Chef Annie Mahle says his menu would be great for brunch or early afternoon.  Fancy it up by serving the Huevos Rancheros individually and nicely garnished.  Make it buffet style by baking them in a cast iron skillet and serving a crowd.

Individual Huevos Rancheros w/Polenta

This can easily be done for a crowd in a large skillet.  Just make little wells in the salsa with the back of a spoon and break the eggs into the wells.  Cover with cheese and allow for a longer baking time.  If you are pressed for time, you can buy the pre-made polenta in the store.  They come in one pound packages.  Divide the package into 4 and place the rounds into the ramekins.  Bake for 10 minutes before assembling the rest of the ingredients.

1 1/3 cups polenta (recipe below)
1 cup Pico de Gallo (recipe below)
4 eggs
1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese or Monterey Jack with jalapenos

Preheat oven to 350°.  Make the polenta and divide evenly between 4, 1 cup ramekins.  Layer with the salsa, eggs then cheese.  Bake for 18-22 minutes or until the whites are cooked through and the yolks are still runny.  Keep an eye on them toward the end of the baking because the eggs can go very quickly from runny yolk to overcooked.

Serves 4

Polenta
2 cups chicken stock
1 cup corn meal
1/2 tablespoon butter
1/8 teaspoon salt

Add chicken stock, corn meal and butter to a medium sized stockpot.  Bring to a boil over medium high heat and reduce to a simmer.  Stir frequently until the polenta comes away from the sides of the pan and forms a ball of sorts.  Measure 1/3 cup for each ramekin.  You may have a little extra left over.

Makes 2 cups

Pico de Gallo

I make this easy salsa often to serve with either Black Bean Chili or Black Bean and Jasmine Rice Soup.

3 fresh tomatoes, seeded and diced
1 tablespoon minced cilantro
Juice of 1 lime
1 small onion, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and reserve for the ramekin assembly.  You will have leftovers, a tragedy to be sure.

Makes 2-3 cups

Spicy Cheese Tortillas
4 corn tortillas
1 cup grated Monterey Jack with jalapenos
1 teaspoon olive oil

Garnish:
1 avocado, peeled and sliced
4 teaspoons sour cream
1/4 cup cilantro lightly packed, coarsely chopped
1 lime, cut into wedges

Very lightly oil the bottom of a baking sheet.  Place the tortillas on the baking sheet and sprinkle equally with the cheddar cheese.  Grind freshly ground pepper over the cheese.  Bake for 7 minutes or until the cheese is bubbling on the sides and melted in the middle.  Garnish with the avocado, sour cream and cilantro leaves.  Slice into 6 wedges or serve whole.

Serves 4

Pineapple, Kiwi and Passion fruit Salad
1/2 pineapple, peel and core removed, cut into 3/4 inch pieces
2 kiwis, peeled and cut into 34 inch pieces
1 starfruit sliced crosswise
3 passionfruit
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons or less of water if needed
Mint leaves for garnish

Set the pineapple and kiwi aside.  Cut the three passionfruit in half and scoop out the flesh into a small food processor.  Add the honey and mix until the seeds are separated from the flesh.  If the flesh is not cooperative, add 1 teaspoon of water at a time until the seeds separate.  Strain mixture through a fine sieve and pour on top of the reserved fruit.  Garnish with the mint leaves and serve.

Serves 4-6

Mojito

I had my first mojito just a few years ago and fell in love with them.  I’m a sucker for the drinks that don’t taste like alcohol and this is one of them.  I’ve played with the different herbs and like them all.  If you aren’t keen on the alcohol, simply make a refreshing drink with the same ingredients omitting the rum.

Note:  If you would like to serve mojitos for a crowd, take the time to make a simple syrup ahead of time by bringing to a boil 1 cup of water with 1 cup of sugar.  Reduce to a simmer and remove from heat when the sugar has dissolved.  Chill.  Omit the sugar from the below recipe and add 1 tablespoon of simple sugar in it’s place.

2 lime wedges
2 sprigs of mint, purple basil, lemon basil or sweet basil
1/2 tablespoon sugar
1/2 tablespoon water
2 tablespoons light rum
splash of club soda

In a tumbler, muddle 1 lime wedge, sugar, water and the herb of your choosing.  Fill the tumbler with ice.  Add the rum and club soda.  Stir well.  Garnish with the remaining lime wedge and a sprig of herb.

Serves 1

Copyright © 2006 Baggywrinkle Publishing, Anne Mahle
For more recipes from Chef Annie visit her food blog at  www.AtHomeAtSea.com

We are very sorry to report that we missed National Peanut Butter & Jelly Day on April 2nd.

Why did we get on the topic of all this? Well it turns out that today, April 11th,  is National Cheese Fondue Day, as we discovered when checking into with our Twitter community this morning. I guess we were a little ahead of the curve with our March e-newsletter when Annie wrote about how she used to have Fondue as a birthday dinner. So in “honor” of this “special” holiday we would like to share with you Annie’s recipe for Beer & Cheese Fondue.

Beer and Cheddar Fondue

1 1/4 cups beer (the rest of the bottle is for the cook!)
2 cloves garlic
4 cups grated cheddar cheese
2 dashes white pepper
4 dashes paprika
1/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

Serve with:
1 pound grilled or broiled Italian Sausage
Crusty French bread or focaccia
1 to 2 pounds steamed carrots, broccoli and cauliflower combined
1 1/2 pounds steamed red potatoes
Baby dill pickles
1 or 2 pears or apples, sliced

Prepare the bread, vegetables and potatoes first.  Once they are ready, in a medium fondue pot, bring the beer and garlic cloves to a simmer.  Meanwhile toss the grated cheese with the pepper, paprika and flour.  Slowly add to the simmering beer and stir with a wooden spoon.  When all of the cheese is incorporated, add the Dijon mustard.  Remove the garlic cloves and serve.

Serves 4-6

Variations on Fondue:
It may seem that the streams begin to get completely crossed here, as fondue was originally a French/European dish.  On the other hand, it’s basically melted cheese and we’ve already messed with tradition by using beer and cheddar cheese rather than the traditional wine, kirsch and Gruyere or Emmenthaler.

Onions and caraway:
Sauté 1/2 cup diced onions in 1 tablespoon butter.  When they are translucent, add 1-2 tablespoons of caraway seeds.  Toast the caraway seeds in the onions and butter for 1 or 2 minutes or until they become fragrant.  Follow the rest of the fondue instructions as is.

Serve with rye bread instead of white bread and serve with cornichons instead of baby dill pickles.

Ancho chili:
Soften an Ancho chili in 1/2 cup hot water for 30 minutes.  Remove seeds and stem.  Chop finely with a knife and add to the simmering beer.  Follow the rest of the fondue instructions.

Use linguisa for the sausage.  Add to the vegetables cut red and yellow bell peppers.

Italian:
Substitute Gorgonzola and Fontina for the cheddar cheese and white wine for the beer.  Use grilled vegetables such as bell peppers and mushrooms in place of one or two of the steamed ones.

Leftover Mix:
If you have several different little bits of cheese hanging out in your refrigerator, fondue is the perfect use for them.  Make sure they are cheeses that go together such as blue cheese, Fontina, Parmesan and Asiago OR Gruyere, Emmenthaler and Swiss.

From Windjammer News /It’s All About the Food™: March 2011
Copyright © 2008 Baggywrinkle Publishing, Anne Mahle
For more recipes from Chef Annie visit her food blog at www.AtHomeAtSea.com

While I’m not going to spend time talking about how to use store bought dressing or packaged products in your meals, I also think it’s fine if your refrigerator door sports a few bottles of store bought dressing.  It’s just that for the purposes of this post, I don’t want to teach you how to use them.  I’d rather teach you how to do it right and then have you decide whether to take a shortcut or not.  I’d rather you use fresh vegetables from a farm stand, but if you happen to use frozen green beans instead, they are still green and good for you.

We want dinner to be easy and healthy and yet, as a culture, our buying choices show that we are willing to sacrifice healthy for the easy and the quick – the large frozen food sections in the grocery store and the fast food joints that pop up all over our communities are a testament to that.  I’m here to say that it doesn’t have to be hard and it doesn’t have to cost a lot to feed your family healthy, easy food.  You do, however, need to be willing to give it some attention before 5:30 or 6:00 rolls around and your family (and you) are tired and hungry.  You do need to plan just the tiniest bit so you have the ingredients on hand to make your healthy dinner.  As far as budget choices go, I’d bet that it doesn’t cost any more to buy fresh vegetables, dairy and protein as it does to buy Lean Cuisine, Stouffers or fast food burgers.

I also hear often enough that buying fresh vegetables and proteins (I call this shopping the perimeter of the grocery store) is more expensive than fast food, but I’m not convinced that this is actually true.  If a family of four spends $150 per week on groceries from the perimeter of the store, we’ve got healthy and not too expensive.  Compare that to, just for sake of argument, seven nights of $20 pizza or McDonald’s.  That’s $140 without eating breakfast, lunch or a snack.  I’ll grant you that getting out of the grocery store for less than $200 per week takes planning and focus, but I know it’s possible as it happens every week in my house.

This meal is one that you should be able to get on the table in less than 45 minutes.  Start with the risotto and once that’s going, move on to the shrimp.  Toss a salad and you are good to go.  If it seems to rich for your family’s taste, you can omit the butter at the end of the shrimp recipe.

Maine Shrimp with Lemon and Capers

1 pound Maine shrimp
4 tablespoons minced garlic (half for marinade and half for saute)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup capers
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 cup white wine
2 tablespoons butter

In a medium-sized bowl, combine gently with your hands the shrimp, 2 teaspoons minced garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the marinated shrimp.  Sauté for 4 minutes or until one side of the shrimp turns pink.  Toss or stir with a wooden spoon and add the capers, white wine and lemon juice.  Bring to a boil and cook until the shrimp is almost all pink.  Remove from heat and add the butter.  Swirling the pan to incorporate or using a wooden spoon.

Serve immediately with risotto.

Serves 4-6

Parsley Risotto

4 tablespoons butter, 1/2 stick
1/2 cup diced onion
2 cups Arborio rice
4 to 5 cups low-salt chicken stock
1/8 teaspoon salt
pinch of white pepper
1/4 cup minced flat leaf parsley
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat.  Add the onions and sauté until the onions are translucent, about 10 minutes.  If the onions begin to brown, reduce heat.  When the onions are done, add the rice and stir for one minute.  Add the salt, pepper and 1 cup of the stock and stir.  Continue to add the stock, one cup at a time until it is all incorporated, stirring frequently.  The rice is done when the liquid is completely incorporated and the grains are just the tiniest bit al dente in the center.  Add all of the parsley and 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, reserving the second 1/2 cup for garnishing at the table.  Serve immediately.

Serves 4-6

From Windjammer News /It’s All About the Food™: February 2011
Copyright © 2008 Baggywrinkle Publishing, Anne Mahle
For more recipes from Chef Annie visit her food blog at www.AtHomeAtSea.com

Simply put, while the name is old-fashioned, a casserole is just a one-pot meal with the protein starch and vegetable all in one dish.  Preferably with a crispy topping, please.  Casseroles from our past don’t have to include canned soup to be hearty, one-pot meals.  And they don’t have to be something only served for a weeknight dinner.  Served in individual bowls or large ramekins and topped with a garnish, you quickly turn an everyday meal into a simple meal fit for entertaining.

I have also included one of my favorite and most-requested recipes from our guests, Blonde Brownies.  We call them Congo Bars on the boat, but I’ve never known why.  Try not to eat too much of the dough before you get it into the pan!

Casserole of Mashed Potato, Portobello Mushrooms and Swiss Chard with Goat Cheese

This is a wonderful comfort meal for a snowy, winter evening, with friends or just family.  If you plan to use it for entertaining, swank it up a bit with the fried carrots or onions on top.

For the mushrooms and Swiss chard:
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 Portobello mushrooms
1 bunch Swiss chard, coarsely chopped and cleaned well
1/2 teaspoon salt
several grinds of freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

For the potatoes:
8 medium red potatoes, peeled and whole
3 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more for the water
4 oz. goat cheese

For the mushrooms and Swiss chard:
Preheat oven to 400°.  Place the mushrooms and Swiss chard on a roasting pan and sprinkle with oil, salt and pepper.  Roast for 40-45 minutes.  The Swiss chard may be done before the mushrooms at about 30 minutes.  It’s done when it’s wilted and the stems are tender.  Remove the Swiss chard with tongs and transfer to a medium sized bowl.  Toss with balsamic vinegar.  Continue to cook the mushrooms until they begin to get darker on the edges.  When the mushrooms are done, let them cool briefly and then slice thinly into long strips.

For the potatoes:
Place the potatoes in a medium stockpot and cover with salted water.  Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer.  Simmer for 30-40 minutes or until the potatoes are tender when poked with a fork.  Drain the water; add the butter, milk and salt and whip with a hand mixer.

Reduce oven heat to 350°.  In four 2-cup oven proof bowls, layer the potatoes, mushrooms and Swiss chard, beginning and ending with the potatoes.  Sprinkle with goat cheese and bake for 15-20 minutes or until the edges of the potatoes begin to brown.

Serves 4 (or 6 if you use smaller bowls)

Fried Carrots or Onions

You can easily replace the carrots with a similar amount of thinly sliced onions and follow the same directions

2 cups peanut oil
3 carrots, peeled
1/2 cup flour
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper

In a deep saucepan, heat the oil to 350º F.  Julienne the carrots with a hand peeler or a mandolin.  For curly strips of carrots, use your peeler and continue to peel as you would to remove the skin.  Toss the carrots with flour, salt and pepper enough to coat the carrots with flour.   Carefully place the carrots into the hot oil.  **The pan must be deep because the oil will bubble and rise to three times it’s normal height.**  Cook until golden brown and crispy, about 2 minutes.  Remove and place on a paper-towel lined plate and salt and pepper to taste.

Congo Bars

This is a Maine Windjammer fleet recipe.  My mentor, Ellen, says the first time she made these Congo Bars, they were so gooey that she wanted to throw them out.  A passenger saw her and grabbed the pan out of her hands.  Half an hour later Ellen had a bunch of happy passengers and an empty pan.  That’s the way we have baked them ever since; this recipe is much better slightly underdone than even the smallest bit overdone.

2 1/3 cups brown sugar
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 large eggs
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350°. Grease a 9 x 13-inch pan.   Melt the brown sugar and butter over low heat.  Cool slightly, add the vanilla extract, then mix in the eggs one at a time.

Sift the flour, baking powder and salt and add to mixture.  When the dry ingredients are completely incorporated, add the chocolate chips and walnuts.

Spread the dough evenly onto the greased pan and bake for 30 minutes.  If a fork poked into the center comes out slightly gooey this is okay.

Cool slightly and cut into squares while still warm.

Makes 24

From Windjammer News /It’s All About the Food™: January 2011
Copyright © 2008 Baggywrinkle Publishing, Anne Mahle
For more recipes from Chef Annie visit her food blog at www.AtHomeAtSea.com

We posted a question on Facebook about what our readers do with their leftovers – here’s what they had to say: Turkey Pot Pie – Sandy P; Thanksgiving Shepherd’s Pie- Bruce S; Cold Turkey Sandwich- Rex M; Turkey Salad – Mary T; Turkey Sandwiches- Tom  M; Turkey Noodle Soup – James P; Eileen H says “Eat them!” and Joanne W says she takes odd pieces of turkey adds it to her stuffing, adds an egg to bind it, makes it into patties and sautes in olive oil then smothers it with gravy.

What is your favorite way to use up Thanksgiving leftovers?

Annie’s November recipes include:
Thai Turkey and Cauliflower Soup with Fried Carrots
Curried Crackers
Spinach salad w/apples and raisins
Tahini Dressing

Read November’s At Home with Annie

Recipes include:
Dijon Crusted Pork Tenderloin w/ Lentils
Fried Onions
Butternut Squash
Pear Tarte Tatin

Read October’s At Home with Annie

Recipes include:
Beef Bourguignon with Leeks and Porcini Mushrooms
Polenta with Fresh Thyme
Mixed Berry and Apple Gallette

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Recipes include: Warm Spinach Salad w/Sherry Vinaigrette and Goat Cheese; Lemon Lobster w/ Sun-dried Tomatoes; and Mini Apple Ginger Upside Down Cakes.

¼ cup (½ stick) butter
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
2 cups barley
½ teaspoon salt
½ white wine
3½ cups chicken stock
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the celery and onions and cook until translucent. Add the barley, salt, wine and 1 cup of chicken stock. Stir the mixture frequently over low heat, adding more stock as it is absorbed. When the barley is done, stir in the Parmesan and serve.

Serves 6-8

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Sautéed Beef Tenderloin Steak with Port and Mushroom Sauce
4 8-ounce beef tenderloin steaks
3 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper, 1/4 tsp each
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
3 tablespoons Port
3 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon minced shallots
8 ounces mushrooms, thinly sliced 

Marinate the beef in the oil, salt and pepper. This adds flavor to the entire dish. While the beef is marinating, heat a large sauté pan over medium-high heat for a minute or two (until a drop of water dropped in the pan “pops”). Place the beef in the pan and cook until the sides of the meat turn gray/brown at least halfway up. Then turn the meat to cook the other side. You can test the meat for doneness by feel or by slicing into one and looking at the color. When it’s a little less cooked than you want it, remove the steaks from the pan and place them all on one plate, then cover with aluminum foil and to keep them warm. The steaks will continue to cook (up to 10 degrees more, meaning it will go from medium rare to medium) while on the plate and will come to the desired temperature. In the same sauté pan, over medium heat, add 1 tablespoon butter and shallots. Sauté for 30 seconds to a minute, then add the mushrooms. Sauté until the mushrooms are almost cooked through, then whisk in the Port and the Worcestershire Sauce and bring to simmer. Remove from heat and gently whisk in the rest of the butter (2 tablespoons). Pour the juice from the beef plate into the pan and whisk. Spoon the liquid onto a platter, place the beef on top of the sauce and then spoon the mushrooms onto the beef. 

What you just made was a butter sauce. It’s a very delicate sauce, meaning that it breaks easily. Breaking means the fat separates from the rest of the ingredients and you have a gloppy, oily mess. It’s important to put the butter into the pan while the burner is either off or on low. To bring this sauce to a boil is to break it. All you want to do is gently melt the butter.

You can use this recipe as a base and add all sorts of ingredients to change the flavor of the sauce. The basics are the same. When you are combining ingredients, most of these will work together: choose two or three and be brave!

Additional Suggestions:
Peppercorns
Tomatoes
Lemon juice
Caramelized onions
Herbs, try fresh chives and parsley
Chopped black Kalamata olives

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