Friends are like penne from Heaven

Friends are incredible gifts, and I have been blessed with many over the years. Fortunately for me, most of these friends are incredible cooks. Put us in the same room, and we'll soon be talking about food. We even talk on the phone before we get together about the food we are going to eat when we get together. We love to prepare and eat food!

After one of our recent food conversations, I got an idea. Wouldn't it be fun to spotlight guest chefs on this blog? Most of my girlfriends know more about cooking than I do so why not share their experience and knowledge with my dear readers so we all can benefit from each other.

Today’s recipe is from a friend I played soccer with 25 years ago. Laurie and I were on a women’s team called the Goal Diggers. I was one of the worst players on the team, Laurie was one of the best. She has carried her soccer skills into the kitchen. Instead of dribbling soccer balls, she’s drizzling olive oil, and a whole lot more.


This meaty penne pasta dish is a family recipe that Laurie has tweaked in her own stylish way. Like many great cooks, she doesn’t often use printed recipes. The knowledge is in her blood and she goes by instinct. These measurements are approximate, so feel free to increase or reduce the ingredients to your liking.

PENNE FROM HEAVEN

2 -28 oz. cans Tomato Sauce
½ cup Red Wine
1 lb. Ground Beef
1 lb. Ground Italian Sausage
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 medium White Onion
4 cloves Garlic
Fresh Rosemary Sprig
Fresh Oregano Sprigs
1 lb. Penne pasta

DIRECTIONS FOR SAUCE
Brown beef and sausage in a frying pan, drain fat, and set aside.

Mince onion finely in food processor

Saute minced onion and chopped garlic in olive oil. Once onion is translucent, add tomato sauce, stir to mix. Add desired amount of red wine, salt and pepper. Add browned beef and sausage. Add whole sprigs of rosemary and oregano. Cook on low heat for 2-3 hours. Sauce always tastes better heated up so I usually prepare the night before, let cool in fridge overnight, then put back on the stove the next day. Prepare penne pasta al dente. Before mixing sauce with pasta, pull out the herb sprigs.

Serves a crowd.

Children love to create in the kitchen

I'd like to introduce you to my sous chef, Calico. She's a wonderful cooking partner, and she isn't afraid to experiment with new foods. But she is most experienced in determining fresh and wholesome flavors.

One of her strengths is an ability to clearly let you know she doesn't like the taste of something you've whipped up. There are times when all of us could use that kind of honesty in the kitchen. Sometimes politeness gets in the way of an honest assessment of the results of a new recipe.

Calico is also quite bold in her creations. In this photo, she is whisking equal parts brown mustard and grape jelly, which believe it or not, made a very delectable sauce for crock-pot cocktail meatballs.

I actually got this recipe from Carla, one of the most creative cooks I know. She always has some unique trick up her sleeve. She said that mixing equal parts apricot jam and thousand island dressing makes a great meatball sauce too, but the color isn't very pretty. What I love about these recipes is they are so easy. So easy, even a 2 year old can make them.



CROCK POT MEATBALLS

1 large jar Guldens brown mustard
1 large jar grape jelly
1 bag frozen meatballs, any kind

Warm grape jelly in microwave until no longer gelled. Mix with equal parts brown mustard. Place frozen meatballs in crock pot and pour mustard/jelly mixture over the top. Stir together. Heat until meatballs are hot. Serve with toothpicks.

I look forward to future cooking adventures with Calico helping me in the kitchen.

A word to live by...

While driving down Highway 1 along California’s Central Coast a few weeks ago, we came across a little town just south of Cambria, named Harmony. Now, when I say little, I mean "population 18" little. This 140-year-old town has quite a history, but seeing the town sign got me thinking about the word "harmony," and how it applies to life.

The Webster’s Dictionary definition of harmony is "a state of agreement or completeness in the relations of things or of parts of a whole to each other." This definition holds the secret to success in families, love, music, and food.

In life, we want harmony with the people and things around us, and the more harmony we can experience, the more fulfilling and content our lives will be. In cooking, we want harmony in the flavors, colors, and textures because it adds to the overall eating experience.

Harmony in food nourishes our bodies, while harmony in life nourishes our souls.

The more harmony we have in life the more sated we will be in the end... same goes for a good meal.

What wine should I serve with this incredible meal?

We've discussed how best to match wines with what you’re serving and it often comes down to individual tastes. But there are some general guidelines that are helpful. I offer these from the Web site of the California Winery Advisor:

"Match rich foods with rich full-bodied wines; sweet foods need a sweet wine; salty foods need a strong, fruit forward wine for balance; fish needs a medium-bodied wine for balance; poultry can thrive with many a bottle; Spicy & Hot foods enjoy the company of lightly sweet, fruity wines with low tannins."

This site goes into much more detail and I would suggest that you make it one of your Favorites because it is an excellent reference guide that you can keep going back to. So click here to go to the site.

This site also lists all the California wine regions, and has extensive information on all the wineries, tours, tastings and wine-country recipes.

Who says KFC is the only finger-licking-good chicken?

Yesterday was a glorious day. My second grandchild, Zoe, came home from the hospital. I offered to make dinner for my son and his wife on their first night home with Zoe. When I asked what they wanted for dinner my son quickly yelled, "Sticky chicken"!

This recipe for sticky chicken came from my mom and was originally called "Brandied Chicken Wings," but when my daughter was 4 years old she continually called it "sticky chicken." The new name stuck to the very sticky chicken.

The original recipe called for chicken wings, which is OK if you are making an appetizer. But chicken legs work much better if you are using it as a main dish.

STICKY CHICKEN

3-4 lbs. chicken legs
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup white wine
4 green onions, green and white parts chopped

Serves 4-5

Preheat oven to 425 degrees, F. Spray 9 x 13 inch pan with non-stick cooking spray. Place chicken legs in a single layer in pan. Mix soy sauce, brown sugar, and wine together and pour over chicken. Sprinkle green onions over chicken and bake in oven for 35 minutes. Turn chicken pieces over in sauce and bake for another 35 minutes, or until soy mixture has thickened and chicken is browned.

These legs are great hot but can also be served cold.

Hopefully, Zoe, eventually will enjoy them as much as the rest of her family does.

Rich and gooey Molten Lava Cakes

I came across this fabulous recipe many years ago in an issue of Bon Apetit. It is delicious, easy and impressive. If you like rich gooey chocolate desserts, you will love this gem. I usually make the batter earlier in the day or the day before and refrigerate it. Then I can visit with my friends up until the time the cakes go in the oven.

MOLTEN LAVA CAKES

5 oz.(3/4 cup) bittersweet(not unsweetened) or semisweet chocolate, chopped
10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter
3 large eggs
3 large egg yolks
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup all lpurpose flour

Vanilla ice cream or whipped cream

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Butter six 3/4 cup custard cups and dust them well with granulated sugar. Stir chocolate and butter in heavy medium saucepan over low heat until melted. Cool slightly.

Whisk eggs and egg yolks in large bowl to blend. Whisk in sugar, then chocolate mixture and flour. Pour batter into custard cups, dividing equally.

Bake cakes on cookie sheet until sides are set but center remains soft and runny, about 11 minutes or up to 14 minutes for batter that was refrigerated.

Run knife around hot cakes to loosen and immediately turn cakes out onto plates. Serve with ice cream or whipped cream. Enjoy.

serves 6

I usually wear heavy rubber gloves when turning cakes onto plates to keep from burning myself. It works well to place plate upside-down over custard cup and turn over to shake cake out.

Don't let cakes sit in custard cups too long because they will continue to cook, making them less gooey. Gooey is good. The hardest part about this recipe is judging the time. Since ovens vary slightly, you just have to experiment. If you want it even more rich, add a teaspoon of espresso powder disolved in one teaspoon of hot water, and add a teaspoon of vanilla. Mix these into the melted chocolate.

This goes great with a Ficklin tawny port.

Summertime and the farmers market is easy

We're coming up on the weekend and that's a good time to visit one of the many farmers markets in the bountiful San Joaquin Valley. We're so fortunate to have access to a wide variety of fruits and vegetables that come directly from the farm. This, after all, is the most productive farmland in the world, and it's in our backyard. Take advantage of it.

One of my favorite farmers markets is the Vineyard at Blackstone and Shaw Avenues in Fresno, which is open on Wednesday evenings and Saturday mornings. But I also like the Friday night farmers market in Old Town Clovis and the downtown Fresno market on Tuesdays and Saturdays.

Sometimes I go to a farmers market with a shopping list, but other times I just pick up what looks appealing and interesting. It's also a special treat to learn about produce I'm not familiar with, such as that offered by Southeast Asian farmers who have begun frequenting the farmers markets in the San Joaquin Valley. They are always willing to give suggestions on ways to prepare their unique vegetables.

At farmers markets, you can get anything you want, sort of like going to Alice's Restaurant. But there's also the traditional fare. Last week I picked up some fresh mushrooms and red onions for a special sandwich.

I sliced up the mushrooms and onions and threw them in a pan with a little olive oil and minced garlic. Oh, did this concoction ever smell devine, and I couldn't wait to taste it. I sauteed this all together until the ingredients were soft. I poured in a little red wine, a dash of salt and some freshly cracked pepper, and let it all cook down for about 10 minutes.

I toasted some French bread and melted jack cheese on top, and then piled the sandwich high with the onion-mushroom mix. It was a great vegetarian meal. Simple to prepare and inexpensive. Best of all, it was yummy.

Alton Brown is my favorite celebrity chef

Like many of you, I’m a fan of Alton Brown, who we see regularly on “Good Eats” on the Food Network. I especially like the way he incorporates chemistry and the science of cooking into his shows. He’s been called the “Mr. Wizard” of cooking, and often uses interesting camera angles to explain how things cook. It’s a quirky but fun show that has me hooked.

On a trip to the Monterey Bay Aquarium, I got a chance to meet Alton and have my pictured taken with him at a book signing. Here’s the photo from that event. Alton, we’re on a first-name basis, appears every May at the Aquarium’s “Cooking for Solutions” gala.

When we saw him, he even put on scuba gear and ventured into the giant kelp tank in the Aquarium to give one of his lessons. His biography says he did his first scuba dive at age 12 in the Bahamas, and was introduced to the oceans by watching episodes of Jacques Cousteau.

Good Eats is celebrating its 10th anniversary and the Food Network and Alton Brown are planning a special show to mark this special anniversary. The taping is Aug. 29 and six lucky people can win a drawing to be part of the show, which is being taped in Atlanta.

I wanted to share this experience with you and wonder what food shows you like. There are a number of good ones on the Food Network. My family likes “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives,”although it bugs us when host Guy Fieri wears his sunglasses backwards on his head. Can't he just take them off or put them in his pocket?

There's great joy in cooking, entertaining and sharing

With this first posting, I'm going off on a new adventure and writing about my passion for cooking and entertaining. I want to share some of my recipe successes and even failures so that we can learn from kitchen disasters. I hope to make this a community conversation on this subject and hope you will join with me in offering your pearls of wisdom.

For me, cooking is fun, therapy and a creative outlet. I like to experience flavors, colors, textures in my cooking. It gives me joy to share all this with my friends, and I hope to make many new friends through this blog. I have many friends who are great cooks and I plan to share some of their experiences in this blog.

Feeding those we love is one of the basic things that women do. It's in our genes. That's why entertaining has to be part of the equation. We love to cook and we love to share that cooking with others. So we'll be talking a lot about how to entertain.

I love baking (probably because I like sugar so much), but I like all forms of cooking. So we'll discuss everything that relates to cooking and the cooking experience. I live in the San Joaquin Valley of California, which is the most productive farmland in the world. I expect that I will be talking often about using locally grown products in my cooking. I also have a vegetable garden and that will be part of our discussion.

This is going to be exciting. Join with me in this experiment. I think it is going to be a lot of fun.