Panna cotta: Tasty Elegance, Easy to Make

I’ve written about panna cotta before - it’s one of those simple desserts that can be as basic or as elegant as you care to make it.

No one ever believes me when I tell them how easy this dessert is to make, but it really is. About 10 minutes to combine everything, 4 hours to chill and set up - and probably less than that depending on amount and type of serving vessel. Note that this recipe is for a softer set rather than a mold, and needs to be in a container of some sort.

• 1 cup half-and-half

• 1 packet gelatin

• 1/2 cup sugar

• 3 cups cream

• 1 tsp vanilla

Measure the half-and-half into a cup and sprinkle the gelatin on top to bloom. The gelatin will look wrinkled, takes about 5 minutes.

In a pan on medium low heat, pour the half-and-half and the gelatin in and stir or whisk to break up the gelatin. Cook and stir until gelatin is dissolved, breaking up any gelatin chunks as you stir. Do not boil!

Add the sugar. Cook and stir until sugar is dissolved.

Stir in cream. Add vanilla. Remove from heat.

Pour panna cotta into serving dish or dishes. Cover loosely and refrigerate until set, about 4 hours (less if your serving sizes are small, or your serving dishes are shallow).

NOTES: I usually serve this in a 5-6 ounce portion, with fresh fruit on top. So one recipe should make 6-7 servings. It will be tempting to eat two - it will taste like several categories of regret later, ask me how I know this.

Do NOT try to make this low fat. Just don’t.

Canning jars with lids work great, especially if you are taking dessert somewhere, and allow headspace for the fruit. I have also used parfait or wine glasses (champagne glasses are too narrow). I mean, you can use those Pyrex pudding dishes, but why?

Non-dairy note: you can use non-dairy milk, but you will probably have to use a little more gelatin to get the set…

Instant Pot Risotto, Pretty Much A Success Story

I posted this on Facebook and a few people wanted the recipe...and of course this is a dish that started as an actual recipe from an actual cookbook and then went off-script.

I started with a recipe from Dan Shumski's How To Instant Pot for his "Master Method" risotto:

Whut.

So, you may be thinking just what I was thinking when I read this - this is not risotto. Where's the shallots? Saffron? Cheese? And I was suspicious of the amount of liquid - it seemed short, but it was a pressure cooker so maybe it was OK? He included two variations (mushroom, and lemon and peas), but neither of them were quite what I had in mind...

I pulled out about a pound of small shrimp (from Oceanside Seafood, the seafood truck!) and thawed them using the always-discouraged-but-we-all-do-it-anyway method of covering them in lukewarm water for a bit.

I poured half a cup of sauvignon blanc that was on hand and I didn't really like, and crumbled about $10-worth of saffron into it. OK, just kidding, it was maybe a small pinch of threads.

Then I made 3 1/2 cups of chicken broth (I use Better Than Boullion).

All of that set aside, I sliced up some baby bellas (half a package?), shallot (one small), and spinach (maybe a cup? 2? whatever), and sautéed all of that in the Instant Pot in about 2-3 tablespoons of butter.

Once the shallots and mushrooms were soft and the spinach wilted, I dumped that out on a plate and poured the little bit of liquid into the chicken broth.

Then I followed the recipe for the Master Method:

From Dan Shumski's How To Instant Pot

While that was going down, I sautéed the shrimp on the stove and set that aside.

When the Instant Pot was done, I stirred in the mushrooms, shallots and spinach. Then I added the shrimp and about 1/2 cup shredded asiago.

At this point, any liquid in the risotto was being absorbed pretty quickly so I also added about a 1/4 half-and-half to smooth it all out.

Verdict: It was tasty but the texture wasn't quite right. It was sticky, not creamy, although you could probably add more broth/cream/etc to get it there.

In Which I Test A Kroger Meal Kit

A few days after talking with friends about Blue Apron and meal kits, I walked into the local Kroger and spotted a brand new display of...meal kits. 

Kit to fork in 20 minutes! Starting at $14.

The name is clever - Prep+pared - and there is a website preppared.com. The kits range in price from $14-20, and feed two people. Expensive compared to cooking from scratch, but certainly cheaper than Blue Apron or eating out most places. I thought the packaging was attractive - very organic and recycled looking -  but was mystified by the lack of pictures of the finished product.

I like to cook, but thought why not? And bought the Crispy Pork Chop with Blistered Tomatoes and Creamed Spinach (side note: Blistered Tomatoes will be the name of my band, when I start one). $16.

I unpacked the kit and I have to say if you expect these kits to be a complete meal, well...this one at least is not. It is two breaded pork chops on a bed of creamed spinach with 11 grape tomatoes. Yes, eleven - 5.5 grape tomatoes each, although this kit also promises no chopping, so I'm not sure how that .5 tomato happens. But no salad, no bread, no other starch or veggies. 

All the ingredients, lookin' fresh!

I followed the directions and started by placing the pork chops between plastic wrap and - despite my skepticism - attacking them (OK, maybe that is not exactly what the instructions said, but still) with the skillet to tenderize them and get them to a 1/2 inch thickness. The first one promptly squirted out of the plastic wrap and across the counter, narrowly missing flying onto the floor. But we all recovered our composure, and I got the chops to 1/2 inch thick, mostly.

At this point, Son #2 wanders through and asks me if I am sure I only want to eat half of a pork chop - our 2-person dinner had been altered to a 3-person plan - and I was fine with that. But when they say "feeds two" they really mean it. 

I mixed the bread crumbs with half the parmesan, and pressed the chops into the mixture. You will easily have half the mixture left over, there is enough to another chop or two. Once the oil was hot, I placed the chops in the skillet and set a timer to 5 minutes as instructed.

Meanwhile, in another skillet I blistered the tomatoes on medium high heat. Again, I was skeptical when the recipe told me to then reduce the heat to medium and add a tablespoon of oil. And I was RIGHT. Tomato juice from the blistered tomatoes mixed with the oil being added to the hot pan and the mad spitting, hissing and spattering was noisy enough that husband asked if everything was going OK over there. So - my advice is to remove the skillet from the heat before you add the oil. After that, I added the spinach in batches to wilt it, and then added the pouches of cream.

Meanwhile, back at the pork chops, I flipped them for another 4-5 minutes according to the instructions. Somehow, 5 minutes on each side on medium heat in 1/4 cup of oil was supposed to be sufficient to not only beautifully brown the bread crumb coating but also bring the internal temp to 145 degrees. 

I think I did 5 minutes for one side and closer to 8 on the other. I got the brown, but not the temp, but hey no one is sick yet. But I have to admit, the final product was pretty close to what was shown on the recipe card.

And it was quite tasty. My dining companions gave it a 3.5 stars out of 5. It got downgraded on portion size - neither of them thought it was enough for an entire meal for two. I did make mashed potatoes as a supplement, and not just because we were stretching it for 3 people. They also thought the chops were a little tough.

This kit worked out to be $8 per person, but everything you need is there, no measuring. And I did some quick calculating - if you bought everything separately, you'd spend about $12-14 at Kroger (granted, you would have leftover ingredients to use for something else), so the pricing is certainly not outrageous.

Overall opinion -  a nice option if there are just two of you, eating light, and you are tired, in a hurry, or want your non-cooking partner to take charge of dinner. Check it out.

Panna Cotta: To Go

Panna Cotta, that creamy Italian pudding, has been my go-to dessert lately, and I offered to bring it to a recent dinner gathering. And after I offered, I thought...uh, how do I make it portable? And attractive enough for the dinner table?

Canning jars! While the 4 ounce jelly jars are probably a more appropriate serving size, I wanted some headspace for fruit, and come on - 4 ounce serving? Who does that.

And before you say "OMG who has time to make their own pudding?" let me tell you, this takes about 10 minutes, with a few hours of set-up time in the fridge. And everyone - except your dairy-free friends of course - will rave about this dessert.

Panna Cotta

• 1 cup 1/2 & 1/2 or cream (do not use milk)
• 1 packet unflavored gelatin
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3 cups cream
• 1 tsp vanilla

Pour the cup of 1/2 & 1/2 or cream in a bowl - or, if you are lazy like me, just leave it in the measuring cup - sprinkle gelatin on top, allow to bloom, about 5 minutes. Top will look all crinkly.

In a pan on low heat, stir and dissolve the gelatin. Do not boil. You'll know it's dissolved when few or no bits of gelatin show on your spoon. This should take about 2 minutes.

Add the sugar and stir until dissolved. Add the vanilla and the cream. Stir until everything is blended.

Pour into jars (or dishes if you are not transporting). Chill in fridge for a few hours until set. Top with fruit. This recipe makes enough for 6 servings of about five ounces each. 

A few notes: 1) Some recipes call for a cup of milk instead of 1/2 & 1/2, foolishly looking to lighten the fat and calorie load. My experience has been that using anything with less fat than the 1/2 & 1/2 causes the pudding to separate. And it's yucky. 2) I really like the wide mouth jars here, not only for the cute and transportable feature, but also because there is more surface space for fruit. 3) for those needing more detailed instructions, check this out on The Kitchn. The recipe calls for less liquid and more gelatin (too much, I thought) and explains how to do panna cotta in a mold.

Hungarian Goulash

Every once and a while, the Wall Street Journal has a recipe that doesn't feature the word "artisanal," or require truffles, or some other ingredient that is either A) impossible to find, or B) $500/ounce, or C) both. 

It's rare. But it happened this week, with a recipe for Hungarian Goulash, by Elissa Altman, based on the goulash her grandmother used to make. It's the only goulash Elissa was allowed to eat (read about it here, it's a good article).

Every spring, we buy beef from my nephew. This year, with both boys essentially out of the house, I reduced my order from the usual 1/4 (about 100 lbs of meat) to an 1/8 - which means I had to split a 1/4 with someone, which means you have to play nice. My beef partner wanted roasts, which my family tends not to be real thrilled about, but I was nice and said OK - so I had a blade roast in the freezer with no plan. Until I saw this goulash recipe.

The only thing in this recipe you may not have is the paprika. I admit I did go out and buy tomato puree, since it was the end of the garden season here - but I could have just pureed some canned tomatoes. I didn't have a russet potato, so I used a couple of red. The hardest part was cutting the roast - and you could probably use stew meat if you wanted to.

So here is the recipe, in case the WSJ link doesn't work for you:

• 2 1/2 lbs beef chuck roast, cut into 1 1/2" cubes
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 TBS oil
• 1 large onion, sliced
• 2 1/2 cups beef stock
• 2 medium carrots, cut into 1 1/2" pieces
• 2 stalks of celery, cut into 1 1/2" pieces
• 3 cups tomato passata or puree
• 1/4 cup sweet paprika
• 1 large russet potato, sliced int 1/4" thick rounds

Oven at 300. In a large bowl, toss beef with salt and pepper and let it come to room temp, about 30 minutes.

Heat oil on medium heat in large lidded Dutch oven (I used a Le Creuset braiser, and had to remove about a cup of liquid before placing in the oven). Add the beef and brown on all sides; remove from pan and set aside.

Add onions to the pot and stir, cooking until translucent. Pour in half the stock and scrape pot to loosen all the beef and onion bits.

Add carrots and celery, stir well, the add beef and mix well. Add puree, rest of the stock and the paprika and stir well.

Increase heat to high, bring to a boil and boil 10 minutes. Then reduce heat to a simmer and add the potatoes. Stir well, cover with lid and place in oven.

Cook 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally. Liquid should thicken somewhat. Remove from oven and let sit for 15 minutes. Serve over rice or bread.

The original clipping, complete with sauce splash

Time Saver: I made this for a late weeknight dinner - but I had cut everything up and put in separate ziploc bags in the fridge the day before. I do this for many recipes where the prep is the longest part (jambalaya is another example).

Baking Extravaganza (with something for everyone)

Hosting a work meeting should always mean providing snacks, of course. I took advantage of the opportunity and decided to try a few new recipes. I knew I wanted to do something vegan and using pawpaws (see previous food porn post). And then a cookie that had ALL the good bad things in it.

As I was hauling out my sack of Bob's Red Mill Whole Wheat Pastry flour (and that is some good shit right there. Go get some.), I noticed a recipe for Peanut Butter Honey cookies on the back of the bag.

I have a crazy co-worker who tries to avoid processed sugars. Hmmm.

Finally! A cookie for breakfast. OK, so we all eat all kinds of cookies for breakfast anyway...but these have HONEY in them, so that makes it better. Right?

Peanut Butter Honey Cookies

(credit Bob's Red Mill, and check out a non-dairy version)

• 1 3/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup peanut butter (I used natural smooth PB, but recommend using crunchy for more texture)
• 1 cup honey
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350. Grease cookie sheet or line with parchment.

In one bowl, whisk together flour, soda and salt. In separate bowl, combine peanut butter, honey and butter. Add egg and vanilla, mix well. Add flour mixture to peanut butter mixture and stir until combined.

This will produce a very very soft and sticky batter. Like, you're going to look at it and think "This can't be right." It's OK. It's gonna be FINE.

Using a spoon, scoop the dough onto the parchment, about 1 inch apart. They aren't going to spread much, despite the softness of the batter. I used a fork wiped with a little oil to press into the top of each cookie, to provide the standard "this is a peanut butter cookie" code.

Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on rack. Eat them ALL.

---

Hello vegan friends. I have something for you too, an adaptation of a Thug Kitchen recipe for a delicious muffin!

Don't be afraid of the vegan! These are really some of the best muffins I have ever made.

Thug Kitchen has a very excellent recipe for Peanut Butter Banana Nut muffins in their first cookbook (new book, Party Grub, is just out). Scared of Substitutions In Baking? This one is easy.

Almond Butter Pawpaw Craisin Muffins

(thanks Thug Kitchen!)

• 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
• 1 TBS baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup almond butter (or any nut butter, although I didn't think PB would be good with the pawpaw)
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 3/4 cup plain almond milk (or any non-dairy milk)
• 1 1/2 cups mashed pawpaw
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2-1 cup craisins (or any dried fruit - or nuts for that matter)

Heat oven to 375 and prepare 12-muffin tin either by greasing or using muffin papers.

In a large bowl, mix the flour, baking powder and salt. In a separate bowl, mix the almond butter and brown sugar until well-blended. Stir in milk, pawpaw and vanilla, mix well.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir until just combined. This is a job for a spoon or spatula, not the mixer. Add craisins and fold in.

Plop the batter into the muffin cups - they should be almost filled. Bake 18-20 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center of one comes out clean.

Using spoon or spatula, scrap any remaining batter from the bowl and eat. After cooling about 15 minutes, eat a muffin. Or two.

---

Like your baked goods with sugar and fat and all of that?

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

(credit to "Michele" who posted this recipe at allrecipes.com)

• 1/2 cup shortening
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 cup peanut butter
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour (yes, you could sub the whole wheat pastry flour for the whole flour shebang!)
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 cup oatmeal 
• 1/2-1 cup chocolate chips

Heat oven to 350.

In a bowl, mix flour, baking soda and salt. In a separate large bowl, cream the shortening, butter, sugars and peanut butter until well-blended. Add eggs one at a time and mix. Add flour mixture and mix. Stir in oatmeal until evenly distributed, then fold in chocolate chips.

Drop by spoonful onto cookie sheet and bake about 10 minutes or until just golden brown at the edges. Don't overbake!

Makes about 3 dozen cookies, minus whatever you ate in dough.

Pawpaw. Fruit with Pudding Inside. Yes.

What the hell is a pawpaw? Or Paw Paw, or paw paw or paw-paw; aka a custard apple and <insert name of your state here> banana, the nicknames abound. One of our oldest native fruits, pawpaws grow on shrubby trees throughout parts of the Midwest and Appalachia. Mine came from a friend who has several pawpaw trees on her property down the road.

As you can see from the photo above, they are a somewhat unattractive fruit, on the outside anyway. But split them in half and oh boy.

Ugly on the outside but lovely on the inside...like so many things.

The photo here doesn't do justice to what these things really look like - hey, iPhone shot, what can I say - but pawpaw innards are creamy in color and texture. It's like pudding

FRUIT WITH PUDDING INSIDE, PEOPLE. It's for real.

The taste of pawpaw is usually described as mango and banana, a description I would agree with although there was a definite cantaloupe aroma and flavor in these (which may be just the variety - there are apparently several kinds - and my friend did not know what type she had).

I picked out the large, dark brown seeds to save for a possible jewelry project later - they are quite beautiful - and scooped out the the fruit. I found a pudding recipe (as in a more British definition of "pudding" - baked in a dish with milk, eggs, sugar and flour) and...wow. Very yummy, and very unique, and perhaps a perfect dish to impress company.

Shown here with a stingy (because, ART) dollop of commercial whipped cream, but this would be super with a dollop of coconut whipped cream from my previous vegan post.

Kentucky seems to be the center of the pawpaw recipe universe, if you have a source for pawpaws and want to try something new. Ohio's Pawpaw Growers Association has a handy document on freezing the pulp and other useful information. The Michigan pawpaw season is at an end right now, so if you have missed it, make yourself an reminder for next fall. You won't be sorry!

Bonus material: An amusing commentary about pawpaw pudding between my brother and I on Facebook:

Do You Know the BLUEBERRY Muffin Man?

Do you know the muffin man? The muffin man, the muffin man. Do you know the muffin man, who lives on Drury Lane.

I picked blueberries today and that song was chirping through my head as I achieved that inner harmony that comes with quiet mindless tasks on sunny breezy days outside (as opposed to quiet mindless tasks inside, like cleaning bathrooms)...and I was thinking about the delicious Thug Kitchen recipe for PB-Banana Chocolate Chip muffins, because why not? I was all inner-harmonized, and not cleaning a bathroom. And I was wondering how to adapt that to blueberries...because peanut butter and blueberries didn't sound like a good combination (in my head anyway). Hmmm.

But fear not! Thug Kitchen has a recipe for Shredded Carrot and Apple Muffins (p. 198 of the Thug Kitchen Cookbook). And one of my mottos is Do Not Be Afraid Of The Recipe, followed by Change Is Good. So, here we go.

Vegan Blueberry Muffins

(with a fuckton of credit to, as they would say, and adapted from, Thug Kitchen)

• 2 1/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour
• 1/2 cup sugar (less if using flavored almond milk)
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/4 cups almond milk or other non-dairy milk
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional, especially if you use vanilla flavored milk)
• about 1 1/2 cups blueberries

Heat oven to 375, grease muffin tin (12 regular size muffins) or line with muffin papers.

Mix dry ingredients in medium bowl. In smaller bowl, whisk milk, oil and lemon juice together. Add wet stuff to the dry stuff and mix by hand until just combined. Add blueberries and fold them in.

Scoop batter into muffin cups. Fill 'em right up! Bake for 15-20 minutes  - the usual toothpick test applies here (poke toothpick in center of muffin, if it comes out clean, they're done).

BONUS DISCOVERY: Vegan muffin batter. All of the goodness, none of the OMG RAW EGGS. Yeah, lick that spatula.

But does it taste good? Oh yeah.

Exploring My Vegan Side (and who knew I even had one?)

I have to confess that I seldom use "vegan" and "tasty" in the same sentence. I could sport one of those bumper stickers "PETA - People for the Eating of Tasty Animals," no problem. I truly do think God put molluscs, crustaceans, various fishes, cows and pigs, on the planet for me to eat. And chickens. An occasional amphibian.

I think I was the only person in the movie theater watching Babe and agreeing with the cat justifying Babe's future as bacon with the line "Pigs have no purpose."

But I don't discriminate. Much. And I certainly don't eat meat for every meal, but I'm not careful about it. If a veggie pasta seems like it could be improved with half a pound of shrimp thrown in, I'll do that. Because why wouldn't you. But I do have friends and coworkers with some vegan-leaning food preferences, and I am always looking for at least some small ways to accommodate that. 

A friend suggested I check out Thug Kitchen. Their motto is "Eat like you give a f*ck," a motto I totally support, vegan or not, and if you are offended by straight talk and colorful language, don't click that link. Don't order the book. And you probably shouldn't read this blog either. Just sayin'.

I made this Coconut Cornmeal Cake with Coconut "whipped cream" for a coworker's birthday. Wow. Luckily I made extra whipped cream, because we were all just globbing it on, it was so delicious...

Their instructions are hilarious, profane and spot on. On prepping a cake pan: "...If you are still consumed with fear, cut a round out of parchment paper the same size as the pan and stick that to the bottom to be extra fucking sure your cake will come out in one piece." On roasting your own red peppers: "Stop buying roasted red bell peppers in a jar like an asshole. Just light your money on fire if you don't give a fuck."

Recipes are interspersed with information from how to equip your own thug kitchen ("Weapons of Choice," "Pantry Shit") to various "Dropping Knowledge" (knife skills [with pictures showing the difference between diced, cubed, minced], what the fuck does organic mean?) and "Basic Shit" (how to make veggie broth, how to cut a mango ["mangoes can be confusing as fuck to cut..."]) pages...this is the best cookbook I've ever purchased, right up there with Paul Prudomme's Louisiana Kitchen, Peter Reinhart's Artisan Breads Everyday, and Emeril's Creole Christmas, and those books are not half as entertaining  - or filled with truly useful, simple basics - as this one.

So, trust the Food Porn Lady - go buy this fucking book. Make the Coconut Milk "Whipped Cream" - you will never go back to that dairy shit ever again.

Chickpeas and Dumplings. "Prepare for a fucking food coma" they say...oh, yeah. It was so good!

Jambalaya: Lenten Edition

Tired of the Friday Fish Fry? Of course you are. The Food Porn lady is here to save you. The previous post for Shrimp Tacos is certainly an option, and here we have Shrimp Jambalaya...and both can be made with that $10 (or less) frozen sack o'shrimp from the grocery store.

The following recipe was adapted from one in Paul Prudomme's Louisiana Kitchen, and is a half recipe - but still enough to feed 4.

Seasoning Mix

• 1 bay leaf
• 1/4 tsp cayenne red pepper
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp white pepper
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme leaves
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/8 tsp rubbed sage

Mix all of the above in a small dish.

• 1 TBS butter
• 1 frozen sack o' shrimp (thawed, peeled)
• 1/2 cup chopped onions
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper (or red, or yellow, or orange, or whatever)
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 eight ounce can tomato sauce
• 1/2 fourteen ounce can of diced tomatoes (if you like tomatoes, toss them all in)
• 1 1/4 cup vegetable stock or broth
• 3/4 cup uncooked converted rice

In an oven-proof 3 qt frying pan* on medium-medium high heat, melt the butter and saute the shrimp for a few minutes. Add the onions, celery, pepper and garlic and the seasoning mix. Cook for about 5 minutes or so, but do not over cook. You want the veggies crunchy and the shrimp moist.

Add the sauce and the tomatoes, mix well and cook for another few minutes, just enough to heat everything up. Add the stock and the rice and mix well. Put the whole pan, uncovered, into the oven preheated to 350 F. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until rice is cooked and not crunchy.

*If you don't have oven-proof cookware, just use a regular frying pan. Before adding the broth and rice, dump the shrimp and veggies into a 3 qt casserole or baking dish. Add the broth and rice and stir. Bake uncovered as directed.

And on the 7th Day, I made Shrimp Tacos. And they were good.

Wow. And so easy too. Inspired by a favorite author, Kevin Hearne (Iron Druid Chronicles is a great series) on his Writer's Grove blog (check out his blog, and for more fun with tacos, go to the Holy Taco Church). I couldn't find the dressing he used, and I had about 18 raw shrimp to use. So, this is what I did. Generally. Serves two (about 4-5 tacos).

About 18 medium peeled shrimp, olive oil, chili powder, salt, pepper, garlic powder, lime juice, cilantro, bag of coleslaw mix, small flour tortillas.

Marinade: 1 TBS olive oil; 1/2 tsp each chili powder, salt, garlic powder, pepper; 1 tsp chopped fresh cilantro; 2 TBS lime juice

Mix the marinade, toss with the shrimp and set aside.

About 1/2 of a bag of pre-packaged coleslaw

1/2-1/3 cup ranch dressing

2-4 TBS line juice

2 TBS chopped fresh cilantro

Mix the dressing, lime juice and cilantro. Taste it and adjust amounts to your preference. Add coleslaw.

Heat small frying pan on medium heat. Add shrimp and marinade, cook until shrimp are just pink. 

Place about 3 shrimp on a small flour tortilla. Add chopped fresh cilantro. Add the coleslaw mixture. Enjoy!

Chocolate Birthday Cake For The Boss

No, not Bruce Springsteen. MY boss at the Huron River Watershed Council. The office tradition there is that you bring a treat for the co-worker whose birthday is after yours. My February birthday was followed by the Executive Director's June birthday. I asked her what she wanted. "Well, fruit is always good," she said...and I'm thinking, "Fruit? Really? No."...but then she thankfully followed up with "But I really like chocolate too." Whew.

I wanted a really good, dark chocolate Bundt cake, and I actually made a Practice Cake using a recipe from Southern Living. (My family loves it when I make Practice Cakes. And Mistake Cakes. And Mistake Cookies.). They gave this cake an "A" and it was very good - chocolately, moist, and very very sweet. Too sweet, I thought, plus, like so many southern recipes, the ingredients kind of scared me - 16 ounces of chocolate syrup AND a cup of buttermilk AND a cup of butter AND 8 ounces of semi-sweet chocolate. Yikes. So I found a second recipe, and this is the cake I brought to work, to rave reviews.

Double Chocolate Chip Cake with Chocolate Ganache 

Original recipe

CAKE

1 cup cocoa

6 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped in small pieces (I used 2 oz unsweetened, 4 oz semi sweet)

3/4 cup boiling water

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

10 TBS butter

2 cups brown sugar

1 TBS vanilla

5 eggs

1 1/2 cups sour cream

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Heat oven to 350. Lightly grease and flour bundt pan.

In large pyrex bowl (note: you will be adding the sour cream to this mixture, so make sure you have room for that), combine cocoa and bittersweet chocolate. Pour boiling water over chocolate and stir until melted and combined.

In medium bowl, combine flour, salt and baking soda. Set aside.

In large bowl, cream butter and sugar and vanilla. Add eggs and mix well.

Fold sour cream into the chocolate mixture and gently stir until combined. Add to butter mixture.

Add flour mixture to butter and chocolate mixture. Blend well and add chocolate chips.

Pour into prepared pan. Bake 50-60 minutes or until toothpick inserted into cake comes out clean. Cool slightly on rack and remove from pan to finish cooling.

GANACHE

9 oz semi-sweet chocolate

1 cup heavy cream

Place chocolate in medium bowl or 2 cup Pyrex measuring cup. In small pan heat cream on medium heat until boiling. Pour cream over chocolate and stir until smooth. Cool before drizzling over cake (good on ice cream too).

Shepherd's Pie for Dummies (plus bonus "Mexican" version)

The teenager can eat half a Shepherd's Pie in one sitting. So when he expressed a desire to expand his cooking repertoire beyond frozen pizza and grilled cheese, I immediately thought of a "starter version" of Shepherd's Pie...the "for Dummies" part refers to the simplicity and convenience of the recipe, and in no way indicates my opinion of my kid. Usually.

I think this is a good recipe for kids (or adults!) to get an idea for this particular casserole format. You can use pretty much any combination of veggies and meat (or no meat), liquid, and mashed potato topping. 

Shepherd's Pie for Dummies

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 bag frozen mixed veggies (16 oz)
• 1 packet brown gravy mix, made according to directions
• Potato Buds

Cook ground beef in large skillet until browned; drain liquid. Add frozen veggies, mix. Turn off heat. Add gravy, mix well. Pour into 8x8 baking dish or deep dish pie plate.

Make the "6-7 serving" amount of Potato Buds. Spread over top of ground beef and veggie mixture.

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

NOTE: Leftover stew is a great base for Shepherd's Pie, as is sloppy joe, pulled pork, etc.

Bonus Recipe!

A little more complex, but a nice change of pace on regular shepherd's pie, is this recipe for Mexican Shepherd's Pie.

Mexican Shepherd's Pie (from allrecipes.com)

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 1 small package frozen corn
• 1 packet taco seasoning mix
• 3/4 cup hot water
• 2 packages corn muffin mix (8.5 oz each)

• Options: this is another recipe where you could just use the frozen mixed veggies. I have also eliminated the tomatoes (for kid who picks them out) and used beans instead (reg veggie baked beans or black beans).

Oven at 400, spray 9x13 baking dish. In large skillet on medium heat, cook beef and onion until beef is browned. Drain liquid. Add tomatoes. Mix well and cook 5 minutes, the add taco seasoning and water. Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer until thickened. Add corn and mix well. Transfer to baking dish.

Make corn muffin mix according to directions and spread evenly over meat mixture. Bake for about 20 minutes or until top is puffed up and golden brown.

Thou Shalt Not Covet Thy Neighbor's Rhubarb

But I do. It's beautiful. 

At least he knows what it is now. Unlike last year, when I...uh...kinda stole rhubarb for strawberry rhubarb custard pie, this year I asked if I could have some. Rather urgently too, as I watched his sister waving a weed-whacker around the yard, clearly in that dangerous phase of a yard work novice. 

I made the menfolk the custard pie, and still had some frozen strawberries from last year and some of the neighbor's rhubarb....and the internet is a wonderful thing for recipes. 

Take your Lipitor before consuming, though.

Strawberry Rhubarb Coffee Cake

A glimpse of the yummy filling, although I have to admit, the cake is just more proof that butter is for good, and not evil.

Delicious Filling

• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup cornstarch
• 2 cups chopped rhubarb
• 10 oz frozen strawberries, thawed
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice

Delicious Cake

• 3 cups flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 cup cold butter
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Delicious Crumb Topping*

• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/4 cup butter

* I actually used leftover crumb topping from the pie, which had flour, brown sugar and oatmeal in it.

Preheat oven to 350. Spray 9x13 baking dish

(I used a tube pan, stupidly forgetting that the idea is to invert it - which doesn't work too well with a crumb topping. But it did all work out in the end)

Combine sugar and cornstarch in medium saucepan; stir in rhubarb and strawberries and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cook until thickened. Remove from heat, stir in lemon juice, and let cool.

In large bowl, combine 3 cups flour, 1 cup sugar, baking powder, and baking soda. Cut in butter until  you get crumbs. In separate bowl, beat the eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla. Stir egg mixture into flour until just moistened. Batter will be very thick and lumpy!

Spoon about two-thirds of the batter into pan, then spread on the filling (I had more than I needed). Cover with remaining batter - you might not get fill coverage but don't worry about that.

In a small bowl, combine 3/4 cup sugar and 1/2 cup flour, and cut in butter until  you have crumbs, then sprinkle crumb topping over the batter.

Bake until topping is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

The recipe, in its original form.

Hot Dog Bun Bread Pudding With Bonus Recipes!

Two bits of necessary background:

Bit #1: We went out to dinner last week with friends during Ann Arbor's restaurant week, and one of the dessert options was bread pudding. And it reminded me of years ago, when my brother and I had a tradition of making desserts whenever we got together - and we made a chocolate chip bread pudding, only to find out that we were the only ones in the family who liked bread pudding.

Bit #2: When the kids were small, I was making spaghetti or something similar for supper and realized I had no garlic bread, and nothing to make garlic bread with...except leftover hot dog buns. Thus was born a family tradition of Hot Dog Bun Garlic Bread. Husband and kids still LOVE this and specifically request it. Son #2 is actually disappointed if I make garlic bread using actual Italian bread or a baguette. Personally, I think it is too sweet, but clearly I lack garlic bread expertise.

So, as a result of Bit #1, I had a craving for bread pudding. And like Bit #2, I had no appropriate bread but I did have a sack of hot dog buns in the freezer. So here is the recipe, and you need to know that I had this bread pudding for breakfast AND dessert today...so. damn. yummy.

Chocolate Chip Bread Pudding

• 4 eggs
• 2 cups half-and-half
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 TBS vanilla
• 5 cups bread cubes
• (in this case, about 4 hot dog buns and 4 leftover Pillsbury crescent rolls that had been in the fridge for days)
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips (maybe a little more. Let's just call it "to taste" shall we?)

Mix eggs, half-and-half, sugar and vanilla in large bowl. Add bread cubes and mix well. Let sit for 5 minutes, then add chocolate chips. Spray 8x8 baking dish and transfer mixture to dish.

Line roasting pan with old kitchen towel and add warm water until towel is covered. Place baking dish in pan. Water should be 1/3 to 1/2 up sides of dish.

Bake at 350 for about 45 minutes or until pudding is set. Best served warm and with whipped cream!

And we have Bonus Materials! Read on.

Hot Dog Bun Garlic Bread

Split buns and spread butter or margarine on each piece. Sprinkle with garlic powder and garlic salt. Bake at 350 for...5-10 minutes?

Hot Dog Bun Veggie Casserole

• 2 cups hot dog buns, cubed
• 1/4 butter, melted
• 1 cup onion, sliced
• 2 cups zucchini, sliced
• 1 cup broccoli, chopped
• 1 tsp garlic salt
• 1 egg, beaten
• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

In large bowl, mix bread cubes and butter. Add veggies, garlic salt, egg and mix well. Add 1 cup of cheese and mix. Transfer to sprayed 9x13 baking dish and top with remaining cheese. Cover and bake at 350 for 30 minutes, uncover and bake another 30 minutes.

Thanksgiving Edition

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! In this edition of Rebecca's Food Porn, I am posting a few of our favorite dishes of the day. We do the usual turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, and corn, but sub the StoveTop stuffing with a rice dressing. And sweet potato casserole - the single greatest way to ruin the nutritional value of the sweet potato - has become a requirement.

Spicy and sweet pot of deliciousness.

Rice, Apple and Craisin Dressing

This is adapted from the Rice, Apple and Raisin Dressing recipe in Paul Prudomme's Louisiana Kitchen, a classic cookbook that should be on your shelf if it isn't already. And because I can't leave recipes alone, I made changes, including - the horror! - reducing the fat. Seriously, if you use  the amount of oil and butter called for in the original recipe, the dressing is just greasy. IMHO, and no offense to Chef Prudomme. I also added wild rice and celery, eliminated the pecans (household preference), and used craisins instead of raisins. Spices can be adjusted to taste (and, apparently everything else, judging by all the changes I made!). Here is my version:

• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp white pepper
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp dry mustard
• 1/2 tsp cayenne red pepper
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/8 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 1 cup chopped green pepper
• 1/2-3/4 cup craisins
• 2 TBS butter
• 1 cup converted rice
• 1/2 cup wild rice
• 3 cups stock or bouillon (I use chicken)
• 2 cups chopped unpeeled apples

Combine seasoning mix in small dish and set aside. Place wild rice in small bowl of water to soak.

In large pot, heat oil on med high heat. Add onions, celery and green pepper and saute 2-3 minutes. Add craisins and butter. Stir until butter is melted then cook and stir for about 4-5 minutes. You should see craisins plump up. Add rices and seasoning mix. Cook and stir about 5 minutes, then add stock and apples. bring to boil, then cover and lower heat to simmer 5-10 minutes. Turn off heat and let sit for 30 minutes to absorb liquid. (You can re-heat and simmer another 5 minutes if wild rice is still tough, or if liquid has not been absorbed.)

At this point, I usually sit down with a bowl of the stuff and shovel it in. It is so good.

Use as a side or to stuff chicken, turkey, yourself....

Sweet Potato Casserole

Funny how our kids tastes change over time. Both my kids loved baby food sweet potatoes, and what's not to like? The real thing? Well, not so much. And then my Aunt introduced them to this dish, and again, what's not to like about beautiful sweet potatoes amped up with sugar and butter? And marshmallows! I know you'll be shocked that I reduced the butter and sugar in this recipe. It's still at horrifying levels, and mmm, mmm, good.

• 3 cups mashed sweet potatoes (do not use canned!!)
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/4 milk
• 3 TBS flour
• 1/4 orange juice
• 3/4 cup butter
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• Mini marshmallows for topping (about a cup?)

In large bowl, combine all ingredients except marshmallows. Mix well. Pour into greased casserole dish. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Top with marshmallows and bake another 10 minutes.

Beef Burgundy

While I'm on the subject of stews, I'll subject you to one of my favorites: Beef Burgundy, aka Boeuf Bourguignon. Yeah, the Julia Child staple. This is a really easy version! You'll have to wait for the photo though...

1 lb stew meat
4-5 strips of bacon
3 TBS flour
salt and pepper to taste
2 cups beef broth
1 cup red wine (not sweet)
4 onions, sliced
1 cup baby carrots
1 bay leaf
Pinch of thyme
8 oz mushrooms sliced
2 TBS butter

In large pot, fry the bacon til crisp, remove from pot.

Toss stew meat with flour, salt and pepper. Sear meat in bacon grease. Add onions and saute. Add remaining ingredients, except the butter and mushrooms. Crumble bacon and add back to pot.

Bring to boil, then reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 2 hours.

Saute mushrooms in butter, and add to stew just prior to serving. Serve stew over noodles or rice.

Ox Tail Stew

Cow Tail Stew, really, but that doesn't have the same ring to it, does it? We get a quarter side of beef every spring from my nephew, and this year's Pile O'Meat included a tail (everyone in my Beef Co-Op ends up with "parts" - heart, tongue, liver - most of which never gets used). It was even labeled "Ox Tail."

There are lots of recipes out there for this stew, with varying levels of complexity and ingredients. I whittled the choices down to one that looked fairly straightforward at Simply Recipes (http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/oxtail_stew/).

Don't let the "Simple" part of the title deceive you. This was a lot of work for a stew, IMO, and made me wonder how different it was going to be from, say, Beef Burgundy, which you can brew up in a couple of hours.

Well, there were two main differences: the meat, and the grease.

Tails, in case you were wondering, are very muscle-y and fatty animal parts. So, after searing the tail chunks, they need to simmer for 3 hours or so, and even then they are not going to be falling-off-the-bone tender. But my main complaint is the fat. Even after running the broth through a separator, this dish tips just over the edge from richness to greasiness. An overnight in the fridge may solve some of this issue, when I will be able to remove additional fat from the top. I hope.

Here is the recipe I used, with my adjustments:

One "ox" tail, chunked
2 TBS olive oil
Salt and pepper 
1/2 cup onion chopped
One celery stalk chopped
1/2 carrots chopped
3 whole cloves garlic
2 cups shiraz
2 cups beef broth
One bay leaf
Pinch thyme

2 TBS olive oil
Salt and pepper
2 cups purple potatoes, chopped (hey, it's what I had!)
One cup baby carrots
Three leeks, chopped
1/2 onion chopped
1/2 cup corn (no parsnips at Busch's today, needed another starch to offset the grease)

3 TBS flour

Sprinkle salt and pepper on the tail chunks and in dutch oven or large pot, sear in olive oil. Remove from pot and set aside. Saute chopped onion, carrots and celery in pot. Add garlic, bay leaf, thyme, broth and wine. Add tail chunks. Bring to boil, lower heat, cover and simmer 3-4 hours.

Heat oven to 350. In baking dish, mix potatoes, carrots, leeks, onion and corn with olive oil and salt and pepper. Roast veggies 45 minutes or so. Remove and set aside.

Remove tails from broth, set aside. Run broth through strainer to remove veggie chunks. Run broth through fat separator. Mix 3 TBS flour with broth and return to pot.  Add roasted veggies. I chose to remove meat from bones before returning to the pot.

Simmer until broth has thickened and flavors combined, about 30-40 minutes.

Blueberry Zucchini Bread

Excessive zucchini getting you down? Kids won't eat stuff with "green bits" showing? Here's a twist on the usual zucchini bread, and it's so good, you'll never go back. Trust me, I'm the Food Porn Lady.

As with most recipes, there are lots of alternatives. The recipe below is how I make it, with alternatives suggested with an *.

....into a bunch of these!

Blueberry Zucchini Bread

Bread

• 3 eggs
• 1/2 cup canola oil*
• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce*
• 1 cup sugar **
• 1 cup Splenda **
• 2-2 1/2 cups zucchini, peeled and grated
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 cups all-purpose flour***
• 1 cup whole wheat flour***
• 1-2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 2 cups blueberries
• * can substitute 1 cup of oil for oil and applesauce
• ** can substitute 2 cups sugar for sugar and Splenda
• *** can substitute 3 cups all purpose flour for the flour and whole wheat flour

Crumb Topping

• 1/4 butter
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/2 cup oatmeal
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon

In small bowl, mix crumb topping ingredients to make crumbs. Set aside.

In larger bowl, beat eggs. Add oil/applesauce and sugar/Splenda, combine well. Stir in zucchini and vanilla. Add dry ingredients and combine. Fold in blueberries.

Divide batter between two 4x8 loaf pans (spray with cooking spray). Divide crumb topping between the two loaves. Bake at 325 for 60-70 minutes or until toothpick to center comes out clean. Cool on rack for 20 minutes, run knife along edges and turn out onto rack to finish cooling (this can be messy with the crumb topping, so I take a paper towel to catch the loaf as I am turning it upside-down).

This freezes very well! I just hauled out the last of the 2011 loaves for my book club and it was great. So great, in fact, that we just tore it apart with our fingers when we discovered we forgot to bring a knife on the boat that evening!

Food Porn: Beach Edition

I don't cook at the beach. Much. Maybe fry up a breakfast, throw together a cheese plate, but that's about it. Our annual Beach Week is all about someone else providing the food, whether it is Five Guys (burgers and fries) or Tastykake (Mid-Atlantic high-end version of Twinkies). A photo essay follows, but I admit I missed many potential entries - or entrees, ha! - because I just didn't think to take a photo before consumption.

The photo to the right is a platter of Maryland Blue Crab. If you go to a crabhouse, these will come in a bucket or on a tray, to your table that is covered in butcher paper. Somewhere there will be a bin with wooden mallets and rolls of paper towels. If you don't have cuts on your fingers and Old Bay under your nails, you didn't do it right.

Our own small sampler , mostly because we couldn't remember if we liked the Midas or not. That 120 Minute IPA to the right? Whoa. 15-18% ABV. And it's still called beer!

Dogfish Head Brewery has been an annual pilgrimage for a few years now. The food is OK, the beer is fantastic. We left with two cases - one of the 90 Minute IPA, one of my faves, and a mixed case that included Midas Touch, made with ingredients found in 2,700-year-old drinking vessels from the tomb of King Midas. Yeah, they are BEER NERDS here.

www.dogfish.com

Peanut Butter Kandy Kakes, Swiss Rolls and Chocolate Kandy Kakes and a big glass of milk. MMM, mmm good!

And now, a word from our sponsor...Tastykake. You don't know what that is, do you? And I am sad for you. Because Hostess and Little Debbies are distant last place finishers in this category. To the right is a small sampling of what the Tasty Baking Company (no, not kidding, that is really the name) has to offer. Not shown, but completely delicious: Butterscotch Krimpets, Coconut Juniors, Chocolate Creamies, Cream Filled Cupcakes, Tasty Klair Pie...geez, just go to

www.tastykake.com

Need to fuel your beach day? Creamed Chipped Beef surrounded by egg and slathered in more Creamed Chipped Beef. 

The General's House of Chipped Beef. Why not? Top-of-the-line, artery-clogging goodness comes in the form of a Creamed Chipped Beef Omelet, which I feel compelled to order every year, even though I know I will need 364 days of Lipitor to clear it all out for another round. Just kidding about the Lipitor. Although I have no idea why I DON'T need it after this omelet.

Mussels in a Thai miso broth with bok choy and wonton crunchy things. Fabulous.

We checked out a new place, for us, in Fenwick Island DE called Just Hooked. Their slogan is Farm-Ocean-Table, and they emphasize using local producers for their dishes. Sounded like our kind of place, plus they had steamed mussels, another of my beach meal requirements. Wow. The mussels were amazing. Calamari was tender and spicy and so good that both boys were snagging bits of squid as if it wasn't some weird parental food. 

http://justhookedfi.com/

You can get $1 off a refill if you reuse your Fisher's tub. No such deal from Candy Kitchen, which in addition to the pretzels, excels at salt-water taffy and fudge at exorbitant prices.

What did I forget? Oh yeah! More junk food! Our beach trip would not be complete without at least one, and more likely two, trips to Candy Kitchen. This year we also added a trip to Fisher's Popcorn for a tub of caramel corn. I don't get the obsession with Fisher's - it's good but that little tub was six bucks! Of course, the chocolate-covered pretzels from Candy Kitchen tap out at about $17/lb, so it's probably best just to shrug, close your eyes and hand over the credit card. It's beach week, after all.