At work, I have the pleasure of going to lunch in Metro Birmingham. In general, we try to go to various restaurants in an effort to find unique and tasty meals. There are good meals, bad meals, and extremely memorable meals. Today brought a very memorable meal, but not for the reason I expected.

We ventured to Jinsei Sushi (http://www.jinseisushi.com/) this afternoon. Located in SoHo in downtown Homewood, Jensei is a quaint little Sushi restaurant with an excellent decor. Today’s selection: The Jinsei Special roll, the Alabama roll, and the Wagyu Baby Burgers. Being the semi-Foodie that I am, I was extremely excited, if a bit skeptical, about the Wagyu Burgers. How could I pass that up?

Let’s talk about the rolls first.

The Alabama roll is described on the lunch menu as having: “tempura shrimp. avocado. tuna tataki. spicy dressing.” This was a rather enjoyable roll with just the right amount of spice. Add some wasabi, top it with a sliver of ginger, and dip it in soy sauce… this is a tasty bite. I would definitely order it again. This was the highlight of my meal.

The Jinsei Special roll is described as having: “tuna. yellowtail. jalapeño. cilantro.” This roll was good enough, but wholly forgetable. Though the menu specificaly calls out the jalapeño, we struggled to get any hint of heat from the pepper, even when eating a piece unadulterated.

That said, the sushi was decent and worth a repeat visit.

This brings us to the Wagyu Baby Burgers; an exciting premise that just left me angry. When these slider style burgers hit the table, I could tell something was just off. I am all for simple presentations and this fit the bill: a crusty roll, the burger patty, and a simple sauce (in this case: horseradish).  There was a side of tempura vegetables served with Ponzu sauce as well, which was a bowl of tangy goodness.The vegetables were cooked perfectly and had a great crunch.

I look at the patty, a dark, dry, tough hunk of meat. If this was truly a Wagyu burger, then what I was served was criminally overcooked. My excitement turned to annoyance with the first bite. With each bite, irritation. After I finished these burgers, I just got angry. Even slathering the burger with the ponzu sauce couldn’t save this catastrophy of a dish. With a little education on Wagyu Beef, you’ll discover why my expectations were more than a little dashed. Needless to say, I will not order this entree again. One might argue that I shouldn’t have ordered a burger at a sushi restaurant. Consider this a lesson learned.

So our quest concluded with a bitter disappointment. Will we return to Jinsei? More than likely, as the sushi was quite good. Next time, we’ll take on a wider variety of rolls and sashimi.

I just had my baby Samuel two weeks ago today and it has been a whirlwind for my husband and I taking care of a newborn and a 3 year old little princess.  I admit that throughout my first pregnancy I was very health conscience of what I ate and my nutritional intake. This pregnancy was the complete opposite. Whatever fast food I could get my hands on went into my mouth. Biggest addiction was Taco Bell’s chicken burritos. I could have eaten these daily if I didn’t know better. For some reason though, now that he’s here, I find myself cooking better meals and trying to get those much needed vitamins and nutrients that I miss out on during my pregnancy.  Yesterday’s breakfast was a prime example.

First I diced one slice of turkey bacon and sauteed it in a small frying pan until it was crispy. I then added one scrambled egg to the bacon and cooked it until it was no longer runny, adding salt & pepper to taste. I folded the cooked egg in 1/2 and 1/2 again and placed it on some whole wheat toast with a slice of muenster cheese to make a sandwich. The sandwich was certainly tasty but I wanted – no I needed something else to go with it other than my mango peach V-8 splash. I then thought of the perfect accompaniment. I sliced some strawberries, diced some green apples and tossed them into a bowl with some blueberries . Then I topped the fruit with 1/2 of a single serving container of  a Vanilla Creme Yopliat Whips! I needed a crunch so I sprinkled two spoonfuls of Planters NUT-rition Digestive Health Mix over the top of the fruit and yogurt. The mix has dried cranberries, whole almonds, granola clusters, whole pistachios and dried cherries. When I saw the few granola clusters I knew that was the finishing touch. I grabbed my bag of BEAR NAKED FIT® Vanilla Almond Crunch natural granola out of the pantry and sprinkled a little extra on top. And viola,  I had the tasty and nutritious compliment to my egg sandwich that I was looking for.

The taste was so delicious that I thought I could use it again that evening for dessert.  For dinner, I sliced and grilled some Hillshire Farms Beef Polska Kielbasa and cooked up some Zatarain’s red beans and rice. (I know that doesn’t sound very nutrious but I need the calories since I’m feeding a new born. Well that sounds convincing to me.)  I also baked some carrots in a sweet caramel sauce and grilled some onions to go with the sausage.  For the dessert, I made the same dish as that morning but instead of vanilla yogurt I used Chocolate Raspberry Yoplait Delights Parfait.  I added the NUT-rition Digestive Health Mix and the granola but for an added touch I used a micro-plane to grate a Hershey’s kiss over the top and added a sprig of mint for flair.  My husband and daughter dove into dessert first and you know, that’s OK because it was the most nutritious part of the meal.

Tonight I pulled some Italian sausage out to defrost without really knowing what I planned to make. I just started cooking the first few steps below and then decided to go with the soup dish. My mom had actually just mentioned the Italian Wedding Soup from Olive Garden early today so I suppose that is kind of where the idea originated.

I first browned some diced bacon while I boiled some diced new potatoes. I then removed the bacon from the pan and added a little olive oil to the pan. I dropped in 1/3 of the boiled new potatoes and cooked them flipping occassionally until they were nice and crispy. I removed them from the pan to drain on paper towels and added the Italian sausage to the same pan to brown. In the meantime, I cooked some thinly sliced onions in a stock pot with some diced celery. I added some salt and pepper and cooked until the onions were nice and soft. I then added 3 cups of milk and two bay leaves to the onions and celery and brought it to a soft boil. I added the boiled new potatoes that were not fried to the soup and heated through. I then put two tablespoons of flour into a little bowl and added some of the hot milk from my pot to create a little slurry. I added the slurry to the soup pot and stirred to thicken. Once the liquid had thickened slighty, I added in the Italian sausage and bacon. I added some chopped fresh baby spinach. I also added some fresh thyme and parsley. When the spinach wilted a little, I tasted and seasoned the soup with a little more with salt and pepper. I had also chopped up some chicago style bread, tossed the diced pieces in some olive oil and added Italian seasoning. I threw them in a 350 degree oven for a few minutes to toast up while the soup was finishing. I served the soup in shallow bowls garnishing with the fried potatoes,toasted croutons, and a sprig of parsley.

This past weekend, I spent the day at Oak Mountain Middle School’s Expo and Fair in my wonderful Pampered Chef booth cooking for guest and making new friends. The hit recipe was the Mango Confetti Salsa from page 5 in our new 2011 spring catalogs. Tonight, I needed to make something fast for dinner and since I had some leftover ingredients I thought it would be great to try the salsa on some fresh tilapia filets. I knew the recipe was a fast fix and Zoey loves fresh mango and any kind of fish.

I simply heated my Executive Cookware grill pan on medium high with the grill press in it so they would heat together. I sprinkled the three tilapia filets with the Crushed Peppercorn & Garlic Rub and set them aside to become room temperature.

To make the Mango Confetti Salsa I altered the recipe slightly. Instead of using bell peppers, I bought a big bag of smaller, sweet peppers from the grocer. I deseeded one each of the red, orange, and yellow sweet peppers, chop them in large chunks and throw them in the Manual Food Processor. I then used the Veggie Wedger to cut the red onion in 6 sections and added two of the wedges to the food processor.  I used the Citrus Press to juice one small lime, adding it to the food processor with a pinch of salt and 1/2 a teaspoon of the Chili Lime Rub. I then deseeded one jalapeño and diced it fine adding it to the food processor. I do this to ensure there are no big chunks of jalapeño in my salsa. I then manually process the ingredients to make sure everything is diced finely. Lastly, I use my Mango Wedger to remove the seed from my mango and the Avocado Peeler to remove the skin. I set a few pieces aside for Zoey and then added the rest to the food processor and pulsed to incorporate the mango into the pepper mixture. Within 5-7 minutes I have made a delicious salsa.

I sprayed my grill pan and grill press with a little Garlic-Infused Canola Oil that I had in my Kitchen Spritzer and added the fish, placing the press on top. I cooked the fish 1-2 minutes per side.  I served the fish watch a few tablespoons of the mango salsa on top.  My sides were stuffed tomatoes and Curry Couscous.  This dish is so light, flavorful and fast that I hope you try it at home!

This morning my lovely husband, Adam, had what he called on his twitter feed a #RandomBreakfastCraving for #tinypancakes – in other words, crepes.  He searched online and found a great Basic Crepe recipe at AllRecipes.com.  By the time I made it downstairs he had already fired off most of the crepes and was pulling out ingredients for the filling. 

I had some left over mascarpone cheese from the dish I made last night, The Pampered Chef® Creamy Broccoli & Sun-Dried Tomato Orzotto. We wanted to make the mascarpone sweeter so we added a tablespoon of red raspberry preserves to 2 ounces of the cheese. We then added a 1/2 a teaspoon of confectioner’s sugar and whipped it until it was smooth. As an additional filling we took a handful of blueberries, sprinkled a little caster sugar over them and another dollop of the red raspberry preserves and heated them in the microwave for 15 seconds. When they were warm, we smashed them slightly with the back of the fork. We filled a crepe with the mascarpone cream and the smashed blueberries, folded it up and then sifted confectioner’s sugar over the top. Delicious.

I am so blessed to have a husband that loves to cook as much as I do and who always tries to make me special treats as a surprise. Together we are willing to taste just about anything and I think that is what makes our food adventures so fun. The kitchen and dining table are our favorite places to be with each other. Holding hands, licking our lips and saying "Mmmm, that is fantastic". I thank God for him every day.

My sister, Danielle made this up the other night and she said it was AWESOME! The idea is to use up any and all of the veggies in your fridge. Fresh, frozen, canned or even leftovers will work. There is no wrong way to make this! Just remember to add frozen veggies first and canned veggies last.

Serves 12-16

• 2 12-oz pkgs any flavor chicken sausage without casing or casings removed
• 1 cup any kind of onions chopped or 2 leeks cut lengthwise and then sliced on bias
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3-4 cups of any root or squash-like vegetables on hand: celery, carrots, potatoes, yams, green beans, squash, zucchini; slice or cube into small, equal sizes so that they cook in about the the same amount of time
• 2 cups leafy vegetable like kale, cabbage or spinach, chopped
• 1 can beans like red kidney, garbanzo, cannellini or northern beans
• 10 cups vegetable or chicken stock
• 2-4 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs of your choice such as rosemary, sage, thyme, parsley (If you have very flavorful sausage, you could even skip this ingredient)
• Salt and pepper

Break up chicken sausage with hands or back of spoon and add to large stock pot over medium heat. Cook for 2-3 minutes and then add garlic, onion and celery. Cook until vegetables are slightly tender. Add stock, root/squash vegetables and herbs to pot. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Cook for 15-20 minutes until potatoes and squash are almost done (should be able to easily pierce with a fork or knife). Then add leafy vegetables and canned beans. Simmer for an additional 10 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste and serve.

One of the ladies in my office brought this Snack Mix thing in today that is AWESOME!  Thought I’d share the recipe.

Ingredients

• 4 sticks butter
• 2 cups light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup white corn syrup
• 14 oz box of Crispix (or Chex, which I used because I couldn’t find Crispix)
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 2 cups peanuts
• 1 1/2 bags microwave popcorn

Directions: Melt butter, then add sugar and corn syrup. Bring to a boil and stir for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and add vanilla and baking soda. Mix Crispix, popcorn and peanuts in two 9×13 pans (it will barely fit) and pour the liquid over. Stir to coat. Bake at 225 degrees for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes. DO NOT FORGET to stir every 15 minutes.

Ok, made up my own recipe last night and it was FANTASTIC if I do say so myself.

INGREDIENTS

• 4 boneless chicken breasts
• Leftover spiral ham (sliced thinner) or 8 slices thin-sliced deli ham
• 4 slices of Provolone or Swiss (I used provolone b/c I didn’t have swiss)
• 1 cup flavored salad croutons (I used garlic flavored)
• Handful of almonds
• 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1 beaten egg

Cheesy Marsala Mushroom Sauce:

• 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 shallot finely chopped
• 8 oz. fresh sliced button mushrooms
• 1-2 tablespoons flour or corn starch
• 1/4 cup marsala wine
• 1 cup milk or half and half
• 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese

Directions:

Pound the chicken flat with a mallet between two sheets of cellophane. Put croutons, almonds and parmesan cheese in a food processor and pulse into fine crumbs. Lay ham slices on top of each flattened chicken. Add a slice of cheese and roll up. Secure with toothpicks. Dredge in egg and roll in crumbs. Place all four chicken breasts on baking sheet coated with cooking spray seam side down. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until no longer pink.

With 10 minutes left on the chicken, heat the oil in a pan on medium high heat. Add shallots and mushrooms and saute until shallots soften (about 2 minutes). Add marsala wine and continue cooking until mushrooms begin to sweat. Add flour or corn starch and stir. Cook for one minute more then add milk a little at time stirring constantly. When combined, stir in  parmesan cheese. Lower heat to medium and cook until thick and bubbly. Remove chicken from oven, plate and pour mushroom sauce over chicken.

This was so good my kids liked it even without the mushroom sauce. You can also make it without the mushrooms, by just using the marsala and cheese. Joe said I could definitely make that again. Great way to use up the leftover Christmas ham! I also made a ham and cheese quiche and ham sandwiches. I still have half a bag of ham left and another whole bag in the freezer! I have ham coming out my ears! LOL

Love you,
Danielle Fenning
Cooking with Brandy’s Sweet Sister!

My new venture is well under way and I have been a busy bee preparing for my upcoming Pampered Chef Cooking Shows.  I think I have most of my paperwork, cooking supplies, and other materials ready for this coming Wednesday. That’s right, my first actual Cooking Show is November 3rd for my dear friend Courtney.  I am excited, nervous, and anxious but all in a good way.

I will be making the Antipasti Pull-Apart Pizza from The Pampered Chef® Season’s Best™ Recipe Collection (Fall/Winter 2010).  The cookbook describes the recipe as “A fun twist on pizza, this appetizer features all the flavors of an antipasti platter over a crust of bite-size pieces of French bread.” I made it a few weeks ago for a baby shower at the office. I am sure it will be better this time because I’ll actually have an oven instead of the office toaster oven. If you would like to see the recipe made, you can watch the video here or better yet, see it LIVE! In Courtney’s Living Room.

For those of you who will be attending Courtney’s Cooking Show, you can visit my personalized Pampered Chef Web site now and take a look around at the products you will see displayed at the party.  Simply CLICK HERE and you can begin shopping the catalog.  Remember if you spend $60 or more at the show or online you get the Adjustable Measuring Spoons for FREE!  Also in November, our cooking show guests can SAVE 20% on our Cookie Press. See product information below.

#GV78 Adjustable Measuring Spoon - FREE Adjustable Measuring Spoons to November Guests with purchase of $60 or more! – $0.00
Their streamlined modern design is perfectly sized for spice containers. Adjustable sliders create a seal for dry and liquid ingredients, and are removable for easy cleaning. Grooved thumbprints help you move the sliders back and forth for accurate measuring. Set of two: 1/8 tsp.-1 tsp., 1 tsp.-1 tbsp.
Dishwasher-safe.

#GV79 Cookie Press – Save 20% on our Cookie Press – $23.60
Make cookies or rice potatoes with a simple twist! Our rotating press is easier to use than the typical ratchet style. The barrel lets you see exactly how much dough is left, and its generous size means less refills are needed. Includes 10 metal disks — nine for cookies and one for ricing. Dishwasher-safe.

For those of you invited to the event, I really hope you can make it and enjoy the evening with friends and loved one’s while tasting some delicious food.  I hope to make the event an enjoyable and educational experience for everyone. I truly appreciate everyone’s support and encouragement and I hope I can make all of you proud.