Virgin Cranberry cosmopolitans

Posted on November 18, 2009 by meggamoma

Virgin cosmopolitans are deliciously good for you , go ahead , induldge ! Feel free to share with the kids , they will feel included in the fun !

Willian Sonoma

Ice cubes

1 cup ( 8 fl oz / 250 ml ) cranberry juice

1 cup ( 8 fl oz / 250 ml ) fresh tangerine juice

1/4 cup ( 2 fl oz / 60 ml ) fresh lime juice

4 lime zest twists

Put 4 martini glasses in the freezer to chill for at least 30 minutes . Just before serving , fill a cocktail shaker half full with ice. Pour over the cranberry juice , tangerine juice , and lime juice . Cover with the lid and shake vigorously up and down for 10 seconds . Strain into the chilled glasses, dividing evenly . Garnish each glass with a lime twist , serve at once.

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Cranberry martinis

Posted on November 18, 2009 by meggamoma

Concider serving these crimson cranberry martinis at your next gegathering. Garnish with frozen cranberries and a lemon twist.

Williams Sonoma

Ice cubes

1 cup (8 fl oz /250ml ) vodka

1/4 cup (2 fl oz / 60 ml ) dry vermouth

1/2 cup ( 4 fl oz / 125 ml ) cranberry juice

8 cranberries , frozen

4 lemon zest twists

Put 4 martini glasses in the freezer to chill for at least 30 minutes. just before serving , fill a cocktail shaker half full of ice . Pour over the vodka , vermouth and cranberry juice . Cover with the lid and shake vigorously up and down for about 10 seconds. Strain into the chilled glasses , dividing evenly . Garnish each glass with 2 frozen cranberries and a lemon twist . Serve at once.

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Thai Red Curry Oysters

Posted on November 15, 2009 by meggamoma

I simply love this easy appetizer recipe from an Australian publication of Family Circle . The Oysters are removed from their shells for cooking and served in their shells. It makes a very attractive presentation. Oysters maybe served warm or cold , garnished with a little fresh red chilli.

Makes 24

2 dozen oysters in half shell

1 tbs peanut oil

1 to 3 tsp Red curry paste

2 cloves garlic , crushed

2 tsp grated fresh ginger

1 tbs soft brown sugar

2 tbs fish sauce

2 kaffir lime leaves , finely shredded

1/4 cup fresh lime juice

Remove the oysters from their shells and wash shells throughly; dry with paper towels and set aside.

Heat the oil in a small pan , add curry paste , garlic and ginger; cook over high heat for 1 minute ou until aromatic.

Add sugar , fish sauce , kaffir lime leaves , lime juice and oysters to pan ; stirfry for about 3 minutes or until just cooked . Spoon oysters back into shells for serving . Oysters can be served warm or cold , topped with chopped red chilli.

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Rigatoni alla panna

Posted on November 14, 2009 by meggamoma

Simply put Rigatoni ( tube style pasta ) with cream . I have a real weakness for this pasta , probably because it is so easy to prepare and pairs well with a clear soup or green salad , making it perfect for those busy weeknights when its great to eat well without expending too much time or energy.

4 to 6 servings

Food and Wine

1 lb Rigatoni

1/2 cup heavy cream

2 tbs unsalted butter , at room temperature

3/4 cup ( 3 oz ) freshly grated Parmigiano – Reggiano cheese

Salt and freshly ground pepper

Cook the rigatoni in a large pot of boiling salted water , until al dente. Drain pasta and return to the pot.

Meanwhile , warm the heavy cream in a small saucepan over low heat . Add butter to the rigatoni and toss well . Add the cream and cheese ; toss to coat . Season with salt and pepper , transfer to a warmed bowl and serve.

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Pasta with Broccoli Rabe

Posted on November 14, 2009 by meggamoma

They beauty of pasta is that it is delicious , easy to cook , economical and always on hand , a pantry staple. This dish is best prepared with Fusilli (corkscrews ) or farfalle ( butterflies ) . It is wholesome , filling and very satisfying . Just add a salad and you have a perfect weeknight meal.

4 to 6 servings

Food and Wine

1  1/2 lbs broccoli rabe , thick stems trimmed and peeled

3 tbs extra virgin olive oil

6 large garlic cloves , minced

3 anchovy fillets , mashed ( vegans please omit)

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper

Salt and freshly ground pepper

1 lb fusilli

1 tbs unsalted butter

Freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese , for serving

Steam the broccoli rabe until just tender, about 3 minutes. Coarsely chop.

Heat oil in a large skillet . Add the garlic and cook over low heat until golden , about 3 minutes. Add the anchovies (optional ) and crushed red pepper and cook for 1 minute. Add broccoli rabe and cook , stirring , until the flavors are well blended , about 4 minutes . Season with salt and black pepper and keep warm.

Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water , stirring occasionally , until al dente. Reserve 3 tbs of the pasta cooking liquid and toss again . Season with salt and pepper ; transfer to a warmed bowl . Serve at once , passing the cheese separately.

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Easy Hot Fudge Sauce

Posted on November 10, 2009 by meggamoma

This is an all purpose fudge sauce , which , as the name implies is easy to make . Use it on pies and icecream sundaes , or anything your imagination allows you to.

Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito

6 ounces milk chocolate , finely chopped

6 ounces dark chocolate , finely chopped

1 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup light corn syrup

Place both chocolates in a medium heatproof bowl and set aside.

In a small saucepan , bring the cream to a simmer over medium heat . Add the corn syrup and stir to combine . remove from the heat and pour over the chocolates . let the mixture sit for 2 minutes . starting in the center of the bowl and working your way out to the edges , whish the chocolate mixture in a circle until completely smooth .  The hot fudge sauce , cooled to room temperature  and covered tightly , will keep for 3 days in the refridgerator . Rewarm the sauce in a microwave oven on medium heat for 30 seconds , stir , and repeat until the sauce is warm ; or reheat it in a small saucepan over low heat.

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Eggless Peanut Butter Pie with cookie crust

Posted on November 10, 2009 by meggamoma

My younger son , Ashish , is a fan of all peanut butter desserts ., but really who would not love this mousselike , no bake , delicious straight from the freezer dessert ?  Want to gild the lily ? use the easy fudge sauce over the top , pure decadence .

Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito

1 (9 inch ) pie

CHOCOLATE COOKIE CRUST

30 chocolate wafer cookies ( Nabisco or Newman’s Own ) , about 6 ounces

1 Tbs sugar

6 tbs unsalted butter , melted

 PEANUT BUTTER FILLING

1/2 cup (3 oz ) semisweet chocolate chips

1/2 tsp light corn syrup

8 oz cream cheese , at room temperature

1 cup creamy peanut butter

2 tbs pure vanilla extract

3/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar

1  1/2 cups heavy cream

COOKIE CRUST

In a food processor , grind the cookies to a very fine powder . You should have about 1  1/2 cups. Put the crumbs in a bowl and stir in the sugar.

Pour the butter over the crumb mixture and mix until well combined. The mixture will feel wet . Turn the crumb mixture out into a 9 inch pie plate and press it into the bottom and up the sides. You can use the back of a large spoon to even out the crust.

Put the crust in the refridgerator while you make the filling.

 

FILLING

Melt the chocolate chips in a microwave oven or in a double boiler . Add the corn syrup and stir to combine . Use a spatula to spread the chocolate in a thin layer on the bottom of the chilled pie crust . Put the crust back in the refridgerator while you make the peanut butter filling.

 

Put the cream cheese , peanut butter , vanilla , and brown sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment . Beat on medium speed until well combined and completely smooth. Set aside.

In a clean bowl , use the mixer fitted with the whisk attachment to whip the cream until soft peaks form . Remove the bowl from the mixer and , with a rubber spatula , gently fold the wipped cream into the peanut butter mixture until the mixture is uniform in color.

Pour the mixture into the prepared crust and freeze at least 4 hours . Once the pie is frozen , you can cover it with aluminum foil and freeze for up to 3 days.

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Lime Meltaways

Posted on October 27, 2009 by meggamoma

These delicious melt in your mouth cookies always leave you wanting more . They have a tangy zip from both lime juice and zest and the sweetness from the vanilla . They are coated in powdered sugar , making them ideal for all your holiday parties.

Source Unknown

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks ) unsalted butter , room temperature

1 cup confectioners’ sugar

2 tbs freshly squeezed lime juice , plus grated zest of 2 limes

1 tbs pure vanilla extract

1 3/4 cup plus 2 tbs all purpose flour

2 tbs cornstarch

1/4 tsp salt

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment , cream butter and 1/3 cup sugar until fluffy . Add the lime juice , zest and vanilla ; beat until fluffy.

In a medium bowl , whisk together flour , cornstarch and salt . Add to butter mixture , and beat on low speed until combined.

Roll dough between 2 sheets of parchment paper into 2 1 1/4 inch diameter logs. Chill at least 1 hour.

Heat oven to 350 *F . Line 2 baking sheets with parchment . Place remaining sugar in a resealable bag. Remove parchment from logs; slice into 1/8 inch thick rounds . Place rounds on parchment , spaced 1 inch apart.

Bake until barely golden , about 15 minutes . Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool slightly , 8 to 10 minutes . While still warm , place cookies in the sugar -filled bag , toss to coat. Bake or freeze remaining dough . Store in an airtight container up to 2 weeks.

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Vietnamese fried bean curd in tomato sauce

Posted on October 26, 2009 by meggamoma

This is one of the quickest to prepare feel good , taste good , look good dishes I know of . The firm bean curd is pan fried till crisp and topped with and Asian style tomato sauce . Vegans can easily omit the fish sauce simply by increasing  the soy sauce.

Serves 4

Wendy Hutton

3 tbs vegetable oil

4 squares firm bean curd, dried with paper towels

sprigs of fresh coriander , to garnish

SAUCE

1 tsp vegetable oil

1 tsp finely minced garlic

2 medium ripe tomatoes, skinned and diced

1/4 cup water

4 tsp fish sauce

2 tsp light soy sauce

2 tsp sugar

2 tsp tomato paste

1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Prepare the sauce first by heating the oil in a medium saucepan. Add the garlic and stir fry over medium heat until golden . Add the tomatoes and stir fry until slightly softened, about 2 minutes. Add water , fish sauce , soy sauce , sugar tomato paste and pepper . Bring to the boil , lower heat, cover and simmer for 3 minutes. Remove from heat but keep warm.

Heat the oil in frying pan until very hot. Add bean curd and fry until golden brown underneath, about 3 minutes. Turn and fry the other side, about 3 minutes. Drain on paper towel and transfer to a serving dish . Pour over the tomato sauce, garnish with coriander sprigs. Serve with steamed rice.

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Stir -fried chicken with lemon grass , chilies and tamarind

Posted on October 26, 2009 by meggamoma

This is a simple stir fry dish ideally made with chicken thighs.This is an ideal week night dish as it is a quick and econonical dish to make. Serve it alongside a cooling green salad and a bowl of steaming  jasmine rice.

Serves 4

Wendy Hutton

1 lb chicken thigh filets , cut into 1 3/4 ” pieces

1 tbs fish sauce

1 1/2 tbs sugar

1-3 large red chilis, ground to a paste

1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1 stem lemongrass , tender inner part only , very thinly sliced

3 cloves garlic , very finely minced

1 tbs vegetable oil

1/2 cup chicken stock

1 heaped tbs tamarind juice

salt to taste

cilantro to garnish

Put chicken in a bowl and add fish sauce, sugar , pepper , chili , lemongrass, and half of the garlic , stirring to coat.Cover and marinade for 15 minutes.

Heat the oil in a wok 30 seconds. Add the remaining garlic and stir fry 5 seconds. Add marinated chicken and stir fry over high heatuntil it has turned brown about 2 minutes.

Reduce the heat and add the remaining sugar ,chicken stock and tamarind juice. Simmer until tender , stirring frequently about 3 minutes. Taste for salt . Transfer to serving dish  and garnish with fresh coriander.

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