Salads, Soups & Sides | Grin and Bake It!

Written on March 12, 2009 by Kate

I’m planning a St. Patty’s Day get together for next week and it’s all about comfort food – potatoes, ice cream, and neon green martinis. I’m in some serious need of comfort food. Sadly, I was called in to sign for my pink slip at work this week. I’m fortunate that whatever happens, I will still have a job, but if my position isn’t called back it will definitely turn my world upside down for awhile. I won’t go off on a tangent, but will say that education in California is a sad, sad state of affairs - thus, my need for the comforts in life.

When I think comfort, I think cocktails. I plan on shaking up some festive martinis to celebrate this St. Patrick’s Day. I stopped drinking beer after college, so I’ll pass on the green beer. Instead, I’ll be sipping the Mischevious Leprachaun martini that I mixed up for this occasion. My mom isn’t going to love this one; she hates Midori. I think her aversion has something to do with the foreign exchange student, named Midori, who stayed with us when I was little. The girl cried the entire time and I’m afraid gave “Midori” a bad name. This cocktail looks cool and tastes great. I made my own colored sugar by putting some sugar in a small Ziploc, adding a few drops of neon green food coloring, closing the baggie, and mixing it together using my hands.

It’s not every day that I splurge on a potato, but St. Patrick’s Day just screams “potato” to me. I’m putting together a potato bar with plenty of toppings to choose from including butter, sour cream, brocoli, cheese, chilli, chives, green onion, bacon, and salsa. Now that’s comfort food!

For dessert, we’ll be enjoying a green ice cream bar with the exception of the vanilla ice cream for my oh-so-picky boy, everything will be green. Guests can accessorize their mint chip ice cream with with their own combination of green toppings. Sprinkles, gummy bears, m&m’s, and green cherries – it’s going to be a mini candy bufffet table showered in green. If you are ever looking for candy in a particular color, Candy Warehouse allows you to search by color and has a great selection to choose from.

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Drinks, Frozen Treats, Holidays, Martinis, Parties, Recipes, Salads, Soups & Sides

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Written on March 11, 2009 by Kate

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You probably already know that I’m a SuperFood fanatic, which is quite a paradox when you consider my insatiable desire for dessert. I don’t believe in dieting. Giving up carbs or Kendall Jackson would be absolute torture and the minute I say the word diet, I start thinking of all of the things I can’t eat (which only makes me want them even more). It’s all about balance. If I want my favorite jeans to fit, I’ve got to exercise more, eat a better dinner, and still eat the Girl Scout cookies - but only two for dessert (as opposed to the entire box in one sitting!) I found Emeril’s recipe for a mandarin salad and was impressed by the number of super foods he included. This salad is tangy and delicious. The toasted almonds give it a nice crunch. Next time, I might play around and substitute a portion of the sugar for Splenda, but I don’t use that much dressing anyway.

Here’s what you’re giving your body:

Spinach – promotes bone health, brain health, anticancer food, high in omega-3s
Oranges – vitamin C helps prevent wrinkles, the nutrients have anti-inflammatory, antitumor, antiviral, and antiallergenic properties
Almonds -Good source of vitamin E, calcium, and polyphenols
Extra Virgin Olive Oil – protects against chronic degenerative disease, antiinflammatory, promotes good cardiovascular health
Cayenne pepper - promotes cardiovascular and gastrointestinal health, helps with pain relief, and enhances immunity

Isn’t that enough to make you want to try it!

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Written on February 20, 2009 by Kate

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Have you watched any soap operas lately? This Academy Award nominated film has all of the ingredients of a modern soap opera, but takes place in 18th century England. Keira Knightly, who plays Georgiana Spencer, is married off by her family to a rich and powerful Duke. He’s really just looking for a trophy wife to bear him a son. She fails to give him a son, becomes frustrated with her husband’s infidelity, and finds herself falling for a politician. This is definitely the “All My Children” of pre-Victorian life.

I haven’t seen the movie, so I’ll refrain from any further endorsement of it. I will, however, endorse this amazing potato recipe. I don’t eat a lot of potatoes anymore so when I do it’s like eating dessert. Every time my mom makes this recipe, people rave about it. For her mystery dinner party this weekend, The Duchess will surely have the vote of the people.

Twice Baked Cheese Souffle Potatoes

4         large potatoes — scrubbed
1         teaspoon olive oil
1         cup Havarti cheese — grated
  1/4     cup sour cream
  1/4     cup cream
1         egg — separate out yolks
2         tablespoons butter
             salt and pepper to taste
                        CARMALIZED SHALLOTS
1 1/2 cups shallots
2        tablespoons brown sugar
1        teaspoon parsley — chopped
            salt and pepper to taste

Rub 1 teaspoon of olive oil into your hands then rub on potatoes. Bake 400 degrees for 1 hour until fork tender. Cool.

Cut off thin slices from both ends of potatoes and discard. Cut potatoes crosswise and scoop out potatoes leaving 1/4 inch shell to form a cup.

Place potatoes in a greased 9 X 13 dish.

Mix potatoes, cheese, sour cream, egg and cream with fork until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.

Whisk egg white until soft peaks form. Gently fold into potato mixture.

Place mixture in potato shell creating a slight well in the top to hold shallots. (May be made 1 day ahead – cover and chill).

Thinly slice shallots and saute in butter until opaque. Add brown sugar and cook until caramelized. Spoon on top of potatoes and sprinkle parsley over shallots. Bake 350 degrees for 40 minutes.

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Written on February 19, 2009 by Lynda

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The Garden has been nominated for an Oscar in the Best Documentary category. Have you seen this film? The “Garden” refers to the 14-acre community garden in South Central LA that was created after the L.A. riots in ’92. When the land is sold to a wealthy developer, the farmers take on City Hall with their plight.

The movie title made it an obvious choice to name the mystery dinner salad for the Academy Awards party. Kathy Fischer from my ”Gourmet Group” fixed this salad for the Valentine’s Day Party and it’s definitely Oscar worthy!

  4 cups field greens (Santa Barbara Lettuce)
  3  green onions — chopped
4  ounces Gorgonzola cheese
8  ounces bag dried cherries — chopped

VINAGRETTE
2/3        cup sugar
1 1/2     teaspoons dry mustard
1            teaspoon salt
  2/3        cup white vinegar
3            tablespoons apple cider vinegar
4 1/2     teaspoons onions — minced
2            tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1            cup vegetable oil
1            cup spicy nuts

SPICY NUTS
2            cups pecans (unsalted) — chopped
2             cups walnuts (unsalted) — chopped
  2             teaspoons salt
1             teaspoon ground cinnamon
1             teaspoon ground cumin
1            teaspoon fresh ground pepper
  1/2         teaspoon cayenne
1             large egg white
1             cup sugar

In a large salad bowl mix lettuce, Gorgonzola and spicy nuts. Add enough vinnegrette to lightly coat lettuce and toss.

VINEGRETTE: Mix ingredients in bowl and slowly whisk in oil.

SPICY PECANS: Mix salt, cinnamon, cumin, pepper and cayenne in small bowl. Add nuts. In a larger bowl beat egg white until foamy. Add sugar and beat until soft peaks form. Add nuts and coat. Spray 2 15 X 10 jelly roll pans with PAM. Divide nut mixture and place in pans. Bake in 325 degree oven until nuts are golden. Cool. Crumble nuts and place in air tight container. Will keep for 1 month in refrigerator.

Salads, Soups & Sides

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Written on January 28, 2009 by Kate

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I’m not sure if Rachel Ray knows about the cult following that has developed for her french onion soup. This soup is so yummy that my friends and I gave it its own acroynym – F.O.S. Every time I drive out and stay at my best friend’s house there is no discussion, it is just known that the night will include FOS and a couple bottles of Kendall Jackson Chardonnay. It’s possible that a pot of french onion soup that has simmered on the stove for hours may taste a tiny bit better, but there’s a reason why Rachel Ray has become a 30 minute meal empire. This is definitely worth 30 minutes of your time!

French Onion Soup Recipe (Rachel Ray)

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
6 medium onions, thinly sliced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons fresh thyme, picked and chopped or poultry seasoning
1 bay leaf, fresh or dried
1/2 cup dry sherry
6 cups beef stock
4 thick slices crusty bread, toasted
2 1/2 cups shredded Gruyere or Swiss cheese

Heat a deep pot over medium to medium high heat. Work next to the stove to slice onions. Add oil and butter to the pot. Add onions to the pot as you slice them. When all the onions are in the pot, season with salt and pepper and 1 teaspoon fresh thyme. Cook onions 15 to 18 minutes, stirring frequently, until tender, sweet and caramel colored. Add bay leaf and sherry to the pot and deglaze the pan drippings. Add 6 cups stock and cover pot to bring soup up to a quick boil.

Arrange 4 small, deep soup bowls or crocks on a cookie sheet. Preheat broiler to high. Once soup reaches a boil, ladle it into bowls. Float toasted crusty bread on soup and cover each bowl with a mound of cheese. Sprinkle remaining fresh thyme on cheese and place cookie sheet with soup bowls on it under hot broiler until cheese melts and bubbles.

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Written on January 16, 2009 by Lynda

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By now you probably know if there is an event there is a party. Up front I admit I voted for John McCain. If you read any of his books you realize he is an amazing man. So with that said, like so many other Americans, I wish only the best for our new President.

This country has come a long way. At the age of five my family drove from St. Louis to Daytona Beach, Florida. We stopped at a filling station for gas and a drink of water and I’ll never forget turning on the water fountain marked “COLORED” and yelling out, “Hey, this is NOT colored water.” That was my first taste of racism.

In honor of Martin Luther King’s Birthday on the 19th, President Obama’s Inauguration on the 20th, which is also the 200th birthday of Abraham Lincoln, and Black History Month, my party menu is a tribute to my personal favorites.

COCKTAILS: Obamatini

Oprah Winefree (We all know she’s dieting again))

Maya Anjello Shooters

APPETIZER: Martin Luther King Crab Cakes

SALAD: Mean Joe Greens (I don’t actually know who he is but I couldn’t think of anyone else for salad.

BREAD: Stevie Wonder Bread

VEGETABLE: Condaleezza Rice

MAIN COURSE: Tiger Woods Prawns

DESSERT: Barry White Chocolate Mousse with Halle Berry Coulis

So get out the 4th of July martini glasses and the patriotic decorations and give a toast to the greatest country on the face of the earth and to our new president. And then bring on the karoke.

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Appetizer, Breads, Other, Parties, Recipes, Salads, Soups & Sides

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Written on November 11, 2008 by Lynda

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Remember the left-over Mandarin oranges from the Madagascar Martini–the ones soaked in vodka to simulate Mandarin vodka? Don’t throw them away! They are yummy in the following salad:

Mandarin Orange Poppy Seed Salad (Serves 8 )

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon dry mustard

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 medium onion, grated or 2 tablespoons onion juice (in spice section of grocery)

1/2 cup salad oil

3 tablespoons cider vinegar

1 teaspoon poppy seeds

2 heads red and green lettuce, torn into bite-size pieces.

1 small avacado, diced

1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced

1small can Mandarin oranges

Mix the first six ingredients in a blender. Stir in poppy seeds. Dressing will keep for weeks covered in refrigerator.

Add lettuce, onion, oranges and avacado to salad bowl and toss with blended dressing.

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Written on November 3, 2008 by Kate

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I’ve always been impressed by cooks who mix ingredients together without recipes, without any measuring, yet somehow they always end up with an amazing dish. They make it all look so easy. The “add this and a little of that” method just does not work well for me. I require more direction in my life.

I cheered when I got my first GPS (which, by the way, still can’t stop me from getting lost.) There are daily schedules and to-do lists in my office, my organizer, and on the refrigerator just to keep me on track. And I often rely on my son who likes to remind me of the upcoming activities. Just like in my daily life, recipes provide me with the direction I need.

This past weekend, I asked for two recipes from two different people who both told me that they didn’t have them written down. That doesn’t help me or the readers Ladies! My girlfriend Dana makes an amazing chili. I’ll have to work on getting her to write that one down. My mom, the Queen of Spontaneity, makes this bean recipe that I swear gets more “Oohs” and “Ahhs” than most of the gourmet meals she serves. I don’t know what it is about these beans, but people go crazy for them and they’re great to serve for a large number of people. They’re almost a meal in itself. I dug through my recipes today and found what I thought was her bean recipe. When I read it back to her, she couldn’t believe how much it had evolved over the last few years. I madly took notes and questioned her about the quantities, as she rattled off the ingredients over the phone. Here’s the basic recipe and I’m betting if you’re one of those spontaneous people, if you add a little more of this and a little less of that, it will still make for a happy crowd.

Lynda’s Beans With Some of This and a Little of That

1 lb. bacon, cut into pieces

1 onion chopped, coarse

1 lb. ground beef

1 can red kidney beans

3 cans pork and beans

1 can butter beans, drained

1 c. brown sugar

1/2 c. ketchup

1/2 c. barbeque sauce

1 tbsp. prepared mustard

1/2 tsp. salt

2 tbsp. molasses

1 tsp. ground black pepper

2 tbsp. chilli powder

Directions: Fry bacon, drain, crumble and put aside. Add chopped onion and ground beef to the bacon grease and brown the beef. Drain the ground beef well. Add the beef and onion and remaining ingredients to a crockpot and stir well. Cover and bake on low for 4-6 hours.

Entrees, Recipes, Salads, Soups & Sides

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