Winter Mojito

Posted on February 24, 2014 by Peg

©Kennedy Center for Performing Arts

The evening began with Patti LuPone and Mandy Patinkin at The Kennedy Center. ‘Nough said! Then we made our way to Kafe Leopold where I tried, and fell in love with this Winter Mojito (along with their warm tomato mozzarella tea sandwich). The groundhog insists that we have a few more weeks of winter remaining, so give this a whirl. It is after all M.O.N.D.A.Y…Get your cocktail on!

PtotheS. I think this would be excellent any time of the year, snowy outside or not.

Sorry, not a great pic. Taken with phone in dimly lit wonderful Kafe Leopold!

Drunken Cranberry Syrup:
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
1 cup cranberries
2 cinnamon sticks
Zest of 1 orange, in large pieces
Combine all in sauce pan.
Bring to boil, stirring, until berries open, about 1 minute.
Drain liquid in to a container.
Discard orange and cinnamon, reserving berries.
Add 1 cup light rum.
Stir and allow to cool.

The Cocktail:
2 t drunken berries
2 t drunken berry liquid
2 lime wedges
8 mint leaves
3 oz dark Rum
2 oz club soda

In cocktail shaker, muddle together berries, berry juice, limes, and mint leaves.
Fill with ice.
Add rum.
Shake vigorously.
Strain into Manhattan glass.
Top with club soda.

Alternatively, fill a cocktail glass with ice.
Strain mixed cocktail into iced glass.
Top with club soda and stir.

Grits with Mushroom Ragout

Posted on February 19, 2014 by Peg

Now this is some Southern know how folks! My dear friend Lou, who reads 36 hours in every 24 hour day (I don’t even pretend to know how that happens) hooked me up with a clipping from the Wall Street Journal highlighting this recipe by Chef Mark Steuer. So… made these yummilicious grits, I did, tweaking it to suit my personal taste. Chef Steuer is known for bringing his Lowcountry cuisine to Chicago and spreading that taste all over the region, where he is chef/owner of Carriage House and Chef of Bedford. Take his cue and get on out there and make this tummy warming sensation. Pure Vintage Southern y’all!

What you need:
1 Tbs olive oil
1 shallot, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 1/2 lbs mushrooms, sliced
1/3 cup sherry
1 cup vegetable stock
1 Tbs thyme leaves, roughly chopped
1 Tbs butter
Pinch of kosher salt
2 1/2 cups milk
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup long cooking grits
1/2 Tbs lemon juice
1/4 t salt
1/2 t pepper

To make the ragout:
Heat oil in medium sauce pan.
Stir in shallots and garlic.
Cook 2 minutes.
Increase heat to medium-high.
Add mushrooms.
Cook 4 to 5 minutes, stirring often, until mushrooms soften.
Stir in sherry and cook 1 minute, until evaporated.
Add stock, thyme, butter, and salt.
Cook 4 to 5 minutes until liquid is reduced by half.
Remove from heat
Cover to keep warm.

To make grits:
Bring milk and cream to a simmer, in medium pot over medium-high heat.
Slowly stir in grits.
Reduce heat to low.
Cook grits, stirring constantly, until liquid is absorbed and grits are tender, 8 to 10 minutes.
Remove from heat.
Stir in lemon juice, salt, and pepper.

To serve:
Distribute grits among plates.
Top each serving with mushroom ragout.
*May top with poached egg if desired.

Serves 8.

*Note: making the grits with cream renders them smooth and creamy, until they are removed from the heat. Then they can become rather solid. So, I suggest that you serve the plates immediately, or add broth if you need to rewarm them prior to serving!

Snow Cream White Russian

Posted on February 11, 2014 by Peg

View from my Kitchen Window this Afternoon!

“Three Tuesdays in a Row” is what I should’ve named this post. The past three weeks have seen winter storms invade our lively lives here in ENC and the South. td had patients to cancel for this afternoon and tomorrow as well, so here we sat watching old James Bond movies and yearning for a call to action. Creativity and innovation followed. Light bulb; make a drink using the still falling snow. Just the right amount of wrong! Prepare to indulge. Mighty yummy and I don’t even like sweet drinks. PtotheS: I used Covington Vodka for this recipe today. It is made right here in our own ENC, so why not?! Right?! More on Covington later gaters! Enjoy and be safe out there.

8 cups freshly fallen snow
1 cup whole milk
1/3 cup sugar
2 oz vanilla flavored Kahlua (or plain Kahlua)
3 oz Vodka
Pinch of sea salt or kosher salt
Nutmeg for garnish

Place snow in freezer while you prepare the cream base.
Whisk together milk, sugar, Kahlua, Vodka, and salt.
Fold in frozen snow.
Pour into glasses.
Sprinkle nutmeg on top.

Serves 2!

Turkish Curried Chicken

Posted on February 3, 2014 by Peg

Tales of the Unexpected! Remember that my fam and I were in Istanbul this past October. Well, our first night there, we were having a perfectly peaceful dinner of curried chicken and other things curry at the magnificent restaurant 360°, enjoying our view of…you guessed it, 360 degrees of Istanbul. And out of the darkness, this creature starts climbing along the walls, and then slinking around the floor. Um hum. Suspended Moments in Time. Even rendered my dear son-in-law speechless for a millisecond; and that ain’t easy (written with true affection!) But back to the food. I entrust you with this marvy recipe. Please take care of it. And enjoy it in good health. Serefe! (you know, Turkish for Cheers).

1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 Tbs curry powder
1 t ground cinnamon
1/2 t grated ginger root
1/2 t white sugar
1/2 can diced tomatoes
1 cup plain yogurt
1 cup coconut milk
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips

Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat.
Add onion and garlic; turn heat to medium low; sauté for 2 minutes.
Add curry, cinnamon, ginger, sugar, tomatoes, yogurt, and milk.
Stir until well combined.
Add chicken pieces and bring to a boil.
When mixture boils, turn heat to medium low.
Cover skillet and cook 10 to 12 minutes, turning a few times.
Turn heat off and stir all ingredients.
Leave skillet on burner 4 minutes.
Serves 4.

To serve, place bed of rice on plate.
Top with 2 chicken strips, half on and half off rice bed.
Drizzle with pan sauce.
Garnish with chopped cilantro.

Pepper Jack Chicken

Posted on January 24, 2014 by Peg

It’s the freakin’ weekend, baby I’m about to have me some fun! (Thank you R. Kelly!) Mexican tonight? Sounds solid to me. Here’s the yummy entree. Now just add a little salad and mix up a pitcher of margaritas. Then just sit back and let it all slide right on down as smoothly as that Reposado Gold! All of this in the comfort of your own warm home. I’m so happy that I’m having a dizzy spell.

1 recipe Pepper Jack Soup
1 cup uncooked regular long grain white rice
1 can black beans
1 can shoepeg corn
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup shredded cheddar or parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 375°.
Spray large casserole dish with cooking spray.
In the casserole stir together soup, water, rice, beans, and corn.
Cut each breast in half on the diagonal.
Place chicken on top of soup mixture and press down a bit to submerge the chicken.
Cover with aluminum foil.
Bake for 50 minutes.
Remove from oven, top with cheese and let stand 5 minutes.

Serves 6 to 8. Just depends on serving sizes!

Pepper Jack Soup

Posted on January 22, 2014 by Peg

Check out the funcicles!

Ladies and Gentlemen…it snowed in ENC last night. Wonder of wonders, Miracle of Miracles! (Thank you Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick for those lyrics from Fiddler on the Roof.) It IS a rare occurrence here, but a fun one! It is cold out and I yearned a bit for a cozy soup. Being too lazy to clean off my car and venture to the grocery, I scanned the fridge and cupboard for ingredients on hand. Felt the creativity surging and came up with this wonderful warmness. Mmmm. Much better than Campbell’s discontinued version!

PS…I made this earlier in the winter to add to a chicken recipe…I’ll share that next week! It gets so busy in this head!

2 Tbs butter
2 Tbs all purpose flour
Small sweet onion, grated
6 cloves garlic, minced
14.5 oz can low fat, low sodium chicken broth
2 cups milk
2 1/2 cups shredded pepper jack cheese
1 t Worcestershire sauce
1/4 t Tabasco
1/4 t fresh ground black pepper
1/4 cup chopped cilantro leaves

In large skillet, melt butter.
Stir in flour and cook until flour begins to turn golden brown.
Add onion and garlic.
Cook 3 minutes, until onion softens and becomes translucent.
Slowly whisk in chicken broth, stirring occasionally, 15 minutes, until thickened and smooth.
Remove from heat.
Immediately whisk in shredded cheese until melted, and soup is smooth.
Season with Worcestershire, Tabasco and pepper.
Ladle into bowls.
Sprinkle with cilantro to garnish.

Serves 6 as meal or 18 in demitasse.

PSagain! Sorry, I can’t find the pic of this. But you don’t need it. You’ll be just fine!

Saturday Sandwich

Posted on January 17, 2014 by Peg

It’s a bit of a mouthful, but it surely is yummy. Gathering my goods for this Saturday sandwich. Gonna stay right at home tomorrow, work on my puzzle and chow down on this tasty combination! It’s the only way I can entice TD to assist with the puzzle; otherwise, he’s on the golf course or working on his crosswords! I just L.O.V.E. this sandwich toasted, on a Saturday, and I savor it over a full 45 minutes! Small bites delivering big flavor; that’s what I’m saying. Sometimes I even sip a mimosa with it! Now you just may be noticing that blue solo cup on the game table…Brenton can’t understand it, with my obsession for glassware. It’s just another tale of the unexpected. And so it goes…

Pimento Cheese, Bacon and Tomato Sandwich

1 recipe of Peg’s Pimento Cheese (repeated here for convenience)
4 slices of Health Nut bread
1 tomato, sliced
4 strips of precooked bacon, warmed

Pimento Cheese:
4 oz cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup mayonnaise (I use Hellman’s Light or Duke’s)
1/2 cup fat free sour cream
1 1/2 cups grated sharp cheddar
2 cups grated pepper jack
4 oz pimentos, drained and finely chopped
1/2 t black pepper
1/3 cup sugar

Mix all together.

Spread pimento cheese on 1 slice of bread.
Top with tomato slices and bacon.
Top with another slice of bread.
Cut in half.

Makes 2 sandwiches.

Naturally you’ll have pimento cheese left over, but who minds that problem? Not this girl.

Pomegranate Chicken

Posted on January 14, 2014 by Peg

Old Town Istanbul, October, 2013

Admittedly, I am more than slightly obsessed with pomegranates. My family will attest that I verged on the side of obnoxious while in Istanbul this past October. But in my defense…there WERE fresh pomegranate carts all over the old towne (Constantinople!) I just wanted to bite right into one, almost did as a matter of fact! Proof you ask; well here ’tis! So this recipe in the new issue of Cooking Light jumped off the page at me. Tweaked it last night to suit our taste buds and haven’t been that delighted with a new entree in a long time! So, spreading the love is what I’m doing. Pomegranate season lasts another 6 or so weeks; so race on down to your local grocer and whip this up. At a mere 458 calories per serving, who can turn this down?! Licking my lips again!

3 cups low fat, low sodium chicken broth, divided
1 cup uncooked long cooking rice
1 medium onion, cut into chunks
1 Tbs chopped fresh thyme
3/4 t salt, divided
1 1/4 t cracked pepper, divided
1 1/4 cup pomegranate juice, divided
1/2 cup pomegranate arils
1 Tbs olive oil
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts

Preheat oven to 400°.
Combine 2 cups chicken stock, rice, onion, and thyme in medium saucepan.
Bring to boil.
Cover and simmer 15 minutes, until liquid is absorbed.
Remove from heat.
Stir in half of the salt and pepper.
Set aside.
Combine remaining 1 cup chicken broth and 1 cup pomegranate juice in small saucepan.
Bring to boil.
Reduce and simmer 16 to 18 minutes, until reduced to 1/2 cup.
Remove from heat and stir in arils.
Set aside.
Add olive oil and remaining 1/2 cup pomegranate juice to skillet.
Turn heat to medium high.
Salt and pepper chicken.
Add to skillet.
Cook 4 minutes til browned on one side.
Turn chicken over.
Place in oven.
Bake 8 minutes.
Remove from oven and allow to rest 4 minutes.

To plate:
Slice each breast on diagonal into 4 or 5 strips.
Spoon a bit of rice onion mixture onto plate.
Place sliced chicken half on and half off rice.
Pour pomegranate mixture over chicken and rice.

Serves 4 to 6.

TnT!

Posted on January 9, 2014 by Peg

The Bride (T) and Groom (T) with the Groom’s Parents.

Sometimes Stars Just Align! As they did for TandT. So this past weekend we threw a partee to celebrate this bride and groom to be (thank you Jackie for sharing your magnificent home)! Served a few of our favorite things, yessiree; so I’m just going to hook you up with one of my personal favs, a bit of a surprise at a cocktail buffet. Gotta get your “starch on”! But first…a couple of pics from the partee!

The Bride and her Sister. (Look at those smiles. I mean these gals should be in print ads for a dental practice…umm…I know just the right practice!)

It was the Sister’s 18th, so we Made a Cake and Sang!

Sweets for the Sweet! (Thank you Mr. Shakespeare!)

Drum Roll…the Potatoes!

Mini Potatoes with Cheese and Bacon
24 small white or red potatoes
8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup sour cream
8 strips precooked bacon, warmed and crumbled
1/2 t salt
1/2 t black pepper
3/4 cup grated cheddar cheese
3/4 cup grated Monterey jack
3 Tbs chopped green onion

Preheat oven to 400°.
Line baking sheet with aluminum foil.
Boil potatoes for 8 – 10 minutes, or until tender.
Drain and allow to cool.
Cut top off of potato.
Scoop out part of center of potato, leaving 1/4 inch wall.
Combine cream cheese, sour cream, half of the bacon, salt, and pepper.
Add additional cheeses, and onion, and stir.
Spoon mixture into potato shells.
Top with remaining bacon.
Place potatoes on prepared baking sheet.
Bake 15 – 20 minutes, until lightly browned.
Sprinkle with pepper and serve.

Note: If using as an appetizer rather than as a dinner starch, I cut the potatoes in half rather than just slicing top off, before prepping, for a smaller bite.

PS…I did not use bacon this particular time as we were serving yummy brown sugar, maple syrup bacon as well! But that’s for another time.

Here are the Taters with Bacon!

Bloody Mary Special

Posted on December 19, 2013 by Peg

Ho Ho Ho! I’ve made my list, and checked the darn thing at least thrice (maybe 9 times!). Everyone has their own unique recipe for a Bloody Mary, so I will leave that specific concoction up to you. However, for the Holiday Season I highly encourage making Bloody Mary ice cubes for your guests, and of course for you! I combine Zing Zang mix with a dash of Tito’s vodka in a small pitcher, then pour it into the trays (you don’t want the cubes really strong!)…that is if you want them to taste your fabulous cooking that you have literally fretted about for weeks. Ha! Fill an old timey ice cube tray and allow to freeze. After frozen I like to pop them out of the cube tray and store in a sealed ziploc, so there is no freezer aroma in the cubes. Then after you whip up your batch of B Mary’s, plop a couple of frozen cubes into the glass, fill with your B Mary and relax…I promise that the day will float right by with lots of love, laughter, delightfulness and not a single snafu! Happy Holidays! See you on the other side of the Holiday Season, if not before! PS…I do love celery salt, fresh celery, hot sauce of your choice, and a fresh lime in my Bloody!

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