Farmer's Market Grill

My friend Lon told me about Fresh Field Farm a few weeks ago...so I had to check it out. One day, I am going to take photos inside because I always love what I see. I have a huge smile on my face looking at all the gorgeous produce. This is just a portion of what I picked up on my first trip:



Gorgeous huh! Anyway, my friend Kristy came over and we got to cooking.

I have NEVER cooked artichokes...and I had to buy these. they were like $1 a piece and HUGE! I needed some help, so I looked on the Food Network and found this video by Chef Anne Burell on how to peel and prep the artichokes. I just went as far as the preping and peeling...I kept my artichokes whole.



So, got them peeled, I boiled them in salted water for about 25-30 min. Just to soften them.



Then we got all of the rest of the veggies on the grill. Aren't the colors GREAT?!





I also picked up some NY Strip steaks at the Farmers Market, and Kristy marinated them with some fresh garlic, olive oil and herbs de province that my friend Steve brought back from Cannes for me.



I then cut the parboiled artichokes in half and put them on the grill for some char. Kristy also made a vinagrette that she brushed onto the veggies as soon as they came off of the grill. I will have to ask her what was in there...it was amazing.

When the steaks were done, Kristy put them on a bed of fresh large leaf arugula from Whole Foods...THIS WAS SO GOOD!! I guess I have always had baby arugula...well if you love that flavor...try this mature version...the flavor is so strong and delicious!



Kristy brought over some Steak House wine from her new find The Wine Barn, and we sat for a great meal...we moaned over every bite! We didn't even have any starch..straight up meat and veggies and we didn't miss it either!



Always have to end the night with esspresso...I picked up these rock candy sticks...very nice way to serve your coffee.



Find your local farmers market and enjoy!

Can you feel the love tonight?

So, I celebrated Valentines Day with my husband, but I also invited a few of my SINGLE LADIES over so we could all enjoy a great night of food and friends! This dinner was all about small portions...so had six courses!

Here are some of the highlights:

I made chocolate covered strawberries with toasted hazelnuts, and my Mom made these sweet cupcakes that looked like flowers. These were used to decorate the table...and as party favors.







I decked out the table in red and silver...used the cupcakes and chocolate strawberries as my centerpiece, which I set at the end of the table.













COURSE 1: Baked Brie with French Bread
We started with our favorite Baked Brie...you really must try this...it is to die for!


COURSE 2: Cream of Asparagus Soup
This was made by my Mom. I will post the recipe later. THIS WAS SO DELICIOUS!!! We served these in coffee cups!




COURSE 3: Goat Cheese Tart with Arugula tossed in a balsamic vinaigrette
Kristy created these delicious tarts...it was all YUMMY!





COURSE 4: Mushroom Ravioli with Sage Brown Butter, Saulteed Butternut squash gorgonzola and sweet balsamic glaze.
I made a batch of fresh pasta and rolled out these little babies. I made one large ravioli per person. The balsamic glaze was a nice touch to counterbalance the richness of the gorgonzola.


COURSE 5: Red Wine braised Short Ribs served over sour cream mashed potatoes and au jus
This was a last minute addition to my menu. I thought this would be an easy entree and I was right. I just seared these babies and then the cooked in the crock pot for the rest of the day. The meat was amazingly tender and had great flavor!



COURSE 6: Molten Lava Cake ala mode with Raspberry coulee
We ended the night with Molten Lava Cakes and Cappucinos. Yes there were cupcakes and chocolate covered strawberries...but hey, it is VALENTINES DAY! These little babies have a soft chocolate center and were so YUMMY! Just on the verge of "death by chocolate!"





My Mom lives in Orlando now, and she is AMAZING! She is like the engergizer bunny, I dirty a dish, it is cleaned and put away before I turn around...she is an amazing chef too! She preps like a champ and she is so fun! We had a great time making dinner together!



We started cooking around 11 am yesterday, and we were done about 3...If she wasn't here, I would have been stressed, and not done...this is the first time that I truly enjoyed myself! We all had a lovely time! Kristy was great because she has tons of catering experience, and she helped me plate everything between courses...we are a well oiled machine and can do anything!! I love you girl! The only person you don't see is Viviana, as always, she is behind the camera. THANKS VIVI for the amazing pics!!

What about Paul you ask? Wel...Paul serenaded us! :)

Baked Brie

Ok, I know baked brie has been around forever. It is so yummy warmed right out of the oven. Well, I had this at a recent Pampered Chef party, and I have been dreaming about it ever since, so I had to make it. Check this out:



There are tons of PC recipes that are keepers, because they are so simple! This one is right up there. The real beauty is you toast the bread and serve it all on the pizza stone...Love that!

Take a wheel of brie, slice it right down the center and set it in the middle of the stone, cut side up. I then spread some apricot/pineapple preserves, and sprinkled some pecans on top. Then take the 2nd half of the wheel, again, cut side up, and put it on top of the first half. Add more preserves and pecans.

Then slice a loaf of french bread and set it all around the brie. Put the whole thing into a 425 degree oven for 8-10 min. Let stand for 5 min before serving.

This is A-MAZ-ING! Simply serve it right on the stone with a large knife for cutting. Your guests will just cut it wedges and eat it on the bread. The rind is even good...I know some people who don't like to eat the rind...warming it like this, the whole thing is so good. You have to try it! This is a simple recipe with big impact.

More Gorgeous Tabletops

I really love these tables...once again, sorry, I found them on line a while ago, so I don't have any creds:

To Die For: Molten Lava Cakes

Ok, this right here, will make you a rockstar...keep this one, and make it often...well not too often if you care anything about your arteries...but I am serious, this is that good! Molten Lava Cakes:

This is now one of my go-to recipes. Takes only a few ingriedients, and I usually have all of these on hand.

I make this with a mix of milk and dark chocolate, and I also added 1 tsp. of espresso powder to the batter. This is an Ina Garten trick, she says it enhances the chocolate...and I totally agree.

You can make it earlier in the day, pull it out of the fridge 15 minutes before you bake them (just so they aren't so cold before you put them in the oven to bake) and they are wonderful! People go CRAZY for these little cakes. What I love about them is that they cook up in cupcake pans...so you only have to make a small batch, it is a very manageable recipe, and totally 5 Star - a MUST TRY!

Molten Lava Cakes
from Martha Stewart Everyday Food's book, "Great Food Fast."

Ingredients

Serves 6
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for muffin tins
1/3 cup granulated sugar, plus more for muffin tins
3 large eggs
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted
Confectioners' sugar, for dusting
Whipped Cream , for serving
Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Generously butter 6 cups of a standard muffin tin. Dust with granulated sugar, and tap out excess. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and granulated sugar until fluffy.

Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. With the mixer on low speed, beat in flour and salt until just combined.
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Beat in chocolate until just combined.






Divide batter evenly among prepared muffin cups.
Place muffin tin on a baking sheet; bake just until tops of the cakes no longer jiggle when the pan is lightly shaken, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from oven; let stand 10 minutes.


To serve, turn out cakes, and place on serving plates, bottom sides up. Dust with confectioners' sugar, and serve with whipped cream, or ice cream like I did, if desired.

Bang Bang Shrimp

A while back, I posted my Mongolian Beef inspired by PF Changs recipe. In that post I mentioned that my neighbors Heath & Dena made Bang Bang Shrimp inspired by the Bonefish Restaurant recipe. We ate it too fast to take a photo, so they made it again and shared the recipe.



1-2 pounds Medium shrimp

Peal and Devein
Rinse thoroughly.
Mix 2 eggs with some milk and whisk together.
Dip shrimp into milk mixture.
Let excess drip off and then completely cover shrimp in corn starch. try to make it as thick as possible.
In a wok pre-heat peanut oil.
ensure that the oil is hot enough before putting shrimp in the the oil or the corn starch will fall right off.
put shrimp in oil about 15 at a time depending on the size of your wok. and cook for approx 3 minutes.
once cooked place on paper towels to drain excess oil.
after cooking all of the shrimp place shrimp into a large tupperware bowl and pour bang bang sauce on top of shrimp.
Place lid on tupperware and lightly shake.
serve over a bed of chopped romaine lettuce.

Here is the link to the Bang Bang sauce.

This is so good, you have to try it. The sauce is kind of a mayonnaise and chile sauce: spicy and creamy...and makes this dish irresistible.

Hot Olives

My friend Kim has told me about Hot Olives before, and I just found this recipe on Rachael Ray...I have to try it. It is super easy! Great for a wine night. I will be having a wine tasting get together with my awesome neighbors soon...it is such a winter thing to do, and so fun...we always drink WAY too much wine! :) I will post pics of that when we have it too!



Hot Olives
Rachael Ray

From Every Day with Rachael Ray
October 2006

MAKES TWO CUPS

2 cups mixed olives
1 fresh or dried bay leaf
1 sprig rosemary
2 tablespoons fresh thyme, chopped
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 long strip orange zest
Extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO), for drizzling

Preheat the oven to 350º. Layer 2 sheets of foil, each 18 inches long. Place the olives in the center of the foil and toss with the bay leaf, rosemary, thyme, fennel seeds and red pepper flakes. Add the orange zest and drizzle with EVOO. Pinch the foil together and seal to form a pouch. Warm the olives in the oven for 15 minutes.

Mini Layered Cakes

How cute are these? I just read about Cake Monkey in the latest BizBash email. How cute would it be to make some mini cakes like this. Just bake a big sheet cake, cut out some rounds with your biscuit cutters, layer and frost them, add a little sprinkle of chocolate shaving or coconut...walah...your very own mini layer cake for each guest. Adorable. These would impress any dinner guest!


Coconut Cake
Brown Butter Cake with Housemade Caramel,Toasted Coconut and Shredded Coconut Frosting


Cake Monkey Crunch Cake
Banana Cake with layers of Housemade Toffee Crunch and Milk Chocolate Frosting


Dark Chocolate Mint Cake
Chocolate Cake with Housemade Chocolate Wafers and Dark Chocolate Mint Frosting, topped with Cake Monkey Chocolate Pearls


Coconut Cake
Brown Butter Cake with Housemade Caramel,Toasted Coconut and Shredded Coconut Frosting