In the Kitchen / Principal Chef

Jilly’s Chocolate Chip Scones

One of our favorite days happens when Jill makes scones (she pronounces them with a short O sound from her year in Australia. She’s not alone in that pronunciation.) She uses this recipe from an old Williams Sonoma Chocolate cookbook, and it is a crowd pleaser!

Ingredients

2 All purpose white flour

1 tbsp Baking Powder

0.50 tsp Salt

0.25 cup Sugar (White Granulated)

3 tbsp Sugar (White Granulated) (For topping)

0.75 cup Chocolate Chips (Your favorite type – Hard to beat Nestle’s Semi-Sweet, though the Ghiradelli chips are pretty awesome.))

1.25 Heavy Cream

3 tbsp Butter (I prefer salted, but I think salt is underrated in recipes)

Directions

Preheat oven to 425. Mix flour, baking powder, salt, and 1/4 sugar in a large bowl.

Add chocolate chips.

Pour in cream and mix with a fork until it all holds together. It will be sticky. That’s OK!

Place dough on cutting board dusted with flour. Sprinkle with flour and knead 10 times.

Gently shape into a 9-inch circle. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with extra 2-3 Tbsp sugar. (Optional – I like adding a few sprinkles of course Kosher salt (or other excellent substantive salt), but that’s not for everybody. But it should be!)

Cut into 12 wedges. (If 12 wedges just seems like too much to eat, reduce to 8!)

Place separated wedges onto ungreased baking sheet, leaving at least 1″ between wedges.

Bake at 425 degrees for 15-17 minutes, or until tops are perfectly golden brown. Serve them warm if you can!

Split Pea Soup

I’ve had this recipe for over 30 years, written on a note card. I can’t even remember where I got it. But I love it and it’s a staple in our house in the fall and winter. I serve it with my Irish Soda Bread recipe and it always feels like a wholesome, healthy, and very tasty meal.

Ingredients

2 tbsp Olive Oil

2 tbsp Butter

1 Onion, white, yellow, or sweet, chopped.

4 Carrots, choppedI love carrots and always add more – they add color and contrast.

4 stalks celery, chopped(More if they are smaller stalks)

3 cups Cabbage, shredded

1 lb Dried Split Peas

8 cups Vegetable Broth

2 cups Water(It's 10 cups of liquid – any combination of broth and water will do)

1 tsp Basil

1 tsp thyme

1 tsp Marjoram

½ tsp oregano

¼ tsp sage

¼ tsp tarragon

¼ tsp celery seed

1 tsp Salt (more if broth is unsalted)

2 tsp Pepper

Fresh Parsley or other fresh herbs for garnish, if desired

Directions

Heat butter and oil in large dutch oven.

Tip – drop a few pieces of onion in there when you add the oil and butter. Forget about it until you hear them start sizzling, then you can add the remainder. Great tip for multi-taskers!

Add vegetables (onion, celery, carrots, and cabbage) and sauté seven to ten minutes until soft.

Add broth, water, and split peas.

Add spices and stir in.

IMPORTANT NOTE: This is a a wide variety of spices, and I don’t keep all of them in my drawer. Don’t go out and buy the ones you don’t have. This recipe would be great with just salt and pepper. Use what you have. My last round I used salt, pepper, basil, oregano, sage, and tarragon. And it will be different next time!

After it gets to a boil, cover and simmer for 90 minutes, until the consistency is what you like.

Fried Rice

I love fried rice. For us, it’s not a side dish. It’s a one bowl meal. The key is thinking a little bit ahead and having some one to three-day old rice in the fridge. If you keep some shrimp (Trader Joe’s Argentinian) in your freezer, or if you have some crab (Costco) in your fridge, you are ready. Take stuff that’s already in your fridge, freezer, and pantry, add some cooked rice from the night before, and go out there and be a fried rice hero!

Ingredients

3 cups White Rice, Leftover and Chilled

1 Onion, diced

6 Garlic Cloves

2 tsp Ginger, Minced(I usually don't have ginger, or ginger paste, but it's nice when I do)

2 cups Diced Vegetables (Peas, Carrots, Broccoli, Celery, Anything you like!)

2 Eggs, beaten

⅓ cup Soy Sauce or Tamari Sauce for less sodium

2 tsp Sesame Oil

1 tbsp Black Pepper(That's not a typo – Black Pepper is KEY for this dish!)

2 Green onions, for garnish

3 tbsp Cooking Oil – Canola or Peanut

1 lb Cooked Crab/Shrimp/Sausage/Pulled Pork/Chicken/Tofu or anything leftover that’s tasty!

Directions

I start by making a super thin omelette, taking it off the heat, and slicing into 1/4″ slivers to mix in the fried rice later. Set aside or refrigerate.

Chop your vegetables!

Create your mixture – Soy Sauce, Pepper, Sesame Oil

Add 1 Tbsp Canola oil to wok or pan. Sauté Onions for five minutes, then vegetables for 5 more, or until they’re just the way you like them. Take out of wok or pan and set aside.

Put 2 Tbsp Canola Oil in wok/pan with heat on high. Add rice and let it sizzle for 4-5 minutes. Use a spoon or spatula to make sure it does not stick, but do not stir. You’re trying to make it a little crispy. Add soy mixture, stir, and mix well.

Add everything except the egg. Stir in and heat. Again, let sit instead of constantly stirring.

Blend in the cooked egg at the very end and serve! Have extra soy sauce and some Thai Chili Garlic sauce or Sriracha sauce for those who like it hot.

Not That Bad for You Banana Cream Pie

That pie shaped empty space that’s been in my life so long? It’s all good now.

When I was in my mid-forties, I remember telling Jill that I missed the days when I could eat anything and my weight just remained constant. I told her, “I was living the good life and I didn’t even know it.” Well, those days are long gone, but, to quote Joel Goodson’s dad in Risky Business, “Every once in awhile you just got to say, ‘what the heck’ and take some chances.” It’s a pretty sad testament to my risk taking at this point in life that banana cream pie is up there. But there you have it. I just have repeat my Stuart Smalley mantra, “I’m good enough, I’m smart enough, and doggone it people like me.”

Ingredients

Filling Ingredients

3 cups Whole Milk

3 Eggs Yolks

¾ cup Sugar, White Granulated

⅓ cup Flour, White

¼ tsp Salt

1.50 tsp Vanilla Extract

2 tbsp Butter

4 Bananas: 3-4 Large Bananas; 4-5 Small Bananas

Whipped Cream Topping

1 cup Whipping Cream

1 tbsp Granulated Sugar

1 tsp Vanilla

Graham Cracker Crust

1.25 cups Graham Cracker Crumbs

¼ cup Granulated Sugar

5 tbsp Melted Butter

Directions

Making the Crust

Mix Graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and melted butter in a bowl with a spoon. Placed buttered crumbs in a nice pie plate. (This pie deserves a nice pan!) Note: At some point, I’m going to try smushing a banana into this mixture. I’ll keep you posted!

With your fingers, press down the crust and do your best to make an even crust that pushes up the sides of the pie plate. Bake the crust at 375 for 7-8 minutes. Do not overbrown!

Making The Filling

Pour 3 cups whole milk into sauce pan and scald. Stir to make sure it does not brown. Turn off heat.

Mix sugar, salt, and flour together. Slowly whisk into milk. Turn heat back on. Cook for five minutes, stirring regularly. The mixture will thicken and start to turn pudding-y. But you’re not done yet! Cover for two minutes over low heat, stirring occasionally.

Beat the egg yolks. Take a few large spoonfuls of the warm milk mixture, and whisk into the eggs. Whisk constantly to keep the eggs from cooking. Pour egg mixture into milk, whisking continuously. Mix in vanilla and butter as well. Cook for one more minute. Then turn off the heat and let it sit. Nice work!

You are ready to spoon this into the pie once it cools down to luke-warmish and not scalding hot. 120 degrees is just fine.

Whipping the Cream and Assembling the pie

Slice bananas thinly – 1/4″ slices. I like a more banana-y pie, but go with your preference. Lay the 2/3 of the sliced bananas at the bottom of the pie.

Spoon 1/2 of the pudding mixture over the bananas, spread the remaining bananas over that mixture, then spoon in the rest of the pudding. Chill. (Both you and the pie!)

Using a Kitchen Aid Mixer or whatever you have, whip whipping cream, slowly adding sugar and vanilla, until solid peaks form. (Note: My next time I make this, I’m using the leftover egg whites to make a merengue. I’ll keep you posted)

Spoon whipping cream over pie filling and smooth out evenly. If you just use half the whipping cream, it does a nice job and saves you a whole lot of calorie guilt. Or . . . Go for it and use it all! Chill for at least two hours.

Cut beautiful slices and serve, immediately achieving hero status!

Skillet Apple Blackberry Pie

I adapted this recipe from the amazing chefs at Cooks Illustrated. It’s fun to use when you have fruit, and you ALWAys have apples and frozen blackberries. It’s super tasty, it’s easy, and it’s one more chance to showcase your cast iron skillet.

Ingredients

Fruit

6 Granny Smith Apples, peeled and cut into 1/2″ thick slices

15 Blackberries, or dried cherries, or something to mix well with the apples

Apple Cider Mixture

½ cup Apple Cider

⅓ cup Maple Syrup or Honey

¼ tsp Cinnamon

2 tsp Cornstarch

2 tsp Granulated Sugar

1 Egg White

Crust

1 Pie Crust (Pillsbury or homemade)

3 tbsp Butter

Directions

Melt butter in cast iron skillet. Throw in apples and start to sauté. Don’t over-stir.

Mix Cider, Honey or Syrup, Cinnamon, and Corn Starch together. Set aside.

As apples get close to ready, add blackberries or other fruit.

After 7-8 minutes, when apples have softened, turn off heat and gently stir in in cider mixture.

Lay crust over apples. Brush with egg white. Sprinkle sugar over the top. Sprinkle a little extra cinnamon if you like it as much as I do.

Bake in a 500 degree oven for 20 minutes. Let cool for at least 15 minutes, and serve with ice cream! Show off that cast iron piece or art before you start serving. You deserve the artistic credit!

Heather’s Crab Cakes

My friend Heather is well known as the person who does just about everything in our school district. She’s amazing at work, and to top it off, she’s a spectacular cook! This is one of her favorite recipes, and now that she’s shared it, it’s one of mine too.

Ingredients

Crab Cakes

2 tbsp Chopped Chives

1 tbsp Chopped Flat Parsley or Cilantro

1.50 tbsp Mayonnaise

1 tsp Grated lemon rind

1 tbsp Fresh Lemon Juice

1 Egg

⅓ cup Panko Bread Crumbs

1 lb Crab Meat, Lump is bestI try to always have at least one pound of the Costco Lump Crab Meat in my fridge. It lasts a long time, and I'm crab cake or fried rice ready at any time.

1 tbsp Blended Olive and Canola Oil

Spicy Mayo

¼ cup Mayonnaise

1 tbsp Chopped Chives or Shallots (but if you bought the chives, you might as well use them!)

2 tsp Creole Mustard (or Dijon Mustard with 1/2 tsp hot sauce)

1 tsp Fresh Lemon Juice

¼ tsp Cayenne Pepper (careful here, you may want to do it to taste)

⅛ tsp Salt

1.50 tbsp Capers (If you like them)

Directions

Mix together everything except the crab and the bread crumbs.

Add the crab and bread crumbs, mix together and set in the fridge for one hour.

While you are waiting . . . Mix all Spicy Mayo ingredients together.

Use a 1/3 cup measure, scoop out crab cakes onto plate or parchment paper.

Press out flat, then place in frying pan with just a little bit of olive/canola oil mix – 1/2 Tbsp. Sauté for 4 minutes.

Flip over and sauté another four minutes until golden brown.

Serve with lemon wedges and spicy mayo and enjoy!

Pizza with Homemade Pizza Dough

Pizza Night is a big deal in our house. And you can buy dough at Trader Joe’s or your supermarket, and it’s just fine. But why settle for just fine, when making great pizza dough is so easy to do! And when people ask if you made the dough yourself, you calmly answer, ‘Why yes I did.” It feels good.

You need at least 90 minutes of time, and preferably two hours, but 90% of that time is waiting for it to rise. Try it out!

Ingredients

4 cups White FlourIf you want to get fancy, you can use the Italian 00 flour, which is much softer and will impress your friends who know pizza. I like to substitute 1/2 cup whole wheat flour, as I think it gives the dough some nice rustic appeal.

2 tsp Kosher Salt

1.50 tbsp Active Dry Yeast(Equivalent to two packages)

1.25 cups Warm Water

1 tbsp Olive Oil

Tomato/Pesto/BBQ SauceYou choose!

Mozzarella and Parmesan Cheese

Awesome Pizza Ingredients

Directions

Mix Warm Water with yeast. Let sit for 5-10 minutes until bubbly.

Mix Flour and Salt.

In a Kitchen Aid Mixer, or with a spoon or with your clean hands, mix, then knead the flour with the yeasted water. Do this for 5 minutes in the mixer or at least 7 minutes by hand. I prefer kneading it, as my hands can feel the dough when it starts to soften up and become more pliable. Knead it for another minute after you feel that change, and you’re good.

Separate into two or three dough balls. Two makes two 12-inch pizzas. Three makes three 8-10 inch pizzas.

Let rise for at least one or two hours. Some ovens have a “proofing” mode, where you can set the temperature to 90 degrees or so. Otherwise, just cover with a cloth in the warmest place in your kitchen and let rise. It should double in size.

About an hour before you are ready to start putting those pies in the oven or Big Green Egg, start the oven at 550 (or as hot as yours will go) and put the pizza stones in there. If you have multiple pizza stones, they work great on the different levels of the oven. Also, if you have a convection oven, that works best.

I’m working on using my gas grill too, and I hope to update you on that soon.

Start in the middle and press out until you have a nice circle, or something that approximates a circle, or some kind of amoeba-like crust that will taste wonderful. 1/4 of an inch is a good thickness target – as that allows some rise an those nice bubbles in the oven. If you want it super thin, roll out with rolling pin to about 1/8″. Or, if you’re really good (I’m not) toss it and make it the artistic way!

Cover with your favorite sauce, cheese, and toppings (keep it light – pizza is not meant to be overloaded) ingredients, bake at 550 degrees ((or the highest your oven will go) on a pizza stone for 6-8 minutes, and you are ready!

One more note – there is always a debate about how to keep pizza dough from sticking to the stone. Cornmeal is a favorite answer, but it’s not my answer. Parchment paper. After you roll out the dough, put it on parchment paper and then add the ingredients. When you are ready to bake, slide the pizza WITH THE PARCHMENT PAPER STILL ON THE BOTTOM, into the oven. I take out the parchment paper after 2-3 minutes, it will be brown on the edges, and then the pie loses its stickiness and can be easily moved around on and eventually removed from the stone.

Garlic Chicken

Having a variety of high quality chicken recipes is essential After I wrote that, I decided to add Yardbird to my categories list, just so I can see how many chicken recipes I have. This one is outstanding! So easy, so inexpensive, and pretty darn awesome! How can you not like it if if has garlic chicken gravy?!?

Ingredients

8 Chicken Thighs and/or DrumsticksAs many as you can fit in your large skillet!

Seasoned Salt

20 Peeled Garlic Cloves (I buy them pre-peeled)

3 tbsp Olive Oil

1 tbsp Butter

2 tsp Herbes de Provence

1 tbsp Flour

½ cup Chicken Stock (maybe more)

½ Lemon

Directions

Season Chicken liberally with Seasoned Salt – at least 30 minutes before cooking if you can. Salt does great things for poultry!

Heat Olive Oil and Butter in a cast iron pan (something that can go in the oven). Sauté whole garlic cloves for 5-10 minutes, until they turn light brown. Remove and set aside.

Place chicken, skin side down, for 5 minutes until golden brown on skin side.

Turn over and season with Herbes de Provence. Sprinkle garlic cloves over the chicken, then place whole pan in the Oven. (Note: If you are making a large amount, you can take it out and place in larger serving dish, and put that in the oven)

Baker for 30 minutes (at 350 degrees), or until meat temperature reaches 175. Remove from oven, and remove chicken and garlic from oil/butter/drippings. Place on serving dish.

Heat oil/butter/drippings. Whisk in flour. Add stock and lemon juice. Add more stock if you want it. Now you have awesome garlic chicken gravy.

Pour gravy over chicken and serve!

Cambodia Yellow Curry Sauce

In December of 2018, Jill, Dawson, and I took a big trip to Cambodia. Jill’s sister was living there at the time, and we took the opportunity visit their family, and travel with them around Cambodia. It was amazing! The sites, the brutal and beautiful history, and the food all made an impact.

My favorite foods there were Crab Fried Rice, Fish Amok, and Kep Fish. This mild Cambodian curry dish is a my combination of Fish Amok and Kep Fish, except that there is no fish. You choose what to serve it with – fish, shrimp, tofu, and chicken all work well. Serve over jasmine rice and you have a full one-dish meal!

Ingredients

3 tbsp Yellow Curry Paste

2 Cans, Coconut Milk

1 Sweet Onion, Diced

2 Red Bell Peppers, Diced

2 Green Bell Peppers, Diced

1 Bunch of Celery, Diced

1 tbsp Tamari or Fish Sauce*(Add more to bring out more umami taste)

Salt and Pepper

1 tbsp Corn Starch

4 Cloves, Garlic, Minced

2 cups Vegetable Broth

Directions

Sauté onions, garlic, and celery in a little vegetable or olive oil.

Add bell peppers, and sauté until a little softened.

In a separate pot, heat 1 Tbsp Olive Oil, mix in curry paste.

Mix in coconut milk with a whisk.

Taste for spice. You can add curry paste, red chili pepper flakes, or chili garlic sauce if you want more heat. Add vegetable broth and re-taste for heat.

In a separate bowl, mix a small amount of the curry with the cornstarch. Mix back into the curry to thicken.

Add vegetable mixture to curry sauce.

Karen’s Canadian Christmas Wreath Cookies

You can’t get much more Christmas traditional than my friend Karen. Do what she does and make her Christmas wreath cookies! These cookies are easy to make and the walnuts make them spectacular! So bring a little Canada into your Christmas, or anytime of the year!

Ingredients

1 Stick Butter (1/2 Cup), Softened

1 Egg, Separated

0.25 tsp Almond Extract

0.25 tsp Vanilla Extract

0.33 cup Granulated Sugar

0.50 tsp Salt

1 cup Flour

0.75 cup Walnuts, chopped

0.50 cup Raspberry Jam

Directions

Beat butter until creamy.

Add vanilla extract, almond extract, sugar, and egg yolk. Beat together until smooth.

Mix salt into flour, stir flour/salt mix into butter mix.

Using a kitchen teaspoon, measure and form into balls. Dip into egg white and roll in chopped walnuts.

Place on cookie sheet and press centre. (Karen’s spelling)

Bake at 300 degrees for 25 minutes. Remove and add cold jam while cookies are still warm.

Silver Palate Wild Rice Salad

My friend Kim brought this over for Friendsgiving Dinner and it was a huge hit! She told me that she got the recipe from The Silver Palate cookbook and I felt a wave of nostalgia. I used that cookbook so much in the 80s and 90s and I loved it! Somehow, I lost that book an my moves around, so I’m grateful to Kim for reminding me. The recipe feels fresh and filling, and is a great dish to serve at home or at a pot luck.

Ingredients

1 cup Wild Rice

4 cups Vegetable or Chicken Stock

2 tsp Kosher Salt

2 tsp Black Pepper

1 Orange, Zest and Juice

⅓ cup Olive Oil

¼ cup Mint, choppedThis is essential. It brightens the whole dish!

1 bunch, green onions, chopped

1 cup Pecans, chopped or halves

1 cup Dried Fruit, Raisins, Cherries, Apricots, or CranberriesCherries and Apricots open eyes and palates more than raisins and cranberries.

Directions

Cook rice in the broth, 30-45 minutes, until done. Don’t overcook!

Add all ingredients. Serve within 2 hours if you can. If refrigerating, let come back to room temp before serving.

Risotto

Risotto is one of those dishes that you don’t make ahead of time. You make it while you are talking to your guests and it’s part of the entertainment. You have all of your ingredients ready, and there you are, cool, collected, creative and all you’re doing is making a delicious dish right in front of your guests eyes. It’s dinner and a show!

Ingredients

4 cups Vegetable Broth

1 cup Arborio Rice

2 cups Broccoli or other vegetables, chopped into smallish piecesYou can add more veggies if you like, up to 3 cups

½ cup Wine – white is better but either will red or white work.

1 tsp Kosher Salt

1 tsp Black Pepper

1 tsp Italian Seasoning

2 tbsp Olive Oil

½ Onion, finely chopped

Directions

Prepare veggies. Chop them into small pieces. You want a piece or two to fit on a fork with the rice. My friend Nancy Pallathena, who sadly passed away a few years back, is the one who taught me how to make this dish. She would cut the broccoli into the tiniest of pieces, so her son Alex would unknowingly eat vegetables. I remember her every time I do that.

Sauté onion in olive oil for 5 minutes. Add garlic for 1 minute.

Add rice.

Heat broth and set aside.

Sauté rice for 5-7 minutes, until browned.

Add 1 cup warm broth and wine. Stir occasionally until moisture is mostly absorbed. This is your routine. You are going to slowly add liquid, talking to your guests while you cook, until it is absorbed, then casually add more.

Add seasonings, then continue to gradually add broth, until rice is ready and there is some thick broth remaining. Have several clean forks/spoons handy to keep on tasting it. These are one-use utensils, since it is a group dish. Take a taste, feel if the rice is ready yet (a little al denté is perfect), see if if needs more salt/pepper/seasonings, and declare it ready when it is!

Add Parmesan cheese and sautéd veggies, mix in, and serve immediately, topped with fresh ground pepper and Parmesan cheese.