Risotto Again?!

Since I've returned from vacation , I can't seem to get into the cooking mode. Last night I decided to make risotto and clean out the cupboard at the same time. Since I did not have a shallot, I chopped up a small yellow onion and sauteed it in 4 tbsp. olive oil along with a handful of sliced baby bella mushrooms. After about 7 minutes I added the rice and a chopped clove of garlic and pretty much then followed my basic recipe. In the last 5 minutes I added the rest of a bag of frozen peas (about 1 cup) and the remains of a bag of frozen baby lima beans (about 1 cup). It turned out so good!! I love risotto more than any other food and it really is so easy easy to prepare.

Pizza Shoppe

One of my all time favorite pizza places in Kansas City is Pizza Shoppe. They have 25 locations, but we always go to the original, 7687 NW Prairie View in Platte Woods, MO, because it's the one nearest our home. They have been in operation since 1967 and serve up one of the best pizzas in Kansas City. They crust is thin and crispy and they don't skimp on the toppings. One of my favorite toppings is sausage, the kind my sisters refer to as the rabbit turd kind, because of the look. They both love the sausage too, so that's not a bad thing. We usually get the Queen size pizza, because the King is too much. Yeah, they have fun names for their pizzas and their salads. We typically get the Kings Favorite Salad and split it, it has more toppings than the Queens Favorite. The salad is topped with bacon bits, shredded Mozzarella, pepperoni slices, black olives and chopped ham. We always get the creamy garlic dressing , which is the best of the pink dressings in Kansas City. I don't know if this creamy pink concoction is a Kansas City thing only thing, but most locally owned pizza chains here have a version of it. We usually call (816-741-6111) and pick ours up. They have just recently renovated the center that the original is located in and have a brand new restaurant which is very nice and non-smoking.

Back from Mexico

I have returned, reluctantly. Mexico was beautiful and it was nice to lay on a beach all day with no worries. For the most part the food was great and I will go into detail later. We had some really great to some not so great food. I discovered my new most favorite drink, the Chelada. These were mugs with salted rims, ice cubes and lime juice. You then poured your beer into the mug and had the most refreshing drink for the beach , the pool or anywhere for that matter. I am totally addicted to them and will be looking for one around noon today. Adios for now, Amigos!

Mexico

We will be in Mexico starting tomorrow morning until next Tuesday. Can't wait to try the food and let you know how it is. We will be in Playa Del Carmen!!

Tarantino's Revisited

Last night, we went to Tarantinos. Okay, so we go there at least once a week. It's an addiction sort of. We also want to support them and make sure that they stick around, this is after all our favorite place to eat in Kansas City. You can't beat the price, the quality or the service. There aren't too many places where you go to eat and are made to feel like you are part of the family, not even your own homes sometimes. When you walk into Tarantino's you are greeted warmly by Joe and Trish, the owners, who seem to live there. Trish knows we want a cold Peroni and comes and sits at the table while she takes the order. Joe asks if the food was good and we always say, "of coarse, it's the best". I am very partial to the calzones, but have been branching out to other items. They make a mean Chicken Parmigiana sandwich, that gets your taste buds watering just thinking of it. Dan is sold on the meatball sandwich and the sausage sandwich. I love their thin crust pizza, one of my favorite ways to top it is with tomatoes, garlic and pepperchinnes. The crust is so good and they don't over sauce the pizza, like most chains do. And the calzones, well they are just pure heaven! They are located at 601 McGee Street, 1 block east of Grand. You can call for pickup orders too, just dial 816-421-0043 or use the same number to fax them an order.

Rosebud Theater District, Chicago IL

When we were in Chicago last month, another place we ate was Rosebud Theater District. Rosebud is a chain of Italian eateries in Chicago and we love eating there. When we ate there in the past and this particular place was called La Rosetta, the sign outside even says that still. Anyway, the food and the atmosphere is great and it's close to all the theaters. They are located in the Three First National Plaza building at 70 West Madison. Their website is http://www.rosebudrestaurants.com/ . I recommend making reservations, they were very busy this time, not so busy the time before. Our friend Jeff who lives in Chicago met us for dinner and we had a great time. We started with the Calamari Fritti ($10.95), which was a heaping big bowl full of lightly fried calamari served with marinara sauce. There was enough for six people, but it was so good. For dinner, Dan had the Cheese Ravioli($12.95) served in a marinara sauce, good but boring. Jeff had Chicken Milanese($16.96). This was a lightly breaded and sauteed chicken breast, topped with arugula, tomatoes, red onion and fontina cheese. I did not try it, but heard that it was excellent. I had Penne with Broccoli and Sausage($13.95), which was penne pasta served with broccoli florets and Italian sausage in an olive oil and garlic sauce. This was very good and the sausage had just the right bite!. Overall the dinner was excellent and the company even better. The total bill was $89.00 and that was with wine!. I highly recommend this place and am getting hungry just thinking about it.

Buffalo Burgers

Our organic/health grocery store Green Acres Market carries frozen buffalo meat. We bought some on our last expedition there and I used it to make burgers. I did my usual recipe and put them on the grill. The burgers turned out perfectly and the taste was great. I have read that buffalo has many health benefits. Not only does it have 70% to 90% less fat compared to beef, on average it has 50% less cholesterol. And on top of that, it is higher in protein, iron and all the omega and amino acids. The taste is less greasy and does not have a gamy taste like grass fed beef does. The buffalo that Green Acres sells comes from K.C. Buffalo Co. 2201 E. 203rd St. Belton , MO 64012. Their web address is www.kcbuffalo.com . It costs more than beef, coming in at 5.59 a pound, but the health benefits certainly out weigh the cost in my opinion. I will continue to buy buffalo as long as the grocery store carries it.

Chocolate Espresso Pudding Cake

This is such a rich cake, you'll have a hard time believing that it's low fat. There is no oil or eggs in the recipe, just 2 tbsp. of butter. You'll make this cake over and over , it's so easy. Serve it warm topped with fat free vanilla ice cream or fat free whipped topping.

Chocolate Espresso Pudding Cake

Cake:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
2 Tbsp. unsweetened baking cocoa
1 Tbsp. instant espresso coffee
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup skim milk
2 Tbsp. butter, melted
1 tsp. vanilla
Pudding:
1 cup sugar
2 Tbsp. unsweetened baking cocoa
1 tsp. instant espresso coffee
1 1/2 cups warm skim milk (120 to 130 degrees)

Heat oven to 350 degrees. In medium bowl, mix flour, 3/4 cups sugar, 2 tablespoons cocoa, 1 tablespoon espresso, baking powder and salt. Stir in milk, melted butter and vanilla until well blended. Spread in ungreased 9-inch square pan. In small bowl, mix all pudding ingredients except milk; sprinkle evenly over cake batter. Pour very warm milk over sugar mixture. Bake 35 to 45 minutes or until center is set and firm to the touch. To serve , spoon warm cake into dessert dishes.

Chicken Pot Pie

Last week, I had such a bad cold and needed comfort food. I decided to make an easy pot pie that I had made in the past, I just changed it up a bit. The chicken I used came from the organic grocer, it was an All Natural Rotisserie Campo Lindo chicken and I used a different base than usual. I found this Creamy Chicken soup from Imagine Organic at the same shop and thought it would be great. I used a mixture of corn, peas and baby Lima beans for the veggies. This one is definetly a keeper.

Chicken Pot Pie

2 cups cooked chicken
2 cups frozen vegetables
1 cooked carrot, diced
1 (32 oz) box Creamy Chicken Soup
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 tsp. Italian Seasonings
1 cup Reduced-fat all-purpose baking mix (like Bisquick)
1/2 cup skim milk
1 egg

Heat oven to 450 degrees. Mix chicken, vegetables and soup in a large sauce pan and bring to a simmer. In a bowl, mix baking mix, milk and egg until combined. Pour chicken mixture into 2 qt. round baking dish. Pour baking mix over the top of the chicken mix. Bake for 30 minutes or until top is golden brown.

St. Patrick's Bash

Last night we were invited over to the neighbor's for a St. Patricks Party. The invitation said lots of good food and drink and they were not kidding. I expected finger foods and appetizers, but Julia went all out. There was a huge spread of food from whiskey glazed corn beef to a Guiness beef stew. She had cooked cabbage, a Reuben sandwich ring and colcannon. Colcannon is a wonderful mix of mashed potatoes, cabbage and corned beef. All the food was excellent!! I will try to get recipes. Another neighbor brought over this Buffalo Chicken Dip that was to die for. A mixture of chicken, cream cheese and hot sauce. I asked for this recipe also. This was a very addictive treat.

Fruit Salsa

This fruit salsa is served as an accompaniment to the Triple Coconut Cake. The recipe called for 1/2 cup each of strawberries, pineapple, canned mandarin oranges and kiwi. I don't care for mandarin oranges or kiwi so her is my recipe.

Fruit Salsa

1 cup fresh strawberries, hulled, halved
1 cup fresh pineapple, diced
2 tsp. fresh mint, chopped
juice of 1/2 a lime

Stir all the ingredients together.

Tangy Pineapple Icing

This is the icing for the Triple Coconut Cake. You only need to drizzle a small amount onto the cake, a little goes a long way in flavor.

Tangy Pineapple Icing

2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 Tbsp. light corn syrup
1 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
2 tsp. lime zest , minced
1 cup pineapple juice
1/4 cup sugar
pinch of salt

Combine first 4 ingredients in a bowl. Boil pineapple juice, sugar and salt in a saucepan over high heat until reduced to 1/2 cup. Pour syrup mixture over powdered sugar mixture and stir. ( can be made 1 day ahead of time. Keep at room temperature; thin with lime juice if necessary).

Triple Coconut Cake

One of my favorite cooking magazines is Cuisine at Home. They always have great recipes, with easy to use instructions and beautiful color pictures. Since my April issue arrived , I have been dying to try out the recipe for the Triple Coconut Cake with Tangy Pineapple Icing. I finally got around to making it Monday night after many trips to the store for the ingredients that I kept forgetting. This cake is truly one of the best I have ever made. Dan, who does not even care for coconut, said it was his favorite. Cuisine at Home's web adress is www.cuisineathome.com

Triple Coconut Cake

1 tbsp. unsalted butter, softened

3 tbsp. turbinado sugar

1 cup sweetened shredded coconut, toasted

1 1/2 cups cake flour

3/4 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. table salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

3/4 cup sugar

1 egg

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup cream of coconut

1/4 cup coconut rum

Preheat oven to 350. Coat an 8 1/2" x 4 1/2" loaf pan with butter and tubinado sugar; set aside. Pulse toasted coconut in food processor until fine; set aside. Whisk flour, baking powder, salt and ground coconut in a bowl; set aside. Cream butter and sugar on medium speed. Beat until white and fluffy, 5-7 minutes, scraping down the side of the bowl periodically. Add egg; blend on medium speed for 1 minute. Combine the milk, cream of coconut and rum in a cup with a pour spout. Alternately beat the dry and wet mixture, starting and ending with dry. After each addition, mix on low speed for 30 seconds then on medium speed for 1 minute. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan; bake for 35 minutes, then rotate the cake 180 degrees in the oven. Bake 30 minutes longer, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool cake in pan for 5 minutes, then invert onto a rack to cool upside down. transfer to a cutting board, still upside; slice into wedges. Serve with icing and fruit salsa.

To toast the coconut:

Spread the coconut on a paper or microwaveable plate. Zap it on high for 2-3 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds until it's lightly golden. It will crisp up as it cools.

Pignoli

Here is a recipe I found online for the Pignoli cookies. I have one like this and will check to see if they are the same.

Pignoli

12 ounces almond paste
1/2 cup white sugar
1 cup confectioners' sugar
4 egg whites
1 1/2 cups pine nuts

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F . Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper. Mix almond paste and granulated sugar in food processor until smooth. Add confectioners' sugar and 2 egg whites; process until smooth. Whisk remaining 2 egg whites in small bowl. Place pine nuts on shallow plate. With lightly floured hands roll dough into 1 inch balls. Coat balls in egg whites, shaking off excess, then roll in pine nuts, pressing lightly to stick. Arrange balls on cookie sheets, and flatten slightly to form a 1 1/2 inch round. Bake 15 to 18 minutes in the preheated oven, or until lightly browned. Let stand on cookie sheet 1 minute. Transfer to wire rack to cool.

L'Appetito

A couple of years ago we found this wonderful Italian bakery in Chicago called L'Appetito. Every time we go back, we make sure that we back to this wonderful bakery. They have a large assortment of Italian cookies and everyone of them is good. My favorite are the Pignoli, nice little amaretto cookies topped with pine nuts. They also have a deli and a small assortment of Italian grocery items. They are located at the foot of the John Hancock Center at 875 N. Michigan Avenue, Chicago, IL 60611 312-337-0691. Their web address is http://www.lappetito.com/.

Easy Homemade Gnocchi

I love Gnocchi and have always wanted to make it at home. I have come across some recipes that use instant potato buds as opposed to cooking the real things. This recipe was not only easy, but it tastes great too. After I cooked them, I added some pesto. I served the pasta with some green beans and carrots that were too die for. Here's the recipe, I hope you try it out! You can also top with a light tomato sauce or the traditional butter and sage. This recipe is for 2 servings.

Gnocchi

2/3 cup dry potato buds
2/3 cup boiling water
1 egg, room temperature, lightly beaten
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Put potato buds into medium size bowl, add boiling water and stir until blended. Let cool. Add egg and salt and blend with a spatula. Slowly add flour, folding in with spatula, until you have a fairly firm dough that does not stick to the bowl. Turn dough out onto well floured surface and knead lightly. You don't want the dough too sticky, but adding too much flour will make the gnocchi heavy. Roll into ball and cut in half. Roll each half into long cylinders about 1/2 inch thick. Cut into bite size pieces and roll over gnocchi paddle or a fork will do. Dust with flour and let them sit for about an hour. You can freeze them, just make sure you flour them well, so that they do not stick.
To Cook: Add gnocchi to large pot of boiling salted water. They will rise to the top when read, after about 8 minutes. Drain and top. Serve topped with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

Frontera Grill

One of my favorite cookbook authors is Rick Bayless. He has a restaurant in Chicago called Frontera Grill. It's a great place to eat with fun and vibrant atmosphere. We had not planned on eating there this trip, but plane delays forced us to eat closer to the hotel. Without reservations, they were running an hour and a half to an hour and 45 minute wait, Yikes!! They will take reservations the day of, if your party is is under 5 people and in advance if your party is 5 or more. We hung out in the bar hoping to get a table there. After about 1 hour we were able to sit in the bar and eat. While we waited, we ordered the Taquitos de Pollo($8). These were so good and went perfectly with the nice Mojito I ordered to drink($10). They were crispy taquitos filled with chicken and sour cream. We noticed everyone was ordering the Guacomole($8.50), so we ordered it too. His recipe is the one I use when I make it at home. It was incredible, creamy and chunky at the same time. It was served with nice crisp chips and 2 salsas. The best was my entree. I had the Pollo al Ajillo Cremosa($21). This was a wood grilled chicken breast served in a creamy, garlicky, smoky morita chili sauce that was laced with mezcal. It was served with a beautiful pyramid of red chili rice and wilted spinach. Personally, I can't stand spinach, but my plate was clean when it was removed. Dan ordered the Tacos al Carbon with chicken($16). This dish had wood grilled chicken, roasted peppers, 2 salsas and homemade tortillas. And of coarse . it was just as good as everything else there. The service was very good, especially for eating in the bar. I highly recommend this place as well as any of his cookbooks. The restaurant is located at 445 N. Clark St. Chicago IL 312-661-1434. There is another restaurant of his on the premises called Topolobampo. We have never eaten there, it is a little more on the fine dining side, but would like to try it sometime. You can go to Rick Bayless's website for recipes and other things at http://www.rickbayless.com/.

Chicago and Linda Eder

This weekend we went to Chicago for a Linda Eder concert. If you don't know who she is, go to her website http://www.lindaeder.com/ and check her out. She has an incredible voice and if she comes to town near you, you should go and see her. Chicago was cold and snowy and wonderful. We ate at some great places which I will write about shortly. Every single place we ate at had wonderful service. One of my biggest pet peeves is bad service and it seems you get a lot of that in Kansas City. I don't know what causes the difference, but the servers in Chicago are outstanding. We stayed at the Downtown Marriott (540 N. Michigan Ave.), which is a nice enough place. The rooms have been updated with incredible beds. The bathroom was a little on the small side and the walls were a little on the thin side, but again the service was great in the hotel.

Mexican Cornbread Casserole

The following recipe came from a box of cornbread stuffing. When I saw the recipe I thought it sounded simple and good , which is something we all need on week nights. While not one of the best casseroles I've ever had it certainly wasn't the best. I substituted the ground beef with a mild pork sausage. I don't really think that was the problem, the problem lies with the recipe itself. It calls for sprinkling the seasoning packet over the meat mixture after you place it in the baking dish. this gives the casserole a grainy, crunchy and all around unpleasing texture. It would have worked better with the seasoning mixed into the soup mixture. I used lite sour cream in my recipe and sprinkled the top with 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese. I thought it might taste better the next day, but it didn't. Here is the recipe from the box.

Mexican Cornbread Casserole

1 lb. ground beef
1 (6oz.) package cornbread stuffing mix
1 (10.75 oz) can nacho cheese soup
8 oz. sour cream
1 (4.5) oz can chopped green chilies, undrained
1 cup water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease the bottom of a 9x13 casserole. (I used an 8x11.5 casserole, the other was too big.) Brown ground beef in a skillet; drain. Place beef into casserole; sprinkle with seasoning pouch. In medium bowl, stir together soup, sour cream, green chilies and water. Reserve 1/2 cup dry stuffing crumbs for later use. Sprinkle remaining stuffing crumbs evenly over ground beef. Pour soup mixture over stuffing. Sprinkle reserved stuffing crumbs over top of mixture. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes.