To say that I’ve been “wickedly” busy for the last couple of weeks would be an understatement.  Ever since I was invited to play in the pit for the local run of the national tour of the musical Wicked, I hit the ground with my feet running.

There was a mix-up in contracting, so I didn’t get hired until a week before we opened.  That left me scrambling to practice my part before our Tuesday rehearsals and quick brush up before opening the show on Wednesday night.  To be a tiny part of such a massive musical production is quite exhilarating and challenging at best.  And my fellow pit mates have been nothing but helpful and supportive, which certainly helps in the whole process.

 Here I am in the pit.  See that netting?  That’s so that no flying monkeys swoop in on us!

This is me sitting in front of the “747″– lots of technology involved.

How do you get to the musical Wicked?  Practice!

So as can be imagined, I’ve had very little time to spend in the kitchen here lately; but once the performance schedule settled a bit, I could whip up something new.  Hence, Asiago Portabello Cheese Souffle with Arugula Chimichurri became my latest creation.  All of us cheese fans are going to swoon over this.  It’s cheesy, it’s garlicky (of course!), it’s shroomy, and oh so comforting after having a stressful week like mine.  The phyllo dough crust is a nice added dimension, but the souffle is just as good without it, in my opinion.  And yes, it’s pretty darned rich too (not all fluffy like we’re used to seeing soufflés), but I’ve lightened it a bit where I could.  And the peppery bright zing of the arugula chimichurri really complements the full-bodied nature of the dish.

Darest I say that it is “wickedly” good!

Asiago Portobello Cheese Souffle

 

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Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

60 mins

Total time

1 hour 15 mins

 

A rich and creamy cheesy soufflé is studded with earthy portobello mushrooms and topped with a peppery bright arugula chimichurri sauce.

Author: Sherry K

Recipe type: Main

Cuisine: American

Serves: 8

Ingredients

Souffle:

• 6 eggs, beaten
• 1 cup fat free milk
• 8 ounces Asiago cheese, shredded
• 8 ounces monterey jack cheese, shredded
• 1½ cups low fat cottage cheese
• 3-4 cloves fresh garlic, chopped
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• non-stick cooking spray
• 6 sheets frozen phyllo dough, thawed
• 4 ounces portobello mushrooms, roughly chopped
• 3 ounces cream cheese, cubed
• 3 tablespoons butter, melted

Arugula Chimichurri:

• 2 cloves fresh garlic
• 2 ounces fresh arugula
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• Juice of ½ medium lemon
• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
• additional fresh arugula for garnish

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Whisk eggs and milk together in a large bowl. Stir in Asiago, monterey jack, cottage cheese, 3-4 cloves garlic and ½ teaspoon salt. Sift together flour and baking powder and add to cheese mixture.
3. Spray a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Unfold 1 sheet of the phyllo dough and place on bottom of dish. Spray the sheet with cooking spray. Repeat the process by laying a second sheet of phyllo dough over the first sheet and spraying with cooking spray, until 6 sheets have been used. Pour cheese mixture over phyllo dough. Top with mushrooms and cream cheese. Pour melted butter over entire mixture. Bake for 50-60 minutes at 350 degrees, or until golden brown. In the meantime, put 2 cloves garlic in a food processor or chopper and pulse until chopped. Add arugula, ¼ teaspoon salt and lemon juice. Slowly drizzle in olive oil while blending until combined.
4. Remove souffle from oven and allow to set for 8-10 minutes. Cut into 8 squares and garnish with arugula chimichurri sauce and fresh arugula.

Notes

Recipe by Jazzy Gourmet Cooking Studio at http://jazzygourmetblog.com
© 2012 Sherry Klinedinst
All rights reserved. Repost with permission only.

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OK, so say you’re making a recipe that calls for buttering a dish, but you reach in the fridge and you have no butter!

Thank goodness you remembered to follow the advice from a Jazzy Gourmet archive video and have some butter wrappers neatly tucked away in the freezer!

Ahhh, problem solved.  I love when that happens.

Watch video here:

Can’t see video?  Watch it here:  Save Those Butter Wrappers

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Hey there!  

While today would normally be Zippy Tip Tuesday, I am playing for the national touring production of the musical Wicked, and am knee-deep in rehearsals.  

So stay tuned next week for the latest and greatest zippy tip!  

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It’s not often that a sandwich comes along and truly knocks my socks off.

This accidental masterpiece started as a way to use up ingredients that I had on hand one Saturday afternoon.  But little did I know that I would be so crazy in love with the end result!

I had seen a photo of a lobster roll floating around on the Internet last week, and it got me in the mood for some sort of seafood sandwich.  We also had deli ham and smoked cheddar in the fridge, so I thought that would add a great smoky/salty element.  Then the can of artichoke hearts in the pantry started calling my name.  Buried deep in the produce drawer was a bag of slaw mix, which I thought would add some fun crunch.  I always make our sandwiches on whole grain bread, but we had eaten at an Italian restaurant the night before and had brought home some bread from there.   I toasted the sandwich in a skillet with some olive oil, making that Italian bread all crispy, and the cheese just oozed its way all around the skillet.  Before I knew it, an afternoon concoction was looking pretty camera-worthy!

The only thing left was to pour a cold one and take myself out to the hammock on the back deck to enjoy the fruits of my not-so-labored labor.

Ahhhhh….

In fact, just thinking about it makes me want to go fix myself another one right now.  Sorry, gotta go!

5.0 from 2 reviews

Cheesy Crab & Hammy Sammy

 

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Prep time

5 mins

Cook time

8 mins

Total time

13 mins

 

Luscious chunks of sweet crab, smoky ham and cheddar, tangy artichokes and crunchy slaw are mounded between slices of buttery toasted Italian bread.

Author: Sherry K

Recipe type: Sandwich

Cuisine: American

Serves: 2

Ingredients

• 4 ounces fresh cooked crab leg chunks
• 2 slices deli ham, diced
• 1 tablespoon sliced green onion
• ⅓ cup chopped artichoke hearts
• ⅓ cup cole slaw mix
• 2 ounces light cream cheese, softened
• ¼ cup light mayonnaise
• 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
• 2 slices smoked cheddar cheese
• 4 slices Italian bread
• 1 tablespoon butter, olive oil or coconut oil

Instructions

1. In a medium bowl, combine crab, ham, onion, artichokes, slaw mix, cream cheese, mayonnaise and mustard. Onto each of 2 pieces of bread, place 1 slice of cheese, followed by ½ of the crab/ham mixture. Top with the remaining slices of bread. In a medium hot skillet or griddle, melt ½ tablespoon butter or oil over medium heat. Add one sandwich and cook until golden brown on both sides, about 2-4 minutes per side. Repeat with remaining sandwich.

Notes

Recipe by Jazzy Gourmet Cooking Studio at http://jazzygourmetblog.com © 2012 Sherry Klinedinst All rights reserved. Repost with permission only.

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Cilantro–it seems that people either love it or hate it.

An herb from the coriander plant, cilantro makes a great addition to salsa, salads, soups (see my Thai Ginger Coconut Chicken Soup), even pizza (such as my Garlicky Thai Chicken Pizza).

Its fresh, vibrant flavor is very complementary to strong fiery ingredients, like garlic, ginger or chile peppers.

Cilantro is most popular in Mexican and Southeastern Asian cuisine, but it’s gaining popularity in the good ol’ U.S. of A!

So for some ideas in storing, prepping and using cilantro in various ways, just watch the video below:

Can’t see video?  Watch it here:  Cilantro 101

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 It is of my belief that all good savory recipes start out with garlic (and onions, for that matter).  I don’t know, it’s like if the kitchen doesn’t wreak when I’m done cooking, I just haven’t accomplished my job properly.

Ya know what I mean?

As my good friends can attest from the state of my breath most of the time (Is that why they keep offering me gum?), it is a definite mainstay in my diet.  Unfortunately, my S.O. doesn’t feel as thrilled about the aroma in the house as I do, and will immediately break out the Fabreze air freshener once the smell hits the air.  Oh great, then we have flowery fruity garlic all over the place!

Now I’m aware that there are some who like to use garlic in sweet applications too (ice cream?), but I just can’t seem to get into it. In fact, if my blueberry bagel from Panera has been sitting in a bin next to an everything bagel, and a little piece of garlic sticks to my bagel, I do get a little bent out of shape.

When I came across an archive of this recipe that I had entered in the Gilroy Garlic Festival contest a few years back, I knew it was time to bust out some serious cloves.  My Garlicky Thai Chicken Pizza is packed with flavor.  Tender slices of chicken and garlic, crunchy bean sprouts and onions, and sweet peppers are bathing in a quick Thai style peanut sauce. Then as if 4 cloves aren’t enough in the filling, more garlic is placed on top of the puff pastry crust to create a garlic studded extravaganza!

Are you a garlic nut like I am?  If so, you might like my Garlicky Shrimp and Spinach Cornbread too!

5.0 from 3 reviews

Garlicky Thai Chicken Pizza

 

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Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

25 mins

Total time

40 mins

 

Tender slices of chicken, crunchy bean sprouts and sweet peppers in a Thai peanut sauce are placed on top of a garlic studded puff pastry crust.

Author: Sherry K

Recipe type: Pizza

Cuisine: Thai/American

Serves: 6

Ingredients

• ½ of a 17.3-ounce package Puff Pastry Sheets (1 sheet)
• 3 teaspoons olive oil, divided
• 10 ounces fresh rinsed bean sprouts
• 4 green onions, sliced
• 4 garlic cloves, sliced
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• 2 tablespoons reduced sodium soy sauce
• ⅓ cup creamy peanut butter
• 2 tablespoons Asian sweet chili sauce
• 1 (6-ounce) roasted skinless boneless chicken breast, sliced
• ¼ cup sliced roasted peppers
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
• ¼ cup chopped peanuts

Instructions

1. Thaw the pastry sheet at room temperature for 40 minutes or until it’s easy to handle. Heat the oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Heat 2 teaspoons of oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add bean sprouts, onions and sliced garlic and cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add lime juice and soy sauce and continue to cook until vegetables are crisp tender, another 1 or 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in peanut butter and chili sauce.
3. Unfold the pastry sheet and place on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Roll it out a bit to make it a little thinner. Place the garlic/vegetable mixture in the center of the dough, leaving a 2-inch flap of dough around the edge. Top mixture with chicken slices and peppers. Fold the flap of dough onto the chicken, forming a rustic, uneven rim around the pizza. Brush remaining teaspoon of oil onto the edge of the crust and top with minced garlic clove. Bake at 425 degrees F. for 15 to 20 minutes, until light golden brown. Remove from the oven, top with cilantro and peanuts, and cut into 6 wedges.
4. Makes 6 appetizers

Notes

Recipe by Jazzy Gourmet Cooking Studio at http://jazzygourmetblog.com
© 2013 Sherry Klinedinst
All rights reserved. Repost with permission only.

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A few months ago, my S.O. and I had a rather humorous conversation involving the word “profiteroles” .  I was making a batch one evening; and well, I guess you could say there was a wee bit of some miscommunication!  To read about it, click here:  Chocolate Covered Strawberry Profiteroles.

It’s amazing to me that I have always admired the grandeur and impressive presentation of profiteroles (or cream puffs/eclairs, as more commonly known), and somehow assumed that they must be a most difficult pastry to make.

Wrong!

That couldn’t be further from the truth.  The process is not only simple, but it only takes a few minutes of prep time to make them.  The result is a splendid pastry cavern to fill with everything from fruit and cream to egg salad or roast beef.  It is even possible to make a miniature version to use as a dipping implement, like the Profiterole Dunkin’ Sticks in my Chocolate Covered Cherry Lime Dip .

Want to see how it’s done? Watch the video below.  And if you want a basic profiterole recipe, just click on either of the recipe title links above in this post.

Watch video here:

Can’t see video?  Watch it here:  Make Your Own Profiteroles

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My heart is filled with gratitude right now.  Many of you read about my aunt and her “Easter feast” a couple of weeks ago.  (If you missed the post, it is here: Easter Egg Nest Centerpiece.)  Little did I know how close I came to seeing her for the last time that day.

Last week, she was sitting in her office, along with another coworker, when they heard the crash of a car hitting a fire hydrant right outside their building.  They immediately went to the door to see what had happened.  The driver, influenced by a diabetic episode, had become lodged on the hydrant and was trying to free himself by rocking the car back and forth.  At that moment, his car was parallel to their building. In the next moment, he gunned it a final time and freed himself.  But instead of driving in a straight line, his car turned and veered at 50 mph, right for the door where my aunt and her coworker were standing.  Unfortunately, the small area where they were standing was in between a set of double doors, and the inside door could only be opened by turning a doorknob and opening it outward.  My aunt got as far as turning and getting her hand on the door knob when the car smashed into the two women, crashing them through the inside door and hurling them through the room.

When all the bricks, glass and debris settled, my aunt lay in the middle of the lobby area, while her coworker was pinned between the back of the car and a chair on the opposite wall.  The driver was so incoherent that his foot remained on the accelerator while the woman screamed for him to shut off the engine.  Luckily, a passerby had seen the driver hit the hydrant and had called 911 at that time, so it was a matter of minutes before the two women were tended to by emergency personnel.  Miraculously, both of them sustained no life-threatening injuries.

No, let me rephrase that:  Miraculously, both women are A L I V E.   While both will be in some pain for a while, their lives were spared that day.

Initially, I was pretty upset by the news.  I couldn’t help but think about the freaky, unexplained nature of it all:

If the man hadn’t hit the hydrant first, they would have been in their offices and away from danger.

If he had just backed STRAIGHT off of the hydrant, they would have been safe.

With as long as the building is, if a bullseye had been painted on the door, he couldn’t have aimed for the target better.

If they hadn’t been trapped between the double doors, they might have been able to flee in time.

But then I suddenly realized that I could be telling this story with a very different outcome.  I could have lost my aunt entirely that day.   And once I came to that realization, I could release my sorrow and see the situation for the blessing that it was.  I could see how incredibly fortunate that we all are.  I began to thank God over and over again for God’s gracious loving care.  We were given a gift that day, and I will always be grateful.

So at the same time that this was going on, I also “celebrated” my blog’s first anniversary date last week. I say “celebrated” because there wasn’t any big hoopla.  No giant giveaway.  No linky party blogiversary extravaganza.  Just a quiet reflection on how much I love my family, I love writing about food and other fun stuff, and I love the fact that you all are here to share it with me. Cheers to another year of loving, living, eating, cooking and…gosh, is there anything else?!

Oh yeah, and cheers to some Chocolate Covered Cherry Lime Dip, which has nothing to do with this post, but it’s pretty darned tasty!

5.0 from 3 reviews

Chocolate Covered Cherry Lime Dip

 

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Prep time

20 mins

Cook time

20 mins

Total time

40 mins

 

Tangy cherries are layered between sweet fluffy pools of cream cheese goodness, then covered in a dark chocolate ganache. Serve with homemade profiterole “dunkin’ sticks”.

Author: Sherry K

Recipe type: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Serves: 12

Ingredients

• ¾ cup milk, divided
• ¼ cup + 1 tablespoon butter, divided
• dash salt
• ½ cup all-purpose flour
• 2 eggs
• 2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped into pieces
• ½ tablespoon lime zest
• 1 cup fresh (or frozen and thawed) pitted sweet cherry halves
• ½ tablespoon cornstarch
• ¼ cup honey
• ½ tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
• ¼ cup cold whipping cream
• 4 ounces reduced fat cream cheese, softened
• ½ cup + 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
• ½ teaspoon vanilla

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 425˚ F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or baking mat.
2. For the profiteroles: In a medium saucepan, combine ½ cup milk, ¼ cup butter and salt and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, add the flour and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon. Cook until the mixture pulls away from the sides of the pan and forms a ball. Transfer the mixture to a medium mixing bowl and allow to cool for a few minutes. Using an electric mixer, add eggs, one at a time, incorporating each egg before adding the next one.
3. Spoon the mixture into a plastic bag and snip off a corner. Pipe mixture onto the baking sheet, forming a ½″ x 1½″ log shape. Be sure to leave at least 1 inch in between each of the logs. Dampen a fingertip with water and gently flatten any peaks that may have formed. Bake for 15-20 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the baking time. Turn off the oven and leave the profiteroles in the oven for an additional 10 minutes, or until they sound hollow when you tap on them. Cool on a wire rack.
4. For the ganache: Place the chocolate in a small heatproof bowl and set aside. Chop the remaining tablespoon of butter into small pieces. Heat the remaining ¼ cup milk and butter in a medium sauce pan (or microwave) until boiling. Remove from heat and pour over chocolate. Allow to stand for a few minutes without stirring. Stir gently (to prevent air from getting into the ganache) with a spoon or whisk until smooth. Mix in lime zest and chill.
5. In a small saucepan, combine cherries, cornstarch, honey and lime juice. Combine well. Bring mixture to a boil and cook a few minutes, stirring occasionally, until thickened. Remove from heat and set aside to cool (mixture will thicken more as it cools).
6. In a small chilled metal bowl, whip cream until stiff peaks form. In another small bowl, cream together cream cheese and powdered sugar. Add vanilla and fold in whipped cream.
7. To assemble, spoon half of the cream cheese mixture into a serving bowl. Add cherries (save a little for garnish), followed by the other half of the cream cheese. Then top with chocolate ganache. Garnish with cherries and lime wedges. Serve with profiterole dunkin’ sticks, graham crackers and/or shortbread cookies.

Notes

Recipe by Jazzy Gourmet Cooking Studio at http://jazzygourmetblog.com
© 2013 Sherry Klinedinst
All rights reserved. Repost with permission only.

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Can’t see video?  Watch it here:  Chocolate Covered Cherry Lime Dip

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A few years ago, our church choir came over for dinner at our house.  Amongst other things, I was making Plum Good Meatloaf and homemade yeast rolls.  Around 5:00, I turned the oven on and went about my business of preparing the rest of the meal.  After a few minutes, I started smelling gas and when I opened the oven door, it was stone cold.

Yikes!

I ran the meatloaf and rolls to a nearby neighbor; and by the thread of my britches, I got the meal finished in time.

Whew!

How many times do we take it for granted that our oven will always be there for us; happily set to the correct temperature and ready to bake tender breads, luscious pies, and  perfect cookies?  So it’s important to check the health of our oven every once in a while, just to make sure it is purring like a kitten (or in my case, persevering like a workhorse).

Oh and BTW, at least I got a new oven out of the deal; but wouldn’t you know that when I tested it this week, it was running too cold?  Just goes to show that it doesn’t matter how new your oven is, it’s always a good idea to check!

Watch video here (sugar technique by Food.com):

Having trouble seeing the video?  Watch it here:  Take Your Oven’s Temperature

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Mom always said it is nice to share!

Once again, the fine folks of Southside Christian Church have served as worthy taste testers for my latest recipe.  In this case, I placed a couple of plastic containers full of these little gems in the narthex.  I share my concoctions there for 2 reasons:

1. My S.O. and I don’t need the extra calories attached to our behinds.

2. The one thing I can count on with the fine folks of Southside Christian Church is a definite opinion!

By the time I finished my postlude and reached the narthex area, the plastic containers were completely void of content.  When I asked for opinions, all I got was the sound of licked fingers and smacked lips.  I took that as taste tester code for success.

So what are PB & J Caramel Chewies?  Well, I started with the basic recipe that I use for my Christmas Wreaths and Easter Egg Nests, and added some pretzels.

Why pretzels?

I included them because the 2 ingredients for our Behind the Curtain Dessert Challenge this month are pretzels and caramel. So of course Chewies came to mind!  I figured the pretzels would be just enough salt and crunch to complement the chewy peanut butter caramel.  And I had been thinking about doing some kind of PB & J variation of them here lately anyway.  But I didn’t want to put any ol’ jelly in the middle; I wanted a fresh strawberry jammy-like filling.

The next quandary was the shape.  I wanted it to be small enough for a person to pop in their mouth in one bite; but it had to be a vessel that could house some of that beautiful ruby jeweled jam.  When I tried to create the cups free-form on a cookie sheet, it was a slow process.  Time is of the essence when it comes to making Chewies, because the mixture sets up rather quickly.  So I grabbed a mini muffin pan, threw a hunk of the caramel mixture into each cup and gave it a quick dimple with the handle of my wooden spoon.  It worked!  After letting them set for about 30 minutes, I was able to fill each cup with the strawberries.  The only thing left was to wait for the test results at church.

Hallelujah, they passed the test!

4.9 from 7 reviews

PB & J Caramel Chewies

 

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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

10 mins

Total time

20 mins

 

Crunchy Special K cereal and pretzels, drenched in a chewy peanut butter caramel coating and shaped into a cup that is filled with fresh strawberry jam.

Author: Sherry K

Recipe type: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Serves: 24

Ingredients

• ½ tablespoon cornstarch
• ¾ cup granulated sugar, divided
• 1 cup fresh or frozen (and thawed) diced strawberries
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• ½ cup corn syrup
• ¾ cup creamy peanut butter
• 2 cups Special K cereal
• ½ cup pretzels sticks that have been broken into thirds

Instructions

1. In a medium saucepan, combine cornstarch and ¼ cup sugar. Add strawberries and lemon juice. Combine well. Bring mixture to a boil and cook a few minutes, stirring occasionally, until thickened. Remove from heat and set aside to cool (mixture will thicken more as it cools).
2. In another medium saucepan, heat remaining ½ cup sugar and corn syrup over medium high heat. Stir with a wooden spoon until mixture comes to a rolling boil. Remove from heat and stir in peanut butter. Add cereal and pretzels and mix until well coated. Press by tablespoonfuls into the cups of a 24-cup nonstick mini muffin pan. Using the handle of the wooden spoon, make an indentation in the middle of each cup, being careful to not create a hole at the bottom. Let cool in the mini muffin pan for about a ½ hour until cups are firm. Then remove the cups from the pan and fill with strawberry jam. Serve immediately.

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