Elementary Chef

I thought about this simple recipe because Gillian was talking about scones!

I love scones. I love tea. I love anything that makes my tea taste yummy, and in my book these are a fun addition to a tea ritual! These are especially popular with little girls at dress-up tea parties. Ah, if only my son would play tea party with me! Here’s the recipe:

CANDIED TEA STIRRERS

Cooking spray (like Pam — NOT butter-flavored)
About 2 cups of crushed fruit-flavored hard candy (you know those fruity candies that look like mints? those work great!)
2 T Corn syrup
Heavyweight plastic spoons

Line a jellyroll pan with waxed paper; spray with cooking spray. In a small heavy saucepan, combine crushed candies and corn syrup over low heat. Stirring frequently, heat until candies melt. Spoon candy into bowl of each spoon. Place spoons on the prepared pan with the spoon handles on rim and spoons level (to keep the candy from spilling out.) Allow candy to harden. Store in airtight container.

Makes about 24 spoons.

tea, candy, stirrers, recipes, cooking

Taco seasoning is a favorite staple in my house. Tacos and burritos are a great quick and easy dinner. The seasoning mix is great for beef or chicken. But have you ever used it to season soup? Add some corn, beans, salsa, chicken or beef and go? Or what about as a chili base?

When you’re out of those little packets or want to save money and mix some up at home, try this blend:

Taco Seasoning
1/2 t paprika
1 t chili powder
1/2 t onion powder
1/2 t garlic powder
1/2 t cumin
1/4 t oregano
1/4-1/2 t salt

The measurements are my guesses. I mix this blend by smell. Do it right, and you’ll know!

The strawberry industry announced that we are all in luck! Thanks to the craziness that late winter produced, weatherwise, the strawberry harvest is better than usual. I love strawberries. Especially with cream and champagne. Or chocolate. Or plain. So while I’m in a strawberry mood, I’m going to post an early recipe for your kid-friendly cinco de mayo celebration! Cheers!

This particular recipe comes from Ruggles ice cream, but since we don’t have Ruggles in the South, I’m not going to suggest any particular brand loyalty!

Ruggles Strawberry Frozen Moo-garitas
4 cups Ruggles Strawberry Premium Ice Cream
1 10-12-oz can Frozen, non-alcoholic margarita mix
1 quart Strawberries, thinly sliced
8 Whole strawberries, set aside from quart, for
garnish
1/2 Lime, thinly sliced, for garnish
1/2 cup Coarse sugar, to coat rims of serving glasses
Mix slightly softened Ruggles Strawberry Premium Ice Cream with 1
cup frozen margarita mix. Cover and put in freezer until needed.
Set aside eight nice, whole strawberries for garnish. Thinly slice
remainder of strawberries and combine with remaining frozen margarita mix.
Cover and chill in refrigerator.
Coat the rims of serving glasses with coarse sugar to resemble salt on
margarita glasses: Rub rims with a cut lime or dip the rims in a little
lime juice or water. Then dip in the sugar. Set aside.
To serve: Layer strawberry mixture with ice cream mixture. Thickness of
layers will depend on the type of serving dish. You may substitute any
parfait glass or ice cream sundae dish if you prefer not to use margarita
glasses.
Garnish with a fresh strawberry and/or a very thin slice of lime.
Makes 8 servings.

strawberry, ice cream, margarita

Did you know that this week has been designated by the US Census Bureau as “Egg Salad Week”? I don’t know why they have time on their hands to designate such things, but apparently they do. In honor of Egg Salad Week, and as an answer to your “what do I do with all these boiled eggs?” question… Here is my favorite basic recipe for egg salad:

Basic Egg Salad

4 Hard Boiled Eggs, peeled and chopped
¼ C. Mayonnaise (light is fine)
1 t mustard
1 T (or more to taste) pickle relish
Salt & Black Pepper to taste

Optional add-ins: chopped cucumber, chopped green olives, chopped celery, finely chopped onion

Instructions:
Gently toss all ingredients together in a bowl.

egg salad, Easter eggs, recipes, cooking

I’m a big fan of almonds. I can’t really say why, I just like them. Maybe because they aren’t overly salty. Maybe because their diet-friendly. So this news made me sad. The Cornucopia Institute announced in a news release that new FDA guidelines will soon go into effec that will either put small farmers out of business or (better yet) introduce carcinogens into the pasteurization process. Worse yet, the chemicals to be used in the pasteurization process have been banned for food treatment in the European Union, Canada, Mexico, and most other countries.

Why do we keep poisoning ourselves in an attempt to…what? Make food safer?

almonds, FDA, salmonella

Tonight, for dinner, I made my very favorite appetizer. All for me. Recently, I had dinner out with “the girls.” I thought I had made this clear in the past, but apparently not… The issue of the appetizer came up. Would we share. Umm, no. Because this IS my dinner. I get this and a small salad and I’m golden. I don’t know if it’s the smooth creaminess of the goat cheese I love most, or the way it perfectly blends with the tomato sauce, or maybe it’s the light, honey sweetness of the toast points… All I know is it is my absolute favorite meal ever!

Marinara Goat Cheese Fondue (the easy way)
1 cup marinara sauce (I use Newman’s Own)
1 or 2 oz. Goat cheese
Baguette
Honey

Place marinara sauce in a microwave safe bowl and cover loosely. (I usually just put a dessert plate over the bowl.) Microwave on medium-high (70%) for approximately 90 seconds. This completely depends on the strength of your microwave. Point is — get the sauce hot. (You can do this on the stovetop, too, of course!)

Slice baguette into 1/2 to 1″ thick slices. Toast in oven. Spread honey on each piece of toast.

Take marinara from microwave and add cheese.

Dip toast into fondue.

marinara goat cheese fondue, chevre, goat cheese, marinara, appetizers, cooking, recipes

So, it could just be that Olive Garden doesn’t think we can handle the recipe. (And maybe we can’t.) But, Olive Garden has released their recipe for their new dish — Chicken Crostina. The picture looks wonderful. If the recipe looks slightly too daunting, Olive Garden will be hosting a web cooking class to teach you the techniques. (How cool is that?) The cooking demonstrations will become available on April 9 at www.olivegarden.com/recipes

If you need a weekend challenge, here it is! The restaurant recommends you pair this dish with a pinot grigio or sauvignon blanc.

At-Home Recipe For Olive Garden’s Chicken Crostina
Serves Six

Wine Pairing Recommendation: Bertani Due Uve

Ingredients:

Potato crust (recipe below)
6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 cups and 1 tablespoon flour
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon pepper
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1 tablespoon roasted garlic, minced
1 cup white wine
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive Oil
1 pound linguine
1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1 cup Roma tomatoes, cored and diced
2 tablespoons parsley, chopped

Potato Crust

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups seasoned breadcrumbs
1/4 cup melted butter
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 cup parsley, chopped
1 small potato, peeled and grated
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

— Using a spoon, thoroughly mix all ingredients in a large bowl.
— Cover and set aside until ready to use.

Assembling Chicken Crostina
Preparation:

— In a shallow dish, mix 1 1/2 cups flour, salt, pepper and Italian
seasoning. Dredge chicken breasts in the mixture, shaking off any
excess.
— Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet. Cook chicken
breasts two at a time over medium-high heat until golden brown and
crisp, or until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F. Add
more olive oil for each batch as necessary.
— Place cooked chicken breast on a baking sheet or dish and top with the
potato crust mixture. Transfer the baking sheet to a pre-heated
broiler until golden brown (1-2 minutes).
— Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
— Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a sauce pan. Add roasted garlic and
cook for 1 minute. Stir in 1 tablespoon of flour and white wine and
bring to a boil. Add heavy cream, Parmesan cheese, 1 tablespoon of
parsley and tomatoes. The sauce is done when it is bubbling throughout
and has started to thicken.
— Coat pasta with sauce, then top with chicken and remaining sauce.
Garnish with chopped parsley.

cooking, recipes, Olive Garden, chicken crostina

Williams Sonoma is one of my favorite kitchen stores. (Although, I know they are outrageously expensive!) Check out their new bundt cake pan — a beehive cake! I may have to pick one of these up for Easter lunch!

http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/6766257/index.cfm?cm%5Fsrc=hero

I don’t know if salad is the right name for this… But my mother used to make this dish regularly when I was a kid, and I make it several times a week now, (when the tomatoes are good!)

Slice enough tomatoes to cover a plate in a single layer.

Cover slices with Italian dressing or oil and vinegar.

Sprinkle with basil (fresh or dry.)

Cover with a generous amount of mozzarella, parmesan, romano, or Italian blend cheese.

Microwave on high until cheese melts.

So yummy….

tomatoes, recipes, cheese, cooking