Madison House Chef

What’s for Supper Tonight?

• cedar planked Steelhead Trout
• edamame in natural shell liberally sprinkled with kosher salt
• fresh fruit (apples, pineapple)
• spinach salad
• …a few leftover lentils
• chocolate chip cookies from yesterday’s left over cookie dough after the brownie-cookie creation

Key Lime Cupcakes with Lime Buttercream Frosting

This key lime cupcake recipe makes not only remarkable, standard size cakes, but amazing mini- and micro- cupcakes for single or two bite desserts. Simply reduce the baking time, removing the cupcakes when they are just beginning to become golden and a testing toothpick comes out clean.

What is a micro-cupcake?

What’s for Supper Tonight?

• grilled portabella mushroom “burger”
• Ken/GDG: burgers and MELG: wiener sausage
• fresh pineapple
• brownies studded with chocolate chip cookies for dessert

Brownies studded with Chocolate Chip Cookies

Is it a brownie?

Is it a cookie?

A brookie or a brownkie?

Doesn’t matter what you call it – it’s a decedent rich, chocolate, fudgy treat.

 

Canning Green Beans

My sister in law, Susie, grew a beautiful garden this year and now has the harvested green beans. She sent me this photo showing off her new found talent for canning and pronouncing the production a minor success.

Honestly, she has homegrown, french cut beans canned in tightly sealed jars ready to be enjoyed when the snow flies…  I call this a major success.

Looking forward to hearing about the picante sauce she’s going to do next weekend.

What’s for Supper Tonight?

• Ken’s not-yet-but-should-be-famous meatloaf
• baked potatoes (loaded)
  the potato was the centerpiece of my meal and was topped with pico, a pinch of shredded cheese, and lentils (yes, lentils) 
• broccoli
• caramel stuffed apple cider cookies for dessert

Caramel Stuffed Apple Cider Cookies

 

This is an amazing cookie!

It tastes of autumn: apples, cider donuts, fresh apple cider and cinnamon.

It reminds me of hayrides, bonfires, dry leaves crackling under foot, and evenings cool enough for a sweatshirt.

Ah, autumn.

This little delight captures the tastes and scents of fall in each bite. 

Continue on for an easy to put together recipe and my commentary.

What’s for Supper Tonight?

• Moroccan Style Chicken the original recipe
• lentils, mixed with the seasonings from the chicken; I of course set the kids’ lentils aside before mixing them with the spices.
• broccoli

A protein and fiber laden meal.
Delicious and ‘good for you,’ too!

Moroccan Style Chicken (with photos)

After experimenting with a new Moroccan Chicken recipe the family requested I make the “original” version that dates back to the early days of Madison House Chef. Knowing that I wanted to blog the recipe I went in search of my original copy.

However, I couldn’t remember it’s original source.  A website? A newspaper clipping? A cookbook? 

What to do??

 

Lentils

  
In praise of lentils!
Nutritious. Delicious. Fiber-loaded. Nutty on their own and take to a variety of flavors easily. Inexpensive. Easy to cook on stove top.

Ken and I both enjoy lentils, and even the kids will eat them; Madeleine especially when she puts cinnamon and sugar on them.

We always kind of liked lentils, but then we re-discovered them in Spain (2009) where they were prevalent and quite inexpensive.

Red lentils. Green lentils. Yellow Lentils.

GREAT RECIPE:  Moroccan Chicken and Lentils (and broccoli)

 

Moroccan Chicken and Lentils

 

 

Bon Appetit ~ January 2004

The original recipe that inspired my Moroccan flavored lentils, plus commentary on preparation and personalization.

 

 

 

 

What’s for Supper Tonight? Sunday Pizza Edition

It’s Pizza Day …
Today’s pizza pies include

• pepperoni
• mega cheese (fresh mozzarella, shredded mozzarella, goat cheese, bleu cheese)
  
  
   
• red onion and goat cheese
• pepperoni, jalapeno, bleu cheese

German Style Soft Pretzels

For our German Oktoberfest celebration I wanted chewy, soft Bavarian pretzels. Not surprisingly, no bakery in the Valley carries such a thing (you’re shocked, I know). What a great excuse to bake pretzels from scratch.

Truth be told, I’ve never made soft pretzels that included the ‘boiling’ step. What I had read convinced me that this is a necessary step for a better finished product. Now by first hand experience I’m all the more convinced.

What’s For Supper Tonight?

• Ragu
• Pasta (brought home in the suitcase from Italia)
• tofu (topped with ragu; not only do I find the combination to be satisfying, I don’t end up with the bloated feeling of having eaten pasta)
• green salad

Shrimp Tacos with a hint of Lime

shrimp cooked with lime and spices, served on a fresh corn tortilla, avocado, and chipotle infused sour cream

Here’s a new (to MHC) recipe that has already gone to “family favorites” status.

Rick Bayless’ Soft Taco Filling offers a no-fail, delicious (delicioso!), fresh tasting recipe that takes only a few minutes to cook. The shrimp can be served hot, for example on tacos, or cold as on a salad.

Welcome to Madison House Chef

Welcome to Madison House Chef where favorite recipes blend with a handful of food photos and a sprinkling of memories centered on family, friends and food. MHC is the electronic recipe box and digital cookbook where I store recipes for those who are looking for them, including myself. It's not unusual for me to first search my own website to confirm an ingredient or a measurement for family favorites. Through cooking and sharing food our family celebrates special events, explores new cultures, research new and unusual ingredients, and chronicles cooking lessons that are passed from one generation to the next. Enjoy! ~