Birthday Cake!

Happy birthday to me and my two sisters, Elaine and Sherry. All three of us were born in December and every year we celebrate together. This year Mom surprised us with a birthday cake at her annual Christmas party and since I'm too lazy and stuffed to be creative in the kitchen I thought I'd share my cake with you. I'm not sure where she got it but it was a black forest sheet cake. Absolutely delicious! My husband bought me a lemon raspberry cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory. Pure indulgence on my birthday and beyond!

I will not be posting until after the first of the year. I plan to do a total rehaul of my family's diet, so I will be adding the nutritional values of the foods I cook. Oh, the price we pay as we get older! So, happy new year to all of my friends out there. May the new year bring you much happiness, peace and joy!

Recipe for Spaghetti Aioli - Feast of the Seven Fishes

Tonight we celebrate the feast of the seven fishes with my family. This has been a tradition in our family for many generations. What is the Feast of the Seven Fishes you ask? According to Mario Batali, "It's what Italians do when they say they're fasting." More precisely, the Feast is a meal served in Italian households on La Vigilia (Christmas Eve). In many parts of Italy, the night is traditionally a partial fast, during which no meat should be served. But in true Italian style, this proscription has morphed into something very unfastlike indeed: course after course of luxurious seafood dishes, often as many as 7, 10, or even 13. "No one's quite sure of the significance of the number," says Batali. "Some families do seven for the sacraments. Some do ten for the stations of the cross. And some even do 13 for the 12apostles plus Jesus."

Regardless of the religious symbolism, for most people the main point of the meal is to gather family and friends and enjoy delicious food. In Batali's Italian-American family, his grandmother used to host the feast, with everyone pitching in. "She would let us kids help her make fresh pasta," Batali recalls. "Then she'd lay it out on towels on our beds to dry for the day." After dinner, they'd open half their presents, saving the rest for Christmas Day.

Either way, 7 fishes or 10 or even 13, this is the true mark of Christmas to me. I am sure this will be a tradition we pass down through the years. The recipe that follows is my mother's spaghetti aioli which is simply oil, anchovies, garlic and parsley. Merry Christmas everyone!

Ingredients

2/3 lb spaghetti
1 (2 ounce) can anchovy fillets
2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 teaspoon garlic (refrigerated jar of chopped garlic)
1 dash salt

Directions

Boil water for pasta.
Meanwhile, saute' garlic, oil, & garlic powder in saucepan over low-medium heat (must not burn the garlic or it is ruined as the taste goes bad & you have to start from scratch).
Set aside 4-5 anchovies and cut them into small pieces, reserve those for last step.
Take remaining anchovies in can & add them to garlic & oil saute' and break them into pieces as you stir them into pan. Stir frequently. Add dash of salt to taste.
Cook pasta as directed. Drain. Put into large pasta bowl. Add oil/garlic/anchovy mix as well as reserved anchovy pieces. Toss together & serve immediately.

Stumbling Sunday - Mushroom Marsala with Artichokes

My new favorite dish is Chicken Marsala so when I stumbled upon this recipe today I was excited to share it with you. I found it on the Food Network website and it looks delicious. I may add some thyme to give it that earthy flavor, but other than that, I don't plan to change a thing.

Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients

3 tablespoons olive oil 1 small onion, finely chopped
1 pound mushrooms, trimmed, cleaned and finely chopped
1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus 3/4 teaspoon
1 cup dry Marsala wine
1 pound thimble pasta
1/2 pound frozen artichoke hearts, thawed
3/4 cup grated Parmesan
1/2 cup cream
1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Place the olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook for 1 minute. Add the mushrooms and 1 teaspoon of the salt. Saute, stirring occasionally, until all the moisture has evaporated and the mushrooms have cooked down, about 10 minutes. Add the Marsala and continue cooking until almost all the wine has evaporated, about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Stir in remaining salt. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain pasta and add it into the mushrooms, Marsala and onions Add the artichoke hearts, Parmesan and cream and cook until the artichokes are heated through, about 5 minutes. Stir in the parsley and pepper. Transfer to a serving bowl and serve.

Thai Lemon Shrimp

I have a bag of frozen shrimp in my freezer that has been haunting me for a month or so. It's on my list of "to cook." Problem is, the girls don't care for shrimp or seafood, so when I make it, it has to be a night when the girls are not eating, which is not often. I found this recipe on Closet Cooking and it looks divine. After the holiday is over I plan to make this. This is another super quick shrimp dish that takes almost no time to make. The lemon and coconut milk added an amazing flavour and aroma and of course this dish would not be complete without my favorite herb, cilantro. These lemon shrimp could easily be served as an appetizer or as a meal along with some rice or pasta.

Ingredients:
1 pound shrimp (shelled and deveined)
1/3 cup sweet chili sauce
1 lemon (juice and zest)
3 kaffir lime leaves (sliced, substitute lime zest)
1 teaspoon chili sauce
1 tablespoon fish sauce
3 cloves garlic (chopped)
1 teaspoon palm sugar (or brown sugar)
1/4 cup coconut milk
1/4 cup cilantro (chopped)

Directions:
1. Marinate the shrimp in the sweet chili sauce, lemon juice, lemon zest, kaffir lime leaves, chili sauce, fish sauce, garlic and sugar for 10 or more minutes.
2. Heat a pan.
3. Add the shrimp, the marinade and the coconut milk and simmer (not boil) until the shrimp are cooked, about 2-3 minutes.
4. Remove from heat and mix in the cilantro.

Roasted Vanilla Pears

This is a recipe from one of my favorite food blogs, Smitten Kitchen. Read the post below and you will see why.

www.smittenkitchen.com/2009/12/vanilla-roasted-pears/#more-5306

Serves 4 or so

1/4 cup sugar
1/2 vanilla bean
1 1/2 pounds slightly-under-ripe, fragrant, medium pears, peeled if desired, halved though the stem and cored (I used Bosc but will be giving this recipe a spin with Bartlets later today; Schneider says all varieties work)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoon unsalted butter

Preheat oven to 375°F. Place the sugar in a small bowl. With a thin, sharp knife, split the vanilla bean lengthwise in half and scrape out the seeds. Stir the seeds into the sugar.

Arrange the pears in a large baking dish, cut-side up. Drizzle the lemon juice evenly over the fruit, then sprinkle with the sugar. Nestle the vanilla pod among the fruit (I first slit my halves lengthwise into quarters). Pour the water into the dish. Dot each pear with some butter.

Roast the pears 30 minutes brushing them occasionally with the pan juices. Turn the pears over and continue roasting, basting once or twice, until tender and caramelized, 25 to 30 minutes longer (if the pears are small, test for doneness after 35 or 40 minutes of cooking; a paring knife poked into the thickest part of one should meet with no resistance).

Stumbling Sunday - The Apple Does Not Fall Far From the Tree

I bet you thought my post today would be about an apple recipe. Not so much, it's about my cousin Dana and how much she is like her mother, who was my Aunt Bonnie. My Aunt passed on way before her time. She was so full of love and one of the most giving women I have her met. She loved to cook and we knew when we went to visit her that we would be showered with meals that you couldn't find in the finest 5 star restaurants. I prefer a home cooked meal over eating out any day. In our family, food demonstrates love, so the more we cook, the more we love you. The only problem with this is the more we are loved, the more of us there is to love! It is a vicious cycle, but I'd rather be fat and happy, than sad and skinny.

Yesterday, my cousin posted on her facebook page that she and her adorable daughter, Becca would be baking some cookies. By the end of the day, she had baked over 10 different kinds of cookies. Throughout the day, there were sentiments on how she found a recipe her mom had hand written and there were tears as she was making them. Isee so much of my Aunt in her. I wonder how many of us have those fond memories as we are taking out our cookie recipes? I am reminded that some of the simplest things in our lives bring back memories of our dear loved ones who have passed on. Even if it is just for a moment, it's priceless.

Even though she baked several batches I am only highlighting one of her recipes. I'm exahausted just thinking of her churning out so many cookies in one day. You go Dana, you are a superstar!

Chocolate Caramel Thumbprints

1/2 cup butter softened
2/3 cup sugar
1 egg separated
2 tbls milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup flour
1/3 cup baking cocoa
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup finely chopped pecans

Filling
12 to 14 carmamels
3 tbls heavy whipping cream
1/2 semisweet chocolate chips
1 tsp shortening

In large mixing bowl cream butter, sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg yolk, milk and vanilla,Combined the flour cocoa and salt add to the cream mixture. Refrigerate for 1 hour or until easy to handle. Roll into 1 inch balls. Beat in egg whites. Dip balls into egg white and then coat with nuts. Bake at 3do for 10-12 minutes.

Filling in a saucepan melt carmels with cream over low heat. Stir until smooth. Using caramel mixture fill each cookie. In a microwave melt chocolate chips and shortning and drizzle over cookies.

Recipe for Salted Chocolate Caramel Tart

You know how when you bite into a snickers and you get that little crystal of salt and it enhances the taste of the chocolate? Well this is a version of a tart with the same effect. The slight taste of the salt makes this tart come alive. I love the contrast of sweet and salty, complimenting the deep dark chocolate and the tender, cookie-like crust. It’s perfect for the holidays because it can be made in advance (and ideally, needs to be, since there are three steps with three pauses for things to cool or set), freeing the cook from the burden of thinking about it on the day of the big meal or having it take up oven space.

Recipe for Salted Chocolate Caramel Tart
Serves 8

FOR THE CRUST
1 1⁄2 cups flour
1⁄4 cup plus 1 tbsp. dutch-process unsweetened cocoa powder
1⁄4 tsp. kosher salt
10 tbsp. unsalted butter, cubed and softened
1⁄2 cup plus 2 tbsp. confectioners’ sugar
2 egg yolks, preferably at room temperature
1⁄2 tsp. vanilla extract

FOR THE CARAMEL
1 1⁄2 cups sugar
3 tbsp. light corn syrup
1⁄4 tsp. kosher salt
6 tbsp. unsalted butter
6 tbsp. heavy cream
1 tbsp. crème fraîche

FOR THE GANACHE
1⁄2 cup heavy cream
4 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
Gray sea salt for garnish

1. Make the crust: Heat oven to 350˚. Combine flour, cocoa powder, and salt in a medium bowl and set aside. Using a handheld mixer, cream the butter and sugar in a large bowl until mixture is pale and fluffy; mix in yolks and vanilla. Mix in dry ingredients. Transfer dough to a 9″ fluted tart pan with a removable bottom and press dough evenly into bottom and sides of pan. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Prick the tart shell all over with a fork and bake until cooked through, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a rack and let cool.

2. Make the caramel: In a 1-qt. saucepan, whisk together sugar, corn syrup, salt, and 6 tbsp. water and bring to a boil. Cook, without stirring, until a candy thermometer inserted into the syrup reads 340°. Remove pan from heat and whisk in butter, cream, and crème fraîche (the mixture will bubble up) until smooth. Pour caramel into cooled tart shell and let cool slightly; refrigerate until firm, 4–5 hours.

3. Make the ganache: Bring cream to a boil in a 1-qt. saucepan over medium heat. Put chocolate into a medium bowl and pour in hot cream; let sit for 1 minute, then stir slowly with a rubber spatula until smooth. Pour ganache evenly over tart and refrigerate until set, 4–5 hours. Sprinkle tart with sea salt, slice, and serve chilled.