Monkey Bread

My favorite flavor (along with pumpkin) is anything "cinnamon and sugar". While you sure can't eat it alot, Monkey Bread is just about the yummiest thing on the planet!! An oldie, but goodie recipe:

Prep only takes about 15 minutes and baking time is 30 minutes.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

3, 7.5 oz. cans of refrigerated buttermilk biscuits (30 biscuits)

1/2 cup butter

1 cup packed brown sugar

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350. Then, generously grease a 10-inch tube pan.

2. In a medium bowl, combine granulated sugar and cinnamon. With kitchen shears, cut biscuits into quarters. Toss several biscuit pieces at a time into sugar mixture to coat. Layer biscuits in the prepared pan. Sprinkle with remaining sugar mixture; set aside.

3. In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Stir in brown sugar. Bring to boiling and let boil 1 minute. Pour over biscuits.

4. Bake in the 350-degree oven for 30 minutes or until golden. Let stand for 10 minutes before inverting onto a large serving platter. Serve warm. Makes 15 servings.

Healthy Spaghetti & Meat Sauce

I love finding new, healthy ingredients. My current healthy favorite is rainbow chard and lacinato kale. I like to work them into all sorts of dishes as a way to get our leafy greens. Here is one quick 2 pot dish I made up the other night. Super quick and very healthy!

Ingredients:
1 bunch of lacinato kale (remove large center ribs and stems, cut crosswise into 1/2-in slices)
2-3 cloves of fresh minced garlic
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1 container of mushrooms, sliced
Dash of olive oil
1 lb. of ground buffalo, turkey, or chicken
1 can of organic, salt-free diced tomatoes or healthy tomato sauce (low or no sugar)
1 package of healthy pasta (quinoa, multigrain or whole wheat)
Dash of oregano and/or dried or fresh basil

Directions:
1. Put water on the stove to boil
2. Meanwhile, brown meat in a big pot (or dutch oven) over medium-high heat until nearly all pink is gone
3. Turn down heat to medium, toss 1/2 chopped onion in with the browned meat and cook until the doneness you like
4. Toss in minced garlic and continue to sauté until fragrant (just a minute or two)
5. Add a dash of olive oil and chopped kale to the pot of meat (it will take up the whole pot but cooks down quickly) - add a bit of salt and pepper here if you'd like. Stir to combine
6. Meanwhile, add pasta to boiling water and cook according to box directions
7. After kale wilts down, add can of tomatoes or about a cup of sauce
8. Add oregano, basil or spices of your choice
9. Simmer sauce until pasta is ready
10. Serve meat sauce over pasta and top with parmesan cheese

Pumpkin Pie

Ingredients:

3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
2 large eggs
1 can (15 oz.) pure pumpkin (Libby’s or organic from Whole Foods)1 can (12 fl. oz.) evaporated milk
1 unbaked 9-inch (4-cup volume) deep-dish pie shell (I like Pillsbury pie crust in the red box that you unroll)
Whipped cream with a sprinkle of cinnamon on top (optional)

Directions:

Mix sugar, cinnamon, salt, ginger and cloves in small bowl. Beat eggs in large bowl. Stir in pumpkin and sugar-spice mixture. Gradually stir in evaporated milk.POUR into pie shell.

Bake in preheated 425° F oven for 15 minutes (cover pie crust with tin foil). Reduce temperature to 350° F; bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until knife inserted near center comes out clean (I usually remove the foil and put on leaf cut-outs in the last 15 minutes – cut-outs are made from the other roll of Pillsbury crust).

Cool on wire rack for 2 hours. Serve immediately or refrigerate. Top with whipped cream before serving.

Slow-Cooked Tuscan Chicken

I absolutely love Williams-Sonoma. I read the catalog each month like it's a favorite magazine. The latest issue has some of their new sauces for the Fall so I grabbed this Tuscan Slow Cooking Sauce to try (recommended for beef, pork or chicken). The sauce is made with natural ingredients, including savory beef stock, Chianti wine, California sun-dried tomatoes and Italian herbs. The meat is simmered in the sauce for a few hours to achieve the rich, Tuscan flavor.

It really couldn't be easier. There is a recipe on the side of the jar for country-style short ribs, but I decided to try chicken instead. Since it didn't say how to prepare the chicken, I just cross-checked the instructions for Coq au Vin from the Williams-Sonoma Slow Cooking Cookbook (which I happened to have) figuring it had to be pretty similar, and made it up from there.

Buy about 4 lbs. of chicken thighs (they're the more juicy, but I suppose you can try making it leaner with white meat), brown them skin-side down with some butter in a fry pan for about 5-8 minutes (again, you could try olive oil or canola oil, I bet), then put them in a Crock-pot and pour the sauce right over the chicken (or the oven is also recommended). Cook on high for 4 1/2 hours or so and serve with egg noodles or polenta (I chose polenta.) I do suggest adding some salt either during the cooking process or when you serve. The meat will fall right off the bone (though, be sure to remind everyone to watch for the bones when you serve.) Feeds about 6 hungry people.

Recipes On Deck

I LOVE (let me repeat, LOVE) Fall cooking. The tough part is now living in Los Angeles (when Fall is pretty much still Summer) and still wanting to break out the comforting dishes from my Midwestern roots thinking of the leaves starting to turn back home, the air getting crisp, friends gathering around the TV to root for our favorite football team (Go MSU Spartans!) and apple and pumpkin picking commencing.

As I do each year, I now have a stack of all the September/October issues of my favorite cooking magazines and have lined up a long list of recipes that I'll be cooking for our friends soon regardless of the temperature outside. Let the flavors of roasted meat, cinnamon and cloves, squash and pumpkin pie fill the air!

Here are some recipes you may soon be seeing from me (upon confirmation in my own test kitchen):
1. Candy Apple Pork Tenderloin
2. Roast Stuffed Cornish Hens with Wild Rice Stuffing including Cranberries and Toasted Pecans
3. Coq Au Vin
4. Oven BBQ Spare Ribs
5. Lasagna Bolognese
6. Pasta with Sauteed Mushrooms, Pancetta and Sage
7. Creamed Spinach with Parmesan and and Prosciutto
8. Green Beans with Bacon and Onion
9. Roast Maple Carrots with Browned Butter
10. Cappuccino Semifreddo with Almond Biscotti

Plenty of other tried and true Fall recipes are also on the way. Stay tuned!

Pulled-Pork Tacos

The best time of the year has arrived...Football Season! Recently, I had a large group of friends over and served "pork 2 ways": pulled pork sandwiches in the Crock-Pot and pulled-pork tacos in the oven (this recipe). The tacos, in particular, were a huge success - so easy to do and perfect for football watching at home! Just be sure to plan ahead since the cooking time is about 4 hours.

Ingredients:
2 to 2 1/2 pounds boneless pork shoulder
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 cup apricot jam or preserves
2 jalapeños, sliced into rings and seeded (for those who like their food "wimpy", don't worry, it doesn't make the meat spicy)
1 red onion, roughly chopped
8 small flour or corn tortillas, warmed
1 cup fresh cilantro leaves
1 lime, cut into wedges

Preparation:
Heat oven to 300° F. Place 2 large sheets of aluminum foil on a work surface, one atop the other. Place the pork in the center of the foil and season on all sides with the salt, pepper, and cumin. Spoon the jam over the pork, turning to coat. Scatter the jalapeños and onion around the pork. Fold the double layer of foil around the pork and crimp the edges to seal tightly. Place in a baking dish. Roast until fork-tender, about 4 hours; let cool.

Unwrap the pork, reserving the juices and discarding the foil. Use a fork to shred the pork. Transfer to a bowl. Pour the cooking juices, onion, and jalapeños over the pork and toss. Serve with the tortillas, cilantro, and lime wedges.

Tip: The best place to warm the tortillas is in the oven: it's quicker than a skillet and less drying than a microwave. As soon as you remove the pork, turn off the heat, wrap the tortillas in foil, and warm them for 10 to 20 minutes.

Strawberry Tiramisu

I usually don't post recipes that I haven't made or tasted, but I'm feeling pretty confident about this Strawberry Tiramisu number, so I'm going to put it out there for all of us to try before berry season passes us by!

Strawberry Tiramisu
Bon Appetit April 2006
Giada De Laurentiis

Prepare this a day ahead so all the elements can meld and the ladyfingers to soften fully.

Yield: Makes 8 servings

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups strawberry preserves
1/3 cup plus 4 tbsp. Cointreau or other orange liqueur
1/3 cup orange juice
1 lb. mascarpone cheese, room temperature
1 1/3 cups chilled whipping cream
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract

52 (about) crisp ladyfingers (boudoirs or Savoiardi)
1 1/2 lbs. strawberries, divided

Directions:
1. Whisk preserves, 1/3 cup Cointreau, and orange juice in 2-cup measuring cup.
2. Place mascarpone cheese and 2 tbsp. Cointreau in large bowl; fold just to blend.
3. Using an electric mixer, beat cream, sugar, vanilla, and remaining 2 tbsp. Cointreau in another large bowl to soft peaks.
4. Stir 1/4 of whipped cream mixture into mascarpone mixture to lighten. Fold in remaining whipped cream.
5. Hull and slice half of strawberries.
6. Spread 1/2 cup preserve mixture over bottom of 3-quart oblong serving dish or a 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish.
7. Arrange enough ladyfingers over strawberry mixture to cover bottom of dish. Spoon 3/4 cup preserve mixture over ladyfingers, then spread 2 1/2 cups mascarpone mixture over. Arrange 2 cups sliced strawberries over mascarpone mixture.
8. Repeat layering with remaining lady fingers, preserve mixture, and mascarpone mixture.
9. Cover with plastic and chill at least 8 hours or overnight.

To serve, slice remaining strawberries. Arrange over tiramisu and serve.

Tiramisu Anacapri

We ate Tiramisu in every city we visited in Italy. There were no survivors.

Luckily, I have a great recipe which I make at home that's even lower in fat and calories and can also send me back to those wonderful meals in every piazza!

Tiramisu Anacapri
Must make ahead. A trifle bowl is the best presentation.

1 cup cold water
1 (14-oz) can fat-free sweetened condensed milk
1 (3.4-oz) package vanilla instant pudding mix
1 (8-oz) block 1/3-less-fat cream cheese, softened
1 (8-oz) tub Reduced-fat Cool Whip
1 cup hot water
1/2 cup Kahlua
2 tbsp. instant coffee
24 ladyfingers (2, 3-oz. packages) - I have substituted angel food cake in a pinch
3 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa, divided

1. Combine the first 3 ingredients in a large bowl, stir well with a whisk. Cover surface with plastic wrap, chill 30 minutes or until firm.
2. Remove plastic wrap and add cream cheese. Beat with a mixer at medium speed until well-blended. Gently fold in Cool Whip.
3. Combine hot water, Kahlua, and coffee. Split ladyfingers in half lengthwise.
4. Arrange 16 ladyfinger halves, flat side down in a trifle bowl or large glass bowl. Drizzle with 1/2 cup Kahlua mixture. Spread one-third of pudding mixture evenly over ladyfingers, sprinkle with 1 tbsp. cocoa.
5. Repeat layers, ending with cocoa. Cover and chill at least 8 hours.

Yield: 12 servings. 310 calories, 9.1g fat.

My Go-To Wines

There are a few wines we keep in our house at all-times which can please almost any palette...ok, and because I just really like them a lot.

Chateau St. Jean Chardonnay is a buttery, Chardonnay that you can find in about any store for about $12-14. We buy it by the case since it tastes so great in the summertime and seems to please about any crowd (even those Sauvignon Blanc lovers who think they hate Chardonnay.) Everyone who has this at our house has to write down the name so they don't forget!

The Miner Family Vineyards Merlot is one of my absolute favorite reds. This one is a bit harder to find in stores, but easily ships right from the winery in Napa (where we first found it in their tasting room.) It's smooth, "jammy", and good with just about anything. Just because Miles in the movie "Sideways" hated Merlot, doesn't mean you have to!

Pride Mountain Vineyard's Cab Franc is another great wine. Californians love their Cabernet (as do we), but when I see a Cab Franc on the menu, I definitely get it! It just seems a little more approachable than some of the big Cabs and a good item to keep in the wine refrigerator for special evenings. Delicious!

Sauternes

Sauternes [pronounced "saw-turn"] is a French dessert wine from the Bordeaux region that I call "Liquid Gold". This stuff is just heaven to drink. If you haven't tried it, I highly recommend getting a glass if you ever see it on the dessert menu in a restaurant. We always keep a small stock in our house for entertaining friends - it's a great way to end a wonderful meal.

I first had Sauternes with some sauteed Foie Gras - a classic match (this was the first time I had foie gras as well) at a restaurant called Chapeau in San Francisco many years ago. It has a smooth honey flavor with some peach and apricot notes. I think it's also great with some intense cheeses (like blue or roquefort) as well for dessert.

It can be pretty pricy, but since you serve just small portions of this, a half-bottle is enough for a table of 4-6. But, don't cheap-out. Good Sauternes is totally worth the investment (I don't recommend buying the half-bottles under $48-50, and look for ones that have a nice deep golden color). Be sure to serve it chilled. Cheers!