Get Your Salad Freak On Part 1

I'm on a salad binge and morphed this one from The Chew's Brown Derby recipe. Since I saw this, we've had this many times... confirming my new salad freak. Just in time for summer...

INGREDIENTS
2 heads of red leaf lettuce
1 cup crumbled blue cheese
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 tsp sugar
juice from 1 fresh lemon
1 1/2 + sea salt
1/2 + freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 tsp thick Worcestershire sauce

LATER
1 1/3 cups extra virgin olive oil

WHAT TO DO
An hour before you want to nosh, prepare this lovely dressing. Using a (clean and empty) spaghetti-sauce sized jar, add the diced garlic. Then add the red wine vinegar, sugar, lemon, salt, pepper and W sauce. Shake well. Then add the extra virgin olive oil. Shake again and chill. When you serve - shake, shake, shake. This dressing will keep for 12 days in the fridge. Not so true for us. We drank it fast!

SERVING IDEAS
We like it over red-tipped lettuce with either parmesan or blue cheese and croutons. Tonite we used our George Foreman indoor grill to cook up some chicken tenders on sale. The boys diced those up and added them to their salads.

The original recipe calls for iceberg and romaine and cherry tomatoes. This is on the "try it" list, but next I will try making my own croutons out of dry deli bread.

Spot? She's her own freak... thinking blue cheese is safe for babies or doggies

Our New Fav Side Dish

How do you spell Side Dish? One or two words? The other day I watched a show new to me called "Restaurant Impossible". The host is Robert Irvine. Not only does he help restauranteurs evaluate their use of space, he upgrades their menus when needed.

We are all in love with his recipe that we tried tonight along with marinated BBQ T-Bones. I tweaked it a little, but all the credit goes to Robert.

Blue Cheese Spinach Orzo Side

INGREDIENTS:
3.5 TBSP unsalted butter
3 TBSP flour
1 cup low-fat milk
1 pound orzo, cooked and cooled (drain in cold water, fluff to keep from sticking)
2.5 cups crumbled blue cheese
1 TBSP kosher salt
1 tsp ground pepper
2 big handfuls of fresh spinach
1.5 cups diced tomato


DIRECTIONS:
In medium skillet over med-high heat, melt butter. Lower heat and whisk in flour. Once fully combined, reduce heat all the way to low and whisk in milk. Stir and cook til thickened. Then add the blue cheese, one package at a time. Be sure fully combined before you add the next pkg. Season with salt and pepper, blend and remove from heat.

Now stir in the orzo. Then add the spinach and tomatoes, again combine well. The orzo will warm with the sauce and the spinach will wilt.

Start to finish this takes about 30 minutes. Serves about 8 people with one-cup servings or the 4 of us with refills. Chef says this will keep 5 days. Not in our house!

Spot was not around for this part of the meal. She was only interested in the T-Bones on the BBQ and is now enjoying her reward.

Congratulations on the World's Best Banana Bread!

One of my favorite people is Buddy the Elf. I love when he runs into a NYC Cafe and jumps up and down yelping "Congratulations! You did it! You did it!!" All because he saw the sign out front: World's Best Coffee. Well, jump some more, Buddy. This is the world's best no-fail banana bread.

Preheat oven to 350 and grease two glass loaf pans, be sure to get the corners.

1. In mixing bowl, cream together:
3/4 cup unsalted butter
1 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
3 beaten eggs
2 cups bran cereal

2. In a medium size bowl, mix:
3-4 cups rip bananas with 3-4 tsp. vanilla extract

3. In a third bowl, mix:
3 cups flour
4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp baking soda
1/2+ cups chopped walnuts

4. Combine:
Add flour and banana mixtures alternately to the main bowl in 3 equal parts, mix well between additions. Stir til blended.

Pour evenly into pans and bake for 55 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

This is moist and delicious! Eat one and freeze one til later. Or if you have a teenage son, just leave them on the counter, they'll be gone in a couple of days.

Spot gives this 4 paws, silly dog.

Best Chocolate Cake Ever!

I got this recipe off a Hershey's cocoa container, but you can use any chocolate.
Rather than making a frosting, I like to use a container of Buttercream frosting in the middle and on the top, leaving the sides free. Looks pretty and elegant on a cake plate. The picture of my last cake is a bit tipsy, that was because I slipped when I was placing the top layer on and didn't want to make a mess by trying to straightening it. Don't worry, it still tasted moist!

INGREDIENTS:
2 cups sugar
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup cocoa
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp sea salt
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2-3 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water

INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Preheat over to 250, grease and flour two 9-inch round cake pans.
2. Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder and soda, salt in mixing bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water. (Batter will be thin) Pour into prepared pans.
3. Bake 30 - 35 minutes until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans and cool completely.
4. Frost.

Spot loves chocolate and tries to get at it every way she can even though she knows it's not for hounds. Still, 4 paws.

Updated Deep Fried "Chips" with New Dip!

So, a couple of weeks ago, I posted a yum-deli-iscious recipe for these Rosemary flavored deep fried chips. We still love, love, love this.

Since the deep fat frier was full of bacon-y oil (and I'm not only allergic but lazy), I bought one of those cool thermometers you can use in a pot on the stove. Do I have some cool gagets or what?

Come to find out, the chips cook way faster with this $9 technique, and it looks even more gourmet! Here I was thinking I needed to replace our old and slow fryer, but maybe I don't?

Here is the dip I baked to go along with our french fried chips:

1 1/2 cups diced white onion
1 1/2 cups shredded Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup diced Gouda cheese
1 1/8 cup Hellmans mayonaise

Mix in a casserole and bake at 350 for 25 minutes.

Yum City!

Danny's Favorite Meal: Bacon Bourbon Chicken Wings

It's been so long since I've cooked something new because I am still full from Easter! Last week while watching The Chew, a daytime foodie show I record, I saw a really cool wings recipe. Even though I am highly allergic to bacon (and all pig food), our son's fav food group is "bacon" and I thought it would be fun to make something that he really digs. He had to help me because I can't even come in contact with bacon, but I did the sauce, adjusting the recipe to what we had. My hubby had to go buy some Bourbon, came home with Whiskey Bourbon. Don't know if there is a difference, but when we make this again, that's what we will use.

What a hit! Our son kept thanking me over and over after his first bites. My hubby keeps growling like a happy bear. This is a keeper - even if I can't eat it! "How can this get much better!?! Bacon and wings!!!" - Daniel

INGREDIENTS
24 chicken wings
Vegetable oil and a deep fat fryer
12 slices of thick bacon, cut in half (get 2 short fat pieces)
toothpicks

WINGS PART I:
Cook wings in batches til golden brown (but not fully cooked) at 370 degrees. Depending on your deep fat fryer, this will take up to 11 minutes a batch. (Our fryer does not hold heat well) Place cooked wings on paper towel covered paper bag to cool slightly while you cook the rest of the wings.

SAUCE:
While wings are cooking, prepare and heat sauce in medium sauce pan. Over medium low heat, melt 4 TBSP unsalted butter, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 5 cloves finely chopped garlic, 1 tsp+ horseradish, 1/3 tsp ground ginger, 1/4 cup soy sauce, 3/4 cup bourbon, 3/4 cup ketchup. Heat and stir infrequently for 10 minutes. Turn to lowest setting and keep warm til you finish the wings.

WINGS PART II:
Tightly wrap a piece of bacon around the "fat" part of each wing, secure with 1-3 toothpicks. You don't want the bacon to fall off when you cook the wings again. Use enough toothpicks to adhere the bacon. Cook the wings again until bacon is done, approximately 3 minutes per batch.

FINISHING:
Using tongs, dip each wing in the sauce, coat well. Set wings on plates and chow down!

This recipe made 24 wings and served two. My hubby and my son.

Spot gives this 4 paws for sure. She even tripped me on the stairs as I was heading toward the kitchen to cook!

My Daring Easter Feast

I had no idea what I was signing up for when I decided to make Prime Rib for our Easter dinner. Yes, I've had it now and then over the years (and even once at Sardi's as an unknowing 6th grader) but never understood how hard it is to make, how special it truly is and crazy expensive. I was just thinking it was time to have a holiday meal without fowl on the menu.

With my ignorance fresh in hand, I began searching the internet for recipes. When I asked a dear friend who has about 600 cookbooks and is my cooking guru for her suggestions, I got nervous when she told me she had never made Prime Rib. Ack! She sent me a bunch of ideas and they are my bibliography for a recipe I morphed when I casually mentioned to another friend what I was about to tackle. "Oh, you should talk to my sister, she makes this all the time and it's great!" She gave me the confidence to venture forth.

OUR MENU (everything with a # is made from my lov'n kitchen)

* Brie & Bruschetta

* Organic Greens and Parmesan Salad Dressing#

* Rosemary Prime Rib#

* Gruyere & Parmesan Potatoes Au Gratin#

* Fresh Green Beans with Cherry Tomatoes# (recipe straight from allrecipes.com)

* Hershey's Chocolate Cake# with Buttercream topping

* And why not a Pumpkin Pie with New York Vanilla Ice Cream while we're at it?


For this entry, I will focus on the main meal. In the next blog, I will share the recipe for the cake. That way, I get points for two entries this week!

Seriously, I broke all the rules by making so many new recipes all at once!



ROSEMARY PRIME RIB
I bought a boneless 5 lb Prime Rib Roast, so adjust as needed... (I wanted leftovers cuz COLD PR is wonderful!)

Night before cooking: season with Kosher Salt, Ground Pepper and Paprika on all sides. Place in a jumbo Ziplock and refrigerate. Turn the bag whenever you are near the fridge. No stress, even if you just flip it twice - great.

3-4 hours before cooking: take the PR out of the fridge and set on a plate on the counter and bring to room temperature.

When ready, preheat oven to 450. Remove meat from bag, brush all sides with Kitchen Bouquet. Shake on Garlic salt, more ground pepper, paprika and generously cover all with fresh Rosemary. All sides need to be covered. Insert Meat thermometer into a side. Place on roasting rack inside roasting pan.

Bake for 15 minutes. Then reduce the oven temp to 275 and continue baking until temp reads 133 for medium rare. (This took us 2 1/2 hours)

Remove and cover loosely with foil and let sit for 20 minutes, (now you can finish up your side dishes and get that gravy going) then slice and serve.

AH MAZE ING!!


MADERIA GRAVY
In large saucepan, melt 3 TBSP of unsalted butter. Whisk in 2-3 TBSP Wondra until thick paste is formed. Boil briefly, continuing to whisk. Slowly whisk in 1 cup of Maderia red wine, in small quantities. Be sure fully mixed before adding more. Slowly add a 32-oz carton of low sodium beef broth. Whisk in enough Kitchen Bouquet to tint gravy a medium-dark brown. Go crazy with ground pepper. Bring to boil, then simmer, covered for about 20 minutes til slightly thickened.


GRUYERE & PARM POTOS Au GRATIN
I will never use cheddar cheese again!

1. Wash and slice 5 baked potatoes as thin as you can without harming yourself
2. Place slices in 5 quart pot with enough water to just cover potatoes (you will add more water as you slice)
2. Thinly dice 6+ cloves garlic, add to pot
3. Add generous pinch of Kosher salt and ground pepper to pot - bring to boil.
4. Reduce heat to simmer and cook @ 8 minutes more - just don't let them get mushy
5. Drain in colander, add ice cubes to keep potos from sticking
6. When ready, layer 1/2 of the potatoes in a 9 x 13 baking pan
7. Drizzle 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream over all, generously cover with ground pepper, sprinkle 1 cup freshly shredded parmesan cheese over all
8. Layer the rest of the potatoes, drizzle 3/4 cup more of heavy whipping cream, cover with pepper and 1 cup freshly shredded Gruyere cheese, then sprinkle with 1/2 cup more of the freshly shredded parm
9. Bake at 350 for 1 hour... or as we did, 30 minutes in the oven with the P R at 275 and then 30 minutes alone at 375 til cheese just bubbles


GREEN BEANS WITH CHERRY TOMATOES
Surprise... I pretty much followed this allrecipes.com recipe except we did not chop up the beans or halve the tomatoes.

Not only did Spot give this 4 paws, so did my hubby, my son and our other son! This is our new Special Dinner. Now I just need to watch for the meat sales in order to find out when we can have it next.