MISSION: Vanilla extract, possible?

For those avid Lady E Cook readers you noticed I posted an article about  making your own vanilla extract. Well, I felt a little like a herblorist or alchemist while making this necessary and essential ingredient in my arsenal of baking "must haves". The ingredients for making your own vanilla extract are simple and easy... the worst part is something that my Sweetie says, I don't exactly have an abundance of... patience. Daily shaking for almost two months for two different bottles was fun and even taking a whiff or two in the process. At the end of the 60 day waiting period was the payoff worth while? Well.... kinds of.

Before I jumped right in and started baking I thought let me investigate a couple of things on the internet. 1) Should I filter the extract before diving in? I found no mention of filtering out the remnants of vanilla beans even though my guy at the Oaktown Spice shop said it's a step I might want to add. 2) Should the vanilla actually sit for a while longer? If so ... how much longer? A few websites said... 1 month, 2 months, 3 months, etc. No recipe was the same. Lastly, should the vanilla have a certain color? All just said caramel brown. Duh.

 

Anywho, the only way to find out the vanilla was ready ... was to try it. The good news is the extract had the right color, scent and texture. The bad news was something I didn't expect. Instead of sweet vanilla extract with NO hint of booze, what I tasted was Kentucky Bourbon with a hint of vanilla. Even filtered it wasn't similar to the extract I buy at the spice shop. All I could say, was "Bummer". But, being the Culinary Explorer I am ... I decided to go ahead and make whip cream. And, maybe... just maybe it would taste different. Nope. Not a chance it was more like bourbon whip cream dolloped on Jenny Craig Triple Chocolate Cheesecake. Not exactly the expected results. Tasty, but not what I want for my own chocolate chip cookies.

So, what's a woman to do? Try again. I used the batch of Vera Cruz vanilla beans bottle. Too bad it didn't work out as planned. The Vera Cruz beans smell delicious and most likely would be a welcome addition to a bourbon sauce or Bananas Foster over ice cream. It won't go to waste.... trust me.

Back to the drawing board with the Madagascar vanilla extract and possibly give that bottle just a few more months. What did I do with the left over Vera Cruz vanilla beans? I decided to dump them in the left over bourbon bottle and just see what happens. Nothing to waste, as my Daddy used to say.

This Culinary Explorer will try again... maybe call a friend or two and see what they've discovered.

 

Either way ... love will continue to be the main ingredient and I know one day my vanilla extract will make every recipe taste better.

 

Begin with butter ... and a lot of love

When you're busy, starving or just don't want to go out to dinner... try going back to basics with a simple and classic white sauce known as béchamel. My Mother used to make this sauce and place sliced leftover roasted chicken on toasted bread and pour the white sauce on top. Served with a salad or roasted carrots. Tonight I deviated the recipe and used fat free milk. Gasp! I know, I know, but I've got to cut down on some of the fat somewhere.

What is a béchamel? Is a simple sauce of milk, butter and flour. In a sauce pan melt butter and slowly add flour. Stir until combined and the taste of raw flour is cooked away. Pour in slowly room temperature milk and stir constantly until combined with a wooden spoon or a wire whisk. If the milk is at room temperature the mixture combines easily and prevents lumps. Sprinkle with salt, freshly cracked black pepper. But, wait you don't have to stop there. I added garlic powder, dried basil and a few red pepper flakes, just to spice things up. I also sautéd thinly sliced onions in butter and olive oil and added them. A classic béchamel sauce has simply salt, freshly ground or cracked pepper...either white or black with freshly ground nutmeg. NUTMEG? Oddly, enough the warmth of the nutmeg combined with butter, flour and milk is delicious! For my final touch I added fresh broccoli florets. The florets will cook while the sauce simmers and thickens. Broccoli florets? Yep, cut a section of the broccoli flower off. Then cut a smaller section and cut each stem gently into to smaller pieces. Ta-da...you've got florets. Sometimes I cut the florets fresh from the Farmers Market and freeze them, use them as a snack or toss them into a salad.

 

Allow the mixture to simmer until thick. Add shredded roasted chicken and spoon over pasta. Simple, huh? And a small serving is very filling.

A béchamel sauce is easy, creamy and versatile and can be used to make a MEAN wild mushroom lasagna. There is something that I like about the mixture of béchamel with pasta. It's a divine match.

So, if you are having a busy evening and no ideas for a meal or just want to walk on the wild side and create something new.

Cooking with love makes any recipe taste better.... even when going back to the basics with butter.

Nailed, It!

The other day I wrote an article about my attempt at making chocolate candy appropriately named, "Not So Nutty". Needless to say it was a slight disaster. So, I went back in the kitchen, rolled up my sleeves and used some common sense. First attempt failed because the chocolate didn't adhere to the nuts and visa versa. Solution? Use a small container to restrict the chocolate in one area.

Second, problem... how to set the chocolate and make them easily removable? Grease never hurt nobody! So, I used BUTTER... it wouldn't hurt the nuts, chocolate or raisins, right! Right.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup mild chocolate morsels

1/2 cup dark chocolate morsels

1/4 cup of raisins - I used Flame.

1/2 cup roasted plain almonds.

I have a mini muffin pan. Why do I have a mini muffin pan? To make muffins? Nope, I had no real need to use the mini muffin pan when I first bought it at Home Goods eons ago. It was on sale for $2.00...and as my Mother would say, "..Never pass up a $2.00 sale on anything. It'll come in handy one day...". Well, Mom...you are so right. In this case the mini muffin pan came in mighty handy. 

Liberally line inside the muffin tin with butter, just so once the chocolate has set the candy is easy to remove. Then place on the bottom a few (2-3) raisins and (1-2) almonds, depending on how chunky you like your candy.

In a Pyrex boil over a pot of simmering water, called a double boiler in culinary terms, be sure the water does NOT touch the base of the Pyrex bowl... unless, of course you want the chocolate to scorch, burn and be totally useless. Okay, moving no... pour both chocolates in the bowl. DO not and I repeat DO NOT walk away. This is where patience comes in handy, not paying any attention to anything electronic or distractions will test you. Children won't bother you, because they want to lick the spoon...OM, your way into chocolate bliss, you'll thank me for it later.

Some of you might be asking...where's the heavy cream? The liqueur? It's not really needed...but, it won't hurt. That's for another recipe and article. Watch the chocolate melt slowing and with ne hand gently hold either a wooden spoon or my preference a latex spatula. When there is more molten chocolate than chips that's when you start to fold gently until the mixture turns into liquidy mocha gold. Remove from the double boiler and begin to spoon into prepared muffin sections. Let cool for  2 - 3 minutes than set in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Once done... chocolate chunk heaven.

WARNING: they are a bit challenging to bite into and...they are darn irresistible. Recommendation: Instead of butter... a plain non flavored oil or spray will work, too. Also, in my next experiment I might dust powered sugar or dark chocolate after the oil as been placed in the tin... then put a dollop of chocolate on the bottom as a base then, raisins and nuts, then more chocolate to top off.

Next experiment... pecans and caramel. Can someone say great holiday giveaways?

Remember, cooking with love makes any recipe taste.

Not so, nutty

 

If you're anything like me .... you LOVE chocolate! So I had a brilliant, so at least I thought so at the time, to make a little dessert for the night. Well, best laid plans and all... it didn't go so well.

Weekly, as my regular readers know, I go to the Farmers Market and purchase food for the week. One of my weekly buys are nuts. I typically buy raw almonds and roast them at home. When you're uber hungry a dry roasted nut can ease the hunger pains.

So while roasting a batch of almonds in the oven (375 degrees for 8 mins) I had the idea to toss the hot nuts with milk and dark chocolate straight from the oven. The conception was that the hot nuts would melt the chocolate and adhere to the nuts. Well, kinda. A few nuts are clinging to the warm chocolate, but mostly they are falling off in a gooey mess. Plus for the nuts to have that crunch and nutty taste... they need to cool to room temperature. Which was a step I skipped.

 

What's the solution? I think the solution is to treat each ingredient separately and bring them together. So, next batch I will roast the almonds in the oven as normal and melt the chocolate separately. Then in mini muffin tins put the cooled nuts on the bottom and pour the melted liquid chocolate gold over the nuts and layer as much as possible inside the tin

 

The hard part will be patience. Allowing the candy to cool to room temperature or not eating all the chocolate. Experiments happen. Mistakes and problems happen... that's normal in the kitchen. The good news is to try, try, try again.

 

Remember, cooking with love makes any recipe taste better. With chocolate ... they are full of love one morsel at a time.



 

Crostata ou Galette ... drum roll, please

Crostata ou Galette is a challenge I decided to do after discovering the Italian Crostata and the French Galette are very similar in ingredients and preparation. Which one of the two free form pies would reign supreme and be crowned Queen of the blog?

Caveat .... Okay I have to admit I've been watching way too much Snow White and the Huntsman and playing too much pyramid game, so I apologize for the analogy .. on with the story...    I invited a few friends/family for their honest and subjective opinion. An invitation was sent out utilizing the Lady E Cooks Facebook page and two weeks later we converged on my friends Gallery for pastry tasting, champagne sipping and a few hours of pure laughter.

Second aplology .... For the poor quality of the photos. I was doing one of the cardinal sin of blogging... rushing. The Tasters were to arrive between 2 pm and 6 pm PST. And BOY OH, BOY! Did they show up! Most of the people invited had never tasted my food or baked goods, which I purposely designed. In addition the Tasters were individuals who either admire food or are Foodies themselves.

How did I conceal which was a Galette and which was a Crostata slice? On the bottom of each plate a letter "C" or "G" was written. Each Taster was given a slice of each and instructed to base their opinion on the quality, texture and taste of the crust. The filling was made of peach with no frills. Just a simple filling not to distract from the crust. Whichever pastry they preferred, they were to hand back the plate which held their preferred pie.

Each Taster handed their preferred plate to me and without question each person said, "... is there more?" or  "... can I have another slice?". Music to a Culinarian's ears! Thank goodness I made a total of four pastries each. Two Crostata and two Galette.

Drum roll, please.... after 10 guest and 20+ plates later the vote was nine pro Galette and one for Crostata. The winner was the Galette. I know, I was surprised, too. I've been making Crostata for the past 3 years. I have to admit ... I did taste the free form pie and hands down the Galette was the winner. Why? Well the Tasters said, the Galette was more flavorful, flakier and complimented the peaches, tasted lighter and less dense. I felt the same way... the Galette has a different rolling method, at least by Julia Child and Jacque Pepin recipe.

So after two bottles of sparkling wine, four pastries and one uber tired Lady E ... we all sat back and had a candied-free flowing conversation with one of my favorite Artist in the Bay Area. Jimi Evins held court (another Kingdom reference) and discussed his work, the Gallery and his life as a Artist. The Gallery is a feast for the eyes. Each turn uncovers the history of his vision as an Artist and his talent. If you'd like to see more of Jimi Evins work go to: http://www.artslant.com/global/artists/show/72061-jimi-evins or visit his Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/studio.gallery1508.

The Galette will be featured going forward as the premier pastry on Lady E Cooks. Thank you to Jimi Evins for co-hosting the taste test. Kay and Vaughn Fillmore, my Sister and Niece Rosalind Copeland and Mahlet Copeland, Cheryl Mitchel Wade, Warren Long, Ida and Jamal for your honesty, support and loaning me your taste buds on a Sunday afternoon. So grateful to have friends and family who volunteer their time on a Sunday afternoon.

Remember cooking with love makes any recipe taste better .... And, the vote is in... we love Galette!

Nous aimons, Galette!

Living it and loving it!

August 22, 2011 was the first day a post was entered on blogspot for Lady E Cooks. Three years later I never imagined the impact the blog would have on me, my team and the readers. Three years later I can honestly say the journey has been well worth it.

Like most stories journeys don't spontaneously happen with the click of a mouse, a mobile phone camera or the tap, tap, tapping of a keyboard. My journey began years ago, at age 10, lying on the family room floor being mesmerized by the culinary genius of Julia Child, Jacques Pepin and even The Galloping Gourmet.

I have to pay props to my Mother and Father. They noticed their baby girl was transfixed by PBS and cooking shows and stepped into action by immersing me in all things food. My Grandmother was even shipped in to teach me the Copeland Family recipes for gumbo, corn fritters, and lemon cake …even her holiday fruit cake. I was a sponge. Shortly after I started creating my own recipes, testing recipes and forcing my family to eat whatever I prepared. My most famous recipes I created Garlic and Scallion mashed potatoes and Lousiana Sweet Time Potatoes (In honor of my Grandmother). The best day was when I prepared a meal for my parents. The china and silver were placed elegantly on the marble table. The crystal glasses were spaced just as my Mother had taught me. And the napkins folded with care. The dish, I will never forget, was my very first Cheese Soufflé. Science, imagination and creativity came to life in each spoonful.

You’d think the journey would have continued. However, life happens, distractions take place, foundations are shattered and sometimes even a child’s self-esteem waivers during adolescence. So the twist and turns of life take you down roads, like College, marriage, divorce, graduating from Law School, touring the famous Le Cordon Bleu in San Francisco, relationships that end and a multitude of job layoffs. After the fourth layoff in three years, I yearned for an opportunity to shift into a new direction with confidence, happiness and inspiration.

The journey led me right back to where it began … laying on a family room floor absorbing knowledge and finding joy in my escape called food. Imagination, inspiration and creativity…my old friends. Along withJulia and Jacques who were waiting for me with rerun TV series and antique books found at flea markets and bookstore. Hand in hand, they brought me from a depth of doubt and frustration, while Julia posthumously breathed a new version of life into a grown woman. Coupled with a driving force, once denied and now accepted/acknowledged. My love for the written word.

Three years, a new team member (my Niece Mahlet Copeland) countless readers around the world and the US, 100+ articles, with 5.452 views and hours of tasting, testing, reading and writing has landed me in the middle of joy. With a dash of inspiration from new friends like Giada De Laurentis and Ina Gratin. The road ahead will include completing my French lessons, parle en francais, video clips, more adventures in Northern California and a vision for five year anniversary article in France.
Here’s to food and writing … always remembering cooking with love, makes any recipe taste better. ...and similar to cooking, sometimes finding your true joy has to marinade, stew, grow, bake or boil over to manifest in your life.

Special acknowledgement to my team members, Seraphina Uludong who is my rock and Jeanette Robinson for bringing your talents to the team. To my lovely Niece Mahlet Copeland...welcome to the team and hopefully whatever I've learned over the years from your Great Grand Mother to her child (Grandpapa) you will absorb the culianry arts like I did.. You are my video Guru! Love you all! Most of all ... THANK YOU to the readers both on Facebook and the blog. you're the reason I continue on the journey.

XO

Lady E

I'm in a pickle....LOL!

Cucumbers add flavor and crunch to a salad or even a sandwich. They smell great and really good for managing your digestive system and I've used them to curb my appetite when on a weight loss program or maintenance program. Wanna take your simple cucumber or better known as seedless (or burp less) cucumber to the next level? Easy .... just pickle. First, find some firm pickling cucumbers. Why pickling cucumbers? They have less seeds, less water content and easy to use. Slice them, cut them into 1/2 inch rounds or keep them whole. The Concoction is easy too. This recipe called for 1 pound of cucumbers and pickling spices, plus a brine of vinegar, water and sugar and kosher salt.

Bring to a boil in a medium sauce pan:

1 cup of water

1 cup of vinegar

1/2 of sugar

1 tablespoon of salt.

3 tablespoons of pickling spices

Handful dill springs – optional

This concoction has a tendency to be more on the "sweeter" side, but over the next two days the flavors meld and the sweetness lessens. At first it will tastes a lot like relish. I'd suggest for more tart pickles use less sugar and add a peeled garlic cloves and reduce the pickling spices to 1 tablespoon with more dill to the jar.

While the mixture is brewing slice the cucumbers into desired shapes or sizes and pack them tightly into a heat resistant and seal proof jar along with springs of fresh dill and 3 tablespoons of pickling spices. Where do you get pickling spices? I bought my fresh spices from Oaktown Spice Shop…but, they are sold just about everywhere. Where to buy the jars? Restaurant Supply Stores such as East Bay Restaurant Supply Store in Jack London Square are sold year round.

Once the brine is boiling and the jar is filled pour the hot brine into the jar. If the pickles are packed tightly very few will float to the top. Let the mixture sit at room temperature until cool. Seal and place in refrigerator for at least 24 hours.

It’s a blank slate… so try different mixtures until you’ve created your own version of the perfect pickle. Low cost, low maintenance minimal ingredients … and fun to make with friends and family.

Remember cooking with love makes any recipe taste better … especially, condiments like pickles. Now on to the perfect burger.

Perfect timing ... I wanted to pickle something this summer.

Skirt Steak with Pickled Fennel Salad http://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/skirt-steak-with-pickled-fennel-salad?mbid=social_20140705_27248966

Whether you create recipes on your own or stumble across a "to die for" recipe... cooking is inventive, fun and so satisfying.

Today I was reading the news on my little handheld device and came across a recipe for skirt steak. Who can't resist a skirt steak. Inexpensive slice of meat, juicy, easy to prepare and cooks in minutes. Only thing is ...when they say to cut the cooked steak against the grain... they aren't kidding. You can spend 10 minutes chewing the meat that has been cut improperly and never be able to swallow. Plus it will taste like flavored rubber.

Any way. What truly caught my eye was the recipe for pickling. I've been searching for simple recipe for picking and here it is at my finger tips.
Heat proof glass jars, check
Pepper corns, check.
Fennel, check.

New adventure in culinary world! Excited where this might go and the what else I can pickle.

Remember cooking with love, makes any recipe taste better. Let's put that theory to the test with pickling. More to come.....

Twist: Shrimp style

Traveling the food isles can be invigorating and a inventive time for culinary goodies. It's not only the time to shop for weekly groceries it can be a time to create a unforgettable ... and sometimes forgettable dishes.

Walking through Wholefoods Grocery store I found stone ground, gluten free corn tortillas. I wondered if they would pair nicely with my roasted shrimp and homemade salsa?

Simple ingredients and delicious results? Not so much. At least not for my taste buds. The corn tortilla overpowered the taste of the shrimp. Or, possibly the shrimp should have been grilled or saluted in the salsa until blimp and juicy.

Then again the texture of the shrimp were plump and juicy, but combined with the texture of the corn tortilla it didn't mix well.

Next time.... cook the shrimp in the salsa and hit it with a drizzle of fresh lime juice. Also, add an additional ingredient.... cheese. Something that will melt and add flavor.

Testing recipes is a part of being a foodie or even a Chef.

So test away, find what inspires you and ... write things down. Who knows the next culinary genius could be found with one home tested recipe.  

Cooking with love, makes any recipe taste better..... even if you have to test it first.

 

Turkey tacos...OMGoodness! So delicious.

Turkey Tacos can be a quick, easy and delicious alternative to regular ground beef tacos. They are light flavorful and fresh tasting.

Ground 1/2 lb of ground dark turkey meet with diced onions, olive oil and salt and pepper in a skillet. While the meat is cooking break up the meat with the back of a wooden spoon. Watch the meat closely not to burn or over cook. Let it brown in the skillet for 3 to 5 minutes.

Once cooked take out of the pan and save brown bits on the bottom... that's where the flavor is. Toss in 1/4 cup of diced onions, freshly cut corn kernels, salt, pepper and diced red bell pepper. Once, wilted place the cooked ground turkey back in the pan with vegetable broth and simmer to keep the turkey meat moist.

In another pan heat vegetable oil and fry the corn tortillas until golden. This can happen quickly so don't walk away. Turn the tortillas twice to cook evenly until golden on both sides. The tortillas have a tendency to bubble up, so flatten them with the back of a spatula or tongs.

Once, cooked remove them from the frying pan and fold them over gently. They are very pliable when hot... so fold them over like and envelop, but leaving space to fill the cavity with the taco filling.

Allow the tacos to cool slightly and fill with the taco filling while warm on a serving plate. There are fancy stands you can buy... but, free form tacos are my favorite  

Serve with olives, cilantro and your favorite Mexican beer. So, delicious looking I just had to take a bite. Flavorful, crunchy and the fresh corn makes the dish even better. I choose to eliminate cheese, but can you imagine this dish with it?

Remember cooking with love, makes any recipe taste better.... even the simple easy one.

Enjoy

Lady E

Don't ya just love it when a plan, or recipe, comes together?

Last year I held a weekly Crostata tasting using fresh Farmer's Market produce. You remember the Apple Crostata, The Peach Crostata (The overall fan-favorite winner) and the lovely, yet disastrous Sweet Potato Crostata.

You might even recall my effort to make a fresh Fig Crostata? It didn't quite make the blog. It was wwwaaayyy to sweet and just lack luster. Well, I might have found a resolution that allows flavor and texture to take center stage with the Figs. The solution? Dried fruit.

I was strolling around the Farmers Market, like I do most Sundays and purchasing food for the week and admiring the seasons fresh produce. While standing in line with a bag full of lemons and oranges I noticed several children popping dried fruit in their mouths like candy. Then it hit me! A layer of figs sliced evenly onto the bed of a Crostata and topped with dried fruit and sliced almonds? Why not? Isn't that what a test kitchen is for?

It isn't quite fig season in California, but at the height of the season... keep a look out for this test Crostata to come to the blogosphere.

 

So the main ingredient will be fig, but it will be cooked with love.... remembering any recipe will taste better.

 

Comments or suggestions are always welcomed.

Lady E

Brussel sprouts...no, seriously.

Brussel sprouts are one of my favorite vegetables. They can be roasted, steamed, even fired. But, I know... Most people don't like them because they are bitter or have a "weird" taste/smell.

Well, today I purchased a stalk of brussel sprouts rather than individual pods. Removing the pods was easy. They simply pop off with little to no assistance from a knife.

The other interesting thing is the younger and more tender pods at the very top if the stalk (or tree) are full of flavor. However, they are more challenging to remove and require a little nip from a sharp paring knife. They cook in minutes and taste good with just a dash of salt, pepper and olive oil. No yucky after taste or smell...promise.

Next time you're at the local market or Farmers Market pick up a stalk and test it for yourself.....And remember to cook it with love...it'll taste even better!
Lady E

Fini. Tasty tender young Brussels sprouts

Pump up the volume on your roasted chicken!

Are you a chicken fan? Love the bird BBQ'd, fried or roasted? Me, too! I'm a fan of "white" meat especially turkey. But the flavor can be a bit bland and I'd rather have the flavor enhanced than drowned by gravy or sauces.

If you agree venture to the wild side with me for a moment. I typically follow the rule of salt, freshly ground black pepper and olive oil. Creates a nice crust and seasons the chicken perfectly.
However, yesterday I needed a creative outlet after long day of bureaucratic nonsense with the State and Alameda Courts...trust me its a long story, not worth delving into the details.  Anywho, I expressed my creativity via cooking. Instead of a minimalist approach to seasoning I used all my senses. Taste, sight, smell to amplify and enrich the flavor.

I used a combination of the following fresh seasoning:
Fine Sea Salt
Cracked fresh black pepper
White pepper
Dried basil
Dried thyme
Red pepper flakes

Seasoned chicken (apres cooking). Layered flavors of multiple complimentary seasoning.
Seasoning purchased at Oakalnd Spice Shop

First apply the basic salt & pepper and drizzle with olive oil. Next apply the enhanced seasoning on top of the olive oil layer. Mind you the seasoning is not applied liberally. More like a soft dusting.
Rest the chicken on bed of hearty greens, in this case kale, and onions and lemons slices. Roast at 375 degrees for 40 minutes. Once cooked set aside to rest for 10 minutes, covered by aluminum foil.

Warning: Found out kale that is exposed will turn into flavorful chips. Tasty, but not expected results. Kale under chicken stays moist and perfectly wilted. Both were delicious. 

After chicken has rested serve warm either whole, sliced on top of a salad. Or, in my case today's lunch as a pita pocket filling.

Where did I get the spices? Oakland Spice Shop in Grand Ave. Great prices,freshly grounded and such knowledge friendly staff. It's mecca for me.

Try the recipe and share your thoughts and comments, love to hear from you.

Remember cooking with love makes everything taste better.



Pita Pockets filled with nutritional goodness!





Turkey and Mixed Greens Pita Pocke

 The question...what do I take to work to eat? I know most folks like to eat out, but after a while it becomes taxing on your budget and frustrating on your growing waistline.

Me? I take my lunch to work 4 days a week...and once a week treat myselt to a restaurant meal in San Francisco, CA.

While preparing my lunch at work I notice a co-worker doing the same thing, but his lunch was much more elegant. He prepared sliced tomatoes which were fanned out on the plate, olives and lettuce to one side. The other side of the plate had two slices of fresh pita bread with sliced turkey, cheese and an olive oil vinaigrette.

The pita bread caught my attention. And, even though I've had pita bread in many forms it never dawned on me to make a lunch meal out of it. Did you know that, on average, one pita pocket is 165 calories? Now, that might be a little more than most other breads, but it is more satisfying, hopefully healthier and tastes great.

The filling for the pita pocket above is a mixture of cooked ground meat turkey with onions, dried oregano and fresh garlic salt. Fill the pita pocket with tossed mixed greens, fill with turkey mixture...and your done. C'est fini!

My next recipe will be cooked dark meat turkey, oregano and ... sun dried tomatoes. Yum!

It's alway nice to share new ideas, revamped recipes and food with fellow foodies.

Next adventure...Winter Fancy Food Show in San Francisco, CA. Excited!

Remember, cooking with love always make everything taste better!

Lad

Does size really matter?

The carrot to the lower right side is a normal average everyday carrot found at any local grocery store. The center carrot is uber large, sweet and great for more things than soup.

Does size really matter when it comes to ingredients for a recipe?

Actually, size does matter when it comes to balancing flavors and textures in a recipe to ensure the overall ingredients aren't overwhelmed by one single ingredient, your taste buds or the recipe.

Case in point, during the summer I was perusing my favorite Sunday Farmers Market and my go to stand for root veggies and fresh herbs is Andreotti Farms of Half Moon Bay, California. Believe it or not the broccoli is actually sweet and the beets are tender. However, I digress...the size of a carrot caught my attention.

This carrots is gi-normous! Something that either a horse or rabbit would adore to eat, not to mention humans. Frank (Son and Farmer of Andreotti Farms) said, "Elayne, trust me and try it. Really tender and sweet." Well Frank has never lied and so I ventured to buy the giant carrot.

And yes, he was right. The flavor was amazing, the carrot was tender to cut and eat. Best use... dips and snacking. I used the carrot in a chicken soup recipe.... not the best idea. It completely changed the taste of the soup. Now, carrot soup or smoothies... now, that's an idea!

To give you some perspective, the carrot on the lower right hand side of the picture is an average - Joe Blow -daily- run of the mill carrot you'd find at a local super market. The carrot in the middle is the mutant carrot that rocked my culinary world.

Remember cooking with love, makes everything taste better. Even Cyclops's carrots.



So simple, its insane!

Everyone loves, chips. Crunchy, savory, salty. They compliment any sandwich or set the mood for a party.  Needless to say...I love chips! So I was so excited to watch my favorite Chef make homemade pita chips.
The simplicity is a game changer. You'll never want to buy a bag of chips at the grocery store.
Make them in any flavor abd save a couple of bucks in the process. Good eating ...

Slice pita bread into halves then quarters

Gently pull apart each slice to form one chip. Place the chips on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil and your favorite topping, such as salt & pepper, cinnamon & sugar, garlic salt...whatever you have a taste for.

Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes until golden brown.
Let cool for 2 minutes, open wide and enjoy the crunch and flavor.

Repeat and enjoy

Remember cooking with love makes any recipe taste better.

Thanks, Giada.

It's in the BAG!

Ever wonder how to ripen fresh stone fruit on the counter top? I was given this advice years ago while working in San Francisco. Every Wednesday a group of us would walk down to the Farmer's Market, near the Courthouse, and buy produce, veggies or whatever they were selling. I was hesitant to buy fresh fruit because it spoiled to quickly. My co-worker told me to place the fruit inside a brown paper bag and turn them daily until ripened.

Sounds simple enough, right? Well it is. The key is to turn the fruit daily. Watch for brown spots. Once you see brown spots you might as well cut the fruit and make jam. Leaving them in the bag won't save them from spoiling,only allow the fruit to ripen naturally.

Take the fruit out of the bag once it feels tender to the touch. Cut them open...and et voila! Naturally ripened sweet fruit all the way down to the pit. No bruises. No blemishes. No fungus.

Sorry, i didn't mention this earlier....not sure if this works for seasonal summer stone fruit at the end of the season. Stone fruit has a habit of becoming "mealy" ...yes, that's a technical term....when the season is over.

Hope it works for you.

Cooked with love.

Lady E

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Word to the wise....

Word to the wise.... when you're in the kitchen and an idea comes to mind, even if its a "Gotta eat soon, or die" idea, take moment to ...WRITE IT DOWN.

Yesterday I had an idea for a simple, quick and "in my head" delicious salad dressing. Nothing fancy...just roasted garlic, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt and freshly ground pepper.

The idea came to me while I was watching the time on the oven count down to the last 60 seconds. I was super hungry. I decided, instead of pacing in front of the oven, I should add a leafy green salad to the meal. Again, nothing elaborate just field of greens, green onion, a few rings of sweet red onions and done.

Since, I don't buy salad dressing I thought, why not use a few of the pieces of roasted garlic (cooked earlier in the day) and mix it into a dressing. The results...naturally creamy sweet and savory. My kinda dressing.

The upside...it was delicious. So much so I took left overs to work. My co-worker asked if she could use the dressing on her salad. As I watched her scrap the bottom of the jar and the top of the jar lid...slightly refraining from licking the container, I discovered the recipe was "good to go".

However, in my attempts to recreate the recipe tonight...I found out the hard way, recipes are sometimes difficult to duplicate. Maybe I adding the fresh basil wasn't a good idea afterall? Did I add salt, pepper AND red pepper flakes last night? Did I measure the olive oil last night? All in all... the new version of the recipe was "okay" compared to yesterdays strike of culinary genius.

Note to self...WRITE RECIPES DOWN. No matter how simple or quick. It could lead to something.

Remember...cooking with love makes any recipe taste better.

I should have never learned how to make this....

I was watching one of my favorite Chefs and Food Network celebrities,  Giada De Laurentis make her little girls birthday luncheon.

Captivated as always, I watched her make cupcakes with homemade frosting. The cupcake looked simple enough, but it was the homemade frosting that trigged my inner Chef and curiosity.
After learning how to make this frosting...now I know why cake or cupcakes are a vehicle for the tasty, the creamy and oh so goodness...IT'S BUTTER!
I deviated from the recipe just a tad..hoping to reduce some calories (yeah, right!) ... Plus I didn't have any whole milk on hand. The results..creamy and very addicting!
2 heaping teaspoons of unsweetened cocoa powder.
2 heaping of powered sugar. 
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla
2 tablespoons of room temperature super soft unsalted butter.
In a small bowl mix the butter, cocoa powder, powered sugar and vanilla. Mix the ingredients until smooth. It's that simple! If the mixture is too thick dilute with water (yes, I said water... Please don't report me to the good police) about a teaspoon or small amount of whole milk.
Use the mixture to top just about anything...cakes, cookies, etc.
Keep at room temp...don't store or you'll just have chocolate butter for pancakes.
Enjoy... And remember cooking with love makes everything tastes better.

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Baby artichokes....what NOT to do.

Okay.... I was pretty confident that I could handle these small morsels of goodness withOUT reading a single recipe. ALMOST!

Baby artichokes do not....I REPEAT, DO NOT cook the same way the larger blossoms do. They take minutes rather than HOURS.

Seriously! If you sauté (Of course, only after cleaning them) these bite sized wonders, are so tender they are done and ready to eat in minutes.

What to do first. Clean the other layer of the artichoke. The outer layer is typically fibrous and not as tasty...but, the inner layer...now, that's a different story. The texture (uncooked) reminds me of a hearty lettuce leaf. When cooked....more like a firm, yet ripe, avocado or a cooked asparagus.

Suggestions:

Cook them in a sauté pan with garlic infused olive oil. Or, warm good olive oil with one whole uncut and  peeled garlic clove. Let the garlic infuse the olive oil for 1 to 2 minutes on medium to low flame.

After peeling the baby artichokes, trimming any dark spots and slightly cutting off the bottom and top.... cut them in half and place in heated oil cut side down.

Season with salt, pepper, pinch of red pepper flakes and 2 tablespoons of good chicken broth or water to help with the steaming process. Steam the artichokes until knife/fork tender. Should take less than 3 - 8 minutes on low.

Recipe? Use your imagination. Artichokes are a blank canvas…use your taste buds as your guide. Or use a couple of tablesppons of great salad dressing. If you use salad dressing, skip the oil, chicken broth or water, noted above.

Viola! Better than from the can or jar.

Remember.... cooking with LOVE makes any recipe taste better!