Amazing Appetizers

Lauren’s dad recently bought us a firepit for the house. Unfortunately, all of the rain and cold weather has limited our ability to make use of this fun new addition. Two nights ago it was nice enough to have a fire and invite a few friends over. The hostess in me got a little carried away and decided we couldn’t have people over unless we had hors d’oeuvres. Still on my Italian kick, I decided to make Pesto Bruschetta. The secret: make your own crositini!

Pesto Bruschetta
Yield: 30 pieces

Loaf French Bread
Olive Oil
Pesto (store-bought is great, I used Classico Traditional Basil Pesto)
4 Plum Tomatoes
Crumbled Goat Cheese
Balsamic Reduction*

To make the crostini, preheat the oven to 400. Slice the bread into ½ inch pieces. Drizzle with olive oil, bake 8-10 minutes or until crisp. Spread the pesto onto the crositini. Slice the tomatoes and cut slices in half so you have semi-circle pieces. Put tomatoes on top of pesto (2-3 semi circles each). Add a few pieces of crumbled goat cheese. Drizzle with balsamic reduction. Enjoy!

*To make balsamic reduction: heat 1 cup of balsamic vinegar until thick, about 7 minutes. Keep a close eye on this as it is easy to overcook.

Pilates and Pasta

After an intense work out of Pilates legs and spin class, my roommate Jenn and I were ready for a hearty, but healthy dinner. We’ve been craving pasta lately -between planning our trip to Italy and reading the Italian Food Network Magzine issue- pasta was a must. Jenn found a great Bethenny Frankel (Real Housewives NYC) recipe: Low Fat Creamy Mushroom Pasta. With a few changes of our own, we made this simple but DELICIOUS dinner in less than 15 minutes!

We cut even more calories by using fat-free sour cream and “I can’t believe it’s not butter”. Sometimes the lack of fat makes of difference, but not in this pasta, the sauce was still just as thick and creamy as if we had used whole milk. We also cut out the truffle oil (one bottle was $14, I think I’ll pass…). We topped the dish with dried parsley instead of fresh and it was still scrumptious!

A great work out, good dinner, and relaxing evening made this a delightful experience that needs repeating!

Butter Makes it Better!

Only three weeks ago, I was walking down Bourbon Street, observing all New Orleans has to offer. Magicians, artists, dancers, and psychics come out every day to entertain the throngs of people visiting the city. Loud music roared from bars that never seem to close. It certainly is a one of a kind place. While we were there we ate at GW Fins, the reason I am writing this. Over 21 days later, I am still thinking of my fabulous dinner.

To start we had their sizzling oysters. They smoke the shells and then throw the raw oysters on as it is being plated. By the time the oysters reach the table they are cooked perfectly. Of all the oysters I ate while in New Orleans, these were by far the best. The smoky flavor eliminates the need for cocktail sauce, horseradish, and a saltine cracker. Then my meal came.

If I had to pick my last supper, this would almost take #1 (it’s a close second to Mom’s spaghetti of course!). I ordered the Parmesan Crusted Lemon Sole, topped with lump crab meat, crispy capers, and brown butter. Alongside came impeccably roasted asparagus. Everything worked. The fish was flaky and light with a delicious crunch from the parmesan. The brown butter truly brought the dish together, the combination of lemon, parmesan, and capers is so classic and simple. All of the flavors were beautifully highlighted, making this dish unforgettable.

In addition to topping my list of best all time dinners, this has also made me a bit obsessed with brown butter. Such a simple technique, yet so difficult to master! Perfect with pasta and fish, this is a skill worth learning. Known in French as beurre noir, this term is used to classify whole butter cooked until dark brown. This can then be flavored (but certainly can be left plain) with vinegar, lemon juice, capers, and parsley and served over fish, eggs, and vegetables.

Here’s How:

Heat a skillet on medium heat, add desired amount of butter that has been cut into tablespoon slabs. As the butter melts, whisk the butter constantly. Wait for the butter to turn a light tan color, then remove from heat. Allow the butter to cook off heat until a chestnut brown.

Add sage and walnuts to the butter serve over butternut squash. Top with parmesan cheese, and voile! You’ve got dinner!

Tom's Famous Fried Chicken

Last week, Rebecca celebrated her grandmother's life by making her famous fried chicken. I was lucky enough to get a personal lesson and learn the secrets behind this mouth-watering Southern favorite. Rebecca starts by soaking the butcher cut chicken in salt water. After draining the chicken, she seasons it with salt and pepper. Next we dredged the chicken in flour, she used a "pig tail" to place the chicken in the melted crisco. Using her grandmother's cast iron skillet, she fries the chicken to golden perfection. Check out Rebecca's blog reminiscing about Tom, her talented grandmother. For the full recipe for Tom's Famous Fried Chicken click here.

Greek Freak

Sororities have become my life. As Panhellenic president, I am constantly thinking Greek. I live in the Greek Life Office, I work with all Greek women, and I work to promote Greek life. Although the fast paced world of sorority life at UGA is a big part of my life, Greek influences have also entered my kitchen. After enjoying the most delicious Greek salad at Last Resort (my favorite Athens’ restaurant) I decided to make a spin off of my own. Hope you enjoy!

Greek Salad Pitas

1 cucumber (seeded and diced)
1/4 large red onion (chopped)
1 pint grape tomatoes (quartered)
1/2 cup kalamata olives (chopped)
1/2 cup marinated artichoke hearts (chopped)
1/2 cup peppercinis (chopped)
1 tsp red chili flakes
4 oz container feta Cheese
1 tblsp fresh parsley (chopped)

For the Dressing:
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper

Pita Bread

Mix together cucumber through parsley in medium size bowl. For the dressing, add to Tupperware container and shake until mixed well. Dress the vegetable mixture, and stir well. Microwave pitas for 30 seconds on high, or until warm. Cut pita in half, allowing 2 pockets to form. Stuff with mixture.

My New Favorite Thing

Yesterday I spent my morning reading Food Network Magazine cover to cover. This may be their best issue yet, themed the Italian issue. In only 30 short days I will be in Italy, enjoying every culinary experience possible! This magazine gave me a little glimpse into the delicious world I can’t wait to discover. I also found a new fabulous kitchen gadget in this issue, a boil buoy. When pasta water begins to boil, this little trinket begins to chime, how convenient! Now the phrase “a watched pot never boils” is irrelevant because the buoy eliminates the need to even watch the pot! So cool!

Eggcellent

One of my favorite scenes in Runaway Bride is when Julia Roberts must decide on her favorite type of egg. Scrambled? Sunny-side-up? Poached? Well long story short, she finally decides on eggs benedict. But, she never tried deviled eggs. By the Prentice Hall Dictionary of Culinary Arts, this picnic delight consists of hard-boiled eggs where yolks are removed, mashed, seasoned with mayonnaise and other seasonings and then the mixture is returned to the egg white. So simple and so delicious, how could Julia not have at least tasted these?! Although considered an old-lady luncheon food, these devilish delights are perfect anytime!

Today, Rebecca and I made her Jalapeno Deviled Eggs. By following Rebecca’s detailed steps, I was able to boil the eggs to lovely perfection. Her trick is to put the eggs in cold water, bring the water to a boil, and then turn off the heat and let them cook in the water for 10 minutes. Then submerge them in cold water, and then they are ready to peel. Another tip from Rebecca is to use older eggs instead of fresh, this makes them easier to peel. Once I got to her house, we made the mixture with just a few ingredients: mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, jalapenos, and salt. These turned out way too good, to be this easy! The jalapenos add a nice kick that makes Rebecca’s egg unique from other deviled eggs. Typically sweet relish is added to the yolks to make them sweet and luscious. For me, I like the kick, after all they are called deviled eggs, they should be a little dangerous!

Rebecca and I took photographs of the eggs. Rebecca has experience styling food and showed me some interesting tips. She used pointed Q-Tips to clean yolk that was tarnishing the gleaming egg white. She also used angled spatulas to swirl the filling. Adding a few more chopped jalapenos was all it took to make the eggs picture perfect. Look for Rebecca’s recipe and photos on Menu Planner, coming soon!