Mini Fish Tacos with Avocado & Mango Salsa

Enchiladas with Salsa Verde

Blackberry Cheesecake filled Rolls

Comment - These rolls turned out great. The flavor reminded me of a berry pie at first, but a little more creamy. The filling has a liquid constancy right out of the oven, but it firms up a little after cooling down. To make the rolls, I filled dough with a vanilla cheesecake mixture & sweetened blackberries. The dough is fairly easy to make. You mix the ingredients together, knead it for 8 minutes, separate it into medium sized balls, roll it out, fill it, enclose and let the rolls rise for 30 minutes. They only take 10 minutes to bake. 

Dough Recipe

Cheesecake recipe

1 - 8oz package of cream cheese

1/3 cup powdered sugar

1/2 tsp mexican vanilla

Blackberries sweetened with sugar.

After kneading the dough for 8 minutes, Separate it into medium balls. Roll each ball out, but not too thin. You want the bottom of your roll to match the top in thickness. After rolling out the balls, add 1 Tbsp cream cheese filling & 3 to 4 sweetened blackberries to the center of each. Cover the filling with the dough. let rise for 30 minutes. Brush with egg wash mixture (egg & small amount of water), bake for 10 min at 450 degrees.

Spicy Pepper Hummus

Comment: I think this hummus recipe is restaurant quality. It is spicy and has a great pepper flavor. One of the main ingredients used to make hummus is tahini. Not all brands of tahini taste the same. We go through a restaurant owner online to get our tahini. It can only be purchased with a business licence and is brought in by a supplier from the middle east. Here is a link to the site where we order it from - Dedemed

Recipe for spicy roasted red pepper hummus

1 can garbanzo beans

3 Tbsp garbanzo bean juice (from can)

3 Tbsp Tahini

3 Tbsp lemon juice (I use lemon juice in a bottle)-

3 Tbsp plain yogurt

1/3 red bell pepper, roasted

1 Serrano pepper, roasted-1/2 tsp salt

1 small clove garlic

Roasting the peppers Broil each side of your red bell pepper for 5 minutes. The skin will look black or have black spots. Pull it out and with a fork scrap off the skin. Take out seeds. The Serrano pepper needs to be roasted to but it takes less time since its so small. 

Making the hummus - Blend all ingredients. Heat a pita in microwave for 30 seconds and use it to dip in the hummus.If you want to make the Garlic hummus version, just omit the peppers

Tofu with Lemon Grass Sauce

Comment: The lemongrass sauce for this recipe turned out really good. I don't think you have to add all off the miscellaneous ingredients...I was experimenting. The ingredients that stood out were the lemon grass and a balance between sweet & salty. I cooked up two thick tofu pieces and two thin. I liked how the thiner pieces of tofu turned out. There was a crispiness on the outside and a softness on the inside from pan frying it.


Recipe - 


1 lb Extra Firm Tofu
Breadcrumbs
Oil to pan fry


Lemon Grass Sauce & Marinade

1-1/2 tbsp tamarind
1 cup water
1 clove garlic, chopped
2 tbsp onion, chopped
1/2 tsp ginger, grated
1 Tbsp soy sauce
3 tbsp water
3 Tbsp brown sugar
3 Tbsp lemon grass, grated
1 tsp hoisin sauce
1/2 tsp Mexican vanilla
1 tsp chili sauce
1/4 tsp mustard seed, crushed

Instructions -
Add water and tamarind to a saucepan and boil for 10 minutes until it becomes soft. Strain tamarind into a bowl.

Add oil to a separate pan. When hot add chopped onions and cook for 2 minutes, then add the ginger and garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add these ingredients in with your tamarind.  Combine this mixture with your remaining sauce ingredients.

Pile 2 plates onto of your block of tofu and let it set so the water will come out of your tofu. Then slice it and marinate it in your sauce mixture for at least 1 hour.

When done marinate, pull your tofu out of the sauce and dip it in bread crumbs. Fry them on all sides in a pan. It usually takes 3-5 min per side.

Strain your marinade. Put the liquid into a pot and add 1 tsp of cornstarch to thicken it. Strain again and serve with your fried tofu. 

Mini Shrimp Fish Cake Sliders with Wasabi Mayo & Japanese Mayo

Comment: These sliders turned out fabulous. The fish cakes were warm and crispy, the mayo had good flavor with some heat, & the bread was soft and fresh. I made homemade buns for the first time to go with the shrimp fish cakes. I have always thought sliders make a cute appetizer, but I think they would be fun for kids too. Next time I make them I will try using Chipotle Mayo as a condiment, because I think it would go well with these mini cakes too.

Bun Recipe
I doubled the amount of yeast that the recipe called for and added brown sugar.
   
    Fish Cakes
    12 shrimp (medium sized)
    2 Tilapia Fillets
    1 clove garlic, chopped
    2 Tbsp onion, chopped
    salt/pepper to taste
    1 Tbsp Mayo
    1/2 tsp mustard
    dash lemon juice
    2 dashes Worcestershire
    1/2 an egg
    Pinch lemon pepper
    1/2 tsp smoked paprika 
    Pinch dried dill
    1/4 cup panko bread crumbs

Heat oil in pan and cook onions for 2 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 30 minutes before adding shrimp and fish. Break fish up into chunks while cooking. Season with salt and pepper. When the meat has finished cooking, take it off the heat and cut it up into smaller pieces. Mix the remaining ingredients in with your meat mixture. Shape each ball using 2 Tbsp of filling. With your hand press down so the top and bottom of the ball are flattened. Cook in oil over medium heat on each side for about 2 minutes.

    Wasabi Mayo Recipe

    Japanese Mayo Recipe
    2 Tbsp mayo
    Sriracha chili sauce to taste (adds heat)

Assembly: Bun, Fish Cake, Mayo, Tomato

 

Roll with Savory Filling - Three Ways

 Comment: I had some extra dough from making homemade hamburger buns and decided to use it for the purpose of making these stuffed rolls. I love when rolls have filling. I've tried making 5 types of savory filling and like the chicken pesto with parmesan the best. I've also tried this roll recipe with a sweet blackberry cheesecake mixture, have posted it separately.



Dough Recipe
Note - I doubled the yeast & used brown sugar instead of white and they still turned out great.


Filling #1 (See picture)
1/8 lb Turkey burger
2 Tbsp onions, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
2 mushrooms, sliced
1/2 tsp thyme, chopped
3 Tbsp Parmesan cheese

Cook onions for 2 min in oil. Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds before adding mushrooms. After a minute or two add the turkey burger & thyme. Roll out medium size ball of dough. Add 2 Tbsp filling in center. Top filling with 1 Tbsp cheese. Wrap dough around filling and seal it together at the top. Place it in a pan and let it rise for the suggested 30 minutes. Brush with egg wash (egg mixed with 1 tsp water) Bake for 10 minutes at 400 degrees F.

Filling # 2 (Asian)
1/2 chicken breast
2 Tbsp hoisin sauce
2 Tbsp water
Chili sauce to taste (for heat)
dash mustard
1-2 tsp rice vinegar
dash brown sugar if needed
pinch ginger spice
garlic powder or fresh ginger

Mix all ingredients together in a pan over medium heat. Add the chicken. Before the chicken finishes cooking, remove it from the pan and use to forks to pull it apart on a plate. Put the chicken back in the pan to finish cooking. When cooked use it as filling. Roll out medium size ball of dough. Add 2 Tbsp filling in center. Wrap dough around filling and seal it together at the top. Place it in a pan and let it rise for the suggested 30 minutes. Brush with egg wash (egg mixed with 1 tsp water) Bake for 10 minutes at 400 degrees F.



Filling # 3 (BBQ)
1/2 chicken breast
BBQ sauce (your preference)
equal part water
dash mustard
pinch garlic powder
pinch onion powder
brown sugar if needed
1 Tbsp vinegar

Mix sauce together in a saucepan over medium heat. Add chicken and cook until almost done. Remove the chicken from the heat and pull it apart with 2 forks on a plate. Add the chicken back into the sauce and finish cooking it. Use it for filling. Roll out medium size ball of dough. Add 2 Tbsp filling in center. Wrap dough around filling and seal it together at the top. Place it in a pan and let it rise for the suggested 30 minutes. Brush with egg wash (egg mixed with 1 tsp water) Bake for 10 minutes at 400 degrees F.

Filling #4

Shredded chicken
Pesto to cover
Top with slices of parmesan cheese.

Filling # 5

Salmon
Add spices (garlic powder, onion powder, salt, etc.)
Top with slices of asiago cheese

Quail with Plum Chipotle Sauce

Comment: I wanted to try making Quail ever since I saw a picture of it in a venetian cookbook I checked out from the library. I later watched a You Tube video of the Le Pigeon restaurant preparing Quail for a competition and decided to go out looking for it at the store. I was able to find 6 quail in a package at the Asian market close to where I live. I found the recipe I used online. The sauce/BBQ is plum chipotle sauce. I thought it was a great match for the Quail. I altered it a little (see note below) and it turned out sweet and spicy. The flavor of Quail meat reminds me a lot of Turkey, except for that it was more moist. There is not a lot of meat on them, so I would recommend serving the dish with a large side or two.


Recipe
Alterations -
I doubled the amount of honey the recipe called for because my plums were not very sweet. I only added 2 chipotle peppers from the can, which I thought gave it the perfect amount of heat.

Pork Chops with Raspberry Chipotle Sauce

Comment: I was inspired to create this dish after seeing a picture with similar presentation in one of my cookbooks. The recipe idea came from the Ringside Steakhouse restaurant.


Sauce – The sauce turned out good but was a little too sweet and didn’t have the consistency that I wanted. You can get bottled raspberry chipotle sauce at the grocery store or you could use the recipe below that I discovered about a year after I made this post.

Raspberry Chipotle Sauce recipe. Note – The sauce is a little sweet. I strain out the chipotle peppers before serving the sauce because they are really spicy.

Pork – I cooked 3 pork chops and used half of the slices for this dish. I cooked them in a saute pan in butter for a few min on each side over medium heat after adding salt and pepper. Then I backed them for 350 degrees for 10-15 min (until temp reaches 170 degrees). With a sharp knife I cut thin strips and placed them on top of my mashed potatoes.

Potatoes – I quartered and boiled them for 20 min. They were mashed up without their skins. My husband mixes sour cream in them to make them creamy. Use any dish you have to mold them and put them on your plate. A ring mold would be ideal.

Garnish – rosemary & raspberries.

BBQ Salmon

Comment: This salmon recipe comes form the chef at the Portland City Grill restaurant in Oregon. The addition of cherry cola in the BBQ sauce recipe is suppose to give it a sweet berry flavor. I didn’t think the soda flavor was prominent. The BBQ sauce turned out pretty good. My husband & I both agreed that we would like it better on chicken instead of Salmon. You could substitute cherry cola with caffeine free cola and cherry extract if you wanted. The potato recipe comes from Ina Gardner.


Recipe

Video

Chocolate Cup filled with Raspberry Cheesecake and a Brownie

Comment – This dessert made the perfect end to a wonderful Valentines dinner. I got the idea from Salty’s restaurant in Portland, OR. The only thing I would do differently is add gelatin to the raspberry cheesecake because it did not firm up as much as it was suppose to.

Cheesecake Recipe
Alteration – I used 1 tsp raspberry extract instead of vanilla, white chocolate chips instead of semi sweet, white sugar instead of brown sugar, a brownie base instead of crumb crust & folded in 1 cup of raspberries.

Brownie base recipe – (I baked them in a 9 inch round spring form pan for 25 min and let them rest for 30 min. Then I cut them into circles…they don’t have to be perfect)

Chocolate cups -
1 bag semi sweet chocolate chips
1 bag white chocolate chips

Video 1 – The basic idea for decorating your own chocolate cup. I put a picture of the cupid and heard under my acetate sheet and pipped on the chocolate shapes. You can buy transfer sheets with cocoa butter patterns already on them if you want.

Video 2 – The basic idea for making a dessert cup. You can use cups or anything to mold the chocolate.


Raspberry sauce -
raspberries
Powdered sugar to taste
Blend and strain out the seeds

Blackberry Tart

Comment – I got Tahitian vanilla beans in the mail from Amazon recently and used them to make the custard for these tarts. I discovered that I really like the flavor of vanilla beans compared to vanilla extract. The desserts turned out great and the vanilla bean custard was my favorite part. I would recommend cooking the crust for less time to get a softer crust.  I used a tart pan with a removable bottom for the larger tart. I shaped the smaller tart crust in my molten lava cake pan with removable bottoms.  The glaze over the top of the smaller tart was just blackberry juice heated with powdered sugar and a little cornstarch to thicken it.

Recipe

Gateau St. Honore

Comment - Gateau St. Honore is a French dessert. I saw a picture of it online and knew that I had to try making it. The dessert turned out to be more challenging to make than I expected. There were many steps involved. I used store bought puff pastry, to save some time, but it still took me all day to make. Was it worth it? Well, yes and no. The downside was the crunch of caramel on the cream puffs. It reminded me of hard candy, which I am not a big fan of. Although I did like the final presentation. The vanilla bean custard was the best part and combined nicely with the blueberries and puff pastry . The left over cream puffs without caramel were really good too. Will I make the dessert again? Probably not, but I am glad that I tried it. I ended up making a medium and small version of the Gateau St. Honore. The one with blackberries is the smaller of the two.


Ingredients
1 package Puff pastry (or homemade)

Choux pastry balls - (To find the recipe, follow the link, look at the Eclair post. you’ll find the recipe there listed as Pate a Choux)

Pastry Cream (you may have to use google translate or you could look at the pastry cream recipe at Rouxbe.com since it is almost identical)

Blackberries with powdered sugar to taste

Spun Sugar ( I omit the lemon drops from this recipe)

Directions
Step 1 – The crust for the larger Gateau St. Honore did not turn out as thick as I would have liked. I would recommend cutting out two 9″ round circles from the puff pastry. With the remaining dough form a ring for the choux pastry balls to sit on. Make sure and roll the extra dough out before making the ring so that it is smooth before baking. Stack the layers and bake until done (20 or so minutes).

Step 2 – Make the Choux pastry balls. Follow link above for recipe. Make the pastry balls medium size. I dipped the cream puff tops in caramel before I filled them with vanilla custard.

Step 3 – Make the custard. See link above for recipe. I used a whole vanilla bean, but you could use half that much. Make sure and strain the black seeds out before mixing into the egg, sugar, cornstarch mixture.

Step 4 – Make the spun sugar. See recipe above. I omit the lemon drops in the recipe. Make sure your kitchen is covered in newspaper before you begin because this process is messy. Dip the Choux pastry balls in caramel and place them on a metal oiled pan or sheet. The caramel will cool quickly. Fill the bottom of the Choux pastry balls with vanilla bean custard (using a pastry bag and nozzle). Drizzle hot caramel over the bottom where you inserted the custard and stick it around the puff pastry.

Step 5 – Sprinkle powdered sugar over blackberries and mix. Pour the berries over your custard on the dessert or serve on the side.

Chocolate hazelnut cookies filled with nutella

Comment – I knew I had to try this recipe when I found out that the cookies were filled with Nutella. Rolling the cookies in crushed hazelnuts adds another dimension to the cookie. I used 2 teaspoons of chocolate dough to form the balls, dipped them in egg whites and rolled them in the nuts. Other than that I followed the recipe exactly.


Recipe link

Zebra Cake

Comment – Salty’s seafood restaurant in Portland, OR serves amazing desserts, one of which is the Zebra Cake. It has layers of chocolate cake and thickened whip cream covered in chocolate ganache. I found assembly instructions for a similar triangle cake online and decided to try recreating Salty’s dessert at home. It turned out wonderful. Although, the cake was a little difficult and time consuming to make. The Zebra cake served at Salty’s has wider layers of whip cream. I like the appearance of their cake a little better and plan to double the whip cream mixture I use next time. It would be easier to make this cake with different cake layers or frosting, but I think the thickened homemade whip cream layer is worth the extra effort.


Assembly instructions – link 1

Assembly instructions – link 2

Note – I baked 2 chocolate cakes in a 15 by 10 inch pan. I used 4 cups of chocolate cake batter for each cake and baked them at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes. I used two cups of homemade whip cream thickened with gelatin between each layer. I would recommend whipping up at least 4 cups of heavy cream, which makes about 8 cups of whipping cream. I whipped up 3 1/2 cups of heavy whipping cream and ran a little short toward the end. I used about 10 Tbsp powdered sugar to sweeten up the whip cream I made. The coating is a ganache mixture of 2 cups chocolate chips, 6 Tbsp heavy cream and 2 Tbsp butter. This cake recipe makes a really long triangle. Next time I make it I will probably only bake one cake, cut it in 4 equal rectangles and fill each layer with 2 cups whip cream (The filling layer will be wider since the cake will be a shorter).

Chocolate Lava Cake

Comment – I tried several molten cake recipes that did not produce the chocolate lava before finding this one. The Ghirardelli recipe is simple. You just heat up chocolate with a little cream, roll it into balls, freeze it, and drop it into the batter before baking.

Note – I doubled the chocolate for the ganache recipe and only added a couple Tbsp of cream to it. I formed balls out of 2 Tbsp ganache. I use a bigger pan that is especially made for lava cake, so if you’re using a muffin pan you might not need the extra chocolate for the centers.
Ghirardelli Recipe

Chocolate Peanut Butter Bombe

Comment – This dessert is delicious and impressive. I used peanut butter chocolate ice cream, a brownie base and chocolate coating. The garnish is a chocolate lattice with caramelized peanut butter popcorn.

Recipe


1 box ice cream – any flavor
2 batches of brownies Recipe
24 oz of chocolate (to be on the safe side)

Directions
I use a special half circle pan to mold the ice cream. You can choose any flavor, but it is important to line the pan with plastic wrap before filling it. Otherwise the ice cream will stick to the pan and will create a big mess. I used a brownie base and set the molded ice cream carefully on top of it. Since I dont have a brownie pan right now I used a 9 inch round spring form pan using this homemade brownie Recipe. Then I heated chocolate up with just enough oil to coat it in the microwave for 30 seconds at a time until it was melted. Then I poured the chocolate over the dessert on a rack. You have to have a lot of melted chocolate when pouring it over the dessert to make sure that you get every spot the first time around. Otherwise the chocolate will get built up in places and will not be smooth. I chilled the desserts between all of these steps. This recipe takes patience. Good luck!

Mexican Chocolate Mousse with Ginger Crumb Crust

Comment: This dessert exceeded my expectations. The cinnamon spice in the Mexican chocolate Mousse paired well with the spice in the ginger cookie crust. The Mousse was melt in your mouth creamy and had a spiced, light chocolate flavor. I brought the dessert to a BBQ and one of my friends who tried it said “I give this dessert an A” grade. I received a few more complements and think it is probably the best dessert I have made so far using Mexican Chocolate.  If you don’t know what Mexican Chocolate is, then google “Ibarra”.


Mousse Recipe

Note – For the chocolate I added 3 Tbsp regular semi sweet chocolate chips and 2 triangles of mexican chocolate. I disolved the mexican chocolate into the milk before adding any other ingredients. I also added 2 Tbsp of butter, 1 tsp vanilla, 1/2 tsp cinnamon and a tiny pinch of cayenne pepper. I did not have heavy cream, so I used whip cream that came in an 8 oz tube. I should note that I took out 1 cup of the whip cream for something else earlier in the week so I did not use the whole tube for this recipe.

Ginger Cookie Recipe -

I used oil instead of butter when making the cookies. I added fresh nutmeg and cloves to the spice mix.

Crust -
The crust was made with the ginger cookies that I baked and then pulvarized in the blender. I added 1/4 cup of butter to the crumbs and patted them down in my 9″ round springform pan. I baked the crust for about 8 minutes at 350 degrees F. I think I used 2 or 3 cups of gingerbread crumbs for the crust.

Final Note – I recommend putting this dessert in the freezer overnight.

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

Comment: This pineapple upside down cake recipe is from Roy’s Hawaiian Fusion restaurant. I have made these cakes many times and they always turn out great. I like to bake the cakes individually in my molten lava cake pan with removable bottoms. I think the cakes are best served warm with vanilla ice cream.


Recipe

The sauce around the plate was made by combining 3/4 cup pineapple juice with 2 tsp cornstarch.
The garnish was made by putting brown sugar in the oven at 400 degrees F for 5 minutes. You have to wait at least 5 min before touching the sugar when it comes out of the oven. The hot sugar liquid will harden & set up within that time.

Asian Quail

Comment: I have made Quail several times this week. The Asian sauce I used to glaze this quail is incredibly good. It has a sweet and spicy flavor. The main ingredients in the sauce are hoisin, sesame, chilli garlic sauce and ginger. There is not a lot of meat on a quail so I usually try and serve it with a more filling side. I served this dish with mushroom risotto cakes. Honestly, I did not like the way my risotto cakes turned out. So far, my favorite way to serve quail is with this sauce and steak fries. I saute the quail in butter for a few minutes, then bake them for 30 minutes at 350 degrees F, brushing them with sauce every 5 minutes.


Sauce Recipe

Note – I only use the first 6 ingredients for the sauce. I do not add the chicken broth or cornstarch when I make this dish and only use green onions to garnish.

Salmon Pinwheel – Florentine

Comment – I got the idea for making these Salmon pinwheels from the Hyvee (grocery store) deli. They were selling for $4.50 a slice. They turned out great and my husband especially liked them. Next time I am going to leave out the roasted red peppers and add sun dried tomatoes and artichoke hearts instead. I also think a baguette would go nicely with this meal.


Recipe

Note – I left out the mustard and spices. I added one large clove garlic. 1 Tbsp chopped onion, 1/2 tsp salt, pepper , 1 box frozen spinach instead of 1 cup, and 3-4 Tbsp chopped roasted red pepper. I squeezed out the water in the spinach and sauteed everything except for the ricotta and feta. Then I mixed it all together and spread it across the back side of the salmon (where I cut the skin off because that side is messier looking). I cut a quarter to 1/2 of the width from the top of the salmon fillet before rolling the pinwheels so they would roll and cook easier. I rolled 2 half’s of the salmon fillet up separately, but you could roll the whole fillet up to get larger pinwheels. I sliced them in about 1 inch widths and baked them for 20 min at 350 degrees F.

Sugar Cookies with Vanilla Custard and Berries

Comment: I had a streak of genius this morning when I thought to combine sugar cookies with vanilla custard and berries. The flavor combination turned out really good. I used blackberries on some and raspberries on others. My husband liked the ones with blackberries the best. I thought they both turned out great.


Sugar Cookies

Pastry Cream

Berries – any kind

Note – I cut the cookie recipe (sour cream cookies) in half and added 1 egg white, 1/2 tsp almond extract, 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract, 1/4 cup flour, and used oil instead of butter. The cookies took 12 minutes to bake at 350 degrees F.

I cut the custard recipe in half too. I added 1/2 tsp almond extract and 1/2 tsp vanilla extract to the custard because I am out of vanilla beans.

Eggnog Thumbprint Cookies

Comment – This is the best eggnog cookie recipe ever! I added cinnamon, 2 tsp eggnog and a little more freshly ground nutmeg than was called for in the cookie base recipe. The eggnog butter-cream frosting comes from a different website. It tastes so good and there is a video demo on how to make it on the “Adventures in Cake Decorating blog” (see link below). I will definitely include these cookies on all future Christmas cookie trays. I may try cream cheese instead of butter in the frosting next time to make them less fattening. If you half the frosting recipe you will have just enough filling for one batch of the thumbprint cookies (makes about 40 cookies). I formed the balls for the cookies out of 2 tsp of cookie dough.


Cookie Base Recipe

Eggnog Frosting Recipe

German Chocolate Frosting filled Thumbprint Cookies

Comment- These cookies turned out really good. I used a quick chocolate cookie base, but might try a denser cookie next time. I baked the cookies for 10 minutes and used the back of a tsp to make an impression when they were done. I bought the German Chocolate Cake frosting because it was quick and inexpensive, but I’m sure homemade would be great if not better. I microwaved chocolate, filled a thick zip lock bag with it, cut off the tip and drizzled it over the tops of the cookies.
Recipe for cookie base

Layered Brownie – Crispy Peanut Butter and Marshmallow Topping

Comment – The only alteration I made to this recipe was to use a homemade brownie recipe instead of a box recipe from the store. The bars look rich, but the top is peanut butter with a little chocolate and rice crispys which I thought gave it a good balance of flavor.

My favorite brownie recipe – the frugal girl blog

Bar Recipe

Shrimp Gnocchi with Preserved Lemon

Comment – This recipe comes from  the restaurant Paley’s Place in Portland, OR. I had heard a lot about gnocchi and wanted to try making it. I made a few changes and thought the dish turned out great. The gnocchi were full of cheesy flavor and paired nicely with the seafood and preserved lemon. I really liked the presentation of the dish too.


Note:
I added 1/4 cup Parmesan to the gnocchi mixture giving it a more cheesy flavor and texture. The herbs will turn the gnocchi mixture green if they are blended and not stirred in. I used fresh thyme instead of summer savory and low fat ricotta instead of regular. I also baked the gnocchi at 500 degrees F in lemon butter (4 Tbsp butter to 1 Tbsp lemon juice) after I boiled them. The result was a soft center with a chewy outside layer.  If you bake them at the same temperature I did you will have to watch them carefully because they brown easily. I flipped them after a few minutes so they would brown evenly. I didn’t really like the butter sauce around the plate and will omit it next time.

Recipe link

Blackened salmon with black bean hummus and jalopeno aioli

Comment: This recipe comes from a restaurant in California. You have to be able to do hot and cold with this dish. If you can’t, rice would be a good substitute for the cold hummus. The jalapeno aioli is really what makes the dish. It is spicy and delicious.


Note:
I only added about 1/4 to 1/2 cup oil slowly to the blender when making the sauce and 1 egg. From the blackening spice, I omitted the oregano completely and used 1/2 the amount of turmeric the second time around making the dish. The garnish is green onions sliced finely.

Recipe link

Blackened Tilapia with Mango Salsa, Avocado and Chipotle Mayo

Comment – I got the idea for this recipe from the Catch 35 restaurant in Chicago. I knew I had to recreate the sandwich when I tried it. The combination of flavors is incredibly good. The mango gives a sweetness while the chipotle peppers and blacking spice provide heat and a smokey flavor. The avocado slices balance out the flavor as well. I would have put them on top of the salsa for the picture, but they were covering everything. I used ciabatta bread like the restaurant. The recipes that I found online helped me to recreate the dish and provided a restaurant quality result. It is one of my new favorite recipes.


Blackened Tilapia Recipe 

Mango Salsa Recipe

Chipotle Mayo Recipe

Note – Add avocado slices

Crab Cakes with Mexican Influence

Comment – I came across this recipe online while trying to find a way to use up my chipotle peppers at home. I liked the idea of crab cakes with a Mexican influence. The sauce is made with tomotillos and has a spicy/tart flavor. The avocado salsa balances out the flavors nicely. I substituted tilapia fish for the crab in the cakes. I cooked the fish before adding it to the other ingredients. I liked the flavor combination. My husband who loves to give complements asked “are you sure we’re not eating at a restaurant?” The recipe makes 8 fish cakes that are very filling.

Recipe

Tilapia with Macadamia Nuts and White Chocolate Sauce

Comment: I believe this recipe is on the Red Lobster’s restaurant menu. I watched the you tube video on how to make it and liked the idea of creating a tropical dish with fish, coconut milk, lemon, white chocolate and macadamia nuts. I noticed that the recipe on the Red Lobster site differs a little from the video that was created for the dish. I added 1/2 cup coconut milk into the sauce recipe and would recommend doing that. Also, I added about 3 oz of chocolate, which is more than what the recipe calls for because I wanted it to be sweeter. I thought the dish was excellent. The sauce had a sweet and tangy flavor and the crunch from the macadamia nuts added another dimension. I will only add chopped and toasted macadamia nuts to the fish instead of all the other recommended breading ingredients next time. You could probably get a way with substituting coconut milk instead of cream in the sauce too.


Recipe

Video

Orange Jell-o Flavored Cookies

Comment – These orange jello cookies are easy to make and have great flavor. The texture of the dough reminds me of play dough after it has set up in the fridge overnight. The consistency allows you to easily shape the dough. I chose to make flowers.

Sugar Cookie Recipe
Note –  I mixed a small package of orange jello with a couple tablespoons of water over medium heat to dissolve the sugar. Than I added the wet cookie ingredients to it. I waited for the mixture to cool down before adding the eggs to it. I cut the sugar cookie recipe in half and added an addition 1/2 cup of flour to thicken up the dough.  Also, I reduced the amount of sugar to 1/4 cup because of the sweetness from the jello.

To make the flowers - I formed all the petals into equal sized balls of dough. I made a slightly bigger ball for the center of the flower and pressed it down so that it had a flat surface on top. I made an indent in the center of each ball of dough for the petals with my thumb or fingers, then shaped them into petals. If the petals are touching the center of the flower before baking they will stick to it once cooked. I cooked the flowers for about 10 min at 350 degrees F.

Pineapple Custard filled Sugar Cookies

Comment: These cookies are sweet, creamy, and tangy. The pineapple custard had a nice creamy subtle flavor while the fresh pineapple contributed a more pronounced flavor. The cookie is made with oil instead of butter and turns out more cakey than chewy. I think these cookies would be fun to bring to a Hawaiian themed party.

Sugar Cookie Recipe
Note – I cut the sugar cookie recipe in half and only added 1/4 cup of sugar.

Pineapple Custard Recipe
1 cup pineapple juice
1 egg
2 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp cornstarch

Bring pineapple juice to a boil in a pan. Combine egg, sugar and cornstarch in a separate bowl. One pineapple juice starts to boil add it to the egg/sugar/cornstarch mixture in a slow, steady stream. You must stir the mixture vigorously while your pouring in the hot pineapple mixture so that the eggs do not curdle. Put the mixture back over medium to low heat and stir until the liquid mixture begins to thicken. It will look like pudding. Then plunge the bottom of your pan into cold water to stop the temperature from rising. Continue to stir to cool the custard down. Then transfer the custard into another bowl, cover it will plastic wrap and refrigerate. Wait an hour or so before serving it so that it is chilled. Also, you will want to stir it a little so that it becomes smooth before serving.
Serve with fresh pineapple.

Eggplant Cheddar Veggie Burger with Chipotle Mayo

Comment: This veggie burger recipe comes from the Farmhouse Cafe restaurant in Portland, OR. I served it with chipolte mayo and thought the sandwich turned out excellent. The texture is a little funny because the eggplant is cubed, cooked, & then mixed together. I think I’ll try mashing up the eggplant a little more next time.

Veggie Burger Recipe

Chipolte Mayo – 

Add Chipolte peppers and adobe sauce to mayo. The peppers are hot and spicy, so add them to taste. Maybe try mixing 1/2 of a chipolte pepper chopped with 4 Tbsp (1/4 cup) of Mayo. You could add a little lime juice too if you have it on hand.

Brownie Truffle

Comment – These brownie truffles turned out really good. I turned 1/2 a batch of brownies into crumbs with my blender. Then I added  just enough caramel sauce to moisten the crumbs and formed them into balls. I used a Tbsp to measure the amount for each ball so they would be uniform and dipped them in chocolate. I put the left over chocolate in a bag, trimmed a corner and decorated the truffles. When I finished making them, I put them in the freezer so the chocolate would set up.


Brownie Recipe

Caramel sauce – 4 caramels & a little bit of milk (2 tbsp). Cook over low in sauce pan.

Chocolate sauce – 1/4 -1/2 cup chocolate 1-2 Tbsp milk and 1 tsp butter. Cook over water in a double boiler to melt.

S'more Cookies

Comment: I love the way these cookies look. The chocolate melted on top and the marshmallows were nice and toasted. I will leave out the chocolate chips in the cookie dough next time to help balance out the flavors. I did use a little larger Hershey bars than the original recipe called for.


Recipe

Salmon in Puff Pastry

Comment – I got the idea for this recipe from a French restaurant in San Francisco. It is a fancy dish that is sure to impress and has become a family favorite in our home. You can use puff pastry to wrap the fish or Phyllo dough. I prefer to use Phyllo (Filo) dough because it becomes crispy when you brush oil over it.

creamy sauce
2 Tbsp olive oil
2Tbsp flour
1 clove galic (small to medium), chopped
2 cups milk
1 cup asiago cheese
1/2 tsp salt

Pastry -
I like to use filo dough. I cook the salmon first and press it down (20 min at 350 degrees F). Then Sometimes I split the sheets in half, lay a fillet in the center of each and wrap them. If you want to make bigger ones you dont have to cut the filo sheet in 2. Just fill the center and wrap the filo around the fish. I use 8 sheets filo dough to wrap the fish. I brush olive oil around the outside of the pastry and bake it for 20 min at 350 degrees F. The picture shows salmon stuffed in puff pastry. You can find the instructions for that recipe on the puff pastry website.

Sauce-
Mix oil and flour. Add it to saute pan. Once hot add garlic and stir fry for about 30 sec-1 min. Add 2 cups milk and bring to a boil stirring occasionally. Add the salt. After 5 min of boiling turn down heat to low and let sauce thicken. Add cheese at the end and melt. Pour it around the fish pastry when ready to serve. If the sauce is dumped on top of the pastry it will get soggy and loose its crispness. I serve the sauce around the edge of the place.

Puff Pastry Salmon in Pastry Recipe

Caramel Thumbprint Cookies

Comment -The dough for this recipe reminds me of brownie batter. They are thumb print cookies rolled in pecans, filled with caramel sauce, and decorated with chocolate sauce. I thought they looked fancy and were good but very rich. I formed the balls of dough by taking 2 tsp’s full of batter and rolling it together. The batter would stick to my tsp so I dipped it in water before filling it with dough each time. It was easier to work with the dough when it had been refrigerated. I had to add a little heavy whipping cream to smooth out the chocolate sauce and make it more runny for drizzling over the cookies, but besides that I followed the recipe exactly.

Recipe

Strawberry Cheesecake

Comment – This cheesecake was light and fluffy. I thought the strawberries added great flavor. I sweetened the strawberry slices on top with powdered sugar. See link below for a video on plate painting.

Plate Painting – YouTube link

Cheesecake Recipe

Halved Strawberry idea