Uncategorized – Kitchen of Dazz

Whipped Iced Coffee

With quarantine going on and on, one thing is for certain, there is always coffee in our house. Whether we are drinking it, brewing it, or talking about it, coffee is a main staple during this unsettling time. My son’s girlfriend, Rachel loves expresso coffee so when we heard about the whipped expresso, cold coffeee by Giada, we headed straight to the kitchen to make it. Needless to say it’s delicious! We modified her recipe by adding less sugar, and using decaffeinated instant expresso. It was way too sweet and I was staying up too late at night. If you prefer sugar and need the caffeine then change the recipe to your liking.

Ingredients:

3 Tablespoons of either instant decaffeinated or caffeinated expresso powder

1 1/2 Tablespoons of sugar (add more if you like it sweet)

1/4 cup hot water

Pinch of salt

1/8-1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice or your own personal favorite spice

1 cup of milk for each glass, you can use any type of milk you would like

Makes 2 servings

In a large bowl combine the expresso, sugar, hot water and a pinch of salt. Using a hand mixer or immersion blender beat on high speed until thick and creamy and a beautiful light brown color, about 3-4 minutes. You may add cinnamon, nutmeg or allspice and then beat for another minute. It should be thick and spreadable. Fill two large glasses with ice and add 1/2 cup of your choice of milk to each glass. Top with the whipped coffee. Stir the whipped coffee into the milk and enjoy!

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Why Be Afraid of an Instant Pot?

With all that’s happening with the coronavirus, cooking has become a chore to most. The instant pot has an answer for the mundane task of getting food onto the table quickly and seamlessly. On Saturday, we decided to experiment cooking a brisket for Passover. We cooked one piece in the instant pot and the other on the stove top for 5 hours. The one in the instant pot was absolutely delicious and way cleaner. It was tender and easy to cut, as was the one on the stove; however, given the ease of prep, the instant pot is my clear preference for future briskets. Here are a few easy instant pot recipes to try out—let me know how your cooking comes out!

Steel Cut Oatmeal

1 ½ cups of steel cut oats
2 cups of milk
1 ½ cups of water
1 cup of diced or frozen fruit such as mangoes, peaches, strawberries or blueberries
¼ cup of light or dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons of honey
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt

Optional:
¼ cup of chopped toasted pecans or walnuts to put on as a topping after cooking

Mix together oats, milk, water, honey, fruit brown sugar, honey cinnamon and salt.

Cover and lock the lid into place. Cook on risotto/steam for 10 minutes.
Using oven mitts and the plastic spatula that comes with the instant pot, move the pressure release valve to let all of the the steam escape and then carefully remove the lid. Top with any additional fruit you would like and pecans if desired.

Makes 4-6 servings.

Note: I put the cooked oatmeal in 6-ounce Mason jars and store it in the refrigerator for a quick and easy breakfast during the week. I pour milk on top, add fruit and/or nuts and microwave it on high for a minute.

Ropa Vieja

1 tablespoon olive oil
1-2 pound flank steak of London broil
1 medium onion
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 14.5-ounce can of beef broth
1 15-ounce can of diced tomatoes
1 green bell pepper finely chopped
½ teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon dried cumin
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon salt
¼ cup red wine

Season the meat generously on both sides with salt and pepper. Add the olive oil to the pressure cooker and press the sauté button. Place the meat into the instant pot making sure the flat part of the meat is in contact with the bottom of the pot. Brown the meat well on both sides for about 20 minutes total and then transfer it to a plate to rest.

Add the onions, garlic and green peppers to the pot and continue to cook over the sauté setting, stirring often until the onions start to soften. Add the broth to the pot and scrape the bottom of the pot to loosen the browned bits of the vegetables. Add the canned tomatoes, oregano, cumin and bay leaf. Put the meat back into the pot on top of the stew.

Cover the pressure cooker with the lid ensuring the valve is in the sealing position. Cook on high pressure for 40 minutes. If using the instant pot, press cancel to stop the sauté mode before closing the lid, then manually add 40 minutes using the “+” sign.

After 40 minutes, when the cooking time is up, allow at least 10 minutes for the pressure to release itself naturally. Using the plastic spatula that came with the instant pot, move the pressure release valve with your oven mitts on and carefully open the lid.

Using two forks, shred the beef by pulling it apart into thin long strips. Serve with white rice, plantains, and black beans. ¡Que rico!

Brisket

1 three-pound brisket
1 tbsp. vegetable oil
2 pounds yellow onions, cut into quarters
Kosher salt, paprika and garlic powder

Trim fat from the bottom of the brisket and season the entire brisket generously with the kosher salt, pepper, paprika and garlic powder. Add oil to the instant pot and put on sauté mode, searing beef on both sides until brown. Remove the brisket and sauté onions until they are translucent. Put beef back into the pot and put on high pressure mode for 70 minutes. After 70 minutes, let the pressure naturally release. Open the pressure cooker carefully, transfer the brisket to a cutting board, and slice across the grain into ¼” slices. Serve with the onions and gravy.

Brisket

Super Bowl Snacks

It’s so exciting to have the Super Bowl in our backyard this year. Miami is a great city to visit, especially in February when the weather is wonderful. Although I didn’t score tickets to the game, I will still be watching from my friends Lisa and Tom’s house. They host it every year and it has grown larger and larger. Tom has now set up the television projection screen in the middle of the pool and everyone sits around his huge chickee hut and watches the game. It’s always a fun night. When I asked Lisa what she wanted me to bring she suggested anything that doesn’t require a lot of dish washing, her house is a “no dish zone” Here are two easy recipes that are yummy and always a crowd pleaser.

Swiss Cheese Bacon Dip

One Block of Cream Cheese (8 ounces)

1/2 cup of Mayonnaise

5 Ounces of Shredded Swiss Cheese

2 Tablespoons of Green Onion, chopped

8 slices of bacon,

Cook bacon until crisp to crumble. After it cools chop into small pieces. Mix all other ingredients into a pie dish. Microwave for 5 minutes. Sprinkle bacon on top. Serve with pita chips, tortilla chips, carrots or crackers.

Note: If you are bringing it to a party, mix the cream cheese, swiss cheese, mayo and onions and put into pie dish. Bring the cooked bacon in a baggie. When you arrive at the party, microwave the dish and then sprinkle the bacon on top.

Baked Caramel Popcorn

12 cups of popped popcorn

1 stick of butter

1 cup of brown sugar, firmly packed

1/4 cup of dark or light corn syrup

1/2 teaspoon of salt

1/4 teaspoon of baking soda

1/2 teaspoon of vanilla

Heat oven to 250 degrees. Coat bottom and sides of a large Dutch oven with non-stick cooking spray. Place popped popcorn in the pot. In a small heavy pan, melt the butter, stir in brown sugar, corn syrup and salt. Raise heat to medium high and heat to a boil stirring constantly. Continue to boil without stirring for 5 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in baking soda and vanilla. Slowly pout over popped popcorn, mixing well. Put into oven and bake for 1 hour, stirring the pot every 15 minutes. Remove from oven, cool completely. Break apart and store in tightly covered container.

Banana Bread with Chocolate Chips

This banana bread is so easy a monkey could make it, if that monkey could read of course! You only need one bowl to make this and no sifting is involved. The best bananas for this recipe are the ones that are over-ripe. The yellow peel should be turning brown and the inside of the banana should be slightly mushy. You can get creative with it and add walnuts, pecans, craisins, raisins or just leave it plain. I always seem to buy too many bananas and don’t want to see them go to waste so I use them to make this easy bread. If you cannot use your bananas right away, ripe bananas freeze well so you could make it another time. Just let the bananas thaw out before making it so you can mash them up well.

You will need:

2 to 3 very ripe bananas, peeled (about 1 ¼ to 1 ½ cups mashed)
1/3 cup melted butter
1 teaspoon baking soda
Pinch of salt
½ cup of sugar
1 large egg beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ½ cups of all purpose flour
Optional:
½ cup of chocolate chips, chopped walnuts or pecans, craisins or raisins.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and butter a 9” x 3” loaf pan. Set aside.

In a mixing bowl, mash the bananas with a fork until completely smooth. Pour in the melted butter, mix in the baking soda and salt, and stir in the sugar, beaten egg, and vanilla extract and flour. At this time you can add in ½ cup of whatever you choose, chocolate chips, raisins, craisins, etc.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour or until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from oven, let cool 10 minutes before removing from the pan. Can be eaten warm or cool.

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Foothill Chocolate Chip Cookies

Here’s a great recipe just in time for National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day, which is May 15th. Although you can’t beat a Toll House cookie, this recipe comes pretty close. The addition of powdered cinnamon and ginger to the cookie batter makes it just a bit different but totally delicious.

1 cup (2 sticks) of unsalted butter
1 ½ cups of firmly packed light brown sugar
1 egg, room temperature
1 teaspoon of vanilla
2 cups of unbleached all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ginger
½ teaspoon of salt
1 12-ounce package of semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup of chopped walnuts
1 cup powdered sugar

Cream butter using electric mixer. Beat in brown sugar, egg and vanilla. Combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon , ginger and salt. With mixing machine on low, blend dry ingredients into butter mixture. Fold in chocolate chips and walnuts. Refrigerate until firm. (Can be prepared one day ahead).

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease baking sheets. Break off small pieces of dough, roll between palms into 1-inch rounds. Dredge rounds into powdered sugar. Arrange on prepared sheets, spacing at least 2 inches apart. Bake for 10 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes on sheets. Transfer to racks and cool. Makes about 5 dozen.

Porterhouse Steak, Peter Luger’s Style

This delicious porterhouse steak is similar to Peter Luger’s from his famous steakhouse in Brooklyn, NY is legendary. This one is cooked in butter in a cast iron skillet and will melt in your mouth. It’s the perfect steak to cook for a celebration or special event. The restaurant has been around over a hundred years and its definitely worth taking a trip to next time you visit the Big Apple.

1 Good Quality Porterhouse Steak, approximately 2 pounds
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
2 Tablespoons of Worcestershire Sauce
1 Tablespoon of chopped fresh rosemary
1 Tablespoon of chopped fresh thyme
3 garlic cloves, minced fine
1 Teaspoon of ground pepper
4 Tablespoons of melted butter
Salt

Combine the olive oil, Worcestershire sauce, rosemary, thyme and garlic in a glass container. Mix well and add steak coating both sides with the marinade. Place in the refrigerator and let marinate in the for 2-6 hours.

Remove steak from refrigerator and let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. Heat broiler and heat a large cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Remove steak from marinade and season very generously with salt. Put into skillet and cook until a deep brown crust forms on one side approximately 4 minutes. Do not turn. Remove steak from pan and put onto a cutting board, browned side up.

Cut meat from the bone in 2 pieces, (strip steak and filet mignon). Slice both pieces straight down perpendicular to the bone, approximately 1” thick. Replace steak around the bone as neatly as possible and return it to the cast iron skillet browned side up. (It should look like a whole sliced steak, see picture.) Top with melted butter and broil for 5-6 minutes until the steak is medium rare. Serve it with buttery juices poured over.

New England Clam Chowder

This New England clam chowder is so silky and rich that you might wish the New England Patriots were always in the Super Bowl so you could serve it or bring it to your next Super Bowl party. It is not for those who are counting calories since it has whole milk and heavy cream but hey, that’s what make this “chowda” so good. I like to add a lot of clams to my chowder. There’s nothing like eating a hot bowl of this and being able to eat the clams the whole way through.

2 dozen little neck clams, well scrubbed
2 cups of water
6 slices of bacon, diced
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 large white onions, peeled and cut into ¼” diced pieces – about 4 cups
¼ cup unbleached white flour
6 small red potatoes, unpeeled, cut into ½’ diced pieces
1 ½ teaspoons dried thyme
1 ½ teaspoons Old Bay Seafood Seasoning
2 10-ounce cans of whole baby clams
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
2 cups of whole milk
2 cups of heavy cream
3 tablespoons of chopped fresh Italian parsley

1. Place the clams in a large soup pot with the 2 cups of water. Cover and cook over medium heat until the clams open. Remove from the heat and allow to cool. Discard any that do not open.
2. Strain the broth into a colander lined with a paper towel into a bowl. Save the broth.
3. Cook the bacon for about 5 minutes in the soup pot over low heat until the bacon is wilted and slightly brown.
4. Add the butter and onions and cook for about 10 minutes . Add the flour and cook for another 5 minutes.
5. Add the reserved clam broth, potatoes, Old Bay seasoning, thyme and pepper. Simmer 15 minutes longer until the potatoes are cooked through, add the whole baby clams and simmer for another 5 minutes.
6. Add the milk and cream and stir over low heat until hot. Do not boil or the soup will curdle. Adjust the seasoning, stir in the parsley and serve immediately.

Serves 10-12 regular sized portions. Serves about 20 as a first course or appetizer in smaller bowls or cups.

Rod’s Zydeco Andouille Stuffing

One of my favorite Thanksgiving traditions is eating this delicious andouille sausage stuffing that my husband Rod makes each year. He loves music, so while he makes it there is always a Zydeco playlist going and a good bottle of red wine flowing.

My mom also makes a delicious sage stuffing, so we always have two kinds of stuffing at Thanksgiving. As with every big family, we never fail to have a long debate about which one is better. One of my favorite Thanksgiving memories is the year my mom decided to get fake pink nails the day before Thanksgiving. She is the least vain person I know, so this was completely uncharacteristic of her– fake nails and cleaning up after 6 kids just don’t mix. One year, as she stuffed the turkey, she realized that one of her nails was missing. She was absolutely horrified; she diligently unraveled the bird and combed through it to find her nail, where lo and behold, it was glistening with the uncooked stuffing. We always chuckle about it each year as she stuffs the turkey and remind her to check for pink nails. She hasn’t gotten fake nails since.

This recipe goes out to my loving husband and mom, who always manage to put a smile on my face and make me laugh throughout all of the craziness of Thanksgiving

Ingredients:
Buckwheat Zydeco New Orleans Jazzfest 1 hour playlist
Fine Red Wine, quantity optional
8 tablespoons butter
4 Yellow Onions
4 cloves of Garlic
2 teaspoons of salt
2 Large Red Bell Peppers
2 Cups of Chopped Celery
2 Lbs. of Andouille Sausage (pork or chicken)
2 Tablespoons of Tabasco
3 Cups of Chicken Stock
3 cups of Cornbread breadcrumbs

Turn on the playlist. Play it Loud.
Start drinking wine.
Chop your veggies and andouille sausage.
Get a big colorful Le Crueset pot
Melt half your butter
Sautee Half of your garlic and onions til light brown, then push to the side and add ½ the peppers, then finally half the celery, cook about 10 mins on medium heat, stirring occasionally, ‘til the water is mostly boiled out. Push veggies to the edges of the pan and gradually add all the Andouille and cook ‘til the meat is browned about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the remaining onions, garlic, celery, butter, peppers, salt and the Tabasco, stirring it all well, cooking on medium for another 3 minutes. Add the 2 cups Chicken Stock and bring to a simmer, cook til oil rises up and water evaporates, about 10 minutes. Turn off the heat.
Stir in the cornbread gradually, adding the remaining stock as need to get your consistency as you like it.
Transfer to two ungreased 8×8 baking dishes. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees about 45 minutes ‘til nice and purdy and brown on top.
Finish Wine and Laissez les bon temps roulez!

Makes 12 servings

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Thai Soup or “Sick Soup”

Unfortunately, it’s that time of year again when the weather changes and we are prone to getting ill. Just this past week I knew of two people who had the flu. My daughter who works in a hospital had to get a mandatory flu shot so you know its cold and flu season when our healthcare professionals have to get flu shots.

This soup is very easy to make, although most of us don’t feel like cooking when we are ill, it really will make you feel better. I should have named it the miraculous soup. The ginger, lime and watercress are excellent nutrients for healing our system from feeling sick from a cold or the flu. A better idea is to have someone make it for you or bring it to a friend when they are not well.

5 cups of vegetable broth, preferably low sodium, you can also use chicken broth if that’s what you have on hand
2 stalks of lemongrass, peel the outer layer and then thinly slice
1 inch of ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
2 scallions, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
Pinch of dried turmeric
1 teaspoon of sriracha or ½ teaspoon of Thai chili sauce
8 ounces of fresh mushrooms, thinly sliced
¼ cup of light soy sauce
¼ cup of lime juice
7 ounces of tofu, drained and pressed into ½ inch cubes or you can also use a chicken breast if you prefer, cut the breast into ½ pieces
1 handful of watercress or spinach leaves cut into sliced ribbons
1 handful of cilantro, finely chopped

Pour vegetable broth into a medium saucepan and heat over high heat. Add the lemongrass, ginger, scallions, garlic, turmeric sriracha or chili sauce, mushrooms, soy sauce and lime juice.

Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 8-10 minutes or until mushrooms are tender. Add the tofu, or if you are using chicken, add it at this time, with the watercress or spinach leaves. Stir until the greens are lightly wilted and then add the cilantro.

Makes 4-6 servings.

Julia Child’s Famous Roasted Chicken

In celebration of Julia Child’s birthday this week, I decided to make her roasted chicken that I have been hearing about for years. It didn’t disappoint! It was according to my husband, “The best roasted chicken you have ever made.” It was moist, had great color and tasted amazing. It was so good that I went to bed thinking about how wonderful it tasted and then woke up thinking the same thing. I couldn’t wait to eat the leftovers from the night before.

The recipe is not difficult to follow, I suggest reading it all the way through before making it. The buttve carrots on hand so I used er on the skin gives it the dark brown caramel color and the lemon makes it fresh tasting. The recipe calls for adding a 1/2 cup of water while it is roasting, which makes the chicken moist. Hope your chicken comes out as great as mine did!

Ingredients
2 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/3 cup finely diced carrots
1/3 cup finely diced onion
1/3 cup finely diced celery
1 teaspoon thyme, savory or mixed herbs, or 2 fresh thyme or savory sprigs
One 3 1/2- to 4-pound chicken
Salt
Freshly ground pepper
Parsley stems
Celery leaves
Six 1/8-inch-thick lemon slices
1/2 cup sliced onion
1/2 cup sliced carrots
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
3/4 cup chicken stock or broth

How to Make It
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a skillet. Add the diced carrots, onion and celery and cook over moderate heat until softened. Stir in the herbs.
Step 2
Wash the chicken rapidly inside and out with hot water and pat thoroughly dry. For easier carving, cut out and discard the wishbone. Pull the neck skin up over the breast and secure it to the back with a toothpick. Salt and pepper the cavity and spoon in the cooked vegetables, a handful of parsley stems and celery leaves and the lemon slices. Massage the chicken all over with 1 tablespoon of the butter, then truss it. Alternatively, tie the ends of the drumsticks together and tuck the wings under the body.
Step 3
Choose a flameproof roasting pan that is about 1 inch larger than the chicken. Salt the chicken all over and set it breast up on a rack in the pan. (Thoroughly wash all surfaces and utensils that have been in contact with the raw chicken.)
Step 4
Roast the chicken in the oven for about 1 hour and 15 minutes, as follows:
At 15 minutes Brush the chicken with the remaining 1/2 tablespoon of butter. Scatter the sliced onion and carrot all around. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees.
At 45 minutes Brush the lemon juice over the chicken. If necessary, add 1/2 cup of water to the vegetables to prevent burning.
At 60 minutes Baste with the pan juices. Test for doneness: The drumsticks should move easily in their sockets; their flesh should feel somewhat soft. If not, continue roasting, basting and testing every 7 to 8 minutes, until an instant-read thermometer registers 165 degrees.

Step 5
Spear the chicken through the shoulders; lift to drain; if the last of the juices run clear yellow, the chicken is done. Let rest on a carving board for 15 minutes; discard the string.

Step 6
Spoon all but 1 tablespoon of fat from the juices in the pan. Add the stock and boil until lightly syrupy, 5 minutes. Strain; you will have just enough to bathe each serving with a fragrant spoonful.

Serves 6.

You can serve it over mashed potatoes or rice. Delicious!

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