Blackberry Dijon Rack of Lamb

This lovely, simple  lamb dish is adapted from a Cooking Club recipe and is impressive as well as savory.  Be sure not to skip the  tarragon.  Two racks should serve  two or three  chops each   to serve six people. Minted  peas  are a delicious accompaniment,  as are the  Muenster-creamed   brussels sprouts  that I  posted   on 12/29/2007  disingenuously titled  'baby cabbages'. I'm sure  some people would rather I  'disguised'  the  lamb, too, but really folks, it does not taste  "lamb-y", whatever that means.  

Feel free to  vary the flavor by substituting  any other good thick jam or preserve...not 'diet' or sugar-free, and not jelly.  I love making a fig version of this recipe, as well as ginger (marmalade)  and red currant.

2 (1- to 1 1/4-lb.) racks of lamb, frenched*
1/2 teaspoon kosher (or other coarse) salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup blackberry preserves
1/4 cup stone-ground Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 cup fine fresh bread crumbs
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh tarragon or 3/4 tsp dried
2  teaspoons  butter, melted

1.Heat oven to 425°F. Line rimmed baking sheet with foil. Trim any excess fat  from rack of lamb. Sprinkle lamb with salt and pepper; place on baking sheet.

2.In a small bowl, whisk together preserves, mustard and lemon juice. In another small bowl, stir together bread crumbs and tarragon. Spoon mustard mixture over top of lamb; press bread crumb mixture into mustard mixture. Drizzle butter over bread crumbs.

3.Bake 35 to 45 minutes or until bread crumbs are lightly browned and internal temperature reaches 135°F. for medium-rare  or until of desired doneness.   Let stand 3 to 5 minutes. Cut between bones into chops.

  *Ask your butcher to french the bones for you if  the rack hasn't  already been frenched.

Chilled Steak Stroganoff Appetizer

Chilled Steak Stroganoff Spread   has never failed to draw attention - and speculation.Some sort of tasty magic occurs as the simple steak and sour cream  morph into something extraordinary   Because it looks  much like herring in sour cream, which is not  appealing to  quite a few  people, be sure to  put a little  label on the dish to indicate that  what's lurking in the sour cream is steak, not  pickled fish. 

Cut 1  1/2 c. cooked & cooled  or leftover steak into thin strips about 1 1/2" x  1", against the grain.  Mix 2 TB lemon juice, 3/4 c. sour cream, 1/2 tsp. hot sauce, 1 tsp. salt, 1/4 tsp garlic salt and 2 coarsely chopped green onions,  green tops included.  Add the steak strips and  stir lightly. Cover and chill  6 hours or longer,  stirring once or twice.  At serving time, top with paprika and  more chopped green onion tops.   Accompany this with strips or triangles of toasted bread,  Carr's white  water crackers, or cocktail size slices of pumpernickel or rye bread.   Makes about 3 unusually tasty cups.

Kaleidoscope Candy

There are sweet/salty/sour flavors in each pretty bite of this festive treat.  Thanks to  my friend Mary Frances, party-giver extraordinaire, for a  recipe that's as visually appealing as it is tasty.

Combine 1/2 c. chopped macadamias, 1/2 c lightly toasted chopped pistachios, 1 cup dried tart cherries or cranberries, 1 c.  pastel mini marshmallows, and  1 c. jellied sour candies  -- such as Jelly Bellies --   cut  or halved.  Cut them even if they are  much smaller than regular jelly beans--otherwise when you cut the candy  whole pieces will fall out.    Mix with 16 oz.  melted white chocolate and spread evenly in a parchment-lined  9x9 pan. I've used both  white chocolate chips and white candy bark.   Cover and chill. Refrigeration is not necessary once set.   It will  need to come to  room temperature later to slice  neatly. 

Sugarplum Cake

   "Visions of sugarplums"!  Here's a   5-ingredient  treat  with a crunchy, crusty, sugary top,  to be  enjoyed  any time of the year as  a pretty and delicious dessert, coffeecake  or snack cake.  I bake  several at a time and cut  the extras into serving pieces  before freezing, for  quick retrieval  in a sugar-fix emergency.   It's wonderful  eaten frozen 'solid ' too.      

Cranberries accumulate in our  freezer  every fall so we can enjoy them out of season as well.  I've used them as long as  three years later. Just toss the bags into a sealed freezer bag or containerand when its time to use them, don't thaw them, use frozen.

Adapted  from a recipe that was circulating online last year, I use  a smaller pan than called for, and add loose granulated sugar -- lots of sugar -- just  before baking to add the crunchy, sugared top.

 Preheat the oven to 350  for at least 15 minutes.   Using a mixer, beat 3 eggs with 2 cups granulated sugar  for 5-7 minutes.  Don't be tempted to be  impatient  and cut  this step short;  because  there is no leavening ( baking powder or soda)  in this recipe.... the eggs serve that purpose, so it's really essential to  beat  that long.  The volume will almost double and it should be slightly thickened and distinctly lighter in color.

Add 3/4 c softened butter or margarine, beating well, with 1 tsp. vanilla , then mix two more  minutes. Stir in 2 cups of all purpose flour  just until  incorporated. By hand, stir in a  12-oz bag of fresh or frozen cranberries that you've inspected for withered or spoiled  berries. (about 2+ cups). Don't  thaw them. Frozen berries won't stain the batter like some defrosted ones may.

Spread  the  really stiff  batter in a well buttered  11 x 7 pan.  Sprinkle the top  heavily with about 1/3 cup granulated  or coarse white sanding  sugar.    Bake until  the center tests done with a toothpick (coming out cleanly)   about 45-55 minutes.    Cool completely before cutting. 

Sugarplum cake is moist and rich just as it is -- adding  icing  or even powdered sugar is just too much.    If you'd like,  try topping  each serving  with a scoop of  orange-cranberry  ice cream...... just stir  a bit of  orange-cranberry relish into softened vanilla ice cream and refreeze.   If you're concerned about sodium, use unsalted butter.  There are   loads  of  carbs in this  cake but very little sodium.    

Warm Halloumi Cheese with Cold, Minty Watermelon

  If you're  looking for a simple new way to  enjoy 'grilling cheese'  you may love this summery  recipe   from Michael Symon.  The  appeal of an easy  low-carb appetizer drew me into  its  satisfying taste --- warm, melty cheese topped with  cool, minty watermelon triangles.

Halloumi is most often  marketed and labeled as "grilling cheese" and served with bread.  A little research disclosed that  this appetizer is an old Cypriot recipe and that the  cheese is  usually part-goat, part-sheep's milk.  Halloumi  retains its shape, and  is   milder than feta or chevre.  The exterior stays somewhat firm, so watch it carefully to avoid burning.

Whisk together  one  TB each of grated garlic and grated  shallot. Add 2 oz red wine vinegar and one TB honey (I used  sugar-free).  Whisk in 4 oz extra virgin olive oil, 2 TB  toasted thin-sliced almonds, chopped, and 2 TB finely chopped fresh  mint.  Cut a  1" slice from a small round watermelon. Trim off the rind and white, and cut the melon in  8 triangles.  Place them in a shallow bowl and pour the marinade over the melon.  Cover and refrigerate for an  hour.

Using 1 TB extra virgin olive oil, heat a skillet (cast-iron preferred) , and  when it's hot, fry 8 triangles ( 8 oz) of   room-temperature halloumi cheese*  about a minute per side just 'til browned a bit on both sides.  Remove to  a serving plate, top with watermelon triangles and toothpicks.  Serve and enjoy the warm/icy cold  bites.

*Halloumi is generally sold in rectangular slices about  1/2" -3/4". It's often called frying cheese and may be "Italian grilling cheese" or "Greek frying cheese" or some similar flavor.  "Plain" is fine too.  If yours is  thicker,  the cheese may  not soften quite enough during cooking.  If it's too thick to use as-is  but too thin to cut in half horizontally,  nuke  less than 30 seconds in the microwave  either before or   after searing, and then proceed.   Poke it to be sure its soft inside before  removing from the pan...it keeps it shape even when soft.  This makes  8 one-or-two-bite appetizers. 

** If you're concerned about sodium  substitute Indian paneer cheese - it's  almost-zero -sodium and fries well without melting.

Sweet & Spicy Sriracha Sweet Potato Fries

Brown sugar, Sriracha, lime juice, bacon...need I say more?

Bake a  16-20 oz bag of frozen sweet potato fries according to directions... the thinner ones  work better than  crinkle-cut. 
While they're baking, cook 3 chopped strips of bacon in a skillet til crisp, about 8 minutes. Don't be tempted to short-cut by nuking the bacon; you need the drippings.  Drain the bacon and to those drippings, add 1 TB Asian fish sauce, 2 TB packed dark brown sugar,  2 tsp Sriracha sauce,  1 1/2 TB lime juice,  1/2 tsp lime zest.   Stir to dissolve the sugar. No need to heat the sauce.

Move the crisp fries to a serving  platter,  drizzle with the sauce, and  sprinkle with the crisp crumbles of bacon and 2 TB chopped fresh cilantro.  Top with frizzle-fried   onions- green or regular.

I swiped this recipe  - and their photo - from Food Network Magazine a couple years ago. Surprise your favorite diners  by serving  this  delish side with  burgers and all sorts of things.

Caprese Toasts

'Caprese' is being mutilated, verbally, by servers everywhere these days.   I  assume the chefs they work for know better  but  don't bother  to tell them it means 'in the style of Capri' and is pronounced  Ca-pray-say.

These tasty toasts are  a really  quick simple version of the famous Caprese trio --- tomato, basil, and mozzarella . You can make trays of them hours ahead, and they don't need to be refrigerated.

They're terrific appetizers, or accompaniment to  all sorts of  soups, salads, and entrees.  I was told some years ago  that Carrabba's  once served this as 'bruschetta'...

Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Cut a baguette or narrow French loaves in thin slices,  a bit diagonally. Barely toast one side in the oven or broiler.  When toasted, flip them over to cool.    Then spread each toast with garlic butter, top with a slice of mozzarella cheese  (or provolone), a thin  slice ( or half-slice) of a Roma tomato, then  slide about 1/2 tsp pesto over each.

Bake 4-5 minutes, until toasty and  a bit browned.  

See? I told you it was simple!

Rhubarb ( and Strawberry) Boneless Ribs

Adapted from a magazine recipe,   this oven-baked dish  has an interesting, slightly  sweet  flavor and falling-apart pork.

  Allow 3 hours from start to table. Preheat oven to 325. The fruit can be fresh or frozen.

 In a large pot,  place  5c. chopped rhubarb and 4c. chopped strawberries and enough water to cover. Bring to a boil.   Remove about  2 c. of the  berries  and rhubarb, draining the liquid back into the pan. Set aside until serving. Continue to  boil the  rest in the covered pot for 5 minutes more, then drain and set aside  to  be added in the sauce.

Make a rub with 2 T salt, 2 T paprika, 1 T pepper, and rub on  3-4 lbs boneless country-style ribs.
Brown them in batches ( not letting sides touch) and   place in a 3-4 qt baking dish. In the remaining oil, sauté 1 chopped onion for 3-4 minutes ( adding a little more oil if needed) and then adding

1 cup packed brown sugar  or brown-sugar replacement                           

3/4 cup ketchup ( I use low carb or low sodium)                            

1/2 cup red wine vinegar

1/2 cup bourbon

1/4 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce

1/4 cup honey (sugar-free  is fine)                           

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

2 teaspoons garlic powder

1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper

 the  larger berry-barb mixture

 

Bring to a boil, and pour over the ribs. Cover and bake 2 hours, then uncover for  another 30 minutes. Remove a cup or two  of the delicious sauce and mix it with the reserved rhubarb and strawberries, and serve it over or with the ribs.

 

Sticky - Sweet Asian Lamb Lollipops with Creamy Asian Pasta

When   a single dish makes a restaurant famous, it's worth  a visit to find out what all the hoopla is about.  If , inconveniently, there's an ocean between you and Kailua-Kona,  make  it yourself.  This dish  of  barbecued  lamb chops served atop a creamy  Parmesan-veg pasta is  reportedly Sam Choy's  signature  dish. It will serve   4 people, assuming most will   easily  devour 2-3 little lamb chops.
   
In quite  a large bowl, combine 2 c. brown sugar or brown Splenda, 3/4 cup  minced or shredded fresh garlic, 1/2 c. fresh  minced cilantro leaves, 1/2 c.  soy sauce, 1 TB fresh ginger, peeled & minced,  1/2 tsp Chinese 5-spice, 1/2 tsp red chili pepper flakes, and salt to taste.

Add 8-12  rib lamb chops* and turn over and over in the mixture, then massage each one well,   to be sure the  sticky  rub penetrates  the lamb.   Submerge   the  chops in the thick sauce and refrigerate  4-6 hours or overnight.

Ready to  finish?    Cook 16 oz.  cooked, drained  trottole, cavatappi or fusilli -  or any fat, spiral-y pasta with nooks and crannies  that  allow  sauce to linger.  Drain.  Preheat the broiler  for at least 15 minutes,  and start the prep for the  pasta sauce:    In a large pan, heat 4 TB olive oil and 2 TB butter. Add  1 1/2 Tb minced or shredded garlic  for 2-3 minutes,  don't let it brown.  Add  2 medium zucchini, julienned,  and a peeled and julienned  or shredded carrot.  Cook for 2-3  minutes, stirring now and then. Add     Stir, then  add 4 cups heavy cream and  bring to a boil- immediately lower to a simmer  and cook 5 minutes.  Just before serving add   1 c. Parmesan cheese, 1/2 c. chopped cilantro leaves, salt and pepper.  If your cream doesn't thicken enough, (mine sometimes doesn't)n stir in some diced softened cream cheese - maybe 4 ounces.

Broil the chops  close to the  flame 2-3 minutes per side for rare, about 5-7  for well. You may want to cut into one to check for doneness - because the  almost-candied outside is already dark, it's hard to tell  what's really going on inside.    If you have really  good ventilation over the stove, you could  also use a very large cast-iron skillet or stovetop grill, heated to smoking-hot.  Watch the chops, they'll cook quickly and will  tend to burn in a skillet  because of the sugar content.     Place the cooked chops on top of the  pasta, and  eat them (they're tiny, after all!) with your fingers, like a lollipop.  Licking your fingers and sucking every last bit of that flavor from the bone afterward is socially acceptable.  Really.

* a rack of lamb is 8 rib chops - cut them apart, and  holding each by the bone, scrape the bone with a knife, to expose it, and resemble  a lollipop. Most of the time the  rack you'll  purchase has already been frenched. If not, ask the butcher to do it.  It only takes a minute.

Cowpies

It's  probably   unpatriotic to  confess that I don't like Oreos unless they are an ingredient, bravely  offering themselves up for  a   higher purpose.   Somewhere on this blog I've  posted  more-than-awesome recipes for Oreo Muffins and Oreo Truffles,  for example.   Here they appear crammed into  massive  dark-cocoa cookies along with Mounds bars and chocolate chips.

The cookies  have  been around for  years,  often known as  "Gobs" but I have renamed them, thanks to  suggestions by Facebook friends.   My  Minnesota cousin Margy  gets credit for the new name.

Don't  go rogue and use all-butter or all-Crisco. Or substitute Kit -Kats  or Milky Ways for Mounds Bars.  And it's pointless  to attempt to 'healthify' it with  whole- wheat flour.  The  recipe shouldn't be messed with.

Beat together  3/4 c softened, unsalted butter and 1/3 c. butter-flavored Crisco.  Use a mixer, and when it's  creamy  add 1 cup white sugar and 2/3 c brown sugar, beat til creamy then  2 large eggs and 2 tsp. vanilla, beat a  little more.

Combine the dry ingredients :  2 cups  flour, 2/3 c.  dry cocoa ( preferably  dark) , 1 tsp. baking soda, 1/4 tsp salt.

Gradually add  the dry  ingredients to the wet, til blended.    By hand, stir in 16 coarsely chopped Oreos,  1 or 2 cups chocolate chips  and  8 oz. chopped Mounds bars ( they chop  easier if chilled).

Chill the dough for  30 minutes while you preheat the oven  to 350 and  put parchment paper on cookie sheets.

I make huge cookies, very thick and  the size of the palm of my hand, and get about 24.   I just scoop out  maybe a fat  1/3 cup ,  push it  into a ball of sorts, and very  gently shape & very lightly flatten it out  just a tiny  bit , only to be sure  the whole thing is about equally thick and there are no  thin edges to burn or over-crisp.      Don't overdo the shaping  -  due to the irregular bits of heaven poking out,  they will never  be smooth and pretty.

The  size I  described  bake for about 15-18 minutes, with smaller ones you should probably start checking at 10 minutes. Since we  all make slightly-different sized cookies, times will vary. To be safe, test- bake  just a couple before you bake the rest. The  tricky part  is removing them before they are quite set, which is hard to judge with all the gooey-ness oozing from them.  Touch the center and take your best shot.  They should still look a bit wet.  They'll firm up as they cool --- first  on the paper for 10 minutes (carefully slide the whole sheet of paper off the hot baking sheet to  stop the cooking process)  then  on wire racks.   If they are  crunchy,  you left them in a little too long.   If that happens, uh-oh, you'll just have to  eat this batch and start over when you recover from  chocolate overload.

Posole Rojo

Every culture has its'  bubbling pot of comfort food.....stews, cassoulets, and so on.  In Mexico that's posole, a flavor-rich dish based on pork and hominy.  But posole is all about the add-on toppings. Diced avocado, shredded cabbage or jicama,  fresh cilantro, lime wedges, chopped red onion,  jalapeno slices, even a  very non-traditional  handful of broken fritos.....thin radish slices are common, too.   I have never been  able to re-create a red  posole  as good as  one I enjoyed  at a Mexican  beach somewhere near Tijuana long ago.  We  feasted on  posole, avocado salads and grilled lobsters, and a margarita or three may have altered my memory,  but whatever..... this version  is  as acceptably close as I will ever get to that flavor.

  Like most braised, or  stew-type  dishes, it's wonderful/better  the next day. It's not labor-intensive to prepare, it just  needs to cook very slowly for hours, so get an early start or plan to serve it the next day.  I think  the excessive condensation created doing the 'long, slow' part in a crockpot would  dilute the broth too much, but it would come in handy to not be  house-bound all afternoon, keeping an eye on the stove.  If you experiment with a crockpot, I'd reduce the water to 1 cup.

The first step is to make hot sauce..yep,  'real' hot sauce.   And no, you can't  use your favorite bottled brand.  Won't work.  This is an authentic  recipe.    Not  to worry about hot sauce,   you can control the heat level  in this  dish  - more about that later.  If you  ever need a  really large quantity of hot sauce, save yourself a fortune by making it yourself, for pennies.

Break the stems off  3/4 c. dried  chilies de arbol and 4-5 dried ancho chilies and shake out as many seeds as possible.  You'll find them in cello bags in the produce section of the market.  The arbol chilies are slender red ones and you'll need to slice them open to get the seeds out.  The ancho chiies are much larger and darker, and you'll need to cut  out the core end of the stem to make an opening for the many seeds to come spilling out.  It's easy, but wear gloves or  be cautious about the heat of the seeds and touching your face  afterward.   Put all the  dried chilies in a bowl and  cover with  at least 2 cups boiling water, weighted down with a plate so they stay submerged.   I just use  the small pan I boiled the water in. Soak til soft, about 30 minutes.  Transfer 1 1/2 c of the water and all the chilies to a blender and blend til smooth with  2 cloves of smashed garlic and 1/2 tsp salt.   Drain and push it through a fine sieve or sifter with a rubber spatula.  Discard the pulp that's  left in the sifter, and be glad you got most of those seeds out earlier. Congratulations -  You've just made hot sauce.  Not to worry though, you will control the amount of heat in the finished dish.   There are no tomatoes in posole,  this sauce is where it gets it's red color, and the deep flavor of the  sauce  is what makes the dish.

Mix 2 tsp cumin and  1/2 tsp salt.  Rub both sides of about  2 lbs trimmed  boneless pork shoulder.  Loin is just too lean. Use pork steaks if you can't find a shoulder.  Heat 2 TB veg oil in a large dutch oven and cook  1 chopped white onion,  in the oil over medium heat about 5 minutes. Add 4 diced cloves of garlic and cook 3 minutes. Push  those  aside and  raise heat to medium high.   Sear the pork on all sides until lightly browned, about 5 minutes.

Taste the chile sauce  made earlier, to see what your level of  spice/hot is.   Add somewhere between 1/2 to 1  cup   to the pot, along with 2 cups of water, 8 c. low-sodium chicken broth, 1/2  tsp salt, 1 large bay leaf,  1 TB  dried oregano (Mexican if available).   Bring to a low boil, then cover and reduce heat and simmer for  about 3 hours. I don't like "HOT" at all, and I use a  full cup.  Serve extra sauce for those who do like it hot,  they can add it at the table.

 Add  45 ounces ( pre-drained weight) drained canned  white hominy to the  pork.  Simmer another hour, uncovered.   By then the pork  should be exceptionally tender. Lift it with a slotted  spoon onto a cutting board or  flat pan with an edge, roughly chop and return it to the pan. If it is too thick add a  little more broth or water. 

  Put the toppings mentioned in the first paragraph  in bowls and let people choose their own at the table.  I am guilty of adding a plop of sour cream,  which is even more renegade than crushed fritos!  Very   inauthentic.  But tasty! 
 Pretend you are  perched on a Mexican cliff  high over  the brilliant  turquoise  Sea of Cortez,  and enjoy!

Trio of Fast Fabulous Retro Appetizers

    I'm not someone who enjoys  munching on  green onions as-is, but I sure rely  on them for great cooking flavor.  All are 80's flashbacks, reliable and  popular  go-to apps for many years.  Two  are based on  green  onions. They go together  with no effort  and  are great additions to your appetizer table.

Green Onion Teasers
Combine 1 c. commercially-crumbled crisp bacon ( or very  finely chopped cooked bacon, otherwise the proportions will be off), 3/4 c. real ( Hellman's) mayo,  3/4 c finely chopped green onion, including the green portion.    That's it.  Presto.  Serve with almost any cracker or   de-crusted toast triangles. 

 Hot Jarlsberg Cheese Dip  ( not pictured)
A friend  and catering client gave me her favorite recipe many years ago - she  swore that  you must make multiples so that  you have backups ready. Guests  tend to linger at this dish , scooping it up,  and she was right. ( Thanks, Sally MacD for the recipe, I've made it a few hundred times ).  The sweet nuttiness of the Norwegian cheese can't be beat; I substituted Swiss a time or two in a pinch and  it was not bad in a snowed-in type  emergency, but otherwise  stick to the Jarlsberg.   Serve with traditional ( black box) Carr's water crackers .
 
In an ovenproof dish, combine 2 c. shredded Jarlsberg cheese with 1 c. finely chopped green onion, tops included, and 3/4 c. Hellman's real mayonnaise.  Bake at 350 or  heat in microwave oven at 50%  till bubbling and melted.  Have your  backup  ready!  If you overbake or nuke too quickly   the mayo may separate a bit; just stir it up.

Bacon-Wand  Breadsticks
Make these  in smallish batches because they cool  immediately and you'll be able to  get them rolled in the cheese before they do.  Once they cool the Parm doesn't adhere.  Prepare  ahead a day or two if you like - cover loosely, don't seal in plastic, don't refrigerate.

Wrap crisp  purchased  breadsticks  --do not try to use soft, or the very  long, thin ones----  in a spiral with raw bacon. Use bacon strips halved  lengthwise - a full strip for long breadsticks ( like these shown) or a half strip ( also halved lengthwise) for   shorter breadsticks.    Place several layers of paper toweling on a plate, lay the wrapped breadsticks on it.  Tuck  any loose ends under  the breadstick... no need to  turn them as they cook.  Nuke on high for a few minutes - this will depend on  your microwave, but assume it will be 2-4 minutes.   Have a low shallow dish or plate of  Parmesan cheese  and another empty plate ready.
  When the bacon is   fairly crisp, remove the plate, and working quickly, before the bacon fat disappears, roll the breadsticks in the cheese and place them on the dry  plate.  If the bacon gets overcooked, or if you don't work quickly, the cheese  won't  adhere. The boxed Alessi brand - shown above -- long  breadsticks are a little iffy- they are so thin  and brittle that odds are slim that  you'll open the box and find them unbroken, or not break them when winding the bacon around.

The other appetizer shown is just  green onion  wrapped in  dried-beef slices (from a jar, not refrigerated) spread with plain or any flavor cream cheese.  If you were alive in the 70's you  had these many times!

Strawberry-Bacon-Pecan Green Salad

 

I make the dressing with stevia or splenda.  You may  add the onion to  your favorite purchased  poppyseed  dressing instead but it takes just a sec and costs pennies to make it from scratch.  If you prepare individual servings, it's not necessary, but if  presenting in a  large serving bowl, toss most of the dressing  with the greens before topping with the  bacon, berries, and nuts.  Finish with the rest of the dressing.    I  serve it in a  large  shallow  serving bowl so most of  the 'good stuff' doesn't sink to the bottom when being served, and everyone gets plenty.

Top  chopped romaine or mixed field  greens with sliced or quartered  fresh strawberries, toasted pecan halves ( chopped bits tend to get lost)  and crisp bacon.
  Dressing:  combine 2 TB poppyseed, 1/3 c. finely  chopped onion (I often use dried),  1/3 c veg or canola oil, 1/3 c. vinegar, 1/3c sugar.   Shake or whirl in blender til well mixed.

Chilled Orange Rosemary Chicken

This wonderful  orange-glazed chicken  is   so simple yet so delish and perfect to make ahead to enjoy on a warm summer evening.  I made it once for the Beach Boys, who were kind enough to say it was 'superb'  as part of a charity  "VIP backstage picnic with the Beach Boys"  eons ago ....maybe 1995-ish.

I can't recall now what else I served  with the chicken, except that I  had  a local chocolatier make  woven dark-chocolate baskets  that I filled with a light chocolate mousse and raspberries for garnish.  Tonight I'm serving it to my "Book Babes"  with  summer tomato-tart  squares,  a green salad topped with pecans, bacon, and fresh strawberries,  and a luxuriously custard-soaked rhubarb custard cake.    The  other recipes  are  here on the blog, use the search feature at top right to locate them. 

Per about  8  boneless chicken breasts ( skin on or not, your call):  Mix 5T  kosher salt with 1  1/2 T crushed rosemary. Rub the chicken with it, then place in a plastic bag or bowl and refrigerate at least 4 hours - preferably overnight or a day ahead for best flavor.   Then roast on a rimmed cookie sheet at 400 for 20-40 minutes, depending on  the size and thickness of the breasts. Use  uniform sizes so you don't have some overdone.    Baste a couple times with the pan juices, remove and let cool. 

Melt a 12-14 oz jar of orange  marmalade in a small pan with 1 TB coarse salt and 2 TB salad oil.  Carefully cut the cooled breasts diagonally into slices, not quite all the way through to keep them together.  Spoon half the glaze over the chicken pieces, cover and refrigerate.  Spoon the rest of the glaze on after the first layer has had time to 'set'.  Cover carefully  and chill until time to serve  each breast on it's own Bibb ( butter) lettuce leaf.

Chilled Stuffed Pepper Wedges

Happily, the dried beef-cream cheese balls of the 60's reappeared, amped up a bit, to stuff peppers in the 80's.  They  make a visually attractive and delicious appetizer  for a tailgate or  any party.      I think I've stuffed  a few thousand appetizer  peppers over the years...they were a popular  choice when I was catering.     I use  red and green peppers at Christmas   and add yellow and/ or  orange other times of the year. Lately I've been stuffing the  bite-sized small  sweet mixed peppers that come bagged,  but  do miss that pop of green color.

Today I  used the small  yellow, red  and orange peppers, so I've added the original  1985 cookbook photo  to show  the  pepper wedges.  It's a photo of a photo, sorry 'bout the quality, but it serves its purpose.

For the wedges, be sure  to choose three similarly -sized and -shaped peppers  so they are uniform when  sliced.  Short and fat are preferable to long  and slender.  If the peppers are smallish you may want  to buy four. 

Using a mixer or food processor with a blade, process  8 oz. of cream cheese with 1c. ricotta cheese, 2 tsp horseradish, 1 tsp yellow mustard, 1/2 tsp. black pepper, & 1/2 tsp seasoned salt,  until smooth.  Stir in  about 3 oz. dried beef from a jar,  finely chopped,   2 minced radishes or water chestnuts,  4 TB  minced green onion.  Set aside in the fridge.

Remove the stems of three  bell peppers (one green, one red, one yellow)  by cutting a small, 1" circle around the  top.  Save the stem & top.  Scoop out the seeds and white membranes from inside the peppers.  Densely pack the cheese mixture inside the peppers, pressing to fill  solidly  to the bottom and edges. Top with the reserved stem. Wrap each pepper in plastic wrap or a baggie, and  seal.    This is the stopping point if you're making these a day or two ahead.

When ready to proceed, after  chilling for a minimum of 2-3 hours, discard the stems and cut each pepper in half lengthwise, then each half in four wedges. Arrange on a tray and garnish with pimiento strips or black olive slices. A longer  chilling time makes slicing  easier.

 You'll get 24 wedges from ordinary  peppers.  I've pushed  my luck when making dozens of these  ahead for a large party ......they start getting  soft instead of crunchy, and a little weepy, around the 48-hour period.. .. still OK to eat,  but   messier than they should be.   When slicing,  wipe your knife with a damp paper towel between cuts to keep the pepper from getting messy.

Serve the small  bagged peppers whole, cutting a little more from the stem end to reveal what's inside. 

Oh Gosh, Ganache

  I was telling a friend how to make a quickie little dessert, ( not the one pictured)  and that conversation was going along just fine until I added "then just put a ganache on them"   Whoa!  Her  reaction was "no way, I  can't do fancy stuff".   So here is my little ganache lecture for anyone who is similarly confused.

Ganache is just a harmless little  French word for a 2-ingredient concoction.  Really.   Ganache is  just a rich fudgy concoction made of cream and chocolate, melted together. It's a glaze, an icing, a sauce........  Pretty simple, and certainly not frightening.  You are braver than any ganache.

   Depending on how you let  it thicken - or not --  ganache is the smooth sheet of thick  fudge icing on a cupcake....a  rich hot fudge sauce for your ice cream,  a lovely filling for sandwich cookies,  a warm fondue sauce for dipping  fruit or cake cubes, a  brownie  or cake glaze or  doughnut  icing......   Or  fold cooled ganache into whipped cream for an instant chocolate mousse.  And  if that's not  quite enough chocolate, accompany any of those with a cup of hot chocolate made by  stirring ganache into warm milk for the ultimate jolt of cacao heaven. Yowza.


Here are two simple ways to make ganache: ( Actually, all ways to make ganache are simple)   In a microwave:     Place 8 oz semisweet or bittersweet chocolate (  finely chopped, or chips are fine) in a medium bowl.  In a glass measuring cup,  nuke 3/4 c. heavy  whipping cream  on high 1-2 minutes or until it comes to a boil.  Immediately pour it over the chocolate and  stir til smooth.  Cool just a bit- til slightly warm - and stir in 2 TB softened butter, unsalted is best, stir til melted.  Now , based on what you intend to do with it,  use it now, or let it cool a bit to thicken, or of you want it really thick, put in the fridge  until it's the thickness you want. Stir now  and then to check on the consistency.

or, use a saucepan -  put the cream and chocolate in together and slowly warm,  stirring,  over low heat, til its completely melted and smooth.  Let cool a couple minutes off the heat and stir in the butter.  Butter adds the shine. Because  I feel  that the  hot pan keeps the ganache warm and spoonable longer, I tend to use this method when doing large batches of cupcakes or brownies that take a little longer  to get them all iced.

3/4 cup   of cream to 12 oz chocolate will make enough to glaze an 8 or 9 inch 2-layer cake or  a 13x9 cake. 

To make a to-die-for ice cream sauce, use the saucepan method using  8 oz finely chopped chocolate and 1 cup whipping cream.  It can be covered and  stored in the fridge for  about a month.

And if you want to see the similarity between  making a ganache and  a super-duperly-easy  2  minute  'chocolat pot de creme', enter it into the search bar on this blog and laugh merrily as you   picture yourself saying modestly "oh gosh, it's  really just a ganache"!


You're very welcome. 

Bacon Bark

    

As though bacon addicts need any more incredibly awesome  bacon recipes?   A wonderful   sweet/salty  finger-food appetizer or bar snack, you can  jar this up  for gifts, or selfishly keep it all to yourself.  

I almost always use sugar free 'maple syrup' and brown Splenda or Stevia, so if you want to calculate  a carb count, it's essentially just nuts and the sweetener.  Using real maple syrup  tastes  only slightly more fabulous.  If you intend to make this low sodium, use real maple syrup and low sodium bacon, cut the salt amount down and/or use  Diamond Crystal kosher salt.

It's a quickie recipe.  Use two dishes-- one medium bowl for the nut mixture, and a large  shallow one..... like  a pie plate  or platter.for the bacon mixture.   Preheat the oven to 350 for at least 15 minutes. Prepare  a rimmed cookie sheet.  Non-stick is best but even so, be sure to use  parchment or foil or disposable baking sheets. Parchment is best - and  if you use foil give it a light spray of Pam.  There's bigtime stickiness ahead. 

Nuts:  In one bowl, place 2 c. pecan halves and 2c walnut halves, 1/2 c. light brown sugar, 4 TB maple syrup, 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice, 1 tsp Hungarian paprika, 1 tsp coarse salt, 1/2 tsp black pepper. mix well and set aside.  Do not  use chopped  nuts!  but slightly broken,  almost-half  pieces are OK to include.

Bacon:  Into the other dish, cut 12 slices of center-cut bacon  in  1"  pieces across the strips.  It's easiest to use scissors and cut  several strips at once, while the bacon is still cold and stuck together, then separate the pieces once they're cut... space them out in the flat dish so when  you add the other ingredients they'll  easily coat the bacon.  Then add  a mixture of  1/2 c. brown sugar, 1 tsp Hungarian paprika,  zest of  2 oranges or  lemons, salt and pepper. Pat it on and then with a fork or fingers , stir/toss   gently til all  bacon pieces are pretty much coated.  Then spread them  on the prepared pan and bake until the bacon is almost done and all the  sugar is bubbling, about 10 minutes.

Then add the nuts to the pan.   Using a  spatula, turn and mix, then spread out again and bake 15-25 minutes more, turning and spreading again halfway through.   It's done when the mixture has obviously turned caramel-ly and sticky.   The length of time will depend on how thinly or closely the mixture is spread on the pan.  Be sure that there are no large gaps --- you want it to stick together. Just slide the foil or parchment sheets off the hot pan to cool.

When cooling, you may want to flip the  pieces over a few times   to let the undersides harden a bit before storing them away so they  won't be sticky.  Let sit on the counter until it's 'dry' enough to  break or tear into  clumps. This may take several hours..   Edited to add that it doesn't need to be refrigerated in the  short term.  If saving for days on end I do pop it in the fridge

Scarf some  down while gooey and warm,  or let it cool and break it apart.   This recipe will make  about  6-7  cups of sweet,  spicy, salty, bacony, nutty  goodness.  No one will be the wiser  if you  claim  that you only made a half recipe...just be sure you get all the sticky evidence off your fingers.

Looo-siana Crawdad Spread !

  Crawdads, crayfish..... the flavorful  little critters by any name are  most delicious!   I've made this  for guests several times and have yet to remember to   photograph it before it disappears so this is the Southern Living photo.  Full credit to SL for the  easy  recipe, which I've tweaked just a tad.

If you are the sole human  not  within reach of a Wal-Mart, you're on your own  locating crawdad meat. Otherwise, you're in luck.  Two  of the three Walmarts  near us sells an 11-oz pack of frozen crawdad tail meat, ready to thaw & use.      Should  your own  store not carry it, the seafood manager in that store  can order it in for you.  Meijer stores sometimes have whole crawdads on ice in their seafood case, which is great if you're having a boil, but I am too lazy to cook and peel 7 lbs, which is what you'd need for one batch of spread. Meijer is great about sourcing items for customers, so it's worth asking them to special order the meat too. To avoid a runny spread, drain the 'dads well in a sieve and/or on paper towels. I dry them off with a paper towel.

In a  large saucepan with 1/2 c. butter, saute 1  diced green pepper and 1 c. chopped green onion (most of the green included), til the pepper is soft, about 8 minutes.  Then add  3 tsp.   Creole seasoning, 3 cloves minced garlic,  a 4 oz jar  of drained pimientos , and a few shakes of hot sauce or sriracha --- but just  for flavor, not for heat.      Stir it well, then add  16-24 oz.  crawdad meat. When I double the batch I use 33 oz. of meat, ( three packages of the size I buy) and  it's not too much.   The tails will be the size of  tiny shrimp. Don't chop them.

 Heat gently for about 15 minutes, then stir in 16 oz.  cubed cream cheese. Continue cooking a few minutes  until  it's all melted , stir now and then.   Curiously, quite a bit of liquid is  generated....the  crawdads must be very juicy -- but there's more juice than I want to deal with when spooning or spreading this dip onto toasts, so  on those occasions I drain much of it off before adding the cream cheese. ( of course some of the flavor departs too...)  Keep the heat  low, and  as the spread cools off a bit, it may thicken slightly.   I do like a little  juice to  soften the toasts if crisp, but more than that gets very messy.  Offer forks to  help capture all the goodies that fall off the toasts.

One batch  should serve about 8 people.  I wouldn't make it  in a crockpot.....if you want to keep it warm, make it on the stove, pre-warm your crockpot,  transfer the hot spread  & keep it in there on warm or low...but keep the lid off or cracked a lot.  Otherwise you will be serving a quite delicious crawdad soup.    A little garnish of  of green onion or parsley gives the finished dish some pretty color. .

Malaysian Cognac-Coconut Shrimp

15-minute meals always get my attention, and if you like  coconut with  shrimp, you'll be grateful for this entree, which elevates it  light-years  beyond the ubiquitous  coconut-crusted frozen  shrimp sold as appetizers  everywhere.

Here, the  toasted coconut is not a crust; it's  only on the shrimp as part of a very scant, very thin  but very delicious glaze  that is spooned over  shrimp and   brown, saffron,  jasmine,  or white rice.  Because we live far, far from civilization and I must grow my own red Thai bird peppers, this dish only appears  on our  table in summer.  I really need to experiment with more readily available hot peppers.

   Thai bird peppers can be  tiny, and if you don't like 'hot', no problem, they're not meant to be ingested here anyway----  use them whole  --- then  simply pluck them out  when serving or better yet, leave them in for color and remind people not to eat them.   But don't just skip using them; they add an important depth of flavor to the dish.

This goes together quickly, so have  all your ingredients next to the stove, and your rice  and sides ready before you begin the shrimp.  Shrimp toughens too quickly  for the cook to be  collecting  what you need as they're cooking.

Use a pound of the largest raw shrimp you can find  -  shell  & clean them well, rinse, butterfly,  and dry thoroughly  on paper towels.  In a small  dry skillet, toast 1/4 cup flaked or chipped coconut, stirring very frequently so it  browns evenly but doesn't burn. Set  aside. Chipped ( flat chips, flaked) coconut is worth looking for.

In a large wok or pan, heat 1-2 TB  veg oil til just  it begins smoking and add the shrimp just briefly- a minute or two, until you think they are about halfway cooked; then remove from the pan.  Add 3 green  onions, green and whites,  cut in 2" lengths, a TB of chopped garlic, a big pinch of salt and  maybe a half dozen little  red Thai bird peppers.  Don't skip the peppers!  Stir just briefly, for less than a minute, before adding 4 TB butter, 6 TB cognac, 2 tsp sugar. Reduce a minute or two, then return the shrimp to the pan and finish cooking   for a couple minutes more.  The sauce should  glaze  the shrimp.  Stir in the  toasted coconut and serve immediately, spooning the sauce over the shrimp.  It's tempting to use a very large pan, but your sauce will  cook off too quickly over a larger surface and there won't be enough; better to use a medium skillet,  cook the shrimp in two batches, then combine them  at the end.

Credit for this recipe may go to Jaden Hair, although I've seen it several places...once a recipe circulates thru magazines and the internet, it's hard to know who invented and who tweaked what. In any case,  it's  simply delicious!

Panzanella- an Italian Bread Salad

I can't think of a better way to use up a big batch of ripe tomatoes and a load of fresh basil.  The crusty bread soaks up the tomatoes' juices, the basil and onion flavors, and the red-wine vinaigrette, yet doesn't  get soggy.  As  a variation, I sometimes add  very thinly sliced, then shredded, hard or Genoa salami.

Panzanella's aren't new, but whenever I  serve this salad it's  invariably  a new  concept for someone, and certainly a conversation-starter, as they dubiously  consider  trying soaked bread. It only takes a bite to make  them panzanella fans. It's  the perfect dish for an outdoor meal, since there are no  concerns about refrigeration or spoilage in the heat of a summer day.

Unless you are fortunate to live somewhere where tomatoes are grown year round, this will be a seasonal dish, because supermarket tomatoes imported from who knows where just won't cut it. It's simple to make a half-batch if you prefer , but don't let the initial amount of bread alarm you --- it reduces dramatically in size when it absorbs all those lovely summery flavors.

For 12-15 servings:    In a very large bowl,  whisk together 1 1/2 c. extra virgin olive oil, 2 1/2 tsp finely chopped  garlic, 1/2 c. red-wine vinegar and 1 1/2 tsp kosher or sea salt.

Add to the bowl: 2 lbs. crusty,  firm  bread- such as French or Italian - torn in  half-dollar size pieces.  Two lbs is about 24 cups of bread -- hey, I  warned you it  will seem crazy -- but  not to worry, it 'shrinks'.  Add 3 lbs ( 9 cups) of garden-ripe tomatoes cut in 1/2 " chunks,  3 cups of loosely packed, coarsely chopped fresh basil, and 1 medium red onion, thinly sliced and then chopped.     Toss it  well,  til the bread is coated,  and let it stand for at least 30 minutes.  An hour or two is fine. Really.  Sogginess isn't an issue for at least a day or two.   Don't refrigerate this salad, except for  overnight leftovers, and then let it come to room temperature again..    

 

Bacon- Tomato Jam and Bacon-Wrapped Strawberries

 

 

There's no point in suggesting you  need new ways to use up 'extra' bacon  - is there such a thing?  but we often have loads of  vine-ripe tomatoes that need to be used.    Here are  two ways.    The jam recipe  just makes one pint, so take your neighbors up on  their offers  of ripe tomatoes next time and make a big batch  to share.  I've never  used purchased tomatoes  for this so can't vouch for what they'd taste like.

Tomato Bacon Jam

In a large skillet over medium heat cook ½ lb smoked bacon til crispy. Transfer to paper towels to drain, blotting dry if necessary.   In a large saucepan combine 2 lb. very ripe tomatoes, cored and chopped; 1 medium yellow onion, diced; 1 c. sugar; 2 ½ TB cider vinegar, 1 ½ tsp salt, ¼ tsp black pepper. Bring to a boil, stirring often, then reduce heat .  Crumble the bacon into the mixture and simmer til very thick, about 1  hour.  Season with salt and pepper if needed (probably not salt).  Let the jam cook briefly, then ladle into jar.  Refrigerate a week or two, or freeze for 2-3 months.  If freezing, freeze in several  small containers.  Let thaw overnight in the refrigerator.  If you like some heat, add more black pepper, or finely diced jalapenos. A great condiment for grilled cheese sandwiches,  burgers,  on a cracker, or with toast  or  bagels   for breakfast.

Grilled Bacon-Wrapped Strawberries

Clean the berries ( small-medium ones work best for one-bite  portions) and wrap each in 1/3  slice of raw bacon - fasten with two toothpicks, which may catch fire  but  that's OK.   You can also try  lightly coating  the "inside'  of the bacon strip in brown sugar before wrapping.    Place on a hot grill and turn often til crisp. Remove the picks of course, and enjoy warm, possibly with a drizleof balsmic.   Fresh  pineapple is good too, but then what  isn't  good wrapped in bacon?

   

S'mores To Go

 

Hardly a recipe but an idea....  a fun way to serve a bite of deliciousness..... skewer a marshmallow, dip in melted semisweet chocolate, and immediately roll it  in  graham cracker crumbs.  Place on foil or parchment .      Pop the tray into the fridge for  a few  minutes to help harden it; this is not necessary, but I  think any chocolate that  tempers ( hardens)  in cooler temps  is much  less  likely to soften/melt  later.  To dress up the skewer, you know, for formal   s'more occasions, leave the pointy end UP and put a chocolate-covered raisin on it.   If made a day ahead, cover the  tray so the exposed marshmallow area stays soft, but don't cover tightly. Don't  store in the fridge, but they do freeze well  for future s'more emergencies.

Spaghetti with Crab and Lemon

Fresh lemon is essential for this dish, so  don't even think about using bottled juice, or worse yet,  using fake "krab" !  I can hardly type it without shuddering.  It'  goes together quickly and tastes like the sea.

Cook  a pound of spaghetti or fettuccine in a pot of boiling salted water to al dente.   While it's cooking, heat 2 TB extra virgin olive oil in a large skillet.  Gently stir in a  pound of cooked lump crab meat and heat til it's warmed through.  Add  1/4 c. white wine.  Bring the liquid  just to the boiling point, then turn the heat down and add 1/2 c.  fresh lemon juice and lots of salt and pepper.

Drain your pasta and be sure to save about 1/2 c of the pasta water.   Add the pasta to the skillet along with 1/2 c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese and a handful of  chopped fresh parsley.  Add a little of the reserved pasta water  as needed to loosen it slightly, and  serve with  more Parmesan. Serves at least  4.

Pineapple Upside Down Carrot Cake

No need to choose between pineapple upside down cake and carrot cake.....  there's  cream cheese inside instead of  on top as icing, and raisins, nuts, and a crushed pineapple topping. 

Preheat oven to 350.

Melt 1/2 stick butter in   a 10" square or round pan, then sprinkle it with 3/4 c. light brown  sugar, packed,  then  (SAVE the juice)  spread a 20-oz can of well drained,  crushed pineapple  over that, and finally, sprinkle on 2 TB chopped walnuts or pecans.

With a mixer, cream 8 oz  room-temperature  cream cheese  til smooth, then add 1 c sugar.  Mix, then add 2 eggs, one at time, beating well.  Blend in  1/4 c. reserved  pineapple juice or syrup, and 1/2 c.  veg oil ( not olive).   Mix dry ingredients  together ( 1 3/4 c. flour, 2 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp baking soda, 1/4 tsp salt, and 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon. )      Add dry  mixture  to wet mixture,  beat til well combined.   Fold in by hand: 1 cup finely shredded raw carrot, 3/4 c. raisins,  2 TB finely chopped nuts.   Blend well. This is a heavy batter.

Spoon batter evenly over the pineapple topping.   Bake about 30-35 minutes. Remove and let sit on a wire rack for 3-4 minutes - don't let it cool there.  Run a knife around edges to loosen the cake, then invert onto a serving plate.  Let the pan sit on it for a minute or two so  any syrup will drain off onto the cake.  Let cool.

Cinnabon Cheesecake

So, what could  be more sinful  than cheesecake or cream-cheese frosted Cinnabon rolls?  Umm.... that would be  Cinnabons inside a cheesecake.... with an extra layer of cream cheese icing and a cinnamon-sugar swirl.  Like most cheesecakes, it goes together quickly. No need for a crust; the buns  take care of that step.

Preheat the oven for at least 15 minutes to 325.  Place racks on the lower  part of the oven and another in the center. Use a large flat-ish pan...maybe a roaster or deep  9x13, half-filled with water, on the bottom shelf to keep the oven  moist.

Use about 1 lb  mini   iced Cinnabons ( or substitutes below) cut in half vertically to lay over the bottom of a well sprayed 9" springform pan.Put  them in cut-side down. No need to cram tightly. 

On medium speed, beat  32 oz room-temp cream cheese with 1 1/2 c sugar til light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Beat in 5 eggs, one at a time. Add 1/4 c. flour, 8 oz sour cream, 1 TB vanilla; beat til well combined and smooth.  Pour batter over the buns; jiggle a little to get it in between any gaps in buns.

Bake 1 hour on the center rack, or til center jiggles  just slightly. Turn oven off and leave it in there  for about an hour.  Remove and cool completely on a rack.  When  completely  cool, spread on the  topping, then  the drizzle, in any pattern you like. I didn't do it in this photo but  it's fun to use the drizzle to draw on circles like individual cinnabuns, so the top  appears  like a pan of buns.

As for the Cinnabons, no doubt, they are wonderful but pricey as an ingredient--- if you have an acceptably close version of frosted cinnamon buns  available, use it. Here in the Great Lakes states  the Meijer grocery chain's bakery department  sells a wonderful ( and  far less expensive) box of heavily frosted cinnabuns called Cinncredible, or something similar. Since they aren't "mini's" they'll be higher than  they should be ... I trimmed about an inch off the bottoms ... the icing is really thick so there's no chance I'd have trmmed that!  The buns shouldn't come more than  2/3 up the sides of your pan.

So here's the topping: Beat 3 oz cream cheese with 3 TB butter til well blended, 1-2 minutes. Gradually beat in 1 c. powdered sugar, then 1 TB milk, til smooth.  Refrigerate til you're ready to put in on the cheesecake.

The drizzle: In a small nuke-able bowl mix 2 TB packed dark brown sugar, 1 TB butter, 1/4 tsp  cinnamon.  Then nuke it on high in 15-second intervals, til it's melted and smooth; cool just slightly, it needs to  flow but  be cool enough to handle.  Place in a small ziplock bag, cut off the tip, and use it to make your design on the topping. Re-nuke if you wait too long and it hardens up.

Mahogany Balsamic Chicken

Robin Mather,   if  you're Googling yourself and come across this, I owe you  thanks for about 20 years of enjoyment for this recipe alone.   I like this because the color, as well as the  taste, is so  rich and dark and unusual. I've given it  a new name, because I no longer recall the original name, but  your recipe remains pretty much intact.

Robin Mather was the food writer for the Detroit News and Free Press in the 80's. Although it's  not a 'diet'  recipe at all, its low calorie, low carb, low sodium, low fat.  It's a can't - miss choice.

Dust 4 chicken breast halves in  2 TB flour. If you open the package and find thick or enormous breasts, consider cutting them in half horizontally, which will create cutlets and make cooking faster.  The flouring is an optional step that I frequently skip, or use soy flour, since I'm generally trying to be cognizant of carbs.  Pan fry in 2 TB hot olive oil in a skillet  over medium  heat til browned on both sides, about 8 minutes, total.  Add 8 oz sliced fresh mushrooms, cook and stir for a couple minutes, then stir in 2 cloves of garlic, chopped, 1/4 c. balsamic vinegar, 1/3 c. low fat/low sodium chicken broth ( of course you can use full fat if you choose), a large bay leaf or two, 2 pinches thyme.

Cover and cook about 6 minutes over medium heat.  Remove the chicken, raise the heat and cook uncovered over medium-high heat about 5 minutes while the sauce reduces.  Put the chicken back in the pan and  turn  a time or two.

Serve with the thin but incredibly delicious sauce.  Leftovers are wonderful warmed up.  I often make a larger batch and freeze individual portions in sandwich bags for a quick freezer-to-table dinner..

Orange-Glazed Salmon

The simple, spicy rub delivers that elusive rich heat & depth of flavor that  teeters precariously on the edge of  'hot' without quite going there....although if that's your desire, it's easy enough to do. The dark, sweet, caramelized  crust is packed with both  spice and sweetness, an intriguing combination that has this quick dish appearing on our table with some frequency.

Make  an effort to find  the Seville orange marmalade. Seville oranges have  more flavor and are more acidic  than the usual brands, such as Smuckers.There are several brands  of 'better-quality' marmalade.....among them,   Duerr's, and Crosse & Blackwell , and Trader Joe's carries a decent version as well.  If  you really must use  a non-Seville marm, be  aware  you'll need to increase the lime juice to offset the weaker, too-sugary brands.

I like to serve it with sweet potato fries  and  a green salad.

Make a rub with 2 TB salt-free Creole seasoning, 1 heaping TB brown sugar ( substitutes work fine), and 1/4 tsp kosher salt.  Rub over all sides of 4  6-oz salmon fillets, skin removed.   If you  like 'hot', use 3 TB of the Creole seasoning.   Heat a large non-stick skillet  with 2 TB canola oil ( not olive oil) over medium high heat. Be sure the oil is shimmering, then add the fillets.  Don't  attempt to move or turn them for about 4 minutes.   Then turn and cook an additional 2-3 minutes.

Blend 1/4 c. Seville orange marmalade with 1 TB fresh lime juice ( you'll need one lime); swirl  it around in the pan until it's melted, then carefully turn the fish in it to glaze on all sides.  When it flakes,and it should by this time, it's ready.  Garnish with lime and orange slices.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

 

What makes a muffin a muffin, and not a cupcake?    It's usually the texture- a little denser and dryer. And we feel more virtuous for not eating 'cupcakes' for breakfast.   This muffin  recipe may actually be a cupcake trying to pass as  'morning' food,  but whatever.   I've made  various similar  recipes  and  purchased  others from bakeries, but this  is the   keeper....so moist they almost don't qualify for muffin status.   I sometimes drizzle the top with melted chocolate - not that they need it, but extra chocolate never hurts.  I'm a dark or semi-sweet chocolate person ordinarily, but in this instance, milk-chocolate  chips inside the muffins works best.

Preheat oven to 350. Lightly spray a muffin tin or  use  papers in a muffin tin.

In a large bowl mix  1 2/3 c. flour, 1 c. sugar, 1 TB pumpkin pie spice, 1/4 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp baking soda, 1/4 tsp salt.  Add 1 c. semi sweet or milk chocolate chips, &  toss to coat the chips so they don't  sink to the bottom. 

In a small  bowl, whisk together 2 large eggs, 1 c. canned pumpkin ( not p. pie mix) and 1 stick butter, plus 3 TB,  melted and cooled.  Combine contents of both bowls, don't overmix.

Fill  muffin cups 2/3 full.  Bake 20-25 min, til springy when touched.  Cool on a rack.

Apple- Cider Apple Crisp with Cider Sauce

If there's a bad apple crisp recipe, I've never come across it.. There are great ones and less great, but  a bad apple crisp is  hard to find.  This  one forgoes  oatmeal  and flour  and  uses cinnamon-graham cracker crumbs, adds a few raisins, and includes cider in both the base and  a delicious   sauce.   I like to delude myself into thinking I've done something healthy by avoiding white flour, and using brown Splenda.


Preheat oven to 350 . Peel  and slice about 8 c.  all purpose apples, and place in an ungreased 11 x 7 baking dish with 1/2 c raisins.  Pour 1/4 c. apple cider over the fruit.

Make the crumble topping: Mix together 1 c. of cinnamon graham cracker crumbs, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp nutmeg,  6 TB butter, melted, and 1/2 c. packed brown sugar.   Sprinkle evenly over fruit.  Bake about 50-55 minutes  til apples are  tender.

Apple Cider Sauce:   Place all ingredients in a small saucepan: 1/2 c. packed brown sugar, 4 TB butter, 1/4 c. cider, 2 TB heavy cream....... and probably a tsp. of cornstarch a little later on.
 Bring the first 4 to a rolling boil, reduce  heat slightly, cook about 3 more minutes, watching  carefully and stirring to avoid burning.  Take off heat and cool  in the pan.    I've made this  numerous  times and have yet to have the sauce thicken at all, as I assume it should - ( it starts to separate and shouldn't)  so after its cooled and  hasn't  thickened,  I mix about 1/3 of it with a tsp or so of cornstarch, reheat the rest, and stir  the cornstarch mixture back into the hot  sauce til it's thick.   Then let it cool til serving.  If there's sauce left after serving, refrigerate it and let warm to room temp before  topping the crisp.    Serve with a bit of ice cream or whipped cream, if you like.

Hedgehog Cookies

Our book club   discussion choice  not long ago was a quirky little book - The Elegance of The Hedgehog ---  which deserved a quirky little after-dinner treat.     These  hedgehogs were quite a hit  both for their uniqueness and  because they're  really  tasty little critters.

  The dough makes, essentially, pecan sandies, which are shaped appropriately, dipped in chocolate, and then in quills....er...sprinkles.   The recipe says to use a toothpick to make the eyes and snout,  but mine came out with tiny peaks, looking a little  more like chocolate chips than eyeballs.  Next time I'll try  an itty bitty pastry tip. And don't  make the snouts too pointy;  they're fragile and will break  easily.  There's nothing quite as sad as a disfigured hedgehog.

1/3 cup butter, softened

1/4 cup confectioners' sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

2/3 cup all-purpose flour

2/3 cup ground pecans

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup chocolate  chips

1/4 cup chocolate sprinkles

In a small bowl, cream butter and confectioners' sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla. Combine the flour, pecans and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Shape 1 tablespoon of dough into a ball; pinch the dough to form a face. Repeat. Place 2 in. apart on a greased baking sheet. They don't spread.

Bake at 325° for 12-15 minutes or until lightly browned. Let stand for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

In a microwave, melt chocolate; stir until smooth. Holding a hedgehog cookie by the nose, ( or wherever; I already explained the dangers in nose-holding)  spoon chocolate over the back (leave the face uncovered). Allow excess to drip off.  immediately roll the top in  chocolate  sprinkles. Place on waxed paper, parchment, or foil.

With a toothpick dipped in chocolate, make two eyes and a dot on the nose. Let stand until set. I like to put the tray in the fridge or freezer to get the chocolate set, for abut 10 min.     Store in an airtight container. Yield: 16 cookies.     I  love this and often  triple the ingredients  to make 'regular'  shaped pecan sandie cookies with  it, and half-dip them in chocolate.

One final note:  if you should  find  'The Elegance of The Hedgehog'  a little slow getting going, stick with it....we found it delightful.

Sugar-Crusted Puff Pinwheels

Make wonderul cinnamon puff- pastry  pinwheels in a flash.....every inch  is crusted with sugar crystals. Using a box of Pepperidge Farm puff pastry  sheets , these  gems are super-easy.  After thawing the pastry, by the time you preheat the oven your pinwheels are ready to bake. Be sure to use parchment paper or you'll be  spending quality time with your favorite chisel and the baking sheet.  The cinnamon -sugar  can't help but ooze out a bit as it bakes, and you've got better things to do than chip away at a cookie sheet.  Thaw the box of pastry on the countertop for  about 20- 40 minutes,  or overnight in the fridge,   but it should still be COLD...and DO NOT  UNROLL it! 

 There are two packs of rectangular-folded pastry in each box. Generally you'd unfold  the pastry sheets to use it, but not today. Mix 1 cup sugar ( preferably large-crystals) * and 1/2 tsp cinnamon.  Find a  clean worksurface or cutting board, and spread about half the sugar on it.  Lay the  folded sheet of  dough on it...top with some more cinnamon sugar, and roll it out to an 11x15 sheet...Keep adding more sugar to keep it from sticking as you roll ... you'll be rolling it right  into the dough.  Use lots!  Lightly brush off the excess, and starting from a short side, roll up jellyroll fashion. Slice in 1/2" slices and place 2" apart on a parchment lined cookie sheet.  Bake in a preheated 350 oven 20-25 minutes until the centers are baked through.  Immediately lift off the parchment and flip over onto a clean surface or  parchment.  Cool completely before serving. 

 What's great is that they get even crustier after a day or so.  Don't seal them in a closed container, let air get to them. I've made them with bigger-sugar crystals such as those made by Wilton, sometimes with colored sugar;  I've rolled  extra-tiny mini chocolate chips on them; I've mixed  a heaping  TB of dark cocoa  powder with the cinnamon sugar;  all  versions are  delicious. One sheet (package) makes about 15 'fancy cookies'.