Last minute gift idea...

Hello all! I have a great idea for anyone looking for a last minute gift idea for a baker or for a kiddo. It's the Big Top Cupcake Pan. A few months ago, my mom came to visit and got Hannah this huge cupcake cake pan from Bed Bath and Beyond. We all know that Hannah is a much better baker than I am.



The pans are silicone, which makes it super easy to get the cake out of the pan. I have seen pans that are metal, and I think that they would be much more difficult to deal with. Also, there is a really neat insert that makes a well in the top of the cupcake bottom so that you can fill it with pudding or ice cream, etc. Lot of fun there!





You can make simple ones (like the first one Hannah did) or you can get really creative like she did with the Halloween cupcake and then the one she made with my mom that looks like a gingerbread house. She loves it and I just wanted to spread the idea in case you had a little one (or a bigger one) you were still trying to buy for!

November Dinner Party

Appetizer- Rattlesnake Empanadas (from Furnace Creek Inn in Death Valley National Park, CA, p.66)



So in the restaurant, these are made from rattlesnake. I did google it, to buy online, but 1 pound of rattlesnake is $45, so that really was not an option. The recipe did say that you could substitute ground chicken, so I did. The meat was sauteed with bell peppers, nopalitos (cactus pads) and cheese. All that was wrapped in a delicious bit of puff pastry. These were really fabulous, especially served with guacamole.

Soup- Palace Corn Chowder (from The Palace Bar in Prescott, AZ, p. 90)



This was a fantastic, fabulous, delicious soup. Roasted corn, bacon and potatoes in creamy yumminess. Really yummy with just a hint of heat at the end.

Entree- Autumn Chicken (from Sous Chef in Tucson, AZ, p. 123)
Side- Crispy Polenta with Gorgonzola Sauce (from Andiamoi Italina Trattoria in Santa Fe, NM p. 205)



This chicken was a pretty simple but great recipe. Browned the chicken in some butter, then made a sauce with garlic, pomegranate juice, and a hint of mustard. Poured the sauce on the chicken and baked until juicy and tender. Topped with cilantro and pomegranate seeds, which added a great pop of flavor and texture.

Loooooooved this polenta dish! Made the polenta (really just Italian for grits, and you know as a Southern girl I love grits!) with butter, Parmesan and rosemary, then let them cool and firm up. Those were cut into triangles and pan fried until crispy and fabulous. The sauce was just reduced cream with Gorgonzola and a little lemon juice. I want to make it clear- this was a delicious, over the top, wonderful dish.

Dessert- Pumpkin Flan (from Rancho De Chimayo in Chimayo, NM, p. 226)




Flan always makes me nervous- making the hard caramel and getting it into the cups before it hardens, making the custard, baking in a warm water bath... So many things could go wrong. This one did give me a little trouble. It did not slide out of the cup like it was supposed to, then there was no sauce pooled in the bottom like there is supposed to be. Another issue was one that I actually liked- it did not have that firm, somewhat gelatinous texture (that I really don't like). All in all, this tasted like pumpkin pie without the crust. Which is great if you like pumpkin pie!

A Treat from London

One of my favorite food discoveries in London was… Sticky Toffee Pudding!


Andrew and I split some at this adorable little pub where we had lunch one day. Great spongy cake in a puddle of creamy toffee sauce. It was like heaven. We were a little put off by the odd crunchy center, but we figured it was just a part of how it was supposed to be. Until… I was reading through cookbooks in a book store (I try to always buy a cookbook as a souvenir from our travels) and I read about traditional sticky toffee pudding. It said that many times restaurants buy mass produced pudding and microwave them and you can always tell because they have (you guessed it) a crunchy center! Gasp! The amazing pudding that I loved was not even a very good representation of what sticky toffee pudding should be! It also said that traditional sticky toffee pudding should be full of dates (ours wasn’t…)



So… I made a homemade recipe for the puddings (really little cakes baked in muffin tins) and toffee sauce. All I can say is- SIGH… and dreamy smile… YUM!!!! So, so, so fabulous! Really rich though- after the first bite I thought I was going to eat at least 2 more but by the end the sweetness really satisfied and any more would have been too much.

This recipe is from "Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey" an absolutley amazing and fantastic cookbook. Hannah is foaming at the mouth to make almost every recipe.



Sticky Toffee Pudding
(serves 12 dainty or 6 ravenous eaters)

Cake:
2 cups pitted dates, chopped
1 1/2 cups water
1 1/4 tsp baking soda
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
3 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla

Toffee Sauce:
2 sticks unsalted butter
3 cups firmly packed dark brown sugar
2 cups heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt

Vanilla Ice Cream, for serving

Lightly butter a standard 12 cup muffin tin with nonswtick cooking spray. Preheat oven to 350.

To Make the Cake: Combine the dates and water in a heavy bottom saucepan and bring to a gentle boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook, uncovered, until dates are softened and have absorped the water. Remove from heat and stir in 1 tsp of the baking soda. Let stand 20 minutes.

While the dates are soaking, sift together the flour, salt, remaining 1/4 tsp baking soda nad the baking powder into a bowl; set aside. In another bowl, beat together the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition, adn then beat in the vanilaa. Sir the dates and any soaking liquid into the batter. Gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet bater just until combined.

Fill the muffin tins 2/3 full. Bake until a wooden skewer inserted int eh center of the cake comes out clean, 22-28 minutes.

Meanwhile make the toffe sauce: Combine the butter and brown sugar in a saucepan over medium heat; cook until the sugar and butter elt together. Add the cream, vanilla and salt. Increase the heat to high and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook, stirring frequently, until the sauce thickens, 6-8 minutes.

Remove the cakes from the oven ond poke the top of each a few times with a wooden skewer. Drizzle 1 Tbsp of the warm toffee sauce over each cake and allow it to sink in completely.



To serve, spoon a little of the sauce onto a dessert plate and place a cake, top side down, in the sauce. Spoon more warm sauce over the top of the cake and serve immediatly, with a bg scoop of ice cream.

I'm still here!

Hello Y'all!

I just wanted you all to know that I am still here, and I am still cooking. I know I was a little absent in October... My grandmother passed away in the beginning of the month, so I went home for a while for that, and then Andrew and I spent the last 10 days of the month in Europe- London, Paris and Rome. It was an AMAZING trip, and I have so many ideas for things I want to blog about- we ate really well!

Also... I am pregnant, so I have had a lot of other things on my mind as well. Yay for a baby!

So, new recipes coming soon- keep an eye out!

October Dinner Party

Blackened Shrimp with Charbroiled Tomatillo Sauce (from Medizona in Scottsdale, AZ- p. 175) and Mango Olive Salsa (from Medizona in Scottsdale, AZ- p. 210)



These were really delicious. The spice blend on the shrimp was really flavorful and the tomatillo sauce had great flavor too. While I do not like olives, I have to say that they actually tasted really good in the mango- olive salsa. A great appetizer.

Gypsy Stew (from The Pink Adobe in Santa Fe, NM- p. 99)



For this soup, I simmered a whole chicken with onion and garlic, then de-boned and skinned it, chopped it and put it back in the broth. Then tomatoes, roasted green chilies and some spices were added and simmered a little more. Then the soup was ladled over a big hunk of Monterey Jack cheese, which melted and made the soup extra yummy- because you can never go wrong with a big hunk of melted cheese!

Pink Adobe Steak Dunigan (from The Pink Adobe in Santa Fe, NM- p. 144)
Baked Spinach Gnocchi Verde with Alfredo Sauce (from The Rose Restaurant in Prescott, AZ- p. 187)
Roasted Garlic Flan with Warm Pumpkin Salsa (from Moasic in Scottsdale, AZ- p. 185)



Grilled steak is always good, but this was topped with mushrooms sautéed in butter and a green chile sauce. I was not that impressed with the green chili sauce- it was more chunky than saucy and not that flavorful, but with the mushrooms and steak it was good. And again, I do love a good steak!
The “gnocchi” were good, but not true gnocchi (a potato based dumpling), because they were made mostly with ricotta cheese, mixed with sautéed fresh spinach, which was really the main flavor in the gnocchi. The alfredo sauce was made by reducing brandy (never had alfredo with brandy), adding cream and then thickening with cornstarch. The recipe called for entirely too much cornstarch, and it got pretty solid. If I’d had more cream I would have thinned it back out and I think it would have been fine.
The garlic flan was really good- a baked mixture of pureed roasted garlic, cream and eggs- how can you not like it? And the salsa was fresh pumpkin, apples and onions sautéed with a bit of brown sugar to make it sweet. This was a really good and interesting side dish.

Caramel Pecan Cheesecake (from Rocking V café in Kanab, UT- p.220)



Mmmmmmmmmmmmm… Cheesecake… This was fabulous. The crust was thick and crunchy and buttery, and the filling was the perfect density. Topped with caramel and pecans, it was amazing!

September Dinner Party

Appetizer- Black Guajillo Scallop Tostada (from Atlas Bistro in Scottsdale, AZ- p. 67)



This was a great, flavorful tostada. It was a scallop ceviche with really great flavor served over a creamy guajillo sauce and freshly fried tostada- all sprinkled with cotija cheese, which really makes anything fabulous.

Soup- Sonoran Tortilla Soup with Machaca Beef (from Tonto Bar and Grill in Cave Creek, AZ- p.95)



While this soup took was a ridiculous amount of work- browning the steak chunks, simmering with soup ingredients, removing beef, adding fried tortillas just to blend it all up, then adding beef back in- it was totally worth it in the end- amazing taste and super tender beef.

Entrée- Tequila and Citrus Grilled Chicken (from Elements at Sanctuary Resort in Phoenix, AZ- p. 133)
Side- El Tovar Chile Lime Rice (from El Tovar Lodge, South Rim, Grand Canyon, AZ- p. 202)
Side- Artichoke Ragout (from Enchantment Resort in Sedona, AZ- p. 183)



The chicken pounded really thin and marinated (clearly in tequila, lime and orange, but also with other spices that made it delicious) and then quickly grilled. It was really tender and flavorful.
The rice was, well, rice. It had sautéed onion and ground chile and lime juice and some tomato paste, but it was still just rice. You may be able to tell that rice is not my favorite thing. People liked it, but it was nothing really special.
The artichokes, however, were the star of the whole evening. Absolutely delicious! Basically canned artichokes (I know, I know…) cooked with just a few tomatoes and mushrooms, drenched in cream and then topped with truffle oil. Yum.

Dessert- New Mexican Apple Pie (from The Daily Pie Café in Pie Town, NM- p. 219)



This was apple pie jazzed up with green chilies and pine nuts. I am not the biggest fan of apple pie (very un-American of me…) but people who like apple pie really liked it and thought the additions made it yummy (not the odd “interesting” that I was afraid of).

Neapolitan Cupcakes

I love that Hannah loves to bake. I am not the greatest baker- it is so precise and often things do not turn out the way I want them to. Which is why I am so glad that Hannah loves it, and that she is so good at it. And that cupcakes are her "thing" because eating cupcakes is one of my favorite things! Check out these Neapolitan cupcakes- we had to explain the concept of Neapolitan ice cream- vanilla, chocolate and strawberry all in the same container- as she had never actually seen that before, but she loved the recipe without even getting the Neapolitan reference. And these are soooooo yummy!



Neapolitan Cupcakes

1 box white cake mix
½ tsp. vanilla
1 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
1 oz. semisweet chocolate, melted
¼ cup strawberry preserves
Red food coloring

1. Line 24 muffin cups with paper liners. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Prepare cake mix according to package directions. Divide cake batter evenly among 3 bowls. Stir vanilla into batter in one bowl. Stir cocoa powder and melted chocolate in batter in second bowl. Stir in strawberry preserves and enough food coloring to turn batter pink in third bowl.
3. Spoon 1 Tbsp. of the strawberry batter into the bottom of each prepared muffing cup. Add 1 Tbsp. chocolate batter and top with 1 Tbsp. vanilla batter. (Cups will be 2/3 full.)
4. Bake about 15 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool cupcakes in muffin tins on wire racks for 5 minutes. Remove cupcakes from tins and allow to cool completely.

Ice Cream Frosting
4 oz. cream cheese
1/3 cup butter
¼ cup ice cream
2 tsp. vanilla
5 ½ cups powder sugar

1. Allow cream cheese and butter to stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Allow ice cream to soften at room temperature for 10 minutes.
2. In a large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and butter with an electric mixer on medium speed until fluffy. Beat in vanilla and then powdered sugar. Beat in melted ice cream until frosting reaches piping consistency.
3. Tint half of frosting pink with red food coloring. Spoon pink and white frostings side by side into a pastry bag. Pipe frosting over cupcakes to look like soft serve ice cream. Chill until ready to serve.

August Dinner Party

Pueblo Bonito Guacamole (from Pueblo Bonito Bed and Breakfast Inn, Santa Fe, NM, p. 65)
Wild Mushroom Quesadilla (from Furnace Creek Inn, Death Valley National Park, CA, p. 71)



How can you not enjoy guacamole and a quesadilla? This was a great basic guacamole recipe and the quesadilla was also super simple- just mushrooms and Gouda, but was oh so yummy!

Gazpacho Float (from House of Tricks in Tempe, AZ, p. 89)



Ok- back to a soup I was not so crazy about. It was a chilled tomato soup with a scoop of honey-mustard ice cream. I personally do not like cold soups, or mustard, so this one had nothing good going for it in my book. Out of the 5 of us, only 1 person actually liked it. The soup was really, really strong in spicy/ savory flavor, but the ice cream did help it out and tame it with mildness and some sweetness. One bite was all I could do though.

Chicken with Citrus, Prickly Pear and Chipotle (from Sous Chef in Tucson, AZ, p. 130)
Southwestern Succotash (from Enchantment Resort in Sedona, AZ, p/ 207)



The chicken was really delicious- chicken thighs (which I normally do not cook with) were marinated, then brushed in a mustard/ prickly pear/ spices paste and baked, then served with a prickly pear syrup sauce. As with the pork dish that had a prickly pear sauce earlier this year, it is a little odd to have something so sweet on a savory dish. The flavors were good though and the chicken was really moist.

The Succotash was refreshing- I reread the ingredients several times- it was basically just vegetables (corn, onion peppers, tomatoes and black beans) without spices or extra ingredients. The flavor was really pure and fresh- a perfect end of summer dish.

Velvet Moussellini (from Velvet Elvis Pizza Company in Patagonia, AZ, p. 228)



This recipe had me raiding the liquor cabinet. It was a Kahlua and brandy ice cream with a cognac chocolate sauce, topped with brandied cherries. None of our dinner guests drink, so I cut the alcohol in at least half, but their flavors were still really pronounced. It was a rich, decadent dessert, and a chilled, refreshing way to end the meal.

Camping Food Ideas!

Last month we went camping up in Utah. It was my first time actually “setting up a tent and sleeping outdoors” kind of camping. I tend to like roughing it in a nicely furnished cabin. However, anytime there are s’mores involved, you can always count me in!



What I learned about camping is you really have to plan ahead, as far as food is concerned. I was out of my element, but I did find a neat recipe (Paula Deen, no less) for these make-ahead packs to grill over the campfire. Really simple hamburger patties (that I stuffed with cheese) and potato and onion slices, topped with butter and wrapped in foil. I was really proud of myself until Andrew and his brother Brian informed me they are commonly known as “Hobo Packs” in the boy scouts and not anything new or exciting. I was glad that I had jazzed them up a bit with the stuffed cheese, some Southwestern spices and I brought an avocado to eat with them, which was really well received. I will definitely make them again for the next trip- they are easy to make ahead, freeze and just throw in the cooler. (Did the same thing with some spicy breakfast burritos and everyone loved it!)





Here is the basic recipe:
1 pound ground beef
Salt and pepper
1 large onion, thinly sliced
1 large baking potato, thinly sliced
Margarine or butter
Form the meet into 4 ½ inch think patties. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Lay each patty on a large square of aluminum foil. Top each with a few slices of onion and potato. Top with a generous Tablespoon of margarine or butter and add more salt and pepper. Wrap tightly in the foil, rolling ends to seal the package. Freeze or refrigerate. Pack in coolers.
When ready to eat, place packages directly in coals and cook for about 15- 20 minutes. Check to see if meat is cooked through: rewrap and cook longer if necessary.



What is great about this recipe is you are able to really jazz it up with any kind of seasonings or additional toppings (maybe sun dried tomatoes, basil and prosciutto) that can really give the packs some extra flavor and still be super simple to take with you. Enjoy!

July Dinner Party

I do realize that I have not posted in a few weeks and that I am posting the July party in mid-August. I am sorry- I have been neglectful, and I will try my best to be a better blogger! Now back to the food…

Appetizer- Anasaazi Bean Dip Boats (p. 51 Tall Timber Resort Durango, CO)


I had assumed when I saw the title that this would be a mashed bean dip, but when I got ready to make it I was surprised to see that it would be whole beans (I guess I was imagining it very 7-layer dip style). The beans were combined with onion, peppers and spices and then topped with a lime sour cream and that was topped with a homemade red chile pesto. The pesto was quite interesting (a nice way for saying odd- it was spices blended with some brandy- really odd for a pesto) but when you put all 3 components together it was really good. Perhaps not quite as good as Mom’s traditional 7 layer Tex-Mex dip, but pretty close.

Soup- Cream of Green Chile Soup (p. 87 Café Central in El Paso, TX)


With this soup, we were back to phenomenal flavors. Andrew says that I just set the bar so high with that first black bean soup, others have had a hard time measuring up. But this one did. It had a really mellow green chile and garlic flavor- so delicious! And it was so thick and smooth!

Entrée- Stuffed Chicken Mole (p. 127, from Coyote Grill in Scottsdale, AZ)
Side- Corn Risotto (p. 201, from Terra Cotta in Tucson, AZ)


This chicken was really good. It was a little unusual in that it was stuffed with things that I normally think of as Italian ingredients- prosciutto, basil, roasted red peppers, but also pepper jack cheese. That was all baked in the middle of the chicken breast, slathered in a (semi) homemade mole sauce. There were many ingredients in the sauce, but one of them was a jar of prepared red mole sauce, hence the (semi) homemade label. It was good. It was also a very pretty presentation when sliced and fanned out on rice with extra sauce.

The corn risotto was one of the best recipes that we have had this whole year. It was not what I expected- when I saw risotto I did not expext it to be covered in cheese and baked until bubbly. But the creamy corn under that delicious layer of cheese was so creamy and flavorful. This one will be seen again soon in the kitchen.

Dessert- Peach, Chile and Basil Tart (p. 215, from Roaring Fork in Scottsdale, AZ)


This was an interesting one. Clearly- peaches basil and hot chills are not normally what you would imagine going together well. But they do! Not sure if I did anything wrong, but my tart was a little too juicy, so it did not hold together well and kinda oozed on the plate, but it was still really yummy! Oh, and the vanilla ice cream really brought it together.

Cookbook Give Away!!!

Can you believe it is July already? Where is the year going? I am halfway done with my New Southwest Cookbook challenge! And I want to share the book with you guys, so I am going to give one away!!! Keep reading to see how…

I also wanted you to know that it doesn’t have just dinner recipes. A few months ago, while I had friends in town, I took advantage of the chance to try out some of the breakfast recipes from The New Southwest Cookbook. There are few things better than cooking something delicious for houseguests. Makes me feel like a good hostess. And these were some pretty delicious recipes!

Tomato-Basil-Swiss Cheese Quiche
(p. 23- The Garden Cottage Bed and Breakfast- Cedar City, UT)
This was really delicious. The aroma was amazing, wafting out of the oven! It had all the delicious flavors of pizza- tomatoes, basil, cheese, which was not at all expected in an egg dish. This will definitely be made again soon.



Southwestern Biscuits with Sausage and Crayfish Gravy
(p.32- Remington's Scottsdale Plaza Resort- Scottsdale AZ)
I was slightly disappointed that this recipe did not include homemade biscuits, but just said to use Southern style biscuits. However, the gravy more than made up for it.


Nutball Coffee Cake
(p.39- The Garden Cottage Bed and Breakfast- Cedar City, UT)
I think I overcooked this one a little bit. It was bisquick/cinnamon dough, rolled into little balls, and each ball was coated in butter, then cinnamon sugar and then nuts. Pretty work intensive and I had really high hopes. It also had a yummy cream cheese frosting drizzle. Sadly, I think it baked a little long because the balls were a little dry in the middle.



Apple Fritters
(p. 38- Waunita Hot Springs Ranch- Gunnison, CO)
These were sooooooo good. Apple fritters that actually tasted like apples! You know how most fritters are just fried dough with maybe a couple of tidbits of apple? Not these- shredded apple was at least half of the doughnut. And anything that is fried and coated in sugar can’t be bad!



Ok, so you want to try some of these and the other delicious things I have been making? Here is how you get a copy- post a comment about which recipe you have seen that I have cooked that you want to try. Also, if share this give away on your Facebook page and leave me a comment about that, you will be entered a second time to win. I will post in the comments section who wins. Good luck!

Root Beer Float Cupcakes

I have been obsessed with the idea of root beer cupcakes ever since I saw a couple of versions on the cupcake project blog over a year ago. I kept thinking about how fabulous they would be if they truly replicated the deliciousness of a root beer float- yummy, almost spicy root beer cake topped with creamy vanilla frosting. I found this recipe that actually used melted ice cream in the frosting in the cupcake book Hannah got for her birthday. The root beer cupcakes were good and moist, but the root beer flavor was not quite as powerful as I was hoping. So I doubled the amount of extract in the recipe below. I think it should be perfect.



¾ cup butter
3 eggs
2 ½ cups all purpose flour
2 ½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
1 ½ cups sugar
2 Tbsp. root beer extract
½ tsp vanilla
1 ¼ cups root beer

1. Allow butter and eggs to stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, line 24 muffin cups with paper liners. In a medium bowl stir together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
2. Preheat oven to 350. In a large mixing bowlbeat butter with an electric mixer on medium speed for 30 seconds. Gradually add sugar, about sugar, about ¼ cup at a time, beating on medium speed until combined. Scrape sides of bowl; beat on medium speeed aabout 2 minutes more, until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in root beer extract and vanilla. Alternatly add flour mixture and root beer to butter mixture, beating on low speed after each addition just until combined.
3. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups, filling each 2/3 to ¾ full. Use the back of a spoon to smooth the batter in the cups.
4. Bake for 15 to 17 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool cupcakes in muffing tines on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove cupcakes from muffin tin. Cool completely on wire rack.
5. Pipe Float Frosting over cupcakes. Top with root beer candy and straws.

¼ cup better
¾ cup vanilla ice cream
½ tsp. vanilla
4 cups powdered sugar

Allow the butter to stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Allow ice cream to stand at room temperature for 1o minutes, In a large bowl, beat butter on medium speed until fluffy. Beat in ½ cup of the ice cream and ½ tsp vanilla. Beat in the powdered sugar. If needed, stir in additional ice cream, 1 tablespoon at a time until it reaches spreading consistency.

San Francisco and Low Fat Clam Chowder

Last weekend we went to San Francisco! Andrew and I had been, but not together, and Hannah had never been. It was a lot of fun to explore the city together.
Other than Alcatraz, redwood trees and Fisherman’s wharf, it was all about eating, Eating and walking. And more walking. I don’t know if you have ever explored San Francisco on foot, but no matter which way you turn, you are walking up a hill. And they are some really steep hills. It was a good thing that we were walking so much to counterbalance the eating we were doing. (Hopefully you can get perspective in this picture- we started walking way back down at the bottom of this hill...)


Many a bread bowl of clam chowder was enjoyed. I normally don’t eat clam chowder often, as the reason it is so creamy and delicious is heavy cream. And eating a bowl of cream is the caloric equivalent of eating a stick of butter. This is all ok if you are going to walk up hills for 7 hours straight, but not so much on a regular day.



So I set out to find a lower fat version of clam chowder. I found something online and altered it a smidge. Andrew and I agree that, although it loses some of the thickness due to not having cream in it, the flavors are really delicious. The starch from the potatoes thickens it and the fat free half and half gives it some creaminess. Let me know what you think.

Low Fat Clam Chowder



Ingredients
• 1 bottle clam juice
• 3 cups water
• 4 large red-skinned potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 2 slices lean center-cut bacon, chopped
• 2 medium onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 cup fat-free half-and-half
• 4 cans chopped clams
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Directions
Combine clam juice in water in a medium pot. Add the potatoes, cover and simmer until tender, about 15 minutes. Remove half of the potatoes. Continue to cook the remaining potatoes, covered, until soft, about 10 more minutes. Puree in batches in a blender until smooth. Return the soup to the pot.
Cook the bacon in a skillet over medium heat until crisp, about 5 minutes. Add the onion and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, thyme and bay leaves and cook, stirring, about 3 more minutes. Add the bacon mixture and reserved potatoes to the soup. Cover and cook over low heat, about 5 minutes.
Stir the clam meat and half-and-half into the soup; remove from the heat, cover and set aside, 20 to 30 minutes.
Discard the bay leaves. Season the soup with salt and pepper and reheat. Serve topped with parsley.
Makes 6 servings: about 350 calories

June Dinner Party

Appetizer- Chile Con Queso (from La Posta De Mesilla in Mesilla, NM- p. 58) and El Tovar Fire Roasted Corn Salsa (from El Tovar Lodge in South Rim Grand Canyon, AZ- p. 209)



These were both delicious! The cheese dip recipe's introduction addressed how Velveeta has fallen into culinary disrepute, but that it really is a magical product. And if a fancy retreatment can use it, so can I. Great roasted peppers and onion (that were sautéed in bacon fat, so yoou know they were yummy) made this dip really good. And the roasted corn salsa was great- with just the right amount of spice.

Soup- Pepper Picasso Soup (from Ghini’s French Café in Tucson, AZ- p. 97)



So, this was not my favorite. The soups in this cookbook have either been really amazingly flavorful or... not. This one was not. Some people said they really liked it, but I think they were just being nice. It was pretty bland. It was basically roasted bell peppers and half and half.

Entree- Tequila Braised Ribs (from Graze by Jennifer James in Albuquerque-NM- p. 151)
Side- Canyon Ranch Tamales (from Canyon Ranch in Tucson, AZ- p. 184)



I have never made ribs before and- to be honest- have not really had too many ribs in my lifetime. I am not a huge fan of really messy foods. Very prissy... I know... These were marinated in a homemade dry rub overnight, then each one was browned and put in a pan and covered with a sauce of tomatoes, broth and peppers, braised for hours, then taken out and the sauce was simmered to reduce to a thick BBQ sauce. They were really tender and the sauce had a really unique and good flavor.

Again- never made tamales before and was I was pretty nervous. I made the corn meal batter, spread it on corn husks that I had soaked, spread roasted peppers and cheese on them, then folded them up. It was the folding that had we worried, but after a few tries I got it right. I steamed them, and we kept opening them up to test them, and they would be runny. We finally just pulled them from the pot anyways and discovered that if you let them rest a little, they firm up. Good to know. But this recipe was really great with yummy flavor- I will definitely be making tamales again. And I can’t wait to experiment with meat fillings too.

Dessert- Brown Butter Berry Tart (from Yavapai Restaurant in the Enchantment Resort in Sedona AZ- p. 218)



I personally believe that anything with browned butter is delicious. You heat butter until it goes from yellow to a delicious nutty brown. I mixed that browned butter with eggs and sugar and poured it over fresh berries in a pie crust and baked into something pretty darn good. Very simple, but very good.

Banana Split Cupcakes

For those of you do not know, I am really, really lucky to have the best bonus daughter in the world. I don’t really like the term “step-mom” because I think it has some negative connotations (Cinderella, anyone?), so we have chosen “bonus mom” instead. And she truly is a bonus for me- I married an amazing man and got the greatest bonus gift ever.

One of the things that Hannah and I have in common is cupcakes! And you know how I love a cupcake! For her birthday, she got a really great cupcake cookbook, and she made the best cupcakes for us last weekend. And she made them all by herself! The cupcakes really do have amazing banana flavor and the whole thing really does taste like a banana split. So yummy!




Banana Split Cupcakes
¾ cup butter
3 eggs
2 cups all purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
¾ tsp salt
¼ tsp baking soda
½ cup mashed ripe banana (1 large)
1/3 cup milk
¼ cup sour cream
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup sugar
2 pints ice cream
Toppings: whipped cream, chocolate syrup, cherries, nuts, sprinkles, etc.

1. Allow butter and eggs to stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, line 24 muffin cups with paper liners. In a medium bowl stir together flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda. In a small bowl combine mashed banana, milk, sour cream and vanilla.
2. Preheat oven to 350. In a large mixing bowl beat butter with an electric mixer on medium speed for 30 seconds. Gradually add sugar, about ¼ cup at a time, beating on medium speed until light and fluffy, scraping sides of bowls. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Alternately add flour mixture and banana mixture to butter mixture, beating on low speed after each addition just until combined.
3. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups, filling each one ½ to 2/3 full. Use the back of a spoon to smooth out batter in muffin cups.
4. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool cupcakes in muffin cups on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Remove cupcakes from muffin tins. Cool completely on wire racks.
5. Just before serving, insert the tip of whipped cream into the top of the cupcake and put about a Tablespoon into the cupcake.
6. For each serving, top the cupcake with ice cream and toppings. Enjoy!