This video recipe is another one of my “go to” pasta dishes, a delicious spaghetti with a spicy tuna and tomato sauce. It’s fast, cheap and easy. Speaking of fast, cheap and easy…I know that Jessica Simpson had some problems with the old saying about tuna being the “chicken of the sea,” but when it comes to quick meat sauces for pasta, I say that tuna is more like ground round than chicken. I like to make the occasional Americanized Bolognese, but it takes a while to brown the hamburger, and then simmer it in the tomato sauce until at least somewhat tender. Tuna on the other hand makes a great “meaty” tasting tomato sauce in just minutes. Not to mention lower-fat, lower cal, etc.

For some reason I never really think of this dish as a “fish pasta.” I think because it’s so hearty and satisfy, like a good Bolognese. I almost called it Tuna Bolognese just to drive the food fascists crazy, but decided against at the last second. They’ll get their aprons in a bunch when they see the Parmesan go in anyway. This sauce is very close to the red clam sauce I did a while back, and I think I like it even better with the tuna, which of course is much cheaper, so that works out nicely. By the way, as you can see, this video recipe was produced for About, so there’s only the one player option for viewing it. Enjoy.
Ingredients:
7 ounces tuna
3 cups tomato sauce
1/2 cup white wine, something decent
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves minced garlic
red pepper flakes, to taste
1 teaspoon anchovy paste
1 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons capers
1/2 cup chopped parsley
1 pound of your favorite spaghett

 

THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED

When I received Jane’s Cookbook in the mail I was excited. I love cookbooks. I received this cookbook a few weeks ago but due to some current difficulties I am just now getting to post the review and giveaway. Sorry about that! It was hard deciding what recipe I liked the best.I saw so many yummy recipes including
Chicken Enchiladas,Make-Ahead Coffee Cake,Spicy Corn Chowder and Peanut Butter Fudge.

Jane’s cookbook Make Ahead Meals for Busy Moms is perfect for moms on the go that don’t have a lot of time to cook Jane’s cookbook encourages making meals in advance and freezing them makes eating at home a great way to save money and time. With so many pages of yummy recipes, you will be sure to be pleased. In the cookbook you will find appetizers, breakfast and brunch recipes. desserts, main dishes, side dishes and soups. You can also visit her blog for some yummy recipes.

Jane Doiron is an elementary school teacher who lives in Massachusetts. Being a busy mom herself with two boys she prepares fabulous  make-ahead meals  that the whole family loves.

For this review I had my eye on the Peanut Butter Fudge recipe. I wanted to make a yummy treat to take to work tomorrow. Since everyone on my shift loves peanut butter, I knew that this yummy fudge recipe would be a hit. But was it good? You bet it was!  I will most definitely be making this recipe again. I apologize for not having pics of the recipe. I dropped my camera and I need to get it repaired.

Peanut Butter Fudge
3 cups sugar
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup flour
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup marshmallow fluff
1/2 cup walnuts

~A Day Ahead~

 Spray a 7×5 x 1 1/2 inch baking dish with nonstick spray. In a 2 quart saucepan stir sugar and  milk and   heat  until   boiling. Turn heat off and quickly whisk in the flour, peanut butter, marshmallow, and walnuts. Spread mixture into pan with the back of a spoon. Cool on wire rack. Cut into squares. Cover and store at room temperature.


To Enter Giveaway:

Want to win a copy of Make-Ahead Meals For Busy Moms? Leave a comment below stating why you would like to win this cookbook.

Giveaway Starts 2/6 Ends 2/10.

Like My Giveaways And Recipes? Please take the time to help our site by voting on the MOM CENTRAL button on the sidebar. Thanks!!

Disclosure: I received for the review a copy of Make-Ahead Meals For Busy Moms cookbook. No other compensation was received. Winner will be chosen using Random.Org. Winner will have 48 hours to respond or another winner will be chosen. Please leave a valid email address where I can contact you.

Dec 242011
 

If you’re regular reader of comments here, I’m sure you know Minh “Sa” Chau. He’s my 13-year old protege/wanna-be-chef who’s clearly plotting to put me out of business one day. Minh just posted his first ever video recipe, and compared to my first attempts it’s pretty damn good.

Of course, with the joy and satisfaction of posting your very own video recipe comes the inevitable comments and critiques. So, do the kid a favor and give him some honest feedback. I’m sure he can handle it, and if not, well, he picked the wrong career.

My suggestion to MinhSa 3000; do yourself a huge favor and Google the cooking term “wet hand, dry hand method,” and use it the next time you set up a breading station! By the way, you’re only 13… how did you already win a medal? I’m 46 and still waiting for one.

He has the ingredients listed on his YouTube page in case you want them. Enjoy!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SLz2gjttZM0]

Dec 242011
 

Hopefully you’ve been playing along at home, and now have a nice batch of cured lemons to start experimenting with. If not, you can catch-up in no time – just check out this video recipe for Thomas Keller’s cured lemons posted last week.

I ended up using these lovely lemons in a super-simple, but really gorgeous roast quail recipe. This would make a great special occasion first course, and really shows off the unique flavor of the preserved lemons. The recipe is stark, because I really wanted to taste what the lemons could do.

I usually don’t tell you how to eat, but here I’m going to. You want to make sure each bite of quail has at least a tiny piece of the preserved lemon mashed on to it.

You can gauge your own personal tolerance for how much of the condiment to use, but it totally makes the bite. The way just a little bit draws out the flavors of the meat is a lot of fun.

I know many of you will ask, so I’ll tell you right up front, you can find quail. Higher-end stores like Whole Foods will carry them frozen, and any decent poultry purveyor can find some for you. If all else fails, you can simply order them online.

If you can’t find quail, you can easily adjust this for game hens, or even chicken breasts (using the slice of cured lemon under the skin). By the way, I was thrilled with how my lemons turned out, especially in this recipe, and would love to hear what your experiences are. Enjoy!

Bonus Coverage:
If you’re as big a Thomas Keller fan as I am, check out this great post by YumSugar about the chef’s demo, “The World’s Best Preserves,” from the 2010 Food & Wine Classic in Aspen. That’s where this whole cured lemons obsession started for me.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QsC8__3lwO0]

Ingredients:
4 whole quail
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon coriander
pinch cayenne, optional
1 cup chicken broth
1 slice cured lemon, minced fine

Easy Key Lime Pie

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Dec 242011
 

This recipe and the three below, came from the ladies conference.

1 large Cool Whip (thawed)
1 small frozen can of Limeade
1 can Eagle Brand Milk

Mix and pour into graham cracker crust. Add a twist of lime for decoration in the middle of the pie.

 

This photo is from a video shoot I just did for About.com on “How to Make Shepherd’s Pie.” I will post the recipe here as soon as it goes “live” so you can make a pan for your flock.

I’m also brainstorming a video recipe for vegetarian Shepherd’s pie, based on caramelized mushrooms.

Although I know a few people that would be perfect for the challenge of herding vegetables, “Vegetarian Shepherd’s Pie” is a pretty silly name for obvious reasons.

So, I’d like a little help coming up with a name. Here are a few ideas I have so far: Forager’s Pie, Gardener’s Pie, Vegetable-Murder’s Pie, and Worker’s Collective Pie. Let me know if any of those appeal to you, or give me your own ideas. Thanks!

 

I am thrilled to announce my first blog review for Tiffany over at The Gracious Pantry. I took quite some time browsing through her site, being that this site is a new one to me.First thing that caught my eye and grabbed my attention was her “clean eating recipes”.I had a hard time choosing from all the great recipes,and it took me quite some time to decide what i was going to try. I finally decided on the Clean Eating Thumbprint Cookies.What grabbed my attention about this recipe is,the whole wheat flour, and honey that is used for the recipe.I have never had cookies with whole wheat flour before, so I was curious as to how they would turn out. The recipe also contains hazelnuts which I love and that was another reason I picked this one.Tiffany mentions on her post that this recipe was one she made with a family she stayed with in Germany.How neat that was to find out!My step mom is German and I plan to share these cookies with her. Well, on to the recipe:

Here are some of the ingredients I used for the recipe.Butter, vanilla, honey, wheat flour.. The wheat flour is 100% organic. I liked that, because I try to use organic ingredients whenever I can in my recipes.Also I used some vanilla a friend of mine gave me that came from Mexico. At the last minute I decided to use plum jam instead of strawberry. I thought plum would be better, and it’s also my favorite.

Add butter,vanilla,egg yolks, and honey. Beat until creamy.I slightly melted the butter, because it was not quite soft enough and I was pressed for time.

Next I added the flour

Fold it in just like this

I let my batter chill as directed for 2 to 3 hours. It was hard to do because I was ready for my cookies, lol.After this step is done, it’s time to roll into balls, and dip in egg whites, and roll in nuts. Press cookies down with your thumb. Now on to adding the jam and we are ready to bake! At 325 degrees for 20 minutes.As you can tell I added quite a bit of jam, but that’s ok because I love plum jam.Here is what they look like right out of the oven. Can hardly wait to try them.

And what do i think about these cookies? Fabulous!!!So be sure to visit Tiffany’s site, The Gracious Pantry for more delicious “clean eating” recipes, I know I will!

 

What’s the one thing everyone knows how to make (besides toast)? The ubiquitous quesadilla. Even the most culinarily-challenged among us can throw a tortilla in a pan, with some grated cheese, and 5 minutes later are enjoying a warm and satisfying snack. In today’s video recipe clip we will give the common quesadilla a delicious twist by using a classic Spanish fruit and cheese combination.

The cheese we are using is called “Manchego.” Manchego cheese, from the La Mancha region of Spain, is made from sheep’s milk. It is aged for at least 3 months, but can be aged much longer for a firmer texture and stronger flavor. It is classified as a semi-firm cheese, which means it grates beautifully and melts nicely. The flavor is a bit tangy, slightly salty, and amazingly delicious paired with the Membrillo.

Membrillo is a very firm fruit paste made by cooking down a fruit called Quince with sugar and sometimes lemon. In the raw form, Quince is too hard and sour to eat. But, as it cooks the fruit’s light yellow flesh turns a sexy reddish ruby color. By the way, the seeds are poisonous, which has absolutely nothing to do with today’s recipe, but just another tidbit of culinary trivia you food geeks can use at a cocktail parties to annoy others.

As far as finding these “exotic” ingredients, I don’t think you are going to have much trouble. Any cheese shop will have several varieties of both Manchego and Membrillo. And, any of the upscale chain grocery stores will also stock these two wonderful products. If you can’t find them where you live, I will try to find some online resources for you and link them here, so stay tuned. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
large flour tortilla
2-3 oz of shredded Manchego
2 to 3 tbl of diced Membrillo
1 tsp olive oil

 

I’ve made a few pie video recipes on this blog over the years, but every single time I’ve used either a frozen shell, or ready to use sheets of dough. Some of you may have been thinking that I didn’t know to make it from scratch, or was afraid to show you my secret recipe.

Well, neither is true. I make a damn nice piecrust, but I just choose not to. And, there are really no secret pie dough recipes. The formula is pretty standard; flour, fat, and water combined with the same technique by virtually every chef. You will see a splash of vinegar added to the ice water, which is suppose to reduce gluten formation and help keep the crust tender and flaky – but that’s about as much of a secret as you’re going to get.

This version is an all butter recipe (my personal favorite), and is made using a food processor, which makes the always critical “cutting” the butter into the flour step very simple. By the way, you can make a double batch of this, and freeze the individually wrapped dough for future pie-related adventures. If you’d like the apple pie filling recipe, you can find that here.

Below the recipe, I’ve included my mother Pauline’s Key Lime Pie video, where she demonstrates how to properly “crimp” the dough edges to get that classic scalloped crust effect. I could have showed you in my video, but she has much nicer nails. Enjoy!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_3lBUMCRiA]

Ingredients: (makes enough dough for one 9 or 10 inch double crust pie)
12 ounces flour (about 2 1/2 cups)
2 sticks (1 cup) ice cold butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/2 teaspoon salt
7 tablespoon ice water
1 tablespoon cider vinegar

Learn How to Crimp Pie Crust from My Mom!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q4Rz7tUkX9A]

 

Ahh, the perfectly ripe peach. My momentary guilt for not just eating it raw was quickly forgotten as soon as I tasted this amazing sweet and savory summer combo. By the way, this was filmed last summer before I even thought about wearing a Chef coat while shooting (thanks mom). So, that’s me in the lime green Polo shirt cooking this truly delicious recipe. This was one of the first recipes I ever filmed for the web (insert standard lower video quality disclaimer here), and it’s still one of my favorites. This was actually posted here back in May, when I converted a bunch of older clips over to this blog, but since peaches weren’t in season yet, I doubt too many people payed much attention.

Everything on this plate works so well together, and it’s also a very easy recipe with just a few ingredients. While I used a fresh, ripe peach, jarred or canned halves will work in a pinch. This juicy fruit is first caramelized with aged balsamic vinegar and then used in a salad sitting next to sliced, roasted pork tenderloin. As you’ll hear in the recipe I refer to another meat trimming demo (how to trim a butcher steak), as I remove the “silver-skin” from the tenderloins. Don’t bother looking around the site for that, as it no longer exists, although I plan re-shooting that one soon. I also prepare a very simple pan sauce to finish this amazing dish. This recipe demo is broken into 2 parts because of its length. In Part 1, we make our glazed balsamic peaches, and prep our pork tenderloin. We also “bruise” some rosemary …hey, that fragrant rosemary had it coming! In Part 2, we finish the pork, make our pan sauce, and “plate up” with our glazed peaches and salad. If you’ve only used peaches for summertime desserts, give this a try. You will think about our fuzzy friends in a whole new way. Enjoy!

Part 1:

Part 2:

Ingredients:
whole pork tenderloin (not loin)
3-4 rosemary sprigs
Black pepper and salt to taste
2 fresh peaches
2 tbl butter
2 tbl aged balsamic vinegar
1 clove garlic
olive oil
mixed greens
slice of toast to garnish

Note: If you are using fresh peaches make sure you get the “freestone” variety, not the “clingstone.” For more info on the difference, click this link to wikipedia.

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