Surprisingly, I had never tried corn pudding until recently, and am a little sad it took me so many years to discover it. Most of the recipes I found were baked dishes, which I may try at some point, but I wanted something with more of a creamy consistency like I had in July and that was prepared on the stove top. I came across one from McCormick & Schmick’s, which was served with King Salmon and sautéed spinach, and since my first experience with corn pudding was paired with salmon also, I knew this was the one I wanted to make. I adjusted the recipe (and preparation) a bit, and am so pleased with how it turned out. If you’re a fan of corn, then you’ll surely love this.
Corn pudding served with steak and baby potatoes
Ingredients
1 can whole-kernel sweet corn (I would’ve used fresh corn from the cob, but didn’t have any on hand)
1/2 tsp. sugar
1 tbsp. butter
3 cups milk
1/2 cup cornmeal
1 jalapeño, seeded and chopped
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper
Directions
In a medium sauce pan over medium heat, melt butter. Add drained corn and sugar.
Cook for approximately 10 minutes, stirring occasionally to avoid burning.
Remove corn from pan & place into a bowl, set aside.
Using same pan, add milk and slowly whisk in cornmeal.
Add the cooked corn, jalapeños, and red peppers.
Bring to a boil to thicken, while continuing to stir.
Once thickened to desired consistency, remove from heat and add salt.
In my recent polenta post, I mentioned that I came across a BBQ chicken recipe from Rachael Ray which I intended on making soon, and decided to try it out last night. I made a few modifications like I normally do, and all I can say is… WOW! The sauce is truly delectable and really makes the dish. I took some to work today, and finished every single last bite! So if you like chicken, and want a delicious new way to make it, I highly suggest you try this recipe.
Ingredients
4 bone-in chicken thigh and leg or chicken breasts
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tsp. poultry seasoning
2 tsp. grill seasoning
3 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
4 thick cut slices pancetta or bacon, chopped (optional)
Season the chicken liberally with salt and pepper, poultry seasoning, and grill seasoning.
Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a medium skillet and brown the chicken a few minutes on each side to put some of its flavor and drippings into the pan, then transfer to oven and roast 10 minutes more.
Meanwhile, if using pancetta or bacon, add to pan, and cook until crisp. Remove from pan, crumble and set aside.
If not using the meat, put one more tablespoon olive oil into pan, and add onions, garlic and rosemary. Cook 5 minutes, then add the vinegar, sugar, Worcestershire, tomato sauce and 1/2 cup chicken stock or broth.
Reduce heat to low and let sauce simmer 5 minutes more.
Remove chicken from oven, place in barbecue sauce, add bacon or pancetta (if using) and cook for an additional 5 minutes.
Fill shallow bowls with polenta, top with chicken, spoon extra sauce over chicken and garnish with some torn basil leaves.
If you saw the post on my trip and culinary adventures in NY, then you’ll recognize the name of this dish. If not, I’ll tell you that I had a wonderful meal at a restaurant in SoHo… Slow Cooked Salmon with Corn Pudding and Cherry Tomato Vinaigrette, which was mouth-watering delicious. I decided to make this mostly because I was reminiscing of that dish, and wanted to try making it at home. You might think this recipe is like a traditional salad dressing because of its title, but that simply is not the case. The cherry tomatoes are cut in half, and remain in tact which makes it a nice accompaniment to serve with fish, steak, and chicken, but would also be great in a salad.
Ingredients
1 medium shallot, sliced
2 tbsp. red wine vinegar
1 tbsp. nonpareil capers (the tiny ones), drained
1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, cut in half lengthwise
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/3 cup canola oil
1 tbsp. chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 tbsp. chopped fresh basil
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/8 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
Directions
In a medium bowl, stir together the shallot, vinegar, capers, tomatoes, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
Let that stand about 10 minutes, then stir in the olive and canola oil, parsley, basil, cumin, and pepper.
In a large skillet over medium heat, add the vinaigrette to the pan, and bring just to a simmer, stirring with a wooden spoon.
Cook until the tomatoes soften, about 5 minutes.
Spoon the sauce over desired dish and serve.
Cherry Tomato Vinaigrette w/Marinated Rib-Eye and Polenta
Did you ever see a recipe, and that one led you to another one, then another one, and… well, you get the point. I received a recipe over the weekend for an appetizer with polenta rounds that looked absolutely delicious, and planned on making it, then thought I should probably wait until I actually need to make some hors d’oeuvres. So, I continued looking online for different types of recipes which contained polenta and came across one from Rachael Ray, that got tremendous reviews and looked scrumptious, which led me to a recipe from Alton Brown. I definitely plan on trying Rachael’s soon, but made Alton’s polenta side dish, with a few modifications, to go with some leftover rib-eye I had in the fridge. This was my first time making and trying polenta, so wasn’t really sure what to expect, but I really liked it!! This also pairs very well with fish or chicken.
Polenta with Rib-Eye and Cherry Tomato Vinaigrette
Ingredients
1 tbsp. olive oil, plus extra for grilling or sautéing the polenta, if desired
1/3 cup finely chopped red onion
1 clove garlic, finely minced
1 cup chicken stock or broth
1 cup milk (I prefer skim) + additional to thin, if desired
1/2 cup coarse ground cornmeal
1 1/2 tbsp. unsalted butter
1/8 tsp. kosher salt
1/8 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup Parmesan, grated
1/4 cup Sharp Cheddar, grated
Directions
In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat.
Add the red onion and salt, and cook until the onions begin to turn translucent, approximately 4 to 5 minutes.
Reduce the heat to low, add the garlic, and saute for 1 to 2 minutes, making sure the garlic does not burn.
Turn the heat up to high, add the chicken stock or broth, bring to a boil.
Gradually add the cornmeal while continually whisking.
Once you have added all of the cornmeal, cover the pot and cook for approx. 15 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes to prevent lumps.
Once the mixture is creamy, remove from heat and add the butter and pepper.
Once they are incorporated, gradually add the Parmesan and Cheddar.
Season with additional salt, according to taste.
If you want the polenta creamier, you can thin with a little cream or milk to get desired consistency. Otherwise, serve as is, or pour the polenta into a cake pan lined with parchment paper and place in the refrigerator to cool completely. Once set, turn the polenta out onto a cutting board and cut into squares, rounds, or triangles. Brush each side with olive oil and saute in a nonstick skillet over medium heat, or grill.
This post might be elementary to a lot of you, but there was a time when I wasn’t entirely sure how to make a baked potato to achieve the results I wanted (crispy skins). I love a good baked potato, and while my favorite is a twice baked all loaded up with cheese, bacon, chives and sour cream, I rarely eat it that way merely because of all the calories. But, I will indulge from time to time. So, normally, I just add a little butter, salt & pepper. Listed below are three ways to make them.
Regardless of which method you choose, it’s essential to remember to wash the potatoes and prick them many times with a fork. If you forget, you may have a little explosion in your oven or microwave.
Oven-Baked Potatoes: Pre-heat the oven to 425°F. Rub the potatoes with olive oil, sprinkle them with salt and pepper, and prick them with the tines of a fork. Lay them directly on the oven rack or place them on a baking sheet, and cook for 45-60 minutes, until their skin is crispy and sticking one with a fork meets no resistance. End Result – crispy potato skins.
Potatoes Wrapped in Foil: Follow the same directions as for oven-roasted potatoes, but wrap the potatoes in foil before cooking. End Result – a softer skin and the potatoes stay warm in their foil if you’re not eating right away.
Microwaved Potatoes: Follow the same direction as for oven-roasted potatoes, but place all the potatoes on a microwave-safe dish and microwave at full power for five minutes. Turn them over and microwave for another 3-5 minutes. If still hard in the middle, microwave in additional 1-minute bursts until cooked through. End Result – super-fast cooking time with soft skins.
If you’re searching for an extremely tasty and easy marinade for your steak, look no further! A couple of weeks ago, I posted a recipe by Paula Deen for another marinade which is really good, but may just like this one a little bit more. I made this last week to use on some tri-tip and it was amazing, and just whipped up some more to marinate a Rib-Eye… can’t wait to cook it up for dinner!!
Marinade in the blender
Ingredients
1/2 small onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar (or red wine)
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1 tbsp. chopped fresh rosemary, or 1 tsp. dried
1 tbsp. Dijon-style prepared mustard
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 tbsp. brown sugar (optional)
2 (1 lb) steaks
Note: For my dinner tonight, I only had one rib-eye (approx. 1 lb.), so used about half of the marinade and froze the remaining to use another time.
Makes almost a cup
Directions
Put all ingredients (except steaks) in a blender (or food processor), and blend until smooth.
Place steaks in a large, resealable plastic bag.
Pour marinade over steaks, seal and refrigerate for about 3 hours.
Take steaks out from fridge and let them come to room temperature (30 min-1 hr.) *
Remove steaks from bag, discarding remaining marinade.
Cook on a preheated grill brushed with oil on high, for about 7 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness is achieved, or place in a skillet, over medium-high heat for same amount of time as above. (I cooked my tri-tip on top of the stove).
* It is always best to cook meat from, or near, room temperature. This will help the meat cook consistently across the interior by reducing the amount of time that it takes to cook the meat. But… I have cooked them after just a few minutes of sitting out, and they’ve come out delicious.
UPDATE: My expert Nordstrom Cafe taste-tester friend came over to my office yesterday to try out the dressing, and after she paused for a minute, I knew something wasn’t right with the vinaigrette . She said it was still very good, but not THE dressing. So, it was back to the drawing board. I did another search last night, and came across a recipe that credited the Nordstrom’s cookbook as the original source. I was fairly confident this was the one, but decided to wait since I was having lunch there today with my friend. We both ordered the same item as mentioned below, so I got to taste the dressing. Yep, it was different. I also decided to purchase the cookbook to be absolutely sure I had the correct recipe 🙂 Both recipes do have all of the same ingredients, but in different quantities. I’ve noted the changes below, with the correct measurements in bold. I just made this again using the updated, official recipe from Nordstrom’s cookbook, and am thrilled to report that this is the real deal and tastes exactly like what is served in the restaurant!
A few months ago, my good friend, Danette, invited me to join her and some other coworkers for lunch at Cafe Nordstrom. My first thought was, whaaaaat… they have a restaurant? Being that I’m a HUGE fan of Nordstrom’s, of course I was going to try it out. We went to the one in the South Bay Galleria mall in Redondo Beach, which ironically, is pretty close to where I live. The way the cafe operates is you place your order and pay at the front counter, sit down at a table of your choice, then a server brings your meal, beverage, etc., and continues to wait on you. It’s pretty cool, in my opinion. Okay, moving on to the food. I ordered their California Grill sandwich, which consists of roast turkey, tomato, bacon, swiss cheese, avocado, and garlic aïoli, on grilled sourdough bread (SO GOOD) and a side salad with… cilantro lime vinaigrette. My friend told me the dressing was amazing and addicting, and she was spot on! So of course, I was on a mission to find the recipe, and after just a little research, I did. Happy happy, joy joy!
The First Attempt
Ingredients
1/41/3 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup seasoned rice wine vinegar
2 tsp.1 clove garlic, minced
1 tbsp.2 tsp. chipotle purée *
32 tbsp. honey
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 big bunch1 cup cilantro, roughly chopped, most stems removed (I used approx. a little over a cup)stems & leaves
3/4 cup canola oil
* Making the chipolte purée is super simple. I purchased a can of La Costena chipolte peppers in adobo sauce (pictured below), and simply put the contents of the can in a food processor (can use a blender), and voila, you have purée! You can also buy the purée already made, which comes in a jar.
Directions
In a blender or food processor, combine lime juice, rice wine vinegar, garlic, purée, honey, and salt. Blend together well until thoroughly processed and smooth.
With the machine running, gradually add the oil in a thin steady stream to form an emulsion. (I found this difficult using my blender as it splattered a bit, so I added a little oil at a time, pulsed, then repeated until the oil was gone)
Add the cilantro, and pulse or process to combine.
Taste and adjust the seasoning.
Refrigerate until you are ready to serve. Whisk well before tossing the dressing with the salad.
Back in June, I posted a recipe for Edamame/Wasabi puree by Tyler Florence that went along with marinated tuna, however, I didn’t try his tuna at the time. About a week ago when I was in one of my sushi-craving modes, I decided to see what all the rave reviews were about and made the tuna. WOWZA! When I tell you that it melted in my mouth, it is no exaggeration. This is truly the best marinated tuna I have EVER tasted! And I’ve tasted a lot! The awesome thing about this recipe is that it’s super easy and ready in 20 minutes. And when you pair it with the Edamame puree, the combination of flavors will tantalize your taste buds. Seriously.
Marinated tuna pictured with spicy tuna (in the middle)
Ingredients
1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce
2 tbsp. sake
2 tbsp. light brown sugar
1 tsp. red chili paste, such as Sambal
1/2 pound sushi-quality tuna, such as ahi, yellowfin, maguro or bluefin, cut in 1/4-inch strips (or smaller, if you prefer)
Directions
Whisk together the soy sauce, sake, brown sugar and chili paste until the sugar dissolves.
Arrange the sliced tuna in a single layer in a shallow dish.
Pour the marinade over the tuna, cover and refrigerate for 20 minutes. Don’t marinate the tuna any longer because it will start to “cook” and the texture will be mushy.
To put together, dollop a spoonful of the edamame puree (if using) on a wonton crisp or cracker, then lay a slice of tuna on the top.
When I’m in the mood for steak, I usually pick up beef tenderloin or tri tip, but the Smart & Final near my house only carries NY strips so I will occasionally grab one if I don’t feel like heading over to Trader Joe’s or Von’s (that’s rare, but it does happen). About a week ago, I got a NY Strip and was looking at various recipes to try something different, and came across one from Paula Deen that tickled my fancy, so decided to give it a whirl. The marinade is easy and quite tasty, and I plan to use it the next time I make a filet. As for the melting sauce, it was a nice compliment to the steak. In the event you didn’t know, I’m into sauces big-time, so was eager to taste this one. The recipe for it does yield a lot, even though I’ve already cut it in half…twice, and I only use a very small amount since it is butter-based (we know Paul Deen likes her butter), but it’s also great on baked potatoes and warm rolls.
NY Strip w/Tarragon Melting Sauce and Roasted Vegetables
Ingredients
1/4 cup olive oil, plus oil for skillet
2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
3 (1-inch thick) boneless New York strip steaks
Tarragon Melting Sauce, recipe follows
Directions
In a heavy-duty resealable plastic bag, combine oil, lemon juice, garlic, Worcestershire and pepper. (I like to press a little salt & ground pepper onto the steaks before marinating).
Add steaks to bag. Press the air out of the bag, and seal tightly. Turn the bag several times to distribute the marinade; place the bag in a bowl and refrigerate 30 minutes, turning bag occasionally.
Heat a large oiled skillet over medium-high heat.
Remove steaks from marinade, discarding marinade.
Place steaks in hot skillet; cook 4 to 5 minutes on each side or to the desired degree of doneness.
Remove steaks to a serving plate, and keep warm.
Top each steak with a teaspoon (or desired amount) of Tarragon Melting Sauce.
Tarragon Melting Sauce
Ingredients
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tbsp. green onion, minced
1/4 tbsp. fresh tarragon leaves, minced (or 1/4 tsp. dried tarragon) – you could substitute rosemary
If you like cranberries and ketchup, you will love this condiment. I just tried it for the first time a couple of weeks ago, and knew right then, I would be making it very soon. As I mentioned in my previous post, it was on a turkey burger I had, and added tremendous flavor. My recipe isn’t an identical replica of what I tried in New York, but I am really very pleased with how it turned out! I’ve already been enjoying it with some sweet potato fries. YUM!
Cranberry ketchup and sweet potato fries
Ingredients
1 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 onion, finely chopped
1 can (14 oz.) jellied or whole berry cranberries sauce (I had this on hand – next time will use 1 bag (12 oz.) cranberries)
Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally for about 20 minutes. If using cranberries, make sure to mash them while stirring.
Spoon ketchup into jar or bowl (it will thicken a bit as it cools), cover and refrigerate until chilled.
* If you don’t have allspice, you can make your own by using 1/2 tsp. cinnamon, 1/4 tsp. ground cloves and 1/4 tsp. ginger. Mix well. This will give you one teaspoon of the equivalent of allspice.
Cooking For Love 
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