Chocolate Mousse - Cookbook Preview

What is not to like about a Chocolate Mousse?  Plus this recipe just has 4 ingredients in it!  Simple pleasures.  I first made this for my parents back when I was a teenager and started to cook full meals. I really liked having the kitchen to myself and surprising them with a meal complete with dessert. I can't remember the French meal I cooked but I do remember the Mousse. Fairly simple yet oh so delicious!

This recipe is featured in my family cookbook which will be unveiled hopefully this spring. From the Hall Family Cookbook, hand lettered and illustrated by yours truly.

Ingredients: 

12 oz. Semi-sweet chocolate drops or chips

4 eggs, separated in two different bowls

2/3 Cup water

1/2 Cup brown sugar

Tools: 

Double Boiler

Good mixer

Wooden spoon

Spatula

Large bowls

Serving dishes or goblets

Separate the yolks from the whites and set aside. Start slowly melting the chocolate over your double boiler which is gently boiling your water underneath your top pan.  

I decided to double the recipe!

Meanwhile beat the egg whites mixed with the brown sugar until it forms stiff peaks. Lovely!

Continue stirring and melting the chocolate until smooth. 

Beat the yolks and add the water. Mix thoroughly. Slowly add the yolks and water to the melted chocolate still over the heat in the double boiler. Stir continuously until the mixture combines thoroughly and becomes smooth once again. 

Remove from heat.  I moved the chocolate to a larger bowl at this stage. Slowly fold in the egg whites to the chocolate until smooth and uniform in color. 

Spoon the mousse into your serving glasses, dishes or goblets. Chill. Serve with fresh whipped cream!  

Don't count calories. Enjoy the moment. 

Liz's Easy Leek Cauliflower Soup

     I created this soup tonight from scratch. It is simple and delicious. I will give the recipe mainly in pictures with a little bit of text. Pure and simple. 

ingredients: 

2 large leeks, thinly sliced about two inches from the base up the stalk. 

1 stalk celery, sliced

1 head cauliflower, loosely chopped

1 tsp. minced garlic

1 peeled potato, cut in chunks

1 can low fat chicken broth or substitute veggie broth

1 tsp. fine Mediterranean sea salt

3 cups water

Olive oil for the pot

     In a large heavy bottom soup pot add a few tablespoons of olive oil with the sliced leeks, celery and garlic.  Saute for a few minutes until they just start to get limp.

     Add the chunks of cauliflower, sliced peeled potato, salt, broth, and water and bring to a boil. Cover and turn down the heat so it gently boils for 30 minutes. 

     Using a food processor or blender mix the soup until it is just smooth. Use all the liquid and the soft vegetables. 

     Serve immediately. Garnish with some cayenne pepper if you like the heat. Salt and pepper to your liking!  Enjoy!

Frittata with Tomato, zucchini, cheese and bacon

    
I absolutely love to make Frittatas.  They are very simple to make yet have a great presentation and are so delicious,  The variety of what you can put in them is endless  Today's version has fresh picked tomatoes and zucchini, crumbled fried bacon, shredded cheese and eggs.  Here is the recipe:

5 medium very ripe tomatoes, chopped.  Drain off excess juice.
1 zucchini, shredded
3 slices of thick bacon, fried and then crumbled
1/2 to 1 cup shredded cheese (I used Mexican blend)
6 eggs, beaten, with a splash of milk, salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp. coconut oil to saute the veggies in

Break the 6 eggs into a medium bowl, add a splash of milk, salt and pepper to taste and whisk until well mixed.  Set aside.

Start with a large skillet on the stove on medium high heat.  Though you do put the skillet in the oven for a little while, I used my non-stick skillet, and kept the oven door open while broiling, and had the handle facing out of the oven.  It worked fine.  You can use an oven proof skillet if you have one.

Add the coconut oil to the skillet and let it melt then spread it around the pan.  Add the tomatoes and zucchini and saute until tender.

Meanwhile, fry up the three slices of bacon and let them drain on a paper towel or cloth.

Here is what the veggies looked like when they were done.

Add the egg mixture on top of the veggies and tip the skillet a bit until the egg mixture covers all of the veggies.

Sprinkle the bacon pieces onto the top of the egg mixture.  I put the bacon on only half of the Frittata so half of it was bacon free.

As the egg mixture cooks, GENTLY push a spatula into the mixture in a few places to displace some of the cooked eggs on the bottom so a bit of the non-cooked eggs on top drip down to the bottom.  Let the entire mixture cook for several minutes until the sides start to lift away from the pan.  Shake the pan gently to feel if the mixture is set and sliding a bit in the pan.

Remove the pan from the stove top onto the counter (use a protective pot holder under it if you need to)  Sprinkle the cheese over the top of the Frittata and turn your broiler on LOW, making sure you have a rack on the highest setting.

  Place the entire skillet into the oven on the highest rack with the handle of the skillet facing out of the oven.  Leave the oven door open slightly.

Broil the Frittata for a few minutes, watching continuously.  The cheese will melt and it may start to brown ever so slightly and bubble when it is done.  I had this one in the oven for about 5 minutes.
Remove it from the oven and slide the Frittata onto a large platter or round plate and serve immediately.

Our version of Tacos!

     My family LOVES tacos!  We have been making tacos at home for soooooooooooooo many years, and the recipe has evolved over time, however, this version has become the ultimate way we enjoy them!

INGREDIENTS:

*ground beef (we usually use 80-20)  substitute ground turkey or ground turkey, or build up the base with pinto and/or dark red kidney beans if you would like it to be non-meat. For a large amount I use 3 pounds of meat.
*one large onion, chopped
*one small can green chiles chopped (4.5 oz)
*1 tsp. olive oil
*cumin
*garlic - (1 clove, minced or 1 tsp. powdered)
*chili powder
*salt
*pepper
* 1/2 cup salsa of your choice
*tortillas  (your choice, flour, whole wheat or corn)
*1 can of black beans - do not drain or rinse

Toppings:
chopped tomatoes, chopped fresh cilantro, diced mango, chopped lettuce, shredded cheese (we like the mexican style), sour cream, sliced avocados or guacamole and more salsa of your choice.  We also like to add 1 can of black beans to our toppings, just heat in a small pan right before serving time.

In a large heavy skillet add 1 tsp. olive oil, the onions and the green chiles and saute over medium heat until moderately tender, stirring often. 

Add the ground meat and start to break it up and cook.

You can see from the above picture that I have added the spices.  We use spices generously as we all like our food really spicy.  I think in this batch I used almost 3 large teaspoons of the ground cumin, 1 teaspoon of chile powder, several shakes of sea salt and fresh ground pepper and the garlic.  Continue cooking the ground meat until it is all cooked through and broken up into small pieces.  If the meat is overly fatty you can skim off some of the fat before you add the spices.  When the meat is cooked through add the salsa into the mixture and mix thoroughly.

Prepare all the toppings and garnishes into individual bowls or separated serving platters and start your tortillas. 

We like to heat our tortillas in a large skillet sprayed with a vegetable spray on medium heat.  I flip the tortillas over after a few minutes and serve immediately.  I cook the tortillas just until they start to puff up a bit.  They might have just a bit of browning on the edges.  Layer the tortillas with the ground meat and black beans then the cheese and garnish to your liking!   Enjoy!

Tamale Pie

This recipe is absolutely fantastic!  I had forgotten how great it is, and how forgiving it is as a recipe; you can make more or less by adjusting the amount of main ingredients without worrying about the effects, it will still come out great.  You can flavor it hot and spicy or mild.  

This is what you need to have on hand:

Ground round or sirloin (Try 1 to 1 1/2 pounds)
Canned, frozen or fresh kernel corn (lots!)
1 can of ripe black olives (sliced)
12-16 ounces of shredded cheese with a good cheddar base (Mexican or fiesta style is great)
chopped or diced tomatoes (the large can)
Salsa - if desired (your style and heat preference)
1 large onion, chopped
chili powder
garlic powder
yellow corn meal to make the "mush" to line the casserole and cover the top for baking

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.  Use a glass, ceramic or pottery style casserole (I used a deep dish glass pie
plate which worked great).  Presentation is a plus!

Make up the corn meal "mush"..Basic recipe:  In a sauce pan, place 1 1/4 cups corn meal, 2 1/2 cups water and 1/2 tsp. salt.  Cook over medium heat on stove top, stirring frequently, until it starts to thicken.  Set aside.

Brown the meat with the onions in a skillet.  Drain off the excess fat.  Mix in the tomatoes (drained), salsa, cheese, corn, olives, and ample chili powder and garlic powder.  I used a cup of salsa, about 2 cups of fresh frozen corn and a good 2 tablespoons of chili powder and a tablespoon of garlic powder.  You want this mixture to be thick because it will gain  juice as it cooks.

Yum!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Next line your casserole with the cornmeal mush, yet save enough to cover the top.  I layered mine about 1/4 inch thick this time and I liked it better than when I layered it 1/2 inch thick a few weeks ago, but this can be to your preference.  After you spread the bottom with the corn meal, spoon in your meat and cheese mixture and cover it evenly.  Spread the remaining mush over the top and poke a hole in the very center for the steam and juices to ooze out.  Bake at 350 degrees for an hour.  Let it cool a few minutes.  Garnish with a combination of salsa, sour cream, cilantro, cheese, avocado slices.....