From the category archives:

Christmas

Bobby Flay Shares His Grilling Tips and Recipes

by Joi on August 26, 2010

Planning on grilling out this Labor Day weekend? Many people wouldn’t think of having it any other way. I’ve always thought of Labor Day weekend as kind of a farewell to summer as we welcome autumn, so grilling out seems only fitting.

One of the best-known TV personalities, and one of the reasons we needed the phrase Celebrity Chef in the first place, Bobby Flay (who has opened his first steakhouse, Bobby Flay Steak, at Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa) is eager to share his tips on how to become a grilling pro just in time for Labor Day.

Grilling tips from Bobby Flay – does it get any better than that?

Bobby Flay shares his nine best tips, tricks and techniques, in addition to his delicious Ribeye & Anaheim Chile Quesadilla that will wow guests and have everyone licking their fingers.

Here are Bobby Flay’s grilling tips and recipes. Enjoy!

DON’T BE INTIMIDATED BY THE GRILL

A grill is just a source of heat. Just like a stove, it is very user-friendly.

CHOOSE THE RIGHT GRILL FOR YOU

Charcoal or gas. Both give excellent results, so choose the one that best suits your style of cooking.

GIVE YOURSELF ROOM

Don’t underestimate the importance of having enough room to work. Grilling is much more relaxing when you are not trying to juggle a whole collection of plates and bowls as you do it. If your grill doesn’t have enough workspace – and they almost never do – set up a table right next to your grill.

ORGANIZE & PRIORITIZE

Organize your tasks: plan a menu, make lists, do the shopping. When it’s time to hit the grill, get everything out in front of you: food, spices and tools. Everything you are going to need should be within easy reach.

MAKE SURE IT’S HOT

Most of the time, I grill over high heat. I like things to move fast. I like the sound and smell of a very hot fire. I gravitate towards dishes that you can get on and off the grill as quickly as possible. After a while, you’ll know without thinking about it how hot the fire is – high, medium-high, etc. Until then, you can use the time-tested method of holding your hand 4 inches above the grate and seeing how long you can keep it there. It may sound a little dangerous, but you’ll pull your hand back at just the right moment.

◦ High: 2 counts

◦ Medium-high: 4 counts

◦ Medium: 6 counts

◦ Medium-low: 8 counts

◦ Low: 10 counts

KEEP THE LID CLOSED WHEN COOKING ITEMS THAT TAKE LONGER THAN 10 MINUTES

Items like ribs, whole chicken, bone-in chicken breasts, etc.

DON’T PLAY WITH YOUR FOOD

The more you touch the food on the grill, the more it will stick and begin to fall apart. Brush your burgers, fish, vegetables with oil and season with salt and pepper and place on a hot grill. Don’t touch it for at least 2 minutes! It needs to form a crust so that it can naturally pull away from the grill. If you begin to turn it before the crust has formed, it will stick.

DON’T FLATTEN BURGERS, STEAKS & CHOPS WITH THE SPATULA

It will only press out flavorful juices and cause flare-ups. Flip the food only once if possible.

GRILLING MEAT: WHEN IN DOUBT, IT’S BETTER TO UNDERCOOK THAN OVERCOOK

You can always put food back on the fire if you need to.

RIBEYE & ANAHEIM CHILE QUESADILLA RECIPE

Serves: 4

Marinated Ribeye:

8 Cloves Garlic, finely chopped
2 Anaheim Chiles, stems removed and coarsely chopped
3 Tablespoons Oregano, finely chopped
1/2 Cup Canola Oil
1 (1-1/4 inch thick) Boneless Ribeye (about 1 lb)
Salt and coarsely ground Black Pepper

1. Stir together the garlic, chiles, oregano and oil in a medium baking dish. Add the steaks and turn to coat in the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours and up to 8 hours.

2. Heat grill to high. Remove the steaks from the refrigerator 30 minutes before grilling to take the chill of it. Remove from the marinade and season liberally on both sides with salt and pepper. Grill the steak on both sides until golden brown and slightly charred and cooked to medium-rare (130 degrees on an instant-read thermometer) – about 9 minutes. Remove from the grill and let rest, loosely tented with foil, for 10 minutes. Slice into ¼-inch thick slices.

Anaheim Chile Vinaigrette:

3 Large Anaheim Chiles, grilled, peeled, seeded and diced
4 Cloves of Roasted Garlic, peeled
3 Tablespoons Red Wine Vinegar
3 Tablespoons Fresh Lime Juice
1 Tablespoon Honey, or more if needed
Salt and freshly ground Black Pepper
3/4 Cup Canola Oil
1/4 Cup chopped fresh Cilantro

1. Combine the Anaheim chiles, garlic, vinegar, lime juice, a few tablespoons of water, honey, salt and pepper in a blender and blend until smooth.

2. With the motor running, slowly add the oil until emulsified. Add the cilantro, blend 5 seconds longer. There should be flecks of the cilantro in the vinaigrette.

Quesadilla:

12 Flour Tortillas, 6-inch in diameter
1-1/2 Cups grated Monterey Jack Cheese
Marinated Ribeye slices, from above
6 Ounces Soft Goat Cheese, crumbled
3 Green Onions, thinly sliced
Canola Oil
Salt and freshly ground Black Pepper
1 Teaspoon Ancho Chile Powder
Cilantro Leaves, for garnish

1. Preheat the grill to medium heat. Place 8 tortillas on a flat surface and divide the Monterey Jack, some of the beef, goat cheese and green onion among the tortillas (in that order); season with salt and pepper to taste.

2. Stack the tortillas to make four 2-layer tortillas and top each with the remaining tortillas. Brush the tops of the tortillas with canola oil and sprinkle with some of the ancho powder. Carefully place on the grill, ancho-side down and grill until lightly golden brown – about 2 minutes. Flip the quesadillas over, close the lid of the grill until the bottom of the tortillas are lightly golden brown and the cheese has melted. Remove from the grill, cut into quarters and top each quarter with some of the Anaheim vinaigrette and garnish with cilantro leaves.

ABOUT BOBBY FLAY STEAK:

Bobby Flay puts his avant-garde touch on the quintessential American entrée with his first ever steakhouse, Bobby Flay Steak at Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa. Showcasing a variety of regional steaks prepared with zesty rubs and seasonal ingredients and a special Lobster Bar that features fresh lobster creations, Bobby Flay Steak was designed by David Rockwell to present a chic, comfortable steakhouse that complements the exciting backdrop of Borgata.

ABOUT BORGATA HOTEL CASINO & SPA:

Located at Renaissance Pointe in Atlantic City, Borgata features 2,000 guest rooms and suites; 161,000 square feet of gaming; 182 gaming tables; 4,100 slot machines; an 85-table poker room; 11 retail boutiques; 6 acclaimed fine dining restaurants by renowned chefs; 6 casual dining options; a 54,000 square foot spa; 70,000 square feet of event space; 4 signature nightlife experiences; and parking for 7,100 cars. The resort also features Atlantic City’s first cosmopolitan hotel experience, The Water Club at Borgata, with 800 guest rooms and suites; a 36,000 square foot spa; 18,000 square feet of meeting space; 6 designer retail boutiques; and 5 heated indoor and outdoor pools.

Toddy Cold Brewing System: Coffee That’ll Make You Swoon

by Joi on August 25, 2010

“(The Toddy) is the ultimate coffee maker.” -The Washington Post

If you’ve never used the Toddy T2N Cold Brew System for coffee, you have no idea what you’re missing. I’m not sure why this system makes incredible, outrageously flavorful coffee (I guess we’d need Alton Brown to explain it to us) but it does.

Truth be told, I don’t guess I care WHY Toddy’s so outstanding as much as I care how soon I can have my next cup. Then the next, then the next, then the next…

I insist on trying out every coffee bean and every coffee-brewing system that comes down the pike before I recommend them on Get Cooking – so I force myself to consume untold amounts of coffee, but that’s okay, really, I don’t mind. As in AT ALL.

It’s how I roll, I call it my caffeine roll.

After I took a few drinks of my first cup of brewed “Toddy” coffee, all I could think was, “This is a perfect cup of coffee.” And I’ve thought the same thing with each subsequent cup. Perfect, with a coffee house boldness – yet smooth as a baby’s….well, you know.

From the website:

As important as those fresh roasted beans are to your cup of coffee, it’s what you do with them that counts the most.

In 1964, as a chemical engineering graduate of Cornell, Todd Simpson developed and patented a cold brew system that, using regular coffee beans, creates a superior-tasting cup of steaming HOT coffee. And, with 67% LESS ACID than coffee made by conventional hot brew methods, it’s easier on sensitive stomachs.

The Toddy coffee maker extracts the coffee bean’s true delicious flavor and eliminates much of the acidity, producing a bold, super-smooth coffee that can be served one cup at a time.

Toddy Cold Brewing System Features:

Designed to brew coffee with 67-percent less acid than coffee made with hot brew methods
Patented cold brew system uses regular coffee beans to create super smooth hot coffee, but with no electricity required
The Toddy Cold Brew System also makes tea, served hot or cold
Set includes brewing container with handle, glass decanter with lid, 2 reusable filters, 1 rubber stopper, set of instructions, and recipe guide
Get more out of your coffee beans, since the coffee concentrate stays fresh for up to 3 weeks

You can use your favorite coffee beans with the Toddy System and, as you just read… it makes fantastic tea as well.

You’ll want to slide on over to Amazon and order your very own Toddy T2N Cold Brew System right away. While you’re at it, you might want to grab one for the biggest coffee fiend on your Christmas list.

Dan’s Chocolates has Back to School Deliciously Covered

by Joi on August 18, 2010

Good ol’ Dan’s Chocolates – they think of everything. Don’t get me wrong, like any self-respecting chocoholic, I’d love them even if they thought of nothing. Fortunately, though, they’re as clever as they are Heavenly.

Dan’s Chocolates has every occasion you can possibly imagine, as well as some you may not have thought of. Their outstanding chocolate candy will be delivered to you (or your lucky recipient) in a great-looking box – ready and willing to celebrate whatever occasion is at hand.

The box above is the Back to School Chocolates and can you imagine the look of sheer joy on a student’s face when you surprise them with this box of deliciousness – or even when you have it shipped to them? The THANK YOU’s would never stop.

Back To School Chocolates

Chocolate truffles delivered directly to you.
We can make chocolate delivery anywhere in the USA.
A 1 pound box includes 36 truffles or 16 1 oz bars.

Back To School Chocolates – About this Gift Box

Dan’s Chocolates makes this great chocolate truffle gift box for students returning to school or college. 36 fresh cream truffles will not be forgotten easily. The school bus design is printed on the box cover.

Head over to Dan’s Chocolates and enter Back to School Chocolates in the search box.

While you’re there, check out the other amazing gift boxes and gifts. There’s a Back to School Teddy Bear with chocolates that I have both eyes on….If I can just convince the husband I don’t have to go back to school to get it…

Giada de Laurentiis Products from Target: Must Haves!

by Joi on August 16, 2010

Okay. I normally don’t make broad, sweeping statements (unless it plays something like, “Drink coffee, it makes you sexier,” which doesn’t really count because that’s been proven). However, the time has come to make a doozie: If you ever see a cookbook, food item, kitchen gadget, pot, pan, dish, coffee mug, spoon, small appliance, large appliance, apron, salt shaker, or bulldog puppy (???) with the name Giada de Laurentiis on it, buy it and prepare to be amazed. The woman does not attach her name or beautiful face to anything less than a 10 on a scale of 1-10.

Apparently it’s against her code.

Good code.

The Giada de Laurentiis 3.5-oz. Sicilian Sea Salt with Fresh Lemon, pictured at the top of the post? Ridiculously excellent. Like all of Giada’s food products, you get so much more than you pay for or even hope for.

Product Description:
An incredibly tasty Sicilian Sea Salt with Fresh Lemon Zest. The hand-harvested, all-natural sea salt with lemon zest comes from a combination of the pure Sicilian sea water and the freshest lemons grown under the Sicilian sun. Giada’s Sicilian sea salt presents a delicate and intense aroma, with distinct hints of sweet, fresh lemons. Its fresh and delicate taste is characterized by intense notes of lemon, making this gourmet product a perfect ingredient to be coupled with light dishes, ideal for cooked or raw fish and shellfish, poultry, vegetables and desserts. Academia Barilla and Giada De Laurentiis present a piece of Italy to Italian food lovers and food connoisseurs, to taste, enjoy and share. Together, Academia Barilla and Giada De Laurentiis have launched the much anticipated range of high quality, authentic Italian gourmet products.

I regularly buy Giada’s pasta, sauces, and other food products at my local Target…. a store I have nothing but love for. Her spaghetti sauces are amazing – my favorite one is a creamy pasta sauce that boggles the brain.

A recent gift from my husband (for a birthday I acknowledged but didn’t count) is the gorgeous ceramic lasagna pan pictured above. Naturally, like a kid with a toy, I had to use it right away. I normally would have whipped up my favorite vegetarian lasagna but we’d recently had spaghetti — I’m nothing if not anal — so I made a cheesy potato au gratin. Outstanding. The pan refused to allow the potatoes or the cheese to stick, which made serving, eating, and cleaning joyful, delicious, and simple.

It’s such a gorgeous ceramic pan I kind of hated to use it. You really have to see it to appreciate it. It’s worth a special trip to Target to see Giada’s collection of pans, gadgets, and more. She even has a line of sexy aprons as well as her own coffee.

Somebody tell me why I haven’t tried that yet.

By the way, when you click through to the ceramic lasagna pan, if you scroll down you’ll see what appears to be a great recipe for Baked Gnocchi, calling for spinach, nutmeg, gnocchi, chicken broth, heavy cream… is your mouth watering yet?

Another gift the wonderful husband bought me was the Giada De Laurentiis for Target 12″ Stainless Steel Nonstick Sauté Pan (Click through this link for details as well as a recipe for Orzo with Sausage, Peppers and Tomatoes!). This gorgeous pan was initiated into the family with salmon patties and is currently simmering a little pasta sauce for my oldest daughter’s lunch.

It’s quite possibly the best pan I’ve ever owned.

Features:
Pan-Pot Material: Stainless Steel
Handle Material: Stainless Steel
Features: Riveted Handle
Care and Cleaning: Hand-wash Only

Click through any of the links (except for the Giada de Laurentiis 3.5-oz. Sicilian Sea Salt with Fresh Lemon – it has a mind of its own) to browse Target’s outstanding line of Giada de Laurentiis products.

A Must Have for Serious Cooks Is….

by Joi on August 13, 2010

My youngest daughter (Stephany) and her boyfriend (Rusty) got me a Black & Decker Family-size Electric Griddle last Christmas and I’ve used it nearly every day since. Bacon, grilled cheese, fried eggs, hamburgers, veggie burgers, French toast, pancakes, garlic bread – you name it, my beloved griddle and I whip it up.

It came in handy last night with our spaghetti supper. Stephany and I made a killer spaghetti sauce and we very much wanted garlic bread to accompany the meal. However, with our part of Kentucky registering in the late 90s and early 100s the past couple of weeks, we didn’t really want to heat the kitchen up with the oven.

So we heated the griddle, sliced the loaf, buttered and seasoned the slices and grilled them on the convenient, non-kitchen-heating-up griddle. Truth be told, even when the weather isn’t so intensely hot, I still prefer making my garlic bread on the griddle. It makes the outsides crunchy (if you leave it log enough) and golden brown while allowing the inside of the bread to stay soft, warm, and delicious.

The Black & Decker Family-size Electric Griddle has an extra large cooking surface for family-size meals but, frankly, I’d want this size even if it were just my husband and I. In fact, there have been times when we were the only two at home for breakfast, lunch, or supper and I’ve used my griddle. I love the convenience of cooking the bacon, eggs, and toast all in one place.

It makes clean-up so much easier!

I made myself a slice of cinnamon toast this morning and, like the garlic bread last night, using the griddle instead of the toaster left me with toast that was crunchy on the outside while remaining a little bit soft on the inside. Never underestimate a slice of warm cinnamon toast with a cup of hot coffee – an excellent way to start the day. What IS it about the aroma and flavor of cinnamon that’s so comforting and relaxing?

The Black & Decker Family-size Electric Griddle has something else that I love muchly – a warming tray. I use the warming tray to heat buns while cooking burgers or hot dogs. Nothing, I mean nothing, beats toasty buns. The warming tray is also handy for keeping silver dollar or medium-sized pancakes warm while the rest finish cooking.

A removable drip tray collects unwanted oils for easy cleaning and I’m not even gonna lie, I’m all about easy cleaning.

I also use my electric griddle for heating tortillas for soft tacos, burritos, and wraps. All it takes is a few seconds on each side and the tortillas are perfectly warm and soft – just like they are in restaurants.

As I’ve said a gazillion times, a cook is only as good as the kitchen gadgets, appliances, quality ingredients, pots, pans, and equipment he/she surrounds themself with. The Black & Decker Family-size Electric Griddle is one of the best tools you can have in your arsenal.

I swear on my toasty buns.

Crisco Apple Pie Recipe

by Joi on July 28, 2010

Apple Pie Art Print

Buy at AllPosters.com

CRISCO APPLE PIE RECIPE

Crisco Pastry for 2-Crust Pie (or 2 store bought crusts)
6 large cooking apples
3/4 cup sugar
2 TBS flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1 TBS butter

Line a 9 inch pie dish with pastry Pare, core, and slice apples. Place the apples in the pastry-lined pie dish.

Combine sugar, flour, and cinnamon – sprinkle over the apples. Dot with butter (very, very important!). Place top crust over apples and gently cut slits in the top crust for the steam to escape. Seal the edges carefully, trying to keep a neat pattern of uniform “pinches.”

Bake at 400 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes or until crust is golden brown.

APPLE PIE RECIPE VARIATIONS:
Dutch Apple Pie
Add 1/2 tsp nutmeg to sugar mixture in the apple pie recipe above. Combine with apples and 1/2 cup whipping cream. Proceed as directed above, but rather than just topping the apple mixture with the other crust – cut the crust into strips and create a lattice top for the pie. When using a lattice top crust, be very careful not to overcook the pie. A dark brown lattice crust is nothing short of a pie-tastrophe.

Cheese Apple Pie
Substitute 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese for the cinnamon. Proceed as you would for the basic pie recipe.

TIPS:

Use a Pie Crust Shield to keep the edges of your crust from becoming darker than the rest of your crust. Personally, I don’t like the crumbled aluminum foil technique – too cumbersome – but if it works for you, go for it. Just protect those edges!
Whatever you do, if at all possible, serve your apple pie with great vanilla ice cream or frozen yogurt.
For the absolute best pie crust – as in the kind that refuses to fail, you’ll need to know only one recipe: Classic Crisco Pie Crust

If you bake a lot of pies, you’ll love the Magic Dough 18×24.5-in. Pastry Mat, pictured above. This dough mat has lots of features! It’s thin, flexible, lightweight and has an exclusive anti-slip backing so it stays in place on your countertop. It has a nonstick surface, so it easily releases dough (no flour needed) and anti-bacterial construction. Measurement equivalents are printed right on the mat. When your work is done, simply roll it up, slip it back into its storage tube (included) and put it away.

Now tell me that’s not too cool for school.

The recipes used in this post are a few of my favorite “golden oldies.” They’re from a wonderful little cookbook in my cookbook collection from 1973: “Crisco’s Favorite Family Foods Cookbook.” It’s been in our family forever. My grandmother gave it to my mom, then she passed it along to me. I absolutely cherish the heirloom cookbooks and recipes in my collection. If you have any floating around your family, take it from me – you’ll want to hang onto and protect them.

They’ll mean more to you as the years go by. As a bonus, a lot of classic recipes simply can’t be beat!

Positively Ingenious Shopping Bag for Mothers

by Joi on April 26, 2010

The Reisenthel Mother Child Shopping Bag (Red), above, is one of the most ingenious, clever, and downright adorable things I’ve seen in a while. I’m addicted to shopping bags because I’m addicted to the prospect of living green and saving our world and animals from the evils of plastic and wastefulness.

I’m addicted to straight-up adorable things because I’m a girly girl.

This Mother-Child shopping bag speaks to every corner of my heart. Available in 4 colors (red, sand, navy blue, and kiwi green), this would make an outstanding gift for any and all mothers you know.

Product Description:

Because the little ones are always proud to give the grown-ups a hand, the MotherChildBag by Reisenthel® is equipped with an extra handle to allow allow them to help Mom or Dad carry home the shopping. Another bonus? They’re so engrossed in the task that they stay close to their parents in jostling crowds.

Features:
• Safe shopping for parents and children
• Tear-proof polyester fabric
• With extra handle to grip and help carry
• Eye-catching front print
• 1 inner pocket with zip fastening
• 1 interior mobile phone storage pocket
• Bag can be slung over the shoulder with 2 long handles

Size: 17 1/3″tall x 17″wide

Reisenthel Mother Child Shopping Bag (Red)

Sweet! Personalized M&Ms for Mother’s Day

by Joi on April 7, 2010

Too cool. Too cute. Too clever. You know what that means… It’s perfect for mom! M&M’s have made their popular, personalized candies for quite a while now and everyone loves them. (Seriously, how could you not love M&M’s?)

They’ve come up with something extraordinary for all the mothers of the world, though. You can select from an endless variety of colors, add personalized messages, and even upload a face to create special gifts for your mom – or for to fill candy dishes in her house for an outrageous surprise. Imagine HER face when she picks up a bite of candy only to find YOUR face looking back at her.

Click the ad below for more information.

Affiliate Banner / 10% off - Mothers Day

Corn Pudding: A Perfectly Delicious Easter Recipe

by Joi on March 29, 2010

Corn Pudding Recipe: An Ideal Easter Casserole

1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 cup finely chopped green pepper
2 TBS margarine
1 (17 oz) can creamed corn
1 (8 oz) can whole kernel corn (drained)
1/4 cup flour
4 eggs, beaten lightly
1 (13 oz) can evaporated milk
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
dash nutmeg

Saute onion and green pepper in margarine until the onion is tender – about 8 minutes.

Mix both cans of corn (remember to drain the whole kernel corn), flour, and eggs in a medium bowl. Stir in the onion mixture, evaporated milk, salt and pepper. Pour into ungreased 1-1/2 quart casserole dish. Sprinkle with nutmeg.

Place casserole dish in a large baking pan and fill pan half way up the side of the casserole dish with hot water.

Bake at 325 degrees for 75-80 minutes or until center is set. Let stand 5 minutes before serving. Yield: 8 Servings