Category — Recipes

When I am completely uninspired to create something new for dinner, this is my “go-to” main course. It can be chicken breasts, a couple of steaks, or pork chops, as shown here. The flavor of the wine or the herbs may change but the method remains. Season the meat, cook it through, remove meat from pan, add flavoring/seasoning to pan and cook, then deglaze the pan with liquid (doesn’t have to be wine; stock, juice, or even water all work too) and reduce slightly. Done, ready to eat without much thought or effort, but still perfectly wonderful.

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I am working to perfect an appetizer recipe using precooked and prepackaged short ribs for my upcoming classes at Les Gourmettes Cooking School. I’ve found two different varieties of these convenient and lovely ribs at Costco.

The recipe I’m working on uses shredded meat along with a crunchy Dijon apple slaw inside mini polenta cups. I haven’t been able to get it just right as of yet, but I’ve been playing with the rib meat on some other tasty items. Here you’ll find one of the new quick creations – short rib quesadillas.

My series of three adult classes at Les Gourmettes begin on Tuesday evening, November 16th. We skip Thanksgiving week, resume on November 30th, and finish up on December 7th.  There are only 16 slots available, so if you are interested just let me know and I’ll email you the menus, (Thanksgiving Dinner, Christmas Buffet, and New Year’s Eve Cocktail Party) schedule, and registration form.

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I bought these pretty peaches at my pretty daughter’s request… 4 days ago. Since she hasn’t eaten even one peach yet, time to do something with them, at least a couple anyhow. Turns out Marissa has a good excuse though, she hasn’t been home much, because she has a new job. Not the big “career” job she’s still searching for, but a paying job, all the same. 

So, if you go the California Pizza Kitchen near Scottsdale and Shea, ask to be seated at her table, I’m sure she’ll take good care of you!

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A happy coincidence, meant to be, just by chance, lucky, a fluke, a quirk, or a twist of fate… whatever you call it, I like it! And I love that word, happenstance, awesome word! What, by chance, was the fateful occasion for me?

I had about 1/2 head each of green and orange cauliflower from the Colorful Cauliflower Purées of 5 days ago and was trying to decide what to do with it. Of course, I could just make a vegetable side dish or purée and freeze it for later use, but that felt mundane. I was leaning toward cauliflower soup, but it’s so dang hot outside. Instead of pondering it any longer, I decided to waste time on Facebook and, as luck would have it, there staring me in the eye was a recipe for a frittata using cauliflower, delivered directly to my home page from my Facebook friend, Food & Wine! Problem solved, and proof that perusing Facebook isn’t always a waste of time.

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If this post (hard to call it a recipe) doesn’t fall into the Easy-Breezy category, I don’t know what does! Here’s the back story; a few weeks before Connor left for his sophomore year at NAU, he bravely went with me to Costco and requested the purchase of cookie dough. I faltered and bought it for him. Upon our arrival home, we unpacked and I placed the 5-pound tub in the freezer. There it sat until yesterday when once again I was unpacking from a Costco trip and couldn’t fit another thing in the freezer due to that enormous tub. Both Marissa and Connor actually like to eat the dough more than the baked cookies, but the tub had to go! Instead of just baking up 5 dozen regular chocolate chip cookies, I added various mix-ins. Don’t fret Connor, I will be bringing several dozen up to you in a couple of weeks. [Read more →]

Marissa used her impartial hand to pick the name out of the salad bowl and … the winner of the Paradise Bakery gift card is… Sharon Cereska. Congratulations, Sharon! I shall send out your gift card in the mail today. OK, in all honesty, it will be tomorrow. A big thank you to all who commented on Wednesday’s post and thank you for sharing your favorite sandwich with me, all of them sounded terrific!

I have a new addiction. It’s called One Kings Lane and it is an online deep discount sales sight. New items go up every day at 11 AM Eastern Daylight Time and things go fast. That’s 8 AM Arizona time, so I have an alarm set on the cell that alerts me to get online and see what is offered. Last month, they began putting up food items on Sundays. On one glorious Sunday they had live lobsters and lobster tails… needless to say, had to have some. Four gigantic tails (a whopping 20 ounces each!) arrived two days later in all their dry-ice-packed glory. Since there are only three of us at home currently, one of the tails was steamed and cut up for this decadent dish. If you are local, I did notice that Fry’s has lobster tails on sale through tomorrow, so if you’re tempted, go get one and enjoy! It is rather difficult to find 20-ounce lobster tails (at least here in the desert, it is), so I have you using two 10-ounce tails. Basically, the rule of thumb is to steam tails 1 minute per ounce. For this recipe, it is important to undercook them a bit since they will cook further when baking in the macaroni. Be sure and keep that in mind if your tails are a little lighter or heavier.

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Green is one of my two favorite colors, blue is the other. When asked, the majority of Americans will state that their favorite color is blue. But I digress, there is no blue in the recipe, just green and orange. And that second color, orange, is my least favorite color. Not that it matters, just saying…

When I saw the striking orange and green heads of cauliflower at the market, I had to have them. I then cooked and puréed each to the consistency of baby food, and used them as the bed for a light and lovely fish fillet. Broccoli, fennel, celery root, potato, sweet potato, and such, may be used in the same manner, so don’t fret if you can’t find these colorful cauliflower orbs!

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Paris – “The City of Lights” 

The nickname was first attached to Paris because it was a center of education and ideas during the Age of Enlightenment and then later due to its early adoption of street lighting in the late 1800’s. The city is laid out in twenty clockwise-spiraling arrondissements (municipal boroughs) so it’s actually quite simple to navigate. A trick to remember; the last two digits of the postal/zip code are the arrondissement your address is in.

My friend, Kim Howard, will be going to Paris soon and asked for the names of places where we like to stay and dine. I had put this list together for a student after we last visited in 2008. Of course, there are wonderful links to all sorts of Paris/France websites and blogs over there on the right-hand side of the page under “French Stuff I Love.” After this recipe  –  my rendition of hot chocolat from Angelina’s, you will find some of our family’s must-see and must-do Parisian treasures. And if you love Paris as we do, please leave a comment (with links, if possible) with your favorites!

Le Chocolat à L’Ancienne dit “L’Africain”

(literally, “hot chocolate once called African”)

3/4 cup whole milk
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
2 teaspoons powdered sugar
4 ounces finely chopped 72% bittersweet chocolate (such as E. Guittard 72% Bittersweet)
Cold fresh whipped cream

Combine milk, heavy cream, and powdered sugar in a heavy saucepan and place over medium-high heat until bubbles appear around the edges of the pan.

Remove from heat and add chocolate. Stir until chocolate is melted. Return to low heat, if needed, to melt the chocolate completely.

Serve topped with whipped cream.

Serves 1

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My favorite sandwich, hands down, BLT!

Warm toasted bread, spread with tangy mayonnaise, topped with hot salty bacon, tart juicy tomatoes, and cold crisp lettuce = heaven on your tongue and happiness in your tummy. What is your favorite sandwich? How do you like to eat it? I’d love to hear, really! Leave me a comment here, on this site, not on Facebook or Twitter. I’ll draw a name from a big wooden salad bowl on Monday and the winner will be mailed a gift card to Paradise Bakery where they have some of my other favorite sandwiches and salads.  If you don’t live in AZ or have a Paradise Bakery nearby… we’ll work it out.

My husband, Dave, and his BFF, Jeff (men don’t say BFF, do they?) have a boy crush on Travis McGee. He is a fictional character in novels by mystery writer John D. MacDonald. Travis is a detective or actually a self-described “salvage consultant” who recovers others’ property for a fee. He eats sandwiches, lots of different sandwiches and he likes to eat them while standing and leaning over the kitchen sink with a couple of cold beers. I’ve read a few of the books myself (there are 21 featuring McGee) and for some reason, that image has always stuck in my brain.

Correction: Since posting this 12 hours ago, my husband has corrected me saying that his hero Travis McGee would not be so crass as to eat sandwiches over the kitchen sink. That, in fact, the fictional character I’m thinking of is novelist Lawrence Sanders’ detective of the “Deadly Sins series”, Edward X. Delaney.  That actually makes more sense since I read all of those “Sin” books. I stand corrected!

I’m certain Travis, oops I mean, Detective Delaney would appreciate this terrific salad, as well.  Even though he’ll have to sit down and eat it with a fork and knife. By the way, a couple of optional garnishes, which I didn’t use only because I didn’t have them on hand, would be thinly sliced red onion and homemade garlic croutons.

Side note: If you read this before 4:30 today (9/8/10), I am cooking with Tram Mai on Channel 12 Valley Dish. Main course salmon during the live show and a taped segment from Saturday’s Phoenix Cooks. Hope you can tune in…

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No Connor, we did not get a new puppy! Forgive me, I had to say that right off the top. Poor Connor is up in Flagstaff and probably had mini heart palpitations of excitement when he saw that title and got his hopes up that puppy breath will greet him when he comes home for Thanksgiving.

Well, there will be if you go over to Aunt Sloane’s house, she brought home the cutest little shitzu puppy this weekend. His name is Bubo and he is the calmest little guy and as sweet as can be. Can’t wait to “babysit” … once he’s housebroken, that is!

As for the “extravagance” in the blog title – well there is this recipe for prime rib steaks, but that’s not exactly what I’m referring to. Fresh fruit is what I’m talking about!

You see, I took Dave with me to the new Fry’s. The big gorgeous remodeled store in our neighborhood I mentioned in yesterday’s post. Of course, he was impressed and was like a kid in a candy store. He picked up a beautiful tray of sliced and perfectly arranged summer fruits, placed it in our cart, and then went off to the salad bar to make a take-home concoction for his lunch. While I was waiting, I examined the fruit tray. It was gorgeous, although I couldn’t see a price tag, so held if high over my head to look at the bottom. There was the tag glaring back at me… $17.49! Seventeen dollars and forty-nine cents for summer fruits … In The Summer!

Strawberries, blueberries, cantaloupe, pineapple, and kiwi… $17.49!!! Are you kidding? It’s not January! All those fruits are in season and on sale at just about every store in town, including this Fry’s.

Needless to say, the tray went back in the cooler and the same whole fruits went into our cart before Dave could finish making his salad and turn around.

As you can see on the receipt below, the cost of those fruits was $8.48 and it took me 10 minutes (Yes, I timed it!) to cut up and arrange said fruits just as artfully. Plus I only used half of what I bought for the same size tray, so really the cost of the fruit on my tray was $4.24. Which, if my math is correct, is a savings of more than $13 over the “Convenient Fruit Gold Nuggets” sold at Fry’s. OK, I’m finished with my “rant of the day”- are you ready for a recipe?

I use two items you may not have, Queen Creek Olive Mill fig balsamic vinegar and pickled figs. The pickled figs were posted here on July 22nd, so if you didn’t make them, use fresh figs. If you haven’t invested in the fabulous QCOM products yet, you’ll just use all regular balsamic vinegar for the glaze.

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