a quiche is just a quiche...

unless it is Giada's quiche...for a skinny bitch, she sure knows her way around a pie shell and some heavy cream...
I've made this little monster twice...the first time I followed the recipe to a "t". The original calls for salt...once or twice, I have actually considered buying one of those salt licks they make for horses and just setting it up beside the couch, so if there's anyone who can tolerate a salty dish, it's me, but considering all the pancetta, I have to say Giada made a bad call. It was edible, but really, and I mean REALLY salty. coming from me, that's saying a lot.



I switched things up a bit this time due to not having any pancetta laying around...I used regular bacon for the pancetta, shredded mozzarella for the parmesan and half & half for the heavy cream and NO ADDITIONAL SALT. It was absolutely delish!!! I even had the leftovers last night with a big salad...my hubs didn't think it reheated all the well, but it was quichable to me!! enjoy!


Giada's Pancetta and Parmesan Torte

1 refrigerated pie crust (half of 15-ounce package), room temperature
1 teaspoon olive oil
4 ounces thinly sliced pancetta, chopped
2/3 cup whipping cream
1/2 cup whole milk
3 large eggs
3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2/3 cup shredded Parmesan

Position the rack on the bottom third of the oven and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Press the crust into a 9-inch-diameter tart pan with a removable bottom. Trim the edges; set aside.

Heat the oil in a heavy medium skillet over medium heat. Add the pancetta and saute until crisp, about 7 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the pancetta to paper towels and drain. Beat the cream, milk, eggs, parsley, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl to blend. Stir in the cheese and pancetta. Pour the cream mixture into the crust.

Bake the torte until the filling puffs and is golden brown on top, about 25 minutes. Let the torte cool for 15 minutes. Cut the torte into 12 thin wedges and serve.

less is more...

There used to be a restaurant called Crocodile Cafe...I have no idea if it still exists, but one thing i do know is that my first dance with the gloriousness that is watercress happened right there on Lake Avenue in Pasadena, California. You really don't get the opportunity to have watercress very often. It's a very underestimated little vegetable. Is it even actually a vegetable?

I've been thinking about the sandwich i always used to have there since the last time I had it which has to have been over 5 years ago. The watercress at the market looked extra happy, green and fresh last week so I decided to take matters into my own hands and try to recreate the masterpiece. I think I did an exceptional job...This little yummy looks simple, and it is, but that is what makes it so good. Take the time to roast the chicken, toast the bread, make homeade mayoniase if you can and by all means, stuff as much watercress on this thing as you can fit....how often to you really get the opportunity?


Roasted Chicken Sandwich with Watercress
1 whole chicken breast, split, on the bone with skin
1/2 - 1 cup chicken broth and/or white wine
1/2 a stick of butter
1 lemon
2 T olive oil
sea salt & fresh pepper
any combination of italian herbs...rosemary, oregano, basil, thyme etc. (I just used the little packet of spices they gave me with my takeout from Carraba's the other night that I was supposed to mix with oil and use for dipping bread...)
2 cloves of garlic
1 white onion
1 whole french or italian baguette, split legthwise and cut into 2 pieces
mayonaise (homeade is preferrable, but hellman's will do just fine)
1 bunch of fresh watercress

preheat oven to 350
rinse chicken breasts in cold water
place chicken breasts in an oven safe pan, skin side up (pyrex is my favorite. I cannot live without my pyrex)
wash your hands
pour chicken broth and/or wine in the bottom of the pan with the chicken
season the breasts with salt and pepper, sprinkle with the herbs
zest 1 whole lemon over the breasts and then squeeze the juice onto them
smash the garlic cloves and just lay one on top of each breast
chop the onion into big hunks and add it to the pan
drizzle with olive oil
cut butter into chunks and set them right on top of the breasts


stick those bad boys in the oven for 1 hour and 15 minutes. every once in awhile, baste the chicken with the broth/wine/juice combo.

meanwhile, wash your watercress and cut off their long stems.

when the chicken is done and cooled enough to touch, peel the skin back and pull the meat off the bone into chunks and shred them a bit, but not too much.

drizzle your baguettes with a little olive oil and stick them in the broiler to toast untill golden, then remove them, and spread each half with mayonaise. don't be skimpy, this is not a virtuous sandwich.

assemble the sandwiches by placing a huge handful of watercress on the top half and a bunch of roasted chicken on the bottom and then smoosh the halves together and enjoyyyyyyyyyy!!!

when you go back to the kitchen to put the dishes away, and you notice there are some pieces of chicken still on the bone that you didn't get, and the onion chunks are just sitting there all carmelized and luscious looking in the pan with the delicious juice that the chicken was sitting in, under no circumstances should you resist gobbling those little bits up. while the sandwich is unbelievably delicious, the carmelized onions and leftover chicken bits soaking in jus are the BEST part...

Remember me?

I am ashamed of myself. I am the world’s worst blogger. While I am usually not a fan of the excuse, it just so happens I have a great one. One of the best I can imagine actually. Now that I think of it, I actually have TWO of them, though the 2nd one I thought of is pretty pathetic, but I can tie it into the first one and make it really swell if you give me a second! I’d like to take this opportunity to blame my lack of updates on the fact that in the 30 some odd days since my last post, we have bought a new house (though we are still awaiting a closing date), put our apartment on the market and been to Mexico and back for our much anticipated, very delayed and FREAKISHLY hot honeymoon. All of this activity has not afforded me many opportunities to grocery shop, let alone cook. Plus the heat, the need to use what’s in the pantry rather than lug it across town in the impending move and also, I’ve been putting off admitting this because I am so upset by it but, I kind of hate my new camera. I don’t know. It’s probably not the cameras fault and if I had a clue where the manual was and 30 seconds of free time, I might be able to figure out what I’m doing wrong, but my images are grainy, the shadows are terrible and I am unimpressed and just downright unhappy….phooey!

However, by popular demand and in the hopes of becoming inspired again, I present to you an offering from my archives….the prosciutto, fig and gorgonzola pizzette with basil chiffonade…if I close my eyes, I am still at the precious little wine bar in Raleigh in which I discovered this delicious little nugget with my BFF….i made a few changes to their creation and wish that I hadn’t so the next time I make these, I will go by the book…or rather, by the made up recipe in my head that I am pretty sure is similar to what they used.

A little brght twinkle on the horizon is my newest venture: pies! I’m very excited about this ever since falling head over heels for a strawberry rhubarb number in last month’s F&W. however, turning on the oven when it’s 94 degrees out and the humidity is more or less just a sea of water SUSPENDED in the air is a less than thrilling thought, especially if you ask my hair, so I’m waiting for the first crisp day of fall and I will hit the ground running. I will have to give up my rhubarb, I know, but apples are really my first true love anyway. That rhubarb thing was just a crush. I’m a pretty fickle chick….

Without further ado, I present the pizzette…


Prosciutto, Fig and Gorgonzola Pizette

Heat oven to 350
2 Pita rounds (the kind with the pockets)
Fig Jam
Basil, chiffonade (make a stack of basil leaves, roll them into a cigar and slice them crosswise to make little ribbons)
Prosciutto
Gorgonzola, crumbled
(*here is where my major change would take place. I used Gorgonzola because that’s what I had on hand. The originals used Cambazola, which was much milder and more melty. The Gorgonzola was still earth shatteringly delish, but I prefer the milder Cambazola)

Split the pita rounds lengthwise to make 4 round pieces.
Place the rounds smooth side down (the scratchy, inner, textured side up) on a baking sheet and stick them in the oven to crisp up for about 7 minutes or so.
Remove the rounds from the oven and let them cool until you can pick them up.
Spread each pita round generously with fig jam, top with prosciutto (about one thin slice per round) and sprinkle with cheese. Return the rounds to the oven for about 7 more minutes or until the cheese is melted and the prosciutto begins to crisp on the edges. Remove from the oven, cut each pizzette in 4 pieces, sprinkle with basil, pour yourself a glass of full bodied, oaky chardonnay and dig in……..

daddy's girl...

my dad is the best cook i have ever known. watching him cook my whole life, it has always seemed effortless. the way they say motzart was with the piano. i know that's a trite comparison, but it's very appropriate. when i was little, he invented some kind of chicken that i believe was stuffed with swiss cheese and some other combination of positively delectable things. i loved it so much, he named it "chicken rachel". pasta primavera, homemade chicken soup, filet mignon and lobster, chateau briand in puff pastry with little tiny , handmade, leaf shaped puff pastry accents on top and roasted baby root vegetables, roast beef and yorkshire pudding, vanilla bean creme brulee...and trumping them all, his mom's apple pie. one of my most frightening childhood memories was when i got caught one night, about 11 years old, crouching down in front of the refrigerator in the dark, fork in one hand, guilty look on my face, cheeks packed full of the apples i had so expertly and evenly (so as not to leave a trace) gobbled up, leaving a rim of empty pie shell. my daddy came around the corner and found me. it got ugly.

when my brothers are hungry (they're teenagers. they are always hungry), instead of asking "do you want to call domino's pizza?" he says things like "do you want me to fix you a chicken ceasar wrap?". bless his heart. this is my favorite of his impromptu snacks...the pictures i have taken don't do it justice.


my daddy's bbq chicken quesadillas

grilled chicken breasts, cutlets or tenders, chopped and cooled
burrito size flour tortillas
monterey jack cheese, shredded
jalepeno jack cheese, shredded
red onion, sliced thin
cilantro, chopped
honey bbq sauce (bottled is more than fine)

homemade guacamole is optional, but i always serve it with these because that's what my dad does. he makes his guac with chipotle tabasco, lime juice, cilantro, red onion, tomato and a tiny squirt of mayo. gives it a great, creamy consistency.

place a tortilla in a nonstick skillet over medium high heat. sprinkle with a combo of both cheeses and wait for it to start melting a little. then sprinkle half of the tortilla with the grilled chicken, cilantro and red onion. drizzle with bbq sauce, but not TOO much sauce, because these can get messy if you're too generous with the filling. once the tortilla is good and toasty and the cheese has fully melted, take a spatula and flip the side that only has cheese on it over on top of the filled side and press down like this:



remove, repeat untill you have as many as you want and cut each half circle into pieces and serve with guacamole and sour cream...these can also be kept warm in a 200 degree oven while you are working on the rest of them if you like. enjoy!!

back with a vengeance.....

i've been away for longer than i expected to be and as predicted, have been suffering from cooking depression. it's cyclical...but nothing brings you back in the spirit quite like a batch of the world's most perfect cupcakes. i made these for my good friend michele's birthday and with the very first lick of the frosting covered beater, all was right with the world...i halved this recipe because i only own one muffin tin and because we weren't expecting an entire football team. the golden rule with these is: when you think you are done whipping the frosting, keep whipping. and i mean whip till your mixer is blue in the face. even after the 2nd time you think you must CERTAINLY be done for sure this time, still whip more. i'm talking at least 10 minutes of straight whipping. you'll thank me later...




From The Magnolia Bakery Cookbook

for the cakes:

traditional vanilla birthday cake

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs at room temperature
1 1/2 cups self rising flour
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (do NOT use "imitation")(i subbed Madagascar Vanilla Bean Paste from Williams Sonoma and it rocked my world in this recipe...)

preheat oven to 350 degrees

line two 12 cup muffin tins with cupcake papers.

in a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, cream the butter untill smooth (they say to do this for longer than you think necessary). add the sugar gradually and beat untill fluffy, about 3 minutes. add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl occasionally. combine the flours and add in four parts, alternating with the milk and vanilla extract, beating well after each addition.

spoon the batter into the cups about three-quarters full. bake untill the tops spring back when lightly touched, about 20-22 minutes. remove cupcakes from pans and cool completely on a rack before icing.

makes 24 cupcakes

for the icing:

traditional vanilla buttercream

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, very soft.
8 cups confectioners sugar
1/2 cup whole milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract (do NOT se "imitation")(Madagascar Vanilla Bean Paste here as well)

place the butter in a large mixing bowl. add 4 cups of the sugar and then the milk and the vanilla extract. beat untill smooth and creamy. gradually add the remaining sugar, 1 cup at a time untill icing is thick enough to be of good spreading consistency (you may very wellnot need all the sugar). whip even longer to make it extra creamy. the longer you whip, the creamier it gets. if desired, add a few drops of food coloring and mix thoroughly. use and store icing at room temperature, as icing will set if chilled. can store in an airtight container up to three days.

a sad hiatus...

so, i'm going to be a little sporadic about my blogging for a bit. we're on some kind of budget that apparently does not allow me to go to the market, even for milk and eggs, which we have none of....and i'm starting a new diet pill on friday so untill i adjust to these new changes, i'm going to be a little kitchen depressed. as always, if by some miracle, i create a life changing dish straight from my pantry, the blog will be the first to hear about it, but untill then, i'm going be eating stale crackers and the rest of the tub of cool whip free......

oh, stuff it!

thanks to a couple of the super talented ladies on a cooking forum i frequent, i have been craving a stuffed bell pepper something fierce lately...never having made one before, or even eaten one for that matter, i hardly knew where to start. it did seem, however that they could be simple, outrageously delish and lend themselves easily to any kind of flavors you happened to be craving....and most importantly, of course, they are SO cute all stuffed and perky and festively colorful! i called in for a little help, got some great ideas and inspiration and here is what i came up with...it was one of the best dinners i've made in awhile and the best part is, there are leftovers for tonight! yay!

Stuffed Southwest Peppers
4 large bell peppers, various colors, boiled for 3-4 minutes each just to soften slightly, tops cut off and reserved, seeds and ribs removed.
yellow spanish saffron rice, cooked according to package directions subbing chicken broth for water. about1 1/2 cups cooked.
1 T. unsalted butter
EVOO
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup salsa
3 jalepeno chicken sausages, chopped (i used TJs pre-cooked, so they only needed to be heated through. if you use uncooked sausage, remove casing and brown in a pan)
1/2 cup shredded cheese
chopped cilantro.



pre-heat oven to 375, flash boil peppers and cook rice. transfer rice to a mixing bowl and peppers to a plate and set aside.

chop up the tops of the bell peppers (not the stems).
melt butter and heat oil together in a heavy skillet over medium high heat.
add onions and chopped bell pepper. season with salt and saute for 3 minutes until softened.
add garlic and continue to cook for 1 minute.
add salsa and jalepeno chicken sausage and continue cooking for a minute or so to heat sausage through.
remove pan from heat and add sausage and onion mixture to rice and stir to combine. add cheese and mix untill cheese is melted.
scoop filling into hollowed out bell peppers and place on a baking sheet lined with foil and sprayed with pam.
bake for 30 minutes untill top is crispy.
sprinkle with chopped cilantro and serve.

parmesan and bacon crusted wild salmon with spinach, corn and clam chowder sauce...

impressive name for a dish right? scott and i had our wedding reception at roy's restaurant in las vegas and as a gift from my mom and her best friend, we got the roy's cookbook. if you've never eaten at roy's, i can't reccomend it enough...it is consistently beyond perfect...food, drinks, service. no matter the loaction or occasion...
i managed to follow the recipe almost exactly (which is quite a feat for me as i almost NEVER follow a recipe exactly). mostly because i was scared and wanted it to come out perfectly....although i halved it, as there were only 2 of us. it came together more quickly than it reads. once all the prep work was done (i always prep everything first for new recipes) it was a cinch. the final concensus is, in my opinion, it sounds better than it tastes and it tastes better than it looks. i expected it to be a 10...to me, it was only a 7 or so. if i made it again, i would definitely cut out all of the "season with salt" steps because the bacon in the crust and the reduced clam juice in the sauce make it salty enough without adding more...but the corn and spinach was a TOTAL knockout and would be a perfect, simple, easy side dish for other meals. also, one of the pieces of salmon i had was a little thick in the middle, so i finished it in the oven at 350 for about 5 minutes.

PARMESAN-AND-BACON-CRUSTED SALMON WITH CORN, SPINICH, AND CLAM CHOWDER SAUCE
by: roy yamaguchi
Serving Size: 4

Clam chowder sauce
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 tablespoon minced shallots
1 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
2 cups bottled clam juice, or 1 cup canned clam juice
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Corn and spinach
4 ears sweet corn
Salt and freshly ground pepper
4-tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
4 cups packed spinach leaves

Parmesan bacon crust
3 slices bacon, cut into ¼ inch strips
8 cloves garlic minced
1 cup panko (Japanese bread crumbs)
1 cup shaved or grated Parmesan cheese

Salmon
4 (6-ounce) salmon fillets
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions
To prepare the sauce, heat the olive in a small, heavy stainless steel saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic, shallots, and thyme, and sauté for about 1 minute. Add the clam juice, bring to a boil, and cook to reduce by half. Gradually whisk in the butter until it is melted and incorporated. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Remove from the heat and set aside.


To prepare the corn and spinach, stand the corn upright on a cutting board and carefully cut the kernels from the cobs with a sharp knife. Transfer to a large, dry skillet and dry roast over medium heat for 1 to 2 minutes until the kernels just begin to pop. Season with salt and pepper to taste and stir in the butter and garlic. Cook until the corn browns slightly, about 2 minutes, and then add the thyme and spinach. Sauté 1 minute longer, until the spinach is just wilted. Set aside and keep warm.


To prepare the crust, put the bacon in a dry, heavy stainless-steel skillet or sauté pan over medium heat and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, or until the bacon is about half cooked and releasing its fat. Add the garlic and continue to sauté until the bacon is cooked but not yet crisp. Stir in the panko and let it toast for about 10 seconds. Add the cheese and cook until melted. Remove from the heat.


Season the salmon with salt and pepper to taste and spread the fillets on one side with a layer of the crust mixture about 1/8 inch thick. Carefully return the salmon, crust side down, to the skillet or pan in which the crust was prepared, and sear over medium-high heat for about 2 minutes, or until the crust browns. Turn over and cook the other side for 4 to 5 minutes, or until still slightly translucent in the center


Spoon the corn and spinach onto warmed serving plates and smooth out to form a bed for the salmon. Arrange the salmon on top and spoon the warm clam chowder sauce around the fish.