Kaybray's Cooking

Pate de Canard

2008-12-14T09:36:00.005-07:00

As a major carnivore I've had a lot of fantasies about making all sorts of pates. I've purchased terrine molds and read a million recipes (check out Garde Manger from the Culinary Institute of America for some amazing recipes). Pates with good crusty bread and cornichons are my go-to appetizer at French restaurants. I've made some mousses and liver spreads, but never gotten brave enough to do a real terrine. The December 2008 Saveur has an excellent recipe for Pate de Canard, or Duck Pate, and I decided it was now or never, and that this would be my appetizer contribution to Thanksgiving. Though this is a recipe that has to be completed over a few days, and then sit for a day or two, that was perfect with my busy schedule - I could just do a little each night over the course of a week.

The recipe was also pretty easy to follow, with easy steps and good pictures along the way in the hard copy .

I didn't have piment d'Espelette, so I just used regular paprika. Also, I had a lot of trouble finding fatback, which, contrary to some, is not the same thing as salt pork. So, I winged it and used good bacon that I poached to get as much salt out of as possible. I was worried that my final product would be too bacon-y (I know, how could that ever be a problem) or too salty.

And the results? Really, really good, if I do say so myself. It certainly didn't taste like a bacon terrine, which I had worried about. It was very flavorful, and just got tastier over the week after the holiday. I'm planning on doing this again for Christmas - different family - and I will make a couple of adjustments. The recipe says to cut the duck into 1/2" cubes. I'm going to cut it just a little larger so the duck doesn't get lost. Also, I'm going to cut back just a little on the peppercorns. They were fine for the overall flavor, but there were many bites with too many peppercorns. Finally, I'll use fatback instead. Most of the butchers said they could order it for me, so I'll just get ahead of the game next time.

Easy Summer Fruit Salad

2007-08-14T18:53:00.000-06:00

Sorry I haven't written in a while. This new job makes it hard not only to cook but take some time to shoot and write about it. But this fruit salad, taken to a potluck BBQ, was easy. The sizes don't really matter. We had some blueberries from my folks garden, some left over cantaloupe. I bought a watermelon to make up the difference.

1/1 medium watermelon
1/2 cantaloupe
1/2 cup blueberries, thought I would have used more if I'd had them
1 tbsp minced fresh mint
1/4 tspn sugar

Using a small melon baller, remove all the fruit from the water melon and the cantaloupe, reserving all the removed fruit and the empty watermelon half. Using a large metal spoon, scrape out any remaining fruit, leaving a smooth surface. Pour reserved fruit, mint and sugar in bowl and mix well. Let sit in fridge for 30 minutes before serving for flavors to set.

Pretty, simple and tasty. Would work with almost any combination of summer fruits.

Chicken Cilantro Lime Soup

2007-07-09T20:06:00.000-06:00

This is a great dish - easy, very tasty, and quick to make. I used the Cilantro Lime Soup recipe from Epicurious at http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/recipe_views/views/599. However, I used two chicken legs and 2 chicken thighs. When the soup was done cooking, i pulled the pieces out, pulled the meat off the bone, chopped up the meat and tossed them back in the soup. The only other change was the addition of sliced avocado on top. Mmmmm...summer.

Crab and Cantaloupe Soup

2007-07-03T11:21:00.000-06:00

Hmm. You know those food combinations that taste good for a bite or two, but you really don't want more than that? This recipe fits into that category. The cantaloupe and crab tasted pretty good together, but an entire bowl of it was just way way too much. I did enjoy the contrast of the lemony crab with the mellow sweetness of the cantaloupe, and it certainly felt healthy. I think this would work better as an amuse bouche, served in a little dumpling spoon. One bite would have been perfect!

Apple Pie Beauty

2007-06-04T17:58:00.000-06:00

I've said it before and I'll say it again - my sweetie is the real baker in this house. He made this beautiful apple pie recently, using the Fannie Famer Cookbook recipe. Isn't it gorgeous? Most importantly, it tasted as good as it looked!

Hobo Packs

2007-05-30T13:59:00.000-06:00

Grilled out with the rest of America for Memorial Day. I cooked some Shrimp and Mussel hobo packs, recipe from this month's Food and Wine. Honestly, they were just ok. The mussels especially weren't that great. Hmm. There's nothing wrong with the recipe per se. It's simple and has potential, but I don't think it was worth it for the cost.

Flatiron Steak Salad

2007-05-26T13:43:00.000-06:00

Ding ding ding! Ladies and gentlemen, we have a winner! Last night I made a fabulous salad for dinner. It was a huge hit and absolutely delicious. It's a definite keeper. Check out the Flatiron Steak Salad with Thai Dressing in this month's Food and Wine. The flavors were amazing, and we drank it with Dulle Teve, a Belgian Tripel Ale, since I was unable to find the recommended beer. (BTW, watch out - there's a higher alcohol content here...rough, rough morning.)

Let me know what you think. I was thinking that next time I might make it just a tad spicier, and add a little avocado.

BBQ Country Style Ribs

2007-05-25T13:54:00.000-06:00

Don't be frightened, but every once in a while I buy that meat in the grocery store that's been marked way way down, often some odd cut and generally about to be too old to legally sell. Hey - we're broke! Well, that's where I found these boneless country style ribs. They looked fine, I've just never cooked them before, or, for that matter, I don't think I've eaten them before.

So, after looking around online for a recipe, I found one that looked decent for bone-in Country style ribs, and just modified the cooking time. They tasted pretty good, and Drew cooked some kickass baked beans and cole slaw to go with them.

I love summer.

Red Wine Salmon

2007-05-24T07:08:00.000-06:00

We usually think of fish only going with white wine, but this red wine shallot butter works very nicely with salmon. I've made this Epicurious recipe before, this time as part of Mothers Day. On the side, I served some arugula tossed with a lemony vinaigrette and some grilled cherry tomatoes. It was delicious and easy to make.

Mother's Day Dessert

2007-05-14T09:32:00.000-06:00

My beautiful mom was over for brunch yesterday and I wanted to make her something special. In the dessert category, she likes raspberries or oranges with chocolate, raspberries with flan, and lemon curd, among other things. Therefore, I decided to combine some of these for what I am naming the Lemon Nell, after my mom.

It is sort of a parfait, sort of a trifle. In wine glasses, I layered lemon curd, raspberries, angel food cake and topped it off with fresh whipped cream and fresh mint from the garden. I made all the ingredients earlier in the morning, then assembled it just before serving. It was simple, summery and very sweet.

First I made the lemon curd, since it takes some time in the fridge. Whisk 4 eggs, 3/4 cup sugar and the juice of 2 lemons in a small saucepan. Add 1 softened stick of unsalted butter and lemon zest from the squeezed lemons. Stir over medium heat 10-12 minutes until thick. Pour curd into small bowl and press plastic wrap directly onto the surface. Refrigerate for at least one hour. This was the first time I've made curd, so I think it will turn out a little smoother next time. It was delicious, but I saw some lumps in it. Think occasional lumpy pudding.

Next, make a simple syrup on the stove of sugar, water, lemon, and a splash of Chambord liquor. Finally, whip cream with a pinch of sugar and about a teaspoon of lemon zest.

You could use Angle Food Cake, sponge cake, etc. Just before serving, tear cake into bite-sized pieces. Put in the simple syrup bowl and press down so all pieces are soaked. In each glass, place a heaping tablespoon of the curd, followed by 3-4 pieces of the soaked cake, and finally a handful of fresh raspberries. Do the next layer in the same order, but start with about twice as much lemon curd. Top raspberries with whipped cream and a mint sprig.

Sweets from my Sweet

2007-04-19T15:45:00.000-06:00

I can't take any credit for this, but I still had to show it to you since we are still talking about how amazing it was. Drew made this cake from Gourmet for Easter. I am not a huge sweets fan, but even I couldn't resist a few pieces - small pieces dragged out over a while because it's just so rich. Superb!

Cheesy Rice Fritters

2007-04-15T13:03:00.000-06:00

Gourmet's Cheddar Rice Fritters. Need I say more? These were easily my favorite dish we served on Easter. I simply can't resist fried and cheesy! Who can?

Spaghetti with Arugula Walnut Pesto, Sausage and Tomatoes

2007-04-13T12:55:00.000-06:00

Here's an idea for a quick pasta dinner that tastes great and looks pretty. I had a craving for spaghetti and a lot of great ingredients in the house to use up. First - some pesto. I had a full package of arugula that sat around for about a week hoping to get used in a salad but instead was forgotten about. So, I toasted a handful of walnuts and put those, the arugula, 2 cloves of garlic and some parmesan in the food processor. After combining I added in olive oil until I had a good pesto consistency. Next, while I cooked the spaghetti, I combined some Italian sausage with breadcrumbs and formed medium-sized-meatballs. I browned them on all sides, and then poured in about a cup to a cup and half of chicken broth, a handful of cherry tomatoes and put the lid on the skillet. I let these cook on medium low heat about 10 minutes until the sausage was cooked through.

Finally, I drained the pasta, tossed it with the pesto, and topped with the sausage and wilted tomatoes (the broth had cooked almost competely out of the pan at this point). Quick, easy and very tasty.

Sickos

2007-04-09T16:24:00.001-06:00

We're both a little under the weather here, so I made some hearty minestrone to soothe our sore throats and everything else that aches. I used this recipe from Epicurious, which I love for all the veggies - zucchini, kale, green beans, cannelini beans, tomatoes, carrot, potato, celery, onion, and on and on. The soup isn't hard to make, but it just takes some time cutting, chopping, etc. Worth the effort. I made one addition, which was a parmesan rind to add a little more flavor.

Black Bean Soup

2007-04-09T16:17:00.000-06:00

I've said it before, I LOVE black beans. And with this chill we are suffering through after such a beautiful start to spring, its the perfect thing. The recipe was pretty much the same as before, though this time I did have the sour cream. Also, I added some smoked turkey sausage, which I had sliced and fried before adding to the soup near the end of the cooking.

Semi Homemade Stuff

2007-03-31T16:07:00.000-06:00

Yup, I feel a little like Semi Homemade Sandra Dee. This meal was assembled from
pre-made Southwestern Eggrolls from Entree Vous that I just fried up and Rice-A-Roni's Mexican rice. I added some homemade guacamole and some homemade cantaloupe tomato salsa. I guess the key with premade foods is to add your own very fresh touches, good veggies or fruit, etc. After frying the egrolls I sprinkled some shredded cheddar on top, stuck them under a hot broiled for about 30 seconds, and topped them with some sour cream. And, hell, everything is good with an extra-limey gin and tonic.

My salsa was as follows:

3 roma tomatoes, seeds and pulp removed, diced
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1/2 red onion, finely chopped
1 small red pepper, seeds removed, minced
1/4 of a cantaloupe, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
splash of champagne vinegar

Mix together. Let sit for an hour or so if you can before serving.

Chicken Salad

2007-03-14T14:25:00.000-06:00

For Sunday brunch, in addition to the cheese souffle, I also made a chicken salad from the leftovers of a chicken I had roasted a couple nights earlier. You could do the same very easily with a rotisserie chicken from the market.

Three cups chopped cooked chicken (with or without the skin, depending on how much you care about being alive for much longer)
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1/4 cup chopped chives
1 cup seedless grapes, halved or quartered depending on size (I used red for the color)
3/4 cup toasted walnuts, chopped or broken into small pieces
freshly ground black pepper

1 lemon
salt

Combine all ingredients through the black pepper in a medium bowl. Taste. I had cooked a maple black pepper glazed roasted chicken, so the outside was a little sweet. Therefore, I added the juice of about a half a lemon to counter the maple's sweetness, add a little acidity. You could also use fresh tarragon for the same thing. So, taste yours, see if you need to add lemon. Same thing with the salt - mine was a little salty on the skin so I didn't need to add any to the salad. Enjoy with bread, mixed salad greens, whatever floats your boat.

My First Souffle

2007-03-14T14:16:00.000-06:00

(Brace yourself - Modesty is being thrown out the window) Well, I am very proud of myself! It is pretty rare that I really like something I have made, or think I couldn't have done it better, but this was it (and it will probably never happen again)!

This weekend I made my very first souffle. You hear all sorts of warnings about how hard these are, that they might fall, blah blah blah. It was simple! I used a recipe from Epicurious for a Gruyere and Parmesan souffle. The only change I made was that in place of whole milk, which I forgot to buy, I used 1/2 skim milk and 1/2 half & half.

It did take slightly longer than the recipe said, about another 5 minutes, but then it was perfect! I served it with a green salad and some chicken salad for a light Sunday brunch.

Now I can try all sorts of variations - goat cheese, chives, etc. Please let me know if you have any good souffle recipes to pass along.

Broiled Trout with Bacon, Onions and Raisins

2007-03-10T15:07:00.000-07:00

So, frustratingly, Gourmet hasn't posted the recipe I recently tried - the Broiled Trout with Onions Raisins and Bacon from the March issue. It was pretty good, but, hmm, I probably won't cook again. It was exciting - I cooked my first head-on fish. Not sure why that's exciting but it was, and it wasn't bad, just not great. I think more of the sauce would have been good, and I might play around with it. I served it with some arugula with a lemon-y vinaigrette, and my sweet made some sweet cornbread, which nicely offset the vinegar and the tartness of the sauce on the fish.

Have you made this recipe? Tell me what you think.

BROILED TROUT WITH BACON, ONIONS AND RAISINS
Serves 4

The sweet and savory flavors coaxed from the bacon, onion, raisins and vinegar in this dish complement the delicate trout without overpowering it.

4 thick bacon slices (7 oz) cut crosswise into 1/8-inch-wide strips
2 cups coarsely chopped red onion
1/2 cup golden raisins (3 oz)
1/2 cup red-wine vinegar
2 tspn sugar
1/2 tspn salt
4 (10- to 12-oz) whole rainbow trout, cleaned and boned, leaving heads and tails intact, (butterflied), or 8 fillets
2 tspn olive oil plus additional if necessary
1/4 tspn black pepper

Special Equipment 2 (15- by 10-inch shallow baking pans)

Cook bacon in 10- to 12-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 5 minutes. Transfer bacon with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain, then pour off all but 1/4 cup fat (add additional olive oil if bacon doesn't render enough fat). Add onion to skillet and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened and beginning to brown on edges, about 6 minutes. Stir in bacon, raisins, vinegar, sugar and 1/4 teaspoon salt and boil until liquid is reduced about 1/3 cup, about 1 minute. Remove from heat and keep warm, covered.

Preheat broiler and oil baking pans.

Arrange 2 trout, opened and skin side down, in each pan. Brush flesh of fish with 2 teaspoons oil (total) and sprinkle with pepper and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt.

Broil 1 pan of fish about 4 inches from heat until just cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes, then loosely cover with foil to keep warm and broil second pan of fish in same manner. Spoon bacon mixture down center of each fish and drizzle with remaining juices from skillet.

Shrimp Chowder on a cold day

2007-02-25T10:18:00.000-07:00

Yum! As I've said before, I'll take chowder anytime of the year, regardless of the season or temperature. The latest edition of Saveur has a whole spread on the glory of shrimp, and a nice simple recipe for Maine Shrimp Chowder. We had it for dinner last night, and I'm sitting here eating the even better leftovers for lunch today. It was good and simple, though I'm not listing it under Quick because it just takes some time to peel the shrimp. By the way, wasn't able to get Maine shrimp, so got what I could. Also, I love bacon, way way too much, and I wish the bacon flavor had come through a little more. Maybe next time I'll just have another piece that I cook and can crumble on top of each bowl. Otherwise, it was very nice. Moe and Bean, our cats, approved of the shrimp as well.

Unfortunately, I don't see the recipe on their website yet, so I have written it out below:

Maine Shrimp Chowder
Serve 4

Maine chowder differs from other New England chowders in that it's often not thickened with flour. This results is (sic) a light soup perfectly suited to delicate Maine shrimp. This dish comes from Sam Hayward, the chef of Fore Street in Portland, Maine, and an all-around champion of Maine's foodways.

3 lbs shell-on, head-on Maine shrimp
1/4 oz. slab bacon, cut into 1/4" pieces
3 medium russet potatoes (about 1 lb), quartered lengthwise and sliced crosswise into 1/2 inch pieces
1 large leek, white part only, cut into 1/4" pieces
3 tbsp butter
3/4 cup heavy cream
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 pinch cayenne pepper
2 tspn snipped chives

1. Peel the heads and shells off the shrimp, reserving both for the shrimp broth. (If the shrimp are in the middle of their spawn, says Hayward, clusters of gray eggs may be present that will not adversely affect the broth.) Transfer the shrimp to a bowl, cover and refrigerate them until the chowder base is completed. Place the shrimp shells and heads in a large pot and add 10 cups cold water. Bring to a simmer over high heat, then reduce to low and gently simmer for 5 minutes, skimming off any foam that rises to the surface. Strain the broth through a fine sieve and set aside.

2. Now made the chowder base. Cook the bacon in a small pot of simmering water for 1 minute. Drain. Heat a medium pot over medium heat, add the bacon, and cook, stirring occasionally, until it releases some of its fat. Add potatoes and leeks, stir well, then reduce heat to medium-low and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Add 3 cups of the reserved shrimp broth (freeze remainder for another use) and simmer, covered, until potatoes are tender, 8-10 minutes. Remove the chowder base from the heat and cover to keep warm.

3. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Raise the heat to high, add the chilled shrimp and cream, stir well, and bring to a boil. Let boil for 30 seconds. Add the shrimp mixture to the chowder base and stir gently to combine. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes. Season with salt, a generous amount of black pepper and the cayenne. Ladle into warm soup bowls and sprinkle the chives on top of each.

Cauliflower Risotto

2007-02-25T09:54:00.000-07:00

Right up there in my cooking nirvana with cooking a masterpiece that takes several hours and looks AND tastes spectacular is cooking something really good with no menu based on ingredients solely from the kitchen, where I didn't go out and get a single thing. That may sound like nothing to those who keep a better stocked kitchen than myself, but to me its pretty special. The other night we had some chicken with cauliflower risotto. Why make risotto (such a fabulous rich creamy warm dish) with boring odd cauliflower? Because it's what we had in the house. And it was delicious!

I'll start with the chicken. I used the method I usually use when I'm in a hurry. First I browned two chicken breasts in just a little olive oil over medium high heat. Once browned, I set them on a plate to the side, turned the pan heat down to medium and added 2 strips of bacon to the pan. When they were just starting to release their fat, I added two crushed garlic cloves. I cooked these for two minutes, stirring, then added about a cup of white wine, a sprig of fresh thyme, a rib of celery chopped and the chicken breasts. I put the lid on the pan and let cook for about another 20 minutes. This may seem a little weird, but about 3 minutes before the chicken was done, I added a handful of cherry tomatoes. One, I did it for color, two, I was concerned that with the cauliflower risotto and the chicken and the bacon that the dish needed some acidity and something to lighten it up a bit.

OK. While the chicken was cooking I cooked a large head of cauliflower (cut into florets) in a medium pot of boiling water for 3 minutes. I drained the cauliflower in a strainer, and added the cauliflower to another medium pot with a tablespoon of olive oil and, over medium high heat, cooked the cauliflower a few minutes, stirring occasionally. You want the cauliflower to get browned in a few places. Then I added 1 cup of arborio rice and stirred for one minute. Next, I turned down the heat to medium, and added 1 cup of white wine. If you've made risotto before, you know its just a process of adding liquid and constant stirring until its at the consistency you want it at. So, I alternated between white wine and vegetable stock until it was where I wanted it. Then I added 1/4 cup of grated parmesan cheese, a tbsp of butter and salt and pepper to taste. Stir and serve! I thought it showed off the cauliflower well, with its mellow sweetness contrasting nicely with the cheese and wine flavor. By the way, the risotto would be a perfect veggie main dish also, and we had enough risotto to serve about 4 people.

Vidalia Onion Fig Chicken and Zucchini Fritters

2007-02-12T09:29:00.000-07:00

There are some fabulous pre-made sauces out there, and for Christmas we received a bottle of Stonewall Kitchen's Vidalia Onion Fig Sauce. I served it over some chicken breasts and made some zucchini fritters (recipe from Epicurious) on the side. The chicken was very flavorful and I will definitely make again. The fritters were tasty, but just too greasy, even for me. I put them on paper towels after frying, but when I bit into them it felt like a pool of grease was exploding in my mouth. Not good. And I felt a little queasy as I tried to sleep later that night. So, I'll be making the chicken again, but staying away from those fritters.

For the chicken, I took 4 chicken breasts, browned them in a tbsp of olive oil over high heat. Then I put them in a casserole dish, poured about a cup of the sauce over them, tossed to coat, and stuck them in an oven that had been preheated to 350F. They cooked for about a half an hour and were perfect.

PS - those are my favorite gougeres also on the plate.

Linguine with Crab

2007-02-10T15:43:00.000-07:00

Do you want to hear about the failures? Or things that just aren't that good? I'm not sure if I should write about them, but this one falls in that category. I started with a Nigella Lawson recipe and tweaked it based on what I had in my fridge, but I honestly don't think my minor change was the reason this dish was fairly unsatisfying. Her recipe is Linguine with Chilli, Crab and Watercress from her Forever Summer cookbook. I replaced the watercress with steamed asparagus pieces (I understand they are completely different) because we had some and I wanted more veggies. I thought it would be light and flavorful, but it was extremely bland. Drew said it was, hmm, ok, but I won't be making it again. I tried to think what would have made it better, and made the flavors come together better. I considered a white wine/butter/lemon sort of reduction, but I just think that would have overpowered the delicate crab. Her original recipe is below. Let me know what you think, if you've tried it, how I might have improved it, etc.

Thanks!

Linguine with Chilli, Crab and Watercress

2 cloves garlic
1 scant tbsp Maldon or other sea salt
1 large red chilli
2 lbs 11 ounces undressed crab, to give you 7 ounces white meat and 4 ounces darker meat
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
juice and zest of 1 lemon
1 lb linguine
handful of fresh parsley, chopped
handful of watercress leaves, roughly torn

Put a large pan of water on to boil for the pasta.

In a large pestle and mortar pulverize the peeled garlic cloves with the salt, so that it make a smooth paste. Then add the chopped and seeded chilli and crush again until you have a gloriously red-tinged mixture. Tip in the crabmeat, breaking it up gently with a fork, and pour in the oil. Zest the lemon into the mortar and then add the juice.

Using a fork, beat well to mix, and then you are ready to cook your pasta. So do so, and then drain the pasta and tip into a warmed serving bowl. Immediately pour over the crab sauce and toss the pasta about in it, then throw in the parsley and watercress and toss again.

Serves 6 as a starter; 4 as a main course.

Djaj Bil Assal - Chicken with Caramelized Baby Onions and Honey

2007-01-22T17:02:00.000-07:00

I got a terrific cookbook for Christmas from my boyfriend's family - Arabesque, a Taste of Morocco, Turkey and Lebanon by Claudia Roden. Besides having fantastic-sounding recipes and beautiful photos, the cover is lovely and I like the way it's laid out, with different sections on each country's culinary traditions. Last week, I tried it out for the first time, with very good results. I made the Chicken with Caramelized Baby Onions and Honey from the Moroccan section. It turned out very well, and I will definitely make it again, though with just a little less oil next time. The flavors compliment and contrast each other so well, and, though the author warns about making sure to add enough pepper so it is not too sweet, we didn't have any problem of the sort. If you are scared about cutting up your own chicken, just ask the butcher to do it or get pre-cut pieces. I served the dish over couscous, with some steamed green beans on the side. Here is the recipe as written:

Djaj Bil Assal
Chicken with Caramelized Baby Onions and Honey

1 lb shallots of baby onions
1 onion, chopped
4 tbsp sunflower oil
good pinch saffron threads
1 tspn ground ginger
1 tspn ground cinnamon
1 chicken, cut up in 6 or 8 pieces
salt and pepper
1 to 1 1/2 tbsp clear honey
To garnish: 1/2 cup blanched almonds or a handful of sesame seeds (optional)

To peel the shallots or baby onions, blanch them in boiling water for 5 minutes, drain, and when cool enough to handle, peel off the skins and trim the root ends.

Saute the chopped onion until softened in the oil over a medium heat in a pan or casserole large enough to hold the chicken pieces in one layer. Stir in the saffron, ginger, and cinnamon, then put in the chicken pieces. Season with salt and pepper, and turn to brown them lightly all over.

Add about 1 cup water and cook, covered, over a low heat, turning the pieces over, for 15 minutes, or until the chicken breasts are done. Lift out the breasts and put them to one side. Add the shallots or baby onions and continue to cook, covered, for about 25 minutes, or until the remaining chicken pieces are very tender. During the cooking, turn the chicken pieces and stir the onions occasionally; add a little water, if necessary.

Lift out the chicken pieces and set to one side. Stir the honey into the pan. Check the seasoning. You need quite a bit of pepper to mitigate the sweetness. Cook, uncovered, until all the water has evaporated, and the onions are brown, caramelized, and so soft that you could crush them, as they say in Morocco, "with your tongue."

Return the chicken pieces to the pan, spoon the onions on top of them, and heat through. A few minutes should be enough. Serve, if you wish, sprinkled either with blanched almonds fried in a drop of oil until they are lightly golden, or with toasted sesame seeds.

Serves 4.

Antipasto Salad

2007-01-17T14:33:00.000-07:00

Some friends had us over for pizza the other night, and just said only to bring something that didn't require a trip to the grocery. So, I cleaned out the fridge for a layered antipasto salad. Below is what I used, and the order I layered it (from bottom up) but just use whatever you have in the fridge that you think tastes good together. This went especially well with pizza.

2 large tomatoes thinly sliced
1 half cucumber, thinly sliced
5 radishes, thinly sliced
1 half bell pepper, cut in strips
1/3 cup Boursin, crumbled
1/4 cup of pepperoni, cut into toothpicks
1/4 cup of calamata tapenade, dolloped around (I was out of olives)
balsamic vinaigrette

The End of the Lamb

2007-01-17T14:14:00.000-07:00

So, I finally finished off the lamb from the leg I cooked, making a slow-simmered lamb ragu served over rigatoni. It was rich, filling and the lamb melted in your mouth. This is a perfect dinner for a cold night - just needs a nice green salad with a tart vinaigrette. Here's the recipe, based on a Bon Appetit recipe, but altered since my lamb was already cooked:

2 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
1 lb white mushrooms, quartered
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tspn fresh rosemary
1/3 cup chopped fresh basil
1 lb cooked lamb, cut into large bite-sized pieces
3/4 white wine
3 cups beef stock
1 can crushed tomatoes
1 lb rigatoni
grated parmesan cheese

Saute onion, mushroom, garlic, rosemary and basil until vegetables are soft. Add lamb, wine, stock and tomatoes. Stir, cover and cook over medium low heat for 1 hour. While sauce is cooking, cook rigatoni until al dente. Spoon sauce over pasta, and pass cheese.

Serves 6.

Lamb Pitas

2007-01-09T16:27:00.000-07:00

Still working on some lamb leftovers. So, we stuffed some pitas with our choice of cooked lamb, diced tomatoes, diced cucumbers, crumbled feta, hot sauce, calamata tapenade, chopped red onion and a quick garlicky yogurt sauce: 1 cup low-fat yogurt mixed with two minced garlic cloves, a teaspoon chopped dill, squeeze of one lemon, salt and pepper. Also, to heat the lamb a little without drying it out I cubed it and sauteed it for just a minute or two in some hot olive oil, so it got a little crunchy.

White Bean, Ham and Kale Soup

2007-01-03T15:06:00.000-07:00

I'm dealing with a lot of leftover ham from our Christmas ham, so last night I made an easy and tasty soup from the bone and some chopped up pieces of meat. It was simple and most of that time I was laying on the couch while it simmered away. Uh, rather I was, um, doing my taxes. I served it with corn muffins.

White Bean, Ham and Kale Soup

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium to small yellow onion, diced
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 ham bone plus 1.5 cup diced ham (about 3/4-inch pieces)
1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes
1 15-ounce can great northern beans
3 cups chicken stock
2 cup fresh kale, cut into strips

Heat oil over medium heat. Saute onions and celery about 5 minutes, stirring often. Add ham and bone, stirring for 1 minute. Add tomatoes, beans and chicken stock, stir and bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer and cook for 35-45 minutes. Stir in kale. Cook for 5 minutes. Serves 4.

New Year's Lamb

2007-01-02T21:09:00.001-07:00

I wanted to try something new and exciting for New Year's Eve, so I made my first Leg of Lamb, the Roast Leg of Lamb with Fennel Butter recipe from the Epicurious website. It was fabulous! The only change I made was to use a semi-boneless rather than boneless leg (because that's what I could get at the last minute). I cooked it until it was 130F, and it was a beautiful medium rare. The sauce was extremely tasty and easy to make.

I served it with a slightly boring broccoli cauliflower gratin from Epicurious - it was good, but nothing special. However, with a lot of tasty additions - more salt, cheese, etc, it might make a nice veggie main course.

Also, we started out with some Crab Canapes from the same website, which were good with champagne.

Happy New Year!

My Love

2006-12-27T14:22:00.000-07:00

The holidays are rough on all our pocketbooks, but my poor boyfriend also has our anniversary and my birthday in December to manage. For our recent anniversary he put together what is simply my favorite thing to eat - a spread of lovely cheeses and meats, olives, fruit, bread, etc. I could close my eyes and imagine I am in some Provencal country house, but sitting on our old couch with him is almost as good!

The cheese plate included Humboldt Fog, Danish Blue, Triple Creme, Parrana, St. Andre, Smoked Rambol and Sharp cheddar. In the rectangular dish there is a Pate de Campagna, mixed olives, boursin and blueberries. Finally, he served some peppery French sausage, French bread and crackers. Just think of all the combinations you can make!

Garlicky Madeira Chicken

2006-12-16T16:08:00.001-07:00

This was a quick dinner last night. Preheat oven to 375F. Brown four chicken breasts in a little olive oil. Remove chicken to oven-proof pan and put in oven. Saute 4 minced garlic cloves in skillet (add more olive oil if needed). Once cooked through, add 1/4 cup Madeira wine, 1/2 cup chicken or turkey stock, and 1/2 tspn minced thyme. Scrape up brown bits on bottom of skillet and turn heat to high. Reduce until thick, about 10 minutes. Cook chicken about 10-12 minutes, or until cooked through. Pour sauce over top. I served these with steamed asparagus and Boursin mashed potatoes.

Turkey, Barley and Asparagus Soup

2006-12-05T20:20:00.000-07:00

Yup, Thanksgiving leftovers are still haunting us and its DECEMBER. I got the turkey carcass from Mom's Thanksgiving, and yesterday made lots and lots of stock. Tonight I made a soup out of the stock, cooked turkey, barley and veggies. It was simple yet very well-flavored, though next time I will use a little less barley. The recipe I used is below. As I said, probably should use a little less barley than I have listed below. Also, my stock was very well flavored with bay leaf, salt, pepper, thyme and parsley. If you are using store-bought stock, you might want a add a pinch of these seasonings.

4 cups turkey stock (feel free to substitute chicken stock)
1/4 cup diced onion
2 celery ribs, chopped
3/4 cup diced cooked turkey (feel free to substitute diced chicken)
1/2 tspn dried thyme
3/4 cup pearl barley
1 carrot, chopped
4-5 asparagus stalks, ends cut off, and stems chopped into 1 1/2-inch pieces
salt and pepper

Bring stock, onion, celery, turkey and thyme to a boil. Add barley and reduce to a simmer. Cook for 30 minutes. Add carrot and cook for 10 minutes. Add asparagus and cook for 3 minutes. Taste and adjust salt and pepper seasoning.

Serves 2.

To Hell with Teeth - the Brittle Edition

2006-12-04T20:43:00.000-07:00

The holiday gift-making has begun! Today I made brittle for the first time, based on a recipe in this month's Gourmet. It's a little different than the normal peanut brittle. It has a mixture of nuts - pistachio, almond and cashew. It calls for sliced almonds, though I used slivered and just chopped them up, and, when I ran out of those, I used chopped pecans. What makes this brittle special, however, is the cardamom, that heavenly scented seed. Cardamom would make a lovely perfume!

I found the recipe pretty easy to do, and didn't need to put it into the oven at any point. Next I'll wrap them up and include in my gift baskets.

Mulled Cider

2006-12-04T11:33:00.000-07:00

To keep us warm this past weekend while walking around a local holiday festival, I made my friends and I some mulled cider. It's 30 degrees out! Not fair! But the cider helped. In the local supermarket's picnic supplies aisle, I found coffee cups with lids we could carry around with us. Also, I didn't, but you should feel free to add a splash of rum to get even warmer!

Here's the recipe:

1/2 gallon apple cider
1 orange slice
1 2-inch piece ginger, peeled and cut in half
2 cinnamon sticks
4-5 whole cloves

In a medium-to-large pot, simmer all ingredients for 20-25 minutes. Makes 4 large servings, probably 6-8 small cups.

Lovely Lentils

2006-11-29T07:04:00.000-07:00

Honestly, I just love lentils and could eat them everyday. Last night we had an old standby - Lentils with sausage and kale. It's pretty quick and inexpensive and is perfect on a cold night, though I would eat it no matter the temperature. By the way, I used the Healthy Choice Smoked Sausage and didn't taste a difference from other store-bought smoked sausages (my check better be in the mail).

olive oil
1/2 smoked sausage loop, cut into 1/2-inch slices
3 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
1/2 onion, diced
1/2 cup lentils
3 cups chicken or vegetable stock
3-4 big kale leaves, ribs removed and leaves cut into long slips

Cook sausage in medium pot in 2 tbsp olive oil over medium heat. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from pot and drain on a paper-towel lined plate. Set aside.

Reduce heat to medium-low on pot and add onions and garlic, and saute, using more oil if needed. Cook until soft and add the lentils. Cook for 2 minutes. Add stock and cook, uncovered, until lentils are soft and cooked through, about 30-40 minutes. Add kale and cook for 5 minutes. Feel free to add salt or pepper, but I found it was plenty salty from the sausage and stock I used.

Serves 2.

Asian Noodles with Chicken

2006-11-27T19:50:00.000-07:00

We had a great dinner tonight - it was quick and very tasty. The recipe is from the December 2006 Gourmet, and I've also pasted it below. Only downside, I thought it was just a little bit salty. There's no added salt, but the oyster sauce clearly had a lot of salt. I might use a little less next time, or a little more cooking water to tone it down. Anyway, tasty tasty.

ASIAN NOODLES WITH CHICKEN AND SCALLIONS

Take a tip from Asian home cooks and use bottled sauces to your advantage.

1 lb chicken tenders (not coated or cooked)

1 lb fresh or frozen broccoli florets
1 lb dried udon (thick wheat noodles)
1/2 cup premium oyster sauce (preferably Lee Kum Kee)
2 tablespoons hoisin sauce (preferably Lee Kum Kee or Koon Chun)
1 tablespoon Asian sesame oil
2 teaspoons Chinese chile garlic paste (preferably Lan Chi), or to taste
1/2 cup chopped scallions (from 1 bunch)
2 teaspoons roasted sesame seeds (optional)

Cook chicken in a 6-quart pot of boiling unsalted water, covered, until just cooked through, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl with a slotted spoon.

Add broccoli to boiling water and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until just tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer with slotted spoon to a colander to drain, then transfer to another bowl. Return water to a boil and cook noodles until tender (check often; cooking time on package may not be accurate). Reserve 1 cup cooking water, then drain noodles in colander and rinse under hot water.

While noodles cook, tear chicken into chunks.

Add oyster and hoisin sauces, sesame oil, chile garlic paste, half of scallions, and 1/3 cup cooking water to chicken and stir to combine.

Divide noodles, broccoli, and chicken mixture among 4 bowls and sprinkle with sesame seeds and remaining scallions. Serve immediately, stirring just before eating. If noodles become dry, moisten with some of cooking water.

Cooks' note: If you have to substitute an Asian chile paste without garlic for the chile garlic paste, start with 1/2 teaspoon and add to taste.

Makes 4 servings.

Woohoo! More Shrimp!

2006-11-27T16:20:00.000-07:00

Still using up this shrimp I was given. Yay! Last night we had quick and easy spicy shrimp with spaghetti in a chunky tomato sauce, along with some garlic bread.

olive oil
1/2 medium onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tspn red pepper flakes
2 medium cans diced tomatoes
2 tbsp chopped fresh basil
1 tspn dried oregano
salt

1/2 lb dried spaghetti

10 medium shrimp, fresh or frozen, peeled and deveined

In a large skillet, heat 1-2 tbsp oil. Saute garlic, onion and pepper flakes over medium to medium low heat - don't burn the garlic! Cook until onion is soft. Add tomatoes, herbs and black pepper. Cover and reduce heat to low. Cook for approximately 30-35 minutes, stirring occassionally.

Meanwhile, cook spaghetti in boiling salted water.

When pasta is just shy of al dente, add shrimp to tomato sauce. Stir gently and cook until shrimp is pink - about 5 minutes. Add salt to taste.

When pasta is cooked through, drain and transfer to large bowl. Pour sauce over top of pasta and toss. Serves about 3, or 2 with leftovers.

Thanksgiving Inquiries

2006-11-22T08:57:00.000-07:00

A few people have asked me what I am making for Thanksgiving. To be honest, we are doing Thanksgiving at my Mom's and it's pretty difficult to find anything to fit in with all the dishes that are already made. I smiled when I read this comment in a New York Times article last week: "After filling out an application in triplicate and pleading my case before the committee, I received probationary approval for a dish of string beans..."

We have so many dishes on our table, and tinkering with them is just not allowed. Mom and Dad make the turkey, Mom makes stuffing, gravy, cranberry relish and mashed potatoes, along with homemade bread and hot cross buns; Dad makes brussels sprouts; and Grandma makes green beans with ham and sweet potatoes with marshmallows. For dessert, Drew is making an apple pie and a pumpkin pie, and Mom is making creme brulee.

I have lots of thoughts of how we could update some of these dishes, make them lighter, etc., but tradition will not allow it (at this point). So, what else can I fit into this meal, particularly something healthy that can be made ahead so I am not using up kitchen space? I thought about a salad, but, unless it is served ahead of the dinner (which it wouldn't be), I just don't think it fits in.

So, in the end, I have decided to make a couple of snacks for before the dinner. I am going to make this Camembert mushroom dish from Food and Wine. Also, I got ahold of a lot of shrimp, so will probably make some sort of cold shrimp appetizer.

I hope you have a Happy Thanksgiving, and please send me recipes, comments or pictures of your Thanksgiving.

Update

Yup, ended up making the cheese/mushroom appetizer from Food and Wine. I also made a shrimp salad of shrimp, tarragon, celery, green onion, cayenne, salt, pepper and a tiny bit of mayo. I served them with french bread toasts. Both were a hit, especially the first one - who doesn't love melting, gooey cheese?

Soup Dumplings

2006-11-21T13:09:00.000-07:00

I LOVE making dumplings, ravioli, etc. -- they are like little gifts that you bite into for a surprise of ground meat, cheese, beets, whatever. With so many types of wrappers sold today it can be relatively quick and easy. You also can make them ahead of time and pull them straight from the freezer and into whatever you are cooking them in.

I'd love to hear about any type of stuffed goodie any reader out there likes to or wants to make. Send in a comment!

Last night I tinkered with a dish I've made a few times before -- shrimp dumplings in broth, sort of a seafood take on wonton soup. Previously I have added some mushrooms to the broth, but last night I went a step further and really made it a deep mushroom-flavored broth. It was a very satisfying hot soup on a chilly night. The recipe is pretty simple, though the dumplings can take a little time assembling. It makes enough for soup for two, plus dumplings left over that make terrific appetizers. Who doesn't like dumplings?

1 lb medium shrimp, shelled and deveined
2 green onions, chopped
1 egg
4-5 water chestnuts, diced
1 tspn soy sauce
1 tspn sesame oil
1/4 tspn chili garlic sauce*

Put three-fourths of the shrimp and all the other ingredients in the food processor. Pulse until blended and transfer to medium size bowl. Chop the other 1/4 lb of shrimp into 1/2 inch pieces, add to bowl and mix thoroughly.

Fill a small bowl with cold water. On a clean surface place one wonton wrapper (Cover the open wonton wrapper package with a towel to keep from drying out). Place one heaping tablespoon of shrimp mixture on the wrapper, slightly toward one side. Brush edges of wrapper with cold water, and fold one side over the filling, to create dumpling. Press down on all sides to seal, and make sure to get all the air out or the dumplings will open when cooked. Place dumpling on a lightly floured cookie sheet, and cover with a wet towel (not terry cloth). Continue making dumplings until all the filling or wrappers are used up. Cover tray (sans towel) with plastic wrap and place in freezer.

1/4 cup dried mushrooms
8 ounces mixed mushrooms, sliced or roughly chopped
4 cups vegetable stock
2 green onions, finely chopped
pinch of salt

In a small bowl, pour one cup boiling water over dried mushrooms. Let sit for 30 minutes. Remove mushrooms and finely chop. Pour water in small bowl through a paper towel into another small bowl to remove any grit or dirt.

In a medium pot, heat one tablespoon vegetable oil over medium heat. Add fresh mushrooms and saute for 2 minutes. Add stock, chopped reconstituted mushrooms and liquid from small bowl and simmer for 30 minutes. Add green onions and salt.

Fill a medium pot with water and bring to a boil. Carefully put 10 dumplings into water. Using a slotted spoon, remove dumplings when they float to the top and place 5 into each soup bowl. Spoon mushroom broth and mushrooms over dumplings.

Yum!

Pasta carbonara

2006-11-20T09:54:00.000-07:00

I thought I loved carbonara but had just never found the perfect recipe. My attempts were either too dry, too greasy or too heavy. The latest Food and Wine edition has a recipe I thought looked simple, and even better, I had almost all the ingredients in my kitchen.

It was very easy and only took about 30-40 minutes to make. I made only two changes: I used a combo of linguine and fettucine (what I had in the pantry), and I used half and half instead of heavy cream (same reason).

The results? Well, it was very tasty, not dry, not greasy, but still heavy. I guess that's just the nature of carbonara. Next time I might do something blasphemous and add some cherry tomatoes at the end to lighten it up.

Shrimp and White Bean Salad

2006-11-18T11:01:00.000-07:00

It's probably a little summery, but who cares! Last night we had a cold white bean salad and a couple of shrimp skewers with some pancetta sprinkled on top. It was tasty and relatively light (except for the pancetta of course). It also only took under 30 minutes to make the entire meal. We had it with a nice bottle of Pouilly Fuisse.

Here's the recipe:

1 medium can white beans (canellini, great northern, etc)
6-8 cherry tomatoes, halved
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
dozen calamata olives, pitted and hlaved
one celery rib, washed and finely chopped
salt and pepper to taste

20 medium shrimp, shelled and deveined
olive oil
half a lemon

3 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
olive oil
2 ounces pancetta, roughly chopped

Drain beans in a strainer, and run water over them to get rid of as much of the juice as possible. Transfer to a bowl and mix well with the remaining ingredients. Cover and refrigerate.

Heat ridged side of grill pan over medium heat. Skewer shrimp (I put about 4-6 on each skewer). Brush each skewer with olive oil and squeeze lemon juice on top. Grill each skewer 3-5 minutes per side, until pink and cooked through.

While shrimp cooks, heat 2 tbspn olive oil in small pan or skillet. Add garlic and saute for 2 minutes. Add pancetta and cook until pancetta is just starting to get crispy.

Plate skewers and white bean salad and sprinkle pancetta/garlic on top. Serves 2.

Frugalicious!

2006-11-14T19:08:00.000-07:00

You can make so many meals out of just one chicken. Last week, I had to cook a whole chicken for a catering job, but I still had about half of the meat and the carcass left over. So, tonight I made some chicken noodle soup. I covered the carcass with 5 cups of water, a chopped-up onion, two celery sticks chopped, 4-5 peppercorns, a bay leaf, a tspn of thyme and a tspn of salt. I brought this to a boil, then reduced it to a simmer and covered it. I cooked it for another hour, skimming scum (that white frothy stuff) off it every once in a while. Then I strained it into another cooking pot, added two more chopped celery sticks and about a cup and a half of shredded cooked chicken. Last time I made this, we found it to be a little too sweet, so instead of adding diced carrot, this time I just put in two carrots peeled and cut in half, to get just a little of the flavor. Also, normally I would add in some parsley, but the chicken was originally cooked with a lot of parsley so I already had plenty of that floating around. If you want to add some, add about 2 tbspn chopped parsley at this point. I cooked the soup, covered, about 20 minutes, or until the celery was soft. While the soup was cooking, I boiled some salted water and cooked about a cup of pasta I had on hand. Once cooked, I strained the pasta and add it to soup. Finally, I adjusted the salt and pepper seasoning. This made 2 tasty large portions.

Tomorrow - chicken salad!

Comfort Food on a Chilly Night

2006-10-30T09:50:00.000-07:00

Last night I tried my hand at Chicken Pot Pies - great comfort food when fall vegetables are in full bloom and the nights demand warm jackets. I started with a Barefoot Contessa recipe, with a few small changes. Her recipe is below. My changes were: I used Sambucca instead of Pernod (because that's what I had), added about a cup of shredded chicken from a store-bought Rotiserrie chicken, left out the small whole onions (because I forgot to buy them), used the whole asparagus instead of just the tips (what a waste) and added little decorative leaves on top (the artist in the house made those, not me!). Next time I might try and make the crust a little more savory - maybe add a little parmesan, a little black pepper, etc.

Vegetable Pot Pie (serves 4)

12 tbsp unsalted butter
2 cups sliced yellow onions
1 fennel bulb, top and core removed, thinly sliced crosswise
1/2 cup all purpose flour
2.5 cups chicken stock
1 tbsp Pernod
pinch of saffron threads
1.5 tspn kosher salt
1/2 tspn black pepper
3 tbsp heavy cream
1.5 cup large diced potatoes
1.5 cups asparagus tips
1.5 cups peeled, 3/4-inch diced carrots (4 carrots)
1.5 cups peeled, 3/4-inch diced butternut squash
1.5 cups frozen small whole onions
1/2 cup minced flat-leaf parsley

For the pastry:
3 cups all purpose flour
1.5 tspn kosher salt
1 tspn baking powder
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
1/4 lb cold unsalted butter, diced
1/2 to 2/3 cup ice water
1 egg beaten with 1 tbsp water for egg wash
flaked sea salt and cracked black pepper

Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onions and fennel and saute until translucent, about 10 to 15 minutes. Add the flour, reduce the heat to low, and cook for 3 minutes, stirring occassionally. Slowly add the stock, Pernod, saffron, salt and pepper, and bring to a boil Simmer for 5 minutes more, stirring occasionally. Add the heavy cream and season to taste. The sauce should be highly seasoned.

Cook the potatoes in boiling salted water for 10 minutes. Lift out with a sieve. Add the asparagus, carrots and squash to the pot and cook in the boiling water for 5 minutes. Drain well. Add the potatoes, mixed vegetables, onions and parsley to the sauce and mix well.

For the pastry, mix the flour, salt and baking powder in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Add the shortening and butter and mix quickly with your fingers until each piece is coated with flour. Pulse 10 times, or until the fat is the size of peas. With the motor running, add the ice water; process only enough to moisten the dough and have it just come together. Dump the dough out onto a floured board and knead it quickly into a ball. Wrap the dough in plastic and allow it to rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Divide the filling equally among 4 ovenproof bowls. Divide the dough into quarters and roll each piece into an 8-inch circle. Brush the outside edges of each bowl with the egg wash, then place the dough on top. Trim the circle to 1/2 inch larger than the top of the bowl. Crimp the dough to fold over the sides, pressing it to make it stick. Brush the dough with egg wash and make 3 slits in the top. Sprinkle with sea salt and cracked pepper. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 1 hour, or until the top is golden brown and the filling is bubbling hot.

Recipe from Barefoot Contessa Parties!

Prost!

2006-10-24T20:16:00.000-06:00

This past weekend we had our annual Oktoberfest party and, if the empty beer bottles are any indication, the party was a great success. Our guests brought their own beer and their own sausages, which we cooked for them in a big pot of sauerkraut and beer. We also served potato pancakes with sour cream and applesauce, Drew’s gorgeous red cabbage, a cheesy baked spaetzle, liptauer with German rye and wilted cucumbers. We offered a few different mustards for those who like to screw up sausage with it, and had two desserts: gingerbread and a pear kuchen (see picture above). The kuchen recipe came from Gourmet.

Looking for green tomato recipes

2006-10-23T14:06:00.000-06:00

We have a bunch of green tomatoes left over from the garden. Besides fried green tomatoes, does anyone have any green tomato recipes they could share?

Black Bean Soup

2006-10-10T20:13:00.000-06:00

Mmmm, soaked a bag of black beans overnight. The next afternoon i drained them, and poured in 4 cups of chicken stock, one diced onion, dash of cayenne, 1-2 tablespoons of cumin (I like more than more people, so use your judgment), salt, pepper, and a can of diced tomatoes. Cooked this for about an hour and a half, until the beans were cooked through. I served this with diced onion and shredded cheddar. Usually I top it with sour cream, but we were out. Still yummy.

The end of summer

2006-10-09T10:21:00.000-06:00

With a frost quickly approaching, I decided to cook some of my garden's green tomatoes that will probably never have a chance to ripen. I made a fried green tomato salad of arugula (tossed in a red wine vinaigrette), bacon, crumbled blue cheese, and, yes, fried green tomatoes. I served this on the side of a steak that had first been marinated in the juice from half a lime, 2-3 minced garlic cloves, salt, pepper, and olive oil, and then was grilled. Easy, simple and very yummy.

The perfect salad

2006-10-07T07:23:00.000-06:00

Everyone has one, a salad in which all the ingredients come together perfectly. For me, I usually don't make it, can just get it at a good restaurant. However, I recently made one that worked just right for me. I started with arugula (the best green for salad!), topped it with 5 or 6 medium boiled shrimp, about 1/2 cup of artichoke heart quarters, a handful of halved cherry tomatoes and some homemade blue cheese dressing. It was phenomonal!

Here's my blue cheese dressing recipe:

1/2 cup sour cream (I used low fat but do what works for you)
1/4 cup mayo (ditto)
3/4 to 1 cup of crumbled blue cheese (I like to leave a couple of big chunks for a nice surprise)
juice of half a lemon
2 tbsp of chopped chives
freshly ground black pepper

Mix all the ingredients together. It's best if you can let it sit for an hour or so before serving, and it can last a week or so in the fridge.

Easy comfort food

2006-09-25T18:33:00.000-06:00

Too tired from cooking all day at work, for dinner I made a simple meal of mashed potatoes, steamed broccoli and pork chops in an apple cider sauce. Here's the chops recipe:

2 boneless pork chops (they were about 5 oz. each)
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tbsp butter
1/2 onion, sliced
1/2 tspn sugar
pinch of salt
1 cup apple cider
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

Preheat oven to 350F. Heat oil in skillet over medium to high heat until hot but not smoking. Brown pork chops on one side only. Transfer chops, browned sides up, to baking dish. Bake chops until cooked thru, about 20 minutes.

While chops cook, melt butter over medium heat in same skillet. Once foam subsides, add onion, sugar and salt, stirring occassionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add cider and vinegar, boil, stirring occasionally, until onions are tender and liquid has become a glaze. About 15 minutes. Pour onions and glaze over chops.

This recipe is almost exactly a recipe from Epicurious, though they called for smoked bone-in chops (didn't have those) and said the glaze would form in 10 minutes. It took at least another 5 for me.

It was very tasty, quick and easy.

duck-DUCK-um...just duck

2006-09-20T12:21:00.000-06:00

Wow. Last night, I made a ridiculously rich duck dish. It is the duck confit hash from this month's Gourmet magazine. It was really delicious, though not for anyone who wants to eat lightly.

If I make this again, and I'd say that there's a good chance of that, I would make a couple of changes: One, I found the dish to have a little too much sweetness from the combo of the madeira, carrot and cream. Next time I will use a less sweet wine, some sort of hearty red wine. Also, I like my hash to have a little crispiness to it. Therefore, I might make the recipe, then when I get to the end plop a serving of the hash on a greased up (because the dish really needs more fat) hot griddle, press it with a spatula, and crisp it up.

one of my faves

2006-09-19T15:28:00.000-06:00

There's nothing better than lentils, sausage some sort of green and a nice bottle of red wine. This time the green was kale, in a lentil, sausage and kale soup. I could eat this year-round, and, if I had my way, I'd plop a fried egg on top, too.

Probably not again

2006-09-04T19:37:00.000-06:00

Well, last night I was kind of craving a grilled cheese sandwich. Also, we have a TON of bacon we need to cook. But we were out of bread. So, in what I now recognize just crossed the line, I made a gouda and bacon sandwich on, um, banana bread. I think the gouda and bacon were fine together, and same with the gounda and banana bread. It's the bacon and banana bread that just didn't seem natural. I thought it might be reminiscent of sweet french toast with bacon, but it wasn't. It was just weird. Oh, and some cherry tomatoes on the side. What was I thinking?

Blueberry salad

2006-09-03T08:08:00.000-06:00

An experiment that turned out pretty AND tasty - blueberry salad. I tossed mixed greens with a few blueberries, some halved yellow pear tomatoes, a little red onion, and a white wine vinaigrette. It was delicious and healthy. I have also seen similar salads that include crab or shrimp, which I'll try next time.

I also made chicken breasts topped with pesto, and though it doesn't look as pretty as the salad it was good. Just salted and peppered two breasts, topped with pesto (a little too much, as you can see by the photo) and baked at 425F for 30 minutes or so.

Spending in order to save

2006-09-01T07:13:00.000-06:00

In an effort to use up food we already have I sometimes find myself spending more than I should. Well, it wasn't crazy, but lamb is probably an expense that wasn't necessary. But it's just so damn good. Last night, in an effort to use up some tomatoes and feta, I made a lamb, feta, and tomato baked pasta dish. Also, any chance to use some of the mint that just grows and grows in the garden is an opportunity I can't pass up. Drew made a roux, then added crumbled feta. In a lasagna dish, I tossed the creamy mixture with halved red and yellow cherry tomatoes, small pasta shells, minced fresh mint, and some homemade lamb meatballs (1 lb ground lamb, 1/2 tspn each of allspice, ground clove, cayenne pepper, salty and black pepper, and 1/4 cup bread crumbs, 3 minced garlic cloves). I baked the dish at 425F for about 30 minutes, when the pasta started to brown a little on top. It tasted very good. I would have liked it a little bit creamier, and may next time add some mozzerella to the creamy mixture, but Drew said he wouldn't change a thing.

Close your eyes

2006-08-31T07:07:00.000-06:00

And imagine you are floating in the ocean, and all you hear are waves crashing and the occasional kid playing on the beach. Wait, why are there cable bills and gas bills and student loan bills floating around me? Guess you can never go back to vacation. Last week on the beach we just swam and swam, rested, read, drank, and cooked a lot. We also played a lot of games, and you can see our Carcasonne in this shot of one of the pizzas I made one night. For some reason, pizza dough has always intimidated me - as if it's so simple I am sure I'll screw it up. But this actually went well, especially for a first time. I used the pizza dough recipe from the BBQ Bible, but then didn't actually bbq it - just stuck it in the oven. The toppings are calamata olives, sliced tomatoes that we brought from our garden, basil, pepperoni and fresh mozzarella. It was very tasty, and thin just like I like it.

They can't all be successes

2006-08-07T20:43:00.000-06:00

Harumph. I tried to use up some squash, mushrooms and sausage recently, with limited success. I won't bore you a long recipe, because i just son't think it tasted that good. Scooped the seeds out of the squash, stuffed the halves with either sausage or herbed goat cheese. Same with the mushroom caps. Sprinkled parsley on top. Won't be wasting good produce and Italian sausage this way again.

Fun Computer Problems

2006-07-20T18:37:00.000-06:00

Very thrilling computer problems have kept me from posting about lots of cooking I have done in the last week. Early in the weekend I made a pseudo-Mexican dish to use up a lot of food we had hiding in the fridge. Drew's reaction: It's like a fiesta in my mouth! I thought it was tasty, hearty and filling - just the kind of thing you want to eat on a cool fall night. Of course, its 95 degrees outside.

Here's the recipe:

INGREDIENTS
One rotisserie chicken, with all meat pulled off and shredded to bite-size pieces
2 carrots cut into 1-inch pieces
10 small red potatoes cut diced
cumin
cayenne
salt
pepper
1 red onion diced
1 medium can black beans (drained)
10 soft tortillas
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup half and half
taco sauce
1 diced tomato or dozen diced cherry tomatoes

Preheat the oven to 375F. Seperately, mix the carrots and potatoes with a half teaspoon each of the cumin, cayenne, salt and pepper. Put each in separate oven-proof dishes with a little vegetable oil, and bake for 20-25 minutes, until they are done and the potatoes are a little crispy - may need to cook the potatoes a little longer than the carrots.

While carrot and potato are cooking, saute the red onion until soft.

Once all three are cooked and have cooled, place in a large bowl with the shredded chicken and the black beans. Mix, and taste to see if it needs any more of the spices.

Turn oven up to 400F.

Spray a casserole dish with non-stick spray.

Place about 3/4 cup filling in each tortilla, and put each snugly in the casserole dish. (may have some filling left over. Do fun and crazy things with it unrelated to the dish.)

In a food processor or blender, blend 3/4 cup cheddar with half and half and couple of dashes of taco sauce. Pour mixture over casserole. Sprinkle diced tomatoes on top, and top with rest of cheddar.

Bake for 20 minutes.

FRIEND IN TOWN

Sure, most people would want to show off where they live by taking their friend out to dinner in the city's hippest neighborhood. We're not like that. We force them to stay inside and eat my food.

Saturday night I made an herb-roasted chicken to celebrate the visit of my friend Uri. Also, my mom had brought by earlier in the week green beans from their garden and some country ham to cook with it. I used both in a green bean country ham risotto. Also, I roasted some roma tomatoes for a little tang.

Here are the recipes:

Roast Chicken

INGREDIENTS

3 lb chicken (remove plastic bags inside cavity and use for something else)
1/2 cup fresh minced herbs (I used rosemary, sage, thyme, basil)
salt and pepper
3 minced garlic cloves
1 lemon or small orange cut in half
1 small red onion cut in half
Olive oil

Preheat oven to 425. Wash chicken inside and out, and sprinkle all over with salt and pepper, and rub olive oil on it, too. In a small bowl, mix herbs with garlic and salt and pepper. Place lemon and onion halves in cavity of bird. Lift skin above breasts up just slightly and push herb mix under skin, carefully, so as not to tear skin. Rub any extra herbs on the outside. Tie legs up.

Place bird in roasting pan breast-side down, and roast for 5 minutes. Next, turn it to one of its sides and roast for 5 minutes. Then roast for 5 minutes on the other side. Finally roast breast-side up for an hour. I got this method from Jamie Oliver and its a good way of getting color all over the bird. After an hour, cut into the thigh area to see if the bird is done. If not, cook some more!

Risotto

INGREDIENTS

Olive oil
2 shallots, minced
1.5 cups risotto
3 cups chicken or vegetable stock
3/4 cup chopped country ham
1 cup white wine
1.5 cups green beans, chopped

Saute shallots in olive oil. Once soft, add risotto. Stir for one minute. Add chicken broth, 1/4 cup at a time, and country ham, and just keep on stirring. Yup, that's what you have to do with risotto. Once I had used up all the broth, and still needed more liquid, I started adding with wine. I stirred and added until it was done.

While it was cooking, i cooked the green beans in boiling water for about 3 minutes. Then I put them in an ice bath.

Stir the green beans into the risotto.

FINALLY, the last night Uri was in town Drew broiled a beautiful piece of steak, and I made a fried green tomato salad. This was much more successful than the last time I tried to make fried green tomatoes. The key is getting the oil hot enough. If you don't it just turns to mush in the oil.

Here's the recipe:

INGREDIENTS

5 medium green tomatoes, cut in 1/2 inch slices
2 cups cornmeal
pinch each of cayenne, salt and pepper
1 egg, beaten
About 1 cup vegetable oil
4 strips bacon, cooked, broken into 1-inch pieces
blue cheese salad dressing
pickled red onions
4 cups arugula
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1 lemon
1/4 tspn pepper
1/4 tspn dry mustard
1/2 cup olive oil

Heat oil in nonstick pan until hot but not smoking. Combine cornmeal, cayenne and salt and pepper in a small bowl. Dip tomato slices in egg and then cornmeal mix, and then place in pan. Continue with rest of slices. Do not crowd pan. You should only have to flip each slice. Once golden brown place on a paper towel-lined plate.

Make lemon dressing. Whisk the juice of one lemon, vinegar, pepper and mustard. Slowly whisk in olive oil. Toss arugula with dressing. Place fried green tomatoes on top of greens. Sprinkle crumbled bacon and pickled red onions on top and drizzle blue cheese dressing over the top. I never said it was healthy.

Salmon + bruschetta - bread = dinner

2006-07-18T18:55:00.000-06:00

We had a fabulous long weekend in New York/Connecticut where I sampled sushi at Tomoe, pasta at Lupa, bellinis at Cipriani, and lobster rolls at Lennys. In other words, time to go back to a few less calories.

I bought a salmon filet, a little under a pound, along with some arugula. When I got home, I put together what I usually make for bruschetta: diced tomato, minced garlic, minced basil, salt, pepper and olive oil. For the tomatoes I used a big yellow tomato we had and about 10 cherry tomatoes (quartered). Also, I added a thinly sliced shallot. I mixed all this together and let it sit for an hour or so.

I made a simple vinaigrette (balsamic, dry mustard, sugar, pepper, olive oil) which I tossed with about 1.5 cups of arugula.

I sprinkled salt and pepper on the salmon and put it under the broiler for about 10 minutes, without turning it.

Once the salmon was done (it was a little crispy on top), I put it on top of the bed of arugula, and spooned the bruschetta mix on top. Delicioso!

1st try on a spinach experiment

2006-07-11T22:30:00.000-06:00

Two days ago I cooked a pork shoulder that had been deboned, butterflied, rubbed with onions, garlic, fennel, salt, pepper, rolled up and tied with string. After a few hours in the oven it was crispy on the outside and delicious on the inside. I sliced it and put it on ciabatta bread. On the side I served pickled red onions: sliced a large red onion, put it in a jar, sprinkled some peppercorns over the top, and filled the jar with apple cider vinegar.

Also, my spinach experiment. I wanted to make some sort of spinach cakes. I sauteed some minced onion and garlic, then added some thawed chopped frozen spinach, and cooked it for just a few minutes. In a bowl I mixed mascarpone cheese with the juice of one lemon, salt and pepper. I mixed this with the spnach and formed little patties out of the mixture. I coated the patties in homemade bread crumbs. Then I put them in the fridge to solidify a little. A couple of hours later, I pulled them out and fried them in vegetable oil. Unfortunately, they fell apart a little in the oil. However, they did taste pretty good. Couple of thoughts about next time: Instead of just doing breadcrumbs, I could try a flour, egg, breadcrumbs thing. Also, I could try freezing them before frying them, or refrigerating or freezing them before coating them in the breadcrumbs. Anyway, if anyone has any suggestions I would love to hear them, because I am going to try this concept again.

Addictive

2006-07-11T19:39:00.000-06:00

Last night we had dinner at my parents and I was asked to bring an appetizer. I made one of my favorites - gougeres. They are addictive sort of cheese puffs, usually about the size of ping pong balls. Tonight they were a little bigger but still just as tasty. Usually I use gruyere, but tonight I used a sharp dry manchego. Just delicious.

Here's the recipe:

In a large pot, bring 1 cup water, one stick butter and one teaspoon salt to a boil. Add one cup flour and stir until it all comes together in one mass ( A wooden spoon definitely works best here). Take it off the heat, and transfer the batter to a large bowl. One at a time, beat in four eggs with an electric mixer. Then add 3/4 cup of whatever sharp firm cheese you want (gruyere is the traditional thing to use). Once it is all mixed together, transfer the batter to a plastic sandwich bag. Cut off a corner and pipe out (of course you can use a patry bag here) tablespoon size dollops onto a greased cookie sheet (Silpat works even better, if you have one). Sprinkle another 1/4 cup of cheese on top. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until they are just golden. Golden gougeres.

Chowder in the Summer

2006-07-10T08:15:00.000-06:00

Last night I made a corn and fish chowder that was particularly tasty. Some may think its weird to make a warm soup in the middle of the warm Kentucky summer, but I think its the perfect time to cook the season's sweet sweet corn and fresh seafood.

I started by cooking some strips of pancetta in a large pot. When they were cooked and crispy, I removed them from the pot and left them sitting on a paper towel. I added a diced onion and a couple of minced shallots to the pot with the pancetta fat. Once they softened, I added about a cup and a half to two cups of chicken stock (I would have used seafood stock, but didn't have any on hand), about a cup and a half to two cups of white wine, 7-8 small red potatoes diced into 1/2 inch pieces, and the corn from two ears. This cooked for about 20 minutes. I stirred it occassionally, scraping the bottom to get any brown bits from the pancetta. Next, with the potatoes almost done, I added the fish - 1 lb of cod filets cut into 1-inch pieces. I also salted it just to taste. About 5 minutes later, I stirred in 1/3 cup cream. This cooked for another 2-3 minutes. Then I added about an 1/8 a teaspoon of black pepper and a dash of cayenne. After spooning this into our bowls, I spinkled the pancetta bits and a little fresh parsley on top of each serving. We ate this with some leftover crusty bread to dip into the soup. Even I thought it tasted delicious!

Yummy Pork, Yucky Rice

2006-07-07T06:23:00.000-06:00

So, the past couple of days have had some cooking successes and some cooking duds. The successes were the dishes I made for our Fourth of July get-together. I made a grilled pork loin with a peach chutney (still trying to use up those peaches) and a tomato tart. First, we put the marinated loin on the grill. It got pretty black and crispy on the outside, and after 25 minutes and after taking its temp repeately we thought it was done. Then we cut into it and it was clearly not, so we stuck it in the oven. Took another 45 minutes there, but when it came it was perfectly cooked. The chutney was our really ripe peaches with lots of Indian spices - a great compliment to the pork.

The tomato tart was a homemade pastry crust that, just before serving, I layered with sliced red and yellow tomatoes, homemade arugula pesto, and fresh mozzarella. Well, it wasn't quite as good as it has been before and I cite two problems: One, I LOVE garlic, don't get me wrong, but there was an insane amount of garlic in my arugula pesto - sadly overwhelming. Two, I should have had more cheese, for another layer. But, all in all, the Fourth was a success, and I was very thankful for the delectable dishes my friends brought.

And now to my complete failure the next night. Obviously I tweak recipes I get from cookbooks or the Internet or cookbooks all the time based on what I can find, afford, and personal tastes. But I guess when a recipe specifically says not to substitute something I should listen to that. I made a dish from Nigella Lawson's Forever Summer - Shrimp and Black Rice Salad with Vietnamese Dressing. She clearly states not to substitute wild rice for the black rice, but I couldn't find black rice, and I thought, 'oh, I'm sure it'll be fine.' Nope. It sucked. You shouldn't have to work this hard to eat. The dressing was yummy, the shrimp was fine, the rice was crappy. Chew, chew, chew. chew. chew. Pretty miserable.

Happy Day Off!

2006-07-04T07:17:00.000-06:00

Yay for days off, when I can get some cooking done and still lie around on the couch watching the Tour de France. Feeling energetic, yesterday morning I got up early and made blueberry muffins for my sweetheart. and well, myself. I used what I hoped was the Fannie Farmer recipe, but since we are missing that exact page from our Fannie Farmer cookbook, it was a little guesswork. I know I used too many blueberries, but I wanted to use up what we had, and they surely can't hurt. They turned out pretty yummy, and since I started a diet the other day I was good and had them without any butter or anything. Still yummy.

For dinner I cooked Nigella Lawson's Vinegar Chicken, along with some roasted potatoes and steamed broccoli. I thought the chicken was good, but not great, though Drew loved it. I think maybe if I used a higher quality vinegar it might turn out a little more flavorful. Also, instead of using a whole chicken I used some chicken drumsticks, sans skin. My roasted potatoes were nothing to get excited about, as roasted potatoes should be. The best part of the meal was the sauce the chicken was in. Next time I will skip the potatoes and just have some good bread to soak up the sauce.

In between muffins and chicken, I worked on a marinade and a chutney for the pork loin we are having today for the big holiday. I'll write more about that once its been cooked and devoured. Off to tennis in the 95 degree heat!

There just aren't enough meats on sticks

2006-07-03T09:08:00.000-06:00

So I finally got to meet my friend Elizabeth's fiance Garrett when they came over for dinner the other night. For the special occasion, I made the kefta and zucchini kebabs from the Epicurious website. I also added a couple of cherry tomato kebabs, which were marinated in the zucchini marinade (lemon, salt, pepper, olive oil, sugar). The lamb was really outstanding - ground lamb mixed with cayenne, cinnamon, minced parsley & cilantro, allspice, minced onion, salt and pepper. And a tasty yogurt dip, for which I doubled the amount of garlic. Really tasty meatballs. The zucchini and tomato were good to have on the side, but I didn't think the marinade added a lot of flavor. Also had a good loaf of crusty bread and a bowl of calamata olives. For dessert, since we are swimming in peaches right now, we had the Peach Tatin from the Food and Wine website. Now, I love this recipe, which I've made several times before, but it didn't turn out as well as it has before - primarily because of the time delusion I was suffering from. I didn't cook it for close to the time needed, so the puff pastry just didn't get a chance to really do its thing. Oh well. Also, the corn syrup got a little too dark, though I don't think that really affected its taste. Still, it was a wonderful night. And it took me a while to recover and write about it in part because of the three bottles of hearty red wine we had with the meal. Yum. (that may have played a role in the time delusion.) And we liked Garrett too!

I'm tired

2006-06-28T06:43:00.000-06:00

So, after a long day at work yesterday I am too tired to try and be clever. And I didn't cook at all last night, just laid on the couch with a gin and tonic and ..can't even remember what I ate. Oh ya, leftovers from work. BUT, the night before I made a yummy pasta dish we like from the Epicurious website - Campanelle with Sausage and Beans. Lots of roasted garlic, beans, a little grated cheese and cooking it for quite a while give it a nice thick flavorful sauce. I use a bit more sausage than they called for, and next time I might make it half mild Italian, half hot italian, just for a little more heat. But it was very yummy and we're still munching on those leftovers.

Chops and Spoonbread

2006-06-25T09:35:00.000-06:00

The most successful thing in our garden right now is our sage, and I guess I should actually start using some of what's out there instead of letting it stay and look pretty. Last night Drew seared some pork chops with sage, salt and pepper, then threw in a bottle of beer and let them marinate, and cooked some yummy spinach with lots of onion and garlic. I made the Cheddar Corn spoonbread from The New American Cheese cookbook. I've made it before and it's been a hit repeatedly, but for some reason this time it was overwhelmingly salty. Also, the recipe calls for using only two egg whites, I used three, and I felt like the texture was the best its ever been. Next time I'll leave out the salt and keep the third egg white. Of course, the saltiness didn't keep me from eating it cold out of its dish on the couch this morning.

hmmmmm

2006-06-23T06:40:00.000-06:00

Okay, not a very auspicious beginning. I have been bad about posting, and it's not because there haven't been things to post or because my lovely boyfriend hasn't taken shots of my sometimes pretty food. Just sheer laziness. So, here are some things done lately, and I will be better from now on:

My parents came over for dinner a couple of weeks ago and I made a Beer Braised Chicken dish from a recent Food and Wine magazine. It turned out well, but honestly both Drew and I were not thrilled with the flavor. Something tasted kind of musty - we think it might have been the saffron? However, I really think I did the recipe just as it was written and that it tasted as it was supposed to. Probably won't be making this again, though it was pretty.

Also, a week or so ago we had burgers done my favorite way - with my friend Charles' recipe. Mix the burger meat with pepper and whatever other spices you want. Slice butter into 1/2 tablespoon slices, coat them in minced fresh thyme, and form patties around the thyme-coated butter. Grill or fry as normal. While they are cooking, you put butter, red wine and brown sugar into a small saucepan and cook down until it is nice and thick. Pour over burgers when they are ready. Its ridiculously yummy. I added some blue cheese too.

A Plethora of Hotdogs

2006-06-05T20:18:00.000-06:00

My first post! This blog is mainly for me to keep a record of what I cooked, what recipes I used, how I changed them, and what did and didn't work. If anyone else happens to enjoy it, fabulous!

At the last minute on Derby Day we panicked and thought we didn't have enough fried chicken. So, we ran out and got a few packages of hotdogs. They weren't touched and have been frozen as I figure out ways to use them that aren't too disgusting. I'm kind of sad that this is the first entry on the blog, since it's nothing special, but tonight I used them in one of our regular dishes: hotdogs cooked in beer and sauerkraut and potato pancakes with sour cream. Totally simple, totally bad for you yummy dish. And I toast the hot dog bun in the oven just beforehand.