Frenched Lamb Rack

Required Item
Frenched Lamb Rack
Black Truffle Salt/ regular salt
Black Pepper
Kerrygold Pure Irish Butter

A head chef once told me to leave meat at room temperature for at least 45 minutes before you cook it.  This way, the outside can be seared and the pink middle will be warm.

First, cut the Frenched Lamb Rack along the inside of the bone.  This will give you a nice little medallion piece with a flat side against one bone.  Let the meat sit out, covered, for 30 to 45 minutes.  You must cut the meat prior to bring it to room temp.  I get my lamb at Trader Joe's.

Place about 1/4 of a stick of butter and a few table spoons of butter in a pan at medium heat.  Top both sides of the raw lamb with Truffle Salt and fresh ground pepper.

Place the lamb in the pan.  The lamb should sizzle a little when it hits the pan.  You want to brown the lamb on both sides.  This process will only take a few minutes so make sure to have all the other items for the plate ready.

Side suggestions: mashed potatoes,  steamed asparagus, fancy green salad

Tips:
Trader Joe's carries great fresh ground salt and pepper shakers.  They last a long time, and you though them away when they are empty.

If you want to jazz up the lamb more, you could add a cube of frozen garlic to the pan.  Or, you could add fresh chopped thyme and oregano to the lamb, in addition to the salt and pepper.

When I serve this dish, I like to place a hill of mashed potatoes in the center of the plate and place the lamb on top.  Then, I add asparagus or Brussels sprouts around the outside.

Marmalade Cake

I read this recipe on one of my favorite food blogs.  I am inspired.  I will try it out and let you know how it goes.

http://orangette.blogspot.com/2010/02/we-ate-this-cake.html

BBQ Chicken Pizza – Trader Joe’s Style

This is a huge hit on Friday nights.  It is easy to make and goes well with a few beers.

Required Items
TJ pre cooked BBQ Chicken Strips
Shredded Mozzarella
Cilantro (a must for this dish)
1 Red Onion
TJ raw pizza dough – plain
TJ pizza sauce and TJ BBQ sauce



Follow the directions for the pizza dough (you need to let it sit out for about 20 minutes at room temp).  While you are waiting for the dough to set up, turn on the oven to the temperature on the pizza dough bag.

Place the dough on a FLOURED cookie sheet, or a pizza stone. Spread out the dough with a floured rolling pin (or a drinking glass). Top the raw dough with a 50/50 mixture Pizza Sauce and BBQ Sauce. 

Now top with shredded mozzarella and add chicken strips. Scatter raw, diced red onion.  Add another layer of cheese. Put it in the oven.  When the pizza is almost ready, add the chopped cilantro.  Let the pizza cool for a few minutes before you eat it.

Substitutes:  You could use pre-cooked pizza dough instead of the TJ raw pizza dough.  If you do not like cilantro, try to suck it up for this one because it completes the flavor of the pizza.

**Pizza dough is really sticky.  Flour "deactives" the stickiness.  DO NOT USE WATER on the raw pizza doug.  It is a big mistake, tust me.

Chin-easy

Trader Joe's Shopping list


Trader Joe’s Korean Beef BBQ strips (in raw meet section)
Trader Joe’s frozen brown rice
2 Eggs
Frozen Vegetable Mix (for fried rice)

When I am in the mood for Chinese-ish food, I go with the following… You broil the Korean Beef BBQ so the strips are crispy. In a frying pan, add a little bit of vegetable oil and 2 eggs. You want the stove at a medium heat.  Scramble the eggs into small pieces. (If you want, add a cube of frozen garlic and chopped green unions.) Next, add your frozen vegetable mix. I usually go with the Trader Joe’s frozen edamame mix. Cook the mixture until the vegetable mix is warm. Follow the microwave directions for the brown rice. Once the rice is ready, add it to the fry pan. I  season the rice with soy sauce.  Continually, stir the mixture or the rice will burn. Enjoy!

Chocolate Cheater

Every day at 1:30 PM I get a sugar craving. In an effort to keep my waistline in check, I constantly search for tasty treat alternatives. My answer for a chocolate craving: Trader Joe's Mocha flavored European Style Low Fat Yogurt. It is a combination of a smooth chocolately flavor, calcium for my bones and 130 Calories. Need I say more?

Meaty Pasta

Last night, before leaving work, I asked my husband the same question I ask him every night, "What do you want for dinner?" This time he said "meaty pasta." I like requests open to interpretation. Here is what I came up with after a visit to the store.

Meaty Pasta….

Jennie-O Turkey Sweet Lean Italian Sausage

Fresh Spinach and Ricotta Ravioli

Tomato Basil Pasta Sauce

 I put some olive oil in a sauté pan with low heat. I took the sausage out of the skin and added it to the pan. I seasoned the meat with fresh ground pepper and black truffle salt. After the meat was cooked, I added the pasta sauce, a cub of frozen garlic and a handful of fresh oregano, basil and thyme. If you really like chunky sauce, add some stewed diced tomatoes and frozen spinach. Let the sauce simmer at a lower heat while you cook the pasta.

I chose spinach ravioli but this meat sauce would go well with cheese tortellini and spaghetti.


When everything was cooked, I layered a plate with ravioli and covered it with a meat sauce. I added a little fresh basil and parmesan to garnish the top. Enjoy!

10 Essentials in the Kitchen

1. Casina Rossa Black Truffle Salt
It adds great flavor to just about everything.  I use this instead of standard salt to flavor my food.  It can be hard to find and is generally pricey.  The higher the price means the more truffle flavor in the salt so you generally want the more expensive salt.  I get mine at Julienne’s in San Marino, CA.  This is a great gift idea.
http://www.juliennetogo.com/

2. Fresh Herbs
Go to Trader Joe’s and pick up a trio of potted fresh Rosemary, Thyme and Oregano. Replant them in a ceramic pot and place them outside. Every now and then, sprinkle them with organic fertilizer. As needed, finally chop a handful of the herbs and add to flavor.  The combination is great with everything from Mac and Cheese to Strata.

3. All-Clad Copper Core cookware. 
This cookware will change your entire cooking experience.

4. Barkeeper’s Friend
This cleaner has an amazing ability to clean dirty pots.  You simple max a paste out of the powder and apply it to dirty cookware.  This way, you can use cookware without a non-stick surface.  It requires little to no elbow grease and keeps the cookware looking brand new.

5. Petrini’s Classic Italian Salad Dressing
This dressing is wonderful on any type of salad.  Sometimes, I even use it on pasta and sandwiches.  Try it once and you will know why I am hooked.

6. Kerrygold Pure Irish Butter
Sometime you need to cook with butter.  My philosophy is, you better get great taste with all those calories.  Kerrygold is easy to find and adds great flavor.  I also use this for baking.

7. KitchenAid Artisan Stand Mixer
These mixers are big and bulky but once you have one, you will wonder how you survived life without one.

8. Olive Oil
When cooking, you can get away with a less expensive olive oil.  If you plan on making you own salad dressing, or using the oil as a topping, you need to buy a higher grade than what you cook with. I recommend Laudemio or Olio Santo.  Laudemio makes a great gift.

9. Better than Bouyon
I buy all three flavors because you never know when you will need chicken, beef or vegetable stock. It come in a paste forms and dissolves easily into water. I also recommend the chicken or vegetable stock for sore throats.

10. Dorot crushed, frozen garlic
This garlic has the great taste of fresh garlic but lasts so much longer.

The Secret to Mashed Potatoes

My mother is the foundation for my love of cooking.  I recently helped her in the kitchen for one of her famous dinner parties.  While working on the mashed potatoes, one of my cooking inspirations told me a secret.  When you are "mashing" your potatoes in a stand mixer, the last ingredient should be two egg yolks.  Just make sure your potatoes are not too hot, you don't want to cook the yolk.  Trust me, the yolks seal the deal.

2 Minute Chocolate Delight

I LOVE chocolate.

Last night, I decided brownies would hit the spot. Since V-day is around the corner, I thought this recipe would make a great first post.

Betty Crocker Brownie Mix

3 tablespoons whole milk/cream (instead of 2 tablespoons of water)

2 eggs

1/2 vegtable oil

1 teaspoon real vanilla extract

3 tablespoons chocolate syrup

chocolate chip (at will)

walnuts (optional)

Mix it all together and place it in the oven at 350.

If you serve them warm, add a scoop of Trader Joe's French Vanilla Ice Cream.

Or, use a mixer to whip some sugar into creme fraiche. You can place the mixture into the corner of a Ziploc bag and cut off the tip of the corner. This will allow for a more controlled and artistic application of the creme fraiche mixture. The bitterness of the creme fraiche is a nice complement to the sweet chocolate flavor.