Beef Fajitas with Balsamic Onions

The sun was out today and although it was still just 45 degrees it felt like spring. So I decided to grill some beef fajitas with balsamic onions. This is part of a class that I teach. In addition I decided to make a batch of baked sweet potato fries and cole slaw to go with them. It was delicious and hit the spot.

Instead of using flank steak I used a sirloin strip mainly because it's not stringy like flank steak and I didn't have the entire day to marinate it. It was tasty, tender and moist.

If you've never made sweet potato fries they're amazing and simple.

Sweet Potato Fries
serves 4

3 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into wedges

spray a foil lined sheet pan or tray with non-stick spray
lay potato wedges on foil lined tray
sprinkle with Lawry's Seasoned Salt

Bake at 400 approximately 20 minutes.

Serve.

You have no idea how soft and tasty these are-they melt in your mouth. They're so good they don't even need catsup.

With spring just around the corner I have lots of fun culinary classes to choose from. If you're interested in learning more about them please contact me at: vkb2@hotmail.com

Mise en Place [MEEZ ahn plahs]

Roughly translated, mise en place means “everything in place.” It is the practice where cooks make sure that everything is ready to go before they begin cooking. Everything means everything. It means reading over the recipe at least once, if not more than once. It means having all of the equipment plugged in, tested, and ready to go. It also means laying out all of the needed ingredients while ensuring that the vegetables are sliced, diced, julienned or otherwise cut according to the recipe.

Mise en place saves time and deters disaster

You might be thinking mise en place means lots of focus and deep breaths because it is a lot of work! But in all seriousness, getting everything ready beforehand can really reduce kitchen mishaps. There is no scrambling, digging in the refrigerator, or trying desperately to remember how the food processor bowl fits on the base while food is about to burn on the stove.

Mise en place is especially important when doing things like stir-fry, where the food can burn, or delicate things like making a sauce, which can easily break. All in all, having your mise en place ready can be the difference between disaster and delectable.

Making mise en place work for you

Undoubtedly, delectable is always better than disaster, but there’s just one question left: How ever do you organize it all?

In many cases, chefs use plastic cups. Everything is measured out, placed into a plastic cup, and when it comes time for the ingredient to be added, the ingredient is poured into the skillet or bowl. Chefs often then discard the plastic cup, which is not the most eco-friendly mise en place option to practice.

On the other hand, you can use your own bowls, cups or even ramekins, a much more environmentally-conscious option. You can also check out your local kitchen store, they carry small glass stackable bowls in various sizes that work perfectly for this.

Practicing mise en place

Practicing mise en place is a good idea and one of the ways that restaurant kitchens turn out a lot of food in record time. Take this secret of the restaurant chef home with you and use it to rock your kitchen. Opt to always mise en place and you can make a good kitchen practice even better.

If you find that you're always missing an ingredient once you get started to cook or don't have enough of one, mise en place is your answer. I know you're probably thinking, I can't remember to do this all the time. However, if you can remember to mise en place when you have lots of ingredients in a recipe, then you'll find your recipes will be easier to prepare and your dishes will come out amazingly better - then you'll never forget.

You too can be a great chef in your own kitchen. Just don't forget to Mise en Place!

The Working Women's Survival Show

I've been very busy this week preparing to teach 5 culinary classes at the Working Women's Survival Show this weekend.

Friday I taught guests how to make Sushi.

Today I taught 125 Girl Scouts how to make Summer Rolls and they did amazing. This event was lots of fun. The girls were of all ages and it was cute to see how they looked at all the veggies spread out before them and then watch them dip their rice paper in the water to prep it for rolling. Every roll I saw looked perfect. I was so proud of them.

Then I was on stage and showed the guests how to make Pesto and then turn it into a luscious Caprese Pasta Salad.

Tomorrow I have a different group of 125 Girl Scouts that I'm going to teach the same Summer Rolls to. Then finish off on stage with a demo on making Sushi.

I have to say my hands are really tired since I'm the one slicing and dicing all the veggies. Even though I have my trusty old mandoline it's still tedious. Still and all I'm having a great time and meeting lots of wonderful adults and children.

What a fun weekend this has turned out to be.

Well time to finish prepping for tomorrows classes.

Have a great rest of the weekend!

Hot, Gooey, Fondue for Valentine's Day!

There's something about having fondue that is so romantic. Dipping fruit, bread, meat, veggies, etc. into the same bowl with your sweetheart and then serving it to each other or just sharing out of the same container.

Friday I shared a recipe that you can have for your Valentine's breakfast. Saturday a luscious alcoholic drink and now today a hot, gooey, fondue.

Look at any fondue recipe and you’ll see there are three elements: cheese, wine or other alcohol like beer, and a seasoning, such as garlic. Some recipes use only one cheese, others are blends. You can create your own blends with your favorite cheeses—stick to the medium and semi-hard cheeses, avoiding very soft and very hard cheeses, which are either too liquid or don’t have enough moisture to melt easily.

Classic Cheese Fondue Recipe

Ingredients:

1 pound Cave Aged Gruyère
1 pound Swiss Emmenthaler
1 pound Appenzeller
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 cup dry white wine
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Black pepper to taste
1 garlic clove, halved

Cubed crusty bread & other accompaniments, such as sausage,
steamed vegetables and cubed ham or turkey


Preparation

Coarsely grate the cheese. In medium pot, toss cheese together with cornstarch. Place the pot over medium heat and add the wine and lemon juice.

When hot, add a handful of the cheese mixture at a time, stirring until melted. Add black pepper to taste.

If serving in a fondue pot, rub the fondue pot with cut sides of garlic cloves and discard garlic. Set it on its stand over a low flame and pour the melted fondue in.

Serve with crusty bread cubes, and steamed or raw veggies.

Want to change it up a bit? Here are a few of other ideas that you can use with this basic fondue.

Goat Cheese Fondue

Melt goat Cheddar and Jack cheeses with white wine. Season with chopped Portabella mushrooms.

Italian Fondue

Melt Fontina and Taleggio cheeses. Mix in 1 cup of crushed tomatoes (canned or aseptic boxed tomatoes are better than fresh tomatoes for this recipe). Season with chopped fresh basil and garlic.

Swiss Cheese Fondue

Gruyere and Emmenthaler cheeses with a dry white wine base. Garlic, Kirschwasser and an array of other spices

No matter what you throw into the pot it's sure to be delicious!

I wish you and your loved ones a very Happy Valentine's Day tomorrow!

Raspberry-White Chocolate Truffle Martini

Well now, after having a romantic breakfast in bed with those luscious Pancakes with Caramelized Bananas and a wonderful day spent together just laughing and having fun it's back at home for a 4pm break. Sit down by the fire and make yourselves a soothing Raspberry-White Chocolate Truffle Martini and listen to some music.

For this heavenly drink follow these instructions:

Raspberry-White Chocolate Truffle Martini

Ingredients Per Cocktail:

1-1/2 ounces raspberry vodka
1/2 ounce white chocolate liqueur
1-1/2 ounces white crème de cacao
1 ounce raspberry liqueur
3 raspberries

Preparation:

Combine liquid ingredients in a martini shaker and shake over ice

Strain drink into martini glass

Garnish with raspberries on a pick

Enjoy!

Valentine's Day Breakfast

Well Valentine's Day is just a few days away and I'm sure many of you are out rummaging through the Hallmark Cards to find the right one to give to your honey. Trying to think of something special to give or make for your Valentine?

Well I have some great recipes that I'm going to share with you, today, Friday and Saturday that you can romance your Valentine with.

The first will be a luscious, warm, succulent dish of pancakes with a caramelized banana sauce on top. Don't worry, it's easy and delicious. To make them extra special make the pancakes with a heart shaped cookie cutter.

Then tomorrow I'm going to share with you an alcoholic beverage and on Saturday, how about a fondue recipe! What could be more romantic and help set the mood than these? Of course, don't forget the music and something special to wear.

My first recipe is:

Pancakes with Caramelized Bananas

Ingredients:

2 tbsp. unsalted butter
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
4 small bananas, sliced into 1/2 inch rounds
1 cup Pure Maple Syrup
Your Favorite Pancake recipe

Directions:

Prepare your favorite pancake recipe and set aside finished pancakes keeping them warm.

Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat

Add the brown sugar and stir until the sugar has melted and the mixture begins to simmer

Add the maple syrup

Cook over low heat for approx. 1 minute, stirring continuously.

Add the banana slices to the pan in a single layer and cook until the bananas begin to caramelize and the brown sugar sauce is bubbling.

Pour the banana sauce over the hot pancakes and serve with warm maple syrup on the side, if desired.

Tips: Can be served on pancakes, waffles, or even ice cream. For a special effect pour the caramelized banana into the center of a pancake and roll up like a tortilla. Then cover with whipped cream and chopped nuts. YUM!

OXO - 20 Year Anniversary Contest!

I love OXO products. They are incredibly sturdy and always work. In fact I had an electric can-opener and got rid of it to use my hand held OXO can-opener which worked much better. One of the things I love most about them is their grip. You could be working in the kitchen, hands wet and yet when you pick up an OXO tool to use your hand won't slip. If you haven't tried any OXO products do yourself a favor and pick up at least one of their tools. You'll be hooked.

At any rate, I talked with one of the OXO employees about 6 months ago and yesterday she sent me an email about their 20 year contest that they are having. I thought you all might be interested in trying your luck at winning one of their Products of the Year. This is the email Victoria from OXO sent to me:

Every Tuesday, a new photo will be posted on www.acloserlookatoxo.com, which will be a zoomed in picture of the featured Product of the Year. Try to guess which product it is, and visit the site the following Monday to see if you were right! Upon the reveal, you can learn a little more about the thought that went into developing each product.

Each week, 20 lucky (and correct) guessers will win a Product of the Year, from 1990 through 2010!

If you have an OXO tool please share your thoughts about it by posting a comment on my blog.

Good Luck with the contest. I hope everyone wins something!

GiNormous SuperBowl Sandwich!

Years ago I watched Giada De Laurentis prepare a Muffuletta sandwich on the Food Network and thought oh my goodness that sandwich is to die for! Well I was right. It is truely amazing and not difficult to prepare. So this Sunday, "SuperBowl Sunday", if you're not using one of my tasty recipes that I've posted on my blog or ordering out, why not try making Giada's Muffuletta Sandwich, it's heavenly? I realize it's not the most heart healthy sandwich so change it up a bit if you like, and use turkey or chicken meat instead of the salami and ham and use low fat cheese. However, the true experience will be in the calories, but I didn't have to tell you that.



Here's the recipe:

Muffulettas
Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis

Prep Time: 30 min
Inactive Prep Time: hr min
Cook Time: hr min
Level: Easy
Serves: 6 to 8 servings.

Ingredients

•1/4 cup red wine vinegar
•2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
•1 teaspoon dried oregano
•1/3 cup olive oil
•10 large pitted green olives, chopped
•1/3 cup pitted, chopped kalamata olives
•1/4 cup chopped roasted red bell peppers
•Salt and freshly ground black pepper
•1 (1-pound) round bread loaf (about 7 inches in diameter and 3 inches high)
•4 ounces thinly sliced ham
•4 ounces thinly sliced mortadella
•4 ounces thinly sliced salami
•4 ounces sliced provolone
•1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
•1 1/2 ounces arugula leaves

Directions

Whisk the first 3 ingredients in a large bowl to blend. Gradually blend in the oil. Stir in the olives and roasted peppers. Season the vinaigrette, to taste, with salt and pepper.

Cut the top 1-inch of the bread loaf. Set the top aside. Hollow out the bottom and top halves of the bread. Spread some of the olive and roasted pepper mix over the bread bottom and cut side of the bread top. Layer the meats and cheeses in the bread bottom. Top with the onions, then the arugula. Spread the remaining olive and roasted pepper mix on top of the sandwich and carefully cover with the bread top. You can serve the sandwich immediately or you can wrap the entire sandwich tightly in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator a day before serving.

Cut the sandwich into wedges and serve.

Stir-Fry Beef Tenderloin

Tonight just seemed like the perfect night for stir-fry. Since the holidays I've been trying really hard to cut back on fattening foods and stir-fry is light yet filling. The biggest drawback is the level of sodium that's typically in the ingredients used. Still I love it and so does my family.

When I make stir-fry I serve it on top of either brown rice, raw spinach or some variety of lettuce. Tonight I had mine on a bed of raw spinach while the rest of my family had it over brown rice. I'm sure it would be great over barley, quinoa or any other grain you like, be creative!

The key when making stir-fry is to mise en place all your ingredients so they are ready to toss into your wok. Since stir-frying is a quick process this alleviates any mistakes.

In addition you want to be sure to have the flame up high and to use an oil with a high smoke point like canola, peanut or grapeseed oil. If possible use a heavy flat bottom wok so that a larger surface area will come in contact with the heat rather than a round-bottom wok.

My husband was in the mood for some beef so I purchased some beef tenderloin and then used the veggies that I had on hand to add to my stir-fry mix. If you're not a fan of the veggies I used just use ones that appeal to you and your family. This way everyone is happy.

Then the next day if there are any leftovers I will heat them up and put them in a wrap. I'll add the brown rice, spinach and the meat and veggie mix. Roll up and I've got a great lunch. In fact, this would even be a great Superbowl dish! Prepare the stir-fry and then fill wraps and place on a platter. Just be sure to fold over one end so that the juices don't fall out onto your carpet.

Note: Before preparing this dish make sure to read the directions entirely so you are familiar with the steps and when to add each ingredient. This dish is very simple to prepare. The key though is to be sure to Mise En Place all the ingredients ahead of time.

Ingredients:

1 pound beef tenderloin
1 tablespoon heavy soy sauce
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon rice wine (Mirin)
2 teaspoons dark sesame oil
1 pound mushrooms (I used baby bellas)
3 whole green onions
4 asparagus spears
baby carrots, large handful
3 tablespoons cooking oil (I use canola)

Seasonings:

3 cloves garlic, minced or 1 1/2 teaspoons jarred roasted garlic
1 tablespoons minced ginger, optional

Sauce:

1/4 cup chicken stock
2 tablespoons rice wine (Mirin)
1 tablespon thin soy sauce (I used low sodium soy)
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 tablespoon dark sesame oil
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Mise En Place:

Cut beef into 1/4 inch rectangular slices about 1/2 inch wide and 1 inch long.
In a bowl combine the soy sauce, 1 tablespoon of rice wine, and sesame oil. Blend well and set aside to marinate for at least 15 minutes but no longer than 8 hours, refrigerated. Set aside the remaining 1/4 cup of rice wine.

Trim stems off mushrooms and slice into 1/4 inch pieces. Cut green onion on a diagonal into 1-inch long pieces. Cut the same with the asparagus. Slice baby carrots in half lengthwise. Combine all veggies together on a plate and set aside.

Combine the seasonings if using both and set aside until ready to use. In a separate bowl combine the sauce ingredients and set aside.

Cooking Instructions:

Place the wok over the highest heat. When the wok becomes very hot, add 2 tablespoons of the cooking oil. Roll the oil around the wok and when the oil starts to smoke, add the beef. Stir and toss the beef until it loses its raw exterior color, about 2 minutes. Then slide beef onto a plate and set aside.

Immediately return the wok to the highest heat. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of cooking oil, and the Seasonings. Stir-fry the Seasonings for about 5 seconds, then add vegetables until they brighten in color. This should only take about 3 minutes.
Just after adding the veggies add the 1/4 cup of rice wine, this will help the veggies to soften more quickly giving them a richer flavor and stir.

Stir the Sauce, and then pour it into the wok. Return the beef to the wok. Stir and toss until all the ingredients are glazed with the sauce and thickened.

Transfer stir-fry immediately to a serving platter. Place on top of grains, spinach or lettuce.

Enjoy!