Cooking with Rachael and Friends

Merry Christmas!

2007-12-26T09:15:00.000-07:00

This was the first Christmas we were all by ourselves. Usually either we go to my inlaws’ or they come to our house. That all changed when we moved to Texas since it makes it more of an ordeal to go one place or another.

Still, I made a Christmas dinner and now we are faced with mounds of turkey leftovers. I went to Sam’s about a week ago and they had 10-12 pound turkeys but I didn’t buy one since it was over a week away. Then I went this weekend and all that was left were big ones. I ended up with an 18 pound turkey for 2 people. (But it cost only $15!) I’m going to freeze most of the leftovers and make casseroles this winter: King’s Ranch, turkey pot pie, turkey enchiladas, turkey quesadillas, etc.

Besides the usual stuffing, mashed potatoes & gravy, I made Paula Deen’s Sweet Potato Balls. It’s mashed sweet potatoes, brown sugar, spices, orange juice & zest (I didn’t have an organic orange so I used apple cider instead), rolled into a ball around marshmallow, then the whole thing rolled in coconut cinnamon sugar. I made mine a little smaller since I had mini-marshmallows. They look really cute and festive. As far as taste, I thought they were just OK. Mine were a little dry, I’m not sure if that’s because I microwaved the sweet potato to bake it. I thought it could use a little butter, both for moisture and for flavor. When I thought of that, I was surprised that a Paula recipe like this had no butter written into it.

For veggies, I wanted something simple so I made a recipe from "Everyday Food" magazine. It’s carrots (little strips made with a vegetable peeler) sauteed in butter with peas. That recipe was definitely a keeper since it’s simple and straightforward, tastes like it looks. A lot of times when I cook it’s usually just the entree for dinner so it’s an easy dish to throw together to make the meal more balanced.

What a downer today is. I hate that "snap of the fingers Christmas is over" feeling. I’m not sure what to do with this blog. Obviously I haven’t posted much so I’m thinking of consolidating my efforts and just post everything on my other blog.

Chianti (no fava beans)

2007-10-13T08:37:00.000-07:00

I haven’t posted lately because 1) I’ve been lazy and 2) I’ve been in a rut where it seems I can’t make anything that tastes good. It’s very discouraging. I don’t know if it’s me or as Debbie suggested, recipes aren’t as good as they used to be. There was a time when most everything I tried from a magazine or cookbook was halfway decent.

Some of the recipes I’ve tried were a ricotta pasta, black bean vegetarian burgers, pumpkin cookies and plain buttermilk pancakes. They all were lacking something or needed to be tweaked. I think I could manage to make an improvement on everything the second time around.

Since I live in a dry county, I carry around a list of wines recommended by newspapers and magazines, for when I’m in a wet area. A few months ago I was in Fort Worth and went to the Sam’s Club there. One of the wines they carried was recommended in an Every Day With Rachael Ray, the February 2007 issue. It was mentioned in a blurb about discount wines, a Sam’s Club "Find" Familia Cara Chianti Reserva 2001,described as "A tannic, food-friendly wine with a black-fruit core." $9 for 750 ml.

I’m not a big spender on anything, much less wines, I’m more of a Two Buck Chuck girl, or Sea Ridge or Forestville (usually 2 for $5-7 range).

Anyway, I like chianti and this one wasn’t bad. A nice change from merlot and cabernet. I hate it when I try a wine that’s over $10 a bottle and it’s disappointing. This one wasn’t like that. It was nice having a recommendation because I never know what to buy.

Smores Brulee (sort of)

2007-09-21T11:45:00.000-07:00

On the "Fire and Ice" episode of "Paula’s Party," Paula made Smores Brulee. It was a chocolate creme brulee with toasted marshmallows on top, instead of burnt sugar. I cheated a little by using instant pudding. I toasted the marshmallows by using the halogen light in my microwave, instead of one of those torches (which I don’t have). The photo doesn’t have graham crackers because I went to grab my camera in a rush to take a picture before the marshmallows deflated. I’m not good at mise en place. The toastiness of the marshmallows was yummy, and the presentation is fun. It seems like the kind of dessert that would please adults and children alike.

Paula Does Dallas

2007-09-07T10:17:00.000-07:00

Here's an article from the Dallas Morning News about Paula Deen's recent visit to Dallas. I didn't get to go, we were in Northern California escaping the Texas summer heat wave. It was the first time I've gone back to California and not felt as nostalgic or homesick as earlier trips. More about that later...I'm still catching up on things that need to be done offline.

Paula Deen entertains fans, shares recipes at Dallas taping of her television show

By JOYCE SAENZ HARRIS / The Dallas Morning News

If you missed the recent "Paula Deen Live" show at Fair Park, rest assured it was pretty much one big love fest. The cavernous Music Hall was packed with fans who hooted and hollered not just for the Food Network star, but also for her husband, Michael Groover; her bachelor son, Bobby Deen; her niece, Corrie Hiers; her agent; her magazine publisher; and her personal assistant, all of whom accompanied her. She also introduced Weezie Chesney, a fan who looks enough like Paula to be her sister.

The 11 a.m. show (another followed at 4 p.m.) was what you might call interactive and mostly unrehearsed. When Paula told the audience, "I have a surprise for one of you," one woman called out: "Is it Bobby?"

Raucous laughter ensued, of course. Mama took the opportunity to boast about how Bobby was one of People magazine's 50 Most Eligible Bachelors in 2006, and Bobby was an awfully good sport about the whole thing.

"I think it's so important that we laugh," Paula said, in a rare serious moment. "Laughter is like one of the best medicines. My God has a sense of humor; I know that."

Her fans obviously didn't mind Paula's occasional, mild ribaldries. They ate them up, even if they weren't among the eight lucky audience members who got to eat the meal she prepared onstage in a kitchen.

Actually, Paula didn't so much cook the meal as supervise it. Her chef de cuisine: Fort Worth restaurateur Tim Love (Lonesome Dove, Duce, Love Shack), who recently appeared on Paula's Party and showed up to surprise her.

"It's the Drinking Chef!" Paula squealed, referring to Tim's custom of starting his dinner shifts with a 5 p.m. shot of Tuaca.

Tim amazed Paula with his skill at juggling raw eggs ("You got three kids, you got to entertain them somehow"). He brought along wife Emilie, son Tannahill (a.k.a. "T"), and twin daughters Anna and Ella, all of whom came onstage to meet Paula.

The presence of the Love kids gave Paula the opening to announce that she had begun working two weeks ago on a children's cookbook, no doubt inspired by her adored year-old grandson, Jack.

She's also doing a cookware line in stainless steel and copper. "And it comes pre-buttered!" gibed Jim "Jimbo" Bohannon, the Westwood One radio host who served as Paula's master of ceremonies.

Along with Paula's kitchen assistant, Rebecca, Tim cooked the onstage meal of Smithfield pork chops ? Smithfield Foods being the primary sponsor of Paula's tour. Sides were fresh collard greens, which Tim and Paula cut in a chiffonade before cooking (she had an earthy description for the sulfurous smell), plus a butter-rich dish of macaroni and cheese.

"I find it hard to believe you're adding butter," Tim told Paula, deadpan.

"Oh, it's Saturday," Paula said. "Throw on the butter!" And the evaporated milk, and the cheese, and the sour cream.

Paula's surprise turned out to be her version of the old TV show Queen for a Day. She gave audience member Mary Wester more than $1,000 worth of goodies, plus "a diamond crown necklace from my jeweler, Michael Ross."

So a good time was had by all. And, in case you missed seeing Paula this time around, she hinted that she expects to be back on tour next year.

PAULA DEEN'S CHOCOLATE CHEWY COOKIES
2 cups powered sugar, sifted
2 tablespoons cocoa, sifted
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup all-purpose flour, sifted
3 egg whites
1 cup chopped pecans, toasted

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Stir together sugar, cocoa, salt and flour. Add egg whites 1 at a time. Beat well, then stir in pecans. Batter will be very thin.

Drop by tablespoons onto prepared baking sheets. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until cookies have begun to brown on bottom and appear set. Allow to sit for about 2 minutes undisturbed, then remove cookies to wire racks to cool. Store in airtight containers.

Makes 18 large cookies.

PER SERVING: Calories 110 (38% fat) Fat 5 g (Trace sat) No cholesterol Sodium 42 mg Fiber 1 g Carbohydrates 16 g Protein 2 g

SOURCE: Paula Deen's 2008 Calendar (Random House, $13)

Before the Food Network

2007-08-21T16:06:00.001-07:00

...people learned to cook from the generations before them. My mother-in-law was making a cobbler this morning, and said that when she got married, she didn't really know how to cook, and she learned most everything from her mother-in-law. So the way she makes cobbler is the way her husband's mother made it.

Instead of lining the dish with a crust, she rolls out the pastry and cuts it into strips. Then lays three strips on the bottom, adds the fruit filling, and covers it with three more strips. Recently she started using pre-made crusts, frozen Mrs. Smith's, thawing it out and rolling it out, instead of starting from scratch. Anyway, this method makes for a thinner amount of crust on top and bottom, and makes the whole process a lot easier.

This is her finished product. When I went to get my camera, I heard her say to my husband, "What's she doing?" I had to laugh to myself. I know I told them about this blog but it's not something anybody in the family looks at regularly.

Fig & Feta Salad

2007-08-15T09:59:00.000-07:00

My co-worker Jennifer studied nutrition in college and made this wonderful salad that I want to share. Check out her blog sometime www.virtually21.blogspot.com

1 head of Romain lettuce
1/2 a medium Avocado
1 large fresh fig (or 3 dried)
1/4 C feta cheese
1/4 C toasted, sliced almonds
1/4 C dried cranberries
1 slice of prosciutto (sliced)

*optionalDressing-
2 Tbs Raspberry Vinaigrette (TJ's)
1/2 of a Lime's juice
1 Tsp. x-virgin olive oil
pinch of fresh ground pepper/salt

Feasting on Asphalt 2

2007-08-06T13:18:00.000-07:00

MMy favorite way of learning about food is tied in with travel, especially when it’s someplace local or easily accessible (as opposed to a place like Dubai that I’m not likely to ever visit). I enjoyed the first season of "Feasting on Asphalt," it gave us fans a glimpse of Alton Brown out in the field. Maybe it’s because I’ve been to New Orleans (I took the photo above when we drove down Bourbon Street), or maybe the crew of the show got into the groove of things, or maybe because it was just a darn good show, that I was blown away by the first episode of "Feasting on Asphalt 2." I found myself constantly smiling and intrigued by the places they went. I liked the celebrity aspect, when they went out to dinner and had to abandon their plan and set up tables on the street, because there were so many tourists and autograph hounds there. Since I was born and raised on the Left Coast, I’m intrigued by the South and its traditions. I still don’t like sweet tea, but like the fact that it’s such a regional thing. Anyway, I’m looking forward to the rest of the episodes. My ideal travel trip is having the opportunity to try local foods while travelling, but that often isn’t the case, either because we’re too tired to explore or we’re afraid of getting sick, etc.

Speaking of new episodes, I like the new episodes of "30 Minute Meals" that I’ve seen. I’m not that keen on the new kitchen, but like that there is even a change. I wonder how they film the show so it looks different, it’s "glossier" than previous seasons. And Rachael seems to have toned down a little. I missed her giggling and she seems to be more relaxed again.

Other new things…I’ve started a new blog. It’s called "Everyday Texan" and focused more on Texas chow and the things I encounter here.

Congratulations Amy!

2007-07-23T11:53:00.001-07:00

I thought it would be fun to try Amy’s "Eggs en Cocotte" since she was the big winner. I scaled it down to one egg, even though I like eggs, I’m generally a one egg person. I cross-referenced Joy of Cooking’s recipe and baked it at 350° F for 15 minutes. It was kind of hard to tell if it was done. I learned that the cream stays liquid, which is sort of deceptive (when trying to figure out if the white is cooked). Anyway, the final consistency was sort of that of a soft-boiled egg. I didn’t make the piperade, just ate it with homemade sourdough toast. Very tasty for something so simple. The only thing I didn’t like, which is a personal preference, is that the white stays sort of slimy. This would be a great dish when you have to cook eggs for a group of people. Everyone can eat at the same time, instead of trying to cook a few eggs at a time at the stove and serving in shifts.

One of the variations in "Joy" that sounded decadent was to line the ramekin with a lightly cooked piece of bacon.

I enjoyed seeing both Amy’s and Rory’s home lives last night. I was a little disappointed that there was no mention of Amy’s French husband. She reminded me of how I grew up, living in the same place all her life, and having lots of family around. Rory’s small town in Texas looks even smaller than where I live. I thought her restaurant looked cute and the food definitely looked great, but couldn’t help but wonder how it will do in the long run. Maybe her fame will help and out-of-towners will make an effort to stop there. It seems like new restaurants come and go very quickly, specially in a place where there’s a small population. Where I live, people are willing to spend $5 on a burger combo meal at the fast-food joint yet are hesitant to pay $10+ for an entree at a sit-down restaurant.

Less Than An Hour To Go!

2007-07-22T17:08:00.000-07:00

I’m sitting here with an hour to go before the big finale of the "Next Food Network Star." I watched some of the reruns today and found them interesting now that we know more about the people. I’m especially intrigued by everyday things like what do chefs eat when they have to cook for themselves. I’ve seen a lot of cereal. Amy made lattes at least twice, and cleaned up after herself. On Top Chef, one of the chefs (I think it’s the one from Dallas) eats a lot of sandwiches, but they look like they’re from a deli.

The whole chef thing is intriguing. Do they make blue box macaroni & cheese for their kids? Or is it from scratch? What is it with the knives? Where do they get them and what makes them different than the Wustof’s I have in my kitchen. Why do so many of them claim to have sophisticated palates, yet they are smokers? Can people with sophisticated palates enjoy a meal at McDonalds? (By the way, the "Top Chef" episode on Bravo where they prepared a tasting dinner for a "club" of people with "sophisticated palates" made me think, give me a break…but I guess that’s why I’m not a chef.)

Anyway…this past week I’ve been going through my pantry and using some items I originally bought to have on hand as emergency dinner staples. One was a can of Rotel that had a use by date of June. I had forgotten I had it. So that made me look through what else I had and I found a can of sweetened condensed milk. I ended up making Spanish Rice and a pudding pie with those ingredients. My latest project is to try to use up some of the staples so that I can rotate and buy new items. I have a short attention span when it comes to planning meals. Sometimes I’ll think of something and buy the ingredients, then forget about it and move on to something else. This week’s project will be cooking up green beans (which can’t be put off since they’re fresh, unless I can them). Hubby likes them Southern-style, cooked to death with bacon and onions. I also have a surplus of tomatoes and basil. With that, I want to make either a panzanella or the Orzo Salad I saw on a recent "Everyday Italian" episode.

I’m kicking myself that I didn’t go out yesterday and buy the Harry Potter book. I went online and saw that my local library is getting it so I put a hold on it, but who knows how long that will take. I could be reading it right now!

Next Food Network Star - Vote Now!

2007-07-16T09:41:00.000-07:00

We have until Tuesday 7/17, 9am/8c, to vote for the Next Food Network Star. Go to www.foodnetwork.com/star to vote.

I'm thrilled that the winner will be a woman. I'm rooting for Amy, she seems like a classy person and down-to-earth. I love Paris, and hope that she is somehow able to bring that in without coming off as too pretentious.

Really, it's hard to choose, I like Rory too. No matter who wins, I'll be thrilled for the winner and disappointed for the other person. I like Rory's personality, plus she's transplanted to Texas like me. I looked up Vega on the map and it's just west of Amarillo. I wonder how she came to live there. That part of the state seems to have the extreme weather, when it's hot, it's HOT and when it's cold, it's freezing.

I received a Food Network newsletter today that mentions an "Open House" show on Saturday 8 central, that shows Rachael's new kitchen. I watched a new episode of "30 Minute Meals" this weekend and saw it. I like the colors but not how much of it there is. It looks too institutional for my taste. I like a more homey feel.

Cupcakes

2007-07-14T18:09:00.000-07:00

I finally got around to making Nigella’s cupcakes. They’re very simple, flour, sugar, butter, leavening, egg, vanilla and milk all mixed together in a food processor. When I took the top off, the batter smelled divine (tasted good too). On TV she said it would probably look like you don’t have enough batter but not to worry. You can see from the photo that it only fills the cups about half full. When they bake, though, they puffed up in the center.

Instead of the Royal Icing from the recipe, which uses raw egg whites, I made a 7-Minute frosting. That’s egg whites, sugar, cream of tartar, a smidge of corn syrup and water. It’s mixed in a double boiler for 5 minutes, then 2 minutes off heat to cool. I added some coconut, inspired by an episode of "Good Eats" earlier this week about coconut cake.

The cake had an angel food taste but denser texture. It’s simple yet not lacking in flavor one bit. One of those recipes that make you swear off using boxed cake mix, it's so simple.

Baked Jalapeno Poppers

2007-07-12T10:32:00.000-07:00

Last week Rachael made baked jalapeno poppers on her show. Jalapenos are one of the few produce items here that are very inexpensive. I liked the idea that they are baked and not fried, and have spices to flavor them up. Most of the pre-fab ones I’ve tried are pretty much just plain cream cheese inside, with the pepper providing the kick & flavor.

These have cream cheese with manchego (no way I can find that here so I used a Mexican cheese blend), the chopped up tops, green olives, and some spices. They were great, the flavor of the peppers really came through. This was a good example of what a difference fresh ingredients makes. The only thing I’d do differently is cut off less of the top so that the filling is more contained, to prevent it from oozing out the sides. I had a few leftover and I put them on a black bean veggie burger. Delish!!!

Root Beer Floats

2007-07-12T10:25:00.000-07:00

Sometimes the shows on the Food Network have something look so good that you have to have it. That’s what happened to me with the Wisconsin episode of "Road Tasted," when Bobby & Jamie went to the Sprecher Brewery. The root beer floats they had looked scrumptious.

I looked at root beer when I was grocery shopping that weekend. I didn’t want to buy a 12-pack (it was 4th of July weekend and it was on sale for about $3) just for a couple root beer floats. I ended up going to another store (since the Walmart I went to does not carry the Dallas paper...that's another story in itself), and they had Sprecher’s! It was a splurge, 4 16-ounce bottles cost over $4. In the scheme of things, though, it wasn’t that expensive.

Anyway, yesterday we ran some errands and came home hot and tired. A root beer float sounded like the perfect refreshment. It sure hit the spot. The root beer was OK, I can’t say that I’m a connoisseur. I did like the fact that it has honey in it and natural flavors. It was an easy and fun "recipe" to try.

Peanut Butter Cheese Cake Mini's

2007-06-26T16:42:00.001-07:00

The other day I watched "Best Places to Pig Out" on the Travel Channel, and of course ever since then, I’ve wanted no-list foods like greasy burgers, fries and milkshakes. I’m one of those people that if you saw me, you’d laugh that I was even watching that show. I was intrigued not so much by the pig-out factor, but wanted to hear what places are considered local legends. One of the places on the show was a diner that has pancakes, in Seiad Valley, CA. Hubby has a friend that lives nearby and he said it is a small town, it’s surprising that it made it on the show. Small world.

Today I made Peanut Butter Cheese Cake Mini’s that was on "Paula’s Party" recently. They’re beyond cute. The reviews on Foodnetwork.com predominantly say that the recipe makes way too much crust and filling. I made half a batch and ended up with 6 regular (cupcake) size cheesecakes and 12 mini-muffin ones, with a little crust left over. I used more candy in mine so that was probably a factor. I didn’t want to buy a whole bag of Reese’s mini’s for only 6, and got a regular candy bar package instead. I was going to cut the two cups into six pieces, but hubby suggested using a whole candy in each one. I split fun-size Snickers up for the rest of them.

I took some to my sis-in-law’s and they thought they’d be good at a party. Cheesecake has a reputation for being too rich, and I think the fact that they’re cupcake-sized makes the mini’s more tempting than a regular slice. The "I’ll just have one" kind of psychology. They’re tasty, though, and it would be easy to say "I’ll just have one more."

I liked the taste of the Snicker’s ones. The caramel oozed into the crust and got kind of chewy, though, and the texture of the Reese’s ones were better.

Fusilli (Penne) with Spinach and Asiago Cheese

2007-06-22T16:03:00.000-07:00

Earlier this week Debbie had told me about a dish she saw on Giada’s "Everyday Italian" show, that had fusilli and spinach. This was one of those recipes that I could tell I would like it just by looking at the ingredients. Garlic is sauteed in olive oil and then spinach and tomatoes are added, then cheese, pasta, and some of the cooking water. I didn’t have fusilli so I substituted penne. I also didn’t have enough tomatoes but used what I had. If I had sun-dried tomatoes in the pantry, I would have thrown some in too. Adding the spinach to the garlic kind of kept the flavor subtle, although next time I’d use even more since I LOVE garlic. One of the restaurants Debbie & I went to when we lived in the same area, was called "Magic Garlic." Next time I make plain old spinach I'm going to add garlic and asiago cheese, instead of butter. Anyway, I didn’t read the instructions completely and didn’t chop my spinach - you can tell by the clump in the picture. In the end it all tasted good, though. Hubby didn’t say anything - which in some ways is a compliment since it wasn’t a complaint. I didn’t tell him it is a Giada recipe. Maybe I should have, since he watches "Weekend Getaways" with me now.

For dessert I made spice cupcakes from a Better Homes & Gardens baking cookbook that my Mom had given me. I frosted them with 7 minute frosting (basically egg white & sugar, with a smidge of water, corn syrup and cream of tartar), using brown sugar instead of white. Homemade is so much better than a box. Nigella made cupcakes recently, but hers were plain and I wanted something with more of a flavor to them. These had cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves, and the cake was light, not like gingerbread. Yum. I still want to try Nigella’s recipe. Will let you know how that turns out.

Mashed Potatoes With Spinach

2007-06-16T18:30:00.000-07:00

The mashed potatoes Rachael made on Monday’s "30 Minute Meals" looked interesting so I tried them tonight, minus the cod croquettes. They’re basically mashed potatoes with spinach added at the end. The heat of the potatoes wilts the spinach. They were delicious, I could easily eat just them for dinner and forget any meat. It’s makes regular mashed potatoes even more of an indulgence. Since the spinach is only slightly wilted, it adds body to the potatoes and makes it more of a side dish along the lines of an au gratin, as opposed to a starch like rice.

Frito Pie

2007-06-13T17:53:00.000-07:00

This doesn't have anything to do with the Foodnetwork but since it has to do with food, I thought I'd share it here. Today's "Taste" section of the Dallas Morning News has a big feature on Frito Pie. It's one of those classic dishes that says "Texas." I love the showcasing of regional foods, which is why I enjoy Paula Deen/Southern cooking, Giada DiLaurentiis/Italian, and even Rachael's ties with upstate New York.

I enjoyed learning the particulars from the article. Basically, it's Fritos, Wolf brand chili, and optional garnishes of cheese, onion, sour cream, etc. I had tried Wolf brand chili before and really liked it, but it has so much more fat than my other favorite brand (Hormel). Maybe that's what makes it tastier.

Of course, I was going to pick up a bag of Fritos while I was at the store, but forgot, since I didn't WRITE IT DOWN on my list. I've gotten really bad...if it's not written down or on my list of places to stop, I'll completely forget about it.

Rice Pudding, Part II

2007-06-13T12:45:00.000-07:00

I had been so disappointed with the rice pudding I made last week, since it seemed to have potential and the problem I had was due to my own error of overcooking it. I tried it again, still using the crockpot, but watching it carefully towards the end. It came out better, although it doesn’t look like Paula’s from TV (hers looked more custardy). It looks completely different from the last batch I made, though! I think I’ll try it one more time, and only stir it once, after the first hour, then let the custard set during the second hour.

When I was at the grocery store this weekend, I got a sample of Kozy Shack no-sugar rice pudding. YUM. I’d love to be able to make a homemade pudding that tastes like that. The store-bought kind seems more like rice mixed into vanilla pudding.

To completely change the subject, have you been watching "The Next Foodnetwork Star"? The first week, I was rooting for Paul. I liked his wedding cake the best, especially his personal touch of the two grooms to top it off. I thought that showed an expression of his personality and individuality. Maybe it’s too early, that nobody really seems to exude a sense of who they are and what they want to express with their food. This week, Adrien started to grow on me. He did a good job with his on camera stint.

What I’d love to see is someone who has a concept that is new. Not something that reminds me of an existing Foodnetwork Star. I made "ants on a log" for lunch yesterday (celery stuffed with peanut butter and raisins scattered on top)…and I got to thinking that I’d love to see a show dedicated to kid-friendly food. The "Cook With Your Kids" week on the network is fun to watch. It’s too bad it’s only a week. I’d like to see a high school student from a technical school as a contestant, or a senior citizen preparing healthy meals on a budget (confronting issues older people face, like reducing sodium and sugar), or a vegetarian who comes up with entrees that aren’t side dishes, like the bride wanted at her wedding. It’ll be interesting to see the contestants’ personalities and styles emerge as the series continues.

Paula Deen in Bossier City

2007-06-11T07:48:00.000-07:00

Paula Deen was in my neck of the woods on June 2nd. I found an article about the show at FoodNetwork Addict’s blog, from the Shreveport Times. The photo above is from the Shreveport paper as well. I love the "Madonna" look with the headset microphone.

The article said, "The men and women in the audience in the Bossier City arena roared their approval throughout the impromptu show. Her country charm was only part of the appeal for the legions of local fans who lined up to see the restaurateur and Food Network star at the first Paula Deen Live 2007 Tour."

And here's what she cooked..."During the cooking portion of the show, Deen made pork chops, macaroni and cheese and collard greens. She was aided in the cooking by an assistant."

It sounded like some people were a little disappointed in the show, for the price. From reading the article, though, to me it sounded like Paula did what would be expected, chat and cook a little.

Anyway, I'm really enjoying her new show, "Paula's Party." At first I thought the raunchy jokes kind of went overboard but now that the show has been on for awhile, she's kind of hit her stride. I especially like how she incorporates her family into the show, and how they all interact with each other.

Rice Pudding

2007-06-04T16:25:00.000-07:00

I’m completely frustrated and disappointed

Today I had the Food Network on while doing some ironing. Paula’s Home Cooking had inexpensive meals, including a mouthwatering rice pudding. It looked so good! I had all the ingredients and it was early enough to make it, so I did. The only difference was that I put it in a crock pot instead of baking it in the oven.

I mixed it all up and put it in the crockpot. I stirred it after an hour, it was still watery and I was wondering if it would take 2-3 hours like the most of the recipes in the Fix It and Forget It cookbook said (I used that for a guideline). After another hour, I stirred again, the edges were set and the middle was watery. Another 45 minutes went by, and all the liquid was absorbed. My heart sank. It was now overdone. I should have turned off the heat after 2 hours and let the remaining heat carry over and finish it off. Then it would have been perfect. At that point it looked almost like Paula’s, yellow and creamy. What I ended up with was disintegrated rice.

Hubby wanted more raisins too, so what I made has way more raisins than I care for. And of course, he doesn’t like it. Inevitably that’s what happens. I configure a recipe to his tastes, he doesn’t like it, and then I’m stuck with a bunch of whatever, not how I would like it. And guess who ends up eating it. Arrrgh. I’m tempted to try it again tomorrow. It was one of those things that I had within my grasp and it slipped away.

Fried Green Tomatoes

2007-05-26T16:39:00.000-07:00

I heard a commercial on the radio the other day about a new store in town called "Sweet Gourmet." It said something about "if you’re a foodie" and that they featured Paula Deen salad dressings, Rachael Ray EVOO and Barefoot Contessa Outrageous Brownie Mix. I stopped by there today to see what’s up. There was huge banner out front promoting the Paula Deen products. The store itself was very much like the food section of Williams Sonoma, more "gourmet" oriented than Food Network. They also had Godiva chocolate and even Scharffenberger bars. Even though we have the usual strip mall stores here, we don’t have a lot of what’s in the Big Cities, so that’s a big step forward. The Texas-themed items included spicy microwave popcorn ($2.99 a bag), BBQ sauces, and assorted grilling paraphernalia. I was surprised to see candy cigarettes among the "joke" items for kids. I thought those were banned or deemed socially inappropriate ages ago. There are a lot of smokers around here so I guess it fits, although it was sad for me to see something like that.

At the grocery stores, there were quite a few vendors with samples to promote for the Memorial Day weekend. Wal-mart had boudin samples. Even though this is Texas, we’re close to Louisiana so a lot of the cajun & creole foods trickle over. While I was tempted, I declined, because the sausages were an ugly grey, which made my brain immediately start to wonder what is in them. And when you think about what goes into sausages …yuck. Oh, the other Food Network tie-in at Walmart is the overhead TV's in the produce section. They play a loop of tips from Rachael, Paula, Emeril and Tyler. It's almost disconcerting to be pushing the shopping cart along and suddenly hearing their voices. Brookshire's and Super 1 have overhead announcements promoting Paula's association with Smithfield Foods, and her tour. Anyway, I also went to Super 1 and they had a crawfish boil going on outside. Inside a lady had fried green tomatoes! I’ve always wanted to try them, of course, because of the movie. They tasted like what you would expect. It must be something you get to liking because you grew up with it. I didn’t think they were anything special, but it was fun trying them.

These foods were almost like they were from another part of the world. Even though I grew up in an area of California with a lot of diversity, it was diverse in more of an international way. I really miss California and often just going grocery shopping makes me homesick. I miss the freshness and variety of produce. I miss having more options for affordable shopping than Walmart, especially Trader Joe's. I miss running into my sister at the store. But sometimes little things like the "taste of the south," such as fried green tomatoes, make living here more tolerable.

Peanut Butter Balls

2007-05-18T09:19:00.001-07:00

Hi, Debbie here. I haven't posted in awhile as I have been taking an extended break from family food prep, but I felt prompted to share this recipe.

In Paula Deen's new book, “Paula Deen: It Ain’t All About the Cookin’,” she reminisces with great fondness about the peanut butter balls her school cafeteria used to serve, along with vegetable soup, on Fridays. Then she proceeds to brag about finally getting the recipe but doesn't include it in the book!

I found it online though at foodnetwork.com and made it last night. Here it is, in it's entirety:

1 cup of honey
1 cup of peanut butter
2 cups of dried powdered milk

Stir together, form into walnut-sized balls and chill in the refrigerator for 20 minutes. I left mine plain but you can roll them in all manner of things. PD suggests corn flakes, powdered sugar or crushed nuts. How about coconut, mini carob chips or choc. chips, bran cereal, etc.?

I was afraid that the honey would make it too sweet but it was perfect. Perfect golden balls of rolled up peanut butter that hold their shape and are an excellent accompaniment to soup, salads, chili, whatever.

Can you guess that I'm a peanut butter aficionado? You know that question - if you had to choose one food to take on a deserted island, what would it be? Guess what my answer is. An Italian friend once told me that the only correct answer to that question would be pasta. Pasta? A food product that is basically flour and water mixed together? No way. But one could live (and thrive!) on peanut butter.

Lemon Cookies

2007-05-11T18:12:00.000-07:00

This recipe has been mentioned on several blogs, and it’s a hit on all of them. It’s from the April 2007 issue of "Every Day With Rachael Ray" magazine. The cookies are really good! The lemon adds a touch of "sophistication" and takes them from plain to extra special. They remind me of sugar cookies and snickerdoodles, only with lemon. The recipe calls for the zest of 2 lemons but I only used 1 since they are over 30 cents apiece here. If I had a lemon tree in backyard I’d definitely use 2.

I was wondering why my cookies lately have been sort of flat. The cookies in pictures on other blogs looked puffier. At one point I replaced the baking powder and cream of tartar in my cupboard with new jars. I must have overlooked the baking soda because the box had a date of 1995! It still had some oomph but not as much as a fresh box. I bake a lot and wasn’t even close to using up the box of soda, so I’ll have to remember to replace it every so often, and use the old box to clean the sink, etc.

To completely change the subject, one of the tips on Rachael’s talk show awhile back was for uses for salt. She took some coarse salt and put it down the sink, followed by hot water, to keep the drain clear. I tried it on my bathroom sink, without the salt, to dissolve the gunk (toothpaste, face cream, etc., that accumulates in there). It seems to help, and without any chemicals!

LEMON COOKIES

Makes 3 dozen (I made mine about 1" balls and got 28)

1 stick butter (the recipe says chilled but mine was softened)
1 1/4 cups sugar
Grated peel of 2 lemons, plus 1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 large egg
1 1/2 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt

1. Preheat the oven to 350. Line 3 large cookie sheets with parchment paper, set aside. (I used silicon baking sheets, like a Silpat knockoff.) Using an electric mixer, combine the butter, 1 cup sugar, the lemon peel and juice until fluffy. Mix in the egg. Add the flour, baking soda, and salt, and combine.

2. Place the remaining 1/4 cup sugar in a small bowl. Roll heaping teaspoons of dough into balls, then roll in the sugar. Place on the prepared cookie sheets a few inches apart. Bake until golden around the edges, about 15 minutes. Transfer the cookie sheets to racks to cool completely.

Giada'sVisit to Dallas

2007-04-26T07:32:00.000-07:00

I was hoping there would be a report in the newspaper about Giada's visit to Dallas last week. Here it is. I'm really enjoying her "Weekend Getaways" show, she always looks like she has a good time and I love how she takes such a big bite of food that she can barely talk. It's so (for lack of a better word) human.

From yesterday's Dallas Morning News:

Food Network's Giada: Not your everyday Italian
Wednesday, April 25, 2007

By JOYCE SÁENZ HARRIS / The Dallas Morning News

There were probably 700 people in line at the Preston-Royal Borders last week, waiting for the Food Network's telegenic Everyday Italian star, Giada De Laurentiis.

Cookbook author Giada De Laurentiis greeted several hundred fans during a book signing at Borders on April 16.

Judging from the buzz, the question apparently on many minds was: Will she look as great as she does on TV?
As a matter of fact, she did. Giada is one of those enviable people who, like Angie Harmon and Rob Lowe, apparently never have a bad-hair day.

Many of the fans bought multiple copies of Giada cookbooks, old and new, for her to inscribe. One buyer, presumably checking names off her Christmas list, left with 10 signed copies of the new Giada hardcover, Everyday Pasta (Clarkson Potter, $32.50).

In the space of eight hours the sprightly 36-year-old chef had signed literally thousands of books with the practiced flourish: "To (whoever) – xo Giada." In addition to signing, she also made small talk and answered hundreds of her fans' questions.

Are you a chocoholic?

"Not a day goes by that I don't have a piece of chocolate."

Where are you going to eat while you're here?

Giada wasn't sure, but she is told she has "got to go to Javier's or Abacus."

Are you going to do a "Weekend Getaways" in Dallas?

"Every single person has asked me that!" Giada exclaimed. She's already done one "Getaways" show in Houston, but she made no promises yet about Big D.

Almost every fan had a comment. His dad's one of your biggest fans. Ever! Or: You turned me on to Nutella! Or: Love your prosciutto – it's really good stuff!

After the signing, Giada took time to answer a few more questions.

What are you finding out about your fans on this trip?

How diverse they are. They range from 2-year-olds to 80-year-olds. And there are more men this time. A lot of college students; a lot of moms coming to buy books for their sons, girls for their boyfriends, wives for their husbands. The Food Network demographic certainly seems to have changed!

OK, what's the deal with Nutella?

Dallas loves Nutella! It's so addictive; one of the mothers said, "It's like crack." I think it's the combination of the chocolate and the hazelnut. In Italy, it's like our peanut butter. My mom would bring Nutella back from our trips to Italy and make us sandwiches to take to school when I was growing up in L.A. The other kids would look at me like: "You've got a chocolate sandwich?!?"

You really seem to respond to your youngest fans, and there were a lot of them here.

It's fascinating to me that the kids love to watch the show. Maybe it's because we talk directly to the camera ... like Mister Rogers. Kids brighten up events like this because they're so honest and real and fun. It's fun for me to know I can affect the next generation, and maybe they will eat more healthily as a result.

You come from a big family of Italian cooks. You're the most famous one, but where do you really rank? Who is your family's best cook?

(Laughing) Everyone will tell you they're the best! But I think my Aunt Raffaela is great, and my grandfather is the best of us all. My mom was not the best, as she'll admit, but then she was usually just trying to get food on the table fast enough to feed four kids.

My grandfather taught me to cook with passion; my aunt taught me to cook creatively. And Mom taught me how to get the food on the table quickly and easily. So I'm a combination of those three people.

This is your third cookbook. What are your favorite dishes from this one?

The Tagliatelle With Short Rib Ragu; the Penne With Beef and Arugula; the Fusilli With Walnut Sauce; and the Rigatoni With Sausage, Peppers and Onions.

Catching up

2007-04-11T11:56:00.000-07:00

This week’s grocery circular for Brookshires has an ad for "Paula Deen Live" in Bossier City, LA. It’s on June 2nd, at 11AM and 4PM. I looked on Ticketmaster and tickets top out at $65 but there were none available on the floor. There were other dates booked for Dallas (August) and I think Tennessee. While I was at Super 1 today, the overhead announcement had a commercial for it. I wonder what she will be doing? It kind of sounded like cooking (duh)…but for $65? Or maybe she will talk about her new autobiography. Bossier City is just a little closer to me than Dallas, I kind of doubt I will go but I’m going to keep my ears open to find out more info.

I’ve tried a few new recipes but nothing that seems worth blogging about. I tried the Boston Cream Mini-cupcakes in the Kraft magazine. They turned out really cute (photo above) and were a hit when I brought them over for dessert at an impromptu lunch. They look more glamorous than regular cupcakes. I tried baking egg rolls from Everyday Food (vs. frying) but they turned out really chewy. The article said that frying vs. baking has about the same calories. Anyway, now I have a bunch of egg roll wrappers left. Today’s Dallas Morning News has a whole section with 20 recipes using Stouffers Spinach Souffle, including one for manicotti. I’m going to use some of the wrappers to make that.

Mostly I’m on magazine overload. I get too many. Being a cookbook junkie doesn’t help. I almost feel like I need to come up with a schedule, cook from Magazine A one week, Cookbook B the next, etc. That would probably take a lot of the fun out of it. I guess my solution will be to cut down my subscriptions, when renewal time comes around. I renewed to Gourmet but tend to let those pile up. Rachael’s magazine comes so fast & furious. I got the April issue one week, and then the May issue just one week later.

Last night I made Rachael’s Ravioli Lasagna for the second time. I had a bunch of bits & pieces of ingredients to use up (turkey Italian sausage, cheese, celery, mushrooms, etc.). I had thought about just making marinara sauce and serving it over the ravioli, but I think the casserole is actually better, even though it’s the same ingredients.

(I just finished reading the rest of the Dallas paper. Big news. Saturday, Cat Cora is signing copies of her new book, Cooking From the Hip: Fast, Easy, Phenomenal Meals, at Sur La Table. On Monday, Giada DeLaurentiis signs her book, Everyday Pasta, at Borders at the corner of Preston Road and Royal Lane. Then Tuesday, Robin Miller is teaching a class at Central Market. I would LOVE to meet Giada but the snippet suggests arriving before the store even opens at 9AM, for the 6PM signing...I don't think I'm enough of a groupie to do that.)

Sister Act II

2007-03-26T10:45:00.000-07:00

I have no doubt that my sister is a better cook than I am. Besides having a cook's intuition, she has a lot more experience by virtue of having to cook out of necessity (i.e. feed her family). She had another cookbook review published in her local paper. My Dad made the best ribs ever, it looks like the crown has been passed on to my sister. I'm so proud of her.

A reader's beef: Great ribs, but where's the recipe?

By Denise

The following review is by a reader who was given a cookbook from the Times. The included recipes were selected and prepared by the reader.

I may not be a big meat-and-potatoes eater, but I'll never say no to a plate of tender, succulent ribs, slathered in sweet, sticky barbecue sauce. The mound of scrunched napkins piled atop my plate at the end of the meal says it all.

According to "Killer Ribs" author Nancy Davidson, I'm not alone. In fact, her quest to find the best ribs has taken her to the most famous rib joints across America and into Canada.

While barbecue may have its roots in the South, regional differences abound. Texans prefer beef. North Caroliners favor vinegar-based sauces, while South Caroliners favor mustard-based sauces. Kansas City is famous for its pork ribs served with sweet-and-sticky sauce. Memphis-style ribs are prepared with a paprika-based dry rub.

I was initially drawn to this cookbook by mouthwatering pictures showcasing slabs of ribs from 50 of Davidson's favorite establishments. I also enjoyed the profiles of the pit masters. Most recipes are for pork, but there are a couple for beef, as well as one for mutton, and even one for alligator.

While most ingredients are familiar, others were foreign. I could not find Saskatoon berries, Everglades Seasonings, or chile caribe. The other challenge I faced was not having a professional smoker. Instead, I improvised with my oven and a Camerons stovetop smoker.

My excitement began to wane, however, when it was time to pick recipes. I realized that the majority of the recipes (43 of 50) were incomplete, if not downright misleading.

But I guess I should have known better. Who wouldn't protect the secrets to their award-winning ribs? I was hoping to create the delicious-looking food I saw in the pictures, only to read "Use your favorite rub" or "Serve with your favorite sauce." To my disappointment, these words echoed throughout most of the book.

My biggest point of contention with this book is the author's advice to purchase sauce through the restaurants' Web sites (not provided) when there is no recipe provided. I'd prefer to have the recipe.

So, using Steve Raichlen's "The Barbecue Bible" to fill in the gaps, I seasoned baby back ribs with Kansas City Bar.B.Q. Shack dry rub and cooked them in the oven at 250 degrees for 3 hours. I also rubbed pork spare ribs and used a Camerons Stovetop Smoker along with hickory woodchips to smoke the pork spareribs for one hour before finishing in the oven for another four.

I made Jones Honey-Barbeque Sauce (omitting liquid smoke) to serve with the baby back ribs and Memphis Blues BBQ Sauce to go with the spareribs. On their own, both were delicious.

Feeling a bit gutsy, I tried Robb's Ribbs BBQ Sauce. I had my suspicions about adding lemon rind and pith into the sauce, but followed the recipe anyway, omitting 1/4 teaspoon chile caribe I couldn't find at the market and substituting jalapeno instead. The sauce was too bitter, probably from the lemon pith, and nobody wanted to try it on meat.

After a final grilling and basting with sauce, the three sets of ribs were ready for tasting. My family of four, along with my brother and his family, held our own rib cook-off. The unanimous winner was the smoked spareribs with Memphis Blues Sauce. With a subtle hickory undertone, the meat was tender, moist, and literally fell off the bone. The savory sauce went well with the background flavors of the rub and hickory wood.

Second place went to the baby backs with Jones Honey-Barbecue Sauce, and third place was awarded to the unsmoked spareribs with Memphis Blues Sauce. All four of the children enjoyed the ribs, one of my biggest criteria for whether a recipe stays or goes.

Although I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in visiting some of America's best rib joints, if it's secret recipes you're looking for, skip this one. "Killer Ribs" is a better travel guide than a cookbook. It seems a bit disingenuous on the author's part to package it as a cookbook when her real motive appears to be exposure for the establishments.

KANSAS CITY BAR.B.Q. SHACK DRY RUB
Makes about 3 cups, enough for 3-4 racks pork ribs
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons cayenne pepper
1 1/2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons chile powder
2 tablespoons garlic powder
2 tablespoons onion powder

• Combine dry rub ingredients and mix to taste.
Per 1/2 cup: 35 calories, 0 protein, 9 g carbohydrates, 0 fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 1,750 mg sodium, 0 fiber. Calories from fat: 0 percent.
-- Times analysis

MEMPHIS BLUES BBQ SAUCE
Makes about 4 cups
1 10-ounce can tomato paste
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup molasses
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup French's mustard
3 tablespoons garlic powder
3 tablespoons onion powder
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup white vinegar
1 cup ketchup
3 tablespoons Durkey's hot sauce
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups water

• Add sauce ingredients to a pot and cook over low heat, whisking thoroughly until smooth.
Simmer for 30 minutes, but be careful not to burn it.

Per 1/2 cup: 190 calories, 4 g protein, 44 g carbohydrates, 1.5 g total fat, 0 saturated fat, 0 cholesterol, 1,630 mg sodium, 4 g fiber. Calories from fat: 5 percent.
-- Times analysis

JONES HONEY-BARBECUE SAUCE
Makes enough sauce to cover 12 racks of ribs

2 cups packed brown sugar
1/2 cup chile powder
1/2 cup onion powder
1 teaspoon pepper
3 teaspoons salt
1 cup vinegar
1 cup Worcestershire sauce
6 cups ketchup
1 cup molasses
1 cup honey
1/4 cup liquid smoke, optional
1/2 cup water

1. Combine dry ingredients in large bowl and stir thoroughly. Next, add vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, and ketchup, mixing well after each addition. Carefully stir in the molasses, honey and liquid smoke (if using), until thoroughly combined.

2. Pour mixture into medium saucepan and simmer for about 20 minutes, or until all ingredients have been well-dissolved, adding water to the mixture as needed. Make sure sauce is consistent -- not too thick and not too thin.

Enough sauce for 1/2 rack: 260 calories, 1 g protein, 67 g carbohydrates, .5 g total fat, 0 saturated fat, 0 cholesterol, 1,170 mg sodium, 2 g fiber. Calories from fat: 2 percent.
-- Times analysis

• BOOK: "Killer Ribs: Mouthwatering Recipes from North America's Best Rib Joints" ($ 16.95, Chronicle Books, 112 pages).
• AUTHOR: Nancy Davidson, a New York-based food and travel writer and restaurant reviewer, has written for Time Out New York, New York Sun, and contributed to Gastronomica, Gourmet, Cooking Light and Saveur.
• REVIEWER: Denise is a dedicated foodie who loves all aspects of cooking -- especially the eating part.

Tea

2007-02-28T18:29:00.000-07:00

One of my weaknesses is that I am easily enticed by things I see in magazines. Without even knowing what it tastes like, after I saw Lisa Edelstein’s "B,L,D" in the November 2006 issue of "Everyday With Rachael Ray," I’ve wanted to try Guayaki Yerba Mate organic tea. Often if I wait long enough, the impulse will pass...but then I saw it offered in the Vitamin Shoppe catalog, with free shipping. I had a cup this morning. It’s supposed to have caffeine in it but I didn’t get that jittery feeling like from coffee. It has an earthy taste to it. I added some vanilla soy milk to the last few sips, and that was yummy. The package had a recipe for a "latte" with strong-brewed yerba mate and vanilla soy milk. See what I mean…I’m a pushover for anything in print.

Anyway, it was fun to try it. One of my resolutions for 2007 is to drink more tea. I don’t like to drink the same kind of tea each day so I’ll add this to my rotation of teas and see if it has any effect on my sense of well-being. At the very least it’ll help balance out the other things I eat everyday, like cookies! We just watched "Stranger Than Fiction" with Will Ferrell and Emma Thompson today. Maggie Gyllenhaal’s character is a baker who wants to make the world a better place with homemade cookies. I like her thinking!

Mystery Pecan Pie

2007-02-20T11:18:00.000-07:00

This recipe is from Paula’s Home Cooking, although the same recipe is all over the internet. They vary in using light or dark corn syrup, and the baking time & temperature. It’s also called "Alligator Pecan Pie" because the top is lumpy like an alligator. As for the "Mystery," the bottom layer is a cream cheese mixture, then pecans are sprinkled over, and a pecan pie filling is poured over the whole thing. When it bakes, the cream cheese rises to the top.

Paula’s recipe says to bake at 350 for 45 minutes. My pie was still very liquid (although brown) at that time, so I ended up keeping it in for 55 minutes total. It could have gone longer (still jiggly) but it was getting pretty brown. I guess I should have covered it with foil and baked it even more.
My pie was "alligator" was that the custard part was still runny and the pie looked like a swamp after it was cut. Everyone seemed to like it, though.

Two of my all-time favorites are cheesecake and pecan pie, but I think I would rather have one or the other instead of the two combined into one pie like this was. One comment I got was that it wasn’t as sweet as pecan pie, which was a good thing. I thought this would fulfill my cheesecake craving but I guess I’ll have to break down and make the real thing. I went all the way to Florida and didn’t have key lime pie…so I’ll have to search out a key lime cheesecake recipe.

The Celebrity Pasta Lovers Cookbook

2007-02-14T20:41:00.000-07:00

This week on Rachael’s show, guests Mario Batali and Kristin Davis promoted the "The Celebrity Pasta Lovers Cookbook" from Barilla. Barilla teamed up with 10 celebrities and asked Giada DeLaurentiis and Mario Batali to take the celebrities’ recipes and transform them into Italian creations. The best part is that the cookbook is a free download! And Barilla donates $1 to America’s Second Harvest (the nation’s food bank network), up to $100,000 for each person that downloads it. The response has been so overwhelming that they have already reached that goal. The cookbook will be available online through the end of February.

I love projects like this that are fun, and it doesn’t cost you anything but a few minutes to download (1 or 3 MB, your choice), plus you give a little back in the process. If you are a Food Network junkie like me, it’s a must have. Check it out at www.celebritypastalovers.com.

Recipe #2 - Smoky Turkey Shepherd's Pie

2007-02-12T19:50:00.000-07:00

This one has a bunch of good ingredients in it, yet they didn’t come together in a good way, at least for me. I made this last night in order to use up some leftovers (chicken broth, mashed potatoes, turkey burgers). As I was putting it together, I tasted it and thought "yuck." I added some worcestershire sauce in hopes it would brighten it up a little. (I also forgot to add peppers and had no sour cream.)

The casserole looked tempting in the oven, with the gravy bubbling around the mashed potatoes. I was hoping the spices & flavors would come together as it cooked. In the meantime I threw together a salad in case it was inedible.

It wasn’t much better than I thought, although some sour cream might have helped. I was surprised that Don thought it was OK and might even be better the next day. I doubt I will make it again, definitely won’t make it from scratch. I should have remembered what Debbie had said about it when she made this awhile back.

One of the aspects, of being the cook, that worked against me is that I knew what spices were in the dish so they were very prominent (especially the thyme and paprika, and I used less than the recipe for both). After it cooked, the paprika toned down a little but the thyme was still overpowering. I didn’t sprinkle paprika on top since I don’t much care for the taste.

I was itching to make something from "365" since there is someone else out there who is attempting to cook their way through the book. They are almost up to Recipe #50. I like how they’re cooking recipes in the order of the cookbook, anyone that follows their blog will know what’s next on the menu. They also have photos that look "real" vs. the staged ones you see in magazines (I mean that in a good way).

I really enjoy the honesty in what they write. I feel comforted in knowing I am not the only one put off by the kitchen messes that some of the recipes create. They’ve also mentioned that some recipes are rather expensive, for the kind of (mediocre) meal they produce. I don't mean to sound overly negative! It's just that these sorts of details are often passed over.

Mini Meatball and Broken Spaghetti Tomato Stoup

2007-01-27T19:06:00.000-07:00

It must be that time of year where people want something comforting, as I’ve read a few other bloggers posts about this same recipe. It was featured on the Rachael Ray Show, as well as in the November issue of the magazine.

I did a "kitchen sink" approach to the recipe, aka clean out the refrigerator, so I added some chopped celery to the vegetables, used ground turkey instead of ground beef, and fresh chopped spinach instead of parsley. For Don I threw in some chopped green and black olives and a sprinkle of crushed red pepper flakes.

Otherwise, I pretty much followed the recipe. It took a little longer than 12 minutes for the spaghetti to cook, and in the process, some of the liquid evaporated (even though I had a lid on the pot). In fact, it was almost like risotto, in that I’d add a splash of water, and when I checked on it, the liquid had absorbed so I had to add more. In the end, it wasn’t like a soup or a stew or a stoup even, just more like plain spaghetti. The main thing was that it tasted good!

What I’d do differently next time…even though I used thin spaghetti, I’d use something thinner like angel hair or Mexican fideo pasta. Or just boil the pasta separately.

I have a few meatballs leftover so I’m going to see if I can use them in Chicken Parm Subs. I’m anxious to try something from the 2,4,6,8 cookbook.

Keeping up with Rachael Ray

2007-01-11T08:47:00.000-07:00

There was an article in yesterday’s Dallas Morning News, about someone’s attempt at cooking a Rachael meal in 30 minutes. It took her an hour, or an hour & forty minutes, including prep time. I always enjoy reading these stories because it makes me feel like less of a klutz in the kitchen. Even though Rachael says if she can do it, anyone can, I still feel inept when I try to put together a full-fledged 30 minute meal. I’m not good at multitasking. I’ve gotten better at getting things ready beforehand, including washing produce when I get it home from the store.

Anyway, the story from the paper comes across as honest, and although it takes the person longer than 30 minutes to prepare the meal, it’s not in the context of putting Rachael down for unrealistic time frames, like some other articles have done.

Baked French Toast Casserole

2007-01-08T09:30:00.000-07:00

I’m one of those people that has a hard time throwing things away. I had a coupon for a free loaf of French bread from Albertson’s, and I actually remembered to use it. It was the worst French bread I’ve ever had. But I couldn’t throw it away (even though it was free). I put it in the freezer thinking I could make bread pudding with it. Just before Thanksgiving, there was a Paula show that featured "Baked French Toast Casserole," and I’d printed out the recipe since the holidays were coming up and it looked like something that would be perfect for a brunch. Then I remembered I had the bread in the freezer. I know it’s such an obvious thing, but often times my brain is not coordinated enough to put 2 and 2 together and remember what ingredients I have plus what recipes I set aside.

Anyway, it’s one of those "overnight" casseroles where you slice the bread, mix up a custard sauce and pour it over, and let it sit in the refrigerator. Then the next morning, you mix up a praline topping, spread it on top, and bake it. There’s also a raspberry sauce that comes with the recipe, but we thought the french toast would be sweet enough without it. I ended up putting some syrup on mine anyway, for the gooey factor.

This was really good, very simple, and looked nice. I was afraid it would be dry but surprisingly it was moist in the center, crunchy on the edges. I’m going to use the same topping and put it on cinnamon rolls, and see what happens.

Tony Moment

2007-01-03T19:08:00.000-07:00

Some of the books on my reading list have been available at the local library. I just finished "Heat" by Bill Buford. I enjoyed the "inside view" of things but found it quite disillusioning to read of his impressions of Mario Batali. I guess some of it is the "celebrity image" we have in our minds vs. the "real person."

I had reserved Anthony Bourdain's "The Nasty Bits: Collected Varietal Cuts, Usable Trim, Scraps, and Bones" online from the library. Shortly after I placed the hold, I got a call from them, saying "The Nasty Bits" was in. I could literally hear the person on the other end, struggling to stifle a giggle, and the tone in her voice implied "what the heck kind of book is this." Because of the holiday and national day of mourning, I didn't get to the library until today. I checked at the front desk and they didn't have it. I went upstairs to the racks and it wasn't in the 641's. So I went to the other information desk where I was referred to, and inquired there. The librarian didn't have it but asked my name and the title of the book. I must lisp and she started writing down..."The Nasty..." and then asked me to spell...B...I...T...C...!!! Hold on! I quickly corrected her, it's "Bits." Eventually we found the book in the "new releases" section.

How embarrassing. Keep in mind that this is the South. And I live in a dry county. Lots of things I took for granted from my Berkeley upbringing, are frowned upon or not understood here. I thought it was such a "Tony" moment.

Blog on!

2006-12-26T19:19:00.000-07:00

Here is the book that my friend had signed. Cool, huh?!? I've been overwhelmed with how thoughtful people have been this Christmas. Debbie (from this blog) had her hand in this too.

I flipped through it and saw a few recipes I'm willing to try. I like how this one is organized, it has a table of contents in front and an index in the back. The Express Lane Meals book I just got from the Nabisco promotion isn't as "put together" as far as being easy to use as a reference book.

The other cookbooks I got this Christmas were "French Women For All Seasons" and the King Arthur Flour's "Whole Grain Baking." I'm such a Francophile, even though I don't really speak French, all I had was one year when I was something like 6 years old. It has been pretty chilly this week so I'm hoping I'll have a chance to get started on reading all these books.

BTW, here's another photo that Sharon took at the VA booksigning.

Virginia Booksigning

2006-12-21T19:22:00.000-07:00

My friend Sharon went to Rachael's booksigning in Vienna, VA, on Monday. She took this photo, and reported back that...

"In a nutshell ...She was 45 minutes late getting there -- traffic is awful here, and she got stuck in it. She looked sharp - black shirt, black skirt, black boots ... she didn't talk about the book - just signed and talked to people as they walked up. She was very pleasant, and nice. I told her that you have a blog for her, and gave her the site. Not sure she'll stop by, but she has the address. I told her you were in Texas, and she said 'oh, I was just there". I couldn't remember what part of Texas you were in (brain freeze!!) but I said I thought you were in some small town and couldn't make it to Dallas."

Anyway, I found an article online about the Dallas booksigning, and there were over 400 people there!

Thank you to Sharon for getting a book autographed for me. I wish I could have gone in person but this is the next best thing.

While on the subject of books, I got my "Express Lane Meals" from that Nabisco offer, in the mail yesterday. I feel like a "loser" in that I have most of the items on the pantry list, but there are many times when I feel like I have nothing to cook for dinner. I hope this book helps a little.

Now begins the holiday crunch...not sure how much I will be online in the next week...so Happy Holidays everyone!

Sister Act

2006-12-10T13:25:00.000-07:00

My sister had a cookbook review published in her local paper! I'm so proud, her article is superb. I think it's weird (in a neat way) that we both write about recipes for fun, guess it is in the genes.

All-American Favorites

By Denise

The following review is by a reader who was given a cookbook from the Times. The included recipes were selected and prepared by the reader.

What intrigued me most about "The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook" was the book's "promise of sorts" to deliver more than 1,200 recipes guaranteed to be a success in home kitchens. Operating out of a 2,500-square-foot test kitchen, recipes are developed by test chefs after conducting blind taste-tests of recipes culled from other cookbooks. Further testing and tasting is done, culminating in what the Test Kitchen believes to be the best version of that dish. As if this is not enough, each recipe is further tested up to 40 times with variations in equipment and ingredients to mimic what might be found in a typical home kitchen.

Recipes are formatted with easy-to-follow directions, including step-by-step pictures, as well as prep time and total cooking time. Ideas for variations and make-ahead directions are also provided. Recipes designed to be "30 minutes or less" are easily identified by a red icon. The book's 700-plus pages are contained in a binder, with dividers for easy reference to each section. There is even an entire section devoted to slow cooker and pressure cooker recipes, and another for light recipes.

Several features of the book help the cook to understand how and why recipes work. Throughout the pages are sidebars referencing Test Kitchen tips, test cook favorites, cooking 101s, menu planning, equipment testing and ratings of ingredients. I learned that Minute Maid Premium Frozen Concentrated Orange Juice was the top-rated supermarket OJ, beating out the chilled carton version. The double pasteurization used in carton juices heats the juice, which in turn destroys its fresh flavor, making canned frozen the fresher-tasting choice.

Choosing recipes to test was not an easy task, given that I had more than a thousand to choose from. I'm lucky that my family is always willing to be test subjects and are supportive of my efforts, providing feedback in terms of "keepers" or "don't make again."

Up first was the Best Spaghetti and Meatballs. I couldn't resist testing the theory that mixing sandwich bread with buttermilk would provide tender and moist meatballs. I followed the recipe as stated, choosing the recipe's option to use jarred pasta sauce over homemade. I also added diced homegrown tomatoes to the sauce. The results were a unanimous thumbs-up. The meatballs were tender, flavorful, moist, holding together with a great texture.

I proceeded to make Quiche Lorraine. The recipe had me partially bake the pie shell and then pour the egg batter into the warm pie shell in order to achieve a crisp bottom crust and to ensure even cooking of the batter. Since I did not have the time to make my own pie crust, I used ready-made pie crust from the refrigerated section at Trader Joe's. The end result was a nicely browned crust filled with a delicious egg custard that was silky and luscious, far from the tough and rubbery quiches I have produced in the past.

Next up, Beef Stew. The Test Kitchen states that contrary to popular belief, flouring chunks of beef before browning does not properly brown the meat. In addition, the flour hinders the flavor of the sauce because there are no browned bits (fond) in the pan to use as flavor for the sauce. I followed the recipe, using the picture of properly browned meat as my guide, and made the stew, finishing it in the oven. The end result was a rich, flavorful sauce with fork-tender pieces of meat.

I hit a bump in the road with Asian Spiced Chicken Wings. The recipe was time-consuming, as it required deep-frying the cornstarch-dredged chicken wings in batches. I used my deep fryer in order to monitor oil temperature, but the end result was disappointing, producing wings that were soggy and pallid. Although the sauce was tasty, my chicken looked nothing like the enticing picture in the book, which showcased dark, crispy chicken, bathed in sticky sauce.

For dessert, I made the Classic Apple Pie. Since I have an ample supply of Golden Delicious apples from the tree in my backyard, I used these apples instead of the combination of McIntosh and Granny Smith apples called for in the recipe. I found the visual instructions very helpful in making the crust and assembling the pie. The pie was delicious, with a tender and flaky crust. The only change I recommend is reducing the lemon zest, as its presence was a bit overwhelming in relation to the apples.

Because of numerous past failures with light recipes from other books, I am a bit reluctant to try any light recipes. However, bearing in mind that I was promised a foolproof recipe, I went ahead with the Light Fettuccine Alfredo. According to the Test Kitchen, cornstarch along with half-and-half is the key to achieving a creamy sauce comparable to the kind made with heavy cream. Other than substituting dry pasta instead of fresh, I followed the recipe as stated. As promised, the recipe delivered a rich, creamy sauce with 11 grams of fat versus 43 grams in the full-fat version in this same book. The pasta should be served and eaten immediately after it is prepared, as the sauce tends to congeal if left to sit. However, adding a little reserved pasta water to the sauce restores its creamy texture. I'll be making this dish again, next time adding green peas or chicken.

This is a great, basic, all-purpose cookbook perfect for both aspiring and experienced cooks looking to hone their skills. I definitely recommend this cookbook. With its tips, techniques and an endless supply of recipes, I'll never be at a loss for something to cook.

BOOK: "The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook" ($34.95, America's Test Kitchen, 726 pages), more than 1,200 recipes.
AUTHORS: The editors at America's Test Kitchen, led by Christopher Kimball, host of the PBS series "America's Test Kitchen," editor of Cook's Illustrated magazine.
REVIEWER: Denise will try almost any recipe once.

Risi e Bisi

2006-12-10T10:28:00.000-07:00

I started out making Risi e Bisi (risotto with peas), then changed my mind at the last minute and substituted broccoli for the peas (since that’s what I had on hand). I also had some chicken leftover and threw that in as well. I’ve never had risotto before, much less cooked it. My usual recipe for rice is throw it in the rice cooker and hit the "on" switch…voila.

This was easy, though. The hardest part was trying to figure out how much salt to add. I was afraid to add too much, since there is chicken broth and parmesan cheese already in it. Anyway, it tasted good. (It needed salt but it’s so much easier to add it than to take it away.) One of my favorite dishes is Campbell Soup’s "Glorified Chicken" which is chicken cooked with cream of mushroom soup, served on rice. The risotto tasted like a glorified version of that. Now I want to try the risotto cacciatore that’s in the December issue of the magazine.

P.S. Half the recipe calls for 1/2 cup of arborio rice. It may not look like it will be enough, but it made plenty. I didn't think it was enough so I put in 3/4 cup. Of course, it soaks up all that liquid and expands, and it would have been fine with the original amount.

Chicken Francese with Lemon and Wine

2006-12-08T18:43:00.000-07:00

I still have a bunch of lemons and have been looking at recipes to use them. I love chicken piccata but the last recipe I tried (from Penzey’s One) had a ton of butter in it. It tasted good, naturally, but I didn’t feel good eating it. This recipe from Rachael’s "365" cookbook sounded promising. It’s not exactly a piccata and not exactly francese, a little bit of both.

I used chicken thighs instead of breasts, and pounded them out thin. Then they are dredged in flour, dipped in egg, and then pan fried. I added a tiny minced clove of garlic and mushrooms to the sauce, and used chicken broth instead of wine. Everything went on top of some egg noodles.

The chicken was moist and the sauce had lots of flavor. The egg coating added a rich taste to the chicken. And even though it has butter in it, I felt good eating it, it was very light-tasting. As Rachael would say, "You could certainly entertain with this dish" - it was pretty on the plate, I thought.

It took me about 45 minutes to prepare. I did a mise en place this time, since everything comes together quickly in the end. It saved a lot of frantic scurrying to get ingredients ready while something was cooking. Everything was chopped, pounded, sliced, and ready to go. I think that’s why Rachael is able to do her 30 minute meals, so gets everything as prepared as possible beforehand.

She is coming to Dallas next week for a booksigning at Borders. I don’t think I will be able to attend. The tour schedule is online at http://www.rachaelray.com/bookTour.html. She’ll be in cities from Boston to Seattle, and every town in between. I wish she were signing books somewhere closer to me but she is only doing Dallas and Houston. I’d love to hear how it goes if anyone gets to attend in their area.

Baking with Rachael and Paula

2006-12-04T18:05:00.000-07:00

I was disappointed that on Rachael’s "Thanksgiving in 60 II" she didn’t bake the pecan pie, since there was a recipe in the November magazine. But…she made up for it by baking last week on her talk show. Personally I have to measure ingredients because I tend to underestimate when I eyeball things.

Anyway, yesterday I baked a lemon meringue pie with lemons we brought back from CA. For the crust I followed Rachael’s recipe that went along with the pecan pie. It was easy to put together, no cutting in shortening with a pastry blender. Her recipe has 1 1/2 cups of flour, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil, and 3 tablespoons of milk. I found a similar recipe in Joy of Cooking that recommends this sort of crust for pies that don’t require baking the filling in it for a long time, since the oil gives it a strong flavor. (I didn’t think it tasted bad, just different.) Joy also says you can pat the crust in the pan, which is even easier (I rolled mine out). I blind-baked it for about 14 minutes at 425° F.

For the pie, I used Paula’s recipe from Lady & Sons Too. It’s a typical lemon meringue pie, except for the order in which you mix together the filling. Her recipe calls for mixing in the lemon juice & rind at the very end. Most other recipes, you mix it in and cook it with the rest of the ingredients.

The lemons were not very tart so the filling didn’t have a strong lemon flavor. I like how the meringue topping came out. For the filling, I think next time I’ll add the lemon juice & zest earlier and cook it all together, maybe it won’t be as soggy that way. I was surprised Paula’s recipe only called for a tablespoon of butter, I think Joy’s recipe has four tablespoons. I felt like something was missing, I’m not sure if the butter made that much of a difference or if it needed more lemon zest. It tasted like lemon meringue pie! I guess what was disappointing was that it wasn’t anything outstanding, just OK.

Ravioli Lasagna

2006-11-14T08:44:00.000-07:00

Last shopping trip, I had the ingredients for lasagna in my cart until I remembered Rachael’s Ravioli Lasagna, that was featured on the Rachael Ray Show. Anything that tastes like lasagna without the hassle sounds good to me, so I went around the store again and swapped a few things out (put back the ricotta and picked up cheese ravioli, etc.).

I substituted sweet Italian turkey sausage and a package of Boca crumbles for the mixture of beef, pork & veal (Don didn’t know until I told him). And I halved the recipe but still used a whole can of tomato sauce, and added extra cheeses (mozzarella and asiago). When I tasted the sauce it had that "missing something" taste so I added some fresh sage and Italian seasonings, in addition to the fresh basil.

I thought it tasted better this way, in a casserole, vs. cooking ravioli and spooning sauce on top. The flavors mixed together. I’m not very organized so it took me about an hour to throw this together. I think it would have taken me just as long to make a regular lasagna. On the other hand, there were fewer dishes to clean up.

One comment I have is that I used about 2/3 of a package of ravioli, for half the recipe (which calls for 3 family size packages). That was more than plenty. I'd go by eyeballing the amount rather than a particular quantity stated in the recipe.

Another keeper!

Pantry

2006-11-12T19:17:00.000-07:00

Today's Sunday paper had a ton of coupons for Thanksgiving-related products, that are on Rachael's pantry list. Things like chicken stock, canned tomatoes, flour, sugar - real basic kitchen essentials. It inspired me to try to organize my pantry and stock it a little better. Right now quite a few of the items are on sale for the holidays too.

Rachael is everywhere! Her picture was also on the cover of the TV listings in the Dallas Morning News today. At the grocery store, there is a sort of "flag" with her picture in the cracker aisle, for Triscuits and Wheat Thins.

Oh, and in the coupon section, there's a coupon for those kinds of crackers, along with an offer for her "Express Lane" cookbook (only $4.99 plus product purchases).

I'm horrible at keeping a well-stocked pantry. There's lots of cans & boxes in there but I still have a hard time coming up with something to make for dinner on a whim. My other problem is that I'll buy something and not use it and by the time I think about it again, the expiration date has come and gone. I guess that'll be one of my New Year's Resolutions, to maintain a better pantry.

Fish Stick Po'Boys

2006-11-08T08:35:00.000-07:00

The other day I made this sandwich from the MP of the October issue of "Every Day With Rachael Ray." I only had a few fishsticks left, not enough to serve for dinner, so it was a good way to use up a small bit. There were no surprises here, it tasted like what you would expect…I mean that in a good way. I put spicy mayo on it like the recipe said, but I like relish too so I added a small squirt of tartar sauce. That gave it more of a Filet-o-fish flavor. Tomatoes would have been good, as in the recipe, but they are out of season and they want a small fortune ($2.89 a pound!) for them right now.

I’m looking forward to tomorrow for Rachael’s "Thanksgiving in 60 II" on the Food Network. I just finished watching "Day to Day With Rachael Ray" - and thought what was that all about?!? While I enjoyed it, I kept wondering what does this have to do with food and cooking. There's also "Iron Chef" on Sunday with Ray vs. DeLaurentiis. Can't wait to see that!

Rachael’s new cookbook "2,4,6,8" is out now. I’m anxious to hear how others like it. We are not big eaters so even though I scale down her recipes, they still make a lot. This sounds like a cookbook more suited to my family’s eating habits.

Be Nice

2006-11-03T11:06:00.000-07:00

This week Manilow fans have been treated to a MMF (Manilow Media Frenzy), with Barry doing the talk show circuit to promote his current release, "Greatest Songs of the Sixties." Rachael did a great job interviewing him, even admitting she was so excited she had to write down notes so she wouldn’t get flustered.

One of Barry’s mantras is "Be Nice." Unfortunately there were some not-so-nice comments made by Martha Stewart (directed towards Rachael ) when she had Barry on her own show. She was upset that Rachael’s show with Barry apparently was originally scheduled to air Friday, while Martha’s show (live) was on Thursday, but the schedule was changed such that they both aired at the same time in the New York area. I thought the whole thing made Martha come across as petty and mean. The shows are not on simultaneously everywhere!

There’s more about in some articles online:
Martha Stewart and Rachael Ray Feud...Over Barry Manilow!, Martha Bitchslaps Rachael Over Barry and Rachael, Martha Split Barry

Anyway, I loved seeing how much Rachael was enjoying Barry’s performance, especially when he was crooning directly to her. She looked like she was going to melt and explode all at the same time.

If you liked what you saw on Rachael’s show, and are even thinking of buying the album, think about buying it now! Barry’s fan club is trying to get this one to chart at #1 just as his "Greatest Songs of the Fifties" did earlier this year. We have until Saturday night (tomorrow) for our purchases to count. It’s on sale this week a stores such as Target (which has an exclusive Dual Disc version), and Walmart (which has an exclusive bonus download plus a free year’s membership to the fan club). Or if you don't have time to run to the store, you can get it for only $9.72 at Amazon.com.

By the way, I had wanted to be at the taping of this episode, and even got a phone call from the Rachael Ray Show, for a brief interview. I guess I didn’t come across as the fanilow they were looking for, but it was fun anyway.

Go buy the CD! "Greatest Songs of the Sixties" You won’t be disappointed.

Barry Manilow on the Rachael Ray Show today!

2006-11-02T07:26:00.000-07:00

According to the Manilow Hotline...

..." see Barry perform "CAN'T TAKE MY EYES OFF YOU" and "WHAT THE WORLD NEEDS NOW IS LOVE" on THE RACHAEL RAY SHOW (ABC)!"

Check your local listings for air times!

Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cakes

2006-10-19T18:21:00.000-07:00

Today I wanted to bake something but didn’t want to deal with cookies or pie, this was kind of in between. It’s from Paula Deen’s "Desserts" cookbook, one of the variations of Ooey Gooey Butter Cakes. I used spice cake mix, and followed the recipe for pumpkin. I read the reviews on FoodNetwork.com but I’ve become skeptical of the opinions. I do think it is a good place to get practical tips (learn "things to do next time" before you make the dish). Most of the positive reviews went along the lines of these cookies replacing pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving. I thought the bars were good but I think I’d still want the "real thing." It’s kind of a cross between pie and a cookie and a cheesecake, all in one. The spice cake flavor was good but a little overpowering. (Paula mentioned using yellow cake mix too.) Next time I think I'll try adding less pumpkin too, so that the cream cheese flavor stands out more.

I was reading Rachael’s November magazine and saw that she has a "Thanksgiving in 60 II" coming up. I’m looking forward to that and seeing what some of the dishes look like on TV. I like her magazine, that it has lots of pictures. I’m one of those people that likes cookbooks that have photos of every dish.

Turkey Burgers

2006-10-17T08:52:00.000-07:00

This was my version of the New England Turkey Burger with the Works, from the October 2006 issue of Every Day With Rachael Ray. Basically I tried to follow the recipe, using what I had on hand. For the burger, I had bought a box of Jenni-O turkey burger patties. Since they were pre-formed, I couldn’t add the apple but I sprinkled a little poultry seasoning on top. For the topping, I didn’t have green onions so I put some chopped regular onion on top along with some homemade cranberry sauce. I love Thanksgiving leftovers and this sort of reminded me of that. I’ll definitely be making this again, especially since I have 11 turkey burgers left in the freezer! It was one of those days when a bargain is not really a bargain if you are stuck with more than you want. I usually eat Boca Burgers but got tired of them, and was looking for a change. Next time I’ll try grilling or pan frying the burger. I had used the sizzle pan in the microwave and you can see that the patty turned out anemic-looking, even though it was cooked through. The apple part sounds good, I’ll probably mix some in with the cranberry sauce instead of with the meat.

There was another article about Paula Deen in the Wall Street Journal on Saturday! The topic was restaurants and celebrity chefs. The journalist was disappointed because after the long wait in line, he felt he could have gotten a better meal at another restaurant. Some of the charm had been lost when the restaurant was expanded from 85 seats to the bigger version (I can’t remember the exact figure, I want to think it is 350 seats). If/when I make a trip to Savannah, I still would like to try her restaurant, just to say I’ve been there.

Baked Potatoes

2006-10-13T10:09:00.000-07:00

We’ve finally had some cooler weather, which for me, translates into baking. Last night I made a pork loin roast (in a Romertopf clay pot), and Guy Fieri’s (he won the Next Food Network Star and his show is called "Guy's Big Bite") "The Bomb Bakers" baked potatoes. His recipe calls for brining the potatoes for 2-8 hours in a 1:8 solution of salt water. It’s supposed to make the potatoes crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. I’ve never been able to get baked potatoes to turn out like they do in a restaurant, so I wanted to give this a try. The recipe says not to puncture the potatoes but I read online that people had problems with their potatoes "bombing" (popping) in the oven. I pierced mine with a fork, which may be why they were a little dry inside. The skin did get crispy, but I think I’ll go back to my method of greasing the outside with a little butter, and add Guy’s touch of seasoning the outside as well.

For the pork roast, I followed the basics in "Joy of Cooking" and added the Rachael touch of a little Montreal grill seasoning, fresh sage and garlic. I normally have the world’s worst memory when it comes to remembering to put fresh herbs on things. Rachael repeats tips a lot, like using fresh herbs, microwaving a lemon for 10 seconds, and seasoning pasta water, and I think that’s what helped me to remember this time.

The other recipes I’ve tried lately include Rachael’s "Super Sloppy Joe’s" and Ellie Krieger’s ginger hot chocolate. Instead of tomato sauce for the sloppy joe’s, I used chili sauce (which was in the recipe on the package of ground turkey). It kind of turned out a little on the sweet side, maybe Rachael’s tomato sauce would have been better. It was still a lot better than Manwiches. I remember eating those when I was a kid and liking them, and awhile back we tried some but I guess over the years the taste memories change, and they were not as good as I remembered.

The ginger hot chocolate sounded good but I didn’t care for it. Some people probably love it, and even though I like ginger, I didn’t like the combination with chocolate. My own version that I make, which is not a healthy recipe, is to heat up some milk, stir in a spoonful of peanut butter and a packet of Nestle’s hot chocolate, then put some mini marshmallows on top. (I found that recipe on the packet of hot chocolate.)

I've been watching some of the new Food Network shows. I like "Nigella Feasts" a lot, especially the English words she uses that sound so charming compared to American English. My favorite part so far has been when she licks the spoon from chocolate pudding, and says, "Don't tell me you wouldn't." As for "Paula's Party," I like the girl-talk chat and the cooking, but find myself cringing when she overdoes the saucy part. Last week when she was licking the spoon with the audience member, well, I thought that was one of the most disgusting, low class things I've seen on the Food Network. My favorite new show is Bobby Flay's "Throwdown" - somewhere I read it was like "Three's Company" with the two test kitchen chefs, and that's a good description. Those two girls aren't afraid to say anything to keep him in line, it's cute!

Way to go, Rachael!

2006-09-21T10:27:00.000-07:00

I kind of feel like I missed the opportunity to give my first impression of the "Rachael Ray Show." I was going to list the things that I like and the things I don’t like, but after reading some articles online, that has already been done. Rachael is everywhere!…on TV, in the paper, and of course, analyzed all over the place online. After watching the first episode, I almost felt speechless, there was so much going on. The new set, Rachael in front of an audience, the 60 second snack and 7 minute meal, the videos and testimonials, and of course, all the screaming. It seemed to slow down a little bit on the second day, when Oprah was there and Rachael was showing her around the set and explaining the different areas. I understand now the initial visual assault and fast & frenetic pace, I’m sure they wanted to hook viewers on the first day. I thought the garage where the bands will play was too cute. In the back of my mind, I was hoping that someday she’ll have Barry Manilow as a guest, but I just can’t picture him as the grunge singer in the garage.

After three episodes, Rachael seems to have adapted to interacting with and speaking in front of a crowd. The first day she was constantly shouting, and now she has "found her voice." The kids yesterday were so adorable, especially the little girl! I’m kind of disappointed that a lot of the recipes have already been in the magazine. The good part, though, is that I won’t have to go online to look them up. I guess that's the trend, to have online tie-ins. I noticed that with the CBS Evening News with Katie Couric, there is a lot that they encourage viewers to pursue on the website, for more information and/or details. I live in the country where DSL is not available. Even though I have internet access, the bandwidth-heavy material is not anything I have the patience to wait for. I’ll have to look up the "pizz-o" recipe, that looked easy and delicious, and something different than regular pizza.

Anyway, I’m definitely on Rachael overload (that's good, not bad!). Part of me feels "possessive" of her, I felt like she was "ours" on the Food Network and now she has a whole new audience with her talk show. Of course I wish her all the success in the world, and this is such a great opportunity for her to get exposed to the mainstream public. Her down-to-earth personality comes through, for example, when she sat down in the kitchen with a cup of coffee. She’s everybody’s friend.

I hope she finds her own voice once she is more comfortable with her show. I recognized bits & pieces from other shows, like the phrase "in the house" from "Emeril Live," and her "favorite things" like Oprah does. By the way, this is the first talk show that I’ve watched regularly. I’ve seen a bunch of them but mostly in the context that Barry Manilow was doing some promotional appearance.

I’ve enjoyed seeing more of the personal side of Rachael, on her own promotional appearances, such as "Larry King Live." The segment where she took him shopping was adorable. Some of his questions were off-the-wall but I thought she handled them well, answered them intelligently vs. giving a beauty queen superficial and tangential answer.

Overall, I give the show a thumbs up. It’s such a pick-me-up and I catch myself smiling while I’m watching it. It seems the sort of show that if I’m feeling down, I know that after an hour I’ll be feeling better. I'm looking forward to seeing what the Food Network comes up with for Paula Deen's new show.

Reading List - Part Two

2006-09-19T18:28:00.000-07:00

Today I got a bunch of magazines in the mail, now I have a big pile to read (I just love the anticipation of having that much to read!). On the other hand, there are many times when I don’t know what I want to have for dinner! "Gourmet" and "Penzey’s One" are both coming up for renewal. I’m probably not going to renew Penzey’s and am still thinking about "Gourmet." It’s not that I haven’t enjoyed Penzey’s, I just want to try something new. I’d previously subscribed to and enjoyed both "Cooking Light" and "Everyday Food" - but I never really cooked much from either of them. I asked Anna from Cookie Madness what magazines she likes, and she had positive things to say about "Eating Well," so that’s what I’m leaning towards.

These are the magazines that I currently subscribe to:

"Gourmet" - I consider almost the industry standard for food magazines. I loved their fiction supplement they had this summer, I wish more of their magazine was like that. Then the next issue was their 65th anniversary with a rehash of old stories, which was a letdown. I miss Laurie Colwin’s writing. I enjoy Jane & Michael Stern’s articles about "Roadfood" as well as anything Anthony Bourdain writes.

"Saveur" - what I like about it is that it is more of a travel magazine, like National Geographic for food. Lately some of the places they’ve written about are not really anywhere I want to visit so the interest was not there. I used to enjoy every issue but nowadays it is more hit or miss. I also used to try more of the recipes, like pecan pie and peach cobblers, now the foods are more exotic and nothing I would ever consider cooking (for example, water buffalo yogurt panna cotta).

"Every Day With Rachael Ray" - what I like about the magazine, more than the cookbooks, is that there are photos of lots of the dishes. It’s an entertaining magazine, more "fluff" than "Gourmet" but way fun to read. I especially enjoy the celebrity revelations that are different from the standard interviews - what’s in so-and-so’s refrigerator, and what people eat during the course of a day (and subsequently what their daily routine entails). What I don’t like is the "faves" items that are more expensive than anything I’d want to buy (boots for $375 and jeans for $210). I saw Rachael on Larry King Live last night, and she was talking about how none of her cookbooks cost more than $20 - less than a CD. I’d like to see more budget-minded things in the magazine like that. Her unpretentiousness is what drew me in to watch her shows in the early days. Don flipped through the latest issue and said they should call it "Rachael's Family and Friends" since that is mostly what it's about. I’m still thinking about what to say about her new TV show (which premiered yesterday). I enjoyed it but it's hard to think about saying either "love it" or "hate it" based on just one episode. The absolute worst part has nothing to do with the show, it’s the local TV station! Every single commercial break has a commercial for an ambulance-chasing attorney or big law firm. I’m not kidding, there were probably 10 commercials for law firms during the entire show. Thank goodness for DVR’s.

"Penzey’s One" - I don’t remember how I started getting their catalog (probably an article in the San Francisco Chronicle), back in the days when it was on newsprint with no photos. Their recipes and anecdotes make it as much fun to read as a magazine. So then they came out with a magazine, with photos and profiles of regular people. I like the magazine, the recipes seem down-to-earth and surprisingly I enjoy reading about people I don’t even know. What bothers me about this magazine is their political opinions. It’s not even so much the opinions either. I know everyone has a right to free speech and I respect the differing thoughts, and I read these types of things in the newspaper, it’s just that this is not what I want to read in a food magazine. (But that’s just my opinion, I’m sure there are folks out there who are looking for exactly that.) I love Penzey’s spices, the catalog is informative in regards to ideas on what to use them for.

"Kraft Food & Family" - this magazine is free! It’s pretty much all advertisement for Kraft food products, but it is full of ideas on how to use them, simple ideas for things like sandwiches, and mix-and-match charts for dishes like pasta & veggies, or grilled sandwiches, or even pudding pies. I did decide on what to have for dinner, I made the Country Salisbury Steak, that has hamburger and Stove Top stuffing instead of breadcrumbs, and a barbecue sauce gravy. The recipe seemed lacking a little in seasoning so I "Rachaelized" it by adding Worcestershire sauce and Grill Seasoning. Not exactly gourmet but it hit the spot. Yum-o.

Reading List

2006-09-04T17:36:00.000-07:00

Sometimes you marvel at the thought of the people you know, because of a path you took sometime in your life. At least I do. I think about the people I more than likely, never would have met, if I’d never turned on the TV in 1977 and watched "The First Barry Manilow Special." I know it sounds kind of corny, but you'd be amazed at the places I've been, people I've met, etc. because of Barry Manilow.

One person in particular is Dylan Schaffer, who became initiated into the world of Manilow fans with his two critically acclaimed books, "Misdemeanor Man" and "I Right the Wrongs." He enlisted the help of other local Barry Manilow fan clubs, to help generate publicity for them. Many of us had the chance to meet him at his booksigning he had in Las Vegas in 2004, which coincided with Barry’s "One Night Live" performance.

Mr. Schaffer has a new book which will be in bookstores shortly and is available for pre-order online. It’s called "Life, Death & Bialys: A Father/Son Baking Story." He writes about the story of a week-long baking class he took with his dad, who was then terminally ill. Check out his website for more information about the book, appearances, a bialys recipe, and more.

When it gets cool enough to bake around here, I’ll definitely give the recipe a try.

I’m accumulating a list of books to read. Here’s what I have so far:

Life, Death & Bialys: A Father/Son Baking Story by Dylan Schaffer
Heat: An Amateur's Adventures as Kitchen Slave, Line Cook, Pasta-Maker, and Apprentice to a Dante-Quoting Butcher in Tuscany by Bill Buford
The Nasty Bits by Anthony Bourdain
Words in a French Life by Kristin Espinasse
Two for the Road: Our Love Affair with American Food by Jane and Michael Stern
My Life in France by Julia Child
The Soul of a Chef: The Journey Towards Perfection by Michael Ruhlman
The Making of a Chef: Mastering Heat at the Culinary Institute by Michael Ruhlman
The Reach of a Chef: Beyond the Kitchen by Michael Ruhlman
(I read "Soul" many years ago and want to read his new book, so I might as well start at the beginning again and read everything in chronological order.)

How cool is that?!

2006-08-28T08:09:00.000-07:00

Last night at the 2006 Emmy Awards, Barry Manilow won Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program for his role on "Barry Manilow: Music and Passion."

Barry is what brought Debbie and me together, and we've been friends for something like 23 years. We were co-directors of the San Francisco Barry Manilow Fan Club, as well as running our own local chapters (when we weren't living in the same area).

To tie him in to the food theme, he recently did an interview on KMXB radio in Las Vegas, talking about his arthroscopic hip surgery he is having today. The DJ's were joking with him that "his people" would be doing everything for him, and Barry emphatically said, "I make my own breakfast!!". He said he has cereal (Raisin Bran), coffee and a bagel.

Congratulations, Barry, and best wishes for a speedy recovery!

Awesome!

2006-08-27T18:13:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Rachael for her nomination in the cooking category, of the second annual Quill Awards.

Here's are the nominees in the Cooking category:

Heat, Bill Buford
Julie & Julia, Julie Powell
My Life in France, Julia Child
Rachael Ray 365: No Repeats, Rachael Ray
Silver Spoon, Phaidon Press Editors

You can vote online through September 30th.

Recipe #252 - Croque Monsieur

2006-08-26T17:16:00.000-07:00

Tonight we had grilled ham and cheese sandwiches for dinner. I've been wanting to get more back on track with cooking Rachael's recipes, and I remembered her croque monsieur sandwiches from TV. The recipe is in her "365" book. I used some leftover mornay sauce from the Bobby Flay breakfast sandwiches, the sauce is very similar to the bechamel in Rachael’s recipe. I put marbled colby jack cheese on it instead of swiss/gruyere. So, the sandwich was pretty much sauce, cheese, ham, and the bread spread with butter and grated cheese on the outside. I love how the outside turned all crunchy from the cheese. It added lots of flavor. Next time I’ll add more sauce. I’d put on a thick schmear but when the sandwich heated up, it kind of melted into the bread. It made the sandwich moist without being greasy, very rich tasting. The recipe in the "Gourmet" cookbook is similar but they put more sauce on the outside of the sandwich and ran it under the broiler. I had a sandwich more like that, at La Madeleine in Dallas, and while it was good, it was almost too decadent and rich. I like Rachael’s cheese-crusted version better! Don just came in and asked me how many calories I thought the sandwich had. He put mayonnaise on his as well, so I told him his probably had at least 1000. I still feel that what we cook at home is better and better for you than what you would get at a restaurant.

Paula Deen in the Wall Street Journal

2006-08-25T13:06:00.000-07:00

Wednesday’s Wall Street Journal included an article about Paula Deen! The article’s title is "As Stars Lose Spice, Food Network Bets on Sassy Southerner." Mostly it is about the Food Network’s attempt to "augment fading stars, fend off competition from rival networks and attract a younger audience." Paula will have a new show called "Paula’s Party" that airs on September 29th. She also has a new cookbook coming out October 10th (Paula Deen Celebrates) and is writing her memoir, to be published in April. Her magazine was also mentioned briefly.

According to the article, some of the originally highly watched programs ("Emeril Live" and "Food Nation with Bobby Flay" - to mention two) have seen a drop in ratings. Yet Paula’s evening specials have drawn great ratings. Furthermore, other networks are venturing into the food territory with their own shows.

I can’t help but wonder if this is the Food Network’s response to Rachael’s new talk show, to have one of their own, with Paula.

I’ve been enjoying the new shows they’ve started this summer ("Road Tasted," "Feasting on Asphalt" and "Throwdown with Bobby Flay") - they all have that spunk that got me hooked on the Food Network in the first place.

Speaking of other networks, I watched "Anthony Bourdain in Beirut" on the Travel Channel, and thought it was a great piece of journalism. What I liked the most was seeing the events going on there, from his point of view, not just what we are fed in the media by reporters. He conveyed how everyone was feeling and what they saw. I'm not sure if I would go so far as to say it was worthy of an Emmy, but I do think the episode should qualify for some sort of journalistic award.

B, L & D

2006-08-21T08:12:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was the first time I’ve ever made any Bobby Flay recipes, partly because I’m not all that much of a meat person. Recently he made some breakfast sandwiches that looked more like something Rachael would make, but with an Iron Chef’s touch.

For breakfast, I made his scrambled sandwich with cream gravy. The original recipe calls for sausage, and the browned bits & fat are poured into the cream gravy. I used Canadian bacon instead. I didn’t print out the recipe and because of that, forgot to put in fresh sage at the end. (I was mad at myself for forgetting, since I actually had some sage to throw in there.) I’m sure it would’ve given it a "gourmet" flavor. I love breakfast sandwiches, especially homemade ones, since you are in control of the grease. Don made his with a fried egg instead of scrambled. He surprised me by putting the gravy on his too. He proclaimed it "pretty good," which is a high mark on his rating system. The gravy part (basically a bechamel sauce) reminded me of Rachael’s Croque Monsieur recipe that has a similar sauce. I have a feeling her sandwich would be good too, although I have to admit that I never tried it since the way she described it didn't sound good (describing the sauce as "glue").

For lunch, I tried Bobby’s nutella & banana sandwich. The bread is pan-fried cinnamon toast, then you put it sugar side down, spread nutella on it, and sliced bananas. My toast turned out sticky (although it hardened after it cooled a little) so I put mine sugar side up. Instead of bananas I put leftover cream cheese frosting. There’s a bite taken out of my toast in the photo because Don sampled the bread while I was putting this all together. The bread is from the King Arthur Flour website, it’s "Harvest Bread" and has sweet potatoes, cinnamon, raisins, and whole wheat flour, it’s very good. Anyway, this was a good sandwich too, or would make a good dessert. Very indulgent and over-the-top.

The "D" here refers to "Dessert." Ellie Krieger made carrot cake cupcakes on Saturday’s show. What I liked about her recipe is that it doesn’t have tons of oil like most carrot cake or zucchini bread recipes do. I made half a batch which yielded 6 cupcakes, and it only required 2 tablespoons of oil. The cupcakes were very moist, I’m sure the applsauce helped. The frosting was very cream cheese-ey, since it was only cream cheese and powdered sugar, and most recipes for that sort of frosting call for butter (which would dilute the flavor some). Don didn’t like the frosting but liked the cupcakes. I liked the whole thing. I did feel that it was missing something, though. I had read the reviews and someone had suggested raisiins, so I did throw some in with my batter. Maybe it was missing pineapple or coconut. These sorts of cakes always taste better the second day and I haven’t tried them yet today, to see if the flavors have blended a little more.

Oh, my favorite Anthony Bourdain made a Barry Manilow reference on his "No Reservations" show! He was in Vegas, and made the comment that "If you hit Barry Manilow’s face with a drumstick, it gives a sound much like a snare drum." Poor Barry. Tony seems to have no mercy when it comes to other celebrities, though. On the other hand, I was watching "Feasting on Asphalt" and while cooking breakfast in someone’s RV, Alton Brown was going through their spice cabinet and came across a jar of Emeril’s Essence. His reaction was hilarious, but he made it fun by doing the "Bam" thing, in a good-hearted way. As opposed to Tony, who would have gone on a rambling tirade about Emeril.

Chili-Rubbed Steak Tacos

2006-08-11T17:32:00.000-07:00

Between me and my husband, I’m definitely the more adventurous eater. Not in terms of trying exotic foods, rather trying something different. Don has his favorites and doesn't like to change the menu or the recipe. The regular tacos I make, I take chuck roast and put it in the crock pot with some taco mix, salsa, and onions, then cook it until the meat shreds easily. I wanted something more like fajitas so this recipe from Ellie Krieger looked good to me.

I wasn’t too sure about how the cinnamon would taste so I only put half the amount called for. I looked at the spices for fajitas in another cookbook I have, called the "Tex-Mex Cookbook," and they all pretty much have chili powder, garlic and salt. Ellie’s recipe doesn’t say what temperature or how hot a grill to cook the meat on, so Don set it at 350.

I liked it, thought it would be better cooked at a higher temperature so the outside is more crispy. I didn’t much care for the cinnamon. Maybe because I knew it was in there, I was more aware of the flavor. I already had pre-made guacamole so I didn’t make the Avocado Lime Salsa, but I did chop up some cucumber - that was surprisingly good.

Don didn’t like it, my heart fell when he said, "I like regular tacos better. Don’t ever make this again." It can be frustrating cooking for a picky eater!!! Arrrgh.

Changing the subject, I just finished the audiobook for "Julie and Julia." It seemed a little different than the blog (which I’ve only skimmed through). I had read reviews saying there was too much drinking and swearing, and although there were both in the book, I wouldn’t have paid attention to it. There’s way more drinking and swearing in say, Robert DeNiro movies. I loved how Julie Powell’s personality seemed to come through, especially with the audiobook, since she read it herself.

When she talked about hearing Julia Child’s comments about her blog, that reminded me of how I think Barry Manilow must think of me. He goes on in his life and "fan club" must seem like an annoying mosquito buzzing around him that he can’t ignore. Yet I’ve spent a lot of time and effort and years keeping the local club going. Just like Julie had kept her blog going, only to find out that Julia was not exactly what you would call an admirer. Anyway - I do wish him well with his upcoming bilateral hip surgery he is having in a few weeks. And I hope he wins that Emmy!

Triple Chocolate Cookies

2006-08-03T13:57:00.000-07:00

These looked good on TV, on Ellie Krieger’s "Healthy Appetites." I think a lot of what she cooks both sound and look more appetizing because of how she describes things. For example, these cookies were on an episode about ingredients that were once bad for you, that are now considered good. She brings up chocolate, and how the flavenoids "sweep away the toxins." It makes chocolate sound downright healthy. Don was watching with me, and she went on about wine and how men can have 2 glasses a day, women are allowed 1. Next thing you know he is opening up a bottle of wine. Mighty is the power of suggestion.

Anyway, half the fat in these cookies is from butter, the other half from canola oil. I used that Smart Balance oil that is a combination of canola, soy and olive. I don’t have whole wheat pastry flour so I used regular whole wheat.

I baked them in my toaster oven and they got too burned on the bottom, but I'm sure they'd be better in a regular oven. It's just too darn hot right now. They were good, more cakey than brownie-like. I was wondering how they'd turn out because the only leavening in them is egg, no baking powder or soda. I only made 6, like Ellie did, and rolled the rest of the dough into two small logs (I figure each log will make a dozen cookies), and put them in the freezer. Next time it’s cool enough to bake I’ll make some more, or I might try my microwave that has a halogen light for browning.

The cookies were tasty, not overpowering on the chocolate, just the right balance. She mentioned taking them out even though they don’t look done, and I think that’s an important point, otherwise they will be too dry. I’ll definitely be making these again. I like that the whole recipe makes only 2 dozen, it’s small enough to throw together a small batch. Sometimes I make a bunch of cookies and freeze them. These are the kind that are good still warm from the oven, all ooey gooey.

Meatballs with Sage

2006-08-03T08:04:00.000-07:00

Earlier this week Rachael made a cheese menu with veal meatballs & sage, with a gorgonzola walnut sauce. She suggested substituting chicken for the veal. For dinner last night, I had some turkey (still poultry) meatballs I had frozen, so I chopped up some fresh sage and mixed it in. Don said he doesn’t like gorgonzola so I made a cream of celery sauce instead (can of Campbell’s with half a can of water). The moment I started chopping the sage, it smelled like Thanksgiving. I had about 15 meatballs and put in 6 chopped sage leaves. It was a little strong. The herb sure perked up the meatballs, they were really good. It would go well in a meatloaf too.

I also pan fried a couple of sage leaves for garnish, I’d seen that in a magazine or on TV somewhere. That didn’t taste as good on its own but it looked nice.

Since I didn't make the cheese sauce, I served everything on brown basmati rice. Don, who has endured all of my cooking experiments, was saying the other day that he thinks with Rachael's recipes you definitely have to adjust the recipes to ingredients you like. I'm kind of torn. I agree to a certain extent, except how do you know if a recipe is good unless you try it at face value. That's how you discover things you don't know you might like.

Portland

2006-07-30T17:48:00.000-07:00

We just got back from a trip to Portland, OR. I was excited because the latest "Every Day" Rachael magazine featured the city, plus the "Tasty Travels" episode had just been on TV. To be honest there wasn’t really any place I was enticed to go to, except for Moonstruck Chocolate Café. One restaurant sounded OK but when Rachael said the meal was under $30, that was more than I would want to spend.

In the end, I didn’t eat anywhere Rachael went, but I was able to stop by a few places. I went to the Chocolate Café on NW 23rd, supposedly it is popular also because of Oprah and the Academy Awards puts their truffles in their gift bags. I am a bonafide chocoholic but I could not bring myself to pay $3 for one piece of candy. There wasn’t anybody in the shop either.

On the way back to the hotel from dinner at a diner type restaurant (shrimp dinner for less than $9 - nothing fancy but it was rather more that you got what you paid for, I think it was called "Joe’s"), I saw "Anna Bananna’s" and vaguely remembered it from the show. The next day I checked it out, it looks like a coffee house, very comfortable inside, with places to sit and all kinds of newspapers. Our hotel had coffee and I’d had my quota already.

We stayed at the Inn at Northrup Station. It's a funky place in the Nob Hill section, the kind of place that seems like it would have been featured on the show. It's very clean, has a good continental breakfast, and has jars of taffy on the tables in the lobby. "Not Yo Mama's hotel" comes to mind, as far as the furniture goes. Definitely not your typical hotel decor.

While in Portland, there was a letter to the editor about a recent article in the Oregonian, about Rachael’s Portland "Tasty Travels" episode. Apparently people were disappointed that she did not go to what they thought were the primo places, they thought she went to the second-place spots. I found the original article online. It mentioned that one featured place, Valentine’s, was given an assignment of making a sandwich and a latte for the camera…except they didn’t have an espresso machine and couldn’t afford one and didn’t want one. Yet in the episode, the article goes on to say, "Valentine's did make the final cut billed in Ray voice-over as a place for lunch and . . . a latte. Yes, right after seeing the restaurant's signature brie and sauteed greens sandwich sizzle in a panini press (rating a "Yum-O!"), the camera magically transitioned to milk steaming in an espresso machine. ‘It's surreal,’ Bokros says of the virtual latte. This sleight-of-hand was only part of the strangest Portland restaurant piece ever, as mostly second- and third-tier places were hyped as stand-outs. (You wonder if all cities are this poorly chosen.) Ripe had closed, as producers knew, but the Ripe segment went on anyway, though the food looked terrific."

The "Hollywood magic" aspect of Rachael’s show was interesting to me, that what was on TV was not what reality is. So far I haven’t eaten at any place she has recommended, has anyone else? I did go to a restaurant in Austin that was shown (but not mentioned specifically) during the "Tasty Travel’s" for that city. I liked the food there, unfortunately can’t remember the name of it, it was very "California-ish" with healthy sandwiches on wheat bread, in an outdoor setting.

Anyway, we stopped by the Farmer’s Market, and they had all kinds of good-looking produce there. At the time it seemed expensive, but it turned out to be reasonable. Peaches were something like $1.99 a pound, and at Whole Foods around the corner, organic peaches were $4.99 a pound. I saw the Indian food cart around PSU that was shown in the magazine, and people were lined up for gyros and sausage sandwiches.

Great city! No trash on the roads. Businesses even are pet-friendly and have water bowls out on the sidewalk. Public transportation worked like a charm. I miss the West Coast soooo much.

Oven-Baked Corn Dogs

2006-07-12T17:18:00.000-07:00

This was on TV not too long ago, from Rachael’s "365" cookbook. I’m all for anything that is a non-fried alternative to my favorite junk foods. I only made half the recipe, since the package of hotdogs I had came in two resealable packages. Rachael’s recipe (for the whole batch) calls for 2 boxes of Jiffy corn muffin mix and 1 ¼ to 1 1/3 cups of milk, plus oil and eggs, so for half the recipe (1 box) the milk required would be just over ½ a cup. The recipe for the muffins on the box calls for 1/3 cup of liquid, which is less. Unfortunately I threw everything into the bowl before I started mixing it up, I should have added the liquid gradually. The batter was a lot thinner than what was on TV, in fact, almost like pancake batter. I didn’t have another box of Jiffy mix to thicken the mess up so I added a small amount of cornmeal and flour. I didn’t want to mess with it too much for fear of throwing off the leavening. The batter still slid off the hotdogs into a puddle. I noticed that the remaining batter (incidentally there was enough for the whole package of hotdogs, even with the recipe halved) that had been sitting in the bowl for about 15 minutes, had thickened. If I were to make this again, I’d let it sit a little before dipping the hotdogs.

Anyway, my end result did not look anything like on TV or the photo in the cookbook. It still tasted good, though. I heated up a can of Hormel chili and put some of that on top like a sauce. The breading was tasty, I will have to remember to use the same seasonings for regular cornbread.

The Emeril cookbook I had given to my nephew had a similar oven-baked corn dog recipe, except he used one of those cast-iron muffin pans with the corn-shaped molds. That would have worked with this recipe too, and looked more appetizing.

I didn’t make the O&V slaw since Don doesn’t like cole slaw. Recently I had some broccoli slaw from a local deli, and it was even better than cabbage slaw. So instead I grated up two broccoli "stumps" I had in the refrigerator, and put some homemade cole slaw dressing on it (mayo, vinegar and sugar). I learned that the packaged broccoli slaw you see in the store is a good value! It took forever to peel the stems and grate them, and I only got about half a cup of shreds.

I got my "Every Day" magazine today. It’s so vibrant, it’s fun flipping through it. There’s a jazzed up s’more recipe in there that looks to-die for. I loved seeing what’s in Diane Sawyer’s fridge. I didn’t know she is a southern girl. She seems down-to-earth, even bringing her own lunch to work.

Pecan Pie Bars

2006-07-12T13:59:00.000-07:00

My latest obsession is bar cookies, since they are so easy to throw together. This one is from Paula Deen’s "Too" cookbook. The crust is a cake mix mixture (cake mix, butter, egg), and the filling is basic pecan pie (a little of the cake mixture reserved, corn syrup, vanilla, egg, pecans). It looked like a pecan pie when it came out of the oven. The cakey crust gives it more of an ooey-gooey brownie texture. If you like pecan pie, you will like this cookie. I put a squirt of whipped cream on mine! Yum. We watched "The Matador" the other night and in one scene, they are eating pecan pie "naked" - that is, with no whipped cream. I guess it’s a matter of personal preference but for me, I hafta have it. Anyway, this would be a great cookie to take to a pot luck. It’s almost like a pecan pie that you can eat with your hands.

Speaking of Paula, I loved her "Paula’s European Vacation" that was on this past weekend. I’ve only been to Paris once, I’d love to go again. I think it is even more the mystique and glamour of it that appeals to me. When I was there I experienced some of the "snobbery" that you hear about (or to be fair, maybe it is just a difference in cultures). I loved seeing places to eat that weren’t Michelin Star restaurants for the rich and famous. I was crying at the end when her family surprised her. Debbie is so much like that, she is always thinking of her family even when she is away from them.

Crepe Quiche Lorraine

2006-07-07T18:00:00.000-07:00

This is an Alton Brown recipe, that I saw on "Good Eats." I don’t watch his show regularly but when I do happen to see it, it’s so engrossing. The scientist in me likes how he has explanations for why things happen or why you add certain ingredients and in what order.
We had crepes last week and I had two leftover. What to do with them. For once I remembered a recipe I had filed away many months ago. Instead of using muffin tins, I used small casserole dishes, and used what vegetables I had on hand, plus some ham.

Don ended up doctoring his up with loads of cheese and salsa. We both liked it, especially the crepe "crust" that was not as heavy as regular pie crust. Unless I’m cooking for a crowd, I don’t think I will make regular quiche again, this was so much easier.

I’m looking forward to his upcoming new show later in the month. It looks like a "road" show where he’ll be in different places. Speaking of new shows, I was kind of disappointed with Guy’s second episode last weekend. The pasta dish looked like it tasted good but it looked like a heart attack on a plate. And everything was "key." Maybe he won’t be as manic once he settles in.

Chicken Sticks

2006-07-03T08:00:00.000-07:00

Cooking with Rachael and Food Network Friends Ellie Krieger is my new fav foodnetwork chef. Diane turned me on to her and I bought her book and TIVO her show. She is all about low-fat, healthy eating and cooking. In her most recent episode she demonstrated how to walk into any store, including a convenience store, and come out with a healthy breakfast - granola bar, apple, low-fat milk. Stuff like this is extremely helpful with my dieting. Last night I made her version of chicken sticks. My granddaughter Rachel is visiting and I knew she'd eat these. First I cut up chicken breasts, then marinated the strips in low fat buttermilk. Then I rolled them in crushed up wheat cereal and baked them. Ellie said to bake them for 8 minutes at 400 degrees. That made me a little nervous, so I cooked them for twice as long. I served them with her honey mustard dip and a fruit salad and a southwest salad. Everyone liked them, even Rachel. I thought the buttermilk made them a little gooey and tangy tasting, a weird sensation. I'm not sure I'll make them again.

Vegan Oat Cookie

2006-07-01T11:33:00.000-07:00

I got this recipe from the Cookie Madness blog. This is the blog of Anna - the winner of the last Pillsbury Cook-off. You've gotta love a woman who just won a million dollars but writes about trying to buy last minute discount airfares on priceline.com. Anyway, this cookie is a "vegan" cookie, I guess because it doesn't use any eggs. It caught my eye because it uses mashed bananas and I always have ripe bananas lying around. Everyone who commented on the cookie raved about how good it was. So I got up and made it for breakfast and it was incredibly good - not too sweet, moist, chewy, even my granddaughter (who hates when I add nuts) chowed down on them without mentioning the walnuts. Could be she didn't even taste them because of the oats. Here's a link to the recipe.

Everything Lo Mein

2006-06-27T18:17:00.000-07:00

Tonight we had "Everything Lo Mein" which was on "30 Minute Meals" last night. I had a bit of leftover angel hair pasta, and for the rest of the veggies I used what I had on hand (mushrooms, broccoli, snap peas, green onions, garlic), plus leftover pork chop, and Morningstar Farms Veggie Steak Strips. Don insisted I include the egg too. Instead of scrambling it, I make it like a crepe and then slice it into ribbons, and I didn’t use nearly as much oil as Rachael did. I also threw in a few frozen pot stickers.

For the sauce, I went by Rachael’s recipe & proportions, and used 1 tbsp. (since it was not a whole batch) of hoisin sauce, 1 tbsp. of soy sauce, 1 tbsp. Water, a liberal squirt of Sriracha (instead of Tabasco) plus a dash of sesame oil and about half a teaspoon of chopped ginger. The sesame oil and ginger are, to me, key ingredients and add that "authentic" flavor.

Don had not been too keen on the recipe when I told him what we were having for dinner, but in the end he pronounced it "pretty good." I get burned out on salad so I liked that this was an alternative way to get my veggies.

Banana Bread

2006-06-27T11:43:00.000-07:00

Cooking with Rachael and Food Network Friends I can't stand throwing away ripe bananas ... such an excellent source of potassium. I remembered that Paula Deen has a banana bread recipe in her cookbook, so made that. It made a light, bright yellowish bread, really delicious. I tried to serve it with cream cheese, but that made it too sweet. Butter worked much better, although it was so rich that you didn't really even need to add that.

Coconut Macaroons

2006-06-27T06:45:00.000-07:00

This is a Paula Deen recipe, it caught my eye on TV because the egg whites were beaten so that the cookie batter was fluffy. Her recipe calls for almond extract but I used vanilla, and I threw in some mini chocolate chips instead of having to deal with dipping them in melted chocolate. I baked them in the toaster oven. They browned on the bottom faster than on top, you can see the one I turned over in the photo, that looks like a latke. Mine didn’t turn out as fluffy as Paula’s did, when I folded in the egg whites the batter kind of got deflated. I think my coconut was too old and dry, not moist enough, so it required more mixing and handling. Still tasted good, though.

I watched Guy’s show on Sunday, and enjoyed it. I want to try his tater tot recipe, and his grilled romaine salad looked good too. I’m sure he was nervous, sometimes he would "talk to himself" too much (I noticed that because I catch myself doing the same thing) and said "OK" a lot, but he managed to get his personality through. I didn’t like how grey and blah-looking the background of his kitchen is. And I was wondering if it is some legal thing that all Food Network folks have to emphasize hand-washing after handling meat. I know it’s a good thing to know and practice, but it seems like they almost "showcase" it.

Strawberry Cream Shortcake

2006-06-24T18:16:00.000-07:00

The other day, Walmart had strawberries on sale for $1.50, so I bought a box. When I got home, Don’s sister had given me some too. We’ve been eating them with our cereal and still have a bunch. One of Paula’s cookbooks has a recipe for Strawberry Cream Shortcake. I had frozen a small piece of Tiger Cake (chocolate and vanilla swirled poundcake), and I used that instead of the Sara Lee poundcake that the recipe called for. I used half a 3.4 ounce box of pudding, which is 1/3 the amount in the recipe, and adjusted the other ingredients accordingly. Instead of putting it in one big dish, I assembled everything into 4 individual-size dishes. Don thought it looked fancy, like it was an elaborate dessert.

The cream part is similar to the banana pudding mixture, except there is no cream cheese. The texture is really rich. Both of us liked it but thought the chocolate flavor of the cake I used overpowered things a little. On the other hand, the cake was not too sweet and it balanced out the sweetness of the filling. (I think if you used an overly sweet cake, the whole thing would be too sugary.)

Since I made 4, we have 2 leftover for tomorrow…yum.

I guess it is the combination of both pack-rat and shopaholic genes, that I tend to accumulate a bunch of ingredients and overload my pantry, yet sometimes I can’t find anything to cook. Not too long ago I cleared out a bunch of stuff, and now I find I need to do it all over again. I’ve started a list of things that I put in my freezer, on an index card that I keep in a drawer next to the refrigerator, so I know what’s in there without having to open it up and poke around. In my kitchen, I have some hot links, Canadian bacon, arborio rice, Jello, hot dogs, ham hocks, ricotta cheese, provolone cheese, pasta, Panko bread crumbs, a can of Coco Loco, and a foil pouch of Chicken of the Sea Crab Meat, for starters. I’m too embarrassed to put a picture of my pantry on here because it is such a mess!

Pulled Pork Sandwiches

2006-06-22T19:13:00.000-07:00

Cooking with Rachael and Friends I've been trying to follow a low fat diet so bought one of the lower fat cuts of pork - a pork shoulder tenderloin. I put it in the crockpot all day with a sauce that came from one of those envelope mixes. You mixed the seasonings in the packet with apple cider vinegar, ketchup and brown sugar, all non-fat and let it cook on low for 8 hours. When I got home from work, I shredded it with two forks and sprinkled some flour on the meat, then put it back in the sauce. The sandwiches came out excellently, we had them for dinner two nights in a row. Today my doctor put me on a carbohydrate lowering diet, which he's sending me in the mail. I have no idea what to eat now, but am supposed to be avoiding sugar and salt and taking flax seed and/or fish oil capsules. Once I receive the diet, I think I'll make an appointment with a nutritionist and find out how to eat from now on.

Toaster Oven

2006-06-21T17:13:00.000-07:00

I bought a toaster oven today, I had a coupon for Bed Bath & Beyond for 20% off, which made it only $25. It’s in the 90’s here and too hot to bake. I’m thinking with the toaster oven I can make things like English muffin pizzas, small batches of cookies and muffins and banana bread, etc. I made some no-bake desserts like a fancy pudding that was really good. I used a boxed Jello pudding mix, followed the ingredients for pudding pie, put about 2/3 of it into dessert dishes. Then mixed in some Cool Whip with the rest of the pudding and put it on top, with some crushed Oreos in between. It tasted and looked like a glorified pudding. Tomorrow I’m going to make 1-2-3 Jello, which is Jello and Cool Whip mixed in a blender, and when it gels, it separates into layers.

Tortellini Salad

2006-06-20T16:48:00.000-07:00

Last night I made Laura's Tortellini Salad for dinner. It's a chilled pasta salad, which I served on lettuce with hot bread. Laura is a friend of my daughters who lived with us for a year or two. Her recipe is to cook any kind of tortellini as the package instructs and then chill it, which I did. Then I mixed up some Italian dressing, about a cupful, with about 1/4 a cup of orange juice. I added a small drained can of sliced black olives, some shredded carrot and put it back in the fridge. While I finished setting the table, the tortellini puffed up and soaked up most of the dressing. I served it on lettuce and added a couple spoonfuls of fresh Italian dressing which reawakened the flavors. Mmmmm. Everyone agreed that it was easy, light and delicious. I used low-fat Italian dressing and whole wheat tortellini, to keep it healthy.

Gorilla Bread

2006-06-18T12:46:00.000-07:00

I’ve been wanting to try this Paula Deen recipe for awhile now. It’s just been way too hot to turn on the oven. Debbie reminded me about using a crockpot to cook with and not heat up the kitchen, and that in turn reminded me that I have a bread machine that has a "bake" function. Instead of baking the bread in the oven I put all the little balls in the bread machine. It cooked it fine, aside from the sauce being a little too chewy.

Don did not like the cream cheese in the middle…at all. He pronounced "YUCK!!!" for this one. I was really disappointed, I guess I take it too personally when something doesn’t turn out well, especially if it takes some effort to put the dish together. I didn’t think it was bad, if you ate around the cream cheese. I think it would be better if the cream cheese had the sugar mixed in, or if the filling was something like apple chunks or chocolate chips.

I saw a commercial for Guy’s show next Saturday (6/25), "Guy’s Big Bite." I’m glad they didn’t go with that "Off the Hook" theme. I’m anxious to see what kind of "vibe" his show has.

Cucumber Kim Chee

2006-06-17T08:23:00.000-07:00

I’ve been watching Anthony Bourdain’s "No Reservations" on the Travel Channel. It’s similar to his "Cook’s Tour" on the Food Network, and it’s even better because it's an hour vs. half an hour. My favorite parts are when he has meals in people’s homes, "real" food, with "real" people. Last week he was in Korea. They showed how kim chee is made. I’ve never tried it but have always wanted to. It didn’t sound all that appetizing on the show, though, with fish sauce and oysters to help ferment it.

Anyway, Carol gave me some cucumbers from her garden. Instead of the usual cucumber salad, I looked through a cookbook my aunt gave to me. It’s an Asian cookbook, the "community" style that Debbie had mentioned, put together by the Japanese American Services of the East Bay (JASEB). It's my favorite Asian cookbook. Whenever I want to put an Asian twist on something I'll see what goes into the dish, like teriyaki or wonton. Since it's by regular people (Asian-Americans living in America, cooking Asian food with what's available in the USA) and not chefs, there aren't too many complicated ingredients or procedures. There was a recipe for Cucumber Kim Chee in it, without any unappetizing ingredients.

I used the Benriner (it's an Asian mandolin slicer, my brother calls it the "finger slicer - I've always been intimidated by it) to slice the cucumber paper thin, salted it, poured hot water over the mess and let it sit 30 minutes, then drain. I put it all into a jar and covered it with a sauce of water, vinegar, sugar, sliced garlic, and chili powder. The next day, it looked like kim chee. It reminds me of tsukemono (the pickled cabbage you get at Japanese restaurants) with a kick. Yum. I think it’s an acquired taste, though. I’ve been missing California and good Japanese food, so this helped with the homesickness a little bit.

Coconut Pecan Bars

2006-06-07T21:32:00.000-07:00

Cooking with Rachael and Friends I found an old cookbook at a thrift shop. It was one of those books put together by chuch ladies and published in 1968. That's the year I got married and started cooking. It's been a blast from the past - keeps requiring ingredients like oleo and Dream Whip. I made dessert from it tonight - Coconut Pecan Bars, as submitted by a Mrs. Jane Wilelms - because I happened to already have all the ingredients. Among other things, you add a cup of butter and 2 cups of brown sugar. It turned out really well - very moist and yummy. You were supposed to sprinkle powdered sugar on top but I didn't have any of that and it didn't really need it. I weighed in at Weight Watchers today - lost 3.6 lbs on my first week. Even with eating two of those PD Southern Sloppy Joes! Go figure!!!

Sloppy Joes

2006-06-05T20:46:00.000-07:00

Cooking with Rachael and Friends This weekend I watched a burger episode of the Paula Deen show and she made the southern version of sloppy joes. I couldn't stop thinking about them, so ran out tonight and bought the ingredients. It was so quick & easy that I had dinner made by the time Kate finished putting the groceries away! I fried up some ground beef, added some flour, a can of french onion soup, spread some mustard on 4 slices of bread and put some cut up sweet onions on two of the slices. I scooped up the ground beef mixture on those pieces, put the other slices on top and * voila * two southern sloppy joe sandwiches! They were really good, we gobbled them right up, flirted briefly with the thought of having seconds, but decided to behave. Mmmm. Kate thought that the onion slices should have been fried up, but there are little bits of onion in the soup. I have to confess, the one item I thought we had for sure - mustard - we didn't. But we had dijon and it tasted mustardly enough. Very, very good for a quick, hearty dinner. Paula also made tuna burgers on that show and I bought the ingredients to make that too. I found the tuna burger recipe in one of her cookbooks but have only seen the sloppy joe recipe on TV. In another episode this weekend, she made fried doughnuts out of canned biscuits. I can't wait to try those!

Oatmeal with 'Nanas and PB

2006-06-01T07:04:00.000-07:00

Once in awhile I like to "detox" and have things like salads, grains, drink lots of water, etc., especially after holiday weekends of ribs and banana pudding. For breakfast I tried Rachael’s recipe for "Oatmeal with ‘Nana’s and PB" from the June/July issue of "Every Day." Instead of instant oatmeal I cooked up a heart healthy portion size of Quaker Oats (3/4 cup oats). I had never thought about putting peanut butter into oatmeal but it was good. The only thing I didn’t like was that the raw bananas in the hot oatmeal kind of "cooked" and changed the flavor. Next time I’ll just put them on top.

This was an "Isaboo" recipe so I gave the taste-tester dogs a bite. It didn’t pass muster with them. They licked it and then looked around for something better on the plate, then walked away. I was kind of surprised because there isn’t much that they won’t eat. They’ve been spoiled lately with the bones from the ribs so maybe they are just being picky.

Taco Salad

2006-05-30T10:42:00.000-07:00

Cooking with Rachael and Friends

We went to a Memorial Day Barbq at my daughter's house in Beaumont, CA. They had emailed an invitation to all their friends and had no idea how many to expect. So I made a huge taco salad and Paula Deen's Not Yo' Mama's Banana Pudding. The taco salad was based on one we had at a graduation party a week ago. It was so good and rather than ask for the recipe, Kate and I just sort of poked around at it and figured out what was in it and made our own version.

I cooked about 3 lbs of hamburger - one of those logs, and seasoned it with a dried packet of Taco Seasoning sauce mixed with water. Then I put the mixture into a small 1.5 qt crockpot to keep it warm. I drained a large can of kidney beans, a small can or corn and 2 small cans of sliced black olives. Into a big wooden bowl I put a bag of lettuce, added the drained beans/corn/olives and poured a 2 cup container of mild chunky salsa over it all. It's the kind of salsa where it looks watery and you can actually see chunks of tomato and onion in it. Right before we left the house I poured the hot taco meat on top of it all. Once we got to our destination I added a broken up bag of Dorito nacho cheese chips and two cut up avocados, as well as a bag of shredded mexican cheeses. It was a huge hit. It went over as well as the pork ribs & chicken our hostess grilled.

Needless to add, everyone died over the banana pudding. I had also brought brownie bites from the grocery store - they are the size of a small muffin and have a dollop of cream cheese on top and are SO GOOD.

Barbecued Ribs

2006-05-29T16:54:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we went to a BBQ at Don’s sister’s house, her husband had some friends over. My contribution was Paula’s "Not Yo Mama’s Banana Pudding." I mentioned this to Debbie and she said she too was bringing it to the get-together she was attending! I’d say the pudding is hands down the best recipe from the cookbook, so far. Darlene said, "This is definitely not from a box" and at first I said "no" but realized that the pudding part is from a box. Carol liked the chess cookies. I think the fluffy texture makes it sumptuous, as well as that it just plain tastes good.

We were given some leftover ribs. Gary had put a rub on them but we wanted them saucier. I ended up making Paula’s "Barbecued Short Ribs" recipe but using the leftover ribs instead of short ribs, and cooking it in a crock pot. They ended up fall-off-the-bone tender and the sauce made it tastier, but parts of it were dry. It was definitely better than just reheating them in the microwave. (The photo is what it looked like in the crockpot.)

My niece and nephew both have birthdays coming up so I ordered some kids cookbooks for them. I got Rachael’s "30 Minute Meals For Kids" for my niece, and Emeril’s "There’s A Chef In My Soup" for my nephew. Rachael’s book is not as flashy as Emeril’s, and it is smaller and the recipes not as complicated. My niece is only 7 so I think it’ll be appropriate for her, I hope she likes it. My nephew already watches the Food Network and I hope he likes the Emeril book. It is more detail-oriented and better-suited to someone older (he’ll be 9). Claire is a picky eater and I hope she might be more adventurous in trying foods if she has a hand in preparing them.

I got a renewal notice for my Rachael magazine subscription. The notice says 1 year is 10 issues, but the cards inside the magazine say 1 year is 6 issues. I called and asked which it is, and was told that the next year of the magazine will be 10 issues/year. Yay. I haven’t cooked a Rachael recipe outright in awhile, but I do find myself employing ideas she has on the show, like grilling my sandwich instead of eating it just plain, or experimenting with different condiments.

A Paula Deen Mothers Day

2006-05-15T11:17:00.000-07:00

Cooking with Rachael and Friends

For Mother's Day partner Kate made me a nice little breakfast; croissants, scrambled eggs and ham. That night we had middle daughter Emily, her partner Robin and granddaughter Rachel over for a birthday party for Emily's 34th. Emily & Rach are picky eaters, they like their food bland and childlike. I figured I couldn't go wrong with Paula Deen's Southern Fried Chicken, Cheesy Biscuits, mashed potatoes, chicken gravy, and corn on the cob. I'm always worried about chicken being cooked all the way through. Robin, who is an excellent cook, said that even she has trouble with fried chicken - burning it on the outside, while it remains raw on the inside.

First I washed and seasoned the chicken with lots of seasoned salt and a bit of garlic salt and put it back in the fridge for a couple of hours. Then I heated fresh Crisco in two big pans. I made way too much chicken as usual - an entire fryer and a separate package of thighs. As the recipe instructed, I put the pieces in an egg/water mixture, then dredged them in self-rising flour that I'd added lots of fresh ground black pepper to. I fried the pieces until they were golden brown, then put them in baking dishes in the oven for 350 degrees (that last part was a deviation from the recipe, but I wanted to make sure the pieces cooked all the way through and it didn't seem to hurt or alter them in any way.) I left them in the oven for about half an hour while I cleaned up and made the rest of the meal.

The Cheesy Biscuits are the very same ones that Paula Deen serves people waiting in line to get into her restaurant. I messed up though, I didn't remember to save some of the Crisco to put in the biscuits, so had to improvise with butter. They also turned out good, no one seemed especially thrilled by them though. I'm going to retry that recipe again some time with the proper ingredients.

It all turned out very well. The chicken got all around raves. Everyone agreed that it didn't taste greasy at all. I think that some of the grease may have drained out of the pieces while it was heating in the oven. I think that the trick to cooking good fried chicken is having your grease hot enough. Messing with hot grease is always an adventure though. Our little female daschund Maggie was right under foot the entire time and I was worried about her getting spattered. We both ended up covered in flour but didn't get burnt.

The mashed potatoes were from a package at Wal-Mart. Not a box, an actual package of real mashed potatoes in the deli section. No one seemed to notice that they weren't home made, as people can usually tell with boxed, rehydrated potatoes. I also use canned chicken gravy - sorry but I've only ever made real gravy once in my life. I just always use canned and again, everyone seems to like it.

For dessert we made cupcakes and also purchased a little decorated cake for the actually blowing out of the candles. This little square cake was probably about half the size of a 1/4 sheet cake. It was perfectly sized for our group. Usually we get those huge cakes at COSTCO, which are yummy but then everyone has tons of cake left over.

Broccoli with Toasted Garlic

2006-05-14T18:02:00.000-07:00

I wanted broccoli for a side dish to go with some filets from Omaha Steak that Don's daughter had sent to him for his birthday. My "beef," if you will, is that he likes his broccoli swimming in butter. To me that completely negates any healthy aspect of eating veggies. I've been watching some of the other Food Network personalities and saw a preparation that sounded healthy. It was on "Healthy Appetites with Ellie Krieger." She made broccoli with toasted garlic, the garlic was toasted in a small amount of olive oil, then the cooked broccoli was added to the garlic infused oil, with the garlic chips sprinkled on top. Don isn't a garlic fan but he tried it, and didn't much care for it. I thought it was delicious, the garlic complimented the broccoli, and the small amount of fat keeps it all healthy. I like her show, the way she explains anecdotes about why certain foods are good, what nutritional value they have. It adds another dimension to a cooking show, so it's not just all "how to."

Buttermilk Pecan Pie

2006-05-06T16:45:00.000-07:00

Our local electric co-op publishes a magazine with "country" recipes. This month’s issue had buttermilk pecan pie. It’s more of a chess pie than a pecan pie. I looked at Paula’s cookbook and she has a recipe for a lemon chess pie that is pretty similar, except it has lemon in it, and milk instead of buttermilk. Most of the recipes I saw call for the same amount of sugar - 2 cups. Anyway, the pecan recipe calls for sprinkling ½ cup of pecans in the bottom of a pie shell (I had some leftover toasted coconut so I added that too), then mixing together sugar, buttermilk, butter, eggs, vanilla, flour and salt together and pouring it all over the nuts. The topping gets a crunchy crust on it as it bakes.

I think it’s one of those things that you either like or you don’t. I liked it, Don thought it might be better tomorrow after it refrigerates, but he likes "regular" pecan pie better.

Blackberries are coming on strong out here. Tomorrow I’m going to make pancakes or waffles, and make a berry compote to put on top. I got the recipe from Rachael’s Pain Perdue recipe from an old "30 Minute Meals." The berries make you feel like you’re eating something healthy, along with the 800 calorie waffles.

Deviled Ham a la Rachael and Debbie

2006-04-29T06:46:00.000-07:00

The ham we had the other night was good but just a tad salty for something like a sandwich. Debbie had suggested ham salad. I remember a "30 Minute Meals" episode where Rachael made one of her mug toppers for soup, with deviled ham. I took what I remembered from that episode and combined it with Debbie’s recipe, put chunked ham in the food processor with some onion and ground it up, then mixed in mayonnaise to get it to spreading consistency. Rachael is always talking about how "it’s the method, not the ingredients" as far as adlibbing recipes with what you have on hand or what your personal preferences are. After-the-fact I looked online and saw her recipe has paprika and hot sauce, and no mayo, but yellow mustard to thin out the mixture. I did put mustard on my sandwich but spread it on the bread instead of mixing it in. Anyway, it turned out yummy. "Diluting" the ham by making it into a salad helped with the saltiness.

Corn Casserole and Cherry Cream Cheese Pie

2006-04-22T11:20:00.000-07:00

We had a belated Easter dinner last night since it was 90 degrees here on Easter. Don tried "baking" it on the propane grill outside last night, since it was cooler but still in the 80’s. We’d never done this before. I put the ham in a Reynold’s oven bag and we cooked the ham until it was 140 inside. It looked a little blackened and the twist-tie on the oven bag melted. Next time I think I will use aluminum foil or a foil bag so I don’t get as many carcinogens baked in. Anyway, it actually tasted fine and was moist.

To go along with the ham, Carol made scalloped potatoes, and I made Paula’s Corn Casserole (which Debbie had recommended, and I’d read good reviews of online). I was disappointed with the corn, it was too sweet for my liking, and it was mushy in the middle. I don't think I baked it long enough plus I put it in a small, tall pan, and I think a wide, flat pan (like a pie plate) would have worked better. I’m going to try making corncakes with the leftovers by shaping them into patties and browning them in a little butter.

For dessert, Gary made jello with bananas, and I made another Paula dessert, her Cherry Cream Cheese Pie. This was a bigger hit than the corn casserole. Gary thought it was really rich and the pie filling put it over the top. Don’s Mom makes a similar pie with lemon pudding mix and cream cheese that is lighter in texture. Don was surprised, he thought it was better than he’d expected. Unlike Debbie I don’t have a lemon tree in my backyard so I ended up using lemon juice from one of those lemon-shaped bottles. The fresh lemons at the store looked rotten. Next time I’ll just use lime juice, since I can get a big bag of key limes for $2 at Walmart.

(Rant: I don’t know why some things are so expensive and others are so cheap! The fresh, rotten lemons were going for 50 cents apiece. I can buy a giant bunch of cilantro for less than 50 cents yet a grapefruit grown in Texas is nearly a dollar, and cheaper in California even after it is shipped all the way there.)

Easter Peeps

2006-04-15T12:55:00.000-07:00

Cooking with Rachael and Friends

I've been sick as a dog for days, just managed to drag myself into work today. I made myelf go in because I have a sit down job and am on the mend, so figured I'd probably get more rest at work than I would at home where partner Kate is cleaning the carpets.

Needless to say, I haven't done much cooking recently. So this blog entry is "An Ode To Peeps", my all time favorite easter candy. One memorable easter, about 10 years ago, I packed on 20 lbs by indulging my every Peep whim.

Subsequently, I've been much more reserved in my Peeping and only bought and ate a couple packages this year by waiting until the last week before Easter to buy them. Then, being sick for 4 days, kept me off of them even longer. So last night I finished a package and will eat the 2nd package tomorrow and I promise, promise, promise not to hit the 50% off after-holiday sales.

My daughter Emily and her partner Robin are hosting Easter dinner and I offered to bring the desserts. Daughter Jeanne promised to help, as I'm too weak to pull it off myself. So we agreed to make our new favorite dessert - Paula Deen's Not Yo' Mama's Banana Pudding and get a strawberry pie (Emily's favorite) from Cocos. Robin is very excited that we're making the banana pudding, as she's heard so much about it.

Happy Easter everyone!

Banana Bread

2006-04-10T09:37:00.000-07:00

On Sunday morning I got up early and made Paula Deen's Banana Bread. What's a cookbook without a recipe for banana bread? Not much, in my opinion. Usually when I have overripe bananas, I use Jiffy banana nut muffin mix and follow the directions, add the mashed bananas and bake. This time I was glad I made it from scratch. The bread looked beautiful and had a wonderful texture and wasn't as sweet at the Jiffy concoction.

I cut a couple of big, hot pieces and slathered on some butter, wrapped them in foil and brought them to work. As I ate them, I envisioned Kate and granddaughter Rachel (who is visiting for spring break) waking up to that nice surprise and enjoying the bread. I was dismayed to get home and discover that no one had touched it! So I whined until they both promised to have a piece. 3 thumbs up!

We subscribed to Netflix a couple of months ago and love it! We have seen more movies in the last 8 weeks, than we had the entire 3 years we've been together. Our most recent rentals are the Showtime Series "Fat Actress" with Kirstie Alley. We watched Disc 1 last night. Since it's on Showtime, there was some off-colored dialogue so I was glad 14 yr old Rachel slept through most of it. But we've really enjoyed it - very funny.

Perdido Key Fish

2006-04-07T16:23:00.000-07:00

My last attempts at dinner have been similar to Debbie’s. I tried a recipe from the third issue of Penzey’s One magazine, for Perdido Key Fish. The picture in the magazine looked yummy, it has tomatoes, celery, onion, lime olives and fish. The ingredients seemed simple enough where I thought I could imagine what it would taste like. I was disappointed in how it turned out. Maybe it was personal preference, but I thought it needed more of a tomato (as in tomato sauce) taste.

I had leftovers so the next night I threw together fish tacos. I heated up the leftovers, and put that on corn tortillas with some cheese, salsa, and lettuce, and a squirt of lime. OMG it was so much better. It only took 5 minutes to chop up the extra ingredients.

If I had company coming over and I had to cook what I had in the refrigerator, my gut feeling is that it would be a disaster. I don’t know why things turn out so great when it is just a fleeting thought in my mind about what to have for dinner, vs. deliberating about it for an evening or afternoon, and usually the long-thought-out versions do not turn out very good.

Penzey’s One is published by the folks who sell Penzey’s spices. So far I think their magazine is just "OK." It looks kind of home-made but I think that is the appeal. I like their spice catalog just for reading.

I am addicted to magazines. Right now I get Gourmet, Every Day with Rachael Ray, Saveur, and Texas Monthly, plus the stuff that comes with memberships (like AAA, etc.). I just bought the "King Arthur Flour Cookie Companion" cookbook, to fill out an order at Amazon.com to qualify for free shipping (I guess it would have been cheaper to pay for shipping than buy another cookbook!).

I'm A Pig

2006-04-04T10:17:00.000-07:00

Last night we had unexpected guests for dinner. Actually, they had warned us they might stop by but we didn't think they'd actually do it, so hadn't prepared. So on my way home from work I find out that Brenna & her daughter Sara are actually putting in an appearance on their drive home from the grand canyon. Soooooo, I grabbed all this food that had been sitting in the fridge and had to be cooked before it went bad. It was a comedy of errors. I was scolded by everyone for making too much spinach dip, the pizza appetizers were too gooey and stuck to the pan, the grill turned out to be out of propane, so I had to broil the steaks, Brenna had unexpectedly sworn off red meat, so I also made some chicken strips, which were too dry. It was way too much and none of it appetizing looking at all. As we sat there glumly poking at our food, I wondered why it's so difficult to produce one of the wonderful meals I'd been making lately on short notice. Another thing I'm bad at is figuring out how much to make. For the 2 of us, I always cook enough for five, so if I'd made the normal amount it would have turned out swell. Instead I ended up making enough for 10.

Banana Cupcakes with Chocolate Ganache & Cream Cheese Frosting

2006-04-03T12:51:00.000-07:00

I try to remember to read the Food Section of the San Francisco Chronicle online, it’s one of the things I miss from California. Last week they had a story about the cupcake craze. I knew they were popular but until I read the article, I had no idea how trendy they are.

One of the recipes they included was from Kara’s Cupcakes in San Francisco. My niece is named Kara, plus the cupcakes have chocolate inside, so I decided to give it a try.

I’d checked out the website to see how much they are charging for cupcakes, and the filled ones are $36 a dozen! I guess if you walk in to a bakery and buy one for $3, it doesn’t seem that expensive. I was joking with Don that the dozen cupcakes I had sitting on the rack were worth $36.

Anyway, they were OK. I may have overbeat them because they were not as fluffy as the kind you get from cake mix. The two kinds of frosting (one filling, one on top) was fun. Next time I see a cake recipe I want to try, but don’t want to make a whole cake, I think I will try making it into cupcakes instead.

Green Rice Casserole and Iron Skillet Brownies

2006-03-31T07:07:00.000-07:00

Last night we had leftover porkchops and I wanted a side dish to go along with them. Paula’s "Too" cookbook has a recipe that is similar to Don’s favorite broccoli casserole. Paula’s recipe has a can of soup and a stick of butter. Don’s recipe has a can of soup and a can of evaporated milk, along with chopped onions and celery. I’m not Southernized enough to put an entire cube of butter in a casserole, so I compromised. I sauteed about half a cup of chopped onions in a little butter, mixed it with the soup and enough milk to thin it (about half a can). I also used fresh broccoli instead of frozen. The casserole bakes in the oven for half an hour and whenever I’ve pre-cooked it for something like that, it’s always overdone. It worked with putting raw chopped broccoli and just letting the heat from the oven cook it through.

For dessert we had the "Iron Skillet Brownies" from Paula’s "Just Desserts" cookbook. It seems "everyone" has a recipe like this, it’s much like the One Bowl Brownie recipe on the box of Baker’s chocolate and it’s pretty close to a recipe for "Katharine Hepburn’s Brownies." (Written about by the late Gourmet writer Laurie Colwin.)

Anyway, you take chocolate and butter and melt them in a skillet, then add sugar, eggs, vanilla, flour, salt and nuts. I threw in half a box of chopped Andes mints. Instead of turning out like chocolate chunk brownies they melted into the batter and added a mint flavor.

My mother-in-law gave me a tip for cutting brownies to keep from tearing the edges: use a plastic knife. It worked like a charm! The brownies were good too. Nice and crusty and shiny on top and gooey in the middle. Easy enough to make where I’ve given up on using those boxed mixes.

Dixieland Pork Chops

2006-03-27T17:42:00.000-07:00

This one is a Paula recipe. Instead of cheddar cheese soup I used Fiesta Nacho Cheese. It looked too thick so I put about 1/3 can of milk in the sauce. The sauce tasted yummy, I may make it by itself to put on broccoli or other veggies. I wasn’t sure if you are supposed to cover the baking dish while it is baking. I put the casserole in the oven, uncovered, and after about 15 minutes the top started to dry out so I ended up covering it with foil. By the time it was done, it was saucy. It may have been OK without.

The pork chops were just OK. They were tender, but I didn't think the sauce matched that great with them. Maybe it was my substitution for the plain cheddar cheese soup. Don thought maybe it will be better tomorrow.

I make a lot of things with Campbell’s soup and this was sort of like the Glorified Chicken recipe we like. That recipe calls for cream of mushroom (or chicken) and I also throw in a can of cream of celery. The sauce and chicken simmer in a covered skillet for about 35 minutes. It can be baked in the oven, but with the skillet method there is one less dish to clean.

I’m currently reading "Will Write for Food: The Complete Guide to Writing Cookbooks, Restaurant Reviews, Articles, Memoir, Fiction and More…" by Dianne Jacob. I’m on the chapter about writing recipes. The author of this book mentions that "Many people aren’t sure what level of instruction to give, I’m on the side that says not to make assumptions about what readers know and leave nothing to chance." I’ve heard Paula say the same thing in her dessert cookbook. Maybe Paula cooks her pork chops in the oven, uncovered, but the recipe does not say.

Since it baked for an hour and a half, and I had the fan going, the smells were going outside. The dogs were going wild, looking in all the windows, running back and forth from one end of the kitchen to the other. Here are some pictures of them caught in the act. Girl-dog was on her best behavior because she knows she must sit before she gets any treats. Tigger was just plain nosy. I gave them a taste, Girl-dog liked the sauce.

Vidalia Onion Casserole

2006-03-25T11:25:00.000-07:00

Last night we had BBQed filets and I made the Vidalia Onion Casserole from Paula Deen’s "Lady & Sons, Too" cookbook. I didn’t have Ritz crackers so I used some stuffing mix instead (Pepperidge Farm, that has some seasonings in it). For the topping I mixed in a little of those fried onions (the kind that goes on green bean casserole) with the stuffing crumbs. I didn’t know how the casserole would go over. I made a small one just in case it bombed, with one big Texas 1015 onion, and about 1/3 of the other ingredients. It actually made quite a bit. I think if I’d made the whole thing, with four onions, it would’ve been way too much. Everyone liked it. Robin said it didn’t have an overpowering onion flavor. Two gave "it’s a keeper" comments, and even Don ate it. The stuffing mix gave it a Thanksgiving-ey taste that would go well with chicken. For dessert we had a Marie Callender’s cherry cobbler, the frozen kind that you bake at home. My only complaint about that was the box says it serves 8 but I’d say it’s more like 4-5.

Spaghetti with Mozzarella-Stuffed Meatballs

2006-03-22T21:10:00.000-07:00

I love the pictures in Rachael’s new magazine! I think they entice you to want to cook a recipe. Anyway, I tried the spaghetti & meatballs recipe from the latest (April/May 2006) issue of "Every Day With Rachael Ray." I hate parsley so I used spinach instead, and chopped a little onion in there too. I put a few dried herbs (basil, oregano) in the sauce because it sounded like it might be bland, just tomato and garlic. I also used half as much pasta.

I love spaghetti so there isn’t too much you can do to it where I won’t like it. Don’s daughter Robin liked it too, she said she liked the cheese inside the meatballs. I told Don I like the magazine recipes better than the cookbook, so far, and he thought this dish was a re-hash of old recipes. Oh well. I had made a Rachael recipe with giant meatballs about a year ago, that was similar, but I liked this one with the cheese better.

The meatballs take 20 minutes to cook, so this recipe took longer than 30 miinutes.

Oh, Don said he saw Rachael’s magazine on the racks when he was at Lowe’s this week! He didn’t know why they had it in a place like that. Duh. I’m there a lot and if I get "bored" I’ll head to the magazine rack and start browsing. I’m sure I’m not the only wife that does that. And there are probably a lot of men who do a double-take when they see the cover as well.

Weight Watchers 0 Point Garden Vegetable Soup

2006-03-22T15:03:00.000-07:00

Cooking with Rachael and Friends

I set out to make Weight Watchers "0 Point" Garden Vegetable Soup. By the time I finished fiddling with it, it had plenty of points. I started out with the basics - fat free chicken broth, tomato paste, plus lots of veggies like green beans, scallions and zucchini. Then I added the cabbage, which I suspect is why it's so good for weight loss. But then, not content to leave well enough alone, I added a can of corn, a pound of ground turkey breast, a can of navy beans and some vegetable broth seasoning. THEN we found out we were having guests for dinner. So we ordered pizza and the soup became the first course. I also made chocolate chip cookies for dessert, which were the hit of the evening. The soup was good too. No complaints from anyone, although Kate thought I should have removed the lid and let is cook down and get thicker, but I like soupy soup.

Slow Cooker Mu Shu Turkey

2006-03-21T15:03:00.000-07:00

Last night I made a recipe I found in a slow cooker cookbook. It was called Mu Shu Turkey. I took two cans of plums, which I drained, rinsed and removed the pitts from. I pureed them in a food processor, then put them in the crockpot. To that I added a cup of orange juice, some finely chopped onions, a tablespoon of fresh ground ginger and a teaspoon of cinnamon. Then I sliced up a couple of turkey breasts into thin strips and put them on top of the plum sauce. I let them cook on low for 3 hours. At dinner time, I put some of the strips on a flour tortilla, added a little plum sauce, and some cole slaw mix, wrapped them up and served them. It was well received, everyone ate at least two. I made coleslaw with the rest of the mix, adding raisins, walnuts and Miracle Whip. That went over well too. If I make the mu shu turkey again, I'll add less orange juice and make them in the 5 quart cooker, rather than the 3 quart. I think they need to cook down more and spread out more, if that makes sense.

Individual Vidalia Onions

2006-03-20T11:45:00.000-07:00

Cooking with Rachael and Friends

Last night I made cabbage rolls. I thought I'd found the recipe in Paula Deen's newest cookbook, but it wasn't in there. So I just made it myself. I used hamburger, diced onions, seasoned salt, pepper, ketchup, cheese cubes and rice, mixed it all up and wrapped it up in boiled cabbage leaves, then poured tomato soup, mixed with pulverized french onions over it. It was well received.

We had it with Paula Deen's individual vidalia onions. You cut the top off, cut them into four wedges, leaving them connected at the bottom, cut out the core and put a beef bullion cube in there and bits of butter in between the wedges. I wrapped it in heavy duty foil and baked them in the oven for an hour. They made a lot of broth, like a french onion soup. I didn't have Vidalias, as they are out of season, so used a white, sweet onion. It was OK, not everyone ate a lot. I want to try it one more time with Vidalia onions and put them on the grill.

Heavenly Banana Delight

2006-03-19T14:37:00.001-07:00

Cooking with Rachael and Friends Last night I made Paula Deen's Heavenly Banana Delight. My 37 year old daughter Jeanne is currently living with us and she is a banana afficienado. She found this recipe and wrote the ingredients on my shopping list, it was very cute. Jeanne loves food but can't cook worth beans. It's an odd combination to find in one person. I wanted to do something for her, since she took care of our dogs while Kate and I went to Las Vegas last week. I bought her a bracelet and made the banana dish. It didn't take long to assemble. It was delicious, not as good as Not Yo' Mama's Banana Pudding but pretty darn close. I think some peoplemight like it better because it's not as sweet. You use sour cream and whipping cream to make it and that cuts some of the sweetness. I also wondered why the recipe instructed me to drizzle chocolate syrup on it, but I'm glad I did because it added nicely to the flavor.

Tonight I'm making Paula Deen's cabbage rolls. I think I might make some mac & cheese to go with it. We'll see. I also plan to make PD's individual vidalia onions. We'll see.

New Inspiration

2006-03-19T12:59:00.000-07:00

You’ve probably noticed, we are switching gears…instead of cooking all Rachael, we’re expanding to include our other Food Network favorite, Paula Deen, among others.

Debbie sent me her extra "Lady and Sons, Too" cookbook and it is such an inspiration. There are already a few recipes I have in mind that I’d like to try. I haven’t seen Vidalia onions here but the new crop of Texas 1015’s is out. I want to try the onion casserole as well as the individually baked ones. I’m still cleaning out my freezer and have some frozen pork chops. I’m going to try the Dixieland Pork Chops sometime soon.

In the meantime I’ve been cooking some old favorites, the other day I made Oprah’s "Unfried Chicken" from that "In the Kitchen With Rosie" cookbook. I made some peanut butter cookies from an old Mrs. Field’s cookbook. And stuffed peppers from a Better Homes and Garden magazine clipping from years ago. Tonight we are having belated corned beef and cabbage. I looked at Paula’s recipe and instead of cooking up the cabbage separately I’m going to cook it in the pot likker with potatoes and carrots (the usual way). The cabbage here looks weird, it is greener and the head looks like a giant brussel sprout. I hope it tastes the same.
Next week my stepdaughter is coming to visit so I’ll go through my new cookbook and see what I can find that sounds easy and something everyone might like.

I drive about 45 minutes each way to work and listen to audiobooks all the time. This week it was the first half of Anthony Bourdain’s "A Cook’s Tour: In Search of the Perfect Meal." He is definitely more adventurous than I am. I also think he writes like a man, if a person can say such a thing. So far it is an enjoyable read, I find my stomach turning at some of the things he eats and holding my breath for him to say he got sick (which he hasn’t, at least so far).

Tiger Cake

2006-03-13T17:38:00.000-07:00

My craving-du-jour is pound cake. I didn’t want plain because it’s too plain, and I didn’t want chocolate because it’s overpowering…so I thought I’d try this one, which has a little of both. The recipe is from "Bittersweet: Recipes and Tales from a Life in Chocolate" by Alice Medrich, who founded "Cocolat" in Berkeley many years ago. This book, by the way, was the IACP (International Association of Culinary Professionals) Cookbook of the Year for 2004. The brownie recipes in this book are killer.

There’s no butter in the cake, it has olive oil. I put half Smart Balance oil (which has olive oil) and half EVOO. The "stripes" are created by layering three layers each of plain and chocolate batter. Stirring isn’t necessary, somehow the batters swirl by themselves. From the looks of it, the chocolate must float to the top. Don thought the swirl on the left side of the cake looked like a swan.

Yum…this was just what I wanted. The cookbook says it should be even better tomorrow, and suggests toasting it. Somewhere else I read about buttering both sides of a piece of pound cake, grilling it like you would a grilled cheese sandwich, then putting ice cream on top. That sounds insane. When it starts to get stale I’ll try that.

We finished the last of the leftovers tonight. I need to go grocery shopping and I’m going to try to find something Rachael to cook this week. I saw she has two cookbooks coming out, one in April and one in November. She’s a busy girl!

Paula Deening My Brains Out!

2006-03-10T11:54:00.000-07:00

Cooking with Rachael Ray

The Spiced Beef With Dumplin's turned out fabulously, thank you. I always cook roasts on high in the crock pot all day. That makes them fork tender and this turned out the same. I used refrigerater biscuits, as the recipe called for, to make the dumplings and everyone liked them - even those of us who don't usually care for dumplings.

Today I'm making Senate Bean Soup, also from The Lady and Sons Too! cookbook. I used canned navy beans, I really hate working with uncooked beans of any kind. It usually takes me two days to get them soft enough to use, so prefer to start with canned beans. I used pork neck bones, rather than smoked ham hocks, since that was all Wal-Mart had along those lines. I've been noticing something interesting - chefs like Rachael Ray and Paula Deen are very specific about when to add salt to a dish. Rachael Ray always warns not to add it to a water pot until the water is already boiling. In this current recipe, Paula instructs you not to salt and pepper the soup until just before serving. I may not salt it at all, since I'm sure sodium was used to can the beans. I'm serving it with "Corn Casserole", also from the same cookbook. This is a recipe I found online and made and recommended to Di without knowing it came from Paula Deen. You throw together a can of corn, a can of creamed corn, a box of Jiffy corn muffin mix, a cup of sour cream and a half a stick of butter. You bake it in a casserole dish and it's moist and wonderful. I thought it would be fun to jazz this dish up some time with mexican corn or chilis, but am making it as directed tonight. I think I'll also make a wonderful salad. Perhaps the Warm Apple and Goat Cheese Salad from that book.