White Chocolate Mousse

This is most definitely one of my most favorite desserts ever. I had never really done the gourmet thing before I met my husband Matt, shoot I was only 19 and I remember that day as if it were yesterday…

Some of you may know my gelding Player aka Pimp Daddy, well he is the reason I met Matt on August 3, 2004. Player is a very small guy and I waited a very long time hoping he would get a little stronger his two year old year before he was started. Through a referral, Player went to Matt’s boss at the time and the rest is history. I went to see him once or twice a month and Matt and I flirted and batted eyes at each other but that was it. On New Year’s Eve I went and picked him up around eleven in the morning. Matt was there and helped me out and nonchalantly asked me if I had plans that night. Thinking nothing of it I said “no, you?” He had not made any plans either and that was the end of the conversation, I loaded my horse and got in the truck for home. Thank God I had a good friend with me because she told me that he was trying to drop a hint, well William Matthew Tune you suck at hints. So, I called his boss and asked for his phone number then proceeded to call him and we went out on our first date dancing and I experienced my first New Year’s Eve kiss. Awww! The point of that story was to tell you this story…

Like I said above, I had not done the gourmet food thing at all before him and our next date was at the Tin Melon in Weatherford. Does anyone else miss that place? They shouldn’t have tried to fix something that wasn’t broke. Ugh… ok off my soap box back to the story. For dessert the Tin Melon had this wonderful molten chocolate cake that I fell in love with. I was so impressed and Matt said it was “common”. At that time I was 20 and was like “if there’s cake better than this, I must experience it soon”. So our next date was at Italianni’s on Precinct Line in Hurst, it was still privately owned at this time but it’s still very good. After a wonderful dinner Matt ordered dessert, the thing I dream about in my sleep… Tartufo. Pronounced tar-two-fo, this stuff is amazing! It’s a three-layered chocolate sponge cake with dark chocolate mousse, white chocolate mousse and covered in a chocolate ganache. Then, it’s served on top of an uncooked crème brulee sauce and raspberry sauce. Divine!

After I ate Tartufo for the first time, I always crave white chocolate mousse. Watching Food Network one morning I saw the best recipe I’ve tried so far. Courtesy of Claire Robinson’s 5 Ingredient Fix this stuff is just like the white chocolate mousse that’s in Tartufo. Mmmm… I have tweaked it to make the appearance a little brighter. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
· 7 ounces of really good white chocolate, chopped very fine
· 2 egg yolks (I use extra large eggs)
· 2 tablespoons of sugar
· 1 ¼ cups of heavy cream (whipping cream)

Start this dish off by melting your chocolate over a double broiler. I don’t have a real double broiler so this is what I do as well as a lot of chefs… Take a glass bowl and place it inside a pot of simmering hot water. Make sure the water doesn’t touch the bowl because it will burn your chocolate. Place your chocolate in the glass bowl and stir until melted.

In a small bowl, add the egg yolks and sugar then whisk until pale in color.

In a sauce pan, over low heat, bring ¼ cup of the heavy cream to a simmer. Take your spoon and slowly add a few spoonfuls of the cream to the egg and sugar mixture. This is called tempering; it will not shock your eggs into scrambling because of the hot cream. After tempering your eggs and cream, add it back into the sauce pan and stir until it coats the back of a spoon.

Pour hot mixture into a fine mesh sieve over a bowl to make sure no eggs were scrambled.

Pour the cream mixture in the melted chocolate and stir until combined and ingredients are smooth.

In another bowl, whisk remaining 1 cup of the cream to almost stiff peaks. This takes elbow grease by hand but it’s the safest so you don’t whip your cream too much. Over whipping can make whipped cream and even further whipping can turn it into butter.

Fold half of the whipped cream into the white chocolate mixture and stir until ingredients combine then fold in the remaining cream. This makes the mousse and it lightens the chocolate to a thick soupy mixture.

Spoon into ramekins or martini glasses and let refrigerate for at least 2 hours. The refrigeration process turns the mixture into a heavenly fluffy cloud of white chocolate. Delish!

You have many options for garnish with this dessert. In the picture I used whole blackberries and a sprig of fresh mint. Raspberries would also be excellent with this mousse. I have also tried a fruity puree with a tablespoon of sugar; any berry will do just fine. If you’re feeling adventurous, you can melt a ¼ cup of semisweet chocolate (the same as the white chocolate) and take a toothpick, ice pick, or kabob skewer and swirl the regular chocolate in the mousse and garnish with whole raspberries and a sprig of mint.

This is an easy and popular dessert with my family and I hope you enjoy it!

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Penne and Spring Greens topped with Balsamic Chicken Breasts, Grape Tomatoes and Gorgonzola

This is another super simple recipe with ingredients that I keep on hand. Like the chili chicken, it was also a magazine find (Cooking Light) that I’ve made my own. There are a few different ways you can take this recipe but I am going to do my version and note the original. I’ve said many times on Facebook that I wish Weatherford had a proper grocery store… that is the reason I’ve had to change many recipes because many ingredients don’t exist in this town. So, here we go…

Make the pasta salad first; it is very good cold or at room temperature. You’ll need the following ingredients…

· ½ box of Penne pasta or Orzo (rice-shaped pasta that is very good and doesn’t exist in W’ford)
· ½ bag of spring greens salad mix
· 2 tablespoons of pine nuts (optional)
· 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
· 1 sprig or ½ teaspoon of fresh rosemary
· Pinch of coarse salt

Cook the pasta you choose according to package directions, drain, rinse with cool water and place in medium sized serving dish. Add the remaining ingredients, mix well. Pasta salad… DONE. If you have extra from this, it refrigerates well for lunch the next day.

Now on to the chicken, I have many notes on the best way to buy and cook chicken in the chili chicken recipe from 8/18/09. For this dish you will need the following ingredients…

· 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
· 1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
· 16 pitted Kalamata olives, halved (optional)
· 3 tablespoons of balsamic vinaigrette
o ¼ cup of balsamic vinegar
o 2 teaspoons of dark brown sugar
o 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
o 1/d teaspoon salt
o ½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
o ¾ cup olive oil
· 3 tablespoons of crumbled gorgonzola (or feta)
· Olive oil spray
· Kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper
· Chopped fresh basil for garnish

Before we start cooking let me fill you in on the ingredients. First, if you can’t get kalamata olives (very meaty dark skinned olive) for this dish, I suggest passing them up all together. The dish is fine without them and would be ruined with canned olives. Second, you can use bottled balsamic vinaigrette but I like to make my own because it makes for a richer more decadent dish. However it can be too rich for some palates, kids especially. Finally, I prefer gorgonzola to feta because it’s saltier and creamier and that’s how I like my cheese. Now we can get started…

Like all dishes, start by prepping your chicken and season it with salt and pepper. This dish is always cooked in a sauté pan because we will use the same seasoned pan for our tomato mixture after the chicken has been cooked. Extra virgin olive oil cooking spray is better for this dish because the balsamic can be heavy already from the amount of EVOO in it, so we want to keep the chicken as light as possible. On high heat spray your pan and get it hot, cold pan means the chicken will stick and we don’t want that. After a few minutes turn the pan to medium-high heat and cook for 4-5 minutes on each side only turning once. If you use a thermometer 165-170 degrees is ideal for poultry. Make sure your chicken has a nice light brown color to it and remove from the pan but keep warm. In a medium bowl start your vinaigrette and mix well, if you’re using bottled do the same and finally add your tomatoes and olives and mix well. Put tomato mixture in sauté pan and cook for one to two minutes or until tomatoes are soft.

Plating does not have to perfect like it came out of a restaurant, it’s homemade so simple is best. Spoon your pasta salad onto your plates, top with a chicken breast, then spoon the tomato mixture on top of the chicken letting it drizzle onto the pasta. Garnish with the cheese of your choice and chopped basil leaves.

I love this dish! One of my favorites and so easy, there is no reason you shouldn’t be able to finish this in 30 minutes or less. Good luck and happy cooking, or eating or both. :)

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Chili Chicken with Angel Hair and Lemon-Lime Vinaigrette

Note: The ingredients this recipe calls for are all items I keep in my fridge, freezer and pantry. I will list plenty of alternatives if you do not have certain items.

· ¼ of a box of angel hair pasta
· 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
· 1 ear of fresh corn
· 1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon of homemade chili powder
o 1 teaspoon of paprika
o 2 teaspoons of ground cumin
o 1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
o 1 teaspoon of oregano
o 2 teaspoons of garlic power (NOT GARLIC SALT)
· ½ cup of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
· ½ cup of cherry tomatoes
· 1 fresh lemon
· 1 fresh lime
· Salt and pepper
· Fresh Parsley for Garnish

Fresh Summertime Dinner for Two in 20 Minutes... Ready? I got the original recipe out of the Better Homes and Gardens magazine. My version is much better so that's what I am going to share with you today.

Start with two boneless skinless chicken breasts. I buy these in bulk because they freeze well and thaw easily. When you buy in bulk make sure you separate your portions to your family’s size as soon as you get home. Most of the time there are 10 breasts in a large package, 5 dinners or more for my house of two. Freezer safe Ziploc bags are the best and doesn’t freezer burn your chicken. I prefer the Pilgrims Pride brand (has a blue label)of chicken over Tyson or generic because the breasts are usually larger and can be cut in half for lunch the next day or pounded for more portions in case someone pops in unexpectedly. When I cook chicken I always make sure I trim off any extra fat (white stuff on the pink meat) as well as any veins (can be white and rubbery tube sometimes with blood). Once your chicken is prepped first things first is seasoning. No matter what I cook, I season with freshly cracked black pepper and kosher salt. If you don’t have a pepper grinder McCormick has a great Coarse Ground Black Pepper you can buy in small or large quantities. I prefer coarse kosher salt because I can see how much salt I am putting in my dish with the larger size grains. Morton has a 3 pound box that I keep at all times, it’s cheap and will last you forever. If you don’t have kosher salt on hand regular table salt will do the trick but only use a pinch and make sure you season from about a foot above your meat so you don’t get a bunch of salt in one place. Season both sides of your chicken lightly and set aside.

Chili powder is common to me when store bought so I make my own with the ingredients listed above. Which you should put together in a snack sized Ziploc bag and shake up now. If you like store bought chili powder, have at it! But it’s kind of special to say you made your own and it puts a little bit of a nicer touch to your dish. Take your chicken and sprinkle with half a tablespoon on each breast, both sides. Set aside…

Now, start your pasta water boiling. You need a big, deep pasta pot so your pasta has room to move and grow. When the water reaches a boil, pour a palm full of salt in the water to season it. After a few more minutes of boiling with the salt, cook your pasta according to package instructions. I like really good brand pasta, Bertolli or better, it just cooks up so much better. Drain in a colander and rinse with cool water, set aside. Yes, you can set pasta aside it only takes some scorching hot water out of the tap to make it warm and soft again.

There are many ways you can cook your chicken for this dish… grill, roast, bake etc. My favorite way to cook chicken is in a sauté pan on the stove. A little bit of olive oil in a hot pan keeps the chicken crispy on the outside and moist in the middle. Many people have reserves about chicken because of salmonella but don’t be scared, it’s easier than beef. If you need some help buy a digital thermometer at Wal-Mart, $9 will save you tons of panic and it has many other uses other than meat. Homemade candy perhaps…? That’s later; let’s get back to our chicken. In a 6 to 9 inch sauté pan, add 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil and let the pan get nice and hot on high heat. The oil might pop so watch out. EVOO is the best oil to cook with; it’s flagrant and good for you when not cooked. I keep a 25 ounce bottle in my kitchen at all times. EVOO can be pricey but it’s defiantly worth it, I usually buy the mid-high grade brand. It’s all I cook with anymore except for when making desserts. Ok, your pan and EVOO should be hot by now and you should turn the heat down to medium. Add your chicken to the pan and cook 4-5 minutes on each side making sure you only turn it once! This will keep it nice and moist. If you use a digital thermometer 165-170 degrees is perfect for poultry. Remove from heat and resist the cut as it will make your chicken dry.

The corn in this dish is great! Easy ways to do corn- keep it in the husks, wrap it in a plastic Wal-Mart bag and microwave it for 5-6 minutes. Perfection! With a large knife cut the from the cob, if you can’t get fresh corn, frozen corn is great but steer clear from canned if you can.

To make the dressing for the pasta while the corn is cooking- in a bowl or screw top jar combine the remaining EVOO, and 1 teaspoon of chili powder and stir. Take your lemon and lime and roll with your hands on a flat surface to release the juices. Then cut them in half, squeeze all of lemon and half of lime juice in EVOO-chili powder mix (without any seeds) and stir. Save the other half of the lime for your dish and garnish.

Cut your tomatoes in halves and finely chop your parsley and it’s time to plate! On two plates divide your chicken breast, pasta (again reheat with hot tap water if necessary), tomatoes and corn then drizzle the dressing over the pasta and sprinkle with chopped parsley. Finally, splash both dishes with the last half of lime and sprinkle with a pinch of salt and pepper one more time. All done!

Enjoy and let me know how it went!

Introduction and A Lil' About Me

For me, the cooking gene is in my DNA. My Nana taught me everything I know and I've picked up a few skills along the way, from being addicted to Food Network and doing some experimenting of my own. Many people, some who you may know, have joined my family for Thanksgiving, Christmas or just an occasional get together. Bob Tallman called our family turkey dinner the finest he'd ever had and will ever have. Gary Gonsalves, more commonly recognized as Double G, didn't need to utter a sound... three helpings later I knew he was impressed with Christmas dinner. Nana keeps the majority of those recipes a secret but every year I'm the lucky one who’s getting to learn the forbidden treasures. Some secrets I will keep for a lifetime but others I can share.

I like to share my food and my family's food by having dinner parties, making random goodies and taking pictures along the way. I have posted many pictures of my "skills" on Facebook and people have started to take interest. I've been asked to share recipes and even make my own cookbook. While I have many recipes that I have created on my own, others have come from magazines, books, television and the Internet however I try them once and tweak them to meet my standards. :)

I've had many friends take some cooking lessons from me and I have picked up little hints and short cuts along the way. In the days, weeks, months and years to come I would like to share as much information about cooking and how it encompasses my life; because I want to and because I've been asked to share. Being in the kitchen surrounded by food, friends and family is no doubt when I am the happiest. You too can have these same feelings of joy in the kitchen if you start off with some staples in your kitchen utensils and pantry. I'll begin this blog with some easy recipes and give tips and suggestions along the way.

Like I said above, I've taken recipes I've found tried them and tweaked them to make them my own. Some are 100% my own and some are from my family or my husband’s family. I will let you know which items came from where so you can see how easy it is to enjoy your time in the kitchen creating dishes of your own. Following a recipe is easy for some and not for others. I can look at a recipe and recreate that dish to a tea, while I have a girlfriend who looks at a recipe and nearly faints. In my blog I plan to be very specific in what I do and how. I’ll explain it in extreme detail in case you have a recipe phobia.

Now my cooking comes from having a love of food and a skinny husband who works 12 hours a day and constantly is asking me "what's for dinner?" I hate that question, it makes my blood boil. Cooking for two isn't exactly easy but after almost 6 years with Matt; I think I've figured it out. He started off as a beef and potato classic cowboy and now he craves gourmet just as much as junk food. I think the reason I reeled him in so quick is because of my cooking. When we get into some more advanced dishes I'll share my "winning" menu that won me the rock on my left hand. Pay attention girls, men love food!

I hope you’re ready because this plane is about to make lift off!

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