Month: April 2011

Foodgawker First!
April 12, 2011

Foodgawker First!

*Happy Dance* I FINALLY had a blog post accepted by Foodgawker! I have been taking photos for quite a while and thought that they were looking pretty good, even though my wonderfully talented NJ Wedding Photographer boyfriend kept telling me they were underexposed & not lit …

You can't eat this
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by teacher-chef
Chocolate Peanut Butter layer celebration cake
April 11, 2011

Chocolate Peanut Butter layer celebration cake

“The best gifts come from the heart” This “gift cake” was made for Rich’s mother for her birthday. I knew she loved Chocolate & Peanut Butter so when I came across this cake – I knew I had found the winner! And then when I started …

cakes, chocolate, entertaining, sweets
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by teacher-chef
Baked Onion Rings
April 7, 2011

Baked Onion Rings

“If I ordered these in a restaurant and they tasted like these, I would be happy.” and “I really hope you are going to make these again” … when those are the phrases I heard from Rich when he was enjoying these, I knew that I had a winner!

I personally love Onion Rings (seriously, who doesn’t) but hate the fat that I know they are soaked with. The fact that I knew (and added) every single ingredient that went into these made me enjoy their awesome flavor even more!!  For this whole thing (serves 2, in our house) there was probably 500 calories (whatever comes from the breadcrumbs & the one egg) – so you get all the flavor without all the sacrifice!

Problem: this is one of those recipes I had sitting around for a while (and bought the onions a few weeks ago too) but life just gets in the way. Why is that a problem you ask? That is a problem because we had a few months that these could have been in our lives that they weren’t. As you can tell – these are a great healthy treat and so much better than the alternative, SO don’t wait to make these like I did and enjoy today, or whenever you want a healthy classic side dish like Onion Rings (think burgers and grilling [we plan to try these on the grill actually: right on the grill OR on foil, t.b.d.] and sandwiches and so on)!!

Baked Onion Rings (from For the Love of Cooking)
  • 2 sweet yellow onions, sliced into thick rings
  • 1/2 cup of flour
  • Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste
  • 1 egg
  • 3 tbsp milk
  • 1 1/2 cups of Italian seasoned panko crumbs
  • Cooking spray
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line a baking sheet with some parchment paper (sprayed with cooking spray just to be safe). Slice the onion(s) into thick rings then separate them (go ahead and use even the smaller pieces or chop the smaller ones small & put them in a freezer bag and freeze until tomorrow’s dinner or whenever). Pour the flour into a bowl & season it with a bit of sea salt and freshly cracked pepper then mix well. Mix the egg and milk in another bowl until well combined. Pour the panko crumbs into a third bowl. Dredge the onions first in the flour, then in the egg mixture, and finally in the panko crumbs until fully coated. Place each coated ring on the baking sheet. Repeat with all remaining rings. Spray again with cooking spray then place into the oven. Bake for 10 minutes then flip the rings over carefully with tongs. Bake for an additional 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve immediately (with your favorite sauces)
AND REMEMBER: eating healthy doesn’t mean giving stuff up – it just means all things in moderation and finding ways to enjoy what you like!
appetizers, comfort food, fresh!, Good for You, Vegetarian
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by teacher-chef
Cake Balls
April 4, 2011

Cake Balls

When life gives you ugly cake… you make cake balls! Last year Rich gave me a really cute zoo animal cake pan for my birthday, which I had still yet to use and decided that I should make cute little mini-cakes (also by using my …

cakes, chocolate, comfort food, sweets
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by teacher-chef
Ranch – version 2
April 3, 2011

Ranch – version 2

Whip out your blender, cut some veggies, and make yourself a nice fresh springtime snack to get you motivated to do whatever it is that you need to do. Snacking is good for the belly, the mouth, and the soul!!

appetizers, fresh!, Good for You, quick/fast/easy, Vegetarian
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by teacher-chef
Reuben Soup
April 1, 2011

Reuben Soup

This soup popped up on FoodGawker just after St. Patrick’s Day as a perfect way to use those Corned Beef leftovers (I think you should cook more than 1 corned beef so that you can eat the corned beef on its on and make this soup without feeling like you have to skimp on either method of leftovers). This soup needs to be made a lot more often than just using leftovers from one specific holiday though.

I LOVE reubens as a sandwich (some of the best one I have ever had comes from Harold’s in New Jersey – that place is amazing and can serve a small villiage). As a soup, this thing holds it own as well & fills that reuben craving at the same time that it conquers your comfort soup craving!

Serve this soup with some swiss cheese melted over some rye bread and you have taken care of all required reuben elements. YUM

RECIPE (from Heat oven to 350)
  • 3 medium yukon gold potatoes, diced
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 medium yellow sweet onion, chopped small
  • 5 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup water
  • about 4 cups chicken stock
  • 1/2 cup half-and-half [MILK]
  • [1 tsp pickling spices]
  • 1 cup cooked corned beef, chopped medium
  • 1/2 cup sauerkraut, drained
  • 1/4 teaspoon caraway seed
  • 2T Worcestershire sauce
  • [2 bay leaves]
  • Crushed red pepper flakes, to taste (about 1/4 t, can add more)
  • Salt, & black pepper to taste
  • [Chopped parsley and croutons for garnish]
In a large soup pot, melt butter over medium-low heat. Add onions and garlic and sauté until caramelized, about 10-15 minutes. Increase heat to medium, sprinkle in flour and cook one minute. Slowly pour in water, whisking after each addition, until all liquid has been incorporated. Bring to a simmer and cook until thickened, about 2-3 minutes. Stir in chicken stock, half and half, pickling spices, corned beef, sauerkraut, potatoes, caraway seeds, Worcestershire sauce and bay leaves. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, then reduce heat to low and simmer until potatoes are cooked, about 15-20 minutes. If you add the full amount of broth you may want to boil this down a little more for a thicker soup – you are going to need to play around with this and make it multiple times in order to have it exactly how you want it, trust me… you won’t mind experimenting though! Taste and add red pepper flakes, salt and black pepper. Remove bay leaves & enjoy!
comfort food, Holiday, soup, St. Patrick's Day
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by teacher-chef