Food For Thought

March 16, 2010

Member Recipe Review: Pain Perdu (Lost Bread)

Filed under: Member recipes, Quick Meal Tips — Tags: , , , — Penny Hawkins @ 7:39 am

There are lots of reasons to love this recipe, but one of my favorite things about it is the name….Pain Perdu or “Lost Bread”. It conjures up visions of romantic, Casablanca/Indiana Jones-esque movies doesn’t it? Seriously… just because of the name, this recipe “had me at hello”!

Besides the great name, I was attracted to this recipe from HHM member MakeRoux because I really love the whole idea of finding ways to reclaim ”lost” or stale bread, especially in these hard economic times. Can I just throw a shout out to the cook who came up with the idea of soaking stale bread in eggs and milk and frying it up? Brilliant! Whoever it was must have lived in times like these when nothing should ever, ever get wasted, and they sure knew what they were doing!

This is another recipe I made with my grandson recently, although he was mainly interested in the process of soaking the bread in the egg/milk mixture as opposed to the actual cooking part (boys….they like the messy stuff don’t they?). Anyway, when the cooking was done, we feasted like kings and Brandon saw that breakfast is so much more than toaster pastries and cereal. He was crazy about this wonderful recipe and even suggested that next time we stuff the bread with “that cheese I like” (translated to mean cream cheese). Could it be that I have a budding chef on my hands? Only time will tell! In the meantime, I plan to make Pain Perdu again and again, and I hope you do too!

February 16, 2010

Retro Recipe- A Blast From the Past!

Filed under: Entertaining — Tags: , , — Penny Hawkins @ 2:02 pm

I thought it would be fun to bring ya’ll a retro recipe today and this one is straight out of 1972. It’s called a “Sock-it-to-me” cake, and those of us of a certain age recognize the name as a reference to Rowan and Martin’s “Laugh In”, a hippie-culture sketch comedy show that was on tv from 1968 to 1973.

The name might be based on a comedy show, but there’s nothing funny about this cake because it’s some seriously yummy eating! Back in 1972 when my mom got this recipe, it was all the rage, and any hostess worth her salt served this for tea parties, brunches, card parties, or even for dessert after dinner. My parents entertained quite a bit, and let me tell you…we ate a lot of Sock-it-to-me cake at our house!

Here’s my mom’s recipe (with a few updates from me). So what do you say? Wanna party like it’s 1972?

Sock-It-To-Me Cake

 For the cake:
1 Duncan Hines Moist Deluxe Butter Recipe Golden Cake Mix
8 oz. sour cream
½ cup vegetable oil
¼ cup sugar
¼ cup water
4 eggs
 
For the filling:
1 cup chopped pecans
½ cup brown sugar
½ cup cinnamon
 
For the glaze:
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
2 tbsp. milk

Preheat oven to 375°. Grease and flour a bundt pan. In a large bowl, combine cake ingredients; pour 2/3 batter into prepared cake pan. Combine filling ingredients in a medium bowl; sprinkle filling over cake batter in pan. Pour remaining batter into pan. Bake at 375° for 45-55 minutes or until pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan for 25 minutes. Remove cake from pan and place on serving plate.

Combine glaze ingredients and drizzle over warm cake.

February 9, 2010

Mix-n-Match Casseroles

Filed under: How To, Quick Meal Tips, leftovers — Tags: , , , , — Penny Hawkins @ 2:40 pm

I’m a huge fan of any kind of casserole, after all, what’s not to like? They’re easy to put together, I usually have the ingredients on-hand in my pantry or fridge, and most of them use only one pot or pan (ok…two if you have to cook pasta or rice). So, unless you or someone in your family is one of those people who hate their food mixed together, or (yikes!) someone who hates the foods on their plate to touch each other, casseroles are just plain easy, delicious, and a busy cooks best friend! (No offense intended to the mixed-food-hating, no-food-on-the-plate touching people, you can’t help how you feel…I just don’t get it)

One of the things I love most about casseroles is that I can make them with whatever I have on-hand in the fridge and pantry, mixing and matching ingredients to build a casserole around my basic ”formula” that I adapted from a recipe I found in my mother’s recipe box. I do this so often, that over the years I’ve come up with a chart of sorts that helps me mix-n-match my ingredients based on what my family likes best.

The following chart gives you an idea of how you can mix-n-match pretty much whatever you have on-hand to create your own fabulous casserole. The rules are simple: make your base, choose 1 item each from the sauce, meat, veggie, and starch choices, combine with base, add anything you want  from the optional add-ins, top with your choice from the toppings selctions, and bake! That’s it…one pot, no hassles, and you don’t even have to cook the rice or pasta first. How easy is that? You can mix-n-match your own fabulous and delicious casserole tonight! Click on this Mix-n-Match Chart to get started (you can print it!).

Note: You can “plan” these casseroles ahead  by cooking extra meat and freezing or refrigerating it for later use. I often do that with ground beef or chicken, by cooking extra portions than freezing it in one lb. or one cup portions so I can grab-n-go!

February 2, 2010

Member Recipe Review: Crockpot Chicken

Filed under: Member recipes, Quick Meal Tips — Tags: , , , , , — Penny Hawkins @ 11:45 am

It’s been a little while since my last comfort food recipe review, and before IMG_0424ya’ll get the idea that somehow my comfort food obsession has passed (as if!), I decided it was time to go in search of another HHM member comfort food recipe to review. So, I clicked over to the recipes tab here at HHM and  began my search with the help of the handy categories links.

The criteria? I wanted a recipe that was a “set it and forget it” one-pot meal, and it absolutely had to include gravy or sauce! Hmmm…I remembered seeing a “Meal of the Day” a week or so ago that had appealed to me, but where was it? Thinking it had been a chicken dish, I clicked on the “chicken” category link, and after a minute of searching, there it was… on page 4…Ashley’s Crockpot Chicken!!!

Besides being easy and delicious, one of my favorite things about this recipe is that it uses ingredients that I already had on hand because they are pantry staples. I was literally able to decide to make this recipe on the spur of the moment, and get it in the crockpot in 10 minutes without going to the store! Now I don’t know about ya’ll, but that’s my favorite kind of recipe! Did I mention it was delicious? Just like Ashley described, it reminded me of everything I love about Thanksgiving dinner!

So if you’re looking for spur-of-the-moment inspiration for dinner this week, give Ashley’s Crockpot Chicken* a try…it’s fantastic! 

*this recipe has been husband-tested, and beancounter hubby gave it a 10 out of a possible 10.

December 29, 2009

Cherries in the Snow

Filed under: Member recipes, Quick Meal Tips, Trying Something New — Tags: , , , — Penny Hawkins @ 8:38 am

cherries-in-the-snow-dessertAfter I did the member feature on Kris (Married to Chocolate) and her great idea for “No-bake Mondays”, I was really motivated to work on some no-bake dessert recipes of my own. Looking for inspiration, I came across a recipe that was my mother’s called “Cherries in the Snow”. What a blast from the past! I had not eaten or thought about this recipe in years, but I remember it was a big favorite of ours, especially during the holiday season.

So, since we are still technically in the holiday season, and many of us  still have snow on the ground, I thought this was the perfect time to bring out this oldie but goodie and share it with you all! Enjoy!

Cherries in the Snow

1  pre-baked loaf-style angel food cake from your local bakery
1 (8 oz) pkg cream cheese
1 cup confectioner’s sugar
1 (12 oz) container frozen non-dairy whipped topping, thawed
1 (21 oz) can cherry pie filling

Combine cream cheese and confectioners’ sugar in small bowl. Beat at medium speed with electric mixer until smooth.

  1. To assemble, stand the angel food cake on its end and slice in half down the length of the loaf (you will have two long slices).
  2. Spread half the whipped topping in bottom of 13×9-inch pan. Arrange 1 cake slice on whipped topping: press lightly; spread with the cream cheese mixture.
  3. Arrange remaining cake slice on cream cheese mixture; press lightly. Spread with remaining whipped topping.
  4. Spoon cherry pie filling evenly over top. (Pan will be filled to the top.) Refrigerate for 2 hours or until ready to serve. Cut into slices.

December 14, 2009

After the Feast

Filed under: Quick Meal Tips, holidays — Tags: , , , — Anne Coleman @ 6:00 am

pitasetc 052While right at the moment we’re all gearing up for, or already in the throes of, preparing for the holidays and our individual holiday feasts, there will come a time, very shortly, when we’ll be too full to think of food at all. Here’s a good in-between-holidays dish. It’s not very heavy, uses few ingredients and doesn’t contain turkey OR ham. Really, some of us just can’t take any more leftover recipes.

Chorizo is a spicy sausage typically found in Hispanic cuisine and can be purchased either cooked – where the consistency is close to pepperoni – or uncooked, like any other sausage. I used uncooked for this one, but I really prefer the cooked sticks of chorizo. Go with what you like. There really is no need for extra spices or herbs, but again, you can season this to your liking.

Chorizo Eggs
Serves 3-4

8 eggs – beaten
1/2 pound ground chorizo
1/4 cup sliced green onion (aka scallions or spring onions)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium heat and brown chorizo. Drain if needed and add eggs, cheese and onion. Stir until eggs are cooked but not dry. Serve with warmed flour tortillas, sour cream and salsa.

September 26, 2009

My Fave Five

Filed under: Community Discussions, Did you know?, Entertaining, Healthy Cooking — Tags: , — TrishB @ 11:56 pm

imagesBook stores are struggling. Walk into my home and you wouldn’t believe that. I am a cookbook addict. They line my bookshelves, are piled high next to my bed, and I once even lost my son as a baby amidst the stacks. I have read them all, but use only a few regularly.

So, if I was stranded on a desert island, which 5 would I choose? The answer is obvious. They’re the ones with splattered food stains, dog eared pages, and shredded book jackets.

What do they have in common (aside from the wear and tear): 1. They are books suited for both the novice and more experienced. 2. All use fresh and seasonal ingredients in their recipes. 3. Their recipes will help make your meals and gatherings tastier, original and most enjoyable.

So here they are, my “SURVIVOR: Kitchen Island 5”…

1. The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook by Ina Garten.

Garten is the real deal. She is self taught with absolutely no formal training. In fact, she was a White House Nuclear Policy Analyst in her “former” life. I have all 6 of her books but this one is essential. Its home is my kitchen. Garten uses simple, fresh ingredients and her recipes are extremely easy to follow. She understands the needs of a novice cook and her recipes reflect that. Her books are also beautiful with breathtaking images. I’m a sucker for a good photo (and a novice photographer). I like to see what the food I make might look like and how to present it. Garten also includes simple entertaining tips that are very stylistic.

These are a few of my tried and true recipes from her book:

Guacamole
Pan Fried Onion Dip
Sun Dried Tomato Dip
Curried Couscous
Outrageous Brownies (outrageous is an understatement!)

2. Bobby Flay – All of his cookbooks – pick one, any one.

Okay, I have to cheat here, I don’t have a favorite, I love them all. Flay is known for bold flavors. His recipes are a staple in my cooking collection. Nobody makes sauces, relishes, and vinaigrettes like he does. Don’t be frightened by such ingredients as Chipotle in Adobe. While the dishes come out perfect as he prescribes you can always elect to use half the suggested amount if you are spice-phobic.

Tried and true recipes from the following Flay cookbooks:

Grilling For Life:

Grilled Tuna Burgers with Green Onion Mayonnaise & Watercress (These are one of the most requested things I make. My friends and family love them)

Mesa Grill Cookbook

Sophie’s Chopped Salad
Grilled Rib-Eye Steaks with Chipotle-Honey Glaze
Sweet Potato & Plantain Puree with Maple Syrup & Cinnamon

Bobby Flay’s Burgers, Fries, and Shakes

California Burger
Toasted Marshmallow Shake (out of this world…but don’t count the calories)
Condiments & Seasonings – you must give all a try like chipotle ketchup
Sweet Potato Fries
Buttermilk Onion Rings

3. Seriously Simple Holidays by Diane Rossen Worthington

I cannot live without this cookbook. (I can’t live without any of her books). It may be a “holiday” book but the recipes can made any day of the week, and anytime of year. “Simple” does not mean boring. Her recipes are cutting edge and absolutely heavenly. She even has a section in her book for the busy cook (ingredients you must have in your pantry), and gives you menu ideas for different holidays. This is a must have book in every kitchen. Easy, delicious, and healthy. She understands that people want things that are simple to make, but are imaginative and delicious. They are truly restaurant quality for the home setting.

Baked Brie with Toasted Almonds and Cranberry Glaze
Winter Chopped Salad
Citrus-Glazed Chicken with Artichoke Hears and Thyme

Seriously Simple: Easy Recipes for Creative Cooks (also by Worthington, and one I really love)

Butternut Squash Soup
Crispy Orange Chicken
Halibut with Balsamic Garlic Glaze
Grilled Lamb Chops with Cilantro-Mint Sauce
Hoisin Honeyed Baby Back Ribs
Lemon-Lime Pound Cake

4. At Blanchard’s Table: A Trip to the Beach Cookbook by Melinda Blanchard and Robert Blanchard

I usually stay away from Restaurant Cookbooks. But not this one. The Blanchard’s gave up the cold winters of Vermont and moved to the island of Anguilla where they opened their restaurant. Belinda Blanchard is self taught. Her recipes are easy to adopt by the home cook and they all taste homemade. They are not the complicated recipes that plague many restaurant books.

Blanchard’s Corn Chowder
Parmesan-Pepper Dressing
Grilled Mahimahi with Mild Red Thai Curry Sauce
White Chocolate and Apricot Bread Pudding with Apricot Sauce

5. The Magnolia Bakery Cookbook by Jennifer Appel and Allysa Torey

I would be remiss if I left out one of my favorite baking books. This is the ultimate in easy baking. Many of my friends are frightened by the concept of baking. If you are like them, then this is the book to get. If you are cupcake obsessed then you’ve definitely heard of the Magnolia Bakery in NYC. Their first location was and still is on Bleeker Street. People line up outside the bakery just to get their homestyle baked goods. I couldn’t believe they had a cookbook and I was hesitant at first wondering if they really would reveal their cupcake recipe. Well, they did. Their stand out recipes turn out perfectly every time. Even the most inexperienced baker will learn to frost a cake! The book may not transform you into a baker but you will certainly bake more than you do now, and without fear.

Tried and True:

Raspberry Crumb Squares (Sinfully rich and absolutely delicious)
Traditional Vanilla Birthday Cake (also the recipe for out of this world cupcakes)
German Chocolate Cake
Cream Cheese Icing

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