Azle News story about my cooking lessons

Jeri Field from the Azle News interviewed my client, Linda Johnson and me earlier this week and here is the story:

From the Azle News, December 30, 2010

Resolved for 2011: Cook like a 'loser' and win - with help from Azle chef by by Jeri Field (Posted Today 01:08 pm)Dunaway teaches her students to cook and eat foods in their "closest-to-nature" form. If getting healthy is on your list of resolutions for 2011, perhaps you’d like to follow the lead of Azle resident Linda Johnson, who is learning to eat like a “biggest loser.”Johnson believes a simple back-to-nature diet will awaken the healthy person hibernating inside. Her awakening came earlier this year after a cancer diagnosis sent her to a nutrition class. She was told the best way to deal with the side effects during and after chemo was to “use food as medicine.”“I called it Chemo 101,” she said. “Eat lean, healthy food to heal the body.”Being from West Texas Johnson has lived on casseroles, chicken fried steak, potatoes and very few vegetables. That began to change in November when she met Chef Julia Dunaway, who was demonstrating how to cook fresh pear crisp at the Azle Farmers Market.“I told her I wanted to use food as part of my healing process,” Johnson said – and a healthy cooking relationship was born.To date, Dunaway has given Johnson four lessons on “How to cook like a contestant on the reality-TV show, The Biggest Loser in which grossly obese people compete to see who can lose the most weight through both diet and exercise.“In my opinion, people don’t need to diet so much as learn portion control,” Dunaway said. “And know where your food comes from. Eat mostly plants and not too much red meat.”Instead of purchasing ready-made, expensive food like Jenny Craig or Weight Watchers, Dunaway teaches people how to prepare their own tasty, healthy meals at home, focusing on food in its “closest-to-nature form – dark green vegetables and fresh fruits.“It’s like teaching a person to fish,” she said. “I resolve to get them off the frozen lean cuisine and processed diet full of chemicals that tastes horrible. They can eat a lot cheaper and better by making it at home.”Johnson dubs Dunaway’s approach to food as, “A slow-food menu.”“It’s not difficult,” she said. “But you can’t open a box, add hamburger and have a meal in 30 minutes.” Johnson’s last chemo treatment was on Aug. 31. On Sept. 25 she had her first cooking lesson. Under Dunaway’s tutelage, she made stir-fried chicken and vegetables, seared chicken breast with various sauces and last but not least, Indian shrimp Marsala. That was the first shrimp Johnson had ever cooked or eaten.“Where I grew up fish had to be hauled in on ice and was extremely expensive,” she said. “The only shrimp we ever dealt with was bait for catfish.”But when Dunaway’s shrimp “didn’t taste fishy,” Johnson decided to try some popcorn shrimp in her stir-fry.“She taught me about stir-fry,” Johnson said with a nod to Dunaway. “By adding fresh ginger, garlic and peppers, I can make a good meal.” “And what about the pan-seared chicken?” asked Dunaway.“Pound a chicken breast flat, oil both sides, sprinkle with salt and pepper and sear it in an extremely hot skillet,” said Johnson.“Searing the meat seals in the flavor,” explained Dunaway. “Some people cook chicken breast to death, until it’s hard and chewy.”Johnson has decided that the stirfry is her favorite recipe so far.“I can try so many different things in it,” she said. “I like to add the seared chicken breast to a pan gravy...”“Pan sauce!” Dunaway corrected.“In West Texas we call it gravy,” laughed Johnson. “I use wine, dijon mustard, cherry preserves... and...” glancing in Dunaway’s direction, she added, “I like almonds instead of that balsamic vinegar.”“I’m impressed with how much you’ve already picked up,” Dunaway said. “Look at the skills, ideas and techniques you will use for the rest of your life.”Dunaway constructs her recipes to be simple and flexible, “and to get people away from salt, fat and high sugar, which is the bulk of most diets,” she said. If someone doesn’t care to use chicken, they can use beef, turkey, pork, even sausage.“Just don’t dominate with the meat,” she said. “Use it as a side dish or condiment.”Dunaway is a graduate of the Culinary School of Fort Worth.When she isn’t teaching people to cook like a contestant on The Biggest Loser, she’s chief social worker for the Federal Bureau of Prisons in Fort Worth.To learn more, check out Dunaway’s blog at www.chefjulia.blog spot.com, or email questions to her at juliadunaway@ gmail.com.Azle chef Julia Dunaway is helping Linda Johnson cook healthy foods that will repair her body after chemotherapy. Photos by Jeri Field
Subscribers read the entire story
See the photos at the Azle News website under community.

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Christmas Dinner 2010

We'll have two "Christmas" dinners this year, one on Christmas day and another on New Year's Eve when my daughter, Helen, Will, and granddaughter, Grace come into town. For the Christmas dinner on Christmas day I decided to make an non-traditional dinner since no one wanted anything roasted or stuffed. We used to go to a wonderful restaurant called Cafe Soleil in Azle and have tenderloin steak with a pepper sauce and Steve, Alexandra, and I loved it.

Someone suggested we have that for our Christmas dinner. I was happy to oblige so our menu for Christmas:

Appetizer: Snow crab legs with cocktail sauce

Salad: Red leaf lettuce and romaine with herb goat cheese, spicy pecans, dates, and balsamic vinaigrette

Entree: Grilled tenderloin steaks with potato hash and beer pepper sauce

Dessert: Tres Leches Creme Brulee

The appetizer was something that happened by chance. As I was waiting in line at the seafood counter at Central Market I saw a worker bring out a huge pile of very plump snow crab. It looked better than any I've seen in ages so I bought 3 pounds of it. I picked up their house made cocktail sauce. (I'm tired and a short cut is OK sometimes.) I heated the crab in the oven, served it on a big platter and we all stood around and ate it at the counter. The big, plump pieces of crab were sweet and perfect.

I love the salad I made. This is my favorite salad of all time and I change it up depending on what I have. I make the salad dressing a lot and use it for my work lunches. I don't buy much bottled dressing anymore because homemade tastes so much better.

Mixed Greens with Balsamic Vinaigrette, dried fruit, and cheese
A good salad has crispy greens, somethings sweet, something savory, something crunchy, and some acid. (I learned that in culinary school and it's so true.)

Ingredients

Lettuce: (I always have organic red leaf lettuce, my personal favorite. This time I also used organice romaine, but I have also used mixed field greens.) Wash the lettuce and spin it dry.
If you don't have a salad spinner, it's a great gadget to have. You dry the lettuce in it and it you store your torn and dried lettuce in the container with the lid it will keep crispy and fresh for days. This is where I keep my week's worth of lettuce for lunches and dinners.
Cheese: I use feta or goat cheese, sometimes Parmesan. Feta and goat have less fat than regular cheese and a sharper taste that stands up to the dressing. When I have time I mix some fresh herbs into the goat cheese and make a log. This is also great in omelets or just on crackers. A few crumbles of cheese is all you need.
Nuts: I make spiced pecans a lot since I have a freezer full of fresh pecans from San Saba, Texas. Just take a handful of pecans and place in a baking pan. Add a tablespoon of olive oil, sprinkle some sugar, cumin, chili powder, cayenne pepper, and salt and bake for 5-7 minutes at 350 degrees.

Just a few pecan halves is all you need. You could also use plain toasted walnuts or almonds.


Sweets: I usually have a bag of dried cranberries or raisins. I looked in my pantry and only found dates this time, so I cut them up and they tasted great. But, I usually use cranberries.

Dressing:

Balsamic Vinaigrette

1 clove garlic, minced and mashed into a paste

1/2 tsp Dijon mustard

1 T honey

2 T red wine vinegar

2 T Modena balsamic vinegar

1 T lemon juice

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/4-1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil


Mix the garlic, mustard, honey, vinegars, lemon juice and salt together in a bowl or food processor. If doing this my hand, add a few drops of oil and whisk briskly to combine the oil and vinegar. Keep adding a small amount of oil until the dressing appears emulisfied, otherwise it will separate quickly. You can also just do this in the food processor or shake it in a jar.

It will keep for 3 or 4 days.

Chill your salad plates, toss the lettuce with dressing (go easy on the dressing--you can always bring a little extra to the table for those who like to drown their salad in dressing (my husband))

Sprinkle the cheese, pecans, and dates on the salad. Enjoy!

Grilled tenderloin steaks with beer pepper sauce:

The sauce:

I don't know how Paula Ambrose of Cafe Soleil made her sauce but mine is pretty good, although not as good as hers. She wouldn't give me her recipe but she told me it involved beer, beef broth, and peppers. I roasted a jalapeno pepper and a habanero pepper but my first attempt was way too hot, so I started over with just a roasted jalapeno pepper, chopped and sauteed with a shallot and some garlic, a bottle of Shiner Bock, and about 4 cups of beef stock. Reduce this down by over half, strain it, and add a little fresh ground pepper. I added some butter mixed in flour (about a teaspoon) at the end. The sauce can be made in advance and heated up later.

For the steaks, sprinkle with salt and pepper, a little olive oil, and let sit out for an hour.

Grill on a hot grill, 3-4 minutes per side, depending on thickness.

The potato hash:

3-4 large russet potatoes, diced
3-4 pieces bacon ( I used applewood smoked, nitrate free, Pedersen Farms)
1/2 onion, chopped
Cook bacon drain well, cut into 1/2 inch pieces and set aside. Heat a large skillet and add 2 T of olive oil to skillet. Fry the potatoes and onions until the potatoes are tender.

Serve steak with potatoes, sauce, and a couple fried onion strips.

I made the onion strips by dipping onions into flour, egg, and panko. Fry at 350 degrees in a couple inches of oil. Remove and drain on paper towels.

Tres Leches Creme Brulee

I planned to make creme brulee for dessert and in looking through my recipe collection came upon a recipe from Bonnell's Fine Texas Cuisine. I had this creme brulee at Bonnell's a long time ago and really loved it so I requested the recipe via e-mail. They were kind enough to send it.

10 ounces heavy cream
3 ounces sweetened condensed milk
3 ounces evaporated milk
1/2 vanilla bean, scraped
4 egg yolks
4 ounces brown sugar
1 pinch of salt

In a medium saucepan, heat cream, sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, and half the sugar and vanilla. Bring to a boil, then turn off the heat.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the other half of the sugar, salt and eggs until smooth. While whisking vigorously pour the hot cream mixture into the bowl with the eggs and sugar very gradually. Begin with a few drops, then slowly increase the flow of hot cream. Strain the mixture so there are no lumps. Pour into 8 ounce ramekins. Place the ramekins in a baking dish, then fill the dish with water halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Cover loosely with foil and bake at 325 degrees for 45 minutes (or until they have set) Refrigerate until cool.

Just prior to serving sprinkle a teaspoon of sugar over the top of each one and spread out evenly. Burn the sugar with a blowtorch until light brown. Top with a few fresh berries and serve.

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Holiday Cooking and Baking

Peppermint bark, ginger cakes, Kahlua cakes

Palmiers on left, cheddar thumbprints on right

Cheese tray

Sticky Fingers bars, pecan tarts, cracker candy in bowl

My mother's sugar cookies in the "cookie room"

For some crazy reason I thought it would be a good idea to have a holiday open house this year so family, people I work with and Steve's work friends could stop by and share some homemade goodies. Somehow about 75 people were told about the party and I started getting a little worried. Having that many people involved moving some furniture around and making a lot of food, in other words--a big project. I decided on a menu for both savory and sweet items, with the intention of making a lot of sweets to have for gift trays as well. Too bad I waited until Wednesday, 3 days before the party, to start making things. I should have made the cookies way ahead of time and next time (if there is a next time!) I will.

I made:

Sweets

Cracker candy: butter crackers covered with brown sugar/butter toffee mixture, Belgium milk chocolate, Lindt white chocolate, and San Saba pecans

Pecan tarts: mini version of my Thanksgiving pecan pie

Sticky Fingers bars: Shortbread crust, pieces of Snickers bars, layer of peanut butter, chopped peanuts, drizzled Callebaut dark chocolate. These things are addictive!

Triple Chocolate cookies: the best quality chocolate, unsweetened, semi-sweet, and chips, with the great San Saba pecans

Toffee Cookies: the Fort Worth Star Telegram winning cookie recipe for 2010, a chocolate chip cookie with oatmeal and Heath chips

Christmas sugar cookies: my mother's recipe with a special lemon flavor and butercream icing

Mini cappucino cheesecakes: chocolate cookie crust and espresso flavored cheesecakes

These disappeared fast and a guest remarked that it was "the best thing I've ever eaten"

Peppermint bark: just like the expensive dark chocolate/white chocolate bark Williams-Sonoma sells, still expensive to make with 1 pound of Guittard dark chocolate and 1 pound of Guittard white chocolate, but at $20.00 for 2 pounds, instead of $26.50 for 1 pound of the W/S kind, it's a bargain.

Mini gingerbread cakes with cream cheese icing

Mini Kahlua cakes with pecans and Callebaut chips glazed with more Kahlua

Savory

Ham and pepper roll-ups (filled with olive and red bell pepper/cream cheese)

Spiced nuts

Hot crab dip

Cheese tray with olives, crositini, fruit and dates

Grilled sausages with assorted mustards

Cold shrimp with green mayonnaise and Asian curry dip

Spicy tuna nachos

Cheddar pecan thumbprints

Smoked pork and jalapeno pepper sliders

Smoked turkey

Hits, misses, and recipes:

First of all, I enjoyed making everything and it pleased me so much to hear people talk about how much they enjoyed the food. A friend e-mailed me and said everything was so good and it was the best food she had ever had anywhere. I took that as an extreme compliment because she has traveled all over the world and has a second home in Oregon and I know she gets some really good food there.
As for me, Spicy tuna nachos were my favorite. Fresh tortillas, crisply fried, topped with sushi grade tuna that had been chopped and mixed with jalapenos, chives, chile sauce, and a little mayonnaise, but waiting until guests had arrived to fry tortillas was not smart. I could have made the chips hours earlier and will next time.
Cold shrimp with Asian curry dip and green mayo was really good, but next time I’ll use fresh shrimp from Central Market. The already cooked shrimp I got from Sam’s was not so tasty.
I smoked a pork shoulder and turkey on Friday and served them with brioche and other rolls. I made little sandwiches with smoked pork and red pepper salsa and they were delicious. The turkey was sliced and served next to an assortment of breads. The green mayonnaise tasted great on the sandwiches as well.
The hot crab dip, a Martha Stewart recipe, disappeared quickly and I tasted it and thought it pretty good.
Overall, it was a good assortment of many tastes and not that difficult to make, just a lot of different things to put together.
Misses: A lot of prosciutto and arugula roll ups were left. I think arugula is not for everyone and the goat cheese and herb spread I made was barely touched, but it was really good!

Sweets:
I heard a lot of comments about the Cappuccino Cheesecake with chocolate ganache. In fact, I think I will make it for my family’s Christmas dinner, particularly for my coffee-loving oldest daughter.
The cracker candy was a big hit, unexpectedly, as I didn’t think it looked very good, but it tasted a lot better than it looked. It didn’t hurt that I used really good quality chocolate.
I am experiencing a bit of a food hangover presently and having trouble writing about all this rich food, so don’t be surprised if my next post is on healthier food!

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Private Cooking Lesson with Linda Johnson: More Brunch

Pecan Apple Crisp

Linda with the scones

Linda Johnson is crazy about brunch so we are on part 2 of 3 "brunch dishes". She has a breakfast group at her house on occasion and is looking for interesting dishes to serve. This week we made bacon-cheddar scones with applewood smoked uncured bacon and lots of ground pepper. The scones were tender and perfectly cooked and the smell of the bacon, scallions, and pepper was really nice. I did explain to Linda that scones were in the category of occasional indulgence since they are pretty rich, but as in everything else, a small portion served with other healthier items is OK. These are just like the scones my husband and I fell in love with at the Rather Sweet Bakery in Fredericksburg and I had to learn how to make them because they are so popular they're often sold out by the time we get there. Anyone want that recipe?

We also made an egg dish called Picante Quiche, a crustless quiche. The first time I stayed at a bed and breakfast, Angels Gate in Bryan, Texas, the owners served little dishes of this quiche.

When she told me what the ingredients were I was a little surprised at how simple it was.

Picante Quiche

1 cup salsa (my favorite is Joe T Garcia's, medium or homemade is always great)

1 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
6 eggs
3/4 cup sour cream
1 T finely choppped scallions
1/8 tsp garlic powder
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Paprika
1 T chopped fresh cilantro
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9 or 10 inch pie pan with cooking spray. Spread salso over the bottom of the pie plate. Layer with cheeses. Combine eggs, sour cream, scallions, and garlic powder. Pour over cheese layers. Top with Parmesan cheese and sprinkle with paprika and cilantro. Bake for 30-40 minutes.

This can be lighted considerably by reducing the amount of cheese and using light sour cream.

It tastes fine with very little cheese. Like I said earlier, reserve this type of dish for a special occasion or cut back on the sour cream and cheese.

My favorite dish was the Pecan Apple Crisp. This really was a healthy version of the real thing. Linda and her husband really liked it (and apparently ate quite a bit of it after I left). Linda told me she was going to share her recipes with her daughter-in-law so I hope they also enjoy the food as much as Linda.

What I liked about this recipe was the fact that it tasted delicious cold! I made it at home to test it and initially was disappointed. It wasn't all that sweet and didn't have much taste. I put it in the refrigerator over night. The next day I absent mindedly tasted it and thought it was perfect.

To me it was an improvement on the traditional apple crisp which uses a lot of sugar, flour, and butter. Try it and let me know what you think.

Pecan Apple Crisp

5 pounds Fuji apples, peeled, cored and sliced

1 vanilla bean, scraped
1 cinnamon stick
2 cups apple cider
½ cup orange juice
½ cup cranberry juice

Topping
1 cup toasted pecans, chopped (Toast for 5 minutes in 350 degree oven)
2/3 cup whole oats
¼ cup whole wheat flour
¼ cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 T canola oil
1 T agave nectar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a large saucepan, over medium heat combine vanilla, cinnamon, cider, orange juice and cranberry juice. Bring to simmer and add apples. Lower heat and cook apples until tender, but not mushy, approximately 10 minutes.

Combine topping ingredients in a bowl and mix together. Add pecans last.

Place cooked apples in a 13 X 9 baking dish (or 10 inch round pie pan). Return liquid back to medium high heat and reduce to a thin sauce. Pour on apples and then place topping ingredients on apples.
Place in oven and cooked until topping has browned, approximately 20 minutes.

Serve with Greek yogurt, plain mixed with a little honey

I was so pleased to hear that Linda had just made a lunch of stir-fried vegetables and chicken with brown rice earlier in the day. Back in September she had never attempted such a thing but now she is challenging herself to step out of her comfort zone and prepare a wide variety of foods. I am inspired by her example and positive attitude.

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Thanksgiving 2010: Jalapeno Cornbread Dressing, my favorite

Chocolate Cornucopia and Milk Chocolate Rum Raisin and Dark Chocolate Truffles

Top photo: finished Jalapeno Sausage Cornbread Dressing, bottom--the ingredients

I made so many things this year that I chose one recipe and dish to feature--the cornbread dressing. I will describe some of the other things I made, though. I wanted to wow my granddaughters, Grace and Kyndal with something really different so I made a chocolate cornucopia and truffles. Some of the truffles were milk chocolate with rum raisin milk chocolate filling, some were dark chocolate and kahlua rolled in toasted nuts, coconut, and sprinkles. Judging by how quickly they disappeared I think they were very good. I had the granddaughters break up the cornucopia which they really enjoyed.

I also made a New York cheesecake for my daughter, Helen. She wanted just plain cheesecake, no fancy toppings, and gluten free. I found gluten free graham crackers and they tasted just like the regular ones. The cheesecake was silky smooth and delicious.

Here's the entire menu:

Spicy cranberry chutney

Sweet potato souffle with chipotle peppers

Sauteed green beans with almonds

Jalapeno and sausage cornbread dressing

Brined and Roasted turkey

Smoked turkey

Gravy

Baked acorn squash

Sweet potato rolls

Brown butter pecan pie

Rum raisin truffles and chocolate cornucopia

New York Cheesecake

I also made hot smoked salmon on Friday for a second family dinner, pictured here. We had leftovers from Thanksgiving that and the salmon for Will, who is a pescatarian.

My thoughts about the menu this year:

Cranberry chutney--excellent, sweet, spicy with lime and orange zest and juice. I'd make it again.

Sweet potato souffle--ick--overcooked it--enough said.

Sauteed green beans--fresh green beans, blanched and sauteed in olive oil with toasted almonds. Simple and wonderful

Jalapeno and sausage dressing--best thing!

Brined and roasted turkey--my first time brining and probably my last--too salty and changes the texture of the meat in a weird way

Smoked turkey--8 hours in the smoker for a 10 pound turkey. The day after is the best and it was tender and flavorful. I used a simple spice rub and just set in directly on the rack. I'm going to experiment and try wrapping it in a butter soaked t-shirt like my friend, Chef Lisa.

Baked acorn squash--simple, just a little butter and seasonings, and very tasty

Sweet potato rolls--from Artisan Baking Company were wonderful

Brown butter pecan pie--another favorite this year--next time use the vanilla bean

Rum raisin truffles--loved them--a good Christmas gift for sure

New York Cheesecake--should have taken a photograph.

Jalapeno Cornbread Dressing

4 T butter

2 cups chopped onion

1 cup chopped celery

2 cups corn kernels

2 T minced garlic

1 cup diced red bell pepper

3-4 jalapeno peppers, thinly sliced

8 ounces bulk pork sausage (omit for vegetarian version) Brown, drain, and set aside.

2 eggs

3 cups stock (chicken or vegetable)

1/2 cup heavy cream

2 T freshly chopped cilantro leaves

2 T freshly chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves

Salt and freshly ground pepper

8 cups cubed and toasted cornbread (or use my gluten free green chile cornbread found on previous blog post)

I made my own cornbread for Thanksgiviing but used Central Market cornbread last week for a potluck and it was fine. Toast cornbread by putting in on a sheet pan and in a 350 degree oven for 15 minutes.

Raise oven temperature to 375 degrees. Melt butter and sweat vegetables until tender. Whisk together eggs, stock, cream and herbs and season with salt and pepper. Combine all items, including cornbread in a 4 quart lasagna pan and cook covered for 20 minutes and uncovered for 20 more minutes.

The spicy jalapenos, tender cornbread, and all the flavors worked so well together. I would have been happy just eating a bowl of this dressing.

It's bittersweet to be able to make anything I want for holiday dinners now. While I love choosing my own menu I really, really miss my parents and their special holiday cooking and I missed making the icky things my children had to have--the pink stuff ( a cherry, cool whip, fruit concoction) and the sweet potato casserole (with the tons of brown sugar and butter) for Alexandra, as well as the canned cranberry sauce for John David. Glenn always wanted green bean casserole. My mother always had to have canned yams cut up dotted with butter, brown sugar, and maple syrup, and pumpkin pie. I made my fancy and not good sweet potatoes this year and missed hers. She also always made up a "relish tray" of pickles, peppers, olives, and the like. I skipped that this year and I'll admit I preferred the cheesecake and pecan pie over the pumpkin pie, though. My father used to get up early and make turkey stock and stuffing. He was an Army food service expert and used to making Army size portions. He also believed in brown food. I remember him showing me how to make roux when I was a child, and his gravy was excellent, much better than mine. I wish I knew how to make his dressing. I have tried many times but it's never the same. It had a combination of herb bread stuffing, cornbread stuffing, celery, onions, sausage and then various seasonings. Although I don't make the same foods I remember those Thanksgiving dinners fondly and would love to taste his highly seasoned dark brown stuffing and great gravy again. But now I make my own lighter dishes, spiced up with peppers, and nothing out of a can.

Sitting around the table with my four children and their partners, my grandchildren, and Steve was a special time. I hope one day my children reach back in time and make something for their families that I loved.

On Saturday, my son John David, called to ask me a question (about cooking ) and mentioned that Lauren, his wife, who couldn't be at the family dinner, really liked the dressing. He wanted the recipe. I told him I planned to post it here and thought to myself with a little sadness how I wish I had asked my father many, many years ago for his stuffing recipe.

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Private Cooking Lesson with Linda Johnson: Brunch

Today's Menu: Lemon Yogurt Muffins

Potato Vegetable Hash

Migas with Sausage

Fresh Fruit with orange liqueur
Potato Vegetable Hash

Linda cooking the migas

Linda wanted to make some brunch dishes for this lesson and she plans to make the same dishes on an upcoming trip to visit family. We started with the lemon yogurt muffins. The combination of lots of lemon zest, finely chopped pecans, and tart yogurt gives thems muffins a really nice flavor. They have a cake like texture and are very moist.

We also made a potato and vegetable hash. It took a while to shred all the potatoes, zucchini, and carrots but the combination of these ingredients with garlic and rosemary was great.

Potato and Vegetable Hash

3/4 cup shredded carrots

3 cups shredded zucchini

3 cups shredded Yukon gold potatoes, shredded, rinsed and drained

After shredding, cut crosswise into squares.

1-2 T olive oil

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp dried rosemary

In a large skillet over medium high heat add olive oil and carrots. Saute 5 minutes. Add the potatoes and cook for 5 minutes, then add the zucchini and spices and cook for 10 more minutes. A crisp crust will form as you cook the mixture.

6-8 servings

I was very pleased with the fresh fruit dish we made. Simple, healthy, but delicious.

Fresh Fruit with Grand Marnier

1 cup strawberries

2 kiwis

1 banana

2 navel oranges

3 T honey

1 T Grand Marnier (or orange liqueur)

3 sprigs fresh mint

1 cup blueberries (or raspberries)

Add mango, papaya, or other fruits as desired and available

Wash and cut strawberries into quarters. Peel and dice the kiwi, peel and slice the banana. Peel and segment the oranges, cutting off the membranes. Squeeze the juice over the fruit.

Stir the honey and Grand Marnier. Chop mint leaves and stir into the fruit mixture. Add the berries. Serve within 2 hours.

For the migas, search my blog for the recipe. I am not going to post the recipe for the lemon yogurt muffins at this time. I want to make a couple changes to the recipe and try it again.

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Grace's Birthday Party: Nachos and Cupcakes

We went to Houston for my granddaughter's birthday. Grace was in favor of cupcakes so I made 3 types: Chocolate fudge with cinnamon and chocolate buttercream frosting (with Callebaut chocolate!), Buttermilk with cream cheese and sprinkles, and a gluten free chocolate with chocolate fudge frosting. Grace and her friends helped with the frosting and decorating and they had a blast. My daughter, Helen, is on a gluten free diet and she was happy to have some tasty cake. For the gluten free cake I used a mix from Central Market, and for a cake mix it was really good. When I left Houston I placed the remaining cupcakes in Helen's freezer and she told me later she enjoyed them the entire week and planned to serve some to her friends this weekend.

For the family and friends meal on Saturday we had nachos. This seemed like a versatile choice given the varying dietary challenges. I made a vegetarian chili with tofu, guacamole, cheese sauce, pico de gallo, beef, and chopped a lot of fresh vegetables, and we just piled the ingredients on some thin corn tortilla chips. Everyone seemed to enjoy the spicy chili, the fresh vegetables, and the spicy pico de gallo. I loved the idea of the "gourmet" nacho buffet for a family gathering with so many different preferences and will definitely use do it again soon.

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Family Sukiyaki Dinner

Sukiyaki Ingredients

Table is ready

Time to eat!

My son John David, his wife Lauren, and our granddaughter Kyndal were coming to visit on Sunday and he requested our family sukiyaki dinner. My mother always prepared this dinner on special occasions and for company and I always have fond memories of her standing over the skillet with her chopsticks, making sure everyone gets their desired items before she ever tasted a single bit. He said he wanted me to teach him how to make it so he could prepare it for his own family and friends.

Sukiyaki is a Japanese "hot-pot" dish prepared at the table. It contains thin slices of beef, vegetables, noodles, and tofu in a special broth and is eaten with rice. The traditional way of eating sukiyaki is to dip the hot items in raw egg to cool them, but I've found many people are squeamish about this practice. I found a pasteurized egg product that can be used instead, but I personally still use a beaten raw egg sprinkled with togarashi (hot pepper).

Most of the preparation is done in advance and the sukiyaki is prepared in front of the diners.

On a cold evening the steaming skillet of meat and vegetables is so appetizing. Here's the family recipe:

1 1/2 pounds thinly sliced beef (I prefer rib-eye steak, frozen and sliced very thin.) (Sukiyaki can also be made with chicken or skip the meat altogether.)

1 tsp vegetable oil

1 bunch of scallions, cut into 2 inch lengths

1 white onion, sliced

1 block medium firm tofu, cut into bite size squares

12 oz shirataki (yam noodles, rinsed, drained, briefly boiled in water, drained again)

1 cup bamboo shoots, sliced

8 shiitake mushrooms, sliced 1/4 inch thick

2 cups udon noodles, cooked in advance (or packaged type which are already cooked)

4 cups napa cabbage, cut into large pieces

Sauce:

1/2 cup soy sauce (ok to use low sodium)

1/2 cup sugar (ok to reduce a little)

2 T sake

1 cup water

Mix together and put in pitcher or glass container for the table.

Arrange all ingredients on attractive platters. I put the meat on a separate dish and put noodles in their own bowls. Make sure everyone has a bowl of hot white Japanese rice and a bowl of beaten egg. (Also, try poaching your egg in the broth if the raw egg is a turn off.)

Heat the skillet an add a teaspoon of oil. Saute the beef until lightly browned and move to one side of the skillet. Add a few of each of the other ingredients, except the udon noodles. Add sauce to barely cover the ingredients. Cook until the vegetables are done, but this will only take a few minutes. Do not overcook. Serve each diner a taste of each item until pan is empty. You can ladle sauce on their rice if you like (but don't do that in front of Japanese people--it's not cool.) Add more of the ingredients to the skillet and cook again. Toward the end, start cooking the udon noodles. They seem to soak up a lot of broth so I always cook them last.

Leftover sukiyaki on top of rice is delicious as well.

I hope John David makes sukiyaki in the future and thinks of his grandmother and mother.

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Private Cooking Classes with Linda Johnson

No bake Cheesecake with raspberry sauce

Beef and bean chili

Vegetable quesadillas with cheese

Linda Johnson

I was fortunate to meet Linda Johnson at the Azle Farmer's Market this summer. She picked up one of my brochures and called me inquiring about private cooking lessons. She has been treated for a condition which required chemotherapy. During the course of her treatment she attended a nutrition class where she became much more aware of the role of food in health and the concept of nutrition as medication. She was ready to start making changes but didn't really know where to start so lessons were the answer for her. While Linda has always cooked she admitted she is stuck in a rut typically making casseroles and high fat dishes. She does not eat many fresh vegetables or fish, nor does she usually cook with many spices or herbs. Linda was completely open to trying new things and is very easy going, making her a pleasure to work with.
Our first class was on September 25. We made seared chicken breasts with Dijon sauce, stir-fried chicken and vegetables, and Indian shrimp. I gave her master recipes for various types of light pan sauces for the seared chicken and showed her how to sear the chicken breast over high heat, not crowding the pan, and cook it until it was done but not "cooked to death" like most of us tend to cook chicken.
We used a variety of thinly cut vegetables for the stir-fry along with some fresh ginger and garlic and a light sauce with low sodium chicken broth and soy sauce. Lastly we made an Indian shrimp and vegetable dish.
She really enjoyed the seared chicken breasts and has since made many versions of it. I believe she has also made the stir-fried meat and vegetables again. I don't think the Indian shrimp was a big hit. I was happy to hear that her husband, Baker, who usually didn't eat bell peppers, was able to enjoy the stir-fry. She was anxious for the next class.
Our second class was on November 6. Linda had read a blog entry I posted on the taco party I had for friends and asked if we could do a class on chili with various toppings. She asked that her classes contain appetizer, entree, and dessert dishes. Our menu for the class was:
Appetizer: Open-faced vegetable quesadillas
Entree: Beef chili with toppings
Green chile cheese cornbread
Dessert: No Bake Cheesecake with berries

For the appetizer we sauteed onions, mushrooms, and poblano peppers. We took some whole wheat tortillas and placed them on a cookie sheet, sprinkled some goat cheese and Monterey Jack cheese on them along with the vegetables and cooked them for about 10 minutes in a 350 degree oven. We topped with with a little chopped cilantro and cut them into wedges.

The chile was a simple beef and bean chili spiced up with some chipotle chiles, poblano peppers and good ancho chile powder. We used 2 pounds of lean ground beef and 4 cups of beans, added liquid and some roux to keep the chili from being so heavy with meat. We topped it with shredded cheese, sour cream, crumbled corn chips, and a little cilantro. I explained to Linda that while I might put out a lot of toppings for the crowd such as different cheeses, chips, sour cream, diced onion, limes, cilantro, etc., I personally will put just a taste of the chips and cheese on my chili along with the onions and cilantro. Linda called for Baker to come in and sample the finished chili and he declared it to be tasty. I heard later that they happily finished the whole batch and it improved with age.
We made green chile cheese cornbread with goat cheese (see blog entry from Azle Farmers Market with this recipe). Linda had not ever tried goat cheese before and she said she liked it.

We made the dessert first so it would have time to chill.
Basically we took a typical graham cracker crust but with less butter and sugar, made the cheesecake with cream cheese and sugar and 1 vanilla bean. Linda had never used vanilla bean before. I'll admit it's a little pricey, but in this recipe it really stood out. We added some fresh lemon juice and a little cream. We put the crumbs in the bottom of a ring mold, added the cheesecake filling and chilled it. After we removed it from the mold we placed some fresh raspberries which had been made into a sauce on top. This was a refreshing dessert after the spicy chili. I showed Linda that the dessert could be made in large or small glasses as well.

By the end the kitchen was full of great smelling food, a large pot of chili to enjoy later, cheesecake parfaits in the fridge, and cornbread and quesadillas. I went home and cooked a quick dinner for my family but I kept thinking about the delicious food at Linda's and when I would make my own chili dinner.

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Short Leash Mobile Hot Dog Eatery, Phoenix

Jalapeno cheese stuffed spicy corn dog

The Aiko

When I was in Phoenix back in August I happened upon a food truck, Short Leash Mobile Hot Dog Eatery, at the Phoenix Public Market. I had already eaten dinner so I didn't try anything but I was charmed by their concept. Hot dogs named after their own and others pet dogs with photos of the dog next to their namesake hot dog. Adorable! And the hot dogs sounded so delicious-- The Aiko-- mango chutney, diced jalapenos, red onions, fresh cilantro and mayo on naan bread or The Igby--coleslaw and crumbled blue cheese drizzle with tangy bbq sauce.

I planned to come back next time I was in Phoenix, no telling when that would be. Fortunately, I became a Facebook fan of Short Leash and have been getting updates about them all along so I would not forget them. They have been wildly popular in Phoenix and have been written about extensively. As luck would have it I'm back this week and remembered that Wednesday afternoon and evening was the day they would be at the Public Market. I walked down there this evening and there they were! I ordered the Aiko, although I was tempted to order the special Devil Dog, with roasted red peppers, green chile, sauteed onion, pickled jalapenos and pepper jack cheese. Too bad I can't come back...

As I was enjoying my Aiko, which by the way was awesome, one of the owners, Brad Moore, came out and gave me a sample of the spicy corn dog. We had been talking earlier about my visit in August and they remembered me telling them I was from Fort Worth. Brad went to Texas Wesleyan and has family in Ft. Worth. Brad and Katherine Moore are the nicest couple and their business is doing well which makes me very happy. Brad said it was physically harder than they imagined and I believe it. They are featured in this month's Arizona magazine, page 50, but I have been unable to locate a copy.

Both the Aiko and corn dog were so tasty. Now I have to get dressed to go to an evening reception at the Sheraton Hotel with free food (my experience is that the vultures will swoop in and gobble it down before you can get to it). But I will not be hungry, thanks to Short Leash.

I love Phoenix.

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Baking Like Crazy Week

cupcakes, cupcakes, everywhere
Key Lime Pie
Snickers cheesecake bars, sticky finger bars

Sugar cookies

Let's see--did I really sign up to bring 4 dozen pink iced ribbon shaped cookies for a breast cancer awareness fund raiser? How about some Snickers cheesecake bars, and some sticky fingers bars, and an extra large key lime pie? Then did I plan a lunch party the very next day involving me bringing a main dish? Oh and the very next day was the "cake and punch" where I was going to supply 60-70 people with gourmet cupcakes. Am I crazy? That's what my daughter asked me when she saw me from Sunday night until Wednesday at noon when I was putting the final touches on the cupcakes. I couldn't complain in front of her because she is wise at the age of 20. She would just look at me and say, "Mom, you did this to yourself." She would be right. My friend, Susan, asked me to make some things for her fundraiser a long time ago and I told her I would. I didn't think it would fall on the same week one of my staff members was leaving. I started making the cookies Sunday night, made the Snickers cheesecake and sticky fingers bars and key lime pie Monday. This key lime pie involves hand squeezing a whole bag of key limes to make a cup and a half of juice. I make it in a 2 inch tart pan with a graham cracker/pecan crust. I saw this pie at Rather Sweet Bakery in Fredericksburg, selling price $50.00. When Rebecca Rather put the recipe in one of her cookbooks I was anxious to make it. It is very, very good. It's in the Christmas recipe book, by the way. I put together the Snickers cheesecake bars based on a couple different recipes I've used over the years. Basically it's a layer of brownies, a layer of Snickers bars, then a layer of cheesecake. I made some white chocolate ribbons and placed them over a little chocolate ganache. The sticky fingers bars are also a Rebecca Rather recipe in her first cookbook, Pastry Queen, and involves a cookie layer, egg/butter/sugar layer, and peanut butter, some chopped peanuts and a drizzle of chocolate. I baked them in 13 by 9 inch pans, cooled them overnight, and cut them into large pieces, just 8 pieces per pan. The key lime pie is always very pretty and was placed in a silent auction. It sold for $63.00. The bars sold immediately and were very popular. I think the jumbo size and their appearance in general is very tempting.
Now to the going away party--

The fact that she worked in my department for eleven years made her leaving a big deal, not to mention the fact that I love her dearly. I had to make her something special. Usually the cake and punch celebrations involve the giant Costco cake so with me being her supervisior expectations were high that we would have something different. I planned to make four different cupcakes and cheesecake: Carrot with cream cheese frosting, chocolate filled with salted caramel with chocolate buttercream, chocolate fudge, butter cake with cream cheese frosting, and individual pumpkin cheescakes. I would make 10 dozen total. That is 120 cupcakes. Hello--can I do this after work on Tuesday??? I didn't factor in how tired I would be from Sunday, Monday and Tuesday cooking and baking. I also had to work all day. Like I said, crazy. I managed to make everything between 4 PM and 11 PM and fell into bed very exhausted. I still had to come home at noon and frost the cream cheese cake cups, remove the cheese cakes from the silicone molds and pack everything into boxes. As things typically happen, there were some issues in the transportation, but I managed to get the cupcakes into the building and people from my department artfully arranged them on the cupcake stands I brought with me. It was a beautiful display and the cupcakes were very well received. The salted caramel filled chocolate with chocolate buttercream was out of this world and I will make them again soon. Some people loved the carrot cake ones, and even the plain butter cakes were popular. The pumpkin cheesecake was also a big hit. The next day a woman at work asked me how much I would charge to make her 2 dozen of the chocolate cupcakes with buttercream and salted caramel. The ingredients alone cost around $15.00. (1 pound of Callebaut just for the frosting). I looked up the local Cupcake Cottage to get an idea of what people out there are charging for cupcakes. $2.95 per cupcake and that is for the plain and simple ones. Cream cheese, chocolate, etc. cost .30 extra per dozen. As their prices I would have paid $390.00 for the cupcakes. Wow! I didn't want to tell the woman at work it would cost her $78.00 for 2 dozen cupcakes, so I told her I would charge her $20.00 a dozen, thinking she would be shocked and give up the idea. She immediately said, "that's fine". Hmmm... we'll see.

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Fredericksburg Food and Wine Festival 2010

Santa Fe Eggs at Cottages at Limestone on Main B & B
Mussel Tomato (Potato) Leek Soup at the Nest

Rather Sweet cheesecakes
Saim Egg Rolls, August E's

Food and Wine Festival Crowds Chef Leu Savanh, August E's

Herb Scrambled eggs and vegetable hash, Cottages at Limestone on MainI was looking up cooking classes in Fredericksburg a while back and came across, "Grape Expectations Cooking School" and learned it was offered during the annual wine and food festival. We usually avoid going to Fredericksburg during the special events around the holidays but for some odd reason I proposed a trip for this weekend with our friends, Linda and Tom Collins, thinking we would have fun sampling the wines and enjoying the cooking demonstrations. Unfortunately, Linda and Tom were unable to come but we didn't mind going alone. We had reservations at the Cottages at Limestone on Main, a B & B owned by Carol and Joe, native Texans who lived in California for 25 years and worked in the TV and motion picture industry. They moved back in 2004 after a stay at the B & B they later purchased. We've stayed here before and enjoyed the gourmet breakfasts prepared by Carol Seminara, a former food stylist and cookbook author (Cottages at Limestone on Main cookbook).

The couple bring "breakfast on a silver tray" to the cottage and everything is made from scratch.

Our first morning we were served herb scrambled eggs, potato-vegetable hash, hill country scones, turkey sausage, fruit and yogurt topped with granola, fresh orange juice and tea.

She uses herbs from her garden and everything is cooked just perfectly.

Not to get ahead of myself, the night before, Friday night, we had reservations at The Nest, my all time favorite restaurant. I've written about it before on my blog in previous posts. Friday night I ordered the soup, always the best thing on the menu. It didn't disappoint and I enjoyed it more than anything else. A creamy mussel leek soup with whole mussels and thin slices of leek with excellent flavor. Funny, but the waiter insisted it was "tomato mussel soup". I questioned him about the fact that there was not tomato in the pale yellow soup but he refused to admit it was probably "potato" not "tomato". I ordered the special, a shoulder loin steak served with turnip mashed potatoes. It was so tough I couldn't eat it and sent it back. They took it off the bill but it was a letdown. Steve's Shrimp in Citrus Sauce was perfect. We had a complimentary dessert, chocolate tart. I couldn't believe it but the tart had been nuked in the microwave until it was the consistency of rubber and inedible to me. Steve managed to choke some of it down. What happened to The Nest???

We had also stopped at Rather Sweet Bakery earlier in the day. Rebecca Rather has gotten so popular that she has turned her operation over to who knows who and the quality suffered.

We used to go there and stock up on cookies and pastries to bring back with us. Now we might get a cookie or two. The photo above shows some small (4 inch) cheesecakes, not very fresh looking, for $5.95 each. I tried a turtle brownie bar and it tasted like a solid piece of baked brown sugar covered with chocolate. Not good. Rather Sweet Bakery is like a big tourist trap now and it makes me sad. We discovered it back in 2001 when it was a tiny hole in the wall with just a few freshly made giant cookies, triple chocolate, oatmeal, sugar--and all delectable. Mass production changes things.

The Saturday morning breakfast started the day off well. Off to the festival--and a long wait in line to purchase tickets. $20.00 for admission and 6 wine tasting tickets. I was most interested in the cooking classes so we set off for the big covered tent holding the classes. We were able to get a seat way back from the front so we could not really see what the chef was up to and there was no mirror or projection screen set up. The first demo was Leu Savanh from August E's. I have always loved August E's and was anxious to hear from him. The demo was for Thai style slaw and baby back ribs with lemon grass, garlic and galanga leaf. Let me just say right now, the cooking school is a joke. Basically people just pass out recipes and the chef tells how he makes the dish, samples are passed out and wine is poured. The "recipe" for the dish was even strange.

He says to grill the ribs and then put them in the oven at 300 degress for 3 hours and they will fall off the bone. They were tender, but very gray and unappealing in texture. The slaw had a dressing that called for a cup of sugar and a full cup of fish sauce, among other things. This dressing would have been awful made according to the recipe. Guess everyone who tries the recipe will figure it out. We left the cooking school tent and ventured out to the festival to try some wines. Every Texas wine was represented from Becker to Grape Creek to ones we had never heard of. We sampled a few but the long waits in line were no fun. We particularly enjoyed MacPherson's Viognier and Becker's Malbec. Browsing the various booths and vendors was fun when we could get close enough to see and we did pick up some delicioius hot sauce, Valtoro, made by a man from San Antonio. We sampled various tidbits from Opa's meats, lamb meatballs, and toffee. We tried another "cooking" demonstration later in the afternoon from Chrissy at CKC Farms. She is a young woman who started a goat cheese business at her family's farm in Blanco when she was a young teenager. Her story was in Edible Austin and other magazines. The goat cheese is amazing and very popular. Her cooking demo was merely adding a jar of their goat feta cheese in olive oil to a bowl of cooked pasta. Buy the $10.00 jar of cheese and you can make this recipe. Not too impressive. I was ready to go by this time and the wine samples were giving me a headache. Wine, wind, smoke in the air, and big crowds were having an effect on me. Back to the quiet B & B. Much later we went to August E's for dinner. I have memories of August E's back when it was in the original building a few miles away but it's since moved into town, modernized, gotten very big and very popular and like so many things here in Fredericksburg, has suffered. This seems to be a theme not just here, but in other places I love such as Santa Fe. Once the foodies discover, blog, review, and foodnetwork the place it starts to go downhill. Can't keep up with the crowds is my guess. Anyway, I did enjoy the Saim egg rolls, pictured above. A well seasoned pork filling, crispy egg roll wrapper, wrapped in lettuce leaves. One gripe though, the lettuce and cilantro were wilted and not at all fresh and very skimpy in quantity. They used to bring a place of lettuce leaves and cold, fresh cilantro. Steve's California roll with fresh crab was very good. Our entrees, the "special" filet and truffle fries was terrible. The tenderloin steak was tough! Of all steaks this cut is usually fork tender, but not so. We just sighed, ate what we could and got out of there. I have decided that Fredericksburg is no longer a food destination and I definitely don't ever want to be here during a festival. Weekends are crowded enough but an event weekend is not good.

Our morning to leave, Sunday, and Carol and Joe brought our breakfast. I was able to pry the secret ingredient for their delicious vegetable hash out of them but I won't tell you here.Carol was even generous and kind enough to bring me some of the secret ingredient. Our breakfast, again, was fanstastic. In fact, the two breaksfasts at Cottages at Limestone on Main were the best meals we had the entire time we were in town. Today she brought Santa Fe Eggs, a baked egg dish with corn tortillas, green chile, chicken, cream, and egg with melted cheese. It was really tasty and I will definitely make it at home. There was a really nice, moist coffee cake with banana, fresh fruit and fresh juice. Carol gave me the recipe for the Santa Fe eggs but I will not post it here since I believe she's working on another cookbook. But, I will share it with Linda Johnson because I think it would be a perfect dish for her breakfast group.

If you want the recipes from Cottages at Limestone on Main go to their website and order the cookbook. Better yet, come to the B & B!

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Taco Party

Steve invited his friends from work--Lockheed-Martin, for a casual dinner party.
He asked me to make steak tacos, a chile-spice rubbed steak in fresh tortillas with roasted tomato salsa, pico de gallo, and fresh guacamole. No problem with that menu. I decided to have a guacamole bar for appetizers, inside the house, and then go outside for the tacos. I wanted to serve them straight from the grill, like street food, so each taco would be hot and fresh. For dessert I was told I had to make my Mexican chocolate cake for Bonnie, one of his co-workers who really likes this cake. I also wanted to make another cheesecake. Alexandra, my daughter, cleaned up the patio and we bought some new candles for the tables. I hung some white Christmas lights and with the beautiful fall weather the patio was a great gathering place. I set up the big gas grill off to the side, added some hickory chips to the grill for good smoke flavor, and set up a large table next to the grill. On the table was my chef knife, a large cutting board and all the "fixings" for the tacos, including the salsa, shredded lettuce, avocado salsa, and a container for tortillas, silverware, plates and napkins. I used sirloin steak for fajitas, a cut available at Central Market, which is perfect for fajitas or tacos. I also used Central Market flour and corn tortillas. They make the flour tortillas daily so they are always good. The steak had been marinating for 6 hours in the spice rub and lime juice. It grilled beautifully and as it was resting I started grilling the tortillas right on the grill on a Mexican tortilla griddle. Each person got a freshly grilled tortilla and hot thinly, sliced steak. This was very casual way to eat but I wanted to food to be hot and fresh, the way you'd get it from a street vendor. Judging by the comments, everyone loved the food!

Menu:

Guacamole bar with guacamole, goat cheese with herbs, sweet and spicy pecans, applewood smoked bacon, pickled jalapenos, roasted tomato salsa, cotija cheese, homemade flour tortilla chips.
Green chile cornbread

Steak tacos
Beans with chorizo


Turtle cheesecake with salted caramel and Guittard chocolate

Recipes:
Guacamole
4-5 large Haas avocados, mashed roughly
2 cloves garlic, mashed to paste
2 T cilantro, chopped
2 T fresh lime juice

Goat cheese with herbs
8 oz plain goat cheese
1 tsp fresh thyme, finely minced
1 tsp fresh basil, minced
1 tsp fresh dill, minced
1 T finely chopped cilantro
1 T milk
Mix together, add 1/4 tsp Kosher salt or more to taste. Form into a round disk using plastic wrap. Chill until serving time.

Sweet and spicy pecans
2 cups pecan halves
2 T butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tsp ancho chile powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp paprika
salt to taste
Melt butter in skillet. Add pecans, the brown sugar. Cook over medium heat until pecans are well coated and mixture has light carmelized. Be careful, it will burn fast if you're not watching.
Place mixture in baking pan and bake for 3-5 minutes in 350 degree oven.

Roasted tomato salsa
6-8 medium fresh tomatoes, stemed and cut in half
4 cloves garlic
1 onion, quartered
2-3 jalapeno peppers, split in half
Place a T of oil on a large sheet pan. Roast all in oven at 400 for 45 minutes to an hour.
Process in blender of food processor. Add 1/4 cup cilantro leaves, process again.
Season with salt and pepper.

Steak tacos
4 1/2 pounds sirloin for fajitas (or skirt steak)
4 tsp paprika
2 tsp ancho chile powder
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp onion powder
2 tsp brown sugar
1 tsp chipoltle seasoning (or chipotle chile powder)
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground coriander
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
2 T vegetable oil
Mix all spices together, rub on meat, place meat in large zip loc bag and add lime juice and oil.
Place in refrigerator for at least 4 hours. Take out 1 hour before cooking.

Beans with chorizo
1/2 lb fresh chorizo
1 lb pinto beans, freshly made or canned
1 T vegetable oil
2 T ancho chile powder
2 cups Monterey jack cheese
1/2 cup or more vegetable or chicken broth
Mash bean and add broth to made puree. Set aside. Heat pan and add chorizo. Brown chorizo and cook until done. Set aside. Using same pan, add 1 T oil, then the mashed beans and chorizo. Mix and cook over medium heat. Add the cheese and stir. Add salt and pepper to taste.

I am posting a photo of the turtle cheesecake but not the recipe at this time.

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Santa Fe Part 2

Cafe Pasqual's whole wheat pancakes
Cafe Pasqual's Huevos Montulenos

The Chocolate Smith Santa Fe

Chicken Enchiladas with Green Chile Sauce

Chile Relleno Papusa with flank steak

For our breakfast on the way out of Santa Fe we stopped at Cafe Pasqual's, one of our old favorite places. After a long wait we were seated at the community table, a large table of strangers, basically. That wasn't bad since most of them were from Texas and very friendly.

I love the Huevos Rancheros and have made Cafe Pasqual's version many times with great success so I wanted to try something different. I ordered the Huevos Montulenos, a dish from El Salvador consisting of eggs on corn tortillas topped with black beans, feta cheese and green peas, with roasted tomato japapeno salsa, green chile sauce, and served with fried bananas. Sounds strange, doesn't it? It probably could have been excellent but it was merely OK, and not really a flavor combination I like. Something about the banana eaten alongside spicy food does not do anything for me. As for the dish itself, I believe Cafe Pasqual's is suffering from being too popular. The attention to detail is missing--not hot enough, a little bland on the sauce, etc.

Past meals there were 10 on a scale of 1-10 but this was not close. Steve's whole wheat pancakes were very tasty, but then pancakes are hard to mess up. I have also made Pasqual's recipe for whole wheat pancakes at home and liked them (but the Tecolote Atole Pinon pancakes were better.) I am glad we were able to enjoy Cafe Pasqual's a few years ago when quality was better and that I purchased both their cookbooks and learned to make my favorite foods.

The evening before, we wanted to have one more New Mexican meal on our last night in Santa Fe although we had lunch at Tecolote Cafe earlier today we figured we would order something different at Tune Up. Steve order the Papusa with flank steak and a chile relleno and I had the enchiladas with chicken and green chile sauce. My enchiladas were good but a little too heavy on the chicken and not enough sauce. The sauce is my favorite part! Steve's papusa was the best thing we had. A round pocket of masa exterior filled with beef and spices, then browned until crispy on the outside, the papusa was really great. It was crunchy on the outside, savory and flavorful inside and with the roasted tomato sauce had all the elements needed to make it a unique dish.

Steve's relleno was also tops. We highly recommend the Tune Up Cafe for authentic food in a quirky place and at very reasonable prices (about 1/2 of Pasqual's).

Tomorrow morning we leave for Fort Worth and will stop at Cafe Pasqual's for breakfast and our last meal in New Mexico. I will have to face Sandra Kidd, my personal trainer, on Wednesday and this week of eating way more than usual. I will say we walked at least 1 solid hour each day for exercise, not just strolling the plaza, and I brough one 10 pound dumbbell with me. It was a little funny getting through security at the airport when they spotted it in my carryon.

My "two treat meals a week" plan has extended to two treat meals a day plan I'm afraid, but back to the routine tomorrow and I'll be just fine.

Oops, I forget to mention our stop at Chocolate Smith. Chocolate Smith is a small chocolate boutique in Santa Fe that specializes in gourmet dark chocolate. I fell in love with their red chile chocolate pistachio bark last time we were here so we stopped and sampled some of their chocolates. We picked up some of the red chile bark. Just imagine the taste sensation of the best chocolate combined with a hot red chile surprise. Remember, chiles cause a release of endorphins and chocolate is also associated with positive feelings. A great combination. We also tried some of their dark chocolate bark with toffee and tamari almonds. Yum... They have a website if you're tempted to order some of their chocolates but I am going to try to make some bark and some scrap cookies like Mouse Chocolates in Ouray for Christmas gifts this year.

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