Super Bowls of Awesomeness

February 2, 2009 | Posted by Lorraine as Cozy Comfort Food Recipes, Snack Recipes at 4:26 pm | (1) Comment »

Superbowl Sunday is over! Do you know where your chicken wings are?

Chances are, the answer is in your tummy- along with other traditional Superbowl goodies. Every year, American food bloggers start posting some of the most sinfully delicious recipes in the days leading up to the Superbowl. This year was no different- from spicy Buffalo wings to pico de gallo, from jazzed up onion dips to cheese balls that make you go weak at the knees, the best thing about Superbowl recipes is that they’re actually great all year round. Here, a round-up of my favorites this year:

Chicken Wings
Can you have Superbowl without wings? Ree Drummond over at The Pioneer Woman Cooks posted a link to her classic Wings recipe, which I’ve made several times and love fiercely. For something a little different, check out Priscilla’s Tempura Chicken Wings, which use a sweet soy marinade instead of the usual hot sauce.

Chili
A bowl of Chili is, for me, one of the greatest comfort foods around. This year, Style Slacker’s Chipotle Chocolate Gourmet Chili had my mouth watering just reading the recipe. And because I’m trying to cut down on my meat consumption, I’m loving the Adventurous Vegan’s recipe for Big Paul’s Chili – because yes, Vegans can have fun in the kitchen too.

More Finger Food
Forget the forks and knives, and grab these:
Ed Levine’s Bacon-Cheddar Popcorn – truly inspired. Must. eat. this.
Simply Recipes’ Chicharrones de Pollo - yes, chicken again, but little fried bits of heaven? Yes, please.
And again from the Pioneer Woman, Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno Thingies – made with just three ingredients, and seriously addictive.

Sweet Stuff
Slashfood linked to Nigella’s (yes, there’s only one Nigella) Peanut Butter Squares as a Superbowl treat, but really- couldn’t you eat these every day? The same could be said of The Bumbling Baker’s Guinness Cupcakes, which she initially made for St. Patrick’s Day, but are perfect for Superbowl (hello, they’ve got beer in them!) or, like I said, any day.

So there you have it: my favorite Superbowl recipes, to be enjoyed after the Superbowl- because they’re that awesome.

Which Kind Of Pizza Are You?

January 30, 2009 | Posted by Lorena as The Facts / History at 10:39 pm | (2) Comments »

Speaking of pizza – check out the previous post on a “super pizza” from Rachel Ray – do you know all the different styles of pizza in existence? I am not sure that I can get all of them right but I do know a good pizza when I taste one. Still, if you want to be in the know, here are some of the different kinds of pizza.

Neapolitan pizza
This pizza is usually small, about 10 inches in diameter. The crust is thin and the pizza is baked in a wood oven. The ingredients used are light and very fresh and placed sparingly on top of the dough. The best example would be the margherita pizza – cheese, tomatoes, and basil.

New York-style pizza
They say that this is what most people think of when you say pizza – well, at least Americans. This kind of pizza is said to have evolved from the Neapolitan except that the New York-style is bigger, is crisper (and chewy at once btw), and can have any topping that you want. Pizza enthusiasts will tell you that it is best made with only 2 toppings max, to maintain the crispness of the crust.

Sicilian pizza
Ahhh, think thick and rectangular. Think lots of sauce. Think lots of cheese. Think garlic. These are the things that characterize a good Sicilian pizza.

Deep dish pizza
Obviously, deep dish pizza gives you visions of lots of toppings and sauce. This pizza has been likened to casseroles actually. This is also known as Chicago-style pizza.

So, which pizza are you?

Super Pizza From Rachel Ray

January 29, 2009 | Posted by Lorena as Celebrity Chefs, Recipe, Snack Recipes at 10:21 pm | Comments »

Rachael Ray goes shopping for fruit and veg at the Farmers Market in New York City

You either love her or hate her but hey, she does present some great ideas for eats. Her “super pizzas” actually caught my attention and I think that I just might make one of them this weekend. I found some recipes at The Daily Journal – all of her super pizzas – and this is the one that I think has the most potential: the Chicken Pot Pizza.

• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1 1/4 cups frozen peas and carrots
• 1 cup sliced cremini mushrooms
• Salt and pepper
• Biscuit pizza dough (see below)
• 1/2 onion, thinly sliced
• 1 1/2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken, skin and bones discarded
• 1 cup shredded Monterey jack cheese (about 4 ounces)
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 1/4 cups milk
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 425 degrees. In a medium bowl, melt 1 tablespoon butter in the microwave; stir in the peas and carrots and the mushrooms; season with salt and pepper. Press the biscuit dough evenly into a greased 9- to 10-inch cast-iron skillet. Spoon the vegetables on top, reserving the bowl, then bake for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large nonstick skillet, melt 1 tablespoon butter over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until softened, about 7 minutes. Transfer to the reserved bowl along with the chicken and half of the cheese.

Wipe out the skillet, add the remaining 2 tablespoons butter and melt over medium heat. Stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the milk and bring to a simmer, stirring continuously; stir in the remaining cheese and season with salt and pepper. Cover to keep warm.

Preheat the broiler. Spoon the chicken mixture over the baked pizza and broil until golden bubbly, about 5 minutes. Drizzle with the cheese sauce and sprinkle with the parsley.

This recipe serves 4 and takes 25 minutes of prep time and 25 minutes of baking time. A fun meal in less than an hour – not bad.

Easy Breakfast: Scotch Eggs

January 28, 2009 | Posted by Lorena as Breakfast Foods at 10:21 pm | Comments »

These past few weeks have been crazy for me. I thought that the New Year would bring a bit of relief from the end of the year rush at work but it seems that a lot of it has spilled over to January. As such, breakfast has become less of a pleasure than it usually is. More often than not, I have had to rush out of the house with only a cup of coffee to warm me. Not good, we all know that.

I found a really easy recipe for breakfast eggs that will not be boring – as the usual scrambled eggs can be after a while. Here it is, Scotch Eggs, courtesy of The Indy Star.

6 large hard-boiled eggs, cooled and peeled
1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1 pound sausage (flavor of your choice)
1 egg, beaten
Spicy or Dijon mustard (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix paprika into bread crumbs.
2. Separate sausage into 6 even portions and wrap sausage around hard-boiled eggs with your hands. Dip each sausage-covered egg into beaten egg and then roll and coat in bread crumbs. Place eggs on a wire rack over a baking sheet.
3. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Serve with spicy or Dijon mustard on the side.

The best thing I like about this recipe is that you can pop the eggs in the oven, take a quick shower, get dressed, and eat breakfast. Then you’re good to go on a full tummy!

Broccoli Slaw – Perfect Companion To Pulled Pork

January 21, 2009 | Posted by Lorena as Uncategorized at 8:39 am | (1) Comment »

Remember that recipe for Pulled Pork that I posted last time? Here is something that will match it perfectly. For those who cannot eat a meal without a dash of vegetables, this broccoli slaw from Food Network will do the trick.

Ingredients
• 4 slices turkey bacon
• 1 12- to 16-ounce bag shredded broccoli slaw or 1 large bunch broccoli (about 1 1/2 pounds)
• 1/4 cup low-fat or nonfat plain yogurt
• 1/4 cup reduced-fat mayonnaise
• 3 tablespoons cider vinegar
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
• Freshly ground pepper to taste
• 1 8-ounce can low-sodium sliced water chestnuts, rinsed and coarsely chopped
• 1/2 cup finely diced red onion (1/2 medium)

Directions
Cook bacon in a large skillet over medium heat, turning frequently, until crisp, 5 to 8 minutes. (Alternatively, microwave on High for 2 1/2 to 3 minutes.) Drain bacon on paper towels. Chop coarsely.
If using whole broccoli, trim about 3 inches off the stems. Chop the rest into 1/4-inch pieces.

Whisk yogurt, mayonnaise, vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Add water chestnuts, onion, bacon and broccoli; toss to coat. Chill until serving time.

I am thinking of using something else rather than turkey bacon but if you think about it, turkey bacon is perfect because it is quite light. Combined with the pork for the main dish, this slaw should be really light. Have any ideas on how to tweak this?

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