Fork and The Cork

Laisser les bons temps rouler- Let the good times roll!

2011-03-09T17:57:00.000-08:00

Fat Tuesday came and went. What was I doing? Well, my 35 year old bad self was hanging with my pups, enjoying a glass (or maybe two) of wine, and lamenting that American Idol was not on until Wednesday.

When I was in my (mostly early) 20's, Fat Tuesday was a fantastic excuse to party downtown, collecting beads over harmless innuendos, maybe "wooing" (you know like a cheerleader wooooo!) one too many times because it was just TOO much fun! That was when I could actually handle a little something we like to call liquor. And even multiple nights in a row!! During the week!!

Well, my excitement over holidays has shifted to excitement over preparing a dish that goes with said holiday. And enjoying the wine. This seems like a good introduction to my recipe, Cajun Chicken Pasta. Seriously, so easy.

This week, I've felt very Rachel-Ray-ish (not because I'm using complicated words like EVOO, stoup, sammie, and delish- it's cool Rach, you're still my girl), but because I've been making dinner in 30 minutes or less, for real. This pasta easily falls into the 30 minute category.

Ingredients:

2-3 skinless, boneless chicken breasts (about 2 lbs)

1/4 cup lime juice

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup cilantro, finely chopped

1 tsp ancho chili powder

1 tsp salt

2 T olive oil

1 lb farfalle pasta

1 large red bell pepper, diced

1 large green bell pepper, diced

1 onion, diced

1 chipotle pepper + 1 T of adobo sauce, minced

1/2 cup chicken broth

1/2 cup half and half

Directions:

1- Cut chicken breasts and cut into bite-size pieces. Combine lime juice, 1/2 of minced garlic, 1/2 of cilantro, chili powder, and salt and mix together. Pour over chicken to coat and marinate chicken about 30 minutes.

2- Heat a large pot of water to boiling. Add generous amount of salt and add pasta. Cook according to package directions until al dente. Drain and set aside.

3-Meanwhile, add olive oil to large saute pan and heat over medium heat. Add chicken, bell peppers, onions and remaining garlic and cook about 6-8 minutes until chicken is cooked through and vegetables are softened.

4- Add chicken broth and chipotle pepper and adobo sauce and cook until stock is reduced by about 1/3.

5- Reduce heat to low and add cream. Stir to combine and return pasta to sauce pan and toss to evenly coat with sauce. Cook about 5 minutes and top with remaining cilantro and serve.

I guess it would have been more appropriate to give Sandra Lee a shout out for Fat Tuesday- I'll bet she could get a LOT of beads...

Did you miss me?

2011-03-02T17:29:00.000-08:00

Baby, if you've ever wondered, wondered, whatever became of me....... Well, I'm not the love child of Herb Tarlek and Jennifer Marlowe, living on the air in Cincinnati, delighting in the misadventures of the staff of a struggling fictional radio station.

Nope, I've just been busy I guess. And uninspired. This doesn't mean I haven't prepared/eaten/experienced incredible culinary delights of recent, it just means I haven't shared them with you! HA!

The re-cap of said delights includes everything from eating a bacon cookie (bacon in a cookie), taking a lovely class on "mastering meats", successfully making Bonefish Grill's Bang-Bang Shrimp at home (sooooo good), and of course, peanut sauce. MMMM. Peanut sauce.

This past weekend, with the fabulous weather which graces Seattle (and I'm sure Cincinnati) in February, we were in the mood for winter comfort. For me, comfort food means it's hot, and either carb-y, cheesy, meaty, or starchy. Or if you are lucky, a combination of two or three. Well, you can have your cake and eat it too with the recipe I settled on. "Healthy" Shepherd's Pie. I found a recipe which calls for the leanest ground beef (94% lean), with a sweet potato topping.

Directions

For the filling:

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 lbs extra lean ground beef
2 medium onions, peeled and chopped
3 carrots, peeled and chopped very small
4 stalks celery, diced
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 tablespoon dried thyme leaves
1/2 tablespoons dried parsley leaves
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 level tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 cup red wine
1 1/2 cups fresh beef stock
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper

For the crust:

2 pounds Sweet potatoes
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup reduced fat sour cream
1/4 cup nonfat milk
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 cup scallions, cleaned and chopped
3/4 cup white Cheddar, coarsely grated
3/4 cup Gruyere cheese, coarsely grated

Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Heat olive oil over medium-high heat in a Dutch oven or deep saute pan. Brown the beef. Remove the meat from the pan with a slotted spoon. Add the onions to the pan and saute until the onions are opaque. Add the chopped carrots and celery and cook for 10 minutes. Add the, tomato paste, thyme, parsley and crushed red pepper. Stir and saute for 2 minutes. Next, stir in the flour, which will soak up the juice, then stir in the wine and the beef stock. Taste and add salt and pepper, as needed. Return the meat to the pan and bring to a boil. Cover, turn down the heat to low and simmer for about 30 minutes.

Peel the potatoes, cut them into large even-sized pieces and place into a pot of cold, salted water. Bring the water to a boil and cook potatoes until they are tender, about 10 minutes.

When the potatoes are done, drain off the water, return them to the saucepan, add the butter, sour cream, milk and mash them to a puree. Season with salt and pepper, and stir in the green onion. Then stirl in 1/4 cup of cheddar, and 1/4 cup of gruyere until well combined. When the meat is ready, spoon it into a 9-by-13-inch baking dish and level it out with the back of the spoon. After that, spread the mashed potato evenly all over. Scatter the cheese over the potatoes and bake the pie until the top is crusty and golden, about 25 minutes.

"Signing off" until the next post! (which WILL be sooner than later)

The Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookie!

2010-10-29T15:37:00.000-07:00

I'll be the first to admit it: I'm obsessed with all things Martha. How can you not be-- she's THE female version of MacGuyver. Instead of saving people from dangerous car explosions at just the opportune time using creative genius, she is saving us from ourselves in our kitchens. Pie crust flat? Chicken too dry? Missing a key ingredient? Martha to the RESCUE.

I've mentioned it before, but I'm a bit of a Sirius satellite radio addict. And there is just the ONE station I listen to: yep. Martha Stewart Living Radio. I recently participated in another of Mario's weekend cooking challenges (he's the host of Living Today on MSLR radio station). This time the challenge: The Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookie!

Now, I consider myself more of a cook than a baker. Basically because I cook more than I bake. Why is this?
A) I'm a messy, messy cook, and a baking mess is exponentially worse.
B) I may be scarred for life from making a wedding cake 7 years ago, which for the record totally turned out amazing.
C) I'm not the MOST patient person, and I'm also not the MOST particular person when it comes to measuring "stuff".
D) I kind of would rather have a glass of red wine than dessert.

But, now and again, I put on my baking "cap", and hit the ground running. I'm always up for finding a great cookie recipe, and who doesn't like chocolate chip?! So, here is the recipe, courtesy of David Leite:

2 cups minus 2 tablespoons (8 1/2 ounces) cake flour
1 2/3 cups (8 1/2 ounces) bread flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
2 1/2 sticks (1 1/4 cups) unsalted butter
1 1/4 cups (10 ounces) light brown sugar
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (8 ounces) granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons natural vanilla extract
1 1/4 pounds bittersweet chocolate disks or fèves, at least 60 percent cacao content (Buy it)
Sea salt
Directions

1. Sift flours, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Set aside.

2. Using a mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars together until very light, about 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla. Reduce speed to low, add dry ingredients and mix until just combined, 5 to 10 seconds. Drop chocolate pieces in and incorporate them without breaking them. Press plastic wrap against dough and refrigerate for 24 to 36 hours. Dough may be used in batches, and can be refrigerated for up to 72 hours.

3. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat. Set aside.

4. Scoop six 3 1/2-ounce mounds of dough (the size of generous golf balls) onto baking sheet, making sure to turn horizontally any chocolate pieces that are poking up; it will make for a more attractive cookie. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt and bake until golden brown but still soft, 18 to 20 minutes. Transfer sheet to a wire rack for 10 minutes, then slip cookies onto another rack to cool a bit more. Repeat with remaining dough, or reserve dough, refrigerated, for baking remaining batches the next day. Eat warm, with a big napkin.

This is a fantastic recipe. Being the Martha/Macguyver improviser that I am, I used regular flour instead of cake and bread flour. I don't know how this changes the scientific structure, or texture of the cookie, but I don't really care since they turned out AWESOME anyway!!

My oven is funny too. Not like a comedian oven (what do you call a peanut in space? An Astro-Nut!). No, that was my last oven. This oven is "funny" because the thermostat is all over the place, which isn't funny at all, kind of like that space peanut joke. So, I had to adjust the cooking time by a few minutes less than the recipe directed.

Here is the link to the cooking challenge page with the recipe. My photo made it onto Marth's blog! It's pic #5, Laurie.

http://theradioblog.marthastewart.com/2010/10/marios-weekend-cooking-challenge-ultimate-chocolate-chip-cookies.html

Fancy Birthday

2010-10-17T10:07:00.000-07:00

I just celebrated a birthday, it was the 6th anniversary of my 29th birthday! How about that?! Well, I'm not feeling too bad about being smack in the middle of my mid-thirties, especially since the oh-so-sweet 19 year old worker girl at "Game Stop" informed my husband and I yesterday that we are going to be "hot" old people. YEEEESSSS! Life is full of little victories......

Another victory is that I have an amazing husband that totally gets me, and my obsession/fascination/appreciation for really really good food. He surprised me with dinner at the..... drum roll please.... Salish Lodge! For those of you unfamiliar with the Salish, it is a beautiful northwest lodge that sits just above Snoqualmie Falls, in Snoqualmie, WA and it is very fancy (in the style of "northwest fancy", not like NY fancy). He reserved a window table, and arranged for rose petals, and a rose to be placed at the table upon our arrival. So sweet.

There was a newly engaged couple sitting behind us, and I really wanted to be like "wish you had a window seat, huh? And roses? My hubby is better than your new hubby... " Just to brag about my awesome other half.
So I ordered Snoqualmie wine (so fitting for the occasion, and it also is the wine we had on our first official "date"), and we got the menu:

http://www.salishlodge.com/assets/PDF/salish_diningroom_dinner.pdf

I ordered the Roasted Beet Salad:

Mark ordered the Washington Apple and Chestnut Bisque:

I had the Anderson Farms Oregon Lamb Loin:

Mark had the Fennel Pollen Dusted Halibut:

The fabulous food, the service, the atmosphere, the sunset, the company, all of it added up to the most special birthday dinner I have ever had.

http://www.salishlodge.com/index.php

“One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well.”

-Virginia Woolf

For the Love of Cooking

2010-08-22T11:53:00.000-07:00

Listening to my favorite radio program recently, this question was posed:

Where does your love of cooking come from?

Callers were citing their moms, grandmas, aunts.... Telling stories of learning family dishes from homelands far away, passing on tricks and tips through generations, preserving hand written recipes by great great so-and-so to keep traditions alive. It was all so romantic.

So I was digging deep, trying to remember that moment, the meal, the person. Visions of hamburger helper, instant mashed potatoes, meatloaf, and TV dinners popped in my head. As a child of the 70's, and 80's, and a mother who, bless her heart, just doesn't have a passion for the kitchen, I concur that my love of cooking has just come from within.

I am basically an entirely self taught home cook. There is a cooking "gene" in the family, it's just that the other gene-carriers live at least 2 states away, and always have. But being free from the confines of culinary traditions does have it's rewards: I can cook with abandon! Whatever I want, how I want, with no old-school grandma telling me: you're doing it wrong.

Recently, I participated in another of Mario's Weekend Cooking challenges, and this was my favorite so far:

This recipe is courtesy of Chef Jamie Gwen:

GRILLED PIZZA with FONTINA, CHERRY TOMATOES & BASIL

6 ounces Pizza Dough, recipe follows
1/2 cup virgin olive oil, for brushing and drizzling
6 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups shredded Fontina cheese
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 containers cherry tomatoes, cut in half
Pizza Toppings: Grilled and raw vegetables, prosciutto strips, sausage, pepperoni, pesto, pineapple, basil leaves, fresh Mozzarella cheese, crumbled goat cheese, red pepper flakes, fresh basil leaves

Fire up your outdoor grill or stove-top grill to medium-high. In a mixing bowl combine the shredded mozzarella and Fontina.

Cut the pizza dough into 8 equal pieces and roll each ball of dough flat on a floured work surface. By hand, stretch each ball of dough into a 5-inch round, as thin as possible. Layer the floured pizza crusts on a cookie sheet, in between layers of parchment paper until ready to use.

Brush the top side of the dough rounds with olive oil. When the fire is hot (when you can hold your hand over the coals for 3 to 4 seconds at a distance of 5 inches), drape the dough onto the grill. Within a minute the dough will puff slightly, the underside will stiffen, and grill marks will appear. Using tongs, immediately flip the crust over, onto the coolest part of the grill. Brush the grilled surface with olive oil. Scatter the garlic and cheeses over the dough and top with cherry tomato halves and your toppings of choice.

Using tongs, rotate the pizza frequently so that different sections receive high heat; check the underside often to see that it is not burning. The pizza is done when the top is bubbly and the cheese melted, about 6 minutes. Serve at once, topped with the basil leaves.

Makes 8 Individual Pizzas (or 2 good sized pizza's)

Chef’s Tip: Fontina is one of my favorite, flavorful melting cheeses.

Try using it in your next lasagna, baked pasta dish or melted on a sandwich…Delicious!

PIZZA DOUGH (or your can get ready made dough at your favorite pizzeria, or grocery store)

1 tablespoon active dry yeast
6 cups high-gluten flour
2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
Extra-virgin olive oil

Sprinkle the yeast over 1/2 cup warm (105 to 110°F) water and allow it to dissolve and activate, about 5 minutes.

Combine the flour and salt and mound it onto a cool work surface creating a high walled well in the center. Combine the yeast mixture with 1 1/2 cups of cool water and pour into the well. Slowly begin to mix the water and flour, a little at a time, moving your fingers in short, counter clockwise circles around the border of the water. When the dough is firm enough to hold it's shape, scrape the remaining flour over it and knead until the mass is smooth and shiny, approximately 7 minutes.

Transfer the dough to a bowl that has been brushed with olive oil. Brush the top of the dough with olive oil to prevent a skin from forming, cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm place away from drafts until doubled in bulk, about 2 hours. Punch down the dough and knead once more. Let the dough rise again for about 40 minutes, punch down again and form dough into 4 balls.

FOR OVEN-BAKED PIZZAS

Place a pizza stone on a rack in the lower third of your oven. Preheat the oven to 450°F for at least 30 minutes.

Lightly sprinkle your pizza peel (or a flat baking sheet) with cornmeal. Transfer one prepared flattened dough to the pizza peel.

Spoon on the tomato sauce, sprinkle with cheese, and place your desired toppings on the pizza.

Sprinkle some cornmeal on the baking stone in the oven (be careful, the oven is hot!). Slide the pizza off of the peel and on to the baking stone in the oven. Bake pizzas until the crust is browned and the cheese is golden, about 10-15 minutes.

http://www.chefjamie.com/

Delicious! And my pizza made it on Martha's radio blog:

http://theradioblog.marthastewart.com/2010/08/grilled-pizza-cooking-challenge.html

My pictures are 13, and 17.

Enjoy! Go forth, and cook with abandon!!

Spring Has Sprung!

2010-05-23T12:54:00.000-07:00

Is it me, or does this year feel like it's flying by?!! No complaints here, other than the weather in Seattle. I think our January and February were actually nicer than April and May! It may be cold, a little rainy, and way too windy, but it is light out until 8:30 pm. This makes it acceptable to grill and eat spring fare, even if we are bundled up in down coats, and that extra pair of gloves is still in the car!

The farmer's market in my neighborhood of Edmonds, WA just opened a couple of Saturday's ago. After perusing my latest copies of Cooking Light, Everyday Food, and Coastal Living, I was inspired to put together menus for the next couple of dinners.

Yesterday, I headed to the farmer's market first, with my list of ingredients. I was pleasantly surprised to find that most of the produce was less expensive than the grocery store, locally grown, and mostly organic. I picked up asparagus, arugula, tarragon, green onion, and basil. It is so fresh and fragrant, I can't wait to get cooking! I finished out my shopping at the local Trader Joe's, and I'm ready for the week! These are all new recipes to me:

Menu #1: Grilled steak with poblano relish, and black bean salad

Menu #2: Chicken skewers with orange basil sauce, and rice salad

Menu#3:Spring green salad with Italian tuna and white beans, and grilled kalamata olive ciabatta bread

Menu#4:
Pasta in a light sauce with spring veggies and chicken

MENU #1:

Grilled Steak (courtesy of the latest issue of Everyday Food Mag, although I substituted a few ingredients due to what the store/market had):

1/4 cup orange juice
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 1/2 lbs tri tip steak
1/2 lb poblano chiles
1 small white onion, sliced crosswise into 1/2 inch thick rounds
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, plus more for the grill
1/4 cup fresh lime juice (about 3 limes)
2 tablespoons roughly chopped cilantro
course salt and ground pepper

1. In a large glass dish, combine orange juice, and soy sauce. Add steak, turning to coat and marinate at room temperature for 20 minutes.

2. Heat oven broiler, with rack in top position. Place poblanos and onion on a rimmed baking sheet and broil until charred, 7 to 10 minutes. When poblanos are cool enough to handle, rub with a paper towel to remove skins. (I run them under cold water and remove with my hands). Remove stems and seeds, and discard. Roughly chop poblanos and onion and place in medium bowl. Stir in oil, lime juice, and cilantro, season with salt and pepper.

3. Heat grill to high heat. Clean and lightly oil hot grill. Remove steak from marinade and grill 5 to 7 minutes per side for medium rare to medium. Transfer to a cutting board and let rest for 5 minutes before thinly slicing across the grain. Serve steak with poblano relish.

Black Bean Salad (courtesy of the April issue of Food Network Magazine, subbed a few ingredients once again):

2 garlic cloves, chopped finely

1 jalapeno, seeded and diced
1 teaspoon cumin
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 15 oz can of black beans, drained rinsed.
1 1/2 cups cucumber, diced
1 1/2 cups grape tomatoes, halved
4 green onions, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
salt
4 cups arugula, watercress, or spring greens

1. Heat olive oil over low and add garlic, jalapenos, and cumin, cook 5 minutes.

2. In a large bowl toss black beans, cucumber, tomatoes, green onion, lime juice, cilantro and salt.

3. Mash the garlic mixture and add to the bean mixture.

4. Just before serving add greens to the bean mixture and toss.

MENU #2:

Chicken skewers with basil sauce:

1 Orange, squeezed to extract 1/4 cup juice
2 Cups basil leaves
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves, peeled and rough chopped
1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1 inch pieces
salt and pepper

1. Prepare grill to medium-high heat

2. In a mini food processor, combine orange juice, basil leaves, olive oil, garlic, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Process until mixture is finely chopped.

3. Sprinkle 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper over chicken. Evenly thread onto 4 (12 inch) skewers. Grill 5-7 minutes per side of chicken, until cooked all the way through.

4. Drizzle Chicken with sauce, or serve separately as a dip for the chicken

Rice salad:

1/2 pound white basmati rice
Salt
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup feta cheese crumbles
A handful of basil leaves, chopped
1/2 pint grape tomatoes, halved
Freshly ground black pepper
pinch of salt

1. Cook rice according to package directions.

2. Melt butter in the pot over low heat and combine with feta. Add cooked rice to feta butter and toss with basil and tomatoes, season with a little salt and pepper.

MENU #3:

Spring greens salad with Italian tuna and white beans (courtesy of the June issue of Cooking Light)

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
1 cup thinly vertically sliced red onion
2 (6-ounce) cans Italian tuna packed in olive oil, drained and broken into chunks
1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1 (5-ounce) package fresh baby arugula, spring greens, or watercress
2 ounces Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, shaved

1. Whisk together first 6 ingredients in a large bowl. Add tomatoes and next 4 ingredients (through arugula); toss. Top with cheese.

Grilled kalamata olive bread:

1 loaf kalamata olive ciabatta bread
2 tablespoons olive oil

1. Heat grill to medium-high. Cut bread into 2 inch wide pieces, and brush exposed sides with olive oil. Grill bread with the olive oil side down, two minutes or so per side. Remove from grill and serve with salad.

MENU #4:

Pasta in a light sauce with spring veggies and chicken (adapted from an Everyday Food Mag recipe, March 2009)

Coarse salt and ground pepper
3/4 pound linguine (I am using Penne since I prefer it, but you can use any pasta)
1 pound asparagus (tough ends removed), cut into 1-inch lengths
1 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise (quartered if large) and thinly sliced
4 ounces sugar snap peas (stem ends trimmed), halved
2 cups chicken, cooked and chopped
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon butter, cut into pieces
2 tablespoons fresh tarragon leaves

1. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta 4 minutes short of al dente; add asparagus, zucchini, and snap peas. Cook until vegetables are crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water; drain pasta mixture, and set aside.

2. In the same pot, bring cream and butter to a simmer. Toss in pasta mixture and enough pasta water to create a thin sauce (it will thicken as it stands). Season with salt and pepper, and top with tarragon.

Happy Spring Everyone!

American Pie

2010-05-16T22:37:00.000-07:00

“I would never let a woman kick my a**. If she tried something, I'd be like, HEY! You get your b**ch a** back in the kitchen and make me some pie!"” Eric Cartman

For those of you unfamiliar with South Park humor, you:

A) Have been living under a rock
B) Have no social contact with anyone under the age of 50
C) Have some semblance of class
D) Probably thought watching The Simspons was "crossing the line"

I did make pie last weekend, not because I unsuccessfully kicked Cartman's a**, but because my mother requested it as her gift for mother's day. She knows I don't know how to knit a sweater, or anything else for that matter, so, pie it was.

In 8th grade Home Ec, I "sewed" a rad Ghetto Blaster pillow. Not good.

My Grandma, Janet Parker, just turned the big 9-3 on Friday. She is the one that taught me to make apple pie. She came to visit from California every year, and I am sure formed some opinion of me based on the Ghetto Blaster pillow, circa 1988. I don't think she approved of my neon orange Gotcha t-shirt either. So I couldn't "sew", or wear the right thing, but that woman was going to teach me how to make pie! Boy am I thankful that she did!

My mom says my pie is even better than hers after years of practice. Don't tell JANET. Grandma even gave me her original Betty Crocker cookbook, and it's sitting on my kitchen counter. It gives me inspiration, and it's a special bond between us. At least I like to think so-- she may not give a rip, but SHE could totally kick Cartman's a**. Now there's a South Park episode I'd like to see. I'd prefer if my cousin Kenny did not make a cameo-- we know how that would turn out.

I made two pies for my mom: Apple Pie, and Frozen Key Lime Pie.

Apple Pie

Crust:

Combination Butter and Shortening Crust

Ingredients for one double-crust 9 inch or 10 inch pie:

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons sugar
3/4 cup (a stick and a half) unsalted butter, chilled, cut into 1/4 inch cubes
1/2 cup of all-vegetable shortening (8 Tbsp)
6-8 Tablespoons ice water

Combine flour, salt, and sugar in a food processor; pulse to mix. Add the butter and pulse 4 times. Add shortening in tablespoon sized chunks, and pulse 4 more times. The mixture should resemble coarse cornmeal, with butter bits no bigger than peas. Sprinkle 6 tablespoons of ice water over flour mixture. Pulse a couple times. If you pinch some of the crumbly dough and it holds together, it's ready. If the dough doesn't hold together, keep adding water, a tablespoon at a time, pulsing once after each addition, until the mixture just begins to clump together.

Remove dough from machine and place in a mound on a clean surface. Divide the dough into 2 balls and flatten each into 4 inch wide disks. Do not over-knead the dough! Dust the disks lightly with flour, wrap each in plastic, and refrigerate for at least an hour, or up to 2 days before rolling out.

After the dough has chilled in the refrigerator for an hour, you can take it out to roll. If it is too stiff, you may need to let it sit for 5-10 minutes at room temperature before rolling. Sprinkle a little flour on a flat, clean work surface and on top of the disk of dough you intend to roll out. Using a rolling pin, apply light pressure while rolling outwards from the center of the dough. Every once in a while you may need to gently lift under the dough (a pastry scraper works great for this) to make sure it is not sticking. You have a big enough piece of dough when you place the pie tin or pie dish upside down on the dough and the dough extends by at least 2 inches all around.

When the dough has reached the right size, gently fold it in half. Lift up the dough and place it so that the folded edge is along the center line of the pie dish. Gently unfold. Do not stretch the dough.

If you are making a double crust pie, roll out the second disk of dough. Gently place onto the top of the filling in the pie. Use a kitchen scissors to trim the overhang to an inch over. Fold the edge of the top piece of dough over and under the edge of the bottom piece of dough, pressing together. Finish the double crust by pressing against the edges of the pie with your finger tips or with a fork.

Use a sharp knife to cut vents into the top of the pie crust, so the steam has a place to escape while the pie is cooking. Optional Before scoring, you may want to paint the top of your crust with an egg wash (this will make a nice finish).

Egg Wash

A lovely coating for a pie can be achieved with a simple egg wash.

1 Tbsp heavy cream, half and half, or milk
1 large egg yolk

Beat egg yolk with cream and brush on the surface of the pie with a pastry brush.

Filling

1/3 to 1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup Gold Medal® all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon salt
8 cups thinly sliced peeled tart apples (Granny Smith)
2 tablespoons butter or margarine

Heat oven to 425°F.

In large bowl, mix sugar, 1/4 cup flour, the cinnamon, nutmeg and 1/8 teaspoon salt. Stir in apples until well mixed. Spoon into pastry-lined pie plate. Cut butter into small pieces; sprinkle over filling.

Cover edge of pie with 2- to 3-inch strip of foil to prevent excessive browning.

Bake 40 to 50 minutes or until crust is brown and juice begins to bubble through slits in crust, removing foil for last 15 minutes of baking. Serve warm if desired.

Frozen Key Lime Pie:

Courtesy of Ina Garten

Ingredients

For the crust:

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (10 crackers)
1/4 cup sugar
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted

For the filling:

6 extra-large egg yolks, at room temperature (see cook's note below on tempering)
1/4 cup sugar
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
2 tablespoons grated lime zest
3/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (4 to 5 limes)

For the decoration:

1 cup (1/2 pint) cold heavy cream
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Thin lime wedges

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

For the crust, combine the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and butter in a bowl. Press into a 9-inch pie pan, making sure the sides and the bottom are an even thickness. Bake for 10 minutes. Allow to cool completely.

For the filling, beat the egg yolks and sugar on high speed in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment for 5 minutes, until thick. With the mixer on medium speed, add the condensed milk, lime zest, and lime juice. Pour into the baked pie shell and freeze.

For the decoration, beat the heavy cream on high speed in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment until soft peaks form. Add the sugar and vanilla and beat until firm. Spoon or pipe decoratively onto the pie and decorate with lime. Freeze for several hours or overnight.

Chef's note: I tempered the egg yolks by cooking them over a double boiler. I brought 2 inches of water to a boil in a medium pan, then placed a glass bowl on top (it will be a couple of inches above the boiling water). Put the egg yolks in the glass bowl, and whisk until they are thick, coating the back of a spoon. Since it is indirect heat it will not scramble the yolk, but will kill any harmful bacteria before putting into the pie.

"We'll just tell your mother that... we ate it all." American Pie

Use It Up, part Deux, Trois, and Quatre

2010-05-11T17:40:00.000-07:00

To catch you up in case you missed last week's episode of "disastrous cleanse diet", Laurie went on a 7 day cleanse diet, and lasted 2 days. Laurie stocked up on 7 days worth of cleanse diet produce, and needed to put this to good use in other recipes. Laurie was so sick of plain fruits and veggies (and "wonder soup") after two days, that creativity was a must. Here is what she is featuring in this week's episode:

Chicken Parmesan:

This incorporated the marinara sauce made just after falling off the cleanse diet wagon. (loosely based on Ellie Krieger's recipe from Food Network)

Ingredients

4 slices bread (I used 2 bagel thins because that is what I had on hand and it worked great)
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
4 teaspoons paprika
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 eggs
1/2 cup non fat milk
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
4 (6 ounce) skinless boneless chicken breast halves, pounded to 1/2-inch thickness
3 1/2 cups marinara sauce
1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
2 tablespoons shredded Parmesan

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Place the bread in the bowl of a food processor and process until fine crumbs are formed, about 25 to 30 seconds. Put the crumbs on a baking sheet and bake for 12 minutes, until golden. (You will wind up with about 1 1/3 cups toasted crumbs.)

In a medium bowl, toss the crumbs with oregano, garlic powder, paprika, parmesan cheese 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. In another bowl, whisk the eggs and milk together. In a third bowl stir together the flour, and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Dip each piece of chicken, 1 piece at a time, in flour, shaking off excess, then egg, then bread crumbs, shaking off excess.

Increase oven temperature to 400 degrees. Place breaded breasts on a rimmed baking sheet prepared with cooking spray. Bake breasts until cooked though and crumbs are browned, about 25 minutes. Top with marinara sauce, mozzarella and parmesan and return to oven for an additional 10 minutes, until cheese is bubbling.

Serve over your favorite pasta cooked al dente.

Banana Bread:

I managed to use up about 5 bananas here, because I doubled the recipe and made two loaves. (loosely based on a recipe by Emeril Lagasse of the Food Network)

Ingredients

1/2 cup solid vegetable shortening
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
3/4 cup mashed ripe bananas
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 cup macadamia nuts (I used mixed nuts that had almonds, cashews, pistachios, and macadamia nuts and it turned out wonderful)
1/2 of a very good baking chocolate bar, cut with a knife into small pieces
Pinch of cinnamon

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Oil and flour a 9x5x3-inch loaf pan. (I just used baking spray)

Using an electric mixer, cream the shortening and sugar. With the mixer running on medium speed, add the eggs one at a time. Add the bananas and mix well. Add the baking soda, salt, flour, nuts, chocolate, and cinnamon and mix thoroughly. The dough will be sticky.

Pour the dough into the prepared pan and bake about one hour or until the center is brown and set.

Grilled Halibut Fish Tacos

Ingredients

1 1/2 lb Halibut Filet (or other mild, whitefish)
Lemon Juice
Packet of Taco seasoning
1 tablespoon Olive oil
1 head of green cabbage, shredded
1/2 cup reduced fat sour cream
1/2 cup nonfat greek yogurt
4 roma tomatoes, chopped
your favorite salsa
1 can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
8 small flour tortillas

Directions

Prepare Grill by spraing with cooking spray and then heating. For the halibut, rub with 1 tablespoon olive oil, then squeeze the juice of one lemon onto the fish. Then rub in about half of the packet of taco seasoning onto the fish. Place on grill, and cook until halibut flakes easily with a fork and is cooked through.

While grill is still hot, place each tortilla on grill and flip after about a minute, until the tortillas have cooked just slightly and are warmed through.

Mix together sour cream and yogurt, and add a tablespoon of the taco season mix to it. Add the cabbage and toss with the dressing, set aside. Cook the pinto beans over medium heat in a small saucepan on the stove.

Once heated, use a fork to lightly mash the beans.

Assemble tacos by spreading the beans onto the tortilla, then add the fish, dressed green cabbage, chopped tomatoes, and then your favorite salsa.

Use It Up Part 1

2010-05-02T16:55:00.000-07:00

We've all been there. Or maybe not. In any case, I was there recently, and it didn't work out. Where was I? OUT OF MY MIND. A co-worker of mine decided she was going to do a 7 day cleanse diet. I thought, wow that sounds like a great idea, I'll do it too! Lose 5-12 pounds in a week, get pumped full of vitamins, clean out the system, feel better than ever. My supportive other half decided he should do it too, even better!

So this is how it was meant to go down: Day 1: Only eat fruit. That sounds great, I love fruit! Day 2: Only eat vegetables. You can stir fry them, eat them in a salad with oil and vinegar,and you get to eat a baked potato for breakfast! Day 3: Eat only fruits and vegetables. Day 4: Eat bananas and drink milk. huh. This is going to be a tough one for me-- I don't even like bananas, but I'll make smoothies! Day 5: Tomatoes and lean protien. Day 6: Vegetables and protien and a cup of brown rice.Yay- rice! Day 7: Fruit and vegetables only. Oh, and you get to make "wonder soup" which you can eat in unlimited quantities over the 7 days. Great! It's essentially onions, peppers, tomatoes, celery and cabbage.

So last Sunday I headed to costco, loaded up on all the fruits and veggies we would need, and also picked up some fresh caught halibut for the Day 5 protien-- what a treat!

Can you sense my pre-cleanse enthusiasm?

Day one: We had strawberries, kiwi fruit, pineapple, oranges, blackberries, and rasberries. By 2:30 I couldn't look at another piece of fruit. I'll have the wonder soup! (and by the way, I now know the general size of a "vat", which is about how much wonder soup I made). After the soup, I started to catch on to why you lose 12 pounds in a week. It's a wonder how you will ever choke down another bowl of the wonder soup. I couldn't wait for nighttime to roll around so I could just go to bed and not think about how hungry I was.

Day two: I got through the baked potato, a bowl of stir-fried veggies, and half of a salad. Now I can't look at another vegetable, and I've lost 3 pounds. I just couldn't do the wonder soup again. Instead, famished and without energy, I go home and eat a tablespoon of all natural peanut butter right out of the jar. It doesn't even help. My hubby and I go to home depot, and once there I can't remember why we went. My brain has turned to mush from the cleanse. I have zero energy, a pounding headache, and a raging case of the "hungry meanies". After a fairly short conversation about why we were choosing to do this to ourselves, the decision was made to ease back into real world of a balanced diet. Dinner on day two was the "day 5" halibut, grilled, a buttered baked potato topped with sauteed mushrooms, and salad with brown rice, feta, tomatoes, green onion, and lemon dressing. I am now human again.

So essentially I lasted 2 days. My co-worker and her hubby lasted 5 days. She brought her blender to work on day 4 and made banana smoothies. Eating my black bean burrito and watching her drink her smoothie I knew I had made the right decision.

I "wonder" if anyone has ever lasted 7 days!!

Now I have 9 onions, a boatload of roma tomatoes, 16 bananas (the diet suggested you eat up to EIGHT of them on day 4), an extra pineapple, cabbage, 4 red bell peppers, and some various other produce. Now what?

Time to use it up! This week, I'll be posting recipes with the said ingredients. First recipe:

Marinara Sauce

I kind of "winged it" on this one, and it turned out quite nice:

2 Tablespoons olive oil
3 onions (seems like a lot until you see the amount of tomatoes I used)
5 cloves garlic, minced
14 roma tomatoes, chopped
2 teaspoons dried oregano
handful of fresh basil, chopped
2 whole bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon sugar
Salt and pepper
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flake
1 cup red wine

Over medium heat, heat the oil in a large pot. Add onion and garlic, and saute for 10 minutes until the onion appears translucent. Add the tomatoes, herbs, bay leaves, sugar,
red pepper, wine, and then season with salt and pepper. Let this simmer for at least two hours. Since I used fresh tomatoes, it seemed to take a lot longer to come together than if you used canned. Remove the bay leaves. Use a stick blender to blend to your desired consistency. Use, or freeze until you are ready to use.

Weekend Cooking Challenge #2, and the great Cilantro debate!

2010-04-21T17:49:00.000-07:00

Mario's Weekend Cooking Challenge #2 was a great success, thanks to a wonderful host, Mario Bosquez, and a fabulous recipe courtesy of Chef Andrew Wild, chef and instructor at the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone. The recipe chosen was: shrimp in a cilantro cream sauce. Some of you are going: "eeeeewww, cilantro", and some of you are like: "that sounds divine"! There has always been a great debate over cilantro, with very strong feelings one way or another. Either it tastes like soap to you, or you love it!

Ironically, the New York Times published an article on this just last week. You can read it online at: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/14/dining/14curious.html?scp=2&sq=cilantro&st=cse.

The good news for both lovers and haters of this contraversial herb is that it imparts such a mellow flavor in this dish, you hardly know it is there. Of course, if you are so against it that you lie and tell people you are allergic to it to avoid it, you can easily substitute in parsley, or another herb of your liking.
My picture made it onto the Martha Stewart Living Radio Blog, you can see it here: http://theradioblog.marthastewart.com/2010/04/recap-of-marios-weekend-cooking-challenge.html. My dish is picture #11. Next month I'll put a puppy or a baby in the picture, and maybe it'll make front page..... hahaha.

And for the record, my husband said this is in the top five dinners I've ever made. It's that good! I wasn't sure how to serve this-- alone as an appetizer, over pasta, with rice, wrapped in a tortilla? So I served it over pasta, alongside a grilled steak that was marinated in a rub of cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper, and a little olive oil. Truth be told, this shrimp would be good any which way!

Here is the recipe:

Shrimp with Cilantro Cream (Camarones con Rabos de Cilantro)

This recipe is part of Mario’s weekend cooking challenge. The recipe is courtesy of chef Andrew Wild of the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone.

Ingredients

1 Pound 26-30 count shrimp, shelled and deveined
2 tablespoons avocado oil (substitute extra virgin olive oil if you don't have avacado)
1 cup cilantro stems
1 small white onion, julienned
1 poblano chile, seeded and julienned
2 cloves garlic, slivered thin
1 teaspoon fresh oregano, minced
Pinch ground cumin
1 cup heavy cream (I used half and half it it turned out great)
Salt, to taste
Juice of 1 lime, to taste
1 tablespoon cilantro leaves, minced

Directions

1. Make sure that the shrimp has been patted dry.

2. Place a large saute pan on the stove top over medium heat and add the avocado oil.

3. Add the garlic, onions, and poblano. Cook until lightly golden and tender. Add the cilantro stems, oregano, and cumin.

4. Add the heavy cream and bring to a boil. Cook until the cream is reduced by about 2/3rds and has thickened slightly.

5. Add the shrimp to the pan and cook for 2 minutes until the shrimp have just turned pink. Stir occasionally to coat shrimp with the sauce. Remove from the heat and season with lime juice and salt. Sprinkle with minced cilantro leaves and either serve as an entree’ or serve right from the pan with toothpicks.

For those of you with a true passion for hating on Cilantro, there are websites, blogs, and gift ideas devoted to you. Being a Cilantro non-hater, I will not provide these for you, but Google will!

Enjoy!

The King, The Colonel, or The Clown?

2010-04-07T15:59:00.000-07:00

The King, The Colonel, or The Clown. If you are having a Big Mac Attack, this could very well be your answer to the familiar question: What's for dinner? If you are, in fact, NOT having a Big Mac Attack (most likely the case), then forgo the drive thru, and make a fun, fresh, spicy, healthy, spring dinner at home!

I've always been a fan of asian cuisine, but have never really been a fan of making it at home. There are unusual, expensive ingredients that in my own experience are not used often enough to justify the cost, and the end result is rarely as delectable as ordering out.

Because of this, I have been on a quest, researching asian recipes utitlizing everyday ingredients. My test kitchen (that would be me) has developed a delicious take on a restaurant favorite using everyday ingredients. This is part "trial and error", and part "use what I have". Necessity is the mother of all invention. If a recipe calls for an ingredient that I don't have on hand, I'll substitute with something that I do have on hand. Great recipes are born this way. Also, dinner's out are born this way too (i.e. recipe "post-substitution" goes down the insinkerator).

Here is my fun, fresh take on Spicy Chicken Lettuce Wraps:

Ingredients

1 tablespoon canola oil
3 bonless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced thin
2 cups chopped red bell pepper
Bean sprouts
2 cups cooked brown rice
1 head of iceburg lettuce, leaves separated
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger
Juice of 1 lime
2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons Sriracha hot chili sauce (substitute 1 tablespoon crushed red pepper if you do not have Sriracha)
1 garlic clove, crushed
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/4 C water

Preparation

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook 5 or until done. Add chopped red bell pepper, and cook another 5 minutes. Set aside.

Place sugar and remaining ingredients (sugar through water) in a blender, and process until smooth, scraping sides. Add peanut butter mixture to chicken mixture; stir well. Set aside.

On each piece of lettuce, place a spoonful of rice, then chicken mixture, then top with bean sprouts. Wrap lettuce and eat!

Blessed are they who can laugh at themselves for they shall never cease to be amused. -- Not an old Chinese Proverb.

Weekend cooking challenge #1

2010-03-27T09:52:00.000-07:00

As one of the newest endeavors of Fork and The Cork, I joined Mario's Weekend Cooking Challenge. The premise is simple:

Once a month we cook the same recipe, compare notes, and discuss it in the group. Please post a photo of your finished dish!!! Many photos will be posted in the Martha Stewart Radio Blog!!!

This Challenge was created by Mario Bosquez, host of Living Today, on the Martha Stewart channel of Sirius Satellite Radio. The Challenge was a success, and my picture made it on Martha Stewart's Radio Blog! Check it out at:

http://theradioblog.marthastewart.com/2010/03/results-from-living-todays-weekend-cooking-challenge.html#more-4098

My picture is #3 out of 15, I am Listener Laurie.

The recipe was chosen by Mario: Spinach Torta, by James Beard Award-Winning author Laura Schenone.

Spinach Torta via Hoboken

This recipe is part of Living Today’s weekend cooking challenge. The recipe is adapted from “The Lost Ravioli Recipes of Hoboken: A Search for Food and Family”, by Laura Schenone, W.W. Norton, 2007, all rights reserved. For more information, visit http://www.lostravioli.com/

Vegetable pies called torte (plural) are ubiquitous all over Liguria, which depends so heavily on vegetables and herbs in its cuisine. I call this spinach torta “via Hoboken” because it has been Americanized with the use of cream cheese. It is delicious and simple--still made in my family a hundred years after immigration.

Ingredients

Serves 10 to 12 as an appetizer or side dish

4 packages frozen chopped spinach
8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
8 eggs, beaten
1 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
salt and pepper, to taste
parsley, to taste

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees 1.

Brush about 2 tablespoons of olive oil on the bottom and halfway up the sides of a 9 x 11 inch pan or Pyrex-type 2. dish.

Begin with three mixing bowls; large, medium, and small. In the largest bowl, defrost the spinach very well. Expedite 3. this with heat or the microwave if you wish. Place the cream cheese (or other fresh cheese) in the medium bowl. Beat the eggs in the small bowl.

Cream the cream cheese, using a handheld electric mixer. Add the beaten eggs to it, then the Parmigiano-4. Reggiano, salt and pepper, and parsley. Mix well, then pour half this mixture in to the spinach. Evenly spread the spinach mixture into the oiled pan. Cover the spinach with the remaining half of the liquid egg mixture.

Bake about 45 to 50 minutes, or until the top is golden.

This was surprisingly easy, and it was fun to make! I have never been a big fan of brunch/eggs/quiche/etc. etc., but I really did like it! A perfect dish to complete your Easter brunch, and it can easily be prepared in advance, then brought to room temperature before serving.

The challenge was fun in itself, as everyone decided on a 2pm Eastern start time to the challenge. We were all on facebook, asking questions, looking at each other's pictures, and learning as we went along. What a great idea!

I am looking forward to the next challenge, and can't wait until it's revealed!

You Get What You Pay For

2010-03-07T17:44:00.000-08:00

I've always been of the kitchen mindset that any dish is really best, made from scratch. Or almost entirely from scratch (clearly am not going to make my own cheese, milk a cow, raise chickens, etc. etc. but I am extremely thankful for those that do do that). But I recently did a "taste test" of sorts with a prepared product, vs one made from scratch, and the prepared product came out on top.

Mind you it was a product from Williams Sonoma so there was a good possibility it's going to be really good. Have I ever mentioned that I worked at Williams Sonoma (thanks to some coercing from my oh so charming brother in law)? It was a seasonal gig, and the discount was worth every minute of it (my family agreed-- I did everyone's Christmas shopping for them that year, after work).

Ok, so what is it that the self proclaimed kitchen goddess/warrior can't top the shop with?? Of all things, it's a pulled pork starter. I discovered slow roasted pulled pork a bit late in my lifetime, and ever since, I've tried to master it at home. And now that I have the creme de la creme, top of the line, ridiculous, amazing, All-Clad Slow Cooker, I thought it would be super easy. I swear, you could put a wallet in that thing (aka slow cooker), let it go for 10 hours, top it with some BBQ and eat it for dinner. It's that prodigious.

I'm not saying my starter/sauce was bad by any means, it was quite tasty. But when you compare it to the WS starter/sauce, it doesn't compare. You've got to have some really strong flavors for them to stand up to 10 hours of low, slow cooking.

So here was the recipe I used (From EatingWell.com)

Ingredients

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 medium yellow onions, diced
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
12 ounces beer, preferably lager (1 1/2 cups)
3/4 cup ketchup
3/4 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup whole-grain mustard
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 canned chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, minced, plus 1 tablespoon adobo sauce
1 5-pound bone-in Boston butt, I actually used a 5 pound bone in pork shoulder-- my own personal preference

I picked this particular recipe because it looked like it had a lot of kick. So much kick in fact, that while I was simmering the sauce before putting it in the slow cooker, I was literally choking on the air from the heat from the chipotle peppers. That could also be because I read the recipe as ONE CAN chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, not ONE CANNED chipotle.... yep, used the WHOLE CAN. I was worried that at the end of day it would be waaaaaay to spicy. Not at all. Just not enough flavor at all.

Here is the Williams Sonoma sauce:

After making my pulled pork, I went back to Williams Sonoma to look at the back of their jar, and the ingredients that were not in the above recipe included brown sugar and molasses. It's that whole sweet-spicy thing. This is how they describe it:

Our timesaving starter brings fresh, authentic flavor to the pulled-pork sandwich, a classic with as many versions as there are Southern barbecue cooks. Our sweet and smoky sauce is a blend of all-natural ingredients: spicy brown mustard, tangy apple cider vinegar, savory chicken demi-glace, vine-ripened tomato and blackstrap molasses.

So, moral of the story: I guess some things are best left to the experts (a.k.a. little gourmet shops with little gourmet items that are not little in price). It costs $12.95 for a reason-- and worth every penny!!

Chaussons Aux Pommes

2010-03-07T10:42:00.000-08:00

My mother didn’t really cook. But she did make key lime pie, until the day the top of the evaporated milk container accidentally ended up in the pie and she decided cooking took too much concentration.

— William Norwich

Forging ahead in my "I KNOW HOW TO COOK" challenge, I am learning some important lessons:

1. It really only takes a few ingredients to make incredible food.

2. Either the French are very VAGUE by nature, or in the interest of supporting their stereotype of American's being terrible cooks they are omitting details like amounts of ingredients from recipes.

3. Even the French think it's ok to use purchased puff pastry! Never was going to make it myself, and this just reaffirms WHY.

4. My own home cook "instincts" are being put to good use-- I'll be ready for an Iron Chef battle after this little project.

5. Don't look at the pictures in the book-- let's just say it's not like Martha Stewart directed the food photo shoots.

Once again I find myself perusing the recipes, deciding on what to make next. I open the book to the cakes and pastries chapter, see Chaussons Aux Pommes, and am SOLD! Apple Turnovers it will be. Expecially since I'm allowed to use storebought puff pastry. As a kid, turnovers were a favorite treat of mine. I've always been a big pie fan, and this is like a little piece of pie all wrapped up in flaky pastry, baked to perfection!

Here is the recipe:

Chaussons Aux Pommes:

9 ounces puff pastry (one sheet)
Butter, for greasing
Flour, for dusting
6 ounces apple compote (see recipe below)
1 egg yolk, beated
Scant 1/3 cup superfine sugar

Compote De Pommes:

2 1/2 pounds sweet apples
Superfine sugar, to taste (um, what the hell does that mean? I guessed at 1/4 cup, and it seemed to work)
Vanilla extract or lemon zest, to taste (vanilla OR lemon zest? Wha?? I went with both and did 1/2 tsp vanilla, and about 1 tsp lemon zest)

Compote:

Peel and core the apples and cut them into quarters.

Put in a nonreactive pan with the sugar, 1 cup water, and vanilla or lemon zest.

Bring to a boil and cook on high heat for 15 mintes.

Turnovers:

Preheat oven to 425 and grease a baking sheet with butter. (I just used a silpat pan liner). Roll the pastry out very thinly on a floured work surface.

Cut out even circles 5 inches in diameter using a bowl or cookie cutter. I didn't do this-- what a waste of pastry, and I wanted mine in the triangle shape so I cut 9 even squares with a pizza cutter.

Place a good tablespoon of apple compote on each one.

Fold in half, moisten edges with a little water and press down to seal, forming a crescent shape (in my case, triangle).

Place on the prepared baking sheet. Brush with egg yolk to glaze and sprinkle with sugar. Bake for 30 minutes.

They turned out scrumptious:

Stay tuned for my next I KNOW HOW TO COOK recipe!! Bon Appetit!

My own episode of "CHOPPED"

2010-02-28T09:12:00.000-08:00

Never be afraid to try something new. Remember, amateurs built the ark. Professionals built the Titanic.

As you know, I've been more adventurous with my cooking over the past few months, always looking to try a new recipe, ingredient, or technique. Once in a while, I veer off the path of "this recipe looks good, there are 357 comments that it is good, I'll go for it" to "I wonder why I can't find a good taco pizza recipe? I better make one up".

Um, I'm guessing I can't find one, because it's not a good idea. This is my thought while on my way to the store the other night to purchase ingredients for said pizza.

So I switch gears. BBQ chicken pizza, now that sounds good. So I need to pick up chicken, BBQ sauce, green pepper, red onion, gouda, monterey jack, and fresh pizza dough. For various reasons (out of this, that's ridiculously expensive), here is what I end up with: ground beef, BBQ sauce, red pepper, red onion, a tomato, mozzarella, jalapeno jack, and a Boboli ready made crust. Well, this is a far cry from taco pizza, and BBQ chicken pizza, but now I've committed myself, and it's time to "make one up". I feel like I'm starring in my own episode of Chopped: Here's a banana, enchilada sauce, and a turnip-- you have 30 minutes to make a pizza. GO!!!!

Here's the amazing part-- the pizza turned out fantastic. Ground beef on a pizza is unconventional, but it really is good. I got into the idea with a favorite recipe from Martha Stewart's everyday food mag: ground beef and grape tomato pizza. Give it a try!! Or sub in your own favorite ingredients, pizza is a tough one to mess up!!

So here's my made-up recipe:

BBQ Pizza

1 Boboli ready made pizza crust (original) 1/2 lb extra lean ground beef
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
salt and pepper
1 cup BBQ sauce
1/4 cup red onion, thinly sliced
1/2 red bell pepper, sliced
1 tomato, chopped
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
3/4 cup shredded jalapeno jack cheese
Chopped italian parsley or cilantro

Preheat oven to 450. Cook ground beef in a hot skillet with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes to taste. Top pizza crust with BBQ sauce, then a thin layer of mozzarella cheese. Next add ground beef, then bell pepper, onion, and remaining cheeses on top. Top pizza with diced tomato and a sprinkling of fresh ground pepper. Bake in oven for approx. 20 minutes or until cheese is bubbly, and edges of crust are golden. Garnish with italian parsley or cilantro and serve with a side garden salad.

Ora che ' buona torta di pizza dello S.A.!

Boeuf Bourguignon et Pommes De Terre Sautees

2010-02-21T20:03:00.000-08:00

"The best way to execute French cooking is to get good and loaded and whack the (bleep) out of a chicken. Bon appétit. "

Julia Child

I always knew I liked that woman. Julia has especially been on my mind today, since I am starting the I KNOW HOW TO COOK endeavor! This is a fabulous (I may be using other expletives further along in my "endeavor") cookbook that has been a staple in French households for generations. I'll be preparing at least one recipe from the book, once a week, and sharing the experience with you.

There must be at least 1,000 recipes in this book, so where does one begin? I set a few requirements for the first recipe, so that I will not get discouraged and scrap the project altogether (a.k.a dump it down the garbage disposal, polish off the bottle of wine used for the recipe, and order the $10 pizza hut special):

1. I must recognize all of the ingredients listed in the recipe. (you would think this is not difficult, but those French are pretty adventurous)

2. The ingredients must easily be found at a local grocery store.

3. The dish must be prepared in under 4 hours.

Feeling even more inspiration from Julia, and the Julie/Julia project, I decide on:
Beef Bourguignon

I read through the recipe, the ingredients, and I'm ready to get cooking!! The thing that worries me about this recipe is that it is very vague. I am so use to having my hand held by these celebrity chef recipes every step of the way. Then I realize, that's what this is all about.

Knowing how to cook isn't just about following a recipe, it's about interpreting it, and challenging yourself. I have never made Beef Bourguignon before.

It took great restraint for me not to go onto a favorite recipe website, and review 15 different ways to make it to ensure I was properly preparing it. This challenge is
about the purity of French cooking, and following what three generations in France believe to be the best.

Bouquet Garni

This recipe calls for 3 oz pearl onions or shallots (I chose to use half onions, half shallots). Doesn't say if they should be diced, sliced, chopped, or minced. So I sliced the pearl onions in half, and chopped the shallots. I have no idea if this is right, but it can't really be wrong since it's not specified... Also, the recipe calls for 3 1/2 oz small bacon cubes. I just chop up the bacon really small and hope for the best.

Onion/Shallot/Bacon cooking until golden brown

The recipe calls for 1 1/4 cups any hot stock. TJ's is out of Beef stock (go figure), so I settle on vegetable stock. When I add the vegetable stock, it has the very recognizable aroma of V8, which concerns me. We'll see.....

Just added beef and flour, ready for stock, wine, and herbs

It has been 2 hours now, and it appears we have success. Time to add the mushrooms and let the whole dish come together for another 1/2 hour.

On to the potatoes!

Becuase I avoided looking at other Beef Bourguignon recipes, I really have no idea what this is suppose to be served with. Bread? Pasta? Potatoes? Does it matter?

I figure I will try out another recipe from my book, sauteed potatoes. This includes peeling roughly 3 large baking potatoes, simmering for 15 minutes, letting them cool, slicing them, sauteeing in butter, and topping with salt and fresh parsley. Simple enough.

Potatoes turned out awesome!

Seriously, simple enough. They turned out delectible!!! I placed the potatoes in the bottom of the serving dish, then topped with the Beef Bourguignon. On the side, I served a simple mixed green salad with a dressing of: Balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper.

I am proud to say that the first challenge is a complete success, and I am looking forward to the next!!

Finished Beef Bourguignon

"Accept the challenges so that you can feel the exhilaration of victory."

-- George S. Patton

Aloha, Mahalo, and Bon Appetit!

2010-02-20T17:51:00.000-08:00

Ok so I've been off the blogging world radar for a couple of weeks-- and now that I've re-grouped, my Maui tan is fading fast (yes, we went to Maui), I am gearing up for some exciting new adventures in fork and the cork!

Maui Tan

There are two that I will share with you now, and the third will be revealed at a later date. Stay tuned!!!!

The first is that I have joined: Mario's Weekend Cooking Contest, via facebook. Once a month, all members will cook the same recipe, compare notes, and discuss as a group. Mario is Mario Bosquez, host of Living Today on Martha Stewart Living Radio (Sirius Radio). I am so excited about this endeavor, and am hoping to learn new techniques, and work with ingredients that have scared me out of the kitchen in the past. And all of this I will document and blog about so the rest of you don't need to be scared out of the kitchen too!!

The second: For Christmas this year, my sister gave me the book: I KNOW HOW TO COOK. This has been the cooking bible to three generations of French families. First published in 1932, it has regularly been updated and revised, and is an essential fixture on the counters of French kitchens. I hold in my possesion the very first English edition, adapted by a team of cookery experts. There are high expectations here people-- Look out Julia!!!! I'm going to master the art of French cooking. Well, kind of at least. Once a week I will try a new recipe out of my new book, to share with you. I don't promise to make everything (sorry, broiled kidneys, veal gratin, and oxtail soup are a little out there even for me), but I will bring you both messes and successes!!

Since I haven't done any real noteworthy cooking lately, I'll share with you some noteworthy bites I had while out and about:

My husband and I discovered our new favorite restaurant: Epulo Bistro in downtown Edmonds, WA.
We had mushroom and rosemary flatbread pizza that was amazing. Then we went back and had prosciutto and arugula flatbread pizza that was also ridiculous, in the best possible way. They offer a lot more than flatbread pizza, but happy hour it is half priced (unbelievable!), and it's soooooo good. If you are in the area, or you just need a reason to come to beautiful downtown Edmonds, Epulo just can't be missed. They also serve brunch on the weekends, and lunch daily. http://www.epulobistro.com/

In Maui, we stayed just north of Lahaina, in Kaanapali. Our favorite meal was at Leilani's, on the beach. I had shrimp scampi (hello butter, hello lobster tasting shrimp, hello pasta, goodbye diet) and Mark had teryaki marinated steak with coconut shrimp, and potatoes. The steak was so tender you could cut it with your fork. Ahhhh. It was awesome. Almost as good as a Maui sunset!

Shrimp Scampi

Teryaki Steak

Stay tuned, I will be starting the I KNOW HOW TO COOK challenge this weekend!!

Maui Sunset

South of the Border

2010-01-23T10:49:00.000-08:00

Salmon? Of course! Sushi? The freshest available! Italian? Some of the finest! Steak? Like you've never had before! Mexican? Uh. Well, I think there's a taco bell down the street......

For those of you unaware, I live in SEATTLE. We are a bit lacking in A. Options for mexican food. B. Authentic mexican cuisine on any level. My parents, bless their hearts, are from California. Growing up in the suburbs of SEATTLE, I did not know that "going out to dinner" meant anything other than dining at Azteca, the local mexican restaurant chain, the only south of the border eats for miles.

Present day, there are a few more options, the most popular being of the southwestern tex-mex variety. But, in order to get authentic mexican cuisine, I need to either:

Cross about three state lines
Brave the "taco truck" which is parked in a local gas station parking lot (and for the record, "tripe" is a little too authentic for me--)
Just make it myself the way I like it

Ok, so I may be of swedish descent, living in the pacific northwest, but I was born in Albuquerque, NM. I must know something about composing piquant mexican fare.

I once heard that all mexican dishes are made up of the same five ingredients, constituted in a different manner. As kitchen warriors we know this not to be true, and therefore it is our duty to share this with the world:

las enchiladas del pollo con salsa verde cremosa

Translation: Chicken enchiladas with creamy green sauce

Serves 6

2 chicken breasts (you can use rotisserie chicken if short on time)
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 whole head garlic
1 large sweet onion
1.5 jars green salsa/ salsa verde
3/4 cup half and half
6 flour tortillas
12 ounces Monterrey Jack cheese, coarsely shredded (3 cups) (reserve 1/2 to 3/4 cup for the top)
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped (optional)

Directions

1. Poach chicken in medium pot in salted water and 2 cloves of garlic. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine salsa and cream.

2. Roast remaining garlic in 450 degree oven for 35 minutes. (cut bulb in half, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt, and wrap in aluminum foil so it’s sealed up)

3.Set oven to 350 degrees. Once chicken is cool enough to handle, shred meat, discarding garlic that you cooked the chicken with.

4. Slice onion thinly, then saute in olive oil until caramelized. Peel and chop roasted garlic. In a large bowl, combine chicken, garlic, onion, and 1/2 cup salsa mixture.

5. Brush tortilla on outside with olive oil, then fill with chicken mixture and cheese. Roll up and arrange, seam side down, 6 enchiladas lengthwise in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Top with remaining salsa mixture, then remaining cheese.

6.Bake until cheese is browned and salsa is bubbling, 40 to 45 minutes; let rest 10 minutes. Serve, sprinkled with cilantro, if desired.

The First day of Christmas (and the New Year)

2010-01-01T12:04:00.000-08:00

On the First day of Christmas, Fork and the Cork gave to me: One fantastic recipe.

Ok so it's like the 358th day of Christmas now, but it is the first day of the new year!

Being New Years Day, you probably are working on your resolutions. Or maybe you are busy celebrating National Hangover day in bed at the moment. Either way, you have, we have, all indulged in some holiday cheer in the way of fantastic food, drinks, and good times.

For the aspiring home chef, the holidays are a lot like the NFL playoffs. All year you practice (test recipes), you have exhibition games (trying said recipes out on your immediate family), you have games that count (boss is coming for dinner), you have games that don't really matter (cousin Eddie and family = meatloaf), all in preparation for the Superbowl, the holidays.

Of course, you are never as prepared as planned, but that's all part of the fun. Then football season ends.

Now that it's all over, I'm perusing my latest cooking magazine arrivals, and I'm a bit sad. Instead of cookies, turkeys, and cocktails, I'm looking at kale, beet chips (what?), and minted pea mash.

Don't get me wrong, I am all for healthy eating, a balanced diet, and making even the most bitter of vegetables palitable, but I'm feeling the Christmas void. I think we should be eased back into everyday life. Instead, it's so abrupt: back to work, back to the same old weeknight recipes, but with even less cheese, less butter, and less meat, because of that silly little resolution you just made.

I saved the first day of Christmas recipe for this occasion. Who says you can't carry the holidays over into the new year? I made this recipe on Christmas Eve, but you can make it
any time of year to get that home cooked holiday feeling:

OVEN-BARBECUED BRISKET

9 lbs flat-cut beef brisket, in two pieces, most fat removed
2 cloves minced garlic
1 tsp celery seeds
3 Tbsp freshly ground black pepper
4 large bay leaves, crumbled
12 oz tomato paste
1 cup dark soy sauce
1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce
1 cup tightly packed dark brown sugar
2 medium onions thinly sliced
1 bottle beer

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Trim brisket and rub all over with the garlic. Combine celery seeds, pepper, ginger and bay leaves, then rub into all sides of the brisket. Mix the tomato paste, beer, soy, Worcestershire and sugar, and coat the meat. Score the fat side of the brisket and place the onions on top, and place the meat in a heavy, high-sided roasting pan. Cover tightly with aluminum foil. (I marinated the meat overnight). Cook for 4 hours.

Open the foil to expose the onion-covered top, and cook for another hour. Remove meat to a heated plate and keep warm. You can even cook this a day in advance, and reheat in the oven before serving. Serves 12 in theory, but it's so delicious it's really 8-10.

Happy New Year! Here are some resolution ideas you can definitely keep this year:

Gain weight. At least 30 pounds.
Stop exercising. Waste of time.
Read less. Makes you think.
Watch more TV. I've been missing some good stuff.
Procrastinate more. Starting tomorrow.
Stop bringing lunch from home: I should eat out more.
Don't have eight children at once.
Get in a whole NEW rut!
Start being superstitious.
Personal goal: bring back disco.

The 2nd Day of Christmas

2009-12-24T11:32:00.000-08:00

On the Second Day of Christmas, Fork and The Cork gave to me:

The second dish on my Christmas Eve menu:

Gratineed Mustard Cream Onions

So, a couple of years ago, I decided to make a side dish of sauteed pearl onions in pomegranate juice, and cabernet. They were delicious. Where I went wrong was buying the little onions you need to peel by hand and I chose to wait until the day of, to peel. This year, I bought those same little onions, but am happily writing my blog instead of peeling onions, as I peeled and peeled last night! I don't know if substituting frozen onions would work in this dish, I just am averting possible disaster by not finding out the answer to that on Christmas eve. I've had plenty of disasters (don't worry, there will be a blog solely devoted to THAT), and my goal this year is to pull all of it off without a hitch.

If I haven't mentioned it, we are hosting 14 tonight. I am so proud of myself, I actually cleaned the house, prepped the food, wrapped presents, all before today. No tears, at least just yet!!! We'll see. Check back tomorrow......

yield: Makes 8 servings

active time: 45 min (plus more for peeling and peeling)

total time: 1 1/2 hr

Ingredients:

2 pound white pearl onions
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup whole milk
3 tablespoons cream Sherry
1 tablespoon grainy mustard
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Equipment: a 2-qt shallow gratin or other flameproof baking dish (2 inches deep)

Directions:

Cook onions in a large heavy pot of boiling salted water (2 teaspoons salt for 4 quarts water) until just tender, 25 to 30 minutes. Reserve 1 cup cooking water, then drain (reserve pot). Cool onions to warm, then peel.

Melt butter in dry pot over medium heat. Add flour and cook, stirring, 2 minutes. Whisk in reserved cooking water, milk, and Sherry and cook, whisking frequently, until mixture is thickened, about 8 minutes. Whisk in mustards, nutmeg, and 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Add onions to sauce and simmer 5 minutes.

Preheat broiler.

Transfer creamed onions to baking dish and sprinkle evenly with cheese. Broil 4 to 5 inches from heat until top is golden brown and bubbling, about 3 minutes.

Cooks' note:

Creamed onions, without cheese, can be made (but not gratinéed) 1 day ahead. Chill, uncovered, until cool, then covered. Bring to room temperature, then reheat in a 400°F oven about 20 minutes before sprinkling with cheese and broiling.

recipe courtesy of Gourmet magazine

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVE EVERYONE!!!!!!!

The 3rd Day of Christmas

2009-12-24T11:19:00.000-08:00

On the Third day of Christmas, Fork and The Cork gave to me:

The Third dish on my Christmas Eve Menu:

Johnny Garlic's Cedar Plank Salmon

In the true spirit of the Northwest, salmon is an essential part of our holiday celebration.

I am tired of the same old salmon, and thus commenced my quest for the ultimate recipe. When looking for this recipe, I perused my cookbook collection, and browsed my favorite websites: http://www.marthastewart.com/, http://www.epicurious.com/, http://www.foodnetwork.com/, and http://www.allrecipes.com/. This particular gem of a recipe I found on the foodnetwork site, courtesy of the crazy, bleached out, jacked-up, surfer dude, Guy Fieri.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons oil
2 jalapenos, cut into rings
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
1/2 cup white wine
3 tablespoons whole-grain mustard
1 cup apricot preserves
4 (4 by 4-inch) pieces parchment paper
4 cedar plank pieces, food service quality
4 (6-ounce) salmon fillets, skinned and boned
2 teaspoons sea salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 (3-inch) fresh rosemary sprigs
1 lemon, zested

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

In a small saute pan over medium heat, heat oil. When hot, add jalapenos and saute until caramelized. Add garlic, and before it begins to brown, deglaze with white wine. Next add mustard and apricot preserves and bring to a simmer. Simmer over low heat for 20 minutes and let completely cool.

Place parchment paper on planks, add salmon, lightly salt and pepper, place a rosemary sprig on each fillet, and liberally apply cooled apricot mixture.

Place cedar plank on gas burner. When plank has begun to smoke, place into preheated oven.

Cook salmon until medium-rare; remove from oven and let sit for 2 to 3 minutes until serving. Garnish with lemon zest.

I wanted to give you this salmon recipe Just For The Halibut

Enjoy!

The 4th Day of Christmas

2009-12-24T11:02:00.000-08:00

On the Fourth day of Christmas Fork and the Cork gave to me:

The fourth dish on my Christmas Eve menu:

Ranch Potatoes

This has to be, hands down, the easiest, tastiest, roasted potato recipe on the planet.

Serves 6

2 Lbs baby red potatoes
1/4 Cup Olive Oil
1 Package dry Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing Mix

Directions:

Scrub potatoes, then quarter. In a large ziploc bag, combine cut potatoes, olive oil, and ranch dressing mix.

Line a 9 X 13 baking dish with aluminum foil, then spray foil with nonstick cooking spray.
Put potatoes in baking dish, cover with aluminum foil, and place in preheated 375 degree oven. Bake for 40 minutes, remove foil that was covering the potatoes, and cook an additional 10 to fifteen minutes. Potatoes are done when a fork easily can pierce the potatoes.

Enjoy!

The 5th day of Christmas

2009-12-22T10:13:00.000-08:00

On the Fifth day of Christmas, Fork and the Cork gave to me:

The top 5 tips for putting together a holiday cheese tray:

MIX BASIC AND QUIRKY FLAVORS AND TEXTURES

(say, goat cheese, brie, cheddar and stilton) to please all taste buds. Give guests cheesy adjectives (e.g., stinky, earthy) and have each person bring a type that represents it.

COLD, PRECUT CUBES ARE TASTELESS

To maximize flavor: Take cheeses out of the fridge 45 minutes beforehand, leaving them wrapped until ready to serve.

DON'T LEAVE GUESTS IN THE DARK

Label each cheese by name, milk variety and country of origin. That way, guests know exactly what they’re eating (e.g., pecorino: sheep’s-milk cheese, Italy).

NO NEED TO BUST OUT FANCY UTENSILS

All that’s required is a small butter knife for each cheese. Cut a few pieces of each (wedges for rounds, slices for everything else) to get guests started.

ENCOURAGE EXPERIMENTATION

(and calm stage fright). Ask everyone to share their top cheese/snack/ wine combos. At the end of the night, give guests hunks of their favorites for next-day fondue.

*information courtesy of Rachel Ray

If you didn't invite enough fruits and nuts to your holiday party, then put some on the cheese tray. Grapes, figs, and pistachios are a good addition to any respectable cheese board!

The 6th Day of Christmas

2009-12-22T09:31:00.000-08:00

On the Sixth day of Christmas Fork and the Cork gave to me:

Six reasons to shop at Trader Joe's for your Holidays

1. The wine. Massive selection of great wines under $8. AND a very knowledgeable staff to help you make your selection.

2. The cheese. It's got to be half the price of the grocery store, and the selection is enormous. Goat, brie, cheddar, feta, stilton, romano, they have it all.

3. The frozen aisle. Whether you need a peppermint cheesecake, breakfast croissants, truffle flatbread, or onion and goat cheese tartlets, you can get it.

4. The pantry aisle. Olives, tapenades, simmering sauces, grapeseed oil, cooked brown rice (I hate cooking brown rice it takes forever!!), are just a few of the treasures....

5. The flowers. It's a pretty good bet to say that your local farmer's market is done for the season. If you need fresh, beautiful bouqets at rock bottom prices, go to TJ's.

6. The cookies. Caramel lace cookies, triple gingersnaps, cranberry pistachio biscotti, chocolate chip, cat cookies, they are all good. Fill up that three-tiered cookie thingie you inherited from your grandmother!!

If you've never really jumped on the TJ bandwagon, or you just don't know where to start, here is a good helper:

The most favored Trader Joe's products of 2009:

http://www.traderjoes.com/attachments/FavoriteTJProducts2009.pdf

Seriously, I'm not getting paid for this, I'm just passionate about incredible food at incredible prices!!

The 7th Day of Christmas

2009-12-20T11:00:00.000-08:00

On the 7th day of Christmas, Fork and the Cork gave to me,

A YUMMY dish of Manicotti

Ok, so I'm pretty much the furthest thing from Italian, but I must have been in a previous life. Seriously. Pasta, tomatoes, wine, garlic, basil, oregano, romano, parmesan, mozzarella, pizza, etc. etc., they have got it figured out. Italians even put cheese in dessert! That's my kind of people.

Whenever I am trying to decide on a Sunday dinner, or a one pot/dish dinner to serve to company, I almost always go in the direction of italian. One of my favorite's is Manicotti. It's easy to make ahead, and is kid-friendly.

Here is my favorite recipe:

Beef and Cheese Manicotti

Ingredients

4 teaspoons olive oil
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
1 pound ground beef
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
14 (8-ounce package) manicotti
1 (15-ounce) container whole-milk ricotta
3 cups shredded mozzarella
1 cup grated Parmesan
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 cups marinara sauce
2 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces

Directions

Heat a heavy medium skillet over medium heat. Add 1 teaspoon of the olive oil, onion and ground beef. Season with salt and pepper. Saute until the meat browns and the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, and cool.

Brush 1 teaspoon of oil over a large baking sheet. Cook the manicotti in a large pot of boiling salted water until slightly softened, but still very firm to the bite, about 4 to 6 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the manicotti from the pot to the oiled baking sheet and cool.

Meanwhile, combine the ricotta, 1 1/2 to 2 cups mozzarella cheese, 1/2 cup Parmesan, and parsley. Add the garlic, salt, and pepper to taste, and mix. Stir the cooled meat mixture into the cheese mixture.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Brush the remaining 2 teaspoons of oil over a 13 by 9 by 2-inch glass baking dish. Spoon 1 1/2 cups of the marinara sauce over the bottom of the prepared dish. Fill the manicotti with the cheese-meat mixture. Arrange the stuffed pasta in a single layer in the prepared dish and spoon the remaining sauce over.

Sprinkle the remaining 1 1/2 cups of mozzarella cheese, then the remaining 1/2 cup of Parmesan over the stuffed pasta. Dot entire dish with the butter pieces. Bake the manicotti uncovered until heated through and the sauce bubbles on the sides of the dish, about 30 to 35 minutes. Let the manicotti stand 5 minutes and serve.

recipe courtesy of Giada De Laurentiis

Even if you don't have five cousins named Tony, a portrait of the Pope AND Frank Sinatra on your living room wall, and a mother that never threw a baseball in her life, but could nail you with a shoe from the kitchen to the living room, you will enjoy this.

The 8th Day of Christmas

2009-12-18T22:57:00.000-08:00

On the 8th day of Christmas Fork and the Cork gave to me:

A Gr8 centerpeice idea: Make your own Gingerbread House (well,kind of)

It's a kit from Costco, is less than $10 (hurry, they won't be getting any more in), and it's a nifty little project for everyone. The kit comes with more gummies and candy than you would know what to do with, and not nearly enough coconut (snow), for ground cover. White and green icing are both included, but I stuck with the white due to this little issue: The not-so-commercial-strength pastry bag busted mid-frost due to my excellent grip strength. We went from "oh this is going to be so perfect everyone will think I am just amazing, like Martha", to "I think I will blame this little masterpiece on my four year old niece, Brooke".

So the last time I made a gingerbread house was in high school, in creative cooking class, Christmas 1992. I baked it all from scratch, and of course the sides didn't really match up, and it required extra globs of icing to cover it up. I remember looking at the finished product, thinking, huh. I should stick with cooking the peroshki (another cooking project I had previously excelled at).

Well, my creative cooking teacher, Mrs. Hansler, must have just watched A Charlie Brown Christmas, and she chose my little underdog of a project for the display case, in the main hallway, with my name on a little card next to it. Thank you Mrs. Hansler for that.

The 9th Day of Christmas

2009-12-17T22:14:00.000-08:00

On the Ninth day of Christmas, Fork and the Cork gave to me:

The Top 9 reasons to make Janet Parker's (Grandma's) shortbread cookies:

9. You've never had shortbread this good before.

8. You want to go from domestic goodness to domestic goddess.
7. Only three ingredients people.
6. You get to be a bitch if you make good cookies.
5. The Kitchenaid stand mixer you got as a wedding present that takes up a ridiculous amount of counter space will finally serve it's purpose. I can't help you with the juicer.
4. You get to feel all June Cleaver-y around the holidays.

3. If you give them as gifts, you just spent like 23 cents per person.
2. Unless you are Paula Deen, you're probably not eating enough butter as it is.
1. Because my Grandma said to do it. And when Janet tells you to do it, you do it.

Enjoy!

Scotch Shortbread Cookies

2 cups sifted flour
1 cup butter
½ cup powdered sugar

Directions:Cream butter and sugar thoroughly. Add flour gradually mixing in quickly and lightly. Chill dough for ½ hour. Roll out to ½ inch. Cut as desired and place on cookie sheets and bake at 300 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes. Do not let them brown. I prefer to chill them after placing them on the cookie sheet instead of just baking them after mixing. They are better if allowed to ripen a few days.

-Janet Parker

If you want to make thick cookies, you will need make multiple batches.

The 10th Day of Christmas

2009-12-16T09:19:00.000-08:00

"Christmas is a time when everybody wants his past forgotten and his present remembered." ~ Phyllis Diller

The holidays bring out a little bit of everything, which is why so many people lovingly embrace them, and why so many people would choose to be lying on a beach drinking a margarita and thinking of the suckers back home. Of course, either pure guilt, or a good case of alligator arms (I...just...can't...reach...my...wallet), will prevent us from the latter, so it's time to face the holidays like a bad habit: head on. Of course, don't actually face the bad habit, as it may prove useful as a coping mechanism in the upcoming days. Save it for the new year's resolution!

The holidays also bring out tradition, often times carried on through recipes. Some regrettable (grandma's fruitcake, anyone?), and others scrumptious (grandma's shortbread, anyone?).

If you are not so satisfied with your family recipe portfolio, it's time to establish some new traditions! We should start small though, especially if grandma is going to be attending and expecting you all to eat her famous jello salad. First course, appetizers!

On the 10th day of Christmas, Fork and the Cork gave to me: 2 Appetizers

Speaking of regrettable food, plenty of it came out of the 1970's. But thankfully, so did Fondue!

Here is a delectable family recipe, a festive way to kick off your soiree:

Beer Cheddar Fondue:

Ingredients:

1 1/2 1lbs Sharp Cheddar Cheese
1 Can Cheddar Cheese Soup (Campbells)
1 rounded tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 cup Guiness, or other dark beer
2 tablespoons brandy
A few drops hot sauce

For Serving:

1 head cauliflower, separated into florets (blanch in boiling water for 2 to three minutes, then plunge into ice water bath-- takes the raw edge off)
2 heads broccoli, separated into florets (blanch in boiling water for 2 to three minutes, then plunge into ice water bath-- takes the raw edge off)
1 small round sourdough bread, cubed
1 small loaf roasted garlic bread, or other artisan bread, cubed
other dippers of choice ( cut up apples, red peppers, party franks)

Directions:

Combine cheese in a bowl with flour. Add beer to a small pot and bring up to a bubble over medium heat. Reduce the heat to simmer and add cheese in handfuls. Stir constantly, melting the cheese in batches. Stir in cheese soup, and brandy. When the cheese has been incorporated fully, stir in the hot sauce. Transfer fondue to warm fondue pot.

And for those of you who would prefer preparing your appetizer in advance:

super easy, puff pastry bites:

Makes 24

Ingredients:

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon paprika
Coarse salt and ground pepper
All-purpose flour, for rolling
1 sheet puff pastry (from a 17.3-ounce package), thawed
1 large egg, beaten

Directions:

In a bowl, mix cheese and paprika; season with salt and pepper. On a floured surface, roll out pastry to 10 by 14 inches. Brush with egg. Sprinkle with cheese mixture; using a rolling pin, roll mixture into pastry. Roll up pastry, starting from short end. Refrigerate until firm, about 25 minutes. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut roll into 3/8-inch-thick slices. Place on a rimmed baking sheet; bake until golden, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool 5 minutes on sheet; transfer to a rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container up to 1 day.

recipe courtesy of Martha Stewart

Happy Holidays to All!!

The 11th Day of Christmas

2009-12-15T23:05:00.000-08:00

On the 11th day of Christmas Fork and the Cork gave to me:

11 Peanut Butter Kiss Cookies (well, more like 18......)

Peanut Butter Kiss Cookies

Ingredients:

1/3 C Peanut Butter
1/2 C Sugar
1/2 C Brown Sugar
1/2 C Butter
1 Egg
1 teaspoon Vanilla
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
1 3/4 C Flour
18 Chocolate Kisses

Directions:

Cream first 4 ingredients.
Combine Flour, Salt, and Baking soda in separate bowl.
Add Vanilla, and Egg to first four ingredients, and blend well.
Add Flour mixture.

Spoon onto parchment paper lined baking sheets and press each with a fork in a criss cross pattern.
Bake at 375 for 12 minutes.
Remove from oven, transfer to a wire rack, and press a chocolate kiss into the center of each cookie.

Recipe courtesy of Nazra Knutsen, thanks Naz!!

"Once again we find ourselves enmeshed in the Holiday Season, that very special time of year when we join with our loved ones in sharing centuries-old traditions such as trying to find a parking space at the mall. We traditionally do this in my family by driving around the parking lot until we see a shopper emerge from the mall, then we follow her, in very much the same spirit as the Three Wise Men, who 2,000 years ago followed a star, week after week, until it led them to a parking space."

~Dave Barry

The 12 Days of Fork and The Cork

2009-12-14T20:46:00.000-08:00

"Can I refill your eggnog for you? Get you something to eat? Drive you out in the middle of nowhere and leave you for dead?"

- Chevy Chase in Christmas Vacation

Ah, the Holidays. There is a bit of Clark W. Griswold in all of us: we mean well, we have faith in ourselves and our loved ones, and we sometimes set standards no family event could live up to.

The key to surviving this time of year, besides a fair amount of alcohol, is to be prepared! Starting today, the 12th day of Christmas, Fork and the Cork will be bringing you a new recipe each day leading up to the 1st day of Christmas.

You'll find recipes for your holiday event/dinner, recipes for gifting, and quick and easy dinner recipes to feed the brood after a long day of shopping, tree decorating, or bar hopping.

I am not so naive to think 12 recipes will prevent a full-blown, four-alarm holiday emergency, but it will give the relatives one less thing to complain about...

On the twelfth day of Christmas, Fork and The Cork gave to me:

12 slices of pizza (if you cut the slices really small!)

Roasted Acorn Squash and Gorgonzola Pizza:

Ingredients

1 (1- pound) acorn squash
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon salt, plus 1/4 teaspoon
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus 1/4 teaspoon
1 pound pizza dough
1 cup shredded whole milk mozzarella
1/2 cup crumbled Gorgonzola
1 cup arugula (or 2 or 3, depends on your taste)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Slice the squash in half from top to bottom. Scoop out the seeds. Slice the squash into 1/2 to 3/4-inch wide half moons and place in a medium bowl. Toss the squash with the syrup, olive oil, red pepper flakes, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Place the squash on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake the squash until tender and golden, about 20 to 25 minutes.

Keep the temperature on the oven at 375 degrees F. Roll out the pizza dough on a flour dusted piece of parchment paper to a 13-inch diameter. Place the pizza and the parchment paper on a baking sheet. Sprinkle the mozzarella cheese and the Gorgonzola on the pizza dough. Bake in the oven until golden and cooked through, about 25 to 30 minutes.

Peel the skins off the squash. Top the cooked pizza with the cooked squash. Top with arugula and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper. Slice and serve.

Recipe courtesy of Giada De Laurentiis

What if it had been three Wise Women instead of three Wise Men?

They would have asked directions,

Arrived on time,

Helped deliver the baby,

Cleaned the stable,

Made a casserole,

And brought practical gifts.

Surviving Thanksgiving

2009-11-23T17:38:00.000-08:00

Something that I love about being a foodie/home cook/kitchen warrior, is talking food and entertaining with others equally as obsessed. There is no better holiday to go totally overboard with this as Thanksgiving, a day devoted solely to the meal we look forward to all year long.
The Martha Stewart Sirius channel has, for the three days leading up to thanksgiving day, a Thanksgiving hotline. Famous chefs join each show, and answer all kinds of questions from all kinds of home cooks. Example: Rhonda from Virginia : "How long do I microwave my stuffing for?" Really, come on people. The guest chef very kindly advised her, that "Chef Mike" (aka the microwave) may not be the best vehicle for "cooking" stuffing.
This got me thinking about my own experiences, and what advice Martha might have for me. Here is how it could play out:

Me: I can't find the little bag of giblets inside the Turkey. I've been looking for a half hour.
Martha: If you can't find the little bag of giblets in the Turkey, it's not in there. It couldn't be anywhere else, duh.
Me: Step-grandma-in-law is non-responsive at the dinner table.
Martha: Check in with your relatives every few minutes at the dinner table to make sure they are still conscious. Between the turkey and the martini's, you could get some sleepers. If not, call 911. (She's ok now, just so you know)
Me: Husband's grandparents are arguing over when the turkey went in the oven, and there is no thermometer in sight.
Martha: politely pretend to eat the turkey. Don't really eat it though.
Me: I just realized that grandma's special recipe stuffing is actually the recipe on the back of Mrs. Cubbison's dressing mix box.
Martha: Why didn't you make mine in the first place?
Me: We just don't feel like participating this year in Thanksgiving.
Martha: It's ok to tell respective sides of the family that you are attending the other's Thanksgiving, and then just stay home and watch football. (Not that we ever did that)
Me: My potatoes are lumpy.
Martha: Refer to them as "rustic", made in the old world style.

I am looking forward to two more days of endless Thanksgiving advice. One woman called in trying to figure out how NOT to let her mother-in-law bring the side dishes that she insists on bringing, which are less than desireable. The answer: Have her bring them, but also make all of them your way. When she arrives and questions you-- "ooooohhhhh I totally spaced what I had asked you to bring...."
Then you are just the ding-bat daughter in law, and not the super-bitch daughter in law. And you get the brussell sprouts YOUR WAY. This is invaluable information people.

One thing that I think we can all agree on, is wine should be served generously. You may want to wait until the majority of your "mission-critical" cooking has been accomplished before too many libations, as disaster could strike. No one wants to strain the turkey gravy right down the drain, instead of into a pot just before dinner is served. This could also happen by moving too fast. Slow down, you literally have ALL day to put ONE meal on the table.

Since I'm no Martha, and all of the advice you would ever need is just a satellite signal away, I will instead share with you my favorite tools for surviving Thanksgiving dinner:

Apple peeler/corer/slicer: For grandma's perfect apple pie!

Potato ricer: No lumps in these mashed potatoes!

Really good vegetable peeler (spring for that $15 one, it's worth it)

Garlic chopper: I just got one of these, what a neat little tool!

Gravy Separater: Takes the guess work out of gravy!

Survival handbook for when things get really bad

Burned your bird? Here is the silver lining:

The smoke alarm was due for a test
Carving the bird will provide a good cardiovascular workout
You'll get to the desserts quicker
Uninvited guests will think twice next year

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

The Dough Boy and The Insinkerator

2009-11-09T21:01:00.000-08:00

Here's the deal, If you are intersted in making a "crescent roll" for Thanksgiving that is predictably good, quick, and expected, I suggest that you find the dough boy in the refridgerated section.

If you are more interested in making your sister jealous, getting your mother-in-law's approval (well, that's never a given, but this could certainly help), and creating a bit of a "frenzy" (if they are focused on your spectacular rolls, they may not be so focused on your wine consumption), then here is the answer:
Potato Crescent Rolls, from scratch.

It's not as easy as it sounds, and I have no problem admitting this.

Here is my thought process on why I tried this particular recipe:

"I think I'll make something very Thanksgiving relevant, and try a new technique!"

I've made my fair share of cinnamon rolls, but this was my first real attempt at non-bread machine yeast bread. And, bonus!, I get to use the kneading function on my new food processor!

So here's what ensued:

I found the perfect recipe, and made my list.
I checked my pantry items, and it appears I just need the potatoes, and shortening. I don't make a habit of baking with shortening, but I was afraid to improvise with butter the first time making this recipe.
Next, I go to the store, come home, and get into the recipe with the determination of an Iron Chef.
First, peel, cut, boil, drain, mash, cool potatoes. Easy peasy!
Next, mix active dry yeast packet with 1 1/2 cups warm (110 degree) water. Cool, I get to use my candy thermometer! Turns out 110 degrees is just the hottest my tap water will get, so it worked out perfectly.
Next. Add potatoes, eggs, salt, sugar, shortening, and 3 cups of the flour.
At this point I'm really getting it going in the food processor, and it seems to be combining quite nicely.
Next, add additional 3 1/2 cups of flour, 1/2 cup at a time. Huh. I get about 1 1/2 cups out of my canister, and realize, I'm out of flour. Well, it's probably not THAT big of a deal.
In fact, there is no room in that processor for an ounce more of flour (goupy dough is actually seeping out of the processer in areas I didn't know it could ). So I knead it for the outlined 8 minutes, then oil a nice large bowl, and put the "dough" into the bowl to rise for the next 8 hours.
I re-read the instructions, and the dough is supposed to be in the shape of a large ball, and stiff but managable. Huh. My "dough" has turned into a big BLOB that is nowhere near stiff, or a ball shape. Now here is where I panic. Is it too late to save? Baking is a science, and I don't know if you can re-knead dough without creating too much gluten, etc.... I get online to some bakery 911 website trying to find out what will happen to this blob, and I find nothing.
I did not just make possibly the biggest mess ever in my kitchen, and go to all of this trouble, just to have it be another garbage disposal disaster. (It was so "gummy" it may have actually destroyed the "insinkerator" anyway).
So I rush back to the store to get more flour. At this point it feels a little like putting a bandaid on a gunshot wound, but it's my last chance. Oh, and I'm sure I looked really nice at the store-- flour in my hair, dough on my pants (why did I wear black pants?), and moving like a crazy banchi. There goes that food nut job, Laurie.
Ok so I run home, add two cups of flour to the dough, and knead again to make it look like the instructions say it should. I wait 8 hours. I pull the dough out, and it has doubled in size! I followed the remaining instructions, and SUCCESS!

Morals of the story:

1. Check your pantry items and amounts before starting this recipe.

2. Don't use an 11 cup food processer for this particular recipe, use your stand mixer.

3. Make the dough a couple of days in advance, so you have plenty of time to

A. Clean your kitchen

B. Lower your blood pressure

C. Go find that dough boy at the store, in the event that your "insinkerator"
ate your rolls.

Potato Crescent Rolls:

Prep Time: 30 Min
Cook Time: 30 Min
Ready In: 9 Hrs 40 Min
Servings: Yields 32 rolls

Ingredients

2 potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
1 1/2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
2/3 cup white sugar
2/3 cup shortening
2 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
6 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup butter, melted

Directions

Place potatoes in a saucepan, and cover with water. Bring to a boil, and cook until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain, cool, and mash.

In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.

When yeast is ready, mix in 1 cup mashed potatoes, sugar, shortening, eggs, salt, and 3 cups flour. Stir in the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until dough has become stiff but still pliable. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl, and turn to coat with oil. Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 8 hours, and up to 5 days.

Deflate the dough, and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough into two equal pieces, and form into rounds. Roll out each round to a 12 inch circle. Brush generously with melted butter, and cut each circle into 16 wedges. Roll wedges up tightly, starting with the large end. Place on lightly greased baking sheets with the points underneath, and the ends bent to form a crescent shape. Cover, and let rise for 1 hour. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).

Bake in preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown.

Bon Appettit!

In honor of Veteran's Day, I would like to dedicate this week's blog to all of the men and women, including my husband Mark, who have selflessly served our country to protect the freedems we enjoy each day. God bless.

Time for the Cork

2009-11-01T09:33:00.000-08:00

"Wine is mentioned in the bible more than 400 times, Lemonade, not once."

-- refridgerator magnet

So we've covered quite a bit of ground with the "fork", I think it's time we focus on the "cork".
Now, some of you may be wondering: what could a girl with the delusion of being a modern day flannel wearing June Cleaver, and a self proclaimed food nutjob/kitchen goddess with an obsession of 80's television sitcoms possibly know about wine? Surprisingly, quite a bit.
Besides my own affinity for, and self education of wine (aka Wine For Dummies), I have poured wine in a boutique tasting room (I even shared some with the guests), and learned quite a bit about the winemaking process, different varietals, and food and wine pairings.

Johnny Carson once said:

"Thanksgiving is an emotional holiday. People travel thousands of miles to be with people they only see once a year. And then discover once a year is way too often."

This is where wine comes in.

Whether you are hosting Thanksgiving, or attending a Thanksgiving (or holiday) dinner, it is inevitable the menu planning has begun. It is not difficult to pair wine with traditional fall and winter foods, but there are a few guidelines to follow:

It is not necessary to splurge on wine for Thanksgiving. The traditional menu has a lot of sweet elements, such as cranberry sauce and sweet potatoes, that lend themselves to medium-bodied wines, not overly complex or too subtle. A soft red is "medium-bodied," which means it's relatively low in tannin, the substance in grape skins that gives red wine its color and "weight." Like a good turkey gravy, it will feel silky in your mouth, not rough or astringent. Some good examples of medium bodied reds that are widely available are:

Domestic:

Pinot Noir from Oregon, Washington, or California (bright and refreshing with hints of sour cherry and mushrooms)

Syrah (or Shiraz) from California or Australia (rustic, peppery, and jammy)

Imported:

Beaujolais from the Burgundy region of France (very easy to drink,smooth, a white wine drinker's introduction to red)

Red Cotes du Rhone, from France's Rhone valley (earthier and spicy)

Some suggestions:

PINOT NOIR:

Erath Winery Pinot Noir, Oregon ($18)

Black Mountain Pinot Noir, California ($5, sold at Trader Joes)

SYRAH/SHIRAZ:

Bogle Petite Sirah, California ($9)

Yellow Tail Shiraz, Australia ($7)

BEAUJOLAIS:

Louis Jadot Beaujolais-Villages ($11)

COTES DU RHONE:

Perrin Cotes du Rhone Reserve ($7, sold at Trader Joes)

Other Red Wines of Interest that would be fitting for any holiday gathering:

Chariot Gypsy ($6, sold at Trader Joes) delicious blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Petite Sirah, Zinfandel and Sangiovese from California

Francis Coppola Rosso Classic ($11), blend of Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon and Sirah

And, if this is all a little too intimidating, or is too much information to sort through, here is a good way to discover your new favorite holiday wine (or any wine for that matter):

Host a wine tasting party!

Require each guest to bring a bottle of wine of a certain price (choose under $15, or under $10).
As each guest arrives, write down a corresponding number to that bottle. Cover the label with a piece of paper, identified with that number.
Taste the wines througout the evening, with each guest writing down notes on each wine.
Serve crackers, bread, and appetizers.
At the end of the evening have all guests rank the wines, turn in their votes, add all the totals, and see which wine comes out on top!

So to all of you wine loving turkey's out there:

May your stuffing be tasty

May your turkey plump,

May your potatoes and gravy

Have nary a lump.

May your yams be delicious

And your pies take the prize,

And may your Thanksgiving dinner

Stay off your thighs!

Wish I had time for just one more bowl of chili

2009-10-25T19:21:00.000-07:00

"Football is not a game but a religion, a metaphysical island of fundamental truth in a highly verbalized, disguised society, a throwback of 30,000 generations of anthropological time."

- Arnold Mandel

When I watch a sporting event, more often than not, I feel bad for the losing team. My heart goes out to them. There is a good reason for this: I'm a Seattle Sports Fan, and we are usually that team. It's a small price to pay for living in the beautiful northwest!

The good news about being a fan of a losing team, is that there is everything to hope for, nothing to fear, and the victories are so much sweeter. It also means that if you invest a good portion of a Saturday and/or Sunday being a superstar spectator, and your team loses, you feel a little cheated out of your weekend. But you know what? It still beats raking leaves and cleaning the gutters!

Football season offers me a great opportunity to get some exciting cooking done. I've got a tv in the kitchen, the game is on, and I can spend three hours cheering on the Seahawks or Huskies while going for my own kitchen warrier victory. It's cold out, the leaves

have turned color, and it just feels like the perfect day to make...... chili.

Lately, I've had an obsession with two things: butternut squash, and my new Kitchenaid Architect series 12 cup food processor. If I can make a dish utilizing these two things, game on. Now I've made chili 10 ways from Sunday, and there are as many recipes out there as there are disheartened, but loyal, Seahawks fans. (If you've ever been to a sold out game at Qwest Field, you get the picture).

But today, I have chosen, Vegetarian Chili. This recipe is hearty, healthy, and would be a good introduction to butternut squash if you, or someone you are preparing this for, has never had it.

Ingredients

1/4 cup olive oil, divided
2 1/2 cups diced yellow onions
3/4 cup diced red bell pepper
1/2 cup diced yellow bell pepper
2 tablespoons flour
1 large or 2 small jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced
4 cloves minced garlic
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon oregano
2 teaspoons salt, divided
1 large can diced tomatoes, with juice
4 cups vegetable stock
1 can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
3 zucchini diced (1/2-inch)
3 cups butternut squash, chopped into small chunks (I use 2 packages of the pre-cut butternut squash from Trader Joe's)
Sour cream, for serving
Grated sharp Cheddar Cheese, for serving
Chopped green onions, for serving
Chopped fresh roma tomatoes, for serving

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

In a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat, add 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and saute the onion, red and yellow bell peppers until soft and lightly caramelized, about 6 minutes.

Add the two tablespoons of flour, and cook a few minutes longer. Add the jalapeno, garlic, chili powder, cumin, oregano, and 1 1/2 teaspoons of the salt and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes and vegetable stock, bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes. Add the beans and continue to cook at a simmer until the flavors come together, 30 to 40 minutes longer.

While the chili is simmering, toss the zucchini and butternut squash with the remaining oil and the remaining salt and place on a large baking sheet. Roast in a 400 degree until caramelized around the edges, about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and set the zucchini and squash aside to cool while the chili is simmering.

Once the chili has simmered for about 40 minutes, add the zucchini, and butternut squash and cook for 30 minutes longer. Taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary.

Serve the chili hot, with bowls of the sour cream, cheddar, green onions, and tomatoes for guests to garnish their bowls, as desired.

On the side: Prepare a box of cornbread according to package directions, and then add a small can of diced green chiles, and 1 cup of grated, sharp cheddar cheese, then bake as directed.

"Wish I had time for just one more bowl of chili."

Last words of Kit Carson, American frontiersman (1809-1868)

"You HAVE to TRY this"

2009-10-19T20:07:00.000-07:00

Last week I spent an evening with my family, including my little nieces, age 4 and 6. When we arrived at my parents house, Brooke, the 4 year old, grabbed my hand, led me into the kitchen and said

"Auntie Laurie, you HAVE to TRY this".

(picture my hand in her left hand, and her right hand, palm open, waving in downward conviction while saying this) What could it be? She led me to a pumpkin bowl full of candy corn! I thought it was so great that:

A) she was "introducing" me to candy corn, and

B) it's confirmation that the "foodie" gene has made it to the next generation!

It was like the first time I ever had Creme Brulee at Anthony's Homeport, or the butternut squash and goat cheese enchilada at The Cactus. I wanted to tell everyone, you HAVE to TRY this.

Brooke may have also revealed in the same time frame that she would like to be a garbage woman when she grows up, but HEY, so did I when I was four! This really is a kid after my own heart.... Now if I could just keep her from discovering rubber cement...

So, I mentioned in my profile that I love to cook, AND bake. Baking is so very different from cooking. Risking sounding very Rachel Ray, I tend to "eyeball" measurements with the cooking. I season it until I like the taste, regardless of the 1/2 or 1/4 teaspoon that the recipe so carefully calls for.

With baking, that whole science thing is involved, and it turns out it is very important. Anyone who has ever not properly brought the eggs and liquids to room temperature, did not chill the butter, or the dough for that matter, or has used expired baking powder, knows what I am talking about.

I'm pretty stubborn about baked goods being made from scratch... with one exception. Puff Pastry. You know if Ina Garten (my favorite cookbook author, and food network chef) purchases her puff pastry from the freezer section instead of making it, it's ok. I can too. It's also ok for me to make her recipe: Easy Cheese Danish. Yum-O (Rachel, good grief I've had enough already), is all I have to say! After you taste these, you will be telling everyone, you HAVE to TRY this....

Ingredients

8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1/3 cup sugar
2 extra-large egg yolks, at room temperature
2 tablespoons ricotta cheese
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest (2 lemons)
2 sheets (1 box) frozen puff pastry, defrosted
1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

Place the cream cheese and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and cream them together on low speed until smooth. With the mixer still on low, add the egg yolks, ricotta, vanilla, salt, and lemon zest and mix until just combined. Don't whip!

Unfold 1 sheet of puff pastry onto a lightly floured board and roll it slightly with a floured rolling pin until it's a 10 by 10-inch square. Cut the sheet into quarters with a sharp knife. Place a heaping tablespoon of cheese filling into the middle of each of the 4 squares. Brush the border of each pastry with egg wash and fold 2 opposite corners to the center, brushing and overlapping the corners of each pastry so they firmly stick together. Brush the top of the pastries with egg wash. Place the pastries on the prepared sheet pan. Repeat with the second sheet of puff pastry and refrigerate the filled Danish for 15 minutes.

Bake the pastries for about 20 minutes, rotating the pan once during baking, until puffed and brown. Serve warm.

You will seriously impress some people (mostly those unaware of the wonders of store-bought puff pastry) with these tasty little creations.