Chocolate Cookies with Peanut Butter Chips and Chocolate Chip Cookies

Red Sauce

Is there anything more comforting than family food?  It is what we return to when want a taste of home or a acquaintance with our culture.  I am from New Orleans, so the palate is quite extensive but home cooked Italian food is always my favorite.  My great-grandmother made the BEST tomato sauce ever.  Yes, I was lucky enough to get to sample this sauce direct from the source. Some people call it "red sauce," some call it "red gravy."  It is just the best simple sauce, not the quickest sauce as I cooked this one for about 8 hours on the stove, but just really good sauce.  My mother spent quite some time working on this recipe trying to get it as close to "Old Grandmothers" as possible.  I usually make it in a large batch and store several quarts in the freezer so I can have homemade tomato sauce when ever i need it.  Meatballs are best and most authentic, but I have also made chicken spaghetti by cutting up 3 - 4 boneless skinless chicken breast into large chunks and searing them in olive oil salt and pepper.  When they are nicely golden brown add a quart of this homemade tomato sauce and simmer for about 30 - 40 minutes.  Serve over some fresh pasta with grated cheese. 

Sauce:

6 onions chopped fine
8 cloves garlic chopped fine
1 medium eggplant chopped
1 tsp dried basil
2 large cans crushed tomatos
1 large can tomato sauce
1 small can tomato paste
4 15oz cans tomato puree
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups water

Saute onions, garlic, eggplant and basil in olive oil until tender.  Push the onion mixture to the sides of the pot and add the tomato paste to the center and cook the paste on high stirring for about a minute.  Then mix together with the onions and add the tomatoes, water and sugar.  Simmer on medium heat stirring occasionally for at least 3 hours but the longer the better!  I usually simmer mine for about 6 - 8 hours.

Slow Cooker Pork Goodness

OK...I admit that it did take long enough for me to get these photos online, but I did not want everyone thinking that this past weekends pork-fest was a total failure.  Quite the opposite.  This recipe was a variation on a recipe from the Abita Beer Cookbook, which I highly recommend!  I had to minimize the amount of liquid for the slow cooker.  Only one bottle of beer for the slow cooker, but that means more for me!  Later I will try to write down my variation.

Now for something sweet! - POPS!

I can't say enough about these!  They are fun and DELICIOUS!  My friend Angela (The Queen of Pops) makes these in just about any color combo or style you can dream up.  For Shaw's birthday I ordered Red Velvet and Chocolate cake pops.  The cake is more moist than most full size cakes I have had.  She can ship them anywhere and they are not expensive.   Check out all of her Pops at her Face Book page http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1127016787&ref=ts#!/profile.php?id=1127016787

Salvo's Seafood, Belle Chasse, LA

This happened on a recent trip to New Orleans.

My mother, sister, and Shaw were also involved in this behavior.  Notice the butter cups.

http://www.salvosseafood.com/

Pork Tenderloin and Roasted Vegetables

First I cover the pork with a rub made of mustard, garlic, fresh herbs, salt and pepper.  Let it sit while preparing the vegetables.  I like potatoes, carrots, celery and onions.  Fennel is also really good roasted.  Simply salt, pepper, and olive oil.  Preheat the oven to 425 and roast uncovered for about an hour.  Take the pork out to sit, stir the vegetables and roast them until they are nicely browned and caramelized.  Slice the pork and enjoy!

Chicken with Apples and Onions

This recipe was originally found in the Times-Picayune newspaper by my wonderful friend Miriam a long time ago.  I think she was living in her first college apartment.  I never got a copy of the recipe and we only made it together once but, I continued working on it over the years and finally wrote down my own version.   I did have the joy of using fresh apples that I picked from a orchard in Maryland this past summer, but any nice variety of red apples will work just fine.  This dish is just as satisfying, warm and hearty as it is still light and healthy.

Chicken & Apples
Ingredients:

2 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast

2-3 Tablespoons Olive Oil

1 Large Yellow Onion (Peeled & Sliced)

3-4 Cloves of Garlic (Chopped)

1-2 Tablespoons Fresh Minced Rosemary

¾ Cup White Wine

2 -3 Apples (Halved, Cored, Sliced) Leave Skins On

1 ½ Tablespoons Good Dijon Mustard

1 ½ Cups Good Quality Chicken Stock

1 ½ Teaspoon Kosher Salt

1-Teaspoon Pepper

Lightly pound both chicken breast between two pieces of parchment or wax paper to assure even cooking.  Season lightly with a pinch of salt and pepper then roll in flour.

Add olive oil to skillet over medium-high heat.  Sear chicken breast on both sides until nicely golden brown.  Remove from pan and set aside. 

Lower the heat and add the sliced onions and sauté until just tender.  Then add the garlic and rosemary and continue to sauté for about 2 minutes.  Don’t burn the garlic or it will get bitter - not sweet.  

Add the white wine to deglaze the pan scraping all the brown bits, and then bring back up to a simmer.  Add the mustard, salt and pepper.  Stir until the mustard is disolved. 

Add the apples and stir until each apple is completely coated with the mixture.  Add the chicken stock and bring back up to a simmer until the apples are just slightly tender. 

Then add the chicken breast and any remaining juices back to the skillet, cover and let simmer for about 20 minutes until the apples are tender and the chicken is moist. Checking periodically, gently stir and taste occasionally to make any final adjustments. 

A few notes:

I use “Kitchen Basics” stock; it is richer tasting and better for you than most other brands.

You can prep the chicken breast in advance (except for the flour) and store in the refrigerator until ready.

This recipe serves two.  If you want to make 4 servings I would sear them in batches of two first to avoid overcrowding allowing the chicken to brown nicely. 

You can double the recipe but be sure to check the taste before adding the salt and pepper.

Serving Suggestions:

Cornbread is good for dipping in the sauce as in the picture.

Mashed potatoes are also really good.

Brown rice is a nice healthy choice.