October 3rd, 2009
Spinach Balls (Thanks to Louise)
2 10 ounce packages chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
2 cups herb stuffing mix
1 cup firmly packed freshly grated Parmesan cheese (5 oz. wedge)
1/2 cup butter, melted
4 small green onions, finely chopped
3 eggs
dash of nutmeg
mustard sauce – see below
Combine all ingredients, except sauce, in a large bowl and mix well. Shape into 1″ balls. Cover, refrigerate or freeze until ready to bake.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Set balls on ungreased baking sheet and bake until golden brown, about 10 to 15 minutes. Serve with the following mustard sauce.
Mustard Sauce
1/2 cup dry mustard
1/2 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg yolk
Combine mustard and vinegar in a small bowl. Cover and let stand 4 hours at room temperature.
Note: I would make the sauce ahead of time and then proceed to make the spinach balls if you are planning on serving them on the same day.
Chicken Tortilla Soup (Thanks to Cindi)
2 14.5 cans diced tomatoes
2 cups chicken broth (I use the low sodium for dietary reasons)
1 1/2 diced cooked chicken
2 tsp. chili powder
1 box of Zatarain Red Beans and Rice (prepared-takes 30 minutes)
Monterey Jack cheese, chopped jalapenos and tortilla chips for garnish
Combine the cans of diced tomatoes with the chicken broth in a large saucepan and boil.
Sprinkle the diced cooked chicken with the chili powder and mix well. Add into saucepan, along with the prepared rice mix. Heat through.
Scoop into bowls and top with the garnishes.
Note: I like foods with a little heat. For the garnish, put in the tortillas first, then the shredded cheese and then the jalapenos. Or, put the garnishes on the side and everyone can just add their own. This recipe can be doubled easily for a big crowd. All you need to add is a colorful salad. Very easy!!
Can you believe that I did not have any Key Lime Pie in Florida? Well, with the above soup, you can have a sweet ending with the following recipe.
Key Lime Pie
Crust:
1 package Keebler, cinnamon graham crackers
3/4 stick butter, melted
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Crush graham crackers. Combine with melted butter. Press into a 9 inch pie pan. Bake 5 minutes to set. Cool.
Filling:
5 egg yolks
2 cans Eagle Brand sweetened condensed milk
2/3 cups Key lime juice
Beat egg yolks. Combine with condensed milk. Add lime juice. Beat all ingredients together. Pour into the 9 inch pan. Bake at 325 degrees for 15 minutes. Cool. It will serve 8.
Note: To serve you can use Cool Whip. They have it even sugar free. Or, you can make your own, which is best. Just use whipping cream (I use Lewes cream in Delaware) and whip it until peaks form. You may grate some of the lime in it while whipping and even add a little sugar, but you won’t need it.
Regarding the key lime juice. The best is the fresh one; no question. Usually at the grocery store you can get a bag filled with the small key lines. I would imagine that in Florida, you might even have a tree. If you don’t have anything fresh, then use the juice in a bottle.
I hope you like these recipes. See you later.
September 29th, 2009
 Last year I saw this restaurant open up in Delray, right in the middle of Atlantic Ave.; where the action is. At first I was not sure what was going to happen in that corner. I don’t know, it seemed that the previous establishments did not last long.
Well, this restaurant is always crowded. During the summer they have had great dinner specials and if you want to start your week right, then this might be the place to go. You may be able to get 50% off selected bottles of wines.
Believe me, they really have wines. They have an Enoteca. And, what is that? It is simply a wine cellar. You will be able to see their selections, menus, galleries, among other things in their website which is www.vicandangelos.com. This restaurant is located on 290 East Atlantic Ave., in Delray Beach. Their telephone is 561-278-9570.
You cannot miss the location of the restaurant. The colors are very attractive. I think the picture above shows a little of the look but in order to appreciate it, you should eat there sometime.
Outside dining is great because you feel you are in a living room with comfortable chairs. The inside dining is air conditioned even though their bar is open to the outside. It is very attractive and you can see the Enoteca from a lot of the tables. It gives it quite an ambiance.
We had just arrived from up north, so we sat inside since it was a little humid. Excuse me, that was an understatement. It was hot. But when they presented us the bread at the table, forget the heat; this bread was amazing. They do not make it in-house but they really improve it. Garlic cloves, olive oil, crusty parmesan cheese and warm bread. Priceless!!
We ordered their chicken wings because people talk about them. They are grilled but the meat falls off the bones. Very good. Then, of course, we ordered a calamari appetizer; it is not real Italian unless you order some calamari. They were grilled with a bit of sauce. Molto bene!! I have a friend, whose father, every time they go to an Italian restaurant asks: “who wants some calamari?”. So I am mentioning this on his behalf.
My husband had the Gorgonzola wedge and I must say that they were very attentive to his gluten allergy, so their awareness was refreshing. We had salads, because it was what the weather called for. My Ceasar salad had the white anchovies and that brought this salad up a notch.
As happy hour approaches the restaurant gets hopping. I think Vic & Angelo’s has those 5 ingredients that I have mentioned before make a restaurant. These are: Quality of the ingredients – if the restaurant has money then it should buy the best, culinary competence – it is the chef’s responsibility, service – prompt, anticipating what is needed, ambiance – tranquil and relaxing and the last one is price – reasonable for the food you get.
What really ended this lunch on the right note, was that when I presented my license, since I always put on my credit card “see I.D.”, the waiter said that he had a soft spot in his heart for Delaware because he had lived in Bethany Beach for several years. And, I knew he was not making this up because he knew Rt. 26 very well. It was nice.
We left the restaurant with smiles on our faces.
September 13th, 2009
Monday Night Football originally aired on ABC and it ran from 1970 until 2005. After 60 Minutes on CBS, it was the second running prime time show in the U.S.
It was one of the highest rated; mostly male viewers. Then Monday Night Football moved to ESPN in 2006. It can be seen in Canada, in most of Europe, in the UK and in most of Australia. There is even a Spanish language version on ESPN Deportes and on ESPN International in Latin America.
It is a big night for all viewers interested in American football and many gather to cheer their teams. It is a weekly get together with different houses hosting parties on Monday nights.
I am including some recipes that will make your Monday nights easier to enjoy when all those foodies arrive at your door.
The following is a recipe from Carolyn Roehm, who writes books on the proper way to entertain. It is almost like a fondue because you dip crusty bread in it. Not as deep, though.
Pecorino Cheese Baked with Honey and Walnuts
1 lb. Pecorino Toscano (if not found, just buy the Pecorino)
1/2 cup Honey
15 Walnut Halves
Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees. Put honey and walnuts in a small bowl. Slice the pecorino 1/2″ thick and placed in a baking dish, slightly overlapping. Bake for about 5 minutes but check it because it should be slightly runny. Pour honey and walnut mix over the cheese. Serve with crusty bread.
For a large crowd double it and adjust baking time.
The following 2 recipes came from a Florida book called Recipes to Remember.
Meatballs With Burgundy Sauce and with Sweet/Sour Sauce
2 lbs. ground beef
1 cup soft bread crumbs
1 beaten egg
1/4 cup Burgundy wine
2 tbsps. sliced green onion
1 tsp. salt
dash of pepper
Mix all ingredients with fork. Shape into 1 inch balls. Brown and cook in large skillet. Drain. Refrigerate meatballs until time to serve. Heat and split them in two chafing dishes and pour Burgundy Sauce and Sweet/Sour Sauce over them.
Servings: 4 dozen meatballs
Burgundy Sauce
4 tbsps. sliced green onions, 1 cup margarine and 1/2 cup of Burgundy wine.
Cook green onions in margarine until tender. Add burgundy wine and simmer 5 minutes. Pour over hot meatballs.
Sweet/Sour Sauce
Combine 1 jar (10 ounce) chili sauce with 1 jar (8 ounce) grape jelly.
Heat in saucepan. Pour over hot meatballs.
At this time of the year, recipes with pumpkin will start to show up. This recipe came from Joan and it is a very good dessert.
Pumpkin Bars
Duncan Hines yellow cake mix
1/2 cup melted butter
4 eggs
1 (16-ounce) can pumpkin
1 cup evaporated milk
1 1/2 tsps. pumpkin pie spice
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 – 1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 cup soft margarine
Remove 1 cup from cake mix; set a side. Mix together remaining cake mix, melted butter and 1 egg. Pat into a 13″ x 9″ pan; set aside.
Mix pumpkin, remaining eggs, evaporated milk, pumpkin pie spice and brown sugar; pour over first layer in pan.
Stir together reserved cake mix, sugar, cinnamon and soft margarine; sprinkle over pumpkin layer.
Bake at 350 degrees for 45 – 50 minutes. Cool, cut into bars and serve.
Note: Information on Monday Night Football was taken from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monday_Night_Football#Overview
July 31st, 2009
1/4 lb. bacon, diced
1 lb. peeled shrimp (large) cut into bite size pieces
2 oz. tequila
3/4 lb. grated cheese – jack, cheddar, mix, anything that melts
1 fresh lime, squeezed
2 tsps. fresh cilantro, chopped (You may substitute with flat leaf parsley or fresh oregano, if you don’t like cilantro.)
Cook bacon in a large skillet until lightly browned. Remove all but 2 tbsps. of the bacon fat. Add the shrimp to the bacon and cook until done, about 3-4 minutes. Flambe with the tequila. When the flame subsides, sprinkle the lime juice over the shrimp. Add the cheese and stir until melted and bubbly. Top with the chopped cilantro or the herb of your choice. Serve over rice or with warm flour tortillas, fresh salsa — and a beer or two or perhaps a Margarita (recipe follows). Add a salad and you are ready to entertain. This recipe makes 4 servings.
Tip: This recipe can also be used as a fondue. I think fondues are coming back. Put it in a fondue pot and serve as a dip with tortilla chips. Just cut the shrimp into smaller pieces.
Perfect Margarita
This recipe was given to me by Arturo Pellerano, who happened to have lime trees in his yard.
Very simple: 3 parts Tequila, 2 parts lime juice and 1 part Cointrau or Triple Sec
Fresh lime juice is the secret. Mix it all and pour it into a bottle and serve it very cold.
Warning: Be prudent when driking the Perfect Margarita, otherwise you will be either under the table or over the table for that matter
I can’t wait to hear you have to say about it.
July 27th, 2009
I told you that I have a recipe, donated by McCabe’s Gourmet Market located on Coastal Highway (Rt. 1), York Beach Mall, South Bethany, Delaware, 19930 Tel. 302-539-8550
Queso
1 1/2 lbs. American cheese, cubed, preferable “Land of Lakes”
1 (7 3/4 ounce) can jalapeno tomato relish
1 white onion, diced
10 slices of jalapenos, cut up
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. cayenne pepper
In a double boiler, mix all ingredients until thoroughly melted. Serve it with your favorite crackers, bagget or crudites.
That was easy, wasn’t it?
|
0 Comments