The Supper Club

A Lifestyle Change

I've had to make a lifestyle change in the way my family and I eat. Now don't get me wrong, I will still have days when I cook something yummy and maybe not so great for me. But, for the most  part I (we) need to start eating better. This week I found something that I will start cooking with more often, Agave Nectar. Of course, I found it at HEB but I have even seen it at Wal-Mart (in Crosby no less) so, there is no excuse. :) It tastes like honey but is lower in calories and a little sweeter so you use less. I put it in yogurt with berries and granola, and I also used it to grill salmon. Can I just say that I usually don't like salmon....well, I do like it in sushi but NOT COOKED! So, I decided that I was going to like this fish if it kills me. I bought two fillets (have the person at the fish counter cut them for you) at of course where else..HEB. Once I got them home I brushed it with the agave nectar and some salt and pepper. Grilled them for approximately 3 minutes a side or to your liking. I served it along side roasted zucchini and broccoli. I think I have a new affection for Salmon! So good and so very good for you!

Garlic Shrimp

A couple of weeks ago I had a Tapas cooking class for a group of lovely ladies. I was nervous and they totally kept me at ease.  I had the best time and I hope they did too.

Spanish Tapas are the best thing to serve for large groups. Not only are they yummy but a little goes a long way. Take the garlic shrimp, 1 1/2 lbs fed 8 women with a little left over and that was devoured not long after they left!!

Next time you are having a party or get together consider doing some tapas and sangia. I will post that recipe soon...I promise!

Shrimp with Toasted Garlic

Ingredients

• 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 10 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1 1/2 pounds peeled and deveined shrimp, tail off, split down middle
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 lemon
• 1/4 bunch flat-leaf parsley, leaves chopped

Directions

Heat a terra cotta pot or a similar oval pan. Add olive oil and toss in sliced garlic. Bring to a bare simmer and keep on the lowest heat possible so the garlic toasts to a golden brown- about 15 minutes. Season shrimp with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Add to the pot and remove from heat. Allow to cook until pink and tender. Finish by squeezing juice of whole lemon over shrimp and sprinkling with chopped parsley. Use a slotted spoon to fish out shrimp and serve on a platter topped with toasted golden garlic shavings and parsley. 

Serve with toasted bread and watch disappear.

Chile, Cheese and Chorizo Melt

I think my husband loves me a little bit more after eating this. If you don't know my husband, he LOVES Mexican food, I mean loves it! If he ever decides to leave me it might just be for a woman that makes homemade tortillas everyday. He would be so happy...he might also die of a heart attack at 50 but he would have a smile on his face!!

So, let's get down to it, shall we? This was so yummy. I had to ride a couple of extra miles on my bike but so worth it. As Paula Deen say's "I'm your cook not your doctor".  So, please no one tell me how bad this is.  I already know!!!

Chile, Cheese & Chorizo Melt

2 Poblano chiles

1 T Olive oil

1 cup Mexican Chorizo, casing removed

4 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Preheat the oven to 350 F

Roast and prepare the poblanos.  Over an open flame or a gas stove or in a dry cast iron skillet over high heat, roast the chiles until they are charred on all sides.

Remove chiles from the heat and seal in a plastic bag for 5 minutes.  This will create steam and allow the skins to separate from the flesh.  Peel away the skins and cut off the steam end and remove seeds from the interior.  Slice lengthwise into 1/2 inch strips.

Heat oil in saute pan over medium high heat. When oil is hot, add the chorizo.  Break up the meat and saute until the meat is brown and develops a crust.

Combine poblano strips and sauteed chorizo in a 1 1/2 quart ovenproof dish. Toss well.  Add the cheese and toss again.

Cover the dish with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove foil and broil for 3 minutes or until cheese begins to bubble.

Serve immediately with tortillas or chips.

Beef with Coconut Sauce

We LOVE Asian food at our house.  It doesn't matter if it's Chinese, Japanese, or Thai...we love it all.  When I found this recipe for Beef with Coconut sauce, I had to try it. Definitely different than anything we've had before but very, very good.  I served it with sesame broccoli (recipe coming tomorrow) and steamed white rice w/ peanuts and green onions. Easy peasy!!

One 2-pound London Broil (I used one strip steak)

Kosher Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Olive Oil

1 can (13.5 oz)  coconut milk

3 tablespoons peanut butter

4 tablespoons. brown sugar, packed,

2 teaspoon curry powder (I used Red Curry paste)

2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lime juice (about half a lime)

steamed rice, to serve

*optional garnish: toasted coconut and green onions sliced thinly

Pre-heat grill on high.  Rub olive oil over steak and season with kosher salt generously and pepper. Set aside.  When grill is ready, grill each side for 5 minutes.  With london broil you do not want to cook it over 5 minutes on each side because the steak will toughen.  If you prefer a medium or well done steak, I suggest using flank.  Remove steak from grill and allow to rest on a plate covered with foil.

To make coconut peanut sauce, add coconut milk, brown sugar, curry powder, lime juice, and peanut butter to the sauce pan. Cook on medium heat, continuously stirring until all of the ingredients have completely come together.  Turn off heat.

Cut steak into thin slices across the grain and arrange beef on a large platter.  Pour coconut peanut sauce on top of the slices and garnish with optional toasted coconut and green onions. Serve over steamed rice. Enjoy!

 

A few of my favorite things!

When I find something I like, I want to share it with everyone! So, from time to time I will post about some of my favorite things.

Here is what I am crazy about now....

First, let me just say I am VERY picky about my candles. It is weird I know but I like what I like. So, when my friend, Michelle, started making her candles in these cute jars and with the colors I LOVED, I had to try it out. They smell wonderful!!! Check her out if you get a chance. www.myspace.com/HandAcandles

Ok, onto my second new favorite thing.

This is my new "it" wine. I enjoy a good glass of wine every once in awhile but I am not a big enough wine drinker to spend over $20 a bottle. So, when I found this at World Market for under $8, I wanted to give it a try. It was very good, so good in fact I almost drank the whole bottle by myself on a Sunday afternoon! It's called Foodies and it's made by a company for World Market. I am not sure if you can find it anywhere else but if you happen to be shopping there pick a bottle up. You will be glad that you did!

So, technically this isn't a thing so much as just my favorite obsession.....take a look.

 It's just my pantry but I love,love,love it! We added on to the whole back of the house just so I could have this pantry. I am so glad that my husband let me talk him into it!!! :)

Last but not least my favorite thing of all time.

Here is my little fashionista! She picked this outfit for lunch with her Grandpa Bill. Btw, it's her Halloween costume from 2 years ago. How she still fits into it is a mystery to me!

Happy Thursday everyone!

Cooking Class Schedules

The Supper Club

COOKING CLASSES 2010

$40 per person

 

Wednesday, January 27^th @ 6:30 pm

Herb Dip

Greek Salad

Roasted Crab

Broccoli

Apple Crumble

 

Thursday, February 4^th @ 6:30 pm

Olive Tapenade

Roasted Tomato Caprese Salad

White Pizza

Honey Vanilla Fromage Blanc

 

Wednesday, February 10^th @ 6:30 pm

Valentine’s Dinner

Pasta with Truffle butter

Chicken stuffed with Goat Cheese and Sun dried tomatoes

Roasted Vegetables

Berry Trifle

 

Thursday, February 25^th @ 6:30 pm

Olive Cheese Bread

Wedge salad with Blue Cheese dressing

Mustard roasted fish

Buttered noodles

Apricot crostada

 

Thursday, March 4^th @ 6:30 pm

Mommy & Me Class

Dip and veggie sticks

Pizza Pot Pies

Roasted Asparagus

Mini Cupcakes with Strawberry glaze

Homemade Lemonade

 

 Thursday, March 11^th @ 6:30 pm

Breakfast for Dinner

Fruit Salad with Lemoncello

Baked French Toast

Homemade Granola

Bloody Mary’s

 

Thursday, March 25^th @ 6:30 pm

Goat Cheese Toasts

Cape Cod Salad

Fettucini Alfredo w/ grilled Shrimp

Stewed Berries with Ice Cream

 

Thursday, April 8^th @ 6:30 pm

Mexican

Pink Grapefruit Margaritas

Guacamole

Cilantro Lime Rice

Red Snapper Veracruz

Pineapple Coconut Sundaes

 

Thursday, April 15^th @ 6:30 pm

Asian

Edamame

Chinese noodles

Asian Salmon

Broccoli with garlic and chili

Berry Cobbler

 

Thursday, April 29^th @ 6:30 pm

Red Wine Tasting

Cheese Course

 

Thursday, May 6^th @ 6:30 pm

White Wine Tasting

Cheese Course

 

Wednesday, May 19^th @ 6:30 pm

Spanish Tapas

Roasted Asparagus

Bacon wrapped figs with olive sauce

Roasted mushrooms with goat cheese

Garlic Shrimp

Sangria

Butternut Squash Puree

Run don't walk to your nearest HEB and pick up a butternut squash today! I bought one last week to make this puree and boy am I glad I did.  It was so good and even better E-A-S-Y!  First, you will need one butternut squash.  Slice it in half and scoop out all the seeds.  Lay it on a sheet pan and drizzle with  olive oil and salt and pepper.  Place in a preheated 350 degree oven and bake for about 30-40 minutes or until soft.

Scoop out the yummy center and put in food processor or blender (whichever you prefer). Add honey and butter to taste. Blend until smooth and ALWAYS add salt and pepper. Now, how simple was that?

Doesn't everything just look better with butter?

Look at my new green dish.  Isn't she purty??  It's one of the EIGHT, yes eight, platter/dishes my mom got me this Christmas!  I think she lost her mind! :)

Beer Bread

It can't be, two posts in one week! Have I gone mad? Nope...blame it on the cold weather I guess!

On Sunday I decided to look up recipes for Beer Bread. I have always heard it was good but never really thought about making it so, off to search google. There were a TON of recipes but, I found one that I liked on Recipezaar.com.

It couldn't have been easier and it was FANTASTIC! The next time I make homemade vegetable soup I will definitely have this on the side.

BEER BREAD

1 hour | 3 min prep (It really only took 3 minutes...now who couldn't do that!)

SERVES 6 -8

• 3 cups flour (sifted)
• 3 teaspoons baking powder (omit if using Self-Rising Flour)
• 1 teaspoon salt (omit if using Self-Rising Flour)
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 (12 ounce) can beer
• 1/2 cup melted butter (1/4 cup will do just fine)

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Mix dry ingredients and beer.
3. Pour into a greased loaf pan.
4. Pour melted butter over mixture.
5. Bake 1 hour, remove from pan and cool for at least 15 minutes.
6. UPDATED NOTES: Sifting flour for bread recipes is a must-do. Most people just scoop the 1 cup measure in the flour canister and level it off. That compacts the flour and will turn your bread into a "hard biscuit" as some have described. That's because they aren't sifting their flour! If you do not have a sifter, use a spoon to spoon the flour into the 1 cup measure. Try it once the "correct" way and you will see an amazing difference in the end product.

Cinnamon Rolls

I love to cook, I really do BUT baking has not always been my thing. When I see yeast on a recipe, I turn the page..can't do it! So, I decided to conquer my fear of yeast and do some homemade cinnamon rolls. They turned out really good and not hard at all. Time consuming but not intimidating and something I think I can do.

Let's get started!!

Cinnamon Rolls

1/4 cup warm water, 110 F (I just run the water until it just gets hot)

One packet active dry yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons)

1 cup plus 1 teaspoon sugar

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1/4 cup canola oil

2 teaspoons salt

1/2 cup cold water

1/2 cup boiling water

4 to 5 cups all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons cinnamon

6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted

For the icing

1 cup confectioner's sugar

2 tablespoon's milk or orange juice

For the Cinnamon Rolls: In a small bowl mix 1/4 cup warm water with the yeast and 1 teaspoon sugar. Set aside for about five minutes, until the mixture starts to thicken and bubble slightly. If the mixture does not start to thicken and bubble slightly, the yeast is not working. Check the expiration date on the yeast and start over.

In a large bowl stir together the reserved 1/2 cup sugar, egg, oil, and salt.  Mix in the cold water and then boiling water.  Add the yeast mixture and stir until well blended.  Slowly add in the 4 cups of flour until incorporated.

Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead with floured hands for about 8 to 10 minutes, adding in the extra 1/2 cup or more of flour as needed.  Put the dough into a clean large bowl.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until doubled in size, about 3 hours.

Meanwhile, combine the remaining 1/2 cup sugar and 2 tablespoons cinnamon in a small bowl. Grease a 9- by 13-inch baking dish with about 1 tablespoon of the melted butter using a pastry brush.

Punch down the dough and place it onto a lightly-floured surface. Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough into a rectangle about 20-inches by 10-inches with the long edge facing you.  Using the pastry brush, spread 1/4 cup (about 4 tablespoons) of the melted butter over the top of the dough. Then, sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mixture over the entire dough evenly. Roll up the dough starting with the long edge facing you into a long, tight cylinder. Gently squeeze the cylinder to seal it. Use a sharp knife to cut the dough into 12 even rounds. Place the rounds, cut side down, into the prepared baking dish. There will be some space in between the rounds.  Brush the tops of the rolls with the remaining 1 tablespoon of melted butter. Cover the dish tightly with plastic wrap and allow the dough to rise in a warm place for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

 Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.Bake the cinnamon rolls until golden, about 40 to 45 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the icing by mixing the powdered sugar with the milk or orange juice in a small bowl. When the rolls come out of the oven drizzle the icing over the hot rolls. Serve while warm.

YUM!!!!

Promise to post soon!

Life has been crazy lately but I promise to post something very soon! I have two classes to talk about and also some yummy homemade cinnamon rolls. Can't wait to show you!