Chin Deep

Strawberries, peaches and pineapple are the stars of the show in this refreshing, good for you, summer salad!

Strawberry Dressing:

12 oz Yoplait Original Strawberry Yogurt

1 Cup fresh strawberries

2 Tablespoons white or red wine vinegar

Salad:

6 cups torn romaine lettuce or mixed salad greens

2 large, boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked completely and cut into strips

1 cup sliced fresh strawberries

4 pineapple rings

1 medium peach, peeled, pitted and sliced

2 medium green onions, sliced (use some of the tops for color)

Place dressing ingredients in a food processor. Zip on high speed for 15 seconds, or until smooth. Arrange fruit on top of salad greens on 4 plates. Drizzle with dressing. Enjoy!

“It’s certain that fine women eat a crazy salad with their meat.” ~William Butler Yeats

Adding wood to your coals before grilling can add depth and flavor to the meats you grill. We have been experimenting with grapevines and fresh herbs. Have fun with this and let me know what you find out

Here is a list of woods suitable for grilling and smoking:

* ACACIA - these trees are in the same family as mesquite. When burned in a grill, acacia has a flavor similar to mesquite but not quite as heavy. A very hot burning wood.
* ALDER - Very delicate with a hint of sweetness. Good with fish, pork, poultry, and light-meat game birds.
* ALMOND - A sweet smoke flavor, light ash. Good with all meats.
* APPLE - Very mild with a subtle fruity flavor, slightly sweet. Good with poultry (turns skin dark brown) and pork.
* ASH - Fast burner, light but distinctive flavor. Good with fish and red meats.
* BIRCH - Medium-hard wood with a flavor similar to maple. Good with pork and poultry.
* CHERRY - Mild and fruity. Good with poultry, pork and beef. Some List members say the cherry wood is the best wood for smoking. Wood from chokecherry trees may produce a bitter flavor.
* COTTONWOOD - It is a softer wood than alder and very subtle in flavor. Use it for fuel but use some chunks of other woods (hickory, oak, pecan) for more flavor. Don’t use green cottonwood for smoking.
* CRABAPPLE - Similar to apple wood.
* GRAPEVINES - Tart. Provides a lot of smoke. Rich and fruity. Good with poultry, red meats, game and lamb.
* HICKORY - Most commonly used wood for smoking–the King of smoking woods. Sweet to strong, heavy bacon flavor. Good with pork, ham and beef.
* LILAC - Very light, subtle with a hint of floral. Good with seafood and lamb.
* MAPLE - Smoky, mellow and slightly sweet. Good with pork, poultry, cheese, and small game birds.
* MESQUITE - Strong earthy flavor. Good with beef, fish, chicken, and game. One of the hottest burning.
* MULBERRY - The smell is sweet and reminds one of apple.
* OAK - Heavy smoke flavor–the Queen of smoking wood. RED OAK is good on ribs, WHITE OAK makes the best coals for longer burning. All oak varieties reported as suitable for smoking. Good with red meat, pork, fish and heavy game.
* ORANGE, LEMON and GRAPEFRUIT - Produces a nice mild smoky flavor. Excellent with beef, pork, fish and poultry.
* PEAR - A nice subtle smoke flavor. Much like apple. Excellent with chicken and pork.
* PECAN - Sweet and mild with a flavor similar to hickory. Tasty with a subtle character. Good with poultry, beef, pork and cheese. Pecan is an all-around superior smoking wood.
* SWEET FRUIT WOODS - APRICOT, PLUM, PEACH, NECTARINE - Great on most white or pink meats, including chicken, turkey, pork and fish. The flavor is milder and sweeter than hickory.
* WALNUT - ENGLISH and BLACK - Very heavy smoke flavor, usually mixed with lighter woods like almond, pear or apple. Can be bitter if used alone. Good with red meats and game.

These little lettuce wraps are every bit as wonderful as the ones you can get at upscale Chinese restaurants. They make a perfect lunch, appetizer, or light dinner.

• 16 butter lettuce leaves
• 1 pound lean ground bison
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 1 large, sweet Maui onion or Vidalia onion, chopped fine
• 2 cloves fresh garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1/4 cup hoisin sauce
• 2 teaspoons minced pickled ginger
• 1 tablespoon seasoned rice wine vinegar
• Asian chile pepper sauce (optional)
• 1 (8 ounce) can water chestnuts, drained and finely chopped
• 1 bunch green onions, chopped
• 2 teaspoons Asian (dark) sesame oil

1. Rinse whole lettuce leaves and pat dry, being careful not tear them. Set aside.
2. In a large skillet over medium- high heat, brown the ground bison in 1 tablespoon of oil, stirring often and reducing the heat to medium, if necessary. Drain, and set aside and allow to cool. Cook the onion in the same pan, stirring frequently. Add the garlic, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, ginger, vinegar, and chile pepper sauce to the onions. Stir. Add the chopped water chestnuts, green onions, and sesame oil, and continue cooking until the onions become translucent, about 2 minutes.
3. Place lettuce leaves around the outer edge of a large, pretty serving platter. Place meat mixture in the center. To serve: allow each person to spoon a some of the meat into a lettuce leaf. Fold like a taco, and enjoy!

“I learned early on that setting a table is so much more than just laying down knives and forks. It is creating a setting for food and conversation, setting a mood and an aura that lingers long after what was served and who said what was forgotten.”

-Peri Wolfman

This is a delicious, easy and healthful Indian style meal that tastes fantastic paired with a gewurztraminer wine. Marinating chicken in yogurt for 24 hours makes the meat very tender and flavorful.

Easy Tandoori Chicken for the Grill:

4 large, boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 cup plain yogurt

1/4 cup curry powder

1/4 cup lemon juice

1 teaspoon Tony Cachare’s Cajun Seasoning

1/2 cup toasted coconut

1/2 cup raisins

1/2 cup slivered almonds

Combine yogurt, curry, lemon juice and Cajun seasoning together in a mixing bowl. Make 3 long slits lengthwise that go half way through each chicken breast. Place chicken breasts in a rectangular cake pan or a large casserole pan. Pour the yogurt sauce over each breast, making sure you get yogurt inside all the slits. Cover tightly and allow to marinate in the refrigerator for 24 hours. Grill on high heat 10 to 12 minutes per side. Garnish with toasted coconut, raisins and slivered almonds.

Hello everyone! It’s been a couple weeks since I last wrote. The girls are now officially on summer vacation, and we are back from our week in Door County. I’m ready to do some more blogging!

Here’s the recipe for what I made tonight for dinner while chatting with my friend Chantelle on the phone This is an easy recipe, but not your usual boring Monday night fare. Enjoy.

Latin Beef Picadillo

Serves 4

1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1 large onion, peeled and chopped

1 pound extra lean organic ground beef or bison

1/4 cup orange juice

2 Tablespoons mild chili powder

1 tablespoon cinnamon

1 cup raisins

3/4 cup slivered almonds

1 cup Spanish olives with pimentos, chopped

Juice of 1/2 lemon or lime

1 teaspoon “Tony Chachere’s” Original Creole Seasoning

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and ground beef/bison, stirring until onion becomes translucent (about 5 minutes.) Add juice, chili powder, cinnamon, raisins, almonds, olives and lemon/lime juice. Cook until the liquid has been reduced by half (about 2 minutes.) Season with Creole seasoning. Serve over warm brown rice, whole wheat noodles, or in whole grain pita bread.

This dish is fantastic when paired with Wyncroft Gewurztraminer.

This is a fun and easy recipe to add to an impromptu breakfast in bed. This recipe was first published on page 108 of my second book “Welcome Home.”

French Breakfast Croissants (called Pain Au Chocolat in France)

Simply roll some dark chocolate chips into refrigerated, pre-made, refrigerated crescent roll dough. make sure all of the chocolate chips are encased in the dough. Bake according to package directions.

“America is my country and Paris is my hometown.”

-Gertrude Stein

This is a beautiful pasta dish that is light enough to serve in the summer. Fantastic when tossed with fresh cooked crab meat or shrimp. If you want a lovely company dish that won’t have you fussing in the kitchen all day, this is the ticket.

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add 1 pound of linguine. Cook until al dente. Drain and transfer to a large pasta bowl. Zest one lemon into a small bowl. Juice 4 lemons and add it to the bowl, discarding seeds. Add 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil, 1/2 cup chopped Italian parsley, and 1/3 cup grated parmigiano reggiano cheese. Toss the lemon juice mixture with the noodles until well incorporated. Add a little salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.

If you like seafood and want to make this dish a little more special, saute a pound of fresh crabmeat or raw, peeled and deveined shrimp in 3 Tablespoons butter. Just before removing from pan add 1/4 cup white wine to the seafood. Pour on top of pasta and serve immediately. Pour yourself a glass of your favorite white wine. This is the epitome of la dolce vita (The sweet joy of everyday life). Enjoy!

(Joey is making marinara sauce and filling every container possible with it. Chandler enters the room:)

Chandler: “Whoa, whoa, so I’m guessing you didn’t get the part… or Italy called and said it was hungry.”

-Friends

In honor of Mother’s Day this past weekend, this recipe is for the kiddos (and you too!) Who doesn’t secretly love to indulge in some of the comforting “nursery” foods from their youth? In my opinion this dish can still be called “Spa Cuisine,” because it is good for the body and soul.

This soup is a heavenly blast from the past. Your kids will love it…and it’s full of vitamin C.

Also, I hope you all enjoy the illustration. It is the first original painting by me that has been released since my illustrations and cover design for the book “Fearless Pregnancy” that was published in 2004 by Fair Winds Press. It is called “Animal Crackers in My Soup!” and may become available in print form sometime this year.

Alphabet Soup

1 lb. pre-cooked mini meatballs

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 cup finely chopped onion

1 cup finely chopped celery

1 cup carrots, cut into “coins”

1 cup peeled, diced potato

1 teaspoon minced garlic

4 (14 oz. cans) organic chicken broth

1 (28 oz. can) organic tomato sauce

1 (6 oz. can) organic tomato paste

1/4 cup minced parsley

2 Tablespoons organic, dried, Italian seasoning

3/4 cup uncooked alphabet pasta

Heat mini meatballs in a skillet until heated through. Set aside. In a large soup pot or dutch oven, saute the onion, celery, carrots and potatoes in the olive oil for 5 minutes. Add garlic; saute for 1 more minute. Add broth, tomato sauce, tomato paste, parsley and Italian seasoning. Bring to a boil. Lower heat to a simmer. Add pasta and cook for 5 minutes. Reduce heat to low, add meatballs and allow to simmer, uncovered for 15 minutes or until veggies and pasta are tender.

“Soup of the evening, beautiful soup!” -Lewis Carroll

I found this recipe in one of my favorite books of all time, “An Embarrassment of Mangoes” by Ann Vanderhoof. This book transported me to the Caribbean in the middle of one of those Minnesota winters you’re pretty sure will never end. I’ve made this recipe at least 50 times (and a couple times for a crowd when I was a chef at a tearoom). It’s tried and true Just make sure you’re mangoes are ripe. The following excerpt is written by Ann Vanderhoof :

Mango Crisp

This salad is refreshing, colorful and so good for you. It looks beautiful served on a bed of spring greens. Perfect for a garden party, afternoon tea, or luncheon.

Mango Tango Chicken Salad

In a large mixing bowl, combine:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (cubed and cooled)

1 large ripe mango, peeled and cubed

1/2 cup pineapple tidbits, drained well

8 oz. water chestnuts, drained and chopped

1/4 cup sliced green onions

In a small mixing bowl, combine:

2 Tablespoons mango chutney

2 Tablespoons real mayonnaise

2 teaspoons lemon juice

2 teaspoons fresh, minced ginger

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 mild jalapeno pepper, seeds removed, and minced fine

Toss chicken chunks with mango, water chestnuts, pineapple and green onion. Combine the chutney, mayonnaise, lemon juice, ginger, pepper and salt with a wire whisk until completely combined. Add the chutney mixture to the chicken mixture, folding gently. Chill until ready to serve.