Whole Roasted Duck 2.0

I had my cousins Alexa and Jenna over last night and since they've started cooking over the last few years - they've tried this recipe for themselves. Jenna pointed out to me that I don't have every step down on my blog so I am going to edit it to make it correct.

If you would like to see a tutorial on how to make the dumplings: go to the Klein and Dine youtube channel. :)

Ingredients:
5 lb duck (I usually serve a quarter duck per person so figure out how much you need. And I suggest rounding up because it's really good and it's just as easy to make one as a few)
1 part caraway seed
2 part salt
1 part pepper
1 onion per duck - cut into large chunks


Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 300. In a small dry skillet, toast the caraway seeds over medium heat until fragrant. Add seeds to a small bowl and combine with salt and pepper. Set aside.

2. Clean duck by removing innards and any excess skin or fat. With a knife, carefully cut slits in the duck fat - making sure to only cut fat and not the skin. Using a fork, poke small holes in fat of the duck all over.

3. Cover duck inside and out with salt, pepper and caraway seeds. Place onion, roughly chopped, into the duck cavity.

4. Place duck in a large roasting pan on a rack breast side up. Pour 1 inch of water into the bottom of the pan. Cover pan with lid or aluminum foil and place in oven for 1 hour. Two times throughout the hour (try to evenly space this) carefully prick the skin/fat of the duck. Use a fork and gently make holes in the fat of the duck. This will render out the fat and give you crispier skin.

5. After the hour is up, take out the duck and flip it on the rack so it is now breast side down. Cover again and place in oven for 45 minutes. Make sure to prick fat twice throughout this 45 minutes.

6. Remove duck from oven and turn up heat to 425. Right before putting duck back in the oven, take lid off. Prick the skin again and place in oven for about 20 minutes or until skin is crispy and golden brown.

7. Once the skin is crispy, remove duck from oven and flip it over so it is breast side up again. Return to oven until skin is crispy about 20 minutes. You may need to turn on the broiler for the last few minutes to get the skin super duper crispy.

8. While the first part of duck skin is crisping, start making and kneading the bread dumplings. You will want to put the dumplings in 5 minutes before the duck is finished so the duck has time to rest while dumplings finish cooking and everything will be done at the same time.

9. Once duck is crsipy, remove pan from oven. Place ducks on a serving platter and cover loosely with foil to keep warm. After resting for 15 minutes, cut duck into quarters using a pair of kitchen scissors.

10. After pan juices have cooled, strain and pour into a gravy boat for serving. Make sure to use juices on duck and dumplings for extra flavor.

11. Once everything is finished, place all on a table and serve!!

Chicken Paprika 2.0

I decided to make chicken paprika and dumplings on a day off. I looked at my recipe and realized I make it in a slightly different way so I decided to update the recipe :)

Chicken Paprika
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 tablespoon paprika
1 chicken thigh per person serving. (I made 5)
2 tablespoons flour
2-3 cups chicken stock
salt and pepper
1 cup sour cream
1/2 lemon, juiced

Directions:
1. In a large pot (a soup pot or saute pan with high sides and needs a lid) heat oil over medium heat. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper and add to saute pan. This step is to brown the outside, not cook the meat through. Brown both sides of chicken, about 5 minutes per side, then remove it to a plate.

2. Turn heat down to medium low and add the chopped onion and cook until almost golden (don't let the pieces burn so stir occasionally)

3. Sprinkle paprika over onions and allow to cook like 3 minutes.

4. Turn down heat to low and add flour. Stir well and cook for about 3-4 minutes. Add half the chicken stock and stir until everything is incorporated.

5. Add chicken pieces back to pan. Make sure liquid/sauce comes up about 3/4 way of chicken pieces.

6. Keep liquid at a simmer and cover pan with a lid. Allow chicken to cook for about 40 minutes or until tender.

7. While this is cooking make any side dishes you want to serve

8. Once chicken is cooked remove to a plate and cover with foil. Once rested for a few minutes, shred chicken into large pieces with two forks. Make sure to remove any fat, skin or bones.

9. Blend liquid in pan until smooth. Pour back into pan. Turn heat up to medium- high and add sour cream and lemon. Allow liquid to simmer until it is slightly thickened. Return chicken to pan and serve immediately.


Dumplings: (makes about 40 dumplings)
3 eggs
1 cup milk
3 cups flour
1 1/2 t salt
1 1/2 t baking powder
4 1/2 slices of bread, cubed
Dumplings:

1. Beat eggs with a fork in a bowl. Add milk.

2. Sift flour, salt and baking powder into the bowl. Normally I wouldn't bother sifting but this makes the final dumplings lighter. Mix together

3. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.

4. Now it's time to "knead" Start from one edge of the bowl with a wooden spoon. Put spoon into dough a inch from side of pan. Bring toward you, move over horizontally a spoon length and do the same thing. Repeat this over and over, using the spoon to add air to the dough, until you reach the other side of the pan. Turn pan and continue. You can't really over work this dough so do more then you think you need to. Bubbles should form within the dough. This will take some time but your patience will be rewarded.

5. Add bread cubes and fold until dough is combined.

6. cut dough into thirds on a floured cutting board. Use extra flour to roll sticky cut edges in. Make cuts as even as possible.

7. Place into boiling water. Cook 10 minutes then rotate dough 180 degrees and cook for another 10 minutes.

8. Cut dumplings into 1/2 inch slices. Place in a serving bowl and cover with a dish towel to keep warm.

Monkey Bread

This recipe is so simple! I feel like it would be a great first dish for kids to learn to make, just make sure to pre cut the biscuits. It would teach a few measurements, it's fun to dip the dough in butter then sugar, and the pay off is quick and really sweet and tasty.

Next time I attempt this dish, which will be soon since it was yummy and easy, I want to try a 50/50 mix of sugar and brown sugar. I think it'll add a nice extra bit of flavor and make it taste even more like a cinnamon roll.

Ingredients:

3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) butter, melted
One 16-ounce tubes refrigerated biscuit dough
1 cups sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
ICE CREAM and Chocolate sauce - for serving

Special equipment: a 10-inch nonstick Bundt pan 

Directions:

1. Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F.

2. Put the butter in a medium bowl. Brush the bundt pan with some of the butter to lightly coat.

3. Cut the biscuits into quarters. Combine the sugar and cinnamon in a large bowl and stir together.
Working in batches, toss the biscuits in the melted butter, roll them in the sugar mixture to lightly coat and add them to the Bundt pan. Start placing them evenly around the pan as you go. There's no need to press down on the dough, the less pressure you put on the dough the flakier the final product.

4. Cover the pan with foil and bake for 35 minutes. Remove the foil and bake until puffed and golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes more.

5. Loosen the bread from the sides of the pan with a knife. Carefully invert the pan onto a serving plate, remove the pan and serve hot with a scope of ice cream and some chocolate sauce.

Crispy Chicken with Potatoes and Arugula

I was looking for a dinner idea and my friend, Susan, came up with a great idea - arugula salad over steak. I wasn't in the mood for steak but the arugula salad sounded great so I cooked up some chicken. You could serve it that way but to make it an even more substantial meal, I added some mashed potatoes but you could do any of your favorite roast vegetables.

I really liked the combination of the lemony and slightly bitter arugula with the crispy chicken. The next night I added the arugula salad to some leftover salmon I had and it was great! I plan to start cooking with more arugula!!

Ingredients:

dry rub:
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. dried thyme

Chicken breasts, skin on and bone in - 1 breast per person

Yukon gold potatoes
milk
butter
salt and pepper

1/2 cup arugula
1 tsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. olive oil
salt and pepper


Directions:
1. Combine dry rub ingredients in a small paper bowl, spread all over chicken. Make sure to get under the skin of the chicken as well by gently using your index finger to pry the skin away from the meat, making sure to not poke holes in the skin and not completely detach the skin from the meat. Leave chicken on counter top for 20 minutes to allow to come to room temperature.

2. Peel potatoes and cut into chunks, place into a pot of cold water. Add a little salt and allow potatoes to cook over medium high heat until fork tender. Using your food mill, puree potatoes in batches into a bowl. Add milk and butter to potatoes and use a masher to keep pureeing the potatoes. Taste for seasoning and add more butter, salt, and pepper. Set aside in a warm place.

To Cook Chicken:

1. Preheat oven to 375. Heat 1 tbs olive oil in a large non stick pan over medium high heat. Once oil is hot (you'll see it rippling) place the chicken breast skin side down. Cook for 3 minutes then look at chicken, if skin looks crisp/browned, turn chicken - otherwise continue cooking chicken skin side down until skin is crispy, checking each minute.

2. Once skin is crispy, flip chicken and cook on other side for 3 minutes. Place chicken breasts on a a foil lined pan and place in oven. Cook until internal temperature of the chicken hits 154. Remove chicken and cover loosely with foil and allow to rest for 5 minutes.

3. While chicken rests heat up mashed potatoes. Also finish arugula garnish - whisk lemon, olive oil, salt and pepper in a bowl. Add arugula and toss. Allow to sit for a few minutes so lemon juice wilts the arugula slightly.

To serve - place some mashed potatoes in the middle of the plate, cover with chicken breast, then top with arugula mix. Enjoy!

Restaurant Review - Shibuya, MGM Grand, Las Vegas - Part 1

I know, I split this review into 2 posts. I feel like the movie studios that take a good book that could be 1 movie and split into 2 for more money. I just want my readers to know that I've been to this restaurant a bunch of times and I have too many good dishes to talk about! This post is about the warm and cold plates and their sushi menu. The next one will be about their teppan dinnners. Ok, back to the real post now!

That's right my friends, the restaurant's name is Shibuya. As you can imagine, you constantly yell "SHI-BOO-YA" throughout the meal whenever one of your friends gets burned. This restaurant features sushi (very high quality sushi), amazing teppan style food, and cooked dishes as well. If you want the full experience of this restaurant sit at one of the teppan tables in the back, they're the flat cooking tables like at beni hana - to be reviewed in another post :).  While you're at the teppan table also ask for the sushi menu. That way, you can get a taste of both.

I've been lucky enough to eat at this restaurant at least 8 times during my travels to Vegas and I have to say, it consistently holds up. The food and service are really excellent. If you're going to blow some money in Vegas, which you pretty much have to if you want to have any fun, you may as well spend it at a delicious dinner instead of at the roulette table.

Since pretty much everything here is good, I say order a lot of different food and share it so everyone gets a taste of everything. Below are some of the dishes I've had during my visits there:

I unfortunately only have pictures of one of the dishes. This will not continue once I've caught up on a lot of the good restaurants I've been to in the past. Below is a picture of the cold plates - you can see the edge of the tuna sashimi next to the hamachi jalapeno.

Cold Plates -
Tuna Sashimi with wild baby arugula, parmesan slices, black truffle, soy vinaigrette, and rice cracker
This dish is truly my favorite at this restaurant. It's so delicious I can't order raw tuna anywhere else since I always compare it to this dish and the other versions fall short. I've never had tuna with black truffle and cheese before but the combination is really unique and memorable.The smooth texture of the thinly sliced tuna is enhanced next to the light but crunchy rice cracker dots. Definitely order on of these for the table to start!

Hamachi Jalapeno with yellowtail sashimi, jalapeno, cilantro, yuzu kosho soy 
The yellowtail sashimi was just beautiful. The yuzu added a nice acidity to the dish while the jalapeno supplied a little heat making each bite taste really bright in my mouth. Really excellent and well-balanced dish, definitely worth ordering!


Warm Plates -
Wagyu Short Rib with Foie Gras, white asparagus, spicy sweet soy
I love short ribs, you will start to learn that as these reviews go on haha. Foie Gras is a little heavy for me, it's something to definitely try at least one, but I don't crave it. Pairing the creaminess of the Foie with the tenderness of the wagyu short rib was honestly a little too much. I wanted to love this dish but it was such a rich bite that I only wanted to have one.

I do want to try more Wagyu Short Rib though! In case you have no idea what Wagyu means, it's a japanese beef that is breed to have a high percentage of marbling of fat throughout the meat. Realy Wagyu comes from Japan which makes it very pricey. In recent years places have been using American Wagyu which is cheaper and lower quality but still charging high prices - so watch out for yourself! Though I have never experienced it at Shibuya.

Sushi -
Shibuya Roll, soft shell crab, jalepeno, topped with spicy albacore, ponzu, scallions
I like this sushi roll just because it was unique. They have your typical sushi and sashimi but their specialty rolls are what you need to get. This roll was really spicy but had a clean finish. I can not handle very much spice so if you order the flaming hot wings at a bar, this roll is for you! Tasting the real soft shell crab was amazing. Imitation crab just does not hold up!

Kabuto Roll, australian lobster tail tempura, soy paper, cucumber, kaiware
So to be honest, I ordered this roll just because it had lobster in it. I had no idea what kaiware was so I had to ask - I found out kaiware are sprouted daikon radish seeds. They basically add a little texture and color to the dish. I liked this roll but I wouldn't have to order it again.

Trying Something New - Restaurant Reviews

Hello Readers (and by readers I mean the 2 people who view this site since my posts are so inconsistent),

I've decided to try something new. I want to start critiquing restaurants based on my visits there. My hope is to talk about the food and service, the decor and atmosphere, and the overall experience at the different restaurants I eat at. In my life I've been very fortunate to have the opportunity to dine at some amazing restaurants run by chefs like Bobby Flay, Tom Colicchio, and Joel Robuchon. Eating meals at places like these has taught me what good food can be, what good service can be, and I've definitely learned when meals are not as good as they could be.

My intention is not to be rude or mean, but to have a sense of humor, try to improve the dining experience of others, and share some amazing meals and cooking tips to help fellow home cooks like myself who aspire to cook like a master.

Don't get me wrong, I still plan to post recipes I create but I would love to one day go to restaurants and help them by updating and modifying them to make them better.

I hope you enjoy my reviews :)

Whitney

Spaghetti and Meatballs from Scratch

Tomato Sauce

1 tbs. olive oil
1/2 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 large can San Marzano tomatoes, crushed

Meatballs

1 lb. ground beef, lean
1 lb. ground hot italian sausage
4 tbs. ketchup
1 egg
1/4 cup bread crumbs
2 tsp. Salt
2 tsp. pepper
2 tsp onion powder
2 tsp. garlic powder

Spaghetti

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1 tbs. salt
4 large eggs
1 tbs. olive oil

Parmesan Cheese and Fresh Basil for topping at the end. 

Directions:

Marinara Sauce:

1. place olive oil in a large pan over medium high heat. Add onion and a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook onion until translucent, about 3-5 minutes. Add garlic to pan and cook another minute, stirring often so the garlic doesn't burn.

2. Add herbs to the onions and garlic and cook another minute. Add can of crushed tomatoes to the pan with a pinch of salt and pepper. Stir everything together and bring to a boil. Once tomatoes have boiled, drop heat to low and allow to simmer, stirring occasionally for at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours.

3. puree sauce in a blender or use an immersion blender in the pot and make the sauce smooth. Set aside until ready.

Pasta: 

1. Place flour and salt in a large mixing bowl and whisk to combine. make a "well" in the center of the flour mix and add eggs and oil. Using your fingers, blend the eggs into the flour mixture, stirring the flour in from the sides of the well and working outwards. When the pasta dough is thoroughly mixed, turn it out on a lightly floured work surface. Knead dough until it is smooth and flexible but not sticky, adding small amounts of flour as needed, for 5 to 10 minutes. Gather the dough into a ball and flatten into a disk. Cover in plastic wrap and allow dough to rest for at least 30 minutes and up to 4 hours in the fridge.

2. To roll dough use either a pasta machine or roll by hand. You're looking for it to be about 1/8 inch thick for noodles. I go to number 5 on my kitchen aid mixer pasta roller attachment for noodles and to number 4 for ravioli dough. Some people have a cutting attachment for their pasta roller so use that for more uniform noodles but I just use a large chef knife and cut them into fettuccine noodles.

Tips on rolling out pasta dough -
roll on largest size first, fold in half and roll again. Repeat 3 times per size. Allow sheet to rest for 3-5 minutes (covered with a kitchen towel) between changing the thickness of the rolling machine.


Meatballs:

1. preheat oven to 400

2. combine all ingredients in a bowl and combine gently. Try to stir them as little as possible while still mixing everything together. Make a small test patty and cook it off in a saute pan over medium heat. Taste the patty to check the seasoning and then adjust salt and pepper as needed.

2. Roll meat mixture into balls and place onto a sheet tray lined with parchment paper. I like to make mine the size of golf balls but you can make them larger or smaller if you like, just remember to adjust how long they cook in the oven (smaller meatballs take less time to cook through).

3. Once meatballs are rolled, place into the preheated oven and cook for 7-10 minutes until just cooked through. Add cooked meatballs to the marinara sauce. This will allow all of the flavors to meld.

Putting it all Together:

1. Boil a large pot of salted water.

2. Place tomatoes and meatball mixture on low heat and allow to simmer, stirring occasionally.

3. Drop pasta in boiling water and cook for 4 minutes. Fresh pasta takes much less time to cook.

4. Add cooked pasta to sauce. (do not rinse the pasta, you want the starch from the noodles to help hold the sauce on). Cook the pasta with the sauce for 1 minute and then put pasta on a large platter and serve family style or make plates and top with fresh parmesan and basil and enjoy!

Tomato and Cucumber Salad

This is a great side dish for the Late Summer when cucumbers and tomatoes are in season. It only takes about 15 minutes to make this dish. I could only find good cherry tomatoes but if you're at a farmers market grab any and all types of yummy tomatoes!

Ingredients:

1 lbs. ripe heirloom tomatoes, cut into chunks
8 oz. cherry and teardrop-shaped tomatoes, halved
1 English cucumber, peeled in alternating strips and cut into half moons
10 large basil leaves, torn into pieces
2 tbsp. red wine vinegar
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp black pepper

Directions:

1. Cut vegetables

2. Mix vinegar, oil, salt and pepper in a small container (I use a measuring cup)

3. Gently combine all ingredients in a bowl and allow to set for a few minutes(5-10 minutes). Toss again and serve. 

Sous Vide Experiment #1 - Soft Boiled Eggs

I got a sous vide machine (a machine that precisely controls the temperature of water to get food cooked to the exact temperature you want). It's been fun to experiment so far and the first thing I wanted to master was the perfect soft boiled egg. As you can see from my notes below, it took a few tries but it came out successfully in the end! 

46.5 degrees C

30 minutes: pulled egg too early - yolk was warm but whites were still translucent and uncooked

1 hr: egg whites are still transclucent


146 degrees F

45 minutes: egg whites cooked but still runny. yolk good consistency. Need to increase temperature a few degrees

148 degrees F


1 hour: egg yolk has custard like consistency but not very runny. Whites are mostly solid but still a little watery.



63 degrees C - Winner!

45 minutes: egg yolk is creamy but a little runny, egg yolks are slightly watery but mostly cooked.


Found this temp. from watching a lot of Top Chef. It's the perfect temp for the yolk and leaves a little bit of white but not a lot.

Keys for serving egg once done: make sure to use slotted spoon to remove any uncooked egg white. Shake the spoon a few time to really make sure the egg is "Clean".

Simple Braised Chicken

I wanted to do a braised chicken dish and I found this really simple recipe. This should please a lot of people because it's basically chicken in gravy. It takes a little bit of time but can be done ahead and reheated before eating. I served mine with mashed potatoes and Fried Carrot Shoestrings (recipe found here).


Ingredients

6 chicken thighs, bone and skin on (adds more flavor but for healthier dish boneless, skinless thighs work just fine)
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
6 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1/3 cup dry white wine
1 teaspoon dried thyme
2 cups chicken stock
1 teaspoon roux (optional)*

Directions

1. Heat 1 tbs. olive oil in a large dutch oven or pan over medium high heat. Season chicken thighs liberally with salt and pepper. Add chicken, skin side down, to pan and saute until skin is nicely browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Turn chicken over and brown other side for another 5 minutes. Remove chicken and set aside.

2. Pour off excess fat but leave 1 tbs. in pan. Add onion and cook 5 minutes. Add garlic cloves and cook for 2 minutes.

3. Pour in wine and bring to a boil, stirring with a wooden spoon to scrape up any brown bits on bottom or around sides of pan. Boil until wine is reduced to 2 or 3 tablespoons, about 2 minutes.

4. Add chicken back to pan and cover with chicken stock. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce to a simmer (low heat).

5. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 30 minutes or until chicken is very tender.

6. Remove chicken and place on a plate to cool. As chicken cools, use a blender or immersion blender and puree the cooking liquid. (if adding roux, add at this point, after sauce is pureed but before adding chicken)

7. Shred chicken using two forks. Remove any fat, skin and bones. Add back to pureed cooking liquid.

8. You can make it up to this point and then put in fridge. When ready to serve, heat chicken over medium low heat until sauce and chicken are hot again. Serve over mashed potatoes with carrot shoe strings.

*If sauce for chicken is not as thick as you like, you can add in a roux. Melt 1 tbs. butter in a small saucepan. Once melted, add 1 tbs. flour. Whisk mixture together and cook for at least 3 minutes or until mixture turns slightly golden brown. Add roux to liquid slowly while whisking constantly to avoid lumps. Heat the liquid with the roux in it to see the roux thickening effects. If it gets too thick, just add more chicken stock.

Fried Carrot Strings

 I came up with this garnish after watching a lot of Top Chef. I wanted to add something to the plate that would add some texture and be a little different. The first idea that popped into my head was fried carrot shoe strings. And I'm glad the idea did pop into my head, because it was really easy and delicious. I may make them as a healthy-ish snack in the future. The cayenne heat with the contrast of the carrots sweetness was really nice.

To shred the carrot you can use a peeler and then cut the peeled off pieces of carrot with a knife into thin sticks. They also have a zesting tool that looks like this that I think would do a good job much quicker.

To dredge the carrots I used wondra flour. Now I used to have a ton of doubts about wondra until I read the book "On the Line" about Le Bernadin restaurant with Eric Ripert. They use wondra to dredge their fish then blow off the excess and it gives them a thin crunchy crust. I figured if a three michelin star restaurant can do it, so can I. I tried out the wondra and it worked wonderfully! I plan to dredge with it again soon!

3 large Carrots, shredded
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 cup wondra flour

1. Shred carrots into shoe string shapes, allow to drain on a paper towel for a few minutes.

2. Dredge carrot strips in the wondra flour, salt, pepper, and cayenne. Make sure to dust off the excess flour.

3. Fry carrots in preheated pan of canola oil at 375. Don't have to use a lot of oil, have a sauce pan with 2 inches of oil at the bottom. Carrot strings will crisp up in about 20 seconds. Make sure they turn golden brown then remove quickly because they can burn fast.

4. Place the fried carrots on a paper towel to drain and sprinkle with a pinch of salt once finished. Put a bundle of carrots on top of dinner and enjoy! 

Country French Omelet with Potaotes and Bacon

I made this dish for my boyfriend's family around christmas time, yes that's how far back I've had to go to finish all of my half written posts since august haha. It's a crowd pleaser and was really simple so I could still talk with everyone while I cooked. I crisped the bacon and partially cooked the potatoes that morning before I went to their house. I also added a little Parmesan cheese to the top right before placing the dish in the oven to get an even more golden brown crust with a little crunch.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon good olive oil
3 slices thick-cut bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 cup (1-inch-diced) unpeeled Yukon Gold potatoes
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
5 extra-large eggs
3 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon fresh chopped chives
1/8 cup grated parmesan cheese, optional

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. Add the bacon to a 10 inch non stick pan over medium high heat and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the bacon is browned and slightly crisp. Take the bacon out of the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside on a paper towel covered plate. Pour out bacon fat except for 1 tbs. 

3. Place the potatoes in the pan and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook over medium-low heat for 8 to 10 minutes, until very tender and browned, tossing occasionally to brown evenly. Remove with a slotted spoon to the same plate with the bacon.

4. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, beat the eggs, milk, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper together with a fork.

5. After the potatoes are removed, pour the fat out of the pan and discard. Add the butter, lower the heat to low, and pour the eggs into the hot pan. Stir the eggs with for 1 minute to make a few curds then sprinkle the bacon, potatoes, and chives evenly over the top and place the pan in the oven.

6. Cook for about 8 minutes, just until the eggs are set. Slide onto a plate, cut into wedges, and serve hot.

Quick Candied Pecans

I tried this component in a salad from a restaurant and I really liked it. This version is not quite as good as theirs but it's close. The crunchy sweetness with the tangy-ness of goat cheese is great on a salad.

Pecans can be stored at room temp in an air tight container for about 2 weeks. If making ahead for an event, I would do 1 to 2 days before actually serving.


Ingredients:

2 cups pecan halves
4 tablespoons butter, salted
4 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tsp. salt

Directions:

1. Melt butter over medium-high heat. Add pecans and toss to coat.

2. Add sugar, and stir until caramelized, about 5 minutes.

3. Spread on wax or parchment paper and cool.

Pecans can be stored at room temp in an air tight container for about 2 weeks. If making ahead for an event, I would do 1 to 2 days before actually serving.

Short Bread Cookies with Chocolate

I made these cookies because a friends daughter (hi Chio and Natalie) is allergic to eggs and nuts but I was in charge of dessert. To make these rather simple cookies more elegant I drizzled chocolate over the top. You can either drizzle the chocolate or dip half of the cookie into the chocolate - either way they taste really good!!!

Ingredients

3/4 pound unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 to 7 ounces very good semisweet chocolate, finely chopped

Directions

1. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix together the butter and 1 cup of sugar until they are just combined. Add the vanilla. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour and salt, then add them to the butter-and-sugar mixture. Mix on low speed until the dough starts to come together. Dump onto a surface dusted with flour and shape into a flat disk. Wrap in plastic and chill for 30 minutes.

2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

3. Roll the dough 1/2-inch thick and cut with a 3 by 1-inch finger-shaped cutter. Place the cookies on a parchment lined baking sheet and sprinkle with sugar. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the edges begin to brown. Allow to cool to room temperature.

4. When the cookies are cool, place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Put 3 ounces of the chocolate in a glass bowl and microwave on high power for 30 seconds. (Don't trust your microwave timer; time it with your watch.) Stir with a wooden spoon. Continue to heat and stir in 30-second increments until the chocolate is just melted. Add the remaining chocolate and allow it to sit at room temperature, stirring often, until it's completely smooth. Stir vigorously until the chocolate is smooth and slightly cooled; stirring makes it glossier.

5. Drizzle 1/2 of each cookie with just enough chocolate to coat it.

Tomato Bisque Bread Bowl

This recipe is for the tomato bisque. The bread bowl itself - I bought a large round shaped loaf of bread, cut off the top (snack for the chef), and then slowly hollowed out the bowl. Hollow out the bread slowly with your fingers because if you poke a hole in the outer crust - your soup will end up everywhere later! 

 

Definitely take the time to strain the blended soup through a fine mesh strainer - it gave the soup a much smoother texture. 

Ingredients

4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon minced bacon (about 1/2 ounce)
1/2 onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
5 tablespoons all-purpose flour 

4 cups chicken broth, homemade or low-sodium canned 

4 cups vegetable broth, homemade or low-sodium canned

2 (28-ounce) can whole, peeled tomatoes (with liquid), roughly chopped
3 basil sprigs
3 fresh thyme sprigs
1 bay leaf
1 cup heavy cream
1 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Directions

1. Heat the butter in a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and cook, stirring, until crisp and most of the fat has rendered, about 1 minute. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate and set aside. 

2. Lower the heat to medium, add the onion, carrots, celery, and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until soft and fragrant, about 6 minutes. Add garlic and cook another 2 minutes.

3. Stir in the flour and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes. 

4. Pour in the broth and tomatoes and bring to a boil while whisking constantly. 

5. Tie the basil sprigs, thyme, and bay leaf together with a piece of kitchen twine and add to the pot. Lower the heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.

6. When the soup base is cool, remove and discard the herb bundle. Working in batches, transfer the mixture to a blender and puree until smooth. Using a sieve over a large bowl, strain the tomato puree. Return the puree to the pot and reheat over medium heat.

7. Whisk the heavy cream and salt into the soup and season with pepper to taste. 

Divide among warm soup bowls, garnish with the crispy bacon, and serve immediately.

Spicy Meatballs with Sweet BBQ Sauce

Huge hit and easy since it's a make ahead dish!

Make meat mix and sauce the day before. A few hours ahead on the day of, roll meatballs out. Try to make them bite size. Cover with plastic wrap and store until needed.

When guests are about to arrive, preheat the oven to 425. Cover each meatball with a drizzle of the sweet sauce. Bake meatballs for 5-7 minutes. Then turn on the broiler and continue to cook until meatballs are slightly browned on top or until cooked through (you can cut one in half and see it's doneness). Cover cooked meatballs with another drizzle of sauce. I served all of mine on a platter piled high and then placed a pile of toothpicks next to them for easy eating! (I suggest a trash bucket or something nearby to place the used toothpicks in.)

Sauce

1/2 cup chili sauce
1/2 cup boysenberry jame, seedless
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. onion powder
2 tbs. Sweet Rays BBQ Sauce
Salt and Pepper
Use red chili flake and brown sugar a tiny bit at a time to adjust heat(chili) or sweetness(sugar). 


Meatballs:

1 lb. ground beef
1 lb. ground pork
1 lb. ground spicy italian sausage
1/2 cup of milk
3 slices white bread, broken into crumbs
2 tbs. parsley
2 tsp. red pepper flake (more or less depending on your desired hotness level)*
3 tbs. ketchup
2 eggs
1 tbs. garlic powder
1 tbs. onion powder
2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. pepper


1. Combine all sauce ingredients together. Over medium low heat, cook sauce until thickness desired is reached.

2. Crack eggs into a large bowl. Whisk together with a fork. Then combine all meatball ingredients. Make sure not to over stir the meat mixtures so the meatballs don't get tough.

2. Make a small test patty. Cover with sauce. Taste and adjust seasoning.

* When it comes to adding heat to any dish, always start lower then you think. You can always add more to increase the heat but it's difficult to get it back out! 

Cheesecake Bars 2.0

I revised my cheesecake bar recipe. This version has a thinner crust with a thicker cream cheese filling. The directions are exactly the same as the original recipe but the proportions are different. This makes an 8x8 pan and comes out to about 24 bars.It's a great make ahead dessert that keeps well in the fridge. If you like cheesecake, you'll like these!!!

Ingredients
Crust:

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/8 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped pecans and walnuts
1/2 stick butter, melted

Filling:

  3(8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cup granulated sugar
4 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 tsp salt
Fresh berries, mint leaves, and/or melted chocolate for garnish if desired

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Combine butter and brown sugar in a bowl. Add flour and nuts until mix is combined, do not over mix. Press dough into an ungreased 13 by 9 by 2-inch pan. You want the dough thickness to be between 1/4 - 1/2 inch. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Allow crust to cool for 20 - 40 minutes before pouring filling in.

3. For filling, beat cream cheese and granulated sugar together in a bowl until smooth, using a handheld electric mixer. Add eggs and extract; beat well. Pour over crust. Bake for 20 minutes. Cool completely in the fridge for 4 hours. Cut into squares before serving. Decorate tops with berries and mint leaves, if desired.