Cornbread - a must have with chili!!!

Last night was the 1st Friday of the month which means that a bunch of our friends all got together at someone's house for a delicious Pot Luck Meal. Kathy - the hostess for this month, choose a menu that involved our Family Favorites. How fun was that? Until I got to thinking that the only real thing that we all eat together was burgers...how crazy is that? Yep there are other things that we eat but they just wouldn't be good for a Pot Luck. So after much thought and no real solution I decided to make cornbread to go along with the chili Kathy was making!

I remembered that Heather from Gild the (Voodoo)lily had a cornbread recipe that I had been wanting to try since I saw it back in May!

Yankee Cornbread (this was adapted from a Joy of Cooking recipe that Heather had)

1 tbsp bacon fat (I had to fry up some bacon to get this bacon fat-don't tell Heather!)
1-1/4 c cornmeal (she used blue and yellow. I could only find yellow)
3/4 c flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp sugar (Heather likes 2 Tbsp - I only added 1)
2 large eggs
2/3 c buttermilk
2/3 c milk
3 tbsp melted butter
1/2 c frozen corn (She likes to add minced jalapeños, I didn't do that though)

Stick a 10" cast-iron skillet with the bacon fat in the oven that's preheating to 425. Mix dry ingredients. Mix wet ingredients (eggs and milks). Add wet to dry, mix, and stir in the melted butter and corn. Pour batter into now-hot skillet and bake for 20-25 minutes, until browned on top and toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the middle.

This was a nice easy to follow recipe. I did great until it was time for me to remove it from the pan so I could get it ready to take with me. I dropped the freakin' thing on the counter and it cracked! Did everyone still love it...oh yes they did!

As Always...

Happy Entertaining!!!

Judy
www.nofearentertaining.com

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Grass Fed Arm Roast Slow Cooked

Over the weekend I saw a post on Kelly's blog Sass & Veracity and just new I had to try it. I had planned to try it on Sunday but I ended up with a migraine and the last thing on my mind was food. I knew that the girls were home on Monday and I had planned a morning at the beach for them but I knew that I would be home early enough in the afternoon to start this baby cooking!!!

This arm roast is one that we got when we purchased the portion of our cow over the summer. We are lucky enough, through our CSA (Worden Farms), to be able to opt in on a free range, grass fed cow purchase (happy meat)...Get this...local meat!!!!! This meat is delicious. Our only problem is that we didn;t get enough!!! Oh well lesson learned.

Anyway, this roast turned out incredible. I have had major issues in the past with pot roasts so I was really afraid to try braising for the first time without a back up plan for dinner, but I jumped right in a did it. I am so glad that I did. Kelly and her helpful hints did the trick and dinner was a huge success!!!

Beef Chuck with Vegetables in Red Wine (February 08 Issue of Bon Appetit.)

1-4 lb. boneless beef chuck roast, tied
2 tsp. fresh thyme
2 tsp. sweet paprika
2 tsp. kosher salt
2 tsp. black pepper, coarsely ground
1 tsp. dry mustard
1 tsp. brown sugar
6 pieces smoked bacon, chopped
2 c. dry red wine
1/2 c. chicken broth
small pkg. pearl onions
1 red onion, peeled and sliced
1 head garlic, cloves peeled
3 bay leaves
4 lg. carrots, peeled and chunked
3 med. parsnips, peeled and chunked
1 small celery root, peeled and cut into large cubes
10-12 small red potatoes

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Mix thyme, paprika, salt, pepper, mustard and brown sugar in a small bowl. Pat the roast dry with paper towels and rub the spice blend over the entire surface of the roast.

In a large pot or Dutch oven, fry the bacon pieces over medium heat until well browned. Remove from the pan, and reserve in a small container leaving the fat in the bottom to brown the meat. If you have more than a couple of tablespoons, pour it off.

Turn the heat up and brown the meat on all sides until rich in color and beginning to crust, about 10 minutes in all. Transfer the meat to a platter and pour in the red wine, scraping the browned bits from the pan as it deglazes. Continue to cook until it's reduced to about 1/2 cup then add the broth and bacon. Set the beef on top and place the garlic, onions and bay leaves all around the roast.

Cover the pan and place in the center of the oven. Cook for 1 hour.

Remove from oven, turn the roast over, and stir the onions, cover and cook for 1 hour more. Check occasionally to make sure the pan doesn't become dry by adding water 1/4 cup at a time.

Add the rest of the vegetables around the roast, stir and cook for an additional 45 minutes until all are tender.

Remove the roast and veggies from the pan and keep warm. Spoon off any fat on the surface of the sauce and correct seasonings. Serve over slices of beef and veggies.

***T. does not like carrots so I skipped them. I did take Kelly's advice and use celery root. What a surprise that was. Love it! I also had no pearl onions so I cut up cooking onions and used regular potatoes instead of tiny red skins (I had them).

This was truly an incredible experience for me. First time braising, deglazing (to this extent) and having a roast that was edible!!!

As Always...

Happy Entertaining!!!

Judy
www.nofearentertaining.com

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Busy Weekend...

Yah, I know I say this but man are we busy. Lucky for us the girls are at an age now where being too busy doesn't put them off schedule and ruin the rest of the week.

They were off school Friday and unfortunately it was a very, very rainy day but we made the most of it and went to Ft. Myers beach for a nice rainy stroll along the shore. found many treasure and were just able to "be" for a while.

Miles of beach and not a soul around!

Saturday morning came on strong with skating lessons bright and early but we were able to get the rest of our chores and errands done by noon. I spent the rest of the day making food for a Halloween party that we were going to at 4:00. I made Pico de Gallo and Hot Spinach Dip (recipe below). Fun party, nice to catch up and see everyone again! Wendy looked so scary as a witch!!!

My headless Genie and Hula Girl!

The girls woke us up bright and early Sunday morning and the weather was nice and cool so we decided to go for another walk on the beach. What a beautiful walk. We needed sweaters but it made for a nice leasurely non-sweaty walk for a change!

Saw starfish...lots and lots of starfish!

Saw this dolphin right up on shore hunting for his breakfast, 2 big snook that went past! The girls were up with that group of people so they got a really close up view!

Hot Spinach Dip

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp butter
1/4 cup onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 Tbsp AP flour
1-3/4 cups heavy cream
2 packages (9 ounces each) frozen chopped spinach, thawed, well drained
1 can of sliced water chestnuts, drained, chopped
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
1 package dry vegetable soup mix
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tsp ground black pepper
1-1/2 Tbsp hot pepper sauce (Tabasco)
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 425 F. Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic, cook and stir until onion is crisp tender and the garlic is fragrant. about 2-3 minutes.
• Stir in flour, cook and stir and additional minute. Add the heavy cream and cook, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens, about 2 minutes.
• Remove from heat. Stir in chopped spinach, water chestnuts, cheddar and the vegetable soup mix, sour cream, black pepper, and hot sauce. Spoon into a 1 quart casserole dish or the pot from your crock pot and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
• Bake dip until bubbly and the cheese is melted, about 15 minutes. Serve warm or in your crock pot.

I served this with tortilla chips but bread would work just as well. This went over really well and was something rich but different!

As Always...

Happy Entertaining!!!

Judy
www.nofearentertaining.com

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Quiche my way...

Quiche with sausage, mushrooms, onion, zucchini, and green peppers! Yummmmmm!

Okay so I haven't really been posting much in the food way but I have been cooking. It's just that T. has been out of town and it really makes my life all the more hectic. Yes, I am one of the lucky ones who's husband helps out, a lot!!!

Anyway the other night I couldn't figure out what to make so I hunted through the freezer and found a couple of Italian sausage links (leftover from another recipe), some zucchini, and some green peppers. I thought quiche and good thing I did. This turned out so good. For some reason the cheese escaped to the top and made it look more like a cheese pie and I would have spiced it up a bit but this was dinner for the girls and I.

Yes, I confess to using store bought pastry but I was all alone with the girls and this was still better than going out!!!

My Quiche

Ingredient:

! ready made pie dough (I know, I was just really lazy that day!!!)
2 sausage link, sausage squeezed out of casing
1/2 cup baby bella mushrooms, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 small zucchini, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1 tsp salt
4 eggs
1 cup milk
pinch nutmeg
fresh ground pepper

Directions:

• Place pie dough in a tart pan and press in. Cook at 450 for about 15 minutes or until almost cooked. Remove from oven and rest.
  
• Meanwhile cook sausage over med. heat until cooked through. Remove and store in a separate bowl.
• Cook onions and mushrooms until cooked through. Add zucchini and green peppers, garlic powder, onion powder and salt.
• In a seperate bowl beat 4 eggs with milk, nutmeg and pepper.
• Place sausage in the bottom of the pie shell top with the cooked veggies, then cheese. Top this the egg mixture.
• Bake at 350 for about 35 minutes or until the center is set and a knife comes out clean.
• Allow to rest for about 10 minutes. Slice and serve.

As Always...

Happy Entertaining!!!

Judy
www.nofearentertaining.com

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Jalapeño Poppers finally...

Jalapeño Poppers

I have been wanting jalapeño poppers for a while now. Every time somebody mentioned peppers or I saw jalapeños it was all I could think about. I wanted the yummy ones that we used to be able to get in the bars. Filled with piping hot cream cheese and just a little zing of hot pepper. These were way better than that.

Sunday was a pretty lazy day. We had set aside the morning to finally get our garden in. I am really hoping that we aren't too late but we'll see. We planted a variety of tomatoes and some zucchini, peas, arugula, basil, parsley, oregano, cilantro and just for fun some sun flower seeds. Every year I swear I will keep a diary of what works and what doesn't but I never, ever do. When will I ever learn...

Doesn't look like much yet but just you wait and see...

It was after that when I decided that we were having poppers for lunch. After hunting around on the internet for that perfect sounding recipe I decided that I liked what was in my head a bit better.


Jalapeño Poppers

Ingredients:

2 packages (8 oz) of cream cheese, softened
1 cup of cheddar cheese, grated
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp garlic powder
12 jalapenos, split lengthwise, seeds and membrane removed
1 cup milk
1 cup flour
1 box panko breading

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, mix the cream cheese, and cheddar cheese Spoon this mixture into the jalapeño pepper halves.
2. Mix the flour with the black pepper, salt, paprika and garlic powder
3. Put the milk and flour mix into two separate small bowls. Dip the stuffed jalapeños first into the milk then into the flour, making sure they are well coated with each. Allow the coated jalapeños to dry for about 10 minutes.
4. Dip the jalapeños in milk again and roll them through the breadcrumbs. Allow them to dry, then repeat to ensure the entire surface of the jalapeño is coated.
5. Place in the freezer to chill for about 20 minutes before frying.
6. In a deep pot, heat the oil to 365 degrees F ( 180 degrees C). Deep fry the coated jalapeños 2 to 3 minutes each, until golden brown. Remove and let drain on a paper towel.

As Always...

Happy Entertaining!!!

Judy
www.nofearentertaining.com

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Zucchini Muffins with Cranberries and Chocolate Chips!

Yeah, I know that is a huge title but that's what these were. I guess I should have added that it was bittersweet chocolate chips that I used...

Real simple recipe. I used the last 2 bags of grated zucchini that I had in my freezer. Probably just in time for my CSA to start next month! No mixer needed just 2 bowls.

Zucchini Muffins with Cranberries and Bittersweet Chocolate Chips

Oven 350

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups AP Flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 cup sugar
1 cup shredded zucchini
1/4 butter, melted
1 egg
handful of dried cranberries
handful of bittersweet chocolate chips

Directions:

In a mixing bowl add the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, baking powder and nutmeg. I another bowl add the sugar, zucchini, butter, and egg. Mix well.
Add the flour mixture and stir til just combined. Stir in cranberries and chocolate chips.
Fill paper lined muffin cups very, very full. Should make about 7 large sized muffins.
Bake for about 25-30 minutes, testing for doneness before removing from oven.
Allow to cool for 5 minutes then remove from pan to rack to cool the rest of the way.

These were incredible. I love how the spice accented the zucchini and the cranberries and the chocolate just took it right over the top. The girls loved these so I guess i need to come up with more zucchini!!!

***Just saw that I my apple in puff pastry photo is on the Foodie Views of the Day. Go on over there and check it out and give me a quick vote!

As Always...

Happy Entertaining!!!

Judy
www.nofearentertaining.com

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Here it is...Lasagna!

This is a really simple lasagna recipe to make. I always use the no bake noodles. I know that there are several different schools of thought on this. Yes, I do like the texture of the boiled noodles better but really the noodle is just a vehicle for the sauce and that all gets soaked up into both of them! This recipe will make enough for about 6 people. We increased our from Friday night for enough to fill a 20 X 13 aluminum pan. My sauce is incredible and so easy to make. Do yourself a favor and start making your own sauces. I make one almost the same as this one for our pizza's. I just use chunked tomatoes instead of pureed ones. (What is with my font here???!!! LOL) Homemade Lasagna Ingredients: 1 box no bake Lasagna 1 (15 ounce) container Ricotta cheese 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese salt and pepper pinch of nutmeg 2 eggs 4 cups (1 pound) shredded Mozzarella cheese 5 cups homemade pasta sauce,(see below), or 2 jars Hunt's Spaghetti Sauce, sausage flavor 1 pound bulk Italian sausage, cooked, drained, crumbled
Directions: Preheat oven to 350°F. Combine Ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, eggs, salt, pepper, nutmeg & 1 cup Mozzarella cheese in a medium bowl; mix well. Spread 1 cup pasta sauce in a 13x9-inch baking dish. Layer with half each of the lasagna, Ricotta cheese mixture, sausage, remaining pasta sauce & Mozzarella cheese. Repeat layering. Bake uncovered 40 minutes or until hot & bubbly. Let stand 15 minutes before serving. Pasta Sauce Ingredients: 1 onion, diced 5 cloves of garlic, minced About 5 cups pureed tomatoes (I use ones that I froze last winter) oregano garlic powder salt and pepper to taste Direction: In a small amount of oil cook onions and garlic until the onions are translucent. Add the tomatoes. Bring to a boil. Turn the heat to simmer and add the rest of the ingredients. Simmer uncovered for about 1 hour or until the sauce has reached the consistency of a jarred sauce. The freshness of the sauce still comes through and everyone will wonder what your secret is. They did mine and that is one of the reasons I am posting this now! As Always... Happy Entertaining!!! Judy www.nofearentertaining.com

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Lemon Chicken Scaloppini...

I had no idea what was going to be for dinner last night. Wednesday night's are the only night that we aren't running off to something that the girls are doing so I usually put a bit more effort into the meal. This time it was easy though.

I went on Tastespotting for some inspiration and actually found something that wouldn't require me to re mortgage the house to make or take up any of my valuable "play with the kids time". Very, very important to me right now!!!

I came across this post for Lemon Chicken Scaloppini and just couldn't resist! I am so glad I didn't. I made this and served it with rice and green beans and it was incredible. The rice took longer to make then the chicken. Loved this dish...have I mentioned that I loved this dish????

Lemon Chicken Scaloppini (The Food Channel)

Ingredients

• 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I used 4 chicken cutlets. All natural, hormone and antibiotic free)
• 1 cup flour
• 1 tablespoon salt (I added garlic powder and black pepper as well)
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons capers, drained
• 1 lemon, sliced very thin
• Salt and pepper to taste (I also finished with garlic powder and onion powder)
• 1/2 cup parsley, finely chopped

Preparation

• Place chicken breasts on cutting board and slice in half horizontally, forming 8 thin filets.
  
• Place each chicken fillet between two pieces of plastic wrap and pound until 1/4-inch thin.
  
• Combine flour and salt in shallow container. Dredge pounded chicken in seasoned flour; shake off excess flour.
  
• Heat butter and oil in large skillet. Working in several small batches, sauté chicken for 5 minutes over medium heat, turning once.
  
• Add white wine and chicken broth. Simmer until the liquid is reduced by half.
  
• Add lemon pieces and capers.
  
• Season to taste; garnish with parsley.

Everyone loved this dish. Even my daughter who said "that smells so bad" ended up eating it and loving it!

As Always...

Happy Entertaining!!!

Judy
www.nofearentertaining.com

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Homemade Tacos

This is an older picture of a taco with pico de gallo and tomatillo salsa

It was a crazy, crazy weekend.

My youngest daughter has decided that she really likes competitive ice skating and wants to do another competition. Seeing as she is only 6 I have decided to let her only do ones that are at our home rink. Saves me travel and more chaos! With this though it means more time is spent at the rink. We had lessons on Friday night and Saturday.

T. was away for the weekend so I had decided that my youngest one could finally have her sleepover that I promised her for her birthday. So while T. was away I had a couple more 6 year olds running around the house screaming. I have to say though that I love this age. Their isn't the drama that comes with the 8 year olds...yet!

T got home late Saturday night and was able to help with all of the girls in the morning. At least running herd on them while we got breakfast was easier then because they were tired!

Once all the kids were gone we decided to spend some nice family time together and go and have a picnic. One of the great things about having a tropical storm or a hurricane pass through is that it really dries out the air. Today was just beautiful. 88 degrees with low humidity is beautiful in our books. We went to the Caloosahatchee Regional Park and had some lunch and then took a short walk to the river and hung out there for a bit. After this we came home and I tried to figure out meals for during the week. With the new skating schedule and school about to get reved up I needed a plan.

I decided that we would have pizza on Tuesday which would be the late night. Wouldn't get home from the rink until 7:30 but I could make the dough before hand and then T. (pretty please) could throw the sauce and toppings on it and throw it in the oven.

Another night we could have tacos. I have a really simple combination of spices that is so versatile I can use it on anything that I can find...chicken, pork, beef or even seafood. When I make a batch of it I make enough to last for 2 meals. No more as I think the mix loses it flavor after too long in a bag. I can make this whole meal and have it in the fridge ready to be heated up in time for dinner. Can't beat that!

Love the colors of all of the spices mixed together!

Tacos

Ingredients:

1-1/2 Tbsp chili powder

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes

¼ tsp cayenne

¼ tsp dried oregano

½ tsp paprika

1-1/2 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp sea salt

1 tsp black pepper

1 lb of your choice of meat (buffalo (very lean), beef, venison (very lean), chicken, or pork)

1 cup of water

Directions:

• In a small bowl combine all of the ingredients but the meat. Set aside.
• Brown you meat of choice (we have recently used buffalo, beef, and venison.)
• Once the meat is browned add as much or as little of the seasoning as you would like. We find that this seasoning mix usually makes us 2 meals.
• Add 1 cup water
• Allow to simmer until the spice is absorbed and there is no liquid left.
• Place as much meat as you would like in your lettuce cup.
• Top with your choice of taco toppings (cheese, Pico de Gallo, hot sauce etc.)

This can be used with just about any meat or seafood. It can also be used to make nachos!

As Always...

Happy Entertaining!!!

Judy
www.nofearentertaining.com

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Some great food reruns!

Peter's Souvlaki Recipe on Pork!

One of my favorite things to do when we have people come to stay with us is to make them some of our favorite food. Everybody has one special thing that they LOVE for us to make.

My sister's is anything cooked in T.'s homemade red sauce with anything in it! Sometimes he will stuff a chicken and cook it in there and other times we will make goat cheese ravioli to go with it.

My Mom generally likes to have steak. She lives by herself and doesn't seem to get enough of red meat. We are defrosting some of our grass fed beef for dinner on Wednesday!

The other night though I once again I wanted something fast, easy, tried and true. Peter's Souvlaki recipe!!! Once again it was delicious and incredibly easy to make. Used restaurant bought tzatziki and some crusty bread and it would have been a meal in itself but this time I made a salad.

Doesn't that salad looks great? Pitted kalamata olives, tomatoes, lettuce, red onion and lots of feta cheese!

An incredible Greek salad. I made a simple dressing of lemon, oil, vinegar, salt, pepper and oregano. I was the perfect balance to a delicious meal!!!

As Always...

Happy Entertaining!!!

Judy
www.nofearentertaining.com

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A nice fast marinated chicken recipe!

Juicy skinless chicken thighs fresh off the grill!

Even during the summer my days are so hectic with the girls. I try to slow them down a bit but they love to be active. Today they ice skated for a couple of hour, we took a bike ride, and then my oldest one had karate before dinner time! Yep, everyday pretty much goes like this!

I need to work fast. I had about an hour before I had to take her to karate after getting home from the ice rink. In that time I made T. some homemade blue cheese dressing, whipped up a salad, emptied the dishwasher and refilled it, made a really quick marinade for some chicken thighs that I had bought and ran out the door...any crazy person want to follow me around for a day???

This marinade was so nice and quick and I think I will use it again and again!!!

Chicken Marinade

Ingredients:

1/2 cup Tropicana Pure Valencia Orange with Mango
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (juice of 2 lemons)
4 lg sage leaves, chopped
1-1/2 inch section of fresh ginger, peeled and minced
1 Tbsp soy sauce
4-5 cloves of garlic, minced
1/8 tsp red pepper flakes

Directions:

• Combine all of the above ingredients in a blender or a food processor. Blend until emulsified.
• Marinate your chicken pieces for several hours or overnight.
  
• Grill or broil your chicken til done.
  

As Always...

Happy Entertaining!!!

Judy
www.nofearentertaining.com

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I ate some ofal and liked it!!!

Calf's Liver with Little Onions, Sage and Aged Vinegar.

Last weekend I picked up my meat order in our local Taco Bell parking lot. Yeah, kinda ironic when you think about it. When I picked it up though I asked Elisa if she had any extra meat that we could buy. She told me about the rib steaks and them mentioned that she had some liver as well. I was so excited!!! She actually gave me 3 packages of liver for FREE!

I had just picked up the book that I had ordered from Barnes & Noble and was reading it on our way and their seemed to be a really cool recipe for liver! Check out this book,The River Cottage Meat Book For anyone who is interested in meat and the way that it should be, not the way it is. This is the book for you! In the first couple of chapters I was able to learn things that made this book so worth the money!

Now, just to let you know I grew up with a Mom that was from England during wartime. When we ate meat it was cooked. Dammit was it cooked!!! I remember eating liver as a child boiled up in some tomato type sauce. If I didn't eat it that night guess what was waiting for me at breakfast??? Needless to say I hated liver!!!

My oldest daughter always loved it and as a baby it was probably one of the first foods that she really ate. T. would cook it up for her and the 2 of them would just chow down. Personally the smell of it always made me a little nauseas!

Anyway, tonight T. Actually cooked it up for us and it was delicious! Nothing like I remember it being. The texture was still a little odd (creamy as my oldest one described it) but not entirely bad!

Would I do this again? You bet. I truly liked the flavor of it. I will need to get used to the texture only because it is something different!

Calf's Liver with Little Onions, Sage, and Aged Vinegar (from the The River Cottage Meat Book)

Ingredients:

About 1 pound very fresh calf's liver
2-3 Tbsp olive oil
2 dozen baby onions, peeled but left whole
about 5 whole garlic cloves, peeled but left whole (we added this, not original to the recipe)
3 Tbsp all-purpose flour, seasoned with salt and pepper
Scant 1/2 cup aged vinegar (I used balsamic)
2 dozen sage leaves

Directions:

• Cut the liver into slices 1/3 inch thick and trip out any course tubes, then set aside.
• Heat 2 Tbsp of the olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over a low heat.
• Add the onions and sweat gently. They mustn't take color quickly but should brown gradually as they cook, so that after 20 minutes the outside is nicely caramelized to a dark brown color and they are sweet and tender all the way through. Transfer to a warm dish and keep warm.
• Add a touch more oil to the pan and turn up the heat so that it sizzles.
  
• Lightly dust the liver with the seasoned flour and lay them in the pan. For liver nicely pink on the inside, turn after 2 minutes and cook the second side for just 1 minute.
• Transfer to a warm plate while you finish the sauce.
• Deglaze the pan with the vinegar, scraping up any crusty morsels from the base as the vinegar bubbles and reduces.
• When you have about a Tbsp of sauce left, trickle it over the liver.
• Heat up another small bit of oil and fry the sage leaves, turning them as they become crispy (this only takes a few seconds).

Here is something totally off the liver thing...pictures of the dogs!!!

See how much the puppy has grown...he's the 6 month old on the right!!!

This is why we have dogs...kids and their dogs have an incredibly precious bond. This is my youngest one just cuddling with the puppy!

As Always...

Happy Entertaining!!!

Judy
www.nofearentertaining.com

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Ugh...and a pasta dish!

First the Ugh part. I have been sick. I have been sick for about 2 weeks but only decided on Tuesday to go and see the Doctor. All of my holistic tricks had failed me and I needed some real stuff now. I have Strep throat. Why the hell I keep getting this I don't know but thank goodness my children never get it. Needless to say I have felt like crap. Today is the first day that I can say I am actually feeling good after several days on the couch watching Maggie and the Ferocious Beast and Hannah Montana!

Quick and easy pasta dish!

Anyway now onto the pasta dish. This is a recipe that I yanked out of the Food & Wine magazine when I traveling up to Toronto a couple of weeks ago. I had intended to make it when I was up there but we just ran out days. I made this the other night and was it ever good! It may be a little spicy from the red pepper flakes in it so if this is for children you might want to add less. My youngest one did fine with it but she likes spicy stuff - 5 years old, go figure???

Fettuccine with Tomatoes and Crispy Capers - (Food & Wine)

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup small capers, drained and patted dry
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 4 oil-packed anchovies, chopped
• 2 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 2 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto, cut into 1-inch-wide ribbons
• 2 tomatoes, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1 tablespoon thinly sliced basil
• 1 pound fettuccine
• Freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, for serving

Directions

1. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil. In a small bowl, toss the capers with the cornstarch and transfer to a sieve; shake off the excess cornstarch. Add the coated capers to the oil and fry over high heat, tilting and gently shaking the pan, until the capers are crispy and golden, about 3 minutes. Drain the capers, reserving 2 tablespoons of the oil in the skillet. Spread the capers on a paper towel–lined plate.
2. Add the anchovies and garlic to the skillet and cook over high heat, stirring, until the garlic is golden and the anchovies dissolve, about 3 minutes. Add the prosciutto, separating the ribbons, and cook until lightly browned, about 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and crushed red pepper and cook just until the tomatoes begin to break down, about 3 minutes. Stir in the basil.
3. Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the pasta until al dente. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking water. Return the pasta to the pot along with the water and pour the sauce on top. Toss over high heat just until the sauce is thickened, about 2 minutes. Serve the pasta in bowls, garnished with the crispy capers. Pass the grated cheese at the table.

As Always...

Happy Entertaining!!!

Judy
www.nofearentertaining.com

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Peter's Souvlaki Rocks!

Yummmmm...

I have always loved souvlaki. Growing up in Toronto we had many, many Greeks around us so we were able to get some really good stuff. Since moving here we have 3 Greek restaurants run by 2 different people. Not a whole lot of variety. At one I really like the Greek Salad but their tzatziki sucks. The other one's tzatziki is great but their Greek Salad is bad! And unfortunately their souvlaki is pretty flat. I like mine full of flavor so just imagine how happy I was when Peter of Kalofagas - Greek Food and Beyond, finally posted his Souvlaki recipe!!!

I had some trouble finding pork to do it with but I was finally able to get my hands on some good pork steaks (no hormones or antibiotics etc.). I marinated them all of Friday night and Saturday. T. could not wait to get into this! Can't hardly blame him. It was incredible. The best I have ever had. We had it with some nice crusty bread and tzatziki sauce (bought from the restaurant that has good stuff. I know it's easy but I had no time!).

Thanks again Peter!!! I wouldn't change a single in this recipe it was absolutely perfect!!!


Pork Souvlaki

1 boneless pork butt (shoulder)
1 medium onion, grated
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 heaping tsp. salt
1 heaping tsp. black pepper
1/4 vegetable oil
1 heaping tsp. dried Greek oregano
wooden skewers (soaked overnight)

1. Trim excess fat from your pork butt and cut into uniform pieces.
2. In a large bowl, add your remaining marinade ingredients along with the pork pieces and toss to mix and coat all the meat. Place in the fridge for at least 5 hours and for best results, overnight.
3. Place your wooden skewers in a shallow baking dish that's filled with water. Allow the wooden skewers to soak overnight (so they don't disintegrate when grilling).
4. The next day, a couple of hours before you are going to grill your souvlaki, allow the pork to come to room temperature and then start skewering your meat (it's easier when your meat's at room temperature).
5. Pre-heat your gas grill (or prepare your charcoal grill) and when you have a medium-high heat, grill your souvlakia for 3-4 minutes a side and then keep warm until all the souvlaki are cooked.
6. Squeeze fresh lemon juice on your souvlakia with a sprinkle of fine sea salt and dried Greek oregano.
7. Serve with some crusty bread and Tzatziki.

As Always...

Happy Entertaining!!!

Judy
www.nofearentertaining.com

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Do I like brussel sprouts? Yes, I do!!!

The brussel sprouts served with parsley potatoes and salmon en papillote!

I have gone all of my life up til now hating brussel sprouts. I mean to the point that when I was a child and had to eat the nasty ass things I would pop them in my mouth and swallow them whole with a gulp of milk. I've tried making them several times, several different ways.

When I went to the farmer's market the other day I saw some there and for some unknown reason I bought them. I tend to think that the foods we are drawn to or crave are the ones that our bodies need at that given time. Regardless I came home with them. I hid them from T. He hates them more than I do. I emailed my friend Jenn as I had remembered that she did a post on them back in the spring. She sent me the link.

As I got ready to print out the recipe I realized that I didn't have hardly any of the ingredients besides maybe the brussel sprouts???!!! I need to try this one next though!

I ended up trying this one and I liked them, I mean I really, really liked them. T. even ate 4 of them???!!! The girls it will take a bit of time but they did try them!

Brussel Sprouts with White Wine and Thyme (from Domino-The Guide to Living with Style)

The Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 pound Brussels sprouts, stems trimmed and cut in half lengthwise
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 7 to 8 fresh thyme sprigs
• ½ cup vegetable stock
• ½ cup white wine
• coarse sea salt
• freshly ground white pepper

Coat a large sauté pan with the olive oil. Add the Brussels sprouts, arranging them cut side down in one snug layer. Turn the heat to high and sauté until the cut side of the Brussels sprouts are lightly browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the garlic and thyme. Sauté for about 2 minutes, or until the garlic is fragrant, stirring to evenly distribute the garlic and thyme. Add the vegetable stock, wine, and 1 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil and stir well. Immediately lower the heat to low, cover, and braise until the Brussels sprouts are tender, about 7 minutes. Remove from the heat and remove the thyme stems.

Season with additional salt and white pepper to taste and serve hot.

As Always

Happy Entertaining!!!

Judy
www.nofearentertaining.com

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Spinach with Raisins and Pine Nuts

I went to the market this morning and the only thing that looked good to me was the spinach. Everything else had that sort of non-glow that comes from being around just a little too long. Now remember, I am not like everyone who lives up North and this is their growing season and they have a plethora of fresh fruits and veggies at their whim. I am in the hot, miserable, "whanna buy some swamp land" called Florida.

Our produce sucks this time of year. You may not even know this about me if you are a new reader and if you are one of my old friends you will know this only too well...I want local produce!!! Organic if I can get it. Well I can't get it right now so I am relying on produce that is organic and generally shipped to my loving hands from California!!!! While I am relying on this we are definitely eating more meat then we ever do during the winter here. So tonight I decided to roast a chicken (yes, it was 95 our today but the a/c works whether I have to oven on or not!) and make some spinach to go with it. I am so tired of the same old sauteed spinach so I wanted to shake it up a bit. After doing a quick search I came across a recipe on chow.com that would work and I had all the ingredients.

Spinach with Raisins and Pine Nuts (CHOW-food, drink and fun)

INGREDIENTS

• 5 to 6 tablespoons golden or dark raisins
• 2 packages (each 10 ounces) fresh spinach or 2 medium-size bunches fresh spinach, tough stems discarded
• 3 to 4 tablespoons fragrant extra-virgin olive oil
• 6 to 8 whole small peeled garlic cloves, lightly smashed
• 5 tablespoons pine nuts
• Coarse salt (kosher or sea) and freshly ground black pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Place the raisins in a small bowl, add very hot water to cover, and soak until plump, 10 to 15 minutes. Drain well and pat dry with paper towels, then set aside.
2. Rinse but do not drain the spinach. Place the spinach in a large saucepan over medium heat and cover the pan. Cook the spinach until wilted, 4 to 5 minutes, stirring a few times. Transfer the spinach to a colander, and squeeze out the excess moisture by pressing on the spinach with the back of a spoon. Chop the spinach coarsely. (The spinach can be prepared a few hours ahead up to this point.)
3. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet or wok over low heat. Add the garlic, pine nuts, and soaked raisins, and cook until the nuts and the garlic are light golden, 3 to 5 minutes. Increase the heat to medium, add the chopped spinach, and cook for about 1 minute, stirring to combine evenly. Season with salt and pepper to taste, transfer to a serving bowl, and serve.

This was a definite hit in our house. I wish I had of had more as this recipe was gone in no time at all!!!

As Always...

Happy Entertaining!!!

Judy
www.nofearentertaining.com

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Bees, Bees and more Bees!

Who said that there was a shortage of honey bees??? Whoever it was I need to call them and let them know that I found them!!! My house is infested...

We arrived home from vacation last Wednesday and I found a whole pile of dead bees in front of my doors that lead from my bedroom to my pool. In my crazy state of exhausted I did a quick "hmmm" and vacuumed them up! Didn't give them too much thought but everyday I seemed to be sweeping up some dead bees. I never saw them alive and have been really too busy to care too much about them. Then Sunday night there was one buzzing around my bed.

Well that was enough for me. I called my pest control service and they arrived within and hour (when you have a daughter who is allergic to fire ants and bees are an unknown they rush). Apparently I have a hive in the concrete wall right behind my bed???!!! WTF and why my house????

At least now I have no more bees coming in but I am sure there is a great big gooey glob of honey comb and a bunch of dead to dieing bees behind my bed...

Unfortunately in my delicate state I did not get any pictures of any of this but this video shows the crisis issue...



Dinner last night was a simple on off marinated grilled chicken and grilled beans.


For the chicken marinade I just used up a bunch of vinaigrette salad dressing bottles that have been cluttering up my fridge. Now that I make all of our dressings these have just been sitting there. I marinated the chicken for about 3 hours in the fridge.

For the beans I used my grill pan. First I blanched the beans then tossed them in sesame oil, peanut oil, soy sauce, garlic powder and salt and pepper. I threw some mushrooms in as well.

This made for a quick delicious meal for another busy evening!

As Always...

Happy Entertaining!!!

Judy
www.nofearentertaining.com

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Just trying to get back into the swing of things...

Food Blogging is the best and Food Bloggers are even better! This is Jenn-The Leftover Queen and I in St. Augustine!

We got home late Tuesday night from our 2 week vacation of visiting family and some wonderful new found friends. Get this...not only did T. drive 2 kids and 2 dogs through the country from from south to north and then back again but, he also made time for me to meet some people that I so desperately wanted to meet!!! Isn't he the best?

I posted my last post about meeting up with Peter of Kalofagas-Greek Food and Beyond for a day when we were in Toronto. That was an incredible day that I will not soon forget but I also got to meet up the the Queen!!! The Leftover Queen that is! How lucky am I???

I have been talking to Jenn for several months now and when T. and I had firmed up our vacation plans I knew that we would be passing near St. Augustine on the 15th. I let Jenn know and she said that she would love to spend a bit of time with us on our way through.

Unfortunately we did not have the luxury of too much time and the kids were wild and the dogs were wild...But we did get to at least meet and know that we want to get to know each other better! After spending some incredibly crazy and hectic time in Jenn and Roberto's beautiful condo we decided that it would be safer and better if we took a short walk to get some of our favorite food...Gelato! Yep, they live right in the historic area of the oldest city in the nation and within walking distance to some really, really good Gelato. Pretty neat if you ask me!!! Amid some chaos we eventually made it to their favorite place and we were able to sit and talk for a bit before it was time for us to get back on the road. We still had about 5 hours to go on the journey home!

When I think about all of the wonderful people that I have made connections with through food blogging it helps me to see how blessed I am in my incredible life. If not for our like mindedness none of us would have had the opportunity to be enriched by all of these wonderful people!

I can't urge you enough to get out there and meet other food bloggers (with safety always in mind!). Maybe you think you are too shy, or too busy or it is just too inconvenient- push yourself a little and get out there and meet them. I am so glad that I did and you will be too!!! I feel that I have made 2 life long friends through this and I wouldn't trade that for the world!

Now for something completely different...Food and a recipe!!!

During our drive from here to Pennsylvania for the first leg of our trip I grabbed myself the July copy of Food & Wine. Usually I don't have time to read too many magazines but with nothing else to do besides refereeing my children's back seat battles this was a perfect chance to catch up on things to read. While I was checking out some of the articles I came across several recipes that would be great for feeding larger groups of people. I had the perfect opportunity to make one of these during our week long stay sister's beautiful house in a suburb of Toronto! Thanks Sis for putting up with us!!!

The puppy (5 mos old and the size of a horse) playing in the sprinkler! My sister's yard backs onto a beautiful ravine filled with wildlife. We saw a mother deer and her two babies just about everyday!!!

Green Bean-and-Tomato Salad with Tarragon Dressing (adapted from Food and Wine-July 2008)

ingredients

• 2 pounds green and yellow string beans
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 medium shallots, minced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
  
• 2 tablespoons chopped tarragon
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved

directions

1. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the beans until just tender, about 4 minutes. Drain the beans and spread them on a large baking sheet to cool. Pat dry.
2. In a small bowl, whisk the olive oil with the shallots and tarragon and season with salt and pepper. Place the beans and tomatoes in a large bowl, add the dressing and toss well. Transfer to a platter and serve.

MAKE AHEAD The cooked beans and dressing can be refrigerated separately overnight. Bring to room temperature before tossing.

This was such an easy salad to prepare and make ahead. I love things like this when I am cooking for people that I want to spend lots of time with!!!

As Always...

Happy Entertaining!!!

Judy
www.nofearentertaining.com

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Banana and Chocolate Chip Cookies...Yummmmm!

A great way to use those over ripe bananas and a nice break from banana bread!!!

What with it being summer right now and always having a bunch of children running through my house I like to have something for the kids to snack on. I have been making snack like cakes and stuff but I wanted to make some cookies.

I had some bananas that were quite a bit darker then they need to be for eating so I knew I wanted to make a cookie using them. Martha Stewart's Banana-Walnut-Chocolate-Chunk Cookies did the trick. This is the recipe that I used with my changes.

Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies (adapted from Martha's Banana-Walnut Chocolate Chunk Cookies)

Ingredients

1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 light brown sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1-2 ripe/over ripe bananas, mashed
1 cup rolled oats
8 oz bittersweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup chopped pecans

Directions

Combine flours ,salt and baking soda in a bowl; set aside.
Mix butter and sugars with mixer until fluffy.
Add egg, vanilla and banana continue mixing until well blended.
Then add flour mixture.
Stir in oats, walnuts and chocolate chunks.
Spoon out in hefty scoops onto a parchment linked baking sheet.
(Or just a greased cookie sheet is fine)
(Batter will be gloppy or runny not firm or packable)
Bake for 12 minutes at 375 degrees.

These cookies were so delicious. The little ones had them gone in no time. At least nothing is going to waste this summer!!! Take a plate of these to the 4th of July party and you will see what I mean!!!

As Always...

Happy Entertaining!!!

Judy
www.nofearentertaining.com

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Tripletail!

A nice piece of Tripletail fresh off the grill!

My children are both huge fish lover's. It makes no difference what type of fish it seems. My oldest daughter's absolute favorite though is tripletail. This is a fairly common fish in our parts. It is most widely available at the fish market from April through October. To learn more click here.

To cook this really mild and moist fish we just use flat irons coated with butter. Apply a light seasoning of paprika, salt and pepper. Cook til no longer opaque. T. had his blackened and it was so good like that as well!

Speaking of blackening...

Think my toe is broken??? This was about an hour after the injury occurred and already purple!!! I think it's just jammed but it sure hurts like H***!

Now onto something completely different. I had bought a case of apricots from Costco thinking that the girls would eat them. This was not to be. After my 2 attempts at the Royal Foodie Joust this was what I had left. Instead of feeding them to Enorma I decided to pull out our food dehydrator and let them dry for a while. They were absolutely delicious and I can't wait to get some more from Costco!!!

Leftover apricots from my Royal Foodie Joust entry ready to dry on the dehydrator!

I guess you probably have noticed that my mind is a little scattered by the jumble of this post but having the girl's home this summer is cutting into my blogging time. I wouldn't trade it for the world but you are going to have to put up with me being a touch scattered. We are also preparing for vacation so that is making it a little more hectic then it should be!

As Always...

Happy Entertaining!!!

Judy
www.nofearentertaining.com

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