Chili

Chili

( you'd think I'd make it look pretty, but no I dig right in then take the pic when I'm putting away food :)
Brown in a heavy pan
1lb of your meat choice I used tri tip today and used my cuisinart to grind the meat on pulse a few times after it was browned. iit gives the chili a nice texture. I’ve used ground turkey, turkey sausage, tofu, hamburger, chicken sausage and a combination, even leftover pork roast.
1 diced onion and cook until softened ( I like mine a little carmelized and will add them in with the meat)
Reduce heat to low and add
1 15 oz can beans drained – again I’ve used different kinds like kidney, black and white beans
1 28oz can diced tomatoes with juice
1t crushed red pepper (adjust if you have little one’s)
2-3 cloves chopped garlic– if I don’t have any I’ll put in 2t garlic powder
1 ½ t salt
5t chili powder
2t ground cumin
1t Oregano or 1T fresh Oregano
¼ t cinnamon

Simmer about a half hour and serve with Cotjia cheese or Monterey Jack, a dollop of sour cream or Greek yogurt. Garnish with Avocado slices. Serves 4

If you have any left over this makes great nacho’s with some chips and cheese heated under the broiler.

Chocolate Raspberry Trifle

I made a chocolate cake for a party that stuck in the pan. Of course the cake was way too good to waste, so I made a trifle out of it. When I make this again, I would make a double batch of the raspberry coulis and add fresh raspberries.

Chocolate cake:
9 T cocoa powder
1 1/2 c cake flour (or use regular flour and substitute 3 T of the flour with corn starch)
1 t salt
1 t baking soda
1/4 t baking powder
1 stick unsalted butter, room temp
1 1/2 c sugar
2 large eggs, room temp
1/2 c coffee
1/2 c milk

Preheat the oven to 350. Grease and flour 2 9" cake pans.

Beat together the butter and sugar about 5 minutes, until smooth and creamy. Add one egg at a time, beating until each is fully incorporated. In a seperate bowl, mix together the cocoa powder, flour, salt, baking soda, salt & baking powder. In a measuring cup, mix the coffee and milk.

Stir 1/2 of the dry ingredients into the butter mixture, then the milk mixture and finally the other half of the flour mixture. Bake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick in the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool, remove from pans and tear into cubes.

Vanilla Pudding:
8 T sugar
4 T corn starch
1/2 t salt
4 c 2% milk
4 egg yolk, slightly beaten
2 T butter
2 t vanilla extract

Combine the sugar, cornstarch & salt in a saucepan. Gradually stir in the milk cooking over medium heat until thickened and bubbly. Reduce heat and cook an additional 2 minutes.  Remove from heat.
Stir a small amount of the hot mixture into the egg yolk to temper it. Pour the tempered yolk into the warm mixture. Bring to a gentle boil, cooking and stirring for an additional minute. Remove from heat and add butter and vanilla.
Cool for 15 minutes before transferring to a dish to cool. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour.

Hot Fudge Sauce:
1/2 c sugar
1/4 c cocoa powder
1/4 t salt
1/2 c water
1 c heavy cream
1 c light corn syrup
1/4 t white vinegar
4 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, coarsley chopped
4 T unsalted butter, softened
1 T vanilla

Whisk together the sugar, cocoa powder and salt in a large pot. Whisk in the milk until well blended. Bring to simmer over medium high heat. Remove the pan from the heat and add the heavy cream, corn syrup, white vinegar and 2 oz of the chocolate. Return to the heat, whisking frequently over medium high heat until it reaches about 225 degrees F. The bubbles will be small and the liquid will be a little thicker and sticky. Remove from heat and add the remaining chocolate, butter and vanilla. Let cool.

Raspberry Coulis: I would double this next time and add some fresh raspberries at least on top of the trifle if not in the middle as well.
12 oz fresh or frozen raspberries
3 T sugar
2 t fresh lemon juice

Blend all three ingredients together and strain through a small sieve.

Trifle:
Layer 3 layers of each cake, pudding, fudge sauce & raspberry coulis in a glass bowl.

Sea Bass marinade

The joke at my house is, better enjoy what your eating now cause you probably won't get it again. I've vowed to start writing what I do down as I cook. Unfortunately, I tend to write recipes down on scrap paper and I find them stuffed into drawers, on my desk, in my briefcase etc. This is one I found on my desk today.

1/4 cup Mayonaise
1 clove minced Garlic
1t Dijon Mustard
1/2 t dried Mustard
1/2 a fresh lime squeezed
salt and pepper
Sea Bass
Mix this all together and slather all over the fish and let sit for about a half hour in the refrigerator
Grill

Vegetarian Mincemeat

3 large Granny Smith Apples
2 Oranges
2 Lemons
1 1/2 c brown sugar
1 1/2 t cinnamon
1 t ground ginger
1 t nutmeg
1/2 t ground cloves
1 c butter
12 oz golden raisins
12 oz jumbo black raisins
12 oz red raisins
1/2 c almonds, chopped
6 T brandy (I used Kirsh)

Mix together the raisins, sugar and spices. Core and chop apples, but do not peel them. Add the apples, chopped almonds and butter to the raisins. Zest and juice the lemons and oranges and add that. Cover and let stand overnight, stirring periodically.

Preheat the over to 225F. Stir the mixture one last time and roast for 2 hours. Take out, stir and let cool. You can stir it periodically while it cools. When cool, stir in the brandy. Store in jars.

Once the mince was done, I made these pies. This might be the best dessert I've ever made. The fruit caramelized on the top and they were amazing cooled a little bit out of the oven. I froze them and they are even good warmed up a little in the microwave.

Pecan Coconut Torte

I got this recipe from my brother, who always makes the most amazingly bad for you desserts. It's so good! I love pecan pie, but this tops any pecan pie I've ever eaten.

Shell:
1/2 c brown sugar
1 c old fashioned rolled oats
1 c flour
1/2 t salt
1/2 t baking powder
1/2 c cooled melted butter

Stir together the sugar, oats, baking powder & salt. Add the butter. Mix well. Pat into the bottom and 1/2" up the sides of a 9" spring form pan. Bake at 325 for 15-20 minutes. Cool.


Filling:
1/3 c honey
3/4 c sugar
1/2 c butter
1/4 c heavy cream
1 c old fashioned rolled oats
1/2 c flaked coconut
1 1/4 c chopped pecans

Combine the honey, sugar & butter in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat until smooth. Stir in the cream. In a bowl, mix the oats, coconut, pecans and a pinch of salt. Poor the butter mixture over the oat mixture and mix well. Poor into the cooled shell. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes, until the edges are golden. The middle will still look wet until it cools. Cool for 10 minutes, then remove the sides of the pan. Let cool completely.

If you'd like, melt 1 oz semi sweet chocolate with 1 t butter and drizzle over the top.

Stuffed Roasted Chicken

This was invented at the grocery store as I wandered around. By placing the stuffing under the skin it infuses flavor and keeps the chicken moist. The whole creative process makes me happy. I love putting on some music and going to town in the kitchen. I do have the advantage of having a wonderful herb garden pretty much year round here in California. I put the Chicken on a bed of red bliss potatoes cut in half instead of a roasting rack. Unfortunately we dug in and I forgot to get a picture.

1 4-5 lb Roasting Chicken
1 Large Shallot
10 oz Sliced Mushrooms
2 Green Onions
1T Butter
4 Cranks of the pepper mill
1t Salt
1t Honey
3oz Blue cheese
1 Lemon
4 Rosemary Sprigs (2 will go inside the chicken cavity)
1/4 cup Basil
6 Thyme sprigs
3 Oregano sprigs
Red Bliss Potato's cut in half, enough to fill the bottom of the pan, amount will depend on their size

Chop shallot and green onion, roughly chop mushrooms. Place butter in pan on medium heat and add shallot, green onion and mushrooms saute until tender. Add salt and pepper, zest the lemon, and place half of the juice into the pan. Add chopped basil, 2 sprigs rosemary, thyme and oregano. Taste and if too sour adjust with honey. Crumble blue cheese into the mix. Goat cheese would probably work also.

Prepare the chicken taking out any gibblets from the cavity. Salt and pepper the cavity, fold wings under the chicken, carefully separate the skin from the meat at the neck of the chicken, try not to rip the skin, you want to get into the leg and thigh cavities you may have to break the connective tissue to do this.

Preheat oven to 400. Stuff the chicken by taking small amounts of the stuffing and pushing it under the skin, you can easily move the stuffing down the chicken into the legs and thighs by manipulating the skin. The stuffing should be distributed evenly under the skin. Stuff 2 springs of rosemary and the other half of the lemon into the chicken cavity. Tie the legs together. Place cut potatoes in pan and place the chicken on top.

Roast for 15 minutes then turn down the oven to 325 and continue roasting for about another hour and a half to 2 hours. Baste with pan juices occasionally. I've found that the skin will brown faster with the stuffing under it so be prepared to place foil over the parts that are brown. The meat temp should be about 180 when done.

I made gravy with the pan juices by taking out all but about a tablespoon of fat, added 1T flour and mixed until smooth over medium heat. I then added about a cup of unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk which is what I had and stired until smooth.

Oatmeal Carbonara

This was something I did when trying to get more protein in my diet and it was really good. The idea came from pasta carbonara. If you make a bigger pot of oatmeal you could definitely add more eggs. You can use all water or all milk but I find just the little bit makes for a richer tasting oatmeal. For every 1/4c of steel cut oatmeal you need 1c of liquid.

Steel cut Oatmeal Carbonara (one serving)
¼ c Steel cut oatmeal
¾ cup water
¼ cup milk
Pinch of salt
2 eggs
Pancetta or bacon
Optional: cheese

Place the oatmeal, water, milk and salt in a saucepan bring to boil then turn down to simmer for about 20 minutes. Stir occasionally. In the mean time, cube bacon or pancetta and cook until crispy. When the oatmeal is almost together, crack 1 egg into the hot mixture and stir until cooked. Take the second egg and add just the white and stir until cooked. If you want to go lower calorie just use the egg whites. You may add cheese if you’d like. Place in a serving bowl and top with cooked chopped bacon.