Southwest Couscous Salad

1 cup uncooked couscous
1 1/4 cup chicken broth (1 can)
6 T. extra virgin olive oil
4 T. fresh lime juice
2 t. red wine vinegar
1 t. ground cumin
4 green onions, sliced
1 roma tomato, diced
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 cup corn kernels
1 (15 oz.) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 avocado, peeled and diced
Salt and pepper to taste

Bring chicken broth to a boil in a pan.  Stir in the couscous, remove from the heat and cover with a lid.  Let stand 5 minutes.

In a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lime juice, vinegar and cumin.  Add the green onions, tomato, cilantro, corn, beans and avocado.  Toss to coat.

Fluff the couscous well, breaking up any chunks.  Add to the bowl with the vegetables and mix well.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Cover and put in the fridge for 4 hours or more for the flavors to blend.  It is really best the next day.  Serve with tortilla chips.

This is a delicious addition to a Mexican meal or summer fare.

Sour Cream Streusel Cake

Yea!  I am back to blogging -  new computer.  Thanks, Honey!  I hope to catch up over the next few weeks.

This streusel cake is perfect to take to a neighborhood brunch or even serve it as a dessert.  It has a rich brown sugar/maple flavor. 

12 T. (1 1/2 sticks) butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 eggs, room temperature
1 1/2 t. vanilla
1 1/4 cups sour cream
2 1/2 cups cake flour
2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. kosher salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease and flour a 10-inch tube pan.  (I love the Pam baking spray with flour)

Cream the butter and sugar in a bowl with an electric mixer for about 5 minutes.  Add the eggs, one at a time, then add the vanilla and sour cream.  In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture to the batter until just combined.  Finish stirring with a spatula to make sure the batter is completely mixed.

Prepare streusel.  Spoon half of the batter into the tube pan and spread it out with a knife.  Sprinkle with 3/4 cup of the streusel.  Spoon the rest of the batter in the pan, spread it out, and sprinkle with the remaining streusel on top.  Bake for about 50 minutes, until a tooth pick comes out clean.

Let cool on wire rack for at least 30 minutes.  Carefully transfer the cake, streusel-side up, onto a serving plate.  Drizzle with the glaze.

Streusel:

3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup flour
1 1/2 t. cinnamon
1/4 t. kosher salt
3 T. cold butter, cut into pieces
3/4 cup walnuts, chopped

Place all ingredients, except walnuts, in a bowl and pinch together with your fingers until it forms a crumble.  Mix in walnuts.


Glaze:

1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 T. real maple syrup

Whisk the powdered sugar and maple syrup together.  Add a few drops of water, if necessary, to make it glaze consistency.  Drizzle on the cake with a spoon.

A delicious recipe from Ina Garten.

Notes:

I actually made a double recipe of the glaze.

I love kosher salt and use Crystal brand.  Kosher salt has a more mellow flavor than regular  table salt and doesn't have any sort of metallic taste to it. 

Softasilk cake flour is in a box in the baking aisle.  It would probably be all right to use regular flour but just not as light.  Ina Garten says that you can substitute 2 1/4 cups flour mixed with 1/4 cup cornstarch if you don't have the cake flour.

Chicken and Artichoke Cacciatore

Ya, I had no clue what Cacciatore meant so I googled it and got the following definition:

Cacciatore /ˌkɑːtʃəˈtɔəriː/ means “hunter” in Italian. In cuisine, alla cacciatora refers to a meal prepared “hunter-style” with tomatoes, onions, herbs, often bell pepper, and sometimes wine. Cacciatore is popularly made with braised chicken (pollo alla cacciatora) or rabbit (coniglio alla cacciatora). The salamino cacciatore is also a small salami, popular amongst Italians.
There are many different variations of this dish based upon ingredients available in specific regions. For example, in southern Italy, cacciatore often includes red wine, while northern Italian chefs might use white wine.
A basic cacciatore recipe usually begins with a couple of tablespoons of olive oil heated in a large frying pan. Chicken parts, dusted with salt and pepper, are seared in the oil for three to four minutes on each side. The chicken is removed from the pan, and most of the fat poured off. The remaining fat is used to fry the onions, peppers or other vegetables for several minutes. A small can of peeled tomatoes (drained of liquid and coarsely chopped) is added to the pan along with some oregano and a half cup of dry red wine. Adding a bay leaf and some fresh, crushed rosemary is recommended, a chopped carrot to give extra sweetness. The seared chicken parts are returned to the pan which is then covered. The dish is done after about an hour at a very low simmer. Cacciatore is often served with a rustic bread or pasta on the side.


4 chicken breast halves, boneless and skinless
flour seasoned with salt and pepper for dredging (In cooking, the word dredge means to coat an item of food in flour or breadcrumbs before cooking it.)
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 (6 ounce) jar marinated artichoke hearts, undrained
1 (16 ounce) can crushed tomatoes (or more if you like more sauce/liquid)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon basil (think fresh basil thinly sliced on top afterwards would be amazing)
1/2 teaspoon pepper
8 ounces sliced fresh mushrooms
1/4 cup sherry, optional

rice or pasta to serve with

In a large Dutch oven, heat olive oil.  Dredge chicken in seasoned flour and brown over medium-high heat.  Add artichoke hearts, crushed tomatoes, garlic, herbs, pepper and mushrooms.  Remove from heat.  Cover and bake @ 350 degrees for one hour.  If adding sherry, pour over top and bake an additional 10 minutes.  Serve over pasta or rice.

Delicious meal and fun new method of cooking... The garlic and seasonings had my entire house smelling like the Olive Garden so impressive smells if you have dinner guests.  A bit heavier meal for the summer time, but a perfect fall/winter cozy meal :)
10/10 but then again I love all the above ingredients and it couldn't have gone wrong.  A meal I surprised on my mother and sister who said it was good.

Blueberry Coffee Cake

Recipe pg. 32 FAVORITES, Ivory family recipes

Topping:
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup chopped pecans (optional)

Cake:
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
dash of salt
1/2 cup margarine
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups fresh blueberries (may substitute frozen blueberries)

 Combine sugar and cinnamon in small bowl, Cut in butter until mixture is crumbly.  Add nuts, if desired.  Refrigerate topping for 30 minutes.  Mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Set aside.  Beat margarine and sugar in large bowl,  Add eggs, sour cream and vanilla.  Mix well.  Add dry ingredients; mix well.  Fold in blueberries.  Pour into greased 9x13 pan.  Sprinkle topping mixture over the batter.

Bake @ 350 degrees for 40-45 min.

Delicious cake

Pictures not the best and don't give it justice, but love the large size, moist batter,

and a winner here, with an easy recipe!!!

 

Boysenberry Pavlova

 Makes 4 pavlovas
pg. 117 Country Living June 2013 Magazine Recipe
Delicious Pavlova, hint of lemon in the cream, & I used frozen Sam's Club blueberries on top of mine vs. boysenberries

Working time: 30 min. Total Time: 1 hr. 20 min. plus cooling

4 large egg whites, @ room temp.
1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar
1 cup plus 2 teaspoons confectioners' sugar, sifted
1 tablespoon cornstarch, sifted
1 cup boysenberries (about 5 ounces)
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice (about 1/3 medium lemon)
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 cup store-bought lemon curd
16 small fresh mint leaves, for garnish

1) cut a piece of parchment to fit a rimmed baking sheet.  Using a small bowl and a pencil trace four 5-inch circles, 2-3 inches apart on the parchment; bear down so that the circles will be visible from the other side. Place parchment, marked side down on baking sheet. set aside.

2) Preheat oven to 250 degrees F. Meanwhile in a large bowl using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat egg whites and vinegar until soft peaks form, about 4 minutes.  Increase speed to high and sprinkle in 1 cup confectioners' sugar, a few tablespoons at a time, and cornstarch; beat until meringue is thick and shiny and holds stiff peaks, about 5 min. (love Bosch for this and using a timer)

3) Using a spatula, gently spread one-fourth of the meringue inside each parchment circle.  Using the back of a spoon, create a 1-inch-deep well in the center of each meringue.  Bake until meringues are a very pale golden color, about 45 min. Turn heat off and prop oven door open slightly with a wooden spoon.  Let meringues cool in oven until crisp, 1-2 hours.  (I totally skipped last 2 sentences, and cooled on my counter - but sort of wonder if it would make that much of a difference?!)

4) In a medium bowl, mix together boysenberries, granulated sugar, and lemon juice.  Let sit 15 minutes.

5) Meanwhile, place beaters from an electric mixer and a medium size metal or glass bowl in the freezer and chill until very cold, about 10 minutes.  In chilled bowl, combine cream and remaining confectioners' sugar.  Using an electric mixer, beat until soft peaks form, about 5 min.

6) In a medium bowl, fold together whipped cream and lemon curd [never found so I improvised... Liz Cowan has a lemon curd recipe!!]; spoon into wells of meringues.  Top with reserved boysenberries, and garnish with mint.

per pavlova: 732 calories - better be worth it or share!! 9g protein, 23g fat, 127g carbs, 3g fiber, 128 mg sodium, 161mg cholesterol