Chocolate, Chocolate and more Chocolate!

Good things come in small packages!  Especially when they're delivered right to my front door and the package is filled with CHOCOLEY CHOCOLATE.  What is Chocoley (pronounced cha-co-lee)?  It is a made in America chocolate, crafted in the finest Belgian tradition.  It boasts peanut-free, egg-free, celiac safe and tree-nut free chocolate.   I was chosen to review this fine product.  How lucky can one girl be?

Life is a box of chocoley!

While I am certainly a connoisseur of chocolate I've rarely had the opportunity to "play" with this much chocolate in my kitchen at one time.  My mind is racing as I try to think of ways to incorporate the chocolate into my recipes!

Over the next couple of days I'll post some interesting ways to use the wide array of products that were sent.  Dark chocolate, milk chocolate, white and extra dark chocolate.  Candy making equipment, caramel, liquid lava chocolate...these are a few of my favorite things!

The company has graciously offered you, readers of my blog,  a 15% discount on your retail order.  Just visit http://www.chocoley.com/ and enter the coupon code: wendysfav15.  This offer will expire 5/15/2011 so order up!

For my first experiment, I wanted to get familiar with its melting capabilities.  What better way than to make some chocolate covered strawberries!  I don't have a double boiler, so I used my trusty microwave.  The steps I used are as follows: 

 I placed 1/2 lb of the extra dark "Chocoley Bada Bing Bada Boom" chocolate (that's the name!) into a microwave safe bowl.  I microwaved for 1 minute at 50% power. 

Remove and stir with a spatula.

Return to microwave for 15 - 30 second intervals until almost melted, stirring with the spatula between intervals.

You'll find the chocolate melts beautifully into a silky consistency.  Perfect for dipping those strawberries.  Wash and dry the berries.  I dipped about 15 with the 1/2 lb of chocolate.  Yes, there was a little left over...but I had to make sure it was edible, so I ate it!  Yum, yum!

I left them at room temperature for a while and then placed them in the refrigerator overnight.  The chocolate hardens nicely if you like your strawberries that way.  If not, leave them out for about 10 -15 minutes and they soften up a bit.  So good!  They're gone!  Ready for the next chocolate experience!  Stay tuned and check out their website..

www.facebook.com/bestchocolate
www.twitter.com/chocolatesupply

Childhood Chicken Cacciatore

Memories of my childhood come flooding back when I think about chicken cacciatore.  How unappreciative I was when it came to my mother's efforts in the kitchen.  I'm sure it wasn't me and my cynicism that coined the phrase or recipe "chicken caccia-trash".  What a terrible daughter.  But, I'm sure I got help from my sister and brother.  We just didn't realize what good food was.

After the Easter meal, my siblings and I sat around remembering those moments, good and bad, funny and sad....  This is what brings a family together.  And then there's the food, like music, that transports you back to some of those life defining moments.  This chicken cacciatore is one of those memories.  Although I have the original recipe from my mother, I chose to revise it slightly, as I always do.

Ingredients:

5 - 6 chicken thighs (I used boneless but you can use bone-in)

3 T olive oil

1/2 cup chopped onions

3/4 cup green bell peppers, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 14.5 oz can whole peeled tomatoes, crushed

1/2 cup red wine, Chianti is good  (Save some to drink with meal)

salt and pepper to taste

1 small can chopped mushrooms, drained well

1 small can tomato sauce

1/2 tsp allspice

1 bay leaf

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

1/2 tsp thyme, dried 

Method:

In a large pot, heat the oil and brown the chicken.  Then add the onions, peppers and garlic and cook until softened.   Add all the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 30-40 minutes.  Serve over rice or noodles.  Can also be placed in a crock pot on low for a few hours after browning stage.  Enjoy! 

Easter Surprise - Czech Kolache

For Easter this year I wanted to surprise my family with an old food tradition from our Czech heritage.  My grandmother would make it for "special" occasions and now I know why  it wasn't made more often!  I tackled the wonderful kolache!  I did my research and knew the recipe involved many steps not to mention the kneading, rising of dough, etc.  As I went through all the steps, I was secretly wishing that my grandmother or father was there to help (or at least 5 or 6 Czech elves!)  They would understand what a "labor of love" this feat was.  Time  (5 hours later) consuming, yes,....worth it?....yes. 

The reactions were mixed...my son, bless his heart...was full of compliments.  Hopefully, this is a food tradition that will live on.  I won't post the recipe here, but it will be in my book.  Stay tuned...

As for an Easter surprise...the surprise was on me.  My parents had planned an elaborate meal of lamb, ham, green beans, scalloped potatoes, etc.  My mom was visibly tired, probably from making two beautiful lemon meringue pies, crust and all, for my father and husband. 

The BEST lemon meringue pie

 Or maybe it was because her cat, Pierre,  decided to wake her up by knocking the TV off of her dresser!  Bad cat!!  But, he's sooooo cute, you have to love him!

Pierre

And, as my dad proceeded to slice the potatoes, he sliced a chunk from his finger.  Ouch!  The chef was injured!  I stepped in to help with Easter dinner, because that's what I do...I cook!  And I don't mind...It the cleaning that gets me!  So, the surprise was on me.  I'm just glad that I can cook and serve my family on such a day of celebration.  Be Blessed!

Lavender Citrus Brunch Cake

Let us eat cake!  This one caught my eye a while back.  It's perfect for that Springtime, Easter or Mother's Day celebration.  I can't say who inspired me to make this.  It's more like where I received my inspiration and this time the idea came from my travels.  The ingredients are Mediterranean thru and thru.  Not only does it have lemon and tangerine zest, lavender and Greek yogurt but it has olive oil!  Can't get much better than that!

One of my dreams is to travel to Italy or the South of France  during Spring or Summer when I can be surrounded by fields of lavender, bright red poppies and Monet-like sunflowers.  That probably won't be anytime soon so I'm content (not really) to bake this Mediterranean dream cake instead!

I will warn you that after my hummingbird cake fiasco,  I have made the proper altitude (and attitude)  adjustments for this cake.  I live above 5500 feet so if you are at sea level or close,  follow along.  My adjustments for high altitude are in parenthesis.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups flour, all purpose is okay

1 cup sugar  (reduce by 2 Tbsp)

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder  ( reduce by 1/4)

1/4 tsp salt

3 eggs

6 oz. Greek honey flavored yogurt

3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 Tbsp culinary lavender

zest of small tangerine and 1 lemon

(add 1 Tbsp water)

Preheat oven to 350 High altitude should be around 365-370.

Mix all the dry ingredients together in a large bowl.  Mix the remaining ingredients in another bowl.  Then  add to the dry ingredients but do not overmix.  Butter and flour a 9 inch pan.  Pour the batter into it and bake for 25 mins (30 minutes) until knife inserted comes out clean.  The outside will be a golden crust while the inside will look dense and speckled with zest and lavender.  You can frost it but I found the flavors are simple and wonderful without!

The next time I try this I may add some Limoncello...yum!

Lentin Baked Cod

Okay I admit this is not what people are clamoring for before Easter.  Growing up Catholic we had alot of fish during Lent.  (not that I'm complaining)  So, while I prepare to do more baking,  I 'll give you another way to serve a delicious and moist fish.  You probably have most of the ingredients in your pantry right now.

Ingredients:

4-5 cod fillets.  I used frozen and thawed.

1 1/2 Tbsp mayonnaise

1 Tbsp brown mustard

pinch of thyme

pinch of salt and pepper

3 Tbsp flour

3 Tbsp cornmeal

2-3 Tbsp butter, melted

  Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.  Mix the mayo, mustard and spices together in a small bowl.  Brush both sides of cod with this.    Put flour and cornmeal on a plate.  Dredge the fish in the flour mixture and put in a baking dish that already has the melted butter in it.   Turn them once before baking so butter is on both sides.   Bake for about 10 minutes or until  done and flaky.  This was flavorful and moist.

I served them on a bed of brown and wild rice with roasted cherry tomatoes and edamame.  Yum!  And good for you!

Sausage Fennel Rigatoni - April Pasta of the Month

It's that time already!  It seems like I just did a pasta of the month post for March.  Time continues to fly by! 

I've been meaning to try a brand of chicken Italian sausage that Trader Joe's carries, but every time I went there they were sold out!  This time I grabbed the last package on the shelf and threw it in the freezer for a later date.  Usually, as the weather warms we fire up the barbecue and make Italian sausage sandwiches.  The weather is still quite fickle; the barbecue remains in the shed.

When in doubt, make pasta!  I've been using fennel in some of my creations because it is one of those wonder veggies along with beets, broccoli and asparagus.  Some of my personal favorites.  While I'm not making any medical claims, I have read about different studies where fennel is used as a treatment for glaucoma,  and as a diuretic to reduce bloating.  Let's use it in pasta!

Ingredients

3 chicken Italian sausage links, removed from casing and crumbled

1/2 c onion, sliced

2 T olive oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 bulb fennel

1/2 c red bell pepper, sliced

hand full of chopped fresh basil

1/2 pkg or 1/2 lb of rigatoni

Start boiling water for pasta and cook according to directions.   Meanwhile in a large skillet brown the sausage on medium high.  Remove from pan and set aside.  In the same skillet, saute onion and fennel in oil on medium heat and when soft, add the garlic and red pepper.

Ready to add the pasta

 Continue to cook until softened.   Before draining the pasta, reserve some of the water (about 3 ladles).  Add the sausage and  pasta to the skillet and mix well.  Add some pasta water along with a drizzle of olive oil and the basil.  Mix again and serve.  This would be very easy to double for a larger family.  We had about 5-6 healthy servings from this!  Enjoy! 

Spring - A Time for Rebirth and Projects

As the weather finally warms up around here,  I find myself enjoying my garden and surroundings so much more.  For me, it's a time of rebirth for my soul and body.  It's also a time to take inventory, to see what needs to be done around this piece of property.  There is always something that needs to be done!

Usually it starts with "weed patrol".  With all the rain and snow we received the weeds could swallow this acre+ in one season.  But amongst those weeds I notice the promise of a beautiful Spring and Summer.  The crocus have sprouted a few weeks ago,  followed by the bright yellow daffodils.  I'm already looking forward to next Spring!   (I just planted a bunch more.)  I always wanted my yard to be a field of daffodils right out of a scene in Dr. Zhivago!  I'm working on that!   The baby pansies (violas) are scattered in their strategic spots and the irises are making a mad dash to bloom.

last year's iris

In no time at all I can begin to create recipes accented with chives, oregano and fresh mint!  All this excites me.  Simple pleasures!  I putter around the garden daily.  I pick, prune, pinch and admire.   It seems like part of my meditation...so good for my soul.  I remember back years ago when we had those school projects, putting a seed or two into a cut-off milk carton.  Everyday we would rush to see the progress. Who cares about reading and writing; I wanted to plant!  I'm a farmer at heart!

Oregano anyone?

 Then I would follow my grandmother around her yard as she pampered her flowers.   Her sweet peas were exquisite!  My dad and mom are always working on their yard.  It's a thing of beauty.  It's also amazing that they still get out there as they are in their 80's now.  Maybe it's the secret to longevity.  It works for them.  It's comforting to see the fruits of their labor, great veggies and beautiful flowers.

This week I will be planting some spinach and radishes.  It's a slow start but the growing season is short at the elevation where I live.  It can and has snowed every month of the year.  These cold weather veggies should do well.    You'll soon see more spinach creations, I'm sure!

As for today, I have more projects that need to be done.  It's a great day to feel alive!  Enjoy the day... and the beauty that surrounds you.

Springtime Artichokes - An Easter Treat

I grew up eating strange vegetables like artichokes.  Being from California, they were plentiful come Springtime.  I still can't get enough of them.   The first ones were dipped in melted butter; then came mayonnaise.   Was that the french influence creeping in?    My mother made a great stuffed artichoke with Roquefort and raisin bread.  I need that recipe!  

 When I met my wonderful husband, a whole "new way" of eating came to the table.    Instead of the large artichoke, I was introduced to carciofi,  fried in batter and sprinkled with salt.  As fast as my mother-in-law made them, they would disappear.  When the remains were placed upon the table you had better hurry to get a taste.  With such a large family, those little carciofi went quick!

Several years ago I came up with an easier method to cook these wonderful veggies.  I'm sure they're slightly heathier , too!   Give them a try if you've never had them!  Purchase the small baby artichokes.  Some stores package them 9-12 per container.  Fair warning:  If you have a large family buy more that one package!

Peel the outer leaves down until you see the softer shell.  Cut the stem end off and cut about 1/4-1/2 inch from the top portion.   Take each choke and slice lengthwise into possibly 3 pieces, if not 2.   Have a bowl of lemon water handy to place them in while cutting them all.  This is so they won't get too brown. 

Soaking in the lemon water bath

In a large skillet melt 2 Tbsp butter and 2 Tbsp olive oil.  Drain and dry the "chokes" and place them in the skillet with a little salt and pepper.  Saute and stir for 10 minutes on medium heat.  Add 1 clove of garlic (minced), 1/2 cup Parmesan (grated)  and 1/4 -1/2 cup of chicken or vegetable broth.

Almost done!

  Continue to cook and stir for another 10-15 minutes.  Serve with a little more Parmesan topping if you wish.   Mangia!

Just pop them in your mouth as appetizers.  These are also great tossed into  a simple pasta dish!

Hungry for Hungarian Paprika Chicken

If I was asked to come up with a book on cooking chicken 100 ways, I wouldn't have any trouble doing so.  Over the years, my chicken recipes have evolved from baked, barbecued and fried into wonderful time tested recipes and worthy "experiments". 

Chicken paprika is on my list for simple, yet tasteful recipes.  It is actually called chicken paprikash of Hungarian descent and is considered a "comfort" food, whatever that means!  Are there "discomforting" chicken recipes? 

I knew I would have a problem in making this dish since my hubby dislikes sour cream.  I usually try to sneak that ingredient in when he's not looking.  The first time I tried it on him, he wasn't real thrilled.  But, this time,  just like magic, he went for seconds.  What did I do differently?  Not sure, but I substituted thighs instead of breast meat.  Never be afraid to alter a recipe to your taste.  Most times you'll get great results!

Traditionally, chicken paprika is served with or over noodles to soak up every drop of that beautiful saffron colored gravy.   This time I served it alongside my mashed cauliflower.  (on a previous post)  It was a "no carbs" night!

CHICKEN PAPRIKA

4-5 skinless chicken thighs

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 c onions, sliced or chopped

1 1/2 Tbsp butter

2 Tbsp paprika

pinch of salt and pepper

1 c chicken broth

1 Tbsp thickening flour

1/2 c sour cream

I like to cut the thighs into pieces measuring 2x3 (no special reason other than it looks better and fits in the skillet better)

In a large skillet and on medium high heat place oil and cook the chicken for approximately 10 minutes, turning once.   Remove them and set them aside.  In the same pan, saute the onions in butter, briefly or until translucent.  Add paprika, salt and pepper, then add the chicken broth and bring to a boil.  Lower the heat to simmer.  Now mix the sour cream with the thickening flour and quickly whisk into the broth.

Almost done on simmer

 Put the chicken back into the pan and simmer until chicken is done and the sauce/gravy has thickened.  Serve over noodles or rice.  Enjoy this simple meal!

"Zola" Burgers

Now that the weather is cooperating, it's surely time to fire up the grill.  Once in a while hubby gets a craving for real beef.  It must be a man thing!  He likes a good burger and fries with that, too.  Over the years, I've quenched his cravings by frying up some potatoes alongside that mound of meat.  But, I'd like to keep him around for a long while so I've tried to come up with healthier alternatives...NO FRIES!

This "zola" burger gets most of its flavor from Gorgonzola cheese, thus the name.

1 lb lean hamburger

1/4 c Gorgonzola cheese crumbles

1 Tbsp chopped fresh basil

1 clove garlic, minced

2 Tbsp green onions, chopped

salt and pepper to taste

1 Tbsp butter

3 bella mushrooms, diced

In a small skillet melt the butter and toss in the mushrooms.  Saute until soft.  In a mixing bowl place the remaining ingredients and the soft mushrooms.  Mix well and form into patties.  I did mine the size and shape of the bread. (That my streak of perfectionism showing.)  Serve with what ever condiments you like.  Who needs fries with all those carbs!

Delicious and Juicy

Happy Birthday and Hummingbird Shortcake

It was not my plan to have hummingbird shortcake.  I had envisioned a beautiful 2 layer cake with a traditional cream cheese butter type frosting..oozing with goodness!  A funny thing happened in my "test" kitchen.  Again, I am a creative cook, not a baker.  There are reasons for this.  I love sweets, but in my altitude I haven't had much luck in baking or the fortitude to keep on trying.  After all, I can't eat all these "mistakes".

I live at approximately 6000 ft. so it is a real challenge to get it right.  I either forget to add extra flour, reduce the sugar, increase the liquid and/or increase the oven temperature!  Whew, too much.  Sometimes there is an occasional success, mostly with crumbles, crisps, pies, etc.  But I can't let a good challenge rest. 

The recipe I tried came from a fellow blogger.  After I had made it, I stumbled upon another gal's blog at www.bakingbites.com   I recommend her recipe for hummingbird cake.  Hers looks great!  Hummingbird cake supposedly originated in the South.  It has tropical ingredients plus pecans!  Yum..

Maybe it was just divine intervention for my "birthday" cake to end up the way it did.  One layer turned out beautifully, while the other was a flop, but salvageable.  I made lemonade shortcake out of the scraps!  This just happens to be my dad's (birthday boy) favorite dessert.  Funny how things work out!  In my kitchen I improvise and revise.  This cake is worth the effort...I will try again!



Bad cake



Great "save" shortcake

Good cake

Better Birthday Cake

Happy 82th birthday dad.  Your cake is on the way!  Here's more pictures to celebrate his big day!

Somewhere in Austria

Eating his way through Europe

Another birthday circa 1977

Change and the Hummingbird

Change is not always good or comfortable.  But, I've learned over the years to embrace it.  It may take you to places and situations  that will cause you to grow, if you're a willing participant.  


This year I decided to conquer several different classes to better myself as a person, foodie, writer, etc.   I'm from the class of "If it's going to be, it's up to me".  Therefore, I aggressively enrolled in my first class, Culinary Sanitation and Health.  Check and done!  Now I go into restaurants and find myself evaluating their sanitation practices.  Not good, because if you look close enough you'll find infractions everywhere.  I created a monster!  I have to say, though, it's probably a class that should be taught in all high schools. 


My next class was "Writing and Publishing your non-fiction book".  Great information for anyone moving in that direction.  It was the "jump start" I needed, although alot of credit goes to my dear friend, Cathie, who's been my guide and cheerleader all rolled up into one great lady.  You can visit her blog at www.supernovel.com/blog


My next endeavor or class will supply the tools to further build my website to make it more interactive and professional.   The classes are "paced" at two lessons per week (way too slow for me), so I'll probably take on another fun class like conversational French.  I have a plan! 

For this year, and perhaps the rest of my life I will be "hummingbird-like", flapping my wings at a rapid pace, but with a calm demeanor, hovering when I need to and drinking in the sweetness of life.  We can learn alot from these miniature creatures.

  On that note, I just took out my hummingbird cake of Southern origins which is loaded with banana, pineapple and pecans.  To frost or not to frost, that is the question!  We will see...I'll worry about that tomorrow....so Southern!

Mashed Potatoes vs Masked Cauliflower

I'm always looking for different ways  to present vegetables.  If you're  trying to figure out methods of disguising those veggies for small children or picky adults, this is your recipe.   In this house we have neither, however,  I like to experiment, so this is what I came up with as a side dish for my Chicken Paprika last night  

(Masked) Mashed Cauliflower

1 head of cauliflower, broken into small florets

5 qt pan of water

1 clove garlic, minced

pinch of salt and pepper

1/4 c milk or chicken broth

2 Tbsp butter or margarine + (optional) 1 T more for topping

3 Tbsp Parmesan cheese, grated


Bring water to a boil, and add the cauliflower and garlic.  Cook until soft.  Drain well and mash cauliflower.  Add salt and pepper, 1/4 c milk or chicken broth, 2 Tbsp butter or margarine and 2 Tbsp of the Parmesan cheese.  Mix and mash well and put in a glass pie plate or oven proof bowl.  Dot with butter and sprinkle remaining cheese.   Turn the broiler on low and broil until top is golden.  Serve.  You'll find that you can almost fool the eye and taste buds with this healthier alternative to potatoes. 

Sweet Tooth Strawberry Tarts

What do you do when you have that relentless sweet tooth?  In our home we don't keep many store bought snacks, cookies,  or pastries around.   Too much temptation!   But, sometimes you just have to surrender to that craving, right? 

As a self-imposed recipe developer or "food stylist", I'm always looking for ways to switch up a recipe.  I had bought some individual decorative  tart molds and was itching to us them.  I had also seen an episode of Samantha Brown's Europe on the Travel channel that featured Portugal.  One of her stops was in a pasteleria (pastry shop) where she devoured a creamy custard tart laced with cinnamon.  Since Portugal is not in my immediate travel plans, I chose to recreate these little melt in your mouth tartletts in my humble kitchen.

I used a guide recipe from Emeril Lagasse but "switched it up" and reduced the serving size to make only two servings.  (I guess my  math classes finally came in handy.) I admit that the following ingredients are estimates but I've found that custard is fairly forgiving.  Next time my measurements  will be more accurate.  Sorry, I was in the experimental mode!

Strawberry Custard Tarts

Enough pie crust for 2 fluted  metal tart cooking molds

2 egg yolks

1/4 cup sugar

pinch of salt

1/2 c heavy cream (I used FF half & half)

1 T thickening flour or cornstarch

Sliced strawberries

Sprinkle of cinnamon and fine sugar

Lay the crust into the tart shells while lightly pressing down and around the sides.  Trim off the excess on top.  In a preheated 350 degree oven cook shells on a baking sheet for approx. 10 minutes.  Remove and set aside.

To make the custard:  In a bowl, whisk the egg, sugar and salt.  In another bowl mix the cornstarch with half of the cream, mixing briskly.  Then add the rest of the cream, stir and add to the egg mixture.  Take the pie shells, (leaving them in the mold) and arrange strawberry slices on the bottom.  Pour the custard mixture into the shells.  You can sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar or wait until they're done.  Bake for about 20-25 minutes or until the edges are set and brown.  The middle will still jiggle like jello.  Remove and cool.  Wonderful!  Mission accomplished....sweet tooth satisfied...for now!

A First time for Everything - Homemade Flour Tortillas

This last week in review displayed many "firsts".  After such a harsh horrible Winter, (actually a great Winter if you happen to like to drink water in the High Desert)  I was able to bask in the warmth of the sun, with my flip flops on, while admiring my first flower of the Spring.  When the crocuses burst forth from the ground I know that the temperatures are slowly rising.  My garden has awakened  and my unwavering perennials know exactly when to bloom.  To me, it is the purest form of "faith", to plant a seed or bulb and hope it doesn't die with all the struggles mother nature hurls toward them.  These hardy plants never disappoint.  To me, it's like magic every year when they return!

In this part of the country we don't plant until the snow has melted off of the great Peavine Mountain. (a large hill in Northwest Reno)  Even then the weather can be fickle and send a deadly frost.   There are certain hardy veggies that I was tempted to buy at the home improvement store today that thrive in frosty weather, such as cabbage, spinach, lettuce, etc.  But, for a little while longer I'm content to stay inside and create more "firsts" in the kitchen.

One of my "firsts" was homemade flour tortillas.  I'm embarrassed to say I've always bought them ready made.   Who knew they were so easy!  And why haven't I made these before?  I guess I had visions of flour flying everywhere and it would be a kitchen cleanup nightmare!  Not at all!  They are relatively simple and I will prepare these again, they were so good!

Homemade Tortillas  Adapted from Raley's Something Extra magazine

2 cups flour

3 Tbsp shortening

3/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking powder

3/4 cup water

Place all the ingredients in a bowl except water.  Work with a fork until it looks like coarse crumbs, then add the water.  Stir until just mixed.  Put on a lightly floured board and knead to form a smooth dough.  Cover with a cloth and set aside for 30 minutes.  Divide the dough into 12 portions.  Roll each one into a circle.  In a skillet cook each tortilla on a medium-high heat for about 2 minutes on each side.  They should be browned and puffed.    Great by themselves but better with butter.  Of course!