Chopper Liver

Sometimes I have this old Jewish Grandmother side to my personality. She came out recently when I made old fashioned chopped liver. The ingredients are very simple: liver, onions, eggs, and chicken fat. I used calf's liver but chicken can also be used. Because this is a rural area rendered chicken fat which is also called schmaltz is not found in stores. After a few let downs at the butcher and some grocery stores, I was able to find enough liver and chicken thighs to get the fat. I rendered the fat myself which took a long time but is worth it. The next day I cooked the onions for nearly an hour in the schmaltz. Then came the liver. Being a modern girl I used my food processor which makes chopped liver less labor intensive. I think that is why it costs so much, labor. The liver lovers enjoyed it. The non-liver lovers thought it was ok.The trick is thoroughly cooking the onions and using calf's liver.

Hors d'œuvres for Lunch

When you think of turkey and spinach you would think, great sandwich. Well I wanted something more interesting. I went shopping in my fridge and came up with an appetizer that would be lunch. First I took pre-sliced baguette rounds and added a touch of mayonnaise. Some people hate mayonnaise but I love it. Next I took deli turkey and spinach and rolled it with hummus. Hummus can be an amazing sandwich topping. This flavor was a pepper flavor and was too spicy for just chips. after rolling the turkey, I sliced and them placed them on the bread. I was very pleased with the way they turned out. The mayonnaise and turkey mellowed out the spiciness of the hummus. The crunch of the baguette made for a nice change from the ordinary turkey sandwich.

Basil the "King of Herbs"

This summer I am trying an herb garden again. Last summer my herbs died a very sad death. So far things are going well. The basil and oregano are growing and getting bigger day by day.  My tomatoes are a wait and see experiment. No sign of tomatoes but there are plenty of farm fresh ones available all summer.

For a fresh appetizer I decided to make bruschetta. Thanks to Harris Teeter I was able to buy pre-sliced, toasted, and flavored baguette. The bruschetta itself was made with fresh basil and tomatoes. Addictive is the best way to describe how it came out. I love crunch y things and the bread was a great base. The tomato mixture was light and fresh. I added a touch of balsamic vinegar for sweetness and acidity. The basil was the glorious star of this delectable dish.

Healthy With a Touch of Butter

I have really grown to love french toast as an adult. I really did not care for it much as a child. One of my personal favorite ways to make french toast is baked in the oven. My fridge was bursting with summer berries. Low-fat milk and whole-grain bread add to the healthiness of the dish. This is also a easy clean up french toast. I just used a bowl for the custard and the pan for baking. The bread soaks in the pin with the custard. I always use extra cinnamon. After the bread mixture bakes covered for 20 minutes I added my berry mix with brown sugar and butter. I do not like maple syrup on my french toast so I just dusted it with powdered sugar. This was definitely a delightful breakfast.

Imperial Koi Restaurant

I recently went to Koi in Greensboro with a friend.
It was amazing! On the way to the restaurant it began to rain cats and dogs. When we ate we saw two rainbows. Everything was amazing especially the sushi and sweet potato tempura. I started with the classic dim sum platter. The lobster dumpling was my favorite. The sushi I ordered was a trio of spicy rolls. They did not use too much rice, which is the way I prefer my sushi. One thing I would have changed would have been to put the savory mango sauce served with the tempura on the side rather then under the heavenly sweet potatoes. My friend had the roasted pineapple chicken which was delicious. I will be going back to Koi.

Stew for a rainy night.

This stew was a creation made out of what I had in the freezer and the fridge. I took a gravy base from a brisket meal and used that to make my stew. I used bone in lamb stew meat. To make it more stew like rather than soupy I added green lentils. I cooked the stew a few days before it was served till it was almost cooked. When I reheated the stew I added beer and more onions. It was quite tender and tasty.

Stress Relief Dinner

So after a stressful afternoon at school a fun dinner was in order. I had some mahi mahi, veggies, and an idea. Fish en papillote is a French way to cook fish. The idea is that it steams your fish and vegetables it the fish's juices with the addition of other flavors. I made mine wine, butter, lemon, and fresh basil. Green pepper and tomato where an experimental addition. It came out perfectly cooked. I had some white rice in the frigde which helped soak up the broth created by the cooking method.

Sunday night meal.

This is chicken parmesan with thin spaghetti. I was able to use my own homemade sauce and fresh grown basil. I ran out of bread crumbs so I used panko. It was still pretty good. Panko work better for plain chicken tenders since they stay so crunchy.

Yummy things today.

This morning I made a very tasty fruit salad. The dressing was lemon and sugar. The fruits were banana, strawberry, peaches and the surprise ingredient was blueberry craisins. I thought the almond butter french toast was ok.

The chocolate mousse came out very nice. It worked out that our dinner party turned into a engagement celebration for Becky and Cody. Using a harder cookie was a nice change in texture. The raspberries and chocolate shavings were a nice touch.

Hey!

I am new to this blog thing and have been encouraged by many friends and have decided to give it a try. I love food, and it has become a passion for me. I believe that a great meal does not have to come from a restaurant but from anyone who cooks with love. Let me forewarn you that my kitchen is small, I have poor appliances, and I do not have an unlimited food budget. Eating out is fun but with limited monetary resources it does not happen too often. I am self-taught and experiment all of the time.