Category: RECIPES

Save Room For Dessert: Wedding Cookies!

Kris here from Behold the Metatron, The Motivation Station, The Writer’s Blog, Where to Vegan, AND Veggie Tales here at the crazy kitch! I don’t think I have enough time on my hands! Anyway… in the spirit of our love for all things dessert, here’s one of my favorites!
 

Wedding Cookies

Whether you call them Italian, Russian, Greek… these cookies are still the same delicious, powdery balls of nutty sweetness. And what better way to celebrate Wedding Season with a treat fit for a scrumptious reception!

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups unsalted butter
3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups finely ground almonds (I used 1/2 pecan 1/2 almond)
4 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1/3 cup confectioners’ sugar for rolling

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). 
  2. Cream butter or margarine in a bowl, gradually add confectioners’ sugar and salt. Beat until light and fluffy. Add almonds and vanilla. Blend in flour gradually and mix well.
  3. Shape into balls (or crescents) using about 1 teaspoon for each cookie. Place on ungreased cookie sheets, and bake for 15-20 min. Do not brown. Cool slightly, then roll in the extra confectioners’ sugar.


Now, this recipe is for up to 80 cookies. If you are not in the mood to make that many… just click here and the recipe adjuster will help you out!

BUNLESS BURGER SERIES #3~BURGERS w/ CARAMELIZED PEACHES & RED ONIONS, GORGONZOLA CREAM CHEESE MAYONNAISE & MUENSTER

2-1/3 pound burger patties
2 teaspoons liquid smoke
sea salt & white pepper
grated Muenster cheese

Caramelized peaches & red onions
2 tablespoons butter
1 extra large red onion, thinly sliced into rings
2 small peaches, chopped
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar

Gorgonzola Cream Cheese Mayonnaise
2 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 ounces gorgonzola cheese crumbles, room temperature
1/4 cup mayonnaise

  • In a small food processor blend together the cream cheese, mayonnaise and Gorgonzola cheese crumbles.
  • Combine ground beef, liquid smoke, salt and pepper to the meat and hand form the patties.
  • Grill burgers inside or out.
  • In a large sauce pan melt butter.  
  • When sizzling add onions and saute’ until translucent. 
  • Add peaches and saute’ until juicy.
  • Add balsamic vinegar and continue sauteing until moisture has sizzled away.
  • Plate burger.
  • Spread on Gorgonzola mayo.
  • Top with peaches, onions and then sprinkle with muenster cheese.  
  • I use the pan lid over the plate for a minute to melt the cheese.
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BOEUF FLAMANDE aka BEEF IN DARK BEER, well sort of

I found this recipe in the bottom of grams pile of magazine/book clippings to try one day.  It just screamed, “try me for the guys”.  BOEUF FLAMANDE translates into ‘Beef Stew in a rich sauce made with beer’. But I don’t like dark beer so I adjusted the recipe and it worked really well. The guys we’re asking when we’re doing the leftovers.  This will be perfect on a cold winter’s night!

BOEUF FLAMANDE
1/2 pound bacon, cut into 1/4″ cubes
3 pounds beef stew meat, cut into bite size pieces (I used brisket)
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
3 tablespoons butter
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 large Vidalia onions, cut into thin slices
2 large carrots, sliced
1/2 cup flour + dredging flour
1/2 cup Country Bob’s All Purpose Sauce
3/4 cup Dr. Pepper (yep you read that right)
3 cups boiling water
3 tablespoons Better than Beef Bouillon
1/2 teaspoon thyme
2 teaspoons sugar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
3 tablespoons champagne vinegar
fresh parsley sprigs

  • Preheat oven 325 degrees.
  • Place the flour into a plastic bag.
  • Brown bacon pieces until crisp.  With a slotted spoon remove to drain.
  • Dredge beef pieces in the flour mixture.
  • Brown beef pieces in bacon fat*.  With a slotted spoon remove beef pieces to a colander to drain.
  • Add butter to saute pan. 
  • Saute’ carrots for several minutes.
  • Add the onions and garlic until fragrant and translucent.
  • Stir in 1/2 cup flour, salt, pepper and thyme.
  • Whisk together the hot water, sugar and bouillon. 
  • Add Country Bob’s sauce, Worcestershire sauce, champagne vinegar and Dr. Pepper until well blended. 
  • Add to veggies.
  • Bring to a fast boil.
  • Lower heat to a simmer for 5 minutes.
  • Spray a casserole with PURE.
  • Add browned meat to the casserole.
  • Top with onions and carrots.
  • Pour sauce over top and blend well.
  • Bake for 2 1/2 hours or until meat is tender.
  • Serve over Parmesan Potatoes.

*May have to add a bit of butter or oil if not enough bacon grease.

THE perfect over medium egg!!

Do you love eggs?  I do and there is nothing better than a perfect over medium egg for me.  I like my whites done and my yolks runny so I can sop them up with my toast. So many times the yolks break trying to flip the eggs, but I have finally figured it out and it is soooooooooooooo simple!
THE PERFECT “OVER MEDIUM” EGG
per egg:
1 teaspoon butter
1 teaspoon water
salt and pepper to taste
  • Melt the butter in your pan over a medium high heat.
  • Crack eggs into the butter.
  • Salt and pepper to taste.
  • When whites begin to solidify add the water and cover.
  • The rest of this is a matter of watching closely.  When the whites are done they will no longer jiggle.  Turn off the heat immediately and your yolks will be perfect.
  • Serve with your favorite toast.

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Garlic Smashed Potato Salad – Cooking The Italian Way

potato salad

You know how celebrities always have to be worried that the non-celebrities that they date are only dating them for their VIP status?  Or their money?  Or their looks?
Well.  That’s how I feel about this potato salad.
015
I served it to Sophie, my roommate, last summer.  And when she heard I was bringing it to my parents’ house for father’s day this year.  She insisted on coming too.
“I just think it would be nice to spend time with your family!” she exclaimed when I questioned her about her motives.  
Um, yeah.  Sure.  I’ll bet you do, Soph.
potato salad
I’m kind of scared to think what will happen when I serve it to the next guy I date.
Better serve with caution.
Unless I’m absolutely sure that he’s the one I want to marry.
Then I’ll serve with reckless abandon.
potato salad
Garlic Smashed Potato Salad
Serves 5+, adapted from Sunset Magazine
2 1/2 lb potatoes
2 heads garlic
1/4 cup olive oil
3 tbsp white wine
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup chives
1. Preheat oven to 400.  Cut garlic heads in half widthwise and wrap tightly in foil.  Bake until garlic is very soft and golden (45-60 minutes).  When garlic is cool enough to handle, squeeze cloves into a small bowl.  Add olive oil, wine, salt, and black pepper.  Mash until mixture is smooth.
2. Cut potatoes into quarters or small chunks.  Put in pot of water.  Bring to a boil and then cook until potatoes are fork-tender.  Drain and return to pot.
3. Add garlic mixture and chives to the potatoes.  Let cool and serve.
Happy 4th of July!
Joanne

Rum Cake – Cause they don’t even serve nuts on the plane anymore

That’s a bold statement.  But I would be willing to enter my Upside Down Pineapple Rum Cake in any taste test.
And I did try.  I have made half a dozen different rum cakes in my quest to avoid processed foods. Unfortunately, none of them have the smoothness, creaminess of this pudding cake with a shot.  You see, in the ingredient list is a box mix of cake, AND a box mix of a pudding.  I am against it.  I prefer to avoid boxes, and to be honest, I believe this is the only recipe I have used this year with a box as the main ingredient… let alone two boxes.
But, here is is…
The cake collects on the bottom (well, the top actually, but then you turn it upside and the top becomes the bottom).  Anyway, the cake on the bottom (in the photograph, and the heavier pudding collects on the bottom (as it cooks, the top when you flip it upside down… understand???) makes a fabulous mixture of textures.
I always make this when we have stateside visitors.
Like these two…
Tradition, there are only half a dozen planes that land each day, but most people arrive on the last one… 8:40 PM.  Takes a bit to collect luggage, and the 10 mile trip up hills, over dales and around the corners takes 30 minutes.  So, our guests arrive tired and hungry (the airlines don’t feed you like they used to … in fact, American now CHARGES $3 for a bag of snacks… not even peanuts… but I digress).
So, tradition, I make one of these on the first night our guests arrive.  But the next morning when we have a slice for breakfast (hic), it does taste better.
And I am going to justify all the calories…

Since you need energy to partake in all the relaxing we do here in paradise.
Being the expert I am now, I have another tip for you… Allow this to relax in the fridge overnight before you serve it.
But I digress from the recipe…
The inspiration comes from a recipe that Marguerite (call her Mags) at Cajun Delight, posted ages and ages ago…
Here is her original recipe…

Cajun Pineapple Rum Cake

This heavenly cake is so simple to make and the flavor is so fabulous that you will have a hard time resisting a second piece, cher! Worth the calories, cher!! Cest bon! Bon appetit!

1/2 cup pineapple rum
1 pkg. yellow cake mix
1 pkg. French vanilla instant pudding and pie filling mix
4 eggs
1/2 cup pineapple juice
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup chopped pecans

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


Spray a bundt pan with “Baker’s Joy” baking spray. In large bowl, combine first six ingredients. beat at medium speed for two minutes. Stir in nuts, and pour into prepared pan. Bake at 325 degrees for 50 to 60 minutes. Cool and remove to cake plate. Make glaze and drizzle over cake.
*****************************************************************************************
Glaze
******
Melt 1/4 cup butter, in saucepan. Add 2tbs. pineapple juice and 1/4 cup sugar. Cook and stir, until sugar is melted. Boil gently for 5 minutes, stirring often. Remove from heat and slowly add 1/4 cup pineapple rum, until blended. Prick top of cake with a fork and drizzle glaze over warm cake. Divine!
*****************************************************************************************

Of course, I made a couple of changes… mainly that I dropped the bundt cake idea.  I do not have a bundt cake pan.  But I sure do like the idea of an upside down pineapple rum cake.  SO, I lined a rounded baking dish with pineapple slices.  I added some brown sugar to bring out the sweetness.

I was unable to find a simple yellow cake mix here.  So, I used a lemon mix and a lemon pudding mix.  I also did not have any pecans, so I left those out.
Other than those changes, I tried a little experiment…
I don’t have a photograph, but instead of putting the dish on the oven rack, I put the dish on a larger baking dish.  the dish had a 1 inch lip, about the same size as what did not brown on the cake below… make sense, can you picture it in your mind?  Remember this is an upside down cake, so when it was baking, the top was the bottom.
Alright, now that I have you completely confused, this method had an unexpected consequence…
The base (top while it was cooking, the part that was above the lip of the second baking dish) browned nicely.  It has a bit of a crunch and is almost all cake.
The top (bottom while it was baking, the part that was below the lip of the second baking dish) was only gently browned, and that was mostly the brown sugar and sugars in the pineapple rings caramelizing.  The “cake” part was much more pudding than cake.  If you look at the photo below, you will see the cake texture around the bottom (which, in an effort to REALLY confuse you is the top of the photo), while the top half (bottom of the photo) is more pudding texture.

I put the cake in the fridge overnight before cutting into it so it would set solid.
So, you now have two ways to get a slice of this cake…
Use the above recipe and make it yourself…
OR come visit the islands, you bring the sunscreen, I’ll bring the Rum Cake!
Dave here from MY YEAR ON THE GRILL. It really is just this easy!  

 … I CAN COOK THAT! 

And so can you!

Korean Pancakes

I don’t know if other foodie bloggers find themselves, looking for new recipes, rather than making old favorites. I do. I love to try new recipes and see what turns out. No matter what the recipe tells me is going to happen, I really never know what I am going to turn out with. By now, you know, I tend to make changes in recipes. Oh, I have good reasons, like not having a necessary ingredient, or I may not like a particular ingredient or time causes a change in the method. The fun is in the doing and meeting new challenges and seeing the results. This is one of those recipes. The final results are definitely not what Emeril had in mind and not what I had in mind. Despite this, the resulting dish was filled with flavor and had an unexpected texture.
Ingredients:
For the sauce:
3 teaspoons low sodium soy sauce – gluten-free
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 teaspoons honey
1 frozen chili cube
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons lightly toasted sesame seeds 
½ teaspoon sugar
pancakes:
9 teaspoons vegetable oil
1 bunch scallions, trimmed, quartered lengthwise, and cut into 2 inch lengths
4 ounces mushrooms, chopped
½ teaspoon salt
2 cups gluten-free flour mixture
1 ½ cups water
2 eggs
Method:
Make the sauce by combining the soy sauce, vinegar, honey, chili, garlic powder, sesame seeds and sugar in a small bowl, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Set aside while you make the pancakes.
In a medium sauté pan over medium high heat, add 1 teaspoon of the vegetable oil.
Next, add the scallions and mushrooms and sauté until the mushrooms begin to wilt, about 3 minutes. Set aside and let cool.
In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, water, and eggs and mix gently until just combined.
Add the cooked scallions, mushrooms, and salt and fold together briefly just to combine.
Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and, when hot, coat with 2 teaspoons of the vegetable oil.
Add ½ of the pancake batter and use a spoon to spread into a 6 to 8-inch circle, trying to get the filling ingredients as evenly spread out as possible.
Cook the pancake about 4 minutes.
Once the pancake has begun to set and is golden brown on the bottom, flip the pancake to the other side, pressing with a spatula to compress ingredients.
Cook until golden brown on the second side, about 2 minutes longer, transfer to a warm plate and cover loosely with foil to keep warm while you prepare the remaining pancakes.
Once all the pancakes have been cooked, cut into wedges and serve warm with the dipping sauce in small bowls for dipping.
Yield: 4 large pancakes or 10 appetizer servings 
Where I went wrong: Four minutes is a long time to cook a thin pancake and mine did not even change color at four minutes. I had this pale, emaciated pancake staring at me and telling me to cook it longer. I did. When it changed to a golden color, I turned it and cooked the other side until it became golden, also, longer than the prescribed two minutes. What happened, was those soft pancakes, hardened and became deliciously crisp. I know , this is not the way, they should be, but they were almost like a favorable cracker but not that crisp. The veggies were soft so I ended up with a crispy pancake with soft vegetables. Everyone ate them and my husband did his usual, mentioned that they were spicy. That was from the chili cube. Spicy is good in this recipe but if you are not a spicy lover, eliminate the chili flavoring. I am getting more and more used to spicy flavoring and like some of them. I have to say, my hubby was a doll, and took seconds. I am hoping, in time, he will adjust to a bit more spice, in his food. In the meanwhile, I modify, most times.
Please visit me at the Comfy Cook and My Sweet and Savory.
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Save Room for Dessert: S’mores Bars

Save Room for dessert new badge 
Hi there, Min from The Bad Girl’s Kitchen and Try A New Recipe filling in here today, with a DESSERT that everyone who has ever camped simply must try!
This recipe comes from Rebecca of Cooking With My Kid, who’s actually a friend of a friend of mine, and who is on a mission to make 365 recipes in 365 days, with her kid. Although I like cooking with my kids, I still think it’s an ambitious project.
When she posted this recipe, I knew I had to make these right away. Just Had To. After all, I’d bought all the ingredients for s’mores recently, but before we could make them someone ate all the Hershey’s bars. Someone else snuck half a bag of marshmallows. And who knows who ate most of the graham crackers. It’s just the way it works around here I guess.
Note: when opening a jar of marshmallow fluff at altitude, just for a “taste,” be prepared to immediately make your recipe because it will just keep expanding and you won’t be able to “taste” that much without making yourself sick. Just trust me on this.
I didn’t do the shopping yesterday, and to be honest my entire grocery list was this:
1 large jar marshmallow fluff
2 king-size Hershey’s Special Dark bars
1 box graham crackers
=)
I took Rebecca’s advice and planned to use dark chocolate from the start. So Number One brought home 4 bars of Hershey’s Special Dark, in two sizes. I’m guessing that the 4.25 ounce bar is the “king size,” but I didn’t come to that realization until I already had the “giant size” bars unwrapped and discovered they wouldn’t fit as neatly as Rebecca’s had in the pan. Oh well, we’ve got some extra dark chocolate to eat!
Now that I’m thinking about it, I can’t say I recall ever eating marshmallow fluff. I know that seems like blasphemy for a Midwestern girl like myself to admit, but I just don’t remember it in my life. Of course I’ve seen the jars around, and of course when someone took that little taste, it tasted like heaven, but it didn’t ring any bells. I didn’t remember the stickiness, or anything. I do love it though, so I think that makes up for my possibly faulty memory.


The verdict: These are very good, but dare I say it, with dark chocolate, I think you need to use MORE fluff. There, I said it. It really needs more fluff!! Next time, I will try it with milk chocolate, which is probably the more classic flavor, and maybe just a little extra fluff.

Let me know which chocolate YOU would use, and how you like them!

S’More Bars
Prep Time:15 minutes
Cooking Time: 30 to 35 minutes
Makes 16 squares
1 stick of butter, room temperature
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1-1/3 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs (~7 full-sized graham cracker sheets, processed until fine)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 king-sized dark chocolate bars (*note: I believe “king-size” is 4.25 ounces. “giant-size” is too big, but will work if you use a little more than one bar. I know because we used “giant-size.”)
1-1/2 cups marshmallow creme/fluff
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8-inch square baking pan. (I used butter). Use an electric mixer to cream together butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Set aside.
Meanwhile,whisk together flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking powder and salt. Slowly add flour mixture to the creamed butter mixture until combined. Divide dough in half and press half of dough into an even layer on the bottom of the prepared pan.
Place chocolate bars over dough. 2 king-sized Hershey’s bars should fit perfectly side by side.
Spread chocolate with marshmallow creme or fluff. Place remaining dough in a single layer on top of the fluff (most easily achieved by flattening the dough into small shingles and laying them together). Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until lightly browned. Be sure to cool completely before cutting into 16 squares.
Don’t forget to visit me at The Bad Girl’s Kitchen for more fabulous recipes!

Not Julia Child’s Coq au Vin, but just as flavorful and easier too!

WHITE ZINFANDEL COQ AU VIN
1/3 cup flour
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/4 pound bacon. choppped
1 1/2 pounds chicken tenders, cut into bite sized pieces
2 tablespoons butter
1 & 1/2 cups carrot slices
2 stalks celery, sliced thin
1 really large bunch green onions, sliced thin (I used Mexican green onions)
1 & 1/2 cups white zinfandel
2 tablespoons Better Than Chicken Base
2 cups boiling hot water
fresh parsley sprigs
fresh tarragon sprigs
  • Place flour in a large plastic bag, add chicken, seal and shake to coat chicken with flour.
  • In a large saute’ pan brown bacon until crumbly.  Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.
  • In the bacon drippings stir fry the chicken pieces until browned. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.
  • Add butter.  Scrape bottom to loosen and browned bits.  These will add great flavor.  When butter is melted add carrots and cook 2-3 minutes.  Add celery and onions and saute until tender.
  • Whisk together wine, boiling water, chicken base and seasonings.  Pour over vegetables.
  • Add back in the chicken and bacon pieces. 
  • Cover and bring to a boil.
  • Lower heat and simmer 15-20 minutes until sauce is thick.
  • Serve over Parmesan Potatoes.
Now just for your pleasure, here is Julia’s recipe that I found on the net.

This is Julia Child’s recipe for her famous Coq Au Vin (Casserole of Chicken in Red Wine). Most of Julia’s cookbooks included this recipe. In every version in Julia’s cookbooks, she slightly updates the recipe.

Coq au Vin
Coq au Vin (literally “rooster in red wine”) is probably the most famous of all French chicken dishes, and certainly one of the most delicious, with its rich red wine sauce, its tender onions and mushrooms and its browned pieces of chicken with their wonderful flavor. Ideal for a party because you may prepare it completely a day or more before serving. In fact, Coq au Vin seems to be even better when done ahead so all its elements have time to steep together.
The History: Coq Au Vin is a Burgundian dish, and is considered a French comfort food. The traditional recipe for Coq au Vin did not include chicken, but rather a “Coq,” which is a rooster. A lot of recipes originally called for old barnyard fowl, roosters, capon (a de-sexed rooster), and old laying hens. Coq au Vin was originally considered peasant food, and the farmers would make do with what they had on hand. 
 
The red wine in the recipe was used not to mask flavor, but to allow the acids to help break down the old meat of the rooster True coq Au Vin was actually finished with the blood of the rooster stabilized with brandy and vinegar, this would help the blood not clot.
Julia Child’s Coq au Vin
2 1/2 to 3 pounds cut-up frying chicken, skin on and thoroughly dried (I used skinless boneless breasts and thighs instead)*
4 ounces lean thick-cut bacon
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper
1/4 cup cognac
2 cups red wine (Pinot Noir, Burgundy, Beaujolais or Chianti)**
2 cup homemade chicken stock or low-sodium chicken stock or broth
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 cloves garlic, mashed or minced
1 bay leaf
1/4 teaspoon thyme
Brown-Braised Onions (see recipe below)
Mushrooms (see recipe below)
3 tablespoon all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons butter, softened
Parsley sprigs
Dry chicken thoroughly in a towel. Season chicken with salt and pepper; set aside.
Remove any rind off the bacon and cut the bacon into lardons (rectangles 1/4-inch across and 1-inch long). In a saucepan, simmer the bacon sticks in 2 quarts of water for 10 minutes; remove from heat, drain, rinse in cold water, and pat dry.
In a large heavy frying pan, casserole dish, or electric skillet over medium heat, heat olive oil until moderately hot. Add the bacon and saute slowly until they are lightly browned. Remove bacon to a side dish. Place chicken pieces into the hot oil (not crowding pan), and brown on all sides. Return bacon to the pan, cover pan, and cook slowly for 10 minutes, turning chicken once.
After browning the chicken, uncover pan, pour in the cognac. Flambé by igniting with a lighted match. Let flame a minute, swirling pan by its handle to burn off alcohol; extinguish with pan cover.
Pour the red wine into the pan and add just enough chicken broth to completely cover the chicken pieces. Stir in tomato paste, garlic, bay leaf, and thyme. Bring the liquid to a simmer, then cover pan, and simmer slowly for about 30 minutes or until the chicken meat is tender when pierced with a fork or an instant-read meat thermometer registers an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.

While the chicken is cooking, prepare the Brown-Braised Onions and the Mushrooms.
When the chicken is done cooking, remove from the pan to a platter, leaving the cooking liquid in the pan. Increase heat to high and boil the cooking liquid rapidly until approximately 2 cups of liquid remains. 
While the liquid is boiling, in a small bowl, blend the 3 tablespoons flour and 2 tablespoons softened butter into a smooth paste; beat the flour/butter mixture into the approximately 2 cups hot cooking liquid with a whisk. Simmer and stir for a minute or two until the sauce has thickened (the result will be a sauce thick enough to lightly coat a spoon – just thick enough to coat the chicken and vegetables lightly). If sauce is too thin, boil down rapidly to concentrate; if sauce is too thick, thin out with additional spoonfuls of chicken stock. Taste the final sauce, adding more salt and pepper if necessary.
Before serving, reheat the onions and mushrooms (if necessary). 
Storing:  Chicken is now ready for final reheating, but can be set aside in the sauce until cool, then covered and refrigerated for 1 to 2 days. To reheat, simmer slowly, covered, over low heat. Baste and turn chicken every 2 minutes until thoroughly warmed through (6 to 8 minutes). NOTE: Do not overcook chicken at this point.
To serve immediately: Shortly before serving, bring the sauce and the cooked chicken to a simmer, cover and simmer slowly for 4 to 5 minutes, until chicken is hot through. NOTE: Do not overcook chicken at this point.
To serve:  Either serve from the casserole dish or arrange the chicken on a large platter. Pour the sauce over the chicken. Arrange the Brown-Braised Onions on one side of the chicken and the Mushrooms on the other side. Decorate with sprigs of parsley. Accompany with parsley potatoes, rice, or noodles; buttered green peas or a green salad; hot French bread; and the same red wine you used for cooking the chicken. NOTE: This dish is traditionally served with wide egg noodles.
Makes 4 to 6 servings.
 
Brown-Braised Onions:
12 to 24 small white onions, peeled (or double the amount if you want to use tiny frozen peeled raw onions)*
1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt to taste
* If neither frozen nor fresh pearl onions are available, substitute one large onion cut into 1/2-inch pieces. (Do not use jarred pearl onions, which will turn mushy and disintegrate into the sauce.) 
  • While chicken is cooking, drop onions into boiling water, bring water back to the boil, and let boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat and drain. Cool onions in ice water. Shave off the two ends (root and stem ends) of each onion, peel carefully, and pierce a deep cross in the root end with a small knife (to keep onions whole during cooking).
  • In a large frying pan over medium heat, heat the olive oil, add parboiled onions, and toss for several minutes until lightly browned (this will be a patchy brown). Add water to halfway up onions and add 1/4 to1/2 teaspoon salt. Cover pan and simmer slowly for 25 to 30 minutes or until onions are tender when pierce with a knife.
NOTE: Onions may be cooked in advance, set aside, then reheated when needed. Season to taste just before serving.

 Mushrooms:
1/2 pound fresh mushrooms, washed, well dried, left whole if small, sliced or quartered if large
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
  • In a large frying pan over medium heat, heat butter and olive oil; when bubbling hot, toss in mushrooms and saute over high heat for 4 to 5 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from heat.
NOTE: Mushrooms may be cooked in advance, set aside, then reheated when needed. Season to taste just before serving.

WHITE ZINFANDEL COQ AU VIN

WHITE ZINFANDEL COQ AU VIN
1/3 cup flour
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/4 pound bacon. choppped
1 1/2 pounds chicken tenders, cut into bite sized pieces
2 tablespoons butter
1 & 1/2 cups carrot slices
2 stalks celery, sliced thin
1 really large bunch green onions, sliced thin (I used Mexican green onions)
1 & 1/2 cups white zinfandel
2 tablespoons Better Than Chicken Base
2 cups boiling hot water
fresh parsley sprigs
fresh tarragon sprigs

  • Place flour in a large plastic bag, add chicken, seal and shake to coat chicken with flour.
  • In a large saute’ pan brown bacon until crumbly.  Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.
  • In the bacon drippings stir fry the chicken pieces until browned. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.
  • Add butter.  Scrape bottom to loosen and browned bits.  These will add great flavor.  When butter is melted add carrots and cook 2-3 minutes.  Add celery and onions and saute until tender.
  • Whisk together wine, boiling water, chicken base and seasonings.  Pour over vegetables.
  • Add back in the chicken and bacon pieces. 
  • Cover and bring to a boil.
  • Lower heat and simmer 15-20 minutes until sauce is thick.
  • Serve over Parmesan Potatoes.

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Cheese Latkes

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Cheese Latkes – This comes from the Holiday Series on My Sweet and Savory.  I was looking at some of the pancake recipes, I had posted on my blogs and saw cheese latkes and felt hunger pangs.  I decided to share with you since, I was not going to cook.
I happen to love cheese latkes. For those of you, who do not use the word latkes, try pancakes. There is something heartwarming about pancakes. It brings back memories of when my children were little and pancakes were a Sunday morning breakfast, particularly “puzzle pancakes.” There will be a photo below. That was the part of making pancakes that was fun, creating shapes that looked like animals or familiar objects. Sometimes, we didn’t know until the pancake was on the plate, what it turned out to be, if anything. The ones, below had no significance to me but if you find something in them, do share.
Although I found this recipe on Goldmine.com, it comes from one of my favorite cookbooks and chances are that I have made these, several times, over the years. The book is a big purple hard covered book which is well worn and it is called, Spice and Spirit, The Complete Kosher Cookbook. There are good solid recipes in the book and has been a go-to book up until I began my journey to learn how to cook gluten free. Then, I expanded and picked up a few gluten-free books to later find, I did better with regular cookbooks, making my own adjustments.
As a result, I built a new library (small but good for me) and attempted to get books by many of the cooks we bake or cook “with” online. Today, I got the best one, so far, Baking, from my home to yours, by Dorie Greenspan. I thought I would sit down and put a sticky on a few pages that caught my eye. I found that every page had a great recipe and that the sticky solution is not a solution, with this book. I think now, I will look at the recipes, that Tuesdays with Dorie has used, and make some of them.

Ingredients:
3 eggs
1 cup milk
1 cup cottage cheese, drained   (use Ricotta for a more refined taste)
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (I used a gluten-free mix)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup oil for frying
Method:
Place all the ingredients except oil together in a large bowl. Mix until smooth.
Heat 1/4 cup oil in a skillet.
Using a large spoon, drop the batter into hot oil.
Fry 2 to 3 minutes on each side, until lightly browned.
Continue until the batter is used up, adding oil when necessary.  The latkes may be served topped with sour cream, applesauce or maple syrup. (I went for the maple syrup. Hubby ate them plain.)
These make a good weekend breakfast, a lunch dish, even a snack.

Tequila Fajitas

Chris over at Nibble Me This is entering a contest that requires a video.  So he did a practice video for his last Fire Day Friday at OUR KraZy kitchen and he did an awesome job on it too.  I decided to make the recipe for his fast fajitas for father’s day and the guys loved it! Here is his video and recipe. I offer up my picture of our finished product too.

Fast Fajitas
3/4 lb Milanesa style sliced beef
1/2 to 1 green onion, seeded and sliced
1/2 to 1 onion, peeled and sliced

Marinade
1/4 cup lime juice
1/4 cup oil
1/4 cup beer or tequilla (I used the Tequila)
1 1/2 tsp season salt
1 1/2 tsp oregano, dried
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp paprika
Fajita Finishing Sauce
1/2 cup sour cream
2-3 Tbsp of the marinade (reserve before marinating the meat)

Marinate the beef for 30 minutes. If you like, you can also season your veggies with salt, garlic pepper, lime juice and oil.
Sear over a hot grill (400-450f) for about 30 to 45 seconds per side. You could also do this in a cast iron pan if you get it preheated very high heat.
Roast veggies for about 4 minutes, until starting to char slightly and soften.

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