Monthly Archives: March 2014

A taste of India and a taste of Greece: Baked Curry Sweet Potato Fries with Easy Tzatziki Sauce

Posted on March 10, 2014 | Leave a comment

Monday Re-blog and here’s one from September ’11. A delicious variation on Sweet Potato Fries baked in the oven with a delightful Tzatziki Sauce served on the side. Looking for something new to do with Sweet Potatoes? this one is perfect and the Tzatziki Sauce is just wonderful . Enjoy!

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Today didn’t clear up until late and I decided to go on a hike. As I was hiking, it felt like fall in the air and I decided to roast a chicken (see recipe under Roast Chicken) and make my baked sweet potato fries with tzatziki sauce. This sauce is so fresh and flavorful on fries and is absolutely delish on chicken and lamb,as well. Lamb is a bit heavy for now, though, so that recipe will have to wait. Joel and I like our fries spicy so you should adjust the hot seasonings to your liking. I used hot curry powder but regular curry powder works just as well. These fries have a distinct, tasty Indian flavor, thanks to the curry, turmeric and cumin. I hope you enjoy this different take on a sweet potato. This is the second time I am posting this recipe because it sort of got lost in the vegetables last time and…

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Magical Raspberry Bars ( variation on Heaven in a Bar )

Posted on March 8, 2014 | Leave a comment

Here’s an easy to prepare recipe which is an alternative to my Heaven in a Bar recipe. If you love Raspberry this one is for you. Perfect for a party crowd and you can eat what you’d like and freeze the rest. Delicious and Decadent all in one bar. Enjoy this Saturday Recipe originally posted October ’11.

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This is a slight variation on the original Heaven in a Bar Recipe. Equally easy to prepare, ingredients are available, etc. So if your idea of Heaven has raspberry in it, here you go. Enjoy!!! They are magical!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ingredients:

2 cups Graham Cracker Crumbs

1/4 cup sugar

1 stick unsalted butter or margarine (1/2 cup)

1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk

1 – 1 1/2  jars seedless raspberry preserves , small jars they are probably 12 oz. each.  I have found, if I use too much jam it’s super gooey, and doesn’t really hold together as well

1  cup coconut flaked ,sweetened (if it looks light on coconut, you can always sprinkle a little more) 1 – 1 1/2 cups, especially if you like a lot of coconut.

1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (whichever you prefer)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees

In a small bowl combine graham cracker crumbs and sugar…

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Roast Chicken with Dijon and Shallot Sauce

Posted on March 6, 2014 | 1 comment

This was a delicious chicken dish that I made with chicken thighs but you can really make with thighs, drumsticks, and/or breasts. It’s a thin light sauce and if you’d like to thicken it up you can reduce the sauce by cooking over a high heat for several minutes, this usually will help to thicken it up by cooking it down. I did use 1/4 cup of heavy cream for the sauce , I don’t think it’s all that much spread out over the sauce, if you are unhappy about 1/4 cup use a little less. It was delightful and really light and nice despite the cream. This is what I did and the only suggestion I would make differently from what I did is to thinly slice the 2 small shallots, I chopped them and I think I would slice next time.

1 – 3 lbs. of chicken parts ( thighs, drumsticks, and/or breasts) with skin and bones . I used 1 lb. but this amount of sauce would be good for up to 3 lbs. Use whatever parts of chicken you prefer, but I have to say the thighs were delicious.

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

2 small shallots, thinly sliced

3/4 cup dry white wine

3/4 cup chicken broth

1/4 cup heavy cream

2 tablespoons Dijon Mustard

*optional 1 tablespoon finely chopped chives or green parts of scallions for garnish

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees with rack in middle.

Pat chicken dry and sprinkle with 1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt and 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Heat oil in a ovenproof 12-inch heavy skillet ( Le Creuset) over medium-high heat until the oil shimmers. Working in 2 batches, brown chicken, skin side down first and turning once, cook until chicken is golden about 5 minutes on each side. If heat is turned too high it will burn oil so you may want to turn down and make adjustments depending on your stove.

Return all chicken, skin side up to skillet and roast in the oven until just cooked through about 15-20 minutes.

Transfer chicken to a platter , then add shallots, wine, and broth to pan juices in skillet and bring to a boil, scraping up all the brown bits with a wooden spoon, until sauce is reduced by about 1/2, this should take 2-3 minutes. Add cream and boil until sauce is slightly thickened, a few minutes.

Strain sauce through a sieve into a bowl. Whisk in the mustard, chives/scallions Saltphoto (67)photo 1 (53) photo 3 (25)Salt and Pepper to Taste.

Serve chicken with sauce.

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Cream Cheese Pound Cake with Citrus Glaze

Posted on March 3, 2014 | Leave a comment

Let’s bring some fresh citrus flavor into Re-blog Monday with this delicious Pound Cake and Citrus Glaze. Looking for a fresh delicious pound cake to make? Brighten up this long cold winter with this cake. Original Post was September ’12 so for all of those who missed it the first time around here it comes again. From my kitchen to yours with love this Monday. Enjoy!

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Whenever I bake with cream cheese I never get a dry cake. It moistens the cake like nothing else.  I got this recipe out of Bon Appetit and it is nothing short of amazing. It is fairly simple , has a lot of citrus ingredients, lime, orange, and lemon but nothing exotic or difficult to obtain.  You’ll need a standard size loaf pan, I like the glass ones, but any kind will do just fine and you will need a zester that zests finely. (not a grater, a zester which you can buy at any kitchen supply store)  You can bake this cake a day ahead , and do the glaze before you’re about to serve. I cut the cake into 1/2 ” thick slices.

Ingredients:

parchment paper

nonstick vegetable oil spray

1 1/2 cups cake flour

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. kosher salt

1/4 tsp. baking soda

1 1/2 cups sugar…

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Tomato Soup

Posted on March 1, 2014 | Leave a comment

This Tomato Soup doesn’t have a lot of ingredients and it’s rather simple to prepare. A few key ingredients add wonderful layers of flavor like the pancetta and lemon zest. Make it as spicy as you personally like . You can garnish with a dollop of Crème fraiche if you’re feeling like you need something creamy on top. To everyone on the East Coast this is perfect for that snow day coming up Monday. Alongside a grilled cheese sandwich what could be better? Enjoy!

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I have made many tomato soups and this one was very easy. I used one can of crushed plum tomatoes. If you don’t have crushed in the house, you can crush in your food processor. I almost always have parmesan cheese in the house and I loved using the rind, as they have many uses particularly in soups where they can soak and soften. This time I diced it up into small little pieces so the result was like little explosions of flavor. Don’t ever throw away those rinds, they are so perfect used in soups and sauces.  The saffron threads give it that warm wonderful flavor.

Ingredients:

1 small piece of rind (2×3) from either Grana Padano or Parmigiano-Reggiano

3 tablespoons olive oil

4 ounces pancetta, diced up (you can buy packages pre-chopped, keep in the freezer and just take out when you need them)

1 small yellow onion, chopped

2 large…

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