Bagels, Bagels & more Bagels!

Posted by Paula in All Recipes, Bread | 75 comments

Week 3 in the Bread Baker’s Apprentice Challenge – Bagels! Yes I made it another week! I know, I’m just as shocked as everyone else! Sadly, I must start out with news that, my trusty Kitchen Aid mixer has gone on to greener pastures. Yes, Alice is no longer with us. Artos killed her! Boo hoo hoo! So working on this challenge was a little more challenging than I expected because all of the kneading had to be done by hand! I used muscles in my arms I haven’t used since … well let’s just say it’s been a while!

Not one to let a little setback get me down, I pressed onward. I started out every challenge the same way, reading through the commentary & recipe in Peter’s book. This one was a little daunting, 6 pages worth of daunting to a newbie baker like myself. There were a few ingredients that I could not find locally, malt syrup & high gluten flour but luckily Peter (I feel we’re on a first name basis now since I am afterall in week 3, hope that’s okay with you Peter!) gave me substitutions.. Whew. Yes, I know I could have ordered them online but I ran out of time.

Capri Restaurant – A Review

Posted by Paula in All Recipes, Reviews | 4 comments

Well unless you don’t understand or read English you probably know by now that Italian food is my favorite food eva! What you may not know is why I love Italian food so much. In a nutshell, I lived in Italy for several years while I was in middle school & high school; where naturally I was spoiled by truly AMAZING authentic Italian food & my love affair with all things Italian began. So that being said I am a complete Italian food snob. Of course this is not my fault, I have my parents to thank for that!

Naturally, there are very few places that I have found outside of Italy & my own kitchen that make Italian food that I find buono “good” let alone buonissimo “really good”. So I was ECSTATIC when I came across a little restaurant called Capri located here in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Napa Valley Stuffed Pork Tenderloin

Posted by Paula in All Recipes, Pork | 20 comments

I really like Pork Tenderloins. You really get a lot of bang for your buck (& right now we know how important that is)! They are a very economical way to serve a lot of people & serve them well. The tenderloins I buy usually come two to a package & I made two full stuffed tenderloins with the ingredients below. This recipe is really easy peasy. Don’t let the ingredient list scare you.

Artos – Greek Celebration Bread

Posted by Paula in All Recipes, Bread | 18 comments

Well, I made it past the first week’s Bread Baker’s Apprentice Challenge WOO HOO (wiping hand off forehead)! However, there’s no time for me to savor my accomplishment (if you didn’t see my post on my first challenge – Anadmama bread you can read about it here)  and now I’m onto week two.

This week’s challenge was Artos Bread – Greek Celebration Breads.There are many different types & varieties of this bread & they all vary from family to family & region. Artos is the general name for these celebration breads. They are given more specific names for specific festivals and celebrations. Our Artos bread choices were: Christopsomos & Lambropsomo.

Gigi’s House Bistro

Posted by Paula in All Recipes, Reviews | 18 comments

I’ve always been a foodie and therefore, naturally I appreciate good food. Not sure why – wink wink – but people are always asking me for my restaurant suggestions, so I am starting to add restaurant reviews to the blog. Up first is Gigi’s House Bistro located in Youngsville, North Carolina, my sweet little town boasting a whopping two stoplights. Yes, I know I live in Mayberry – thank goodness for wi-fi!

No seriously, I love my little town and was so HAPPY when a little slice of European goodness came and opened up shop. Stephan, the owner, host with the most and chef, is a Frenchman who has an amazing flair for food & cooking! His food is fresh & creative.

Onto the dinner. Hubs & I started off with a lovely Sangria. It was light & refreshing and was the perfect beginning to the meal. Then it was time for the appetizer.

Pineapple Fusion Scallops

Posted by Paula in All Recipes, Appetizer, Seafood | 32 comments

I have been craving scallops for a while now! Since the weather has started to warm up it was the perfect time to come up with a new recipe!

Typically you’ll either find a butter, garlic & wine reduction recipe or a fried recipe for your scallops. This one is neither & I’m really pleased with how it turned out & know you will be too!

The pineapple and mango reduction fuses beautifully with the scallops! Sweet, sweet harmony with a little kick thrown in at the end (cayenne)! You’ll look like a rock star in the kitchen when you serve this dish up!

Chocolate Orange Mousse Cups

Posted by Paula in All Recipes, Desserts | 27 comments

I am so EXCITED today! I have been wanting to have “company” over to the blog  for a while now. I was waiting on the right time & it has arrived. For our first ever guest post, **drum roll please** I am so happy to introduce you all to KRISTY. My foodie friend & fellow blogger. She has a fabulous food blog called THE WICKED NOODLE. She has created an amazingly decadent & delicious recipe for you all. You’re going to be drooling when you see this one! Please be sure to show her how much we appreciate her stopping by with such a tasty treat by leaving some comment love. 

Anna, damn her! I mean Anadama Bread

Posted by Paula in All Recipes, Bread | 29 comments

Something you may not know about me is that I’m not much of a baker! Gasp! Shocking I know right! Ask me to whip up a five course meal & that’s no problem. But ask me to bake homemade from scratch bread & I’m at a loss! You see, I’m more of a taste & see kind of cook. I add ingredients mostly by sight, taste them & then adjust as needed. Well, in baking you simply CAN NOT do that. Measurements have to be precise or your final product is a bust!

Despite my lack of baking skills, In the past few weeks I really have been wanting to bake bread! & then a large FLASHING SIGN came down in front of me via Twitter! Nicole of PinchMySalt recently started a group called The Bread Bakers Apprentice – (bba for short). The group is going through Peter Reinhart’s book “The Bread Bakers Apprentice- Mastering The Art of Extraordinary Bread” and making each & every recipe. I saw this is my chance! A HUGE undertaking for a novice baker mind you. But as I do love a challenge I signed up & now we’re off. The first week’s challenge (& of course all of these will be a challenge for me) is ANADAMA bread!

Not your Nana’s Nana Puddin’

Posted by Paula in All Recipes, Desserts | 46 comments

Warning! This is simply, hands down the BEST banana pudding you will EVER taste! & being from the South, trust me, I have tasted my fair share of banana puddings & am able to say this with complete confidence. This is the one recipe that takes them all!

I have to give credit to my good friend Julie for this recipe. Strangely enough Julie doesn’t even like bananas, so it’s even more incredible & a true testament to her cooking talents. I modified it only slightly because it was seriously that good! I will warn you this is insanely RICH! You’ll be tempted to scoop out a very large dish of this but I’m telling you it’s that RICH so go easy!

Simply Sweet Grilled Asparagus

Posted by Paula in All Recipes, Sides, Vegetables | 25 comments

This is the perfect time of year for asparagus & it’s the perfect time for grilling. I came up with this idea to caramelize asparagus on the grill & guess what? It’s amazing!

Hubs was a total disbeliever on this one when I was originally pitching the idea. He said many times over, “Really, you want to put sugar on the asparagus” (insert eye rolling here). But as he knows once I have an idea in my head it’s best just to go with it.

So he reluctantly went along & fired up the grill. He quickly did a 180 when he tasted them. He nearly ate an entire plate full himself. The kids were even gobbling them up. They are totally unexpected and wildly delicious. Plus they couldn’t be easier to make.

Mango Madness Mojito

Posted by Paula in All Recipes, Drinks | 14 comments

This drink just sounds fun! Fun to say, fun to look at, fun to drink! It definitely delivers.

From the moment you lift the glass to take your first sip, you’re hit by the amazing smells of mint & mango. It is a smooth drink that packs a punch. If you like a Mojito I hope you’ll jazz your next one up & try this Mango Madness version.

Orange you glad you made this Roasted Chicken!

Posted by Paula in All Recipes, Main Course, Poultry | 32 comments

We love roasted chicken in our house. It’s fairly inexpensive & oh so very versatile. So naturally I’m continually looking for new and exciting ways to make it. This recipe qualifies.

I think I’ve mentioned in other posts about my HUGE rosemary bush (It is, and I’m not kidding you, as large as my Suburban). I’ll have to post a photo of it one of these days. So, since I have this much rosemary at my disposal, I’m always looking for ways to incorporate it into my recipes.

This chicken is bursting with flavor. It’s tender & falls off the bone. No need for a knife here. I truly believe that my method of pushing the herb butter underneath the skin of the chicken breast is the secret to juicy & tender meat. I realize it’s not fun & can be slightly gross, but it works. Be very careful when using your pairing knife to cut the tissue away from the breast. You don’t want to tear the skin (this is what makes it so juicy). It’s also very important to let your chicken rest after cooking before cutting into it. You don’t want all of the juices flowing out & drying up your chicken. It will be tempting I know. The smell is intoxicating but resist.