Garlic Onions Beans WARM Potato Salad

OK, First, go ahead and hot play here... Be sure to watch after the first 45 seconds... It takes a weird turn.



NOW THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT!

But I digress...

It's Springtime and for a few days, highs in the 80's, it felt like SUMMERTIME!  Here's a wonderful fresh crisp salad I whipped together for Easter dinner.

sliced Garlic chips sauteed in a little Olive Oil
Crisp snappy Green Beans Also sauteed in oil for only @2 minutes, then dropped in some ice water to stop the cooking process and set the bright green color
Red Onions, sliced into rings, sauteed in Butter, just for about 10 minutes until the onions soften a bit
Red Potatoes, diced, boiled with the skins on for taste, texture and color
Dusted with some fresh grated Parmesan Reggiano Cheese

And to add to the fresh springtime taste, I made a wonderful GARLICKY Vinaigrette that I drizzled over the top.

That friend to all bloggers, O OLIVE OIL recently sent me a delightful collection of some of their premium artisan PRESSED Oils and Artisanal Hand crafted Vinegars in preparation for a HUGE contest (come back on Monday, April 16 for details; But 24 lucky bloggers will get a chance to test these gastronomic delights themselves).

I chose to add garlic to garlic with a 3 to 1 mix of O Olive Oil's newest creation, 3 parts of a cold pressed garlic Olive Oil added to 1 part of the most amazing White Balsamic Vinegar.

Combined with my 30 pieces of Garlic Grilled London Broil, this was a great introduction to my spring grilling season.  Beautiful presentation with the sliced steak resting on the bed of vegetables.

This year's contest will feature over $1,000 in FREE bundles of O Olive Oil's products, and prizes going to the best "Freshness of Spring" use.  So start pondering now how to use the most delightful pressed oils and artisanal vinegars to make the springtime the best time to ... THINK FRESH!

WELCOME SPRING! and come back on Monday for the details!

Garlic Peppercorn London Broil

Hello my friends!  Been awhile since I posted over here (Still alive and well over at

Inspired by eRecipecards.com), but wanted to share one of the best things to come out of my grill in a very long time...

Here's my Easter Dinner.  Big pile of a delicious warm potato/green Bean Salad bed under an INCREDIBLE grilled Top Round roast.  I'll do the salad post recipe tomorrow.  Today it's all about this delicious meat!

LOTS of garlic.  I took 10 pieces of garlic and sliced them into thin thirds.  That's thirty pieces of garlic! I embedded these into the roast.  Just take a knife that is about the same size as the garlic pieces.  Poke deep enough so that the entire garlic piece will sit inside the meat.  If you are not a fan of garlic, these are large enough to pick out as you cut the finished slices.  BUT, the garlic roasted along with the meat juices makes for an incredible taste.

Next I coated the roast with a layer of Dijon Mustard.  The wet helps to keep the roast moist and most important, it gives the rub something to hold onto.  While it cooks it makes a simply delicious bark.  I made a simple rub of about equal parts...

Dried Garlic Flakes
Garlic Powder
Onion Powder
Slightly crushed Peppercorns
Sea Salt
Black and White Pepper

Mix this all together and then rub the meat.  NOTE: This is a rub, not a sprinkle.  Bub this into the mustard,  Pay particular attention to the holes that the you made with the garlic.  This forms a bark, which helps to hold in all the juices that might have leaked out during the slow roasting grilling.

Allow the meat to rest and come to close to room temperature before you begin cooking.  About an hour.  This also helps to allow the spices and especially the salt to help absorb all of those flavors of the rub and mustard to absorb into the top layer of the meat.

I cooked this on my grill, indirect heat, low and slow ( Almost like smoking on a grill, Coals or burners on each side of the meat turned to low.  Burners or coals directly under the meat off (or clear of coals).  The internal temperature close to the meat was about 280 degrees.

I used an internal temperature prob (Don't cook without one).  Cooked the meat (no need to turn, as you are using your grill like an oven with no direct heat applied to the bottom of the meat) until I got a medium rare temperature of 135 degrees.  It took about 30-40 minutes.  I then wrapped the meat in aluminum foil and let it rest for 30 minutes.  the temperature actually evened out at 140 during the wrap rest.  this allows the juices to absorb into the meat and have an even temperature throughout the slices.

Slice thin, at angles against the grain...

I am lucky enough to see several hundred food blogger posts in a day.  Somethings look stunningly beautiful.  For me, this was delicious and I was able to capture the right look where I practically can taste this from the photo.

Here is my food porn...

Good friends came to join us...
Warm enough to enjoy a meal outside on our patio!

Grab a beer and enjoy!

Happy Easter

Cappuccino Jordan Almond Truffles thanks to Oh Nuts!

OK, couple of things before I get started.  This is my first Chocolate post since making a "Personal New Year's Resolution" to become an amateur Chocolatier.  While that post is nearly 6 weeks old, I have been hesitant to make a post.  I am in the middle of a learning curve, and my chocolates are MUCH better than they were, some are even very close to chocolatier level, I am still holding off on sharing the results.

Click the Photo to be taken to the order
Page featuring Jordan Almonds

However, just a few days ago I was contacted by the very nice folks at OH NUTS! asking if I would be interested in a freebie!  Duh!  They offered me a pound of their coated Jordan Almonds (my choice)!  They were also interested to see what I would do with them.  I decided to show off a truffle!

First, a bit about OH NUTS!.  They have an outstanding selection of nuts, candies and related gifts.  Their prices are very reasonable (a pound of coated almonds sells for just $6.99).  Of course, with any mail order company, shipping costs can be an issue.  BUT, head to THIS PAGE and sign up for their "email specials" newsletter.  At least once a month and always close to any holiday I get an offer for free shipping.

Some of you may recall a post of "Mini Chocolate Pecan Pies" that I made in December.  Those were also made with Oh NUTS! pecans.  I think their pecans and walnuts, in addition to being just a tad cheaper than my grocery store, are the best quality I have ever used.  Always HUGE, always arriving well packaged with just a minimum of breakage so that you can make those decorative dishes...

Even though I am lucky enough to be on their occasional "Freebie" list, In my opinion, it just does not get any better.  Shipping is fast (and free with their monthly newsletter), price is cheaper than local sources, quality is better than excellent and they are a friend to bloggers (something we should acknowledge, respect and be grateful for).

OK.. Now, on to the truffle...

First, let's talk about what I got.  I ordered a pound of Cappuccino Jordan Almonds.

Thanks to Wikipedia, here's more than you probably wanted to know about JORDAN ALMONDS...

Jordan almonds, also known as sugared almonds or confetti, are a type of confectionery consisting of almonds covered with a candy coating in various colors, originating from Italy and particularly typical of the town of Sulmona. The term "Jordan" in "Jordan Almond" (according to Webster's New International Dictionary) is a corrupted version of the French word "jardin," meaning "garden," "hence, a cultivated almond". Thus they do not come from Jordan; they are thought to come from Malaga, Spain.  Another source of information has it that at one time the term referred to a variety of almonds originally grown along the Jordan River characterized by long, thin, slender, rather smooth kernels in thick, heavy shells.

A classic form of dragée, they are often used as wedding favors because of the "bitter" almonds and the "sweet" sugar representing bittersweet married life.  The treats are often packaged in groups of five per guest, accompanied by a traditional poem:
Five sugared almonds for each guest to eat
To remind us that life is both bitter and sweet.
Five wishes for the new husband and wife --
Health, wealth, happiness, children, and a long life!

Jordan almonds commonly come in pastel, spring-themed colors such as lilac, pale yellow, light blue, light green, and white. The colors are traditionally associated with certain life events, such as white Jordan almonds for weddings, red Jordan almonds for graduations and yellow, pink or blue Jordan almonds for baby showers or baptisms.

My Cappuccino Almonds indeed came with a hard sugar candy shell.  The candy was flavored like the frothy foam that is on the top of a cup of cappuccino.  First thing I did was to break one in half and see what I was dealing with.  The almonds were HUGE!  the coating was too hard to leave "as is" for what i had in mind.

But, once I pulverized a few (hammer or food processor), I was very happy with the consistency.

The tiny pieces were just right.  Crunchy but not teeth shattering.  I knew that mixing these with chocolate would add a touch of crunch and that foamy taste associated with cappuccino.

But I also wanted to add a bit more of the espresso taste associated with cappuccino.  the almonds had just a tiny hint, but I wanted to up the ante.

From reading The Mystery Lover's Kitchen Blog, and specifically the writings of Cleo Coyles' contributions (Cleo is author of the most excellent "Coffee House Mystery" series), I know that adding a tsp of instant coffee to coffee punches up the cocoa bean taste and adds a hint of coffee flavor!

So now, finally, we are ready to make the truffles...

OK, truffles are a combination of heavy cream (no, do not try this with 2% or even whole milk, just not the same) and chocolate.  To further enhance the idea of a cuppuccino, I added a dash of cinnamon to the chocolate.  And finally I added the instant coffee (mixed with a tsp of HOT water).

As to technique tips...

• DO NOT BOIL THE CREAM.  You want it warm, about 110 degrees, then off the stove.
• Chop your chocolate into tiny bits before adding to the cream.
• Add Chocolate slowly and whisk along the way.  You are creating an emulsification.  If you do not get the ganache totally emulsified the fats will separate and make an ugly chocolate.  You probably can not whisk enough.
• The levels of cream to chocolate determines how hard the final truffle will be.  Use too much cream and the treat will be too soft.  Too little cream and the treat is too hard.  Have extra chocolate available if you determine you need more.

Alright, tough to tell from this photo, but I mixed my cream, my chocolate, added my coffee and cinnamon.  Next I mixed in about 1/3rd of the pulverized cappuccino Jordan Almonds.  This way I got a tiny bit of the crunch throughout.  I also got the flavors of the coating mixed with the chocolate.

Once you have the chocolate emulsified with the cream, added your mixings, you just need to let the chocolate cool.  I let mine sit for about 2 hours.  It reaches room temperature and becomes more of a soft solid than a hard liquid (no longer stir-able).

From there, take a teaspoon, form a ball and roll in the remaining pulverized Cappuccino Jordan Almonds!

Chocolate, hints of coffee, cinnamon and the candy foam of a sweetened cappuccino.  Soft chocolate center with a coating of crunchy nutty almonds (although the almond is actually a seed, but saying the crunchy seedy almond just does not sound right... But I digress).

DELICIOUS!

Recipe:

1 cup OH NUTS! brand Cappuccino Almonds, pulverized into tiny pieces (hammer or in a food processor)
1 tsp HOT Water
1 tsp Instant Coffee
1 tsp Ground Cinnamon
1/3rd cup Heavy Cream
6 ounces 80% Cocoa Chocolate, Chopped

1. Mix the water and instant coffee
2. Add the Cinnamon to the coffee
3. Heat the Heavy Cream to @110 degrees, remove from heat
4. Add the chocolate about 1/4 of the amount at a time.  Stir constantly and be sure the chocolate is completely melted before adding any more.
5. Add about 1/3rd of the pulverized Cappuccino Almonds to the chocolate and continue stirring
6. Allow the chocolate to cool to room temperature.  If done correctly, the chocolate is pliable like play dough.
7. Form into 1/2 inch balls
8. Roll in remaining pulverized Cappuccino Almonds
9. Made about 30 Truffles!

Printable recipe...
For the time being...

Click the image to the left for a printable copy of this recipe. When the large image appears, right click the image and select "Copy Image". Then open a word document file, click paste and print. Prints on an 8 1/2 by 11 sheet of paper.

Soon, it will become a PDF file that you simply have to click and print.

Mini Chocolate Pecan Pies, thanks to Oh NUTS!

OK, first up that fair up front announcement, the very good folks at Oh Nuts! made me an offer I could not refuse....

FREE NUTS!

Click the Logo to view their home page!

I have been doing business with Oh Nuts for a few years now.  ALWAYS the best quality (Take a look at the pecans in the photo above, HUGE, arriving in excellent condition.  I am especially drawn to their pecans and walnuts.  Not only tasty, but make beautiful accent garnishes.  They make the food look just as good as they taste!

Shipping is fast, quality is EXCELLENT and prices are actually below the super market prices (especially if you sign up for their eMail mailing list and take advantage of their free shipping offers they send out on occasion).

I made these mini pies based on a recipe I saw Carla Hall make on an episode of The Chew.

OK, if you saw the episode (well, actually, if you read the title of this post), right away you noticed that either I have giant chocolate chips and giant pecans OR I made chocolate pecan tarts instead of a pie.

Because... well, portion control.  I LOVE a pecan pie.  Never had it with this much chocolate mixed in, but I was sure I was going to love it.  But it is awfully fattening.  Making them this size, I was able to control the size and as long as I have the will power to only eat one, well...moderation.  Since each little tart is about 3 good size bites, I even didn't feel too guilty when i had a little bit of pumpkin pie along side.

And besides, they photograph so nicely...

And, besides the size, I made an additional change that you probably saw in the first photo in the above series... Bourbon in place of vanilla.  First, the alcohol does cook out, leaving a deep rich earthy taste behind. Besides pure vanilla extract is actually mostly alcohol anyway.  In a pecan pie, I just like Maker's mark in place of vanilla.  Just one more layer of flavor.

Alright, first up is a pie crust recipe.  I am constantly on the look out for a new pie crust recipe.  I have tried several, but never could quite get one as good as my Mother-in-Law's.  So, I phoned her and tried hers for the first time.

Lard.    Shhh it's the secret ingredient that only grandmother's know.

So, My Mother-inLaw's Pie Crust recipe first...

Makes 2 pie crust, or one to freeze for later and one to cut into 6 tart size...

3 cups Flour

1 cup Lard

1 tsp Salt

Mix until crumbly.  Then mix together ...

1/4 cup Water 

1 Egg

1 tsp Vinegar

Combine, Divide and roll out, generously flour as you roll out.

OK, as I said, I was making tarts... tartlettes if you will.  SO I rolled one of the crusts out pretty thin.  I then took a large fluted edged round cookie cutter and made six circles.  I sprayed a muffin tin generously and placed the circles in the bottom of the tins.  This made a cup shape about 3/4 inch tall.

OK, in the recipe (that you can see on The Chew's website by clicking HERE), Carla made a pie.  I cut the recipe in half, had more than enough to make 6 tarts.  I also glazed the bottom with egg whites.

So, here's what I did.  The measurements are @1/2 what Carla used (But you should check her recipe if you are making pies)...

1/2 cup Corn Syrup (I only had white on hand, she advises dark)
1 TBS Butter softened to room temperature
1 tsp Corn Starch
1tsp Bourbon
1/2 cups Pecans, chopped
1/4 cup Whole Pecans for decoration
pinch of Salt
1/4 cup Sugar
2 Eggs, lightly beaten
2 tsp White Vinegar
1/4 cup Dark Chocolate Chips

Preheat oven to 375

• Cream Butter and Sugar
• Add Beaten Eggs 
• Add Cornstarch, Salt, Bourbon, Vinegar and Corn Syrup, and now you have the pie filling
• sprinkle a single layer of chocolate chips
• sprinkle the pecan pieces
• add the pie filling
• Bake on center rack for 30 minutes
• Add the garnish whole pecans
• Return to the oven until center of filling reaches 200 degrees

And the verdict is that these were PERFECT!  An adult pie, let the kids have the pumpkin and cakes and sweets.  Rich, earthy,nutty taste.  Just a hint of the Bourbon and a very unique taste with the chocolate added!

LOVE THIS!

O Olive Oil Cooking Contest Underway - VOTE NOW!

This week is a big week fro some very talented bloggers!  The very good folks at O Olive Oil are partnering with eRecipeCards.com to select a winner in a very special and even unique cooking contest.  Not only is there going to be a "winner" selected for the quality of the recipe submitted, but for the first time (that I know of), food bloggers are being judged and awarded prizes based on the quality of their food writing as well as a prize for best food styling/photography.

A part of the judging is up to you!  The true honor of any recipe is to be added to someone's recipe file as something that they may consider making themselves at a future date.  So, in order to determine a "winner", 1/3rd of the judging will be based on how many people add their recipe to their eRecipeBox maintained on eRecipeCards.com.

Setting up an electronic recipe box is very easy.  All you need is an email address and a password that you control.  Then, any recipe you see on eRecipeCards.com home page can be stored with just a single click into your file.  And of course, from the same account you are able to submit a recipe blog post for others to enjoy.

To set up an account, follow the directions on our "Tour" page.  Step by step, easy to follow illustrated instructions will have you set up in minutes. Click HERE or the click the photo of the recipe box.

To find the recipes and the page to "Vote" for your favorite, Go to the Search page at the top of the eRecipeCards.com home page (or click HERE).  Once there, type in OOLIVEOIL (all one word, all caps (easiest to cut and paste).

Here in no particular order are the recipes and the talented folks who are working so hard (and deserve your vote)...

Rainey from "The Project Table" has submitted ...
Meyer Lemon Cheesecake Champagne Vinegar Drizzle

Amy from "U Try It" has Submitted ...
Chicken Satay with Cucumber Relish

Evelyn from "Cheap Ethnic Eatz" has submitted ...
Vinegar Tarts and Olive Oil Ice Cream

Shari from "The Saucy Gourmet" has submitted ...
2 Salads made with O Olive Oil Products

Penny from "Lake Lure Cottage Kitchen" has submitted ...Pork tenderloin with Blood Orange Sauce with a Sweet Potato Salsa

Jessie from "Savory-Bites" has submitted ...
Clementine Olive Oil Ice Cream

Kristen from "Frugal Antics of a Harried Housewife" has submitted ...
Winter Grain Salad

And Last, But certainly NOT least...
Bobbi from "Bobbi's Kozy Kitchen" has submitted ...
Cilantro Lime Cod with Sherry Vinegar Reduction

OK, it is now up to you... Many of these are your blogging buddies and would appreciate your votes.  Many may be new to you, but their hard work should be rewarded with a vote...

And if you are interested in getting a bottle (or two or more) of O Olive Oil for yourself, in addition to supplying all of the prizes for the contest, are offering EVERYONE a 20% discount on any order made between now and December 31, 2011!!!

PLUS, it gets better, free shipping for all orders over $60 (after the discount).

Use Code "e-recipecards" for 20% Discount on O Olive Oil Plus Free Shipping on orders over $60
www.OOliveOil.com