TOP CHEF: Episode 2

This season of Top Chef takes place in Las Vegas and promises to have higher stakes games and many twists. Thus far the contestants are not falling short of the quality expected from the judges and viewers. but, making this season even more enjoyable is the fantasy draft that my friends and I have put together. here is how we are working the points:

QUICK FIRE: 25

TEAM MEMBER OF A WINNING TEAM: 10

WINNING THE WEEK: 45

NOT KICKED OFF: 5

TOP THREE: 75

WINNER OF SHOW: 125

The person with the most points in the end wins. This season, because of who I picked, I will be rooting for only four contestants: Robin Leventhal, Jesse Sandin, BryanVoltaggio, and AshFulk. Bryan was my top pick so I am VERY excited that I was able to get him on my team. I am most worried Jesse, I really think that she has a lot of potential but cannot quite get it together. Robin is a wild card I just hope she will get some "not kicked off" points from her. I really don't know what to expect from Ash but he is funny so I hope he stays for many episodes.

As for this week, I am tied for first place thanks to Bryan pulling out the win. How creative he was with the macaroon! a Macaroon worth 45 points to me. Eve was completely the right choice to leave. If you know you cannot cook shrimp the first time don't keep it up - isn't that Top Chef 101?

In the futures, I do think the Preeti should get the hell off and I am crossing my fingers that Jesse will pull herself together and not try to cook scallops again.

Next Sewing Project

This weekend I finally finished my first sewing project (a cute tote bag complete with lining and pockets). Now I must contemplate my next sewing venture. I am leaning toward a simple dress of some sort. I can envision my attempt ending miserably with different length sleeves, uneven hems, and lookin' like a big hot mess. But, positive thoughts do sometimes pay off.

Here are my options:

MaCall Dress

Vogue Dress

OR

Simplicity Dress

I am tempted to buy them all but I know I have to pace my self. Rome, after all, was not built in one day. The Vogue Dress seems more tempting both because it was in the "easy" section and because saying "Vogue" seems much more fashion forward and an overall elevated cool level.

I will keep you posted.

Ice Cream!

Missed it by a day but Sunday seems to have been national ice cream day - or something of the like. While I don't usually eat store bought ice cream I will say than the frozen dessert does not have to be bad for you. In fact I dare to say that Creamed Ice can be a Wholly Food.

Home made ice cream can skip the preserves and processed sugar and flavoring. Using non processed sweeteners or fruits as sweeteners ice cream can be both good for your health and good for the lickin'. It is mango season here in South Florida. Finely chopped mangoes in an sugar free ice cream base would be perfect for a lazy weekend afternoon.....maybe I should invest in an ice cream maker one of these days.

Happy Ice Cream day. I hope you enjoyed it Wholly Foods style.

Cook Book 1

The first cookbook we choose was Mark Bittman's "How to Cook Everything Vegetarian". Because of the celebration of our nations birth we went with good old American 'no-mayo coleslaw'. It was much better than I thought it would be and made me realize that maybe following a recipe isn't so bad after all. However, we didn't actually follow the recipe ingredient for ingredient because we didn't have everything. This is what we ended up with:

Recipe:

One bag of slaw mix (Buy at your local grocer)
2 table spoon Dijon mustard
2 table spoons red wine vinegar
crushed black pepper to taste
1 table spoon celery salt
1 table spoon minced garlic

Direction:

Mix it all together and chill for a few hours (we did it over night).

Alternatives:

I think you could add bits of broccoli or celery to give the dish another dimension of flavor an texture. I also played around with the idea of adding caraway seeds but maybe next time. We did leave out green onions which would be an interesting addition I might try one day.

Uses:

Pairing this slaw with some sort of protein was perfect. HER VERSION: I ate it with some grilled tuna steak. HIS VERSION: He had it pile on top of his turkey sausage.

(New way to blog!)Hello all and happy happy July. this month we are going to jump on the food-blog train and take the cookbook challenge. This means that for the month of July we are going to cook one item out of each of our cookbooks. All together i think we have about 8 or 9 so this should be a busy busy month for the blog!

pr

Test

Whole Wheat Biscotti: PB & Choc

I have made variations of Whole Wheat Biscotti many many times. However, these might be the best version...I cannot figure out what I did but shoot they were good. Except for the baking times, these little wafers of goodness are super simple.

Recipe:
1/4 cup Peanuts
1/4 cup Peanut Butter
4 large Pitted Dates
2 cups Whole Wheat Flour
1/2 cup Cocoa Power
1/2 teaspoon Sea Salt
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
3 large Eggs
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

Direction:
Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine all the dry ingredients (Flour, Soda, Salt, Cocoa). Now it is time to get the food processor (FP - which is also the anagram for French Press so do not be confused). Throw in the peanuts, peanut butter, dates, and vanilla and pulse until the peanuts are small chunks but not yet butter.

Add the dry ingredients 1/3 at a time and pulse between additions. At this point you should sample the dough to make sure it is sweet enough. Add the eggs one at a time. After the last egg has been incorporated, the dough will look dry but stick with it...turn the dough out on a very lightly floured surface and knead a few times until the dough forms a ball (it took about four for me).

To prepare for the first baking time, roll the dough out to a perfect rectangle just less than an inch (they will rise in the oven). Bake for 25 minutes. Cool on rack for 15-20 minutes. Cut with a sharp knife into slices 1/2 thick, lay flat on the same baking sheet and bake for another 15 minutes flipping once half way through the time. Take out and eat once they are cool enough for you to put into your mouth....about 10-15 minutes.

Alternatives:
Seriously, this is one of those recipes where the possiblilities are endless. As long as the dough is moist enough to stick to gether and not so wet that it doesn't hold shape the sky is the limit.
- In the past I have used almonds, raisins, dried mangos, almond extract, and dried cranberries.
- I have contemplated making Lemon Poppy Seed, Espresso, Strawberries and Cream, and Citrus.
- Also you can dip the biscotti in chocolate or other dipping substances.

Uses:
I eat these as a dessert or a between meal snack. Dave however, enjoys dipping them into coffee. ENJOY :)

Pancake Mix

Breakfast is one of my favorite meals to cook! On the weekends we always have more time to make something more extravagant than oatmeal/ cereal. I adapted a pancake mix from King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking cookbook for our big weekend breakfasts.

Recipe:

Mix:
31/2 cups rolled oats
4 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup oat bran
3 tablespoons baking power
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 tablespoon kosher salt
3/4 cup canola oil

Pancake:
1 cup mix
1 cup milk
2 eggs
1 teaspoon allspice
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Direction:

Mix: This is so easy you will ask yourself, "Why haven't done this before". Put oats and bran in food processor and pulse until chopped. Drizzle oil in food process to combine. Combine the rest of the dry ingredients in big bowl. Add oil, oats, and bran to big bowl and combine with hand. Then I put the mix into a freezer bag then bag into freezer. This will keep indefinitely. (Wasn't that crazy simple?)

Pancakes: Beat two eggs in bowl then add milk and vanilla. Beat liquids until homogeneous. Add mix and spices. Mix until just combined. The batter will be very thin but let stand for about 15 min and the whole grains will soak up the liquid like a sponge. Then make pancake like normal.

Alternatives:

- Depending on what I have in the refrigerator I use different dairy sources. For example buttermilk or yogurt work well.
- ANY spice additions will work. I like cinnamon, cloves, or almond extract.
- I like to use two eggs because I like a thinner pancake but one is all that this mix needs.



Uses:

I love the flavor of oat pancakes so this mix was great! I have not used the mix for anything other than pancakes however you can use the mix for waffles too. I love added whole fruit in my pancakes: blueberries, apples, or bananas. Oh, and how can you forget toppings: I love some almond butter and David LOVES some pure maple syrup. I have also used apple butter, raisins, and any fresh fruit. Mercy, I am hungry just thinking about it!

Citrus Cookies

I like to make baked goods for people even though I don't typically eat them myself. My sisters always get angry at me during the holidays because I love to bake and bake but make others eat them. Whatever, they will get over it. Anywho, I just moved to Florida so now all my gifted bake goods consist of something "bright" and sunny" - hence Citrus Cookies.

Recipe:

Dough

• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoon finely grated citrus zest (a mix of lime, lemon, orange, and grapefruit)
• 2 large egg yolks, room temperature
• 2 - 3 tablespoon some sort of fresh squeezed citrus juice reduction (same as zest)
  
• 2 cups White Whole Wheat Flour
• 1/4 teaspoon soda
• 1/4 teaspoon fine salt

Icing

• 1 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted
• 1 tablespoon finely grated citrus zest (the same flavor of the cookie)
• 2 to 3 tablespoons citrus juice reduction (the same flavor of the cookie)

Direction:

First preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mat (this is the ideal but my mats got lost in the move - or I never had them I cannot remember - but i used a spritz of olive oil).

Beat the butter in a medium bowl with an electric mixer on medium-high heat until smooth. Add the sugar and citrus zest and continue to beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. (The creaming is important to get a great texture so don't skimp here.) Add the yolks, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the juice reduction.

Whisk the flour, baking soda and salt together in a bowl. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet mixture, mixing until just combined.

Scoop the dough with a small cookie scoop. Space the cookies about 2-inches apart on the prepared pans. I like to punch down the middle a bit to help it cook evenly. Bake the cookies 15 to 17 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool.

For icing: Mix the confectioners' sugar, juice reduction and zest in a medium bowl. (If needed, add up to 1 teaspoon more juice, but keep in mind that if the icing is too loose it won't set.) Place tin foil under the cooking racks and spoon icing once cookies have cooled to just above room temp. Dry cookies on rack. Serve.

Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days.

Alternatives:

- I think you could use any citrus combination. I would like to try a pure grapefruit or key lime version.
- I would also like to try these with reduced sugar and maybe a honey/ citrus glaze for the top. yummmmm.
- Also, how good is ginger and lemon together! come on citrus ginger crinkles, MAN that would be great.

Uses:

I guess I really don't have to complete this section because it is obvious. You can eat them or send them as a gift. But, let's say that you make tons and are not able to eat them...I think this would be a great addition to a yogurt parfait (crumble them).



Dave sure liked them...

Greek Bell Peppers

Peppers, peppers everywhere. In an attempt to sate our addition to Mediterranean, more specifically olive oil. Here is a recipe sure to be delicious when I try it in a month - Greek Bell Peppers.

Recipe:

6 bell peppers (two can fit into a pint jar and one into a half pint)
6 T lemon juice
6 T kosher salt
6 T cracked black pepper
3+ T Cilantro
olive oil


Direction:

Phase one: roasting the peppers. I cut the peppers in half and de-seeded them before placing them on a broiling pan. broil on high for 10 min with skins facing up. Then I put them in a large bowl and covered with tin foil (the steam allows the skins to bubble and peel faster). After about 5-10 minutes in the steam bath I took as much skin as I could off under cold water.
Phase two: In sterile half pint jars place one Tablespoon salt, black pepper, and lemon juice and 1/2 Table spoon cilantro. Then julienne the roasted and skinned bell peppers. I stuffed one pepper's worth into the jar then filled the rest of the jar with olive oil. I used the chop stick poke method to remove visible air bubble and top off with olive oil and lemon juice if needed. I processed in boiling water for 15 min.

Alternatives:

- I think next time adding some kalamata olives rather than salt...some capers may be good too.
- basil rather than cilantro.

Uses:

Ok, so i have never made these before and therefore never tasted them - and it will be a week before I can try them. But I think any thing with feta would be amazing; an addition to a rice dish; included in a mix for dolma; a like snack; in a pita with spinach, tomatoes, and sprouts...man i am already hungry.

Pickled Bell Peppers

Oh, yes there are more peppers - they seem to keep multiplying in that bin! One of the great recipes found was for pickled peppers and adapted the recipe. This was an all day project so make sure you have plenty of time.

Recipe:

10 peppers
1 onion
2 quarts white vinegar
4 bay leaves
1 T pepper corns
3 T kosher salt
some olive oil


Directions:

Phase one: roasting the peppers. I cut the peppers in half and de-seeded them before placing them on a broiling pan. broil on high for 10 min with skins facing up. Then I put them in a large bowl and covered with tin foil (the steam allows the skins to bubble and peal faster). After about 5-10 minutes in the steam bath I took as much skin as I could off under cold water.
Phase two: pickling. bring the vinegar to a boil with the herbs, spices, onion, and salt, and cook the peppers for a few minutes. Remove them with a slotted spoon, draining them well, and transfer them to clean sterile canning jars. Filter the vinegar, returning it to the pot, and bring it to a boil again; while it's heating divvy the onion rings and bay leaves among the jars. Pour the boiling vinegar over the peppers, add a tablespoon of olive oil to each jar. Then I used a chop stick to poke around the jar and remove any visible air bubbles. Then add more liquid if necessary. Process in boiling water for about 15 minutes. Put them in a cool dark place for a month, and they're ready. Expect them to keep for a year.

Alternatives:

- The onions are not completely necessary but do add flavor.
- Also, the addition of garlic would add another layer of flavor.


Uses:

Eating pickled peppers make me feel kind of fancy because they are not an everyday meal staple (like peanut butter). Try these little gems on a sandwich with cheese; part of an antipasto platter; a pizza topping with feta; mixed into steamed veggies; and many more...

Best-ish Salsa

We have and excess of bell peppers and by excess I mean a good 40! I searched the web and found some recipes that feature the beautiful bell pepper. The first of these recipes is a cooked salsa. I adapted the recipe from here which claims to be the "best"but after processing this I decided I like raw salsa better. But, one has to cook it a little when canning.

Recipe:

6 large tomatoes
4 cups green bell peppers
3 jalapenos
1 large onion
2 cloves of garlic
salt & pepper
1 1/2 cups apple cider vinegar
handful cilantro

Directions:

I chopped all the tomatoes, green bell pepper, jalapenos, onions, and garlic in the food processor. The chopped pieces (you want the pieces to an appropriate size to fit on a chip) go in a pot with the apple cider vinegar, salt, and pepper. Let this all come to a boil then cook at a rolling boil for about 10 min. At minute 8 throw in the cilantro. I canned the salsa - so I immediately poured the salsa into sterile jars and processed for 20 min.

Alternatives:

- You can reduce the boiling time if you like more raw salsa
- While I canned the salsa I am sure freezing would work just as well.
- I put in a lot of bell peppers because I had a lot of them. You can use more or less of the main ingredients to fit your taste.

Uses:

This is really a simple one, there is the obvious chips and dip; This would taste great on eggs; and really any type of Mexican food; this would also be great as an addition to black bean (or any bean) soup.

Star Fruit Butter

What do you do when you have and excess of fresh star fruit? First, how often does that happen - apparently frequently in South Florida - and second, star fruit is not the most familiar of fruits to me so being creative is hard. Despite this I decided to try my hand at star fruit butter.

Star fruit is really good for you and is classified as a "superfruit". You can read about star fruit here if you are interested.

Recipe: (I adapted from the star fruit chutney)

2 cups cubed star fruit
1/2 dry red wine (I think any kind would be fine)
1 T agave nectar
1 T powder ginger
1/4 t ground cloves
2 T apple cider vinegar

Directions:

Basically, I threw all the ingredients into a pot and let simmer on low for like 3 hours. Around hour 2 I put the mixture into a blender to puree all the skins. This reduces a lot - I made a double batch and all of that resulted into a half pint jar. I canned the butter and it is now on my shelf for an occasion yet to come.

Alternatives:

- You could not simmer as much and make more of a syrup rather than a butter.
- I thought of adding a fresh lime at the end to brighten it.
- Fresh ginger would give it more of a kick.

Uses:

- Ok, so this is where I struggled the most because the ginger gives it a little bit of a spicy kick but the fruit adds some sugar. However, Dave has found the most uses: feta and star fruit butter sandwich; almond butter and start fruit bagel; and pour over cream cheese for a dip.