What to do with Extra Eggnog?

Festive Eggnog Pancakes

I am an eggnog junkie so luckily for me eggnog is an essential drink during Christmas and New Years.  The homemade type is the best; it makes the cold weather seem more bearable. Some like it straight and some like it spiked.  I like it in any form, especially in baked goods.  I recently had to purchase some for dessert making but all I could find was a gallon jug (for some reason Trader Joes had a shortage this year and their chocolate flavored eggnog wasn’t going to make the cut).  A gallon is a bit much and for a week I had the plastic leviathan looking at me every time I opened the refrigerator.   What did I decide to do with it?  Eggnog pancakes were the solution, what better way is there to greet the day?  After a hearty (and festive) breakfast we had a lot of energy to hit the hills and go hiking for the day.  You can’t beat a day like that! 

 I still have a bit left in the jug and I hate to say goodbye to it and the Holidays but, with the addition of rum or whiskey and some whipped cream, it should be easy to say goodbye! 

Eggnog Pancakes

(Recipe makes about 14 pancakes)

Ingredients

½ cup sifted all purpose flour

½ tsp. Salt

½ tsp. Baking powder

¾ tsp. Baking soda

1 tsp. Pumpkin pie spice

1 cup Whole wheat flour

1 tblsp. Wheat germ (optional)

2 tbls. Honey or Organic agave syrup

1 Egg-beaten

1 cup Eggnog

2 tbls. Melted unsalted butter 

Additional add-ons

100% Pure Maple syrup (fake syrup need not apply)

Whipped cream (optional- but really good)

Directions: 

Grease and preheat (medium heat) a griddle.

 Sift together the first 6 ingredients.  Whisk in the wheat germ.  In a separate bowl whisk together the remaining ingredients.  Quickly mix the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients. Do not over-mix.  If the batter is too thick for you, add eggnog by the tablespoon until it is to your liking. Ladle the batter onto the hot griddle.  When small bubbles appear, flip over the pancake and cook until golden brown.  Place on plate, add a dollop of whipped cream and pass the maple syrup.  Enjoy!

Mi Catering is a Needed Change

I was wandering around the Downtown Phoenix Farmer’s Market and smelled something good!  I saw a sign for Mi Catering and decided to see what they were cooking.  They were offering samples of their vegan burrito.  Mexican and vegan?  Doesn’t happen too often.  I have to say it was the best that I have had.  I dipped into their salsa offerings and was hooked.  It is hard to find fresh tasting and healthy Mexican food so I was excited.  I spoke with the Chef-owners Maria and Martin Osete and they told me that they had a restaurant in Nogales, Mexico before moving their catering business to North Scottsdale.   Along with their catering business they sell their salsa, vinaigrette and Pomodoro sauce at farmer’s market.  I know, Pomodoro sauce doesn’t fit the Mexican theme but their food has some European flair thrown in.  They hope to have an on-line business soon to reach out to the people who like to shop from home.  I tried the Roasted Tomato & Serrano Pepper Salsa and the Roasted Tomato & Tomatillo-Habanero Salsa.  They are very tasty and have a bit of a bite!  The Pomodoro sauce is full of chunky tomatoes and herbs and was just thick enough to coat my pasta.  I haven’t tried them as a catering company (probably won’t since I like to cook) but am looking forward to getting my hands and taste buds on more of their salsa.  I do hope that I am at an event someday soon and see those vegan burritos being offered…  Hire them as your next caterer and then invite me!  You can look at the beginnings of their web-site at www.mcatering.com

One way to battle the heat

Coooool Margarita

The thermometer read 107 degrees  outside of my kitchen window at 11:30 AM.  Ugh.  Only one thing to do.  I’ll be at the pool this afternoon, after the sun starts to set so that I don’t end up looking  like a Main lobsta.  They are calling for 112 degrees today. Summer has officially arrived in Phoenix.  It came very late this year so I’m not complaining.  To welcome the heat, I will be sitting poolside with a giant pitcher of Margaritas and dreaming of island life. I’m an on the rocks, no salt drinker.  I like to taste the tartness of the lime and the salt kills it for me. The frozen variety reminds me too much of a slushie and you can head over to 7-Eleven if you want one of those.

Here is the quick and easy recipe that I use for a refreshing Margarita.  Basically, all you have to remember is 3-2-1.  These go great with a big plate of nachos drizzled with salsa verde (the tomatillos in my garden are looking good) and a side of guacamole.  Salud!

Ingredients:

3 jiggers of good quality Margarita Mix

2 jiggers of Triple-Sec

1 jigger of good quality Tequila (I use Don Julio)

limes wedges

1 orange

salt is optional

Mix the alcohol together in a pitcher, squeeze in lime juice to taste and add a good squirt of fresh orange juice.  Pour in chilled glasses that are filled with ice.

Israeli Couscous with Vegetables

Israeli Couscous with Vegetables

Have you tried Israeli couscous?  I think people are more familiar with the smaller North African variety.  If you have not seen couscous, it is granular semolina.  Basically, it is tiny pieces (pin head size) of steamed pasta. It is heaped on a plate and covered with meats and or vegetables.  Dried fruits and nuts can also be added.  However, Israeli couscous is much bigger (barley size) and has a different texture.  I love it as a salad mixed with vegetables, either hot or cold.  My friend has a recipe for a great summer salad; it would be perfect for a picnic.  Every time I see Israeli couscous I think of the time we all sat around her pool, enjoying the beautiful MA summer day, and eating the wonderful food that she had prepared.  Most of it originated from her garden.  As of yet, I have not seen the recipe…feel to post it, friend! 

 I adapted this recipe because I did not have most of the ingredients that the original recipe needed.  For instance, I did not have plain couscous.  What I did have was Trader Joe’s Harvest Grains Blend that contains Israeli Couscous, orzo, and grains.  If you can find the Trader Joe’s mix use it.  If not, just go with the plain. That’s the beauty of Israeli couscous, you can add anything to it and it still tastes great.

Israeli Couscous with Vegetables

 Step 1. Couscous

 1  1/4 cups of dry Israeli Couscous or Trader Joe’s Harvest Grains Blend

1 ¾ cups vegetable broth

Cook couscous according to directions, using vegetable broth as cooking liquid.  Set aside.

Step 2. Vegetable Mixture:

1 Tbls olive oil

½ cup of carrots-chopped

1 medium leek, white and pale green parts finely chopped

1 ½ Tbls chopped garlic

½ cup white wine

2 cups frozen peas

1-cup vegetable broth

4 Roma tomatoes seeded and chopped

¼ cup oil marinated sun-dried tomatoes-chopped

Pinch of saffron threads

2 cups fresh spinach

½ cup Kalmata olives-chopped 

 

 

Heat oil in skillet.  Add carrots and leeks and cook until soft.  Add garlic and cook until garlic is fragrant.  Stir in wine and deglaze pan.  Add peas and let wine reduce a few more seconds.  Add vegetable broth, the cooked couscous, tomatoes, olives and saffron.  Cover and let stand for 3-5 minutes.  Stir in fresh spinach and let it wilt.  Remove from heat and season with sea salt and pepper.  You may add more olive oil, at this point, if the finished product is not moist enough for your taste.

Find the yum in Alamos, Mexico

Entomatadas from Cafe del Sol

I just got back from Mexico and want to tell you about a great little restaurant that I found.  I have been to the small mountain town of Alamos a few times and it can be difficult to find a place to eat.  There are little choices and you never know what you are going to get as far as food safety is concerned.  I heard about a little place called Cafe del Sol, owned by an American, and decided to try it.  We sat outside on the quiet and tranquil patio and enjoyed reading the menu.  They offered more than the usual Mexican fare and had some interesting options like beet and goat cheese soup.  I opted for the orange and squash soup (wonderful).  We also shared some nachos that had a tomatillo sauce and queso fresco, with pickled jalapenos, onions and carrots on the side.  They were really good and not greasy at all.  For my main course, I had entomatadas de pollo.  My family tends to be very picky about these and I have to say that Cafe de Sol made them wonderfully.  I usually don’t have them with chicken but that made it more like a substantial meal. 

I had heard rave reviews about the crepes con manzanas (crepes with apples, cinnamon and cream) so I ordered them for dessert.  They were light and full of flavor, definitely something I would order again.  It turns out they ship the coffee in from New Orleans.  It went well with the crepes.  One thing that I will never get used to in Mexico is the habit of adding condensed milk to coffee. Of course, the canned stuff is probably better for the stomach when traveling but it does alter the taste of the coffee.  Better safe than sorry! So, if you ever find yourself in Alamos Mexico, try Cafe del Sol.  You’ll be glad you did.

 

Butterscotch Pudding

Butterscotch Pudding

Most people think that pudding is something that comes out of a box.  That’s unfortunate because it is really easy to make, with a few ingredients, and tastes great when you make it yourself.  As an added bonus, you can control what goes into it.  You can make it super healthy or downright rich and decadent.  I had one of those strange cravings for pudding even though I had not eaten it for years.  I started thinking that even though I had no pre-packaged pudding there must be an easy way to make it.  People had been eating it way before Jell-O brand and My-T-Fine came to town; they must have made it from ingredients that they had on hand.  I did some quick research and found to my delight that it is super easy to make.  I have not had a box in the house since then and now dislike the taste of what comes out of a box.   Here is a recipe for a lighter version of butterscotch pudding.  You can amp up the calories and richness by adding whole milk or cream.  I, of course, add a dollop of vanilla (or Kahlua) infused whipped cream on top.  Yum!  Now I’m thinking that some chocolate pudding may be in order for this week…

Butterscotch pudding

Ingredients

1-cup brown sugar

¼ cup cornstarch

½ tsp. salt

3 cups milk (I used low-fat), divided

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 egg yolk, lightly beaten

1 tbls. Butter

1 tsp. vanilla

Freshly whipped cream for topping

Directions

Combine sugar, cornstarch and salt in a saucepan.  Gradually whisk in 2 cups of milk until blended.  Cook until mixture reaches 180 °F or tiny bubbles form around edge of pan.

Whisk remaining milk, egg and egg yolk in a bowl.  Gradually add 1 cup of hot milk mixture to egg mixture, stirring constantly with a whisk.  Transfer egg mixture to mixture in the saucepan. Bring to a boil and then cook 1 minute or until mixture is thick, stirring constantly. 

 Remove from heat and stir in butter and vanilla.  Place pan in a large ice-filled bowl until mixture cools to room temperature (stir every now and then to distribute heat).  Divide pudding into dishes and cover each with plastic wrap or waxed paper.  Chill.  Serve with a dollop of whipped cream.

Scallops Atop Spinach Linguine

Scallops can either be great or just plain uninspiring.  I like the large sea scallops instead of the smaller bay scallops, they are meatier and are easy to work with.  Personally, I would only eat scallops from the U.S.; I’m not a big supporter of imported seafood.  As an added bonus, they are a “Good Alternative” sustainable seafood.  They can be baked, broiled or seared.  You can drizzle olive oil and lemon juice on them or drown them in a cheese sauce.  I guess it depends on your state of mind.  I came across this recipe (in Cooking Light) and adapted it for what I had on hand.  It has a refreshing taste and is very filling. I paired it with a green salad and a glass of white wine.

Seared Scallops Sitting Atop Spinach Linguine

 3 cups of grape tomatoes

2 tbls. Olive oil, divided

1 lb. Sea scallops

1 ½ tbls. Fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced

1 tbls. Lemon zest

2 tbls. Parmesan cheese, freshly grated

16 oz. Spinach linguine

Sea salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1) Cook linguine according to directions on package.

 2) Place tomatoes on a baking sheet, sprinkle with olive oil, salt and pepper and toss well.  Broil tomatoes for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they begin to brown.  Remove from heat.

 3) Heat 1 tbls. oil in a heavy skillet.  Pat scallops dry and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Add scallops to skillet.  Cook for 2 minutes on each side or until the scallops are lightly browned- do not overcook (they should be opaque in the middle). 

 4) Place linguine on a serving platter and toss with remaining olive oil, 1 Tbls. cheese and roasted tomatoes.  Place the scallops on the bed of linguine and sprinkle with remaining cheese, basil, lemon zest and salt and pepper to taste. 

Good Choice for Mexican Food in Cave Creek

Flan

I tend to avoid restaurants that tout their Mexican food.  I like Mexican food and get excited when someone highly recommends a place that I just have to try.  This is the Southwest and we are on the border so one would expect good, authentic Mexican food. However, after I rush to the “best place that I must try” I am usually disappointed. Why do people think that Mexican food consists of some greasy, salty entree covered in mounds of fake cheese and piled high with useless iceberg lettuce?  That kind of food makes me want to save money and time by staying home and having a salt lick block and some processed American cheese. They don’t eat that way in Mexico, so why do we?  Out of desperate hunger, a lack of patience, and a Restaurant.com coupon, I found a place that helped me regain my interest in Mexican restaurant food. 

 You see, I made the mistake of trying to go to the Cave Creek balloon festival on Saturday night.   The traffic on Cave Creek Road was of epic proportions.  We sat and sat and sat.  We got hungry and only had exhaust fumes to eat.  When things were looking hopeless I happened to notice that we were stopped in front of a Mexican restaurant and I just happened to have a Restaurant.com coupon in the car.  I like balloons but the heck with it, let’s eat.  Lucky for us, Los Mesquites Taqueria had parking spaces so we stopped.  When we sat down we immediately dug into the salsa and chips; they offer a red salsa and a tomatillo style; I was hooked.  The salsas were wonderful and the chips were not greasy or salty. I noticed they had Mole (a Mexican specialty sauce that includes chili peppers, chocolate, spices, crushed seeds and more), which is my favorite.  After grilling the nice server, I decided to order it because he said that they make it from scratch.  It was great!  It had nice flavor, not too spicy and not too sweet.  The chicken was tender and the beans and rice were great as well.  I also tried the “Nicholas” chicken burrito and it was not fatty or bland tasting.  It was very fresh tasting and captured the wonderful flavor from their real mesquite fired grill.  I really liked it. The one thing that we were struck by was the lack of vast quantities of salt.  I spoke with the owner, Bill Jung, and he said that he is a “no-salt” man.  Amen, to that.  He also said that they use 26 ingredients in their Mole and that was evident in the variety of flavors that I tasted.  All of their meals are made from scratch and take a little bit of time.  It is worth the wait. 

 I was too stuffed for dessert but ordered flan to take home.  I ate it the next day and savored every bite.  The flan was light and not too sweet.  An added bonus is that the prices are reasonable and they have vegetarian options.  I have heard that the place gets loud when the band plays so if you are not interested in music, you may want to avoid that time slot.

I will be going back to Los Mesquites Taqueria.  If you are in Cave Creek stop by, they are located on Cave Creek Road just before town.

 Address: 37645 N. Cave Creek Road, Cave Creek, AZ 85331

 Phone (480) 488-0489

Lower fat twice-baked potatoes

Lower fat twice-baked potatoes

Everyone loves twice-baked potatoes.  However, most of the wonderful taste comes from fat laden ingredients.  Some restaurants even served them with the skins deep-fried.  I get a bad case of acid reflux just thinking about it.  Actually, that is what got me thinking about creating a “lighter” version.  I must have some type of quality cheese in my twice-baked spud but I figured out a way to decrease the amount and trick my taste buds. I am not one to desecrate a good cheese (Sacré bleu!) with cottage cheese but if you put the cheese and cottage cheese together in a blender it incorporates well.  The best part is all the curds are broken up and a creamy texture is created; no one will be put off knowing that cottage cheese was added to the recipe.  I use smaller Russet potatoes to make them an appetizer size.   I don’t present the potatoes as the main focus of the meal and most don’t seem to mind the smaller size potato.  I also broiled the finished product with a thin slice of Capicollo on top.  Of course, you can use much larger potatoes as the main course but then remember to double the amount of ingredients.  So with this lighter version, you can have your twice-baked potato and eat it too!

Ingredients:

4 small to medium size Russet potatoes

2 Tbls. butter

1 ½ Tbls. shredded sharp Cheddar cheese (I used one Tillamook slice)

1 Tbls. freshly grated pecorino Romano cheese

2 Tbls. low-fat cottage cheese

1/8 Tsp. garlic powder

2 Tbls. low-fat milk (1% milkfat)

1 Tlbs. Chopped fresh parsley

one green onion (scallion), white and light green part finely chopped

Sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Capicollo or prosciutto

Bake potatoes at 400 degrees ºF until they are easily pierced (this will vary according to the size).  When the potatoes are done, let them cool until they can be easily handled.  Cut potatoes in half and scoop out the inside with a spoon and place in a mixing bowl.  Add the butter and mash.   In a blender, add the three cheeses, milk and garlic powder.  Blend until smooth (some small Cheddar pieces may remain).  Add salt and pepper to taste. Add cheese mixture to reserved potatoes and blend.  Stir in parsley and green onion.  Stuff potato skins with mixture and bake at 350 degrees ºF for 10 minutes.  If using strips of meat, place on top of each potato half and broil until the meat begins to crisp.

Brussel Sprouts with a Twist of Clementine

Lately, I have been eating an abundance of Brussel sprouts.  I disliked them as a child but have a new found fondness for them.  The key to a good Brussel sprout experience is to have them fresh and well prepared.  As an added plus, they are really good for you. This month leads to a lot of unhealthy party eating and skipping meals due to running around.  I was thrilled when I ran through the store the other day and spotted Brussel sprouts being sold while still attached to their stalk.  The looked very fresh and inviting.  I grabbed them (they were actually being sold quickly which surprised me).  When I got home I decided to make them with some of the Clementine oranges that I bought days ago.  This is the time of year when you see the little oranges being sold in bulk every place you look.  I’ll never eat that many so I try to add them to recipes to help the orange pile on my kitchen counter shrink.  The Clementines worked out beautifully, the sprouts were sweet and tangy.  

Your biggest hurdle will be to get the Brussel sprout doubters at the dinner table to try them.  I’m hoping the doubters at my Christmas table will make a conversion and begin to love the little cabbages.  I think it will work.  At least I’ll be enjoying them as a great side dish with my Christmas ham!

Ingredients:

2 cups of fresh Brussel sprouts, cleaned and trimmed

2 Tbls. freshly squeezed Clementine orange juice (can substitute Naval orange)

¼ tsp. orange zest

2 Tbls. butter

Pinch of red pepper flakes

Fresh cracked black pepper

Sea salt

 Steam or boil Brussel sprouts until fork tender.  Remove from pot.  Add butter, orange juice and zest to pot.  Stir until butter is melted and begins thicken.  Add red pepper flakes.  Add Brussel sprouts and toss.  Season with cracked black pepper and sea salt. Serve.