Daddy's 'Shrooms

One of the fondest memories I have of being in the kitchen is with my dad, when he was making his soy sauced mushrooms. Oh my goodness the smell!!! It was as if the aroma of the goodness was calling me into the kitchen every time he would make these. I remember him teaching my the recipe when I was just a little girl. Dad would place me on a chair or stool and let me be his cooking partner. He would let me pour the cap full of soy sauce, add the butter and drop in the shrooms. Pure bliss is this side dish. I ALWAYS make them anytime we have steak. As they are DELICIOUS on top of a perfrectly grilled piece of beef. Thanks Dad for such a great recipe, but an ever better memory !!

Ingred.
1 carton sliced button mushrooms
1-2 cap fulls of soy sauce
1 pad butter

Directions:
Melt the butter in a saute pan over med heat. Add the mushrooms and let them all get bathed in the butter. 1-2 minutes. Add the soy sauce and stir gently as not to break you the slices. Cook on med/low until all the sauce has absorbed into the mushrooms. Serve on the side or ontop of your steak and top with A1 Sauce.

Ok now I am seriously drewling ! Seriously, that good !!

My Mama's Ramake

So maybe you might be familiar with the old school version of this dish which calls for chicken livers to be added to the roll. YUCK !!! I can't even handle that. So imagine my suprise when my mom presented us girls with an updated version. Let me just tell you that these little bacon bites are perfect for a football game but fancy enough for a dinner party. These are great little appetizers that my good friend Jay Haugh said "are these sprinkled with crack because I can't stop eating them!". Oh yeah, they are that good!!!

This could not be easier.

Ingred.
2 cans water chestnuts -drained (asian aisle in the market)
1 lb bacon, each slice cut into thirds - I like Costco thick and sweet apple bacon !
Brown sugar
Dr. Pepper
Toothpicks

Empty the chestnuts into a bowl and cover completly with the Dr. Pepper over night. Drain the cola and coat with brown sugar. Mixing well so that all the chestnuts get covered. Then take 1/3 of a slice of bacon and wrap it around the chestnut and secure it with a toothpick. Place on a baking sheet that is lined with foil and broil them until the bacon is cooked and some what crisp.

Tada - enjoy!

Pork Chops W/ Apples and Onions

So it is pretty well known in my house that I have never eaten or remember eating Pork Chops and Applesauce. I am not much for the texture of applesauce quite fankly! After spending the day in Oak Glen apple tasting, I had a stange craving for this meal. After all the season's have changed and there is this lingerling bite in the air that just becons for a true fall meal. This is my take on a classic combo. Only without the whole texture thing :)


Ingredients:

4 bone-in pork loin chops, 1- inch thick ( I use the huge ones from costco)
Kosher salt
Extra-virgin olive oil
2 onions, thinly sliced
1 pinch crushed red pepper
2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and sliced
Pinch cinnamon
2 sprigs fresh rosemary, leaves finely chopped
2 cups apple cider

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Season the pork chops generously with salt. Coat a large saute pan with olive oil and bring it to a high heat. Sear the pork on both sides and on the fat edge, working in batches if the chops don't all fit in the pan at the same time. Be sure not to crowd the pan. Remove the pork from the pan and place on a cookie sheet. Finish the pork in the oven for about 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Ditch the excess fat from the saute pan. Give a drizzle of fresh olive oil and add the onions and crushed red pepper and season with salt. Cook until the onions become soft and aromatic. Add the apples, cinnamon and rosemary and toss to coat with the oil. Add the cider and cook until the cider has reduced by two-thirds and the onion-apple mixture is very soft and saucy. Serve over the pork chops.

Porky deliciousness!

BBQ Corn W/ Herb Butter

So Steve thought that he was not going to like this corn, since he only really eats it plain. To his suprise he loved it. I knew he would. He must have said 3 times later that night that he really liked this corn.

Ingred.
4 ears of corn in the husk
6 tbls. butter
2 tbls fresh parsley, minced
1 clove minced garlic
salt and pepper
Kitchen twine
Foil

Bring the butter to room temp. Once there, mix all the ingred (not the corn) into a small bowl and work together with a fork. Leave at room temp until ready to use.

Peel the husks back on the corn exposing the cob & remove all the silk, keeping the husks intact. Pull all the husks back towards the end of the corn and tie with kitchen twine. It will look like you have a long handle of husks with the cob attached. Brush all the corn with the herb butter and place on BBQ over med-high heat. Make sure that the foil is UNDER the husk handle as you BBQ or else you will have a FIRE!!! Rotate as the corn cooks and continue to baste with the herb butter. ~Enjoy~

Mama Fonda Rants

***WARNING**** the expressions commented below are solely the opinion of Mama Fonda and in no way are a personl attack on anyone. There, the disclaimer is out!!!! I feel better now ~

So listen. There are many ingredients or tools that people stock their kitchen with that drive me nuts. Today, I want to talk about Jared Garlic. Yes, it's convient. But is it really fresh???? Why does it have such an odd color???? Let me put it to you like this. For me, if I am going to cook, then taking the time to chop the garlic cloves is part of that process. Chances are that you already have a messy cutting board and knife so why skip this step. Smashing the cloves with the back of my knife to release the paper is almost theraputic. Take your agressions out on the garlic and you will have a much tastier dish. Plus, the added bonus of the lingering smell that perfumes your hands the rest of the day is pure bliss.

So, here is your mission should you choose to accept. Go into your refriderator right now, grab that jar (most likely expired) of garlic and chuck it into the trash. Now, make a promise to yourself never to replace it and enjoy the cooking experience!

Be Well & Eat Well

Summer Garden Pasta

This is a Barefoot Contessa reciepe that I just feel in love with when I made it last night. This recipe uses suprisingly simple ingredients but it has lots of flavor without being loaded with butter and cream. It's the essence of summer.

Serves 6

4 pints cherry tomatoes, halved. Mix and match yellow and red if available
Good EVOO
2 tbls minced garlic (6 cloves)
18 large basil leaves, julienned, plus extra for serving
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
Kosher Salt
1/2 tsp. freshly groung black pepper
1 pound Angel hair pasta
1 1/2 cups freshly grated Parm, plus extra for serving

Combine the cherry tomatoes, 1/2 cup EVOO, garlic, basil leaves, red pepper flakes, 1tsp. salt adn the pepper in a large bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and leave at room temp for a max of 4 hours.

Just before you are ready to serve, bring a large pot of salted water with a slash of EVOO to a boil. Add the pasta. Cook al dente according to the directions on the box. Drain the pasta well and add to the bowl with the cherry tomatoes. Add the cheese and some extra basil leaves and toss well.

Serve in large bowls with extra cheese on each serving.

*Fonda Riff* - We thought that this would be really good topped with crisped panchetta or bacon. Course, we think bacon goes with great with just about everything!!

Mustard Roasted Fish

Nothing's easier that this roasted fish! It only takes then minutes to make and it's good enough to serve to the fanciest company. Serve with steamed new potatoes and sauteed green beans. How chis is that?

Indreg.
4 (8 oz) fish fillets such as red snapper
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 oz. creme fraiche or sour cream
3 tbls dijon mustard
1 tbls whole grain mustard
2 tbls minced shallots
2 teas. drained capers

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Place the fish fillets skin side down on the sheet pan. Sprinkle generously with salt & pepper.
Combine the creme fraiche, two mustards, shallots, capers, 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp. pepper in a small bowl. Spoon the sauce evenly onver the fillets, making sure the fish is completly covered. Bake for 10-15 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fish, until it is barely done. The fish will flake apart easily at the thickest part when it is done.

Serve hot or at room temp with the sauce from the pan spooned on top.

Serves 4