Mushroom Rigatoni Bake

All New Complete Cooking Light Cookbook p 284.

8 oz uncooked rigatoni or radiatore pasta I used a mix of what I had.
2t butter
1/4 c sliced shallots I used one shallot
8 oz sliced shiitake mushroom caps
4 oz sliced cremini mushrooms I used a package of baby portabello caps
1T chopped fresh thyme dried
1/2t salt
1/4t black pepper
3 garlic cloves, minced
1T dry sherry
1/4 all purpose flour
2c 2% milk skim
1 c grated Asiago cheese, divided
Cooking spray
Thyme springs, optional

1. Preheat oven to 375.
2. Cook pasta according to package directions, but omit salt and fat. Drain well, set aside.
3. Melt butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add shallots, saute 3 minutes. Add mushrooms, thyme, salt, pepper, and garlic; saute 8 minutes or until mushrooms are tender.

Add sherry, cook 1 minute, stirring frequently. Remove from heat.
4. Place flour in a Dutch oven over medium high heat; gradually add milk, stirring constantly with a whisk. Bring to a boil; cook 1 minute or until slightly thick, stirring constantly with a whisk. Remove from heat, add 1/2 c cheese, stirring until melted. Add pasta and mushroom mixture, tossing well to combine.

Spoon pasta mixture into 8 inch square baking dish lightly coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle evenly with 1/2c cheese.

Bake at 375 for 30 minutes or until cheese melts and begins to brown.

Garnish with thyme sprigs if desired.

The mushroom mixture smelled divine. It was so fantastic that I cannot believe the finished product was so bland and tasteless. I think this is the first recipe from Cooking Light that I haven't thought was out of this world so maybe I did something wrong here? It just was gosh darn no good in our books. :(

TWD...

Here it is, Tuesday again, and I have nothing to show my fellow Tuesdays with Dorie bakers. I wanted to try the polenta and ricotta cake that was chosen for this week, but a combination of factors made it just not happen.

You can easily check out what the other bakers came up with at Tuesdays With Dorie.

I will, however, most certainly partake of next week's challenge, which is a Peanut Butter Torte. The magic words of Peanut Butter were uttered! YEEHAW!

Red Wine Risotto

From: Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker, for Two

2-1/2T unsalted butter
1/4c finely chopped onion or 2 shallots, minced
1 small clove garlic, minced
4 oz fresh mushrooms, halved or thickly sliced
1 c Arborio, Vialone nano, or Carnaroli rice
1/2 c full bodied red wine
1/4t salt
1/3 c grated Parmesan cheese

1. In a small saute pan over medium heat, melt 1-1/2 T of the butter. Add the onion, garlic, and mushrooms and cook until soft, 2 minutes. Add the rice and cook for 1 minute, stirring, to coat the grains. Scrape the mixture into the slow cooker with a heatproof rubber spatula. Add the broth, wine, and salt.
2. Cover and cook on HIGH for 2 to 2-1/2 hours, until all the liquid is absorbed but the rice is still moist. Stir in the remaining 1T of butter. Sprinkle with the cheese and serve immediately.

This smelled FANTASTIC. It was very tasty too. All that said, it was way too much to eat as a main course. The recipe indicates that it serves two, and it makes a lot. Both of us felt that after eating about half of it, that it was just too much of the same... but it would be a great side dish.

So, for my first time making risotto, this came out pretty well. But we are definitely not risotto for dinner people.

Tuesdays with Dorie--Carrot Cake

I didn't participate in TWD this week. Carrot Cake just isn't our thing and things were way too busy this weekend.

However, you can see the wonderful creations the other TWD bakers came up with here!

W/o April 21

Monday--Red Wine Risotto
Tuesday--Spicy Shrimp
Wednesday--On Own
Thursday--Roasted Red Pepper Relish Chicken
Friday--Leftover Pork Cutlets
Saturday--On Own
Sunday--Passover Dinner; catered

Lemon Meringue Pie

Crust, before baking

Crust, after baking

Sugar mixture

Sugar and lemon mixture

Creamy goodness

Meringue, before baking

Meringue, after baking

Finished product, side view

Slice


ATK..coming soon.

A tradition from BAJ's family was that on someone's birthday, he/she got to pick dessert. In trying to keep up that tradition, I asked BAJ what he wanted for his birthday dessert. He said he wanted Lemon Meringue Pie, so I thought I'd give it a go.

Ironically, as I was making the lemon cream and the meringue, Alton Brown's Good Eats ran on the same dessert.

So anyway... this is a hard, complicated recipe. I did it in pieces, first making the crust on day 1 and the rest on day 2. The crust smelled SO good while it was baking, with the graham crackers mixed in. If I ever decide to torture myself again, I will certainly be making this crust again.

So when we went to eat the pie, I had a really hard time slicing it. The edges of the crust were on the..stiff side.

The verdict was that it wasn't terrible, but it wasn't fantastic either. It was decent, but I think I'll just shell out the bucks for a store bought pie next time!

Portobello mushroom lasagna

Boiling water, melting butter and oil, boiling milk

One of the layers

Finished product

From Barefoot Contessa at Home by Ina Garten. Can also be found on the food network's website.

Pictures coming soon!

This created a LOT of dishes, which takes it down several notches in BAJ's book. It took me about an hour of working, and was followed by an hour of baking/cooling.

This WOULD have been tasty, and the parts we were able to eat were good. I will probably make it again. The problem, however, was that I halved the recipe but baked it according to the directions--there was a LOT of really hard pasta along the edges. And this is one of the things that picky BAJ doesn't like--hard pasta. All that said, he did eat the softer parts; we both picked through the pan and ate what we could.

Bourbon chicken

From recipezaar

Ingredients

2 lbs boneless chicken breast, cut into bite-size pieces

1-2 tablespoon olive oil

1 garlic clove, crushed

1/4 teaspoon ginger

3/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1/4 cup apple juice

1/3 cup light brown sugar

2 tablespoons ketchup

1 tablespoon cider vinegar

1/2 cup water

1/3 cup soy sauce

Directions

1. Heat oil in a large skillet.
2. Add chicken pieces and cook until lightly browned.
3. Remove chicken.
4. Add remaining ingredients, heating over medium Heat until well mixed and dissolved.
5. Add chicken and bring to a hard boil.
6. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
7. Serve over hot rice and ENJOY.

A message board I am on was raving about "the bourbon chicken recipe." I couldn't find theirs, so went in search of my own. I particularly liked this one because it doesn't call for bourbon, which I don't have on hand. I did, however, have everything THIS recipe calls for on hand. WAHOO!

I was out of brown rice, so I served this with jasmine rice, which worked out pretty well. This was pretty tasty, and while the sauce wasn't **just** like that of a Chinese food place, it was good enough for us.

I only used 2 chicken breasts and guessed on the rest of the ingredients; maybe measuring properly would make this more like a restaurant's, but I was still happy with how this turned out.

Tuesdays with Dorie--Marshmallows

The recipe: (Taken from A Year From Oak Cottage)

*Marshmallows*

Including marshmallows as a spoon dessert may seem like cheating -- after all, they're eaten with fingers (or, by campers, from sticks picked up in the forest) -- but making them at home is too much fun to miss. And in fact this dessert is related to others in this chapter: the base is meringue -- sweetened and strengthened by a cooked sugar syrup and fortified by gelatin.There's nothing difficult about making the marshmallows, but the meringue does need a long beating. While you can use a hand mixer, a stand mixer makes the job easier.I'm giving you the recipe for a basic vanilla marshmallow. See Playing Around (below) for raspberry, chocolate, cappuccino and pumpkin marshmallows.Makes about 1 pound marshmallows

About 1 cup potato starch (found in the kosher foods section of supermarkets) or cornstarch

2 tablespoons light corn syrup

2 1/4-ounce packets unflavored gelatin

3 large egg whites, at room temperature

3/4 cup cold water

1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

1 1/4 cups plus 1 tablespoon sugar

GETTING READY: Line a rimmed baking sheet -- choose one with a rim that is 1 inch high -- with parchment paper and dust the paper generously with potato starch or cornstarch. Have a candy thermometer at hand.

Put 1/3 cup of the water, 1 1/4 cups of the sugar and the corn syrup in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Once the sugar is dissolved, continue to cook the syrup -- without stirring -- until it reaches 265 degrees F on the candy thermometer, about 10 minutes.

While the syrup is cooking, work on the gelatin and egg whites. In a microwave-safe bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over the remaining cold water (a scant 7 tablespoons) and let it sit for about 5 minutes, until it is spongy, then heat the gelatin in a microwave oven for 20 to 30 seconds to liquefy it. (Alternatively, you can dissolve the gelatin in a saucepan over low heat.)

Working in the clean, dry bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or in another large bowl with a hand mixer, beat the egg whites on medium-high speed until firm but still glossy -- don't overbeat them and have them go dull.

As soon as the syrup reaches 265 degrees F, remove the pan from the heat and, with the mixer on medium speed, add the syrup, pouring it between the spinning beater(s) and the sides of the bowl. Add the gelatin and continue to beat for another 3 minutes, so that the syrup and the gelatin are fully incorporated. Beat in the vanilla.

Using a large rubber spatula, scrape the meringue mixture onto the baking sheet, laying it down close to a short end of the sheet. Then spread it into the corners and continue to spread it out, taking care to keep the height of the batter at 1 inch; you won't fill the pan. Lift the excess parchment paper up to meet the edge of the batter, then rest something against the paper so that it stays in place (I use custard cups).

Dust the top of the marshmallows with potato starch or cornstarch and let the marshmallows set in a cool, dry place. They'll need about 3 hours, but they can rest for 12 hours or more.

Once they are cool and set, cut the marshmallows with a pair of scissors or a long thin knife. Whatever you use, you'll have to rinse and dry it frequently. Have a big bowl with the remaining potato starch or cornstarch at hand and cut the marshmallows as you'd like -- into squares, rectangles or even strips (as they're cut in France). As each piece is cut, drop it into the bowl.

When you've got 4 or 5 marshmallows in the bowl, reach in with your fingers and turn the marshmallows to coat them with starch, then, one by one, toss the marshmallows from one hand to the other to shake off the excess starch; transfer them to a serving bowl. Cut and coat the rest of the batch.

SERVING: Put the marshmallows out and let everyone nibble as they wish. Sometimes I fill a tall glass vase with the marshmallows and put it in the center of the table -- it never fails to make friends smile. You can also top hot chocolate or cold sundaes with the marshmallows.

STORING: Keep the marshmallows in a cool, dry place; don't cover them closely. Stored in this way, they will keep for about 1 week -- they might develop a little crust on the outside or they might get a little firmer on the inside, but they'll still be very good.

*Playing Around*

RASPBERRY MARSHMALLOWS: Fruit purees are excellent for flavoring these candies.For raspberry marshmallows, you'll need a generous 1/3 cup of puree; reduce the vanilla extract to 1/4 teaspoon. After the batter is mixed, gently fold in the puree with a rubber spatula. You can use the same measurements and technique for other purees, such as strawberry, mango and passion fruit.

CAPPUCCINO MARSHMALLOWS: Sift 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, 2 tablespoons instant espresso powder and 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon together into a small bowl. Stir in 1/3 cup boiling water and mix until smooth. Reduce the vanilla extract to 1/2 teaspoon, and add it to the espresso mix. After you add the sugar syrup and gelatin to the meringue, beat in the espresso mixture and continue.

LIGHT CHOCOLATE MARSHMALLOWS: Melt 3 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate and stir in 2 1/2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder. Reduce the vanilla extract to 1/4 teaspoon, and after the marshmallow batter is mixed, fold in the chocolate mixture with a large rubber spatula.

PUMPKIN SPICE MARSHMALLOWS: Whisk together 1/2 cup canned unsweetened pumpkin puree, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger, a pinch of freshly grated nutmeg and a pinch of ground allspice. After the marshmallow batter is mixed, fold in the spiced pumpkin with a large rubber spatula.

I had mangoes on hand, and lots of them, so decided I would make mango marshmallows. BAJ, who doesn't know I'm participating in a "Group Bake," looked at me as if I had two heads for 1. Trying to make marshmallows from scratch, and 2. Mango Marshmallows? Who ever heard of such a thing.

So anyway, I went to it. Everything was going well, although it did take longer than suggested to get my syrup to the proper temperature--I increased it and it zoomed past it! LOL.

I have learned that gelatin smells nasty. Like "wow, this is the inside of an animal's bones" nasty. I was really afraid that the mallows would taste like it too, and they sort of did smell like it at first...

I decided (too late, unfortunately) to make these in an 8x8 pan. Too late because I started to make it in an 8x12 (or something... I can never remember the sizes) and then tried to transfer it. I only have two hands and lost some of the batter and made a big mess.

When they were finished, we each had a bite. It didn't seem very...marshmallow-ey to either of us. But we took them to friends' house anyway. After sitting (I also sprinkled some powdered sugar on top, just to reduce the cornstarchiness), they became much more like the marshmallows we know and love.

One problem was that my mango was not fully ripe, which added a strange taste to the mallows.

I definitely plan to make these again; I just didn't have enough time to do so before today.

Pasta Primavera

By Giada on the Food network's website

3 carrots, peeled and cut into thin strips
2 medium zucchini or 1 large zucchini, cut into thin strips Omitted
2 yellow squash, cut into thin strips Omitted
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 yellow bell pepper, cut into thin strips I used two
1 red bell pepper, cut into thin strips Omitted
1/4 cup olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon dried Italian herbs or herbes de Provence
1 pound farfalle (bowtie pasta)
15 cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup grated Parmesan

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

On a large heavy baking sheet, toss all of the vegetables with the oil, salt, pepper, and dried herbs to coat. Transfer half of the vegetable mixture to another heavy large baking sheet and arrange evenly over the baking sheets. Bake until the carrots are tender and the vegetables begin to brown, stirring after the first 10 minutes, about 20 minutes total.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente, tender but still firm to the bite, about 8 minutes. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid.

Toss the pasta with the vegetable mixtures in a large bowl to combine. Toss with the cherry tomatoes and enough reserved cooking liquid to moisten. Season the pasta with salt and pepper, to taste. Sprinkle with the Parmesan and serve immediately.

I meant to add baby portabella caps to the veggies, since it was suggested in the reviews... I simply forgot to do it though. I saw them sitting there on the microwave, where BAJ had taken them out for me, after the first ten minutes of roasting. Boo!

But anyway, this was fantastic. The flavor was just great, and this will definitely be made here again--with mushrooms next time!

The instructions said to slice everything into thin strips, which I did... perhaps I sliced TOO thin, however. Some of the slices...disintegrated is really the only way to say it. I think the char added a nice flavor, but at the same time, some of the veggies were wasted.

Penne with Vodka Sauce

From Italian Classics by the Editors of Cooks Illustrated magazine

1 28 oz can diced or whole tomatoes I used 2-14.5 oz cans diced tomatoes
2 medium cloves garlic, peeled and minced
3 T extra virgin olive oil
3 T coarsely chopped fresh basil
1/4 t sugar
salt
1 lb pasta

1. If using whole tomatoes, coarsely chop them.
2. Add 1t water to the garlic I didn't. Heat 2 T oil and the garlic in a 10" saute pan over medium heat until fragrant but not browned, about 2 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes; simmer until thickened slightly, about 10 minutes. Stir in the basil, sugar, and 1/2t salt.
3. Meanwhile, bring 4 qt water to a rolling boil in a large pot. Add 1T salt and the pasta and cook until al dente. Reserve 1/4c cooking water; drain the pasta and return it to the pot. Mix in the reserved cooking water, sauce, and remaining oil; cook together over medium heat for 1 min, stirring constantly.

OK, now take this recipe and make these modifications to make it a vodka sauce...

Add 1/4t crushed red pepper flakes with the garlic. Halfway through the 10 minute simmer, add 1/2c vodka. Add 1c heavy cream and ground black pepper (to taste) along with the remaining seasonings.

Transfer the sauce to a food processor I did it in three batches and pulse to a coarse puree. Return to the pan; simmer over medium heat to thicken, 2-3 min.

My father in law, perhaps the world's pickiest eater, who has not liked anything I've made yet, was coming over for dinner. I had planned chicken, which he doesn't eat, for dinner that night, so had to find something I could make without a trip to the grocery store, that he would eat. I had this cookbook out from the library, and so flipped through for some ideas. This is what I came up with. Not only did he eat it, but he also went back for seconds!

This was really stinking good. It took me about 30 minutes from start to finish. Cooks Illustrated is quickly becoming my go to source for cooking; I might have to ask for a subscription to their mag for my birthday. I tasted the sauce before serving and thought it tasted a little too vodka-y, but somewhere along the way that taste dissipated and the sauce was fantastic. BAJ made some garlic bread, which was fantabulous and a perfect touch to go along with this sauce.

A definite keeper in the Feisty home!

Shrimp with Garlic Cream Sauce

I found this recipe over at Proceed with Caution.

Shrimp with Garlic Cream Sauce
Ingredients
~1.5 tbsp butter
~1 tbsp olive oil
~3 cloves garlic, minced
~1/2 of a shallot, minced I had an enormous shallot, so I only used half.
~uncooked shrimp, peeled and deveined I used about 1/2 a pound
~spices for shrimp - I used salt, pepper, red pepper, and Creole seasoning

~1 plum tomato, pureed

~1/2 cup dry white wine None on hand; I used chicken broth
~1/4 tsp basil

~1/2 cup heavy cream

~1/3 grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

~Melt butter and heat olive oil in saute pan. Add garlic and shallot, cook 1-2 minutes.

~Season shrimp and add to pan. Heat 3-5 min until cooked, them remove from pan.

~Add wine, reduce by half over med-high heat.

~Add tomato puree and basil, simmer over low heat for 5 min.

~Stir in cream, heat through.

~Stir in Parmesan cheese. Add shrimp back to sauce to reheat and allow sauce to thicken.

When I added the shrimp back in, I also added some more crushed red pepper because I like it SPICAY! This was really good. I served it with brown rice, but... the baby woke up from his nap and it was finished before I even got to the shrimp. It was gross. But it probably would have been really good! I also served with sugar snap peas. This would be DELIGHTFUL over spaghetti!!

Tuesdays with Dorie-The Most Extraordinary Lemon Cream Tart

**Seeing as the group is called Tuesdays with Dorie, I probably should have saved this post for today, which is why I reposted it!**

I have recently joined Tuesdays with Dorie. This is a blogging group that picks a recipe a week from the cookbook Baking: From my Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan.

This is my first attempt for this group, and the recipe picked is a doozy!

I've started making the dough for the crust. It's currently in the freezer (this was Saturday), because I don't want to make the rest of the tart until tomorrow... why, you ask? Well, BAJ can bring the leftovers into work on Monday, so if I make it tonight, it might not last.

Here's some pictures of my progress on the dough. I started in the food processor, as instructed, but then discovered the bowl of mine is too small for this dough! So I had to transfer to a regular bowl and use a pastry cutter. OY.... my shoulders got really sore. It smelled fantastic, though!






I worried that the dough wasn't dough like at all... as you can see, it was crumbly. Worried, I continued blending. Then, I pressed some pieces together and discovered it was at that point dough like!

Here's what the crust looked like after baking. I, unfortunately, don't have a tart pan and so used my Pyrex pie plate. It was ok, but not nearly as pretty as those of some of the other TWD bakers.

Here's the recipe for the crust, from Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan. I found the recipes here (dough) and here (lemon cream).

I had a hard time getting the lemon cream to 180 degrees, as did many of my fellow bakers. It got to around 160 after almost 15 minutes, was making tracks, so I stopped. I also didn't strain the cream--the zest was so tiny and the strainer was so thin, it wasn't worth my time.

As for the crust... I baked it this afternoon, and then started to make the lemon cream. I discovered I was one egg short--woops! I ran to the store, with instructions for BAJ and the recipe's page clearly marked. He apparently didn't see the "remove foil" part, and then put in the oven for 8 more minutes, followed by 3 more minutes. When I returned, I took off the foil and baked for 5 minutes. It started to brown at that point, but hopefully it won't be too brown.

At this moment, the crust is cooling and the lemon cream is refrigerating. I can't wait to try my first DG recipe!

**Updated**

Ok, the crust was pretty hard and tough to cut. We attribute this to the slight overcooking by BAJ. I tasted the cream off the spoon and wasn't impressed, but it was very nice when combined with the crust. It was good, and BAJ even went back for a second slice (asking first, "Is this really bad for us?" but then going for it despite my description of it having more than 2 sticks of butter in the cream alone!), but I don't think it was worth the work... now, the chocolate cake thing on the cover of the book?? THAT might be worth the work...

Before slicing:

Before indulging (please ignore the paper plate...)

In the end, this was pretty tasty, but BAJ decided not to bring it into work. It would have been too difficult for him to keep refrigerated with the way his coworkers eat their snacks around lunchtime. So we planned to have it over the course of the week here at the Feisty home. Alas, neither one of us wrapped it up and put it away, so in the garbage it went. Sad, because it was incredibly decadent.

W/o April 7, 2008

Well, we ate out more than planned last week, and also had an unexpected (albeit homemade) pizza night, so there are a few leftover meals. Beyond that, though, I haven't yet made my meal plan... expect an update around Tuesday.... actually, it looks like I'm home alone more days this week than I'm cooking... I will probably be having LEFTOVERS!

M--Shrimp with Garlic Cream Sauce
T--Bourbon chicken
W--I'm home alone with The Boy
R--I **might** be home alone with The Boy
F--I'm home alone with The Boy
Sa--
Su--

Pork Tenderloin Stuffed with Smoked Gouda and Bacon

I got this one from Elly at Elly Says Opa! Here's the link.

Seeing as Gouda is probably the best cheese in the whole universe, I thought this would be a hit. I got a 1 lb tenderloin, which I thought was awesome since most cuts of meat are for families of four or even more! I learned how to butterfly, something I don't think I've ever done before. I omitted the sage, cause I had none. I also used nitrate free turkey bacon.

This was pretty good. I just wish all my cheese hadn't melted away. Unsure as to cooking time, I consulted my handy dandy Betty Crocker Bridal Edition, which indicated I should cook at 450 for 25-30 minutes, or until meat thermometer said 155. For a 1lb tenderloin, though, it probably should have been closer to 20 minutes. Alas.

The loin was pretty good, and I'll be sure to try this one again. I might try it with regular bacon next time--maybe a low sodium one if I can find it... there was a little too much salty in this for my liking. I served it with Stove Top's roasted garlic flavor (really good!) and a side of carrots.

My presliced loin:

Tuesdays with Dorie--The Most Extraordinary French Lemon Cream Tart, continued

Baked crust

Here's the recipe for the crust, from Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan. I found the recipes here (dough) and here (lemon cream).

I had a hard time getting the lemon cream to 180 degrees, as did many of my fellow bakers. It got to around 160 after almost 15 minutes, was making tracks, so I stopped. I also didn't strain the cream--the zest was so tiny and the strainer was so thin, it wasn't worth my time.

As for the crust... I baked it this afternoon, and then started to make the lemon cream. I discovered I was one egg short--woops! I ran to the store, with instructions for my husband and the recipe's page clearly marked. He apparently didn't see the "remove foil" part, and then put in the oven for 8 more minutes, followed by 3 more minutes. When I returned, I took off the foil and baked for 5 minutes. It started to brown at that point, but hopefully it won't be too brown.

At this moment, the crust is cooling and the lemon cream is refrigerating. I can't wait to try my first DG recipe!

**Updated**

Ok, the crust was pretty hard and tough to cut. We attribute this to the slight overcooking by BAJ. I tasted the cream off the spoon and wasn't impressed, but it was very nice when combined with the crust. It was good, and BAJ even went back for a second slice (asking first, "Is this really bad for us?" but then going for it despite my description of it having more than 2 sticks of butter in the cream alone!), but I don't think it was worth the work... now, the chocolate cake thing on the cover of the book?? THAT might be worth the work...

Before slicing:

Before indulging (please ignore the paper plate...)

Tuesdays with Dorie-The Most Extraordinary French Lemon Cream Tart

I have recently joined Tuesdays with Dorie. This is a blogging group that picks a recipe a week from the cookbook Baking: From my Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan.

This is my first attempt for this group, and the recipe picked is a doozy!

I've started making the dough for the crust. It's currently in the freezer, because I don't want to make the rest of the tart until tomorrow... why, you ask? Well, BAJ can bring the leftovers into work on Monday, so if I make it tonight, it might not last.

Here's some pictures of my progress on the dough. I started in the food processor, as instructed, but then discovered the bowl of mine is too small for this dough! So I had to transfer to a regular bowl and use a pastry cutter. OY.... my shoulders got really sore. It smelled fantastic, though!

Margharita Pizza

Before baking:

After seeing Good Eats about pizza last night, I had a craving. I took some bread dough from the freezer (using my bread machine recipe posted somewhere on this blog) and tried to use some of Alton Brown's tips. I even tried tossing the dough in the air. I did drop it in the sink once, and also had some problems with the dough tearing, but I also couldn't wait for the dough to come to room temp!

So this time around, I put garlic powder, olive oil, and Italian seasonings right on the dough. I then used a little bit of marinara sauce (I used Giada's recipe--as much as I had leftover). I put on some mozzarella cheese and some grated Parmesan, and then topped with halved cherry tomatoes and some chopped fresh basil.

Weeeeell, the crust was kind of hard. It wasn't bad in the area with the sauce and stuff, but it was like eating a rock on the part you hold. The toppings were great; I'll definitely be doing that again.

I think I'm going to try Alton Brown's recipe and all of his methods next time, just to see how they work out.

Solid! Solid as a rock! (But still darn tasty)

Grilled Chicken Salad

I got this recipe from Kim over at Kim-alicious. She got it from In the Kitchen with Rosie.

5 TBS lemon juice

3 TBS low sodium soy sauce

2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped

1/8 tsp black pepper

1 tsp dried basil

3 chicken breasts, pounded about 1/4 to 1/2 inches thin

1 large red onion, trimmed and cut into 1/8 in. rounds

cooking spray

1 pound mixed salad greens I used a bag of spring mix, a bag of French blend, and one Romaine heart.

1 package crumble feta cheese Omitted

1 medium tomato cut into small wedges

For the dressing:

4 TBS lemon juice

4 TBS balsamic vinegar

2 garlic cloves, peeled

2 tsp dried basil

1) Whisk together lemon juice, soy sauce, garlic, black pepper, and basil in a bowl and set aside.

2) Pound chicken thin using plastic wrap to cover the chicken and pound with a meat mallet.

3) Transfer the marinade made in step one to a dish with the chicken and let chicken marinade for at least 3 hours.

4) Preheat the grill.

5) Turn on broiler in the oven.

6) Place onion rounds on a baking sheet. Spray with cooking spray on both sides. Place onions under the broiler and cook about 5 minutes on each side. Cooking times may vary so make sure you watch them.

7) Cook chicken on grill until done.

8) Use remaining salad ingredients to make the salad.

For the dressing:

Combine all ingredients for the dressing in a blender. Mix until garlic is finely chopped.

I marinated the chicken breasts overnight, and the marinade smelled fantastic. I grilled on the George Foreman at 375 for 5 minutes, and then sliced them on the bias. We both liked the salad, and will probably make it again. However, the dressing wasn't great. The blend was kind of strange, and we also felt like it took away from the flavor of the chicken. I think in the future, I'll make some extra marinade and try that as a dressing... like I said, it smelled fantastic!

Chicken and Green Beans in White "Wine" Sauce

Original recipe here
I read about it in my friend Lauren's blog

I bought the artichoke hearts, but then remembered that I had fresh green beans in the fridge...and they might go bad. I used those instead. Then I realized that I had no white wine!! YIKES! So I used more chicken broth instead... it was good. I'd like to try it with the original plan one day.

I made mashed potatoes on the side, which were fantastic with the sauce.

This was a pretty straightforward recipe--dredge the chicken in flour, fry them up, and serve the with a sauce--but the results were pretty good!

Penne with Sausage and Peppers

Found in Woman's Day Magazine

12 oz fresh sweet or hot Italian pork sausages, removed from casing I used sweet turkey/chicken sausage
1 Tbsp olive oil
3 bell peppers, thinly sliced I used 2 red peppers
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
2 tsp minced garlic
1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes with basil
1/2 tsp each salt and freshly ground pepper
1 lb penne pasta I used ziti

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a rapid boil.

2. Meanwhile cook sausage in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat 5 minutes or until browned, breaking up chunks with a wooden spoon. Remove to a plate.

3. Add oil, peppers and onion to skillet. Cook, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes or until lightly browned. Push vegetables aside, add garlic and sauté 1 minute until fragrant. Stir in sausage, tomatoes, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer 10 minutes to blend flavors.

4. Meanwhile stir pasta into boiling water and cook as package directs.

5. Drain pasta, transfer to a large serving bowl, add sauce and toss to mix and coat.

Per serving: 547 cal, 20 g pro, 67 g car, 4 g fiber, 21 g fat (7 g saturated fat), 43 mg chol, 855 mg sod

I just found this online here, and the instructions ask for the veggies to be removed and the garlic cooked on its own. I just cooked the garlic in with the veggies to save some time and it came out great. The magazine claims that this is only $1.07/serving... WOW! Of course, it made a LOT of food. Even though I went back for thirds (nursing ROCKS), there was still enough left to freeze some and still have at least 2 lunch servings. This was really easy and fast, and I liked it a good deal. The Husband (hereafter referred to as BAJ) said it was ok... he must have liked it at some point since it was in my "keeper" recipe file, but I digress. Cheap and easy--that's what I'm talking about!

Why do I buy Food Network stuff?

As I've started blogging and looking for the recipes I make online, it's occurred to me that there's no reason to buy a subscription to Rachael Ray's magazine--it even says in there that every recipe can be found on her website. The same for Giada's stuff--it's all there on the Food Network's website.

I do realize that by publishing the recipes in this form, I don't have to spend hours scouring these websites for recipes. And the magazine is so pretty!

But I won't be extending my subscription (unless someone gifts me a renewal!) and I'm very glad I received Giada's cookbook through Paperbackswap!