Scalloped Potatoes

More potato ideas for the surplus of those tubular guys around St. Patrick's Day...
Simple Scalloped Potatoes from Food Network Magazine. YUM.

Potato-y goodness

Googly Eyes!

*Lishie Tip- A mandoline is a wonderful kitchen tool, especially for getting the perfect slices for scalloped potatoes, au gratin or for vegetable carpaccio. If you do not want to spend money or the do not have the space for one, get a less expensive tool called a "hand-held" vegetable slicer.

Lots of potatoes? Make a Potato Leek Gratin

It's St. Patrick's Day this week which means potatoes galore... Normally we don't eat 'em as much. So I wanted to make a separate side dish using some of the extra potatoes & leeks I have on hand. A gratin seemed the perfect thing to me. With potatoes & cheese one can never go wrong, right? I adapted my recipe from this New York Times Dining Section Recipe "Potato Leek Gratin" & made a couple of changes.

And really, only a couple of changes: 

• I used 1 tsp of dried herbs de provence in place of the fresh thyme sprigs.
• I used 3/4 cup extra sharp white cheddar, grated, instead of the gruyere but EITHER would be so delish! 

Cheese-y, potato-y goodness

*Lishie facts-

1. Gratin is just a snazzy French word for a cooking technique where cheese is browned on top as a crust. 
2. Leeks are related to onions, garlic and scallions.

*Lishie tip- How to wash leeks? Rinse the entire leek, then cut it down into thin ringlets. Fill a glass bowl (I prefer glass so as to see the dirt) with warm water & submerge the cut leek slices. Swirl them around with your hand to allow the dirt to fall to the bottom of the bowl. Remove the leeks with a slotted spoon & rinse again using a colander.

Submerged ringlets.

Irish Soda Bread, errr "Railway Cake"

Since it's St. Patrick's week, it's time to begin the celebrating, baking & cooking while Patrick's out swooshing away the snakes.

OK, so this Irish-American girl has made many a soda bread recipes & I found this one to be the best I've tasted. OK it's from Crisco. And OK, it's really more of an Irish soda "cake" because it has shortening & baking powder but it's NOT dry & it's yummy. So good!!!

Crisco® Recipes: Irish Soda Bread

• Crisco® Original No-Stick Cooking Spray
• 5 cups Pillsbury BEST® All Purpose Flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 cup Crisco® Butter Shortening
• OR 1/2 stick Crisco® Butter Flavor All-Vegetable Shortening Sticks, cut into cubes, room temperature
• 2 1/2 cups raisins (I Omit)
• 2 - 3 tablespoons caraway seeds (I Omit)
• 2 1/2 cups buttermilk
• 1 large egg

1. 
   
   1. 1.
      HEAT oven to 350ºF. Generously spray a 10-inch round, heavy ovenproof skillet with no-stick cooking spray.
   
   
   2. 2.
      WHISK together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda in an extra-large bowl. Cut in shortening with pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in raisins and caraway seeds.
   
   
   3. 3.
      WHISK buttermilk and egg in medium bowl until blended. Using a wooden spoon, stir into flour mixture just until incorporated (dough will be very sticky).
   
   
   4. 4.
      TRANSFER dough to prepared skillet. Smooth top, mounding slightly in center. Using small sharp knife dipped into flour, cut 1-inch deep "X" in top center of dough.
   
   
   5. 5.
      BAKE 1 hour 15 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.
   
   
   6. 6.
      COOL bread in skillet 10 minutes. Remove from skillet and cool completely on wire rack. Store tightly wrapped in foil at room temperature.
      
      

      

      Can't sea the cross "X" on top to create a 4-Leaf Clover but it's there!

      
      

      

      "Not dry" soda bread-y goodness

      
      

      

      Ready for wrapping & travel!

      *Lishie tips- Make sure you use an Oven-SAFE skillet! And be careful taking it out of the oven- it is HOT indeed. Oven Mitts!!!!
      
      
      The dough yields a large loaf. I only omit the caraway seeds because they are not good for ME. But they are yummy. Have some with jam. Or make a sandwich with it. But this recipe is delicious enough & rich enough to eat plain.  
      
      
      *Lishie facts- The cross on top is to create a "4-Leaf clover". Traditional Irish Soda Bread does not contain raisins, baking powder, eggs or shortening. This is more of a combo Railway Cake/Soda Bread. 

Cheese Calzones

I love cheese. And I love "pockets full of cheese-y goodness" so calzones & me- we're a perfect match :) And the hubby likes them too. And yes, I cheat- I buy pizzeria dough. But it's GOOD (& fast) & I don't enjoy making bread... so why not?

Cheese Calzones

• AP Flour (enough to sprinkle to roll out the dough)
• 1 bag of Pizzeria Dough 
• 15 oz. ricotta cheese 
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 TBSp fresh parsley
• S & P
• 2 TBSp olive oil
• Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.


In a medium bowl, mix the ricotta, mozzarella, parsley & S & P together & set aside.


Divide the dough into four circles. (I did three for 1 large/2 smaller) Sprinkle some flour & roll out each ball of dough. Place 1/4 of the cheese mix into the center of one of the rolled out doughs. Pull one side over carefully so as to not create holes, folding the dough over the cheese filling & seal the ends. Repeat for the rest.


Brush olive oil over the calzones then grate parmesan onto the oil. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown.

*Lishie tips- These are simply cheese calzones but you can also toss into the cheese mixture filling 1/4 cup of diced, cooked pepperoni, sausage, meatball... spinach, broccoli, mushrooms... you name it... just make sure it's not too much or the 'zone will 'splode!!! Serve with some marinara sauce for dipping.

And here's where I show I'm Irish & not Italian, in my dough rolling technique, ha! But it sure was delicious!

Yes, my 'zone 'sploded some, but still tasty! 

Pocketful of Cheese-y Goodness!

Baked Churros

So my friend Stacey invited us over for dinner with the mouth watering menu of sizzling fajitas! YUM. I always immediately want to make & bring dessert so my mind started cranking (wait, yes, now YOU are realizing what you heard wasn't really thunder?! Just Lishie-brain activity? I know, it's rare.)

Cinnamony-sugary, non-fried goodness

After compiling a little list of Spanish desserts, I decided on churros. Cinnamon & sugar make me exceedingly happy. Thinking more,  I had the idea of a "lighter", less-fattening churro. Hmmmm... but how? BAKED!!! So I googled "baked churros" & found THIS, mouth watering (& entertainingly blogged) Baked Churros Munchies from My Tasty Treasures recipe. This is brilliant (& I can say so because it's not MY recipe). The base is a cream puff base. Ohhh it just gets better. Make it, you'll thank me. Just leave out the chocolate sauce. I did & it was NOT missed! The recipe says it yields 30 BUT mine only yielded 20. Not sure if I made mine too big (HOW CAN these be TOO BIG? ;) ) But I decided to make 2 batches, so I yielded 40!!!

Baked puffs, cooling, pre-cinna-sugared

Yes, this is what I made for dessert to complement Stacey's delicious fajitas! And know what? Churros remind me of wonderful times at Six Flags, Great Adventure in Jackson, NJ with... Stacey! So I think my subconscious made the choice to begin with!

All ready for sharing!

*Lishie tips- Use a non-stick sauce pan when doing the stove-top part because it will make your life so much easier! And when you dip the puffs into the HOT butter... use tongs- your fingers will thank you (unlike mine who are giving me the silent treatment.)

*Lishie facts- Churros, sometimes known as the "Spanish Donut", originated in Spain.

<3 Little love notes <3 This has become an inside joke in our house! 

Vegetarian Breakfast Fajitas! Another fun swap!

So as I've mentioned before, a small group of "Nestie" bloggers are trading recipes each week with a theme. This week's theme? Vegetarian! I was ecstatic because I love having veggie from time to time, & as ANYONE in this known universe knows, my sister, who I love, is a Veg. So I look for filling, complete recipes to cook for her when she visits. And how lucky was I that I got another choice trade from my friend Lauren, over at Lauren's Kitchen?! Her pick, perfect for lunch or dinner, were these very delicious, Low-Cal Quesadillas. Those are so yummy! I happened to always have Morningstar Farm Sausage patties in my freezer because they taste amazing.  Even my hubby will eat them with breakfast. So I decided to make Veggie Breakfast Fajitas, perfect for breakfast or brunch. YUMMMMMMMM.

Thanks, Lauren for the wonderful recipe...

Veggie Breakfast Fajitas

• 1-2 TBSp canola oil
• 3 eggs
• 1 tsp combined of oregano/garlic powder/salt
• 3 Morningstar Farm Sausage Patties, thawed in micro, chopped into pieces
• 1 cup shredded sharp white cheddar cheese
• 1 TBSp chives 
• 2 large flour tortillas or wraps
• 1/4 cup lowfat plain yogurt, Optional
• Tomato & avocado slices, Optional

In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs & seasoning. Add in the cheese & the chives.
Heat the canola oil in a non-stick skillet, on medium. Add the egg mixture in & cook till the eggs are scrambled, firm (to your liking).


In a separate, non-stick pan sprayed with cooking spray (I use canola), on medium-high, place one tortilla flat. Quickly add the cooked egg mixture to the tortilla & spread. Add teh avocado & tomato slices here. Then cover with the second tortilla. Flip it over for about 30 seconds.


Cut into triangular wedges & serve with the plain, vanilla yogurt topped with some chives.

Now do these LOOK vegetarian?! ;)

yum!

eggy/cheesy/fajita-goodness

*Lishie tips- Do not be afraid of "Vegetarian". Some recipes really, truly are delicious & you will not miss the meat! See below for more of my vegetarian recipes. ANYTHING (except meatloaf imo) made with ground beef can be substituted with  the ground-beef-style soy crumbles Lauren's recipe lists. I use it to make stuffed peppers/lasagna/bolognese, etc. for my little sister.

Also, do not ever be afraid to change around a recipe to adhere to your family's tastes!

BTW- I supplied my Portobello Parmesan. YUM!

Ina's Mac & Cheese

Oh it's bone-chillingly damp, wet & cold tonight in New Jersey. Some comfort is what EVERYONE needs so might I suggest some hot, baked cheesy goodness in a casserole dish? Say, some of  Barefoot Contessa's Mac and Cheese? I followed Ina Garten's recipe to the letter, minus the tomatoes, &, as always, her recipe is delicious.  What a wonderful and comforting way to escape from the dreary downpour. Try to stay dry!

Cheesy, warm, bubbly goodness!

Baked Ziti, an old favorite

I love to make, & eat, baked ziti. It's so easy especially when you have a stockpile of homemade sauce. Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent means a meatless day for my family & ziti is extremely filling. Serve it with crusty Italian bread or garlic bread (we actually LOVE Texas Toast ;) ).

Cheesy, bubbly goodness!

Baked Ziti

• 1 lb. (16 oz.) ziti or ziti rigati
• 3+ cups Marinara Sauce
• 15 oz. Ricotta Cheese
• 2 cups shredded Mozzarella Cheese
• 1/4 cup fresh Basil, chiffonade
• S & P
• 2 TBSp grated Parmesan Cheese

Preheat oven to 350°. Grease a 13x9" baking pan.

Cook pasta very al dente ("to the tooth", firm but not hard. it still has more time to cook in the oven!). Drain. In a large bowl, mix in a tiny bit of the sauce & set aside.

In a separate bowl, stir together remaining sauce, ricotta cheese, 1 cup of the shredded mozzarella, basil (save some herb strips as toppers), S & P. Fold the sauce mixture completely into the pasta.

Poor into the greased baking pan. Top with remaining cup of shredded mozzarella, parmesan cheese.

Bake for 30 minutes or until bubbly & browned. 

Serve topped with some fresh basil.
Enjoy!


*Lishie tip- Don't overcook the pasta when prepping/boiling it. It's the difference between a good ziti & a mushy ziti!

*Lishie facts- Chiffonade means to cut into long, thin, ribbony strips. Stack the basil leaves on top of each other to form one, uniform pile. "Roll" the stack of leaves, then slice the rolled leaves into strips.

Week's worth of lunches in about an hour

OK, so I will let you in on something I do on Sundays, prep-wise, that can take you through-out the week, lunch-wise. This is one example & will be wonderful if you love chicken! Most people do (minus the vegetarians) because I always hear, "I'm looking for yet another chicken recipe". Well, why not? It's healthy skinless & so easy to make & pair with other foods. Here's a week's worth of chicken lunch.

It all starts out with 2 lbs. skinless, boneless chicken breasts. Cut them into chicken "tenders" & fully coat them in olive oil. Place the tenders 2" apart on a baking sheet (I line it with parchment). Then the prep fun begins!

5 dishes means Divide the total amount of chicken tenders by 5... So, if you were able to yield 15, then 3 each meal...

For the Chicken: On each of the 3 uncooked tenders, Season w/ Kosher S & P, then slather it with the herb listed below. Then bake at 400° for 20-25 minutes.

For the Sauce: whisk together the ingredients to blend well.

Monday 

(Pictured)

3 tenders

Herb: Dill

Container Sauce: 

1 tsp. fresh dill/1 tsp lemon  juice + zest /3 TBSp yogurt/1 tsp. olive oil 

Toppings: lettuce/tomato/cucumber

"Bread": Wrap 

Monday- yummy Spinach-wrap pockets of chicken-y goodness

 Tuesday
 3 tenders 
Herb: Basil 
Container Sauce:
 1 TBSp balsamic vinegar, 2 TBSp extra virgin olive oil 
Toppings: 
Fresh mozzarella, tomato & fresh basil 
"Bread": Ciabatta roll

Wednesday

3 tenders

Herb: Oregano

Container Sauce: 

1TBSp lemon juice + zest, 1/4 tsp dijon mustard, 3 TBSp extra virgin olive oil

Toppings: tomato, cucumber, olives, feta cheese

"Bread": Pita

Thursday

3 tenders

Herb: Herbes de Provence

Container Sauce: 

1 TBSp honey, 2 TBSp dijon mustard

Toppings: arugula 

"Bread": egg or potato roll

Friday

3 tenders

Herb: parsley + freshly grated parmesan

Container Sauce: 

1 TBSp balsamic vinegar, 2 TBSp extra virgin olive oil

Be DIFFERENT for Friday- Bring a SALAD 

(mixed greens- whatever your preference)

topped with the chicken!
*And if you are giving up meat for Lent, simply OMIT the chicken :)

Wonder Woman

*Lishie tip- use your imagination! This is just an outline for what you can do. There are so many different combinations!

Stroganoff Sandwiches for Fat Tuesday!

Today is the day before Ash Wednesday, Fat Tuesday & while I can't throw all caution to the wind food-wise, I most certainly can make a tasty red-meat dinner! We tend to only eat it once a week anyway, so I planned wisely. I decided to make sandwiches because they make Stroganoff less stuffy & more fun & we can eat 'em watching tv if we like! But I smartened them up (or so I thought) by using sirloin. I served roasted cauliflower & broccoli on the side. Here's my variation:


Beef Stroganoff Sandwiches

• 2 TBSp olive oil
• 1 TBsp butter
• 1 lb. thin sirloin, sliced into thin strips
• S & P
• 1/2 cup AP flour
• 1 large shallot or 2 small shallots
• 1 cup chicken or beef stock
• 1/3 cup sour cream
• 1/4 tsp lemon zest
• 1 TBSp lemon juice
• 2 TBSp freshly chopped dill

Heat the olive oil & butter in a large skillet on medium-high.

Sprinkle the sirloin strip w/ S & P then coat in flour, shaking off the excess flour. Add carefully to the hot oil/pan. Mince the shallot over the meat.  Cook meat 5 to 6 minutes, turning occasionally. Add the stock & cook until it thickens, about a minute. Then stir in the sour cream, lemon zest plus juice & the dill.

Serve in crusty, yummy French rolls with your preferred topping. Some suggestions: arugula or watercress. Or you can eat the sirloin over egg noodles.


Hubby & I were just "eh" on this one. Next time, I'll use angus ground beef over noodles. Or, serve it on smaller, less "bread-y" rolls. And, as you'll see directly below, it is NOT pretty looking! HA!

Not photogenic at all!
So Dreadful looking in pictures.

*Lishie tips- You can cut the sirloin into strips before or after cooking it. But, like I said, if you are going to make sandwiches, perhaps you should try 1 lb. of ground beef instead.

*Lishie facts- Fat Tuesday, or mardi gras, is a legal holiday in New Orleans, LA. It occurs 46 days before Easter, the day before Ash Wednesday.

"Chinese" Pot Stickers... well, Korean Dumplings

OK, so I really was suppose to make these: Chinese Pot Stickers for the Chinese Takeaway Copy-Cat recipe challenge (proposed by Feisty over @ Tales from the Mad Men Kitchen) that I first spoke about here. Well, my Step-mom is Korean & she makes the most wonderful Dumplings... Since I learned from the best, why waver? I make my own variation & it comes out delicious. Never heard of Korean takeaway? Well now you have ;)

I usually love to get round, dough wrappers at the Han Ah Reum Market in Little Korea, NYC on 32nd Street but did not get a chance. So I had to settle for square. To my surprise, I liked the square shape just as much. And ahhh, the scent of the sesame oil reminds me of my beautiful Step-mom, Anne. There's nothing like her cooking, it is delicious. But, of course, she's a trained chef. I hope I've done her proud.

Butterfly Chopsticks on my plate

Korean Dumplings or Mandu.

• 1/2 lb. shredded, cooked Chicken*
• 1 cup shredded carrot
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tablespoons light soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon green onions, chopped
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 2 teaspoons fresh ginger, minced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 64 wonton wrappers ( usually 1 pkg)
• 1/4 cup canola  oil
• 1 cup chicken stock

DIPPING SAUCE

• 2 tablespoons light soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
• 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, minced
• 1 tablespoon green onions, chopped

Little pockets of yummy goodness, waiting for dipping

Filling
Mix the first 9 ingredients in a bowl.


Putting it all together
Fill a tiny bowl with cool water. Try to keep the wontons damp & semi-cool.


Lay out one wonton wrapper. Using a "1/2 TBSp" measure, spoon filling into the center of the wrapper. Dip a finger into the water bowl & follow one edge of the wonton (use the water as an edible glue). Fold the wonton in half, pressing out the air & seal it. This makes a triangular dumpling.


For a "purse-like" dumpling, spoon 1/2 TBSp of the filling into the middle of the wonton wrapper. place water all the way around the edges of the wonton... pull upwards two diagonal sides at the same time, then the other two sides & "pinch" together to glue!

"Purse-like" Dumpling

In a non-stick skillet on Medium-high, heat a little canola oil & fry the dumplings on one side for about a minute or until golden brown & watch them! They burn quickly!!! Add a little of the chicken stock into the pan, reducing heat to low. Cover & simmer-steam for 5-7 minutes until wrapper is translucent.


Repeat for the remaining dumplings.


Mix the dipping sauce & serve.

*Cook the chicken any way- bake, poach or pan sear (I did the latter), then shred. You can even use rotisserie chicken.

*Lishie tips- If you do not have permanent sets like I do, next time you order in or takeaway Chinese food, get extra sets of chopsticks to stash in your drawer.

*Lishie facts- It is believed that mandu were first brought to Korea by Mongolians in the 14th Century.

As for Chinese pot stickers a legend of an Imperial Court Chef exists. He burnt a batch of dumplings on one side only out of carelessness, & with no time to re-cook, served them as his "own creation". Fortunately, the Imperial Court LOVED them! & so do we. YUMMMM

And don't forget wonton crisps as an easy dessert idea!

Wonton Crisps

This is so easy it's, well, embarrassing to blog. But I will share because it is Oh So Yum. I mean it, you should really try it. The scent alone... Smell that cinnamon-y goodness? I do.

Cinnamon-Sugar Wontons
3 TBSp sugar
1/8 tsp cinnamon

Package of Wonton Wrappers (OK, not the entire package, but save a few when you bust open a pack!)

1-2 TBSp Canola oil

Mix together sugar & cinnamon in a small bowl. 

Fill another tiny bowl with cool water. 

Heat the canola in a non-stick skillet over medium-high.

Lay out a wonton wrapper. 

Dip finger into water then brush water over one side of the entire wonton/Sprinkle a little of the cinnamon sugar mixture all over the same side of the wonton.

Place the NON-SUGARED side of the wonton into the skillet. It sould start to change color & slightly bubble immediately. As soon as the edges are golden, with a spatula, take the wonton out of the pan & place on paper towels to cool.

These are fast & incredibly delicious little munchies. So great for snacking after a heavy "Chinese Takeaway" meal. Enjoy!

Cinnamon-y-sugary goodness. Yummmm

*Lishie tip- This came about from running out of dumpling filling a long time ago & my love for all things cinnamon. Never let something go to waste if you can help it ;)!

Change it up & use confectioners sugar instead- it will be like Asian kruschiki!

Chinese Take Away @ Home!

My friend Christina over at Tales From a Mad Men Kitchen had the great idea of testing out "copy cat" Chinese takeaway recipes. This excites me because, due to my shellfish allergies & other food confines, I am unable to splurge on this yummy fast food alternative. I happened to see this one for sweet & sour chicken when she cast the challenge.

The bones of this recipe are really good even with the bit of tweaking I did (or especially with the tweaking ;) ) but the text in itself was highly frustrating to me. Very difficult to follow while cooking, all clustered the way it is. So, in a highly unlike-Lishie way, I re-wrote the entire recipe to make it much more user friendly. The original came from Jennifer Iserloh's Secrets of a Skinny Chef, originally linked here : Just Like Takeout Sweet & Sour Chicken.

This was so flavorful & delicious I'd definitely recommend it. It's much healthier, "clearer" & has less sodium than bottled sauces. We ate it without a carb but next time, I'll make it with white rice on the side. My hubby said, "All you need is the white box." Awesome.

Just Like Takeout Sweet-and-Sour Chicken


Sauce

• 1 cup orange juice
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 lemon, juiced & the zest
• 1 tablespoon orange marmalade
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil

In a medium bowl, whisk sauce ingredients together until incorporated & smooth. Set aside.


Chicken

• 1⁄2 cup AP flour
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 2 egg whites
• 1 lb. Boneless, skinless chicken breasts  cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄4 teaspoon paprika

Preheat the oven to 450°F.


Place parchment paper on a baking sheet (or “grease” with cooking spray).


Then using a typical breading “mise en place” station, prep the chicken to cook- In one shallow bowl, place the flour, cornstarch, salt & paprika, & mix. In another shallow bowl, the egg whites.


Bread the chicken… & this is how “I” did it… I placed all of the chicken pieces into the egg whites & tossed the pieces until they were covered. Then I transferred the egg-coated chicken to the flour mixture for coating. Lifted each piece, shaking off the extra flour mix & placed them on the prepped baking sheet.


Bake 10 to 15 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and the breading is crisp.


Veg

• 3 TBSp Canola Oil
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• 1 cup broccoli florets
• 1 cup cauliflower florets
• 1/4 cup scallions

***Optional Add-ins:

• 1⁄2 cup cubed pineapple
• 1 8-ounce can bamboo shoots, drained
• 1 can of water chestnuts

Heat a large skillet with 3 TBSp canola oil over high heat. Add the bell peppers, broccoli, cauliflower & scallions. Cook 4 to 5 minutes, stirring often, until the veg starts to brown lightly but is still crisp. (Optional items should be added here).


Transfer the chicken from the baking sheet to the skillet with the vegetables. Pour the sauce over the chicken & veg, gently stirring until the sauce is incorporated into the skillet. Cook about 2 minutes more, until the sauce thickens.

***I did not use the additional ingredients. For the pineapple, I like my veg with a fruit or citrus accent but not with actual fruit chunks mixed in.

Flavorful, yummy goodness!

*Lishie tips: A lot of the ingredients are staples for my kitchen- For instance, a kitchen MUST is corn starch... But you do not need to run out & buy everything. If you need to eliminate something from the sauce- it would be FINE without the orange marmalade (the marmalade simply strengthens the beautiful citrus highlights of this meal. Orange juice alone would be fine). Oh, but a MUST that is not an American pantry staple? Sesame Oil! Do buy it- it's wonderful!

*Lishie facts: Sweet & Sour Chicken really is a Western invention & generally the chicken is deep fried. Sweet & Sour Pork, on the other hand, is Cantonese from as far back as 18th Century China.

Brown Sugar Shortbread Cookies for a friend

I baked these cookies for a friend to let him know we are thinking of him:

Mrs. Field's Brown Sugar Shortbread Cookies

I follow the recipe exactly, using my trusty, good 'ol melon baller for the scoop measurements (in this case 2 scoops per cookie) And the only thing I changed was using chocolate sprinkles, er, "Jimmies" ;) to coat the shortbread instead of nuts.

Brown sugary, chocolate goodness!

These cookies look like they are from a bakery but are as imperfect as the person who made them :)

Packed, to go! 

Mine yielded just 1 cookie shy of 2 & 1/2 dozen & took the entire 19 minutes to bake.

*Lishie tip: Be careful when dipping the cookies- they are fragile. And dip them quickly- the chocolate solidifies fast!

*Lishie fact: Shortbread is a type of unleavened biscuit, traditionally made from 1 part sugar (in this case, light brown sugar), 2 parts butter & three parts flour. There are no eggs in the recipe.

Recipe Swap- Roasted Cauliflower... & umm, Broccoli (Side Dish)

And yet another great recipe swap from our little Nestie group- this time it's Sides! And mine happened to come from my feisty friend Christina's Blog: Tales From the Mad Men Kitchen (who got the initial recipe from Rouxbe). I have to admit, the dressing is pretty much the same as I always use on my cauliflower (& broccoli) after steaming them. The BIG difference, what took it out of the box for me? ROASTING the veg. Funny how something so simple, a little change in technique, can alter a recipe & fire up one's taste buds! My Mother-in-Law was making salmon tonight & she knows how much I love hers so she makes it for me as well... I thought, yumm, salmon & roasted vegetables would be perfect together!

I only changed two things... I added fresh broccoli to the mix (1/2 head of cauliflower + 1/2 head of broccoli) & I used the zest of an entire lemon. And unlike Feisty, I did grate some parmesan on at the end... why not? :) Thanks, Feisty so much for changing my steaming-full ways! Roasting is just as healthy & great on a rainy day in New Jersey like today!

Roasted yummy goodness

BTW- I supplied my Strip House Potatoes Romanoff. YUM

The Original, Unbeatable...

Chocolate Chip Cookie! I asked my hubby what should I bake to bring to a friend's house this weekend (Feisty over @ Tales From the Mad Men Kitchen) because she was getting takeaway Boli from Stuff Yer Face for us. His reply? Chocolate chip cookies! Hmmmmmm I jumped at the idea. Comfort stromboli & comfort cookies = comfortable me. 

This recipe is as old & as mine as the stained looseleaf paper it is written on in little girl cursive. I remember one time, when I was a teenager, I was supervising my little sister & friend Andrea mixing the batter at the kitchen table, while I was making muffins at the counter. I turned around & Andrea had mistaken green food coloring for vanilla extract! We had green chocolate chip cookies. Tasty but oh so green! I also remember the same friend, that same day, breaking a wooden spoon! Ahhh the memories chocolate chip cookies emit with their wafting scent of vanilla & brown sugar ... 

Lishie's Chocolate Chip Cookies

• 1/2 cup shortening
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar, packed 
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla 
• 2 cups AP flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 cup milk chocolate chips

Preheat oven to  350°.


Cream shortening, butter & both sugars on medium speed until blended, about one minute. Add eggs & vanilla & beat until well blended. 


Sift together flour, baking soda & salt in a separate, smaller bowl. Add slowly to the butter/sugar/egg mixture until incorporated.


Fold in the chocolate chips with a wooden spoon.


Drop rounded tablespoons of the batter on greased cookie sheets (or silpats). Bake 10-12 minutes or until the cookies are light, golden brown. 


Cool on baking racks (but make sure you eat a couple warm & gooey out of the oven!!!) 


Makes 3 dozen (give or take a couple of extra gooey ones that "go missing".)


*Lishie Tips- I use a combination of butter, for taste, & shortening, for softer cookies. Cookies made with all butter are crispier. Make sure your butter & eggs are at room temperature! I crack each egg separately into a small bowl, before adding to the batter. The Brown sugar can be light or dark, but will effect the color of cookies & richness. Darker = richer taste (I use 1/2 cup light & 1/2 cup dark). Sift all of the dry ingredients together! Remember the chip/flour tip from here. And, also... I use a melon baller to drop the batter!

warm, chewy & crunchy gooey goodness

cookie, cookie, cookie

Ha ha- home baked sometimes = a cookie w/o a chip!

brown sugary, vanilla-y gooey goodness!

Ready to go!