I recently decided noticed that I tend not to eat breakfast, or if I do I would just grab something quick like a bagel or eggs from a deli, and rarely do I eat lunch. Certainly nothing that was healthy. So I have decided that a quick and easy way to make sure I am eating a healthy breakfast, at least, is to make a fruit and veggie smoothie. First stop the Emerald Green Elixir with roughly 220 calories, 0g fat and 51g of carbs not to mention the fact that it is packed with fruit and vegetables it is certainly much better than anything I have eaten in the past.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup white grape juice
• 1/2 small banana – peeled
• 1/2 cup baby spinach
• 1 kiwi – peeled
• 2 tsp honey
• 5-6 ice cubes

Directions

Well this is one of the easier recipes you will see on this site. Pack everything in your blender cup and blend.

And there you have it. Ready to drink just as it is. Serve cold and right away.

Note: Take a look here to learn how to peel a kiwi.

So many people love Kiwi’s but in the North East I think that many people don’t know how to get to the fruit making them reluctant to use them in recipes. Here is a simple way to peel a kiwi and get to the fruit quickly.

What you Need

• 1 kiwi
• 1 spoon, roughly the same size as the fruit
• 1 small sharp knife

Directions

Using your sharp knife cut the top and bottom off the kiwi.

Insert the spoon between the skin and the flesh of the fruit. Run the spoon around the edge of the fruit separating skin from flesh.

Squeeze the skin at the top.

Watch the fruit slide right out.

Easier than I would have expected before I learned how to peel a kiwi. Takes no time at all and you can be enjoying this delicious refreshing fruit.

I haven’t met anyone yet who would turn away a gooey sugary cinnamon bun, especially drizzled in frosting. Once again this recipe comes from the Bread Baker’s Apprentice written by Peter Reinhart. The way I used the recipe was for cinnamon buns but you can alter the cooking method to make sticky buns. I will try this at a later date and post the results in the future.

Ingredients

Dough

• 3.25 ounces granulated sugar
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 2.75 ounces unsalted butter – room temperature
• 1 large egg – slightly beaten
• grated zest of 1 lemon
• 16 ounces unbleached bread flour
• 2 tsp instant yeast
• 9 ounces buttermilk – room temperature
• 6 1/2 Tbsp granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 Tbsp ground cinnamon

Frosting

• 1 lb powdered sugar – sifted
• 6 Tbsp milk – warm

Directions

Add sugar, salt and butter to the bowl of your stand mixer and cream together.

Add egg and lemon zest.

Beat until smooth.

Add flour, yeast and milk.

Mix until combined and the dough starts to form a rough ball. Replace the paddle with a dough hook attachment and allow the hook to knead the dough on medium speed for roughly 10 minutes. You are going to have to monitor the dough throughout adjusting the flour as necessary.

You want to end up with a ball which is silky and smooth, slightly tacky but not sticky.

Add to a greased mixing bowl, roll the ball around to coat the whole bowl with the grease and cover with plastic wrap. Let rest at room temperature for approximately 2 hours until the dough doubles in size. Meanwhile combine the cinnamon and 6 1/2 Tbsp sugar in a small bowl. Set aside.

Mist your work surface (you can see I used my cutting board) with a little bit of oil and transfer the dough to the counter. Coat a rolling pin with a little bit of flour and roll the dough out to roughly 14″ x 12″.

Sprinkle the cinnamon and sugar mixture over the surface of the dough. Cover the whole thing.

Roll the dough into a log.

Cut the dough into 8-12 pieces using a very sharp knife.

Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Lay the buns on the paper approximately 1/2″ apart.

Cover in plastic and let rest at room temperature for approximately 90 minutes. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Place on center rack of your oven.

Bake until golden brown.

While the buns cool off a bit pour warm milk into the powdered sugar.

Mix vigorously until combined and smooth.

Drizzle over fresh buns using the tines of your fork.

Plate and serve!

Poolish is a pre-fermenter. This meals that we are going to start the yeast activity prior to actually making our bread. Prior to reading the Bread Baker’s Apprentice my only experience with a pre-fermenter  was using a starter for a sourdough bread. After using this method for the first time I see why I would want to keep going with it. I am able to draw much more flavor and depth out of the bread. My wife even commented that it had a more complex flavor like a sourdough but doesn’t actually have a yeasty flavor. Here is how it all begins.

Ingredients

• 11.25 ounces unbleached bread flour
• 12 ounces water – room temperature
• 1/4 tsp instant yeast

Directions

Place flour in a medium mixing bowl. Add yeast and stir to evenly distribute the yeast.

Add water.

Stir until completely hydrated.

Cover and let sit at room temperature for 3-4 hours or until the polish becomes bubbly.

Let rest in the refrigerator overnight and you should have something like the above.

Notes

You may have noticed that I used weight measurements for everything except the yeast. There should have been .03 ounces of yeast in this recipe however my scale is not accurate enough  for me to measure such a small amount of any ingredient so I used the tsp measurement.

The second thing you may have noticed is that I was using an odd instrument to mix all of the ingredients. This instrument is a Danish Dough Whisk. It’s a great way to mix everything up and works much better than a wooden spoon or many other instruments.

I love bread. There are no two ways about it. All protein diets seem like they would be hell to me and a sacrilege at that. I recently received a gift from a dear friend. It is the Bread Baker’s Apprentice written by Peter Reinhart. I’ve been baking for my whole life and the insights in this book are revolutionary to me. I never thought about using a starter for any bread other than a Sourdough based bread. I also had never been trained so learning about the way you can figure out a bread formula has given me access to a freedom I always knew was there but didn’t know how to take advantage of, the ability to easily alter a recipe without guessing if it would work or not. The first bread I decided to try was this Ciabatta. Keep in mind that there are a few things you need to know before you start out with this recipe.

1. You will need a baking stone
2. You will need a spray bottle to fill with water
3. Pizza peel or inverted baking tray to transfer the dough onto the baking stone
4. This recipe will take a total of 2 days to complete, the first day for the poolish the second for the bread

Ingredients

• 1 recipe poolish
• 13.5 ounces unbleached bread flour
• 1 3/4 tsp salt – I used kosher
• 1 1/2 tsp instant yeast
• 6 ounces water – 90-100 degrees F

Directions

Remove the poolish from the refrigerator and let stand for1 hour allowing it to come close to room temperature.

Add flour, salt and yeast to a large mixing bowl.

Stir to combine.

Add the poolish and water.

Stir to combine and continue stirring until you have a smooth dough and all of the ingredients are incorporated. This should take roughly 5-7 minutes.

Scrape out onto a flour covered surface. I chose to use a flour covered cutting board but the counter would work just as well. Pat into a rectangular shape.

Let rest for 2 minutes. Coat your hands with flour and pull the ends of the dough until it is roughly twice it’s original length.

Fold the dough back in on itself and reshape into a rectangle.

Lightly coat the dough with spray oil.

Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let rest for 30 minutes.

Repeat the stretching process once again.

Reshape into a rectangle.

Coat the newly formed dough with oil and cover again in plastic wrap. Let rest for 1 1/2 – 2 hours.

After the last rest you will notice the dough is slightly poofy. Cut the dough using a pastry scraper or extremely sharp knife you have dipped in water.

Coat some kitchen towels in flour and gently place the rectangular dough onto the towels.

Gently cover and let proof for 45-60 minutes until the dough has visibly swelled.

Meanwhile prepare your oven. Add a water dish and baking stone to the oven. Preheat to 500 degrees.

Once dough has proofed gently move to a pizza peel that has been dusted with semolina flour.

Gently shake onto the hot baking stone.  Pour 1 cup hot water into the water pan. Close the door and let sit for 30 seconds. After 30 seconds open the oven and spray the walls with water. Close and let sit for 30 seconds. Repeat two more times. Reduce heat to 450 degrees and bake for ten minutes. Rotate the loaves.

Let cook an additional 5-10 minutes until the center of the loaf registers 205 degrees.

Let cool on a rack for at least 45 minutes. Cut and serve. Olive oil or a flavored oil would really be the best thing to serve with this. The bread is tremendously crusty while maintaining a nice chewy mouth feel. I would have liked the crumb to be a bit more airy but I’m guessing that I didn’t work the dough enough in the first mix. Fresh bread is truly worth the time it takes to make it.

Anyone who has been following my blog as of late can see that I have a thing (recently acquired) for flavored martinis. Chocolate and espresso combinations are really what is getting me going right now. You can’t make a good espresso martini without having good espresso and instant is just not goo espresso.

The pot above is what I use to make my espresso, so important to the martinis in question. This unit is the Vev Vigano stovetop stainless steel espresso maker.

The unit comes in 3 basic parts. The top and the bottom screw together and have a rubber washer for a tight fit.

The bottom part fills with water (careful to stay below the safety release valve).

Then you put the percolator basket directly into the water chamber.

Fill with your favorite espresso (I was using a decaf).

Make sure you do this somewhere which is easy to clean up unless you are better at filling the basket than I am.

Set on the stovetop over high.

Most people would leave this closed but I wanted to give you a look at what is going on here. You have what looks like a steam engine whistle coming up into the collection chamber.

As the water boils it is forced through the grounds and up through the spout.

As the water continues to boil you will notice that the collection chamber fills. Eventually the pot will empty the water chamber into the collection chamber. As you can see there is a faint white line on my pot where the espresso fills up to.

Overall a great unit. The espresso maker is made of stainless steel with just the handle and thumb opening on the lid made of a hard durable plastic. The plastic stays much cooler than the metal does however it does get hot so be careful when you are serving. This might be something best done in the kitchen and not table side.

I have the six cup pot. If I had to do it all over again I would probably spring the extra few dollars for the 12 cup pot. It doesn’t mean you have to make the whole thing but I do find that if I am having more than 2 people over for martinis I have to make multiple batches of Espresso.

Who doesn’t like an espresso martini? Well I do know some friends who don’t drink so I guess they would be out but if you are reading this page I am guessing that you don’t fall under that category.

Ingredients

• 1 cup espresso – fresh brewed and chilled
• 1/2 cup chocolate liquor – I use Godiva
• 1/2 cup vodka
• 1/2 cup Kahlua

Directions

Brew espresso – I highly recommend the Vev Vigano Stovetop Espresso Maker, you can read the review here.

Once the espresso is cool add the rest of the ingredients and stir vigorously to mix.

Chill with a little ice then serve in a martini glass. Well in reality anything that will allow you to drink this beverage works fine. Serve and enjoy!

Somewhere along the way I became obsessed, well temporarily so, with the concept of an English Pudding. The term seems to encompass so many things that the American version does not. When we from the states think of pudding as the cups of custard that Bill Cosby used to push on us. The British version seems to include anything from a sweet sponge style cake to a savory bread soaked in meat juices.

So for Christmas this year I decided to make a traditional English Christmas Pudding which came out like a spongy sweet fruit cake with booze and an incredibly fresh citrus flavor. For anyone that likes the process of creating and uses cooking to do so this is a great recipe, not overly complex but needing a bit of time and nurturing. IMPORTANT: If you are going to make this recipe you will need to let it rest for 3-4 weeks before Christmas so make sure that you leave yourself enough time.

Ingredients:

• 1/3 lb golden raisins
• 1/3 lb raisins
• 1/3 lb currants
• 1 oz mixed candied peel - finely chopped
• 1 small apple - peeled, cored and finely chopped
• ½ large orange – zest and juice
• ½ lemon – zest and juice
• 4 Tbsp brandy – plus a little extra for soaking at the end
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground mixed spice
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 4 oz shredded suet
• 4oz dark brown sugar
• 4 oz white bread crumbs
• 1 oz almonds - roughly chopped
• 2 large eggs

Directions:

Place dried fruit, candied peel, apple, orange and lemon juice into a large mixing bowl. Add the brandy and stir well. Cover the bowl and let marinate overnight. The next day add flour, mixed spice and cinnamon into a large mixing bowl.

Stir to mix.

Add suet, sugar, lemon and orange zest, bread crumbs and nuts.

Stir to combine. You notice I switched over to a stand mixer as this is starting to get very thick.

Add in the marinated fruit.

Stir until combined.

Beat eggs lightly.

Add egg to the mixture.

Stir one last time until combined.

Set a steamer up and start boiling water. I used the “pasta pot” I own which has a sieve insert. I just filled the pot lower than the sieve and monitored the water levels throughout cooking. Any steaming situation you can setup where the pudding bowl is not going to sit directly on the bottom of the pot or in the water will work.

Grease a 2 quart pudding bowl – see notes about pudding bowls.

Place pudding in greased bowl. Smooth out the top surface.

Cover surface with parchment paper.

Fold excess parchment paper in over the top of the pudding clearing the surface of the bowl.

Cover top with aluminum foil.

Using butcher or kitchen twine tie the foil onto the top of the bowl.

You want to loop it around a couple of times and tie off a handle. This will make it easier to lift in and out of the steamer without hurting yourself.

Steam for 7 hours. Make sure to keep an eye on the water level. I found that keeping the heat at medium low and filling every hour or so gave me the desired effect. You may need to play around with times and eat level.

After 7 hours remove from the heat and unwrap. Notice the rich dark color. Pour another couple of Tbsp’s brandy on top.

Rewrap first with parchment paper.

Then aluminum. Retie and put somewhere cool and out of the way. I ended up just leaving on top of my liquor cabinet but in a cupboard would work well.

Christmas day you are going to resteam for 1 hour to reheat. After 1 hour turn out onto a plate. A silver platter would be even better but we went with what we had. Make sure the plate or platter has a lip to it if you are going to set aflame.

pour about 1/4 cup brandy on top of the pudding.

Light on fire and serve.

Notes:

I obsessed a little bit over what pudding bowl I should get. The important facts here are that the bowl be 2 quarts and have a  lip so you can tie off your handle and that it be heat resistant. Remember you are going to put this in a steamer for 7 hours.

Keep in mind that you want to start this process 3-4 weeks before Christmas. The Sunday after Thanksgiving can work if you can stomach cooking some more. You are going to want to leave the pudding at room temperature so it can develop. It will firm up a bit and the flavors will mature. I must admit that I was a little concerned with leaving it out for so long on its own but after having read a ton on the subject and speaking with people who grew up with Christmas pudding I decided it was safe, probably from the booze.

I picked up the suet from the butcher. It is beef fat. I cleaned it as best I could (removing anything stringy) then ran it through a food processor so it would be smooth. I’m sure you can just use lard.

I bought my mixed peel here. It is very important that you use a good quality. One of the major complaints about fruitcake seems to be the mixed peel not tasting good. There is a difference in the brands that you get.

This recipe was liberated from Elaine Lemm.

Who doesn’t love chocolate mousse? This recipe is fluffy and delicious with just the right amount of kick from the dark rum and the perfect amount of sweetness. This is a Julia Child recipe posted online by David Lebovitz. What a perfect way to help us ring in the new year!

Ingredients

• 6 oz bittersweet chocolate - chips or chopped
• 6 oz unsalted butter - cut into small pieces
• 1/4 cup espresso
• 4 large egg yolks
• 4 egg whites – pre-pasturized
• 2/3 cup plus 1 Tbsp sugar
• 2 Tbsp dark rum
• 1 Tbsp water
• pinch of salt
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions

Add butter, chocolate and espresso to a heavy bottomed pot.

Whisking continuously melt over low heat until just incorporated. Prepare a large bowl with an ice bath.

Add egg yolks, water, rum and sugar to a heavy bottomed pot.

Cook over extremely low heat whisking continuously until the mixture has the consistency of a loose mayonnaise.

Transfer bowl to the ice bath and whisk until cool and thickened.

Add chocolate mixture to the egg yolk mixture. Notice I have transferred the egg yolks to a bowl.

Fold chocolate into the egg yolks until combined.

Add egg whites to the bowl of a stand mixer.

Whisk until frothy.

Add sugar.

Whisk until combined and shiny.

Add vanilla extract.

Whisk until stiff peaks are formed. Be careful not to overbeat otherwise the egg whites will become dry and eventually deflate.

Add 1/3 of the egg whites to our chocolate mixture.

Fold the egg whites into the chocolate mixture.

Add the rest of the egg whites into the bowl.

Fold until just incorporated. Do not over mix otherwise you risk loosing volume.

Spoon out into your serving glasses, bowls or dishes. My mother gave us these depression error glasses that we rarely use and they gave us a nice piece for presentation. You can use martini glasses, ramekins or just put into a large serving bowl and dish out into individual bowls at the table. Cover with plastic wrap and let set in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours.

Serve.I find it was rich and delicious enough it did not need anything to go along with it though you certainly can put a dollop of whipped cream if you wish.

Notes: The egg yolks should be cooked through. Since there is always a minor concern about Salmonella I purchased pre-packaged pasteurized egg whites as they were not getting cooked. You can certainly just use the egg whites that separate out from the egg yolks but you are taking a chance.

The original recipe called for cooking both the egg yolks and melting the chocolate using a double boiler. I eliminated this process. I just used an extremely low heat and made sure to whisk the mixtures constantly . If you are uncomfortable doing that use a double boiler. It becomes much more difficult to scramble the eggs or burn the chocolate using a double boiler.

I love Meatloaf. Getting my wife to eat anything I call meatloaf takes a minor miracle. When I saw this meatloaf recipe I thought it might fit the bill, laden with veggies, cooked on a sheet so it would reduce the “slime” my wife so detests and packed with flavor even the meatloaf haters in your life will rave over this one.

Ingredients

• 2 cups crusty bread – crust on, cubed
• 1 cup milk
• 2 medium carrots - cut into chunks
• 1 medium onion - cut into chunks
• 2 medium stalks celery - cut into chunks
• 1½ pounds ground beef
• 1½ pounds ground pork
• 1 bunch scallions - trimmed and chopped
• 1 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano – grated
• 1 cup marinara
• ½ cup Italian parsley – chopped fresh
• 2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

Directions

Take your crusty bread cubes and place in a bowl. Mix with milk and let sit to absorb the liquid. Toss occasionally to make sure that all of the bread gets a dip.

While your bread is soaking pre-heat your oven to 375 degrees.

Add the carrots, onion and celery to the bowl of your food processor.

Pulse the food processor until your veggies combine and form a paste occasionally scraping down the sides of the bowl to make sure that the veggies fully incorporate. If you don’t have a food processor you can use a box grater to shred the vegetables and then mix by hand.

All Together Now

Add all ingredients except the extra olive oil to a large mixing bowl. Using your hands mix ingredients until fully incorporated.

Cover a baking sheet with sides in foil and lightly coat in oil.

Pour onto the prepared baking sheet.

Form into a loaf and cover in extra olive oil.

Cook at 375 for 1 hour 15 minutes or until the internal temperature reads 165 degrees.

Slice ad serve. No ketchup needed on this loaf!

Notes: This recipe was awesome! You can have tons of fun with this recipe, using it as a base and playing around with the different ingredients you chose to go into a meatloaf. It was liberated from Lidia’s Italy, a public television show which has amazing recipes and information about the Italian culture and food despite the host having a bit more mild mannered personality than I like.