Plotting over coffee!!!

Pan Fried Kale

I have heard a lot of talk lately about the nutritious advantages of kale. I have never worked with it before. I hadn't even tasted it before. I bought what looked like a nice big healthy bunch of kale. I broke off a leaf, rinsed it and took a taste. Nice, mild green with a slightly bitter aftertaste. I looked it up on the internet and read about 9 recipes just to get some ideas and then... I made something different. Here I pan fried some kale in olive oil and garlic, I seasoned it with salt and pepper and lemon juice. It was delicious. Here you go. 

Ingredients
1 bunch  Fresh Kale. Rinsed, patted dry and torn to large chunks.
1/4 C  Olive Oil
2 - 3 cloves Garlic, chopped
1 lemon.
Salt and Pepper to taste

Cook
Heat oil in 12 inch skillet
Add Garlic and let cook for about a minute.
Using tongs add a big pinch of kale.
Keep turning it till kale is saturated with oil and starts to feel a little tender then add more kale.
repeat this till all the kale is added and you can feel that it is tender. 
(There is no need to overcook the kale, as long as it is a bit tender it is cooked enough to eat. No sense in cooking something this nutritious if you're going to cook the nutrients out of it.)
Remove to serving plate.
Squeeze the juice of half the lemon over the kale..
Cut the other half of the lemon into wedges and serve with kale.
Shred just a little bit of Parmagiano Reggiano or Pecorino Romano over the top.
Serve.

Potato Leek Soup

Leeks are mild flavored onions - don't let them scare you if you've never used them!! :)
This is an ' I just threw it together ' recipe & didn't measure accurately, so I'll share as-is:

Peel & dice (small cubes) 8-10 med. brown/russett potatoes - place into a pot and cover with water (an inch or so above the potatoes). Bring to a boil  and cook approx. 10-12 minutes until cooked (without becoming too soft). Drain (KEEPING a cup or so of the potato liquid in with the potatoes) & set aside.

In a 1 gallon stock pot, melt 1/2 stick (4 T) butter and over medium low heat, saute until softened but not browned (about 12-15 min.):

2 chopped leeks (rinsed & cleaned well)

1 small chopped onion

3 lg. stalks GRATED celery

Add 2 quarts of chicken stock (or same amt. of water plus an ample amt. of chicken 'base'- that paste in a jar... I buy it at GFS) to the onions and stir. Let it cook for 10-15 minutes (low simmer) and then add the potatoes. Season with salt & pepper. If you like a thicker soup, make a paste using cornstarch or flour added to cold water (3 tblsp. dry to a few tblsp. water), add to the soup, stirring until thicker. Otherwise, leave the soup in its more pure form.

To the potato soup, add 1 to 1-1/2 cups heavy (whipping) cream. Stir to incorporate and heat on low for another 10 minutes making sure it's not cooking on a high heat or it'll scorch.

Top with ground black pepper, cooked, crumbled bacon or shredded cheese, if desired.

Creamy Rice Pudding

In a large, heavy saucepan or small stockpot, add 7 cups milk (I use 2% but any type works well), 1/4 tsp. salt and 1-1/2 cups standard long-grained (uncooked) white rice.

Over medium low heat, let milk heat (never to a simmer & especially not a boil!) slowly - stir rice occasionally until milk begins to cook the rice. This is a VERY SLOW procedure and takes around 45 minutes to an hour or even longer. Continue to let the rice cook slowly, stirring often making sure the bottom does not scorch or stick.

In a small bowl, beat 2 eggs plus 1 extra yolk with 1/2 cup white sugar.

When rice is cooked/tender, and milk has nearly evaporated - approximately one hour - (the mixture should be creamy and thick and not runny) - remove from heat and mix in the sugar/egg. Return the pot to a low heat and continue cooking and stirring for several minutes until eggs incorporate and cook thoroughly. Turn off heat and add a teasp. of vanilla extract.

At this point you can add (only if you want to) other ingredients. Raisins are a favorite - for plumper raisins, soak them in boiling water for several minutes and then drain/dry them before adding.  For this recipe I toasted 1-1/2 cups of broken up walnuts and another cup of dried cranberries - a Tblsp. of grated orange peel finished off this dessert! Any other fruits and/or (toasted) nuts combination work well. The rice pudding is delicious served warm or chilled with some heavy cream or whipped cream spooned over the top!

Peanut Butter Chocolate Cookies

These remind me of " yin - yang " !  When making these cookies, you will be mixing 2 smallish batches of dough, chilling them and then rolling a lot of little balls (45-50 each).

Heat the oven to 350º.

Chocolate dough - mix together all ingredients in this order. Wrap in plastic & chill 1 hr:
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
2 Tblsp. milk
1/2 cup + 2 Tblsp. cocoa powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 cup flour
1/2 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup bittersweet chocolate chips
WRAP & CHILL 1 HR.

Peanut Butter dough - mix together all ingred. in this order. Wrap in plastic & chill 1 hr:
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg
3/4 cup peanut butter
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1-1/4 cups flour
1/2 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup bittersweet chocolate chips
WRAP & CHILL 1 HR.

This works best if you quickly roll all the balls first (peanut butter first, and then chocolate) - if you alternate and make 1 cookie at a time, it's messy and you get chocolate all over your hands, mixing it onto the PB dough.

Roll each type of dough into small balls (1 level tsp. or so - don't forget - you're combining 2 balls per cookie!).  After they're all rolled into balls, take one of each and quickly roll them together between the palms of your hand.  Just a few 'spins' is all you need.  Place the balls into parchment lined baking pans (or greased sheets) - bake for 11-13 minutes.  Remove from the oven, let sit for a minute and then remove the cookies onto cooling racks.

Chicken Pot Pie

This will make one very large pie (or 2 small ones).
Have ready:   pie crust (for a single crust pie)
(make your own, or use a purchased pie crust)

2 cups of cooked, diced potatoes
1 cup cooked, diced carrots
1/2 cup cooked corn
1/2 cup cooked peas
(you could also have cooked, chopped green beans or any other vegetables you enjoy ready to add)

1 roasted chicken- season it up well, roast it, then take the skin/bones off & chop/shred the meat. (Or have ready, 3-4 cups cooked chicken... boneless, skinless breasts can be poached or grilled for this but roasted chicken is more tender).

For the sauce, in a 2 qt saucepan, melt 6 Tblsp. butter and saute a medium chopped onion & 1 cup of diced celery over low heat. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally until wilted & soft. Add 2 heaping Tblsp. flour, mix and continue cooking for a few minutes. Slowly pour in 3 cups milk, whisk to incorporate everything and raise the heat to medium. (Add a splash of Sherry if you like that flavor.) Add a Tblsp. of chicken 'base', a half teasp. ground pepper, a good pinch of salt, half tsp. thyme, dash of cayenne, Tblsp. chopped parsley (add any other seasonings that you like) - whisk everything together and continue to whisk as the milk heats and thickens. When it begins to simmer (being careful not to let the heat get TOO hot or it'll scorch), continue to stir and slowly stream in a cup of heavy (whipping) cream. Taste - test for seasoning and add anything 'missing'.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the chicken and all the vegetables. Slowly spoon in MOST of the sauce & then carefully mix it together, making sure you don't mash up the vegetables. If the sauce seems too thick, add a bit more heavy cream and stir. Use all the sauce, if needed.

Spoon the mixture into greased pie pan or baking dish. Roll and cut the crust to fit the top & crimp the edges. Make a few slits on the top to allow steam to escape.

Beat an egg with a Tblsp. of water. Lightly brush a bit over the crust before baking.

Bake at 350 degrees for approx. 40-50 minutes. Cookl at least 10-15 minutes before serving.

Almond Biscotti

They are not  'bih  SCOTTY' they're ' bee SCOAT ee " !!  Read more here: http://www.mscotti.com/history.html

Heat your oven to 350º.

In a mixing bowl combine all ingredients and mix together thoroughly:

10 Tblsp. soft butter
1-1/2 cups sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. almond extract
3 eggs

3-1/4 cups flour
1 Tblsp. baking powder
1/3 tsp. salt

Stir in 1-1/2 to 2 cups chopped, toasted almonds (to toast them beforehand, spread them onto a baking sheet and put them in the oven for 10-12 minutes @350º - then cool completely before using)

Divide the dough into 4 equal portions.
Form into (4) logs - put two 'logs' onto each baking sheet. (approx. 10" long  X 2" wide X 1/2" high)
Brush with lightly beaten egg white.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the top begins to get golden.
Remove from the oven. Cool slightly. Cut into 1/3 - 1/2" slices.  Lay them flat onto the baking sheets, return to the oven and bake another 10-12 minutes until they're golden.