Who Has Time to Cook?

Stay Tuned ... Again.

2011-05-26T12:16:00.001-04:00

Sorry. My camera is broken. I'm waiting on a new one.

Thanks all!

Gordon Ramsay's Ratatouille

2010-07-26T15:55:00.000-04:00

My children love Ratatouille! Yes, I mean the movie. Alex especially loves watching the kitchen scenes. He's a little chef in the making. Except when he remembers that he wants to be a doctor. (He want to "fix sick babies' brains.") We recently had a discussion about our backyard garden and all the veggies that we were growing. Somehow the conversation turned to the fact that he wants to be a doctor and when he gets older (he's not even five yet) he won't have a garden at his home. I asked him why not. "Mom, I'm going to be a doctor, not a cooking doctor!" I hope I was able to convince him that even if you're not a chef, it doesn't mean you're not allowed to grow your own food. He loves farmers markets, meat markets, Whole Foods, and yes, gasp, even Giant Eagle. I hope he keeps that love of food into his adult life.

So, in honor of their love of a little rat who knows how to cook, I made the boys Ratatouille, which they were quick to point out looked nothing like the movie version. Eh. Deal with it.

Red onion, eggplant, red pepper, zucchini, cherry tomatoes, basil, thyme, garlic, canned diced tomatoes, olive oil, salt and pepper.

Coarsely chop the onion.

Quickly chop the eggplant and pray it doesn't get brown before you get it in the pot.

Chop the pepper and watch your fingernails turn red.

Chop the zucchini.

Halve the cherry tomatoes.

Literally throw everything except the zucchini and tomatoes into a hot pan with some olive oil. Cook just until the veggies start to soften slightly.

Add the zucchini and cook until they, too, just start to soften.

Stir in the canned tomatoes.

Add the cherry tomatoes and cook just until everything is soft and fragrant. The cherry tomatoes just start to break down. At this point your kitchen will be filled with the wonderous aroma of all that is good. (Season with salt and pepper to taste.)

Chop some fresh basil and scatter over the top.

Because my family wouldn't be my family without eating meat of some sort -- I pan fried some cod fillets and placed it on top of the Ratatouille.

It was a perfect match. Nothing over-powered anything else.

This is one of my favorite dishes so far from Fast Food. I think this is the sort of dish Ramsay really meant when he said "anyone can cook" (funny -- that's a line right out of the movie, too -- wonder who took it from who?) The dish is hearty, yet so fresh you don't mind eating it on a hot summer day. It's a great harvest dish (the majority, if not all, of the ingredients can be grown in your own backyard. It's a great "clean out your fridge" sort of dish, and it's quick enough to make on any night of the week.

How long? The Ratatouille took about 35 minutes.

"Ratatouille ... Done"

First Harvest Dinner

2010-07-18T18:14:00.007-04:00

So, how's your summer been going? Mine's been pretty good. Too hot for my liking, not enough money to do some of the funner things, but it's a good time to remember that the simpler things are sometimes the best.

We did make it up to Put-In-Bay, and we had a great time cruising in our rented golf cart.

I had my 20 year high school reunion picnic today. Had a very nice time with some old friends. 20 years gone, but it was like we just saw each other yesterday. I brought my Honey Almond Bars. I thought they went over pretty well.

When we got home after a hot day at the beach, I found I had enough of a first harvest to be the basis of a pretty good meal.

Our first cucumber mixed with thinly sliced red onion and tomatoes. Stir in some salt and pepper, apple cider vinegar, a splash of olive oil and another splash of raspberry vinegar. A teaspoon of sugar to cut the acidity.

Our first banana peppers sliced up.

Thinly sliced chicken breast.

Sprigs of herbs from the garden -- tarragon, thyme and lime basil.

Saute all in a bit of olive oil.

When you're nearly done, a splash of balsamic vinegar (I wish I had white balsamic, but what I have does add a nice caramel color). Saute just until things start to carmelize a bit.

It may not be the most colorful dish, but I really was tight on time because hubby had to leave for work in 20 minutes. So, yes, this is a wonderfully quick dinner.

Some variations I've done in the past, if I have more banana peppers, I skip the balsamic because the peppers add more than enough flavor. Sometimes I add a small handful of feta cheese after removing the chicken from the pan, and throw in a few sliced cherry tomatoes. Other times, I've wrapped up the sauteed chicken in a flour tortilla with a dab of sour cream and cheddar cheese.

So, happy first harvest

Stay Tuned -- More to Come After This Intermission...

2010-06-19T20:15:00.002-04:00

In the meantime, check out my new favorite t.v. channel -- The Cooking Channel. It is incredible. I love Food Network, but the Cooking Channel is even better. It's food t.v. for the foodie. Remember when Food Network showed all cooking, all the time, then suddenly it became reality t.v., and contests, and "Kitchen Stadium." Sort of like when MTV used to be "music television," then suddenly it was all "Cribs" and "Real World." They actually had to create new stations when they realized they forgot the music. Cooking Channel is like MTV2. Seriously, check it out. Watch for hours on end. I do! (yeah right -- o.k. I wish I could.)

In the meantime, I'm stockpiling more recipes and photos. Gordon Ramsay, watch out. I'm calling you out!

Gordon Ramsay's Sicilian Caponata

2010-04-25T12:08:00.011-04:00

I will preface this post by saying: "Gordon Ramsay is full of crap."

That said ... Today's entry. A pretty little appetizer said to feed four. Well, maybe four armies.

Tomatoes, celery, eggplant, garlic, onion, green olives, bell pepper, capers, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, pine nuts, fresh basil, superfine sugar (or if you live in Cleveland and can't find any, regular sugar), and a big loaf of crusty bread.

By the by, this is a great "clean out your fridge" recipe.

Coarsely chop the onion. Wipe the tears from your eyes.

Chop the celery.

Chop the bell pepper (the recipe did call for red bell pepper, but I can't really tell the difference, can you?)

Finely chop the garlic.

Chop the green olives. Slap you husband's hand as he tries to help himself to a snack from your chopping board.

Toast the pine nuts.

Drop the tomatoes in boiling water for about 1 minute. I put a small "X" on the bottom to help the peels come off.

Rinse the tomatoes in ice cold water and watch the peels just start to fall off. Slice and remove the seeds.

Coarsely chop the tomato flesh.

And finally, chop the eggplant last. Do it quickly -- it changes color fast.

Heat the olive oil and drop in the eggplant, pepper, celery, onion and season lightly with salt and pepper.

Saute for a few minutes.

Meanwhile slice the bread thickly and toast in the broiler.

Add the capers, tomatoes, garlic, olives, sugar, and balsamic vinegar to the pan. Saute until bubbley and the vegetables are soft.

Set aside and let cool.

Meanwhile ... I skillet cooked some spencer steaks in the same pan (without wiping it out).

The steaks carmelized nicely in the little bit of balsamic glaze left behind from the caponata.

Serve the caponato over the warm toasted bread. Sprinkle with chopped basil and the toasted pine nuts.

Very nice.

So, for my opening statement about the dear chef being full of crap?

How long did it take to make this dish? AN HOUR. Seriously. That does not include the cooking time for the steaks. So much for Ramsay's book jacket quote: "Many of the dishes can be prepared and cooked in 15 minutes (none take longer than half an hour)." Bull poop. Cooked in 15 minutes, sure. But not prepped within that time. It took me 30 minutes alone to chop everything. For the tomatoes, I had to bring the water to a boil, cook the tomatoes for a minute or two (which I did while chopping the other veggies), rinse under cool water, get them cool enough to handle and then try to peel off the skins without destroying the tomato flesh, then get all the seeds out, then chop.

Come on, Ramsay. Get real. I know you never have to prep anything yourself, you have all of your sous chefs doing it for you, but real people with real lives don't have sous chefs on call.

The dish itself? Not bad. I won't make it again, though. There was too much eggplant. Not enough olives. Not enough tomato. Not enough garlic. The dish was too wet.

I guess I prefer a nice olive tapenade instead. Something thick and rich. Besides, this recipe really made too much. I have a whole bowl of it left over in the fridge. We'll be eating it for a week.

"Sicilian Caponata ... Done."

Bon Appetit's Fettuccine with Peas, Asparagus, and Pancetta

2010-04-23T09:10:00.004-04:00

In the current issue (May 2010) of Bon Appetit the picture on the cover really captured my fancy. I couldn't wait to make it. It looked creamy, rich, and simply yummy.

So, last night I did.

Now ... a opening word. When you ask your spouse to shop for you, make sure you are specific. I said, "Please buy what we need for the recipe." Well, he didn't buy the fettuccini, because we already had pasta at home. Not fettuccini, but penne. Not a problem, even the recipe says "fettuccini or penne." But all we had was rice penne, which if you haven't tried it, isn't quite like regular pasta. It's texture is unique. The taste isn't too bad, though. The recipe also called for 12 oz. of pasta. Our box of pasta was only 8 oz., so I ended up tossing in a handful of whole grain rotini, just to finish the box and to make sure I had enough pasta for the dish. Next, the recipe called for fresh lemon juice and the zest of a lemon. Well, hubby figured my bottle of lemon juice would be good enough. I know - can you believe I actually have a bottle of that stuff? Actually I only use it to add a squirt to my ice water. NEVER FOR COOKING. So, I had to forgo the zest. For the freshly grated Parmesan, hubby figured that Kraft Romano in a canister would be just fine. It's fine on top of jarred spaghetti sauce, but, eh, for real cooking? He managed to get the fresh basil, but decided to skip the fresh parsley entirely. So I ended up with dried parsley from the spice rack. The rest of the ingredients he managed without incident.

So, pasta, frozen peas, asparagus, green onions, basil, garlic, pancetta, heavy cream, parmesan (or romano), lemon juice, olive oil and parsley.

Cook your pasta. (I didn't take a picture of this.) Drain and reserve about 1/2 cup of the hot water.

Slice the asparagus on a diagonal in 1 inch pieces.

Thinly slice the scallions. (Separate light green and white parts from the dark parts.)

Press two cloves of garlic.

Chop the pancetta.

Coursely chop the basil.

Cook the pancetta until crisp, then drain on paper towels.

In the same pan in the pancetta drippings, cook the asparagus for about 3 minutes.

Then add the frozen peas (or if the peas are fresh, blanche them first), the chopped onions and the garlic. Cook for about 5 minutes.

Add the vegetables to your cooked pasta, along with the dark parts of the scallions and half of your basil.

Add the cream, parmesan, about 1/4 cup of the pasta water, the parsley, lemon juice (and zest if you have it), and olive oil.

Mix until you have a wonderfully creamy conconction.

Plate it up. Sprinkle the remaining chopped basil over the top with the crispy pancetta. Sprinkle additional parmesan over the top.

It plates beautifully. It's so colorful.

This picture courtesy of my four year old Alex. He loves to cook as much as I do. His twin brother does too, but Alex's photo turned about a bit better.

Now as for the dish itself. The last picture above, was taken at the end of the meal. The boys wouldn't eat it. They picked a couple pieces of the pancetta off the top, ate one or two peas and two pieces of asparagus. They did not like it one bit. Of course, they're four.

My husband ate his. I ate mine. It wasn't anything special. In fact, it was very plain and sorely lacking ... something. Nothing in the dish sang out. The peas and the asparagus tasted the same. The creamy sauce was bland.

It's a gorgeous dish - no doubt about it - that's why it made the cover of Bon Appetit. But I couldn't taste the garlic, so I would have doubled it to about 4 cloves of garlic. The pancetta did add a nice salty note, but the dish needed some depth. Maybe some coursely chopped sun-dried tomatoes would have done it. It was so full of wonderul spring time vegetables, but there was nothing to remind you of the good earth that grew them. Maybe some wild mushrooms thrown in would have given the dish some earthiness.

Unfortunately, this was a beautifully presented dish that forgot to bring its taste to the table.

Seriously ?

2010-04-21T12:07:00.000-04:00

"Whole Grain Popcorn?" When was popcorn not "Whole Grain?"

Gordon Ramsay's Shrimp with Orange and Tequila

2009-10-14T08:00:00.000-04:00

Finally, the dish you had a nice sneak peek at last week. Holy crap this was good. What more can be said? Shrimp. One of the easiest foods on earth to cook. I've read a lot of discussions regarding the best way to cook it in terms of the shell. Tail on or off. Shell on or off. Me, I like easy. Take the tail off, especially when entertaining. There are a lot of people who don't like to get their fingers dirty. Some people bite the shrimp off at the tail and leave meat behind in the discarded tail. Ah, that actually upsets me. Shrimp is an expensive food. Don't waste it. As for shell on or off, again I like it off. If you look at Ramsey's picture of his shrimp, though, he left his shells on. Why? All the sauce sticks to the shells, so when you peel them, what are you left with? Unflavored cooked shrimp, that's what. Let the shrimp swim in all that glorious flavor. Otherwise, go buy yourself some shrimp cocktail.

Shrimp, an orange, a very large clove of garlic, salt, pepper, olive oil and tequila.

Juice the orange.

Slice up your garlic. In this dish, the more the better!

Peel your shrimp. Yes, I left the tail on in this one. It was just the family, and I thought the boys would like to use the "natural handles."

Saute the shrimp and garlic together in a bit of oil.

Just before they are cooked all the way through, add the orange juice.

Let it come to a boil then reduce the heat and cook until the sauce just starts to thicken.

Add the tequila (watch out for any flames). Cook for about1 or 2 minutes more just until the sauce starts coating the shrimp or the back of you spoon. Give it a good mix and serve.

15 minutes. That's it. You couldn't really taste the alcohol, but you knew it added that something extra to the mix. It was sweet and garlicky, and frankly, I could have eaten the whole pound of shrimp myself.

"Shrimp with Orange and Tequila - Done."

Gordon Ramsay's Minted Melon, Feta and Fennel Salad

2009-10-05T08:00:00.002-04:00

I have a complaint with Ramsay's cookbook. I might as well state it here. He wrote this cookbook to get people (and if you watch his show, The F Word - specifically women) back into the kitchen and cooking for their families. I don't have a problem with that. It's very noble of him to take this project upon his own shoulders. Heck, it obviously worked. Here I am. My complaint is with the cookbook itself. I think a lot of people might disagree with me, but there are just too many "side dish" recipes. Side dishes, typically, are the easy part of the dinner. Usually in my household, it's a bag of microwavable steamed veggies or instant mashed potatoes (yes, I did say instant). So, if I were to be true to this cookbook project, my family would eat a side dish for dinner. There needs to be a lot pairing up. In some cases, some pairing came easily. This salad, for instance, paired wonderfully with the Orange Tequila Shrimp (stay tuned for entry). Some things, like the baked eggs Florentine; well, I'm just not sure what to put with that. He also has dessert recipes. But what to serve with it? Hence the problem.

I've tried to make some pairings where I could, but I found that it completely screws the time results. I've attempted to stick to his given menus (see the Mexican Flavors, or Light and Healthy entries). At least I know those foods work together. I'm just not a good menu maker, though.

So, a word to the reader -- I'm trying to highlight his individual recipes, as given in his Fast Food cookbook, but, oftentimes, I've combined, just because I didn't want to serve a poached egg and toast for dinner all by itself. Sure, I could serve a side dish with a simple grilled pork chop, but, eh, well, you know. Right?

So, here is a perfect example. Minted Melon, Feta and Fennel Salad. I paired it with one of Ramsay's shrimp dishes, which you will see later (however, you will get a sneak peek in the last photo of this entry).

Fennel. (The original recipe called for two bulbs of it. Frankly that would have been way too much. One was more than enough.) Cantaloupe, salad greens, lemon, mint, crumbled feta, salt, pepper, white wine vinegar and olive oil.

Slice the fennel thinly (if you have a mandolin, I suggest you use it).

Give your cut fennel a nice ice bath to prevent browning.

Slice your cantaloupe thinly and in bite size pieces.

Mix the olive oil with salt, pepper, white wine vinegar, and lemon juice.

Drain and pat dry the fennel and place in a bowl with the melon, feta cheese and a healthy handful of salad greens. Toss with the dressing and serve topped with chopped fresh mint leaves.

The result? Absolutely glorious. The fennel provided a nice peppery bite and crunch. The melon was smooth and juicy. The feta provided a wonderful crumbly earthiness along with the mint. The dressing? Light, luscious and summery. This recipe is a definite keeper. My children gobbled it up. Carlo and I finished off every bit of the salad. We even dipped bread into the dressing left over at the bottom of the bowl.

Quick! That was the best part. Cutting the fennel was the most tedious part. I don't have a mandolin, so I did my best with my knife and trying to keep my knuckles out of the way.

I'd say the whole thing took about 20 minutes. The only other timely part of making the salad was the draining and patting dry of the fennel. Make this one people. I promise you, you and your family won't be disappointed.

"Minted Melon, Feta and Fennel Salad -- Done."

A Perfect Weeknight Main Dish - Beef Stroganoff

2009-09-24T08:00:00.003-04:00

Do you have that one go-to meal? It's relatively cheap, quick, you can make it without a recipe in front of you? This one is mine.

It's evolved a bit over the years. There have been many different variations. I used to make it as a slow-cooker meal with stew meat. Then it became a slow cooker meal when I had fresh venison. Venison stroganoff -- god, I wish I knew a hunter right now.

But now, this recipe has become a 30-minute meal. I use a better cut of beef since it isn't marinating or braising for any long period of time. On the nights I have more time, I barbecue the steak in the backyard. Grilled steak flavor in stroganoff is unequaled.

Steak. Butter. Onions. Mushrooms. Sour Cream. Nutmeg. Egg Noodles. Salt and Pepper. Doesn't that just scream "COMFORT FOOD"?

Saute the onions in butter until golden. I season them with salt and pepper to help extract the extra liquid. Remove to a bowl and keep warm.

Add more butter to the pan and saute the mushrooms. You don't want to over cook them. And do not add any salt to this stage. You want the mushrooms to stay plump and just starting to turn brown.

Add those mushrooms to the same bowl as the onions.

Take more butter. Hey, it's comfort food. Comfort food is NOT Low Fat, Low Calorie food!

Brown the sliced steak (I like to cut it into about 1 inch strips), and I cook it to about medium doneness. Season with salt and pepper/

Add the onions and mushrooms and saute it all together for about 2 minutes.

Add the sour cream. How much. That's up to you. I start with about 3/4 cup and then add more depending on how juicy the meat and veggies were. You certainly don't want a runny stronganoff. There have been times that I've had to add flour or arrowroot powder to help thicken it up.

Just as it thickens up, add a nice dash of nutmeg and stir.

In the meantime, I've made a big batch of hot buttered egg noodles. Yes -- more butter.

Heap the stroganoff on the noodles and I usually garnish with chopped parsley (but, I forgot this time). I can just taste it now. I'm thinking I have to stop at the grocery store tonight.

Gordon Ramsay's Pan-Roasted Vegetable Panini

2009-09-21T08:00:00.002-04:00

My four year old son said something just the other day that makes me feel like this isn't for naught:

"Mommy, you're a really nice chef ... and a princess, too."

My heart felt so good. Can you imagine?

O.K. Another sandwich recipe from Ramsay. But, I'm not complaining about this one. This one hit a home run with me and Carlo. The twins, however, didn't like it. They're 4. It was full of vegetable. No peanut butter or jelly. Should I say more?

Zucchini, red and yellow bell pepper, red onion, thyme, olive oil, salt, pepper, pine nuts, basil pesto, fresh parmesan and "panini buns". O.k. I had no idea what Ramsay was talking about, so I bought some ciabatta rolls.

I don't think I've ever had such good ciabatta rolls before. In the past they've always been hard, tough, chewy. These were pillowy soft, doughy, floury, full of air. They were perfect.

I lightly toasted the pine nuts. (Yeah! I didn't burn them -- in fact, they could have been a little darker.)

Chop the veggies.

This pepper was so juicy it stained my fingernails. Note to self: buy some disposable rubber gloves for cooking.

I bought this onion at a farmers' market. It was perfect. How can a red onion be perfect? It smelled oniony. It seeped its oniony juice when I cut into it. It made my kitchen smell like I was a real cook.

Saute the onion with the thyme until just soft.

Add all the other veggies and saute about 10 minutes until everything is soft and reduced a bit in volume. You know when it's cooked enough when the veggies start emitting a wonderful roasted aroma. The edges were just starting to brown up a bit. You get to that point right where you begin to wonder if you leave it on for 5 more minutes, it would burn. You know that point, right?

Slather the pesto on the bread. I opted only one side, but Ramsay recommends covering both halves. Sprinkle the pine nuts on top (I crushed my just a bit.)

Shave the parmesan.

Cover the pesto and nuts (or to taste).

Heap the roasted veggies on top. Add more cheese if you want. In my book -- there is never too much cheese, especially the melty gooey kind.

I don't have an official panini grill, but my Foreman grill worked like a charm.

I'd say I grilled the sandwiches about 3 minutes each, putting slow but firm pressure on the lid to help compress the sandwich. This is were all those wonderful pockets of air in the ciabatta really worked their magic.

Yes. It looks great. It tasted even better. This sandwich was well-balanced in terms of taste and texture.

It inspired me, in thought only though, to think of other types of sandwiches:

A tex-mex version would be really good. Some spice mix, sauteed marinated strip steak, sauteed onions and peppers, loads of pepper-jack cheese. Create a dipping sauce for this one with ranch dressing and cumin (or taco seasonin).

Or a type of Philly Cheese Steak (with steak or chicken) where I'd saute or carmelize some onions with a little green pepper, mushrooms, melt some cheddar, spread bbq sauce on it.

Or even just use the pan-roasted veggies, add some diced left-over chicken and instead of the basil pesto, try it with an artichoke based pesto or spread.

Oh, my mouth is watering.

So --

How long? About 35 minutes. We have a winner.

"Pan-Roasted Vegetable Panini -- Done."

My Homemade Salsa

2009-09-18T08:00:00.000-04:00

Yes, I'm back. Man was August and the beginning of this month busy. First I was on vacation. Just in our backyard, except for a quick trip down to Dayton, Ohio -- Vacation Mecca of the world! Right. My son A ended up getting car sick and complained that I was "driving too much." Then he developed a fever that night at the hotel. The next day, though he was over whatever it was and really perked up.

So then I was back at work and trying to catch up on my work. Didn't get much done because of a huge issue which developed in one of our lawsuits. Then I was called to jury duty. Man -- that sucks. There's no other way to describe it. I wasn't even called to a voir dire. Luckily though, even though jury service lasts a minimum of 5 days, since my service covered Labor Day, the court actually counted the holiday as one day served (even though we didn't get paid our $20 for the day), so when I told my boss that I could come back to work a day early, he gratiously offered me the day off, so I was able to spend it with the kids at the Children's Museum and the Cleveland Museum of Art. What a great day for the most part. But I am so completely backed up with my work. I'm toying with the idea of taking work home. I won't get paid for it, but I hate being so behind.

But, I'm back here, trying to get caught up on what I've been cooking. I'll start simple today, though. One of my own...

Something as simple as homemade salsa? Sure, I'll blog about it.
Why? Because this is my blog and I want to. That's why.

Besides, I had to get rid of those tomatoes -- "Green Bags" only keep them fresh so long.

So, tomatoes, fresh parsley (I wanted cilantro, but my plant petered out on me), canned mild diced chiles, cucumber, onion and salt and pepper.

Tomatoes -- Such a wonderful end-of-summer joy.

Well, you know what to do. Chop up everything. I took the seeds out of the cucumber.

Finely diced the onion.

Seeded the tomatoes. I don't know about you, but I love doing that. I just run my thumb through it and get my hands covered in the seeds and juice. Real hands-on cooking.

Mix together with salt and pepper to taste; then dig in with the corn chips. I also especially like making fresh salsa because I know my kids will eat it. They forget that it's made of vegetables. Four year olds and vegetables just don't mix, you know. I sneek it in when their not looking - even if it's in plain sight.

Gordon Ramsay's Menu - Indian Spice -- Shrimp Pilau -- Wilted Spinach with Mustard Seed -- Grilled Pineapple with Mint and Toasted Coconut

2009-09-16T08:00:00.000-04:00

There are some foods that are not just a feast for your mouth, but also for your eyes, and nose. For example, I present this meal.

Shrimp, chicken stock, onion, basmati rice, curry powder, garlic, olive oil, cardamom pods, ground cumin, and ground coriander. Believe me, people. This recipe was a real treat for your sense of smell.

Diced garlic and onion.

Create the spice blend of fresh thyme, cumin, coriander, and cardamom seeds.

Start sweating the onions and garlic in a Dutch Oven.

Mix in the spice blend. At this point, your nose will be directly in your pan inhaling deeply. Please be careful. It is hot.

At the raw basmati rice and brown with the spiced onions.

At the stock and shrimp. (Yes, put the shrimp in raw - I forgot to take a picture of this step.) Cover the Dutch oven with a parchment tent and bake.

Try not to open the oven too much, but I understand it if you want to keep putting your nose in the pan.

Remove from the oven and try not to grab handfuls of this dish directly from the pan. I promise you will be tempted.

Meanwhile, while the shrimp is in the oven, make the wilted spinach.

Spinach, onion, garam masala, ginger, salt and pepper, canola oil, and mustard seed (whole or coarsley crushed).

Start by sauteing the sliced onion with the spices.

Until they're just about golden.

Add the spinach, in batches if necessary. It's amazing how quickly they reduce down when cooked.

It's that easy. Plate it up and dive in.

I will give you this warning. As great as the shrimp and rice tasted straight out of the oven - it didn't make great left-overs. Usually things taste even better the next day after all the flavors meld together -- this one didn't. The spices lost their impact and actually tasted bland. So be prepared to finish all the shrimp.

I wasn't too crazy about the spinach. Cooked spinach just isn't my thing. Don't get me wrong - I could see someone who likes spinach adoring this side dish, but not me. It was the perfect side for the shrimp, though. Ramsay certainly knows about pairing his food.

Something else he knows? Dessert.

Word to the wise: You might want to start this earlier in the afternoon, though.

A very ripe pineapple. My poor boys kept saying that we were going to eat Spongebob's house. Shredded coconut, mint, and sugar.

Cook the water and sugar to create a simple syrup infused with fresh mint leaves. Set aside to cool.

Toast the coconut. Set aside.

Cut your pineapple into about 16ths, and place on a well-greased grill.

Keep an eye on them and watch them take forever to brown.

Seriously - it took forever. I think Ramsay said it would take about 8 minutes -- I was outside for 25 minutes and I had the flame about medium-high.

But finally, they did brown and start oozing their juices.

Place in a bowl and mix with the mint syrup. Ramsay recommends, if you have time, to make this dessert up to and including this step the night before so that the pineapple can "marinate" overnight. That would have been a good idea. The syrup just didn't pack enough mint kick. But, I put it in the fridge for the rest of the afternoon (about 3 hours).

But that didn't stop us from creating a completely awesome dessert.

So, I added one extra ingredient to the pineapple -- coconut cream pie flavored ice cream. Oh My God. What else to say?

Yes, the cold grilled pineapple was wonderful, but it lost some of its grilled goodness when chilled. I think perhaps it would have been more satisfying (if we didn't add ice cream to it) if it were served fresh off the grill with the syrup dizzled over it, or even instead of a syrup, maybe make a minty sugar icing to dot the serving plate. -- By the way, we had some left over ice cream and pineapple, and it made an awesome milkshake.

How long? 2 HOURS! Entirely of preparation and cooking. This does not include the refrigeration time for the pineapple. That was very disappointing considering how wonderful the rest of the meal was (spinach excluded). I was exhausted on my feet by the time I served dinner. Then because so many pans, bowls, grills were used, there was about another 35 to 40 minutes of clean up.

So, dear readers - beware. This is NOT Fast Food.

"Shrimp Pilau with Wilted Spinach with Mustard Seed, and Grilled Pineapple with Mint and Toasted Coconut ... Done."

One of My Favorites -- Grilled Chicken Saltimbacca

2009-08-13T08:00:00.001-04:00

This is one of my personal favorite recipes to make in the summer. I usually have fresh sage on hand and it is so easy to make. A real "Fast Food" type of meal. Little prep, little clean up, a lot of flavor.
Chicken breasts, prosciutto, lemon, sage and olive oil. (you can add salt and pepper, too, if you like)

Fresh sage. It's a unique taste and texture, but is absolutely wondrous when it's cooked. I've been wanting to try deep-fried sage leaves as a tasty garnish, but haven't had a chance yet.

Fresh proscuitto.

Lemon juice. The ultimate summer taste and smell. As I was rolling this lemon on my cutting board to release the juices, the oil came spraying out of the peel. I just massaged it into my hands and kept going, taking time to sniff the fragrance every so often.

So, mix the fresh lemon juice and olive oil together. Add salt and pepper here if you like.

Coat the chicken breasts in it. (If the breasts are on the thick side, you might want to pound them a little thinner. I should have done that with these in order to reduce and even out the cooking time.)

Place about three large sage leaves or 4 smaller leaves on each breast.

Then wrap each breast in a slice of proscuitto. If the breasts are large enough and you have enough proscuitto, you could use two slices for each breast.

Heat up the grill (I covered mine in foil, but you could grill them directly on the rack if you oil it well enough. You definitely don't want the proscuitto sticking to it and pulling off of the chicken.

Grill until the chicken is cooked all the way through (These took about 15 minutes, turning once.)

They turned out just perfect.

Trying to cut down on time and expense, I just served this with store-bought mustard potato salad. Salads go really well with this too.

So there you have it. My favorite summer-time grilled entree. It's really great for entertaining, just fancy up the sides a bit. A nice tomato and cucumber salad. A frozen berry dessert. It's quick, easy and so little clean up.

Everyone should have time to cook this -- About 35 minutes in all.

Gordon Ramsay's Pasta with Pancetta, Mushrooms and Leeks

2009-08-10T08:00:00.005-04:00

Let me start by saying, I loved making this recipe. It was the perfect weeknight dinner.

medium pasta shells, pancetta, crimini mushrooms, leeks, olive oil, salt, pepper, creme fraiche, and parsley.

Rinse and slice the leeks.

Clean and slice the mushrooms.

Chop the pancetta. (This pancetta was thinner than I wanted. The evil Giant Eagle only sold it prepackaged and nearly shaved.) This would have been better if I had a slab of pancetta to chop.

Cook and drain the pasta shells.

Saute the pancetta in the olive oil just until it starts to turn a golden brown around the edges, but do not let it get crispy like bacon.

Add the leeks and the mushrooms.

Saute until the leeks soften up and the mushrooms start to shrink. Season with salt and pepper.

Toss the leek mixture with the pasta and add a generous dollop of creme fraiche.

Serve sprinkled with chopped parsley.

Carlo and I loved this dish. The kids even liked it since the pasta shells were kid-friendly. The creme fraiche was the perfect finishing touch. It added just enough accentuation without masking any of the subtler flavors.

We were discussing what we liked about the dish and what, if anything, we would change about it. Here's what we thought would be good. This dish would dress up really nice with some fettuccini instead of the shells. Also, we thought that instead of using the baby bellas, we could by full sized portabella caps, grill them and add them to the dish. We even thought about using a grilled cap to hold a nest of fettuccini on top, or even to cap off the pasta with the grilled mushroom. And then we decided that a sprinkle of freshly grated Parmesan would have been a nice addition, too.

35 Minutes. That's all it took. This was a definite winner and has earned its way into my permanent recipe collection.

"Pasta with Pancetta, Mushrooms and Leeks" ... Done.

Gordon Ramsay's Menu - Mexican Flavors -- Beef Fajitas with Sour Cream & Guacamole -- Melon with Tequila & Lime

2009-08-05T08:00:00.005-04:00

So, the next recipe from Mr. Ramsay is for Beef Fajitas. Sounds easy enough. Everyone knows what goes into them. How to assemble them. Sounds easy enough, right? Now, remember, he claims that nothing should take more than 45 minutes, start to finish. But I think he realized that he really pushed the time limits with this recipe ...

Well, sure. All recipes can be made quickly when several people help. But this cookbook was about preparing food quickly for your family so they could eat healthily. You all know I have twin nearly-four year old boys. Someone has to watch them while I'm cooking. So my husband is watching them and trying to keep them out of the kitchen while I'm cooking. For this recipe, he took them to the store. So, just two hands preparing this food. Even if they were there to help, I would only have my husband, because I'm not having A & J chop any peppers anytime soon.

For the fajitas - Skirt steak (I should have used a more tender cut of beef, Ramsay's recipe calls for tenderloin), red pepper, yellow pepper, olive oil, chili powder, paprika, cumin, salt and pepper. (I also added an onion that I happened to have on hand.)

For the guacamole - two avocados, lime juice, garlic, chile (he says to use a red chili, I used canned chopped mild green chiles), shallot, plum tomatoes and cilantro.

For the melon - one honeydew melon, tequila, lime, honey and mint.

Slice the steak into strips. It was a beautiful piece of meat, but more tough than I prefer.

Mix together the salt, pepper, chili powder, paprika and cumin. Toss half with the beef strips and let sit while preparing the rest of the ingredients.

Slice the peppers (and onion) and toss with the remaining spice blend.

Saute the veggies until just softening.

Add the beef and sautee until the beef is cooked through.

Meanwhile...

Cut up and mash the avocado.

Mix together with the tomatoes, shallot, chiles, garlic and lime juice. Set in fridge until ready to serve.

To assemble, warm some flour tortillas, heap the meat and veggies on the torilla, top with the guacamole and the sour cream. I had some shredded cheese on hand, too, and also used that.

Roll up and eat. Frankly, I've had better. The chili powder marinade was actually bland. There was some heat to it, but not a heck of a lot of flavor. The guacamole was good, but the recipe made way to much, and as you know, it quickly discolors so storing didn't work for very long. The meat was tough and chewy. I know that's my fault, but the skirt steak I bought was earmarked for "fajitas," but I suppose it needed a real marinade, not just powders. It might has been better tasting it I cooked it before slicing it, but I'm not sure if that would have made a big difference. It was really lack luster in taste.

Dessert was my saving grace.

I used a melon baller to scoop out the flesh.

Place in a bowl and add the tequila, lime juice, honey and chopped mint.

It was perfect. The tequila added just the right zip without overpowering the melon. I also made a non-alcholic version for the twins (just omitted the tequila and added an extra squirt of lime juice and honey). They gobbled it up.

How long? One Hour And Forty-Five Minutes!! An entire hour of prep time with all the chopping and slicing and melon-balling. I guess if I had one person chopping the veggies and another slicing the steak, another using the melon baller, I could have probably finished it in under 45 minutes. I guess I should just grow two more sets of hands.

"Beef Fajitas with Sour Cream & Guacamole, and Melon with Tequila & Lime ... Done"

The Doldrums

2009-07-29T12:59:00.005-04:00

I'm stuck in neutral. I want to get things done. I want to get posts written. I want to clean my house. I want to play soccer with the boys. I want to do a lot of things. I want to stop wanting. I have posts waiting for me to finish. They won't write themselves, will they? Suddenly my month's reserve of posts are used up.

I've been so preoccupied of late. With what? I'm not really sure. There has been a lot of thinking going on. Which is fine, but without action, I have nothing to show for it. I have a great idea for a historical novel, based on an ancestor's life, but all I do is carry my notebook around, hold the pencil, and watch the blank page gather dust. I've been thinking of ways to get this blog up and running at full momentum. I've been thinking of ways to declutter my life. We're planning a garage sale for next month. I've been thinking about tagging everything. But does anything actually have a price tag on it yet?

I've gotten onto Facebook. Big mistake. I'm spending so much time reconnecting with old friends, I'm not taking care of things for today. Don't get me wrong, I adore Facebook now. (I could do without all those little polls and games they have on there, though.) But, I've been dreaming so much about the past. I've been remembering things of late that I thought I had forgotten some 25 years ago. Like what brand of chocolate milk a friend's mom used to buy and serve on our sleepovers. Why would I remember that? Why should I? There's a lot a regret there, too. I see all the people I wish I would have stayed in touch with over the years, and didn't, and I see all the missed opportunities.

I've got to get my ass in gear. Stop thinking. Get moving. I've got to break out of these doldrums; create my own momentum - no one else is going to do it for me, that's for sure.

Tuna Pasta Salad

2009-07-27T08:00:00.001-04:00

So, I thought I would through in one of my own recipes to show Ramsey what "Fast Food" is really about for the working woman/mom.

This is a pasta salad my mother used to make when I was a kid. I've started making it for my family. It's cheap, easy and very versatile.

Can of tuna, peas, celery, onion, bite-sized pasta of your choice. I usually use elbow macaroni, but anything else (except noodles) works just as well. My mother used to use canned peas, but I prefer freshly steamed fresh or frozen peas (a lot less salty and mushy).

Dice the celery and onion. The quantity really is dictated by your own taste.

Steam (or drain) the peas. I plunged mine in ice water so they wouldn't go mushy on me.

Cook your pasta to al dente or to taste.

Drain your tuna, break up the larger pieces with a fork. Combine it all in a large bowl and then

add your mayonnaise or Miracle Whip (whatever). Serve.

It's really great chilled. I recommend mixing in the mayo on a "per bowl" basis. If you put it in before you refrigerate it, then it dries out and you need to add more anyway. Also, some people in your family might like it drier or wetter than you do. This a great summertime dish because you can make it ahead, go to the beach, come back and serve yourself a bowl (when you're too hot to cook). It also makes a great "base" for other dishes. You could chop up some fresh tomatoes and put them in with a handful of fresh herbs, or some fresh green beans. It really begs to be "dressed" up and played with. Overall, it takes about 30 minutes to prepare. Boiling the water and cooking the pasta is by far the most time-consuming part of the entire recipe. Enjoy.

Gordon Ramsay's Chilled Melon Soup with Crab Garnish (with a Guest Appearance)

2009-07-22T08:00:00.001-04:00

Who would have thunk it? Crab and cantaloupe together? In a soup? Yes, ladies and gentlemen, it's true. I would have thought of fresh chilled cantaloupe as a dessert after a nice steamed crab dinner, but not together in the same bowl. Did it work? Let's find out...

The recipe called for about 5 oz. lump crab meat. Me? I prefer to steam my own crab. There is something rewarding (for me at least) in cracking the shells and prying out those tiny morsels of sweet meat. My husband thinks it's too much work for such little return. I think the work just prolongs the wonderful experience.

So, I let that chill. By the way, I did not include the steaming and cracking and prying times in my overall calculations since it was my own decision to stray from the recipe.

Cantaloupes, plain yogurt, salt and pepper, whole grain mustard, lump crab meat, lime juice, shallot.

Almost forgot the cilantro and mayonnaise.

Cut up the melon into cubes and puree in a blender with a few ice cubes, a pinch of salt and the plain yogurt. Well, my blender apparently wasn't strong enough. I had to take it out of the blender and whiz it in my food processor instead. Just something else to wash.

Place in your freezer to chill while preparing the crab garnish.

Mince the shallot and apple. Add the mustard and mayonnaise and cilantro. Mix with a squeeze of fresh lime juice.

Heap a generous portion of the crab garnish in the middle of a bowl and ladle the cantaloupe soup around it. Garnish with cilantro.

So, did it work for me? No. I didn't really like the combination. But, I'm just one person. My son Alex liked it even less. He did like swirling the crab through the soup and creating very pretty designs. Jon, on the other hand, had thirds. He couldn't get enough. My husband had seconds and claimed that the combination worked incredibly well.

The time requirement? Done in under 40 minutes. It probably would have taken less time, except for having to drag out my food processor. Also, as I was cutting up the melon, the twins probably came to me about 5 times each to ask for a piece. All that stopping and starting really adds up.

But, as an added bonus, that wasn't all that I made that night.

The soup seemed like it wouldn't be substantial enough for dinner, so I also made Fried Green Tomatoes.

Recipe from Heritage of America Cookbook by Better Homes and Gardens (out of print).

Large green tomatoes, onion salt (I had to use onion powder and increased amount of salt in recipe), sesame seeds, corn meal (recipe called for white corn meal, I used yellow), pepper, 1 egg, flour and milk. I also used bacon drippings for the frying, instead of vegetable oil.

The tomatoes were gorgeous. I picked them up from my local veggie stand just that morning.

Mix the dry ingredients. I ran out a little more than halfway through and had to eyeball another batch -- there was no way I was dirtying another set of measuring spoons and cups.

Combine the egg and milk. (Just like with the dry ingredients, I found that one egg wasn't enough. I ran out a little more than halfway through and had to whip up some more.)

Dip the tomato slices into the egg and milk mixture. Cover in the corn meal mixture and fry in hot oil.

Until golden brown.

Drain on paper towels and serve.

My thoughts? This was the first time I ever had fried green tomatoes and I was very surprised by how acidic they were. I thought they would be sweeter tasting. I began to wonder if I could do something. I was just "surfin' the net" and found that other people said the same thing. Some suggested that the strong "acidy bite" is more prevalent in certain types of tomatoes than in others. Others suggested adding some sugar to the cornmeal mixture. I was even wondering if putting the sugar into the milk and egg mixture would help, or if the tomato slices could be soaked in a sugar water solution prior to frying (or would that make it too mushy).

The kids didn't like the tomatoes. My husband didn't like them. I wasn't crazy about them, but I saw a lot of potential there. Interestingly, I put the leftovers in the fridge and grabbed a chilled one the next day and found that the acidity had greatly reduced.

After assembling the dinner and serving and cleaning up, I realized I had some crab garnish left over. It made for a great evening snack.

"Chilled Melon Soup with Crab Garnish ... Done."

My Idea of Taking it Easy in the Kitchen

2009-07-20T08:00:00.001-04:00

A husband who does dishes. Isn't he wonderful? He tries. Truly. And I appreciate everything he does for me.

Time is too precious to spend inside on a beautiful day. I'd much rather find events to make my children smile.

We absolutely love festivals, too. Throw away the paper plates, assuming the food even comes on a plate. If crumbs fall to the ground, eh, so what. The birds will get it.

Besides, when was the last time you made yourself a chocolate dipped cheesecake on a stick?

Succulent ribs, anyone? Mine never come out bone-sucking delicious like these did.

Cooking at home is great, but spending more time with the family is definitely better.

Gordon Ramsay's Menu -- Light and Healthy - Pan-Fried Hake with Tomato Relish -- Blueberries with Honey, Almonds and Yogurt

2009-07-15T08:00:00.001-04:00

This menu was entitled "Light and Healthy" by Ramsay . And you know, it was. It was a very nice summer dish. I had a few glitches, however.

Does anyone know where to buy Hake? This was another dish where I needed to make a substitution. According to internet research, two suitable substitutions for hake are Boston Ling and Cod. I didn't have time to travel all around the city of Cleveland looking for reputable fish mongers, though I believe there are a few. Not to mention, I do have a budget. One that has been seriously put under stress by three vet visits in three months (one of them to an emergency room) for my cat, a fallen tree, my new gym membership, and the upcoming school-year tuition for the boys. [** sigh **]

So, I opted for the cod. Big mistake.

Can you see in the photograph of the book the beautiful fillet of fish? -- Keep that image in your mind when you get to the bottom of this post.

Cod, salt and pepper, olive oil, scallions, cilantro, thyme, white wine vinegar, and grape tomatoes (his recipe called for cherry tomatoes, but believe it or not -- the sucky Giant Eagle didn't have any and my tomato plant just isn't bearing fruit yet) .

This was actually very nice cod.

The tomatoes were tossed with the scallions, cilantro and thyme.

Then sauteed in a bit of olive oil and finished off with a splash of white wine vinegar

The fish. Hrumph. Place the oil in the pan and put the fish on top. Then heat the pan slowly. Gradually increase the heat. Well, I forgot to compare my fish to his. His was a nice thick slice. Mine were little skinny things. I didn't adjust my cook time. I was distracted by the boys playing in the backyard.

My fish overcooked and stuck to the pan.

I was very disappointed in my presentation to say the least.

Spoon the tomato relish on the plate and top with the fish. Or rather, scatter the fish all over the plate and serve.

My fish looked crappy, but it didn't affect the flavor one bit. It was light and refreshing. I didn't think I'd like the tomatoes (I'm not a big fan of cooked tomatoes), but it really went well together. I wish I had made more. Even my almost 4-year old twins liked it. They finished all of their fish and about half of the tomato relish. They just didn't like the skins on the tomatoes.

And then there was dessert.

Blueberries, honey, plain yogurt, toasted almonds.

Carefully toasted almonds. (I have a bad track record when it comes to toasting nuts. I always end up burning them - but not this time.)

Actually, there wasn't much to take pictures of. Mix the honey and yogurt together. Fold in blueberries and chill while you eat dinner. Put in serving bowls and top with the toasted almonds.

I should have had more blueberries in there, but while I was at work that day, my in-laws watched the kids and opened up my blueberry clamshell and let the boys snack, not knowing that those blueberries were for dinner. Oh, well. The dessert was really nice. The honey mixed into the plain yogurt was the perfect touch.

This dessert seemed like it could be the base of something more, though. The crunchy almonds were good, but a brown sugar and oat crumble would have been really good. Even a sprinkling of granola. Ramsay suggests this dessert could be a very good breakfast, as well. He's right. This dessert certainly caused our dinner to end on a high note.

From beginning to end? 35 minutes. Now, that's what I'm talking about.

"Pan-Fried Hake with Tomato Relish, and Blueberries with Honey, Almonds and Yogurt ... Done."

Gordon Ramsay's Fusilli Salad with Merguez & Olives

2009-07-08T08:00:00.002-04:00

Another recipe from the section entitled "Working Lunches." Frankly, I wasn't impressed.

Fusilli noodles, sundried tomatoes, olives (I used canned black olives -- my favorite because of their non-saltiness, and because of their ease of use -- Ramsay did not specify what kind of olives he recommended for this dish), olive oil, parsley, chives, basil, and sausage. Ramsay says to use Merguez sausages. Sorry, but Giant Eagle just doesn't carry anything like that. I did some internet research and found that Merguez sausages are "full bodied" and that chorizo would make a good substitution. Eh. I guess I should have looked harder for the Merguez; maybe I should have spent a Saturday down at the West Side Market and talked to people who know their sausages.

I noticed as I was browning the sausage that my chorizo didn't hold its shape like the picture of the Merguez, which resembled a smoked sausage, rather than a fresh meat sausage. Nonetheless, it did smell wonderful as it sizzled.

Add the chopped sundried tomatoes and sliced olives, saute.

Toss with the cooked fusilli, olive oil and fresh chopped herbs.

It looks great. It had great potential. Way too friggin' spicy. I've had chorizo from this provider before and it was wonderful. Spiced without being blazing hot. This was all heat. I could barely eat the dish. And everything the sausage touched became tainted by the spice. Even the noodles were nearly inedible. I made peanut butter and jelly for the boys to eat. I was only able to eat about half a serving - with a full glass of ice water, before I called it quits.

The dish, though, did meet the time requirements. From the beginning of the prep until it hit the table, it took 40 minutes. Not exactly a "quick" dish, but it was easy.

This dish reminded, me, except for the sausage part of it, of a dish that I make on a pretty regular basis.

hot cooked fettuccini, or pasta of choice

sundried tomatoes, soaked in hot water and chopped

large can of sliced black olives

crumbled feta cheese

garlic

olive oil

red pepper flakes

fresh chopped herbs (basil, chives, oregano, etc.)

Heat olive oil in pan. Saute garlic and red pepper flakes. Combine all ingredients in bowl and add hot oil. Mix and serve. It is wonderful hot or cold. It can be dressed up. When in a pinch, I sometimes just use a bottle of greek salad dressing for the sauce. Leftover chicken pieces can be tossed in, too. It's one of those recipes that let's you play. It can be different every time you make it.

So, Ramsay's recipe? Frankly, I think my version is better and more satisfying. If it wasn't for the spicy oil from the chorizo, I don't think the recipe would have had much flavor at all.

"Fusilli Salad with Merguez & Olives ... Done."

Gordon Ramsay's Pastrami & Cream Cheese Bagel

2009-07-01T09:00:00.008-04:00

Time to start with something really easy. How about a recipe for a sandwich?

Honestly, whenever I see recipes for sandwiches, I kind of cringe. Does it really take a chef who holds title to 16 Michelin Stars to tell me how to put a couple pieces of meat between two slices of slathered bread? Frankly, I think recipes like this are quite below Ramsay's standards, as well as below mine. (Not to sound too snooty.)

So, enough talking this recipe up, which Ramsay placed in the category "Working Lunches" ...

Poppyseed bagels, pastrami, cream cheese, whole grain mustard and some arugula. The recipe actually also called for some pickle slices, but I opted to leave those off.

The recipe instructs to mix the cream cheese and mustard together in a separate bowl. I, however, just slathered the cheese on the freshly toasted bagels, then spread the mustard on top of the cheese. I wouldn't have minded mixing it up and actually dirtying another bowl, but my three year olds were going to eat this too, and I didn't want it to be too mustardy for them.

Place the pastrami (about three slices each sandwich) on top along with the arugula. Smoosh together.

Good, yes. Ramsay quality. No.

Fast Food? Yes. 15 Minutes start to finish for four sandwiches. Frankly, I would have been ashamed of myself if it took me longer than that to smack it all together.

So, in the words of the man himself: "Pastrami & Cream Cheese Bagel ... Done."

Bugger ...

2009-06-29T16:18:00.002-04:00

Our ten year old Bradford Pear Tree. It fell victim to the thunderstorm that rolled through town last Thursday night. We never heard it fall. I cried when I saw it. At least it didn't do any damage to the house. It fell on a fence, but that seems to have withstood the weight of the tree. The tree company will be at the house early this week to remove the tree and grind out the stump, and then I'll be able to see if the fence really did survive or not. God, if not, we're screwed. I miss the tree already. It provided our only shade in the front yard. It was a favorite perch for a singing cardinal. It was located right outside the master bedroom window and provided privacy.

Anyone know of a fast growing shade tree that won't be too big to plant near a house?

Time for Preparation

2009-06-26T10:51:00.017-04:00

Love him or hate him, Gordon Ramsay is an awesome chef. Most of the time. I adore his television shows, Hell's Kitchen, Kitchen Nightmares and the F Word. The latter most of all. I love that he is so passionate about cooking and about eating. He seems genuinely interested in getting people back into the kitchen and out of the fast food drive-thrus. Though I have read that he absolutely loves fast food burgers. I guess, like all things, everything in moderation. Something he would do well to remember when he starts swearing on camera, not to mention the fact that his ego could use a bit of a down-sizing, too.

So, why am I putting Ramsay to the test? I'm sure there are plenty of critics who have tested his recipes to see if they stand up to the "fast food" test. In fact, many state that the recipes in this book are no time savers at all. I want to test him. He's a professional chef. I'm a wife, mother and office worker. I'm at the office on average 50 hours a week. Can I make his meals after a long day at work and have everyone sit down to a well-balanced meal long before it's time to go to bed?

This is the inside flap of the book jacket. "None take longer than half an hour ... the menus take 30 - 45 minutes from start to finish...." Hmmm, we'll see.

But first, in order create these recipes, I'm going to have to stock up my pantry. I'll buy the fresh ingredients, obviously, as needed. But for the staples, I'm making a list and checking it twice.

page one.

page two.

page three.

page four also includes the ingredients lists for items such as stocks (which, god forbid we actually used store-bought). There are more "make-ahead" items such as sweet and hot chile dipping sauce, pesto, homemade mayonnaise, and vinaigrette. We'll see if I have the inclination to get this involved. Obviously the preparation time for these items are not included in the 30 to 40 minute time span for the "fast food" recipes. So in other words, I would have to set aside probably one if not both days of a weekend to try to stock up on, well, my stocks.

By the way, the lists above do not, except in a few rare instances, duplicate ingredients. For example, I only have honey on there once, even though its in numerous recipes. Those lists were also written on regular 8½ x 11" notebook pages.

So far, do you realize how much time I've placed into just preparing for this project? Any time I will have saved by making his recipes will have already been negated just by this preparation time.

Don't get me started about the time I'm spending trying to track down the fresh ingredient lists. Where the hell am I going to find fresh quail eggs and blood sausage on the far west-side of Cleveland? Not to mention fresh Lychees and kaffir lime leaves. Mushy peas, anyone? Americans don't even know what those are. Obviously some real time and effort is going to go into this. I've found cans of mushy peas on the internet for about $2.99 each -- not bad, but then add on the $10.00 shipping charges. A $12 can of peas from England. There's also the issue of finding other items that just aren't available. He loves to cook with certain fruits and vegetables, that try as I might, I just can't find in Ohio. In London, no problem. But, when was the last time you heard of a Braeburn apple, or Commerce pears or Tender-Stem Broccoli? I'm sure his professional connections make things like that a snap for him. There are things, too, like tahini (sesame seed paste). I only need a tablespoon or two, but I can't find it in the stores in less than a 16 oz. jar (about $10.00). I'm thinking about just grinding up some seeds myself with some oil and calling it tahini. Frustrating to say the least.

A lot of substitutes will be made, I can guarantee that.

Stay tuned.

The Official Relaunch of Who Has Time To Cook?

2009-05-18T13:21:00.031-04:00

Welcome to my relaunch of Who Has Time to Cook? I miss writing about food. I miss cooking and taking photoes of my meals. I miss thinking about how I'm going to describe my kitchen adventures.

So, allow me to reintroduce myself:

My name is Jean. I married Carlo nearly five years ago, though we've been together for over 22 years. I'm the mother of nearly 4 year old identical twin boys, A & J.

I'm a legal secretary / executive assistance / accounts receiveable manager.

My time is cramped, by my own doing. It shouldn't be hard to manage my time with what I have to do, but somehow, I just don't seem to have enough time in the day to make everyone happy.

(nice and blurry, just like me in the morning)

My average work day is thus: I wake between 6:30 and 7 a.

On the road by a little after 7 a.m;

(passing a farm field just around the corner from my home. This field is home to a flock of about 9 to 12 deer. I've also seen numerous field cats, oppossums, bunnies, and just two weeks ago I saw a fox. This field lies in a small depression and has set the scene for many gorgeous foggy scenes (complete with the deer) and frosty mornings. )

Here I lament the ever increasing price of gas.

I run through the drive through for breakfast about once a week.

Drive past the airport (if you notice, the time on the board is "7:20"so I left my house at 7:05. 15 minutes and I'm not even on the highway yet.

Entering the rat race.

Pass some pretty cool landmarks (St. Michaels on Scranton)

See some pretty cool landscapes.

Arrive at my office building.

(Isn't this brass post office box just great?)

8 o'clock. Already.
(1/2 an hour before I have to clock in, but I use that time to catch up on headline reading and eating breakfast).

My chaos.

Work from 8:30 to 5:30 (with a 1 hour lunch at my desk)

Finally time to go home.

Leave work and drive home. Pass my some interesting sites. (a man killed his wife with an axe in the back of this house during the late 1800s, just because she nagged him.)

At least the traffic isn't as bad going home.

The airport.

I get home at about 6:10. Carlo usually has dinner ready when I arrive. We eat, finishing at about 7 (or 8, if we opt to play outside before dinner). Then we play, watch t.v., go to the playground, or have bath night. Then it's nightime routine with the boys (they love watching Kipper and Pajanamals in our bed), then they go to bed about 9 p.m. (that is if we're lucky, lately it's been closer to 10:00 or even 10:30) By then I'm exhausted, and still have to clean up after dinner, take a shower, or finally get to catch up on all the shows I've dvr'd. Then I'm in bed at about 10:30 - just to start all over again the next morning. Lately, we've added working out to our routine. I love Wii Fit and EA Active. But the only time we have to work out is after the boys go to bed. So we start about 10:30, so I'm not in bed until about 11:30.

I've also just joined a gym. God help me. I'll try to make it there at least twice a week on Saturday and Sunday morning, and try, maybe a Wednesday evening on the way home from work.

On weekends, it's a bit more hectic. Carlo works Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights from 7 p.m. until 7:30 a.m. the next morning. Which means when I get home from work in Friday (a little earlier than the rest of the week), he's getting ready to go to work. I do dinner for me and the kids (sometimes I opt for a night out to Target or Walmart with a fast food dinner), occupy the boys for the rest of the night and then struggle to get them to bed before 9:30. Saturday and Sundays, I watch the boys all morning, trying to keep them semi-quiet while their Daddy sleeps upstairs until about 1 or 2 p.m. Then he joins us for a few hours before he has to start getting ready for work again. Sometimes that's when we go out as a family to the store, or play in the backyard, whatever. I need to get dinner ready on those days as well. It's just difficult keeping my eye on the boys and cook/grill, and whatever else. On Monday mornings, I also get to work later because I need to get the boys ready for school / summer camp so that as soon as Carlo gets home from work at 8:30, he can get them to wherever they need to be.

On top of all that, I'm constantly creating projects for myself. Like this blog and genealogy, creating scrapbooks, needlepoint, gardening, reading, and writing. Not to mention my addiction to computer games.

So, when do I have time to create a menu, shop, prep, cook and clean up?

The answer is I don't. If you noticed in my run-down of the week, I don't have time in there for laundry, cleaning, shopping, etc. I am incredibly fortunate to have a husband who does the majority of it. Yes, my husband actually does laundry. He even knows how to use the built-in fabric softener dispenser. He folds, too. He mops the floor, cleans up the dog poo, cleans the cat's litter box - and he also -- prepare yourself -- cleans the toilets. He grocery shops, too. He uses coupons. How the hell did I get so lucky? How did he end up with someone like me? Actually, I don't mind grocery shopping. I take the boys shopping sometimes on Friday nights or Saturday mornings to buy our fresh items. Carlo is real big on buying convenience foods (because, well, that's what he had a coupon for -- when was the last time you saw a coupon for watermelon or a bunch of carrots, or a pound of halibut filets -- which were on sale last week!)

So all that said, explained, and out of the way -- here we go. The official relaunch of Who Has Time to Cook.

So many of those cookbooks out there claim to be for those people who are too busy to cook. Well, I'm going to put them to a working mom's test.

My first test? Gordon Ramsay and his cookbook Fast Food.

Does Ramsay tell the truth when he says anyone has time to cook, or is that just more foul-mouthed bullshit coming from him?

Stay tuned.

2009-05-08T09:59:00.002-04:00

Operation New Project is under construction.

I talked to my family last night about my idea. They (being my husband and my 3½ year old twin boys) are all for it. Of course when I asked if they were willing to be my guinea pigs, the boys thought they were going to get guinea pigs for pets. Oops.

So, I've started by making my lists -- and checking them twice -- to determining what I need and how much. I'd like to try to cook in season, but, hey, if I don't, I'm not going to fret - and I hope no one else will either. I'm also trying to determine my cooking schedule, posting schedule, and execution of said project.

Right now, though, the biggest obstacle I have is trying to figure out what some of these ingredients are, just where in the hell I'm going to find them, and just how much is this going to cost me.

So, stay tuned. This project should be getting under way shortly. I promise.

2009-05-07T15:06:00.002-04:00

Holy crap. November? Is that right? The last time I posted was six months ago? Shit.

Well, I'm here to say that I'm working out an idea. I just know I have a food writer inside of me, dying to come out and make herself known. Every time I cook, I still find myself looking for my camera. But then I stop myself, asking "why" I don't have an audience. Well, I hope to change that.

I've been trying to discover my niche. I think I've found it. I just have to determine exactly the right execution of my project. I think it will work nicely. I know, I'm vague. I just need to work out a few of the logistics, and timing (not to mention the money for it all).

Hey, just look at the title of my blog, that should give you hint as to the project (not to mention why it's taken me so long getting this going).

By the way, what do you all think about that trailer for the Julie and Julia movie coming out? I can't wait to see it. I've been reading the original blog online, and I highly recommend it.

Baked Pumpkin Slices and Stuffed Chicken Breasts

2008-11-12T08:03:00.013-05:00

This weekend was made for cooking comfort foods. I took the twins (3 year olds) to the park where we ate an impromtu breakfast of McD's pancakes in the chilly morning air. Pancakes make the perfect finger foods for food on the go. We walked a bit and kicked up the fallen leaves, watched the brown, gold and red leaves float down the river, and then went to the nature center where the boys were actually pretty well-behaved. They stayed together for the most part, which is good because the center is pretty large with lots of areas they could explore - unfortunately out of my sight. But they were good. The center provided free samples of hot spiced cider and nilla and ginger cookies. We went grocery shopping after that, tasted the free samples, and all in all, I have to say the day was pretty enjoyable.

When we got home, I decided it was time to cut up one of our pumpkins and bake it using a recipe from How to Cook Everything.

Don't those seeds just call out to be roasted? Yeah, they did. But I ditched them. I made roasted seeds, though just on Halloween, and I ended up eating most of them by myself; the boys only had a very small handful, and my husband isn't too crazy about them. But seeing this picture again, just makes wish I would have made them and enjoyed.

Anyway, the baked pumpkin -- Sliced to about 1 inch think and brushed with a mixture of ginger, soy sauce, brown sugar, oil and cinnamon.

Bake for 30 minutes, turn, and brush with sauce again, and bake for another 30 to 35 minutes.

It was tasty, but I was hoping the sauce would have formed more of a glaze. The flavors were subtle and warm. I thought, though, if I were to make this again, I would increase the amount of brown sugar and maybe add just a pinch of clove to the mixture. Maybe even put them under the broiler at the end to try to crisp up the edges.

I served the baked pumpkin as a side dish to Bacon Wrapped Chicken Breasts.

Chicken breast halves, salt, pepper, blue cheese crumbles, toasted pecans, scallions, 4 slices of bacon (remember - the recipe calls for only 4 slices, one for each chicken breast half), olive oil, butter, flour, chicken stock, cream and grainy dijon mustard.

I did my best to pound the chicken breasts flat, really, I tried, but have you tried to do that with the flat side of a meat tenderizer. Doesn't really work, does it? I toasted my chopped pecans - TWICE. I got so carried away trying to pound my chicken (sounds obscene, doesn't it?), that I forgot to stir my first batch of pecans. Luckily I had more in the pantry. Came close to burning those, too, just because the pan was still so hot from the first batch. But, I caught them in the nick of time.

So, I mixed the scallions, the darkly toasted pecans and a full cup of blue cheese. This mixture alone would have made a great cracker topper or even something to put on crostini. Yum. I divided it up onto each of my semi-flattened chicken breasts and then tried to roll it all up. Ha! Now, remember, the recipe called for one slice of bacon to help secure each of the chicken breasts. What did I end up doing? Oh, about 3 or 4 slices of bacon for each chicken breast. Yep, I used an entire package of bacon trying to tie them up. Don't get me wrong. I do not consider this a set-back.

I would rank bacon in my top 3 favorite foods of all time. Right up there with crab legs and medium-rare steak. Still, though, I felt a bit the failure for not getting my chicken into a roll-able mode. I was already stomping my foot because of the wasted pecans and then when my chicken kept falling apart, I actually wondered why I try to cook things like this. Cooking is supposed to be enjoyable. An outlet. An escape. Instead I was creating more stress in my life. Well, these thoughts left my head when all was done and served and tasted.

So, after the chicken got all bundled up in its bacon slices, they got fried (causing me to swear again, as the bacon slices started to stick to the pan and began to unravel). After some careful maneuvering with a variety of utensils, I got them beautifully browned, and then into the oven for another 30 minutes. Now, the cooking time was greatly increased from what the recipe dictated, but of course, my chicken was probably 3 times as thick as it was supposed to be.

Meanwhile, I made the mustard gravy. On paper it doesn't sound too great, but it was surprisingly perfect for the chicken. Melted butter mixed with flour (cooked quickly, not quite a roux), add chicken broth, and heavy cream. Add grainy mustard. After seasoning with salt and pepper, it needed more mustard but something else was missing. I had just taken the chicken out of the oven, and saw exactly what the gravy needed. The pan drippings. They were so rich and deep brown, and wonderfully bacon flavored. I strained off as much of the clear fat as I could and added almost 1/4 cup of the brown drippings into the gravy. Oh My God!

The pictures don't do it justice. The blue cheese, even though there was about 1/4 cup in each roll, didn't over-power. It was subtle, but accented the scallions and pecans. The mustard sauce, I don't know how to explain how it drew it all together. Within two bites, Carlo was saying this recipe is a definite keeper and was already asking that I make it again. The fact that my chicken was a little too think didn't hurt the flavors at all. In fact, I think it helped it stay moist and there was enough chicken with every bite that the filling didn't overtake the taste buds. I wasn't disappointed at all. Even my 3 year olds liked it - of course, they love bacon, too, so that helped.

When I make it again, I might even consider just creating pocket in the chicken breast and stuffing that, and seal it with the bacon. I might also reserve some blue cheese crumbles to sprinkle over the top, just as a reminder of what is in the filling, since the flavor was a little subtle after it had melted.

Well, so here it is, my first real entry in far too long. How'd I do?

Artichoke Pizza with Thyme and Feta

2008-07-23T09:15:00.003-04:00

An attractive entry today. Colorful and tasty.

First, a word on the aphrodisiac qualities of artichokes:

I found this amusing quote: "From the Book of Nature, by Dr. Bartolomeo Boldo in 1576, 'it has the virtue of . . . provoking Venus for both men and women; for women making them more desirable, and helping the men who are in these matters rather tardy.'"

And "In the 16th Century eating an artichoke would be a scandalous adventure for any woman. At that time, because the artichoke was considered an aphrodisiac, it was reserved for men only. In fact, the artichoke was denied to women and reserved for men because it was thought to enhance sexual power. "

And: "Artichokes are an excellent source of fiber, vitamin C, magnesium and potassium, but it is their phytonutrient content that really makes them shine."

No matter what the actual reason for believing they are aphrodisiacs, and the fact that there is no science proving their passionate qualities, they are delicious. I grew up eating these yummy buds steamed in water with a little lemon juice added and then served with a bowl of melted butter. It was a definite comfort dish for me.

For this dish from Intercourses:

canned artichokes, premade cheese pizza crust, mayonaise, garlic, red bell pepper, yellow bell pepper, pepper, feta cheese, olive oil and dried thyme. I also added a shallot and shredded mozzarella, just because I happened to have them on hand.

Slice the peppers, shallots and garlic.

Saute the peppers, shallots and some of the garlic in olive oil.

Puree the artichoke hearts, mayonnaise, remaining garlic and pepper in the food processor until creamy.

Spread the artichoke mix over the pre-made pizza crust.

Then I put the mozzarella over that.

Top with the sauteed veggies.

Then top with the feta and thyme and bake until golden brown.

It was well worth the time spent in making it. But I discovered that when using one of the pre-made pizza crusts, do not, and I stress, do not put it on a pizza pan with holes in it. It diasppointingly hardened the crust way too much. Also, next time, I'll cut back on the artichoke "sauce" by nearly half. It overpowered the peppers and cheese. It was too "wet" on top.

Carlo liked it, hard crust and all. A & J like each individual ingredient while I was prepping it, but they did not like the assembled pizza. They ended up eating peanut butter and jelly.

Is this recipe a keeper? Yes. Did it have any aphrodisiac qualities? No.

Taking the easy way out - Beer Marinated Steak

2008-07-03T08:13:00.009-04:00

I'm tired. I haven't had a decent night sleep in over a week. Yes, I'm going to whine and moan now. Last night I was up from 2:30 until 4:30. J woke up and said the air conditioning was "too noisy" in his room. I let him try to sleep in Carlo's and my bed, but he just couldn't get comfortable, and then a thunder and lightening storm rolled through (again) so J just wouldn't settle down. I finally got him back to bed about 3:15. The night before that I was up several times with pain from a rupturing cyst. For the four nights prior to that it was the cyst pain combined with lower back pain. I'm just exhausted.

Yesterday was my birthday, so Carlo took me out to dinner. We went to Mapleside Farm Restaurant. It was good, but not great. I had their Maryland Chicken which was a boneless chicken breast, battered in a buttermilk ... well ... batter. Deep-fried, and topped with thick-cut bacon and a country gravy. It was very bland. Even the bacon didn't have any flavor, and anyone who knows me, knows that bacon is my all-time favorite food. I would have thought that for a restaurant known for their apples, they would have used an applewood-cured bacon. The buttermilk batter didn't have any seasoning in it, and actually, neither did the country pan gravy. I saw specks of pepper, but didn't taste anything. I ended up drowning the poor thing in salt and pepper. Carlo had their Stuffed Chicken Breast which was a breaded chicken breast that was stuffed with ham and cheddar cheese and topped with a chicken gravy. His had a lot more flavor than mine. The loaded baked potatoes were really good, though. They salt crusted the potatoes which left the inside really fluffy. We ordered Apple Fritters for an appetizer, and so we could have some to take home to A & J. They were tasty. Plenty of them, but a bit on the small and overcooked side. A little darker than golden brown. There was also just a small square of chopped apple in each. I was expecting full apple slice fritters. Don't get me wrong. The evening was very nice. My mother watched A & J so Carlo and I really did get to spend some quiet time together. After dinner, we sat on the hill overlooking the Mapleside Orchards and watched the deer run through the trees, the swallows flitting overhead, the occasional burst of fireworks that dotted the surrounding landscape, and then finally, we watched the occasional flash of lightening streak through the sky as the rains approached. Did I remember to bring the camera with me? Of course not.

Because I'm lazy, and also because I left my flash drive at home, I'm posting the dish I made for father's day. Yeah, how many weeks ago was that? Anyway, this is a food blog, right? I have to talk about the food I make, right? This was really very easy. The recipe is from Cooking Pleasures Magazine.

Sirloin steak, lager, olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper, cider vinegar, hot sauce, ketchup, worcestershire, soy sauce (a great way for me to finally get rid of all those take-out packets I've collected) and the recipe called for dijon mustard. I thought I had some. I had honey mustard, so I used some of that and took whole mustard seed, which I crushed with the mortar and pestal. I think I worked pretty well.
Marinate the steak overnight, turning occasionally. The next day I grilled the steaks to a medium rare.
Then for the side, I got this uber simple recipe for grilled asparagus from The Biggest Book of Grilling. Blanch the asparagus, then marinate in lemon juice, vinegar, herbs of choice and oil for about 15 minutes. Grill in a pan for about 8 minutes; plate and shave some parmesan curls over the top.

The asparagus had a nice zesty flavor to them. The steak was so tender. The flavor went all the way through the meat. I also grilled some fresh mushrooms in butter, olive oil, and a splash of red wine. Then I crumbled some gorganzola over the top.

Carlo was very happy with his father's day dinner.

So, Happy 4th of July to everyone. I hope you enjoy your long weekend. I'm taking Monday off, too, so I'll see you again Tuesday. Peace.

Happy Birthday To Me!!!

2008-07-02T14:20:00.001-04:00

Just a little birthday note to myself to have a wonderful day.

Fettuccini with Chicken, Asparagus and Gorganzola

2008-06-24T08:21:00.006-04:00

If you live in the Cleveland area, did you catch the gorgeous double rainbow Sunday night at 9 p.m.?
This weekend was just chock full of unpredictable weather. One minute sunny, the next tornado warnings, whipping winds and pelting hail.

A & J just had enough time to make it outside to spash in some puddles before the next storm made its way in (hence those omnious clouds in the background).

Another installment from Intercourses. A mighty tasty one, I might add. The book states that asparagus is an aphrodisiac mostly because of its suggestive shape, however, in googling the issue, apparantly, asparagus is very high in Vitamin E which supposedly boosts sex hormones. Maybe, maybe not. Either way, the dish was very good, and a little extra vitamin E never hurt anyone (as far as I know)

Asparagus, gorganzola, paramesan, shallot, butter, heavy cream, red pepper flakes, nutmeg, chicken and fettuccini. The only thing missing from this picture is fresh tarragon, which was in my herb container garden which was getting pelted by hail when I was prepping this dish. I decided to go ahead without it, and hope for a break in the weather so I could harvest some right before the final toss of the pasta.

Blanching the asparagus
Ssauteeing the chicken in the butter
Using the cream to deglaze the pan, with added shallot and nutmeg, to make a thick rich sauce.

Stir in the crumbled gorganzola until creamy. Then make a mad dash between the raindrops to gather my tarragon.

Then mixed everything into the cooked fettucini along with the asparagus and the parmesan
There isn't much I'd change in the dish, except, instead of stirring in the gorganzola until it melted, I would switch it with the parmesan. I'd let the parmesan melt through, and then toss in the gorganzola. I'm a real big fan of blue cheeses and the taste was a little too subtle for me, but really - it was so good.

Did it work as an aphrodisiac? Let's just say, Vitamin E may be one of my new best friends.

Strawberry Pasta

2008-06-16T10:06:00.008-04:00

What? That's probably what you're saying when you saw the title of this post. That's certainly what my husband said. When I've described it to people, they sort of cringed. Actually when I saw the finished result of the pasta, I wondered just what it was that I was going to serve my family.

Now that I've talked it "up" sufficiently -- here it goes.
Spaghetti, cream, butter, fresh strawberries and fresh grated parmesan.

Puree and strain the strawberries.
Cook the pasta and mix with the grated cheese. Bring the butter and cream to a simmer. Pour the strained berries over the pasta, followed by the steaming butter cream mixture and toss.

What we had then was Pink Pasta.

It actually didn't look all that good. But the people at Intercourses were on to something, but fell a bit short. The first taste was surprising. Light, summery, fruity. The parmesan added just the right amount of zip. A & J really like it. A actually asked for 3 servings and J asked for a second serving (albeit very small servings, they aren't even 3 years old yet). Hubby took seconds. I stuck with my original serving.

During the entire dinner, I kept thinking of what would have made it better. The best I could come up with were these ideas:

Use angel hair pasta instead of spaghetti.

Instead of cream and butter, perhaps a cream or cream cheese and cottage cheese mixture. Something to make it creamier, yet still retain some texture to it (large curd cottage cheese, so it wouldn't all melt down in the heating.

Maybe adding some chopped strawberries to the final toss. I think that was the biggest problem. There was such a small hint of strawberry; it was a tease; you couldn't help but look for the strawberries.

I also thought, expanding upon my Hubby's comment that the pasta tasted like "dessert," that maybe you could actually create this dish with a small pasta like Farfellini or Cappelletti, cottage cheese, chopped up strawberries and maybe something else like kiwi or banana. It would definitely take some experimenting. I'm not sure I'm up for that, but anyone else is certainly welcome to try it and let me know their results. (hmmm -- guest blog?)

All in all - O.K. More of a surprise than a disappointment. Aphrodisiac qualities? No.

What a Delight -- Honey Almond Delight

2008-06-10T07:55:00.006-04:00

Another installment from Intercourses. I loved it. Hubby liked it so much he took some to share with his co-workers at the hospital. A first.

Let me start, however, by asking, is there an easy way to slice almonds? Yes, I could have bought pre-sliced almonds, but at that price? Forget it. I ended up slicing 1 lb. of almonds the best I could, but many of them were just halved. If I tried for a thinner slice, they just sort of splintered or crumbled. And, I don't want to talk about what my index finger and thumb looked like after I was done wielding the knife... So here we go...

Yes, that is an entire pound of butter. Hence, it's deliciousness...

Also, 1 lb. sliced/halved almonds, almond extract, egg, sugar, brown sugar, honey, flour, heavy cream and salt.

The flour, egg, half of the white sugar, half the butter, salt, and almond extract combined to make a crust which was refrigerated for an hour and then blind baked for about 15 minutes. (a little longer than what the book recommends)

Then, simmer the remaining butter and sugars, honey, and cream ...

until it was all beautiful in its bubbly carmelly goodness.

Then mix it into the sliced almonds which was then spread out on top of the baked crust and then baked for another 15 minutes.

It does look like it would be a hard toffee-type mixture. But it wasn't.

After cooling for about 15 or 20 minutes it was still a warm gooey mixture. It was just right. Placed in an airtight container, and it still hasn't gotten hard. This recipe is a definite keeper. Perfect to take to someone's house as a gift. It makes a lot, too. It filled an entire cookie sheet. Cut into triangles, you get about 40 pieces.

Of course, there were issues. But not with the recipe. Just those little glitches that make it difficult to find time to cook. I started this recipe after a day of wandering around the Geauga County Antique Fest at the Fairgrounds. Found two cast iron business card holders, that, if you can believe it, I'm going to use as doorstops for A & J's bedrooms. When they get a little older, I envision them using the card slots to post notices to "keep out" or to write notes to each other. One has horses; the other has bears.

Well, we came home, and A & J would not take a nap -- which I had counted on. So they had to sit and watch Mommy cook. I strapped them in their boosters and gave them lunch.

Then when I started mixing the ingredients for the crust, I blew the circuit. But, after flipping the switch back in the box, I still couldn't get the outlet or the phone for that matter, to work, so I had to transfer everything from the center island to the still cluttered counter next to the oven. Of course, I had to go to the basement to check the circuit box, which promted A & J to ask to play in the basement, but I couldn't let them since I couldn't be down there with them. So we had a little tantrum. I was able to get them to settle down a bit once I got the crust in the fridge for that hour. While they built a castle in the living room, I was able to clean up phase one.

For phase two, the stove top session, the boys tried to be good. But ... they love to watch cooking. They constantly wanted to be picked up so they could watch what was simmering in the pot. Not too bad, but when they both cry to be picked up at the same time, sorry I just can't hold 55 pounds of children and stir a boiling concoction at the same time. So, into the boosters again with a bribe of an oreo cookie. Right into the chairs they went and I was able to finish the Delights and then turn around to discover that A had crushed his oreo as much as humanly possible. Not just crushed, pulverized and then sprinkled on the kitchen floor.

This photo doesn't do the mess justice. I had the boys on the floor with the dust pan and broom, but still, I had to clean that up, along with sticky carmelly bowls and all that other good stuff.

Like I've said before, I love to cook - I hate to clean up. Even when I think I'm done, I turn around and see everything else I haven't done yet.

Stay tuned for Strawberry Pasta!

I Know Why I Don't Have Time To Cook

2008-06-05T08:03:00.000-04:00

I hate cleaning up. Yes, we have a dishwasher. But I even hate doing dishes with that. Hubby doesn't load it correctly, so I always have to rearrange the dirty dishes that are already in there before I add to it. We both of us also hate emptying the dishwasher when it's done with its cycle. I hate hand washing. I hate drying.

I love to cook. I hate the clean up. Hubby and I tried, a few years ago, to alternate. If I cooked, he cleaned up, and vice versa - before we even had a dishwasher. Being the [smirk] gentleman he is ... he then accused me of using more dishes and utensils than I actually needed, just so he would have to wash more than was necessary. Obviously, this arrangement was short-lived.

I try to clean as I cook. Creating a mise before hand has helped quite a bit. Prepping and then cleaning before actually starting the cooking process does cut down on after dinner clean up, but still not quite enough.

Oh well, this is just me whining...

Stay tuned for Honey Almond Delights!

Penne with Rosemary Cream Sauce

2008-06-02T14:22:00.003-04:00

Another recipe from Intercourses. Penne with Rosemary Cream Sauce. Yes. It was good. No. I won't make it again -- not without some major rewriting. It was easy. That was a definite plus. It was filling and satisfying. But it could have been so much more.

This stage where I'm sauteing the rosemary in the olive oil was my favorite. I should have followed my gut instincts. It was fragrant and earthy. It filled the kitchen with a comforting aroma.

But then,

The tomato paste/puree. Too much. Too overpowering. Too tomato-ey.

I ended up adding more cream to the sauce to try to thin it out so that the sauce wouldn't have a paste consistency. I didn't have enough cream.

It plated well. In case you're wondering, that "thing" next to the pasta was chicken feta and spinach sausage grilled in the grill pan.

A and J liked it. J more so than A. Hubby said he liked it - going for two heaping servings. For me, the tomato was just too much. It overpowered the rosemary. It wasn't creamy enough. It coated the pasta too thickly. What I should have done was, if I were to put tomatoes in it at all, I would add some petite cut tomatoes at the last phase, just to add a little bite to the sauce. I would have focused more on rosemary by adding some minced garlic and whisking in some butter into the hot oil. Perhaps not even adding the cream. Making more of an olio e aglio sauce. Maybe just cut in some rosemary towards the end, instead of infusing the olive oil in the beginning.

Any aphrodisiac qualities? Again, no. I will not give up trying, though.

Crescent Rolls Filled With Chocolate

2008-05-29T08:17:00.006-04:00

Finally ...

My first entry for my project.

Intercourses. A fun book based on the possibility that some foods are aphrodisiacs. I plan on trying most -- not all -- the recipes in the book and reporting on them. I will not make the oyster recipes. Hubby and I both cringe at the thought of slurping down an oyster on the half-shell. I don't really want to prepare and cook them either. How can something that makes us feel icky and urpy when looking at it make us want to um ... take advantage of the reported "effects" of the food? Also, we're not big drinkers, so I probably won't be making the alcoholic drinks, either. Besides, with our work schedules, the only time we have to drink is during the week, but I have to wake early for work, so I nixed that idea. Making the recipes with the edible flowers is still up in the air.

Anyway -- away we go.

First recipe I made was the Crescent Rolls Filled with Chocolate.

How were they? Scrumptous. Regular refrigerator crescent rolls, 8 blocks of bittersweet chocolate, all rolled up, basted in an egg yolk, milk and sugar wash, and baked for 13 minutes. Cooled for 15 minutes.

Next time, though, I won't let them cool quite so long. I like my rolls warm and gooey. Any aphrodisiac qualities? No. Hubby ate three of these. I ate two. A & J each had half of one. Of course, if there were any desire-ous feelings -- they were completely wiped out after trying to clean up the melted chocolate all over the boys.

First Official Food Entry

2008-05-23T08:18:00.013-04:00

Please pardon my dust as I set things up here. I've never put a photo into a blog entry before, so I'm just trying out some things here.

This was the mise (somewhat incomplete, however, you'll notice the lack of rosemary and thyme as well as the chicken broth -- I had just received a new camera for mother's day, and I was anxious to try it out and use the "culinary" photo setting) for the Braised Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic from Fine Cooking Magazine I wish I had a picture of the final result. Here, however is what the chicken looked like before I covered the Dutch Oven and placed it in the oven.

Oh, you should have smelled it when I took it out of the oven to serve. The garlic, rosemary and thyme lent the most perfect aroma to the kitchen. I served it all with mashed potatoes and also toasted up some baguette slices for the slathering of all that roasted garlic.

The leftovers have made mouth-watering sandwichs for lunch. A toasted French roll slathered with roasted garlic and topped with the reheated chicken breast. I also placed some sliced Muenster cheese on top, nuked it to melt (I would have preferred to put back in the toaster oven here at work, but it is agreed that the toaster oven will maintain kosher standards out of respect for H. (so no non-kosher meat inside of it). The sandwich was absolutely delicious; I only wish I had some nice arugula to put on it as well.

I had every intention of making the Crescent Rolls with Chocolate last night. I grabbed the camera, started setting up the mise, and then discovered my hubby used all the eggs and forgot to tell me to buy more. So, I promise -- they will be made this weekend, come hell or high water.

Since this is the holiday weekend, I plan on taking photos of the weekend doings and will get back sometime next week.

Enjoy the holiday everyone!

Seriously . . . Who has time to cook?

2008-05-22T09:50:00.003-04:00

Or write, for that matter. I really want to sit here and get this up and running. I had some great photos I wanted to post. But my flash drive is sitting at home on the counter. I post from work - my only real free time. Gotta love my job. As long as I get the work done in my inbox, I have the freedom to do as I wish on the computer. Thanks, H!

I want to cook. But yesterday was my father-in-law's 76th birthday. So, at 12:30 yesterday afternoon, I found out we were goingto his sister's house for dinner - KFC and pizza with a supermarket cake. Don't get me wrong - I love all that, but I really wasn't in the mood for it. I don't really like my in-laws, and the feeling is mutual. We tolerate each other. My children, A & J, love them and I think it's very important for them to spend time with their grandparents while they can.

I was tired, having met everyone there right after work, without a chance to go home and get cleaned up. The City of Cleveland shut off the water to our building yesterday at about5 p.m. so there wasn't even any water to wash my face with or brush my teeth before I left. I was cranky. Blah blah blah. Hubby, even though I asked him to buy Grandpa a present to give him from the boys - you know, "world's greatest grandpa" mug or something - didn't come through for me and only showed up with a card. I felt like I was the one who didn't come through. I didn't have anything to give to the the hostess. It was just a bad situation.

The night before last, Hubby cooked dinner -- what was it? I remember refrigerated dinner rolls -- oh, that's right. A spinach salad with lightly grilled zucchini. Interesting. And because he made (baked) dinner rolls, I could hardly justify making my Crescent Rolls Filled With Bittersweet Chocolate. I love bread, but that's just a little too much. I just wish he would listen to me. I told him I really wanted to make the Crescents. He claims to have forgotten. Again.

So today, I'm not sure what's for dinner. Lunch is leftover roasted chicken from a recipe in the latest issue of Gourmet (I think) called "Roasted Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic". I'm slicing up the meat and reheating it with some of the pan juices and roasted cloves of garlic. Then toasting a roll and smearing the roasted garlic over it, layering the chicken on it and then melting Muenster Cheese over all. Should be interesting.

I know this entry is pretty lame. Hey - I know. You didn't come here to hear me bitch and moan. I will get to the nitty gritty as promised -- soon.