Threesome

Easter with my side of the family today.  I was in charge of dessert.  It is an extra special day.  Eric's birthday.  I decided to make a trifle.  I love this dessert because it goes a long way and is so versatile.  You can go with chocolate or berries or caramel or fruit or a combo of these.  Make it up as you go and whistle while you work.  The word trifle stems from the idea of using three (hence the prefix 'tri') ingredients in a layered fashion.  They are almost always displayed in a pretty bowl with a foot, otherwise known as a 'trifle bowl'.  The bowl is clear, so one can revel at the lovely layers awaiting them.  Any large, deep bowl will suffice.  Enough of the definitions and details, now back to Eric's big day.  Eric is not a fan of chocolate.  He'll eat it if he is backed in a corner, but it would not be his choice, if given one.  I, on the other hand, would eat chocolate in the corner, at the table, on the roof-you get the picture.  I happen to like chocolate, but let's face it-it's not my special day.  It's Eric's.  I made a vanilla, lemon pound cake and I made it in a bundt pan.  It gives me practice on the art of "releasing" a perfect bundt cake and if it does not cooperate and ends up a crumpled mess, no one is the wiser because that's perfect for the trifle.  Needless to say, it did not cooperate.  No harm.  I cubed up the cake and started with this as the bottom layer.  I made fresh lemon curd.  Now this is a real treat.  Bright and sunny in your mouth, bursting with freshness.  Take 3 eggs and 3 egg yolks, 1/2 cup sugar, the zest of 1 lemon and 1/2 cup lemon juice, put them in a double boiler and whisk like you are half nuts.  Don't stop or you will scramble your eggs-not pretty.  It will start to foam and then get creamy and thicken.  Remove from the heat and gradually whisk in 2 sticks of cold unsalted butter (cut up in small pieces).  The heat from the mixture will slowly melt the butter as you continue to whisk.  Put the finished curd through a fine mesh sieve to remove any bits of eggs that may have scrambled.  I cooled the lemon curd over night with saran wrap over it (touching the surface, so a skin doesn't form).  This morning I whipped up 2 cups of cold whipping cream with a splash of vanilla coffee syrup (my secret weapon to sweeten whipping cream, so it doesn't get grainy from the sugar).  I folded the lemon curd into the fresh whipped, sweetened cream and this became lovely layer number two, now lemon mousse.  On top of that I put a generous layer of raspberries.  I actually found some really nice frozen berries, for a good price-and it worked beautifully.  The price of fresh raspberries is ridiculous, and I love Eric a whole bunch, but lets get real.  Then another layer of cake, another layer of lemon mousse and the final topping of beautiful raspberries.  It was very tasty, even coming from a girl that loves chocolate.  So, another birthday gone by.  Happy birthday Eric, happy birthday to you.  I would have splurged on fresh berries, but frozen worked too.

Peppers, Sausage And Green Olives-Oh My!

Friday nights are BIG nights.  Either we have a nice slab of fish (because it's date night) or it's homemade pizza night.  Tonight was za.  I have been trying for years to perfect my pizza crust recipe.  I have a really good one that I make in my food processor (even though I am afraid I am going to burn it out).  I have another recipe for crust that I make and it's down the same lines as the crusty bread recipe from the book "Artisian Bread In Five Minutes A Day".  You make the dough (no need to knead) and you can use it over the next 12 days.  It is really good and really easy.  2 3/4 cups lukewarm water mixed with 1 1/2 tablespoons yeast, 1 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt, 1 tablespoon sugar and 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil.  Mix this in a 5 qt. size bucket or bowl, and add 6 1/2 cups all purpose flour, mix well.  Cover (not tightly) for two hours.  After that, it's ready to use or refrigerate for later use.  The dough is easier to handle when cold and only gets better over time.  Tonight I made the traditional pizza sauce (after lots of messing around).  1 can of diced tomatoes (with basil, oregano and olive oil)-14.5 ounce and one 6 ounce can of Italian tomato paste (It's chunky and we like it chunky).  I crispy browned some ground pork with kosher salt, fresh cracked pepper, red pepper flakes and pizza seasoning.  Our other toppings were thin sliced red peppers, green olives and mozzarella cheese.  Sometimes I add homemade sundried tomatoes (this is a blog post in itself).  Super yummy.  No one complains on pizza night, and that makes me happy.

The Breast Salad Ever

This is a really great meal.  Healthy, easy and super delish!  It's our chicken breast salad meal.  I make a huge salad with all the fix'ins.  Romaine lettuce, carrots, celery, colored peppers, onion, cucumber, tomatoes, and craisins.  Sometimes I add hard boiled eggs, avacado, apples, pickled banana peppers and broccoli.  Scott grills up some boneless, skinless, chicken breasts-generously kosher salted and peppered.  We let them cool and give them a chance to redistribute their juices and then, slice into the salad.  I like to mix it up a bit and make a dressing I don't usually make on a regular basis.  It's kinda like Thousand Island.  I take 1/4 of an onion, some fresh cracked pepper, about 1/4 -1/3 cup of mayo, 1/4 cup ketchup and a couple tablespoons of sweet pickle relish.  Whip it around in the Magic Bullet until it's smooth.  Dress the salad with this dressing (because no one likes a naked salad) and you will have a terrific meal.  All my kids eat it up, like there's no tomorrow and it's on Scott's top five list.  This is The Breast Salad Ever, I think you'll agree.

Nice Buns

Oh yeah baby.  Those are some of the best lookin' buns I've seen in a long time.  And they taste good, too.  Looks aren't everything ya know.  I took this recipe and made it in my bread machine on the dough cycle, to save on time.  Worked great.  Heat 1 cup milk, 1/2 cup water, 1/4 cup butter until very warm (120 degrees).  To the bread machine add 2 1/4 teaspoons yeast, 4 1/2 cups all purpose flour, 2 tablespoons sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt.  Add the warmed milk mixture and 1 slightly beaten egg.  After dough has risen and the dough cycle is over, divide dough into 12 parts.  Form into slightly flattened balls and place on parchment paper.  Let rise for 30 to 35 minutes.  Bake at 400 degrees for 10-12 minutes.  Perfection.  We wood fired burgers to go with these buns and we could not decide which was tastier-the buns or the burgers.  These buns will make your burgers soar to new heights.  Really, really good-and that's no lie (cause I don't lie).  I have nice buns, even Scotty will vouch for that.

It's Not Easy Bein' Cheesy

I am on a quest.  A mission of sorts.  Driven by the desire for perfect macaroni and cheese.  The definition of comfort food.  I have tried lots of recipes and they have all been good, but not fantabulous (yes, I make up my own words).  Starting out is always the same, a roux (equal mixture of butter and flour) I used 4 Tablespoons of each.  Please always use butter, never margarine.  Then follow with milk (3 cups or so) and whisk continually until it thickens.  After it bulks up a bit, now this is where it can go wrong, add your cheese of choice.  This is where I must explain.  I could just add Velveeta and be done with it.  I would have the creamy, cheesiness I desire.  But any product that claims to be a "pasteurized processed cheese product", just shouldn't be.  It's not right.  Either you are cheese or you are not.  Velveeta is not.  I am on a mission to find the creaminess of Velveeta, but in real cheese.  Sharp cheddar in a Velveeta costume.  A few weeks ago, I purchased some Fontina cheese, specifically to test.  I used Fontina and Aged Sharp Cheddar.  Good, but not great.  Not silky smooth, a little grainy.  Tonight, back at it.  I used about 3/4 of a cup of Fontina and 2 cups of "4 Cheese Classic Melts" (three of the four in this blend are real).  I know, I know, this blend does have an impostor in it, but that's how I figure this whole thing out.  One step at a time.  Three out of four is not too bad.  Don't worry, I won't settle with this.  It's a stepping stone, to greater things to come.  I also added 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard and the unsuspecting secret ingredient-fresh grated nutmeg.  I know it seems weird, but it is a secret ingredient in many delicious cheese based or white sauces.  If you don't believe me, just ask me.  I also always dust the top with panko (Japanese breadcrumbs).  They add a delightful crispy coating to the top of the bubbling dish.  You can use regular breadcrumbs as well, but it will NOT be as delightful.  Trust me.  So the verdict on tonight's macaroni and cheese?  Close, but not quite.  And close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades.

Gourmet Sauce

That's what my Dad calls it.  Ketchup.  Not gourmet at all, but it has it's place.  Tonight it's place is on top of meatloaf.  A must.  This morning I asked "what should we have for supper?"  Chloe responded with the usual "meatloaf".  Two pounds of hamburger, one packet onion soup mix, 3/4 cup bread crumbs, 2 eggs, 3/4 cup water, 1/3 cup gourmet sauce an then I added about a cup of extra sharp cheddar cheese.  It just adds a little zing.  I like zing.  I bake at 350 degrees for about an hour, and about 15 minutes before it's done, I drizzle some gourmet sauce on top of the meatloaf and bake it in.  It makes a really yummy treat of a glaze to top off your really yummy meatloaf.  Serve with mashed potatoes (because it's the right thing to do) and a nice salad with romaine lettuce, tomatoes, carrots, cucumber, onion, red and orange peppers and craisins.  Top that all off with orange, raspberry vinaigrette dressing (that you made because I told you how).  The best part is the leftovers (if you have any).  Meatloaf sammies, slathered with miracle whip-super yummy!  I eat them cold.  Fantastic!  Tonight it's a tribute to my Dad and his favorite mealtime sidekick-gourmet sauce, the artist formally known as ketchup.

Bawk Bawk Who's There

Chicken.  Chicken who?  Super yummy chicken, that's who.  I like to buy my whole chickens at St. Joe Meat Market.  The Amish chickens because they are so cute in their little beards and black hats-no, not really.  I like the Amish chickens because of the way they are raised without antibiotics.  I get crabby when I see labels on the grocery store chickens that boast "all natural" and "no added hormones".  It's a tricky way of pushing their product and what they aren't telling you about is the chemicals in the chicken feed and the way the birds are raised.  It's deceptive and it makes me crabby.  These Amish chickens are really nice and they don't make me crabby, not even a little bit.  I made a brine to soak the chicken in before cooking.  One gallon of water, 3/4 cup salt (either kosher or canning), 2/3 cup sugar, some lemon juice and a tablespoon or so of liquid smoke.  I let him hang out in the mixture for most of the day.  This will not only add flavor, but keep him moist during cooking.  I generously kosher salt and fresh crack pepper and garlic powder the outside of the bird.  Scott puts the chicken on the rotisserie on the grill, sears the outside to perfection and the inside stays delicious and juicy.  The skin is almost as good as the inside-super yummy!  I served with cheesy hashbrowns (like Timberlodge), a recipe that I will share at another time, and frozen peas (because they are easy).  This is a simple meal with big flavor and it's sure to please, even if these chickens drive a horse and buggy-not really.