Luscious Raspberry Tiramisu

I've really loosened up since beginning this venture, this wonderful world of Jen's Dish has become a place for ideas and creations beyond what I thought the day I sat down and wrote my first post. I've taken to being really open to new and creative subliminal ideas planted in my mind by an array of fine chefs, as I read every cook book I can get my paws on, and look up online dishes that I think of off the top of my head, things i may have had once in a restaurant and just come back to me, or I am reminded by a small detail I see, hear, touch, or smell. Tiramisu is a tricky game to play as the combos need to be simple and elegant, much like myself, ha ha!!! Hippie girl gets simple and elegant....film at 11!!! Who would have thought a girl from such humble beginnings, a hippie kid running around the wilds of Big Sur, and Hawaii, sings the blues, does live theatre,works in the restaurant biz, Bartending, and happens to be a hell of a cook, years later ends up writing a blog on the internet, something until about 5 years ago I new nothing about, and until last year in Oct. while sitting in a movie theatre watching Julie and Julia, had no idea what blogging really was, as it's very much about life, your life my life, doesn't matter. It's about stories and recipes for me and the sweetest form of inspiration, a movie where this all formed in my head before the movie was even over, the main thing being, that I saw for the first time that Julia Child started her "working life" at about 40 yrs old and that it wasn't to late for me to do anything I set my mind to. It literally came over me like a wave, not just her story but the story of Julie as well, realizing her potential as a cook and a writer. My father was a writer and a very good one I might add, with many credits to his name, big ones like the Milton Berle, Andy Williams, and The Perry Como Show,and of course "Make Me Laugh" I mean a real live writer, and I wish he was around today to see my work as I feel he would kvell* over it!!! And speaking of kvelling that is how I feel about this creation.
This was absolutely, a five star experience for the tastebuds, some of it I took from a recipe I found, and of course just adjusted it to make it my own, as it had raw alcohol in it which i don't do, so I took out the alcohol by bringing it to a low boil, (and you can do this with any alcohol) and added a few twists.

Raspberry Tiramisu:

Have ready a deep glass bowl, or a 13x9x2"pan
3 cups Fresh Raspberries
1 cup seedless raspberry jam
2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp lemon juice
8 TBLS. Grand Marnier or Cointreau brought to a low simmer for 2 minutes, taking out the alcohol, leaving only the flavor behind ( even though I don't drink, I still never liked the taste of raw alcohol in this dessert) this will leave you with about 6 TBLS. If you like the taste, skip this step.
1 lb. Marscapone Cheese at room temperature
1 cup heavy cream 
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 packages ladyfinger cookies, about 48 cookies

Mix together, in bowl
Jam
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp lemon juice
3 TBLS. Liquor


In a large bowl combine marscapone cheese, and other
3 TBLS. Liquor, until smooth.

In a large Mixing bowl put
1 cup heavy cream 
1 tsp. vanilla
and sugar
Beat on med high to high until soft peaks form.
Add 1/4 of the whipped cream to the marscapone and mix to lighten, then fold in the rest of the whipped cream.

Now to assemble:
Line the bottom of your dish with 1/3 ladyfingers or to cover bottom of dish

spread with 1/3 of jam mixture
then a layer of 1/3 marscapone and
1/3 of fresh raspberries,
repeat until all gone and make the top pretty with the best of the raspberries, atop the last layer of Marscapone!!!
This dessert is better left over night in the fridge, it should be made a day in advance. As it gets better the longer it sits!!!

*To kvell, is to be gushing with pride over a child's or family members accomplishment!

And as always, Enjoy!!!
LIVE,LOVE,LAUGH,COOK!!!
© Jennifer Green Alger 2010 VELL: To beam with pride and pleasure, Jewish parents are prone to kvell over their children's achievements. 

Brotha Bill's Chocolate 3 Layer Cake

Our father Morton Joseph Green or "Morty Joe" as I loved to call him had a insane love for chocolate cake, actually the frosting, I remember many a luncheon date at "The Cock & Bull" restaurant on Sunset Blvd. near Doheny Dr., where he would order this (what seems as a child) to be a mile high piece of chocolate cake that he would eat all the frosting off of and leave the cake sitting there all lonely on the plate, so feeling sorry for it I would gobble it up as fast as I could so it wouldn't feel bad!!! I remember after all these years that it was three layers high and just huge in every way, it came on a dinner plate, at least that's how my child's mind remembers it.
     Anyways, upon my most recent visit to San Rafael in Marin Co. to see my Brother Billy and his beautiful family, he announce's that he wants Chocolate Cake! With a lot of frosting, he says there's never enough frosting and that he wish's me to make one for him to which I lovingly reply "Why of course brotha dear!" in my finest british accent. And you my followers know when I say I'm gonna do it well by all means....I'm gonna do it! And so the search for a recipe I can make my own begins .....and of course I'm away from home so I don't have My homemade cookbook and all my other wonderful books but I do have a Bon Appetite magazine which just happens to have a whole story on the last 10 years of Chocolate Cakes published in the mag! What a coinky-dink! I pick the tallest one I can find as now he's got me thinking of our Daddy, and his love of this coveted cake! Oddly we even have to go to William Sonoma to find special pans to make the cake tall like he wants it! Apparently I will do anything for my brother still as when I was a child he was very much my hero and protector, and most of all, and most importantly my very best friend.

Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake: (One of the best and moistest cakes you'll ever make)

3 oz bittersweet chocolate , (not to exceed 61%cacoa), chopped
3/4 cup cocoa powder, (use a good quality)
1 3/4 boiling water
2 3/4 all purpose flour
1 1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 cup sugar
1 cup dark brown sugar
1 1/3 cups Best Foods Mayo (not reduced calorie)
2 lg eggs
2 tsps. pure vanilla extract

Chocolate Frosting:
10 oz. Bittersweet Chocolate not to exceed 61%, chopped
3 sticks unsalted butter, softened
3 1/2 cups sifted powdered sugar
1 TBLS. pure vanilla extract

Preparation:
Cake:
Preheat oven to 350ºF. Butter and flour 3  8" round pans, w/ 1 1/2 inch sides.
Put chopped chocolate and cocoa in a bowl and pour boiling water over and mix well with a whisk until smooth.
Sift flour, baking soda and powder into another bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat both sugars and mayo in a large bowl until blended, 2 to 3 minutes until well blended. Add eggs 1 at a time beating after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Add flour and chocolate mixture in 3 parts each, alternately, beating well after each addition and scraping down sides of bowl. Divide batter evenly among prepared cake pans and bake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Cool in pans for 20 minutes and transfer to a cooling rack until completely cool.
Preperation:
Frosting:
Put chopped chocolate in a bowl over a saucepan of boiling water, and melt stirring until smooth. Remove to cool until lukewarm, stirring occationally.
Using a electric mixer, beat butter till smooth and creamy. Sift powdered sugar over butter and beat until blended, about 2 minutes, beat in vanilla, add melted chocolate and mix until blended well, scraping down sides as you go.

Place 1 cake layer top side down on a cake plate (with a high topped dome), frost w/ 3/4 cup frosting and put another layer on and frost, place last layer on top, and frost top and sides of rest of cake as neatly as possible, (this cake is so moist you can also do this one day in advance).
Cut cake into wedges and serve.

And as always, Enjoy!!!
LIVE, LOVE, LAUGH, BAKE!!!
© Jennifer Green Alger 2010

Marinated Balsamic Tri-Tip w/ Roasted Garlic and Vegis

While away in Central Cali I didn't have much luck with beach weather -- oh, let's just say it: It was cold and crappy the whole trip. So, trooper that I am I decided to make the best of it and resigned myself to cooking, taking pictures for future posts, turning on the fireplace, soakin' in the hot tub and picking out a bunch of movies that I had yet to see. By the way, that included Avatar, which, good as it was, left me scratching my head: Did anybody eat a bite of food in this movie? Well, to pick up the slack, we were cooking and baking in the biggest and best way while we watched, using the pause button liberally throughout both viewings. That's right, I had to watch it two different times while I was there. I'm sure I'll watch it again and again, even though there was no food! I of course can't stop saying "I see you" to people, but anyhow as I watched and cooked I got enough material for about six posts.

We needed to stock up for this cinematic, culinary weekend, and shopping is always the funniest part of the journey for me: Sometimes I know exactly what I'm getting, and other times I just kind of grab this and that and figure it all out when I start cooking. In this instance, one thing I knew was I wanted to do one meal entirely on the BBQ, so I grabbed a tri-tip, plus my baking supplies, some French roast coffee (the French press at the house had my name on it!), and then it was off to the famous produce stand in Moss Landing.

As I've said before in these webpages, that town happens to sit in "the Salad Bowl" of California, so everything is super fresh and cheap, in other words right up my alley! Two huge bags of produce came to a whopping eight bucks, and suddenly Whole Foods seemed awfully expensive (must rethink that love affair). We had beets and mushrooms and squash, jalapeno and pasilla peppers, oranges, mangos, onions, garlic -- well, you get the picture. Awesome picture!!! Almost as good as Avatar . . . and the French Press, which is my new best friend by the way!!!

Back at the house we felt the time to marinate was upon us (many's the time you've felt that, right? Right???!!) and there was quite a wide selection of spices so it was splendid! I'll go into the rest of this all-barbecue meal in other posts, but for now we'll start with the centerpiece.

Marinated Balsamic Tri-Tip With Roasted Garlic and Veggies:

In a large Ziploc bag place:

1 3lb tri-tip, trimmed, washed and dried

2 tbs. aged balsamic vinegar

2 tbs. Worcestershire sauce

1/4 cup olive oil

1 tbs. garlic powder

1 tbs. paprika

1 tbs. black pepper

2 tbs. steak or beef rub of choice

Smush all the spices together with the liquids and marinate overnight if possible, or at least for four hours. For a medium rare result, cook on the barbie on medium high heat for 25 to 28 minutes. Remove and let rest for 20 minutes, slice and serve.

While the tri-tip is cooking, cut the ends off of two bunches of garlic, season with steak rub and olive oil, wrap in foil and place on the BBQ for 40-45 minutes or until tender. 

Cut into 1/2" pieces:

4 med zucchini

4 med yellow summer squash

Place in foil pouch and season with:

Chopped fresh garlic

Olive oil

Kosher salt

Fresh ground black pepper

Paprika

Close tightly and cook on BBQ for 10-12 minutes.

And as always, enjoy!!!
LIVE, LOVE, LAUGH, COOK!!!
© Jennifer Green Alger 2010

Grilled Teriyaki Chicken and Veggies

    

I can't say for sure about the genesis of the dressing/marinade for this dish, except it may reach back to when I lived in Hawaii so many moons ago. Ever since I came up it I've got luau on the brain and feel the islands pulsing through my veins like some wild and crazy drug -- only I'm stone cold sober. But hey, the islands make you feel high anyway. As soon as you exit the plane, the humidity and sights and smells of all that lies before you there begin to take you over, from the beautiful girl who just put the lei around your neck to the foliage looking as foreign as anything you've ever seen. And as you drive towards the ocean and take in the blues and greens around you, it's quite breathtaking.

I associate Hawaii to a great extent with food because the food there is incredible, not to mention that I was already well on my way to being a foodie even then, at 13-14 years old. And what a place to learn new things, working with ingredients I had never even heard of. It was like a treasure trove of fascinating new tastes and textures, what with all the fresh seafood being pulled right out of the ocean before my very eyes to all those gorgeous and delectable fruits and nuts. And the seasonings -- OMG!!! I wasted no time in making the locals my friends and absorbing the island ways so I could wade right in and learn how to make salty and sweet come together in a way I never knew existed. I still use these tastes today to give people's palates a run for their money!!!

This marinade is so light that when you're done with the overnight marination, you can dry the chicken, brush with oil and throw on the grill with no sticking. Then pop open your favorite bottle of teriyaki sauce (or make your own) and brush it on once the cooking process is in full swing, so that the sugars in the sauce don't burn, just glaze. And by the by, this marinade can be used on beef, pork, fish and a wide array of veggies. I also use it as a salad dressing! Brilliant if I do say so myself!!! (Oh, I just did!)

First things first, make and marinate the chicken the night before.

Marinade:
In a glass bottle/jar mix equal parts:

1/2 cup each:

Soy Sauce


Rice Vinegar


Brown Sugar


Toasted Sesame Oil


2 TBLS. Toasted Sesame Seeds (optional)

Shake well until the sugar is dissolved, then add:

Rooster Sauce (Sriracha, also optional)


Garlic Powder


Ground Ginger to taste.

I use about a teaspoon each.

Shake well again, and pour over, just enough to coat, reserving the rest for tomorrow:

3 lbs Skinless Boneless Chicken Breasts or any chicken you prefer, bone in or out.
Refrigerate.

Bottle of your favorite:
Teriyaki Sauce


Heat your grill to about 350ºF

When ready to grill, remove from marinade and pat dry, brush with oil or spray with Pam, and grill.
About half way thru start to brush on the Teriyaki Sauce, you can use the marinade or a bottled sauce, or make some teriyaki glaze of your own. I won't know as I won't be there, so feel free to experiment!!!

While the chicken is cooking have ready some sliced veggies of choice, in this instance I used:
4 large zucchini
4 small eggplant
Brush with oil and grill until done and remove to platter, and pour some of the marinade over veggies while very hot.

Remove the chicken once it is done, about a half hour to 40 minutes for the skinless/boneless breasts. Let the chicken sit for 5-10 minutes.

Serve with  the Honey Lime Sesame Slaw from the last post, what a great and healthy meal!!!

And as always, enjoy!!!
LIVE, LOVE, LAUGH, COOK!!!
© Jennifer Green Alger 2010

Honey Lime Sesame Slaw w/ Toasted Almonds & Blueberries

 

I recently started exercising again after months of, well, just NOT, and I have concluded it is worth writing about because right now I can barely move my legs and am stuck here with my computer keyboard staring back at me saying, "Pick me, pick me!!!" -- Or is that "Feed me"??!

See, as some of you know, I lost a lot of weight last year -- yes, 48 pounds!!! -- and have been diligent about eating healthy to keep it off. When I began my weight loss journey, I took up walking as my main form of exercise, because I have a Jack Russell terrorist --er, terrier -- no, terrorist is what she is! -- who needed it too. I soon started to incorporate squats and lunges, and later some "old school" stuff like sit-ups and push-ups, sets of 20, 30 or as many reps as I could stand. The problem was, I developed TOO healthy an appetite and at a certain point hit a weight-loss plateau from which I could not budge. I tried everything to continue losing and nothing worked . . . until I quit exercising all together, and voilà, I lost the weight like "bam"!!!

But I never went back to my exercise routine or anything like it and thus as I write this am rowing my boat upstream. When was it I decided to give up exercise altogether? Had I been smart I would have gone back to it when I hit my goal weight, which to be honest was months ago. Don't get me wrong, I'm proud that I tricked my body into doing what I wanted, namely "sheddin' the sugarbags," if ya catch my drift, but I also coincidentally tricked my mind into believing my body no longer needed to work out . . . which it does.

My advice to anyone coping with these kinds of issues: Get up off your tushy, make this slaw and eat a big bowl after a workout, along with a good source of protein like the teriyaki chicken I served this with (recipe to follow soon). When assembled all the best qualities of these ingredients make for an awesome "slaw"!!!

Honey Lime Sesame Slaw With Toasted Almonds & Blueberries:

The Dressing:

In a jar with a tight fitting lid, combine:

Juice of 2 oranges

Juice of 2 limes

1/4 cup seasoned rice vinegar

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup honey

Toasted sesame oil to taste (I use a lot, like a tablespoon, but it is a strong flavor so add a little at a time)

Adobo Seasoning

Salt to taste

Shake well.

The Slaw:

1 head Napa cabbage, sliced medium fine

2 bulbs fennel, sliced thin

1 apple cut into "match-sticks" (squeeze a little lemon on the apple after slicing to keep from browning)

1 cup blueberries

1 cup toasted almonds

Layer ingredients in the above order for a nice presentation. Add the dressing, toss and serve.

And as always, enjoy!!!

LIVE, LOVE, LAUGH, COOK!!!

© Jennifer Green Alger 2010

Artichokes Extraordinaire

Travelers through Central California inevitably learn the remarkable abundance of the artichoke. No ordinary plant, as I learned as a small child -- one of my favorites then and now.

The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language says it is:

"1. A Mediterranean thistlelike plant (Cynara Scolymus) in the composite family, having pinnately divided leaves and large discoid heads of bluish flowers.

"2. The edible, immature flower head of this plant. Also called globe artichoke."

As you drive up California's Highway 1 through Moss Landing and Castroville you will see fields of these beautiful creations at every stage of growth, not to mention half a dozen roadside stands where you may purchase them. There are so many sizes of these gorgeous globes to choose from and so many different ways to serve them.

Back in the day in our house we had them the traditional way: Steamed or boiled and kind of waterlogged with a side of mayo or butter; you plucked the leaves from from the bud, and, using your bottom teeth, scraped the meat off each leaf, yielding tiny but delicious treats until you got to the choke, which was then removed by an adult as they would prick our tiny little fingers! And oh, the heart, now that was the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, so to speak, so sweet and savory that I would eat it as slowly as I could, all the while guarding it from my brother who I knew would eat his very quickly! No sharesies, bro! And so it was for many years.

Jump to the future, i.e., now, which I consider to be one of the most intriguing times ever for culinary exploration. If you read my post on the Los Angeles restaurant the Bazaar you'll agree there are now so many ways to cook everything from an arti to foie gras that it's nearly overwhelming. We have entered a gastronomic revolution where all bets are off! Anyway, this particular recipe was taken from a way I saw it cooked once, can't even recall where, only I prefer my way, doing it with very small artichokes. It was on my recent trip north that the recipe came to fruition and I must say is one of the best things I've ever eaten, absolutely!

Artichokes Extraordinaire:

To begin, steam in a large pot:

2 dozen baby artichokes. The bottoms should be chopped off at the tender point and the pointy tops chopped off in the same manner, peeling away the tough outside leaves to reveal the heart of the artichoke. As you cut out each heart, drop it into water with the juice of a lemon so as to avoid browning. (You could also use frozen, though not canned, artichoke hearts, but I would go the extra mile.)

When about half-way cooked (10-12 minutes) remove to let them cool. Preheat oven to 375ºF.

While the hearts are cooling, gather the rest of the ingredients:

1-1/2 cups seasoned bread crumbs

1-1/2 cups finely shredded Parmesan cheese

5 cloves of garlic, pressed or minced finely

1/2 stick butter, melted with the garlic. Don't cook it; I do it in the microwave 30 seconds at a time, in a cup or small bowl.

Cut the half-cooked and now cooled artichokes in half and place in a 13" x 9" x 2" inch well-oiled baking dish. Sprinkle alternately a few times with bread crumbs and cheese until they are all well-covered, and then spoon the melted garlic butter over the top. Bake for 20 minutes or until top is golden brown. If (like me) you like it almost burned around the edges, put it under the broiler for a minute or two -- but watch very closely. Remove and serve. Extraordinary!!!!

And as always, enjoy!!!
LIVE, LOVE, LAUGH, COOK!!!
© Jennifer Green Alger 2010

Ready-Fire Roasted Pasilla Peppers, Tomato and Chicken Enchiladas

I'm sure many of you recall "Dakota and Montana's Enchilada Pie for Girl's on the Go-Go", as a matter of fact it is still one of my most asked for recipes that have ever been posted, perfect for everyone with a very busy schedule, and that would be most of us. But that recipe was from a whole different time in my life, "that girl" who I always thought of myself as has changed in oh so many ways, I'm older and wiser, calmer and more collected, more grounded and real, but still a great person to have at your party, although now I'm known more for my cooking than my antics! This is a recipe for the real deal, kind of like me.
Anyways, that's a whole other post, so while on my visit to Central Cali. which I mentioned in my last post, I was cooking up a storm and had made a Rotisserie Chicken rubbed with all kinds of great stuff (coming soon to a Jenni's Dish near you!) and the next day wanted to roll over that meal into another, so off to "The Whole Enchilada Market Place" I went and picked out some gorgeous looking Pasilla Peppers, Tomato's and Onion which I took home and fire roasted on the Barby, and the idea of enchiladas was already on my mind from visiting this wonderful market place so many times, I'm sure they were sick of me by the time I left.
So this was a trip for total relaxation, which to me means cooking. But not the kind of cooking young Jenni did but the kind the new and revised version of myself would do, slowly and methodically, going the extra mile with the ingredients to bring out the very best flavors! I took a few shortcuts, let's face it who has all day? You won't find much use for a timer in this recipe just the need for a pleasant evening to dedicate to your culinary prowess! Take your sweet time with this, it will be worth  your while.

Fire Roasted Pasilla Pepper, Tomato and Chicken Enchiladas:

What you'll need:
Meat from a roast chicken, removed from bone and left in large pieces as it will come apart as it cooks down with the peppers, tomatoes, onion and garlic (using leftover roasted garlic, gives a nice flavor), but raw will do the trick.

3-4 large pasilla peppers roasted peeled and sliced
3-4 tomatoes roasted peeled and cut into chunks (to make sure you retain the juices)  cut on a plate.
1 whole onion
4-5 lg cloves of garlic, sliced in large pieces
1 small can tomato sauce
Adobo salt and pepper to taste
2 packages shredded "mexican blend" cheese (they sell it right there at Ralph's)
2 lg. cans Enchilada Sauce, you can make this from scratch but they make such good ones now.....just don't be cheap and buy a good brand, you'll be adding the blended pepper mixture to the sauce.
1 cup pepper mixture (you will be setting aside)
Tortillas, I use flour, but use what you like!

So to fire roast your peppers and tomato, get the grill going to a high heat, if you don't have a grill available, you can also use a broiler for this but I'll warn ya, it won't take long and you'll need to watch this process closely no matter how you do it.
Keep turning as the peppers/tomatoes blister and slightly char, and once you have gotten most of the area done, remove and immediately place in a bowl and cover with a clean kitchen towel, so they steam and any remaining skin will peel right off.

Saute the onion in a lg. pan over med high heat, when it begins to get a little color on the edges, add:
Garlic and saute a minute or to more then add:
Peppers
Tomato's and mix well, turning heat to med.
add:
Tomato sauce, bring to a simmer, and lower heat even more,  and add seasoning to taste, cover and
Let it simmer about 10-15 minutes and remove about a cup, and put in a blender,blend, set aside.
Add chicken and let simmer another 15-20 minutes, adding some liquid (water, boullion,tomato juice) if necessary, turn off heat and get ready to roll.

Mix about a can and a half enchilada sauce with the blended pepper mixture.

In a lg baking pan, cover the bottom of the pan, with sauce.

Roll each tortilla with a generous amount of chicken/pepper mixture and cheese, place it against one side of pan and repeat as necessary, until the pan is full, pour remaining enchilada sauce over the top, and then cheese it! Put into a 350ºF oven for about 20- 30 minutes or until bubbly and lightly browned.

Serve with Pico de Gallo or Salsa Fresca.

And as always, enjoy!
LIVE, LOVE, LAUGH, COOK!!!
© Jennifer Green Alger 2010 

Stuffed French Toast w/ Sauteed Ginger Mangos

On a recent visit to Central Cali I was having such a good time that I decided to go off my diet for a day or two . . . or three. Hey, you don't have to be Sherlock Holmes to figure out this mystery -- I went a little wild --okay, a lot wild!!! I was staying near Salinas, which is known as the "Salad Bowl of America." Now when I was growing up in Big Sur we would make weekly runs up the coast past Monterey to Moss Landing, a sleepy little beach and fishing community still to this day, to pick up produce, at about the only such market around, called the Thistle Hut. It's still in business today, but it ain't got nothin' on a newer place there called the Whole Enchilada Produce Market! This place is amazing; both the quality of the produce and rock bottom prices blew my mind, especially since I've been living in LA and shopping at Whole Foods -- do the math.

And it just so happens that the friend I was staying with is buds with the owner of that establishment! So it should come as no surprise that not just this recipe but another three or four more to come were made from the beautiful produce we purchased on our daily trips to the WEPM. I did not stop cooking for two days straight and everything came out so good I couldn't decide which one to post first! As you know I'm always on a diet and looking for clever ways in recipes to replace fat, sugar, etc. with healthier alternatives -- but I gotta warn you, none of the recipies from this trip are diet fare; we're talkin' 'bout "(This) Girl's Gone Wild (For Food)" -- no nudity involved aside from the ingredients! I had a blast, and this is what I'll start with: Breakfast!

Stuffed French Toast With Sauteed Ginger Mangoes:

Have ready a medium saute pan, and another to do the french toast in.

Here's what you'll need:

1 stick butter

1 loaf sourdough bread

1 package cream cheese -- don't even think about the reduced fat kind but do not use whipped

3 eggs

A dash of whole milk to put in the eggs

Nutmeg

Cinnamon

Ground Ginger4-5 ripe mangoes, peeled and cut off the pit in 1-1/2 inch pieces

4 tbs. brown sugar

4 tbs. honey

Powdered sugar

Put a little dash of sea salt in the eggs and the mangoes because a small amount of salt makes sweet stuff really POP! (I told you I went a little crazy, right?)

Okay, so make the cream cheese sandwiches ahead of time and set aside, so that when the mangoes are almost done, you are ready to rock and roll.

Whip the eggs and milk together with a dash of each spice, then set aside.

In the saute pan melt 1/2 a stick of butter over medium heat and add mangoes.

Saute for a minute or three and add:

Sugar

Honey

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 or 2 tsps ground ginger

and a dash of sea saltBring to a nice simmer for 3-4 minutes, and turn to the lowest heat.

Next do the sandwiches in batches if necessary using 1 tbs. of butter for each batch you do,

over medium high heat to get a nice golden brown.

Spoon the mangoe mixture over the sandwiches, sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve.

OMG!! Yum!!!

And as always, enjoy!!!

LIVE,LOVE, LAUGH, COOK!!!
© Jennifer Green Alger 2010

Fettucini Alfredo "Lite" w/ Asparagus, Baby Bellas,Chicken and Basil

Ah, dear dear Alfredo my old friend! We had quite the love affair -- that is, until last year when I went on my diet and sadly had to cut him off. My poor heart was breaking at the thought of bidding adieu to this oh-so-attractive creamy, dreamy and steamy man-dish. Watching the cheese melt into the sauce was always my favorite part (down, girl!) . . . yet alas, no cheese was on my diet. With a giant tear streaming down my cheek (hey, every single bit of weight lost counts!), I kissed "Alfie" farewell.

Jump forward one year: I've lost the weight and now feel there is a comfort zone for me to eat whatever I want as long as I do it in small portions -- and maybe also lighten up on the excess fat that typically goes into such meals. I.e., where there's a will there's a way!!! So I put my talents to the test last night in the hopes of bringing back an Alfie that would neither devastate my diet nor insult my palate. I knew I could make this taste as good as the real deal, and by switching out a few ingredients, reducing some others and adding some new ones, I came up with a dish that was just "loverly," if I do say so myself!

First up: Bechamel (what most cream sauces are based on) is just butter, flour and cream with a little salt pepper and a dash of nutmeg, so I chose to concoct a sauce based around chicken stock instead. The trick was to add baby bella mushrooms for a little extra flavor. (This needs to be done in the same pan to get all that flavor into the sauce.) I swapped the heavy cream for some half and half, reduced the butter by half, and used plenty of fresh basil -- distractions are soooo important to remove focus from the fact that a lot of the fat has been eliminated!!!

Fettucine Alfredo "Lite" With Asparagus, Baby Bellas, Chicken and Basil:

1 roast chicken, I used the taken off bone, skin removed, cut into bite sized pieces

1 package fettucine, cooked

1 package fresh basil, chopped

2 bunches asparagus, cut into 1-1/2 inch pieces

2 packages baby bella mushrooms, sliced

1 cup chicken stock

1 2-cup carton half and half

8 oz Italian cheese, shredded (I used a pre-mixed package of Mozzerella, Provolone, Parmesan, and Romano)

1 package Parmesan cheese, shredded

1/4 cup flour


1/2 tsp. nutmeg

Salt and fresh ground pepper

Adobo Seasoning

Cook pasta to package directions, retaining a little starchy pasta water and tossing the pasta with that and a little olive oil to keep it from sticking. Set aside.

Take chicken off the bone and cut into bite-sized pieces. Set aside.

Saute the 'shrooms and set aside.

Saute asparagus and set aside.

Add all these plus basil to pasta pot, cover loosely. In same pan that you used to saute the above, add 1/2 stick unsalted butter. Melt over medium heat and add the flour slowly, stirring constantly with a whisk  until it starts to smell nutty.

Then add chicken stock slowly, stirring constantly,with a whisk. Add half and half , and nutmeg while stirring and lowering the heat, and then add the 8-oz package of cheese plus 4 tbs. of shredded parmesan cheese to the sauce, stirring and making sure it doesn't stick.

Season with a little salt, pepper(if needed),  and Adobo to taste. Pour sauce over the pasta and the veggie/chicken/basil mixture, toss well and put over very low heat covered tightly.

Meanwhile, slice some fresh French bread and set it on the table with olive oil or butter. Turn off pasta and put in a large family style bowl for serving.

And as always, enjoy!!!

LIVE, LOVE, LAUGH, COOK!!!

© Jennifer Green Alger 2010

"Kooky Cookies" w/ Hershey's Special Dark Pieces, Walnuts, and Pretzels

What was it like growing up in Big Sur in the early '70s? Well, I learned how to invent and innovate as I had to find things with which to entertain myself without much help from grown-ups, who were far too busy being inventive themselves, doing stuff such as envisioning ways to harness alternative energy sources like solar power, growing and raising their own organic produce and of course dedicating some time for mind expansion and not a few wild parties to reap the benefits of all that hard work! A hard job but somebody had to do it. In fact, when you think about it they foreshadowed trends regarded today as forward-looking and progressive; anyone who glibly dismisses the hippie movement as a silly fad will be in for a massive re-think after a stroll down the aisles of Whole Foods!

That setting was truly productive in the long run. But for those of us kids who were there at the time, in some ways it was a pretty rugged row to hoe, between the whole home schooling thing and having to be disciplined enough to keep plugging away at it, and the continual search for things to keep us entertained. Hey, it's not just that there was no Internet -- there wasn't even any TV (no reception and pre-VCRs)!

One thing we did have was radio, although it didn't come in except sometimes very late at night we could get a channel on my little blue AM transistor jobbie and tune into "Mystery Theater," which much to our delight came in about the time we were going to bed! And then of course there was reading, which luckily hasn't gone out of style . . . yet. Not Kindle, but real bunches of bound paper. Sometimes it was slim pickin's, but for me any book was a good book, sometimes several times over; if I ran out of new selections I'd just start re-reading the pile. One such book which sticks out in my mind is still one of my all-time favorites: "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," penned in 1964 (coincidentally, that was the year I was born) by British author Roahl Dahl. And there is no doubt in my mind that my "Kooky Cookies" clearly were influenced by that book . . . although, other than that, I have no clue as to how/why my mind came up with these -- it does work in mysterious ways (my mind, that is). And, to bottom-line it, these cookies were so good they were gone in no time.

Kooky Cookies:
Preheat oven to 375º F and have ready 2 ungreased cookie sheets.

Mix together
1 cup all purpose flour, sifted
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
and set aside.

 In another bowl cream together
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1 stick unsalted butter softened
until light and fluffy, add,
1 lg. egg at room temp
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
until well combined, add,
Flour mixture to butter mixture until combined, then add
1 cup Hershey's Special Dark Pieces
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
3/4 cup broken pretzels


Chill for 1/2 hr., then drop by teaspoonfuls on to cookie sheet about 2" apart.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until light golden brown.

Cool on a rack and devour. Awesome!

And as always, enjoy!!!
LIVE, LOVE, LAUGH, COOK!!!
© Jennifer Green Alger 2010