Claudine, Oui c'est Francais

what to eat for the Super Bowl

Isn't that why we watch it? Well maybe that's only me, but pretty much the commercials  and the food are the highlights. That is my favorite reason to watch it and I would think that I am not the only one....

So do you need some good things to make? Here are my favorite and some more ideas from Martha.

  Chicken Wings, you can not do it without them. And for me the spicier the better. My method is easy. Wings or Drummets toasted naked and into the oil and fried until they are nice and crisp. Meanwhile on the stove top melt 1/2 cup butter and then poor in a entire bottle of Franks Hot Sauce. Toss the wings in a bowl, pour sauce and then mix until coated with hot sauce. You must serve it with Marie's Blue Cheese and celery.

Guacamole, this is one from Martha that was actually made by Eva Longoria. I think it is the best one I have ever found. I love the freshness from the lemon juice and paired with some lime flavored chips, it is sure to please your football fans

8 large ripe avocados, chopped

2 large tomatoes, chopped

1 large onion, chopped

1 bunch cilantro, finely chopped

3 small Serrano peppers, ribs and some seeds removed, minced

Coarse salt

Juice of 4 lemons

Tortilla chips, preferably lime-flavored

Jalapeno Poppers are another great addition, Martha had these on her show years and years ago and the recipe is no-where to be found. But I have it saved to share with you. Once you make these, you will be hooked. So good, but get to the store right away and buy up those Jalapenos, they will be hard to find by Sunday.

2 quarts canola oil or Crisco
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup beer (not dark)
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
16 fresh jalapeno peppers, slit lengthwise down one side to create a pocket, stem end intact, seeds removed, if desired
4 ounces cream cheese, or grated cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese, plus more if needed
1 cup sour cream or Blue-Cheese Dressing

In a deep fryer or medium stockpot, heat oil to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with paper towels; set aside.

To make the batter, combine flour, beer, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Whisk to combine; set aside.

3. Stuff each jalapeno with 1/4 ounce of cheese. Working in batches, dip jalapenos into batter, turn to coat, and drop into fryer until golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer to prepared baking sheet to drain. Serve immediately with sour cream or blue-cheese dressing.

Make sure to watch Martha Stewart on Friday were she will have lots of great ideas and more great things to eat.

Valentines Crafts with Martha

 

Ribbon, punches, diamonds and glitter oh my! Race on over to your nearest Michaels right away, to pick up some of these lovely little goodies for Valentines day.

Did I say Glitter?

Spinach-Gruyere Gateau de Crepes

In the February issue of Martha Stewart Living along with the cupcakes, there is also an entire section on Crepes and as you know, I love all things French so I was very excited to see a section dedicated to these great little French fancies.

Making crepes takes a little skill and patience and for some reason no matter how good you are at making them, the first one is always the worst. Crepes are so versatile and can be made as a dessert with sweet fillings, savory with spinach and Gruyere or make Buckwheat crepes,  with Camembert and chicken as filling like I made last summer. During my Tour de French Cuisine last year I discovered these great little treats and have been dreaming of them ever since.

For dinner tonight  I made the Spinach-Gruyere Gateau de Crepes, first I made the Crepe batter last night so it can sit in the fridge fro 2 hours to 1 day. It needs a thicker consistency. Then tonight I just had to make the Bechameland the spinach filling and then combine. It was fantastic, it would be great making it with a sweet filling of Almond paste and whipped cream as well. It was beautiful when it was all done, and the delicate layers were amazing. Here are some of the pics during the process and the finished masterpiece

 

 

 

Also in the article there are recipes for Lemon Crepes, Banana Foster Crepes, Folded Crepes with Smoked Ham and Butter and Crepes with Cantal Cheese. Pick up the newest issues on new-stands now.

Cupcakes

Who doesn't love a cupcake? Everybody! What is not to love? A lovely little piece of sweet cake that comes with it's own serving piece. Cupcakes are everywhere these days and have been for a few years. But that is a "Good Thing" and Martha had a whole show this last Wednesday featuring some great cupcakes. The February issue of Martha Stewart Living is filled with some great recipes and some of the cutest cupcakes.

 

A Boston Cream Pie cupcake, hello! why didn't we think of this before. It is perfect and Pastry Cream is a invention straight out of heaven!

 

Sweet Revenge's "Pure" Cupcakes.I love the parchment paper used as the wrapper. 

 

     

more great cupcakes in the February issue on newsstands now

   

And I sure can't wait for June 2nd when this great new cookbook hits the stores. If it's anything like the Cookie book, it will be a great addition to any book shelf

The Obama Cake

Words can not express how excited I am about Tuesday, I have been watching CNN all weekend and can't get enough. Oh and Anderson Cooper as well. So what do I do when we have such a exciting event coming up? Make a cake of course. For each of the debates and the election night I made a different cupcake or cake and now my friends and family were asking what I would do. It came to me in the middle of the night, I had the perfect plan for a cake in honor of Barack Obama.

 

Using the now famous image created by the amazing Shepard Fairey I taped it to the back of a sheet pan and then covered it with a piece of wax paper. Using Royal Icing, I then outlined the image starting with the dark blue.

 

Once it is outlined, I piped tiny dots of the same color into the image. You can really start to see the image.

 

Here he is all filled in and ready to be lifted off the paper and placed on top of the cake. The corner broke a little, but that is why you save everything before you are done. It makes for a quick and easy fix

 

And here is the final masterpiece. After 3 hours of piping the tiny dots, my hand is killing me so a easy border and some red, white and blue stars. I think he looks great, I don't think I will be able to cut into him.

 

And the edible image next to the original....

check out my other Obama baked goods here,

Everyday Food-Grocery Bag

One of my favorite features in the pint size Everdayfood Magazine from Martha is the Grocery Bag section. Not only is it filled with great recipes but is a easy way to plan out the whole week and very economical.

In the newest issues for January/February which is on the new-stands now there are a weeks worth of delicious recipes that your whole family will love.

* Sauteed Chicken with Tomato Relish and Spinach: this was great, very flavorful and fast. One of those great weeknight meals that is fast and tasty. No excuses to make it on a Monday night

* Steak and Onion Sandwiches I made this the night I went to go see my first love, Neil Diamond. It was really good, I found some great rustic whole wheat bread at the store and sliced it and gave it a little run in the toaster. The combination of the onions, steak and Dijon mustard was great.

*Red-leaf Salad with Roasted Sweet Potatoes. A perfect fall/winter salad with walnuts, green beans and a light yogurt dressing

*Sweet and Sour Pork Stir Fry: who needs to call for Chinese take out when you can make it at home. I love this since I am not a big fan of loads of "sauce" on my Chinese Food, this way you can control exactly what is going into your food. John was a big fan of this one

*Tortilla Soup with Black Beans: another fast and easy weeknight meal

*Spaghetti with Tuna, Lemon and Breadcrumbs: I don't make many things twice since I love trying new things, but this one is a keeper. The addition of the breadcrumbs at the end was genius and the lemon juice was very refreshing.

There are even more great recipes in this issue, tonight will be the Turkey Paprikash and tomorrow some sliders.

But now I need to work on my Obama cake!

Thomas Keller Cassoulet

Thomas Keller is a living legend to foodies. When he puts his name on something or a recipe comes from him, you know it will be the best. Lately he has been doing a lot of recipes for Williams Sonoma and are listed in their catalogs and website. When I saw the Slow Cooker Cassoulet recipe in the newest catalog, I needed to make it.  Cassoulet is a classic French dish from the Laguedoc region of France and traditionally consists of duck confit, foie gras. This is a little more user friendly recipe and all the ingredients can be found at your local store

 

I did adapt it to the oven instead of a slow cooker and used a large Le Creuset French Oven to fit all of theingredients. I started the oven at 215 degrees and raising it to 350 degrees in the last hour. The total cooking time in the oven was 5-6 hours and then add on an hour and a half of prep.  The combination of flavors from the slow cooked pork, white beans, chorizo sausage and the crunchiness of the sliced baguette on the top was incredible. John said that this might be his favorite thing I have ever made. 

Chicken Sofrito

I was flipping through my newest issue of Food & Wine and saw a great picture of Chicken Sofrito. It looked so good, I had to make it, and it didn't disappoint. It was fantastic. I don't make many things twice but this one I will for sure. It can all be made in the same pan and on the stove top and in the oven. Give it a try, you will love it!

 

The flavor for this dish comes from the Chili powder on the chicken and the "Sofrioto" is a Spanish mixture of chopped onions, garlic and bell pepper. When finished topped with some chopped roasted almonds. You can find the recipe at Food & Wine.com

Flowers for Valentines

It is never too early to start planning for the next holiday. And how about checking out Martha Stewart Flowers and decided now which you would like to order for your loved ones. These are my favorite choices, I would be happy with any of these (John)

     

Or you can also try my favorite Valentines arrangement by using those cute little hearts we all love and fill a double vase with them. I have some hearts saved from last year so I will be doing this for sure soon.

 

And just in case you need a little more help, make sure that you sign up for the Martha Stewart Valentines Workshopthat begins on February 2nd

Body & Soul challenge

It's the beginning of a new year and time for those resolutions. And of course the number one resolution is to lose weight and get healthier. Martha and her team at Body & Soul are helping us all out with a great five week challenge.

To begin with you will start with a 7-day detox that will clean out all of that bad stuff that you stored up over the year, especially all those cookies.

Nutrition plan including recipes, shopping tips, and snack ideas

Full-body workout customized by Martha's personal  trainer Mary Tedesco

Daily stress-reduction exercise and solutions for stress triggers (I need this one)

Fix common energy drainers and gain better sleep habits

Challenge Success Tools: food diary, calorie-counter tools, healthy cabinet checklist, and more

Sign up on-line right now and you will get emails that will help you out and guide you through the challenge

And make sure you watch MARTHA all week for extra help and some great healthy recipes.