{shades of pink}

Italian Cream Cupcakes

This is a picture of some Italian Cream Cupcakes that I made. I have to admit...I kick Betty Crocker's a**! These did take significantly longer to make than cupcakes out of a box though, but definitely worth the extra effort. They were pretty big though...I had a hard time eating a whole one at one sitting, but Cody had no problems at all. The hardest part for him was having the self control to only eat one at a time. The recipe can be found here: http://www.recipezaar.com/281743

Crunchy Eggs Benedict with Spicy Hollandaise Sauce

This was a combination meal I made from watching one of Rachel Ray's Tasty Travel shows. The show focused on Breakfast and Brunch and I saw two things that really piqued my interest. First, one restaurant made crunch poached eggs - basic poached eggs that were then battered and fried! Second, a different restaurant made a spicy blender hollandaise sauce for a southwestern breakfast. I LOVE Eggs Benedict, so I thought combining the two ideas into one of my favorite breakfast dishes would be excellent. Not to brag, but I didn't disappoint myself.

I will admit that I was pretty nervous battering the poached eggs. They were so very delicate. After I poached them, I chilled them to give them a little more solidity, but they were still very delicate. I coated them with flour, egg wash and then a crushed corn flake coating. Frying took only about a minute on each side, just to get it crispy and golden. The Hollandaise sauce got its zip from the addition of cayenne pepper.

The rest was pretty standard...toasted English muffin and Canadian bacon. This would make a nice sized breakfast, but since I made it for dinner, it wasn't quite substantial enough. I think next time I will maybe try crab cakes instead of the Canadian bacon just for something even a little more different!

Bon appetit!

Sautéed Tilapia over Swiss Chard with Tarragon Butter

This is a new recipe (from Fine Cooking, issue 71) that we tried recently and it was really quite outstanding. We couldn't get Swiss Chard the day we were looking for it so we substituted fresh spinach and it worked just fine, although I think the Chard would hold the tarragon butter a little better than the spinach did. Regardless, it was an extremely tasty dish and I'd even dare say you could cut back on the recommended amount of butter.

Stuffed Lobster Tails and Gratin of Artichoke and Swiss Chard

Happy New Year! Cody and my only real tradition is to make a very nice Lobster meal for either Christmas Eve or New Year's Eve. This year, we tried a new recipe and it was fantastic! The stuffed lobster tail recipe came from Cuisine at Home magazine, issue 66 December 2007. It is worth the effort and expense to make because it was absolutely delicious. The Gratin of Artichoke and Swiss Chard is also one of our favorite side indulgences. Enjoy!

Scallops with Tarragon Cream and Wilted Butter Lettuce

If you like scallops at all, this recipe is awesome! It was fairly easy also. I think the trick is to really dry the scallops and get the butter very hot so the scallops will brown nicely. I know that if the scallops are too moist, they don't brown very well at all.

Also, you have to try the wilted butter lettuce. I don't always try the eclectic sides that are recommended as part of certain recipes, but I tried this one and it was very nice. It turned out to be a bit like wilted spinach.

Bon Appetit!

Sushi time!

My newest obsession in the kitchen is Sushi. I love sushi, but the closest place is about 45 minutes away and we just don't seem to get there often enough, so I decided to investigate and see if I could learn to make sushi. With the initial help of the Sushi Master (I got mine on eBay for $16), and many reference books from the library, the verdict is in, and yes, I can make sushi. I'm definitely still in the learning stages, but this was my third attempt (all attempts have been edible) and I'm getting better with each try. This time I actually bought some sashimi-grade tuna at the grocery store. The tuna was good, but not nearly as good as restaurants. Also, I've found the most difficult part of making sushi is the presentation. It's really quite hard to get the rolls to look nice, but I'm getting better.

Cooking up a storm!

I can't believe how busy this fall has been. I don't have much planned this weekend, and I'm really looking forward to just relaxing!

Our big event this week was a party for Cody's coworkers. We had 18 guests on Wednesday night, so I spent all day Wednesday cooking. It was a lot of work, but everything turned out very well, so I was pretty happy. I think I was most happy with the amount of leftovers...hardly any! Usually I make way too much food, but I did a very good job serving just enough. We did run out of a few things, but that's okay. There was still plenty of other options.

I don't have any of the recipes to post right now, but I'll try to post some of the more unique ones in the future. The picture on the right shows the mini falafel meatballs with creamy cucumber dip (right), crab stuffed mushrooms (middle) and puff pastry pockets filled with goat cheese, lemon and chives (left).

The picture on the left shows soy & ginger marinated bacon wrapped scallops (left), mini quiches (center, bottom), pork dumplings (center, top) and Feta & Spinach purses.

The picture on the right was my favorite, improvised appetizer...Garlic marinated shrimp bites. This is a knockoff of an appetizer served at Z'Tejas restaurant in Austin, TX. The are bite sized tortilla chips topped with guacamole and a garlic sauted shrimp. Yummy!

We also had deviled eggs, cheese & crackers, chips with salsa, queso and creamy jalapeño dip, spinach dip and shrimp cocktail. I think that was about it.

Finally, the dessert. We only served 2 desserts, but it seemed to be plenty. We had mini carrot cakes and brownie cupcakes with chocolate ganache. Mmmmmm!

It's a good thing I like to cook because this was an extreme amount of work, but everything turned out great!

Brochettes of Salmon and Mushrooms in a Velvety Asian Marinade

If you like salmon, this is a very good recipe. Simple, but quite tasty! Bon apetit...

Serves six. The original suggestion was to serve with a cilantro-flavored couscous, but we grilled zucchini, which was very nice also.

1/4 cup rice vinegar
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. minced fresh ginger
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp. granulated sugar
1 Tbsp. seeded and minced fresh jalapeno
1/3 cup fruity olive oil
2 Tbsp. toasted sesame oil
3 to 6 drops Tabasco
2 1/2 lbs. skinless salmon fillets, cut into 1 1/4 inch cubes
48 small shiitake or cremini mushroom caps
1/2 medium white onion, peeled and cut into 1 1/4 inch squares
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Roughly chopped cilantro for garnish

Combine the vinegar, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, sugar and jalapeno in a medium bowl. Whisk in the olive oil, sesame oil, and Tabasco. Add the salmon cubes and mushroom caps. Toss to coat evenly, cover with plastic wrap, and marinate for 1 hour in the refrigerator, tossing occasionally. While the salmon is marinating, soak a dozen 12-inch wooden skewers in water.

Prepare a medium-hot charcoal fire or heat a gas grill to medium high. (If your grill tends to be very hot, use medium heat, as the brochettes will cook unevenly if the heat is too high.) Remove the salmon from the marinade and loosely thread four salmon cubes alternating with four mushroom caps and four thin pieces of onion on each skewer. Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper and grill or broil in batches until browned and the salmon is lamost opaque thoughout, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Test by removing one piece of salmon and checking it for doneness; it should still be somewhat translucent in the center. Transfer the brochettes to warm dinner plates. Garnish with cilantro.

Lemony Sole with Capers & Croutons in Brown Butter Sauce

Yes, another recipe from Fine Cooking. We've made this one with flounder in the past, but this time we made it with some pan fish that we caught, and it turned out quite nicely. We have a lot of pan fish in the freezer and I get tired of doing the same thing with it, so I'm happy to find an alternative! This is also pictured with a twice baked potato. I made up a big batch of them and froze them, so we'll be able to easily thaw and heat them up when we want.

4-1/2 Tbs. unsalted butter
1 slice white bread, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1-1/2 medium lemons
4 sole fillets (2 to 3 oz. each)
All-purpose flour for dredging
2 Tbs. corn or canola oil (or vegetable oil)
2 Tbs. capers, rinsed and drained
1 Tbs. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Heat the oven to 200°F. Melt 1-1/2 Tbs. of the butter in a 10- to 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the bread cubes to the pan, stirring and tossing almost constantly with a wooden spoon, until the cubes are golden brown and crisp, 3 to 5 minutes. Drain on paper towels and sprinkle with salt. Wipe out the skillet.

Segment the whole lemon. Cut each segment into four pieces. Transfer to a small bowl and add 1 Tbs. juice squeezed from the lemon half.

Season the sole fillets lightly on each side with salt and pepper and dredge the fillets in the flour, shaking off any excess. Heat the oil in the nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches to avoid crowding the pan, cook the fillets until the first side is light golden, about 2 minutes. Using two spatulas to support the delicate fish, flip the fillets and cook until the second side is light golden and the fillets are opaque, another 2 minutes. Transfer to two dinner plates and keep warm in the oven.

Wipe out the skillet with a paper towel and add the remaining 3 Tbs. butter. Over medium-high heat, melt the butter and cook, swirling the pan until the butter turns a medium brown, about 2 minutes. Immediately remove the skillet from the heat and add the lemon segments and lemon juice, the capers, and the parsley; season to taste with salt and pepper. Drizzle the sauce over the fish and sprinkle on the croutons.

Grilled Chicken & Mushroom Yakitori

This is another recipe from Fine Cooking magazine that is fairly easy and very yummy. We served it with a side of roasted green beans. Enjoy!

6 Tbs. soy sauce
6 Tbs. mirin (rice wine)
6 Tbs. honey
1-1/2 Tbs. unseasoned rice vinegar
1-1/2 Tbs. finely minced fresh ginger
1-1/2 lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 6)
3 to 4 scallions (white and green parts) trimmed
16 small white mushrooms (about 6 oz.), wiped clean
8 bamboo skewers (8 to 12 inches), soaked in water for at least 20 min.
Vegetable or olive oil for the grill

Heat a gas grill to medium or prepare a medium-hot charcoal fire.

Combine the soy sauce, mirin, honey, rice vinegar, ginger, and garlic in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and gently boil until the mixture is slightly syrupy and reduced to about 2/3 cup, 10 to 15 min. Remove from the heat and divide the glaze into two containers.

While the glaze cooks, trim the chicken of excess fat. Cut the chicken thighs crosswise (across the grain) into 1/2-inch wide pieces (about 24 total). Cut the scallions into 2-inch pieces (you'll need 16 pieces). Fold each piece of chicken in half and thread three pieces of chicken onto the skewers, alternating with two scallions and two mushrooms (one of each between the chicken strips).

Brush oil on the grill grates and set the skewers on the hottest part of the grill. Grill until dark grill marks form on the first side, about 6 min. Flip the skewers and brush generously with half of the glaze. Continue to cook until the second side is well marked and the chicken is cooked through, another 5 to 6 min. Flip the skewers and brush the remaining glaze on the second side. Serve immediately.