Perfect Pie Crust in 5 Minutes!

April 20, 2019November 14, 2015 by Michel

Perfect Pie Crust in 5 Minutes!

Who would ever think you could make this buttery, flaky, homemade pie crust in 5 minutes? After eating many of my Grandma Reilly’s pies when I was little I was inspired to come up with a recipe that tasted just like hers. Unfortunately, I never got her recipe but have been making pie crust’s for over twenty years and I’m happy to say I came up with a pie crust recipe that is spot on to what my Grandma used to make . Granted, there are some pretty decent pie crusts available at the market and if you are making many pies it totally makes sense to go that route. If you are only making a couple of pies you really need to get busy and make this homemade pie crust!

Homemade pie crust in 5 minutes is just that but there two tricks to this amazing pie crust. First, all the ingredients must be very cold. Refrigerated butter cubes are already firm enough but to firm up the soft Crisco pieces it’s wise to put that into the freezer before adding it to the food processor. Second, you MUST NOT OVER WORK the dough! Over working the dough will build gluten’s like you are make a bread dough and we don’t want that for making this perfect pie crust in 5 minutes. We want our pie crust to be flaky in texture not tough and hard.

In my opinion, a couple of the best bakers in the world are the French and the Southerner’s. One loves butter and the other loves Crisco. So why not take the best of both worlds using both butter and Crisco to achieve these wonderful results. Not to mention, as I always do, I have tested many pie crusts recipes to come to this theory.

You need to try out this perfect pie crust in 5 minutes recipe just once to be convinced to start making your own. In fact, you will wonder why you haven’t been making your own homemade pie crust your whole life when it’s that easy to make and tastes like this! Enjoy the show and don’t forget to make this ahead of time popping it into your freezer until you are ready to roll it out for a pie or a quiche. I would transfer the dough from your freezer to your refrigerator couple of days before you are ready to use it in order for the dough to come to the proper workable temperature. Once you make your dough you really ought to try making an amazing Chocolate Pecan Pie or Death by Chocolate Meringue Pie for your holiday. Don’t forget to watch Thanksgiving week when we roll out this dough and bake a pie together! For the Best Blueberry Pie ever recipe this is one that shouldn’t be missed. Enjoy 🙂

Ingredients:

10 tbsp cold butter cut up each tablespoon into 4 pieces and into fridge until you are ready to add to flour
1/2 cup cold Crisco cut into small pieces OR 1/2 cup REAL LARD from FIREFLY Farms OR 1/4 cup Crisco & 1/4 cup lard
1/2 cup, plus 2 tbsp cold water, (keep in fridge until you are ready to add to flour)
3 cup all-purpose flour
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp sea salt
NOTE: I even keep food processor container with medal blade in it in the fridge until you are ready to pulse ingredients
Chocolate Pecan Pie Recipe OR Best Blueberry Pie Recipe OR Death by Chocolate Meringue Pie Recipe

Directions:

Be sure all items above are completely chilled
It’s easiest to freeze first, especially for crisco or real lard, then take out of freezer and cut up or grate before adding to processor
Add dry ingredients to the food processor and pulse twice to combine
Drop the freezer cold, firm Crisco or lard pieces onto the flour
Then add the butter pieces helping the pieces to separate with a butter knife as you drop them onto the flour
Pulse 5-7 time until the Crisco and butter are pea size
Now turn processor to “on” and slowly add water through opening – Note: this will take about 12-15 seconds for the dough to come together
The moment you see the dough begin to come together, STOP, and PULSE 2-3 times to finish into a ball
Take dough out onto floured counter surface – you will see little specs of butter and Crisco in the dough which will make for a buttery, flaky crust!
Cut dough into two pieces, cover with Saran Wrap and into fridge for at least 30 minutes or freezer until you are ready ( If you freeze it allow 2 days back in fridge to come to proper workable temperature)

Homemade Applesauce

March 15, 2019November 8, 2015 by Michel

Homemade Applesauce

Playing at my childhood friend Karen’s house growing up and smelling her mom’s homemade applesauce simmering on the stove with aromas of apple and cinnamon in the fall air are one of those nostalgic memories that will stay with me my whole life. That’s where the inspiration for this show and recipe came from. I contacted my friend Karen about her mom’s recipe and she was happy to share.

Karen’s mom, Pat, used a food mill to pass the apples through smoothing out the consistency and removing the peels . For those of you who don’t have a food mill I am simplifying that process having you peel the apples prior to simmering. Even though the peel does offer a little extra flavor we will take the middle of the road for convenience purposes. For that smooth texture that I like I put the simmered apples in my food processor in small batches. You can skip this step completely by using a potato masher, whisk or even a fork to work out the lumps to your desired texture.

The only addition to Pat’s recipe is that I add in a couple of tablespoons of fresh squeezed lemon juice for a subtle brightness to the sauce balancing out the sweetness. Actually, I add the fresh lemon juice while I peel, core and slice the apples into eighths so they don’t turn brown. I want those cinnamon-apple aromas to permeate the house as soon as possible so I add her spices in the beginning of the simmering. Some recipes even add in orange or lemon peel when simmering the apples but I think that’s a matter of preference and you can get as creative as you want.

Making homemade applesauce is really easy to make filling your kitchen with so many wonderful seasonal aromas you may wonder why you don’t do it more often. You may find your self starting a crackling fire to get the full effect while your apples are simmering on the stove. Be careful if a window is open you may just find a neighbor or two dropping in to “borrow” a cup of sugar.

Fall is the perfect time to make this homemade applesauce with apples in abundance at the stores and local orchards. A wonderful thing about making applesauce is it stays well for months in your freezer. One of my favorite ways to have applesauce is with grilled pork chops, caramelized onions and a little crumbled Gorgonzola. For a simple, gluten-free dessert that’s out of this world you can top vanilla ice cream with this warm homemade applesauce, whipped cream, a drizzle of caramel sauce and a sprinkle of toasted apple crisp topping made with oats! This just may be my new favorite dessert! I buy our local Ashley’s vanilla ice cream and their caramel sauce when I make this incredible Applesauce-Caramel Sundae. So get into the holiday spirit and create those nostalgic memories for your kids, family and friends filling the house with simmering apples and cinnamon, a similar aroma to hot apple cider, that will stay with them forever. Hope you enjoy the show 🙂

Ingredients:

4 lbs. (10 apples) – an assortment of apples for well rounded flavors
3 tbsp brown sugar
3 tbsp white sugar
1/8 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
dash of cloves (optional)
1 1/4 cup water
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice

FOR Applesauce-Caramel Sundae:

Your favorite “apple crisp topping” recipe made with oats toasted up in the oven on 400º in a bake dish until golden
1 Quart of your favorite local Ice creamery Vanilla and 1/2 pint of their caramel sauce
Whipped cream (1 cup heavy whipping cream, 1 tbsp confectioners sugar, 1 tsp vanilla, bourbon or whiskey)
Toasted apple crisp topping with oats

Directions:

Peel, core and slice apples into 8ths and place into large pan
Squeeze lemon juice on them slices as you go to prevent them from turning brown
Mix the brown and white sugar together
Sprinkle 1/2 the sugar on the apples
Add all of the cinnamon, nutmeg, (cloves -optional) salt and the water
Mix with a spoon and put on the stove over med/high bringing to a boil
Turn down and keep simmering for 20-25 minutes until softened
Taste and check sugar content, add the remaining sugar if you want sweeter
If you add the rest of the sugar simmer for a few more minutes til it melts
Remove from stove and let cool 5 minutes
Mash the apples with a potato masher, fork, whisk or add to food processor til you get the texture that you want – If you are using a food processor only fill 1/2 way then puree
Serve with a big grilled pork chop, topped with caramelized onions, and crumbled Gorgonzola or do up dessert with the Applesauce-Caramel Sundae…enjoy! 🙂

Sweet Potato Fries & Green Goddess Dip lll

March 16, 2019October 31, 2015 by Michel

Sweet Potato Fries & Green Goddess Dip lll

The colors orange and green were stuck in my head for this Halloween episode and that’s why I decided to share my sweet potato fries & green goddess dip recipes with you! These baked sweet potato fries are so delicious all on their own but wait until you dip them into the green goddess sauce you’ll want to put green goddess dip on EVERYTHING! I make this dipping sauce when I cook up swordfish, shrimp, tuna, chicken and steaks also. Being able to make a homemade gourmet sauce like this in 5 minutes, in a blender is basically a no-brainer for me. I can’t wait until you taste this sauce. And here I go again, making my dipping sauce with Greek yogurt to balance out the mayo giving it yet another layer of flavor and tangy richness. I do this also with my pink remoulade sauce too.

Baking the sweet potato fries is definitely healthier then frying and a lot less work! Now if you don’t have cornstarch in the cabinets don’t let it keep you from making these fries because they will still be delicious. Dusting the raw sweet potatoes fries with a couple of tablespoons of cornstarch helps with the moisture content and gives them a little extra crunch.

I hope you enjoy making the sweet potato fries and green goddess dipping sauce and that they will become part of your go to appetizer list. You may want to venture off and some other appetizer’s like my Feta-Basil Pesto Dip, Crab Cakes, Spanakopita Triangle’s, or some yummy Homemade Hummus! You can end with my Chewy ChocolateChip Cookies!

cookedspan DSCN4521

Ingredients and Directions for Sweet Potato Fries:

3 extra lg sweet potatoes ONLY need 2 but I like to have an extra just in case
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp corn starch
1 tsp garlic granules
1 tsp onion granules

Pre-heat the oven to 425º.
Peel and Slice sweet potatoes in 1/4″ sticks -CUT ENDS FLAT so they don’t burn
Dab with paper towels to dry excess sweet potato moisture
Drizzle with 1/4 cup olive oil and sprinkle with 1 tsp garlic granules, 1 tsp onion granules and 1/2 tsp salt
Mixed with hands and then spread out into even layer on cookie sheet
Bake for 15 minutes then flip and back into the oven for 8-10 more minutes
BE SURE TO keep an eye on them at this point so they don’t BURN 🙂

Ingredients and Directions for Green Goddess Dip lll:

3/4 cup Greek yogurt
1/3 cup mayo (I use Hellmans)
1 cup fresh cilantro
1 garlic clove put thru press
1/2 jalapeño diced
4 green onion stalks
1 tsp. grated vadalia onion ( or yellow onion)
1 tbsp ( 1/2) fresh lime juice
1 tbsp “seasoned” rice wine vinegar ( “oops” – I accidentally said red wine vinegar in the show but it’s rice wine vinegar)
s & p
Optional: dash of Siracha (Siracha is a hot chili sauce sold next to Tabasco at the store)

Place all of the ingredients into a blender an purée and you will probably need to stop and stir everything a couple of times to get it going but do not add any more liquid (you will see that once it gets going it will be just right).
You can make this ahead of time and keep sauce in a plastic container and refrigerate. It gets thicker as it sits in the fridge chilling and stays nice for a few days… Yum!

Ingredients and Directions for Roasted Pumpkin Seeds:

Pumpkin Seeds for 2 pumkins
1 tsp garlic granules
1 tsp onion granules
1/2 sea salt (plus a sprinkle at the end for a pinch more seasoning)
2 tbsp olive oil

Pre-heat oven at 425º.
Wash pumpkins seeds to remove pulp.
Dry between paper towels and leave on cookie tray to dry further over night (can roast right away if you don’t have time – just by sure to completely dry seeds)
Drizzle olive oil over seeds and sprinkle all of seasonings and toss to evenly mix
NOTE: you can add in cumin, cayenne, chili powder … add your favorite seasonings
Roast for 10 minutes, take out and stir seeds, put back in oven for approx. 4 more minutes – Keep an eye on them at this point so they don’t burn

Best Buffalo Chicken Dip Ever!

April 16, 2021October 25, 2015 by Michel

Best Buffalo Chicken Dip Ever!

This delicious buffalo chicken dip is my top viewed recipe on my YouTube Channel at 160,704 views and climbing! It takes center stage every time! You may find yourself not straying too far in fear that it will be devoured. The layers start with room temperature cream cheese, chicken tenderloins sautéed in Franks Hot Sauce, a drizzling of homemade buffalo sauce, and finally a sprinkle of crumbled blue cheese, sharp cheddar and mozzarella. It bake’s in the oven until bubbly and served with tortilla chips. I also like to serve this appetizer with carrots, celery and cucumber slices on the side.

I have a secret for you! I’ve been using rotisserie chicken instead! It comes out just as good as sautéing the tenderloin and it saves time! Just toss the rotisserie chicken pieces with some of the butter whisked with the Frank’s Red sauce, and begin to layer. You can also bake chicken wings at 400° for 40 minutes and then toss with this butter-Frank’s Red Hot sauce and you’ll have amazing Buffalo wings!

The Buffalo chicken dip gives all the amazing flavors of that typical “buffalo wings and blue cheese” with out all the work! I am very particular about my blue cheese dressing so I highly recommend my easy homemade blue cheese dressing recipe!

This buffalo chicken dip recipe came from my friend Lisa who just recently made it for a party we were at and it didn’t last very long! I make this dish all year round not to mention how totally awesome it is for football season.

I think this buffalo chicken layered dip is a win win for you and your party. Everyone will be asking you for the recipe. I hope you enjoy this “BEST Buffalo Chicken Dip” recipe and the show too! Don’t miss the “Behind the scenes bloopers” included at the end of the show. And if you want to make an amazing desert that will get you lots of oohs and ahhs try the Pavlova or the “Death by Chocolate Meringue Pie”! Don’t forget a Homemade Caesar Salad and an entré of Lobster Mac n’ Cheese or Eggplant Balls with pasta or Zucchini Spaghetti!

chcomerg lobmac DSCN4572-300x225 zucspaghetti

Ingredients: NOTE: You can use ROTISSERIE Chicken!

3/4 lb chicken tenderloins raw OR 1/2 of a ROTISSERIE Chicken
1 tbsp olive oil (NOTE: this is only if sautéing up the tenderloins)
Sprinkle of salt (only if sautéing up the tenderloins)
1 -8 oz pkg Philadelphia Cream Cheese
Frank’s Hot Sauce
Buffalo sauce: 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter (Kerrygold or favorite) & 1/3 cup Franks Hot Sauce
1/4 cup Blue cheese crumbles
1/4 cup sharp cheddar cheese
1/4 cup mozzarella
(1) 9″ Deep-dish baking pie plate

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 375º
Melt 1/2 stick of butter in microwave, then add 1/3 cup of Frank’s Red Hot Sauce, whisk until combined – this is the “homemade buffalo sauce” – set aside
Add 1 tbsp. olive oil on medium heat
Add in the chicken tenderloin pieces to a pan on med. high heat, sprinkle with a pinch of salt begin to sauté for 3 minutes
Flip chicken pieces over and sauté another 3 minutes
Once they start to golden slightly add 2 tbsp. Franks hot sauce and let reduce on low 1-2 minutes
Remove from heat and shred or cut up
OR toss ROTISSERIE CHICKEN meat from 1/2 of a chicken, cut up or pulled apart to bite-size pieces with enough Frank’s Red Hot/butter sauce mixture to coat
Begin the layering on top of the cream cheese
Smear 8 oz. of room temperature cream cheese in bottom of your bake dish
Then add the shredded chicken for the layer next
Drizzle homemade buffalo sauce over the chicken (save some to drizzle after the layer of cheeses)
Sprinkle 1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese
Then Sprinkle 1/4-1/3 cup cheddar and mozzarella each – if using 9″ baking dish go with 1/4 cup, if using 12″ baking dish you could use 1/3 cup if you want a little extra
OPTIONAL – Drizzle more buffalo sauce over the cheeses
Bake for 20 minutes until bubbly and serve with tortilla ships, carrots and celery

Chocolate Crackle Cookies

March 16, 2019October 18, 2015 by Michel

Chocolate Crackle Cookies

These homemade chocolate crackle cookies will make you feel like a baker of fine cookies. The snowy white confectioners sugar and the chocolaty brown cookie dough make a beautiful contrast when the cookies bake in the oven and make all those crackle lines. Now the inside is some what of a surprise when you first bite into it. By the looks you might think its a crunchy cookie. Then you sink your teeth in and that velvety texture hits your tongue, feeling lighter then you thought and then the chocolaty silkiness just melts away.

I have been baking these incredible chocolate crackle cookies for at least ten years and for the life of me I can’t remember where I got this recipe from. All my life I have always written down recipes that looked irresistible whenever I was in a waiting room with an assortment food or cooking magazines. So I unfortunately cannot give credit where credit is due. I did of course change the recipe a pinch with the baking time and chocolate used. It originally said 12-15 minutes but I only bake them for eight minutes with a five minute waiting period before I move them off the cookie sheet to a cooling rack this way they can solidify a bit more. Shortening the cooking time gives them softer, gooier center that melts in your mouth rather then a slightly firmer cookie. I use the confection on my oven because the bottom of my oven runs really hot on “bake” not being conducive for even cooking. The hot air circulates in confection mode in my oven giving a more consistent outcome. As for the chocolate, the recipe had called for Verona chocolate which might be difficult to find last minute so I have been using my Ghiradelli bittersweet or Perugina chocolate bars and those are both scrumptious!

This homemade gourmet chocolate crackle cookie just may become a holiday tradition for you and your family too. Easy to make, oh so chocolaty and melts in your mouth! What more could you ask for in a cookie? Hope you enjoy the show 🙂

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cup flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
1 stick of butter softened to room temp
1 1/3 cup light brown sugar
1/3 cup milk
2 lg eggs
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
8 oz. bag of a bittersweet chocolate chips- Ghiradeli

Directions – Pre-heat oven to 350º to bake cookies :

Sift flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt and set aside
Place bitterswewet chips in a pan over double boiler and melt – you can use a microwave – heat 20 seconds and stir and 10 more seconds and stir but be very careful not to burn the chocolate in the microwave
Cream room temperature butter with light brown sugar in your Kitchen Aid mixer
Add in 2 eggs, one at a time and beat well after each addition
Add vanilla and melted chocolate and beat briefly til combined
Alternatively, begin to add dry sifted ingredients and 1/3 cup of milk all awhile mixing
When completely mixed turn out dough onto 3 pieces of saran wrap
Fold up in saran wrap and shape dough into disks, chill at least 2 hrs. – overnight
You can also freeze at this point for a later date
Take dough out and cut into 1″ pieces
Roll each of the pieces into balls
As you shape the dough into balls place them into a bowl full of confectioners sugar and roll around to completely coat
After the balls are coated place them onto cookie sheet 2″ apart
You will need to periodically rinse you hands to remove the dough accumulating on them
NOTE: The dough rolls into balls the easiest when your hands are rinsed and a little damp
Bake for 8 minutes on 350º
Remove and let cool on the cookie tray for 5 minutes before you transfer the cookies to a cooling rack
Let cool completely before to stacking on serving plate

My MasterChef Sauces

March 16, 2019October 6, 2015 by Michel

My MasterChef Sauces

The creation of these MasterChef sauces. a spicy, sweet and sour mango and a ginger-peanut sesame sauce, all began while surfing the net a few weeks ago, I accidentally ran into the MasterChef homepage advertising “Casting calls are coming soon to a city near you”. My kids, Reilly and Bella were there at the time and enthusiastically shouted, “you should do it”! I think what sealed the deal was reading the “Come and meet the MasterChef casting team for your chance to be on the show!” The excitement started to seep in and I began to seriously consider going to the New York City MasterChef open call. If anything, I knew it would be a step in the right direction and a great learning experience let alone the adrenaline of it all!

After sending in their required online pre-registration form and printing out the nine page hard copy form to be submitted at the casting call I thought it would be a good idea to look over the FAQ page. The FAQ’s certainly had a list of what to do and what not to do. The “to do’s” started off like this: First, bring one prepared dish to serve to their food judges. Second, we would be given 3 minutes to plate our dish at their casting call location and for some reason I had initially thought I had 5 minutes to plate so that was a bit of an eye opener! Third, there wouldn’t be a kitchen to cook or warm our dish up so we were to come prepared! Fourth, we are to supply our own dishes, utensils, etc.

The “do not do’s went like this: no air mattresses, no alcoholic beverages, no animals (unless health related), no candles, no cans or bottles (except water bottles), no chairs that do not fold (i.e. lawn chairs, chaise lounges, molded plastic chairs), no digital or still cameras, no fireworks, no hair dryers, no illegal drugs, no tents, no video, cameras or camcorders of any kind, no weapons of any kind, no children under the age of 13 years are allowed at the audition venues. There you have it!

Well OK, I had a little organizing to do and a plate to figure out for my MasterChef casting call debut! I really wanted to wow them! The part about the “NO kitchen” and “come prepared” got me to thinking that a cold dish of some sort might be a wise way to go! An appetizer is probably the most logical then, right? Yes that’s it, it came to me. I would make my “Fresh Shrimp and Chive Rolls” with the new MasterChef sauces that I have created which I can decorate the plate with. A julienne of daikon radish, carrots and a sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds with micro herbs for some pizzaz would add in the finishing touches. I also thought I needed to add in some height so I came up with baked egg roll shells that I form in a cup cake pan. I got this idea from my “Bloody Mary shrimp and Mango-Curry Shrimp in Wonton cups at Nancy’s Show” except I decided to use egg rolls shells instead of won-ton because they are a little bit lighter.

Now that I knew what I was going to make I thought I would practice my plate decorating with my MasterChef Sauces by shooting it in this weeks show so I could share this fun experience with all of you! It was definitely a lot of work to do this and go to the casting call but I did it! It was an awesome experience being there and the “MasterChef team” was pretty dynamite. They had everything down to a science and moved around with ease offering up a very warm welcome to all the competitors. I am super glad that I took Reilly and Bella’s advice on going for this.

I kicked you know what with my dish and the plating. I went there and did exactly what I set out to do with my presentation with 8 or so seconds left before they yelled “TIMES UP”! That part I have to say was such a RUSH because it reminded me of chopped!!! I was then the first to be called back in with 8 others for that first plate presentation part from our first group of 30 plating competitors. I might be over thinking all of this a little, but I was so tired from preparing the food and shooting the show I feel as though I forgot to prep myself on what exactly to say about “me” when they pulled us 8 into interview. Although, I had them laughing a bit. I got the feeling what was more important to them was the person who said the right things in that second interviewing, more character not food ability. Gods only knows I do have lots of that so if it doesn’t work out this time I NOW know what they want next time around! I still have to wait until the end of October to see if I hear from them (they are still traveling to other states). I had an incredible time and will keep you all posted. Thank you all for your support, it means a lot! Hope you enjoy “My MasterChef Sauces” Show!

Ingredients for Ginger-Peanut Sesame Sauce:

3 tbsp smooth peanut butter (Teddy’s All Natural)
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tbsp toasted sesame oil
1 1/2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1/2 tsp wasabi powder
2 tbsp sugar
1/2-1 tsp Siracha (can find this next to Tabasco products)
1 whole lime
1 tbsp corn starch dissolved in 3 tbsp pineapple juice – Use 1 1/2 tsp of this
1 tbsp fresh grated ginger
2 tbsp half and half

Directions for Ginger-Peanut Sesame Sauce:

Add all of the ingredients to a large bowl (EXCEPT corn starch mixture) and whisk
Squeeze only 1/2 of the lime in at this point
Add to medium pan over medium/high bring to a low simmer – whisking constantly this will be about 2-3 minutes
When this begins to thicken turn down to med/low and add in 1 1/2 tsp of corn starch mixture and keep whisking- this will be about 3-4 minutes
Remove from stove and cool
When cooled add in 2 tbsp half and half and a squeeze of the other half of the lime and whisk briefly til smooth
Add to ramekins for a dipping sauce or put into squeeze bottle to decorate plate with

Ingredients for Spicy, Sweet and Sour Mango Sauce:

1 cup pineapple juice
1/2 cup mango
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp ketchup
1 tsp fresh grated ginger
1 tsp Siracha
1/8 tsp salt
2 tbsp corn starch dissolved in 3 tbsp water
1 lemon

Directions for Spicy, Sweet and Sour Mango Sauce:

Add all of the ingredients to a large bowl except the corn starch mixture
Whisk til combined – use juice from 1/2 lemon here
Add to a medium size pan over med/high heat and bring to a low simmer to melt sugar – 3 minutes
Add in corn starch and keep whisking at a low simmer til the mixture is transparent again and thickened – 5 more minutes
Mash Mango pieces into sauce with a fork
Remove from heat and press thru a sieve into a bowl and let cool completely (can add a little squeeze of the other half of the lemon if too thick)
Pour into ramekins for dipping or put in a squeeze bottle to draw on plates …have fun decorating!

Easy Gourmet Eggplant Parmesan

March 16, 2019September 26, 2015 by Michel

Easy Gourmet Eggplant Parmesan

My easy gourmet eggplant Parmesan is sweet, saucy and oozing with mozzarella getting even better the next day when it’s re-heated if that’s even possible! Eggplant Parmesan one of my very favorite things to make. I used to watch my mother fry eggplant when I was young and I have been making this homemade eggplant Parmesan for 30 years now. Eggplant Parmesan is one of those delicious Italian comfort foods that can be a little bit of work to prepare so I show you how to keep the process simple by spreading out the steps.

The secret to sweet eggplant Parmesan is slicing , lightly salting and weighting down the eggplant letting it sit in the refrigerator for 2 hrs to overnight preferably to remove the bitter purple juice making my homemade baked eggplant Parmesan as sweet as ever. This is a simple but ingenious way that’s been in my family for generations.

It will be much easier to try and fry up only one eggplant if it’s your first time just to get the hang of it. If you have gone through the frying process before I would suggest cooking up two or three large eggplants. I like to fry up 3 eggplants because I freeze the slices I don’t use right away when they are completely cooled in between layers of thick durable Bounty paper towels in freezer Ziploc baggies. This way all your base work is done for you and you are able to pull them out of the freezer and whip up an eggplant rollatini, eggplant Parmesan, or even eggplant lasagna. When you take them out of the freezer they pop apart easily thawing in minutes too ready for what ever dish you may have in mind.

I recommend making my quick and easy tomato-basil pasta sauce or even my slow cooked pasta sauce to baked this easy gourmet eggplant Parmesan dish. I love the fact that it can totally be made days ahead, even weeks ahead and put into the freezer ready to thaw when you need it.

If you’re feeling ambitious you may want to venture off and try my homemade eggplant rollatini with vodka sauce and, or my homemade ricotta which you can also make the day before or just treat yourself and buy Liuzzi Cheese ricotta or your favorite store brand for the rollatini. Planning is sometimes the name of the game for taking the labor out of scrumptious food like this where if you get it done in steps it makes everything go so smoothly.

You may want to accompany this amazing Italian dish with some apps like crab cakes, a homemade Caesar salad, Mediterranean layered dip, or asparagus wrapped in Prosciutto and you could end it with the best chocolate cake you ever had that’s a snap to make! ENJOY! 🙂

DSCN45211-300x225 DSCN4572-300x225 iphone-pictures-572-300x225

Ingredients:

Tomato-Basil Pasta Sauce or Slow cooked pasta 101 recipe
2-3 large eggplants
6-9 extra large eggs whisked (approx. 3 eggs per 1 extra-large eggplant)
3 cups seasoned Italian bread crumbs – (use “seasoned breadcrumbs” then you don’t have to add that in)
salt
1 16 oz. block of part-skim or whole milk mozzarella shredded or sliced thinly
3 1/2-4 cups canola oil for frying
fresh basil leaves
grated Parmesan for garnish
Cookie racks
1 whole roll of Bounty Paper Towels (it’s important to get quality paper towel so they will absorb the oil properly and won’t fall apart)
Candy thermometer to keep oil at 300º

Directions – Pre-heat oven to 350º:

Slice the ends off the eggplants
Using a potato peeler peel off all the skin of the eggplants
Slice up eggplants on a slight bias (on a little bit of an angle) into 1/4″ slices (1/4″ for rolling up for eggplant rollatini BUT you can cut them a little thicker 3/8″ for eggplant parm!
NOTE: If i plan on freezing the left over fried eggplant slice’s for future dinners (eggplant rollatini) I cut them length wise so as to have enough length to roll up with ricotta in the middle BUT if I’m just making enough for parm I cut the eggplant on a slight bias because I don’t need the length…I try to cut them all the same so cooking time is constant.
Layer the eggplant slices in a large glass bowl
In between each layer sprinkle 1/4 Tsp of salt, and keep layering eggplant, salt, eggplant, salt…
Cover with Saran wrap and place a small plate on top and then some heavy fry pans or large tomato can to weight down the eggplant and into the frig for 1-2 hours up to 1 day
Drain the purple juice from the bowl
Take the eggplant and pat them dry in layers between Bounty paper towels
Whisk eggs
Get your line-up of bowls in order: eggplant slices – whisked eggs – bread crumbs
Add 3 1/2 – 4 cups canola oil to a large sauce pan and begin to heat up on medium/high heat
The oil needs to get to about 300º …The temperature will go down a little when you start filling the pan with breaded eggplant slices so start with the heat on med/high then after you start to fry you will have to turn it up a little to maintain the 300º
Lay out 2-3 cookie racks covered with layers of paper towels to absorb oil for frying
Add slices of eggplant to the egg bowl in batches – only add in the 4 or 5 slices that are going next into the oil and ready to go into the bread crumbs
Then dip into the bread crumbs and into the heated oil
Put 4 or 5 slices of breaded eggplant into the oil at a time…
They will fry for about 2-3 minutes per side til golden then flip the slice over
While the 1st batch is frying get the 2nd batch ready to fry dipping into the egg and then into the bread crumbs and let them sit there on the bread crumbs til they are ready to go into the oil
Once the eggplant are golden place onto cookie racks with paper towels and dab them with fresh paper towels, flip and do the same to the other side to remove all excess oil
Throw away oily paper towels and re-place with a new set of paper towels for the next and replace with each batch there after
Then place the eggplant onto the wire cookie racks with out paper towels to cool
Finish frying the rest of the eggplant going thru the same procedures
Get out your favorite baking dish and cover the bottom with sauce
Begin to layer sauce, eggplant, mozzarella and some fresh basil leaves til you are 1″ from the top
Cover with foil and bake for 50-55 minutes appox. with foil til sides are bubbling and bake another 5-10 with out foil so mozzarella can get bubbly

FREEZING TIPS: I love, love, love to freeze my fried eggplant slices because all the work is done for you the next time you want to make parm or rollatini. BEST way to freeze your eggplant slices: let all the fried slices COMPLETELY cool on a cookie rack, then layer as many slices in between BOUNTY (need a durable paper towel) paper towels. Layer enough slices to fit a SINGLE layer in between each sheet of Bounty in a FREEZER ZIP-LOC baggie. Begin with a sheet of Bounty in the Zip-Loc, then slices of eggplant-single layer, then another sheet of Bounty, then another layer of eggplant slices and so on until you can barely close baggie. Lay flat in you freezer and Voilà! Freezes great 4-5 months!

Pulled Beef Taco’s & Mango Salsa

March 16, 2019September 13, 2015 by Michel

Pulled Beef Taco’s & Mango Salsa

Just wait until you taste the flavors in this pulled beef taco dish that ONLY uses three ingredients! Yes, that’s right we only use three ingredients… red wine, Trader Joe’s Autentica Salsa and a chuck roast that braises in the oven for two and a half hours with the cover off. I almost feel like we are cheating here by only using these three items because it seems as though something this amazing in taste, similar to Boeuf Bourguignon, should involve way more effort and ingredients. I think it’s important here to use the oven instead of a crock pot because the dry heat helps to caramelize the beef really building on all those layers of flavors.

This is the perfect dish for having groups of friends over because it’s a total make ahead dish. You can even make my mango salsa the day before. If you are really in a pinch for time you could always buy fresh made salsa at the store. I personally like to make this homemade pulled beef the morning of the party so that the house fills with all the aromas of the braising chuck roast, red wine and tomatoes. Really gets the juices flowing!

You can use your favorite hard taco shells to serve up the homemade pulled beef, corn and flour tortilla’s or even serve it on a bed of lettuce with shredded cheddar cheese and my mango salsa! I would also offer sour cream and Siracha in the side fixin’s and just let people go to town making their own creations. How fun is that?
You may just want to make my decadent Hershey’s Perfectly Chocolate Chocolate Cake for dessert! You won’t believe how EASY it is to make! You could also try my Chocolate Crackle Cookies that melt in your mouth. Then there always Fresh Berry Granita or Berries in a Dreamy Cream for dessert too. You’ll be able to actually relax and have lots of fun with your family and friends.

Ingredients for the Pulled Beef Taco’s:

3 1/2 lb. beef chuck roast (look for some good marbling)
1 bottle of red wine – Cabernet Sauvignon
1 bottle Trader Joe’s Salsa – Autentica
3 tbsn olive oil

Directions:

Pre-heat the oven to 350º
Slice the chuck roast into 6 pieces
Salt and pepper the pieces
Add 3 tbsn of olive oil to a large pan on med/high heat and begin to add the beef pieces
Turn up the heat to high and quickly sear all sides til browned – this takes 10 minutes
Add in 3/4 of the bottle of red wine (be careful of steam here) and the whole jar of salsa
Bring to a simmer and pop into the oven for 2 1/2 hrs.
Every hour turn the beef pieces over so the other sides can caramelize
At 2 1/2 hours take the braising meat out of the oven and begin to remove the beef to a dish wear you can start to pull apart the beef pieces
Tilt the braising pan to the side so that you can skim off the fat that rendered out of the meat
Pour the left over juice onto the pulled beef and serve with taco shells and my mango salsa…enjoy!

Ingredients for the Mango Salsa:

2 lg mangoes chopped 1/4″ cubed – (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 avocado chopped 1/4″ cubed (1 cup)
2 med/lg size tomato’s or 5 small tomato’s chopped 1/4″ cubed (1 cup)
1/2 Vidalia onion (or yellow) FINELY chopped (1/2 cup)
1 FINELY chopped jalapeno (2-3 tbsn)
juice from 1 lime
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
1/2 cup coarsely chopped cilantro
a dash of Siracha (optional)
S & P

Directions:

Add all of the ingredients to a large bowl and mix thoroughly.
We really love to eats this salsa with blue chips too
I have also served this salsa up on the tips of endive leaves, and or with a cooked shrimp on top of that ….yum!
I must warn you this salsa is highly addictive……consume at your own risk! LOL

TIP: There is an easy way to get the pit out of a avocado which I have displayed in the pictures above. After running the knife around the flesh of the avocado against the edges of the inside pit… put the knife down and twist the avocado halves and pull apart. Then stick the knife into the pit and do the same thing holding on to the knife with one hand and carefully twist the avocado pit and it will pop right out. Then knock the pit off onto the board away from your hands. This can be a little tricky the first time so I would advise that this would be for an adult to try. Finally, Insert a large spoon and scoop the avocado along the edge of the avocado skin to remove avocado flesh.

Michigan Sauce at Kathleen’s

March 16, 2019September 3, 2015 by Michel

Michigan Sauce at Kathleen’s

We make this incredible Michigan sauce in the show with ground turkey, but many who make this savory sauce make it with ground beef! Michigan sauce is made from simmering ground turkey, warm water, French’s Yellow Mustard, Franks Hot Sauce, Hunts Tomato Sauce, chili powder, ground cumin all awhile mashing the ground meat with a potato masher to achieve a tender, fine sauce.

Now you may think that adding a whole 5 oz. bottle of Frank’s Hot Sauce to this homemade Michigan sauce would make it really spicy but it doesn’t at all. The amounts of all the flavorful ingredients are pretty perfect here giving you this nicely balanced combination. You get hints of citrus and floral from the ground cumin, a bit of a kick from the cayenne in the Frank’s Hot Sauce and a little tang from the French’s Yellow Mustard. Lets not forget the chili powder that gives it the right amount of earthiness to complete the circle. Now you know how important it is to me that you always season a dish as you go along but here there is no need for salt or pepper because all of the ingredients added into this recipe take care of that.

These Michigan Sauce recipes go back for generations and are very special to an Upstate New Yorker such as Kathleen and her family. I feel honored that they were willing to share their family recipe that they hold so dear to them so that I might be able to share it with all of you.

Over the years there have been legends and tales going around of how this delicious Michigan Sauce recipe began. One says that the Coney Island hot dog met a sauce made from a woman in Nashville who married a man from Detroit and they moved to Plattsburgh, NY. They started selling hot dogs with this sauce and called them “Michigans”. The other says it was a couple from Detroit that moved to Plattsburgh, NY. But if you ask some of the locals they will insist that “Michigans” have nothing to do with Detroit! Back in the 1920’s is when the the first “Michigan” stand opened up but Clare and Carl’s is the one very well known to people which opened in the 1940’s along Lake Champlain. To this day, Clare & Carl’s keeps the car hop service that made it popular a half century ago.

A typical “Michigan” is garnished with chopped onion and a line of French’s Yellow Mustard on the top. If you to go into Clare and Carl’s they would ask you if you want your Michigans “with” or “without”, referring to the chopped onions of course. You might reply, I would like two Michigans “with-buried”. This would mean you want onions and they are to be under the sauce. Now you know how to properly order your Michigans when you are in Upstate New York.

Even though this special meat sauce is an Upstate New York summer tradition I think this is the perfect dish for football season! Not to mention it’s a total make ahead dish so you won’t miss any of the game tending to that darn stove. This Michigan sauce also freezes really well so make sure to take advantage of that and make an extra large batch like Kathleen’s mom, Shirley, does for future meals and get together’s. Thank you again Shirley and Kathleen for enlightening us with your lovely Michigan sauce recipe.

Hope you enjoy the show! You may want to try and make some refreshing Pavlova for dessert to go with this savory Michigan sauce!

Ingredients:

1 lb. Ground turkey
1 cup warm water – Add 1/2 cup in the beginning and add 1/2 cup after adding the Hunts Tomato Sauce
1 heaping tbsp French’s yellow mustard
1- 5 oz. bottle Franks Hot sauce (whole bottle)
8 oz. can of hunts-plain tomato sauce plain or garlic
3 tsp ground cumin
3 tsp chili powder
1 small chopped Vadalia sweet onion – chopped for garnish or a Michigan “with-buried” (if you don’t get this you need to watch the show) 🙂
1 pkg Deutschmacher Frankfurters (mild and delicious) OR Red Hots
Hot dog rolls

Directions:

Add 1/2 cup water to 1 lb. ground turkey (beef) in a large sauté pan on medium/low
Continue to mash these two for 10 minutes while simmering with a potato masher
Change to a fork to further mash ground turkey to a finer mash for 5 minutes
Stir in 1 heaping tbsp French’s Yellow Mustard until it disappears into turkey mixture
Stir in 1 whole 5 oz. bottle of Frank’s Hot Sauce until it disappears into turkey mixture
Stir in 1- 8 oz. can of Hunt’s tomato sauce
Add in another 1/2 cup of warm water
And then stir in 3 tsp chili powder and 3 tsp ground cumin
Let this simmer on low for 1/2 hour
Then mash a little more with the potato mash to make sure you have a fine texture.
You can let simmer for another 1/2 – 1 hour til a thick consistency
The more you let it simmer the more the flavors develop
This sauce freezes really well for future meals
Serve in a bowl with a drizzle of French’s Yellow Mustard and some chopped onions on top OR on top of a steamed hot dog in a bun with a drizzle of French’s Yellow Mustard and some chopped onions on top …YUM!

Gourmet Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms

March 16, 2019August 30, 2015 by Michel

Gourmet Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms

These gourmet sausage stuffed mushrooms are literally the easiest appetizer ever. Wipe the mushrooms off with a damp paper towel or mushroom brush, add your favorite sausage and bake for 15-20 minutes! There is no need for chopping or sauteing. You remove the sausage meat out of the casing it comes in, fill the mushroom caps and viola! In this recipe I used two pork sausages Italian garlic herb, and a chorizo sausage made with spices like chili and paprika. I also used two chicken sausages one made with jalapeño, fennel and cilantro and the other with feta and spinach that I bought at Whole Foods Markets.

There are so many specialty sausages to choose from out there that you can’t go wrong stuffing these baby bells! All the work is done for you so take advantage of these gourmet sausage products and stuff these mushrooms for an incredibly scrumptious appetizer that will continue to get raves from your guests.

Mushrooms are probably one of my favorite vegetables to eat. Give me Chanterelle mushrooms in a brandy cream sauce and I am in complete heaven. But here all you need is a simple button shaped mushroom with some room under the cap for filling.You can use a white button mushroom for these gourmet sausage stuffed mushrooms but what I prefer are Baby Bells because they are packed with flavor.

Another great specialty meat product called D’Artagnan offers many different sausages. One in particular is a mix of pork, duck, duck liver and egg white and is out of this world! This type of sausage is called Boudin and is very popular in New Orleans. It has distinct flavors that you might just start to crave after you have tried it. I really like D’Artagnan and I have found that Bishops Orchards Market in Guilford, CT carries a wide variety of their products. This brand offers a lot of duck products which Bishops also carries. Anything with duck or goose whether it be breast or liver is a no brainer in my book…YUM!

You can have these stuffed mushrooms for hors’ d oeurves before serving stuffed roulades of chicken on a garlic-bean purée, Asian shrimp & rice noodle salad, turkey stuffed peppers or Chilean sea bass with green goddess sauce II for dinner.

Ingredients – Makes 20-24 Stuffed Mushrooms:

2 pkgs of baby bella mushrooms (2- 8 oz. pkgs. will get you 20 and 2-10 oz. will get you 24)
1 lb. – a variety of your favorite flavored sausages
Sprinkle of salt and pepper- (for after the mushrooms come out of the oven)
Fresh shaved Reggiano Parmesano
Fresh chopped chives for garnish

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 400º
Clean your baby Bella mushrooms off with either a damp paper towel or a mushroom brush … you should NEVER wash your mushrooms or submerse them in water because mushrooms are porous.
Pop out the mushroom stems
Drizzle 2-3 Tbsp olive oil across a cookie sheet and rub it with your hands or use a brush to smear all of the olive oil across the baking sheet
Place all of the baby bella mushroom caps on the olive oil and roll them around lightly coating mushrooms then make sure they are all open side up on cookie tray
Slice open the sausage casings to get the sausage meat out and place on a small dish
Begin to gently fill mushroom caps with approximately 1 1/2 Tbsp of sausage per mushroom (some may be smaller and only need 1 Tbsp)
Do not pack in sausage just lightly stuff mushroom caps
Bake for 15-20 minutes til slightly crispy on the edges
DO NOT SALT the mushrooms before you bake them because all the water will release from the mushrooms and they will steam instead of baking
When you take the mushrooms out of the oven THEN you can sprinkle a little salt
The mushrooms will be juicy when you take them out of the oven so before you place them on a serving dish tilt them a little over the cookie tray that way some of the juice can drain out onto the tray and not on the serving platter
Shave a little Parmesan and chives on the mushrooms and serve