Bats and Cobwebs

Bow tie pasta and fresh mozarella come together here to make a fast dinner on Halloween Night or anytime of the year for that matter. To save time, make your dessert(like Fright Night Brownies) the day before. Wash, dry and cut the lettuce for your salad the day before and store in a zip-lock bag. Toss with dressing just before serving and add croutons. Make the pasta up 30 minutes in advance. To make the casserole farther ahead of time do all the prep work 1-2 days in advance. Place the assembled casserole in the frig,covered with plastic wrap. Bake at 375 for 45 minutes covered with foil. Remove the foil the last 15 minutes and raise the oven temp to 400 to brown the top.

Serves 6
1 pound bow tie pasta
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 clove of mince garlic
1 28oz can of san marzano tomatoes
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/4 teaspoon dry oregano
5 fresh basil leaves minced
1/8 teaspoon sugar
salt and pepper
1 pkg of chicken or turkey italian sausage
8 ozs of fresh mozarella cheese cut into small chunks
1/3 cup of parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 400. Spray a 3 quart casserole with cooking spray. Cook pasta according to the package directions. Drain and set aside. Place the tomatoes in a food processor and process until the tomaotes break down into a puree. Meanwhile heat the oil in a large saucepot. Add the garlic and the tomoato paste. Add the tomoato puree to the pot. Stir in the salt, pepper, sugar, and oregano. Simmer for 8 minutes. Turn off the heat and stir in the basil. Add the pasta, half of the mozarella and the sausage. Spoon into the casserole. Sprinkle the remaining mozarella and parmesan over the top. Bake until bubbly and the top is browned. Serve with a romaine lettuce salad.

Smoky Roasted Potato and Sausage Soup

Roasting is a great cooking method that packs a huge flavor punch with very little effort. The roasting of the veggies will develop the flavors, giving your soup a richer flavor. I like to make a pot of soup on Sunday and then save it for a dinner or two during the week. The leftovers make easy lunches.
Serves 8

2 large bell peppers, left whole
1 pound small red potatoes(cut larger potatoes into quarters)
3-4 cloves of garlic, unpeeled
6 cups chicken stock
1 cup dry white wine
2 large onions, peeled and quartered
2 pkgs of smoked chicken sausage, cut into rounds
olive oil
salt and pepper
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon thyme

Preheat the oven to 400. Place the potatoes, onions, garlic and peppers in a large bowl. Toss with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Spread out onto a rimmed baking sheet in a single layer. Place in the oven and bake for about 25-30 minutes or until the peppers and potatoes are cooked through. Remove from the oven and let the veggies cool. When cool enough to handle, cut open the peppers. Remove the seeds and stem. Cut into chunks. Coarsely chop the potatoes, garlic and onions. In a 6-8 quart pot, cook the sausage in 1 tablespoon of olive oil until crispy. Add the veggies. Pour in the stock and bring to a boil. Add the salt, pepper, thyme and paprika. Lower to simmer and cook for an hour. Use the back of a large spoon to smash some of the potatoes into the soup. This will thicken it slightly. Serve.

Fright Night Brownies

These would be an adorable addition to a Halloween Night Feast for family and friends before everyone pounds the pavement in search of candy. Your child might enjoy taking these to a classroom party and don't forget the cake-walk at your school's carnival. Christopher is home for the weekend so you can bet some of these will make it into the care package he'll be taking back to school with him. A few of these will also make it down the road to my folks. Happy Halloween!

Picture to follow soon.

1 1/2 sticks of butter
1 10 oz bag of dark chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups of flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/4 cups sugar
3 large eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tube each of white, red and chocolate decoration frosting
40 York peppermint patties(from a fun-size bag)
chocolate chips for decorating

Preheat oven to 350. Spray a 9x13 pan with baking spray. In a large bowl mix together the flour, cocoa powder and baking powder, set aside. In a small saucepan, melt the chocolate chips,butter and sugar over low heat. Add the chocolate to the flour mixture and mix on low speed with a mixer. Add the eggs, buttermilk and vanilla. Mix until just combined. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Spread it out evenly with an off-set spatula. Press 20 peppermint patties into the batter, spacing them evenly apart. I was able to make 5 vertical rows with 4 patties in each row. Cover the patties with the offset spatula and place the pan in the oven. Bake for 35 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool for about 25 minutes. Then top the brownies with the remaining 20 peppermint patties. Decorate with the frosting. Use white to make 2 large eyes at the top of each pattie. Place a chocolate frosting dot in the center of each. Use red to make a goolish smile, adding 2 small white fangs. Place two chocolate chips at the top for ears. Cut into 20 squares and serve.

Seafood Mac and Cheese

I think this is the 3rd mac and cheese recipe I've posted so far. I've always wanted to have lobster mac and cheese and hopefully someday I will. Until that time I will just have to settle for crab and shrimp.

Serves 8

1 pound pasta cooked and drained
6oz of cooked crab meat
6 oz of cooked bay shrimp-the little guys
4 cups of shredded gruyere or swiss cheese
3 cups of milk
4 tablespoons butter or margarine
1/2 cup flour
1/8 teaspoon of nutmeg
salt and pepper
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup panko bread crumbs
1/2 teaspoon old bay seasoning

Preheat oven to 400. Spray a large casserole with cooking spray. In a large sauce pot, melt the butter. Add the onion and garlic. Cook over medium/high heat until the onion is translucent. Add the flour and cook stirring continuously until the flour has had a chance to cook, about 1 minute. Add the milk, whisking until the mixture is smooth. Cook over medium heat until the mixture has thickened. Add the salt, pepper and nutmeg. Stir to combine. Turn off the heat and add the cheese. Stir until the cheese has melted and is mixed in. Add the cooked pasta, crab and shrimp to the pot and stir until combined. Pour the mixture into the casserole. Melt 3 tablespoons of butter. Add the panko and old bay seasoning. Stir well. Sprinkle the crumbs over the mac and cheese. Put in the oven and immediately reduce the heat to 350. Bake until the casserole is hot and bubbly and the panko on top has browned.

Cream of Mushroom Soup

Years ago we took a spring skiing trip to Colorado. At the base of the mountain was a little cafe that served the best mushroom soup I'd ever had. I think I had it every day for lunch, it was that good. When I got home I fooled around with the ingredients I could remember and this was the result.

Makes a big pot

4 cups chicken stock
2 cups veggie stock
2 cups low-fat milk
2 cups fat free half and half
6 slices of bacon cut into cubes
1 large onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
1/2 cup cornstarch
1 cup marsala wine
salt and pepper
4 10oz packages of sliced mushrooms
salt and pepper
juice of 1 lemon
1/4 cup worchestershire sauce

In a large stock pot add the bacon and begin to render over medium/ high heat. When the bacon is half cooked through and has released much of its fat, drain off the fat and return to the heat. Add the onion, garlic, thyme, salt and pepper. Stir to combine and cook until the onion has softened. Add the mushrooms and continue to cook for about 5 more minutes. Add the marsala and stock. Adjust seasoning and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer. Let the soup cook for 30 minutes. Add the worchestershire sauce, half and half, and milk. Return to a boil. To thicken add the cornstarch to 1 cup of cold water. Stir until dissolved and add to the boiling pot. Stir until the soup thickens. Add the lemon juice just before serving.

Gingerbread

This cake screams fall to me. The spices, the color and the smell make me think of the holidays.
You can whip this up quickly, bake it off and serve it warm in about an hour. Serve this with fresh whipped cream and chopped crystalized ginger. You will be everyone's hero.

Serves 12

1 stick melted butter
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup molasses
3/4 cup buttermilk
2 teaspoons fresh grated ginger
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1 egg
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 cups flour
3 oz crystalized ginger minced

Preheat the oven to 350. Spray an 8 1/2x 11 inch baking pan with cooking spray and set aside. In a large bowl mix together the butter, sugar, molasses, buttermilk and egg. Add the fresh ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves and mix well. In a small bowl mix together the flour, baking soda and baking powder. Add the flour mixture to the wet mixture and blend until just combined. Fold in the crystalized ginger. Pour into the prepared pan. Bake for 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Old Fashioned Pot Roast

This is a great way to wind down on a Saturday. Braising the meat in the oven on a low temp, helps to maintain the moisture and will tenderize the meat. The dish will take about 20 minutes to assemble. Once you throw it in the oven you can forget about it for the next 3 hours. If you want that slow cooked comfort on a weeknight, brown the meat, saute the veggies and then assemble the entire roast in a slow cooker when you leave in the morning.

Serves 4

1 3 pound chuck roast
1 large onion, diced
4 large carrots, peeled and diced
1 cup diced celery
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon thyme leaves
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1 6 oz can of tomato paste
1 cup of dry white wine
3 cloves of garlic, smashed
4 cups of beef stock
salt and pepper to taste
olive oil

Preheat oven to 325. In a 5 quart dutch oven pour in enough olive oil to coat the bottom. Heat on stove on medium/high. Season both sides of the roast well with salt and pepper. Add the meat to the pot and brown on both sides. Meanwhile prep the veggies. When the roast has browned, remove from the pot and set aside. Pour off the oil from the pot and add fresh olive oil. Return the pot to the heat. Add the carrots, onion, celery, garlic, bay leaves, thyme and salt and pepper to taste. Cook over medium/high heat for 7 minutes until the veggies have softened. Add the wine, vinegar and tomato paste. Stir to combine. Return the meat to the pot and pour enough stock over all to cover the meat. Bring to a boil and adjust the salt and pepper if needed. Put the lid on the pot and transfer to the oven. Leave in the oven for 3 hours. Remove the meat from the pot and skim off any fat. Strain out the veggies, bay leaves and garlic, discard. Return the liquid to a clean pot. Bring to a boil and thicken with 3 tablespoons softened butter mixed with 3 tablespoons flour or add 3 tablespoons corn starch to 1/2 cup of cold water and add to boiling liquid. As you add either, whisk the boiling liquid well until either thickener is well combined and no lumps are present. Serve the roast and gravy with mashed potatoes.

Brussel Sprouts with Garlic and Bacon

Don't dismiss these until you try them. Veggies just might never be the same.

Serves 5-6

1 1/2 - 2 pounds of brussel sprouts, trimmed and cut in half
4 slices of bacon, cut into chunks
3 cloves of garlic minced
salt and pepper to taste

Bring water to boil in a 5 quart pot. Add enough salt to make it taste like sea water. Add the brussle sprouts and cook for about 4 minutes or until they are tender/crisp. Drain from the water and set aside. In a large skillet, cook the bacon until it begins to brown. Drain off all of the fat and return the bacon to the pan. Do not clean out the pan. Return the pan to the heat and continue to cook the bacon for another minute or two. Add the sprouts,garlic, salt and pepper. Stir to coat and cook for 3 more minutes until the brussel sprouts are heated through. Serve.

Caramel Apple Crumble

When we were kids, my mom would often make caramel apples in October as Halloween drew near. I don't make them myself anymore as I don't have little ones to serve them to, but I still crave the flavor of one. Fooling around one day in the kitchen I came up with this recipe. It is way easier than making caramel apples. I warn you now that the smell that comes off of this desert as it bakes is heavenly. Thank goodness you can't gain weight from the delightful aroma.

Cook's Notes- I use Kraft minute tapioca as a thickener for my fruit deserts. I find it to be more consistent than flour. You can find it in the baking aisle of your grocery store.

Serves 6-8

5-6 cups of peeled and cored apples that have been cut into cubes
juice of half a large lemon
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup caramel sauce(you can make mine from August '11 or buy a good ice-cream sauce)
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon allspice
3 tablespoons minute tapioca
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 stick butter,melted
1/2 cup chopped pecans
3/4 cup packed brown sugar

Preheat oven to 375. Spray a 9x13 baking pan with cooking spray. In a large bowl toss the apples with the lemon juice. Add the caramel sauce, 1/2 cup brown sugar,tapioca, allspice and nutmeg. Stir to combine. Pour the apples into the baking dish. In another bowl combine the oats, flour, 3/4 brown sugar, pecans, and baking soda. Pour the melted butter over the flour mixture and stir to coat with the butter. Pour the crumble mixture over the apples and spread out evenly with your hands. Place in the oven and bake 40 minutes. Serve warm with vanilla ice-cream.

Shepherd's Pie

Here's an update on a classic. I use ground turkey instead of lamb or beef and I put cheddar cheese in the mashed potatoes. This is a great way to end a Sunday. If you want to make this for a week night then use instant mashed potatoes or use the microwaveable potatoes that your can mash. This will save you some time. Look for microwaveable potatoes in your freezer aisle.

Serves 8
2 pounds ground turkey
1 large onion diced
1 teaspoon thyme leaves
4 large carrots peeled and diced
1 cup of chopped celery
3-4 cups of beef stock
1 tablespoon worchestershire sauce
2 tablespoons tomato paste
3 tablespoons of corn starch
salt and pepper to taste
4 large potatoes peeled and cubed
2 cups lowfat cheddar cheese
1/3-1/2 cup of buttermilk
3 tablespoons butter or margarine
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/3 cup dry white wine

Heat the oven to 375. Spray a large casserole dish with cooking spray and set aside.
In a large skillet over medium high, heat the oil and add the ground turkey. Break up with a spoon as it begins to cook. When the meat is almost cooked through, add the onions, carrots, celery, thyme, salt and pepper. Cook for about 7 minutes until the onion is translucent and the veggies just begin to soften. Add the wine, worchestershire sauce, tomato paste and stock, reserving half a cup of stock. Cook the mixture for several minutes until the carrots just soften. Add the cornstarch to the remaining stock. Stir well and pour into the cooking meat and veggies. Stir until the liquid thickens. Meanwhile, bring the potatoes to a boil in a large pot of salted water. Cook until the potatoes are tender. Drain the potatoes and return them to the hot pot. Put the pot back on the stove and cook the potatoes in the dry pot until most of the water has evaporated off of them. You should see very little steam rising from the pot. This should take about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and while still in the pot add the butter, salt and pepper. Mash the potatoes. Pour in the buttermilk and continue to mash until you get the desired consistancy. You may not need to add all the buttermilk. Add the cheese and stir to combine. Pour the meat mixture into the prepared casserole. Spread the mixture out evenly. Spoon the potatoes on top as evenly as possible. Place in the oven on a rimmed baking sheet in case of spill overs while baking. Bake until the potatoes have browned on the edges and the gravy is bubbly about 30-40 minutes. If you have refrigerated the casserole before baking, add another 20-25 minutes to the baking time.

Red Beans and Rice

I first posted this recipe back in April but hadn't taken a picture. So here it is again. It's a wonderful meal to serve on a cool evening.

This is one of my family's favorite week night meals. You can really get this on the table in 30 minutes. Serves 4-6 hungry people
1 pkg Andouille sausage
1 lg onion diced
1 lg bell pepper diced
1 1/2 cups diced celery
3 cloves garlic diced
1-2 heaping tablespoons smoked paprika
2 tsp thyme
1 bay leaf
2 cans fire roasted diced tomatoes
3-4 cans S & W brand Louisiana red beans
2 tsps salt
1/2 tsp pepper
Tabasco to taste
1 bottle of good beer
Heat a 5 quart sauce pan on the stove over medium, high heat. Add 3 tablespoons olive oil. Cut the sausage into 1/4 inch rounds. Add them to the pot and brown. Add diced veggies, garlic, thyme, paprika, salt and pepper. Cook until onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Pour in the beer. Add the undrained tomatoes and beans. Bring to boil and lower heat to simmer for 30 minutes. Serve over cooked white rice.
Cook's notes- Andouille sausage is a Louisiana style smoked sausage. I use a chicken sausage from Vons. It does have a bit of a kick so go easy if you are not into heat.
Tabasco is a chili sauce also from the south. If you've never used it before add a few dashes to the pot and taste to see what you think.

Mom's Enchilada Pie

This is one of my mom's creations that I have updated over the years. I've added black beans and Kalamata olives to the filling as well as smoked paprika. When my mom used to make this, she would build the casserole in a tall round baking dish. In this way she could layer one tortilla on top of another. She would cut it into wedges, much like a layer cake. I like to build mine in an oblong baking dish, like a lasagna.

Serves 6

1 pound ground turkey
1 15oz can of black beans, drained and rinsed
1 15oz can of fire roasted tomatoes
1 large onion diced
3 cloves of garlic minced
1 15oz can tomato sauce, reserve 1/3 cup
1 8oz can tomato paste
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 cup chopped kalamata olives
3 cups shredded low-fat cheddar cheese
8-12 corn tortillas
3 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 350. Spray a baking dish with cooking spray. Place the fire roasted tomatoes into the food processor and pulse 10 times to puree. Pour the reserved 1/3 cup of tomato sauce on the bottom of the baking dish and tilt to spread evenly over the bottom. In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium/high heat. Add the onion and garlic, cook for 5 minutes until onion is translucent. Add the paprika, cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper. Add the turkey meat, breaking it apart as it cooks. Add the beans and olives. Stir to combine. Add the tomato puree, tomato sauce and tomato paste. Stir to combine. Adjust seasoning to your taste. If you want a bit of heat you can add cayenne pepper at this time. Remove the filling from the heat. Overlap four or more tortillas on the bottom of the baking dish on top of the tomato sauce. Place several scoops of the meat filling on top of the tortillas. Spread the filling evenly over all. Sprinkle some of the shredded cheese over the filling and top with more tortillas. Continue to build the casserole in this way until you have 3-4 layers. Finish off the top with a layer of tortillas and cheese. Bake for 30 minutes or until the top is browned and the sauce is bubbly.

Caraway Crusted Pork Chops

Caraway seeds, most commonly found in Rye Bread, give the pork a tangy coating. Red Cabbage and Apple(Oct 2011) and mashed red potatoes make good sides for this main course. If you can't find caraway seeds in your store, than swap out the bread and seeds for rye bread.

Serves 4
4 large pork chops each a 1/2 inch in thickness
3-4 slices of bread
1 teaspoon of caraway seeds
2 tablespoons grainy mustard
1 beaten egg
3 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper

Place the bread and the caraway seeds in the food processor and pulse until you have about 2 cups of fine crumbs. Pour these into a shallow baking dish. Mix the mustard and egg together in a shallow baking dish. Season both sides of the chops with salt and pepper. Dip each chop into the mustard and egg mixture. Press both sides of each chop into the bread crumbs until both sides of the pork are well coated. Heat the oil in a large skillet on medium high. When the pan is hot, place the chops into the skillet. Cook until the pork is golden brown and the center is no longer pink. About 4-5 minutes on each side. Serve immediately.

Red Cabbage and Apple

I had never had red cabbage until I met and married my husband. My mother-in-law is originally from Norway and red cabbage is traditionally served on Christmas Eve with pork roast. This happens to be one of Bjorn's favorite dishes so I like to make it for him when I can. I serve this with pork chops or sausages.

Serves 4-6

2 slices of bacon diced
1 small onion thinly sliced
1 small head of red cabbage, cored, quartered and thinly sliced
1 green apple, cored and thinly sliced
3 tablespoons cider vinegar
1/4 cup water
4 tablespoons packed brown sugar
salt and pepper to taste

In a dutch oven over medium heat, cook the bacon until browned about 10 minutes. Add the onion and cook until soft. Add the cabbage, apple, cider vinegar and water. Cook, stirring until the cabbage wilts, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, Cover, cook, stirring occasionally over medium/low heat to desired softness, adding more water if needed. This should take 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Pumpkin Maple Custards

I finally found canned pumpkin in my store this week. I've been wanting to make my sausage and pumpkin pasta but was unable to find the pumpkin. Well, today I was in luck but now I had to come up with a way to use the leftover pumpkin. These custards taste like pumpkin pie without the crust.

Makes 6-8 custards(depending on the size of your custard cups)
Cook's Notes- You must add some of the hot mixture to the eggs before adding the rest in order to temper the eggs. If you skip this step and add the eggs directly to the hot mixture, you will scramble the eggs. Not a pretty sight!

1 cup lowfat milk
1/2 cup fat free half and half
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup pumpkin puree
9 egg yolks
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
pinch of salt

Heat oven to 325 degrees. Fill a tea kettle with water and bring to a boil. Place your custard cups in a 9x13 baking pan. In a medium saucepan bring the milk, half and half, heavy cream, pumpkin, maple syrup and brown sugar to a simmer over medium heat. Meanwhile in a large bowl, whisk the egg yolks, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt together. Whisking constantly, whisk in two ladelfulls of the hot pumpkin mixture into the egg mixture. Then add the rest of the hot mixture to the eggs and whisk again to combine. Divide the mixture evenly among the custard cups. Place the pan in the oven and slowly add the boiling water to the pan. You want to add enough water to come half way up the side of the custard cups. Cover the top of the pan, tightly, with foil. Place in the oven and bake for 40-45 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool completely. Then cover the top of each custard with a paper towel followed by plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 2 hours before serving or overnight.

Chili

Chili was our traditional Halloween night meal before all our little goblins ran out the door to trick or treat. Now that the goblins have grown and no longer trick or treat, I still long for a bowl of old red when October rolls around. I like to serve this buffet style with bowls of condiments so that each person can build their own bowl. I usually serve cheese, sour cream, onions, avocados and fritos. I also serve a green salad and corn bread on the side. My corn bread recipe is listed in September 2011.

Serves 12

2 pounds ground turkey
4 cups beef stock
2 onions, diced
4 cloves of minced garlic
4 15 oz cans of chili beans
1 28 oz can of red enchilada sauce
1 28 oz can of tomato puree
4 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons cumin
2 tablespoons smoked paprika
salt and pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 bottle of beer

Heat the oil in a large stock pot over medium high heat. Add the onions and the garlic. Cook until onions are translucent. Add the chili powder, cumin and smoked paprika and stir. Add the ground turkey, beer and beef stock. Bring to a boil. Turn down the heat until you get a slow boil. Season the pot with salt and pepper to your taste. Cook for 30 minutes until the meat has fallen apart and is cooked through. Add the beans, enchilada sauce and tomato puree. Simmer for 1 hour. If you want to thicken up the chili, add 4 tablespoons of corn starch to 1/2 cup of cold water. Add to the chili, stirring as you do so. Return the pot to a boil and serve.

Chicken Pot Pies

My mom has requested Chicken Pot Pie for her birthday dinner tonight. Chicken Pot Pie???? Who has time to make that? Apparently I do! So I decided to take some help from the store and use a roasted chicken from the deli and puff pastry from the freezer case. It is DELICIOUS!!!!!! Well worth the extra time it takes to make.
Makes 6 individual pies

Cook's Notes- Keep the puff pastry dough cold. This will allow it to puff when placed in the oven. So return the dough to the frig after cutting out the tops to your pies.

1 store bought roasted chicken, skin discarded and meat removed from the bones
2 packages of puff pastry defrosted according to package directions
4 carrots, peeled and diced
2 large potatoes, peeled and diced
1 large onion, diced
1 1/2 cups frozen peas
3 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1/2 cup dry white wine
salt and pepper to taste
3 tablespoons corn starch
1 large egg yolk
Spray 6 large ramekins with cooking spray and set on a rimmed cookie sheet. In a medium sized sauce pot, heat the oil over medium high heat. Add the onion, carrots and potatoes. Season with salt and pepper, thyme and poultry sesoning. Saute until the onions are translucent about 5 minutes. Add the wine and let is reduce to half. Add the peas and the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Cook until the carrots and potatoes are soft. Add the cream. Mix the corn starch into a half cup of cold chicken stock. Pour into the boiling veggies, stirring until the mixture thickens. Turn off the heat and set aside. Rough chop the chicken meat and distribute evenly among the ramekins. Spoon the veggie mixture over the chicken in each ramekin and set aside. When ready to bake, heat the oven to oven to 375. Take out 3 packets of puff pastry, return one to the freezer for another time. Lightly dust a large cutting board and rolling pin with flour. Gently roll out each sheet of pastry 1/8 inch thickness. Cut out 6 circles from the dough to fit the top of each ramekin with extra to hang over. Return the dough circles to the frig for 15 minutes before adding them to the top of your ramekins. Add a few drops of water to the egg yolk and whisk. Using a pastry brush, brush egg yolk around the outside rim of each ramekin. Lay the pastry on top and seal the edge of the pastry to the outside rim. The egg yolk will act as a glue to help seal the dough to the ramekin. Cut a few slits in the top of each dough covering to allow steam to escape. Bake for 35 minutes, until the pastry is puffed and golden and the juices are bubbling.

Hooray for October!

October is such a fun month for us. We start the month celebrating my mom's birthday and end it with Halloween. San Diego is beautiful in the fall. The days are warm and the nights are cool. Octoberfest is this weekend in La Mesa. There are many local crafters present and the antique shops are fun to browse through. It's a great time to start holiday shopping. If shopping is not up your alley, then Fleet week is in full swing with the MiraMar Air Show wrapping up the week. I can hear the noise from the twilight show now as I write this. The Blue Angels are always present so this event is quite popular. The Charger game is blocked out this weekend(bummer)so I guess it will be a trip to Home Depot with some gardening for me. If I have a few minutes, I might dig the Halloween decor out of the garage and go to town. Always something to do!

Glazed Chocolate Cake

My mom's birthday is tomorrow and I wanted to make her something a bit different for dessert. This cake has very little flour so it has a lovely rich chocolate flavor. It looks elegant but is simple to prepare so it fits the bill on a busy weekend.

Serves 10-12

2 sticks of butter softened
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa, plus more for the pan
1 cup flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup sugar
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon instant coffee, dissolved in 2 teaspoons hot water

Preheat the oven to 350. Spray a 9 inch cake pan with cooking spray and dust with a couple of spoonfuls of cocoa powder.Tap out the excess cocoa powder out of the pan. Set aside. In a medium mixing bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and cocoa. In a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add the vanilla and coffee. With the mixer on low add the flour mixture and sour cream alternately, beginning and ending with the flour. Spread the batter into the prepared pan. Bake until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean about 30-35 minutes. Let the cake cool 10 minutes and invert from pan. Let it cool completely, bottom side up. Glaze with Chocolate Glaze(below). Serve with whipped cream with chocolate shavings on top.

Chocolate Glaze

6 ozs of chopped semi-sweet chocolate(the better the quality the better the glaze)
3/4 cup heavy cream

Place the chocolate into a medium bowl. In a saucepan bring the cream to a boil, stirring constantly so it won't boil over. Pour over the chocolate in the bowl. Whisk until smooth. Let it cool until thick yet pourable about 2-3 minutes. Set cake on a rack over a rimmed baking sheet. Pour the glaze over the cake. Spreading gently to coat top and sides. Let the glaze set. Gently lift the cake off the rack with two spatulas onto a serving platter.

Cherry Snack Cake

This is one of my favorite lunch box offerings. My kids often requested this of me when they were little. I haven't made this for awhile and was thrilled to stumble across my recipe tonight. Christopher is home for the weekend and this will put a smile on his face when I pack some of it up for him on his return trip back to school tomorrow.
Serves 8

2 sticks of softened butter
2 cups flour
2 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 pound thawed frozen cherries or jarred sour cherries, drained(I use a jar of Morello cherries from Trader Joe's)
powdered sugar for dusting

Preheat oven to 325. Spray a rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray. In a mixing bowl with a mixer beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the vanilla. With mixer on low add the baking powder and the flour. The batter will be thick like a cookie dough. Turn the batter out into the baking pan and spread it out to the pans edges with an off-set spatula. Scatter the cherries evenly over the top of the batter. Bake until golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean about 35-40 minutes. Cool in the pan. Cut cake into triangles and dust with powdered sugar.