{ Crab with Homemade Cocktail Sauce }

Several weeks ago my husband and I ventured to Costco for various items that we needed. As with our trips to this giant warehouse store, I always find things that were not on my mental list, but I must have. I tend to always pick up in the refrigerated section, lump crab meat that is already packaged. It is produced from Chicken of the Sea and is a 16 oz. vacuumed sealed package of jumbo lump pasteurized crab meat. It has a long shelf life and tastes like it was picked the day before. So incredibly sweet and no fishy taste.

Typically I always purchase the cocktail sauce from the grocery store and it tastes great. I thought I would challenge myself to create my very own cocktail sauce. After quite a bit of research, I found the ingredients and determined my allotments of measurements. I tasted it and then added a bit more of a few items. The outcome was virtually the exact tasting sauce that came from the jar. We watched “Real Housewives of D.C.” that was on TiVo, while enjoying this decadent treat.

Dungeness Crab with Homemade Cocktail Sauce

Cocktail Sauce

½ C. Heinz Chili Sauce
1/3 C. Ketchup
1 T. Horseradish Sauce
2 t. Worcestershire Sauce
¼ t. Salt
1 T. Fresh squeezed lemon juice
¼ t. Cayenne pepper

Add all of the ingredients to a small bowl and stir together. Let sit for about 1 hour in the refrigerator prior to serving.

Use fresh or Jumbo Lump Pasteurized Crab Meat (16 oz.) from Chicken of the Sea.

Simply place as much crab meat as desired on each serving dish and spoon on top the homemade cocktail sauce. Garnish with chives. Enjoy.

{ Quinoa, Corn, Avocado & Heirloom Tomato Salad - Sherry Vinaigrette + Maybach Wine }

Friday night. One of my favorite evenings – the work week has come to a close, the beginning of the weekend is starting and it means relaxation for two days. Last night my husband and I had a dear friend over for dinner. As with our Friday night traditions, it is enjoyed with a good bottle of wine and delicious food. Our friend brought over an exceptional bottle of wine. It is one that I have never heard of before, but I had heard of the exceptional product that they make. The wine is Materium and produced from Maybach Family Vineyards.

Wilhelm Maybach came from humble beginnings as a trainee in a German orphanage. He went on to invent the high-speed internal combustion engine and in 1901, as chief engineer and business partner to Gottlieb Daimler, design and build the first Mercedes cars. For one hundred years, the name maybach has been associated with quality at the finest level.

They created the wine in the same fashion to honor their heritage. The wine is from a single hillside vineyard above the Silverado Trail which produces a deeply concentrated Cabernet Sauvignon. It has undertones of cedar, oak, smoke and rich deep berry fruit. The aromas and flavors were memorizing and it was a perfectly executed Cabernet.

Earlier in the day, I took a client to lunch at Bocanova in Oakland’s Jack London Square. This restaurant celebrates the flavors of South, Central and North America. Each time I eat there, I enjoy the Quinoa salad and it is different each time. Quinoa is pronounced - "Keen - Wa". I duplicated the Quinoa, Corn, Avocado & Heirloom Tomato Salad with Sherry Vinaigrette. We enjoyed a flat iron steak with Montréal steak seasoning that my husband cooked on the grill. A great Friday night and kick off to the weekend.

Quinoa, Corn, Avocado & Heirloom Tomato Salad—Sherry Vinaigrette

1 C. Quinoa
3 Cobs of corn, remove corn kernels
1 C. Heirloom tomatoes, cut into quarters
2 Avocados cut into cubes
½ C. Olive oil
2/3 C. Sherry vinegar
1 large handful of arugula
Salt and pepper

Cook the quinoa according package and let cool. In a large bowl, add the corn, tomatoes and avocado along with the quinoa. Sprinkle on top the olive oil and sherry vinegar and toss. Season with salt and pepper and taste to determine the proper levels. Adjust the olive oil and vinegar is needed. Lastly add the arugula and toss. Serve in a large bowl or individual.

{ Martin Yan of "Yan Can Cook": Mango and Macadamia Chicken }

Last week I attended an event at the new Lafayette Library where Martin Yan, of “Yan Can Cook” came to help raise money for the library. Yan Can Cook was founded in 1977 by Master Chef Martin Yan. He is a champion of Asian cuisine and culture. His cooking shows are known around the world and shown in over 50 countries. He has published twenty eight cookbooks, designs cookware, consults on tourism and owns restaurants. Martin Yan is one of the busiest people I have met.

He amazed us with his humor, talent and enthusiasm for food. His knife skills are mind-boggling with the speed and accuracy. He cut a one or two inch cucumber into 64 slices – in a word – impressive. His story telling and humor is what captured my attention. He loves to get the crowd engaged and laughing.

To start the event, he asked questions of the audience and gave away some of his signature goodies. My friend Monica and I worked as a team to answer one of the first questions correctly about the three things that are important when stir-frying. Okay – I know you want to know what they are: (1) a very hot pan (2) cut the ingredients into fairly uniform sizes to create even cooking time and (3) use vegetable oil or one with a high smoke point to cook the meat. He gave us a cutting board that was made out of rice husks. Whoever figured out how to do that was very ingenuous.

Chef Yan was very generous and brought samples of his food for everyone and there was a crowd of over one hundred plus folks. Of course, he has his products available for sale and of course being a collector of cookbooks, I purchased one. The special thing was that he was on hand to personally autograph the cookbook. I seized the moment and had Monica snap a photo with Chef Yan and myself. What a fun night!

The Mango and Macadamia Chicken is from the cookbook Martin Yan Quick & Easy that I purchased that night. I ever so slightly adapted the recipe and enjoyed it the other night. I would recommend adding chunks of onions to kick up the flavor. Enjoy.

Mango and Macadamia Chicken

Marinade
2 t. cornstarch
2 t. soy sauce

¾ lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into ½ inch cubes

Sauce
1/3 C. chicken broth
1 T. fresh lemon juice
2 t. rice wine
2 t. sesame oil
1 ½ t. sugar

Cooking items
2 t. vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ t. red chili flakes
1 t. cornstarch, dissolved in 1 T. water

2 mangos, peeled, pitted and cut into cubes
1/3 C. chopped macadamia nuts

To create the marinade, combine the cornstarch and soy sauce together in a bowl and stir well. Add the chicken and coat well with the marinade. Let sit for at least 10 minutes.

To make the sauce, add all of the ingredients together and stir well. Set aside.

Place a wok or stir fry pan on high heat until hot. Add the oil and swirl around. Add the chicken and stir until it is no longer pink in the center. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook for 30 seconds. Add the sauce along with the cornstarch with water. Continue to stir and the sauce will thicken. Add the mango and stir. Transfer to a large bowl and sprinkle the macadamia nuts on top. Serve immediately.

{ Cranberry - Orange Crumb Bars }

After many months in the box, I finally took out my birthday present from my hubby. Today was the day that I graduated from the minor leagues to the majors. I went from using my long time cherished friend, the Olympus “point and shoot” to what I call, my “big girl camera”. Back in June, my husband gave me a Sony a300 DSLR camera for my birthday. I guess with being so busy and use to my current photo taking habits, I did not get around to opening the box until today.

My hubby, who has done photography for a hundred years, was my personal teacher today. He went through the basics of the camera and how to take a basic photo. Today was lesson number one and I can hardly wait for lesson number two. Oh my gosh, what fun it was to hear that fast clicking noise and zooming in and out to grab the perfect photo. When I loaded the memory card to my computer and viewed the photos of the Cranberry - Orange Crumb Bars, I almost could not believe my eyes – the photos were so much more crisp, vivid and beautiful. So much more to learn, but I feel that I am now on my way.  Today is a great day!

Now onto these wonderful Cranberry – Orange Crumb Bars. You are probably thinking how does she have cranberries in August? Back in the late winter, I purchased three or four bags of fresh cranberries and froze them. I wanted to be able to enjoy these tart little nuggets year round. I saw a recipe on All Recipes for blueberry crumb bars and decided to make them my own. As you can see, the foundation is the same but the entire bar is unique. If you do not have frozen cranberries, try blueberries, blackberries or raspberries. They turned out beautifully and will be on my holiday treat list of things to make.

Cranberry – Orange Crumb Bars

Crumb Mixture
1 C. Sugar
1 C. Butter
1 t. Baking Powder
½ t. Salt
2 t. Vanilla
1 Egg
3 C. Flour
Zest of one orange

Filling
3 C. Fresh/Frozen Cranberries
1 T. Cornstarch
½ C. Sugar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

In an electric mixer, cream the butter together until smooth. Add the sugar, baking powder, salt and vanilla and cream together. Then add the egg and beat until combined. Add the zest of the orange and mix. Slowly add the flour one cup at a time until combined. Mixture will be crumbly.

Use a 9 x 13 pan and spray with non-stick cooking spray. I use the Crisco one with flour and oil. Divide the mixture in half and spread the first half on the bottom of the pan. It will be thin.

In a medium bowl, add the cranberries and cornstarch together and combine. Spread over the pan with the pressed crumb mixture. Sprinkle the ½ cup of sugar over the entire pan. Take the remaining crumb mixture and sprinkle over the top, leaving small areas where there is no crumb topping.

Bake for 40 to 45 minutes until golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool. Cut into desired sized pieces.

{ Mushroom, Corn and Grape Tomato Trottole Pasta }

What a busy week for me - working a million hours, scheduled events after work and keeping up on house hold tasks. Perhaps this resembles your week. Does anyone remember the Enjoli Perfume commercial? It played a role in the feminist idea we all now know as "having it all." It celebrates a woman who can bring home the bacon, fry it up in a pan, and "never let you forget you're a man". Check it out on You Tube and it will make you giggle.

I came home last night from a work event around 8:30 pm and whipped up dinner for my hubby. I think he was in shock that I went to so much trouble so late at night and after a work event. In reality, this was pretty simple – just appeared complicated.

Went in to the refrigerator and pulled a few items together to create - Mushroom, Corn and Grape Tomato Trottole Pasta. We watched America’s Got Talent, the You Tube show and he kept commenting how delicious the pasta dish was. He is always amazed how I can cook something so quickly with flavor and he said it is one of the many reason he loves me. Awww.

Mushroom, Corn and Grape Tomato Trottole Pasta

8 oz. Baby Bella Mushrooms
3.2 oz. Oyster Mushrooms
3.2 oz. Shitake Mushrooms
4 T. Butter
2 T. Olive oil
4 Ears Corn, cut off kernels
1 C. Grape tomatoes
1 Garlic clove, minced
Chicken stock
Parmesan Cheese
Salt and pepper
1 lb. Dried Pasta

Boil water and cook the dried pasta to desired doneness. Drain and set aside for minute prior to adding to the cooked mushroom, tomato and corn mixture.

Stem and cut the mushrooms into desired pieces. Use a large skillet, heat the butter and olive oil together on medium high heat. Add the mushrooms and cook until golden brown. Add the garlic and cook for one minute. Next add the tomatoes and corn. Cook for another minutes. Add about ½ cup of chicken stock and season with salt and pepper. Add the cooked pasta and toss well together. Taste for seasoning and adjust. Add more chicken stock if too dry. Add about ½ cup of parmesan cheese and toss together.

For serving, either dish into individual bowls and garnish with more parmesan cheese or serve in a big bowl with the parmesan on the side for folks to add on their own.

{ SF Chefs 2010: Slam Dunk Cheese and Wine Pairing }

SF Chefs 2010 is an exciting event held in San Francisco. It features San Francisco’s premier food, wine and spirits and is produced by the Golden Gate Restaurant Association. Visa Signature offers discounts and access to special events throughout the event. My long time friends and fellow foodies, Monica and Jeanna  along with myself, attended the “Slam Dunk Cheese and Wine Pairing” seminar yesterday that we had signed up for a while ago. The seminar featured Laura Werlin, a well-known expert on all things cheese. She was accompanied by Karl Wente, fifth generation winemaker from Wente Vineyards in Livermore, which is approximately 45 minutes from San Francisco. To round off this impressive panel was Christie Dufault, who is the sommelier from Michael Mina’s RN74 in the millenium towers.

{ Me, Monica and Laura Werlin }

We rode over on BART bright and early to allow enough time to grab a latte up the street from the Westin St. Francis where the seminar was being held. Monica quickly spotted Chris Constantino from Incanto and Chef vs City whizzing through the revolving doors to get the Anolon Chef Challenge with Jennifer Biestly against Tyler Florence and Elizabeth Falkner. On another side note, after the seminar, we enjoyed lunch at Scala’s and Elizabeth Falkner got seated right after we did. She is the owner of Citizen Cake in San Francisco and is an amazing chef who does both sweet and savory. The seminar room was set up beautifully with plentiful cheese plates, five glasses of wine and one glass of beer. We will get to the beer a bit later. Being Visa Signature clients had its advantages since we enjoyed phenominal seats.

{Karl Wente, Me and Monica }

The impressive panel introduced themselves along with their credentials and then the journey through a cheese and wine paradise started. The seminar focused on “old world cheeses and new world wines”. Wines from the united states and cheese from Europe. It was ten in the morning and wine doesn’t typically appear for me that early, unless it appears in the form of a mimosa. We had our tasting note sheet in hand and were ready to learn.

If you do not already own Laura’s book, I would highly suggest you add this to your collection. As part of the seminar, we received a signed copy of her book.  The information is invaluable and she makes understanding the world of cheese simple. One of the most important things to realize when enjoying wine and cheese together, is to understand that “what rose (grew) together pairs together”. Taste your wine first, then the cheese and then together. You will appreciate each one alone and then how they marry together.

We began with Queso Lenora which is a goats milk cheese from Leon in Spain and paired it with the 2009 Wente Vineyard, Sauvignon Blanc, Louis Mel from Livermore Valley. Goat cheese and Sauvignon are one the most natural and perfect pairings. The wine is fresh, lively and has hints of minerality. The acidity, peach, delicate floral and grassy qualities marry with the goat cheese. Our second cheese was a goat cheese called Vare from Asturias Spain. Different from the first one, it has a slightly grainy mouth feel along with a nutty and creaminess. We paired it with the Sauvignon Blanc and the 2008 Wente Vineyards Riva Ranch Chardonnay. The chardonnay is “fruit on a pedestal” and has an addition of 3% Gewürztraminer. The butter and oak qualities of the chardonnay balanced this goat cheese and were a marriage for your mouth and senses.

{ Labeled the cheeses that we tasted clockwise beginning at twelve o'clock }

Gres de Champenois from Champagne France was our third cheese and had the addition of crème fraiche. This cheese was magic. Enjoying this creamy and rich cheese with the rind, adds a harmony to the cheese along with pairing it with the chardonnay. Switching the chardonnay for a sparkling wine would be a great alternative to the chardonnay. Next we tasted a sheep milk cheese called Petit Agour from Pyrenees (Basque region) in France. It was a very earthy and savory cheese with a similar look of manchego. The outside of the rind is brushed with paprika when creating this lovely cheese. It will often produce a shiny look on the outside due to the milk fats coming to the top as it comes to room temperature.

The Petit Agour was paired with the 2008 Zarzuela from Murrieta’s Well in Livermore. My husband and I actually got married at Murrieta’s Well and will celebrate our twelve year wedding anniversary next month. The Zarzuela is an expressive wine with hints of cherry, spice, cranberry and ripe blueberry on the note and palate. A splash of crushed black pepper comes through along with orange blossom. As it opens up, the wine is even more delicious. As Christie said after tasting - "it is need I say, another slam dunk" and she was right on the mark.

Now for one of the more unique pairings we had. Kerrygold Reserve Cheddar, a cows milk from County Cork in Ireland was paired with Telegraph Brewing Company's California Ale from Santa Barbara. The smooth aged flavor of the cheddar along with the barley and hops from the beer made this a natural pairing. The beer accentuated the cheese profile and was quite a nice pairing. We paired this with another wine, the 2007 Domaine Chandon Pinot Meunier from the Carneros region in Napa. This wine has such delicate fruit flavors with plum and cherry. It was quite angular on the mouth with an elevated acidity and a ting of white pepper flavors came through with this quite versatile wine.
Our next cheese was L'Amuse Signature Gouda which is a cow's milk from Beemster Holland. The flavor in this cheese was incredible and quite unique. Notes of coffee, butterscotch, burnt caramel, cocoa and slight whiskey tones came through. Since being aged, it develops slight crystals and a very hard texture. We tried it with the chardonnay and then the Pinot Meunier. As Carl noted, it was an intellectual process and quite a conundrum between the pairing of the chardonnay and the cheese.

Winding down our tasting, we enjoyed a Comte (Marcel Petite Fort St. Antoine) from Jura France which we paired with the chardonnay. This cheese is only made during specific times of the year and the wine brings out the nutty, creamy and spicy flavors of the cheese. Christie made a great statement about this pairing - "This wine is the cheese's wing man". One of my favorite cheeses was next on the tasting menu. Epoisses (Fromagerie Berthaut) from Burgundy France is a wash rind cows milk cheese. If you enjoy Redhawk from Cowgirl Creamery or Taleggio from Italy, you will savor this cheese. It is a quite pungent and stinky cheese, but oh so delicious. It possesses a saltiness and creamy texture. We paired it with both the chardonnay and the pinot meunier. The chardonnay was the clear winner for me with this pairing.

Last but not certainly least, we had a Verde Capra from Lombardy Italy and is a goat blue cheese. This cheese is profoundly flavorful and intense. A true powerhouse in the cheese family. It was paired with a Zinfandel Port from Peltier Station in Lodi. As in the true Zinfandel style it was jammy and had red raspberry and black cherry undertones. The pairing was spectacular and the contract of the salty, rich cheese with the sweet acidity of the wine was perfect - dare I say, another slam dunk. A special note, we had beautiful sliced baguettes to enjoy our cheese and some of the most divine artisan breadsticks from Panevino.

Overall it was a wonderful day spending with my foodie friends, geeking out on talking about food along with tasting some amazing cheeses and wines. As with other classes, I am building on my food and wine knowledge and loving every minute. The goal for next SF Chefs is to spend the weekend in the city and attend a large number of the events.

{ A Family Favorite: Orzo Salad }

My husband and I are attending a triplet’s birthday party today with approximately 80 folks attending. The mix is about 50 adults and 30 kids – not quite sure how my cousin Ed and his wife Paige do this each year. I believe we are on the 5th year of this celebration. It has become somewhat of a tradition now, that I bring the orzo salad. This year is the largest salad I have made – I actually tripled the quantity for this event.

Over the years, this salad has almost obtained cult status within my family. At big events, it is one of the most requested and a complete crowd pleaser. It is a fairly simple and straightforward salad, but the combination of flavors is award winning. It should be a fun event - great weather, catching up with friends and family and enjoying a cocktail by the pool.  I am dedicating this post to Paige - since this is her favorite salad.  Happy weekend everyone!!

Orzo Salad

1 pound box of Orzo pasta
¼ C. Olive oil
1 C. Red wine vinegar
1 C. Vegetable oil
1 t. Garlic powder
1 T. Salt
Fresh ground pepper
2 C. Red cherry tomatoes or assorted colors
¾ C. Toasted pine nuts
1 C. thinly sliced radicchio
1 Large red onion – small dice
1 ½ C. Basil leaves – chiffonade
1 C. Crumbled feta cheese

Cook the orzo pasta according to the package. Best done al dente. Rinse and add about ¼ cup olive oil to coat pasta after it is cooled, into large bowl.

Dressing

In a plastic airtight container, add red wine vinegar, vegetable oil, garlic powder and salt and pepper. Shake well and refrigerate.

To assemble

In a large bowl, add cooled pasta. Add tomatoes, pine nuts, radicchio, red onion, basil leaves, feta cheese and toss quickly. Shake the dressing before adding. Add all of the dressing and toss well. Add salt and pepper to taste.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
{ Last year's party - Lauren, Connor and Audrey }

{ Grilled Corn Salad }

What screams summer more than corn - nothing that I can think of at this very moment? Living in the Bay Area affords us access to marvelous produce from local farmers. If you have ever heard of the city of Brentwood in California – not the one down south and home of OJ Simpson - the Brentwood I am talking about is in Northern California and produces some of the most sweet corn around. They even have a corn festival in July – now these are folks who take their corn seriously. I picked up some fresh corn grown in Brentwood the other day and was driving home tonight deciding what to make with it.

In an effort to eat a bit healthier during the weekdays, I thought of a salad. Grilling then popped into my head to add a bit of smoky flavor and depth to the salad. Visualizing what was in my refrigerator, so I would not have to stop at the store – I knew I had tomatoes, red onion, mini mozzarella balls and basil. The combination would be dynamite tasting and good for us. Thus the Grilled Corn Salad was born.

Both my husband and I had a long day at work. We chilled in front of the television with our delicious salad and watched the season premiere of “Flipping Out” with Jeff Lewis. I enjoy watching Jeff Lewis for his OCD and humor. It is a great show to just watch and forget about any stress you had during the day – Jeff has way more stress. We are complete Bravo TV fans!

Grilled Corn Salad

4 Ears of Fresh Corn
2 C. Grape tomatoes cut in half
1 Small Red Onion, finely diced
1 (8 oz) container of Fresh Mozzarella Balls, mini ones
8 to 10  Fresh Basil Leaves, Chiffonade
Salt and pepper to taste

Dressing

4 T. Olive oil
3 T. Cider Vinegar or Balsamic Vinegar
½ t. Garlic Powder
Salt and pepper

Use an indoor or outdoor grill. Heat on medium high heat for 3 to 4 minutes. Remove any husks from the corn and rub with olive oil. Set on grill and cook for about 5 minutes and turn frequently. Corn will be charred about half way. Let cool for a few minutes. Stand up the corn and use a sharp knife to cut the kernels off the cob. Let them cool.

In a bowl, add the onions, tomatoes and chilled corn. Then add the mozzarella balls and basil. Add the dressing and toss well. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

{ Wild Mushroom Crostini + Giveaway Winner Announced }

As promised, I would announce the winner of the giveaway from the Crostini Challenge blog post on July 29th. First, I wanted to determine my method for randomly picking the winner and my husband was out with the "boys" today, so there went that idea. Then I thought, Max my Lasha Apso was a perfect choice.

I proceeded to write all of the participants names on small pieces of paper and folded them up. I grabbed my camera, the folded pieces of paper and Max. Quickly tossing them on the carpet, I followed Max to the first piece that he went to eat and then the winner was chosen. Pretty cleaver way to pull the winner, huh?

With that, I would like to announce the winner……………drum roll please………………I would like to congratulate Jean from Lemons and Anchovies. Jean – please email me the address that you would like me to send the Bruschetta book to. Congratulations!!

The foodie community is comprised of such talented and creative people. I enjoyed hearing everyone’s ideas and wanted to highlight a few. First, Lindsay from Love and Olive Oil shared Green Bean and Garlic Scape Bruschetta. If you have not visited her site, I would recommend it highly. She is a very talented gal with wonderful ideas and photography.

Next I enjoyed hearing from Sara at CaffeIna who said the best one she has ever eaten was with goat cheese and grapefruit jam. That one sounds absolutely amazing and unique – a must try indeed! Check out Sara’s blog for tasty baked treats that will make your mouth water.

Kate from Kate is Cooking shared her recipe that her daughter in law brought to Thanksgiving dinner for Garlic Shrimp Crostini. It looks simple but packed with flavor. Aren’t those the best kinds of appetizers?

Gina and Robbyn from What’s for Dinner Across State Lines shared a great idea for a Crostini. “I like to make them on sourdough baguettes with sun dried tomato pesto, mascarpone cheese, a little arugula, bresaola (dried cured beef) and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil!” Give a peak to Kate and Gina/Robbyn’s blogs!

Here is another Crostini that is one of my favorites and simple to make. It is Wild Mushroom Crostini and you can mix up the combinations of mushrooms to your taste. The addition of thyme and crème Fraiche add a delicate finish.

Wild Mushroom Crostini

3 C. Assorted wild mushrooms, finely chopped
1 Shallot, minced
2 t. Fresh thyme leaves
3 T. Butter
1 T. Crème Fraiche
5.2 oz. Boursin Cheese, garlic and fine herbs
Salt and Pepper
Baguette, sliced thin and toasted golden brown (about 24)

In a large skillet, turn the heat to medium high and add the butter. Let melt and be careful not to burn. Then quickly add the mushrooms & shallots and cook for about 5 minutes until golden brown. Add salt and pepper along with the thyme leaves. Cook for one minute. Take off the heat and stir in the crème Fraiche. Spread about two teaspoons of the boursin cheese on the crostini and spoon about one tablespoon on each toasted baguette and serve.

{ Lemon Brown Sugar Crumb Bars }

I actually got home from work at a decent hour last night and the baking bug hit me like a ton of bricks. Do you ever just have that overwhelming feeling to bake? I pursued my abundant cookbook collection to find something that would be easy, satisfying and strike my fancy. After about a dozen cookbooks later, I found one. I have had Favorite Brand Name Cookie Collection cookbook for a long time. It was actually published in 1992. After looking through it, I thought it is funny how the styling and photography had progressed significantly since then.

A Layered Lemon Crumb Bar caught my eye. After reviewing the recipe I made a few slight adaptations and renamed the cookie – “Lemon Brown Sugar Crumb Bar”. The richness of the butter, oats and brown sugar are a magical combination that will have your mouth singing for more. Really simple to make and the end product is completely divine.

I knew that if I had these lying around the house, I would not be able to control myself and half the 9 x 13 pan would be gone. To combat this, I cut the bars and neatly laid them on a plate and brought them to work today. I set them in the office kitchen around 9:30am and by about 11:00am there was not a bar in sight. Just the crumbs remained as evidence everyone enjoyed them.

As I left tonight, I went to say goodbye to a few of the guys and they were giving one guy a bad time, by saying that he ate all of the cookies and left none for them. I knew they were kidding him, since they both admitted to eating at least two each. I was glad to share and make Friday a bit more special.

Lemon Brown Sugar Crumb Bars

1 (14 oz) Sweetened condensed milk
½ C. Lemon juice, freshly squeezed
1 T. Lemon zest
2/3 C. Butter, softened
1 C. Brown sugar, firmly packed
1 ½ C. Flour
1 C. Quick cooked oats
1 t. Baking powder
½ t. Salt
½ t. Cinnamon
¼ t. Nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350.

In a bowl, combine the condensed milk and lemon juice. Use a whisk to combine. Set aside.

Use a standup mixer with bowl, beat butter and brown sugar until fluffy. Add the baking powder, salt and mix. Then add the flour and mix and finish with adding the oats and mix. The mixture will be crumbly. Press half of the mixture in a greased 13 x 9 baking pan. Spread the lemon mixture on top and sprinkle the remaining crumb mixture all over the top. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until lightly brown. Cool and cut into bars. Makes 24 to 36 bars.

{ Grilled Cheese Sandwich with Braised Short Ribs }

Leftovers – what to do with them? Do you bring them to work the next day for lunch or serve it again the following night? Typically I am not a huge fan of leftovers, except for those dishes that actually get better with time. You probably can think of one or two dishes in which it actually develops better flavor profiles over night. The Guinness Braised Short Ribs is one of those dishes, actually most braised short rib or similar dish will be better the next day. Made them over the weekend and the next night used them again for this sandwich.

Ever since the new cooking channel hit the airwaves and replaced the fine living network, I have been completely addicted. Is anyone else in love with this new channel? The shows are fresh, unique and geared towards the true foodie. Some of my new favorites are: Unique Eats, Foodography, Chucks Day Off and Food Crafters. One of the episodes of unique eats was called “hand held foods” which profiled a “taco truck” that specialized in grilled cheese sandwiches. Some of the combinations were amazing and such a unique idea. The one tip I took away was to use a combination of butter and mayonnaise to spread on the bread – it prevents burning.

Loving grilled cheese sandwiches all my life plus the inspiration of the grilled cheese truck inspired me to use the leftover Guinness braised short ribs in a grilled cheese sandwich. The result was amazing! Would love to hear about any unique “grilled cheese sandwiches” that you have had.

Grilled Cheese Sandwich with Braised Short Ribs

Sliced French Bread (Sandwich style)
Sharp Cheddar Cheese, deli slices
Guinness Braised Short Ribs, shredded
Caramelized Onions
Butter

Caramelized Onions

1 Large onion
2 T. Butter

Peel and slice ¼ inch thick slices of the onions. In a large skillet, add the butter and let melt over medium heat. Add the onions and toss well in the melted butter. Let cook on medium to medium low for 20 to 25 minutes or until onions are a caramel color. Let cool.

To assemble:

Butter each side of the bread with either butter or the combination of butter and mayo. Place a slice of cheddar cheese on each side. Put some caramelized onions on one side and add the shredded braised short rib on top of the onions and then top with the other slice of bread. Grill on medium heat for about 5 minutes per side. Cut in half and serve. A quick tip: heat the left over braised short ribs first and then shred and prepare the sandwiches.

{ Guinness Braised Short Ribs )

I love Saturdays. It means it is right in the middle of the weekend and don’t have to worry about getting geared up for the work week ahead. A pure day of relaxation on that front. This Saturday I brought Max down early to the doggie spa to get his every 7 week grooming regimen complete. I always tell him that he will get to spend the day with all of his little and big doggie friends – not sure if he really cares, but it makes me feel good.

Stopped by Trader Joes to pick up more figs to make more fig jam. I hit the jackpot with the fig quantities by filling a carry basket with a dozen, one pound containers of wonderful figs. Ended up making 30 jars of jam. Started this canning craze the weekend prior with handmade dill pickles – a future post indeed. Always watched my Mom can when I was little and it was on my bucket list of things to complete – I guess I can now check that off the list. More canning adventures to come for me.

We decided to have a couple friends over on Saturday night. Even though it is summer, braising is such a wonderful way to entertain. You literally cook a few things, throw all the ingredients into a large pot, turn the oven on and go on with the rest of your day. The result is pure decadence with intense flavors and ultra tender meat that is fork tender and no knife is required.

Typically I use my “go to” recipe of Asian Braised Shortribs with Orange Hoisen Sauce, but wanted to try something new. On a trip to Ireland several years ago, we toured the Guinness Factory and it was quite facinating. Came up with my version of Guinness Braised Short Ribs and served it with Israeli Couscous. Once the couscous was cooked, I tossed with a splash of good olive oil and seasoned with salt and pepper. A bit lighter than using mashed potatoes. The dish turned out incredible.

Guinness Braised Short Ribs

8 to 12 Boneless Shortribs
1 pound carrots, diced small
2 medium onions, diced small
2 bay leaves
8 tablespoons tomato paste
3 cloves of garlic, minced
4 sprigs fresh thyme
4 sprigs fresh rosemary
4 cups Guinness
4 cups beef broth
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon salt
2 teaspoons black pepper

Preheat oven to 325°F.

Use a 6 quart oven proof pot with lid. Season ribs with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil over medium heat in pot until hot but not smoking. Add ribs and brown on all sides, about 1 minute per side. Transfer meat to a large plate and set aside. In the same pot add carrots, onions, and sauté over medium low heat until vegetables soften, about 10 minutes. Add garlic, thyme, rosemary and sauté, until garlic softens about 2 minutes. Stir in tomato paste and cook for 1 minute. Add broth and beer, then ribs and bring liquid to a boil uncovered. Cover pot and transfer to the oven, braise until meat is very tender 5 hours.