We Provice Recipes

Wednesday, February 12, 2014

NO BAKE LEMON CHEESECAKE WITH BLUEBERRY SAUCE

A light and sweet ending to a summer barbecue. This no bake "cheese cake" recipe can be whipped up in a hurry. You can double the recipe and put it into a large sheet pan (for a big crowd). My husband likes to eat this frozen.

CRUST
1/2 cup melted butter
1/4 cup white sugar
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
Mix crust ingredients and press onto the bottom of a 9x13 baking pan. Bake at 325 for about 8 minutes. Cool before filling.

FILLING
Large size Cool Whip
1 small box of lemon jello
1 cup of boiling water
1 cup white sugar
8 ounce cream cheese (room temperature)
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/4 teaspoon lemon extract

Dissolve the lemon jello in the boiling water and let it cool to room temperature (dont let it set up).

Beat the cream cheese, white sugar and both extracts together until creamy and smooth. Beat the cooled jello and the cream cheese mixture into the Cool Whip until it is very well mixed. Pour onto the cooled crust and chill at least 2 hours.

BLUEBERRY SAUCE
2 cups fresh blueberries
1/2 cup white sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/3 cup water
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Mix the sugar and cornstarch in a medium size sauce pan and gradually add the water (whisking to mix). Stir in blueberries and bring to a simmer. Simmer until it thickens then simmer one minute longer. Stir in the vanilla. Serve warm or cold.

French Bread Rolls

I have been seriously missing in action lately, but I have lots of good reasons. Were selling our house, Im having a baby in 2 weeks, my grandfather passed away, and life is just all around busy. But Im still cooking! I havent been making too many exciting things, but just the other day I thought that I wanted to make some yummy things in the next few weeks before the baby comes while I still have some time on my hands!

So thats where these little gems come in. I just took these out of the oven minutes ago and they are delish! I couldnt wait for them to cool - I had to try one. We are having these for dinner tonight along with some pulled pork that has been simmering in the crockpot all day (Ill share that recipe too), some coleslaw, and baked oven fries. Yum! Im excited for dinner...only 2 more hours to go!

French Bread Rolls

Makes 1 dozen rolls

1 1/2 c. warm water

3/4 T. instant yeast

2 T. white sugar

2 T. olive oil

1 tsp. salt

4 cups flour (roughly)

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine water, yeast, sugar, oil, salt and 2 cups flour. Begin mixing and gradually add the rest of the flour until a soft dough forms (you may need more or less - just watch it so you dont add too much; when it clears the sides of the bowl, you have enough).

Knead for about 5 minutes until dough is smooth and elastic. Lightly spray a large bowl with cooking spray and place dough in the bowl. Cover with plastic wrap or a clean dish towel and let rise until doubled - about an hour.

Lightly deflate dough and divide into 12 equal pieces. Form into round balls and place on a cookie sheet about an inch or two apart. Let rise until doubled - about 45 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Bake rolls for 12-15 minutes, until browned and done.

Source: Mels Kitchen Cafe

Celery Root Salad with Yogurt Yoğurtlu Kereviz Salatası

There are two common lies that Turkish moms tell their non-celery root liking kids. If celery root is cooked, the mom forces the dish as a potato dish. The different smell and taste? Oh, its just the spice she used! However, if celery root is to be eaten raw, as in celery root salad with yogurt, then the kid is told that it is radish salad. I loved radishes as a kid and tried this so-called radish salad served on a New Years Eve dinner, which is a big celebration in Turkey that includes lot of drinking, turkey, numerous raki friendly salads and olive oil dishes, bingo, several kilos of fruit, and a belly dancer that appears on every TV channel exactly at midnight.

1 medium celery root, thinly grated
juice of 1/2 lemon
thick yogurt
mayonnaise
chopped walnuts
salt
dill, finely chopped
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 tbsp olive oil

-Grate celery root in a bowl.
-Squeeze lemon juice on top and mix well.
-Add enough yogurt+mayo to cover grated celery root. The ideal ratio of mayo to yogurt 1:3, however, you can change it to adopt your taste.
-Add minced garlic, chopped walnuts, dill, salt, and olive oil. Mix well.
-Cover with a clear wrap and store in the fridge for at least two hours before serving.

Tuesday, February 11, 2014

Cuisine Spontané with a View Doing Lunch in Dolores Park

"Cuisine Spontané" is just a fancy French term for wandering around a market, without any preconceived plans, grabbing whatever looks enticing, and then heading back to the kitchen to create a meal in a sort of culinary stream of consciousness. It’s a really fun way to cook. By the way, I’m sure there are a few soccer moms out there reading this right now thinking, “wow, I do that like 5 times a week…so that’s what it’s called!” And you thought you were just rushing through the grocery store throwing things in the basket.

For my wife Michele and I, this "Cuisine Spontané" approach was applied quite deliciously to a recent picnic lunch we enjoyed in beautiful Dolores Park. It ended up being a two-course meal. The elements were picked up on 24th Street in Noe Valley, on the same walk I wrote about in the Farmers Market post.

The first course was spicy chicken served in heart of romaine lettuce cups with fresh cilantro. We bought a pint container of some wonderful stewed chicken at a small Taqueria. It was falling-apart-tender and cooked with onions and peppers in a light, but fiery, tomato and chili sauce. This location also served as the source for our plastic silverware, napkins, and a small plastic cup of chopped fresh cilantro.

We finished this two-course meal with some ‘fresh out of the oven’ walnut bread, topped with creamy Mozzarella Di Bufala Campana (Italian Buffalo Mozzarella cheese) and slices of perfectly ripe peaches from Farmers Market. The sweet, juicy, golden peach with the snow-white, slightly tangy cheese, on the dense, nutty bread was truly amazing.

It would have been a great picnic lunch without the view, but eating with the San Francisco skyline as our backdrop just made everything taste that much better.

Beef with Bell Pepper and Potatoes

This is a tasty dish that I make for many years now. Bell pepper goes so well with beef and potatoes. It gives a really nice touch to this awesome meal. If you love bell peppers this is the recipe for you:)

Ingredients:
1 lb beef
5-6 med-large yellow potatoes
1 large red bell pepper
1 tsp BTB (Better than bullion)
Salt, pepper, bay leaf, parsley flakes
Butter, oil

Cut beef into small pieces add salt, pepper and ground coriander. Saute in a little bit of oil until ready. Add garlic at about 10 until the end.

Put beef into nonstick pot. (Mix water with 1 overfilled tsp of BTB) Add water just barely to cover the meat. Add bay leaf.

Slice potatoes into small pieces. Put on top of the meat. Sprinkle salt on top. Add a few pieces of butter.

Add sliced bell pepper.

Sprinkle parsley flakes on top. Add a little piece of butter. Cover and bring to a boil. Boil for 20 min or until potatoes are ready. Mix well.

Enjoy!!!!!!

Summer in Santa Monica and a recipe round up

Farmers' market beauty in Santa Monica.

The first notes from our 

Santa Monica summer sublet:

After living in the brittle high dessert of Northern New Mexico for three years, I am drunk on oxygen. I walk Ocean Avenue cradled in moisture, intoxicated, breathing deep. And although we sleep seventeen blocks from the Pacific, I smell the ocean in the sheets. I wake with the sensation, the awareness of the sea. It infuses the day with an unnameable pleasure I can almost taste. If I could live on air I would eat the on-shore breeze with a spoon.

Steve has found his own source of bliss at Caffe Luxxe on Montana Avenue. Rich, caramel Italian espresso with the perfect artful brush of creamy foam. If further persuasion is needed to lure him into staying here, I only need to whisper, “Una bella tazza” and he'll be putty in my hands.

Things are looking up.

Read more + get the recipe >>

Monday, February 10, 2014

VEG MANCHURIAN

VEG MANCHURIAN

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE BALLS

Cabbage grated-1 small sized
Carrots grated-2 medium sized
Capsicum grated-1 medium sized
All purpose flour (maida)-4 tablespoons
Green chillies chopped-2
Ginger grated-1/2 tablespoon
Salt to taste
Oil for deep frying

FOR GRAVY

Ginger grated-2 teaspoon
Green chillies chopped-2
Capsicum chopped-2 tablespoons
Oil-1 tablespoon
Sugar-2 teaspoons
Soya sauce-2 tablespoons
Tomato ketchup-1 tablespoon
All purpose flour (maida)-1 tablespoon
Water-2 cups

Tomato Ketchup without onion & garlic from the Company Tops & Kissan is easily available in the markets.
Do not use the regular tomato ketchup as it contains onion & garlic powder.

METHOD

Grate the vegetables for the balls.
For cabbage, boil water & add the grated cabbage to it.
Boil it for a minute & then drain out the excess water.
Squeeze out the excess water from the cabbage & it is ready to use.

Mix all the grated vegetables together.

To this mixture, add maida, green chillies, ginger & salt & mix well.

Make small small balls using the mixture & then deep fry these balls till they turn golden brown.

Deep fry on a medium flame as the vegetables will remain uncooked if fried on a high flame.

When the balls turn golden brown, take them out on a paper towel & keep them aside.

Next, prepare the gravy for the manchurian.
Heat oil in a pan.
Add ginger & green chillies & saute.
Add sugar & saute till it turns brown.
Next, add chopped capsicum & saute for a minute.
Mix water & maida & add to the mixture.
Add soya sauce & bring it to a boil.
Soya sauce from the company FunFoods is available & it contains no onion garlic.
Add salt & boilt till the gravy thickens & add tomato ketchup to it.
Add the balls to the gravy.
Veg manchurian is ready to serve.