Frozen Blueberry Souffle

FRIDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Gosh, aren't Fridays a Godsend?! They always come when you need them the most. Today is a particularly special day here at work because the firm is having a combination Flyers-Memorial Day party full of "Philadelphia-themed" stuff! Rumor has it this will consist of soft pretzels, and other Philadelphia food items... One can only hope Yuengling Lager will make an appearance (for those who don't know, it's a VERY Philadelphian beer), but I'm thinking it will be a 'dry party.' :o)

...okay, so this broad's dreamin' here, but hey, don't ruin my dreams, can ya blame me?!?!

As you can imagine, with the massive amounts of fresh pasta that I had made, plenty of yummy leftovers got us through a busy week full of dinner parties, and other outings, which would normally make cooking a nice, full meal impossible. I did manage to find time to make an AWESOME pan-fried trout with a rosemary baked potato, which I will be posting later.

I couldn't bear the thought of simply eating leftovers and not cooking SOMETHING, so I decided to at least make some kind of dessert!

This is a FAT FREE, GUILT-LESS dessert here, people!! It is ridiculously light, and great on a hot day!

....confession: it is so light that DapperDan and I had an after-dessert-dessert of wedding cake:o)

Don't let that deter you, it is very satisfying and very easily stands on its own as a bona fide dessert, but I suppose we could just not stay away from our wedding cake! It was AMAAAAZING.

You absolutely cannot resist this clean eatin', healthy dessert. You can't... Simply cannot... I WON'T ALLOW YOU!


Frozen Blueberry Souffle
Courtesy: The French Culinary Institute’s Salute to Healthy Cooking featuring recipes from Alain Saihac.
Yields 4 servings


Ingredients
1 1/2 cups pureed fresh blueberries
1 1/2 tsp fresh lemon juice
3 TBS water
9 TBS granulated sugar
3 large egg whites
3 TBS confectioner’s sugar
24 blueberries (for garnish)

Directions:
1. In large bowl, combine the pureed blueberries and lemon juice. Mix well
2. In a small saucepan, combine the water and 7 tbsp of the granulated sugar. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and cook for 10 minutes, or until candy thermometer inserted into the syrup registers 238 to 240 F
3. While the syrup is cooking, place the egg whites in a medium bowl. Beat with mixer on medium until foamy. Gradually beat in the remaining 2 TBS of granulated sugar and beat on high until soft peaks form
4. Slowly pour the hot syrup into the egg whites beating constantly and taking care that the syrup does not hit the sides of the bowls or the beaters. Continue beating until the meringue is cool.
5. Fold one quarter of the meringue into the blueberry puree. When well blended, fold in remaining meringue
6. Divide among ramekins, filling them to the top and smoothing the surface of each mold.
7. Place in freezer for at least 1 hour up to 24 hours.
8. When ready to serve let set for 15 minutes at room temperature. Sprinkle with confectioners sugar and top with blueberries.

Fresh Pasta with a Rose Veggie Sauce

Hey you guys. Happy Wednesday!!! We're halfway through this week. And then..

Yeup... a long weekend! Thank the LORD for that! This weekend DapperDan and I will be attending a wedding! Our dear friends Sarah and Frank are getting married. I cannot wait for the big day, I can tell Sarah will be quite the beautiful bride! What are your Memorial Day plans? Goin' down the shore?! Visiting the mountains? Whatever it is that you're doing, I'm sure it's going to be GREAT!

In my last post, I showed how I made homemade salad dressing. So goood! It's so hard to believe how on God's green earth that yummy dressing could be guilt-free. But, it is!

When we had our Best Man from our wedding over for dinner, I had all the intention in the world to follow Emeril Lagasse's recipe involving salmon, gemelli (well, not gemelli exactly since I was making my own pasta), and a vodka sauce. Well, needless to say, in perfect Emily fashion, the only thing similar to what I made and Emeril's recipe is that it involves a noodle, salmon, and tomatoes. :-) Whoops! As always, part way through cooking a dish, I decide to just go my out route! This meal was no exception.


Yeup, that's the DapperDanMan, laughing as he's making fun of me about something.

The turn out?! Better than I could have ever imagined! I recommend this to everyone and anyone. It was DapperDan's favorite dish to date, and perhaps mine, too!

And let it be known, I adore my Kitchenaid mixer. I really love that thing. I loooove it.


Fresh Pasta with a Rose Veggie Sauce
Pasta courtesy: AllRecipes.com and Kitchenaid
Yields: 8 to 10 servings


Pasta Ingredients
2 cups semolina flour
2 cups all-purpose flour
5 large eggs, well beaten
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt

Pasta Directions (courtesy: Kitchenaid):
" 1. Combine the semolina flour, all purpose flour, and salt in a large bowl. Using a fork, mix these ingredients together, then using a sifter, sift into another bowl. Set aside.
2. In a separate bowl, combine the eggs & beat well with a fork.
3. Add extra-virgin olive oil to the eggs and mix with a fork.
4. Pour the liquid ingredients into your mixer bowl and attach the dough attachment.
5. Add half of the sifted flour mixture, turn to speed 2 and mix 20 seconds. Add the rest of the sifted flour mixture and mix an additional 20 seconds.
6. Exchange flat beater for the dough hook. Turn to speed 2 and knead for 2 to 3 minutes, until a dough ball is formed.
7. Remove dough from bowl and hand-knead for 2 to 3 minutes. NOTE: Good pasta dough should be elastic and pliable, but FIRM (not soft like bread dough). It should not stick to your fingers or fall apart. To test for the correct consistency, pinch a small amount of dough together after kneading for 2 to 3 minutes -- if the dough stays together without sticking to your fingers or falling apart, it should work well. If too soft, add more flour by dusting the top of the dough and knead some more, continuing to dust the dough with flour until achieving the right consistency. If too dry, wet your hands and knead some more, continuing to wet your hands a little at a time & knead until the right consistency. (Achieving the right consistency isn't hard at all -- I got it just right the very first time I tried this recipe).
8.Wrap dough in plastic wrap and put in the refrigerator for a minimum of 1 hour (this step is important).
9. Remove dough from refrigerator and let it rest for 15 minutes. Using your hands, roll dough into a log, about 12 inches long.
10. Cut log into 8 slices, then flatten each piece slightly. Spread slices out so they aren't touching and cover with plastic wrap.
11. Using the widest setting (1 on the Kitchenaid), turn mixer to speed 2 and taking one piece of the flattened dough, feed through rollers. Fold dough in half & roll again. Repeat 3 more times, lightly dusting the sheet of pasta in between each rolling if it feels the slightest bit sticky.
12. Move adjustment knob to setting 2 and feed the dough sheet through the rollers once.
13. Move adjustment knob to setting 3 and feed the dough sheet through the rollers once.
14. Continue to increase roller setting until desired dough thickness is reached: 3 for Thick "kluski" type egg noodles; 4 for standard egg noodles; 4 or 5 for lasagna noodles, fettuccine, spaghetti, and ravioli; 6 or 7 for tortellini, thin fettuccine, and linguine fini; 7 or 8 for VERY thin "angel-hair" type pasta/capellini or VERY fine linguine.
15.Separate sheets once desired thickness is achieved with a thin towel or piece of plastic wrap dusted with flour, so the dough doesn't dry out too much.
16.To cut the noodles, exchange the Pasta Roller Sheet attachment for the cutter attachment of choice, either the fettucine cutter for wider noodles or the spaghetti cutter for spaghetti or linguine. Run each sheet through the cutter. NOTE: Each sheet can be cut in half or thirds before putting through the cutter to prevent "too long" of strips. I prefer to use the longer sheets, rather than cutting them in half or thirds, as this reduces the time it takes to cut each sheet & hang to dry.
17. After cutting each sheet, hang to dry on a pasta rack. Dry for a minimum of 10 minutes. If you don't have a pasta rack, plastic hangers work great! IMPORTANT: Flour the pasta rack or the plastic hangers before placing pasta on them. ALSO, separate the strips of pasta as best you can, so they aren't touching. This way they won't dry sticking together. If you want to dry the pasta for later use, dry for several hours and then store in airtight plastic bags (i.e. Ziploc Freezer or Storage Bags).
18. When ready to cook, boil your water and add salt. For the 1.5 pounds of pasta, I use 2 teaspoons of salt. Oil in the water is not necessary.
19. Fresh pasta will cook faster than commercially bought pasta -- about 4 to 5 minutes in vigorously boiling water for el dente."

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Veggie Rose Sauce
Sauce Ingredients
4 vine tomatoes
8 cherry tomatoes
1/2 red pepper, chopped
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
2 TBS Italian seasoning
4 salmon fillets, poached and shredded
3/4 cup fish water (reserved from when you poached the salmon)
Extra already cooked veggies of your choice! (I used white onions, broccoli, and mushrooms)

Sauce Directions:
1. In a food processor, combine all ingredients except for the shredded salmon and extra veggies.
2. Mix well, tasting all the while... get that sauce to your liking!
3. Once it is well mixed, put sauce and veggies (hold the salmon) into a sauce pot. Cook over medium-low/low setting.
4. Once the sauce is warmed and a bit thickened, combine with pasta in a LARGE LARGE LARGE bowl... and add the salmon.
5. Mix very well. And serve with some homemade baguettes. Perfection!



We ended the night with some wedding cake. We have tons left over, and would rather eat it from time to time, while it's still amazing, instead of a year from now, when it will taste like cardboard.

Buttermilk Garlic Salad Dressing

On Friday, we had a bit of a dinner-party. DapperDan had his best friend over for dinner. I'll tell ya what- this dinner was fully homemade! The only thing I didn't do was catch the salmon and grow the veggies. Darn.. if I only had. That would officially make me the coolest person in America. Oh well.

It was delicious and so light! And because it's homemade, it is so much healthier for you!

.....DapperDanMan even ate the salad, and took seconds!!! (I suppose you'd have to know my husband to know how paramount that is).

Here you go, the first dish of my fully homemade Friday night! (No semi-homemade nonsense here..although, I do love Sandra!)


Buttermilk Garlic Salad Dressing
Adapted from: A Veggie Venture
Yields: 2 cups


Ingredients
1/2 cup low-fat sour cream
1 cup low-fat buttermilk (I made my own using 1 cup of skim milk mixed with 1 TBS white vinegar)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 TBS sugar
1/2 tsp dry mustard powder
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
Kosher salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Combine in a blender. Will keep for a week or more.

Kitchen Routines- 100th Post!!!!!!!!

Big day here for Cleanliness is Next to Godliness! It's the 100th post! It's so hard to believe that I've been blogging for a year already! Holy moly! Time does fly! I have enjoyed this journey so thoroughly!

This blog post will be a bit different than most you see around here. How?! Well.. I'm giving you guys an open mic! Yeup! You're the main entertainment today! I want to hear from you!!!

Today's blog post is about kitchen routines- habits you have while cooking and baking.. what is it that you always do?! Do you have a favorite spatula that you just have to use? Perhaps an apron that is a must-wear? Or... you always have your favorite wine glass full of shiraz by your side at all times as you prepare your bound to be wonderful dishes?! Oh, I know! You put on the Food Network in the background for a real kickin' inspiration! Well.. what is it? Tell me! I'd love to hear!!! It's so unique to each personality, I think!

How about you Mrs. DapperDan? Since you're so nosey and putting this question out there.. What is your routine?!

So glad you asked! :o)

Well.. I will first illustrate my kitchen routine for you through the eyes of DapperDanMan. I did not quite realize my routine until he had mentioned something (I suppose up until the wedding, I was cooking for uno, so I never quite noticed that I had a routine, and no one else was there to notice me doin' mah thang).

I tend to get out every pot or pan needed, as well as the ingredients as I begin to cook. I put on my favorite black and white polka dot apron (oh do I love black and white polka dots.. they very much made an appearance at my wedding), get out my Bose iPod dock and play my FAVORITE playlist. I am not satisfied until my song comes on. But what's the song?! Tell us! Tell us! Spare no detail... Since you asked so nicely, I will tell you. I am pleased with the Duke Ellington, Glenn Miller, Tommy Dorsey, Cole Porter, and Frank Sinatra that comes on my iPod... but I reach the pinnacle of my kitchen-routine-happiness when one song comes on.

What's the song?! What's the song?! The suspense is killing me!

Why it's Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy by The Andrews Sisters.

Oh boy do I love that song. I sing along and hippity hop around my kitchen while cooking. (Trust me, DapperDan can vouch).

Yes, you heard me right. My kitchen routine consists of listening to Big Band and Swing and it's not quite the same cooking experience for me unless I fill my kitchen full of trumpets, clarinets, and that boogie rhythm.

I do love my swing music. DapperDan and I even go swing dancing! Well, we haven't really done much swing dancing lately... The house has taken up a lot of our free time. We used to go quite often! We even did some swing dancing at our wedding...

I even changed into a cocktail dress at the wedding so that I could jitterbug around the dance floor.. it was such a blast!


Since I gave you the scoop on me... how about you?! What is it that you do??? Spare no detail!

A Beery, Make Ya Cheery Meatloaf

Oh yeah. Beer in your meatloaf. Today's your lucky day!

Consider this your grown-up meatloaf! It is so delicious and so juicy! The flavors in this dish combine to make one heck of a meatloaf!

Now, my sister Kristi of Ja Cie Kocham hates meatloaf. She always sings the "Meatloaf, smeatloaf, double beatloaf, I HATE meatloaf" song from The Christmas Story. Although, I hate to tease her on this issue (I mean, who hates meatloaf??) I can't blame her. It's not the most sophisticated of dishes. But, it is one of those creations that has transcended time and maintained its status as a good, old-fashioned, can't-go-wrong-with-it dish. I mean, I think EVERYBODY has made a meatloaf in his or her time. I mean, honestly, who hasn't?! (Other than you Kristi, hush up). That being said, this recipe takes the cake.

This recipe comes from Eating Well, they title it the "Blue Ribbon Meatloaf" and rightfully so! It is a winner!!! (Or it could be perhaps for Pabst Blue Ribbon.. hmm.. Never gave thought to that..) I digress, it is still a magnificent concept- putting beer in your meatloaf. I recommend it wholeheartedly.

It recommends using a 12-ounce bottle of dark or amber beer. I say, pick your favorite beer and use it! I had one bottle left of a really awesome beer that DapperDan had gotten for me a while ago. It is Dogfish Head Brewery's Punkin Ale. Oh boy! It is so good! Full of such nice flavor! Perfect for this dish, if you ask me! (Although my favorite beer Guinness, would undeniably taste the best, of course..) If you've never had Punkin Ale, I suggest you try it. I do think it's only available in the fall season.

Photo Courtesy: Dogfish Head
We bought a case ages ago, and still had a few left, which I was saving.. Well this was the perfect moment!

A little side note. I suppose in my using the defrost setting of my microwave, I cooked the meat a touch. So my meatloaf was finished in about 35-40minutes vs. the 1hour 20minutes it calls for. This is where you really, really need a meat thermometer. If you don't have one, I really suggest buying one. It's not a big investment at all. Quite inexpensive, actually. And really helps to ensure that you're meat is done, or isn't done too early if you check it throughout the cooking process.


A Beery, Make Ya Cheery Meatloaf
Adapted from Eating Well



Ingredients
2 teaspoons canola oil
1 medium sweet onion, chopped (2 cups)
1 12-ounce bottle dark or amber beer
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dry mustard
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 1/2 pounds lean ground beef (as lean as you can swing)
1 cup breadcrumbs
1/4 cup parsley
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 egg white, lightly beaten


Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Coat an 8 1/2-by-4 1/2-inch loaf pan with cooking spray.
2. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook, stirring often, until translucent and starting to brown, about 5 minutes. Pour in beer and increase heat to high. Bring to a vigorous boil; cook until the liquid is quite syrupy and the mixture reduces to about 3/4 cup, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl. Stir in thyme, dry mustard, salt and pepper. Let cool for 10 minutes.
3. Add beef, breadcrumbs, parsley, egg and egg white to the onion mixture. With clean hands, mix thoroughly and transfer to the prepared pan.
4. Bake the meatloaf until an instant-read thermometer registers 160°F when inserted into the center, about 1 hour 20 minutes (Remember, mine took half this time.. so really check with your thermometer occasionally). Let rest for 5 minutes; drain accumulated liquid from the pan and slice.

Shirred Eggs

Yesterday, I had this perfect plan dreamed up that I would make meatloaf for dinner. Well, considering we had plans at 7:30, and my train home ended up being very late, this dream fell by the wayside. Never fear! What I ended up making was potentially 6 times better (yes you read that right), 6 times better than the meatloaf I was intending on cooking.

When looking through my Eat Well cookbook from Williams-Sonoma that my friend Courtney (thank ya much Courtney), bought for me as a wedding gift, I saw this dish in the breakfast section.

Background on my husband: My DapperDan adores eggs. Really. Adores. He could eat them for every meal every day and be equally excited each time.

At first, I was quite disappointed that I would not be making this meatloaf for dinner, considering I was quite excited to get my hands on more of this fresh ground beef that my mother-in-law gave us. (It's amazing... imagine the freshness associated with farm-fresh eggs, but put to beef. Holy cow.. and yes, every pun has been intended).

Needless to say, this dish was far from disappointing, and actually DapperDan said that it's his favorite to date, other than the salmon I had made during our first dinner!!! This left a massive smile on my face! I was so worried that dinner would be sub-par since it was so simple! Nope! Not the case here.. not in the slightest!

What does this mean for you? This means, make this dish now. And make it again while I'm waiting.

Now when I tell ya that in 20 minutes (I'm including the time for the oven to preheat), this meal was done and on the table. Pretty darn fantastic, if you ask me. And, the best part, it tasted SO GOOD! There's nothin' better than a dinner consisting of less than 5 ingredients, taking less than 20 minutes to make, with such big results!

This is for you Father Phil (who asked if I knew the etymology of this dish): This dish is of FRENCH origin. J'aime la cuisine française et toutes les choses françaises. J'ai étudié le français à l'université. Ah, oui... oh, oh, oh.. (imagine that in my best little Madeline impression!)

Historical aspects of this dish aside, I promise, with results like this, you will not be disappointed!

Shirred Eggs
Adapted from the Eat Well Cookbook
Yields 4 servings, but in our case: 2.. yeup, that good!


Ingredients
4 extra-large eggs
4 TBS heavy cream
1 1/3 cup spinach, coarsely chopped
Olive oil spray
Salt and Pepper
Cayenne Pepper
4 ramekins (6 oz. size)

Directions
1. Preheat the oven for 375 degrees.
2. Spray olive oil into each ramekin.
3. Place 1/3 cup of spinach into the bottom of each ramekin.
4. Crack an egg into each ramekin.
5. Place 1 TBS of heavy cream on top of the cracked eggs.
6. Salt, pepper, and Cayenne to your heart's content.
7. Bake for 10 to 14 minutes until desired runniness or firmness. (If you ask me, which I'm totally sure you would, mmmhmm.. of course ya would ask what I recommend :-) ... allow the egg whites to harden, but keep the yolks runny... and toast some hearty bread.. YUM! Nothing better!)

Frittatas for Dinner!

Sunday nights.. ahh.. aren't they just wonderful?! Especially as the weather warms. Windows open, dinner's cookin', relax mode is in full-gear.... Well, kinda on the relaxing part.

Last night, the Malloy household (hehe.. still getting used to saying that!) ate frittata for dinner. It was healthy, light, and probably the most inexpensive dinner I have made to date!

Yesterday was a wonderful day, right down to dinner! The weather was perfect! The husband and I got some chores done around the house, grocery shopped (and did so within our budget, and managed to get a week's worth of food for an AWESOME menu.. stay tuned), and I got my hands dirty! Whattaya mean you got your hands dirty, you say?! I did some gardening yesterday. Boy it was fantastic. I had some dirt under my pretty pink fingernails from working on my tomato plants! I am so excited for them to begin producing! I have an heirloom plant, a cherry tomato plant, and a Roma tomato plant. I find myself anxiously awaiting and hopin' to the high heavens that I have a green thumb!

Onto the good stuff.

For dinner, I made a low-cost, low-maintenance frittata. And it was delicious! It took less than 10 minutes to make and proved to be just the thing we needed after a very busy weekend of moving (yes, DapperDanMan is still moving in), coaching (DapperDanMan is also a rowing coach), fun-filled family time, cleaning, gardening, grocery shopping, dog-playing... and the list goes on...

The best part of the whole dinner?! Other than the cost (yes, I am a girl that loves a bargain, anyone can tell you), it was very healthy!!!! Rock on! It was healthy, inexpensive, and the mister liked it! Now tell me, does it get much better than that?! If it does, let me know what it is that you're doing, so that I can steal it and claim it as my own!

Frittatas for Dinner!
Inspired by Tosca Reno
Yields 3 to 4 servings, depending on the Consumer


Ingredients
1 TBS extra-virgin olive oil
3 egg whites
1 large egg
1/2 cup of skim milk
TBS cumin
Salt and pepper to taste
3/4 cup cherry tomatoes, diced
1/2 cup onion (any kind that will fit your fancy, I used red onions for the color)
3/4 cup broccoli, chopped
Cheese (I added a bit of cheese for the hubby, to make it more yummy)


Directions:
1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a skillet, over medium heat, heat the olive oil and add your vegetables.
3. In a separate bowl, combine the egg whites, egg, milk, cumin, and salt & pepper.
4. Add egg mixture to vegetables. Once the edges of the eggs have set, and the beginning begins to set, remove from stove top and place into oven.
5. Bake in oven for approximately 5 to 7 minutes.
6. Serve, eat, and enjoy!

Chilaquiles

Friday night was Mexican night in the Malloy household! After a long work week and enduring a muggy Philadelphian day, chilaquiles seemed to be what the doctor ordered... and boy were they great!

My best friend, Liz, even came over to help me make dinner! It was awesome that she was able to come :-)

Amid thunderstorms, and one scared doggie, we made what ended up being the PERFECT Friday night dinner. It was good, easy to make, and easy on the wallet. Does it get much better than that, people?!

I found this recipe in my newfound and cherished cookbook called Almost Meatless. There are a lot of great and healthy recipes to be found in this cookbook. I highly suggest that you pick up a copy of this to keep in your kitchen as well!

The Hubs, a.k.a. my DapperDanMan, and I have decided in order to trim some costs off of our budget, we would go with some more meatless meals. Not because we want to live a vegetarian lifestyle or anything- we are the epitome of omnivores, trust me- but, for the reason that indulging in meat only a few times of week really helps the wallet! ....And with meatless recipes like this, YOU WILL NOT BE MISSING THAT CHUCK ROAST (although, the thought of chuck roasts does make me drool... hmmm...).

Kudos to Joy Manning and Tara Mataraza Desmond for this magnificent recipe! It is already a favorite of my DapperDanMan!

Chilaquiles
Courtesy: Almost Meatless
Serves: 4 hungry hombres o damas


Red Sauce
1 (28oz) can whole peeled tomatoes, drained
1 medium jalapeno, seeded and coarsely chopped
1 small shallet, coarsely chopped
2 medium garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
1 TBS butter
1.5 cups dried black beans, cooked or 1 (15oz) can, drained and rinsed

Chilaquiles
1 cup vegetable or canola oil
8 (6 inch) corn tortillas
Salt
4 to 8 eggs
1 cup crumbled queso fresco or Cotjia cheese
1/2 cup crema or sour cream

Directions:
1. To make the sauce: put the tomatoes, jalapeno, shallot, and garlic in a blender and procedss until smooth. Heat the butter in a saute pan over medum heat. Pour the blended mixture into the pan, stir in the black beans, and simmer the sauce for 15 minutes.
2. To prepare the chilaquiles: heat the oil to 350 degrees in a deep pot or Dutch oven. Gently lower one or two tortillas into the hot oil with a pair of metal tons and fry for about 1 minute on each side, until golden. Remove from the oil and transfer to a cooling rack lined with paper towels. Sprinkle with salt. Repeat with remaining tortillas.
3. Prepare the eggs to order for each serving. Place a tortilla on a plate, ladle about 1/4 cup of the sauce on top, sprinkle with cheese, and add a dollop of crema or sour cream. Stack a second tortilla on top of that layer, creating another in the same manner. Top with an egg and serve.

**TIP: No deep fry thermometer? You can determine the temperature of teh oil by sticking the handle of a wooden spoon in the hot oil. If it's at just the right frying temperature, a steady sream of bubbles will come up from the handle. If it's not quite hot enough, just a few tiny bubbles where appear, whereas if the oil is too hot, it will spurt and sputter around the spoon.**

Cheeseburger Ebelskivers and Tomato Sauce

Chef Dennis of More Than A Mount Full greatly inspired me with this dish. He recently made lemon cream cakes, which seemed to be stuffed. It reminded me of Ebelskivers (which are little round pancakes, usually filled with items such as jellies, fruit, or cheese). They looked oh so yummy and I really wanted to make some of my own!

At Christmas-time, my mother-in-law gave me an ebelskiver pan, which I've been desperate to use, but either forgot that I had it, or was never able to find the time.

What does an Ebelskiver pan look like you ask? So glad you did! Here is the one I have exactly:
http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/ebelskiver-filled-pancake-pan/
Thanks so much Penny for the gift!

Well, after a rough day at work (rough as in I ripped the hem of my skirt and had insanely frizzy hair... yes all things that make or break a work day in a law firm, naturally!!...), I decided that I would make a savory form of ebelskivers to brighten up my day. In the back of my mind, I'd be able to do all of this before going to the Vigil Mass for Ascension Thursday at 7:00. Of course, why not?! Should be a cinch! and take no time at all

Needless to say, the first batch burned (I followed the recipe to a T, but this turned out to cause major burnage).. Watch out little ebelskiver buggers... you only won the first round...

The second batch quasi-burned... salvageable, but not perfection

And then I realized I'd have to modify the recipe and make it work, which it finally did! Who's got the last laugh now???


From left to right, you can see the improvement... To be honest, I threw out the first very burnt batch!

We never quite made it to Mass, since it took me an hour and a half to get everything right between the batter, the filling, and the sauce! BUT, they turned out to taste so yummy AND.... I have leftovers for lunch today, which I am ridiculously excited about!

...Oh and in my realization that I had to go in super fast mode to get this meal done, I left behind a kitchen which the appearance could only be explained by a tornado. (Poor husband... he helped me and cleaned up my mess!).

Oh! and some advice: If you're anything like me, and have a good potential to burning the first batch, I recommend doubling the recipe! And with my lack of coordination after a long day's work, I did two ebelskivers at a time, considering they burn quickly.

This isn't necessarily the healthiest of recipes (to "clean" it up, try sans cheese)... but it's definitely worth it! It's oh so worth it. Especially this version! A cheeseburger inside of pancake batter?!?!?!?! Yeup. So good!

Daisy Mae either really wanted some, or was baffled at the sight of me running around like a crazy person cooking, while singing along to my girl Rosemary Clooney (I love Rosemary... Oh, how I love Rosemary)


Cheeseburger Ebelskivers
Batter from Williams-Sonoma's cover of the pan
Yields 40 little guys


For the batter:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 TBS sugar
4 eggs, separated
2 cups milk (I used skim)
4 TBS unsalted butter, melted + more for cooking

For the filling:
1/2 lb. ground beef
1/2 white onion, chopped
Italian seasoning
Shredded cheese of your choice!

For the Tomato Sauce:
2 tomatoes, boiled and skins removed
2 garlic cloves
1 TBS Italian seasoning
1/4 cup olive oil


Directions for the filling:
1. In a large skillet, cook the ground beef and onions over medium heat sprinkle with the Italian seasoning (and take in the amazing smell.. hmm... onions on a skillet is my FAVORITE SMELL).
2. Once the meat is cooked through, remove from heat, add cheese (the amount to your heart's content) and stir thoroughly

Directions for the Batter:
1. In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar.
2. In a small bowl, lightly whisk the egg yolks, then whisk in the milk and 4 TBS melted butter.
3. Whisk the yolk mixture into the flour mixture until well combined; batter will be lumpy.
4. In another bowl, using an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites on high speed until stiff, but not dry peaks form, 2 to 3 minutes.
5. Using a rubber spatula gently stir the whites into the batter in two additions.
6. Put 1/4 tsp butter in each well of the ebelskiver pan. Set over MEDIUM TO LOW HEAT (this is where Williams-Sonoma's recipe and I are at odds.. it called for medium high heat, which caused almost instant burning) and heat the butter until it begins to bubble (which is quite quick, mind you).
7. Pour in 1 TBS batter into the butter wells (do a whole pan at once, if you can, I went 2 at a time), immediately fill it with 1 tsp of filling and top with 1 TBS batter.
8. Cook unitl the bottoms are golden brown and crispy (Williams-Sonoma says 3 to 5 minutes, I found it only took about 2 minutes... This is why I encourage testing out with extra batter at first, to find what works for you).
9. Flip, using 2 wooden skewers, and cook for another 2 minutes (again, W-S recommends 3, but that yielded a burnt result).

Directions for Tomato Sauce:
1. Put all ingredients into food processor and combine!
2. Serve with cheeseburger ebelskivers.

YOU DUN IT. Wooohoo.

Cleanliness is Next to Godliness Now Available Through Amazon Kindle!

To all you fancypants out there with a Kindle: now you can follow Cleanliness is Next to Godliness on your Kindle!


Photo Courtesy: Earned Relevance

Check it out here!: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003LPV0TQ

Grilled Salmon with Dijon-Walnut Sauce and Quinoa

Okay! So, last night, I made the husband and my first dinner as a MARRIED COUPLE. I decided to wing it and see what would happen. I had thought about using a handful of recipes, but upon my realization that I didn't have the majority of the ingredients, I would just totally make it up!

Oh man! Was this creation awesome! Looking in my cabinets, I saw that I had walnuts and figured that I could do something with them to accompany the fish. Oh yeah! SO GOOD. And the husband?! He loved it! Woohoo. It was a massive success. I served it with quinoa, spruced up with some cherry tomatoes. Yum, yum, yum!

Grilled Salmon with Dijon-Walnut Sauce
Serves 4


Ingredients
2 salmon fillets that are approximately 8oz. (or 4 4oz. fillets)
2 TBS canola oil
Salt and pepper
1/4 cup halved walnuts
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 TBS Dijon mustard
1 small garlic clove, minced

Directions:
1. In a food processor or chopper, chop the walnuts and olive oil. After the walnuts are broken down, add the mustard and garlic. Mix until well-combined and set aside.
2. Brush some canola oil on both sides of the salmon and season with salt and pepper.
3. On medium-high heat, grill the seasoned salmon, 3 minutes on the first side, and approximately 2 on the other.
4. Once the salmon is finished, serve with the Dijon-Walnut Sauce! Yummm! Enjoy!



Cherry Tomato and Garlic Quinoa
Serves a lot. I mean a lot. Tons of left overs. Probably yields 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients
1 cup dry quinoa
2 cups water
1.5 cups cherry tomatoes
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 TBS salt

Directions:
1. Cook the quinoa according to the package's directions, but add the tomatoes, garlic, and salt with the quinoa and water. It will add great flavor!
2. Serve with any dish, especially this salmon!

We're Married!

Heyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!

Great things have been going on around here. I got MARRIED! It was a beautiful day. I could not have imagined a more perfect day! It exceeded my wildest dreams!!!! I was surrounded by wonderful people and GREAT FOOD. Yumm... Everything was perfection!


Here's a quick glimpse of some of the GREAT photos taken by my dear friend and amazing photographer Lisa Barnshaw of Ora Photography:


Smooches after the ceremony!


Woohoo! We're married!


Our wonderful wedding party! The day would not have been the same without them!


There he is! My husband!!! Isn't he dashing?!


Believe it or not, I was allergic to these flowers! And I am not usually allergic to flowers! But they sure were pretty!


Havin' some fun!


Me and my girls!


They look great!


First dance as husband and wife!


Oh, the cake was GOOD! Raspberry-pound swirl and Fudge-pound swirl with vanilla buttercream icing! TO DIE FOR!!


It was such a wonderful day! I will always look back and smile!!!

What does this mean?! Now you get to follow me on a new journey! Up until this point, you watched me prepare for wifedom... well now, you get to watch me embark on this journey OF wifedom. Awesome!

Well.. as you can imagine, the food posts will be coming back again. Woohoo! Lots of great things to come.

Also, Cleanliness is Next to Godliness has been selected by Foodbuzz to be a contributor to their Health Section! This is such an honor! I am very much looking forward to sharing great and healthy recipes!!

Stay tuned, ladies and gents!!!! :-)