Appetizers......I could just eat them alone, skip the main!

The Holiday season is upon us as the cold weather sets in.    Thanksgiving starts us off with a belly full of turkey, potatoes, stuffing and graaaaaavy....and it almost feels like training.    Training the stomach to get ready for Christmas and the Holidays, where we drag our loved ones around town to visit families and friends and eat like it's going out of style.     If you're like me, you find it hard to keep your hands away from appetizer plates, snacky platters, and bite size tummy teasers.    You keep going at them hard, almost marathon style, and forget that a dinner is just around the corner.    Now you're stuffed to the gunnels, as your Christmas dinner is laid out infront of you.    Can't be rude......bring me a shovel....i'll pack it in.

Here's a nice and easy one......that you can put together, and they will go suuuper fast!!!

Ham, Cheese and Onion Puffs                                     
36 puffs

What you need:
6 1/2 tbsp butter
3/4 cup all purpose flour
pinch of salt
1/3 cup minced ham (I use deli ham....it's easier)
1/3 cup green onion finely chopped
1/3 cup finely shredded marble cheddar cheese
3 eggs beaten

Whatcha gotta do:
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F
put 1 cup of water into a pot, with butter, and heat on medium untill butter is melted.   Once melted, crank up the heat untill you get a boil.    Remove from heat as soon as boiling, and add (sifted) flour and salt.     Stir vigorously with a wooden spoon untill a paste forms and pulls away from the edges of the pot.   

If you have a standing mixer, toss the paste ball in and start mixing at medium speed.    If not, you can leave the paste ball in the pot and use an electric hand beater on medium speed.

Once mixing has started, add beaten eggs slowly (you don't want the eggs to cook in the warm paste), untill paste is soft, smooth, shiny and goopy.    Add onions, ham and cheese untill they are fully incorporated.

Throw the mixture into a piping bag with a 1/2" tip.    (I don't have a piping bag, so I use a large ziplock freezer bag.    Once I fill it with the mixture, zip it shut, and cut one corner of the bottom of the bag....squeeze bag untill paste comes out the hole....voila!   Piping bag!)

Pipe the mixture onto a greased (butter) cookie sheet into 1 1/2 " circles, leaving about 2" space between each.   This recipe makes about 36 puffs.
Bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes or untill puffs are well risen and golden brown.  

Serve these suckers warm.....or not.....I like them warm!!

Enjoy!!

Nice addition to a Good ol' Roast Beef Dinner.....Celeriac Mashed Potatoes and Parsnip puree?

Got home from work today, and saw that Danielle had a nice big roast waiting to get thrown in the oven.    Immediately, I began to salivate.    What a great way to end the week, with a nice roast beef dinner.     Who says roasts have to be done on weekends?    Isn't that the general rule?    Big roast dinners on a Sunday night?    Fooey!    Weekends can be too busy to plan and prepare a big roast dinner.....unless of course, you buy a pre-cooked roast, bag of mashed potato, and frozen Yorkshire pudding.....full of salt, preservatives and crap......all cooked in huge batches.    Goop.    Shit.    Yuk.

Once Danielle put the roast in the oven, and the smell started to permeate the air....I was getting excited to see what else was on the menu.     Mashed potato and ....what's this?    Celery root!!!    Awesome!!!     Cook and mash the two together, with some butter.....heaven.

Celery Root ( or celeriac) kind of looks like a shribbled up head.
But it tastes really good!!
First thing you have to do is slice off the rough surface.    Once cleaned up, chop enough celery root to add to your chopped up potatoes.     We used 1/3 celery root, 2/3 potatoes.   
Make sure the celery root is chopped about the same size as your potatoes, so they all cook at the same rate.
Put your celery root, and potatoes in a pot of salted boiling water, untill a fork slides through the potatoe with no resistance.
Drain potatoes/root , and mash all together in a bowl.    Add 1-2 tbsp of butter, and a little milk to reach desired consistancy.
Mashed potatoes, with a very subtle hint of celery.     Salt...pepper....awesome.
Seriously.....it is real easy to do, cheap, and a nice kick to the sometimes boring potato.


Once I wiped the drool off my chin....and Danielle took my tasting spoon away from me, I decided that I would experiment with something that i've been DYING to try for a looooong time.     Parsnip Puree.
I've been watching alot of food network shows, and noticed recently, that alot of chefs are using a parsnip puree to go with their food creations.    It almost seems like a trend....so I thought i'd give it a whirl.

Parsnips resemble carrots, only they are white and have a stronger flavour.    I love them roasted.....droool.
This was my first experiment making a parsnip puree, and I would deem it a success.....Danielle loved it, and I almost finished the serving bowl.
Here's what I did....

5 parsnips peeled, and cut up into chunks.
1/4 sweet vidalia onion cut into chunks
low fat sour creme 1%
butter - 1-2tbsps
freshly ground nutmeg.

Boil the parsnip chunks, and onion for about 15 minutes, untill a fork passes through the parsnip with a little resistance.
drain the pot (reserving some of the cooking water), and put the parsnip and onions into a food processor or blender.
add some of the drained cooking water, and a large tablespoon of sour creme.
blend it all up untill you get a nice smooth consistancy......not too runny.   If it's too thick....add a little more cooking water, 1 tbsp at a time.
If you can turn a spoon of puree upside down without it running off.....I say it's good to go.
empty into a serving bowl, and stir in 1 tbsp of butter (or omit the butter if you want the low fat option)
grate some nutmeg over the top and mix in
Done!!!!

The puree was an excellent side to the roast beef.    Even a fork full of mashed celery root potatoes with a dab of the parsnip puree was delicious.    Yorkshire pudding, green beans and an ocean of gravy to add to the plate........I think a tear ran down my face while I ate....it was euphoric.

Kicking burgers up to a whole new level !!! Taco Style!!

Who isn't a burger fan?    Really?   There is nothing like a big gorpy burger , barbecued to perfection, with all the fixin's piled high, on a toasted sesame bun.    You can hardly get your mouth around it, and  as you bite in, your face is splattered with hamburger heaven.    If it ain't messy, it ain't a burger.

The mom and pop burger joints have all but vanished, and we are left with some pretty poor substitutes....mainly due to the squeeze of the famous chained fast food joints.     Hey, I admit.....I do enjoy the occasional quarter pounder with cheese...(must be something in the freeze dried onions or the soggy pickle parts).     I can tell you....it ain't no Jessie's Burgers (People of Streetsville and Meadowvale hold their heads in sorrow, those of you who remember the best burger joint in Mississauga North)

It is very hard to venture away from the traditional burger, but this favorite of mine, kicks ass and will leave you wanting more.     I've given the recipe out to friends, and they come back with uber positive feedback.   Even their kids go nuts for them.    If you like taco's, you'll love these burgers!!!

Foley's Taco Burgers   

What you need:
for the burgers.....

1lb ground beef
cheese...cheddar or marble cut into pieces about half the size but same thickness of a saltine cracker.
OR
pre-packaged shredded nacho / Tex-Mex cheese
hamburger buns
1 packet of taco seasoning

the fixins......
anything you usually put on your taco!!
sour creme
salsa
onions
tomato
black olives
taco sauce
Franks Red Hot (if you like heat)
shredded iceberg lettuce

1. put ground beef into a bowl, and mix in the packet of taco seasoning.   Yes, your hands will get messy......it will be worth it!!   Work in the seasoning.

2. take your mixed up ground beef, and roll out balls ....about the size of tennis balls.    You should get about 4-5 per lb of ground beef.

3. poke your thumb into the meat ball, and leave a cavity.....fill that cavity with your cheese, and pinch that cavity shut.    Proceed to flatten that ball of meat to make a patty.     The cheese should not be visible, as it needs to stay inside the patty, eventually turning into molten cheesy goodness.

4. put patties on BBQ grill and cook medium/high heat for about 5 minutes / side.    Internal temp for ground beef is 160 degrees F.

(note: the taco seasoning in the patty, will thicken the meat when grilled.    If the patty is starting to resemble a cooked ball of meat, resist the urge to squish the patty down....this may eject all the hot molten cheese in the middle.)

5. remove from the grill when done, and let the burgers rest a few minutes.    This will let the molten lava like cheese in the middle cool down enough to eat it.

6. Serve burger on a toasted sesame bun , with all you favorite taco toppings!!


Resist the urge to put ketchup, mustard relish on a taco burger....it is a sin......i know it will be hard, but trust me.    This is a Taco Burger.....You will understand after your first bite.

Enjoy!!!!

Please let me know if you give it a try, and what you think!!

hmmm.....blogging?..grilled blue cheese and turkey sandwich!

Well, i always have alot on my mind, and sometimes need to share it....so , i'll try a blog. Will probably contain something about food, since it is my secret passion. Gordon Ramsay is my hero....i'll admit...and would love to meet him one day. Even if he tells me to fuck off....i'll be happy. My television is always on the food network, and I love creating food stuff, despite the mess I make in the kitchen.

I will probably throw up my fav recipes, and food experiences......wait, throw up....doesn't sound right...i will post my fav recipes and food experiences.

speaking of recipes......

Today I made lunch for my girls, which was the ol' favorite grilled cheese sandwich with ketchup for dipping. Of course, there were only 2 pieces of cheese (processed), and i was developing a craving for one myself, once i put the sandwich in the frying pan.

Well, time to get creative....

I'm a blue cheese lover, but can't sit and eat a whole block of the stuff.....so there's usually a little chunk sitting in the fridge, lonely and waiting to be eaten!! AH HA!!!

So I went to work and created...a Grilled Creamy Danish Blue Cheese sandwich with oven roasted turkey and fresh Basil.

Made just like a traditional grilled cheese.....

all you'll need...

butter

2 slices of bread (white is fine in a pinch, try 9 grain of flax!)

oven roasted turkey breast deli meat

fresh basil

Blue Cheese (I used Rosenberg Danish Blue)

Deli Mustard for dipping



Butter 2 slices of bread, and put one slice butter side down in a hot pan

layer 3-4 slices of oven roasted turkey breast deli meat

crumble blue cheese, on top of the turkey meat

trim fresh basil leaves into ribbons, and sprinkle over top of meat and cheese

Put last piece of bread butter side up, on top of layered heaven.

flip your sandwich after 2-3 minutes, or the bread has turned a nice golden brown

continue to cook another 2-3 minutes untill done and golden brown on the other side

Don't burn it, or Satan will whip you with the guts of the undead!!!!



Now, since this is fancy shmancy, You are not allowed to just dip this sucker in ketchup...that is wrong on every level, and will ruin it.

Cut the sandwich in triangles, and dip it in deli mustard!!!! The sharpness of the blue cheese and the tang of the deli mustard come together in your mouth and make you cry while you eat it...tears of joy.

that's it....heavenly fancy grilled blue cheese and turkey !!!!!


Enjoy!!!!