With Enough Garlic

I'm always experimenting with food/recipes...here are a few that actually turned out...

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*Note: It is actually a very easy recipe to make…we just kept having issues!

  We apologize for the delay in our  post, but we hit major obstacles when we tried to film the Chicken Diable (Is the name to blame???) dish, with creamy and cheesy polenta and beet purée.

We had to film in two sittings because my mother got quite sick half way through, and then when we finally were able to finish the filming process, we had a mishap with the memory card saving – and then losing – all of our footage. (Mother dearest claims all responsibility for the losing bit!)…Does anyone else see a pattern?

Even with the obstacles, we happened to still produce amazing end dishes with two different plating designs- the first is the standard style of plating and the second is the free form style.

We weren’t able to give you a complete cooking video, but we can give you the message to not give up because despite any obstacles you may experience in the kitchen…you can still create a master piece! Trust us on this 

Below is a direct link to where you can find the cooking book – Around My French Table by Doris Greenspan – with the complete Chicken Diable recipe and many more! I highly recommend the cookbook and have loved every recipe I have tried from this book!

https://doriegreenspan.com/book/around-my-french-table-more-than-300-recipes-from-my-home-to-yours-5/

  Next is the link for the Beet Purée which is used in the plating and as decoration to the roasted carrots and beets:

https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/pork-katsu-with-beet-puree 

And directly below is the recipe for the Creamy and Cheesy Polenta:

4 Cups chicken broth

2 cups heavy whipping cream

2 cups cornmeal

1 cup (4 oz) shredded Parmesan cheese (I always add a bit more for extra cheesy flavor)

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

4 Tbs of Butter

In a large sauce pan bring the chicken broth and whipping cream to a boil over medium high heat. Slowly whisk in the cornmeal and reduce heat to low. Continue to stir periodically for 7 – 10 minutes until the polenta has thickened. Remove from heat and stir in salt, pepper, and 4 Tablespoons of butter. Serve immediately.

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A Devil of a Recipe: No Pun Intended *Note: It is actually a very easy recipe to make...we just kept having issues! We apologize for the delay in our  post, but we hit major obstacles when we tried to film the Chicken Diable (Is the name to blame???) dish, with creamy and cheesy polenta and beet purée.

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Making an Ordinary Dessert Extraordinary!

Making an Ordinary Dessert Extraordinary!

I tend to be very practical in the kitchen: Good utensils, quality ingredients, and flavorful dishes. Ashley on the other hand, wants everything to be “artsy”…thus, our first collaborative post is practical and extraordinary!

Note: Below the video are the recipes/info:

  We start with a basic cheesecake recipe that was baked in a…

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Turning an Ordinary Dessert Into Something Extraordinary!

Turning an Ordinary Dessert Into Something Extraordinary!

I tend to be very practical in the kitchen: Good utensils, quality ingredients, and flavorful dishes. Ashley on the other hand, wants everything to be “artsy”…thus, our first collaborative post is practical and extraordinary!

Note: Below the video are the recipes/info:

  We start with a basic cheesecake recipe that was baked in a normal baking pan and mini cheesecakes were cut out with a biscuit…

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Change is Good!

Change is good. Actually, I used this lead in sentence a couple of years ago after my sister and a friend motivated me to get With Enough Garlic (W.E.G.) up and running on a “blog” instead of just on Facebook. Well, history often repeats itself. And once again, a family member has motivated me to make a change!

With Enough Garlic is going to change it’s name…Actually, just add to it! We will now…

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I harvested my first tomatoes a couple of days ago…crazy, huh!?! It is only mid-April…however, it did come from a large plant that I bought way too early and transplanted – I was sure it would die in a sudden frost…but there it was, in my garden, with little red tomatoes hanging on it, ripe and ready to pick!

My friend came over for a morning of cooking (Wednesday Friendsday with Tish!) earlier this week and we tried out a couple of the mother sauces of French cuisine. I had tomatoes! So of course, we made two versions of tomato sauce which I will explain below.

I also made a Béchamel Sauce from The Spruce site before Tish arrived and together we turned it into their classic cheddar cheese sauce which turned out nice.  You will see it in the final pictures of our lunch. I will try to include it on a future post…

The first version of the tomato sauces was one with canned tomatoes using several recipes as guides…before pretty much just dumping everything in as we went. This one is great because you can sneak all kinds of vegetables into it, and no one is the wiser…but they are healthier. At times I have included diced mushrooms and shredded squash or eggplant if I had it on hand… The second one – my favorite – uses roasted tomatoes! I will explain each below:

Tomato Sauce using Canned Tomatoes:

First, gather all of your ingredients. These pictured above are for a double batch and include:

Olive Oil

4 oz Prosciutto Ham (julienned) (not pictured)

4 Cans Diced Tomatoes

1 Red Onion (diced)

6 Medium Carrots (shredded)

3 Stalks of Celery (diced)

Any variety of vegetable you want to include either shredded or diced)

“Enough” Garlic

Capers (to taste)

Fresh Herbs – Parsley, Thyme, Oregano, and Rosemary (torn into small pieces with your fingers)

    Saute the prosciutto in olive oil just until it starts to brown. Add the onions, celery and carrots and saute until all the vegetables are soft – about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and herbs to release flavors and allow the vegetables to absorb them for another 6 – 8 minutes.

Finally, add the canned tomatoes, capers and any cheese rinds you may have saved and heat to simmer and remain simmering for about 25 minutes until the sauce thickens a bit. Remove cheese rinds and add salt and pepper to taste and it is ready to serve! You can also use a submersion blender in the warm sauce to make it smoother if you prefer.

  Once you are ready to serve it over pasta, if it is too thick you can always thin it a bit with some of the hot pasta water.

My favorite – Tomato Sauce with Roasted Tomatoes – is super easy and quite delicious!

The ingredients include:

Tomatoes

Olive Oil

Seasonings – I use a Pepper and Garlic Salt and a Garlic and Onion Blend

Fresh Herbs – Parsley, Thyme, Oregano, and Rosemary (torn into small pieces with your fingers)

Simply arrange the tomatoes (leaving the stems on if they have them) in the bottom of a baking pan, drizzle with plenty of olive oil, sprinkle with seasoning salt and herbs and put into a 400 degree oven for about 20 minutes or until tomato skins begin to split.

Remove from oven and allow to cool until they can be handled. Then remove the stems and put the seasoned tomatoes and all oil/juices in a blender and blend on high until smooth.

I find that roasting the tomatoes with the herbs really gives this sauce a depth of flavor.

Once the sauces were done, all that was left to do was cook the pasta and eat! We used fresh fettuccine pasta and Grana Padano grated cheese served with salad!

Because good food is a gift of love!

You Say Tomato… I harvested my first tomatoes a couple of days ago...crazy, huh!?! It is only mid-April...however, it did come from a large plant that I bought way too early and transplanted - I was sure it would die in a sudden frost...but there it was, in my garden, with little red tomatoes hanging on it, ripe and ready to pick!

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This is the time of year when a girl in Texas gets out and starts to enjoy her garden! Yesterday, I was able to tend to my winter crops of beets, carrots, spinach, lettuce and bok choy, as well as plant some spring seeds and seedlings to include potatoes, onions, various herbs, jalapeno plants (so I can make my brother some more hot pepper jelly!) and one tomato plant…because it is really too early to plant tomatoes…but I couldn’t resist!

This is the time of year in Texas when Spring is in the air! I know that it is not officially Spring until the third week of March, but our days are becoming warmer and longer, plants are sprouting, and the rains begins here in mid February.

And nothing says Spring like berries! So whether you live somewhere that it is beginning to warm up, or just want to pretend it is Spring as you anxiously await its arrival, this recipe is for you!

Berry Crunch is an adaptation of a recipe that was one of my Mom’s. She would make Rhubarb Crunch every year when it was in season…and it was good, but after one childhood incident of accidentally eating 6 slices of rhubarb pie in one sitting (Can you believe that I would do that, Donna?) and ending up in the doctor’s office doubled over in pain, I have steered clear of rhubarb… When my sister came to visit last fall she said she often used the recipe but substituted a mixture of berries for the rhubarb and loved it. I wanted to give it a try so we baked it together and it was amazing!

It is super easy and fast to prepare and tastes great on its own or accompanied with fresh whipped cream or vanilla ice cream!

First you prepare the crunch crust by hand, mixing the ingredients until crumbly, and press it into a square pan. Then you fill it with the fruit of your choice, cover it with the filling sauce, and top with the remaining crumbles.

Finally, you bake it until the fruit filling mixture becomes bubbly and the crumbles on top become brown and “crunch”y!

  Recipe: Mom’s Rhubarb (or any fruit) Crunch

Crunch –

1 cup sifted flour

3/4 cup oatmeal (I have used both quick and whole and both work great)

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 stick (1/2 cup) of melted butter

1 tsp of cinnamon (optional)

Mix all ingredients until crumbly. Press half of the mixture onto the bottom and sides of a greased 9″ pan.

Cover with 4 cups of diced rhubarb (or any fruit). I used 1 small 6 oz container each of organic raspberries and blackberries and 2 small 6 oz containers of organic blueberries rinsed and dried.

Filling sauce –

1 cup sugar (I used organic turbano)

2 Tbs cornstarch

1 cup of water

1 tsp vanilla

Put all of the ingredients in a sauce pan and cook on medium high stirring until the mixture becomes thick and clear.

Pour the filling sauce over the fruit and top with the remaining half of crunch mixture.

Bake in a 350 degree preheated oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour until fruit mixture is bubbly and crunch begins to turn brown.

Serve warm with whipped cream or ice cream!

Because good food is a gift of love!

    Berry Fresh This is the time of year when a girl in Texas gets out and starts to enjoy her garden!

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Cold weather makes me want warm comfort foods: chili, stews, soups, etc. One of my new favorite comfort foods is a roasted vegetable bowl which was introduced to me by my daughter. We had it at her house while I was visiting and I love that it fits in with my goal of eating healthier, is perfect for a Meatless Monday meal, and is super easy!

I roast vegetables quite often. My go to vegetables are Brussel sprouts, carrots, sweet and white potatoes, squash, onions, beets, mushrooms and broccoli. But honestly, I just use whatever I have on hand and need to use (or lose) so don’t limit what you use to what is on my list.

  All you need to do is wash and cut the vegetables into large chunks, put them in a large bowl and toss with extra virgin olive oil, sea salt, and pepper. I also like to add fresh rosemary and thyme, dried Herbs de Provence, or Cajun Seasoning for extra flavor. Spread them out on a cooking sheet and roast them in an oven preheated at 425 degrees Fahrenheit. I set my timer for 15 minutes and then check them every 5 minutes until they are roasted and slightly browned.

  Either enjoy these fragrant and tasty vegetables as a side dish or turn them into a wholesome meal by layering a large bowl with the following:

Place 1/4 to 1/3 cup of brown rice, quinoa, barley, or the grain of your choice in the bottom of the bowl.

Fill the rest of the bowl with roasted vegetables.

Top with a large spoonful of hummus.

Drizzle with hot sauce, pesto, or peanut sauce – pesto is my favorite!

Stir until well combined.

It will satisfy you and warm you up! Enjoy!

Roasted Vegetables Warm Up a Cold Day Cold weather makes me want warm comfort foods: chili, stews, soups, etc. One of my new favorite comfort foods is a roasted vegetable bowl which was introduced to me by my daughter.

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I have literally been on a quest for the last few years to find the perfect biscuit recipe. I loved the biscuits that I used to eat most Sunday mornings after church at Paul’s Cafe in Ponchatoula, Louisiana (if you are ever in the area you should stop in and try their food – I promise, you will love it!). I would order one biscuit with gravy and one biscuit plain and then slather it with butter and their wonderful strawberry jam! The biscuits were big and fluffy and high! Quite honestly, I will always judge a biscuit against theirs. We moved from there many years ago and I have missed that breakfast since!

Over the years, I have searched online, through Pinterest, scoured old books, and finally, even asked friends via social media and tried recipe after recipe…but was never satisfied with the results…until now!

When my November Issue of Southern Living Magazine arrived in the mail, I set it aside for a few weeks. But when I finally did get a chance to read through it, I was excited to find the recipe for Angel Biscuits and made them a few days later. They are not the same as the ones at Paul’s Cafe but they are AMAZING!

Below is the link for the recipe from Southern Living and pictures of my experience making them and even turning them into cinnamon rolls! I highly recommend you give them a try! Oh, and I made a double batch, rolled and cut them out, put them on parchment paper on a cookie sheet, put them in the freezer for a couple of hours and then bagged the uncooked biscuits up frozen. Now, I can pull a couple out, pop them in the oven and enjoy a quick and wonderful biscuit on short notice! They are as wonderful from the frozen dough as they are from fresh!

Angel Biscuit Recipe:

https://www.southernliving.com/recipes/angel-biscuits-recipe

  Rolling out the dough and cutting extra large biscuits!

  They baked up high, light and fluffy! Great plain, with eggs, ham and cheese, with butter and jam, or even just plain!

  And turning them into cinnamon rolls turned an amazing recipe into an amazing treat! Roll out the dough, spread a thin layer of melted butter over the surface, sprinkle generously with cinnamon and sugar, and sprinkle with raisins. Then roll them up and slice them into rolls. I topped them with a simple butter/milk/powder sugar glaze.

The Quest for the Perfect Biscuit I have literally been on a quest for the last few years to find the perfect biscuit recipe.

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A Lucky Dish for the New Year

Will do my best to post once a week in the coming year...thanks for following! Happy New Year!

My sister texted me this morning to wish me a Happy New Year! What a great way to start the day and the year – with well wished from my family! She then asked me what lucky dish/es I was planning to make, as she knows how much I love to cook. But this question perplexed me…You see, I am more of a “faith” than a “luck” kind of person, but having spent many of my adult years in the south, as my…

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Becca's Chicken!

My friend, Becca, from the UK told me about a dinner she was making and it sounded great! I decided to to try it for myself! Must say, it was easy and turn out great! I call it Becca’s Chicken!

Here is how it is done:

*Slice a pocket into each chicken breast

*Fill with Pesto

*Salt and Pepper to taste

*Wrap each breast with 4 slices of bacon

*Put on rack pan and place in 375 degree oven

*Cook until crispy and done 

*Enjoy! 

(Sorry the last pic is blurry...but it sure tasted good!)

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This discovery at the Street Market was out of necessity. My husband came down with a nasty cold at the first of the year. In South Korea they sell jars of a citrus and honey concoction that is the consistency of a marmalade. You mix it with hot water and drink it when you have a cold or to ward off an illness. Makes sense, as it uses the whole citrus, peel and all, which is chock full of vitamin C! And on the plus side...it tastes great!!!

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The recipe in pictures! 

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December 21, 2011 - Clam Stew???

Note to self:  ALWAYS Google a picture of what it is you are looking for if you are going to the market for something in particular. For instance, “oysters”. Because the lady at the market doesn’t speak English and you don’t speak Korean…so you have no idea how to tell her you want to make Oyster Stew and need 24 oz of fresh oysters…

The good new when I got home and Googled (better late than never???)...I found out I bought clams…urgh!, is that you can pretty much swap out clams/oysters/mussels in any recipe…or so they say.

So today, I made Clam Stew…no, not Clam Chowder…no potatoes or corn. Basically, Oyster Stew base with some lovely, fresh clams thrown in…maybe later I will get a chance to make Oyster Stew. But I must say, I think the Clam Stew turned out quite nice! See the recipe below. I will post some pictures, too!

When I looked on line, most of the Oyster Stew recipes were the same, but I changed it up a bit to suit my taste. And of course, added garlic! Feel free to experiment with flavors/herbs that you like…

CLAM STEW:

Chop 6 – 8 green onions. Save some of the green bits to garnish the soup with. The rest,  sauté in 4 Tablespoons of butter. Once the onions are soft, add a teaspoon or so of fresh, crushed garlic and stir. Add one quart of cream (whipping or sour) and one quart of milk (I used lowfat).

Add plenty of fresh ground black pepper (I cranked the grinder 20 times), one teaspoon of freshly ground sea salt, ¼ teaspoon of red pepper and several splashes of Tabasco Sauce to taste. (Once the soup is cooked, give it a taste and add more pepper/salt/Tabasco as needed.)

Rinse your fresh clams and add them (24 oz of fresh clams - I only had 20 oz but it worked fine) to the soup base. Cook on low for 30 + minutes until clams are cooked but don’t allow it to boil or the cream will get a bit of a lumpy texture.

Garnish with green onions and crackers or bread. Enjoy!

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December 21, 2011 - Photos of the market shop where I purchased my fresh clams...OK, so they were supposed to be oysters, but how was I to know...

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Couldn't resist posting this picture of what I found in the market about a month ago...please note, I WILL NOT be attempting a recipe with these!!!

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Getting Organized

Just spending the next couple of weeks trying to figure out how to use the program and get my thoughts together...will try a sample before Christmas and try to post some more pictures...wish me luck!

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