Television Hilarity!

Well, I’ll be leaving town tomorrow morning early. Gone for the long weekend. No cooking this weekend!

Going to meet my sister in Palm Springs for some sun (she lives in San Francisco and it’s been pretty gloomy and wet up there...not to say snowing here!) and to hide out. For good reason – I’ll be making my national television debut on Sunday evening. The new Food Network series “Ultimate Recipe Showdown” – mine is the first show, “Chicken”. Sunday, February 17, 9 pm Eastern. It is better that I cringe in private. My husband will have his best buddy over to watch at home….I don’t think I could stand to have my pal Mike say, “wow, why do you look so….electrocuted?”

And my sister, Lori, was the one who stuck it out with me throughout the taping. She calmed me down when I was shaking so bad, I could have had an unfortunate "Saturday Night Live" Julia Child/knife incident! She told me which outfit looked like “you’re not wearing THAT, are you???” and wiped the lipstick off my teeth. I couldn’t have survived the experience without her!

While I’m apprehensive of how I’ll appear a fool, the actual experience of doing it was wonderful. I LOVED my fellow contestants – all so talented and gracious. You’ll see Michelle Anderson along with me – she won the National Chicken competition last year (and $100,000!) so she knew a thing or two about cooking chicken....nothing like just a little competition! And I had a soft spot for Lauren, the darling, super talented young woman from New Orleans. She is just wonderful. Everyone was wonderful! And be sure to watch my good pal, Jenny Flake of "The Picky Palate" when her show airs, “Comfort Food”. I just think Jenny is the best thing since sliced bread. So kind, talented, and level-headed…she’s been a sort of mentor for me and I’ve so appreciated her input and support.

The Food Network and High Noon staff were just terrific. From producers to cameramen to our prep assistants, they were professional, supportive, and fun to do this with. I spent a lot of time laughing, which went a long way to helping me not pass out. And Guy Fieri….he was not only hilariously funny, he was helpful (I mean, doing the live shoot, he saw me start to do something stupid, and his commentary put me back on track!), and just a really nice guy. I was nervous and freaked out, but I wouldn’t have traded this experience for anything.

I hope you all enjoy the show. It’s a good concept and I think it will be pretty entertaining.

And by entertaining, I just hope you laugh WITH me instead of AT me!!!

Mike, you listening?????

Happy Valentine’s Day, all you love bugs! I have a little treat for you! This is fast, easy, delicious. Not even any baking! These gems are kind of a cross between a cupcake and a huge piece of candy. What would you call that – a cupdy?? Or cakecan??? I just call them wonderful. They remind me of a chocolate popcorn ball…they’re messy, gooey, chocolate-all-over-your-face good. If you make them for your kids, they will probably clean up their room.

I guess I’ll share them with my husband. Valentine’s Day is a rather touchy subject since the year he presented me with a Shop-Vac. I mean, I like a Shop-Vac as much as the next person, but there’s something about an appliance that picks up dirt that doesn’t bring to mind – romance. At least he put a red bow on it. And then there was the year, early on in our marriage, when he was working very long hours and we didn’t plan anything special for Valentine’s. He came home, dead tired, and woke me up at 10:30pm with a bouquet of flowers. I was so touched – he remembered! But then I read the card…”To Wanda, Love Harold”. Whaaaa???? Turns out he didn’t have time to go anywhere to buy flowers. So he flagged down a florist late that night, while he was driving home, and asked if he had any “spares”. The guy had one bouquet in the back of the truck and he couldn’t find the address to deliver it. So my husband bought it from him, neglecting to check the card.

So here’s to you, Harold. Happy Valentine’s Day! Love, Wanda

No-Bake Chocolate Candy Cakes - "Cupdies"!

Makes 12

5 – 2 oz Milky Way bars
4 tablespoons butter
3 ½ cups crispy rice cereal (Rice Krispies)
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla

1. Line a 12 –cup muffin tin with paper baking cups.

2. Chop 4 of the candy bars coarsely. Cut the remaining bar into slices.

3. In a medium saucepan, place the chopped candy bars and butter – heat over medium heat, stirring until melted and smooth.

4. Stir in the crispy rice cereal.

5. Stir the vanilla into the melted chocolate chips (I melt them by placing in microwavable bowl, and nuking on high for 10 seconds, stirring, then nuking again in 10 second increments, stirring after each, until melted).

6. Press the candy bar/cereal mixture into baking cups. Spread with melted chocolate. Top each with sliced candy bar. Refrigerate 30 minutes or until set.

Party Like It's 1989

For this week’s Papa Dale Pie Project, I’ve made a pecan tart. It’s a 1989 Martha Stewart recipe, from a calendar. Evidently, back in 1989, I needed calendars to bake. From what I remember, each month of this calendar had a recipe below a photograph of the benignly smiling Martha, baking whatever was the month’s specialty with absolute authority and perfection.

Back in those days, I also made my own curtains (and matching Easter dresses for my girls and bow ties for the boys…they still haven’t forgiven me), roasted a leg of lamb every weekend (with mint that I grew in the garden, of course!), stenciled the garage door, put up a Christmas tree decorated with handmade birds nests (by me, not the birds), and painted the hamster cage with pastoral scenes (he died…from lead poisoning, I suspect). In short – I was out of my ever-loving mind. I spent much of those Martha years, running around making bunny rabbits out of radishes. Boy, was I glad when she went off to prison…I needed a REST.

I much prefer these years of sloth and unrelenting self-indulgence. Ice cream right out of the carton with a spoon! Bisquick! Brownie Mixes!! There’s not a damn homemade placemat in sight! The crystal French sorbet dishes? Martinis!!!! And I didn’t even go to prison!

To her credit, this pecan tart of Martha’s is just the bomb. It’s not as sweet as a traditional pecan pie, and the hint of citrus is just perfect. And, I get to use my beloved rectangle tart pan. I just love that pan. I bought it especially to make this tart back in 1989. I don’t know if it just looks…tidier…or what. If I can cram a pie crust into it, I’ll do it. The servings just look so elegant. Not all pie-y with fruit guts spilling out all over the plate. Nice and neat.

Just like 1989 me and Martha.

Martha Stewart’s Pecan Tart – circa 1989

Makes one rectangular tart (or a plain ol’ pie…but, really…would Martha do that????)

1 unbaked pate brisee (or basic pie crust) tart shell
4 large eggs
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ cup molasses
¼ cup light corn syrup
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Grated rind of 1 lemon or orange
1 ½ cups chopped pecans
About 1 ¼ cups perfect pecan halves (and when Martha says “perfect”, you better get perfect!)
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2. Put the eggs into mixing bowl and beat with a fork. Blend in the sugar, salt, molasses, and corn syrup. Stir in the butter, vanilla, and lemon or orange rind, mixing until thoroughly blended. Add the chopped pecans.
3. Pour the filling mixture into the pastry shell and neatly arrange the pecan halves in rows on top. Bake for 45-50 minutes, until the pastry is lightly browned and the filling is set. Let the tart cool on a rack before cutting and serving.

I'm So Fishy

I am always messing around with savory sauces or butters. Particularly those

that can compliment salmon. Ever since a heart surgeon told me he eats salmon

every MORNING for BREAKFAST (!) because he believes so strongly in the health

benefits, I’ve strived to add lots of fresh salmon to my diet. It’s easy for me

because I just love salmon. I am so boring and predictable at restaurants

because I always go for the salmon. I could be sitting at the most fabulous

steakhouse in the country that serves big fat juicy prime rib and I’ll say, “Well

then, I’ll just have the salmon, please!”

This is a recipe that’s been around my kitchen for some time. I cannot remember

where it came from…it’s scratched on the back of an old grocery receipt. With

gum stuck to it. That probably came from the bottom of a long-gone-to-

Salvation-Army purse. And I most likely copied this from a magazine in a

waiting room, because I’m too paranoid to just rip the dang page out. Like, what

are those nurses going to do?? Bill me? The way medical costs are, I should get

free subscriptions to every magazine in the reception room for at least 5 years.

This butter recipe is breeze to throw together (as long as you remember to do it ahead, so the butter has time to freeze) and it’s just delightful on salmon. My husband thinks it’s a tad too “caper-y”, so if capers aren’t your thing, decrease the amount you use. It makes plenty, so just keep the leftover in the freezer for the next time you have salmon. Like maybe for breakfast! (Let’s just forget about the fat content in the butter, shall we?)

“Salmon with Caper-Anchovy Butter”




4 garlic cloves
3 anchovy fillets (I drain them first – and use the leftovers in tuna salad)
2 tablespoons capers (again, drained)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon Cognac
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley (I’ve used cilantro with good results)
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ cup (1 stick) butter, at room temperature

Blend first 7 ingredients together in food processor. Add butter and process until well-blended. Season to taste with salt, if desired (I think it’s salty enough with the anchovies!). Form the butter mixture into about a 9 inch long log and wrap with plastic wrap. Freeze until firm, at least 1 hour. Let butter soften slightly before using.

Broil or grill salmon steaks or filets as you like. Transfer to plates. Cut butter into ½ inch thick slices and top each piece of salmon with 2 or 3 slices. Serve hot.


*I served this with olive oil and salt roasted asparagus and tomatoes with a little feta cheese thrown on top during the last 10 minutes of roasting....right in there with the salmon. Yum.





(I'm betting this would be terrific with a variety of other fish as well...maybe even boring old prime rib)

The Sweetest Thing

Our son leaves for Iraq in about 6 hours. We have spent the last several days (which explains the lack of posting exquisite recipes and witty commentary) completely devoted to him, and we then took him back to his base to prepare for his departure. Luckily, that was Camp Pendleton, near San Diego, which gave us opportunity for some beautiful beach time!

He has already served one tour in Iraq…that tour was relatively safe (if there is such a thing!) and pretty uneventful. But this tour is more intense…and his job and mission is very dangerous. However, I am finished crying and wringing my hands. What he needs from me now is packages of gum, toothbrushes, hard candy for the Iraqi kids, wet wipes, and cookies that don't crumble. That part is easy! I'll be a cookie bakin' fool!!!! The harder thing is to keep my head up and live each day in a happy mood and not worry. He would not like it AT ALL if I became all weepy, walking around sighing, blathering away about him…he’d be so embaressed if he knew I was writing this! But I am so proud of him and want to shout out what a great, great man and son he is.

AND….I’m finally posting my win in the Cake-Mate “Mother of All Bake Sales” contest. Mine are the "French Bakery Vanilla Cupcakes". There were 5 grand prize winners…just look at those beauties! I especially liked Beth Royals submission….so creative! We each won $1,000 PLUS an additional $1,000 to be donated to charity of our choice, which, for me, will be “Make-A-Wish Foundation”. This is a surprising win for me, mainly because I am not that great of a baker and also because this is a very simple recipe – the cupcakes are good, but I think I won because I used lots of the sponsors decorations in a pretty cute way. They were adorable and easy. I’m especially pleased with this win because it’s not often that a charity also benefits.


(This is my picture that I submitted...the one up top is a pic that the Cake-Mate people did...obviously, better photographers!)


So, life IS pretty sweet….I’ve got a son that sends my heart to the moon! And I get to make cupcakes with Barbie decorations that won some cash for a great charity! I guess it’s all in how you look at things, huh???

I wonder if Marines like cupcakes with flowers??? Hmmmmmm

"Sweet!!!"

A few months ago I entered a Vidalia Onion contest. I luvvvv me some Vidalia Onions! My wonderful late father-in-law used to order a crate of them in the spring from Georgia or some southern State or another (where is Al Gore from??), and he’d give us lots of them, which I would eat just raw, in a mayonnaise sandwich. Sounds disgusting, right? Well, you just haven’t LIVED RIGHT until you have an onion sandwich! Which reminds me of nephew Bobby’s anchovy sandwiches…but, I digress.



So, I entered the contest, and to my great delight I was in the top 10. I got a groovy little onion trivet! Who can claim that, huh??? It’s cool!





The winning recipe submitted by Kelly McWherter from Texas intrigued me. “Sweet Vidalia Sliders” It sounded so good. Anything with meat, brie cheese, and onions is captivating. So I kept that recipe close, thinking I’d cook up those little sliders sometime.

We didn’t have a big deal planned for Super Bowl, but I’ve been so busy and distracted, that I NEEDED to get in the kitchen and fiddle around. I thought Kelly’s recipe would be perfect for Super Bowl viewing. So I tucked my husband into the couch with his remote and comforter, and got to it. And, wowza! That Vidalia Onion Committee knew what they were doing! Those are some AWESOME little burgers! We loved them and (totally out of character for me) I wouldn’t change a thing. Maybe smash them down a bit to cook faster, but nothing else. I’ve cooked a few winning recipes from other contests and frankly, (no sour grapes, I promise) some just don’t seem to be that special. But this one is a keeper.



Congratulations, Kelly! You flat out earned that win! Rather than post the recipe here, I’ve linked it above…saves bandwidth! I’m all about saving the environment, you know.

BTW, my recipe is down toward the bottom of the page...my trivet winning “Caramelized Vidalia Onion Waffles with Smoked Salmon and Lemon-Caper Sour Cream Sauce"

"Not Just A Hunk of Meat!"

I have been awfully hard on the spousal unit in previous posts. And I feel rather bad about it. I fear that you might assume he’s kind of a Neanderthal dork. Not so! He’s a swell guy, a devoted husband, a stellar Dad, smart as a whip, and my best friend. That’s probably why I can make such fun of him…and he even laughs right along with me. A less secure man might whine about my…tales of domestic mishaps. Of course, that's impossible, cause I couldn’t be married to a wimp that whined. I am the only whiner allowed in the house. That’s why he’s so wonderful. He totally “gets it”…I’m a high-maintenance nut and he’s accepted it. We have a great life together. We’ve raised 4 amazing kids, been through all kinds of life-altering events, both exhilarating and heart-breaking, nursed each other through sicknesses (both psychic and physical) and he still chases me around the house, me shrieking like a banshee. He listens to my crazy ideas (“say, how do you feel about me climbing Kilimanjaro?), takes the dead mice out of the traps (I’m sobbing, “Ratatouille, Ratatouille!), irons his own shirts (and mine), and takes care of the boogie man. He loves us with passion, intelligence, absolute devotion, patience, and best of all, great humor. There is no one who can make me laugh harder.

And, did I mention – the guy can flat out cook? Well, actually he’s best at cooking meat. He can sear, braise, grill, and sauté anything that once had a heartbeat like none other. I always defer to him in that department. He’s a pro! I’m so bossy and opinionated in the kitchen that sometimes I forget just how great a talent that is. I struggle with meat…how long, how thick, what temperature? It’s a great mystery to me. But he always gets it right with very little effort or panic.

He’s been talking about making “his” Reuben sandwich for some time. Yesterday he announced that I needed to “get out” and let him take over the kitchen. So I’m going to share the making of his Reuben…and it was delicious. Nothing all that complicated….but with his unique way of doing the brisket and building the sandwich, I think it was probably the best ever.

Just like him. Unique and totally delicious – the best ever.

Reuben Sandwich

Serves 4 with corned beef leftover for hash the next morning

1 corned beef brisket w/ the pickling spices, cooked according to package or some other good recipe you might have.

A couple of potatoes, unpeeled, cut up in big chunks (you might throw in more, if you plan on corned beef hash the next day!)

3 or 4 carrots, unpeeled, cut up in big chunks

1 can (15 oz) Bavarian Style Sauerkraut with caraway seeds (he insists on Libby brand)

Butter for buttering the bread

1 bottle of Thousand Island dressing (Kraft…again he has specific brands he likes!)
1 loaf Schwarzwalder rye bread (Orowheat)

Several slices good Swiss cheese (I like Boar’s Head - he didn’t really have an opinion)

1. Cook the corned beef brisket as directed. When done, remove to cutting board, cut in half, (with the grain) and let rest of a few minutes. Throw the potatoes and carrots into the cooking water and bring to boil and cook until tender, about 15 minutes, about the time you need to rest the corned beef.
2. Meanwhile, heat the sauerkraut in a medium sized saucepan until simmering. Drain in a colander very well, pushing out all liquid with back of spoon. Keep warm.
3. Heat a large sauté pan over medium heat. Slice the corned beef (against the grain) into ½ inch thick slices. Layer the corned beef and cheese onto slices of bread and put together. Butter one side and place buttered side down into hot pan. Cook like a grilled cheese sandwich, flipping and buttering the other side when first side is nicely browned. Flip again to finish.



4. Take sandwich apart, and pile on the sauerkraut and squirt on the Thousand Island dressing to taste. Put sandwich back together again.
5. Cut and serve on a plate along side with the boiled carrots and potatoes.


Yes, he's Irish. He's very pale and loves potatoes and beer.

Hiatus

I've been reallllllly busy for the last two and will be for the next two days, hence....I've self-diagnosed myself with "blog attention deficit disorder"! Anybody got any cooking ritalin?

I've got a couple of realllllly good recipes ready to rock and roll, and hopefully can get to it soon!

So enjoy the weekend! Do something realllllly fun, like....stand in front of the television during Super Bowl, and recite some poetry.

Later, gaters!