Hallmark Moments Aren’t Just For Greeting Cards

With Valentines day behind us it was a good time to reflect on these hallmark moments.....

Happy hearts. Laughter. Smiling faces. Fond memories.
These warm and fuzzy feelings aren’t just for greeting cards, rather they are moments available in everyday life.
The blue ribbon recipe for most “Hallmark moments” is one cup of light heartedness, one scoop of imagination and a heaping spoonful of love. I believe Hallmark moments aren’t created with significant dollar outlays on extravagant food, nor are they the products of perfection. Do it right but not perfectly is a quote a heard this week.

Quite simply, Hallmark moments are snapshots in time — freeze frames of experiences shared with friends and family in casual settings.
To jump start your imagination, here are a few super simple ideas on taking your next family meal to the next notch or entertaining a neighbor in your home without breaking the bank.

• Take a dip. This create-your-own-desert is a crowd pleaser for children and adults alike and gets everyone into the action. With skewers or forks, have each person dip marshmallows, pretzels or cake squares into warm Hershey’s chocolate syrup. Add some lagniappe by having small bowls of sprinkles, chopped nuts or coconut for customizing these bite-size delights.

• Take a trip. Dine in Hawaii by adding a paper umbrella to each glass and a pineapple slice atop chicken and rice. Travel to Asia by eating with chopsticks and having fortune cookies for dessert. (Write out fortunes and tuck them under any flavor of cookie for an instant winner.) Go on a picnic in Central Park by moving the meal to an outdoor blanket. Enjoy the calm of a scenic Carribean cruise by having appetizers and fruity drinks on your patio or terrace.

• Turn back the clock. Why not have breakfast for dinner and wear your pajamas?

One step toward the land of Hallmark cards and the possibilities are endless. No postage required.

Tapoioca with pistachio and walnut praline, chocolateaux prafait. Demo at the San Antonio home and garden show ....http://www.showtechnology.com/shows/San_Antonio/Schedule_cooking_stage.htm

I better learn how to cook!

How much do you spend each week, eating out? The number flipped me out.........and I realized I had better learn to cook at home..... :)
If home is where the heart it, so, too, should it be a place where meals are prepared regularly.

You needn’t be passionate about cooking to turn out some delicious, nutritious meals at affordable prices....… and to have fun in the process.
Here are a few ideas I am using to gather more around the dining room or kitchen in my home.

1. By the best possible ingredients...or in other words Buy that which has traveled the least amount of miles to get to your home....(supply and demand says these will be items in season and at the best possible price)

2.. Get yourself a Sous Chef: . Combat weeknight hustle and bustle by having a weekend cook fest. Have family members or friends spend time together chopping and stirring to create a week’s worth of meals.

3. Add Laginappe. Put your own signature on old favorites..(a different spice, a new side dish) and don't over do it. Keep the dishes simple The less I mess with a dish the better is the result.
4. Learn foods shelf life ..My suspicion is we throw out way to much food..too soon.....Taste is always the best test

This week at the show...How to prepare great meals at a great price!
using: Lagniappe, Oops Moments, Sous Chefs and Not loosing your lunch money.

Come visit the booth and register to win a dinner for 10 at your home.....Yes chef and server included

Cauliflower Vichyssoise

Oven Temp: 300
Ingredients
Serves 6-8

2 Small heads of Cauliflower broken into small florets
2 Leeks (white part only) cut in small pieces
3 Garlic cloves chopped
1 medium Potato, (sliced the same as potatoes)
2 ounces butter (more if needed)
6 cup of Chicken broth
Salt and Pepper
4 ounces heavy cream (optional)
½ cup chopped chives

1. Melt butter in thick bottomed pot (Le creusset is best)
2. Add Leeks and garlic and cook over medium heat (stirring often) until soft 2-3 min
3.Add Potatoes and continue to cook for 5 minutes (do not allow to brown) cover with a lid during this time and stir every minute
4. Add cauliflower and with 6 cup of broth to pot
6. Simmer for 20-30 minutes.
7. Puree soup (Immersion blender) -add more stock if needed after the soup is pureed.
8. Cool and adjust seasoning and add cream if desired.
9. Serve with a sprinkling of the reserved cauliflower (roasted) and the chopped chives.

Sticky Toffee dessert

A great dessert from Australia

Oven Temp: 350
Ingredients
Serves 8-10

Pudding
Sauce
6-7 oz stoned dates
1 cup water
1 tsp. (level) bicarb.
2 tbs. butter
2 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/4 cups self raising flour
1/4 tsp. Vanilla
1 cup brown sugar
2/3 cup cream
1/2 cup butter (4 oz.)
1/2 tsp. Vanilla
Recipe

Pudding
1. Preheat oven to 350°F
2. Cook dates in water until they reach a jammy consistency stirring frequently to break them up; allow to cool
3. Beat in the remaining ingredients and mix well
4. Butter and flour a 9" dia. round pyrex dish
5. Pour in the mixture
6. Bake in center shelf of oven for 35-40 mins. or until cooked.
Sauce
Place all the ingredients in a pan and boil for 5 mins.
Serve with sauce and thick cream and berries

HOW TO BE A SOUS CHEF?

This article was written by Jacob Geller (my 11 year old nephew) as a school project.....

I always wanted to know what happens in kitchen restaurants. How does that food get out so fast when the restaurants have so many people to feed. I soon found out. There are many people helping in restaurant kitchens. However, the chef could not do it without their sous- chefs. They are one of the most important people in a kitchen.
A sous chef is an assistant chef or a chef helper. Sous means under in French. That's because a sous chef is underneath or second in command to the chef. Being a sous chef is one of the hardest positions. They do whatever the main chef says. The sous chef can take over the job of main chef if the main chef is absent. In large kitchens there can be many sous chefs. If that happens, each sous chef is responsible for a different item on the menu. For example, a sous chef might just be responsible for the appetizer section on the menu. Somebody else would do the main course and another one would be in charge of dessert. They are usually experts in that area. Some can work up to 90 hours a week.To be a sous chef you must take on any challenge.

These are some of the Sous Chefs tasks...

At the beginning of the day the sous chef discusses and plans the menu with the chef. The sous chef takes notes on what the chef wants and needs. The sous chef helps the chef design the menu.
The sous chef helps the chef order the food.
He or she organizes his or her ingredients and makes sure that he has all the necessary utensils.
They meet and discusses the days menu with the assistant cooks.
If something catches on fire he helps put it out.
Sous Chefs Reports to the chef what the other cooks are doing.
He makes sure the cooks are staying on task and makes sure the food is being prepared and plated correctly. He makes sure they are working quickly and efficiently.
He makes sure all the stations are kept clean and neat.
He make does not go to waste.
He makes sure the chef stays focused.

Those are just some of the sous chefs duties.Its not easy being a sous chef. Long hours, little pay and lots of challenging work. But with hard work sous chefs can become chefs.

Even at home we can have Sous Chefs http://www.bluetoad.com/publication/?m=1151&l=1&p=45

Super Bowl Party ????????

You don’t have to be a football fan to enjoy the Super Bowl – I’m certainly not! (talk rugby and I know a few things)
Who can deny the excitement of the big game, the opportunity to gather with your friends around your favorite party foods, following the ups and downs of the big moments, riding the rollercoaster of emotions, whether you’re a die-hard fan or only recently learned which teams are playing.
The Super Bowl may be a clash of titans for the players, but for the rest of us it is a chance to renew friendships, to step away from our work, put on our team’s colors, and yell and laugh with our fellow fans. In the end, who cares who won or lost, as long as our relationships come out on top?

Here are a few ideas to make your party a little different:

1. Souper Bowl
Who will rise triumphant from this battle of titans?
Ask your friends to pull out there A-game and prepare their favorite prize-worthy soup or stew. Set up a blind taste test amongst your guests to determine the winner. A championship isn’t complete without a trophy! Create a prize for the winner, and spend the rest of the game enjoying the warm, savory goodness of your friends’ best efforts.
Feeling less competitive?
Nix the contest and just enjoy a great variety of warm stews and soups. Keep the breads, crackers, croutons, and chips handy for toppings.

2. Feelin’ Lucky Potluck
America is the great melting pot, so what better way to celebrate a favorite American championship than with a potluck dinner that celebrates the diversity of your guests’ heritage.
Ask each guest to bring their favorite dish from their family’s roots – whether it’s their home country, a region of the states, or a yummy concoction of several different cultures. If you’re feeling particularly inspired, find some of those tiny little toothpick flags to label the dishes. Who knows, maybe the combined mojo of your group’s home-cookin’ will lend your team some luck for the game!

3. Pigskin Potatoes
A potato bar is a handy solution for a big crowd with different tastes. Cook up two batches of potatoes – Yukon Gold for the main event and sweet potatoes (or yams, if you prefer) as a desert. Set up sides as far as the eye can see, and let your guests loose to create their ideal spud. Of course, there’s no rule that sweet potatoes can’t be your main meal, it is a party, after all.
For the Yukon Gold potatoes:
Butter
A variety of shredded or melted cheeses
Sour cream Chives
Bacon bits Diced ham
Salsa Salt, pepper, or seasoning salts
BBQ sauce Chili
Fritos Broccoli
For the Sweet Potatoes:
Butter
Brown sugar
Cinnamon
Diced peaches or apricots
Whipped cream
More butter and brown sugar (but maybe that’s just me)

4. Favorite Flavors
Pittsburgh Steelers (AFC)
Arizona Cardinals (NFC)
Do a menu of the food flavors of the teams playing......anything cometo mind when you metion Pittsburg or how about Arizona???

What’s your favorite football food tradition? Do you have a lucky recipe? A fan favorite? Share your Super Bowl suggestions and you could receive a free copy of Empty Bottle Moments.

Spinach and Artichoke Dip

New Beginnings..................................................... Happy New Year!

The dawn of our new year brings new opportunities, a fresh start and, for most folks, resolutions.
Falling under the category of less is more, one simple resolution can be packed with a lot of punch. My personal "one" is focusing on moments. Each day, there is a new opportunity to make the most of every moment, and many of these moments can be used to create new beginnings with people and fresh starts on relationships.
Like resolutions, appetizers offer a "fresh start" to each meal, setting the stage for things to come. A light appetizer gets the gastric juices flowing and creates a sense of anticipation for the next course. This one simple course — the appetizer — has great power through its simplicity.
As you set (or reset) your new year’s resolution for 2009, consider the possibilities that await you through one simple commitment. Perhaps making and sharing more meals at home will offer you benefits in saving money during these difficult economic times. Or, perhaps you just need to take the time to stop and smell the basil (I prefer it to rosemary)
Wishing all a extraordinary moments in 2009

Spinach and Artichoke dip
2 cloves minced garlic small onion chopped
1/4 cup butter
3 T cup all-purpose flour

2 10oz boxes frozen spinach - thawed, squeezed dry through a collander

12 oz. jar artichoke hearts - drained, coarsely chopped
2 cups heavy cream
1/4 cup sour cream

1/4 cup chicken broth

2/3 cup fresh-grated Pecorino Romano cheese
1/2 cup shredded white cheddarLemon juiceLightly

Sautee garlic and onions in half the butter over medium heat for 3 minutes.
Add flour and rest of butter, mix well and continue to cook for 2 minutes.
Add Spinach, Artichokes, broth and creams.
Cook on medium heat (stirring well) for 5 minutes.
Add cheese and season with salt and pepper and lemon juice.
Heat 2 T olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add 2 cloves chopped garlic, cook until lightly toasted, about 1 minute. Stir in the ½ cup panko bread crumbs seson with sea salt, cook another minute. Spread the crumbs over the artichoke-spinach mixture.
Pour mixture in a well buttered ceramic or pyrex dish.

Sprinkle with crumbs and bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes (until crumbs turn golden brown)

Dinner for 8 under $100

Mini crabcakes

Butternut Squash soup

Winter Salad with walnuts and apples

Braised Short ribs with polenta

Chocolate Pecan Pie

RECIPES............

CRABCAKES
Makes 16 small cakes

Ingredients
1 Tbsp Butter
2 tsp Diced Onion
1 clove Garlic (chopped)
1 Tbsp Yellow Pepper (diced)
1 Tbsp Red Pepper (diced)
1/2 c Heavy Cream
1 tsp Dry Mustard
1 tsp Grain Mustard
2 tsp Chives (chopped)
½ Small Serrano Pepper (minced)
1 Egg Yolk
8 oz Crabmeat
Juice and zest of half a Lemon
1¼ c Panko Bread crumbs
Salt and Pepper

Saute onion and garlic (do not brown). Add peppers and cook for 2 minutes. Add cream, mustard and lemon juice and reduce by half season with salt pepper and chives.
Allow mixture to cool add to egg yolk.
Clean crabmeat and fold into cream mixture.
Add enough bread crumbs to bind mixture (approximately 1 cup) and mold into 2½ ounce cakes. Coat with remaining bread crumbs and saute in clarified butter on both sides until golden brown.

Butternut Squash
1 medium yellow onion, finely diced
1 large carrot, pared and finely diced
2 stalks celery, trimmed and finely diced
1 medium leek, white only, finely diced
3 Tbs. Olive Oil
2 Medium Butternut Squash, pared, cored, and cut
into 1 inch cubes
2 quarts lite Chicken Stock
1/2tsp. Ground Nutmeg
1/2tsp. Ground Red Pepper

Saute onion, carrot, celery and leek in olive oil over medium heat until onion and leek are translucent, 5-6 minutes. Do not let brown.
Add squash and chicken stock; heat to boiling. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered, skimming periodically, until squash is very soft, about 20 minutes.
Puree mixture in food processor, blender or by food mill. Heat soup to boil; season with nutmeg, ground red pepper and salt.
Serve soup hot, garnished with a small dollop of sour cream topped with sauteed pears.

Apple Salad with Dijon Vinaigrette
2 Crisp Apples, cored, sliced
2 c Mixed Greens

Vinaigrette
¼ c Sushi Vinegar
2 tbsp Dijon Mustard
1/2 cup Olive Oil

Honey(to taste) to smooth the dressing

2T Chopped green herbs (parsley, tarragon, basil)
Place sushi vinegar,basil and mustard in a blender and blend on high slowly adding the oil.
Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Mix wild greens, and vinaigrette in a large salad bowl.

Sprinkle with your choice of nuts, cheese and apple slices and or dried cranberries

Braised Short Ribs

1 bottle red wine

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

3-4 # short ribs trimmed

Salt 1 teaspoon black peppercorns,

Flour for dredging

10 cloves garlic, peeled

2 Sweet Onions chopped

2 medium carrots, peeled, trimmed, and cut into 1-inch lengths

2 stalks celery, peeled, trimmed, and cut into 1-inch lengths

6 sprigs Italian parsley 2 sprigs thyme 2 bay leaves 2 tablespoons tomato paste

2 quarts unsalted beef stock or chicken stock Freshly ground white pepper
Pour the wine into a large saucepan set over medium heat. When the wine is heated, carefully set it aflame. Let the flames die out, then increase the heat so that the wine boils; allow it to boil until it cooks down by 1/2. Remove from the heat.
Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Heat the oil in a Dutch oven or large casserole, large enough to hold ribs, over medium-high heat. Season the ribs all over with salt and the crushed pepper. Dust the ribs with about 2 tablespoons of matzoh meal and then when the oil is hot, slip the ribs into the pot and sear for 4 to 5 minutes on each side, until well browned.
Transfer the browned ribs to a plate. Remove all but 1 tablespoon of fat from the pot; lower the heat to medium, and toss in the vegetables and herbs. Brown the vegetables lightly, 5 to 7 minutes, then stir in the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute to blend.
Add the reduced wine, browned ribs, and stock to the pot. Bring to a boil; cover the pot tightly, and slide it into the oven to braise for about 2 1/2 hours, or until the ribs are tender enough to be easily pierced with a fork. Every 30 minutes or so, lift the lid and skim and discard whatever fat may have bubbled up to the surface.
Carefully transfer the meat to a heated serving platter with a lip and keep warm. Boil the pan liquid until it thickens and reduces to approximately 1 quart. Season with salt and pepper and pass through a fine-mesh strainer; discard the solids.
Pour the sauce over the meat.

Serve with polenta or rice

Chocolate Pecan Tart
Pastry shell:
1 cup King Arthur unbleached four
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons cake flour
½ teaspoon salt
2/3 cup butter or at room temperature or butter
1/3 cup milk
Sift flour before measuring. After measuring, sift flour and salt into mixing bowl. Cut in shortening with pastry blender until pieces of shortening are about the size of whole-kernel corn. Sprinkle in water, a small amount at a time, and stir with fork until pastry holds together in one mass. Use only as much water as necessary. If dough feels wet after it has formed, sprinkle with additional flour. Divide dough in half. Roll each half on lightly floured board . Roll from center outward, and lift rolling pin when reaching edge. If edge shows signs of separating, pinch it pinch it together as soon as possible.
Form into individual size tartlet forms and bake at 450-degrees for 10 minutes or until lightly browned.

Tart filling:
2 eggs
¾ cup dark brown sugar
1-cup dark corn syrup
½ teaspoon salt
¼ cup semi-sweet bakers chocolate
2 tablespoons butter
1-teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups pecan pieces

Heat oven to 350-degrees.
Mix the eggs and brown sugar together in a bowl. Add the corn syrup, salt, chocolate, butter, and vanilla extract and mix together. Stir in the pecan pieces. Pour the mixture into the baked shell (do not overfill the tart shell). Bake until the pecan filling rises and sets, 20 to 25 minutes.

Allow to rest for an hour before.....serving

Serve with wipped cream or ice cream.

* Houston prices and assumes you have some of the basics in your kitchen............

www.emptybottlemoments.com

Food Sounds .........

Many favorite holiday tunes reference food and entertaining in their melodies, from chestnuts roasting on an open fire, to turkey and some mistletoe helping make the season bright, to the most wonderful time of the year in which there’ll be parties for hosting and marshmallows for toasting.
The simplicity of marshmallows, chestnuts and turkey are sharp contrasts to the immense pressure many of us feel when we start planning and then preparing the holiday buffet gatherings. While you may want to branch out from the marshmallow bag, holiday entertaining can be festive yet simple. My idea is to allow food to enhance — not replace — the meaning of the season by following these simple tips:
• Develop your menu around a theme or tradition.
• Prepare the food in advance, to the extent possible.
• Keep the focus on people and relationships by including family members or co-hosts in shopping, chopping, preparing… and clean up!
• Focus on the quality of your selections, buy what is in season and incorporate the freshest ingredients. What is in season is less expensive than items that have been shipped from around the world.
Take the best do as little as possible to it.......and let the food speak for itself

• Control the quantity of food by putting out no more than 12 ounces of total food per person.
Traditions are like magnets, drawing people closer together, why not follow or create traditions that build yearly anticipation and life-long memories.

My personal tradition is to serve tamales and gumbo — nothing more and nothing else — every Christmas.


BABOOTIE

A south African Delicacy........ (its good)
Ingredients
Serves: 6
2# Ground Beef
2 Medium Sweet Onions
2T Butter
1 Cup Cream or Half and Half
3 Eggs
2 Slices cubed white bread
¼ Cup diced dried apricots
1 Grated Apple
¼ Cup Raisins
¼ Cup Almonds
2 T Apricot Jam
1 T Curry
2 T Lemon Juice
¼ t turmeric
6 Bay leaves
16 ounces Canned Tomatoes
Oven temp.: 350ºF


Saute Beef in half butter until done remove from pan leaving juices
Add Onions and saute with curry powder until tender. Mix with meat and apples
Mix half the cream 1 egg and bread…mash with a fork.
Add Apricots raisins,almonds,jam, lemon juice and season with salt and pepper.
Add the meat and tomatoes to the fruit mixture.
Grease a 8x12 inch oven proof dish and pour mixture in, Pressing bay leaves into the top.
Bake uncovered for 30 minutes.
Remove and add topping that has been mixed well of 2 Eggs half the cream and turmeric.
Cook for 10 minutes until topping has set.
Serve with Chutney and Rice