Gorgonzola, Pecan and Pear Salad

This may not be the best salad ever, but it's darn close! This salad is like a good movie: it's got drama (the gorgonzola cheese), it's a tear-jerker (the red onions), it's got action (the caramelized pecans) and, of course, it's got laughter (the dried cranberries). I highly suggest you buy all the ingredients at Henry's Marketplace (or at a Whole Foods or co-op grocery) because it's cheaper to buy the pecans and dried cranberries in bulk there. Also, I assume that in any normal household this salad would feed 6 people, but in my world, we ate the entire thing up between 4 people. Go figure!

INGREDIENTS

• 1 bag of Spring Mix salad mix
• 3 oz. crumbled gorgonzola cheese (or more, depending on your taste)
• 6 to 8 thin red onion slices
• 1 Anjou or Bosc pear
• A good handful of dried cranberries (about 1/4 cup)
• 1/2 cup of whole pecan
• 1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon butter
• Bottle of Henry's Raspberry vinaigrette or your favorite raspberry vinaigrette

DIRECTIONS

In a large salad bowl, add the entire bag of spring mix. Place rings of red onion over the salad, then sprinkle the gorgonzola cheese over it. Cut the pear in slices, lengthwise, and add to salad, then add the cranberries on top of that. Set aside.

In a small non-stick skillet, add the pecans and heat on low. Keep toasting pecans on low for about 5 to 7 minutes. Raise heat to medium and add the brown sugar and butter to pecans. Let it all melt and keep toasting and cooking until all sugar is melted, about 5 more minutes. Remove from heat and let it cool slightly, then add the pecans over the entire salad and serve with the vinaigrette on the side.

Mushroom Quiche

I wanted to make Thomas Keller's Over-the-Top Mushroom Quiche but it was just too much for one person. It had almost two pounds of mushrooms! Instead, I made a simple, yet very delicious mushroom quiche (and I added a few leftover zucchini pieces I had). I used a frozen pastry shell instead of making my own crust, but that was just for a time saver. If you're not a mushroom lover, you can use other veggies such as cut up pieces of sauteed broccoli, or sauteed spinach, or even roasted asparagus pieces. Try a French Rose with this quiche.

INGREDIENTS (serves 6 - 8 people)

• One 9" frozen pie shell **
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
• 1 pound baby bella mushrooms, sliced
• 1 zucchini, sliced (OPTIONAL)
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 3 large eggs
• Pinch nutmeg
• 1 cup Gruyère cheese, grated
• 1/4 cup good Parmesan cheese, grated

DIRECTIONS

1. Pre-heat oven to 350°F.
2. Line pie shell with parchment paper, wax paper, or aluminum foil. Place baking weights, or rice or uncooked beans on top of pastry. Blind bake the pie shell for 10 minutes. Let cool and remove the rice or beans afterwards.
3. In a large skillet add the olive oil and heat to medium-high. Add the onion and cook for one minute. Add the mushrooms and season with salt and pepper.
4. Keep cooking for another 8 minutes until mushrooms are a dark golden color.
5. Add the zucchini, if using, and cook another 2 minutes. Remove from heat.
6. Spread half of Gruyère cheese at bottom of pastry shell. Add the mushroom mixture on top and top with remaining Gruyère cheese.
7. In a bowl, beat together eggs, milk, cream, nutmeg and season with a bit more salt and pepper. Pour egg mixture carefully over ingredients in pastry shell.
8. Top with remaining Parmesan cheese.
9. Bake at 350°F for 35-40 minutes or until set. Serve hot or cold.

** Side note: I forgot to blind bake my pastry shell; the quiche still came out good, but the bottom of crust was just a tiny bit soggy.

Eggs Benedict, part deux

This recipe is straight out of the Lady's Home Journal magazine. YES, you heard me. Come on, I'm sure your mom or tia or grandma probably has one or two in their possession. And I know you've peeked at one at the check out counter at the Safeway. Anyhoo, this is probably the closest "original" eggs Benedict recipe out there. This one is a bit more labor intensive than my original eggs benedict post, but it is an awesome recipe to learn by heart because you never know when you'll have unexpected guests arrive at your house on a Sunday morning. PS: try "pompagne" instead of mimosas if you serve this for brunch. Pompagne is basically 2/3 champagne and 1/3 pomegranate juice. YUMMY!

INGREDIENTS (serves 4)

Poached eggs

• 1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 8 large eggs

Hollandaise sauce

• 3/4 cup butter (no substitutions), cut up
• 3 large egg yolks
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Pinch ground red pepper

Other ingredients

• 2 tablespoons butter, divided (no substitutions)
• 8 slices Canadian bacon
• 4 English muffins, split and toasted
• 1 tablespoon water
• Chopped fresh chives, for garnish

DIRECTIONS

Make poached eggs: Fill a large, deep skillet with water. Add vinegar and salt; cover and bring to a gentle boil over medium heat.

Break one egg into a small cup. Carefully slip egg into gently boiling water. Repeat with remaining eggs, working in a clockwise direction. Reduce heat; simmer eggs 2 to 3 minutes, until whites are firm near the yolk. Remove with slotted spoon in same order and place in a pan of ice water. Set aside.

Make hollandaise sauce: Place butter in a 2-cup glass measure. Cover with plastic wrap, turning back one section to vent. Microwave on High 1 to 1 1/2 minutes, until melted. In top of double boiler set above, not in, simmering water, whisk egg yolks and lemon juice until slightly thickened, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove top only of double boiler from water. Whisking constantly, slowly drizzle a few tablespoons melted butter into yolks in a thin, steady stream. Return top of double boiler to simmering water; continue to slowly add butter, whisking constantly, until sauce thickens. Whisk in salt and red pepper. Cover and remove pan from heat. (Can be made ahead. Let stand up to 1 hour over hot water.)

Heat oven to 200 degrees F. Heat 1 tablespoon butter in large skillet. Add bacon and cook 2 minutes per side, until lightly browned.

Divide and spread toasted English muffin halves with remaining butter. Place halves on a cookie sheet and keep warm in oven. Return double boiler to stovetop. Whisk 1 tablespoon water into hollandaise sauce. Cover and keep sauce warm over low heat.

To reheat poached eggs, bring same skillet filled with fresh water to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer. Add eggs with slotted spoon and simmer until heated through, about 1 minute.

Arrange 2 muffin halves on each of four serving plates. Top each half with a slice of bacon. Remove eggs from simmering water with a slotted spoon, gently shaking off excess water. Place one egg over bacon; divide and spoon hollandaise sauce over each serving. Sprinkle with chives. Don't forget the pompagne!!!

Chicken Paprikash

Now that Matthew is back on a ship, he tends to do a lot of online shopping during his free time. During the last month I've gotten a few cooking books that he's ordered for me--all of them, of course, are Czech cooking recipe books. Although I'm still testing out the dumpling recipes, this chicken paprika recipe came out pretty good on my first try. It is absolutely essential that you use sweet Hungarian paprika and stay away from smoked paprika for this recipe. And yes, I know chicken paprika is a Hungarian dish, but it is immensely popular in the Czech Republic as well.

INGREDIENTS (serves 4)

• 6 chicken pieces, thighs and legs, on the bone, with skin on
• 1 Tablespoon butter
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 large yellow or white onion, very thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup sweet Hungarian paprika (absolute must. Whole Foods market or Trader Joe's has it available) .
• 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
• 2 cups low-sodium chicken stock (I used Wolfgang Pucks free-range chicken natural broth)
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 large bay leaf
• 1 to 1-1/2 cup creme fraiche or Mexican crema (use sour cream if creme fraiche not available)
• Kosher salt & pepper
• Fresh parsley for garnish (optional)

DIRECTIONS

Rinse and pat dry the chicken. Season generously with salt & ground black pepper.

In a wide heavy skillet with high sides, heat the butter and olive oil over a medium high heat. Add a few of the chicken pieces, skin side down first, to the skillet and cook until golden brown on both sides, about 5 minutes per side. Cook remaining chicken this way then remove from pan and set aside.

Add the onions to the pan and reduce heat to medium. Cook, stirring often, until the onions just begin to color, about 8 minutes. Sprinkle the paprika, flour, bay leaf and garlic over the onions.

Cook, stirring continuously, for one minute. Add in the chicken stock to the mixture and bring to a boil, stirring continuously. Return the chicken with all accumulated juices to the pan.

Reduce the heat to a simmer. Cover the pan and cook, turning the chicken once or twice, until the juices run clear, about 30 to 35 minutes.

Remove the chicken to a new clean plate and pick out the bay leaf and toss it away.

Bring sauce to a boil for 10 minutes while stirring from time to time. Turn off heat and let the sauce settle for about 5 to 10 minutes more, then skim the fat off the surface with a spoon, if any. Stir in the creme fraiche. Then return the chicken into the pan. Heat on medium-low and bring to a simmer until chicken is heated thoroughly.

Serve chicken paprika with dumplings, or buttered noodles or spaetzle.

Chocolate Tiramisu

Matthew and I were in NYC on Saturday and we had a slice of pizza at Ray's, which is supposed to be the best pizza in New York City. I don't know if that's true, but it did make me realize that we can't get enough Italian food, especially really good authentic Italian non-Olive Garden dishes. What I love more than a good thin crust, crispy slice of pizza is chocolate tiramisu. It's really difficult to find a good tiramisu here in San Diego. Some restaurants add too much whipped cream; others too much sugar; and some not enough Marsala wine! So the next best tiramisu is this this recipe from Giada. Our friend Leo Vargas made this delectable treat for our cooking club and it was gone before you knew it.

INGREDIENTS

• 6 ounces container mascarpone cheese
• 2/3 cup whipping cream
• 1/2 cup sugar
• Chocolate Zabaglione, recipe follows below
• 2 1/2 cups espresso coffee, warmed
• 24 crisp ladyfinger cookies (recommended: Savoiardi)
• Unsweetened cocoa powder, for garnish
• Dark chocolate shavings, for garnish

DIRECTIONS

Place the mascarpone cheese in a large bowl and set aside. With an electric mixer, beat the cream and 1/4 cup of the sugar in a medium bowl until soft peaks form. Fold the whipped cream into the mascarpone. Then fold in the chilled Chocolate Zabaglione. Cover and refrigerate. Whisk the warmed espresso and the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar in another medium bowl until blended. Line a 9 1/4 by 5 by 2 3/4-inch metal loaf pan with plastic wrap, allowing the plastic to extend over the sides. Working with 1 cookie at a time, dip 8 cookies into the espresso, and arrange in a single layer side by side over the bottom of the prepared pan.

Spoon 1/3 of the mascarpone mixture over the cookies to cover. Repeat dipping 8 of the cookies in the espresso and layering the cookies and remaining mascarpone mixture 2 more times. Dip the remaining 8 cookies in the espresso and arrange side by side atop the tiramisu. Press lightly to compact slightly (the last layer will extend above the pan sides). Cover the tiramisu with plastic and refrigerate at least 6 hours.

Unwrap the plastic from atop the tiramisu. Invert the tiramisu onto a platter. Remove the plastic. Sift the cocoa over the tiramisu, and with a vegetable peeler or sharp knife, make dark chocolate shavings and sprinkle over top.

CHOCOLATE ZABAGLIONE

• 2 tablespoons whipping cream, or heavy cream
• 1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 4 large egg yolks
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup dry Marsala wine
• Pinch salt

DIRECTIONS

Add cream and chocolate to a heavy small saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until the chocolate chips are melted and smooth. Set aside and keep warm. Whisk the egg yolks, sugar, Marsala, and salt in a large glass bowl until blended. Set the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, but do not allow the bottom of the bowl to touch the water. Whisk the egg mixture over the simmering water until it is thick and creamy, about 4 minutes. Remove from the heat.

Using a large rubber spatula, fold the melted chocolate mixture into the egg mixture. Cover and refrigerate to chill completely.

Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis, Everyday Italian

Shrimp with Udon Noodles

It's not easy cooking for one. Every time I cook for myself, I tend to over-do it and I always have left overs. And before I know it, I have left overs after left overs in the fridge and, eventually, I have to throw it out or feed it to Max (shhhh, don't tell his mom). So, I'm sticking to easy things for now, and this udon soup is SO EASY. I had a few frozen shrimp, some left over baby bellas, and exactly one egg, and voila, my masterpiece! What's great about this recipe is that you can customize it to your liking. I'm thinking next time I'll add some bok choy and thinly sliced beef.

INGREDIENTS (serves 2)

• One package of udon noodles, shrimp flavor (in the refrigerator section)
• 6 medium to large shrimp, cleaned and deveined
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/2 cup sliced baby bellas or white mushrooms
• 2 Tablespoons white wine or fresh lemon juice
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon chopped scallions
• Salt and pepper
• Olive oil

DIRECTIONS

Place your egg in a sauce pan and fill with water to just cover the egg. Bring water to a boil. Cover the pan and turn off the heat. Let it cook with steam for 10 minutes. Drain and let egg cool. Slice and set aside.

In a skillet, add 2 teaspoons olive oil on medium high. Add the shrimp, garlic, and mushrooms. Saute for 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and add the white wine or lemon juice. Saute another 2 minutes until shrimp is cooked, mushrooms are soft and lightly browned. Remove from heat and set aside.

Follow the cooking directions on udon noodle package and make the noodles, except only add 1/2 of the shrimp packet (flavoring). Then add the shrimp , garlic and mushroom mixture.

Serve udon noodles with shrimp and mushrooms and top with slices of egg and sprinkle scallions on top.

Blackened Tuna with Five Pepper Sauce

Matthew is still in Virginia and he has had some incredible seafood. He recently visited Croc's in Virginia Beach and had their blackened tuna with the five pepper sauce. This recipe is not from the restaurant, but it's pretty close. It's both sweet and sour and just slightly spicy because the chili garlic sauce gives it a kick. If you can't find chili garlic sauce, you can use 1/2 tsp. of red pepper flakes instead.

INGREDIENTS (serves 2)

• 2 (8 oz.) Ahi tuna steaks, about 2/3" thick
• 2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 2 teaspoons butter
• 1 red pepper, diced
• 1 yellow pepper, diced
• 1 green pepper, diced
• 1 tsp. chili garlic sauce
• 1/4 tsp. fresh black pepper
• 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
• 8 oz. dark syrup
• 3/4 cup chicken stock
• 1 cup white vinegar
• 2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 cup sugar
• Prepared mashed potatoes

DIRECTIONS

To make five pepper sauce: In medium saucepan, add syrup, chicken stock, vinegars and stir in sugar. Let sauce reduce by 1/4 over medium heat, about 15 minutes. Once liquid is reduced by 1/4, add all the peppers, chili garlic sauce, salt and pepper and cook over medium heat until all the peppers are translucent in color, about 15 more minutes.

To make the tuna: generously coat tuna with Cajun seasoning.

Heat oil and butter in a large skillet over high heat. When oil is nearly smoking, place steaks in pan. Cook on one side for 3 to 4 minutes, or until blackened. Turn steaks, and cook for 3 to 4 minutes for medium rare.

To serve: place a portion of mashed potatoes on center of a plate. Place your blackened tuna steak over the potatoes, then pour the five pepper sauce over blackened tuna fillet and serve.

Creamy Goat Cheese Pasta with Grilled Asparagus

It's late May and it's so hot. Why? It's supposed to be gray and slightly cool. Where is May gray, Mr. Weatherman?

I can't write. My fingers are overheating. I can't cook. My kitchen is 85 degrees...AND I HAVE TWO FANS AT FULL BLAST.

Must find shade.

My chanclas are hating the hot pavement. What am I going to eat?

INGREDIENTS (serves 4)

• 2 bunches asparagus (2 pounds total), tough ends removed
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces
• 12 ounces cavatappi or other short pasta
• 1 small log soft goat cheese (5 ounces), crumbled
• 2 to 3 tablespoons snipped fresh chives, for garnish (optional)

DIRECTIONS

Preheat your outdoor grill to high.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil for pasta--if you have a fancy grill with a burner, then you can do the whole thing outside.

Place asparagus on a plate and toss with 2 tablespoons olive oil and season with salt and pepper to taste. Place asparagus on grill over high heat turning each spear occasionally for 3-4 minutes, or to desired tenderness (asparagus should begin to brown in spots); cut into 2-inch lengths.

While asparagus is grillin', generously salt boiling water. Add pasta, and cook until al dente, according to package instructions. Set aside 1 1/2 cups pasta water; drain pasta and return to pot.

In a medium bowl, combine goat cheese, 3 tablespoons butter, and 1/2 cup pasta water. Season with salt and pepper, and whisk until smooth. Add goat-cheese mixture and asparagus to pasta; toss to combine, adding more pasta water if necessary for sauce to coat pasta. Serve pasta garnished with chives.

Recipe adapted and modified from Everyday Food.

Steamed Shrimp

Wow, it was 80 degrees today in San Diego, and it's suppose to be in the 100's tomorrow! The last thing you want to do on hot days like these is cook in a hot kitchen...or even cook at all. This is when fast cooking proteins, like seafood, become your best friends. And shrimp is just perfect for hot summer days. I have to tell you that I'm a fan of Old Bay Seasoning now, because you can use the seasoning on pretty much all seafood. Oh, and if you want to pair this dish with beer, try Michelob Ultra Lime Cactus. I'm not a beer fan, but this combination is so refreshing!

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cup vinegar
• 1 tablespoon OLD BAY SEASONING
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 pound fresh shrimp, with shells on

DIRECTIONS

In saucepan, combine first 4 ingredients. Bring to a boil. Add shrimp, stir gently. Cover; steam until tender, about 5 minutes. Immediately remove from heat and drain shrimp. Serve steamed shrimp with a side of cocktail sauce and melted butter.

Oysters Rockefeller

My husband is currently in Virginia Beach, VA, and he recently paid a visit to the Seaside Raw Bar. It's a little whole in the wall, yet their menu is respectable and the food delicious--the cocktail choices are not bad either. Matt had the oysters rockerfeller for the first time and, as he told me, "they were out of this world." Small oysters, such as P.E.I. oysters is a good choice for the recipe below.

INGREDIENTS

• 3/4 cup firmly packed watercress sprigs (2 oz before discarding coarse stems), finely chopped
• 1 1/3 cups firmly packed baby spinach (1 1/3 oz), finely chopped
• 3 tablespoons finely chopped scallion greens
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 2 teaspoons minced celery
• 3 tablespoons coarse fresh bread crumbs (preferably from a day-old baguette)
• 3 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 teaspoon Pernod or other anise-flavored liquor
• Pinch of cayenne
• 3 bacon slices
• About 10 cups kosher salt for baking and serving (3 lb)
• 20 small oysters on the half shell, oysters picked over for shell fragments and shells scrubbed well

DIRECTIONS

PreparationToss together watercress, spinach, scallion greens, parsley, celery, and 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon bread crumbs in a bowl. Melt butter in a 10-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat, then add watercress mixture and cook, stirring, until spinach is wilted, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in Pernod, cayenne, and salt and pepper to taste, then transfer mixture to a bowl and chill, covered, until cold, about 1 hour.

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 450°F.

While watercress mixture chills, cook bacon in cleaned skillet over moderate heat, turning, until crisp, then drain on paper towels and finely crumble.

Spread 5 cups kosher salt in a large shallow baking pan (1 inch deep) and nestle oysters (in shells) in it. Spoon watercress mixture evenly over oysters, then top with bacon and sprinkle with remaining tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons bread crumbs. Bake oysters until edges of oysters begin to curl and bread crumbs are golden, about 10 minutes.

Serve warm oysters in shells, nestled in kosher salt (about 5 cups), on a platter.

Recipe courtesy of Epicurious.

California BLT

There comes a moment in a woman's (or man's) life when we desire the crispy taste of pork bacon in our mouths. The desire is so great that we'll sometimes go to great lengths just to eat Mr. piggy. Whenever I walk into a house or restaurant and smell the smoky sweet bacon in the air, my mouth begins to water. And don't get me started on apple wood smoked bacon--that sh** is the bomb! I love bacon so much, I even contemplated joining the Bacon Club of the Month. But, I decided to be somewhat healthy because I do feel guilty eating bacon as it's full of sodium and saturated fat. So, I've been limiting myself to a couple of slices of good bacon once a month. And when I do cook bacon, I always make sure I make it for a special meal or add it into something yummy. And this BLT is awesome because it has avocado in it. Bacon lovers, rejoice!

INGREDIENTS (makes on mean BLT)

• 3 strips of bacon
• 1 beefsteak tomato
• lettuce leaves
• 2 slices of bread, such as 7 grain, sourdough or your favorite bread
• Half an avocado, sliced
• Mayonnaise
• salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. Begin by broiling three slices of bacon under the broiler. Drain on paper towels.
2. Slice one beefsteak tomato; wash and spin two lettuce leaves.
3. Lightly toast your bread slices, if desired.
4. Assemble the sandwich: spread mayo on both slices; arrange bacon (cut in half if you need to), followed by avocado slices, and tomatoes. Season with a little salt and pepper before you top with lettuce.
5. Serve with salt and vinegar chips and enjoy!

Chiles Rellenos

Happy Cinco de Mayo, everyone! I hope you all had a great weekend. I spent my weekend in Mexico. I first attended my cousins quinceañera on Saturday; and I went to Puerto Nuevo with my entire family to eat some delicious spiny lobster on Sunday.

So, I probaby don't have to tell you that Cinco de Mayo is a national holiday in Mexico. It commemorates the victory of Mexican forces led by General Ignacio Zaragoza over the French occupational forces in the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862. History lesson over, now go make these chile rellenos. Once you have everything assembled, the cooking is fast, but the entire process will take you 45 to 60 minutes. Salud!

INGREDIENTS

• 6 Poblano chiles or Anaheim
• 1/2 pound Monterey Jack cheese, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup flour + 1 tablespoon
• 1 tsp. salt
• 6 eggs, separated
• 2 cups salsita roja (recipe below)
• 1 cup vegetable oil

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat your oven to broil.
2. Rinse the chiles. Place the chiles in a 9 x 14 baking dish and place on the top shelf of your oven. Watch and listen closely. When the skins start to char and turn black in places, take the chiles out and flip them over. Be sure and use a potholder or tongs so you don't burn your hands!
3. When both sides are fairly evenly charred, remove them from the oven.
4. Wrap each chile in a moist paper towel or place in a sealed plastic bag to steam. After a few minutes, check them. Once the skin comes off easily, peel each chile.
5. Cut a slit almost the full length of each chile. Make a small "t" across the top, by the stem and remove seeds and ribs.
6. Insert the cheese through the slit in the chili. Put in a good amount but don’t stuff it tightly as it expands when it melts. Seal the slit in the chili with thin wooden toothpicks.
7. Dredge the stuffed chiles in 1/4 cup flour and set aside.
8. Whip the egg whites at high speed with an electric mixer, until stiff peaks have formed.
9. Beat the egg yolks with one tablespoon flour and one teaspoon salt. Fold the yolks into egg whites and combine well.
10. Heat the oil in a large skillet with high sides on medium high.
11. Dip each chile in the egg batter. Coat evenly. Fry, seam side down on both sides until golden brown. Place on paper towels to drain.
12. Meanwhile, heat the salsa in a medium saucepan. Place one or two rellenos on each plate and pour salsa over them. Serve them immediately and don't forget to serve Sol beer, too!

SALSITA ROJA

INGREDIENTS

• 2 large tomatoes
• A quarter of a large onion, peeled
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/8 tsp. pepper
• A handful of cilantro, lightly chopped

DIRECTIONS

In a medium sauce pan add the tomatoes, quarter of an onion and garlic cloves. Add enough water to cover. Bring to a boil and simmer for 8 to 10 minutes, or until tomato skins start to break and peel.

Drain, but reserve 1/4 cup of cooking liquid. Peel the skins off the tomatoes.

Place the ingredients in a blender, along with salt, pepper and cilantro. Blend on high for one minute, until you get a sauce. Taste for seasoning. If you want your sauce to be more watery, add a few tablespoons of the reserved water. Serve sauce warm. You can also use this sauce for tostadas or sopes. Can you feel the Mexican love?

Chicken a la Mom

I got this recipe from my mom (and she got it from some other lady), and my mom is the type that likes to use measurements such as "handful" or "a glass full" or "un poquito." So, I kind of played around with the measurements. You can use boneless chicken if you wish, however with the prices of food right now, the bone-in chicken seems to be a lot cheaper at the grocery store. I also realized that in some ways, this is sort of a chicken stroganoff recipe but without sour cream, and it goes excellent with either white rice or egg noodles. Since I totally played around with the measurements, you can probably do the same and perhaps make it better. I'm thinking of leaving out the cream of mushroom soup next time...but we'll see.

INGREDIENTS (Serves 4 Hillarys or 2 Obamas)

• 4 Chicken pieces, such as 2 thighs and 2 breasts, with skin on and bone-in
• Olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• 1 large onion, roughly chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup sliced Baby Bella or white mushrooms
• Pinch of red pepper flakes
• 1/2 cup low sodium chicken broth or water
• 1 can Campbell's Cream of Mushroom Soup (you can use low-sodium)
• 1 (8 oz.) Philadelphia Cream Cheese, softened
• 1 cup heavy cream
• Two big handfuls of baby spinach

DIRECTIONS

First, clean chicken pieces with cold running water and pat dry. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

In a blender, add the cream of mushroom soup and softened cream cheese and a little water. Blend for 1 minute until it reaches a smooth consistency. Set aside.

In a large saute pan, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil on medium high. Add the chicken pieces and sear for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, until they are a nice brown all over. Remove with tongs and set aside. Do not clean pan.

In the same pan, add the onion and saute for 1 minute. Add the mushrooms and saute and additional minute. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and saute until garlic is fragrant, about 30 seconds. Season with salt and pepper.

Add 1/2 cup chicken broth or water to pan to deglaze and scrape the brown bits from bottom of pan. Add the blended mixture of cream cheese and cream of mushroom soup, then add the heavy cream and stir to combine.

Place the sauteed chicken pieces in sauce and bring to a bubble. Lower to a simmer and cover pan. Let this simmer about 30 to 35 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through. About 10 minutes before serving, add the spinach and let it wilt. Serve over steamed white rice, or with egg noodles.

Food Diary: New Jersey and Philadelphia

I don't know who coined the word, "foodie," but whoever did was genius. The first time I heard that term used in a sentence, I was intrigued. I wondered, am I a foodie?

I remembered when I was about 8 or 9 years old and my Pop's and Elaine had us look at the humongous Sears catalog and circle the toys or clothes we wanted for Christmas. And I always, always circled the Easy Bake Oven and I never got one. Come to think of it, I don't think any of us ever got anything we circled from that damn catalog. Was I a foodie then? I remember I would dream of getting that Easy Bake Oven and make the chocolate cake that the girl made in the commercial (if you're as old as me, you know what I'm talking about). Of course, my second pick from the catalog was the Snoopy Sno-Cone Machine. And I never got that one either!

Fast forward to the late 90's when I moved to Boston and that is when I heard the word, foodie. Someone mentioned it to me because I was describing how incredible the sweet potatoes fries at Bartley's Burger Cottage were. Then I went on to describe the steak salad at the now defunct Grafton Street Cafe on Mass Ave. Perhaps, yes, I think I was, and am, a foodie. But I realized that I really was one when my friends from college and I formed a cooking club, and the rest, as they say, is history.

So why am I telling you this? Just last week I traveled over 3000 miles to be with my husband (in New Jersey, no less!) and what did we do? We found remote wineries in New Jersey...YES, New Jersey, and bought more wine than we needed; we drove to Hershey, PA to get our chocolate fix, then moseyed on over to Philadelphia just to have a Philly steak cheese at Pat's, the Kind of Steaks; and we found probably one of the best Italian restaurants in Freehold, NJ...the town The Boss is from. So, yes, I totally I am a foodie (and so is my husband), and I think many of us are in one way or another, although not many are as crazy as us and drive to Philly just to eat and authentic cheese steak wit cheese whiz...but then again, if you're reading this, you probably are. Happy eating!