Superbowl Bites: Buffalo Blue Cheese Dip

It can't be the Superbowl without a dip.

My all-time favorite will always be onion dip.  I can literally eat vats of it.

It also can't be the SuperBowl without something buffalo.  I, of course, mean the spicy flavor of buffalo wings, not the Buffalo Bills, who sadly haven't been to the show in almost 10 years and have never actually won!

Anyway, since I have yet to make a delicious spicy buffalo treat for this year's round of Superbowl bites, it only seemed right to combine the two classic dishes into one Buffalo Blue Cheese Dip.

Superbowl Eats: One-Bite Fried Mozzarella & Spicy Tomato Sauce

I LOVED mozzarella sticks growing up.  Even in college we would buy the frozen ones and to make them even better, pan fry them instead of baking.  There is something about the ooey-gooey melting cheese dipped in marinara that is just pure perfection to me.  Even as a grown up I'm not too good to order mozzarella sticks or any kind of fried cheese when we're out. When the Boy and I go out for Greek the one given is always that we will get Saganaki,  this flaming cheese that is far more flashy than it's Italian cousin, mozzarella sticks but they will always be my favorite.

When brainstorming good Superbowl snacks, I knew I wanted to try my hand at fried mozzarella,  but I wanted to make a super spicy marinara to help cut the richness of the cheese.  What I realized in making it is that this is a great make ahead party snack.  You can cook the sauce and bread the cheese in advance, refrigerate the cheese until you're ready to fry and just reheat the sauce.  It won't take more than 5-10 minutes once your guests arrive and you'll impress your friends with a delicious and nostalgic gameday bite.

Superbowl Eats: Buffalo Chicken Nachos

Anytime we go to the bar to watch a game the Boy always orders wings and I always order nachos.  And while I'd love to share both plates of food, more often than not he's not too thrilled with my nachos, complaining that each chip doesn't have cheesy goodness and that many are soggy.  While I love nachos, I do agree with his assessment of most bar nachos.  I also love wings almost as much as the Boy and luckily he lets me steal one or two or ten from his plate, but I do feel guilty at his lack of enthusiasm for my food.  I think sharing is always more fun when each person wants bites of everything.

So with the Superbowl quickly approaching, and in an effort to make a plate of nachos that the Boy would not only eat a few from but LOVE,  I decided to combine the two.

Superbowl Eats: Caramelized Onion & Roasted Garlic Dip

Even though my team isn't playing this Sunday in the Superbowl, I'll still be watching.  For me the Superbowl is as much about the game as it is about the commercial, halftime and of course FOOD.  Living in Canada we don't get the awesome commercials, which I miss alot so I make up for it with lots of tasty eats.  One of my favorite creations and a perfect game time food, it this homemade onion dip.  It takes a bit more time to make than using the dry onion soup mix, but it is worth it.

Love 4 Lasagna: Buffalo Chicken Lasagna

I'm a bit late in posting this final Love 4 Lasagna entry, but at least I got it done in November.  And I have to say I think the Boy would say this was worth the wait.  The idea for this lasagna came about when my mom was visiting earlier in the month.  I was brainstorming ideas and she actually suggested it.   When we took our day trip to Buffalo with the Shack's the boy complained about not getting wings and that's when I knew I had to try to make this lasagna version.

When googling "Buffalo Chicken Lasagna" I came across just one recipe that seemed to be reposted everywhere and just didn't sound appealing to me.  It read like a standard lasagna with ricotta, tomato sauce noodles and some spicy chicken.  I wanted my version to really taste like a lasagna version of the Boy's favorite bar food.     I knew how I wanted to deal with the chicken but kept getting stuck on the sauce.  Red sauce?  A bechemel with blue cheese?  What would make it a lasagna but also a dish chock full of spicy buffalo sauce and blue cheese dressing?

Peach & Radish Salsa

I first heard about Summer Fest 2009 from Jaden Hair, one of the organizers, via her blog Steamy Kitchen. I love the idea of this cross blog celebration of fresh-from-the-garden food. Each week there is a different topic, I missed out on last weeks fresh herbs but am jumping in with this week fruit from trees. See below for more info on Sumerfest and how you too can participate.

One of my favorite fruit from trees are peaches. I have sung the praises of peaches here before so I won't bore you, other than to say I was ecstatic to find that peaches are grown right here in Ontario and I found this past weekend that they are now in season here in Ontario. On a stop at a local farmer's market on our way up north I acquired some gorgeous local peaches, radishes, peppers and jalapenos. As we continued on our way to the cottage I decided to make a peach and radish salsa, not only to use the beautiful fruits and veggies from the farmer's market but also because I've been challenging myself lately to make at the very least mostly local dishes, with the goal being completely local. I have yet to wean myself from spices yet and as there is no salt or pepper local to Ontario it may be a awhile before I go completely local.



Peach & Radish Salsa

4 small peaches
4 large or 6 small radishes
1 small orange bell pepper
1/2 jalapeno pepper
1 handful fresh cilantro with stems
1/2 lime - juice
salt & pepper

1. Blanch cleaned peaches in boil water for 1 minute, then immediately place in a large bowl of iced cold water. Let sit in water for 2 minutes or until cool enough to handle and carefully remove the skins.
2. Cut peach flesh away from pit and cut into a 1/2 inch dice. Wash radishes and cut into a 1/2 inch dice.
3. Wash & seed orange pepper and cut into a 1 inch dice. Wash & seed half a jalapeno pepper and mince finely. Roughly chop cilantro.
4. In a non reactive bowl toss together peaches, radishes, peppers, cilantro and lime juice. Salt & pepper to taste. Serve immediately or it will get soggy.


This was a deliciously sweet & savory salsa with the sweetness of the peaches pairing nicely with bite of the radishes. I'm not a huge radish fan but really enjoyed this. We ate the salsa with just some multi grain tortilla chips, but I think it would also be delicious on a grilled hot dog with some shredded cheddar.

How you can join Summer Fest

Summer Fest 2009 is a four-week, cross-blog celebration co-created (alphabetically listed) by A Way to Garden, Matt Armendariz of Mattbites, Jaden Hair of Steamy Kitchen, and Todd and Diane of White on Rice Couple, with guest appearances from Shauna and Daniel Ahern of Gluten-Free Girl, Simmer Till Done’s Marilyn Pollack Naron, and Paige Smith Orloff of The Sister Project. And from you—that’s critical. Your contributions are desired, and needed.

Will you play along? Have a recipe or tip that fits any of our weekly themes? Starting today, with the subject of herbs, you can contribute in various ways, big or small. Contribute a whole post, or a comment—whatever you wish. It’s meant to be fun, viral, fluid. No pressure, just delicious. The possibilities:

Simply leave your tip or recipe or favorite links in the comments below a Summer Fest post on my blog, and then go visit my collaborators and do the same.

The cross-blog event idea works best when you leave your recipe or favorite links (whether to your own blog or someone else’s) at all the host blogs. That way, they are likely to be seen by the widest audience. Everyone benefits, and some pretty great dialog starts simmering.

Or think bigger: Publish entire entire posts of your own, if you wish, and grab the juicy Summer Fest 2009 tomato badge (illustrated by Matt of Mattbites).

Summer Fest 2009 Schedule:

• Tuesday, July 28: HERBS. Any and all.

• Tuesday, August 4: FRUITS FROM TREES (also known as stone fruits, but we won’t scream if you toss in a berry or another fruit, promise).

• Tuesday, August 11: BEANS-AND-GREENS WEEK (either or both, your choice).

• Tuesday, August 18: TOMATO WEEK. How do you like them love apples?

Hope you'll join in or at least check out what some of the other participants are doing. Enjoy!

Chicken & Roasted Yam Quesadilla

This is another great dish made from leftovers and pantry staples. I roast a chicken once every few weeks and/or we buy a roasted chicken from the grocery store. Either way we usually only eat the chicken as is for one meal, more often than not leaving us with leftovers. Sometimes the boy will make a sandwich with what's left, or I'll make chicken salad but very often I like to try to get creative with the leftover chicken. It's not only packed full of great roasted flavor, but it also makes for a quick and easy meal during the week.

It's no secret I love Mexican food, so we will often have tortillas around. While whole wheat tortillas aren't exactly authentic especially not the ones our grocery store has, they are a staple. Along with a recent find of a great fresh salsa that has awesome fresh flavor and is great on chips or eggs or just about anything. So on yet another week when Mama Earth sent us organic yams, I took what we had on hand and threw together this tasty quesadilla.

Chicken & Roasted Yam Quesadillas
serves 4

2 organic yams - sliced into 1/4" rounds
2 Tbsp or more extra virgin olive oil
salt & pepper
2 chicken breasts - great use of leftovers.
8 whole wheat tortillas
3 cups finely grated aged white cheddar or smoked cheddar
3/4 cup fresh salsa - bought from the produce section of the grocery store
cooking spray
sour cream (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 400F. Toss yam rounds in olive oil, salt & pepper and place in a single layer on a cookie sheet. Roast for 20-30 minutes until tender and golden brown. Remove from oven and set aside. Lower oven heat to 350F.
2. If you are using leftover, already cooked chicken skip to step 3. If you are using uncooked chicken breasts, heat 1 Tbsp of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Sprinkle salt & pepper all over chicken. Place in heated skillet and cook for 10-15 minutes, turning every five minutes until chicken is cooked.
3. Shred cooked chicken and return to skillet with salsa. Let simmer over low heat until everything is heated and you are ready to use it.
4. Spray a small skillet with cooking spray and place over medium heat. Place one tortilla in skillet and heat until lightly golden on each side. Stored warmed tortillas in a clean towel to keep warm and continue warming the other tortillas.
5. Spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray. Place two heated tortillas on the prepared sheet. layer shredded cheese, a single layer of yams, a single layer of chicken, more cheese and finally a second tortilla. Place cookie sheet in the oven for 10 minutes, until the cheese melts and the entire thing is heated all the way through. Remove from oven and place a second cookie sheet with two more assembled quesadillas into the oven.
6. Let quesadilla rest for 5 minutes before cutting into quarters and serving with sour cream.


I don't think the boy was sold on this one until he tried it. He is forever being subjected to my combining savoury and sweet and the oven roasted yams have a great sweetness that he wasn't convinced would be good in a quesadilla. I happily showed him the way and on this deliciously savoury with a hint of sweet quesadilla that now make regular appearances at dinner.

Mussels with White Wine Fennel Sauce & Blue Cheese

Mussels are almost a religion in my family. I've been eating them for as long as I can remember. When I was in Brussels for 1 day 10 years ago (I can't believe it's been that long) I knew I had to get mussels and frites. Any time I am at a French bistro it takes all I have to not always order mussels and frites, as they are on any decent bistro's menu.

Last Friday the boy and I went to Tati Bistro and adorable French Bistro in the West End of Toronto, that a friend of his owns. They had mussels & frites on the menu and I surprisingly resisted and had a fabulous meal of beef carpaccio and black cod. As we loved the place I'm sure I will be back to sit at the bar, eat mussels and frites with a delicious glass of the Chateau d'Angeles rose. Seriously check out Tati if you are in Toronto, the boy's steak frites were amazing, the cheese selection is wonderful and they wine list is solid.

I've now completely gotten of topic. Mussels. I love them. Since I opted not to have them on friday night, I decided to make them at home. What I realized in buying them is that here in Toronto, lovely PEI (that's Prince Edward's island for those not in the know) Mussels are surprisingly inexpensive. We got a bag for $4.99! I think we'll be eating more mussels this summer. IN another twist of fate, it turned out that the Food Network had an episode of Bobby Flay's Throwdown focusing on mussels and frites. I only caught bits and pieces of the episode but I did see that the hometown favorite and, of course, winner used blue cheese on his mussels. We had blue cheese in the fridge so I decided to incorporate it into the recipe I had come up with

Mussels with White Wine Fennel Sauce & Blue Cheese

3/4 cup chicken stock - it all I had but I'm sure a fish stock would be lovely here too
1 cup dry white wine
1/2 large fennel bulb - sliced
1 Tbsp fennel fronds
1 shallot roughly chopped
1 Tbsp olive oil
4 Tbsp unsalted butter
2 lbs mussels
175g blue cheese
salt & pepper

1. Go through mussels and remove nay that have cracked shells or are open and don't close when tapped. Remove the beard, the stingy part that sticks out of the shell and then let the mussels sit on cold water for a 5 minutes, stirring everyone in awhile to help get rid of any sand. Remove from water with a slotted spoon and then place in a colander and rinse one more time with cold water.
2. In a large saute pan (one that can comfortably accommodate the mussels) heat olive oil and 2 Tbsp butter over medium heat. Add in the chopped shallots and cook until translucent. Add in sliced fennel saute for 2 minutes or until just begin to soften.
3. Add chicken stock and simmer for approximately 3 minutes. Remove saute pan from heat and add white wine. Return to heat and let simmer for 3-5 more minutes, until most of the alcohol has burned off.
4. Whisk in remaining 2 Tbsp of butter, salt & pepper and then add in fennel fronds and mussels, cover and steam until all the mussels have opened, another 3-5 minutes.
5. Turn off heat, remove lid from pan, discard any mussels that haven't opened and sprinkle blue cheese crumbles all over mussels. Serve in a large bowl with lots of broth and nice crusty bread.



This was a perfectly easy dinner that is packed with flavor and I loved the way the blue cheese crumbles tasted melted on the mussels and in the broth. It was a really interesting and delicious combination. The fennel added great depth to the sauce and was beautifully tender. I can't wait to make this one again.

Don't forget to enter my Blogoversary contest...Enjoy!

"Waldorf" Lettuce Wraps

Not too long ago, I invited a good friend of mine and her boyfriend over to watch the NHL Playoffs. It was something we had been talking about doing for awhile but never set and when we finally did it was of course totally last minute and something I wasn't able to do my normal planning for. It was the weekend we picked out my brand new puppy, had a birthday party, the one I made the strawberry cupcakes for and had to go shopping to prep the house for the puppy, plus the normal household chores, it was busy. Then Sunday night came and 30 minutes before our guests were set to arrive I realized I needed to get a few little munchies together, all of us had eaten dinner but it is unacceptable for me to not have snack to offer my guests. I looked around the kitchen and thanks to our new organic veggie delivery, Mama Earth, I was able to throw together a delicious and tasty twist on a Waldorf Salad.

In the title of the post "Waldorf" is in quotes because a traditional Waldorf Salad has apples, grapes, celery, walnuts and blue cheese, I didn't have all of those ingredients on hand so I improvised.


"Waldorf" Lettuce Wraps
Makes 6-8 wraps

1 small head Boston lettuce
1 Golden Blush Apple
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 Tbsp lemon juice
salt & pepper to taste

1. Wash and dry whole leaves of Boston lettuce. Leave the skin on the apple and cut it into a 1/2" dice.
2. In a small mixing bowl whisk together lemon juice and mayonnaise, add salt a pepper to taste.
3. Toss apples and pecans with the dressing. Lay lettuce leaves on a platter. Scoop 2 Tbsps of apple pecan mixture onto lettuce leaves. Sprinkle with sea salt and fresh cracked pepper. To eat, fold up lettuce leaf and viola!


I love how simple and flavorful the dressing is, it's perfectly tangy and pairs so well with the apples and nuts. It made for a pretty presentaion on the plate and is so good if you are ever entertaining people who are gluten free. That wasn't the case here, but it was tasty and appreciated nonetheless.

I mentioned Mama Earth at the start of the post, they are an organic fruit and vegetable delivery service that the boy and I started about a month ago that we love! Not only are half of our groceries delivered weekly, they are fresh and organic and mostly support local producers. There are veggie delivery service like this in many major cities and I highly recommend doing some research to find them. I know the fabulous Domestic Diva used LOVE veggie delivery in LA. You can also search CSA (community support agriculture) opportunities in your area. there wasn't a CSA that was convenient with our schedules, so this was the next best thing and I have to say I love it, because not only do they have fruits and veggies but you also have the option of adding other organic grocery items to your weekly order. Check out produce deliver options in your area. I guarantee once you do you won't turn back.

Enjoy!

Proscuitto and Melon Salsa Crostini

And we're back with the second crostini I made for my recent dinner party, I love prosciutto and melon and while I could have just wrapped some prosciutto around pieces of melon and been done with it. I had a whole baguette worth of crostini that I wanted to put to use which is how I decided on the melon salsa atop of prosciutto ribbons.

Prosciutto & Melon Crostini

Crostini - made using the same method as with the White Bean Puree
1/4 lb of prosciutto - sliced into ribbons
1/2 cantaloupe - cut into a small dice
2-3 slices of red onion - finely diced
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
handful of flat leaf parsley - chopped
sea salt & fresh cracked pepper

1. Toss the diced melon, red onions and parsley in the red wine vinegar. Set aside for at least 30 minutes.
2. To slice the prosciutto into ribbons roll a few pieces together lengthwise and slice along the roll 1/2" pieces. Unroll and separate into a pile of beautiful prosciutto ribbons.
3. Top each crostino with 3-5 pieces of prosciutto and a Tbsp of melon salsa. Sprinkle sea salt and fresh cracked pepper over each costini.


While both crostini were good these were a clear winner. The boy and my guest went back for more of this one much more than the white bean. As my readers know I love the blending of salty and sweet and this is a classic combination of those flavors. It was a bit messy, in that after a bite everything kind of fell off the crostino, I think the next time I make them they need to be more of a one bite treat. Get the whole thing in there so as not to loose any of the delicious bits. Enjoy!

Crostini with White Bean Puree and Rosemary Olive Oil

I've finally hosted my first little dinner party at the boy's, sorry OUR, house here in TO (he likes me to call it our house and I'm getting there). Yes I've been here almost 6 months and I'm not sure what my excuse is for not doing it sooner. Much is attributed to the brutal winter that, although I grew up in it, I just wasn't quite prepare, then there is the instability of the film industry during an almost actors strike (that has finally been resolved) and mainly moving into a house that was truly a bachelor pad and not a home has been the biggest stumbling block. I need a home and moving up here and going right to work and then on any long weekend or break heading out of town didn't exactly offer the time necessary to transform a bachelor pad, with little furniture and whole ton of clutter into a home.

As it has warmed up and motivation has increased, about a week ago I told the boy I invited some friends over for dinner. His face initially dropped as he looked around our living room and at our dining table, with no chairs. I told him not to worry we had the time needed to get it together. Some progress had been made over my time here, but we (and more specifically he) needed that extra push, that deadline and pressure of a set time when we would have guests. A day of cleaning and trips to IKEA, Home Outfitters, Rona and Wal-Mart later we had a proper home. While it's rental with awful light fixtures and pink carpet, it finally feels like a home. A home we are both comfortable having friends over to.

After putting in all that work I needed to put together a meal fitting our cozy place. I was up for the challenge having not cooked for anyone other than the boy and I in almost 6 months I had all kinds of ideas stored up. I decided to start with two different types of crostini, simple in preparation but big on flavor. The first one is inspired by Nancy Silverton's Crostini with White Bean Puree and Rosemary Olive Oil. Below is how I did it, with a link to the original recipe


Crostini with White Bean Puree and Rosemary Olive Oil
inspired by by Nancy Silverton's recipe

INGREDIENTS
(for the rosemary olive oil)
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 heaping tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary leaves

(for the white bean puree)
1 15-ounce can cannelloni beans, rinsed and drained
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon sea salt
freshly ground black pepper

(for the crostini)
1/2 inch thick slices of baguette
1 cup arugula
good olive oil
aged balsamic vinegar, for drizzling
sea salt

METHOD
To make the rosemary olive oil, combine the olive oil and rosemary in a small saucepan over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Lower the heat and continue to gently simmer the oil until the rosemary sizzles. Turn off the heat and let the rosemary steep in the oil for 1 hour.

To make the crostini, place the bread slices on a baking sheet, brush with the olive oil and place oiled side down on a grill heated to medium low. Brush the other side with more olive oil and flip after 2-3 minutes or when you see the edges getting nice and toasty. Get the second side nice and toasty and remove to baking sheet.

To make the white bean puree, combine the beans, 2/3 cup of the rosemary olive oil, garlic and kosher salt and pepper in a mortar and pestle or in a medium bowl and using a potato masher, mash everything together until everything is combined. The texture should still be slightly chunky.

To assemble the crostini, place a few arugula leaves on each crostino and spoon about 1 tablespoon of the white bean puree in a generous, even layer, over the arugula. Using the back of the spoon, make a small crater in the puree and spoon in a little of the rosemary olive oil and a little balsamic vinegar. Sprinkle with sea salt.

This became my own version mostly because I forgot to rub the crostini with garlic and forgot to drizzle with balsamic! It was delish all the same. So much so that the boy couldn't wait until our guest got to the house, he had me assemble one for him to test and then I think made one more himself! Stay tuned for the other crostini I made (seen in the photo above), prosciutto with melon salsa and the rest of our meal. Enjoy!

T&C: Grilled Chicken Wings with a Chipotle Dry Rub

This month is my first time participating in Taste & Create, a blogging event where you are paired up with another blogger and you try a recipe from your partner's site and they try one from yours. I think it's a great idea because not only did it introduce me to a new food blog, but it means someone (that's not a friend or family) has to try one of my recipes!

My partner was Jeff from Culinary Disasters, he tried out my Maple Whiskey Pulled Chicken and seemed to enjoy, which makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. I was torn between the wings and his chocolate covered bacon with extra sprinkles! The bacon was intriguing to me because I recently ate at Animal Restaurant in LA where they have a Chocolate Bacon Crunch Bar, that was a bit disappointing. The flavors just didn't pop for me and I was excited for what I imagined to be a delicious salty & sweet treat. I wanted to try out Jeff's take in an attempt to get the deliciousness I had hoped for. That being said it seemed like an easy way out for my first Taste & Create go. So I went with dry rubbed wings, most because I love chipotle but also because the boy loves wings. I also loved the idea of grilling rather than baking or frying.


Grilled Chicken Wings with a Chipotle Dry Rub
from Culinary Disasters

chicken wings
1 teaspoon paprika
2-3 dried chipotle peppers (I had never worked with dried peppers before so I intended on using 2, but had trouble getting the 2nd one ground down with my mortal and pestle and it was late so I used 1 pepper and 1/2 tsp of ground chipotle chile spice)
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
Pinch of black pepper
4 TB of unsalted butter melted

Combine the dry ingredients, taste, and adjust.

Pat the wings dry, brush on the unsalted butter, and then sprinkle the rub over to coat.

I have found that a medium temperature on the grill is the perfect temperature for grilling chicken wings without torching them and taking half a lifetime to finish. If you don’t have a grill, still getting snow, or to windy then a 350 degree till the wings are done (about 30-45 minutes depending on thickness.

We are a fan of blue cheese dipping sauce in our house so I made some homemade sauce to go with these wings. Not sure Jeff would approve as he seems to be anti-sauce, to each their own.

Blue Cheese Dipping Sauce

1/4 cup blue cheese crumbles
3 Tbsp mayonnaise
3 Tbsp sour cream
1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
Fresh cracked pepper

Mix all ingredients together and set aside in the fridge to let the flavors marry while making the wings. Garnish with a bit of paprika before serving.

These were a massive hit with the boy. He already has it planned for me to make them up at the cottage this weekend and called them "a winner" a compliment that doesn't get thrown around often. I really enjoyed them, but because of the way I made them (with 1 pepper and chipotle powder) they weren't as spicy as I would like. I take responsibility for that as I was making them at 10pm, got frustrated with a pepper in my mortar and pestle (and subbed in the cile powder) and was admittedly being conservative with the spice. There was some heat, about the equivalent to a mild to medium wing, I was just looking for a bit more and will adjust accordingly on the next go. One note on the amount of spice rub, I made about 1 1/2 lbs of wings and the spice rub was just barely enough. I'd say the recipe as written is good for 1 lb of wings if you want a good spicy crust.

All in all I enjoyed my first Taste & Create and will for sure make some of Jeff's chocolate covered bacon in the near future. Enjoy!

Baked Brie with Caramelized Pear

I promise that my South Beach posts will be coming soon, as I was going through all my photos from the holidays I realized I forgot to post this fabulous appetizer. I've made it for cocktail parties when I was still in LA, but most recently made it for the boy and I on the day we celebrated Christmas together before going off to be with each of our own families. He loved it so much he made it for his family's Christmas Eve appetizer/munchie feast. It's a crowd pleaser, trust me and make it.

Baked Brie with Caramelized Pear
adapted from Canadian Living

1 round (8 oz/250 g) brie cheese
1 tbsp (15 mL) sliced hazelnuts or slivered almond, toasted (I've never used any nuts with it and don't miss them)
2 tsp (10 mL) butter
1 shallot, thinly sliced (I didn't have a shallot so I roughly chopped three thin slices of red onion and minced one clove of garlic)
1 pear, thinly sliced
Pinch each salt and pepper
1/4 cup (50 mL) pear or apple juice (I used pear juice)
1 tbsp (15 mL) brandy or pear juice (I used apple juice)
2 tsp (10 mL) chopped fresh thyme (or 1/2 tsp/2 mL dried)
1 tsp (5 mL) packed brown sugar

In nonstick skillet, melt butter over medium heat; fry shallot, pear, salt and pepper until shallot is softened, about 5 minutes.

Add pear juice, brandy (apple juice), thyme and sugar; bring to boil. Boil, stirring occasionally, until no liquid remains and pear is softened, about 5 minutes. (Make-ahead: Let cool. Refrigerate in airtight container for up to 24 hours.)

Place Brie on foil-lined pie plate or in small cake pan; top with pear mixture. Bake in 350°F (180°C) oven until cheese is softened, about 10 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes. Sprinkle with hazelnuts.

I'm sorry I didn't take a picture with the brie cut into and the gooey cheese piled onto a cracker with some pear, but quite frankly we gobbled it up so fast that I forgot. Enjoy!

Baked Scallops with Creamy Spicy Sauce

Last night I was craving the Scallop Dynamite Roll from Sushi Mac, an uber cheap sushi joint back in LA. I knew I had to do laundry and pack for my trip back to my parents house for Thanksgiving, so I didn't want to spend too much time trying to find a sushi place near my house that may or may not even have what I was craving. So I did a Google search for "spicy scallop" and found this recipe. I really love how the sauce incorporates both chili sauce and sugar, making this dish the epitome of "Piccante Dolce".

Pomodori al Forno

This is a recipe that I read about in Bon Appetit. I pulled it instantly upon reading and it's been on my "to try" list ever since. The boy was working today and since it's Sunday I had the luxury of being able to have a tasty treat waiting for him on his return home. It's far too domestic of me, but I couldn't help myself. Most of you know how much I love to cook for people, especially those I love. Before I digress any further, see below for the recipe:

Pomodori al Forno
from Bon Appetit

1 cups (or more) olive oil, divided
2 pounds plum tomatoes, halved lengthwise, seeded (I used a 28 oz can of San Marzano tomatoes)
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
3/4 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 to 2 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons minced fresh Italian parsley
Aged goat cheese (such as Bûcheron)
1 baguette, thinly sliced crosswise, toasted

1. Preheat oven to 250°F. Pour 1/2 cup oil into 13x9x2-inch (I used an 11x7 inch dish) glass or ceramic baking dish. Arrange tomatoes in dish, cut side up. Drizzle with remaining 1/2 cup oil. Sprinkle with oregano, sugar, and salt. Bake 1 hour.
2. Using tongs, turn tomatoes over. Bake 1 hour longer. Turn tomatoes over again. Bake until deep red and very tender, transferring tomatoes to plate when soft (time will vary, depending on ripeness of tomatoes), about 15 to 45 minutes longer. (As I used canned tomatoes and I wanted to make sure they were done and ready I only cooked the first 2 hours and skipped the last flip)
3. Layer tomatoes in medium bowl, sprinkling garlic and parsley over each layer; reserve oil in baking dish. Drizzle tomatoes with reserved oil, adding more if necessary to cover.
4. Let stand at room temperature 2 hours. DO AHEAD: Cover; chill up to 5 days. Bring to room temperature before serving.
5. Serve with aged goat cheese and toasted baguette slices.

It's recommended to make these with fresh plum tomatoes, but as they aren't in season I decided to use high-quality canned tomatoes. San Marzano are the best. They worked very well and allow you to cut back a bit on the cooking time. When I try them with fresh tomatoes I plan to follow the cooking times exactly.

The tomatoes were so tender, sweet and easy that I know I will make them time and again. They were also a perfect treat to tide the boy over after a long day in the cold at work before dinner. Stay tuned for what I'm making for dinner!

Veal Sliders

Here's my final post in the "Tasty Game Day Bites" series. These veal sliders were an idea taken from a group of guys who tailgate at the San Diego Chargers games at Qulacomm Stadium. I was down there one of my last weekends in LA as the Pats were playing and tons of people were out from Boston. A few of us ended up crashing the most gourmet tailgate I've ever been too. My favorite thing they had was the veal slider and without a recipe or any kind of research I decided to make my own version. Be advised the measurements aren't exact, so add the bread crumbs slowly until you get the mixture to a good consistency.

Veal Sliders with Balsamic Onions & Garlic Mayo

SLIDERS
2 lbs of ground veal
1 egg
1/2 - 1 cup bread crumbs
3 tbsps fresh thyme leaves - removed from the stems
1/4 cup Montreal Steak Spice
Pepper
Garlic Powder
Dinner Rolls or small hamburger buns (you'll need 14-16)

1. Mix the ground veal with the thyme, steak spice, egg and bread crumbs. Add the bread crumbs on small batches to get the mixture to the right consistency to form patties, you may use more or less that I did.
2. Form veal into small patties, whatever is the right size for your buns/rolls. Lay on a cookie sheet or plate lined with wax paper and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, to help the patties set, they can sit for longer just make sure they are in some sort of airtight container.
3. Heat a large fry pan over medium heat and spray with non-stick cooking spray. Sprinkle the top of the patties with black pepper and garlic powder. Place spiced side down in the fry pan and sprinkle the other side with pepper and garlic powder. Cook the patties on medium to medium low for 5-7 minutes per side to ensure they are cooked through completely. A nice dark crust should form on the patties. Cooking time will vary depending on how thick they are.
4. Remove to a paper towel line plate and let rest for 5 minutes before assembling and serving.


ONIONS
1 large red onion - thinly sliced
2 tbsp olive oil
1/4 balsamic vinegar
salt & pepper to taste

1. Put the olive oil in a medium saute pan and heat over medium heat. Add the sliced red onions and lower heat to medium-low.
2. Cook until the onions are tender but not caramelized, 5-10 mins depending on your stovetop and pan. Then add balsamic vinegar, continue to cook over low heat until vinegar absorbs into the onions and they become soft, about 10 more minutes. NOTE: this is not a sauce, there should be no vinegar left in the pan, it will either evaporate or be absorbed by the onions. I like the let them cook for awhile over low. and just let them work as the burgers cook and cool.
3. Serve on top of veal sliders.

MAYO
1/2 cup Mayonnaise
2-3 garlic cloves - minced

1. Mix minced garlic and mayo together. Let sit in the fridge for at least an hour to let the flavor marry. Spread on roll for veal sliders.

These were a complete hit with the guys. I heard that one of them eaven talked about the food the next day, which is one of the biggest compliments, as far as I'm concerned. I actually ended up adding the garlic mayo the next night when it was just the boy and I and we had leftovers for dinner. They were great without the mayo, but the mayo just added a little seething extra that really made it for me. You could easily make these with regular ground beef or turkey, but I think the veal makes it a little more special and the woodsiness of the thyme really works well with the meat. Enjoy!

Zucchini Fries

And here's Part 2 of the little series I'm doing on tasty treats for watching a game with a group. I admit this one was a risk for a group of beer-drinking, wing-eating boys. But I had bought way too much zucchini for the Vegetable Tian I made earlier in the week and needed to find something to use it up. While I'm not crazy about zucchini the few times, I've had zucchini fries or zucchini parmesan I've really liked it. So after some searching I found this recipe which I decided to try because it was healthier than most, had it's own spicy dipping sauce and it called for the zucchini to be cut in rounds, which is how all my leftover zucchini was already cut. So 1/2 my prep work was out of the way already!

Oven Baked Zucchini Fries with Apricot Dipping Sauce

2 medium-to-large zucchini
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 cup non-fat buttermilk
1/2 cup cornmeal
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
apricot dipping sauce (recipe below)

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Spray a cookie sheet or pizza pan generously with non-stick cooking spray.

2. Trim the ends off the zucchini and slice crosswise into 1/4-inch rounds. Sprinkle with kosher salt. This will help draw some of the moisture out of the zucchini. Pour the buttermilk into a shallow dish. Mix the cornmeal, Parmesan cheese and cayenne pepper into another shallow dish. Dip the zucchini slices into buttermilk, then the cornmeal mixture. Place on the prepared cookie sheet.

3. Bake 12 minutes until browned on the bottom. Turn, then bake another 3 to 5 minutes until browned on the top. Serve with apricot dipping sauce.

Apricot Dipping Sauce

1/2 cup no-sugar-added apricot jelly
2 Tbsp. water
1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
1 dash hot sauce

Whisk all ingredients together until smooth. Serve immediately.

You can see I followed the recipe exactly (notice the lack of red comments) and would recommend you do the same. I was pleasantly surprised with how crispy these came out even though they were baked. To my surprise the guys seemed to enjoy them too and one of them even suggested substituting chickpea flour for the cornmeal, which is the one thing I'd considering changing up the next time I make them, just to see how it works. This is a great crispy treat that's so easy to make for a crowd. Enjoy!

Chicken Wings

As promised here is the beginning of a three part series on yummy game day bites. Within 2 days of being in Toronto the boy had the guys over to watch a hockey game. While cooking for them wasn't requested or even necessary, we all I know I can't resist! The first and most obvious choice was wings, but instead of the hot wings they always have, I went with Giada's tried and true recipe (tried and true for me that is) for Balsamic Chicken Drummettes. My changes/additions are below in red. My biggest change was to double the marinade based on the amount of wings I made.

Balsamic Chicken Drumettes
from Giada DeLaurentiis

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar (1 cup)
1/2 cup honey (1 cup)
1/2 cup brown sugar (1 cup)
1/4 cup soy sauce (1/2 cup)
5 sprigs of rosemary (10 springs)
5 garlic cloves, halved (10 smashed cloves - smash them with the side of my knife to get the skin off and just threw them in the marinade as is)
10 to 12 chicken drumsticks (I used 2-3 lbs of wings)
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds (4 tbsp)
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley (I always forget the parsley!)

1. Combine the balsamic, honey, brown sugar, soy sauce, rosemary sprigs, and garlic cloves, in a large, re-sealable plastic bag. Shake and squeeze the contents of the bag to dissolve the honey and the brown sugar. Add the chicken drumsticks to the bag and seal with as little air as possible in the bag. Place in the refrigerator and marinate for 2 hours.

2. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

3. Place the chicken drumsticks on a foil-lined baking sheet. Bake until the skin is caramelized and very dark in spots, about 30 to 35 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, place the marinade in a small saucepan. Bring the marinade to a boil (in order to kill bacteria). Reduce the heat to simmer and cook over low heat until thick, about 15 minutes. Reserve.

5. Use a pastry brush to brush some of the cooked marinade on the cooked chicken. Place the chicken on a serving platter. Sprinkle with the sesame seeds and the chopped parsley.

6. Giada's note: I like the rosemary and garlic flavors in the background. Brushing the cooked drumettes with the reduced marinade helps the flavors along. Also, re-moistening helps the parsley and the seeds to adhere.

All I have to say is that these were a hit with the guys! I've made them for cocktail parties and appetizer "dinners" and they always get rave reviews and are so very simple. I have let them marinate as long as 6-7 hours, putting the wings in the marinade before work and baking them when I got home, making them easy for a weeknight as well. Between football season (I should acknowledge hockey season too) and the upcoming holiday parties, these wings are a winner for just about anything. Enjoy!

Poppers on the Grill

With the NBA finals going on over the last few weeks and being a hardcore Boston fan, there has been alot of game watching at my place. The food that goes along with sports is as much of the experience for me as the actual game. This past Sunday during Game 5 in LA I decided to make some game day vittles for my brother and I to enjoy. Aside from some BBQ chicken with Stubbs Honey Bourbon sauce (I highly recommend Stubbs!), and chips with salsa & guac, I decided to test out a recipe my boyfriend uses for Jalapeno Poppers on the grill. Of course this recipe includes bacon, as he's Canadian and I think most things he likes include some form of bacon!

RECIPE

This recipe makes 12 tasty poppers

6 fresh jalapenos
1 8 oz tub of cream cheese (I used Lite)
12 strips of bacon
toothpicks

1.Wash and dry the peppers. Then half the jalapenos and remove all of the seeds and veins. Be careful with touching your eyes or anything sensitive for a day or two after. The pepper juice stays with you for a bit, even if you wash your hand multiple times! (I learned this the hard way)
2. Fill each half pepper with cream cheese
3. Cut the bacon strips in half, so they are easier to wrap around each pepper.
4. Wrap each pepper with the bacon, they usually take a full strip, then secure the bacon with a toothpick
5. Turn the grill on low heat. Place the pepper, cream cheese side up on the grill. Cook for 30-40 mins until the bacon crisps up.

These are a little time consuming for a quick treat, especially when you see how quickly they disappear. But they are very tasty and well worth it. I may consider trying them with a mix of cream cheese and cheddar cheese next time, just to add a little something extra.

Enjoy!!!