Author Archives: eatcookblog

Betty’s Chicken Pot Pie

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Chicken Pot Pie.  Seriously one of my favorite comfort foods. And it has to be this recipe, from the Betty Crocker A New Cookbook for a New You Cookbook.  Believe me.  I’ve experimented with others and always come back to Betty.  (I mean, come on, just look at that photo of the “new” Betty…she must know a thing or two about chicken pot pie!)  Of course, I’ve adapted it a little and simplified it a bit (by using a store-bought-ready-to-roll-out pie crust and already cooked chicken), but it’s still Betty’s and it’s still the best.

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I’ve had this cookbook for a really long time.  Maybe even a wedding present (that would be 1984)??  Whenever it was, it has been used a lot.  Apparently somebody left the book on a still hot burner of an electric stove once. Lol. And the front cover has fallen off.  The back cover is just about to fall off.  It’s really great for basics.  I make her Hollandaise, Beef Stroganoff, Chili (she calls ground beef “hamburger”), Macaroni and Cheese (with Velveeta…oy!) and Meat Loaf.  There are great charts (turkey roasting timetable) and tips (egg sizes).  There’s a section at the back all about newfangled “microwave cooking”.  Hilarious.  “This cool, convenient new way of cooking simplifies life.  It saves time.  It doesn’t heat the kitchen…There’s nothing magical about microwaves.  They are simply electromagnetic waves of energy, similar to radio and television waves.”  Anyway, you get my point…I’ve had this cookbook for a very long time!

Okay.  The recipe.  You’ll want to make this.  And then you’ll want to make it again and again.

Betty’s Chicken Pot Pie

INGREDIENTS

1/3 cup butter (Betty says you can use margarine or chicken fat too)

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/3 cup chopped onion

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1-3/4 cups chicken or turkey broth (one 14-oz. can)

2/3 cup milk

2 cups cut-up cooked chicken or turkey

1 10-ounce package frozen peas and carrots

Refrigerated all-ready pie crusts (come in packages of two)

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 425°.

Heat butter in saucepan over low heat until melted.  Blend in flour, onion, salt & pepper.  Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is smooth and bubbly; remove from heat.  Stir in broth and milk.  Return to heat; heat to boiling, stirring constantly.  Boil and stir one minute.  Stir in chicken and frozen vegetables; set aside.

Fit one of the pie crusts into a 9-inch pie plate.  Trim any overhanging dough to fit edge of plate.  Pour chicken filling into pastry.  Place second pie crust over filling.  Roll edges under and crimp or flute top crust and bottom crust edges together to seal. Cut slits in center of top crust to allow steam to escape.  Cook uncovered until crust is brown, 30 to 35 minutes.  Makes 6-8 servings.

Classic Champagne Cocktail

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The Champagne Cocktail. So elegant.  Doesn’t it just bring to mind Great Gatsby (or, to be more current, Boardwalk Empire)?

We were in a gourmet dinner club thing a few years ago (a really fun one, I might add, with a bunch of very talented cooks and super creative themes!)  One of the couples chose “1920’s Speakeasy”.  It was fun researching to figure out what to make.  Tony & I were in charge of a salad.  And with each course, we all also had to bring an accompanying cocktail or beverage.  We made a Crab Louis Salad.  It was so fricking delicious…we used some of Tony’s homemade pickled asparagus and fresh Dungeness crab.  And, of course, a Classic Champagne Cocktail.  lt was very popular among the “Flapper set” in the 1920’s, served in those flat-bottomed “coupe” champagne glasses, not the tulip ones we have now.  It just so happens that when Tony & I got married, the crystal we registered for, by Sasaki, included coupe champagne glasses.  They are gorgeous and we rarely get to use them.

Don’t you think a champagne cocktail (or two) would be such a classy and elegant addition to your New Year’s Eve celebration? I’m sure F. Scott Fitzgerald and Nucky Thompson would think so.

Classic Champagne Cocktail

INGREDIENTS

Champagne (or sparkling wine)

Sugar cubes

Cognac

Angostura Bitters

Lemon (for lemon peel twist garnish)

DIRECTIONS

Drop sugar cube in glass; splash with cognac and bitters; top with champagne or sparkling wine.  Garnish with a twist of lemon peel.

Truffled Popcorn

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Carole, my Birthday Buddy at work, gave me a bottle of black truffle oil (and some delicious dark chocolate crisp thingies and an adorable apron) and I’ve been trying to figure out what to do with it.  You see truffled this and truffled that everywhere now.  My brother-in-law Josh makes a yummy truffled mac & cheese.  I had a really delicious appetizer called Truffled Egg Toast (sorta like a French toast, only truffley, with fontina cheese and asparagus) the other night at Davanti Enoteca.

But I wanted to come up with something clever for New Year’s Eve.  I’m bringing an appetizer and a dessert to the party we’re going to (okay, it’s Chip & Dale’s party.  Yep…friends of ours whose actual names are Chip and Dale.  The first time we went to their house for dinner, I told our then 15-year-old daughter that we were going to Chip & Dale’s for dinner.  She made a horrible face and said, “gross…you’re going to Chippendales?  For dinner?  Do they even have food?”  Lol!!!)

Okay, again I digress.  I’m already doing Sam’s Smoked Salmon Deviled Eggs and a Chocolate and Mixed Nut Tart.  But what to do with the truffle oil? Then I remembered that there’s a newish restaurant here called Brooklyn Girl and they serve different gourmet popcorns as a snack before dinner.  The night we were there it was something curry.  So how about a truffled popcorn?  And I had seen some cute little popcorn boxes at Cost Plus!  Bingo.  And did you know that Trader Joe’s even sells organic popcorn kernels?

So I searched and pulled a few different recipes (from Martha, Ina Garten, the Washington Post and Epicurious) and came up with this.  How fun will this be for New Year’s Eve?  Plus…it’s a rainy day in San Diego.  Tony’s at the Charger-Raider game.  I’m going to be able to sample it while watching “The Five Year Engagement”.  HA!

Truffled Popcorn

INGREDIENTS

2 cups popped popcorn

1 tablespoon butter

1 teaspoon truffle oil

1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley

Kosher salt & pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

You can pop the popcorn however you like.  I experimented first with Trader Joe’s micro popcorn.  Each mini bag makes about two cups.  If you’re using kernels, 1/4 cup kernels will yield about 8 cups of popped popcorn.

Heat the butter and truffle oil in a small saucepan over medium-low heat until melted and warmed through.

Place the freshly popped popcorn in a large bowl.  Add the butter/truffle oil and toss well.  Add the cheese and parsley; toss to distribute evenly.  Season with salt & pepper.

Serve in cute cardboard popcorn boxes or mini paper bags.

Smoked Salmon Deviled Eggs

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Okay, once again I’m sharing a recipe from my brother-in-law Sam. The guy knows his stuff.  I’ve always been a deviled egg fan, but the addition of smoked salmon just makes them that much better.  What is it with smoked salmon and eggs?  Case in point Sam’s Mom’s Lox Dip.  And recently (actually, twice recently), I made Latke Eggs Benedict with Smoked Salmon.  Yes.  The latke replaces an English muffin and smoked salmon replaces the Canadian bacon.  Oh my.  (Borrowed that one from a cute blog called What Jew Wanna Eat.)

Oh yeah.  The deviled eggs.  Sam’s made these a few times for family get-togethers and they are always a winner.  He made a bunch for Tony’s birthday celebration last week (Tony’s December 25 birthday…you’ll hear a lot more about that in the near future) and they were devoured.  I suggest you try them.

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Sam made Smoked Salmon Deviled Eggs and Chopped Liver for Tony’s birthday

Smoked Salmon Deviled Eggs

INGREDIENTS

12 hard-boiled eggs, peeled

6-ounce package smoked salmon, chopped small

1/2 cup mayonnaise (approximately)

1/2 cup red onion, finely chopped

1 tablespoon spicy brown mustard

Hot sauce (like  Cholula or Tabasco), to taste

pinch kosher salt

pepper to taste

1/4 cup green onions or chives, chopped fine, plus a little extra for garnish

Caviar (optional) for garnish – I’ll definitely being adding caviar for New Year’s Eve!

More chopped green onion or chives for garnish

DIRECTIONS

Slice eggs down the middle lengthwise.

Put the egg white halves on your serving plate and the yolks in a bowl.  Mash the yolks with a fork.  Add salmon, mayo, red & green onion, hot sauce, salt, pepper and mustard.  Mix well.

Using a small spoon (or if you want to get really fancy, a cake decorating tip), fill each of the egg white halves with the yolk mixture.

Garnish with the additional chopped green onion or chives and caviar, if using.

Sam’s note:  you can get these all set a few hours in advance, but don’t add the caviar until the last minute because when it sits on the eggs too long, the liquid can come out and make the top of the eggs a bit messy. 

Hot Feta Artichoke Dip

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I know what you’re thinking, “really, Cheryl, artichoke dip?  So boring.  Everyone makes that and you can buy it pre-made everywhere.”  Well, this one is different. Why?  Feta cheese.  I actually found this recipe on the underside of the lid of a container of crumbled feta cheese a long time ago.  How long ago?  I had made a copy of the recipe and when I pulled it out to make it today, I see it says “sell by Jul 04 03”.   And I’ve made it countless times since.  It’s delicious and super easy.  In fact, once when I was out of town and Tony was invited somewhere for dinner, he offered to bring an appetizer.  Then, of course, he called me asking what he should make.  I suggested this.  He did and it was a hit.

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I’ve adapted it somewhat over the years.  The original recipe calls for pimentos (blech) and two 4-ounce containers of feta cheese (of course it does; they want to sell more of their cheese; but I’ve found a couple of brands that come in 6-ounce packages and that works just fine) AND a whole cup of mayo; I’ve halved that.

PS  When I say I made it today; I made it for no other reason than so I could write about it and photograph it.  And now Tony is really excited because we get to eat it tonight!

Hot Feta Artichoke Dip

INGREDIENTS

1 14-ounce can artichoke hearts, drained & chopped

6 to 8-ounce container crumbled feta cheese

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

1 clove garlic

Paprika

DIRECTIONS

Mix all ingredients in a bowl.  Spoon into pie pan or shallow baking dish.  Sprinkle with paprika.  Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes until lightly browned.  Serve hot with crackers or pita triangles.

Dukkah

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Dukkah/dukka  (from the Arabic for “to pound”) refers to crushed nuts and seeds traditionally eaten on bread dipped in olive oil; the blend varies from cook to cook.  I had it as an appetizer at a Middle Eastern restaurant once and it was so good I knew I had to find a recipe for it (plus, come on, can you say the word “dukkah” without giggling?) I found several and the combination of nuts and seeds used really does vary from cook to cook.  I used this one basically because I had most of the ingredients on hand.  It makes a lot and it keeps for quite a while in the fridge.  Well, I have to qualify that.  It keeps a while in the fridge if you don’t eat it every single night and/or if you don’t use what’s left to make Smitten Kitchen’s Chicken Skewers with Dukkah-Crust which we did once and it was sheer deliciousness.

It’s easy to make.  It’s delicious.  It’s healthy.  And…it’s just fun to say.

Dukkah

INGREDIENTS

1/4 cup pistachios

1/4 cup cashews

1/4 cup slivered almonds

1/4 cup hazelnuts

1/4 cup coriander seeds

1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

1 1/2 tablespoons cumin seeds

1/4 cup sesame seeds

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Olive oil

Crusty bread or pita

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 350°. Spread the nuts on a baking sheet and toast for about 8 minutes, until golden. Let cool.  Coarsely chop the nuts.  Transfer to the bowl of a food processor.

In a skillet, toast the coriander seeds over moderate heat until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add to the food processor.

In the skillet, toast the unsweetened shredded coconut and cumin seeds, stirring, until the coconut is golden, 2 minutes; add to the nuts and seeds in the food processor and pulse until coarsely ground. Transfer the dukkah to a bowl.

In the skillet, toast the sesame seeds until golden, 4 minutes. Stir the sesame seeds into the dukkah, season with the salt and pepper.

Make Ahead:

The dukkah can be kept in an airtight container for up to 4 days or refrigerated for up to 1 month.

Serve with olive oil and crusty bread or pita for dipping.

Kale and Brussels Sprouts Salad

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You may have noticed (or maybe not, but if you look at the list of recipes on this blog, you will) that I like salads.  I think there might be more recipes in the “salad” category than any other (okay, my bad…there are more desserts, but only slightly more…lol).  We have salad as a side dish almost every night (Caesar, Broccoli Slaw, Watermelon/Tomato/Cucumber) and often have just a more substantial salad as our main course (Fiesta Chicken, Nicoise).  There’s such an infinite number of possibilities and combinations of ingredients (lots of lettuces and other greens and veggies and potatoes and grains) and so many other goodies (dried fruits and nuts and seeds and cheese and eggs and meats) you can toss together with a multitude of different vinaigrettes and dressings! I bet I could do a different salad every day for a couple months.  In fact, I’ve just given myself an idea…I think I might have to do a week of “salad a day” posts.

So this just happens to be my most recent favorite. I had a similar salad at a dinner party a couple weeks ago and loved it.  Have to admit, when the person who made the salad said it had kale and brussels sprouts in it, I thought, “yuck…raw brussels sprouts?  And kale?  I don’t like kale.” So I put a little on my plate (just to be polite) and I tried it.  And then I went back for more.  It was really good.  So good in fact, that I took note of the ingredients and then came home and searched on Epicurious and found this recipe from Bon Appétit. I made it twice last week. Twice!  I guess I like kale.

I actually read the directions wrong and ended up tossing the kale and brussels with the dressing early and let the whole thing sit while I was making the rest of dinner.  I think it might even be better this way…lets the veggies soften a little!

AND A NOTE:  My friend Barbara commented on FB that she made this salad and loved it.  What I found out later was that she used a cheese grater to grate the sprouts and really hacked up her fingers.  I’m sorry Bobba!  The first few times I made this, I shredded them by hand…cut the sprout in half lengthwise, flip them cut-side down and then starting at the short side, slice very thinly.  But that was only because I lost the slicing disk for my food processor (I’m not sure how someone loses a slicing disk, but I did.  I’ve only had the food processor for 28+ years!!)  Anyway, I just ordered a new one on line and man, oh man, does it make this so much easier!!! 

Kale and Brussels Sprouts Salad

INGREDIENTS

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon minced shallot
1 small garlic clove, finely grated
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt plus more for seasoning
Freshly ground black pepper
2 large bunches of Tuscan kale (about 1 1/2 pounds total), center stem discarded, leaves thinly sliced (I bought a bag of Trader Joe’s already chopped Tuscan kale and then chopped it into smaller pieces)
12 ounces brussels sprouts, trimmed, finely grated or shredded with a knife (Trader Joe’s actually has already shredded brussels, but the packages didn’t look all so good the day I was there.)
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1/3 cup almonds with skins, coarsely chopped
1 cup finely grated Pecorino cheese

DIRECTIONS:

Combine lemon juice, Dijon mustard, shallot, garlic, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and a pinch of pepper in a small bowl. Stir to blend; set aside to let flavors meld. Mix thinly sliced kale and shredded brussels sprouts in a large bowl.

Measure 1/2 cup oil into a cup. Spoon 1 tablespoon oil from cup into a small skillet; heat oil over medium-high heat. Add almonds to skillet and stir frequently until golden brown in spots, about 2 minutes. Transfer nuts to a paper towel–lined plate. Sprinkle almonds lightly with salt.

Slowly whisk remaining olive oil in cup into lemon-juice mixture. Season dressing to taste with salt and pepper.  DO AHEAD: Dressing, kale mixture, and toasted almonds can be prepared 8 hours ahead. Cover dressing and kale mixture separately and chill. Cover almonds and let stand at room temperature.

Add dressing and cheese to kale mixture; toss to coat. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Garnish with almonds.

Salted Brown Butter Rice Krispie Treats

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I know…I know…if it’s not broke don’t fix it.  Rice Krispie Treats definitely don’t need fixing, but when I saw this recipe in the Smitten Kitchen cookbook, I just had to try them.  I love salty-sweet things (see Potato Chip Cookies and Margarita Cookies) and lately, I’ve loved anything with browned butter.  I made the most awesome Brown Butter Apple Tart not too long ago and last summer a Brown Butter and Raspberry Tart.

In the SK cookbook, we get a cute little history of Rice Krispie Treats… they were invented in 1928 by Mildred Day of the home economics department at the Kellogg Company.  What a genius Mildred was!  And such an easy little treat to make.  I think they may have been one of the very first things I learned to cook when I was maybe 12.  Do you remember that commercial where the mom is in the kitchen reading some steamy novel and there’s a plate of Rice Krispie Treats in front of her…her family is calling her from the other room and she’s like, “I’ll be right there.”  Then she finishes the book, splashes some flour on her face to make it look like she’s been slaving over these treats and then brings them into her family and they are all appreciative and think she’s just the best mom ever.  I loved that.

Okay, so back to these little gems.  Like I said, Mildred’s original recipe definitely doesn’t need fixing, but the addition of the nutty browned butter and just a smidgen of sea salt just elevates these to such a higher level.  I made them for a potluck at work a couple weeks ago and my coworkers are still talking about them.  (One even offered to pay me to make some for him!)  You’ll be thanking me (uh, Smitten Kitchen) for “fixing” these!!  I think even Mildred would be happy.

 Salted Brown Butter Rice Krispie Treats

Makes 16 2-inch squares or 32 1- x 2-inch small bars

INGREDIENTS

4 ounces (1/4 pound or 1 stick) unsalted butter, plus extra for the pan
1 10-ounce bag marshmallows
Heaping 1/4 teaspoon coarse sea salt
6 cups Rice Krispies cereal (about half a 12-ounce box)

DIRECTIONS

Butter (or coat with non-stick spray) an 8-inch square cake pan with 2-inch sides.

In a large pot, melt butter over medium-low heat. It will melt, then foam, then turn clear golden and finally start to turn brown and smell nutty. Stir frequently, scraping up any bits from the bottom as you do. Don’t take your eyes off the pot as while you may be impatient for it to start browning, the period between the time the butter begins to take on color and the point where it burns is often less than a minute.

As soon as the butter takes on a nutty color, turn the heat off and stir in the marshmallows. The residual heat from the melted butter should be enough to melt them, but if it is not, turn it back on low until the marshmallows are smooth.

Remove the pot from the stove and stir in the salt and cereal together. Quickly spread into prepared pan. You can use a piece of waxed or parchment paper sprayed with oil or spread with butter (even better, save the wrapper from the butter and use that!) to press it firmly and evenly into the edges and corners, though a silicon spatula works almost as well.

Let cool completely and then cut into squares.  Devour.

Sam’s Mom’s Lox Dip

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You’ve heard me talk about my brother-in-law Sam before and I’ve even mentioned his mom Joy before.  (She’s the creator of that wonderful Caesar Salad dressing that’s been floating around for 20+ years).  Sam definitely inherited the cooking gene from Joy.

Well this dip/spread is another of her recipes that’s been handed down and passed around forever.  It’s on Sam’s website and in his first cookbook.  It’s so easy and so delicious…cream cheese, lox (aka smoked salmon), chopped hard boiled egg and green onion.  Yum.  It’s great as an appetizer served with bagel crisps or pita chips. (I just took some to a friend’s Hanukkah party and everyone loved it…I think every trace of it was eaten and they all wanted the recipe.)  In fact, if you’re going to take it to or serve it at a party, make a double batch and keep some for yourself…it’s yummy for breakfast or brunch or lunch on a bagel too.

Thanks Joy!

Sam’s Mom’s Lox Dip

INGREDIENTS

4 ounces sliced lox, chopped

4 ounces cream cheese, softened

3 tablespoons mayonnaise

3 green onions, white and light green parts only, chopped fine (save some for garnish)

1 hard-boiled egg, grated or chopped fine

Freshly ground pepper

Bagel crisps, pita chips or any other interesting cracker-type thing you like

DIRECTIONS

Combine the lox, cream cheese, mayo, green onion and egg in a bowl and mix well.  Scoop into a serving bowl and garnish with the extra chopped green onion.

Serve with bagel crisps or pita chips for dipping or spread on a bagel (an “everything” bagel is really good here!) for a nosh.

Apple, Green Onion and Jalapeño Salsa for your Latkes

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In the words of Adam Sandler, “Put on your yarmulke, here comes Hanukkah…its so much fun-akkah to celebrate Hanukkah!” And what’s the best part of Hanukkah?  Latkes.  Latkes are those delicious potato pancakes, fried in oil…the oil symbolizing the miracle of the oil lasting for eight days, when it was only supposed to last for one (you all know this story, right?)

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Traditionally, latkes are served with sour cream and applesauce.  I am not really a fan of applesauce.  I mean, I’ll have a little dollop with my latkes, but only a little and with a much more significant amount of sour cream and, really, only because I just feel like it’s heresy not to.  Sooooo…a few years ago, when this recipe for an apple salsa appeared in a Bon Appétit article called A Feast That Shines Bright, I was thrilled!  I’ve been making it and serving it ever since.  Of course, I still have to put out a bowl of applesauce to make everyone else happy.

Happy Hanukkah!!

Apple, Green Onion and Jalapeño Salsa for your Latkes

(adapted from Bon Appétit, December 2004)

INGREDIENTS

1-1/2 pounds your favorite apples (about 3 large), peeled (optional – I never do) and cored

1/2 cup minced green onion (about four large, white and light green parts only)

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

2 tablespoons minced seeded jalapeño chile (about half a medium chile)

1/4 cup fresh squeezed lime juice

2 tablespoons honey

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Sour cream (for serving)

Latkes (duh), made from your favorite recipe.  I have been using Marlene Sorosky’s forever.

DIRECTIONS

Okay, there are a couple ways to do this.  I usually use my food processor.  If you’re doing this, cut apples, japlapeño and green onions into big chunks.  Put all into the bowl of your food processor fitted with the chopping blade.  Toss in the cilantro.  Pulse a few times to finely chop…but don’t chop too much and turn it into a paste (or worse…applesauce!)!  Remove to large bowl.

OR…you can finely chop everything by hand.

In small bowl, whisk lime juice, honey and cinnamon to blend; stir into chopped apple mixture.  Season with salt and pepper.  (Can be made 6 hours ahead.  Cover and chill).