I know I am a chicken of spicy foods,but for those who like a good, spicy sauce, this is just for you.
- 12 regular tomatoes or 20 roma tomatoes
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 8 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 large onions, chopped
- 1 x 5 1/2 oz. tin tomato paste
- 1 tbsp. each of dried basil and oregano leaves
- 2 tsp. red hot chili flakes
- pinch of salt
- 1 tbsp. of sugar
- 1/2 cup fresh chopped basil
Cut an x in the bottom of the tomatoes and put several of them at a time into a pot of boiling watr. Boil for about 30 seconds. Repeat until all done.
Use a slotted spoon to remove from the water and peel the skins off and coarsely chop. Discard the skins. Place the tomatoes in a large pot and add the oil, garlic and onions. Stir until the onions are very soft. (about 15 minutes).
Add in the tomatoes with all the juice and seeds, tomato paste, dried basil, oregano, chili flakes and salt. Increase the heat to high and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and partially cover. Stir often until it becomes thick and the flavour develops (1 hour). Taste and add the sugar. Stir in the fresh basil, serve over long pasta such as spaghetti or spaghetini
To make this an adult sauce, add a splash of vodka and some heavy cream. Stir in and watch your guests roll their eyes in pure delight. HA!
Pour a glass of red wine, add a crisp salad, garlic bread and a few friends. What a great way to share an evening meal. Yummy.
Friday Night Dinner With Our Neighbour
Our neighbor, who has become a good friend, gets to come over when we need to experiment or feel she might want some company or just for no reason at all. Last night was the latter…no reason at all.
We tried to keep it light, healthy and simple…..sort of! We need to and she is getting ready for a mexican vacation (you know…bathing suits, sexy dresses)
Dinner:
We started with a glass of perfectly chilled white wine (no eats here…) and enjoyed some conversation while poor Don did his thing in the kitchen with the lemon risotto.
Our menu was: 
Salad: Greens with pears and goat cheese (we added blood orange segments as well), with freshly made parmesan crackers. (I changed the cheese to Asiago and Romano – fabulous)
Entree: Poached salmon in white wine and seafood broth
lemon risotto
poached fennel and red onion (same broth as the salmon)
Dessert: Chocolate Whipped Cream Cake with a drizzle of a luscious vanilla sauce.
We need kudos here, we managed to take pictures of the table setting, salad and main course. Sorry, but the dessert was gobbled up before we could take pictures. Damn, we did it again!
The table setting was simple, colourful and in the dining room. How perfectly delightful it was.
My Own Vanilla Sauce
We are having company for dinner tomorrow night and I baked a whipped cream cake (on this site) and I added 1/4 cup of baking chocolate powder (not cocoa). I thought it needed a different perk and I thought of a vanilla sauce.
After a lengthy search, I thought I would try something on my own and you should try it. It is truly bowl licking good.
- 2 tbsp. good cornstarch
- 1 1/2 cups milk, divided
- 1 cup whipping cream
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 large egg yolks
- 1 tsp. vanilla
In a small bowl, sprinkle the cornstarch on 1/2 cup milk and whisk to dissolve. Add the sugar and egg yolks and whisk really well. Add the vanilla and mix in.
Pour the milk and cream in a heavy sauce pan and bring to a simmer and whisk in the egg mixture gradually.
Continue mixing with a wooden spoon until it comes to a boil. Remove from heat, strain through a metal sieve in a bowl. Cover with plastic, making sure to touch the surface. Let cool down completely and put in refrigerator. (If making 1 day ahead). When ready to serve, reheat the bowl over a pan of simmering water.
Scoop the cake out into pretty serving bowls and put a generous scoop of this liquid gold over the cake.
I took a sample down to Don and we both were trying to lick the bowl. What can I say? Yup, it’s yummy!
Other Ways To Use Squash And Squash Parts
Now that is an intriguing title, isn’t it? Besides, roasting squash and using only as a vegetable, or making it into a soup, here are a few tips that you might like to try. I know, we have and it is a beautiful thing.
We really like the butternut squash, acorn squash and, of course, pumpkin. Spaghetti squash is also a great way to cut the caloric intake, if that is what you are doing.
1. Roast butternut squash and puree it with a splash of orange juice and a little fresh grated ginger.
2. If using acorn squash, bake until tender. Remove the ‘meat’ and fill with some diced apples that you have sauteed in butter, and then add a splash of dark rum (only a smidgen). Puree the squash meat, that has been seasoned with salt and pepper and a dollop of butter. When fluffy, place over the top. This will make your company sit up and take notice, oh Chefette.
3. Try this….take chunks of roasted pumpkin and season with walnut oil, brown sugar and ground ginger. When well mixed, toss with some dried cranberries.
4. Best one yet….steep the seeds from a fresh pumpkin in boiling water for 30 minutes. Drain and pat dry with paper towelling. On a parchment lined cookie sheet, bake in a 300 degree oven until toasty (about 23-25 minutes). Sprinkle with fine sea salt. Now, THAT is a treat that costs practically nothing and you can enjoy for hours.
Now, pour a coffee, sit back and say, well done, damn I can do this. Besides, the kids WILL eat their vegetables when you think outside the box, just sayin’.
Baked Figs and Apple Dessert- Another Power Food
How happy am I to find proof of this. We have our very own fig tree (thanks to our kids) and if you never tried them, rush out and buy some. They are fabulous anyway you want to serve them.
They also help prevent hypertension, osteoporosis and heart disease. They can be eaten raw, wrapped with proscuitto and drizzled with fig balsamic vinegar, baked, stewed, stuffed, jam…..the list is endless.
For the beginner, try this one.
- 2 tbsp. honey (or agave syrup)
- 2 tbsp. brown sugar
- 2 tsp. cinnamon
- 1 tsp. nutmeg
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 4 apples, chopped and peeled
- 10 figs, stems removed
- 1/2 cup granola
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine the first 5 ingredients and mix well in a bowl. Add the apples and figs and mix until all coated in the sugar mixture.
Pour this into a 12 x 12 inch baking dish. Sprinkle with the granola on top. Cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes, checking to see if the apples are cooked.
Remove the cover and bake for another 5-8 minutes. Let stand for about 15 minutes before serving. Okay, enough of the healthy…a dollop of whipped cream, creme fraiche or ice cream would be lovely. You choose the ‘devil’ for this one. I did my part!!
Baked Granola with Sunflower Seeds – Power Food
Sunflower seeds help, not cure, aid in the prevention of asthma, high blood pressure, rheumatoid arthritis, colon cancer, diabetes and, lastly, heart disease. WOW!
Not only are they good in this recipe, but also to be added to salads, stir fries and even baking.
Baked Granola
- 3/4 cup sunflower seeds
- 1 1/2 cups oatmeal
- 1/4 cup ground flaxseed
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries
- 1/2 cup slivered almonds
- 1/2 cup shredded coconut (optional), unsweetened
- 3 tbsp. natural peanut butter
- pinch of salt
- 1/3 cup agave syrup
- 1/2 tsp. vanilla
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl until well mixed.
Press this into a baking pan and bake for 40 – 45 minutes.
That’s it, but it is truly a life safer, it is also a money saver. Both important in today’s families. Healthy munchies….what more can we ask for?
Note: dried apricots, raisins, mango etc. can be added. It is up to you and your taste buds.
Cranberry-Port Ices
This might be the answer for having a dessert after a heavy meal. It is light, cold, refreshing and a perfect balance between sweet and tart (not sour).
- 3 1/2 cups fresh cranberries
- 3 cups water
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1 cup of a deep ruby red port (the alcohol is cooked off and the flavour remains)
- 3 strips of lemon peel (each one about 3 inches long), plus 1 tbsp. lemon juice
Bring all the ingredients to a boil in a medium sized sauce pan. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until the berries are tender (18-20 minutes).
Let this cool down for 15 minutes and remove the zest. In two batches, puree the mixture in your blender until smooth and strain to remove the seeds. Squeeze through the seive with the back of a wooden spoon and discard the solids.
Put in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and set in the refrigerator to get cold.
Pour into an ice cream maker and process according to the directions of your machine. When ready, transfer to an airtight container . Be sure to place this in the freezer for at least one hour before serving.
Yum!
Pralines
Lesson #1 – these are pronounced ‘praw-leens’ and got their humble beginnings in Louisiana ( Marshal Luplesis-Praslin,1598-1695) from his butler, who had a recipe for almonds coated in sugar, used as a digestive aid. Later, when Louisiana was settled by the French colonists, they changed to pecans.
There are many recipes for this confection and the Creoles take great pains to find perfection. The recipes are well kept secrets and are handed down generation to generation.
- 1 1/2 cup sugar
- 3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1/2 cup milk
- 6 tbsp. butter
- 1 1/2 cups roasted pecans (pronounced pee-cons)*
- 1 tsp. good quality vanilla
Combine all the ingredients and bring to the softball stage (238-240 degrees) stirring constantly. Remove from the heat.
Continue stirring until the mixture thickens (again – constantly stirring), becomes creamy and cloudy and the pecans stay suspended in the mixture. Spoon out on buttered waxed paper or parchment paper. When using waxed paper, be sure to have a newspaper underneath as the hot wax will transfer to whatever is underneath.
If you wish to make a praline sauce, simply add 1/2 cup of corn syrup to the mixture. You can change the flavour to chocolate, brandy, coffee, etc.)
This recipe will make 1-50 pralines, depending on size.
Just ask me…..they are quite the treat!
* our instructor said that pee-cans were something you needed in the middle of the night, so pronounce it correctly….please! too funny.
New Orleans Bread Pudding With Whiskey Sauce
This is a pretty good bread pudding. I must say, almost every restaurant in New Orleans has their own version of this pudding and this is one that we got at the New Orleans School of Cooking.
When we talking with some neighbors about this class, we found many other of our friends/neighbors have been there as well. What fun!
- 1 loaf of stale french bread (only one to use, apparently) OR Croissants
- 4 cups milk
- 2 cups sugar
- 8 tbsp. melted butter
- 3 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 2 tsp. good vanilla extract
- 1 cup golden raisins – soak in whiskey for 25 minutes
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- 1 cup dried cranberries, chopped
- 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp. ground nutmeg
In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients. This mixture should be very moist but not soupy. Pour into a buttered 9 x 12 baking dish or larger.
Place in a NON-preheated oven (yes, a cold oven). Bake at 350 degrees for about 1 hour, 15 minutes or until the top is a golden brown.
Serve warm with the whiskey sauce (below).
- 1 stick of butter (8 tbsp.)
- 1 1/2 cup icing sugar
- 2 egg yolks
- 1/2 c whiskey (or to taste)
Cream butter and sugar over medium heat until all the butter is absorbed. Remove from heat and blend in the egg yolk. Pour the whiskey in gradually, stirring constantly until the sauce cools and becomes thickened.
Serve this warm over the warm pudding….ahhhhhhh! soooooooo good!.
This will make about 16 -18 servings. Great for the family or entertaining night. Thanks Sondra.
Don’s Fresh Tomato Soup With Creme Fraiche
Everyone who knows us, knows my husband could make an icicle taste good. This is one of the many soups he makes, and I might say, is really, really good.
The only thing to add is my grilled cheese sandwich…..just sayin’.
In a large pot add:
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- 2 carrots, medium chop
- 2 celery stalks, peeled and chopped fine
- 1 tsp. onion powder (not salt)
- 12 large Roma tomatoes, skinned and chopped
- 1 box (900 ml) chicken broth
- 1 can (398 ml) tomato sauce
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1/4 tsp. thyme
- 1 tsp. baking soda*
- 1/4 tsp. pepper
- 1 tsp. basil
- 1 tbsp. parsley flakes
- 1 tbsp. sugar
Cook on simmer for approximately 45 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool.
When cool enough to work with, put in a blender in 3 – 4 batches and blend until really smooth.
Serve hot and add a dollop of creme fraiche or 2 tbsp. sour cream on top.
* the baking soda will neutralize the acid effects on the cream.
Note: If it was me making this, I would alter the chicken broth amounts and put in cream…..that’s just me! But then I would take some puff pastry, cut into squares large enough to cover the filled soup bowls, and bake in the oven until the pastry is cooked to a golden colour. We used to do this. It is a real show stopper.
Chicken Pizza
Time to forget about the Christmas fare and New Years over-indulgence….take a night off and enjoy a wonderful pizza.
- 1 x 12 inch Italian bread shell (Boboli)
- 1 cup salsa (homemade is best)
- 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp. ground cumin
- 2 cups chopped chicken
- 1/2 cup of dried cranberries OR golden raisins
- 1 tbsp. sliced almonds
- 1 cup shredded Monteray Jack cheese
- 1 tbsp. snipped cilantro
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place bread shell on a baking sheet. In a small bowl combine the salsa, cinnamon and cumin. Spread this evenly over the bread shell.
Top with the chicken, cranberries (raisins) and almonds. Bake for 10 minutes.
Sprinkle with the cheese and bake for another 6-7 minutes until the pizza is heated through and the cheese has melted. Sprinkle the cilantro over the pizza. This makes 6 servings.
This is easy, very tasty and a nice break from the heavy, fatty foods of the past 6-7 weeks of entertaining, being entertained or just eating all the goodies you see.
It is yummy.
Buttermilk Pie – New Orleans Style
- You probably have never tasted anything as scrumptuous as this dessert. When the server at the Oak Alley Plantation gave this as one of the choices for dessert at our luncheon 6 out of 7 chose it. The 7th was allergic to corn and this has cornstarch in it.
It is so easy to make but just taste it…….yummmmmmmm!
http://www.damnicandothis.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/P1070548.jpg
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp. ground nutmeg
- 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp. cornstarch
- 1/2 cup melted butter
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
- unbaked pastry shell – 9 inch
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, combine the sugar, spices, vanilla, cornstarch, butter and eggs and beat on slow speed until the batter is blended and uniform.
Add the buttermilk and mix really well. Pour into an unbaked 9 inch pastry shell and bake for 40 minutes until it has set and is brown on top.
Add a dollop of ice cream or whipped cream on the side with a fresh strawberry on top.
This is absolutely THE best.