Bet you thought Part 9 was it – the end of our traveling dinner party. After all; Part 9 was all about desserts. Aren’t desserts the end of any meal? Yes – most of the time. However; lavish affairs generally end as they began. Friends gather, raise a glass and toast the success of an evening well-spent.
Continue reading “Traveling Dinner Party – Part 10 – Conclusion”
I love this time of the year – from now until New Year’s. It’s this magical time of the year when grocery stores stock and carry Eggnog. I have several recipes for making my own Eggnog, but why make it when it’s so convenient to simply reach for it in the dairy section? Maybe one of these years I’ll make it from scratch, but only at this time of the year.
Most Chicken Taco recipes call for breast meat. Why not change things up a bit by using boneless, skinless chicken thighs instead? The flavor of the dark meat is superior to the white meat. The boneless, skinless variety of thigh meat isn’t overly fatty. And it’s a heck of a lot cheaper. All of these are definite reasons in favor of changing things up a bit.
Continue reading “Slow Cooker Spicy Chicken Thigh Tacos”First let’s talk about Kraft Mac and Cheese for a moment. You know the stuff I’m talking about – comes in a box with a package of powdered cheese. In 1916, Kraft was awarded a patent on their powdered cheese. While the company did not create powdered cheese, it did come up with a new way of processing the powdery substance. By 1937 Kraft had perfected its Mac and Cheese Dinner. The timing was perfect. World War II was looming just over the horizon, and the impact of a world war would create a demand for Kraft Mac and Cheese.
Doesn’t the title of this recipe sound wonderful? Everything in French sounds sinfully delicious. What does it mean in English? Pâté of Chicken Liver with Black Currant. And since today is National Pâté Day, it is only fitting that I share this wonderful recipe with you. It’s one I picked up from my favorite French Food Site, The Everyday French Chef. The recipes are simple and yet true to their very French roots.
Continue reading “Pâté de Foies de Volaille au Cassis”This is a recipe I had intended to publish months ago – as in the height of the summer season, when peaches are at their best. Unfortunately, time slipped away from me. (Can it really be the first day of November already?) I could have put this recipe off until next summer, but I was afraid I’d let it slip into obscurity, and this cake is far too moist and yummy to let that happen. So here it is – a well intended share, even if it is a little late in the year.
On a beautiful Saturday morning this past summer, Hubby and I were at our local Farmers Market. I love wandering around the market, with all the colors and smells of fresh picked fruits. One stand in particular had the most luscious selection of yellow and white peaches. At fifty-cents a peach, how could I resist? Besides, we were having a wonderful country-style barbecue later that day, and what could be better than a southern-style up-side-down cake for dessert? (Isn’t it funny that we think of the south when we think of peaches? You know, Georgia Peach – yet peaches actually were first cultivated in China.) Hubby and I picked out several of each, some for baking, some for eating. These peaches were packed with juice, and eating them became a sticky proposition. Hubby finally resorted to eating his peach over the kitchen sink.
Kiddo isn’t much of a fresh fruit kind of guy, but he loved the peach topped cake. His approval is always a plus in my book.
NOTE: The recipe below is for an Almond-Flour cake from scratch. However; if baking from scratch isn’t your thing, you could use a yellow cake mix. Just add a little Almond Extract to the batter, and soldier on.
Peachy Almond Up-Side-Down Skillet Cake
1 stick unsalted butter plus 1 tablespoon, at room temperature
3/4 Cup Brown Sugar
3 medium yellow peaches, pitted and cut into 6 wedges each
1 medium white peach, pitted and cut into 6 wedges each
3/4 cups white sugar
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole almonds
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
3/4 cup whole milk
French Vanilla ice cream, for serving (optional)
Heat the oven to 350 degrees.
Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a 9-inch cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add 3/4 cup brown sugar and cook, stirring occasionally, until smooth and deep golden brown, 5 minutes. Remove from heat and arrange sliced peaches over top to create a “swirling” pattern. Layer center with white peaches, outer “ring” with regular peaches. If necessary, trim peaches to fit. (Reserve any remaining peach slices to garnish over ice cream, if desired). If your peaches leave a lot of juice on your cutting board, add the juices to the batter for a more “peachy” flavored cake.
Combine the flour, almonds, baking powder and salt in a food processor and pulse until the almonds are finely ground.
Beat the remaining 7 tablespoons butter and 3/4 cup white sugar in a large bowl with a mixer on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes.
Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Beat in the vanilla and almond extracts. Beat in the flour mixture in 3 batches, alternating with the milk and beginning and ending with the flour mixture; beat in each addition until just incorporated.
Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan and bake until golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Transfer to a rack and let cool 30 minutes. Run a very thin knife around rim, invert cake onto a plate and let cool completely. Serve with ice cream.
Be it delivery or carry-out; whenever we order Chinese it always seems to include the same favorites – Orange Chicken and Beef and Broccoli. While Lemon Chicken might be included (if available) – Orange Chicken and Beef and Broccoli are an unwritten must. Another favorite in our house is General Tsao’s Chicken – if for no other reason than the heat.
Those who have been following for a while now might remember how much Brother Dear loved smoked sausage. For that matter, how much he loved all things fried – unless it was a vegetable other than a potato. Cooking for Brother Dear could be a bit of a challenge. He was stubborn as a mule and as picky as most two-year-olds when it came to his food. (Notice that I say most – my children were adventurous at mealtime, as is Kiddo. The table was never a battlefield). My mom allowed Brother Dear to eat Chocolate Cake for dinner rather than to fight with him. He never outgrew those childish habits. It was up to me, and later our younger sister to come up with variations of his favorites to keep him from starving. We tried Kilebasa Sausage with Herbed Potatoes and Corn and A Corny Take on Smoked Sausage with Fried Potatoes. These variations of Brother Dear’s Smokes Sausage and Fried Potatoes met with his stamp of approval. That is all but one. For one thing, the entire dish was baked, not fried. And I had the audacity to include carrots! Try as I might to convince him that he could pick out the carrots, he was convinced that the carrots had somehow gotten their carrot cooties on everything. (Ha! Little did he know about all the times I minced carrots so finely to put into sauces and such).
Word of advice to parents everywhere: Don’t raise picky eaters. Encourage your children to try new things. Well-rounded children grow up to be well-rounded adults. Life is overflowing with wonder and flavor and color and . . . you get the idea. Embrace it all!
Smoked Sausage and Potato Bake with Roasted Carrots
1 ½ lbs small Red Potatoes, cut in haves or quartered
1 Onion, slivered thin
½ lb Baby Carrots
2 Tablespoons Melted Butter
1 Teaspoon Salt
1 Teaspoon Garlic Powder
½ Teaspoon Thyme leaves
½ Teaspoon Black Pepper
2 Packages Hillshire Farms Smoked Sausage, coin-cut
Preheat oven to 400-degrees. Spray a 13 x 9 inch casserole dish with cooking spray. Set aside until ready to use.
Clean and cut Red Potatoes. Place in a large bowl.
Add onions, carrots, butter and seasonings to potatoes. Toss to coat evenly.
Place potato mixture into prepared casserole dish. Bake, uncovered, for 40-45 minutes.
While potatoes are cooking, coin-cut smoked sausage, set aside until ready to use.
Add sausage to potato mixture, mix well. Continue to bake 15-20 minutes longer or until potatoes are tender and golden.
Note: For more color, try Purple Potatoes (when you can find them) or Red Onions.
For a few months now I’ve been cooking up some yummy dishes from Mexico. An extension on the whole Taco Tuesday craze if you will. We’ve done so many delicious Mexican inspired dishes.
Those of you who have been following along for a while know that I am recovering from quadruple bypass surgery. Life goes on, and so does the need to prepare simple yet filling meals for my guys. While I’m still limited in my kitchen duties, with a little help from the men in my life, I can still manage to whip up something yummy. I manage just fine with the prep work (providing no lifting is involved) and my guys do just fine putting everything together. Meal time has become a regular family affair, and I’m loving every minute of it.
Continue reading “Mexican Style Picadillo over Mexican Tomato Rice”
A popular Mexican favorite outside of Mexico is the burrito, a tortilla wrapped entrée that is is both delicious and convenient. It’s a meal you can hold in your hand. There is a lot of folklore surrounding the origins of the Burrito and like most “peasant” food, its history is unclear.
What can I say – I was one of those strange kids that liked to play with my food – sculpting, molding, transforming the ordinary into the extraordinary. I remember watching Close Encounters and thinking yeah, give me some mashed potatoes . . .
Continue reading “Big Black Rat Cheese Ball and other Halloween Ideas”Have I mentioned that I like to collect cookbooks? I’ve lost count of how many books are now in my collection. For a while, it was new books (as in new at the time), and later became an obsession with old cookbooks. With very good reason.
Continue reading “Savory Mushroom Pork Chops with Asparagus Stalks”
Happy Halloween everyone! As I sip my first cup of coffee on this beautiful October morning, I survey what was once my kitchen prep table, now buried beneath a mound of candy. With several days to go for Halloween, I am so grateful to have a dining room to eat in.
Recently, I shared my Italian Pot Roast in a Beefy Red Wine Broth with you. Since it’s just Hubby, Kiddo and I, we have a tendency to have left overs from nearly every meal – especially roasts and stews. For the most part, these go into Tupperware containers and make for nice lunches or a clear-out-the-fridge smorgasbord dinner one night during the week.
Continue reading “Deviled Meat Spread for Sandwiches and More”
Welcome to Rosemarie's Kitchen 