The December 16th online edition of Progressive Grocer, a highly respected trade publication, featured an article on the 2011 Food Trends. The study came from thefoodchannel.com "
"In conjunction with CultureWaves, Mintel International and International Food Futurists, (The Food Channel) released the much-anticipated Top Ten Food Trends for 2011, which identifies the most significant food trends that will drive how people eat throughout 2011, from buying to cooking to consuming."
“The new economy has created a boldness and willingness to change how we work, how we cook and how we eat,” said Kay Logsdon, editor of The Food Channel. “All of our 2011 trends reflect that in some way”
The trend listed as #1 is "The Canning Comeback", gaining popularity for both health and economic reasons.
Some of us never left... so come and join me.
Attached is a link for the rest of article.
http://www.progressivegrocer.com/top-story-economy_drives_shifting__food_values_acute_-31785.html
CAN DO COOKING. Andy Warhol created art from a soup can... you can too. Explore what you can create with all kinds of canned goods.
Friday, December 17, 2010
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Chicken Cacciatore Bake with Rice
Today's featured ingredients are a trifecta of flavors: Diced Tomatoes, White Beans, Chicken Broth
Ah, the one pot meal. One of my favorites after a long day. There is something magical about throwing a bunch of ingredients into a Le Creuset dish and having it yield a protein, a starch and some vegetables a mere 35 minutes later.
As an aside, My 5 Quart Le Creuset dish, is the best cooking investment I ever made, next to my stand mixer - and I got it on sale at discount store. It's worth its weight in gold. I'm not sure why, maybe the way it distributes heat, that food cooked in it, just ends up tasting better compared to any other pot I've used. I also love that it works as well on my range top and transfers safely to the oven.
This is a recipe I adapted from a torn out page of an old Working Mother magazine. It is only recently I took literally hundreds and hundreds of torn pages that I have been saving in file folders and organized them in a 3 inch binder. Those recipes that I like, and would want make again, go into another "test kitchen" binder. This recipe will definitely find a home in the latter binder.
Chicken Cacciatore Bake with Rice
2 tbsp olive oil
1.75 lbs bone in skinless chicken thighs (5 pieces) - Thighs are great as they don't dry out like breasts
1 medium onion chopped (1 cup)
3 small cloves garlic - finely chopped
3 celery hearts sliced in 1/2 inch pieces (1 cup)
3 carrots sliced in 1/2 inch pieces (1 cup)
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried oregano
salt and pepper to taste
3/4 cup uncooked white or brown rice (not quick cooking)
1 can 14.5 oz. chicken broth
1 can 14.5 oz. diced tomatoes (undrained)
1 can 15.5 oz. white beans (rinsed and drained)
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
Preheat oven to 375F
Heat 1 tbsp oil in an oven safe sauce pot over medium high heat. Sear chicken on both sides to get some golden color -- about 3 - 4 minutes per side. Once a "fond" or crust begins to develop the chicken won't stick. Remove chicken from pan set aside.
Heat additional tbsp of oil - Add onions, celery, carrot, garlic, and cook for several minutes until onions are soft. Lower temperature to medium and add herbs and rice and stir until everything is coated in oil. Sautee for a couple minutes to "toast" the rice.
Pour in broth, tomatoes and beans and gently combine. Add chicken back to pot and bring pot to a simmer. Cover pot with lid. Transfer to oven and bake for 30-35 minutes, until liquid is almost all absorbed and bubbly, rice is tender and chicken is cooked to 180F. Sprinkle with fresh parsley.
Scoop and Serve. Clean one pot.
 |
| Featured Ingredients |
Ah, the one pot meal. One of my favorites after a long day. There is something magical about throwing a bunch of ingredients into a Le Creuset dish and having it yield a protein, a starch and some vegetables a mere 35 minutes later.
As an aside, My 5 Quart Le Creuset dish, is the best cooking investment I ever made, next to my stand mixer - and I got it on sale at discount store. It's worth its weight in gold. I'm not sure why, maybe the way it distributes heat, that food cooked in it, just ends up tasting better compared to any other pot I've used. I also love that it works as well on my range top and transfers safely to the oven.
This is a recipe I adapted from a torn out page of an old Working Mother magazine. It is only recently I took literally hundreds and hundreds of torn pages that I have been saving in file folders and organized them in a 3 inch binder. Those recipes that I like, and would want make again, go into another "test kitchen" binder. This recipe will definitely find a home in the latter binder.
Chicken Cacciatore Bake with Rice
2 tbsp olive oil
1.75 lbs bone in skinless chicken thighs (5 pieces) - Thighs are great as they don't dry out like breasts
1 medium onion chopped (1 cup)
3 small cloves garlic - finely chopped
3 celery hearts sliced in 1/2 inch pieces (1 cup)
3 carrots sliced in 1/2 inch pieces (1 cup)
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried oregano
salt and pepper to taste
3/4 cup uncooked white or brown rice (not quick cooking)
1 can 14.5 oz. chicken broth
1 can 14.5 oz. diced tomatoes (undrained)
1 can 15.5 oz. white beans (rinsed and drained)
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
Preheat oven to 375F
Heat 1 tbsp oil in an oven safe sauce pot over medium high heat. Sear chicken on both sides to get some golden color -- about 3 - 4 minutes per side. Once a "fond" or crust begins to develop the chicken won't stick. Remove chicken from pan set aside.
Heat additional tbsp of oil - Add onions, celery, carrot, garlic, and cook for several minutes until onions are soft. Lower temperature to medium and add herbs and rice and stir until everything is coated in oil. Sautee for a couple minutes to "toast" the rice.
Pour in broth, tomatoes and beans and gently combine. Add chicken back to pot and bring pot to a simmer. Cover pot with lid. Transfer to oven and bake for 30-35 minutes, until liquid is almost all absorbed and bubbly, rice is tender and chicken is cooked to 180F. Sprinkle with fresh parsley.
Scoop and Serve. Clean one pot.
 |
| Chicken Cacciatore Bake with Rice |
Monday, December 13, 2010
Moussaka Personal Pizzas
Featured Ingredient:
Del Monte Tomato Sauce
It was Friday and I wanted pizza. I had sausage but decided to go a different direction. I had ground lamb and figured I could take the base of a Moussaka recipe and use that as a topping, as both pizza and moussaka call for a tomato product and have a creamy cheese like finish.
Here's the recipe:
16 oz. Refrigerated prepared Fresh Pizza Dough. (Buy the stuff in the plastic bag)
1 tsp Olive Oil
3/4 lb Ground Lamb
1 small onion (about a 1/2 cup)
3 small cloves garlic (finely chopped)
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 can Del Monte Sauce
1 ball Sorrento Fresh Mozzarella
1/2 cup Romano Cheese
Salt & Pepper to Taste
Cornmeal
Cooking Spray
Heat olive oil in skillet. Add onion and sautee until almost translucent. Add garlic and sautee for 2 minutes. Add lamb to pan. Season lamb with cinnamon, oregano, thyme, and salt and pepper to taste. Sautee lamb until browned and cooked through. Set aside until dough is rolled out.
Meanwhile:
Preheat oven to 450F
Thinly slice mozzarella cheese and grate Romano cheese and Heat Tomato Sauce in a small saucepan.
Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray and spread a light dusting of cornmeal to prevent dough from sticking.
Separate Pizza dough into 4 equal sections and roll into a ball. Roll out each ball into a disc about a 1/8 inch thick. Make a border by building up the side.
Put on baking sheet. Assemble Pizzas.** First put sauce; then Lamb Mixture; then Mozzarella cheese, top with Romano cheese.
Bake about 15-20 minutes or until crust is golden and cheese is thoroughly melted and bubbly.
**(Cook's note: I put the dough in the oven for 5 minutes before assembly to get it going, as I've had experiences where I've had the pizza but the dough that was under the sauce gets wet and never rises well. The dough does start to rise in the middle, and you lose some of your well, but I punched it down and gained some of it back and was very happy with the end product. You can also assemble it on the raw dough.)
Hot and bubbly. Right out of the oven.
 |
| Tomato Sauce |
Del Monte Tomato Sauce
Sometimes I feel like I am playing an eternal game of "Chopped" in my kitchen. What can I make with what I have. I make it a challenge to use up as much as I have without having to go buy too many more ingredients. Like most mom's we are trying to stretch our dollar, so my strategy is probably no different than a lot of you out there. My ingredients need to be a bit more traditional though, unlike the Food Network show. Kudos to those chefs who make something edible out of a basket full of snapper, cotton candy, salsify, and mache.
Here's the recipe:
16 oz. Refrigerated prepared Fresh Pizza Dough. (Buy the stuff in the plastic bag)
1 tsp Olive Oil
3/4 lb Ground Lamb
1 small onion (about a 1/2 cup)
3 small cloves garlic (finely chopped)
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried thyme leaves (not ground)1/4 tsp black pepper
1 can Del Monte Sauce
1 ball Sorrento Fresh Mozzarella
1/2 cup Romano Cheese
Salt & Pepper to Taste
Cornmeal
Cooking Spray
Heat olive oil in skillet. Add onion and sautee until almost translucent. Add garlic and sautee for 2 minutes. Add lamb to pan. Season lamb with cinnamon, oregano, thyme, and salt and pepper to taste. Sautee lamb until browned and cooked through. Set aside until dough is rolled out.
Meanwhile:
Preheat oven to 450F
Thinly slice mozzarella cheese and grate Romano cheese and Heat Tomato Sauce in a small saucepan.
Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray and spread a light dusting of cornmeal to prevent dough from sticking.
Separate Pizza dough into 4 equal sections and roll into a ball. Roll out each ball into a disc about a 1/8 inch thick. Make a border by building up the side.
Put on baking sheet. Assemble Pizzas.** First put sauce; then Lamb Mixture; then Mozzarella cheese, top with Romano cheese.
Bake about 15-20 minutes or until crust is golden and cheese is thoroughly melted and bubbly.
**(Cook's note: I put the dough in the oven for 5 minutes before assembly to get it going, as I've had experiences where I've had the pizza but the dough that was under the sauce gets wet and never rises well. The dough does start to rise in the middle, and you lose some of your well, but I punched it down and gained some of it back and was very happy with the end product. You can also assemble it on the raw dough.)
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| Moussaka Pizza |
Monday, December 6, 2010
Chocolate Chip Coconut Milk Muffins
Featured Ingredient: Coconut Milk
I love baking to no end... in fact more than cooking savory dishes. My challenge was to come up with not only savory dishes, that can be created with canned goods but some sweet options. My son, Teddy likes to eat chocolate mini muffins for snack almost every day (that we get from the store). I figured this was a good opportunity to experiment as well as provide my son with a homemade but not too sweet snack!
I normally use sour cream or buttermilk as my "secret ingredient" for baking, so I thought coconut milk, with its creamy texture and percentage of fat might make a good substitute. I would recommend adding banana or toasted coconut to the top to make this a more tropical treat, but my son is picky - so we went with straight chocolate chips. I'd like to hear what you would add.
Chocolate Chip Coconut Milk Muffins - Yields 12 standard size muffins
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons butter - room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup + 1 tbsp Coconut Milk
1 cup Ghiradelli Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips
1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray muffin tin cups with cooking spray
2. In a bowl sift flour, baking powder, and salt
3. With a hand or stand mixer cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy
4. Add vanilla. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
5. Add 1/2 of flour mixture. Beat until incorporated. Add remaining flour mixture alternately with Coconut Milk. Do not overmix or muffins will be tough.
6. Fold in chocolate chips by hand with spatula
 |
| Coconut Milk |
I love baking to no end... in fact more than cooking savory dishes. My challenge was to come up with not only savory dishes, that can be created with canned goods but some sweet options. My son, Teddy likes to eat chocolate mini muffins for snack almost every day (that we get from the store). I figured this was a good opportunity to experiment as well as provide my son with a homemade but not too sweet snack!
I normally use sour cream or buttermilk as my "secret ingredient" for baking, so I thought coconut milk, with its creamy texture and percentage of fat might make a good substitute. I would recommend adding banana or toasted coconut to the top to make this a more tropical treat, but my son is picky - so we went with straight chocolate chips. I'd like to hear what you would add.
Chocolate Chip Coconut Milk Muffins - Yields 12 standard size muffins
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons butter - room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup + 1 tbsp Coconut Milk
1 cup Ghiradelli Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips
1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray muffin tin cups with cooking spray
2. In a bowl sift flour, baking powder, and salt
3. With a hand or stand mixer cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy
4. Add vanilla. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
5. Add 1/2 of flour mixture. Beat until incorporated. Add remaining flour mixture alternately with Coconut Milk. Do not overmix or muffins will be tough.
6. Fold in chocolate chips by hand with spatula
7. Fill muffin tins 2/3 full
8. Bake for approximately 25 minutes. Rotate pan half way through baking time.
Teddy gives these a two thumbs up.
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Ancho Chile Beef Stew
I adapted this recipe from Cooking Light. I'm not a big fan of spicy because I feel it masks the other ingredients. This stew is flavorful with a just little bit of a kick. To reduce spiciness reduce the amount of chiles.
2 tbsp olive oil divided
1 cup chopped onion
1 tsp ground cumin
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 dried Ancho Chiles (about 1 oz) -stemmed and seeded, then torn into 2 inch pieces.
2 cups low sodium beef stock
1 14 oz. can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 lb. boneless chuck roast (stew meat) cut into 1 in cubes
Cooking Spray
1 1/4 cups chopped green bell pepper
2 15.5 oz cans red kidney beans (use 3 cups)
1/8 cup fresh cilantro
Salt & Pepper to Taste
Reduced Fat Sour Cream
Lime Wedges - Optional
1 cup Long Grain White Rice - Cook according to package instructions
1. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, and cook about 5 minutes or until golden, stirring frequently. Add cumin, garlic, and chiles; cook 3 minutes until chiles are soft, stirring frequently. Stir in broth and tomatoes; bring to simmer. Cover, remove from heat, and let stand at room temperature for 20 minutes.
2. In batches, place chile mixture in a blender. Put on lid firmly but remove center piece of blender lid to let steam escape. Cover the space with a clean towel. Puree until smooth. Pour pureed chile mixture into large bowl.
3. Heat remaining tablespoon oil in a large dutch oven over medium high heat. Add beef to pan and saute until browned on all sides. Remove beef from pan. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add bell pepper to pan and sautee until browned (about 5 minues). Stir in pureed chile mixture and beef, bring to a boil. Cover reduce heat and simmer for about 1 1/4 hours or until beef is tender. Add beans, cook 20 minutes, stir in salt and pepper to taste.
Serve chili with topped with as much sour cream as you like, cilantro and lime wedges.
While not shown, my family and I liked this stew over rice, which made it a more heartier meal. Let me know what you think.
 |
| Kidney Beans and Diced Tomatoes |
The base of this sauce is created by cooking then making a puree of the first 7 ingredients, which create a delectable rich, earthy red color.
2 tbsp olive oil divided
1 cup chopped onion
1 tsp ground cumin
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 dried Ancho Chiles (about 1 oz) -stemmed and seeded, then torn into 2 inch pieces.
2 cups low sodium beef stock
1 14 oz. can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 lb. boneless chuck roast (stew meat) cut into 1 in cubes
Cooking Spray
1 1/4 cups chopped green bell pepper
2 15.5 oz cans red kidney beans (use 3 cups)
1/8 cup fresh cilantro
Salt & Pepper to Taste
Reduced Fat Sour Cream
Lime Wedges - Optional
1 cup Long Grain White Rice - Cook according to package instructions
1. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, and cook about 5 minutes or until golden, stirring frequently. Add cumin, garlic, and chiles; cook 3 minutes until chiles are soft, stirring frequently. Stir in broth and tomatoes; bring to simmer. Cover, remove from heat, and let stand at room temperature for 20 minutes.
2. In batches, place chile mixture in a blender. Put on lid firmly but remove center piece of blender lid to let steam escape. Cover the space with a clean towel. Puree until smooth. Pour pureed chile mixture into large bowl.
3. Heat remaining tablespoon oil in a large dutch oven over medium high heat. Add beef to pan and saute until browned on all sides. Remove beef from pan. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add bell pepper to pan and sautee until browned (about 5 minues). Stir in pureed chile mixture and beef, bring to a boil. Cover reduce heat and simmer for about 1 1/4 hours or until beef is tender. Add beans, cook 20 minutes, stir in salt and pepper to taste.
Serve chili with topped with as much sour cream as you like, cilantro and lime wedges.
While not shown, my family and I liked this stew over rice, which made it a more heartier meal. Let me know what you think.
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| Ancho Chile Beef Stew |
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