Basic Taste

Basic Vegan Waffles with Oat Flour

2011-05-09T23:30:00.002-05:00

This is a simple recipe for vegan waffles, very basic and plain. You can modify it to your taste by adding things you like to it, like cinnamon and nutmeg, or orange extract, anything you can think of. In my research I found few good recipes for vegan waffles online, but it just wasn't enough, I needed to make few changes here and there. So I came out with this healthy version of my own vegan waffles recipe. I am currently experimenting with oat flour, which is very healthy, has a lot of fiber and protein, and so I wanted to incorporate oat flour into this breakfast (well, or dessert) treat. Waffles came out super tasty, moist on the inside, brown and crispy on the outside. Pictures will follow soon :)

Basic Vegan Waffles

1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup oat flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups soy milk (regular or light)
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup canola oil
1/2 tsp vanilla
3 TBSP light brown sugar

Mix all dry ingredients in a bowl, add soy milk, oil and sugar and mix until well combined. Pre-heat your waffle iron and make waffles according to the directions. Depends on the size of your iron, this recipe made about 6 - 7" round Belgian waffles. Serve with whatever topping you wish. Hazelnut spread and bananas, fresh fruit and whipped cream, maple syrup... anything you want.

Vegan Coconut Bars

2011-03-14T19:40:00.001-05:00

All I have to say is: SUPERB! I love it! Nutty, chocolaty with a lot of coconut flavor coming from sweetened coconut flakes and gooey coconut milk "caramel". Must try this recipe. Like the author calls those - MAGICAL! This is a "do ahead" dessert - it needs to be chilled at least 4 hrs before slicing, but for better results should be chilled overnight. Taste better the next day anyways.

Magical Coconut Cookie Bars

{Recipe adapted from Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar}

1 14 oz can of coconut milk (regular or light, I used light)
2/3 cup of brown sugar
2 cups graham cracker crumb
1/2 cup melted non-hydrogenated margarine
2 TBS sugar
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips
2 cups flaked, sweetened coconut
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
(optional - 1/2 cup slivered raw almonds)

In a large saucepan whisk together the coconut milk and brown sugar over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove mixture from the heat and let it cool while preparing the crust.
Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 9 x 13 inch baking pan with parchment paper. In a large bowl combine graham cracker crumbs, melted margarine and 2 TBS sugar. Mix well to moisten all the crumbs. Firmly pressed the crumb mixture into the prepared pan, pressing it evenly. Pour the warm coconut milk "caramel" over the crust. Top with even layer of the chocolate chip, coconut flakes and nuts, in that order. Firmly pat everything down. Bake 28-30 minutes until golden. Remove from the oven and cool down for few hours before cutting. Best to chill overnight.

My Vegan Journey - the Begining

2011-03-14T17:22:00.001-05:00

Today is 30 days sine I stopped eating animal products, eggs, diary, basically anything that comes from animals. I needed a challenge. On February 14, 2011 I decided to give it a try and see if i could be vegan. I quit "cold turkey" or, as I heard them say "cold tofu"... and I like it! I have my moments of weakness when I think I would love to have a big, juicy ham slice with my breakfast, or a turkey sandwich, but I haven't given up, I have been vegan for 30 days and I am going for more, one month at the time... It definitely gets easier and easier. In the moments of weakness I read a story or two from Kathy Freston book "Veganist" or browse through vegan blogs or books in search of inspiration. My vegan cookbook library is growing rapidly, so many amazing recipes and ideas. It's so much more challenging, so much more fun in the kitchen. And my weakness - baking - who needs eggs to make cupcakes? Heavy cream? Why? Use coconut milk... It taste better and definitely a healthier alternative for deserts.

So as I am starting this Vegan Journey, this blog will be my recipe book. I will no longer be posting anything that has meat, cheese, milk or eggs on it. Only vegan recipes :) But please don't be discouraged to check it out once on a while. Just a few months ago, I would never imagine myself not eating meat (believe me! I am 100% polish, all we eat is MEAT!!!) but by exploring the subject, and reading a lot of vegan literature I decided to make the switch. Trying vegan recipes one at the time made me realize that you don't really miss much by eliminating meat and diary from your diet. After one month of being vegan, I noticed small changes in my life. I lost few pounds, I feel better, and I am much more happy. I am so much more concise of what I eat. And I feel great about my small contribution to the world :).

By the way - vegan desserts are awesome! Even if you're not a vegan I encourage you to try vegan baking. My favorite vegan baking books: Isa Chandra Moskovitz & Terry Hope Romero - "Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World" and "Vegan Cookies Invade your Cookie Jar", also "The Joy of Vegan Baking" by Colleen Patrick Gourdeau.

Curried Quinoa Salad with Mango

2011-02-17T20:37:00.004-06:00

My friend brought it over for a party and I fell in love with this wonderful and easy dish. Served over bed of fresh spinach makes a quick and easy lunch. Holds well in the refrigerator for few days. The original recipe is from Epicurious and I made few little changes to my taste. This is 100% vegan.

1 cup uncooked white Quinoa
1 cup diced seedless cucumber
1 mango, diced
2 TBS chopped green onions or chives
1 tsp chopped cilantro (optional)

Dressing:

1/4 cup canola oil
2 TBS rice vinegar (or any other vinegar)
1 TBS mango chutney
1 1/2 tsp curry powder
1/4 tsp dry mustard
1 TBS agave nectar (optional)

For 1 cup of quinoa you need about 2 cups of water. Cook quinoa in medium pot of boiling salted water over medium heat until tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally, about 12 minutes. Drain well; cool. Transfer to medium bowl.

Meanwhile, whisk all dressing ingredients in small bowl to blend. Season dressing to taste with salt and pepper. Add chopped mango, cucumber, green onions, and cilantro.

Vegan Fudge Brownie Cupcakes

2011-02-01T21:09:00.006-06:00

Very easy recipe. Yummy vegan brownie cupcakes. Definitely tastes like fudge brownie, with the light and airy consistency, not dense like expected from the fudge brownie. Just sprinkled with powdered sugar is enough, although chocolate fudge frosting would be a nice complement.

1 1/2 cups unbleached flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
3/4 cup coffee
3/4 cup soy milk
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 325 F. Grease 9 x 9 inch brownie pan. Or lined cupcake form with cupcake liners.
Mix together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In a separate bowl, stir together brown sugar, coffee, soy milk and vegetable oil. Combine the wet and dry mixes and stir to mix well. Stir walnuts into the batter. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, bake 35 minutes. Or fill cupcake liners about 2/3 full. Bake cupcakes about 25 minutes. Insert toothpick to check if done. Cool before sprinkling powder sugar or frosting.

Makes: 16 cupcakes, 160 calories each. Recipe from "Rebar: Modern Food Cookbook"

Caramel Pumpkin Mousse Pie

2010-11-30T21:37:00.021-06:00

Post-thanksgiving recipe for great no-bake caramel pumpkin mousse pie. Very light and tasty, not too heavy in calories. Recipe has 10 servings and about 262 calories per slice. Perfect for holidays. My mother-in-law made it for the Turkey Day and it was gone in no time. I have all the ingredients and I will make it this week, so photo will be added. But trust me - this is by far THE BEST and the EASIEST pumpkin dessert I have ever had.

1 graham cracker crust
6 TBSP caramel topping
2 oz chopped pecans
1 cup 2% milk (or skim milk)
1 box instant vanilla pudding
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
8 oz light whipped topping

Pour 1/4 cup (4 TBSP) caramel topping into the pie crust, sprinkle with half of the amount of pecans.
In a large bowl whisk together milk, pudding mix, pumpkin, cinnamon and nutmeg until well blended. Stir in 1 1/2 cups of the whipped topping. Spread mixture evenly onto the crust. Chill at least one hour.
Top with remaining whipped topping, drizzle with remaining 2 TBSP of caramel topping and sprinkle with the rest of pecans.

Makes: 10 servings, 262 calories per serving (source: Calorie Count.com)

Cranberry Swirl Cheesecake from Cooking Light

2010-11-23T20:06:00.010-06:00

First issue of my new Cooking Light subscription finally showed up in my mailbox, and I couldn't resist the cover photography of this beautiful cheesecake with red cranberry swirl. I made it within next couple of days. And I have to say the cheesecake is amazing. Very light and airy with decadent flavor. Definitely a keeper! Great for Holiday season. [It was almost gone before I had a chance to even think of photographing it.]

The cranberry sauce swirl can be replaced with any other fruit swirl, or even a chocolate. The bottom of the cheesecake can be mad with regular Nilla wafers, or graham crackers. If you don't like fruit, i would recommend making white chocolate ganache, or even milk chocolate ganache on top of it to add extra flavor. The base cheese mixture is made using 1/3-less fat cream cheese and fat free yogurt, which helps to keep calories down.

Below is the recipe to save you time for researching the internet.

Crust:
4 ounces chocolate graham crackers
[I used Nilla wafers and 2 TBSP of cocoa powder]
3 tablespoons canola oil

Cranberry Compote/Sauce:
1 1/2 cups fresh cranberries
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup Chambord (raspberry liqueur)
3 tablespoons water

Cheesecake:
1 cup sugar
2 (8 oz.) packages block-style 1/3-less-fat cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup (4 oz.) block-style fat-free cream cheese, softened
1 cup plain fat-free Greek yogurt [I used regular fat free yogurt, not Greek]
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs [I added 4 eggs and skipped egg whites step]
2 large egg whites

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375°. Wrap outside and bottom of a 9-inch springform pan tightly with a double layer of heavy-duty foil.
Place crackers in a food processor; process until finely ground. Drizzle with oil; pulse until combined. Press mixture into bottom and 1/2 inch up sides of prepared pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 375° for 8 minutes; cool on a rack.
Reduce oven temperature to 325°.
Place cranberries, sugar, liqueur, and water in a saucepan; boil. Cook 8 minutes or until cranberries pop and mixture is syrupy. Cool 20 minutes. Place mixture in a food processor; process 1 minute or until smooth.
Combine 1 cup sugar and cheeses in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until smooth. Beat in yogurt, vanilla, and salt. Add whole eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.
Place 2 egg whites in a medium bowl; beat with a mixer at high speed until soft peaks form using clean, dry beaters. Fold beaten egg whites into cream cheese mixture. Pour filling over crust. Spoon cranberry mixture over filling; swirl together using the tip of a knife. Place springform pan in a 13 x 9-inch metal baking pan. Add hot water to pan to a depth of 2 inches. Bake at 325° for 50 minutes or until center of cheesecake barely moves when pan is touched.
Turn oven off. Cool cheesecake in closed oven 30 minutes. Remove cheesecake from oven. Run a knife around outside edge. Cool on a wire rack. Cover and chill 8 hours.

[Photo courtesy of Cooking Light]

Basic Crepes

2010-04-11T18:10:00.007-05:00

Crepes are very thin pancakes originated in France and actually considered a french national dish. Made by pouring thin consistency batter onto a flat round pan. The batter is spread evenly by tilting the pan in a circular motion, until it creates a round, thin surface. Sweet or savory can be filled with different ingredients and served as a main course or dessert.

My alltime favorite, since childhood, are crepes filled with vanilla creamed farmer's (cream) cheese and strawberry preserve, dusted with powdered sugar. Sauteed apples with sugar and dash of cinnamon make a delicious crepe filling, topped with homemade whipped cream... yum!
Try crepes with nutella and bananas... especially sauteed bananas. Warm bananas melt the chocolate nutella little bit and make it all just come together in the little bites of heaven.

There are several different versions of recipes for crepes, and they all are pretty good. I usually make crepes from my old family recipe that came from my Aunt Maria, who used to cook for a family of french Counts in Poland back in the 1930's.

Crepes

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

2 cups AP flour
1,5 cup milk
1 cup sparkling water (regular water is fine, or milk)
2 eggs
2 TBS melter butter (or vegetable oil)
pinch of salt
2 TBS sugar
1/2 tsp. pure vanilla

Whisk all the ingredients together, the batter should be somewhat thin, much thinner then standard american pancake batter. Refrigerate the batter for 20-30 minutes before using.
Preheat a teaspoon of vegetable oil on a nonstick skillet (use crepe pan if you have it), pour some batter and tilt your pan couple of times around to distribute the batter in a thin, even layer.
Cook on a medium heat about a minute on the first side, flip and another minute or less and the other side. Just until the crepes are lightly golden.

Fill with your favorite filling, and either roll them or fold in a half or quarters...

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Blueberry Scones from America's Test Kitchen

2010-04-03T19:13:00.008-05:00

I'm not sure how you like your scones, I like mine light and fluffy and this is by far the best scone I ever had in my entire life. The secret in this recipe is to make sure that you freeze your butter first, then grate it and freeze it again. This allows the butter to get super cold and that is what makes those scones so light and wonderful. I haven't made them yet, but a friend of mine did, and believe me - the BEST scone ever! {Unless you like them crumbly, and dense this will not be what you are looking for.} I will be making them tonight for my Easter Brunch tomorrow morning, so I will post pictures and other comments in another post. :)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Blueberry Scones
{Recipe from America's Test Kitchen}

8 TBS unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries
1/2 cup whole milk
1/2 cup sour cream
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp fresh lemon zest
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda

Freeze your butter before you start. You can do it the night before, or a few hours before.

Preheat oven to 425 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment. Set aside. Grate the butter and set aside in the freezer, again. Freeze your blueberries until you need them in the folding process. Or use frozen ones.

Whisk the milk and sour cream together. Refrigerate until needed, so it stays cold.

In a large bowl, whisk the flour,1/2 cup sugar,baking powder, lemon zest,salt, and baking soda. Add the frozen, gated butter and mix until butter is coated with flour mixture. Fold in the cold milk/sour cream mixture, just until combined - important is not to overmix.

Turn the dough and any floury bits on a well floured counter-top. Flour your hands and the dough and knead for 6-8 times...be gentle. It should just hold together in a raggedy ball. It is a soft/wet dough. It will stick as you knead, so add a bit of flour to prevent it from sticking. I like to use a bench scraper to lift the dough off the counter-top.Roll dough out in a 12 inch(or so) square. Fold the top and chill the dough in the freezer for about 5 minutes.

Flour your counter-top again. Roll the chilled dough again in a 12 inch square. Sprinkle the chilled berries evenly over the whole surface. Fold the sides of the dough to form a 4 inch square. Loosen the dough with a bench scraper. Roll the dough in a log. Turn the seam side down and press down on the log to form a 12x4 inch rectangle.With a floured knife, cut the dough in 4 small rectangles. Cut each rectangle in 2 triangles. Place the scones on a parchment lined baking sheet. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with some raw sugar or regular. Bake for 18-25 minutes OR until light golden brown. Cool 10 minutes before serving.

Enjoy!

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Spinach Artichoke Dip

2010-03-25T20:26:00.005-05:00

Sometimes you want to bring something to a party and don’t know what to make. You don’t want to spend all day in the kitchen slaving over a dish that not everybody might like. That’s the tricky part – you want to make sure that whatever you make will be a crowd pleaser.

There are gazillions recipes for spinach artichoke dip, and quite frankly I made several of them, but there is always something that I don’t like about it. Either the consistency or the flavor… I know – how picky of me? One Saturday afternoon I noticed a bag of fresh spinach in my refrigerator, it was couple of days past the “best by” date. I had an open jar of Trader Joe’s marinated artichokes, and pita chips – so what else could go better together than spinach artichoke dip.

I had no recipe.

I just sauteed one small, thinly sliced red onion with about a teaspoon of fresh chopped garlic (or less – whatever you like) added the bag of fresh spinach, which at first looked like way too much, but it will wilt down to almost nothing. After the spinach wilts, added 1/3 less fat cream cheese (8 oz.) and 2-3 TBS of light sour cream. The cheese will start melting as it gets warmer, stir it all together to combine the ingredients and it starts creating creamy consistency. One of the last steps was adding chopped marinated artichokes and some freshly grated Parmesan cheese (cheese is completely optional, as the dip tastes really good without it). Season the dip with salt and pepper and taste it. If the dip is too thick, I add some of the artichoke marinate juice from the jar to loosen it up a little. It all depends what brand of cream cheese you are using. Pour warm dip to a serving bowl and serve with pita chips or baguette.

Adding some thinly sliced, sauteed baby portabella mushrooms (or any mushrooms) is another great way to improve this dip. This recipe can be easily doubled or tripled. Oh, and I just wouldn’t recommend frozen spinach, can’t guarantee the flavor…

I have made this dip more than several times and it's always a winner. :)

Chicken Curry With Sweet Potatoes

2009-11-15T19:57:00.008-06:00

Great recipe from Cooking Light magazine. I made it this past weekend for a potluck dinner, it was relatively easy to make even though the list of ingredients seems really long. I had leftover baked sweet potatoes from the night before and I used them, and I added those just couple of minutes before the dish was done cooking, since those were already cooked all the way through.
The picture is from the magazine also, we were running late and I didn't have a chance to do a photo shoot before we left. I served it with steamed jasmine rice, and there was no leftovers. Omitting chicken will make it a great vegetarian recipe.

{Photo: Becky Luigart-Stayner; Styling: Sabrina Bone for Cooking Light}

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sweet Potato Chicken Curry
{Recipe courtesy of Cooking Light Magazine - Danielle Stephenson, MN}

2 teaspoons curry powder
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
1 bay leaf
1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil
1 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 1/2 cups sliced onion
1 1/2 teaspoons minced peeled fresh ginger
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 (14-ounce) can fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
2 cups (1/2-inch) cubed peeled sweet potato
3/4 cup canned chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup frozen green peas
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Combine curry powder, coriander, turmeric, salt, black pepper, red pepper, and bay leaf in a small bowl.

Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add chicken to pan; sauté 5 minutes or until browned, stirring occasionally. Remove chicken from pan. Reduce heat to medium. Add onion to pan; cook 10 minutes or until tender, stirring frequently. Increase heat to medium-high; return chicken to pan. Cook 1 minute, stirring occasionally. Stir in ginger and garlic; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add curry powder mixture; cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add broth and tomatoes; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 1 hour. Stir in potato and chickpeas. Cook, uncovered, 35 minutes, until fork tender. Add peas; cook 5 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Remove from heat; stir in lemon juice. Discard bay leaf.

Sweet Potato Buttrnut Squash Gnocchi with Sage Brown Butter

2009-10-19T21:05:00.008-05:00

Gnocchi – who doesn’t like gnocchi? Little fluffy and delicate dumplings or I like to call them “pillows” made from potatoes, flour and eggs. Very neutral taste of gnocchi takes on a flavor of sauce it’s served it with. Traditional tomato sauce with garlic and basil makes a great flavor combination for this Italian favorite.

Harvest season is upon us, and I am all about utilizing what fall has to offer in the kitchen. Squash, pumpkins, sweet potatoes, root vegetables, herbs like sage and thyme… great earthy flavors, paired with a glass of good red wine! Makes it autumn my favorite season… gnocchi and harvest - why not make sweet potato and butternut squash gnocchi with brown butter and sage – just the thought of this dish made me hungry!

I did some research on line and found couple of recipes. I based my dinner on the recipe from the October issue of Gourmet Magazine with couple of changes. Have you ever tried gnocchi with brown butter sprinkled with sugar? This is by far the best recipe to try that for the first time. The hint of sweetness from the sweet potato, rich and delicate brown butter and couple of sprinkles of sugar - delicioso! The sugar is optional. I served my gnocchi either with butter and sage or butter and sugar… although mixing both did not taste bad at all… actually it had a quite interesting flavor.

I have to admit the gnocchi itself tasted wonderful, so light and fluffy. I couldn’t put my fork away, it was so good. The ratio of butternut squash is very little, I didn’t want to make my gnocchi too wet, since the sweet potato has already much bigger water content than russet potatoes. And adding too much flour will make them too heavy… so this was basically playing with ingredients and testing the amounts of flour until I achieved the right consistency. The “dough” was still very sticky, it was hard to roll, but it was worth the efforts.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sweet Potato Butternut Squash Gnocchi with Sage Butter

1 1/4 lb russet (baking potatoes)
1 (3/4-lb) sweet potato
1/2 cup roasted butternut squash
1 large egg
1/2 tsp grated nutmeg
1/3 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano plus more for serving
1 1/2 to 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour plus more for dusting
2 TBS extra-virgin olive oil
20 sage leaves
4 TBS unsalted butter

Preheat oven to 450°F with rack in middle bake russet potatoes, sweet potato the squash and until just tender, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Cool potatoes slightly, then peel and force through ricer into sheet pan, spreading in an even layer. Cool mixture completely.

Lightly flour 2 or 3 large baking sheets or line with parchment paper. Beat together egg, nutmeg, 1 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp pepper in a small bowl. Gather potato/squash into a mound in sheet pan, using a pastry scraper if you have one, and form a well in center. Pour egg mixture into well, then knead into potatoes. Knead in cheese and 11/2 cups flour, then knead, adding more flour as necessary, until mixture forms a smooth but slightly sticky dough. Dust top lightly with some of flour. Cut dough into 6 pieces. Form 1 piece of dough into a 1/2-inch-thick rope on a lightly floured surface. Cut rope into 1/2-inch pieces. Gently roll each piece into a ball and lightly dust with flour. Repeat with remaining 5 pieces of dough.

Turn a fork over and hold at a 45-degree angle, with tips of tines touching work surface. Working with 1 at a time, roll gnocchi down fork tines, pressing with your thumb, to make ridges on 1 side. Transfer gnocchi as formed to baking sheets.

Add butter, oil and sage leaves in skillet with 1/2 tsp salt and cook until golden-brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat.

Add half of gnocchi to a pasta pot of well-salted boiling water and stir. Cook until they float to surface, about 3 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to skillet with butter sauce. Cook remaining gnocchi in same manner, transferring to skillet as cooked. Heat gnocchi in skillet over medium heat, stirring to coat. Serve sprinkled with fried sage and grated cheese.

Uncooked gnocchi can be frozen (first in 1 layer on a baking sheet, then transferred to a sealable bag) up to 1 month. Do not thaw before cooking.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies with Walnuts - Yum!

2009-10-18T16:04:00.014-05:00

So I did take some time off from blogging, recipes, and cooking all together, and now I think I am recharged and ready to start again. I have to admit, with a full time job, dog, husband and the rest of everyday life it's hard to find time for this. Photographing your food before you eat it (LOL), editing, and publishing recipes - it all takes time, and sometimes I just want to be lazy and read a book or watch DVR-ed shows... or just enjoy a glass of wine with take-out.
I actually thought I would have more time to do that this past summer, but I was wrong. Summer in Chicago is so short and I tried to do as much as I could outside, enjoying nice weather before it's gone again. It comes and goes so fast, it's over before you know it. More and more I think about moving somewhere with a milder climate. I love Chicago, I love where we live, our big loft with great city views and huge rooftop deck, but the climate here might just not be worth it anymore. This country has so many great places to live to offer. Right now I would like to move to Pacific Northwest. I know, i know, the weather there is not as great as in Arizona but there i so much more to do out there. Pacific coast, mountains, beautiful lakes, trails, lighthouses, rain forests, wineries... and I don't think they get as much snow as we get here, in the midwest. Right? Portland and Seattle are my two top cities whre I could see myself living for the next couple of years...

So, cookies?! I'm not sure what made want cookies this weekend, but all of the sudden I had to make cookies. Sugar cookies are definitely my top choice but white chocolate macadamia take the spotlight completely. Oatmeal raisin are number three, and that's pretty much all cookies I really like. So I rarely make cookies, since I try to stay in "shape" and once I have cookies sitting on my counter top looking at me - I can't resist! I could finish the whole batch! In fact, I actually had (in the past)... so I stay away from making cookies...

I started with the Quaker Oatmeal Cookies recipe and modified it to my likings, if I can say that. I used margarine instead of butter to make it healthier, and I added chopped walnuts. I also reduced the amount of sugar. My husband likes white chocolate in his cookies, so after I split the cookie dough I added some chopped white chocolate to the second batch. The cookies were crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside, warm, straight from the oven tasted amazing with a big glass of cold milk!

Walnut and white chocolate with raisins and oatmeal - I have to admit - I was worry about all this ingredients but the effect was delicious. You can almost call them everything but kitchen sink cookies or garbage cookies??? maybe not...

___________________________________________________________________

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies with Walnuts

1/2 cup (1 stick) plus 6 tablespoons soften butter {margarine}
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar {1/4 cup}
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups Quaker® Oats (quick or old fashioned, uncooked)
1 cup raisins
{ 3/4 cup chopped walnuts, and chopped white chocolate-optional}

Preheat oven to 350°F. In large bowl, beat butter and sugars on medium speed of electric mixer until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla; beat well. Add combined flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt; mix well. Add oats and raisins {and walnuts and chopped white chocolate} - mix well.

{Refrigerate cookie dough for about 10-15 minutes before dropping, it helps with the stickiness}

Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool 1 minute on cookie sheets; remove to wire rack. Cool completely. Store tightly covered.

Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes

2009-08-23T22:40:00.005-05:00

This is a winner recipe for quick and easy buttermilk pancakes. Fluffy, crispy on the edges and soft in the middle with mouthwatering blueberries peaking through - those are by far my favorite buttermilk pancakes. I'm not sure where I got this recipe from, it's been in my folder for some time now. I never really felt the need to make homemade pancakes. But lately I got tired of the store bought pancake mix that was not that great at all, and finally decided to make the real, homemade pancakes. Smothered with real butter and maple syrup, paired with a crispy slice of grilled ham creates a perfect combination for Sunday's brunch.

Buttermilk Pancakes

2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
2 TBS. sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup buttermilk
2-3 TBS. melted butter
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Preheat a pan or a griddle. Whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt until combined. In a separate bowl mix eggs, milk, buttermilk, sugar and melted butter and vanilla until well mixed. Combine flour mixture with the egg mixture and mix together to get a batter consistency without larger lumps, but do not over mix it. It's ok to have some small lumps in your pancake mix. Mix in 1 cup of fresh blueberries. {I do not add fruit to my mix until the mix is poured on the pan or griddle, once the pancakes starts cooking, i add 5-8 blueberries per pancake, depends on the size of pancakes.} Pour on griddle and cook until the pancakes appear bubbly, turn and cook another 2 minutes. Serve with butter, maple syrup, yogurt or fresh fruit - whatever you like.

Peach and Plum Upside-Down Cake

2009-08-11T17:56:00.015-05:00

I found myself baking much more often lately. Even though it is summer and it is hot enough without the oven on, there is nothing better than the smell of baking in my kitchen. The house filled with warm aromas of cookies, cakes and pies just makes me happy. And there is always the first bite, the moment of truth. Is it as good as you expected? Would I change anything in the recipe, maybe add less sugar or few drops of almond extract...

After purchasing couple great baking books and subscribing to few great "baking blogs" - my "want to make folder" is growing rapidly. Fall is my favorite baking season, and I know, I will be sad to say goodbye to the summer, but there is something great about the harvest season, its cool evenings, the cinnamon and cloves and cider, and the endless possibilities of baking with apples...

But anyway - today is about plums, and plum upside down cake. Actually my cake has mixed plums and peaches to make it more summery. I research for a perfect recipe, there are quite of few available online. I made the cake batter with cinnamon and milk, and the topping with butter and brown sugar. Another recipe I found - had sour cream added to the batter and regular sugar in topping. Both looked equally great, and my next upside down cake will be experimenting with the other recipe. Maybe it will be apple upside down ...

This cake is tender and moist, the brown sugar-butter topping is juicy and melts in your mouth. Perfect combination of plums and peaches makes it a great dessert. This recipe is a keeper.

For Topping:
3/4 stick of butter (6 TBS)
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 TBS honey
6 large plums, pitted and cut in wedges (I used 4 white plums and 2 large peaches)

For Cake:
3/4 stick of butter (6 TBS) - I used margarine, it works well for baking, and it has fewer calories
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. almond extract (goes really well with stone fruit, like plums, peaches)
1/2 cup of milk
2 TBS buttermilk
1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt

Directions:

Topping: Place butter, brown sugar and honey in a saucepan and melt together on low heat, whisk to combine. Pour into 9 or 10 inch round cake pan with at last 2 inch sides. (Do not use spring pan form, it will leak) Arrange sliced plums evenly over the butter-brown sugar mixture.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (180 C). In a medium bowl mix in all the dry ingredients - flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Melt the butter in a microwave. In a bowl with electric mixer pour melted butter, add sugar and beat for couple of minutes. Add eggs and vanilla and almond extract, beat until light and fluffy. Add dry ingredients alternately with milk and buttermilk, mixing until well blended. Spoon batter evenly over plums.

Bake for 50 minutes to an hour, until golden and tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Transfer to rack and cool for 30 minutes. Using a knife, cut around the sides of pan to loosen the cake. Place serving platter on top of the cake pan and invert cake. Lift the pan, and serve the cake.

Plums can be substituted for peaches, apples, pineapples, blueberries, or other combinations of fruit.

That little someone couldn't wait to get a bite of this amazing upside-down cake. It only took a second and he was on the top of table getting started with my slice! :)

Walnut Cupcakes with Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting

2009-07-16T21:24:00.006-05:00

I made those cupcakes couple of weeks ago. We had company coming over and I had nothing sweet at home, so I opened up my "want to make it" folder and found this pretty easy and fast recipe. I whipped those in about an hour including cooling time. Ok, maybe and hour and fifteen minutes! :) The cupcakes were pretty tasty the same night, but I would suggest to make them at least one day ahead, they get more moist as they get older.

To make about 20 cupcakes you need:

3/4 cup grounded walnuts/pecans
1/2 cup vegetable oil or melted butter
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. grated lemon peel
1 TBS. lemon juice
1 1/2 cup flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
4 eggs

3 TBS. chopped walnuts for decorating

Beat eggs with sugar, oil/butter, lemon juice and lemon peel until combined. Add walnuts, and mix together. In a separate bowl mix flour with baking powder and baking soda. Add to the egg mixture and fold together to combine the dry ingredients with the wet ones. If the batter is too stiff add couple of TBS of buttermilk or milk.

Fill cupcakes liners with the batter to about 3/4 of a height of liners. Bake in 375 degrees for about 20 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool cupcakes and frost with vanilla cream cheese frosting and sprinkle with chopped walnuts.

For this simple vanilla cream cheese frosting you need:

1 - 8 oz. cream cheese
3/4 cup powdered sugar
2 TBS vanilla

Beat all ingredients until well combined and fluffy. About 5-7 minutes. Frost cupcakes, sprinkle with chopped walnuts.

Strawberry Cupcakes

2009-06-29T21:37:00.011-05:00

Strawberries are my favorite! I wish I lived somewhere closer to strawberry farms, I would eat fresh strawberries everyday. Living in Chicago is not giving me too many opportunities to get fresh farmed Michigan strawberries. Working full time is not helping either. So Thursday’s Farmers Markets on Daley Plaza downtown are basically the only option for me. During June, almost every Thursday I got couple of little baskets of those fresh, beautiful, red and juicy strawberries…

I love to eat them just by itself, but it's great to make something sweet - strawberry desserts are great. Strawberry-rhubarb crisp was one weekend, than cupcakes, and jam… yes, I did slave in the kitchen for couple of hours to make 9 pint size jars of strawberry jam – but that’s another post. Today, I want to share my recipe for those little moist and sweet cupcakes with whole strawberries inside. The recipe for the cake batter is very simple and you can make it in 9x13 pan, or 9” round pan, and pretty much put whatever fruit you want.

I made cupcakes with strawberries and powdered sugar on top. I frosted some with strawberry butter-cream frosting, but unfortunately I do not have any pictures of those.

Strawberry Cupcakes

5 eggs, yolks and whites separated

1 ¼ cup sugar

1 vanilla sugar or 1 tsp pure vanilla

½ cup vegetable oil

2 cups flour

2 heaping tsp baking powder

20-25 medium size fresh strawberries, washed, stem removed, and dried

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line cupcake form with paper liners. Separate egg yolks from egg whites. Beat egg whites until soft peaks and set aside. In a clean mixer bowl mix the egg yolks with the sugar and vanilla until well incorporated. Add vegetable oil, mix for another minute. Fold in beaten egg whites. Mix the flour with baking powder andadd to the egg mixture about 3 TBS at the time, slowly folding in together.

Fill about ½ of each cupcake form with the batter and insert the strawberries in the middle. The strawberry does not have to be pushed in too far, the batter will rise up as it bakes and will cover the strawberries anyway. This should make about 20-24 cupcakes.

Bake for about 20-25 minutes until golden. Cool completely before frosting or sprinkling with powdered sugar. Cupcakes are even better the next day, they get more and more moist as they get older…

For strawberry butter-cream frosting I used 1 stick of butter and about 1 ½ cup of powdered sugar. Mix it together until creamy. I made strawberry compote and added to the frosting. Compote: about 1 1/2 cup of fresh strawberries, roughly mashed with potato masher, added some sugar, not exactly sure how much, maybe ¼ cup, maybe more, just taste it and see if more is needed. Let it simmer on low heat until thickens. Cool completely before adding to the butter cream frosting.

You will only need about 2-3 TBS of strawberry compote to the frosting. I added 1 tsp. lemon juice to bring out the flavor of strawberries. {Instead of making your own compote you can just add about 2-3 TBS of low sugar strawberry jam.}

Basil Pecan Pesto

2009-06-16T19:21:00.007-05:00

Pesto is one of those things that is super easy to make, but you just never do it. At least that what was for me until one evening my husband went to the grocery store to pick up couple of little things, and I asked him to get me basil. And I meant just a little package, to have with my tomatoes and fresh buffalo mozzarella. He comes home with this super huge box of basil leaves... almost like the industrial size! I didn't want to waste it, so I decided to make pesto. The only nuts I had in my pantry were pecans, and I decided to use them. They gave my pesto slightly different nutty flavor, and added more richness. I liked it a lot, and made it couple more times since...
I have basil growing on my roof top deck in pretty good quantities, it's so nice to just go upstairs and pick some fresh basil whenever you need it!

So, into the food processor goes: bunch of fresh basil, garlic cloves, pecans, and cubed Parmesan cheese and some olive oil. {I do not have exact proportions for this recipe. I just kept tasting it to make sure that the taste is right.} Pulse together several times to get the ingredients pureed, adding more olive oil as needed. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Toss some cooked warm pasta with it, or use it as a marinate for chicken or pork. Also great as a spread on the sandwich with tomato and fresh mozzarella... Super easy to make, holds in the fridge in a jar for 3-4 days. Substitute pecans for walnuts or other nuts...

Mango Cheesecake

2009-06-15T21:02:00.010-05:00

Indie Cafe in Chicago has this awesome mango cheesecake on their menu. Ever since I tried this wonderful, creamy dessert I have been trying to recreate it. I have to say, it's not as easy as I thought. I did quite a lot of research and apparently it is very hard to achieve this great "mango-ey" flavor I remember from Indie Cafe. In my cheesecake I used fresh mangoes and a mango puree thinking that might give me more flavor than just using fresh mangoes. I read several reviews on different blogs/sites, and there was a lot of complains that the mango flavor was just not strong enough.

For the crust, I used graham crackers with melted butter and a little bit of sugar. And I experimented with the cheese mixture portion. The final effect was pretty good... maybe a little too moist... so there is definitely room for improvement there. One thing I thought was great, is the taste - it was creamy, smooth and mango-ey! :)

For Crust: 1 1/2 cups of graham cracker crumbs mix with 1/2 cup of sugar and 3/4 of a stick of melted butter (unsalted). Stir cracker crumbs with sugar and add melted butter, mix until moistened. Lightly butter 9 " springform pan and press crumb mixture onto the bottom of the pan. Preheat oven to 325 F/160 C, bake until crust is set, about 12 minutes.

For Cheese Filling:
1 1/2 cups mango puree (from the can)
1 cup fresh mango - pureed in food processor or blender
3 8oz packages of cream cheese, room temperature
3/4 cup of granulated sugar
3/4 cup of condensed milk
1 vanilla sugar/2 tsp. vanilla
4 larg eggs
2 - 3 TBS fresh lemon juice (brings out the mango flavor)
3 TBS pudding powder

Beat cream cheese, sugar, vanilla sugar until smooth adding 1 TBS of condensed milk at the time. Add mango puree, mix well. Add eggs one at the time, beating well after each addition, add lemon juice and pudding powder to incorporate. Pour the cheesake mixture over the crust. Bake until set, puffed and golden around the edges, about 1 hr and 25 minutes. Cool 1 hour, refrigerate uncovered overnight. Serve with mango slices or mango puree. {I run out of mangoes, and served it with a blackberry and mint.}

This recipe is combining couple of my cheesecake recipes... basically taking bits and pieces of other recipes... the cheesecake was super moist, so maybe next time less mango puree or less condensed milk... oh, and while I was making it - I constantly tasted my cheesecake mix, making sure that it's not too sweet or too sour... making sure it tasted good... and that definitely helped. The cheesecake tasted pretty darn good!

Oh, and maybe next time I will use champagne mangoes instead of the regular ones {on the picture}... I think they might have more flavor...

Family Famous Spinach Salad

2009-05-09T14:27:00.011-05:00

Now I know why everybody loves it but no one wants to make it! It's washing the spinach that is such a lengthy process, especially when you are having a dinner party for 10, and don't have a salad spinner!

I remember this salad at my husband's family gatherings, his mom would always make it. As I learned later - everybody always asked her to make that particular spinach salad. I remember tasting it for a first time, and realizing why. It was just delicious! Sweet and tangy dressing with celery seeds and red onions complements the fresh spinach like nothing else. Few bacon bits and hard boiled egg just make all come together in a perfect way.
The dressing is the key. It has to be made one day ahead or overnight, so all the ingredients have time to infuse their flavors and make this incredible flavor.

Original dressing recipe calls for:

1 small red onion, finely diced
1/2 cup of sugar (or less)
1/3 cup vinegar (cider, white wine or red wine vinegar)
1/3 cup vegetable/canola oil
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. celery seeds
1 TBS. Dijon mustard

Put all above ingredients to a jar or a plastic container with a lid, cover and give it a good shake. Refrigerate overnight before serving. This makes about 1-1 1/2 cup of dressing, serves about 10.

For a salad, to assemble before serving:
1 large bag of spinach, washed
3 hard boiled eggs
1/2 cup of bacon bits

Toss all salad components with the dressing, let sit for few minutes before serving. Do not put all the dressing on the salad, as it might be too much, the spinach leaves needs to be just barely covered with he dressing. It will taste too sweet if too much dressing is added.

This is the original salad, but believe me - with this dressing the possibilities are endless. One Sunday afternoon I made a batch of the dressing, so we could have a salad for couple of days during the week. I did not want to eat the same salad every day. On Monday I mixed it with mixed greens, chopped pecans and some blue cheese. On Tuesday, I made spinach salad with fresh raspberries and feta. Wednesday - we had mixed greens, spinach, green apple, cranberries and feta cheese.... and Thursday - I made a salad with chopped romaine, olives, chicken, tomatoes and blue cheese - it was a hit!

As you can see - it works great with lot of different combinations.

Chocolate Burbon Pecan Pie and Kentucky Derby

2009-04-30T22:29:00.006-05:00

It's the time of a year again. It comes so quickly every time that I don't have enough time to plan ahead and go to Churchill Downs for the Kentucky Derby Day . When I realized that May is on the corner, it was way too late to book the trip, and get decent derby tickets without spending a fortune.

It's not the same but I decided to have a small Derby Party on that Saturday. I don't want to make a whole dinner thing, since the derby is during the day,but I want to have something to eat. I decided on a signature derby drink, couple of appetizers, and a dessert. Dessert is a must. While researching for inspiration I found this great recipe for a Chocolate Burbon Pecan Pie, also known as a Derby Pie. This recipe takes a pecan pie and adds intense chocolate and burbon flavor. It's quick ans fairly easy o make. Use store bought pie crust to make it even easier.

1/2 (15-ounce) package refrigerated piecrusts
1 1/2 cups chopped pecans
1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate morsels
1 cup dark corn syrup
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 cup bourbon or water
4 large eggs
1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
2 teaspoons cornmeal
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt

Fit pie crust into a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate according to package directions; fold edges under, and crimp. Sprinkle pecans and chocolate evenly onto bottom of pie crust; set aside.

Combine corn syrup and next 3 ingredients in a large saucepan, and bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly, 3 minutes. Remove from heat. Whisk together eggs and next 4 ingredients. Gradually whisk about one-fourth hot mixture into egg mixture; add to remaining hot mixture, whisking constantly. Pour filling into prepared pie crust. Bake at 325° for 55 minutes or until set, cool on wire rack.

The signature Derby drink would be a Classic Mint Julep. On the Derby day, as "My Old Kentucky Home" plays before the race, julep cups are raised high, bringing tears to many eyes. To Kentuckians, a mint julep is more than a drink, it's a cup of emotion, full of tradition. The classic version is served in silver julep cups. These are filled to the rim with a refreshing concoction of the finest bourbon, simple syrup, fresh mint, and crushed ice.

5 fresh mint leaves
1 tablespoon simple syrup or mint simple syrup
Crushed ice
1 1/2 to 2 TBS or 1 ounce of bourbon
1 (4-inch) cocktail straw
1 fresh mint sprig
Powdered sugar (optional)

Place mint leaves and Simple Syrup in a chilled julep cup. Gently press leaves against cup with back of spoon to release flavors. Pack cup tightly with crushed ice, pour bourbon over ice. Insert straw, place mint sprig directly next to straw, and serve immediately. Sprinkle with powdered sugar, if desired.

{Photos and recipes courtesy of Southern Living Magazine}

Tomatillos and Salsa Verde

2009-04-29T20:07:00.009-05:00

I don’t know what is it with me lately, but I just don’t have time to post. I cook and bake, take pictures, and when it comes down to sitting down and writing I run out of time…

One of my latest food inspirations is Mexico. I am researching for a good and simple cookbook with the south of the border cuisine. If you have any suggestions I will gladly check it out. “Comment me” and I will make a post of all the good Mexican cuisine cookbooks …

Meantime I made a homemade salsa Verde (green) – which is made from green tomatillos. I bought couple of those few weeks ago and wanted to make something. My husband is a huge fan of salsa Verde, so why not make that.

What are tomatillos? Are they related to tomatoes? Is it a fruit or veggie? I’ve read different stories on this fruit, and yes, they are related to tomatoes. Tomatillos are often referred as green tomato, and are a staple in Mexican cuisine. The fruit is green and covered with thin, paper-like husk. Its green color and tart flavor are the main culinary contributions. When you buy tomatiollos, you want to make sure they are still green and firm, once they ripen and turn yellow, they loose a lot of their tartness and are no longer as valuable in the kitchen. Fresh tomatillos can be stored refrigerated for about 2 weeks, they can also be frozen whole or sliced.

To make this simple and delicious salsa the tomatillos can be grilled, broiled or boiled. I opted for shorter version and just boiled them in lightly salted water for about 5 minutes. But grilling them would probably be my preference, there is something in grilling, it adds so much more of a flavor to everything that’s made on the grill… Here is what I used to make salsa Verde:

6 green tomatillos (boiled or grilled)

3 garlic cloves

1 small/medium red onion

1 cup of fresh cilantro

Fresh lime juice

Salt and pepper to taste

Hot peppers like jalapeño or habanero peppers (quantity depends on how hot you want it to be)

I had about 6 medium size tomatillos, and it made about 2 cups of salsa Verde. This can’t be any easier. Cool down your tomatillos and place them in the food processor with the rest of the ingredients and press the “ON” button. Salsa Verde is usually pretty smooth, so you don’t have to worry about over blending it.

That night we made steak tacos with salsa Verde, and we loved it. I put the leftover salsa in a jar, and stored in the fridge - it’s safe to keep in the fridge for about 5 days – this one did not last that long – it was gone the next day… There is a huge variety of already made green/verde salsa in the stores, but there is nothing better than homemade!

Pineapple Shrimp Skewers - Szaszlyki z Krewetkami i Ananasem

2009-03-22T10:55:00.018-05:00

Bardzo proste i wspaniale szaszlyki z krewetkami i ananasem. Lekki posilek na gorace letnie wieczory, lub hawajskie luau party. Mozna serwowac na szaszlyku, albo zdjac z niego i ulozyc na kupce bialego, ugotowaneg ryzu w polmisku lub na talezu. Posypac zielona pietruszka. (Ja uzylam cilantro - kolendra, to chyba jest polski odpowiednik.)

Skladniki:

2 lyzki soku z limonki lub cytryny
starta skorka z jednej limonki, lub cytryny
2 lyzki oleju z oliwek
2 lyzki startego korzenia imbiru (najlepiej swierzego)
2 lyzki startego czosnku
2 lyzki soku z ananasa, swiezego
1/4 lyzeczki soli morskiej
1 lyzeczka suszonej ostrej czerwonej chili papryki (crushed red pepper flakes)
16 srednich, swierzych krewetek (nie gotowanych)
1 swierzy ananas, pokrojony w 2 cm kawalki

Rozgrzac grill. Skladniki wymieszac razem w misce i wrzucic krewetki. Marynowac przez okolo 30 minut. Nabic na szaszlki metalowe, lub bambusowe na przemian - krewetka i ananas... mozna zaczac i zakonczyc czerwona cebula. Polozyc na goracym grilu, na okolo 3-4 minuty na kazdej stronie. Podczas grilowania mozna posmarowac roztopionym maslem - dodaje to wspanialy smak.
Ugotowac ryz, i serwowac z ryzem, posypane pietruszka lub cilantro.

*************************************************************************************

Here is my first recipe for Hawaiian weekend. Hawaiian cuisine is very much an american dishes with Polynesian and Asian influence, with using locally grown, tropical ingredients. So a lot of known by us recipes can be transformed into a hawaiian by adding coconut milk, coconut, pineapple, banana leaves, and other commonly use ingredients in island's cooking. There are some old, traditional hawaiian recipes, used by people living on the isladn's long time ago. Like Poi - it's a tarro root smashed, ans cooked to a creamy consistency, very plain flavor that was consumed with dried out, preserved by salt meats. In times when there was no refridgeration - native would preserve their meat by using salt - that's why poi had to be so blend, with that salty meat it was a well balanced meal.

One of the recipes I always wanted to make was the shrimp-pineapple skewers. It's really east and tastes wonderful. I served it with jasmine rice and butter lemon sauce.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
lime zest from one lime
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger root, plus 2 teaspoons
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon of sea salt
2 tablespoons of fresh pineapple juice
16 medium shrimp, shelled and deveined
1 small pineapple, peeled, cored, and cut into 1-inch cubes
1/2 cup fresh cilantro

Preheat a grill to medium heat. In a bowl, combine the lime juice, oil, 2 teaspoons of the ginger, garlic, and pepper flakes. Add the shrimp and pineapple chunks, toss to combine, and let marinate while the grill heats, about 15 minutes. Remove from the marinade.

Alternately, thread the pineapple chunks and the wrapped shrimp onto metal or bamboo skewers. Grill until the shrimp are cooked through and the pineapple chunks are marked, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Remove from the grill. (Alternately, the skewers can be cooked under the broiler, turning as necessary to cook evenly and avoid burning.)

I always like to brush whatever I am griling with some melted butter, it always taste better!

Hawajski Weekend

2009-03-21T09:59:00.005-05:00

Postanowilam dolaczyc sie do polskiej akcji - Hawajski Weekend. Mam kilka przepisow ktore wygladaja bardzo zachecajaco i wlasnie nadeszla okazja aby je wyprobowac. Autorem tej akcji jest Monsai, uwazam ze to jest swietny pomysl. Dwa lata temu w seirpniu moj maz i ja urzadzilismy wielkie hawajskie luau party - musze przyznac ze bylo super, i chyba w tym roku, latem zamierzm powtorke tej imprezy. Naprawde swietny pomysl na impreze... wszyscy bawili sie wspaniale...
Wiec teraz jest okazja do wyprobowania kilku przepisow na nastepna hawajska luau...

I guess I should translate this, so non polish speakers know what is going on. I am beig a part of Hawaiian Weekend action - one of the polish food bloggers came up with this idea. It's still early in the season for a Luau in Chicago, but great idea for a summer party...

Rustic Plum Pie

2009-03-18T21:54:00.014-05:00

I never used to bake pies. I think I tried once before – it was suppose to be a peach pie, and it turned out a disaster. I used store bought crust, and the bottom of the pie was just raw. Maybe I didn’t bake it long enough… who knows it was a long time ago. Since than I decided that pies are just not my specialty. Lately I’ve been going through all my old magazine subscriptions and I found so many great looking pies, that I decided to give a home made pie one more chance. For filling I choose plums! It’s not your traditional pie filling, but I love plums and I think they don’t get enough attention in baking and cooking. Growing up, I always remember plum pies, plum jams, plum preserves, my mom used to can plums for the winter. I always liked plums. We even had couple of plum trees growing in the backyard – one of them had the best white plums I ever had. I don’t think I’ve ever seen those here, in US. Anyway – going back to my plum pie – to make it more interesting I added about 1 cup of defrosted blackberries, and 2 small pears, diced. Pear gave it a different texture, different bite to it, and the blackberries added great color. It was just enough to not overpower the flavor, but enhance the look of the pie. Overall the pie turned out wonderful, plums tasted just like they should, sweet, juicy, with a hint of vanilla and berry. This just might be one of my favorite pie flavors.

Crust Pie Dough

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
3/4 cup butter, chilled and cut into chunks
Approx. 2/3 cup cold water

I used my newly purchased KitchenAid stand mixer to make the dough. It was super easy and fast. Put flour, salt, and sugar in a mixer bowl, and stir together. Cut butter into small pieces and mix in with the flour mixture. Use stir speed to combine the ingredients. Add 1 TBS of cold water – one at the time to the mixture, until the dough is formed. Divide dough in half, shape each half into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. It can be put in to the freezer to speed up the chilling process. {Traditional way of making the pie crust dough: Whisk together flour, salt and sugar in a large bowl. Rub in butter with your fingertips until mixture is very coarse, but no pieces bigger than a large pea remain. Using a fork, stir in cold water until dough almost comes together into a ball.}

Pie Filling

1 recipe for crust pie dough
6-7 fresh plums, larger in size
1 or 2 small pears – diced
1 cup frozen blackberries – defrosted
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

For Brushing
2 tbsp milk
1 egg white or whole egg
3-4 tbsp [coarse] sugar

Preheat oven to 375F. Wash plums and remove the pits. Cut the plums in to quarters or smaller pieces, it’s actually easier to cut the pie when the pieces of plums are little smaller. Peel the pears, and dice them in about half an inch dice. Defrost your blackberries. Place plums, pears and berries in a large bowl, add in sugar, cornstarch, salt and vanilla extract and stir well until combined. Set aside.
Roll out the bottom pie crust on a lightly floured surface, making sure there will be a bit of overhang around the edge of the pie plate, and transfer to pie plate. Fill pie crust with plum mixture. Roll out top pie crust, and lay on top of the pie plate, crimping or pinching edges to seal filling in completely.
Brush the top of the crust with milk and egg mixture and sprinkle generously with sugar, preferably coarse sugar. Cut several slits in the top crust with a sharp kn ife. Bake for 65-75 minutes, until crust is well browned and the filling is thick and bubbling through the vents on the top of the pie. Cool pie on a wire rack completely before slicing, to ensure that the filling thickens up and sets.

Brioche Bread

2009-03-14T18:47:00.009-05:00

Just couple of days ago I posted the recipe for the brioche french toast, and I realized that it's not easy to get brioche bread in the grocery store or even bakery, for that matter. They just don't make it. Since I really want to make that french toast recipe tomorrow or on Monday, and it looks like I will be making Brioche bread tonight. Brioche is a type of enriched french bread, with high egg and butter content, and that is what gives the bread the rich taste. The outside is usually dark, and tender from the egg wash that is applied before baking. This type of bread is very popular in Europe, I remember my grandmother used to make brioche bread, it was always gone so fast - everybody loved it. Brioche can be made in many different forms: rolls, loafs and braided - which is what I remember from Poland. The delicate and little sweet flavor of braided brioche bread is what I am looking for right now. I researched for the right recipe on the net and there are several variations of them, but all of them consist of flour, water, yeast, sugar, eggs and butter!

The recipe I choose is by Barefoot Contessa - Ina Garten. She lived in Paris and I trust her with recipes. Let's say - everything I've made from her recipes is always outstanding.

Ingredients
1/2 cup warm water (110 to 120 degrees F)
1 package dried yeast
3 tablespoons sugar
6 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
4 1/2 cups unbleached flour
2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 egg mixed with 1 tablespoon milk, for egg wash

Directions
Combine the water, yeast, and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. (If the bowl is cold, start with warmer water so it's at least 110 degrees when you add the yeast.) Mix with your hands and allow to stand for 5 minutes until the yeast and sugar dissolve. Add the eggs and beat on medium speed for 1 minute, until well mixed. With the mixer on low speed, add 2 cups of the flour and the salt and mix for 5 minutes. With the mixer still on low, add 2 1/4 more cups of flour and mix for 5 more minutes. Scrape the dough into a large buttered bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight.

The next day, allow the dough to sit at room temperature for 1 hour. Meanwhile, grease 20 mini brioche tins. Set aside. {This recipe is for Brioche rolls, but you can make 2 loafs of bread, or any other shape you want}

Place the dough in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the dough hook, add the softened butter in chunks, and mix for 2 minutes, adding additional flour as needed to make a ball. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured board and divide the dough into 20 (1 3/4-ounce) balls and place them in the tins. Cover the tins with a damp towel and set aside to rise at room temperature until doubled in volume, about 2 hours.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. When the rolls have risen, brush the top of each with the egg wash and bake for 20 minutes, or until the tops spring back and it sounds slightly hollow when tapped. Turn the rolls out onto a wire rack to cool.

Brioche French Toast with Berry Compote

2009-03-12T22:44:00.005-05:00

My favorite brunch dish is definitely a french toast. And when it comes with fresh berries - I'm in heaven! I stumble upon this recipe on Food and Wine Magazine website. They have so many great recipes out there. I am going to make it this weekend - for my Sunday brunch. Meantime here is the photo and the recipe.

1 pound mixed fresh berries, such as strawberries and raspberries, sliced (4 cups)
1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons water
6 large eggs, beaten
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
Unsalted butter, for the griddle
Twelve 3/4-inch-thick slices of brioche (from 2 small loaves)
Crème fraîche, for serving

Preheat the oven to 225°. In a medium saucepan, combine the berries with 1/4 cup of the sugar and the water and bring to a simmer. Cook over moderate heat until the berries are softened and the sugar is dissolved, about 8 minutes.
In a large bowl, whisk the eggs with the heavy cream, the remaining 3 tablespoons of sugar and the ground spices. Transfer to a 9-by-13-inch baking dish.
Heat a large cast-iron griddle and lightly butter it. Working in batches, dip half of the brioche in the egg mixture, turning once, until moistened but not soggy. Transfer the bread to the griddle and cook over moderate heat, turning once, until golden and cooked through, about 4 minutes. Transfer the French toast to a baking sheet, cover loosely with foil and keep warm in the oven while you cook the rest. Serve the French toast with the berry compote and crème fraîche.

{recipe and photo courtesy of Food and Wine Magazine}

Fabulous and Light Coconut Shrimp

2009-03-02T20:03:00.008-06:00

Shrimp. I always like it, and there are so many different ways to experiment with shrimp. They are super fast and easy to make. I've been buying my shrimp at Costco lately, they have a sea food stand at my Costco with shrimp, scallops, lobster tails and crab legs and I believe clams. Prices are pretty reasonable, also... so every time I am shopping at Costco I pick up shrimp or scallops... whatever I am in the mood for. I take it home and later on I try to come up with a simple but different recipe. I don't usually make the same thing too many times, because there are so many other, great ways to make the same main ingredient over and over... I get back to that recipe once on a while, but not too often. It's just more fun to experiment...

It's been so cold outside, seems like that winter is never going to end. Thinking about summer or being somewhere tropical makes me want to eat light and try summer flavors... so last week I decided to make my version of coconut shrimp. And they turned out awesome. This recipe has a very light coconut-panko crusting, not like some of the places serve those deep fried shrimp drenched in thick layer of flour and little coconut, the only thing you taste is the breading. I had a great share of those in my life. Always sounds so good when you read it on the menu and once you try it - not so much!

This is really easy and pretty fast. I know I will be serving those on my next Luau Party - hopefully this coming summer...

I had about a pound of larger shrimp, maybe 13-18 per pound. Not sure exactly. Butterfly the shrimp, cutting along the outside (where the vein was). Mix one tsp. of coarse sea salt with 1/2 tsp. of cayenne pepper. Sprinkle over the dried shrimp (I path dry them with paper towel). Make an egg wash - 2 eggs lightly beaten with about 2 TBS. of water. On the shallow dish mix about a 3/4 cup of sweetened shredded coconut and 1/2 cup of panko breadcrumbs.
Take the srimp, dip it in the egg wash, and roll in to the coconut-panko mix. Repeat several times. Heat some peanut oil and canola oil together, on the pan, set about 6-7 shhrimp on the hot oil, and fry until golden brown. Make sure to turn them every couple of minutes to get them brownes on each side.

The light part comes from nod deep frying those coconut shrimp, just lightly browning on 50-50 canola-peanut oil. And I served those just with a little bit of fresh squeezed lime juice. But a nice mango dipping sauce would be perfect. I will be making this one again, shortly - just because it was such a great dish, that I will try to make a dipping sauce to go with it, and I'll post it here to share my experiment with you...

Loaded Baked Potato Salad

2009-02-26T21:03:00.004-06:00

This recipe I have from a friend of mine, it is Paula Deen's creation for the best potato side dish ever! Everything taste better when you put stick of butter to it, right! That's Paula's motto!
And She's so right. Believe me, once you try it you will be in potato heaven, it's soooo good. Also pretty easy to make. I made it quite a several times, and it never gets old. Simple comfort food for a winter Sunday afternoon, served with meat loaf, or perfect for summer dinner party - served with grilled filet mignon or chicken.

First, and this can be made a day ahead - we need to bake 5 lb. of baking/russet potatoes. I bake mine in 400 degrees for about 45 mminutes to an hour (depends on the size of potatoes). Once the potatoes cool down, peel them and dice them in about 1/2" dice. Set aside.

In a large bowl mix together:

1 - 8 oz. container of light sour cream
1 cup of mayonaisse (I also use light)
1/2 cup choped yellow/spanish onion
1 stick of melted butter
1 package of ranch dressing mix

Once combined, add diced potatoes, combine gently, to mix it all together. Transfer the salad to a buttered 9 x 13 caserolle dish and sprinkle with 1/2 cup of real bacon bits. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 to 45 minutes, until hot and bubbly.
Another option for bacon is to mix it in with the potatoe mixture, but I like them on top. You can use more bacon bits and mix in 1/2 a cup, and the other 1/2 cup sprinkle on top befor baking. Whatever makes you happy!

Cinnamon Crepes

2009-02-25T18:35:00.006-06:00

It's been so long since I posted last time. Work is busy, and I haven't had time to cook at all. Every evening I get home, make something really quick, and sit on the computer for couple of minutes hoping to get inspired by others, and I am so tired that nothing works... I should be able to have little more time shortly, and can't wait to get in the kitchen and make some good food.

I found this recipe in one of the magazines I subscribe, I think it's Shape. Crepes are very popular in my family, I grew up eating a lot of crepes. We call them "nalesniki". I have my family crepe recipe, but that will be for another post. I have couple of ideas for crepe filling, and I definitely will be making it shortly.

But for now, to fulfill my visual appetite I had to put this recipe on my blog. It seems like a healthier version of traditional crepe recipe. Looks really good, and I can only imagine that it tastes great.

This dessert has about a third of daily value of calcium and also a lot of vitamin C from the berries. To make it you'll need simple ingredients that you probably have n your pantry:

2 large eggs
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
3 tablespoons ground cinnamon
1 ½ cups lowfat milk
2 teaspoons canola oil
¾ cup all-purpose flour
¾ cup whole-wheat flour
Cooking spray
1 cup lowfat vanilla frozen yogurt, softened
1 ½ cups frozen unsweetened berries, thawed
powdered sugar (optional)

Place eggs, brown sugar, cinnamon, milk, and oil in a blender; blend on low.

>Slowly add flours ½ cup at a time, stopping to scrape down the sides of the blender if necessary. When the batter is the consistency of heavy cream, pour into a bowl and refrigerate for 45 minutes.

>Coat an 8-inch nonstick skillet with cooking spray and place over medium-high heat. Add ¼ cup batter to the pan. Using the tip of a spatula, quickly spread to form a 6-inch circle.

>Cook crêpe for 30 seconds or until lightly browned and crispy on the edges. Carefully fl ip with spatula. Cook 30 seconds more until second side is lightly browned. Repeat 7 times with the rest of the batter, respraying the pan between each crêpe.

>Spread 2 tablespoons frozen yogurt on each crêpe, then add 3 tablespoons berries. Roll up and serve with powdered sugar if desired.

****************

Crepes are pretty easy to make, but it's also not difficult to mess them up. The batter consistency should be much thinner than the traditional pancake batter. You need to be able ro swirl it on the pan easly, and fairly quick. They cook very fast.

{photo and recipe courtesy of Shape Magazine}

Key Lime Coconut Cupcakes with White Chocolate Frosting

2009-02-08T15:30:00.010-06:00

As seen on Food Network's Ultimate Recipe Showdown couple of weeks ago. I really like the idea of those cupcakes, so I wanted to try them, as they received great reviews. Also I noticed that I am becoming obsessed with cupcakes... always researching new ideas and flavors.
This recipe calls for the key limes, but I couldn't find key limes in my grocery store, so I used regular limes.

Ingredients

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 heaping teaspoon grated key lime zest
1 1/2 tablespoons key lime juice (bottled or freshly squeezed)
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 1/3 cups loosely packed sweetened coconut flakes (3.5 ounces)

Frosting:

5 ounces good quality white chocolate, chopped into small chucks
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted (I only used 2 cups of powdered sugar)
Pinch salt
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon key lime juice (bottled or freshly squeezed)
1/4 cup sour cream
Finely grated key lime zest, for garnish

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. With the mixer on low speed, add the eggs, 1 at a time, scraping down the bowl after each addition. Add the vanilla extract, key lime zest and juice and mix well. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In 5 parts total, alternately add the dry ingredients and the buttermilk to the batter, beginning and ending with the dry. Mix until just combined. Fold the coconut into the cupcake batter.

Line a muffin pan with paper liners and fill each liner almost to the top with batter. A spring loaded 1/4 cup ice cream scoop works great for this and ensures the cupcakes are all the same size. Bake for 25 minutes or until the tops begin to brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Remove cupcakes from oven and allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes and then transfer cupcakes to a baking rack to cool completely.

While the cupcakes are cooling you can make the frosting. In a small heat proof bowl set over a pot of simmering water, carefully and slowly melt the white chocolate. Remove from heat and let cool until just slightly warm. Meanwhile, in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter until light and fluffy. With the mixer on low, gradually add the powdered sugar until well combined. Add the salt, vanilla extract, key lime juice, and sour cream and mix until very smooth. Add the melted white chocolate and mix just until incorporated.

Frost the cupcakes and garnish with a bit of grated key lime zest. Enjoy!

{The cake portion is very good, tasty, but the frosting is still little too sweet for me, even after I cut down the sugar, so maybe whipped cream frosting with a hint of key lime would be better... }

Here is the link to all the recipes from that episode of Ultimate Recipe Showdown. I know I will be trying few more of those, as they all look very appetizing.

Valentine's Day Sweets

2009-02-06T21:55:00.018-06:00

I love browsing through the virtual space searching for fun articles or new recipes. Better Home and Gardens has a great collection of "Sweets for Two". And with Valentine's Day coming up I wanted to publish some of the recipes on my blog. The whole collection includes about 28 different desserts, I chose only few of them, the ones that appealed to me the most.

Red Velvet Cupcakes

This picture is from BHG website, and it's a great presentation idea for my red velvet cupcakes (recipe here ). use small chocolate heart shaped cookies and powder sugar to re-create the look. Yo can frost those with the cream cheese frosting, and sprinkle with red sugar or red sugar pearls, and stick the cookie on top. Possibilities are endless here...

Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cakes

1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup strawberry jam

Bittersweet Chocolate Ganache

12 medium strawberries
3 ounces bittersweet and/or milk chocolate curls

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour or line with paper bake cups twelve 2-1/2-inch muffin cups; set aside. In a large saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Remove from heat. Let cool for 5 minutes. Stir in sugar and cocoa powder until combined. Add egg and vanilla. Using a wooden spoon, beat lightly just until combined. In a small bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Alternately add flour mixture and milk to chocolate mixture, beating by hand after each addition. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups, filling each two-thirds full. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the centers comes out clean. Cool in muffin cups on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Using a knife, loosen the edges; carefully remove cupcakes. Cool completely on a wire rack. If cupcakes don't have paper liners, trim a thin slice from top of each cupcake so they will sit flat. Turn bottom side up. Place cupcakes 2 inches apart on wire rack set over waxed paper. (For cupcakes in liners, peel liners down but do not remove.) Spread 1 teaspoon of the strawberry jam over each cupcake. Prepare Bittersweet Chocolate Ganache. (below) Spoon ganache over cupcakes, making sure to coat all sides. Place a strawberry on top of each cake. Drizzle each strawberry lightly with ganache, letting the strawberry show through. Top cupcakes with chocolate curls.

Bittersweet Chocolate Ganache: In a medium saucepan, bring 1 cup whipping cream just to boiling over medium-high heat. Remove from heat. Add 10 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped (do not stir). Let stand for 5 minutes. Stir until smooth. Whisk in 3 tablespoons butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, whisking until ganache is smooth. Makes: 12 cupcakes.

To Bake Ahead: Prepare as directed through step 4. Place cooled cupcakes in an airtight container; cover. Store at room temperature for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 1 month. Thaw cupcakes, if frozen. Continue as directed in step 5.

Cherry Baby Cakes

1-1/3 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup milk
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
2/3 cup cherry marmalade or cherry preserves, large pieces snipped if necessary
30 maraschino cherries with stems, drained
1 recipe Powdered Sugar Icing*

Preheat oven to 350 degree F. Line thirty 1 3/4-inch muffin cups with miniature paper bake cups;* set aside. In a large mixing bowl combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add milk, butter, egg, and vanilla. Beat on low speed until combined. Beat on medium speed for 1 minute. Spoon 1 scant teaspoon of batter into each muffin cup. Add 1/2 teaspoon of cherry marmalade and top with 1/2 teaspoon additional batter. Bake cupcakes about 12 minutes or until toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool in pans on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Remove from pans; cool completely on wire rack.

Pat cherries dry with clean paper toweling. Frost each cupcake with about 1/2 teaspoon icing. Dip half of each cherry into remaining icing; place on top of baby cakes. Makes about 30 small cakes.

*Test Kitchen Tip: If you don't have 1 3/4-inch muffin cups, line sixteen 2 1/2-inch muffin cups with paper bake cups. Prepare batter as directed. Spoon 1 tablespoon batter into each prepared muffin cup. Add 1 teaspoon of marmalade and another tablespoon of batter. (You will only use about 1/3 cup marmalade.) Bake about 15 minutes or until tooth

pick inserted in centers comes out clean. Frost with Powdered Sugar Icing. Add a cherry as directed above. (You will only need 16 cherries.)

*Powdered Sugar Icing: In a small bowl combine 2 1/2 cups sifted powdered sugar, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, and 2 tablespoons milk. Stir in additional milk, 1 teaspoon at a time, until icing reaches drizzling consistency. Makes about 30.

Tiny Raspberry Cheesecake Tarts

2 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, cut up
1/2 teaspoon shortening
1 2.1-ounce package baked miniature phyllo dough shells (fifteen 1-1/2-inch shells)
1 3-ounce package cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons dairy sour cream
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
2 teaspoons raspberry liqueur or milk
15 fresh raspberries (optional)
Fresh mint leaves (optional)

In a small saucepan, stir the cut-up chocolate and shortening over low heat until melted. Remove pan from heat. Using a clean small paintbrush, brush the inside (bottom and sides) of each phyllo shell evenly with the melted chocolate mixture. Return each shell to plastic tray included in package. Chill phyllo shells in refrigerator about 20 minutes or until chocolate is set. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, stir together the cream cheese, sour cream, and powdered sugar until smooth. Stir in liqueur or milk. Transfer mixture to a small resealable plastic bag; seal bag. Snip off a corner of the bag. Pipe about 1 teaspoon of the cream cheese mixture into each shell. Cover tarts loosely; chill 2 to 4 hours. If desired, garnish each tart with a fresh raspberry and mint leaves. Makes 15 tarts.

{My comment: You can also use store bought phyllo dough and bake your own shells, just cut the circles from the dough and bake them according to directions in small muffin pan. I am sure the pastry dough would work fine here, also.}

Apricots Cakes for Two

1 16-ounce package pound cake mix
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup apricot brandy, raspberry liqueur, apricot nectar, or raspberry juice blend
2 eggs
1 recipe Apricot Butter Frosting
Edible flower petals or whole edible flowers (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and lightly flour a 15x10x1-inch baking pan. Set aside. In a large mixing bowl combine cake mix, water, brandy or nectar, and eggs. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds; beat on medium speed for 3 minutes. Spread batter in the prepared pan. Bake about 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Remove pan to wire rack and cool for 10 minutes. Remove cake from pan and cool completely. Transfer cake to large cutting board. Using a 2- to 2 1/2-inch round cutter, cut cake into 12 rounds. (Cut remaining cake scraps into cubes and serve with fruit, ice cream, or yogurt.) For each cake, spread 1 tablespoon of the frosting on top of one cake round. Top with a second cake round. Spread a thin coating of frosting* on the sides of the cake to seal in any crumbs. Let cakes stand, uncovered, 1 hour or until crumb coat is set.

To frost cake, carefully pick up each cake and add a thicker coating of frosting around the sides. Place cake on serving plate and frost top. Top each cake with edible flower petals or whole edible flowers, if desired. Makes 6 cakes (2 servings per cake).

Apricot Butter Frosting: In a very large mixing bowl beat 3/4 cup softened butter until smooth. Gradually add 2 cups sifted powdered sugar, beating well. Slowly beat in 1/3 cup apricot nectar or raspberry juice blend. Gradually beat in 7 cups sifted powdered sugar. Beat in enough additional apricot nectar to reach spreading consistency. Tint frosting a pale peach or pink color.

*Test Kitchen Tip: For the thin coating of frosting, transfer 3/4 cup of the prepared frosting to a small bowl. Stir in enough apricot nectar or raspberry juice blend (about 1 tablespoon) to make frosting of glazing consistency.

{The recipes and pictures are from Better Homes and Gardens website}

White Chocolate and Raspberry Cheesecake

2009-02-03T22:02:00.008-06:00

Another great cheesecake recipe. I found this one on line and I made it several time. Valentine's Day is on it's way and this could be THE dessert to finish the romantic dinner for two!

I changed the recipe a little. Adding some sour cream to the cheese mixture will make it smoother, and I use more wafer cookies and less almonds, so the crust have a nice hint of almond, but doesn't over power it. My husband is not a fruit lover, so I always make it plain, and than I can dress individual portions with raspberry sauce and fresh raspberries.

Crust

22 vanilla wafer cookies
1/2 cup almonds, crushed or grated
4 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Filling

4 ounces imported white chocolate (such as Lindt), chopped
2 8-ounce packages cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup sour cream (or less, depends on the consistency of your cream cheese)
2/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3/4 teaspoon grated lemon peel
2 large eggs
3/4 cup fresh raspberries or frozen unsweetened, thawed, drained

Topping

1 8-ounce container sour cream
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Raspberry Topping

2 1/2-pint baskets raspberries or one 1-pint basket strawberries
1/2 cup seedless raspberry jam

For crust:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Place large piece of foil on heavy large baking sheet. Set 8x2-inch bottomless heart-shaped cake pan atop foil. (If unavailable, use 8-inch springform pan; omit foil.) Wrap foil around outside and 1 inch up sides of pan. Butter foil and pan. Finely grind cookies and almonds in processor. Add butter and blend until mixture forms very moist crumbs. Using plastic wrap as aid, press crumbs firmly onto bottom and 2 inches up sides of pan. Bake until golden, about 10 minutes. Cool. Maintain oven temperature.

For Filling:
Melt white chocolate in top of double boiler over simmering water until smooth, stirring often. Remove from over water. Using electric mixer, beat cream cheese, sugar, vanilla and peel in large bowl until smooth. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating just until combined. Beat in white chocolate.

Spoon half of batter into crust. Top with 3/4 cup berries. Spoon remaining batter over. Bake until edges of cake are set but center 3 inches still moves when cake is shaken, about 45 minutes. Cool 20 minutes. Maintain oven temperature. Using fingertips, press down gently on edges of cheesecake to flatten slightly.

For topping:
Whisk sour cream, sugar and vanilla in bowl. Spoon over cake, spreading to edge of pan. Bake 5 minutes. Transfer cake in pan to rack. Run small knife around sides of cake. Cool completely. Chill cake overnight.

Fold down foil along sides of pan. Lift cake pan off cheesecake. Transfer cheesecake to platter, discarding foil. Cover cake with berries. Bring jam to simmer in small saucepan, stirring often. Gently brush jam over berries. (Can be prepared 3 hours ahead; chill.)

Easy Superbowl Chili

2009-01-29T19:11:00.008-06:00

Before I moved to States, I never even heard of chili... so when I first tried it I didn't think anything of it - and now I really like it and I think it's a super easy thing to make anytime. From my own experience I know it always taste better the next day, so if you can I would suggest it to make it the day before you want to serve it.

The seasoning I use is the McCormicks Texas Chili Mix, I like it because it makes my chili dark, and it taste good, too... It's hard to talk about proportions here, just add more this or that to make it taste right - that's how I cook... for this chili I haven't used a recipe, I just threw bunch of ingredients to the pot, seasoned it and cooked for 3 hours on low heat. You can also use your crock pot if you don't want to have to stir it every 15-20 minutes.

The reason I call it adult chili - is because I use 2-3 cans of light beer, and most alcohol cooks off, I think some still remains in fully cooked product. Beer and a can of diced tomatoes - that's the only liquid I add. And it might sound strange, but the chili came out great!

Here is what I put into a big pot:

1 large or 2 medium diced onions and 1 large red pepper - diced, also - saute those 2 together until they're done, than I added 1 can of chili tomatoes (diced), you can use regular diced tomatoes instead, 1 can of black beans, 2 cans of kidney beans - make sure you rinse your beans before adding to the pot. 2 lb of ground beef - brown on the separate pan with some chili seasoning before adding to the mix. Next I add 2 cans of light beer (Bush Light) and added one package of Texas Chili Seasoning. You can use beef stock if you don't want to use beer, but it just tastes better. I also made it once with Guiness Beer... Bring to a boil and lower the heat to simmer for about 2 - 3 hours. Stir every 20 minutes to make sure that it doesn't stick to the bottom. After about 1 hour of cooking I try it and see if the flavor needs to be adjusted. I like to add 1 or 2 TBS of sugar, juice from 1 lime and 1 or 2 TBS of apple cider vinegar. Cayenne pepper to make it hotter. And if you think your chili needs more than 1 package of chili seasoning - go ahead and add more. I usually add some sea salt and freshly ground pepper. This is just how I make my chili and it comes out great, but I taste it like 20 times and adjust the flavors to make sure I like it. Serve it with green onions, light sour cream, mexican cheese mix and Tostido's Scoops...

BIG FIRE 2007 Oregon Pinot Noir

2009-01-27T21:01:00.006-06:00

This is one of my favorite pinot noir wines from Oregon. In fact this wine was the first red wine I tried and I decided that I liked it a lot. We used to have this little, cozy restaurant on the corner. It was called Phil and Lou's and we were frequently eating there. Nice place, with a great atmosphere, great, simple and tasty menu. That's where for the first time I tried this red wine, and I fell in love. I used to drink white only for a while, and funny, how it's changed quickly, and now I almost don't drink white wine at all. Pinot Noir is my favorite, I also like zinfandel, malbec, cabarnet and trying to get into the worlds of Shiraz. There's just so many....

Big Fire - I really liked the 2006, unfortunately I don't think I get it any more, and they have this 2007. It's slightly different from 2006, but it is a very nice wine. Smooth, with flavors of cherry and different berries. Great with pizza dinner, or just by itself. Priced: $23.00 per bottle.

Here is the wine poster from R. Start & Co. website. Check it out and let me know what you think, and if you liked it.

Simple Blackberry Heaven...

2009-01-26T19:59:00.007-06:00

This is something we used to drink in Poland when we were kids - it was simply called "koktail" - means cocktail. So this is really nothing more than some frozen blackberries with a little plain yogurt and some sugar or honey. Super easy and delicious, also very healthy, if you use low fat yogurt and Splenda. I topped it with a little lite cool whip and mint leaves. It looks very festive, and taste great. Try it sometimes, it's great for a summer dessert, but also fabulous light dessert after a heavy comfort food, winter dinner.

I am not a huge fan of anything frozen, but not that long ago I needed to make a blackberry sauce for my mom's crepes, and my grocery store was out of fresh blackberries. So I figured I try the bag of frozen blackberries. I thawed them, I made the sauce - it was really tasty, almost couldn't tell the difference.

So here I used 1/2 a bag of frozen blackberries, you can use any frozen fruit, but berries will be the best for this. Thaw them, blended in food processor or blender, add a little bit of orange zest or orange juice, (optional), 2-3 TBS of plain low fat yogurt (great with Greek yogurt, also), 1 TBS of sugar, blend it together, and taste it. Add more sugar or yogurt - it all depends how you like it. Garnish with a little cool whip, or just 1/2 tsp of yogurt, or even some ice cream, mint leaves, or slice of orange... It's thicker than a smoothie, but adding a little ice to the mixture will make it very smoothie like... YUMM!

There is a reason why I haven't been posting lately

2009-01-21T21:27:00.005-06:00

I've been trying to publish few recipes on my blog, but I haven't had time lately to do so. And here is my reason why:

We just got a little Yorkie puppy - Cody. He's almost 12 weeks old, and his a lot like having a baby. So he takes all my free time after work. I love coming home and being greeted by my little puppy giving me kisses... He's a cutie. But believe me - he can be a troublemaker...

So hopefully shortly I will be able to get back to posting more often, and have more time to cook and bake. :)

Shrimp with Cherry Tomatoes and Feta

2009-01-07T22:32:00.005-06:00

One of my new year's resolutions for 2009 is to try to eat healthier and in moderations. It is going to be hard because I love butter, and I add a little butter to almost everything I make. Let's face it - butter makes it taste great!
But I need to make sure I stay fit and be healthy. So once on a while I will post a recipe from my light recipe collections. And I promise they will taste great.

This recipe comes from a book called 12 Best Foods Cookbook, by Dana Jacobi. This simple and quick shrimp dish you can make any night of the week. To keep it light serve it by itself, or to make it more substantial serve it with a small side of whole wheat pasta.
This dish contains of all my favorite ingredients - tomatoes, feta cheese, shrimp and garlic.
{By the way, did you know that feta cheese is the most healthy of all cheeses. It contains about 1/3 less fat that any other cheese like mozzarella or cheddar. Even the light feta tastes great.}

Ingredients:

2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
3/4 pound medium shrimp, shelled
1 clove garlic, minced
1 (12-ounce) bag cherry tomatoes on the vine
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano, or 1 teaspoon dried
1/4 cup dry white wine, or fat-free, reduced-sodium chicken broth
3 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
2 tablespoons crumbled reduced-fat feta cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp and stir with a wooden spoon until they just lose their raw color, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the garlic, tomatoes, oregano, and wine or broth. Cook, using a spoon to roll the tomatoes around, until most of the liquid has boiled off, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the parsley and cheese, and cook 1 minute longer, stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper, and serve immediately.

Little bit about this book: It's written by award winning food writer and chef this book identifies 12 best and healthiest ingredients (broccoli, black beans, tomatoes, salmon, soy, sweet potatoes, oats, onions, blueberries, walnuts, spinach, and chocolate) and provides us with over 250 recipes including those ingredients. This book has great reviews on amazon, and I would recommend it for everyone that wants to keep healthy lifestyle.

Lemon Cupcakes

2009-01-05T21:19:00.006-06:00

Those are like little rays of sunshine on a cloudy day... I found this recipe in my free subscription of Kraft Foods Magazine, it was a bright yellow cover with few appetizing cupcakes. YUMM!
So I finally decided to make those for a birthday party. I usually don't like to make semi-homemade stuff, but I didn't have much time to come out with the dessert so I figured why not?! Super easy ingredients and super easy to make. You'll need:

1 pkg. (2-layer size) white cake mix

1 pkg. (3.4 oz.) JELL-O Lemon Flavor Instant Pudding

1 cup water

4 egg whites
Lemon zest from 1 lemon (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Beat cake mix, pudding mix, water, egg whites and oil in large bowl with mixer on low speed until moistened. (Batter will be thick.) Beat on medium speed 2 min. Spoon batter evenly into 24 paper-lined 2-1/2-inch muffin cups.

Bake 21 to 24 min. or until toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 min.; remove to wire racks. Cool completely.

I used my recipe for cream cheese frosting, the one that goes on top of my red velvet cake. But instead of finishing it up with almond oil and added lemon juice. It had nice, refreshing, lemony flavor.

Cream Cheese Frosting

1 - 8oz cream cheese, room temperature (I use Philadelphia)
3/4 stick of unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup of powder sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
2-3 TBS lemon juice

Beat cream cheese with butter until fluffy, add vanilla and lemon juice, add powdered sugar in 3 batches, beat few more minutes to get desire consistency. Frost the cupcakes.

This is a great and fast dessert if you don't have too much time on your hands. Definitely worth a try! :)

Tequilla Shrimp

2009-01-02T19:57:00.006-06:00

This past fall we went to Mexico, to Cabo San Lucas, and I have had the best shrimp dishes there. It was really nice to be able to eat good quality seafood. Living in the Midwest pretty much everything that's available is previously frozen, and sometimes they don't even tell you that. Ok, we do have some good seafood markets here in Chicago, but it's not cheap...

One of the super popular dishes out there is Tequila Shrimp. I didn't have a recipe but it seemed pretty easy to recreate after tasting it in the restaurant. I love shrimp, and those are super easy and quick to make. Cooking time for shrimp is between 1 and 2 minutes - that depends on the size of shrimp you are cooking. if you overcook shrimp, they become rubbery and hard.

This simple and very favorful shrimp dish can be served over spaghetti, linguini or other pasta. or you can just serve it by itself - as tapas. I made it few times lately, once I served it with lemon orzo, next time with lemon spaghetti, and just this past Sunday over spaghetti with butter - I made enough of tequilla sauce to make sure I could toss the pasta with it.

Make sure you start with the pasta - whatever you want with your shrimp - cook according to directions. It is important to have pasta ready right before you assemble the dish, othervise your shrimp will get cold, and reheating it will couse overcooking the shrimp.

I usually get about 1 pound of uncooked shrimp (15-20 shrimp per pound). I wash them under cold water, path dry and season with sea salt and black pepper. Make sure to prepare your shrimp before you start making the rest. it goes quickly.

Here is what we need to make the wonderful tequila shrimp sauce (you can modify the proportions according to your preferences, i.e. use olive oil only, no butter... etc.)
butter - about 3/4 stick of unsalted butter,
olive oil - about 1/4 cup,
garlic - I use a lot of garlic, about 8-10 cloves, finely chopped,
shalott - 1 large or 2 small, finely diced,
juice of 1 lemon
white tequila - about a cup
fresh herbs like chives, basil and parsley - 1/2 of cup, chopped
freshly grated parmesan cheese
Preheat large pan with taller sides, add butter and olive oil, heat it through on low heat, add chopped garlic, let it simmer on low heat for 5 minutes. Add shalotts, and raise the heat to medium - cook another 3 minutes. Make sure that your garlic is not burning. It has to all cook slowly for flavors to infuse the butter/olive oil. Lower the heat and add tequilla and lemon juice, turn it the heat back to meadium high and let it cook for few 1-2 minutes, make sure you have enough liquid to have your shrimp half way covered. Add the shripm and cook until done. if you have too many shrimp, make sure you do it in batches - you don't want to overcrowd the pan.
turn the shrimp to cook on the other side, after about 30-45 seconds add a litlle heavy cream to the sauce to make it little thicker, taste to see if needs seasoning. Sprinkle with your herb mix and it's ready to serve over pasta. Put your pasta into a large bowl, pour the tequila shrimp withe sauce over the pasta and toss it with kitchen thongs. Freshly grated parmesan on top and few thin lemon slices, and it's ready to go... really great and simple dinner....

You can spice things up a little and a a dash of red pepper flakes at the same time as garlic.

Stuffed Cabbage

2009-01-01T15:57:00.011-06:00

My in-laws came to visit for Christmas, they arrived few days before and I wanted to make something from my polish menu for dinner. I thought polish stuffed cabbage should work well. I could make it ahead, and that day just bake it in the oven.
I remember my mom used to make that dish, she didn't make it too often, as it as quite a labor intensive dish. First you have to boil the rice, brown the meat, saute onions and mushrooms (optional), mix the stuffing. Boiling the whole cabbage, and peeling the cabbage leaves slowly to make sure they came off in one piece, than stuffing and rolling those - it's more work that I imagined. But it's well worth it! To make it easier for myself - I used creamy tomato soup for tomato sauce base. I added a can of petite diced tomatoes with their juice, few crushed cloves of garlic and some lemon juice (the soup is little sweeter, and I wanted a tangy sauce) - let t simmer on low heat for about 45 minutes to an hour.

My polish cooking is based on what I remember what my grandmother or my mom used to make. Usually I don't have written recipes - I just try to figure out the ingredients by myself or sometimes call my mom and she tells me what she used to put in, or how she made it. I always tend to make it with a twist, always trying to figure out how to make it little different or find an easier way around. For this particular dish I wanted to make sure I have leftovers so I can freeze and enjoy it later without extra work. (This proportions made 22 pieces of stuffed cabbage)

For stuffing I used:
2 cups of uncooked long grain (or jasmine) rice
2 lb. of lean ground pork
1 medium onion, diced
10 medium baby bella (crimini) mushrooms, chopped
2 crushed cloves of garlic
salt and pepper to taste

Cook rice according to directions, don't cook it all the way through, aldente is just fine, as you will bake the stuffed cabbage in the oven to finish it. Brown the ground pork with garlic, season to taste. Saute onions and mushrooms until done. Mix the rice with pork and mushroom, stir well to combine all the ingredients. Make sure you taste your staffing and adjust the seasoning as needed.

Boil water in a large pot, season with salt. Cut out the stem portion of the cabbage with a paring knife. It's not easy, so be careful. Put the cabbage into a boiling water, cover and let it cook for about 10-15 minutes. The cabbage will change the color slightly, take it out, let it cool down for few minutes and start peeling off the leaves gently.

Butter baking dish liberally, and have it ready by your work station. That's where the stuffed cabbage will go. Before you start with stuffing the cabage, prepare your tomato sauce, it needs time to simmer. I used 1 carton of creamy tomato soup, pour the soup into a saoce pan, let it simmer on low heat. In food processor, puree 1 can of diced tomatoes with 2 cloves of garlic. Pour the mix into the soup, stirr, add lemon juice (1/2 of lemon) - maybe more - it depends what flavor you are looking for. I like it tangy... let it simmer for 45 minutes. Taste it, and add salt and pepper as needed.

Stuffing the cabbage leaves: Take a leaf put a liberal amount of stuffing on it, try to squeeze the stuffing to form it for a better fit. Wrap the cabbage leaf around the stuffing, tuck the sides in, and start laying them down in your buttered baking dish. Once you are done, pour tomato sauce over and bake in 350 degrees oven for an hour. You want to make sure that the cabbage is cooked. Use leftover sauce to serve the stuffed cabbage with. I like to serve it with chopped herbs like dill and chives.

Happy New Year!

2009-01-01T15:06:00.006-06:00

Happy New Year 2009 to everybody!

To help us celebrate the New Years Eve this year I made my red velvet cake in form of cupcakes. What a great party dessert! It was everybody's favorite. Believe me this recipe is amazing! I love the hint of chocolate from the cocoa and the almond extract adds a different dimension to the cake. The cream cheese frosting is not too sweet, I only put 3/4 of a cup of sugar, you can still taste the cream cheese and it's lighter in calories (less sugar!). If you try this recipe, I guarantee you will never go back to your old, plain red velvet cake. Click here for the recipe.

{my pretty little red velvet cupcake}

Wine Tasting

2008-12-28T13:42:00.015-06:00

Few weeks ago we attended a wine tasting at Wine Discount Center on Elston (in Chicago). I wanted to write about it right away, but I didn't get a chance. It's called "First Look Tasting" and it has place every first Wednesday of the month, and it's sort of like a preview of wines that will be sold during that month. What they do is, they buy bunch of cases of the wines they like, have tasting, sell those during that month, and next month they have a new selection... so if you like something, you have to stock up, as it will not be there next month...
The tasting costs $10.00 per person, and you need to make a reservation ahead, the space is limited. There are 30 different wines, from all over the world to taste. I think that's a good number of wines to taste at one evening. And the wines are in pretty affordable price bracket - I would say between $4.99 and $27.99 being the highest priced bottle of the tasting. So you don't have to spend a fortune on wine if you like what you tasted...

I had quite a lot of favorites but we only purchased 4 bottles. Here is what I got:

Maipe Bonarda 2008 (Argentina, Mendoza) - this wine is packed with complex aromas and flavors of blueberry, earth, smoke and roasted herbs. Round and ripe on the palate, it has surprising depth and length for its price - $7.99. Rich and robust, there is both a rustic quality and a freshness. Build for hearty fare.

Albino Rocca "Rosso di Rocca" Piedmont 2005 (Italy) - this wine comes from one of the top producers of Barbaresco. This blend of 80% Nebbiolo, 10% Barbera nad 10% Cabernet s jam-packed with vibrant fruit and aromas. Beautiflly balanced and pleasurable to drink now or over the next few years. Anticipated maturity: 2007-2010. Very affordable priced - $10.99

Celler Can Blau Montsant 2007 (Spain) - "a blend of carinena, syrah and garnacha. Dark purple, with sexy aromas of blackberry, blueberry and black cherry. Asian spicesn, and smoked meat. Velvety texture and good mineral bite. Has a good finishing clarity and cut, leaves strong blue fruit notes behind and repeats the spicy quality." Price $13.99 per bottle at WDC.

El Chaparral De Vega Sindoa Grenache Navarra 2007 (Spain) - I have not tasted that wine at the tasting, as it was not available to taste. I read the tasting notes and based on that I bought that bottle. Spain is the third wine producing nation in the world, you can't go wrong with their wines,and those are very affordable. I'm sure it will be a great taste. 100% grenache grapes, ruby color, clean finish with light cherry flavors. Priced at $11.99 - seems like a good choice to me.

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas ...

2008-12-25T14:14:00.006-06:00

Have yourself a merry little Christmas
Let your heart be light
From now on, our troubles will be out of sight
Have yourself a merry little Christmas
Make the Yuletide gay
From now on, our troubles will be far away
Here were are as in olden days
Happy golden days of yore
Faithful friends who are dear to us
Gather near to us once more
Through the years we all will be together
If the Fates allow
Hang a shining star upon the highest bough
And have yourself a merry little Christmas now.

Polish Christmas Eve

2008-12-23T20:35:00.014-06:00

I would like to take a moment and explain how important Christmas Eve is for Poles, it's the evening of awaiting for Christ to be born. And it's almost more important that the actual Christmas Day. It's a wonderful night of love and miracles (like they say). Growing up we always waited for that day to come, Christmas time is such a wonderful time in a year. And it's not about the presents and gifts - it's about being together with the people you love.

Like I mentioned Polish Christmas Eve has a sort of spiritual meaning for Poles. We believe that this is the night of miracles. We believe that the Spirits of our loved ones that passed away are with us. Another, kind of funny now, thing we believe is that animals are able to speak human voice. I remember when I was little, we would always pay special attention to our cat or dog, no one wanted to miss them speaking...

The day begins like any other day, we have breakfast, and after that everybody just goes to their stuff. My mom and grandma would be in the kitchen making the dishes for our Christmas Eve Supper/Dinner. My dad would bring the tree, and we would start decorating. Yes, we decorated the tree on Christmas Eve. it made it special. So much more special than any other day.

The old fashion tradition is saying that you should sit down to the table once the first star appears on the sky. I remember me and my sister always trying to spot the first star... but we never ate so early, we were usually ready around 6 o'clock. The star symbolizes the Star of Bethlehem that leas Three Wiseman to Baby Jesus.

The table is usually set with a white table cloth and in the center we place a little stack of hay on the the plate and a Holy Wafer on it - that symbolizes Jesus being born in manger on hay. We always have one extra place setting for an unexpected guest or a stranger passing by and not having anybody to spend the Christmas Eve with. We sit down to the table and say a prayer, usually remembering our loved ones that are no longer with us. We share the Holy Wafer among us, saying a wishes to the ones next to you. The Wafer is a thin bread, like Communion, only bigger and it's showing nativity scenes. Sharing the Wafer is a symbolic act of love and friendship, and it's done in a sort of soleman way.

The Christmas Eve dinner is a big fest! There is usually 11 or 12 dishes being served that night. And there is no set menu, it vary from the different regions in Poland.
The dishes that we always had on our table include red borsh with little tiny mushroom pierogi, mashed potatoes, fish - usually carp, sour kraut with wild dried mushrooms, red cabbage salad, pickled herrings with onions, green tomato salad... there is so much more, but those are the dishes I remember the most. The best part of the dinner was the drink - it was a dried fruit compote, simmered for few hours, the taste of dried, smoked fruit was unbelievable. I wish I could make it now - but where would I find those great dried/smoked fruit made in oldfashined smokers...

After the dinner, we would all hang out, watch a Christmas movie, and than the time would come to go to the midnight mass. That was a really great experience that I miss a lot living here. We would bundeled up, and walk about 20 minutes to church. Everybody was going the same direction - kids with their parents, teenagers, elderly... I remember one Christmas Eve it snowed so much right before we left the house, with all the christmas lights and fresh, untouched snow it seemed like such a magical night. It was so beautiful and bright. Everybody was out - going to midnight mass... it didn't matter that it was so late... it was just so awesome...

Sometimes I miss that. I miss Christmas Eve being so special!

********************************

We are going to my parents house tomorrow to celebrate the Christmas Eve. I am making few dishes here at home - right now on my stove I have the sour kraut simmering with dried mushrooms, and tomorrow I am making dill mashed potatoes to serve with the breded tilapia. We opted for tilapia as oppose to carp - it's just not the same out here...

So you have a great Christmas Eve, and beautifull Christmas!

My Red Velvet Cake

2008-12-16T20:38:00.009-06:00

About two months ago I had the best red velvet cupcake in the entire world. It was one of my co-worker's birthday and we had ordered cupcakes from Fox & Obel in Chicago. Those were so delicious, I could eat a whole dozen!
I knew there was something different in the flavor, it was not just a regular red velvet cake. I tasted them again, and realized that it was almond extract. And it was not just added to the cake, it was also in the cream cheese frosting. The frosting was not too sweet, just perfectly complementing the flavor of the cake. I tried to find a recipe that would incorporate almond extract - but I had no luck.

So last Saturday, I decided to make my own red velvet cake with a twist! It was a "test kitchen" experience, the cake turned out delicious - I have to say that, I almost recreated that flavor. And the only reason why I say almost is because I no longer remember the exact taste of those cupcakes. My brother and his girlfriend came over, we had some wine, and I was baking. Yes, it was late and we really wanted something sweet. I mean REALLY!

I baked the cake and let it cool down, but I was so curious to try how it taste that I cut into it about 2 minutes after I finished frosting. It was still little warm inside. ;) That explains why my pictures are so bad. I will be making that cake for Christmas again, so I will let it completely cool down, and let the frosting set.

Red Velvet Cake

2 1/2 cups sifted cake flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 TBS cocoa powder (unsweetened)
1 oz. red food coloring
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs, at room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp almond extract
1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
1 tsp white vinegar
1 tsp baking soda

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour two 9-inch round cake pans or three 8-inch round cake pans. Into a medium bowl, sift together cake flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside. In a small bowl, mix food coloring and cocoa powder to form a paste, set aside.
In a large bowl, using a hand mixer or stand mixer, beat butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, about three minutes. Beat in eggs, one at a time, then beat in vanilla, almond extract and cocoa paste. Add one third of the flour mixture, beat well, then beat in half of the buttermilk. Beat in another third of flour mixture, then second half of buttermilk. Finally beat in the last third of the flour mixture, making sure to scrape down the bowl with a spatula.
In a small bowl, mix vinegar and baking soda, it will fizz. Add it to the cake batter and stir well to combine. Divide batter evenly between the cake pans and place them in a preheated 350 degree oven. Bake for 25-30 minutes.
Cool the cakes in their pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes. To remove the cakes from the pan, place a wire rack on top of the cake pan and invert, then gently lift the pan. Allow cakes to cool completely before frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting
(double the recipe for this cake)

1 - 8oz cream cheese, room temperature (I use Philadelphia)
3/4 stick of unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup of powder sugar
1/2 tsp almond extract
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp lemon juice

Beat cream cheese with butter until fluffy, add vanilla, almond extract and lemon juice, add powdered sugar in 3 batches, beat few more minutes to get desire consistency. Frost the cake.

My brother had 3 large pieces of this wonderful cake that night! I can't wait to make it again in form of cupcakes! Delicious!

Placki Ziemniaczane - Potato Latkes

2008-12-16T17:03:00.013-06:00

I've noticed lately a lot of fuzz about potato latkes/pancakes. I see recipes on-line and in magazines, there are a variety of recipes for this simple dish. Potato latkes are very familiar to me as I am Polish and those are very popular in Poland. I remember my grandma used to make them all the time, we used to melt swiss cheese on top and eat it with ketchup - it tasted so great. Puts smile on my face!
I made those on several occasions, and always turned out great. It's such an easy dish to make, and it can be fun. You can serve those a side dish, they are great as an appetizer - if you make them smaller size, topped with a little sour cream and dill, maybe even smoked salmon... possibilities are endless...

Polish name for potato latkes is Placki Ziemniaczane - and for those who don't know what I am talking about - those are shallow fried pancakes, made out of grated potatoes, grated onion, egg, and little flour. Potato latkes are associated with traditional Czech, Ukraine, Polish and German cuisine, also popular in many other eastern European countries.

Here is the polish traditional way I remember, to make the potato latkes:

2 lb. of potatoes
1 large onion
1 large egg
1-2 TBS flour
salt
pepper

Make sure potatoes you are using are not the new potatoes, they usually have higher water content, it's better to use older, larger potatoes. I usually shred them in the food processor on my shredding disc, but I used to use the old fashion grater... like the one of the picture :)

Once the potatoes are shredded, you might want to squeeze the access water, the latkes will be crispier if you get the water off. Shred the onion also, mix it with potatoe mix, egg, flour and season to taste. I like to add a little bit of greenery to my mixture, chives are usually good, they blend with the flavor. If your mix is too runny, add little more flour, it all depends how watery the potatoes you using are.
Preheat the non-stick pan, with canola oil, and once the oil is hot, pour 3 separate pancakes on the pan.

Those taste the best straight from the pan - while fresh and crispy.

Sunset magazine published an article about potato latkes , you can find few recipes with an interesting take on this traditional dish, and also tips how to make them crispy.

Greek Burgers

2008-12-15T13:48:00.015-06:00

This recipe reminds me of hot summer nights and grilling out on our deck. I miss it now, when it's so cold outside. I made it for the first time this past summer, and it's been a huge success since. It's a super easy recipe, I actually made it up by adding ingredients that make me think of Greece. I made it last week to bring up a little summer memory to my kitchen.

I use ground beef, usually the fatter one with about 10-15% of fat. Good burger has to have a little fat - it makes it taste better, and it doesn't dry out as fast. Next time I make those I will mix a little of ground lamb to make it more authentic. But just the beef taste really good, especially when I load it with garlic and oregano. I love to serve it on warm pita bread with my homemade Taziki sauce and fresh Creek salad.

Here is what you need to make the burgers:

ground beef
finely diced red onion
chopped or pressed garlic
chopped fresh oregano
sea salt and pepper
Dijon mustard
Worcestershire sauce
1 egg (optional)
fresh lemon juice
crumbled feta cheese (optional)

The proportions might be little off, since I really never measure my ingredients. I always eyeball it, and it tastes great. You must use fresh oregano, the dried stuff will not add as much flavor. I use a lot of garlic and a lot of oregano - that what makes them taste Greek...

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl, be gentle, do not over mix the beef - you want your burgers to be soft and fluffy, not hard and over mixed. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for at least an hour - it helps the garlic and oregano flavors to penetrate the meat. You can skip this step if you don't have time, but I would try to make it ahead of time, to make sure that the burger mix goes to the fridge.

After the mix is chilled, take out of the fridge and shape it in even portions to make even size burgers. You want to make sure those are more or less the same size, it will be easier to grill them, as they all will be ready at the same time. If you have few smaller ones and few big ones, the bigger ones have to stay on the grill longer.

I like to put them on a hot grill, around 400 degrees, it only takes 7 minutes or less (depends on the size of your patties) to grill those.

Homemade Taziki sauce is one of the things that makes this dish even more delicious!

1/2 of seedless cucumber, diced in a small dice
1 shallot or 1/2 of small red onion, diced
1-2 cloves of garlic, pressed through a garlic press
fresh dill, chopped
1 cup Greek yogurt (might be substituted with regular plain yogurt)
1/2 cup light sour cream
fresh lemon juice
1 TBS red wine vinegar
sea salt & pepper to taste
crumbled feta (optional)

Mix all the ingredients together, adjust the taste if needed. Refrigerate before serving over burgers.

Greek salad is an excellent addition to this meal. French fries or Greek fries would be perfectly fine, but in the summer we want to eat light and this just tastes great with our burgers. This salad mainly consist of cucumbers, tomatoes, red onions, crumbled feta, olive oil, lemon juice, sea salt and freshly grounded black pepper. Sometimes I mix it a little lettuce or mixed greens.
Cut cucumbers and tomatoes, mix with thinly sliced red onion, add salt, pepper, little lemon juice, mix it together and let it stand for 15 minutes until you see some juice on the bottom of the bowl. Add mixed greens, feta, sprinkle with olive oil, mix gently together to combine.

Serve burgers on warm, grilled pita, with Taziki and feta on top, with a side of Greek salad.

YUMM! or how they say it in Greece - OPA!

*** I only use sea salt in my kitchen. It is so much healthier than the processed iodized kitchen salt, and it makes the food taste so much better. Try it - you'll never go back to the old stuff!

{my pictures are still not coming out too great, sorry}

Cookie Collection: Simple Sugar Cookies

2008-12-11T16:16:00.008-06:00

I know, just yesterday I posted a cookie recipe, and today I am about to do the same. But I can't help it. It's the Holiday Season and I dream of cookies: making cookies, decorating cookies and eating cookies! So I decided to post all kinds of different cookie recipes that I find. Why only limit myself to one. There is never too many good cookie recipes. And at least I will have them right here, in this blog, it will be easy to find once I am ready to make them.

I finally started subscribing Food & Wine Magazine, I usually just bought it from the stand, but it's so much less expensive to subscribe it. I believe this cookie recipe is from December's issue for Food & Wine Magazine. And I just couldn't help it. Those cookies look so delicious!

Here is the recipe:

Cookies:

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 sticks cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 large egg yolks
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup seedless raspberry or apricot jam (for jam-filled cookies)
Royal Icing, sprinkles, sparkles and dragées, for decorating

In the bowl of a standing electric mixer fitted with the paddle, mix the flour with the sugar and salt. Add the butter and mix at low speed until the butter is broken up into small pieces, about 2 minutes. Increase the speed to medium and mix until the flour and butter form small clumps, about 1 minute. Add the egg yolks and vanilla and mix at low speed until the dough comes together in a few large clumps. Pat the cookie dough into two 1/2-inch-thick disks, wrap them in plastic and refrigerate until chilled but not firm, about 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375°. Line 2 large rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. On a lightly floured surface, working with 1 disk at a time, roll out the dough 1/8 inch thick. Using 3- to 4-inch cookie cutters, cut the dough into shapes and transfer to the prepared baking sheets. Reroll the scraps and cut out more cookies. (Alternatively, cut the dough into 3- to 4-inch shapes and, using a smaller cutter, stamp out the center of half of the cookies.) Refrigerate the cutout cookies until chilled, about 30 minutes.

Bake the cookies for about 13 minutes, until they are lightly golden around the edges; shift the baking sheets from top to bottom and front to back halfway through for even baking. Let the sugar cookies cool on the baking sheets for about 5 minutes, then, using a metal spatula, carefully transfer them to a rack to cool completely, about 20 minutes.

For sandwich cookies, spread a thin layer of raspberry or apricot jam on the solid cookies and top with the corresponding cutout cookies to expose the jam. Otherwise, decorate as desired with the Royal Icing, sprinkles, sparkles and dragées.

Royal Icing Recipe

1 egg white
1/2 pound confectioners’ sugar (2 1/4 cups)
1 tablespoon water

In a medium bowl, beat the egg white at medium speed until foamy. Add the confectioners’ sugar, 1 cup at a time, beating between additions, until the sugar is completely incorporated. Add the water and beat at high speed until the icing holds its shape, about 5 minutes.

Spoon the icing into a piping bag fitted with a plain tip and use at once; thin with water if necessary.

Cookie Collection: Paula's Snowflake Cookies

2008-12-10T17:13:00.005-06:00

Holiday's are approaching quickly and the smell of freshly baked cookies is the air. I love sugar cookies! And I am always researching for a new recipe to add to my collection. This recipe is from Foodnetwork, and those are Paula Dean Snowflake cookies. They look amazing and I bet they taste awesome. I haven't made those yet, but I am going to in the nearest future.

Here is what you need to make those appetizing creations:

Cookie Dough:
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
Edible Paint Icing, recipe follows
Garnish: silver dragees, sugar pearls, sparkling sugar

In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar at medium speed with an electric mixer until fluffy. Beat in eggs, vanilla and almond extract until combined.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. Gradually add to sugar mixture, beating until smooth. Wrap dough in heavy-duty plastic wrap, and refrigerate 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut with assorted snowflake cookie cutters and place 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets. Chill dough 15 minutes. Bake for 10 minutes, or until edges are very lightly browned. Let cool for 2 minutes on baking sheet. Remove from pans and cool completely on wire racks.

Paint cookies with Edible Paint Icing. Garnish with silver dragees, sugar pearls and sparkling sugar, if desired.

Edible Paint Icing:
1/4 cup cold water
3 tablespoons meringue powder
2 cups confectioners' sugar
Food coloring, optional

In a medium bowl, combine water and meringue powder; whisk until foamy. Whisk in confectioners' sugar until smooth. Add food coloring, if desired. Use immediately.

Don Miguel Gascon Malbec

2008-12-08T20:06:00.006-06:00

What is Malbec? Malbec is a grape used in making wine, originated in southern France is known as one of the six grapes allowed in the blend of red Bordeaux Wine. Came to Argentina in mid nineteenth century and adapted well to the climate and soil. Argentinian malbec grapes produce softer, less tannic variety of wines. Mainly grown in Mendoza wine region. High altitude vineyards located along the Cordillera in Andes produce full mature grapes.

Established in 1884, Don Miguel Wineries have been recognized for the rich and smooth flavors. The 2006 Gascon Malbec is full bodied with soft round tannins. Flavors of blackberry, blueberry and some dark cherry.

I found this wine in Whole Foods Market, and it was around $10.00 - very affordable bottle. Nice for the price. I would pair it with rich, hearty pastas, and red meat.

With approaching holiday season this wine is great for gatherings (inexpensive) and also great for a gift. ;)

My Favorite Pasta

2008-12-08T19:13:00.011-06:00

Whenever I want to make a quick and easy dinner I think of this pasta dish. It's great if you cook for two or for a crowd. I've made it about thousand times and we love it every time we eat it.

It's almost like a simple meat sauce, but I spruce it up with onions, garlic, mushrooms, sometimes I add zucchini and/or yellow squash. You can serve it with thin spaghetti, fettuccine, penne, or any kind of pasta you wish.

This particular sauce I made using about a 1/2 pound of ground beef, and a package of Johnsonville Hot Italian Sausage , and that makes this taste superb. I never keep proportions making this dish, it's always a little bit of this, and a little bit of that, and every time comes out better than the last time. That night I used a large jar of Prego tomato sauce. Sometimes I make my own sauce by adding canned crushed or diced tomatoes and some tomato paste. This time we were starving and I always have a jar of tomato sauce in my cupboard, so whay not to use it.

So, to start I sliced a medium onion and crushed few garlic cloves, add some olive oil to the pan, heat on medium, add the onions and garlic, saute together until onions become translucent. Quarter few mushrooms, depends on your likings - I love them, so I put quite a few of them, I cpooed them roughly, to keep larger pieces. I want my sauce to have this nice, rustic feel. Add mushrooms to onions and saute together. Once done, I transfer it to a bowl and add meat to the pan. Cook the beef and sausage until done, I like the sausage without casings, but it's your preference... mix the mushroom onion mixture with meat, add tomato sauce, stirr wel to incorporate everything. I usually spice it up with a little crushed red pepper flakes and black pepper. I like to cook it all together for at least 15-20 minutes, it makes the sauce taste better, and the flavors mix in. Actually if you can make it the day ahead, it's best the next day!
You can serve it like that or you can add some heavy cream to make it more creamy, if you add creme, make sure you bring it to a boil. Check if it needs salt or pepper, season to taste. Cook your favorite pasta aldene, and serve the sauce over the pasta, sprinkled with paresan cheese and some fresh basil leaves.
Garlic bread and nice bottle of Argentinian Gascon Malbec wine would go nicely together.

Bon Apetit!

Coconut Cheesecake

2008-12-04T16:21:00.009-06:00

I'm a sucker for CHEESECAKES! I love all of them. No exceptions, no... actually except the ones that don't taste good... I have a few great cheesecake recipes I tried and I like. One of them is this awesome coconut cheesecake I found on-line. You can serve it with all kinds of fresh fruit, or fruit puree, tastes great with a tropical flavor like mango. Or if you like it plain, like my husband (he's not a big fruit fan) it will taste just fine. The recipe is very simple and easy.

Crust:
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 1/2 cups sweetened shredded coconut, toasted
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted

Wrap outside of 9 inch diameter spring-form pan with aluminum foil. Mix graham crackers crumbs, coconut and sugar in the medium bowl, add butter and mix to blend. Press mixture to bottom and sides of prepared pan. (I usually bake it for 10-15 minutes in the oven before I pour cheese mixture)

Cheese filling:
32 oz cream cheese (room temp)
3/4 cup of sugar
3 large eggs
1 large egg yolk
1 (15 oz) can cream of coconut
1 cup whipping cream
1 cup sweetened shredded coconut

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Beat cream cheese and sugar in large bowl until blended (believe me you need the largest bowl you have...), add eggs 1 at a time,beating after each addition. Beat in egg yolk. Add cream of coconut, whipping cream and shredded coconut**, beat until blended. Pour into crust. Bake cheesecake until puffed and golden, about 1 hour and 25 minutes. Transfer to rack and cool completely. Refrigerate until well chilled.

Serve with purred mango. YUMMM... raspberries or anything you want...

** shredded coconut can be stringy, and I actually did not like it, I like my cheesecake smooth, so I think next time I make it, I will either skip the coconut completely or maybe run it through the food processor...

The Best Cook Books of 2008

2008-12-03T16:36:00.013-06:00

Epicurious published this article featuring the best cook books of 2008 . I was really curious to see what they have to offer. I always love to read up on new cookbooks and get inspired... So once I saw this article I had to include it in my blog.

Couple of the books caught my attention, and I just may have to get them.

# 1 is the book called Fish Without a Doubt could be a great source of seafood recipes. I have to admit that I like to eat fish a lot, but I am not a huge fan of making it. Usually I order it in a restaurant. But I always wanted to make more seafood/fish dishes at home. So I think this book will eventually find it's way to my shelf.

#2 - is The Modern Baker . I don't own too many books on desserts. I like to bake, but I don't do it as often as I would like to. So maybe to start I just need something to inspire me, like this book...

# 3 on my "WANTED" list is book called Paley"s Place Cookbook . The author is one of the county's top regional chefs. The book includes a melange of inspirational recipes from The Paley's Place Bistro and Bar in Portland Oregon. I am absolutley fascinated with pacific northwest, so I would love to learn more about the food of this region. And I know they have great chefs out there...
So another one for my collections...

I was only going to include 3 books in this post, but I just can't help it - I love them all!!! But don't worry, I will not be writing about all of those books, one more and I am done. If you want to check out the full article please click here and you will be redirected to Epicurious website.

OK, here is my #4 (I was between two books, and I had to pick one!)- I chose Urban Italian . Even though I am Polish, I love Italian kitchen. The cookbook is full of soulful, sophisticated food and delicious stories written by one of the youngest best chefs of New York.
I can't wait to get my hands on it.

I absolutely love cookbooks. I buy them, collect them, read them from cover to cover several times, and actually rarely make recipes from them. I love to read them, to get inspired and to create my own versions of things I read about... it seems more fun this way...

Wine, Food & Friends by Karen MacNeil

2008-12-03T13:41:00.007-06:00

I was browsing through my favorite online shopping site Amazon and stumbled upon this book. I have spent some time looking for a nice wine book, something with new inspirations for upcoming holiday season. Karen MacNeil is one of the county's top wine educators, author and a tv host. She writes a column for Cooking Light. She is the author of this super popular wine book called the Wine Bible .

Wine, Food & Family is a perfect guide to wine and food pairing. Sometimes you just need a bit of expert advice to gain a better understanding of the art of selecting and serving wine as well as inspiration for elegant entertaining. The book also includes more than a 100 top rated Cooking Light recipes that were chosen by the author to complement your favorite wines.

I think I am going to like this book a lot, so I decided to put it in my cart - and... purchase it...
Once I get I definitely will post about it, and let you know if it really is good...

Karen's Sip Tip: Learning wine speak

"There are some conventional wine terms that are really important to know because they allow you to remember wine more easily and give you a vocabulary when you’re talking to your local wine merchant. The top three words to know are body, acidity, and tannin. Body is the weight of the wine in your mouth. One way to remember body is to think about skim milk, whole milk, and cream. A light-bodied wine is like skim milk; a full-bodied wine feels like cream. Acidity is what makes wine lively, vivacious and refreshing. Zing is a good thing when it comes to wine, and in fact, wines that don’t have enough acidity usually taste pretty boring, dull, and flat. And then there’s tannin. Tannin tastes a little bitter, like an espresso, and it’s what gives wine its majestic structure. It also helps wine age. So remember body, acidity and tannin: three words no wine lover should be without."

{quoted from Karen MacNeil's website}

Yogurt - Cranberry Coffeecake

2008-12-01T16:01:00.005-06:00

This is a great recipe for a festive holiday coffeecake. Looks amazing, and tastes great. Wonderful for holiday brunch. This recipe makes one 9 x 13 baking pan. You could divide into smaller pieces, wrap in in cellophane and voila!... nice gift for Christmas morning ...

Topping:
5 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
big pinch of salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup + 2 tablespoons King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour (I think any all purpose flour will do)

Batter:
1/2 cup butter
1 cup + 2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup (8 ounces) plain or flavored yogurt
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour

Filling:
1 can of whole-berry cranberry sauce

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9 x 13-inch pan.

To make the topping: In a large bowl, cream together the butter, sugar, salt, cinnamon, and vanilla. Add the flour, beating until even crumbs form. Scoop the mixture into a smaller bowl, and set it aside.

To make the batter: In the bowl cream together the butter and brown sugar, beating until smooth. Beat in the eggs, scraping the bowl and again beating until smooth. Beat in the yogurt, extracts, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and flour. The mixture will be fairly stiff. If too stiff add more yogurt. Scoop the batter into the prepared pan. Dollop the cranberry sauce on top, breaking it up with a fork first, if necessary. Make swirls with knife. Sprinkle the topping over the top.

To bake the coffeecake: Bake coffeecake for 40 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove it from oven, and cool for 30 minutes before serving (or serve it hot from the oven, if you don't mind it crumbling a bit!) Yield: 2 dozen 2-inch squares.

{Recipe courtesy of King Arthur Flour Website}

Turkey Leftovers - Sheppard's Pie

2008-12-01T11:51:00.005-06:00

In the previous post I was raving about this potpie recipe I was going to make, it was going to include my turkey leftovers. I opened the fridge and saw the whole big container of leftover mashed potatoes. So, there goes my potpie... instead I made a turkey Sheppard's pie.
Few weeks ago my husband Tim asked me why I never made a Sheppard's pie before, and the answer is simple, I am not a big fun of those type of foods... I'll eat it, but if I have a choice of making something else, I'll make something else...

But this time, I decided to surprise Tim and make him one of his favorite childhood dishes. He was very excited to see the Sheppard's pie. I made a good size baking dish filled with bubbly mixture and mashed potatoes on top - he ate more than a half of it for dinner on Saturday!
LOL - and he loved it!

I didn't measure ingredients, just kind of eyeballed it.

I diced the medium Spanish onion, and sauted it with 2 tsp of butter and some olive oil. Slice about 6-7 medium mushrooms, and add to the onion, than add 2 crushed cloves of garlic, and about a 1/2 to 1 cup of chopped carrots, I skipped celery stalk, but you are more than welcome to add it. I sweat it all together on the skillet for a few minutes, and than I added chopped leftover turkey, mix it well and left to warm up on the low heat. The last we add some frozen peas.

In the other pan I malted 3 tsp of butter on low heat, and added 4 TBS of flour, whisk it all together well, so there are no curds. Add chopped thyme. Slowly add about 2 cups of stock (again, I eyeballed it - just add a little at the time, whisk and see how thick the sauce is getting. if too thick add more stock) Brink it to a boil. I also added a 1/4 of white wine, to break out the flavor. Seasoned with salt and pepper and a pinch of cayenne for a little kick...

After the sauce was done I pour the mixture of vegetables and turkey into the sauce, stir it well and pour to the baking dish. Put a layer of mashed potatoes on top, bake in 375 for 30 minutes, until bubbles.

It was fast and easy to make considering all the leftovers...

Individual Potpies - Chicken or Turkey?

2008-11-29T13:51:00.004-06:00

So Thanksgiving is over, and now we have plenty of leftover turkey, stock, herbs and other goodies that we could make into something yummy.
I found this recipe in Sunset Magazine, and I made it with chicken before. I am not a big fan of potpies but this one was actually very good. And I think I liked it because it has mushrooms and thyme, those add a hint of earthiness to the potpie. So today, I was trying to figure out something for dinner to incorporate the leftovers, and I decided to make the potpies, but I will use the leftover turkey. Also instead of making those biscuits I will use the Pillsbury biscuits, that I have in the fridge. And if you don't have individual dishes, you can just put in a 9x9 square pan, and top with biscuits. This recipe makes 6-7 individual servings.

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups reduced-sodium chicken stock
3 carrots, peeled and finely chopped
2 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and finely chopped (I will skip the potatoes)
1 stalk celery, finely chopped
4 tablespoons salted butter
1 medium onion, finely chopped
12 small cremini or button mushrooms, finely chopped
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
5 tablespoons
1 cup milk
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
2 teaspoons salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
2 1/2 cups chopped cooked chicken, preferably a mixture of white and dark meat (see Notes)
1/4 cup frozen sweet peas

Biscuits

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
2 cups four
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
5 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cubed
1/2 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
2 teaspoons minced fresh sage
1 egg
1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp. well-shaken buttermilk
Egg wash (1 egg yolk whisked with 1 tbsp. milk)

1. In a medium saucepan over high heat, bring chicken stock to a boil. Add carrots, potatoes, and celery. Lower heat to medium and cook until vegetables are tender, 5 to 7 minutes. Drain vegetables, reserving stock; set both aside separately.

2. In a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan, melt salted butter over medium heat. Add onion and cook until golden, 6 to 8 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook 5 minutes. Add fresh thyme and 5 tbsp. flour and cook 2 minutes. Slowly add milk, whisking constantly, until combined, then add stock and cook, stirring often, until mixture thickens, 8 to 10 minutes. Season with nutmeg, 1 tsp. salt, and pepper to taste. Add parsley, chicken, cooked vegetables, and peas and divide filling evenly among 6 or 7 ovenproof containers (8 to 10 oz. each), leaving the top 1/4 in. unfilled.

3. Preheat oven to 425°. To make biscuit topping, sift remaining 2 cups flour with baking powder, baking soda, and remaining 1 tsp. salt. Using your fingers or a pastry cutter, work in unsalted butter to form a coarse meal, working quickly to keep the butter from warming up and melting into the dough. Stir in cheese and sage. In a separate bowl, whisk together egg and buttermilk and add to the flour mixture, stirring gently until a shaggy dough forms.

4. Lightly flour a counter, a rolling pin, and your hands. Divide dough into 2 balls. Roll out first ball to a 1/4-in. thickness, then use a 2 1/2-in. biscuit cutter to cut into rounds, scraping and rerolling dough as needed. Repeat with second ball.

5. Place 3 rounds of dough on each potpie, overlapping as necessary (any unused rounds can be baked on their own as biscuits). Brush dough with egg wash, put potpies on a cookie sheet lined with aluminum foil, and bake until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbling, 17 to 22 minutes.

{Recipe from Sunset Magazine}

My Thanksgiving Dinner - Adventures of aTurducken

2008-11-28T21:49:00.020-06:00

{my table setting}

Happy belated Thanksgiving!

I was so busy yesterday cooking my dinner, I had no time to even turn the computer on. It started pretty early, I opened my "turkey breast" package in the morning just to find out, that there was much more there than just a turkey breast - it was a whole turkey without wings and legs... yes, I had to wrestle the bird to get him off the bones. and that's never fun.
The other surprise was the duck. I don't make duck to often, actually I don't even remember last time when I made a duck. So I just bought 2 duck breasts, and didn't think anything of it. I know duck is fatty. But this one had about 1/2 inch layer of fat and about 1/4 inch layer of the breast meat, it was little too much fat... I had to pull the fat of the meat and make sure that the breast holds its shape. It worked. But between the turkey wrestling and duck de-fatting it took me about an hour, which I didn't count for...

And it's all because I decided to make my own version of a turducken! (I hope I spelled it right)... Instead of making the "whole" turkey stuffed with the whole duck, stuffed with the whole chicken - I wanted to make just the turkey breast stuffed with duck breast, stuffed with chicken breast.
And in the end everything worked out fine, but the stresfull morning got me little worry about the whole dinner. I even sent my husband to the grocery store to buy a rotisserie chicken, just in case if... he called me from the store, the chickens they had looked like they've been on the grill little too long, dried out and burned... he didn't get any... so the turducken just had to come out right! And it did. It was a very successful turkey dinner!

The plan was to season the layers, and to spread a herb butter inside and outside of the turkey. Butter always makes the bird taste so much better, gives it a layer of a moisture protection. The turkey was moist, and tender, with a crunchy layer on the outside. I don't have too many photos of the execution of the dish - my hands were covered with butter and all kinds of other stuff. Here is the picture of the final product - you can see the outer layer of the turkey, and the darker meat inside is the duck, the skinny lighter is the chicken... not bad, hmm?

Here is the recipe for my version of a Turducken:

1 double (boneless) turkey breast, keep the skin
1 double duck breast (boneless, and skinless, keep the skin)
1 single chicken breast (boneless and skinless)
makes 2 separate turducken "roulads"

Seasoning mix: sea salt, black pepper, pinch of cayenne pepper, poultry seasoning, garlic powder (I didn't measure, just use your judgment)

The herb butter: 1,5 stick of unsalted butter room temp, bunch of thyme, sage and chives; chop the herbs and mix with butter.

Butterfly each turkey breast to flatten it out, season it, and spread a layer of the herb butter. In the middle lay the duck breast, my duck was pretty thin, so I didn't have to cut it, but make sure the duck is not too thick, you need to have room to close the turkey and make sure that it doesn't fall apart. Use one duck breast, season it, add a thin layer of the butter and arrange the last layer - chicken. season it, and try to either roll it or bring the turkey sides up, use kitchen twine to tie it all together. Once assembled lift the turkey skin gently with your fingers to add the butter under the skin. It really helps to keep the turkey moist. Season the outside of it.
I melted the duck skin on the low heat, and put some of it on the bottom of the pan, and put the turkey in it, added few garlic cloves and onion. 375 degrees, until done, until your meat thermometer shows 180 degrees. I based the turkey every once on a while with the juices from the bottom of the pan. Make sure to rest it for 10 - 15 minutes before you start cutting it!

For the first course we had the lovely, creamy butternut squash soup.
And the turducken was served with:

Monterrey Jack-Garlic Mashed Potatoes,
Mushroom Sherry Gravy,with turkey drippings
Vegetable Madly - Brussels Sprouts and Cauliflower,
Honey Glazed Carrots,
Stuffing,
Dinner Rolls,
Baked Onions with Parmesan Cheese, recipe by Italian Cook from Chicago, click here for the recipe

Wine of the evening was Barefoot Zinfandel - very affordable wine, pretty good for the price. Zinfandel is not usually paired with chicken or turkey, but I really like the flavor, it's pretty smooth and silky, so it went well with all the mushrooms I had in stuffing, and the mushroom gravy for the turkey. So in the end it all tasted pretty good.

Wild Rice, Cranberry & Walnut Stuffing

2008-11-24T10:51:00.008-06:00

What a week! I am still fighting the cold, it got me pretty bad, I've been pretty sick, and not able to do much at all. Thanksgiving in 3 days and I am still finalizing the menu. I am so unprepared this year. Normally I know at least few weeks in advance what I will be making. I thought it was going to get less busy after the wedding, but for some reason, it's still going pretty fast.

I found this recipe on Whole Foods website, and I haven't made it before, but I bought it from the store, and it's pretty good. I am thinking about making something similar to stuff my cornish hens for Thanksgiving. I decided to make turkey and cornish hens, I want to keep it traditional but also at the same time add something different, it's going to be a surprise. They all expect just a turkey...

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 yellow onions, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
7 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
2 teaspoons salt
2 cups uncooked wild rice or wild rice mix
2 cups uncooked basmati rice
2 cups dried cranberries
1/2 cup chopped parsley
2 tablespoons chopped thyme
1 1/2 cups walnuts, toasted and chopped
Pepper to taste

Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent, 5 to 7 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more. Add broth and salt and bring to a boil. Stir in wild rice, cover, reduce heat to medium low and simmer for 45 minutes.

Stir in basmati rice, cover and simmer until rice is tender and most of the liquid is absorbed, 15 to 20 minutes longer. Stir in cranberries, parsley, thyme, and walnuts, cover and cook for 5 minutes more. Season with pepper and additional salt to taste.

Preheat oven to 375°F. Grease a 9- x 13-inch baking dish. Transfer rice mixture to dish and bake until light golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes.

Roasted Butternut Squash and Sweet Potatos

2008-11-20T13:40:00.011-06:00

Last night I really wanted something with sweet potatoes, and I am not talking about marshmallows mashed sweet potatoes loaded with brown sugar and coconut... I say roasted! So I went to the produce market (my favorite in the city - Stanley's) and got some butternut squash and few sweet potatoes. I cubed them, sprinkled with olive oil and sea salt, placed on the baking sheet and to 400 degrees oven for 45 minutes.

It was sooooo yummy! I couldn't stop eating. The potatoes had a hint of sweetness, and the squash was just nice, soft inside and crunchy on the outside.
I even got Tim to have some. He actually thought it was just sweet potatoes, and after finish eating I told him what he really ate... ha ha ... I was surprised, he said he liked it... so, now we have a new side dish that he likes.... that means I can actually make it more often.

One thing I have to say - the squash is really hard, and it was very difficult to peel it. It is much harder than the sweet potato. I would suggest it to buy it already cut/cubed. I know Costco sells it, I saw it there. It will save you some time and it's safer... Oh, and I added one purple potato for some color... made it look more interesting...

This could be a nice, fall side dish for Thanksgiving dinner. Different take on the traditional sweet potatoes. And by the way, I am sorry to say that (no offense, please) - but I've been living in this country for over 8 years, and still can't get over the fact that sweet potatoes are mashed with bunch of brown sugar, coconut, and baked with marshmallows.... it's just so unappetizing! blehhh... is it a side dish or a dessert? I'm not sure, it's a potato but it's sweetened to its maximum.... I would rather eat an extra slice of apple pie or a huge piece of butter cream coconut cake... and it would taste 100 times better....
Sorry for all those who love this mushy mush... :)

Thanksgiving Decor

2008-11-19T12:58:00.007-06:00

I will be making Thanksgiving this year, as always. It will be a dinner for 8 adults, I guess it's not that big of a deal. Right? Only 8 people... I've been researching table decor, this year I finally have my China, and matching silverware, and all the other nice things you need to set the table for 12. So I am very excited to use it for the first time. My plates are plain white, so they should go with about everything.

This picture is from Martha Stewart's website, and I love the centerpiece. It looks so nice and rustic, breaks away from the traditional centerpieces with pumpkins, squash and berries... it looks rich and different. I would have to use a smaller basket, maybe round, since my table is round... and place few votive candles to make it warmer and cozy.... I really like that idea...

This is another picture from the same website - very clean and elegant with the hint of fall colors, the wrapper on the votive glass holders reminds me of a corn husk... I like it...

Recipe Box: Easy Stuffed Mushrooms

2008-11-19T11:47:00.004-06:00

Last Sunday, we were relaxing on the couch, watching movies, and all of the sudden I was craving a mushroom dish! I love mushrooms, all of them, at least all the eatable ones...
I had a package of baby bella (cremini) mushrooms, and a package ow white mushrooms, so I decided to make this quick and easy stuffed mushrooms.

First, I removed the stems from 12 bigger mushrooms, and cleaned them. I placed them on the glass 9 x 9 baking dish. I chopped (or you can use the grater, it works better, and saves time) the leftover stems, and added few (5-6) whole mushrooms to the mixture, make sure you chopp or grate those also, next I chopped one small spanish onion. Melted 3 tsp. of unsalted butter on the non-stick pan, added onion, cook for 3 minutes, next add chopped mushrooms, minced clove of garlic (or more - if you like), and saute it together until mushrooms are done. I added some freshed thyme and chopped fresh sage to bring up the flavor. Seasoned with salt and pepper, and added breadcrumbs, about 1/2 a cup or more. Mix it well on a low heat, make sure it's all combined in a paste. You can substitute breadcrumbs for cream cheese, it will make the stuffing very reach, and very tasty. Fill the caps with stuffing, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and bake in the oven for 20-30 minutes... Sprinkle with fresh chives before serving... It tastes great!

This dish can be served as an appetizer or even a side dish! I made those last year for Thanksgiving as an appetizer, I served the version with cream cheese, and everybody loved it. It was gone in no time!

Bites!

2008-11-18T20:30:00.005-06:00

I am so frustrated with taking pictures of my food. I work 9-5 job during the day, and by the time I get home at 6 pm, and make dinner, unfortunately it's already dark outside - so no natural lighting. And #2 - I am usually very hungry by the time dinner is ready, and there is no way that I can wait until I take a few decent shots of my food...

So, I obviously have to figure out my food photography before I start posting recipes. I don't want to post them without photos.
I have been reading about food photography, and as far as I can tell the natural lighting is the key. In the summer I should be able to shoot in the daylight, but in the winter, in Chicago, it's getting dark at 4 pm. I guess first I should set up a little set - and maybe get a lamp, and cover it with a white cloth for a softer light, prepare the set before I have the food ready to shoot, so when it is ready - I can just place it on the set and shoot... But what do I do about being hungry??? Eat something else? That doesn't sound good....
I have few things to figure out and some homework to do ... get better with the photography...

Meantime, I may post a recipe here and there without a photo, or a recipe that I've tried from the magazine, cookbook or other sites...

If you have any suggestions for me abut the food photography, please comment. I appreciate the advice... thanks ...

Photo Books at Blurb

2008-11-17T09:59:00.006-06:00

The Holidays are coming so fast. It seems like this year went by so quickly. Maybe it had something to do with my wedding. You get so busy with the wedding planning that you forget about the whole world. And than, one day, after it's over you sit down and wonder what happened... where did this year go?

Anyway, as I was researching photo books, for the wedding photos, I found this great site that offers a variety of books you can create yourself. It's called Blurb . They have regular photo books, poetry books, blog books, business books, and the one that got my attention quickly was the cook book. Yes, you can publish your own cook book with your recipes and pictures. And what a wonderful gift that could be.

I was thinking about making a cookbook with the recipes from Tim's (my husbands) grandmothers kitchen. It would be a great way to preserve the recipes and what a nice Christmas present.

Blurb offers variety of book sizes and 3 different styles of covers - soft cover, hardcover with dust jacket and hardcover with wrapped image. Free software is compatible with PC and Mac platform, and it's super easy to download. There are hundred of backgrounds, styles, layouts and you can customize the pages to what you really like. Once you design your book it takes up to two weeks to get it to your doorsteps.

I just started working on my wedding book, it will be a great gift for some of the close family from Poland that couldn't be here for our wedding.

Recipe Box: Baked Orzo with Fontina Cheese

2008-11-13T13:20:00.006-06:00

This is one of my favorite recipes from Giada de Laurentiis from the Foodnetwork. I made it several times before and I wanted to share this great side dish with everyone. It's fairly easy to make and very tasty. It could be made totally vegetarian if you substitute chicken broth for vegetable stock or even well seasoned (with salt) water. Just make sure to season the water enough, that is the only seasoning of your orzo pasta. I used this dish as a side dish with the steaks, and with grilled chicken. You can also make it as a main dish and add pieces of grilled chicken, I'm sure it would taste just great.

Here is what you need to make it:

4 cups chicken broth
1 pound orzo pasta
3 TBS butter, + more to grease baking dish
1 onion chopped
8 oz mushroom sliced
1 cup Marsala wine
1/2 cup heavy cream
4 oz (1 cup) shredded fontina cheese
4 oz (1 cup) diced fresh mozarella cheese
1 cup thawed frozen peas
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

For the topping we need: 1/2 cup of bread crumbs, 1/4 cup of grated Parmesan and 1 tsp os dried thyme.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees, butter 9 x 13 inch baking dish. Bring chicken broth to a boil and orzo and cook until almost tender, about 7 minutes. Important is not to overcook the pasta, as it still have to bake in the oven. Do not drain the orzo, just pour the whole thing into a large bowl.
Melt the butter over medium heat, add onions and saute until tender, about 3 minutes. Add mushrooms and continue to saute until mushrooms are turning golden around the edges, about 7 minutes. Add Marsala wine, scrape the bottom of the pan, cook until Marsala ha reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Add the mushroom mixture to the orzo, add cream, both cheeses, peas, salt and pepper. Stir well to combine all the ingredients. Pour into the baking dish.
In a small bowl combine the topping ingredients and sprinkle on top of the pasta. bake until golden, about 25 minutes.

Yummy....

Dream House # 37

2008-11-10T14:22:00.011-06:00

Craftsman house designed for outdoor living. I love this house. It looks small, but it expands to the back, and the layout - it's just great. Simple and functional. This would be perfect first house! What I love about it is the front porch. I dream about having a house with front porch, there is something about being able to sit and relax, have a cup of tea on the front porch... Another great feature is the back porch with a fireplace - absolutely love that idea.
The layout of the house is open, kitchen has a nice size island and is completely open to the family room/living room. No formal living room - I don't really need one... The study in front could be an office. Upstairs holds 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, laundry room, a bonus room and a loft, where I could have a little library with a chase - to curl up a read ... The master bath is great, tub and big shower, with 2 sinks... and I am a huge fan of having a window in the bathroom, having a daylight makes a difference... and the walk-in-closet... don't know how I live without one now - but I know I need one of those in the near future... The absolute bonus is the patio/balcony of the bedroom. This house has my name written all over...

I found this house on ePlans . I get emails from them quite often, and I love to browse through the site looking for my favorite houses ...

Wine Logg: A to Z 2007 Pinot Noir

2008-11-07T13:25:00.007-06:00

A to Z Winery produces one of my favorite Pinot Noirs. For under $20.00 you get this very flavorful, vibrant, with aromas of raspberries and blueberries wine. It has this smoky, earthy flavor. I call it cloudy... it just is little cloudy on a palette. And that's what I love about this wine!
Since Food & Wine magazine announced it the best pinot under $20.00 I have a hard time trying to find in the stores.

Anyway, A little about the winery: so where is the name come from, A to Z?
Well, this winery blends component wines that come from many different wineries in Oregon, and instead of listing all of them, they decided to name it from A to Z. The idea behind it is, instead of reflecting just one specific winery, they represents the whole Oregon of wineries... I think it's pretty clever, and the wines they make are really good.

I will quote the tasting notes for this superb A to Z 2007 Pinot Noir:
"2007 A to Z Pinot Noir is true to variety and vintage with bold aromatics and a palate to please. This wine has moderately-deep color and a tannin profile to match. The dark spices on the nose and palate complement the flavors you would expect from a good Oregon Pinot Noir: blackberry, raspberry, black cherry and earth. The oak profile is restrained and the natural acidity from the 2007 vintage gives the wine precision and tautness." {provided by A to Z Wineworks website}

If you are into pinots, and you can find it - I would definitely give it a try. It is a really good wine. Great for a gift, or party...

Wine Logg: Benton Lane 2006 Pinot Noir

2008-11-06T21:01:00.008-06:00

I've been exploring a lot of different wines lately, and I am learning that my favorite grape is definitely pinot noir. So I buy a bottle here, and there. I have a few nice bottles at home. Sometimes I just like to go to Binny's and spend some time there picking wine. There are so many great choices, it's really hard to decide.
Last Sunday I was making dinner and I opened a bottle of Benton Lane 2006 Pinot Noir from Oregon's Willamette Valley ($25.00). Great pinot for the price. They are not cheap. Here are the tasting notes provided by Benton Lane Winery website:

"This deep ruby colored pinot noir has impressive and varietal aromas of bing cherries, red plums, hibiscus and wild mushrooms. The smooth, ripe tannins give a voluptuous texture to the mixed berry and chocolate flavors of the wine. A hint of white pepper adds further complexity to the lively and seamless velvety finish".
The winery is environmentally friendly and certified as "Sustainable Agriculture" and "Salmon Safe".

I really enjoyed this wine. Will definitely buy another bottle. :)

Recipe Box: The Sunday Soup

2008-11-06T19:49:00.010-06:00

Since I was a little girl I remember this wonderful soup my mom used to make every Sunday. It was a chicken-noodle soup. You probably think I am crazy raving about chicken-noodle soup, but this one is special for me. It reminds me of home, Poland. Sunday morning and my mom would start the soup, whole chicken cut into pieces, vegetables... whole house was filled with aroma of the soup, and the longer you simmer it, the better it tasted. It is a tradition in Poland that Sunday's first course is this chicken-noodle soup.
My mom lives here in Chicago now, and still on Sundays she makes that soup. I have been practicing it, also. Not every Sunday yet, but once on a while, on a cold afternoon, it's just great to have bowl of this wonderful homemade soup, that worms you up from inside, and just makes you feel better. Great for hangovers!
I just made it last week. We came back from Mexico, from the nice warm weather to cold Chicago and I just wanted soup. Picture is not the greatest - but you get the idea. It's a chicken-noodle soup, but we don't put the chicken meat into the plate, once the soup is cooked, I take the chicken out, take it of the bones, and make something with it. (I will talk about it later).
I do not measure the ingredients, I usually just eyeball everything, and once it cooks for a while (about an hour), I try it and see what is missing. Make sure you cook it long enough before you try it, there is a raw chicken in it. And I always make a huge pot of it, it's nice to have a homemade broth leftover...

Ingredients:

whole chicken cut into pieces
2-3 large carrots, cut into pieces
1 parsley root, whole, or cut
4-5 celery stalks, cut into pieces
1 large onion
bouquet of flat leaf parsley, tied with kitchen twine(for easy removal)
10 whole peppercorns
2-3 bay leaves
salt
1 chicken and 1 beef bullion cube
package of thin egg noodles

One, very important thing here is the onion. There is a special way to prep the onion before it goes into the pot - cut in in the half, and place it on the gas burner, lit the burner to medium-high heat and let the onion burn. It will slowly become black in some places. Use thongs to turn it around, to get both sides. After about 8-10 minutes it should be ready to go to the pot. Fill 3/4 of a big pot with water, put all the ingredients into it, add onion, and cook it on medium high until boils. Reduce the heat to medium (even low) and let it cook for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. It needs time, so be patient. Cook the noodles according to directions. Do not put them into the soup. Once the soup is ready, fill the bowl with noodles, add broth, carrots, fresh parsley, fresh ground pepper... and you're ready to go...

Now, the chicken we have left from the soup. Last week I made chicken pot pie. I had bunch of broth and chicken already cooked. I found this fantastic recipe in Sunset Magazine on-line. I am not a big fun of pot pies and casseroles - but this one was really good. Click here for the recipe. The thyme and mushrooms just make it so yummy! I used Pillsbury biscuits to top my potpie, it was too late to make them from scratch.

Caesar Salad

2008-11-06T13:58:00.012-06:00

I was just in Mexico-Cabo San Lucas for our honeymoon and one of the nights we had dinner at the beach restaurant called "The Office". I was pretty surprised when the server mentioned caesar salad as a house specialty, and we decided to order it before dinner. Few minutes later two guys come by with a huge tray full of stuff, and at first I didn't realize that he was about to make their famous caesar dressing. It was like a mini show, anchovies, crushed garlic, egg yolk, mustard, parmesan, lemon juice, Worcestershire ... some tossing and turning, and few minutes later we had a plate of whole romaine leaves smothered in the best caesar dressing I have ever had in my life. And I didn't think anything about it, even though it was kind of weird that they would serve it in Mexico. All my life I was convinced that Caesar Salad comes from Italy.... so one day I decided to google it - and what do I find? Caesar Salad was actually originated in Mexico in 1920's. And the name does not come from the Caesar (emperor), but it was named after it's creator Caesare Cardini, who was an italian-born mexican. Cardini had a restaurant in Tijuana, Mexico and there he invented this dressing. Romaine lettuce leaves were served whole and hand tossed with the dressing by the chef. Cardini family trademarked the original recipe in 1948, and made it widely available. Original Cardini recipe did not include anchovies. The list of ingredients according to the original recipe:

romaine lettuce
olive oil
mustard
fresh crushed garlic
salt
fresh ground black pepper
wine vinegar
lemon juice
Worcestershire sauce
egg yolks
freshly grated Parmesan cheese
freshly prepared croutons

I personally made the caesar dressing one or twice, using Tyler Florence recipe from his Ultimate book. I don't think I loved it as much as the one I had in Mexico. I am researching a good recipe, and hopefully it will be worth of posting it on Basic Taste.

About Basic Taste

2008-11-05T16:28:00.001-06:00

I've been thinking about food blogging for a while, and finally I am beginning my Taste journey. It wasn't easy to come out with a name, a lot of good names are already taken, and I didn't want a food specific name. So here it is - Basic Taste... I'm not really sure what it means, but taste in general is one of the 5 basic senses. It reflects ability to detect the flavor of substances - such food, and drinks. We can taste food, but we can also have a taste in fashion, lifestyle, it can be a good taste or a bad taste...
Basic Taste Blog is about the food, wine, and other good things in life that can or can not be tasted... It is also my Recipe Box, I will post dishes I find on-line and in magazines, things I made, and dishes I want to make - it's so much easier to have it all in one place, instead of the clipped magazine pages scattered around my place.
So hopefully you'll find it fun and interesting to read. It will be a place where you can find a recipe or read a little about wine and travel, maybe a movie or a restaurant review... just everyday things that makes life more interesting... Hope you enjoy!

Meg :)