2 Easy Recipes

Last Friday, I had a table set up at Tinsel Town, a holiday event at Jake's school.  I promised that I'd post the recipes for the 2 samples I offered that night and that's what I'm going to do!

These are tasty and easy and perfect appetizers for a holiday get-together.  All you need are some simple ingredients and a food processor.

BUFFALO-BLUE CHEESE COINS (from Cook's Country)
Makes about 5 dozen coins

I think of these as cheese cookies.  You can refrigerate the dough for up to 3 days or freeze it for up to one month.  Thaw frozen dough in fridge before proceeding with Step 2.

INGREDIENTS
1 cup extra-sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1 cup blue cheese, crumbled
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp cornstarch
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cayenne
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp celery seed
8 Tbsp unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces and chilled

1. Process cheeses, flour, cornstarch, salt, cayenne, paprika and celery seed in food processor until combined, about 30 seconds.  Add butter and process until mixture resembles wet sand and then forms a rough ball, about 30 seconds.  Transfer dough to counter and divide in half.  Roll each half into a 10" log, wrap in plastic and refrigerate until firm, at least an hour.
2. Adjust oven racks to upper-middle and lower-middle positions and heat to 350 degrees.  Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.  Unwrap logs and slice into 1/4" coins.  Place coins on sheets, 1/2" apart.  Bake until light golden around edges, 22-28 min, switching and rotating sheets halfway through baking time.  Let coins cool completely on sheets before serving.  (Coins can be stored in airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.)

SMOKY AVOCADO DIP (from The America's Test Kitchen Healthy Family Cookbook)
Makes about 2 1/2 cups

This healthy and delicious dip is great with vegetables, crackers, chips or anything else you can think to dip!

INGREDIENTS
3/4 cup 1% lowfat cottage cheese
1/4 cup boiling water
3/4 cup lowfat sour cream
1 avocado, pitted, peeled and cut into large chunks
1 tsp minced canned chipotle chile in adobo sauce
1 Tbsp fresh lime juice
Salt and pepper
1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro
2 scallions, sliced thin

1. Process cottage cheese and boiling water in a food processor until smooth, about 30 seconds.  Add sour cream, avocado, chipotle, lime juice, 1/4 tsp salt and 1/8 tsp pepper and continue processing until combined, about 30 seconds.  Transfer to a bowl and stir in cilantro and scallion.  Cover and refrigerate until flavors have blended, about an hour.  Season with salt and pepper to taste before serving.  (The dip can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 1 day.  Season with additional lime juice, salt and pepper to taste before serving.)

Make-Ahead Turkey

One of the challenges of making a Thanksgiving meal is to have enough time (and oven space) to get everything done.  Here's a recipe from Cook's Country that I put in my newsletter a couple of years ago.  They've come up with a way to make a delicious turkey prior to Thanksgiving Day--so you can concentrate on other things.  The techniques are a little unusual, but, if it saves you valuable time, it's worth the try!

MAKE-AHEAD ROAST TURKEY AND GRAVY (Serves 10-12)
Check the label when buying a turkey.  If there's an ingredient list, the turkey's been enhanced and will work for this recipe.  If you prefer a natural turkey, brine it by dissolving 1 cup of salt in 2 gallons of cold water.  Submerge the turkey in the brine, cover and refrigerate for 3-6 hours.  Proceed with Step 1, Day 1, omitting the salt for seasoning.

INGREDIENTS
2 onions, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 celery ribs, chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled
2 tsp fresh thyme, minced
4 (1 1/2-1 3/4 lb) turkey leg quarters, trimmed
1 (6-7 lb) whole bone-in turkey breast, trimmed
4 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
Salt & pepper
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
4 cups water
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup all-purpose flour

DAY 1

1. Adjust oven racks to middle and lowest positions and heat oven to 350 degrees.  Place first 5 ingredients in a large roasting pan.  Set V-rack inside pan.  Pat turkey legs and breast dry with paper towels.  Arrange 2 legs and breast, skin side up, in rack.  Brush with butter and season with salt and pepper.  Place other 2 legs in 13x9" baking dish and season with salt and pepper.
2. Place roasting pan on middle rack and baking dish on lower rack.  Roast until breast registers 160 degrees and thighs, 175 degrees, about 2-2 1/2 hours.  Transfer turkey in rack to wire rack set in rimmed baking sheet and let cool to room temperature, about 2 hours.
3. Transfer veggies and legs in baking dish to a large pot, scraping up any browned bits.  Add broth, water, bay leaf and 1 tsp pepper and bring to a boil.  Simmer over med-low heat until reduced to 5 cups, 1 1/4-1 1/2 hours.  Strain into a large container, discarding solids.  Let cool for 1 hour, cover, refrigerate 4 hours or up to 2 days.  Wrap cooled legs and breast tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 2 days.

DAY 2

1. Scrape fat from top of chilled stock and reserve 5 Tbsp.  Bring stock to simmer in a medium saucepan.  Set aside 1/4 cup.  Heat reserved fat in large saucepan over medium heat.  Add flour and cook, whisking constantly, until golden, 3-4 minutes.  Slowly whisk in remaining stock and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until slightly thickened and reduced to 4 cups, 12-14 min.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.
2. Meanwhile, adjust oven rack to middle position and heat to 500 degrees.  Transfer legs and breast to cutting board.  Separate legs into thighs and drumsticks and arrange on wire rack set in rimmed baking sheet.  Cut breast meat from bone into 2 single breasts.  Remove skin from each in 1 piece, reserve.  Slice breast crosswise into 1/4" slices and place on 18x12" piece of foil, keeping slices together.  Pour 2 Tbsp reserved stock over each breast and top with reserved skin.  Wrap tightly and place on rack with legs.
3. Roast until turkey is heated through and thighs and drumsticks are crisp, 20-25 min.  Discard breast skin.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Serve with gravy.

Mug o' Cake

Once again, Cook's Country magazine comes through with an awesome recipe.  You like chocolate cake?  This one is chocolaty, delicious and takes about 5 minutes to make.  Yes, it seems crazy, but it really works!  Look!

Combine butter and chopped bittersweet chocolate.

 

Melt the chocolate/butter in the microwave then combine with sugar, eggs, cocoa and vanilla.  Combine the dry ingredients.

 

Blend everything together and divide it into coffee mugs (at least 11 oz size).  The recipe that follows is for two servings--I doubled it.

 

 



 

Microwave for 45 seconds at 50% power.  Stir and do it again for 45 seconds.

 

Shove 2 pieces of bittersweet chocolate into the batter.  This will create the molten part of the cake.  Microwave for another 35 seconds at 50% power.

 

Let sit for 2 minutes and you have an incredible molten chocolate cake!  It's that simple!

 

Add a little whipped cream if you want and enjoy!  They really are delicious!

 

 

COFFEE MUG MOLTEN CHOCOLATE CAKE FOR TWO

from Cook's Country

 

This recipe is for a 1200-watt microwave.  If using a smaller 800-watt oven, increase cooking time to 90 seconds for each interval. 

 

INGREDIENTS

4 Tbsp unsalted butter

1 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped, plus 1 oz broken into 4 equal pieces

1/4 cup (1 3/4 oz) sugar

2 large eggs

2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 cup (1 1/4 oz) all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

 

1. Microwave butter and chopped chocolate in a large bowl, stirring often, until melted, about 1 min.  Whisk sugar, eggs, cocoa, vanilla and salt into chocolate mixture until smooth.  In separate bowl, combine flour and baking powder.  Whisk flour mixture into chocolate mixture until combined.  Divide batter evenly between 2 (11 oz) coffee mugs
2. Place mugs on opposite sides of microwave turntable.  Microwave at 50% powder for 45 seconds.  Stir batter and microwave at 50% power for 45 seconds.  Press 2 chocolate pieces into center of each cake.  Microwave at 50% power for 35 seconds (cake should be slightly wet around edges of mug and somewhat drier toward the center).  Let cakes rest for 2 min.  Serve.











 

Stella's House Blend Cafe

We finally did it.

Every time I drive down Main Street in Sellersville, I see people going in and out of a relatively new restaurant, Stella's House Blend Café.  Mary Beth had off yesterday and we decided to go give it a try.

This is the kind of place that our area needs more of.  (Not the most grammatically correct sentence in the world, but you get the point.)  Unfortunately, I didn't bring my camera and MB forgot her phone, so I had to steal a picture from their website.

Stella's is the kind of place where you'd just like to hang out.  An airy room with not too many tables and high-back chairs.  The place has interesting photos and other artwork on the bead board walls, hardwood floors and comfortable areas with couches and tables.  You could feel fine coming in for a quick lunch or hanging out with a book and a cup of coffee for a while.  The staff was extremely friendly--always ready with a friendly comment, joke or menu suggestion.  It really was a pleasant visit.

Oh yeah, the food....

Stella's serves breakfast and lunch every day and dinner on Friday and Saturday (hours listed below).  The lunch menu was full of appetizing salads, soups and sandwiches, all made in-house.  I wouldn't say that there was much all that out of the ordinary on the menu, but everything is made fresh with really good ingredients--so it doesn't have to be fancy to be delicious.

We both ordered from their lunch specials.  Mary Beth ordered the Meatball Parmesan Sandwich.  (Our server suggested this, telling us that the meatballs were made that morning as was, we found out later, the bread.)  It was very tasty--the meatballs were flavorful and tender and covered in tomato sauce and melted cheese.  I'm a sucker for egg salad, so I went with the Egg Salad and Bacon Wrap.  You know how you order something with bacon at many places, you get maybe 2 shriveled up slices?  Not in this case.  It was yummy egg salad with lots of bacon--cooked just right--that added great texture and taste.  The whole wrap was stuck in a Panini press to give a little crunch to the outside.  Again, nothing fancy, just really well done and made with good ingredients.

The breakfast menu features a number of egg dishes, omelets, pancakes and breakfast sandwiches.  Our server also told us that on Saturday mornings, Stella's offers freshly baked sticky buns.  Apparently, you need to get there early because people line up out onto the street for them. 

For dinner, the menu includes Roasted Garlic or French Onion Soups, appetizers (like Shrimp on a Raft and Swedish Meatballs), salads, pastas and entrees (like Chicken Parmesan, Broiled Scallops and meatloaf).  Menus are listed on their website.

Oh, and if you're a coffee lover (I'm not), they have a wide array of locally roasted coffee and espresso (and tea, too).  They also have take-out and catering services.

Great atmosphere, tasty food, friendly people all at a good price!  What could be better?  So give Stella's a try!  You'll understand why all those people are going in and out of this gem of a local eatery.

Stella's House Blend Café
200 N Main St.
Sellersville, PA  18960
267-404-2443

Hours:
Mon-Thurs  6:30 AM-2:00 PM
Friday  6:30 AM-2:00 PM & 5:00 PM-9:00 PM
Saturday  8:00 AM-2:00 PM & 5:00 PM-9:00 PM
Sunday  8:00 AM-2:00 PM

Waste Not

We've all done it: Thrown away bread that got moldy.  Found some kind of produce in the crisper that's turned into a puddle of green goo.  Discovered a container of leftovers from weeks ago in the back of the fridge.  Into the trash it goes!  What a waste!

And believe me, we're not the only ones.  The average home in the US wastes about 470 pounds of food each year.  About 27% of consumable food in this country is thrown away--at the expense of about $600 per year per family.  Crazy, huh?

Why is it so easy to waste food like that?  How many times do we buy more food than we need?  There's a sale, so we pick some up just to forget about it in a few days.  Many times, it's good intentions that result in the waste--we mean to make a nice dinner out of those veggies or that meat, but our busy lives get the best of us and it ends up going bad.

Yup, it's very easy to waste the food, but with just a little work, we can cut back, if not virtually eliminate, our food waste. 

• Of course, my first suggestion would be to hire a personal chef (I hear Dinner's Done PCS is great!).  Seriously, when I cook for clients, I buy just what is needed for that service, so nothing goes to waste--it all just goes into their dishes.
• Plan your meals ahead--before you go shopping.  Then just buy what you will need--and stick to it! 
• Many times, veggies and fruits that are nearing their end can be used for different things.  Use overripe fruit in a smoothie; put some limp veggies in a soup.  If bananas start getting too soft, I put them in the freezer and use them at a later time for breads or muffins. 
• Don't be afraid of leftovers.  Many things taste even better after a day or two.  Be creative--if you don't want to eat the same dish again, use it to create another dish. 
• Rotate your food when you bring it home from the store.  In other words, put the new stuff behind or underneath the food that's already in there.  That way, you're more apt to use the older stuff first.
• Learn the best way to store items in your fridge and freezer.  Wrapping/storing things the proper way will add lots of time to their lives.  And save you money!
• And while we're talking about the fridge--CLEAN IT OUT once in a while!  I go through our fridge once a week.  Not only does this let me find those scary pieces of moldy whatever-they-are, but it gets me familiar with what's in there and helps me to use those things before they go bad. 
• One expert I ready suggests to put the guilt trip on yourself by making a list of every food item that you throw out in a week.  Watch how long that list gets and you will feel guilty.  (One study says that 39% of Americans surveyed feel guilty about wasting food--as opposed to 7% that feel guilty about using chemical fertilizer on their yard.)
• Learn to freeze, pickle, can--whatever it takes to keep from wasting all that food. 

Do you have any tips for slowing down your food waste?  Let me know!

Grilled Cantaloupe

I love grilled fruit.  Grilled pineapple with a little cayenne and brown sugar is great.  Have you ever grilled peaches?  Try using a recipe I posted a while ago for Grilled Peaches with Bourbon Honey.

The final recipe I made at Blooming Glen Farm a couple weeks ago used their delicious sweet cantaloupes.  I grilled cantaloupe wedges basting with a sweet glaze, then cut the melon into chunks.  You could very easily cut it into chunks before grilling and slide onto skewers for a nice serving presentation.  Get fancy if you want and garnish it with some minced mint.

However you do it, it's a tasty way to end a meal--especially served with a little ice cream! 

GRILLED CANTALOUPE WITH HONEY-CINNAMON GLAZE
Serves 6

INGREDIENTS
1 cantaloupe, seeded and cut into wedges
1/3 cup honey
1/4 butter
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon

• Preheat grill to high.
• Combine honey, butter, brown sugar and cinnamon in a small saucepan.  Heat on grill until butter melts and all are combined.  Brush cantaloupe with glaze.
• Place melon on grill and cook until starting to soften, about 1-2 min per side, basting with more glaze as needed.
• Remove from grill and let cool slightly.  Remove flesh from rind, cut into chunks to serve.  Drizzle with remaining glaze.

Dude! What is on this Corn?

Corn on the cob--yet another great flavor of the summer.  Usually, I don't like to cover up the flavor too much if it's good corn.  Just a little butter, salt and pepper.  But once in a while, you have to make an exception.

This recipe is a take on a street food popular in Mexico.  It's grilled corn doused in a creamy, cheesy coating with just a little spice.  As Tom Murtha of Blooming Glen Farm said when he tasted it, "Dude!  What is on this Corn?".  Well, I'll tell you....

MEXICAN-STYLE GRILLED CORN (from Cook's Illustrated)
Serves 6

INGREDIENTS
1/4 cup mayonnaise
3 Tbsp sour cream
3 Tbsp cilantro, minced
1 medium garlic clove, minced
3/4 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne (optional)
4 tsp lime juice
1 oz Pecorino Romano, queso fresco or Cotija cheese (about 1/2 cup)
4 tsp vegetable oil
1/2 tsp kosher salt or 1/4 tsp table salt
6 large ears of corn, husked and silk removed

• Preheat grill to high.
• While grill is heating, combine mayo, sour cream, cilantro, garlic, 1/4 tsp chili powder, pepper, cayenne, lime juice and cheese in a large bowl; set aside.  In a second bowl, combine oil, salt, remaining 1/2 tsp chili powder; add corn and toss until coated.
• Grill corn, turning occasionally, until lightly charred on all sides, 7-12 min total.
• Remove from grill and place in bowl with mayo mixture; toss to coat evenly.