Nancy's Kochlöffel

Thanksgiving Turkey

2008-11-29T19:11:00.017-05:00

Ok, I decided to try to make my own turkey (a little one) for once. I remember I tried that about 5 years ago when we were living in Germany still, and it was a disaster. nothing worked out. that was of course, before I got into the whole cooking thing. I swore myself then to never make a turkey again, but it looks like I was wrong.

So, I stuffed my turkey with some lemon, garlic, onion, rosmary and thyme. I trussed it (with the help of a video of Alton Brown) and put some sage butter in between the skin and the meat. put some more butter on top and springled on some salt and pepper.
In the oven at 325 F for 3 hours and it was done. Very juicy too.

With it, I made some mashed potato and the famous squash caserole from nancy corson senior:

Cook 2-3 pounds of yellow squash or zucchini in a small amount of water with
diced onion until just tender. Drain. Stir to mash squash leaving some large
pieces. Add 1 egg, 1/2 cup real mayonnaise, 1 cup cheddar cheese, 1 heaping
tablespoon sugar, salt & pepper to taste. Pour into a greased casserole dish
and cover with 1 sleeve crushed Ritz crackers. Drizzle 1/2 cup melted butter
over the top. Bake in 350 degree oven for 20-25 minutes until lightly
browned and bubbly.

And I served this with brown sugar glazed carrotts and some mashed potatoes.

It was so good. Mike was really proud as well and asked to make it a lot more often. not so sure about that though - too much work. but it was worth it. And I have a husband cleaning the kitchen as I type now...aaah yeah, life can be good :)

Only bad thing, Lydia couldn't come by to eat with us cause of work ;) Sorry girl... I'll fix you a plate. don't you worry about monday's lunch ;)

comfort food - chicken noodle soup

2008-11-25T21:12:00.006-05:00

I made this 2 weeks ago and it was soooo much food. little had i known that that was a good thing this time, as mike got sick and the chicken noodle soup was just perfect for my kleines, krankes Hühnchen ;)

I just threw in a few carrots, celery, herb de provence, chicken stock and cut up chicken. I think I also had a few little red potatoes left that I also threw in. why not? and add some basil/cheese tortellinies. was really good. very comforty.

With it, I made some grilled cheese sandwich but a bit different. put some pesto on sourdough bread and some mozarella slices and grilled it up. so yummy too.

Cornish Hens

2008-10-27T14:37:00.010-04:00

I've been wanting to make Cornish hens but have never took on the challenge to cook a whole bird. Well, there's a first time for everything. I watched Tyler make some this weekend with cornbread stuffing. I'm not a big fan of cornbread and I wanted to make something healthier so I made my own.

ingredients:

- 2 cornish hens:

- 2 lemon
- 1 head of garlic

- Rosmary and Thyme

- Salt and Pepper
- olive oil

- stuff the hens with some garlic, lemon wedges, rosmary springs and thyme.
- season the skin with salt and pepper and springle the rest of the herbs on top.
- drizzle over some olive oil
- bake at 400 F for about an hour (until temperature reaches at least 165 F)

- serve with roasted veggies... or anything else you want. I promise it'll all be good.

Fall is here

2008-10-19T15:54:00.009-04:00

Today is such a beautiful day. It's cold, but sunny. These are my favorites. So I wanted to make something comforty and typical fall. So what better than Jambalaya and pumpkin pie ! and it was a hit!

JAMBALYA

In a big dutch oven put in the following ingredients

- 1 cup long-grain rice
- 3 tablespoons dried minced onion
- 1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- salt and pepper

- 2 1/2 cups water
- 1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes
- 1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
- 1/2 pound fully cooked smoked sausage, cut into 1/4-inch slices
- 1/2 to 3/4 pound medium, fresh shrimp, peeled and deveined

Bring everything to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and let simmer for 20 minutes. Add shrimp and cook for an additional 5 to 7 minutes, or until shrimp are pink.

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Pumpkin Pie

Ingredients

* 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
* 2 cups canned pumpkin, mashed
* 1 cup sugar
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1 egg plus 2 egg yolks, slightly beaten
* 1 cup half-and-half
* 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) melted butter
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger, optional
* 1 piece pre-made pie dough

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Place 1 piece of pre-made pie dough down into a (9-inch) pie pan and press down along the bottom and all sides. Put the pie shell back into the freezer for 1 hour to firm up. Fit a piece of aluminum foil to cover the inside of the shell completely. Fill the shell up to the edges with pie weights or dried beans (about 2 pounds) and place it in the oven. Bake for 10 minutes, remove the foil and pie weights and bake for another 10 minutes or until the crust is dried out and beginning to color.

For the filling, in a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese with a hand mixer. Add the pumpkin and beat until combined. Add the sugar and salt, and beat until combined. Add the eggs mixed with the yolks, half-and-half, and melted butter, and beat until combined. Finally, add the vanilla, cinnamon, and ginger, if using, and beat until incorporated.

Pour the filling into the warm prepared pie crust and bake for 1 hour 15 minutes, or until the center is set.

Roasted Salmon with herb butter crust a la Tyler

2008-10-13T17:45:00.010-04:00

I know I haven't posted for a while, but that was because I was sick and didn't feel like cooking or even eating. but those times are over now and I'm all fit again to take on the world !!!! or the stove ;o)
Anyway, here's another one of Tyler Florence' awesome dishes. It was so good I could not stop eating...

Ingredients

* Extra-virgin olive oil
* 2 smallish Italian eggplants
* salt and pepper
* 1 large zucchini, cut crosswise into 1-inch sections
* 3 anchovy fillets
* 1 onion, finely sliced
* 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
* 1 bulb fennel, thinly shaved vertically,
* handful of cherry tomatoes
* 1 tablespoon tomato paste
* Pinch red pepper flakes
* bread crumbs
* 1 whole side of salmon (about 4 pounds), boned tail piece, skin on
* 1 bunch fresh basil
* 2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
* salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 500 degrees F.

Begin by preparing the vegetable base for the fish. Heat 1/3 cup of olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the eggplant, season with salt and pepper and cook for 10 minutes until just tender. Set aside on a platter. Add the zucchini to the pan and cook in the same way until just tender and remove to the platter with the eggplant. Add to the pan, smashed anchovies, onion, garlic and fennel. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes until caramelized then add tomatoes and tomato paste and cook for a further 5 minutes until wilted. Season with salt and pepper and add the red pepper flakes. Combine all the vegetables together in a large roasting pan or casserole dish.

Now prepare the fish. Begin by vertically scoring the fish in 4 places, skin side up so the cuts pierce the skin and reveal the flesh. Prepare the basil compound butter by chopping half of the basil and mixing it with the room temperature butter until well combined. Season with salt and pepper.

Season the piece of fish with salt and pepper and smear the top of the fish with basil butter then take the whole fish and transfer to the roasting tray and place on top of the bed of vegetables.

Sprinkle the buttered fish with the bread crumb mixture.

Place in hot oven and roast for 12 to 15 minutes for medium rare, then finish under the broiler for 2 minutes to crisp the skin. Do not over cook, otherwise the fish will be dry.

To serve, portion the fish along the score marks, serve with a scoop of the vegetables.

crab cakes

2008-09-25T15:33:00.006-04:00

We're trying to eat a bit more healthy and so I thought fish would be good. I made the salmon I made before (in foil) but in addition to that I also made some crab cakes. I just love crab cakes.

All you combine in a bowl is :

- about 1/2 pound of crab meat
- 1 cup of mayonnese
- red pepper sauce
- 2 scallions
- 1/2 cup of bread crums
- 1 egg
- salt and pepper

Then put them in some flour and pan fry them a few minutes per side

Morrocan Chili with Couscous

2008-09-24T16:51:00.003-04:00

After having a bit of a bumped day, I made a nice comfort food for dinner today, but with a little twist- Chili Morrocan style. Love it... Chili itself is good, but it's even better to make it a bit different. and going Morrocan can never be a bad thing :)

Ingredients

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound of ground beef
Salt and ground black pepper
2 tablespoons chili powder
1/2 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 large onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 lemon, zested and juiced
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce, eyeball it
1 (14-ounce) can tomato sauce

Couscous:

2 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
A handful golden raisins
1 1/2 cups couscous
A handful fresh parsley leaves, chopped
A handful fresh mint leaves, chopped

8 pita breads, cut into wedges for scooping

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Heat skillet with extra-virgin olive oil, add meat and brown. Season the meat with salt and pepper, to taste, chili powder, cumin, coriander, cinnamon and paprika. Add the onions, bell pepper and garlic to the pan. Cook until onions are soft, 8 minutes. Add lemon juice and zest, Worcestershire sauce and tomato sauce. Stir and reduce heat to simmer.

Bring butter and stock to a boil in a pot with tight fitting lid. Add dried fruit and couscous, stir then turn off heat and set lid in place. Let stand 5 minutes. Add herbs and toss with fork.

Toast pita wedges in hot oven or under broiler. Pile chili in bowls, top with couscous and serve with pita wedges for scooping.

Jaegerschnitzel

2008-09-20T15:35:00.009-04:00

Yeah, I know, I haven't updated my blog in a while, but I've been busy. My parents were just here in Raleigh for a visit and I've been driving them around everywhere. It was fun. My mom actually made one of Mike's favorite meals - Jaegerschnitzel. It's Schnitzel with mushrooms. I refuse to make it. Actually, I refuse to cook anything with mushrooms in it. I just don't like them. yuck.

Anyway, so my mom made him a good dinner and he just loved it.

it's sauteeing some mushrooms and letting the water evaporate. then add some cream of mushroom soup and some water and it is ready.

The Schnitzel were put in egg, then flour, then bread crums and then fried. they were so moist...so good. I accidently deleted the pics of the golden brown Schnitzel in the pan, so I only have one of the 2 that were left. So, sorry if it doesn't look as good.

Look at Josie and Alex begging for some of the food ;o)
Aren't they cute?

Lahmacun (Turkish pizza)

2008-08-23T06:07:00.002-04:00

If you like middle eastern food, I know you'll like this one. It's so fast and easy it's not even funny.
Here's the recipe I used for the filling. I didn't make the dough, instead I used pita bread or flat bread. This is the recipe from the foodnetwork hopempage:

DOUGH:
3/4 teaspoon dried yeast
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 1/2 cups lukewarm water
2 1/4 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
Olive oil for bowl & brushing dough

FILLING:
1 tablespoon butter
1 onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
8 ounces ground lamb or chuck
1 tomato, peeled, seeded and chopped
1 jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon kirmizi biber, or combination sweet paprika and cayenne pepper
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh mint
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Juice of 1 lemon

Combine the yeast and sugar with a little of the warm water, and set aside until mixture is frothy. Sift the flour and salt into a large bowl, and make a well in the center. Add the yeast mixture, along with the remaining warm water. Using your hands, work the mixture into a dough, adding more water if necessary. Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface and knead until pliable and springy, about 5 minutes. Place dough in an oiled bowl, turning to coat, cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until dough doubles in size, about 1 hour.

Punch down risen dough and knead on a lightly floured surface. Roll into a log and cut into 2 to 3 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a ball, place on floured surface and let rest 30 minutes under a towel.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F, and preheat baking sheets, tiles, or a baking stone.

Prepare the filling: Melt the butter in a skillet, add the onion and saute until softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the garlic and saute another minute. Transfer onion mixture to a large bowl, add remaining ingredients, and mix thoroughly with your fingertips. If mixture seems too dry, add a teaspoon of water.

Place a ball of dough on a floured surface and roll into a round, flat circle, about 1/8-inch thick. Place the round on the oiled, preheated baking sheets or tiles. Brush the top with olive oil and spread with a thin, even layer of the meat filling, leaving a 1/2-inch border around the edge. Repeat with remaining dough and filling.

Bake for 12 to 15 minutes. The dough should still be soft enough to roll up.

Squeeze a little lemon juice over each of the hot lahmacuns, and serve immediately either flat or rolled up into cones.

home made bread

2008-08-23T05:56:00.005-04:00

I've been wanting to make my own bread from scratch for quite some time now and earlier this week, I finally made. I can't find the recipe right now but here's the picture of my bread. turned out great :))

Salmon in foil

2008-08-16T10:38:00.006-04:00

In an attempt to eat a little bit more healthy - keyword is "attempt ;) I made salmon in foil this week. It is so simple to make too.

Ingredients:
1 salmon
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 teaspoon coarsely chopped fresh rosemary leaves
1 lemon, very thinly sliced
1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
8 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Rinse salmon fillet under cold running water and pat dry. Cut a piece of foil long and wide enough to encase the salmon when folded over the center and folded up on the ends. Position the foil on a large baking sheet and place the salmon in the center of the foil, skin side down. Sprinkle the salmon with the salt, pepper, and rosemary. Place the lemon slices over the fish fillet along with the sliced onion and garlic slivers. Drizzle the fillet evenly with the olive oil and fold the edges of the foil up over the salmon and crimp to seal. Fold the edges together on both ends to create an airtight package.

and after 15 min...VOILA :

Greek Lamb Burger

2008-08-09T17:39:00.010-04:00

So today, after a whole day of cleaning the house and the yard, we figured it would be the perfect time for some burgers - but Greek style. The weather was very good for grilling too and it turned out just perfect!

Ingredients:
- ground lamb meat
- mint
- paprika
- oregano
- greek seasoning
- salt and pepper

Mix it all well and form into patties.
Then grill (4-5 min per site)

now, who's the Grillmeister? ;)

Serve on toasted pita bread with some lettuce and tsasiki sauce.

Mike loved it!

Here's a happy husband. Liebe geht halt doch durch den Magen :)

Pork Tenderloin with Chimichurri

2008-08-08T12:37:00.006-04:00

Here's another great and easy Tyler Florence recipe.
I served this with yellow rice and a mango salso. This dish can't go wrong!

Chimichurri:

- 6 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
- 2 jalapenos, seeded and minced
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
- About 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
- About 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh oregano leaves
- 3 limes, juiced
- 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- salt and pepper

- 2 pork tenderloins (about 1 pound each), trimmed of excess fat, patted dry
- salt & pepper
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- Lime juice, for drizzling
- Parsley sprigs, for garnish

Combine the garlic, jalapeno and vinegar in a bowl. Stir in the parsley, oregano, and lime juice. Whisk in the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Mix well and set aside at room temperature to allow the flavors to marry.

Reserve 1/2 cup of the chimichurri to serve and marinate the pork in the rest. Put the pork and marinade in a sealable plastic bag and set aside in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Preheat the grill or oven broiler to high.

Remove the pork from the marinade, wiping off any excess. Season both sides with a generous amount of salt and pepper. Drizzle with olive oil and place on the grill. Grill the pork on the hottest part of the barbecue for 4 minutes per side, until well charred. Allow the tenderloin to rest for about 5 minutes prior to slicing. Spoon some chimichurri over the meat, drizzle with lime juice, garnish with parsley, and serve with the remaining sauce at the table.

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and for leftovers, i cooked up some beans, cut the pork in little strips and made wraps out of it...with the leftover mango salsa.

my new stove

2008-07-30T10:23:00.003-04:00

I FINALLY got my new stove. It's a double oven too and really convenient. I love it. Now I can cook 2 things at the same time at different temperatures :))

baby back ribs

2008-07-26T16:21:00.013-04:00

So, I finally overcame my worries and made ribs. I've been wanting to make them for a while now, but was kinda intimitated by making them for some reason. Having eaten now, I wish I had made them a long time ago.
Again, thanks to Tyler Florence, here's the recipe. He's the man - according to Mike. Everything I cooked from him was just amazing.

Ingredients:

- 2 slabs baby back ribs (about 3 pounds)
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 bacon slices
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1/2 onion
- 3 smashed garlic cloves
- 2 cups ketchup
- 1 cup peach preserves
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard or 1 tablespoon dry mustard
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1/4 cup molasses
- 2 tablespoons red or white wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground paprika

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F. Put the ribs on a baking sheet, season with salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil. Stick them in the oven, and let the ribs bake, low and slow for 2 1/2 hours.

Meanwhile, make the sauce. Wrap the bacon around the middle of the thyme sprigs and tie with kitchen twine so you have a nice bundle. Heat a 2-count of oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the thyme bundle and cook slowly for 3 to 4 minutes to render the bacon fat and give the sauce a nice smoky taste. Add the onion and garlic and cook slowly, without coloring, for 5 minutes. Add all of the rest of the sauce ingredients, give the sauce a stir, and turn the heat down to low. Cook slowly for 20 minutes to meld the flavors. Put some sauce in a separate bowl for basting, reserving the remaining sauce for serving.

Baste the ribs with the sauce and let them continue cooking, basting twice more, for 30 more minutes. When the ribs are cooked, take them out of the oven. You can let them hang out like this until you're ready to eat.

When ready to eat, preheat the broiler for 5 minutes and broil the ribs, basting with the sauce. They should become crisp and charred, about 5 minutes on each side. Pick the onion and garlic out of the sauce and serve with ribs.

That sauce is just great. I eat it like that with a spoon, it's so good. You just HAVE to try it out yourself. It's so easy and delicious

Fajitas

2008-07-26T07:51:00.002-04:00

Ok, let me tell you, I LOVE making fajitas. I could make those every week. But then I think Mike would get sick of it and never wants it again...just like it happened with my chicken curry recipe (recipe will follow) :o(
Anywho, it's quite simple and it is my first recipe I kinda made up myself...well, I just put together the marinade for the steak myself instead of using a recipe.
Liz came over yesterday and we cooked this together and had a nice dinner.

Steak:

- marinade the steak in 1/4 cup - 1/2 cup of Worchester sauce, lime cest, lime juice, garlic, cilantro, finely diced jalepeno, salt and pepper for at least 1 hour
- sautee 1 onion (finely chopped) in dutch oven
- brown the meat in it
- pour in 1 big can of crushed tomatoes and cover lid.
- cook for 1 hour on low heat
- you can use that tomato sauce as salsa on your fajitas. it's really good.

Guacamole:
- in a bowl, combine 1/2 of a red onion (finely chopped), 1 jalepeno, cilantro, juice and cest of 3 lime and 2 avocado
- smash up well and season with salt and pepper

little note: according to Mike the trick to a great qwak is the smashing it up really really well. of course he said that, since he is the one that always smashes it. Ok, I let him take credit for this great qwak :o))
Here's Mike mixing it all up nicely:

Liz and I trying to make a Mojito...let's only say, we would not make good bar tenders ;)

and for desert we made some chocolate mousse a la Jamie Oliver:

grilled Lamb Kebab with a nectarine chutney

2008-07-24T05:11:00.012-04:00

I meant to finally grill something outside the other day, but then it started pouring and thundering...so I had to go back inside and use the stove top grill. oh well, better than nothing.
So, I saw this recipe on Bobby Flay. We love lamb and kebab so it was just clear that I would make this. and it was quite good :)

Lobster at the beach

2008-07-21T16:41:00.014-04:00

In May, Mike and I got away for a week and we went to a really nice resort in the Dominican Republic (La Romana). It was beautiful! One of the best things we did there, was going on a speed boat to another little paradise island and went snorkeling. We also had a really nice lobster lunch right at the beach there.

Tyler's ultimate chicken parmigiana

2008-07-20T16:37:00.016-04:00

I think the person I get most recipes from is Tyler Florence. Thinking about it, I make a lot of his "ultimate" dishes. And I have never been disappointed. Yesterday, we had a pork tenderloin with a great habanero/honey glaze at matt and angie's. It was real good. Also a Tyler Florence recipe btw. sorry, no pics though.

But anyway, today, I made Tyler's ultimate Chicken Parmigiana.

tomato sauce:
- sautee onion and garlic and season with salt and pepper
- add some chilli flakes
- 1 bayleaf
- handful of olives
- 2 cans of San Mazano tomatos (crushed)
- stir and let simmer

breading for chicken:
- 1 bowl with seasoned flour
- 1 bowl with seasoned eggs and milk
- 1 bowl with parmesan, bread crums, and garlic powder
- brown chicken in a pan

- add tomato sauce to the chicken and sprinkle with mozarella and parmesan cheese and cook in oven at 350F for about 10 min

garlic bread:
- in a bowl put in 1 stick of room temperature butter
- grate some garlic
- add some basil and parsley and mix
- spread herb/garlic butter on bread
- drizzle with EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil)
- put in oven at 350F for about 10 min

as a side dish, I also made Cesar Salad - with home made Cesar Salad dressing.

just put together in blender:
- 1 glove of garlic
- 1/4 cup of vegtable oil or olive oil
- 2 tbsp Worchester sauce
- juice of 2 lemons
- 1/4 teaspoon of ground mustard
- 8 anchovies

ready :))

Greek Fiesta

2008-07-19T07:30:00.001-04:00

We just love making Greek food. Especially Gyros with a homemade tsasiki sauce. I got this recipe from a collegue of mine who's from Greece. I make it all the time. It's actually one of Mike's favorites. - Thanks Pana ;)

Ingredients

- pork loin (cut in bite size cubes)
- 1 onion
- 2 tbsp of olive oil
- paprika
- thyme
- oregano
- salt and pepper

Best thing is to prepare the meat the night before. The longer the marinade the better.
Cut up the pork loin in bite size pieces and put into a big bowl.
Cut the onion lengthwise and put in the bowl
drizzle olive oil, paprika, oregano, thyme over it. Add some garlic and season with salt and pepper. Mix it well up and cover and put in fridge

Tsasiki sauce:

- 2-3 gloves of garlic
- 1/2 english cucumber
- Greek yogurt (total)
- 1/2 tbsp of vinegar
- 2 tbsp of olive oil
- salt and pepper

Peel the cucumber and grate in a bowl. You can also cut it up in little pieces if you want a more chunky tsasiki sauce. Get rid of some of the water that's in the bowl with the cucumber
Add the yogurt in the bowl and mix. Depending on taste (or what you have planned for after the dinner ;) - add as many garlic gloves as you like (i put in 3 big ones usually to make it real garlicy). Cut up the garlic very finely or put in a garlic press and add to the yogurt.
Now, drizzle with olive oil, vinegar (I use red wine vinegar), and season with salt and pepper. Mix well until it gets creamy.

I serve this dish with rice. Als, I usually grill up some pita bread and cut in chip size pieces. I spread Hummus on them. If you want you can snak some olives with it. It's so easy to make and really good.

Steak Guinness and Cheese Pie

2008-07-19T05:58:00.000-04:00

Most people that know me, know that I have a weakness for England/Ireland. There's just something about those countries, their people and their accent that you just can't resist ;) at least I can't.
Anyway, one of my favorite chefs on tv is obviously Jamie Oliver. I've watched him for years even before I started cooking. So, from him I got this great Irish recipe that's real hardy and just delicious. And, it's made with Guiness. Now what can be better than that?

Ingredients:

- buy puff pastry
- pre-heat 2 tbsp of butter in Dutch oven and sauté 3 onions
- add a sprink of rosmary and 3 gloves of garlic
- add 2 sticks celery and 2 carrotts
- add the brisquitte of beef (cubed)
- season with salt and pepper
- add 1 can of Guinness
- add 1 tbsp of flour
- top up with beefstock and put lid on
- cook in oven at 350 F for 2 hours
- after that, stir in 100g Cheddar cheese

- roll puff pastry approx. 3mm thick and put in pie dish
- pour in the filling
- add another handful of cheddar cheese
- put puff pastry lid on top
- put eggwash on the sides before putting on the lid
- score lid slightly with knofe and eggwash it
- put back in the oven at 350 F for about 40 minutes
- serve with peas

Chicken Curry in a Hurry

2008-07-18T21:45:00.000-04:00

Chicken Curry in a Hurry...it's one of my alltime favorites. and I got it from Rachel Ray. I used to make this once a week at least. sometimes even more. I don't think I could ever get enough of that stuff :)

ingredients:
- 4 pieces of boneless skinless chicken breats, cut into pieces (you can put them in a bit of flower if you want to)
- 1 medium onion (that would be 2 german onions - everything's bigger in the states)
- 1 piece of fresh gingerroot grated (i use dry ginger powder...easier)
- 3 gloves of garlic, minced
- 1 can chicken broth
- 3 tablespoons curry paste
- 1 handfull of raisins (optional)
- 2-3 tablespoons of mango chutney

- in large skillet (medium heat), brown chicken in peanut or sesame oil. remove chicken from pan and set aside
- add onion, ginger and garlic. saute for 3 min tunil onion becomes tender
- add broth and lift off all the good junks stuck to the bottom of the pan.
- add curry paste and raisins.
- put chicken back in the pan
- stir in chutney to thicken and sweeten
- simmer for 5-10 minutes

for toppins you can use either:
spanish peanuts, cilantro, mango chutney, chopped green onions, orange segments, coconut flakes or pineapple chunks.

Short Ribs (Danny Boome)

2008-07-18T21:26:00.001-04:00

If you have a slow, sleepy, rainy day, this is the perfect dish to make. It's so comforting, takes little effort to make. Then curl up on the couch and watch a good movie while enjoying the great meal.

Ingredients:
- 4 short ribs (bone-in)
- Flour
- Carrots,
- Celery
- Shallot
- Onion
- Bachon
- Red wine
- Beef stock
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 tbsp paprika

Recipe:
- season four with a bit of paprika and salt. Put ribs in it.
- In a dutch oven, heat 2 tbsp of butter and oil up and brown the meat
- In the meantime, cut carrots, celery, shallots, onion and bachon
- Take the meat out and brown the bachon. Then add all the veggies in.
- Deglaze with red wine – pour in ½ or 1 bottle of red wine
- Put the ribs back in it.
- Cover and let it cook @ 350 F for 2-3 hours
- When done, put in a little bit of bitter chocolate and let it melt (non-sweet chocolate!!)

Jamaican Jerk Chicken Kebab

2008-07-18T19:15:00.000-04:00

Alright, so let me start by saying that July 15th was mike's birthday and he's not feeling well at all. Poor guy. So when I got home from work I gave him a choice of 2 dishes that I would cook for him. Either my faijtas or try a new recipe, which I just saw on TV (Guy's Big Bite) - Jamaican Jerk Chicken Kebab. We both never had jerk chicken and were curious and so decided to try something new. and I must say, I'll make that plenty of more times in the future!

INGREDIENTS

for the chicken marinade, put the following in a food processor:
- 1 medium red onion
- 1/4 cup of oilve oil
- 1/4 cup of soy sauce
- 2-3 green onions
- 1 habenero pepper (I took out the seeds and membrane)
- 3/4 cup of orange juice
- ginger
- 1 tbsp nutmeg
- some cinemon
- some allspice
- 3-4 springs of fresh thyme
- 2 gloves of garlic
- salt and pepper

blend all of this together and let the chicken marinade. I put the cut up chicken with the marinade in a plastic bag and let it marinade for about 1 hour

Then take some wooden skewers that have been soaked in water for at least 30 min and put the chicken on them.

Grill the chicken. After it's browned on the outside, put it in the oven at 400 degrees for about 10-15 min until chicken is cooked all the way through.

As a side dish, I made a Mango Salsa. This is so easy to make too.

In a medium bowl mix together:
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- some hotsauce (depending on your taste)
- juice of 2 limes
- finely chopped ginger
- finely cut up english cucumber
- cut up mango
- 2 scallions

cover with plastic wrap and let all this marinade for 1-2 hours in the fridge

Serve dish with rice mixed with some cilantro and parsley.

Surf & Turf

2008-07-18T19:03:00.000-04:00

Last Sunday, I wanted to make something special for my husband's birthday (yes, I spoil him when it comes to food...esp on his birthday). He did not want me to buy him anything, since we are getting a new stove (YIPEEE), but he only asked me to cook a nice dinner. and so I did.

Fortunately, I had just watched Tyler Florence making his ultimate surf & turf. Filet Mignon with a crab salad. Let me tell you, it was Yumm-O ;o))

So I went to the store Sunday morning and bought all the ingredients I would need. BTW, I got a little shock when I saw the price of the 4 center cut beef tenderloin steaks. But hey, it was his special day and it was all worth it

For the surf:
1 pint lump crabmeat, picked over for bits of shell and cartilage
1/2 to 3/4 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon hot chile paste (recommended: sambal oelek)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1 lime, juiced
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the turf:

- Extra-virgin olive oil

- 4 center-cut beef tenderloin steaks, each about 2 inches thick (about 2 pounds total) Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

- 1 pint vine-ripened red cherry tomatoes, washed and dried

For the surf:

In a medium bowl, stir together:

- together with the mayonnaise, chili paste, cilantro, and lime juice, and season with salt and pepper. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside in the refrigerator.

For the turf: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Put a cast iron or ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat and get it hot. Drizzle in a 2-count of oil. If you choose to tie the fillets, take a piece of butchers twine and wrap it around each fillet twice to form a nice round shape. This will help the meat retain its shape while cooking. Sprinkle the beef all over with salt and pepper and sear for about 3 minutes on each side, until well browned. Shove the beef to the side and add the tomatoes to the pan; drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and stir gently to coat. Now put the pan in the oven and roast until the beef is rare and the tomatoes burst, 7 to 8 minutes. (Add 2 more minutes for medium rare, 5 more minutes for medium.)