Chicken Marsala over Almond Rice and Sauteed Spinach

Chicken Marsala

Sprinkle 2 Chicken Breasts with Garlic Salt and Shallot Pepper, then dredge in flour.

Heat 3 Tablespoons Olive Oil over medium heat in a medium skillet.

Cook the chicken about 8 minutes on each side until lightly browned.

Add 8 ounces Mushrooms, sliced.

Stir until they begin to soften, then add:

1 Cup Chicken Broth

1/2 Cup Marsala Wine

Salt & Pepper, to taste.

Cook for an additional 10 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

Remove Chicken from pan, and stir in 2 - 3 Tablespoons Wondra Flour, and stir until sauce thickens.

Line plate with Sauteed Spinach, top with Rice, then place Chicken Breast on top and cover with sauce and mushrooms.

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Almond Rice

 Italian Sauteed Spinach

In a deep skillet with a lid, saute over medium heat:
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
3 Cloves Garlic, minced

When garlic begins to brown, add 1 pound fresh Spinach, and cover with lid for about 8 minutes.  When spinach is wilted. add Salt & Pepper to taste and stir until coated with oil.  

Squeeze fresh lemon juice over top.

Enjoy!

Ventura Harbor - Twilight

Foodness Gracious is Hosting an On-line Bake Sale!

Gerry, at Foodness Gracious has a lovely daughter who is afflicted with Type 1 Diabetes.  For the past several years, their family has helped to raise awareness by participating in fundraising walks.  This year, Gerry decided to try something a little different, and far wider reaching - he's hosting an On-line Bake Sale to raise money for Team Miranda and The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

Foodness Gracious Bake Sale

If you're a baker, please consider contributing one of your creations.  If you'd rather eat a cake than bake one, please consider bidding on some home-made baked goods.

I'll be donating Sarabeth's Ruby Cake baked fresh just for you!  You can opt for one large cake, or 12 mini-cakes like I made for my friend Kristie's birthday.  I'll keep you apprised, but please go to Foodness Gracious for up to the minute information.

Thank you and good luck!

Alstroemeria and Roses

Pear, Gorgonzola, and Walnut Salad with Sherry Vinaigrette

Pear, Gorgonzola, and Walnut Salad

Fill salad bowls with Spring Greens.

Surround with Pear slices.

Top with Walnuts and Gorgonzola Cheese.

Sherry Vinaigrette

In a jar, blend:

1/4 cup Sherry Vinegar

1/2 cup Olive Oil

1/2 teaspoon Dijon Mustard

1 teaspoon Honey

1/2 teaspoon Lavender Pepper (or Herbes de Provence)

1/4 teaspoon Salt

Pour over salad.

Enjoy!

Ventura Harbor - twilight

Honey Corn Muffins ~ Baked Sunday Mornings ~

John & I were talking about how we were raised in the chemical generation.  I suppose all those great inventions were designed to make our moms' lives easier, but there is nothing at all like home-made baked goods.  John was raised in New Orleans and his mom made cornbread from scratch.  But, I, like Renato, grew up eating corn muffins made from a boxed mix - Jiffy was the best.  I loved them, because my mom always let me make them.

Fast forward many years to where many of us who were raised on Bisquick, Hawaiian Punch, Jell-o Pudding, and Kool-Aid, are growing our own vegetables and buying organic beef.  It does amaze me how many prepared items are available in grocery stores these days, but I'm spoiled by fresh ingredients living in Southern California.


I never made cornbread from scratch until I married John.  Even though this recipe is sweeter than his mother's, we both enjoyed it & it's sure to grace our table again.  No more boxed cornbread mixes for me!


Baked Sunday Mornings is a virtual group of bloggers working our way through Baked Explorations by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito.  

Surfers' Knoll Sunset, Ventura, CA

Chicken, Tomatoes, and Zucchini in Foil Pouches with Almond Rice

This is a great method for cooking chicken and fish (reduce cooking time to 10 minutes) that requires very little prep time and even less time to clean up.

Chicken, Tomatoes, and Zucchini in Foil Pouches

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Dice 2 small Zucchini, 10 Cherry Tomatoes, and 6 Green Onions

Place 1/4 of the mixed vegetables in the center of a sheet of foil.

Sprinkle with Salt and Pepper.

Drizzle with Basil Olive Oil.

Top with a Chicken Breast, then the remaining vegetables, then repeat application of Salt & Pepper and Basil Olive Oil.

Sprinkle with Garlic Powder.

Cover with another sheet of foil, folding and pressing all 4 edges to seal.

Place on a rimmed baking sheet and bake for 25 - 30 minutes.

Cut pouches open carefully, avoiding steam.

Remove with spatula.

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Almond Rice

Enjoy!

Port Hueneme Pier, CA

Riesling Poached Pear Sorbet~Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams ~ and Honey Spiced Madeleines ~ French Fridays With Dorie ~

Riesling Poached Pear Sorbet

Pears are one of the sweetest harbingers of autumn.  And Riesling is my favorite wine.  We love wine poached pears so when I saw this recipe in Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams at Home, I knew I had to try it.  It's smooth, not too sweet, and refreshingly delicious.













I made 3 slight changes to Jeni's directions:


I used an Immersion Blender right in the pan instead of using a blender to create the puree.  It's just a lot easier to clean up that way.


Maybe it's because I'm from California, and maybe it's because I'm a nerd, but I try to avoid using plastic bags.  So, I poured the warm pears into a large Pyrex measuring cup and set it in an ice bath.  The spout on the measuring cup made it really easy to pour right into the drum of the ice cream maker. 


And, I added a pinch of salt to enhance the flavor.

Honey Spiced Madeleines 

This week's French Fridays with Dorie challenge is for these tiny soft cakes, infused with honey and spice which are the perfect accompaniment to sorbet.  They're easy to make ahead and store in the refrigerator right up until you're ready to bake them, so you can serve them warm with just a light dusting of powdered sugar.  This also makes them a perfect make-ahead dessert for company.

I always thought Madeleines were complicated - but I think how easy they are shall remain the secret of the French and we Doristas who know the truth.  You simply have to plan ahead.  Here's a bit of their fabled history.

John enjoyed a few Madeleines with The Dalmore Single Highland Malt 12-year Scotch Whiskey, as suggested by Dorie - and he loved the way the flavors complemented each other.  In fact, he said I should make these for our next wine-tasting party.

We both enjoyed them with the taste and texture contrast of the subtly flavored sorbet with the lightly sweetened spiced cakes.

This combination of flavors is sure to excite your palette for the taste of fall.


Happy Autumn!

Snowy Egret Landing - Ormond Beach, Oxnard, CA

Bourbon Vanilla Ice Cream with Caramel Ribbons and Toasted Pecans

Last week's Baked Sunday Mornings challenge left us all with extra Caramel Sauce.  I wish I'd thought of glazing the cake with it in between the layers like Jaime, but since I didn't, I couldn't let this wonderful caramel go to waste.  Vanilla Ice Cream and Caramel are a natural match in my book!  And, just to add texture and further dimension to this lovely concoction, I added toasted Pecans.

I've been wanting to try David Lebovitz's Vanilla Ice Cream from The Perfect Scoop.  I'm sure the Vanilla Ice Cream is wonderful all on it's own, but I couldn't resist his suggestion to add Bourbon.


We layered the Bourbon Vanilla Ice Cream with the Caramel Sauce and Toasted Pecans and returned it to the freezer to set.  I have never had commercial ice cream this good - including Hagen-Dazs.

Enjoy!

Driftwood - Surfers' Knoll Beach, Ventura, CA

Roast Beef with Tomato and Red Wine Sauce and Sour Cream Mashed Potatoes

Sorry I've been away!  My (pre-John) townhome is in escrow right now, so evening meetings with our realtor have kept me out of the kitchen.  However, that's not to say I would have made the Cinnamon Crusted Chicken for FFWD anyway...I'm glad many of you enjoyed it, but it didn't make my "must have" list.

Roast Beef with Tomato and Red Wine Sauce

We had a colander full of red and yellow cherry tomatoes from our garden, when John was thinking of a different way to make roast (we've made Dorie Greenspan's Boeuf a la Mode 4 times already!), I suggested he throw them in with the wine sauce.  The result was this delicious falling-apart roast with a hearty tomato-flavored wine gravy.  Perfect comfort food!

In a deep dish with a lid, place  a 1 1/2 pound Eye of Round Roast.

Season the Roast with:

1/2 teaspoon each - Onion Powder and Garlic Salt

1 teaspoon each - Cracked Rosemary, Crushed Thyme, and Worcestershire Sauce

1/2 teaspoon Louisiana Hot Sauce

2 Bay Leaves

Salt & Pepper, to taste

Pour one bottle of bold Red Wine - John used Syrah - into the bowl, and turn the roast to coat.

Place the lid on the bowl and allow to marinate 6 - 8 hours, turning every 2 hours.

When you're ready to cook the meat, pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees.

Remove the meat from the marinade, and pat dry with paper towels.

Salt & Pepper meat, to taste.

Add 2 - 3 Tablespoons Olive Oil to a lidded casserole  it's ideal if you can use the same baking pan that you'll use to roast the meat.  We used a 4-quart Le Creuset Covered Casserole. 

Brown the roast on all sides.

Once the meat is browned, pour the marinade into the casserole.

Add about 2 cups Cherry Tomatoes, halved and 2 cups Beef Broth.

Cover with lid, and bake for 2 1/2 to 3 hours.

Remove meat from casserole.  

Set on serving plate and cover with foil to keep warm.

Pour wine sauce through a strainer, using a spatula to press sauce from tomatoes.

Discard tomato skins and Bay Leaves.

Place casserole over medium heat and pour wine sauce back into it.

Whisk in up to 1/4 cup Wondra Flour, stirring constantly, until sauce thickens.

Slice meat and serve with mashed potatoes and gravy.

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Sour Cream Mashed Potatoes

Fill a large saucepan about 1/2 full with water.

Add 1 teaspoon Salt.

Peel 4 large Russet Potatoes and cut into cubes.

Boil for about 15 minutes, until Potatoes can be pierced with a fork, easily.

Remove from heat and strain potatoes.

Place 1/4 cup Butter into the warm pan.

Return strained Potatoes to pan.

Add 1/2 cup Sour Cream

Salt & Pepper, to taste

Mash with a Potato Masher until they reach the desired consistency.

Enjoy!

Braveheart - Life is rough!

Passion Fruit Ice Cream ~ David Lebovitz

Passion Fruit Ice Cream ~ David Lebovitz

OMG!  I found fresh Passion Fruits at the Channel Islands Farmers' Market 5 for $1.00, so I bought 10.  Although I love the flavor of Passion Fruit, this is the first time I bought them.  I was really surprised how inexpensive they were.

I choose the freshest, smoothest fruits I could find.  Luckily, I read David's recipe in The Perfect Scoop before I made the ice cream - he says the uglier and more wrinkled the fruit, the better - so I let them ripen.

The base for this ice cream is a cooked egg custard that is infused with Passion Fruit and Orange Oil.  It is absolutely heavenly!    This is my absolute favorite of all the ice creams we've made.  The Passion Fruit has a bright, tropical citrus flavor and the ice cream is intense pale yellow.

Who knew the ugliest Passion Fruits were the sweetest?  Another of life's lovely surprises.

Fostoria "Garland" Depression Glass Sherbets

Enjoy these last gorgeous days of summer!

Great Egret in flight - La Piedra Beach, Malibu

Caramel Apple Cake ~ Baked Sunday Mornings ~

Caramel Apple Cake

Fresh Applesauce

This week's Baked Sunday Mornings challenge is for this incredibly flavorful Caramel Apple Cake.  The spiced cake is infused with homemade applesauce - for this, I used Gala Apples.  I found a couple of problems with this part of the recipe; besides a nice discussion about the variety of apples available in New York, there is no recommendation about what kind of apples to use.  The other problem I had was although the recipe calls for 4 cups of applesauce, it doesn't say how many apples to use.  I used 12 and had more than enough - 10 would probably be just right.  

Caramel Sauce in the making

The cake is dense, moist and flavorful.  The Caramel Buttercream is one of the best frostings I've ever tasted - and I'm excited to have left-over Caramel Sauce!  I think this cake captures the essence of autumn - John & I both thought it would be a perfect dessert for Thanksgiving.




This recipe had many elements:
Applesauce
Caramel Sauce
Cake
Cooked Buttercream

Cakes - Fresh from the oven

This cake took time to put together, but only one step was difficult - making the Buttercream.  This is the third time I've made Buttercream using the Baked method.  I've been successful twice, and unsuccessful once, but I'm never quite sure I have it right. This caramel version tastes incredible. 


 I have to confess to not letting the cake cool completely before frosting it so it looks a little cock-eyed, but it still tastes delicious!


This cake is definitely a winner in our book!

Malibu Beach House - La Piedra Beach

John's Fresh Tomato Chili

I've always said that John makes the best Chili, but using fresh tomatoes made it even better!


John's Fresh Tomato Chili

Fresh Tomatoes from our garden

In a medium stockpot, over medium heat, saute:

3 Tablespoons Olive Oil

1 large Onion, diced

3 Cloves Garlic, minced

When Onions begin to soften, add:

3/4  - 1 pound cooked steak (we used left-over grilled NY Strip Steak), cubed

2 cups fresh Tomatoes, diced

1 28-oz can Crushed Tomatoes

1 15-oz can each Red Kidney Beans, Pinto Beans, and Black Beans, drained and rinsed

1/4 cup Chili Powder

1 teaspoon Cumin

Salt to taste - depending upon how steak was seasoned when it was cooked

Reduce heat to low, and simmer for 30 minutes

Top with lots of shredded Cheese!

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Enjoy!

Snowy Egret in Lagoon at Carpinteria Beach, CA

Chicken and Vegetable Mostaccioli with Herb Cream Sauce

Chicken and Vegetable Mostaccioli with Herb Cream Sauce

Prepare one package of Mostaccioli according to package directions.

Place 1/4 cup flour, 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper in a large ziploc bag.

Dice 2 Chicken Breasts and toss in flour mixture.

In a large skillet,over medium heat, warm 3 Tablespoons Olive Oil.

Stir-fry chicken for about 10 minutes

Then add:

1 Red Onion, diced

2 cloves Garlic, minced

Pinch Red Pepper Flakes

4 fresh Sage Leaves, minced

1 teaspoon Rosemary, minced

When onions begin to soften, pour in 1 cup Red Wine.

Increase heat until wine boils and is mostly evaporated.

Decrease heat to low, and stir in:

2 1/2 cups diced tomatoes 

4 Small Zucchini, thinly sliced

Simmer for about 30 minutes.

Stir in 3/4 cup Cream

When blended, stir in 3/4 cup Parmesan Cheese

Toss pasta with sauce and serve with warm bread.

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Buon Appetito!

Sunset at Carpinteria Beach, CA