An Easy Dish From The Master

If there's one thing that polarizes people, it's celebrity chefs.

Sounds strange in these times of widespread economic crises and
a wealth of other daily problems.
But true. Ever throw out the names Paula Deen or Rachel Ray in
a room full of cooks and foodies?

People love to weigh in on celebrities, giving opinions (yeah, I know, everybody's got 'em,
and they all think theirs doesn't stink...er, something like that)
about the famous and fabulous. Even in the food world, yes?

The past weekend I spent some time skimming food magazines and the interwebs
for something interesting, and I came across a couple of blogs and articles
discussing Bobby Flay.

First of all, how can anyone resist the man? Those boyish good looks, that
impish grin! Have you SEEN the cover of his latest book?!?! Eeeek!
(Sorry**shakes head, clearing cobwebs**)

One writer thought he was arrogant, an egotistical stinker showing off
(as cited by his show Throwdown). Apparently the writer saw this
program as Flay's attempt to showcase his own talent, when in fact the opposite is true:
the show was crafted to get out into the highways and byways, where real
people live and cook, discover cooks with specialties, and get the word about them out
to the audience. After watching many of the episodes I can point out that Flay very
often doesn't win the throwdown anyway.

Now, Mr. Flay does not need me to defend him. His excellent reputation precedes
everything he does. (Besides, he's so cute...SO not the point here. Again, sorry)

I just plain like his style.

He makes his food very accessible, but that's not to say ordinary.
His recipes seduce you.
He makes me think I can actually cook, grill, and bake like he does.
And I'm for anything or anyone who can give me confidence in the kitchen.

And Flay's food is healthy without being laced with weird stuff like quail,
quinoa, nigella seeds, etc. (although there's nothing wrong with those
ingredients: they're just not rife in Michigan grocery stores).

So for me, it comes down to this: I enjoy trying out Bobby Flay's food.
He makes it simple, with boatloads of flavor and visual appeal; fresh and
healthy without being esoteric or elitist.

And that grin...! **sigh** (my husband knows that Mr. Flay is on my
List of Five; Manhattan is a long way away, so he's fine with that.)

Make this potato salad.

Today.

Mesa Grill's Southwestern Potato Salad (Bobby Flay)

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups prepared mayonnaise (I used Kraft's new mayo with olive oil)
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons chipotle pepper puree
1 large ripe tomato, seeded and diced
1/4 cup chopped cilantro leaves
3 scallions, chopped, white and green parts
1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
16 new potatoes, about 3-4 lbs, cooked, drained and sliced 1/2 inch thick

Method:

Combine all the ingredients, except the potatoes, in a medium bowl and season with salt and pepper to taste. Place warm potatoes in a large bowl and pour the mixture over potatoes and mix well. Season again with salt and pepper to taste.

(My pics are faded but try to imagine away my dismal lighting)

Rather than be wearisome with my ass-terisks (I'm so juvenile), I'll just lay on you the changes I made out of necessity or personal taste:

I didn't use the cayenne-in my opinion, there was enough heat by the time I added slightly more chipotle puree than the recipe called for-I like that kind of heat better than the taste of cayenne.

Also, I didn't bother with the diced tomato because I was afraid that the salad wouldn't keep as well if there was tomato in it, getting all soggy and watery overnight. (Sorry, Mr. Flay)(You rule.)

I used small red potatoes instead of new white ones.

Of All The Things That I Have Lost...Part Deux

Of All The Things That I Have Lost...Part Deux

I could begin this post by reporting my Moron Moment when I was shopping for the
ingredients for this salad.

I could tell you that I grabbed some already-shredded
angel hair cabbage, eyeballed it and decided I needed four bags to make up the six cups
required.

I could tell you of my consternation when I realized two bags was
all I really needed.

I could tell you that I'm really the only one out of my household of
fluctuating three-to-six members who will even eat cole slaw or any cabbage
derivative.

And--

I could tell you about the smell of the unused bags of cabbage
slaw when I discovered them tucked away in the meat bin (where I always hide the veggies-doesn't everyone?) over a week later.

But I won't.

Red, White and Blue Slaw Salad
(from Marcy@Allrecipes.com)

Ingredients:

12 slices bacon, fried crisp and crumbled
6 cups shredded cabbage (I used angel hair cabbage)
1 cup cole slaw dressing (I used Marzetti's)
1/2 cup blue cheese, crumbled
1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes (may cut in half)

Method:

In a large bowl, combine the bacon, cabbage and dressing. Mix well.
Sprinkle with cherry tomatoes and blue cheese. Refrigerate and serve chilled.

Turn Up The Heat!
(Michigan Winter State Motto)

I didn't notice when I fixed this spread or when I first photographed it, but DAMN,
it's freakin' colorless!
Maybe a little lightly sauteed chopped red pepper or some fresh jalapeno diced
and thrown into the fray would help.

And the heat level--well--it didn't really measure up to my sons' standards (yes, I got
the apostrophe in the correct place--I've got three sons (And no, I don't want
to hear any of you humming that 60's TV show theme song, or see you doing
the big arm swings over your wing tips).

I may have mentioned in a previous post that my guys are quite sadistic
when it comes to spicy food: if it doesn't make your forehead sweat, it just isn't
hot enough for this bunch.
Personally, I like to be able to taste the rest of the meal so I go a little lighter
on the jalapenos.
But this recipe is not exactly tastebud-scorching, even for me. Next time I make it,
and it is
good enough for a repeat, I will drip a few drops of Frank's Hot Sauce or some
juice from the pickled jalapeno jar into the mix just to keep it interesting.

Jalapeno Popper Spread

(from Allrecipes)

Ingredients:

2- 8oz. bricks of cream cheese, softened
1 cup mayo, the full of fat kind
1 - 4oz. can of chopped green chilies
1 -2oz. can of canned diced and drained jalapeno peppers*
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 bag of your favorite dippers, either traditional tortilla chips or fresh vegs.

Method:

Stir together cream cheese and mayo in a large bowl until smooth. Stir in green chilies and jalapenos. Pour mixture into microwave-safe dish and sprinkle the Parm. on top. Microwave on high for a few minutes until hot**

Another option is to bake in the oven for about 15-20 minutes until hot. Add the cheese the last couple of minutes of baking time.***



*I used a 6 oz. can of diced jalapenos

**This is the original wording of the recipe. It seems a bit vague, but maybe you're fine with flying by the seat of your pants. I take comfort in some structure, like more precise heating information, especially until I've made a recipe a couple of times and know what the ingredients will do when heated; there's also a lot of variation in microwave wattage to be considered. This said, see ***.

***I heated the stuff in the oven at about 375 degrees F. for 30 minutes, then added the Parmesan cheese and replaced in the oven for another few minutes until top was light golden.

Pretty Is As Pretty Does III

HolyCrapTheseReallyAreAmazing Cookies

(by Susan of Sticky, Gooey, Creamy, Chewy)

Well, I've really done it this time.

In a recent post, at the end of a long and tiresome day, I
waxed eloquent about the appearance of sloppy joes, describing
them as the color of dog poop.

Do you see where I'm going with this?

I went right out and managed to find something the same glorious hue.
I feel like a moron.

BUT...(don'tcha love ellipses...? I do)
These are soooooo good, they are giving the standard** chocolate-oatmeal-
sugar type of no-bake cookie a run for their money.
If cookies actually have currency, which I doubt. We all know
they have no sense of self-control, no self-discipline--
no, wait, that's me. Nevermind.

Anyway, if you can get past the color of these things, they are
mahvelous, darlink.

Just close your eyes, take a big bite, and sigh contentedly.


HolyCrapTheseAreAmazing Cookies
by Susan of Sticky, Gooey, Creamy, Chewy

Ingredients:

1 cup sugar
1 cup corn syrup
1 jar (l8 oz) peanut butter, crunchy or smooth
6 cups corn flakes (not frosted flakes)
3 oz. good quality chocolate of your choice

Method:

Combine sugar and corn syrup in a medium saucepan. Place ove rmedium-high heat and stir until the mixture comes to a full boil. Remove from heat and stir
in the whole jar of peanut butter. Mix well.

Add corn flakes to a large bowl. Pour peanut butter mixture over corn flakes and mix well, taking care to coat all the corn flakes.

With a tablespoon or cookie scoop, scoop out and form into 1/2 inch balls, depending on your preference, and place them on a cookie sheet lined with parchment or waxed paper.

Put the chocolate in a small bowl and melt in the microwave for about 30 seconds. Stir until smooth. Drizzle the melted chocolate over the cookies.*

"When cooled, eat these cookies with reckless abandon. Be careful, though. We wouldn't want anyone to get hurt!" (Susan from SGCC)





*This really weirds me out: I read over this recipe twice before attempting it, as my mom had taught me. And still, when it came time to make them, I completely overlooked the chocolate drizzle step...now, this is pretty uncharacteristic as anyone who knows me can attest. Overlook chocolate? Omit applying chocolate on something---anything?

Listen carefully because you may never hear me say anything of this ilk again:
these cookies are so delicious and so rich that they couldn't be bettered---even by adding chocolate!! I know. Just typing that is making me a little lightheaded...lights fading...room spinning 'round...later, taters.

**These may be unofficially named the Dog Poop Cookies by my kidlets since their father (my first husband and He Who Shall Not Be Named In This House) dubbed my standard chocolate-oatmeal no-bake The Litter Box Cookies. Yeah. He was a real riot.

One Big Out Of Focus Close-Up of The D.P. Cookie

Chocolate Fudge Cookies with Dried Cherries and Toffee

Chocolate Fudge Cookies with Dried Cherries and Toffee


I scored pret-ty big this weekend, and no, I don't mean that way,
although if this was a true-confessions-type of blog, or one of those
graphic and crude ones, I could tell you some stor...nevermind.

I like Scharffenberger chocolate. I don't like the news that Hershey's bought
the company because I hate to see smaller companies scarfed up by conglomerates
only to have the smaller company name disappear. I haven't been able to learn
if Hershey plans to make Scharffenberger go away or not yet, but I hope they leave
the name and quality alone. If you have any newer information about this, please
let me know.

The thing that brought all this to mind was when I was perusing the aisles
at my local Meijer, (for those not living in Michigan and Ohio, it's a huge
grocery and department store-kind of place) I found myself in the baking section,
where I am often found, truth to tell, drooling over huge chunks of chocolate
and other add-ins for cookies and various other baked goodies.
I spotted the Scharffenberger with orange price stickers: this means only one thing:
clearance. They were originally marked $4.99 but cut down to $2.50.
$2.50?!?! As I grabbed bar after bar, I wondered if maybe the reason they
were marked down was because they were running the stock out in order to
change the package, name, product, etc.
I hope not.


Chocolate Fudge Cookies with Dried Cherries and Toffee
(Regan Daley)

Ingredients:

2 1/4 cups AP flour
1/2 cup unsweetened dutch-processed cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup plump, moist, dried Michigan cherries
8 oz. bitter or semisweet chocolate chopped into chunks about the size of the cherries
1 cup English toffee pieces for baking such as Skor Bits

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two heavy baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside. Sift flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt together in a bowl and set aside. In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and both sugars until light in color and fluffy-about 2 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl. Beat in the vanilla. Stir in the flour mixture in 3 additions, blending just until the dry ingredients are moistened. This part is really easier with a wooden spoon since the batter is very dense. Stir in the chocolate pieces and cherries and toffee bits.

At this point the dough may be frozen for up to 4 months; wrap securely in plastic wrap and place in a plastic freezer bag; thaw in the refrigerator without removing the wrapping before portioning the cookies and baking.

Drop the batter by heaping tablespoons onto the prepared baking sheets and place them in the center of the oven, turning half way through baking.

Bake the cookies for 15-18 minutes or until barely set in the center and just firm around the edges. Cook cookies on tray for 3-5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely before storing. Store in air-tight container layered with sheets of parchment or waxed paper for up to 5 days.

I do want to warn you, though, that these end up pretty flat. I was a bit disappointed
that way, since I really don't like cookies that are flatter than the goodies you add to the dough.
But I'm not beaten.
I intend to try this one again, modifying it somehow to keep them from flattening
like the proverbial pancakes. They do have an excellent taste, with that crispiness
that you get with brown sugar in the dough. These are definitely
worth trying again.

And then I'll take pictures of them!