I am not sure why, but lately I have been craving Butternut Squash. It’s not normally a vegetable I think much about normally. I figure it must have some vitamin in it I need right now and my body is trying to tell me that.
I made an excellent Butternut Squash Soup with Smoked Paprika and toasted Pepitas a few weeks ago. I had never used Smoked Paprika before and it really added an interesting flavor to the soup. While I was in Dallas, I found a recipe for Butternut Squash Risotto on the internet. It sounded easy, so I bought the squash but never managed to make the Risotto.
When I got back to Florida, I kept thinking about it, so I decided it was time to try it. Upon reviewing the recipe, I realized it was a microwave recipe. I didn’t think that would cut it as a “true” risotto so I came up with my own version on the stovetop.
Risotto is not really hard to make, it just takes some time and attention. It is made by sautéing the rice in a fat (oil or butter) then adding small amounts of a good broth and stirring until it is absorbed, then adding the broth again. The rice absorbs the broth and expands and the stirring softens the outer portion of the rice which gives the risotto that creamy consistency. Other flavor ingredients are added when the rice is al dente.I love the toothsome texture.
I must say I was pleased with the finished product. It made a nice meal for me. I cooked up some beets and had some of those with the risotto. If you want to add a protein you could serve it with just about anything, chicken, fish, shellfish or maybe even pork. I like it just as it is though and found it sufficiently filling.
The brand I use of the chicken “like” broth is Frontera. The mushroom bouillion brand is “Better than Bouillon”. I suspect a good packaged vegetable broth would work too, but I didn’t have any on hand.
Sheila’s (swinging single) Friday Night Butternut Squash Risotto
I small Butternut Squash
1 cup Arborio rice
1 Tsp olive oil
1 ½ Tbl butter
1 cup Chicken broth if you are a carnivore,
1 cup Chicken “like” broth and 1/2 cup mushroom broth for non-meat eaters. (I like the addition of the mushroom broth. It adds some depth to the flavor to the risotto
½ cup water
¼-1/2 cup White Wine (I used Chardonnay)
Pinch of nutmeg
3 Tbl finely grated good Parmesan
S&P
Slice the squash in half lengthwise. Put in an 8 or 9 in baking dish, cut side down. Add about ½ inch of water. Cover with wax paper. Put in the microwave and cook until tender about 10-12 minutes, until done. Scoop out the cooked squash to measure about ¾ cup and mash. Add S&P and a dash of nutmeg
In the meantime, mix the two broths, and wine if you are making the veggie version. For the carnivores, mix the chicken broth and wine. Heat olive oil and ½ Tbl of butter in a medium saucepan over medium high heat. Add Arborio rice and cook until fragrant and lightly toasted. Add ¼ cup of liquid mixture, stir and continue stirring until liquid is absorbed. Continue adding broth about ¼ cup at a time, stirring until liquid is absorbed than adding more until the rice is creamy and just tender. Use additional wine or water if you need to cook it longer. Add the rest of the butter, mashed squash, any additional s&p to taste and 2 ½ tablespoons of parmesan.
Serve with additional parmesan and have a glass of the Chardonnay with it.
1/11/10
A warming French soup
I am about done with this cold weather. I feel like a hermit and am dreaming of sun and warmth. In the meantime, I am trying to keep my innards warm with soup and hot drinks.
I rarely do french cooking, which sometimes surprises me since the class I took at the Culinary Institute of America was a French Provencal cooking class. French Provencal cooking is very diverse. Provence was first settled by the Greeks and Phoenicians and later by the Romans.
In the sixteenth century it was annexed to France having resisted invasions by the Arabs and the Franks. The food of Provence has been influenced by not only the settlers to the area, but by merchants and travelers. The use of pasta came from the Romans, Olive oil from the Phoenicians, dried cod (as in Brandade) from Norwegian Traders and Couscous from North Africa.
Burgundy on the other hand is known for its heavy red wines and big rich foods as well as portions. Beef bourguignon, beef stew with onions and mushrooms simmered in red wine, all hail from the province of Burgundy.
My first interest in French cooking came from a visit to one of my parent’s friend’s homes. I stopped by to pick something up and they invited me to stay for a drink. The wife was a gourmet cook and was in the process of making Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic. I cannot describe in words the wonderful aromas that came from her kitchen. Not only the garlic but the smell of fresh herbs (thyme primarily) were incredibly inviting. I went home and quickly looked up a recipe for and cooked my own batch of this recipe. Kevin and I loved it, but our stomachs were not too happy later from all that garlic. Still, I always remembered that smell and wanted to learn more about French cooking.
In my favorite book list at the bottom of this blog, you will see I mentioned the book Pedaling through Provence by Sarah Leah Chase. Sarah was lucky enough to have done a stint as a cycling guide for Butterfield and Robinson. They conduct cycling tours in France (and other countries), cycling by day, eating at gourmet restaurants and staying in quaint first class inns. I have always had a trip with them on my “things to do before I die” list.
Sarah conducted tours in Burgundy and wrote another book, Pedaling through Burgundy. Yesterday when it was cold and rainy, I decided to try a recipe from this book. It was the Everyday French Vegetable Soup recipe.
I bundled myself up, put on a hat and gloves and headed to WholeFoods to buy the ingredients. At the checkout counter, I had to wonder why I was going through all the trouble and expense when I could have just bought a fresh made soup at WholeFoods. But of course, that isn’t what a foodie like me would settle for. Twenty dollars later, I headed home with the goods.
I made a half recipe and that made a lot. There are a lot of ingredients and a lot of chopping to do, but you end up with a very healthy, gently flavored vegetable soup. I suspect you could add chicken to it but it isn’t necessary. Its good just the way it is.
The only changes I made were to use Rutabaga in place of the Turnip in her recipe. I had already purchased one and actually I like Rutabaga but really “don’t” like Turnips. I highly recommend you use fennel rather than celery. It adds a lot to the flavor.
One trick I learned in culinary school was in cleaning leeks. I had always been told to separate the layers and rinse the dirt in each layer before chopping. My instructor had a better idea. Cut up the leeks, put them in a colander and rinse them with cold water to remove the dirt. Much more effective.
You can drink the leftover Chardonnay while cooking like the Galloping Gourmet (or Julia) used to do or save it to have with the soup. I squeeze lemon over the soup before eating it. I think it adds a little zing to this gently flavored soup.
I toasted and buttered a piece of Rosemary bread to serve with it. Loved it.
Everyday French Vegetable Soup (1/2 recipe)
2 tbl unsalted butter
2 leeks, trimmed, washed and minced
1 ½ cloves of garlic minced
1/2 bulb fennel trimmed and minced (could use 1 ½ ribs celery)
1-2 stalks of fresh thyme or 1 tsp dried thyme
2 medium carrots peeled and cut into ¼ inch thick coins
1 rutabaga peeled and cut in ¼ inch chunks
2 cups shredded green cabbage
1 medium potato, peeled and thinly sliced ( I used 2 yukon gold potatoes)
1 can white beans drained and rinsed
5 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1 cup domestic chardonnay (or for true French soup, white Burgundy)
1 bay leaf
Salt and pepper to taste
Minced fresh parsley for garnish
Lemon wedges
1. Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the leeks, garlic, fennel, and thyme; Sauté until very soft, about 15 minutes. Add the carrots, rutabaga, cabbage, potato and beans. Pour in the stock and wine and season with the bay leaf, salt and pepper. Let the soup simmer, uncovered until all the veggies are tender, 35-45 minutes.
2. Ladle the soup into large soup bowls and garnish each serving with some parsley. I squeeze some lemon in before serving to add a little zip to the soup.
Serve with toasted, buttered Rosemary Bread or a good Sourdough.
Supposedly 4 servings but it is a very dense soup, so it goes farther.
1/3/10
Lucky Peas for 2010
To tell you the truth, I have never really liked Black Eyed Peas. When I first moved to Texas, I would go to a party and people always had a Black Eyed Pea Salad. It just didn’t float my boat. It always tasted like funky beans with vinegar. I remember thinking if this was how Texans ate, I was in big trouble.
It became a real dilemma. I wanted to have a great year so I wanted to eat Black Eyed Peas on New Year’s day, but….I had to force a few spoonfuls.
That was until one year some friends invited me over for their New Years day celebration. Brett was a friend and fellow potter and his wife BJ (don’t say it) was also a potter and vegetarian. She served the Black Eyed Peas and I was ready to force them down, when lo and behold, I liked them. No bacon, no jalapenos, no vinegar and I liked them!
So, since that day I have been making her recipe for Black Eyed Peas every New Year and I really enjoy them. The best thing about it is that it is the easiest recipe around.
So here is how I made them this year. First I went to the WholeFoods Market to buy some “fresh” picked Black Eyed Peas. The Produce man, (who by the way is very nice there) said they didn’t have them in yet. It was about 1pm and they wouldn’t be in for another 2 hours. Now that is fresh, so I agreed to return for the goods at 3. I headed for the gym and picked up “the goods” on my way home.
Once I got “the goods”, I also bought two things at WholeFoods, a white onion and some yellow miso. I put this all in the fridge and proceeded to party the night away. On New Year’s Day, I dragged myself around for awhile then took down my trusty Crockpot. I sliced enough onion to cover the bottom of the pot, dumped in the fresh peas and then added enough water to cover it and come up about an inch above it all. I then added about a tablespoon of miso and turned the crockpot on auto. What that does is heat the Crockpot to high for a little while then automatically switches it to low. I cover the Crockpot and let the peas cook until they are soft. The container of peas said they would be done in 10 minutes but I think I cooked them for at least an hour. They must have been talking about the time it would have taken if I had boiled them. Once cooked, I taste the broth and add more miso if it needs more flavor.
While the peas are simmering, I cook up a batch of brown rice with wheat berries. When the peas are soft I just scoop some up with the onion and broth and put that over some of the rice. Then I eat for good luck. It's also good to share your luck with others, so don't hoard your lucky peas!
Ok, here are some thoughts. I always forget what kind of miso I like the best with this so I have tried different kinds. Red doesn’t do it, yellow was a little bland, white is the best. So if you decide to try this, get the white miso. If you can’t find fresh peas, you can buy the frozen ones. They taste pretty good too.
If you don’t have a crockpot, just put it all in a dutch oven and cook it on low. Cover it but stir it now and then until it’s done. I measure the brown rice/wheat berry mix with the amount of water I would normally use for brown rice. Most of the mixture is brown rice with about 1/8 of it wheat berries just for the added chewiness (5/8 cup of brown rice,not quick cooking, 1/8 cup wheat berries to 2 cups water or broth) You can make brown rice by itself and it will still be good. You don’t have to only make this on January 1st. It is good anytime!
That’s it. Good luck doesn’t have to taste like vinegar anymore! Have a healthy, happy, prosperous 2010 full of fun, friends, family and lots of love, joy....and black eyed peas!
12/29/09
Christmas 2009 Last blog of the year
Gosh I can’t believe the year is over and this will be my last 2009 blog post! I have to admit, I am ready for a New Year. This year has not been my best ever but somehow I have hung in there and kept a good attitude. I had an unexpected change in my holiday plans due to a family emergency. Instead of making Peach French Toast for my mother and her friends, I found myself in Dallas having a Christmas eve dinner and a New Mexican Christmas breakfast then heading home.
So Christmas had its share of joy and sorrows this year. I was happy to be there for my family member and they are doing better. I was also able to spend time with some special people while I was in Dallas and as life has it, one of those people I will never see again, so I am glad I had that experience while I could.
I must admit, given the rush job and having to grocery shop on Christmas Eve, I managed to make some pretty tasty meals. For Christmas dinner I made a lightened up version of Coconut Shrimp with Pineapple Salsa http://www.foodreference.com/html/coco-sh-ov-72406.html and an Orange Raspberry Sauce (my Florida roots showing through during a snowstorm!), Brussel Sprouts with Lemon Butter and toasted almonds,a roasted sweet potato and sparkling cider. No dessert this time. I think I have had enough sweets for a lifetime already.
If you make the shrimp, I would recommend you don’t put too much flour on the shrimp as it will get gummy. Also, make sure you have a hot oven. Ours was under temperature and we had to adjust it to get the best browning. The amount of flour stated in the recipe is too much. I probably threw more than half of it away unused, so start with less and add more if you need it.
The pineapple salsa was incredible, but I was lucky enough to find a really good fresh pineapple at Whole Foods Market. I had to shop around to find the Pineapple Preserves, but that added a nice sweet contrast to the tangy salsa. The Orange Raspberry sauce was also really good. Most of the time when you order Coconut Shrimp you get an orange sauce. The raspberry was a nice addition.
Here is the sauce recipe. The original called for a lot more hot sauce, I think 2 tablespoons but that is way too much so I just used a few drops to taste:
Zesty Raspberry Marmalade
2 tablespoons orange marmalade
1 tbl seedless raspberry preserves
1 tbl Dijon mustard
Few drops of hot sauce
Combine ingredients and serve with hot coconut shrimp.
I made my absolute favorite breakfast, Pasquales Huevos Motulenos. When I first looked at the recipe, the combination of ingredients sounded pretty funky, but trust me, it is delicious. I made a smaller version and instead of the corn tortillas, I used blue corn taco shells broken in half so they were flat. I made the black beans from a can of Whole Foods brand Spicy Black Beans then added some jalapenos, chopped cilantro, a bit of cumin and a good squeeze of lime juice. For the green chile sauce, I bought a can of Hatch Green Chile sauce at Wholefoods and used it as is. The best. If you ever have a chance to visit Santa Fe, go to Pasquales for Breakfast or Dinner. You will have a memorable meal, guaranteed. Here is a link to the recipe: http://www.recipelink.com/msgbrd/board_14/2005/MAR/16478.html
I promised you the Sangria Flora recipe in a previous blog, so here is a link to that recipe as well. http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/sangria-flora St.Germain Elderflower liqueur is a bit pricy but it adds a wonderful floral aroma to the Sangria. I didn’t use Cointreau as the recipe called for. I substituted Grand Marnier because that is what I had on hand. I didn’t hear anyone complaining about it..HA!
I wish you all a very Happy New Year and an incredible, healthy, happy and prosperous 2010 full of love, friends, family, laughter, great food and……don’t forget to exercise!!
12/20/09
Charity
Anyone that has read my blogs for awhile will know that I promote/support charitable organizations. I had recently posted a link on this site about a film documentary on Doctors Without Borders. It played on the 14th and I went to see it.
I wish I could urge you to see the film in your area, but I think that was the only day it was shown. It was a great show and the Doctors and Personel that volunteer for this organization are really incredible people. I could tell you more about them and the movie but I would rather you see for yourself, so here is a You Tube link about Doctors without Borders/MSF (Médecins Sans Frontières. They are a based in France). http://www.youtube.com/msf
The day before I saw this film, I had my annual tree trimming party. I looked at my table when all the food was put out and had to admit, it was a lot of food. Seeing the documentary made apparent the contrast in others needs and my own.
Two years ago, a friend and I volunteered to work for Meals on Wheels Christmas day. It was really a memorable experience. Seeing the cars lined up to pick up and deliver food early on Christmas day was really touching. The volunteers were young and old, singles and whole families all there to help make a Christmas for those less fortunate.
I had volunteered many years earlier for this program and I will always remember delivering meals to an elderly couple in North Dallas. They were only a half a mile from the most affluent part of Dallas, but they had no heat, no electricity and were eating food out of cans. Hunger does exist in America and with the economic situation, it is more critical that we help our neighbors to survive.
There are many of our organizations focused on helping people in other countries. Of course, I dont want to minimize what they are doing, but sometimes I want to focus on our people, our country as there are people who need us here too.
In Dallas I volunteered for the North Texas Food Bank which partners with Share our Strength, a national organization. There are food banks all over the country that are in need of food this year. Here in Florida, I had heard on the news back in February that 40% of the children in West Palm Beach were on the free lunch program. A teacher I know that works in one of the low income schools told me for some of his students that meal is the only meal they will get all day.
So here are some programs you might want to help out:
Meals on Wheels:MOWAA Member programs throughout the country provide nutritious meals and other nutrition services to men and women who are elderly, homebound, disabled, frail, or at risk. These services significantly improve the quality of life and health of the individuals they serve and postpone early institutionalization.
http://www.mowaa.org/Page.aspx?pid=480
Share our Strength: Share Our Strength® is a national organization that works hard to make sure no kid in America grows up hungry. http://strength.org/
America's Food Partnership: AFP has provided over 2 million servings of food to over 200 different organizations in 42 different States.
http://www.theafpdifference.org/about_us.htm
Feeding America, formerly Americas Second Harvest: Feeding America is the nation's leading domestic hunger-relief charity. For every $1 you donate, Feeding America helps provide 7 meals to men, women and children facing hunger in our country.
http://feedingamerica.org/
I wish I could urge you to see the film in your area, but I think that was the only day it was shown. It was a great show and the Doctors and Personel that volunteer for this organization are really incredible people. I could tell you more about them and the movie but I would rather you see for yourself, so here is a You Tube link about Doctors without Borders/MSF (Médecins Sans Frontières. They are a based in France). http://www.youtube.com/msf
The day before I saw this film, I had my annual tree trimming party. I looked at my table when all the food was put out and had to admit, it was a lot of food. Seeing the documentary made apparent the contrast in others needs and my own.
Two years ago, a friend and I volunteered to work for Meals on Wheels Christmas day. It was really a memorable experience. Seeing the cars lined up to pick up and deliver food early on Christmas day was really touching. The volunteers were young and old, singles and whole families all there to help make a Christmas for those less fortunate.
I had volunteered many years earlier for this program and I will always remember delivering meals to an elderly couple in North Dallas. They were only a half a mile from the most affluent part of Dallas, but they had no heat, no electricity and were eating food out of cans. Hunger does exist in America and with the economic situation, it is more critical that we help our neighbors to survive.
There are many of our organizations focused on helping people in other countries. Of course, I dont want to minimize what they are doing, but sometimes I want to focus on our people, our country as there are people who need us here too.
In Dallas I volunteered for the North Texas Food Bank which partners with Share our Strength, a national organization. There are food banks all over the country that are in need of food this year. Here in Florida, I had heard on the news back in February that 40% of the children in West Palm Beach were on the free lunch program. A teacher I know that works in one of the low income schools told me for some of his students that meal is the only meal they will get all day.
So here are some programs you might want to help out:
Meals on Wheels:MOWAA Member programs throughout the country provide nutritious meals and other nutrition services to men and women who are elderly, homebound, disabled, frail, or at risk. These services significantly improve the quality of life and health of the individuals they serve and postpone early institutionalization.
http://www.mowaa.org/Page.aspx?pid=480
Share our Strength: Share Our Strength® is a national organization that works hard to make sure no kid in America grows up hungry. http://strength.org/
America's Food Partnership: AFP has provided over 2 million servings of food to over 200 different organizations in 42 different States.
http://www.theafpdifference.org/about_us.htm
Feeding America, formerly Americas Second Harvest: Feeding America is the nation's leading domestic hunger-relief charity. For every $1 you donate, Feeding America helps provide 7 meals to men, women and children facing hunger in our country.
http://feedingamerica.org/
12/15/09
Holiday Party Food and Fun
As mentioned in an earlier post, my annual Tree Trimming Party was this past Sunday. I must admit although it was a blast, I am happy to get back to some semblance of a normal life. I am never one for asking people to bring food. You always end up with too many chips and dip. I am not a big chip lover so that wouldn’t work for me.
I plan the party on a theme, although I don’t stay rigid to it. This year the theme was Italian. Now, for those of you “true” Italians, this is not the Christmas eve feast party. One of the guys I have been dating is Italian and he had all kinds of great ideas for me to make Baccala (salt cod…yuk), Fish salad and who knows what else.
Well fish smells up the house and I wanted it to smell like the holidays, cinnamon and ginger and nutmeg, cookie dough, those kinds of smells. So it wasn’t traditional Italian. It was Sheila’s idea of Italian. By the way, my Charlie Brown tree looks very pretty after my friends trimmed the tree for me!
Here is a rundown of the food and drink:
Sangria de Flora: White Sangria with Grand Marnier and Elderflower Liqueur (My mother said it was pretty potent!)
Mulled Cider: Non Alcoholic but with Rum for those that wanted to partake
Beer, Vernon’s Ginger Ale (love the vanilla in it), Diet Coke and Water
Italian Liqueurs included Limón cello, Amaretto and Sambuca Café
Food: Rosemary Walnuts
Candied Pistachios
For the Vegetarians I included Spinach Mozzarella Ravioli and Spinach Artichoke Hummus with Pita Chips (these were store bought, not homemade. I bought the Ravioli at Costco and the Hummus is Cedars brand from Wholefoods)
Antipasto platter with an assortment of Italian cheeses (Provolone, Fontina, Parmesan and a wine soaked cheese)and meats (Genoa salami, Sopresetta, Capicolla), Marinated Artichokes, Raw veggies, Roasted Red Pepper, Pepperoncini which was “HOT”, and an assortment of Green and Black Italian Olives
Italian style Deviled Eggs
Kebabs with Mozzarella balls, sun dried tomato and basil
Florentine Meatballs and Hot Italian Sausage with Marinara Sauce
Tiramisu dip with fresh strawberries
Shortbread Cookies, Anise Cookies, Chocolate Shortbread Cookies dipped in Chocolate and topped with Peppermint stick, Molasses Cookies, Pannetone (Italian fruit bread) and Amaretti (yes, I made all but the last two!)
Dark Chocolate and Grand Marnier Truffles
White chocolate and Ginger Truffles with Toasted Coconut
White Chocolate Truffles with Cranberries and Cointreau
Dark chocolate bark with ginger, dried cherries and walnuts
One of my guests brought some wonderful Gingerbread men also.
That’s a lot of food but everyone ate well and hopefully went home having enjoyed themselves.
I hear the meatballs were pretty good so I thought I would share the recipe and a secret with you. The secret is that I tasted them before serving them, so I can attest to them being good!
I was able to make a double recipe pretty easily by using an ice cream scoop
(http://shopping.yahoo.com/p:OXO%2021291%20Good%20Grips%20Trigger%20Scoop:2001865730;_ylt=AhuRyjA354nea5pOd3QhoAf_nbsF). I bought mine at a Pampered Chef party I think but they are very handy to have around. Anyway, the good thing about the ice cream scoop is that you can make meatballs of consistent size but also it doesn’t compact the meatballs which make them lighter and tastier.
I don’t recall where I found this recipe, but it was online. The original recipe called for a beef sauce which I didn’t make. For the sauce, I took some good store bought spaghetti sauce and added the sautéed Italian Sausage, some Italian spices, Bay leaf and sautéed onion to it.
Here is the meatball recipe:
Florentine meatballs
Ingredients:
• 1 (10 ounces) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and moisture squeezed out
• 3 eggs
• 2 slices bread, crumbled ( I used Italian breadcrumbs for flavor and because I was taking shortcuts. If you do, just use enough to bind the mixture)
• 1 tbl chopped fresh parsley
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 pounds ground chuck
• 1 small onion, finely minced
• flour
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
Beat eggs and mix with bread, parsley, cheese, salt, pepper, and garlic. Add meat, spinach and onion, mixing well. Shape int 1-inch meatballs, roll in flour and brown in skillet in hot olive oil. Remove meatballs.
Heat sauce then add meatballs and cook until warm. Serve as an appetizer or over some whole grain pasta.
I hope you enjoy these. Have a great week!
I plan the party on a theme, although I don’t stay rigid to it. This year the theme was Italian. Now, for those of you “true” Italians, this is not the Christmas eve feast party. One of the guys I have been dating is Italian and he had all kinds of great ideas for me to make Baccala (salt cod…yuk), Fish salad and who knows what else.
Well fish smells up the house and I wanted it to smell like the holidays, cinnamon and ginger and nutmeg, cookie dough, those kinds of smells. So it wasn’t traditional Italian. It was Sheila’s idea of Italian. By the way, my Charlie Brown tree looks very pretty after my friends trimmed the tree for me!
Here is a rundown of the food and drink:
Sangria de Flora: White Sangria with Grand Marnier and Elderflower Liqueur (My mother said it was pretty potent!)
Mulled Cider: Non Alcoholic but with Rum for those that wanted to partake
Beer, Vernon’s Ginger Ale (love the vanilla in it), Diet Coke and Water
Italian Liqueurs included Limón cello, Amaretto and Sambuca Café
Food: Rosemary Walnuts
Candied Pistachios
For the Vegetarians I included Spinach Mozzarella Ravioli and Spinach Artichoke Hummus with Pita Chips (these were store bought, not homemade. I bought the Ravioli at Costco and the Hummus is Cedars brand from Wholefoods)
Antipasto platter with an assortment of Italian cheeses (Provolone, Fontina, Parmesan and a wine soaked cheese)and meats (Genoa salami, Sopresetta, Capicolla), Marinated Artichokes, Raw veggies, Roasted Red Pepper, Pepperoncini which was “HOT”, and an assortment of Green and Black Italian Olives
Italian style Deviled Eggs
Kebabs with Mozzarella balls, sun dried tomato and basil
Florentine Meatballs and Hot Italian Sausage with Marinara Sauce
Tiramisu dip with fresh strawberries
Shortbread Cookies, Anise Cookies, Chocolate Shortbread Cookies dipped in Chocolate and topped with Peppermint stick, Molasses Cookies, Pannetone (Italian fruit bread) and Amaretti (yes, I made all but the last two!)
Dark Chocolate and Grand Marnier Truffles
White chocolate and Ginger Truffles with Toasted Coconut
White Chocolate Truffles with Cranberries and Cointreau
Dark chocolate bark with ginger, dried cherries and walnuts
One of my guests brought some wonderful Gingerbread men also.
That’s a lot of food but everyone ate well and hopefully went home having enjoyed themselves.
I hear the meatballs were pretty good so I thought I would share the recipe and a secret with you. The secret is that I tasted them before serving them, so I can attest to them being good!
I was able to make a double recipe pretty easily by using an ice cream scoop
(http://shopping.yahoo.com/p:OXO%2021291%20Good%20Grips%20Trigger%20Scoop:2001865730;_ylt=AhuRyjA354nea5pOd3QhoAf_nbsF). I bought mine at a Pampered Chef party I think but they are very handy to have around. Anyway, the good thing about the ice cream scoop is that you can make meatballs of consistent size but also it doesn’t compact the meatballs which make them lighter and tastier.
I don’t recall where I found this recipe, but it was online. The original recipe called for a beef sauce which I didn’t make. For the sauce, I took some good store bought spaghetti sauce and added the sautéed Italian Sausage, some Italian spices, Bay leaf and sautéed onion to it.
Here is the meatball recipe:
Florentine meatballs
Ingredients:
• 1 (10 ounces) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and moisture squeezed out
• 3 eggs
• 2 slices bread, crumbled ( I used Italian breadcrumbs for flavor and because I was taking shortcuts. If you do, just use enough to bind the mixture)
• 1 tbl chopped fresh parsley
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 pounds ground chuck
• 1 small onion, finely minced
• flour
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
Beat eggs and mix with bread, parsley, cheese, salt, pepper, and garlic. Add meat, spinach and onion, mixing well. Shape int 1-inch meatballs, roll in flour and brown in skillet in hot olive oil. Remove meatballs.
Heat sauce then add meatballs and cook until warm. Serve as an appetizer or over some whole grain pasta.
I hope you enjoy these. Have a great week!
12/10/09
Traditions
It’s warm here in Florida. There is only one day of the year I wish for cool weather and that is the day of my Annual Holiday Tree Trimming party. I have been having the party each year since 1992. The original party was inspired by a Christmas I spent in London with my ex-husband and his parents.
At the time his parents had a “flat” in London overlooking the Thames River. We had a great time, visited Harrod’s for some holiday shopping, ferried to France and spent a couple of days in Paris. I will always remember the holiday lights on the Champs d’Elysse.
I brought home two of the English traditions. We had dinner one night at Leed’s Castle. The castle, as expected, is surrounded by a moat. There is a restaurant inside that is a lively place during the holidays. Leed’s Castle dates back to 1119. Some of the more famous residents of the Castle were Richard II and his wife Anne of Bohemia, Henry VIII and his wife Catherine of Aragon along with King Edward I.
The English traditionally enjoy popping Christmas Crackers and wearing the Hats that are inside. During dinner at Leed’s we watched the festivities and all the people in hats. This tradition has been carried on at my parties, to the enjoyment of some and the dismay of others.
I still laugh at one of my neighbors, Jerry who was hair challenged. He just loved his hat to the point he wore it on his walk home! I will also remember my step father with his shock of white hair and a yellow hat that he wore during our Christmas dinner. He looked like Mr. Chicken…but of course I didn’t say that to his face!
The second tradition was inspired by Kevin’s parent’s English neighbors. They had invited us over for Christmas Eve and the husband served us Mulled Wine. It was a blustery day in London and the hot spiced wine really hit the spot. I asked him for the recipe and as family recipes normally go, he suggested I use a bit of this and some of that and any liquor I had on hand added to it! I still have the original recipe he wrote for me and have continued the tradition at my holiday parties.
Last year the wine wasn’t as popular as it was during winter in Texas since the weather was warm. This year, I am going to retire the Mulled Wine and make a special White Sangria with Elderflower Liqueur. I would love to make Glogg. One of my good friends is Swedish and when I lived in Texas she used to invite me over for Glogg. Wow, that’s even better than Mulled Wine and we had some deep conversations after sipping it (so deep, I can’t quite remember them!). Still, it will be too warm for Glogg, so I am committed to Sangria. I will share the recipe next week.
Since the rest of the nation appears to be in a deep freeze, some of you might enjoy a bit of Mulled Wine. Here is the recipe. I will give you the original, and then attempt to translate it into something you can understand. I am also including Mulled Cider for the Non drinkers.
Mulled Wine:
Spices-Cinnamon, cloves, allspice, ginger. Take the spices and boil in water then sieve into main drink. Add brown sugar. Add this as desired.
2x Red Wine
1x White Wine ½ Sparkling Wine (or Cider)
A good slug of Brandy or anything else going spare.
That’s the original. What I normally do is make simple syrup using the brown sugar, water (1part to 1 part) and the spices tied in cheesecloth or in my case in a tea ball. I heat the wines, add the sugar mixture to taste then when it gets closer to serving I add the Brandy. I don’t normally use the Sparkling Wine but sometime put a little of the Mulled Cider in. (I make the Cider for non drinkers. Drinkers can add rum if desired) Finally, I float slices of orange on top.
As mentioned, for teetotalers I make Mulled Cider. I used to go all out adding spices individually. One year I bought Knudson’s Cider and Spice and it is so good, I use that now and people love it. I may add some regular cider to it and always throw in some cinnamon sticks.
Stay warm, enjoy your friends and family and have a great week!
I brought home two of the English traditions. We had dinner one night at Leed’s Castle. The castle, as expected, is surrounded by a moat. There is a restaurant inside that is a lively place during the holidays. Leed’s Castle dates back to 1119. Some of the more famous residents of the Castle were Richard II and his wife Anne of Bohemia, Henry VIII and his wife Catherine of Aragon along with King Edward I.
The English traditionally enjoy popping Christmas Crackers and wearing the Hats that are inside. During dinner at Leed’s we watched the festivities and all the people in hats. This tradition has been carried on at my parties, to the enjoyment of some and the dismay of others.
The second tradition was inspired by Kevin’s parent’s English neighbors. They had invited us over for Christmas Eve and the husband served us Mulled Wine. It was a blustery day in London and the hot spiced wine really hit the spot. I asked him for the recipe and as family recipes normally go, he suggested I use a bit of this and some of that and any liquor I had on hand added to it! I still have the original recipe he wrote for me and have continued the tradition at my holiday parties.
Last year the wine wasn’t as popular as it was during winter in Texas since the weather was warm. This year, I am going to retire the Mulled Wine and make a special White Sangria with Elderflower Liqueur. I would love to make Glogg. One of my good friends is Swedish and when I lived in Texas she used to invite me over for Glogg. Wow, that’s even better than Mulled Wine and we had some deep conversations after sipping it (so deep, I can’t quite remember them!). Still, it will be too warm for Glogg, so I am committed to Sangria. I will share the recipe next week.
Since the rest of the nation appears to be in a deep freeze, some of you might enjoy a bit of Mulled Wine. Here is the recipe. I will give you the original, and then attempt to translate it into something you can understand. I am also including Mulled Cider for the Non drinkers.
Mulled Wine:
Spices-Cinnamon, cloves, allspice, ginger. Take the spices and boil in water then sieve into main drink. Add brown sugar. Add this as desired.
2x Red Wine
1x White Wine ½ Sparkling Wine (or Cider)
A good slug of Brandy or anything else going spare.
That’s the original. What I normally do is make simple syrup using the brown sugar, water (1part to 1 part) and the spices tied in cheesecloth or in my case in a tea ball. I heat the wines, add the sugar mixture to taste then when it gets closer to serving I add the Brandy. I don’t normally use the Sparkling Wine but sometime put a little of the Mulled Cider in. (I make the Cider for non drinkers. Drinkers can add rum if desired) Finally, I float slices of orange on top.
As mentioned, for teetotalers I make Mulled Cider. I used to go all out adding spices individually. One year I bought Knudson’s Cider and Spice and it is so good, I use that now and people love it. I may add some regular cider to it and always throw in some cinnamon sticks.
Stay warm, enjoy your friends and family and have a great week!
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