Tri-Color Gefilte Fish for Passover!

I have a recipe to share for those of you that will be celebrating Passover which begins at sundown this coming Monday, April 18th, and runs for 8 days. I realize not everyone may love Gefilte Fish even if you've grown up with it, however, this simple to prepare dish makes for a delightful and stunning appetizer if you are a fan.  It was created by Susie Fishbein and can be found in her book, Kosher by Design

Tri-Color Gefilte Fish
serves 10-12

This easy spin on traditional gefilte fish has three different colored layers for a sophisticated look. It takes only 5 minutes to prepare. The recipe uses a 9-inch springform pan with a removable bottom. If you are using a larger springform pan you may need to use 1-2 loaves per layer. Playing with the amounts won't affect the cooking method, but you may need to increase the cooking time by 10-15 minutes.


Ingredients:

2 (22-ounce) loaves plain gefilte fish, defrosted in wrapper
1 (22-ounce) loaf salmon gefilte fish, defrosted in wrapper
2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped
1 lemon
6 cucumbers for horseradish wells, plus one extra long cucumber for top garnish (optional)
prepared red horseradish (optional)
mayonnaise (optional)
yellow pepper (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9-inch springform pan with nonstick vegetable spray. Give it a heavy even coat. Open each of the 3 gefilte fish wrappers.

Add the dill and juice from lemon into one of the plain gefilte fish loaves. Mix thoroughly so the dill is dispersed evenly. Set aside.

Using a thin spatula, spread the plain gefilte fish into an even layer in the bottom of the springform pan. Top with an even layer of the salmon. On top of the salmon, spread an even layer of the lemon dill fish mixture.

Cover the pan with foil. Bake for 1 hour. If the fish does not look set in the center, remove the foil and bake 5 minutes longer.

Let cool and refrigerate overnight. Can be made a few days in advance. As an optional garnish, slice a long unpeeled cucumber by hand or by mandoline into paper thin slices. Lay the slices in concentric circles around the top of the fish.

Release the sides of the springform pan. To serve as individual servings, cut into wedges, like a pie. Trim any brown edges.

Cut the cucumbers into 2- to 3-inch pieces. Hollow out the center. Mix a few tablespoons of the prepared horseradish with a little mayonnaise to make a pretty pink sauce. Fill the cucumber wells.

Serve a slice of fish on a piece of leafy lettuce with a cucumber well. You can decorate each plate with tiny squares of yellow pepper.

Enjoy and Happy Passover!

Warm Potato Salad!

With the weather getting warmer and everyone starting to BBQ and eat outdoors here's a nice side salad to serve with your meal.  Feel free to change up the ingredients.  If you're looking for more fat then add sour cream and butter.  However, for me the olive oil is just enough and although this has a bit of bacon in it I'd still consider it on the lighter side.

Warm Potato Salad

 serves 4-6 people


1 package baby Yukon gold potatoes
½ bunch dill, finely chopped
2 strips of bacon
Olive Oil
Salt and pepper

Place water in bowl of the steamer and boil. Once boiling place washed potatoes into the steamer basket, cover and cook until potatoes are tender, approximately 10-15 minutes.

In the meantime, take the strips of bacon and place on a hot griddle and cover with grilling plates if you have them. Cook the bacon until it’s done but not too crispy.

When the potatoes are done, cut them in half and place into a large bowl. Add dill and enough olive oil to coat. Crumble bacon over the top and season with salt and pepper.

Toss and serve.

Don't forget to enter my giveaway for the FireWire Grilling Skewers a couple posts down.  The giveaway ends Friday!

Bacon Sashimi - who would have thought!

"Bacon Sashimi" - I just had sushi for dinner tonight but when I read this article i just had to share it.



Raw Materials
New bacon from La Quercia needs no heat

With bacon-flavored lollipops, cupcakes and cotton candy all but standard fare, we rue that a delicious ingredient has become mere ornament.

Thankfully, La Quercia's new Tamworth bacon is battling that trend by taking a minimalist approach to the popular meat. Salted, dried and smoked, it requires no time on the stove. That's right: This is raw bacon.

The secret is in the genes. Tamworth, known in pork circles as the bacon pig, has a long belly with a higher meat-to-fat ratio than most. The fat is sweet and far lighter than the mouth-coating kind you find on Berkshires, that other beloved breed. La Quercia worked with Ozark Mountain Pork's Russ Kremer (known as the "pope of pork") for four years to nail the product.

Of course, you can cook it, and chefs have jumped at the opportunity. At Vie in Chicago, Tamworth bacon sits atop wood-grilled foie gras and maple pound cake. Hawaii's Big Island steakhouse Monette's wraps bananas with the bacon and also uses it as a base for its homemade steak sauce. And at Harrisburg, Pennsylvania's Bricco, chef Jason Viscount serves Tamworth with seared scallops in leek vinaigrette.

The purest beauty of this bacon, though, is that you enjoy it without turning on the stove: Toast bread. Top with thinly sliced bacon. Pronounce it "bacon sashimi." Eat.

Interested in purchasing some of La Quercia Tamworth Country Cured Bacon?  You can buy it here.

What will they think of next?  Although it does sound good!

Note: There was no name listed as the author of this article.

Firewire Grilling Skewers GIVEAWAY!

As many of you may know I love to grill and with the weather finally getting warmer I spend the better part of spring, summer and into fall grilling outdoors.  I reported on these back in July of 2009 when I had just ordered them and again just a couple of weeks ago.  Since receiving these I have used them often and love them.  I'm talking about the Firewire Grilling Skewers.

These skewers are so wonderful to cook with.  I don't know about you, but I can't stand having to take up so much space in my refrigerator when it comes to marinating my kebobs.  With the Firewire Grilling Skewers you simply load your food onto the wire, place them in a zip lock baggie that contains your marinade, and place them in the refrigerator, virtually taking up no space at all.  Unlike the typical metal skewers, these handles don't get hot, plus sliding your meat, veggies or fruit on them is a cinch and even easier to remove.  Don't take my word for it, just watch this video to see for yourself.

If you love to grill, and like doing any type of kebob, you need to enter my giveaway for the Firewire Grilling Skewers and Marinating Kit.  If for some reason your name isn't drawn, make sure you order a set for yourself either way.  It's an item you don't want to be without.  Plus, they're so easy to clean - just pop them in the dishwasher.  They literally take up no space at all.  I have mine rolled up in a plastic baggie in my kitchen drawer ready and clean for the next time I use them. 

To try your luck at winning the Firewire Grilling Skewers and Marinating Kit simply enter this random drawing by doing the following: 

• "Like" the Firewire Grilling Facebook Fan page, made by Inno-Labs.
• "Like" my FB fan page if you don't already and let me know
• follow my blog with "google friend connect" at the top right of my blog, if you don't already, and post a comment.
• don't forget to post on YOUR  facebook wall, "I just entered a giveaway for the Firewire Grilling Skewers on At Home with Vicki Bensinger, and you can too!" 

All entrants must live in the United States. 

A winner will be drawn at random on Friday, April 15th, 2011.

Good luck!

And the Winner is!

Maria Paray - Congratulations Maria!

Quinoa with Roasted Vegetables

Tonight I was in the mood for some fresh fish and veggies but my husband just felt like a Roasted Chicken from the grocery store and a salad.  So I picked that up for him and roasted myself some fresh veggies with Quinoaand decided to forget the fish. 

I just didn't feel like anything heavy but something light and healthy.   When I was at the store I looked to see which vegetables looked their best.  I decided on eggplant, butternut squash, baby tomatoes and spinach and then for the protein I thought I'd make a batch of quinoa which contains 6 grams of protein.

There really isn't much of a recipe.  It's just simply boiling 2 cups of water and adding 1 cup of well rinsed quinoa to the boiling water.  After it returned to a boil, I turned the heat down to a simmer and I covered the pot for about 15 minutes.  I then turned off the heat and let it set for another 15 minutes to absorb the rest of the liquid and give the quinoa time to fluff up.

In the meantime, while the quinoa was cooking I washed the tomatoes, butternut squash and eggplant.  I cut the squash and eggplant into cubes and placed all 3 vegetables together, mixed with some olive oil on a foil lined cooking sheet.  I then placed the vegetables into a 450F degree oven for about 20 minutes or until all were tender, then drizzled the veggies with a chiffonade of basil.  I cooked my vegetables on convention/bake, so if you are just baking it would probably take closer to 30 minutes.

When the veggies were just about done I rinsed a 10 oz. package of spinach and put it into a pot (with just the droplets of water clinging to the spinach leaves), to cook for all of 4 minutes.  Just enough to wilt them and keep their bright green color.

At this point I placed a fistful of quinoa into a bowl and topped it with the roasted veggies and spinach.  

After eating this dish I was totally satisfied and full.  The protein in the quinoa really helps to fill you up while providing so many nutrititional benefits.

A simple yet satisfying meal.  If you're looking for something light, nourishing and delcious try making this dish. Of course feel free to substitute with the vegetables of choice.

Enjoy!

Mother's Day Culinary Class

I know, Mother's Day isn't until May 8th but, it's time to start thinking ahead. If you're like me, even though you may have children of your own, when it comes to celebrating Mother's Day, it just seems easier to celebrate at home.

Rather than taking your mom and mother-in-law out to eat, having it at home is more relaxing, and let's face it, it's easier on the pocketbook.

So I've decided to put together a culinary class that I'll be offering in the Westport Plaza area. Unlike my in-home culinary classes this will be a demonstration class.

Besides having a wonderful meal to share with your family on Mother's Day, this entire menu can prepared in advance, so that you too, can enjoy your special day!  Think of this as Mother's Day out on the terrace!

Date: Wednesday, May 4th, 2011
Time: 11:00am - 1:30pm
Cost: $60.00 per person

Mother's Day Menu

Tomato Bruschetta
Poached Salmon
Cucumber Ribbon Salad
Confetti Potato Salad
Lemon Curd Trifle with fresh berries

Plus some other nice treats and surprises!

Space is limited! If you are interested in signing up for this class please contact me at 314.799.1633 for further details.

LeCreuset GIVEAWAY!

If you've ever cooked with a LeCreuset French Dutch Oven, enameled cast iron cookware, you know how wonderful they are, along with the rest of their products.  Not a whole lot compares to its performance.  Perfect heat retention and even heat distribution make every dish spectacular. 

Just in time for Easter and Passover I'm offering a LeCreuset 3.5 French Round Dutch Oven valued at $280.00 to Giveaway.  If you've never tried one before you don't know what you're missing.  This perfect vessel will help you create an incredible dish for the holiday. 

The French Dutch Oven can cook rice, beans, soup, chicken, beef, stews, cake or whatever else you can think of.  It's truely amazing and it comes in a variety of fun colors to match your kitchen or your mood.

Besides having the opportunity to win one for FREE you also get to select the color of your choice.  So what are you waiting for! 


To enter the random drawing for the LeCreuset 3.5 French Dutch Oven you MUST follow the directions below!

1. Under the comments section of this blog post, tell me why you would like to win the LeCrueset French Dutch Oven.  Plus if you win it, what color do you want for your kitchen?
2. Sign up as a follower of my blog on Google Friend Connect by clicking the follow button.  This is located on the right side of my blog just above "About Me".  If you're already one then please let me know.
3. "Like" my facebook fan page, by clicking on the "like" at the top of the page.  If you already do please let me know.
4. "Like" the LeCreuset fan page, located at the top of the page then, post on your FB wall, "I just entered a GIVEAWAY on At Home With Vicki Bensinger to win the LeCreuset 3.5 French Dutch Oven, and you can too!

All of these MUST be done in order to have your name entered into the drawing.  However, don't forget to leave your contact information so that I can reach you in the event you win. 

One contest winner will be selected at random and notified on this blog and by email on Friday, April 8th, 2011.

The winner will have 48 hours to respond to my email otherwise your name will be removed and another name will be selected at random.

Don't miss your opportunity to win this amazing LeCreuset French Dutch Oven. 

Good Luck!

Below is a fun and simple recipe for making bread in the 3.5 LeCreuset French Dutch Oven created by Jacques Pepin from his book   More Fast Food My Way. 

However, the recipes are endless for what you can create in your new LeCreuset French Dutch Oven should you win!

Slow & Easy Bread In A Pot
make a 1 pound loaf of bread

This is perfect to start in the evening and then pop in the refrigerator overnight so it's ready in the morning to bake.


Ingredients:

 2 1/4 cups tepid water (about 90 degrees)
1 tsp of yeast Rapid Rise)
1 tsp of salt (or a bit more)
4 cups of all-purpose flour (about 1 pound 5 ounces)

Directions:

In the 3.5 LeCreuset French Dutch Oven mix the above ingredients.
Stir them up until the dough is thoroughly blended and gooey. Cover the pot with blended ingredients and let set at room temperature for about 1 1/2 hours.

The dough will be puffed up a lit bit. Knock it down by mixing it up again with a wooden spoon for a moment, you don’t have to do too much. Then cover it and put it in the refrigerator overnight (10-12 hours).

The next day, preheat your over to 450F degrees. Once preheated, take the dough out of the refrigerator, and take the cover off (it should have risen again overnight).  Place the pot directly into the oven and bake for approximately 40 minutes.

After forty minutes, remove the pot from the oven. You will see that you have a perfect crust poking out from the pot. Let it sit and cool for a few minutes. 

Flip pot over and remove the bread.  Now how easy is that?

Enjoy!

AND THE WINNER IS:

  SANDRA DEE


Congratulations Sandra Dee!  I hope you enjoy your new LeCreuset 3.5 French Dutch Oven