Strawberry-Watermelon Sorbet

On my drive back to New Orleans from Lafayette, I stopped at a roadside stand and picked up a flat of strawberries. Louisiana's strawberries are wonderful and I'm always sad to see the end of fresh, local berries.

I decided to start using them up by making Strawberry-Watermelon Sorbet. I watched John Besh's New Orleans the other day and saw him making this for dessert. It is a super easy recipe and is like eating summer!

WATERMELON-STRAWBERRY SORBET

1 pint strawberries, hulled

1 cup diced, seeded watermelon

1 teaspoon lemon juice

About 1/2 cup granulated sugar

1. In a blender, purée strawberries, watermelon, lemon juice and sugar until smooth. Taste to make sure the purée has the correct amount of sugar. Add more sugar or fruit if necessary.

2. Transfer to the canister of an ice cream maker and process according to the manufacturer's instructions. Keep the sorbet in the freezer until ready to use.

Such beautiful color!

Carrot Cake Cupcakes

I bought the smallest bag of carrots I could find in the grocery store for a stew I was making and still had plenty left over. I had enough to make a carrot cake. As what I like best about carrot cake is the cream cheese frosting, I decided to make cupcakes so I could get lots of frosting per bite.

If you want to kick it up a notch, replace 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract with 2 teaspoons of Praline Liquor.

Carrot Cake

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 4 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
• 3 cups grated carrots
• 1 1/2 cups chopped pecans

Frosting: 

• 2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 stick butter, room temperature
• 2 lbs powdered sugar 
• 4 teaspoon vanilla extract 
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two muffin pans with cupcake liners.

In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Add eggs and vegetable oil. Using a mixer, blend until combined. Add carrots and pecans.

Pour into pans. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes. Remove from oven and cool for 5 minutes. Remove from pans, place on racks and allow to cool completely before frosting.

For the frosting:

Add all ingredients, except nuts, into a medium bowl and beat until fluffy. Stir in the nuts. Spread frosting on top of each cupcake. 

Chocolate Pistachio Bark

Ever have one of those days where you're just craving chocolate and are tempted to just open a bag of semi-sweet morsels and dig in? Well, I've got a bark recipe that will go a long way to satisfying even the most massive craving plus do a number on your salt craving as well.

This recipe can be made with bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate. I prefer bittersweet. I've also made it with pecans and my mom likes it with slivered almonds. Just make sure that whatever nut you use, you roast them to bring out their nutty goodness.

Bittersweet Chocolate Pistachio Bark

1 lb of bittersweet chocolate, chopped

½ cup unsalted roasted pistachios

2 to 3 pinches of grey salt

Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. In a double boiler set over simmering water, heat the bittersweet chocolate until two-thirds melted. Remove from the heat. Stir the chocolate until it is completely melted.

Spread the warm chocolate on the parchment paper to a rough 13 inch rectangle. Scatter the pistachios evenly over the melted chocolate, gently tap the cookie sheet on the work surface to flatten the chocolate and allow the topping to sink in slightly. Sprinkle on the salt.

Refrigerate for about 15 minutes, just until firm. Cut or break the bark into 2 inch pieces and serve.

Old School Root Beer Glazed Baked Ham

I'm a big fan of Tom Fitzmorris' Root Beer Glazed Baked Ham. The glaze is fantastic and the cooking method makes the perfect crust on the outside.

However, I was in Rouse's grocery store the other day and saw they now have an Abita Root Beer Glaze in a bottle. So, I bought it, a New Orleans Chisesi ham and invited a couple of guinea pigs...I mean friends over to see if the glaze was a decent alternative to the two day process of glaze making and baking.

I scored the meat and squirted on the glaze and then patted on a mix of brown sugar and dry mustard. I cooked the ham at 350 degrees F for 15 minutes a pound until it registered 160 on a meat thermometer.

What came out was tender and delicious with a lovely crust and beautiful color.

Dinner was great but I'm now really looking forward to the ham sandwiches!

Mini Soft Pretzels

I had an urge for homemade pretzels yesterday but knew it was a long process with two long rises on the dough. I started it around noon today and finally ate my first pretzel at 4:30. If you want to make larger pretzels, don't divide the dough and roll them out to at least 20".

These are nice and chewy. Best served hot from the oven, they are also delicious warmed up in the microwave for a few seconds the next day.

Mini Soft Pretzels

1-1/2 cup warm water (about 110 degrees)


1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons honey


1-1/2 teaspoon instant or rapid-rise yeast


1-1/2 teaspoon salt


4-1/2 to 5 cups bread flour


3 tablespoons baking soda


3 tablespoons melted butter

3 tablespoons coarse salt

Stir the water and honey together in a heat proof measuring cup, microwave for 1 minute or until the water is about 105-degrees. Add yeast, whisk together and allow to proof for 5 minutes.

Place the salt and flour and in bowl of standing mixer equipped with dough hook. With the mixer on low, slowly add the honey/water/yeast mixture. Increase the speed slightly and mix the dough for 10 minutes, adding an additional ½ cup of flour if dough is too sticky.

Put dough on a lightly floured counter and form into a smooth ball. Coat a large mixing bowl with oil. Place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat in the oil. Tightly cover with plastic wrap and allow rise at room temperature for 1 to 1-1/2 hours (depending upon room temperature) until it has doubled in size.

Gently deflate the dough. Re-cover and allow to continue to rise for another hour until it has doubled in size.

Divide the dough in half and place one half in a bag in the refrigerator for later use (can also be frozen at this stage). Cut the remaining dough into 18 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a 6” rope, let them rest while you roll the remaining, then roll them out to about 12 to 18”. This extra relaxation time will make them easier to finish rolling. Shape each rope into a pretzel by holding each end, cross them, twist and press down with a drop of water. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet.

Adjust the oven rack to the middle position and pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees.

Add 6 cups water into a 12-inch skillet. Stir in the baking soda, and bring to a boil over high heat.

Using a spider gently place around 4 pretzels into the boiling water, top-side down for 30 seconds. Using tongs, carefully flip over and boil the second side for another 30 seconds. Remove the pretzels, drain briefly on wire rack, then place back onto the prepared baking sheet. 

Brush with melted butter, sprinkle with coarse salt and bake for 7 minutes. Rotate the sheet before baking for another 7 minutes, until the pretzels are well-browned.

Let the pretzels from cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes and enjoy!

Modified Shrimp Mosca

I've had a recipe in my files for a while from Mosca's Restaurant in Avondale, Louisiana. The original used too much salt and dried herbs instead of fresh, neither of which seemed palatable to my taste. I also wanted a hair more heat, so I halved the black pepper and added 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper.

Modified Shrimp Mosca

Serves 2

2 pounds large (21–30 count) Louisiana shrimp, peeled and deveined
 1/4 cup olive oil
 1/2 teaspoon salt
 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
 3 Tablespoons oregano
 3 Tablespoons rosemary, chopped
 3 bay leaves
 6-10 cloves garlic, mashed
 1/2 cup dry white wine French bread


Add the shrimp, oil, salt, pepper, oregano, rosemary, bay leaves, and garlic to a large skillet set over medium-high heat.

Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 to 7 minutes until shrimp are pink and the liquid in the pan is nearly gone.

Reduce heat to medium-low and add the wine.

Cook at a low simmer until the liquid is reduced by half, about 5 to 7 minutes.

Serve the shrimp hot with the pan juices. Use French bread to mop up the sauce.

Chewy Chocolate Cookies

It's that time of the month for chocolate cravings. I had nothing ready made that would satisfy my sweet tooth so I decided to make cookies. But what kind of cookies? Chocolate chip weren't going to be chocolatey enough for my hunger. Going through my baking supplies I found a bag of Reese's Peanut Butter chips.
The recipe on the back of the package was a start but the 3/4 cups cocoa wasn't going to be sufficient. I made a couple of tweeks to it and they were nearly perfect.

Chewy Chocolate Cookies with Peanut Butter chips
2 cups flour
 3/4 cups cocoa
 1 tsp baking soda
 1/2 tsp salt
 1 1/4 cup butter (2.5 sticks)
 2 cups sugar
 2 eggs
 2 tsp vanilla
 2 cups peanut butter chips
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate morsels

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

Mix together flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt and set aside. Cream together butter and sugar. Add in eggs and vanilla and mix well. Gradually all flour mixture and beat until combined. Stir in chips.
Drop by rounded teaspoons onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake for 8-10 minutes. Cookies will puff while baking and flatten while cooling. Cool slightly before removing from sheet and letting cool on wire racks.

The mason jar is filled with strawberry wine that went remarkably well with the cookies.

Garbage Dip

I threw a birthday party for myself and one of the things I served was a hot cheesy dip. This dip is great with tortilla chips and terrific over pasta or on a baked potato. Plus, the broccoli makes it almost healthy!

Garbage Dip

2 lb box velveeta cheese, cubed
2 8 oz boxes cream cheese, cubed
2 cans Ro-tel tomatoes and peppers
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 lbs breakfast sausage, cooked and drained
24 oz bag chopped broccoli

Dump all of the above in a slow cooker to let it melt and blend together. Serve with chips.

I replace the breakfast sausage with ground venison but feel free to use the sausage or any other ground meat. Just brown it first and drain it well.

Here is a picture of it served over pasta. Yum!

This does get warmer after you've reheated it a couple times. I buy an extra 1lb block of velveeta and add half of after the first reheating and the next after the third.

Trailer Truffles

I was craving fudge the other day and pulled out a jar of marshmallow fluff only to realize that, even if it were 'never fail fudge,' I didn't want to make that effort. That's when I realized I had a block of Velveeta cheese product in my fridge.

Cheese fudge is creamier than fluff based but just as good. Because this recipe uses Velveeta, I call it Trailer Truffles.

Trailer Truffles

8 ounces of Kraft brand Velveeta Pasteurized Prepared Cheese Product
2 pounds Powdered Sugar (aka Confectioner's Sugar)
1/2 pound (2 sticks, or 1 cup) unsalted butter
1/2 cup Cocoa Powder
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1 cup chopped nuts (I use pecans)

Cut the Velveeta and butter into cubes and melt in a double boiler. Sift together the cocoa powder and powdered sugar. After the butter and Velveeta are melted, stir in vanilla and nuts.

Pour buttery cheesy mixture into the cocoa and sugar. Stir thoroughly. Once completely mixed, pour mixture into a 9x13 pan covered in aluminum foil. Let fudge set in the refrigerator before cutting.

Crock Pot Corned Beef

For St. Patrick's Day, I cooked a corned beef brisket in the crock pot. It was quite delicious and no real work. This is not something that even requires a recipe, although you can add veggies (carrots, onions and potatoes plus cabbage for the last 45 minutes) to the pot to serve with the finished brisket. I, however, primarily eat sandwiches, so I don't bother.

3.5 lb corned beef brisket (plus pickling spice packet)
Water, to cover
1 cup beer

Place corned beef in a slow cooker, fat side down. Cover with liquid and cook for either 4 hours on high or 8 hours on low. Beef will be tender when done.

Cool on rack, then cut off fat layer before thinly slicing for serving.

A drink and a casserole

As you may remember, my sort of resolution for 2013 was to try and eat a bit better. Toward that end, I purchased brown rice. Of course, I had completely forgotten how much I dislike its gooey, gummy consistency.

I have found I can mitigate a lot of the issue by lightly toasting the rice first and by making casseroles with it.

Tonight, I started with a Paloma and then made a Chicken Mushroom Casserole.

Paloma

1/4 cup fresh squeezed grapefruit juice


1 T agave syrup


1 T lime juice


1/4 cup tequila



Salt the rim of a highball or margarita glass.

Place all of the ingredients in a shaker with some ice. Mix well, pour over ice into prepared glass. 

Chicken Mushroom Casserole Recipe

1 1/2 cup uncooked brown rice

2 1/2 water

2 chicken breasts

2 tablespoons Creole seasoning

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 tablespoons butter

1 lb mushrooms, cleaned and quartered

1 large onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped


2 large eggs


1 cup cottage cheese


1/2 cup sour cream


1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese


In a quart saucepan, heat a couple of glugs of olive oil. Add in the dry rice and toast lightly for just a couple of minutes. Pour in the water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 45 minutes. Once done, allow to cool slightly before fixing the rest of the casserole.

Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Rub a 9 X 13 baking dish with a bit of olive oil or butter and set aside.

Cut chicken breasts into pieces and sprinkle with Creole seasoning. In a large cast iron skillet, brown chicken over medium heat in a little bit of olive oil, about 5 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside.

In the same  skillet, melt two tablespoons of butter. Saute the mushrooms. Stir every minute or so until the mushrooms have released their liquid and have browned a bit. Add the onions and cook for another 4 or 5 minutes or until they are translucent. Stir in the garlic, cook for another minute. Remove from heat and put the chicken back in the pan with any drippings.

In a large bowl whisk together the eggs, cottage cheese and sour cream. Add the cooled rice. Combine the rice mixture with the chicken and mushrooms. Stir until well combined and then turn out into your prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese, place in oven for 30 to 45 minutes or until hot throughout and golden along the edges.

Hummingbird Cake

It may be a failing of my Southern upbringing but I've never had Hummingbird Cake. However, when a good friend asked for one for her birthday dinner, I went searching for a recipe to suit.

This old style cake has the flavors of pineapple, banana and pecans, with just a hint of coconut. The recipe I used came from Southern Living and, after I made a couple of changes, resulted in a moist cake that was not overly sweet - sort of a dessert banana bread.

Hummingbird Bundt Cake

adapted from Southern Living

For the cake:

1 cup toasted pecans, chopped

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 cup mashed ripe bananas (3 large)

1- 8 oz can crushed pineapple (do not drain)

3/4 cup vegetable oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the glaze:

4 oz cream cheese, softened

2 cups sifted powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 tablespoons milk

1/2 cup flaked coconut

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Grease and flour a bundt pan; set aside.  In a large bowl stir together the flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Next stir in the eggs, mashed bananas, pineapple, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract; stir just until dry ingredients are moistened. 

Sprinkle chopped, toasted pecans into the bottom of the bundt pan, spoon the batter over the pecans. Bake for 1 hour to 1 hour and 10 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean. 

Cool the cake in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes; remove from the pan and allow to cool completely on the wire rack. 

For the glaze, in a bowl combine the softened cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla extract and 1 tablespoon milk; mix with a hand mixer until smooth, adding an additional tablespoons of milk if needed. Immediately pour the glaze over the cooled cake, and sprinkle coconut over the top.

Rosemary Chicken Piccata

The rosemary shrub outside my front steps is growing like crazy, so I decided to hack off a bit for dinner tonight.

I started by roasting small red and purple potatoes with a little olive oil, some chopped rosemary and kosher salt. Then, for the main course, I made Rosemary Chicken Piccata.

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 large egg

1 teaspoon olive oil

3/4 cup dry bread crumbs

2 tablespoons fresh, chopped rosemary

2 tablespoons olive oil

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided

1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons - zest first!)

1/2 cup dry white wine

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

Pound breast to 1/4-inch thick. 

Mix the flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper in a shallow plate or pie pan. In a second plate, beat the egg and olive oil. Place the bread crumbs on a third plate and mix in the chopped rosemary. Dredge each chicken breast first in the flour and then coat with the egg and, finally, dip them into the bread crumb mixture.

Heat 2 tablespoon of olive oil in a large saute pan over medium to medium-low heat. Add the chicken breasts and cook for 3 minutes on each side, until browned. Place them on the sheet pan and allow them to bake while you make the sauce.

For the sauce, over medium heat, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter and then add the lemon zest, lemon juice and wine. Boil over high heat until reduced in half, about 2 minutes. Drop in the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and swirl to combine. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve a chicken breast on each plate with a spoonful of sauce.

Crab Imperial

One of my favorite indulgences is crab imperial - luscious cream sauce and lots of lump crab meat come together for one terrific main dish. I usually serve it with Parker House or yeast rolls and not much anything else.

The picture is the leftovers from a double batch I made for some friends (they brought me the pretty flowers) as I forgot to take one earlier.

Crab Imperial

2 T flour

2 T butter

1 cup milk

1 egg, beaten

1lb crab meat

1/2 cup mayonaise

1 T onion juice (about a half onion, grated)

1/2 tsp mustard

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

dash of Tabasco

bread crumbs

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan and sprinkle on the flour. Stir over medium heat for 5 minutes to remove the flour taste and bring out a bit of color. Slowly add the milk, whisking to remove any lumps. Cook until the sauce is just beginning to boil. Right before removing from heat, beat in the egg. Add mayo, mustard, onion, salt, Worcestershire and Tabasco. Stir well to combine.

Add one handful of bread crumbs and the crab meat to the cream sauce. Stire to combine. Pour in a greased casserole dish. Top with browned, buttered bread crumbs. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees (176 C) for 30 minutes.

Chicken and Dumplings

I was reading a blog the other day about how to be poor in American. It wasn't complaining about being poor or looking at the causes of poverty but, rather, offering some useful coping mechanisms for living in one of the wealthiest countries on the planet when you're not.

I was thinking about that when my horrible cold drove me to make my biggest comfort food - chicken and dumplings. See, I don't just grab some store bought stock or a can of pre-made soup. Naw, I make it from scratch but I go to my frugal bags.

See, when I get a whole chicken to roast or grill, I usually take off the wings, neck and backbone and freeze them. When I cut onions or celery or carrots, I take the peelings, leaves and ends and paper that are typically discarded and freeze them, too. When I have about two bags of chicken parts and a bag of veggies pieces, I can make stock. After tossing the contents of the bags into a big stockpot, I cover it with water, bring to a boil and then simmer for a while.

Or, if you want a real recipe:

Chicken Stock
1 3lb chicken, divided or three pounds of chicken parts
1 onion, quartered
3 carrots, roughly chopped
4 stalks celery, roughly chopped.

Put everything in a large pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat. Simmer for about an hour and half. Skim off foam during cooking.

When the stock is done, strain out the solids and pick out the chicken meat. My frugal method, using the parts from 4 chickens, yielded almost 3 cups of chicken meat. Using a whole chicken, you should have enough meat from the thighs, wings, etc to reserve the breast meat for another meal. Place the stock in the fridge to cool. In a couple of hours (or overnight), remove the chicken fat that has risen to the top.

You now have chicken stock and are ready for the next step. You'll need six cups of chicken broth for my Chicken and Dumplings, so be sure and freeze any additional for future use.

Today, my future is now.

My Chicken and dumplings start with a delicious chicken soup.

Chicken Soup:

2 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon oil

1/2 cup diced carrot

1/2 cup diced celery

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 bay leaves

1/4 cup flour

6 cups chicken stock

Reserved chicken (about 3 cups of shredded chicken)

Freshly ground black pepper, for garnish

Dumplings:

2 cups flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

3/4 to 1 cup buttermilk

To prepare soup: In a Dutch oven, melt butter and heat oil over medium heat. Add carrot, celery, garlic, and bay leaves. Saute until the vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in the flour to make a roux. Continue to stir and cook for 5 minutes to coat the flour and remove the starchy taste. Do not let the roux burn or turn dark brown. Slowly pour in the chicken stock, 1 cup at a time, stirring well after each addition to remove any lumps.

Bring the sauce to a boil and then let simmer until it is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, around 15 to 30 minutes. While the sauce is simmering, it is time to make the dumplings.

To prepare the dumplings: sift dry ingredients together in a large bowl. In a small bowl, lightly beat the eggs and milk together; pour the liquid in the dry ingredients and gently fold. Mix just until the dough comes together, the batter should be thick and cake-like.

Back to the soup: Fold the reserved shredded chicken into the sauce and bring up to a simmer. Using 2 spoons, carefully drop heaping tablespoonfuls of the dumpling batter into the hot mixture. The dumplings should cover the top of the sauce, but should not be touching or crowded. Let the dumplings poach for 10 to 15 minutes until they are firm and puffy. 

Place into bowls and grind some freshly cracked black pepper on each serving.

Just the ticket for my cold and pocketbook!

Margarita and Sweet Potato, Black Bean Enchiladas

I'm trying to eat a little healthier this year and, towards that goal, I bought a number of sweet potatoes during my first grocery store visit of 2013. Tonight's dinner was all about using some of the ones that I had baked the other night.

This is my favorite margarita recipe and what I began drinking as I started cooking. And, shut up! I said a 'little healthier' not abstemious!

Agave Margarita

Kosher salt
Lime wedges
1/4 cup tequila 
2 tablespoons agave nectar
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

Pour some kosher salt into a small dish. Rub a lime wedge over the rim of your preferred margarita glass. Dip rim of glass into salt. 

Combine tequila, agave nectar, and juice in a cocktail shaker; add ice and shake well. Pour into prepared glass and drop in a few ice cubes. Garnish with lime slice.

Sweet Potato & Black Bean Enchiladas

3 sweet potatoes or 1 to 1 1/2 cups mashed

1 lb ground meat (I used venison)

1 medium onion, diced

4 garlic cloves

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp chipolte powder

15 oz can black beans, partially drained

3 cups cheddar cheese, divided

6 or so flour tortillas

Salsa, sour cream, guacamole

Bake the sweet potatoes in a 365 degree F oven for about an hour. Once they are done, remove from oven and slice in half. Scoop out inside and mash roughly.

Brown the meat in a large skillet. Once browned and the grease is drained, remove the meat and set aside. Wipe out skillet and add a little olive oil to the pan and saute the onion and garlic until translucent but not browned, about five minutes. 

Return meat to the pan. Add the spices and stir until their aroma is released. Add the beans and most of the liquid from the can. Stir well before adding the mashed sweet potato. Add half the cheese and stir. Taste for seasoning - you may need to add some salt.

Lightly grease a 9x13 casserole dish. Fill the tortillas with the filling, roll tightly and place in casserole dish. Repeat until you run out of filling or room. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top and bake in a 350 degree F oven for 30 minutes. Switch to broil and broil for 5 minutes or until the cheese is nicely golden and bubbly.

Serve with salsa, sour cream and guacamole.