An Oldie But a Goodie

I've mentioned a few times that out of all of the cooking magazine issues I keep it is usually the holiday issues. Not only am I a 5-year old trapped in a 29-year old body when it comes to Thanksgiving and Christmas, I love the food so much it is almost painful for me when the holidays are over. (You should see me when I have to take down my holiday decorations, there might be tears involved).

I was thumbing through my old Cooking Light 2007 and 2008 December issues last week and as if I was looking through an old photo album of loved ones I kept sighing and pointing to certain recipes saying internally, "I remember the time I made that, how delicious and I need to retest and see if it is Cooking Inside the Lines worthy!" Now, you can imagine the grumblings that occurred internally too when I found three delicious looking recipes from the 2008 issue that I had not tried. Quel horreur!

The Bear has been here in Austin visiting, and we have had bouts of just sickly ugliness going on and while we have been eating very healthfully the past week or so (I'm talking these kind of measures people) we needed some comfort food and we needed it fast. I chose the Parmesan and Sage-Crusted Pork Chops, Colonial Corn Pudding, Bacon-Chipotle Twice-Baked Potatoes and Cast-Iron Apple Cobbler. I definitely know how to overdo don't I?

I have to say I planned the timing out pretty well and everything came together very easily, even towards the end of cooking which can sometimes get pretty insane. The Pork Chops were pretty awesome and The Bear, who really doesn't like pork, loved these. I really liked the Colonial Corn Pudding a lot. Instead of oyster crackers I used multi-grain saltine crackers and they tasted great in the dish. The baked potatoes were good but I think I used too much chipotle that overpowered the other flavors a bit.

Finally, the cobbler. I found some quince at Whole Foods Market the other day and because when cooked it can lend an apple flavor to dishes, I decided to use these instead. This was my first time working with quince and I have to say me likey. Quince is a tough little bugger so it's best to poach or cook for long periods of time to bring the full flavors out and soften it up. I poached the cut-up quince for 45 minutes before placing in my cast-iron Dutch oven to finish the cobbler recipe. It was delicious! I loved this topping and the quince did take on an apple flavor but had a more firm texture than an apple would have.

I think this meal was a perfect comfort dinner for a rainy night here in Austin. Give them a try!

Salted Chocolate Ganache Cake

I love salt. If I ever have to choose over that bowl of salty potato chips or sweet chocolate, the chips will always win. Now, if you can combine the two, kind of like they do with Whoppers (or other favorite chocolate treat) and movie popcorn I am one giddy lady. If you are saying that you've never tried this, you are either (a) lying or (b) haven't truly lived. Now kicking this salty/chocolate-y combo up a notch with their Salted Chocolate Ganache Cake, Cooking Light has delivered a stellar cake recipe.

For a cake, this was very simple for even someone like me to make. Also, it's an impressive looking cake so it makes you look like an absolute superstar without having to try too hard. Kind of like that old Rice Krispy treat commercial where the mom comes out covered in flour and feigns exhaustion except this is tastier and with salt - lovely, lovely, crunchy, crunchy Fleur de Sel salt. This cake is in the magazine's special cooking section for the holidays but I say heck make it for any special occasion. Cat passes a hairball? Salted Chocolate Ganache Cake. Sat through an entire episode of the new season of Heroes without rolling your eyes once? Salted Chocolate Ganache Cake. You get the point.

ABay-ean Dip

A few weeks ago I went to see The Bear up in Alexandria Bay, New York where it was FREEZING cold, yes dear readers, it was 50 degrees during the day. So I decided to cook for the family again and I'll be the first to admit that I royally sucked. I mean seriously, I was bringing my Z-game and felt kind of bad when my food was not up to par. The one shining food moment that I had nothing to do with thankfully came from Mama Jen with her amazing Bean Dip that I'm now calling ABay-ean Dip. I try people, I try.

I love the story behind this dip. I guess she has been making this for The Bear and friends (doesn't that sound like a great TV show?) and they started talking about her awesome dip all over ABay. One day the Home Ec teacher from their school calls her asking about this incredible dip and for the recipe so she can make it in her class and then Jen told her, "well it's your recipe!" How cute right?

I had to follow the recipe the way it reads because, well, this blog isn't called Cooking Inside the Lines for nothing. I did however make some further healthy tweaks to cut down on the calories and fat just a little bit more.

Finally to make this my own, I spread the dip on some baked tostada shells from H-E-B then added some ground beef with a dollop of low-fat sour cream and reduced fat shredded Mexican cheese blend - it was really good and The Bear agreed!

Here is the full recipe with my tweaks included. I would love to see the recipe tweaking continue to make this your own in your house! This is also quite perfect for the upcoming holidays.

ABay-ean Dip

Makes 6-8 servings

1/2 package (4 ounces) Philadelphia Brand Cream Cheese, softened (I used 1/3 fat)

2 cans (15 ounces each) pinto beans or black beans, rinsed, drained and mashed (I used black beans)
1 cup Pace Picante Sauce (I used a Chipotle Salsa version from HEB)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Monterrey jack or cheddar cheese (I used a reduced fat Mexican cheese blend)
1/2 cup chopped mixed red and green bell peppers

Place cream cheese in 1-1/2 to 2-quart microwaveable bowl; microwave at HIGH 30 to 45 seconds or until softened. Add mashed beans, 1/2 of the Pace Picante Sauce, cumin, chili powder and garlic salt; mix well. Spread into a 9-inch pie plate or shallow microwaveable bowl. Top evenly with remaining 1/2 cup Pace Picante Sauce. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup of the cheese and bell peppers. Cover loosely with wax paper. Microwave 4 to 5 minutes or until hot, turning plate 1/4 turn into 2 minutes. Sprinkle the remaining cheese and garnish as desired. Serve warm with chips or vegetable dippers.

Dark Meatlove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Dark Meat

I'll admit it. I have avoided dark meat. Like that pile of laundry you continue to walk by and starts to overflow out of the basket, you finally throw your hands in the air and say "OK, I'll do it!" Magazines have been giving these cuts of meat a new life recently and well, if you think about it, it makes sense. Dark meat can require long-cooking times in the oven - perfect for fall - and are wallet friendly - perfect for the economy - so it's a win/win folks. Plus, if you avoid the skin of dark meat you are actually consuming almost the same amount of calories and fat but could be getting more nutritional benefits, like zinc and iron, than their white meat counterparts. I'm serious! See here and here.

Now all of this is coming to you from a person who claimed to not like dark meat because I had heard the fat rumors and I don't know, something about it just didn't appeal to me. Well, it just goes to show that as usual, I was wrong lambs. I just made two dark meat dishes back-to-back for dinner this weekend and am currently swooning over the flavors. The Apple-Braised Turkey Thighs recipe from Everyday Food and Chicken Smothered in Gravy recipe from Food & Wine are two prime and lip-smacking examples of dark meat goodness.

Give these two a try, although if I had to choose just one give the turkey thighs a chance. Of course I would choose the one that doesn't have a Web link.

Also, I just noticed that this is my 98th post, wow how time flies. I want to do something special for my 100th post. What should I do, what should I do?!

Everyday Food

Apple-Braised Turkey Thighs

Serves 4

Prep Time: 30 MIN

Total time 2 1/2 HR

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

2 turkey thighs (about 2 pounds total)

coarse salt and ground pepper

2 large shallots, thinly sliced

4 Cortland or Granny Smith apples, peeled, quartered, and cored

2 cups of apple cider

14.5 ounces low-sodium chicken broth

2 teaspoons cider vinegar

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium Dutch oven or heavy pot, heat oil over medium-high. Season turkey on both sides with salt and pepper and add to pot, skin side down. Cook until skin is golden and crisp, about 8 minutes. Transfer turkey to a plate and add shallots to pot. Cook until shallots soften, about 5 minutes. Add apples and cook until slightly softened, about five minutes.

2. Return turkey, skin side up, to pot; add cider and broth. Bring to a boil, cover, then place pot in oven. Cook 1 1/2 hours. Uncover, cook 30 minutes more.

3. Remove pot from oven and transfer turkey to plate. Skim fat from cooking liquid and stir in vinegar. Slice meat off bones (discard bones) and server turkey with apples and pan sauce.

Grilled Shrimp Salad with Mango Dressing

I'm on a blog posting and Every Day with Rachael Ray magazine kick today! I tried this Grilled Shrimp Salad with Mango Dressing for lunch and it was yummo (yeah I went there). The magazine features mangos in this month's "Have Your Way With..." section with four delicious looking mango recipes. As I've mentioned here in my blog, I work in food public relations and have the pleasure of working with the National Mango Board, so seeing mangos in in the magazine was just too cool and I have to give them a try.

This recipe was really quick to assemble and perfect for a light lunch. I really liked the mango dressing mixed with the shallot as it had a great balance of flavors. One note on this recipe, I couldn't find jicama so I put this over fresh spinach instead and it was delicious. I also really liked the fresh mint, cilantro and peanuts to give it a great crunch.

As the trend is going today, I couldn't find the recipe online so here you go!

Every Day with Rachael Ray
Grilled Shrimp Salad with Mango Dressing
Serves 6
Prep 25 min
Cook 5 min

2 mangoes, 1 1/2 cut into matchsticks
1 shallot, peeled and quartered
Grated peel of 1 lime, plus 3 teaspoons lime juice
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
Salt and pepper
1 pound large shrimp, peeled
1 1/2 pounds jicama, peeled and cut into matchsticks
1 1/2 cups cilantro leaves
1 cup fresh mint leaves, chopped
1/2 cup roasted peanuts, chopped

1. Preheat a grill pan to medium-high. Using a blender, puree the 1/2 uncut mango, shallot, lime juice and 2 tablespoons oil. Season with salt and pepper.

2. Thread the shrimp onto skewers. Brush with the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill, turning once, until opaque, about 5 minutes.

3. In a large bowl, toss the jicama, cilantro, mint, lime peel and mango matchsticks with the dressing. To serve, sprinkle with the peanuts and top with the shrimp skewers.

© 2008 National Mango Board. Photo used by permission of the National Mango Board. All rights reserved.

My Kind of Eggs Benedict

I love sauces. In fact, any kind of sauce is a friend of mine and welcome in my tummy. If I had a sauce friendship meter however, hollandaise would register to be around a two or three. It's always been OK to me but a little too rich or "much" in my opinion. I feel the same way about alfredo sauce, it's good but whoa nelly after a few bites.

So when I came across this lightened Eggs Benedict recipe in the November issue of Every Day with Rachael Ray I thought I give her a try. Now, they don't show an original or basic Eggs Benedict recipe to compare but the before vs after comparison of nutritional information was eye-opening, plus if it's a lighter in flavor hollandaise sauce then I'm all for it.

Eggs Benedict before -

Calories: 731 (once on the lips, a lifetime on the hips)

Saturated Fat: 30 g (ewwww!)

Dietary Fiber: 1g (sad)

Carbs 28 g (ugh)

Eggs Benedict after -
Calories: 271 (better)
Saturated Fat: 6.5 g (much much better)
Dietary Fiber: 3.5 g (I approve)
Carbs: 19 g (yay)

I really liked this recipe, especially the sauce. It was light and flavorful, probably because the amount of butter was cut and chicken broth was used instead. I also used a low-sodium version even though the recipe didn't call for it. The crisp asparagus, a best friend of hollandaise, was also perfect and light for breakfast.

I cut this down for just one person but I'm really happy I have all of the ingredients to make this a few more times this week for breakfast because it was so quick to make and delicious. I think next time I'm going to add some fresh chives on top to give it an herb-y kick. I can't find the recipe online so I thought I would share here in case you would like to give her a try too.

Every Day with Rachael Ray

Eggs Benedict

Serves 4

Prep 10 min

Cook 20 min

1 pound of asparagus

4 ounces of turkey Canadian Bacon

2 tablespoons of butter

1 tablespoon of flour

1/2 cup of chicken broth (low sodium if you prefer)

4 large eggs, plus 2 large egg yolks

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Salt and Pepper

2 whole wheat English muffins, split and toasted

1. Preheat the oven to 150 degrees. Fill a large, deep skillet with enough salted water to reach a depth of 1 inch and bring to a boil. Add the asparagus and cook until crisp-tender, 3 to 4 minutes; drain. Reserve the skillet.

2. Heat the reserved skillet over medium heat. Add the turkey bacon and cook, turning, until browned about 3 minutes. Transfer the bacon and asparagus to an ovenproof dish and place in the oven to keep warm; reserve skillet.

3. In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the flour and cook, stirring for 1 minute. Slowly whisk in the chicken broth and bring to a boil. Cook whisking for 1 minute. Remove from the heat, then whisk in the 2 egg yolks, 1 at a time. Stir in the lemon juice and season with salt and pepper. Strain the sauce into a bowl.

4. Fill the reserved skillet with enough water to reach a depth of 1 inch and bring to a boil. Crack the 4 whole eggs into the skillet and poach for 2 minutes for soft-set.

5. Place an English muffin half on each of the 4 plates. Divide the bacon among the muffins and top each with asparagus, a poached egg and some sauce. Season with pepper.

I'm Here...Kind Of

Shhhhh, I'm speaking to you in a whisper since I'm nearing the end of my two week travel schedule and am still technically "not here" (yes, literally and figuratively). I did have to tell you as soon as I could that this Seafood Cakes with Mustard Crema recipe from Cooking Light that I had time to make tonight was awesome. I could eat the crema in a bowl for a meal and would be happy. Crunchy, yummy seafood cakes with a sauce that will make you say yippity, skippity. Yes, yippity skippity.

I'll be back soon little lambs. And I have two words for this Saturday: HOOK 'EM!