Soup, Soup, SOUP...Tortilla Soup!

It's officially soup weather!  Well, in all the places north of us and approximately every 4-5 days when the weather dips below 75 in Gainesville.  This time of year has always been one of my favorites.  My mayonnaise white legs don't have to blind people in shorts and skirts!  I can wear jeans and tights and no be sweating like a pig!

Tortilla Soup is one of the best, and I have a recipe that my sister and I have been using for almost 10 years now.  It is a Crockpot recipe (can I get a HELL YEAH! for Crockpots), so you throw it all together in the morning and come home to a yummy smelling house.

Tortilla Soup

4 chicken breast halves

1 garlic clove, minced
2 Tbsp butter
2 14 1/2 oz cans of chicken broth
2 14 1/2 oz cans chopped stewed tomatoes

1 Cup salsa (whatever hotness you can handle)

1/2 Cup chopped cilantro
2 Tbsp or more ground cumin
Tortilla Chips
8 oz Monterrey Jack or cheddar cheese, shredded

Sour Cream

Avocados
Lime juice

1. Cook, debone and shred chicken

2. Add minced garlic to butter in slow cooker. Saute.

3. Combine next 5 ingredients.

4. Cover. Cook on Low 8-10 hours.

5. When reading serve, pour soup in bowl.  Top with crushed tortilla chips, cheese, sour cream, avocado and lime juice.  Enjoy!!!

Looks fancy pants, tastes fancy pants, but you don't have to be fancy pants

Holy schmoly, rock and rolly.  Do I have a recipe for you!!!  When I was browsing through recipes on my epicurious app, I ran across this little gem and knew immediately that it would be scrum-diddly-umptious.  Sausage...fennel....MUSHROOMS, oh my!  I took a little creative license when proportioning out the ingredients (extra mushrooms, extra cream, extra cheese), and I halved the recipe since it was just Bo and I.  You must try this.  Seriously easy, and seriously yummy.

Tortellini with Italian Sausage, Fennel, and Mushroom

from epicurious

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large fennel bulb, trimmed, halved through core, thinly sliced lengthwise (about 3 cups), fronds chopped
1 pound spicy Italian sausages, casings removed, sausage coarsely crumbled
1 8-ounce package sliced fresh crimini (baby bella) mushrooms
4 large garlic cloves, pressed
1 tablespoon fennel seeds, coarsely crushed (put in baggie and hit with something hard)
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1 cup (or more) low-salt chicken broth
1 16-ounce package dried tortellini with pesto filling or fresh tortellini with 3-cheese filling
1 5-ounce package fresh baby spinach leaves
1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese plus additional (for serving)

Preparation:
Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add sliced fennel bulb, sausage, and mushrooms; sauté until sausage is brown and cooked through and fennel is almost tender, 12 to 15 minutes. Add garlic and fennel seeds; stir 1 minute. Stir in cream, then 1 cup broth; boil until liquid is reduced and very slightly thickened, 2 to 3 minutes.
Meanwhile, cook tortellini in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain tortellini; return to same pot. (DO NOT overcook the tortellini!!)
Add sausage mixture to tortellini in pot. Toss over medium heat until blended. Add spinach; toss gently until spinach wilts. Stir in 1/2 cup cheese; add more broth by 1/4 cupfuls to moisten if dry. Season with salt and pepper, sprinkle with chopped fennel fronds, and serve, passing additional cheese.

Gimme me some SHRUMP!

Bo's family used to eat shrimp ALL THE TIME!  His father was actually a shrimper (kinda like The Deadliest Catch, but kinda not), and the family ate shrimp about as many ways as Forrest Gump.  As for me, the West Texan, shrimp was reserved for anniversaries, graduations, and if you were good, birthdays.  It was kind of funny when Bo and I had our first conversation about shrimp.  He told me it was an "everyday" meal for his family, and I really thought I had hit the jackpot!  I knew these people must be loaded if they were eating this fancy dish for every meal!
Anyway, one of the many perks of living in Florida is the abundance of seafood at your fingertips, such as fresh fish, scallops, oysters and my favorite fresh shrimp!  I have been able to try many new shrimp recipes, but I have to say, these are two of my favorites.  My firiend, Becca, specifically asked my for a "simple" recipe, and it doesn't get much easier than these two recipes!

Linguine with Shrimp Scampi

by Ina Garten, 2002

found on foodnetwork.com

Ingredients
Vegetable oil
Kosher salt
3/4 pound linguine
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 1/2 tablespoons good olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic (4 cloves)
1 pound large shrimp (about 16 shrimp), peeled and deveined
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
1/2 lemon, zest grated
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons)
1/4 lemon, thinly sliced in half-rounds
1/8 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes

Directions
Drizzle some oil in a large pot of boiling salted water, add 1 tablespoon of salt and the linguine, and cook for 7 to 10 minutes, or according to the directions on the package.
Meanwhile, in another large (12-inch), heavy-bottomed pan, melt the butter and olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the garlic. Saute for 1 minute. Be careful, the garlic burns easily! Add the shrimp, 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt, and the pepper and saute until the shrimp have just turned pink, about 5 minutes, stirring often. Remove from the heat, add the parsley, lemon zest, lemon juice, lemon slices, and red pepper flakes. Toss to combine.
When the pasta is done, drain the cooked linguine and then put it back in the pot. Immediately add the shrimp and sauce, toss well, and serve.

Roasted Shrimp

by Ina Garten, 2006



Ingredients
1/2 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Place the shrimp on a sheet pan and sprinkle with the salt and pepper. Pour the olive oil and juice over the shrimp, and roast in the oven for 5 to 6 minutes



The "I'm sorry for being a b#tch" meal

My momma knows how to get her a man.  Seriously, not just anybody can score a stud muffin like this...

Of all the little gems of life advice my mother bestowed on me, one of the most valuable was the love that men have for ladies who cook.  With a success rate of 98.7%, cooking a hearty meal can GET a man, KEEP a man, or in some cases, get your cute little behind out of the dog house.  I am well aware of the last issue.  In fact, just the other night, I had to employ my cooking magic powers to make up for being a horrible person to my lovely husband.  Assuming I am not the only  wifey that can get a little...let's call it moody...I thought I would be kind enough to pass along my "go to" recipe.

Kathy Baker's Beef Tender

from foodnetwork.com

(this is my FAVORITE beef tenderloin recipe of all time!!!)

Ingredients

2 pounds beef tenderloin (the butt end), tied with kitchen string
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
Salt and pepper
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 limes, juiced
1/2 cup sour cream
3 tablespoons prepared horseradish, drained
Special Equipment: heavy duty aluminum foil

Directions
Prepare a heavy baking dish that is as close to the size of the beef tenderloin as possible by making an aluminum foil "basket" for it to sit in. It is very important to use heavy duty aluminum foil. Place 2 or 3 pieces of foil in the dish and put the beef tenderloin on top of it, leaving enough hanging over the edges of the dish to really wrap up the meat.
Rub the garlic over the entire tenderloin and season well with salt and pepper. Sprinkle the butter pieces evenly over the beef. Drizzle with Worcestershire and lime juice let marinate in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours.
Adjust the oven rack to the highest position and preheat the broiler. Place the pan right underneath the broiler and broil for about 8 minutes. (It will look like the flames are burning or touching the meat, but that is fine). Carefully pull the pan out and turn the meat over. Broil for another 5 minutes or until cooked to desired doneness. (When the meat is done under the flame it will look like it is burned, but it's not). Wrap it up very tightly in the foil and let it sit and continue to cook inside the foil on the kitchen counter for about another 1 1/2 hours.
Whisk together the sour cream and horseradish and season with salt and pepper. Slice the meat and serve with sour cream mixture on the side.

Dill Fingerling Potatoes

Ina Garten, 2009
found on foodnetwork.com

Ingredients

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/4 pounds fingerling potatoes, rinsed but not peeled
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill

Directions
Melt the butter in a Dutch oven or large heavy-bottomed pot. Add the whole potatoes, salt, and pepper, and toss well. Cover the pot tightly and cook over low heat for 20 to 30 minutes, until the potatoes are just tender when tested with a small knife. From time to time, shake the pot without removing the lid to prevent the bottom potatoes from burning. Turn off the heat and allow the potatoes to steam for another 5 minutes. Don't overcook. Toss with the dill, and serve hot.

Roasted Asparagus with Hollandaise

Shelby Neichoy

Ingredients

1 lb fresh asparagus

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

Directions

Drizzle asparagus with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Place heavy duty aluminum foil over grill grates and heat grill to medium high.  Grill asparagus until slightly charred but still crisp.  Serve warm and with hollandaise sauce if desired.

Shands Rehab Chili Cookoff 2011 Champion!!

I talk a lot of smack.  I admit it.  I am from Texas, and I AM PROUD!!  We have the best people, the best landscape and by FAR the best damn food.  While some other southerners (no specifics will be given) claim their chili to be the best, I stood my ground and challenged my co-workers to a cook-off. 
The night before the cook-off, I actually started getting butterflies.  I knew I had a Texas reputation to keep.  I struggled with the decision whether to make my mom's chili, which I have savored my whole life, or go with an award winning recipe from Terlingua World Chili Cook-off.  After cooking both recipes, I ended up combining the two 3 to 1, Mom's to Terlingua.  The stakes were high...bragging rights for me or a day I would never live down.  When the winner was announced, and I heard my chili being called out...my heart swelled with pure Texas Pride!!! 
I will post both recipes.  If you are going to cook just one, I would definitely go with Mom's.

Mom's Chili
2 lbs lean ground beef
1 large onion
Chili powder (A freaking lot.  Like more than you think is natural.)
Cumin
Paprika
Cayenne pepper
Garlic salt
Salt and pepper
Tomato juice (I use Campbell's 64 oz)

Dice onion. Put onion and ground beef in skillet. Add some salt, pepper, garlic salt and a little cinnamon (even though this is not in the ingredient list, Lebanese cooking always calls for a dash of cinnamon with beef.) Cook until meat is done. Drain on paper towels if necessary. Add chilli powder. Pour tomato juice over meat mixture. It will seem very juicy, but the tomato juice will reduce and get thicker. After it has cooked about 30 minutes re-season to taste. Add remaining spices to taste. Simmer for about 45 minutes to 1 hour. Freezes very well.

Terlingua Chili from Margaret Nadeau 2005
Step 1
2 lbs. course ground beef (chili grind)
1 TBS Cooking Oil
1 TBS Granulated Onion
Add ingredients together and lightly brown meat
Step 2
Add:
1 Can (8 oz) Tomato Sauce
1 Can Beef Broth
Cook for 30 minutes

Step 3
Add:
1 TBS Light Chili Powder
2 TBS Dark Chili Powder
1 tsp Garlic Powder
½ tsp Salt
½ TBS Ground Cumin
½ tsp Cayenne Pepper
½ tsp Black Pepper
1 tsp Chicken Granules (or 1 cube)
Cook for 1 hour
Step 4:
Add:
1 TBS Light Chili Powder
1 TBS Dark Chili Powder
1 tsp Paprika
½ TBS Ground Cumin
Add water if needed
Leave covered and simmer for 30 minutes

Hello strangers...

Hello again.  I apologize for the delay in posts.  Bo and I have been living without a computer for the past couple months.  We got rid of our "pre-marriage" computers earlier this year and purchased our current computer in February.  All of the sudden, it stopped working!!!  I was so mad sinch the computer was only a couple months old.  Anyway, figuring it was going to cost us an arm and a leg to get fixed, we were avoiding taking it to Best Buy for a diagnosis.  I have been doing all the necessary internet stuff (ie email, facebook, Gilt Groupe shopping) from my iphone.  But last weekend we got the courage to take the computer in for a work-up.  After thirty-nine minutes of waiting for the geek squad (I am pretty sure they love that everyone has to wait on them, which is most likely a first for these guys.), "Ben" looked at us and said we were overprotected.  Since we had been burned by viruses before, we were running two anti-virus programs.  Apparently that is like wearing two condoms...they cancel each other out.  So, the geek deleted one of the programs, and we are up and running!!!  After all that time avoiding taking the dang thing in, it was fixed in two seconds.  (This also reminds me of the time our heater "broke", and we had no money to get it repaired so we lived two winters shivering and shaking under blankets.  Finally my mom came down, said she would pay for it to be fixed, and the heater guy said our pilot light was out...and he re-lit it for free.)
All this to explain my abscence.  (I feel like I am in college again, trying to explain to my prof why a project was not finished.)  Anyway, I will try to make a meaningful post tonight.  Toodles!

Watermelon Mint Cucumber Margaritas: This is for Shannon

Lately, I have been working out.  I know, I know...this doesn't sound like the Shelby you know (and love).  However, it appears time is catching up, and my metabolism seems to be slowing down.  In fact, if you were to conjure up a mental picture, "My Age" would be sprinting down a track, strong and steady, and "My Metabolism" would be the little, scrawny kid chasing after it (in vain), sweating and gasping for air.  I digress.
Anyway, I found that having workout buddies significantly increases my chance of getting my rear-end out of the kitchen and off of the couch.  There are four of us (plus or minus 1 or 2 depending on the day) that meet to do interval and circuit training.  I feel strong, empowered and in a constant state of soreness since we started.  And even though it might be wrong, after all my hard work, I feel the need to reward myself every once in a while.  One of my workout buddies, Shannon, shares my love of gardening.  We chit chat about our various herbs and veggies and their progress.  We got together the other night and Shannon made a killer mojito with her home-grown mint.  Let's be honest, is there a better way to honor that lovely herb than to put it in a tasty cocktail?  I think not.  After our mojito night, I was inspired to use some of my herbs in a cocktail.  After a long run on Saturday afternoon, I found this amazing recipe for a Watermelon Mint and Cucumber Margarita.  Oh dear.  Oh dear, oh dear.  It was scrumptious.  It was bright, refreshing and a lovely pink in color.  I dressed it with a sprig of mint and slice of watermelon, which Bo promptly removed (but he would be lying if he said he didn't enjoy this fruity piece of heaven...he had three.)  Here is the recipe, modified from a Bon Appetit recipe.

Watermelon Mint Cucumber Margarita

1 1/2 cups 1-inch chunks rindless watermelon
6 (1/8-inch-thick) slices English hothouse cucumber (I grated the cucumber for a more intense flavor)
15 large fresh mint leaves
1/2 cup tequila (silver or gold)
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
3 tablespoons Simple Syrup
1 tablespoon Cointreau or other orange liqueur (such as Triple Sec or Grand Marnier)

Place first 3 ingredients in medium bowl. Press firmly on solids with muddler or back of wooden spoon until mashed. (I squeezed it between my fingers...and it was fun). Strain liquid into a cocktail shaker. Pour in tequila, lime juice, Simple Syrup, and Cointreau, then add a bit of ice. Shake gently to blend. Pour into preferred glasses that have been filled with ice.  Garnish with watermelon skewers and mint sprigs. Enjoy!!!

This is for Karen G and Jenny G: Quick Recipe

The other day at work, I was chastised, scrutinized...almost ostracized for posting recipes that were said to be too "time consuming".  I mean, I am busy.  I have a full-time job, and as my mother always would say, "I don't sit at home, eating chocolates and smoking cigarettes" and planning dinner menus.  (Okay, to be honest, I do sit at home, eating chocolates and sometimes planning extravagant dinner menus.)  That's besides the point...I do work a lot, have two needy dogs and a neurotic cat, so there are many times I have less than an hour to plan and make dinner, and here is a fool-proof, go-to recipe!

Goat cheese and basil roasted chicken breast

4 Split chicken breast, skin-on, bone-in
6 oz Herberd goat cheese (or around 6 oz)
8 nice-sized basil leaves
Olive oil
Kosher salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Place chicken on a baking sheet covered with foil.  Loosen skin from meat of chicken, leaving one side intact.  Divide goat cheese into 4 pieces and smear on top of meat, under chicken skin.  Place basil leaves on top of goat cheese and replace skin.  Rub olive oil over each piece of chicken and sprinkle liberally with Kosher salt and freshly cracked pepper.  Cook for 35-30 minutes.  Serve and enjoy!



A YUMMY way to celebrate St. Patrick's Day!!

Here's a fun, yummy way to celebrate St. Patty!  Bo and I rented a movie set in Ireland Saturday night, so we decided to make an Irish-themed meal to go with it.  I modified the Beef and Guinness Pie recipe originally published in Gourmet (October 2004) and found on epicurious.com.

Beef and Guinness Pot Pie

Ingredients:
2 pounds boneless beef chuck, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
3 carrots, sliced into 1-inch pieces
3 garlic cloves, chopped
4 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 cup beef broth
1 cup Guinness
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons drained brined green peppercorns, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons fresh thyme, chopped
Pie Crust (I use Pillsbury)
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon water

Directions:
Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F.
Pat beef dry.  Put flour, salt and pepper in a gallon ziplock bag.  Add beef, shake to coat, then transfer to a plate.  Heat oil in a wide 5- to 6-quart ovenproof heavy pot over moderately high heat until just smoking, then brown meat in 3 batches, turning occasionally, about 5 minutes per batch, transferring to a bowl.
 Add onion, carrots, garlic and water to pot and cook, scraping up any brown bits from bottom of pot and stirring frequently, until onion is softened, about 5 minutes.  Add tomato paste and cook, stirring, 1 minute.  Stir in beef with any juices accumulated in bowl, broth, beer, Worcestershire sauce, peppercorns, and thyme and bring to a simmer, then cover and transfer to oven.  Braise until beef is very tender and sauce is thickened, about 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours.  Cool stew completely, uncovered, about 30 minutes.  If stew is warm while assembling pies, it will melt uncooked pastry top.  (To speed up this process, I let the soup cool for 8-10 minutes and then filled my sink with ice water and placed pot in it.  It reduced the cooling time substantially.)
Put a cookie sheet on middle rack of oven and increase oven temperature to 425°F.
Divide cooled stew among bowls.  (You can use ramekins or any oven-safe dish.  I used a Le Creuset oval gratin dish and a bread pan).  Roll out pie crust dough on a lightly floured surface with a lightly floured rolling pin into shape(s) of your chosen dish, adding an extra inch around for trim.  Stir together egg and water and brush a 1-inch border of egg wash around baking dishes.  Drape dough over dishes, pressing sides lightly to help adhere.  Roll edges of dough up to make a pretty border.  (At this point, I put one of them in the freezer for a quick meal down the road ;).  Brush pastry tops with some of remaining egg wash, sprinkle with Kosher salt and pepper and freeze 15 minutes to thoroughly chill dough. 
Bake pies in preheated cookie sheet until pastry is puffed and golden brown, about 20 minutes.
Reduce oven temperature to 400°F and bake 5 minutes more to fully cook dough.

Chocolate Guinness Goodness (Pudding)

from epicurious.com

Ingredients:
8 large egg yolks
1 cup sugar
One 14.9-ounce can Guinness Draught
3 cups heavy cream
7 ounces high-quality bittersweet (70 to 72% cacao) chocolate, finely chopped
Special equipment: Six 8-ounce old-fashioned glasses

Directions:
In large nonreactive mixing bowl, whisk together egg yolks and sugar.
Open can of Guinness and slowly pour into 4-cup measuring cup, pouring down side of cup to reduce foaming.  Pour half of Guinness (about 7/8 cup) into heavy-bottomed 3-quart saucepan.  Add 2 1/4 cups cream and whisk to combine.  Set over medium heat and heat, whisking occasionally, until bubbles just begin to form at edges.  Remove from heat, add chocolate, and whisk until smooth.
Slowly pour hot chocolate mixture into eggs, whisking constantly to prevent curdling.  Return mixture to saucepan and set over moderately low heat.  Cook, whisking constantly, until mixture thickens and coats back of spoon, about 15 minutes.  (Pudding will look separated.)  Pour into blender and blend on high for 1 minute.  Divide pudding among glasses, leaving at least 1 inch of space at top of each.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled and set.
Meanwhile, pour remaining Guinness into small saucepan and bring to boil over medium heat.  Reduce heat to moderately low and simmer, uncovered, until reduced to 1 tablespoon, about 20 minutes.  Pour syrup into small bowl and let cool.
Beat remaining cream until soft peaks form.  Add Guinness syrup and beat until combined.  Divide cream among 6 glasses of pudding and serve.

St. Patty's Day is almost here

I LIKE St. Patrick's day.  Notice I didn't say love.  It seems to me that some people are just obsessed with March 17th, and they look forward to it for months.  I just haven't ever been into the whole green clothes, green beer, green teeth thing.  There have been many times I haven't even known it was St. Patty's day until I was pinched.  So, today at work, we got to talking about the 17th and our plans, etc.  I asked if anyone knew why we acknowledge the day.  No one could really give a good answer other than celebrating Irish heritage.  So, curiosity got the best of me and I did a little research.  Here it is in brief: St. Patrick (b. 387) was among the first Christian missionaries in Ireland.  After escaping slavery in Ireland, St. Patrick studied the priesthood in Britain.  Following his ordination as a bishop, he returned to Ireland to share the gospel.  In his message, St. Patrick used the shamrock to explain the trinity.  He devoted his entire life to preaching the gospel while having to live in poverty and endure much suffering. He died in Ireland on March 17, 461. 
So, there you have it.  March 17th is not about green beer, silly clothing or getting drunk.  What has become one of the most popular drunken days of the year was originally meant to be a celebration of the life of a pious man and his love for Christ.  (Not to get on my soapbox, but with all these people trying to make the Christmas season into Happy Holidays...let's hope the day we are supposed to celebrate the birth of Christ does not take this turn.)
If you are going to celebrate this Saint, make it be only a beer or two, and send a toast and prayer of thanks up to those missionaries who have gone before us and lead the way so that we may be able to know the love and goodness of God, Christ and the Holy Spirit.

Morning's Pleasures

Saturday mornings are for eating.  They are for kissing and eating.  They are for sleeping, kissing and eating.  I can't wait to spend tomorrow's morning with Bo.
As everyone is probably tired of hearing, Bo and I rarely get to wake up together.  And as he is about to start a month of nights, it is going to be a long time until I get to snuggle with my bunny again.  I am going to take full advantage of tomorrow and sleep, kiss and eat as much as I can.  Last weekend I tried a new scone recipe and thought it turned out rather well.  It was a merging of a couple recipes I found, one from Bon Appetit and one from Ina Garten.  I loved the idea of a salty and sweet pastry from the original recipe, but didn't have the two hours that it called for.  So, this is what I came up with.

QUICK BACON AND DATE SCONES
4 cups plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar, plus additional for sprinkling
2 tablespoons baking powder
2 teaspoons salt
3/4 pound cold unsalted butter, diced
4 extra-large eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup cold heavy cream
1/2 cup small-diced dates
1/2 cup small-diced bacon

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
In the meantime, fry bacon on a griddle or skillet until still tender and not crisp.  Once cooked, place bacon on papertowels to drain excess grease.  Reserve bacon grease in a heatproof container.  You will use it later in the recipe.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine 4 cups of flour, 2 tablespoons sugar, baking powder, and salt. Blend in the cold butter at the lowest speed and mix until the butter is in pea-sized pieces. Combine the eggs and heavy cream and quickly add them to the flour and butter mixture. Combine until just blended. Toss the dates and bacon with 1 tablespoon of flour, add them to the dough, and mix quickly. The dough may be a bit sticky.
Dump the dough out onto a well-floured surface and be sure it is well combined. Flour your hands and a rolling pin and roll the dough 3/4-inch thick. You should see lumps of butter in the dough. Cut into squares with a 4-inch plain or fluted cutter, and then cut them in half diagonally to make triangles. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Brush the tops with reserved bacon grease. Sprinkle with demetra sugar (or any sugar) and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the outsides are crisp and the insides are fully baked.

Italian Hamburgers

I am trying to branch out a little as far as my cooking goes.  I am a bit embarrassed to admit it...and I am assuming the people who read my blog are my non-judging friends, but...I FOLLOW RECIPES!!!  Oh the shame, the horror!  As much as I like to think of myself as a creative force in not only the kitchen but life in general, I sometimes find it hard to stray outside of the lines when it comes to cooking.  Now, don't get me wrong, you must closely follow BAKING recipes.  However, when it comes to cooking, one must be gently pushed out of the recipe nest and make their own mark on dishes.  What can I say?  I have always been a late bloomer.
Let me get to my point...this weekend, I tried to create a Shelby-ized burger recipe.  I found inspiration from a picture in my Bon Appetit magazine (March 2011) and then researched a bit on the web for things I thought would compliment my thoughts.  I found recipes from Food Network, Ina Garten and Bobby Flay.  After all this, I came up with a delicious (at least in my opinion) Italian Hamburger.  There are several steps and different recipes, but all are very easy and quick. 

Hamburger patti, patty, pattie
1 lb ground chuck (my butcher said it is a sin to use anything leaner)
Worcester sauce to taste
1 tsp Balsamic vinegar
1 tsp Garlic powder
Salt and pepper to taste

Season the meat with all the remaining ingredients. Gently mix (fluff) with fork.  (When working with ground meat, it is very important to not over mix, which can make it tough.)  Divide meat into four portions.  Gently form the meat into patties and make a thumbprint in the middle of each.  (This helps the meat to keep its shape while cooking.  If you didn't do this, the middle of the burger ends up much thicker than the outside).  Grill the burgers to desired doneness.  For the best texture and taste, I recommend medium, which will be pink in the center.

Parmesan Chips
1 C shredded Parmesan cheese
2 tsp flour

Mix cheese and flour in bowl.  Heat non-stick skillet over medium heat.  Add a 1/4 C of cheese mixture to skillet and let cook until light brown on bottom.  With a spatula, flip cheese and cook on other side for 30 seconds to 1 minute.  Transfer to plate to cool.

Roasted Tomatoes (from Ina Garten)
6 plum tomatoes, halved lengthwise, cores and seeds removed

2 tablespoons good olive oil
1 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 large garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoons kosher salt
1/3 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
Arrange the tomatoes on a sheet pan, cut sides up, in a single layer. Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Sprinkle the garlic, sugar, salt, and pepper over the tomatoes. Roast for 25 to 30 minutes, until the tomatoes are concentrated and beginning to caramelize. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Fra Diavolo Ketchup (adapted from recipe of Bobby Flay)
1 Tbsp olive oil
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/4 tsp red chile flakes
3/4 C ketchup
2 tsp finely chopped fresh oregano leaves
2 tsp red wine vinegar
2 Tbsp finely chopped fresh basil leaves

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

To make the ketchup, heat the oil in a small nonreactive saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and chile flakes and cook for 1 minute. Add the ketchup and oregano and cook for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the vinegar and basil and season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a bowl and let cool to room temperature or cover and refrigerate for up to 1 day. Bring to room temperature before serving.

Basil Mayonnaise (adapted from Ina Garten)
1 C mayonnaise

10 to 15 basil leaves, chopped
1 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 Tbsp good olive oil
1 tsp minced garlic

Whisk together the mayonnaise, basil, salt, pepper, lemon juice, olive oil and garlic.


ASSEMBLY OF BURGER!!!! 
Now for the moment of truth:
Take hamburger bun (I used a very soft one with no sesame seeds) and spread Fra Diavolo sauce on top bun and Basil Mayo on bottom bun.  Place hamburger pattie on bottom bun, Parmesan crisp on top of that, then roasted tomato, and top with arugula.  Put top bun on...and EAT!!!!!!!  So delish!