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Roasted Beets and Goat Cheese in a Citrus-Honey Vinaigrette

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In general, I like to alternate heavier meals (like last night’s Chicken Cordon Bleu) with something a bit lighter. A fresh salad of spinach in a citrus vinaigrette with beets and a bit of herbed goat cheese seemed perfect tonight. Since my hubby always likes to have some sort of meat or fish protein with dinner, I’m also roasting up a few Sweet Apple Chicken sausages. But the real star of tonight’s dinner is the salad.

I’ve made beet salads a few different ways, sometimes slicing and stacking the beets, other times cutting them into little cubes. Today it occurred to me that I could have a little fun with the stacked beets. So, I pulled out my bin of cookie cutters to find one which would be the right size for my beets. Apparently, my cookie cutter bin has a magnetic pull on my three-year-old. He was content in the living room playing with his cars and motorcycles, but the moment the bin came out, he was magically by my side asking to help. How can I say no to my little sous chef?

Little chef, making teddy bear and gingerbread man shaped beets.

This particular little sous chef happens to be quite the picky eater, albeit a very eager and creative chef. He was the mastermind behind Ice Cream Pizza, the artist behind teddy bear beets, and has recently been suggesting I make Vanilla Soup. (I’m still working on that one.) He’d eat peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and popcorn for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, every single day, if I let him. Which, much to his dismay, I do not. I just keep plugging along, exposing him to a variety of foods and hoping that if he’s hungry, he’ll eat. But it’s also my hope that by involving him in so much of the cooking process, he’ll be more likely to try new things. We’ll get there eventually.

Roasted Beet and Goat Cheese Salad in a Citrus-Honey Vinaigrette

Ingredients

  • 4 Beets
  • 4 ounces Goat Cheese
  • 4 cups Baby Spinach
  • 1/4 cup Walnuts, chopped

For the Dressing

  • Juice of 1 Lemon
  • Juice of 1 Orange
  • Juice of 1 Lime
  • 1 Tbsp Honey
  • 1 tsp Dijon Mustard
  • 1 Shallot, finely diced
  • 1/2 cup Olive Oil
  • Salt and Pepper
  • Zest from the fruits, for garnish

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut off the top and bottom of the beets. Wrap the beets in foil. Make sure they are thoroughly wrapped. Place the foil packet of beets in a baking dish on the middle oven rack. Cook for 1-2 hours, depending on the size of the beets, until the tip of a knife inserts easily. Cool. Using a knife, remove the skin. Slice or cut as desired.

For the dressing, combine all ingredients. (You should have about 1/2 cup combined juice from the orange, lemon, and lime.) Whisk to combine. Season with salt and pepper. Add additional olive oil, if desired.

Toss the spinach in a little dressing. Create a tower of alternating layers of roasted beet slices and goat cheese. Drizzle a little extra dressing on top. Sprinkle with chopped walnuts and citrus zest.

Black Bottom Banana Cream Pie

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What a week this turned out to be! We started the week thinking that our son was almost fully recovered from an allergic reaction to antibiotics. Then, a new symptom suddenly appeared on Wednesday night, which resulted in an all-nighter at the ER. By Thursday, he seemed well again. Then, Friday morning we received a phone call from the ER regarding his blood work, which resulted in more doctor visits and testing. Thankfully, we got positive news today regarding the testing and I think we can rest easy now.

Sweet, sweet relief!

Speaking of sweet relief… I have a real treat for you today. There used to be a really fantastic bar and restaurant in Hoboken, New Jersey called Lady Jane’s. I’m told that it closed a few years ago, which is a shame. The place featured a huge, horseshoe-shaped bar in the front with a few tables and several booths along the walls. In the back, there was a small, elegant dining room. Regardless of where you sat, you could order from the same delicious and creative menu.

During one of our visits to Lady Jane’s I had the most luscious dessert and every so often, I get the itch to recreate it. So, in celebration of my sweet baby boy’s health, we’re having Black Bottom Banana Cream Pie tonight. It’s the perfect combination of chocolatey crust and rich ganache, layered with fresh bananas and vanilla custard. A mound of fresh whipped cream and a sprinkle of chocolate shavings complete the decadent pie.

Black Bottom Banana Cream Pie

Ingredients

For the Crust

  • 2 cups Chocolate Wafer Cookies, crushed
  • 1 stick Unsalted Butter, melted

For the Ganache

  • 4 ounces Semi-Sweet Chocolate (4 squares of semi-sweet baking chocolate)
  • 1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp Heavy Cream

For the Filling

  • 3 cups Whole Milk
  • 1/3 cup Cornstarch
  • 1/2 cup Sugar
  • 1/4 tsp Salt
  • 1 Vanilla Bean, split in half lengthwise, seeds scraped
  • 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
  • 3 Egg Yolks
  • 2-3 Bananas, sliced

For the Whipped Cream

  • 1 cup Heavy Cream
  • 2 Tbsp Sugar

Directions

For the Filling

Combine the sugar, salt and half of the cornstarch in a sauce pan. Pour in the milk and vanilla extract. Add the vanilla bean and seeds to the mixture. Stir. Cook over medium heat for about 5-6 minutes until the mixture just comes to a boil and the sugar is completely dissolved. Remove from heat. In a bowl, lightly beat the egg yolks with the remaining cornstarch. Slowly add about 1/4 cup of the hot milk to the eggs and whisk to combine. Add another 1/4 cup of the hot milk and whisk to combine. (This slow addition of the hot liquid tempers the egg yolks and prevents them from scrambling when added to the hot liquid.) Pour the egg mixture into the pot. Bring the mixture to a boil, whisking constantly. Cook for a few minutes until the mixture thickens. Remove the vanilla bean. Pour the filling into a bowl. Place a piece of plastic wrap directly against the filling. Refrigerate for about an hour to cool. Meanwhile, prepare the crust.

For the Crust

Combine the cookie crumbs with the melted butter. Press the mixture onto the sides and bottom of a pie shell. Refrigerate.

For the Ganache

Place the chocolate in a bowl. Heat the cream, until it just begins to boil. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and stir until the chocolate completely melts. Pour the warm ganache into the pie crust.

Arrange banana slices in the ganache. Refrigerate for about 30 minutes.

Pour about half of the filling on top of the ganache and banana slices. Arrange another even layer of banana slices on top of the filling.

Cover the banana slices with the remaining filling. Refrigerate until thoroughly cooled.

Beat the heavy cream with the sugar until thick.

Top the pie with the whipped cream. Sprinkle with chocolate shavings, if desired. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

**Tip** Banana slices which are exposed to air will begin to turn brown. If you want to decorate the pie with banana slices, either wait until the last minute or toss the banana slices in a bit of lemon juice to slow the browning.



Cheddar and Garlic Biscuits

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Even the best laid plans can go wildly awry. The plan for last night was so simple. The kids and I had eaten dinner, my husband’s plate was ready to be reheated, and my running sneaks were awaiting my feet. In a couple hours, I would put the kids to bed, slip on my shoes for a run, then settle in on the couch with a couple glasses of champagne, and listen to an audio book with my hubby. A great, simple plan. And then my baby started favoring his left leg. Favoring became limping, which quickly turned into a complete refusal to bear any weight on his left leg. We ended up leaving our three-year-old at home with my sister and heading to the emergency room at what should have been my baby’s bedtime. Almost 10 hours later, we arrived home, exhausted from the harrowing ER experience. His pain was most likely the result of swollen joints related to the allergic reaction he’s still recovering from. Thankfully, he’s back on his little feet today and everyone is happy, albeit completely exhausted.

Tonight, an easy meal of leftovers is in order. The originally planned Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches will have to wait. I was about to plead exhaustion and forgo posting anything today. But I had a craving and it was nagging at me. The kids were playing outside with my husband, which gave me a little window of time to bring my craving to fruition. Think Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuits, fresh from your oven. You know the biscuits I’m talking about…the biscuits that are in and of themselves worthy of a trip to Red Lobster. In fact, I may skip the leftovers and just eat biscuits for dinner.

I searched around for an authentic recipe for Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuits. There are numerous copycat recipes out there, but they almost all call for Bisquick. I was intent on baking from scratch, so I read innumerable biscuit recipes and recipe reviews, put together my own version, and hoped they’d work out. They came out fantastic! If you love Red Lobster’s biscuits as much as I do, these are definitely worth a try!

Cheddar and Garlic Biscuits

Ingredients

  • 2 cups Flour
  • 1 Tbsp Baking Powder
  • 1/4 tsp Salt
  • 1/8 tsp Garlic Powder
  • 3 Tbsp Salted Butter, cold, cut into small pieces
  • 3 Tbsp Vegetable Shortening, cold
  • 1 cup Buttermilk
  • 1 cup Cheddar Cheese, shredded

To brush on the biscuits:

  • 3 Tbsp Salted Butter
  • 1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
  • 1/2 tsp Parsley Flakes

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Lightly coat baking sheets with cooking spray. In a bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, and garlic powder. Add the 3 tablespoons of cold butter and 3 tablespoons shortening to the flour mixture. Use a dough cutter or fork to blend the butter and shortening with the flour. Pea-sized bits of flour-coated butter and shortening should be dispersed throughout the mixture.

Stir in the buttermilk and cheese. Do not overmix. Use an ice cream scoop or measuring cup to drop mounds of the dough onto the prepared baking sheets.

Bake for about 15-20 minutes.

Meanwhile, melt 3 Tbsp butter in a small pan. Stir in the garlic powder and parsley flakes. Allow the mixture to cook for a minute. Brush over the baked biscuits.

Makes 10-12 Biscuits


How to Open a Coconut

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There are many different strategies for opening a coconut. Here’s a little guide to the approach I took.

Start with a fresh coconut. You should be able hear the coconut liquid sloshing around inside when you shake it.

Use a sharp knife or nail to find the softest eye.

Puncture the eye with the knife or nail.

Allow the coconut liquid to drain into a glass or bowl. Drink the sweet liquid or refrigerate until use.

Whack the coconut with a mallet or hammer until it cracks. This little guy enjoyed giving the coconut a little whack, but grown-ups are better equipped to handle this step.

Alternately, place the coconut in a plastic bag and give it a firm slam onto concrete or another hard surface. This strategy was the easier of the two. Note the sunglasses, hooded sweater and lack of pants on my three year old. This is how he insists on dressing when the temperature is in the 90's. Kids!

To remove the coconut meat, insert a butter knife between the meat and the shell all the way around. Use the leverage from the butter knife to pop the meat out.

Boom and Roar

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From the boom of the fireworks to the roar of Niagara Falls, our 4th of July weekend was a blast! We spent the day in Buffalo visiting with dear friends and their two little children. The kids played themselves silly, caused an appropriate amount of mischief, ran, biked, and jumped until their eyelids grew heavy.

We dined on a delicious dinner of grilled burgers, hot dogs, and chicken with corn on the cob, garlicky green beans, and Caprese salad.

After dinner, the two older boys and the dads pitched a tent in the yard. My three year old came prepared with everything a little boy could need for his first campout; a lantern, binoculars, and his best friend, Elephant.

Once the kids were settled in their sleeping bags and beds, the adults relaxed around a fire pit for a few drinks and more than a few laughs, with the crack of fireworks in the air.

The flag cake was a grand success. And since I know you’re curious, here’s a picture of the inside.

The next morning, our gracious hosts prepared fresh fruit and yogurt smoothies and cheesy eggs with sausage. Before heading home, we all made the short drive up to Niagara Falls for a quick peek. The most beautiful rainbow was awaiting us near the base of Horseshoe Falls.

America’s Birthday Cake

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Happy Birthday, America!

Over the past few days, we’ve made patriotic mixed berry mousse with creamy vanilla panna cotta. We’ve shown our pride with festive pretzel sparklers, coated in rich chocolate and rolled in sprinkles of red, white, and blue. But, today is your birthday America! So, we made you a birthday cake, of course. Close your eyes and make a wish!

As if cake batter weren’t irresistible enough to a three year old, try adding a few drops of highly concentrated gel color power. My son’s tongue was like a magnet to the batter and I became a bird of sorts uttering ah, ah, ah until my throat was dry. Somehow, we managed to get the cakes in the oven with only a slight consumption of raw batter and mostly unstained fingers.

This is no ordinary birthday cake. On the outside, it appears plain white and completely unassuming. But, the inside is extraordinary. At least, I hope it will be extraordinary! At this point, I can only imagine what the inside will look like. We’ll be cutting the cake later today, as we celebrate the 4th with friends. For now, here’s a little look at the construction of America’s birthday cake.

Mix up a white cake batter. One box of cake mix will do the job!

Ensure that the cake batter is delicious. Quality control is essential.

Split the cake batter approximately into thirds, with a little extra in one of the bowls. Use gel food coloring to mix up some patriotic colors, making the biggest portion of cake batter red.

Pour the batter into cake pans (1 double-thick blue, 2 thin whites, and 3 thin reds) and bake according to package directions. Check the cakes often, since they are thin and will cook faster than any of the recommended cooking times. The thicker blue cake will take the longest.

Use a long serrated knife to level the cakes.

Frost a red and white layer together. Place the blue layer on top. Using a bowl as a guide, cut a circle through all three layers. Discard (eat) the inside of the blue layer and the outside of the red and white layer.

The pieces will fit together like a puzzle.

Build the base of the cake by spreading a thin layer of frosting between the layers. Place the cake layers cut-side down to spread the frosting more easily.

Place the red, white, and blue layer on the top.

To keep your serving platter clean, tuck wax paper along the edges of the cake while you frost. Spread a thin layer of frosting all around the cake. Think of this coat of frosting as the corset holding all of the layers and crumbs in place. Refrigerate until the frosting is firm.

Spread a second layer of frosting over the cake and decorate as desired. When the frosting is complete, gently pull the wax paper away.

Can you imagine what the inside will look like?

Hmmm…

Maybe just a little taste…

Wow! 234 years old! You wear your age well, America.

Cake idea inspired by 17 and Baking blog.

Chipotle Steak Quesadillas

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Remember when I told you to put the rest of that pureed chipotle in the freezer? You did that, right? Excellent! It’s time to take it out to defrost, because we’re making Chipotle Steak Quesadillas! No worries if you don’t have any pureed chipotle peppers hanging out in your freezer. Just pick up a can of chipotles in adobo (probably in the International section of your grocery store) and you’ll be ready to go. Rinse the chipotles, or not, and puree them in a blender or food processor. Store the unused pureed chipotle in your freezer. It’s great in dressings and marinades or as part of a chipotle butter.

This is a super simple, yet incredibly satisfying meal! It requires very little in terms of ingredients and cooks fast. In the quesadillas, we’re using juicy skirt steak, seasoned with chipotle pepper, and held together with melty pepperjack cheese. Skirt steak is generally known for being one of the toughest cuts of steak, but I’ve honestly never encountered a tough skirt steak. When cooked quickly at high heat and cut against the grain, they are incredibly flavorful and practically fall apart. Good substitutes for skirt steak would be flank or hanger steak. On the side, we’re having a salad of sweet corn, avocado, red bell pepper and a bit of jalapeno pepper. This bright, refreshing salad is a cool balance to the heat of the quesadillas.

Chipotle Steak Quesadillas

Ingredients

  • 1 pound Skirt Steak, about 2 steaks
  • 2 Tbsp Pureed Chipotle Pepper
  • Salt
  • 8 Flour Tortillas
  • 2 cups Pepperjack Cheese, grated

Directions

Preheat broiler. Place the steaks on a baking sheet. Season with salt and rub each steak with about a tablespoon of pureed chipotle. Place in the oven, a few inches under the broiler. Cook for 8-10 minutes, until steak reaches a minimum temperature of 145 degrees. Remove the steaks and turn the oven down to 375 degrees. Allow the steak to cool for a couple minutes, then cut into small pieces. Arrange 4 of the tortillas on a baking sheet. Sprinkle about 1/4 cup of cheese onto each tortilla. Divide the steak onto the four tortillas. Sprinkle 1/4 cup more cheese onto the steak. Cover with the remaining 4 tortillas. Bake in the oven for about 8-10 minutes, until the cheese is melty and the tortilla begins to feel slightly hard. Remove from the oven and allow the quesadillas to cool for a couple minutes. (This will make them easier to cut.) Use a pizza cutter to cut each quesadilla into six pieces.

*If desired, the meat can be cooked ahead of time and refrigerated until you’re ready to make the quesadillas.

Serves 4

Corn, Avocado, and Pepper Salad

Ingredients

  • 1 cup Sweet Corn Kernels
  • 1 Avocado, diced
  • 1 Red Bell Pepper, ribs and seeds removed, diced
  • 1 Jalapeno Pepper, ribs and seeds removed, finely diced
  • 1 Tbsp Lime Juice

Directions

Toss the Avocado in the lime juice to prevent discoloring. Combine all ingredients. Refrigerate.

Something for the Kids – Independence Day Pretzel Sparklers

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Independence Day Pretzel Sparklers

Here’s a little something for kids of all ages, inspired by Martha Stewart. I’ve made Magic Pretzel Wands before, but never Independence Day Pretzel Sparklers!! There’s a difference, you know!

This is a great little activity for kids. They’ll practice following directions and sequencing steps. Painting and rolling the pretzels builds important motor skills. And, it’s a great opportunity to learn about sanitary practices in the kitchen. (My little guy must have washed his hands 10 times over the course of the activity, since the chocolate on his fingers was way too irresistible not to lick.) Best of all…engaging your kids in something hands-on and memorable such as this, is a perfect opportunity to talk about why we celebrate the 4th of July.

To make the pretzel sparklers, simply unwrap the chocolates. (We used semi-sweet, but you can use white chocolate or milk chocolate too.)  Melt the chocolate slowly and gently in a bowl placed over a pot of simmering water. Melting the chocolate in a double boiler set-up will help to ensure a smooth result. Stir the chocolate as it melts. (Grown-ups or older kids should handle the melting.) Then, use a pastry brush to paint one end of a pretzel rod with the melted chocolate. Finally, roll the pretzel in patriotic sprinkles and refrigerate until the chocolate has hardened.

My little guy will show you how it’s done…

Unwrap the chocolates.

Melt the chocolate over a double boiler.

Paint the pretzel rods with chocolate.

C

Roll the pretzel in sprinkles.

Keep the pretzels away from the dog.

Bucket o' Pretzel Sparklers

Father’s Day Ice Cream Pizza

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Earlier in the week, I asked my three year old if he’d like to make something special for his daddy on Father’s Day. I suppose I shouldn’t have been surprised when his response was Ice Cream Pizza!

Here’s the version of Ice Cream Pizza we came up with…

First, we crushed vanilla wafer cookies.

To make our pizza crust, we combined 2 cups of vanilla wafer crumbs with 1 stick of melted butter. Then, we pressed the mixture into a tart pan and placed it in the refrigerator.

We softened ice cream and spread it onto the cookie crust, then placed it in the freezer.  Once frozen, we spread a layer of strawberry sundae topping on the ice cream as our pizza sauce.

We sprinkled shredded coconut cheese onto the sauce.

We topped our pizza with fudge and candy pepperoni.

Slice and enjoy!

Father’s Day Breakfast in Bed: Strawberry Stuffed French Toast and Bacon

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Are there ways of knowing whether a man will make a good father? Some sort of definitive predictors? Perhaps a checklist or a DNA test? If there were such a thing, what characteristics would they test for? What factors determine whether a man will become a great father?

My husband and I met in college. We certainly weren’t thinking of kids at the time. We were just kids ourselves. Some of our earliest memories involve pitching hot dogs out of his dorm room window to watch them explode. Our attraction had more to do with each other’s beer pong skills than it did with future parenting abilities. Could I have known at the time that he would someday make at great dad? At what point in our relationship did it start mattering? Could I have been certain, even as we said our wedding vows, that he’d be as excellent a father as he was a husband?

I’m not sure it’s possible to be absolutely positive that someone will make a good dad before they actually are one. Parenthood is such a life-changing experience.  It requires more of you than you’ve ever given; parts of you that you may not have known were there. Fourteen years ago, I couldn’t have known whether my husband would make a good father. But over the years, we got to know and love each other. We grew and matured together. And, in the way that he treated me, I came to know a good man; a selfless, considerate, gentle, and kind man.

So, I suspected. In fact, I would have bet money on it. But, it wasn’t until I saw the look on his face, in the moment our first son was born, that I knew for sure. He was a father and a dad all at once, in that instant. And, as I recovered from the birth and a debilitating spinal headache, he cared for our newborn baby with apparent ease. When I was nervous and uncertain, he was a natural; calm and confident. And, since those very first moments in the hospital, he has been a loving, selfless, and devoted father to our boys. The good man, who has loved me for all of these years, turned out to be the most wonderful father.

Did I luck out or were there clues in those early days? Probably a little bit of both. Come to think of it, it probably won’t be too long before he’s hanging out the window with our kids, throwing hot dogs onto the pavement, as they all laugh along. I’ll probably join in.

So, this morning we celebrated my husband, the wonderful father, with breakfast in bed. If I were cooking for my own amazing father this morning, there’d be corned beef hash, an egg over-easy, and well-done rye toast on the menu; a man after my own heart or more likely, I after his! (Love you, Daddy!!) But, my husband’s more of a strawberry-stuffed french toast kind of guy with applewood-smoked bacon on the side.

Strawberry Stuffed French Toast

Ingredients

  • 8 slices Challah Bread
  • 1 package Cream Cheese, softened
  • 1/4 cup Sugar
  • 8-10 Strawberries, sliced
  • 4 Eggs
  • 1/4 cup Cream
  • 1/8 tsp Salt
  • 1/4 tsp Cinnamon
  • 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
  • Butter, for pan
  • Powdered Sugar, for garnish
  • Maple Syrup

Directions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Place a baking sheet in the oven. In a bowl, beat together cream cheese and sugar. Spread the cream cheese mixture onto each slice of bread. Place sliced strawberries on four of the slices.  Use the other four slices of bread to create cream cheese-strawberry sandwiches. In a small baking dish, beat together eggs, cream, salt, vanilla, and cinnamon.  In a pan, heat a little butter. One at a time, dip each sandwich into the egg mixture, so that it lightly coats both pieces of bread. Cook in the pan, flipping once until both sides are lightly browned.  Then, place it on the baking sheet in the oven.  Repeat until each sandwich has been cooked.  Allow the sandwiches to cook for 5-10 minutes in the oven to ensure that they are fully cooked.  The cream cheese will be melty and the strawberries slightly softened. Cut each sandwich into two pieces and sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve with maple syrup.

Serves 4

Happy Father’s Day to my husband, my Daddy, and all of the wonderful fathers out there!

The Gourmand Mom

Good food, seasoned with a dash of life