Playing with Brie

So recently a firend introduced me to baked brie. I love it and with so many different possiblities for what one could do with this kind of recipe, it got my creative cooking juices flowing. This weekend I decied to play around with a wedge and see what different combinations I could come up with, here are a few.

Basic Recipe

1/4 a wedge of Brie Cheese from a wheel
Toppings of your choice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Use a baking dish that is easy to clean and place Brie and topping in dish, cook for 8-10 minutes until cheese is bubbling.

Topping Ideas -
Carmel Sauce with Pecans (our favorite)
Apricot Jam with Red Peppers
Rosemary, Olive oil, and Walnuts
Roasted Red Peppers and Garlic
Sun dried Tomatoes and Basil

Serve with mini toasts, baguette slices, and fruit. Enjoy!

Busy Summer

It has been such a busy summer that finding the time to post has been really hard. I have been grilling up a storm and eating tons of great salads. I have also rediscover doing some things semi-homemade. One of my new favorites is to use store bought humus and serve that with veggies and grilled meats. I have also been playing around with Chinese cooking. I have lots of posts back logged, but I figured that I will give a preview of some of the recipes to come.

Fine Fried Chicken
Spanish Sandwiches
Mrs. Dash Grilled Chicken
Green Herb Salad
Super Simple Cukes
Char

Cinco de mayo with Uncle Ben's

As part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program, I received a package of Uncle Ben's Whole Grain White Rice. It had been years since I have tried any Uncle Ben's product and I was not sure what to use it for. I decided to save it for today and make some Mexican style rice in honor of Cinco de Mayo. So, here is the recipe and I am happy that I got a chance to try a great new product too. I really did like the flavor of the rice, the nutritional value according to the package is much better than other Uncle Ben's products, but I am not used to the flavor of any rice other than good old white cali rose rice cooked in a rice cooker.  Happy eating and I hope that you give this product a try.

1 package of Uncle Ben's Whole Grain White Rice

1/2 of Jarred Salsa (I like Pace)

1 can of black beans rinsed and drained

1 can of diced tomatoes, drained

1 onion, diced

1 tablespoon of chili powder

1 tablespoon of cumin

Cook rice according to package, add in salsa, chili powder, and cumin, stir and mix well, add in black beans, tomatoes, and onion. Stir well, and serve with chicken, steak, pork, or fish. I recommend either of these recipes: Carne Asada, Tequila Lime Chicken, Mexican Chicken

Experimentation

So tonight, I am doing something a little different for dinner and praying that it come out. I am making sesame crusted ahi tuna with mango, green onion, and avocado fried rice. I am using an Uncle Ben's product that the company was kind enough to send me a sample of, Whole Grain White Rice. I have cooked the rice according to the directions on the box, and let it cooled. I am getting ready to chop up some green onions, heat up a pan and throw in the rice and green onion until it is nice and fried, after that slightly cools I will add in the mango slices and avocado. That will be the base that I serve the tuna on top of. If all comes out great or even edible, I will post the recipe for your enjoyment. Wish me luck in my experimentation and as always, Happy Eating!

Orecchiette with Braised Broccoli Rabe and Sweet Italian Sausage

Last night for dinner I thought that we would try something new. That new thing was broccoli rabe and cooking with anchovies. I have never had the rabe before but figured that I would like it since  I love most leafy greens. This one did not disappoint. I have some issues with canned fish of any kind and I will sometimes use anchovy paste, but touching those little hairy things and watching them cook, I was not so sure about. I decided to give it a try and I reviewed a ton of recipes and came up with this delicious meal. I hope that you will go out of your comfort zone like I did to make this and give the recipe a try. Happy Eating!

Orecchiette with Braised Broccoli Rabe and Sweet Italian Sausage

1 bunch of Broccoli Rabe, stems trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces

1 pound orecchiette pasta

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 pound Sweet Italian-style sausage, casings removed (I prefer turkey or chicken sausage for this recipe)

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 onion, minced

3 anchovy fillets, rinsed and patted dry

a Pinch of dried crushed red pepper flakes

1/4 cup grated Parmesan

Cook the sausage, breaking it up into pieces with a spoon, until browned and juices form, about 12 minutes. Set aside in a large bowl and cook the orecchiette according to package directions. In the same pan that you cooked the sausage in add olive oil and heat to medium high. When the pan is hot add in garlic, onions, anchovies, and pepper flakes. Cook until the anchovies break up and the onion and garlic are soft, about 5 minutes. Rinse the Broccoli Rabe and add to the pan. Cook stirring frequently until the broccoli rabe is wilted and tender around 10 minutes, add to the sausage in the bowl. Drain the pasta and add to the bowl with the sausage and broccoli rabe, stir to mix and top with cheese.

National Grilled Cheese Month! Get Grilling Folks

Every year when April rolls around I forget that it is National Grilled Cheese Month. When I first heard about this, I thought someone was pulling an April fool's joke on me, now I am just happy that I remember before the month is gone and I get to play around and make some super awesome grilled cheese sandwiches. So here are some ideas for you to enjoy during National Grilled Cheese Month, of course knowing me most of them are internationally inspired, but oh well, Happy Eating!

Spanish Grilled Cheese

Grab a loaf peasant bread or even better grab a Barra Gallega, shred up some Manchego and Iberico cheeses, spread on some Spanish olive tapenade, add a slice of Jamon Serrano, Cantimpalo-Style Chorizo, or Bellota Iberico Salchichon Sausage, or even better one of all three and get grilling.(All of these items can be found at LaTienda) 


Irish Style Grilled Cheese

Grab a loaf of thick sliced potato bread, pile on some shredded Irish cheddar cheese, a slice of corned beef, a little mustard, and some onions and you are good to get grilling. Or keep it simple and use a Cahill cheddar (I love the Irish Whiskey, and the Ballintubber Cheese with Chives) on potato bread.


French Grilled Cheese

Roast up some squash, red onions, and zucchini sprinkled with herbs de Provence, grab a French baguette and get slicing, shred some Beaufort (if you can't find it you can use gruyere, munster, or Swiss cheese instead), pile it all on and get grilling. Or go traditional and whip up a Croque Monsieur just don't forget the béchamel sauce!


The Kali
Oh, yeah! I saved the best for last, this is THE grilled cheese when you aren't going the bread and cheese alone route! Bacon, avocado, tomato slices, and sharp cheddar cheese, piled onto sliced San Francisco sourdough bread. One bite of this one and you will be giving three cheers for National Grilled Cheese Month!


If this was not enough to get you grilling up some super grilled cheese and doing your part to enjoy and support National Grilled Cheese month well then I hope that the Grilled Cheese Academy  can get you looking at bread and cheese in a different way. Get grilling folks and celebrate a month that tickles your taste buds, but packs the pounds on. :)

Homemade Sushi

Well, I have figured out why I pay good money to have other people make me sushi, it is time consuming to make, and if you do not have all the right tools, it is messy too. I will say that Inari is fun and easy to make but when you get into everything else that goes into making rolls it is so much easier to just have someone else do it for you. Anyways,if you are in the mood to make some sushi here is my recipe for spicy crab and avocado Inari. Please note that a trip to a local Asian grocery store may be needed.

1 package of Inari Wrappers
1 package of crab sticks
sushi rice (recipe follows)
1 avocado, sliced
1 lemon, sliced into 8 segments with peel on
Sriracha hot sauce to taste
Wasabi and soy sauce (optional)

In a small bowl open crab sticks and mix meat with sriracha until you have reached the desired level of spiciness. Drain Inari packets. Open each packet after it has been drained, if you desire place a dollop of wasabi in the bottom of the packet and then fill with sushi rice. Leave a small amount of room at the top. Place about a tablespoon or two of spicy crab mixture on one side of the Inari, then drape an avocado slice over the top of the entire packet. Repeat until you use all of your packets. Serve with wasabi, soy sauce, and lemon slices.

Sushi Rice
Cook rice as you normally would, while rice is cook mix 2 tablespoons of rice vinegar with 2 tablespoons of sugar. When rice is done cooking blend with vinegar mixture, let rice cool to room temperature.