Garden Vegetable Pasta Salad

• 1 pound fusilli or pasta of your choice
• 2 medium eggplant
• 2 medium zucchini
• 2 medium yellow summer squash
• 1 large red onion, cut into 1/2-inch slices
• 1 medium sweet red pepper, cut in half and seeds removed
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 3 plum tomatoes, chopped
• 1-1/2 cups (6 ounces each) crumbled feta cheese
• 2 cans (2-1/4 ounces each) sliced ripe olives, drained
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
• 
  PARMESAN VINAIGRETTE:
• 3/4 cup olive oil
• 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/3 cup white wine vinegar
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper

Directions

• Cook pasta according to package directions; drain and rinse in cold water. Place in a large bowl and set aside.
• Meanwhile, cut the eggplant, zucchini and summer squash lengthwise into 3/4-in.-thick slices. Brush the eggplant, zucchini, summer squash, red onion and red pepper with oil; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill vegetables, covered, over medium heat for 4-6 minutes on each side or until crisp-tender. When cool enough to handle, cut into cubes.
• Add the tomatoes, feta cheese, olives, parsley and grilled vegetables to the pasta. In a small bowl, whisk the vinaigrette ingredients. Pour over salad; toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate until serving. Yield: 26 servings (3/4 cup each).

Cookie Dough Truffles

1 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 teaspoon vanilla
4 cups flour
2 14oz can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup mini chocolate chips
3 pounds chocolate candy bark, melted

In a large bowl cream butter and brown sugar with an electric mixer at medium speed until creamy.  Add vanilla.  Gradually beat in flour and add milk.  Add chocolate chips mixing well.  Shape into 1" balls.  Place on waxed paper and chill 2 hours.

Melt chocolate candy bark coating in a double boiler.  Using 2 forks, dip cookie balls into candy coating to cover. 

Fruit Dip

3 8oz cream cheese
3 cups powdered sugar
3 cups whipping cream
3/4 cup sugar
3 lemons, zested and juiced
Pineapple juice

Soften cream cheese and then whip with powdered sugar.  Whip cream  and sugar together until it forms soft peaks.  Combine beaten cream cheese, whipped cream, lemon juice and zest continue to beat, adding just enough pineapple to achieve desired consistency.

This makes enough for 30 people.

Individual Cheesecake

8 8oz cream cheese
8 14oz sweetened condensed milk
10 tablespoons lemon juice
5 teaspoon clear vanilla
Butter
Sugar
Graham Cracker

Make crust like it says on box of graham cracker crumbs. I used just regular graham crackers and crushed them myself.  And it is cheaper.
Combine cream cheese, juice, sweetened condensed milk, and vanilla.  Fill with 1/2 cup filling in each cup and add fruit topping.  Then refrigerate for a few hours.

This will make 48 individual cheesecakes.

Fruit Salsa with cinnamon chips

4 kiwis, peeled and diced
4 apples, peeled, cored, and diced
2 pounds strawberries, diced
2 8oz packages frozen raspberries, thawed
4 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoon brown sugar
6 tablespoon fruit preserves any flavor
20 10" flour tortillas
4 cups cinnamon sugar mixture

In a large bowl, mix kiwis, apples, strawberries, raspberries, sugar, brown sugar, and fruit preserves.  Cover and chill for at least 20 minutes. 

Cinnamon chips:
Cut tortillas into strips or triangles.  Heat oil for frying.  Drop tortillas into hot oils a few at a time.  When golden brown remove and immediately drop into cinnamon sugar mixture. Coat chips with mixture, then place on paper towels.  Allow chips to cool.

This will serve 30 people.

Buttermilk Coleslaw

This is a big recipe.  It will serve 36 people or more.

3 cups mayo
9 tablespoon Dijon mustard
12 tablespoons light brown sugar
12 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
12 tablespoons buttermilk
3 teaspoons celery salt
6 teaspoons kosher salt
6 teaspoons pepper
24 cups finely shredded green cabbage about 4 heads
24 cups finely shredded purple cabbage about 4 heads
12 large carrots, shredded

 Whisk together mayo, mustard, sugar, vinegar, buttermilk, celery salt, kosher salt, and pepper in a large bowl.  Add to cabbage and carrot.

Artichoke Chicken with Roasted Red Potatoes

Ingredients:

Potatoes and Chicken:
3 small red potatoes
1 1/2 cups water
1 teaspoon salt
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 teaspoon rosemary
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper

Artichoke Topping:

1/2 cup chopped artichoke hearts
2 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley
1oz Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoon mayonnaise

Preheat broiler on high, meanwhile, cut potatoes into quarters.  Place potatoes, water and salt into a pot, cook until tender.  Drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, for artichoke topping, chop artichoke and parsley, place into a small batter.  Grate cheese.  Set aside 2 tablespoons for later.  Add remaining cheese and mayonnaise to artichoke mixture and mix well.

Flatten chicken to 1/2 inch thickness. Sprinkle both sides of chicken with the rosemary,salt and pepper mixture. 

Add 1 teaspoon of the oil to a stainless skillet (do not use nonstick cookware), heat over medium high heat 1-3 minutes or until shimmering.  Meanwhile , add remaining 1 teaspoon of the oil and remaining rosemary mixture to potatoes; stir to coat.

Place chicken and potatoes cut side down, into skillet.  Cook 3-4 minutes or until chicken is golden brown.  Turn chicken and potatoes over; cook an additional 3-4 minutes or until chicken is golden brown and centers are no longer pink. 

Remove potatoes from skillet; set aside and keep warm. To finish chicken, spread artichoke topping evenly over chicken; sprinkle with reserved cheese.  Place skillet as close as possible to heat element; broil 4-6 minutes or until topping is deep golden brown and internal temperature of chicken registers 170 degrees.

Teriyaki Pork Stir Fry

Ingredients:

2/3 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 teaspoon peeled, finely chopped fresh ginger root
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 pound boneless pork loin chops, cut into 1/8 inch strips
2 cups uncooked instant whole grain brown rice
1 medium red bell pepper, cut into 1/4 inch strips
6oz fresh snow peas, trimmed
1 bunch green onions with tops, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 teaspoon sesame oil, divided
1 8oz can bamboo shoots, drained

In a small bowl, combine soy sauce, brown sugar, and cornstarch; whisk until blended.  Finely chop ginger root and garlic.  (I use a zester to grate the ginger root and garlic) and red pepper flaks to soy sauce mixture.
Cut pork into 1/8 inch thick strips.  Add pork to soy sauce mixture; toss to coat.  Cover; refrigerate 15 minutes to marinate.
Meanwhile, cook rice in a saucepan according to package directions.  Cut bell pepper into 1/4 inch strips; trim snow peas and cut green onions into 1 inch pieces.
Heat 1/2 teaspoon of the oil in a skillet over high heat until hot.  Remove pork from marinade, add to skillet, reserving marinade.  Stir fry 1-2 minutes or until pork is no longer pink.  Remove from skillet. Keep warm.
Heat remaining 1/2 teaspoon oil in same skillet.  Add bell pepper, snow peas and green onions.  Stir fry 2-3 minutes or until vegetables are tender crisp.  Return pork to skillet.  Stir in reserved marinade and bamboo shoots.  Bring to a boil.  Cook and stir 1 minute or until sauce is thickened.  Serve over rice. 


This is a really quick and low fat/calorie meal. 

Chocolate Cake with Kahlua mousse and ganache filling

Chocolate Cake:
1 cup strong coffee, hot
1 cup cold water
1 cup cocoa powder
3oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped
2 1/2 Cups plus 2 tablespoons flour
6 tablespoons corn starch
2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 sticks butter
2 1/2 cups sugar
4 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 and prepare 2 x9 inch round cake pans by spraying with non stick cooking spray and lining the bottom of pan with waxed paper circle.

Dissolve the chopped chocolate and cocoa powder in the hot coffee and stir until completely smooth.  Add the cold water and whisk together until smooth. 
Sift flour, cornstarch, baking soda, baking powder and salt together onto a piece of parchment paper.
Put butter and sugar in the bowl of your electric mixer and using the paddle attachment beat until lighter in color and fluffy.
Add eggs one at a time, mixing on low speed after each addition.  Add vanilla and mix well. Add the dry ingredients alternately with wet ingredients, starting and finishing with dry. Fill one pan 1/3 of the batter and the other 2/3 full.  Making sure pan is not over 2/3 full and bake.  Check after 30 minutes and every 10 minutes after that until a cake tester comes out clean.  Cool in pan for 15 minutes then turn out on rack and cool completely.  When cool completely wrap in cling wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour.  Slice the thicker layer horizontally so you have 3 layers for filling and stacking.

Kahlua Chocolate Mousse
4 Egg yolk
1/2 cup sugar
1 oz Kahlua
8oz Dark chocolate
4 Egg whites
1 1/2 cups cream

In a double boiler, melt chocolate.  Set aside but don't let it cool too much or else it will not mix well.

In a medium bowl, beat eggs, sugar, Kahlua until pale yellow and thickened, set aside.

In a separate bowl beat heavy cream until soft peaks form, set aside and refrigerate until ready to use.

In another bowl beat egg whites until stiff peaks form.

With a rubber spatula, fold melted chocolate into the egg yolk mixture.  Then fold in whipped cream, then gently fold in the egg whites. 

If the mousse seems a bit "loose" you can refrigerate for a few hours to stiffen.

Chocolate Ganache

2oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped fine
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon confectioners sugar

Place chocolate,c ream and sugar in a small microwave safe bowl.  Cook on high power until mixture is warm to the touch 20-30 seconds.  Whisk until smooth and transfer to the refrigerator.  Let stand until just chilled, no longer than 30 minutes.

10 Who knew uses for Beer

I was reading a food magazine and found this article about beer.  I thought it would be fun to share with you guys.

1-Banish brown spots on the lawn
Your grass likes to kick back with a cold beer on a hot summer day, too.  Just pour a small amount (less than half of  cup) on the problem areas.  The fermented sugars kill any fungus and feed the grass, allowing it to come back healthy and green.

2-Conquer Cast Iron Cleanup
Cooking food in a cast iron is easy and delicious, but scrubbing those heavy pots and pans afterwards is a total chore.  Make clean up a breeze by pouring a little beer into the still warm pan.  The bubbly liquid keeps the mess from sticking and can even season the pan, enhancing the flavor of food cooked in it.

3-Turn out fluffier pancakes and waffles
If you like your flapjacks on the puffy side, sub your favorite lager for the liquid called for in the recipe.  You'll be amazed at how light and airy they turn out and how the flavor gets kicked up a notch! Also try using beer when making matzo balls or baking bread.

4-Loosen rusty bolts and screws
Stop fighting with stuck in place screws! Pour a few gulps on the frozen hardware, wait a few seconds, then give it a turn.  The carbonation help break down the rust.

5-Cook juicy chicken
Prop a whole chicken over a half full can of beer (the can goes in the cavity) and season with salt, pepper and spices. Then place it vertically on a hot grill or a pan in the oven the beer evaporates into the bird as it cooks, creating a super moist chicken.  Delish!

6-Prevent garden pests
Fill small jars with beer and place them in the garden.  Insects are attracted to the sugars, and when they slip in for a sip, they aren't able to crawl or fly out.  This is a great way to keep wasps and bees away from parties, too. Place a bowl of beer several feet away from the main area, and bugs will buzz away from guest.

7-Make jewelry Sparkle
Using a light ale and a clean towel, polish gold jewelery to remove dirt.  The beer's natural acid help bring back the shine.  Try this on tarnished copper pots, too.

8-Give your hair shine
Put life back into flat hair with flat beer. Mix 1 cup lager with 1 egg yolk and massage into strands.  Leave on for a few minutes and wash with shampoo, says skin care therapist  Julia March, who grew up using beer as a hair rinse in eastern Europe.

9-Get a better night's sleep
Wash your pillowcase in water spiked with a little beer.  Hops are sometimes used as a herbal remedy for insomnia.  They have the chemical compound dimethylvinyl carbinol, which has a calm and slightly sedative effect. Bonus: Hoppy brews like IPA's leave a light nutty scent on fabric.

10- Soothe your soles
The enzymes in beer soften callused feet.  Try this at home soak from march: Make a mixture of room temperature beer and warm peppermint tea (about half and half); dunk your toes for 20 minutes.  Tired feet will feel frisky again.

My Dad's 60th Birthday Cake

I made a cake for my dad's 60th birthday.  He is a big golfer and I haven't ever made a big decorated cake like this before.  It was really fun to make but it didn't turn out like I hoped. I wanted to cover it all in fondant but I haven't ever worked with fondant before. I would roll it out to the thickness I wanted and it would stick to my counter so I just made the trees, fairway, green, and the golf balls around the cake out of fondant.  Then I just used a creamy white frosting colored green for the cake cover.

Here are the recipes I used to make it:

Cake:
1/2 Cup butter
1 Egg
2 Egg yolks
1 Teaspoon pure vanilla extract or 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
1 1/2 Cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 Teaspoons baking powder
1/4  Teaspoon salt
3/4 Cup sugar
1/2 Teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup whipping cream

Allow butter, egg and egg yolks to stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Meanwhile spray a 9x13 cake pan with cooking spray.  I used Wilton cake release in my pan so the cake would out nicely. If using vanilla bean use a small sharp knife to scrap the seeds from the vanilla bean; set seeds aside.  In a small bowl stir together flour, baking powder and salt.
Preheat oven to 350.  In a large mixing bowl beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds.  Add sugar, beating on medium to high speed for 1 minute.  Scrape sides of bowl.  Add eggs, egg yolks, vanilla bean seeds (or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract) and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract; beat until combined.  Alternately add flour mixture and whipping cream to butter mixture, beating on low speed after addition just until combined (batter will be thick).
Spoon batter into pan. Bake about 30-35 minutes or until wooden toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. 
For this cake I made two 9x13 cakes.

Creamy White Frosting:
1 cup shortening
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 pound powdered sugar
3 to 4 tablespoons milk

In a large mixing bowl beat shortening, vanilla and almond extract with an electric mixer on medium speed for 30 seconds.  Gradually add 2 cups of the powdered sugar, beating well.  Add 2 tablespoons of the milk.  Gradually beat in the remaining powdered sugar.  Gradually add enough milk to make frosting spreading consistency.  Makes about 3 cups.

I made 2 batches of this.  One to crumb coat the cake then the other to tint green and cover the cake.

Fondant:
1 tablespoon unflavored gelatin (One little packet)
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup corn syrup
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 tablespoon shortening
8 cups powdered sugar (about a 2 pound bag)
1/4 cup cornstarch

Place gelatin and water in a small saucepan over low heat.  Stir with whisk until gelatin is melted.  Remove from heat.

Combine the corn syrup, vegetable oil, shortening and powdered sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer. I put the powdered sugar in first and then the rest of the ingredients in so they would combine better.  Make sure you use the dough hook to make it.  Turn mixer on low and add the gelatin mixture.  Beat on low speed until a paste is formed.  Refrigerate 15 minutes to let harden slightly.  To use roll fondant to 1/4 inch thickness using corn starch or powdered sugar to coat work surface and rolling pin.  Transfer fondant by rolling it around the rolling pin.  Place fondant over a well cooled cake, stretching it into place as necessary.

I only made one batch of this since I didn't cover the whole cake in fondant.  I pulled enough out to tint green and make the green and fairway.  Then I made the flag with plain white and the golf balls. To get the texture on the golf balls I used a new golf and roll it across the dough and then cut out the circles.

To make the water I just dug some of the cake out  and filled it with blue gel icing to make it look like water.

The sand: I dug out some of the cake and filled it with brown sugar to make it look like sand.