Saturday, October 2, 2010
Holy Guacamole! :)
I made my special guacamole for a few friends when I was in LA recently. No photos since the guac tastes better than it looks! Here are the ingredients: avocados, lemon juice, garlic salt, tabasco or hot sauce, chopped tomatoes, salsa or picante. Eat with chips or sliced vegetables -- or put on tacos or fajitas!
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Key Lime is key to any man's heart! :)
http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700055570/Lime-is-key-to-Corroons-heart-for-specialty-pie-contest-at-county-fair-Friday.html
Salt Lake County Mayor Peter Corroon loves his wife's Key lime pie so much, he designated Key lime as this year's flavor for the pie contest in the 74th Annual County Fair.
Amy Corroon isn't entering the pie contest officially, but she may display her special "Two-Layer Key Lime Pie" at the event. She may even sneak her pie into the contest just for fun to see if her husband can identify her recipe.
"I think I'll blindfold him," Amy Corroon laughs. "I'd like to think he could tell the difference between my pie and others."
Amy's recipe isn't a big secret, though, so she decided to share it with Deseret News readers. She baked her Key lime pie with the help of her children Sophie, 9; Peter Jr., 8; and James, 7, in her mother's kitchen. She chose the site since her stove broke after 25 years. She plans on asking her husband for a new stove for her upcoming birthday.
Amy got the pie recipe from her friend, Amy Sullivan of Salt Lake City, who served it as dessert for an Easter dinner one year.
"It was the best thing I had ever tasted," Amy Corroon said.
She begged her friend for the recipe. Sullivan gave her the leftover half a pie the next day, along with the recipe, which came from Bon Appetit magazine. Amy Corroon recalls, "I ate it all that day. I'm so embarrassed — I ate the whole thing."
Story continues below
Quantcast
Amy Corroon says she likes this particular Key lime pie recipe since it has a cheesecake layer instead of the traditional meringue topping. She also likes the granola in the graham cracker crust.
The mayor's wife loves to bake, saying that while growing up, many of her family's traditions involved food and special family recipes. "Our family reunions become competitions for who can cook the best," she said.
Cooking can be incredibly therapeutic and relaxing, Amy Corroon said.
"I love flipping through recipe books and trying new recipes," she said.
The deadline for the fifth annual specialty pie contest is Friday, Aug. 13. The Key lime pies must be delivered between 1 and 2 p.m. Peter Corroon will test the pies at 2 p.m. The public is invited to watch the judging.
The fair runs through Saturday, Aug. 14, at the Salt Lake County Equestrian Park and Fair Grounds, 2100 W. 11400 South, South Jordan. Go to www.countyfair.slco.org/index.html for information about the Salt Lake County Fair, or call 801-254-0106.
Key lime pie originated in the Florida Keys in the 1850s when there were still few cows in the area, and sweetened condensed milk was newly invented. The acidic lime juice mixed with the milk causes a chemical reaction that actually cooks the pie. However, nowadays baking is recommended since the ingredients include eggs.
While Persian limes are large, oval and dark green, Key limes are small, round and pale yellow. Some bakers add green food coloring to the pie filling — a practice frowned upon in the Keys.
TWO-LAYER KEY LIME PIE
Crust:
¾ cup plain granola (no raisins or other dried fruit)
¾ cup graham cracker crumbs (six whole crackers)
3 tablespoons sugar
¼ cup (½ stick) unsalted, melted butter
Baked layer:
14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
½ cup fresh Key lime juice
3 large egg yolks
Chilled layer:
8-ounce package cream cheese
½ cup sweetened condensed milk
¼ cup fresh Key lime juice
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
Story continues below
Sweetened whipped cream (optional)
Crust: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Blend granola in food processor until coarsely ground. In a medium bowl, mix granola, graham cracker crumbs and sugar. Add melted butter. Press mixture into a 9-inch in diameter deep-dish glass pie dish. Bake 8 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Remove crust from oven and cool completely.
Baked layer: Whisk condensed milk, lime juice and egg yolks in medium bowl. Pour into pie crust. Bake at 300 degrees for 25 minutes or until set. Cool to room temperature.
Chilled layer: Using electric mixer, beat cream cheese, condensed milk, lime juice, sugar and vanilla in a large bowl. Pour over cool baked layer. Smooth top with spatula. Cover and chill four hours or until set.
Optional: Pipe sweetened whipped cream decoratively around edges of pie.
Serving size: 8
— Bon Appetit magazine, April 2004
Salt Lake County Mayor Peter Corroon loves his wife's Key lime pie so much, he designated Key lime as this year's flavor for the pie contest in the 74th Annual County Fair.
Amy Corroon isn't entering the pie contest officially, but she may display her special "Two-Layer Key Lime Pie" at the event. She may even sneak her pie into the contest just for fun to see if her husband can identify her recipe.
"I think I'll blindfold him," Amy Corroon laughs. "I'd like to think he could tell the difference between my pie and others."
Amy's recipe isn't a big secret, though, so she decided to share it with Deseret News readers. She baked her Key lime pie with the help of her children Sophie, 9; Peter Jr., 8; and James, 7, in her mother's kitchen. She chose the site since her stove broke after 25 years. She plans on asking her husband for a new stove for her upcoming birthday.
Amy got the pie recipe from her friend, Amy Sullivan of Salt Lake City, who served it as dessert for an Easter dinner one year.
"It was the best thing I had ever tasted," Amy Corroon said.
She begged her friend for the recipe. Sullivan gave her the leftover half a pie the next day, along with the recipe, which came from Bon Appetit magazine. Amy Corroon recalls, "I ate it all that day. I'm so embarrassed — I ate the whole thing."
Story continues below
Quantcast
Amy Corroon says she likes this particular Key lime pie recipe since it has a cheesecake layer instead of the traditional meringue topping. She also likes the granola in the graham cracker crust.
The mayor's wife loves to bake, saying that while growing up, many of her family's traditions involved food and special family recipes. "Our family reunions become competitions for who can cook the best," she said.
Cooking can be incredibly therapeutic and relaxing, Amy Corroon said.
"I love flipping through recipe books and trying new recipes," she said.
The deadline for the fifth annual specialty pie contest is Friday, Aug. 13. The Key lime pies must be delivered between 1 and 2 p.m. Peter Corroon will test the pies at 2 p.m. The public is invited to watch the judging.
The fair runs through Saturday, Aug. 14, at the Salt Lake County Equestrian Park and Fair Grounds, 2100 W. 11400 South, South Jordan. Go to www.countyfair.slco.org/index.html for information about the Salt Lake County Fair, or call 801-254-0106.
Key lime pie originated in the Florida Keys in the 1850s when there were still few cows in the area, and sweetened condensed milk was newly invented. The acidic lime juice mixed with the milk causes a chemical reaction that actually cooks the pie. However, nowadays baking is recommended since the ingredients include eggs.
While Persian limes are large, oval and dark green, Key limes are small, round and pale yellow. Some bakers add green food coloring to the pie filling — a practice frowned upon in the Keys.
TWO-LAYER KEY LIME PIE
Crust:
¾ cup plain granola (no raisins or other dried fruit)
¾ cup graham cracker crumbs (six whole crackers)
3 tablespoons sugar
¼ cup (½ stick) unsalted, melted butter
Baked layer:
14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
½ cup fresh Key lime juice
3 large egg yolks
Chilled layer:
8-ounce package cream cheese
½ cup sweetened condensed milk
¼ cup fresh Key lime juice
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
Story continues below
Sweetened whipped cream (optional)
Crust: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Blend granola in food processor until coarsely ground. In a medium bowl, mix granola, graham cracker crumbs and sugar. Add melted butter. Press mixture into a 9-inch in diameter deep-dish glass pie dish. Bake 8 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Remove crust from oven and cool completely.
Baked layer: Whisk condensed milk, lime juice and egg yolks in medium bowl. Pour into pie crust. Bake at 300 degrees for 25 minutes or until set. Cool to room temperature.
Chilled layer: Using electric mixer, beat cream cheese, condensed milk, lime juice, sugar and vanilla in a large bowl. Pour over cool baked layer. Smooth top with spatula. Cover and chill four hours or until set.
Optional: Pipe sweetened whipped cream decoratively around edges of pie.
Serving size: 8
— Bon Appetit magazine, April 2004
Monday, August 9, 2010
Paul's Patch is open! :)
Paul's Patch is open for business! Last Saturday I picked up five big fat zucchini, four incredibly red tomatoes and a spaghetti squash – all for $5!
If you want to find this super cool farmer's roadside produce stand, travel on I-15 north of SLC, take the Brigham City exit and then turn right on Main Street. You will see the stand on the east (left) side of the road across the street from the movie theater! If you are lucky, Farmer Paul will be there!
If you want to find this super cool farmer's roadside produce stand, travel on I-15 north of SLC, take the Brigham City exit and then turn right on Main Street. You will see the stand on the east (left) side of the road across the street from the movie theater! If you are lucky, Farmer Paul will be there!
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Pasta with Thyme-Mint Cream Sauce
Chicken Pasta with Thyme-Mint Cream Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
* 1 pound pasta, such as linguine or fettucini
* 2 Tbsp olive oil
* 1 1/4 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs, cut into 1-inch cubes (optional)
* Salt and freshly ground black pepper
* 1/2 cup of dry white wine (optional)
* 1/2 cup chicken stock
* 1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
* 2 Tbsp chopped fresh mint
* 1 1/2 Tbsp chopped fresh thyme
* 1 teaspoon lemon zest
* 2 teaspoons honey
* 1 teaspoon sherry vinegar or apple cider vinegar
* 1/2 teaspoon salt and more salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Method
1 Heat 4 quarts of salted* water in a large pot for the pasta. As the water heats, prepare the chicken. Heat olive oil in a large skillet on medium high. Season the chicken pieces generously with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Add the chicken pieces, spreading them out initially and then not stirring them, so they have an opportunity to brown. Once lightly browned on one side, use tongs to flip the pieces over so they brown on the second side. When pieces are browned on both sides, and just cooked through, remove to a paper towel lined plate.
2 Deglaze the pan with white wine. Use a wooden spoon to scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the chicken stock and let liquids reduce by half (turn up the heat if necessary). Add the cream, mint, thyme, lemon zest, honey, salt, and vinegar. Reduce the sauce by half again.
3 Once the pasta water is boiling, add the pasta and cook following directions on pasta package. When pasta is ready, drain and add to cream sauce when cream sauce has been reduced by half and is thick enough to coat a spoon. Add chicken to the pasta and sauce. Add more salt and pepper to taste.
* Use a teaspoon of salt for every quart of water. Some people wait until the water is boiling to add the salt. Makes little difference to me. Just make sure you get the salt in the pasta water or your pasta will be tasteless.
Serve immediately. Garnish with a little chopped fresh mint and thyme. Serves 4-6.
Ingredients
* 1 pound pasta, such as linguine or fettucini
* 2 Tbsp olive oil
* 1 1/4 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs, cut into 1-inch cubes (optional)
* Salt and freshly ground black pepper
* 1/2 cup of dry white wine (optional)
* 1/2 cup chicken stock
* 1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
* 2 Tbsp chopped fresh mint
* 1 1/2 Tbsp chopped fresh thyme
* 1 teaspoon lemon zest
* 2 teaspoons honey
* 1 teaspoon sherry vinegar or apple cider vinegar
* 1/2 teaspoon salt and more salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Method
1 Heat 4 quarts of salted* water in a large pot for the pasta. As the water heats, prepare the chicken. Heat olive oil in a large skillet on medium high. Season the chicken pieces generously with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Add the chicken pieces, spreading them out initially and then not stirring them, so they have an opportunity to brown. Once lightly browned on one side, use tongs to flip the pieces over so they brown on the second side. When pieces are browned on both sides, and just cooked through, remove to a paper towel lined plate.
2 Deglaze the pan with white wine. Use a wooden spoon to scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the chicken stock and let liquids reduce by half (turn up the heat if necessary). Add the cream, mint, thyme, lemon zest, honey, salt, and vinegar. Reduce the sauce by half again.
3 Once the pasta water is boiling, add the pasta and cook following directions on pasta package. When pasta is ready, drain and add to cream sauce when cream sauce has been reduced by half and is thick enough to coat a spoon. Add chicken to the pasta and sauce. Add more salt and pepper to taste.
* Use a teaspoon of salt for every quart of water. Some people wait until the water is boiling to add the salt. Makes little difference to me. Just make sure you get the salt in the pasta water or your pasta will be tasteless.
Serve immediately. Garnish with a little chopped fresh mint and thyme. Serves 4-6.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
More banana bread! :)
And for a new variation... add 1 teaspoon of banana extract to the glaze. And thicken with more powdered sugar for a heftier frosting! YUM! :P
Saturday, February 27, 2010
HOLIDAY BANANA BREAD! :)
***After two years of experimenting and testing, the recipe is perfected! :)
Ingredients:
- - -
3 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil OR 1 cup light butter
½ cup brown sugar
2/3 cup white sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp rum extract
4 ripe bananas
---
2 ½ cups flour
¼ tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 ¼ tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
- - -
1 cup mini chocolate chips
1 cup dice maraschino cherries
- - -
1/4 cup butter
2 Tblsp cream
1 tsp rum or banana extract
2 cups powdered sugar
1 drop red or yellow food coloring
- - -
Cream wet ingredients. In a separate bowl, stir together dry ingredients. Add dry mixture to wet ingredients. Mix until smooth.
Fold in one cup mini chocolate chips and one cup diced maraschino cherries.
Pour into two greased and floured bread pans.
Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 50 minutes or until a knife comes clean.
Frosting: Melt butter. Add cream, rum or banana extract, powdered sugar, food coloring. Mix until smooth. Pour onto bread.
Ingredients:
- - -
3 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil OR 1 cup light butter
½ cup brown sugar
2/3 cup white sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp rum extract
4 ripe bananas
---
2 ½ cups flour
¼ tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 ¼ tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
- - -
1 cup mini chocolate chips
1 cup dice maraschino cherries
- - -
1/4 cup butter
2 Tblsp cream
1 tsp rum or banana extract
2 cups powdered sugar
1 drop red or yellow food coloring
- - -
Cream wet ingredients. In a separate bowl, stir together dry ingredients. Add dry mixture to wet ingredients. Mix until smooth.
Fold in one cup mini chocolate chips and one cup diced maraschino cherries.
Pour into two greased and floured bread pans.
Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 50 minutes or until a knife comes clean.
Frosting: Melt butter. Add cream, rum or banana extract, powdered sugar, food coloring. Mix until smooth. Pour onto bread.
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Cooking in KRISTINA'S KITCHEN! :)
This time we are in Kristina's kitchen! She is my friend who won the big blue ribbon in the State Fair for her "Sassy Orange Brownies!" (see previous posts) :)
The Famous Neiman Marcus $250 Cookie Recipe Hoax
The Infamous Neiman Marcus $250 Cookie Recipe Hoax.The Famous Neiman Marcus $250 Cookie Recipe Hoax
The story below is one of the most famous urban legends in history. The story has been going around for over 50 years and it is completely untrue. Every few weeks it comes up again in some newsgroup or listserve.
IT IS UNTRUE BUT IF YOU WISH TO TRY THE COOKIES GO AHEAD.
**********************************************************
"THIS IS TRUE----PLEASE TAKE THE TIME TO READ IT AND PLEASE SEND THIS TO EVERY PERSON YOU KNOW WHO HAS AN E-MAIL ADDRESS....THIS IS REALLY TERRIFIC."
My daughter & I had just finished a salad at Neiman-Marcus Cafe in Dallas & decided to have a small dessert. Because both of us are such cookie lovers, we decided to try the "Neiman-Marcus Cookie". {EDITORIAL COMMENT: Neiman's is a VERY EXPENSIVE department store in the United States a.k.a. Needless Markup}.
It was so excellent that I asked if they would give me the recipe and the waitress said with a small frown, "I'm afraid not." "Well", I said, would you let me buy the recipe?"
With a cute smile, she said, "Yes." I asked how much, and she responded, "only two fifty, it's a great deal!" I said with approval, "just add it to my tab."
Thirty days later, I received my VISA statement from Neiman-Marcus and it was $285.00. I looked again and I remembered I had only spent $9.95 for two salads and about $20.00 for a scarf. As I glanced at the bottom of the statement, it said, "Cookie Recipe $250.00."
That's outrageous!! I called Neiman's Accounting Dept. and told them the waitress said it was "two-fifty," which clearly does not mean "two hundred and fifty dollars" by any *POSSIBLE* interpretation of the phrase. Neiman-Marcus refused to budge. They would not refund my money, because according to them, "What the waitress told you is not our problem. You have already seen the recipe - we absolutely will not refund your money at this point."
I explained to her the criminal statutes which govern fraud in Texas, I threatened to refer them to the Better Business Bureau and the State's Attorney General for engaging in fraud. I was basically told, "Do what you want, we don't give a crap, and we're not refunding your money."
I waited, thinking of how I could get even, or even try and get any of my money back. I just said, "Okay, you folks got my $250, and now I'm going to have $250.00 worth of fun."
I told her that I was going to see to it that every cookie lover in the United States with an e-mail account has a $250.00 cookie recipe from Neiman-Marcus for free. She replied," I wish you wouldn't do this." I said, "Well, you should have thought of that before you ripped me off", and slammed down the phone on her. So, here it is!!!
Please, please, please pass it on to everyone you can possibly think of. I paid $250 dollars for this... I don't want Neiman-Marcus to *EVER* get another penny off of this recipe....
Neiman Marcus Cookie Recipe
(Recipe may be halved):
2 cups butter
4 cups flour
2 tsp. soda
2 cups sugar
5 cups blended oatmeal**
24 oz. chocolate chips
2 cups brown sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 8 oz. Hershey Bar (grated)
4 eggs
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. vanilla
3 cups chopped nuts (your choice)
** Measure oatmeal and blend in a blender to a fine powder. Cream the butter and both sugars. Add eggs and vanilla; mix together with flour, oatmeal, salt, baking powder, and soda. Add chocolate chips, Hershey Bar and nuts. Roll into balls and place two inches apart on a cookie sheet.
Bake for 10 minutes at 375 degrees. Makes 112 cookies.
Have fun!!! This is *NOT* a joke --- this is a true story..
Ride free, citizens!
********************************************************
REMEMBER, PLEASE, PLEASE, THAT THIS STORY IS AN URBAN LEGEND!
IT IS _NOT_ TRUE.
Neiman Marcus Responds
Alongside sewer-dwelling bands of alligators, bugs in bottles of soda, and other urban myths resides the Neiman Marcus $250 cookie fabrication.
NM has never charged anyone anything for a recipe, but the story still persists. Help stamp out untrue gossip by forwarding our free chocolate-chip cookie recipe to any naysayers out there!
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
3 tsp. granulated sugar
1 egg
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 3/4 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp. instant espresso powder, slightly crushed
8 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
Cream the butter with the sugars until fluffy. Beat in the egg and the vanilla extract. Combine the dry ingredients and beat into the butter mixture. Stir in the chocolate chips. Drop by large spoonfuls onto a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes, or 10-12 minutes for a crispier cookie. Makes 15 large cookies.
*******************************
Collected by Bert Christensen
Toronto, Ontario
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