Category — Recipes

Continuing on the panini theme, how about a couple of dessert panini? Since I have leftover panettone, brie, and pears – it sounds like a plan to me! Raisin bread, sourdough, challah, or brioche are other great bread choices.

Nutella on top, brie on the bottom.

Panini is the perfect weekend late lunch or dinner while watching my Arizona Cardinals on Sunday Night Football. The word “panino” is Italian for small bread roll; its plural form is panini. Many Americans use the word paninis, which is incorrect. I’m using panettone as the bread for my panini. Panettone is a sweet bread of Milan, it is usually prepared for Christmas and New Year all around Italy and is one of the symbols of Milan. It is readily available in markets now and throughout the holidays.  I found two flavors at Cost Plus World Market, the traditional one which is studded with candied orange, citron, lemon zest, and raisins. The other is a Cranberry Panettone and has dried cranberries in place of the raisins.

To make panini, you can use an electric panini press, a cast-iron stove-top press, a waffle iron, or even a George Forman grill.  Just be sure to preheat whatever you use. I have a well-seasoned stovetop cast-iron press, so I do not butter my bread first, but you certainly can if you so choose.

I was drinking a chai tea latte while I was making these and just before I was going to caramelize the apple slices, I decided to use the chai tea concentrate instead of water to caramelize the sugar… turned out great!  I love the TAZO brand, but you can easily use 1/4 cup of water in its place.

[Read more →]

Connor is home this weekend from NAU and requested Clam Chowder for dinner tonight. OK, the high today is supposed to be 87 degrees, but if my boy wants chowder, chowder it will be!

Traditionally, bacon is used to start the chowder, but I have a boatload of pancetta in my freezer, so I will begin with that. Once the pancetta has rendered its fat and is crisp, most of the fat is discarded, and only 1 tablespoon will be used to sear the scallops. The scallops are removed and what remains in the pan is called the “fond”. In French, fond means “base”. Fond refers to the browned and caramelized bits of meat or vegetables stuck to the bottom of a pan after sautéing. Traditional cookware is best for developing a decent fond. Non-stick coatings tend to inhibit its development. After the meat is browned, it is removed from the pan and excess fat is discarded. Generally, aromatics such as onion, garlic, or shallots are sautéed, then a liquid such as stock, alcohol, fruit juice, or even water (or as world-famous Chef Jacques Pépin calls it ” l’eau du sink “) is used to deglaze the pan and loosen the fond from the pan to become “one” with the dish. The fond is the base for a great sauce, or in this case, a great chowder. Since I mentioned Jacques Pépin, I’m adding one of my favorite pictures of the two of us at the end of this post, as a bonus.

Sherry being added to the fond, deglazing the pan

[Read more →]

Almonds being “candied”

Today I have a spin on another recipe from Chef Tim McGrath of Cook’s Gathering. Tim made a lovely Mixed Greens and Stilton salad with candied pecans and a citrus-sherry vinegar dressing.  What made the dressing remarkable was the fact that the dressing’s base was made from the syrupy liquid the pecans were candied in, ingenious!  The moment I tasted the dressing I imagined how wonderful it would be on fresh, hot green beans or sugar snap peas.  The next day in class, Tim suggested using the dressing on freshly steamed asparagus – great minds think alike!

What makes this dressing special besides the syrup base from the candied nuts, is the sherry vinegar. Sherry vinegar is from Spain. It has an assertive yet smooth taste and is perfect for deglazing pans to create flavorful sauces, especially those for meats such as beef, lamb, or duck. You will have a hard time finding sherry vinegar in most regular grocery stores, but it is readily available at gourmet grocers, Cost Plus World Market, Sur la Table, Williams-Sonoma, and other food specialty stores.

I’ve changed up Tim’s original recipe a little by candying almonds instead of pecans for this version, which I think will compliment steamed or blanched vegetables a bit better. I am again using sugar snap peas since I have a pound left over from the 2-pound package I purchased at Costco for the post a couple of days ago, but mix it up and feel free to use green beans, asparagus, snow peas, broccoli, or cauliflower.
[Read more →]

Goat Cheese and Green Olive-Almond Pesto Crostini

The guest chef-instructor at Barbara Fenzl’s Les Gourmettes Cooking School this week was Chef Tim McGrath of Cook’s Gathering Catering in Long Beach, California. Tim is one of the most creative, sharing, and knowledgeable chefs I’ve ever met.  I am constantly being asked for a recommendation for a caterer here in town and each time, I wish that Tim was in Phoenix, because he would always be my very first choice, hands down!  When I told Tim that, he let me know that he would be willing to fly to Phoenix to cater a party, so if you ever have a need for something really special, he’s your man!  For class, he served Mini Ahi Tuna Kabobs with this outstanding “pesto”.  One of the best things about Tim’s classes is that he’ll be teaching you a dish and then give you a dozen other ideas of what to do with that recipe.  When he suggested using this olive pesto on a crostini with goat cheese… well, that is right up my alley!  A great bonus… it’s “Easy – Breezy” and the colors lend themselves perfectly to the upcoming holiday season.

What is it that makes this recipe so “Easy – Breezy”?  Well, besides using the food processor to make the pesto and the fact that it is a quick and delicious appetizer, every single ingredient can be found at Trader Joe’s!  The roasted piquillo peppers are sold in a 10.4-ounce jar, and you can’t find a better price on the almonds, goat cheese, or olive oil anywhere in town.  You will notice this recipe does not call for salt, that is because the olives and their brine are salty enough.  The brine is used to thin out the pesto.  Unlike traditional pesto that uses basil, the olives and almonds do not have a high water content, thus the brine is needed to create the perfect consistency.
[Read more →]

I mentioned my fabulous neighbors yesterday.  I can’t begin to describe how blessed we are to live in such a wonderful community. Everyone here supports each other and we all come together throughout the year for bunco, progressive dinners, a fall or winter party, and the best Halloween trick-or-treating around!  The one thing I don’t think I’ve mentioned before is that I’m a Scottsdale,  Arizona native, a rare breed indeed! I’ve lived in the “Valley of the Sun” all my life and in this great neighborhood for the last 11 years.  I can’t begin to imagine not living here!  So a quick shout out to all the amazing women who are raising their families here too… including Amy, April, Cindi, Dana, Denise, Gail, Ginger, Jan, Jeanie, Joanie, Joanne, Kelly, Kirsten, Lisa, Lori, Marci, Mary Ann, Rainey, Robyne, Ronnie, Sarah, Susie, and Whitney… love you all!  And in your honor, here is another “Easy-Breezy” recipe, with the promise of “more to come”!
[Read more →]

I was spending an evening playing Bunco and chatting with my friends and neighbors a couple of weeks ago when the conversation turned to my blog. Some of the lovelies had found a few of my recipes a bit too complicated, time-consuming, or difficult. Hey, I understand – when you’re running in the door at 5:30, 6:00, or even later and still have to get dinner on the table, it’s rough!  And they are correct, some of the recipes here are a bit much for a weeknight. So in honor of them and the rest of the busy moms out there, there is a new category in “The Recipe Index” of this blog. Recipes with just a few ingredients that are quick to pull together while trying to get kids to do their homework, stop fighting, set the table, and still have some sane time for yourself!  I’m going to call the new category  “Easy – Breezy” –  because they are just that and because you all look like “CoverGrils” to me!
[Read more →]

tan-skinned sweet potato, red-skinned sweet potato, russet, red-skinned potato, Yukon Gold, and white-skinned potato

Is it a sweet potato or is it a yam? Often in our grocery stores, reddish-skinned sweet potatoes are labeled as yams.  In truth, it is extremely rare to find a true yam in a standard market, just about the only place you may be able to find them is in a Latin American market.  There is no need to worry though, if you have a favorite yam recipe, sweet potatoes will fit the bill, because in all honestly, that’s probably what you’ve been using all along.

A true yam is the tuber (or bulb) of a tropical vine and is not even distantly related to the sweet potato. Slowly becoming more common in US (Latin) markets, the yam is a popular vegetable in Latin America and the Caribbean. Yams are revered as religious objects and have ceremonial status, one reason may be because they can become amazingly huge. On the Pacific Island of Ponape, the size of yams is described as 2-man, 4-man, or 6-man, indicating the number of men need to lift the thing!  In fact, a 650-pound, 7-foot-long yam has been recorded.

[Read more →]

This evening I was helping set up for the Key To The Cure event that is tomorrow morning. My friend and neighbor, Ronnie, and I rode together and afterward stopped for a little something to eat and drink on the way home.  We went to Blanco, a fun “taco & tequila” restaurant, here in Scottsdale, which is another in the wonderful line of Fox Restaurant Concepts, YUM!

I brought home a “doggie bag” with a couple of wedges of leftover cheese crisp and made it into dinner for Dave by topping it with two fried eggs.  I love cheese crisps, as you can see here, they are so easy and versatile. Honestly, they can be breakfast, lunch, snack, or even dinner!  And they can be as simple as a tortilla topped with good old cheddar cheese or dressed up as this one is with fun Mexican and Spanish cheeses and a variety of toppings.  All these cheeses are white and I think it makes for a prettier and more interesting crisp!
[Read more →]

Believe it or not, it’s hot again this week in Phoenix/Scottsdale! It had been so nice and cool the last week or so, and I was fooled into thinking we were actually going to have an early fall… but no!  It was up in the 90’s today and is expected to hit 101 Saturday, setting a new record for October 17… what the heck?!  For the past three days I’ve been working at Les Gourmettes Cooking School, assisting Barbara Fenzl with her classes.  The menu is in honor of  Barbara’s friend and mentor, the late Julia Child. The food was beyond delicious and the classes were a great success, but after working on Beef Bourguignon and with these hot temps, I need something easy, cool, and refreshing – this salad fits the bill. Note to Barbara: Great classes, looking forward to the next go-round in a couple of weeks! xoxo
[Read more →]