Why don’t you go watch the microwave instead?

Cooking is sort of like washing dishes, reading a book or taking a really long and hot bath. It’s therapeutic and very relaxing, at least for this lady it is.

Growing up, the aroma of a homemade concoction was always present in the house. My Dad would hole himself up in the kitchen with the local news station on in the other room. While he was focusing on some global policy and yelling his crazy antics at a blank screen, the sauces bubbled over. The top layer creating a tight film itching to be stirred.

I always wandered into the kitchen and it was almost as if he could smell the anticipation in stirring the ingredients and turn down the heat. Clear from the other room, he would shout over the broadcasters at me, “Don’t stir that, it needs to blend. Why don’t you go watch the meat thawing in the microwave instead?”

{Courtesy of Google}

A tyke can wish of TV on the micro right? Forget RHOOC episodes (which I totally missed, thank you BravoTV.com) The only thing that was interesting was a tray moving round and round.

But this is what I did while the sauces were bubbling over, meat browning and beginning to burn around the edges. I hunched over the counter, leaned my head against the warm front and began a young lifelong kitchen pursuit of radioactive exposure via the microwave.

To this day, I rarely use the micro and only have one because my mother came to visit and refused to use a stovetop to make oatmeal...The minute I moved out, I started collecting cookbooks. Started cooking crazy meals that take an entire day to prepare. All because the kitchen was now a place I could be in. Whether it be bite-sized or wide open. Friends, boyfriends and family have always and will always be welcome in my kitchen because it holds no secrets. It tells no lies.

And so from my kitchen to yours, here is a recipe that won’t make you or your loved ones stand in front of the micro waiting for something to thaw and most definitely won’t create a mess on the stovetop. A simple spring/summer dish that is dish delish.

{Courtesy of Volterra Restaurant, Seattle, WA}

Fennel Seasoned Prawns with Taggiasca Olive Relish

Ingredios (for 2 servings)
4 Jumbo Prawns, peeled and deveined
Fennel Seasoning-to taste
EVOO

For the salad
1/2c Fennel Bulb, cored and sliced very thin
½ c Orange segments
2Tbsp Orange Juice
1/4c Taggiasca Olives
1Tbsp EVOO
1Tbsp Champagne vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste (if you have truffle salt use this)
1c Baby Arugula
1Tbs Chives, freshly chopped
Directions

Preheat grill. Sprinkle liberally with Fennel seasoning and rub with EVOO. Grill until just cooked and serve atop the salad.
For the salad. Combine all ingredios for thet salad in a medium bowl and mix thoroughly. Place the salad on a plate and top with the prawns. Sprinkle with chives.
For an added kick, you can skewer together prawns and scallops.

Voila!

Tasty Tuesday: Chicken Nachos and a secret surprise

It’s Game day, Sunday cookouts, BBQs, poker nights, no main meal dinners. What's cookin' good lookin'? There are some automaatic pulls for peckish meals, but really what do you choose?

Pancakes?


Quesadillas?


How about some tasty nachos loaded with the works. Chicken. Three Different Types of Cheese, Jalapenos. Sour Cream. Chips. And the mystery date-a bread bowl.

Out and about the other day with a friend, we got a peckish and started roaming the neighborhood for something to nibble on. The sun was out and we were both in the mood to take advantage and assume the position of beer and bar treats.

We ordered up the nachos and before you could say hey-oh a plate the size of a Toyota was dropped down on the counter and we dove in for the kill.

I am not sure how anyone else is about their nachos but having burned or cheese sticking to a chip is a major NO NO so it is best to prepare your arteries for the Velveeta (or likewise cheese) induced coma that they will soon endure. While we were devouring the monstrous pile of chips, we hit bread bottom.

There was a bread bowl in the center of the nachos. What is a bread bowl doing in a plate of nachos? At first we both stared at it and then reached for a fork to see if it was a loaf of bread or if it was actually filled with the fixins’. It was, making it a bowl of nacho. I wish I had gotten a picture of that beast.

Let’s give a big tasty yay for having the fixins’ filling this bread bowl so it doesn’t spill over the Toyota but where were the chips? The bread was soggy and doing serious injustice to the art that is a nacho platter. It was the strangest concept for nachos and I want to say this is part of the major NO NO but again I don't know, it kind of worked. And this is the hearty Mid-West.

Lots of Bread. Lots of Potatoes. Lots of Bread in Nachos.

For your Mid-Western pleasure, here’s a nacho recipe (with the bread bowl) for your very own to try out.



Super Deluxe Chicken Nachos
Ingredios
Loaf of sourdough bread
Tortilla chips of liking
1 (14 ounce) can diced tomatoes with green chile peppers (such as RO*TEL®), drained
1 (1 pound) loaf processed cheese food (such as Velveeta®), cubed
2 large cooked skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, diced
1/3 cup sour cream
1/4 cup diced green onion
1/2 cup pico de gallo salsa
2 tablespoons minced jalapeno pepper, or to taste (optional)
1 cup black beans, rinsed and drained
Avocado
Queso Cheese

Directions
Place the diced tomatoes, processed cheese, chicken meat, sour cream, green onion, taco seasoning, and jalapeno pepper into a slow cooker. Cook on High, stirring occasionally until the cheese has melted and the dip is hot, 1 to 2 hours. Stir in the black beans, and cook 15 more minutes to reheat. Pour 3/4 of mixture into breadbowl, place chips around and on top and pour the remainder of cheese mixture on top. Garnish with tomatoes, avocado, shredded queso and jalepenos and green onions.

Enjoy!

Tasty Tuesday: Coconut Cupcakes..mon amour

Baking is slowly but surely beginning to grow on me. Lord knows that a Duncan Hines cake mix would suffice at times but in the need for improving the baking skills I rise to the challenge. As time has passed, I’ve learned that a person either cooks or they bake. It’s that simple.

You either like the precision of baking or the open recipes and free flowing way of whipping something together out of ingredients in your refridge. I’m more of the latter but like how baking fills an entire day if you’re stuck indoors.

These baked lovelies were put together for a wine night with a bunch of friends and went over extremely well. The cake is loaded with coconut but has just a small bit of almond extract that is delicate and will turn the heads of anyone nipping into one.

So from my kitchen to yours (more like from my lady Ina’s kitchen to yours) here’s a lovely recipe that is geared up for all of the fans of coconut. Enjoy!



Coconut Cupcakes
Batter ingredios
3/4lb unsalted butter at room temperature
2c sugar
5 extra large eggs at room temperature
1 ½tsp pure vanilla extract
1 1/2tsp pure almond extract
3c all purpose flour
1tsp baking powder
1/2tsp baking soda
1/2tsp salt
1c buttermilk
14oz sweetened, shredded coconut

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy about 5 minutes. With the mixer running on low, add the ggs one at a time. Scraping down the bowl after each addition. Add the vanilla and almond extracts and mix well.

In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In three parts, alternately add the dry ingredients and the buttermilk to the batter, beginning and ending with the dry. Mix until just combined. Fold in 7 oz of coconut. Line a muffin pan with paper liners. Fill each cup to the top with batter. Bake for 25-35 minutes until the tops are brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Remove to a baking rack and cool completely. Frost with the cream cheese icing and sprinkle with the remaining coconut.

Cream Cheese Icing
Ingredios
1lb cream cheese at room temperature
3/4lb unsalted butter at room temperature
1tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2tsp pure almond extract
1 1/2lb confectioners sugar sifted

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, blend together the cream cheese, butter and vanilla and almond extracts. Add the confectioners’ sugar and mix until smooth.

Voila!

Tasty Tuesday: Entertaining Mini Empanadas

There is almost nothing better than tapas when entertaining (There really is better but I really do love tapas!). Everything is finger sized ready and hardly anything will catch in your teeth. But always carry a mirror just in case. I am heading out for a night out this evening and am bringing several dishes including a very simple empanada recipe that has never failed once. The minis are typically gone within a few minutes.

Empanada with Roquefort and Hazelnuts



Makes 12
Prep time 20 minutes, Cook Time 20 minutes.

Ingredios
1 packet ready made savory-plain puff pastry dough
1 c crumbled Roquefort cheese
24 hazelnuts, crushed
Sour Cream
1 egg yolk
Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Unroll the pastry dough and cut out 10 circles 2.5inches in diameter with a glass or cookie cutter. Put the cheese and hazelnuts in a bowl and mix together thoroughly with a fork. Add a little sour cream to thin if necessary.

Just before serving:
Put a little cheese filling on one half of each pastry circle. Dampen the edges and fold over; sealing the edges firmly. Whisk the egg yolk with a little water and brush on one side of the pastry parcels. Line a cookie sheet with baking parchment. Put the empanadas on the sheet and bake in the preheated oven for 10-15 minutes, until golden. Serve hot.

You can vary the cheese and try Bleu and alternate almonds for hazelnuts.

Voila!

Tasty Tuesday: Roasted Vegetable Torte

Over the past few days amazing dishes have been getting put together with a weekly favorite: Roasted Vegetables. So from my kitchen to yours, here is a no-nonsense recipe that will turn any roasted veg into a beautiful masterpiece. Prepare it the night before and poof-perfect wedges for the next day.

Roasted Vegetable Torte



Ingredios
2 zucchini, cut into ¼” slices
1 red onion, cut in half lengthwise and sliced
1tsp minced garlic
Good EVOO
Kosher Salt
Freshly ground Pepper
2 Red Bell Peppers, halved, cored and seeded
2 Yellow Bell Peppers, halved, cored and seeded
1 egglplant, unpeeled, cut into ¼” slices (1.5lbs)
1/2c Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese

Preheat the oven t 400 degrees.

Cook the zucchini, onions, garlic and 2TBSP EVOO in a large sauté pan over medium heat for 10 minutes until the zucchini is tender. Season with salt and pepper. Brush the red and yellow peppers and eggplant with olive oil, season with salt/pepper and roast on a baking sheet for 30-40 minutes, until soft but not browned.
In a 6-inch round cake pan, place each vegetable in a single overlapping layer, sprinkling Parmesan Cheese and salt and pepper to taste between each of the layers of vegetables. Begin with half of the eggplant, then layer half of the zucchini and onions, then all of the red peppers, then all of the yellow peppers, then the rest of the zucchini and onions, and finally the rest of the eggplant. Cover the top of the vegetables with a 6”flat disk (another cake pan or bottom of a false-bottom tart pan) on top and weight it with a heavy jar. Place on a plate or baking sheet and chill completely. Drain the liquids, place on a platter and serve at room temperature.

Voila!



Enjoy