The Waffle

My first attempt at waffle making was quite successful, if I do say do myself!

These were light and fluffy with a crispy bite!

I'm not a baker by any means so I do have to admit that I didn't entirely enjoy this process, but I did enjoy the outcome!

~Bowl #1~
Combine:
2 C All-Purpose Flour
2 tsp Baking Soda
2 Tbs Sugar
1/2 tsp Salt

~Bowl #2~
Whisk 4 egg whites in a metal or glass bowl until fluffy.

~Bowl #3~
Combine:
2 Egg Yolks
1 tsp Lime Zest
1 tsp Lime Juice
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
1 C Milk
3 Tbs Melted Butter
1 Tbs Flax Seed Oil
1/4 C Pure Grade B Maple Syrup

Next mix bowl # 1 and #3. Fold in bowl #2.

Cookem' N Eatem'

Truffle, Portobello and Goat Cheese Flatbread

Ummmm... Yummmm!

•In a small pan mix 1 part white truffle oil, 1 part olive oil and 1 clove of garlic cut in half, cut side down. Heat until garlic sizzles and then remove from heat.

•Roll out your favorite pizza dough on a pizza pan coated with olive oil.

•Brush with a generous amount of truffle/olive oil, sprinkle with S&P and Parmesan cheese.

•Layer with a good amount of thinly sliced baby portobello mushrooms, chives and crumbled goat cheese.

•Season the top with a little S&P

•Bake per crust directions

•Remove from oven and brush with another coat of truffle/olive oil mixture.

Enjoy!!!

I want one of each...

Blackened Blue Cheese Burger

Sometimes there's just nothing like a big fat juicy burger. Mmmmmm...

Directions:

1. Mix blue cheese into ground round, patty and coat with a good amount of blackened seasoning.

2. Sear in a frying pan until cooked to desired doneness.

3. To serve on it I made honey Dijon by mixing equal parts of, you guessed it, honey and Dijon mustard. I also made caramelized onions.

4. Served on a thin whole wheat sandwich bun, it was a perfectly spicy, cheesy burger!

Oh...don't forget the pickle!

Roasted Roma Vinegarette w/ Truffle Oil

1. Leftover roasted Roma tomatoes from the last post - chopped

2. Mix in a bowl with red wine vinegar, agave syrup, S&P, dried basil, oregano, garlic powder, onion powder, dried mustard, crushed red peppers

3. Add in a little drizzle of white truffle oil and olive oil

4. Mix well and serve over your favorite salad veggies.

Grilled Cheese Supreme w/ Roasted Roma Tomatoes

1. Slice Roma tomatoes, season w/ S&P, drizzle with olive oil and bake @ 350 for 20 mins.

2. Slice fresh Italian bread and coat one side with butter.

3. Layer bread with cream cheese, Mozzerella, Colby-Jack, and Goat cheese.

4. Top with roasted tomatoes and the second slice of bread.

5. Grill in a frying pan, covered, until each side is crispy and golden brown.

Cut in half and enjoy the cheesy, melty goodness!

Validation from a chef!

Nothing is better than receiving validation for something that you love do. My brother, Patrick, is a chef. He lives in Colorado now so I don't get many chances to cook with him. I love to spend time in the kitchen with him to learn new tricks. I miss him! :(

Enough of the sappy stuff! I gave Patrick some of my homemade blackened seasoning for Christmas. I got this text from him tonight...

Saffron Rice Pilaf

My New Favorite Rice

Chicken Sausage over Pasta Marinara

This is an easy weeknight dinner.

~In a sauce pan sauté onion, garlic, red pepper, and mushrooms in a little olive oil.

~Add a jar of your favorite marinara sauce.

~Add raw chicken sausages.

~Simmer, covered, for about 1/2 hour.

~Serve over pasta!

Viola!!

Spicy Pork and Veggie Stir Fry with Tom Yum Sauce

All day I was craving something hott....really hott! 

This satisfied my craving! 

1. Marinate a couple pork chops in dark soy sauce and fish sauce for about 30 mins.
2. While those are marinating, slice up: Onion, Garlic, Ginger, Carrot, Snow Peas, Red Pepper, Baby Bok Choy, Porcini mushrooms, Green Onion
3. In a hot skillet add a drizzel of toasted sesame oil and olive oil, onion, garlic and ginger.
4. Sauteed until tender and then added in the sliced pork.  Cook this until just done and then moved it all into a bowl.
5. To the same pan add all of the veggies, covered and steam until tender. 
6. Add the pork and all of the juices back into the pan.
7. Add 2 heaping Tbsp of Tom Yum Paste
8. Drizzel with Honey or Agave Syrup
9. Mix everything together well, simmer for a minute and then serve over rice noodles. 

Bring on the heat!

Tom Yum eez Yummy!

It happens....

Osage Peach Crisp

Sweet, Light, Fabulous!

In a bowl combine:

Oats

Brown Surgar

Just a little butter mixed in to make a crumble texture.

Sprinkle crumble on top of drained, canned Osage Peaches in a casserole dish.

Broil until the topping is bubbily and crispy brown.

Top with Low Fat Whipped Topping.

Enjoy!



Baked Pear, Almond and Gorgonzola Baby Green Salad

Light, Simple, Amazing....

Bake 1 pear chopped in a casserole dish covered in foil for 30 mins.  Remove and chill!

Make a simple vinegarette with:

Red Wine Vinegar

Sugar

Salt

Drizzle of Olive Oil

Layer:

Baby Greens

Slivered Almonds

Baked Pear

Gorgonzola Cheese Crumbles

Drizzle with Vinegarette

Enjoy! 

Broiled Halibut w/ Wilted Spinach and Mushroom Risotto

Monday night was healthy cooking class #2 with my Mom! 

We have decided that every Monday we will be a seafood night! 

I have no problems with that!!

I had one last package of halibut that my brother Patrick caught and brought home with him from Alaska this summer.  I figured it was time to get it out of the freezer.

That was a really good idea, if I do say so myself!

This might look elegant and complicated, but it really is quite simple!

Halibut marinated in fresh lemon juice, brushed with butter,

seasoned with S&P and broiled until golden brown.

Arborio rice mixed with sauteed mushrooms, onions, garlic in a little olive oil. 

Add a little bit of chicken broth at a time until the rice is creamy and cooked through completely. 

It will take about 30-40 mins.  Add a squeeze of fresh lemon juice at the end.

Viola.....Risotto!

Fresh baby spinach added to a saute pan with a little olive oil and fresh garlic.  Saute until wilted.  Season with S&P.

I do not have calorie counter on this meal but I can guarantee they were low!

I served it with a baked Pear, almond and Gorgonzola salad and

a simple peach crisp for dessert!

I love cooking with my mom!

P.S.  My daughter was also involved in this one.  She specifically asked if I would fry her a fillet so that she could make her own tarter sauce.  Of course I can.  We might need to watch our calories but a 6 year old asking for fried halibut, spinach and risotto.....there is nothing wrong with that! She got what she asked for and ate a huge dinner.  Win, win!! 

This needs to happen...

Ground beef, ground sausage, ground anything....this has to be good!!!

Bean Tostada Deluxe

Simple. Healthy. Delicious.

-Bake corn tortillas directly on oven rack @ 350 for up to 9 mins. All corn tortillas are different. Some only take 5 mins, others are more dense and take longer to toast. Once they start turning brown watch them close. They will go from toasted to burnt in seconds.

-Make a creamy sauce by mixing light sour cream with your favorite taco sauce or salsa. I'm completely addicted to the mild Taco Bell sauce that you can get in the store, so that is what I use.

-Chop lettuce and any other taco topping veggie you desire.

••Assembly••
Crispy Tortilla
Fat Free Refried Beans
Creamy Sauce
Lettuce
Shredded Cheese
Fresh Avocado Salsa

EAT, MAKE ANOTHER, EAT, REPEAT...

Fresh Avocado Salsa

A nice fresh dish for a cold dreary day!

~1 Avocado
~2 Tomatoes
~1/4 White Onion
~1/4 Jalapeño
~1 Handful of Cilantro
~Juice of 1/2 a Lime
~1 Small Garlic Clove
~Salt

::Chop::Mix::Marinate::Eat::

Brats, Beer and Onions

Boil!

The brats are delicious and tender! Serve with horseradish mixed with Dijon mustard! Yum!!!

DO NOT eat the onions!

Food Art

Possible new project idea and a fun way to decorate the kitchen! I like it! And it looks tasty too!!

My favorite beverage....

...and this is why!

Skittle Flavored Vodka

Skittles are by far my favorite candy! On Pinterest I saw skittle flavored vodka, so of course I had to try it.

I thought green/lime would be a good choice, not so much!

Red is my favorite skittle and was much better than the green, but I think from now on I will be keeping my candy and vodka separate!

Vodka, tonic w/ a twist of lime on the rocks....Yes Please!!!!

My New Favorite Crackers

I haven't made anything with them yet but their flavor is mild and lovely.  I give these three thumbs up!

Baby Greens w/ Pear, Almonds, Craisins and Gorgonzola Vinegarette

This was a simple salad to throw together, but absolutely delicious!

•Baby Greens
•Fresh Sliced Pear
•Slivered Almonds
•Craisins (dried cranberries)
•Red Onion

Vinegarettes are fun because you can put just about anything in them and they are delicious!

In a bowl I added a pinch or 2 of:
Celery Seed
Oregano
Basil
Garlic Powder
Onion Powder
Dry Mustard
S&P
Sugar
Balsamic Vinegar (about 4 Tbsp)
Mix it all together and set aside to marinate.
Right before serving I added Gorgonzola crumbles and whisked it all together. It almost makes it creamy!

No oil is necessary on my opinion!

The sweetness of the pear and Craisins contrasted great with the sharpness of the Gorgonzola and tang of the balsamic!

Yum!!!

Honey Mustard Chicken w/ Mushrooms

I'm on a mission to teach my Mom how to cook quick, healthy meals for herself and my Grandmother. I bought her new pans for Christmas which will allow her to use very little oil from now on. She got a great set of new knives from my brothers to chop all of her fresh veggies! She is all set in the utensil department. My goal is to show her how easy it can be to make a healthy, delicious meal that doesn't require hours in the kitchen.

Tonight was our first lesson. I think she was inspired, at least I hope she was!

::Sauce::
-Honey
-Whole Grain mustard

::Chicken::
-Season Boneless skinless chicken breasts w/ S&P

-Sear in pan with a little (like 2 tsp) of olive oil for 3 mins

-Flip, season And cook another 3 mins

-Remove, place in baking dish, pour honey mustard over each breast to coat it good and cover with foil

::Veggies::
-Chop baby bells, rep pepper, onion and garlic(while the chicken is cooking)

-In the same pan add 1tsp olive oil and all of the veggies

-Sauté for about 5 mins

-Pour all of the veggies on top of the honey mustard chicken, cover with foil

-Bake 25 mins at 350

Done!

I served this with brown rice seasoned with a little steamed broccoli and a drizzle of white truffle oil. S&P of course!!

My Mom made a salad of baby greens, slivered almonds, fresh pear, craisins and red onion! I added a quick Gorganzola Vinegarette and dinner was served!

It was low fat, whole grain, quick (by my standards) and delicious!

Next week we are going to have a salmon lesson!!

I can't wait!!!

Bánh Mì Madness

I'm addicted and now my family is too! I made 3 huge French bread loaf sandwiches for our family Christmas get-together! They were a hit! They were gone before I even got them on the platter. This time I made a shredded pork meat with a sweet n spicy Asian BBQ sauce!

My great aunt is probably the second biggest foodie in my family and she called it as soon as she saw me putting them together. She used to live in Pittsburg and worked around the corner from a Vietnamese restaurant. She said she would eat pho and banh mi a couple times a week. I want to work around the corner from a Vietnamese restaurant! I guess I'm going to have to move! Findlay is not the place!

Can't wait to try some new versions! And especially can't wait to try the authentic version! For now I'll just dream about it! Ridiculous, I know!

So true!

Made me laugh! :)

Bella Bowl-Full-O-Noodles

Not much to say but OMG!

Clean and remove ribs from portobello caps, brush w/ olive oil, season w/ S&P. Bake bellas 20 mins @ 325. Throw a couple garlic cloves in the oven pan too!

Boil spaghetti while shrooms are baking!

After 20 mins turn the oven off, remove the garlic cloves and put the mushrooms back in the hot oven.

Chop garlic, sauté in a little olive oil just for a minute to infuse the garlic flavor into the oil.

Add garlic and olive oil to cooked noodles, add a drizzle of white truffle oil and seasons to taste with simple S&P.

In the oven pan, top the mushroom caps with noodles, sprinkle with goat cheese crumbles and broil until cheese is just browned.

When plating be very careful not to lose the juice inside of the caps. Your noodles are now soaking up all of the amazing mushroom juice!

ENJOY!!

Steamer...

This is my new favorite way to cook meat quick. Chop up your meat, season, add to steamer pot, steam for just minutes (depending on the amount that you are doing) and it's done!

The chopped up meat sticks together like a meat patty. Its super tender! No extra fat is needed! You can slice it for sandwiches or shred it in salads, or mix it in really anything! It's great! I've done chicken and pork so far. I'm going to try mixing a couple different kinds of meats together next!

So exciting, isn't it?!? Ha!!!

Stuffed Breadstix

Campus Pollyeyes - Bowling Green, OH is home to the best stuffed breadstix around. You pick the fillings and the sauces! They are amazing! Pretty expensive too! $13 for 3 but that will feed 2 adults. One is about all that you need!

Anyways....I've been craving them.

When I crave, I deliver!

I used my favorite frozen/fresh pizza dough which made 3 huge stix. I filled 2 with mozzarella, chicken, mushrooms, banana peppers and more mozzarella! These are my favorite from Pollyeyes. They would stand up pretty well with the Pollyeyes stix I think! The fresh mushroom juice is key to the amazing flavors that fill the stix!

The other one I filled with mozzarella, chicken, mushrooms and red peppers!

Baked 15 mins. at 425!

Dipped in some homemade marinara sauce, they were a perfect dinner! To top that off, my house now smells like a pizzeria!

Ciao!

Blackened Ribeye w/ Stuffed Zucchini

Speaking of blackened ribeye! Here it is!

Set out, bring to room temp, coat with homemade blackened seasoning and pan sear in a little olive oil to a medium-rare! Delish!!

Stuffed Zucchini were inspired by a dish I had at Reverends in BG. Hollow out a zucchini, chop the insides along with shredded carrots, red and yellow peppers, baby bella mushrooms, onion, and garlic. Sauté in a little olive oil, season with S&P and stuff inside/on top of the zucchini halves. Bake at 375 for 20 mins, top with cheese to melt and serve! These could be an entire meal. Add some black beans and spice for a mexican veggie delight! Add some stewed tomatoes, orzo and Mozzerella for an Italian twist!

So many possibilities!!!

Homemade Blackened Seasoning

A low budget Christmas this year, forced me to get creative with presents! For the men, I made this concoction! It turned out to be a nice, mild blackened seasoning! I've used it on ribeye, shrimp and salmon so far and it worked great on them all!!!

Mix:
2 oz Paprika
2.5 oz Garlic Powder
2.5 oz Onion Powder
1 oz Italian Seasoning
1 oz Ground Black Pepper
1 oz Cayenne Pepper
2 oz Kosher Salt
2 oz Sugar
1 Tbls Cumin
1 Tbls Ground Mustard
Dash of Chipotle Chili Powder
Dash of Chili Powder

Mix it all together and package in glass jars!!

New Ingredient - Thai Basil

This was served in the Pho soup that we had in Lakewood, OH! The flavor of the thai basil has an anise flavor to it. It was the perfect garnish! I ordered this from my cute Chinese market lady! She doesn't normally carry this but special ordered it. I'm glad I asked!

I'm going to experiment with it in some dishes. I found a thai dish called Ground Chicken Basil that I'm going to mess around with. And of course will use it in my Pho from now on!

I'm freezing it like I did with my sweet basil this summer!

Wikipedia:
Thai basil, or Asian basil (húng quế in Vietnamese) is a type of sweet basil native to Southeast Asia that has been cultivated to provide distinctive traits. It has an identifiable licorice flavor not present in sweet basil, and its flavor is more stable under high or extended cooking temperatures than that of sweet basil. Thai basil exhibits small, narrow leaves and purple stems, with a mauve (pink-purple) flower. One cultivar commonly grown in the United States is 'Queen of Siam'.

New Ingredient - Daikon Root

This has a mild radish flavor and a very weird texture! Pickled, it is addicting!

Wikipedia:
Daikon (from Japanese 大根, literally "large root"), Raphanus sativus var. longipinnatus, also called White Radish, Japanese radish, Oriental radish, Chinese radish, lo bok and Mooli (from Hindi/Urdu Muulii),[2][3][4] is a mild flavoured, very large, white East Asian radish. Despite being known most commonly by its Japanese name in the US, it did not originate in Japan, but rather in continental Asia. In the UK and continental Asia it is most commonly known as mooli.

Although there are many varieties of daikon, the most common in Japan, the aokubi-daikon, has the shape of a giant carrot, approximately 20 to 35 cm (8 to 14 in) long and 5 to 10 cm (2 to 4 in) in diameter. Another variety, the "Korean radish", is shorter, stouter, and has a pale green colour extending from the top, to approximately half way down the tuber. One of the most unusually shaped varieties of daikon cultivated in Kagoshima Prefecture is the turnip-shaped sakurajima daikon, which often grows as large as 50 cm (20 in) in diameter and weighs as much as 45 kg (100 lb).[5]

The flavour is generally rather mild compared to smaller radishes.

Bánh Mì inspired sandwich

Inspired by Cory's new discovery and because I'm not sure when I will be able to get my food addicted hands on one, I decided to make something that resembles the authentic sandwich from the research I've done and descriptions I have on them.

I thinly sliced pork and marinated it over night in a little bit of fish sauce, seasoned with S&P, layered it flat in my steamer and steamed it for just a couple minutes until it was tender and just cooked through.

I pickled shredded carrot and daikon root in a simple pickling mixture of 1/4C water, 1/4C Sugar and 1/2C rice vinegar. WARNING: this stinks, but the flavors are amazing!

Time to build:
Crusty toasted French bread
Light mayo
Japalenos
Cucumber
Cilantro
Picked carrots and daikon root
Steamed pork
Crusty toasted French bread

Although it is probably nothing like the real thing, it was quite delicious!

I will be making another for dinner!

Bánh Mì



My sandwich was just like the one at the top except no jalapeño.  I'm so glad I tried this Vietnamese delight.  The bread tastes home made (it must be) and it was only $4!  I love that they rubber banded it.

Wiki Link To Bánh Mì

Ceylon Queso Risotto

1 cup beef broth

1 cup water

pinch of Ceylon cinnamon, ground up in a mortar and pestle

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1/4 cup of Arborio rice (or white rice)

Kosher salt

1/4 cup of shredded Queso cheese (or mozzarella?)

2 beers

Start by heating the beef broth and water in a teapot to keep it hot while you are cooking the rice.

Heat butter and cinnamon in a pot with the rice, cook for a couple minutes so the rice soaks up the butter.

Add some hot broth, let it cook until soaked into the rice.

Add some more hot broth, let it cook until soaked into the rice.

Repeat until the rice is the texture you like.  Adding the broth slowly helps build up the starches so it ends up being creamy.  I like mine to have a little shape left but you can obviously keep adding broth and cooking it until it is as creamy as you like.

Add a little salt to taste.

Take off the heat.

Lastly, add the cheese before plating.

What is the beer for?  This is simple to make but it takes about 30 - 45 minutes.  

P.S. I have to be honest.  I don't know if regular cinnamon would work.  Ceylon cinnamon is more expensive but I got a pretty big bag online for only about $13.  I think it will last a long time.

Pork Roast and Sauerkraut

Luck I will have this year because I had this traditional New Years Day meal! I wish you all a prosperous year!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If it didn’t Bring you Joy,

Just Leave it Behind.

Let’s Ring in the New Year

With Good Things in Mind.

Let Every Bad Memory Go

That Brought Heartache and Pain.

And let’s Turn a New Leaf

With the Smell of New Rain.

Let’s Forget Past Mistakes

Making Amends for This Year.

Sending You These Greetings

To Bring you Hope and Cheer

Happy New Year!!