Tina’s Romantic Meal
February 23, 2010
Last night my husband asked me on a date. I was very excited; dinner without the kids! It was a very busy weekend and we thought we would take advantage of everyone working Sunday evening. As it turns out we were getting ready to leave and we found one of the kids still home. Parental guilt set in so we brought him with us. It would have been cheaper to pay a counselor to deal with the guilt. We went to Glory Days in Frederick. The service and food are always great. We walked in and got seated immediately. We were seated next to a long table of women. After a closer look, the women were from Thurmont. One of the women leaned over and I thought she was going to say hi. Instead she said, “You said in your article that you were going to cook for your family on Sundays. This doesn’t look like cooking to me.” I was BUSTED!! My face turned a dozen shades of red. My hand was in the cookie jar for all to see. I had to think fast! Then it dawned on me.. I had an excuse.. I had no family to cook for. If it wasn’t for Brandon’s plans falling through I would have been childless. I learned a valuable lesson. Don’t put something in print if you don’t intend to live up to it.
One of many of the interesting things that happen when you write a column is different organizations send you requests to try or promote their products. Some are wonderful others, not so much. The Sidney Frank Importing Company, Inc, sent me some very creative ideas. They sell many different liqueurs and shot brand products. It’s been a few months since I have included an adult beverage in the column so this month I’m going to share some of the recipes that they sent me.
Tenderloin Steaks with Creamy Sauce
1tbsp olive oil
2 beef tenderloin steaks, 4 to 6 ounces each
salt and pepper
3 tbsp bourbon or good quality brandy
2 small cloves of garlic, minced
1 tsp assorted multicolored peppercorns, crushed
¼ tsp dried leaf oregano
¼ tsp dried leaf basil
1/8 tsp salt
2/3 cup whipping cream
1 ½ tbsp sour cream
hot cooked rice or baked potatoes
Preparation:
Heat olive oil in a medium skillet over high heat until hot. Sprinkle tenderloin steaks with salt and pepper. Sear tenderloin steaks on both sides in skillet. Remove from skillet, and place on rack in a broiler pan. Broil 4 to 5 inches from heat (leave door just a bit ajar) 4 to 6 minutes on each side or until meat thermometer registers 140 for rare or 150 for medium rare and 160 for medium.
Add bourbon to drippings in skillet; bring to a boil over medium heat and deglaze pan, scraping browned bits that cling to bottom. Add minced garlic, peppercorns, basil, oregano, and salt; cook 1 minute. Add whipping cream; bring to a boil and cook 6 to 7 minutes or until sauce is reduced by half. Remove from heat; whisk in sour cream and spoon sauce over steaks. Serve with rice or baked potatoes.
Hot Honey Crisp
2 1/2 cups hot water
3 oz Barenjager Honey Liqueur
2 oz Jacques Cardin Apple Cognac
Garnish w/ Cinnamon Stick and Whipped Cream
Makes 2
Tommy’s Tini
2 ½ part Tommy Bahama White Sand Rum
¾ part orange liqueur
¾ part sour mix
¾ part raspberry liqueur sinker
Sugar in the raw
Mix rum, orange liqueur and sour mix. Shake 20 times. Pour into a “sugar in the raw” rimmed martini glass. Slowly pour in raspberry liqueur so that it sinks to the bottom of the glass. Garnish with lime twist.
Tasty Tips from Tina
January 27, 2010
One of my New Year’s resolutions was to start cooking big meals again on Sundays. Considering I haven’t been back to the gym, religiously done two loads of laundry a day, given myself more time in the morning so I’m not so stressed on my way to work and become an overall kinder person I figured the least I can do is cook a good meal once a week.
Since there’s only been three Sunday’s so far it hasn’t been much of a streak. I enjoy preparing the menu, which is like trying to solve the Rubic’s Cube. This one doesn’t like this but the other two do. Kid A likes that but without mushrooms and Girlfriend B doesn’t like it at all. Husband A is fairly easy to please when it comes to dinners. I think he’s afraid to mess with me after I get all the colors lined up.
Dessert is the easiest part. Almost anything goes. This week I made “Dirt” which is nothing more than pudding and whipped cream combined and layered with crushed Oreos. I even used the truffle bowl for effect, fancy schmancy. My boys were teasing me because I put the little gummy worms in it but by the time they were done digging for them the poor dessert actually looked like the dirt from the front yard. So much for ambiance.
The best part of the meal was the visits I got from the family during the preparation. The kisses and hugs I got as they looked over my shoulder to see how much longer it was going to be. It dawned on me these days are numbered. In the midst of our busy lives they grew up. So if I don’t get to the gym and laundry doesn’t get done everyday oh well, but Sunday dinner is one resolution I plan on keeping.
This recipe came to me from a very old and dear friend.. His wife is one of the lucky women whose husband does most of the cooking.
Sea Food Bisque
2 tbsp olive oil
3 cups coarsely chopped sweet red peppers. {3 large}
3 green onions, shopped
1 cup coarsely chopped celery, {3 ribs of celery}
2/3 cups of chopped carrots {2 carrots}
1/2 cup coarsely chopped red onion
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp. Dried tarragon leaves
1/8 tsp ground red pepper
4 cups coarsely chopped tomatoes {4 tomatoes}
1 1/2 cups whipping cream
1 cup dry sherry
1/2 tsp lemon juice
1/2 pound lumped crab meat
shrimp or langostinos {if you want thicker soup}
In a 6-quart saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add next 8 ingredients, cook stirring occasionally until vegetables are tender. Add tomatoes, stir until well blended. Stir in cream and sherry. Reduce heat to low and and simmer 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Stir in lemon juice and seafood and simmer 10 minutes or longer if seafood is frozen. Serve warm.
Anytime I go to an Italian restaurant I look for this on the menu. Turns out it is so easy to make.
Chicken Marsala
1/4 cup all-purpose flour for coating
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp dried oregano
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - pounded 1/4 inch thick
4 tbsp butter
4 tbsp olive oil
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup Marsala wine
1/4 cup cooking sherry
1. In a shallow dish or bowl, mix together the flour, salt, pepper and oregano. Coat chicken pieces in flour mixture
2. In large skillet, melt butter in oil over medium heat. Place chicken in the pan, and lightly brown. Turn over chicken pieces and add mushrooms. Pour in wine and sherry. Cover skillet. Simmer chicken 10 minutes, turning once until no longer pink and juices run clear.
Fall Tasty Tips from Tina
October 27, 2009
When I was growing up I have great memories of visiting the relatives around the holidays. You would never go empty handed. You knew that on Thanksgiving you were going to get a container of lupines from Uncle Vince. Not until I got older did it finally dawn on me that my family really didn’t like lupines but because Uncle Vince did, he brought them. Lupines come in a clear jar. They look like a large yellow kidney bean but harder and have a clear skin over them. You would take a couple of lupines, pop them out of the skin, salt the bean and eat them. The best part of eating a lupine was popping it out of its shell. The worst part of eating a lupine.. was eating a lupine, but heaven forbid the grownups would let you enjoy yourself and shoot the little buggers at your cousins. I also remember my Grandmother’s bracciole. Bracciole is, for lack of a better term, stuffed steak. Awesome! You know how most normal grandma’s make banana bread and share it, not my Italian grandma. Angeline would make bracciole and bring it to people. There was the Justice of the Peace, Mr. Jappalucci and of course, Mr. Graziano, the funeral director. She pretty much had an “in” with some of the more “influential” people in the community. No wonder. Her braccioli was something special.
Bracciole
1 1/2 lbs top round steak
2 tblsp. parsley
2 cloves garlic minced
1/2 loaf Italian bread hardened and soaked [run under water then squeeze the water out] [pull into little pieces]
2 tblsp. parmesan cheese
1 lb bacon diced
1 tsp. salt
1 tblsp. course ground pepper
3 tblsp. olive oil
3 tblsp. butter
2 cans tomato sauce
Cut steak into 4 to 6 pieces. Pound the steak thinly to about 1/4 in thick and rub with pepper. Mix the parsley, garlic, cheese and diced bacon. Add the bread. Mix well. Spread bread mixture evenly on meat. Roll up meat and tie with string. In a large skillet heat oil and butter. Brown meat for about 10 minutes. Add tomato sauce, cover and cook on med/low heat for about 45 minutes to an hour until tender.
Italian Green Beans
Fresh or frozen beans
1/2 stick butter
2 cloves garlic minced
Parmesan cheese
In medium skillet melt butter and add garlic. Add the green beans and cook until tender. Remove and sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Serve hot.
What to do with all the delicious apples?
Cheddar-Apple Bundles
Ingredients:
½ cup packed brown sugar
½ cup chopped pecans
2 cups all purpose flour
2 cups white shredded cheddar cheese
1 Tbsp granulated sugar
½ cup butter, cut up
6-8 Tbsp. cold water
2 medium Granny Smith or Jonathan apples
(Peeled, cored & chopped)
2 Tbsp. apricot preserves
Prep:
1. Combine brown sugar & pecans, set aside. In processor combine flour, ½ cup of the cheese, granulated sugar and ¼ teaspoon salt; cover & process with several on/offs turns until size of small peas. With processor running slowly add water to make dough come together in a ball. Gently knead until smooth.
2. 2. Preheat oven to 400º. Divide dough in 8 pieces. For each bundle, (on floured surface) roll dough in 8-inch circle. Place 3 tablespoons cheese & ¼ cup apple in center. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon nut mixture. Bring dough edged and press together to seal; sealed sides up. Place on parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake 20-25 minutes or until pastry is golden. Spoon preserve on each bundle. Cool 20 minutes. Serve warm (From: Betty Crocker prize fall recipe)
Tasty Tips from Tina - June 2009
May 28, 2009
I am so excited about this recipe. It’s called City Chicken. The best part of City Chicken is there’s no chicken. Yep, you read that right. No chicken. This comes from the “Burg”. That’s Pittsburgh for those of you who have either “A”, never read my column or “B”, never heard me talk. When I was pregnant with my oldest I craved this in the worst way. I can remember walking into Giants and seeing a sign for City Chicken. It was the first time I had ever seen it advertised outside of the Pittsburgh area. I literally ran (wobbled) up to the meat counter only to find the spot empty. I almost gave birth right there. I asked to speak to the butcher. When he came out I asked how long the wait would be for more City Chicken. He said he was out of it and there would be more tomorrow. The look on my face must have reminded him of someone telling a six year old there was no Santa Clause. My lip started to quiver, tears came down my face and I started to beg this poor man. I told him that he didn’t understand. I was pregnant and I didn’t want City Chicken but I needed it. I had to have it. Well unless I was shoplifting a watermelon under my shirt I think he knew I was pregnant. As I stood there balling my eyes out, rubbing my Buddha belly this kind soul told me to just relax and he would be right back. He came out holding a tray of 12 pieces of City Chicken. I hugged him and thanked him profusely. At that point I would have named my first born after him but I couldn’t remember seeing Meat Man in my baby name books. This particular recipe comes from a wonderful woman named Sally. Consequently Sal is the sister of our very own Ray Williams and she is from Pittsburgh. She gets extra points for that. She came to visit Ray and his family one weekend and got coerced into making City Chicken for his family and mine. That poor woman cooked for hours. She is such a trooper.
Sal’s City Chicken
Pork roast, 3-4 lbs
Beef roast, 3-4 lbs
6 - 8 eggs, slightly beaten
Splash of milk
Flour, salt and pepper
Italian seasoned bread crumbs
Wooden skews
Oil
Cut roasts into cubes to fit on skews.
Beat eggs and milk to make an egg wash
Combine flour, salt and pepper, put in shallow dish
Place Italian bread crumbs into shallow dish
Heat oil in frying pan
Preheat oven 350
Alternate pork and beef (4 cubes)
Roll in egg wash
Roll in flour
Roll in egg wash, again
Roll in bread crumbs
Fry until browned on all sides
Place skews in baking dish, add about 1/8 cup of water, cover with foil and bake for an hour at 350.
May is the month of The Kentucky Derby; so it’s only fitting that my drink recipe be for a Mint Julep.
This recipe is the “official” recipe of The Kentucky Derby from the makers of Early Times Kentucky Whisky. To make a great mint julep you have to start with a julep cup which is silver and metal. Another hint is to make sure your ice is very, very crushed, almost to the consistency of shaved.
You will need:
2 cups sugar
2 cups water
Sprigs of fresh mint
Crushed ice
Kentucky Whisky
Silver Julep Cups
Make a simple syrup by boiling sugar and water together for five minutes. Cool and place in a covered container with six or eight sprigs of fresh mint, then refrigerate overnight. Make one julep at a time by filling a julep cup with crushed ice, adding one tablespoon mint syrup and two ounces of whisky. Stir rapidly with a spoon to frost the outside of the cup. Garnish with a sprig of fresh mint.
Maryland Crab Soup
January 29, 2009
Combine in a large crock pot
1 small bag of frozen corn
1 small bag of frozen cut green beans
1 small bag of frozen peas or lima beans
3 medium potatoes, diced
1 small onion, diced
3 carrots sliced
3 stalks of celery diced
2 large cans of diced tomatoes
1 cup Worchester Sauce
2 tbs. Old Bay
1 large box of chicken broth
Cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4
Add 16 oz. of crab claw meat about ? hour before serving
Note: you can add a few drops of hot sauce for extra zip
Italian Sausage-Potato Soup
January 29, 2009
5 lbs of potatoes, peeled, cubed and boiled until tender, drain
1 lb bulk Italian sausage
1 large onion, chopped
1 stick butter
3 to 4 cups of milk
1 tsp dried parsley
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
While boiling the potatoes, brown sausage in large skillet but do not drain. Add onion to the sausage and simmer about 10 minutes. Add butter to drained potatoes. Add sausage to potatoes. Add milk, salt, pepper and parsley. Continue to simmer for 30-40 minutes on low heat. Just before serving add cheese.
Orange Roughy Italian Style
December 19, 2008
1/4 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
2 tbsp grated Romano cheese
1/4 tsp garlic powered
1/2 tsp salt
1 lb orange roughy fillets
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Coat a medium baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.
In a shallow bowl, mix bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, Romano cheese, garlic powder and salt.
Brush both sides of orange roughy fillets with butter and dredge in the bread crumb mixture. Arrange fillets in a single layer in the prepared baking dish, and sprinkle with parsley
Bake in preheated oven 10 to 15 min, or until the fish flakes easily with a fork.
After a meal like this there really isn’t room for a heavy drink. This drink is very light and is a great compliment with fish. It’s called Minty Bubbles. Pour yourself a glass champagne ? full, let the bubbles settle and add a splash of white crème de menthe. Stir quickly and enjoy.
Cheesy Veggies and Turkey
November 18, 2008
2 packs of frozen California style
vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower and
carrots)
1 block of Velveeta cheese
1 sleeve of Ritz crackers crushed
2-3 cups of diced leftover turkey
1 stick of butter melted
Spray casserole dish or 9 x 13 cake pan with non stick cooking spray
Cook vegetables according to package directions and drain
Cut up cheese in cubes
Mix veggies and turkey in pan. Stir in cubes of cheese. Sprinkle crackers over top and drizzle butter over crackers.
Cook at 350 degrees for about 30-45 min. until cheese is bubbly and crackers are golden brown
This is also a great side dish without the turkey.
My drink recipe is an after-dinner drink. There are two types of after-dinner drinks. One is sweet, like a dessert and the second is a digestif which aids in digestion. This is supposed to help the stomach relax after a big meal.
1 pint lemon sorbet
3/4 litre Italian prosecco [or any sparkling wine]
4 1/2 ounces of vodka [optional]
Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Crock-Pot Pizza
October 13, 2008
9 cup [12 oz] wide egg noodles
1 1/2 lb. ground lean beef [for the hunters out there you could substitute deer meat]
1/2 c. chopped onion
28-32 oz. spaghetti sauce
4 1/2 oz. sliced mushrooms, drained
1 1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning
3 1/2 oz. sliced pepperoni, halved
3 c. shredded mozzarella cheese
3 c. shredded cheddar cheese
Cook noodles according to pkg directions and drain. Meanwhile in a large skillet, cook beef and onion over med. Heat until meat is no longer pink, then drain. Sir in spaghetti sauce, mushrooms and Italian seasoning. In 5 qt. slow cooker, coated with non-stick cooking spray, spread 1/3 of the meat sauce. Cover with 1/3 of the noodles and pepperoni. Sprinkle with 1/3 of the cheeses [mix together first, each layer will use 2 cups of cheese]. Repeat layers two more times. Cover and cook on low 3-4 hours or until heated through and cheese is melted.
This month I had a request for a non alcoholic drink. This sounds wonderful. I can’t wait to try it!
Hot Buttered Drink Mix
2 cups Butter, softened
4 cups Light Brown Sugar, firmly packed
1 tablespoon Pumpkin pie spice, plus 2 teaspoons
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla
1. Cream butter in large mixing bowl; gradually add sugar and spices, and beat until smooth at high speed. Stir in vanilla. Store in airtight containers for 1 month in refrigerator or 3 mos. In freezer.
Now you can add 1 cup of boiling apple cider or juice and 1 tblsp Hot buttered Mix. Garnish with a slice of orange and a dash of nutmeg.
Or, add the mix to 1/2 cup of hot milk and 1/2 cup strong coffee and top with Whipped cream.
Harvest Cider
September 10, 2008
1 1/2 oz Captain Morgan’s Spiced Rum
1 cup hot apple cider
Combine in a warm mug. It smells wonderful.
Or…
Instead of Captain Morgan’s Spice Rum use Peach Schnapps and add a cinnamon stick as a garnish and call it a “Peach Cobbler”.
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