cooking

Twinkies with Warm Blackberry Compote

~ Kim Olgren ~ Leave a comment

Oh yeah, baby. I went there. Scrounging for something for dessert this evening, the only sweets I could find in the house were a couple of packages of Twinkies. Ugh. I needed more. I had a hankering for something fruity and creamy. I found most of a 6oz container of blackberries left in the fridge that needed to be eaten up very soon and I had some heavy whipping cream. Perfect! This is one of the recipes that I really didn’t measure because I just threw it together. So these measurements are approximate. This recipe makes one serving and aside from the time it takes the compote to cook, takes all of about five minutes to prepare.

Twinkies with Warm Blackberry Compote

1 package of Twinkies

Compote                                                                                                                        4oz blackberries                                                                                                                ¼ cup sugar                                                                                                                        2 tbsps water

 Topping                                                                                                                             1/3 cup heavy whipping cream                                                                                          1/8 tsp vanilla                                                                                                                     1 tbsp sugar

Make your compote by combining water sugar and berries in a pot over medium heat. Let the mixture come to a low boil stirring often. Let the mixture simmer until the juices thicken to a syrupy consistency. Set aside to cool a bit. In a small bowl, mix heavy whipping cream, vanilla, and sugar until desired consistency is reached (some people like their whipped cream a little thicker than others but be careful not to over-whip our you’ll have butter pretty quickly with this small amount). Top Twinkies with warm compote then a dollop of whipped cream and enjoy!

I’d like to take a moment to say a word about equipment here. I had the pleasure of working for a high end foodie catalog that sold kitchen appliances, tools, and sometimes food. I can say first hand, that although some products may seem outrageously priced, many have merit. For example, you probably wouldn’t want me to choose between my Scanpan set and, well, anyone or anything up to and including certain humans. The same thing goes for my Kitchenaid mixer, Wusthof and Shun knives, and my Cuisinart 7-speed hand mixer with the swiveling cord (If you’re a lefty, you might understand). In the case of this recipe, my Cuisinart hand mixer made whipping cream into whipped cream in less than 30 seconds. If you have the opportunity check out some of the better brands in kitchen tools and appliances. Like many other jobs, the right tools make all the difference.

And with that, I’ll leave you to your Twinkies and you imaginations! As always, please share your similar culinary adventures and thoughts.

Easy Creamy Lemonade Pie

~ Kim Olgren ~ 2 Comments

It’s recipe day! This is a refreshing frozen pie I serve in the late spring/summer months. It’s easy, tangy, sweet, creamy, dense and very rich. I always have to make two because it disappears so fast. This recipe makes one, 9” deep dish pie. I think the original base for this recipe called for a pretzel crust, but I’m really not fond of pretzels so I make mine on a graham cracker crust. Feel free to try the pretzel crust and please tell me what you think if you do. Enjoy!

Easy Creamy Lemonade Pie

1 ½ cup graham cracker crumbs                                                                                      ¼ cup sugar                                                                                                                       ½ cup butter (melted)                                                                                                        ½ gallon vanilla ice cream (softened)                                                                                 1 12oz can frozen lemonade concentrate                                                                  Yellow food coloring (optional for lemony color)                                                                ½ tsp lemon zest

Crust                                                                                                                       Combine graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, and sugar. Press mixture into 9” deep dish pie pan and chill while making the filling.

Filling                                                                                                                              Mix soft ice cream, lemonade concentrate, lemon zest, and 4-6 drops of yellow food coloring (optional) until smooth. Pour filling into crust and freeze for at least 4-6 hours. Let the pie stand at room temperature for 15-20 minutes before serving. Garnish for presentation with anything from lemon slices, lemon curls, or lemon candies to sliced or whole berries and a sprig of mint.

Try making the pink lemonade version for a baby girl shower, or any kind of ladies meeting. Just substitute pink lemonade and pink food coloring (optional).

What’s your favorite spring/summer dessert recipe?

Baby Italian Greens with Salmon

~ Kim Olgren ~ Leave a comment

Sometimes I throw something together in the kitchen and it ends up looking so good I just have to take a picture and post it on Facebook. Last night I was craving a big, fresh, salad so I put together this plateful of baby Italian greens simply dressed with raspberry vinaigrette, feta cheese, strawberries, and a salmon fillet. The response to my photo was extremely favorable. I think it’s a testament to how important presentation is in cooking.

I was just making myself a simple salad for dinner, but I still took the time to honor where my food came from by giving it a good presentation. I believe it’s part of putting the love in the meal and I believe that the love is an essential ingredient in any dish even if your cooking for one or two. Good meals don’t have to be complicated or take a long time to cook. Sometimes all it takes is a few simple, fresh ingredients to make a really good thing that nourishes not only the body, but the soul.

Recipe for baby Italian greens with Salmon

1 Fresh-as-you-can-get Salmon Fillet (about 3oz, I spring for the boneless/skinless since hubby doesn’t eat fish)                                                                                              1 small pinch of sea salt                                                                                                  1/4 tsp lemon pepper                                                                                                       1/2 tbsp butter                                                                                                                  10 strawberries                                                                                                                  1 plate-full pre-packaged baby Italian greens                                                                     2 tbsp your favorite bottled raspberry vinaigarette (I use Ken’s Steakhouse brand)         ¼ cup feta cheese

While heating a small nonstick skillet over medium low heat, prep salmon fillet, sprinkling each side with salt and lemon pepper. When skillet is heated, melt butter in pan and add salmon fillet. Cook about 5 minutes on each side, depending on thickness, until fish is done enough to flake, but still tender (I have a serious aversion to overcooked salmon).

While the salmon is cooking rinse strawberries and arrange greens on a dinner plate. Don’t be shy, pile them up and use the whole surface area. Place whole strawberries in a ring around the edge of the salad. Sprinkle salad with feta cheese and salad dressing. Add salmon to the center of the salad and voila! Light, bright, delicious and nutritious. Nom, nom, nom, nom (sorry, sometimes I get a little carried away).

Do you have a favorite healthy, go-to, quickie recipe? How do you put the love in your cooking?

Mom’s Basic Crustless Quiche

~ Kim Olgren ~ 1 Comment

It’s recipe day!

My mom is a phenomenal cook! She makes the best of everything, cookies, pies, cakes, candies, soups, breads, main dishes, you name it. If I were forced to, I would have to say her style is traditional. She uses real butter, no nasty fake margarine stuff, real sugar, no low fat, no fat, fat free stuff will be found in her cookbook (Oh yeah, she has a self-published cookbook…and it’s goooood). That means that as a diabetic I have to take much of mom’s food in small quantities (assuming I can muster the willpower to do so). Today I wanted to share one of her more diabetes friendly recipes, but you don’t have to be a diabetic to appreciate how yummy it is. This quiche is easy to make and perfect for a spring brunch!

Basic Crustless Quiche                                                                                            From My Kitchen to Yours, Tana Archuletta

½ cup butter                                                                                                                       10 eggs                                                                                                                             ½ cup flour                                                                                                                     1tsp. baking powder                                                                                                         ¼ tsp. Salt                                                                                                                          1 lb small-curd cottage cheese                                                                                          1 lb Monterey Jack cheese (shredded)                                                                              2 green onions (tops only)                                                                                                 1 4oz can of diced green chilies                                                                                        or                                                                                                                                       3-4 fresh roasted green chilies

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease a 9×13 baking glass baking dish. Melt butter and cool. Whip eggs until light and fluffy; add the flour, baking powder, salt, cottage cheese, green chilies, melted butter, and half of the Monterey Jack cheese. Place the mixture into the baking dish; top with the remaining cheese and decorate the top with the green onion tops set in a wheel pattern (or chop up and sprinkle like I do). Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes, then reduce temperature to 350 degrees and continue to bake for about 35-40 minutes or until lightly browned on top. Cool and cut into cubes for appetizer tray. I usually serve this with salsa and sour cream.

Note: This also makes a great breakfast meal served warm. You may add other ingredients such as bacon, fried onion, etc. It also reheats well in the microwave for the next few days.

What’s your favorite springtime recipe? Did you get it from a family member or friend?

This is what happened before I was even able to get a picture of mom's crustless quiche!