Mussels Mussels Who's Got the Mussels?

I picked up about 4 pounds of mussels on Friday night at our local seafood shop. I went out to dinner last night so, they need be cooked before they come to an untimely death in the fridge. I usually steam them with a basic white wine and sauteed onion and garlic sauce. I decided to try a different recipe tonight. Still a white wine sauce but, a little spicy. It is a doctored up recipe from Cooking Light magazine. My husband and I just ate them as is. You could serve over pasta and sop up the sauce with crusty bread. Add a salad of mixed greens with balsamic vinaigrette and it is a guest-worthy meal. This is my favorite dinner!


Mussels with Tomato, Red Pepper and White Wine Sauce
Adapted from this recipe from Cooking Light, September 2005
serves 2
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup diced onion
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup red pepper, diced
1 medium tomato, diced
1/2 cup white wine
salt
pepper
red pepper flakes, to taste
4 pounds of cleaned mussels, rinsed and any seaweed cleaned off
Crusty bread for serving

In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium high heat and add the onions.  Saute for about 5 minutes. Add garlic, red pepper, and tomato and continue to saute for 2 minutes. Add pinch of salt and pepper and red pepper flakes to your desired amount of spiciness. I put in about a 1/2 teaspoon for a good kick. Add the wine and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer and add mussels. Cook until mussels just open, about 6 - 8 minutes. The longer you cook them, the tougher they get so watch closely. Pour the mussels and sauce in a large bowl and serve with the crusty bread.

Chicken Enchiladas

I feel a sense of relief when I think of something to make for dinner. Not that it is that difficult to think of the next tantalizing entree. I am relieved when I pick a menu and have all the ingredients in my pantry so another trip to the grocery store is unnecessary. This is even the sentiment of someone who lives to cook and actually likes spending time perusing the aisles of the local grocery store, corner butcher shop, and out of the way gourmet market.

Tonight's dinner revelation was for Chicken Enchiladas. I have spent the last week devising a specials menu for the cafe I work at and this recipe has made the cut. You can make this as mild as or spicy as you like by varying the amounts of spices added.

Chicken Enchiladas

The key to the authentic Mexican taste to these enchiladas is the chipolte powder and peanut butter in the quick to make sauce that tastes better than any variation in a can.

Serves 6

4 bone-in chicken breast halves
salt
pepper
chipolte powder
olive oil
1 can (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes
2 teaspoons cumin
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon chipolte powder
2 tablespoons peanut butter

12 (6 inch) tortillas
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
sour cream for serving
salsa for serving

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Place chicken in a 9 x 13 inch baking dish. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and chipolte powder and drizzle lightly with olive oil. Bake for about 25 - 30 minutes. Let cool slightly and then shred into small pieces.  Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees.

For the enchilada sauce, put crushed tomatoes, cumin, cayenne pepper, chipolte powder, and peanut butter in a medium sized saucepan. Stir to combine; the peanut butter will melt as the sauce simmers.  Simmer for about 15 minutes.

Spread about 1/2 cup of the sauce in the bottom of a 9 x 13 inch baking pan.  In a large bowl, mix about 1 cup of the sauce with the shredded chicken. Dip the tortillas one at a time into the remaining sauce. Divide the chicken evenly among the tortillas and top with shredded cheese. Roll up tortillas and place in a baking pan. Ladle the remaining sauce over the prepared enchiladas and sprinkle with more cheese. Bake for 15 -20 minutes at 375 degrees. Serve with sour cream and salsa.

Blueberry Bread Pudding Pancakes

Sometimes, breakfast is actually dinner. I have been meaning to try this new recipe and thought dinner was as good a time as any. It is like eating dinner and dessert all at the same time. I ran across a recipe for Bread Pudding Pancakes in int now defunct Garden Plate magazine a couple months ago and decided the idea sounded interesting. I hardly ever eat pancakes. The whole sugar rush thing first thing in the morning really throws me into high gear.

I have been testing new breakfast items for the menu at Lake Mohawk Gourmet Foods which is the cafe where I work. I have eaten stacks and stacks and stacks of pancakes. This recipe was a smashing success! The pancakes are a cross between a fluffy french toast and a pancake. They look pretty lumpy when they are cooked but, they come out fantastic. I got 2 rave reviews and one "no thanks" from my kids. I actually put them on the menu at the cafe this past weekend and had many a clean plate club member.

Here is my version of the recipe -- give it a try for yourself!

Cinnamon Blueberry Bread Pudding Pancakes

makes about 10 large pancakes

8 slices of cinnamon swirl bread, slice into 1/2 inch cubes
2 1/4 cups milk
2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs, beat slightly
4 tablespoons butter, melted plus extra for cooking
1 cup fresh blueberries
Syrup

Put bread in a large bowl. Add milk and stir to coat all cubes. Mix in cinnamon and nutmeg. Let sit for about 10 minutes until bread gets pretty mushy. Add flour, baking powder, and salt and stir until just combined. Stir in eggs and butter until just combined. Heat griddle to medium. Coat griddle with melted butter. Ladle about 1/3 cup of the batter onto hot griddle. Dot with a few of the blueberries. Cook for about 3 -4 minutes watching carefully so the pancakes don't burn. Flip and continue cooking for about another 2 -3 minutes. The centers of the pancakes will be moist but cooked. Serve with warm syrup.

If you want to change up these pancakes, add different fruits or top with sauteed bananas or apples.

Thin Crust Pizza

I have been making my own pizza crust for as long as I have been making pizza. Growing up, my Dad would buy a pizza dough mix that was basically flour, yeast and salt and we would add oil and water. Once I figured out how easy it was to make, I have been working on perfecting my recipe.

I make thick crust, double crust and thin crust pizzas. Tonight's dinner was Thin Crust Pizza and I think it the best recipe to date.

chef tips for making thin crust pizza

The key was baking the pizza on parchment paper on a baking stone. It made it easy to roll the dough, get the pizza in and out of the oven, and there was no mess. I also made a quick sauce with canned crushed tomatoes, basil, and sauteed onions. I topped some of the pizzas with just mozzarella and the others with tomatoes and fresh mozzarella. I also brushed the edge of the crust with olive oil and sprinkled it with some bread dipping spices. Here are the recipes I used:

Thin Crust Pizza -- makes about 6 (12-inch) pizzas

serves 6 generously

6 cups flour
3 1/2 teaspoons fast-acting yeast
2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon honey
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 1/4 cups warm water

Mix flour, yeast, and salt in a standing mixer. Add in honey, olive oil, and water and mix until dough starts to come together. Remove from bowl and knead for about a minute or two. Add more flour if dough is too sticky. Place dough in an oiled bowl and cover in plastic wrap and a towel. Let rise for about an hour.

Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Place a baking stone on a rack in the lower third or the oven. Divide dough into 6 pieces. Work with one piece at a time and form into a disk. Place dough onto a piece of parchment paper and roll out into a 12 inch circle. The dough should be really thin. Spread with a thin layer of sauce and top with mozzarella cheese or the toppings of your choice. Slide the parchment and pizza onto baking stone. Bake for about 8 - 10 minutes until lightly browned. Remove parchment and pizza from oven. I like to slice my pizzas in squares. Enjoy!!!!

Fresh Marinara or Pizza Sauce

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
1 can (28 ounces) Italian plum tomatoes

8 - 10 fresh basil leaves, chopped or 2 teaspoons dried basil
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
salt and pepper to taste

Sauté onions in the olive oil until transparent, about 8 - 10 minutes. Place the tomatoes in a large bowl and mash with a potato masher or crush the with your hands.  Add the tomatoes and the remaining ingredients and simmer sauce for about 20 - 30 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Day 1 - January 6, 2007

Like the rest of the world, I have decided to start a blog. I have been contemplating it for some time -- not sure what my topic would be. I am an avid cook and know it would have something to do with food. I think I have come upon an idea that will be of interest to fellow food lovers. Stay tuned for a year worth of dinners. On my Dinners for a Year blog, I am planning on cataloging all of the dinners I prepare this year. Or at least as many as I can. I will post the menus and recipes I use, successes, failures, and anything else that comes to mind. Of course, I'll throw in other epicurean related topics.