She's Cookin' | from the heart » Giveaways

Cat Cora’s Borscht and a Giveaway

Priscilla — Mon, 11 Oct 2010 12:53:21 +0000

After making this vibrant, bright soup, I thought to myself – of all the delectable recipes in her cookbook cat cora’s classics with a twist, I chose the borscht?? As Cat Cora says, either you love beets or hate them. Unfortunately, most people, and I firmly believe its only because they’re sole experience with beets have been the canned variety, fall in the latter category. Thankfully, the presence of roasted beet salads on restaurant menus has exposed a greater portion of the foodie population to beets. Like Cat Cora, I believe that we could move the minds of the haters, if we had the chance to serve them some of our favorite roasted beet dishes, so don’t give in to preconceived notions, give this under appreciated root vegetable a chance to prove itself!

Borscht with Horseradish Feta Cream

1 lb. beets (4 small or 2 large)*

2-4 cups kosher salt for roasting

6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided use

1 medium onion, chopped

2 large carrots, peeled and chopped

2 garlic cloves, chopped

4 cups Cat’s Rich Chicken Stock or organic low-sodium chicken stock

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Garnish:2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill

Serves 4-6

Horseradish Feta Cream

½ cup creme fraiche**

1½ tablespoons prepared horseradish

½ cup crumbled feta cheese

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

Freshly ground black pepper

Red pepper flakes (optional)

Directions for the borscht:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

*Include extra beets if you want to make a salad later in the week. Scrub the beets and pat them dry with paper towels. Fill a 9-by-13 inch baking pan about one quarter full of kosher salt and rest the bets on top of the salt. Drizzle with 3 tablespoons of the olive oil over the beets. Roast until the beets are tender (a fork slides easily into a beet), about 1 hour for small beets and 1½ hours for larger beets.

Remove the pan from the oven. Leave the beets on the salt and when cool enough to handle (about 30 minutes), peel the skins off and chop the beets. Note: I use gloves to peel the beets, so I don’t end up with beet red hands Set aside.

Heat the remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large, heavy saucepan over medium heat. When the oil is hot, but not smoking, add the onion, carrots, and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables begin to show signs of browning, about 10 minutes.

Pour in the chicken stock and simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes. Increase the heat to medium-high, add the vinegar and the beets, season with salt and pepper, and cook for another 10 minutes, until the flavors meld. Serve chunky or let the soup cool and puree in a blender (hold the lid on) or in the cooking pot with an immersion blender.

Meanwhile prepare the Horseradish Feta Cream:

**I substituted sour cream for the creme fraiche. Combine the sour cream, horseradish, and feta cheese in a blender or food processor and blend at low speed for about 3 minutes. Or you can combine the ingredients in a bowl and use an immersion blender.

Add the lemon juice and pulse for a few seconds to blend. Add a few grinds of black pepper and red pepper flakes if you like a bit of heat, pulse to blend again. Cover and refrigerate. Serve borscht with a dollop of horseradish feta cream.

I was totally smitten by the horseradish feta cream which provides the twist that the title of the cookbook eludes to. I saved every last bit of it and can tell you that it was delicious spread on rye toast, on top of my Sunday football sliders with caramelized onions, and as a tantalizing accompaniment to grilled steaks.

Come join Soup-a-Palooza with TidyMom and Dine and Dish

sponsored by Bush’s Beans, Hip Hostess, Pillsbury and Westminster Crackers

And now for the GIVEAWAY: (giveaway is closed)

For a chance to win cat cora’s classics WITH A TWIST , signed by Cat Cora at a taping of Disney’s Muppet Kitchen, all you have to do is:
1. “Like” my Facebook page (yes, its called TopMomBlog but She’s Cookin’ cooks there) by clicking on the widget in the sidebar, and
2. Leave a comment below telling us whether you like or loathe beets or how you prefer your beets or whatever you feel deep down about beets

The winner will be selected by random number generator at midnight CST on Sunday October 17th and announced here and on Facebook.

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

© Priscilla for She's Cookin' | from the heart, 2010. | Permalink | 36 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: borscht, Cat Cora, Cat Cora's Classics With a Twist, Giveaways, horseradish feta cream

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

OC Foodie Fest

Priscilla — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 13:31:36 +0000

Are you into the food truck craze? If so, what’s your favorite? Or maybe you’d like to attend Foodie Fest so you can check it out! Either way, leave a comment below to WIN TWO TICKETS!! Winner will be chosen by random drawing on Friday the 13th.

What is it? The OC Foodie Fest is Orange County’s first major gourmet food truck event taking place Saturday, August 28th at the Honda Center in Anaheim. The one-day event will be the ultimate foodie destination, featuring the best in popular mobile eats combined with a unique forum to showcase local entertainment & shopping to help support local charities.

This summer, the OC Foodie Fest is bringing Orange County 50 of the most popular, creative and unique food trucks Southern California has to offer. They’ll be serving up a wide variety of culinary creations, international cuisine and specialties such as fusion tacos, freshly steamed hand-made dumplings, the finest in delicious baked treats and so much more! The participating food trucks will include local favorites Taco Dawg, Calbi BBQ, Oh For Sweet’s Sake, Piaggio on Wheels, Seabirds, Tropical Shave Ice. The event will also feature gourmet eats from well-known chefs including the LudoTruck from Chef Ludo Lefebvre best known for his appearances on Bravo’s Top Chef Masters & the Food Network’s Iron Chef America and recently named Chef of the Future by Time Magazine.

Who will be there? Attendees will be treated to a full day of fun and entertainment, which boasts something for everyone. Local OC bands will showcase their award-winning original music (including soul/folk rock Dusty Rhodes and the River Band, indie pop four-piece The New Limb, the reggae sounds of Seedless and more) on our entertainment stage, along with DJ & dance crew performances that will feature The Beat Freaks from MTV reality show America’s Best Dance Crew (ABDC). Event partners, Pretend City Children’s Museum will also bring their unique learning environment to the on-site Kid’s Area. Passionate shoppers will have the opportunity to buy accessories, clothing, handmade jewelry and more from our local shopping vendors.

It’s a for a Good Cause! A portion of the event’s proceeds will go back to local nonprofits Child S.H.A.R.E, finding homes for foster children in Orange County, and Pretend City Children’s Museum, the first educational facility of its kind and largest children’s museum in Orange County. Cart for a Cause will also be in attendance with a custom event menu, featuring a guest chef from a well-known local OC eatery, with sale proceeds benefiting St. Vincent Meals on Wheels, delivering daily life-saving meals and warm greetings to homebound and hungry seniors and disabled or seriously ill adults.

When? The event takes place on Saturday, August 28th from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Where? Honda Center, Anaheim

How Much? Pre-sale tickets are $12 for adults, $6 for children 12 & under, and free for children 3 and under. A limited quantity of tickets will be available the day of the event for $15 per person. V.I.P pre-sale tickets are $50, and include early event entry, free parking, free samples from participating food truck sponsors, an exclusive event gift bag and a private seating area with preferred entertainment seating.

For a complete list of the food trucks and more information about the festival, please visit http://www.ocfoodiefest.com

Winner will be chosen by random drawing on Friday the 13th muaaaahhhh. You will be notified by email – AND I’ll post it on the She’s Cookin’ Facebook page so like me over there, OK?

CONGRATULATIONS! The winner is comment #31 – Kirbie.

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

© Priscilla for She's Cookin' | from the heart, 2010. | Permalink | 53 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Giveaways, OC Foodie Fest

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

# Gourmet Giveaway !!!

Priscilla — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 01:57:38 +0000

Do you mourn the demise of Gourmet Magazine or do you just want a fabulous new cookbook? YOU CAN WIN Gourmet Today: More than 1000 All-New Recipes for the Contemporary Kitchen, by Ruth Reichl, hardcover, 1,024 pages, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, list price: $40.00.

One of the 10 Best Cookbooks of 2009, I quote T. Susan Chang’s NPR’s article:

Gourmet Magazine, that recently extinguished flame, was many things to many people: For some, it was a cheap ticket to faraway food cultures, a menu for special occasions; for others it was pure food porn. But one of the things Gourmet did best can be found in what turns out to be the magazine’s valedictory cookbook: weeknight dishes with an international flair.

Like the 2004 Gourmet Cookbook, Gourmet Today is a good go-to reference for basic matters of technique, like making fresh pasta or how to make a roux. Though its slick, bright food fantasies may no longer arrive in the mailbox each month, Gourmet has found a way to deliver every night — a guarantee that though it may be gone, it won’t be forgotten.

This is how you can WIN this fabulous cookbook: Enter by becoming a Fan on FaceBook and leaving a comment (so I know you’re a new fan as of Feb. 1) and/or subscribing by clicking on the Subscribe button on the website (sidebar) and leaving a comment here or on the fan page. Invite your other foodie or cooking friends to become fans and leave a comment on the fan page (see below) for another entry.

And to all my existing fans *luv ya* – refer a friend(s) to the site and have them leave a comment saying “I joined TopMomBlog because of my friend, your name” and you will both be entered
(Winner will be decided by random.org at midnight on February 28, 2010.)

And for all my veteran fans – have no fear! You can enter by having a friend become a fan and leave a comment that says, “I became a Fan because of my friend, _____ ” and you’ll both be entered.

The Gourmet Today cookbook is featured in our TM Shop, click here or on the navigation bar above. Find out what other cookbooks are on the list of 10 Best Cookbooks of 2009.

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

© Priscilla for She's Cookin' | from the heart, 2010. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Giveaways, Gourmet Today, Ruth Reichl

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh