Archives for February 2010

Sauvignon Blanc Online Community Wine Tasting

Like Sauvignon Blanc and into Twitter?  Don’t miss #sauvblanc Online Tasting on 3/4/10!  The event is hosted by Rick Bakas of St Supery (@rickbakas).

The Objective of #SauvBlanc Online Tasting:

+ Promote Sauvignon Blanc producers AVA’s worldwide by connecting w/ wine drinkers on Twitter

+ Share interesting content about your respective wine growing region

+ Be positive and promote one another.

+ If possible have wines on hand from different wine growing regions. Share the beauty of this grape!

Click the following to register FREE: http://bit.ly/dpCslx

Chocolate Crackle-Top Cookies

Chocolate Crackle-Top Cookies

Crackle-Top Cookie Ingredients

Crackle-Top Cookie Ingredients

The name for these easy-to-make and succulent cookies comes from the fact that the baking of the cookies causes ‘crackles’ in the powdered sugar coating. Kids LOVE to help roll the unbaked cookies in the powdered sugar, so summon help!

Crackle-Top Cookie Batter

Crackle-Top Cookie Batter

Ingredients:

  • 1 ½ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 ½ tsp. baking powder
  • ¼ tsp. salt
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 6 tbs. butter, at room temperature
  • 1 ½ tsp. vanilla extract
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
Crackle-Top Cookie Dough Balls

Crackle-Top Cookie Dough Balls

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
  2. Microwave 1 cup chocolate for 1 minute. Stir. Microwave at 10 seconds intervals until completely melted.
  3. In a small bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt.
  4. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat sugar, butter, and vanilla.  Add melted chocolate until well blended.  Incorporate eggs, one at a time. Gradually incorporate flour mixture in the chocolate mixture. Stir in remaining 1/2 cup chocolate chips. Chill until firm, about 30 minutes.
  5. Shape cooled dough into 1 ½” balls (about 1 teaspoon).  Place powdered sugar in a shallow dish and roll dough balls into it to cover completely.
  6. Place balls onto ungreased cookie sheets.  Bake for 13-15 minutes ( the cookies won’t be set in the center! ).
  7. Cool cookies for 5 minutes on the cookie sheets, then transfer to a rack to completely cool.

Makes 24 cookies.

Quebec White Cookies with Cooked Glaze

Quebec White Cookies with Cooked Glaze

Quebec White Cookie

Quebec White Cookie

When we were small kids, my sister and me attended a birthday party where our friend’s mom made these cookies.  For years, we talked about them and how great they were and a few years ago, our childhood friend got her mom to share her recipe with us.

These types of cookies are popular in Quebec, where I grew up, to eat along tea or coffee.  They are not overly sweet and keep well in a cookie jar in a dry place.

Cookie batter ingredients:

  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup sugar
  • ½ cup melted vegetable shortening (microwave 1 minute)
  • Pinch salt
  • 3 cups flour
  • 3 tsp. baking powder
  • ¾ cup milk
  • ½ tsp. vanilla

Quebec White Cookie Batter

Quebec White Cookie Batter

Cookie instructions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. In a large bowl, beat eggs, sugar and Crisco with an electric mixer to incorporate.
  3. In another bowl, combine flour, salt and baking powder.
  4. Incorporate flour mixture to egg mixture.  Combine well.
  5. Add milk and vanilla to batter.
  6. Drop batter by tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet about ¼ inch in interval.
  7. Bake 15 minutes.

Glaze ingredients:

  • ½ cup butter
  • 1 cup light brown sugar
  • ½ whole milk
  • 1/3 cup corn starch
  • 1 cup powdered sugar

Glaze instructions:

  1. Bring all glaze ingredients to a boil in a medium saucepan until thickened, approximately 3 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes.
  2. Thicken glaze further with powdered sugar if needed to reach a thick spreadable icing.
  3. Glaze cookies while they are still hot.

Makes about 20 cookies.

Notes: For the glaze, you may dissolve corn starch into the milk until smooth before adding to the saucepan to help prevent lumps in glaze.

Aozora – Fab Food Fusion in Montclair

My review of Aozora featured in NJ My Way: http://bit.ly/dnHFfP

Searching for Cheap Wines

Searching for Cheap Wines

Wine in a Box

Wine in a Box

Since I recently started a new job search, I’ve made lists of things I’d cut back on.  Wine and good food just cannot be skipped no matter what, so I thought I’d get my social media wine friends to help me compile a list of 10 affordable wines that they’ve recently discovered or are enjoying these days.

Please leave me a comment by 2/20/10 with a nice value wine you’ve enjoyed that you feel should make my top 10 list.

Cheers!

Who’s the man? Are you the man?

Got wind of this neat contest by Uncle Jack’s Steakhouse in New York City that I thought you might enjoy.  Plus, free grub for the winner, can’t go wrong!  Here are the deets:

Uncle Jack’s Steakhouse presents our Who’s The Man video Contest…

Show us what you got and make your BEST interpretation of William Jack Degel’s ‘Who’s the Man’ video! Click on this link http://tinyurl.com/WillieDegel to watch his video and then submit your version on our YouTube channel.

Submit all videos through March 8, 2010 and the chosen video will win a free dinner for 2! Dinner includes a limo ride, champagne and tickets to Broadway show! You do not want to miss out on this great opportunity!

www.youtube.com/UJSteakhouse1NY

Very Berry Cobbler

Very Berry Cobbler

Berry Cobbler

Berry Cobbler

This is one easy and delicious dessert that anyone can make at the last minute using frozen mixed berries.  Obviously, don’t skip the vanilla bean ice cream.

Filling Ingredients:

  • 1 pint (2 1/2 cups) mixed berries (blackberries, blueberries and raspberries are ideal)
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 1 tbs lemon juice
  • 1 tbs cornstarch

Crust Ingredients:

  • 1 cup flour
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 3 tbs cold butter, cut into small pieces
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 375F.  Coat 1-quart baking dish with cooking spray or softened butter.
  2. Combine berries, 1/3 cup sugar, lemon juice and cornstarch in a small bowl.  Spoon into the prepared dish.
  3. Stir together the flour, 2 tbs sugar, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl.  Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter, or two knives, until mixture resembles coarse meal.
  4. Whisk together milk and egg.  Stir egg mixture into the flour mixture until just blended – do not overmix.
  5. Drop batter by tablespoonfuls over the berry mixture.
  6. Mix cinnamon and remaining 2 tbs sugar in a small bowl.  Sprinkle sugar mixture over the batter.
  7. Bake for 40 minutes.

Makes 6 servings.

Beef Tenderloin Stroganoff

Beef Tenderloin Stroganoff

Beef Stroganoff

Beef Stroganoff

Both my mother and my sister make delicious versions of beef stroganoff and I often use their recipes, but this one is a bit luxurious with the use of beef tenderloin and bourbon.  I typically make this recipe when I buy a whole tenderloin as I use the end pieces and uneven bits I get while trimming.

Ingredients:

  • 2 tbs olive oil
  • 2 pounds beef tenderloin, cut into 3″ long and “1 inch wide strips and patted dry
  • 1/2 tsp each, salt & pepper
  • 2 tbs butter
  • 1/2 medium onion, chopped finely
  • 1 pound cremini or small white mushrooms, chopped roughly
  • 1 cup beef broth
  • 2 tbs bourbon
  • 1  cup sour cream
  • 2 tbs Dijon mustard
  • 1 tbs flat leaf parsley, chopped
  • Cooked white rice or wide egg noodles

Directions:

  1. Add olive oil to a large skillet over high heat until nearly smoking.  Season meat with salt and pepper, then add to hot skillet and brown on all sides, about 2 minutes.  Place meat into a shallow baking dish for later use.
  2. Melt butter in the skillet used for the meat over medium-high heat.  Add onions and cook until softened and slightly golden, about 4 minutes.
  3. Add mushrooms and sauté for about 10 minutes.
  4. Add broth and bourbon and cook down until liquid is almost completely evaporated, about 15 minutes.
  5. Incorporate the sour cream and mustard, combining well, then add the reserved meat and any juices from the baking pan. Continue cooking on medium-low heat for about 5 minutes.  Add parsley and re-season with salt and pepper if needed.
  6. Serve over white rice or egg noodles.

Serves 4.

Notes:  I typically serve this dish over egg noodles, but my guy loves it over white rice.  Nice alternative.  I also like to add an additional dollop of sour cream to top off the dish at serving time.

Chocolate Shortbread Cookies

Chocolate Shortbread Cookies

Shortbread

Shortbread

These cookies are rich, buttery and simply perfect to satisfy a chocolate craving.

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, at room temperature
  • ½ cup sugar
  • 2-1 ounce squares semi-sweet chocolate, melted and cooled
  • 2 cups flour
  • ¼ tsp salt

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 300 F.
  2. Lightly butter a 13x9x2 baking pan.
  3. Using an electric mixer on medium speed, cream the butter with the sugar until light and fluffy.  Stir in the chocolate, mixing well.  Add flour and salt; stir until completely incorporated.  Spread the dough into prepared pan and bake in the center of oven about 40 minutes or until firm.  Cool slightly in the pan, cut into squares then cool completely in the pan overnight.

Makes 2 dozen squares.

Pat’s Blackened Chicken Panini

Pat’s Blackened Chicken Panini

Chicken Panini

Chicken Panini

This sandwich is a favorite of my guy, so I’ve named it after him.  Don’t have a Panini press?  Don’t fret, use my technique.

Ingredients:

  • 2 tbs vegetable oil
  • 1 skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut horizontally into 4 thin slices
  • 1 tbs blackened seasoning (I use Cajun Classics Blackened Seasonings by Spice World)
  • 1 medium fresh mozzarella ball cut into 8 slices
  • 2 fresh sandwich rolls (I use Portuguese rolls from my local deli)
  • 1tbs olive oil
  • 2 tbs balsamic vinegar
  • 2 large roasted sweet peppers, cut into narrow strips
  • 8 fresh basil leaves

Directions:

  1. Heat oil in a grill pan over high heat (or heat up Panini press).
  2. Spread blackened seasoning over chicken breast slices, and rub in to help adhere.  Place chicken breasts in the grill pan, turn heat to medium-high, and cook for 3 minutes on each side.
  3. Arrange mozzarella slices on each breast and continue cooking for 2 minutes until cheese begins to melt.
  4. In a small bowl, combine vinegar and roasted pepper strips to marinate them slightly.
  5. Using a serrated knife, cut each roll in half horizontally.  Coat the 4 exterior sides with 1 tbs olive oil.
  6. Place a chicken breasts on each roll bottom, distribute roasted pepper strips over the chicken and cheese, top with basil leaves and roll tops.
  7. Place the two sandwiches in a Panini press and grill for 3 minutes.  Alternatively, place the sandwiches in the grill pan (still on medium-high heat) and top with the weight of multiple pans or a pan with a 2-3 pound weight in it and cook 1 1/2 minutes per sides.  See my technique.
  8. Transfer sandwiches to a cutting board and cut each sandwich in diagonal pieces using a serrated knife.

2 servings.