Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Sister Carole's Fish Chowder


 



This is my sister Carole's delicious recipe for Fish Chowder.  It cooks up pretty quick and is loaded with chopped clams, diced potatoes and flaky haddock.   What a great meal for any night of the week.  Thanks Carole!  Remember to do as she says in the directions below:
"Pour yourself some white wine and sip throughout the cooking process."


1 small onion chopped
2 potatoes, diced
2 TBS of butter
Chicken Broth
1 can of good quality chopped clams in juice
1 lb of haddock...
Sour cream
1 1/2 cup of milk
1/2 cup of light cream
S&P
Thyme

( I had left over bacon so I threw that in and some chopped celery.  Other than that, I followed it to a teeee).

Directions:
Pour yourself some white wine and sip throughout the cooking process.
Brown the onion in butter.
Add enough chicken broth to cover the potatoes and bring to a boil.
Add the clams with the juice. Layer the haddock on top of the potatoes.
Simmer for about 10 min. until potatoes are tender and haddock flakes.
Add the milk. I put in some light cream for added richness.
Toss in a dollop of sour cream on top. Finish with some S&P to taste and a pinch of Thyme.
Serve with hot rolls and oyster crackers.


Print Here
























Tuesday, January 21, 2014

101 Household Tips For Every Room







My dad sent me this link today.  I've actually cut cherry tomatoes using the above method, it's a great time saver! Some of these ideas make me want to smack myself in the head and say " why didn't I think of that?"
 Click on the link below.  You won't believe how clever some people are!!

101 Household Tips For Every Room 



Wednesday, January 15, 2014

Turkey Bacon Avacado Swiss Panini with Chipotle Mayo

My husband is working late tonight and for me that means "Sandwich Night"!!!!!
I love my panini maker and I love sandwich night.  The variety and combination of panini's are endless and ohhhh so good.  If you start out with some great bread, you really can't go wrong. I usually buy an uncut loaf of Ciabatta bread at the bakery and cut it into thick slices. You can make the chipotle mayo as hot as you like.  Start out with one pepper, give it a taste.....add more if you dare!! 




Start out by cooking up some thick cut bacon.  I cook mine in the oven in a deep pizza pan at 400 degrees until crispy.  Drain on paper towels and set aside.


Now you need :
1. Thick sliced Ciabatta bread
2. Sliced fresh avocado, 
3. Sliced roasted deli turkey 
4. Thick sliced swiss cheese 
5. Chipotle mayonnaise.

For Chipotle Mayonnaise:
1/2 Cup mayonnaise
2 Chipotle chilies in adobo sauce
1 Tablespoon adobo sauce from can
Salt and Pepper

Directions for Mayonnaise:

Combine all above ingredients in food processor until smooth or place ingredients in a small bowl and blend with a fork smashing peppers as you blend.  If you blend with a fork you will be left with some chunky pieces of the peppers.  Yum.

For Sandwich:
Spread 1 Tablespoon of chipotle mayo on top and 1 Tablespoon of chipotle mayo on the bottom slices of bread.
Layer Avacado, Swiss Cheese,Turkey and Bacon.  Close top.  Spread about 1 Tablespoon of butter on top and 1 Tablesppon of butter on the bottom of breads.  Grille in  hot panini press or on stove top in a grill pan until golden brown and cheese has melted.  






Thursday, January 9, 2014

Banana Almond Crunch Muffins... The only muffin recipe you'll ever need








With the holidays behind us, I finally found some time to do some baking.  This recipe is adapted from the America's Test Kitchen.  It was developed by Pam Anderson who worked for Cooks Illustrated.   Here is a link to her article.
"The only muffin recipe you might ever need"
During her search for the perfect muffin she experimented by using low fat yogurt in the batter and the outcome was amazing.  I decided to use Low fat vanilla bean Greek yogurt and top my muffins with caramelized almonds.  They came out so yummy!  The texture is nothing like your every day muffin and totally different from banana bread.  This recipe produces 12 big muffins.

Print Here

Ingredients
  • 3 cups flour
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg
  • 1/2 teaspoon table salt
  • 10 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 1/2 cups low-fat vanilla bean Greek yogurt
  • 1 1/2 cups finely diced bananas (about 3 bananas)
  • 1 1/2 cups caramelized almonds ( recipe below)
  • Cooking spray for muffin tins
 
Directions:
Adjust oven rack to lower middle position and heat oven to 375 F. 
Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg and salt in medium bowl.  Set aside.

Beat butter and sugar with electric mixer on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Alternating 1/2 at a time, beat in the dry ingredients and yogurt until a smooth thick batter forms.  Gently fold in the diced bananas. 

Spray 12 cup muffin tin with cooking spray or coat lightly with butter.  Use a large ice cream scoop to divide batter evenly among cups. Sprinkle about 1 1/2 Tablespoons of caramelized almonds on top of each muffin, pressing in lightly.
  Bake until muffins are golden brown, about 25 minutes.  Set on wire rack to cool slightly, about 5 minutes.  Remove muffins from tin and serve warm. 


 Caramelized Almonds:

 Ingredients:
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1 tablespoon cinnamon
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 2 cups slivered almonds
 Directions:
  1. Preheat oven to 350ยบ.
  2. Combine the brown sugar, water, cinnamon and salt in a saute pan. Bring to a boil over medium heat.
  3. Add the almonds and cook, stirring constantly, until the liquid evaporates and leaves a candy coating on the almonds.
  4. Pour the almonds onto a baking sheet lined with parchment. Spread into a thin layer, separating the almonds with forks if necessary.
  5. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool completely. Store in an airtight container.