Showing posts with label recipes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label recipes. Show all posts

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

Food, Fashion & Movies

Ok so what goes together better than getting dressed & going out for dinner & a movie? How about SoHo Meets SoLo fashion with dinner & a movie! Well, we asked, you want it, so here's your first dose of what we used to do - for those of you who weren't around back then, get ready! For those of you who were, you know what to expect! So either way, enjoy the fun!

Alrighty, so first up, we have fashion from Gap Spring 2009. There was a runway show back in September 2008 & here are a few photos of what the models were wearing.


The first, I think, is pretty cute. I'm really into big purses so this ensemble caught my eye. I'm definitely a T-shirt kinda' girl, so this exudes with comfort for me! The second one is pretty neat for a guy. If my guy wore Gap, this would be something I'd buy! Casual & comfy but could still be worn out to dinner! Now the 3rd pic is just NICE =D Moving right along! The last one is just plain wrong on so many levels, not to mention the girl looks like a mannequin! Is that a mannequin? Now you see why I'm puzzled :|

Ok so you're all dressed & ready to go out for some fun, so off to the movies! You get to the theatre but decide "Monsters VS. Aliens" (I love Kiefer but I'll wait for the DVD) isn't exactly what you want to watch so you & your GAP fashion BF hike over to the video store for a night in - you can get dressed up to sit on the couch, what!



My new favorite movie is "Seven Pounds" with Will Smith & Rosario Dawson! OMG talk about the perfect date movie... although I watched it while someone sat next to me & SNORED!!! Anyhoot, Academy Award® nominee Will Smith (2006, Best Actor, The Pursuit of Happyness) stars as Ben Thomas, a man at a crossroads. He embarks on a journey to help change the circumstances of seven strangers who deserve a second chance in life. But when he opens his heart to a beautiful woman who needs his help, he risks everything he's planned for one last chance at love. From the director of The Pursuit of Happyness comes this "life changing motion picture you will not easily forget" - Pete Hammond, HOLLYWOOD.COM.


This was an absolutely amazing movie. I'm not a cry baby or anything (well, yes I am) but I cried a good bit during this movie. It's a very sweet movie. This man decides he's going to do all he can to help others then makes the ultimate sacrifice out of love. It's just a great movie, really. So if you haven't seen it, get it & watch it! If you have seen it, get it & watch it again! Here's a little clip to get your interested =)



Alright, the movie's all done & you're both starved. "Supper" time - shut up; I'm from the country!

If you guys don't already know, I love food! I love to eat & I enjoy cooking things that I really, really like. Two of my favorite foods are pan seared chicken & shrimp scampi, so anytime I can eat them together, I'm all for it! So with that, I bring one of my favorite dishes with two of my favorite foods! I usually it this with a baked potato, new potatoes or a salad, but you can also try it with pasta or rice.



Ingredients:

* 2 to 3 boneless chicken breast halves or tenders, about 1 pound
* 1 pound large shrimp
* 6 tablespoons butter
* 1/4 cup olive oil
* 4 medium cloves garlic, smashed and minced
* 1/4 cup of chopped green onions
* 1 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley, or 1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 teaspoon Creole seasoning or seasoned salt blend

Preparation:
Lightly pound chicken between sheets of plastic wrap to an even thickness. Cut in strips about 1-inch wide.

In a large skillet, melt the butter with olive oil. Add garlic, green onions, parsley, salt, and seasoning. Heat over medium low heat and add the chicken and shrimp. Cook the shrimp and chicken mixture, stirring, for about 10 to 15 minutes, until cooked through. If shrimp are small, add them in a few minutes after adding chicken. Serve with potatoes, pasta, rice or salad. Sprinkle with fresh chopped parsley, if desired.
Serves 4 to 6.

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Inaugural Luncheon Menu & Recipes

Sounds like I should've supped with the Obamas today; I had the buffet at a local pizzeria LOL! Here's what was on the menu, along with the recipes if you wanna try to cook it yourself =):

♥Seafood stew
♥Duck Breast with Cherry Chutney
♥Herb Roasted Pheasant with Wild Rice Stuffing
♥Molasses Whipped Sweet Potatoes
♥Cinnamon Apple Sponge Cake



Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies
Visit http://inaugural.senate.gov Recipes
Recipes from the 2009 Inaugural Luncheon


First Course
Seafood Stew
Yield: 10 servings

Ingredients
♥ 6 (1 Lb) Maine lobsters
♥ 20 medium size Sea scallops
♥ 36 Large shrimp, peel, cleaned and tail removed, aprox. 2 lbs.
♥ 10 (1 oz) pieces of black cod
♥ ½ cup small dice carrots
♥ ½ cup small dice celery
♥ ½ cup small dice leek
♥ ½ cup small dice Idaho potato
♥ 1 teaspoon kosher salt
♥ 1 teaspoon ground white pepper or black pepper
♥ ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
♥ 1 quart heavy cream
♥ 1 cup dry vermouth (can be made without)
♥ 10 (5 inch) puff pastry rounds

Equipment
♥ 10 (3 ½ inch) terrines/ramekins or serving dish of your choice

Directions
1. Bring 1 gallon of water to a boil; poach lobsters, then shrimp, then black cod and last scallops. After
seafood is cooked, remove from water; reserve water and bring to boil.
2. Cook all vegetables in liquid that was used for the seafood, remove vegetables when tender. Allow the liquid to continue to boil until only 1qt of liquid remains. This will be the base for the sauce.
3. Bring seafood liquid back to a boil and add the vermouth and heavy cream and reduce by half,
season with salt, white pepper and nutmeg to taste. You have reached your desired thickness when the sauce will cover the back of a wooden spoon. Set aside to cool.
4. Cut Maine lobster, shrimp and scallops into bite size pieces.
5. Pre-heat oven at 400 degrees.
6. Fold seafood and vegetables into cool sauce, being careful not to mix too much as this will break up the seafood. Scoop mixture into terrines or oven proof baking dish of your choice.
7. Cover terrines with puff pastry rounds, brush them with egg wash and bake them until golden
brown about 8-10 minutes, allow to cool for 5 minutes before serving. You can cook this 2-3 hours ahead of time and keep warm at 150 F degrees.
*All seafood can be substituted with other favorite options of your choice and availability.

Second Course
Duck Breast with Cherry Chutney
Yield: 10 servings

Ingredients
♥ 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
♥ ½ cup chopped onion (1 small)
♥ 3 garlic cloves, crushed
♥ 1 tablespoon finely chopped shallot
♥ ½ teaspoon black pepper
♥ ½ teaspoon ground cumin
♥ Scant ¼ teaspoon dried hot red pepper flakes
♥ ¾ teaspoon salt
♥ ½ cup coarsely chopped red bell pepper (½ medium)
♥ 1 plum tomato, coarsely chopped
♥ ¼ cup dry red wine
♥ 1 ½ to 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
♥ 2 tablespoons sugar
♥ ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
♥ 1 can (3 cups) Bing cherries, quartered *Oregon brand
♥ ½ cup Golden Raisins
♥ 10 (6 oz.) boneless duck breasts with skin
♥ 2 tablespoons water
♥ 1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon or chives

Method for chutney and glaze
1. Heat oil in a 2 to 3 quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat until hot but not smoking, then cook onion, garlic, and shallot, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 7 minutes. Add tomato paste, black pepper, cumin, hot pepper flakes, and 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring, 30 seconds. Reduce heat to medium and add bell pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in wine, vinegar (to taste), and sugar and simmer approx 5 minutes. Stir in mustard, 1 1/2 cups cherries, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and simmer 1 minute. Allow to cool slightly and reserve all but ¼ cup of the mix to the side. Place 1/4 cup mix in a blender and puree until very smooth, about 1 minute (use caution when blending hot liquids). Reserve for glazing duck. To finish the chutney, add the remaining 1 ½ cups of cherries, tarragon, chives and all the golden raisins. Can be prepared one day ahead.
2. Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 450°F. Score duck skin in a crosshatch pattern with a small sharp knife and season duck all over with salt and pepper.
3. Heat water in an ovenproof 12-inch heavy skillet over low heat until hot, then add duck, skin side down. Cook duck, uncovered, over low heat, without turning, until most of fat is rendered(melted) and skin is golden brown, about 25 minutes.
4. Transfer duck to a plate and discard all but 1 tablespoon fat from skillet. Brush duck all over with cherry glaze and return to skillet, skin side up.
5. Roast duck in oven until thermometer registers 135°F, about 8 minutes for medium-rare. Remove from oven and allow to rest for 5 minutes.
6. Holding a sharp knife at a 45-degree angle, cut duck into slices. Serve with cherry chutney and molasses whipped sweet potato.

Herb Roasted Pheasant with Wild Rice Stuffing
Yield: 10 portions

Ingredients
♥ 10 Pheasant breast, boneless, remove tenders and reserve for stuffing, cut small pocket in side of breast for stuffing
♥ ½ cup Olive oil with chopped rosemary, thyme and sage
♥ 1 lb. Wild rice, long grain
♥ 2 quarts Chicken stock or canned chicken broth
♥ 2 Carrots, diced
♥ ½ Onion, diced
♥ ½ cup Dried apricot, small diced
♥ 1 Tablespoon Salt and pepper mix
♥ 2 Tablespoons Garlic, roasted

Directions
1. Boil the rice with the chicken stock, cook until soft and most of the liquid is gone.
2. Add the onion, carrot, garlic and apricot. Cook until the vegetables are soft and all liquid has been absorbed. Refrigerate rice mixture until cold.
3. In a food processor, puree pheasant tenders to a paste consistency to use as a binder for rice mix.
4. When rice is cool, add the pheasant puree to the rice until well mixed. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper and return to refrigerator until ready to stuff.
5. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
6. Make 10 small football shaped patties of the rice mix, stuff inside the pheasant, being careful not to overstuff the pheasant. Rub herb/oil mixture on top and bottom of the pheasant, season with salt and pepper. Place the pheasant on a heavy gauge roasting pan and then in a preheated oven for approximately 8-10 minutes. Remove from oven and cover with lid or foil and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Serve over sauté of spinach.
*Pheasant can be substituted with chicken.

Molasses Whipped Sweet Potatoes
Yield: 2 quarts

Ingredients
♥ 3 large sweet potatoes, about 3 pounds
♥ 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
♥ 1 teaspoon kosher salt
♥ ¼ cup orange juice
♥ ½ tablespoon of brown sugar
♥ 1 tablespoon of molasses
♥ 1 teaspoon of ground cumin
♥ 2 tablespoons maple syrup

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Place sweet potatoes on a baking sheet and roast until easily pierced with a fork, about 1 hour.
3. Peel the skin off of the sweet potatoes while still hot.By hand or mixer, smash potatoes until all large chunks are gone. Combine the potatoes, butter, salt, orange juice, brown sugar, ground cumin, molasses and maple syrup in a large bowl. Continue to mix all together until all lumps are gone. Adjust any of the seasonings to your specific tastes. Can be made the day before.

Winter Vegetables
Yield: 10 servings

Ingredients
♥ 2 bunches Asparagus, green, bottom 1/3 of stem removed
♥ 2 lbs. Carrots, peeled, cut oblong or large dice
♥ 1 lb. Baby Brussel Sprouts, fresh,cleaned or frozen can be used
♥ 1 lb. Wax Beans, ends snipped
♥ 2 oz Butter
♥ 1 each Zest from orange
♥ 4 oz. Olive oil
♥ Salt and Pepper to taste.

Directions
Asparagus: preheat grill or large heavy bottom sauté pan. Rub 2 oz of olive oil on asparagus and season with pinch of salt and pepper. Lay flat on grill or sauté pan until lightly browned. Using long fork or tongs, rotate the asparagus to brown other sides. Usually 2 or 3 minutes per side. The asparagus is done when you can use a fork to cut through. Do not overcook, this will cause asparagus to become stringy. Keep warm until ready to serve.

Carrots: bring 3 qt salted water to a boil, add carrots to water and cook until fork tender, meaning a fork will easily pass through the carrot. Drain the water from the pot and toss 1 oz butter and zest of orange and mix until carrots are coated. Season with pinch of salt and enjoy. Keep warm until ready to serve.

Brussel Sprouts: For Fresh: Bring 3 qt salted water to a boil, cut into the stem of the sprout with a pairing knife to create an X on the bottom, this will allow the stem to cook more evenly. Place sprout in boiling water and allow to cook until bottom of sprout is tender and easily cut with a knife. Preheat a heavy bottom sauté while the sprouts are cooking. Remove sprouts from water and allow all water to drain completely. Add 2 oz oil to sauté pan and add the sprouts, season with salt and pepper while tossing the sprouts around to evenly brown in the pan. If sprouts are too big, you can cut them in half, keep warm until ready to serve.

For Frozen: Bring 3 qt salted water to a boil and drop frozen brussel sprouts into water, these are precooked so you are only thawing them out. Remove from water and sauté as above.

Yellow Wax beans: bring 3 qt salted water to boil, add snipped wax beans to water and allow to cook until fork tender or to your liking of doneness. Remove from water and toss with 1 oz butter and season with salt and pepper.

Third Course
Cinnamon Apple Sponge Cake
Yield: 10 servings

Ingredients
Apple Filling
♥ 4 lbs Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced
♥ 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
♥ ¼ cup water
♥ 1/₃ cup granulated sugar
♥ 1/₃ cup apple sauce
♥ ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
♥ ¼ teaspoon salt
♥ Grated zest from 1 lemon
♥ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Bread Crust
♥ 14 tablespoons unsalted butter, melt 10 of tablespoons
♥ 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
♥ 34 slices brioche bread (or white bread)

Equipment
♥ 10 Ceramic baking ramekins or metal molds (3” diameter)

Sauce
♥ 2 cups caramel sauce(store bought)
♥ 2 cups granny smith apples, peeled, cored, diced small
♥ Pinch sugar
♥ Pinch cinnamon
♥ 1 tablespoon butter

Ice Cream
♥ 1 quart vanilla ice cream

Preparation
Filling
1. Melt butter in 6-quart saucepan over medium-low heat. Add apples and caramelize, add water, cook, stirring occasionally for 15 to 20 minutes, or until apples are completely soft. Remove cover and add sugar, nutmeg and salt. Increase heat to medium-high and continue to cook, stirring apples frequently, until liquid has completely evaporated, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in lemon zest, apple sauce and vanilla. Set aside to cool while making crust. The filling can be made one day ahead

Making crust and assembly
1. Position oven rack in lower third of oven and preheat to 425°F. Grease 8 ceramic dishes with 1 tablespoon butter. Sprinkle sugar in dish and tilt to coat bottom and sides. Tap out excess sugar and set aside.
2. Using a bread knife, remove crusts from bread. Center the bottom of mold over one of the bread squares. Cut around mold to form circle to use as the top. Make a total of 20 of these round pieces. Ten will be for the bottom and 10 will be used for the top. Dip each one in melted butter and place at the bottom of mold.
3. Cut each of the 15 remaining slices of bread into four rectangular pieces. Dip one side of each strip in the melted butter and arrange strips, upright, around the inside of molds, buttered-sides against mold and overlapping by about 1/2” to completely line mold. Use 6 rectangles to line the mold.
4. Spoon the apple filling into bread-lined molds, mounding it slightly in center.
5. Take the remaining ten rounds of bread and dip pieces of bread into the melted butter and place on top of filling, buttered-sides up. Press down lightly.
6. Bake for 30 minutes, then cover top loosely with aluminum foil. Bake for an additional 15-20 minutes, until top is deep golden brown and side slices are golden brown (slide a thin-bladed knife between bread and pan to check). Remove from oven, uncover, and let rest for 15 minutes on wire rack. Run thin-bladed knife around edges of molds to be able to flip the mold out onto serving plates.
7. For the apple cinnamon caramel sauce, sauté 1 cup of peeled and diced Granny Smith apples in butter, add a pinch of sugar and cinnamon. Allow to cook until apples are lightly browned and all sugars have dissolved. Remove from heat and add 2 cups caramel sauce to the apples and stir to coat apples.

To Assemble
Pour caramel apple sauce over warmed apple cakes and serve with your favorite vanilla ice cream.

Sunday, September 14, 2008

Mmm... did you make that? 9/14

Pomegranate Salsa

Pomegranates can help you drop pounds by revving your calorie burn and curbing cravings. This recipe serves 4, so invite some friends over to watch Prison Break tomorrow night while enjoying a great dish!




Ingredients
  • 1 tsp grated lime zest
  • 2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
  • 1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
  • 1/4 cup goji berries (available at health-food stores)
  • 1 small jalapeño, seeded and finely chopped
  • 1 avocado, cubed
  • 1 cup diced cantaloupe
  • 1 cup pomegranate seeds
  • 2 tbsp lime juice
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2 or 3 sprigs of parsley (for garnish)
  • whole-grain tortilla chips


Instrutions


1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl (except chips of course).
2. Cover and refrigerate until goji berries are plump - about 1 hour.
3. Remove from frig & garnish with parsley.
4. Serve with chips.


Nutrition info: 189 calories per serving, 7.9 g fat (1 g saturated), 29.4 g carbs, 6.7 g fiber, 3.3 g protein



Recipe credit: Self.com (with my twist); Photo credit: www.smh.com.au

Sunday, August 17, 2008

MMM... did you make that? 8/17

Best Darn Blueberry Muffins in the History of the WORLD!!!

I was saving this recipe to share with a very special person but these muffins are so darn good that I had to share them on our blog! Hopefully, these muffins make you as happy as they make me! These are the best Blueberry Muffins in the history of all the blueberry muffins ever made in the world!!!!!!!!!!



INGREDIENTS

  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup white sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/3 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 egg
  • 1/3 cup milk
  • 1 cup fresh blueberries
  • 1/2 cup white sugar
  • 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup butter, cubed
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
FOR DIRECTIONS, CLICK HERE

Sunday, July 20, 2008

MMM... did you make that? 7/20

Got a sweet tooth?? This week on "Mmm... did you make that?", we bring to you CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES!!!!!!! This classic treat is a favorite of people everywhere!! This week we're keeping it classic by not adding all the extra stuff like M&Ms or peanut butter chips and so forth. Of course you're free to add some extra stuff if you like! Make sure you have a gallon of ice cold milk (or in SoHo's case, soy milk) in your refrigerator because these cookies are looking to marry!!! Here's the recipe for this week! ENJOY!!!!
  • 8 ounces (unsalted) butter, soften by letting it sit at room temperature
  • 1 cup brown sugar packed
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 2 all purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/2 cups bittersweet chocolate chips

  1. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper

  2. In a mixer bowl fitted with a paddle attachment, cream butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy (at least 3-4) minutes

  3. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each

  4. Add vanilla and stir

  5. Toss dry ingredients together in a bowl and add to buttter/egg mixture, stirring only until incorporated

  6. Add chocolate chunks (and nuts or you're little extras if you are gonna use them)

  7. Chill dough if too warm to handle

  8. To bake, form dough into rough balls the size of large walnuts and place on the parchment-lined pan at lease 2 inches apart.

  9. Bake in a 325 degree oven (no fan) for 8-10 minutes

  10. Baked cookies should be lightly browned and still a little soft in the center

  11. Remove from the oven

  12. Remove cookies carefully with a metal spatula and place on a cooling rack. The carry over heat will finish cooking the cookies.

SoHo has not taken pictures of her chocolate cookies so she went in search of a nice picture. As she continued her search, she came across this picture of milk and cookies with a cookie dunker - very interesting...

Photo credit: donsolo at Flickr.com, Recipe credit: SoHo

Monday, July 7, 2008

MMMM...Did You Make That?

"Did You Make That?" is SoHo meets SoLo's Recipe section!! YUM YUM!!! SoLo and SoHo's passion for cooking has driven them to create some delicious recipes of their own. Every week, a new recipe will be posted to give our readers a chance to experiece food how SoLo and SoHo see it. We will include some of our own recipes and recipes from you favorite foodnetwork chefs. This is also a great opportunity for you to show off your dish too!!! Just post your recipe and you might be surprised to learn your entry has been chosen as our weekly top pick!!!!! YOU COULD BE OUR FOOD STAR OF THE WEEK!!!

This week's recipe is...GRILLED PIZZA!!!!!!!!! That's right I said GRILLED pizza!!!
This dish is very versatile and makes for a great movie night snack!!! no need to go by the recipe because with this dish, all you need is your own tastes buds to give you the yay or nay. So if you want more pesto sauce, by all means add more pesto sauce. Less? Add less! You can really change this recipe as much as you want so have fun with it and enjoy!!!!

What you'll need.

  • 1 bag of store bought pizza (SoHO makes her own dough but is making it easier for you so store bought pizza dough works just fine) or if you have your own recipe, that works too. LOL
  • As much mozzarella cheese as you like. shredded Gruyere cheese works well with the pizza if sprinkled on top. (when it comes to cheese, SoHo never goes by the recipe she LOVES cheese)
  • 1/2 cup store bought pesto sauce. (SoHo recommends making your own pesto sauce but store bought is an easy alternative for our readers)
  • 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes (optional)
  • 1 oz prosciutto or vegetarian turkey slices (optional) (SoHo is vegetarian so she just omits the prosciutto)
Directions

  1. heat grill to medium heat and oil grill rack. If non stove top grill, light and burn charcoal or wood chips until most of the charcoal/wood chips have whitened and some of the charcoal, or wood chips are red because of the heat.
  2. On a clean and lightly floured surface, roll out dough to 1/4 inch thick into an ovular shape and dust off excess flour. (you can make an oval shape or round shape or whatever shape you want. Just make sure you are able to handle it well so that you can place it on the grill and flip it over easily.
  3. Generously oil grill rack and gently lay dough on grill. with one end of the dough at 10 o clock and the other end at 4 o clock angle.
  4. Grill until you have nice grill marks on there. (about 5-7 minutes) turn your dough over and cook for 2-3 minutes. (this side does not need grill marks because it will be the bottom of the pizza.
  5. Remove the pizza from the grill and flip it over to where the grill marks show the most. on this side, you want to evenly spread the pesto sauce, cheeses, prosciutto (if your not using prosciutto, you can use a vegetarian ham or vegetarian turkey slices or just not use that at all)
  6. Place pizza back on the grill and let the toppings warm up and the cheese melt. (you can cover the pizza with a heat proof bowl or a large non stick skillet. this way, the cheese melts faster without drying out the dough. after about 1-2 minutes, remove the pizza from the grill and let place on a cooling rack to cool slightly. cut and serve with sliced cherry tomatoes on top. ENJOY!!!!!!!!

Photo credit SoHo (one of her fantabulous dishes)