Strawberry-Zinfandel Trifle

For an amazing spring/summer dessert, it doesn't get any better than this strawberry-zinfandel trifle. I start by heating zinfandel wine and sugar to boiling. After simmering for several minutes, I remove the wine from the heat, add vanilla, and then mix with sliced strawberries. While this cools, I prepare and slice pound cake and whip fresh cream. Then it's time to start layering. I alternate layers of strawberries, pound cake, and whipped cream until the trifle bowl is filled, ending with whipped cream. Delicious immediately, this trifle becomes even better after chilling for several hours. You won't be able to stop eating this...

Chicken, Prosciutto, and Swiss Cheese Bundles with Dijon-Wine Sauce

This is a great dish for a dinner party. It starts with skinless, boneless chicken breasts which are pounded to 1/4 inch thickness. Each chicken breast is then wrapped around Prosciutto ham and Swiss cheese. After browning each chicken breast for several minutes, it is placed in an oven-safe dish. A sauce of dry white wine, Dijon mustard, brown sugar, butter, and salt is poured over the chicken before being placed in the oven for 40 minutes at 350 degrees. When it comes out of the oven, the chicken bundles are removed to a platter and the sauce is thickened slightly before being drizzled over the chicken, which can be served whole or sliced on the bias. The chicken is complemented beautifully with steamed asparagus flavoured with freshly squeezed orange juice.

Banana bread

I first made this banana bread about 7 years ago when I was living in Holland, Michigan. My friend Jeff owned and operated a Bed and Breakfast called the Douglas House in Douglas, Michigan. Jeff always did a really beautiful breakfast spread, and I occasionally helped him out. This banana bread was a hit with his guests, and I've been making it ever since. What sets it apart from run-of-the-mill banana breads is the addition of coconut, lime zest and juice, and a few tablespoons of dark rum. I serve it on a bed of coconut and garnish with lime wedges. Once you try it, no ordinary banana bread will do...

Beef tamale bake

This dish has all the flavour of a traditional Mexican tamale, but is simpler to make. I start by browning lean ground beef, onion, bell pepper, and garlic. To that I add chili powder, oregano, salt and pepper, pinto beans, and corn. In a separate pan, I make the cornmeal topping by mixing yellow cornmeal, water, and salt. Once it comes to a boil, I only have to stir it for about five minutes until it thickens. Then it's time to assemble. The meat mixture goes into a baking dish and is then covered with the cornmeal topping. I sprinkle the entire dish with cheddar cheese before baking for 30 minutes. To serve, I garnish with diced green onion, tomato, and red bell pepper. To put it over the top, I add a dollop of avacado cream (a blending of avacado, sour cream, and a bit of lemon juice). Everyone loves this!

Guacamole

Who doesn't love tortilla chips and a really good guacamole? I love it, and the guacamole I make makes the store-bought guacamoles run away in shame. I start with ripe Haas avacadoes, and after scooping out the buttery flesh with a spoon, I immediately add lemon juice. The lemon juice not only adds zing to the flavour, it also does a great job keeping the avacadoes from turning brown. I also add red onion, minced garlic, Tobasco sauce, a little cilantro, and salt and pepper. I then mix this all together, being careful to keep nice chunks of avacado. I hate guacamole that look like they have been through the food processor! Lastly, I add chopped tomato and grab the tortilla chips. It's SO GOOD!

It's a girl...

I can't belive it's Friday already. This week has been a blur as our homelife has been dramatically altered. On Monday afternoon of this week, we welcomed Ellie, a nine-week-old Brittany puppy, into our home. She is a beautiful (pictures don't do her justice) bundle of energy, and John and I have both fallen head-over-heels in love with her. Meika (our 12-year-old Shih tzu) and Gracie (our 3-year-old cat) are not nearly as thrilled. They both keep staring at me with looks that seem to say "You have GOT to be kidding me!" and "Are you going to DO something about this???". But, they are making progress in learning to accept her. Gracie has only hissed once today! I will admit that I had forgotten how much work a puppy can be. She tries to chew EVERYTHING!! And why does she have to have so much energy at 5:00 a.m.? It has definitely given me even greater respect for people who have actual human babies. I don't know how they do it. As for me, Ellie is sleeping so I better quick try to get some things done. Hope you enjoy the pictures of my "family".

Pork chops with lemon-caper sauce

Last night I made pork chops with lemon-caper sauce. I first browned 1 inch thick center cut boneless pork chops that I seasoned with salt and pepper. Meanwhile, I brought a saucepot of water to a boil and blanched the trimmed green beans for just a minute or two. After draining the beans, I spread them out in a 9x13 pan and placed the browned pork chops on top. I then browned one sliced yellow onion and placed the onion on the pork chops. Over everything, I poured a mixture of lemon zest, fresh lemon juice, dry white wine, capers, and pepper. Then I covered the pan and placed it in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes to finish cooking. While that baked, I diced 2 carrots and one red bell pepper and placed them in boiling chicken stock for a couple minutes until almost tender. Then I added couscous, covered the pan, and let it work its magic for 5 minutes. This gave me a little time to clean up the kitchen a bit and grab a large platter. When everything was finished I placed the couscous with carrots and red bell pepper in the middle of the platter. I arranged the pork chops in a row on top of the couscous and placed the green beans lengthwise in rows. I garnished with lemon and Italian parsley. The lemon, wine, and capers gave the pork chops tremendous flavour. This is a great dish for a weeknight, but is special enough for a Saturday night dinner party. And the bonus is it's healthy!

Chicken Cacciatore

I adapted this recipe from one found in Giada De Laurentiis' cookbook, Everyday Italian. After salting and peppering the chicken (I used bone-in, skin-on breasts for flavour. I later removed the skin.), I browned the pieces for about 5 minutes per side. Once the chicken was brown, I removed it from the pan and added red bell pepper, onion, and dried oregano. A few minutes later I added lots of chopped garlic and allowed all the vegetables to soften. Next I added white wine and allowed it to reduce by about half before adding tomatoes and chicken broth. I then returned the chicken breasts to the pan, brought everything back up to a simmer, and let everything work together for about 30 minutes. In that time, the chicken finished cooking, the sauce thickened, and the fantastic aromas permeated the kitchen. For serving, I transferred the chicken to a large platter and then spooned the sauce over the chicken. I garnished with fresh oregano. Amazing as it is, this dish becomes even more comforting when served with hot herb-buttered pasta. A hearty and satisfying dish after a long day's work...