This Week was Weak

Weak in the fact that I didn't get any contest submissions in. I mean I really wracked my brain to come up with something good and then when it came time to get it done I had to work late so - No Dice! Oh well. I have a few ideas for this week so let's see how things go and what I have for time and maybe I can make up for it whith a double submission. Don't hold your breath!

Thoughts of Summer

So, we had a new impromptu challenge over at RWOP. One that did NOT involve cream cheese which is kind of nice. We were given three ingredients and told to come up with something. I don't think anybody wins anything other than an honorable mention and bragging rights but, what the hell, I love a challenge. What was really great about this little task was that it removed the creative block I was having with my side dish recipe idea. Seriously, between last season and the cooking creme contest, we have creamed every freaking vegetable out there! Rice, potatoes and pasta have all been creamed to death too! So, I am happy to say I now have a decent recipe idea that I will try and execute for dinner tonight. In the meantime here is what I came up with for the current, non-cream cheese, challenge. I had to use a frozen vegetable, lemons or limes and spaghetti in my recipe. I intitally thought I might try going the lime route with a thai or latin inspired dish but decided to stay in my comfort zone for now. Since I am dying for summer to come so I can get to my picnics on the beach I came up with this pasta salad recipe. What's great about this recipe is that you won't give anyone food poisoning with it if it gets a little warm!

Mediterranean Pasta Salad



Ingredients

1 pound Spaghetti, dried
1/2 cup Fresh squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup good olive oil
4 tsp. salt, divided
2 tsp. black pepper, divided
1 cup Fresh Dill, chopped
1 cup fresh parsley chopped
1 cup(s) Frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed of excess liquid
1/2cup kalamata olives, seeded
1/2 cup Sun dried tomatoes in oil, chopped
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped
1/2 cup red onion, chopped
3/4 pound good feta cheese, diced

Method

1. Break spaghetti in half and cook in a pot of well salted water until al dente
2. While pasta is cooking whisk tpgether lemon juice, 1/2 C olive oil, 2 tsp salt and 1 tsp pepper
3. Drain pasta and pour dressing over it while still hot. Toss to combine
4. Add spinach, onions, olives, tomatoes, parsley, dill, cucumber and remaining salt and pepper and toss to combine
5. Gently stir in feta cheese.
6. Let sit for 1 hour at room temperature to allow flavors to meld or refrigerate over night.
7. Adjust seasonings to taste and serve at room temperature

Photo coming soon!

And We're Off!

So, last week I managed to get a submission in to season 2 of RWoP. While I have to say it wasn't my favorite recipe (I really am not a fan of sweet peas), it sure looked good on the plate. I also did a real crappy job talking on camera with a lot of stammering and stuttering. You could tell that I was out of practice. But between work, gym, volunteering and everything else I have going an there are no do-overs when it comes to this stuff. I get one shot - that's it! As it was, I stayed up way past my bed time getting the stupid thing converted, edited and submitted. All in all, it wasn't the worst thing I ever sent in to them and I have confidence it will get better as I go along. It certainly did last time. I am a little jealous of the people who are retired or don't have to work full time and have all day to work on their submissions. But then again, I am far from perfect and I think all my errors make my videos a heck of a lot more realistic. But that's just my opinion. If nothing else the errors sure add to the comedy! LOL!

Springtime Sweet Pea Crostini



1 baguette, sliced
4 ounce(s) of PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese
1 tsp. of lemon zest
1 tbsp. of lemon juice
1 1/2 cup(s) of sweet peas, blanched
1 tbsp. of salt or to taste
4 tbsp. of olive oil
2 tbsp. of fresh parsley
6 slices baked ham
6 slices cheese, american, cheddar, swiss
2 tbsp. of fresh herbs (Formal presentation only)
1 cup(s) of edible flower blossoms (Formal presentation only)

1. brush baguette slices with olive oil and bake in 350-400 degree oven until toasted

2. add cream cheese, lemon zest, lemon juice, sweet peas, parsley and salt in a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse to combine

3. Chop ham and cheese slices or cut into shapes with a small cookie cutter and set aside

4. Spread cream cheese mixture on toasted baguette sliced and top with ham and cheese

5. For a more formal presentation garnish crostini with fresh herbs and edible flower blossoms.

Using up Leftovers and Putting a Twist on a Classic!

As I previously posted, I cooked a massive Prime Rib last week - well, massive for two people, anyway. We did a fairly good job using up the leftovers too but I still had some left that I absolutely had to use. So, since we had been enjoying those cheesesteak sandwiches so much and yesterdays weather being damp and cold begged for the preparation of comfort food, I decided to put a twist on a classic dish. My Creation - waaait for it - Baked Macaroni and Cheese-Steak! This proved to be a very successful dinner that satisfied our grumbling bellies and took the chill off of an otherwise miserable day. Husband was quite pleased with the dish and must have complimented it at least a dozen time during the meal. I just love it when he enjoys my cooking like that. He is such a dear sweet man!

So here is how it went down in the kitchen!

First, I cooked a pound of macaroni noodles in salted water - easy enough! When they were al dente, I dumped them in a colander and returned the pot to the stove with about 2 Tbs of butter and a small diced onion. While the onions were caramelizing I broke out the food processor and got busy grating a boat load of cheese. The mixture included (all measurements are approximate) 2 Cups mild yellow cheddar, 1 Cup sharp white cheddar, 1 Cup asiago, 1 cup mozzarella, 1 cup monteray jack and about 2 cups diced Velveeta. I did not grate the Velveeta because it gets all gummed up and nasty in my food processor. I also considered adding cream cheese and using this recipe as a contest submission for Season 2 of Real Women of Philadelphia but decided that I had enough cheese in there already. Besides, now I have a reason to make it again! LOL!

Once the onions were a nice golden color, I added a couple of tablespoons of flour to the pot to make a roux. I stirred this and let it cook until just starting to brown. Then I added about 1 cup heavy cream and 1-2 cups milk. I reduced the heat a bit and let this warm gradually. While that was warming I quickly sliced the leftover prime rib into thin strips and set it aside.

After the meat was cut up, I added all that cheese into the warming milk and stirred it all together until all the cheeses were nicely incorporated. I turned the heat off and poured the pasta and sliced meat in and mixed everything to combine.

Once I had it all mixed together, everything was transferred into a greased casserole dish and put into a 400 degree oven for about a half hour. The resulting casserole was delicious and I hope it reheats well. I did notice it took on a slight grainy texture as it cooled but it wasn't enough to keep me from thoroughly enjoying the dish. I guess I will let you know tomorrow because tonight is leftover night and I am sure Hubby and I will be trading elbows to get at this stuff, LOL!



UPDATE: This dish reheated just fine. In fact, I think it tasted even better the next day! YUM YUM YUM!

Well I'll Be Damned!

So, today starts the submission period for the second season of the Real Women of Philadelphia cooking contest. I participated in this contest to a degree last season and in some follow up contests featuring the new cooking cream product. I have to admit I was a little disenchanted with the whole thing because it seemed to me that the contest was more of a popularity/ass-kissing contest than an actual recipe contest. I thought some of the winning recipes were lame and lacked creativity and/or originality. But then, maybe I am just a total bitch - I have been told this before, LOL! I did see forum posts from others expressing the same feelings though, so I don't think it's just me in this case. Anyway, since I am not the type of person who pretends to be something she is not for any reason and, because I am not afraid to say that something that looks like a turd looks like a turd, I wasn't going to bother entering any recipes this time around....until I saw this.....

http://www.realwomenofphiladelphia.com/cooking-creme-creations

If you scroll all the way to the bottom - there it is - one of MY recipes! HOLY SHIT! They actually liked something I submitted! (That casserole is really good btw). Well, you could just knock me over with a feather!

So, now I am thinking that maybe I will give Round 2 a whirl. At least this time they are calling our submittals auditions rather than recipe contest entries. I still refuse to pretend to be all sunshine and rainbows all the time and I'll still admit when something looks like a turd or smells like shit (I will concede to using G-rated terminology though, LOL). LOL! I honestly don't think I stand a chance because, really - a gun slinging, biker with an attitude and a potty mouth does not fit the mold for this contest! But hey, it's called "REAL WOMEN of Philadelphia" and, not for nothing - I think a little dose of "REAL" is just what this contest needs. So, fuck it - here I go - wait until they get a load of me. LOL!

In the meantime, stay tuned for more cream cheese concoctions and wish me luck! Now, I just need to find the time to get all this cooking, taping and video editing done, LOL! That's really the hardest part!

Back in the Saddle!

So after my nearly two month long hiatus, I am back with renewed spirit and vigor and ready to take on my kitchen and show it no mercy! I am armed with a trove of new recipes and, with the temperatures trying to rise, anticipate an onslaught of occasions for which to try them. My first big foray back into the kitchen occurred Tuesday with a very special dinner for my very special man. On the menu - Caprese salad, Roast Prime Rib of Beef, sweet corn in butter sauce, broccoli with cheese sauce and mashed potatoes. Since I have already discussed most of these recipes on here, this post will focus on the backbone of this feast - Prime Rib. Oh, such a glorious cut of meat! I had my local butcher cut this one special for me and it was worth every penny. My only downfall was the inaccuracy of my meat thermometer which caused it to be a bit overcooked but certainly not ruined. Since the roast was enormous, you can expect several follow up posts where I use up all of the leftovers. There is no way a single morsel of this roast will go to waste.

To prepare the roast I simply rubbed it all over with English Prime Rib Rub from Penzey's. If you have never shopped Penzey's for herbs and spices, I highly recommend you do so. This rub is fantastic and creates a nice flavorful crust on the roast as it cooks.



I roasted the meat at 350 until my meat thermometer erroneously read 140 degrees. I removed the roast from the oven and let it rest while I set the table and put out all of the side dishes. Then I called in my DH to to the honor of carving. I think it took all the strength he could muster to not just lean over and take a bite right out of it! LOL!



Once the roast was carved we sat down and thoroughly enjoyed our little exercise in gluttoney. It was a perfect meal and we both enjoyed it tremendously.



For my first round of leftovers I made us cheesesteaks by caramelizing some sliced onions in butter and adding the thinly sliced leftover prime rib. Once everything was heated through I piled it on rolls that I had toasted with garlic butter and added a couple slices of American cheese. Yes, I realize the cheese part wasn't authentic but hubby didn't complain and made grunting sounds of joy as he eagerly scarfed it down. It was gone so fast I didn't even get a chance to take a picture of it!

Game Feast - Munich Haus - Chicopee, MA

This Saturday I had the pleasure of attending the last game feast of the year at Munich Haus in Chicopee, MA. I can assure you this will become a yearly pilgrimage for me from this point on. This was one enjoyable exercise in gluttony! The game meats included carving stations of kangaroo, bison, venison and bear along with rabbit stew, fried alligator, game stew, smoked bear sausage, alligator-chicken sausage and game sausage. Sides included red cabbage, roasted potatoes, cucumber salad, spaetzle and rye bread. There were cheese and crackers and other small appetizers too but I didn't bother with those - bring on the meat! For $45, this was a great deal as all the carving station meats were high quality and all of the food was FABULOUS!

The buffet


Carving Stations


First Plate


Second Plate


Save room for dessert!