Bring stock, soy sauce, sesame oil, and garlic to a boil in a 2-quart heavy saucepan. Remove garlic with a slotted spoon and discard. Stir in noodles and simmer, uncovered, until tender, about 4 minutes. In a small cup, mix the cornstarch and 2 tablespoons of sherry (or chicken stock) until smooth. Slowly pour the cornstarch mix into the stock and stir until dissolved.
Stirring soup in a circular motion, add eggs in a slow, steady stream. Simmer, undisturbed, until strands of egg are cooked, about 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in scallions (to taste) and sesame oil. Season with salt.
This was the first time I have ever made anything with sweet potatoes, and it came out very different from anything I have had. The sweetness and the cheese were well balanced in this recipe. The top came out very crunchy and the middle was very creamy. Perfect! We had this on the side of a delicious fillet mignon (sorry we don’t have a picture of this elusive fillet, but it was oh so yummy in my tummy!)
Ingredients:
1 cup milk
1 pint (2 cups) heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
3 pounds sweet potatoes (about 12 sweet potatoes, depending on size), peeled and sliced thin with a mandoline
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley leavesGratin:
2 tablespoons butter, cut into chunks, plus more for baking dish (or use cooking spray for baking dish)
1/4 cup panko bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated Cheddar
In a large saucepan combine milk, cream, nutmeg, cinnamon, salt, and pepper. Gently fold in sweet potatoes. Bring to a simmer and allow sauce to thicken.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Butter a 3-quart baking dish. Combine the bread crumbs, butter and Cheddar to make the gratin topping. Transfer the potato mixture to the baking dish and sprinkle with the gratin topping. Bake until the potatoes are cooked through, about 35 to 45 minutes.
1 box red velvet cake mix (cook as directed on box for 13 X 9 cake)
1 can cream cheese frosting (16 oz.)
1 package chocolate bark (regular or white chocolate)
wax paper
Directions:
1. After cake is cooked and cooled completely, crumble into large bowl.
2. Mix thoroughly with 1 can cream cheese frosting. (It may be easier to use fingers to mix together, but be warned it will get messy.)
3. Roll mixture into quarter size balls and lay on cookie sheet. (Should make 45-50. You can get even more if you use a mini ice cream scooper, but I like to hand roll them.)
4. Chill for several hours. (You can speed this up by putting in the freezer.)
5. Melt chocolate in microwave per directions on package.
6. Roll balls in chocolate and lay on wax paper until firm.
4 sprigs fresh thyme
1 large sprig fresh rosemary
2 bay leafs
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 cup chopped onion
3 ounces pancetta, chopped
2 cloves minced garlic
5 3/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 (14.5-ounce) cans red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
3/4 cup small pasta – I used orecchiette pasta
Freshly ground black pepper
Pinch red pepper flakes, optional
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Wrap the rosemary, thyme, and bay leaf together in a piece of cheesecloth and secure closed. Heat olive oil and butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Saute the onion, garlic, and pancetta in the saucepan until onion starts to soften. Add broth, beans and bag of herbs and bring to a boil over high heat, decrease heat to medium and simmer until vegetables are tender. Discard bag of herbs. Scoop 1c of the bean mixture into a blender and puree until smooth.* Before putting puree back into the soup, add pasta and continue boiling until al dente. Return puree to soup and season with black pepper, red pepper and salt. Use Parmesan as topping once served in bowls.
*When blending hot liquids: Remove liquid from the heat and allow to cool for at least 5 minutes. Transfer liquid to a blender or food processor and fill it no more than halfway. If using a blender, release one corner of the lid. This prevents the vacuum effect that creates heat explosions. Place a towel over the top of the machine, pulse a few times then process on high speed until smooth.*
This is what I call comfort food! Brandon’s mom cooked this tonight, and it was so delicious! It reminded me of smothered chicken my grandmaw used to make, but with a slight Asian feel to it from the green and red peppers. There isn’t much in life that I love more than a good rice and gravy.
Makes 4 serving
Prep: 10 minutes Cook: 35minutes
1 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
10 boneless skinless chicken thighs
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1 1/3 cups dry white wine
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
1 green bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
3 green onions, chopped
2 tablespoons chicken broth
4 teaspoons cornstarch
Hot cooked rice
Garnish: chopped flat-leaf parsley
Directions:
1. Sprinkle salt and ground nutmeg over the chicken.
2. Melt butter in a medium-size skilet over medium heat; add chicken. Cook, turning frequently, 10 minutes or until golden.
3. Stir in wine, mushrooms, bell peppers, and green onions; bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and simmer 20 minutes or until chicken is done. Remove chicken from skillet; keep warm.
4. Whisk together broth and cornstarch until smooth; add to drippings in skillet. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, 1 minute or until thickened
5. Serve over rice!
Just like most people, scrambled eggs were one of the first things I learned how to cook. You know the routine …scramble the eggs in a bowl, season them, maybe add a little milk if you want them less fluffy, throw them in the skillet, and scramble them up. I followed these basics for years, throwing in random ingredients for effect. As time grew on, I realized I was never actually enamored with this well known routine of scrambling eggs. In came the search for a more exciting (yes, exciting) way to scramble eggs. I haphazardly found a link to a video where Gordon Ramsey offers up a new (to me at least) method of scrambling eggs.
Gordon Ramsey Video
My Version
I followed the basics of Ramseys’ method, but added diced tomatoes and yellow onions towards the end when I added salt/pepper. Diced mushrooms, ham, crumbled bacon, etc would all be OK to add at this point. I cooked bacon on the side since, well, bacon is great.
The title says it all. This is a base sauce that you can elaborate on in many different ways. You could add tomatoes, onions, prosciutto, etc. This time around I had some leftover pasta, and I wanted something fast. If you have time, it’s nice to add chicken or shrimp. I have made this with shrimp before, and it was delicious. I will include that recipe after the sauce recipe.
Cream Sauce Recipe
Ingredients: Serves 4
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 cups whipping cream
1/4 cup fresh basil, minced or 1 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional
Directions:
You can use a pan or a pot. I used a pot this time, but whenever I do shrimp or chicken I use a pan.
Add cream.
Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring frequently.
Add basil, cheese, pepper and pepper flakes.
Pour sauce into a bowl; add pasta and toss well.
Buttery Shrimp and Pasta Recipe
SERVES 4
8
ounces pasta, cooked and drained (I like the tri-colored spirals)
1/4
cup butter
1 1/2
lbs shrimp, peeled and deveined
1
tablespoon minced garlic
2
cups half-and-half
1/4
cup fresh basil, minced or 1 teaspoon dried basil
1/4
cup parmesan cheese
1/4
teaspoon black pepper
1/8
teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional
Have pasta ready.
In lg skillet, heat butter; add shrimp and garlic.
Saute 4 minutes, remove shrimp from skillet.
Add half and half.
Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring frequently.
Add shrimp, basil, cheese, pepper and pepper flakes.
Being a homebrewer of beer, I try to find any chance I can to showcase a great beer as an ingredient in food recipe. Aimee has been doubting the ability of beer as a worthy ingredient to any dish so I decided to make a soup with a full 12oz of beer poured in. Use a good dark beer(Turbodog or any other brown ale, Sierra Nevada Porter, etc.) to get a real flavor of the malts and grains in the beer.
By the way, Aimee ended up really enjoying the soup.
Ingredients – Serves 6-10
1 1/2 cups diced scallions
1 cup diced carrots
1 cup diced celery
2tsp fine chopped garlic
1 bay leaf
1/2 stick unsalted butter
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups milk
1 3/4 cups chicken broth
1 12oz bottle of dark beer
2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp mustard powder
1 lb extra-sharp Cheddar, grated
4 bacon slices, cooked and chopped
salt/pepper to taste
Directions
Melt butter in medium pot over medium heat. Add scallions, carrots, celery garlic, and bay leaf, stirring often until the vegetables begin to soften.
Reduce heat to medium-low and pour flour over the vegetables, stirring often enough so the flour doesn’t burn in the pot, for 3 minutes.
Add milk, broth, and beer in sequence, stirring thoroughly for 5 minutes. Add Worcestershire, salt, pepper, and mustard.
Add cheese a handful at a time, stirring after each addition, making sure the cheese is completely melted. Discard bay leaf once all cheese is added and melted.
Serve with bacon and garnish with extra, diced scallions.
2-4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (1 1/2 pound total)
2 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup flour
Salt and pepper
4 Tbsp olive oil
4 Tbsp butter
1/2 cup chicken stock or dry white wine
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1/4 cup brined capers
1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley
1. If your chicken is thick, pound it down so that it will cook evenly.
2. Mix together the flour, salt, pepper, and grated Parmesan. Rinse the chicken pieces in water. Dredge them thoroughly in the flour mixture, until well coated.
3. Heat olive oil and 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet on medium high heat. Add half of the chicken pieces, do not crowd the pan. Brown well on each side, about 3 minutes per side. Remove the chicken from the pan and reserve to a plate. Cook the other breasts in the same manner, remove from pan. Cover with aluminum foil and keep warm in the oven while you prepare the sauce.
4. Add the chicken stock (or white wine), lemon juice, and capers to the pan. Use a spatula to scrape up the browned bits. Reduce the sauce by half. Whisk in the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter. Plate the chicken and serve with the sauce poured over the chicken. Sprinkle with parsley.
This recipe shouldn’t be followed word for word because everyone likes their guac prepared differently. Some may prefer more sour cream, no jalapenos, more tomatoes, less salt, etc. Have in mind what you like and what you don’t like beforehand, and always taste along the way. You can follow the ingredients on the recipe, and add how much you think you would want to add of each and then you can always add more if needed. This is just a base, and this is how I like my guac.
Recipe:
5 avacados
1/2 red onion
5 tbsp salsa (I use Fresh Salsa-Salsa Fresca from Sam’s Club. It’s spicy and has lots of onions.)
1 tbsp fresh chopped cilantro
2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp cracked pepper
1 tsp celery seed
1 small jalapeno (taking seeds out is optional)
1/2 of lime, squeezed
2 tbsp sour cream (I used 4 this time because I found the avocados to be thicker than usual)
Optional Ingredients ( I didn’t add these)
- bell peppers, roma tomatoes, 1/2 chopped fuji apple
**If you don’t want to use salsa you can substitute with cutting up some tomatoes and tasting along the way to see how much you need. I like tomatoes so I usually like using the salsa and then doing additional cherry tomatoes.
