When trying to recreate a recipe, it’s probably a good idea to have tasted it sometime in the last decade.  I have this glorious memory of the Beef and Barley Soup served at the Madrigal dinners in my high school.  I was a lowly serving wench back in those days, kept out of the kitchen and off of the stage.  Technically, I think I became ineligible for the performance when I opted to drop out of choir to become the AP Chemistry Lab assistant.  In retrospect, that was probably a good call, since chemistry was probably my favorite subject and one of the *very* few I nailed in college.  Plus chemistry labs are fun.  I’m not completely tone deaf, but I’m definitely not going to win American Idol either.   So I probably wouldn’t have been selected for the Madrigal Singers – it was very competitive – and that would have a been a serious ego crush for me.  So I stuck with the safe route, a reoccurring theme in my life, and found another path where I was much more capable of being a successful competitor – locked down actually, since the teacher had already chosen me to *be* the lab assistant.

Any how, since I really did love the music, and many of my friends were involved, I chose to be a serving wench.  I graciously delivered bowls of beef with barley soup, plates of prime rib, and glasses of wassail to the crowd.  As a reward, I got free dinner and to see the show.  And a reason to be out socializing on a school night.  Which I was *always* looking for.  So perhaps I was caught up in the beauty of the costumes, or the sound of the music, or caught up flirting with my latest love interest, some how, I can not make this soup taste how I remember it, nor find a recipe that in anyway holds promise to do so.  And I didn’t go to a fancy high school so so I’m bound to be crushed one day when I learn I’ve been longing for Kroger brand Soup in economy size cans.

This soup isn’t bad, my husband loved it actually.  And the homemade beef stock from the leftover ribs from my standing rib roast turned out perfectly.  But if you love something you eat when out and about – beg, borrow, or steal the recipe quickly!  Don’t wait to attempt your own version nearly 15 years later. I realize many of you have no desire to make your own stock.  So for an express version, simply purchase boxed beef stock.  I recommend Kitchen Basics.  But if you cook a standing rib roast, save your bones in a ziploc in the freezer and make this stock some Sunday!  One thing I’ll probably alter next round will be to use a chuck roast instead of leftover prime rib, cause seriously, who usually has that lying around.  I’ll go ahead and brown it and braise it the way I do for my pot roast and chimichanga meat.  Then shred the meat and add it to the soup.  I’m a huge fan of shredded over cubed meats.

Beef and Barley Soup

6 c. beef stock – see recipe for homemade stock below

3 stalks celery, chopped

1.5 c. baby carrots

1 medium white onion, chopped

2 tbsp olive oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 c. pearled barley, uncooked

3 c. leftover rare prime rib

Kosher Salt

Fresh Ground Pepper

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

Heat olive oil in a stock pot over medium high heat.  Add carrots, onions, and celery and saute until slightly browning, scented, and softening.  Add beef stock, leftover prime rib, and garlic, bring to a boil, then cover and reduce to a simmer.

Meanwhile, boil 4 cups of water in a sauce pan.  Add 1 tsp salt and barley, reduce to a simmer, cook for 45 minutes.  Then add to soup.  Remove leftover prime rib from stock, then shred if you can or cut into bite size pieces and add back to stock.  Skim any surface fat with a spoon to remove.  Season soup with salt, pepper and cayenne to taste.  Let simmer 15 more minutes, then serve.

Homemade Beef Stock

leftover ribs (4) from a standing rib roast

water

2 tbsp salt

2.5 c. celery, chopped

2 c. yellow onion, chopped

2 c. baby carrots

fresh ground pepper

Place ribs in large stock pot, fill to the top with water.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer.  Cook for 3 hours, then add celery, onions, and carrots, salt and pepper.  Cook another hour, then strain into a fresh pan.  Let sit 30 minutes to separate, then skim off all fat with a spoon.  Or refrigerate, then pull off the solid fat pieces.

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Years and years ago I made the Halibut with Hollandaise from the Williams-Sonoma Simple Classics Cookbook I seem to always be referencing.  I remember messing it up and scrambling my eggs at least once.  In retrospect, everything went extremely easily this time so I’m not sure where I went wrong the first time.  If you’re hesitant with your double boiler, I would use a glass bowl over the pan of simmering water, just so you can watch it to ensure your water doesn’t boil.  And if your whisk is showing signs of rust or just bent and old, throw it out.  They’re not very expensive and I hung on to my crummy one way, way to long.  Sauces and gravies are so much more pleasant with a nice whisk.  Here’s the one I chose if you’re needing inspiration.  We’ll definitely continue eating asparagus plain more often than not, but this was a nice touch.

Hollandaise Sauce

4 egg yolks

2 tbsps fresh lemon juice

1 stick butter, melted

Beat egg yolks in top of double boiler until thick and creamy.  Add lemon juice then whisk continuously until mixture has doubled in volume.  Place over barely simmering water, whisking continuously, then slowly drizzle in melted butter in a stream, whisking continuously the entire time.  Continue to whisk over heat until mixture is light, smooth, fluffy and has again doubled in volume.  Season with a sprinkle of kosher salt and a touch of cayenne.  Serve immediately.  Entire process took about 10 minutes.

Another quick dinner idea.  One of my foodbuzz friend’s had a great recipe this week.  StumptownSavory posted a mustard sauce, that in addition to looking delicious, contained ingredients that I usually have on hand.  I’m not a huge lover of chicken, and I pray for the day the scientists hit CNN Wendy’s style crying WHERE’S THE BEEF.  While beef needs no sauce to be mouthwatering to me, chicken demands sauce.  I practically can’t eat it without sauce.  For all those women (and men) who’ve given up beef in favor of the white meat bird, I weep a little for you each night ; )

This sauce makes a very quick gourmet meal.  I think it would be delicious with roasted asparagus and a spinach salad, but my kids wanted spaghetti.  So we topped our chicken on whole wheat pasta and spooned the sauce over both.  I used half and half instead of cream, since that’s what we had on hand.  I used a Sauvingnon Blanc instead of vermouth, since the liquor cabinet was lacking.  Dry Vermouth is very inexpensive and shelf stable, and even if you don’t like martinis, I highly recommend keeping it on hand.  It can always replace white wine and adds a much better flavor than wine, IMO.

It’s game day now, and ESPN is in Austin, so I’m off to jog at 11 – then eat nothing but queso for the rest of the day.  Hook ’em!

Whole Grain Mustard Sauce

2 tbsp olive oil

4 thin cut chicken breasts

kosher salt

fresh ground pepper

shallot, minced

1/2 c. dry white wine – or vermouth if you have it

3/4 c. half and half

3 tbsp coarse ground Dijon mustard

Heat a saute pan over medium high heat.  Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper.  Add olive oil, swirl and saute chicken, 5 minutes per side for thin cut.  Remove cooked chicken to a plate.  Add another drizzle of olive oil and shallots.  Saute one minute, then add wine.  Deglaze pan, stirring up brown bits, then reduce to two tablespoons.  Add half and half, stirring continuously, bring to a boil and reduce until thickened.  Add mustard, stir to combine then serve over chicken.

I’ve been running behind all week, and I’m blaming the rain.  In the past 7 days, we’ve had 8-9 inches of rain.  Not storms, thank goodness, but steady, streaming rain nearly unceasing all week.  Everything is soaking wet and crazy humid, and the preschoolers are pissed.  It’s enough to make one wonder if the universe is silently reminding you that – No, Seattle would not be a good idea.  They must have fabulous indoor playgrounds in Seattle – or else their kids and parents must have a truckload more patience than I do.  One thing after another has lead to a steady mucking up of my plans.  So I groceried at an unusual Kroger in South Dallas, since that’s all I had time for.  On the upside, I found white, self-rising cornmeal there, which I don’t normally see.  It was a lucky find since I was intending to make these scrumptious looking Spinach Smashed potatoes.  Unfortunately, upon further inspection, my potatoes smelled like they’d spent a week at the bottom of a french drain.  They’re not that old, but you know how your *supposed* to store potatoes in a dark, dry place?  I guess the humidity of our region coupled with the normal kitchen light and an unfortunate leaving in the plastic produce bag created a situation beyond repair.

So buttermilk cornbread it was.  I bought the buttermilk for a remake of the biscuits found here.  I had altered the original recipe – which turned out well on the initial run.  While in Florida, I found the Lily White flour biscuit people are always raving about so I brought some home.  In a non-scientific method experiment, I not only used the different flour, but also used the original recipe’s cream of tartar.  The result was dismal.  Edible, but so not worth the effort.  These results are frustrating as well as tiresome to a home chef.  So I decided possibly the buttermilk was the culprit – that perhaps my homemade buttermilk wasn’t enough to over take the cream of tartar flavor.  When I saw the 95 cent buttermilk at the strange Kroger, I hopped on it.

As for the salmon, I’ve mentioned before, but if you own a Lean Mean Grilling Machine – by all means cook your salmon on that!  Or spend the 30 dollars to get one.  If not, it still works, but it’s loads easier on the Lean Mean.  I’ve currently lost mine, but it’s somewhere in this house, and I vow to find it again.

Brianna’s Salmon

1 c. Brianna’s French Vinaigrette

1.25 lb Coho Salmon

kosher salt

Olive oil

Preheat oven to 350.  In a glass dish, place salmon skin side down.  Sprinkle with Kosher Salt, then pour French Vinaigrette over the top.  Marinate for 15 minutes – no more – marinades cook salmon!  Heat a grill pan on medium high heat.  Brush grill pan with olive oil, then place fish flesh side down, cooking until opaque 30 percent of the thickness.  Flip to skin side.  Cook in oven until opaque throughout.  About 10 minutes total for 3/4 inch fillets.

Buttermilk Cornbread

(note I have a very large cast iron skillet.  If yours is 9 inches or smaller – half this recipe)

6 tbsp canola oil

4 c. white self-rising cornmeal

1 tsp. baking soda

3 c. buttermilk

2 eggs

Preheat oven to 425.  Add canola oil to a large cast iron skillet and place in the oven for 3 minutes.  Combine cornmeal and baking soda, then mix with buttermilk and eggs.  Pour hot oil into mixture, stir then pour back into hot cast iron skillet.  Bake for 22 minutes – or until edges are gently brown and an inserted toothpick comes out clean.  Serve with real butter.

For some reason I have this horror at using any pre-made products when preparing meals.  Maybe cause I feel like I don’t “own” it, you know, it’s not really “mine”.  It’s psychotic and really not very practical.  Luckily I have a loving husband who rolls with my personal insanities, finds them maybe almost endearing, even while annoying as hell.  So a 30 minute meal in my house usually winds up taking two hours.  Cause it’s not right and but wait!  It would only be better if I added this, then simmer another 20 minutes…. but what if I?….

That said.  We have nights in our home just like every other home in the world.  Darn it we’re behind schedule, I didn’t make it to the grocery.  Wait, I got distracted, on the Internet ; )  Is that chicken okay?  I meant to make it Monday, crap what day is it?  Shoot, what’s in the freezer…. Quentin, TAKE THAT OUT OF YOUR MOUTH!

Then still, dinner needs to happen.  So this recipe may be totally stolen from my mom.  I’m remembering something about chicken and olives and almonds? maybe?   The only reason I own stewed tomatoes is to make my mom’s hamburger soup.  But they’re available…hmmm…  If I hadn’t said it before, Mommy, you made *me* well, me.  You taught me everything, showed up for everything, loved during everything, grounded me for everything – wait, I’m off track.  What I want you to know forever and always, is that YOU made me happy.  And special and loved and everything I could have wanted for myself.  It’s hard being a mama, and especially a mama who devotes her whole life to her children.  I get that, and I appreciate all of it, and what I really want is… to be a fraction of what you are.  Only better – just kidding – that’s for Amelia, cause that’s what she would say, and she’d think I was not nearly snarky enough in this post. Then we’d all laugh.

So need a quick dinner?  It’s not gourmet, but it tastes good and it’s easy and inexpensive.

Express Italian Chicken

3 boneless skinless chicken breasts

2 tbsp olive oil

kosher salt

fresh ground pepper

paprika

14.5 oz can stewed tomatoes

4 tbsp sliced green olives

3 tbsp blanched slivered almonds

Season rinsed and trimmed chicken breasts with kosher salt and pepper, then sprinkle beyond generously with paprika.  Heat olive oil in a saute pan just over medium heat.  Brown on each side about 4 minutes.  Drain juice from tomatoes, then dump can on chicken.  Cover with olives, then fill the tomato can with water and add that to the mixture.  Cover, cook on low – but 1/4 of the way to medium, 7 minutes. Toast almonds in a dry skillet for 2 minutes on medium.

Serve over minute rice prepared with chicken broth and frozen- but steamed in the microwave – haricot verts, or very tiny green beans.  Top chicken with toasted almonds.

Try not to die as you’ve served frozen green beans and minute rice in the same sitting.  Sometimes food is a quick necessity, and this is healthy and flavorful dish.  Vow to do better tomorrow – that last one was a mental note for me : )

Friends, I’ve been lost in a book. Rather a series.  Rather several series, but usually, I can suck myself out, back to the real world as I know it.  These last few days have been like childhood, only instead of me gasping exasperated at one of my sisters lost in Gone With the Wind, or my mother wrapped in a shroud of  a book I didn’t even know, I’m the culprit.  I’m the one locked in another world unable to escape its talons.  Only my talons seem permanently locked in the young adult section these days.  This isn’t Gone with the Wind literature, it’s escapism.  And heaven knows my sisters and my mother have all been trapped by plenty of the lesser genres, it is I who seem unable to grasp more than one element at a moment.  Mom always said I was an excellent chameleon.  And you know what, I like that analogy.  I love it.  I get a great passion from being able to roll with a certain fascination unabashedly for a period of time, then move on.  My sweet husband, he’s the same way.  That’s why I love him so much.  We take our hobbies by the quarter, or perhaps by the year, some in a continuing rotation, but always with unwarranted zeal.  Speaking of which, honey, where are your guitars?  I think they’re due a rotation.

Luckily, my cooking – though at times extreme – seems unwavering.  When I wasn’t buried in a book this weekend, or gripped by an unnatural force to college football,  all the while in the background I’ve been cooking.  Much of it not blogworthy, but there are a few highlights I’d like to share.

Vegetable Soup as written in the earlier link was NAILED this week.  Out of the park.  Some days I’m self-deprecating, but this was phenomenal.  The ham shank was cooked for over 4 hours and the broth was delectable.  All the stock veggies, onions, carrots and celery, were sauteed in olive oil for about 10 minutes – together- before being added to the broth.  The corn was fresh – 4 ears, resulting in a phenomenal crunch leaving nothing to be desired.  I also sauteed the kernels briefly about five minutes before addition.  The new red potatoes?  Also sauteed briefly.  Everything’s better roasted?  Touché.  Everything’s better sauteed.  The flavor and freshness melted from this soup.  Do not skip these steps if you’re craving the best vegetable soup of your life.

Express Rice was a quick to the table version of the rice I was trying to make in Florida.  If you’re short on time, go with minute rice.  Use 1 and 1/2 c. minute rice and 2 c. chicken broth, but leave everything else the same ratios.  Only instead of simmering for 30 minutes, cover turn off the heat and let rest for 10 minutes.  A quick to the table way to rescue a bland minute rice side.

Family Barbecue Sauce has been successfully re-engineered.  Or at least closely.  It’s out of the park, but I’m keeping that recipe secret, cause I just may want to sell it.  Just wanted to let you know, I am working on stuff in the background.

And with that, I must sign off, cause I’ll be up until four anyway.  I *will* finish the third book of the Mortal Instruments series tonight.  See you tomorrow.

I’m a sauce fan.  Love the sauces.  On our Florida trip we ate a fabulous meal at Fish Out of Water, where I ordered a delicious white fish – served – to my surprise, in a dark, flavorful broth.  Not submerged, but plated in a base of broth.  Our family generally hates wet fish.  Truth be told, I’ve made some terrible fish en papillote with a mushy texture and a bland, awful color.  I think the key is sauteing or broiling the fish, then creating the sauce from the juices.  That way you get flaky fish, with a delectable finishing sauce.

One of the many perks of living so close to family, aside from the numerous hours of uber-granni care, is that we get to reap the spoils of their bounty.  When my MIL has a fabulous bottle of Cabernet, she always shares with me.  This newest bounty, her freezer full of 50 lbs of fresh caught Coho Salmon is enough to send us over the moon!  This wild caught Alaskan Salmon is amongst our best choices for sustainable fishing.  And to have it caught and brought home by a friend, priceless.  So during our happy dance in honor of this harvest, I’ve been expanding thoughts on my current salmon cooking repertoire.  I love salmon croquettes, broiled salmon, salmon cakes or patties, and even salmon on the Lean Mean Grilling Machine coated in nothing but Brianna’s French Vinaigrette.  But I needed a sauce option.

The result was gratifying, though if you’re a cream fan, you’ll probably find this lacking and want to add 1/2 a cup of cream and cook a little longer for optimal flavor melding.  I’m a citrus girl myself, and here’s the thing in experimental cooking and recipes.  It takes a lot of tasting, a lot of adjusting, and then you arrive at the ah hah moment, the moment of pure realization and clarity and just plain satisfaction in your results.  So in the basis of a good sauce for a light main course, I find citrus, capers, and fresh parsley to be hard to beat.  White wine is tricky, sometimes it adds a ton – like in Bob’s Chicken, but in brothy sauces can turn acidic on you very quickly with a hard recovery.  My general rule is to stay away from wines unless I’m adding fat – be that from cream, butter, or a higher fat content main course.  I’m not saying it can’t be done well without the fat, just that I have a hard time producing it.

Here’s the part where you should look away, Mom.  Just keep ordering fish at restaurants and stay far away from the seafood world in home cooking.  Should you fear fish parts – these things might disgust you.  But then you couldn’t arrive at your own homemade lobster bisque.  I choose to set aside my ick factor and go for flavor.  Besides, my FIL loves salmon skin.  Better than the salmon itself.  How’s that for weird?  So en route to this sauce, I based it with a chicken broth, but used a typical deglazing/reduction technique in my skillet used to cook the salmon.  If I’d used more oil, and was a bit more patient, I would have wound up with much less salmon skin attached to my skillet.  So I chunked the large pieces and let the rest flavor the broth.  After the addition of the lemon, I was left with a still pretty fishy broth.  Lots of people like fish, few like foods described as “fishy” tasting.  In a burst of inspiration, the lime juice saved the day!  Broth became balanced, yin met with yang… and the result was quite attractive by my personal standards.  I do think sauteing the fish with the capers added a depth to the salmon which would have been lacking  if I’d simply added the capers to the broth.

Coho Salmon with Citrus Caper Broth

1.5 Coho Salmon – recently caught from Sitka, AK if you have the means or are lucky enough to profit from those who do

olive oil

Krazy Jane’s Mixed Up Salt

fresh ground pepper

3 tbsp capers

1 large shallot, minced

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 and 1/2 c. chicken broth

juice from 2 small lemons

juice from 1 lime

2 and 1/2 tbsps butter

3 tbsp fresh parsley

In a skillet just slightly over medium heat, warm enough olive oil to barely glaze the surface.  I mean barely.  Drizzle gently dethawed or fresh fish with a small amount of olive oil.  Season surface of both sides with Krazy Jane’s and pepper.  Sauté salmon in oil for 6 minutes on skin side, then flip.  Actual time depends on thickness of your fillets.  Watch for the color change to reach opaque 25-30% of the way through the fish, then flip and look for total opacity on the second side.  Remove fish to plate.

Scrape up any large bits of skin left, but allow the small pieces to remain.  If your skillet looks dry, sprinkle with no more than a teaspoon of additional olive oil.  Saute shallots 1 minute, add garlic, saute another minute.  Pour in chicken broth, then bring to a boil, gently scraping the bottom and cooking for 3 minutes past boil.  Add lemon juice, then lime juice, then butter one tablespoon at a time, continuously stirring.  Add parsley just before serving, cooking no more than 30 seconds.  Plate fish, spoon broth over fish allowing fish to rest on a bed of broth.  Enjoy!

Wow!  Look at those crisps!  When deciding what to serve with French Dip Sandwiches, my mind kept wandering to Houston’s Best. Sandwich. in. the. Free. World.  I love the teeny, tiny, crispy french fries they serve as the side dish.  In fact, Houston’s is one of only two places I even eat french fries.  Steak N Shake is the other, but that’s largely do to the cheese sauce.  I simply can not get enough of that stuff.  When I do run through a drive through, I tend to order a combo by number because it’s easy, and since they all went over to the combo ordering technique, I can’t even find the names of the burgers on the menu any more.  Those evil fast food marketing geniuses trick me into ordering fries I eat three of then throw away every last time.  The problem with homemade french fries lies in the frying part, which is a royal pain and in the end costly (gallons of oil), smelly (home fragranced by eau de  McDonald’s for days), and wildly messy (oil disposal resulting in bags of oily kitty litter, and oil all over the floor, stove, counter, myself not to mention run away fears of plumbing nightmares and whole rivers of fish being destroyed due to spent oil sneaking its way into the groundwater.)  The other problem is they taste absolutely awful if they aren’t served within 1 minute of being cooked.

All these headaches aside, I was still foolishly considering trying to pull of this absurd feat, but reason prevailed and I let Marti talk me out of it.  Of course, her solution of buying frozen to be oven baked fries wasn’t good enough, since, well, I’m a masochist and all.  Since I’d already mentally committed to using my mandoline (yep that site’s in french but at least the picture will give you a glimpse if you have no idea what I’m talking about) to prepare the fries, it was an easy leap to consider for Oven Baked Chips.  The recipe for Rori’s Potato Chips can be found on page 77 of the Barefoot Contessa Parties Book.  The problem is – the picture is on page 72.  So foolishly, I failed to glance back at the picture prior to setting up my mandoline.  I also didn’t have a ruler out, but now that I’ve pulled one out, I feel fairly confident that my slices were pretty close to 1/16th of an inch, they certainly weren’t anywhere close to an 1/8th of an inch.  My advice would be to use the smallest setting on your mandoline, getting your slices as close to paper thin as you can.  So this is where my timeline suffered irreparable damage.  The recipe calls for 26 minutes total cooktime at 325 per batch.  Mine took closer to 32 minutes – and that was after I raised the oven temp 75 degrees.  So if your potatoes are paper thin, follow the recipe.  If they’re any larger – cook at 400 and cook the first side for 12 minutes, turn pans cook 12 minutes, and then the second side for 10 minutes.  It’s actually very easy to tell the timing.  They will not be crisp unless they’re brown, and they’re ready to come out as soon as you start to see browning.

At the end of the day, I think these chips added at least two hours to my timeline.  Two hours that could have been recovered if I had a double oven.  On the upside, I discovered and embraced a couple of perks of my older urban home.  I can make it to the liquor store, purchase a handle of sweet tea vodka, a bottle of creme de cacao, and a Black Box Cabernet, run into and chat with a neighbor, then make it home and back inside in four and a half minutes.  Take that dry neighborhoods.  I can make it to the grocery, purchase 2 bottles of horseradish, 16 sandwich rolls (most of which would later be burned) then be back at the stove inside 9 minutes.  That is true convenience.

Rori’s Potato Chips from Barefoot Contessa Parties Cookbook – page 77

Good Olive Oil

4 Baking Potatoes

Kosher Salt

Fresh Ground Pepper

Preheat the oven to 325.  Spread each of 2 baking sheets with 1 tablespoon of oil and put them in the oven to preheat for 10 minutes.

Slice the potatoes on the narrow side lengthwise on a mandoline so that they are paper-thin and flexible.  Place slices on the hot sheet pans, making sure that they don’t overlap at all.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Bake the chips for 10 minutes , rotate the pans in the oven and bake for another 10 minutes.  Flip each chip and then bake for another 5-6 minutes or until golden brown.  Remove the chips to a paper towel to cool.

Repeat with the remaining potato slices.

To store the chips, cool completely and place in a plastic zipper-lock bag.  They will stay crisp several days.

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I haven’t had grasshopper pie since I was a kid, and I’m not even sure what prompted me to remember it.  It may have stemmed from my minor obsession with mint.  Mint tea, mint drinks, minted lemonade, dark chocolate and mint, mint ice cream,  mojitos, you name it.  Fresh mint has a very strong, earthy flavor, a fresh from the garden insistence.  Specifically, it’s a spearmint addiction, but I’ll go for a peppermint every now and again.

Grasshopper pie’s hey day was in the deep south during the 50’s and 60’s – apparently there’s a cocktail called the grasshopper which served as the inspiration for this dessert.  I don’t know that I’d go so far as to call it a cocktail, to me it sounds more like a spiked milkshake.  The basics of the pie include, a cookie crumb crust, creme de menthe, and whipped cream in a chiffon style.  I like chocolate with my mint, so I use the chocolate wafer crumb crust and add creme de cacao – or chocolate liqueur.  I thickened mine using gelatin, but lots of people thicken with marshmallows.  I just couldn’t decide or remember what the marshmallow tasted like, and I wanted the mint to come through as the predominant flavor.  Oh and buy the green creme de menthe if you want your pie to turn green – or save the color with a few drops of green food coloring like I did.

This recipe is a teeny bit labor intense, so I wouldn’t recommend attempting it while simultaneously making other recipes, unless you are an extreme multi-tasker or you have hired a person to stand behind you and make sure you aren’t forgetting imperative steps in any of the preparations at hand.  NOTE to self, if you’ve forgotten all about this day and come back to make Grasshopper pie 9 months from now, by all means – follow your personal cardinal rules.  One, for the love of God, don’t attempt to toast bread at any time during this process, you *will* forget it, and it will burn.  And two, do not imbibe any cocktails until you are at least 75% of the way through the recipe.  Lest you get carried away, mess up some steps, and decide no one really wants dessert anyway.

I love cooking for people, but my inner-adventurer takes me down more often than not.  It’s not enough for me to serve one new recipe for a party setting.  For some reason I seem compelled by some culling force to make 80+ percent new recipes for each gathering.  This generally results in me screwing up my timeline, not disastrously, just enough to be stressful in the hour before the guests arrive.  I wonder if I’d have trouble in a restaurant where I had to cook from the same menu night after night.  Again note to self – remember this and scale it back for the next party.  On the upside, I have at least 4 days of blog posts from this one event.  And I got to spend my whole Saturday in the kitchen, which to me is a little slice of heaven.

Grasshopper Pie

2 c. chocolate wafer crumbs

2 tbsps plus 1 teaspoon sugar

6 tbsps melted butter

2 1/2 c. heavy cream

2/3 oz. (1 package from grocery) fresh mint

3 tbsps creme de menthe

1 tbsp creme de cacao

1 envelope gelatin

5 egg yolks

1/4 c. sugar

semi-sweet chocolate bar for shavings

1 c. heavy whipped cream

2 tbsp powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350.  Crush chocolate wafers in a Cuisinart.  To crumbs, add sugar and melted butter, stir to combine.  Press mixture into a greased 9 inch glass pie pan.  Bake 10 minutes, then let cool completely. Prepare and ice bath.  Whip 1 c. cream to stiff peaks.

In a small pan, bring 1 and 1/2 c. heavy cream and mint leaves to a boil, remove from heat and let steep 15 minutes.  In the top portion of a double boiler, combine creme de menthe and creme de cacao, then top with gelatin.  Stir to combine, then let stand 6 minutes.  Pour minted cream through a strainer into liqueur and gelatin, discarding mint leaves.  Whisk to combine.  In a separate bowl, whisk yolks and sugar.  Heat cream mixture over barely simmering water for 90 seconds.  Pour hot cream into eggs, slowly and continuously, whisking as you go.  Return mixture to double boiler, whisk continuously for 12 minutes or until mixture reaches 150.  Move to ice bath, then whisk two more minutes.  Add whipped cream to mixture, stirring gently with your whisk to combine.

Pour filling into prepared pie crust and refrigerate.  Chill at least 2 hours – or be smart and prepare it one day in advance ; )   Serve topped with a dollop of whipped cream and shaved chocolate bits.

College Football Season is a mere one day away.  Tomorrow there will be live football back on the air.  Since we have a Duck in the family now, I’ll probably be watching the Oregon game tomorrow.  And Utah is playing tomorrow, too.  Since they’re still pitching a fit about the BCS results, I’ll have to watch them as well.  Utah had a good team last year, and I’d still think the BCS system was a piece of junk even if it magically started helping us instead of hurting us all the time.  My Longhorns play Saturday night.  I couldn’t be more excited.

Anyhow, with fall arriving, school starting, and college football heating up, I just had to have frito pie.  It’s a kind of bizarre choice for dinner when the highs are still in the 90’s, but this is September.  I’ve never made chili before – I used to make this with my taco meat instead.  But chili seems pretty standard, ground meat, peppers, tomatoes, onions, garlic, spices, etc, so I decided to give it a go.  I was also inspired by the turkey chili I had in Deer Valley this summer, which to my dismay I liked.  Even though I eat all sorts of foods now, sometimes the four year old in my head automatically assumes I won’t like something.  I’m much more adventurous with my own food, since well, I know there aren’t any frightening mystery ingredients which are going to creep me out.  Anyway, this turned out very well!  And seasoned – but not at all spicy.  The preschoolers were eating with us!  You could make this your own level of heat by adding, jalapenos or other hot peppers and spices.

I don’t remember Frito Pie from my childhood, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t there.  I first remember it my freshman year of college in my Hardin House dorm.  I originally thought the idea was bizzare, but it’s kind of addictive.  And it just feels like fall.

Frito Pie with Homemade Chili

2 tbsp olive oil

2.5 lbs ground turkey

1 large white onion, finely chopped

1 red bell pepper, finely chopped

4 cloves garlic

5 tomatoes on the vine, chopped

1 and 1/2 tsp kosher salt

2 tsps chili powder

12 turns fresh ground pepper

1 and 1/2 tsp ground cumin

4 c. chicken stock

2 c. shredded cheddar jack cheese

3/4 bag fritos

1 small yellow onion diced

Heat a heavy bottomed stock pot on medium heat.   Add olive oil and saute onion and bell pepper 8 minutes.  Add ground turkey, increase heat to high and brown thoroughly.  Add garlic, cook another minute.  Add tomatoes, spices and stock, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 2 hours.

In a large casserole, layer the bottom with fritos.  Sprinkle fritos with half of cheese and onion, then top with chili.  Sprinkle with remaining onion and cheese, then bake at 350 for 25 minutes until bubbly.