No time to post... but thought these pictures could keep you salivating...

Chicken Marsala and Brussell Sprouts

Atta Meatball!

Slow cooked pork smothered in gravy and mashers!

Italian Pasta- my kinda night!

 

Are you Corny?

Corn… it’s the veggie of the summer. I recently picked up a Food network magazine where the cover was home to 3 huge ears of corn smothered in blue cheese and chives and sprinkled with Chili spices…  the succulent kernels were grilled to perfection and then inside were 50 ways to cook corn!

So as corny as my thoughts started to get… I had to fix this corn craving… it didn’t help that I attended a shrimp boil with my hopefully soon to be in laws and had such delicious corn on the cob with just a little seasoning and butter…

NEED CORN NOW… flipping through Chef Anne’s Cook like a Rock Star I found it… here we go… Corn, Bacon & Chili Crostini.

Nothing screams summer like corn and sweet iced tea… some fresh squeezed lemon and home brew of ice tea with a splash of peach vodka… need a little boost while shucking!

I start with 2 ears of corn, split in half to fit on my George Foreman grill. Per Anne you coat them with some EVOO and salt and I used a little bit of garlic powder in addition.

You need to first char your corn on each side… about 2-3 minutes per side… a bit longer if you are using your George.

As you are flipping your ears, start prepping your other ingredients. Slice 4 strips of bacon into strips horizontal… you want those to be small enough once cooked to blend in with the corn but big enough to get enough bacon flavor!

Also, you can slice 2 Fresno chilies per Chef Anne. I used regular small bell peppers not because of the spice more because I couldn’t find any fresh Fresno chilies. Also at this time you can slice up 4 scallions thinly both white and green parts.

Heat up a pan with EVOO and start with your bacon… I have learned how dangerous cooking in a pan after bacon can be but how heavenly it tastes!

As your bacon cooks, your corn is probably done… you will need to get the corn off the cob, without eating it of course! Place the cob sideways and slice down and let the kernels fall off and save to use in just a bit…

Once your bacon is brown and crispy… throw in the peppers and cook for another 2-3 minutes per Chef Burrell.. then add your corn and stir this bad boy up!

Here’s the kicker... toss in salt and 3-4 tablespoons of red wine vinegar... this truly makes this divine… now top with your scallions.

Here we are mixing up this corny madness!

Now you need something to scoop this up with… Chef Anne recommends a baguette ½ inch slices and has you rub a clove of garlic and olive oil on the slices and grill. I have done that as well as just using simple Tostitos. Either way you are in for a real treat.

Whether you whip corn up in some salsa or just relish in its simplicity on the grill… corn is delicious and definitely one of the most versatile veggies in my opinion.

This Chef Anne recipe is one of the best corn recipes I have ever had. It’s been a hit at BBQs as a "dip", at dinner parties as a side, and even makes an impressive topper on chicken!

So go on, get CORNY ya’ll!

Porcini.... what's a Porcini??

Now that I mastered (with the help of Bloody Marys) poaching eggs, Chef Burrell’s recipe “Grilled Porcini with Poached Egg & Parmigiano” was up next….

Now the second issue with this recipe was that it used grilled porcini. I had to Google this. I didn’t know if I was looking for a meat, vegetable, fruit… no clue. Well to those of you who are not educated in the shroom world (like myself)… it is a mushroom. So, to find this specialty mushroom I had to go far away from my fuel perks land and into the Royal Fresh Market zone. I mean if you have ever been to the Fresh Market grocery store… you know that 1. You don’t enter hungry and 2. You enter to get what you want or you will walk out bankrupt. And try not to drink before you go, if you are like me at all after a little wine I end up getting a little too gracious. So, soberly to the “other side of town” to get my porcini mushrooms I go.

Just the ingredients of this dish sounds heavenly… besides 1 pound of porcini mushrooms, trimmed, cleaned, and cut in half lengthwise, you have your EVOO, kosher salt, crushed red pepper flakes, 4 slices of rustic Italian Bread, 1 clove garlic, big fat finishing oil (BFFO)*, 3 tablespoons white vinegar, 4 large eggs, 2 cups baby arugula, 1 lemon, and parmigiano cheese!!

On a side note- anytime I have not been able to find a specialty item or any other item for that matter, I just Google to find out what replacements can be used for it. Fontina cheese was hard for me in some recipes but Gouda or Edam cheese are replacements… this is just an example, but I know porcini mushrooms are not always around so just Google a replacement mushroom!

*Big Fat finishing oil (BFFO) is what Chef Anne calls your olive oil that is good enough to put on a salad. Something you would probably spend more on and has a flavor to it. Down in Hollywood, FL this is this great Yellow Green Market where you can put different flavors of olive oil into one. We are always trying new ones and this is what I use for my BFFO. The one I have tonight has red pepper, lemon, oregano, and basil in it. It’s so good!

Back to the kitchen I go with all my ingredients and two bottles of Chardonnay… first steps are to preheat the grill… or George Foreman in my case. I am sure Chef Anne and maybe some other chefs would be appalled. I know I know I know that grilling is obviously the better choice, but I live in a condo and it’s pouring outside. Don’t really want to be running up and down from the fifth floor to the pool area in the rain (even if it were nice out) just to grill… the George will do and it still leaves grill marks on things! I am sure the Chefs would look beyond it and say “At least you’re cooking!”

While your grill is getting all hot and bothered, sip your wine…. And then take your mushrooms and toss them in a bowl with EVOO, salt, and red pepper. You are going to grill your mushrooms until they are “beautifully marked, soft, and pliable.” Chef Anne recommends 4-5 minutes to start, flip 90 degrees and grill 3-4 minutes, and then turn over for about 2-3 minutes more!

While the grill is still hot, you want to get your bread ready and sliced. This too is hopping on that grill! Chef Anne has you grill the bread on both sides about 3-4 minutes and then after…. Best idea ever… she has you rub garlic clove onto the grilled bread and drizzle with your BFFO! Oh my mouth is watering… sip some wine to calm down… I know it’s big time!

While grilling your shrooms and bread, you must be preparing your saucepan for the poaching of your eggs… if you have no clue about this please divert back to previous blog post on my adventures of poaching an egg… 

Once your eggs are ready, the building of this masterpiece is ready to begin… first your arugula, then porcini, then egg, sprinkle parmigiano, red pepper, lemon zest, and your BFFO. Your bread will accompany this masterpiece.

Sit back, relax, and enjoy because your poaching skills have paid off, you learned what a porcini is, and you still have at least another bottle of Chardonnay to take out tonight….

Just the day in the life of attempting to Cook Like a Rock Star! 

The Art of Poaching…. Eggs that is….

Sorry for being missing in action lately… life has become chaotic… it’s not that I haven’t been cooking, oh I definitely have been putting fires out in my kitchen, but more of finding the time to write. So my friends, I am back to indulge you in my most recent kitchen antics, Chef Burrell’s recipes, and discovering interesting new cocktails to enjoy it all with.

While flipping through the pages of Cook Like a Rock Star…. I came across a photo that instantly made me salivate… Grilled Porcini with Poached Egg and Parmgiano. The poached egg looked heavenly… oh how I love runny eggs.. poached… sunny side up…. I just love dipping my buttery crispy toast into the smooth runny goodness of the egg yolk. This is it…. my new Burrell recipe victim.

Now, before just courageously heading to the store to figure out what type of mushroom is a Porcini… I had an issue… I have never poached an egg before. Eggs can be tricky you know. So, the task of poaching an egg must be the first step I take. The fact that learning to do this meant I could finally make my very own eggs Benedict added a little high kick and fist pump in all this! I mean eggs Benedict has to got to be one of my most favorite all time food dishes ever…. Whether it be with lobster, crab meat, Florentine with spinach, or with just some plain old Canadian bacon…. Eggs Benedict was something I could eat for breakfast, lunch, or dinner… oh that smothering amount of hollandaise on top… Hollandaise sauce is one of those evilly delicious things that you are angry that someone created it but at the same time so in love with whoever did!

So, to the store I go for some English muffins (whole wheat 100 calories ones… gotta make up for that hollandiase sauce), Canadian bacon (thank you Canada!), eggs (going to be using a whole carton or two until I get this right), packet of Hollandaise sauce (let’s be honest people… I don’t even know how to poach an egg what makes you think I can make my own sauce..  maybe next year!), some fresh honey dew and blueberries for a side, and of course some Zing Zang Bloody Mary mix to go with my vodka… got to get in that Saturday morning breakfast mode!

After mixing my vodka and zing zang and taking three big gulps, I was ready to embark on my poaching journey… I literally just googled “How to poach an egg.” It was quite simple sounding and in fact it was, just requires a little bit of patience and definitely a bloody mary! All you need is a pan on high temperature filled with a bit of water and 1-2 teaspoons of vinegar added.  Just before the water starts to boil, you know when the little droplets of water are sitting on the bottom of the pan dancing and shaking because they are about to explode to the top, that’s when you crack open and drop in your egg slowly and gently. You use a spoon to keep pushing the egg together. Then, you turn off the heat and cover the pan and leave it to rest for about 4 minutes. A person had suggested on google to use the top of a mason jar in the pan to drop egg into to help keep it together. It’s a lovely idea, however, I don’t have mason jars sitting around that I can borrow the lids from. But I was able to keep my egg together and I carefully poached eggs one by one in order to get the right amount for our eggs Benedict creation.

Meanwhile, my bacon was cooking in the pan next to me, the English muffins were toasting, and the hollandaise sauce was cooking per packet instructions! First onto the plate is the muffin, then bacon, then gorgeously poached egg, followed by a ridiculous amount of hollandiase sauce… a little sprinkle of cheese (let’s be real.. cheese is good anytime of the day) and a little sprinkle of ground black pepper…

It was lovely how easily this worked out. I will admit though that recently I tried to poach an egg and I failed miserably. However, my patience level that day was not worthy for poaching eggs. I have come to the realization that I am an extremely impatient person… so I believe I have been treating myself to therapy while cooking…so maybe at the end of all this cooking I will become very patient.. either that or I will need some other sort of therapy or rehab with all my cocktails for that matter!

So, now onto the store I must go to figure out what a Porcini mushroom is and to put my poaching skills to the test with Chef Burrell’s Grilled Porcini and Parmigiano… to be continued…

TIME OUT: THANKSGIVING SUBSTITUTION

Sweet Potato and Apple Hash    

   If you are like my family and have a mixed variety of likes and dislikes when it comes to food, especially on the holidays.... this Chef Burrell recipe is a great happy medium for a sweet potato lover or hater on Thanksgiving. The sweet potato casserole and legendary potato bar have been a running family joke throughout the last decade. The oldest or “Golden Child” as we’d like to call him always demands a potato bar... and no I am not talking about a bar bar - the one with all you can drink liquor to devour with your Thanksgiving meal, I am talking about a bar with a plethora of baked potato toppings... things like bacon bits, sour cream, fresh chives, myriad of shredded cheeses, bread crumbs, chilli, just to name a few. And we have others with a more “sweet tooth” who have demanded a sweet potato casserole (which by the way always ends up being doused with too much rum and it ends up being a rum soup with sweet potato on the side). Either way it’s too much food to prepare to begin with without the demands of the picky eaters. So, if you are unsure how to please the masses this recipe is for you. Not to mention this is easy to make, quite delicious anytime, and can be enjoyed hot or cold! Chef Anne’s Sweet potato and Apple Hash is the name of the game tonight.

          To get inspired I enjoy an apple cider with a splash of rum.... kinda reminds me of my mother’s attempt at the sweet potato casserole... yum... rum... she will probably be angry when seeing this post! J

           Your ingredients tonight will be EVOO, 4 slices bacon, 1 onion, 2 sprigs of fresh rosemary (makes your kitchen smell delightful too), red pepper, salt, 3 sweet potatoes (peeled and cut into ½ inch dice), ¼ cup of maple syrup, 1 ½ cups of chicken stock, 1 bunch of scallions, 3 granny smith apples, and green pumpkin seeds toasted. Don’t all these ingredients make your mouth water?  And it kind of combines the whole “potato bar” and sweet potato casserole ingredients in one!

           To begin this delicious dish, you add some EVOO to a pan and add the sliced bacon at medium heat. (Dishes that begin with bacon have to be the best.) Once the bacon starts to get crispy and brown you are going to add the onion, rosemary, and red pepper. Season with salt and sauté the onions until soft and aromatic. What a mix of flavours this is... your kitchen has got to be heavenly right now!

           Next you add the sweet potatoes, syrup, and chicken stock and cover and cook for 15-20 minutes or until potatoes are soft, but not mushy. Then remove the lid and let liquid reduce by half then you add the scallion whites, apples and cook about 5 to 6 more minutes. Lastly stir in the scallion greens and toasted pumpkin seeds and BOOM there’s your Sweet potato and Apple Hash of Chef Anne Burrell. It’s so delicious. Have some tonight then you must have some for snack cold tomorrow! 

                I have been busy for the past month, so blogging Chef Burrell’s recipes have been on the back burner…. But since I’ve seen good friends and family… drinks have been exchanged and food creations have been made!  Let me share with you a few fun eats that have accompanied my red wine, fresh sangria mixtures, corona lights, and Ft. Lauderdale sunset cocktails!

Bahamian Calendar w/ Recipe

                This week I got a little creative... I have this Bahamian calendar hanging in my kitchen. I buy it or get as a gift every year. It’s full of destinations I’ve been to with girlfriends and places I’ve discovered while visiting my love. It also contains random local island recipes and for the month of April... Bahamian potato salad. I have two sailors to feed tonight so big we must go to fill these boys up. I decided to do a whole leg roasted chicken recipe as well that I found in a magazine. Tonight will be a little let loose entertainment night as well so to the store I go to get my ingredients, pick our drink poison, and make sure we have a full deck of cards for some gin rummy happenings!

                  

Chicken Recipe from Magazine

                For myself, I go for the 2 for $10 wine special with $10 fuel perks and for them next door for some Sailor Jerry and Coca-Cola. Deck of cards in the basket and all ingredients... time to get moving!

                To start, I must get the oven preheated to 400 degrees and potatoes chopped up. I love the multi-tasking of cooking. It’s almost like a high sometimes for me. Got to make sure everything is going on... maybe it’s the control freak in me. But, it’s exhilarating and a little red wine always helps me thrive! They Bahamian Potato Salad recipe called for 1 ½ pound of potatoes. I don’t know who they were trying to feed with this recipe, but I had potato salad left over for the next 2 dinners! So, beware of that! Potatoes are peeled and ready to go in the boiling water for about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, I am rinsing off chicken legs, wedging 2 red onions, and cleaning cherry tomatoes for the roasted chicken portion.

                Another reason for my excitement for this potato salad recipe is that it calls for 3 hard boiled eggs. I have never hard boiled eggs before and I know that I love a hardboiled egg with a little salt. So, tonight I will learn for this recipe and even get to enjoy a few more for breakfast the next few days! (If you have never hard boiled eggs, it’s quite easy just Google it and you will be all set!) You are going to add 1/2 diced onion, ½ diced green pepper, and chopped eggs to the potatoes and let them chill.

Chick and Veg ready to go in oven!

               Back to the Chicken... The Caramelized Chicken calls for a delicious marinade that once you complete you put with chicken and veggies in a bag and shake it all around so it gets all the great flavours. The marinade includes a teaspoon dried thyme, 2 tablespoons dark sugar, 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce (my obsession), ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes (I used a ton more), 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 2 table spoons ketchup, 3 table spoons olive oil. Mix this all together, throw in bag, and add chicken and veggies and shake shake shake... this can be quit comical after your second round of drinks! Place chicken and veggies into baking dish and into the oven they go for about 20 minutes or until golden.

Potato Salad enough for 2 weeks! :)

               Meanwhile after the potatoes are cooling, you can combine ½ cup Mayo, 2 tablespoons yellow mustard, 2 tablespoons relish, some hot sauce o the potatoes and MIX LIKE CRAZY. Then add salt and pepper to taste. BOOM POTATOES ARE DONE and your caramelized chicken should be almost perfectly golden and ready to be eaten. I suggest having men come over for this dinner. It’s a ton of delicious food! I enjoyed mine with two men, a deck of cards to pay Gin Rummy, and some amazing Red Wine! Only thing missing is actually being in the Bahamas! 

 WINO-NION Jam - a whole new definition for WINO... 

I have been busy with the Easter holiday and company for the past few weeks, so blogging Chef Burrell’s recipes has been on the back burner…. But since I’ve seen good friends and family… drinks have been exchanged and food creations have been made!  Let me share with you a few fun eats that have accompanied my red wine, fresh sangria mixtures, corona lights, and Ft. Lauderdale sunset cocktails!

So a few girls that were in an older class from my sorority started a Jam company in Brooklyn, New York named The Jam Stand. I tend to think it’s important to support people from my past, hometown, college, etc. So, as I saw their company hit Facebook I was all over trying to figure out what I could get. Now, I said I like to support these “small businesses,” but let me remind you I’m in no right rich and have a budget when partaking in these ”ventures.” But, they had jars of jam for a great price, so I bought 3. The Drunken Monkey, Strawberry Jam, and Wino-nion (you know that was my first choice followed by DM… let’s be honest here!). So, when and how to use these jams besides regular toast has been a current frustration… until a girlfriend made her own creation of Brie one night during a ladies night. Of course, I knew exactly what to do! Baked Brie and this Wino-nion Jam would be beyond perfection. So, here’s the deal: go to your local store, first stop at the wine section to get some delicious wine to accompany your cheese, then head over to the gourmet cheese and get yourself brie (you can do the circle shaped one or the triangle shaped one- I did triangle was quite fun putting together). Next stop the cold section where you get your frozen crescent dinner rolls dough (you know the one in the tube where you get to smash it with a spoon to get it to explode… always fun after a few glasses of wine!) and of course some jam (or you can order from The Jam Stand go to www.thej.am.com). So, while at home and after one glass down, slice your Brie in half horizontally. You place your Wino-nion jam (or other flavored jam you have chosen) where you sliced and then place top of Brie back on top. Take your triangles of crescent rolls and cover your Brie and jam sculpture- be sure to go under and over and pinch together all sides! Then for baking temp and time, just follow the instructions for the crescent rolls. Once this beauty is done, throw some crackers on a plate with it and let the melting cheese melt your soul. Crackers or not…. This is quite amazing! Snaps to Brandy for her Brie inspiration and the girls at The Jam Stand in Brooklyn, NY for the most amazing Jam I’ve ever had! All in the name of prepping to cook like a Rock Star!