You probably are wondering, "Why is she posting about turkey in January?) I just couldn't wait until the next holiday to write about these great enchiladas I made after I got back from my mom's funeral in Germany. They were real comfort food that I needed badly. On December 23, the day before I left for Germany, I roasted my organic turkey and it turned out juicy and very tasty. I put a butter herb mixture under the skin, massaged the outside of bird with more melted butter and put some herbs, a lemon, and an onion inside the cavity. I used the convection roast setting on the oven and basted the turkey with chicken broth and melted butter. I usually dry rub my turkey, but had no time to do so. My husband and I had an early Christmas dinner and I left him the next day with a lot of turkey. After feeding friends and family, he froze the leftover meat and now we are back to my enchiladas. Most of you will have finished whatever turkey leftovers you had a while ago. Since chicken and turkey are close relatives, you can easily substitute chicken for the turkey. I have used tofu instead of chicken for my vegetarian friends. If you want this to be an easy and fast dinner, use canned sauce , although my sauce is easy to make and adds great flavor to the enchiladas. Use a rotisserie chicken instead of the turkey. The almonds add a nice crunch to the enchiladas and the salsa and sauce add flavor and taste. These enchiladas make great leftovers. For the cheese, I used an organic shredded “Three Cheese Mexican Blend” from Clover with Monterey jack, cheddar, and pepper jack cheese. You can grate your own cheddar or gruyere cheese or any other blend. For the salsa, I used a generic brand. Any old salsa will do. Costco has a nice organic salsa. I make these enchiladas the year and usually use leftover rotisserie chicken. For my vegetarian friends I use cubed tofu for protein.
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A heavenly recipe for duck lovers Tucked away on a hillside, this unique restaurant with its gorgeous setting and lush tropical landscaping has been a Capitola icon for decades. A funicular railway transports you into a different world. The restaurant itself is a mishmash of rooms on different levels with a grand entrance to a stunning bar with an indoor waterfall. There are rooms with high and low ceilings, connected by staircases. Some rooms have fireplaces, some rooms have great views and one has a redwood tree growing next to a table. Just the setting alone is worth it, but the food is delicious. Their signature dish is the miso salmon. But let's return to my quesadillas. They are a real treat—a delightful mixture of flavors. I used gruyere cheese for years, but lately I've substituted goat cheese or feta cheese. The addition of different salsas and chipotle sauce supplement the quesadillas beautifully, adding richness and flavor. These quesadillas are a real treat for your taste buds. The flavors explode in your mouth. I like to use Mi Rancho soft flour tortillas but you can any tortilla you like. I have used whole wheat sprouted tortillas. The same goes for the cheese, it is a matter of taste. I love the soft goat cheese, my hubby likes feta better, as is the amount of cheese. Which salsa you use is entirely up to you. For store-bought, I like the corn salsa from Trader's Joe's. I have always made my mango avocado salsa with this dish. The zucchini salsa adds a refreshing and crunchy layer to the dish. This is not as complicated as it looks, everything should be ready to go once you are ready to assemble the tortillas to cook them. These quesadillas are very filling but you can't stop eating them, and they are great the next day. One tortilla per person is plenty.
Juicy ginger-flavored pork chops These pork chops are absolutely delicious. The ginger and orange juice add a fusion twist, and my addition of apples adds an another layer of flavor and taste. The recipe was sent to me by my friend, Linda, who is one of the best cooks I have ever known. She and her husband inspired my interest in cooking years ago, and we have had a lot of fun cooking together. My husband had his first gourmet meal when I took him to their house to prepare "Caneton à l'Orange," the classic duck recipe from Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Now back to the pork chops: Linda got the recipe from the Northern Exposure Cookbook, from the old TV show. The pork chops are named after Ruth Ann, a character in the show. Over the years, I have tweaked the recipe quite a bit. When buying pork, I'm extremely picky. These days I get pork loin center cuts with bones from Whole Foods. Most of the time, I use 2 pork chops, enough for my husband and myself. The recipe calls for 4 chops—one pork chop per person.
Kohlrabi is a vegetable that you find in German-speaking regions. It is a crunchy bulb that comes in white and purple, and can be eaten raw or cooked. I love eating it raw, peeled and sliced, and it is great with dips. It has a juicy, crunchy flavor that tastes like cabbage and radishes combined. It looses it's sharp bite once you cook it. I buy it in the USA whenever I see it, because it is so hard to find. Kohlrabi is also used in Indian cuisine. Kohlrabi with meatballs is a German comfort food (and there are many variations of this recipe). My mom loves this dish. She likes the meatballs cooked in salted water, but I think you get more flavor if you fry them. Some of my friends here in Germany add some tomato paste and/or paprika for additional flavor to the meatballs.
I love these crêpes and have made them many times. This is a recipe from Lou Seibert Pappas "Sweet and Savory Recipes for the Home Cook." They are wonderful by themselves or with salmon steaks. This recipe makes between 8 and 12 crêpes (7 inch diameter )
Whenever I am cooking and children are around I like to involve them, even if they only get to lick the bowl. I find that children are curious and love to be involved in preparing food. It takes time and patience but it is worth it. At this stage in my life I have to borrow children from my friends. Last week my friend Britt visited, bringing her daughter and her four grandchildren. I decided to make crêpes with them. The day before I prepared two different batters, one savory, and one sweet crepe batter. I put out different fillers for them to choose and make their own. For the savory crêpes I used cooked turkey ham, cheddar cheese, avocados, and cherry tomatoes. For the sweet crêpes I bought an organic hazelnut spread ( a little healthier than Nutella, but still yummy ), different homemade jams, soft, spreadable cream cheese, fresh strawberries , blueberries, chocolate sauce, bananas , nuts, and chocolate covered pomegranate seeds. We cooked the crêpes together, and Ruby, the oldest, was able to make perfect crêpes at the end. The savory ones were their favorite, they loved cutting the cheese on their individual cutting boards. We had a lot of fun together and I was happy to be around |
WELCOME TO SUNNY COVE CHEFThank you for visiting my blog. My two passions are cooking and traveling. Traveling exposes me to a wide variety of food and experiences. I walk around cities looking for markets, restaurants, bakeries, shops, you name it, and if it is related to food you will find me there, tasting, smelling, talking to vendors, and having a great time. Categories
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