La Mom's Flan

Sometimes I reminisce about my childhood in Tijuana, Mexico, and at times I can't believe the stuff I saw, the things we did, and how traviesos me and my brothers were. But what I remember most of all were the smells coming from the kitchen: the wonderful smells of my abuelita cooking beans on the stove top, or my tios grilling carne asada outside or the smell of burnt sugar. I'll always remember that smell because once my mom was teaching my tia (her younger sister) how to melt sugar (for the flan) and my aunt burnt it. It's a molassesy-burnt-candy smell. Once you smell it you'll never forget.

***

My mom has been making flan forever. I was quite impressed how easy her recipe is. To save time (and not dirty too many dishes) she usually just blends everything in a blender. But blending in a large bowl works just a well. Also let me say that if you've never melt sugar, you may want to start practicing first. In the beginning the sugar first may seem that it's not melting at all and then comes the point where it will melt rather quickly and if you don't keep stirring it will burn. So don't leave the kitchen when doing this step. Lastly, to make this flan even more lovely, decorate with edible flowers.

INGREDIENTS (serves 8)

• 1 cup white sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 (12 fluid ounce) can evaporated milk
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, melt sugar until liquefied and golden in color. Carefully pour hot syrup into a 9 inch round glass baking dish, turning the dish to evenly coat the bottom and sides. Set aside.

In a large bowl, or in a blender, beat eggs. Beat in condensed milk, evaporated milk and vanilla until smooth. Pour egg mixture into baking dish. Cover with aluminum foil.

Bake in preheated oven 60 minutes. Let cool completely.

When flan has cooled, cover with plastic wrap and place in fridge for 4 hours or overnight. To serve, carefully run a knife around edges of flan and invert onto serving platter with edges (there's going to be syrup running down the sides).

Homemade Tortilla Chips

If you've never had homemade tortilla chips then get your tastebuds ready to be wowed! When you make your own tortilla chips the taste, the crunch, everything is different and, oh it tastes so much better too! Although the recipe below says to use 4 cups of oil, I will usually only use a large 10" pan and only use 2 cups oil, however I do have to make smaller batches. And don't forget to add that pinch of kosher salt after every batch of your tortilla chips. Guacamole, watch out!

INGREDIENTS (Yield: 3 dozen chips)

• 9 corn tortillas, cut into wedges or strips, whichever you prefer
• 4 cups corn or vegetable oil
• Salt

DIRECTIONS

In a large, heavy saucepan, heat the oil to 360 degrees F.

In batches, add the tortillas to the oil, being careful not to overcrowd, and cook until golden brown, turning once, 1 to 2 minutes.

Remove and drain on paper towels. Season lightly with kosher salt. Serve warm with your favorite salsa.

Macaroni Tomato Soup

I don't know why I never made this soup before but this is the simplest, fastest recipe and not only is it great on a cold, rainy (or snowy) day, but kids seem to LOVE it. And you only need three ingredients, not including the Goldfish crackers as a garnish. Anyway, I saw the Taiwan episode of "The Layover" with Anthony Bourdain and he went to a street breakfast place where they just made tomato soup with macaroni, and you could add fried Spam or a fried egg on top or both....in Taiwan!!! I omitted the Spam and egg and just did a straight up tomato soup with macaroni. Delish! And my daughter loves it.

INGREDIENTS (serves 4 kiddies or 2 adults)

• 1 can of low sodium condensed tomato soup
• 1/2 cup elbow macaroni
• water
• Goldfish crackers, optional

DIRECTIONS

In a 4 quart stock pot add the can of condensed tomato soup and  1-1/2  can of water (the can says 1 can of water, but I find that extra half lets the pasta cook through faster). Add the elbow macaroni and bring to a boil. Turn down to a simmer and let it cook for 8 to 10 minutes, or until pasta is cooked through.Serve with a side of Goldfish crackers, if you like.

Not-Your-Mama's-Meatloaf

I've made this meatloaf a couple of times and it always come out delicious, moist and it's definitely a crowd pleaser. Thanks to Mr. Alton Brown for this recipe. A few tips: I usually only use 80/20 ground chuck and omit the ground sirloin; I also bake it in the meatloaf pan instead of "free form" and lastly, if you don't have a thermometer, get one ASAP! It's best to use one for this recipe so that you don't overcook the meatloaf. Serve with a side of garliky mashed potatoes. Bon appétit!

INGREDIENTS (serves 6 to 8)

• 6 ounces garlic-flavored croutons or stale bread
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 onion, roughly chopped
• 1 carrot, peeled and broken
• 3 whole cloves garlic
• 1/2 red bell pepper
• 18 ounces ground chuck
• 18 ounces ground sirloin
• 1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 egg

For the glaze:

• 1/2 cup catsup
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• Dash Worcestershire sauce
• Dash hot pepper sauce
• 1 tablespoon honey

DIRECTIONS

Heat oven to 325 degrees F.

In a food processor bowl, combine croutons, black pepper, cayenne pepper, chili powder, and thyme. Pulse until the mixture is of a fine texture. Place this mixture into a large bowl. Combine the onion, carrot, garlic, and red pepper in the food processor bowl. Pulse until the mixture is finely chopped, but not pureed. Combine the vegetable mixture, ground sirloin, and ground chuck with the bread crumb mixture. Season the meat mixture with the kosher salt. Add the egg and combine thoroughly, but avoid squeezing the meat.

Pack this mixture into a 10-inch loaf pan to mold the shape of the meatloaf. Onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet, turn the meatloaf out of the pan onto the center of the tray. Insert a temperature probe at a 45 degree angle into the top of the meatloaf. Avoid touching the bottom of the tray with the probe. Set the probe for 155 degrees.

Combine the catsup, cumin, Worcestershire sauce, hot pepper sauce and honey. Brush the glaze onto the meatloaf after it has been cooking for about 10 minutes.

Mushroom Soup With Bread Crust

There is an Italian restaurant in downtown San Diego called, Bice, which I have not had the chance to visit yet but I hear so many good things about this place. And what I can't wait to try when I do finally visit the restaurant is their cheese bar. Yes, a cheese bar, and you know me, I love my cheese. I received a newsletter from the restaurant and the chef there shared his recipe for mushroom soup. Immediately I headed over to the farmer's market and bought all my mushrooms and produce and made this recipe. Luckily I already had a small bottle of truffle oil I got in San Francisco, but if you don't have some already, don't bother buying it because it can be quite spendy. I followed the recipe exactly as it is written below and it's quite mushroom-my, and very down-to-earth flavor. I couldn't find smoked mozzarella so I used a combination of regular mozzarella and smoked gouda.

INGREDIENTS (Serves 6)

Soup ingredients:

• 1 ounce dried porcini mushrooms
• 1 cup of hot water
• ½ pound fresh mix of cremini, oyster and portobello mushrooms
• ½ pound fresh porcini mushrooms
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• >1 clove garlic, sliced
• ¼ cup coarsely chopped shallots
• 1 cup chopped leeks
• 3 ounces pancetta
• 2 bay leaves
• 9 sprigs fresh thyme or tarragon, divided use
• 4 cups chicken broth
• ¼ cup cubed peeled potatoes
• 1½ tablespoons dry Marsala wine
• 8 ounces shredded smoked Mozzarella
• Salt and pepper to taste

For the crust:

• Package of phyllo dough, thawed
• 3 tablespoons of unsalted butter, melted
• 1 egg, beaten
• Truffle oil (available at specialty food markets)

DIRECTIONS

To make the soup: Place the dried porcini mushrooms in a small bowl and cover them with 1 cup of hot water. Leave them to plump for at least 20 minutes. Trim the stems of the fresh mushrooms and brush them to remove any debris. Cut the cremini, porcini, oyster and portobello mushrooms into ¼-inch slices. Set aside.

Put olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat and add the sliced garlic, chopped shallots, leeks and pancetta. Sauté until soft but not browned.

Add the sliced fresh porcini, cremini, oyster and portobello mushrooms. Quickly stir to coat them with the olive oil and sauté, stirring intermittently, until they are soft and limp. The skillet will be dry at first, but as the mushrooms cook, they begin to release their juices. Continue cooking uncovered. Lift the dried porcini mushrooms out of their soaking water, chop them coarsely, and add them to the sautéed mushrooms. Strain the soaking water through a fine mesh sieve or several thicknesses of cheesecloth into the mushrooms. Continue to stir and cook in the skillet for a few minutes to loosen the cooked bits of mushroom that have adhered to the skillet. Transfer the mushrooms from the skillet to a large saucepan.

Crush the bay leaves and 3 of the thyme or tarragon sprigs with your hand, then wrap the herbs in cheesecloth and secure the pouch with kitchen string. Pour the chicken broth over the mushrooms, add the herb pouch and potato cubes and simmer for 35 minutes.
After 35 minutes, add the Marsala to the saucepan and continue cooking uncovered for 5 to 10 minutes. Remove and discard the herb pouch, and then add salt and pepper to taste.

Ladle the soup into 6 small individual-sized ovenproof bowls.

To make the crust: Separate the sheets of the phyllo pastry and cut 18 squares — 3 squares for each bowl — slightly bigger than the top of your bowls. For each bowl, brush three squares with melted butter and stack on top of each other, layering. Place each set of three squares on top of a bowl, pressing lightly on the edges to create an indentation. Take off the pastry square and brush some beaten egg on the indentation of the bowl on the pastry, as well as portions of the pastry outside the circle.

Cover the bowls with the pastry squares and top each with the shredded smoked mozzarella cheese. Press the pastry firmly but gently so it sticks to the top and sides of the bowl. Make sure the pastry sticks so the pastry will puff up as the soup inside the bowl boils.

Place the bowls of soup on a baking sheet. Transfer the baking sheet to the oven and broil until the cheese on top is bubbly and browned. To serve, garnish the crust of the soup with the remaining sprigs of fresh thyme or tarragon and brush lightly with truffle oil.

The soup was created by Bice’s executive chef, Mario Cassineri, a native of Milan.

The Infamous Burgundy Mushrooms

I started my Christmas vacation on December 19th which let me stay home, clean, do a million loads of laundry, finish my Christmas shopping and start cooking again. I also started watching daytime TV and I was quite disappointed there are so many waste-of-my-time talk shows, dumb reality shows and the Food Network just seems to run the same "Cupcake Wars" or "Chopped" episodes. I was really getting pissed off when I stumbled upon a show I've never seen before called, "The Pioneer Woman" on the food network. The Pioneer Woman, a.k.a. Ree, was cooking like a half a cow, a gazillion cinnamon rolls and she made this Burgundy mushroom recipe. After I saw it and she mentioned that it takes 9 hours...yes, NINE HOURS, to make, I was intrigued. "This I can make!" I told myself. "Bring on the mushrooms!"

Let me just say that the 9 hours are worth the wait. What I did is I measured all my ingredients the night before and had stuff ready to go in the fridge, so that way I woke up at 5am the next morning and just dropped everything in the pot and let it simmer. Also, I wanted to use my Crock-Pot® for this but my crock pot is like from 1984 and it's not big enough to fit the 4 pounds of mushrooms and the liter of wine. But I don't see why you can't make this recipe on one of those new, huge, beautiful Crock-Pots I drool over whenever I'm over at Williams Sonoma.

These mushrooms make a great side dish, or just serve them as an appetizer, but if you let them cool, you can use them in a salad or as your main dish because once you taste these mushrooms you will think you're eating meat...seriously!

INGREDIENTS

• 4 pounds White Button Mushrooms
• 2 sticks Butter
• 1-1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
• 1 liter Burgundy Wine (other Reds Will Work)
• 1 teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper
• 2 cups Boiling Water
• 4 whole Chicken Bouillon Cubes
• 4 whole Beef Bouillon Cubes
• 1 teaspoon Dill Seed
• 5 cloves Garlic, Peeled

DIRECTIONS

Thoroughly wash the mushrooms and throw them into a large stockpot. Add all the remaining ingredients. Stir to combine.

Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, for six hours.

Remove the lid, then continue cooking, uncovered, for three hours.

The mushrooms will be very dark in color. Simmer until needed. Server straight from the pot or in a serving bowl. Dip crusty bread in the juice!

Fudgy Fudge with Stella

Last Christmas is a bit of a blur to me. I was so focused on my daughter (who was one-year old at the time) and I wanted to avoid my extended family because I didn't want to explain to them why my husband wasn't with us again for Christmas (he was not with us the previous year either when Stella was only 3 months old) and, truthfully, I just wanted to hang out with my daughter and avoid the world and not have to explain anything to anybody about my failed marriage. Yadda yadda yadda...you know the rest.

This Christmas has been quite wonderful, to tell you the truth. Stella is two-years old now and I can now see the world through her eyes...and it's a wonderful world filled with great people and beautiful places. I gasp when she gasps. If she sees a Christmas tree or an inflatable Santa Claus atop someones house her excitment becomes infectious. I love that she understand the concept of Christmas and she knows that it's "Baby Jesus's" birthday. And I love, love the fact that she LOVES to help me in the kitchen. She's a really good beater of anything: eggs, pancake batter, soup, but her forte is in helping me wash the dishes! So she inspired me to make this fudge with her. We made it on Christmas Eve to bring to my sister-in law's house today, Christmas Day. It's a packaged "Fudge Making Kit" from the makers of Carnation evaporated milk that I bought because, as most of you know, I suck at baking or at anything having to do with desserts. It's really a simple kit and it's good to have your toddler help you in smoothing out the fudge (the entire recipe take place on the stove top, so probably not a good place for a toddler to be!).

The recipe below is just in case you want to make the frudge from scratch and not from the kit, like I did. This recipe comes straight from the Carnation Evaporated Milk website, so I'm sure it's going to be delish!

Carnation Famous Fudge

• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 2/3 cup (5 fl.-oz. can) NESTLÉ® CARNATION® Evaporated Milk
• 2 tablespoons butter or margarine
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups miniature marshmallows
• 1 1/2 cups (9 oz.) NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS

LINE 8-inch-square baking pan with foil.

COMBINE sugar, evaporated milk, butter and salt in medium, heavy-duty saucepan. Bring to a full rolling boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Boil, stirring constantly, for 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

STIR in marshmallows, morsels, nuts and vanilla extract. Stir vigorously for 1 minute or until marshmallows are melted. Pour into prepared baking pan; refrigerate for 2 hours or until firm. Lift from pan; remove foil. Cut into 48 pieces.

Sweet, Tart and Spicy Tomato Jam

Someone once told me that divorce is like a death in the family and that you need to go through the five stages of loss in order to get over it. Stages such as denial,  anger, bargaining, depression and, finally, acceptance. I think I was over my divorce and "accepted" it a long, long time ago, but I was stuck in a funk with cooking. I didn't divorce cooking, but somehow I felt like I did. And as much as I love cooking I just couldn't (or wouldn't) go to the kitchen and cook something out the blue, or even follow a recipe. I needed a foodie therapist.

This year, during Thanksgiving week, my daughter was in Minnesota for a couple of weeks so I took advantage and took a mini vacation to San Francisco. There I met up with two of my favorite friends from Boston, Gracie and Kerry, who are also major foodies like me. Perhaps it was their company, perhaps it was the crisp San Francisco air, or perhaps it was all that wine we drank, but I began to realize that I needed to start cooking again, not because it was the only way to get my "mojo" back, sort of speak, but because I truly, truly love being in the kitchen and cooking, experimenting, tasting...oh, the tasting!

This little gem of a recipe is from the blog, injennieskitchen, and I stumbled upon it via my friend, Gracie, who made the tomato jam for us to enjoy for Thanksgiving. Once I tasted the jam I knew I had to make it. I took it upon myself to triple the recipe (bad idea) and instead of the 3 hour cooking time, it was actually more like 4 1/2  hours. So take it from me, don't double or triple, just follow the recipe below and it will come out great. I did add a little cayenne pepper (about 1/4 teaspoon) when I made mine, and it gives it just a slight spicy edge. Also, try to use a variety of tomatoes like Roma, Heirloom, yellow and grape tomatoes and don't forget the tart apple. You really need it in order to create a bit of pectin for your jam. Lastly, I did cut down on the sugar by about 1/2 cup for my tripled batch and it still came out sweet and tangy.

The way I love to use this jam is by smearing a little goat cheese on crostini and top with the tomato jam. Also, other ways to use it is as a relish on a burger or just place a dollop of the stuff on top of some cottage cheese. Happy cooking, my friends!

INGREDIENTS (makes 1 1/2 to 2 pints)

• 3 1/2 lbs tomatoes, coarsely chopped
  
• 1 small onion, diced
  
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
  
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
  
• 1 tsp salt
  
• 1/2 tsp coriander
  
• 1/4 tsp cumin
  
• 1/4 cup cider vinegar
  
• Juice of 1 lemon
  
• 1/2 cup finely diced tart green apple

DIRECTIONS

Put all ingredients in a 2-quart pot. Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Cook until thickened and jam-like consistency, about 3 hours. Transfer to sterilized glass jars and store in refrigerator for up to two weeks, or use a hot-water canning bath for 15 minutes for long-term storage.

Egg and Toast

Sometimes you find yourself awake on a Sunday morning, slightly hungover from the previous night's wine that you just had a bit too much of, and the last thing on your mind is making a huge breakfast. All you want is a hot cup of coffee and a little egg, a little toast and some aspirin. 

This morning I found myself in that predicament so I made this recipe because to me this is the simplest, fastest way to combine egg and toast and it's quite good. The best part is that you only need two main ingredients!

INGREDIENTS (serves 1)

• 1 slice white bread
• 1 egg
• Salt
• Pepper
• Butter

DIRECTIONS
First get yourself a biscuit cutter or round cookie cutter (or use a glass) and make a hole in the middle of your piece of white bread. Set aside.

In a small non-stick pan, melt a little butter on medium low heat. Meanwhile, break open your egg and gently pour it in a small dish or shallow cup, try not to break the yolk.

Place your slice of bread on the pan and with a steady hand, pour the egg into the middle of the hole in the bread. Cook for about two minutes, depending how much you want your yolk to cook though. I love mine a little runny. As it cooks, season with salt, pepper and a little marjoram.

With a plastic spatula gently lift the bread and turn over to finish cooking on the other side. About another minute or so. Serve immediately.

Pastina with Peas and Carrots

As of late, my daughter (who is 20 months-old) has been a picky eater. I know that she eats a lot of organic fruits and veggies and proteins at daycare, but when she's home with me she gives me attitude and doesn't particularly like the food I give her. I don't know if she's doing it on purpose because she knows I'll give in and just give her mac and cheese or some cereal with soy milk (which she LOVES for some reason). So yesterday I was determined make her a healthier dinner that I hoped she would eat and I am glad I did take that extra time to make her this pastina with peas and carrots recipe.

I watched Giada make this a long time ago on a Food Network show, and I finally found the recipe here. Unfortunately, I could not find pastina, nor the mini-farfalle at my grocery store, so I just used penne pasta, which I cut in half after it had cooked so that it wasn't too big for my daughter.

The recipe is ridiculously easy. Using frozen sweet peas is the key and I am not entirely a fan of mascarpone unless it's on tiramisu, so I used 3/4 cup cream cheese and 1/4 cup mascarpone instead. Also, I only added a small amount of basil for Stella's portion, but added the rest of the basil for the adult version (as well as some freshly ground pepper). This is quite a nice pasta dish with lots of veggies and good textures. Next time, though, I definitely am going to try to use pastina.

INGREDIENTS (makes 6 small servings)

• 1/2 pound (8 ounces) pastina or other small-shaped pasta, such as farfallini
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 small onion, finely diced
• 2 medium carrots, peeled and diced into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 cup low-sodium chicken stock
• 1 cup frozen petite peas, thawed
• 1/2 cup (4 ounces) cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup (4 ounces) mascarpone cheese, at room temperature
• Kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves

DIRECTIONS

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain, reserving about 1 cup of the pasta water.

In a large nonstick skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally until soft, about 7 minutes. Add the carrots and stock and bring to a boil.

Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes. Add the peas to the pan and cook for 2 minutes until the peas are warmed through and the carrots are tender.

Stir in the cooked pasta.

Remove the pan from the heat and add the cheeses. Stir until the mixture is incorporated and forms a sauce. Add a little of the reserved pasta water to make sauce to your prefered consistency (optional). I didn't have to use any additional pasta water, however.

Season with salt, to taste. Transfer to a large serving bowl and garnish with chopped basil.




Stella's portion



Rustic Mixed Berry Crostata

I have become a Fresh and Easy groupie. If you don't know what Fresh and Easy is, it's a wonderful low-cost food market where they make a lot of their foods organically and sell fruits and veggies at pretty much farmer market prices...so this place is wonderful for someone who is on a budget, like me! The only problem is that sometimes they have such great deals like a bag of grapes or a box of strawberries for .98 cents!

Anyway, last week I found I had a container of blueberries, a pound of strawberries and some blackberries in the fridge and there is only so much berries Stella and I can eat, so I decided to make this crostata before the berries spoiled. The original recipe was in the NYT and they only used strawberries, so my only change was combinining a variety of berries. I have to say this is pretty much the easiest baking I've done. A crostata is basically like a free form pie, so there no wrong or right way to do it. And, yes, it did get a little messy on my part but sometimes that the fun part, specially when I have my 20-month old helping me.

INGREDIENTS

Pastry (makes two crostatas)

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• Grated rind of one lemon (optional)
• 2 sticks (1/2 pound) very cold unsalted butter, diced
• 6 tablespoons ice water

DIRECTIONS

Place flour, sugar and salt in a food processor. Pulse a few times to blend. Transfer to a bowl, add butter and mix with your fingers to coat the butter with the flour. Return to processor; pulse 12-15 times. With processor on, add ice water. Continue pulsing until dough is just about to come together.

Turn dough out onto a well-floured cutting board. Roll into a ball, cut in half and form two disks. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for about an hour. (Freeze one disk for later use).

Filling:

• 1 ½ – 2 pounds (roughly two quarts) of strawberries, rinsed, hulled and thickly sliced, blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries, or any combination of berries you prefer.
• ¼ to ½ cup sugar, depending on sweetness of berries
• 1 Tablespoon flour
• Squeeze of lemon juice

DIRECTIONS

Mix ingredients together. Drain any extra liquid just before using.

To assemble:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Roll pastry disk into an 11-12 inch circle on a lightly floured board. Dough should be approximately 1/8 inch thick.

Place dough on baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Mound berry mixture in center of dough, leaving a 1½- inch border. Fold pastry over fruit, pleating it to make a rough edge. Don’t worry about cracks; some juice will leak out during baking.

Brush crust with a beaten egg mixed with a bit of water.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, until crust is golden brown. Let cool for 10 minutes, then carefully transfer to a cutting board. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Piggies in a Blanket

I feel so bad that I have not been cooking much lately. I guess you can say I'm in a bit of a funk. And yes, my friends, the rumors are true: my husband left me and my daughter so these past 19 months have been quite a roller-coaster ride, but in the end me and my baby girl have survived. And now that my daughter is almost 2 years old I'm beginning to notice in her how much she likes helping me in the kitchen and she specially loves baking.

My daughter's daycare has potlucks every 3 months or so to gather all the families and hang out and just have a good time. The theme last week's potluck was "camping food." And since I'm not a big camper I decided to make pigs in a blanket from scratch. Perhaps this is not typical camping food, but I figured since they were "mini" pigs in a blanket the kids would just love to pick them up and eat them. And they sure did! I used turkey lil' smokies for my recipe, but you can use pretty much any type of hot dog and just cut them down to size. I'm thinking next time I may have to try them with some Fenway Franks because those are truly my favorite hot dogs!

Ingredients (makes about 18 - 22 pigs in a blanket)

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold, cut into small pieces
• 1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 18 miniature hot dogs, such as lil' smokies or cut down regular-sized hotdogs

DIRECTIONS

Pre-heat oven to 400ºF.

Grease a large baking sheet.

Sift the dry ingredients (flour through salt) into a mixing bowl. Rub the butter pieces into the dry ingredients until mixture is crumbly. Stir in cheese until evenly distributed.

Make a well in the dry ingredients and add the buttermilk. Stir well with a wooden spoon. Let the dough sit for 3 minutes.

Sprinkle the dough with flour and stir once or twice then turn out onto a well floured counter.

With floured hands, pat the dough into a 15 by 7 inch rectangle, trimming the sides if necessary to get a true rectangle.

Using a pizza cutter, slice the rectangle into thirds horizontally then slice each third into thirds vertically, this will give you 9 small rectangles. Slice each rectangle diagonally into two thin triangles.

One at a time, roll up the sausages in the triangles. Place pointy side down on greased cookie sheet.

Bake for 12 to 13 minutes, until golden brown. Cool on the sheet for 3 minutes then tranfer to a wire rack. *Note: mine took 15 - 18 minutes to fully cook through, but that is because I don't have a very good oven. Just an FYI to check for doneness before serving.

Ricotta and Dill Seed Bread

I have a fascination with baking and with people who do well in baking mainly because I am so bad at it. Baking truly is a science and perhaps that may be why I fail at it most of the time. I'm more of a cook that experiments with a dash of this there, with a bit of that here, but in baking you have to be precise with your measurements and follow directions and wait. There's always that waiting time that also frustrates me a little. So I leave the baking up to the experts out there however if there is one bread that I can make, and make well, it's this delicious dill seed bread.

The original recipe that I learned from my mother-in-law, Kay, is here, and I was determined to make it again today since it's been so darn cold in San Diego lately (I get baking urges when the weather turns drab in my neck of the woods). But I did not have any cottage cheese, which is what the original recipe calls for, so I used ricotta cheese instead and the bread came out slightly tangier, softer, but still absolutely delicious. The best part about this bread is that it tastes so good toasted in the morning with a slather of butter, but it's also quite good by itself. My daughter even like the bread! This recipe is definitely a keeper!

INGREDIENTS (makes 1 loaf)

• 1 pkg. Or 2-1/2 t. Dry yeast
• ¼ c. Warm water
• 2 T. Sugar
• 1 c. whole milk ricotta cheese, room temperature
• 1 T. Minced onion
• 1 T. Melted or softened butter
• 1 large egg
• 1 t. kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 t. Dill seed (not weed)
• 2-1/4 to 2-1/2 c. (or slightly more) flour

DIRECTIONS
In a small glass bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water and add the sugar to proof.

In a separate large bowl combine the ricotta cheese, minced onion, butter, egg, salt, baking soda and dill seed; add the proofed yeast to the mixture.

Now start adding the flour one cup at a time; you should add enough flour to allow the dough to pull away from the sides of the bowl.

Knead for 10 minutes (I highly recomend you use a stand mixer with the dough hook attachment for this part).
Let dough rest in a warm, draft free area and allow the dough to double in size, about an hour.

Once the dough doubles in size, punch the dough to expel the gasses. Shape dough into a loaf and place on a greased (or spay with PAM) cookie sheet and allow to double in size again. Brush the loaf with a mixture of egg and milk, and sprinkle with a little kosher salt (optional).
Bake at 350 F. until dark golden brown, about 30 to 35 minutes. This will be a soft bread, that you can cut up and use as toast or as sandwich bread. It's truly quite unique and great tasting.

Plum Tart

I had a bunch of new recipes I made during the last few months and I was about to post them when, poof!, all my pictures disappeared. All my food porn is gone! I just have to figure out a way to recover them, so instead I made this dessert tonight. 

I watched the Barefoot Contessa make this a few weekends ago on the Food Network and it looked ridiculously simple. And it is. A couple of notes, though: 

1. Use very ripe (almost over ripened) prune plums. The more ripe they are, the more juice they'll give out making the tart sweet and tart at the same time. 
2. I made mine in a cake pan and my plum tart was a little over-cooked, so for sure I recommend a tart pan. I think I need to invest in a good tart pan for myself.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup finely chopped walnuts
• 3/4 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
• 12 tablespoons cold unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), diced
• 1 egg yolk
• 2 pounds firm, ripe Italian prune plums, pitted and quartered lengthwise

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Combine the flour, walnuts, and sugar in a large bowl. Add the butter and the egg yolk. Mix, either by hand or with an electric mixer, until crumbly.

Press 1 1/2 cups of the crumb mixture in an even layer into the bottom of a 9 1/2-inch springform or tart pan. Arrange the plums in the pan, skin side down, to form a flower pattern; begin at the outside and work your way in.

Sprinkle the rest of the crumb mixture evenly over the plums. Bake the tart for 40 to 50 minutes, or until it's lightly browned and the plum juices are bubbling. Remove from the oven and cool for 10 minutes. Remove from the pan and transfer the tart to a flat plate. Serve warm or at room temperature.

My Go-To Meatball Recipe

I don't know what it is about me that I'm obsessed in finding that perfect meatball recipe. I have a few meatball recipes on my blog, but this one is probably my favorite (and I know I always say that out ever recipe I put on here).

This recipe is originally called "Grandma Maronis Meatballs 100 Year Old Recipe" and I saw it on an episode of Throwdown with Bobby Flay (and yes, I know I keep saying I can't stand Bobby Flay but I just can't help but watch that show). 

I've made this recipe about 5 times now and here are a few tips: use fresh bread crumbs, if possible; I only use 3 large eggs and one large finely diced shallot instead of the onion. Also, add half of the milk first and mix; if the mixture seems slightly very moist but still holds it's shape, then don't add the remainder. You want your meatball mixture to be slightly on the wetter side. Lastly, I add a half cup of grated mild cheddar because I just love it in the meatballs. 

INGREDIENTS (makes 16 meatballs)

• 1 pound ground chuck
• 4 ounces dried bread crumbs
• 4 large eggs
• 4 ounces whole milk
• 6 ounces grated Romano
• 3 ounces grated Spanish onion
• 2 ounces finely diced fresh garlic
• 2 ounces finely chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
• 2 ounces finely chopped fresh basil leaves

DIRECTIONS 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a baking sheet with olive oil cooking spray.

Mix all ingredients thoroughly in large bowl. If mixture seems a little loose add more bread crumbs.

Roll meatballs loosely about the size of a golf ball and place on baking sheet. Place them close to each other so that they hold their shape. Place into preheated oven for approximately 35 to 40 minutes.

Once they are done, you can add them to your favorite sauce and simmer them in the gravy or serve over spaghetti and marinara sauce. Enjo
y!

Lemon And Herb Roasted Chicken With Root Vegetables

It rained all of last week and, for San Diego, that is pretty much unheard of. However, we welcomed the rain because our city totally needs it. One thing about rainy, cold weather is that it makes me want to use the oven! I went to Trader Joe's and saw they had a great selection of organic, free range and some cage free, hormone free roasting chickens. I bought a smallish, 4 pounder, but that was enough for me and Stella (and a little for Lilu, our dog, too!). 

This was my first roasted chicken ever and I have to say it came out pretty fabulous. I know it seems there's lots of salt, but I read in many recipes you have to really season the chicken inside and out well in order to give it extraordinary flavor. I was also very surprised how juicy and succulent the chicken was after roasting. I am definitely making this recipe again! 

INGREDIENTS (serves 4 to 6)

• 1 (4 to 5-pound) free range chicken
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Olive oil
• 1/4 bunch each fresh thyme, rosemary and parsley (reserve a few sprigs of thyme and rosemary for the vegetables)
• 2 lemons, cut in quarters (reserve 1 teaspoon of lemon juice for the herbed butter)
• 1 head of garlic, cut in 1/2 crosswise
• 3 garlic cloves, peeled
• 1 teaspoons of fresh thyme
• 1 teaspoon of chopped fresh rosemary
• 2 tablespoons butter, softened
• 11/2 pounds mixture of 1" cut carrots, parsnips, red new potatoes, and red onions

DIRECTIONS 

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Remove the chicken giblets. Rinse the chicken inside and out. Remove any excess fat and leftover pinfeathers and pat the outside and inside dry.

Generously season the cavity with salt and pepper, drizzle a little olive oil in there and then stuff the lemon, garlic, and herbs inside. Tie the legs of the chicken together with kitchen twine to help hold its shape (I used tin foil).

Make the herbed butter: mix the 2 tablespoons softened butter with 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice, 1 teaspoon each chopped fresh thyme and rosemary, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and mash it with a fork or spoon until it's all well combined. Using your fingers, gently lift the skin from the chicken breast and slip the remaining seasoned butter under, massaging the breast meat as you go.

In roasting pan or large baking pan, toss the carrots, parsnips, potatoes and onions with 3 peeled garlic cloves, a few good globs of olive oil, salt and pepper and reserved sprigs of thyme and fresh rosemary. Place the chicken, breast-side up, in a roasting pan (if you're using a baking pan like I did, place the chicken on top of the vegetables). Season the outside of the chicken with salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil.

Roast the chicken and vegetables for 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Don't forget to baste the chicken with the drippings and rotate the pan every 20 minutes or so to insure a golden crispy skin. The chicken is done when an instant-read thermometer says 165 degrees F when inserted into the thickest part of the thigh (the legs of the chicken should wiggle easily from the sockets too.) Remove the chicken to a platter and let stand for 10 minutes, so the juices settle back into the meat before carving. Serve with the roasted vegetables on the side.

Maple Cinnamon and Bacon Cupcakes

Obey the bacon!

Yes, my friends, I had a Baconpalooza party for my birthday and we made everything "bacon." From bacon-wrapped jalapeno poppers, bacon-garlic sauce that went on EVERYTHING, and even chocolate-covered bacon. But these cupcakes were my favorite dessert with bacon-goodness. I made a simple cream-cheese frosting to go with them, but a maple buttercream frosting will be just oh so decadent, too! Sweet, baby Jesus this is good!

INGREDIENTS (Make 12 cupcakes)

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and then cooled
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp maple extract
• 1/2 cup milk
• 4 slices cooked, crispy bacon, cut into small pieces

DIRECTIONS 

Preheat oven to 350F and line baking pan with paper liners.

In a small bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.

In a large bowl, whisk together butter, sugar and eggs until smooth. Whisk in maple extract.
Alternately whisk in flour mixture and milk, making three additions of flour mix and two of milk, beating until smooth.

Scoop batter into prepared pan, filling about 3/4 of the way up.

And bake 20-25 minutes until golden brown and tops spring back when lightly touched.

Let cool in pan on a rack for 10 minutes, then remove from pan and cool completely.

Frost with maple cream cheese frosting  (recipe below) and evenly sprinkle the bacon pieces on top of all the cupcakes. Sweet, baby Jesus this is good!

MAPLE CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

Ingredients

• 8 oz. cream cheese
• 4 Tblsp. softened butter (half a stick)
• 1 tsp. maple extract
• 2 cups confectioners sugar, sifted

DIRECTIONS 

Beat the cold cream cheese (not rock solid, but it means you can use it straight out of the refrigerator) with the softened butter and the maple extract until combined. Gradually add powdered sugar.

Oldie but Goodie: Perogies

On Christmas night of 2006, my husband, my brother-in-law, Michael (along with Max and Lola), and myself had a barbecue--yes, a BBQ! It was very surreal for Matthew and Michael since they are used to a Minnesotan white Christmas, but for me, well, it's just typical. We grilled up steaks, and I made rosemary-garlicky mashed potatoes.

One thing I learned from my father-in-law, Jim, is to always cook extra potatoes and stash away a few unseasoned mashed potatoes for another use. This way, I can make lefse, gnocchi or even perogies the next day.

For me, perogies remind me of Boston because when I lived there with my now Russian ex-boyfriend, his mom used to make them for us all the time. Thank goodness that relationship went kaput, but at least I learned how to make these billowy potato dumplings. If you don't want to use a potato-cheese filling, you can also make a meat filling, like cooked ground beef with onions and olives, or even a sweet filling like ricotta with orange marmalade...believe me, the possibilities are endless.

INGREDIENTS

Potato and Cheese Filling (makes 3 cups)

• 1 tablespoon grated onions (I used red onions)
• 2 cups cold mashed potatoes
• 1/2 cup cottage cheese (or ricotta cheese)
• 1/2 cup grated mild or sharp cheddar cheese (you can also use Colby)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper (use white pepper, if you have it)
• OPTIONAL: I added fresh thyme to my filling, but you don't have to

DIRECTIONS

In a large bowl add grated onions, mashed potatoes, cottage cheese and grated cheddar cheese and mix well to combine. Taste filling for seasoning, and add salt and pepper, to taste. You can always vary the proportions and ingredients in this recipe to suit your taste. Note: The filling should be thick enough to hold its shape.

Now start forming tablespoon-sized balls with the filling and set filling aside.

INGREDIENTS Perogie (makes 12 to 18, depending on how thick you roll them out)

• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg
• 2 teaspoons oil
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 2/3 to 3/4 cup warm water (depending on weather and humidity)

DIRECTIONS

In a stand mixer or a large bowl, add the flour and salt and mix to combine. Add the egg, oil, sour cream and warm water and mix. Add enough water to form medium-soft dough. Knead the dough on a floured board until smooth. Do not over knead. Divide the dough into 2 parts and cover and let stand for 10 minutes.

Now, roll out the dough about 1/8" thick (or thicker, deepening on how you like them) and cut out rounds with a large biscuit cutter or with the open end of a glass. Cut out about 4 rounds at a

time. Place the round on the palm of your hand then place one ball of filling into each round and

fold over to form a half circle. Press the edges together with fingers. You can crimp the edges, if you prefer, but make sure that the edges are sealed well to prevent the filling from running out.

Keep on making the perogies, and set them aside on a floured board or plate and cover with a tea towel or parchment paper to prevent from drying out.
TO COOK: Gently drop about 3 to 4 perogies into the rapidly boiling water and cook for 4 to 6 minutes, depending on thickness of dough. Do not cook more than 4 perogies at a time. Stir very gently with a wooden spoon to separate them and to prevent them from sticking to the bottom of the pot. Perogies are done when they puff up and float to the top. Removed cooked perogies with a perforated spoon or skimmer to a colander and drain thoroughly.

Place them in a deep dish and add butter to prevent them from sticking. Serve pergoies immediately and top with more melted butter or chopped, crisp bacon, or with chopped onions lightly browned in butter. NOTE: You can quickly pan-fry the perogies after you've boiled them in even more butter (which is what I did) and top them with cooked onions in butter. Talk about heart-attack!
If you don't plan cooking all perogies, simply place uncooked perogies on a floured cookie sheet. Make sure they are not touching each other, and freeze them. Once they have frozen solid, place them in a plastic baggie and keep frozen. TO REHEAT: Boil them in salted water for 7 to 10 minutes.