Almond Shortbread Lollipops

I decided I wanted to do some Holiday baking. I went to Crate & Barrel yesterday and bought some cute cookie cutters. I opted for pretty generic shapes because I have Jewish friends. I didn't like the snowflake one. Bummer. I made all star cookies on lollipop sticks. They are all baked and in airtight containers rights now. I will decorate with white chocolate and royal icing tomorrow. I made four batches using two pounds of butter.

1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter (I bought Horizon Organic)
1/2 cup baker's sugar
2 teaspoons almond extract
2 - 2 1/2 cups of unbleached all purpose flour
water (as needed)

1. Cream together butter, sugar, and almond extract. (Bring butter to room temperature first.)
2. Mix in flour one cup at a time. You may not need the last 1/2 cup depending on consistency. I had to add a few drops of water to get the dough to come together. It was too crumbly. I thought I was going to have to toss it but I did a test bake and it tasted wonderful.

Tommorow they will be dipped in white chocolate and decorated with blue or red royal icing. Too bad the snowflake cutter was too difficult to deal with.

Grey's Anatomy Season Finale Dinner Party

We had a dinner party for the Grey's Anatomy season finale. Since the show is based in Seattle we decided to have a Seattle-themed menu. We had:

Mussels with Coconut Curry Sauce
Calamari with Sweet Garlic Chili Sauce
Shrimp & Tofu Spring Rolls with Peanut-Hoisin Sauce
Seattle Style Pizza
Oyster Sauce Bok Choi
Braised Artichokes
Lobster Corn Chowder
Ciabbatta and French Bread
Hazel Gelato Profiteroles with Chocolate Kahlua Sauce

It was a crazy rush to cook everything. I am still exhausted.

Salmon, Guacamole and Lime Chips

I cooked this tonight but I didn't have them together. I was in the mood for guac and the lime chips that Lisa got me hooked on. The salmon is for lunch tomorrow. I am planning on having that with a cesar salad or something.

I also took pictures of the roses I bought for myself. I needed to cheer myself up so I bought some pink roses.

Chicken Tortellini Salad

I made this salad for a barbecue at Lisa's on Sunday. Lisa barbecued some chicken breast and a pork loin. Kim brought over cheesy potatoes and poundcake for dessert. I also took over a bag full of plantains. We fried them up. They were yummy!


Tortellini Salad
- 1 package cheese tortellini; cooked, drained, and cooled
- 1 jar marinated artichoke hearts; drained and sliced
- 12 sun-dried tomatoes
- 2 ounces feta cheese
- 1 package fresh mozzarella; cut into cubes
- 1/4 onion, diced
-1/2 lb. mushrooms; sliced
- grilled chicken breast (marinated in salt, pepper, olive oil, and carne adobado spices)
- handful of pinenuts
- baby spinach

Vinaigrette Dressing:
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 6 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- salt and pepper -- to taste
- 1/2 cup olive oil

In a serving bowl, combine the tortellini, diced chicken, artichoke hearts, spinach, tomatoes, cheese, mushrooms, and onion. Toss together.

To make the vinaigrette, puree the garlic, oregano, tomato paste, vinegar, salt, and pepper in a blender or food processor; then, with the machine running, gradually add the oil to make a smooth emulsion. To serve, combine enough dressing with the salad ingredients to moisten them and toss to coat well. Top with pinenuts. Serve with spinach.

Chicken and Shrimp with Saffron Brown Basmati

This dish was inspired by Valenciana Paella minus certain ingredients and the paella pan. It was thrown together very quickly with the ingredients I had in the pantry. If I had mussels, seafood, rabbit, chorizo, and a few other items I would have made paella. But paella for one or even two is a sad dish to make so I usually settle for a very simplified version of this yummy spanish dish.

-olive oil
- onion
- garlic
- paprika
- salt
- pepper
- chicken breast
- pimentos
- shrimp
- shrimp shell and chicken bone stock
- brown basmati rice
- saffron
- peas
- parsley flakes

April 24,2006 - Cherrry Creek Grill's Macho Salad and Cornbread Skillet

Updated again on 3/16/2017 with Cornbread recipe from Hillstone.

***Update: 5/15/2010

I noticed that many people end up at my blog because they google "macho salad." I originally posted a recipe that I found. I didn't make any changes even though I noticed that it was missing a few items. I eat this salad all the time and have made it on several occasions. I can see the restaurant from my office window.

I made a few changes to the recipe. The first is changing the cider vinegar to champagne vinegar. I talked to one of the waiters and tried to get the recipe out of him. He only revealed that they used a champagne vinaigrette for the dressing.

The original recipe called for salad greens. The restaurant uses a mix of different baby lettuces including frisee. It also called for croutons but did not specify what kind of croutons. I know for a fact that they make their own croutons using leftover cornbread that they serve in the restaurant. They also use leftover rotisserie chicken. Rotisserie chicken is one of the entree options. The salad ingredients also changes from time to time. I listed the regular ingredients I find in my salad bowl.

The Hillstone Restaurant Group opened a Houston's in Cherry Creek. I ate there for the very first time a few weeks ago. The menu is definitely different from the Cherry Creek Grill but still very good.

***

Sunday was lunch at the Cherry Creek Grill with Chris. I ordered the macho salad like I usually do. The salad was a little different this time. The dates were missing and the tomatoes were sliced instead of the usual grape tomatoes. It was still good. The cornbread was also delicious. I found the below recipe under Fairway Grill's Macho Salad. The recipe seems pretty close. I think I shall attempt to make it this week. The Cherry Creek Grill is part of the Hillstone restaurant group. It operates under the name Houston's, Bandera, Palm Beach Grill...depending on what city you are in.

Dressing:

This recipe makes a lot of dressing! Halve or quarter it. Trust me.

1/2 cup spicy brown mustard

1 cup lemon juice

1/4 cup champagne vinegar

2 tbsp. brown sugar

2 tsp. kosher salt

1 tsp. black pepper

1/4 cup fresh garlic

1 tsp. dried basil

1 tsp. dried oregano

1 quart + 1 cup olive oil

Place all ingredients except oil in a bowl. Whisk in oil to emulsify by hand. Keep Chilled.

Salad:

5-6 cornbread croutons

3 cups baby lettuces

1/2 cup rotisserie chicken

1/2 cup grape tomatoes

8 medjool dates, roughly chopped

1/2 cup avocado, diced

1/2 cup fresh corn kernels, raw

1/2 cup almonds, roasted and chopped

goat cheese

green onions, sliced (I always request the salad without the onions.)

dressing (recipe above)

Toss everything together.

Hillstone shared several of their recipes with Bon Appétit Magazine, including their cornbread recipe.  The cornbread is pretty good. It's a toss-up between this cornbread and the other cornbread I make with jalapenos, cheese, and green onions.

Cast Iron Skillet Cornbread

1¼ Cups All-Purpose Flour

1 Cup Fine-Grind Cornmeal

1 Tablespoon Baking Powder

1½ Teaspoons Kosher Salt

4 Large Eggs

1½ Cups Canned Creamed Corn (From One 15-Ounce Can)

1 4.5-Ounce Can Mild Green Chiles, Drained, Chopped

1½ Ounces Mild White Cheddar, Grated (About ½ Cup)

1½ Ounces Monterey Jack, Grated (About ½ Cup)

¾ Cup Unsalted Butter (1½ Sticks), Room Temperature

⅔ Cup Sugar

Nonstick Vegetable Oil Spray

Place rack in middle of oven. Set 10-inch Cast Iron skillet on a rimmed baking sheet, place on rack, and preheat oven to 400°.

Whisk flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl to combine. Lightly beat eggs in a medium bowl to blend; whisk in creamed corn, chiles, cheddar, and Monterey Jack.

Mix butter and sugar in a large bowl with a wooden spoon just until butter absorbs sugar but butter is still in small pieces. Add egg mixture and mix until just combined. Mix in dry ingredients until barely incorporated.

Remove skillet from oven and lightly coat with nonstick spray. Scrape in batter (it should sizzle on contact and stay slightly mounded in the center).

Bake cornbread until top is golden brown and springs back when gently pressed, 35–45 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes before serving.

-->

Crú - A Wine Bar

Downtown Denver - Larimer Square
http://www.cruawinebar.com/

From left to right:

Charles Cimicky "Trump" '04 Barossa Valley, Australia
Round and juicy, not as dense as most Barossa Shiraz, but showing lots of ripe cherry and peppery spice notes. Tannins are soft.

Qupe, '04 Central Coast, California
A Firm, taut wine, with an earthy clay flavor at the core, with meat, beef and just-ripe berry flavors

Forefathers '04 McLaren Vale, Australia
Dense, but it seems to get more transparent with each sip. It has pepper and licorice overtones to the dark berry and cherry flavors, lingering enticingly as the finish starts to float.


We decided to go try out the new wine bar in Larimer Square after work on Friday. I highly recommend the place for the wine. The food was good but the portions were tiny for the price. Lisa and I split a few items. Lisa paid for my wine and the calamari, pizza, and the mussels we shared. I don't know why she did. it was too expensive for her to pay for the entire outing.

All three glasses in front of me were for me. It was part of the Sexy Shiraz wine flight. The one on the left was the yummiest. I have to go get myself a bottle of it.

I was a little nervous about venturing downtown right before a Rockies game. (I no longer live downtown so it is so damn inconvenient to drive downtown.) I found a spot right next to the Cheesecake Factory. It was only a few blocks from Larimer Square. I love Larimer Square. The few places that I have eaten at have all been excellent. When I got to the bar, Lisa and I were the only ones there so we grabbed a small table. A few minutes later Nicole arrived and said Oz and her husband were on their way. We asked the server to move us to a bigger table. Aaron showed up a few minutes later and then Karen showed up. We had to pull up an extra chair. I stayed until about 8:00. I ran across the street to the Market and grabbed two slices of the Spring Fling cake. I smiled at the guy. He gave me extra large slices of the cake. I took a slice over to Chris for his birthday. He agreed. It is the best cake in the world.

Mandarin Chicken Salad

This is an aboslutely gorgeous salad. I injured myself with the mandarin orange can as I was rushing to get this done before kickball last night. The chicken breast was marinated in salt, pepper, olive oil, and carne adobado seasoning. I grilled it in the george foreman beforehand. The greens are a mix of spinach and pre-packaged romaine hearts with red cabbage and carrots. I topped it off with sliced mushrooms, toasted almonds, strawberries, and mandarin oranges.

The star of the salad is the dressing. It is a sesame dressing that was inspired by a recipe I got from Frank's old roommate Steve who got it from a chef friend. The recipe was written on the inside cover of a cookbook. I got this recipe years ago and unfortunately it was misplaced in the many many moves so I came up with something very similar.

- sesame oil (i used to toast the oil first but in a rush so didn;t do it this time)
- balsamic vinegar (i used to reduce the vinegar until it got all syrupy but not this time)
- splenda
- sugar free apricot preserves
- sesame seeds
- paprika
- ground ginger
- salt
- pepper
- seasone rice wine vinegar
- olive oil
- garlic (didn't feel like chopping garlic)
- brown mustard (couldn't find it so i left it out)

Turkey Red Sauce w/ Whole Wheat Pasta

This was an impromptu dinner on Tuesday night. I was hungry and Gilmore Girls was starting in an hour so I whipped up some pasta. I had ground turkey and cooked cubed chicken breast so it all went into the sauce. I opened up a bottle of pinot noir and added it and drank the rest with dinner. The whole wheat pasta didn't tast bad but I noticed that they broke easily. I ended up with many short strands.

Uncle Dopey and Auntie Kate's Wedding

Uncle Dopey and Auntie Katie cutting the cake. The cake was really pretty with the calla lillies but it didn't taste that great.


Chicken Marsala. The picture was taken after I already started eating.

Closer shot of the chicken marsala. I am a big fan of perfect grill marks.

I snapped a shot of the food before eating it. Somehow the chicken marsala tasted like it had a little soy sauce in it. All in all the food was yummy. I didn't eat any of the steak. I heard the chicken marsala was superior. It was tender and juicy even thought it was made with white meat. Pictures on Monday since I left the camera cord attached to my work computer.

Passover Dinner

Kosher Brownies:

Matzo:

I was invited to have Passover dinner last night. I was asked to bring kosher wine. I went to the liquor store and as I stood there I thought there was a mistake. She did not mean kosher passover wine. She cannot because the stuff was about $4 a bottle. I called Lisa and talked to her husband Aaron. He told me that yes kosher wine is cheap and disgustingly sweet but it is ritual so I can buy a regular bottle of wine and another bottle of drinkable wine. I grabbed the Manischewitz and a bottle of sauvignon blanc.

Dinner was awesome. It was a four and a half hour long production.

From 6:00-7:00 - was appetizers. Aaron told the story behind the food we ate. Julie had gefilte fish, charote, hardboiled eggs, matzo, and bitter herbs with salt water.

7:00-9:00 - Dinner consisted of brisket, chicken, some kind of mushroom dish with matzo, matzo ball soup, delicious kugel that reminded me of quiche, and salad.

9:00 -10:30 - Dessert

Pile of Chocolate

I've never been a fan of dark chocolate until very recently. Now I love it. Above is a picture of ghirardelli unsweetened cocoa powder that I use to make yummy chocolate desserts, a 70% cocoa bar from Lindt, and an assortment of chocolates that Lisa brought back from Switzerland. I think it is time to make brownies.

Carb Simple Pancakes

I used a mix for these. The batter was a little thick but I made it work. Tonight I think I will make buckwheat pancakes for tomorrow morning.

Thai Feast

Brown Rice:

Chicken Red Curry:

Salad:

Pad Thai first batch:

Pad Thai second batch:

Purple Rice Pudding:


I invited a few people over for dinner on Sunday night. I only took a few pictures of the amazing meal. By the time I remembered the digital camera on the coffee table we were already rinsing the dishes for the dishwasher. I made shrimp & tofu pad thai, chicken red curry, shrimp & chicken tom yum soup, salad with thai peanut dressing, and my mom's purple rice pudding with taro.

I've posted the pad thai, tom yum, and a version of my red curry before. For the dressing it was my ex boyfriend's mom's recipe. It tastes wonderful and I am not kidding about the ingredients. I tweaked her recipe a bit but it still preserves the integrity of her recipe.

Thai Peanut Dressing
oil
1 clove garlic
3 T Peanut Butter
Bottle of Italian Dressing (I'm not kidding!)
yolks from the hard boiled eggs used for the salad
msg (I am asian. I am not afraid of msg)
salt
pepper

Saute the garlic in a little oil. Add the peanut butter and italian dressing. Crumble the egg yolks and add the mixture. Add salt & pepper to taste. That is it. Don's mom used to put everything into a blender. I just cook it all together since I have to saute the garlic.

Mom's Purple Rice Pudding
1/2 cup Thai black/purple rice
water
Taro root, cubed
salt
sugar
1 can coconut milk

Rinse rice. Bring rice and water to a boil. Simmer until rice is almost tender. Add taro root. When taro root is cooked through add remaining ingredients. Serve warm or cold.

I sometimes like it warm. My friend Stephanie prefers it cold.

NY Pizzeria: Best pizza in Denver

When I eat NY pizza I tend to be a pizza purist. I do not like very many toppings on it. Just sauce and cheese is good enough for me. Last night I opted for just cappacolo on one of the pizzas.

Engagement Chicken and Tostones

The two are not ideal pairings but I bought some plantains over the weekend and I do not want them to go bad so they will turn into either tostones or fufu tonight. I am still debating on the chicken on whether to do engagement chicken or a roast chicken with a jerk rub. Not enough veggies so I will probably add a nice salad.

Engagement Chicken
1 whole chicken (approx. 3 lb.)
2 medium lemons
Fresh lemon juice (1/2 cup)
Kosher or sea salt
Ground black pepper

Place rack in upper third of oven and preheat to 400 degrees. Wash chicken inside and out with cold water, remove the giblets, then let the chicken drain, cavity down, in a colander until it reaches room temp (about 15 minutes). Pat dry with paper towels. Pour lemon juice all over the chicken (inside and outside). Season with salt and pepper. Prick the whole lemons three times with a fork and place deep inside the cavity. (Tip: If lemons are hard, roll on countertop with your palm to get juices flowing.) Place the bird breast-side down on a rack in a roasting pan, lower heat to 350 degrees and bake uncovered for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and turn it breast-side up (use wooden spoons!); return it to oven for 35 minutes more. Test for doneness—a meat thermometer inserted in the thigh should read 180 degrees, or juices should run clear when chicken is pricked with a fork. Continue baking if necessary. Let chicken cool for a few minutes before carving. Serve with juices.

Tostones
disclaimer: I am not from latin american so I do my own version of tostones. There are several sites that explain this process a lot better than I do. True tostones fans will insist on using only green plantains for this but for me I like them a little ripe.

Canola oil
plantains
salt

Heat oil. Slice plantains on a bias. Fry until golden. (Sometimes I stop at this point, salt them, and eat.) Drain on paper towels. Smash the fried plantain slices with pan, water glass, rolling pin, your palm or whatever you have handy. Fry them a second time. Salt immediately.

Turkey & Chicken Breakfast Sausage

Banana Bran Muffins

Turkey Chicken Sausage


Buffalo Chicken Sandwich & Fruit Salad


Turkey & Chicken Breakfast Sausage
1 lb ground chicken breast
1 lb ground turkey
2 t rubbed sage
salt
black pepper
oregano
sugar free maple flavored syrup
crushed reds
ground cloves
thyme
tarragon
crushed garlic
italian sesoning

I mixed all the ingredients together and formed into patties. I pan-fried and then finished off in the oven. I also made more banana bran muffins at lisa's request. Also made whole wheat bread crumbs for the salmon cakes I am planning on making later this week.

Kaeng Chut Wunsen - I think this is how to spell it

Finished Soup

Ingredients

Close up of ingredients: green onions, elephant ear mushrooms, cilantro, shrimp, lilly buds, jalapeno,


I threw together a cellophane noodle soup last night. I left out the potatoes.

Teriyaki Salmon Burgers with Strawberry Mango Salsa on a Bed of Lemon EVOO Spinach

I totally cheated this time around by picking up the salmon burgers from Whole Foods. Strawberries are in season are oh so sweet right now. I made a nice salsa for the burgers.

Strawberry Mango Salsa
- mango, diced
- strawberries, hulled and sliced
- hot house english cucumber, diced (i think i will leave this out next time)
- green onions
- jalapeno pepper, diced
- cilantro, chopped finely
- salt
- lemon juice (or champagne vinegar)

Teriyaki Salmon Burgers
- Salmon, chopped
- whole wheat bread crumbs
- sesame seeds (black and white)
- green onions, chopped
- soy sauce
- ginger
- garlic
- splenda
- cilantro
- salt
- black pepper
- sesame oil

Spinach Salad, Strawberries, and Chicken

I've been on a spinach and strawberries kick lately. I have my bacon spinach salad at almost every meal. I buy the bagged spinach and top with hardboiled eggs, pine nuts, julienned sundried tomatoes with herbs, bacon, and whatever I have in the fridge. Yesterday I had grape tomatoes. The strawberries tastes so yummy. I think they are yummier after I cut them up.

What to cook tonight?

I haven't been in a cooking mood lately. I haven't been in the mood to do much of anything lately.

Mellon Financial Meeting

Mellon decided to come out and throw a lunch meeting at our office. Our facilities were not good enough for them so they brought tables, chairs, and the works. They transformed our modest conference room into a magnificent banquet hall. I wish I was able to get pictures of the setup and the food. I did get a picture of one of the fancy schmancy cupcakes. I didn't get a picture of the tiramisu.

Christine's Cocktail Party at Strings

Strings is one of my new favorite restaurants in Denver. The food is superb. The service is superb. This is how fine dining should be. We went there for Ben's farewell lunch and last night we held the farewell party for one of our VPs there. One of our employees has a special relationship with the owner and was able to work out a nice deal for the party. The food was delicious. The service was excellent. They brought out several different kinds of shrimp appetizers, bleu cheese mushroom caps, chicken bites, mini steak burgers, tomatoe, bisque, and crab cakes (the best dish of the night). For the dessert they brough out trays of yummy brownie bites, little apple thingys, and fresh strawberries. The photo above is of the desser tray. I took a picture with my phone and I think I moved that is why it is so blurry.

The picture below is a silly picture of us. Since my mouth was full I tried to duck away from the picture. You can see my empty plate in one hand and my drink in another.

Cooking Strike

I don't think I will be doing much cooking since my buddy Lisa is in Switzerland this week. Tomorrow Ms. Kimbelly is bringing lunch so I don't have to worry about that. It is really a good thing since I spent the entire day in the office. I picked up a roasted chicken breast, some whole wheat tortillas, raspberries, and some yogurt at the store. I shredded the chicken breast and served it on top of the tortillas with some salsa, cheese, and green leaf lettuce. I topped some chocolate ice cream with the raspberries. Dinner was quick and easy. Kim will be out the rest of the week and with Lisa in Switzerland, I don't think I will be making anything elaborate to eat. I'm still on my canned sardines kick. I know it is gross to many but I really enjoy it. It tastes good and is good for you. Next week I'll make teriyaki salmon burgers for the sb club. A few things have been a real staple on my everyday menu. Dannon yogurt with jello, milk for chocolate milk, meat, eggs, veggies, chia seeds...The dannon yogurt and milk is to make sure I get my dairy each day. Meat is a real staple. I eat eggs almost everyday. Lately poaching has been my favorite way to prepare them. Veggies in every form. Salads are great for salad. I love those bags of baby greens. Dinner is usually some cooked meat with steamed veggies. I drink my chia seeds religiously. Brown basmati and other whole grains are really starting to taste really good. Breakfast tomorrow may be the organic soy flax waffles or maybe some steel cut oats. Not quite sure yet. I guess it is my attempt at eating healthy. I am good when Lisa is around or when I eat alone but when other people are around I get tempted so easily to go for the onion rings and the pizza. I am not getting any younger so eating healthy is so much more important.

Stuffed Poblanos & Cobb"ish" Salad

Pictures later.

I was feeling kinda crappy last night. I even forgot to add salt to the chicken mixture.

Stuffed Poblanos
- poblano peppers; de-seeded and deveined
- ground chicken or turkey (i used ground chicken breast this time)
- cellophane noodle; soaked
- elephant ear mushroom
- egg
- salt
- pepper
- msg
- fish sauce
- green onions; chopped
- cilantro; chopped
- splenda
- I can't remember if I threw anything else in.

Cobb"ish" Salad
- mixed baby greens including baby spinach
- bacon
- satueed chicken breast
- turkey pepperoni slices
- hardboiled eggs
- grape tomatoes
- pine nuts
- cheese (mozzarella & parmesan)
- black pepper
- i can't remember what else. maybe i'll throw some mushrooms in.

Poached Eggs and Bacon

This was breakfast last Saturday. I peeled back the whites of one of the eggs to reveal the yolk. The bacon was cooked in the microwave. It is so much quicker when I only have to do two slices. It is also a lot less messy. I put them between paper towels and microwave for a minute. If I have to cook a few slices I still prefer cooking on a baking sheet in the oven.