Poulet Bonne Femme

This is another of Pamela's recipes... we had it for lunch and it was delicious. It is very similar to Coq au vin, but cooked in white wine instead.

Poulet Bonne Femme

200 g of thick bacon

12 small onions

8 chicken breasts, cut into pieces, dredged in seasoned flour (s&p)

1 bottle (75 cl) white wine

1 bouquet garni

8 carrots, cut in 1" rounds

350g mushrooms sliced

parsley for garnish

Cook the bacon and onions in a dutch oven or heavy pot. Remove from pot and brown the chicken. Replace the bacon and onions, pour in the wine and bring to a simmer, turning constantly. Lower the heat and add the bouquet garni and carrots. Cover and let cook for 35 minutes. Add the mushrooms 10 minutes before the end of cooking. Take out the bouquet garni. Goes well with sauteed potatoes, peas, a spinach salad, an ice cream.

Quick Chocolate Fudge Sauce

This is Pamela's easy chocolate sauce for berries, ice cream, etc.

Quick Chocolate Fudge Sauce

1 200g semi sweet or bitter sweet baking chocolate bar (about 8 oz), broken into pieces

4 tablespoons cream or half-and-half (or in a pinch you could use regular milk or unsalted butter)

Place chocolate in bowl and place in microwave at half power until just beginning to melt. Stir chocolate (it will not be completely smooth yet), and add cream. Microwave (on half power) until warm, stirring until smooth.

Tarte aux asperges

I made this recipe of Pamela's today... it was delicious and sooooo easy!

Tarte aux Asparges (Asparagus Quiche)

10 asparagus stalks, cut into 1" pieces

1 can evaporated milk (unsweet!)

3 eggs

1 pie crust (pate feuilletee- puff pastry, if possible)

10 slices bacon (cook 5 slices)

salt and pepper

Cook the asparagus for 10-15 minutes in boiling salted water. Beat the milk and eggs, add salt and pepper. Unroll the pie crust into a dish. Place the cooked bacon on the pie crust, pour egg mixture on bacon, then top with asparagus. Layer the uncooked bacon across the top of the tart. Bake at 460 degrees (240 c) for 25 minutes.

Cajun Meatloaf

We made this Bon Appetit recipe a few weeks ago and it was a very good alternative to our regular meatloaf. We made a few adjustments...

Cajun Meatloaf

2 tablespoons butter

1/2 onion, chopped

1/2 green pepper, chopped

1 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (we only used about a 1/4 or 1/2 teaspoon)

1 teaspoon ground cumin

black pepper, to taste

1 lb lean ground beef

1 egg, beaten to blend

1/2 cup fine dry bread crumbs (we used dry oats instead)

1/2 cup ketchup, divided (we used tomato sauce instead)

Preheat oven to 375. Melt butter in heavy medium skillet over medium-low heat. Add next 5 ingredients and saute until vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. Sprinkle with black pepper. Combine mat, egg, breadcrumbs and 1/4 cup ketchup in medium bowl, blend well. Mix in sauteed vegetables, Form mixture into loaf 1 3/4 inches high and 5 inches wide in a glass baking dish. Bake 20 minutes. Spread top with remaining 1/4 cup ketchup and bake until cooked through, about 40 minutes longer.

Seriously Delicious Eggplant Sandwich

This sandwich is delicious. Period.

Eggplant Sandwich

(2 sandwiches)

4 slices ciabatta or other bread

1 medium eggplant, sliced 1/2" thick

roasted red peppers

soft goat cheese

pesto

arugula, baby spinach, or mache

olive oil

salt and pepper

Cover a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Preheat broiler. Brush eggplant slices on both sides with olive oil. Broil for 4 minutes, turn over, and broil for another 4 minutes. Remove from oven and place bread on aluminum covered pan. Brush with oil and broil 1-2 minutes each side.

Toss greens with a little olive oil, salt and pepper. Now assemble the sandwich: spread goat cheese on one slice of bread and pesto on other. Layer roasted eggplant, roasted red pepper, and arugula. Mmmmmmmmmmm.

Oil and Vinegar Potato Salad

This potato salad is a great alternative to the creamy, heavy variety. We're having it with hamburgers today.

Oil and Vinegar Potato Salad

• 1 1/2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes (about 5 medium), unpeeled... we made it with red potatoes
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 small red onion, very thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley

• Cook potatoes in large pot of boiling salted water until tender, about 30 minutes. Drain. Cool to just warm, 10 to 15 minutes; peel potatoes (I do not peel the potatoes... the skin doesn't bother us... if it bothers you, peel the potatoes!). Cut each potato in half, then cut into 1/3-inch slices.
• Place warm potatoes in large bowl. Stir red wine vinegar and sugar in small bowl until sugar dissolves, then drizzle over potatoes. Toss to coat. Mix in onion slices. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cool to room temperature.
• Add olive oil and parsley to potatoes. Toss well and let marinate at least 20 minutes and up to 2 hours at room temperature.

Chicken Breasts with Artichokes and Peas

Pamela made this last week- it was a fast but impressive and delicious meal.

Chicken Breasts with Artichokes and Peas

2 tablespoons flour

pinch pepper

3 whole chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces

2 tablespoons oil

1 cup chicken broth (or 1 cup water with 1 bouillon cube)

1/4 cup dry white wine

9 oz frozen artichoke hearts

4 oz prosciutto or smoked ham, cut into thin slices

10 oz frozen peas

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Coat chicken with flour mixed with pepper. Brown in oil until lightly browned. Add broth, wine, artichoke, and ham. Cover and simmer 5 minutes. Add peas and cook 5 minutes more or until chicken is done. Sprinkle with parsley and stir. Serves 6.

Potage de Cresson (Watercress soup)

Pamela made this for lunch today- it was very good, light, and versatile. It was also VERY easy.

Potage de Cresson

(about 3 servings)

4 large potatoes, peeled, and cut into small chunks

6 oz fresh watercress

1 quart water

salt and pepper (or you could add a bouillon cube for flavor)

creme fraiche

Cook the potatoes and watercress in the seasoned water. When the potatoes are tender, put soup into a blender (or use immersion blender) to puree and blend. Return to the pot and add a dollop of creme fraiche or more until desired consistency. Serve with croutons.

Sweet Cornbread Croutons

Last week I made a salad with these croutons on top. They were a great alternative to regular croutons. They would be good on soup also.

Sweet Cornbread Croutons

-1 batch of cornbread, Jiffy or Jiffy-like, for example, prepared the day before or a few hours earlier and cooled

-melted butter

Cut the prepared cornbread into 1" cubes. Arrange in a single layer on a cookie sheet and brush with melted butter. Bake at 400 for 10-15 minutes or until beginning to brown, turning the cubes over halfway through. Serve over salad or soup. Store extra croutons in airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or freeze.

Christmas Cake

-First of all, this cake is DELICIOUS.

-Second, it is made with a very secret ingredient... please don't tell... shhhh... prunes. So, I'm just going to call it Christmas Cake instead of... Prune Cake.

-Third, although delicious enough to eat year round, it is a cake best reserved for the holiday season because of the spices in it.

Christmas Cake

Cake:

1 cup prunes

1 cup sugar

3 eggs

1 cup canola oil

1 1/2 cups flour, sifted

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon allspice

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 cup buttermilk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 300. Cover prunes with water and bring to a boil, cook about 8 minutes or until soft and mashable. Drain, place on plate, and mash with a fork. Set aside.

In a medium bowl sift together flour, baking soda, nutmeg, allspice, and cinnamon.

In a large bowl whisk together oil, sugar, and eggs.

Add dry ingredients to egg mixture until just combined, then add buttermilk and vanilla. Gently stir in prunes, being careful to not overmix.

Pour into buttered 9x13 baking dish and bake for 35-40 minutes. Do not overbake.

When cake has 5 minutes remaining, make the icing:

Icing:

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup buttermilk

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 Tablespoon white corn syrup

1/4 cup butter

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Combine icing ingredients in saucepan and bring to slow boil. Boil without stirring 5-7 minutes or until icing begins to turn dark. Icing should be caramel in color, but still pourable and not sticky.

Remove cake from oven and pour icing all over top, spreading if necessary. Serve warm.

Sesame beef and asparagus stir-fry

This Bon Appetit recipe serves 2. It is very good! I didn't have hoisin sauce, so I just used a tablespoon of soy sauce. I'm sure the hoisin would give it better flavor, but it still tasted delicious.

Sesame beef and asparagus stir-fry

rice (for serving)

1 1/2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds

10 oz top sirloin, thinly sliced across grain

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

3/4 cup sliced red onion

8 oz (about 2 cups) asparagus spears, trimmed and cut into 1 1/2" pieces

1/3 cup water

2 tablespoons hoisin sauce

2 teaspoons Asian sesame oil

Prepare rice.

Spread sesame seeds on a large plate. Sprinkle beef slices with salt and pepper and then coat with sesame seeds.

Heat vegetable oil in heavy large skillet over high heat. Add onion and stir-fry 1 minute. Add asparagus, stir-fry until crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Add beg and stir-fry until brown, about 2 minutes. Reduce heat to medium. Add 1/3 cup water and hoisin sauce. Cook until sauce is bubbling and coats beef and vegetables, tossing often, about 2 minutes. Stir in sesame oil. Season with salt and pepper. Serve over hot rice.

Banana Bread Cobbler

This recipe was delicious! Very, very good!

Banana Bread Cobbler

1 cup self-rising flour
1 cup sugar
1 cup milk
1/2 cup butter, melted
4 medium-size ripe bananas, sliced

Streusel Topping

Preheat oven to 375°. Whisk together first 3 ingredients just until blended; whisk in melted butter. Pour batter into a lightly greased 9x13" baking dish. Top with banana slices, and sprinkle with Streusel Topping.

Bake at 375° for 40 to 45 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly.

Streusel Topping:

3/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup self-rising flour
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup uncooked regular oats
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Stir together sugar, flour and butter until crumbly, using a fork. Stir in remaining ingredients.

Mediterranean salad with green beans and feta

Doug made this delicious Martha Stewart Everyday Food main-dish salad last week. It is great for spring!

Mediterranean salad with green beans and feta

coarse salt and ground pepper

8 oz green beans, trimmed and halved

2 navel oranges

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons white-wine vinegar (or red wine or balsamic)

1 1/2 cups crumbled feta (6 oz)

1 head (about 1 1/2 lbs) romaine lettuce, roughly chopped

1 small red onion, halved and thinly sliced

1 can (15 oz) white beans, rinsed and drained

1) In a medium saucepan of boiling salted water, cook green beans until crisp-tender, 4-6 minutes. Drain green beans and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking.

2) Use a sharp knife to thinly slice the oranges : slice off both ends, cut off peel, following the curve of the orange. Halve the fruit from top to bottom and thinly slice each half crosswise.

3) In a bowl whisk together oil and vinegar, season with salt and pepper. Add feta, oranges, lettuce, onion, beans, and green beans. Toss to combine.

Goat Cheese Pasta with Roasted Asparagus

Doug made this recipe last night and it turned out really well. We didn't have enough asparagus, so he also roasted broccoli and also added frozen peas (thawed).

Goat Cheese Pasta with Roasted Asparagus
2 bunches asparagus (2 pounds total), tough ends removed
4 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces
12 ounces cavatappi or other short pasta
1 small log soft goat cheese (5 ounces), crumbled
2 to 3 tablespoons snipped fresh chives, for garnish
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Bring a large pot of water to a boil for pasta. Place asparagus on a large rimmed baking sheet; dot with 1 tablespoon butter, and season with salt and pepper. Roast until tender, tossing occasionally, 10 to 15 minutes; cut into 2-inch lengths.
2. While asparagus is roasting, generously salt boiling water. Add pasta, and cook until al dente, according to package instructions. Set aside 1 1/2 cups pasta water; drain pasta and return to pot.
3. In a medium bowl, combine goat cheese, remaining 3 tablespoons butter, and 1/2 cup pasta water. Season with salt and pepper, and whisk until smooth. Add goat-cheese mixture and asparagus to pasta; toss to combine, adding more pasta water if necessary for sauce to coat pasta. Serve pasta garnished with chives.

White Chocolate Mousse with Dark Chocolate Sauce

This Bon Appetit recipe would have been delicious with fresh berries... but there were no berries to be had, so I topped it with slivered almonds and it was still very delicious!

White Chocolate Mousse

with Dark Chocolate Sauce

8 oz high quality white chocolate, chopped

1 cup plus 6 tablespoons heavy whipping cream, divided

4 tablespoons light corn syrup, divided (I didn't have this, so I used a little honey heated with a little water)

3 oz bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped

Stir white chocolate, 1/4 cup cream, and 2 tablespoons corn syrup in a heavy small saucepan.

Warm over low heat until chocolate is melted and smooth.

Pour into a medium bowl to cool.

Use an electric mixer to beat 3/4 cup cream in another bowl until peaks form.

Fold cream into white chocolate mixture in 2 additions.

Divide mousse among 5 or 6 cups and chill for 4 hours or until firm.

Bring remaining 6 tablespoons cream and 2 tablespoons corn syrup to simmer in heavy small saucepan.

Reduce heat to low and add bittersweet chocolate.

Stir until melted and smooth, cool to room temperature.

Spoon sauce over each mousse to cover completely.

Top with berries, nuts, or serve as is.

Herbed New Potatoes

This Bon Appetit recipe was a quick alternative to my usual oven roasted potatoes.

Herbed New Potatoes

8 servings

3 pounds new potatoes, quartered, or fingerling potatoes, halved

2 tablespoons olive oil

3 garlic cloves, minced

6 tablespoons assorted chopped fresh herbs (parsley, dill, chives, etc)

Steam potatoes until tender, about 10 minutes. Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic and stir 30 seconds. Add potatoes and herbs, sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Saute potatoes until heated through and golden, about 8 minutes. Season with more salt and pepper, transfer to bowl.