Cupcakes with lemon zest

Recipe Title: Cupcakes with lemon zest (click here to go directly to my YouTube video of this recipe)

By: Miriam Borys

Ingredients:

3 eggs

1 cup sugar

½ warm milk (not hot)

2 T butter

1 cup flour – sifted

1 tsp. baking powder

¼ tsp. salt

1 tbsp. vanilla

Zest of     1 lemon  (optional)

1.     Beat eggs and sugar until light and fluffy with a mixer or by hand.

2.    Warm the milk, add the butter so that the butter melts.

3.    Add warm milk mixture to eggs & mix again.

4.    Remove from mixer.

5.    Sift flour, baking powder, and salt into liquid mixture. Add lemon zest.

6.    Stir by hand so you don’t over mix.

7.    Bake at 325 degrees for 10 – 14 minutes.

8.    Cool and ice with frosting of your choice.

Gnocchi with Herb Cream Cheese Flavor Bursts

Gnocchi with Herb Cream Cheese Flavor Bursts (click here to go directly to my YouTube video)

Recipe by:  Miriam Borys

Gnocchi

2        potatoes[i]  - steamed

½ - ¾  cup     flour + extra flour for rolling gnocchi

3 tbsp. herbed cream cheese flavor bursts

1 tsp.  salt

1. Cook potatoes.
2. Rice potatoes into a mixing bowl.
3. Mix in salt, Herb Cream Cheese Flavor Bursts and egg.
4. Mix well.
5. Roll out in a sausage shape on a floured board.
6. Cut into 1 inch length. Coat in flour
7. Drop into a pot of boiling water.
8. Garnish with chopped chives & parsley
9. Serve with herb cream sauce & grape tomatoes.

Cream cheese sauce

1/3 cup                   PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese – original

1/3 cup                   milk

3                            Herb Cream Cheese Flavor Bursts

½ cup                      grape tomatoes sliced in half (hold till last)

1. Put these ingredients in a shallow sauce pan and melt.
2. Just before adding gnocchi, stir in ½ cup grape tomatoes.
3. When gnocchi is cooked, ladle immediately into herbed cream cheese sauce.
4. Stir until well coated.
5. Plate and garnish with fresh parsley & chives cut with kitchen shears.

Herb Cream Cheese Flavor Bursts

1 brick         PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese – original

¼ tub            PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese – Herb & Garlic

1 ½               juice of 1 ½ - 2 lemons

½ c               fresh cilantro – loosely packed

½  cup           parsley fresh – loosely packed

1 tbsp.                    onion – cooking

1                   green onion

¼  cup           fresh chives

¼ cup            red pepper

3                  hot sauce – drops

½ c               grape or cherry tomatoes

                    Salt & pepper to taste

1. Put all ingredients above into the food processor.
2. Blend until mixed well.
3. Stop processor and scrape walls. Blend again.
4. Portion scoop the herb cream cheese into balls and individually quick freeze (IQF).
5. Once frozen, remove from freezer, bag and store in freezer for easy access.

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[i] use a “bakers” potato such as a Russet or an Idaho potato because they contain higher starch levels than moister levels. This will help keep the potato together when boiling for the recipe.

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XK3TDTqYWZg&list=HL1337245133&feature=mh_lolz

Buffalo Burger with Portabella Mushroom

It's that time of year where we drag the BBQ out and start to enjoy warmer weather and cold beer. It is also time to re-introduce my buffalo burgers that I created last year.  I first tasted buffalo while on a summer road trip with my girlfriend Maggie Dickey. We drove out to Saskatchewan to see her family and I was introduced to 100's of buffalo by her brother Marshal who raises buffalo. This was the first time I tasted buffalo meat and it is so lean and tasty, that I was looking forward to a burger in my own back yard.  Enjoy with a cold beer.

Recipe Title:  Buffalo Burger with Portabella Mushroom (click here to go directly to my YouTube video of this recipe)

By: Miriam Borys

Ingredients:

Servings: 1

1/2 pound(s) of buffalo ground meat
1/4 cup(s) of Sundried Tomato & Basil PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese
1/4 cup(s) of Herb & Garlic PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese
1/4 cup(s) of mayonnaise
1 tbsp. of grainy mustard
1 'pesto flavor burst' (see recipe below)
1 slice tomato
1 slice white onion
1 slice fresh pineapple
1 Portobello mushroom – stem and spines removed

Cream Cheese Burger sauce: use up leftover little bits of cream cheese
¼ cup sundried tomato PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese
¼ cup herb & garlic PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese
1 tbsp. grainy mustard
¼ cup mayonnaise
Miriam’s original ‘pesto flavor burst’[i] - 1

Prep:

1. Form buffalo meat into 2 thin patties.
2. Cube 2 tbsp. cream cheese
3. Place cubes of cream cheese into the center of 1 pattie and cover it with a second buffalo pattie.
4. Seal edges to prevent the cream cheese from oozing out.
5. Grill on BBQ on medium heat until internal temperature is over 165 degrees.
6. Meanwhile cut 1 thick (1 inch) slices each of fresh pineapple, beefsteak tomato, and white onion.
7. Brush with oil and grill on BBQ until golden brown.
8. Clean Portobello mushroom, removing stem & gills, coat with oil and grill.
9. When buffalo burger reaches an internal temperature over 165 degrees remove from grill.
10. Assemble as you wish or use a burger bun if desired.
11. Top with grilled vegetables and pineapple and cream cheese burger sauce

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[i] Flavor bursts:
In a process combine the following until smooth:
3 cups of cream cheese - plain
1 pound of basil - fresh, washed & trimmed
4 garlic cloves
Scoop into small scoop size and freeze individually. Store in a sealable bag until needed.

Salsa with Rhubarb & Corn

Recipe Title:  Salsa with Rhubarb & Corn

By: Miriam Borys

Ingredients:

3 roma tomatoes
1 corn on the cob
¼ cup red onion
1 lime – juice
½ cup rhubarb
1/3 cup diced tomatoes with chilies (optional. I bought these tomatoes in the USA but I find stewed or diced tomatoes add to salsa)
1 T serrano pepper
1 cup cilantro (or more)
Pinch salt & cracked pepper

1.     Cook corn on the cob until just tender. Cool immediately in cold water ice bath so it doesn’t continue to cook. When cool and cut corn off the cob.

2.    With a Mandoline[i] dice tomatoes and red onion.

3.    Into a large bowl add diced tomatoes, corn, cilantro, canned tomatoes, serrano peppers & onion.

4.    Peel and dice rhubarb. Add to the bowl.

5.    add the juice of 1 lime.

6.    Salt and pepper to taste and let sit in cooler to marinate.

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[i] user-friendly Mandoline slicer, making uniform, precise slices of apples, potatoes, cucumbers, carrots, tomatoes, onions. Quick way to prepare vegetables.

Rhubarb Strawberry Pinwheels

Recipe Title:  Rhubarb Strawberry Pinwheels (click here to go directly to this YouTube video)

By: Miriam Borys

Ingredients:

¼ cup Philadelphia Cream Cheese – spreadable

¼ cup sugar

2 eggs yolks (save the whites for egg wash at the end)

1 tsp. vanilla

1 cup rhubarb

1 cup strawberries

2 sheet of puff pastry cut into 4-5 inch rounds

2 cups icing sugar & drops of water to make a thin glaze

1.     In a bowl over a pot of simmering water melt the cream cheese.

2.    Add ¼ cup sugar & vanilla and whisk until well blended

3.    Add egg yolks and continuously whisk until the mixture turns thick like custard ( this is similar to making a sabayon which is made with egg yolks, sugar and sweet wine) Careful not to overcook.

4.    Remove from the heat and add rhubarb and strawberries.

5.    Let sit off the heat while you prepare the puff pastry.

6.    Cut 8 rounds out of the puff pastry sheets.

7.    Make a slit in each round at 12 o’clock, 3, 6 & 9 o’clock. Each slit should be about 1 inch long only.

8.    Using the egg whites, egg wash the centers of the rounds (this prevents the pastry from becoming soggy.

9.    Dock the bottom of the egg washed surface (prick tiny holes)

10.  Add 2 generous tablespoons of the filling to the middle of each prepared round

11.   Fold up the 4 corners so it resembles a pinwheel

12.  Bake at 400 degrees for approximately 14 minutes until golden brown

13.  Glaze with icing sugar mixture when the pinwheels are hot.

Rhubarb Strawberry Yorkshire Cream Scone

Recipe Title: Rhubarb Strawberry Yorkshire Cream Scone (click here to go to the Philadelphia Cream Cheese contest) 

By: Miriam Borys

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 cup sugar
¼ pkg. Philadelphia Cream Cheese Original (approximately 65 g)
5 tbsp. butter – cold
1/4 cup cold milk plus 2 tbsp.
½ cup rhubarb (fresh from garden)
1/8 cup sugar to add to diced rhubarb
1 cup strawberries (frozen)
1 egg (for egg wash)

Prep:

1.     Dice rhubarb into tiny chunks. Put into a small bowl & sprinkle with  1/8 cup sugar. Set aside and hold.

2.    In another bowl or with the stand mixer, combine flour, baking powder, salt & ½ cup of sugar

3.    Add cold butter to flour mixture.

4.    Break apart with a pastry cutter or with the paddle of a mixer

5.    Continue to mix until mixture is mealy (the butter is incorporated and is now approximately pea size)

6.    Add cream cheese and blend in.

7.    Add 1/4 cup milk. Because of the frozen strawberries the batter will be too wet if too much milk is added.

8.    Mix well but do not over work or the scones will be dense and hard

9.    If to dry add the remaining tbsps. of milk.

10.  Roll out onto a floured board

11.   Cut with a cookie cutter of your choice

12.  If using a 2 ½ inch cutter the yield is 15 scones.

13.  Bake at 375 for 12- 15 minutes

Note: if adding fresh strawberries, use more milk to bring the dough together.

Marinated Lemon chicken with Thyme

Recipe Title:  Marinated Lemon chicken with Thyme

This delicious recipe was inspired by You +1'd this publicly. Undo

Ina Garten ‘The Barefoot Contessa.

Ingredients:

4 chicken breasts
1 shallot
1 garlic bulb  (10 cloves)
1 lemon for lemon zest & juice
1 T fresh dried thyme
½ cup olive oil
½ cup white wine
cracked pepper & salt

Prep:

1.     Rinse chicken under cold running water to remove surface pathogens[i]

2.    Heat olive oil in a saute pot.

3.    Add diced garlic and shallots and simmer until just cooked

4.    Add thyme & dash of salt & cracked pepper

5.    Add zest & juice of 1  lemon

6.    Add white wine & cook for 5-8 minutes more to slightly reduce

7.    Pour olive oil sauce into the bottom of a baking dish

8.    Place chicken breasts onto sauce

9.    Cut up 1 lemon into chunks and add to baking dish.

10.  Cover and store in cooler overnight or as long as you want

11.   Remove from fridge and store at room temperature for a least ½ an hour before cooking time.

12.  Roast chicken in a 375 degree oven for 30-35 minutes until the internal temperature (use a probe thermometer) is 165 degrees.

13.  Serve on a bed of quinoa or rice with steamed carrots.

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[i] Pathogens are disease causing microbes that cause foodborne illness

Pesto Cream Cheese Scone

Recipe Title:  Pesto Cream Cheese Scone (click here to go directly to my YouTube video of this recipe)

By: Miriam Borys

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
4 tsp. baking powder
1/8 cup sugar
¼ cup  Pesto
1/8 cup sour cream
Dash cracked pepper
¼ pkg. Philadelphia Cream Cheese Original (approximately 65 g)
5 tbsp. butter – cold
2/3 cup cold milk plus 3 tbsp.
1 egg (for egg wash)

Few grains of salt on top egg washed scones before baking

Prep:

1.     Combine flour, baking powder, salt & sugar in a bowl  or with a mixer.

2.    Add cold butter to flour mixture.

3.    Break apart by hand with a pastry cutter or with the paddle of the mixer

4.    Continue to mix until mixture is mealy (the butter is incorporated and is now approximately pea size)

5.    Add cream cheese and blend in.

6.    Add sour cream and pesto sauce and mix only until partly combined.

7.    Add milk.

8.    Mix well but do not over work or the scones will be dense and hard

9.    If too dry add 2 tbsp. more milk.

10.  Roll out onto a floured board

11.   Cut with a cookie cutter of your choice

12.  If using a 2 ½ inch cutter the yield is 15 scones.

13.  Bake at 400 for 10 - 12 minutes