Souped up Ratatouille

This is becoming a broken record, so I might as well say it again, "I have the best network of internet cooking friends who are always inspiring me with their creations." Sometimes it's a burger or dessert or a casserole or dip. But tonight it was Susan B's Ratatouille Soup with Sausage and Tortellini. Her recipe is posted on JAP and the minute I saw this dish of loveliness I knew I'd be making it. Doesn't that bowl of veggies, pasta, meatballs and tomatoes look like a little bit of heaven? And best of all, it's a quick soup. I altered her recipe ever so slightly by adding my fav Old Bay Seasoning, a few red pepper flakes and the addition of mini chicken meatballs (instead of the sausage) and I'm thrilled with the results. Hearty and Healthy is what I was looking for, and that's exactly what I got!

Ratatouille Soup with Tortellini and Chicken Meatballs
Makes maybe 6 servings

4 T olive oil
1 medium onion diced
1 small green pepper diced
1 medium zucchini diced
1 small eggplant diced
4 cloves garlic chopped
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
2 tsp oregano
1-1/2 tsp Old Bay Seasoning
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

1 28 oz jar Marinara sauce (I used Newman's Own Roasted Garlic and Pepppers)
32 ounces fat free/lower sodium chicken broth

1/2 pound ground chicken
3 cloves garlic grated
1 large egg beaten
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup Italian flavored bread crumbs
1/4 tsp ground black pepper

1 12 oz frozen bag Tri-Color Cheese tortellini

Ready to cook? I'm ready to re-live the experience and imagine the aromas in my kitchen. Let's get to it. Dice all vegetables and garlic.

In large pan on stovetop, add your olive oil and heat on medium low. Add your veggies, but not the garlic just yet. Cook a few minutes until veg starts to soften. Now add the garlic, salt, pepper, Old Bay and oregano. If you like a little heat, add a 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes. You know I did. Cook another 5 minutes.

When the vegetables are softened and seasoned (don't let them get mushy), it's time to add the liquid. Pour in your marinara.  Then your broth. Increase heat to a low simmer and cook while you make the mini meatballs.

To make the meatballs, combine beaten egg, bread crumbs, salt, pepper and grated garlic. When incorporated into a smooth mixture add the chicken and mix well. Start forming your mini meatballs abour 3/4 to 1 inch in diameter. Drop them into the broth/marinara/vegetable liquid and cook about 5-7 minutes. They are so tiny they cook in no time. Now add the tortellini. Keep the soup at a simmer and they will be done in 3-5 minutes. Ladle up and serve. I hope you enjoy!

Thanks for a great recipe Susan. I'll be making this often, and hopefully others will too. It's a another tasty way to get through these winter months.

Dark Chocolate Ricotta Cake, yummmmm

I've been updating and improving my chocolate ricotta cake since I first made it and posted it a little over 4 years ago and realized I never kept up with the changes. So happy new year all, it's time to make this yummy, simple cake and celebrate 2014. I made this Saturday night and as I normally do, I've cut some calories and have a decadent little dessert that I'm excited to share with you. If you've never tried a ricotta cake, all I can say is it's creamy on the inside and just a tad crunchy on the top. It's my kind of dessert, hope you like it too. 

Dark Chocolate Ricotta Cake
use a large loaf pan

2/3 cup AP flour
2/3 cup old fashioned oats ground in spice grinder or food processor
1/3 cup dark baking cocoa (I've been very pleased with Hershey's)
2-1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 sticks unsalted butter softened
1-1/2 cups Splenda no calorie sweetener (regular sugar will work as well)
15 oz part skim ricotta cheese at room temp
3 large eggs at room temp
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
3 tsp instant coffee diluted in 1/4 cup boiling water, then cooled
1 cup mini chocolate chips

Prep your loaf pan with cooking spray and pre heat oven to 350 degrees. Set loaf pan aside and get your dry ingredients together. In a medium size bowl sift flour, ground oats, dark cocoa, baking powder and salt. When you're sifting the oats, you'll end up with some of the hull from the grain. Discard it, it's just a tablespoon or two. Set aside your dry ingredients and let's get to the moist.

In large bowl mix butter and sugar for about 2 minutes until combined. Add the ricotta, coffee and vanilla. Now add the eggs.

Mix until your batter is a little curdled looking. Not pretty at this point, but we're getting there.

Time to add the dry ingredients. I do this in two batches and then add the chips and by mix them by hand.

Pour into prepared pan.

Bake 15 minutes at 350 degrees and then lower temp to 325 and bake another 45 minutes. Let cool before removing from pan. This is a very rich cake, so I didn't glaze it or even dust it with powderd sugar, but you could certainly do that. Or a dollop of whipped cream would be nice. If you've never tried a ricotta cake before, this is a great introduction to baking with cheese.  Simple and simply delicious.

Loaded Potato and Sausage Soup

The only thing I like about winter in New England is the comfort foods I seem to constantly make. When it's grey and dank outside, and dark at 4:30 pm, a gal's got to feel good indoors right? And that's my goal from December to February. Here's a new soup, Italian inspired, that's hearty and delicious and promises to warm you inside and out. And it's another simple, quick fix.

Loaded Potato and Sausage Soup
Serves about 6

5 sweet Italian chicken sausages
1-1/2 T canola oil
2 Russet potatoes peeled and chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
1 medium onion diced
3 carrots diced
2 celery ribs diced
1-1/2 tsp Old Bay Seasoning
1 can (14.5 oz) fat free low sodium chicken broth
1 can (14.5 oz) water
1 can (14.5 oz) low sodium diced tomatoes
1 can (10.5 oz) 98% fat free low sodium cream of chicken soup
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp crushed red pepper (use less if you're serving children)
1/2 tsp garlic powder
pinch of salt
1 cup frozen corn defrosted
3 oz fresh spinach
parmesan cheese for garnish (optional)

In large skillet, brown your sausages. I like to keep my heat at medium to medium low. As they start to brown, I poke a few fork holes in each sausage, add a bit of water, cover the pan and let cook until they are almost cooked through. Remove from pan and drain on paper towels. When cool, slice into 1/4 inch disks and set aside.

Prepare your potatoes, carrots, onions, and celery. In large soup pot, add your canola oil. Heat on low and add onions, carrots and celery. Cook a few minutes and add the Old Bay. Stir to incorporate the seasoning. Cover and cook on low for about 5 minutes until veggies begin to soften. Now add your cooked sausage and potatoes.

Mix them with the softened vegetables and get ready to open some cans. Add the chicken broth, water, diced tomatoes and and the cream of chicken soup. Bring to a simmer and lower the heat and cook covered on a low simmer for 10 minutes. Add your spices- oregano, red pepper flakes, garlic powder and salt. Cook for another 5 to 7 minutes until potatoes are just about done. Now add your corn and fresh spinach. Turn off the burner, cover and let sit for 5 minutes. You're loaded Potato and Sausage Soup is done. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese if desired and dig in with some nice crusty bread. It's the perfect utensil to soak up the creamy, rich broth. And you don't need to serve any vegetables with this meal, 'cause they're all in the soup!

As much as I dislike winter in New England, this sure is a fine dish to welcome in the start of the season. And on that note, Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year to all!

Oniony Pot Roast

I've been making and loving my mom's pot roast since I started cooking and it's so simple it seems silly. It's 2 or 3 onions sliced, a little garlic, a bay leaf or two, salt, pepper, a bit of beef broth and water. I braise it on the stove top for 2-1/2 to 3 hours and it's ready to serve. How easy is that, right? Well I came across a recipe that was a crock pot roast and it kind of reminded me of mom's and I had to give it a try. Equally as simple, but with a few more flavor boosts. But remember, I don't have a crock pot- so I converted it to a stove top meal and it's as good as any pot roast I've ever made. The aromas will simply have your mouth watering after about an hour, which of course will give you plenty of time to make your side dishes. How about egg noodles and a broccoli casserole, or mashed taters and string beans?

Oniony Pot Roast

2 T canola oil
2-3 pound chuck roast
1 can beef broth (I use the no fat low sodium)
2 onions sliced (this was my addition to the recipe)
1 can cream of mushroom soup (again I use the low fat)
1 package onion soup mix (I buy store brand- it's 1/2 the price of Knorr or Lipton and just as good for this recipe)
1 T Worcerstershire sauce
1 T red wine vinegar
1/2 tsp garlic powder
2 dried bay leaves (the original recipe called for 1/2 tsp dried thyme)
1/4 tsp black pepper

Notice I left out the salt. I don't even think the original recipe called for salt, most likely due to the sodium content in the onion soup mix.

Ready to cook? On medium to high heat sear your roast in oil. I didn't even season mine. Just brown it on all sides to keep the meat juicy while it's bathing in the broth. Here's a picture of mine before I browned the short sides.

While your roast is browning, mix together all sauce ingredients.

When meat is sufficiently seared, remove it from the pan and add the onion/broth mixture to the hot pan. Deglaze the pan by stirring up the browned bits from the roast. Now add meat back to the saucy pot and bring to a high simmer. Cover, reduce heat and cook on low for about 3 hours. I promise you, you will enjoy this meal. And try and save some of the beef and onion sauce for a sloppy sandwich, which is most of the reason I make a pot roast. Very yummy.

Berry Nice Banana Bread

I do a lot of shopping before Thanksgiving and sometimes I just don't get to make everything I have planned. This year I knew I was not going to get to the big fruit salad and decided to nip the guilt of "wasting food" right in the bud. I had 3 super ripe bananas sitting on the counter, not to mention the abundance of cranberries in my fridge and decided to make a breakfast bread that my friend Carol posted on Just a Pinch. It's super simple and a great way to get a little nutrition into your body before you start cooking your Thanksgiving feast. Here we go, it's a quick bread and I know you'll be quick to make this recipe.

Cranberry Banana Bread
makes one loaf in a medium to large loaf pan

1 cup Splenda no calorie sweetener (of course you can use regular sugar)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter softened to room temp
3 very ripe bananas mashed
2 large eggs beaten
1 tsp baking soda
2 c AP flour
1/2 c walnuts finely chopped
1 cup cranberries roughly chopped

Pre heat oven to 325 degrees. Prepare loaf pan with cooking spray.

In medium size bowl mix flour, salt and baking soda. I use a whisk for this but Carol sifts her dry ingredients. I'm a bit lazy, and it didn't seem to matter. Set aside for the time being.

In large bowl cream your Splenda and butter with hand mixer for about 3 minutes. When it looks nice and smooth, add your eggs and bananas and combine.

This is when the mixture stops looking smooth and attractive. It takes on an aura of being curdled. Forge on because it will redeem itself. Add the dry mixture into the curdled mixture and stir with a large wooden spoon. From what I know about making quick breads, the less you fuss with it, the better the results. So you've mixed the batter and it's still not looking great? Me too. Grab that hand mixer and finish the job, that's what I did. Four or five whirls around the bowl and you've got a nice batter. Time to add the cranberries and walnuts.

 
Use your wooden spoon again and and combine all ingredients. Pour into your loaf pan and bake 55 minutes to one hour. You can tell when it's done because the aroma in your kitchen is calling you. Remove from oven.

Place on wire cooling rack for about 20 minutes or a half hour. Remove from pan and let cool completely.

It was so late when I baked this, that I waited until morning to dig in. But dig in I did, to this energy and flavor boost all at once.

 

You know I treated myself to nice little shmear of cream cheese on top of this yummy pre-Thanksgiving snack/breakfast. I promise, you will be berry happy with this one! Don't forget the cream cheese and since we're celebrating, how about a spoonful of honey too?  

Fein Meatballs in a very Fein Barbecue Sauce

 

Lori is coming for Thanksgiving and I am thrilled. This is the first time in maybe 7 or 8 years that I haven't spent this holiday with her in California. I love the trip out west, love the weather, her friends and the get togethers we always plan. But it sure is nice to just to be home and relax and have company for a change. Lori eats a bit like I do. Salads, nibbles, cheese and crackers and I thought before we dug into the big Thanksgiving meal I'd make a few treats for us to enjoy with a few glasses of wine while we either watch some silly tv or get down to a few serious games of scrabble. Myia and Evan, we will be missing you when it comes to the scrabble. So tonight I decided to create a perfect hors d'oerves that can be reheated with no problem and figured I'd serve it at some point early in the week.

I met a lovely man at the WFC named Adam Feinberg who was cooking there and also sells his own BBQ spice rubs and this mench was nice enough to give me a packet of his original BBQ rub. Living in a small condo, almost like an apartment I don't do much grilling. But I stuck my finger in his rub and tasted it. Yowwwsa. It was yummy. So I decided I'd make a sweet and sour barbecue sauce with his rub. Adam, all I can say is the blend of spices is perfect. This is my first recipe using your Fein Tasting Foods.

Here's my recipe for Sweet and Sour Barbecue Infused Meatballs. They are much better than fine (or fein), they are awesome!

Chicken Meatballs with BBQ Sauce
makes sixteen meatballs

To make the meatballs:
1 pound of ground chicken
1-1/2 tsp Feiny's Original BBQ Rub
1 large egg
1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs
1/4 cup water (you can use milk if your like)
1 T red pepper flakes
1 T dried minced onions
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper

To make the sauce:
2 lemons juiced
1/2 tsp vinegar
2 T Splenda Brown Sugar Blend
3 T Feiny's Original BBQ Rub
1 15 oz can tomato sauce
pinch of salt
1 15 oz can of water

Ready to put this together? It's so simple.  Pre heat oven to 350 degrees. In medium size bowl combine egg, bread crumbs, water, crushed red pepper flakes, minced onions, salt and pepper. I mix everything together except the meat to make sure the meat gets as little mixing action as possible. I like my meatballs tender.

Now add your ground chicken and combine. I use my clean hands. Form 16 meatballs and place on baking sheet prepared with cooking spray. Hint: ground chicken can be very sticky, so I wet my hands every so often to make sure my meatballs are smooth and round.

You'll want to bake them for 25 minutes. While the meatballs are cooking prepare your sauce. In medium to large pot on stove top, combine lemon juice, vinegar, Splenda Brown Sugar Blend, Feiny's BBQ Rub, tomato sauce, salt and water. Bring to a simmer. By the time this decadent sauce is coming to a boil, your meatball are ready to go into their quick BBQ spa.

Cook the meatballs in the sweet and sour tomato bath for about 10 minutes, only to let them soak up some of the flavors the Fein mixture is exuding. Remove the meatballs to a separate plate and
reduce sauce to about half (10 to 15 minutes). Plate and enjoy.

 And enjoy some more.

They're going fast . I've now snuck a third meatball (shush) just to make sure they're as delicious as I think they are. Third one down the hatch. They are goooood.  Thanks Adam, I hope to be creating more easy recipes from your hard work. Adam's website is:  www.feintastingfoods.com.

World Food Championships 2013, Part 3

 

The night before I was leaving for the WFC, packing clothes, emptying out my kitchen, getting my ingredients in order, and stressing to the max, I got an email from Lori- my sous chef extraordinaire and fabulous daughter (living 3,000 miles away from me) who reminded me she had some suprises in store. I usually don't worry about Lori because she is very down to earth. But her email included this picture.One is me and of one is her. And this was going to be part of our banner for the competitor's parade and the competition booth. I love the way she thinks. Just seeing her email made me giddy and I couldn't wait to see what she was planning, I was game for anything. Just to fill you in, this is a picture of each of us, one taken in 1959 and one in 1986. Yes, we were about the same age posing as Miss America. Well, when you're in a cooking competition as stressfull as the WFC, it sure is like a beauty contest except the best food wins. And when your favorite Miss America is cooking with you, it's home cooking at its' best!

 

On to the event: The two former pretend beauty queens got down to cooking Thursday afternoon and made Raspberry Cloud Cakes, our signature dish. To me it's everything that a dessert should be- creamy, rich, white chocolatey and fruity. This is one of my favorite recipes that I created over a year ago and just prior to the competition, I made them once a week for about 4-6 weeks. I made them in my sleep too. Here's the recipe, I think you'll enjoy.

 

White Chocolate Raspberry Cloud Cakes

makes about 36 filled cakes

 

Filling

8 oz neufchatel cheese softened to room temp

1/2 cup butter softened

3 T confectioner's sugar

1 T Splenda Brown Sugar Blend for Baking

1/3 cup Polaner All Fruit Raspberry Preserves

 

Dough

3/4 cup butter softened

3/4 cup Splenda Brown Sugar Blend

2 large eggs room temp

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

2 cups AP flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup white chocolate chips finely chopped

Confectioners sugar for dusting

 

Garnish

Fresh raspberries

mint leaves

 

Let's put this beautiful dessert together.

 

To make the filling: In medium size bowl combine all ingredients with hand mixer. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate while you prepare and make the dough.

 

To make the (dough): Pre heat oven to 350 degrees and line baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside. In medium size bowl combine flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Stir with a whisk to combine and set aside.

 

In large bowl, with hand or stand mixer combine butter and brown sugar and mix until smooth and airy (2-3 minutes). We used a hand mixer at the show. Add eggs and vanilla and continue to mix. Add half the dry ingredients into the wet and mix on low. Add the rest of the dry ingredients until dough is smooth. Now add the crushed white chocolate and stir to combine. Use your clean hands if it's easier. The white chocolate is a fabulous addition to these little darlings. Who doesn't like a little white chocolate crunch with a cakey cookie?

  

Your dough will be very sticky so you'll want to refrigerate it for about 15-20 minutes. Up tp 30-40 minutes if you have the time. Form dough into small balls about 3/4 inch in diameter. Place on parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes and place on cooling rack to cool. After a few minutes you can place them on paper or kitchen towels to cool completely.

When mini cakes are cooled, the fun begins. Take a tablespoon of prepared raspberry cream and place on top of flat side of cake.

We're getting there. Now cover the filling with a second cookie cake to make a sandwich.

Keep going, you've got a lot more to make. When you cake sammies are assembled, sprinkle both sides of the cake with confectioner's sugar through a sieve. Add a dollop of the leftover raspberry cream to the top of these and garnish with a raspberry. Here is a picture that I took in my house before the contest. I was thrilled to be able to make these for the judges, with red wrappers, white plates and a sprinkling here and there of fresh mint (sorry no picture at the competition).

 

For those of you that want to give these a try, I have to warn you, they are growing raspberries bigger than you can imagine. Each garnish ended up being 1/3 of a raspberry. I cut the tops off, blotted them with paper towels to prevent bleeding and added them to the top raspberry swirl. Wish I had a picture of my final-hand in dish, but time was wasting and we were lucky to get these little cuties in on time.

 

 

And in case you were wondering, here is one of the two surprise signs Lori made. From what I could tell, we had the best "home cook" signs in the competition.

 

So the cook off is over and it's been over a week since I've been home. Will we do it next year? I'd like to think so and just hope we're invited back. To be able to do this for 2 years in a row and compete in a fierce competition like the WFC, I think our third time might be the charm. Fingers crossed!