Wishing you all a safe, happy and healthy new year!
Happy New Year!
31 Wednesday Dec 2014
Posted in Must Try
Monthly Archives: December 2014
Not your Mama’s Green Bean Casserole
28 Sunday Dec 2014
This is my take on the green bean casserole. It is a classic side dish for the holidays but it is delicious anytime of the year. The key is not using canned soup (blech) but making your own mushroom cream sauce. Trust me… It is easy to put together and only takes 30 mins to make.
Here’s what you need:
1 pound of green beans (cleaned and ends removed)
2 pounds of mushrooms (I used cremini, porcini, oyster and white) you can use a mixture of whatever mushrooms you would like!
1 onion finely minced
2 Cloves of garlic minced
1/4 cup white wine or 1/4 cup sherry
1/2 to 2/3 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup of real freshly grated Parmesan cheese (I buy it in huge blocks from Costco)
Salt and pepper
1 tbs butter
Fried onions (store bought)
Blanch the green beans in boiling salted water for 3 minutes – drain and place in ice water to stop the cooking process. Cut beans into 2 or 3 pieces (you are looking for bite sized pieces) set aside.
Melt butter in a large pan or 2 medium sized pans and crank the heat. Add mushrooms. You want the heat high so the mushrooms start to caramelize. Cook for 3-5 mins and add onions and after 2 mins add garlic. Once the onions start to color and soften add wine (off the heat) and reduce for 1 minute. Lower heat and add cream and taste. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside to cool slightly.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In an oven proof baking dish toss 1/2 beans with 1/2 the mushrooms and put in the dish. Repeat once more. You want all the beans tossed with the sauce. Top with 3/4 to 1 cup of fried onions. Bake 20-30 mins in the oven and serve.
It is delish!
Leftover turkey? Make this delicious turkey and gnocchi soup
26 Friday Dec 2014
Tags
gnoochi, leftovers, light soups, soups, turkey, winter foods
What’s better than a Christmas turkey dinner? This soup!
Fluffy clouds of potato gnocchi, tender bites of turkey, a touch of bacon and jalapeño swimming in a sea of rich broth.
It is super simple make and takes only 35 minutes.
1 onion, diced small
3 cloves of garlic, finely diced
4 cups of chicken broth
1 1/2 cups of diced turkey
3 slices of bacon, finely diced
1 jalapeño, diced finely
2 cups of gnocchi, sliced in half
1/2 cup of half and half
A pinch of cayenne
In a large pot melt a little bit of butter or oil and sauté the onions, garlic and bacon. After 5 mins add the stock/broth and jalapeño. Simmer 30 mins. Add half and half and reduce heat to low. Add cooked gnocchi (cook gnocchi in a pot of salted water for approx 1-2 mins and drain) to soup. Taste to check for seasonings.
Makes approx 8 cups. Enjoy!
Merry Christmas!
25 Thursday Dec 2014
Posted in Must Try
I hope everyone has a safe and happy Christmas and are able to spend it with those you love. The holidays are meant to be spent eating and drinking and having a wonderful time! Lots of love from my family to yours.
The perfect side for a turkey – crispy brussel sprouts!
24 Wednesday Dec 2014
First of all I hated brussel sprouts until recently. But after eating these at a restaurant in NYC I was officially converted.
Introducing … Roasted Brussels sprouts with crispy bacon and balsamic glaze. This is super easy to make and so delicious! Here is what you need:
3 cups of Brussels sprouts – cut into quarters
4 slices of bacon diced
Salt and pepper
Oil
3 tbs if balsamic vinegar
Preheat oven to 400. Quarter the brussel sprouts and toss with balsamic and oil and salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for 15 mins. While that is roasting, cook the bacon in the pan on the stove until almost crispy.
Remove sprouts from the oven and toss with the bacon and drippings. Put back in the oven for another 10 mins.
Resist eating the entire pan.
Simple and delicious Thai chicken coconut soup
21 Sunday Dec 2014
Such a simple soup to make that gets better and better after you make it. Full of aromatics and a bit of spice it is perfect for our Canadian winters.
99% of the ingredients you can get at a regular grocery store but some you may need to visit an Asian market. If you can’t find an Asian market just omit it.
Ingredients
1. 3 lemongrass stalks, bottom two-thirds of tender inner bulbs only, thinly sliced
2. 8 cloves garlic
3. 1 – 4 inch piece fresh ginger root sliced
4. 8 to 9 cups chicken broth (homemade or store bought)
5. 2 chicken breasts cooked and shredded
6. 4 Kafir lime leaves julienned
7. 2 cups of fresh white mushrooms, thinly sliced (lightly sauté in oil)
8. 1 1/2 tbs red curry paste
9. 3 tablespoons fish sauce
10. 2 limes – one juiced and one sliced for serving
11. 1 can of coconut cream and 1 can of coconut milk (not light)
12. 1 cup of cilantro
13. 1 red onion finely sliced
14. Jalapeño pepper sliced into rings
15. Vermicelli 2 bundles (optional)
Directions
Stir lemon grass, garlic, and ginger together in a large stock pot over medium-high heat. Stir in chicken broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 30-45 minutes.
Strain broth to remove aromatics.
Into broth stir in red curry paste, fish sauce, and lime juice until combined. Add kafir lime leaves, coconut milk; return to a simmer and cook on low for 15 to 20 minutes. At this point you can cool the soup and keep it in your fridge for a day or two to let the flavors develop even more or add the chicken.
Add shredded chicken, mushrooms, jalapeño, and onion to the soup and cook for 5-10 mins. If you want to add the vermicelli, add it now. It takes minutes to cook. When ready to serve add cilantro. Serve with lime wedges and for extra heat more jalapeño.
Enjoy! You will love it! www.monicaskitchen.com
Who wants crack?
13 Saturday Dec 2014
I do! I do! Christmas Crack is the most addictive holiday treat you can make. It keeps for weeks in the fridge and makes excellent gifts for hosts and teachers. 4 ingredients is all you need. Here is what you need.
Ingredients
35 to 40 saltine crackers
2 sticks (1 cup) butter
1 cup light brown sugar
8 ounces semisweet chocolate chips (about 1 1/3 cups)
Parchment paper
Directions
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
Line 1 large baking sheet with parchment paper. Arrange the saltines salt-side down in a single layer. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter and brown sugar together and boil until it turns a caramel color, a few minutes. Remove from the heat and pour over the crackers, covering them evenly.
Put the baking pan into the oven and bake for 3 to 5 minutes, or until just bubbly, watching carefully. Remove from the oven and pour the chocolate chips over the crackers. When the chips melt a bit, spread them over the crackers with an offset spatula.
Cool. They will form one big sheet. Break up into pieces. Store in an airtight container.
Make them today ! They are a hit!
Trust me. www.monicaskitchen.com
Almond Crescents
07 Sunday Dec 2014
To me nothing says the holidays like tucking into sugar coated almond crescent cookies.
My mom always made these for us growing up and now it is my turn making them for my family. They are super easy to make and contain no eggs.
The recipe is easy, you only need 6 ingredients for the actual cookie. Just a warning…these contain a lot of butter but they are SOOOOO worth it!
Almond Crescents
11/4 cup butter
1 cup of chopped almonds
5 tbs of sugar (I used vanilla sugar)
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract
2 cups of AP flour
Icing sugar for rolling cookies
1. Cream the butter and the sugar together. Add in extracts
2. Work in flour with your hands and once combined add the almonds
3. Shape into crescents
4. Chill for 10 mins in the fridge
5. Bake 350 degrees for 18-20 mins
6. While still hot roll in icing sugar and cool.
7. Devour
For The Love Of Food 