Artichoke and Green Chile Dip

Getting back in touch with my psuedo-stomach this past week has been both challenging and rewarding. I've pulled a number of healthy gastric bypass friendly cookbooks that were collecting dust off the bookshelf and have become reaquainted with how easy it is to feel full on very little just by following the simple rules Dr. Ellner taught me using the TOOLKIT (This is the beginning. Only you make the choices that One day at a time, will change your Life! Keep on Track. Implement change, and Take control.) As an additional bonus I lost 4 lbs in 4 days!

I recently made Thai Pork Tenderloin with Grilled Cabbage and Onions, Chili Vermouth Salmon with Rosemary Roasted Potatoes, Halibut Marinara and today am making a wonderful Artichoke and Green Chile Dip to share with the RSMS family tomorrow. I'll serve this with whole grain crackers, corn chips and I'll eat it with dipping veggies.

The recipe comes from Carnie Wilson's cookbook To Serve with Love ISBN: 1-4019-0602-8 for $19.95. Those who love artichokes will want to make this often.

Ingredients:
Two 14-oz cans quartered artichoke hearts packed in water, drained and chopped into 1" pieces
Two 14-oz cans artichoke bottoms packed in water, drained and chopped into 1" pieces
1 1/2 cups light mayonnaise
1 cup light sour cream
1 1/2 cups grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup 2% jack or mild cheddar cheese, grated
One 4-oz can diced green chile (use fresh if you have it---and I did!)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 TBSP lemon juice

Combine all ingredients in a Crock-pot and cook on low for 2-3 hours or until heated through (the longer it is in the crock pot the better it tastes. (Oven method: Bake uncovered at 350 for 30 minutes.) Carne recommends serving with veggies, tortilla chips, jicama sticks or crispy rice crackers.

Halibut Marinara

I love my halibut! You can't ruin halibut even if you try. This is a great recipe that I seriously altered from a recipe from a cookbook. I made it even more health conscientious than adding an unnecesary 4 TBSP of butter.

1 1/2 lbs halibut fillets, skinned
2 cups Mezzetta Porcini Mushroom Sauce (yeah it is expensive at $9.00 a bottle-but worth it)
1 cup mixed mushrooms (I use a combination of white, shitake,and portabella), chopped
1/2 cup sliced black olives
1 cup Mozzarella, grated

Oil a baking dish. Place skinned fish in oiled pan, top with mushrooms, olives and spaghetti sauce.

Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes, top with the cheese and bake another 10 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork.

Serve with Penne Pasta or a Mushroom Risotto....I am making this with a Truffle Cheese Risotto.

Ganado Cafe Burritos.....the Thursday Special

At 18, I ran a restaurant with my mom on the Navajo Indian Reservation in Ganado, Arizona. Right next to the Trading Post, we were the only restaurant within 50 miles. We served the best pie, french fries, hamburgers and breakfast one could ever have. This is the same place I grew up and went to Elementary School. Every day we had a "Special". Our Ganado Burritos were served every Thursday and were always sold out. Like mom's Lemon Meringue Pie, there were never any leftovers! This recipe is so easy, but a bit time consuming.

3 lbs. lean beef stew meat cut into large bite-size cubes
2 large tubs of frozen green chile (don't try to use canned....it won't work)
2 TBSP garlic, minced
salt and pepper

2 TBSP cornstarch (later)

Cut the cubes of beef to large chunk size pieces. Place in a large stewpot. Cover, set heat on the stove to medium. When the meat begins to release liquid and starts to simmer, add green chile, garlic, salt and pepper. Simmer covered for 2-3 hours until the beef falls apart. Mix the cornstarch with a little water to thin and add to the beef/chile mixture to thicken just a little.


Heat large flour tortillas, spread some of the chile mixture on the grilled tortilla, sprinkle with cheddar or cheese of choice. Roll into a burrito. Can serve with sour cream and lettuce if you like.

Dutch Oven Moose Cubed Steak Slow-Cook Veggie Pot

2 lbs. cubed moose steak (or use beef)
1 onion, rough chopped
Fennel Bulb and fronds, rough chop
6 large carrots, 1 1/2" cuts
4 or more potatoes, cut into fourths
2 tsp. minced garlic
4 sprigs thyme
3 TBSP parsley, chopped
2 cans beef gravy
1 cup marsala
*Mushroom buttons would be a good addition to this dish!

Lightly salt and pepper the cubed steak. Dredge in flour and brown in a large Dutch oven pot in oil on both sides. Remove meat from pan. Add the onion, fennel, carrots, potatoes, garlic, thyme, and parsley. Allow the browned part on the bottom to release and begin to soften.

Cut chopped steaks into large pieces. Add marsala to the veggies simmering on the stove. Add the moose/beef and the 2 cans of gravy. Remove from heat.

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Bake the Dutch oven for 2.5 hours or until vegetables are tender.

Serve this with sourdough bread or other Artisan Bread.

Thai Pork Tenderloin

1 lb. pork tenderloin
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 TBSP. onion powder

Peanut Sauce:
2 TBSP. Teriyaki sauce
2 TBSP peanut butter
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper

Liberally powder the tenderloin with onion powder. Brush 1/4 cup Teriyaki sauce over pork loin. Place tenderloin over hot grill. Grill uncovered for 25 to 30 minutes turning frequently until internal temperature reaches 155F.

Meanwhile in a small bowl, whisk together 2 TBSP. Teriyaki sauce and 2 TBSP. water. Whisk in the peanut butter and red pepper mixing until a smooth consistency. Transfer tenderloin to a serving dish and top with peanut sauce.

Serve this sauteed cabbage and onions.

Corn Pone, Cornbread, Whatever...my Aunt Marcia's is the best!

My Aunt Marcia made the best cornbread, Hands-Down, EVER. You want a winner? This is it. Yes, it is a sweet recipe and an easy to make cornbread, but you can add jalapenos to it and it is just as good. I am serving this tonight with a -salmon chili....yup, we like it hot....there are lots of red peppers, chili and beans.....Aunt Marcia's Cornbread is the ONLY saving grace.


1 C cornmeal
1 C flour
4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 cup sugar (yep I like it sweet)
1 tsp. salt
2 eggs
1 C milk
1/4 C oil..(to be honest, I use Olive oil)


Cook for 20-25 minutes.

REALLY? SERIOUSLY?....UM LIKE....NOPE. You won't find a better recipe than this for cornbread....My southern realatives have my back on this and my Southwestern cousins have me covered in the southwest.....thank you God for relatives all over the place....but couldn't you throw in some Asian culture? Once you try this cornbread you will never go back.

Fall-Apart Pork Butt AKA Pulled Pork

Jim and I love Big Daddy's BBQ here in Fairbanks! They even won best BBQ in Texas which is saying a lot! I will be using a local Fairbanks bottled BBQ sauce in the end called Lead Dog BBQ Sauce, (I get it at the organic market off of Airport) it's a little on the sweet-side, which I normally do not like, but this is good sauce.

1 pork butt (5 lbs)
1 head of garlic
1/3 cup worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 6oz cans pineapple juice
1/2 tsp. salt

Trim excess fat off the butt (gosh don't we wish it could be that easy with humans?) Peel and slice large garlic cloves into slivers. Punch a hole in the butt and insert a garlic clove. Repeat all over the meat. Sprinkle worcestershire sauce all over the butt, cover and chill overnight.

Heat the oven to 400. Now massage brown sugar into the meat. Pour pineapple juice in the bottom of the pan-AVOID pouring over the brown sugar. Cover the butt with a tight lid.

Place in the oven and immediately lower the heat to 200. Cook for at least 5 hours. Test...the meat should be so tender that it literally falls apart.

Remove the meat from the pan and add salt to the juices in the bottom. Serve the meat with the juices or use barbecue sauce and serve on grilled buns.

I'm serving ours with oven roasted yams.

Panko and Macadamia Nut Crusted Salmon

The Fairbanks Cookbook Club recommended the Panko-Crusted Salmon recipe in our adopted cookbook, "How Easy is That?". I really love my macadamia nut crusted salmon and it only made sense to combine both recipes. We all agree that salmon loves lemon and parsley. But salmon also loves nuts, panko crumbs and a dash of mustard...so this is a perfect match of ingredients coming together to deliver the most for our subsistence fish in Alaska. How funny that I took out a package from the freezer to find that they are all tails (Jim's favorite part of the fish).

2/3 cup panko crumbs (Japanese bread flakes)
2 TBSP fresh parsley, chopped
1/4 cup finely minced macadamia nuts
1 tsp. lemon zest
1 tsp. kosher salt
Fresh ground black pepper to taste
2 TBSP. good olive oil (Yep...I paid $23 for a pint!)
4 - 6 to 8 oz fillets of salmon, skin on
2 TBSP Dijon mustard
2 TBSP vegetable oil
Lemon wedges, for serving

Heat the oven to 425. Mix together panko, parsley, nuts, lemon zest, 1/2 tsp. salt, pepper. Drizzle with olive oil and stir the crumbs until they are evenly coated.

Spread salmon with mustard, then salt and pepper the fillets. Next, press the panko mixture thickly on top of the mustard on each fillet. The mustard will help the crumb mix to adhere.

Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a cast iron skillet. Add salmon skin side down and sear for 4 minutes...do not turn.

Transfer fish to a baking dish and bake in the oven for 7 minutes or until salmon is ALMOST done and panko is browned. Remove from the oven and cover with foil. Let fish rest for 10 minutes. Serve with lemon wedges.

Gumbo Z'Herbes (Green Gumbo)

When I think about greens, I first think of my mother who never met a green she didn't like and passed on her love of all forms of Brassica to all her children. I think of the simplicity of southern food--AKA comfort food. I think of my garden in summer and giving away the leafy, nutritious treasures to friends, pressure canning dozens of jars and shelving them for cold days like this in the dead of winter.

This hearty dish is described as one that breaks all the rules about gumbo. It uses neither okra or file'. It is the only gumbo in which the roux is not prepared first. Originally, it contained no meat, seafood, or game. Futhermore, it also does not contain the holy trinity or magic three of peppers, celery and onion. This gumbo started out as a traditional Lenten dish to be served on Good Friday. Legend had it that you would make as many friends as the number of different greens you put in the pot. Eight greens = eight new friends. The flavor that evolves from combining many different greens is what makes this gumbo so delicious. Today, this dish has seen the addition of meat. Like all gumbos, expect an obscene amount so be prepared to either share with a crowd or freeze the leftovers. The most difficult part of making this dish is washing, rinsing and preparing the greens.

For you haters of gumbo--No, there is no okra or file' in this recipe. That's usually the first question people ask me when I make and offer gumbo. I don't know what it is that people hate about okra. Okay, it does have that "snot-like" consistency, I'll give you that, but the good: okra is low in saturated fat and sodium, and very low in cholesterol. It is also a good source of protein, riboflavin, niacin, phosphorus, potassium, zinc and copper, and a very good source of dietary fiber, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin K, thiamin, vitamin B6, folate, calcium, magnesium and manganese. Never mind the lecture about the benefits of okra, and I'll get off the okra soapbox--as I said, this gumbo does not call for okra!

The recipe comes from "The New Orleans Cookbook" by Rima and Richard Collin, ISBN: 0-394-75257-9, April 1987.

Greens: As many of these as are available, a minimum of 5 is adequate, 7-8 are perfect
*most of these greens I had canned from our garden--they need not be fresh picked (I used collards, mustard greens, turnip greens, parsley, spinach, radish tops, cabbage, chicory and kale)

Select from the following:
1 bunch collard greens
1 bunch mustard greens
1 bunch turnip greens
1 bunch shallots (scallions)
1 bunch parsley
1 bunch watercress
1 bunch spinach
1 bunch beet tops
1 bunch radish tops (I didn't know you could eat radish tops and always threw them away!)
1 small head green cabbage
1 bunch chicory (AKA Belgian Endive--who knew!)
1 bunch carrot tops
1 bunch kale

Gumbo Base:
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 lb. lean baked ham, cut into cubes
1/2 lb. Creole (Polish, French garlic, Portugese)sausage cut into 1/2" cubes
1/2 lb. veal or chicken cut into 1/2" cubes (I used chicken)

Roux:
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2/3 cup flour

Liquid and Seasonings:
2 qt. chicken stock plus 1/3 cup cold water (I used turkey stock I made and froze last year)
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/8 tsp. cayenne (we like it spicy so I used more)
2 whole bay leaves, crushed
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 tsp. dried marjoram
2 whole cloves
6 whole allspice

Rice: Enough for everyone
Louisianna Hot Sauce: Garnish

Wash the greens really well--they have a reputation for holding onto sand and dirt. Place greens in a colander and rinse under cold running water. Drain excess water. Place greens in heavy 3 to 4 quart pot or dutch oven. Add 1/3 cup cold water and turn the heat to medium high. When the liquid at the bottom of the pan begins to boil, cover the pan tightly, reduce the heat to medium low and cook the greens for 12 to 15 minutes or until tender. Remove the pan from the heat and reserve the liquid formed from cooking by draining the greens. Chop the cooked greens fine and set aside.

In a large 7-8 quart pot heat the oil, keep heat at medium-low and add the flour. Stir constantly until flour reaches a peanut butter color. Add onion and stir thoroughly and continue browning for 5 more minutes stirring constantly. Add the ham, sausage, veal/chicken and the liquid reserved from the greens. Mix well and stir in the greens and seasonings. Turn the heat to low and add 2 quarts broth. Bring the gumbo to a boil, reduce heat again and simmer for 1 1/4 hours stirring every now and then. Serve over rice--of course! For those of us who like it REALLY spicy, dash on some Louisianna Hot Sauce.

So, I used 9 different greens, so I am now eagerly awaiting making 9 new friends.

Neiman Marcus Cookies or Million Dollar Cookies

First let me put to rest the myth about Neiman Marcus and those wonderful chocolate chip cookies. According to Snopes...the lawsuit is not real!

I am adapting only one dozen of these cookies for my sweet, hunky hubby...a coffee addict....I am embedding a coffee bean in each of his cookies. I will only do this for him.

WARNINGS:
1. This recipe makes an obscene amount of cookies....like in the 100's. They are addictive, you will want to share them with everyone.

2. You will be spending an enormous amount of prep time....you need to turn oats into an oat flour using a food processor or blender

3. There are many expensive ingredients. Be patient or if you can't afford hours and hours baking them--then bypass this.

1 lb. unsalted butter
2 cups sugar
2 cups brown sugar
4 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
4 cups flour
5 cups blended oatmeal
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. baking soda
24 oz. chocolate chips (I use 1 pkg. of dark chocolate and 1 pkg. of semi-sweet chocolate)
1 3.5 oz. bar Lindt Dark Chocolate with Sea Salt (grated)
3 cups chopped nuts (pecans or walnuts)
*OPTIONAL: coffee bean or coursely ground coffe beans

Cream the butter and both sugars. Add eggs and vanilla; mix together with flour, oatmeal (that has been previously blended), salt, baking powder, and soda. Add chocolate chips, Lindt bar and nuts. Roll into balls and place two-inches apart on a parchment-lined cookie sheet (it makes clean-up so much easier). Bake for 15 minutes at 375. Makes approximately 112 cookies.

An Appetizer Worth Mentioning Soppressata and Cheese in Puff Pastry

I joined the Fairbanks Cookbook Club last month and the first cookbook we chose was "Barefoot Contessa: How Easy is That? I must admit I was a little leary because Ina has always just been a little too fancy and involved of a chef for me. I'm just a simple, down-home cook who enjoys cooking basic, feel-good, healthy foods. I have been, however, pleasantly surprised by all of the recipes I have tried in this book. Even though she is a little heavy on the salt in some places (thank goodness I adjust before adding it all!), it has been a pleasure trying these recipes and I wholeheartedly encourage everyone to get a copy. Putting in a plug here for those of you who live in, or close to Fairbanks, please support our locally-owned bookstore, Gulliver's Books--who give so much back to the community and public education. ISBN: 978-0-307-23876-4 $35.00 is a lot in my opinion to spend on a cookbook, but this one, you will find, is well worth your investment.

Here is a link to Gullivers: http://www.gullivers-books.com/ (While here, also look for their step-by-step recipe for Hungarian Mushroom Soup served only on Thursdays and is to die for!)

This recipe will make a fabulous appetizer, or a great addition to a brunch or lunch with a side salad. As an appetizer, expect about 8 servings, as an entree with a salad, expect 4-6 servings.

1 package (2) sheets frozen puff pastry (defrosted)
2 TBSP Dijon mustard
12 thin slices soppressata salami (3 1/2") diameter. I had to use a different salami from the deli section.
6 oz. Guyere cheese, grated
1 egg with 1 TBSP water, beaten to brush the crust.

Set oven to 450. Roll out a sheet of pastry to 10". Place pastry on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Spread with Dijon leaving a 1" border. Top with salami, then grated cheese. Brush the 1" border with a little of the egg wash. Roll out next sheet of pastry to 10" and cover the ingredients with this sheet. Brush the pastry with egg wash. Place in the fridge for 15 minutes. Using a sharp knife. Cut all four sides to make even (this also SEALS your pastry.)

Bake 12 minutes. Place another parchment paper over the top of the pastry, lift and flip the sheet over to bake the other side. Remove the parchment paper and bake the unbaked flipped side 12 more minutes or until brown and flaky. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before slicing.

Honestly, I am all about changing up recipes whenever I can, tweaking them to make them my own. But this recipe stands apart and I wouldn't change one thing.

Other recipes I've tried and enjoyed from this book are: Chipotle and Rosemary Roasted Nuts, Stilton and Walnut Crackers, Buttermilk Ranch Dressing with Bibb Lettuce, Roasted Vegetable Frittata, Baked Fontina, Lemon Chicken Breasts, Roasted Shrimp with Feta, Garlic-Roasted Cauliflower, Flat (Green) Beans with Pecorino, Potato Basil Puree and Cranberry Apple Easy Cake

Proscuitto and Asparagus-Artichoke Pasta

This recipe comes from Sunset magazine, March, 2012 pg. 100. Thinking of my friend Georgina who is allergic to shellfish but loves pasta, I came upon this dish and thought of her. I had some steamed artichokes and added two diced artichoke crowns to the original recipe. We love garlic so I doubled this ingredient. We also enjoy the bite that chile flakes provide so I was liberal with that ingredient as well. Don't skimp on using cheap olive oil or parmesan either--it's worth investing in the good stuff.

8 oz. Angel Hair or Spaghetti
1 TBSP. good olive oil
1/2 large onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups sliced mushrooms
4 oz. thinkly sliced and diced proscuitto
1 lb. asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1" pieces
2 artichoke crowns, cubed
1 1/4 cups heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. chile flakes

Cook the pasta, drain and return to pot. While pasta is cooking, heat oil over medium-high, cook onion, garlic, and mushrooms for 2-4 minutes. Add proscuitto, asparagus, artichokes and cook until asparagus is tender and bright about 2-4 minutes. Add cream, cheese, pepper and chile flakes. Reduce heat to simmer and cook until sauce has thickened (4-5 minutes). Plate the pasta and pour the sauce over the top. Toss to coat and serve with a light dusting of parmesan. This recipe goes very well with Soppressata and Cheese in Puff Pastry as an appetizer (see next blog)

Cranberry-Apple Easy Cake

As part of the newly formed FNSBSD Cookbook Club, I just ordered the cookbook "The Barefoot Contessa: How Easy Can It Be?". A preview recipe on Amazon.com inspired me. I had the cranberries on hand and only needed to get a Granny Smith apple to complete this recipe. This will go wonderful with my Baked Pork Chops, Cranberry-Walnut Stuffing, Mashed Potatoes and home-canned Green Beans. A PERFECT Sunday dinner.

Ingredients:
12 oz. fresh cranberries, rinsed and drained
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled and diced
1/2 cup brown sugar (I used Splenda Brown Sugar)
1 TBSP grated orange zest
1/4 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
1 tsp. cinnamon

Mix the above ingredients and set aside.

In a bowl using an electric mixer, beat the following:

2 eggs, for 2 minutes on medium speed
1 cup sugar
1 stick or 1/4 lb. unsalted melted and cooled butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup sour cream
beat this until combined. On low speed add
1 cup flour
1/4 tsp kosher salt

Pour the fruit mixturee into a 10" glass pie plate. Pour the batter over the top. Combine the following:

1 TBSP sugar
1/8 tsp. cinnamon

Sprinkle this over the batter. Bake 55-60 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Serve warm or at room temp.

Skinny Oven Fries

Simply Colorado: Nutritious Recipes for Busy People published by the Colorado Dietetic Association cannot be purchased in any bookstore. I love this cookbook! Every recipe is packed with healthy, tasty ingredients. Some of my favorite recipes include: Garbanzo Nuts, Cranberry Cottage Cake with Lemon Sauce, Ratatouille and this recipe for Skinny Oven Fries. Jim asks for these "fries" on a regular basis. Christopher grew up with these fries and there were never any leftovers. This recipe also works well with sweet potatoes if you are so inclined.

The only way to get a copy of this wonderful cookbook is by writing to: Colorado Dietetic Association, 6930 So. Bemis Street, Littleton, CO 80120. I bought this cookbook while living and working in Los Alamos, New Mexico in 1989, so I don't know how much the book is today but, if interested, call 1-800-798-2635.

2 tsp Parmesan cheese
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp lemon pepper
4 large russet potatoes (I like to leave the skins on)
1/8 cup olive oil

Preheat the oven to 350. Mix seasonings. Cut each potato into 8 wedges; toss with oil, place on baking sheet. Sprinkle potatoes with seasoning mixture, turn over and sprinkle the other side. Bake until soft when pricked, about 45 minutes or 1 hours for crisp fries.

Lamb and Lentils with a Root Vegetable Salad with Anchovy Vinaigrette

Lamb and Lentils

These recipes come from a cookbook I purchased years ago, Farm House Cookbook by Susan Herrmann Loomis ISBN: 0-89480-772-2. Travelling all across America with her husband visiting family-owned farms Loomis includes farming family favorites. Who knows better than those who till the soil and provide us with a wealth of sustinance straight from Mother Nature? After recently reading Animal, Vegetable, or Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver, I've rekindled a passion for healthy, organic foodstuffs. I was lucky to happen upon free-range lamb free of hormones or drugs. Fred Meyer carries organic and pesticide-free meats and vegetables.

The original recipe called for carrots, but I wanted and had organic yams on hand and substituted them instead.

Ingredients:
2 tsp olive oil
1 lb lamb (recipe calls for 1/2" chunks but I used ground)
2 cups water
1 cup lentils
1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp salt
10 black peppercorns
4 sprigs fresh thyme or 1/2 tsp. dried
4 large fresh sage leaves or 1/2 tsp. dried crumbled
2 TBSP lemon juice
zest of 1/2 a lemon
2 carrots or yams, peeled and cut into bite-sized cubes
2 cups green cabbage, rough chop
salt and pepper to taste

Heat the oil in a dutch oven or soup pot. Brown lamb, add onion, garlic, salt, pepper, herbs, lentils and water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. While this simmers, gently boil carrots or yams in salted water in a seperate pot (drain when tender). After 20 minutes test to see if lentils are almost done. To the lamb and lentils add lemon juice, zest, carrots and cabbage. Cook just until the cabbage is tender.


Root Vegetable Salad with Anchovy Vinaigrette

I love tubers! They store well and can be bought in large quantities and stored for months in a cool, dry place. This is a great colorful winter salad and off the grid as far as salads go. The fennel provides a clean, cool and crisp crunch. Don't be daunted by the anchovies--like a putanesca sauce, it is a necessary ingredient and no one needs to know the "mystery" ingredient in this vinaigrette.

The Salad
2 large red bell peppers, cored, seeded and quartered (reserve 1 1/2 cups to mix with fronds and vinaigrette)
2 fennel bulbs with fronds (finely chop the fronds-reserve a heaping 1/4 cup of the fronds for the vinaigrette)
8 oz rutabaga, peeled and diced
8 oz small turnips, peeled and diced

For the Vinaigrette
7 TBSP extra-virgin olive oil
3 TBSP sherry
1 TBSP balsamic vinegar (but the good stuff---don't skimp on this)
1 tsp whole-grain mustard
1/2 tsp sugar
1 cans anchovy fillets in oil, drained and minced
salt and pepper to taste

Mix chopped salad ingredients together. In a mixing bowl, whisk the vinaigrette ingredients together. In another bowl combine the reserved 1 1/2 cups red pepper and the 1/4 cup fronds with 1 TBSP of the vinaigrette. Pour the vinaigrette over the salad vegetables and toss. To plate, transfer the vegetables to a large platter. Surround the salad with the reserved pepper and fennel garnish.

Real Men Eat Quiche! Lobster and Halibut or do you want Vegetarian?

I've put up my quice recipe before and the egg/cream mix remains the same (If you need that recipe again, either search here or email me and I'll send it again). Jim insisted I put up two seperate quiches on Mama's site. One is made of leftover lobster and halibut. The other includes mushrooms, baby peppers, onions, and broccoli. I use different cheeses for each.

Step 1: Mix the eggs, 1 cup heavy cream and 1 cup fat free half and half. Make and roll out the pie crust and fit into dish.

Lobster and halibut are enhanced with thyme...keep that but you can also substitute dill weed instead. I added some mushrooms, but the cheeses need to be a mix of a variety of cheeses that will marry and complement each other. I used a mix of Fontina, Tuscan Cheddar and Parmagianno Regianno (to equal 1 cup).

I think I could be a vegetarian. Easily! I grew up in a farming family and never met a vegetable I didn't like. In the summer, many meals on the table didn't include meat and we didn't miss it a bit. This quiche is for me! Mushrooms, tomatoes, sauteed peppers and broccoli. The cheese you need here need to be simple and not overpowering. Use a simple Monterey Jack with 1/4 the amout of Guyerre. I used basil instead of thyme.

Point to take: You cannot go wrong with quiche. Anything you put into it will be great. Just think of seasonings that the meat or vegetables they love....parsley, thyme, basil, savory, sage, nutmeg, or whatever. The list goes on.

49 meets 50! The best of two worlds

The 49th state (Alaska) Copper River Red Salmon and the 50th state (Hawaii) Big Island Macadamia Nuts combine to provide a fabulous meal!

1 lb. Copper River Red Salmon
1 egg white
1/2 cup chopped macadamia nuts
1 TBSP. Olive oil to cook the fish
1 TBSP. butter
1 TBSP. parsley
1 TBSP. lemon juice

Bone the salmon, season both sides with salt and pepper, dredge in beaten egg whites, and toss in chopped macadamia nuts mixed with parsley. Brown in hot oil for 4 minutes on each side or until flaky. Drizzle with melted butter and lemon juice.

I served this with a light salad of roots and herbs, buttered yams and steamed rice. So simple and quick. Humky hubby loved every bite and ate 3 helpings of fish.

Ravioli Fever!

I can't seem to get enough of playing with my new pasta machine and ravioli maker. I've now made two batches of spinach ravioli and am on to now experimenting with butternut squash with sage and brown butter sauce and then try a lobster ravioli. With each batch I get better at mixing, feeling and creating a better pasta. The first time I made ravioli I made a garlic alfredo and added in some roughly chopped crimini and white mushrooms. Delicious! I have a marinar sauce with sausage, mushrooms and pepperoni that I am going to try with this batch. The key is to knead the pasta dough for at least 10 minutes and then letting it rest wrapped in plastic for at least an hour. I'm combining two recipes for my dough. From "Ultimate Pasta" by Julia Della Croce (ISBN: 0-7894-2086-4 and "Back to the Table: The Reunion of Food and Family" by Art Smith (ISBN: 0-7868-6854-6). The second book is one of my favorites and I highly recommended getting this one to add to your collection.

~2 cups flour (more for dusting the pasta and the machine)
3 eggs
1/8 tsp salt
2 tsp. vegetable oil

Weigh the flour (should be 1 lb which is about 2 cups), add salt. Slightly beat the eggs and oil. Make a well in the center of the flour and pour in egg. Using a fork, gradually add flour into the egg mix as it comes away from the sides of the bowl. When the dough is well incorporated and is too stiff to work with a fork, turn onto a lightly dusted surface and begin to knead into a ball. Continue kneading until a soft ball is made. Important: Knead the dough for a minimum of 10 minutes. Put on some music to keep your eye off the clock. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and allow it to rest in a warm place for at least 1 hour.

While dough rests, make your filling.

Spinach Filling:
1 lb. cooked, drained to almost dry and finely chopped spinach
7 oz. Ricotta Cheese
3.5 oz grated Parmesan Cheese
2 egg yolks
1 TBSP. Breadcrumbs
Nutmeg
Salt and Pepper

Cut the dough into 2-4 smaller sizes to work with, keeping the dough you are not working with wrapped in plastic. Feed the dough through the pasta machine on the lowest setting at first, gradually tightening down the width after passing it through the machine each time. You will end up with a long, thin sheet of pasta. I like to end up on either 6 or 7 because it needs to be slightly thicker than say fettucini because it will be sandwiched. Cut off the tapered ends and fold in half.

Place the ravioli attachment onto the pasta machine. Fold the dough in half and feed the middle of the dough into the machine turning about 1/4" to begin the first seal.

Place the hopper on the attachment and spoon the filling into the middle. A sheet of ravioli will look like this:

Gently remove the edges of the ravioli (I actually saved these "noodles" and put them in a soup (waste not want not!)

Your ravioli will look like this:

Voila! Enjoy!

Grandma Hazel's Homemade Noodles

I've always loved my Aunt Bubble's egg noodles, but recently found out when I went home to visit that the noodles were actually Grandma Hazel Johnson's (my aunts mother-in-law's) recipe. Aunt Bubbles always made a pork roast to accompany her noodles, but mom used them after Christmas day in her turkey soup. After watching how easy it is to make pasta, I drug out the old pasta machine I had received as a gift over 10 years ago but was too chicken to experiment but for a few times and a huge mess later. Well I promptly broke the blasted thing..something to do with the plastic gear that turns the paddle. Those who really know me know that I won't be daunted by a little bump in the road. I set out on a mission to get a new pasta machine like moms...ALL METAL this time and found one at the Country Kitchen store on Airport Dr. No electronics to go bad this time and pasta is extruded by human work. Well, sitting right next to this little thing was a ravioli maker that I had to have as well.

The outcome was a success! The egg noodles are drying on the table to be stored in a glass jar for whenever I want noodles. In the meantime, I've made another batch of linguini that we had last night and bought some fresh spinach and cheeses to make ravioli.
Grandma Hazel's Egg Noodles 3-4 cups flour (I mixed 1/2 Semolina and 1/2 bread flour) 4 egg yolks dash of salt egg shell-to measure water (4-5 shells--or enough to just moisten and stick together) Make a well in the flour. Add eggs, salt and water. Begin to incorporate the flour, eggs and water a little at a time until a ball begins to form. Knead the dough for ten minutes (don't skimp on this step). The dough should feel tough and difficult to knead--not crumbly and not sticky.

Wrap the ball of dough in plastic wrap and allow it to rest for one hour. (Aunt B doesn't let it rest at all, Mom lets it rest for 10 minutes, but I like one hour because it seems easier to work with.) Cut the dough into six portions and, work with one ball of dough at a time keeping the rest of the dough wrapped so it doesn't dry out. Pat the dough into a rectangle or circle thin enough to feed through your pasta machine (or roll out into a thin sheet and cut noodles if you don't have a machine). Keep the noodles and the machine or working surface lightly dusted with flour. Use the noodles right away or dry and store them to be used later. Take care not to overcook the noodles. They only need about 10 minutes in boiling water or broth--check to taste al dente. Voila! Now I am on the lookout for new pasta recipes!

Seafood Pasta I know it's New Years Eve and I'm supposed to post something that includes black-eyed peas or dark green veggies....The black eyed peas are already cooked and on the stove and I took out a can of 2010 turnip greens that I will heat up tomorrow morning. I did make it to midnight 2012. I just can't buy into the whole 2012---the sky if falling idea...sorry...I won't be Chicken Little. If the end of the world is coming...then let it come. I don't voice it in public but I do completely believe in T. S. Eliot's quote, "The world will not end with a bang, but with a whimper." I've tried to live my life by this quote. Meaning....be ready for it at any time. Don't be forced to ask for forgiveness at the last moment. Live every day as though it is your last and give everything you have to those around you. Go out of this world with no regrets. Believe in karma and always try to do for others and be kind. What will be will be and we can't stop it. I could expand on my thoughts but that would be a whole different venue. Instead......I made a fabulous dish of wild caught jumbo shrimp and Alaska caught scallops. Just coming back from New Mexico...I had some fabulous hot green chile that begged to be cooked. I found a recipe by mom that called for both ingredients and a salsa and green chile mix served over pasta.

3/4 cup chopped green onions 2 garlic cloves, diced Olive oil 1/2 cup chicken broth or white wine 1 1/2 cups salsa 4 oz. green chile 1 TBSP lime juice 1 Lb. shrimp uncooked, deveined 1 Lb. bay scallops, cubed 12 oz. pasta Prepare pasta according to directions. Saute onions and garlic in olive oil. Add broth or wine and simmer 3 minutes. Stir in salsa, chile and lime juice. Add shrimp and scallops, cook for 4-5 minutes or until shrimp turns pink and scallops are done. Serve over pasta and top with parmesean cheese. Happy New Year!