Shortcuts

Sometimes you just have to take shortcuts and yesterday was just one of those days.  Pat was looking for something sweet (he has a serious chocolate sweet tooth) and with it being 90+ degrees here already I just didn't want the oven on for long and couldn't get the oomph I needed to make chocolate chip cookies!

The cupboard included a couple of boxes of cake mix (I like to keep them on hand just in case) so I was able to mix up a quick batch of chocolate cupcakes.  Now what to do about icing them.  I just didn't want the usual powdered sugar or chocolate buttercream.  Let's see what else is in the cupboard.....ah ha!  Peanut butter -check, unsalted butter - check, powdered sugar - check...Peanut butter Butter cream to the rescue!

So here goes an easy, shortcut to something sweet.  The cupcakes were ready in 25 minutes start to finish.  Let them cool, butte cream took all of about 5 minutes (once the butter was softened).  So if it's something quick, chocolate and peanut butter gooey your after, this one will do it!

Peanut Butter Butter Cream

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 cups powdered sugar, sifted

Directions

In the bowl of your stand mixer on medium speed, cream peanut butter until light.  About 2-3 minutes.  Add softened butter and cream together until well incorporated.
Begin adding powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time and beat well.  (If you prefer a stiffer/sweeter buttercream, just add more powdered sugar.

Enjoy your cupcakes....We did!

Peanut Butter

Vidalia Onion Season is Here

Before moving to Georgia, I had heard about Vidalia Onions, but can't actually remember having them.  But they are big deal here!  The truth is they are truly a very nice, sweet onion and come in variety of sizes, from very large (think of Spanish Onions) to small, young ones.   Folks here are very proud of them and rightly so.  Eat them raw on a burger, in salads, sauteed and used as a condiment, grilled with a bit of butter and stock or stuff them as I did for dinner the other evening.

With Pat feeling better, I decided to try something a bit spicy for dinner (I had made these once before and if I remember correctly, it was part of a large dinner, maybe Easter, and they were so filling we couldn't eat the rest of the meal...live and learn). My local Fresh Market had the perfect size onions for stuffing, I knew there was some Hot Italian Sausage in the freezer that was needing to be cooked, so on to cooking Stuffed Vidalia Onions for Dinner.  I recommend that you only make a small side if anything to go with these since they are very filling and for the most part unless you want some sort of starch, everything you need is in one portion.


Stuffed Vidalia Onions - Serves 2


Ingredients

2 large Vidalia Onions - peeled and middles removed
1 link Hot Italian Sausage - remove from casing
1 handful Italian Parsley - chopped
1 large handful grated Parmeggiano Cheese

Directions
Pre-heat oven to 350F.
Carefully remove the center of the onion (reserve for use in something else; salad), leaving several layers in tact, season lightly with salt and fresh ground pepper and set aside.


In a small bowl mix together the sausage, parsley and grated cheese.  Scoop sausage mixture into the center of the onions and mound slightly (not too much because it will expand while cooking.  Place stuffed onions into a buttered baking dish along with a bit of white wine or water and cover with foil.

Bake for approximately 30 minutes, remove foil and baste with the pan juices.  Cook for about another 15-30 minutes allowing the onions to brown slightly and are tender but not falling apart.



Vidalia Onions have a very short season, so if you can get them at your local market or if you are lucky enough to have a farmer's market here in our state that sells them, I say go for it while the getting is good!

Enjoy!

Vidalia Onion

Another Monday

Happy Belated Mother's Day to all.  Hope everyone out there had a wonderful weekend.  Unfortunately I have been down with a bit of a stomach bug for a couple of days, so hubby and I spent a quiet day at home.  We will be celebrating next week with our daughter and grand daughter with Dim Sum for brunch and then back here for goodness knows what goodies.

So here I sit on Monday morning finally feeling better and as if life is returning to normal.  The house is quiet and all the while I hear Mom's voice in the back of my head saying "time to get cooking".  Mind you we have a fridge full of left overs that need to be eaten including a serving of "Sausage and Radicchio Orecchiete" courtesy of The Cooking Channel's "Extra Virgin".  Pat made me this delicious meal and it was quick, easy and best of all delicious.  But crazy woman that I am - I just had to try out the new slow cooker that my dear husband gave me for Mother's Day.  I decided to make chicken with onions and mushrooms, which led to a pot of chicken stock going on the stove with the parts (neck, wings, back, etc.) left from the chicken I cut up and since the sauce from the chicken in the slow cooker has a rich tomato and wine sauce, we just have to have some fresh bread to soak up the juices, which means the bread maker is going as well; told you.....crazy woman!

Below is the recipe for this delicious pasta dish....Try it for a quick weeknight meal and I promise you will not be disappointed.  Thank you to my wonderful husband for a wonderful Mother's Day and yummy dinner.

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 red onion, chopped fine
• 1 handful fresh mint
• 2 fresh bay leaves
• 4 (6-ounce) pork sausage links, casings removed

• 3/4 cup dry white wine
• 1 handful walnuts, hand crushed
• 1/2 head radicchio, thinly sliced
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, for seasoning

Directions

Heat a pan over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil. Once hot, add the onion and the sausages and using a wooden spoon, break up the sausages into small pieces as you brown them. Add the mint and bay leaves and continue to cook.

Once the sausage is golden brown, add the wine to the pan, and stir away, let the alcohol evaporate, then lower the flame and season with salt and pepper. Add the walnuts and let the sauce slowly simmer for about 5 to 10 minutes.

Cook the pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water according to package directions for al dente.

When ready to serve, add the radicchio to the sauce, and stir well. Cook's Note: You want to wait until the last minute to make sure that it stays crunchy, as opposed to wilted and cooked down.

Add the cooked pasta and toss. Add some grated Parmesan, to taste. Serve immediately.
Treviso

I'm Back!!!!!

Good morning all!  Wow it has been a long month!  Between my dear hubby coming home ill from overseas and all that entailed (thank you God, a small ulcer that is mending nicely) and then the daughter's encounter with a car while crossing the street, I have been going non stop and cooking/blogging has been pretty much on the back burner.  Janis is healing nicely although we have a long road ahead of us on that front.  With that said a good number of projects around here have been put on hold including the vegetable garden that we were looking forward to getting started.  At least the we have a small herb garden started and a few tomato plants in containers on the back deck.  Easter dinner was nice and I kept it small.  As planned Pat had his Turkey Dinner (I know it's not traditional, but he missed out on Thanksgiving at home this year) and I did make stuffed artichokes and the Grain Pie (yes, I know I promised recipes....but I will get them posted, better late than never).  Janis was able to have some Easter favorites and it sure beat what they served at the hospital that day.....Sloppy Joes.  Go figure!

So today is the first day of feeling somewhat normal for me and I can't wait to get started trying some new recipes.  Coming up this week will be my first attempt at Fregola Sarda and since it's Vidalia Onion time here in Georgia, I'm planning on stuffing them with spicy Italian Sausage and some other goodies.  It's also time to trim back the Chives, so Chive Butter is part of the plan for today.

One other note of a personal nature.  For all of our friends and friends of friends and so on, thank you for your prayers, support and good wishes for Janis' recovery.  It has been a difficult time for all of us and to say we are lucky to have you is an understatement.