Lovely Lamb Chops

Next time you're at Costco buying a year's supply of chocolate chips and BBQ sauce, throw a package of their lamb chops into your cart.  They are delicious.  I like to marinate them in a ziplock for several hours or overnight and then grill them.  Here's what I used:

LOVELY LAMB CHOPS

6 thick lamb chops

1/4 C olive oil

1 heaping T chopped garlic

1 heaping T dijon mustard

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1/4-1/2 tsp black pepper

lots of fresh rosemary, chopped

NOTE: some fresh lemon juice probably wouldn't hurt either!  Grab a lemon and squeeze!

Put oil, garlic, mustard, salt, pepper, and rosemary in a bowl and mix til combined.  In a large ziplock bag place the lamb chops and the mixture.  Close the bag, squeezing out any air, and "smush" the bag around til the lamb chops are coated.  Refrigerate until ready to grill (or broil).  Grill or broil til done and enjoy!

Banana Cake

There is this cute little place in L.A. called Clementine's.  They do a huge lunch business and have great salads, sandwiches, and desserts.  The day I brought a piece of banana cake home Boys #1 and 2 practically licked the bakery box it came in--it was THAT good.  So I was very happy to see a recipe in the L.A. Times a couple of weeks ago for Clementine's Banana Cake--along with the secret ingredient that makes this case light and delicious.  It is pastry flour (not cake flour). I made this cake for the brunch we had last weekend and everyone loved it!   Here goes:

CLEMENTINE'S BANANA CAKE

2 2/3 C pastry flour  NOTE:  I used whole wheat pastry flour

2 2/3 C sugar

3/4 t baking powder

1 1/2 t baking soda

1 t kosher salt

3 large or 4 small very ripe bananas

3 eggs

1/2 C buttermilk

3/4 C canola oil

1 1/2 t vanilla extract

Heat oven to 350°F.  Into a large bowl sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, mash the bananas.  Mix in the eggs, one at a time, until each is completely incorporated, then mix in the buttermilk, oil, and vanilla.  Finally, mix the dry ingredients into the batter just until thoroughly combined.

Pour into a 9-by-13 inch greased pan.  Bake for 35 to 40 minutes (I would check at 30 minutes), until golden-brown on top, a toothpick inserted comes out clean and the cake springs back when lightly touched.  Cool on a rack.  Frost with cream cheese frosting when cool.

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

1 C plus 1 1/2 T cream cheese, at room temperature

5 T butter, room temperature

1/2 C powdered sugar

2 T sour cream

In the bowl of a stand mixer, or in a medium blow with a hand mixer, beat the cream cheese until smooth and there are no lumps.  Add the butter and whip until incorporated, then add the powdered sugar and the sour cream.  Frost the top of the cooled cake, then slice and serve.

The Lucky Winner!!! Or is it Winners????

What if I held a giveaway and (almost) no one showed up?  I feel like Mary Richards!  For you 70 or so people who stopped by and didn't post a comment--maybe you should have.  Because here is what I have to say to those who did.  All two of you.   YOU win a cookbook!  And YOU win a cookbook!  Everybody wins a cookbook!!!   Yes, it's true--both Steve and Ellen are the lucky winners!!  Winging its way to Ellen is The Silver Palate Cookbook 25th anniversary edition--beautifully illustrated with color photographs instead of the drawings in the original edition--don't miss the Chicken Marbella recipe!!  And for Steve--if that's his real name--Steven Raichlen's BBQ USA featuring BBQ recipes from all over America!  Check your mailbox and enjoy!! Oh, and the reference WAS "Try it, you'll like it" and it WAS from an Alka-Seltzer ad from the '70's.

Jump on the Short Rib Bandwagon

Last night I did something a little crazy.  I got home from the grocery store at 10 to 6 at night and decided to make short ribs for dinner.  Not advisable.  Short ribs are delicious but require a long, slow cooking time.  The more I get to know short ribs, the more I love them.  Boy #2 kept asking me when dinner would be ready and I kept saying "in about an hour."  After the second or third time he caught on.  This kind of meat is always better the next day in any case.  And who decided cereal was a BREAKFAST food anyway?

This is the kind of recipe that is sometimes hard to re-create--because I sort of combined several recipes and just threw stuff in.  All three of the recipes called for red wine but I didn't have any so I threw in half a bottle of beer--actually, I noticed the bottle was empty when I cleaned up --and I don't drink beer--so I think I actually used the whole bottle.    This is a great dish to make the day before you want to eat it.  That way you can remove any excess fat that will have solidified on the top.  These short ribs are similar to brisket in that if they are too tough or chewy you have not overcooked them, you have undercooked them.  When done, they should be fork-tender.  This is a GREAT fall/winter dinner.

5-6 lbs short ribs--I used about 13 ribs

1/3-1/2  C flour for dredging and a little kosher salt and pepper

oil--for searing--I used canola

1 large onion, diced

1 stalk celery, diced

1 heaping tsp chopped garlic

2 C red wine or 1 bottle beer

2 C chicken broth--can also use beef or vegetable stock (NOTE--I added a spoonful of a veal demi-glace, too)

1 can diced tomatoes, drained

3 bay leaves

handful chopped parsley

2-3 large sprigs fresh rosemary

2 containers fresh mushrooms, washed and halved

3 carrots, in large chunks

Combine flour, salt and pepper and dredge the short ribs in the mixture.  Shake off any excess.  Heat a couple of tablespoons canola oil in a heavy large pot over medium-high heat.  Sear 4 or 5 short ribs at a time on all sides til brown.  Put each rib in the pot and wait a minute or two to try to turn it over.  When it is ready to be turned, it will release from the pot easily.  Sear the meat in batches and do not crowd the pan.  Transfer to bowl.  After all meat is seared, reduce heat to medium and add diced onions and celery to pot.  Season with salt and pepper.   Saute for a few minutes and then add garlic.  Cook for another minute or so, stirring to ensure garlic doesn't burn.  Add wine or beer and chicken stock.  Boil uncovered for a few minutes, scraping up any bits stuck to the pan.  Add broth, tomatoes, bay leaves, parsley, and rosemary.  Return ribs to the pot, cover partially, and simmer about 1 1/2 hours.  Uncover and simmer until rib meat is tender, stirring occasionally--about 1 1/2 hours longer, adding mushrooms and carrots about 1/2 hour or 40 minutes before ribs are done.  

Serve with pasta, rice, mashed potatoes, or crusty bread.   

CONTEST OVER!!! Winner Announced Soon! Real People DO eat Quiche AND The First Ever IMTMM GIVEAWAY!!!!

Don't pay the ransom.....I escaped.  Just kidding.  About the ransom part.  And the escaping part. I guess we've been on a break.  And it's all my fault.  I HAVE cooked in the last 10 months.  I really have.  But sometimes--OK, most of the time--I forget to pull my camera out.  I am going to try to be a bit more responsible from now on though.  Starting right now.  

We had some friends over for brunch today and I pulled out a recipe I haven't used in years.  A mom from the baby playgroup I joined with Boy #1 made this once and I thought it was both easy and delicious.  At the brunch today, 2 of Boy #1's friends joined us, too, and I offered one of them a piece of quiche.  "Have some, it's good," I said.  "And real men DO eat it."  "Huh?" he asked, looking at me as if I had two heads.  I guess he's too young to remember THAT particular cultural reference.  But the quiche IS good.  Try it.....you'll like it!  

GIVEAWAY:  To win one of my favorite cookbooks (brand-new--not one from my collection--just one of my faves),  please identify the quote in the above post that was the tag line for a well-known product.  Do so in the Comments section of this post.  Bonus points if you can identify both the quote and the product!  If you have no idea what to guess just post a comment anyway and you'll be entered in this random drawing!  Contest will end this Tuesday, August 26th, at 9 PM Pacific Time.  Good luck!!

And now.........

JAN'S VEGETABLE QUICHE

1 T butter

1 cube vegetable or chicken bouillion

1 scallion, chopped

1 1/2 C cauliflower, chopped in small pieces (3/4") or any other vegetable or combination of vegetables --NOTE--I used broccoli AND cauliflower--about 1 C each

1/2 C chopped tomato

1/2 t chopped parsley

1/2 C shredded American chese (Velveeta works great!) NOTE--I used small cubes of Velveeta

1/2 C shredded Swiss cheese (you may use any combination of cheese you like to total 1 C)

1 8" frozen pie shell NOTE--I used a deep dish shell 

1/4 C evaporated milk

3 eggs,  beaten

1/2 t pepper

1/2 t Italian seasoning

1/2 T dry sherry

     Preheat oven to 350 F.   Melt butter in saute pan and break bouillion cube into it.  Add scallion and vegetables and saute til vegetables are tender but a little crisp.  Take off heat and add tomato, parsley, and cheese.  Pour into pie shell and smooth.  In a separate bowl, combine milk, eggs, pepper, Italian seasoning and sherry.  Mix well.  Pour over vegetables evenly.  Bake for 35-40 minutes.  Serve warm.  To reheat, place in 300 F oven for 5-20 minutes.