West Coast Deviled Eggs

Easter is the beginning of Deviled egg season.  What you've never heard of Deviled egg season?!  Seriously? Well now you have (wink).  As soon as the days get a bit longer, and we start getting more beautiful sunshine, it's time to start hard boiling those eggs and filling them with a dollop of deliciousness!  Here is a recipe for one of my all time favorite Deviled eggs.  I have many I really love, but this one is unusual and very tasty.  The shallots give the eggs a sweet, mild, oniony flavor and they also add a nice crunch. The sun-dried tomatoes add a sweetness and tanginess.  The capers bring a nice mild briney-ness.  The anchovies add a depth of flavor and a bit of salt.  I never tell anyone that these have anchovy paste because some people automatically think they wont like them because they're squeamish about anchovies.  No one I've served these to has ever guessed the anchovy paste was in there.  They really do NOT have any hint of a fish taste   I hope you consider making this recipe for opening day.  Easter!  Of course!!!  If you don't celebrate Easter, no worries!  You can choose any day you like for your opening day.

West Coast Deviled Eggs

12 large eggs-hard boiled
3/4 cup best food mayonnaise ( I use Best Foods )
2 teaspoons dijon
1/4 cup shallots-minced
1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, in oil-drained and finely chopped
2 tablespoons capers-drained and finely chopped       

1 teaspoon anchovy paste                                                                                    
1 teaspoons Italian parsley-finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Directions:

1. Cut hard boiled eggs in half.  In a medium sized bowl, add yolks.  Place whites on a plate.

2. Add the rest of the ingredients to bowl and mix well with a fork.

3. Add yolk mixture to a ziploc bag.  Snip off corner and pipe mixture into egg whites.  Garnish with finely chopped parsley.

Quick Mexican Chicken

This is one of those homey, easy to prepare, delicious dinners I love for a midweek meal.  Everyone in my family is happy when I serve this.  It has lots of chunks of chicken, veggies and a mild yummy tomato sauce.  I serve it over rice to make sure you can sop up any extra tomato sauce.  This recipe is also really good for you.  The chicken is cooked in the tomato sauce instead of being sauteed  first so there is no extra oil.  The veggies get all soft so your kids will hopefully eat them with out even realizing they are in there(you could probably sneak extra in if you like).  I think this is even better the next day if your lucky enough to have some left over.  Next time your busy, but still need a quick and tasty meal, try this one out!

Quick Mexican Chicken: from Gonna Want Seconds

6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts-cut into medium to large chunks
1 medium onion-diced

1 red pepper-diced                                                                             
1 russet potato-medium diced
2-15 ounce cans tomato sauce
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon white sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2-1 chipotle in adobo sauce**see note
1/2- 1 cup fresh cilantro-roughly chopped

Cooked white rice

1. In a large sauce pan add all ingredients.  Bring to a simmer and continue to cook over medium-low heat until chicken is cooked through and potato is soft.  Serve over cooked white rice

**NOTE:   I cut one pepper in half and use in this recipe.  You can add more if you like the heat.  Freeze the extras from the can in little snack ziplocs and store in the freezer.

Chicken Marsala

This has been a really fun week at our house.  Last night, we made Chicken Marsala with our twenty something year old son and his friends.  I thought this would be the perfect time to try out a new recipe.  It was from,  The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook, and I have to say it was totally fabulous.  Everyone loved it.  This recipe relies on sweet Marsala to create a delicious pan sauce that isn't diluted by, the often used, addition of chicken stock. The sauce has a generous amount of sliced mushrooms and pancetta.  It was absolutely perfect.  We're fighting over the few left overs for lunch.  They all may be stronger than me but I'm a heck of a lot feistier!  LOL. 

Chicken Marsala : slightly adapted from The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook

Ingredients:

½ cup all purpose flour

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast (6 to 8 ounces each)    

salt and pepper                                                                                                                 

3 tablespoons olive oil                                                                                               

4 ounces pancetta, chopped fine

8 ounces white button mushrooms, sliced thin                               

2 garlic clove, minced

1 tablespoon tomato paste

13/4 cup sweet Marsala (NOT dry)

1½ tablespoons fresh lemon juice

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into three pieces and chilled

2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

Instructions:

Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 200 degrees. Spread the flour in a shallow dish.

2.       Pound the thicker ends of the breasts as needed to make chicken even. Pat dry with paper towels, then season with salt and pepper.  Dredge both sides of the chicken in flour and shake off excess.

3.       Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add the chicken and cook until light golden brown on both sides, about 10 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate and keep warm in the oven.

4.       Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the skillet and return to medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the pancetta and mushrooms. Cook until the pancetta is crisp and the mushrooms are brown, about 10 minutes.

5.       Stir in the garlic and tomato paste. Cook until the tomato paste begins to brown, about 1 minute. Stir in the Marsala, scraping up any browned bits, and simmer until reduced and slightly syrupy, about 8 minutes.

6.       Stir in the lemon juice,  and any accumulated chicken juice from pan in oven along with chicken. Turn the heat to low and whisk in the butter, one piece stirring until mixed.Add chicken to pan.  Off the heat, stir in the parsley and season with salt and pepper to taste. .

1.      

           

Lemon Coconut Bars

I'm so excited that it's Spring!  The longer days of sunshine just put me in a good mood.  While I was blog surfing, I saw these beautiful bar cookies and I thought these would be the perfect spring treat.  Fortunately, I have a houseful of twenty year olds home for spring break, so I can make a few extra things without worrying that it will be just hubby and me eating them.  I was also lucky enough to have Miss M here to help me make them.  These bars turned out to be really delicious and incredibly easy.  They were a lovely combination of  lemony sweet and tart and I was surprised at just how wonderful the coconut was in these bars.  It added an extra dimension of flavor and a nice textural element.  These are just the right treat to welcome spring! Enjoy!!!


 Lemon Coconut Bars: from Allrecipes 
I saw these at My Baking Addiction

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup confectioners' sugar                                                                          
3/4 cup cold butter or margarine
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup lemon juice
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 cup flaked coconut

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Combine flour and confectioners' sugar and butter  in a food processor.  Pulse until crumbly. Press onto the bottom of a lightly greased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees F for 15 minutes

3.  Meanwhile, in a mixing bowl, beat the eggs, sugar, lemon juice and baking powder until well mixed. Pour over crust; sprinkle coconut evenly over the top. Bake at 350 degrees F for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.

4. Cool on a wire rack. Cut into bars. 

 

Magic Middle Peanut Butter Cookies

Oh! My! Gosh!  I mean  seriously! I think I should rename these cookies to Danger Will Robinson Cookies.  They are sooo delicious they are truly dangerous.  They are soft, moist, chewy, and way yummy! I stashed mine in the back of the freezer hoping to forget about them for a bit.  No chance and they're even fabulous frozen.  You have to try these.  They have officially gone on  my favorite foods of all times list.  Bet they'll go on yours, too.

Magic Middle Peanut Butter Cookies:                                    

Ingredients:                                                                          

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar-packed
1/2 cup unsalted butter-softened
1/4 cup peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg
3/4 cup confectioners sugar
3/4 cup peanut butter

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. In a small  bowl, blend flour, cocoa, and baking soda.

3. In a large bowl beat white sugar, brown sugar, butter and 1/4 cup peanut butter, until light and fluffy.  Add vanilla and egg, beat until blended.  Stir in flour mixture until blended.  Set aside.

4. Make the filling by combining the confectioners sugar and 3/4 cup peanut butter.  Beat well with electric mixer until mixture comes together.

5. Roll filling into 30 1 inch balls. Form exterior part of cookie by sectioning dough into approximately 1 tablespoon pieces.  Form exterior part of cookie around filling and cover completely.  Place 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.  Flatten with a glass dipped in sugar.

6. Bake at 375 degrees for 7-9 minutes. ( I baked mine for 7 minutes )  Allow to cool on cookie sheet for 10 minutes then remove to a cooling rack and cool completely.

Cabernet Braised Boneless Short Ribs

The first time I had these ribs, I was at a dinner party, at my darling friend, Jackie's house.  Everyone at the party, including me, absolutely devoured them.  I have made them many times since.  The original recipe, from Epicurious, uses short ribs with the bone in.  I have made this recipe with bone in short ribs and boneless short ribs.  Both ways are fabulous.  Honestly, the only reason I opted for boneless is because that's the only version Costco sells.  Come on.  Their prices are killer.  So I sacrifice a wee bit of flavor... they're still really yummy.  The Costco ribs actually seem to be quite a bit meatier, too.

The slow braising produces a moist, fork tender, mahogany piece of deliciousness that everyone loves.  The herb gremolata is the perfect way to add a little freshness and an extra dimension of flavor.The braising liquid is thickened at the end of cooking so you need a great side to sop up that flavorful gravy. Epicurious suggests serving these with polenta.  I have also served them with mashed potatoes and some times with buttered egg noodles.  You can't go wrong regardless of which you choose.

Cabernet Braised Boneless Short Ribs: adapted from Epicurious

Ingredients:

6 pounds boneless meaty beef short ribs
2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
1 tablespoon coarse kosher salt
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup (about) vegetable oil
1 1/2 750-ml bottles Cabernet Sauvignon
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter, room temperature
2 tablespoons all purpose flour

Herb Gremolata-recipe follows

1.Arrange ribs in single layer in 15x10x2-inch glass baking dish. Mix rosemary, thyme, salt, and pepper in small bowl; sprinkle all over ribs. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Let stand at room temperature 1 hour before continuing.

2.Preheat oven to 375°F. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in heavy wide ovenproof pot over medium-high heat. Working in batches, add ribs to pot and cook until browned on all sides, about 8 minutes per batch, adding more oil to pot by tablespoonfuls as needed. Transfer ribs to large bowl. Pour off drippings from pot; discard. Add wine to pot and bring to simmer, scraping up any browned bits. Return ribs and any accumulated juices to pot; bring to boil. Cover; transfer to oven and braise until meat is very tender and almost falling off bones, about 2 hours. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Chill uncovered until cold, then cover and keep chilled.

3.Bring to simmer before continuing. Using slotted spoon, transfer ribs to large bowl; cover tightly to keep warm. Skim any fat from top of braising liquid. Boil liquid until reduced to 2 generous cups, about 20 minutes. Mix 2 tablespoons butter and 2 tablespoons flour with fork in small bowl until well blended. Whisk butter mixture into reduced braising liquid. Whisk over medium-high heat until sauce thickens very slightly, about 2 minutes.  Add ribs to sauce and heat just until ribs are warmed and serve topped with gremolata!

Herb Gremolata: from Epicurious

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh Italian parsley
• 3 tablespoons finely grated lemon peel
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh rosemary
• 1 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh thyme

Directions:

1.Mix all ingredients in a small bowl and set aside until ready to use.

Pakistani Chicken in a Tomato and Eggplant Stew with Yogurt Cucumber Sauce

 I have to admit that before I made this chicken I had never tasted Pakistani food.  While I was blog surfing, I ran across this recipe, and I was hooked.  The author said that while traveling, he visited a friend and had dinner with him at his friend aunts home.  She prepared an authentic homemade Pakistani meal.  This is what I really love about food.  There's something elemental that binds us all together over an old fashioned, slow cooked, homemade meal, prepared by someone who cooks from their heart. Nothing fancy.  No strange ingredients.  A meal steeped in tradition and heritage.  I mean come on....this is how people who cook share their love and an important part of themselves!  You betcha I was hooked.  Now, to be honest with you, when I read this blog, my mind set this picture.  The author didn't say anything half so personal.  But I'm guessing, if you are anything like me, you feel the same way about those who share themselves through food!

This meal was wonderful.  It took more time to prepare than I expected but it was totally worth it.  It is Slow Food in it's most elemental form.  The flavors were complex and simple at the same time.  They were available, homey, and they were utterly delicious. We absolutely loved this and I can't wait to make it for my kids when we gather together around the table as family!

When you make this, I suggest you make the ginger paste, garlic paste, and the yogurt sauce the day before you plan on serving it.  Then when you put this dish together it won't take quite so much time.  Wrap the garlic paste very well so it's fragrance doesn't overwhelm your refrigerator.  The ginger paste is really more of a thick liquid rather than a true paste. The recipe for the ginger paste made extra, so I froze the leftover in small shot glasses to use next time I make this.  Both pastes are essential to this dish so don't even think about omitting them.  Just make sure you plan ahead.  Remember, as they always say, when using tahini: stir, stir, stir!  The oil separates from the paste and if it's not completely incorporated, you will get funky, kind of chalky, bits in your yogurt sauce. Yuck! So again, STIR!  Even though I have never had Pakistani food, I am very familiar with Middle Eastern food and there are many similarities.  Because of this I adapted the recipe, as I prepared it, to suit our tastes.  See original recipe here.  Crimmany this is a long post!!!!

Look at all these beautiful veggies that make up the sauce!

Pakistani Chicken adapted from daily chef

8 chicken thighs (with the bone in)
salt and pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
10 tomatoes-chopped
1 fairly large eggplant-diced in 1/2 cubes
2 teaspoons garlic paste-recipe follows
1 tablespoon ginger paste-recipe follows
2 teaspoons ground cumin
pinch red  chili flakes
1 1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon pomegranate molasses
2 teaspoons turmeric

Yogurt Sauce-recipe follows

Directions:

1.Season chicken pieces generously with salt and pepper on both sides.  Brown chicken in vegetable oil in two batches.  Remove browned chicken to a platter.

2. Add tomatoes and eggplant and cook on high heat until most of the juices from the vegetables has cooked off.  Add 2 teaspoons salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, garlic paste, ginger paste, cumin, chili flake, paprika, pomegranate molasses and turmeric.

3 Return chicken to pan and nestle pieces down in sauce.  cook about 50-60 minutes or until chicken is very tender.

Ginger Paste: from yumyum.com

2 tablespoons	Grated fresh ginger
4 cups	Stock or water ( I used chicken stock )
3/4 teaspoons	Salt
1 tablespoons	Cumin seeds, toasted (whole)
1/2teaspoons	Black pepper
	Juice of one lemon
	Fresh coriander leaves (optional-I did not use)

---

Directions
Put grated ginger & stock into a pot & bring to a boil.
Simmer 30 minutes till the water has reduced by half.
Add salt, cumin & pepper.
Simmer for another 2 minutes.
Squeeze in lemon juice & garnish with coriander



Garlic Paste

1/4 cup whole, peeled garlic clove
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2- 1 tablespoon olive oil

Directions:

In a small food processor, pulse garlic and salt.  Scrap down bowl and continue pulsing until garlic is very fine.  Add 1 teaspoon of olive oil at a time and continue process until garlic form a paste.  You may not use all of the oil.

Yogurt Sauce: adapted from daily chef

1 cup plain yogurt ( I use MountainHigh )
1 1/2 tablespoons tahini paste stirred
1/2 teaspoon garlic-minced
2 lemons-juiced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cucumber-finely diced


Directions:


1. Mix all ingredients together well.

Coconut Cupcakes

Yesterday was a big day for me.  My baby, my sweet son, turned 20! Yikes! How in the heck did that happen?!?  I mean, who is old enough to have their youngest child turn 20?  Evidently I AM!  Once I got over the horror that he was no longer a teenager and I was no longer able to tell people I was in my late 30's (with any hope of them possibly believing me ) we had  a lovely day.  Hubby and I drove up to spend the day with him.  We walk around his college campus, ate lots of good food and, and most of all, enjoyed the wonderful person we are both lucky enough to call our son.



Every time we visit him I put together a little care package of baked goods.  This time, because it was his birthday, I wanted to make him coconut cupcakes.  He LOVES coconut, so, I thought these would be perfect.  This is the first time I tried this recipe.  It received rave reviews on food network web site.  We all decided that the cupcakes were really good but it was the frosting that made theses outrageously delicious.  What else was in his care package you ask?  Silver Palate sour cream coffee cake, blueberry muffins, chocolate truffle cookies and chicken dumpling soup.  Happy birthday to you my sweet child!

 Coconut Cupcakes: from the Neely's

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups cake flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
2 cups sugar
5 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon coconut extract
2/3 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 cups sweetened coconut flakes

Directions:

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 standard 12-cup muffin tins with paper liners.

2.Into a medium bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

3.Using a hand held mixer, cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add eggs 1 at a time until just combined. Add vanilla and coconut extract. Add buttermilk and dry ingredients, being careful not to over mix. Mix in the shredded coconut.

4.Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full with batter. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes or until golden brown and toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool on wire racks before frosting.

Coconut Frosting: adapted from the Neely's

2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
6 cups confectioners' sugar
2 cups sweetened coconut flakes, for garnish

1.Using a hand-held mixer beat cream cheese and butter together until light and smooth. Add vanilla extract and slowly add the confectioners' sugar 1cup at a time until thoroughly incorporated. Add coconut and mix until incorporated.

2.Frost cupcakes high with about 4 tablespoons of icing.

Pork Tenderloin with Caramelized Pears

This week, I was lucky enough to stumble upon this little gem of a recipe, while looking for a new way to prepare pork tenderloins.  I love pears so this recipe  called to me. The original recipe had you slicing the pork and browning those individual pieces.  I thought, why bother, because to me it seemed like a whole heck of a lot of extra work and increased my chances of easily drying out this beautiful piece of meat.  Well, I have to say that with the changes I made, I absolutely adored this recipe!  Even hubby was over the moon about it.  Its fairly easy to prepare as a week night meal but it is definitely worthy of company or a special occasion.

Pork Tenderloin with Caramelized Pears-adapted from Epicurious

Ingredients:

2 pork tenderloins, trimmed, silver skin removed
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
salt and pepper

1 tablespoons butter
4 large, firm but ripe pears- peeled, cored, sliced into 1/2 inch wedges
1 teaspoon sugar

1/2 cup shallots-chopped
1 teaspoon dried thyme ( I used french thyme )
1/4 cup pear schnapps
1 cup whipping cream
1/3 cup pear nectar

Directions:

1.Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Make sure tenderloins are dry. Season both tenderloins generously with salt and pepper.

3. In a large ovenproof pan add vegetable oil.  Brown tenderloins on high to medium-high heat on both sides.  Place pan in preheated oven for about 15 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 155 degrees.

4.Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, melt butter and add pears over medium heat.  Sprinkle pears with sugar.
Saute pears until they are tender and deeply golden, about 8 minutes. Set aside.

5.  Remove tenderloins to a platter and loosely cover with aluminum foil. Allow to rest 10 minute.  Meanwhile, saute shallots and thyme in the pan that the tenderloins were cooked in, over medium heat until shallots are soft.  Add pear schnapps; boil until reduced to a glaze, scrapping up all the brown bits, about 1-2 minutes.  Add cream and pear nectar; boil until thickened to a sauce consistency, about 5 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Add pears to sauce.

6. Slice pork and arrange on a platter.  Pour pear sauce over pork and serve. YUM!!!

ChocolateTruffle Cookies

Chocolate cookie truffles. Seriously!
YUM.  These cookies have a unique, intensely chocolate, flavor.  I think it is due to the bourbon that they contain.  Now, I must be honest.  I am not a big fan of bourbon.  In these little gems, though, it seems to mix well with the chocolate and create a lovely flavor.  If you've been following my blog you know that I have posted 2 other chocolate cookie recipes.  All are unique and have special appeal.  These are no exception. These have a more sophisticated flavor without sacrificing the intensity of the chocolate experience.  I hope you'll give these a try!
                                     

Chocolate Truffle Cookies:adapted from The Cookie Jar

1 cup butter-softened and divided
1/4 cup whipping cream
2 tablespoons honey
6 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
2 tablespoons bourbon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup confectioners sugar
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups pecans, toasted and chopped

Directions:

1. In a heavy medium sauce pan, combine 1/4 cup butter, whipping cream, and honey over medium-low heat.  Stirring frequently, heat mixture to a simmer.  Remove from heat and add chocolate chips.  Stir until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth.  Stir in bourbon and vanilla.

2. In a large bowl cream the remaining butter with confectioners sugar until mixture is light and fluffy.  Add nutmeg, salt and half the flour and cream.  Add the rest of flour and cream until well incorporated.  Cover dough (keep it in the same bowl ) and chill 1 hour.

3. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Shape dough into 1 inch balls and roll in pecans.  Transfer to a silpat lined cookie sheet.  Bake 6-8 minutes or until firm.  Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool.  Enjoy!

Steak Tacos

This is a family favorite.  The original recipe came from Bon Appetit but has evolved over the years to suit our taste.  It is a great week night meal because it doesn't require any marinading time and once you have the steak sliced it cooks fairly quickly.  I serve these tacos with all the usually things like shredded cheese, sour cream, lettuce and whatever else suits my mood, but, to tell you the truth, they are so nicely seasoned you easily could serve them without all that stuff.  In fact, when my son was still living at  home, I had to watch the pan closely or he would eat half of it before it got to the table! ( I always let him have a few bites before I "notice" so he could think he was mister sneaky! ).

Steak Tacos:

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 medium red onions, thinly sliced
2 red peppers, thinly sliced
1 flank steak (about 1 pound ), sliced into 1/4 inch strips, across the grain
1 cup frozen whole kernel corn, cooked according to package directions, drained
1 jalapeno without the seeds or ribs, finely minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, minced

Warm flour or corn tortillas

Shredded cheese, sour cream, shredded lettuce, guacamole (whatever you like on tacos)

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat and add the onions and the peppers.  Saute until very tender about 12 minutes.  Transfer to a plate.
2. Add steak to skillet and cook until it is no longer pink, about 1 minute.  Add jalapenos, corn, reserved onions and peppers, cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper.  Cook for about 2 minutes or until jalapenos have slightly softened and flavors have melded. Remove from heat and stir in cilantro.
3. Serve with warm flour or corn tortillas and any taco fixings you like. Enjoy!