Craving the Ultimate Burger

  We were craving burgers. Well more like a "Frisco" burger, when we realised we didn't have any thousand island dressing or tomatoes. Neither of us wanting to hop in the car and make a special trip to the grocer in 6:00 traffic we used what we had on hand. So the ever inventive Michael came up with this one. I will say it was not just a burger as burgers go and I ate every delicious bite (mind you I am only 5'2'' tall and about 115 lbs soaking wet and Michael will tell you I can eat more in one meal than he-so-not true). I usually prefer a swiss and mushroom burger, the beef usually just seasoned with some season salt on a bun. Now I crave this style burger on the Texas Toast as opposed to a regular old burger on a hamburger bun. Still waiting to try our own "Frisco" burger though. So I'll have to post that one when I can persuade Michael to make it.

Inside the burger shallot, oregano, rosemary and basil.

Mix into ground chuck with salt and pepper.

Form into two Giant patties.

For toppings; swiss cheese, bacon, romaine, vidalia onion and wasabi mayo.

Ingredients

1 lb. ground chuck

2 Tablespoons shallot, minced

1 Tablespoon each basil,oregano and rosemary chopped (or your choice of fresh herbs)

1 teaspoon cracked black pepper

2 teaspoons kosher salt

Mix well and grill to your preference of doneness.

Grill 4 slices of Texas Toast or thick sourdough bread. Slather with wasabi mayonnaise.

Top with swiss cheese, bacon, romaine and vidalia onion slices.

Wasabi Mayonnaise

3 Tablespoons mayonnaise

1 teaspoon wasabi powder

Wasabi powder and wasabi paste (in tubes like tomato paste) can be found in most grocery stores these days.

Makes 2 very large servings.

Michael and Carla

We are Creatures of Habit - Winter Split Pea Soup

  In my quest to make my standard winter fare (I or we, have made split pea soup almost every winter since I can't remember when-even when we were in Florida and the temperature would dip to a blustery 56 degrees, ha ha ha.), I was searching for a different recipe than the standard back of the bag recipe. I happened across this recipe for Andersen's Famous Split Pea Soup . I then found their website here: Andersen's Pea Soup Restaurant ,opened in 1924. Yes folks, that is 86 years. Read on to find out more about the history of this well known restaurant.

  The recipe was very similar to what I normally make. It is just put together a bit differently. The vegetables are added last, not during the long simmer. Simple ingredients for a very satisfying soup.

Sort and Soak

Simple ingredients

Simmer chicken stock, peas and ham. Skimming top frequently.

Saute and add the vegetables

Voila!

I decided to par cook the veggies by giving them a quick saute to get them started, as I was afraid they would be too crispy - crunchy just putting them into the soup raw. I added ham hocks to this recipe as I have never had split pea soup with out them. I also had a bit of leftover ham from Christmas in the freezer and threw that in as well. (Mom cooked it so she got to keep the bone. She used it for Navy Bean and Ham Soup, a favorite of hers.) Topped with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese and some croutons for me and for Michael just a side of buttered bread for dipping, it was warming and fulfilling on a cold rainy day.

Ingredients:


2 cups cold water
4 cups of chicken (or vegetable) stock
1 pound dried split peas (about 2-1/4 cups) picked over and rinsed as sometimes there are tiny rocks in with the peas
1 large stalk of celery, diced
1 Bay leaf
1 medium onion, chopped
1 tablespoon of sea salt, or to taste
3/8 teaspoon black pepper or to taste
3/4 teaspoon dried thyme or a few sprigs of fresh thyme
1 medium carrot, diced
3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
2 tablespoons fresh minced parsley or 2 teaspoons dried parsley
Dash of cayenne pepper or a few red pepper flakes


Instructions:

Heat water, stock and peas to boiling in a large soup pot and boil for 2 minutes
Remove from heat and let stand for about 1 hour and cover. Let sit for 1 hour.
Stir in onion, celery, bay leaf, pepper and thyme and again heat to boiling; then reduce heat
Cover and simmer until peas are tender (about 40 minutes), and stir occasionally
Stir diced carrots into soup and and heat to boiling; then reduce heat and be careful NOT to burn the soup
Cover again and simmer until carrots are tender and your soup is at th desired consistency (about 30 minutes)
Stir in the cayenne pepper, garlic powder and parsley near the end of the cooking process and correct seasonings to your taste

To reheat the pea soup, thin with a little chicken (or vegetable) stock to desired consistency and ...Enjoy Again!
Michael and Carla

Tyler Florence's ... Chicken and Dumplings

Warm, comforting and the most perfect Chicken and Dumplings courtesy of Tyler Florence at Food Network.

Place chicken and all stock ingredients into a large Dutch oven and cover with water. Set over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 1 hour until the chicken is tender. Skimming the surface of fat and scum as it cooks. When done remove the chicken to a cutting board and let cool. Strain the stock and reserve for the sauce. Shred the chicken into big pieces and set aside.

Preparing the sauce; in Dutch oven, over medium heat, add the butter and oil. Add the carrot, celery, garlic and bay leaves and saute until the vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in the flour to make a roux. Continue to stir and cook 2 minutes to coat the veggies with the flour and remove the starchy taste.

Slowly pour the chicken stock, 1 cup at a time, stirring well after each addition. Add frozen peas and pearl onions. Let sauce simmer until it is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 15 minutes. Stir in the heavy cream.

Fold the reserved shredded chicken into the sauce and bring up to a simmer. At this point prepare batter for the dumplings.

Using 2 spoons, carefully drop heaping tablespoonfuls of the dumpling batter into the hot mixture.  Let the dumplings poach for 10 to 15 minutes until they are firm and puffy. Remove and discard the bay leaves. Season to taste with freshly cracked black pepper and garnish with chopped chives before serving.

Ingredients

Chicken and Stock:

1 (3 to 31/2 pound) whole organic chicken
2 bay leaves
6 sprigs thyme
4 to 5 black peppercorns
1 head garlic, split through the equator
2 tablespoons salt


Buttermilk-Chive Dumplings:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1/4 cup chopped chives
3/4 to 1 cup buttermilk


Sauce:

2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons oil
2 carrots, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 bay leaves
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
6 cups chicken stock
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup frozen pearl onions
1/4 cup heavy cream
Freshly ground black pepper, for garnish
Chopped chives, for garnish


Directions
For the stock:

Place the chicken and all stock ingredients in a large Dutch oven and cover with water. Set over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 1 hour until the chicken is tender. Skim the surface of fat and scum as it cooks.
When done remove the chicken to a cutting board. Strain the stock and shred the meat into big pieces - the stock will be used for the sauce and the chicken will be folded into it.

For the dumplings:
Sift the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. In a small bowl, using a whisk, lightly beat the eggs, chives and buttermilk together; pour the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients and gently fold. Mix just until the dough comes together; the batter should be thick and cake-like.

To prepare sauce:
In a Dutch oven, over medium heat, add the butter and oil. Add the carrot, celery, garlic, and bay leaves and saute until the vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in the flour to make a roux. Continue to stir and cook for 2 minutes to coat the flour and remove the starchy taste. Slowly pour in the chicken stock, 1 cup at a time, stirring well after each addition. Add frozen peas and pearl onions.
Let sauce simmer until it is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 15 minutes. Stir in heavy cream.

Fold the reserved shredded chicken into the sauce and bring up to a simmer. Using 2 spoons, carefully drop heaping tablespoonfuls of the dumpling batter into the hot mixture. The dumplings should cover the top of the sauce, but should not be touching or crowded. Let the dumplings poach for 10 to 15 minutes until they are firm and puffy. Remove and discard the bay leaves. Season with freshly cracked black pepper and garnish with chopped chives before serving.

Notes:
I did not have any pearl onions on hand and decided to just saute some yellow onion with veggies instead. It worked just fine in pinch. I do love pearl onions and will use them the next time I prepare this dish.
I also did not have any fresh chives, so I just chopped the tops off a few small green onions.


  We both fell in love with this recipe. It is a simple, down home (grandma's) type of recipe. Unpretentious and not over powered by grand amounts of herbs and spices. You really can enjoy the flavor of each ingredient.  My mother also tried this recipe and said it was just okay and she really wasn't impressed. She says she likes her recipe better, although she has yet to divulge that one to me. Nor do I remember it from my youth. She wil let me taste it though next time and hopefully relinquish the recipe she uses.

Give this a try yourself and let us know what you think. We think it's a keeper. It was just as simple to make completely from scratch as it is using the stock in a box and bisquick method and tastes like homemade with love. It is a perfect winter comfort food, though I would make this any time of the year.
Michael and Carla

Quick and Tasty...Steak Tips with Peppered Mushroom Gravy

  I found this recipe in the current issue of Cooking Light Magazine .

  Steak Tips with Peppered Mushroom Gravy. It was under the Super Fast/Easy 20 Minute Entrees featuring Comfort Foods.  It really was quick, easy and comforting. Tasty too.

Assemble ingredients and put on large pot of water to boil for noodles.

While noodles cook, heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add steak; sauté 5 minutes, browning on all sides. Remove from pan; cover.

Melt butter in pan over medium-high heat. Add shallots and mushrooms; sauté 4 minutes. Add garlic; sauté 30 seconds. Stir in soy sauce. Sprinkle flour over mushroom mixture; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly.

Gradually add broth, stirring constantly. Add pepper, salt, and thyme sprigs. Bring to a boil; cook 2 minutes or until thickened. Return beef to pan; cook 1 minute or until thoroughly heated. Discard thyme sprigs. Garnish with thyme leaves, if desired.

Ingredients

2 cups uncooked egg noodles

Cooking spray

1 pound top sirloin steak, cut into 3/4-inch pieces

1 tablespoon butter

2 tablespoons finely chopped shallots

1 (8-ounce) package presliced baby bella mushrooms

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups fat-free, less-sodium beef broth

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 fresh thyme sprigs

1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves (optional)

Serve over hot cooked egg noodles. Serves 4.

 

Only note: Our thyme has given way to the freeze so I was forced to use the bottle.

 

 

Michael and Carla

100 Year Old Spaghetti and Meatballs..

  Okay, okay. They're not a hundred years old here. The recipe is claimed to be 100 years old. See it here: Grandma Maronis Meatballs Courtesy of Food Network; which was one of the episodes of Throwdown with Bobby Flay.  Well, all in all they were meatballs, great texture but sort of bland.  They needed a little more seasoning.  Next time I will add more seasoning.  Or maybe I'll try one of Giada's recipes for meatballs.

  Nooo... I am not a FN addict.  Just don't ask Michael or my Mom.  I'm sure they will tell you some made up story of how I can't leave the house on Saturday mornings until I've seen the "new" programming.  HA!

     

  However, here I must add that I am so glad that Chef Jose Garces won The Next Iron Chef.   I have been following him for years and felt all along he was the best choice.  Even though Iron Chef is not on my list of must watch shows.  Giada is though!  I am an Italian food addict.

  Anyhow.  This is the recipe for the meatballs.  Very minimal seasonings, however they do have a great texture or mouth feel if you will.   At least I had the presence of mind to use a well seasoned  Marinara Sauce that I had made from scratch and simmered while making the meatballs.  That one I'll save for another post.

Grandma Maronis Meatballs

Recipe Courtesy Mike Maroni

Ingredients

1 pound ground chuck
4 ounces dried bread crumbs
4 large eggs
4 ounces whole milk
6 ounces grated Romano
3 ounces grated Spanish onion
2 ounces finely diced fresh garlic
2 ounces finely chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
2 ounces finely chopped fresh basil leaves

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a baking sheet with olive oil cooking spray.
Mix all ingredients thoroughly in large bowl. If mixture seems a little loose add more bread crumbs.
Roll meatballs loosely about the size of a golf ball and place on baking sheet. Place into preheated oven for approximately 35 to 40 minutes.

I will use this recipe as a base but will have to figure out what other spice ratio to add to pep it up a bit.  Until I found this recipe my meatballs used to be too dense.

Michael and Carla

Michael's Sexy Stuffed Pork Chops

 Yes.  I said Sexy.  These have to be the BEST Stuffed Chops I have ever had in my life!  They have an almost aphrodisiacal quality to them.  Absolutely melt in your mouth delicious, savor every bite good.  And believe it or not Mike found them here on  Food Network Courtesy of Family Circle Magazine of all places.  Guess they should know about sexy aphrodisiacal things since the magazine is devoted to those who have families. 

  Well anyway if you want the amounts for the ingredients just follow the link.  Mike did cut the recipe in half for just the two of us.  He also incorporated 1/8 of a pound of chopped linguica, a form of Portuguese cured pork sausage seasoned with onions, garlic, and paprika, and substituted prosciutto for the capocollo.  He also tied them as opposed to trying to close those monsters with toothpicks as the recipe suggests.

Assemle your ingredients

 

Saute your garlic in a little oil then add the spinach, salt, pepper, Italian seasonings and cook, stirring just until wilted.  Remove to a bowl and let cool completely.

When cool, add the  prosciutto, linguica, provolone and egg; gently stirring to combine.

Cut a slit (yes it says that) horizontally to the bone so chop can be opened like a book.

Stuff each chop with half of the stuffing.

Secure.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet.  Add chops; cooking for 2 minutes per side or until browned.  Sprinkle with more salt and pepper.  Bake in the oven for 15 minutes or until the internal temperature registers 155 degrees on an instant read thermometer.  Remove chops to a platter and cover with foil.  Let stand 5 to 10 minutes before serving.  This is a good time to finish your side dishes.  Michael chose to make Asiago Pasta and fresh broccoli. 

This would be a perfect Valentines Day Candlelight dinner.  Or anytime you would like to impress your better half.  Try them soon and you'll agree.

Michael and Carla

2010 with 2009's Last Dessert

  Hello again everyone.  I thought for my first blog in 2010, I would use the last thing that I baked in 2009.  I am not much of a sweets baker nor much of a sweets eater.  For Christmas Dinner my Mother cooked a most fabulous ham and I offered my Scalloped Potatoes and also to make the dessert.  (My Dad has the sweet tooth in our family.) So in my search for something different I came across a very old cookbook from Better Homes and Gardens "Treasury of Baking Recipes" circa 1978, yes 31 years old.  Well in it I found this recipe for Chocolate-Peanut Butter Cake.  As Rachel Ray would say "YUMMO"! 

Ingredients for Cake
1/2 cup butter
1/3 cup peanut butter
3 1oz. squares of unsweetened chocolate
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 2/3 cups milk

Combine butter and peanut butter; cream or beat together with the sugar.  Blend vanilla, three 1oz squares of unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled, in with the eggs.  Add egg mixture to sugar mixture and beat at medium speed till light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Scrape bowl frequently.  Thoroughly stir together flour, baking powder and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with the milk, beating at low speed after each addition.  Turn batter into greased and lightly floured 13x9x2-inch baking pan.  Bake at 350 degree oven for 30 to 35 minutes or till cake tests done.  Allow to cool thoroughly while making the frosting.

Ingredients for Frosting
2 1/2 cups sifted powdered sugar
1/4 cup peanut butter
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup milk

Cream together 1 1/4 cups of powdered sugar, peanut butter, butter and vanilla.  When creamed together and light and fluffy; add 1 1/4 cups additional powdered sugar alternatelywith the milk.  If necessary, blend in a little additional milkby tespoons to make speading consistency. 
When cake is completely cooled frost with Peanut Butter Frosting.

Ingredients for Chocolate Glaze
1/4 cup semisweet chocolate pieces
1 teaspoon butter

Heat toghether the semisweet chocolate and the butter.  Drizzle over Peanut Butter Frosting.  Cut unto bars or diamonds.  Makes 12 to 14 servings.

I must add that the recipe called for chunky peanut butter and I preferred to use creamy.  I also upped the amount in the frosting from the 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup for more peanutty goodness.  And I must also tell you that this cake is VERY sweet, we had to cut our slices in half to eat.  Therefore having many more servings than we originally thought.  Enjoy.

Mike and Carla