Meatless Pasta Dish or Rice Dish

1 pkg Seitan
1 zuchini, cubed
1 tomato, cubed
1/2 cup herb garlic butter
Dash of marjoram, basil and thyme

Combine all ingredients and cook on High in a slow cooker for 45 minutes.
Then cook on Low until ready.

Serve with sphagetti noodles or wild rice-white rice pilaf

Food for Thought: Herb Substitutions

Click HERE to see the full article.

Photo credit:Thank you, www.happycow.net

Test Lab: Fetuccine with Garlic Herb Butter

6 ounces dry fettuccini pasta
1 teaspoon butter
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh marjoram

(optional)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
(optional)
1 tablespoon butter
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 pinch ground black pepper
Directions:
1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
2. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan over medium heat, melt 1 teaspoon butter. Add garlic and cook for 30 to 60 seconds or until garlic begins to turn golden.
3. In a small bowl, combine parsley, basil, marjoram, thyme, 1 tablespoon butter, salt and ground black pepper with cooked garlic; mix well. Toss with pasta and serve.

Ref: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe-Tools/Print/Recipe.aspx?RecipeID=19299&origin=detail&servings=4

Shrimp and Tofu in Herb Garlic Butter

1 lb medium size shrimp
tofu, cut lengthwise
herb garlic butter
onion, chopped
lemon
salt, pepper

1. Shell the shrimp and allow to sit in the lemon, salt and pepper
2. Melt the herb garlic butter, onion and tofu in the slow cooker
3. Toss the shrimp into the slow cooker and allow to cook

Test Lab: Spicy Orange Salad, Moroccan Style, 1980

For the full article form the New York Times, please click HERE.

Deanna's Apple Bread Pudding

This cozy dessert is easy to prepare taking less than 10 minutes and your slow cooker takes care of the rest! Take note: I modified the ingredients to make it more healthy and less dependent on sugars, i.e., apple juice and about 1/2 c of sugar (yikes!). I used a lot of readily available ingredients so please feel free to substitute.

Serves 4 to 8

Ingredients

• 4 small slices of bread, cut into cubes
• 2 medium tart apples, peeled and sliced
• 1 cup granola with maple and almonds
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 cup skim milk
• 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
• 2 Tbsp. turbinado sugar

Directions

1. Grease slow cooker lightly. In large bowl, combine bread cubes, apples and granola with maple and almonds. Mix well to blend and spoon into slow cooker.

2. In the same bowl, combine sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg, and blend well. Add eggs, milk and butter, mixing until thoroughly blended. Spoon over bread mixture.

3. Cook, covered, on HIGH, for 2 to 3 hours, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean and dry.

Spoon into bowls and serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, if desired.
If you ask me, creme fraiche, si'l vous plait!

For recipe source, please click here.

Terrific Early Sunday Dinner: Flounder with Spices

2 large fillets of flounder
Za’atar from Lebanon
Dry mint
Dill
Everyday seasoning
Lemon
White wine
Olive oil
Tomatoes, sliced
Onion, finely chopped

Season the slow cooker with white wine and olive oil. Place the fillets in the cooker and add the spices with the chopped onions and sliced tomatoes on top of the fillet. Cook until ready.

I served it with steamed spinach in garlic and olive oil (which I prepared myself!) and pasta with a light pomodoro sauce.

Tardy Post: Dubai Dishes straight from the oven

Here are photos of the various dishes I prepared on our last trip to Dubai in Feb/March 2010.


Feb. 19, 2010 - Jet-lag dinner of flounder, ramen and carrots.


Feb. 22, 2010 - Omani gulf shrimps in herb-garlic sauce paired with locally produced string beans and corn.


Feb. 23, 2010 - New Zealand Lamb chops, well done with a citurs-onion glaze and vegetables


March 13, 2010 - Gulf shrimps in shawarma marinade and potatoes

Baseball Opening Day Pork Chops aka Centaur Pork Chops

Dedicated to my favorite team, the Yankees.

1 3/4 lb center cut pork chops, bone-in
Barbecue sauce
Cornstarch, salt, pepper
Onions
Olive oil
Salt pork
Sliced mushrooms, tomatoes, carrots and red pepper
1/4 c red wine

Rub cornstarch, salt and pepper on the pork chops.
Combine in the slow cooker the barbecue sauce, olive oil, wine, salt pork and onions.
Place the pork chops in the slow cooker and layer the vegetables on top.
Cook until the 5th inning or when pork is ready.

Make sure the Yankees win. GO YANKEES!

Braised Pork With Red Wine

In vino, veritas.

2 pounds boneless pork shoulder, cut into large chunks
Salt and pepper
2 cups fruity red wine, like Beaujolais or Burgundy (pinot noir)
1 cup good stock, or water
1 pound fat carrots, peeled and cut into large chunks
10 cloves garlic, more or less, peeled
2 tablespoons butter
Cooked egg noodles for serving
Chopped fresh parsley leaves for garnish

1. Combine pork, salt and pepper to taste, wine, stock, carrots and garlic in a saucepan, Dutch oven or slow cooker. Bring to a boil, then adjust heat so that mixture simmers steadily but not vigorously. (If using a slow cooker, just turn it to "high" and let cook for at least three hours.)
2. Cook, stirring every half-hour or so, until meat is very tender and just about falling apart, at least an hour and most likely a bit longer. Use a slotted spoon to remove solid ingredients to a bowl, then turn heat to high. (If using a slow cooker, transfer liquid to a saucepan for this step.) Reduce to about a cup, or even less. Taste and adjust seasoning, then lower heat and stir in butter.
3. Add solids to sauce and reheat. Serve over egg noodles, garnished with parsley.

Yield: 4 servings.

Beef in Red Wine Gravy

I love red wine and I can't help but use it in my cooking too! Cooking is so much fun when you have a glass of red wine next to you...for cooking!

2 lbs. beef stew meat, cut into 1-inch cubes
2 medium onions, cut up
2 beef bouillon cubes or 1 pkg. onion soup mix (1 envelope)
3 tbsp cornstarch
Salt
Pepper
1 1/2 cups dry red wine
Hot cooked noodles (optional)
Place the beef & onions in a 3 1/2 or 4 quart slow cooker. Add bouillon cubes or dry soup mix. Sprinkle w/ cornstarch, salt & pepper. Pour red wine over all. Cover & cook on low-heat setting for 8 to 10 hours. Or, cover & cook on high setting for 4 to 5 hours. Serve over hot cooked noodles, if desired. Makes 6 servings.

Recipe courtesy of Just Slow Cooking.

Modifications: I added salt pork and a bay leaf, then layered vegetables on top - carrots, mushroom and red pepper. For garnish, I used scallions. I paired the beef in red wine gravy with wild rice-white rice pilaf which I mixed myself.

Photo credit: By yours truly

Baby, where's my meat?

This post is about the best chicken recipe from my friend Pete. Pete cooked this dish and now has a new group of friends who remain loyal to him for as long as he cooks this awesome dish. The photo above is his masterpiece. No kidding! Credit is given to his mom who cooks the best tasty treats in this planet and to Lidia, the famous TV chef.

4 boneless and skinless chicken thighs (about 1 1/2 lbs.)
salt
black pepper
all-purpose flour
3/4 cup bread crumbs
2 large eggs
1 cup vegetable oil, or as needed
3 ripe plum tomatoes, cored and sliced thin
6 oz. fresh mozzarella or Italian Fontina cheese, sliced thin

FOR THE SAUCE:
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling over the finished dish
6 cloves garlic, peeled
8 ripe tomatoes or plum tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped
1/4 cup shredded fresh basil leaves

Makes 4 servings

Cut off any fat, bone, and gristle remaining on the chicken thighs. PLace thighs between two pieces of plastic wrap and pound them lightly with the toothed side of a meat mallet to a more or less even thickness. Don't overpound the thighs or they will shred and be difficult to bread and cook. Season the chicken thighs lightly with salt and pepper. Spread out the flour and bread crumbs on two separate plates. Beat the eggs in a wide shallow bowl until thoroughly blended. Dredge the chicken in flour to coat lightly and tap off the excess flour. Dip the thighs in the beaten egg and hold them over the bowl, letting the excess egg drip back into the bowl. Transfer the chicken, one piece at a time, to the plate of bread crumbs, patting gently and making sure that each thigh is well coated with bread crumbs.

Heat the vegetable (or light) oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add to the oil as many of the chicken pieces as fit without touching. Fry, turning once, until golden on both sides and cooked through, about 8 minutes. Remove to a baking sheet lined with paper towels and drain well.

Remove the paper towels from the baking sheet. Top each chicken thigh with overlapping slices of tomato, dividing the tomato evenly. Drape the sliced cheese over the tomatoes to cover the chicken completely. (The chicken parmigiana can be prepared up to this point up to several hours in advance. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve).

PREPARE THE SAUCE:

Heat 3 Tablespoons of the olive oil in a wide skillet. Whack the garlic cloves with the side of a knife and drop them into the oil. Cook, shaking the pan, until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Carefully slide the chopped tomatoes into the skillet, season lightly with salt and pepper, and cook until lightly thickened, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Bake the chicken (400 degrees) until the cheese is lightly browned, about 10 minutes. While the chicken is baking, reheat the tomato sauce to simmering, stir in the basil, and taste, seasoning with salt and pepper if necessary. Spoon the sauce onto a heated platter or plates, and place the chicken over the sauce. Drizzle the remaining 1 Tablespoon of olive oil over the sauce and serve immediately.

Deanna’s Wild Wild West Sausage Dish

Conserve energy and keep the house cooler by using your slow cooker instead of the oven. You can also add potatoes to make this a one-pot meal. Serve sausage dish with a tossed salad or sliced fresh tomatoes.
Ingredients:
• 4-6 medium potatoes, boiled and cut (Optional)
• 12 to 16 ounces smoked sausage, whole
• 1 onion, halved and sliced
• 1 can vegetarian chili
• 1 tomato, chopped
• ½ bag of baby carrots
• ½ red bell pepper

Preparation:
Toss all ingredients except the potatoes together in a 5 to 7-quart slow cooker. Cover and cook on HIGH until carrots are tender. Then add the potatoes (Optional).

Test Lab: Herb and Garlic Spread

HERB AND GARLIC BUTTER

1 lb. salted butter, room temperature
1 tsp. dried each of thyme, tarragon and marjoram
2 cloves garlic, minced

Mix all ingredients until blended, use on bread, for broiling fish, or chicken, for sauteing beef or veal, or for tossing with hot vegs, pasta, or rice.

This modified recipe originally came from cooks.com. I bought Garlic Butter from Whole Foods so that took care of 2 key ingredients and I just had to add the herbs from my pantry.

Photo credit: momssoapbox.com

Manila - March 2010: Shrimps in Herb and Garlic Butter

I know this is just too mouth-watering to ogle at but this is so easy to do. Would I make it difficult for you? Here's the recipe:

2 kgs shrimp, shelled but keep the head!

Marinade:
1/4 cup worcestershire sauce
Escal herb and garlic butter
6 kalamansi

Mix the marinade and lather the mixture on the shrimp. Allow the shrimp to sit, maybe even nap, on the marinade. Grease the baking pan with butter so the shrimp will not stick on the baking pan. Place in the shrimp in a neat row just like I did in the photo.

Bake until shrimp is done.

Serve with pan-fried garlic potatoes.

Manila - March 2010: Tropical Fruits Parade

We stayed in Manila for only 8 days with family time as priority. So we have no pictures of landscapes, sunsets or romps in the beach but pictures of food, the kitchen, gatherings at the dining table and many, many happy faces of family members. No landscape photo or sunset photo can replace the family togehterness captured in photos during those 8 short days.

But I am not going to write about family in this blog. I am writing about another "F" word - Fruit. Tropical fruits, specifically. Mangoes, mangosteen and the largest dragon fruit I have ever seen so far. As large as a little girl's head. Even Gumby and Pokey, friends of mine who accompanied me on this trip, can't get over these strange fruits.

A Word from our Sponsors: Multi-Tasking Cookers

Is there such a term? I coined the word because I usually work with two, sometimes three slow cookers in one cooking session. Here are my proud hard-working beauties - Large Marge for fish, Green Goblin for meats and Mini Me for sauces, dips and fondue!

Mussels with Tomato- Wine Broth

I love shellfish - oysters, mussels, scallops, etc. This recipe does not use a slow cooker. Just your usual boiling routine.

This recipe (which I slightly modified with ingredients I have in my pantry, i.e. red pepper) and photo came from http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=630136

Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons bottled minced garlic
1 cup spicy dry red wine
3 cups chopped stomato
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 pounds small mussels, scrubbed and debearded

Preparation
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and crushed red pepper, and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add wine; simmer 3 minutes. Add tomato, salt, and black pepper; cook 1 minute.

Add mussels; cover and cook 4 minutes or until shells open. Remove from heat; discard any unopened shells. Stir in arugula; serve immediately. Bon appetit!