New Gourmet Again! Episode

Ron and I produced another episode of our YouTube cooking show, "Gourmet Again!" earlier this month. Since all previous elements were on the external hard drive of mine that crashed last year, I had to recreate the background for the header and footer in LiveType.

I also produced a new music theme using GarageBand loops!

So it's like a whole new show! I even added voice overs and way more text throughout the video.

Oh yeah, and I really plug the heck out of my book, "Cravings, Ravings & Misbehavings." Partially because the recipe (or yet another bastardized version) is featured in the book, and partially because I like plugging my book!

So enjoy "Whole Lotta Lasagna" and pass it along to friends and family.

Now I gotta get back in the kitchen!

Butternut Squash & Sausage Soup!

Winter is nearly upon us, even us Californians feel the late autumn chill and mourn those late sunny evenings. Ahhhhh. But the time is ripe for winter squash -- butternut, turban, acorn and more.

Tonight, I found another fat-free dish to include my Spicy Italian Sausages (see that recipe below):

BUTTERNUT SQUASH AND SAUSAGE SOUP

INGREDIENTS:

2 medium Butternut Squashes

1/2 cup white wine

4 cloves Garlic

4 Spicy Italian Vegan Sausages

1/2 cup Vegetable Broth

1 Apple

1 1/2 cups Vegetable Broth

1/4 teaspoon Nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon Cinnamon

Pinch of Cayenne

METHOD:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Add enough water to a baking sheet to cover the bottom.

Slice squashes in half lengthwise. Remove seeds and strings. Put the four halves, cut side down, on the baking sheet. Using a fork, pierce the skins in multiple places. Bake for approximately 45 minutes, or until soft. Set aside to cool.

In a large stock pot, saute garlic in white wine over medium heat until soft. When most of the liquid is evaporate, crumble the sausages into the pot. Reduce heat to low, stir occasionally to prevent burning, although a light "crust" might form on the pan bottom.

Meanwhile, peel and core an apple. Dice it and puree it in a food processor -- the consistency doesn't have to be totally smooth. Put the apple sauce in a large mixing bowl.

Check the sausage. If it is heated thoroughly, deglaze the pan with 1/2 cup of vegetable broth.

Remove flesh from squash skins and put in food processor. Add remaining vegetable broth and puree until very smooth. Add to sausage. At this time, add the apple sauce as well.

Bring heat to medium. Stir in nutmeg and cinnamon; add cayenne to taste.

Allow soup to come to a boil, then reduce flame to low and simmer for at least one hour or all day!

Dinner was served at 6:30pm and, once again, hours later, I am STILL full!

Sweet & Spicy Triangles (Curry)

Hey, food lovers! Dinner was a delicious success tonight! Main Course: a vegetarian version of spiced lamb phyllo triangles. Let me tell you ALL about the recipe, which is TOTALLY worth all your beautiful effort:

SWEET & SPICY CURRY TRIANGLES

INGREDIENTS:

Filling:

1/4 cup Golden Raisins

1/4 cup dried Cranberries

8 pieces dried Apricot Halves

3/4 cup Boiling Water

1/4 cup Red Wine

4 cloves Garlic, minced

1 Onion, finely chopped

6 oz. vegetarian Chicken-style Sausage (or make your own, see other posts for recipe!)

1/4 cup Vegetable Stock

1/2 teaspoon Mrs. Dash Chicken Seasoning

1 teaspoon Curry Powder (or more, to taste)

1/8 teaspoon Garam Masala (or use a few pinches each of Cinnamon, Allspice, Cloves)

Chopped Parsley, 2 teaspoons dry or 1/4 cup fresh

Fresh Ground Black Pepper to taste

Cayenne Powder to taste

Phyllo Pastry:

8 sheets Phyllo Dough (10" x 14")

1 Egg White whisked together with a few drops of water

Sauce:

2 tablespoons Red Wine

3 cloves Garlic, minced

1 cup Tomato Sauce

2 teaspoons Cumin

1/2 cup Dried Fruit Liquid Reserves (see Method)

Other:

A few drops of Olive Oil or thin pat of Butter, or Parchment Paper (for prepping pan)

Vital Wheat Gluten or Wheat Flour (to thicken Sauce)

METHOD:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Filling:

Place dried Raisins, Cranberries and Apricots in a bowl and cover with boiling water. Steep for 10 minutes until soft and puffy. Save the water for making the Sauce in a separate dish, and chop rehydrated fruit into small pieces.

In a large saute pan or stock pot, saute Garlic in Red Wine over medium heat until soft and fragrant, 2-4 minutes. Add Onion and a bit of additional Water or Vegetable Broth if necessary, and saute until soft, approximately 10-12 minutes.

Add the Vegetarian Sausage, Vegetable Broth, Mrs. Dash, Curry Powder, Garam Masala, Parsley, Pepper and Cayenne, along with the chopped, rehydrated Dried Fruit.

Reduce heat to medium low and cook, stirring occasionally until liquid is reduced, roughly 15 minutes.

(The Filling can be made up to two days in advanced and kept refrigerated until use).

Place cooked Filling in a large bowl and cool to room temperature, about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, you can prepare the baking pan and Triangle Assembly Work Station!

Prep Baking Pan:

In between stirrings, prepare a large cookie sheet by brushing with a few drops of Olive Oil or a thin pat of Butter (no more than 1/2 teaspoon) or use a sheet of Parchment Paper.

Prep Phyllo and Work Station:

Dampen a clean kitchen towel and set aside while you unfold the Phyllo Pastry sheets onto a cutting board or the counter top. Immediately cover the Phyllo with the damp towel.

Get out another cutting surface and sharp knife. Set it next to the covered Phyllo sheets, with

the prepared pan on the other side. Place the bowl of Filling and a tablespoon in your work area as well.

Now you're ready for the fun and slightly messy job of assembling the delicious triangles! You might want to have a damp hand towel in the area or wear an apron!

Remove one sheet of Phyllo dough from the damp towel and place it on the cutting surface.

Quickly cover the remaining Phyllo sheets.

Then carefully slice the empty sheet in half.

Scoop out a heaping tablespoon of the Filling onto a lower corner of the Phyllo section.

EVER SO GENTLY, fold the Phyllo at an angle to the other side of the dough, forming a triangular shape.

The first fold will look like this.

If you're a lefty, it might turn the opposite direction!

Now, from this point, you would fold up the filled section of Phyllo dough UPWARD.

The next fold will go LEFTWARD.

DON'T MAKE THE FINAL FOLD YET!

BEFORE MAKING THE FINAL FOLD, brush a bit of Egg White onto the empty Phyllo triangle.

If there's a bit of excess Phyllo dough, trim the

top edge... if you're compulsive like me!

Make the final fold UPWARD to seal the triangle.

Place your first fantastic Triangle sealed side down on the prepared baking pan!

Continue in the same process, making sure to cover unused full sheets of Phyllo dough after removing a new one. This stuff is REALLY DELICATE!

Let's say you've either used up all the Filling and

your Triangles, or you are thoroughly exhausted from your culinary efforts.

The Triangles are beautifully resting on their very own baking pan.

Now brush them gently with the Egg White mixture.

You may choose to brush each Triangles once or twice to coat tops and exposed sides completely.

It's time to bake these beauties! Stick them in the preheated oven for 25 minutes. Then relax and count the minutes until chow-time!

No such luck. If you want a SPECTACULAR DINNER, then it's time to make the Sauce. Sauces are everything, especially in vegetarian and vegan cuisine.

In a small sauce pan over medium heat, saute Garlic in the 2 tablespoons Red Wine. After a minute or two, add the Tomato Sauce and Reserved Liquid from Rehydrated Dried Fruit. Add Cumin. Cover and reduce heat to medium low, cook sauce for 20 minutes and stir occasionally.

Tilt cover to allow steam to escape (but not splatter your stove top and kitchen with sauce!) while slightly reducing and thickening the sauce. If this is not happening so much, stir in a few sprinkles of Vital Wheat Gluten or Wheat Flour.

Reduce heat to low and simmer for remaining five minutes while Triangles are browning beautifully below (or above, depending on your oven placement). And of course, you still need to set the table, or at least get a fork for yourself (these TRIANGLES WILL BE HOT coming out of the oven, my friend!)

BEEP!.. BEEP!.. BEEP!.. BEEP!..

You know what that means... the Sweet & Spicy Triangles are currying your favor and it's ALMOST time to savor!

Turn off the sauce. Turn off the oven. Get a potholder and remove the treasured Triangles onto a cooling rack.

WAIT! Let them cool slightly or you will definitely burn your entire mouth!

Place a few on your plate (it would be proper to serve your family and/or guests at the same time), then spoon a little sauce on each serving.

Always, ALWAYS, test heated foods in small amounts first to save a trip to the emergency room... or just ruining all your hard work!

Then, ENJOY!!!!!

Whole Lotta Lasagna! (Vegetarian)

The change has come to our kitchen and our scale. We're on the Dr. Fuhrman "Eat To Live" diet and the results are fantastic. The food? Totally tasty! Here's one of our new faves that I call Whole Lotta Lasagna.

WHOLE LOTTA LASAGNA

INGREDIENTS:

Sauce:

1/2 cup Red Wine

5 cloves Garlic, chopped

3 (15 oz.) cans Tomato Sauce

Basil, Oregano, Crushed Pepper to taste

Veggie Ricotta:

12 oz. Firm Tofu

4 oz. Soy Mozzarella, shredded

1 tablespoon Soy Parmesan

1 tablespoon Parsley, dried or fresh

1/2 cup Lemon Juice

2 Egg Whites, room temperature

Other Layers:

3 Eggplants, peeled and sliced 1/4” slabs

5 Medium Zucchini, sliced 1/4” lengthwise

5 Peppers, Red, Green, Yellow or Orange, seeds removed, quartered

Toppings:

4 oz. Soy Mozzarella, shredded

1 oz. Soy Parmesan

METHOD:

Sauté garlic in red wine until fragrant, add herbs and spices then tomato sauce. Cook for at least two hours, stirring occasionally. Cool slightly before using.

Pre-heat oven to 375º F.

Crumble tofu in a large bowl. Add soy cheeses, parsley and lemon. Lightly whisk the egg whites and add to bowl. Stir to combine, set aside.

Grill eggplant, zucchini and peppers until charred and slightly soft. Leave eggplant and zucchini in large pieces.

Cut peppers into long strips about 3/8” wide. Set aside.

In a deep lasagna or roasting pan, spread 1 cup of red sauce. Layer half of the eggplant without overlapping, then zucchini, then peppers in the same fashion.

Spread half of the soy ricotta over vegetables, then add half of the remaining sauce.

Repeat layers: eggplant, zucchini, peppers, soy ricotta....

...and sauce! Bake 45 minutes covered in foil. Then remove foil, add soy cheese toppings and return to oven for 15-20 minutes.

Remove and let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Mushroom Wild Rice Soup

This is a rich, flavorful and unique soup! And it's fairly easy to make but will require about an hour of preparation time, and another hour (minimum) to simmer. Soups are ALWAYS better the second day, so make it in advance whenever possible! Let's get our ingredients in order. 

Oh, and since the Wild Rice will take 50-70 minutes to cook, get it going first, then use the cooking time to chop, slice, dice and otherwise prepare the remaining ingredients!

MUSHROOM WILD RICE SOUP

INGREDIENTS:

WILD RICE

2 cups Wild Rice

1 stalk Celery, finely chopped

1/2 Tbsp Butter

Salt and Pepper

MIREPOIX (What's This?)

2 cloves Garlic, minced

1 medium Onion, chopped

2 small stalks Celery, no leaves, sliced diagonally

3 medium Carrots, diced

1/2 cup Red Wine, to deglaze pan

SOUP

12 oz. Mushrooms, sliced thickly (I prefer a mix of Crimini and White Button)

5-6 cups Beef, Vegetable or Chicken Stock

1 Tbsp Butter

1 Tbsp Olive Oil

1 tsp Thyme (fresh is best)

Salt and Pepper

METHOD:

Before chopping mushrooms and ingredients for the mirepoix, start by cooking the Wild Rice with a finely chopped Celery, a pat of Butter, and Salt and Pepper. Don't substitute other oils; better to leave out the Butter if you're watching fat content. 

While the Wild Rice is cooking, peel and mince the Garlic, peel and chop the Onion, slice the Celery, and peel and dice the Carrots. Place Butter and Olive Oil in a large stock pot and melt over medium high heat. Add Garlic, Onion, Celery and Carrots, saute for 10 minutes or until all ingredients are fairly soft.

Bring flame to medium, deglaze the pan with Red Wine. Add Thyme and Mushrooms, and a bit of Salt and freshly ground Pepper. 

Cook for 10 minutes or until Mushrooms are soft. Add Wild Rice and enough Chicken, Vegetable or Beef Stock to more than cover mixture. Simmer for at least one hour, several even better, stirring occasionally and checking liquid level. Add more stock if necessary.

If making  a day ahead, allow soup to cool completely, then refrigerate. Reheat over medium flame, checking stock level so that the Wild Rice doesn't burn on pan bottom.

Serve hot with fresh bread or croutons. Serves 6-8 large portions.

Chef's Notes: Top each bowl with grated Gruyere or Emmental for more flavor and texture.

It's been a while....!

Hey everyone! In the last few weeks, plans have been changing left to right, uptown to downtown, pepperoni with extra cheese to vegan. You get the idea.

No new "Gourmet Again!" cooking shows until my Ecuadorian friend and soul sister, Tania, arrives for a nice long visit. We will be doing a traditional meal from her country. What a blast that will be!

Needless to say, we HAVE been cooking. Just not taping our efforts due to time constraints! I made some fantastic turkey burgers tonight that Ron grilled to perfection, as always.

Also, per Ron's request, I will be making a special post to honor my favorite vegan lunch. True, I have MANY favorites for lunch, including curry chicken salad with golden raisins, tuna salad with fresh parsley and chickpeas, and others, but this one is really unique. Look for that coming really soon, with pictures of my original creation!

Finally, every week I'm baking a new Brownies recipe. So far, the best have come from RecipeZaar. Check it out. New one in the oven tomorrow.....

Pompagne (Sparkling Pomegranate Martinis)

The "surprise" party for Kahle backfired when her flight to California was cancelled! The airlines inflicted a cruel twist of fate on those of us planning the Saturday Soiree.

But, sad that our Guestess of Honor would not attend her own party, we raged on! (Don't worry, Kahle, another party shall ensue).

Here's a photo of the guests who stayed until we shut down the kitchen and the bar!

The event started slowly, but that gave me plenty of time to keep working and shouting out orders to Tara, my temporary aide-de-cuisine.

Okay, I didn't yell at her!

She and Ron and I completed all of our main tasks just as the first guests were arriving.

First order up: POMPAGNE!

What is Pompagne, you ask? I found this recipe in my Cooking Pleasures magazine. It's like a sparkling Pomegranate Martini! Here's how to make one:

1. Fill a cocktail shaker with ice.
2. Add 2 oz. Pomegranate Juice, 3/4 oz. Vodka (we used Stoli), and 1/2 oz. Orange-flavored liqueur (we used Cointreau).
3. Shake for ten seconds. Strain into a Martini glass.
4. Top with 1 oz. Champagne or Sparkling Wine.
5. Drink responsibly, 'cause these babies go down eeeeeeasy!

Pizza Mania!

I'm getting cocky. And here's the proof:

Yesterday, Ron and I were running errands. He asked me if I'd remembered to buy pre-made pizza dough at Trader Joe's to use in our pizza making episode of "Gourmet Again!" being taped later that evening.

I replied without a pause, "I make my own dough now."

Cocky, perhaps, but the proof is in the pudding, or in this case, in the PIZZA! We made two 'zas, and I'm arrogantly certain that you'll love them both if you follow this recipe EXACTLY .....

BBQ CHICKEN PIZZA - AND - GOAT CHEESE PIZZA

INGREDIENTS:

BBQ CHICKEN, SAUCE AND TOPPINGS

2 large fresh Chicken Breasts
1 cup BBQ Sauce
¼ cup Red Wine

½ cup BBQ Sauce (or my fave: use BBQ chicken juices, cooked down to a glaze)
½ cup Red Onion, sliced super-thin
2 large Tomatoes, sliced super-thin
6 oz. fresh Mozzarella, shredded

RED SAUCE AND TOPPINGS FOR GOAT CHEESE PIZZA

1 Tsp Olive Oil
1 clove Garlic, minced
¼ cup Red Wine
½ Tsp Basil

6 medium Crimini Mushrooms, sliced thinly
2 cups fresh Spinach, coarsely chopped
4 oz. fresh Goat Cheese, crumbled
4 oz. fresh Mozzarella, shredded

CRUST

1 Tbsp Active Dry Yeast
1 cup Warm Water (105˚ to 115˚)
2-1/2 cups unbleached White Flour
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 Tsp Sugar
1 Tsp Salt

DIRECTIONS:

SLOW COOK THE BBQ CHICKEN

Mix BBQ Sauce and Red Wine in a small bowl. Add to a large cooking pot or slow cooker with Chicken. Cook on super-low heat for 1-3 hours. Do not open the cover for at least 1 hour, then test each hour for doneness. The Chicken should shred easily.

MAKE THE RED SAUCE FOR GOAT CHEESE PIZZA

Heat Olive Oil in small sauce pan, sauté Garlic until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add Red Wine, Basil. Simmer at least 15 minutes, an hour or longer if you have the time. Remove from heat.

MAKE THE CRUSTS

Combine Flour, Salt and Sugar in a small bowl. In another large bowl, dissolve Yeast in Water, then add Oil and dry ingredients. Stir dough until tough.

Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 5-7 minutes. Place in oiled bowl. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 1-2 hours. (Note: my dough doesn’t rise all that much, but it rolls easy and tastes incredible anyway!)

Place Pizza Stone in oven and preheat to 450˚ F. Divide dough into two equal portions. Use a rolling pin to roll each into a 12-inch circle. Place each crust onto its own square of parchment paper on separate cutting boards. Pinch edges of crusts.

FINAL PREP

Spread ¼ cup of the remaining BBQ Sauce (or prepared BBQ glaze) onto first crust. Top with BBQ Chicken, Tomatoes, Red Onions, and Mozzarella. Use a pizza peel to slide parchment paper with crust onto pizza stone and bake each pizza in preheated oven for 15 minutes.

While the first pizza is in the oven, spread the Red Sauce evenly on the second crust. Lay out the Mushrooms, sprinkle on Spinach, Goat Cheese and Mozzarella.

Remove the first pizza and place on cutting board. Use the pizza peel to slide parchment paper with second crust onto pizza stone in oven. Bake for 12-13 minutes. Remove with pizza peel and place on another cutting board.

Slice each pizza into squares or triangles and enjoy!

Chef’s Notes: Shred a whole piece of Mozzarella just before topping the pizza. This produces a very fresh taste, as pre-shredded cheeses tend to lose some of their moisture and essence. 

Italian Stuffed Turkey Meatloaf

Yesterday, I was inspired to make a dish from my new "Cooking Pleasures" magazine when I saw this recipe. I was also inspired to use ingredients already on hand, so I didn't have to make a wasteful trip to the market for one or two items! I used turkey instead of ground beef, added ground fennel seeds to replace sausage, and used one of our favorite cheeses, Handmade English Cheese with Sun-Dried Tomatoes, in place of Fontina. The result: a tangy, succulent meat loaf that was fine-textured and fit for serving to guests in the future! The truth is, it's almost impossible for me to make a recipe as written! Ron calls me his "custom" girl. So go ahead, experiment with your own version of this masterpiece.

STUFFED ITALIAN TURKEY MEAT LOAF

INGREDIENTS

MEAT LOAF
½ teaspoon plus 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 cup finely chopped onions

2 tablespoons minced garlic

1 cup bread crumbs
1/3 cup milk

1-1/2 lb. ground turkey

2 cups chopped fresh spinach

2 eggs, beaten

1/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

1 teaspoon pepper

3/4 teaspoon salt


FILLING
2 oz. Handmade English cheese with sun-dried tomatoes, crumbled

SAUCE

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1/4 cup chopped carrot

1/4 cup minced shallots

2 teaspoons minced garlic

1 (14.5-oz.) can tomato sauce

1/3 cup red wine

1/2 teaspoon basil

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Heat ½ teaspoon olive oil in tiny pan over medium heat. Add fennel seeds and sauté 2-3 minutes until seeds turn brown but not burned. Remove from heat. Place a paper towel over a small plate and add seeds from pan, patting with towel to blot excess oil. Transfer seeds to mortar/pestle and grind thoroughly. Set aside.

2. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in skillet over medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons garlic; cook 30 seconds or until fragrant. Add onions, cook 4 minutes or until soft. Remove from heat.

3. Combine bread crumbs and milk in large bowl; let stand 15 minutes. When onion-garlic sauté is cool, gently combine all remaining meat loaf ingredients with bread crumbs.

4. Form half of the mixture into 9x9-inch baking pan. Arrange cheese in center of meat, leaving 1-inch border on edges. Cover with remaining meat mixture, seal edges.

5. Bake 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 160°F. Let stand 10 minutes before slicing.

6. Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in medium saucepan over medium heat until hot. Cook carrot, shallots and 2 teaspoons garlic, uncovered, 6 to 10 minutes or until softened, stirring occasionally. Add red wine, basil, salt and pepper. Stir in tomato sauce; reduce heat to low. Simmer, covered, 10 minutes. Serve warm over meat loaf.

Chef’s Notes: I like to make all my red sauces in advance so they simmer for at least an hour, infusing all the tangy flavors together. Also, if you can’t get Handmade English cheese with sun-dried tomatoes, try substituting your favorite, Provolone, Fontina, or another cheese, and add in chopped sun-dried tomatoes!

Weekend in the Kitchen

Rain came on and off throughout the weekend, more perfect weather for cooking and baking all our House Faves, and trying some new recipes, too! See my cooking show "Gourmet Again!" at BlipsWerx YouTube! and view recipes at Sharine.com/Recipes.

Saturday, we grilled a Pork Tenderloin and I made an Apricot BBQ Glaze, yum. The meat marinated for several hours in Olive 

Oil and our favorite general spice blend, Mrs. Tallman's Mild.

As for the glaze, I made it up as I went along, starting with a saute of Garlic, Olive Oil and Butter. I added Red Wine, Soy Sauce, a bit of coarse grain Mustard, Apricot Preserves, and BBQ Sauce. After 15 minutes of medium-low heat under the pan, I set it aside for glazing/garnishing the Pork.

Today, we made brunch, which doesn't happen often because I'm not a big Breakfast eater. French Toast with a light multi-grain bread, and Scrambled Eggs with leftover grilled Cauliflower, Broccoli and added Mushrooms. Fresh squeezed Orange Juice sealed the deal on a nice meal, and Ron did most of the work, including all the dishes. Ahhhhhh!

In the early afternoon, I smashed a few Bananas! And used them to make a Carob-Banana Bread with a touch of Rum Extract and a pinch of Nutmeg to give it a rich Eggnog essence. This is the highest one of my quick breads has ever risen, and the texture is super light and fluffy!

I used to make this recipe with Apple Juice, but I did use organic White Sugar this time around, dropping the amount from 2/3 cup to 1/2 cup. The top is crunchy, carob chips provide inner texture, and yet overall it's not too sweet!

While others around the world gathering for the SuperBowl, I made Guacamole which, along with homemade Salsa, are two of our House Faves.

I must admit, I make the best Guacamole on the planet.

I start with 1/3 cup of my own Salsa in a glass container, and add 3 - 4 ripe Avocados as I halve them and mash into the Salsa. That's it.

I let the Guac take a siesta in the fridge for a couple of hours. I tested it with organic corn chips, Salsa, and of course, a bottle of Negra Modelo, Mexican beer so deep, dark and delicious that I can never finish a bottle.

Superb Dinner: Grilled Lamb Chops, marinated in Olive Oil, Ground Thyme and Roasted Garlic, with Carmelized Onions for a topping.

Ron said the Carmelized Onions were too sweet and sticky, he is hoping next time for the grilled

version. But I enjoyed them in small doses, as the chops were a bit gamey. The sweetness seemed to mellow out the pungent meat.

We added a side of Grilled Vegetables (do we love our veggies or what?).

I also made a Sprouted Grain Pappardelle, tossed in a fresh Alfredo Sauce. Creamy, tangy and healthy, of course, even with the butter and cream ; )

Here's the money shot on dinner this evening! Ron is The Grill Master, so as always, everything was done to perfection.

Sunday in the Kitchen

Spent the weekend in the kitchen. It's been raining and blustery for several days, so what better activities than cooking and baking some special comfort foods?!

Yesterday, I stuffed pasta shells with a ricotta and spinach filling and smothered them in a homemade marinara sauce. Tangy and delicious! Later in the evening, I baked a super-moist chocolate cake and mini-muffins.

Today, I frosted the cake and muffins just as the morning was beginning to bluster like crazy. Then, I made pizza dough. In between the assembly and baking of two pies, I started the dessert we will take to our friends' home later tonight: a pear-apple-cranberry tarte tatin. I pre-heated the oven to 450 degrees F to accommodate the snacking pizza.

First, I rolled the pizza dough very thin, placed it on a square of parchment paper which was on top of a large wood bread board. Then I brushed the dough with olive oil, topped with 1/2 cup of leftover marinara, 3/4 cup of shredded mozzarella, super-thin slices of tomato and garlic, basil, salt and pepper, then threw on some more olive oil. I slid the parchment paper onto my pre-heated baking stone in the oven for exactly 15 minutes. I let the pie rest on a cutting board for 5-10 minutes, and ate half while making my dessert!

The pear-apple-cranberry tarte tatin is baked to perfection and the second pie just came out of the oven, so when I publish this post, it will be snackie time!

Grilled Stuffed Lamb Burgers

In Episode #2 of "Gourmet Again!" we made these yummy Lamb burgers, stuffed with handmade English Cheddar. This version features a Feta-Spinach filling.

GRILLED STUFFED LAMB BURGERS

INGREDIENTS:

1 lb. Ground Lamb

2 cloves Garlic, minced

2-3 oz. Feta Cheese

½ cup Spinach, minced

½ teaspoon Basil (dried or fresh), minced

¼ teaspoon ground Thyme

Dash of Worcestershire

Pinch of Salt and Pepper

METHOD:

In a bowl, combine Lamb, Garlic, Worcestershire and Salt & Pepper. Divide into eight even portions. Form thin patties with four portion, about ¼” thick, and place on a platter or flat pan.

In a small bowl, make a paste with the Feta, Spinach, Basil and Thyme. Place ¼ of the mixture on each lamb patty.

Form the remaining four patties and seal each stuffed patty gently. Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour, or overnight.

Grill on medium heat marks to desired doneness, turning each burger every two-three minutes to create criss-cross pattern.

Chef’s Notes: In Episode 2 of “Gourmet Again!”, I used handmade English Cheddar with Sun-dried Tomatoes as the filling and added Basil and Thyme into the lamb mixture.

Zesty Asian Slaw Recipe

Many of you are here today after viewing my "Gourmet Again!" cooking show on YouTube! The most recent episode featured this colorful and delicious twist on traditional coleslaw, with a creamy-crunchy peanut dressing!

(Thanks to Aaatheena for providing positive feedback and becoming the inspiration for this blog).

ZESTY ASIAN SLAW

SALAD INGREDIENTS:

8 cups red and green cabbage, shredded

2 carrots, shredded

4 small green onions, sliced

DRESSING INGREDIENTS:

1 cup roasted unsalted peanuts

¼ cup low-fat mayonnaise or Vegenaise

¼ cup brown sugar and white sugar

1 clove garlic, minced

1 ½ tablespoon soy sauce

¼ teaspoon wasabi

½ teaspoon sesame oil

optional: 1 tablespoon rice wine

DIRECTIONS:

In a large bowl, combine cabbage, carrots and onions. Toss well to combine.

In food processor, pulse-chop peanuts until all pieces are very small, making the dressing slightly crunchy.

Add remaining ingredients, mixing thoroughly on low speed.

Pour the dressing over the slaw, toss to coat well.

Marinate for at least 6 hours or overnight, even better.

Chef’s Notes: Toss in some crunchy asian noodles just before serving!