Chicken Quesadilla's

It's been a long time since I've made Chicken Quesadilla's, and I don't know why I haven't made them for so long, apart from the fact that green peppers don't go on sale here or something else came up when I was getting ready to make them or ...

But I remedied that the other day.   Green peppers were on sale and I picked a few up.   I wanted one for the Chicken Quesadilla's and I'm saving the others for making some stuffed peppers in a few days.  And I'm also going to chop one of them up and put in the freezer. 

Gee, you think I'm too obsessed with having stuff in the freezer, ready to pull out and make a meal of?  Nah, I just like being able to get dinner on the table, fast, when I need to. 

To start with, I pulled some cooked chicken breasts out of the freezer, I'd made some a few days ago,  let them thaw halfway while I was chopping the onions and green peppers.  

Side note here, I always have cooked chicken in my freezer.  I use it in so many dishes, from Chicken Pot Pie to Chicken Quesadilla's to Jambalaya, pretty much every recipe that calls for cooked chicken.   And since I don't buy rotisserie chickens very often, just having the cooked chicken in the freezer is a good thing.  Handy too. And if you do it Ina Garten's way, it is really good.   I'll share that technique soon. 

I then shredded some cheese.   I've really gotten hooked on Colby Jack cheese.  It combines the best of both worlds.  The luscious melt of a Monterey Jack cheese and the nuttiness and flavour of a Cheddar, well, Colby cheese.  

Sauteed the peppers and onions til they were just soft, then added the chicken and heated it through.  Decided that I wanted a little more heat, so I added a couple of jalapeno halves, I'd minced up.   I pulled them out of the freezer as well.    Again, there are some things I always have in the freezer, and Jalapeno's are one of my must haves.  

Now, here's the difficult part...

Just kidding. 









Place a nice skillet on the stove and heat it on medium low.   Place a tortilla into the pan,

add some of the cheese,

 and some of the chopped up chicken and veggies.

  Let heat through and then fold over.

  Add another tortilla to the pan, and fill with some of the cheese and the chicken and veggies.  

Let them heat until the cheese is melted, then turn over and let brown a little on both sides.

When they are browned and the cheese is oozing out and you can't wait any longer, take them out of the pan and chop into thirds.  Serve with a little salsa and some sour cream if you like. 

This is such a quick, easy, yummy dinner.  You can have dinner on the table in minutes, and then go and relax.   Which is a good thing.  

Spicy Edamame Dip

I made something healthy and good for you and best of all tasty! for NPA last week.

Shocking!!!!!!!

I've told you before about the group I meet with on Friday's, the ladies bring a little something to nosh on, sometimes it's a bag of chips and dip or nuts or...  whatever they want to bring.

I like to experiment on them.

Well, not really, but they're great for letting me try out new recipes and critiquing them for me.

I found this recipe in a Sam's Club newsletter, and it looked intriguing.  And good.  I also had all the ingredients on hand so I decided to try it.   And I'm going to be making it again, and again. 
The full recipe is at the end here.
 Cook the edamame for about 5 minutes, drain, reserving 3/4 cup of the water.  Set aside.

 And then shell the beans, and throw away the pods.  Just want to make that clear here.  If you have the shelled edamame handy, cook that.  I had these in the freezer, so that is what I used. 
Brown the garlic cloves in 1  teaspoon of olive oil, just til they start to brown and soften, you don't want them too cooked as they turn bitter, fast. 

Place the olive oil, cilantro,juice and seasonings into the processor and add some of the edamame's and process, if it gets too thick, add the reserved water until it reaches the consistency you want.   I used every bit of the reserved water, by the way.

  I don't have a large food processor yet, so I used my immersion blender. 

Little by little, it got done.

Serve with Pita Chips or in this case some Gluten Free crackers, either way it was good.

And you know I taste tested it...

I think this would also be great as a spread on a veggie sandwich, or even one with meat.    Next time I make it I will amp up the heat, just a tad, and add a little jalapeno.  

yield: 2 cupsAuthor: Sid's Sea Palm Cooking (adapted from a Sam's Club newsletter)print recipe

Spicy Edamame Dip

prep time: 10 MINScook time: total time: 10 mins

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 cups cooked Edamame
• 4 cloves garlic, sauteed til just cooked in 1 teaspoon Olive Oil
• 4 tablespoons Olive Oil + 1 teaspoon
• 1/2 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper (add more if you like)
• 1/2 teaspoon Cumin
• 2 tablespoons Cilantro, chopped
• 1/4 cup Lime Juice
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• 3/4 cup water reserved from cooking the Edamame

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Cook the edamame for about 5 minutes, drain, reserving 3/4 cup of the water. Set aside. If using the beans in the shell, then shell the beans, and throw away the pods. Just want to make that clear here. If you have the shelled edamame handy, cook that. I had these in the freezer, so that is what I used. Brown the garlic cloves in 1 teaspoon of olive oil, just til they start to brown and soften, you don't want them too cooked as they turn bitter, fast. Place the olive oil, cilantro,juice and seasonings into the Food processor and add the Edamame's and process, if it gets too thick, add the reserved water until it reaches the consistency you want. I used every bit of the reserved water, by the way. Serve with Pita Chips or some Gluten Free crackers. You can also amp up the flavor with some jalapeno if you like or just increase the Cayenne Pepper

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Marzipan Fruits

This is a little late, but nevertheless, I'm going to post about it.   So there.

I've shared some of my Christmas memories, making Hearts with my Dad, baking cookies with my mom and sister/s, decorating the tree, so many wonderful memories.   And another one of those was the making of the Marzipan fruits.

 I usually have some Marzipan or Almond paste on hand, just because it's hard to get sometimes, so when I see it in the stores, I grab it.  And I use it for baking throughout the year.

My preferred brand is Odense, I've tried other brands, but really don't care for them, the taste isn't as mellow as Odense to my tastebuds.   And I've not tried my hand at making Marzipan from scratch, yet.  

 One of these days...

I have no idea how much Marzipan we started with, but I'm sure it wasn't that much, I used a tube of already prepared Marzipan for this, which is 7 oz.

And when I look back on this I shudder a little, but Mom always made us wash our hands, well, before we embarked on making our fruit.

First off, divide the marzipan into quarters or fifths or...  however you want.   Then take the Marzipan up and knead it a little, you want it soft.

 Make a little disk with an indent to it.
Add one drop of food coloring to the indent, then fold over the marzipan to contain the food coloring.  You'll probably end up with some of the food coloring on your hand anyway.   And believe me when I say, just add one drop.  The color can get pretty intense.

Then set it aside, and continue with the other pieces, using different colors for each fruit you are going to fashion. 


 Yellow for Bananas

 One drop of red and one of yellow, makes Orange.

So there you have your colors, although I did make some purple as well, but, umm,  I didn't care for that color as well.

Form a small piece of the yellow into a banana shape and dip the end into some cocoa powder, and then use a toothpick dipped into the cocoa powder and trace a line down the banana.  

Take some of the orange marzipan and form an Orange, and then cut a little of the green and stick some leaves on top. 

Continue until you've used up all the marzipan.  As you can see here, I had 'apples' 'oranges' and 'bananas'.








If you have any scraps left over, you can layer them together and cut them into diamond shapes.

This is great fun for a family, if you have little ones, who want to 'help' you out.  No cooking, no cutting, just playing with a form of play dough really.  And it's edible.

Which is a good thing, if you have kids. 

Trust me on this, it's also a good thing when you're an adult as well.   You can eat your oops.  Don't tell anyone, OK?

Fransk Vafler **Updated** (French Waffles)

 Growing up one of my favourite cookies was Fransk Vafler (French Waffles), they were so rich and so good.  I liked them straight out of the oven, even before they were sandwiched together with a rich buttercream filling.    My mom used to make them for special occasions,  and we appreciated those times, a lot.

If you go into a Patisserie in Denmark, you can find French Waffles for sale, they are generally the size of your palm and are extremely filling, but, oh so very good.  I did indulge in a few when I lived in Denmark.  But I think my mom made better ones.  

Fast forward a few years, and I'm not saying how many, and I now make these cookies once a year, at Christmas and bring them as my offering to New Years parties.  They're just different enough, and people love them.   And they've started to look forward to those cookies, so I guess I'm stuck with making them.  Which is not a problem, at all.


Basic recipe

1 lb. Butter
1 lb. Flour                                        (approximately 4 cups less 2 tablespoons)
12 Soupspoons Half and Half      ( 7 Tablespoons, I just measured it out)

Rub the butter into the flour until it resembles peas,

 then add the Half and Half or light cream, mix together.  Press it lightly together on the counter.   In many respects this resembles a good pie dough, but is a lot more tender.    This will feel like a really soft sticky dough, but it should.

  I divide the dough into thirds or quarters and flatten them out into a disc shape or a log, then wrap that in a piece of plastic wrap and put in the fridge for about 4 hours or longer.    I take out just a little of the dough at a time, about 20 minutes before I'm ready to roll it out.  I don't want it really stiff, but do want it a little malleable.


While the dough is resting, prepare the sugar topping.

 This is with a new twist, but it's a good one.

Last year when I made the cookies, I could not find regular granulated sugar and ended up using the extra fine granulated sugar for the tops.   And while they were good, they just weren't right.   At least in my book.  You see, I used to be able to find a coarse sugar that was in the baking aisle for use in baking. Well, for topping baked goods.  We call it Pearl Sukker, in Danish.     I searched every single grocery store I was in this past year to see if any of them carried it.  Not one.  I could find colored sugar crystals, but not white.   

Then one day I was stirring some raw sugar aka Turbinado sugar into my cup of tea and had a brainstorm.  The crystals of the turbinado sugar were large and irregular in shape.   Just the ticket I thought, so I made a note to try that the next time I made Fransk Vafler. 

And I did.  

First I rolled the dough out nice and thin.  I use a liqueur glass to make the rounds with.  I like a smaller cookie, so that's what I do.  But if you have a small round cookie cutter, use that by all means.

I sprinkled the raw sugar on my cutting board with the runnel cut into it, I found out it contains the mess, just a little better.

And because I'm a one man band in the kitchen, I use this little trick.  Cut out the cookie rounds, place them on the sugared board and then use the rolling pin to gently, and I do mean gently, press the sugar onto the cookie.

I then baked them off and found out that the slight, very slight, molasses taste that the raw sugar has, actually accentuated the flavour of the cookies.

Don't they look pretty?
Now for the next step, I used the piping bag to place a small amount of Ermine frosting (AKA Best Ever Frosting) on each cookie, then sandwiched them together.  You do have to be careful at this point, those cookies are delicate and if you crush any, you have to eat them.  Don't ask me how I know this, I just do.

I could not stop myself from taking pictures at this point.

Good thing I did take a lot of pictures, cause there were no cookies left to take home.  But we got our share before I took them with us.

I do know how to plan ahead, sometimes.  

yield: 60-80 filled cookiesAuthor: Sid's Sea Palm Cooking (adapted from my mother's recipe)print recipe

Fransk Vafler (French Waffles)

prep time: 2 hourcook time: 12 MINStotal time: 2 hours and 12 mins

These are my most requested cookie to make and bring anywhere. They're light, crumbly and totally delicious.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 lb. Butter
• 1 lb. AP Flour (approximately 4 cups less 2 tablespoons
• 12 Soupspoons Half and Half (7 tablespoons)

Topping

• 1-2 cups Raw Turbinado Sugar

Filling

• 1 cup milk
• 5 tablespoons Flour
• 1 cup butter
• 1 cup granualated sugar
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Rub the butter into the flour until it resembles small peas. Then add the half and half and mix together gently. Press it lightly together on the counter. In many respects this resembles a good pie dough, but is a lot more tender. This will feel like a really soft sticky dough, but it should. 
2. Divide the dough into thirds or quarters and flatten them out into a disc shape or a log, then wrap that in a piece of plastic wrap and put in the fridge for about 4 hours or longer. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Take out just a little of the dough at a time, about 20 minutes before you're ready to roll it out. You don't want it really stiff, but do want it a little malleable. While the dough is resting, prepare the sugar topping. 
3. Using Raw Turbinado Sugar, sprinkle it in an even layer on a cutting board which has a runnel cut into it. (I find that this contains errant grains of sugar best) Roll the dough out very thin, almost 1/4 inch thick. Cut into rounds using a small cookie cutter (I use a small liqueur glass as I find it's the perfect size) Place the cut out rounds on top of the sugar, and using a rolling pin, press lightly down on the cut out rounds, pressing the sugar into the cookie. Place the sugar side up on a parchment covered cookie sheet. Bake at 400 degrees for about 12 minutes, checking after 10 minutes. Remove from oven when they are golden and just turning brown. Take them off the pan and place onto a wire rack to cool. Once all the cookies are baked and cooled, you can fill them with either a buttercream filling or my favorite, an old fashioned frosting. Which you need to prepare a couple of hours earlier.
4.  Filling: Whisk the flour into the milk and cook over medium heat, whisking or stirring constantly until the mixture reaches a boil and simmers for a couple of minutes. It will be really thick. Remove from heat and let it cool for an hour or so. You can also place the pot in an ice bath, stirring it while it cools off. When the milk mixture has cooled, force it through a sieve to remove any lumps(I usually end with a few) Cream the sugar and butter together for a couple of minutes using a hand mixer or a stand mixer, and then add the cooked and cooled milk mixture, one third at a time. Whisk it together and whisk for at least 10 minutes or more, until the sugar has totally combined with the butter and milk mixture. This will become light and fluffy. Add the vanilla extract and continue to whisk for another minute. Use this mixture as a filling for the Fransk Vafler (French Waffles) 
5. Place the filling into a frosting bag and use to pipe the filling into the cookies. The filling goes on the bottom of the cookie, and you then sandwich them together with the sugared side out. These are very delicate, and may take a little practice to do. But you can always eat the evidence.  After you fill the cookies place them back in the fridge for an hour or so, and let them firm up again.

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Ghee

Happy New Year, a little late, but I've been busy.

Sorta.

OK, so I've just been recovering from Christmas.  geez.  

And I've also been going through one of my stages where I just can't burn water without boiling it, again.

I've burnt, overseasoned, underseasoned,  undercooked, overcooked and generally just needed a break from cooking.

I actually started this Ghee last year.  Of course that was just a couple of days ago so...

I'm preparing for an special day, which we will do soon, as soon as we can all get on the same page. 
Last year, a bunch of us were talking about how we love Indian Food, and what started this conversation was a friend coming to an event wearing a Sari, and in the course of the conversation, it was decided that we were going to get together with other friends, the ladies would wear their Sari's (I have one in my closet) and we would prepare our favourite Indian recipes.

So I decided to go ahead and make some Ghee, in preparation for making my Curried Chicken and Rice recipe. 

I then realized I've never shared my 'Ghee' recipe here.

Maybe I should clarify that, I've never shared how I make Ghee.  And while this isn't a totally traditional way, it works, and works well for me.

Ghee is a clarified butter, widely used in Indian Cooking, and is readily available there.   When you clarify butter and make Ghee, you are basically taking out any milk solids, which means the butter lasts longer, and it is shelf stable.   And when you remove the solids, the butter doesn't burn as easily either.

I like to keep some Ghee on hand in the freezer for certain recipes, not just the Indian ones, but for those recipes which call for frying something in butter, or browning something in butter, but you don't want that slightly burnt taste of browned butter overwhelming the flavour of say,  a fillet of sole?

I used some unsalted butter for this, just cause I had some on hand, for no other reason.  Well, ideally you should use unsalted butter anyway.   But I have made it with salted butter as well.  So...

Take your butter and put into a saucepan, and melt over low heat.  And let it cook for about 10-15 minutes.  It may foam, at which point just skim off the foam and discard, or do as I do.  Put it on a piece of bread.  No sense in wasting it. 

Let the butter cool for just a little bit, then pour it into a Ziploc bag, and hang it from a cupboard, like this, and after it has hung for about an hour or so...

Just snip off the end, let the solids out, and Voila!!!!  you have Ghee. 

 Or you can put the bag in the fridge after it has 'set' and then cut open the bag, remove the solids and use the clarified butter.   I use the solids in mashed potatoes, just adds a touch more buttery flavour.  I know you can throw it away, but why?
Ghee
Of course this is my version, but it works and works well.   I do freeze the Ghee in chunks, each is about two tablespoons or so.

And then when I need some clarified butter or Ghee, I just grab some out, melt it down and use it. 

I also use Ghee when I'm making Æbleskiver.  It works so well in those little indentations in the pan.