I have been on a bit of a bender lately, a highly fattening creamy joy ride. No half and half for my steaming cup 'o joe, only pure unadulterated cream (schlagobers here in Austria). Watching the lovely white tendrils curl into my first mug of coffee this morning got me wondering about milk and all its derivations. Before milk is homogenized, the lighter cream rises to the top and is skimmed off. The amount of butterfat in the cream determines the stability of the cream and how well it will whip. The higher the fat content, the easier it is to whip.

In the United State, the low-down on high fat cream is something like this:

Half and Half (Cream is mixed with Whole milk) 12% fat

Single Cream or Light Cream 20% fat

Whipping Cream 30% fat

Heavy Cream 36% fat

Double Cream 48%

The English enjoy the guilty pleasure of clotted cream at 55-60% fat. Unpasteurized milk is heated and the savory goodness is skimmed off the top.

Sour Cream is a 12% fat cream that has been exposed to a bacterial culture which causes it to sour. Similarly Creme Fraiche is 20% fat, but it is unpasturized, so it naturally contains the souring bacteria.

Butter is also made from cream. It is churned to separate the butterfat from the buttermilk.

There seems to be a glut of strawberries on the market right now. We've been enjoying them nightly topped with whipped cream. As I don't own a blender, I've been doing it by hand. I keep telling myself that the effort of whipping burns off the fat.

Loaded Baked Potato Quiche

Loaded Baked Potato Quiche

I woke up early today and have company in town and I wanted to make a easy breakfast that everyone would like-Loaded Baked Potato Quiche! You just can't go wrong with that! Check it out! This is a great recipe to use leftover mashed potatoes in if you have 2 cups of it hanging out in your fridge or peel two medium sized potatoes and get started from scratch.

Ingredients: Serves 4-6

2 peeled, diced and boil till soft potatoes

4tbs of butter

3/4 cup of milk

5 beaten eggs

2tsp sour cream

1 pie crust unbaked

1 cup of shredded cheddar

1/4 cup of crumbled cooked bacon

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp salt

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 375

Peel, dice and boil potatoes until soft

In a mixing bowl mash potatoes with butter, 1/4 cup of milk, sour cream, salt , pepper and onion powder until creamy and smooth

In separate mixing bowl beat eggs with 1/2 cup of milk and a dash of salt and pepper

Unroll pie crust and place in a 9 inch pie pan

Add potato mixture and spread evenly

Add cheese and bacon

Add egg mixture

Bake on middle rack for 35-40 minutes until cooked through and center is firm

Serve warm!

Cracking the Nut

"Chestnuts roasting on an open fire"...for 29 Christmas seasons I have sung these these lyrics, but until this year, I had never had a chestnut. I never questioned why a nut so popular in our musical history no longer graces our tables. Once upon a time, one in every four Appalachian hardwoods was a chestnut tree, but in 1904, a fungus was discovered growing on some Asian Chestnut trees in Long Island. The blight spread fast and deadly through the chestnut population. By 1945, nearly 4 billion chestnut trees had been wiped out, and the romantic chestnut was merely a melodic memory.

In Europe, however, the sweet chestnut is growing strong and still a traditional dinner delight. Here in Lower Austria, the nuts are traditionally soaked in wine before they are roasted. When roasted, the chestnuts becomes meaty and sweet with a baked potato texture. Chestnuts can also be dried and milled into a non-rising flour. Because I desperately miss peanut butter, I decided to try to make chestnut butter. I boiled the nuts in their shells for about 20 minutes. The boiled meat fell apart as I pealed the shells. I mashed 2 lbs of chestnuts hearts into a puree and added a tsp of vanilla, 1 cup of whipping cream, and 1 cup of sugar. I then let it boil down for about an hour, until the texture was buttery and thick.

One final note: Beware of the impersonators. Don't confuse the sweet chestnut with the inedible and slightly poisonous horse chestnut. Sweet Chestnuts have a slight point at the top, but horse chestnuts are rounded. I wasted an hour gathering the wrong nut. I didn't discover my mistake until I got them home and threw them into the oven. They were awful! I was terribly disappointed and the whole apartment stank. My European neighbors recognized the smell and came upstairs to laugh at me. We discovered that the chestnuts explode in a satisfying manner when tossed out the window, thus the evening was saved.

Apple Pie With Crumb Topping

In the freezer, lived a lonely little ol' pie crust. It was my first and only attempt, thus far. It was there because apple pie takes a lot more time to make then I had when I set out to make it. So until now, I had only got as far as the crust. One day I will make an apple pie from start to finish, but until then I am glad that pie crusts freeze so well.

I used this recipe and substituted apple juice for the water, thanks for the tip Alton Brown, but you could also use any frozen pie crust that you like, which makes life easier and tastes almost as good.

The filling was adapted from this recipe and I choose to top it with a crumb topping from a recipe I made last summer for Sour Cherry Crumb Cakes, which was so good that I want to top everything I possibly can with it.

You put it all the pieces together and you have a yummy Apple Pie with Crumb Topping that is well worth the effort, and not nearly as hard to make as I made it sound.

Apple Pie with Crumb Topping
adapted from these three recipes- 1, 2, 3

Pie Crust

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled), plus more for work surface
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cold, cut into pieces
• 2 to 4 tablespoons apple juice

Directions

In a large bowl, combine flour, salt, and sugar. Add butter, and cut in with pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse meal , with just a few pea-size pieces of butter remaining. I just used a fork, I have also heard a food processor comes in handy for this too.

Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons ice apple juice, and continue to work dough with pastry blender until crumbly but holds together when squeezed with fingers (if needed, add up to 2 tablespoons more apple juice, 1 tablespoon at a time). Don't overwork, your pie will not be happy.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured work surface; form into a 3/4-inch-thick disk. Wrap tightly in plastic, and refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour. This is where I lost interest, so I placed the wrapped dough into a resealable plastic bag, and stuck it in the freezer (and leave it there for up to 3 months), when you finally feel like making pie again, just thaw in the refrigerator before rolling, and start baking.

Crumb Topping

• 2 ounces (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted
  
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
  
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Stir together butter, flour, sugars, salt, and cinnamon, set aside.

Pie Filling

• 2/3 cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/8 teaspoon cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 3 pounds of 1/4-1/2 inch thick slices of peeled and cored good cooking apples such as Granny Smith, Pippin, or Golden Delicious. (about 5-6 apples I used 2 medium sized of each variety)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Combine sugar, flour and spices in large bowl. Use your hands and mix in the apples so they are well coated, then add vanilla extract.

Remove crust from the refrigerator. Let sit at room temperature for 5-10 minutes. Sprinkle some flour on top of the disk. Roll out with a rolling pin on a lightly floured surface to a 12 inch circle; about 1/8 of an inch thick. As you roll out the dough, use a metal spatula to check if the dough is sticking to the surface below. Add a few sprinkles of flour if necessary to keep the dough from sticking. Gently fold in half. Place on to a 9-inch pie plate, lining up the fold with the center of the pan. Gently unfold and press down to line the pie dish with the dough.

Spoon in apple filling, mounding slightly in center.

Roll edges of dough over to form edge of crust, there are fancy ways of crimping the edge but again my impatience got the best of me and I wound up just rolling over. I like to say that it gives it a nice rustic look. Either way it tastes the same to me.

Top it with the crumb mixture and bake at 350 degrees for about 35- 40 minutes until the crust has a nice golden brown color, the juices are bubbly, and your apartment smells like you just baked an apple pie.

Oh yeah, you did.

Transfer to rack and let stand 1 hour. Serve pie warm or at room temperature and it is even better topped with vanilla ice cream or dollop of cinnamon maple whipped cream, Enjoy!

My Chicken, Broccoli and Rice Pie

My chicken, broccoli and rice pie- Here is another one pot meal that is easy and satisfying. Most of my pictures did not come out but the instructions and photos are very similar to my chicken pot pie which is posted under January's recipes. So here is a recipe that is a spin on a familiar chicken & rice casserole. The original casserole pops up constantly when I search for recipe inspiration only in my opinion making some changes and putting it in a pie crust improves it (pie crusts improve just about everything).

Ingredients: Serves 6

two unbaked pie crusts
1.5 cups of shredded chicken
1.5 cups of chopped steamed broccoli
1.5 cups of white or brown cooked rice
1 jar of Alfredo sauce
1/2 cup nonfat milk
3/4 cup of shredded cheddar
2 tbs of grated Romano cheese
1/2 tsp black pepper

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375
Mix chicken , rice and broccoli in a bowl
Add sauce, milk, cheese, and seasoning
The mixture should be thick
Roll out one pie crust and place it in a 9 inch pie pan
Fill with mixture spreading evenly
Place other pie crust on top and seal
Baste top of pie with a little bit of olive oil
Bake at 375 for 35-40 minute until crust browns
Serve and savor!

Fresh Pizza Frittata

Fresh Pizza Frittata

So if you made the Warm Tomato, Avocado, Arugula Salad you just might have some Compari tomatoes left. Now here's what you do with them. Make a Fresh pizza frittata! It is super high in protein and low fat plus get that pizza craving in at the beginning or end of your day

Ingredients: Serves 2

4-6 sliced thin Compari tomatoes sprinkled with olive oil and sea salt

2 beaten eggs

2 beaten egg whites

1/4 cup non-fat milk

5-8 shakes of fresh black pepper

5-8 shakes of sea salt

3 shakes of garlic powder

1 shake of dried basil

1/2 cup of shredded Italian mixed cheese

1/8 cup of Romano cheese

Directions: start to finish 15 minutes

Heat broiler on high

Spray a baking pan with non-stick spray

Slice tomatoes thin and add salt and olive oil

Broil tomatoes on high on middle rack for 8 -10 minutes without burning

Meanwhile whisk eggs, egg whites, milk and seasonings in a bowl

Heat a non-stick sprayed skillet and add egg mixture cooking on med heat

Cook eggs evenly with out burning and loosen slightly with spatula

Once mostly solidifying remove from heat

Add roasted tomatoes to top of eggs

Top with cheeses

Place entire pan back under broiler for 2.5 minutes until browning

Serve immediately

Warm Tomato, Avacado and Arugula Sala

Okay I have been trying to get back into last years bathing suit so some of my up and coming recipes might be low fat and healthy but don't despair! I also believe in moderation so some high calorie mouth-watering pasta dishes will always be part of my future too! For this dish use Compari tomatoes if you can find them. They are so amazing in this salad. Also to turn this into a complete meal add some grilled chicken and dinner is served or do what I did and just serve it as a side salad. It's all good!

Ingredients: Serves 4

6-8 Compari tomatoes sliced in half and roasted

4 cups of arugula or one bag

1 avocado sliced

1/4 cup of thinly sliced red onion

1.5 tbs of feta cheese

3 tbs extra virgin olive oil

1 tbs balsamic vinegar

1 tbs lemon juice

Directions:

Slice tomatoes, sprinkle with salt and olive oil and place in a non-stick sprayed pan

Roast on middle rack at 400 for 20 minutes (should be wilting and juicy but not burned)

Rinse and toss arugula with onions and avocado

Remove tomatoes from oven and sprinkle with feta cheese

Add tomatoes, cheese and any pan dripping to top of salad

Mix a bowl of olive oil, balsamic vinegar and lemon juice and alittle fresh black pepper and sea salt

Pour evenly over salad and serve right away!

Crock Pot Cajun Chicken Pasta

This is a great dish to make when you are busy and don't have time to cook! Its a little hot so at the end of the directions I will post some variations for those who prefer more mild tastes. Come on girls and guys get those crock pots out and dust them off and lets get some absent cooking done:)

Ingredients: Serves 6

1-1.5 pounds of boneless skinless chicken breasts cut in strips

2 tbs melted butter

1/8-1/4 cup creole seasonings (mine is basically a mix of paprika, cayenne pepper and onion salt)

1 jar of Alfredo sauce

1 can of diced tomatoes with green chilies

1 cup of chicken broth

1 package of sliced mushrooms

1 box of spaghetti or linguine

Directions:

Spray inside of crock pot with nonstick spray

Place chicken strips in a gallon size zip lock bag

Add butter and creole seasoning and shake until chicken is well coated

Place chicken into crock pot

Cover chicken with Alfredo sauce, tomatoes, chicken broth and mushrooms

Cook on low for 8-10 hours

Make pasta cook al dente and toss with finished sauce

Serve and enjoy...make sure you have something cool to drink nearby

Now if you don't like hot food but love the simplicity of crock pot cooking

Just switch out the butter and creole seasonings for Italian dressing

And use plain diced tomatoes

Add other veggies ( if you want too) and then top with grated cheese

It will still be easy and good :)

Valentines Vodka Sauce or Penne Alla Vodka

Want to impress your Valentine? Make them vodka sauce, it is such a lovely pink color that its perfect for Valentines Day or any day really. Forget Chocolate! This is my ultimate guilty pleasure! Enjoy it!!!

Ingredients:

1/4 cup olive oil

1 cup diced red onion

1 tbs jarred minced garlic

2.5 tbs of diced pancetta

1/2 cup of vodka

1 stick of salted butter

2 28oz cans of crushed tomatoes

1 cup of heavy cream

1 cup of grated Romano cheese

Dried basil to season

Directions: Serves 8

Heat olive oil in a saute pan

Add onions, garlic, and pancetta and saute until browned

Remove from burner and add vodka

Return to burner and add tomatoes, butter, and cream

Add cheese & basil and stir well until melted

Simmer on low heat stirring often

Cook pasta al dente in water according to directions

Strain and toss with sauce in large serving bowl

Top with grated cheese and fresh black pepper and serve!

Rocky's Pasta Fagioli

Here is another family favorite that I learned how to make from my Grandfather. This recipe is slightly modified from his (shhhhh...don't ever tell him). On a cold New York night there is just nothing better then Rocky's Pasta Fagioli!!

Ingredients:

3-4 tbs of olive oil

1 medium yellow onion diced

6-9 garlic cloves sliced in to thin slivers

2 tbs of diced pancetta

48oz of chicken broth

28oz can of crushed tomatoes

14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes

1 can of cannelloni beans rinsed and drained

1 can of red or pink beans rinsed and drained

1-2 tsp of dried basil

1 lb of seashell pasta

Directions: Serves 6-8

Saute oil, garlic, onion and pancetta in a large soup pot until browned on med heat

Lower heat and add broth and crushed & diced tomatoes and basil

Bring to a boil

Rinse and drain beans and add to soup pot

Lower heat and simmer for an hour

Make pasta according to directions al dente

Add to soup pot and serve

Top with fresh black pepper and grated Romano cheese!

Chicken & Black Bean Quesa-Easy-Dilla

I swear this is the perfect recipe. It's easy to make and easy on a budget. It's filling and good for you and I usually have all of the ingredients on hand so its a staple in my house.

Chicken & Black bean Quesadillas 6 servings

Ingredients:

2.5 cups of shredded Chicken

1 can of rinsed and drained black beans

1/2 can of rinsed and drained corn

1 drained can of Rotel tomatoes with green chile's

1/2 cup diced red onion(optional)

6 large burrito style flour tortillas

One bag of shredded cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400

Mix beans, corn, tomatoes and chicken in a large mixing bowl

Place a tortilla on a sheet of aluminium foil.

Sprinkle one side with 1/8 cup of cheese

Add 1/6Th of the chicken mixture

Top chicken with 1/8 cup of cheese and fold tortilla in half

Wrap in aluminium foil

Bake at 400 for twenty-twenty-five minutes turning once halfway through baking

Cut into four triangular pieces with a pizza wheel

Serve with salsa, sour cream or guacamole!

Holy Crepe!

I have had this jar of Nutella staring at me for way to long, just begging to be put to good use. I also happened to have a banana that in one more day would be a shade beyond edible, when it came to me… CREPES! I have never made them before but have eaten my share. So here is my first attempt. It went pretty well but next time I would try to get them a bit thinner and make sure to brown them nicely before taking them off the heat.

I got the crepe recipe here and think it is a pretty good. I think the next time I do a sweet crepe I will add a splash of vanilla. I would also love to try to make some homemade Nutella but that is another story...

Banana & Nutella Crepes- Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 eggs

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup water

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons butter, melted

2 bananas

a jar of Nutella

Directions:

• In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour and the eggs. Gradually add in the milk and water, stirring to combine. Add the salt and butter; beat until smooth.

• Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each crepe. Tilt the pan with a circular motion so that the batter coats the surface evenly.

• Cook the crepe for about 2 minutes, until the bottom is light brown. Loosen with a spatula, turn and cook the other side. This will make about 8 crepes depending on how accurate you are with your scooping.

• Spread about a tablespoon of Nutella into each crepe.

• Cut bananas into 1/4" slices divide evenly between crepes.

• Roll up, sprinkle on some powdered sugar to make look pretty, and enjoy!

On a side note, as I surfed the web in an attempt to avoid some work I need to do, I came across this, which makes this post more timely than I knew. This is one to put on the calendar for next year!

Garlic Lovers Mashed Potatoes

I make these mashed potatoes to top my Shepherds Pizzaiola Pie Recipe which is the following post on this blog. But you can serve them as a side dish as well. And if you are not a garlic lover then just omit or put less garlic. Most of my recipes are adjustable to taste but this one if left alone may also work as vampire repellent :) I forgot to take a picture of these when they were done so I quickly snapped a shot of my toddlers dinner plate before she ate them all up. She is only two years old and didn't mind all of that garlic!

Ingredients:
1 bag of potatoes peeled, washed and chopped up(roughly 9-10potatoes)
1 stick of salted butter
2 Tbs minced jarred garlic
1 cup of chicken broth
1/2 cup of milk
1/2 tbs of salt
1 teaspoon black pepper

Directions:

Peel, wash, and chop potatoes













Place in large soup pot and fill with water until potatoes are covered
Boil for 15-20 minutes until potatoes are soft
Drain in strainer and place them in a large mixing bowl
Add butter and mash with potato masher
Add garlic, chicken broth and milk and stir until mostly smooth
Add salt and pepper and Serve-makes 4 servings

Shepherds Pizzaiola Pie

I'm not a huge fan of one pot meals or casseroles but my husband is. So now and then I make one for him and this is one of his favorites. I actually came up with this recipe by accident when I once had leftover bolognese sauce and leftover mashed potatoes. A light bulb turned on in my mind and Shepherds Pizzaiola pie was born! Since then I have tried to perfect it to share with you! Don't be afraid to switch out the vegetables for your own favorites. I personally think this would be great with green and red roasted peppers but my hubby does not eat them :( stay tuned for my Garlic Mashed Potatoes Recipe that I used to top this dish.

Ingredients:
1lb of ground beef

1.5 cups of sliced mushrooms

2 cups of frozen peas & carrots
1 Drained 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes seasoned with garlic & onions

1.5 cups of marinara sauce ( any kind that You like will do)

3-4 cups of mashed potatoes(any kind will do)

1 cup of shredded mozzarella

1/8 cup of grated Romano cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400

Coat olive oil or cooking spray in a saute pan

Saute beef and mushrooms until browned completely on med heat

Add tomatoes, marinara sauce, and peas & carrots.

Saute for 10 minutes on med heat.

Place ground beef mixture in an ungreased baking dish
Add mashed potatoes and smooth down and across
Add cheeses and bake in oven till browned for about about twenty minutes

Serve immediately-6 servings

Grandma's Zucchini Pie

The smell of this pie baking always brings me back to my grandmother's kitchen. The scent of it was so alluring to me that even as a little girl I was tempted to taste it even though I didn't eat green things yet. I eventually succumbed to it and hopefully you will too. In my family this recipe has always been the perfect side dish to any brunch, lunch or dinner.


Serve it warm and enjoy it :)

Ingredients:

3.5 cups of diced or sliced unpeeled zucchini
2 med onions diced
6 eggs beaten1/2 cup of oil
1 cup of grated Romano or Parmesan cheese
1.5 cups of Bisquick flour
1 tsp of dried parsley
1/2 tsp of salt
1/2 tsp of pepper

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375Chop zucchini and onions













Beat eggs
Mix all ingredients in a large mixing bowl













Place mixture into a 9 inch pie pan
Bake at 375 for 45-60 minutes until center is no longer soft and the pie is browned