A vegetarian Asian dish that won’t disappoint…Hot & Sour Eggplant

Asian food has always been a favorite of mine, and now I have been exploring the culinary delight in my own kitchen…I am obsessed!! Here is my first Asian post…Enjoy!

Hot & Sour Eggplant

Ingredients

½ cup + 1T soy sauce

¼ cup + 2T rice vinegar

¼ cup +1T brown sugar

1/2-1 t red pepper flakes

1 ½ T cornstarch

1 T sesame oil

7-8 Japanese eggplant

3+ T vegetable oil

2 cloves garlic

4 scallions- whites thinly sliced and greens sliced to ½ inch

Directions:

1. Slice eggplant into ½ inch rounds and place in a large bowl. Sprinkle the eggplant with 1 tablespoon of salt, cover with water and soak for 30 minutes. Drain the water and dry the eggplant on a clean kitchen towel to remove excess water.
2. Combine the soy sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, pepper flakes, cornstarch and sesame oil in a bowl and set aside.
3. With the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium high heat, sauté the scallion whites. After around 1 minute add the garlic.
4. After another minute, add the eggplant to the garlic & onion and sauté for 10 minutes or until tender. Add a splash of oil as needed.
5. Give the sauce a mix and add it to the eggplant. Gently stir until it thickens.
6. Remove from heat and mix in the scallion greens.
7. Serve over rice and enjoy with a smile!!

 Alternatives, ideas and suggestions:

• What the heck is a Japanese eggplant?!!? Well, it is a long, slender, beautiful version of its Italian relative. The eggplant is around 9 inches long and 1-2 inches in diameter.
• Soaking the eggplant is done to extract the bitterness within the eggplant, and it also prevents it from drinking up way too much oil creating a mushy mess...no one wants that!
• I absolutely love Japanese eggplant versus the Italian eggplant. It is sweeter, more tender and wonderfully delicious!!
• You can most definitely adjust the mount of red pepper flakes in this recipe!! Some like it hot and some prefer no heat at all…it’s your dish play with it!!
• If you don't have rice vinegar, you can use red wine vinegar in its place.
•  I love this over brown rice, but it is equally enjoyable over white rice.
• This is a totally awesome vegetarian dish as is, but feel free to add any veggies like celery, pea pods, edamame, button mushrooms or whatever your palate craves.

Now get out there and play with your Asian cuisine!!

Our anniversary dinner at The Back Eddy

Charles and I have been married for 3 years on October 4 and to celebrate, Charles, my father and I went to The Back Eddy which is where we got married. Our wedding was, of course, the best party I have ever been to!!! The monsoons ended, the clouds in the sky parted and the sun shone through just for our special day. Not only was the wedding perfect, the food was OUT OF THIS WORLD!!

Ingredients used to make up the fabulous meals at The Back Eddy are as fresh as fresh can be and they are as local as possible. Actually Aaron, the executive chef, gets a lot of his ingredients from his family’s farm. Sal is the owner, and every year he travels to different parts of the world to get inspired by the foods he finds and this translates amazingly well onto his menu.

Today I am going to tell you about the appetizers we had…and yes their appetizers are good enough to make up one blog!!! My next post on The Back Eddy will be about the meals.

We started out with some fabulously tasty oysters…Mmmmmm, so fresh!! The delicate flavor of the oysters is only enhanced by the oyster liquor that is surrounding it in the shell. Although they are oceany fresh on their own, the shallot relish gave the oysters a great little bite. I could have had a dozen all to myself…but I resisted…ha!

Our second appetizer was an order of deviled eggs. Hey…don’t turn your head like that because these aren’t your ordinary run-of-the-mill deviled eggs, oh no they aren’t! Now deviled eggs were never up there on my list of favorite foods, but a friend of ours insisted we give them a try and I am forever grateful. The eggs are called “Deviled Eggs from Hell,” and they are served with an “inner beauty drizzle” (a delicate sriracha sauce,) tuna tartar, aged soy and wasabi tobiko. This sounds crazy I know, but the eggs are so perfectly cooked with insanely smooth and velvety yolks. The individual flavors and textures flow gently on your palate...one by one...aaahhhhh! I want more right now!! If they weren’t an hour away I’d totally go get some…they are THAT good!!

Now you must go and check out The Back Eddy and trust them to play with your food...you won’t regret it!!!

www.thebackeddy.com

The Back Eddy

1 Bridge Road

Westport, MA 02790

508-636-6500

Today I have a recipe for Fresh Basil Pesto Pasta…

Well it’s been a while since my last post, and I sure have missed writing about my culinary thoughts. It's good to be back!

Fresh Basil Pesto Pasta

Pesto is extremely versatile, delicious and incredibly simple. This is the perfect example of a recipe where less is more...enjoy.

Ingredients

2 cups fresh basil…only fresh will do my friends!!

1/4 cup walnuts

1 clove garlic

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp fresh cracked black pepper

Juice from 1/4 lemon

1/2 - 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup parmesan cheese

2T reserved pasta water
12 ounces spaghetti
1 cup cherry tomatoes

1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives

1 cup fresh mozzarella pearls (mini fresh mozzarella balls)…(pearls sound so much prettier, no?)
2 grilled chicken breasts, or grilled shrimp, or grilled salmon...or whatever makes you smile!

Directions:

1. In a blender or Cuisinart chop the garlic. Next add the basil, walnuts, 1/4 cup of the olive oil, lemon juice, salt & pepper... blend. You may have to stop the blender a few times to push the basil down with the end of your wooden spoon. Do not attempt to push the basil down while the blender is running...After all, this is not a recipe for Fresh Basil Wood-Chip Pesto Pasta.
2. With the blender still running, slowly drizzle in the other 1/4 cup olive oil, adding more if needed.
3. Pour the pesto into a bowl and stir in the parmesan cheese...Whammo, you have a deliciously fresh sauce for your pasta.*
4. Place the pesto in the bottom of the serving dish and whisk in 2 tablespoons of the reserved hot pasta water to loosen it a bit. If needed, add more hot water a little at a time until the sauce is smooth enough to coat the pasta.
5. Place the hot pasta over the sauce and toss to coat each awaiting strand of spaghetti.  
6. Add the tomatoes, olives & mozzarella cheese and gently toss together allowing these goodies to mingle with the pesto pasta. The mozzarella cheese will begin to melt with the heat of the pasta...such cheesy goodness!!!!!!
7. Top with the grilled chicken.

 Pesto sauce should not be exposed to direct heat because of the amount of cheese that is in it…the sauce will get bitter and chewy in texture…blech!!! How does it get hot you ask? The heat from the reserved water along with the heat of the pasta will warm the pesto perfectly.

*If you aren't planning to use the pesto sauce immediately, it can be refrigerated at this point up to 5 days or frozen for up to 6 months.

Alternatives, ideas and suggestions:

• Looking for a creamier sauce? Add around 1/4 cup ricotta cheese. This will raise your sauce to the next level. 
• Pesto isn’t just for pasta!!! Line a small bowl with saran wrap and add enough pesto to cover 1/2 inch of the bottom of the bowl. Fill the bowl almost to the top with softened cream cheese, cover with saran wrap and put in the fridge. When the cream cheese has set, remove the saran wrap and flip the bowl upside down onto a serving plate. Remove the saran wrap and you have a wonderfully glorious dip. 
• Pesto makes a great sandwich spread, especially on a panini with prosciutto, provolone cheese & thinly sliced pear…Ab Fab!  (ie: absolutely fabulous…ha!) 
• Traditionally this recipe calls for pine nuts instead of walnuts, but because I am still bruised from the economic punch I use walnuts. I recently read a recipe that called for sunflower seeds instead of nuts…it sounds delightful and I will definitely give this a try…SOON!
• Pesto is one of my favorite sauces for PIZZA!!! Talk about taking a dish to the next level, I just can’t get enough of this amazingly delicious pizza. Tasty accompaniments are sundried tomatoes, fresh tomatoes, fresh mozzarella cheese and parmesan cheese…YUM
• Looking for something to zazz up your pork tenderloin? Why not pesto?!!? It also works well on pasta salad, bruschetta and steak too.
• If you’re watching your waistline, you can use pesto in potato salad instead of mayo!! To loosen the sauce, add about 1/4 cup rice vinegar until you reach the desired consistency. Toss with yellow and red bell peppers for a beautiful and healthy side dish.
• Try pouring the pesto on a tomato and mozzarella salad with a slow drizzle of a good quality balsamic vinegar…jazzy…

·         I could go on and on with ideas, but I have to stop somewhere!!

        Now get out there and play with your pesto!!

Lookin’ for an absolutely fabulous soup recipe?

I made this soup on the day of a blizzard…simply perfect!

Butternut Squash Soup

Ingredients
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 medium onion diced 
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 Empire (or something similar) apple peeled, cored and cubed
• 4 cups of butternut squash
• 3 cups vegetable stock
• salt and ground black pepper to taste
• ¼ tsp nutmeg
• ¼ tsp cumin
• ¼ - ½ cup heavy cream

Directions
1. Roast squash by cutting it in half. Drizzle each cut side with olive oil and sprinkle with salt & pepper. Place cut side down on a foil-lined pan and roast at 350* for around ½ hour. (Until a fork can easily pierce the squash.)
2. After the squash has cooled a bit, remove the skin and cube the squash.
3. Heat the olive oil and butter in a large pot over medium heat.
4. Add the onion and sauté until tender.
5. Add the apple and garlic and sauté until tender. (around 8 minutes)
6. Add squash and sauté for around 5 more minutes.
7. Pour in vegetable stock, and season with salt, pepper, nutmeg and cumin. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until the squash can be easily mashed with a fork.
8. In a blender, food processor or with an immersion blender, puree the soup mixture until smooth.
9. Return the soup to the pot (unless using an immersion blender) and stir in the heavy cream.
10. Serve warm and ENJOY!!

Wait!! Don’t throw out those seeds...why not roast them!?! It is quick and easy way to create a healthy and delicious snack.

Ingredients
• Butternut squash seeds
• olive oil
• salt to taste

Directions
1. Rinse seeds with water and remove any pieces of squash that may try to tag along, pat dry.
2. Preheat the oven to 275* and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil.
3.Drizzle the olive oil over the seeds just to coat and sprinkle with salt.
4.Spread out in an even layer on the prepared baking sheet.
5.Bake for around 15 minutes, or until seeds start to pop.
6. Enjoy!!!

Alternatives, ideas and suggestions:
• Wondering how many butternut squash will offer 4 cups of “meat?” Generally 1 medium squash will be just fine. What if there is only a large squash at the market? Take it…more soup for you!! If the squash are on the smaller side, you can use 2, no problem.
• I like the addition of cumin in this soup because is adds depth and smokiness, and it enhances the earthiness of the butternut squash. If you are unsure of the flavor of cumin, please feel free to eliminate it from your soup!
• What’s with the apple in the soup? Well, it is there to add a touch of sweetness. Also, the pectin from the apple will help thicken the soup. Cool, huh? It is not necessary, but I just love the extra layer of flavor is offers!!
• Are you curious how the cumin will taste, but don’t want it to “ruin” you soup? Use a bit less that what I used...if you like it you can always add more.
• Is your nutmeg supply out of stock? Cinnamon will do you just fine. Personally, I prefer nutmeg because it is peppery and warm and is a great addition to this recipe. If you don’t have either one, I suggest you go to the market. Because this soup is so delicate, there is a necessary level of flavor that needs present and the spices are just the right thing. To me, nutmeg and cumin are the perfect combination!!!
• Chicken stock can be substituted for the vegetable stock. I don’t think I’d use beef stock because is tends to have a strong flavor that may interfere with the delicate taste of the butternut squash.
• I used ¼ cup of heavy cream to cut down on the fat content and it was just wonderful. If you want to splurge a bit, go for the ½ cup of cream...it’s definitely worth it!
• When blending the ingredients in a blender or food processor, please do it in small batches because no one wants hot soup to go flying all over the kitchen, even worse, YOU!! I have an immersion blender that I just love! I can’t remember when or where I bought it, but I am soo glad I have it. It looks like a wand and it has a small blade at the bottom of it. The blade goes right into the pot with the ingredients in it and whirls away...before you know it the ingredients are as smooth as can be!! Incredible, easy and neat!!!!! There is no transferring it to the blender, to a bowl and back into the pot only to reheat it again…no thank you! Speedy, efficiently and easy is the way I like to roll!
• As far as the seeds go, why would anyone throw them out now?!!? They are super delicious and nutritious and I highly recommend roasting them. Squash and pumpkin seeds are a great source of iron and protein.
• Sweeten the deal by using a cinnamon and sugar mix on the seeds instead of salt, or maybe add a pinch of cayenne for spice…MmmmMMMMmmm!
• The seeds can be eaten alone, or you can throw them in your salad, in oatmeal, on chicken or fish, in your granola mixes, in your rice for added crunch…let your inner foodie go wild!!

Now go play Squash...I mean go play with your squash!!

What's unique in my pecan pie?…Honey!!!

This is the best pecan pie I think I have ever made, and I have made a lot of pecan pies.

Generally a pecan pie calls for corn syrup, but I choose to make this pie with raw honey instead. Why did I choose raw honey as my substitute? Because I have started a small love affair with raw honey this summer while working at the farmer’s market, and I am trying to sneak it into as many recipes as possible! Raw honey is delicately sweet and luscious and has a uniquely velvety texture.

When using honey, it is important to me to use raw, local honey for a couple of reasons. Using local honey supports the local farmers which is super important. Raw honey means the honey in the jar is as close to the honey in the hive as you can get. This process varies from bee-keeper to bee-keeper, but generally it is removed from the hive and simply strained, or spun, to remove any natural impurities that may be in the honey. Generic honey purchased in the supermarket is usually processed with heat, is clarified, and may have unwanted things added to it creating a less tasty and less nutritious product. Have a taste test with store-bought, processed honey vs. raw honey and you won’t believe the difference in texture and flavor!! There is nothing like a spoonful of creamy, delicate, fresh honey!!

Honey Pecan Pie

Ingredients
• 1 cup honey
• 3 eggs, beaten (in a large bowl)
• 3 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• ¼ tsp. ground nutmeg
• 1 9-inch pie crust (I like the deep dish, it make me very happy!!)

Directions
1. In a saucepan over medium heat, bring the honey to a gentle boil then remove from heat
2. With a ladle, carefully whisk a ladleful of the honey into the beaten eggs. Continue gently whisking the eggs while adding one ladleful of the honey at a time until the honey and eggs are combined.
3. Add the butter and stir until it is melted
4. Add the vanilla, nuts, and nutmeg and combine
5. Pour into the pie shell.
6. Bake at 325 for 25 minutes or until set

Alternatives, ideas and suggestions:
• Adding the honey to the eggs slowly and carefully is called tempering. It is important to perform this process or you will have scrambled eggs instead of a well blended product.
• I know I have told you this before, but before you make this pie, I think it is important to toast the pecans before baking with them. Actually any time you are using almonds, pecans or hazelnuts, toasting them is a wonderful thing to do because it really intensifies the natural flavor of the nuts. It also gives them a more palatable crunch. Bake them at 325 for 10-20 minutes depending on the nut. After around 5-10 minutes, give them a toss in the pan for even toasting.
• If you don’t want to use honey, feel free to use fresh maple syrup…is it super delicious and isn’t nearly as sweet as you’d think it is. Again, you must use real maple syrup and not the cheap kind. Why? Because the cheap kind is actually corn syrup with artificial maple flavoring!! Blech, no thank you!! Go for the good stuff, it is totally worth it!
• Want to sweeten the pot a little? Add ½ cup of chocolate chips in with the pecans…the angels will sing when your knife goes in for the first cut of pie.
• Feel free to top the pie with pecan halves before baking. This will make a nice presentation.
• Over time, raw honey will crystallize but don’t panic, it is OK and is a natural thing. The crystals are safe to consume as they are or you can gently warm your honey to dissolve the crystals. To warm the honey, submerge the honey jar in warm water no higher than 110 degrees. Heating the honey too high will diminish its nutritional value.

Did you know…
…Raw honey has antibacterial properties that help treat infections and heal wounds?
…Raw honey can hasten the healing process by encouraging circulation?
…Raw honey has an anti-inflammatory property that may reduce pain?
…Raw honey contains polyphenols which act as antioxidants?
…Raw honey contains vitamins and minerals and offers a trace amount of amino acids and proteins?

Now go play with your food!!

Lookin' for a tasty snack? How about Pumpkin Muffins!

I am always on the hunt for a good pumpkin muffin recipe and I have finally found “The One!” (Of course I played with the recipe it to make it extra tasty!) The ingredients list looks long, but please don't let that fool you. This recipe is very easy and quick.

The pumpkin flavor really shines in this recipe while letting the spices gently emerge. I love the addition of bright red, dried cranberries because they add a slightly chewy texture, and the pecans add a sweet, delicate crunch. Textures and colors in my food always make me happy...well, usually. Ha!

Pumpkin Muffins

Ingredients
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 cup canned pumpkin
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup wheat flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1/2 cup pecans
Streusel Topping
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 Tbs flour
• 1 Tbsp butter cut into small pieces
Combine the brown sugar, cinnamon and flour. Add the butter and blend together with your fingers…go ahead…get dirty!

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 350*. Line your muffin pans with the paper liners.
2. Combine the flours, baking soda, baking powder, spices and salt and set aside.
3. Mix together the sugars, vegetable oil, eggs and vanilla.
4. Add the pumpkin and milk to the sugar mixture and mix well; then add the flour and stir to combine.
5. Fold in the dried cranberries and pecans.
6. Scoop the batter into 12 regular size muffins.
7. Generously sprinkle the streusel topping onto each muffin.
8. Bake for around 15 minutes or until a toothpick is inserted and comes out clean.


Alternatives, ideas and suggestions…
• If you have non-stick muffin pans, paper liners will do you fine. If you don’t, I recommend you spray your muffin pan with a non-stick pan spray and also use paper liners…you can’t be to careful!!
• Feel free to mix up the mix-ins...i.e. pecans & cranberries.
• If you don’t have pecans, walnuts can be added instead.
• Rather use frozen or fresh cranberries? Go for it! Just give them a rough chop.
• If you don’t want dried cranberries in your muffins, try substituting them with raisins.
• Don’t want cranberries or raisins in your muffins? You could add a 1/4 cup of pecans to the 1/2 cup that is called for in the recipe.
• Why do I choose to use pecans instead of walnuts? Pecans are a bit sweeter and crunchier, and I just love them.
• Remember, toasting the pecans first gives them a more refined flavor.
• Don’t want dried cranberries, raisins,walnuts or pecans in your muffins? How about adding 3/4 cup chocolate chips?
• Mini chocolate chips work really well because they lend a nice texture in the muffin, but I’d only use 1/2 cup…pumpkin should be the main flavor here.
• If you’re a purest, just leave out the mix-ins an go for the straight-up pumpkin.

Use your imagination and go play with your food!!

Do you like curry as much as I do?

It's recipe time and here's one that will knock your socks off...Thai Coconut Curry!! It's super tasty and very easy to make, but there's one thing...it involves tofu. Don't panic! I know it is foreign to a lot of people; and I want to take that fear of cooking it (and eating it!!!) away from you because it is very easy to work with and is loaded with protein. The texture of tofu is a bit...shall we say...different... but after you cook it, it gets more palatable. It is an acquired texture, and once it's in the mix, it is delicious. The flavor is very light and takes on the taste of whatever you season it with. Tofu can be marinated the same way you would marinate a steak, pork or chicken, and after it is marinated, you can grill it, sauté it, fry it, or broil it.

If you’ve never tried tofu before, just give it a chance…it is healthy and funky, and you control the flavors! If you’d rather not use tofu, you can use any protein you'd like in this recipe.

Thai Coconut Curry

Ingredients
1 tablespoon canola oil 
2 tsp sesame oil
2 (12 ounce) package extra-firm tofu  
1 tablespoon butter
1 medium sweet, yellow onion
4 cloves garlic, minced
2-3 celery stalks, sliced
1 (13 ounce) can coconut milk
1T 2t curry powder
2 tsp cumin
2T soy sauce
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 cup dry roasted, unsalted peanuts

1. Wrap the extra-firm tofu in a couple of paper towels and press the water out. Be gentle when pressing because the tofu is delicate when it is right out of the package. This is important because we are going to be frying the tofu and you know what happens when water is added to hot oil…booms and splashes = burns and messes. No bueno!
2. After most of the water has been pressed out, cut the tofu into cubes.
3. Heat the oils together in a very large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the tofu cubes and fry until golden on all sides. (This takes about 15 minutes.) Remove from skillet and set aside.
4. Melt butter in the same skillet over medium-low heat. Add the onion and garlic and sauté until tender.
5. Add the celery to the garlic and onion.
6. Combine the coconut milk, curry powder, cumin, soy sauce, red pepper flakes, peanuts and add to the skillet.
7. Return the tofu to the skillet. Simmer over low heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. 
8. Remove from heat and stir in cilantro.
8. Serve over rice.

Alternatives, ideas and suggestions…
• Don’t have cilantro? Don’t like cilantro? Don't use cilantro! Think of another herb that may have a similar flavor or will brighten a dish like cilantro will…how about basil...oooh, or mint!
• I like the onion to be seen in this recipe. To do this, cut the onion in half and then cut each half into quarters. They add a nice delicate crunch when cut this way.
• Feel free to use 3-4 green onions instead of the sweet yellow onion.
• If you’d rather, you can use olive oil instead of butter to sauté the onions and garlic.
• When substituting another protein in this recipe, go by weight to figure out how much to use. This recipe calls for 24 ounces of tofu, so you could use 1 1/2 pounds of the protein of your choice.
• Coconut milk is available in a light variety and is an excellent substitute for the regular coconut milk which is very high in saturated fat. I always use the light coconut milk.
 • Whenever we have this dish, I serve it over Jasmine rice, but I think it would be super delicious over brown rice too!!!
 • If you don’t like spicy food, eliminate the red pepper flakes. This is one of those things that you can alter in the recipe according to your likes. I’d hate to see anyone turn this recipe away because they don’t like spicy foods!
 • Peanuts are also optional, but I just L.O.V.E. the added crunch and flavor they offer!!
• Add any veggies that float your boat! Try adding sugar snap peas, baby corn, broccoli,carrots etc.

Why do I offer these alternatives, ideas and suggestions? Because cooking is like art. When the strokes of a brush are swept across a canvas, a beautiful, unique piece is being created. You must be patient and a certain order is required, but a masterpiece is in the making. The same goes for cooking. There is an ebb and flow with the ingredients, the tools, the method, and the cook. When you see a recipe, I want to encourage you to feel freeeeeee in the kitchen!! Art, either in the studio or in the kitchen, should be liberating, fun and creative. If every detail of how the paintbrush is moved is written down, every painting would look the same; you need to add your own personal touch to the artwork. The same goes for cooking. Ingredients can be substituted and some steps may be altered; it is up to you, the cook, to choose how the final product will turn out!!

Now get out there and play with your food!!!!!!!!!!!

What? Homemade doughnuts?

That’s right, I made homemade cake-style doughnuts the other day. They were sooooo super delicious and a lot easier to make than you’d think.

Cake Doughnuts
2 Tbs white vinegar (or apple cider vinegar or rice vinegar)
½ cup milk
2 Tbs shortening or margarine
1/2 cup white sugar
1 egg
¾ tsp vanilla
2 c flour
½ tsp cinnamon (optional)
½ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
Oil for frying (I use vegetable oil)

Topping
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1Tbs 1 tsp cinnamon
Mix together

Directions
1. Heat the oil, around 4 inches deep, in a large deep skillet, (or large sauce pot) to 375*.  Be careful, if there is too much oil for your pot, it will overflow and may cause a fire! DON'T BURN THE DOUGHNUTS...or your house!!!!
2. While the oil is heating up, add the vinegar to the milk and let stand while you prep the rest of  the ingredients. This will thicken slightly because the acid from the vinegar is mixing with the protein in the milk.
3. In a medium bowl, cream together the shortening and sugar.
4. Mix in the egg and vanilla until combined.
5. Sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt.
6. Add ½ the milk to the sugar and mix until combined; then add ½ the flour and mix until just combined. Scrape the sides of the bowl, and then repeat with the rest of the milk then flour.
7. Let stand for about 7 minutes.
8. To make doughnut holes (this is what I do), use a mini ice cream scoop (or a tablespoon of some sort) to shape the dough. Scoop the dough and drop it right into the oil, frying in batches so the doughnuts aren't overcrowded in the oil. If you’d like a true doughnut shape, roll dough out on a floured surface to 1/3 inch thickness. Cut into doughnuts using a donut cutter. If you are using this method, let rest for 7 minutes after forming the doughnuts
9. Drop the dough into the oil being careful not to splash the oil. Fry until the doughnuts are golden on the bottom then turn them over in the oil.
10. Drain on paper towels.
11. Roll in the sugar cinnamon while they are still warm, and serve immediately.

These doughnut bites were the best Sunday morning snack one could ever ask for. They were delectably crunchy-on-the-outside, soft-and-fluffy-on-the-inside, tasty, and not at all greasy. Also, they are quick and easy to make, stay crunchy for a while, and you probably have all of the ingredients in your cupboard!! Get to frying my friends!!!

A few alternatives, ideas and suggestions…
I like to use my mini ice cream scoop to make these doughnut holes. Because they are on the smaller size, they fry up pretty quickly. The doughnut will turn golden brown and will only need to be flipped over once. I like to make a tester one to get an idea of how quickly they cook.

Don’t have a doughnut cutter hanging around? You could use circle cookie cutters, a can, a glass…be creative!

For the best results, use a thermometer to get your oil to the right temperature. If you don’t have a thermometer and are unsure about the temperature of your oil, drop a test piece of dough into the oil to see what happens. When the oil is ready, it will get tiny, but fast, bubbles all around it and, the dough will gently turn a golden brown. If it browns too quickly, your oil is too hot and needs to be turned down a bit. If the oil is not hot enough, the dough will sink and become saturated with oil….this leads to the lead ball…yuck!

Your topping choices are endless. I used the sugar cinnamon mixture because it is what I had on hand. You could dust them with powdered sugar, make a glaze with powdered sugar and just enough milk to make a glaze (and a bit of vanilla too), combine equal parts cocoa powder and sugar and roll doughnuts in it, make a chocolate glaze with equal parts powdered sugar and cocoa and add just enough milk to make a glaze…use you imagination to create the doughnut of your dreams…

We have the kids over each year for Christmas breakfast, and this is one thing that I am definitely going to add to the menu this year! Instead of using cinnamon in the doughnut, I think I am going to use pumpkin spice…that sounds so yuuuUUUuuuummmyy!! Can’t wait!

Now for a quick science lesson…
As you see, this recipe calls for shortening and not butter. Under many circumstances I would change this out for butter, but that isn’t really a good idea when it comes to making doughnuts and I’ll tell you why. Butter has a melting point of around 90-95* where shortening has a melting point of around 117-119*. This fact is important here. Picture the shortening forming tiny beads when blended into the ingredients. When these “beads” of shortening melt, they create steam which in-turn creates a pocket. When this pocket is formed, the dough around the pocket needs to be set to prevent the pocket from collapsing. Because shortening has a higher melting point, the pocket of dough will already be set by the time the shortening has melted. If we were to use butter in this recipe, the butter would melt too quickly, potentially not giving the dough enough time to set around it; and the pocket where the butter “bead” was would collapse creating a flatter ball of dough. Some have tried the recipe with butter and had good results, but it’s not worth the sacrifice to me!!

Why is vinegar added to the milk? Vinegar is an acid and when it is mixed with the baking soda in the dough, bubbles of carbon dioxide are released throughout the dough creating a light and airy product.

Now go play with your dough!!!!

Luxe Burger again? You got it!

My husband & I went to Luxe burger again this past weekend and had yet another delicious meal. Why did we go to the same place we went to last time? Well, we had a gift certificate, of course...ha…and we always enjoy the atmosphere and the food.

Whenever Charles & I go out to eat we love to sit at the bar where things are more exciting, and there is always someone interesting to talk with, like Ben & Neil, the bartenders. In my quandary of what to drink, I settled on a Harpoon I.P.A., and as I sip my beer I see the Goslings rum behind the bar…if only they had ginger beer I’d order a Dark & Stormy. If you like ginger, this is a great drink to try. When the spiciness from the ginger beer (it's actually soda) combines with the sweetness from the dark spiced rum you get the intense Dark & Stormy. I didn’t even ask if they had ginger beer because not too many bars serve it. Well, don’t you know when the bartender opened the cooler, my husband happens to see ginger beer!!!! Aawww yea! One Dark & Stormy please!!

Now onto the food…Charles & I usually plan on getting something we haven’t had before or something we haven’t had in a long time. Right off the bat, we wanted to try their Buffalo Calamari because we saw it the last time we were at Luxe Burger and it smelled soooo good. I LOVE buffalo anything, I love it so much I could drink the sauce. When the calamari was delivered to us, the tang from the hot sauce made my nose tingle…zip zip zippyyyy! With the first bite, I knew right away that this wasn’t a store bought sauce, it was very unique. The sauce had a good, spicy zip to it, but it offered an unusual sweetness at the same time. Hmmm, a sweet and spicy buffalo sauce…who knew?!? It was something that I had never experienced before, and I just absolutely loved it! Now if I could figure out how to make it…I’ll let you know when I do!!

For some reason, the menu and atmosphere at Luxe Burger just makes you want a burger (yea, hence the name…Luxe Burger). With that, I had all intentions of trying something different, but the burger menu just called to me. Then I saw the Umami sandwich. It is a tuna steak with a soy glaze, julienne cucumbers, and wasabi dressing. When I asked Ben about the sandwich, he said “It is my favorite, if you like tuna you gotta try it!” It is unique because many people will grind the tuna to make a burger out of it, but they left it as a steak. So I decided to give it a whirl. When Ben asked me how I want it cooked I said “rare, of course!” Then it dawned on me, I was ordering sushi at a burger joint…this could be bad. I very rarely order sushi from a place other than a well established sushi bar, it’s too risky. Too late now, the order is in and I decide to go with the flow and hope for the best while sipping on my most refreshing Dark & Stormy. Well, the best came to me on a plate. The tuna was cooked perfectly. The soy glaze added a sweet and saltiness while the cucumbers added crunch and a dash of freshness. All-in-all, the sandwich had the perfect balance of flavors. I’m happy to report that ordering sushi here worked out just fine!!

What did Charles have? He ordered a burger topped with goat cheese and roasted red peppers with a side of Gorgonzola Tater Tots. The burger arrives and the amount of goat cheese on top was insane! There was a very generous chunk-o-cheese and it was tangy, creamy and delicious. With the goat cheese on top of the perfectly cooked burger, and the roasted red peppers on the bottom, a delectable burger was born. As for the “Tater Tots…” oh heavenly potato, how I love thee! These aren’t you average tater tots. In fact, they aren’t tater tots at all! They are potato croquettes filled with Gorgonzola cheese!!! Eating one of these bad boys is like eating a piece of heaven. The potato is crunchy on the outside, and the Gorgonzola cheese is creamy and smooth on the inside making this a rich, delectable, little ball of goodness. This is a MUST try when you go to Luxe burger!!!! I actually suggested they change the name because “Gorgonzola Tater Tots” does NOT do this side dish any service.

Have you played with your food today? Well, what are you waiting for...go!

Looking for a quick and delicious meal? Check out this recipe!

Charles & I went to our friend’s Anne & Dave’s house for dinner, and Anne served an awesome sandwich that was like pulled pork, but it was chicken instead. This sandwich has the perfect balance of sweet, savory and spice and with the right roll…super delicious!!! The recipe came from Rachel Ray, and it is quick, easy and very tasty…I highly recommend it! First I’ll give you the recipe and then some suggestions to follow.

BBQ Chicken Sandwiches
1 cup chicken stock
1 bottle of beer
4 pcs. boneless chicken breast
2 Tbs olive oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
2 Tbs Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbs Tabasco
1 ½ Tbs grill seasoning (use store bought or see recipe to follow)
3 Tbs dark brown sugar
¼ c tomato paste

6 Sweet Rolls

1. In a medium skillet, bring chicken stock & beer to a simmer and poach chicken for around 
    5 minutes on each side.
2. In a separate skillet, sauté onion and garlic in olive oil on medium-low heat.
3. Combine the rest of the ingredients in a separate bowl.
4. When chicken is cooked through, remove from poaching liquid and slice.
5. Take 2 ladles of the poaching liquid and add to ingredients in bowl and mix well.
6. Add chicken to mixture and combine using 2 forks, shredding the chicken as you mix.
7. Add chicken to the skillet with the garlic & onions and simmer for 10 minutes adding more
    poaching liquid as you need to reach your desired sauciness.
8. Put in a sweet roll and enjoy!!

OK, as you may have figured out, I always enjoy changing things up a bit, and I also like to try to make things as natural as I can. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not talking about making things difficult for anyone; but if I can make it from scratch instead of buying it already made, I will. Why? I like to know exactly what is going into the product and my belly, and I like to be able to control the amount and quality of ingredients.

Here are a few options for the BBQ Chicken Sandwich recipe:
• Anne saved some time by using a roasted chicken that she bought at the market. Very smart
  gal!!
• If you use the roasted chicken, just add beer at step 5 instead of poaching liquid.
• If you don’t have any beer on hand, don’t panic! There is no need to go out and buy beer just
   for this recipe; you can simply use chicken stock whenever beer is called for. White  
   wine would be tasty too!
• I love Tabasco and think it runs in my veins; but Anne used an Asian hot sauce called
   Sriracha, and I highly recommend it!! It is a bit hotter and thicker than Tabasco and has more
   garlic in it…KAPOW! You can find it in the Asian section of the market.
• If you don’t have dark brown sugar, you can use light brown sugar. If you don’t have light 
   brown sugar, you can use white sugar with about 2 tsp of molasses added to the mix. If you 
   don’t have molasses…go get some brown sugar! Ha ha ha…no really, brown sugar of some
   type rocks it!
• Now as far as the roll goes…definitely go for the sweet roll!! The slight sweetness of the roll 
   with the spiciness of chicken was revelry in my mouth! Anne found “Sweet Rolls” from Stop &
   Shop in their bakery section. They are so light, delicate and airy and are a must have for this  
   bold and spicy sandwich. The top of the roll must have been lightly brushed with a light sugar
   syrup right after it came out of the oven, mmmmmmmmm...
• There is another Portuguese sweet roll out there called the Bolo Levedo. It looks like an
   English Muffin, but it has a delicate, sweet flavor and is a bit more dense.
· Avoiding carbs? This chicken would be excellent on it’s own too!
• Coleslaw would make a great side dish, but I think it may be even better on it!!! You know I’m 
   going to include a recipe for this now, right? Ha ha ha…

If you don’t have Grill Seasoning on hand, here is a recipe with ingredients that you may already have in your pantry. I recommend making your own because, again, you are in control of the ingredients and there are no preservatives, artificial ingredients or ingredients that you can’t pronounce.

Grill Seasoning
3 Tbs fresh coarse ground pepper
1 Tbs kosher salt
1 Tbs onion powder
1 Tbs garlic powder
1 Tbs ground coriander (Did you know that coriander seed is the seed of the cilantro plant?)
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

1. Place ingredients in a bowl and mix well.
2. Store in an airtight container in a cool dark space.

Simple Slaw
1 bag shredded coleslaw mix
½ cup Mayonaise
3 Tbs rice vinegar (or cider vinegar, or wine vinegar)
3 Tbs sugar
¼ tsp celery salt (no celery salt? Feel free to use Kosher instead)

1. Mix mayonnaise, vinegar, sugar and celery salt together.
2. Pour over coleslaw and toss well.
3. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. 

Don't forget to play with your food today!!