Category: Recipes

Black Grape & Plum Compote

My husband and I can’t seem to figure out if we actually save money at Costco. We usually end up buying things we don’t need (or have space for) with money we don’t have. The truth is, I figure it’s worth buying paper towels (my guilty pleasure), tissues, napkins and such in bulk. But when I start to venture down the forbidden aisles – like the produce, I’m in trouble. Don’t get me wrong, the stuff looks delicious. But I don’t have a family of 10, it’s not Pesach, and I don’t need an entire carton of apples!

Alas, here are my top three things to avoid when heading to Costco:

#1 Don’t go to Costco hungry
#2 Dont go to Costco with your kids (or else you’ll end up buying them toys and books that they don’t need just to calm them down).
#3 Don’t go to Costco without a shopping list. Prepare a list in advance and buy ONLY what is on that list.

Why am I going on and on about Costco? Well, for starters, I did not follow cardinal rule #1 and I went to Costco hungry. Thankfully, I did not buy that humungous bag of chips to snack on, but rather, I loaded my cart up with cartons of California prunes (fancy plums) and black grapes. Then I got home. And I looked in the fridge. And I realized. I. Have. No. Room. For. Cartons. Of. Costco. Fruit. Enter this trusty compote recipe and problem averted :)

This crimson compote is intoxicatingly delicious, not to mention beautiful to look at. Because the grapes are so sweet, I avoided adding any more sugar. Instead, I used some Moscato wine which added a delicious fruity flavor. You can serve this up by the cup, ladle over pound cake, or spoon over ice cream.

 

Black Grape & Plum Compote

16 california prunes (or use 10 plums)
2 small bunches (about 3 cups) black grapes
juice of 1 lemon
1/2 cup Moscato wine

Method:

Wash plums, remove pits and chop into pieces. Wash grapes and remove from stems. Add fruit, lemon and moscato to a pot and simmer over high heat until it reaches a boil. Lower the heat and continue to cook until the fruit starts to fall apart (about 15 minutes). Using a potato masher, mash the fruit and continue to cook until thickened (another 15 minutes).

Post a Comment

Baked Chicken Meatballs

Because I have little kids, I find myself making meatballs quite often. These chicken meatballs are a refreshing change from the typical meatball and spaghetti dinner. You can make them small and serve as an appetizer or mix into marinara sauce and serve a’ la classique.

PS I ran out of cocktail picks so that’s why I used matchsticks, just in case you were wondering!

Baked Chicken Meatballs

2 lbs ground chicken
1 cup soft bread crumbs (from about 3 pieces of bread)
1 tbsp oregano
1 tbsp basil
2 tbsp minced onion flakes
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 cup water
2 eggs
2 heaping tbsp tomato paste
chili sauce, for dipping

Method:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine bread, oregano, basil, onion, garlic, salt and pepper.  Add water and let it sit for a few minutes to soak up the liquid. (If using dry bread crumbs, increase the water by another 1/2 cup). Mix bread crumbs mixture with ground chicken, eggs and tomato paste. Form balls (if you find the mixture too sticky to handle, put it in the fridge to set) and place in a greased pan. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until cooked through.

NOTE: You can easily halve this recipe to make a smaller amount.

Post a Comment

Fire Roasted Tomato Rice Stoup

There is nothing more comforting on a cold winter day than a hot bowl of stoup. A stoup is a cross between a soup and a stew – it’s not quite as thin as a soup, but not quite as thick as a stew either. I don’t know about you but after 8 days of cooking and entertaining, I just don’t feel like sitting in the kitchen, even if it’s just to prepare dinner. That’s why I love this recipe. It’s an easy one-dish meal that is great for kids and extremely budget friendly. With fire-roasted tomatoes and franks, this hearty dish is reminiscint of summer bbq’s.

This recipe is currently featured in Bitayavon Magazine.

 

Fire Roasted Tomato Rice Stoup

1 medium onion, diced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp tomato paste
3 cans diced fire roasted tomatoes
2 cups chicken stock
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp basil
2 bay leaves
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste
1 pkg cocktail franks or 4 franks diced into 1/4″ rounds
1-2 cups precooked or leftover rice

Method:

Saute onion and garlic in olive oil until golden. Add tomato paste and continue to saute until it gets pasty and the bottom of the pot begins to brown. Add canned tomatoes and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes. Remove cover from pot and using a hand blender, blend the mixture until pureed but slightly chunky. Add chicken stock, brown sugar, basil, bay leaves, salt, pepper and franks. Bring soup to a boil and simmer on low heat for 20 minutes. Remove bay leaves and add rice. Cook for a few minutes until rice is soft and fluffy.

NOTE: The rice will expand considerably after warming. Add one cup at a time until you reach desired consistency. Two cups of rice will thicken the soup and turn it into more of a stew.

TIP: Sauteeing tomato paste mellows it’s flavor and cuts the acidic taste.

Post a Comment

Chanukah Cookies


It has a become a tradition in my home to bake Chanukah cookies during the month of Kislev. My kids love to take turns adding the ingredients to the bowl, mixing it up, rolling out the dough, cutting out the shapes, and most of all – decorating the cookies! I have to be careful though, if I turn my head, they’re bound to stuff a handful of sprinkles down their throat! We had a blast making these, and even more fun eating them. They are delightfully crisp, sweet and altogether perfect! Put some in a pretty box, tie with bakery twine and decorate with a draidel – it makes the perfect hostess gift for your next Chanukah party!

Mary’s Sugar Cookies
Betty Crocker’s Cookie Book

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp almond extract
1 egg
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cream of tartar

Method:

Beat powdered sugar and butter until combined. Stir in vanilla, almond extract and egg. Add flour, baking soda and cream of tartar. Press dough together to form a ball. Refrigerate for 1-2 hours.

Heat oven to 375. Roll out pieces of the dough to about 1/8″ thick on a lightly floured surface. Cut out cookie shapes. Place on ungreased cookie sheet and decorate with sprinkles or sugar. Bake for8-10 minutes or until light brown.

Post a Comment

Cheese Latkes with Raspberry Sauce

If you follow my blog, you know that I’m not much of a baker. You also know that I’m working hard to stick to my diet plan. Which might explain why I’m not about to post a recipe for delicious, chewy, deep-fried jelly donuts or crunchy golden potato latkes. Instead, I decided to whip up a sort of deconstructed jelly donut in the form of cheese latkes with raspberry sauce. These fun mini cottage cheese pancakes are reminiscent of the classic chanukah treat with just a few less calories. Fry them up nice and golden, dust with powdered sugar, and don’t forget the whip cream!

Cheese Latkes
adapted from the Spice & Spirit Cookbook

3 eggs
1 cup milk
1 8 oz. container ricotta or cottage cheese (drain, if needed)
1 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp cinnamon
canola oil, butter, for frying

Method:

Mix all ingredients besides for oil until smooth. Heat up a skillet and grease with butter or oil. Add batter 1 tbsp at a time and fry until golden on both sides. Continue with remaining batter, adding additional oil or butter, as needed.

Serve with raspberry sauce, whip cream and a side of maple syrup.

Raspberry Sauce

1 bag frozen raspberries
1/3 cup sugar
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp water or raspberry liquor
1 tsp lemon zest

Method:

Add all ingredients to a pot and simmer over medium heat until raspberries are soft and fall apart when mashed with a spoon, about 10 minutes. Add to a blender and puree. Pour the raspberry mixture through a cheesecloth and squeeze out juice. Chill. Serve over pancakes or ice cream.

Alternatively, pipe some raspberry jam in the center of the latkes and dust with powdered sugar to resemble jelly donuts!

Post a Comment