That Can't be Low Calorie!!

Well since I didn't give you the picture of the finished stuffed breast of veal, I will share with you a fabulous, low calorie and low sugar dessert!

Necessity and a lack of time are a pretty good motivator for invention and experimentation. On a very busy day (is there any other kind?) I got a call that I needed to bring a dessert to temple that night. I was already careening down the aisles of the supermarket trying to beat all the weekend shoppers and so made a mad dash through the bakery section. Oh how I hate store bought baked goods loaded with chemicals!! Read the labels sometime and you will think twice about even buying bread! So I grabbed an Angel food cake and made a dash to the baking aisle for some sugar free vanilla pudding and a bag of coconut. I made a frantic turn through the frozen foods and grabbed a container of frozen non-dairy whipped topping, aka Cool-Whip, and a half gallon of skim milk. Let me digress a moment...Cool Whip only has like 15 calories per serving to start with so who comes up with Fat-free Cool Whip or reduced calorie Cool Whip? And is this really a necessity? Are those 3 calories really going to get you anywhere?

Ok, back to dessert. As we headed out the door of the house, I realized my bananas were at their peak and I was too busy to bake banana bread. I grabbed the bananas, Angel Food cake, Cool-whip, milk, pudding and coconut. My brain was on overload and now I was thinking like those chefs on Chopped. I have a handful of ingredients and what do I make?

Make the pudding using only 1 1/2c. of milk. Just pour the milk and pudding mix in a container, snap on the lid and shake for 5 minutes. Let it stand while you get the cake ready. Cut the Angel food cake in 3 layers. Put the bottom layer on a platter. Get your pudding and fold it into the Cool whip using a large bowl. (FOLD! DO NOT STIR!) Now, take some of the Cool Whip mixture and just plop it on the first layer of cake and spread it around. Slice ripe banana all over the top and sprinkle with coconut. Add the next layer of cake. More Cool Whip mixture, bananas and coconut. You should be looking delicious and sloppy by now. Top it with the last layer of cake. Cover liberally with the Cool Whip mixture (and you'll still probably have some left over to eat later!) and cover liberally with just the coconut. It looks decadent! It tastes delicious! And your girlish figure won't feel guilty!

Cuttin' Up

Ok, so I have been away for a long while. The long and short of it is Jewish holidays, family came to visit, spring arrived, I have been suffering with hives for 3 weeks now and living in a Benedryl haze and now I am trying to get my life back. OK, so during my hiatus from blogging, and while my family was visiting for Passover, a dear friend sent me an article on Butchering. Yes, I mean, pick out your farm animal, humanely end it's life and carve it up. In a word, ICK! Alright so this is not for me but some people may find it rewarding. Julie Powell of Julie & Julia fame even wrote a second book all about butchering and how she hung out with this group in the Catskills of New York that was really into butchering their own livestock. I try to be a locavore, that is buying locally grown produce and if I can, various meats but we all have limits.

So, imagine my surprise when I came face to face with a butchering dilemma! I wanted to make Stuffed Breast of Veal. It was a dish my mom and my grandmother made every once in a while and I guess that is what made it so special. I knew my dad was going to be here over Passover and thought it would be really nice to make this treat. I have tried for months to buy breast of veal in the supermarkets here but I guess it's just not something Richmonders eat. I asked my dad's significant other if she could bring one from FL. when they came up to visit. No problem she said, it's readily available down there.

Now I have to tell you that usually breast of veal will feed 3-4 people easily so if you have a crowd, you might need more than one. So in my mind, I'm expecting something with about 4-5 large bones and about 12-16 inches across the top. So just imagine the look on my face as my father carries in this JUMBO styrofoam cooler and proceeds to remove this flat package, wrapped in butcher paper that is about 31/2 FEET long!!!!! Holy Cow or should I say, Holy VEAL!! it was the whole thing and frozen solid!! It wouldn't even fit in my freezer without being turned on an angle! We debated how best to cut it even considering asking a neighbor with a bandsaw to do the job. However, this was not to be. No, it would be up to me and a very sharp knife to get the deed done and so, for your amusement, here are some photos of me and my brush with butchering.

So now you want to know where is the picture of all wonderful deliciousness? We got so carried away with how good it smelled and wonderful it looked that we ate it and forgot to take a picture! Trust me, it was really good and I doubt anyone but me would be crazy enough to make it! If you want to try it yourself, call me and I'll send you the recipe!

So Saucy!

Just when it seemed that winter would have no end, we got hit with some glorious spring time temperatures. Of course my kids immediately got spring fever and started asking when the 'berry farm' would be open! That would be code talk for "we are sick of frozen/canned vegetables and apples and oranges"! It does seem like we eat an awful lot of apples and oranges over the winter, gorge ourselves on fresh summer fruit and veggies only to become nostalgic for a juicy, ripe apple as soon as the cool weather comes back! I keep a basket of apples and other fruits on the counter in the kitchen but sometimes those apples linger waaaay past their prime. Then we make applesauce (which is sooo good, we don't buy it anymore, ever!).

One day, as I passed through the giant warehouse of institutional sized packages, I had the chance to taste something I had long forgotten, a red pear. They were so good, hubby went back twice and then we bought a bag. What the heck, we thought we could pass them off to the kids as easily as apples and it would be a little change of pace. Hah!! I don't know what happened between the ones we tasted and the ones that we bought, but those skins were so thick, I considered options for new shoes or a hand bag!! Ugh!

Needless to say, they sat in the basket, waiting patiently for inspiration. They didn't have to wait long. About a week after I realized that those pears were not leaving on their own, I came across a bag of frozen cranberries in the freezer. Hmmmmm....cranberries, pears, ginger.....Cranberry Sauce with pears and ginger!!!! Delish! It made a great side dish with pork and chicken, we ate it warm for dessert with an almond cookie crumbled over the top and finally just finished it off as a snack. Next time, it may even find it's way into a pie crust. Enjoy!

Cranberry Sauce with pears and ginger

1 bag whole fresh cranberries

6-8 medium sized pears (the softer, the better!)

1c. white sugar

1/2c. water

1-2t. ground ginger

Peel the pears and core them. Cut in small dice. Put the fresh cranberries in a pot. Add the water and the sugar. Add the pears. Cook, stirring occasionally, over medium heat until the pears break down, the berries pop, the sugar dissolves and the whole thing begins to thicken slightly. Stir in ginger to suit your taste. Pour into glass jars or heat proof containers and refrigerate. It will thicken a little more as it cools.

In the Chips

Here it is. It just may be THE best chocolate chip cookie recipe ever. Crispy, slightly chewy, begging for a glass of ice cold milk, and yes, it stays that way for days if your cookies last that long! Thanks to America's Test kitchen, I share with you the last word in chocolate chip cookies!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 sticks of butter, softened

1c. brown sugar

1/2c. white sugar

2t. vanilla

1 whole egg + 1 yolk (save the whites for something else)

2 1/4c. flour

1/2t. Baking Soda

pinch of salt

1 bag your favorite chocolate chips (I prefer Ghiardelli and I use 1/2 semi-sweet and 1/2 bitter sweet)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In mixer on low, cream butter until light and fluffy. Add sugars and mix until smooth. Add egg and yolk and vanilla. Beat until thoroughly mixed. With mixer on low speed, gradually add in the dry ingredients. Scrape the bowl down as you go. When you have a good, stiff dough, mix in the chips by hand.

I use a 1/2oz. cookie scopp for 2" cookies or a 3/4 oz. scoop for large cookies. If you have no scoop, drop by spoonfuls onto baking sheets and leave enough room to spread. Bake for 15 minutes and remove from oven. They will look barely cooked. Allow cookies to rest on sheets for additional 10 minutes. (They keep baking!) Then remove to a plate or cookie jar and enjoy!

The Italian-Uruguay Connection

So my darling daughter, sensing an easy A, decided to take Spanish this year in school. Afterall, she's been learning Spanish in school since Kindergarten, right? Ahhhh, not quite as easy as she thought! More than just conjugating verbs, she must participate in the International Food Festival at school. She had to pick a Spanish speaking country, write a report and produce a poster. Being the concerned parent that I am (translation-I will ride you like a donkey until this is done!), I had to do a little research myself so I could help her decide on a dish to prepare.

Now, having lived in South Florida for many years and meeting many people from Spanish speaking countries, I figured it would be a pretty easy on my part. Of all the countries that speak Spanish, my darling daughter picked Uruguay!! I have never met anyone from Uruguay. I happened to know where it was on a map but that was only because we had some neighbors from Argentina. Actually, that turned out to be my blessing in disguise! Our Argentinian neighbors ate a LOT of Italian food when they weren't eating beef. In particular, they ate Gnocchi more often than not. Sometimes they ate it as a side dish and some times as an entree but I remember this neighbor making her Gnocchi from scratch at least once a week.

As it turns out, Uruguay is a lot like the U.S. in that it is a democracy, they have separation of church and state and they have a whole lot of immigrants from Europe that have influenced their cuisine. Actually, they eat very little of what anyone would call Latin food, but they eat a lot of things we're all familiar with (good to know you won't find it all weird if you ever go there!) The biggest influence on their cuisine were the Italians spilling over from Argentina and Brazil. As we found out, there isn't hardly an Italian dish that they don't eat.

Of all the pastas, Gnocchi has a special place in the hearts of Uruguayan nationals. It was traditionally eaten on the 29th of each month, just before payday, when most folks were at their poorest. Basically it is just boiled, mashed potatoes mixed with flour and an egg to form a dough. Then the dough is made into little pillows and boiled. They can be served topped with just about anything or any sauce. We did discover though that they have a National Sauce! Turns out that the great Italian Tenor, Enrico Caruso was scheduled to appear in concert in Uruguay. A couple of restauranteurs, who were to be serving him after the concert, wanted to make a special dish just to impress the opera singer. As the story goes, Caruso was so impressed with the dish, that he asked for it wherever he went, not realizing that it was only made that one time, in that restaurant, just for him. Caruso Sauce was born and has been adopted as the "Salsa Nacionale". Ironically, no one ever standardized the sauce so a google search will reveal many variations, many of which include chicken livers (not a good choice for a school project) but almost all include cream, onions and some type of meat. So here, we give you the one we selected; Gnoqui con Salsa Caruso. Enjoy!

Gnocchi en Italien pero Gnoqui en Espanol de Uruguay!

OK, right here let me say that although it is EASY to make Gnocchi, you can buy them in the store and have dinner in 15 minutes. If you're like me, well then, read on because we are about to make short-cut Gnocchi!

Gnocchi

2c. Instant mashed potato flakes

1 1/2c. very hot water

1/2c. milk

1 1/2c. all purpose flour + a little extra

1 egg yolk

2 generous T. parmesan cheese

Caruso Sauce

5T. butter

1/4c. flour

4c. milk

1/2t. nutmeg

1/2t. cinnamon

1c. toasted walnut pieces

1c. cooked ham, small dice (I used cubed ham and diced it small)

2T. Parmesan cheese

salt and pepper to taste

Boil a good-sized pot of water on the stove and make sure to salt it well. Pour the hot water in a bowl. Quickly add the mashed potato flakes and the milk. Sir with a fork to bring together to a dry nearly lumpy mess of mash. Add the egg yolk and the cheese. Use the fork to incorporate it well. Start working the flour into the mash 1/2c. at a time. After approximately 1 c. you will need to add the last 1/2c. and work it in with your hands. You should have a soft, damp dough; but not wet or sticky. Break off a fist-sized piece of dough and roll it into a 1/2" thick log on a clean, floured surface. Cut the log into 1/2" pillows, they will be almost square. Quickly roll each one into a more round shape. Take the fork you used to mix the mash and turn it over. Roll each piece over the back of the fork, pressing gently, and dropping it into the boiling water. Boil for approximately 2 minutes and remove from water with a slotted spoon, placing in a colander. This part is tricky. All the gnocchi should be floating but if they boil too long they will be mushy and fall apart. As you reach for the next hunk of dough, you will notice it is now sticky. Add a little more flour and then roll into a log and repeat the process. Do this each time you grab a hunk of dough. The whole process moves very quickly and you should have a pile of gnocchi in your colander in about 30 minutes from start to finish.

Let the gnocchi rest in the colander while you make the sauce. It is okay if they sit in a cold sticky pile. Trust me it is all going to work!

Toast the walnut pieces in the sauce pan for a few moments until they begin to toast and are fragrant. Do not BURN! Put them on the side. Melt 2T. butter in sauce pan and sautee onions for a few minutes until wilted and soft. Add the additional 3T. butter to pan. When melted, remove from heat and sprinkle 1/4c. flour over the butter. Mix together with wooden spoon and return to medium/medium-lo heat. Cook for about a minute until the roux becomes golden. Start adding the milk in small amounts stirring or whisking continuously until the sauce is smooth, thickened and all the milk has been incorporated. Do not let the burner get too hot. Cook over medium/medium-lo heat. Be patient! Add the spices,cheese, walnuts and ham. Mix together. Taste sauce and correct seasoning with spices or salt and pepper if necessary. Now add the gnocchi and stir to coat. Serve hot.

HELP! My sauce isn't thick!!!! Ok, don't panic. Sometimes this happens. Take about a Tablespoon of cornstarch and put it in a small cup. Add enough water (about 2-3 teaspoons) to dissolve completely. This is called a slurry. Gentle dribble the cornstarch mixture into the sauce while stirring and the sauce is very hot. It will thicken within a few moments.

Chinese Food in a Jewish Kitchen!

One of the things I remember from being a kid is eating Chinese food. What is this love affair that Jews have with Chinese food? Is it that after all of the meal preparations Jewish women would make all week, finally they had a day where they didn't have to cook?! Remember, I'm going back a long time. Moms and grandmas did not have all of the modern and shortcut things that we have today. No one was writing a cookbook based on 5 ingredients or less or even a 30 minute meal. It used to take 25 minutes just to boil rice! Or maybe it goes back further, I mean first we wander around the desert for 40 years with nothing to eat but manna. As if that weren't bad enough, after we were freed from being slaves in Egypt, we got Matzah, the bread of affliction. Which, by the way, is aptly named because after eight glorious days of eating food with no leavening and consuming copious amounts of matzah, you are afflicted in ways I care not to mention in a food blog! Perhaps Chinese food with its garlicky, saucy, starchy goodness is our reward! I'm not just talking about chicken chow mein here, I mean get past the eggrolls and wonton soup and indulge in a real taste adventure; Dim Sum, Kung Pao, Hot and Sour Soup! (Check out John Pinette on Youtube @ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TdwuiyO7hOU. He's hysterical!)

Sadly, like everything else these days, going out to eat with a family of 5 or more can be quite costly whether at the buffet or a sit down- one from column A/one from column B- authentic restaurant. So here for your dining experience I will share with you a delicious option. Even better it can be made mostly from left overs. No fancy kitchen equipment, no funky ingredients, just a delicious dinner accompanied by a quickie convenience of mini eggrolls store bought) and short cut soup. Yes, you'll have a couple of dishes to wash but hey, let the kids do it so you can enjoy the satisfaction of a tasty satisfying meal.

Lo-Mein

(There is no trick to this dish. The secret is in the sauce. I make my veggies separately because I have a picky eater. There's one in every crowd!)

Sauce

3 heaping Tablespoons Hoisin Sauce

3 T. low sodium Soy Sauce

3T. water

1/2c. your favorite Teriyaki Sauce (I like Soy Vay but it has sesame seeds, my kids like Yoshida's Gormet)

Optional: Few drops Hot sauce

Mix all of these ingredients in a bowl and set aside

Lo -Mein

1 lb. spaghetti, cooked and drained (Don't use Ramen! Way too mushy and starchy!)

11/2 lbs. meat (your choice of chicken, pork or beef, or shrimp; any one or a combination) or tofu-cut in bite sized pieces

2t. coriander

1t. ginger (2t. if using fresh grated)

fresh black pepper

4 cloves garlic, minced fine

1/2lb mushrooms sliced or chopped (I like baby bellas)

6 green onions, tops sliced into 3" long slivers-whites chopped up fine

1/2 medium onion, diced fine

1 head Napa cabbage, sliced fine (chiffonade)almost to the root

broccoli florets, carrot slivers, water chestnuts-drained

2-3T vegetable oil

Heat 2 T. of oil in a wok or deep sautee pan. Add your choice of protein and stir-fry for several minutes until nearly cooked. Add slivered green onions and minced white part as well as spices. Continue to cook until the meat is nearly finished. Sautee the vegetables right in the same pan until crisp tender, about 2-4 minutes. Add pasta to the meat and veggies and pour sauce over all. Toss to combine.

IF YOU HAVE A PICKY EATER: Finish cooking the meat. Pour over cooked pasta in a waiting bowl and toss to combine. Add a little of the sauce to coat (it will get absorbed, don't worry). Sautee the vegetables separately. When finished, drain any liquid from the pan and toss with 2-3T. of sauce. Pour the rest of the sauce over pasta/meat mixture and toss to combine. Serve in 2 separate bowls.

Quickie Egg drop Soup

1-2 32 oz. cartons of chicken broth

1/2c. frozen peas

2T. cornstarch mixed with 1/4c. water

2 eggs, slightly beaten

green onions, sliced, tops only

Heat chicken broth to a simmer. Add peas and cook for 1 minute. Add cornstarch while stirring and cook until slightly thickened. Turn off. While swirling the soup with a fork or whisk, add eggs. They should make threads. Serve garnished with green onion.

OK so you want this meal to be a little faster and less clean up? Costco and Sam's Club sell mini eggrolls and frozen wonton soup. If you really feel like a splurge, tell your honey to pickup soup and eggrolls on his/her way home from work. It'll only set you back about $5.

Lemony goodness!

Well here in central VA it looks like spring is imminent and the snow is behind us (but we could always get that freak snow storm those weather guessers never saw coming!) My bird feeders are busier than the by-pass to the Outer Banks of NC or for my Jersey friends, busier than the GSP going "down the shore" that first nice weekend of summer! Everything is starting to bud and hopefully the deer will leave the rest of my liriope alone and let me see a few of those azaleas before they eat it all gone! I've gone back to my new pastime of shooting the squirrels out of the bird feeder with my 35FT Super Soaker. I can shoot 'em right through the screens of the screen room and no one gets hurt, they just get the message! (And don't give me that nonsense about the squirrels have to eat too! Those little bastards stole a whole suet cake right out of the feeder and I feed them corn and peanuts all the time!)

A high temperature of 55 let me shed my heavy coat and definitely got me thinking Spring! which made me think of Lemonade and sitting outside. Ok those days are still a few weeks away but a girl can dream right? So of course that led me to the fridge to see if I had lemon juice, which revealed that I still had almost a full can of raspberry pastry filling from another project. Of course that made me think of raspberry lemonade and tadah! Lemonade Cupcakes with Raspberry filling and Lemon Icing!! Outstanding! Try them and see!

Lemonade Cupcakes

3/4c. butter, softened

11/2c. white sugar

2 eggs

1/2t. vanilla

zest of 1 lemon or 2T. grated lemon peel

1/4c. Lemonade concentrate OR

1/2c. fresh lemon juice + 2T. light corn syrup

1c. milk

2 1/2t. Baking Powder

2 1/2c. all-purpose flour

1/4t. salt

1 can Raspberry or Apricot cake and pastry filling

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Put liners in the tins. Sift dry ingredients together and set aside. Beat butter on medium for 2 minutes until light and fluffy. Add sugar and beat until smooth. Add eggs, vanilla, lemon zest and lemonade. Beat on medium for 2-3 minutes until thoroughly incorporated. Add milk. Mix on low until combined. It will look slightly curdled. Gently add dry ingredients a little at a time, mixing on low speed until just combined. Beat an additional 1-2 minutes on medium high.

Fill liners 1/3 full (about 1 large serving spoon or 3/4oz. cookie scoop). Place a small dollop of Raspberry pastry and cake filling on top of batter in center of cupcake. Cover with additional batter to make liners about 2/3 full. Do not over fill! Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 22-24 minutes. Cupcakes will be light and golden. Cool in pans for 2 minutes and then remove to wire rack. When completely cooled, ice with Lemon Cream cheese Icing or Lemon Cream Icing.

Lemon Cream Cheese Icing:

8 oz. cream cheese

2T. butter

Powdered sugar

1/4c. Lemonade Concentrate

Beat butter and cream cheese in mixer until combined. Gradually add powdered sugar and Lemonade concentrate until smooth and desired consistency.

Lemon Cream Icing:

2c. Heavy cream, chilled

2/3c. powdered sugar (maybe a little more depending on your preference)

1 1/2T. fresh lemon juice

Beat the cream in a chilled bowl on LOW until it begins to thicken. Gradually add sugar and the lemon juice until soft peaks form. Frost on completely cooled cupcakes. Maybe refrigerated for later use.

Cheaters Lemon Icing:

1 can vanilla frosting

1-2 T. fresh Lemon juice

Add 1 T. lemon juice to frosting and beat to combine right inside the can. If not Lemon enough, add more juice and repeat. Be careful not to make the icing too soft!

OK, I know you are now scratching your head going what in the world is that orange thing that she has standing next to lemon in the photograph?! It's a JUICER! No kidding! You just screw that contraption into your piece of fruit and turn it over. Juice will immediately pour out; about 2 T. worth! Now if you need more juice, just keep squeezing. After a few minutes, you'll be left with the desicated , empty husk of fruit and about 1/2c. of juice from a single lemon! Next time tyou see one of these little gizmos in a store or a yard sale, pick it up. Definitely worth having in your kitchen!