Betty B’s Fresh Wrap (a la McDonalds)

It has happened to all of us:  you are driving on a highway and have to get something to each.  Your choices are leaving the highway and taking goodness know how long to find a restaurant or stop at Mickey D‘s.  We were faced with that choice recently and didn’t want to add an hour or more to our journey so we opted for McDonalds thinking a small hamburger would tide us over.  We were surprised to find a new option on the menu: a Fresh Wrap.  We ordered it and were even more surprised to find it was quite good.  Of course, immodestly,  I felt I could made a better version at home.  Freshly grilled chicken and some slices of ripe avocado make this a lunch I would happily serve to guests. 

1 thin chicken cutlet, lightly rubbed with olive oil and seasoned with salt and pepper
1 cup lettuce, finely shredded
1 medium tomato, chopped
¼ cup sharp cheddar, shredded
4 slices crisp bacon
8 slices avocado
2 flour tortillas

Dressing:

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
Pinch of salt
Pinch of pepper
½ teaspoon Dijon mustard

Grill the chicken breast until done.  Lightly grill tortillas to soften. Slice chicken into thin strips.

Mix lettuce and tomato with dressing.

Place ½ of lettuce and tomato on each tortilla.  Top with ½ each of cheese, bacon, avocado and chicken.  Roll up tightly and enjoy!

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Quiche Lorraine

Quiche Lorraine - essentially a fancy sounding French name for what the Brits would call a bacon and egg pie! Still, the combination does produce an elegant dish that is at home for brunch, lunch or supper. Even better - you can make it ahead and even freeze it. Doesn't get much more versatile than that.

Ingredients:

1 prebaked pie shell, 9 to 10 inches
4 slices bacon cooked till quite crisp and crumbled
1 large onion, sliced about 1/4" inch thick and cooked until softened in bacon fat
4 ounces Swiss or Gruyere cheese, shredded
2 whole eggs and 2 egg yolks
2 cups heavy cream
a few gratings of nutmeg

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Combine eggs and cream either in a food processor or mix well with a whisk.
Put onion, drained of fat, in bottom of pie crust, top with bacon pieces.
Add cheese and pour in egg/cream mixture.
Bake at 450 degrees for 15 minutes, lower temperature to 350 degrees and bake for another 15 minutes or until pie seems fairly firm when shaken.

Variations:

Cooked broccoli and cheddar cheese
Smoked salmon, Swiss cheese and asparagus.

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A lovely Mother's Day message from a viewer....

My mother use to cook like you cook...many years ago...wish I could roll back the years and visit her just one more time on this Mothers day...I can't wish my mother a happy Mothers day, so I will wish you a happy Mothers day instead!!! 

JW

Grilling Tip: Barbeque Rub

Barbecue season has finally arrived!  In preparation, I have made a double batch of my favorite rub.  It's great on pork and chicken and I'm thinking I'll use it next time I grill some salmon.  Just rub it on whatever you are planning to grill an hour or two ahead of time to let the flavors seep in.

3 tablespoons sweet Hungarian paprika
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon dry mustard
1 tablespoon garlic powder
2 tablespoons kosher salt

Grill until almost done and baste with your favorite sauce.

Tip for Today: Potato Ricer

 

Tip for today:  If you own a potato ricer, it is the best tool for squeezing the liquid out of defrosted frozen spinach!  It gets it absolutely dry and saves lots of time.

NOT QUITE PAELLA

This is a dish which evolved from a family recipe I learned from my mother-in-law who got many of her recipes from my father-in-law's family. They were Italian but had a lot of Spanish influence from friends in their Tampa neighborhood. 

This is a great dish to serve for a crowd since you can prepare most of it in advance - if you omit the shrimp you can do the entire thing in advance! 

Because all of the meats are cut bite-sized you don't need a knife to eat it!

NOT QUITE PAELLA Ingredients: 

¼ cup olive oil 
½ pound boneless chicken cut into bite-sized pieces
½ pound sweet or hot Italian sausage cut into 1" pieces 
½ pound shrimp 1 medium green pepper cut into 1" squares 
1 medium red pepper cut into 1" squares 
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped 
1 small can tomatoes, chopped - reserve juice 
¼ teaspoon saffron 
2 bay leaves 
salt and pepper to taste 
2 cups Uncle Ben's rice 
3 cups hot chicken stock 

1. Soak saffron threads in chicken stock. 
2. In a large sauté pan, heat oil, brown chicken, and sausage in separate batches, remove and set aside.
3. Cook onion, 2 cloves of garlic and peppers till soft.
4. Add saffron, tomatoes and juice, salt and pepper. Cook for 2 minutes. 
5. Add rice and stir thoroughly. Add hot chicken stock, chicken and sausage, stir well. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes or until rice is almost cooked. 
6. Sauté shrimp with remaining clove of garlic till almost cooked then add to rice mixture for final few minutes of cooking. 

Dish may be prepared a day ahead up to step #6. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Reheat over low heat, sauté shrimp with garlic and add to rice mixture. 

You may vary the ingredients to suit your taste. For example: use chorizo instead of Italian sausage, add clams, mussels, lobster. Make it vegetarian by adding asparagus, artichoke hearts, carrots, peas, etc. and replace the chicken stock with vegetable stock or even water. You may also use Arborio or any other rice you may prefer.

Watch the video demonstration:

COMMENTS:  

Betty,

Made your "not quite paella" today and it was a big hit.

It was really quite good.

Easy to make.

We have enjoyed all of your recipes.

Brandy Snaps

I recently invited some friends for a "proper" Afternoon Tea.  I served the obligatory cucumber sandwiches and smoked salmon sandwiches along with shrimp salad rolls, scones with butter and raspberry jam, mini lemon meringue tarts, fresh fruit and Brandy Snaps.  I don't think any of the women there had tasted Brandy Snaps before and they were the hit of the afternoon.  I'm happy to share the recipe with you.

Brandy Snaps

Ingredients:

¼ cup light corn syrup
¼ cup molasses
½ cup butter
1 cup flour
⅔ cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground ginger
2 teaspoons brandy

1. Preheat oven to 300°.
2. Heat the syrup and molasses to boiling. Remove from heat and add butter.
3. Combine the flour, sugar and ginger. Add gradually, while stirring to molasses mixture. Mix well. Add brandy.
4. Drop by half-teaspoonfuls three inches apart on a greased cookie sheet. Bake ten minutes or until large bubbles have subsided.
5. Remove from oven, loosen one cookie at a time and roll over handle of a wooden spoon. Slip off carefully. Serve filled with whipped cream.

Variation:  Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto cookie sheets for cookie "baskets".
Use a large cookie sheet and make two at a time. Bake at 325° for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from oven, allow to set for a moment or two and drape over inverted custard cups. Let sit until crisp.

Cautions:      Do not attempt to make these on a humid day!
Do not fill with cream until an hour or so before you are ready to serve - they will dissolve.

WATCH THE VIDEO DEMONSTRATION:

A Fresh Take on Fried Rice (A Quick Meal Suggestion)

I’m often asked if I cook at home every night… NO! We enjoy eating out at restaurants and at the homes of friends. When I have a really busy day or am just out of ideas, my go to meal is Chinese takeout!

Invariably, I have leftover rice and being of the “waste not, want not” school - I use that to make fried rice. You can pretty much use any leftover protein to go into it along with some onions, peas, eggs and scallions.

Here is my favorite combination:

Ingredients:

2 cups of cold leftover rice
2 eggs, beaten
½ an onion, roughly chopped
½ cup frozen peas, defrosted
½ cup chopped ham
1 cup chopped raw shrimp
2 or 3 scallions, roughly chopped
2 or 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 or 2 tablespoons soy sauce


1-Lightly oil a large skillet and pour in the beaten eggs. Swirl to make a thin “pancake”. Cook for a minute or two just until eggs are set. Turn out onto a cutting board and cut into shreds.

2-Add about a tablespoon of oil to the skillet, add the onions and cook for a few minutes until they start to soften. Push to one side and add the shrimp. Cook just until they turn pink. Remove the shrimp to a clean bowl and reserve.

3-Add the remaining oil to the skillet and add the rice. Stir to mix well with the onions.

4-Add the remaining ingredients and toss well until heated through.

5-Add soy sauce and toss to combine.

6-Serve and enjoy!

 
Watch the video demonstration:

Honey Dijon Chicken with Warm Potato Salad-how to prepare

A few weeks ago I was watching an episode of "Restaurant Impossible" while I was about to start dinner.  I had planned to make chicken breasts - with what else I don't remember!  Robert Irvine, the chef of the show, was teaching the restaurant cook how to make a dish composed of chicken breasts served over a warm potato salad.  I was amazed to see that he coated the chicken with egg beaten with honey mustard - this was exactly what I was going to do having discovered some time ago that the honey mustard adds great flavor to the chicken. 

The dish looked so delicious that I stopped what I was doing, went to the grocery store to pick up the ingredients I needed and made the recipe then and there.  I adapted it quite a bit from the original which involved a half gallon of oil to cook the chicken and three or four skillets.  I think this is a dish which you will enjoy too!

Note:  In my video demonstration, I used half the ingredients, but the recipe below will serve four.

Honey Dijon Chicken with Warm Potato Salad

Ingredients:

Dressing:
¼ cup white balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons bacon fat, at room temperature (from diced bacon)
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
½ cup olive oil
Salt and pepper

Chicken:
Oil for frying
¼ cup honey mustard
2 eggs, whipped
Four 6-ounce chicken breasts
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
½ cup all-purpose flour
1 cup Japanese breadcrumbs

Salad:
1 tablespoon olive oil
¼ cup thinly sliced shallots
4 ounces  haricot verts, steamed
5 or 6 small red potatoes (about 8 ounces), poached or steamed, medium doneness
¼ cup cooked and diced bacon
¼ cup hot chicken stock


Directions:

In a medium-sized skillet, cook the diced bacon until browned and crisp.  Remove to paper towels to drain and reserve 2 tablespoons of the rendered fat.  Wipe out the pan with paper towels.
In a food processor, mix the vinegar, bacon fat and mustard. Mix well, and then slowly drizzle in the oil until well emulsified. Taste and season. Note:  if you don't have a processor, simply whisk the ingredients together.
In a dish, blend the honey mustard and eggs. Next, sprinkle the breasts with the salt and pepper. Then toss in the flour, then the egg wash and finally coat each breast well with the breadcrumbs. Repeat the process with each breast. Preheat the oil in the skillet until shimmering. Fry for 3 minutes. Flip and finish for a final 3 minutes. Once the chicken is cooked, remove from the oil and allow any excess oil to drain on paper towels. Wipe out the skillet again.
Warm the olive oil in the skillet over medium heat, warm the oil and then add the shallots, haricot verts and potatoes. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 to 4 minutes. Then reduce the heat and keep warm for dressing.
Add hot chicken stock to dressing and whiz until emulsified.  Add to the potato mixture and stir to coat. 
Place one quarter of the potato mixture on each of four plates, sprinkle with bacon and top with a chicken breast.

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CHESAPEAKE BAY CRAB CAKES

When we lived in Virginia Beach on an inlet from the Chesapeake Bay, we could - and did - catch blue crabs right off our dock. While they made great eating just boiled with Old Bay seasoning, they were even better made into crab cakes. I mean real crab cakes with lots of lump crab meat and very little else. Here's my recipe:


1lb. backfin crabmeat
4 tablespoons fine, dry breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
I cup mayonnaise
I teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
4 tablespoons red pepper, finely chopped and sautéed in 1
tablespoon butter until softened
1 tablespoon lemon juice
6 drops Tabasco, or to taste
1 ½ teaspoons Old Bay seasoning

1 to 1½ cups Panko bread crumbs

Oil for frying

In a medium sized bowl, combine the breadcrumbs, parsley, mayonnaise, Worcestershire sauce, red pepper, lemon juice, Tabasco and Old Bay and then fold the crabmeat in gently.

Dip in Panko

.
Form into 6 cakes and fry for about 5 minutes on each side or until nicely browned. You may also make these an hors d'ouevre by using just 2 tablespoons of the mixture per cake.

(Leftovers reheat beautifully and they can be frozen)

Rick and I in our front Williamsburg style garden

Our dock where we caught crabs with a chicken baited line

Watch the video demonstration: