Cooking with Karin

Red Velvet Cheesecakes for Your Valentine

2012-02-13T13:15:00.000-08:00

I feel like I'm late to the dance, as most other bloggers have been posting Valentine's Day recipes, craft and decor ideas for weeks. But I'm still in the middle of the crazy weeks I mentioned a few posts back and I almost completely forgot about these delicate little cakes I baked up to share for Valentine's Day.

I made these individual because, well, I'm kind of obsessed with individual desserts. Maybe more than "kind of"...more like completely obsessed. (Do they have a 12-step program for individual dessert nuts?)

Back to the mini cheesecakes. These were a request of my little sister who had a slice of delicious red velvet cheesecake at an Atlanta restaurant. I made these mini using some paper molds from here. Once baked, I refrigerated them for a couple of hours and then cut away the molds and iced them with a little Cream Cheese Butter Cream frosting.

I started with my usual cheesecake base except I decreased the overall measurements and added cocoa powder and red food coloring. Then I whipped up a simple cream cheese frosting to spread on top of each cake and garnished with some red sugar sprinkles. These scream VALENTINE'S DAY!

If you want to make this a whole cake instead of mini cakes, just press the crumb mixture in the bottom of an 8- or 9-inch springform plan, spread the filling over the crust and bake at 350 degrees for about an hour.

Hope you celebrate those you love this Valentine's Day!

Red Velvet Cheesecakes

Special equipment: 12 mini round pans (2 2/1-inches)

For the Crust:
1 1/2 cups ground sugar cookies (Keebler Shortbread Cookies were used for testing)
1/4 cup melted butter

Combine the ground sugar cookies and butter in a medium bowl and then press about 1/4 cup into the bottom of each of the 12 mini disposable round pans. Place pans on a parchment-lined baking sheet and set aside.

For the Filling:
3 8-ounce blocks cream cheese, softened at room temperature
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
4 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1 1-ounce bottle red food coloring
1 teaspoon vanilla
Cream Cheese Butter Cream (see below), for serving
Red sugar sprinkles, optional, for decorating

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat cream cheese and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in remaining ingredients and then divide among the pans. Bake for 20-25 minutes and cool completely. When ready to serve, remove the paper pans and frost with the Cream Cheese Butter Cream (recipe below) and then sprinkle with some red sugar sprinkles (optional).

Makes 12 mini cheesecakes.

Cream Cheese Butter Cream

1 3-ounce package cream cheese, softened at room temperature
3 tablespoons butter, softened at room temperature
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Beat cream cheese and butter together in a medium bowl using an electric hand mixer. Blend in the confectioners' sugar and vanilla. Spread on the Mini Red Velvet Cheesecakes and then refrigerate until ready to serve.

Makes about 1 1/2 cups of frosting,

Pot-O-Pintos

2012-02-09T05:00:00.000-08:00

I warned you last week that you'd have to hang in with me because my posts might be minimal and I was right. It's been crazy! But I didn't want to let the week go by without sharing a recipe.

When I'm trying to come up with a menu plan I always start in the pantry, fridge and freezer to see what I have on hand. This recipe for Pintos Verde is a prime example. I had a bag of pinto beans and a jar of salsa verde in the pantry and voila...when combined they made a hearty vegetarian entree.

I used the quick-soak method, boiling the beans for an hour and then draining them. Then I combined raw onion, jalapenos, garlic and spices, a bottle of Mexican beer and the salsa and then simmered the beans for several hours.

The resulting dish was delicious, nearly fat-free (with the exception of the cheese I sprinkled over the top). The beans made a great entree one night and filling for burritos another.

I cooked the beans on the stove, but I definitely think you could do these in your slow cooker. When I use the slow cooker for beans I start the night before I plan to serve them. I cover them with water in my slow cooker (you want at least two inches of water above the level of the beans) and cook them on low overnight. In the morning, I drain the beans and put them back in the slow cooker with the other ingredients and let them simmer all day.

A wedge of corn bread and a green salad completed my menu.

Pintos Verde

1 16-ounce bag of pinto beans
1 medium onion, peeled and finely chopped, about 1 1/2 cups
1 jalapeno pepper, chopped
2 teaspoons minced garlic, about 2 large cloves
2 teaspoons chile powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 16-ounce jar salsa verde
1 12-ounce Mexican beer, such as Dos Equis
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Grated Monterrey Jack cheese, optional, for serving

Soak the beans overnight in cold water or cover the beans with water in a Dutch oven, bring to a boil and simmer for 1 hour. Drain and add remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer, covered, for about 3 hours, stirring occasionally. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Makes at least 6 main dish servings.

Wingin' It!

2012-02-03T06:11:00.000-08:00

Happy Friday!

If you're undecided about what kind of wings you want to serve this Sunday (if you're serving wings at all), here's a link to a post I did a couple of years ago that has tons of wing recipes that I've developed over the years. The Southwestern wings in the picture are a particular favorite.

Have a wonderful weekend!

-Karin

Hang With Me...and Some Super Bowl Dips

2012-02-02T14:08:00.000-08:00

I am having a crazy couple of weeks. I mean crazy busy in a life that's always pretty busy. Bear with me over the next two weeks because I'm trying to do the following:

1) Take girl-child on a college trip.
2) Throw a Super Bowl Party.
3) Plan a children's fashion photo shoot.
4) Plan makeovers for not one but three deserving mommies.
5) Take a three-day trip to Columbus, Ga., to chaperone the annual Georgia Thespian Conference.
6) Plan and complete a VIP demo in a new "live" kitchen at a local appliance store.
7) Put out a magazine two weeks from today.

And, besides the blog, I've got to get my Augusta Chronicle columns in on time, handle some Masters details and try not to neglect my family...which actually should be my top priority!

So, send up a prayer for me or send me some positive "you can do it" vibes because this busy mama sure does need 'em!

Meanwhile, the Super Bowl is Sunday and here are two dip ideas for your party. First, the Jalapeno Popper Dip below is To. Die. For. Really!

And here's a link to another delicious dip: Buffalo Chicken Spread.

Jalapeno Popper Spread

2 teaspoons butter or olive oil
6 to 8 fresh jalapeno peppers, cored, seeded and chopped
2 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened at room temperature
1 cup reduced-fat mayonnaise or reduced-fat sour cream
Jalapeno pepper sauce, to taste, about 10 drops*Tabasco jalapeno pepper sauce was used for testing purposes)
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 4.3-ounce package real bacon bits or 6 strips of bacon, cooked until crisp and crumbled
Round buttery crackers or corn chips, for serving

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt butter or heat oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the jalapenos and cook until wilted, about 5 minutes. Set aside.

Combine cream cheese, mayonnaise, cheddar cheese and jalapenos in a bowl. Spread in a baking dish. Sprinkle the bacon over the top. Bake for 25 minutes, until bubbly. Serve with the crackers or corn chips.

Makes 10-12 appetizer servings.
*Tabasco jalapeno pepper sauce was used for testing purposes.

This recipe was originally posted by me: Here.

Super Bowl Spread

2012-01-31T05:35:00.000-08:00

I developed a Super Bowl menu for Viking a good while back and even though I cooked it up in 2005 I still think it's a good place to start when planning for the big game.

There's a little bit of something for everyone: Creamy shrimp, spicy meatballs, a salty olive and bacon spread (yum!), a hearty stromboli and some flavor-packed cookies.

This was a fun photo to shoot with Todd Bennett. He used to photograph all of my Viking photos and he's an amazing photographer. He came to shoot the pictures in the day, so of course there wasn't any actual football playing on the television. So, I put in my favorite DVD, Jerry Maguire, and paused it on a game scene to get the shot.

Here are links to the recipes. Have you come up with your Super Bowl "game plan?"

-Super Bowl Buffet
-Bacon-Olive Spread
-Saucy Shrimp (This is a really popular appetizer on any occasion!)
-Sweet-Hot Cocktail Meatballs
-Touchdown Cookies

Super Bowl: Wings

2012-01-28T10:19:00.000-08:00

We love chicken wings at Casa Calloway. Yes, I know they're like a bajillion Weight Watchers points per wing, so we don't have them very often.

But we do have them on Super Bowl Sunday.

One way to make wings a bit less high-cal is to bake them, and my Crispy Baked Wings with Hot Honey Garlic Sauce were a real hit at last year's Super Bowl party.

This picture shows what they look like after they're baked, but before they're tossed with the spicy-sweet sauce. The sauce starts as a basic Buffalo wing sauce, but gets toned down to a perfect balance of heat and sweet with a little honey.

We serve them with a little ranch or blue cheese for dipping...and don't forget the crunchy celery sticks for dipping, too.

Come back tomorrow for my Menu Plan Monday post, which will include more ideas for the coming festivities.

Here's the link to the recipe in the Augusta Chronicle again: Crispy Baked Wings with Hot Honey Garlic Sauce.

Meal Plan Week of 1/30: Super Bowl Countdown!

2012-01-28T05:00:00.000-08:00

We're still trying to come up with a game plan for our Super Bowl party. We want to do something different. In the past we've served Bahama Mamas from Schmidt's in Columbus, tons of chicken wings or barbecue. I've been thinking maybe a big pot of chili or maybe chili dogs??? Help an indecisive girl out...what are you making for the big game?

Meanwhile, here's what we're having for dinner the rest of the week. This is week two of my participation in Meal Plan Monday over at I'm an Organizing Junkie!

-Chicken Subs with Sweet Potato Fries
-Cheese Calzone with Marinara Sauce and Caesar Salad
-Southern Veggie Dinner: Skillet Mac & Cheese with sides of Butter Beans and Collard Greens
-Spicy Chicken Sausage Spaghetti with a tossed salad
-Slow Cooker Ham and White Beans (from Steph and www.plainchicken.com...love her blog!)
Bonus: Spicy Boiled Peanuts (perfect for game day!)

Super Bowl Ideas: Sausage Dip

2012-01-27T06:00:00.000-08:00

I shared this recipe for Sausage Dip a while back but it is a must-serve for your Super Bowl party (unless, of course, you're a vegetarian or on a diet which doesn't allow you to eat sausage and sour cream...ever).

It is good. Really good.

Here's the link to the post. This is a friend's recipe, but it is really good! (Did I say it was really good?)

This dip is so good, and so different from the usual sausage dip, that I've linked it over at www.serenitynowblog.com as part of the weekend linky party!

Chile Colorado

2012-01-26T06:51:00.000-08:00

Augusta has an abundance of Mexican restaurants. When I say abundance, I mean that there's practically a Mexican restaurant on every corner.

There are a few reasons for their popularity. Hubs, who I used to think was addicted to Mexican food because he had withdrawals if we went more than a week without hitting one of these restaurants, has a theory about why they're always packed. First, according to Hubs is the free salsa and chips. Second, the price point is affordable for families. Third, margarita specials and inexpensive draft beer.

Most of the Mexican restaurants in Augusta are owned by the same people and have pretty much the same menu. Number 1 is a combination that includes a taco, two enchiladas and rice or beans, etc.

Although we have often enjoyed the typical tacos, enchiladas and burritos, we discovered some really good dishes that aren't on the combination menu. In the pork section of the menu there's a dish called Chile Colorado that is really good. (There's also a dish called Chile Puerco, pork cooked in tomatillo sauce, that is also delicious. I'll share my super easy slow-cooker version soon!)

Now that I can get dried chiles and other Hispanic ingredients in almost any supermarket, I decided to try to make Chile Colorado at home and it turned out great.

I used just dried ancho chiles in the recipe, so it came out very dark (but not as dark as it looks in the photo!). Next time I make the dish, I think I'll use a combination of dried chiles for more variety in flavor and color.

Serve the Chile Colorado with flour tortillas and a side of Mexican rice. If you want to use a packaged mix, I've been using the Goya brand Mexican rice mix lately. My kids used to love the Uncle Ben's Mexican rice mix, which is no longer available in our area.

This dish could probably be cooked in the slow cooker, skipping the browning of the meat and omitting the flour. If you don't mind extra steps when using the slow cooker, you could follow the recipe as is and just transfer the meat to the slow cooker before adding the chile puree and remaining ingredients. However, I don't like to use slow cooker recipes that require me to brown meat in another pan. I think slow cooker recipes should be as simple as dumping a bunch of ingredients in the cooking vessel, turning it on and hitting the road!

Chile Colorado

12 dried ancho (or other mild red) chiles
3 cups boiling water
2 tablespoons canola or other vegetable oil
2 1/2-3 pounds pork loin or shoulder, cut into chunks (about 1-inch)
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons minced garlic, about 4 large cloves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 pod Knorr home-style beef or chicken stock concentrate

Cut chiles in half and remove stems and seeds. Place the chiles in a bowl and cover with the boiling water. Set aside while you brown the pork to allow the chiles to get very soft.

Heat the oil in a large skillet or Dutch oven. Add the oil and brown the pork in batches, browning on each side. Place all of the browned pork in the pot and stir in the garlic, salt and pepper and flour.

Place the chiles and a little of the soaking liquid in a blender and blend until smooth, adding more liquid if needed. Reserve the leftover liquid. Pour the puree and remaining liquid over the pork. Stir in the oregano, cumin, red pepper and stock concentrate. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 2 hours, until pork is very tender.

Makes about 6 servings.

Super Bowl Count Down: Pizza Dip

2012-01-25T09:00:00.000-08:00

I've mentioned before (in this post) that Hubs and I host an annual Super Bowl party.

This is kind of odd, considering that we rarely watch professional football. We're huge college football fans (particularly the SEC), but pro football has never had the same appeal.

Despite this, I think a Super Bowl party at Casa Calloway has been a tradition for the last 15 years...maybe more???

So, leading up to this year's big shindig (which actually isn't all that big...about 12-15 people usually, more before favorite son went to college and would bring his friends) I'm going to post recipes that are perfect for the Super Bowl. Every Day!

Today, I'm linking to this week's column in the Augusta Chronicle where I shared my friend Lauren Spivey's recipe for kicked-up Pizza Dip.

I'll be back tomorrow with another tasty Super Bowl menu idea.

Peanut Butter...Day!

2012-01-24T07:44:00.000-08:00

It's National Peanut Butter Day and I happen to love peanut butter.

My go-to brand is Jif, but for the best stick-the-spoon-in-the-jar experience I've discovered Peanut Butter & Co.'s Dark Chocolate Dreams. Be warned. This stuff is dangerously addictive!

In honor of the day, here's a recipe for Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies, which are probably my favorite way to enjoy peanut butter. Well, maybe my favorite sweet way to enjoy it! I'm more of a savory girl, so Thai sate sauce would probably actually top my list.

I used a scoop when making the cookies in the photo, but usually I would also flatten these out with the tines of a fork. You can use butter flavored shortening or butter in the recipe. If you want soft cookies use the shortening. Use butter for crispier cookies. I learned that form Shirley O. Corriher's book "Cook Wise," my favorite "science of cooking" book!

Here's the cookie recipe. Enjoy!

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

½ cup butter-flavored shortening (for soft cookies ) or butter (for crispier cookies)
½ cup creamy peanut butter
½ cup sugar
½ cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
¾ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
6 ounces semisweet chocolate morsels

Preheat oven to 350 on convection setting. Cream the shortening, peanut butter, sugar and brown sugar in the bowl of an electric stand mixer. Add the eggs and the vanilla and beat until well blended. Add the flour, baking soda and baking powder and blend until combined. Add the chocolate morsels and beat until evenly distributed throughout the dough.

Shape the dough into 1-inch balls and place on parchment-paper lined baking sheets. Bake 8 to 10 minutes, until edges are golden brown and centers are still a bit soft.

Makes 3 dozen cookies.

Menu Plan Monday-First Time! 1/23/12

2012-01-22T05:00:00.000-08:00

I'm a huge fan of the I'm an Organizing Junkie blog, so I've decided to participate in Menu Plan Monday. Hopefully, I'll post my menu ever week as I plan it on Sunday.

I always do my menu plan on Sunday, usually while I'm waiting on a load in the dryer. I start by checking my pantry, fridge and freezers (we have three refrigerators with freezers plus an upright freezer...yes, we have issues).

The next step is looking at the supermarket sales in the newspaper or online to see the deals of the week.

Then I poll the family. Most of the time I don't get much input, but since girl-child's "living at home clock" is ticking, she's decided she'll take full advantage of having a mom who cooks. So, she's definitely been piping in more on the meal plans.

Next, I'll usually plan five meals plus something extra, such as a dessert or breakfast dish.

The plan this week is to roast two chickens spatchcock-style. Meal plan one will all be baked in the oven together: Roast chicken, Greek-style potatoes and roasted broccoli.

I'll take the leftover chicken off the bones of both chickens and save some to use this week and some to freeze for later. Then, I make stock out of the bones. Just place them in a large slow cooker and add a cut up onion, 2 chunked carrots, 2 chunked celery ribs, a bay leaf and 10 or so black peppercorns. Cover with COLD water (warm water makes murky stock) and cook all day. In my slow cooker, I set it for high and cook for around 8 hours. Strain the stock, discard the bones and veggies and divide into containers. This will yield about 2 1/2 quarts of stock.

I'm going to use the stock and some of the leftover chicken to make what I called Spring-ish Chicken Soup. I'll just sub out the diced chicken for the chicken-basil meatballs. I'll freeze the rest of the stock for another use.

See below for the rest of the menu links. What are you serving up for supper this week?

Here are the links:
-Butterflied Roasted Chicken
-Spring-ish Chicken Soup (It's felt like spring in Augusta lately!)
-Tilapia Picatta (with pasta tossed with butter and fresh green beans)
-Linguine with Sage and Brown Butter Sauce
-Steak with Cheese Grits and Sauteed Mushrooms (We often have steak on Friday night.)

Bonus: Pancake and Sausage Muffins

Make This Tonight: Thai Fried Rice

2012-01-20T08:59:00.000-08:00

I just made this Jasmine Shrimp Fried Rice the other night for favorite daughter and her friend, Joseph. It was a last-minute decision when she asked what was for dinner, could I make stir fry and "can Joseph come for dinner?"

I love when the kids want to have their friends over, so I said a definite yes to Joseph dining with us. To the stir-fry, I had to say no because I had no stir-fry friendly veggies.

What I did have was some tilapia in the freezer, leftover roast chicken in the fridge and Jasmine rice in the pantry.

I texted her back, "Thai fried rice with tilapia OK?" She responded with a definite "Yes!!!"

I cooked the tilapia first, in the same skillet I used to fry the rice, then set it aside. The dish comes together really quickly if you do all of the prep work before starting. I added the tilapia and leftover diced chicken at the end with the fresh herbs.

It was hit!

If you'd like to make it a more elegant meal, like the one pictured above, roast the tilapia or other light fish, in a 400 degree oven and top with a simple Thai coconut curry sauce. Just take some coconut milk and bring it to a boil. Add red curry paste to taste (it can be hot, so start with a small amount), season with salt and simmer until reduced by 1/3. (The whole menu can be found on the Viking Web site here.)

Some stir-fried asparagus or broccoli would complete the dish.

Here's the recipe for the rice. Have a great weekend!

Jasmine Shrimp Fried Rice

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic, about 3 large cloves
3/4 cup thinly sliced green onions
1 jalapeno, seeded and minced, or to taste
5 cups cooked jasmine rice, cold*
2 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons Asian fish sauce
2 cups shrimp, peeled, deveined and chopped (about 12 oz.)
½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil

Pour olive oil into a wok or large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic, onions and chiles and sauté until wilted, about 3 minutes. Add rice, sugar, soy sauce and fish sauce. Reduce heat to medium and sauté until ingredients are well coated and hot, 3 to 4 minutes. Add shrimp, cilantro, basil, and sesame oil and sauté until shrimp are hot to touch, about 3 minutes.

*Rice can be cooked and refrigerated one day ahead.

Makes 6-8 servings.

Like Butter...Chicken, That Is

2012-01-19T05:30:00.000-08:00

We love Indian food at Casa Calloway. Hubs and I first discovered it in England, where there's literally a curry house on every corner.

Our first forray into the world of Indian cuisine was at a restaurant called The Balti House in Reading, England. We had spicy lamb that was delicious. We were hooked.

It was quite a while between that first trip to England and the opening of an Indian restaurant in Augusta, so I bought some cookbooks and learned to cook Indian food at home.

The great news is that most of the ingredients can be purchased at a regular supermarket. We have a good Indian market in our area, but I rarely have to make a trip.

Butter Chicken has been all over the internet and this is the version I whipped up for dinner a few weeks back. I make no claims that this is a traditional version of the dish. In fact, I know my version isn't exactly classic because I marinate the chicken in lemon juice and then grill it and I've never seen anyone do that in a butter chicken recipe (a method I copied from my other Indian favorite--Chicken Tika Masala). But I will make the claim that it is really good!

The other difference in my recipe and most others is that I blend onion, garlic and ginger in a food processor until fairly pureed, then simmer the mixture in ghee (or canola oil) for about 10 minutes.

Butter Chicken

Chicken:
3 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
Juice of 1 lemon
Salt and cayenne pepper, to taste

Place the chicken in a baking dish and pour the lemon juice over the top, turning to coat all pieces well. Season on both sides with salt and a little cayenne pepper and then marinate at room temperature while you heat the grill. Grill for about 4 minutes a side, until done. Set aside.

For the vegetables:
1 onion (about the size of a tennis ball), peeled and chopped
3 tablespoons fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
2 large garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
2 tablespoon ghee or canola oil

Place the onion, ginger and garlic in a food processor fitted with a steel "S" blade and pulse until pureed. Add the pureed vegetables and the ghee or oil to a large skillet and cook, stirring, until it begins to turn golden, about 10 minutes.

Spice Mixture:
2 teaspoons garam masala
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

Combine in a small bowl and then stir into the vegetables after they've cooked for 10 minutes. Cook, stirring for 1 minute.

Remaining ingredients:
1 fresh jalapeño and chopped (remove seeds if you want less heat)
1 6-ounce can tomato paste
2 cups chicken stock or 1 14.5-ounce can store-bought reduced-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup half and half
2 bay leaves
1/4 cup butter
Fresh cilantro, chopped (I didn't have any, but wish I did!)
Cooked basmati rice, for serving

Add the remaining ingredients to the vegetable-spice mixture. Bring to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes. Dice the chicken and add it to the sauce and simmer for 10-15 minutes more.Serve over rice and garnish each serving with a little fresh cilantro.Makes 4-6 servings.

Note: I served the chicken over basmati rice that was cooked with a little tumeric, cinnamon sticks, whole cloves and cardamon pods, but simple plain basmati rice would be delicious with it as well.

New Year's Tradition: Cabbage Rolls

2011-12-30T05:00:00.000-08:00

I'm making these for New Year's Day, just like I (or someone in my family) always do every year. The recipe is the second most viewed on this blog, following behind my Buffalo Chicken Pasta.

Cabbage Rolls on New Year's Day is our Hungarian family tradition. Some families make pork and kraut, while in the South black eyed peas and greens are the tradition.

Whatever your traditions are for ringing in the New Year, I wish you much happiness in 2012.

-Karin

Here's another link to the recipe: Cabbage Rolls. I make this big batch in two Viking 6-quart Saute Casseroles...my favorite pans on the planet!

Tuna Tartar Bites

2011-12-29T05:00:00.000-08:00

New Year's Eve is the perfect time for a splurge appetizer...something like crab cakes, lobster rolls or these mini Tuna Tartar Bites.

You'll want to start with top-quality sashimi-grade tuna, which can run around $22 a pound. But you don't need much!

The base for the bites is wonton wrappers, which are cut into very small discs and baked in the bottom of mini muffin tins. This allows the edges to cup a bit, but you also could bake them on a baking sheet.

These aren't hors d'oeuvres you want to have sitting out for a long time, so I usually keep pass them at the beginning of a party but don't keep them out on the table. You want to make sure you keep your tuna good and cold.

The final flourish is a bit of avocado creme. I use a squeeze bottle to pipe the creme onto the tuna tartar, but you also can dollop it with a spoon.

These almost could be called tuna nachos with the crisp base, spiced up tuna and dollop of avocado. Whatever you call them, they're delicious!

Tuna Tartar Bites

Crispy Wonton Cups:
24 wonton wrappers
Olive oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cut each wonton wrapper into a 1 1/4-inch circle. Brush the cups of a mini muffin tin (preferably nonstick) with olive oil and then place a circle in the bottom of each cup. Brush the top of each wonton circle with olive oil and then bake for 5-7 minutes.

These can be made a day or two in advance and stored in an air-tight container.

Tuna Tartar:
1/2 pound sashimi-quality tuna, very finely diced
1 red or green jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped very fine
Zest of 1 lime and 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger

Combine tuna, jalapeno, lime zest and juice, sesame oil, soy sauce and ginger in a bowl and mix well. This can be done 1-2 hours before serving.

Avocado Creme:
1 large ripe avocado
¼ cup sour cream
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Blend the avocado flesh, sour cream and lemon juice in the bowl of a small food processor or blender and blend until very smooth. Season to taste with the salt and pepper.

Garnish:
2 tablespoons black sesame seeds, toasted, optional

When ready to serve, place a heaping teaspoon of the tuna tartar on each of the wonton cups. Dollop with the avocado creme and sprinkle with the black sesame seeds, if using.

Makes 24.

New Year's Appetizer: Stuffed Shrooms

2011-12-27T08:36:00.000-08:00

I've been assigned to make a Duck Pate from Saveur magazine for New Year's Eve. I started its preparation today, but I actually should have begun yesterday...:(

You begin by marinating ground duck breasts in Grand Marnier for a day or three. Then you add ground pork shoulder, fat back and spices and marinate it a few days more. Then you line a pate mold with bay leaves, bacon and add the pate and bake it in a bain Marie. All I can say is it better be good! (Since it's from Saveur, I'm nearly 100 percent sure it'll be awesome!)

Meanwhile, I promised I'd share some recommendations for New Year's Eve appetizers and one that I definitely am craving is my simple Stuffed Shrooms. They're rich, but really delish!

Here's another link to the recipe: Stuffed Shrooms.

I'll be back tomorrow with another appetizer idea.

Until then, what do you like to serve on New Year's Eve?

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-23T05:00:00.000-08:00

Whether you're planning to enjoy a quiet holiday for two or a big, loud family holiday for 20, I hope you have a very Merry Christmas. And, if you don't celebrate Christmas...Happy Hanukkah or simply Happy Holidays!

Thanks for reading and following along as I cooked in my Viking kitchen in 2011. I'll be back next week with some ideas for New Year's Eve and Day.

Happy Holidays to you and yours!

-Karin

Oh, and if you'd like to sample the recipes in the photo above, here's the link: Fireside Holiday.

Maple Glazed Cinnamon Cookies

2011-12-22T07:59:00.000-08:00

I've made the Almond-Glazed Sugar Cookies, the traditional Hungarian Kifli, some soft ginger cookies, cookie press cookies and some holiday snack mix...now it's time for something a little different.

These cinnamon cookies are simple to prepare and I've added a delicious maple glaze.

I rolled the dough into balls for the photo, but you also can roll them out on a floured surface and cut them with cookie cutters before baking. Just drizzle the glaze over the baked cookies.

The smell of these cinnamon cookies baking will bring everyone to the kitchen!

Cinnamon Cookies with Maple Glaze

For the cookies:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, plus 1 teaspoon for rolling the cookies
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar, plus 1/3 cup for rolling the cookies
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Whisk the flour, salt, and cinnamon together and a large mixing bowl and set aside.

Place the butter and sugars in the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and cream on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until well incorporated. With the mixer on low, slowly beat in the dry ingredients. Increase speed to medium and beat until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl.

Combine the remaining 1/3 cup granulated sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon in a shallow bowl. Roll the cookies into 1-inch balls and then roll in the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Bake on parchment-lined baking sheets for 10 minutes, until golden brown. Remove to cooling racks and cool completely. When cool, drizzle with the glaze (see below). Allow glaze to harden before storing in an air-tight container.

Makes about 3 dozen cookies.

For the glaze:
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
1 tablespoon corn syrup
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon water
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon maple flavoring

Whisk together and then spoon into a zip-top sandwich bag. Cut off a small portion of a corner of the bag and drizzle with the glaze. Allow the glaze to harden before storing in an air-tight container.

Hungarian Kifli (Nut Crescents)

2011-12-21T05:00:00.000-08:00

I've mastered many of my Hungarian grandmother's recipes, but one of her specialties always eluded me: Kifli.

Despite having her actual recipe for these popular Hungarian holiday pastries, the Kifli I made just never tasted like I remember hers tasting. That is, until now!

Yes, last week my parents and I baked up the best batch of Kifli we've ever made. In fact, they were so good that the pastries I brought home were so quickly devoured that I wasn't able to get a shot with my good camera. Thank goodness Dad took pictures with his camera so that I could go ahead and share them now! We'll be baking up another batch today...we need some to share with my siblings.

The Kifli dough is a yeast dough that's refrigerated before rolling, cutting and filling.

The dough is rolled out on a sugar-coated surface. There's no sugar in the dough, though.

The filling is a combination of ground walnuts (just use your food processor to finely chop them), sugar and egg whites.

Both the dough and the filling are enhanced with lemon zest. You don't notice "lemon" flavor per se, but you'll miss the zest if it's not there.

Like I said, the "perfect" Kifli, the one that tastes just like my grandmother made, wasn't made from her recipe. That's perplexing. However, the recipe we landed on came from the cookbook that is full of my grandmother's recipes, "Our Favorite Hungarian Recipes," published by the Women's Guild of the Hungarian Reformed Church in Columbus, Ohio.

The cookbook has been reprinted many, many times, but the recipes have remained the same as the original, which was created quite a long time ago...maybe in the 1960s???

The book can be purchased from the church by mailing a donation of $8 plus $1.75 for mailing to: Women's Guild, Hungarian Reformed Church, 365 East Woodrow Ave., Columbus, Ohio 43207-1969.

Some recipes for the pastry include sour cream, but the one we've finally landed on does not. One of the secrets (we think) to the consistency of the dough is lard. Yep. Believe me, it does make a difference!

Here's the recipe by Guild member Helen Varga. Of course, like most recipes from that time, it includes some nebulous measurement instructions such as "1 large can milk," but I'll talk you through it!

Kifli (Rich Crescents)

For the Dough:
1 large can milk (we used a standard can of evaporated milk)
2 packages instant dry yeast (updated 11:50 a.m. EST 12/21/11)
1 teaspoon granulated sugar (updated 11:50 a.m. EST 12/21/11)
7 cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
Zest from 1 lemon
1/2 pound lard
1/2 pound butter
3 eggs
Granulated sugar, for rolling out the dough

Heat milk in a small saucepan over medium heat until lukewarm. Stir in the yeast and sugar and set aside to dissolve.

Combine the flour, baking powder, salt lemon zest in the bowl of a large food processor or stand mixer. Pulse to combine. Add the lard and butter and pulse or mix as you would pie dough, until the mixture resembles cornmeal.

Whisk the eggs into the milk and then add to the flour mixture. Pulse or mix until dough forms into a ball. Divide the dough into 2 rounds, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 1 hour.

For the Filling:

3 cups ground walnuts (can be finely chopped in the food processor)
1 cup sugar
2 egg whites
Zest of 1/2 lemon

Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Stir and set aside.

Now You're Ready To Make the Kifli:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Remove one of the dough rounds from the refrigerator. Unwrap, cut in half and re-wrap one of the halves.

Liberally sprinkle a work surface with granulated sugar. Place some additional sugar in a bowl and set aside.

Roll the portion of dough in the sugar, adding more sugar to the work surface if the dough begins to stick. Roll until the dough is 1/8-inch thick. Cut into 2 1/4-inch squares. Place about 1 teaspoon of the filling in the middle of each square. Roll into crescents and dip the top of each crescent into the bowl of sugar and place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes, until golden.

(Note: Here's how formed my crescents--I placed a square of dough so that it was turned 90 degrees and there were points facing North, South, East and West. I placed a teaspoon of the filling in the middle and then I pulled the top point over the filling and then rolled the bottom point over the top point and squeezed the ends to form the crescent. You pretty much have to figure out what works for you!)

Makes about 4 dozen Kifli.

Christmas Breakfast Ideas

2011-12-20T05:00:00.000-08:00

Right now I've got a breakfast casserole in my freezer labeled "Christmas."

I'll move it to the fridge so that it will be defrosted by the big day and then I'll pop it in the oven, add a fruit salad and some muffins and call it breakfast. Well, maybe not breakfast. I have teenagers...I'll call it brunch.

Things surely do change as your children grow up! It used to be that they woke hubs and me up at 5 a.m. on Christmas morning. Now we have to pry them from their beds if we want to open presents before dinnertime!

Regardless of whether you call it "breakfast" or "brunch" at your house, here are some great dishes to serve up this holiday.

-Best Baked Eggs (These aren't make-ahead, but if you have everything ready all you do is stir the ingredients together and then bake.)
-Cheesy Baked Eggs (This dish can be assembled the night before and refrigerated. Then just let it rest at room temperature while your oven preheats and bake.)
-French Toast Casserole (Man, I love this dish. Make it now!)
-Sausage Strata (My version of the popular sausage breakfast casserole)
-Egg and Cheese "Souffle" (BTW, this is the one that's in my freezer waiting to star in our Christmas breakfast.)

What will you serve this holiday morning?

Perfect Cut-Out Sugar Cookies

2011-12-19T05:00:00.000-08:00

This is what I'm making today! What would the holidays be without pulling out the cookie cutters?

This is the recipe for cut-out sugar cookies my next-door neighbor, Barbara Mysona shared her with me many years ago. We've been neighbors for almost 20 years!

The secret to the success of her recipe was counter-intuitive to me: Margarine. Yep. Instead of butter in the recipe, she used margarine. It's not something I cook with often, but these really are the perfect cut-out cookies so I'm not going to mess with success. (My friend, Robin, substituted butter thinking I had written the recipe down wrong and guess what? Her cookies didn't turn out as well.)

I added a simple little almond glaze instead of icing the cookies, which makes these less work but just as delicious as the more time consuming iced sugar cookies.

Here's another link to the recipe: Almond Glazed Sugar Cookies.

Later this week I'll share a recipe for some tasty cinnamon-scented cookies and a few ideas for your holiday entertaining.

Make This Tonight: Sublime Strata

2011-12-16T05:00:00.000-08:00

If you make this Mediterranean Strata tonight you can:

1) Freeze it so that you can serve it for a holiday brunch, lunch or light dinner.

2) Serve it for brunch tomorrow.

3) Pop it in the oven and call it dinner. All you need is a tossed salad on the side.

Here's the link again: Mediterranean Strata.

Hot Seafood and Artichoke Spread

2011-12-15T05:00:00.000-08:00

Whenever I host a cocktail party I like to have "something seafood." Cold marinated shrimp, lobster or scallop "shooters," or this luxurious Hot Seafood and Artichoke Spread.

It's rich from the seafood, mayo, grated Parm and artichoke hearts and it has a little kick from some chopped pickled jalapeno peppers and canned diced green chiles.

I've seen grown men stand over a chafing dish filled with this spread and empty it in a matter of minutes. For that reason, I usually double the recipe.

I like to serve the spread with homemade pita chips, which I call Pita Crispers. If time is short, just pick up a bag or three of pita or bagel chips from the supermarket.

The combination of crab and shrimp is my favorite, but you can substitute diced sea or bay scallops and chunks of cooked lobster tail meat for some of the crab and shrimp. Or, decrease the shrimp and crab and add the scallops and lobster as an extravagant addition. It's the holidays, after all!

Hot Seafood and Artichoke Spread

1 4-ounce can diced green chiles
2 14-ounce can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
2 cups mayonnaise
1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions
4 ounces chopped or diced pimento or roasted red pepper, drained
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
3 pickled jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced
1 teaspoon celery salt
8 ounces lump crabmeat, picked over
1/2 pound cooked shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted lightly

Combine first 10 ingredients (everything except the crab, shrimp and almonds) in a large bowl. Fold in the crab and shrimp and then transfer to a large baking dish (you can use a disposable lasagna pan). Refrigerate until ready to bake. Package the toasted almonds separately.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Sprinkle the dip with the toasted almonds and bake until bubbly, about 40 minutes. Serve with pita triangles.

Pita Crispers

1 package pita bread
1/2 cup melted butter
2 tablespoons Greek seasoning* (or other seasoned salt and herb seasoning)
2 tablespoons sesame seeds

Preheat oven to 375. Split each pita into two rounds. Brush rough sides with the melted butter, sprinkle with the Greek seasoning and sesame seeds. Cut each round into 6 wedges and place on 2 Silpat or parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake 12 to 15 minutes, until crisp. (Crispers can be prepared 3 days ahead and stored in an airtight container.)

More Appetizers...Best Ham Rolls EVER!

2011-12-14T05:00:00.000-08:00

There are a lot of ham roll recipes out there. You know, the ones where you take the little rolls, layer 'em up with ham and Swiss cheese, bathe them in a butter/poppy seed mixture and bake 'em up.

They're all delicious.

But these are the best. I swear.

Besides being over-the-top delicious, they can be prepared ahead and stashed in the freezer.

I've given trays of the frozen rolls as hostess gifts, wrapped in a pretty holiday kitchen towel. I've served them on Christmas morning. Heck, I've served them for almost every occasion because they're just that good!

These rolls were served at many functions at Church of the Good Shepherd in Augusta, which we used to attend. It is an absolutely beautiful Episcopal church where my children were baptized.

One of the ladies at the church shared the recipe with me and the main difference between this version and others is that it's got a hit of sweet along with mustard (plain old yellow variety), poppy seeds, dried onion flakes (I know...but they work in this) and butter...lots of butter.

Make some now and then pull them out as you need them over the holidays. You'll thank me if you do!

(BTW: About that photo...it was taken at the Symphony party I chaired in pretty poor lighting conditions. The rolls were prepared by three committee members, hence the reason they don't all look the same. One of my friends put the butter mixture inside the rolls instead of pouring it over the top of the rolls. They still tasted great! Seriously. There were probably five rolls left at the end of the evening.)

Good Shepherd Ham Rolls

3 packages finger rolls in foil trays
3/4 pound sliced deli ham
1/2 pound sliced Swiss cheese
1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine
¼ cup sugar
3 tablespoons prepared yellow mustard
3 tablespoons poppy seeds
1 tablespoon dried minced onion

Remove rolls from plastic bags and reserve bags. Slice each package of rolls horizontally, being careful not to break apart into individual rolls. Place bottom portion of each package of rolls back into the foil tray. Divide the ham and cheese between the trays and top with the top portion of the rolls. Use a serrated knife to slice into individual rolls.

Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in remaining ingredients and simmer for a few minutes. Pour over the rolls. Return rolls to plastic bags or wrap tightly in foil and place in zip-top plastic bags and refrigerate or freeze until ready to bake.

Before serving, bake rolls at 350 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes, until cheese is melted.

Roll It Up...Tortilla Roll-Ups a Dozen Ways

2011-12-13T05:00:00.000-08:00

So easy. So party pop-able. So versatile.

If you've got flour tortillas, you're halfway to party time!

I rarely follow a recipe when I make these. I usually start with a base filling of softened cream cheese, sometimes lightened with mayo or sour cream. Then I see what else I have in the pantry or fridge and let my creative juices flow.

Start with 10 tortillas, 1 block of reduced-fat cream cheese and half a cup of mayo or sour cream. Mix up the cream cheese and mayo or sour cream and then season to taste with salt and pepper. Now just add one of the following combinations:

-Diced canned green chiles, cheddar cheese and a little taco seasoning.

-Chopped canned artichoke hearts, shredded Parmesan cheese and a dash or two of Tabasco.

-Finely chopped ham and sweet pickle relish.

-Chopped cooked bacon, chopped green and black olives, prepared horseradish to taste.

-Finely chopped turkey, chopped green onion and dried cranberries.

-Spread the tortilla with some of the cream cheese mixture, top with thinly sliced smoked ham and roll around some pickled okra.

-Coarsely chopped smoked salmon, chopped green onion and capers.

-Coarsely chopped shrimp, chopped green onion and dried tarragon.

-Stir some prepared horseradish into the cream cheese mixture. Spread some on a tortilla and top with a slice of lean roast beef.

-Lump crab meat, chopped green onions, capers and a dash or two of Old Bay seasoning.

-Chopped red bell pepper, shredded carrot and zucchini and a little minced fresh garlic.

-Chopped hard-cooked eggs, chopped cooked bacon and a little prepared horseradish.

The rolls can be wrapped in plastic wrap and refrigerated a day or two before you need them. I've even heard they freeze well, but haven't tested that theory myself...

How do you like to roll? (Your tortilla roll-ups, that is!)

Spinach Dip...Spinach Spread...You Pick!

2011-12-12T09:00:00.000-08:00

My posts have been few lately. Many apologies! I've been S.I.C.K. since Thanksgiving. YUK!

After a round of antibiotics I'm feeling a bit better, so hopefully I'll make up for my lack of recipe inspiration this week by posting a few extra days.

Guess what else besides blog posts has been neglected? The holidays! I have not one decoration up, not one gift wrapped and very few gifts purchased! HELP!

As promised, I'm continuing my focus on easy holiday appetizers and this cold spinach and artichoke dip/spread couldn't be simpler. (Make it even easier by substituting a package of ranch dressing mix for the parsley, salt, dill, garlic and onion powders, basil and black pepper.)

I served it as a dip at a party last December and then as a cheeseball-like spread this October. Both were enjoyed by the guests with lots of requests for the recipes.

Oh, and you can also serve heat either version in the oven at 350 for 20-25 minutes to serve it hot. Yep. And it...is...good!

The cold dip or spread can be prepared a couple of days ahead and they actually benefit from the extra time in the fridge. It allows the flavors to meld. If you're making the dip hot, the heat seems to do the trick, so no advance prep is required.

The only difference between the dip and the spread is the type of dairy used. The dip uses sour cream and mayo and the spread calls for cream cheese. Oh, and I add feta cheese to the spread but use Parmesan in the dip.

Serve the dip with tortilla or corn chips and the spread with some crackers. The spread also makes a nice hostess gift, wrapped in plastic wrap then in cellophane and tied with a pretty bow.

Spinach Artichoke Feta Spread

1 10-ounce box frozen spinach, chopped, thawed and squeezed dry
1 4-ounce package crumbled feta cheese
1 8-ounce package cream cheese
1 14-ounce can artichoke hearts, chopped
2 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon sea or kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon dried dill weed
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
Crackers, for serving

Combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl until well blended. Form the mixture into a log or ball shape and refrigerate until ready to serve (preferably overnight).

Spinach Artichoke Dip

1 10-ounce box frozen spinach, chopped, thawed and squeezed dry
1 cup freshly shredded Parmesan cheese
3/4 cup sour cream
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 14-ounce can artichoke hearts, chopped
2 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon sea or kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon dried dill weed
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper.
Tortilla or corn chips, for serving

Combine all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until well combined. Spread in a serving dish and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for several hours or overnight before serving.

I'm Participating in a Blog Hop

2011-12-12T05:00:00.000-08:00

Ms. Smartie Pants is hosting a Blog Hop! Sounds like a fun opportunity to check out other blogs. Grab a cup of coffee, get comfy and hop on...

Bacon-Wrapped, Blue Cheese Stuffed...

2011-12-09T03:00:00.000-08:00

...Dates

I had you at the "bacon-wrapped," right?

And, for some "blue cheese stuffed" would be the hook.

My blue of choice would be Clemson Blue cheese, but Maytag Blue Cheese is a good second choice and it's available at my supermarket.

Oh, and if blue cheese doesn't do it for you, sub out a little goat cheese or Gruyere. On second thought, I recently I picked up some cheese that was loaded with coarsely ground black pepper. It was buttery like a Gruyere but it wasn't labeled with a particular cheese name so it's now my favorite "mystery cheese." It would be amazing stuffed into a date and wrapped in bacon.

The recipe is really basic...almost a "no recipe" recipe. All you need are some dates (I usually use Medjool dates), your cheese of choice and bacon. I prefer a thinly sliced bacon over a thick-cut bacon. If the bacon is thin, I just wrap the dates tightly and place them seam-side down on a parchment-lined baking sheet and voila! No tooth picks necessary to keep it all together.

One of the things that makes these a great holiday hors d'oeuvre is that they can be assembled ahead and baked just before serving.

Bacon-Wrapped Blue Cheese Stuffed Dates

24 large pitted dates
12 slices thin-cut bacon, cut in half crosswise
1/3 cup crumbled blue cheese (or other cheese of choice)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

Place a small amount of cheese in the center of each date. Wrap a piece of bacon around each date. Place seam-side down on the parchment paper.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the bacon is crisp.

Makes 2 dozen dates.

I Love This: Cookie Baking Time!

2011-12-05T08:15:00.000-08:00

This post published December 15, 2009, and it contains lots of links to great cookie recipes. Hope it gets you in a cookie-baking mood like it does me. What kind of cookies are you baking this year? -K

I have often said that I am a cookie baking mom. I love baking cookies, which is one of the main reasons I love having a convection oven. Three pans of cookies at once, perfectly cooked without rotating the racks, what could be better?

Since I love baking cookies, the Christmas season is a very happy time for me. In fact, my first batch of Christmas cookies this year was baked on December 2 and then frozen. I made my Almond Glazed Sugar Cookies, cooled and tucked them into the freezer so I can defrost and ice them next week.

Since I've been working as the online (or should it be on-line...going on 10 years and I'm still not sure which is the correct way to spell it!) chef for Viking, I've posted many cookie recipes on the Viking Web site. (Here's another spelling question...should you spell it Web site, capitalizing the W and having a space before "site," or should you do website...Website...web site???? Please, ponder this and let me know.)

Enough of my random train of thought...how about some cookies?

Here are some of the cookies I've posted on the Viking site (notice sans the Web/web reference) over the years. I'm not including every cookie or bar recipe I've ever posted, but darn close.

Here are my Almond-Glazed Sugar Cookies. We just love these, and glazing the cookies is so much easier than icing them. Just dunk and place on a cooling rack to dry. (The dough recipe is actually not mine, but my neighbor's. She uses margarine. It makes the dough super easy to roll out...who would have thought?)

If you're pinched for time, try these Brownie Cookies. They have always been a favorite of my kids, and you'll definitely need something chocolate on your tray of cookies (but wait, this isn't the last chocolate cookie I'm including...)

I came up with these Butter Pecan Blondies when I was going through a butter pecan phase. I developed recipes for butter pecan sauce, butter pecan cake...you name it...I was butter pecan crazed.
Here's another chocolate cookie entry, some Chocolate Pecan Cookies. I just love the crisp crunch of the pecans here.

And, here's another chocolate cookie, Chocolate Peppermint Chews, with a festive crunch of peppermint candy canes. So delish!

I am a lover of lemon desserts, so I must include these Lemon Pecan Tassies, which are one of my not-too-sweet favs.

If you're a shortcut type of cook, these Orange Cranberry Biscotti start with a cake mix!

My mother's favorite cookies are Linzer Hearts, but in a pinch I can make these easy Raspberry Tartlets (the dough is the same as the Lemon Pecan Tassies!) and satisfy her raspberry love without all the fuss of rolling out a lot of dough.

These White Chocolate Cranberry Bars are great, but be careful because their icing stays sort of sticky, so they don't pack up or travel very well.

Here are all of the cookie links again:

Almond Glazed Sugar Cookies

Brownie Cookies

Butter Pecan Blondies

Chocolate Pecan Cookies

Chocolate Peppermint Chews

Lemon Pecan Tassies

Orange Cranberry Biscotti

Raspberry Tartlets

White Chocolate Cranberry Bars

Dig In on Game Day: Sausage Dip

2011-12-01T09:00:00.000-08:00

This month my plan is to focus on appetizers. Mostly holiday party appetizers. This Sausage Dip could be included on any holiday appetizer buffet, but I'm thinking it's perfect for the big games this weekend.

Southern Miss. Vs. Houston.

Oklahoma Vs. Oklahoma State.

Clemson Vs. Virginia Tech in the ACC Championship.

And the game that means the most to Favorite Son: Georgia Vs. number-one ranked LSU.

This dip will help the losses go down a bit easier, and the victories taste a whole lot better.

My fellow Symphony Orchestra Augusta volunteer, Mary Margaret Kilpatrick, brought this to an after-symphony party in early October and it was a party favorite. So much so that we begged her to share the recipe with our entire party committee.

This is a big hit with men and it's different than the usual version made with Rotel tomatoes and cream cheese.

Sausage Dip

1 pound hot bulk sausage
5 green onions, chopped
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup mayo
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 2-ounce jar pimentos, drained
Dip-style corn chips, such as Frito's Dips

Preheat oven to 350.

Brown the sausage in a large nonstick skillet. Drain. Combine with remaining ingredients and spread in a baking dish. Bake 20-25 minutes, until bubbling. Serve hot with the corn chips for dipping.

Make This When You're Craving Cabbage Rolls

2011-11-29T09:01:00.001-08:00

As you can tell from the title of the post, I'm craving Hungarian Cabbage Rolls. Yep. After all of the turkey, dressing, gravy and pumpkin pie my taste buds wants something with a bit of tart cabbage-y goodness. Comfort food. Because it is C.O.L.D. outside.

We're a little over a month from our official "Cabbage Roll" fest, which is an annual New Year's Day tradition at Casa Calloway, so I think I'll simmer up a pot of what I call Unrolled Cabbage Soup. It has all of the flavors of Cabbage Rolls without the fuss.

I'll add a loaf of crusty rye bread and call it dinner!

Fun Fact: My family's Hungarian Cabbage Rolls are the most popular post of all time on this blog. That fact would make my Hungarian grandmother very happy!

What are you craving during these post-Thanksgiving days?

Here's the link again: Unrolled Cabbage Soup.

Spiced Mixed Nuts

2011-11-23T07:00:00.000-08:00

It's always good to have a little something to put out in small bowls when you're entertaining. Things like snack mix and mixed nuts for your guests to munch on while they're enjoying a glass of wine or another libation.

I recently made these Spiced Mixed Nuts for a party. I thought I had made way too many, but surprisingly they were gone by the end of the evening.

They're sweet and salty with a hit of spice and they're just a bit addictive.

I'm thinking they'd make a great last-minute addition to your Thanksgiving menu!

Wishing you and yours a wonderful Thanksgiving. See you next week!

-Karin

Spiced Mixed Nuts

2 pounds deluxe mixed nuts with sea salt
3 tablespoons butter, melted
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamon
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 325.

Toss the nuts and other ingredients together in a bowl and then spread on a foil or parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for 7 minutes, remove from the oven and stir. Return to the oven and bake for 7 minutes more. Cool on the baking sheet completely and then store in an airtight container.

Leftover Turkey: Part 2

2011-11-22T10:55:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I featured soup recipes that could help you use up your leftover turkey and today, I'm focusing on main dishes.

Leftover turkey can be used to make wonderful casseroles, and it's also delicious tossed into your favorite pastas, wrap sandwiches and main-dish salads.

Just substitute leftover, diced turkey for the chicken in these recipes for a nice post-Thanksgiving change of pace.

First, this Chicken and Sausage Scarpariello is an Italian classic that I absolutely love!

The following two recipes would be more classic uses of your leftover turkey. First, in a Chicken and Wild Rice Casserole. (Scroll all the way down for the recipe.)

And second, a luscious Chicken and Artichoke Casserole. D.E.L.I.C.I.O.U.S!

How about tossing your leftover turkey into some of my favorite pasta recipes?

This Creamy Buffalo Chicken Pasta is one of the most-visited posts on this blog!

My Sauce Pot Casserole is a one-pot wonder.

And then there's this luscious Lemon Cream Pasta. Just skip the step of sauteing the chicken tenders and simply warm some diced turkey in the microwave and add it to the pasta along with the cream.

Now, how about some semi-unusual ways to use up that turkey. Like in some simple Quick Fried Rice. (Or, if you baked a ham, use it here!)

Chicken Portobello Wraps would also be a great way to use the turkey. Perfect to pack in a post-holiday lunchbox.

And what about tossing it into a main-dish salad? Like this Chinese Chicken Salad.

Or, use turkey in place of the grilled chicken in this crunchy Chopped Salad. (Scroll down for the recipe.)

I really hope these links help you find a delicious way to enjoy all of that leftover Thanksgiving turkey.

Tomorrow, I'll share a super quick, last-minute before Thanksgiving nibble.

Here are the links again:
-Chicken and Sausage Scarpariello
-Chicken and Artichoke Casserole
-Creamy Buffalo Chicken Pasta
-Sauce Pot Casserole
-Lemon-Cream Pasta Toss
-Quick Fried Rice
-Chicken Portobello Wraps
-Chinese Chicken Salad

Mother’s Chicken and Wild Rice

1 store-roasted rotisserie chicken, skinned, boned and cut into bite-size pieces

1 6-ounce package long-grain and wild rice mix, cooked according to package directions

1 can reduced fat and sodium condensed cream of mushroom soup

1 cup reduced fat sour cream

1 tablespoon dry sherry

1/2 teaspoon curry powder

1 cup sliced almonds, toasted*

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine chicken pieces and prepared rice mix in a large bowl. In a medium bowl, combine the soup, sour cream, sherry and curry powder. Fold soup mixture into the chicken and rice until well blended. Spread the mixture in a 9x13” baking dish and sprinkle with the almonds. Bake, uncovered, for 1 hour.

Makes 6 to 8 servings.

*Toast almonds in a skillet over medium-high heat until golden, or in a shallow baking dish in a 350-degree oven for 10 minutes.

Chopped Salad with Marinated Chicken

Lemon Vinaigrette:

1 large lemon, juiced

1 tablespoon chopped fresh herbs (basil, dill or chives)

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 cloves garlic, minced

Salad:

1 head Romaine lettuce, cut into thin strands

1 8-ounce package iceberg shreds

1 cup fresh basil leaves, cut into thin strands

2 cooked boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, diced (may use leftover chicken from Marinated Chicken with Shitake-Bourbon sauce)

4 ounces dry salami, diced

4 ounces canned chick peas, rinsed and drained

2 large ripe tomatoes, chopped

4 ounces feta cheese ,crumbled

2 green onions, chopped

Whisk vinaigrette ingredients together in a small bowl and set aside. Toss Romaine, iceberg and basil leaves together in a large serving bowl. Top with remaining ingredients and toss with the vinaigrette.

Makes 4 dinner-sized servings.

Leftover Turkey: Part 1

2011-11-21T07:00:00.000-08:00

I love a good leftover turkey sandwich, but there are so many other ways to use leftover turkey.

First, don't discard that turkey carcass! After you remove the usable meat from the turkey just toss it in a stock pot with one onion, cut into wedges, two carrots, chunked, two stalks of celery, chunked, a bay leaf or two and 10 black peppercorns. Cover with cold water, bring to a boil over medium-high heat and then simmer for a couple of hours. Strain the broth and store in plastic containers in the freezer.

I like to freeze the stock in quarts and pints, but if you often use just a cup, freeze some in half-pint containers as well.

Since I'm on the subject of stock, I'll start Part 1 of my "what to do with leftover turkey" posts with soups. If the recipe calls for cooked chicken and chicken stock, just use leftover turkey and turkey stock.

Here's a delicious soup I developed specifically to use up leftover turkey: Turkey and Wild Rice Soup.

This Turkey Tortilla Soup is really quick and easy; perfect since you'll have been cooking a lot leading up to the big meal. (No link on this one. It's not on the Viking site any more, so scroll all the way down to the bottom for the recipe.)

Then there's one of my all-time favorites: Bean, Bacon and Chicken Soup.

For something comforting, consider Vietnamese Porridge. Soothing and easy on the stomach, making it perfect if you overindulged over the holidays.

I love spinach and chicken enchiladas, and I turned the combo into a super-easy soup: Chicken Enchilada Soup.

And last, White Chili would also be a good way to use up your homemade turkey stock and leftover turkey. Just skip the step of sauteing the meat and add it along with the beans.

Come back tomorrow for Leftover Turkey: Part 2!

Here are the links again:
-Turkey and Wild Rice Soup
-Vietnamese Porridge
-Chicken Enchilada Soup
-White Chili

Turkey Tortilla Soup

2 14.5-ounce cans low-sodium chicken broth
1 14.5-ounce jar mild salsa
2 cups cooked shredded turkey
Juice of 1 lime
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 7-ounce can corn, drained
2 cups broken tortilla chips, for garnish
1 avocado, peeled and diced, for garnish
Sour cream, for garnish
Shredded Monterey jack or Cheddar cheese, for garnish

Combine broth, salsa, turkey, lime juice and cumin in a large pot over medium heat. Simmer to combine flavors, 8 to 10 minutes. Add corn and heat through. Ladle hot soup into soup bowls and top with desired garnishes.

Makes 6 servings.

Make This: Gravy

2011-11-18T06:51:00.000-08:00

Did you know that you can go ahead and make your gravy...waaaaayyyy before you roast your turkey?

Yep. You can!

And that's exactly what I'm doing this afternoon. I'll follow my simple steps to perfect make-ahead gravy and then on Thanksgiving day I'll defrost the frozen gravy and add some of the fresh drippings from my roasted turkey to the made-ahead gravy.

I love this method because there's no fear that you won't have enough drippings to make a good amount of gravy. And what is the Thanksgiving meal without plenty of gravy???

I've done it two ways, with roasted turkey parts and with just roasted vegetables for a delicious, rich vegetarian gravy.

Here are the link to the gravy recipe again and also links to the stocks that I use to make the gravy.
-Make-Ahead Gravy
-Vegetarian Stock
-Turkey Stock

Do you make your gravy ahead or wait until the last minute?

Rustic Pate with Shallot Marmalade

2011-11-17T06:14:00.000-08:00

I'll admit it.

I love chicken livers.

There, I said it.

Honestly, I have always loved chicken livers. So, it's no surprise that I've also always loved pate.

(If you hate chicken livers come back tomorrow when there will be no chicken livers involved in my post.)

My sister-in-law, Jeannine, and I shared a luscious chicken liver spread with shallot marmalade at The Spanish River Grill in New Smyrna Beach, Fla. I don't know if it's still on the menu, but it inspired this recipe.

One thing that's different about my pate than most is that it doesn't contain a huge amount of butter. When I eat chicken livers, which isn't very often, I'd like to enjoy the chicken livers. I don't need a stick and a half of butter to make the experience any more enjoyable. I hope you'll agree when you try the recipe. It simply doesn't need the over-the-top amount of butter.

I call this "rustic pate" because it isn't quite as smooth as some versions, which are pressed through a sieve (and all that butter makes for a smoother pate, too).

This would be a lovely starter for your Thanksgiving meal, or serve it at a holiday party. If you're a chicken liver lover like I am, I think you'll L.O.V.E. it!

Rustic Pate with Shallot Marmalade

For the pate:
2 tablespoons butter, divided
1 pound chicken livers
1/4 cup very finely chopped sweet onion, preferably Vidalia
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic, about 1 small clove
2 tablespoons Madeira wine (or sherry, bourbon or brandy)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Trim the chicken livers, removing any veins or connective tissues. Pat the livers dry with paper towels. Season livers on both sides with salt and pepper.

Heat 1 tablespoon of the butter in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. When the butter is bubbling, add the chicken livers and cook until centers are just slightly pink, about 2-3 minutes per side. Remove the livers from the skillet and place them on a plate. Set aside.

Add the remaining butter to the skillet and heat over medium-high heat. Add the chopped onion and saute until tender, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and saute 1 minute more. Return the livers to the skillet and add the wine, simmering until most of the liquid has evaporated, about 2 minutes.

Set aside to cool slightly and then whirl everything together in the food processor until smooth.

Spread in a serving dish, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.

Remove the pate from the refrigerator 30 minutes prior to serving. Top with the Shallot Marmalade just before serving.

For the Shallot Marmalade:
2 tablespoons olive oil
4-5 shallots, thinly sliced
1/2 cup red wine
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

Heat the oil in a nonstick saute pan over medium heat. Add the shallots and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the red wine, vinegar, brown sugar and thyme and cook, stirring, until the liquid has evaporated, about 5 minutes. Cool to room temperature and then cover and refrigerate until 30 minutes before serving.

Makes about 1/2 cup of marmalade.

Make This: Brussels Sprouts

2011-11-14T07:00:00.000-08:00

I was probably in 4th or 5th grade the first time I heard of Brussels sprouts. We were visiting Williamsburg in Virginia on a family trip to D.C. and my little brother and I participated in a children's program in which you learn about colonial life.

We made beeswax candles and explored a little garden off the kitchen of a colonial home.

The garden included gorgeous tall stalks of Brussels sprouts. Man, did they look cool...all those mini cabbages growing up a tall, thick stalk.

I'm a broccoli and cabbage lover, even was as a kid, so I couldn't wait to try this new-found petite veggie. Since my mom isn't a fan of Brussels sprouts, it was quite a while after our visit to Williamsburg that I finally got to sample the veggie I was so curious about.

My first sampling was plain, boiled Brussels sprouts at...I can't remember where. Nothing to write home about.

Then I had some Brussels sprouts as part of an autumn antipasti spread at at Italian restaurant. They were served at room temperature but had been roasted with olive oil, pancetta and garlic. I was definitely hooked.

Brussels sprouts are a fall and winter vegetable that I continue to love.

They're probably my favorite green vegetable to serve on Thanksgiving, especially since I'm not a fan of the traditional green bean casserole.

Here are links to two ways I prepare Brussels sprouts. One is super simple, and the other is a bit more work. Both are delicious!

- Blistered Brussels Sprouts. (Pictured above) These are blanched and then quickly blistered up in a hot saute pan.

- Sauteed Brussels Leaves. The leaves are removed and quickly sauteed. A bit more work, but really a lovely way to serve them.

Do you love Brussels sprouts or not so much? What's your favorite green vegetable to serve as part of your Thanksgiving spread?

Have a great week! I'll be back Thursday with a recipe for a special holiday appetizer that you can make and freeze this week.

-Karin

Make This: Tom's Con Queso

2011-11-11T05:39:00.001-08:00

We're going to a friend's birthday party tonight. Although she's not turning a year that ends in a zero, which is usually why friends gather for birthdays, the date of her birthday this year makes it special, 11-11-11.

I'm taking an appetizer and a side dish. I've decided to make my father-in-law's con queso for the appetizer, but haven't decided on the side dish.

Tom's Con Queso is something my father-in-law always serves on Christmas eve. I'm not sure how it became a tradition, or where he got the recipe, but everyone loves it and it's also perfect football party fare.

I hope you have a wonderful weekend! See you next week,

-K.

Spicy Chicken Sausage Spaghetti

2011-11-10T06:30:00.000-08:00

This week has been a crazy one for me. Tuesday and Wednesday I chaperoned a high school theater trip to Georgia State One-Act competition in Albany, Ga., which is on the opposite side of the state from Augusta.

We rode on a school bus.

Albany is about four and a half hours away by car, more by bus.

We rode on a school bus.

In around 36 hours I spent 12 on a school bus. With 38 students.

On a school bus.

OK, you get my point...we rode on a school bus, which wasn't the most comfortable thing I could imagine for my hearing or my posterior.

We got back to Casa Calloway around 1:30 a.m. last night and today is a busy day. Tonight I'm emceeing the Relish Cooking Show here in Augusta. I won't get home until around 10 p.m. tonight, so I'm kind of out of the dinner equation.

Well, I would be if it wasn't for my stash of homemade marinara sauce. On nights like tonight, hubs and favorite daughter will have a home-cooked meal sans the cook (me).

This Spicy Chicken and Sausage Spaghetti starts with a quart of my homemade marinara, which gets a spicy hit from hot Italian chicken sausage and some pickled sliced jalapeno peppers.

Although I say this is spicy, it's not that spicy. Just a bit of heat...enough to take this out of the standard marinara-tossed-pasta category.

Hope it helps you get dinner on the table during a super-busy week like the one I'm having!

Spicy Chicken Sausage and Spaghetti

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 package lean raw (not smoked or cured) hot or mild Italian chicken sausage, about 4-5 links
1 quart homemade marinara or 1 28-32-ounce jar prepared marinara sauce
1 15-ounce can petite diced tomatoes, drained
1/2-1 cup pickled sliced jalapeno peppers, drained (reserve the liquid) and roughly chopped
1/4 cup liquid from the pickled jalapenos
Hot cooked pasta, for serving (3/4-1 pound of spaghetti or other pasta)
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, for serving

Heat olive oil in a saute casserole or other large skillet or saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and brown on all sides, about 2 minutes per side, decreasing heat if the oil begins to pop. Add the marinara, drained diced tomatoes, jalapenos and jalapeno liquid. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer, until the sausage is completely cooked, about 20 minutes.

Remove the sausage from the slice and slice. Return to the sauce and spoon the sauce (or toss) with hot cooked pasta. Pass freshly grated Parmesan cheese at the table.

Makes 4-6 servings.

Thanksgiving Planning

2011-11-07T07:00:00.000-08:00

I thought I'd share a link to a story I wrote in Augusta Family Magazine about hosting Thanksgiving. It offers up weekly "to do" lists so that you're not overwhelmed when the big day arrives.

I've included tips about when to do those tasks that can overwhelm you when you're trying to cook the big meal: polishing the silver, getting the guest rooms ready and grocery shopping.

Hope it helps those of you who are first-time or reluctant Thanksgiving hosts and hostesses!

How far in advance to you begin your Thanksgiving preparation?

Here's the link again: Thanksgiving 101.

-Karin

Make This: Baked Feta

2011-11-04T05:39:00.001-07:00

If time is short and you're supposed to bring an appetizer to a gathering of friends to watch some football, consider bringing this Baked Marinated Feta. It's quick, easy and delicious. And, with its garlic and chile-scented olive oil marinade, it's definitely a change of pace from the cream cheese or sour cream-based spreads that often appear at football gatherings.

Just heat it when you arrive at your destination and serve with toasted slices of baguette. Or, you can pick up some bagel or pita chips if you don't have time to toast the baguette slices.

I crumbled the cheese in the photo, but I usually just marinate and bake a the feta as a block, right out of the package.

Have a great weekend!

Here's the link again: Baked Marinated Feta.

Chicken and Cashew Biryani

2011-11-03T07:00:00.000-07:00

This one-pot wonder is a great weeknight family meal. It's simple to throw together and most of the ingredients are usually tucked away in my pantry and freezer.

It's based on a recipe that an Indian friend shared with me. She used to bring this curried rice dish to gatherings of high school theater kids and it always disappeared quickly. If a bunch of hungry teenagers devour it at a cookout, you know it's good.

This is a mild dish, but you can increase the spiciness by increasing the cayenne pepper. And, while I used chicken breast meat in the photo, I really think this is best with bite-sized pieces of boneless chicken thighs. They remain moist and flavorful.

Chicken and Cashew Biryani

3 tablespoons ghee or vegetable oil, divided
3-4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 onion, peeled and cut into chunks
2 tablespoons peeled and coarsely chopped fresh ginger root
1 teaspoon garlic, about 1 medium clove
1 tablespoon garam masala
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper, or more to taste
2 cups basmati rice
4 cups water
1 cup roasted, salted cashews
Chopped fresh cilantro, to taste, for serving

Heat 1 tablespoon of the ghee or oil in a large saute casserole or saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the chicken to the casserole, season with a little salt, and cook until golden. (It doesn't have to be done. It will finish cooking with the rice. You just really want to get a nice browning on it.) Use a slotted spoon to remove the chicken to a plate and set aside.

Grind the onion and ginger together in a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of ghee or oil in large saucepan and cook until dry, about 8 minutes, stirring well to prevent sticking. Add the garlic, garam masala, turmeric, salt and cayenne and cook for 1 minute, until fragrant. Stir in the rice and sauté until rice begins to turn opaque, about 4-5 minutes. Stir in the chicken and the water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes, until rice is tender. Stir in the cashews and cilantro before serving.

Makes 6 servings.

Welcome November

2011-11-01T12:00:00.001-07:00

I've spent most of the day scratching my head wondering how it actually can be November. Really??? This year has totally flown by.

But since I can't turn back time, I'll get in a November mood by thinking towards Thanksgiving. Last year I blogged every day for the 31 days leading up to Thanksgiving. I blogged planning tips, recipes and more.

You can find all of my 2010 Thanksgiving Countdown posts by scrolling down and looking to the right of the home page...it's right there labeled "Thanksgiving Countdown" and it'll take you where you wanna go. Or, just CLICK HERE to go right to it!

I started with some ideas to help you get started early by preparing things that freeze well. Cranberry Sauce tops my list of make-it-now Thanksgiving dishes. And, I ended with a list of the things for which I'm thankful. That list is long!

Oh, and there are recipes...lots of recipes. From starters to sides, to the ever-important Thanksgiving turkey.

What do you have cooking this November?

Make This: Tortellini-Tomato Soup

2011-10-31T06:26:00.000-07:00

It's Halloween, which makes for a busy weeknight. I like to cook up something that we can eat in shifts, between answering the door for trick-or-treaters.

With the weather taking a dip and with time being short, I'm thinking this Tortellini and Tomato Soup is the perfect meal for this busy weeknight, or any other!

We don't have trick-or-treaters living under our roof any more (I highly doubt my 18-year-old favorite daughter will be hitting the candy trail), but when the kids were of that age I'd always cook up a big pot of something...White Chili, Cheesy Potato Soup or Split Pea Soup, that I could keep warm on simmer to enjoy before, during and after the evening festivities.

What do you like to serve on Halloween?

Make This: Spicy Snack Mix

2011-10-28T07:00:00.000-07:00

Man, we do love some spicy food at my house. Yesterday it was Spicy Boiled Peanuts that are To. Die. For.

Today, I'm suggesting you give these Red Hot Nuts and Bolts a try. Although "nuts" are in the recipe title, I'll admit that I often make these without the pecans and just add two more cups of one of the other ingredients.

This is addictive stuff. Spicy, definitely. Over-the-top spicy? Depends on how much spice you like.

If you walk on the mild side, cut the chili powder and Tabasco in half, so two tablespoons of chili powder and one tablespoon of Tabasco.

Here's another link to the recipe on the Viking site: Red Hot Nuts and Bolts.

Spicy Boiled Peanuts

2011-10-27T06:00:00.000-07:00

If you haven't had boiled peanuts you don't know what you're missing. They're a Southern thing, and you can find them at roadside stands all around the South, especially in the fall as you're driving to the mountains to enjoy the fall leaves.

Plain and simple, they're just green peanuts boiled in heavily salted water, but you'll also find hot, Cajun-style peanuts as well. They're my favorite.

My friend Rebecca made a big batch of spicy peanuts and asked me to tweek the recipe and the final result was divine. Just the right hit of spice on multiple levels.

There are fresh hot peppers in the mix, along with a vinegary kick from some hot sauce. I use a mix of peppers, including some habanero peppers, which are really, really hot. The long cook time takes off the heat, so these aren't overly spicy.

For the hot sauce, I used Texas Pete, which is fairly mild when it comes to hot sauces.

These need to simmer on the stove for a long time, five to six hours to be exact. Then, I cool them down and let them sit overnight in the cooking liquid to season them further.

Once they've sat overnight, I usually divide the batch of peanuts into two containers, top with the briney liquid and freeze. Boiled peanuts freeze really well. This way I've always got some on hand when game day arrives. I thaw them in the microwave and then reheat them in a saucepan on the stove.

The real trick is finding the green peanuts for the recipe. They're abundant in supermarkets in my area, but you can also buy them online. You want raw, green peanuts, and they're usually labeled that way.

If you've never had boiled peanuts, here's how you eat 'em: Break open the shell and enjoy the soft, flavorful peanuts inside. A lot of Southerners use their teeth to crack open the shells, sucking out the juices as they open the peanuts.

Spicy Boiled Peanuts

3 pounds raw green peanuts, washed
1/3 cup kosher or fine sea salt
1 cup hot sauce, such as Texas Pete
4 1/2-inch coins of fresh ginger (no need to peel)
1 tablespoons black peppercorns
2 bay leaves
2 habanjero peppers, sliced in half
2 jalapeno peppers, sliced in half

Place all ingredients in a pot. Cover with water and stir. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to medium-low or low and cook, partially covered, for 5-6 hours, adding water to keep all of the peanuts covered.

Makes a lot of peanuts!

Make This Tonight: Beef Stew

2011-10-25T06:38:00.000-07:00

Later this week I'm going to begin sharing some things I like to serve while enjoying a college football game. However, the last time I mentioned which team I root for, they lost. So, I won't jinx my team again, that's for sure!

In the meantime, how about a little hearty autumn fare?

Hubs has been craving braised beef ever since the first signs of fall weather.

When the weather took its first dip he cooked up a Daube of Beef from an old community cookbook. Then, more recently, he made pot roast. It was good. I mean GOOD.

This week I'll do the braising and I think I'll make him a batch of this Glorious Beef Stew.

The recipe was originally shared with my mother by a friend of hers named Gloria, so the little recipe card with the recipe on it was titled "Gloria's Beef Stew." But since I don't remember who Gloria was (evidently she was a neighbor when I was small), I re-dubbed it Glorious Beef Stew.

It's a wonderful, basic stew that's flavored with thyme and bay leaves. My mom used to cook it on the stove but I changed the method and now pop it in the oven to braise unattended. Oh, and the first step of the recipe is to brown the beef...but not on the stove, either, which is my least favorite part of stew making. Browning things in batches is fairly tedious work...which involves getting splattered with hot oil. Ouch!

The beef gets browned in a hot oven and then the temperature gets turned down and the stew braises at 300 degrees for a couple of hours.

This is a wonderful Sunday supper, but I like to make it on a weeknight when I'm arriving home from the office by 4 or 4:30. I just put the beef in the oven to brown and run upstairs to change out of my work clothes. When I come down, the stew is ready for the first round in the low oven, giving me plenty of time to prep the carrots and potatoes. Dinner's on the table by 7 p.m.

Here's another link to the recipe on the Viking Web site: Glorious Beef Stew.

Make This Tonight: Lasagna for Fall

2011-10-21T07:00:00.000-07:00

Although this week started out to hot to be considered fall (highs in the high 80s), things are cool and crisp now that the week is coming to a close.

This weather has me craving rustic comfort fare, so I think I'll whip up a batch of this Sausage and Mushroom Lasagna tonight or this weekend.

I came up with the recipe when I was craving a delicious rosemary-scented sausage and mushroom pasta that I had created years ago, but needed something I could make ahead and serve for company.

If you don't want to go to the trouble of making the bechamel sauce, just make the sausage and mushroom sauce and toss with penne pasta or fettuccine. I promise, you won't regret it!

What are you cooking this weekend? I'd love to hear!

Potato Knish

2011-10-20T07:00:00.000-07:00

I couldn't get those Potato Knishes we enjoyed at Carnegie Deli when we went to New York this summer off of my mind. They were so darn good that I had to come up with a recipe so we could enjoy them at home.

The potatoes were simple. I knew the filling of the knish we enjoyed was simply mashed potatoes, sauteed onions and salt and pepper. One try and I had it.

The dough wasn't as intuitive. It wasn't quite pie crust dough and I definitely didn't think it was a yeast dough. After perusing the Internet, I found a few recipes, combined them and came up with a version of my own. (If you make knish and have the perfect dough recipe, please share! I like how mine turned out, but would like it to be a bit more like the Carnegie Deli dough.) I used oil in the dough, which I think is traditional, but butter would have added wonderful flavor.

I rolled out the dough into a long rectangle and then spread the potato mixture on one end. Next, I rolled it up, jelly-roll style.

There are several ways you can form the knishes, and I opted for a round knish with a dimple in the middle. The Carnegie Deli knishes were not formed this way. They were square, so to prepare them that way all you do is roll everything up and then make cuts and seal the edges.

I made these when favorite son was home from college and he said I nailed them. As Charlie Sheen would say, "WINNING!"

Potato Knishes

1 cup water
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 cups fall-purpose flour
½ cup vegetable oil, plus 3 tablespoons for the onions and 2 tablespoons for brushing the dough
1 ½ large Vidalia or other sweet onions, finely chopped
5-6 Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 egg yolks, beaten

Combine the water, vinegar, salt, flour and ½ cup of the vegetable oil the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Pulse until dough begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl. Remove the dough and knead on a lightly floured surface until smooth. Place dough in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Set aside to rest for 1 hour.

Heat the remaining 3 tablespoons of oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the onions and turn the heat down to medium or medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are very wilted, being careful not to let them get browned, about 5 minutes.

While you cook the onions, Place the potato pieces in a saucepan. Cover with water and add salt. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and then reduce heat and simmer, uncovered on medium-low until potatoes are tender, about 15-20 minutes. Drain the potatoes, return them to the saucepan and mash. Season well with salt and pepper and then stir in the caramelized onions. Taste and add more salt and pepper, if needed. (If the potatoes are too dry, add a little chicken broth if you don't want to use dairy, or some milk or cream to make a moister mixture.)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces. Lightly dust a clean, flat surface with flour and roll the dough out into a very thin rectangle, approximately 8-by-12 inches. Brush the dough with some of the oil and then spread ¼ of the mashed potatoes along the bottom of the widest side of the dough. Roll up the dough. Pinch the ends of the dough sealed and then use the side of your hand to make indentations in the dough, dividing it into quarters without going all the way through.

Twist the dough at the indentations. Pinch the ends of the dough and flatten the knish into a round about 3-inches wide. Use your fingers to make an indentation in the center and proceed with the remaining dough and potatoes. Brush all of the knishes with the beaten egg yolks and bake for 25-30 minutes, until golden brown.

Makes 12 knishes.

I Love This: Caramel Coconut Fudge

2011-10-17T07:00:00.000-07:00

I'm usually not a big fan of grab-and-go bars, such as granola bars, fruit bars, protein bars, etc. But I've found one that I absolutely love, so I thought I'd share.

If you love Samoa Girl Scout Cookies, these FiberPlus Caramel Coconut Fudge bars from Kellogg's taste very similar, without all of the fat and calories. Plus, Girl Scout Cookie season only comes once a year.

One bar has 130 calories and 9 grams of fiber and I like to enjoy one in the afternoon, when my energy is hitting a slump. And, with all of that fiber (35 percent of your daily recommended intake), they curb your appetite until dinner.

What's your grab-and-go favorite?

Note: I am not affiliated with Kellogg's nor have I been provided with free products or payment for this recommendation. I just found these to be really good and wanted to spread the word. -K

Tilapia Piccata

2011-10-12T04:00:00.000-07:00

Most of the time my family loves eating the recipes I'm testing for one of my jobs, and like I said yesterday, testing recipes all the time doesn't leave a ton of room in our weekly menus for their favorite dishes.

I shared some of the dishes that do make the regular rotation yesterday, and today's Tilapia Piccata is a dish my daughter wishes I'd make more often. It's her second most-requested dish, right after her much-requested Cajun Pasta.

Fortunately, this dish pretty simple to put together, so as long as I keep the ingredients on hand (frozen tilapia fillets in the freezer, panko in the pantry and lemons and capers in the fridge) I can make this on a moment's notice.

The same method also works for thin chicken or pork cutlets.

I serve a side of angel hair pasta tossed with butter, Parm, black pepper and lemon zest and a green vegetable. Her favorite veggie side is sauteed spinach, but if I don't have any on hand I'll serve some steamed asparagus, broccoli or hericot verts.

Tilapia Piccata

4 Tilapia fillets, each cut into two long pieces
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 egg (you may need another egg)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup Italian seasoned panko (I used Progresso for testing purposes)
¼ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
Zest and juice of 1 lemon (about 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice)2 tablespoons canola or other light vegetable oil
1 tablespoon butter
3 tablespoons capers
½ cup dry white wine

Season both sides of the Tilapia fillets with the salt and pepper. Place the flour in a pie plate and season with salt and pepper. Break the egg into a pie plate and beat with a small whisk or fork and set aside.

Combine the panko, parmesan and lemon zest in another pie plate or shallow container.

Dip a fillet into the flour, shaking off any excess. Dip in the egg, coating on both sides, and then coat well with the panko mixture. Set aside on a plate while you coat the remaining fillets.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high until shimmering. Add the fillets and cook for 2-3 minutes per side, until coating is crisp and golden brown and fish is done. Remove to a plate and set aside.

Add the butter and melt over medium-high heat. When the butter begins to foam, add the capers, wine and lemon juice. Bring to a boil and simmer for a few minutes, to reduce slightly. Taste and add salt and pepper as needed.

Divide the tilapia fillets among four dinner plates and divide the sauce over the top.

Makes 4 servings.

What's Cooking at Casa Calloway?

2011-10-11T04:00:00.000-07:00

Most American families have a rotation of eight to 12 dinner recipes that they repeat over and over and over.

While that may sound awfully repetitive, I'm always happy when I read about American families using recipes at all since you read so much these days about families who don't cook at all or very little.

I'm often asked how we "really eat" at Casa Calloway. For years I've taught gourmet cooking classes and developed recipes, both gourmet and quick and easy, for Viking and The Augusta Chronicle. All of the recipes have been served in my home, usually about three times before I consider them tested, tweaked and ready to share. So, we're definitely not like most American families with eight or so rotating dinners.

Tomorrow I'll share one of our go-to meals, but getting ready to write that post got me thinking about our dinner rotation at our house. One of the fun things about this blog is that it almost a diary of what we eat at my house. On frequent rotation are some of the following.

Bond's barbecue. We use our Viking Gravity Feed Smoker, Electric Smoker Oven and C4 a lot. As in A LOT! Our Viking Gas Grill with TruSear gets a workout as well.

We save up all of the smoked (and a lot of the grilled) leftovers in our freezer and once or twice a year, hubs will cook up some of his famous Brunswick Stew. Although we share some of the stew with friends and family, his batch is usually about 32 quarts, which means we freeze quite a few quarts to enjoy throughout the year.

Along with the stuff we cook outdoors, we enjoy a lot of pasta. That's because I'm more of a pasta than a protein girl. I love the Q, but if I had to pick between a plate of pasta and some pulled pork, the pasta would win out. (Although I have been known to use the remnants of our smoking and grilling adventures in pasta sauces of all kinds! And, I've made pasta topped with Brunswick Stew and shredded cheddar...and. it. is. good!)

The Cajun pasta above (either with or without chicken) is one of the dinners that makes us like most other Americans. This one we repeat on a regular basis and have gone through spells where it was on our dinner table almost once a week.

My Mac and Cheese also appeared regularly when favorite son was living at home. Since he's gone to college it isn't in our normal rotation but it's the one thing I can guarantee Tripp will want to eat when he gets home from UGA.

As far as entrees go, Chicken or Shrimp Etouffee are also fairly routine at Casa Calloway. They're definitely not quick and easy, but they're darn good!

Chicken in many forms is a family favorite, and we also love hearty soups and stews. This Bean, Bacon and Chicken Soup is pretty typical of my weeknight soup suppers. I'm pretty sure I've developed about 10 white bean soups over the years. If you're like me and love white beans, send me an e-mail at karin.calloway@gmail.com and I'll create a listing of all of the recipes I've whipped up for white bean soups (and other items) for Viking and The Augusta Chronicle.

Pizza also makes regular appearances, about every other week or so. This version is my recent favorite, but I've toyed around with Chicago style and New York style as well.

And, I'm a bit of a sandwich lover, so I'll often braise a whole brisket, pork loin or some chicken breasts in a flavorful liquid, shred the meat and return to the liquid and then serve the meat on rolls for tasty, hearty hot sandwiches. Other times I'll use leftovers to create something really good, like these Pork and Broccoli Raab Sandwiches.

Steak appears on our menu every other Friday or so, either grilled or pan-seared. Sides will include steamed asparagus or broccoli, a salad and either pasta tossed with butter, parm and black pepper or baked potatoes.

We love to cook ethnic food: Indian (like the Bihndi Masala pictured at the top), Italian, Thai and of course, my grandmother's Hungarian recipes. Even though favorite daughter is not longer a vegetarian, we regularly enjoy meat-free meals and vegetarian entrees, soups and stews.

What are your go-to family dinners? Are you a taco Tuesday family like I grew up in? is spaghetti with meat sauce served up once a week? I'd love to hear about how your family dines at home!

If you want to know more about what I serve my family, check out my recipe categories! Like I said, this blog is basically a diary of what I cook up in my Viking kitchen, so hopefully you'll find lots of family dinner ideas here!

See you tomorrow with my family favorite Tilapia Piccata!

-K

Apple-icious! Some Favorite Apple Recipes

2011-10-10T04:00:00.000-07:00

Like pumpkin, apples are fall favorites and boy do I love creating dishes with apples!

So, here are links to a few Apple-icious recipes I've shared over the years. (Yes, I have now typed Apple-icious three times. I love inventing new words and I think this one is a "keeper.")

Let's start with first courses. Crunchy Cran-Apple Salad has become one of my favorites around the holidays. It's nice and light, making it the perfect accompaniment to those heavy holiday meals.

This Crispy, Crunchy Chopped Salad is one of my favorite salads to serve in the fall. Leftover grilled or roasted chicken or roasted turkey can make this a main dish.

This Sweet Potato Soup is garnished with crisp apple slices. Sometimes I'll grate some apple and saute it along with the onions for added apple flavor.

Although these Apple Butter Barbecued Shrimp don't include actual fresh apple, the flavor of apple butter in the basting sauce is simply sublime. I shared the link as a suggestion for a tailgate appetizer, but these are also a welcome addition to a game-day spread at home.

Now, onto a side dish. These Scalloped Apples are wonderful served at brunch or alongside a roasted turkey or baked ham.

Besides this Chicken Normandy, I haven't developed many main dishes that include apples.

But this Pork Cider Stew gets its luscious flavor from the apple cider, so it counts, right?

And, the pork in these cute little autumn sliders benefit from an apple cider brine.

Apples really shine in desserts and there are a lot of apple desserts on my to-do list this fall. I want to whip up an apple coffee cake, Amish apple dumplings and maybe even some tasty apple fritters. In the meantime, one of my all-time favorites is this Fresh Apple Cake. It's a recipe I've been making since I was in my 20s and it is moist and delicious.

My Grandmother's Hungarian Apple Pite Squares are another old-time favorite. Boy do these take me back to my childhood!
These Easy Caramel Apple Cupcakes start with a spice cake mix, so they're super quick and easy but they're also delicious. I love to make these in mini muffin tins (lined with papers) for autumn children's events, such as fall festivals and bake sales.

I guess I need to add some sort of apple pie to my fall to-do list! Surprisingly, I haven't created one for Viking or for Karin's Viking Kitchen.

What's your favorite way to enjoy apple season?

Here are the links again:
-Crunchy Cran-Apple Salad
-Crispy, Crunchy Chopped Salad
-Sweet Potato Soup
-Apple Butter Barbecued Shrimp
-Scalloped Apples
-Chicken Normandy
-Pork Cider Stew
-Cider-Brined Pork Tenderloin Sandwiches
-Fresh Apple Cake
-Apple Pite Squares
-Easy Caramel Apple Cupcakes

Make This: Chicken Normandy

2011-10-06T04:00:00.000-07:00

I posted yesterday about my pumpkin love in the fall, but I've got more than one fall craving. Apples would be my second craving and this recipe for Chicken Normandy uses them in luscious sauce for a chicken entree.

The recipe is part of a menu I developed for Viking's Web site to highlight apple season, and I'm definitely in the mood for some apple deliciousness. In fact, next week I'll point you in the direction of some of the delicious apple dishes I've created over the years.

Meanwhile, make this Chicken Normandy this weekend to prime your taste buds for the jewels of the fall.

Here's another link to the recipe: Chicken Normandy.

I Love This: Pumpkin!

2011-10-05T04:00:00.000-07:00

When the calendar says October at the top of a new month I start craving pumpkin. It's one of my favorite flavors of fall.

If you love pumpkin, too, here are some ideas to bring some orange to your autumn menus.

First, how about some simple Cream Cheese Pumpkin Bars? They're super easy and really good!

A bit more work, but simply sublime: Pumpkin Cheesecake.

Sometimes I can't decide whether I want pie or cake, so this Pumpkin Pecan Pie Cake satisfies both cravings.

And, this Pumpkin Flan is just amazing in the way it combines two of my favorites: Flan and Pumpkin. Yum!

And, I don't limit my pumpkin consumption to dessert. Try these delicious Curried Pumpkin Rolls the next time you're baking up a ham or braising a pork loin.

What's your favorite way to enjoy pumpkin in the fall? I'm thinking I'll have to come up with some new pumpkin recipes soon. Maybe pumpkin pancakes, pumpkin coffee cake, pumpkin muffins with maple cream cheese frosting...What about you?

Here are the links again:
-Cream Cheese Pumpkin Bars
-Pumpkin Cheesecake
-Pumpkin Pecan Pie Cake
-Pumpkin Flan
-Curried Pumpkin Rolls

Maple Braised Bacon for Fall

2011-10-04T04:00:00.000-07:00

Ahhhh. Finally. The temperature has dipped and believe me, I didn't hesitate before enjoying something with some fall flavor.

Braised pork belly is all over restaurant menus these days, but here in the Augusta-area I can't get my hands on any. So, what's the next best thing? Slab bacon. Although it's still not easy to come by, I found a butcher in South Augusta that carried it. I used half of the slab bacon I bought for our July 4th Hungarian bacon roast and then I froze the remaining bacon for braising when autumn finally rolled in.

I made the braise the day before I planned to serve it so that I could decrease the fat in the sauce a little. I placed the pork on a plate and then covered my saute casserole with plastic wrap so that the fat from the bacon would rise to the top and solidify under refrigeration for easy removal. However, you can serve the bacon right away if you can't wait.

The braising liquid is similar to the sauce for my Smoked Pork Chops with Maple-Caramelized Onion Reduction but I don't caramelize the onions, I simply let them braise along with the bacon.

I had initially intended to use cipollini onions to give this a rustic Italian-ish (I know, maple syrup probably doesn't appear in many Italian recipes) and serve with soft polenta and sauteed broccoli raab. The bitter greens would counter the richness of the braised bacon and polenta. But, like the pork belly, I was foiled again. No cipollini onions to be found. So, I used some sweet onions instead and served the bacon atop some yellow grits. I still served the broccoli raab as a side, but if I took the Southern route again I'd serve some long-simmered collards in place of the rapini.

In the end, this turned out to be a luscious ode to autumn. It's a bit rich to enjoy regularly, but the menu may just become my annual toast to the turn of the seasons.

Maple Braised Bacon

2 pound slab bacon, cut into 8 pieces and scored on both sides
1 large sweet onion, peeled and thinly sliced
2 teaspoons minced garlic, about 2 large cloves
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
1 1/2 cups vegetable or chicken stock, reduced-sodium or salt free if using store-bought stock
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
2 bay leaves
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 275 degrees.

Place the slab bacon pieces in the bottom of a large saute casserole. Add the remaining ingredients, cover and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Turn off heat and place covered casserole in the oven and braise for 3-4 hours, until bacon is fork tender. Remove from the oven, remove the bacon to a platter and bring the stock mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. Boil until reduced by 1/3. Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate the bacon on the platter and cover the casserole and refrigerate overnight. Remove the fat from the top of the stock, return the bacon to the casserole and simmer until heated through.

Makes 4 servings.

Make This Tonight: Chicken Marsala

2011-09-30T07:17:00.000-07:00

Girl-child had a craving last week for Chicken Marsala, so that's what she got. It's not a difficult dish to prepare but it's flavor-packed and delicious served over some pasta or with a side of garlic mashed potatoes.

I've come up with several versions of the recipe. The one I developed for the Viking Range Corporation Web site included truffle oil and brie, making it over-the-top rich and delish. Here's a link to that recipe: Chicken Marsala with Truffles and Brie. The photo accompanying this post is of this version.

However, the version I'm sharing today is the one I make most often for a weeknight family meal.

I recently came up with a version of Pork Marsala that uses thin pork chops in place of the chicken, and my family really enjoyed it as well. The recipe ran a few weeks back in my column in The Augusta Chronicle. Here's the link: Pork Marsala. The sauce in this version gets a hit of cream, making as sauce that's a bit more luxurious.

Whichever version you make, I think the mushroom and Marsala sauce makes this a perfect fall entree, and believe me, I'm ready for the change in season!

Have a great weekend!
-K.

Chicken Marsala

3 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, but in half horizontally into two thin cutlets
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
6 tablespoons butter, divided
1 tablespoon olive oil
8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/2 cup Marsala wine
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons or more freshly grated Parmesan

Preheat oven to 200 degrees.

Combine salt, pepper, paprika and flour on a plate and place near the cook top.

Heat 3 tablespoons of the butter and the olive oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat until very hot. Dredge several chicken cutlets in the seasoned flour, shaking off excess and then add them to the pan, being careful not to crowd the pan. Saute until browned, turning after one or two minutes. Remove chicken to a plate when done and continue with remaining cutlets, until all have been cooked.

Sprinkle the lemon juice over the chicken and keep warm in a 200 degree oven.

Add remaining 3 tablespoons of butter to the pan over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and season with salt and pepper. Saute until mushrooms are golden brown. Add the Marsala and cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until the wine is reduced by half. Stir in the chopped parsley and return the chicken to the pan, turning once to coat. Transfer to a serving platter and top with the mushrooms and sauce and sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese.

Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Sort of Spanikopita

2011-09-28T04:00:00.000-07:00

I love Greek food and it's almost time for the annual Greek Festival here in Augusta. They serve souvlaki platters, Greek pastries and Greek chicken. But I almost always enjoy a spanikopita, Greek lamb sandwich and Greek potatoes.

Since I couldn't wait a week or so until the festival I went ahead and whipped up some entree-sized Spanikopita for a recent weekday meal.

Prepared filo dough makes these super simple to prepare. And, I call these Sort of Spanikopita because since I was making them entree-sized I wanted the filling to be a bit less rich than my usual Spanikopita so I added some skim milk ricotta cheese to the filling.

They still needed a little something, so I made a quick lemon cream sauce to drizzle over the top.

These definitely have gotten me through until I get to hit the festival.

Sort of Spanikopita

2 10-ounce boxes frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1/4 cup olive oil
6 green onions, finely chopped
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
2 teaspoons minced fresh dill weed
2 teaspoons minced fresh mint leaves
8 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
1 cup regular or reduced-fat ricotta cheese
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled
1 pound filo dough, thawed

For the Lemon Cream Sauce
1 shallot, minced
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
1/4 cup dry white wine
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 pint heavy cream
Pinch ground white pepper
Sea salt, to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the green onions and sauté until tender. Add parsley, spinach, dill and mint and sauté briefly. Remove from heat, fold in feta and ricotta and season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Place 1 sheet of filo on a work surface, keeping the remaining sheets covered with a towel to prevent drying out. Brush with some of the butter. Place another filo sheet on top of the first and brush with some of the butter. Repeat with 1 more piece of the filo dough. Place about 1/2 cup of the filling in the bottom left-hand corner of the filo. Roll up like a flag and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough and filling. Brush packets with butter. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the lemon cream sauce. Sauté the shallots in half of the butter for 3 minutes. Add the wine and lemon juice simmer until reduced by two-thirds. Strain.

Add the cream and continue simmering until reduced by half. Cut the remaining butter into 1/4-inch cubes, and add to the sauce, stirring continuously until fully incorporated. Season with salt and a pinch of white pepper. Cover and set in a warm place until ready to serve. To serve, drizzle some of the lemon cream over each dinner plate. Place a packet atop the sauce and serve.

Makes 6-8 large triangles.

Dinner When the AC Breaks

2011-09-26T04:00:00.000-07:00

A big twig fell into our downstairs air conditioner. What are the chances of that? It must have been a pretty strong twig, because it bent the blade, blocked the spinning action and burned out the motor.

So until it's fixed, I'm not heating up the oven. Nope. No Way.

I think I'll make this Grilled Chicken Chopped Salad for dinner tonight. It's hearty enough to serve as a main dish, but everything is cool and crisp.

What do you make when it's too hot in the kitchen to cook?

Have a great week!
-K

Make These: Banana Pancakes

2011-09-23T03:00:00.000-07:00

I've been a little pancake obsessed lately. For some reason I'm craving pancakes and these Banana Pancakes are some of the best I've ever made.

I think I'll make these this weekend for brunch...or maybe for dinner. Why not? Breakfast for dinner is one of my favorite meals.

What about you? Do you ever enjoy breakfast for dinner? I'd love to hear!

Have a great weekend!

-K.

End of Summer Seafood Stew

2011-09-22T03:00:00.000-07:00

Most years, Labor Day comes and goes and the weather doesn't change all that much. This year, however, has been different here in Augusta. It's almost like Labor Day signaled Mother Nature to unleash fall the following day. It's been milder and a little rainy (relief from the summer drought).

I love the fall and I love cooking in the fall, so as soon as the cooler weather hit, I made some delicious seafood stew. It's the perfect bridge meal between summer and fall. The seafood is light, but the tomato broth is warming.

I used a combination of cod, bay scallops and shrimp in the stew, but you can use your favorite combination of seafood, throwing in some mussles and clams if you like.

I served this with a tossed salad with lemon vinaigrette and some crusty bread, but the salad is optional. The bread, however, is great for dipping in the luscious tomato broth.

End of Summer Seafood Stew

2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup finely chopped sweet or yellow onion
1 rib celery, finely chopped
1/2 bulb fennel, finely chopped
1 teaspoon minced garlic, about 1 large clove
1 teaspoon thyme
1 cup dry white wine
14-16 ounces chicken broth or clam juice
16 ounces tomato sauce
1 6 to 8-ounce can minced clams, drained and juices reserved for the broth
1 bay leaf
1/2 pound cod fillets, cut into large pieces
1/2 pound fresh bay scallops
1/2 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

Heat the oil in a sauce pot over medium-high heat. Add the onions, celery and fennel and cook until the vegetables are translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and thyme and saute for 1 minute, until garlic is fragrant. Add the wine and cook until reduced by half. Add the broth or clam juice, tomato sauce, the juices from the drained clams and the bay leaf. Bring to a boil and then reducde heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Add the seafood and simmer for 5-6 minutes, until seafood is done. Remove the bay leaf and serve.

Makes 4 servings.

Make This: Apple Butter BBQ Shrimp

2011-09-15T03:00:00.000-07:00

Throw these on the grill the next time you invite friends over to watch college football or pack them up to grill as you tailgate before kickoff.

They're sticky, kind of sweet, salty from bacon...just darn good.

I happen to serve these while watching my college alma mater, the National Champion (ahem...clears throat in a gloating fashion) Auburn Tigers, but they're just as good served before any college game, no matter who you root for.

Here's another link to the recipe: Apple Butter Barbecue Shrimp.

Eggplant Bayou Teche Casserole

2011-09-14T03:00:00.000-07:00

There's a Paul Prudhomme recipe that I've been dying to try for years. It's called Eggplant Bayou Teche and it's basically a fried eggplant boat (Cajun's call it a pirogue, which is the name of a certain kind of boat found in the bayous of Louisiana) filled with crab and shrimp bound in a dark roux.

I had picked up some locally grown eggplant and was looking for something new to do with it besides my usual Melanzana Mozzarella. This was my happy detour and it's one I'll revisit again. Instead of eggplant boats, I combined the other ingredients with some cooked, cubed eggplant and called it a casserole.

Hubs says it's one of the best things I've ever made. And, although it doesn't look as fancy as a fried eggplant boat filled with seafood, it tastes pretty darn awesome.

I used prepared roux when making the recipe, but I usually make dark roux from scratch. However, I do keep a jar of prepared roux in the fridge to free me up to make dishes like Chicken or Shrimp Etouffee or Gumbo on a weeknight without spending the 45 minutes to an hour that it takes to create a dark roux. I order it online at Cajun Grocer.

Since a roux-based sauce is a bit on the high-fat side, I opted to cook the eggplant without oil. It was simply diced and then I cooked it in a microwave-safe bowl in the microwave without any additional fat.

The holy trinity (bell pepper, onion and celery) gets sauteed in the roux, which is well-seasoned with Cajun spices, and then the eggplant, crab and shrimp are folded in.

I sprinkled the top with some breadcrumbs and baked it in the oven.

This is an extremely flavorful dish and it's a nice meal to prepare as we head into the fall months, where appetites are a bit heartier. We enjoyed the casserole with some crusty French bread on the side, but it also would be good served atop some baked white rice.

Eggplant Bayou Teche Casserole

For the Spice Mixture:
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon white pepper
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried basil

Combine spices in a small bowl and set aside.

For the Eggplant:
4 cups peeled and diced eggplant

Place the eggplant in a microwave-safe bowl. Sprinkle with 2 teaspoons of the seasoning mix and stir to coat. Microwave on high for 3 minutes. Remove from microwave and stir. Return to microwave and cook 3 minutes more. Stir and repeat one more cooking cycle of 3 minutes, or until eggplant is tender. Set aisde.

To Prepare the Casserole:
1/2 cup prepared roux
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
1/2 cup finely chopped green bell pepper
1 1/2 cups clam juice or chicken broth
1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
8 ounces jumbo lump or lump crab meat, picked over for shells
1/2 cup sliced green onions, divided
3/4 cup dried or fresh breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat the roux in a large saute pan or cast iron skillet until melted and fragrant. Add the onion, celery and green bell pepper and cook, stirring, until the vegetables are wilted. Stir in the remaining seasoning mix and cook for 1-2 minutes more. Whisk in the clam juice or chicken broth, bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and pour into a large mixing bowl.

Fold in the eggplant, shrimp and crab and half of the green onions and then spread the mixture in a casserole dish that has been sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.

Combine the breadcrumbs, butter and remaining chopped green onions in another bowl and sprinkle over the top of the casserole. Bake for 35 minutes, or until bubbly and hot throughout.

Makes 4-6 servings.

Make These for National Peanut Day

2011-09-13T08:17:00.001-07:00

These Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies have been one of my go-to cookies for years. I love the combination of peanut butter and chocolate and these have the perfect texture...crisp around the edges, chewy in the middle.

Being the cookie-baker that I am, I use the convection feature of my Viking range often. The benefits when baking cookies are two-fold. First, you can bake three sheets of cookies at one time without switching racks mid-way through baking. Second, it cuts down on the baking time just a tad (about 10 percent).

If you are a cookie baker like me, you'll also benefit from having a big, heavy duty stand mixer. Although it's a good workout for your upper arms, it's a lot of work to mix stiff cookie dough by hand.

Happy Peanut Day!

Here's a link to the recipe: Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

I Love This: Egg Salad

2011-09-13T03:00:00.000-07:00

Sometimes the best memories are things that weren't "memory makers."

My mom used to make us (herself and me) egg salad for lunch on the weekends when I was growing up and I loved it. Still do...love me some egg salad! So, on a recent weekend I whipped up some egg salad for the girl-child and myself to enjoy on some crisp saltine crackers, kind of revisiting the mom-daughter treat I enjoyed when I was growing up.

There isn't much simpler than egg salad. Just some chopped up hard-cooked eggs, mayo, a little yellow mustard, salt and pepper. Done.

I learned a trick a few years back though, at the luncheon after the bar mitzvah of a friend's son. It was a feast of bagels, cream cheese, salads and more. The egg salad tasted just like mom's but with one difference: the texture. Although I never asked the caterer, I think the eggs were pressed through a sieve.

I tried it at home with Mom's basic recipe and I've been hooked on the method ever since.

I use a small sieve, hold it with my fingers and use both thumbs to press the eggs through the sieve.

Then I add the other ingredients.

Give it a stir and it's ready to go. Sometimes the simplest things are the best, you know?

Just this small extra step makes what is, to my mind, the perfect egg salad.

I think I'll make some for my mom and myself sometime soon, just upping the ingredients so the girl-child can join us. Three generations...darn good egg salad!

Mom's Egg Salad

4 hard-cooked eggs, peeled
2 tablespoons reduced-fat mayonnaise
2 teaspoons yellow mustard
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Press the eggs through a sieve into a medium bowl. Stir in the mayonnaise and mustard and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Makes 2 servings for lunch or about 6 servings served as an hors d'oeuvre.

Leftover Buttermilk Part 3: Savory

2011-09-08T03:00:00.000-07:00

Baked goods and pies aren't the only things you can make that benefit from a little (or a lot of) buttermilk.

Starters like these two make the most of buttermilk's tang.

This Green Gazpacho is a cool first course. I'm not sure which I love better, the flavor of the cold soup or the texture from all of the add-ins. It's really fun to make this and let your guests top their soup with the add-ins of their choice.

I recently posted about my love of "The Wedge."

Whether you serve them as a Southern starter or side, Hushpuppies are just plain delish! My recipe would use up a good bit of leftover buttermilk.

Hushpuppies make a regular appearance alongside some crispy Fried Catfish. The fish takes a quick bath in a little buttermilk and hot sauce before being dredged with seasoned cornmeal.

My Fried Chicken Breasts with Honey Pecan Sauce get the same treatment with the buttermilk-hot sauce bath. It's a pretty common to dip or marinate chicken in buttermilk before it's breaded and fried.

Same goes for the Fried Okra in this vegetable dinner.

Here's another side that's made with buttermilk: Corn Pudding. I could eat this stuff three times a day it's THAT good!

Did you know that potatoes LOVE buttermilk. Well, they do...especially in this yummy Buttermilk Potato Salad...

And these tasty Lemon-Chive Mashed Potatoes.

Well, there you have it...my ideas for using up the last of the buttermilk that you purchased for a specific recipe.

Here are the recipe links:
-Green Gazpacho
-Wedge Salad
-Southern Hushpuppies
-Fried Catfish
-Fried Chicken Breasts with Honey Pecan Sauce
-Fried Okra
-Corn Pudding
-Buttermilk Potato Salad
-Lemon-Chive Mashed Potatoes

Leftover Buttermilk Part 2: Bakery

2011-09-07T03:00:00.000-07:00

Chocolate cake and a slew of other baked goods benefit from the creamy/tart flavor of buttermilk.

These chocolatey Cupcakes a la Robin call for buttermilk and are absolutely delicious.

Then I've got two cinnamon-scented treats. First, Buttermilk Cinnamon Loaves. I like to wrap these up and give them as teacher gifts around the holidays.

And, I almost forgot about these yummy Cinnamon-Strusel Scones.

Buttermilk Pancakes...now we're talking! These use a full 2 cups of buttermilk.

How about a little something that's not sweet: Cheddar and Mustard Seed Biscotti.

Last in the buttermilk bakery department, these super easy (they start with baking mix) Cheese Biscuits. The buttermilk really takes these to another place.

I'll be back tomorrow with Part 3: Savory. Meanwhile, here are the links again:
-Cupcakes a la Robin
-Buttermilk Cinnamon Loaves
-Cinnamon-Streusel Scones
-Buttermilk Pancakes
-Cheddar and Mustard Seed Biscotti
-Cheese Biscuits

Leftover Buttermilk Part 1: Pie

2011-09-06T03:00:00.000-07:00

I made a dessert that called for a little buttermilk for a photo shoot last week, and now I've got a good bit of leftover buttermilk to use up. What to do?

It's a common dilemma, but fortunately I've developed a lot of recipes that use buttermilk over the years. And I mean a lot. I had no idea how many until I searched my recipes for the ingredient. Wow!

If you've got leftover buttermilk I'm hoping that these photos and links will inspire you to not let it sour in the back of your fridge.

Let's Make Pie

Buttermilk Pie is a natural idea and it'll use up a good bit of your leftover buttermilk, a full 1 1/2 cups. Man, I forgot how much I love this pie!

Or, Chocolate Buttermilk Pie. This one tastes a lot like a chocolate chess pie, sans the cornmeal. I'm talking fudgy goodness here.

It doesn't have to be the holidays to enjoy some Sweet Potato Pie. This one turned favorite son, who isn't a fan of sweet potatoes (probably because he ate his weight in them when he was a toddler) into a sweet potato convert.

Not a pie, but a tart, this Pear and Almond Tart, a combination of pears, almond paste and a buttermilk custard is sublime.

This dessert has a bit of an identity crisis. Not a pie, not a cake...That's why I call it Blueberry Peach Deliciousness and leave it at that.

I'll be back tomorrow with Part 2: Bakery, and then will share Part 3: Savory later in the week.

Here are the links again:
-Buttermilk Pie
-Chocolate Buttermilk Pie
-Sweet Potato Pie
-Pear and Almond Tart
-Blueberry Peach Deliciousness

Make This: Potato-Artichoke Salad

2011-09-02T08:10:00.000-07:00

Potato salad is one of the all-time favorite summer holiday sides, so I'll probably make some this weekend as a side dish at one of our Labor Day cookouts.

While I love creamy potato salad, I sometimes crave something different like this Potato-Artichoke Salad. A lemony vinaigrette gives this salad a nice, clean flavor.

The salad pairs well with grilled chicken (like Bond's Rotisserie Chicken or my Lemon-Dijon Chicken) and I also like to serve it as a base for grilled fish.

Have a great weekend!

Here's another link to the recipe: Potato-Artichoke Salad.

Bond's Rotisserie Chickens

2011-08-29T14:16:00.000-07:00

My father loves roasted or rotisserie chickens, and my husband, Bond, is always happy to prepare the latter for my sweet dad. Believe me, Hubs makes some darn good chickens on our Viking grill!

He seasons the outside liberally with his version of Greek seasoning, stuffs the cavities with halved lemons, trusses the chickens and cooks them in one of our favorite grill accessories, a Rotisserie Basket.

You know how sometimes things can get loose from rotisserie forks and all of a sudden you've got half a roast flapping around? Well, that doesn't happen with these wonderful baskets. Genius I tell you! (Just make sure you tightly secure the wing nuts on the basket before you use it. Hubs uses pliers for this.)

Although some recipes for rotisserie chicken call for preheating the grill, Hubs only uses the Gourmet-Glow Infrared Rotisserie Burner when cooking his chickens. They come out perfect every time.

This is a great entree to prepare over the Labor Day weekend. The chickens practically cook themselves and they come out so juicy and tender. Once you've got the chicken going all you have to worry about are the sides...what's your favorite side dish for grilled chicken?

Bond's Rotisserie Chickens

2 3 to 4-pound whole chickens, bag of organs removed, washed and dried
2 teaspoons garlic salt
2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 lemons, cut in half
String for trussing the chickens
Olive oil, to brush on the chickens before grilling

Preheat grill to medium-high heat. Combine the spice mixture in a small bowl and rub all over the chickens and inside the cavity. Place one lemon (cut in half) in each cavity and truss the chickens using the string. Brush the chickens with olive oil and then secure them in the grill basket.

Place the basket on the rotisserie, turn the Gourmet-Glow Infrared Rotisserie Burner on, flip the switch on the rotisserie, close the lid and cook for about 1 hour 10 minutes, until internal temperature reaches around 150 degrees. The chickens will continue cooking internally for 10 minutes after they are removed, so they will reach a safe temperature for consumption without being over-cooked.

Makes 6 servings.

I Love This: Cinnamon Roll-Ups

2011-08-29T14:04:00.001-07:00

Later this week I'll share our method for making perfect rotisserie chickens on our Viking grill, but I seem to be having a bit of a sentimental journey lately, and it probably has to do with the beginning of another school year. So, I'm revisiting my childhood for a few minutes. Will you join me?

Although my one remaining at-home child now shops for her own school supplies, that was always my favorite shopping trip of the year. The smell of freshly sharpened pencils and that new box of crayons...I just loved both. What was your favorite thing about the first day of school?

We always had freshly baked cookies upon our arrival home on our first day of school. My mother always made snickerdoodle cookies for the first day of school but I always made my children chocolate chip or brownie cookies on the first day of school.

Since I'm waxing sentimental today, did your mom ever make those cinnamon roll-ups using leftover pie crust? That's one of my favorite childhood memory foods...so much so that I made some recently. And, I wasn't baking a pie, so the pie crust was made just for the treats. Here's the basic recipe, although you don't really need one.

What are some of your back-to-school or childhood favorites? I'd love to hear!

Cinnamon Rollups (with optional Vanilla Drizzle)

Prepared pie crust (homemade or 1 crust from a package of 2 refrigerated pie crusts)
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1 tablespoon sugar
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Optional vanilla drizzle:
½ cup confectioners’ sugar
1 teaspoon milk
½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Soften the pie crust according to package directions. Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Cut pie crust into 4- or 5-inch circles. Place a tablespoon of the pie filling in the center of each circle. Brush the edges of the circle with the beaten egg and then fold the circle in half over the filling, creating a half-moon shape. Use the tines of a fork to seal the turnovers completely, and then poke a few holes in the top of the turnover. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Cool and then drizzle with the glaze.

If the optional drizzle is desired, combine the confectioners’ sugar, milk and vanilla in a small bowl. Pour into a zip-top sandwich bag. Cut off a tiny wedge from one of the bottom corners of the bag to create a piping bag and then pipe the drizzle over the turnovers.

Quick Enough for a School Night Pizza

2011-08-24T03:00:00.000-07:00

Most people try to avoid heating up the kitchen during the hot summer months, but not this crazy cook.

Nope.

I've been on a quest this summer. A quest for a from-scratch thin crusted pizza that I could have on the table in an hour or so. The crust had to have great flavor, but it had to be quick.

Quick + Yeast = Not Thin Crusted

I've found through lots of experimentation (see my post on thin crust pizza HERE) that achieving thin crust with a yeast dough requires hours of proofing your dough at room temperature. I mean the longer, the better if you want it thin. If you don't proof it for hours, you end up with puffy pizza. It tastes good, but I was looking for thin crust.

So my idea was to use a yeast-free dough.

Sounded like a good idea, and I tried a few recipes that I found in cookbooks and online. They worked well if all I was looking for was thin and quick. But I wanted flavor, too, and without the yeast, all of the recipes I tried fell a bit flat in the flavor department.

Then I had my epiphany. Beer. Yep, the yeasty beverage used in place of the liquid delivers the flavor I was missing with the yeast-free doughs. I've been using regular, American beer, but I've tried specialty beers. They all work well. Miller Lite and Coors Light are my favorites, though. Both add just the right amount of yeasty flavor without being overly sweet.

Next, I played around with the fat in the dough. Sure, you can make a dough without fat, but I wanted a crust with a bit of crisp, especially around the edges. Olive oil and corn oil both worked pretty well, but by far my favorite choice was butter. Melted butter upped the crisp factor and boosted the flavor. My final destination was cold butter, cut into small cubes, pulsed into the dough. Take your pick, they all come out great!

Although I call this "School Night Pizza" because it comes together quickly enough to be served on a school night, it has become my go-to pizza for weekends, too. In fact we went on a real pizza-eating spree in July. Yes. July. I know. Too hot to turn on the oven and crazy girl here gets pizza obsessed. Love me despite my quirks, OK?

If you do choose to make this on a school night, here's how you can get 'er done:

-Arrive home, place a pizza stone on the bottom rack of the oven and turn the heat up to 500+ degrees. (This step is why the pizza takes around an hour to prepare. The oven needs to preheat for about an hour. The rest is super simple, and not nearly an hour of work.)
-Pull two pizza's worth of sauce out of the freezer and set out on the counter. (More about that in a minute.)
-Head upstairs to change clothes. If you're like me you'll put on black yoga pants and a black t-shirt and then proceed to head downstairs to make dough and end up with flour all over your black garments. This happens to me about once a week. Put on an apron for heaven's sake!
-Mix up the dough.
-Defrost the sauce in the microwave or in a small saucepan on the stove. It's not much sauce since I use just 3-4 tablespoons per pizza.
-Shred some mozzarella. Whole milk, part skim or you can even slice up some fresh mozzarella.
-Get out your toppings, some dried oregano, garlic salt and fine cornmeal.
-You're ready to go!

About the sauce. I make a batch of sauce and freeze it in 3-4 tablespoon portions in small containers or zip-top plastic bags. That way I have just enough to top a pizza, and I always have sauce at the ready when the quick pizza urge hits.

I like to top 'em off with some slice pepperoni, but you could make it Margherita-style and add a few slivered basil leaves on top. Or, opt for your favorite toppings.

Once the oven has been heating for about 45 minutes to an hour, make the pizzas. The recipe makes two 12-inch pizzas. You'll roll out the dough on a combination of flour and cornmeal, sprinkle your pizza peel (or the back of a sheet pan) with some cornmeal, top with the sauce, cheese and toppings and bake for about 12 minutes.

Here's what the bottom of the crust will look like.

This is me being a Daily Slice wannabe. (Yes, those guys at Serious Eats who review pizza from one end of the country to the other just may have my dream job. And they never forget to show you how the bottom of the crust bakes up. Hey guys, if you need a Southern pizza reviewer/eater I'm your girl!)

School started for my daughter this week so I need to go...and make some pizza!

School Night (or Anytime) Pizza with Beer in the Crust

Go ahead and place your pizza stone on the bottom rack of your oven and crank the oven up to 500+ degrees. Now proceed with the recipe.

For the crust:
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon sea or kosher salt
2 tablespoons cubed cold butter, melted butter, olive or corn oil (you choose)
1 cup beer

Pulse the flour and salt together in a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Pulse in the cold butter until it's well distributed. (If using the melted butter or oils, just add them to the food processor along with the beer.) Add the beer (if using the cold butter) and pulse until smooth. Form into two balls and set aside. (Cover with plastic wrap if it's going to be more than a few minutes until you assemble your pizzas.)

To Assemble the Pizzas:
All-purpose flour, to sprinkle on the counter
Fine cornmeal, to sprinkle on the counter and on the pizza peel
3-4 tablespoons simple pizza sauce
Sprinkling dried oregano
Sprinkling garlic salt
1 cup shredded mozzarella per pizza
About 30 sliced pepperoni per pizza

Dust your counter top or large cutting board with some of the flour and cornmeal. Take one ball of dough and pat out with your fingers on top of the dusted counter top. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough into a 12 to 13-inch round. Sprinkle the pizza peel with the cornmeal and then move the prepared crust (floured side down) to the peel.

Spread the sauce on top, sprinkle with the oregano and garlic salt, top with the shredded mozzarella and pepperoni (or other topping of your choice) and slide onto the hot pizza stone. Bake for 12 minutes, use the pizza peel to remove the pizza from the oven and allow the oven to reheat before baking the second pizza.

Makes 2 pizzas, each serving 2-3 people.

I Love This: Iceberg Wedge

2011-08-22T03:00:00.000-07:00

The iceberg wedge salad is a throwback kind of salad that has had a resurgence in popularity for about the past 10 years. And for good reason. When done right, this salad is just so darn good.

Iceberg lettuce definitely reminds me of my childhood. It's what "salad" was when I was a kid...topped with some diced tomato or tomato wedges and served in a big bowl with bottled dressings set out on the table so we could choose our favorite. Sometimes the dressing was Good Seasons. You know, the powdered mix that you shake up in a special shaker jar (we had the Good Seasons jar) with vinegar and oil. Man, I loved that stuff! (Mom, if you're reading this...do we still have the shaker for the Good Seasons?)

The wedge that I remember being served as a child was covered in pinky-orange Thousand Island dressing, but the way I serve it now, and the one most often served in restaurants, is topped with a creamy dressing that includes big chunks of blue cheese, diced tomato and crumbled bacon.

There's a secret to the perfect wedge salad, and it's pretty simple. Everything must be really cold. I mean really cold. Including the plate on which you serve it. Stick those babies in the freezer for an hour or so before you serve your wedge and all will be right with the world. As much as I love a wedge, there's nothing worse than a warm wedge salad...eeeewwww!

Although it's most often served as a first course, I'll often enjoy this cool salad as an entree on a hot August night.

Oh, and I do a version of the wedge that I top with crab remoulade...so good. I'll have to share that soon!

And, if you've made it all the way down this far in this posting, please leave me a comment about your favorite throwbacks from your childhood. Did you love fish sticks, grilled cheese sandwiches made with Velveeta, Spaghetti-O's or Honeycombs cereal?

The Wedge—Iceberg Lettuce Wedge with Buttermilk Blue Cheese Dressing, Diced Tomato and Crisp Bacon

For the dressing:
8 ounces crumbled blue cheese
2 cups Hellman’s mayonnaise
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons white vinegar
2 teaspoons garlic powder
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Combine all ingredients. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

For the salad:
Iceberg lettuce, cut into wedges
Tomatoes
Crisp cooked bacon, chopped

Wash the lettuce, dry and slice into wedges. (I usually place the wedges in a colander, cover with a slightly damp paper towel and refrigerate ahead of time.) Place on chilled salad plates. Drizzle each wedge with the dressing and sprinkle with some of the tomatoes and bacon.

Note: The recipe makes a lot of dressing, probably enough for a dozen salads, but leftover dressing is delicious served as a dip for thick potato chips, stirred into a piping hot baked potato or served with some hot and spicy buffalo wings. Alternately, you can simply cut the recipe in half. The dressing is thick when first made, but thins out as it sits in the refrigerator.

Make This Tonight: Cajun Pasta for my C.C.

2011-08-18T03:00:00.000-07:00

Favorite daughter (aka girl-child) heads back to school this coming Monday. It's a bittersweet thing for this mama...her last "first day of school" under my roof as she begins senior year. I hate to even think about a house absent of this girl.

One funny rhythm we got into during her junior year of high school is that she craved my now chicken-free Cajun Pasta every Monday. Honestly. She'd text me from school and ask me to make it for dinner...EVERY Monday.

My mom teaches piano lessons, and her night lessons are on Monday night, so my dad will often head over to check in with us while she teaches. He can verify that the Cajun Pasta was regularly prepared on Monday nights last school year, oh yes he can.

So, I'm making this in honor of her last first day of school. With a tear in my eye. Because I love my baby girl and I can't imagine what the next chapter of our life will hold...with two kids in college and lots of "way too quiet" in our house.

But I've got a year to figure out what life at Casa Calloway will look like a year from now when she heads to art school, state college, out-of-state college (that's all TBD) and in the meantime, our artisy one will probably continue to have her Monday night Cajun Pasta fix. It's the least a mama can do for precious too-soon-to-leave-the-nest girl-child.

Here's another link to the recipe: Cajun Pasta
If you want a version WITH the chicken, here's the link to that recipe: Cajun Chicken Pasta

1 Eggplant + Hungry = Timpano

2011-08-17T03:00:00.000-07:00

I bought three eggplants and decided I only needed two to make my version of Eggplant Parmesan, so instead of letting this one lonely eggplant spoil, I decided to jump in and use it to make an Eggplant-Ziti Timpano.

Spur-of-the-moment thing that it was, it turned out pretty darn fantastic.

I sliced and salted the eggplant and then baked it off in the oven. Then I coated a stainless steel mixing bowl with olive oil and seasoned breadcrumbs and layered in the eggplant slices. Isn't she pretty? (However, a lot of the breadcrumbs stayed behind in the bowl...but it came out very easily, so I guess you win some, you lose some.)

For the filling, I used my go-to baked ziti recipe. I learned how to make baked ziti from two Jersey girls when I was first married, and I've been making it their way ever since.

I loved the movie Big Night, and I adore Stanley Tucci, he's one of my favorite actors. A few years back, when I was teaching weekly cooking classes, one of my friends/class attendees gave me his cookbook for Christmas. It included the famed Big Night timpano recipe but he also had a recipe in the book that used eggplant in place of the dough for the outside of the timpano, so the concept of using eggplant on the outer layer was far from original, although it was real good...real good I tell ya!

So, here's how to "get 'er done." This is far less elaborate than the version in the movie but still delicious and pretty (despite the poor lighting in my photos!).

Eggplant-Ziti Timpano

For the eggplant:
1 large eggplant
Sea or kosher salt
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for greasing the baking sheet
1 cup dried seasoned breadcrumbs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cut the ends off of the eggplant and then cut 1/4-inch vertical slices of the eggplant. Place in a colander and sprinkle with salt. Set aside for 20 minutes and then brush the slices with paper towels to remove the liquid and salt.

Drizzle a baking sheet lightly with olive oil and place the eggplant slices on the sheet. Turn to coat with the oil and then bake for 10 minutes, until softened. Set aside.

Coat a stainless steel bowl (3 quarts) with the 2 tablespoons of olive oil and then sprinkle the breadcrumbs in the bowl, turning the bowl to coat evenly. Set aside.

For the ziti:
1 pound ziti pasta
3-4 cups marinara sauce or prepared spaghetti sauce, divided
1 pound ricotta cheese
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Cook pasta in rapidly boiling water 8 minutes, until almost done. Drain well and return to pot.

While pasta boils, combine ricotta and Parmesan cheese, eggs, seasonings and shredded mozzarella.

Toss drained pasta with 1/2 cup marinara sauce, reserving the remaining sauce for serving. Fold in ricotta mixture.

Assembly:
Arrange the eggplant slices in the prepared bowl, reserving a few slices for the bottom of the timpano, and then fill with the pasta (you'll have leftover pasta to use for another meal). Bake for 45 minutes and then let set for 10 minutes. Invert the timpano out of the bowl, slice and serve with the heated remaining marinara sauce.

Makes 6-8 servings.

Make This Tonight: Peanut Butter Pie

2011-08-11T11:00:00.000-07:00

Alot of us in the blog-o-sphere will be making this tonight in honor of the untimely death of fellow blogger and recipe developer Jennie Perillo's husband.

I've been a "lurker" (I think that's what they call someone who follows a blog but hasn't left a comment...) on her blog for quite a while and love it.

In her latest post she closed with the following: "For those asking what they can do to help my healing process, make a peanut butter pie this Friday and share it with someone you love. Then hug them like there's no tomorrow because today is the only guarantee we can count on."

I don't know Jennie, never met her, but she's been on my heart all week. One minute she's tweeting about homemade mayo and slushies, the next she's hit by unbelievable tragedy.

It reminds me to appreciate those I love and savor every minute with them.

If you'd like to join Jennie, you can use my recipe for Frozen Peanut Butter Pie or Jennie's.

Now go hug someone you love.

Buffalo Chicken Thighs & More

2011-08-11T03:00:00.000-07:00

We like things hot and spicy at Casa Calloway, so when a reader of my Augusta Chronicle column, Dianne Waszak, sent me her husband Carlos' recipe for Buffalo chicken legs on the grill, we were anxious to give it a try. Sure, we'd done Buffalo chicken wings on the grill a time or two, but Carlos' recipe was different.

First, the chicken legs were sprinkled with a seasoning blend. We loved the spice combination so much that we now keep it in a shaker-top jar on our counter. It's a combination of spices you probably already have in the pantry: Salt, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder, mixed in equal parts. Simple, right? Sometimes the simplest things are the best.

The chicken legs were grilled and then taken off the grill when they're almost done to be tossed with a combination of hot sauce, melted butter and olive oil. They recommended Louisiana hot sauce, and we took their recommendation literally, using Original Louisiana brand hot sauce (the one with the yellow label with a red dot). It's inexpensive, easy to find and packs just the right punch.

Once they're tossed with the sauce combo, the legs hit the grill again and this is the secret to the recipe's success. The sauce is very present, but the flavor seems to be increased by just a few more minutes on the grill. As Emeril would say, it gets "kicked up to notches unknown." Man, I miss that show!

We love chicken thighs at our house, so we subbed out thighs and this is one of our favorite meals from the grill.

And, of course, I decided to add sides that would take this over-the-top. First, I par-boil some small new potatoes and then thread them on skewers and hit them with a little of the spice shake. Those get grilled until they're heated through and crispy. When the chicken goes back on the grill, I toss the potatoes with the remaining sauce. Yum!

Since this is a Buffalo-wing inspired dish, I also toss together a little Celery and Blue Cheese Slaw, in place of the usual celery sticks and blue cheese dressing. All of the flavors are there and it's a nice cool, crispy side to the spicy chicken and potatoes.

Grilling thighs isn't hard, but it can be a bit tricky. You want crispy skin, but since the thigh skin is somewhat fatty you end up with flare-ups. Keep a water bottle handy and move your chicken around a good bit while its cooking, especially if the fire flares up underneath a particular piece of chicken.

Crispy is good, burnt is bad.

Hubs is a master griller (not officially, but to me he's Mr. Amazing in the grilling department), so these instructions are based on his method.

Oh, and if you have leftovers I use them to make a salad for lunch the next day. Just pull the chicken meat from the bones and chop coarsely. Dice up the potatoes and then toss the chicken and potatoes with any leftover slaw. You may need to whip up a little more dressing and sprinkle with a little additional crumbled blue cheese.

Buffalo Chicken Thighs with Grilled New Potatoes and Celery Blue Cheese Slaw

Go ahead and preheat your gas grill. You'll want to heat one side only at the medium setting. Close the lid and head into the kitchen to prep everything else and when you're done prepping the grill will be ready to roll.

For the spice shake:
1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder

Combine in a small bowl and then pour into a spice jar with a shaker top. (This can be multiplied and used on all types of grilled poultry and meats.)

For the chicken:
8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, trimmed of any hanging skin or fat
Spice shake
Olive oil

Sprinkle the thighs liberally on both sides with the spice shake and then brush both sides with olive oil.

For the sauce:
1 16-ounce bottle Louisiana hot sauce
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup (1/2 stick), melted but not hot

Combine the sauce ingredients and set aside.

Grill the chicken over the hot side of the grill for 7-8 minutes on the side with the skin. Move it around if flare-ups occur. Turn chicken and grill for 7-8 minutes on the other side. Move chicken to the non-heated side, close the lid and cook for about 7-8 minutes more.

Remove from the grill, toss with the sauce and set aside for at least 5 minutes or up to 15 minutes. The soaking time increases the absorption of the sauce. Hold each piece of chicken over the bowl with tongs to let excess sauce trip off, transfer to a plate and head out to the grill to finish grilling the chicken. Grill on the lit side of the grill, moving as flare-ups occur (and they will once the thighs are sauced!) and grill for 5-10 more minutes, until desired doneness is reached.

Makes 4-6 servings.

Celery and Blue Cheese Slaw

6 ribs of celery, washed, dried and very thinly sliced on the diagonal
2 teaspoons cider vinegar
1 tablespoon sour cream
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
1 teaspoon garlic salt
Tabasco sauce to taste, (I use about 9 dashes)
3 ounces crumbled blue cheese

Place the celery in a bowl. In a small bowl, whisk together the cider vinegar, sour cream, mayonnaise, garlic salt and Tabasco. Pour over the celery. Add the blue cheese and toss gently to combine.

Makes 4-6 small side-dish servings.

Buffalo New Potatoes

1 1/2 pounds small new potatoes, scrubbed
Olive oil
Spice shake from the chicken
Leftover sauce from the chicken

Place the potatoes in a large pot. Cover with water an add about 1 tablespoon of salt. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium and simmer for 10-15 minutes, until a knife inserted in the center of a potato easily penetrates to the center. Drain potatoes and set aside until cool enough to handle.

Place the potatoes on metal skewers, brush with some olive oil and then season with the spice shake. Grill for 5 minutes, until skins begin to crisp and potatoes are heated through.

Remove the potatoes from the skewers, slice in half and toss with the sauce.

Makes 6 servings.

Tripp is 20

2011-08-10T03:00:00.000-07:00

My first-born is two decades old today. How is that possible? The picture above was taken last year but it feels like yesterday.

So, in honor of this momentous occasion, I present to you some of Tripp's favorites.

There hasn't been a trip home from college without a request for his all-time favorite, My Macaroni and Cheese. He has made me famous for this recipe among his friends and teachers.

These sweet Citrus Drops are another Tripp favorite. He used to request that I take these to school in early elementary school for class parties.

Tripp loves Spaghetti and Meatballs.

And Chicken Parmesan (well, almost anything Italian!).

He loves my Grandmother's recipe for Chicken Paprikash.

And, boy-child (oh wow...I'm going to have to come up with a new way to reference him...man-child?) loves chocolate. These little Chocolate Cakes are among his favorites.

Happy Birthday, Tripp! You are a wonderful young man and sweet, loving son who continues to make your Mama proud. You've accomplished so much in just one year of college, and I can't wait to see how the next decade of your life unfolds. (And, just remember that you just got over Mono, so behave during fraternity rush!)

In Honor of "The Help"

2011-08-05T10:38:00.001-07:00

I am known by my friends as a lover of Southern fiction, so it's no surprise to anyone who knows me that I loved The Help. There is so much I loved about this book...the characters (good and bad), the setting in Jackson, Miss., and the peek into life in the Deep South during a different era. I loved that the housekeepers voices were heard, that someone had the guts to go against the grain and stand up for what was right and I loved the glimpses of the Southern table.

The movie opens August 10 and a good bit of it was filmed in Greenwood, Miss., home of Viking Range Corporation.

In honor of the opening of the movie I'm doing two things. First, I've re-read the book just to brush up on all things "The Help" before seeing the movie and second, I'm sharing my ideas for the perfect Help-inspired menu. Wouldn't it be fun to have a "Help" party with friends and/or your book club before or after seeing the movie?

Here's what I'd serve:

Deviled eggs. Definitely. It wouldn't be Southern entertaining without some deviled eggs. Mine have a little bacon and curry, also two things popular in the South. Curry powder was considered very exotic back in the 1950-60s!

Next, there should be something congealed. You wouldn't believe the stuff they served jellied or congealed back then. Have you ever had the green gelatin salad that has celery and carrots in it? Something like that would have probably appeared on the menu, with a big dollop of mayo. Definitely not my favorite. This Cranberry Panna Cotta Salad is a whole lot better,but still congealed.

I'd serve some miniature rolls or biscuits with the salad.

My "Biscuits as Easy as 1, 2, 3" would be great. I'd just use a tiny round biscuit cutter instead of the larger cutter I usually use.

Alternately, these Old Fashioned Rolls can also be made in miniature (girls in the South just love things in miniature...).

Then, there are two ways I could go for the main meal.

I could go the Junior League route and serve a chicken casserole. In fact, this Chicken and Artichoke Casserole was served at a Junior League meeting. (I'm a past-president of the Junior League of Augusta, so the parts of the book that involved the Junior League really cracked me up, although The League back then was nothing like it is today.)

The other option is to go over-the-top Southern. The characters in the book definitely wouldn't have done the cooking if this route was taken. They would have left that to "The Help."

For the main dish, fried chicken, or maybe this Fried Chicken with Honey Pecan Sauce.

Sides would include the typical Southern spread: Something "casseroled," something fried, something legume-y (aka butter beans or black-eyed peas) and something sweet. (I wrote about these Southern-style veggies in THIS POST and THIS POST.)

Finally, if you read the book you know there's one thing that MUST appear on the menu...Chocolate Pie! OMG! Paybacks, as they say, are definitely hell when it comes to one of the characters in this book!

I'm pretty sure the pie in the book was of the cream-pie variety, but when I read the book I kept thinking about my Chocolate Buttermilk Pie.

That's what I'd serve, how about you? Are you dying to see the movie like I am? And, wouldn't I have loved to be in Greenwood during the filming? Yes, definitely a big yes to that question!

Here are the links again:
Curried Easter Eggs
Cranberry Panna Cotta Salad
Biscuits as Easy as 1, 2, 3
Old Fashioned Rolls
Chicken and Artichoke Casserole
Fried Chicken with Honey Pecan Sauce
Farmstand Veggies 1
Farmstand Veggies 2

National Mustard Day: Tortellini Dijon

2011-08-04T03:00:00.000-07:00

Another "food" holiday, another recipe. August 5 is Mustard Day. Go figure!

In case you want to acknowledge the "holiday" and since I'm in a bit of a filled pasta mood this week, let's cook up my simple recipe for Chicken and Vegetable Tortellini Dijon.

The recipe is a two-pot deal and the vegetables cook in the same pot as the tortellini. The Dijon mustard comes into the equation as a coating for the chicken, which is sauteed in butter with some sliced green onions. Just cook the chicken while you heat the water for the pasta and vegetables and everything will be done about the same time.

Don't worry if you're not a mustard lover. The Dijon is very much a background flavor in the sauce.

Here's another link to the recipe on the Viking Web site: Chicken and Vegetable Tortellini Dijon.