Old Fashioned Cucumber and Red Onion Salad

I live in California and last week I was still using the heat in the house. Today it was around 80 degrees. It seems as if California has decided to skip Spring altogether and just head into Summer....which is fine with me!
When the weather heats up, I crave fresh veggies and food from the grill.

I had a few cucumbers and was trying to figure out what to do with them and found an old recipe I wanted to try for Cucumber Salad. I made a few "adjustments" (plain Greek yogurt instead of sour cream, powdered garlic instead of fresh). Don't GASP at me! I love fresh garlic, but I think it is better to use dried in this recipe because it gives a more even flavor without biting into a piece of raw garlic (which sticks with you for a while).

This recipe turned out so well, that I decided to just have this for dinner. It made for a very light and refreshing dinner.  (ok....I had a piece of bread with it too....and a glass of wine).  cheers!

Old Fashioned Cucumber and Red Onion Salad

3-4 Hot House Cucumbers sliced paper thin (if you use regular cucumbers, be sure to skin them first and scoop out the seeds with a spoon....I like the hothouse because you can just slice them up, skin and all!)
1/4 - 1/2 red onion (depending on how much onion you want) sliced paper thin

Dressing:
1 C plain greek yogurt
2 TBL olive oil
1 tsp white wine vinegar
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 TBL fresh chopped dill (you can also use dried)

Thinly slice cucumbers and onion into a medium bowl. (I use a very inexpensive OXO mandolin).

In a separate bowl, mix together the dressing ingredients, and pour over cucumber and onion slices. Serve immediately.

French/Italian Baked Tomatoes

Baked Tomatoes (otherwise known as "Tomatoes a la Provencal") are one of life's most delicious things to eat. Well....maybe truffles would beat them out....ok, and caviar. But 3rd place isn't bad!  The traditional recipe does not include the 2 things that make this recipe half Italian - basil and Parmesan cheese.  I guess if you want to get REALLY technical, you'd have to call this recipe "French/Italian/Japanese Baked Tomatoes" but that sounds awful. However, the Panko crumbs I used instead of traditional crumbs make it so wonderfully crunchy.

I had made some "No Knead Bread" (the recipe is posted here!) and wanted something light to go with the bread for dinner. So I made these tomatoes  - perfect! I only used 3 tomatoes tonight, but the topping can easily go for 4.

Here's my recipe for French/Italian Baked Tomatoes~

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Halve tomatoes (not stem to stem, but through the middle).
Place in baking dish. Sprinkle with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper.

In a small bowl, mix together:
2 cloves minced garlic
chopped thyme, parsley, and basil to equal 1/4 C
1 C Panko bread crumbs
1/4 C finely grated Parmesan cheese

Place breadcrumb mixture on tomatoes (about 2 TBL each) and then drizzle with olive oil.

Bake, uncovered, for about 40 minutes, or until lightly browned. Serve immediately!




Tomatoes ready for the topping.



Topped and drizzled with some olive oil.



Nicely browned and ready to devour.



No Knead Bread

I know. Who has time to make their own bread anymore. With so many amazing artisan breads available everywhere, the thought of MAKING bread seems quite antiquated. But there's something so incredibly gratifying about making BREAD. It has been the staple of life for thousands of years.

I made bread when I was in my early 20's. Once. That was it. I was not very good at it and had no desire to try it again.

Fast forward 30 years to today. I found this recipe after a friend of mine posted a similar one on a familiar social network that will remain nameless and faceless. He called it "No Knead Bread" which piqued my interest. His recipe was for all white flour which I LOVE but try not to eat because of the carbs. After a bit of research, I found a recipe that called for whole wheat flour, white flour and wheat bran which made me want to try it. It came out of a Martha Stewart Magazine. The magazine recipe includes the whole wheat flour, whereas the online recipe doesn't. SO....I will notate the difference below.

This bread is so easy, it can be made by a kid - which isn't a bad idea! Make this with your kids (just take over when it goes into the screaming hot dutch oven).

This recipe was found on MarthaStewart.com and I want to give full credit where it is due.

Here's the link:
http://www.marthastewart.com/332658/no-knead-bread

The Martha Mag recipe calls for:
2 1/4 C unbleached bread flour
3/4 C whole wheat flour
1 1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp  active dry yeast (from one 1/4 oz envelope)
1 1/3 C cool water
wheat bran, cornmeal or flour for dusting

Otherwise, it's exactly the same recipe.




The beginning of bread.




Dusted with wheat bran.




In the pre-heated and blazing hot oven. (pot is pre-heated too!)




Looking like....bread!




It popped right out of the pot - so easy.



Yum.

Linda Griffin's Cocoa Bottom Banana Pecan Bars

That title is a mouthful....but so are these bars (knuck knuck.....). Thank you! I'll be here all night! (rim shot). I guess I'm in a silly mood, but that's the way I feel when I'm around Linda. To know her is to love her. She is an amazing woman. Multi-talented is she. She sings....she acts....she dances....she is a mom...and a wife...AND she is a wonderful cook....not to mention a beloved friend. Linda was in the Tony-Award Winning Production of "The Drowsy Chaperone" on Broadway, not to mention countless other musical theatre productions.
Here's a link to some of her credits:
http://broadwayworld.com/people/Linda_Griffin/

I have decided to dedicate a page on this blog, to my friends in the entertainment industry who want to give me their recipes - and as I've said before, all the recipes I post on TrebleClefChef are recipes I have made and eaten so there are no "unknowns" here.

This recipe is SO delicious and easy to make - great for feeding a bunch of musicians, which is exactly what I did when I made it. I used to bring a baked treat for the guys in "Legends of Swing" when we did gigs at Disneyland. It was something I began doing as a way to get my "baking-jones" outta my system, and also make the boys happy. There is no musician on earth who will turn down free food....especially free food that falls into the "baked goods" category.

Linda gave me this recipe and the boys loved it and I'd love to share it with you. 

Linda Griffins' Cocoa Bottom Banana Pecan Bars

1 C sugar
1 stick butter, room temperature
5 ripe bananas
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 C all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 C chopped pecans (toasted or roasted)
1/4 C unsweetened cocoa
1/2 C semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 13x9 brownie pan with the wrapper from the softened butter. Beat sugar and butter at medium speed until creamy. Add bananas (don't bother mashing, just break them up and throw them in), egg and vanilla. Beat until well blended. Combine flour, baking powder and soda, salt. Add to banana mixture and beat until blended. Stir in pecans by hand.

Divide batter in half. Stir in cocoa and chocolate chips into one half, then spread this layer on bottom of pan. Top with the plain batter and swirl into cocoa layer. Bake 30-35 minutes. Cool completely on wire rack, cut into bars.



Butter and sugar, creamed.




It's bananas around here! (rim shot)




Flour mixture into wet mixture...




mmmm....toasted pecans....




Half chocolate, half banana...




Banana on top....




Ready for cutting...




Time to get in my belly!!!



Ina and Tyler.

If you're not a "foodie", then you probably don't know who I'm talking about. In the world of music, you have one-namer's like: Cher, Celine, Elton, Barbra, etc. In the world of foodies, you have: Martha, Ina, Emeril and Tyler (Florence). Ok, Tyler may not be famous enough to go by one name but I think he should.

Tonight I decided to combine a couple of Ina's and Tyler's recipes and the result was FAB!  I saw Ina's recipe for Lemon Chicken Breasts the other night and couldn't wait to make them. She suggests making Basmati rice to go with them, which is fine and good, but I was also craving creamy polenta. My brain went straight to Tyler's recipe and I want to tell you about it. Lee is on the road, so I decided to make a 1/2 recipe of both - it worked out perfectly. But I am posting the recipes as given by Ina and Tyler.

Here are Ina's and Tyler's recipes~

Ina Garten's Lemon Chicken Breasts

1/4 C olive oil
3 TBL minced garlic (9 cloves)
1/3 C dry white wine
1 TBL grated lemon zest (2 lemons)
2 TBL freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp minced fresh thyme leaves
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 boneless chicken breasts, skin ON (6-8 oz each) (I used breasts with the bones (ribs)  - it was just fine)
1 lemon

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Warm the olive oil in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, add the garlic, and cook for just 1 minute but don't allow the garlic to turn brown. Take the mixture off the heat, add the white win, lemon zest, lemon juice, oregano, thyme and 1 tsp salt and then pour into a 9x12 baking dish.

Pat the chicken breasts dry and place them skin side up over the sauce. Drizzle the chicken breasts with olive oil and sprinkle them liberally with salt and pepper. Cut the lemon in 8 wedges and tuck in in among the pieces of chicken.

Bake for 30-40 minutes, depending on the size of the chicken breasts, until the chicken is done and the skin is lightly browned. If the chicken isn't browned enough, put it under the broiler for 2 minutes. Cover the pan tightly with foil and allow to rest for 10 minutes. serve hot with the pan juices.

(NOTE: Ina suggests serving with steamed green beans, which is exactly what I did!)

Tyler's Soft Polenta with Parmesan and Black Pepper

2 qts chicken stock
1 tsp sea salt
2 C polenta or yellow cornmeal
1/3 C heavy cream
2 TBL unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 C freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

In a large pot, bring the chicken stock and salt (I omitted this salt...I think there's already enough in the stock) to a boil. Gradually whisk in the cornmeal in a slow, steady stream. The liquid will be absorbed and the cornmeal will lock up; don't freak (Tyler's words....!), just whisk through it.

Lower the heat, and continue to whisk until the polenta is thick and smooth, about 20 minutes. (This is where you get great a great arm workout!). Add the cream and butter (there goes the workout!) ; continue to stir until incorporated, about 10 minutes.

Remove from heat, fold in the cheese and black pepper. Serve hot!




Yummy ....




Right outta the oven....



Mom's Birthday Pie

My mom's birthday is in a few days and in her honor, I'd like to share a recipe she gave me years ago. I remember her making this when I was little (which is interesting because my memories of my mother's cooking were things like Tater Tot Casserole with canned cream of mushroom soup and frozen peas and carrots...not to mention the Pillsbury Pop Tarts and Crescent Rolls). 

I digress.

Usually people make a cake when it's someones birthday, but my mom loves Cheesecake. HOWEVER, not the typical cheesecake in the New York style. She likes the California Cheese Pie. It has a graham cracker crust, and a creamy cheese filling, with a layer of sweetened sour cream on top. It.....is.....divine.  I don't have a picture of one but I will post one the next time I make one of these.  This recipe has also become a favorite of ours at Christmas so I eat this at least once a year. 

Mom's California Cheese Pie

For the crust:

Put 16 (1 individually wrapped package of crackers, inside the large box) graham crackers in a food processor with 2 TBL brown sugar. Pulse until completely crumbly. OR put the crackers in a zip top baggie and crush them with a rolling pin, then put the crumbs in a bowl and add the sugar. Next, add 6 TBL melted butter to the graham cracker mixture. Press the mixture into a pie tin and bake for 5 minutes at 350 degrees.

For the pie:

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1/3 C sugar

8 oz. regular cream cheese (don't use fat free!) room temperature.

For the topping:

1C sour cream

4 TBL sugar

1. With a hand mixer or stand mixer, whip the room temperature cream cheese until smooth and creamy, then add the eggs, vanilla and sugar. Mix until very well combined. 

2. Pour into prepared crust. Bake for 20 minutes at 350 or until firm. If it is very jiggly or looks wet in the center, bake for another 5 minutes or so. Let the pie cool for 5 minutes.

Whip the topping ingredients and gently pour over the top of the pie, covering the filling completely. Bake for another 5 minutes.

Cool completely and refrigerate for several hours before serving.





Get in there butter....





Into the tin with you





Pressing it in..the tin.





Outta the oven...



Ta-dah!

                                                                                  





Irish Soda Bread

Every year on St. Patrick's Day, I love to make soda bread. It is something I prepare myself for, mentally, because I usually eat a rather low carb diet and I usually tell myself I'm not allowed to eat white starchy carbs.  If I have carbs, I do my best to have whole grains.

 BUT.....when it comes to Irish Soda Bread, it has to be the white flour - I just think it's so delicious.....especially slathered with irish butter.  
COME ON!!! I only eat this ONCE A YEAR!!
It has raisins too, which adds a bit of sweetness and is scrumptious with corned beef and cabbage.

Here is the recipe for my once a year, white flour, carb-fest, Irish Soda Bread:

Sift together:
2 C flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

Add: 1/4 C raisins

Then add:
1 1/2 - 2 C buttermilk (this depends on the moisture in the air - you don't want this to be sloppy wet - the ingredients should be wet enough to come together, but not sticky)

Turn out onto floured board and knead 5-6 times until loaf comes together. Form into a round shape and sprinkle with flour. Bake on a floured cookie sheet at 325 for 20-30 minutes, or until lightly browned.

(TIP: Instead of flouring a board and then transferring to a baking sheet, I use a Silpat mat on a baking sheet. I turn the dough out directly onto a floured silpat, knead a few times and it goes directly into the oven. EASY!)



Slathered in butter....