Fried Green Tomatoes

Hello Fellow Foodies! I apologize for being away for a while but I am back! So this recipe is a favorite of my husband being from the South and loving Southern cooking.  While it is very hard to find green tomatoes unless you grow them yourself in New York, I was able to procure some from a friend and I have to say that these are some of the best I've ever tasted. If you have never tried fried green tomatoes you should definitely give this a whirl!  If you do let me know what you think. 

EAT GOOD FOOD, LIVE A GOOD LIFE!
-Poetic Cook

Ingredients
1.5 cups Vegetable or canola oil
1 Large green tomato sliced thin
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup yellow cornmeal
2 eggs whisked in shallow bowl
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon paprika
salt 
black pepper

Directions
In a shallow dish combine cornmeal, flour, cayenne, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, salt and pepper. Mix well.  In the bowl with the eggs add salt and pepper and mix well. In a large frying pan heat oil. Dredge tomatoes in eggs and then in cornmeal mixture then place in hot oil. Do not crowd pan.  Turn tomatoes over when oil side is browned (about 7 minutes). Remove from oil when browned on both sides and place on paper towel to absorb extra oil.  Serve hot with your favorite hot sauce. Enjoy!

Easy Low Fat Lasagna

Hello Fellow Foodies! This recipe comes at the request of a fan (well actually quite a few).  Who doesn't love a good lasagna? But sometimes the guilt gets in the way.  So I decided to make a lowfat (and in my case gluten free) version of one of our favorites.  I made this for my 7 year old and she cleaned the plate!  So give it a try and let me know what you think.

EAT GOOD FOOD, LIVE A GOOD LIFE!
-Poetic Cook

INGREDIENTS:
1 lb. ground chicken or turkey
1 jar of your favorite pasta sauce
1 can of diced tomatoes with Italian herbs
1/2 cup water
1 package no boil lasagna noodles (I used rice noodles because I wanted to make this recipe gluten free)
1 egg white
1 cup fat free plain Greek yogurt (if you don't like yogurt use lowfat ricotta)
1 (2 if you like it cheesy) packs of shredded lowfat Or fat free mozzarella
1 tbsp Kosher salt
1 tsp Black pepper
1 tbsp Garlic powder
1 tsp Dried oregano, 1/4 tsp also for yogurt
1 tsp Dried parsley, 1/4 tsp also for yogurt
1 tsp Dried basil, 1/4 tsp also for yogurt
1/2 tsp Dried thyme
2 tablespoons Louisiana hot sauce
2 tablespoons of sugar

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Brown meat thoroughly in a deep pan. Once browned, add your jar sauce, diced tomatoes and water. Turn flame down to low/medium heat and add seasonings, hot sauce and sugar. Taste and adjust as needed. Let sauce simmer for about 20 minutes.

In the meantime, put yogurt in a bowl with the egg white. Mix thoroughly. Add additional oregano, parsley and basil to mixture. Mix well and set aside.

Stir and remove sauce from heat. In a deep baking dish you will repeat the ingredients in the following layer order until at the top of your dish but finishing with sauce:

1. Complete layer of sauce (starting with bottom of dish)
2. Layer of noodles
3. Layer of yogurt mixture evenly spread over noodles
4. Layer of mozzarella cheese

Once layering is complete bake in oven for one hour or until noodles are cooked through and cheese is melted.

NOTE: IF YOU REALLY WANT TO MAKE THIS A ONE DISH MEAL, REPLACE ONE OF YOUR MEAT LAYERS WITH COOKED CHOPPED SPINACH THAT IS WELL DRAINED SO AS NOT TO ADD TOO MUCH LIQUID.

Spiced Rum Cake

Hello Fellow Foodies! I'm not a huge fan of all sweets but I am quite the sucker for a good piece of cake. With that said, one of my absolute favorite cakes to make especially for parties is this Spiced Rum Cake.  It is always a hit!  So try it for your next get together and tell me if there is any left! Enjoy!

EAT GOOD FOOD, LIVE A GOOD LIFE!
-Poetic Cook

Ingredients:

·         1 box (18 1/2 ounces) yellow cake mix

·         1 box (3 3/4 ounces) french vanilla instant pudding mix

·         4 eggs

·         1/2 cup water

·         1/2 cup vegetable oil

·         1/2 cup dark spiced rum

·         1/2 cup butter

·         1/4 cup water

·         1 cup sugar

·         1/2 cup dark spiced rum

Directions:

For the Cake:

1.       Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2.       Grease and flour a bundt pan.
3.       In a mixing bowl, combine all cake ingredients and mix until batter is smooth.
4.       Pour batter into the prepared bundt pan.
5.       Bake for 1 hour. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
6.       Invert cooled cake onto a serving plater. Using a fork or toothpick, prick the top of the cake to form small holes that will absorb the rum glaze.
For the Glaze:
1.       Melt the butter in a heavy saucepan.
2.       Whisk in the water and sugar.
3.       Slowly bring the sugar mix to a light boil and cook for 5 minutes, constantly stirring.
4.       remove the sugar mix from the heat and stir in the rum.
5.       Allow the glaze to slightly cool before glazing the cake.
6.       Drizzle and smooth some of the glaze over the top and sides of the cake. Allow the cake to absorb the glaze and then repeat until the glaze is gone.

Pan Roasted Branzino

Hello Fellow Foodies! I'm back! So my husband loves fish and since we met, although I did not grow up eating a lot of fish, I have tried to expand my knowledge of it and ways to cook it.  Recently, I tried pan roasting for the first time (now that I have armed myself with some great high heat resistant pans) and it was an absolute success!  He actually said that it was the best fish I have ever made.  So I'm sharing my success with you. Enjoy and let me know what you think! 

EAT GOOD FOOD, LIVE A GOOD LIFE!
-Poetic Cook

INGREDIENTS:
·         2 Whole Branzino (1.5-2lbs), gutted and scaled (I prefer head on but feel free to remove)
·         4 tablespoons olive oil
·         Lemon, zest only
·         2 tablespoons chopped dill
·         2 tablespoons chopped parsley
·         sea salt
·         kosher salt
·         pepper
·         canola oil
·         lemon wedges (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

1.       Place the fish in a non-reactive dish.

2.       Lightly sprinkle fish, both inside and out with kosher salt and pepper.

3.       Mix the olive oil, zest, dill, and parsley, a dash of sea salt and pepper and smear it all over the fish - both the outside and inside. Thoroughly sprinkle the inside and outside with more of the kosher salt and pepper. Cover and set aside in the refrigerator for at least an hour and up to 8 hours. Remove from refrigerator at least 20 minutes before cooking.

4.       Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

5.       Heat the canola oil in a large, oven-proof skillet or roasting pan large enough to hold the fish over medium heat until almost smoking (or use multiple skillets), ensure that the entire surface of the skillet is coated in oil to avoid sticking. Lay the fish carefully in to the skillet, and cook for a minute. Flip the fish to the other side and cook for one minute.

6.       After one minute, and fish is nicely browned, Spoon some of the oil over to top of the fish to coat it, then transfer the pan(s) to the oven. NOTE: Discard any extra oil before putting in the oven for roasting.

7.       Roast the fish for about 10-12 minutes, until just cooked through. Serve immediately. You may want to squeeze some fresh lemon over it upon serving.

Spaghetti with Scallop and Shrimp in Wine Sauce

Hello Fellow Foodies! I'm back with a very successful kitchen experiment that I hope you will also find delicious.  My daughter is a young foodie so today was the first day I gave her an official cooking lesson.  I recently fell in love again with scallops at a cooking class I took so wanted to share that with her.  The result is the recipe below.  She loved it and you will too! 

EAT GOOD FOOD, LIVE A GOOD LIFE!
-Poetic Cook

Ingredients:

3/4 box of thin spaghetti (cooked just before al dente & drained)
1/2 lb dry bay scallops (pat dry)
1/2 lb jumbo shrimp (pat dry)
Canola oil
1 shallot diced
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 cup white wine
1 can chicken broth
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme
Kosher salt
Black pepper
Zest of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon Garlic powder
1 teaspoon Dry oregano
1/2 teaspoon Dry basil
1 teaspoon Onion powder
1 tablespoon sugar

Directions:

In a bowl season your shrimp with kosher salt, black pepper and garlic e powder. Set aside to marinate.

Heat a medium pan. Add just enough canola oil to coat bottom of the pan. Reduce to medium heat and add garlic and shallots. Stir constantly. Stop stirring. Add scallops without crowding pan. Then add shrimp without crowding pan. If you cannot fit all shrimp you can put them in once scallops are done. Turn scallops and shrimp after bottoms are nice and lightly brown (about 4-5 min). After 1-2 minutes on the other side remove and set aside in a platter (do not strain oil).

Once all scallop and shrimp are removed from pan, deglaze pan by adding the white wine and the chicken broth. When liquid starts to boil add lemon zest, thyme, 1 tablespoon of the parsley, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano and basil. Add kosher salt and pepper to taste. Let liquid reduce. Strain liquid into bowl discarding chunky remnants in strainer.

Wipe out any blackened material from pan and then put strained liquid back into pan on medium heat. Stir in sugar. Let boil, stirring frequently. After boiling for 5 minutes add pasta. Stir pasta in coating completely with sauce until liquid makes pasta al dente. Remove from heat. Add cooked shrimp and scallops. Toss all together in pan. Garnish with remaining parsley.

My kitchen Staples

Hello Fellow Foodies! If you're like me, your kitchen is like an art pallette with endless possibilities...or at least that is how we would like it to be.  Well no matter how creative I get in the kitchen, I always find that items which I go back to time and time again and those things have essentially become my kitchen staples.  You will find that some are generic to any kitchen but some some are particular to me.  These are merely suggestions as every cook eventually develops their own list of staples.  My hope is that this may be a guide to some of you cooks finding your way in being more creative and comfortable in the kitchen. 

EAT GOOD FOOD, LIVE A GOOD LIFE!
-Poetic Cook

Seasoning/Spices/Condiments/Oils:

Salt - kosher salt, sea salt, truffle salt, table salt
Pepper - black pepper, white pepper, cayenne pepper
garlic powder
onion powder
ground mustard
dried oregano
dried basil
dried parsley
paprika
poultry seasoning
curry powder
five spice powder
Lawry's seasoning salt
Goya Adobo
chicken bouillion packets
sugar
hot sauce
soy sauce - regular and low sodium
worcestershire sauce
honey
Italian salad dressing
prepared broth - chicken, beef and vegetable
panko breadcrumbs
olive oil - extra virgin and extra light
truffle oil
vegetable oil

Produce/Canned and Frozen vegetables:

lemon
lime
oranges
cilantro
Italian parsley
onions - red and yellow
garlic
shallots
green pepper
cabbage
potatoes
lettuce
kirby cucumbers
plum tomatoes
canned tomatoes - stewed and diced varieties and tomato paste
frozen green beans
frozen peas
frozen mixed vegetables
frozen corn

Starches/grains:

potatoes
rice - jasmine, sushi and brown
pasta - elbows, spaghetti, linguini fini, angel hair, and penne rigate
corn - frozen and small cobs

Meat/Poultry/Seafood:

chicken pieces
whole chicken
steak - I like NY Strip, flank and skirt steak
ground meat - beef, chicken and turkey
shrimp
lamb - I usually stock up when it is on sale since in my area it tends to be expensive. I tend to buy shanks cut up for stew, lamb chops and ground lamb.

Dairy:

milk - 2% percent and half and half
cheese - cheddar, mozzarella, parmesan and monterey jack
eggs

Just Good Fried Chicken

Hello fellow foodies! I apologize for not posting in a few days but I'm hoping this yummy comfort food recipe makes up for it! This recipe was inspired by a dear friend of mine whom I think makes the most amazing fried chicken! I never got the exact recipe but I think I figured out a pretty good substitute when I need a fix! I've definitely gotten some great reviews from the family on this one so I hope you enjoy!

EAT GOOD FOOD, LIVE A GOOD LIFE!
- Poetic Cook

 

 

Ingredients:

2 lbs. chicken pieces (I love drumsticks)
Vegetable oil
2 cups buttermilk
6 large eggs, beaten
1 ½ cups all purpose flour
1 cup corn flour
Salt
Black pepper
Garlic powder
Onion powder
Lawry’s Seasoning Salt
Poultry seasoning
Louisiana style hot sauce

Directions:

Wash chicken and season with salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, seasoning salt, poultry seasoning and hot sauce.  Make sure chicken is well coated.  Note: Do not be afraid to coat the chicken well with the hot sauce as it adds more flavor than spice in this process.  Let seasoned chicken sit for at least 20 minutes.

In a medium size bowl, mix the buttermilk, eggs, and a little salt, pepper and garlic powder. Stir until mixed well.

In a large plastic bag or a deep bowl mix all purpose flour, corn flour, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, seasoning salt and poultry seasoning. Mix well.

Heat vegetable oil in large frying pan or deep fryer. 

Dip chicken pieces in egg mixture and then in flour.  Make sure each piece is fully coated. For crunchier chicken repeat dipping and coating process. Once coated well place in hot oil, cook chicken thoroughly on all sides and until internal temperature is 165 degrees or higher.  Remove chicken when done and place on paper towel to drain extra oil.

 

Voila! Enjoy!