Pizza Bowl, BBT Bites, Tarts

Here are the recipes from the Cooking Workshop last night! I had so much fun and the food was VERY good. These are MUST HAVE recipes to use in your kitchen.
P.S. Everything was so good that I didn't get to take pictures! As soon as I get some I will add them to this post.

Bacon, Basil, & Tomato Bites

8 strips bacon, fully cooked and chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

1 medium tomato, chopped

½ cup parmesan cheese

¼ cup mozzarella cheese

½ cup mayonnaise

¼ cup fresh basil, chopped

1 can of refrigerated biscuits (flaky kind)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and place oven rack in center position. Use the Mini Muffin tray on the Perforated baking sheet and set aside.

In Mixing bow, combine all ingredients except for the biscuits. Separate each biscuit into 2 to 3 layers and flatten slightly in your hand. Place teaspoon of mixture in middle of dough and pull up sides to close like a purse. Place closed biscuit in tray and repeat!

Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until tops are golden brown. There was a little mixture left over, so I would estimate this make about 25 each. VERY delicious and EASY!!

Tuscan Pizza Bowl
INGREDIENTS:

• 1 ball Demarle in the Kitchen Herb Pizza Dough (1/2 recipe)
• 6 stalks asparagus, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 yellow bell pepper, chopped
• 6 green onions, chopped
• 1 cup baby spinach leaves
• 1 vine tomato, diced
• 1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ½ teaspoon Demarle in the Kitchen Sel Gris Sea Salt
• 1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese (optional)
•  1 TBLS Demarle in the Kitchen Roasted Garlic and Chive Herb Blend
• Demarle in the Kitchen Apple Pear Balsamic Vinegar

WHAT TO DO:

1. Place Grande Mold upside down on the Large Perforated Baking Sheet.
2. Place the dough ball onto the Roul’Pat and roll into a circle that will completely cover the reverse side of the Grande Mold with a little extra allowed for shrinkage.
3. Gently lay dough over the reverse side of the Grande Mold. 
4. Place vegetables, olive oil, and sea salt in Round Mold and toss. Put in microwave for 2-4 minutes (with Octagonal Silpat on top) till veggies are tender.
5. Bake crust for 8-10 minutes until center of crust is a light golden brown and edges are cooked. Remove from oven and cool for 5 minutes.
6. Unmold crust onto plate.  Fill with vegetables top with herb blend and cheese and drizzle with the Apple Pear Balsamic Vinegar, bake for 5-8 minutes till cheese is completely melted. Serve right away and enjoy!

Fruit Tartlet with Fresh Whipped Cream

1ea 15 oz. package pie crust dough

Fresh fruit of your choice, blueberries, mandarin oranges, raspberries, strawberries, sliced peaches, sliced kiwi, sliced strawberries, etc.

Cream:

2 cups heavy cream

¼ cup confectioners sugar

½ tsp pure vanilla extract or ½ vanilla bean, split lengthwise (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and place oven rack in center position. Plae Tartlet Tray on Perforated Baking Sheet and set aside. Roll piecrust out on Roul’Pat. Cut with Round Dough Cutter, Press dough into tartlet wells using the Shaper. Prick dough with fork. Bake until lightly brown. Remove from oven and cool just a few minutes.

In a chilled bowl, or kitchen aid mixer bowl, combine cream, confectioner’s sugar and vanilla extract or bean. Starting on low speed and gradually increasing to medium high, whip about 3-5 minutes or until stiff peaks form.

Spoon into Pastry Bag that is prepared with tip of your choice and fill tartlets. Garnish with desired fruit!! YUM!!

30 minute meal REALLY

This meal is really delicious! I make it several times a week for my family, changing the meat and veggie so it doesn't feel like the same meal. It really can be done in 30 minutes, from start of prep to putting it on the table. Yeah! Rachel Ray would be proud! So, here it is, hope you enjoy it as much as we do!!

Easy Herb Rice

2 cups brown rice ( can also use 1 cup white/1 cup brown)

¼ cup butter

1 TBLS Demarle in the Kitchen Fresh Lemon & Dill Herb Blend

4 cups water

Melt butter over medium heat in Demarle Stainless 3 qt. sauce pan. Add rice and brown in the butter, stirring so it won’t brown to much on any one side, till you hear the rice start to “pop”. At that point add the herb blend, stir to make sure it is well mixed, then add water. Cover and cook for 18 minutes, check to be sure all liquid has been absorbed, if not, continue to cook and check ever 1-2 minutes. Serve with Kelly’s 20 minute Chicken, and Lemon Dill Green Beans.

Kelly’s 20 minutes Chicken

Serves 4

2 chicken breast

1 tsp Demarle in the Kitchen Roasted Garlic and Chives Herb Blend

1 tsp Demarle in the Kitchen Bolivian Rose Sea Salt

2 tsp melted butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F, place Deep Flexipat on Perforated Baking Sheet and set aside.

Using the Santoku Chef Knive filet the chicken breast in half, you will have what looks like 4 chicken breast, now fairly thin. Place chicken breast on the Deep Flexipat. Sprinkle herb blend and sea salt over one side of each breast, then gently rub it into the chicken, wash your hands. Then use the pastry brush to brush the melted butter over the breast side with the herb/sea salt mixture.

Bake for 15-20 minutes. Serve immediately. You can also use Tilapia filets, salmon pieces, etc. adjust cooking times as needed. Enjoy!

Lemon Dill Green Beans

4 cups fresh (or whole frozen) green beans, rinsed & cleaned

2 TBLS water (don’t need water if using frozen)

Extra Virgin olive oil to taste

Demarle in the Kitchen Fresh Dill & Lemon Herb Blend, to taste

Demarle in the Kitchen Sel Gris French Grey Sea Salt, to taste

Prepare green beans by slcicing ends at an angle using either the Santoku Chef knife or the Kitchen scissors. Place beans in Large Round Mold with approximately two tablespoons of water and cover with Octagonal Silpat. Microwave unitl beans are tender (start with 2 minutes). In my microwave it takes about 4 minutes, be careful not to OVERCOOK. Sprinkle with olive oil, herb blend, and sea salt. Serve right away!

Party while you cook!!

Good Morning!!  A couple of weeks ago I had my monthly “Rendezvous”, it is a time when I invite everyone and anyone to my home to see and share new ideas about cooking. Of course, the Demarle products take center stage, but the focus is more on how to make cooking fun and easier! We have novice to experienced cooks and it is great to see everyone sharing ideas, eating food and having fun.

We had a salt tasting, it was interesting that each salt made the food taste different!

Bolivian Rose Sea Salt

The new Mediteranean Balsamic Vinegar, yum!!

Home made Caramel Sauce, oh so delicious!!!

Home made French bread

Dipping oil for bread and veggies

We had some of the Chicken Angeline out of the new cookbook, artichoke hearts and mushrooms with a white wine sauce. VERY good!!

 I love the experience of cooking food, especially with other people. I think that it is an experience, and like food, something to savor and enjoy. My last couple of “Rendezvous” have been very enjoyable for me and many of the guests commented that they had "so much fun, I wish I would have come sooner". Yeah!! That is what I want to do, help people to learn, or remind them, that cooking is meant to be savored and enjoyed!!

 If you live in the area please be sure to stop by one of these months and join us! It is great to exchange ideas, recipes, and experiences. I ALWAYS learn something new and I have met some great new friends (and old ones too). Cooking is something that is meant to be enjoyed, not just a “necessary evil”. I truly believe that EVERYONE can enjoy cooking!
If you still aren’t too sure about that, then please contact me and I would love to help you on your journey to LOVING cooking!!!

This is from December, the Honey Oat bread on the right was Yummy!!

Gathering of Friends Cookbooks

 In our latest catalog on page 28 at the bottom of the page you will see that we have some new cookbooks, The Gathering of Friends, Vol. 1 & 2. It does not talk about them at all in the catalog, but I am here to tell you they are AMAZING!!! They are not just cookbooks, they are inspiring idea books that have delicious recipes included.Today I am going to share with you some of the recipes, ideas, and images that are sure to inspire even the most non- person to want to host a get together.

            Volume 1 is designed to guide you step-by-step through having a party. Most are designed for 10-12 people, but the concepts and recipes can be adapted for larger events as well. It starts with the ‘theme’ if you will; Evening Gathering, A Christmas Celebration, No Bake Baby Shower, and Treats and Tokens, just to name a few. There are ideas for tables scapes and centerpieces. The recipes have simple instructions, beautiful pictures, and use common ingredients. It takes you from appetizer to dessert and everything in between, there is a Shopping List, place where you can make Notes, and a Comments page too. Take a moment to look at the following pictures:

No Bake Baby Shower

A Christmas Celebration, No Bake Baby Shower, and Treats and Tokens, just to name a few. The recipes have simple instructions, beautiful pictures, and use common ingredients. It takes you from appetizer to dessert and everything in between, there is a Shopping List, place where you can make Notes, and a Comments page too. 

     An Enchanted Evening, inspired me for an upcoming Anniversary party we are hosting for my husbands parents. I am a very visual person and the pictures themselves had me drooling and wanting to cook. Too bad it was 11pm!!!

            There are recipes for some amazing salad dressings, yummy salads, and the No Bake Baby Shower would also work well for a Bridal or Wedding shower as well. There is a whole section devoted to cookies. It is devoted to simplicity and ease of preparation. Also, it does not reference Demarle or Demarle products, so it would make a beautiful housewarming, wedding, or birthday present. I do not buy cookbooks anymore, because I have the ones I rely on and the internet. BUT this is one that I did invest in!

             Volume 2 is set up similar to Volume 1, but on a smaller scale. Five weeks of Gatherings, 4 nights, with a shopping list for the week. Again the pictures are exquisite, the recipes easy, and the ideas inspiring! See pictures below:

            Chapter Six is called Effortless Dishes, Chapter seven is Savory Beginnings, Chapter Eight is Wholesome Soups from the Kitchen, Chapter Nine is Garden Fresh Salads, and Chapter Ten is Enchanting Desserts. These books have something for EVERYONE. They are truly inspirational and a must in EVERY kitchen! I DO NOT recommend something that I would not buy myself or have in my kitchen, BUT if you are still not convinced then give me a call so we can set up a time for you to view these books for yourself!

Happy New Year!!

Happy New Year!! It’s a new year and a new beginning. Time to start fresh in our culinary adventures! Last year I did a few posts on the benefits of menu planning and touched a little on budgeting. I would like to finish that out with some background.

            In the past two years I have been on a journey of self discovery regarding my families’ finances. Two year’s ago my husband and myself made a commitment to be a ‘debt free’ family, and to pass on to our children a legacy of ‘debt free’ financing. Our ultimate goal was to not owe money on anything but our house, to have no credit card debt, and to only spend what we make. Sounds easy enough, huh? Well, let me tell you, it’s not!

            So…you are wondering, what does this have to do with FOOD?! Well, when we first started planning how we would spend our money that comes in (budgeting) we had to find places to cut our spending, so…that we could pay off the debt we had at the time. This resulted in a grocery budget of $150 PER MONTH, for two adults and two small children. This grocery budget had to cover food, paper products, AND toiletries. Not an easy task, let me tell you!! But, since I wanted to be ‘debt free’ I vowed to make it work. That is when I started my journey.

            Fast forward to 2011, we are debt free, have money in an ‘emergency fund’, and are working on our retirement. Currently we have a grocery budget that is $300 per month, on average. It may not seem like much but I sure appreciate it a whole lot more than I did before!

            So, what is the moral of my VERY long tale? Sometimes a short term sacrifice leads to a long term reward! I am happy to say that budgeting and menu planning are now a part of my life and probably always will be! I feel it is the best way to keep myself accountable and know were my money is going.  I am telling my money were I want it to go and what I want it to do!

            Here is a pic of my current menu. It is not very hi-tech and it's written in pencil (I will add pics of my grocery list for this menu later). You will notice there are not a lot of pre-made or packaged food items, nor is there cereal or juice. And I stand by that age old adage, "The cheapest way to make food is from scratch!" And it really doesn’t take any longer than making something from a box. That was one of the reasons I started this blog, to help people to understand that you don’t have to be rich to eat healthy! AND that you don’t have to be a gourmet chef to make delicious food!!

            I hope that you will join me as we learn to cook delicious, easy, and healthy food AND not spend more that 1/2 hour a meal doing it!!

The Dinner Table

This post was suppose to have been about Sugar Cookies, BUT I haven't got around to making them yet!! Our plan is to make those tomorrow, as a family. I think it is important to do something as a Family Activity during the Holiday season. As the kids get older they are able to help more. So this year we will be making Sugar Cookies and filling out Christmas cards together!!

 Last night as I was setting our table it got me thinking about how important it is to our family that we eat dinner together. We turn off the tv, we don't answer the phone, and we have some sort of conversation. My husband works some evenings and we have all noticed that when he isn't there, our dinner isn't complete. My children have commented to me how much they miss Dad at dinner time and he has said how he misses dinners with us. It seems so simple, and sometimes we take it for granted but sharing a meal is a very powerful thing. Our meals are simple i.e. cheap, but we all remember the time we spend around the table. Even if it is fighting about eating green beans!! We all have our different jobs during the day, but at dinner we all have the same job, enjoy one anothers company!
Sharing a meal with my children is also an opportunity to teach life lessons; listening skills, sharing, empathy, and social skills, such as how to graciously say "no thank you". As I was preparing this post it also gave me the opportunity to think about the skills that I have had a chance to learn, and practice; patience, tolerance, grace, and love. When you really think about it, this is something we can't afford to miss out on! So, make sure you take the opportunity to share a meal with your family or friends, or both!!

The following recipe is one that my mom made when I was growing up. I have taken some liberties on it, but it is pretty much the same. It is a delicious and fast recipes that EVERYONE in my family LOVES!! So, it receives five *****stars from the Grassman's, which is no small feat!!! Enjoy!!

Grandma Linda's Baked Chicken
Serves 4
2 chicken breasts, butterflied
1 cup bread crumbs (or crushed corn flakes for gluten-free)
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1 tsp. garlic powder
salt/pepper, to taste
1/2 cup melted butter

 Butterfly the chicken breast, mix bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Coat chicken breasts in crumb mixture, both sides. Use as much of the mixture as possible, you should use most of it. Put on flexipat or deep flexipat, drizzle with melted butter. Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 30 minutes.

Mashed Potatoes with Cauliflower
3 potatoes, peeled and cut up
2 cups cauliflower florets
Boil above in enough water to cover them. When potatoes are tender drain water, add 1/2 cup of milk or 1/2 and 1/2, 2 TBLS butter, and salt/pepper to taste. These make delicious mashed potatoes and you get two veggies in one!!

Happy Holidays!!

Sorry that my posts have not been very consistent!! We have had sickies here in our house, and one of them has been me. But, I wanted to share two after Thanksgiving recipes. They are great comfort food on these blah days of winter! Even my picky eaters will eat these!!

Kelly's Turkey Tetrazzini, this is an adaption of tetrazzini and does not include the sherry or wine. And I make it on the stove top, you can put it in the oven. Remember to put cheese in the bottom of the mold or tray you use, so that when you turn it out, it is nice and golden brown on "top". It looks very nice in the Sunflower Mold, or the Twist Mold. It can also be made Gluten Free, and still be delicious. Enjoy!


1/4 cup butter (or I can't believe it's not butter)
1/4 cup all purpose flour (for gluten free use 2 TBLS cornstarch)
1 cup chicken broth (or 2 TBLS Better Than Bouillon and 1 cup water)
1 cup half and half
2 cups cubed, cooked, leftover turkey
2-4 medium size mushrooms, sliced (or 1can, 4oz. sliced mushrooms, drained)

Cook spaghetti as directed on the package, usually 8-10 minutes. If making Gluten Free be sure to use Gluten Free noodles. Melt butter in the Demarle at Home 2 quart sauce pan, stir in the flour. Cook, stirring constantly for 1-2 minutes. If you are making Gluten Free combine the cornstarch with 2-3 TBLS of cold water and keep on hand, DO NOT ADD YET! Add the chicken broth and half and half, stir till smooth. Cook till mixture thickens, do not let it boil! If making Gluten Free, add the cornstarch/water mixture to the butter, broth, 1/2 and 1/2 mix, bring to a boil for 1 minute (do not stir), remove pan from burner and stir. At this point add the chopped mushrooms (whether you are making Gluten Free or regular) Stir mushrooms in and let sit for several minutes. I usually drain my noodles and add the turkey to them, tossing till mixed. Pour the sauce mixture over noodles and turkey, stir till well mixed. At this point you can serve it immediately, or bake it in the oven (350 degrees for 15-20 minutes). This also freezes well.


Turkey Enchiladas
1ea 28 oz. can Old El Paso Mild Enchilada sauce
2-3 cups leftover turkey, chopped
2 cups grated Tillamook Cheddar Cheese
12 white corn tortillas
You can use any type of tortilla you would like, I prefer the white corn. You can also add olives, corn, salsa, sour cream, or any other thing you would like. Since I cook for picky eaters, this is how I make them and provide the rest as toppings that can be added. You can also make these beef or chicken. This is also a great make ahead or freezer meal!
Pour enough of the enchilada sauce in the bottom of the Deep Flexipat to cover it. Have chopped turkey and grated cheese in bowls nearby. Warm tortillas in the microwave for 20-30 seconds (3-4 at a time). Take warm tortilla and place on top of sauce in Flexipat. Add turkey and cheese in the center of the tortilla, roll up. As you roll the tortilla up the outside will be covered in enchilada sauce! Do this until you have filled the Deep Flexipat, pour the rest of the sauce over the top. Top with grated cheese and bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes. Serve with toppings, chips and salsa, and Spanish Rice. Yummy!!

Next week I am going to attempt to make sugar cookies. This has never been successful before, but I am confident that my Roul' Pat will help me out!! Till next week, happy cooking.