Greek Chicken Sliders

I’ve never made a burger before using ground chicken but I have to say that these were really yummy. I had some feta cheese I needed to use but I didn’t want to make a pasta salad and I didn’t have all the ingredients to make my favorite Mediterranean Salad so I started thinking of what I could do. I had taken some chicken out of the freezer for a completely different dish but when the idea came to me, to grind up the chicken and make burgers I knew I had a winner. These are very simple and they have some great flavor. I topped mine with tzatziki sauce for even more yumminess.


What You Need:

1 1/2 lb ground chicken
3/4 c crumbled feta cheese
1/2 c bread crumbs
1 egg
1 tsp dried oregano
1 clove garlic, minced
salt and pepper
veg oil


What To Do:

In a bowl, combine all the ingredients thoroughly, without over mixing it. Preheat a grill or grill pan over high heat. Shape into 6 sliders (or 8 smaller ones). Drizzle a little oil onto each side of the slider to help prevent sticking. Grill for a few minutes on each side or until cooked through completely. Serve on slider buns or mini hamburger rolls with tzatziki sauce.

Note: a little fresh mint, chopped would be good in these burgers too!

Caprese Salad

Caprese salad is nothing more then glorious layers of juicy, red, ripe tomatoes, creamy, soft mozzarella cheese and fragrant, green basil. It’s a great light summer time dish when the days are killer. It’s also great because that’s when tomatoes are in season, making them taste like no other time of year. It’s sad that good ripe tomatoes have such a short window where they’re truly wonderful. While I have never met a tomato I didn’t like, including green ones, everything taste better when they’re in season. I steer away from the traditional and take a slightly route to goodness. I use basil pesto instead of the basil leaves. The traditional flavors are still there, but elevated to another level.
What You Need:
3 large ripe tomatoes
8oz of real mozzarella (not the blocks you find in the dairy isle, but the kind you find in the cheese case)
3/4 c basil pesto
What To Do:
Slice the tomatoes into 5 slices each, then slice the mozzarella into 12 slices and layer it with the tomatoes into 3 row. Drizzle each row with 1/4 cup of the pesto. Enjoy

Classics: Stuffed Mushrooms

Yes, here is another old school classic. It’s one of my dad’s favorites that I can remember a lot as a kid. Just like the deviled eggs, the stuffed mushrooms has undergone transformations over the years. In most restaurants you’ll see mushrooms stuffed with crab meat. Let’s face it, the real stuff can be quite expensive, that is why, in my family, we’ve always used breakfast sausage. I never liked mushrooms as a child. I would always eat the stuffing out of the mushroom, and then give it to my dad. These are also not very figure friendly, but they are an appetizer so you’re not eating a ton of them.

What You Need:

Large white button mushrooms (they come in large packs that are about 12-16oz and contain 6-9 mushrooms)

1/2 lb breakfast sausage (not the heat and serve links or patties but the fresh stuff you find in the meat dept.)

1 small onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 stick butter

2 tbs olive oil

1/2 c – 2/3 c bread crumbs

2 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp dried sage

1/3 c grated parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish

salt and pepper

a few sprigs of flat leaf parsley for garnish

What To Do

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. With a damp cloth or kitchen towel, white the outside of the mushrooms, removing any dirt they may have. Pull out the stems, dice them and set aside. In a large sauté pan over medium heat, cook the sausage, breaking it up as you go until fully cooked. Remove for the pan, leaving any fat behind. Place into a food processor, and pulse a few times until you have coarse crumbs instead of big chunks. Set aside. Return the sauté pan to medium heat and  melt the butter together with the oil. While it’s melting, diced the mushroom stems. Add the onions, garlic and diced stems into the sauté pan. Cook for about 3 minutes or until the onions have softened and started to become translucent. Season with a bit of salt and pepper, the oregano and the sage. Add in the sausage back into the pan, stirring everything to combine well. Stir in the parmesan cheese and 1/2 c bread crumbs. Turn the heat to low and cook for about a minute, giving the bread crumbs time to absorb the moisture. If the mixture still looks really wet, stir in a bit more bread crumbs. Turn off the heat and let cool slightly. Using a spoon and your hands, fill each mushroom, mounding some of it on top. Place into a shallow baking dish and bake for 20-30 minutes or until the mushrooms have slump and the filling is golden brown. Remove the mushrooms to a plate and garnish with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese and a piece of parsley.

Classics: Deviled Eggs

Yes I know, deviled eggs are old school right? They’ve stuck around though. Not a summer, or family get together goes by, where these white and golden beauties don’t make an appearance. Everyone has their own way of making deviled eggs and nowadays, it seems anything goes. People are always taking such a simple classic and updating it with things like bacon, shrimp or other ingredients. I say, keep it simple, and keep it a classic! I have to say that my mom boils her eggs for what seems like forever, meaning I always did the same because I didn’t know better. I thought that green ring around the yolk was supposed to be there. Turns out, I was wrong! The green ring is a sign of over cooked eggs. Follow the directions in the recipe and you’ll have perfect golden yolk only eggs. Another problem is that the shells can be a pain to get off. This happens because the eggs are really fresh, so try and buy them about a week a head of time and this will help that problem.
What You Need:
6 eggs
2 tsp Dijon mustard
2 tbs mayo
2 tbs greek yogurt (or 2 more tbs mayo)
dash of Worcestershire sauce
salt and pepper
paprika for garnish
What To Do:
Place your eggs in a pan large enough so that they fit in a single layer on the bottom without much empty space. Cover the eggs with enough water to come up about an inch or two above the top of the eggs. Bring to a boil over high heat. Once the water is at a full rolling boil, set your timer for 5 minutes. When the time goes off, drain the eggs and fill the pot up with cold water. Drain the eggs again and give them a shake in the pot. Yes this will crack them and that’s what you want. Fill the pot once more with cold water and let sit for another 5 or 10 minutes. This not only stops the cooking and cools the eggs down, but by cracking them you let some water get in and this will help later in removing the shells.
Once the eggs are completely cool, remove the shells and slice each egg in half. Remove the yolks to a bowl, and the empty whites to a platter. With a fork, mash the yolks. You could probably use a ricer here too but I’ve never tried it that way. It’s a good thought for next time! Once the yolks are mashed, stir in the mustard, mayo, yogurt, a tiny dash of Worcestershire and some salt and pepper.  Stir really well to combine. You can either use a spoon to fill the whites or for a fancier look, fill a pastry bag with a large star tip and pipe the yolk mixture back into the white. Sprinkle with a bit of paprika and enjoy! Makes 12

Cheese Steak Sliders

Think of a cross between a cheeseburger and a cheese steak sammie, wrapped up in a tiny package and you get cheese steak sliders. Seasoned ground beef, cooked on the grill then covered with provolone cheese and sauteed onions, peppers, and mushrooms. They are the perfect little package. Great for appetizers or even as a main dish, you're sure to love them!

What You Need:

2 lbs ground beef
1 small onion, finely minced
2 clove garlic, finely minced
1 tsp dried oregano
salt and pepper

What To Do:
Combine the ground beef with the seasoning and make into 12 equal patties. Set aside.

What You Need:


1 tsp veg oil
1 tsp butter
1 bell pepper (any color), chopped
1 large onion, chopped
1/2lb mushroom, chopped
2 clove garlic, minced
salt and pepper
1/2 lb of provolone cheese
12 slider rolls

What To Do:

In a sautee pan over medium heat, melt the butter together with the veg oil. Add in the onions, peppers and mushroom, stirring often. After a few minutes, add in the garlic, salt and pepper. Continue cooking while you cook your sliders. Heat your grill, grill pan or fry pan over high heat. If using a pan, add a bit of oil to help prevent sticking, and start cooking your sliders. Cook about 3 minutes on the first side, flip and turn the heat to medium. Continue cooking until almost done, placing the cheese on to melt for the last minute of cooking.  Place on the slider buns and top each with some of the sauteed onion and peppers.

Coconut Shrimp

Shrimp is by far my favorite kind of seafood. I love it every way I've ever had it by one of my favorites is coconut shrimp. Sort of sweet, crunch, and just all around good, I bake mine to keep it more on the healthy side. It's pretty easy to make with just a handful of ingredients, that makes it a favorite in my house. I'm sure that once you give it a try it will become a favorite in your house too.

What You Need:

1 lb shrimp

2 egg white

1 c corn flakes

1/4 c panko bread crumbs

1/2 c coconut

1 tsp garlic powder

salt and pepper  

What To Do:

Whip the egg whites together with some salt and pepper, and the garlic powder. You want them nice and frothy. In a food processor, place the corn flakes, panko and coconut and pulse it a few times until you have a nice crumbly coating. Coat the shrimp in the egg whites, and then into your crumb mixture, pressing it onto the shrimp so that it sticks. Place on a lightly greased baking sheet and into a preheat 400 degree oven for 10-15 minutes. 

 

Kale Chips

Apparently, Kale chips are all over the internet, yet I am just hearing about them. You would think that as a Goddess of Cooking I would have known about them right? That I would have made them and posted the recipe for you right? Well, unfortunately, I never got the call about these green beauties till just a handful of days ago. Where they came from, I really don't know, but you can find other recipes on cooking sites all over the net and even in the April issue of Food Network Magazine. The best thing is that it fits in with this changing my life around thing. I've gone back to school, I'm taking charge of my life and what I eat, even joined Weight Watcher! These Kale chips fit in perfectly!

What You Need:

1 bunch kale
1/2 tbs olive oil
1/2 tsp garlic powder
sprinkle of salt

What To Do:

Wash and dry the kale then remove the stems. To do this, I take the stem end in one hand, use my other hand to "pull" the leaves from the stem in one quick motion. Tear the leaves up into pieces, and place in a bowl. Toss with the oil, garlic and salt and place on a baking sheet. Bake in a preheated 300 degree oven for about 20 minutes or until crisp!

Sliders

Sliders have become a craze in american food. These mini sammies are made much in the way their larger counter parts are. They can be made from ground beef, ground chicken, thinly sliced meats or mini chicken patties. You can top them with whatever you'd like as well. I kept things very simple. Just a yummy cheese burger sliders with a spicy mayo to give it a little kick.

What You Need:

1lb of ground beef
1 small onion, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
salt and pepper

lettuce leaves
tomato, sliced
1/2 c mayo
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp cumin
6-8 slices of cheddar cheese ( I like to use the "cracker cuts" because they're the perfect size)
Slider buns

What To Do:

Combine the ground beef with the onion and garlic, along with some salt and pepper. Form into 6-8 small patties. To make this easy, and to insure that they are close to the same size, I use a monster cookie scoop. Either grill the sliders over high heat, only flipping once so that they don't fall apart, or cook them on the stove top over medium high heat, again only flipping once. While the sliders are cooking, mix together the mayo with  cayenne and cumin and place a dollop on the top of each of your slider buns. On the bottom of each bun, place some lettuce and a slice of tomato. Once the burgers are just about done, turn the heat off and place a slice of cheese of the top of each. Close the lid to the grill or place a lid on top of your skillet and let them finish for a minute or two or until the cheese has melted. Place on top of your bun and cover with the top bun.

Pot Stickers

About two weeks ago I was trying out some new Asian inspired recipes. I love the combination of flavors within this type of cuisine. Garlic, ginger, soy and some heat from chili's pair together so nicely in my mouth! When we order out from a local Chinese place, my husband gets these steamed dumplings. I'm not sure what's in them to be honest, but I wanted to try and recreate them. According to hubby, I did a darn fine job of doing so. I mixed together some ground pork with garlic, ginger along with some shredded carrots and peas to get some veggies in the mix. The dumplings that my hubby gets are just steamed, which you can do, but I turned them into pot stickers because I love a little bit of crunch!

What You Need:

1 lb ground pork
1 tsp sugar
2 tbs cornstarch
1 tbs soy
1 tbs sesame oil
1 tbs sherry wine or vinegar
1 tbs minced ginger
2 cloves garlic minced
1 carrot, finely shredded
1/2 c frozen peas
2 scallions, minced using both the white part and most of the green parts
1 pkg of wonton wrappers (square) or pot sticker wrappers (round)
Salt and Pepper

What To Do:

In a bowl, combine all the ingredients together, minus the wrappers. Use your hands to throughly mix everything together. Place about 1 tsp or so into the middle of the wrapper. Moisten the edges of the wrapper with a bit of water and fold to close up. If using pot sticker wrappers, just fold one side over the filling, making a half moon shape. You can then pinch the edges together to form a ribbon looking design which is was traditional pot stickers look like. If you can't find the round ones, and are using the square wonton wrappers, moisten the sides and bring the opposite corners together to make an almost pyramid looking shape. Continue until all the filling is gone.

Bring a steamer up to a full boil. Line the steamer with a piece or parchment with holes, or lightly grease the steamer so that the stickers don't stick. Steam the pot stickers in a single layer for 10 minutes. Once steamed sautee them in a skillet with just the tiniest amount of oil until they are golden just on one side. Serve with your favorite dipping sauce or make your own by combining some soy sauce, along with ginger, rice wine vinegar and a bit of sugar.

Savory Palmiers

From left to right: prosciutto/parmsean,
olive tapenade, roasted tomato pesto

Most people know Palmiers as these sweet crunch cookies. My mom as a little girl, would walk down to the local bakery with her grandfather just to get these yummy "elephant ears." Palmiers, however, do not have to be a sweet treat. They can make terrific savory appetizers too. Just like the Olive Tapenade from last week, these savory palmiers are quick and easy to make, and the combinations are nearly endless. This recipe is actually three different ways of making them.

What You Need:

1/4 c olive tapenade
        OR
1/4 c roasted tomato pesto
        OR
6 slices prosciutto
2 tbs parmesan cheese
1 sheet of frozen puff pastry, thawed

What To Do:

Lay our your puff pastry dough and spread the tapenade, OR the pesto over the top, OR lay the slices of prosciutto over the pastry and sprinkle with the parmesan cheese. Roll one of the long sides of the pastry to the center of the sheet, followed by rolling the opposite side into the center. Then slice with a serrated knife about 1/4 inch thick. It's easier to slice them if you flip the whole thing over. They won't unravel as much that way. Place the palmiers onto a parchment line sheet and bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes or until puffy and slightly golden.

Olive Tapenade

With the holiday's right around the corner, many of us will be having large more formal suppers. Appetizers are usually involved and an olive tapenade is something that is very easy to put together and yet is considered to be something fancy. I like using Kalamata olives, however just about any olive you can get from the olive bar in your local grocery store will work just fine. I like serving mine on top of crostini which is just a baguette that has been sliced on the bias, then drizzled with olive oil and placed in the oven to get cripy. When it comes out and is still warm, rub it a clove of garlic. Serve the tapenade on top of the crostini.

What You Need:

1 c pitted Kalamata olives
1 tbs capers, drained
2 anchovy fillets
juice of 1 lemon
2 cloves garlic
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 c extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper

What To Do:

Place all the ingredients into a food processor and pulse until finely chopped and well combined. Seriously, that's it. You can't get much simpler then that!

Parmesan Zucchini Straws

One of my favorite summer time veggies is zucchini. You can find it every where and chances are, if your neighbor has a garden, they'll be more then happy to share the abundance of zucchini the crop normally produces. Like most squash, zucchini is very versatile. It can be grilled, sautéed, put into baked goods or even fried. In fact, growing up my father loved fried zucchini and honestly so did I. This recipe is reminiscent of the fried version but is baked and has much more flavor. What's even better is that my daughter loved it too!!

What You Need:

1 lrg zucchini
2 eggs
2 tbs milk
1 c flour
3/4 c panko bread crumbs
3/4 c Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper
1 tbs garlic powder
Cooking Spray

What To Do:

Preheat your oven to 450 degree

Slice the zucchini into sticks that are 4 or 5 inches in long. I cut the zucchini in half and then into sticks.
Set up 3 dishes. In the first dish, place the flour and season it with some salt and pepper. In the second dish, whisk together the eggs and milk and in the last dish combined the panko with the Parmesan cheese and garlic powder.
All you do is coat the sticks with flour, tapping of the excess before dipping them into the egg and finally into the bread crumbs.Place them in a single layer on a baking sheet that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Give the tops a spray with the cooking spray as well and place in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.

Chilaquiles with Salsa Verde

Chilaquiles are mexican comfort food at it's finest! Tortilla chips cooked in some spicy salsa verde, topped with scallions, shredded cheese and either mexican crema or some sour cream. Words can not describe just how good this is!

What You Need:

Tortilla Chips
1 c salsa verde
3 scallions, diced
1/2 c shredded cheddar or colby jack cheese
Mexican Crema or Sour cream thinned with some lime juice

What To Do:

Make a small batch of home made tortilla chips by following the directions here.
In a sautee pan, gently heat the salsa verde. Toss in enough tortilla chips for 2 people or a good couple handfuls. Let the chips cook for a couple minutes. Remove to an oven safe dish and sprinkle with the scallions and cheese. Place in a preheated 350 oven just till the cheese is melted. Drizzle the top with the mexican crema or the thinned sour cream.

Beef and Bean Nachos

On a Mexican kick, yet again, I set out to find a good nacho recipe. I found some that used canned nacho cheese sauce, some that made their own cheese sauce, some that chips were on the bottom, some where you dipped the chips in and even some that had so many spices and jalapeños that I'm sure I'm mouth would be on fire for days. I was looking for something simple to make, not to many ingredients and most importantly, something that wouldn't kill my husbands taste buds. He's such a light weight when it comes to heat. Using just plain old taco seasoning, some fresh veggies and colby jack cheese, I made pub style nacho's that I could really sink my teeth into!

What You Need:

1lb ground beef
1 pkg taco seasoning
1 can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 large ripe tomato, diced
1/2 bunch scallions, diced
1/4 c sliced black olives
1 or more jalapeños, sliced (optional)
2 c shredded colby jack cheese
Tortilla chips

What To Do:

Preheat your oven to 350.

In a skillet, brown the beef till no longer pink. Add in the taco seasoning and beans and stir well to combined.
In the bottom of a large pie plate, dump a bunch of chips. Cover with the meat and beans, followed by the tomato, scallions, olives and jalapeños if using. Top everything with the cheese and place in the oven for about 10-15 minutes or until the cheese is completely melted and everything is warmed through. I have found that my homemade tortilla chips stand up better, then store bought ones.

How To Make: Tortilla Chips

Recently we were at a real Mexican restaurant, and by real I mean authentic Mexican food, not a bunch of people like myself who, while we enjoy cooking it, just can't compete with the real deal. There they had served nice warm tortilla chips and fresh salsa with every meal. The tortilla chips were dark in color, slightly thick and perfectly crunchy. The were of course, made right there at the restaurant, and me being me, decided I could do it myself at home. I bought a large stack of corn tortilla and let them sit out overnight to become stale and dry out a bit. Then I cut them into wedges and fried them up, but they weren't these nice dark, incredible crunchy chips. Instead they were kind of toothy and definitely need some salt. I found that if I threw them in the oven for a bit on low heat that they would loose the rest of the moisture and become dark, creating the perfect tortilla chip for  the nacho's and Chilaquiles that I was making that night.

What You Need:


A stack of corn tortilla chips
Veg Oil
Salt


What To Do:


Flip through the stack of corn tortilla's just to loosen them from each other. Then let sit overnight to help dry them out. When you're ready to cook them, heat a couple inches of veg oil in a large pot to about 375 degrees.
Cut each tortilla in half, then each half into thirds. When the oil is hot, add in some of the tortillas. Make sure you stir them for the first 30-60 seconds so that they don't all stick together. Then let them cook, stirring occasionally until they are no longer soft and floppy, about 2 minutes or so. Remove to paper towels to drain excess oil and give a sprinkle with some salt. Work in batches until all the tortillas are cooked. Place chips onto a baking pan and into a preheated 200 degree oven. Let them cook until they have become brown and crunchy. Try and eat them the same day as they go stale quickly. 


Here's another way to make them:


Not into frying? I don't blame you. Lots of fat and calories there. You're in luck though! Tortilla chips can easily be made in the oven as well. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. After cutting your corn tortillas into wedges, place them in a mostly single layer on a baking sheet. Give them a quick spritz with cooking spray and sprinkle with salt. You can even sprinkle them with garlic or cayenne for a tasty difference. Then just bake them for 10-15 minute or until they've slightly browned and have become crisp. 

Seven Layer Dip

The story behind this dip is sort of a funny one. My step-grandmother loves to cook and when my grandfather was still alive and well they used to do tons of travelling and I was fortunate enough to go on several trips with them. One long labor day weekend we took the motor home up to Susquehanna Pennsylvania, to some camp ground that sat right on the river. It was one of the best weekends ever. I met tons of kids my age, there was a dance and the best part was a pig roast. Seeing the pig roasting on a spit over an open fire is one thing I'll never forget. Now onto the dip. Everyone made food for everyone and Grammy had this old dip recipe in her book that she asked me to make for her. Always inspiring me to cook, I gladly excepted and went to work. It wasn't very hard at all. Refried beans, sour cream, tomatoes, and olives among other ingredients, all layered together and covered with shredded cheese. When we got home, I told my mom about this yummy dip and that she needed to get the recipe from Grammy. The first time mom went to make it she happened to take the label off the can of refried beans and located on the underside was the very same "old" recipe that Grammy had given her. When Grammy came over later that day mom told her about the recipe she found on the label and handed it to her. Grammy took a look and started laughing. It remained a joke in our family for a while, but the dip lasted much longer. To this day my mom still makes it for almost every get together we have. It's one of our favorite things!! We now make this recipe from memory and while it's probably not exactly the same one on the label, it's super delicious!

What You Need:

1 can (9oz) refried beans (found in the chip isle)
juice from 1 lime
1 tsp garlic powder
1 c sour cream
1/4 c mayo (use the real stuff, not the salad dressing kind)
1 pkg taco season
2 vine riped tomoatos, diced (roughly 1 cup)
1 bunch of scallions, diced using the whites and most of the greens
1 small jar (5-6oz) black or green olives, diced
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
2 bags of your favorite corn chips, such as Cool Ranch or Nacho Cheese, plain ones work well too

What To Do:

Layer 1: Spread the refried beans in the bottom of a 13x9 baking pan.
Layer 2: Sprinkle the lime juice and then the garlic powder over the beans
Layer 3: Combine the sour cream, mayo, and taco seasoning together in a bowl. Spread over last layer
Layer 4: Sprinkle on the tomatoes
Layer 5: Sprinkle on the scallions
Layer 6: Sprinkle on the olives
Layer 7: Cover with the shredded cheddar cheese

Keep the dip refrigerated until ready to eat. Serve with the chips.

Fried Pickles

I am a subscriber to Food Network Magazine. I love all the recipes and information contained in each one. There is a recipe index in the beginning so finding a recipe you saw in the magazine is easily found again. Not to mention there is a picture of each recipe too.
In May's addition not only did I find some wonderful desserts and great pancake recipes but I found a little blurb that mentioned a recipe for fried pickles. Yes, I said friend PICKLES!! Now being pregnant I instantly gravitated towards this recipe. It's not that I haven't heard about this before because I"m sure some where among the fair and carnival eat's of fried Oreo's (which are amazing!) and fried candy bars I'm sure I've seen fried pickles. This recipe actually looks like it would work great for fried green tomatoes too! So straight from the Food Network Magazine and FoodNetwork.com I give you: Fried Pickles!!!

***Photograph by Antonis Achilleos

Beat 1 egg, 3/4 cup milk and a pinch ofcayenne. 

Place 1/4 cup cornstarch in a shallow dish. 

In another dish, mix 1/2 cup eachcornstarch and cornmeal with 2 tablespoons chopped dill, 2 teaspoons paprika, and salt and pepper. 

Dip about 3 dozen cold pickle slices in the plain cornstarch, then the egg wash, then the cornmeal mixture. 

Fry in 2 inches of 375 degrees F canola oil until golden, about 3 minutes. Drain on paper towels and serve with ranch dressing.

French Onion Soup

There is a little restaurant in the town of Wellsville NY, called the Beef Haus. Their menu isn't very big, but the food is incredible and the price is right. It is my favorite place to eat and we normally go there for just about any occasion. They make a French onion soup that is to die for! I swear it has to be because of all the beef scraps and bones that they must make their beef stock with. While I have tried unsuccessfully to get them to part with their recipe, I have failed on all attempts. My recipe comes close, and my husband says it's so much better then the the Beef Haus, but I'm still partial to theirs. Perhaps it's because I don't have to cook it!


What You Need:


3-4 large white onions, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tbs olive oil
3 tbs butter
1/2 c sherry
6-8 cups beef stock
1 tsp dried thyme, or a couple sprigs of fresh
salt and pepper
2 tbs beef base
8 slices of Gruyère cheese
4 thick slices French bread
Parmesan cheese
Parsley


What To Do:

In a heavy bottomed pot, slowly sautee the onions and garlic in the olive oil and butter. You want to caramelize the onions and to do this they need to be cooked over medium low heat, stirring only when they start to brown on the bottom. You can add a pinch or two of sugar to the onions to help this process if you'd like. Once the onions are cooked, season with a pinch of salt and some black pepper. Turn the heat up to high and once the onions start to sizzle, deglaze the pan with the sherry. Add in the beef stock, thyme and beef base, give it a stir and let simmer for at least 30 minutes. This gives a chance for the flavors to combine and concentrate.

While the soup is cooking, take 4 thick slices of French bread, drizzle each side with a bit of olive oil and place on a cookie sheet in a preheated 350 degree oven until golden brown and crispy. About 10 minutes or so.
When the soup is done, preheat your broiler and ladle the soup into oven safe crocks. Float a piece of toast on top of each soup. Place two pieces of cheese on top of that, so that it covers the entire crock and hangs off the side a pit. Sprinkle a little bit of Parmesan cheese on the top and place under the broiler for a few minutes. You want the cheese to be melted, bubbly and slightly browned. Carefully remove the crocks from the oven, they will be pretty hot. Place on a plate and sprinkle the top of the soup with a little freshly chopped parsley.


Just a couple notes:
--When choosing a bread for french onion soup, I usually buy a batard. It's shorter and wider then the normal french bread and is usually the perfect size for my soup crocks.
--Gruyère is a french swiss cheese that is most commonly used for french soup. It can found in the cheese case of every grocery store I have ever been to, plus it's the only swiss cheese I like. If you're not partial to swiss or can't find it for some reason, a provolone cheese would work as well.
--The sherry I use is found near the specialty vinegars like balsamic. It's just a small bottle, and inexpensive which works perfectly for this recipes as it's the only thing I use sherry for. It's normally on the top shelf, along side the white wine for cooking. 
--Beef base is this thick, molasses like concentration of beef stock. It gives the soup a great depth of flavor. You'll find it near the canned soups, however it could be near bouillon cubes as well. Look for the brand "Better than Bouillon"

Bacon Wrapped Scallops

Fish has never really been my thing. When I was younger my family would throw huge get together's in the summer time with tons of steamed clams and shrimp cocktails and I would eat them with no problem. While my family still has get together's, clams don't grace the table often. In the summer time it's fish fry's made with trout or bass and in the winter it's bacon wrapped scallops. I will not eat scallops any other way. The salty smoky flavor from the bacon permeates the delicate flesh and taste of the scallops. They make the perfect and elegant appetizer for any dinner party. You can use either bay scallops which are smaller, about 100 per pound and sweeter in taste, or the big sea scallops which have a chewier taste. Bay scallops  generally come from the east coast and have a very short season, but are less expensive then sea scallops whose season runs from fall to spring.

What you need:

Approx 1 lb of sea scallops, or 1/2 lb bay scallops
Approx 1 lb of sliced bacon
Salt and Pepper


What to do:

If you are using the larger sea scallops cut them in half. Season scallops with salt and pepper. Cut the bacon in half or into thirds depending on the size of scallops and wrap one piece around a scallop. Use a tooth pick to secure if needed. Place under a broiler until the bacon is crisp and the scallop is cooked through. Just a few mins should do it.

H A P P Y  C O O K I N G !!

Buffalo Potato Skins

In a town called Portville, in the state of New York sits a maple farm named Spragues. They are nestled on a beautiful hillside among hundreds of sugar maple trees. They tap their trees every spring and make some really delicious maple syrup. Spragues also has an incredible restaurant. When you walk in the front door you see all the equipment just waiting for the maple sap. Walk a little further and you come to this huge open area with gorgeous wood floors, booths and paneling.  Look up and you'll see these huge chandeliers made from what I can only assume are caribou antlers. The first time you venture into Spragues won't be your last I can promise you that! From their pancakes infused with maple syrup and ranging from blueberry to buckwheat, to their very tasty lunch and dinner selections, there is something for everyone. I have been there several times and have always had breakfast. It's my favorite meal. However one time we decided to try lunch. On their appetizer menu was something called Buffalo Potato Skins. They sounded so good that my husband and I had to try it. When I was back home, I was thinking of something different to make one night and these potatoes crossed my mind. I decided to take some potato wedges and fry them until they were golden brown and crispy, cover them in wing sauce and cheddar cheese and well lets just say I gobbled them up! So here is my version, which would be perfect to serve up during the upcoming super bowl!

What You Need:
1 large russet potatoe per person or a large bag of frozen potato wedges
Salt
Garlic Powder
Your favorite buffalo wing sauce
Shredded Cheddar cheese
Sour cream, blue cheese dressing or ranch dressing for dipping
Oil for frying

What To Do:
If your using frozen potato wedges, place in hot oil and cook until they are golden brown and crispy. To use russet potatoes, pre-cook them in the microwave or oven first until the are mostly cooked through but still a little hard. Slice them into wedges once cooled and cook in hot oil until they are golden brown and crispy.

Remove crispy potatoes to paper towel to drain and season with a good healthly pinch of both salt and garlic.
Place a bowl and pour just a little wing sauce on top. Toss them to coat, adding more sauce if needed.
Place onto a serving plate and cover with cheddar cheese. Place them in a hot oven to just melt the cheese or into the microwave for a few seconds to melt it. Serve with sour cream, blue cheese dressing, or ranch dressing for dipping along side.



H A P P Y  C O O K I N G !!