A few weeks ago, while I was making breakfast, Jake was watching Paula Deen and her sons on The Food Network (We love everything on TFN and on the Cooking Channel!) and when breakfast was almost done, he came downstairs just to turn on the TV and keep on watching the show. I didn’t realize that, until later that day that we went grocery shopping and he said “Don’t worry about dinner, I got it”- I also had to bake the Mardi Gras cupcakes, so the next morning I could frost them. Then I figured it out! He was going to grill something… While I was baking he was making this amazingly sweet smelling red wine reduction for a glaze. All I have to say is this is an amazing recipe, give it a try! Don’t be scared about the sweetness of the berries… The blue cheese and the wine take care of that!

Grilled Steak and Blue Cheese with Berry Glaze
Recipe from Paula Deen and Sons, The Food Network
Serves 6

Ingredients:

4 beef tenderloin filets, (9 ounce)
Steak Seasoning
salt to taste
pepper to taste
1 ½ cups red wine
½ cups water
2 cups sugar
1 pint strawberries, hulled
1 pint raspberries
1 pint blueberries
1 pint blackberries
3 tablespoons cornstarch
Blue Cheese, crumbles

Directions:

1. Preheat a grill to high.
2. Season the fillets with steak seasoning and salt and pepper, to taste.
3. Put on the grill and cook desired doneness.
4. Add the red wine to a medium saucepan over medium heat and reduce it by half.
5. Add the water, then add sugar and berries and cook for about 5 minutes. Add 3 tablespoons of cornstarch and stir until thickened.
6. Remove the steaks from the grill to serving dishes and top with sauce and blue cheese crumbles.

This is a great sandwich for a light supper. The olive cheese is very flavorful and it balances out with all the vegetables in the sandwich to give it a little punch… and also make it more filling.  I used crab meat, but you can make with sliced chicken or turkey ham.  Lets face it, sandwiches are dull, so if I want to get away with making a sandwich to serve my husband for dinner, I have to try to make it with as many ingredients as I can. Even use seasonings in it.  After a long day you don’t want to sit in front of two pieces of bland bread with ham and mayo, do you? A nice tomato soup would be a great accompaniment for this sandwich.

Pita Bread Sandwich with Olive-Cheese

Serves: 2
A Foodies’ Original Recipe

Ingredients:

2 pita breads
½ cup cream cheese
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
Chives, finely chopped (about 2 tablespoons)
10 green olives, chopped
6 Romaine lettuce leaves
1 Tomato, sliced
A few slices of cucumber
Chicken or crab slices
Dried basil leaves and pepper, as seasoning.

Procedure:

1. Slice open the pita bread.
2. In a small bowl, mix the cream cheese, mayonnaise, chives, olives, salt and pepper. (use salt sapringly, remember the olives are salty)
3. Spread this mixture inside both pita bread halves.
4. Arrange lettuce leaves, chicken or crab meat slices, tomato, cucumber.
5. Sprinkle with pepper and basil

Enjoy.

I saw an episode of the F Word the other day, and it featured an Argentinean restaurant that served empanadas, among other things. Gordon Ramsay was so delighted by them, that I felt like trying to make some of my own and see if I could pull it off. I had some ground beef in the freezer, and as you already may know… I’m not crazy about ground beef, so making a filling for empanadas sounded like a good way to eat it.

A couple of days later I made the dough, from a recipe I found online.  It was very easy to make, and I was surprised to see how easy it was to handle. It didn’t break appart at all, so forming the disks was easy.  The ground beef filling is my own recipe, I always use lean beef to avoid that awful taste that lingers in your mouth all day. These empanadas are winners, I made 12 and gave some to my mother in law, they didn’t last one day. Don’t be afraid to try this recipe I promise you it is not hard to make.

Beef Empanadas

Empanada Dough
This recipe is an accompaniment for Beef Empanadas.
Recipe From: Epicurious
Yield: Makes enough for 12 pastries

Ingredients

2 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 stick (1/2 cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 large egg
1/3 cup ice water
1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar

Procedure:

1. Sift flour with salt into a large bowl and blend in butter with your fingertips or a pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse meal with some (roughly pea-size) butter lumps.
2. Beat together egg, water, and vinegar in a small bowl with a fork. Add to flour mixture, stirring with fork until just incorporated. (Mixture will look shaggy.)
3. Turn out mixture onto a lightly floured surface and gather together, then knead gently with heel of your hand once or twice, just enough to bring dough together. Form dough into a flat rectangle and chill, wrapped in plastic wrap, at least 1 hour.

Filling:
A Foodies’ Original

1 lb ground beef, lean cut
½ white onion, finely diced
½ red bell pepper, finely diced
½ carrot, finely diced
1 garlic clove, diced
1 bay leaf
Salt and pepper
¼ teaspoon Oregano
½ teaspoon Cinnamon
½ teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon cumin
1 cup tomato sauce
2 teaspoons sugar ( to correct the taste if tomato sauce is to acidic)

1. In a large pan, heat a bit of olive oil and sauté the onions, bell pepper, carrot and garlic clove for a few minutes, until the onion is translucent.
2. Add the beef, the bay leaf, season with salt and pepper and add the rest of the spices. When the beef is no longer pink and has started to brown, add the tomato sauce. Correct flavoring by adding a little sugar if the tomato sauce is too acidic.
3. Let this mixture cool to room temperature.

Form and bake empanadas:

1. Put oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat oven to 400°F. Divide dough into 12 equal pieces and form each into a disk. Keeping remaining pieces covered, roll out 1 piece on a lightly floured surface with a lightly floured rolling pin into a 5-inch round (about 1/8 inch thick).
2. Spoon about 2 tablespoons filling onto center and fold dough in half, enclosing filling. Press edges together to seal, then crimp decoratively with your fingers or tines of a fork. Transfer empanada to a baking sheet. Make 11 more empanadas in same manner, arranging on 2 baking sheets.
3. Lightly brush empanadas with some of egg wash and bake in upper and lower thirds of oven, switching position of sheets halfway through baking, until golden, about 25 minutes. Transfer empanadas to a rack to cool at least 5 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

So, one monday afternoon I wanted to make something really nice for dinner. I thought: Chicken with a Mango sauce (and a little kick of Cayenne pepper). Sounds harmless, right? Wrong. I added Cayenne Pepper, tasted: not enough kick. Added a bit more, saw the paprika and thought… why not? A “kick to it” is an understatement. This was a sauce meant for spicy food lovers. We are not big on really spicy foods. With a kick, yes. Spicy, no. What to do?! I panicked- of course, and after a minute or so, we went online (I was chatting with Helga) and found this bit of advice “add more of every ingredient except the peppers”. I had used my two mangoes! What else can it go with this? Then I saw it on the fridge: Kiwis! Still spicy. Needed salt- but that was not the issue… What else… Think Kitty, think! Aha! Apple Cider Vinegar and a bit of orange juice. That did the trick. Saved dinner and got a Foodies’ Original recipe all at once!

Chicken with a Mango & Kiwi Sauce
A Foodies’ Original Recipe
Serves Three (or two very hungry guests)

Ingredients:

2 ripe mangos, diced
2 ripe kiwis, diced
1 tablespoon of orange juice
2 tablespoons of Apple Cider Vinegar
1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon paprika
2 chicken breasts
1/2 teaspoon of Red peppercorns, ground
1/2 teaspoon of Sea Salt
1/2 teaspoon of Garlic powder
1 teaspoon of Rosemary Leaves

Directions:

1. Dice the chicken breasts and mix with the ground red peppercorns, salt, garlic powder and rosemary leaves. Set aside.
2. Cut the peeled kiwis to 1/2 inch slices and then on half. This will make it easier to remove the kiwi’s seeds with a spoon. I’ve made this recipe twice and the seeds add a bit of bitterness to it.
3. Using a food processor or a blender, combine the mangos and kiwis. A few pulses should do.
4. Add the fruit sauce to a hot pan on medium heat, and sprinkle the cayenne pepper and paprika on top. Let it cook for about 5 minutes.
5. Add the orange juice and apple cider vinegar. Reduce heat to low.
6. Toss the chicken with a teaspoon of olive oil, and cook them over medium heat, letting them get brown on the sides.
7. To serve, put some mango and kiwi sauce on the plate, place the chicken on top and garnish with parsley.

I have to confess. This is not the first time I’ve made the recipe. The first time, I prepared it but the apples came out too soggy and I didn’t have the all-spice at hand, so I replaced that with pink peppercorn, garlic and some other recipes. It wasn’t as good and between this and that, I served dinner about 30 minutes later- we know, life gets in the way some days!-  and the result was the soggy apples. But, next time around (about 2 months later) I re-did the dish and with the all-spice at hand, it made it so much better!

Apple Chicken Skillet
Adapted from AllRecipes.com
Serves two.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 chicken breast, diced
1 apple, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon all spice
¾ teaspoon dried tarragon
pepper to taste
salt to taste

Directions:

1. Take the cubed chicken and season it with the garlic, salt and pepper.
2. Sprinkle the apple with half of the all spice, sprinkle with 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil and set aside.
3. Add the remaining olive oil to a hot skillet, wait for it to get hot and add the chicken. Let it brown on the sides first, this seals in the flavor!
4. Cook it for about 8 minutes, making sure to stir the chicken around. After the chicken is browned and cooked, add the apples and the remaining all spice. This will bring out the flavor in your dish.
5. Keep on stirring and cook until the apple is starting to cook, but make sure not to overcook the apples. The best thing about this dish is to take a bite and feel the crunch of the apple. You can scoop out one apple bite with a spoon to test it as you go. Serve immediately.

Notes:

• You can prepare this recipe with Green Apples, but try out with red apples. The All-spice is what makes the difference!
• If you don’t have All Spice handy, mix 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon plus 1/4 teaspoon of ground cloves and 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg.

I found this recipe from one of my magazine subscriptions and thought it looked tasty, and my husband would surely enjoy it for a light lunch.  Sometimes you need to cut back on indulging a little bit, and this is a great recipe for when you want a low fat meal but don’t want to compromise on flavor.  You can accompany it with some whole grain pasta, or with a green salad.  Remember foodies, we have to take care of ourselves so we can continue indulging on the other stuff from time to time!

Grilled Chicken with Roasted Tomato Salsa
Serves: 2
From Self Magazine

Ingredients:

2 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
1/2 teaspoon fresh oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 6 oz each)

Salsa:

1 pound fresh tomatoes, diced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 medium shallot, diced
1/2 cup diced onion
1/2 small jalapeño, cored, seeded and minced
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano

Procedure

1. Combine first 8 ingredients in a plastic bag. Add chicken; marinate at least 30 minutes.

2. Remove chicken from marinade; cook 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low, flip chicken and add leftover marinade to pan. Cook 5 minutes. Reduce heat to low. Cover chicken; cook 10 minutes. Divide among 4 plates; top each with 1/4 of the salsa. Serve immediately.

For Salsa

Heat oven to 400. Cover a baking tray with foil. To make salsa, spread tomatoes on tray; drizzle with oil. Add salt and pepper. Bake until lightly browned, 20 to 25 minutes. Combine tomatoes, shallots, onion, jalapeño, garlic and oregano in a bowl. Coat a large skillet with cooking spray. Heat over medium-high heat.

I love risotto, it’s one of those recipes that takes a bit to make them and require constant attention. I’ve heard of different ways of making risotto, but this is my ultimate recipe. You can add some white wine right after browning the arborio rice to add a more sophisticated flavor. Trust me, you’ll love it.

Chicken & Mushroom Risotto
A Foodies’ Kitchen Original
Servings: 6

Ingredients:
1 cup arborio rice, (risotto rice)
2 ½ cups chicken broth
1 ½ cup mushroom, cut in half
1 tablespoon of Adobo seasoning (or Maggi Seasoning)
1 garlic clove, minced
½ onion, chopped
1 tablespoon rosemary
1 tablespoon basil leaves
1 tablespoon thyme
salt and pepper to taste
olive oil
½ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
½ cup butter

Directions:

1. Chop the onion and garlic into small bits and fry them with a little butter and olive oil. Add the thyme, basil and rosemary.
2. Mix the Adobo seasoning with the chicken.
3. Add the chicken and mushrooms, and stir for about 10 minutes, enough for the chicken to be 3/4 cooked.
4. Add the arborio rice and stir until the rice changes color slightly and add half a cup of chicken broth. Keep stirring.
5. It will be very soupy, but don’t worry. You’ll have perfect risotto in a bit. Reduce the heat and add in increments of 1/2 cup the chicken broth, stirring constantly to reduce the liquid.
6. Slowly add the broth to the rice, slowly and stirring in between spoonfuls and keep stirring.
7. When the broth is reduced, add the butter and keep stirring. Remove from the heat.
8. Add Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper, stir and serve with parsley on top.

I saw an episode of the F Word, and it featured this recipe. It was made with pheasant instead of chicken but it looked so good and easy to make, that I decided to try it out.  It was really good.  The flavor of the bread sauce is very nice, it is smooth and because of the star anise it has a bit of sweetness to it.   The original recipe says you have to roast the bird for 25-35 min… I don’t know if this is because it was a different kind of bird, but it took my chicken 1 hour 15 min to roast properly.  Use a meat thermometer and be sure that the temperature reaches 175°- 180°F, the temperature will continue to rise after the chicken is removed from the oven.
Devils on horseback are prunes wrapped in bacon…. I can’t tell you how good those are. If you’re not gonna try this entire recipe, I recommend that you at least try these!

Chicken wrapped in Bacon
with Bread Sauce, and Devils on Horseback
Adapted from Gordon Ramsay
Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 Chicken (about 4 lbs)
6 Rashers of streaky bacon
3 sprigs fresh thyme

Bread Sauce:
4 cups milk
1 loaf white bread
4 pinches of thyme
1 Onion, peeled and sliced
5 Cloves
2 Star anise
8 Peppercorns, lightly crushed
1 Bay leaf
1 tablespoon Butter
8 prunes
4 slices bacon
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Procedure:

1. Pre heat oven to 375F Season the bird well with salt and pepper. Wrap the bacon all over to prevent the meat from drying out and secure with either cocktail sticks, or by tying with string.
2. Drizzle a little olive oil over the bird and sprinkle over some fresh thyme. Roast, basting occasionally, for about 1 hour 15 minutes, depending on the size of your bird.
3. Remove the chicken from the oven and rest the bird breast side down (to catch the juices), set the bacon to one side.

For the Bread Sauce:

1. Remove the crusts from the bread and cut into rough cubes. Transfer to a food processor, season with a little salt and pepper and ‘pulse’ until well crumbed. Add the thyme springs and blend again.
2. Sweat the onion in a little butter, add the cloves, star anise, crushed peppercorns and the bay leaf. Pour over the milk and bring to the boil. Taste and season if necessary.
3. Strain the milk through a sieve – using a wooden spoon to push through as much of the flavour as possible.
4. Return the infused milk to the heat and gradually add the breadcrumbs until you’ve reached your preferred consistency. Finally, whisk through the butter to add a little extra richness and gloss.

For the devils on horseback:

1. Simply slice the bacon in half lengthways and wrap around the prunes securing with a cocktail stick.
2. Pan fry in a little olive oil until the bacon is crispy and prunes have softened. (adding the olive oil will make the bacon extra crispy, but since the bacon already releases a lot of fat… add only a little oil)

Serve a leg and breast of chicken along side the bread sauce, and devils on horseback.

I made this recipe using the Roselle Syrup we posted a while ago. This sauce would also go well with pork; it has a sweet, tart flavor to it. You can use fresh thyme instead of rosemary if you prefer.

Roselle-Rosemary Chicken
A The Foodies’ Kitchen Original Recipe
Serves: 2

Ingredients:

2 chicken breasts
1 tablespoon butter
¼ cup onion, finely chopped
2 springs of fresh rosemary
½ cup chicken stock
¼ cup Roselle (Rosa de Jamaica) Syrup
Salt and pepper to taste

Procedure:

1. Season the chicken fillets with salt and pepper. Preheat the grill.
2. In a small pot, sauté the onion with a little butter. Add the rosemary springs, the chicken stock and the roselle syrup. Season with salt and pepper. Let the mixture simmer for about 5 min.
3. Grill chicken according to your griller’s instructions or brown them in a pan with oil and butter. When they are done, transfer them to the pot with the roselle-rosemary sauce and let it simmer for about 5 min longer.

Serve with rice.

Jake loves pasta, and cooking pasta! This is a recipe 100% him. He wanted to make his own twisted version of lasagna meets Chicken Parmesan and it was a hit! You can turn this into a 30-minute meal by using a pre-maid Italian seasoned tomato sauce. The cheese on top and the crunchy chicken are what makes this dish a winner.

Guest Foodie: Jake Van Ness’ Chicken Pasta
Yield: 6 Servings

Ingredients:
2 chicken breast, medium sized
1 egg, scrambled
1 cup bread crumbs, italian seasoned
cooking spray
Quick and Easy Tomato Sauce, or Italian sauce from the supermarket (saves time)
1 ½ cups uncooked pasta
1 cup Mozzarella cheese, shredded or torn

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 450ºF
2. Cut the chicken breasts into 4 or 5 pieces each.
3. Cover the chicken with the beaten egg, and then with the bread crumb mixture.
4. Heat a skillet and use a bit of cooking spray to cover the top and cook the chicken pieces, until they are brown and crispy on each side.
5. While the chicken cooks, prepare the pasta, and take it out just before it’s al-dente, usually 3-4 minutes before the box/package of the pasta directions say.
6. Place half of the tomato sauce on the bottom of a glass bakeware plate or baking dish.
7. Drain the pasta and place it over the sauce on the glass bakeware plate.
8. Place the chicken over the pasta, and cover with the remaining tomato sauce. Sprinkle the cheese on top.
9. Bake for 25 minutes or until the cheese is brown and crispy on top.