Rosie's Potato Gratin, despite the cayenne, and Spike, and paprika, and nutmeg, had a sophisticated and understated flavor, and I loved.it. I made myself quit before I polished the whole thing off, in an UN-sophisticated manner. I followed the recipe fairly closely, but.... I used heavy cream mixed with skim milk in place of the can of evaporated skim milk, and I added salt, something Rosie rarely includes in her recipes. Also, since it was just Swen and I for dinner, I used only 2 potatoes and 1/4 of an onion and finished with the zucchini layer. But I did not decrease any of the spice, liquid, or zucchini amounts.
I liked it enough to include the recipe.
Potato Gratin, Rosie O'Daley, p 106.
3 medium baking potatoes, thinly slice (I did not peel)
2 T flour
1 medium onion, thinly sliced and separated into rings
1/8 t cayenne pepper
1 t paprika
1/2 t freshly ground black pepper
2 T freshly grated Parmesan cheese (I am sure I used at least 4 Tablespoons)
1 small zucchini, trimmed and thinly sliced
1/4 t ground nutmeg
1/2 t Spike seasoning
12 ounces evaporated skim milk (I used 3/4 C cream and 1/3 C skim milk)
2 T chopped fresh parsley
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Coat a 10-inch gratin dish (I used rectangular glass dish, not sure my glass pie plates would be big enough.) or glass pie plate with 3 sprays of vegetable oil..(oh, yeah, I forgot. I did rub the dish with the cut side of a clove of garlic, something Terry learned to do when she was in France).
Layer a third of the potatoes over the bottom of the dish, overlapping the slices in a spiral pattern. Over the potatoes, sprinkle 1 T of the flour and arrange the onion rings. Dust with the cayenne pepper and 1/2 t of the paprika. Layer another third of the potatoes, adding the remaining T of flour, the black pepper, and 1 T of the Parmesan cheese. Scatter the zucchini, dusting with the nutmeg and Spike seasoning. Top with a spiral layer of the remaining potatoes. Pour the evaporated milk over the gratin and add the remaining paprika and Parmesan cheese.
Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 45 minutes (maybe because I used more liquid, mine took 60 minutes at 400 degrees). Remove the foil, lower the oven to 350 degrees, and bake for about 15 minutes more, until the top is golden brown. Remove the gratin from the oven and allow it to cool for 10 minutes.
Garnish with the chopped parsley.
Sunday, April 28, 2013
Day 16. Cauliflower Puree with Peas.
I was not excited to try this soup - thus it is one of the last soups for me to try. It was tasty, it was healthy; it had to be brimming with health with the boiled cauliflower, and then pureed in the liquid in which it was cooked. Vegetables that are added to the soup do not cook much, so they must retain a lot of vitamins. I looked up the vitamins: cauliflower is high in dietary fiber, folate, and vitamin C according to Wikipedia.
Cauliflower also contains chemicals that enhances DNA repair and slows the growth of cancer cells. BUT boiling the cauliflower reduces the levels of the DNA-repairing and cancer-fighting compounds, so those were probably boiled out of the soup. Apparently, steaming and stir-frying (and maybe roasting?) has no significant effect on those compounds.
Bonnie Rose and Mary, I think you will appreciate the subtle qualities of this soup. It isn't a soup I would make often, but it was easy to prepare and I would make it again IF I wanted soup and had a head of cauliflower in the fridge that I needed to use up.
Cauliflower also contains chemicals that enhances DNA repair and slows the growth of cancer cells. BUT boiling the cauliflower reduces the levels of the DNA-repairing and cancer-fighting compounds, so those were probably boiled out of the soup. Apparently, steaming and stir-frying (and maybe roasting?) has no significant effect on those compounds.
Bonnie Rose and Mary, I think you will appreciate the subtle qualities of this soup. It isn't a soup I would make often, but it was easy to prepare and I would make it again IF I wanted soup and had a head of cauliflower in the fridge that I needed to use up.
Thursday, April 18, 2013
Day 13. Grilled Vegetable Sandwich.
Loved it. The roasted vegetables were mouth-watering. The mustard-yogurt dressing was so good I kept trying to think of more things to put it on. There is a lot of labor in this recipe, though, make no mistake. I had to go put my feet up after dinner, before I could even think about putting the food away.
I tried making the baguettes that Rosie suggests with this dinner, but they flopped because I did as she suggested, and put a towel over the top of them. I never do that, because previous experience says the towel will stick to the dough. And guess what? The towel stuck to the dough. The loaves lost air and height when I had to peel the towel off the top of them, so mine were very flat baguettes, more akin to elongated pancakes.
Rosie suggests you scoop out the inner dough from the bottom piece of bread, and I second that suggestion - otherwise there is too much bread. I also suggest that you brush olive oil on the bread, before you warm or toast it - otherwise, it is too dry for the sandwiches.
Here 'tis:
Grilled Vegetable Sandwich, p.75, Rosie O'Daley.
For the Dressing:
1 C plain nonfat (lowfat) yogurt
3 T Dijon-style mustard
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Salt, to taste
2 T nonfat cottage cheese (low-fat)
1/8 t Tabasco sauce
1 garlic clove, peeled and minced
1 t freshly squeezed lemon juice
_______________________
1 small eggplant, trimmed and cut into 1/4-inch rounds
1 medium yellow squash, trimmed and cut into 1/4-inch rounds
1 medium zucchini, trimmed and cut into 1/4-inch rounds
1 red onion, trimmed and cut into 1/4-inch rounds
3 t Italian seasoning
1/8 t cayenne pepper
Light vegetable oil cooking spray (Olive oil)
2 roasted red bell peppers (see at bottom of recipe)
2 pizza dough baguettes/store-bought baguettes
1 large tomato, cored and sliced
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 T chopped jalapeno pepper
8 fresh basil leaves
8 arugula leaves (I had spinach leaves, worked just fine)
Preheat the broiler.
Put all the dressing ingredients in a blender and mix at low speed until smooth. Set aside.
Arrange the eggplant, yellow squash, zucchini, and onion in a single layer on a cookie sheet. Sprinkle the Italian seasoning and cayenne pepper over all the rounds. Spray the vegetable oil (brush with olive oil) over to coat lightly. Broil the vegetables for about 5 minutes, until brown, turn the rounds over, and brown the other side. Remove the cookie sheet, leaving the broiler on.
Quarter the roasted bell peppers.
Cut each of the baguettes in half lengthwise and scoop out the soft inner dough. Brush with olive oil. Place them on the broiler rack and toast for about 2 minutes per side.
Put a few slices of tomato into the well in the bottom of each baguette. Dust with black pepper and jalapeno pepper. Place 4 basil leaves, 4 arugula leaves, and 4 pieces of roasted pepper on each baguette. Layer on slices of eggplant, yellow squash, zucchini, and onion. Coat the inside of the remaining half of each baguette with the dressing (and I put more on top of the vegetables) and place it on top of the vegetables. Cut each baguette into 3 sandwiches.
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Roasting Bell Peppers
Slice peppers in half lengthwise, core, and remove the seeds. Put the sliced peppers on the rack of a preheated broiler, cut side down. Broil for about 5 minutes, until the skin blisters.
Transfer the roasted peppers to a tightly-sealing plastic bag, close it, and leave them for 10 to 15 minutes. When cool, the charred skin can be rubbed easily from the peppers and discarded.
I tried making the baguettes that Rosie suggests with this dinner, but they flopped because I did as she suggested, and put a towel over the top of them. I never do that, because previous experience says the towel will stick to the dough. And guess what? The towel stuck to the dough. The loaves lost air and height when I had to peel the towel off the top of them, so mine were very flat baguettes, more akin to elongated pancakes.
Rosie suggests you scoop out the inner dough from the bottom piece of bread, and I second that suggestion - otherwise there is too much bread. I also suggest that you brush olive oil on the bread, before you warm or toast it - otherwise, it is too dry for the sandwiches.
Here 'tis:
Grilled Vegetable Sandwich, p.75, Rosie O'Daley.
For the Dressing:
1 C plain nonfat (lowfat) yogurt
3 T Dijon-style mustard
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Salt, to taste
2 T nonfat cottage cheese (low-fat)
1/8 t Tabasco sauce
1 garlic clove, peeled and minced
1 t freshly squeezed lemon juice
_______________________
1 small eggplant, trimmed and cut into 1/4-inch rounds
1 medium yellow squash, trimmed and cut into 1/4-inch rounds
1 medium zucchini, trimmed and cut into 1/4-inch rounds
1 red onion, trimmed and cut into 1/4-inch rounds
3 t Italian seasoning
1/8 t cayenne pepper
Light vegetable oil cooking spray (Olive oil)
2 roasted red bell peppers (see at bottom of recipe)
2 pizza dough baguettes/store-bought baguettes
1 large tomato, cored and sliced
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 T chopped jalapeno pepper
8 fresh basil leaves
8 arugula leaves (I had spinach leaves, worked just fine)
Preheat the broiler.
Put all the dressing ingredients in a blender and mix at low speed until smooth. Set aside.
Arrange the eggplant, yellow squash, zucchini, and onion in a single layer on a cookie sheet. Sprinkle the Italian seasoning and cayenne pepper over all the rounds. Spray the vegetable oil (brush with olive oil) over to coat lightly. Broil the vegetables for about 5 minutes, until brown, turn the rounds over, and brown the other side. Remove the cookie sheet, leaving the broiler on.
Quarter the roasted bell peppers.
Cut each of the baguettes in half lengthwise and scoop out the soft inner dough. Brush with olive oil. Place them on the broiler rack and toast for about 2 minutes per side.
Put a few slices of tomato into the well in the bottom of each baguette. Dust with black pepper and jalapeno pepper. Place 4 basil leaves, 4 arugula leaves, and 4 pieces of roasted pepper on each baguette. Layer on slices of eggplant, yellow squash, zucchini, and onion. Coat the inside of the remaining half of each baguette with the dressing (and I put more on top of the vegetables) and place it on top of the vegetables. Cut each baguette into 3 sandwiches.
______________________________
Roasting Bell Peppers
Slice peppers in half lengthwise, core, and remove the seeds. Put the sliced peppers on the rack of a preheated broiler, cut side down. Broil for about 5 minutes, until the skin blisters.
Transfer the roasted peppers to a tightly-sealing plastic bag, close it, and leave them for 10 to 15 minutes. When cool, the charred skin can be rubbed easily from the peppers and discarded.
Day 15. Un-fried crabcakes.
I liked these. They were light, delicate-tasting, and had the advantage of not being fried.
Idaho Falls does not have a big corner on the fresh fish food market. I was a little intimidated about buying crab, and Rosie doesn't give much direction other than to say "fresh" crab. There were bags of imitation crab, which I pondered because I liked the price. There were Styrofoam trays of frozen cooked crab legs in the Winco meat department; I don't think frozen is the same as 'fresh' but it is certainly as fresh as you are going to find around here. But if I am going to crack crab legs and pick out crab meat, I am just going to eat the crab meat as I labor, not make crab cakes out of it. So I lowered my standards and bought a 6-oz. pouch of "pasteurized crab meat". This wasn't the 1-pound of crab meat called for in the recipe, but Swen and I didn't need a full recipe of 8 crab cakes. And we had Spinach Salad with Orange Dressing and Pine-Nuts and leftover Asparagus Salad to round out our meal.
Un-Fried Crabcakes, p.45, Rosie O'Daley
1 pound fresh crabmeat (lump blue crab)
Light vegetable oil cooking spray
1 t freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 T snipped fresh chives
1 large whole egg or 2 large egg whites, beaten
1 T Old Bay seasoning
1 t Italian seasoning
2 T chopped jalapeno pepper
1 t baking powder
2 T chopped fresh parsely
1 t Worcestershire sauce
1 C unflavored dried bread crumbs
Preheat over to 400 degrees.
Rinse the crab meat under cold running water and drain (I did not rinse, since meat in the packet was already cooked and said 'ready to serve'), making sure to remove and filament or shell.
Spray the vegetable oil over the baking sheet 3 times to coat.
In a large bowl, combine all remaining ingredients, except 1/2 C of the bread crumbs, and stir in the crab meat. Using 1/4 C of crab cake mix, form the mixture into 8 cakes. Roll each in the reserved bread crumbs and place on the prepared baking sheet. Coat the crab cakes lightly with the cooking spray (I did 3 sprays of oil).
Place the baking sheet on the bottom shelf of the oven and bake the crabcakes for about 5 minutes per side, until brown. (Mine took more on order of 10 minutes per side to brown).
Idaho Falls does not have a big corner on the fresh fish food market. I was a little intimidated about buying crab, and Rosie doesn't give much direction other than to say "fresh" crab. There were bags of imitation crab, which I pondered because I liked the price. There were Styrofoam trays of frozen cooked crab legs in the Winco meat department; I don't think frozen is the same as 'fresh' but it is certainly as fresh as you are going to find around here. But if I am going to crack crab legs and pick out crab meat, I am just going to eat the crab meat as I labor, not make crab cakes out of it. So I lowered my standards and bought a 6-oz. pouch of "pasteurized crab meat". This wasn't the 1-pound of crab meat called for in the recipe, but Swen and I didn't need a full recipe of 8 crab cakes. And we had Spinach Salad with Orange Dressing and Pine-Nuts and leftover Asparagus Salad to round out our meal.
Un-Fried Crabcakes, p.45, Rosie O'Daley
1 pound fresh crabmeat (lump blue crab)
Light vegetable oil cooking spray
1 t freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 T snipped fresh chives
1 large whole egg or 2 large egg whites, beaten
1 T Old Bay seasoning
1 t Italian seasoning
2 T chopped jalapeno pepper
1 t baking powder
2 T chopped fresh parsely
1 t Worcestershire sauce
1 C unflavored dried bread crumbs
Preheat over to 400 degrees.
Rinse the crab meat under cold running water and drain (I did not rinse, since meat in the packet was already cooked and said 'ready to serve'), making sure to remove and filament or shell.
Spray the vegetable oil over the baking sheet 3 times to coat.
In a large bowl, combine all remaining ingredients, except 1/2 C of the bread crumbs, and stir in the crab meat. Using 1/4 C of crab cake mix, form the mixture into 8 cakes. Roll each in the reserved bread crumbs and place on the prepared baking sheet. Coat the crab cakes lightly with the cooking spray (I did 3 sprays of oil).
Place the baking sheet on the bottom shelf of the oven and bake the crabcakes for about 5 minutes per side, until brown. (Mine took more on order of 10 minutes per side to brown).
Day 14. Pesto Linguine in Fresh Tomato Sauce.
Yes, when I was eating these leftovers for lunch the following day, I did lick the plate. mmmm. The tomatoes develop a lot of flavor in the cooking - from the pesto and garlic I suppose - but they were bursting with flavor.
This was the recipe, though, that made Swen think about having a melt-down, a-la-Julie-and-Julia. When he saw the mountains of dishes, following so closely on the heels of the mountain of dishes from the previous Rosie dish, the Roasted Vegetable Sandwiches, he considered dropping to the floor. But some of that was just hunger talking, and I heard no more meltdown talk after we finished this meal.
If you wear out easily, I recommend making the Pesto earlier.
Pesto Linguine in Fresh Tomato Sauce, p52, Rosie O'Daley.
Light vegetable-oil cooking spray (I used olive oil: whenever the recipe says 'spray' just 'pour')
1 C chopped onion
1/4 C chopped green bell pepper
1/4 C grated carrot
1 T dried oregano
1 T dried thyme
1/2 C red wine
4 1/2 C peeled, seeded, and chopped (thank you, Cuisenart)plum tomatoes (about 2 pounds total)
2 T chopped jalapeno pepper
1 chicken bouillon cube
8 ounces dried linguine
7 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
1 C chopped mushrooms
1 T balsamic vinegar
1 T tomato paste
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 T Rosie's pesto (you are starting to see where all the dishes came from)
1 t freshly grated Parmesan (reality is more like 1 C of fresh Parmesan)
__________________________________
Rosie's Pesto:
1/2 C fresh basil leaves
2-5 garlic cloves, peeled
1/4 C pine nuts
1/4 C freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 C freshly squeezed lemon juice
Put the basil, garlic, pine nuts, and Parmesan cheese in a blender or food processor. Turn the machine on and drizzle in the lemon juice. Continue to puree until a smooth past is formed.
_____________________________________
Continuing on with the Pasta Dish......
Preheat a heavy saute pan for about 1 minute over medium heat. Spray (aka 'pour' olive oil) it 3 times with the vegetable oil. Toss in the onion, green pepper, and carrot and saute for 2 minutes. Add the oregano, thyme, and wine. Cook for about 5 minutes, until most of the wine has been absorbed. Stir in the tomatoes, the jalapeno pepper, and the bouillon cube. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered for 40 minutes, stirring occasionally.
In the meantime, bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Once the water is boiling, add the linguine. Cook the pasta 8 to 12 minutes, to desired tenderness.
To the simmering vegetable mixture, add the garlic, mushrooms, vinegar, tomato paste, and salt and black pepper. Raise the heat to medium, cover, and cook for 10 minutes. Stir in the Rosie's Pesto.
When the linguine is done, drain and transfer it to a warm serving bowl. Add the sauce and toss. Garnish with the Parmesan cheese.
This was the recipe, though, that made Swen think about having a melt-down, a-la-Julie-and-Julia. When he saw the mountains of dishes, following so closely on the heels of the mountain of dishes from the previous Rosie dish, the Roasted Vegetable Sandwiches, he considered dropping to the floor. But some of that was just hunger talking, and I heard no more meltdown talk after we finished this meal.
If you wear out easily, I recommend making the Pesto earlier.
Pesto Linguine in Fresh Tomato Sauce, p52, Rosie O'Daley.
Light vegetable-oil cooking spray (I used olive oil: whenever the recipe says 'spray' just 'pour')
1 C chopped onion
1/4 C chopped green bell pepper
1/4 C grated carrot
1 T dried oregano
1 T dried thyme
1/2 C red wine
4 1/2 C peeled, seeded, and chopped (thank you, Cuisenart)plum tomatoes (about 2 pounds total)
2 T chopped jalapeno pepper
1 chicken bouillon cube
8 ounces dried linguine
7 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
1 C chopped mushrooms
1 T balsamic vinegar
1 T tomato paste
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 T Rosie's pesto (you are starting to see where all the dishes came from)
1 t freshly grated Parmesan (reality is more like 1 C of fresh Parmesan)
__________________________________
Rosie's Pesto:
1/2 C fresh basil leaves
2-5 garlic cloves, peeled
1/4 C pine nuts
1/4 C freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 C freshly squeezed lemon juice
Put the basil, garlic, pine nuts, and Parmesan cheese in a blender or food processor. Turn the machine on and drizzle in the lemon juice. Continue to puree until a smooth past is formed.
_____________________________________
Continuing on with the Pasta Dish......
Preheat a heavy saute pan for about 1 minute over medium heat. Spray (aka 'pour' olive oil) it 3 times with the vegetable oil. Toss in the onion, green pepper, and carrot and saute for 2 minutes. Add the oregano, thyme, and wine. Cook for about 5 minutes, until most of the wine has been absorbed. Stir in the tomatoes, the jalapeno pepper, and the bouillon cube. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered for 40 minutes, stirring occasionally.
In the meantime, bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Once the water is boiling, add the linguine. Cook the pasta 8 to 12 minutes, to desired tenderness.
To the simmering vegetable mixture, add the garlic, mushrooms, vinegar, tomato paste, and salt and black pepper. Raise the heat to medium, cover, and cook for 10 minutes. Stir in the Rosie's Pesto.
When the linguine is done, drain and transfer it to a warm serving bowl. Add the sauce and toss. Garnish with the Parmesan cheese.
Monday, April 1, 2013
Day 12, A Bit of Everything.
My diary entries when I was about 9 years old are a source of amusement to Swen, Bonnie, and Madeline. I would earnestly write for a couple of days, then there would be long expanses of time without entries. Apparently these empty pages bothered me, maybe because I wasn't being true to my Diary. So I would go back to the empty pages and write "Not much happened today" on each day's page.
But now I am SOoo much more mature. So I will try to write everything I have cooked from Rosie's Cookbook since Day 11. And encapsulate it all on Day 12. But first, the Asparagus Salad recipe, because it was so good and Bonnie and Mary asked for it.
_______________________________________________________________________
Asparagus Salad recipe, p28 from Rosie O'Daley:
28 asparagus spears (2 bundles), trimmed
1/2 C plain nonfat yogurt (use low or regular yogurt)
1 T crumbled blue cheese
1 tsp. salt
1/4 C freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 T snipped fresh chives
1 garlic clove, peeled and minced
2 tomatoes, cored and cut into wedges
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/2 C chopped fennel leaves (the feathery ends) (imagine, they don't sell feathery fennel at Winco. I used some fennel seeds in the sauce)
Bring water to a boil in the bottom of a steamer. Fit the basket into the steamer. Steam the asparagus over medium-high heat for about 6 minutes, until bright green and tender. Remove the steamer from the heat and let the asparagus cool.
Combine the yogurt and blue cheese in a small saucepan. Warm over low heat for 1 to 2 minutes, whisking constantly, just until the blue cheese has melted. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the lemon juice, chives, and garlic.
Arrange the asparagus in the center of a serving plate and ring with the tomato wedges. Drizzle the yogurt dressing over the asparagus. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and garnish with the fennel leaves.
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Curried Mushroom Soup, p18. The picture in the cookbook looks so tempting, a yellow, lush, thick-looking soup with bits of mushrooms floating on top. My attempt was a green soup, probably green from the leeks. And composed of mushrooms - LOTS of mushrooms, with some thin broth filling in the void spaces of ALL THOSE MUSHROOMS. I would look around for a different mushroom soup to make.
Grilled Chicken Salad, p.25 I suspect this recipe was good, in it's day. Like many of these recipes, it was dated - can't hold up to the test of time. The salad dressing probably needed more pizzazz, and maybe some olive oil would have helped. Don't need to belabor this - the recipes were written with idea that all fat was bad.
Asparagus Salad, p. 28 KA-ching! Rosie hit the jackpot on this recipe. **** 4-star rating. I loved it and am making it again this week. Perfect timing since fresh asparagus is appearing in the grocery stores. The blue cheese, yogurt, and lemon juice add the perfect zest to the asparagus. I only stopped eating the asparagus because, sigh, they were gone. Let me know if you want me to include the recipe.
Spinach Salad in Fresh Orange Dressing with Pine Nuts, p30. **2 or 3 star. Here I am in trouble, this is what comes of not writing about the recipe right away. I put a star by the recipe in the book, so I must have liked it. Ah, as I read the recipe it is coming back to me. It WAS good - the shallots/green onions, garlic, balsamic and sherry vinegars, splash of olive oil, and juice from the oranges are warmed in a saute pan and then poured over the spinach salad, topped with orange segments and roasted pine nuts. Very tasty.
Spinach Fettucini with Ginger Chicken, p.54. Very fresh in my mind, since we had this dish tonight. Ingredients are fresh, but, like the Grilled chicken salad, the recipe is dated. It is a lot of work for a recipe that doesn't satisfy the senses or the stomach.
Pasta in White Clam Sauce, p. 63. Another recipe I will not be repeating - not a bad recipe, just not worth trying it again. I would search the internet for a different clam sauce recipe the next time I want to have a dish like this.
But now I am SOoo much more mature. So I will try to write everything I have cooked from Rosie's Cookbook since Day 11. And encapsulate it all on Day 12. But first, the Asparagus Salad recipe, because it was so good and Bonnie and Mary asked for it.
_______________________________________________________________________
Asparagus Salad recipe, p28 from Rosie O'Daley:
28 asparagus spears (2 bundles), trimmed
1/2 C plain nonfat yogurt (use low or regular yogurt)
1 T crumbled blue cheese
1 tsp. salt
1/4 C freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 T snipped fresh chives
1 garlic clove, peeled and minced
2 tomatoes, cored and cut into wedges
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/2 C chopped fennel leaves (the feathery ends) (imagine, they don't sell feathery fennel at Winco. I used some fennel seeds in the sauce)
Bring water to a boil in the bottom of a steamer. Fit the basket into the steamer. Steam the asparagus over medium-high heat for about 6 minutes, until bright green and tender. Remove the steamer from the heat and let the asparagus cool.
Combine the yogurt and blue cheese in a small saucepan. Warm over low heat for 1 to 2 minutes, whisking constantly, just until the blue cheese has melted. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the lemon juice, chives, and garlic.
Arrange the asparagus in the center of a serving plate and ring with the tomato wedges. Drizzle the yogurt dressing over the asparagus. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and garnish with the fennel leaves.
__________________________________________________________________________
Curried Mushroom Soup, p18. The picture in the cookbook looks so tempting, a yellow, lush, thick-looking soup with bits of mushrooms floating on top. My attempt was a green soup, probably green from the leeks. And composed of mushrooms - LOTS of mushrooms, with some thin broth filling in the void spaces of ALL THOSE MUSHROOMS. I would look around for a different mushroom soup to make.
Grilled Chicken Salad, p.25 I suspect this recipe was good, in it's day. Like many of these recipes, it was dated - can't hold up to the test of time. The salad dressing probably needed more pizzazz, and maybe some olive oil would have helped. Don't need to belabor this - the recipes were written with idea that all fat was bad.
Asparagus Salad, p. 28 KA-ching! Rosie hit the jackpot on this recipe. **** 4-star rating. I loved it and am making it again this week. Perfect timing since fresh asparagus is appearing in the grocery stores. The blue cheese, yogurt, and lemon juice add the perfect zest to the asparagus. I only stopped eating the asparagus because, sigh, they were gone. Let me know if you want me to include the recipe.
Spinach Salad in Fresh Orange Dressing with Pine Nuts, p30. **2 or 3 star. Here I am in trouble, this is what comes of not writing about the recipe right away. I put a star by the recipe in the book, so I must have liked it. Ah, as I read the recipe it is coming back to me. It WAS good - the shallots/green onions, garlic, balsamic and sherry vinegars, splash of olive oil, and juice from the oranges are warmed in a saute pan and then poured over the spinach salad, topped with orange segments and roasted pine nuts. Very tasty.
Spinach Fettucini with Ginger Chicken, p.54. Very fresh in my mind, since we had this dish tonight. Ingredients are fresh, but, like the Grilled chicken salad, the recipe is dated. It is a lot of work for a recipe that doesn't satisfy the senses or the stomach.
Pasta in White Clam Sauce, p. 63. Another recipe I will not be repeating - not a bad recipe, just not worth trying it again. I would search the internet for a different clam sauce recipe the next time I want to have a dish like this.
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
Day 11. Penne with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Chicken
I just finished the newest book about Julia Child, "Dearie" by Bob Spitz. The book had lots of detail about Julia's (and her husband Paul's) lives; their growing up years, even great details about their courtship - it was a long courtship since it took Paul a bit of time to figure out he was in love with Julia. The book carries through to the bitter end, when Julia Child died at the age of 91 in 2004. I wanted her to keep on living and never wanted age to catch up with her because she had such vitality, but eventually, when she realized that the treatment for the sepsis would not return her to health, she decided to go out on her own terms.
And that reminds me that I looked up Rosie Daley - and apparently she made enough money from her "In the Kitchen with Rosie" cookbook that she was financially set for life, and now Oprah has a different personal chef.
And tonight's meal was Penne with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Chicken. Excellent recipe, and actually pretty straight-forward to put together. I was debating whether to cook a real dinner or just make Malt-0-Meal, having had a long, busy day but thought I could at least cook the chicken for the pasta, and make the dish another night. But once I got started with the chicken I realized it was a simple meal to make and I forged ahead. The dish took about an hour to prepare, which included roasting the chicken breast. I am putting a couple of stars by the title of this recipe.
Penne with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Chicken
1/4 C sun-dried tomatoes
1/2 C boiling water
6 oz boneless, skinless chicken breats
1/4 C dry white wine
3 T chopped shallot (my only deviation, since I used gr. onions)
1 T Italian seasoning (Ha! I guess I lied on the deviation thing. I made up a T. of what I thought Italian seasoning must be)
1 1/4 C chopped fresh portobello mushrooms
1/2 C fresh or frozen peas, thawed
8 oz. penne pasta
Light vegetable oil cooking spray (Olive oil worked well, instead)
5 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
1 T flour
1/2 t ground nutmeg
1/4 t crshed red pepper flakes
1/2 C chopped fresh basil
5 medium Black olives, thinly sliced
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Put the sun-dried tomatoes in a bowl, add the boiling water, and set the bowl aside for the tomatoes to reconstitute.
Combine the chicken and wine in a shallow baking dish. Sprinkle the Italian seasoning on top. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes (took my chicken 25-30 minutes), until the meat is no longer pink and the juices run clear. Remove and shred the chicken, reserving the cooking juices.
Fill a pot with water (for the pasta) and bring it to a boil while proceeding with the recipe.
Drain the sun-dried tomatoes and slice them thinly.
Pour the reserved cooking juices from the chicken into a saute pan. Add the shallots, mushrooms, peas, and the sliced sun-dried tomatoes. Saute over low heat for a few minutes, until the liquid has been absorbed and the vegetables are wilted. Remove the pan from the heat and over it to keep the vegetables warm.
Add the penne to the water in the large pot, which by now should be at a full boil. Cook over high heat to desired doneness, 8-12 minutes.
While the pasta is cooking, make the sauce. Preheat a small, heavy saucepan for about 1 minute over medium heat, then spray it twice with the vegetable oil (I added 1 T of olive oil, instead). Toss in the garlic and flour, then whisk in the evaporated milk. Add the nutmeg and red pepper flakes. Whisking constantly, bring the mixture to a boil and continue to cook for about 5 minutes, until thickened. Reduce the heat to the lowest setting and stir in the basil.
Drain the cooked pasta and transfer it to a warm serving bowl. Add the shredded chicken, vegetables, and sauce. Toss and garnish with the sliced olives.
And that reminds me that I looked up Rosie Daley - and apparently she made enough money from her "In the Kitchen with Rosie" cookbook that she was financially set for life, and now Oprah has a different personal chef.
And tonight's meal was Penne with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Chicken. Excellent recipe, and actually pretty straight-forward to put together. I was debating whether to cook a real dinner or just make Malt-0-Meal, having had a long, busy day but thought I could at least cook the chicken for the pasta, and make the dish another night. But once I got started with the chicken I realized it was a simple meal to make and I forged ahead. The dish took about an hour to prepare, which included roasting the chicken breast. I am putting a couple of stars by the title of this recipe.
Penne with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Chicken
1/4 C sun-dried tomatoes
1/2 C boiling water
6 oz boneless, skinless chicken breats
1/4 C dry white wine
3 T chopped shallot (my only deviation, since I used gr. onions)
1 T Italian seasoning (Ha! I guess I lied on the deviation thing. I made up a T. of what I thought Italian seasoning must be)
1 1/4 C chopped fresh portobello mushrooms
1/2 C fresh or frozen peas, thawed
8 oz. penne pasta
Light vegetable oil cooking spray (Olive oil worked well, instead)
5 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
1 T flour
1/2 t ground nutmeg
1/4 t crshed red pepper flakes
1/2 C chopped fresh basil
5 medium Black olives, thinly sliced
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Put the sun-dried tomatoes in a bowl, add the boiling water, and set the bowl aside for the tomatoes to reconstitute.
Combine the chicken and wine in a shallow baking dish. Sprinkle the Italian seasoning on top. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes (took my chicken 25-30 minutes), until the meat is no longer pink and the juices run clear. Remove and shred the chicken, reserving the cooking juices.
Fill a pot with water (for the pasta) and bring it to a boil while proceeding with the recipe.
Drain the sun-dried tomatoes and slice them thinly.
Pour the reserved cooking juices from the chicken into a saute pan. Add the shallots, mushrooms, peas, and the sliced sun-dried tomatoes. Saute over low heat for a few minutes, until the liquid has been absorbed and the vegetables are wilted. Remove the pan from the heat and over it to keep the vegetables warm.
Add the penne to the water in the large pot, which by now should be at a full boil. Cook over high heat to desired doneness, 8-12 minutes.
While the pasta is cooking, make the sauce. Preheat a small, heavy saucepan for about 1 minute over medium heat, then spray it twice with the vegetable oil (I added 1 T of olive oil, instead). Toss in the garlic and flour, then whisk in the evaporated milk. Add the nutmeg and red pepper flakes. Whisking constantly, bring the mixture to a boil and continue to cook for about 5 minutes, until thickened. Reduce the heat to the lowest setting and stir in the basil.
Drain the cooked pasta and transfer it to a warm serving bowl. Add the shredded chicken, vegetables, and sauce. Toss and garnish with the sliced olives.
Day 10. Skewered Shrimp on Wild Rice Pilaf
We ate this last Sunday evening, thinking the weather was going to cooperate for grilling. Weather was marginal but Swen gamely BBQ'ed the shrimp outside. The vegetables on the kebabs were fantastic, shrimp was okay but not a recipe I will use again. In fact, what I would do is use Leaf's recipe for "Amazing Spicy Grilled Shrimp" that she made over Christmas; but add some vegetables to the marinade and include them on the skewers. The flavor of Leaf's marinade was marvelous, a piquant flavor that suited the shrimp but didn't overpower it. mmm.
The rice pilaf was soggy, but that was more my not cooking it long enough or adding too much water - who knows. I have never successfully made Rice Pilaf unless it was a box mix.
So I am posting Leaf's Grilled Shrimp recipe (from Allrecipe website, submitted by Pat Rota), instead of Rosie's.
Amazing Spicy Grilled Shrimp
Ingredients:
The rice pilaf was soggy, but that was more my not cooking it long enough or adding too much water - who knows. I have never successfully made Rice Pilaf unless it was a box mix.
So I am posting Leaf's Grilled Shrimp recipe (from Allrecipe website, submitted by Pat Rota), instead of Rosie's.
Amazing Spicy Grilled Shrimp
Ingredients:
1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 cup sesame oil
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons hot sauce
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 tablespoon ketchup
Directions:
|
1 tablespoon Asian chile paste
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
3 tablespoons lemon juice
2 pounds large shrimp, peeled and
deveined
12 wooden skewers, soaked in water
|
Friday, March 1, 2013
Day 9. Vegetable Barley Stew with Lentils. Hmm.
Let me just say that we ate this last night, will force ourselves to eat some more tonight unless we can't face it and opt for oatmeal, and then I am tossing the remainder in the trash. No need to post this recipe. After Swen's first spoonful of soup, he asked how we could flavor it up, then proceeded to "eat to live". I liked the barley and lentils, but the soup needs life. The end.
3-6-2013. Not quite the end. After sitting for 4 days, the soup acquired a bit more flavor. A friend suggested adding some lemon juice and yogurt, to spice it up. And I added some chicken bouillon. It was a decent meal on Tuesday night. One more cup of it, then it is out of my life.
3-6-2013. Not quite the end. After sitting for 4 days, the soup acquired a bit more flavor. A friend suggested adding some lemon juice and yogurt, to spice it up. And I added some chicken bouillon. It was a decent meal on Tuesday night. One more cup of it, then it is out of my life.
Day 8. Cream of Broccoli Soup. Bravo.
This soup was so tasty that I am going to post the recipe. Easy to make, lots of flavor, nothing to get mushy after it sits so the soup is even better for leftovers the next day. As per usual, I used whole evaporated milk instead of the low-fat evaporated skim milk called for in the recipe. And the soup did not curdle.
Cream of Broccoli Soup (from "In the Kitchen with Rosie" p.14)
1/2 C water
1 chicken bouillon cube
3 C broccoli florets and stems (1 large bundle)
24 ounces (2 cans) evaporated skim milk (I used whole evaporated milk)
Light vegetable oil cooking spray (Yes, I used 2 T olive oil)
1 1/2 C chopped liik, white part only (2-3 leeks)
2 T all-purpose flour
1/2 t ground nutmeg
1 garlic clove, peeled and minced
3 T chopped fresh basil
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Bring the water to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Dissolve the bouillon cube in theboiling water. Add the broccoli and cook for 5 to 6 minutes (7-8 minutes, for me), until it is bright green and fork tender.
Put the evaporated milk in a small saucepan. Warm over low heat, just until bubbles begin to form around the edge. Remove the pan from the heat.
Preheat a large, heavy saucepan over medium heat for about 1 minute. Spray it twice with the vegetable oil (I used olive oil). Add the leeks and saute, stirring often, for 7 to 8 minutes, until limp. Stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Whisk in the warm evaporated milk. Continue to cook, whisking constantly, until the four has dissolved and the mixture is smooth.
Reduce the heat to low. Add the nutmeg, the garlic, and the broccoli, along with its cooking liquid. Simmer for 5 minutes more, taking care not to bring the soup to a boil. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the basil and black pepper.
Cream of Broccoli Soup (from "In the Kitchen with Rosie" p.14)
1/2 C water
1 chicken bouillon cube
3 C broccoli florets and stems (1 large bundle)
24 ounces (2 cans) evaporated skim milk (I used whole evaporated milk)
Light vegetable oil cooking spray (Yes, I used 2 T olive oil)
1 1/2 C chopped liik, white part only (2-3 leeks)
2 T all-purpose flour
1/2 t ground nutmeg
1 garlic clove, peeled and minced
3 T chopped fresh basil
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Bring the water to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Dissolve the bouillon cube in theboiling water. Add the broccoli and cook for 5 to 6 minutes (7-8 minutes, for me), until it is bright green and fork tender.
Put the evaporated milk in a small saucepan. Warm over low heat, just until bubbles begin to form around the edge. Remove the pan from the heat.
Preheat a large, heavy saucepan over medium heat for about 1 minute. Spray it twice with the vegetable oil (I used olive oil). Add the leeks and saute, stirring often, for 7 to 8 minutes, until limp. Stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Whisk in the warm evaporated milk. Continue to cook, whisking constantly, until the four has dissolved and the mixture is smooth.
Reduce the heat to low. Add the nutmeg, the garlic, and the broccoli, along with its cooking liquid. Simmer for 5 minutes more, taking care not to bring the soup to a boil. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the basil and black pepper.
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Day 7: Un-fried Chicken with Mock Caeser Salad
A bit delayed writing up this recipe experience, since I whisked (kitchen vocabulary) myself down to Yuma for the wonderful 80th birthday bash for Bonnie Sue. She weathered the surprise very well. We finally (after the 2nd surprise, which was the appearance of one of her grand-daughters) showed mercy and declared to her that she could relax, we had no more surprises planned. We did manage to have the Mango Parfait (Day 1) for dessert one evening, and it was a smash hit.
So now, Un-fried Chicken. I planned and prepared for this recipe poorly, but it was worth the three trips to the grocery store.The un-fried chicken was quite tasty and had a kick supplied by Old Bay and Creole seasoning, as well as cayenne pepper. I used small pieces of chicken, chicken-nugget size, instead of the large pieces called for in the recipe. And I used chicken thighs, instead of breasts, because that is what we like at our house. The small pieces of chicken decreased the cooking time by a good 40 minutes, so I would do the nugget-size again, when I repeat this recipe.
Chicken nugget breading was a tad dry, so I made a cocktail sauce out of ketchup, lemon juice, and horseradish, and that did the trick for dipping. I think a Ranch or Blue Cheese dressing would work fine, as well.
The Mock Caesar salad had a fresh, clean, taste - it let the flavor of the Romaine lettuce come through. Fairly simple with Romaine lettuce, Parmesan (and more Parmesan), black pepper, and tomatoes and a dressing of soy sauce, lemon juice, and garlic. Ah yes, looking at my notes I see I did add a bit of olive oil to the dressing.
A baguette bread would have topped off the meal perfectly, but that would have required yet one more trip to the grocery store.
Un-Fried Chicken p. 39 of "In the Kitchen with Rosie"
Light vegetable oil cooking spray
6 chicken drumsticks, skin removed(I skipped the drumsticks)
3 whole chicken breasts, halved and skin removed (I cut my chicken into nugget-sized pieces, and used about 2 whole chicken breasts- worth of chicken)
3 1/2 C ice water
1 C plain nonfat yogurt (low-fat yogurt)
For the breading:
1 C dried Italian bread crumbs
1 T Old Bay seasoning
1/2 t garlic powder
1/2 t Creole seasoning
1/8 t freshly ground black pepper
Dash cayenne pepper
1/2 t dried thyme
1/2 t dried basil
1/2 t dried oregano
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Coat a baking sheet with 3 sprays of the vegetable oil.
Put the chicken in a large bowl with the ice water. Put the yogurt into a medium bowl. Set both bowls aside.
Toss all the breading ingredients into a large, tightly-sealing plastic bag. Seal and shake well to mix.
Remove 2 pieces of chicken from the ice water (I worked with 6-8 of the nugget size at one time). Roll each piece in the yogurt. Put the chicken into the plastic bag, reseal, and shake to coat thoroughly. Transfer the breaded chicken to the prepared baking sheet. Repeat the process untill all 12 pieces are breaded. Spray the chicken lightly with the vegetable oil.
Place the baking sheet on the bottom shelf of the overn and bake for 1 hour, turning the pieces every 20 minutes to allow even browning.
Serve hot or at room temperature.
Mock Caesar Salad p. 33 of "In the Kitchen with Rosie"
2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
1/4 C reduced-sodium soy sauce (just used soy-sauce)
1.4 /c freshly squeezed lelmon juice
3 C chopped Belgian endive (4 heads) (I skipped the endive)
6 C torn Romaince lettuce (2 heads) (1 large head seemed plenty)
1/8 t freshly cracked black pepper
1 T freshly grated Parmesan cheese (Definitely more of the Parmesan than 1 T)
1 1/3 C chopped tomato or 1 large tomato
Put the garlic, soy sauce, and lemon juice in a salad bowl and whixh thoroughtly. Add the endive and Romaine lettuce. Toss to coat. Sprinkle the black peepper and Parmesan cheese on top.
Garnish with the chopped tomato.
So now, Un-fried Chicken. I planned and prepared for this recipe poorly, but it was worth the three trips to the grocery store.The un-fried chicken was quite tasty and had a kick supplied by Old Bay and Creole seasoning, as well as cayenne pepper. I used small pieces of chicken, chicken-nugget size, instead of the large pieces called for in the recipe. And I used chicken thighs, instead of breasts, because that is what we like at our house. The small pieces of chicken decreased the cooking time by a good 40 minutes, so I would do the nugget-size again, when I repeat this recipe.
Chicken nugget breading was a tad dry, so I made a cocktail sauce out of ketchup, lemon juice, and horseradish, and that did the trick for dipping. I think a Ranch or Blue Cheese dressing would work fine, as well.
The Mock Caesar salad had a fresh, clean, taste - it let the flavor of the Romaine lettuce come through. Fairly simple with Romaine lettuce, Parmesan (and more Parmesan), black pepper, and tomatoes and a dressing of soy sauce, lemon juice, and garlic. Ah yes, looking at my notes I see I did add a bit of olive oil to the dressing.
A baguette bread would have topped off the meal perfectly, but that would have required yet one more trip to the grocery store.
Un-Fried Chicken p. 39 of "In the Kitchen with Rosie"
Light vegetable oil cooking spray
6 chicken drumsticks, skin removed(I skipped the drumsticks)
3 whole chicken breasts, halved and skin removed (I cut my chicken into nugget-sized pieces, and used about 2 whole chicken breasts- worth of chicken)
3 1/2 C ice water
1 C plain nonfat yogurt (low-fat yogurt)
For the breading:
1 C dried Italian bread crumbs
1 T Old Bay seasoning
1/2 t garlic powder
1/2 t Creole seasoning
1/8 t freshly ground black pepper
Dash cayenne pepper
1/2 t dried thyme
1/2 t dried basil
1/2 t dried oregano
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Coat a baking sheet with 3 sprays of the vegetable oil.
Put the chicken in a large bowl with the ice water. Put the yogurt into a medium bowl. Set both bowls aside.
Toss all the breading ingredients into a large, tightly-sealing plastic bag. Seal and shake well to mix.
Remove 2 pieces of chicken from the ice water (I worked with 6-8 of the nugget size at one time). Roll each piece in the yogurt. Put the chicken into the plastic bag, reseal, and shake to coat thoroughly. Transfer the breaded chicken to the prepared baking sheet. Repeat the process untill all 12 pieces are breaded. Spray the chicken lightly with the vegetable oil.
Place the baking sheet on the bottom shelf of the overn and bake for 1 hour, turning the pieces every 20 minutes to allow even browning.
Serve hot or at room temperature.
Mock Caesar Salad p. 33 of "In the Kitchen with Rosie"
2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
1/4 C reduced-sodium soy sauce (just used soy-sauce)
1.4 /c freshly squeezed lelmon juice
3 C chopped Belgian endive (4 heads) (I skipped the endive)
6 C torn Romaince lettuce (2 heads) (1 large head seemed plenty)
1/8 t freshly cracked black pepper
1 T freshly grated Parmesan cheese (Definitely more of the Parmesan than 1 T)
1 1/3 C chopped tomato or 1 large tomato
Put the garlic, soy sauce, and lemon juice in a salad bowl and whixh thoroughtly. Add the endive and Romaine lettuce. Toss to coat. Sprinkle the black peepper and Parmesan cheese on top.
Garnish with the chopped tomato.
Day 8. Curried Chicken Salad
Since I had some raw chicken left-over from the previous day's cooking, I thought I would try the Curried Chicken Salad. When Rosie calls this a lively salad, she is spot-on; it is chock full of fresh fruit and vegetables - peas, carrots, red cabbage, apples, celery, scallions, raisens, and tomatoes. I served it on slices of Rustic Bread from Albertsons, but would probably try Rosie's suggestion next time of serving in a pita pocket. It was a filling dinner for two.
I wasn't quite satisfied with the curry sauce, but not sure what it needed. Maybe a dab of chutney?
In talking with my sister, she reminded me that she made this for me one time. I remember I loved it. Food is so much tastier when someone else prepares it especially for you.
An observation of our family and I wonder if it is universal. I thought about it when I left the half an apple out on the counter. An apple (or carrot, or orange, or name another fruit or vegetable) can sit on the counter for days. Wash it and slice it, and the apple is gone in minutes. A carrot can sit in the vegetable bin till it turns to rubber. Wash it, scrape it, and slice it, put it on a plate on the counter. It's gone.
Curried Chicken Salad p.34 of "In the Kitchen with Rosie "
1 1/2 C cubed cooked chicken breast
1/4 C frozen peas, thawed
1/4 C scraped and shredded carrot
1/8 t celery seed
1 T golden raisins (definitely want 2 T)
f1 C shreddedred cabbage
]1/4 C chopped green apple
1/4 C chopped scallion
1/4 C chopped celery
Dressing
1 C plain nonfat yogurt (yes, I used yogurt WITH fat)
1 T nonfat mayonnaise (ditto)
3 t curry powder
3 T freshly squeezed lemon juice
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 T Dijon-style mustard
2 T minced shallot
4 large red cabbage leaves
4 cherry tomatoes, halved
1 T chopped fresh parsley
Combine the chicken, peas, carrot, celery seed, raisins, shredded cabbage, apple, scallions, and celery in a salad bowl.
Put all the dressing ingredients in a small bowl and whixk to blend.
Pour the dressing over the salad and toss well. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour (maybe longer. The leftover salad was even better the next day)
Place a cabbage leaf, curved side down, on each salad plate. Mound salad into the leaves and garnish with the cherry tomatoes and parsley .
I wasn't quite satisfied with the curry sauce, but not sure what it needed. Maybe a dab of chutney?
In talking with my sister, she reminded me that she made this for me one time. I remember I loved it. Food is so much tastier when someone else prepares it especially for you.
An observation of our family and I wonder if it is universal. I thought about it when I left the half an apple out on the counter. An apple (or carrot, or orange, or name another fruit or vegetable) can sit on the counter for days. Wash it and slice it, and the apple is gone in minutes. A carrot can sit in the vegetable bin till it turns to rubber. Wash it, scrape it, and slice it, put it on a plate on the counter. It's gone.
Curried Chicken Salad p.34 of "In the Kitchen with Rosie "
1 1/2 C cubed cooked chicken breast
1/4 C frozen peas, thawed
1/4 C scraped and shredded carrot
1/8 t celery seed
1 T golden raisins (definitely want 2 T)
f1 C shreddedred cabbage
]1/4 C chopped green apple
1/4 C chopped scallion
1/4 C chopped celery
Dressing
1 C plain nonfat yogurt (yes, I used yogurt WITH fat)
1 T nonfat mayonnaise (ditto)
3 t curry powder
3 T freshly squeezed lemon juice
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 T Dijon-style mustard
2 T minced shallot
4 large red cabbage leaves
4 cherry tomatoes, halved
1 T chopped fresh parsley
Combine the chicken, peas, carrot, celery seed, raisins, shredded cabbage, apple, scallions, and celery in a salad bowl.
Put all the dressing ingredients in a small bowl and whixk to blend.
Pour the dressing over the salad and toss well. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour (maybe longer. The leftover salad was even better the next day)
Place a cabbage leaf, curved side down, on each salad plate. Mound salad into the leaves and garnish with the cherry tomatoes and parsley .
Saturday, February 9, 2013
Day 6. Ind. Pizza: Other two variations
The next two variations of the individual pizzas were not momentous, and I would repeat those recipes only if the needed ingredients were all I had in my kitchen. The first variation called for pesto, Rosie's pizza sauce, spinach leaves, mozzarella cheese, mushrooms, black olives, and Parmesan. In spite of substituting feta for the Parmesan and using Chef Rosie's pungent tomato sauce, the pizza was just okay - not exceptional. Ten points for healthy but 6 out of 10 for flavor.
The other variation- with goat cheese, basil, artichoke, onion, and tomato - was bland. The ingredients reminded me a bit of the appetizer Rose Magnuson made, after her trip to Turkey, when she tried to recreate one of the fabulous meals during her trip. But Rose M. used a Babboli pizza crust, loaded with flavors, and jack cheese, sliced artichoke hearts, bell peppers, black olives, and feta cheese. I loved it. For some reason, the "In the Kitchen with Rosie"'s version lacked flavor, even after rubbing garlic and olive oil on the crust - which I tried on my second round of this pizza. I give this variation of Rosie Daley's pizza a 5 out of 10.
I added a bit of cornmeal to the pizza dough and did love the addition for the flavor boost it gave the crust. And now I must go have a very large piece of apple pie; a large piece because pie = dinner tonight. Made with lots of shortening, the Rose Magnuson Way.
The other variation- with goat cheese, basil, artichoke, onion, and tomato - was bland. The ingredients reminded me a bit of the appetizer Rose Magnuson made, after her trip to Turkey, when she tried to recreate one of the fabulous meals during her trip. But Rose M. used a Babboli pizza crust, loaded with flavors, and jack cheese, sliced artichoke hearts, bell peppers, black olives, and feta cheese. I loved it. For some reason, the "In the Kitchen with Rosie"'s version lacked flavor, even after rubbing garlic and olive oil on the crust - which I tried on my second round of this pizza. I give this variation of Rosie Daley's pizza a 5 out of 10.
I added a bit of cornmeal to the pizza dough and did love the addition for the flavor boost it gave the crust. And now I must go have a very large piece of apple pie; a large piece because pie = dinner tonight. Made with lots of shortening, the Rose Magnuson Way.
Sunday, January 27, 2013
Day 5. Spiced Bran Muffins
Lots of flavor is packed into these muffins and they are quite filling. I skipped the golden raisins because I had some fresh blueberries in the refrigerator that were begging to be included. This recipe is worth sharing, and the muffins were easy to make. My substitutions in red.
Spiced Bran Muffins
Light vegetable oil cooking spray (Okay, I used butter to grease the muffin tins)
1/2 C molasses
2 T honey
2 large egg whites
1/4 C plain nonfat yogurt ( low-fat)
1/4 C 2% milk ( whole milk)
1/2 C wheat bran
1 C whole wheat flour
1 1/2 t baking powder
1 T ground ginger
1 t ground cloves
1/4 C chopped walnuts
1/4 C golden raisins ( 1 C blueberries)
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Coat a 12-well muffin tin with cooking spray (butter).
Warm the molasses and honey in a small saucepan over low heat just until it begins to steam. Remove the pan from the heat and set it aside to cool.
Whisk the egg whites, yogurt, and milk together in a large mixing bowl until blended. Whisk in the molasses and honey mixture. Using a wooden spoon, stir in the bran, flour, baking powder, and spices. Fold in the walnuts and raisins (blueberries).
Turn the batter into the prepared muffin tin and bake for 15-20 minutes, until a tester inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Serve warm. (Definitely serve with butter).
Spiced Bran Muffins
Light vegetable oil cooking spray (Okay, I used butter to grease the muffin tins)
1/2 C molasses
2 T honey
2 large egg whites
1/4 C plain nonfat yogurt ( low-fat)
1/4 C 2% milk ( whole milk)
1/2 C wheat bran
1 C whole wheat flour
1 1/2 t baking powder
1 T ground ginger
1 t ground cloves
1/4 C chopped walnuts
1/4 C golden raisins ( 1 C blueberries)
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Coat a 12-well muffin tin with cooking spray (butter).
Warm the molasses and honey in a small saucepan over low heat just until it begins to steam. Remove the pan from the heat and set it aside to cool.
Whisk the egg whites, yogurt, and milk together in a large mixing bowl until blended. Whisk in the molasses and honey mixture. Using a wooden spoon, stir in the bran, flour, baking powder, and spices. Fold in the walnuts and raisins (blueberries).
Turn the batter into the prepared muffin tin and bake for 15-20 minutes, until a tester inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Serve warm. (Definitely serve with butter).
Day 4. Ind. Pizzas, Mixed Veg. with Blue Cheese
The morning that I decided to make Individual Pizzas was also the morning I had the brilliant idea to blog my way through the "In the Kitchen with Rosie" cookbook. As I was thinking about posting my experiences with the cookbook, I lay on my stomach, doing my leg lifts, laughing, thinking of how I could fall apart on Day 3 or 4, sobbing on the floor of the kitchen with an egg yolk splatted on the rug, something like Julie on Day 252 of working through the Julia Child cookbook. But it hasn't happened. I picked a very thin cookbook. With age comes wisdom.
I loved these Mixed Vegetable with Blue Cheese Pizzas. We invited Glenn and Melinda over to share a salad and these pizzas, since Melinda had been Piper-watching in Pocatello that day. We all sat down at the table and took a bite of our pizzas. Melinda, in classic Melinda style, said, "Okay, I want everyone to STOP eating right now and just notice all these flavors in these pizzas". So we had a moment of appreciative silence to contemplate flavors, then forged on. These pizzas are worth every bit of labor.
There are too many recipes (dough, pizza sauce, toppings) to type in, but let me give you an ingredient overview so you can ponder (in silence): sundried tomatoes, broiled eggplant and zucchini sprinkled with cayenne, roasted red and yellow bell peppers, pesto, Rosie's pizza sauce bursting with flavor, and crumbled blue cheese on top.
I will scan and email you the recipes, if you ask.
I loved these Mixed Vegetable with Blue Cheese Pizzas. We invited Glenn and Melinda over to share a salad and these pizzas, since Melinda had been Piper-watching in Pocatello that day. We all sat down at the table and took a bite of our pizzas. Melinda, in classic Melinda style, said, "Okay, I want everyone to STOP eating right now and just notice all these flavors in these pizzas". So we had a moment of appreciative silence to contemplate flavors, then forged on. These pizzas are worth every bit of labor.
There are too many recipes (dough, pizza sauce, toppings) to type in, but let me give you an ingredient overview so you can ponder (in silence): sundried tomatoes, broiled eggplant and zucchini sprinkled with cayenne, roasted red and yellow bell peppers, pesto, Rosie's pizza sauce bursting with flavor, and crumbled blue cheese on top.
I will scan and email you the recipes, if you ask.
Day 3. Black Bean and Smoked Chicken Soup
This was a fabulous recipe, so will include the recipe. A very manly soup, with the BBQ sauce and liquid smoke. It is chock full of flavor and hard to put your spoon down till you have eaten the entire bowl of soup. I, yet again, failed to do the recipe 'by the book'. And paid for it this time, because the milk curdled. But if you just ate the soup without looking, it was perfect.
Problems: I don't think Rosie QC'd these recipes like Julia Child did for her cookbooks. You really need to cook the broccoli florets at a higher temperature or longer than the recipe says - so don't add the milk till after the broccoli florets and carrots are cooked. I put my recommendations in red ink parentheses.
Black Bean and Smoked Chicken Soup p. 9
1/2 C dried black beans (or 1 can black beans, well-rinsed)
2 C water
1 bay leaf
Light vegetable oil cooking spray (me, olive oil)
1/2 C peeled and chopped broccoli stems
1/2 C peeled and cubed carrot
1 C cubed celery (well, the recipe says scraped and cubed celery, but who scrapes their celery?)
1 C chopped onion (1 medium onion)
1 T dried thyme (I used 2 T fresh)
1 T dried basil (I used 2 T fresh)
1/2 C dry white wine
8 ounces boneless chicken breast
4 T barbecue sauce
1 C chicken stock, fat-skimmed off (Surely we can handle this little bit of fat)
12 ounces evaporated skim milk (I used evaporated WHOLE milk)
2 C broccoli florets
1 T cornstarch dissolved in 2 T cold water (cornstarch is supposed to keep it from curdling. I skipped the cornstarch and my soup curdled. But I didn't want a thick soup).
1 T liquid smoke (I used 1/2 T )
1 T Worcestershire sauce (I used 1/2 T)
1/2 to 1 tsp. Tabasco sauce
1/4 C chopped fresh cilantro
Beans: (I used canned black beans, rinsed and thoroughly drained) If you wish to use dry beans; rinse, put in large bowl and cover completely with cold water. Let soak overnight, or for at least 8 hours. Drain beans and transfer them to medium saucepan. Add the 2 C water and the bay leaf. Bring to boil over medium heat and cook for 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for about 20 minutes, until the beans are tender. Drain the beans and discard the bay leaf.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Place a heavy stockpot over medium heat for about 1 minute, then spray it twice with vegetable oil. Add the broccoli stems, carrot, celery, and onion. Cover, reduce the heat to low, and cook for 5 minutes, stirring once or twice. Stir in the thyme, basil, and wine. Simmer, uncovered, for about 15 minutes, until the wine has been reduced by half.
In the meantime, coat the chicken throughly with the barbecue sauce and bake for 10 minutes in overn. Remove the chicken from the oven (keeping that good BBQ sauce on it) and allow it to cool just long enough to handle. Shred or cut the chicken into small cubes.
Add the chicken, chicken stock, and beans to the stockpot. Cook over low heat for about 3 minutes, until thoroughly heated.
Now pick Debbie's version or Rosie's version for the next part....
Debbie's version: Stir in the broccloi florets and cook for 5 - 10 minutes, till broccoli is tender-crisp. Stir in the evaporated milk, liquid smoke, Worcestershire sauce, and Tabasco sauce. Cook just until heated.
OR Rosie's version, and let me know how it worked: Stir in the evaporated milk and the broccloi florets. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring if needed to keep the soup from coming to a boil. Add the dissolved cornstarch and cook for 2 minutes more, stirring constantly. Cook for 2 minutes more, stirring constantly. Stir in the liquid smoke, Worcestershire sauce, and Tabasco sauce.
Garnish with the chopped cilantro.
Problems: I don't think Rosie QC'd these recipes like Julia Child did for her cookbooks. You really need to cook the broccoli florets at a higher temperature or longer than the recipe says - so don't add the milk till after the broccoli florets and carrots are cooked. I put my recommendations in red ink parentheses.
Black Bean and Smoked Chicken Soup p. 9
1/2 C dried black beans (or 1 can black beans, well-rinsed)
2 C water
1 bay leaf
Light vegetable oil cooking spray (me, olive oil)
1/2 C peeled and chopped broccoli stems
1/2 C peeled and cubed carrot
1 C cubed celery (well, the recipe says scraped and cubed celery, but who scrapes their celery?)
1 C chopped onion (1 medium onion)
1 T dried thyme (I used 2 T fresh)
1 T dried basil (I used 2 T fresh)
1/2 C dry white wine
8 ounces boneless chicken breast
4 T barbecue sauce
1 C chicken stock, fat-skimmed off (Surely we can handle this little bit of fat)
12 ounces evaporated skim milk (I used evaporated WHOLE milk)
2 C broccoli florets
1 T cornstarch dissolved in 2 T cold water (cornstarch is supposed to keep it from curdling. I skipped the cornstarch and my soup curdled. But I didn't want a thick soup).
1 T liquid smoke (I used 1/2 T )
1 T Worcestershire sauce (I used 1/2 T)
1/2 to 1 tsp. Tabasco sauce
1/4 C chopped fresh cilantro
Beans: (I used canned black beans, rinsed and thoroughly drained) If you wish to use dry beans; rinse, put in large bowl and cover completely with cold water. Let soak overnight, or for at least 8 hours. Drain beans and transfer them to medium saucepan. Add the 2 C water and the bay leaf. Bring to boil over medium heat and cook for 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for about 20 minutes, until the beans are tender. Drain the beans and discard the bay leaf.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Place a heavy stockpot over medium heat for about 1 minute, then spray it twice with vegetable oil. Add the broccoli stems, carrot, celery, and onion. Cover, reduce the heat to low, and cook for 5 minutes, stirring once or twice. Stir in the thyme, basil, and wine. Simmer, uncovered, for about 15 minutes, until the wine has been reduced by half.
In the meantime, coat the chicken throughly with the barbecue sauce and bake for 10 minutes in overn. Remove the chicken from the oven (keeping that good BBQ sauce on it) and allow it to cool just long enough to handle. Shred or cut the chicken into small cubes.
Add the chicken, chicken stock, and beans to the stockpot. Cook over low heat for about 3 minutes, until thoroughly heated.
Now pick Debbie's version or Rosie's version for the next part....
Debbie's version: Stir in the broccloi florets and cook for 5 - 10 minutes, till broccoli is tender-crisp. Stir in the evaporated milk, liquid smoke, Worcestershire sauce, and Tabasco sauce. Cook just until heated.
OR Rosie's version, and let me know how it worked: Stir in the evaporated milk and the broccloi florets. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring if needed to keep the soup from coming to a boil. Add the dissolved cornstarch and cook for 2 minutes more, stirring constantly. Cook for 2 minutes more, stirring constantly. Stir in the liquid smoke, Worcestershire sauce, and Tabasco sauce.
Garnish with the chopped cilantro.
Day 2. Oatmeal Muffins
Imagine Swen and I on a cold Sunday afternoon. We had X-country skied, we were cozied in for the afternoon, we needed a SNACK. It was time for Rosie's oatmeal muffins. Again, couldn't quite buy into the no fat scenario so I did add oil and used whole eggs instead of egg whites. I will really try to do the next recipe by the book.
The muffins were fairly dense; they didn't rise much (was my baking powder too old?). But, you know, the muffins (with butter) did satisfy my hunger that afternoon, and the leftover muffins worked to get me through till dinner the next couple of afternoons. No, I lied. Now that I really think about it, I didn't wait till Swen came home at 6:20 PM to eat dinner on Monday and Tuesday. But that was partly because I couldn't wait to eat the amazing Black Bean and Smoked Chicken Soup that I made from Rosie's cookbook.
I would only recommend this oatmeal muffin recipe to someone on a serous diet. This is not something you would want to invite someone over to share. Unless you wanted to get rid of the muffins.
The muffins were fairly dense; they didn't rise much (was my baking powder too old?). But, you know, the muffins (with butter) did satisfy my hunger that afternoon, and the leftover muffins worked to get me through till dinner the next couple of afternoons. No, I lied. Now that I really think about it, I didn't wait till Swen came home at 6:20 PM to eat dinner on Monday and Tuesday. But that was partly because I couldn't wait to eat the amazing Black Bean and Smoked Chicken Soup that I made from Rosie's cookbook.
I would only recommend this oatmeal muffin recipe to someone on a serous diet. This is not something you would want to invite someone over to share. Unless you wanted to get rid of the muffins.
Friday, January 25, 2013
Day 1. Mango Fruit Parfait.
For many years - since I got my first cookbook - I have wanted to work my way through a cookbook, trying out all the recipes, aka "Julie and Julia". But my cookbooks were all too thick.
Over the post-Christmas lull, I perused my "In the Kitchen with Rosie" cookbook, by Rosie Daley, one-time (still?) chef to Winfrey Oprah. I mean Oprah Winfrey. Looking for a low-calorie dessert. And I observed how thin it was (the cookbook). How interesting the recipes. The New Year called for attainment of a goal, purpose to my cooking, maybe eat in the healthy manner which the book espoused. The spark was ignited, taste buds aroused, my arsenal of measuring utensils examined to make sure I had a complete set, and one was not still hiding in the flour bin, my main sauce pan, full of bubbling water, retrieved from the basement woodstove, and the cookbook scanned to select my first recipe.
I started with desserts. They should just put desserts at the beginning of cookbooks. So, while Swen and Madeline appropriately moaned and sighed with pleasure over the left-over Creme Brulees, I daintily spooned my way through a Mango Fruit Parfait. And because it looked a bit skimpy, compared to Creme Brulee, I added a generous portion of Honeyed Greek Yogurt, which I thought only improved upon the recipe. Thus was born my first Maxim related to "In the Kitchen with Rosie".
Maxim #1: If you ignore the directions for no butter, oil, fat, or whole milk, you will have a more intensely satisfying cooking with Rosie experience.
OK, you asked for the recipe so I will type in this one. I used whatever fruit was ripe at the time: one time I used blackberries, another time strawberries and blackberries. And a dollop of honeyed Greek Yogurt on top.
Mango Fruit Parfait, p.111 of In the Kitchen with Rosie
2 mangoes, cubed
1/4 C freshly squeezed orange juice
24 strawberries, hulled
1 C peeled and sliced kiwi (~4)
12 red raspberries
Put the mangoes and orange juice in a blender and puree until smooth.
Slice 20 of the strawberries, leaving 4 whole. Line the bottom of 4 balloon wineglasses with the sliced strawberries. Pour a thin layer of the mango puree over each to cover. Reserving 4 kiwi slices, layer the rest on top of the puree. Divide the remainder of the mango puree among the glasses. Top each with a slice of kiwi surrounded by raspberries. fMake a slit in each ofthe whole strawberries and position 1 on the rime of each glass.
Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 15 minutes.
Over the post-Christmas lull, I perused my "In the Kitchen with Rosie" cookbook, by Rosie Daley, one-time (still?) chef to Winfrey Oprah. I mean Oprah Winfrey. Looking for a low-calorie dessert. And I observed how thin it was (the cookbook). How interesting the recipes. The New Year called for attainment of a goal, purpose to my cooking, maybe eat in the healthy manner which the book espoused. The spark was ignited, taste buds aroused, my arsenal of measuring utensils examined to make sure I had a complete set, and one was not still hiding in the flour bin, my main sauce pan, full of bubbling water, retrieved from the basement woodstove, and the cookbook scanned to select my first recipe.
I started with desserts. They should just put desserts at the beginning of cookbooks. So, while Swen and Madeline appropriately moaned and sighed with pleasure over the left-over Creme Brulees, I daintily spooned my way through a Mango Fruit Parfait. And because it looked a bit skimpy, compared to Creme Brulee, I added a generous portion of Honeyed Greek Yogurt, which I thought only improved upon the recipe. Thus was born my first Maxim related to "In the Kitchen with Rosie".
Maxim #1: If you ignore the directions for no butter, oil, fat, or whole milk, you will have a more intensely satisfying cooking with Rosie experience.
OK, you asked for the recipe so I will type in this one. I used whatever fruit was ripe at the time: one time I used blackberries, another time strawberries and blackberries. And a dollop of honeyed Greek Yogurt on top.
Mango Fruit Parfait, p.111 of In the Kitchen with Rosie
2 mangoes, cubed
1/4 C freshly squeezed orange juice
24 strawberries, hulled
1 C peeled and sliced kiwi (~4)
12 red raspberries
Put the mangoes and orange juice in a blender and puree until smooth.
Slice 20 of the strawberries, leaving 4 whole. Line the bottom of 4 balloon wineglasses with the sliced strawberries. Pour a thin layer of the mango puree over each to cover. Reserving 4 kiwi slices, layer the rest on top of the puree. Divide the remainder of the mango puree among the glasses. Top each with a slice of kiwi surrounded by raspberries. fMake a slit in each ofthe whole strawberries and position 1 on the rime of each glass.
Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 15 minutes.
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