Archive for October, 2009
Defining Your Cooking Style – A Non-Rant
Trattoria ? Bistro ? French Peasant ? Old-fashioned Home Cooking ?
I get asked all the time what type of food do I cook? What is my favorite meal? These are all fair questions as my website, emealsforyou.com is virtually a rather large cookbook, interactive and full of bells and whistles but a cookbook none the less. I usually answer, “Whatever people want to eat” but that really doesn’t give you a real feel for what we do.
We strive to provide recipes and meal plans that are easy to prepare, use common ingredients and will WOW your dining companions, whether they are your kids or your boss. Recipes that won’t break the bank but are worthy of taking to the finest neighborhood potluck dinner club or a wine tasting gathering, yet comfortable enough to serve on Friday night in front of the fireplace for movie night with your family.
Just about every nationality has similar dishes. We embrace the ethnic meals. Whether you chose Chicken Cacciatore, Chicken Paprikash or Island Chicken, your house will be filled with wonderful aromas and you probably won’t have to call everyone more than once to the table. Pick homemade pizza or slow-roasted ribs and your family will start calling you chef.
Add comment October 29, 2009
New 5-Day Weekly Meal Plans at www.emealsforyou.com
(From the Recipe Collections at emealsforyou.com)
Pot Roast
Because you asked for it we now post a 5-day weekly meal planner with shopping list on our website at emealsforyou.com. The planner contains easy, complete meals for 5 days. Two options will be available: serving 4 and serving 2. Unlike some other sites, if you don’t like or your kids won’t eat the recipes we provide on the 5-day planner you may simply check out all the recipes on our site and choose a substitute. So you have the benefit of a full week’s planner and still use our site to pick other recipes or meal plans for special occasions or additional needs. We have also created a new recipes category, Weekly Meal Planner. Here you will find 5-day meal plans that you can choose the number of servings and create the shopping lists automatically. We have 20 weekly plans for you to chose from, that’s 5 months worth of headache-free meals, complete with scalability and shopping lists. All this and hundreds of other meal plans and recipes, everything from appetizers to desserts, from kid friendly to our WOW, watching our waists recipes.
This is available only to subscription members of emealsforyou.com. Once you sign up and logon to your account you simply choose the weekly meal plan that offers the number of servings you wish. Click on the link and print the downloaded file, it’s as easy as that. Having a special meal; just go right to our recipes and meal plans to make your own choice.; automatically scalable for 1,2,4,6,8,10,12 servings. It’s never been easier to feed your family good, nutritious meals. Save time, save money , save your sanity by planning your meals using emealsforyou.com.
1 comment October 26, 2009
Recipe of the Week – Creamy Scalloped Potatoes
(From the Starch Collection at emealsforyou.com)
Creamy Scalloped Potatoes
First of all let me say that my wife insists, maybe that is too strong a word, my wife suggests that scalloped potatoes don’t have any cheese in them. All well and good for normal scalloped potatoes; in fact we have a couple of different “cheesy” potatoes on our website, emealsforyou.com. These all bring to mind au gratin potatoes, wonderful just cooked potatoes dripping in gooey cheese sauce, almost a meal unto themselves.
Our Creamy Scalloped Potatoes are just that, creamy, deliciously creamy, with just a hint of cheese. They appear out of the oven gorgeously golden and unresistable. Melt in your mouth potatoes with just enough crunch and a hint of thyme. The best part is they are very simple and quick to make. Watch these disappear from your family’s plates. By the way, I didn’t hear anything further on the “no cheese in scalloped potatoes” theme from my wife once she tried these.
P.S. We paired these with slow-roasted ribs, corn relish and finished up with some Bourbon Gelato to welcome in the Fall season.
Creamy Scalloped Potatoes
| Complexity: | Easy |
| Serves: | 6 |
| Category: | Starch |
| Meal: | Welcome Fall (Picnic Meal Plans) |
| 5 | large | potatoes |
| 1.5 | cup | cream, heavy |
| 1 | cup | cheese, parmesan, grated |
| 1 | tsp | thyme, fresh |
| 1 | tsp | salt, kosher |
| 0.5 | tsp | pepper, fresh cracked |
Slice potatoes as thinly as you can. Place in a large bowl. Add cream, cheese, fresh thyme, salt and pepper; mix thoroughly. Pour into an oven-proof casserole and bake at 250 degrees for 50- 60 minutes, until lightly browned.
Add comment October 26, 2009
You Don’t Have To Be Martha Stewart, Part Deux- A Helpful Rant
(From the Misc Collection at emealsforyou.com)
start with these
Today’s suggestion for homemade liqueur is Lemoncello. This is a wonderfully smooth, lemony nectar that can be used in many ways. Besides serving as an after dinner drink it offers a unique flavor to sautéed garlic shrimp, (See Lemoncello Shrimp at emealsforyou.com) may be poured over cake or served with fresh fruit. Start this now and you will be all set to wow your friends at Thanksgiving dinner.
Creating gifts for the holidays for our friends and family requires a little foresight. Besides allowing for the time it will take for the homemade liqueur to mature you should be looking for interesting bottles to hold the finished product. Craft stores have numerous containers and bottles to choose from and you may be able to find interesting bottles in small antique and gift shops. Remember we taste first with our eyes so take the time to dress up your gift to make it special.
Homemade Lemoncello
| Complexity: | Easy |
| Serves: | 12 |
| Category: | Misc |
| Meal: | N/A |
| 7 | medium | lemon zest, finely chopped |
| 1 | qt | vodka |
| 2 | cup | sugar, white |
| 2.5 | cup | water |
Wash lemons, zest lemons and place the zest in a large bottle or container with a lid. Pour vodka on top and close lid. Place in a closet and let stand at least 2 weeks, the longer the better. After this period combine water and sugar in a pan to form a simple syrup. Allow syrup to cool, add to lemon zest and vodka mixture and reseal and let sit for another 2 weeks. Strain liqueur to remove zest. Bottle Lemoncello, may be frozen until used.
Add comment October 21, 2009
Recipe of the Week – Chicken with Black Beans and Garlic
(From the Chicken Entrée Collection at emealsforyou.com)
Chicken with Black Beans and Garlic
I haven’t cooked Chinese food for quite a while. We used to do it on a regular basis but somehow got out of the habit. So when I saw a cooking show highlighting Chinese food I thought I should go back to one of my standards. Chinese takeout is so iffy, you never know what you will get. Sometimes it is so good and other times, even from the same restaurant , it is undercooked or just plain bad. It is for these very reasons we began to make our favorites at home.
When people ask me how to get their significant other more involved in the food preparation at home I tell them to start with making Chinese food. This usually appeals to even the staunches “I can’t cook, I don’t know anything about cooking” individual. Basically it starts with chopping food up; what man doesn’t like to show off his knife skills? Then it plays in line with his usual impatience. Heat the wok, add oil and whatever you are cooking, usually at once, and stir for 2 minutes. Voila, or whatever voila is in Mandarin, and you have it, a meal for an emperor.
So, to get someone interested in making a meal, start out easy, cook something fast and build up from there.
Add comment October 19, 2009
You Don’t Have To Be Martha Stewart – A Helpful Rant
(From the Misc Collection at emealsforyou.com)
Homemade Kahlua
In the next few weeks we will be posting ideas for making your own seasonal gifts for friends and family. These are fairly easy and inexpensive food and drink ideas that you will be proud to give and the recipient will be happy to receive.
Today’s gift idea is homemade Kahlua. Who doesn’t enjoy this great coffee flavored liqueur? It’s great in coffee, fantastic with a little cream added as an after dinner cordial and makes our Tiramisu a very special holiday dessert. We started with this recipe as it takes about 5-6 weeks to develop it’s deep, rich flavor. Spend 10 minutes mixing the recipe, hide it in a closet for 6 weeks , pour into a decorative bottle and then deliver it at the holidays.
A quick word of caution should you decide to consume this yourself. Regular Kahlua is 20% alcohol by volume, depending on the Vodka you use, this may exceed the 20% by a bunch. We made half a recipe which makes a quart of homemade Kahlua. We put ours in a container that can be used to store coffee after the Kahlua is gone.
Homemade Kahlua
| Complexity: | Easy |
| Serves: | 12 |
| Category: | Misc |
| Meal: | other (General) |
| 3.75 | cup | sugar, white |
| 1 | cup | water |
| 6 | Tb | coffee, instant |
| 1 | cup | water |
| 1 | medium | vanilla bean |
| 1 | qt | vodka |
| 1 | tsp | glycerin |
Dissolve sugar in boiling water. Cool. Dissolve instant coffee in boiling water. Place vanilla bean, broken into 3 pieces in coffee mixture for 3 minutes or use 1 tsp of good vanilla extract. Place all in large jug, add vodka and glycerin. Let stand in a dark place for 6 weeks.
Add comment October 14, 2009
Recipe of the Week – Roasted Seckel Pears with Goat Cheese
(From the Appetizer Collection at emealsforyou.com)
In line with a recent post Why We Cook – A Rant I wanted to add surprise to the equation. Sometimes it’s fun to add something to the meal that is unexpected, something that appears to be one thing and winds up being a totally unexpected treat. One night in New Jersey I made seckel pears. These are small pears that are only available in the early fall, roasted with goat cheese, black pepper and honey as an appetizer for a group of macho cops, EMT’s and RN’s. The unexpected taste of the tart pears with the smooth goat cheese and sweet honey was a huge hit. The fresh cracked pepper added to the visual. These are similar to the full size pears I make for dessert but the small size makes them ideal as a quick and unexpected appetizer.
Another visual trick is my watermelon salad. Served in a large bowl with other various salads on a buffet, the guest assume that it is a tomato salad. Watching the look on their faces as they popped the watermelon into their mouths was very satisfying. The combination of crisp sweet watermelon with the salty feta cheese, pinenuts and red onion makes a wonderful surprise addition to any meal. Now that watermelon is available all year long; this is not just a summer treat. Once the word got around about the watermelon salad it completely disappeared in a matter of minutes.
So, mix it up a little, try something different and surprise your guest.
Roasted Seckel Pears with Goat Cheese
| Complexity: | Easy |
| Serves: | 8 |
| Category: | Appetizer |
| Meal: | N/A |
| 16 | medium | seckel pears |
| 3 | oz | cheese, goat |
| 2 | Tb | honey |
| 0.5 | tsp | pepper, fresh ground |
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut pears in half, scoop out the seeds with a teaspoon. Place cut side down on parchment paper on a cookie sheet. Place in oven for 6 -8 minutes, until the pears are tender. Remove to a serving platter, cut side up, spoon a dollop of goat cheese in the center, dust with fresh cracked black pepper and drizzle with honey.
Add comment October 12, 2009
Special Offer for Subscription Members of emealsforyou.com
Having a family gathering, girls’ luncheon or is the boss coming for dinner? Need some help putting together the menu? We can help. For those of you who are subscription members of emealsforyou.com, we will assist you in putting just the right touch on that important meal. Simply email us at Chef Jake, give us your emealsforyou.com user name and we will get the process started. It’s fun, it’s easy and more importantly it’s FREE! We’ll even send you a shopping list.
Add comment October 8, 2009
Pesto – A Happy Rant
(From the Misc Collection at emealsforyou.com)
Everytime I go back to New Jersey to visit family the one consistent request is for Sun-dried Tomato Pesto. This last time was no exception; the pesto was served on toast points with a thin slice of turkey as part of our appetizer plates. Most of us forget about the usefulness of a simple pesto in moving a meal or party snack to a higher level.
By simply mixing sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, pecans, olive oil and cheese in the bowl of a food processor yields a unique taste treat that can be served on crackers, spread on a sandwich in place of mayo or thinned out with a little more olive oil and give a boost to any pasta. Top off a chicken breast with a dollop and you have a gourmet meal that everyone will love.
Pesto can be made of many different herbs and ingredients. Using the last home-grown basil of the season, add it to your processor bowl with some pine nuts, garlic, olive oil and cheese to give you a great tasting sauce or spread. Any leftover can be frozen to be used in the dead of winter to add a surprise element to a dreary meal. The same goes for spinach, hazelnuts, garlic, olive oil and cheese. Give pesto a try, your family will love it, your friends will be amazed by your culinary acumen and you might find a smile on your face.
Sun Dried Tomato Pesto
| Complexity: | Easy |
| Serves: | 6 |
| Category: | Misc |
| Meal: | Brunch Anyone? (Distinctive Dinners) |
| 0.75 | cup | sun dried tomato |
| 0.75 | cup | pecans, halved |
| 1.5 | cloves | garlic, chopped |
| 0.75 | cup | cheese, Romano, grated |
| 0.75 | cup | oil, olive |
Toast pecans slightly. Place tomatoes, pecans, garlic and Romano in food processor, process until a paste forms, add oil slowly until you reach the consistency you desire. Should be spreadable, like peanut butter.
Note: The color will vary with the color of the sun dried tomatoes you use. Great on sandwiches, may be used on pasta. I spread it on toasted French bread, sprinkle with romano and basil and broiler slightly
1 comment October 7, 2009
Recipe of the Week – Roasted Corn Relish
Roasted Corn Relish
A couple of nights before we left New Jersey last week my mother-in-law decided we should have some easy, comfort food. She suggested burgers and said, “dress them up any way you wish.” Now I like burgers, fries and a salad but the “guest list” kept growing and I wanted to make a few things that would stand out. For the non-meat eaters I made some Salmon Burgers but the meal still lacked that one surprise dish that makes people happy.
Checking out the local market I found some avocados and fresh corn, the last of the season and decided that a roasted corn relish might just be the right thing, besides I had the grill fired up for the burgers anyway. My goal was also to use up all the “leftover” desserts, flourless chocolate cake, profiteroles with hot fudge sauce and some cheese cake. My sister-in-law finished the leftover bourbon Gelato, sneaking it in the kitchen so no one would see her. Anyway, I thought the desserts would be the hit but seems the roasted corn relish caught everyones’s taste buds. Enjoy the last corn of the season and why not in a delicious relish.
Roasted Corn Relish
| Complexity: | Easy |
| Serves: | 4 |
| Category: | Salad |
| Meal: | Brunch Anyone? (Distinctive Dinners) |
| 2 | large | corn on the cob |
| 1 | cup | tomatoes, cherry |
| 1 | small | pepper, green |
| 0.25 | medium | onion, red |
| 2 | medium | mangoes |
| 2 | medium | avocado |
| 2 | Tb | lime juice |
| 1 | Tb | garlic, minced |
| 1 | Tb | vinegar, white |
| 2 | Tb | oil, olive |
| 1 | Tb | cilantro, chopped |
| 1 | pinch | salt and pepper to taste |
Husk corn, roast on grill for 7 -9 minutes until browned but not burnt. Cut corn from cob. Cut tomatoes in half, cut pepper, mangoes, and avocados into bite size pieces. Slice onion very thinly. Place all in a bowl. Add oil, lime, cilantro and vinegar. Stir and let marinate for 1/2 hour. Salt and pepper to taste.
Note: To remove corn from cob try using a bundt (tube cake) pan, place the pan right side up on the counter, place ear of corn resting in hole in middle of the pan. Use a sharp knife to cut kernels from cob; the bowl of the bundt pan will catch all the corn.
Note: Buy mangoes and avocados that are not fully ripe, they will be easier to cut. Put limejuice on avocados as soon as possible to avoid them turning brown.
Add comment October 5, 2009
