotted spoon leaving juices in pan.
Cut broccoli into 1 inch pieces and saute in juices or drippings. Stir gently til it begins to brown. Add garlic and saute 1 minute more. Add broth and raisins and simmer until the broccoli is tender, about 3 minutes. Do not over cook.
Finally, add butter and stir to melt. Add, with sausage, to cooked cavatelli pasta and serve with parmesan cheese.

Strawberry Spinach Salad

1 large bag fresh spinach
as many strawberries as you like
bagged, sugared, sliced almonds (to sugar almonds, mix 2oz almonds with 3 tbsp sugar on medium heat, stir constantly until sugar dissolves and almonds are coated)
Dressing:
2 tbsp sesame seeds
1 tbsp poppy seeds
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 c white vinegar
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp Worcestershire's sauce
1 tbsp minced onion
Put all ingredients for dressing except olive oil in blender. Blend. Slowly pour in the olive oil until blended and thick. Chill for 1 hour before tossing
with the strawberries, spinach and almonds.

Italian Cream Sodas

4 oz Italian Syrup (any flavor you like but I used Raspberry)
4 oz Half and Half
10 oz Club Soda

Mix all ingredients together.
2 servings

Antipasto Salad

Put lots of yummy things on top of lettuce. Pour on dressing (or oil/vinegar). Our version had:


  • Black forest ham, Sweet sopressata, Pepperoni
  • Provolone cheese, Parrano cheese
  • Marinated artichokes, Olives, Roasted red peppers, Pepperdews, Balsamic glazed cioppini onions
  • Cucumbers, Grape tomatoes


Carrabas Italian Butter

1/8 t oregano
1/8 t basil
1/8 t rosemary
1/8 t salt
fresh ground pepper
dash of red pepper flakes
1 lg clove garlic (crushed)
3 T extra virgin olive oil

Serves about 2

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Mexican night!!

OK! I'm making some divine smothered burritos and they are usually ginormous but for this occasion I'll make them miniature so there will room in your bellies for all the other yummy food that will be coming. I vote for two sides, a drink and a dessert unless someone has a really good recipe for a very mexican salad. I can't wait to eat!!!!

Diana-Spanish Rice
April-Fried Ice Cream
Rachel-Limonada
Christy-Salsa
Miranda- Black Beans
Sarah-Burritos



Burritos

1lb ground turkey 1 onion chopped

1 can diced green chilies 1/4 C taco seasoning mix

1 can black beans 1 can corn

Saute onion in a little butter until tender. Add meat and brown. Add rest of the ingredients and warm thoroughly. Spoon into tortillas with a little cheddar cheese.

Sauce

2 cans cream of chicken soup 1 can diced green chiles

1 t cumin 1 t onion pwdr

1 t garlic pdwr 1/2 t oregano

1/2 t sage 1/2 chile pwdr

Mix all ingredients in sauce pan until boiling. Spoon over burrito, sprinkle cheese on top. Heat in oven or microwave until cheese melts. Garnish with cilantro.





Black Beans

4-8 oz. Chorizo*

1 T olive oil

1 large onion (chopped)

2 or 3 cans black beans

1 T Coriander

2 tsp. Cumin

1-2 cloves minced garlic

¼ cup fresh chopped parsley

¼ cup fresh chopped cilantro

red pepper flakes (as desired)

salt to taste

Saute onion, garlic, and chorizo until fragrant and tender. Add 1 can of beans and mash if a thicker consistency is desired. Add additional beans and seasonings and heat through. Taste frequently while adding salt and coriander.

*I used chorizo for this recipe but any high flavor meat such as ham, bacon, or sausage would work just as well.




Salsa
I found a recipe on Bettycrocker.com but I didn't really follow it, so here is what I did.
1 1/2 lbs tomatoes
1 small to medium onion
1 jalapeno (seeded)
1 lime
cilantro (to taste, I used 1/2 of the bunch I bought)
Combine all ingredients in food processor until it is finely chopped.



Limonada (adapted from this recipe)
Limes
Water
Sugar

Quarter the limes, I usually start with 4 limes. Put them in your blender (skins and all) with 4 cups of cold water and sugar, I start with about 1/2 cup. Blend on high for 30 seconds or so. Strain out the lime bits, leaving an opaque, frothy concentrate. Dilute with more water (usually another 4 cups) and add sugar to taste. You can replace the limes with lemons to make a strong lemonade with no muscle work!



FRIED MEXICAN ICE CREAM

1 pt. vanilla ice cream
1/2 c. crushed corn flakes or cookie crumbs
1 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. sugar
1 egg
Oil for deep frying
Honey
Whipped cream

Scoop out 4 or 5 balls of ice cream. Return to freezer. Mix crumbs, cinnamon and sugar. Roll frozen ice cream balls in half the crumb mixture and freeze again. Beat egg and dip coated balls in egg, then roll again in remaining crumbs. Freeze until ready to use (for thicker coating repeat dipping in egg and rolling in crumbs).
When ready to serve, heat oil to 350 degrees. Place a frozen ice cream ball in fryer basket or on a perforated spoon and lower into hot oil 1 minute. Immediately remove and place on dessert compote. Drizzle with honey and top with a dab of whipped cream. Continue to fry balls one at a time. Balls will be crunchy on the outside and just beginning to melt on the inside. 4-5 servings.


Friday, May 2, 2008

Spring Has Sprung!

Our first ever cooking club night will be held on Wednesday, May 14th at 7:00 PM at my house (Miranda). Rachel made the wonderful suggestion of a "Yay for Spring" theme so we're going to go with that. I will be making the main dish, and you can each indicate next to your name what you will be bringing followed by the recipe. After the dinner we can include pictures of our delicious food!

Miranda: Orecchiette Carbonara with Leeks
Rachel: Israeli Couscous Salad
April: Tomato Bruschetta
Christy: Sour Cream Cheesecake
Diana: Sweet and Sour Spinach Salad
Sarah: Spring Punch


Tomato Bruschetta
8 Roma Tomatoes, diced
1 pkg Fresh Basil leaves, coarsely chopped
2 or 3 slices of Mozzarella cheese, cubed
about 2 TBSP Focaccia with Balsamic Vinegar Bread Dipping Oil by Italian Rose
Mix all together. Marinate in refrigerator.

Slice baguette. Toast in oven at 400 degrees.

Top bread with tomato mixture. Serve.



Orecchiette Carbonara With Leeks
Recipe From: Bon Appetit Magazine
4 Applewood-smoked bacon slices, diced
2 medium leeks (white and pale green parts only), halved lengthwise, then cut crosswise into 1/3 inch pieces
10 oz. orecchiette (little ear-shaped pasta) or small shells
2 large eggs, room temperature
1/2 Cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese plus additional for serving
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh Italian parsley

Cook bacon in large skillet over medium heat until crisp, about 8 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer bacon to paper towel and drain. Pour off all but 2 Tbsp. fat from skillet if necessary. Add leeks and saute over medium heat until tender, about 6 minutes. Set aside.

Meanwhile, cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain pasta, reserving 1/2 cup pasta cooking liquid.

Whisk eggs and 1/2 cup Parmesan in medium bowl to blend; gradually whisk in 1/4 cup pasta cooking liquid. Add pasta to leeks in skillet and stir to heat. Remove skillet from heat. Pour egg mixture over pasta and stir until sauce is just creamy and eggs are no longer raw, about 2 minutes (Return skillet to very low heat if egg mixture is runny; do not overcook or eggs will curdle.) Add some of the remaining 1/4 cup pasta cooking liquid to pasta if needed to moisten. Stir in bacon and parsley. Serve pasta, passing additional cheese separately.



Sweet and Sour Spinach Salad

1 1/2 lbs fresh Spinach
1 can of Mandarin oranges
1/4-1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
2 T brown sugar
1/4 C cider vinegar
1/2 tsp. each dry mustard, celery seed and paprika
1/2 C oil

Mix together, sugar, vinegar, mustard, celery seed and paprika. Gradually whisk in oil. Pour half of dressing over spinach mixed with onions and oranges, tossing to coat thoroughly. Add more dressing if needed.




Israeli Couscous Salad
Recipe from Everyday Food Magazine by Martha Stewart
1 cup dried Israeli couscous (aka Pearl or Middle Eastern Couscous)
1/2 pound green beans, trimmed and cut in half crosswise
4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
1 half a cucumber, seeded, quartered lengthwise, and chopped
1 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup pistachios
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 tbs olive oil
salt and pepper

Boil the couscous for 4 minutes. Add green beans and continue boiling for 2 minutes until crisp green and the couscous is tender. Drain and run under cold water to cool. Put in salad bowl along with remaining ingredients. Toss and adjust seasoning to taste.




Sour Cream Cheesecake
crust:
1 1/2 c fine graham cracker crumbs
6 tbsp butter or margarine
3 tbsp sugar
1 tsp cinnamon

Filling:
24oz cream cheese, softened
1 c sugar
3 eggs
3/4 tsp vanilla

Topping:
1 pint sour cream
1/2 tsp vanilla

Raspberry Sauce (I used strawberries instead)
1 c frozen or fresh raspberries
1/3 c sugar

Thoroughly mix crust ingredients. Press firmly into a 9-10 inch spring form pan, lining bottom and sides. Set aside. Beat cream cheese well. Add sugar slowly. Add eggs one at a time. Add vanilla and mix thoroughly. Pour into crust, filling within 1/2 inch of top to allow for topping. Bake 60 minutes at 300 degrees. Whip sour cream, then add sugar gradually. Add vanilla. Pour over cake and return to oven. Bake 10 minutes. Cool. Mash raspberries and mix in sugar until dissolved. Ladle a spoonful of sauce over each slice before serving.



Spring Punch

6 oz. Limeade frozen concentrate
46 fl.oz. Apricot nectar
46 fl.oz. Pineapple juice
2 liters lemon-lime soda

Mix all the juices together before you add the soda. Add tons of ice. Always garnish!