Cake class

I have been taking these amazing cake decorating classes.  Last night was my last class and I have learned so many cool things.  Lori and Lani at Cake Creations Dessert Haven, you guys rock!!!  http://cakecreationshawaii.com/
I have learned to make ocean themed cakes, leis, some pretty realistic buttercream and boiled icing flowers and how to airbrush.  Last night we did japanese themed.  So this is the cake I created.

A turtle right!  How cute is that.  I think for my 4th time ever using an airbrush I did pretty darn good!  Thank you Lori and Lani!!!  In a few weeks I am making a flip flop cake for my neighbor.  I will post pics of my progress with that one!

It's summer time!

Summer time is when tomatoes are at their best.  So here a small collection of no cook ideas that highlight what I think is one of the best food combinations on earth.   Tomatoes, basil and mozzarella!



 To start with here a simple bruschetta mix.  I like this mix because it can go on so many things.  Bread, pasta, couscous, rice, chicken, fish, and so much more.  For example:  Cook up some shell pasta then toss with this bruschetta mix.  That would be great hot or cold.  On bread it is just amazing!

Tomato Bruschetta
tomatoes ( cherry, grape, or roma)
fresh mozzarella
1 bunch fresh basil
olive oil
bread
garlic clove
salt and pepper

Dice the tomatoes into small pieces.  Dice the mozzarella into small pieces.  Add salt and pepper to this mix and stir well.  Pile your basil up and roll it into a log.  Slice into fine ribbons.  Add to mix.  Add enough olive oil to lightly coat everything.  Taste for seasoning.  Set this aside while we toast bread.  Set oven to broil.  I like a french baguette but use whatever you like.  Slice bread and brush with olive oil.  Place in center of oven until golden brown about 6-8 min.  Cut the garlic clove in half and rub the bread with the cut side.  Top with the tomato mix.  Try not to get it on your shirt.  Enjoy!

Summer time means lots of get togethers and we all have our favorite go-to summer dishes.  I am always trying to find new delicious party foods that travel well and do not have to be cold.  This next one is a great little bite for an appetizer or just as a side dish at a party.  If you can find the little fresh mozzarella balls (bocconcini) they work great here.  If you can't find them any fresh mozzarella will work.  This recipe can be very easily doubled or tripled for a larger party.

Tomato Mozzarella bites
24 grape or cherry tomatoes
fresh mozzarella
1 bunch fresh basil
olive oil
balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper
24 toothpicks

Cut mozzarella into 24 bite sized pieces.  Slice basil in half if leaves are large.  You need 24 pieces.  Cut each tomato in half.  Skewer one tomato half followed by one side of basil.  Add mozzarella and wrap the other side of the basil around and skewer it.  Finish with the other half of the tomato.  Repeat with all the rest.  Arrange on platter and drizzle with olive oil and vinegar.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  These do not need to be refrigerated, in fact they are better at room temp.  Enjoy!

Lastly today is a classic caprese salad.  This one is so simple but so delicious.  In this salad I have made a fresh pesto instead of using the whole basil leaves.  If you don't like pesto or just don't want it, this salad is also great with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.  It is great either way.  This also makes a excellent sandwich.  The supermarkets have some pretty good pestos these days but if you have a lot of fresh basil and a food processor it is even better homemade.  This salad is another dish that is actually better room temp. 

Caprese Salad
tomatoes
fresh mozzarella
fresh pesto (recipe below)
salt and pepper

Slice tomatoes and mozzarella and place them alternating on plate.  Drizzle with pesto and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  It really is that easy.  Enjoy!

Fresh Pesto
2 cups fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
1/4 cup pine nuts or walnuts
2 cloves of garlic
1/2 cup olive oil
salt and pepper

I start with the garlic and pulse in food processor until finely minced.  Next add pine nuts and basil leaves.  Pulse until finely minced.  With the food processor running slowly add in the olive oil.  Add in the cheese and pulse to combine.  Add pepper and give it a taste.  Add salt as needed.  Cheese can be salty so taste before adding any additional salt. 
If you are going to store this in the fridge place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the pesto.  This will keep it really green.  Also you can freeze pesto.  Just leave out the cheese and it freezes beautifully.   Then you can defrost, add the cheese, and you are ready to go.

Pesto is great on so many things as well.  It makes a great dressing for pasta salads, couscous or quinoa salads.  It is great on chicken and even fish. 

I hope these gave you some new ideas.  If you have any other dishes you would like to share I would love to hear from you!  Hope you are all having a great summer!  There are so many different kinds of tomatoes available these days that I hope you try something new.

Pad Thai

This week I had cooked up an extra chicken breast.  I had a ton of ideas on how to use it up but this is one of my favorites.  I always order Pad Thai in every Thai restaurant we go to and I am mostly disappointed.  I love this recipe and it is surprisingly simple.  Asian recipes like this usually have long ingredient lists but once you break it down it is very simple.  The most important thing about these types of stir-frying is prep.  It takes time to do all the prep and no time at all to do the actual cooking. 

Pad Thai

8 oz. rice noodles
1/4 cup salted peanuts
1/2 tsp lime zest
3 tbs fish sauce
2 tbs lime juice
2 tbs brown sugar
4 1/2 tsp rice vinegar
1 tbs chilli sauce
3 tbs vegetable oil
1 lb chicken cooked or raw
1 tbs chopped garlic
1 egg beaten
1 cup bean sprouts
1 cup shredded carrot
1/2 cup green onions
2 tbs fresh cilantro

Chop peanuts and combine with lime zest.  Set aside.  Combine fish sauce, lime juice, brown sugar, rice vinegar and chilli sauce.  Stir until smooth then set aside.  Chop chicken, shred carrots, and rinse bean sprouts.  Chop cilantro and green onion and beat egg.  I cut the tops of the green onion into bigger pieces and the whites a little finer.  I think you are ready to cook!

Cook noodles according to package directions.
Heat 1 tbs oil in wok over medium high heat.  Add chicken and garlic, stir-fry until browned, then move to bowl.  Add egg and scramble in wok then add to chicken in bowl.
Heat remaining 2 tbs oil over high heat.  Add drained noodles stir-fry for 2 minutes.  Add bean sprouts, carrots, and green onions.  Stir-fry 2 minutes. 

Add sauce and chicken, cook 1-2 minutes.

Sprinkle each serving with cilantro and peanut topping. 

Pad Thai is also great with sliced beef, duck, pork and tofu.  You could leave out the meat and add more vegetables if you like.  Hope you enjoy!

Pasta B-L-T

Who doesn't love a great BLT sandwich.  So in my pasta dish the BLT is bacon, leeks and tomatoes with a few extras.  This is actually a nice lite dish that has a ton of flavor.  I used grape tomatoes because they were the best at the store but you could certainly use any small tomato.  If they are a little bigger I would cut them in half.  Try not to shake the pan to much, we want the tomatoes to get brown and caramelize.  Fresh leeks are yummy but they are pretty dirty so be sure to clean them well or the dish will be gritty.  I slice the leeks up then put them in a big bowl of cold water.  The leeks will float and the dirt will sink to the bottom.  Give them a few shakes and dry them in salad spinner or on paper towels. 
So cooking is all about timing.  Getting everything ready at close to the same time but not so close that you get frazzled.  I drop the pasta just after I add the wine.  Whole wheat pasta has a bit longer cooking time than regular.  I cook the pasta 10 minutes then drain and it is ready to add to the sauce.  I make my favorite garlic bread (fresh or frozen) and cut up a couple of pieces or pulse in a food processor.   Garlic bread usually takes about 10-15 minutes so you want to have that in before you drop the pasta.  Bread is easy to keep warm in a basket with a towel over it or even put it back in the the oven.  I serve the rest of the bread alongside the pasta.  You could certainly leave the bread off the top.  It has a nice crouton feel though.

Pasta BLT
3 strips of bacon - diced
1 cup grape tomatoes
1/2 cup sliced leeks
1/4 cup white wine
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 tsp. white or red wine vinegar
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 lb spaghetti ( I use whole wheat)
1 cup fresh spinach leaves
1/4 tsp fresh thyme
1 cup of garlic bread cut up

Cook bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until browned and crispy.  Drain bacon pieces on paper towel lined bowl and set aside.  Pour excess bacon drippings leaving 1 tbsp.

                         

Saute tomatoes over medium heat until they begin to brown (5-7 min).  Add the leeks and saute until they are wilted ( 3-5 min).  Add the wine scraping any brown bits off the bottom of the pan.  Simmer until nearly evaporated.  Add chicken broth, vinegar, red pepper flakes and thyme.  Simmer until reduced by 1/2 ( 5-7 min).  Drain pasta and add to sauce.  Add bacon and spinach.  Toss to combine everything.  Dish up and top with garlic bread crumbles.  Enjoy!

 

Your recipes!

I'm going to california for a week and I don't know if I'll have time to post new recipes.  I would love it you would help.  If anyone is making a recipe they really love, send me the recipe and a photo of the food and I'll post it here.  I would really like to try some of your favorites! 

In the mean time here is a photo of my honey and I on a dinner cruise back in march.  We were celebrating our anniversary and we had an amazing 7 course meal.  Here is a pic of our dessert.  I would love to be able to make this! 

Chocolate wheelbarrow with summer fruits

Sautéed scallops with crispy pancetta and pea & mint puree

So this week I found some beautiful scallops at the store.  I just couldn't resist them.  I've made this dish before and I just love the combination of sweet scallops, salty pancetta or bacon and fresh minty peas.  Now I would never tell you to not buy fresh peas however I don't know anyone who has the time to shuck fresh peas and the frozen ones are just as yummy.  The pancetta can easily be substituted for bacon, in fact the last time I made this I used bacon and I loved it that way too!  I've made this as both an appetizer and a main course.  For an appetizer I would use 2-3 scallops per person and as a main I would use 5 scallops per person.  Scallops cook very fast so make sure you have all the other components ready before you start cooking them.  The pancetta pieces were fairly small so I used one per scallop.  With bacon I would cut it in half.

Scallops and pancetta

scallops
2 tbs olive oil
salt and pepper
pancetta or bacon

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Place pancetta or bacon on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  Place in oven until crispy, about 10 minutes.  Check it every now and then as it can burn quickly.

Heat a skillet over medium-medium high heat with olive oil.  Lay scallops out on a paper towels and dry them really well, season with salt and pepper.  Once pan is really hot, almost smoking, place the scallops in the pan.  Once they are in the pan do not move them, this lets them get the browned crust.  If you move them around they will still cook but they will not get browned.  Cook for 2-3 minutes, flip and cook for another 2 minutes.

Scallops are also great on the grill or under the broiler!

Pea and mint puree

1 tbs olive oil
1 small onion
2 cloves garlic
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
2 cups frozen peas
1 tbs fresh mint

Heat olive oil over medium heat.  Chop onion and add to the pan.  Cook until they begin to soften(5 min).  Chop garlic and add to the pan.  Cook for another 2 min.  Add the chicken broth and bring to a boil.  Add the peas.  Cook until tender but still nice and green 5-7 min.  Put the pea mixture in the blender reserving about 1/2 cup of the liquid.  Add the mint and blend until nice and smooth.  Be careful as the mix is hot and hot stuff tries to jump out of blenders sometimes.  If the mix is too thick add a little more of the broth and blend again.  You can put this back in the pan to keep warm while you cook the scallops.

It's all Greek to me!



Souvlaki with tzatziki and pita

 So this week I made souvlaki with tzatziki sauce and homemade pita bread.  Souvlaki, for those of you who have never had it, is basically marinated meat grilled on a stick.  What is not to love about that!  I use pork tenderloin in my recipe but I noticed other recipes sometimes use pork with a little more fat like the shoulder.  Tenderloins usually comes two to a pack so I always have one in the freezer.  Tzatziki is a yogurt sauce with cucumber and garlic.  Most supermarkets have a great selection of pita bread to choose from, but I was on  a bread making kick these last weeks.  I had never made pita bread before and I was surprised by how easy it was.  I was like a little kid peeking in the oven so see if the bread had puffed!  It was very exciting.  Even if you don't try making your own pita I highly recommend this souvlaki recipe it was delicious!  It would also be great with rice or couscous. 

Souvlaki
Pork tenderloin cut into 1 inch chunks
1/4 cup olive oil
4 tbs fresh lemon juice
2 tbs fresh oregano or 1 tbs dried
2 garlic cloves
1 onion cut into chunks
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
wooden skewers

Mix, oil, lemon juice, oregano, garlic, and salt&pepper.  Add meat and onion.  Mix well, cover and marinate for at least 8 hours.  Give it a stir every couple of hours.  Now the lemon juice will change the pink pork to a pale whitish color.  Don't worry, It's going to taste amazing.  Preheat your BBQ or grill pan to medium heat.  Skewer the meat.  I also skewer the onions by themselves.  Grill 4-6 minutes a side.  Serve with pita and veggies.  I like mine with shredded lettuce and cabbage, sliced cucumber and tomato.




mix pork with marinade



after 8 hours marinating



  



grilling the skewers



Tzatziki sauce

I have always found greek yogurt a little to tangy for my liking, but plain yogurt is very thin.  Here is what I do.  Take a smallish strainer and line it with paper towels.  Place your plain yogurt in and cover.  Refrigerate overnight.  A ton of liquid will come out and you now have nice thick yogurt.  Tzatziki can be made in a food processor for more of a smoother sauce or just mixed by hand for more of a chunkier sauce.  I used the food processor this time.

8 oz of yogurt ( greek or plain strained)

2 cloves of garlic

1/2 of a cucumber peeled, seeded, and chopped

juice from 1/2 lemon

2 tbs olive oil

1 tsp dill ( if fresh use 1 1/2 tsp)

salt & pepper

For smooth sauce: Put all ingredients in food processor or blender, and mix until desired consistency.

For chunkier sauce:  Finely chop cucumber, mince or grate garlic.  Mix yogurt with lemon juice, olive oil, dill, salt&pepper.  Stir in cucumber and garlic.  Taste for seasoning.  Cover and refrigerate.  The longer this sauce sits, the more the flavors blend.



Tzatziki sauce



Pita Bread

3 cups flour

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 tbs sugar or honey

2 tsp or  packet yeast

1 1/4 to 1 1/2 cups warm water

2 tbs olive oil

Mix yeast flour sugar and salt in a large bowl.  Add the olive oil and 1 1/4 cups warm water.  Stir until a ball begins to form.  If it is too dry add more water until a ball forms.  Knead on a floured surface until smooth and no longer sticky (8-10 min).  Place in an oiled bowl and let rise until doubled in size ( 1 hour).  Punch down the dough and divide into 12 pieces.  Roll them into balls, cover and let rest 20 minutes.  Preheat oven and stone or baking sheet to 450 degrees.  Once oven is hot, roll each piece out as thin as possible.  Your looking for 1/8 of an inch thick.  Place on hot stone or baking sheet, bake for 3 minutes then flip over for another 2 minutes.  They should puff up and turn brown.  Place pita in basket or serving dish and cover with a towel until they are all baked.  Enjoy!



kneaded dough



doubled in size





rising beautifully



warm pita

If anyone tries any of these recipes, I would love to hear how it turns out!

Mamma Mia!

                                           Asparagus and ham pizza

Pizza is my favorite food group.  I think it should be eaten at least once a week.  My mom tried this white sauce this week and said it was delicious so I decided to give it a try.  Of course I like green things on my pizza like spinach and broccoli but you can really put anything you want.   When it comes to dough there are a lot of options these days.  You can buy ready made crusts or dough, get dough from your favorite pizza place or make your own dough.  I am a fan of all three.  I had the time this week so I made dough.  I made four little pizzas with this dough recipe but you could also make two medium or one large pizza.  If you have never made pizza at home you should really give it a try.  It is just the best pizza! 

                                          Broccoli and ricotta

Pizza dough:
2 tsp or 1 packet active dry yeast
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 cup warm water
1 1/2 cup AP flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbs olive oil

Stir yeast and sugar into warm water and let sit until foamy (5-10 min).  Mix flour with salt and make a well in the center.  Add olive oil and yeast.  Mix until dough forms.  Knead on floured surface until smooth and no longer sticky (8-10 min).  Place in an oiled bowl, cover, and let rise until doubled (1 hour). Split into desired number of crusts.  Roll or stretch into desired shape and top with your favorite things!

                                           Tomato and basil

White garlic sauce:
5-7 cloves garlic
1 tbs butter
1 tbs olive oil
2 tbs flour
1 cup milk*
salt and pepper

Melt butter with olive oil.  Mince or crush garlic and add to oil.  Cook for only 1-2 minutes then add the flour.  Cook flour for 1-2 minutes then slowly add the milk, stir all the time.  Stir until thickened then cool before putting on the pizza.  Put a piece of plastic wrap directly on the sauce so a skin does not form as it cools.

* I find that whole or 2% milk just makes a richer, smoother sauce.  This can be made with skim milk or even a combo of skim and half&half. 

                                           Spinach and ricotta

Pizza:
Preheat oven 450-500 degrees, if using stone put in oven to preheat.  Form your dough into desired shape and top with cooled white sauce.  Cover with favorite toppings and lots of cheese making sure to stop 1/2 inch from edge.  Add a sprinkle of dried oregano.  Bake in a preheated oven on a hot stone or baking sheet 5-10 min.  Keep checking as it browns quickly.  Try not to burn the roof of your mouth and enjoy!

Toppings:
Broccoli
Ricotta
Spinach-freshly sauted or frozen
Cherry tomatoes
Basil
Ham
Asparagus
Mozzarella

You can't really make a mistake when it comes to toppings.  If you love it on a pizza it's right.  I also love the traditional things like pepperoni and sausage.  Maybe next week!