Foodie Films: Chocolat & Fondues!

This month's Foodie Films luncheon paid tribute to chocolate, as it is a popular month to give and enjoy chocolate treats. What better movie to celebrate chocolate with than Chocolat?!

Nominated for 5 Academy Awards(R) including Best Picture, Best Actress, and Best Supporting Actress, CHOCOLAT is the beautiful and captivating comedy. Nobody could have imagined the impact that the striking Vianne would make when she arrived in a tranquil, old-fashioned French town. In her very unusual chocolate shop, Vianne begins to create mouth-watering confections that almost magically inspire the straitlaced villagers to abandon themselves to temptation and happiness! But it is not until another stranger, the handsome Roux, arrives in town that Vianne is finally able to recognize her own desires!

For our Foodie Films event, we enjoyed a sweet and savory fondue luncheon. It was an amazing spread that we all contributed to! Here's our fondue luncheon menu (with clickable recipes) which we enjoyed before watching the movie...

Fondues:
Garlic Parmesan Cheese Fondue
White Cheddar & Pepper Jack Cheese Fondue
Ghiradelli Chocolate Fondue
Buttery Caramel Fondue
Savory Dippers:
Bread Cubes
Turkey Bratwurst
Grilled Turkey Cutlets

Vegetable Platter:
Cubed Zucchini
Red & Yell Bell Pepper Slices
Steamed Asparagus
White Button Mushrooms
Baby Carrots
Broccoli Florets

Annie's Breakfast Casserole
Sweet Dippers:
Johns Angel Food Cake
Nicole's Pound Cake

Fresh Fruit Platter:
Strawberries
Grapes
Canteloupe Slices
Honeydew Slices
Granny Smith Apple Slices
Banana Slices

Anna's Chocolate Cake Balls

Preparing a day before:

• For my fondue luncheon, I opted for a simple yet colorful runner and silver chargers for my dinner plates to rest on.
  
  
• I normally don't use any centerpieces because the focus on my tables are usually the food and wines. But if you wanted to have a centerpiece, I would suggest something simple and low so that you and your guests are able to see each other across the table. Nothing is more annoying at a table than a centerpiece you have to dodge around to see and speak comfortably with guests!
  
  
• To save time, I set the table the night before with all the serving ware & utensils, dinnerware, appropriate flatware, glassware, chargers and linens.
  
  
• Since this luncheon is a potluck, I have various serving ware (bowls & platters) and serving utensils ready for friends to transfer their potluck dishes into. This allows a more streamlined presentation at the table and ensures all dishes can be passed easily. When having a family style meal, it's important to note that your serving pieces should not be too heavy and are easy to pass. Avoid large, heavy serving pieces or ones that are an awkward shape for your guests to handle at the table.
  
  
• For every 3 people attending, I have a water carafe and a bottle of wine set on the table which prevents having folks to get up for drinks.
  
  

Preparing the day of:

• In the living room, I positioned our seating to accomodate the number of guests around our tv. The movie is ready in the DVD player and is set so I all I have to do is press play.
  
  
• When I fondue, I use small crockpots rather than an actual fondue set. I prefer these because I can use them for other things aside from fondue (I'm not big on unitaskers!). These small crockpots come in handy and I find them much easier and safer to use than traditional fondue pots. I set 4 mini crockpots on my buffet and kept the fondues warm there until guests arrive.
  
  
  

Preparing 1 hour before guests arrive:

• Regardless of whenever my event is scheduled, I finish preparing the dishes I'm serving about 1 hour before my guests arrive. I don't like fussing over things I need to do when guests are over so I make sure I set my deadline to 1 hour before they come... that way when they are here, I can give them 100% of my attention.
  
  
• When folks are bringing dishes to a potluck, it can be a little challenging as the hostess, especially if I'm not ready for them. One big distraction is a cluttered and messy kitchen. An hour before guests arrive, aside from having my prepared dishes ready, I also clean my kitchen and workspace:
  -- No dirty dishes, pots, and pans are allowed in my sink when they arrive - friends can wash up and do some last minute prep without having obstacles in the way in the sink. I also make sure soap and paper towels are refilled if needed.
  -- My stove, oven and microwave are clear of any pots, pans, bakingware and are wiped down clean - friends can use my stove and ovens to warm up or finish cooking their dishes.
  -- The garbage has been taken out and a fresh empty garbage can is nearby - so folks can discard foil, plastic wrap, packaging, etc without asking where the garbage can is and from having the garbage can getting too full.
  -- Counterspace is all wiped down and is ready for friends to use.
  
  

Preparing 15 minutes before guests arrive:

• About 15 minutes before my guests arrived, I filled my water carafes with ice and water, opened up my wine so they could breathe a bit and lit my tealights to set the mood. Soft jazz is playing, however if you wanted more of an Italian mood, play some Italian music!
  
  
• I also check the bathroom to ensure there is enough toilet paper available, the hand soap is refilled and clean hand towels are ready.
  
  
• Lastly, I do one more walk through of the places where my guests will be going through to check for cleanliness - living room, second bedroom, bathroom, dining room & table and kitchen.
  
  

Event start time/as guests arrive:

• As guests arrive and settle in, I have them place their coats/jackets/belongings.
  
  
• I also have drinks and appetizers ready for folks to nosh on while we await for all my guests to arrive.
  
  
• I then welcome them into the kitchen to plate the dish they've brought to the potluck. If they need to do any last minute prep, my kitchen is available for their disposal. If they need to transfer their dish to something smaller or more appropriate, my serving ware and serving dishes are ready for their use.
  
  
• If folks need to use the oven, I remove any dishes being warmed, plate and set on the table.
  
  
• Once their dishes are plated, I take them to get photographed (for blog and our group website purposes) before we place them on the table.
  
  
• For my parties, I generally allow a 30 minute cushion to allow for traffic, parking, and public transportation timing. I tend to start our meal 30 minutes after the set time I indicate in my invitations. This is communicated to my guests and I also welcome them to arrive early if needed.
  
  
  

About 30 minutes after our event time/as guests arrive:

• We all gather at the table and do a round of introductions along with a little explanation or information of what we brought to share at the table.
  
  
• Then we dig in! It's such a great time to be able to enjoy various dishes and learn about the recipes and each other.
  

After lunch:

• We moved into the living room and settle in with our food coma to watch the movie. Unfortunately we had some major technical difficulties and were unable to watch the movie... however my friends are great for their flexibility and we ended up playing the board game, Eat It! instead.
  
  
• We was definitely a fun time enjoying a fabulous meal and a great afternoon with friends!
  

Guava Pound Cake

For a Cuban inspired dessert, I made a guava pound cake which I served with a homemade strawberry & banana vanilla soy ice cream. This pound cake recipe was recently featured in Ashlee's blog where she used the recipe for a cake. It's a recipe from Paula Deen and much to my surprise, it wasn't as heavy as I expected.

To adapt Paula Deen's pound cake recipe with a Cuban flair, I substituted 1 cup of sugar with 1 cup of guava syrup... and it came out beautifully and moist!

Guava Pound Cake
pound cake recipe adapted from Paula Deen

1/2 pound (2 sticks) butter
2 cups sugar
1 cup guava paste
1 cup sour cream
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3 cups all-purpose flour
6 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar together. Add the guava paste, sour cream and mix until incorporated. Sift the baking soda and flour together. Add to the creamed mixture alternating with eggs, beating each egg 1 at a time. Add the vanilla and pour the mixture into a greased and floured 10-inch tube pan. Bake for 1 hour 20 minutes.

Shrimp & Mango Skewers

With a Cuban inspired dinner menu planned in February, I wanted to give a taste of the tropics despite the cold winter weather. I always thought food on a stick were fun so skewers were added to my menu. These shrimp and mango skewers are both sweet and savory as well as colorful! They're easy to make and lend a nice refreshing flavor.

Shrimp & Mango Skewers
original Joelen recipe

1 cup homemade salsa verde
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
2-3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 lbs shrimp (jumbo size)
1-2 cups fresh mangoes, cubed
chopped cilantro for garnish
lime wedges for garnish

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees (or warm your grill to a medium heat).

Prepare your salsa verde (or use a bottled version) and add the minced garlic and oil. Stir to combine to create a basting sauce.

Skewer the shrimp and mangoes alternately onto your skewer (I used metal skewers).

Once they are all threaded onto the skewers, brush the salsa verde basting sauce over the prepared skewers and place on a baking sheet.

Bake in the preheated oven for 7-10 minutes until shrimp are pink and cooked through.

Serve on a platter with lime wedges and garnish with freshly chopped cilantro.

Whole Baked Tilapia Cuban Style

For a Cuban inspired dinner, I prepared the following recipe. It was both easy and flavorful and definitely a hit among our guests! The recipe comes from Emeril Lagasse and I used whole tilapia fish. I will definitely make this again!

Whole Baked Tilapia Cuban Style
recipe adapted from Emeril Lagasse

2 (3-pound) whole fish, such as striped bass, tilapia, flounder, or sole, cleaned and scaled
2 limes, juiced
3/4 cup Spanish olive oil, divided
2 onions, peeled and thinly sliced, divided
1 large green bell pepper, cored, seeded, and thinly sliced, divided
1 lemon, sliced thin
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon dried oregano, crumbled
1 cup tomato puree
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 cup dry white wine
Sliced green onions for garnish

Rinse the fish well under cold running water and pat dry on both sides as well as inside the cavity. Make several slits about 1/3-inch deep on both sides of the fish. Place the fish in a non-reactive shallow dish or platter and pour the lime juice over the fish. Set aside while you continue with the preparations.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Rub the bottom of a shallow glass or ceramic dish large enough to hold the fish with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Saute 1/2 of the onion slices and 1/2 of the pepper slices in 2 tablespoons olive oil and then place along the bottom of the baking dish. Lay the lemon slices over the vegetables, but reserve a few slices to stuff inside the fish. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons more of the remaining Spanish olive oil and season with salt, black pepper, to taste, and crushed red pepper flakes. Place the fish on top of the sliced vegetables.

Using a mortar and pestle, combine the garlic, kosher salt and oregano and mash to form a paste. Spread the garlic paste inside the cavity of the fish and into the slits on top. Place the remaining lemon slice inside the cavity of the fish. In the same small bowl that you used to make the garlic paste, combine the tomato puree and vinegar and stir to combine. Pour this tomato mixture all over the fish. Top with the remaining onion and pepper slices and drizzle the remaining olive oil and the wine over the top. Season again with salt and black pepper, cover the dish loosely with aluminum foil, and bake until the fish flakes easily when pierced with a fork, 45 to 50 minutes. Garnish with the green onions and serve hot or warm, with the pan juices drizzled over all.

Winner of Foodie Freebie Friday: Cook's Illustrated!

Are you ready for the weekend?! It boggles my mind that we're just finishing the month of February and it's soon to be March! For this week's Foodie Freebie Friday, I was curious to see what cooking and baking resources (books, magazines, websites, etc) use to inspire and guide them in the kitchen. It was a great response of so many places to find recipes, tips and hints! I think it just goes to show how much of an impact cooking and baking has since we all have to eat.

It was especially interesting to see how many enjoy using online sources such as food blogs reflected in personal Google Reader listings and specific recipe websites including AllRecipes.com, FoodNetwork.com, CookingLight.com, Recipezaar.com, etc. There were also many that referred to classic & popular cookbooks such as Joy of Cooking, Better Homes & Gardens, and Baking: From My Home to Yours.

I use a combination of resources using the internet and cookbooks I've collected over the years. With many dinner parties I host around a theme, Google and my Google Reader has been a great tool for inspiration. My cookbook collection is varied where half offer recipes for specific cuisines, types of foods and/or are chef specific. The other half of my collection are more culinary reference books and textbooks with some culinary reads mixed in (think Tender to the Bone, Garlic & Sapphires, Heat, Mangoes and Quince, etc.) Then there are my large wicker baskets of magazine subscriptions including Cook's Illustrated, Saveur, Gastronomica, Cooking Light, Food, Taste of Home, Clean Eating, and Diet & Nutrition. .. and a handful of other trade magazines and publications. Writing these all out, I'm wondering if I should scale back on the amount of culinary information I'm housing!

So for this week's Foodie Freebie Friday, a lucky reader will get a 1 year gift subscription to either the Cook's Illustrated Magazine or Website! It's a hard choice to decide between the two since they both are great resources for cooks and bakers alike!


Magazines: More than 1.3 million home cooks rely on Cook's Illustrated and Cook's Country magazines to provide trusted recipes that work, honest ratings of equipment and supermarket ingredients, and kitchen tips.


Websites: Our websites allow members online access to 16 years worth of recipes, menus, up-to-date equipment and ingredient ratings, and video content, including episodes of America's Test Kitchen. Members can easily search for, and print, recipes and shopping lists, build menus, watch videos, plus more.

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

19

Timestamp: 2009-02-27 14:10:43 UTC

Comment #19 comes from Laure who said...

The Joy of Cooking is my cooking & baking bible. I am not sure how a household can survive without a copy of this book! My copy is very worn, very loved. I think it's great to know the basics so that you can feel comfortable with your skills, and build on them with your own unique creativity.

February 23, 2009 10:16 AM

Congratulations Laure! Will you choose the magazine or the website subscription? Please email me at itsjoelen@gmail.com so I can confirm which subscription you'd like!

Thanks again to all those that commented and stay tuned to the next Foodie Freebie announcement on Monday,March 2, 2009! Don't feel discouraged if you haven't won yet - I have a whole year's worth of freebies ahead and next week is one that you won't want to miss!

Cuban Dinner Menu for Rockstars

This coming Friday night (eek - tomorrow!), my husband's long time childhood friends are coming over for dinner. They have known each other since their early teen years through the church they attended. Back then, they played in the church band together. Over 15 years later, my husband and his friends have recently reunited and they started getting together every week to have jam sessions like the "good old days."


My husband plays the drums (yep - I married a drummer!) while the others switch off playing guitar, bass and doing vocals. It's fun hearing them play covers and they're actually really good! This week instead of their usual jam session, we've invited them over for dinner. I feel the need to impress since my husband has talked me and my cooking skills up... the pressure! While determining what to serve, I decided on a Cuban inspired menu. Here's what I have planned and stay tuned for the rest of the recipes and pics of tomorrow's dinner!

Appetizers:
tortilla chips
pico de gallo
guacamole
pineapple salsa cream cheese dip

Entrees:
shrimp & mango skewers

whole baked Cuban style tilapia


Sides:
arroz con gandules (rice with pigeon peas)

spicy black & white beans

mandarin orange & roasted beet spinach salad


Dessert:
guava sour cream pound cake
strawberry banana ice cream

Potato Chips with my Japanese Turning Slicer

A few weeks ago, my husband and I had dinner at our favorite local sushi restaurant. While there, we sat at our fave seat in the upper balcony of the restaurant, overlooking the sushi chefs as they prepare various rolls. One item that particularly interested me was their beautiful garnishes. The sushi chefs had a large bowl of raw beets and carrots cut into delicate and colorful strings. They used these vegetable strings as garnish to all the platters of sushi they prepared. I knew before we left that night I just had to ask about how they made these strings.... and the sushi chef was so kind to tell me that they used a Japanese turning slicer.


I just had to get my hands on one so I could create some strings of vegetables! I researched and asked around among my foodie circles until success! My husband and I came across them at our favorite asian market, thanks to my friend Colleen, author of The Mere Mortal's Guide to Fine Dining. She tipped me off to check at our fave market and there is was in all it's glory!

I soon learned that this tool has been used by contestants on Top Chef and was thrilled to have it in my kitchen too! This turning slicer is used for making spiraling fine cut carrots, potato strings, beets, daikon radishes or cucumbers and more. It comes with 4 stainless steel, interchangeable blades (slice blade, and fine, medium & coarse blades) to make different sizes and cuts for different foods.


One of the things I've already made using my turning slicer is potato chips! This tool makes it super easy to have curly potato spirals or even slices... all within a matter of seconds. To make, I just attached the potato into the slicer, turn the crank and drop the spiral sliced potatoes into hot oil to fry. I double fried them in small batches to they came out crispy. After the second fry, a simple seasoning of garlic salt was all that was needed before enjoying!

Stay tuned to more things I'll be doing with my new kitchen toy! It certainly makes cooking with vegetables fun and interesting!

Want Cheap Eats? Host a Food Exchange!

My friends and I all like to cook/bake but it sometimes it gets old eating the same meal for days on end, especially if the recipe is written for several servings you don't really need or want to bother to half. So my friends and I decided to put our kitchen skills to work and share large batch meals for others to enjoy!

This past weekend I started a new event for my cooking group, What's Cookin Chicago. My Brunch & Barter event is one that started over the weekend and it was a great success! Over the past two years, I have hosted swap events revolving around a specific food (cookies, cupcakes, muffins, etc). I've switched it up by having participants decide what to make and barter with everyone. If you think back to the popular cookie swaps that often happen during the holidays, this is pretty similar but instead of cookies, we're meal swapping! Attendees prepare and package the same meal for those attending, brings them to where we're meeting up together and everyone takes a packaged meal from everyone, leaving with a whole assortment of meals to enjoy for weeks to come.

For our recent Brunch & Barter event, I prepared my Thai Green Curry Chicken over brown rice and some meat empanadas for everyone. In return, I came home with some delicious meals including:

• Lemongrass pork chop with fried rice
• Gorgonzola Pasta
• Mushroom Risotto
• Spinach Lasagna Rolls
• Smoked Paprika Chicken Stew
  

This Brunch & Barter monthly event was inspired by another food community I'm active in. We have been doing it now for a few months and I wanted to share this fun monthly event with What's Cookin Chicago. If you're interested in perhaps doing this with your friends and family, read on for details (modeled from the food group I participate in)...

Number in Group - Attendance at each gathering is capped at 10 so that participants are never making more than 10 servings of anything. Couples will be counted as one serving (unless each person wants to be counted as one participant, in which case they will bring multiple servings of two separate dishes.)

Brunch & Barter Meetup Location - This monthly event will meet on the last Sunday of each month for brunch. The location will change with each month and will be decided by a participant who will host as the organizer.

The Food - Each participant will bring one pre-portioned serving of their food for everyone who has RSVP’d to come that month. A serving is whatever you think it is for your food item. There will be no restrictions on the food/recipe you make. If you wish to participate and have a specific food restriction, allergy or diet, you're welcome to join in but you must let everyone know what food you cannot have. We cannot guarantee all your food restrictions, allergies and/or diet specifics will be accommodated since we don't want to limit those participating from using a whole list of ingredients.

The Containers/Delivery System - Everyone in the group will buy 10 of the Gladware 3 1/8 cup square entree sized plastic containers (it’s the approximately 7” x 7” square). You’ll portion your food into those containers to bring and hand out at the meetup. There is no need to fill the container, just put in whatever is a serving to you. Please label your containers with the name of the dish on a piece of masking tape (which can be peeled off easily without ruining the container). If there are garnishes or other elements that are to be added to your dish before serving, please indicate that on the container.

The Process - We'll all meet for brunch at the chosen location. After our brunch and the table is cleared, each person will put their servings at their place at the table. Each person will then move about the table, collecting one serving from each of the other participants.

Each of us will have the opportunity to take turns being the organizer/host each month. Each time we meet, someone can offer to organize the next month’s gathering and choose where we will be meeting for our Brunch & Barter. The organizer will be responsible to make reservations for the group at the restaurant where we will be gathering if needed.

How to Participate - Participants will need to RSVP no later than one week before the monthly gathering. You will also need to post what you are bringing no later than three days prior to the meetup event. This is to help make sure we have a balance in the food that can be eaten and/or frozen to enjoy later.

Remember that the core purpose of the Brunch & Barter will be for participants of our group to exchange meals we've made with minimal hassle and restrictions over a great brunch!

Dinnerware 101 by Cookware.com

Because I do quite a bit of entertaining every weekend, I often get emails from readers about my dinnerware. With so many things to consider when it comes to dressing your table, I thought it would be a good opportunity for my friends at www.Cookware.com to share their thoughts about dinnerware. Special thanks goes out to Khara for her team's article!

Dinnerware 101

Exactly how many sets of dinnerware does the average household need? This is a question that comes up time and time again amongst my foodie friends! Sure, it's easier when you're living alone, as all you really need is one, maybe two sets. A nice, basic, machine washable set for everyday use and maybe a nice set of china for special occasions.

As you start to grow your family, however your cooking habits start to change. You're making more food more often, not to mention entertaining out of town family and other guests. Two dinnerware sets will no longer suffice! How do you determine what pieces are absolutely essential and what pieces are "extra?" Let's break it down and go over the basics that every household should not do without.

What's It Made Of?:

First things first, you need to decide what type of dinnerware you need. You have several options to choose from!

• Bone China: Bone China dinnerware is the highest quality porcelain dinnerware on the market today. Considerably more expensive than standard china dinnerware, bone china is usually only available in white or ivory but can be purchased glazed or with ornate detailing. You most certainly get what you pay for, as bone china is deceptively hard and resistant to chipping and cracking. This is hard to believe as bone china dinnerware looks very delicate and fragile.
• Fine China: If you don't want to spend the extra money, having at least one set of fine china is perfectly acceptable. Also considered very durable, fine china is most often available in white or cream but can be glazed in a variety of different colors. Essentially, it looks similar to bone china. You’re paying slightly less because the quality is not as fine.
• Porcelain: Having at least one set of standard grade porcelain dinnerware is absolutely essential. Available in a bunch of colors and patterns, porcelain dinnerware is considerably more affordable than fine china and bone china. Durable, microwave and dishwasher safe it’s perfect for families.
• Stoneware & Earthenware: While not absolutely necessary, the earthy appearance of stoneware and earthenware dinnerware is appealing to many consumers. Stoneware is extremely durable and available in a variety of colors, most are oven, microwave and dishwasher safe. It is produced from a dense clay and may be glazed in different thicknesses to create a unique textured look.
  
  Earthenware, the oldest form of dinnerware is available in a myriad of color options. If you plan on placing your earthenware in the oven make sure you let it adjust to the hot temperatures before cooking with it. The one downside to earthenware is its fragile lightweight clay, which makes it not microwave or dishwasher safe.
  
  

What Makes A Place Setting?

• Formal Place Setting - 5 Pieces: If you plan on doing some entertaining having a nice set of formal dinnerware is absolutely necessary, but you're place setting will look different than a casual sit down dinner with the family. A formal dinner place setting should include a dinner plate, salad plate, teacup/saucer, bread/butter plate or a soup bowl.
• Casual Place Setting - 4 Pieces: If you are having a more casual meal with friends or family, you don't need as many pieces. Most casual place settings include a dinner plate, salad plate, soup bowl and a mug of some sort.
  
  

Other Things To Consider...

How many place settings do you need? Well this is determined by the size of your family or by how much entertaining you plan to do in a given year. Experts recommend that newlyweds register for 12 place settings. If you have a larger family, you might want to consider 18 place settings. Keep in mind, you can always purchase additional place settings if you find yourself short. If a certain dinnerware set you love is discontinued, you can purchase a different set and alternate both on your table to create a unique look.

In addition to your dinnerware, you might want to consider purchasing a server set as well. Server sets include matching platters, serving bowls, creamers and sugar bowls. You can fill in the rest of your table setting with sold-separately pieces like chip & dip sets, ramekins, casseroles, punch bowls, salad bowls, pasta bowls, etc.

By purchasing these pieces separately, you can exercise some creative control over your table. While a table full of bright white china dinnerware is certainly classic, change it up every so often by adding some brightly colored salad bowls or napkin rings. Now that we've covered all of the basics, you're on you're way to a truly stylish dinner table!

February Tour de Food Blogs

Thanks to Amy of From the French Kitchen, she has featured me in her Tour de Food Blogs! This tour is Amy's creation where she says...

"The idea came to me when I realized I have been reading the same few blogs for the past 4 months. I rarely look at other blogs that aren’t on my normal rotation. It wasn’t until I started clicking links from a blog that had tagged others that I started to realize I needed to broaden my food blog horizons. What better way to increase my recipe box while also bringing some visibility to other food blogs?" --Amy

So if you're interested, check out From the French Kitchen for her write up about yours truly and my culinary adventures... as well as her past and future posts of fellow food bloggers!

Stuffed Cabbage Rolls (Galumpkis)

I've been craving something comforting and meaty lately, especially after deciding on giving up meat (beef, pork, lamb, chicken... everything except fish and seafood) for Lent starting tomorrow. So I decided on stuffed cabbage rolls. The sweet and sour tang of a tomato sauce glazed over meat and rice stuffed cabbage definitely was in order!


A few bloggers fed my cabbage roll cravings recently including Tangled Noodle, Cassie and even Giz's twist on a traditional recipe! I went with a recipe from Tyler Florence since I haven't given him some recipe love lately. (Although I'm super ready to meet him again in a few weeks at an upcoming trade show!) It definitely hit the spot just as I hoped and these are great to freeze since the recipe makes a large batch!

Stuffed Cabbage Rolls (Galumpkis)
recipe from Tyler Florence

Sweet & Sour Tomato Sauce:
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, smashed
1 1/2 quarts crushed tomatoes
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper


Cabbage Rolls:
11/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons tomato paste
Splash dry red wine
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 pound ground beef
1 pound ground pork
1 large egg
1 1/2 cups steamed white rice
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 large heads green cabbage, about 3 pounds each


To make the sauce:
Coat a 3-quart saucepan with the oil and place over medium heat. Add the garlic and saute for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Add the vinegar and sugar; simmer, until the sauce thickens, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and remove from the heat.

Place a skillet over medium heat and coat with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Sauté the onion and garlic for about 5 minutes, until soft. Stir in the tomato paste, a splash of wine, parsley, and 1/2 cup of the prepared sweet and sour tomato sauce, mix to incorporate and then take it off the heat. Combine the ground meat in a large mixing bowl. Add the egg, the cooked rice, and the sauteed onion mixture. Toss the filling together with your hands to combine, season with a generous amount of salt and pepper.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Remove the large, damaged outer leaves from the cabbages and set aside. Cut out the cores of the cabbages with a sharp knife and carefully pull off all the rest of the leaves, keeping them whole and as undamaged as possible, (get rid of all the small leaves and use them for coleslaw or whatever.) Blanch the cabbage leaves in the pot of boiling water for 5 minutes, or until pliable. Run the leaves under cool water then lay them out so you can assess just how many blankets you have to wrap up the filling. Next, carefully cut out the center vein from the leaves so they will be easier to roll up. Take the reserved big outer leaves and lay them on the bottom of a casserole pan, let part of the leaves hang out the sides of the pan. This insulation will prevent the cabbage rolls from burning on the bottom when baked. Use all the good looking leaves to make the cabbage rolls. Put about 1/2 cup of the meat filling in the center of the cabbage and starting at what was the stem-end, fold the sides in and roll up the cabbage to enclose the filling. Place the cabbage rolls side by side in rows, seam-side down, in a casserole pan.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Pour the remaining sweet and sour tomato sauce over the cabbage rolls. Fold the hanging leaves over the top to enclose and keep the moisture in. Drizzle the top with the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Bake for 1 hour until the meat is cooked.

Caramel Crunch Bars

This week's Tuesdays with Dorie baking challenge are her Caramel Crunch Bars. These bars involve preparing and baking a buttery bottom base crust with a subtle hint of cinnamon and espresso. Chocolate is then sprinkled on top of the hot crust to melt and spread out smooth. The final touch is to top the chocolate with Heath Toffee Bits. Once cooled, it's ready for cutting and enjoying!


I had fun making these bars because I'm definitely a caramel and toffee fan. I prepared the recipe as written and my only change was substituting the Health Toffee Bits with Caramel Sprinkles I had on hand. The caramel sprinkles includes bits of raw sugar, almonds, and toffee and caramel bits. Overall it was a delicious bar that was super easy to make. They remind me of the popular Saltine Toffee Candy... only these are much easier to make and quite a bit more depth of flavor.


Check out Whitney's blog at What's Left at the Table? for the recipe and to see how other TWD bakers did with their experience making this, check out the Tuesdays With Dorie site!

Foodie Freebie Friday: Cook's Illustrated

Happy Monday! Hope you all had a wonderful weekend and are ready for a new week! It was quite an eventful weekend for me and just to share a little bit of news, in about a month, I'll be cooking & baking up in a bigger kitchen! We will be moving out of our condo/apartment and into a single family home just a stone's throw from the Chicago border - literally! I'm a little sad that we will be giving up our Chicago address but the up side is that we won't have to share any walls with neighbors!

With our upcoming move, I'm dreading the painstaking task of packing. One room I'm not looking forward to packing is our second bedroom, which is where I have my vast collection of cookbooks. I have so many that to make all the dishes I've bookmarked in my cookbooks could easily last a lifetime! Sometimes it makes me wish that I didn't collect so many cookbooks and solely use recipes found online.

One cooking/baking resource I rely on is Cook's Illustrated/America's Test Kitchen. They have such informative tips, tricks and hints, as well as helpful product reviews. What I really like about Cook's Illustrated & America's Test Kitchen is that they have so many mediums to reach their audience (taken from Cook's Illustrated):

Magazines: More than 1.3 million home cooks rely on Cook's Illustrated and Cook's Country magazines to provide trusted recipes that work, honest ratings of equipment and supermarket ingredients, and kitchen tips.


Cookbooks & DVDs: From our best-selling The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook and The New Best Recipe, to Annual Editions of our magazines and DVD sets for each season of our television shows, we offer more than 70 cookbooks and DVD sets from the editors of America's Test Kitchen.


Television Shows: Each week, the cast of America's Test Kitchen brings the recipes, testings, and tastings from Cook's Illustrated magazine to life on our public television series. With more than 2 million viewers per episode, we are the most-watched cooking show on public television. And now you can also tune in to watch the editors of Cook's Country magazine on our new television series filmed in our Vermont farmhouse kitchen.


Websites: Our websites allow members online access to 16 years worth of recipes, menus, up-to-date equipment and ingredient ratings, and video content, including episodes of America's Test Kitchen. Members can easily search for, and print, recipes and shopping lists, build menus, watch videos, plus more.

So for this week's Foodie Freebie Friday, a lucky reader will get a 1 year gift subscription to either the Cook's Illustrated Magazine or Website!

Some guidelines:
- Giveaway is only for those who live in the United States. My apologies to my international readers!
- You must have a valid email address so that you can be contacted if you win.

To enter the giveaway, leave a comment about:
- Do you have a favorite cookbook and/or cooking/baking resource? What makes it a favorite of yours?

Deadline: Thursday, February 26, 2009 at 12 midnight CST.

One Winner will be randomly chosen by Random.Org's Interger Generator based on the number of your comment and will be announced on Friday, February 27, 2009. Good luck!

Wine & Dine Roundup: Brazilian Carnival!

This month's Wine & Dine blogging event was all about Brazilian inspired dishes in honor of Carnival! While many here in the US are familiar with the Mardi Gras celebrations, other countries including Brazil are celebrating as well. Check out how I celebrated where I hosted a potluck Brazilian Carnival dinner with friends!

So who else is celebrating in their kitchens with Brazilian inspired recipes? Check out these blogs to found out! Thanks to all those that participated in the Wine & Dine blogging event this month. I encourage you to join in the fun in March where we're featuring Irish fare and lots of Guinness & Irish Cream!

Suzanne of My Adventures in Food
from Florida
Tangerine Caiparinha
The popular drink to have in Brazil is a caiparinha which uses a sugarcane liquor called cachaca. Suzanne makes a tangerine caiparinha to share for the Wine & Dine! Check out Suzanne's refreshing recipe and have one for a taste of Carnival!
Karen of Loves to Eat
from Florida
Sequilhos de Coco (Cornstarch & Coconut Cookies)
Karen brings some cookies to the Carnival party! These cookies aren't made with flour but rather with cornstarch. The result is a light cookie that is pretty flavorful. The best part? It doesn't involve any special ingredients and you can whip these up with what you might already have in your pantry! Check out Karen's blog for the recipe!
Cassie of Cassie's Ruminations
from Washington State
Peru Com Bacon (Bacon Wrapped Maple Turkey Bites)
Cassie has a wonderful Brazilian appetizer recipe for Peru Com Bacon (Bacon Wrapped Maple Turkey Bites). She first tried this dish at a restaurant in Colorado and the recipe is one she got from her mom. Check out Cassie's blog for the recipe and serve these up at your next gathering with friends and family!
Cassie of Cassie's Ruminations
from Washington State
Limonada Suiça (Brazilian Lemonade)
Cassie shares with us a second recipe for Brazilian lemonade. It sounds refreshing and includes an ingredient you probably wouldn't expect in lemonade. Curious as to what that is? Check out Cassie's blog to find out and get the recipe!
Lisa of Lime in the Coconut
from Maryland
Moqueca De Peixe (Brazilian Fish Stew)
Lisa's recipe for Moqueca De Peixe has a very special meaning. She served up this delicious fish stew dish for her husband on Valentines Day in honor of their honeymoon. They both went to Brazil for their honeymoon and while there in Trancoso, they tried this dish! Check out Lisa's blog for the recipe!