Egg Creams & Business Trips

Sorry for being silent, but I was away on business and it was impossible to blog. The trip went nicely. Business accomplished, delicious Kansas City BBQ tasted and even more awesome, I got to visit with some friends! Of course my little kitten Slate was not happy to see me go and wanted to sneak away with me!

While I was away the topic of egg creams came up. Egg creams are a Brooklyn tradition and include neither eggs nor cream and are quite easy to make! Where does the name “egg cream” come from? Theories abound that it is because fountain sodas of that time sometimes had eggs and cream or that the name is a bastardization of either French or Yiddish words. Regardless, it’s a tasty treat.

Ingredients

1/2 cup 2% or Whole Milk (skim or 1% do not foam enough)
2 tablespoons Chocolate Syrup (Fox’s U-Bet is the most commonly used in Brooklyn)
Seltzer

Directions

Some people will tell you to put the milk in the glass and then add the seltzer, stir and add the chocolate after.

I think it’s more fun to put the chocolate in the bottom of the glass, add the milk and then pour in the seltzer while stirring. What you’ll get is a foamy chocolatey soda that’s lighter than an ice cream soda.

My family used to have a Cuban variation of the egg cream that involves putting about 2-3 tablespoons of condensed (not evaporated) milk in a glass and then adding a cola while stirring. Very tasty also, but very very sweet!

I hope you all have a fabulous weekend! See you Monday!

Thanks to Jason Perlow for releasing these photos into the public domain.

January 9, 2015July 9, 2019

Upside Down Cornbread Cake and BE MINE Erotic Romance Release & #Giveaway #FoodieFriday

Happy Friday! Woo hoo we made it to the end of the week. I’ve got a busy weekend planned and I hope you have a great one.

Today I’m sharing a recipe that helps handle some of the leftovers from Thanksgiving. I love the Penguin Cornbread Mix from Costco, but always have a lot of it left over after the holiday. While we love cornbread in my house, I wanted to find a way to mix things up.

After checking out a few sites, I came across an upside down cake recipe from the fabulous Sunny Anderson and decided to adapt it to deal with the cornbread mix as well as the fruits I had handy, namely pears, apples and blueberries. You can actually make this with any fresh or canned fruit which is why I didn’t put any specific fruit name in the title. If using canned fruit, make sure to drain it well so you don’t water down the sauce for the topping.

Ingredients

2-3 cups fruit, sliced (except small fruits like blueberries)
1 cup brown sugar
1 stick of butter
1 cup rum/amaretto/or other sweet liquor
1 cornbread mix

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a small saucepan, melt butter, add 1/2 cup brown sugar and still until dissolved. Add liquor and slow boil until the liquid is a little syrupy.

Make cornbread according to the mix and add the remaining 1/2 cup brown sugar.

Oil 9×13 inch pan. Layout the fruit in the bottom of the pan. Once the butter/sugar/alcohol mixture is syrupy, pour over the fruit. Then pour the cornbread mix over the fruit and syrup.

Bake for 30-45 minutes or until knife comes out clean from the cornbread. Let cool. Once cool, invert the cake onto another plate.

Serve with ice cream and/or whipped cream. The cake is dense and not too sweet. For those who need gluten free, this is a perfect recipe since corn does not have gluten. Just make sure to check the label of your cornbread mix to make sure there are no other products containing gluten.

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December 19, 2014April 28, 2021

Zucchini Lasagna #Recipe

I’ve been trying to watch my carbs because that’s the one thing that really helps me lose weight and feel better. It’s tough, because I’m a carboholic, but recent studies indicate that diets that are lower in carbs are better than diets low in fat.

With that in mind, I’ve curtailed carbs and have lost over twenty pounds. This is, sadly, another of my downs on the roller coaster that is my weight, but still, better to be on the down side of it.

Since it has worked for me, I’ve been playing around with how to lighten the carbs in what would normally be carb heavy dishes, like lasagna. Last week I made a lower carb and lower fat lasagna for a holiday party. I’m sharing the recipe with you today!

Ingredients

4 to 5 medium zucchini, thinly sliced lengthwise
4 cups spaghetti sauce (if you don’t have any homemade, try Classico 4 Cheese Sauce)
2 pounds skim milk ricotta cheese
1 pound skim milk mozzarella shredded
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/8 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 egg
Olive oil
Barilla No Bake Lasagna Sheets

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Place paper towels in a colander and empty ricotta onto paper towels. See Step 1 below. This is to help get rid of some of the extra moisture that can make your lasagna runny.

In a non-stick pan with very little olive oil, brown the zucchini slices and place on a paper towel to soak up any access oil. See Step 2. Some recipes call for using the zucchini raw, but again, this creates too much moisture and that brown on them is caramelization that adds flavor to the dish.

In a big bowl, beat the egg, add then add 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, 1/4 of the shredded mozzarella, the parsley and the ricotta. Mix until blended.

Once you’ve got all the zucchini cooked and the ricotta mix done, spray a 9×13 pan with a little oil and do a layer of spaghetti sauce. Just enough to cover the bottom. Add the first layer of Barilla No Bake sheets. I only use these at the top and bottom to strengthen the layers.

Spoon the ricotta mixture onto the lasagna sheets and smooth out. Then arrange the zucchini slices perpendicular to the lasagna sheets. Why perpendicular? To add body to the lasagna so it will hold together. See the Assembly photo below.

Top the zucchini slices with a little spaghetti sauce and 1/4 of the shredded mozzarella. No ricotta this layer.

Add another layer of zucchini slices perpendicular to the first layer. Again, alternate the layout of the slices to help stabilize the layers. Top this layer with some spaghetti sauce, the remaining riccota, and another 1/4 of the mozzarella.

Finish the top of the lasagna with the Barilla lasagna sheets running perpendicular to the layer below this. Smooth spaghetti sauce all over and make sure you cover every inch of the sheets, but don’t make it too wet. Top with the remaining mozzarella and parmesan cheese.

Bake for about 45 – 60 minutes. Let sit for about 30 minutes before serving.

October 24, 2014April 28, 2021

Tex-Mex Soup #Recipe

When I know I’m pressed for time to make dinner, I like to make something that’s easy to re-heat and will do double-duty as a possible lunch item. This week it was time to look in the pantry and see what I could put together for such a meal.

What I came up with was a quick and easy Tex-Mex style soup that I was able to enjoy on multiple days! I hope you’ll like it.

Ingredients

2 cups chopped carrots
1 large onion chopped
1 can black beans
1 can creamed corn (regular corn will do it also)
1 can Rotel Tomatoes & Chiles (This is a new must have in my pantry)
1 small can tomato sauce
8 oz chicken stock
8 oz water
2 boneless chicken breasts chopped
2 tbsp olive oil

Directions

Saute the carrots, onions and chicken in the olive oil. Cook until the chicken is just starting to brown and the onions look translucent.

Drain the black beans and add to the pot. Then add everything else! Simmer for about two to three hours.

That’s it.

You can finish up this soup by adding some cooked noodles or serving it over rice. I love matzoh balls so I made a few of those and tossed them in. Top your finished bowl with some shredded cheddar cheese, chopped green onions and/or sour cream.

I hope you enjoyed this quick and simple Tex-Mex Soup recipe.

October 17, 2014April 28, 2021

Shrimp Stir Fry

Last week was a clean the fridge out kind of dinner and I had a craving for something Chinese. So I came up with this combination of veggies and shrimp for a quick meal. I always keep pre-cooked frozen shrimp in the freezer since it’s so easy to whip up a meal with them!

Ingredients

2 tbsp peanut oil
1 cup thinly sliced baby carrots
1 1/2 cups sliced mushrooms
1 cup diced onion
3 cloves garlic, crushed and minced
3 cups cooked and sliced string beans
1/2 cup cashews
2 cups pre-cooked frozen shrimp – thawed, tails removed
1 tsp corn starch
1 tbsp sesame oil
1/4 cup teriyaki sauce
1/4 cup low salt soy sauce

Directions

In a wok or big saute pan, heat the oil and start cooking the sliced carrots.

After about 3-5 minutes, add the mushrooms. Keep it on high heat to dry off the moisture the mushrooms emit, otherwise everything will be soggy.

Once most of the mushroom liquid is gone, add the string beans, garlic, sesame oil and cashews. Toss it up and cook for about 5 minutes.

Add the teriyaki and soy sauce. Cook for another few minutes and then add the shrimp to warm it up. Do not overcook at this point. Just 2 to 3 minutes on high heat.

You should have some moisture still in the pan from the shrimp, etc. Mix the corn starch with about 2 tbsp of water in a separate dish. Once the corn starch is dissolved, add that to your shrimp and veggies and stir. Within a minute or so you’ll see the whole mix get a nice glaze to it and the liquid left in the pot should tighten up and not be so runny.

That’s it! Time to eat. You can serve this over white or brown rice, but I’m watching my carbs so I ate it just as it is! This recipe is about 2 hearty servings. You can change it up by adding bean sprouts, water chestnuts, baby corn, etc. or using cooked beef or pork.

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shrimp_Stir_Fry

October 10, 2014April 28, 2021

Lower Fat/Carb Mac & Cheese

Who doesn’t love mac and cheese? It’s the kind of comfort food that warms the belly and calms the soul, but oh man, talk about fat and carbs.

There is a way to cut back on both and still have a hardy and rewarding meal with a little less guilt or worry. This is my version of a lower fat/lower carb Mac and cheese. I hope you’ll enjoy it!

Ingredients

4 cups Cauliflower
1/2 pound pasta
3 tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 cups chopped ham
1 chopped onion
3 cups 1% milk
2 cups cheddar cheese
Panko bread crumbs

Directions

Cut the cauliflower into one inch pieces. I was able to find an orange cauliflower at a local farm stand for only $2.00! Yes, I love being frugal also! Steam the cauliflower until just a little tough to a poke with a fork. It will cook some more when you bake it. After steaming, rinse with cold water to stop the cooking while you assemble the rest of the ingredients.

Cook the 1/2 pound of pasta until al dente. I used cavatappi since they hold the sauce and add a little fun to the mix. After draining the water, rinse the pasta with cold water to stop the cooking while you assemble the rest of the ingredients.

Chop the ham and cook in the olive oil to get rid of that extra moisture. Then add the onion and cook until just translucent. Turn down the heat a little and add the flour. Mix it all up until it’s a little on the dry side. If you’re using some kind of cast iron stove to oven pan, this will happen quickly from the pan retaining the heat, so really turn it down until you add the milk.

Add the milk to the ham, onion, and flour mix. Stir until sauce is thick enough to coat the spoon. Add the cheese and stir. Then add the cauliflower and pasta and mix well.

If you haven’t used a stove to oven baking pan/dish, place the mixture in a greased baking dish. Top with the Panko and if you’d like, some additional cheese. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes and then broil for about 2-4 to brown the top! Voila, you are done!

September 12, 2014March 2, 2021

Dulce de Leche #FoodieFriday

You see Dulce de Leche everywhere now from ice creams to other desserts. Even a limited edition Dulce de Leche Pop Tart. You know you’ve made it when you’re immortalized in a Pop Tart! LOL!

But for Latins, Dulce de Leche has been around forever. My mom and grandma used to make it all the time for us as kids.

What exactly is Dulce de Leche? Literally translated it means “milk candy” and it is basically a caramel kind of spread made by heating sweetened milk until it changes color and flavor. Technically, that process is known as a Maillard reaction, but forget that! All you need to know is that it’s really tasty.

Also, just to confuse things, Cubans have another dessert called dulce de leche which is made with curdled milk that is then sweetened, but that’s not what we’re going to make today.

Actually, for those who are kitchen-challenged, Dulce de Leche is much easier to find today in the ethnic food section. La Lechera has an assortment of Dulce de Leche products, including one in a squeeze bottle for drizzling onto desserts or straight into your mouth.

How do you make it? Well, it’s both simple and DANGEROUS. I have to repeat DANGEROUS, but that hasn’t stopped Latinos from making it this way for a very long time.

It all starts with . . . Can you guess? It’s that go to in Latin kitchens: Sweetened Condensed Milk.

Why a go to? Well, we weren’t well off and when you needed something sweet, a spoonful of dulce de leche or a cup filled with crumbled soda crackers and topped with condensed milk did the trick.

Plus, it’s a basic ingredient in flan, tres leches, bread pudding, you name it.

But back to making Dulce de Leche and the DANGER of it. The easiest, but DANGEROUS way is to full a large pot with water and drop in an unopened can of sweetened condensed milk.

Bring to boil and boil for about two to three hours. NEVER LET THE POT RUN DRY. If you do, the pressure will build inside the unopened can and it will EXPLODE.

Just ask my poor sister-in-law who ended up cleaning dulce de leche from her ceiling.

So that’s it. Drop and boil and then chill in the fridge. For a thicker darker dulce de leche, boil the can even longer. It will be as thick and dark as peanut butter, but oh so tasty!

Let me know if you try it and if you do, how you like it!

DulcedeLeche

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