Easter Sunday

For this weekend Kz and me went to Fort Dodge to visit family. Instead of cooking on this Sunday it was church, brunch at the club then 18 holes of golf. We went out for supper and it was an all around great day.

See you all next Sunday for another edition of Sunday Supper!

Shrimp and Windex

Tonight's edition of Sunday Supper is going to include a few more guests. 9 total including Kz and myself, should be a great evening. Kz chose tonight's menu and also wanted to make dessert. She has decided cooking is not her cup of tea so she is going to try baking. She found a recipe in House Beautiful for a Goat Cheesecake with strawberry topping courtesy of Tyler Florence ( one of our favorites) and it looked easy enough.

Kz was following the directions, had everything mixed, stirred and looking good. She put the cheesecake in the oven and as she was looking at the counter noticed there was still an unused cup of sugar. Looking back at the recipe instructions, it called for a cup of sugar but never mentioned adding it. So we pulled the cake out of the oven (after it had baked for about half the time), scooped the filling back into a bowl and whisked in the sugar. Back into the oven it went and we think we saved it. Only time will tell.

menu:

Fantastic Caesar Salad

Baked Shrimp Scampi
Peppery Pasta
Goat Cheesecake with Strawberry Topping

With the menu in place all systems were go for a great evening!

Fantastic Caesar Salad - courtesy of Johnny Yoga
Ingredients:

romaine lettuce

croutons

Parmesan cheese

Caesar dressing

directions:

add all ingredients in a large bowl

and mix well







Baked Shrimp Scampi

Ingredients
2 pounds (12 to 15 per pound) shrimp in the shell
3 tablespoons good olive oil
2 tablespoons dry white wine
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
4 teaspoons minced garlic (4 cloves)
1/4 cup minced shallots
3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 extra-large egg yolk
2/3 cup panko (Japanese dried bread flakes)
Lemon wedges, for serving

Directions
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Peel, devein, and butterfly the shrimp, leaving the tails on.
Place the shrimp in a mixing bowl and toss gently with the olive oil,
wine, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper.
Allow to sit at room temperature while you make the butter and garlic mixture.

In a small bowl, mash the softened butter with the garlic,
shallots, parsley, rosemary, red pepper flakes, lemon zest, lemon juice,
egg yolk, panko, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper until combined.

Starting from the outer edge of a 14-inch oval gratin dish,
 arrange the shrimp in a single layer cut side down with the
tails curling up and towards the center of the dish. Pour the
remaining marinade over the shrimp. Spread the butter mixture
evenly over the shrimp. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until hot and bubbly.
If you like the top browned, place under a broiler for 1 minute.
Serve with lemon wedges

Peppery Pasta

Ingredients
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon freshly ground coarse pepper
Salt
1 pound angel hair pasta
1 lemon, zested
3 ounces manchego or Parmesan, finely grated

Directions
In a large straight-sided saute pan over medium heat,
add the olive oil, pepper and a pinch of salt. Heat and
toast the pepper until the oil is fragrant with the pepper scent,
3 to 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling, salted water,
cook the pasta until al dente, 2 to 3 minutes. Drain
in a colander and allow the moisture to evaporate from
the pasta for a couple of minutes.

Add the pasta to the pan with the olive oil, raise the
heat to medium-high and continuously toss the pasta with
tongs to coat with the olive oil and pepper. Remove from
the heat, add the lemon zest and cheese, toss and then
transfer to a serving bowl and serve.

Goat Cheesecake with Strawberry Topping
ingredients
crust

10 oz graham crackers
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 stick unsalted butter, melted

filling
4 oz cream cheese, room temp
4 oz goat cheese, room temp
1 pint sour cream, room temp
3 eggs, room temp
1 cup sugar
zest and juice of 1 lemon
1/2 tsp vanilla

topping
6 oz fresh strawberries, halved
1/4 cup sugar
juice of 2 lemons

2 oz Grand Marnier

(Kz used orange juice instead)

1/2 cup fresh basil

2 Tbs frozen crumbled goat cheese

directions

preheat oven to 325 degrees

heat 6 cups water just to boiling, set aside

crust - combine all ingredients in food processor and process until

evenly moistened. Wrap outside of 9" spring form pan tightly with foil. Press mixture into pan to 1/4 inch thickness and smooth with juice glass. Chill uncovered until ready to use.

filling- combine all ingredients in food processor and mix until smooth.

Note: this is where the instructions in the magazine forgot to mention adding the one cup of sugar and caused the mini drama.

Pour mixture into prepared pan.

Place the pan in the center of a large roasting pan. Pour hot water into roasting to 1 1/2 inch depth around pan. Put pan on center rack of oven and bake for 45 minutes. The cheesecake should be firm at the edges but still jiggle in the middle. Remove pan from oven and cool in pan for 45 minutes. Then chill uncovered until ready to serve.

topping - In large sauce pan combine all ingredients. Cook over medium heat, 5 - 7 minutes. Remove strawberries and continue to cook syrup for 3 - 5 minutes or until reduced by half. Remove pan from heat and let cool.

Spoon the strawberries and syrup liberally over the chilled cheesecake.

Served garnished with basil and frozen goat cheese.

And that's it! Now it is time to enjoy the food and conversation with our friends.

And one final note on tonight's festivities.a couple of our friends were travelling back from Wisconsin on Sunday and realized once they got back to Minnesota they did not have any beer to bring over for the night. (and of course if you live in Minnesota you know the liquor stores are closed on Sunday) So knowing how much Kz enjoys cleaning the island and how much she LOVES the Windex with vinegar, they brought a couple bottles of that along. Awesome! We have such great friends!!!!

Enjoy and see you all next week!

Plan B

     When I got up and walked the dog this morning, I could not help but notice how warm it was! Did not really need the jacket and it was only 7:30 in the morning. This can only mean one thing - Grilling! We love to grill out but have not done much with our never ending winter. Don't get me wrong, I have grilled in snow and cold, but it is so much better to grill when the temp is above 50 or 60. Kz and I put together a simple menu for grilling - filet mignon, asparagus and baked potatoes. This was going to be tasty!

     As we were sitting around watching the Masters, the house seemed to be getting much cooler. I went outside to check things out and wouldn't you know it, the wind was now blowing about 25 mph and the temp had dropped about 20 degrees. Charcoal grill + wind + cold just do not mix. Since we had already been to the store we kept the same menu, just had to change the cooking method. Plus I added chocolate cupcakes to the menu. I was watching Food Network and there was a 30 second spot with Ina Garten making cupcakes that looked really good. Now, if i can just remember all the ingredients........

     No salad tonight so Johnny brought over shrimp cocktail to get the night started.

menu:
pan seared filet mignon
roasted asparagus
baked potatoes
chocolate cupcakes


pan seared filet mignon
ingredients:
6 oz filets
salt
pepper
vegetable oil

directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Let the meat sit at room temperature for
30 minutes before cooking.

Brush the filets with vegetable oil.

Normally I use olive oil when cooking but for this the

vegetable oil performs better when searing over a high heat.

Mix salt and pepper in a bowl and roll filets in mixture. This will give an even coating on the filets. Heat a cast iron skillet over medium high heat. When the pan is good and hot add the filets and brown on all sides, 2 minutes per side. Put pan in oven and cook for 6-8 minutes for medium rare, 8-10 minutes for medium. Adjust times for desired doneness. Remove from oven, place on a platter and cover tightly with foil. Let rest 10 minutes before slicing.

Note: if cooking past medium you might as

 well save some money and have a hamburger:)

  roasted asparagus

ingredients:

asparagus

olive oil

salt

pepper

lemon juice

directions

Cover a baking sheet with foil. Spread asparagus over pan.

Squeeze juice from half a lemon over asparagus

Drizzle olive oil and season with salt and pepper

Roast in 400 degree oven for ten minutes. Serve hot.



baked potatoes

ingredients

baking potatoes

vegetable oil

salt

pepper

sour cream

directions

Wash and dry potatoes. Brush with vegetable oil

and poke holes in each potato with fork. Cook in microwave for

12 minutes (this was enough time for 3 potatoes)

Let rest a few minutes before serving. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Top with butter and sour cream.

Put it all together and enjoy. I came to find out

this is how Kz actually prefers her filet to be cooked.

We also had some wild mushrooms sauteed in red wine

to go with the filet.

Now time for the dessert.....

chocolate cupcakes

ingredients

1 stick butter, room temperature

1 cup sugar

4 eggs

1 can Hershey's chocolate syrup

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup flour

Directions

preheat oven to 350 degrees

cream butter and sugar in mixer

add eggs and mix well

add vanilla and Hershey's syrup while continuing to mix

add flour and mix until batter is smooth

pour into cupcake pans

bake on middle rack for 30 minutes or until toothpick in center comes out clean. Cool on wire racks.

We served these with ice cream and fresh sliced strawberries. Excellent!               

See you all next week!

Swedish Fish

Sunday, Sunday, it is always nice to kick off the week with with good food and good friends. For tonight I was thinking of Sunday Pot Roast with Mushroom Gravy and Loaded Mashed Potatoes and ran the idea by K. Well I got the 'look' and could tell she was not thrilled with the idea. (Being married for 20+ years, I have learned about the 'look'). K was thinking something a little fresher and springlike. Although there is still some snow on the ground and the high today is only going to be around 50, that is a true Minnesota spring day.

K suggested Sweet Pea Risotto and Pork Loin. That did sound fresh and I was down with the idea. We heard from Johnny Mailbox and told him to bring a springy salad.

You may be wondering about the title "Swedish Fish". Well when Johnny came strolling in not only did he have the fixings for the salad but also a tub a Swedish Fish. One of K's favorites!!

Here is the menu:

Strawberry Fields Forever Salad

Sweet Pea Risotto

Herb Crusted Pork Loin

Strawberry Fields Forever Salad

Ingredients

feta cheese

slivered almonds, toasted

fresh strawberries

baby spinach

poppy seed dressing

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Put slivered almonds in a heat proof skillet and cook in oven for 10 - 15 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool. Add all ingredients to large bowl. Toss with dressing.

Sweet Pea Risotto

Ingredients
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
2 cups Arborio rice
1 cup dry white wine
4 cups vegetable or chicken broth
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan
kosher salt and black pepper
2 1/2 cups frozen peas, thawed

Directions
Heat the butter and oil in a large skillet or saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté until translucent, 3 to 4 minutes.
Add the rice and stir until coated. Add the wine and stir until all the liquid is absorbed. Add 1 cup of the broth and cook until absorbed, stirring occasionally.
Add the remaining broth ½ cup at a time, waiting until each portion is absorbed before adding the next. Continue until the rice is cooked al dente, about 35 minutes. Stir in the Parmesan, 1 teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper.
Meanwhile, puree 2 cups of peas in a blender or food processor.
Before serving, stir the peas into the rice until fully incorporated, then fold in remaining whole peas.

Herb Crusted Pork Loin

Ingredients
                                                                 1 (4-pound) boneless pork loin, with fat left on

1 tablespoon salt

2 tablespoons olive oil

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon dried basil

Directions
Preheat oven to 475 degrees F.

Place the pork loin on a rack in a roasting pan. Combine the remaining ingredients in a small bowl. With your fingers, massage the mixture onto the pork loin, covering all of the meat and fat.

Roast the pork for 30 minutes, then reduce the heat to 425 degrees F and roast for an additional hour. Test for doneness using an instant-read thermometer. When the internal temperature reaches 155 degrees F, remove the roast from the oven. Allow it to sit for about 20 minutes before carving. It will continue to cook while it rests

Now that all the cooking is done, and a few samples have been tasted, it is time to plate up and dig in.

Until next week. Cheers!

Coq au Vin

This meal was definitely family inspired. I remember going to Grandma VR's house as a kid for dinner on Sunday. It was always a tasty home cooked meal which usually included pie for dessert! One of my favorites was Grandmas chicken, served with mashed potatoes and corn. And the gravy -  mmmmmmm good!

Well I did not have Grandmas chicken recipe handy so I searched for something else. I found the Coq au Vin ( chicken, onions and mushrooms braised in red wine and seasonings) recipe on the website simplyrecipes.com and it sounded tasty. For the potatoes I turned to my mom. Last year when I was home visiting she made some oven roasted potatoes that were delicious. I gave her a call and the recipe was emailed in minutes. Thanks mom!

No meal is complete without a tasty salad, so you guessed it - Johnny Yoga! Johnny brought the salad along with a bottle of 1998 Caliterra. A Cabernet Sauvignon from Chile. Excelente!

Enjoy!

Raspberry Salad
ingredients
baby spinach
walnuts

Gorgonzola cheese

raspberries

raspberry vinaigrette

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl and toss with dressing. Serve on chilled plates









Coq au Vin
 Ingredients
1/2 lb bacon slices
20 pearl onions, peeled, or 1 large yellow onion, sliced
3 lbs chicken thighs and legs, excess fat trimmed, skin ON
6 garlic cloves, peeled
Salt and pepper to taste
2 cups chicken stock
2 cups red wine (pinot noir, burgundy, or zinfandel)
2 bay leaves
Several fresh thyme sprigs
Several fresh parsley sprigs
1/2 lb button mushrooms, trimmed and roughly chopped
2 Tbsp butter
Chopped fresh parsley for garnish

Method
Blanch the bacon to remove some of its saltiness. Drop the bacon into a saucepan of cold water, covered by a couple of inches. Bring to a boil, simmer for 5 minutes, drain. Rinse in cold water, pat dry with paper towels. Cut the bacon into 1 inch by 1/4 inch pieces.

Brown bacon on medium high heat in a dutch oven big enough to hold the chicken, about 10 minutes. Remove the cooked bacon, set aside. Keep the bacon fat in the pan. Working in batches if necessary, add onions and chicken, skin side down. Brown the chicken well, on all sides, about 10 minutes. Halfway through the browning, add the garlic and sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper. (Note: it is best to add salt while cooking, not just at the very end. It brings out the flavor of the chicken.)

Spoon off any excess fat. Add the chicken stock, wine, and herbs. Add back the bacon. Lower heat to a simmer. Cover and cook for 20 minutes, or until chicken is tender and cooked through. Remove chicken and onions to a separate platter. Remove the bay leaves, herb sprigs, garlic, and discard.

 Add mushrooms to the remaining liquid and turn the heat to high. Boil quickly and reduce the liquid by three fourths until it becomes thick and saucy. Lower the heat, stir in the butter. Return the chicken and onions to the pan to reheat and coat with sauce. Adjust seasoning. Garnish with parsley and serve.

Oven Roasted Potatoes

INGREDIENTS:

1/8 cup olive oil                                

½ teaspoon dried oregano

1 tablespoon minced garlic         

½ teaspoon dried parsley

½ teaspoon dried basil                  

½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

½ teaspoon dried marjoram       

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon dried dill weed        

½ teaspoon dried thyme

4 large potatoes cut in large chunks (I use red potatoes and leave the skins on)

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 475 degrees.

In a large bowl, combine oil, garlic, basil, marjoram, dill weed, thyme, oregano, parsley, red pepper flakes, and salt.  Stir in potatoes until evenly coated.  Place potatoes in a single layer on a roasting pan or baking sheet.

Roast for 20 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, turning occasionally to brown on all sides.

Put it all together on a big platter, dig in and enjoy.

See you all next Sunday. Cheers!

Back to Basics

After an excellent March Birthday celebration, we went back to basics for a comforting Sunday Supper. Tonight we had a few of the March celebrants over for a more relaxing supper to end the weekend. K was paging through her House Beautiful and found a recipe for Killer Mac and Cheese. Perfect for winding down the weekend. Johnny Yoga was once again in charge of the salad and he did not disappoint!

Menu
pickled beet salad
killer mac and cheese
a side of leftover meatballs
crispy croutons (furnished by Rindy)

pickled beet salad
ingredients:
organic romaine lettuce
pickled beets

feta cheese

cherry tomatoes

hard boiled eggs

red onion

raspberry vinaigrette

Add ingredients to large bowl and mix well

A Killer Mac 'N' Cheese
courtesy of Jamie Oliver

ingredients:

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons butter
3 heaping tablespoons all-purpose flour
10 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
6 fresh bay leaves
1 quart reduced-fat (2 percent) milk
4 cups elbow macaroni
8 tomatoes

1 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
A few springs of fresh thyme, leaves picked
Optional: a couple of splashes of Worcestershire sauce, such as Lea & Perrins
Optional: a grating of nutmeg
3 big handfuls of fresh bread crumbs
Olive oil

Get a large saucepan of salted water on to boil. Melt the butter in a large ovenproof saucepan, or Dutch oven, over a low heat, then add the flour and turn the heat up to medium, stirring all the time, until you get a paste — this is your roux. Add all the sliced garlic — don't worry about the amount, because each slice will caramelize like toffee in the roux. Keep cooking and stirring until golden and the garlic is nice and sticky. Add the bay leaves and slowly whisk in the milk a little at a time to ensure you get a nice smooth sauce. Bring the mixture to a boil, then leave on a low heat to simmer and tick away, stirring occasionally. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees Farenheit.

Add the pasta to the pan of boiling salted water and cook following the package instructions. Meanwhile, roughly chop the tomatoes on a board and season them well with salt and pepper. Drain the pasta and add it immediately to the sauce. Give it a good stir and take the pan off the heat. Stir in your grated cheese, chopped tomatoes, and some of the thyme leaves. A little Worcestershire sauce added now is nice, so is a little grating or two of nutmeg. Now work on the flavor — taste it and season it until it's hitting the right spot. You want it to be slightly too wet because it will thicken up again in the oven, so add a splash of water if needed.

If you've made your sauce in a Dutch oven, leave everything in there; if not, transfer it to a deep earthenware dish. Bake it for 30 minutes in the oven, until golden, bubbling, crispy, and delicious.

While it's cooking, put your bread crumbs and remaining thyme into a frying pan with a few drizzles of olive oil over a medium heat. Stir and toss the crumbs around until crunchy and golden all over. Remove from the heat and tip into a nice bowl. Serve your macaroni and cheese in the center of the table, with your bowl of crispy bread crumbs for sprinkling over.

Grab a plate and dig in!

That's Amore! Sunday Supper - Special Edition

With March comes March Madness, Spring and of course March Birthdays.You may be asking yourself, March Birthdays?? I have never heard of that. Well this tradition came about as we became close friends with our next door neighbors - Steve, Cindy and the girls.. Not only is K's birthday in March but so is Steve's and the 2 girls, as well as our friend Johnny Yoga. It started with a nice dinner followed by cake and ice cream. It has evolved over the years and the guest list has grown.

Last night was a big night with Johnny turning 40! Our friend Beth suggested an 'Italian Bistro' theme.We loved the idea and K ( the party planner) ran with it. After trips to a few Goodwill's and various 2nd hand stores we were able to get some excellent items for the party. We were having 15 guests plus K and me. Our biggest sit down dinner to date. Our house is not that large so we had to move some furniture, borrow some chairs and a card table to accommodate everyone.

Our living room was transformed into the Bistro we envisioned:

We decided on the following menu:

antipasti platter
Caesar salad
garlic bread
spaghetti and meatballs
birthday cake w/ice cream
pots de creme

A couple of neighbors volunteered to make the salad, the bread, and bring the birthday cake. This left the spaghetti, meatballs and antipasti platter for me and K. With a party this big we needed good planning and execution to pull it off.

Wednesday -
Marinara sauce
Friday -
meatballs
roasted peppers

The roasted peppers (prepared by K) turned out to be a bit harder then expected. The recipe was "easy" according to the directions. After roasting, K had a tough time peeling off the skin. So back into the broiler to roast a bit more. She had a little more success the 2nd time but she decided to leave the cooking to me in the future and stick with the planning and decorating. In K's words "This is stupid".

On Saturday we put the antipasti platter together, finished the set up and decorations and put the sauce on the stove to heat up. This was 3 1/2 hours until serving time. As we looked at the pot of sauce, panic set in and we were sure we would not have enough. I Googled 'how much sauce per person' and the results were grim. We might run short so K made the call - More Sauce!!
Now the sauce needs to cook for 2 1/2 - 3 hours so we had not time to spare. Working together we chopped, minced and sauteed and got the pot on the stove in record time. In the end it was one of the 'Best Parties Ever' and we are looking forward to November Birthdays!

Enjoy!

antipasti platter
ingredients:
assorted meats -
manchego cheese
roasted pepper salad with kalamata olives
olives
bagette

meatballs
ingredients:

Extra-virgin olive oil
1 large onion, 1/4-inch dice
Salt
2 cloves garlic, smashed and chopped
Pinch crushed red pepper
1/2 pound ground beef
1/2 pound ground veal
1/2 pound ground pork
2 large eggs
1 cup grated Parmigiano
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
1 cup breadcrumbs
1/2 cup water

Directions
Coat a large saute pan with olive oil, add the onions and bring to a medium-high heat. Season the onions generously with salt and cook for about 5 to 7 minutes. The onions should be very soft and aromatic but have no color. Add the garlic and the crushed red pepper and saute for another 1 to 2 minutes. Turn off heat and allow to cool.

In a large bowl combine the meats, eggs, Parmigiano, parsley and bread crumbs. It works well to squish the mixture with your hands. Add the onion mixture and season generously with salt and squish some more. Add the water and do 1 final really good squish. The mixture should be quite wet. Test the seasoning of the mix by making a mini hamburger size patty and cooking it. The mixture should taste really good! If it doesn't it is probably missing salt. Add more. Add more anyway.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Shape the meat into desired size. Some people like 'em big some people like 'em small. I prefer meatballs slightly larger than a golf ball. Coat a large saute pan with olive oil and bring to a medium-high heat. Brown the meatballs on all sides. Place them on a cookie sheet and bake them in the preheated oven for about 15 minutes or until the meatballs are cooked all the way through. If using right away, add them to your big pot of marinara sauce. If not using right away, they can be frozen for later use. Serve with pasta and sauce or just eat them straight out of the pot! YUM!

marinara sauce

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 pound diced pancetta
2 large Spanish onions, cut into 1/4-inch dice
Kosher salt
4 large garlic cloves, smashed and chopped
4 (28-ounce) cans Italian plum San Marzano tomatoes
Coat a large saucepot with olive oil and add the pancetta. Bring the pot to a medium-high heat and cook the pancetta for 4 to 5 minutes. Add the onions, season generously with salt and stir to coat with olive oil.

Cook the onions for 6 to 7 minutes stirring frequently. The onions should become very soft and aromatic but have no color. Add the garlic and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes stirring frequently.

Pass the tomatoes through the food mill. Be sure to pass all of the pulp through the holes leaving only the stems and the seeds, and be sure to scrape the pulp off of the bottom of the food mill. That's all of the big money stuff! Add the tomatoes to the pot and rinse out 1 of the empty tomato cans with water and add that water to the pot (about 2 to 3 cups). Season generously with salt and TASTE IT!!!! Tomatoes take a lot of salt. Season in baby steps and taste every step of the way. Cook the sauce for 2 to 3 hours, stirring occasionally and tasting frequently.

Fun had by all!