I can't help it, since I bought that new cookbook; I am on a Paula Deen kick. This was good, but it could have been better, & I will tell you why. The strawberries I had were a little tart. So next time I will kick it up a notch (I know, I'm no Emeril) by sweetening the strawberries, or the cream cheese, or maybe both. I'm not sure yet. Anyway, even though I think I could improve on this, the kids still ate it (Hubby is out of town) and I thought it was pretty good.
I really should have taken the picture from a different angle, you know, so you could see the 'stuffed' part of the French toast. Oh well, maybe next time, once I improve on it.
TJ's Cream Cheese and Strawberry-Stuffed French Toast
Adapted from, The Deen Family Cookbook
3 eggs
½ cup milk
4 oz cream cheese
8 slices bread - use whatever you have on hand - I used whole grain white
Fresh sliced strawberries
Butter for cooking (it’s not Paula Deen without butter!)
Topping of choice…I used Maple syrup and confectioners’ sugar
1. In a shallow bowl whisk together eggs and milk. Spread the cream cheese on 4 slices of bread, top the cream cheese with a single layer of strawberries. Top with remaining 4 slices of bread.
2. Melt butter on griddle over med-low heat. Dip the sandwiches in the egg mixture for a few seconds on each side. Cook sandwiches until golden brown, 2-3 minutes per side.
****Next time I will add a little sugar to the strawberries….maybe a tablespoon & I will add a little confectioners sugar to the cream cheese…
I told you I have been craving these sweet little morsels. I couldn't take it any longer, so Boy 1 and I headed to the kitchen to make a batch. I must admit, he did most of the work. The only thing I did was zest the lemons, since we were both afraid he might grate his fingers on the microplane, and I dip the muffins at the end, but the rest of the credit goes to him.
This is another Paula Deen Recipe WITHOUT butter. Can you believe it? I've been making these for years, they are one of Robert's favorites and I can' t believe I forgot to make them while he was here. Now, here is an odd twist...Hubby had never had these. I promise I have been making them for year, then I realized, I did ALOT more baking while he was in Iraq for 15 months, and that is when I found this delightful little recipe. Well - he approved by eating, well, lets just say so many he couldn't take them to work with him the next day. ;)
Lemon Blossoms
By Paula Deen – I did not change a thing.
18 1/2-ounce package yellow cake mix
3.4 -ounce package instant lemon pudding mix
4 large eggs
3/4 cup vegetable oil
Glaze:
4 cups confectioners' sugar
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1 lemon, zested
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 tablespoons water
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Spray miniature muffin tins with vegetable oil cooking spray. Combine the cake mix, pudding mix, eggs and oil and blend well with an electric mixer until smooth, about 2 minutes. Pour a small amount of batter, filling each muffin tin half way. Bake for 12 minutes. Turn out onto a tea towel
To make the glaze, sift the sugar into a mixing bowl. Add the lemon juice, zest, oil, and 3 tablespoons water. Mix with a spoon until smooth.
With fingers, dip the cupcakes into the glaze while they're still warm, covering as much of the cake as possible, or spoon the glaze over the warm cupcakes, turning them to completely coat. Place on wire racks with waxed paper underneath to catch any drips. Let the glaze set thoroughly, about 1 hour, before storing in containers with tight-fitting lids.
I got a new Paula Deen Cookbook yesterday. It was on a whim, I saw it wanted it, bought it. Normally I don't just jump like that - first I have to read the cover, look through the pages...I might put it in my cart, walk around and decide, 'Oh, I don't need that', then I put it back on the shelf. I mean who really 'needs' a new cookbook when you have the internet? Not this time, I left it in my cart. Paula has been on my mind for days. I have been dreaming of her Lemon Blossoms, I have wanted to make them for over a week, but circumstances have prevented it. When I saw her cookbook, I started dreaming of all that butter, butter and more butter. Well to my shock and awe, I found this recipe...can you believe it, NO BUTTER at all
This recipe was very good with just he right kick and it was quite easy to make, even though I have a hard time searing scallops. I don't know why, but they never turn out 'just right’...I will keep trying. (I thought they were dry enough...) Also, I could not find sea scallops, so I used small bay scallops.
Seared Scallops with Pineapple-Cucumber Salsa
Adapted from The Deen Family Cookbook
Salsa
1 cup diced peeled cucumber
1 can diced pineapple
3 TBL chopped cilantro (plus a little extra for garnish)
1 TBL diced red onion
2 ½ tsp lemon zest
1 large jalapeno diced
Scallops
2 pounds sea scallops
Salt and pepper
2 ½ TBL olive oil
1. Mix all salsa ingredients together and set aside.
2. Rinse scallops and pat them very dry, then season them with salt and pepper
3. Warm the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sear the scallops, without moving them in the pan until golden – 2-3 minutes on each side.
4. Put Salsa on a plate, put scallops on top of salsa, sprinkle with fresh cilantro
Paula says to add 1/4 tsp hot sauce to the salsa, but quite honestly, I forgot. It was not missed.
This months Cooking Light magazine is right up my alley, it is chalked full of seafood recipes! Can you say YUMMY?!?! I got my March issue of Cooking Light on .... get this ....25 March!! AUGHHH, one of the only things I don't like about living in Korea, it takes FOREVER for my magazines to show up, and then I feel behind. Anyhow, on March 26th, I headed for the Noryangyin Fish Market to pick up some yellowfin tuna so I could make this delicious looking salad! So, here is where my adventure started....
(The pictures from the fish market are from my own personal paparazzi that follows me around...thanks, Liz)
My tuna...
Purchasing tuna from the lady with the pink apron! I just LOVE the pink apron! Check out the guy behind me, he is sneaking a feel of Boy 3's hair while I am not looking!! ;)
Check this big chunk of tuna out (just over 2 lbs)....only 30,000 won for this! That is about $22 USD, for sashimi grade yellow fin! OH BABY!
Isn't she pretty?
First, you salt & pepper this lovely lady, I like LOTS of fresh ground pepper. Heat your pan over med-high heat with about a half a tablespoon of olive oil, make sure you pan is nice and hot before you put your tuna in. Cook on all sides for about 2 minutes each, or until desired degree of doneness. I cooked mine for about 2 minutes on each side and it was perfect!
Transfer to a cutting board and let rest for a few minutes. Then slice against the grain into thin slices to top your salad with. My mouth is watering just looking at this!!
OK, OK, on to the salad portion:
4 cups cabbage, sliced
1 cup thinly sliced cucumber
½ cup matchstick cut carrots
1/3 cup thinly sliced red onion
1 navel orange, sectioned and cut up into small pieces
1 TBL sugar
3 TBL fresh chopped cilantro
2 TBL fresh squeezed lime juice
2 TBL rice vinegar
½ tsp dark sesame oil
¼ tsp chili paste
Combine cabbage & next 4 ingredients (through orange) in a large bowl.
Combine remaining ingredients (sugar through chili paste) in a small bowl stirring well with a whisk. Reserve 1 TBL dressing. Drizzle the rest of the salad dressing over the salad and toss gently. Divide mixture between 4 plates. Arrange tuna over salad mixture, drizzle reserve salad dressing over tuna. Serve with a crunchy pepper cracker on the side.
This salad is DELIGHTFUL!! It is also very fast and easy, great for a sports night. I think it took maybe 30 minutes to prepare.
This cake brings back very fond memories for me. I always think of my friend Tricia N. & our dinner club in Kansas each time I make it. Several years ago when we lived at Ft. Leavenworth, 5 of my friends got together and created a dinner club. Each person had a night, mine was Monday. Every Monday I would cook dinner for my family plus 4 other families, I would deliver dinner to the other 4 families each Monday night, then I was done cooking for the week. Every other night, Tuesday - Friday, dinner was delivered to my door by 5:30PM. This lasted for a year & boy was it fantastic...the only problem is our little group started trying to out do each other, our meals were DELICIOUS, but our bellies started growing. Finally we had to set another rule....no more desserts!!!
1 ¼ cup sugar, divided ¾ & ½ cups
1 cup flour
7 TBL cocoa, divided 4 TBL & 3 TBL
2 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
½ cup milk
1/3 cup melted butter
2 tsp vanilla
½ cup packed light brown sugar
1 ¼ cup hot water
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
Combine ¾ cup sugar, flour, baking powder, salt and 3 TBL cocoa. Mix well. Blend in milk, melted butter, & vanilla until smooth.
Pour into 8x8 (9x9 will work too, just reduce cooking time by 5 minutes) pan.
In a small bowl combine ½ cup sugar, brown sugar & 4 TBL cocoa, sprinkle evenly on top of batter. Pour hot water on top of sugar mixture, (DO NOT COMBINE) bake for 40 minutes or until almost set.
To serve, scoop out & turn upside down on plate. The bottom of the dessert will be think and gooey, like hot fudge.
Serve with vanilla ice cream! I make my own, but Kathie, feel free to buy Bluebell's homemade vanilla. ;) I'm
I got this recipe from my friend Teri many moons ago. I am almost ashamed to put this on here as it is not *homemade*. However the taste makes up for what this cake lacks in being homemade, plus it is so easy even my sister Kathie could make it.
1 box devils food cake mix, with pudding in the mix
1 small box instant fudge chocolate pudding
2 cups sour cream
1/3 cup kahlua
1 package milk chocolate chips
4 eggs
¾ cup oil
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Coat a bundt cake pan with cooking spray.
Mix all ingredients together.
Bake for 45-50 minutes.
This was SO GOOD, and isn’t it pretty!! You will love it too, if you just make the commitment to make it....go ahead, commit. OK, now that you committed, it is a 'little' time consuming, when I say time consuming, I'm talking maybe 40 minutes or so, really not bad at all. I did cheat a little and used jarred sauce, see in the back ground of the picture above? I used my favorite sauce from Rao's. If you live in the states, you can easily get it, just head to your local Whole Food, HEB, or Kroger & you should be able to find it, unless you live on the west coast, I don't think they have it there yet. If someone reading this lives on the west coast, will you run out and see if you can find it? Then would you mind posting the answer in my comment section? Thanks!
OK, on to the recipe....I got the original recipe here, but I made a few changes, so here we go.....
For Sauce:
1 jar Rao’s Marinara
For Eggplant Stacks:
2 medium eggplants
6 tablespoons olive oil, divided, plus additional for drizzling
3/4 cup plain dry bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
1/2 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
2 garlic cloves, minced, divided
6 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup water
1/4 teaspoon hot red-pepper flakes
1/2 pound fresh spinach
1 cup packed basil leaves, coarsely chopped
1/2 pound cold fresh mozzarella, cut into 4 (1/2-inch-thick) slices
Bake eggplant:
Preheat oven to 450°F with rack in lowest position.
Cut 12 (1/3-inch-thick) rounds from widest portion of eggplants. Brush both sides with 2 tablespoons oil and season with 1/2 teaspoon salt (total). Bake on an oiled baking sheet, turning once, until golden and tender, 20 to 30 minutes. Transfer to a plate and keep warm, covered. Leave oven on.
Make egg patties and sauté spinach:
Stir together bread crumbs, parmesan, parsley, half of garlic, and 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper, then stir in eggs and water.
Heat 3 tablespoons oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium heat until it shimmers. Drop 4 rounded 1/4 cups (the original recipe called for 1/3 cup, but I thought that was too thick for my clan, so I reduced it) of egg mixture into skillet and cook, turning once, until patties are golden brown and puffed, about 4 minutes. Transfer to paper towels to drain.( I had a few extra patties)
Add remaining tablespoon oil to skillet and cook remaining garlic with red-pepper flakes, stirring, until garlic is golden, about 30 seconds. Add spinach and basil and stir until just wilted, then stir in 1/8 teaspoon salt.
Assemble stacks:
Arrange 4 egg patties about 3 inches apart on a baking sheet. Top each with 2 Tbsp tomato sauce, 1 slice mozzarella, 1 eggplant slice, 2 more tablespoons tomato sauce, another eggplant slice, and spinach mixture. Bake until cheese melts, 5 to 10 minutes. Drizzle with additional oil and serve remaining sauce on the side.
Ummmm.....heavenly!
The second cake was MUCH better as you can see from the picture above. Check out the inside, super moist and scrumdibleeumpsious!!. If you love, or even just like carrot cake...try this one, you will not be disappointed!!
If you have a food processor, pull it out now so you can use it to grate your carrots and apple. OK, let's go!
Ingredients:
2 cups sugar
3 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
Combine and set aside.
1 ½ cup vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla
3 eggs slightly beaten
1 cup crushed pineapple, drained
1 ¾ cups grated carrot
½ cup peeled and grated apple
1 cup chopped pecans
Mix last 7 ingredients together, add dry ingredients until well combined.
Most of the time I use 3 round (8 inch) cake pans, greased with flour dusting. Bake in a preheated oven for 30-35 minutes.
Let cake cool completely before frosting.
Cream Cheese Frosting
1 stick butter (I used salted) – room temperature
8 oz cream cheese – room temperature
1 pound powdered sugar, sifted
Mix together until smooth and creamy.
So the picture isn't great for showing you details of the food, but you get the idea.....
For those of you that live her in Korea, you will need to get your friends in the states to send you tahini to make the hummus. If I am incorrect, and anyone reading this knows where to get tahini here, PLEASE TELL ME!! I am willing to drive, take the subway, bus or cab! :)
HUMMUS
***From The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook (You will start to see a pattern here)
***Can be made in advance & last weeks in the refrigerator.
4 garlic cloves
2 cups canned chickpeas, drained, liquid reserved
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/3 cup tahini (sesame paste)
6 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons)
2 tablespoons water or liquid from the chickpeas
8 dashes hot sauce
Turn on the food processor fitted with the steel blade and drop the garlic down the feed tube; process until it's minced. Add the rest of the ingredients to the food processor and process until the hummus is coarsely pureed. Taste, for seasoning, and serve chilled or at room temperature.
Roasted Eggplant Spread
***Can you guess where I got this recipe? That is right, Barefoot Contessa Cookbook! I adapted just a little.
This roasted eggplant spread is divine! I have had this on my list to make for months, I am so mad I waited so long to make it! You can server this warm or cold, it is very good both ways, my preference is warm, however I served it cold/room temperature at the reception. I could not stop eating this, I was afraid I would have to make more even though I had already made a double batch. You can make this in advance & store in an airtight container in the refrigerator – I made it 2 days prior to serving it.
2 medium eggplants, peeled
3 red bell peppers seeded and chopped
1 red onion, peeled
5-6 garlic cloves
5 TBLS olive oil
Kosher salt (however much you like - maybe 2 tsp?)
Fresh ground black pepper (however much you like - maybe 1 1/2 tsp?)
2 TBL tomato paste
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Cut the eggplant, peppers & onions into 1 inch cubes. Toss them in a large bowl with the garlic, olive oil, & salt and pepper. Spread on a baking sheet, roast for 45 minutes or until the vegetables are lightly browned and soft, tossing once during cooking. Cool slightly. Place vegetables in a food processor, add the tomato paste and pulse till; blended well. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Semi-Homemade Pita Chips
For these I bought flat pita bread, brushed the pita with olive oil, sprinkled garlic salt on top of the olive oil, cut the bread into 8 triangles and baked at 400 degrees F for about 4 minutes on each side. Voila...it's that easy. Store them in a ziplock bag!
You can get creative with your pita chips....instead of garlic salt, you could do a little cayenne pepper, or basil, or a greek seasoning...you get the idea.
Here is the menu from the promotion party:
Sushi - which I ordered
Cheese plates with grapes and a variety of crackers
Grilled Lemon Chicken with Satay Dip
Beef Gorgonzola Toast with Herb Garlic Cream
Hummus
Roasted eggplant spread
Semi-homemade pita chips
Vegetable tray with Cilantro Ranch Dip and
Balsamic Vegetable Dip
Carrot Cake
I didn't get a picture of the Sushi, the Grilled Lemon Chicken with Satay Dip, or the Beef Gorgonzola Toast with Herb Garlic Cream, which is sad becaue they were SO good and the Beef Gorgonzola Toast was beautiful!! So, I am going to remake those in the coming week so I can put a picture up with the recipe, so for now, here are the recipes, some with and some without pictures.....
Grilled Lemon Chicken with Satay Dip
***This recipe comes from the Barefoot Contessa Cookbook - I tripled this recipe and cut it into bite size pieces & it turned out perfect. I make it exactly as the recipe is written. It got rave reviews and tha Satay Dip was inhaled.
Ingredients
3/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (4 lemons)
3/4 cup good olive oil
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme leaves, or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
2 pounds boneless chicken breasts, halved and skin removed
Satay Dip, recipe follows
Directions
Whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, salt, pepper, and thyme. Pour over the chicken breasts in a nonreactive bowl. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for 6 hours or overnight.
Heat a charcoal grill. Grill the chicken breasts for 10 minutes on each side, until just cooked through. Cool slightly and cut diagonally in 1/2-inch-thick slices. Skewer with wooden sticks and serve with Satay Dip.
Satay Dip:
1 tablespoon good olive oil
1 tablespoon dark sesame oil
2/3 cup small-diced red onion (1 small onion)
1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic (2 cloves)
1 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger root
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons good red wine vinegar
1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
1/4 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons dry sherry
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lime juice
Cook the olive oil, sesame oil, red onion, garlic, ginger root, and red pepper flakes in a small, heavy-bottomed pot on medium heat until the onion is transparent, 10 to 15 minutes. Whisk in the vinegar, brown sugar, soy sauce, peanut butter, ketchup, sherry, and lime juice; cook for 1 more minute. Cool and use as a dip for Grilled Lemon Chicken skewers.
My friend Lara sent this link to me...it comes from Cooking Light Magazine, which I am becoming quickly annoyed with, I NEVER get my CL on time here.....it is always ONE MONTH LATE!!! AUGHHHH!!!
Beef and Gorgonzola Toasts with Herb-Garlic Cream
These bad boys are the BOMB!!! They were the first thing gone from the table and I doubled this recipe, making 60 of them! The great thing about this recipe is that you can make everything in advance and then put them together up to an hour ahead of time; trust me, I tested this, if they sit much longer than an hour the bread will get soggy, but something I thought of AFTER the fact was you could put the spinach leave on the BOTTOM, then the herb cream. Note to self not to forget that next time I make them, and I WILL be making them again! Make sure you use the best ingredients you can find for this recipe, it is well worth it!
Yield
30 appetizers (serving size: 1 toast)
Ingredients
1 (1 1/4-pound) beef tenderloin, trimmed
Cooking spray
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
30 (1/4-inch-thick) slices diagonally cut French bread baguette, toasted
10 tablespoon Herb-Garlic Cream
30 baby spinach leaves
5 tablespoons (1 1/4 ounces) crumbled Gorgonzola cheese
Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 475°.
2. Place tenderloin on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake at 475° for 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 425° (do not remove tenderloin from oven); bake an additional 20 minutes or until thermometer registers 145° (medium-rare) to 160° (medium) or until desired degree of doneness. Cover tenderloin with foil; let stand 10 minutes. Cut tenderloin across grain into very thin slices.
3. Spread each baguette slice with 1 teaspoon Herb-Garlic Cream; top each with 1 spinach leaf. Divide beef evenly among bread slices; sprinkle each with 1/2 teaspoon cheese.
Herb-Garlic Cream
The leftover cream can be used as a sandwich spread, on baked potatoes, or with grilled chicken. (I did not double the cream and it was enough for 60)
Yield
1 cup (serving size: 1 teaspoon)
Ingredients
2/3 cup fat-free sour cream
2 tablespoons minced fresh chives
2 tablespoons low-fat mayonnaise
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
1 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 garlic clove, minced
Preparation
1. Combine all ingredients in a small bowl; cover and chill.
OK, that is all I have time for today, come back tomorrow for Hummus, Roasted Eggplant Dip & semi-homemade pita chips!
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