Lemon Chess Pie

I decided to use the leftover buttermilk for pie instead of pancakes. We really don't eat a lot of huge breakfasts and the pancakes would have just made us feel too full all day long.

I hate making pie crust, not because I don't like the way that it tastes. I hate the way it always falls apart on me. I really need to practice perfecting the transfer of my crust to the pie plate. This time, I tried to freeze the crust for a bit, thinking it would be easier for me. It wasn't...

The pie was a great dessert and we shared some of it with neighbors instead of keeping the whole thing for ourselves.

Pastry for a Single Crust Pie
1 1/4 cup flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup chilled butter, cut up into small pieces
3 1/2 tablespoons ice water
Cooking spray

1. Preheat the oven to 425F.
2. Combine flour, sugar and salt into a large bowl. Cut in butter with a pastry blender until the mixture resembles course meal. Sprinkle surface with ice water, one tablespoon at a time. Toss with a fork until moist and crumbly (do not form into a ball).
3. Press mixture gently into a 4-inch circle on plastic wrap; cover with additional plastic wrap. Roll dough, still covered into a 12-inch circle. Freeze 10 minutes or until plastic wrap can be removed.
4. Remove 1 sheet of plastic wrap; fit dough into a 9-inch pie plate coated with cooking spray. Remove top sheet of plastic wrap. Fold edges under. Bake at 425 for 10 minutes or until edge is lightly browned. Reduce oven temperature to 350F, cover with foil, and bake an additional 5 minutes.

Lemon Chess Pie Filling
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons flour
2 teaspoons lemon rind
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 large egg whites
1 cup buttermilk

1. Combine sugar and next six ingredients in a bowl. Stir with a whisk until well blended. Gradually stir in buttermilk. Pour mixture into crust. Bake at 350F for 40 minutes or until set. During the last 10 minutes of baking, cover the pie with foil.

Sauteed Plantains with Beans and Rice

I first made this dish when the weather was finally starting to get nice enough in Boston to eat outside on the deck. We had friends over for dinner, drinks on the deck, and listened to great music. As the summer winds down, we are trying to eat on the deck as much as we can before we enter into the long seemingly endless Boston winter. I made this dinner tonight, trying to recapture a bit of the early summer fun. Mike and I listened to great music while preparing dinner and ate outside.

I also really like this dinner because it reminds me of the great food that we had on vacation in Puerto Rico four years ago. We love to eat in restaurants with renowned local dishes. I can't remember the name of the restaurant that we had the fried plantains in, but remembered how much we loved them.

Sauteed Plantains
2 plantains, yellow with some black spots
canola oil
sprinkling of kosher salt

1. Peel the plantains; cut into thirds crosswise Cut each piece into 4 (2 inch) slices.
2. Heat the canola oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add plantains to the pan; cook 3 minutes on each side, or until lightly browned. Transfer plantains to a plate and sprinkle with salt.

White Rice
canola oil
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
1 minced garlic clove
4 cups water
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups uncooked rice (I used arborio rice instead of long-grained white rice mostly because I wanted to use up the rice that I had instead of buying more rice)

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and pepper to the pan; cook 5 minutes or until tender. Add garlic; cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Add 4 cups of water and salt; bring to a boil. Stir in the rice. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer until liquid is absorbed (about 18 minutes).

Black Beans
You could open up a can of beans and just heat them up, or you can choose to add a little extra to the beans.

Canola oil
1 cup chopped onion
3/4 cup chopped red pepper
1/2 teaspoon brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1 cup water
2 (15-ounce) cans of black beans, undrained

1. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion and bell pepper to pan; cook 5 minutes or until tender. Stir in sugar, garlic, black pepper, and cumin; cook 1 minute. Stir in 1 cup water and beans; bring to a boil. Partially cover, reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes or until slightly thick, stirring frequently.

Dinner was great. I think part of the fun of this dish are the delicious smells in the kitchen. I wish there was some way to capture the great smells of cooking.

Chipolte Chili Chicken Soup

I made this for lunch because it was quick and easy. There is not a lot of prep work for it and doesn't use a ton of dishes, a plus for a lazy Saturday afternoon. I think it could use a little bit more salt, but I tend to consume too much salt. Tortilla chips add nice texture to the soup. Lately, I am into the whole grain tortilla chips because of no trans fat (I eat enough of it in other places). I would have liked to garnish with cilantro, but did not buy cilantro because this is the only dish I am making in the near future that calls for cilantro. I did garnish the soup with jalapeno slices. I love spicy foods and they certainly added the spice that I crave.

Canola oil
1 1/2 teaspoons bottle minced garlic
1 package of chicken breast tenderloins (not bigger than 1 pound)
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 cup water
1/4 teaspoon salt
14 ounces of chicken broth
1 (14.5 ounce) can of stewed tomatoes (leave undrained)

While heating oil in a large sauce pan, cut the chicken breast into bite size pieces. Add garlic and chicken to the saucepan and saute until the chicken is almost cooked. Add the chili powder and cumin, stir after the addition. Add water, salt, broth and tomatoes, bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer five minutes.

Pasta with Fresh Herbs

This was not my favorite dinner that I made this week, but Mike seemed to like it. I think that a few mistakes were made, such as not all the herbs used were fresh. I did use fresh basil (and have very few leaves left on my basil plant as a result) and used fresh chives, thanks to the generosity of my neighbor, Amy. I am realizing that next summer I need to plant an herb garden with basil, cilantro, mint, and oregano.

Another mistake was the use of goat cheese as a topping for the pasta instead of using something more traditional like Parmesan. Mistakes made while cooking will be remedied and poor Mike will continue to be used as a guinea pig.

1 pound of penne
extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1/2 teaspoon oregano (I used the dried version instead of fresh oregano)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 pints of cherry tomatoes (I may use grape tomatoes next time)
1 minced garlic clove
1 tablespoon fresh chives
1/2 teaspoon thyme (I used the dried version instead of fresh)
1/2 cup chicken broth

Cook the pasta according the package directions. After draining, place the cooked pasta in a large bowl and add olive oil, basil, oregano, salt, and pepper. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and tomatoes, saute for 2 minutes. Add the chives and thyme, saute until the tomatoes are slightly charred and the skin is about to burst. Add the broth and bring to a boil. Cook over high heat for 1 minute. Add the mixture to the pasta and toss to combine. Sprinkle with cheese (I used goat cheese which had too powerful a taste for this dish, next time I will use Parmesan).

Dinner for the upcoming week

So, due to a run after work one day and running to a friend's house I never got around to making the Chicken Chipolte Soup. It will be made sometime this week for dinner or maybe lunch.

This week's dinners feature some old favorites.

• Turkey Chimichangas
• Maple Glazed Pork Tenderloin with a side of Broccoli Dijon Vinaigrette
• Sauteed Plantains with Rice and Beans

I am not making too many dinners this week as it is Labor Day weekend and maybe Mike will make something on the grill. Also, Tuesday night is the premiere of the new 90210 and I have plans to watch it with my girlfriends. Maybe Ben & Jerry will make an appearance like in the days at the Last Call? I am hoping that our no-talking rule during 9-0 is still in effect, we can only talk during commercial breaks.

Restaurant Reviews - Buenos Aires

Since this is a blog dedicated to food, whether it be sharing recipes or consuming food, I think it would be great to share some restaurant recommendations.

In June, Mike and I took a trip to Argentina. While in Argentina, one must eat beef and drink malbec. Argentina is home to some of the best beef I have ever ingested. According to the travel books it is due to the cows eating grass versus being corn fed as they are in the United States. The malbec, an Argentine wine, was a wonderful accompaniment to our meals. I am so glad that Mike started to drink wine this year, otherwise I would have had a bottle of wine with each meal by myself.

Should you ever find yourself in Buenos Aires, here are some great restaurants that are highly recommended. La Cabrera is located in the Palermo Viejo neighborhood. The street name is JA Cabrera 5099. This is where we had our first sample of Argentine beef. After waiting all day long for American Airlines to deliver our suitcase that didn't make it on our flight, we ventured out to try this recommended parilla. It was quite delicious. I made the mistake of ordering a dish of beef that was meant for two, unfortunately my Spanish was not good enough to heed the waiter's advice that it would be too big for one person. I did my best to try and finish. At La Cabrera, they also serve a plate of sides and toppings for your beef. Chimichirri sauce was included and is great. I tried to make some at home after our trip and did a decent job.

La Dorita, located in Palermo Hollywood (Humboldt 1905), was another great meal. We ordered a salad, a mixed grill plate for two (we split this one), a bottle of malbec, sparkling water, dessert and cafe con leche. All this food for a total, including tip, of $40 US dollars. The food was great and Mike loved the server because she was so friendly. My only regret is that we didn't buy one of the penguin wine pitchers used for house wine. I love those pitchers and wanted to buy one. However, I didn't buy one in Argentina. When I got home, I found some online that were about the cost of my meal at La Dorita. One night we departed from the beef for dinner and tried a place that the tour book recommended. It was also one of the many magnets on our refrigerator in our rented apartment.

Cumana, is located in Recoleta (Rodriguez Pena 1149, and was a very short walk from our apartment. At this restaurant we tried pizza. It isn't the type of pizza that we are used to in the U.S., but it was great nonetheless. Our waitress, who spoke English to us, recommended a traditional Northern Argentine dessert of cheese and sweet potato sauce. I'd recommend it as well, it was delectable. El SanJuanino, also in Recoleta (Posadas 1515), gave us a great dose of local flavor. It was here that we sampled a huge basket of empanadas with various fillings. We did order entrees on top of the empanadas, but did not need to. The restaurant seemed to be a place where the local Portenos hung out. It is just the type of place that we like to eat in during our vacations.

One final recommendation, La Brigada (Estados Unidos 465) is located in San Telmo. La Brigada was also highly recommended to us. It was by far, my favorite meal in Argentina. The beef was so tender. I also ordered a side of the chorizo (sausage) for us and it was heavenly. La Brigada has a huge wine list. We went with a malbec, though I can't recall which one. The owner of the restaurant owns a wine shop located around the corner. Each time we went to the shop, a total of three times on two different days, it was closed. It was almost comical.

In summary, if you should find yourself in Buenos Aires, these are great places to eat. You should sample all cuts of beef, drink the malbec (my favorite was Finca Flichman), try the empanadas, and absolutely go to an ice cream shop and have the dulce la leche. If you think that Hagaan Daaz makes a good dulce la leche ice cream, you will melt while trying the Argentine version.

BBQ Rubbed Pork Chops and Cheese Grits

Perhaps my upcoming trip, in November, to see my favorite Southern Belles was an inspiration for two dinner items this week, Oven "Fried" Chicken and Buttermilk Biscuits, as well as items in this entry. This dinner features a side dish that I loved the first time I tried it at Virgil's BBQ in New York. I love grits and as a girl raised in Yankee territory (not the baseball team) I was not exposed to the deliciousness that is grits. Grits will be required eating while in North Carolina this Fall.

BBQ Rubbed Pork Chops

4 pork chops (I prefer the thin sliced chops that are not on the bone)

1 tbpsn brown sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp chili powder
3/4 tsp garlic powder

3/4 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp ground mustard
1/8 tsp ground allspice

Combine the spice together and then rub the mixture over both sides of the pork. Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. If you are not using a non-stick pan, coat it with cooking spray. Add the pork, cook each side for two minutes. Next, reduce the heat to medium and cook for 8 minutes, or until they are done.

Cheese Grits

2 cups milk (I use skim)
1 1/4 cups water
3/4 cup quick cooking grits
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (I use mild, but sharp works too)

1-2 tbpsn butter
dash salt
dash pepper

Bring the liquids together in a boil over medium high heat. Slowly add the grits while stirring. Cover and reduce heat, let the grits simmer until they thicken (about 5 minutes). Remove from heat and add the remaining ingredients. The grits are ready when the cheese has melted.

I am not including the recipe for the tomato and cucumber salad because I wasn't pleased with the results. When I refine this side dish, I will include it.

Oven "Fried" Chicken with Buttermilk Biscuits

It may have been a bit ambitious for a Monday night dinner, but I had a lot of buttermilk leftover from the cupcakes and needed to use it. Lucky for me the recipes for the chicken and biscuits called for buttermilk. I need to use up the rest of the buttermilk before it expires. Maybe pancakes on are deck for this weekend? Or will it be Lemon Chess Pie? It if is Lemon Chess Pie, I will be sampling a new pie crust recipe courtesy of another Fairfield Alum/cooking blogger (whose great blog, Cooking with Jen, is linked on mine).

Originally, I was going to make an heirloom tomato salad as a side dish, however I did start dinner as soon as I got home from work on Monday and did not have the 2 hours to let the granita chill. I'll make the tomato salad another day. The veggie side was plain old lettuce with balsamic vinegar and olive oil.

The chicken happens to be one of my favorite dishes for dinner and the leftovers make for great sandwiches with a bit of lettuce. I am going to use the leftover biscuits as sides to the BBQ rubbed porkchops.

Buttermilk Biscuits

2 cups flourbaking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 salt

3 tbsp butter
3/4 cup buttermilk

Preheat the oven to 450F. Mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add in the butter (cut it into small pieces, it is much easier to work with). Use a pastry blender to mix everything together. When the mixture gets mealy, add in the buttermilk. I find it easier to add the buttermilk in slowly and not all at once. When you are satisfied with the consistency, roll the dough out onto a lightly floured surface (in the interest of saving Mike from extra clean up, I rolled it out on the baking sheet). The dough height should be 1/2 inch, cut out the biscuits using biscuit cutters. This makes 12 biscuits. The biscuits take about 12 minutes in the oven. They are done when they have a golden color on top. It should be noted for this recipe, and the following, that the pans should be coated with cooking spray, or use a silpat. I love my silpats and highly recommend them to all as they are extremely useful.

Oven "Fried" Chicken

3 pounds of chicken (I prefer thin-sliced chicken breast)
2 cups flour

2 tsp paprika

1 tsp salt

2 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp dried thyme

1/2 tsp ground white pepper

1 cup buttermilk

2 tbsp butter (melted)

Preheat oven to 400F. Combine flour, paprika, salt, garlic powder, thyme, and ground white pepper in a large bowl. Pour buttermilk into a shallow bowl. Dredge the chicken in the buttermilk and then the flour mixture. I prefer douple-dipping the chicken for more coating. Pour the melted butter over the chicken and then place the chicken (on jelly roll pans) into the oven for 40 minutes.

I think that coleslaw would also make a nice side dish for this dinner, if you like coleslaw. Some days I like it, while others I could go with out it.

Chicken Enchiladas

Sunday night's dinner was Chicken Enchiladas. I am a huge fan of this dish. One of my favorite places to get them is Charritos in Hoboken, New Jersey (sigh...I miss Hoboken). Unfortunately, my enchiladas were nowhere near as wonderful as they are in Frank Sinatra's hometown and I won't bother posting the recipe. I need to make a great recipe for the sauce and need recommendations on technique (mine fell apart).

Homemade Onion Dip

During a visit to Long Beach Island, our gracious hostess made homemade onion dip during our cocktail hour. The homemade stuff tastes much better than that from the box. Its a great treat to serve either during cocktail hour or as a snack at parties. I couldn't find the exact recipe that I had in New Jersey, but found and created something I liked just as much.

2 Tbsp olive oil
One large onion, diced (about 1 1/2 cups)
1/4 tsp kosher salt
16 ounces sour cream (full fat, low fat, or no fat, it's your call. I used low fat.)
3/4 cup mayonnaise (light or regular, I used light mayo)
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp ground white pepper
1/2 tsp kosher salt

In a saute pan, heat the oil and then add the onions and salt. Cook the onions over medium-high heat until they are caramelized (about 20 minutes). Remove the onions from the pan and let them cool down. Combine the remaining ingredients, and then add the cooled onions. Refrigerate and then stir again before serving.

I would be cautious on adding extra onion as the dip can be quite potent with the onion and the garlic powder.

We served it with water crackers, but you can serve it with veggies, chips, pretzels, etc...

S'mores Cupcakes

Because Mike loves S'mores, I made cupcakes in this style. I am not going to post the recipes because of a potential project with a friend (more on that later).

The cake is a chocolate cake. While looking online, I saw other S'mores cupcakes with a graham cracker base. The icing has butter, confectioner's sugar, vanilla, and Fluff. On top, I crushed and sprinkled graham crackers and then placed a piece of a Hershey bar.

The only issue with the dessert is that the Fluff based icing dripped over the side of the cupcakes. One needs several napkins to eat this treat!

Dinner for the upcoming week

Each week, I like to sit down with a few cookbooks and look through the pages for inspiration. This week, I am planning on making the following for dinner:

1. BBQ Rubbed Pork Chops, with a side of cheese grits, and a cucumber and tomato salad
2. Oven "Fried" Chicken with an heirloom tomato salad
3. Chicken Enchiladas
   
4. Pasta with Fresh Herbs
5. Chipolte Chicken Soup
   

Buttermilk Pie with Blackberry and Blueberry Sauce

This pie so delicious. The first time I made it was after a few beers after a half-marathon in May. Apparently a few drinks after running 13 miles makes for good pies. One warning on the pie, it's very rich. You can use a pre-made graham cracker crust or make your own. I opted for the latter. The pie and sauce recipe comes from Martha Stewart's Annual Recipes 2004. The graham cracker crust recipe comes from Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook.

Graham Cracker Crust

1/3 cup butter or margarine (I use butter)

1/4 cup sugar

18 finely crushed graham crackers (or 1 1/4 cups of crumbs)

Preheat the oven to 375F (this isn't necessary if you want to chill the crust for an hour). Melt the butter or margarine. Stir in the sugar and then add the crushed graham crackers. Toss to mix well. Spread the mixture evenly into a 9-inch pie plate. Press onto bottom and sides to form a firm, even crust. You can either chill about 1 hour until firm. Or, bake in the oven heated to 375F for 4 to 5 minutes.

Buttermilk Pie

3 cups buttermilk (I use lowfat buttermilk)

1 stick butter, melted and cooled

8 large egg yolks

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

2 cups sugar

1/2 cup flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest (I used it once and omitted it the second time, both variations work)

1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Whisk buttermilk, butter, egg yolks, and vanilla in a medium size bowl. In a large bowl, combine sugar, flour, and salt. Whisk the buttermilk mixture into the flour mixture. If you opted to use the lemon zest, whisk it in the mixture.

2. Pour into pie shell, bake until the center is just set (about 1 hour and 10 minutes). Let it cool and refrigerate at least 4 hours.

Blackberry and Blueberry Sauce

1/2 cup sugar

1 tablespoon lemon juice (fresh squeezed is best, but the bottled works as well)

2 pints fresh blueberries

12 ounces fresh blackberries

1 teaspoon cornstarch

1. Stir together sugar, lemon juice, and half of the berries. Bring just to a boil. Reduce heat to low, and simmer until blueberries burst and release their juices (about 3 minutes).

2. In a small bowl, dissolve cornstarch in 1 teaspoon of cold water; stir into sauce. Simmer, stirring until the sauce thickens slightly, about 1 minute more. Remove from heat; stir in the remaining berries. Transfer the sauce to a serving bowl. Refrigerate until chilled; stir gently before serving.

Here it goes...

This is my first try at blogging. I love to cook and bake and share my recipes with friends. Of course the week that I am starting my blog is a week in which I have no dinners planned due to not getting groceries over the weekend. I'll try to post as much as I can and look forward to getting feedback on my recipes.

Not all the recipes will be originals, many will come from one of my favorite sources, Cooking Light. I try to modify recipes to accommodate my husband who detests anything with peppers. Lately, I have been sneaking in pepper into our dinners :)

Finally, I also have a huge sweet tooth and love to bake all sorts of treats. Right now, I am loving pies and have made a few rhubarb pies as well as a delicious, not in any way, low-fat buttermilk pie.

I am still working on this and will be making lots of little tweaks as I go along. Wish me luck on this new hobby.