Fire Day Friday: Asparagus with Hollandaise and Beef

The myth that BBQ enthusiasts don't eat vegetables is false. We just add meat to them.


The great thing about this appetizer we made tonight was that it was all leftovers. I had some extra asparagus that I hadn't cooked, Hollandaise sauce that I had made the day before, and the thin shaved prime rib from last night's dinner (another leftovers dinner - click here for that post).


This really isn't much of a recipe as it is "just throw it together".

I tossed the asparagus tips in some olive oil, salt, and pepper. Then I roasted it for 9 minutes at 400f on the top rack of my oven.

Meanwhile I warmed up the Hollandaise sauce the same way I made it. I added a Tbsp each of water and lemon juice, then heated it in a stainless steel mixing bowl positioned over a pot of simmering water, whisking frequently.

Then I simply drizzled the Hollandaise sauce over the roasted asparagus and crowned it with some finely diced prime rib.


These might have been leftovers but you couldn't tell from the taste! What is your favorite "leftover" dish that you have made?

Calling all foodies!

We are looking for an avid foodie to host a couple of anecdotal/tutorial posts with pictures the 1st & 2nd Sundays of the month as well as on Tuesdays for the "TRY A NEW RECIPE" theme.  If you are interested, please leave a comment on this post and Martha or I will get back to you ASAP.

PAN SEARED CHICKEN BREAST & WILTED SPINACH with PARMESAN PASTA

PAN SEARED CHICKEN BREAST & WILTED SPINACH with PARMESAN PASTA

3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

2 tablespoons butter

2 cloves garlic, minced*

1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

2 ounces white wine

1 lemon, juiced

4 ounces bacon, diced

1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced

3 cups fresh spinach, washed and stemmed

spaghetti, cooked and well drained

1/2 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese

1 large tomato, diced

*While I prefer fresh garlic, I have found that the roasted jar garlic is a great substitute, especially in the winter.

• Brown bacon until crisp.
• Add onion slices and garlic, sauteing until tender.

• Move bacon and onions to the sides and add butter.
• When butter is melted, add chicken and brown well on both sides.
• In the meantime, prepare the pasta per package directions.

• Remove chicken, keeping warm.
• Add spinach and saute' until spinach wilts.
• Move spinach to outer sides.

• Toss pasta with wine and lemon juice.
• Mound pasta in center of pan.
• Top with Parmesan cheese.
• Layer chicken pieces over top.
• Serve immediately.

We are looking for an avid foodie to host a couple of anecdotal/tutorial posts with pictures the 1st & 2nd Sundays of the month as well as on Tuesdays for the "TRY A NEW RECIPE" theme.  If you are interested, please leave a comment on this post and Martha or I will get back to you ASAP.

BEEF & VEGETABLE POT PIE

I've made several chicken pot pies but this was my first beef pot pie. The recipe called for ground sirloin but I used beef stew chunks instead.

As you can see, my lattice crust wasn't much of a lattice.  I just piled them on top of each other.  Sorry, I'm not very crafty.  :-)

I think that I upped the veggies in this quite a bit. I LOVED how it was packed with veggies.

The recipe called for 8 oz. of mushrooms as well, we're just not mushroom fans here but I'll bet that would be good!

The bread was quite plain.  When I make this again, I will spread just a bit of butter and garlic powder on the breadsticks to flavor them a bit.

We all found this to be delicious!

Beef & Vegetable Pot Pie Recipe

1 lb. stew meat, cut into fairly small chunks

2 cups zucchini

1 large onion, chopped

1 1/2 cups carrot, chopped

1 tsp. dried basil

1/2 tsp. dried thyme

3 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 cup red wine

1/4 cup tomato paste

1 1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

1/2 tsp. pepper

1 14 oz can beef broth

2 tbsp. cornstarch

1 tbsp. water

Cooking spray

1 (11 oz) can refrigerated soft bread stick dough

Heat cooking spray in pan, add beef, cook until browned.  Add  onion, carrot, basil, and thyme, saute for about 5 minutes.  Add zucchini and garlic, saute for another 2 minutes.  Stir in wine, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, pepper and broth.  Bring to a boil and cook for 3 minutes.  Combine cornstarch and 2 tbsp. water in a small bowl, stir with a whisk.  Add cornstarch mixture to pan, cook for a minute until slightly thickened, stirring constantly. 

Spoon beef mixture into an 9 x 13 in. baking dish coated with cooking spray.  Separate breadstick dough into strips.  Arrange strips in a lattice fashion over beef mixture.  Bake at 400 for 12 minutes or until browned. 

Total calories = 2326 calories

8 servings = 291 calories per serving

Beef & Vegetable Pot Pie + Salad = 411 calorie dinner

Check out more healthy recipes at Debbi Does Dinner Healthy!

Try a New Recipe: Caesar Salad for Two...or More!

I know I'm posting a few salad recipes recently, but let's be honest, we all need something to balance out the Christmas cookies. I know I'm not alone in this, even if no one else will admit it!!

I originally found this recipe in the pages of Everyday Food magazine. Caesar salad is one of our favorites, and this is a delicious recipe for dressing.

Be careful not to use too much garlic, and if you're doubling the recipe (like I do for our family of four), just use a whole tin (2 ounces) of anchovies. I make croutons out of a couple slices of Artisan Bread (how did you guess?)

(I used a vegetable peeler to shave the Parm, in case you're wondering) 

Note: the original recipe calls for 1/2 teaspoon of SALT to be added to the anchovies. I'm sure they were kidding...anchovies are plenty salty. I have left if out of the recipe below.

Caesar Salad for Two
Serves 2
Active time: 15 minutes
Total time: 25 minutes

NOTE: If doubling this recipe, you can use a blender to make the dressing.

2 thick slices rustic white bread, cut into 1-inch cubes
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
coarse salt and ground pepper
1 garlic clove, minced
2 anchovy fillets, minced
1 large egg yolk or 1 tablespoon pasteurized egg yolk
1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 small head romaine lettuce, cored, outer leaves discarded, and heart cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan (there's no way I'm measuring the cheese!)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss bread with 1 tablespoon oil and season with salt and pepper. Bake until golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Let croutons cool completely.

On a cutting board, combine garlic, and anchovies. Using a large knife, drag the blade at an angle across the mixture until a paste forms. Transfer to a large bowl and whisk in egg yolk, mustard and lemon juice. Gradually whisk in 3 tablespoons oil. Season with pepper. Just before serving, add croutons and lettuce to dressing and toss; top with Parmesan.

Don't forget to visit me at The Bad Girl's Kitchen for more fabulous recipes!

Save Room for Dessert...Cherry Balls

Hello!  Hope everyone had a peaceful, joyous, and love-filled Christmas.  Ours was lovely, just the three of us and the Wii.  Yes, we took the plunge and bought the Wii, along with numerous games, including Just Dance for Kids, which has been a source of amusement for Andrew, as he watches his two parents try to dance.  I'll highlight our Christmas dinner later this week, as we have another Christmas celebration on Tuesday, when we'll celebrate with my family.  For today's post, I decided upon an old favorite from my childhood, my grandmother Josie's cherry balls.  I posted my version of her chocolate spice cookies a few weeks ago, and I've meant to post these before now, I just never got around to baking them.  However, I received some news from my brother last week, and I decided that it was time.  I've always thought that these are a perfect cookie for a baby shower, particularly a baby shower for a baby girl.  Well, my siblings and I have only had boys, so there's never been an opportunity.  Until now, that is, as my brother told me that he and my sister-in-law, Jody, are having a baby girl!  Yeah!  Finally, we can buy frilly baby girl clothes!  They have two boys, so she will definitely be the little princess, with two big brothers.  We're all very excited and happy for the the entire family.  So, in honor of the impending birth of my niece, I present Grandma Josie's Cherry Balls, albeit, an updated version.

Cherry Balls  
5 cups flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 stick unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1/3 cup half & half

2 eggs

1 cup sugar

2 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup pecans, toasted and chopped

1 10 oz jar maraschino cherries, well-drained and chopped

• Combine flour, baking powder, and salt together in a small bowl; whisk together and set aside.
• Beat eggs, sugar, and vanilla together for 3 minutes.
• Add melted and cooled butter, milk, and drained cherries to butter mixture.
• Mix in flour and pecans, mixing until dough clumps around paddle.
• Remove dough from bowl, shaped into a large disk, and chill for 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Remove chilled dough from refrigerator, and using a small cookie scoop, portion dough onto parchment-lined or well-greased cookie sheets.
• Bake for 10-11 minutes.
• Allow to cool before glazing.

Vanilla Glaze

2 tablespoons butter

3-4 tablespoons milk

Powdered sugar

• Heat butter and 2 tablespoons of milk in microwave until butter melts.
• Stir butter & milk mixture into 2 cups of powdered sugar, adding more milk and/or powdered sugar until desired consistency is reached.
• Glaze entire cookie and then place on rack until glaze sets.

Yield: 7 dozen.

Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole ~ the SCRATCH version

Hi everyone, Tamy here filling in for Emily again. This is another recipe that was full of boxed, canned or preserved ingredients that I changed to "scratch" ingredients.  It was another great success and will be a wonderful cold weather dish this winter.

CHICKEN CORDON BLEU CASSEROLE

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes

2 cups cooked chicken pieces (2 large breasts)**

1 cup ham steak, diced

1 bunch green onions, sliced thin

4 cups cooked egg noodles

1/2 cup grated gruyere cheese

2 slices swiss cheese

salt and pepper to taste

3 tablespoon butter

3 tablespoons flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup chicken broth

1/4 teaspoon poultry seasoning

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
• Lightly spray 9x9 baking dish.
• Melt the butter in saucepan.
• Whisk in the flour, poultry seasoning and salt and cook until bubbly. 
• Remove from heat and gradually whisk in liquid. 
• Return to heat and cook, stirring, until smooth and thickened.
• Set aside to cool.
• Cook noodles, drain and set aside to cool.
• Spray a skillet with PURE.
• Over medium high heat saute chicken pieces and onions until chicken is cooked through.
• Add ham pieces and heat through.
• To the cooled soup mixture add the mayonnaise, parsley flakes and blend well.
• Stir in the chicken, ham and onion mixture until well mixed.
• Fold in egg noodles gently.
• Arrange in baking dish.
• Bake 20 minutes.
• Top with cheese (see picture above).
• Bake 10 more minutes.
• Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

**This is a great recipe to use with rotisserie chicken pieces!

Veggie Tales by Kris: Veggie Risotto!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

I love making risotto, and this a great way to get your veggies! This dish is also great for the holidays!

Tomato Truffle Risotto

2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pint cherry tomatoes
1 lemon (just zest)
1 shallot, minced
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon truffle oil (or infused olive oil)
1/2 cup fresh basil and parsley, chopped
3 cups spinach
About 4 cups, heated chicken stock
1 cup Arborio Rice

Risotto takes patience, but it's so worth in the end. Here's how I do it:

Since I used concentrated chicken stock, I just heated about 4 cups of water in a kettle. I then added 4 packets of the chicken concentrate. You can just heat up 4 cups chicken stock...

Heat about 2 tablespoons of butter and 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet. Add a chopped shallot (or onion) and about 4 sliced garlic cloves in the oil. Let soften for a few minutes. Add in 1 cup of rice and zest of 1 lemon to toast- about 4 minutes. Add in your first cup of heated stock. Season with salt and pepper and cook until the rice absorbs the liquid. Add in tomatoes. Continue to add (1 cup at a time) of the stock and stir rice slowly until it absorbs each cup of stock. When your stock is done (use water if you need more) and the rice is tender, turn of heat. Add in herbs, spinach and about 1/2 parmesan cheese. Add 1 tablespoon truffle oil if you have it. AMAZING!

UPDATE: I forgot to add that when buying Truffle Oil, go for a truffle infused Olive Oil.

You will get more for your buck this way! I got mine at Zabar's in the city but here are some online and here !

How To Make Your Own Smoked Cheese Without A Smoker

It's time for Fire Day Friday when we take Our Krazy Kitchen outdoors and experiment with live fire (grilling, smoking, roasting, baking using flame).

Today we are going MacGyver! I (Chris from Nibble Me This) am going to show you how to cold smoke your own cheese by using just a cardboard box, a soldering iron, a tin can, and a few miscellaneous items. This is a fun project that you can use to involve the non-foodies in your house.

You can turn this.....

Into this..... (I think this is the first officially licensed OKK product)

But first, the Legal Department here at OKK "asked" (okay....they locked me in a dungeon and force fed me Brussels sprouts until I agreed) to post the following Safety Notice:


For this project you will need:

• A medium sized box slightly narrower than the racks you will use
  
• 1 unused soldering iron without the tip ($14)
• 1 tin can (burn out the inside with a torch or grill if it has a bpa lining)
  
• a rack or two of some sort. I used two resting racks that were slightly larger than the box. You could use the rack out of your toaster oven.
• Several blocks of various cheeses
• 1 cup of hardwood or fruit wood chips (you can buy these at many grocery stores and hardware stores these days by their grilling/coal section)
  

I was using two resting racks so I measured down three inches and 6 inches from the top on the side. I cut slits at both marks on both sides. Work one end of your rack(s) through the slit on one side and then back through the other side like this so the slits are supporting the rack. The rack should stick out a little on each side.

Drill several 1/8" holes on one side of the can (which will become the "top" side of the can) and a hole in the base of the tin can large enough to accommodate the base of the soldering iron like this:

Add the wood chips around the soldering iron like this. TIP: Use the smallest chips in the bag, you want to maximize surface contact with the iron.

Cut your cheeses into 1" x 1" rectangles (however long the length is doesn't matter) and place them on the racks with room between the pieces.

Place the smoke generator on a trivet or other heat resistant, non-conductive surface in the bottom of the smoke box.

Plug in the soldering iron and wait for the first wisps of smoke (3-5 minutes).....

Then close the box and tape it shut. You might be tempted to try to seal all the seams of the box for an air tight fit. DON'T. You want the little air gaps and a slight airflow. If you have an airtight fit, the wood won't be able to smolder and the cheese would sit in stale smoke for an hour. You will have smoke escaping the box like this:

This generator should give you 90 minutes of smoke time, perfect for cheeses. After the 90 minutes, remove the cheeses. They won't look too different and they may or may not smell very smoky (Your smoke smeller will probably be overloaded at this point). Don't bother tasting or smelling a piece at this point. IT HAS TO AGE AND MELLOW!!!!!

Vacuum seal the cheeses and refrigerate for two weeks. If you don't have access to a vacuum seal, double wrap them in plastic wrap and then seal them in a zip top back. This is partially to help them mellow but mostly to keep your fridge from smelling like smoke!

Here are some quick tips I can think of

1. Bacteria spoils cheese. Make sure your hands, cutting boards, and knives are all sanitized during every step of this process.
2. Cold smoke. The inside of the container has to remain below the melting point of your cheeses (roughly 70-80f). The smoke generator will raise the temp of your box by 10-15 degrees (the smaller the box, the greater the temp increase). So do this in the shade on a day when the air temps are 45f or less. Don't you just love the high tech digital control panel of the OKK Smokerator 3000?
3. Packaging - If packing the cheese for gift packs, pick cheeses that alternate in color and can be cut into roughly the same size pieces.
4. Experiment with a variety of cheeses - my favorites have been gouda, cheddars, pepper jack, and monterey jack. It occurs to me that I've never smoked a blue cheese....and can't imagine doing so but whatever floats your boat.
   
5. Experiment with a variety of woods - my favorites have been hickory, cherry, and a mix of the two.
   
6. Soft cheeses take on smoke more readily, hard cheeses take longer.
7. Use as natural of a cheese that you can. Cheeses with a lot of flavorings and preservatives don't seem to fare as well.
8. Use the best quality cheese that you can.
   
9. Smoked cheeses are great simply with crackers. But when used as an ingredient with sauces, sandwiches, soups and casseroles, it adds a nice subtle layer of flavor.
10. Once you have smoked your own cheese, you probably won't enjoy "smoked" cheese bought at a store because a lot of them just use "smoke flavorings".
11. Once you have tried smoking cheese, try smoking nuts, salts, and peppers.
    

On that note, I wish you all a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. May your stockings be full of high quality, natural hardwood lump charcoal.....

POLYNESIAN CHICKEN & ITALIAN FARRO & GORGONZOLA GARLIC DIPPING SAUCE

Today we would like to introduce our brand new theme day, Classic Good Eats. 

Tamy here and I'll be moving in over here on Thursdays.  You can normally find me at my home blogs 3 Sides of Crazy. Always Eat On The Good China, on Saturdays at THE Motivation Station and now on Thursdays here at OUR KrAzY kitchen.  I love to cook and I love to experiment with foods.  Fortunately I also have a wonderful husband who is the best "guinea" pig around.  LOL Really, I have never met a more tolerant man.

I also love to research foods we've never tried before as well as try old, old recipes or just plain make things up.  I also take requests if anyone would like me to test out a recipe for them.

Today we're making Polynesian chicken (the cheating way) and Italian Farro with Gorgonzola garlic dipping sauce.  I saw a package of Pedon Italian Farro  at the grocery store the other day and it looked interesting (reminded me of rich looking barley) - so the impulse buy won and here we are.

Here's the history lesson first:  Grano Farro has a long and glorious history: it is the original grain from which all others derive, and fed the Mediterranean and Near Eastern populations for thousands of years; somewhat more recently it was the standard ration of the Roman Legions that expanded throughout the Western World. Ground into a paste and cooked, it was also the primary ingredient in puls, the polenta eaten for centuries by the Roman poor. Important as it was, however, it was difficult to work and produced low yields. In the centuries following the fall of the Empire, higher-yielding grains were developed and farro's cultivation dwindled: By the turn of the century in Italy there were a few hundreds of acres of fields scattered over the regions of Lazio, Umbria, the Marches and Tuscany.

Farro would probably still be an extremely local specialty had the farmers of the French Haute Savoie not begun to supply it to elegant restaurants that used it in hearty vegetable soups and other dishes. Their success sparked renewed interest in farro among gastronomes, and now the grain is enjoying a resurgence in popularity in Italy as well, especially among trendy health-conscious cooks.  

POLYNESIAN CHICKEN

4 Boneless, Skinless chicken breasts

1 stick butter, divided in half

1 cup Frank's Sweet Chili hot sauce

1 package Knorr Vegetable Soup Mix

1/4 cup flour

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Using a small food processor,  grind the Knorr soup mix into a fine dust.
• Add the vegetable soup dust to the flour in a large plastic bag and mix well.
• Dredge chicken breasts in soup and flour mixture.
• In a large skillet over medium high heat, melt one half of the butter.
• While that is melting, melt the remaining butter in a 2 cup measuring cup in the microwave.
• Add the hot sauce to the measuring cup and heat an additional 20 seconds. Mix well. Set aside to cool.
• In the skillet brown the chicken breasts on both sides until almost done. 
• Spray a small cookie sheet with PURE.
• Coat each piece of chicken with hot sauce mixture and lay on cookie sheet.

ITALIAN FARRO

small bag PEDON farro

2 tablespoons Frank's Sweet Chili hot sauce

• Bring a 2 quart pan of water to a boil.
• Add the Farro and simmer, 10-12 minutes.
• Drain thoroughly.
• Add hot sauce and toss to coat.
• Serve immediately.

GORGONZOLA GARLIC DIPPING SAUCE

1/4 cup gorgonzola crumbles

1/3 cup mayonnaise

3 cloves garlic

2 tablespoons buttermilk

salt and pepper to taste

• In a small food processor, process the crumbles until finely ground.
• Add garlic, mayonnaise, salt and pepper.  Mix until well blended.
• Add buttermilk.  Add a bit more if you would like a thinner sauce.

We are looking for an avid foodie to host a couple of anecdotal/tutorial posts with pictures the 1st & 2nd Sundays of the month.   If you are interested, please leave a comment on this post and Martha or I will get back to you ASAP.

Summer Squash & Corn Chowder Soup

It's cold.  Bone chilling cold. Break out the fuzzy slippers cause it's time to get comfortable and warm!

I love a good corn chowder soup.  It's comfort food all the way. Creamy, chunky, warm and hearty!

What I don't like is all the calories.  This soup is super low calorie and healthy.  Instead of potatoes, we have summer squash.  My husband never even noticed.  No joke.  He totally loved this. 

It was so light and healthy, I couldn't help but add some cheese and bacon to top it off.  It brought an already delicious soup to a whole new level.  If you feel like leaving the cheese and bacon off, you can knock about 40 calories per bowl.  Nice.

We ate this soup with some fantastic cuban quesadillas.  This hearty, filling meal came in about 500 calories.  There are a ton of leftovers too!  Can't wait for lunch tomorrow!

Summer Squash and Corn Chowder Recipe

Cooking Light, Aug 2010

4 slices applewood smoked bacon

1 1/2 cups onion

1/2 cup celery

2 pounds yellow summer squash

2 pounds frozen corn, thawed and divided

4 cups milk, 1%, divided

1 teaspoon thyme

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup (2 oz) shredded cheddar cheese

1/4 cup green onion, chopped

Tabasco sauce, chipotle flavored (optional but good!)

Cook bacon in a pan until crisp.  Remove bacon from pan, reserving 1 tablespoon bacon drippings in pan.  Crumble bacon and set aside.  Add onions, celery and squash to drippings in pan, saute about 8 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

Reserve 2 cups of corn. Set aside.  Place remaining thawed corn and 2 cups of milk into a blender, process until smooth.  Add remaining milk, thyme, salt and pepper to blender. Process until smooth.  Add pureed mixture and reserved whole corn to onion mixture.  Heat on medium until thoroughly heated, stirring constantly.  Top each bowl with small amount of bacon, onions and cheese.  I also put about 4 - 5 drops of chipotle Tabasco in it. It was subtle but was delicious!

Total calories = 1980 calories

10 servings = 198 calories per bowl

**157 calories per bowl without cheese and bacon


Check out more healthy recipes at Debbi Does Dinner Healthy!