Carne Crudo

I have to start this out with two apologies. First, I’m sorry I haven’t posted in awhile. A project at work is keeping me busy, and when I’m not busy, I’m out of town. This isn’t likely to change in the next month or two either. And second, I’m sorry that this recipe isn’t very good. In fact, it’s barely a recipe at all. I wasn’t going to even post it, but this blog is supposed to be about failures as well as successes, so here goes.

My work took me to Birmingham, Alabama a few weeks ago. Not really a mecca for great food but we were able to find a couple decent places to eat. At one of these restaurants, Bottega, I got the Carne Crudo. Now, I am a big fan of raw beef and tend to get steak tartare or beef carpaccio any time I can. I know that not many people are fans, so I don’t expect this to appeal to everyone who reads this. Anyway, while my companions weren’t pleased with their meals, the crudo was fantastic! Lemony, without hiding the meat. Just salty enough. And served with microgreens and crostini to make the perfect little bites. It was so good, in fact, that I decided to try to recreate it at home so my husband could try it.

Unfortunately, it didn’t turn out that great. It was a little too lemony, and although the first few bites tasted ok, it got saltier and saltier the more we ate. I think because we used kosher salt, it melted as we went. Anyway, we ate as much of it as we could, and then vowed to leave it to the restaurants from now on.

Asian Peanut Noodles with Chicken

Ever since I learned about Gina's awesome website, I peruse it just about every day. Recently she posted this Asian Peanut recipe. I thought it sounded really delicious. Well, I was right. I made this dish tonight, and man was it good. It was very spicy thanks to the siracha, and so flavorful. It didn't take that long to make; around an hour. I had all the ingredients already since I went to Whole Foods this weekend and stocked up in preparation for making this entree. I didn't use the peanut butter that Gina suggested. I just used regular reduced-fat crunchy peanut butter. Be prepared to have left-overs unless you are feeding a big family. It makes a ton. Also, I didn't use the asian noodles. I didn't know what they were, and when I asked someone at the store he said the Asian Sticks would work. As you can probably tell from my picture those "sticks" are really tiny. Smaller than Angel hair noodles. I didn't mind it, but I definitely want to get the right noodles next time. Enjoy!

Light Peanut Sauce Ingredients:
14.5 oz fat free chicken broth (vegetarians use vegetable broth)
5 tbsp better'n peanut butter
1 tbsp Sriracha chili sauce
2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp soy sauce (use Tamari for gluten free)
1 tbsp freshly grated ginger
2 cloves garlic, minced

Chicken Marinade:
16 oz chicken breast, cut into thin strips
salt and pepper (to taste)
1 tbsp Sriracha chili sauce (more or less to taste)
juice of 1/2 lime
5 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
1 tbsp soy sauce (use Tamari for gluten free)
1/2 tbsp sesame oil

Additional Ingredients:
8 oz. Asian Noodles
3/4 cup green onion, chopped
1 1/4 cups shredded carrots
1 1/4 cups cup shredded broccoli slaw
1 cup bean bean sprouts
2 tbsp chopped peanuts
1 lime, sliced
cilantro for garnish (optional)

First, I took out my dethawed chicken and pounded it till it was about 1/4 inch thick. I cut the chicken into thin strips. I seasoned it with salt and pepper. Next, I took a whole lime and squeezed out the juice into my bowl. I added the siracha, soy sauce, grated ginger, crushed garlic, and sesame oil into the same bowl. I then placed the chicken into the bowl and stirred together. I set this aside. Next, I combined the ingredients for the peanut sauce which consists of: siracha, peanut butter, soy sauce, minced garlic, honey, and grated ginger into a sauce pan. Heat this over medium low heat for 5 to 10 minutes. Stir. Set aside. Next, take your chicken and sautee it in a pan heated with 1/2 tbsp sesame oil over medium-low heat. Took about 10 minutes. While the chicken was cooking, I took a pot and added water. I heated the water and added my asian sticks. I covered the pot and turned off the heat. This cooked for about 10 minutes. I just followed the directions on the bag for this. Once the chicken is cooked; remove the chicken from the pan. Then add your veggies to the same pan. This is when I wished I had a wok. My veggies were flying all over the stove. Cook for 5-10 minutes until heated thru. I took about 2 tbsp of peanuts and chopped. Set aside. I grabbed about 1/2 cup of cilantro and chopped. Set aside. Next, I took my pot of noodles and poured them into a strainer. I grabbed a big bowl and added the peanut sauce to it. I dumped the noodles into the bowl and stirred together. I added the chicken to the bowl and stirred together. Then, I added the veggies and stirred together. I added the chopped peanuts and chopped cilantro. Enjoy!

(Click here for printable recipe)

Rosemary Ranch Chicken

I haven’t posted in awhile because we’ve been making a lot of our old favorites that are already on the site. I’ve been busy at work and so not able to spend my typical hours poring over recipes. Last night we made one of our favorite meals, and I assumed I had written it up for The Dinner Club, but was shocked to see that I hadn’t. Time to right that wrong! Or write that wrong, I guess. Oy, bad puns.

One of the hardest things about making chicken is not letting it get dry. That’s the best part about this recipe—it makes the juiciest chicken around. It also imparts a lot of tasty flavor. However, it’s not exactly healthy. I know, I know, you’re not surprised, since this is coming from me. But if you have it just every once in awhile and not every week, it should be ok. I found this one on allrecipes.com.

Ingredients
1/2 cup olive oil

1/2 cup ranch dressing

3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon white vinegar

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

First, cut your chicken into bite-sized cubes. We actually like to use tenderloins because they are already small so half the work is done for you already. In a medium bowl, measure out the olive oil. If you do this first, you can use the same measuring cup for the ranch and it will all come out, instead of sticking in the cup. The last time I made this I cut the oil in half, and it was still good, but slightly less juicy. So, add all the ingredients into the bowl and mix it up until it’s fully combined. Then put in your chicken cubes and cover them with marinade. You can let this sit for as little as a half hour, or up to an hour.

We cooked ours on skewers, but we’ve also cooked them in the oven and that’s good too (just make sure to take them out of the sauce). If you’re grilling, it should take about 8 to 10 minutes for them to get done through. Make sure you throw away the excess sauce. In the past, we’ve also thrown in chunks of sweet onion and put them on the skewers as well, and that’s pretty tasty if you are an onion fan. Enjoy!

(Click here for printable recipe)

Carrot Ginger Dressing

A couple months ago I had the opportunity to go to Kobe Japanese and Sushi Restaurant for lunch. One of my favorite dishes of the entire meal was their salad with a ginger-carrot dressing. Man, was it tasty. Recently, I was perusing smittenkitchen's website, and came across this recipe for Avocado Salad with Carrot-Ginger Dressing. I thought I should give the dressing a try and see if it's similar to Kobe's dressing. After all, the reviews for the dressing were pretty spot-on. Well, I had to go the chinese store off Broad street to find the white miso. I had absolutely no idea what it was. Basically, it's a paste that you can make miso soup with as well as salad dressings. It cost only about $5, and I think it will last quite a while. The dressing was a bit tangy, and I think I used too much seasme oil. But, I think I will give it another whirl and see if I can get it just right. I do recommend this dressing, though. Enjoy.

Ingredients:
1 large carrot, peeled and roughly chopped
1 small shallot, peeled and roughly chopped
2 tablespoons roughly chopped fresh ginger
2 tablespoons sweet white miso
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seed oil
1/4 cup grapeseed or another neutral oil (I used canola oil)
2 tablespoons water

Directions:
To make the dressing, after prepping all of your ingredients, add the carrots, shallots, and ginger to your food processor and process a couple times until all the ingredients are finely chopped. Then add your miso, vinegar, and sesame oil. Process a couple more times till the ingredients are well-incorporated. Next, keep the food processor on low, and slowly add your grapeseed or neutral oil and water. Pour over your salad, and enjoy.

(Click here for printable recipe)

Cilantro Lime Tilapia

So, I've been doing a pretty good job at sticking with my healthy eating plan for this new year. I'm very happy that Sara suggested this blog (Ginas' Skinny Recipes) that she's been following. I've already posted one recipe from this blog, and here's a second one. I've been trying to eat more fish as well, and this particular recipe was a stand out. It's actually a recipe for shrimp, but I just can't bring myself to spend $10-15 on a bag of shrimp. At least not yet. So, I adapted this recipe to apply to Tilapia instead. I think it still worked really well. As you can probably tell from previous postings I have a thing for cilantro and lime. But, this recipe is really good and really fast. I highly recommend it. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
2 tsp olive oil
2 lb shrimp, shelled and deviened (I used Tilapia)
6 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 lime
salt and pepper

These are my instructions for cooking my fish. Basically, the shrimp cooks a lot faster than fish. So, instead of 3-5 minutes cook it for about 2 minutes on each side.

First take a medium to large frying pan and pour the olive oil into it. Set your heat on medium to medium-high. Next, salt and pepper your fish or shrimp. Place in frying pan and sautee for about 3-5 minutes on one side and then flip it. Add the crushed garlic at this point into the pan. Cook for another 3-5 minutes. Take the pan off the heat and sprinkle your lime juice over the fish. Add the cilantro and toss it together. Serve hot.

4 Weight Watchers Points (Shrimp)
5 Weight Watchers Points (Tilapia)

(Click here for printable recipe)

Iron Chef Green: Green Papaya Salad

I really wasn't trying to win Iron Chef Green. When I found out that everyone agreed to do the green theme for this iron chef I didn't feel particularly inspired. So, I picked a "side" dish thinking it would be a throw away iron chef. However, sometimes inspiration comes along in funny ways. I literally dreamt up the idea to use chinese take-out containers for my presentation. Granted, the containers weren't exactly a true green color, but, hey, aqua is in the "green" family as the lady at World Market told me. For the most part, I looked for my green side dish on Tastespotting's website, but I came across this green papaya salad when searching on google for green dishes. The recipe got 3 good reviews, and I read that this particularly dish was voted the favorite dish in Thailand. So, I thought I'd try it. I mean how could the people of Thailand have it wrong, right? Well, they didn't have it wrong. They had it oh so very right. This thai salad was delicious if I do say so myself. It had lots of flavor, texture, and packed plenty of heat. I highly recommend this dish. And, I plan on making it for my mom and sister the first chance I get. Enjoy!

Note: I didn't use the exact ingredients from the website. I seriously gagged when I tried the dressing recipe using the shrimp paste and the fish sauce. So, I opted out of the fish sauce and used the soy sauce instead. Otherwise, this recipe would have seriously bombed. Also, the recipe didn't call for pistachios, but I used them anyway to add some more "green" to the dish. I used roasted peanuts, and not honey roasted. I toasted the nuts in a skillet on the stove for about 5 minutes. I also used a cucumber, green jalapneo, and roma tomatoes. Basically, the salad was a combination of the recipe and this link.

Ingredients:
1 small green papaya, OR 1/2 large (your papaya should be very firm, the flesh white to light orange in color)
1/2 cup honey-roasted peanuts OR plain roasted, or glazed cashews (see recipe link below)
1-2 cups bean sprouts
1 to 2 tomatoes, cut into long thin strips
1 red chili, minced (seeds removed if you prefer a milder salad)
3 spring onions (AKA Green Onions), sliced into long matchstick-like pieces
1/2 cup fresh basil, roughly chopped if leaves are large
Handful of fresh coriander (AKA Cilantro)
1/2 cup pistachios
1 cucumber

Dressing:
1/2 tsp. shrimp paste (if vegetarian, substitute 1 extra Tbsp. soy sauce)
2 Tbsp. good-tasting oil, such as olive
2 Tbsp. fish sauce OR vegetarian fish sauce, OR 2+1/2 Tbsp. soy sauce
3 Tbsp. lime juice
1/2 to 1 Tbsp. liquid honey

Spice Paste:
3 garlic cloves
1 red chili pepper (seeded and roughly chopped)
1 jalapeno, optional (seeded and roughly chopped)
Handful of green beans

This recipe requires quite a bit of prep work, but it's worth it. The first thing I did was make my dressing. I tried the recipe above using the shrimp paste and fish sauce, and like I said above; it was awful. So, I subbed the fish sauce for the soy sauce, and it was much better. I added a bit more honey and lime juice because I thought it was a tad too salty. I think it helped.

Next, I made the spice paste. I took 3 garlic cloves, 1 red chili pepper, 1 jalapeno, and a handful of green beans. I did boil the green beans in water for about 5 minutes, and then blanched them in ice water and dried. I roughtly chopped the garlic, jalapeno, and chili pepper. I also removed the seeds from the peppers. Process those ingredients in a food processor. Set aside.

Then, I started peeling and slicing all of the veggies. If you look at the How to Make Green Papaya salad link above, it shows you how to slice the vegetables. You want them thin and long. I made sure the tomatoes and cucumbers were roughly the same size in length. The bean sprouts were pre-cut. Peel your papaya and cut lengthwise in half. Remove the seeds. I turned over the papaya so the inside of the fruit was faced-down. Then, I used my julienne peeler and "grated" the papaya so I had long strips. That julienne peeler was a life-savor. It didn't take that long at all to peel most of the papaya. I used a large papaya and it created a lot of strips.

Roughly chop a handful of the cilantro and basil. Coriander is cilantro in case you didn't know.

Roughly chop your nuts.

Take a large bowl and combine the veggies, the herbs, and the papaya. Add the spice paste and stir the ingredients so the paste is incorporated well. Add the dressing and stir so that it's mixed in well. Add the nuts and stir again. Serve and sprinkle with some additional cilantro and basil for presentation. According to the recipe you could easily add crab meat or shrimp to make it a wonderful entree.



(Click here for printable recipe)

Spaghetti Squash Gratin - Low Calorie Version

When Sara posted the Spaghetti Squash Gratin I had just started Weight Watchers. As soon as I saw heavy cream, cheese and butter I was hating life because I knew this would kill my points for the day. So I adapted the recipe to make it diet-friendly. I haven't tried Sara's version yet, but I am sure mine is not as good (as with most low calorie recipes). However this has become a staple in our house.


Ingredients
1 spaghetti squash, baked until tender (see Sara's recipe on how to prepare)
1 tbsp of olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup low fat ricotta cheese
1 cup grated parmigiano reggiano, divided in half
(in a pinch I have sub this with mozzarella and it was still pretty good)
1 tsp of oregano
salt and black pepper, to taste


Pre-heat oven to 400. Heat olive oil in a saucepan on medium high. Add onions and garlic then saute until soft, about 4 minutes. Combine onion and garlic mixture with ricotta and spaghetti squash. Then add half of the parmigiano reggiano, salt, pepper & oregano. Put the mixture into an 8 x 8 baking dish and cover with the rest of the parmigiano reggiano. Bake for 20-30 minutes or until cheese is golden brown.


I served with little mini pizzas made with Arnolds thin rounds as the crust, laughing cow sun dried tomato wedge as the sauce, and topped with tomatoes and mozzarella cheese. Bake for 15-20 minutes at 375.



(Click here for printable recipe)

Garlic Lime Marinated Pork Chops

Growing up there was one dish I really dreaded having to eat. That dish was my mom's pork chops. Seriously, I couldn't stand eating that pork. Sorry, Mom. First chance I got I'd put a piece of pork in my mouth and pretend I had to use the bathroom. And, I'm sure you can guess what I did next. Yes, I spit the pork out of my mouth into the toilet, and then I repeated. Yes, I was an awful kid, but I really just didn't like it. Sorry, mom (again) but I just didn't think it had much flavor. I really think that's why I didn't like it. My mom doesn't agree, though. Lol. She thinks I was just a picky kid. And, she was right. But, now that I'm an adult, and cook my own food, I've given pork chops another chance. And, this recipe from Gina's Skinny Recipe has a lot of flavor. Plus it's very good for you. If you look thru a lot of my marinade recipes a lot of them contain lime. I just think it is a solid ingredient for marinating and it doesn't have any fat. If you like a little spice in your life give this marinade a try. You really won't be disappointed. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
4 (6 oz) lean boneless pork chops
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp paprika
1/2 lime, juice of
lime zest
salt and fresh pepper

Really this is a very simple recipe. All you do is take the ingredients from the garlic and below and combine into a bowl. Mix together. I did add some cayenne to this just to kick it up another notch. I then took my pork chop and the marinade and put in a ziplock bag. Make sure all of the marinade has covered the pork chop. I sealed the bag and placed in the fridge for about an hour.

Next, I preheated my oven on the Broil setting. Once the oven was ready I placed the pork chop on the oven rack with a cookie sheet underneath to help catch the juices. Cook the pork for 6 minutes on one side and 6 minutes on the other. Until the pork chop is nicely browned. Remove and enjoy.

This recipe is 6 weight watchers points.

(Click here for printable recipe)

Cara's Spicy Corn Dip

When Cara first set out this corn dip at one of her parties a few years ago, I’m sure I was polite enough not to make a face. Well, pretty sure. You see… this is not a good looking dip. It’s white and lumpy and just doesn’t have much, if any, appetite appeal. However, if you remember what your mother taught you about not judging a book by its cover and just taste it—you’ll find that true tastiness is all that matters. This is an addictive dip. It’s not a healthy dip. And when you look at the ingredients, it doesn’t even sound good. But it is. Trust me.

Ingredients

2 (11oz )cans of Mexicorn, drained

1 (7oz) can of diced green chiles

3 Serrano or jalapeño peppers

4 green onions, chopped

1 cup mayonnaise

1 container (8oz) sour cream

1 ¼ cups shredded cheese

Tortilla chips

There really aren’t any directions, you just mix everything up and serve with the chips. But here are a few pointers:

1. The Mexicorn is usually in the canned veggie section and it’s really just corn with peppers. So if it doesn’t say “Mexicorn” don’t freak out.

2. Check your peppers for hotness. If they are really spicy just use two full and one without the seeds.

3. Scoopable tortilla chips are the best bet for controlling this dip and getting a good bite.

And that’s all there is to it. Really simple. Really good. Really ugly.

(Click here for printable recipes)

Nutella Candy Bars

So, ever since I discovered the yumminess of Nutella; I bookmark every nutella recipe I come across. And, any chance I'm given an excuse to bring something to a party I jump at the chance to try a new recipe. Recently, a friend of mine hosted a Dance Party. This wasn't your typical dance party. You remember back in the 80s and 90s when we would dance to our favorite cassette tape or Compact Disc? Ah, those were the days. No, this dance party was danced to a game. A Wii game that is...as in weeeeeeeeee!!!! Okay, if you haven't heard of the wii then you must be living in outerspace. But, anyway, it was a lot of fun and even though the host did an awesome job of making healthy dishes for us. I had to go and ruin it by bringing these so very un-healthy nutella candy bars. Thanks to
Ginger Bread Cake for posting this recipe. They were super easy to make and super bad for you. But, it's okay to indulge when you're dancing your butt off to a Wii game!! At least that was my excuse for eating them. When you are ready to give into temptation; make these and you won't be disappointed. Enjoy.

Ingredients:
1 cup Nutella
2 cups graham cracker crumbs (finely ground)
2 cups powdered sugar
1 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
4 tbsp nutella

First thing take your cup of nutella and place in a large bowl. Take a food processor, and ground up about 1 1/2 packages of graham crackers. This should give you about 2 cups of finely ground crackers. Pour this in with the nutella. Stir together. Take your powdered sugar, and stir in with the nutella. Next, take your cup of melted butter and pour into the bowl with the nutella mixture. Stir to incorporate.

Now, take a 9x13 pan and spray with cooking spray. Take wax or parchment paper and place in the pan. This is such a lifesaver, and makes it easy to take the candy out of the pan. Pour the nutella mixture into the pan, and press down until evenly distributed in the pan.
For the topping, take 1 1/2 cups of semi-sweet chips and 4 tbsp of nutella and melt in a microwave for about 2 minutes. Stir together, and pour over the candy. Spread evenly.
Refrigerate for an hour. Then, let it warm to room temperature before serving.

(Click here for printable recipe)

Semi-Healthy Baked Ziti

If you follow this blog at all (Do you? Does anyone? Are we just posting recipes to ourselves?) then you know that I don’t make particularly healthy food. I don’t know why recipes with cream in them just seem to call out to me. Probably because they taste so dang good. But occasionally, I do try to make something that’s at least slightly more healthy than what I usually make. I like to have my cake, and eat it, and fit in my jeans too.

I found this baked ziti recipe on Gina’s Skinny Recipes. Obviously not a site I visit very often, but she has a lot of great, healthy meal options, and even a section where she breaks down recipes by Weight Watcher points. So, I used this recipe as a jumping off point, but I did make some non-healthy choices so I don’t think I can say that it’s as healthy as it was to start. But any time I can get my husband to say, “This is a definite win,” to something that is even remotely healthy, I’m sold. So I’m going to post it the way I did it below, but if you want the even healthier version, check out the link above.

1 lb ziti

1 tsp olive oil

3-5 cloves garlic, minced

10 oz frozen spinach, thawed

28 oz whole or crushed tomatoes

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp basil

1 tsp cayenne (optional)

salt and fresh pepper to taste

8 oz part skim ricotta

1/4 cup Parmesan

2 cups part skim mozzarella (divided)

Spray olive oil

Start by reading your box of ziti and following the directions to cook it al dente. You should also preheat your oven to 375 degrees and spray a large 9 by 13 casserole dish with non-stick spray. Meanwhile, heat your oil in a saucepan (large if you will be mixing the pasta in this pan, medium if you are going to mix in the pasta pot). Saute your garlic for about a minute and then add in your spinach, tomatoes, oregano, basil, cayenne, salt and pepper. You can always use fresh herbs if you prefer. Mix it up and break apart the large tomato chunks while it simmers. Gina’s recipe didn’t say for how long, so we just pretty much let it go until the ziti was done. But if you have time the flavors will just continue to develop.

Once the ziti is done, drain it and mix it with the sauce. Then add the ricotta, parmesan and one cup of the mozzarella. Mix that in well, making sure you don’t have any giant clumps of ricotta. Then pour the mixture into your casserole dish and top with the rest of the mozzarella. I confess, I probably used more than a cup here. Don’t be mad. Bake for 30 minutes and then let it rest for 5 if you can hold yourself back. Then serve! Enjoy! All without having to unbutton your pants!

(Click here for printable recipe)

Iron Chef Nuts Winner: Macadamia Nut Crusted Tilapia

As soon as I bit into Morgan’s dish for Iron Chef Nuts, I knew it was a recipe I’d be making as often as possible. And I had a good idea that it would end up being the winner of the night (which it was). We make a lot of Parmesan Tilapia at home, and this recipe is similar in style, but has a completely different, delicious taste. It’s crunchy and melty all at once. The nut flavor is pronounced but it doesn’t overwhelm. I made this the very next weekend after tasting it, and will definitely be putting it in the regular rotation of meals. I suggest you do the same.

I did find that the topping made by this recipe was way too much for our four filets of fish. Being a fan of the “more is more” philosophy, I still used it all, and I would definitely say that this is one of those situations where you are better served to use less topping. So for the recipe below, I’ve taken the liberty of cutting down the amount of nuts to what seems appropriate to me. But you can find the original recipe here on All Recipes if you want to try it for yourself.

Ingredients

4 (6 ounce) tilapia

6.5 ounces macadamia nuts

1 tablespoon soy sauce

2 cloves garlic

1 teaspoon hot sauce

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon black pepper

We buy large packages of individually frozen tilapia at Kroger because they are so convenient and easy to just thaw out when we need them. I would recommend buying the name brand though, not Kroger brand (they tend to taste fishy). And obviously, if you want to buy fresh that will always taste the best. The macadamia nuts I found were dry roasted. I would have gotten regular roasted nuts if I could find them, though.

So, simply mix the nuts, soy sauce, garlic, hot sauce, brown sugar, olive oil and black pepper in a food processor (or blender, but the processor works better in my opinion) until they reach your desired consistency. You could go for a smoother puree, or a slightly crunchier one (which I recommend). Spread this mixture over the top of the tilapia filets, covering them completely. Again, if you end up with some mixture left over, don’t be afraid to throw it away.

The recipe calls for you to broil the fish for 15 minutes, but thanks to the reviewers and my own knowledge of broiling, I realized that would be a big mistake and end in burninating (yes, burninating) the fish. Instead, I baked it at 400 degrees for ten minutes. At the very end, I turned on the broiler for a minute or two, while keeping an eye on it, to give the top a golden crust. And that is that! It’s ridiculously simple for something so good. Congrats on your win, Morgan!

(Click here for a printable recipe)

Iron Chef Nuts: Milk Chocolate Mousse Cake with a Hazelnut Crunch Crust

For Iron Chef Nuts, I wanted to make this cake that I had once before. I believe my mother made it or maybe it was my aunt or both. But, I remember absolutely loving how good this cake was. I think what I remembered most about this cake was the 3 layers and my favorite part the rice krispie crunch on the bottom layer of the cake. This cake is perfect for a holiday especially Christmas, and you can decorate it using stencils or a doily like I did and sprinkle powder sugar over it. The only downside about this cake is that not only is it a 3 layered cake, but its 3 different layers. So, it was a bit difficult to make and it took me several hours to put it all together. Plus, you have to chill it overnight. So, it’s best to make this cake a day ahead if you have the time. I think I will always remember this hazelnut cake and how good it was. This cake was found out of Bon Appetit's magazine. However, I found it online on their website. I hope you enjoy!

Cake
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup sifted all purpose flour (sifted, then measured)
• 1/3 cup sifted unsweetened cocoa powder (preferably Dutch-process; sifted, then measured)
• 4 large eggs
• 2/3 cup sugar
Hazelnut crunch
• 5 ounces imported gianduja bars (hazelnut-flavored milk chocolate, such as Callebaut), chopped
• 1 cup crisp rice cereal
• 1/3 cup hazelnuts, toasted, husked, finely chopped*
Mousse
• 10 ounces imported gianduja bars (hazelnut-flavored milk chocolate, such as Callebaut), chopped
• 1 1/4 cups chilled heavy whipping cream
• 1/8 teaspoon (scant) salt
• 3 tablespoons water
• Tuaca (sweet citrus-flavored liqueur) or Frangelico (hazelnut-flavored liqueur)
• Additional unsweetened cocoa powder
• Powdered sugar

On Bon Appetit’s website, they give suggestions of where you can get the gianduja bars. However, I went to World Market and found the best deal on the hazelnut-flavored milk chocolate bars. I believe the best deal was Lindt’s or World Market’s brand. Lindt’s was 4.4 oz and World Market’s was 3.5, I believe. If your hazelnuts are not already pre-husked and toasted then you can take the hazelnuts and scatter over a baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Take the warm nuts and place into a dish towel and rub together until the skin is removed. I was amazed at how well this worked. Chop up the nuts till you have enough for 1/3 of a cup.

First you want to start prepping your cake pan, by taking one 9 inch pan and insert parchment paper so that some of the paper comes out about 2 inches. Take your oven rack and move it to the bottom third of your oven and set the temperature for 350 degrees.
Now, take your butter and melt it in a saucepan over medium heat. This part was a wee bit tricky, but you need to remove the pan from the heat and let it sit for a minute. Then take a spoon and gently remove the milk solids that rose to the top of the butter and discard it. Then take your spoon and dish out the yellow butter liquid into a small metal bowl. Discard the water and and milk solids. Now, add your vanilla to the butter. This is called your clarified butter. Set aside.

Now, take your flour and cocoa and sift three times into a bowl. Set aside. Take your eggs and sugar and whisk together. I used my Mixing bowl. This next part took me much longer than 2 minutes, and to be honest I thought it was kind of a pain. But, they want you to take your egg mixture and place it in a bath of simmering water. They want you to use a large skillet for the double boiler. While the bowl is in the skillet make sure you are stirring continuously. You want the egg mixture to reach a temperature about 105 degrees. Remove the bowl. Add your clarified butter into the skillet to keep warm. Beat egg mixture on medium speed for about 5 minutes until the egg mixture is cooled and tripled in volume.

Next, take your cocoa/flour mixture and spoon 1/3 of it into the egg bowl and fold with a rubber spatula. Continue two more times until cocoa mixture is incorporated. Take 1 cup of the cake mixture and incorporate with the clarified butter and stir together. Then take your clarified butter and pour that back into the mixing bowl and combine together. Pour batter mixture into your prepared pan and bake until toothpick comes out clean or until cake springs back when touched about 30 minutes.

Remove cake from oven and let cool in pan on a cooling rack. Then remove cake from pan by inverting onto the cooling rack. Remove parchment paper. Carefully, cut cake horizontally until cake stands around ¾ inch. Take a spring-form pan and use as a guide to cut the cake so it’s around the same size as a spring-form pan. I didn’t have to do much cutting at this point just enough because you are going to have to put this cake into the spring pan.

Now, take spring-form pan and line it with parchment paper. Take your skillet and make sure there’s still enough water to bring to a simmer. Take 5 oz of your chocolate bars and break up into a small metal bowl and place bowl into the skillet. Once melted; stir until smooth. Take your chopped nuts and rice krispies and incorporate into the chocolate. Pour mixture into spring-form pan and spread. Chill for an hour in the refrigerator.

Now, it’s time to make your mousse. Take the remaining of your hazelnut bars and place in a medium bowl. Take the bowl and place into a skillet with simmering water. And, let melt. Take your mixing bowl and pour the heavy cream and salt into it. Mix at medium speed until it starts to fluff but not too much. I think I over-mixed at this point, so I had to add some heavy cream into the mixture to lighten it up some. Once the chocolate is melted, take 3 tablespoons of water and mix into the chocolate. Now, pour this into your mixing bowl and fold in with the heavy cream mixture. Take your spring-form pan and place chocolate cake on top of the rice krispy mixture. Take your frangelico and brush on top of your cake. Now, pour the mousse on top of the cake. Chill the cake over-night or for several hours. Keep chilled.
Bon Appetit says to take a knife and run it in-between the cake and pan sides to loosen it. Then they say to take a hot and soaked kitchen towel; wrung out, and wrap it around the pan sides for 30 seconds. Then, you should be able to remove the pan from the cake. Smooth mousse if necessary. Now, you can take stencils or a doily and place on top of cake and sprinkle with cocoa and then powdered sugar.



(Click here for printable recipe)

Iron Chef Nuts Recap

The first Iron Chef competition of the year started off on a high note as the last guest to arrive made quite the entrance. In our short history of competitions, we’ve seen some pretty amazing presentations. In Iron Chef Bacon, we were wowed by pig-shaped chicken. For Iron Chef Melon, a watermelon hedgehog took home the prize. And there have been a myriad of beautiful and delicious desserts that looked too good to eat (almost). Jen’s drink, served in a coconut, continues that tradition of going the extra mile for presentation. She sent her new husband all over town to find the coconuts, then they drilled holes and etched cute little phrases on the outside, and rigged a funnel system to get the drink inside. Made with Frangelico (a hazelnut liquor) and an endless list of other ingredients, the drink was tasty, sweet and fit for a day on the beach. Even if a coconut isn’t really a nut (which is still up for debate).

We moved on to two delicious appetizers. The first, prepared by our hostess for the evening, Greta, was a nutty mixture of fruits and pecans wrapped neatly in a phyllo packet. Once again, the number of ingredients was staggering, but it all came together to make a sweet little appetizer that could work for a dessert as well. It was also fun to watch people eat it and get phyllo all over themselves.

In contrast, Kim’s appetizer was deceptively simple. Red grapes, covered in goat cheese, and rolled in crushed pistachios. They were delicious little bites that went quickly and looked beautiful as well. Kim earned the second place prize with her creativity and this is one dish that I’m sure we will see again at other parties.

While the main and side dishes were being prepared, it was time for me to mix up the second drink of the night (with a far less impressive presentation). I also made my drink with Frangelico because believe it or not, the nut liquor world is quite small. I rimmed the glasses with Nutella and crushed almonds, then poured in the drink: the Nutty Irishman. Quite simple, it’s equal parts Frangelico and Bailey’s Irish Cream served over ice. Tasty but not mind-blowing (unless you drink a LOT of them.)

Laura’s side dish came with a glowing recommendation: “It’s probably not good.” It was cleverly made with butterNUT squash and served in a beautiful bowl engraved with nuts, but the star of the dish was the chipotle pepper. Needless to say, it was spicy. In every competition there is usually one dish that doesn’t turn out the way it was intended (like my “cucumber” melon soup). It’s a side effect of trying new recipes, and it only serves to make us better chefs. I’m sure Laura will bounce back with something delicious at the next competition.

The main course was the Iron Chef Nuts winner. Morgan made a delicious macadamia nut topped tilapia that melted in our mouths. You could taste the nuts (straight from Hawaii) yet they didn’t overpower the delicate fish. In the photo the topping got a tiny bit burnt but it didn't affect the taste at all. This is definitely a recipe we are all going to be hounding Morgan for, so don’t worry—you will see it here! Great job, Morgan and congrats on your win!

We ended the evening with two delicious desserts. The first, from Cara, was a nice cheesecake with a macadamia nut crust and a caramel topping with mini chocolate chips and nuts. Though she had some trouble serving it, we all had no problem eating it. This one definitely disproved the theory that you eat with your eyes.

Emily also had trouble serving her dessert, as the bottom of three layers was crispier than the rest. But her intricate powdered sugar design on top made the presentation quite beautiful (and on theme for February a week before Valentine’s Day!). The nutty flavor came through well and everyone had her favorite layer (mine was the top!).

Overall the evening was successful and everyone was very creative with her use of nuts. We covered a lot of ground in the nut world like pistachios, almonds, macadamia nuts, pecans and hazelnut liquor. We even had a few puns with the coconut and butternut squash. And I may be mistaken, but I don’t think anyone used the easy out—the peanut. Here’s hoping our next competition will be just as delicious. The date hasn’t been finalized, but we are hoping to go with a “green” theme for our March competition. In the meantime, good luck to all the chefs out there, iron and otherwise.

Lemon Garlic Shrimp

One of the simplest, quickest weeknight meals to make is shrimp. I often buy a bag of frozen shrimp at Kroger and just keep it in my freezer for a night when I get home late or don’t feel like putting much energy into my meal. And this recipe takes that ease even further because you don’t even need to thaw your shrimp! I mean, you can’t get much easier than that.

I found this recipe on The Pioneer Woman Cooks a long time ago, but we have another spicy shrimp recipe (also on this site) that we like a lot, so it took some effort to try something a little different. But I’m glad we did! I don’t think this recipe will replace our other one, but it’s nice to change things up once in awhile. I actually made half this recipe and served it over spaghetti, but if you’re just going to be eating the shrimp with a few friends, I would make the whole thing.

2 pounds Raw Shrimp, deveined (shelled or shell on, up to you)

2 sticks cold unsalted butter

1 teaspoon kosher salt

4 cloves garlic

¼ cups fresh parsley

½ teaspoons crushed red pepper

Juice from one lemon

Start by preheating your oven to 375 degrees. Rinse your shrimp just a bit to separate them, and lay them out on a baking sheet in a single layer. Get out your food processor and throw all the other ingredients in. The cold butter in chunks, salt, garlic cloves, parsley, red pepper and lemon juice. Combine in the food pro until it forms kind of a crumbly mixture (cold butter is key). Sprinkle this mixture evenly over the shrimp and bake until they are done and the butter is melted and bubbly.

If the shrimp is completely frozen, it could take about 20 minutes. We started with semi-thawed shrimp and cooked it for about ten minutes (which may have been slightly long). Obviously with completely thawed shrimp it won’t take long at all, maybe 6-7 minutes. The Pioneer Woman suggests serving it with bread, but as I said, Steve and I like it over spaghetti.

And there you have it. I feel like I should write more, but it’s really just that simple.

(Click here for printable recipe)