Jamie’s Recipes

The new year is coming fast, we are just days away from 2010. Can you believe that? I am sure everyone has satisfied their sweet tooth with all the delicious Christmas candy, sweets, and treats (I know I have). I had a couple more Christmas candy recipes I wanted to share with you, but instead my computer charger decided to fizzle out on me. My battery died moments after posting my chocolate covered toffee recipe and it was a long ten days before a new charger arrived. My battery is now fully charged, but I figured my readers did not want to hear about chocolate-covered-this and peanut-butter-smeared-that. I will spare you the sweets and save it for next Christmas.

Many of you may have plans to attend or host a New Year’s Eve party or a New Year’s Day brunch. Here are some recipes from my archives that may inspire you. I hope you all have a happy and healthy 2010. Thank you for reading, I enjoy your comments and feedback so keep it coming.

See you in twenty-ten!

Jamie

NEW YEAR’S EVE IDEAS:

Boneless Chicken Wings

Olive Penguins

Date and Cheddar Cheeseball

Homemade Irish Cream

NEW YEAR’S DAY BRUNCH IDEAS:

The Best Cinnamon Rolls Ever

Gluten Free Sticky Rolls

Marbled Chocolate Banana Cake

Breakfast Cups

Egg Bake or Breakfast Casserole

Many months ago I found these adorable penguins when I was gawking at foodgawker. It was love at first sight. I couldn’t wait until my next party so I could make them.  Luckily for me my penguin loving daughter was having a birthday party. These appetizers were a hit, and they sent the cute factor through the roof.

All you need is two different sized pitted olives (I used jumbo and small), soften cream cheese, whole carrots, and toothpicks. With a little time and effort you too can have an appetizer that will be a real ice breaker at your next party. Sorry for the cheesy pun, I couldn’t resist.

OLIVE PENGUIN APPETIZERS
as seen at Once Upon a Plate
Jumbo pitted olives
small pitted olives
soften cream cheese
whole carrots
toothpicks

Drain the juice from your olives. Peel the carrots and slice into coins. Take the jumbo olive and cut out a small wedge. Fill with cream cheese. Cut a small triangle out of the carrot coin. The triangle now becomes the penguin’s beak. Insert the large end of the triangle into the opening of the small olive. Place the small olive on top of the jumbo olive, secure with a toothpick. Place carrot coin on the bottom of the jumbo olive, pushing the toothpick far enough in so it pierces the carrot. Line up the penguins on a platter for an adorable penguin army. Enjoy!

We have now been in our house for one month. How quickly that month has gone too. Most of our boxes have been unpacked, we still have a few that have a mish-mash of things in them, nevertheless we are feeling quite settled. There are still things that I want to do to make this place feel like my own. Every room needs to be painted, the basement needs carpet (to cover the asbestos tiles), and we decorations to hang on the walls. I know this will all happen over time, unless we win the lottery then I am going to go shopping immediately (I can dream, right?). I love this house and am really excited to see it transform into ours over the next year.

One thing that I love about this house is that it is double the space of our previous apartment. Which means we actually have space to entertain, and I love entertaining. A couple weeks ago we had our first of hopefully many cocktail parties. Alex mixed up drinks popular in the 1960s and I made a bunch (too many) appetizers for our guests to enjoy.

One of the appetizers I made was Swedish Meatballs. These particular kind of meatballs are typically served in a creamy brown sauce. You could eat Swedish meatballs as a main course served with mashed potatoes, but they make the perfect appetizer served on a toothpick.

SWEDISH MEATBALLS
from Alton Brown, Good Eats with my own method
2 slices fresh white bread
1/4 cup milk
3 tablespoons clarified butter, divided
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
A pinch plus 1 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 pound ground chuck (I used 1 pound)
3/4 pound ground pork (I used 1 pound)
2 large egg yolks
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 cups beef broth
1/4 cup heavy cream

My method: Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Alton’s method (which I followed here): Tear the bread into pieces and place in a small mixing bowl along with the milk. Set aside.

In a 12-inch straight sided saute pan over medium heat, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter. Add the onion and a pinch of salt and sweat until the onions are soft. Remove from the heat and set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the bread and milk mixture, ground chuck, pork, egg yolks, 1 teaspoon of kosher salt, black pepper, allspice, nutmeg, and onions. Beat on medium speed for 1 to 2 minutes.

My method: Scoop up about 2T of the meat mixture. Roll into a ball (should be about the size of a ping-pong ball). Place the meatballs into a 9×13 baking pan. Bake for 10 minutes, turn meatballs, bake another 10 minutes. In order to make the gravy I added some of the drippings from the baking dish into my preheated (medium heat) cast iron skillet. I followed the rest of Alton’s directions for making the gravy.

Alton’s method: Using a scale, weigh meatballs into 1-ounce portions and place on a sheet pan. Using your hands, shape the meatballs into rounds.

Heat the remaining butter in the saute pan over medium-low heat, or in an electric skillet set to 250 degrees F. Add the meatballs and saute until golden brown on all sides, about 7 to 10 minutes.

Remove the meatballs to an ovenproof dish using a slotted spoon and place in the warmed oven.

Once all of the meatballs are cooked, decrease the heat to low and add the flour to the pan or skillet. Whisk until lightly browned, approximately 1 to 2 minutes. Gradually add the beef stock and whisk until sauce begins to thicken. Add the cream and continue to cook until the gravy reaches the desired consistency. Remove the meatballs from the oven, cover with the gravy and serve.

Enjoy as a tasty dinner with mashed potatoes or rice, or as a fun appetizer!

This weekend we had a little cocktail party at our new house. It was an opportunity for our friends to see our house, and a chance for us to ask them their opinions on improvements we should make to the place. The current debate is whether or not the wood wall separating the kitchen and dining room should come down. We want to keep the integrity of the house, although more cabinet space under an island would be so nice.

I love entertaining. Cooking for my family and cooking for others make me happy. I can’t sing, I can’t draw, but I sure can whip up a mean dinner. I like cooking because it is one “creative” thing that I do well. When Alex suggest we throw a little party I was incredibly excited, and the menu planning began immediately. Even though a handful of our guests were unable to attend, I still made too much food. Which meant that I haven’t had to cook much this week (I made vegetable cheese soup with the leftover relish tray and cheese platter). We ate the leftover appetizers for both lunch and dinner on Sunday.

For some reason I did not take any photos of the table full of food or any during the party. Instead I spent my time hovering, making sure we weren’t going to run out of crackers or carrots. Which was silly because we had plenty of both.  I do have a few photos of some of the food I made and over the next few days I will share those recipes with you.

Our house was built in 1962 and the 1960s became our inspiration for some of the food and drinks we served. Alex poured Tom Collins, vodka gimlets, and White Russians and I made a cheeseball, Swedish meatballs, and fondue (just to name a few). I wasn’t around in the 1960s so I did a little googling and found out that a cheeseball was a common appetizer served during that era.

CHEESEBALL
8 oz cream cheese, softened (I used fat free cream cheese)
8 oz block sharp cheddar cheese, room temperature
1 c dates, pitted and chopped up
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 c chopped walnuts

It is VERY important your cheeses are soft in order for them to combine. Throw everything besides the walnuts into the food processor. Turn it on, and let it spin until the cheeses and dates have combined.

Scrape cheese out on to some Saran wrap. Using the Saran wrap, press the cheese together to form a ball. Place Saran wrapped cheeseball into a bowl and refrigerate until hardened (I did my overnight).

Place chopped walnuts in a round cake pan or shallow dish. Take the cheeseball out of the fridge and remove the Saran wrap. Roll cheeseball in the walnuts until the outside is covered. Serve with crackers or thinly sliced baguette. ENJOY!

Chicken wings are one of my favorite happy hour appetizers. Once I turned 21, I frequented one of the favorite sports bars in Cedar Falls that had cheap beer and cheap wings during happy hour.  Beer and wings would be my meal. I love the combination of the hot wing sauce, the cool bleu cheese (PLEASE NO RANCH!), and crisp celery; it is finger-lickin’ good. When I was pregnant with Sasha I constantly craved anything labeled “buffalo chicken”, I would still indulge myself knowing that later I would have massive heartburn.

Chicken wings are good but a lot of work and gnawing around bones isn’t ideal for small children; hence the boneless version seen here. I used boneless skinless chicken breasts, which I sliced into about 1 inch strips and cut the strips into about 1 inch chucks.

BONELESS CHICKEN “WINGS”
3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch chunks
1 egg white
couple splashes of milk
a dash or two of Tabasco
2 c seasoned flour
oil for frying
favorite hot wing sauce
favorite BBQ sauce
2 T honey

SEASONED FLOUR
*use amounts according to your flavor preferences
salt
pepper
garlic powder
onion powder
cayenne pepper

Heat oil in a dutch oven to 375 degrees F. Mix in a shallow dish egg white, Tabasco and milk. Put flour into a zip top plastic storage bag. Coat chicken in egg mixture, then toss in the bag with flour. Shake until chicken is thoroughly coated.  Fry in small batches until chicken is golden brown, a couple minutes on each side.  Toss half of chicken in wing sauce and the other half with the honey and BBQ sauce. Serve with a good bleu cheese dip. ENJOY!

Football fan are not words I would use to describe myself.  However, I can never turn down an excuse to make cute food for a party; I love entertaining guests.  I do know which teams are playing in the Superbowl this year, only because my nephew Andrew is a HUGE Steelers fan (I will root for them for Andrew) and because my sister told me the Arizona Cardinals is the other team (I never knew Arizona had a NFL team).  If forced to watch football, I would rather watch college games, the two teams I root for are (of course) my alma mater, GO PANTHERS and the best team in the state of Iowa, GO HAWKS! I haven’t lived in Nebraska long enough to bleed BIG RED.

If you are going to be huddled around the TV watching the big game, you will want easy to eat food. These sliders are perfect, they require only your God-given utensils. These are also easily personalized to your personal flavor preferences.

SUPERBOWL SLIDERS
Yield 8 mini burgers

1 lb ground beef
garlic powder
onion powder
black pepper
salt
cooked bacon
sharp cheddar
8 dinner roll sized buns

Preheat grill pan or skillet over medium heat. Line a large cookie sheet (I used 11×15) with parchment paper or waxed paper. Place ground beef on paper, cover with another sheet of the paper. Using a rolling pin, roll your beef into a large, thin rectangle (about the size of the cookie sheet).  Season your rolled out ground beef with garlic powder, onion powder, pepper and salt. Add a little or a lot. Now take the long sides of the beef and fold it to the middle of the rectangle (you want your seasonings encased in the middle of the ground beef). Place paper over the folded beef and give a light roll to seal it up, you do not want to enlarge your rectangle any more. Take a pizza cutter and slice the ground beef down the middle (so you have two long skinny pieces). Divide these into quarters to equal eight small square burgers. Grill or cook over medium heat until done, turning only once.

Butter buns and toast on grill pan for a minute or so. Top buns with your burgers, bacon and cheddar. Add onion, lettuce, tomato, and any other condiments. ENJOY!

In July Alex and I traveled to Phoenix, while we were there we ate at a delicious Lebanese restaurant in Tempe, called Layalena. Before we ate there my middle eastern food experience was extremely limited; in fact I think the only thing I had previously eaten was hummus. Since neither of us knew what to order we decided to order a sampler mezza (appetizer) and the king’s feast for dinner and share it.  The appetizer included: Hummus, baba ganouj, falafel, labneh, m’hammara, and grape leaves. The king’s feast was huge and included: A skewer of kefta kabob, shish tawook, and shish kabob plus a lamb chop. It was a wonderful meal. Since we aren’t on vacation anymore, I had to figure out how to satisfy my craving for that meal at home.

My inspiration for this meal came after we took a trip to the library and I checked out several cookbooks; one was this beautiful book entitled “Home Baking: The Artful Mix of Flour and Tradition Around the World“. As I flipped through the book (several times) I saw a recipe for Silk Road Non; after reading it over and over I thought I could at least give it a try. What fun it would be to make handmade non (also spelled nan or naan), and a whole middle eastern meal to accompany it. I did a little research and completed my menu with muhammara and shish tawook.

Everything turned out so beautifully, in this case my hard work really paid off.  Alex was presently surprised with a delicious meal when he came home from work, and he requested it becomes part of the meal rotation. So shake up your recipe collection and try something naan-traditional!If you need inspiration, head to your local library. Many libraries are stocked with recipe books from around the world.

Silk Road Non
Makes 12 round breads
From: Home Baking

2 tsp active dry yeast
3 c warm water
7 to 9 c AP Flour (or 2 c whole wheat flour, plus 4-6 c AP flour)
1 T salt, plus extra for sprinkling
1/4 c rendered lamb fat melted, (or 4 T unsalted butter, melted)

In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast in the water. Add 3 cups of the flour (if using whole wheat flour, add it and 1 c AP), a cup at a time, stirring well until a smooth batter forms, then stir for another minute, always stirring in the same direction. If you have the time, cover your bowl with plastic wtap and let stand for 30 minutes, or as long as 3 hours, if more convenient.

Sprinkle on 1 T salt and stir in. Add 3 T of the lamb fat or butter and fold in. Continue to add the flour, a cup at a time, stirring and folding it in until dough becomes too stiff to stir.

Turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, 8-10 minutes.

Place the dough in a clean blow, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise until at least doubled in volume, about 2 hours. (For more flavor, set in a cool place to rise for 8 hours, or overnight.)

Place rack in upper third of oven and place a large baking stone or unglazed quarry tiles, if you have them, (or baking sheet) on it. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Cut it in half and set one half aside, covered. Cut the remaining dough into 6 equal pieces. Shape each into a ball and then flatten with the floured palm of your hand. With a rolling pin, begin rolling it out into thin rounds about 8 inches in diameter. The dough may resist stretching, so work with 2 rounds at once to give the gluten in the dough time to stretch and relax. Roll out 1 round as far as it will easily go, then work on a second before coming back to the first to roll it out a little more.  As you complete each round, set aside on a lightly floured surface, covered with a towel or with plastic wrap. Let rest for 15 minutes before baking.

To shape the breads for baking, warm the remaining 1 T lamb fat or butter until very liquid and place by your work surface, together with a pastry brush and salt. Lightly dust a peel with flour. Place a dough round on the peel, then stamp or prick with center of the round thoroughly and vigorously with a fork, leaving a 1 inch rim. Brush lightly all over with lamb fat or butter, then sprinkle the center with a generous pinch of salt. Transfer to the baking stone, placing it to one side to leave room for another bread. Prepare the next bread, and slide into the over beside the first.

Bake for 5 1/2 – 7 minutes, until well flecked with gold. Place on a rack to cool for 5 minutes or so, then wrap in a cotton cloth to keep warm.

As this post is already incredibly long I will just include links to the other recipes. Mahammara is a red pepper and walnut dip. It is delicious with naan. Mahammara link is here. Also I recommend you roast your own red peppers; I couldn’t believe how easy it was, click here for a how to roast your own peppers tutorial.

Shish Tawook is a marinated and grilled chicken. It is so easy to make and tastes wonderful with muhammara. I used a combination of recipes. The original recipes can be found here and here.

Shish Tawook

1/2 c Plain yogurt (I used sour cream)
1/4 c white vinegar
1/2 c fresh lemon juice
2 T ketchup
2 T yellow mustard
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon curry powder
2-3 lbs. boneless/skinless chicken breasts (cut into strips)

In a medium bowl, stir together all ingredients. Stir in chicken pieces, coating all sides with marinade. Cover bowl, and refrigerate overnight. Skewer chicken onto kabobs, grill until cook through.

Roasted garlic. So easy. So simple. So delicious! The first time I enjoyed roasted garlic was when my husband and I were dining in Omaha’s Old Market. We ordered an antipasto appetizer off the menu at Vivace, which came with an assortment of cheeses, salty Italian meats, crusty bread and roasted garlic. Neither one of us had had roasted garlic before, and we were in love after the first bite.

Don’t live near Omaha? That’s all right, you can enjoy roasted garlic in your home, without a lot of fuss. All you need is a couple heads of garlic, and olive oil. Cut the tops off the garlic, drizzle olive oil over the garlic, wrap up in tin foil and roast in a hot oven (400-425 degrees F) for 45-60 minutes. What comes out of the oven is the most delicious way to enjoy garlic. Squeeze out the golden brown cloves, mash into a paste, and enjoy. I love roasted garlic smeared on a piece of crust bread. Yum! Yum! Yum!

Open-faced Mediterranean Tuna Rice Cake sandwich. WOW what a mouthful–at least it is a delicious one. I currently have an open jar of Classico -Traditional Basil Pesto sitting in my fridge. I opened it the other night to use some in my Pesto Couscous.

Last night for supper I wanted a high protein, low calorie meal. Immediately I thought of tuna, tuna is a lean protein packed with omega-3 fatty acid (which is great for breastfeeding moms). Alex doesn’t care for tuna; actually he doesn’t like it at all, so I knew this tuna sandwich would be all mine. I was going to make my traditional tuna salad which consists of canned tuna and a little mayonnaise, but when I opened the fridge last night I saw the jar of pesto sitting there staring at me. I’ve never had tuna and pesto together but thought it sounded not too bad. Well I was right, it was better than not too bad, it was frickin’ awesome.

I served my tuna on Quaker White Cheddar Rice Cakes. This makes a nice low calorie snack or meal. I tried to take some pictures of this deliciousness, but the pictures did not do justice to the amazing flavor or this sandwich.

Check out my recipe for Pesto Meatballs if you need any other ideas for integrating pesto into your meals.

OPEN-FACED MEDITERRANEAN TUNA RICE CAKE SANDWICHES
1 can lite chuck tuna packed in water, drained
2 T Classico Basil Pesto
1/2 T lite Mayo
2 Quaker White Cheddar Rice Cakes

Combine tuna, pesto and mayo. Divide between two rice cakes. Eat as an open-faced sandwich. Eat both yourself or share with a friend. Enjoy!

Calories for one open-faced sandwich: 186.5