Warm Gooey Cheese Fondue 4 Cold Nights

From Denny: The Olympics food and recipes are still posting and this one is divine! There are three secrets to great cheese fondue.

1 - Prepare in a saucepan on the stove. Leave the official showy fondue pot for when the dish is ready to be served. You will be doing a lot of stirring as the cheese melts and it's just easier to control the heat temperature on the stove.

2 - Rub the inside of the saucepan with raw garlic to flavor the final dish. Then you pour in the wine and other ingredients.

3 - Place some cornstarch water in the saucepan after the garlic rub. What this does is prevent the cheese from separating into ugly unappetizing lumps. This simple little trick is a winner for keeping the cheese properly bound and smooth in the final product.

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Pierre's fondue recipe

From: Jean-Georges Vongerichten, chef and owner Market Restaurant: Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Serves: 4

INGREDIENTS

• 3 1/3 c Gruyere cheese, grated
• 3 1/3 c Fribourg Vacherin cheese, grated (or Comte if not available)
• 3 1/3 c dry white wine
• 2 tsp cornstarch
• 3 Tbsp kirsch
• 1 pc crushed garlic
• 1 each baguette, cut into 1" cubes with crust
• 1 each Gala apple, cut into 1" cubes
• 1 1/2 c red grapes, washed
• 4 oz Bresaola, thinly sliced
• Cornichons
• Pickled onions

DIRECTIONS

Rub inside of a heatproof casserole with the garlic. Add the wine and cornstarch and heat until liquid is steaming but not boiling. Slowly add the cheese and bring just under the boiling point, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. Once the mixture is completely melted and velvety in texture, mix in the kirsch and continue stirring until it comes back together. Remove from the heat, season with fresh ground pepper and nutmeg. Serve tableside on a burner. Arrange all the garnish on a plate and serve.


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7 Funny Little Sillies 4 a Grin

From Denny: Found these quick little grinners and they are a perfect pick-me-up for the weekend!




A man in Orange County Municipal Court had been ticketed for driving alone in the carpool lane.

He claimed that the four frozen cadavers in the mortuary van he was driving should be counted.

The judge ruled that passengers must be alive to qualify.





A co-worker tells me about his son and his son's new under-wear with superheroes on it:

One morning the child comes running into the bedroom, grabs the front of his pants and announces proudly, "Ive got Superman in my pants, Daddy. What have you got in yours?"

Before checking, I turned to my wife, "Well, how should I answer him?" She was too busy laughing.





Tech Support: "OK Bob, let's press the control and escape
keys at the same time. That brings up a task list in the
middle of the screen. Now type the letter 'P' to bring up
the Program Manager."

Customer: "I don't have a 'P'."

Tech Support: "On your keyboard, Bob."

Customer: "What do you mean?"

Tech Support: "'P' on your keyboard, Bob."

Customer: "I'm not going to do that!"





Uh, oh... arriving blonde joke...

Harlan says there's a Judi who works at his place. Our receptionist, (yes, she is a blonde), often takes orders to call out for pizza on nights we work late.

One night, after placing an order for two pizza's from around the corner, we asked her how long it would be before they arrived.

She said she was told 40 minutes. When we commented to her that we thought that was a long time, she responded "That seems about right. It takes 20 minutes to cook
a pizza and we ordered 2 of them."





England: A German "tourist," supposedly on a golf holiday, shows up at customs with his golf bag.

While making idle chatter about golf, the customs official realizes that the tourist does not know what a "handicap" is.

The customs official asks the tourist to demonstrate his swing, which he does, only he did it backwards!

Turns out a substantial amount of narcotics was found in the golf bag.





Total groaner:

Did you hear about the disaster at a major U.S. University?

The scientists were cloning monkeys and one of them blew up.
The scientist are trying to determine what went wrong by sifting
through the Rhesus' pieces.

(For anyone outside America: they are referencing the American candy peanut butter and chocolate Reece's Pieces)





Back in the old days my Uncle Bucky bought a new Model A Ford.The next morning he was on his way to work and crashed into a car pulling out from a side street.

Being the witty person that he is, he wrote a letter to the Ford Motor Company..

"I blew my horn, it did no good. And now I have a busted hood". Two days later a delivery truck arrived at his residence with a brand new hood.





*** For more fun, check out the Saturday cartoons:

Cartoonists Cajun Whoop A$$ on Everyone - 40 Funny Political Cartoons - 13 Mar 2010


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Martha Stewarts 4 Fast Spring Recipes

From Denny: Martha Stewart has another hit book on her hands if these simple tasty recipes are coming from a place of more of the same! Can you believe it? She now has 70 books to her name. There are two things Martha knows well: one, we like to eat and eat well, and two, it has to be fast and simple to put together. Oh, and a third thing: these recipes are easy on the budget!

This newest book from Martha must be very new in the online bookstores. There seems to be quite a demand, so be patient if the links act up. The link to this second book offering works just fine and it will give you an idea about the newest book.




Check out Martha's new book, go here: “Everyday Food: Fresh Flavor Fast”




and go here: Everyday Food: Great Food Fast

Recipes Featured:

Prosciutto and fig-jam sandwiches
Asian chicken soup
Pasta with spicy shrimp and tomato sauce
Peanut-crusted chicken breasts


You will want to watch this food video as she demonstrates how quickly you really can whip up these recipes. What's more telling is how much The Today Show hosts enjoyed the food. Al Roker was serious about making the shrimp pasta dish that night at home for his kids and check out Matt. He's munching on the fig and prosciutto sandwich during the entire segment. Meredith kept slurping the Asian Chicken Soup. I could see why with all the fresh ingredients added just at serving - like lime juice and chopped scallions to kick up the taste. The minute Martha gave them food they didn't just taste and lay it down politely. They kept eating! :)

Oh, and if you don't like peanuts or are allergic to them, just substitute pecans for the easy baked chicken breasts. That's what we do in Louisiana: use pecans on everything! We enjoy pecans on baked or sauteed fish and shrimp too. Pecans are a soft nut - easy to finely chop even by hand - and so versatile like peanuts.

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Peanut-Crusted Chicken Breasts

From: "Everyday Food: Fresh Flavor Fast" by Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia

Serves: 4

Prep time: 40 minutes; total time: 40 minutes.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for baking sheet
• 3/4 cup roasted unsalted peanuts
• 3 slices white sandwich bread, torn into small pieces
• Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
• 2 large eggs
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (1 1/2 to 2 pounds)
• 1 1/2 pounds asparagus, tough ends trimmed
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 475 degrees F. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Lightly oil a rimmed baking sheet. In a food processor, pulse peanuts and bread until coarsely ground. Transfer to a shallow bowl; whisk in the oil, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.

2. In a large bowl, lightly beat eggs; season generously with salt and pepper. Add chicken, and turn to coat. Working with one piece at a time, lift chicken and let excess egg mixture drip back into bowl; dredge in peanut mixture to coat completely, gently pressing to adhere. Transfer to prepared baking sheet. Bake (without turning) until crust is browned and chicken is just cooked through, 10 to 15 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, add a generous amount of salt to boiling water in pot; blanch asparagus until crisp-tender, 3 to 4 minutes (depending on thickness). Drain and transfer to a bowl along with butter and lemon zest; season with salt and pepper, and toss to combine.

4. Serve chicken with asparagus.





Prosciutto and Fig-Jam Sandwiches

From: "Everyday Food: Fresh Flavor Fast" by Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia

Serves: 4

Prep time: 15 minutes; total time: 35 minutes

INGREDIENTS

For the sandwiches:

• 1 large baguette or soft Italian bread loaf
• Fig jam (recipe below)
• 4 ounces prosciutto, thinly sliced
• 4 ounces Asiago cheese, thinly sliced
• 1 small bunch arugula, washed well and dried

For the fig jam:

• 10 ounces dried Calimyrna figs, stemmed and cut into 1/4-inch pieces (about 1 3/4 cups)
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1 1/2 cups water, plus more if needed
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

DIRECTIONS

To prepare the sandwiches:

Cut baguette into four 5-to-6-inch-long pieces; split each piece horizontally, leaving one side intact. Spread all bread halves with fig jam; layer bottom halves with prosciutto, cheese and arugula. Fold halves together, and serve.

To make the fig jam:

1. In a medium saucepan, combine figs with sugar and the water. Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve sugar. Reduce heat. Cover and simmer until almost all liquid has evaporated and figs are very tender, about 20 minutes.

2. Transfer mixture to a food processor; add lemon juice. Puree until smooth (if mixture is too thick, add up to 1/4 cup additional water, a little at a time). Jam can be refrigerated up to 1 month in an airtight container. Makes 1 3/4 cups.




Asian Chicken Soup

From: "Everyday Food: Fresh Flavor Fast" by Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia

Serves: 4 as a main course

Prep time: 20 minutes; total time: 20 minutes.

INGREDIENTS

• 3 cans (14 1/2 ounces each) low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon grated peeled fresh ginger
• 1 garlic clove, cut into slivers
• 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon crushed red-pepper flakes
• 2 cups water
• 4 ounces soba noodles
• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (6 to 8 ounces each), thinly sliced crosswise
• 1 red bell pepper, ribs and seeds removed, cut into 1- inch strips
• 6 ounces snow peas, stem ends and any strings removed, sliced diagonally into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 to 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice (from 2 to 3 limes)
• 2 scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced
• Coarse salt

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large pot, bring chicken broth, ginger, garlic, red- pepper flakes and the water to a boil over high heat. Add noodles, and reduce heat to a simmer; cook until noodles are just tender, 6 to 8 minutes.

2. Add chicken, bell pepper and snow peas; cook until chicken is opaque throughout, about 1 minute. Add lime juice and scallions, and season with salt. To serve, use tongs to divide noodles among four bowls, then ladle the soup mixture over each.





Pasta with Spicy Shrimp and Tomato Sauce

From: "Everyday Food: Fresh Flavor Fast" by Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia

Serves: 6

Prep time: 40 minutes; total time: 40 minutes.

INGREDIENTS

• Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 pound penne or other short tubular pasta shape
• 2 pounds fresh or frozen (thawed) medium (36 to 40 count) shrimp, peeled and de-veined, tails removed
• 4 teaspoons olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 3 tablespoons capers, rinsed and drained
• 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon crushed red-pepper flakes
• 3 cans (14 1/2 ounces each) diced tomatoes in juice

DIRECTIONS

1. Bring a pot of water to a boil; add a generous amount of salt. Cook pasta until al dente according to package instructions. Drain pasta; return to pot.

2. Meanwhile, season shrimp with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, heat 2 teaspoons oil over high heat. Add half the shrimp; cook until lightly browned on both sides and opaque throughout, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate; repeat with remaining oil and shrimp. (Reduce heat if the shrimp brown too quickly.)

3. Reduce heat to medium; add garlic, capers, red-pepper flakes and tomatoes with their juice. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes are softened and sauce thickens, 10 to 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

4. Add sauce and shrimp to pasta; toss to combine and reheat over medium-low if necessary before serving.






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5 Super Easy Chocolate Desserts: Only 5 Ingredients

From Denny: OMG! All 5 of these recipes were calling my name today! :) As soon as I finish this post, I'm pulling that leftover puff pastry out of the freezer to make the chocolate breadsticks.

And while the pastry is thawing out that chocolate bark is going to get to know me shortly since there is some Ghiradelli - double chocolate - chocolate chips hanging out in the pantry - not for long! That bag of natural almonds in the pantry is about to get roasted to provide neighborly company in the chocolate bark - might make a little cashew bark too as my husband loves cashews.

This chef really gets it on the taste and speed factor for busy cooks. Try out some of these easy recipes this weekend and let me know what you think! You might have to knock twice on my email head. I plan to be in a chocolate food coma this weekend after sampling these recipes! :)

Of course, if you really want to be decadent, make one of these recipes for each night of the work week. I hear chocolate alleviates stress...

Chef Catherine DeOrio is the executive chef of the famed sweets company Sara Lee. What she suggests is to keep on hand in your pantry these five ingredients for quick desserts on a moment's notice. I do like the way this chef rolls - in chocolate style!

What's also cool about these recipes is their stylish presentation is fine enough for guests. No one said they had to find out they are simple easy recipes! That will be our secret... Shhhh... they didn't hear it from me... all's quiet at this chocolate blog. :)

Pantry item staples:

raw sugar
frozen puff pastry sheets
heavy cream
chocolate
nuts like almonds, cashews, walnuts, hazelnuts

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Sweet Breadsticks

From: Chef Catherine DeOrio

Makes: 12 breadsticks

INGREDIENTS

• 1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed
• 1/2 cup salted cashews, toasted and finely chopped
• 1/3 cup raw sugar
• 4 ounces milk or dark chocolate, melted
• Butter, melted

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a small bowl mix the sugar and nuts together.

Unfold pastry puff dough on a lightly floured surface. Using a rolling pin, thin dough to ¼-inch thick. Cut in half. Lightly brush one side with melted butter.

Sprinkle entire surface with sugar-nut mixture, pressing it into dough.

Lightly brush other half of dough with melted butter and place over other side, butter side down. Using rolling pin, seal pieces together.

Brush the top of pastry with melted butter and lightly sprinkle with sugar if desired. Cut into 12 strips

Take a strip and twist. Transfer to a silpat mat or parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Press ends into baking sheet to prevent breadsticks from untwisting during baking. Chill for 15 minutes before baking.

Bake for 15-20 minutes until puffed and golden brown. Let cool.

Drizzle melted chocolate across breadsticks.





Flaky Chocolate Nut Turnovers

From: Chef Catherine DeOrio

Makes: 12-14 mini turnovers

INGREDIENTS

• 1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed
• 1/2 cup almonds, toasted, and a little extra for garnish
• 1/2 (2 ounces) cup dark chocolate, finely chopped

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Place almonds in food processor and run until it turns into a smooth paste, approximately 3-5 minutes.

Transfer almond paste to a small bowl. Add chocolate and work ingredients together with your fingers until well combined.

On a lightly floured surface, unfold puff pastry dough.

Using biscuit cutter, cut out 12-14 circles. Using a rolling pin, roll into an oval shape.

Place 1 teaspoon of mixture on one side of each dough oval. Fold the dough over it and seal the edges using the tines of a fork. An egg wash can be used here to seal if desired.

Pierce top with fork. Brush with egg wash if a glossy finish is desired.

Bake for 12-15 minutes until golden brown, transfer to wire rack to cool.

Melt chocolate and drizzle over top of each turnover. Sprinkle with chopped, toasted almonds.





Creamy Chocolate-Praline Filled Vol-Au-Vents

From: Chef Catherine DeOrio

Makes: 2 dozen

INGREDIENTS

Vol-au-vents

• 1 sheet frozen puff pastry dough, thawed
• 6 ounces dark chocolate (53-65% cacao), finely chopped
• 2 cups whipped cream

Hazelnut praline

• 1/2 cup hazelnuts, skinned and toasted
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons water

DIRECTIONS

For hazelnut praline:

Place all ingredients in a heavy-bottomed saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally.

Boil until amber in color. Do not stir once it comes to a boil.

Pour out onto a silpat mat-lined baking sheet.

Let cool completely before handling.

To assemble:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Unfold puff pastry onto a lightly floured surface and lightly smooth puff pastry dough with a rolling pin.

Cut out 24 circles with biscuit cutter and place on a baking sheet lined with a silpat baking mat or parchment paper.

Using a paring knife, score a smaller circle within it to create a border (be careful not to cut through the dough). Prick center of circle with fork.

Refrigerate for 20 minutes.

Make praline. While the praline cools, bake shells until golden brown, approximately 12-15 minutes. Let cool.

Press down centers if they puffed during baking.

Melt chocolate, reserve 2 tablespoons for drizzling.

Add chopped praline to melted chocolate and stir to combine.

Spoon a small amount of chocolate praline in pastry shell, top with whipped cream, drizzle with chocolate and sprinkle with crushed praline.





Chocolate Almond Bark

From: Chef Catherine DeOrio

Makes: 3/4 pounds

INGREDIENTS

• 8 ounces milk chocolate, finely chopped
• 1 cup slivered almonds, toasted

DIRECTIONS

In a double boiler set-up, melt one-third of the chocolate. Add in 1/3 increments until chocolate is smooth and evenly melted.

Stir in almonds, being sure that all are thoroughly covered in chocolate.

Pour onto a Silpat (brand of a rubber mat to which nothing sticks) or wax paper-lined baking sheet.

Spread and smooth until about 1/4-inch thick.

Chill until set, approximately 20-30 minutes.

Break into pieces.





Nutty Napoleons

From: Chef Catherine DeOrio

Makes: 12 servings

INGREDIENTS

Nutty napoleons

• 1 package frozen puff pastry, thawed
• 1/4 cup hazelnuts, skinned, toasted and chopped
• 2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
• 2 ounces milk chocolate, finely chopped

Sweetened cream filling

• 2 cups heavy whipping cream
• 4 Tablespoons sugar

Hazelnut chocolate spread

• 3/4 cup hazelnuts, toasted and skinned
• 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped.
• 2 ounces milk chocolate, finely chopped

DIRECTIONS

For sweetened cream filling:

Chill metal bowl, whisk attachment in freezer.

Mix sugar into cream and let sit in refrigerator to allow it to dissolve. Stir again before transferring to mixing bowl.

Whisk cream until soft peaks form. Transfer to pastry bag.

For hazelnut chocolate spread:

Place hazelnuts in the bowl of food processor and run until a creamy paste forms.

In a double boiler, melt the chocolates and mix until smooth.

Remove from heat and stir in hazelnut paste until combined.

Cover bowl with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator until thickened but spreadable, approximately 25 minutes.

To assemble pastry:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Make chocolate hazelnut spread.

While chocolate hazelnut spread cools, unfold puff pastry on a lightly floured surface. Cut into 12 equal rectangles and transfer to a parchment paper or silpat-lined baking sheet. Bake for 12-15 minutes until puffed and golden brown. Let cool. Cut each in half crosswise, creating a top and bottom.

Take bottom of pastry and spread with chocolate hazelnut mixture.

Create the next layer by piping on a generous amount of cream filling.

Top with pastry. Melt chocolate and drizzle both milk and dark chocolate over the top.

Sprinkle chopped hazelnuts over top.


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Best Time Waster, Funny Video: Procrastination

From Denny: This wildly funny little video has great fun as they explore all the things we humans do when we are procrastinating, trying to avoid the inevitable.

From the creators of all this fun, here is their write-up:

An investigative and exploratory hands-on gloves-off study into the practice of putting things ‘off”. Sometimes the only way to get something done is to do two dozen other things first.

Procrastination refers to the deferment of actions or tasks to a later time. Psychologists often cite such behavior as a mechanism for coping with the anxiety associated with starting and/or completing any task or decision. There are three criteria for a behavior to be classified as procrastination: it must be counterproductive, needless, and delaying.

Story, Animation, Direction: Johnny Kelly

Graduation film from the Royal College of Art, 2007.





*** Special thanks to Best On Tube for posting it!

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