Tag Archives: Rachael Ray

July 5, 2015 · 3:58 pm

Sweet Dreams

Sweet dreams…

are made of these

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whipped cream

Whipped cream – make your own. Easy peasy. It’s cream and you whip it. Whip it good.

You and I can disagree

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These work really well, too, if you don’t like chocolate or don’t want to run to the store for one thing.

Graham crackers are also very good - Today is National Graham Cracker Day, too

Graham crackers are also very good – July 5th  is National Graham Cracker Day, too. Who knew?

Travel the World and the Seven Seas

Everybody’s looking for something

This month Rachael Ray tackles

ice box cakes.

ice box cake or Zebra Cake or Famous Wafer Cake or - it doesn't matter what you call it, it's just as goods

Ice box cake or Zebra Cake or Famous Wafer Cake or – it doesn’t matter what you call it, it’s just as good.

Among other things.

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My sister in law brought Zebra Cupcakes – Famous Chocolate Wafers sandwiched with whipped cream between and stacked into cupcake papers –  to a recent family gathering.

Finger lickin’ good.

There are a whole range of cookies and even crackers that can be creamed, as it were, and left to sit for a while so that it become neither cream nor cookies, but

DELICIOUS

This is more of a concept then a recipe.

Martha Stewart has, of course, improved all  this in the past

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Notice that this is no mere stack of store bought cookies. These are homemade chocolate chippers with whipped cream and shaved chocolate on top. In circles. Fancy.

Did you know you can flavor whipped cream?

Use a different then vanilla extract, or a spoonful of a liquor or some spice – cinnamon, for instance  is fantastic – and for that I must thank Martha, with Everyday Food.

EverydayFoodMay 2005Every Day. Everyday Food. Whipped Cream and Cookies.

Good Things.

Speaking of Good Things……

The Oxford English Dictionary recently added the word

EARWORM

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December 22, 2014 · 4:57 am

Meatless Monday in Hurry

Sometimes….

like when it’s near , say, a holiday that has a major food component, time seems scarce…..only because it’s being filled up with the Everyday as well as the Holiday….and you suddenly realize that although the food for a certain day that is not today is planned, shopped and prepped, today, TODAY is a meal short.

Right NOW.

Do not be drawn to the arches of gold.MacD archesYou will not be lovin’ it.

You will add guilt and indigestion to an already full week.

INSTEAD do a really jiffy quick trip to the store to pick up a few pantry staples. Staples that can also be on hand for the later then last minute eats to take or serve, will also serve you. Soon.

Nachos.

This is the sort of glop that often passes for nachos. Do not be fooled - this is not nachos.

This is the sort of glop that often passes for nachos. Do not be fooled – this is not nachos. These are not nachos? Ponder the singular/ pleural conundrum that is nachos. Or not.

Nachos Now with Beans

8 ounces tortilla chips (you could make your own, which are zippy fast and really good, but this is not the time for that. Somebody’s hungry!)

1 pound shredded cheddar cheese (4 cups)   (The bag sort is fine here because of everything else going on)

2 large jalapeño chiles (3/4 ounce each), sliced thin (about 1/4 cup) (or a can of chopped green chiles, with jarred jalapeño slices on the side)

Refried beans, a can

2 scallions, sliced thin

1/2 cup sour cream (4 ounces) and/or an avocado or packaged guacamole

Jar of Paul Newman Salsa ( my favorites are Pineapple and Tequila Lime)

1 lime cut into 6 wedges

  1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 400 °.
  2. Grate or shred the cheese if you bought a block and not a bag.
  3. Slice the jalapeno chiles and the scallions separately – tiny pieces!
  4. Spread half of chips in even layer in 13- by 9-inch baking dish
  5. Sprinkle evenly with 2 cups cheese and half of jalapeno slices.
  6. Drop about 6 oz of the re fried beans by spoonful across the cheesy landscape.
  7. Repeat with remaining chips, cheese, beans and jalapenos.
  8. Bake until cheese is melted, 7 to 10 minutes.
  9. Remove nachos from oven, cool 2 minutes, and then sprinkle with scallions.
  10. Along edge of nachos, drop scoops of sour cream, avocado, guacamole and salsa.
  11. Cut the lime into wedges.
  12. Serve immediately, passing lime wedges separately to squeeze on top.
  13. I have been know to make this in my little Pyrex baker for one…it breaks down. The trick is to not eat the chips alone. I look for unsalted chips or low salt. There’s plenty of taste in the cheese and the salsa and the jalapenos….

Adapted from Cook’s Illustrated July 2002

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Nacho done right Cook’s Illustrated style – they make their own guac and salsa, which can be done speedily IF you have a good avocado and good tomatoes – it’s the shopping time the prepared stuff saves you. Everyone should a 15 minute meal or 2 up their sleeve. One that isn’t a bowl of cereal, that is.

CI jul02

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December 29, 2013 · 3:54 am

Getting a round to it

Corners are cool….

Huey Lewis and the News Hip to Be Square

Huey Lewis and the News Hip to Be Square

but eventually even I have to get a round to the pizza.

It’s not that I haven’t made round pizzas. Try finding a not-round pizza pan, for one thing.

But more recently, Rachael Ray – yes, Rachael Ray  – showed me a pizza that was both round and involved cast iron.

Rachael Ray

Rachael Ray

It was the September issue…..which I didn’t really have time to read until the first week in December.

Rachael Ray EveryDay Magazine September 2013

EveryDay with Rachael Ray Magazine September 2013

So, make some  dough…..you remember.

Rache would have you buy it, but now that you know how easy dough is, and that you can hold on to it in the fridge until you need it so you can make it ahead and have it on hand, why would you buy it?

The other secret  to Cast Iron Pizza is that the seasoning in the dough – really necessary. Even if you don’t use a premix, use some basil, use some oregano get some flavor in it.

You will also need a 8 inch cast iron frying pan. Or skillet. And a lid for said pan. I just has to be a lid that will cover the pan, it doesn’t have be be that pan’s lid.

A close up of the pizza in the magazine

A close up of the pizza in the magazine – that’s arugula on top; arugula is also known as rocket.

Many cast iron pans have the size on the back – look for an 8. Another clue – the paper for the magazine is approximately 81/2 x 11, which means the picture in magazine in the magazine is close to life size. These are single serve pizzas. Which works out rather well for a single girl.

Cast Iron Pizza

1 pound of dough, divided into 4 –  4 oz. balls. Knead some seasoning in if you bought it – even a little Romano cheese will perk it up. Big Pan Pizza makes about 2 1/2 pounds of dough FYI.

(flour, to keep the dough from sticking)

Olive oil

tomato sauce, heated (I use Pastene kitchen ready tomatoes  – I like the tomato flavor )

Fresh or dried herbs for seasoning

cheese – mozzarella ( I used some lovely mozzarella from Wolf Farm, grated, but fresh, cut into a small dice would work well here.A little Parm or Romano is always good for the center )

Other toppings – arugula or peperoni or …..

  1. Heat the pan  – the 8 inch cast iron pan – over medium heat for 10 minutes. Make sure that the lid is nearby.
  2. Flatten one 4 oz ball of dough and stretch it into an 8″ round ( I just did this in my hands and didn’t roll it out at all).
  3. Put 1 tsp of olive oil in the hot pan and swirl it to completely cover the bottom. Put the dough circle in the pan
  4. Cook for 1 1/2 minutes (that’s 90 seconds) You’re just setting the bottom.
  5. Flip the dough, cover the pan and cook for 3 minutes, until the bottom is brown. (My first bottom got a little black….so I turned it down for the next three)
  6. Turn the dough again. Top with heated sauce (a 1/4 of a cup – I used my big spoon). Sprinkle on cheese. Other toppings? Now’s the time to add.
  7. Cover for another minute (or two) until the cheese is melted.
  8. Move it out of the pan and onto a cutting board. Wipe out the pan.
  9. Repeat until done.
  10. Mangia!
Pastene Kitchen ready tomatoes

Pastene Kitchen Ready Tomatoes

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