Archive for November, 2008
The holidays have officially started - someone brought Russian Tea Cakes into work!
I’ve never made them before, but this looks like a GREAT recipe with which to start:
Ingredients:
1 cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup chopped walnuts (almonds, pistacchios, or nut of choice)
1/3 cup confectioners’ sugar for decoration
To Prepare:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C)
In a medium bowl, cream butter and vanilla until smooth. Combine the 6 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar and flour; stir into the butter mixture until just blended. Mix in the chopped walnuts.
Roll dough into 1 inch balls, and place them 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake for 12 minutes in the preheated oven. When the cookies have cooled but are still warm, roll in remaining confectioners’ sugar. Can roll a second time for a thicker coating.
November 25th, 2008
In the spirit of the holidays, we’re sharing a family favorite recipe for Turkey Day - Crockpot stuffing!
We make this in addition to the stuffing in the bird - which, let’s face it, is never enough! - but you could also serve this up as a vegetarian portion of the meal (obviously sans meat).
Ingredients:
1 cup margarine
2 cups chopped onion (this would be ~1 very large onion or a couple of medium-sized)
2 cups chopped celery
8 oz fresh, sliced mushrooms
¼ cup chopped parsley (or dried)
2 7 oz packages bread cubes (one plain, one seasoned)
3 ½ cups chicken broth (make a little stronger if using bullion, this would be 2 cans of chicken broth soup)
2 eggs, beaten
8 oz browned & drained pork sausage
To Cook:
- Preheat crockpot on HIGH with a small amount of water in it (VERY small!)
- Melt butter and sauté vegetables, then add browned sausage
- In large bowl add both types of bread cubes; pour sautéed veggies & sausage mix over cubes and toss well
- Pour enough boiling broth over cubes to moisten
- Add beaten eggs and mix well
- Add remaining broth
- Pack stuffing lightly into crockpot and cook on HIGH for 45-60 minutes.
- Continue to cook on LOW for 5 additional hours.
Enjoy!
November 24th, 2008
As I mentioned, we went to Flame: Cooking with Fire last night for dinner. We didn’t know what to expect, as the place seemed somewhat dead when we first walked up. However, it was moderately full - just hard to tell from outside - and the service and food were excellent.
For drinks we had water (someone’s on a major diet…so no alcohol) and I had a glass of Gabbiano Chianti. Love, LOVE this wine and it’s a rare treat indeed when I find it outside of the liquor store!
Their cuisine is anything cooked by fire, so although they tout a full menu, it’s of course geared towards meat. We ordered an appetizer - the BBQ Shrimp Skillet - which was small but VERY tasty. My compadre ordered the Apple Cider Pork Tenderloin, which came on a bed of spinach (he said it was “seaweed”) with a side of cheesy hash browns and a small dish of cinnamon apple sauce. Yum!
For my meal I chose the Eight Hour Pot Roast, which came atop a bed of mashed potatoes and surrounded by vegetables. It was scrumptious.
Not only was the food delicious, the presentation was good, too. If it looks tasty, and it tastes tasty, well, you know.
We want to try out Flame again soon - and we’ll be sure to order different items in order to report back on more of the menu!
November 18th, 2008
Last night, a couple of us decided to try out the new eating establishment in the Rosedale Mall, Flame. According to their site, they only offer that which is cooked with fire, and “whether it is roasted, toasted, baked, flambéed or broiled” you can find it at Flame: Cooking with Fire.
The décor is relaxed but still classy - of course color scheme is very warm with a lot of red tones - and simply decorated. My first impression was a fun, snazzy little restaurant with a good theme.
At the door we were greeted by our hostess, who promptly took us to a table and accommodated us nicely (we requested a booth).
Our server very quickly came over to take our drink orders, which arrived quickly. Granted, all we asked for were two waters and a glass of wine* (for me). She asked us if we had any questions, told us the specials, and gave us time to look things over. We didn’t have to wait for the food, either. (Of course, it was merely a Monday night at 6:30; we’ll be returning on a weekend night to see how a bigger crowd affects things.)
The food was pretty darn good. The appetizer (BBQ Shrimp Skillet) and our meals (Eight Hour Pot Roast for me; Apple Cider Pork Tenderloin for my partner in crime) were excellent and reasonably priced.
The restaurant boasts a full bar in front of plate glass windows, and both booth and table seating. We’ll be returning soon to sample more flame-cooked meals!
* The wine I ordered was Gabbiano Chianti, which is my FAVORITE! I’ve only ever found that in one other restaurant, Olive Garden. I normally get it at Cub Foods Liquor for ~$12.00.
November 18th, 2008
For a tasty, healthy cold-weather treat, you need:
1 pack - boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 - 24 oz picante syle salsa (medium spice still gives this meal a “kick”)
1 tsp Cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1 Tblsp Garlic (minced or dried)
1 tsp seasoning salt
Throw all ingredients in a crockpot, and cook on ‘Low’ up to 8 hours. Or, if you forget in the morning, you can always turn the slow cooker to ‘High’ for about 4 hrs. Basically, you need to cook it long enough that you are able to shred the chicken.
After chicken is shredded, add:
1 can Mexicorn
1 can black beans (the jalapeño and lime juice can is really good)
Cook for an additional hour or so to soften up the corn and beans. Serve it up with sour cream, cheese, and corn chips for a meal in a bowl.
Enjoy!
November 12th, 2008
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