Here we are, in the midst of our vacation out east. I haven't gotten into the kitchen too much to cook, but I have tasted some fabulous and varied dishes all week. As a result, I dedicate this week's edition to my mom - one of the most fabulous cooks I know! Our family had a large family reunion on Saturday; a sit down dinner for almost 60 relatives right here at my parents' home. The three keeper recipes here are my mom's and used this weekend during the festivities. A light and delicious green bean and tomato salad; a marinade perfect for everything from grilled tuna to chicken breasts; a moist and tasty crumb cake reminiscent of the corner store and bakery near my grandmother's house on Long Island. These three recipes got double thumbs up from everyone that tried them.
For the party, we used the marinade on grilled shrimp that were then refrigerated and served room temperature at the party. In fact, the first thing to run out at the party was the whopping 10 lbs of shrimp that we made! You will have to take my word for it - all these recipes not only taste fabulous but present beautifully. I didn't think to snap any pictures of them, but when I make them, I will update the recipes with a photo. These are all well worth you making!
Keepers
Green Bean and Cherry Tomato Salad
Citrus marinade
Tastes like "Phil's" New York Crumb Cake
Friday, July 1, 2011
Green Bean and Tomato Salad
Ingredients
* 1 1/4 pounds green beans, trimmed
* 1 1/4 pounds cherry or grape tomatoes
* 1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano
* 1 tablespoon minced shallots
* 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
* 2 1/2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Directions
1. Blanch beans in boiling water 3 - 4 minutes; drain and shock in an ice water bath.
2. Place beans, tomatoes, and oregano in a large bowl; toss gently to combine.
3. Combine shallots and vinegar, stirring with a whisk. Let vinegar mixture stand 10 minutes. Add oil, salt, and pepper to vinegar mixture, stirring with a whisk until well blended.
4. Pour vinaigrette over bean mixture right before serving; toss well.
* 1 1/4 pounds green beans, trimmed
* 1 1/4 pounds cherry or grape tomatoes
* 1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano
* 1 tablespoon minced shallots
* 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
* 2 1/2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Directions
1. Blanch beans in boiling water 3 - 4 minutes; drain and shock in an ice water bath.
2. Place beans, tomatoes, and oregano in a large bowl; toss gently to combine.
3. Combine shallots and vinegar, stirring with a whisk. Let vinegar mixture stand 10 minutes. Add oil, salt, and pepper to vinegar mixture, stirring with a whisk until well blended.
4. Pour vinaigrette over bean mixture right before serving; toss well.
Citrus Marinade
Ingredients
1/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp chopped fresh oregano
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
Directions
1. In a large non-reactive dish, mix together all the ingredients. Place in the protein of your choice (raw shrimp, chicken breasts, tuna steaks). Turn to coat. Cover and refrigerate at least 30 minutes.
2. Grill over high heat. Enjoy hot or chilled!
1/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp chopped fresh oregano
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
Directions
1. In a large non-reactive dish, mix together all the ingredients. Place in the protein of your choice (raw shrimp, chicken breasts, tuna steaks). Turn to coat. Cover and refrigerate at least 30 minutes.
2. Grill over high heat. Enjoy hot or chilled!
Friday, June 24, 2011
June 24, 2011
We are on the road! Most of this week was spent prepping for a road trip, so I didn't do much cooking! However, the week did begin with Father's Day, so we made a special dinner for Ryan. We made Scallops Gratin, and we voted it a keeper. The kids tried it, and thought it was okay. We only really expected Ryan and I to try it, and we did love it! I served it with artichoke. When I was buying the artichoke, I came across this "long stemmed" one, reminiscent of a rose. I took a picture to show you. We still steamed it the way we are used to, so we had to cut the stem, but it was an interesting find and I had to document its existence!
Because I didn't try out any other recipes, I am including one of our absolute favorite pork chop recipes. We serve it over egg noodles, as I noted in the recipe, but feel free to serve it with rice, or maybe even mashed potatoes.
I will be out of town for a little while, but still plan to be cooking and hoping to try out a few new recipes. If you have any recipes you want me to add to the queue, email them to me!!
New Recipe
Scallops Gratin
Tried and True Recipe
Sweet & Tangy Pork Chops
Scallops Gratin
Ingredients
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 6 large garlic cloves, minced
• 2 medium shallots, minced
• 2 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto, minced
• 4 tablespoons minced fresh parsley, plus extra for garnish
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons white wine
• ½ to ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 6 tablespoons good olive oil
• ½ to ¾ cup panko
• 2 pound fresh bay scallops (if you can only get sea scallops, cut each in half)
• Lemon, for garnish
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Place 6 (6-inch round) gratin dishes on a sheet pan.
2. To make the topping, place the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (you can also use a hand mixer). With the mixer on low speed, add the garlic, shallot, prosciutto, parsley, lemon juice, wine, salt, and pepper and mix until combined. With the mixer still on low, add the olive oil slowly until combined. Add the panko, mix only until combined. Set aside.
3. If your scallops still have the muscle attached, use a small sharp knife and remove the white muscle and membrane from the side of each scallop and discard. Pat the scallops dry with paper towels and distribute them among the 3 dishes.
4. Spoon the garlic butter evenly over the top of the scallops. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until the topping is golden and sizzling and the scallops are barely done. If you want the top crustier, place the dishes under the broiler for 2 minutes, until browned.
5. Finish with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and a sprinkling of chopped parsley.
Notes
Serve with bread - the sauce is fantastic on the bread after you've finished up your scallops!
Sweet & Tangy Pork Chops
Ingredients
* 1/2 cup chicken broth
* 4 tablespoons brown sugar
* 4 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
* 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
* 4 boneless pork loin chops (4 ounces each)
* olive or vegetable oil
* 2 teaspoons cornstarch
* 2 tablespoons water
* 1/4 cup diced green pepper
* 1/4 cup diced sweet red pepper
* egg noodles (cook as directed on package)
Directions
1. In a bowl, combine the sherry or broth, brown sugar, soy sauce and red pepper flakes; set aside. In a large nonstick skillet, brown pork chops in oil. Top with sauce. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10-12 minutes or until meat juices run clear. Turn the pork chops after the first 6 minutes.
2. Combine the cornstarch and water until smooth; add to the skillet. Bring to a boil; add in the peppers. Cook and stir for 1-2 minutes or until thickened. Serve over egg noodles.
* 1/2 cup chicken broth
* 4 tablespoons brown sugar
* 4 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
* 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
* 4 boneless pork loin chops (4 ounces each)
* olive or vegetable oil
* 2 teaspoons cornstarch
* 2 tablespoons water
* 1/4 cup diced green pepper
* 1/4 cup diced sweet red pepper
* egg noodles (cook as directed on package)
Directions
1. In a bowl, combine the sherry or broth, brown sugar, soy sauce and red pepper flakes; set aside. In a large nonstick skillet, brown pork chops in oil. Top with sauce. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10-12 minutes or until meat juices run clear. Turn the pork chops after the first 6 minutes.
2. Combine the cornstarch and water until smooth; add to the skillet. Bring to a boil; add in the peppers. Cook and stir for 1-2 minutes or until thickened. Serve over egg noodles.
Friday, June 17, 2011
June 17, 2011
The first full week of summer break. Camp, relaxing, time with friends...does it get any better than this? Well, hopefully it will warm up a bit so we can hit the pool, but other than that, it was a great week!
On the recipe front, not quite as great. We tried a few different recipes, and all the recipe clippings were destined for the recycle bin except one: angel food cake! I love angel food cake, and have had this recipe in my binder for years. Not only did I try the traditional version, but, you know me...I had to make the alternate chocolate vanilla marbled version as well! Both were very good, but I am a traditionalist at heart, and LOVED the original version. I made some raspberry sauce to serve with it, so at the last minute, on Thursday, the tally went from 0 keepers to 3! The raspberry sauce was delicious, came together quickly, and would go great over all different desserts including ice cream and brownies. Tonight I might try it over a serving of Frozen Chocolate Mousse. When I made the angel food cakes, I ended up with 24 egg yolks left over, so I have been trying to think of how to use them. Growing up my mom used to make frozen chocolate mousse, and it is so good, and it only calls for egg yolks, so I made a double batch of that today. However, that didn't use up all the yolks. In the queue for tomorrow I am thinking about a sugar cookie recipe that calls for an extra yolk, a lemon poppy seed cake (though I might do them as muffins) that calls for 8 yolks, or maybe a homemade ice cream that begins with a rich custard (needs yolks). So, the yolks won't go to waste, but my waistline might be in trouble!
Since there weren't any good dinner recipes that passed the test this week, I've included here a slow cooker chicken dinner we love. It is named for the family that had it the very first time I made it, so of course, we always talk about them when we eat this meal. (You know they are close friends when you are willing to try out a new recipe on them!).
New Recipes
Traditional Angel Food Cake
Vanilla Chocolate Marbled Angel Food Cake
Raspberry Sauce
Tried and True Recipe
Fedders Chicken
On the recipe front, not quite as great. We tried a few different recipes, and all the recipe clippings were destined for the recycle bin except one: angel food cake! I love angel food cake, and have had this recipe in my binder for years. Not only did I try the traditional version, but, you know me...I had to make the alternate chocolate vanilla marbled version as well! Both were very good, but I am a traditionalist at heart, and LOVED the original version. I made some raspberry sauce to serve with it, so at the last minute, on Thursday, the tally went from 0 keepers to 3! The raspberry sauce was delicious, came together quickly, and would go great over all different desserts including ice cream and brownies. Tonight I might try it over a serving of Frozen Chocolate Mousse. When I made the angel food cakes, I ended up with 24 egg yolks left over, so I have been trying to think of how to use them. Growing up my mom used to make frozen chocolate mousse, and it is so good, and it only calls for egg yolks, so I made a double batch of that today. However, that didn't use up all the yolks. In the queue for tomorrow I am thinking about a sugar cookie recipe that calls for an extra yolk, a lemon poppy seed cake (though I might do them as muffins) that calls for 8 yolks, or maybe a homemade ice cream that begins with a rich custard (needs yolks). So, the yolks won't go to waste, but my waistline might be in trouble!
Since there weren't any good dinner recipes that passed the test this week, I've included here a slow cooker chicken dinner we love. It is named for the family that had it the very first time I made it, so of course, we always talk about them when we eat this meal. (You know they are close friends when you are willing to try out a new recipe on them!).
New Recipes
Traditional Angel Food Cake
Vanilla Chocolate Marbled Angel Food Cake
Raspberry Sauce
Tried and True Recipe
Fedders Chicken
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