My Big Secret

Alright, I have a secret to confess . . .
In most places, this secret would not be a big deal at all, but here in Manhattan, I risk becoming an outcast in all my social circles.
For the sake of this blog, I will let my secret out.  Here it is:
I like Olive Garden.
There, it's out.  That wasn't so bad.  I know there are others out there like me, so maybe this will make it easier for them to come clean.  Then, once more people admit it, maybe we could all go out to dinner at Olive Garden to celebrate!
No one in NYC eats at a chain restaurant unless it is a small, NYC only chain, or they are tourists.  So, if you are still too scared to admit your love for chain restaurant food, now you can make it home and eat it secretly in your apartment.

Drink...

Raspberry Lemonade

*recipe from My Baking Addiction
When I go to Olive Garden, I don't typically drink alcoholic beverages (maybe since I haven't been there much since I was old enough to drink).  Usually I order raspberry lemonade.  Their raspberry lemonade is nothing spectacular, and in fact, after doing a little web research, I think theirs is really just Minute Maid raspberry lemonade.  So, I made my own and I think it's even better than Olive Garden's. 
Ingredients:
(makes a pitcher of lemonade)

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup of water
• ¾ cup raspberries; pureed and pushed through a fine mesh sieve; plus more whole berries for garnish if desired
• 1 cup fresh lemon juice (this equaled close to 8 of my lemons)
• 4-6 cups cold water (this will vary depending on your taste)

Directions:

1. Make a simple syrup by combining the sugar with 1 cup of water in a saucepan. Place over medium heat and heat until the sugar in completely dissolved; swirl the pan occasionally. Let cool.
2. Measure 3/4 of fresh raspberries and puree them in your blender or food processor. (I don't have a blender or a food processor, so I just mashed them up with a fork and it worked surprisingly well)
3. Push the raspberry puree through a fine mesh sieve to separate the seeds from the pulp.
4. Once the simple syrup has cooled, combine the raspberry puree, simple syrup and lemon juice in a large pitcher.
5. Add 4-6 cups of cold water. The amount of water you use will depend on your taste, so add as little or as much as you want to achieve your perfect sweet/tart balance. 

Dinner...

Chicken Scampi with Salad and Breadsticks

This meal was really good.  However, I will say, it was one of the more difficult meals I have made on my blog so far.  The chicken dish is a little involved, but more than anything, it was hard to make all aspects of the meal and have everything ready at the same time.  Those Olive Garden cooks must be good :)

Olive Garden Salad

*recipe from Heritage School House

There is something irresistible about Olive Garden's salad.  I have even made their salad the main part of my meal before by only ordering soup, salad, and breadsticks.  This recipe is not exactly the same, but it's close enough.  I'm pretty excited to be able to make it at home and it's easy!
Ingredients:
(serves 6)

for dressing

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1/3 cup white vinegar
• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons corn syrup
• 2 tablespoons parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoons romano cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1/2 teaspoon italian seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon parsley flakes
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

for salad

• American blend bagged salad mix
• red onion slices
• black olives
• pepperoncini peppers
• croutons
• roma tomatoes, sliced
• parmesan cheese, freshly grated

Directions:

1. Mix all dressing ingredients in a blender or processor until well blended. 
2. Toss salad ingredients and top with dressing.

Olive Garden Breadsticks

 *recipe from Full Bellies, Happy Kids

Even people who say they don't like Olive Garden often will admit, "Well, they do have really good breadsticks."  I know, you're thinking, but Megan . . . you said you would never make bread again!  Well, it seems like that's one of those things that I will keep saying, but not actually do.  There are just so many good bread recipes out there, I can't pass them up!  This was one of my more successful bread attempts.  Doug enjoyed the breadsticks much more than I did, but they were pretty good.  The flavor was consistent with Olive Garden, but the texture was off (mine were a little too dense - not light and fluffy).  
Ingredients:
(makes 10-12 breadsticks)

• 1 1/2 cups warm water (between 110 - 120 degrees F)
• 1 package active dry yeast
• 4 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon salt 

For basting:

• 1 stick unsalted butter (or 1/2 cup margarine)
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 2 teaspoons salt

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, dissolve sugar and yeast in warm water and allow to sit for 10 minutes, covered. Mixture should be frothy.
2. In separate bowl, combine flour and salt.  
3. Add flour and salt to yeast mixture. Add melted butter. Mix with paddle attachment of stand mixer or wooden spoon until fully combined. 
4. Knead dough for a few minutes just until dough is smooth. Do not over-knead!
5.  Grease a cookie sheet. Pull off pieces of dough and roll out into strips. 
6. Cover the dough and let sit in a warm place for 45 minutes to an hour.
7. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F and once heated, pop in the bread sticks. In microwave, combine the basting ingredients.
8. After 6 or 7 minutes in the oven, brush the bread sticks with half the butter mixture. 
9. Then continue to bake. Honestly, I almost never leave them in there for an entire 15 minutes—normally it's closer to 12 because I like them softer and less crisp on the outside, but to each their own. Either way, immediately upon removal from the oven brush the other half of the butter on the breadsticks.
10. Allow them to cool for a minute or two, and enjoy!    

Chicken Scampi

*recipe from Easy Restaurant Recipes

This is my favorite dishe from Olive Garden and the one I have ordered most often.  When I made it, I was surprised by how similar it tasted to the real thing!
Ingredients:
(makes 5-6 servings)

White Sauce

• 1 tablespoon butter 
• 2 tablespoons flour 
• milk

Scampi Sauce

• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter
• 2 tablespoons crushed garlic (real garlic; not salt or the dried stuff)
• 2 tablespoons chicken stock
• 3/4 cup Chablis or any white wine that's not too sweet
• 3/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup white sauce
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
• Black pepper to taste

Other Ingredients

• 1/2 package angel hair, cooked according to package directions
• Thinly sliced bell peppers (red, green and yellow)
• Thinly sliced red onions 
• 10 whole garlic cloves
• 2 chicken breasts

Directions:

1. Start by making the white sauce:  
1. Heat 1 tablespoon butter in nonstick skillet. 
2. After it's melted, add 2 tablespoons flour and cook for 2 minutes on medium heat. 
3. Slowly add milk and stir constantly to get rid of lumps. When you have added enough milk, you should have a white gravy consistency. Set this aside. 

  2.  Put the 10 garlic cloves in a small nonstick skillet with some oil and 
       braise them for about 20 minutes on low heat. Just put the lid on the 
       skillet and let them cook; they should be golden and really soft when 
       they are done. 
  3.  In a large nonstick skillet, sauté the peppers and onions for a few 
       minutes. 
  4.  Sauté chicken tenderloins (I sprinkled mine with salt and pepper and 
       dredged them in flour before cooking).
  5.  Cook the Angel Hair pasta according to the package directions.
  6.  Make the scampi sauce:
         1.  Heat butter over a slow heat. Add the garlic, Italian seasoning 
              and crushed red pepper. Cook for about 2 minutes on low heat. 
         2.  Add the wine, water, and chicken base. Stir until combined. 
         3.  Add the white sauce mix and stir until slightly thickened.
  7.  Add the braised garlic cloves to the sauce.  
  8.  Pour the sauce over the angel hair pasta and chicken.   

Dessert...

Olive Garden Black Tie Mousse Cake 
*recipe from Food.com 
This is an amazing cake!  I had it at Olive Garden and this recipe is a very good copycat.  It may not be the prettiest cake I ever made, but it sure is one of the tastiest!  It is time-consuming to make, but well worth it!
Ingredients:

BOTTOM LAYER

• 1 (18 ounce) box of ordinary cake mix (devil's food)

SECOND LAYER

• 1 teaspoon Knox unflavored gelatin
• 1 tablespoon cold water
• 2 tablespoons boiling water
• 4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 4 ounces cream cheese, cubed
• ¾ cup heavy cream
• ½ teaspoon granulated sugar

THIRD LAYER

• 3 egg yolks
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 1 teaspoon Knox unflavored gelatin
• 1 ¾ cups heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

FOURTH LAYER

• 1 ½ cups heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 18 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
• ½ cup white chocolate chips (optional) 
• Chocolate frosting to pipe as a border 

Directions: 
There are FOUR layers to make: 

BOTTOM LAYER (cake): 

1. Bake according to directions on box in a 9" spring form cake pan.
2. When the cake comes out of the oven use a paper towel to press it with your fingers and flatten the cake a little. This is the bottom layer out of four layers.

SECOND LAYER (the chocolate mousse):

1. Melt chocolate and cream cheese together. Let cool. 
2. Soften gelatin with cold water for 1 minute, then add boiling water, stir until dissolved and clear. Let this cool while you start whipping the heavy cream and sugar. 
3. As cream starts to thicken, add gelatin. Continue to whip until stiff peaks form. 
4.  Add 1/4 of the cream to the chocolate mixture and mix thoroughly. 
5. Then fold this into the remaining cream. Once you have it completed, spread this chocolate mousse onto the cake and refrigerate.

THIRD LAYER (the custard):

The first 3 layers

1. Beat egg yolks until pale. 
2. Add sugar, flour, and gelatin, then beat until mixed. 
3. Bring cream and vanilla extract to a boil. 
4. Add a small amount of cream to egg mixture while stirring. 
5. Gradually add until all of the cream has been added and then pour entire mixture through a strainer into the pan. 
6. Continue to cook until custard begins to thicken. 
7. Cool slightly, then pour on top of the chocolate mousse layer and freeze while getting the fourth layer ready.

FOURTH LAYER (the icing):

Please note: this makes a lot of icing so feel free to halve this part of the recipe (I halved it for mine and it was plenty). 

After the 4th layer is added and it's done

1. Bring butter and cream to a boil, pour over chocolate and let sit for 5 minutes. 
2. Stir until smooth. Let cool until it starts to thicken. 
3. Remove cake from freezer, remove the cheesecake pan collar, then pour some of the icing and use a spatula to spread it evenly across the top and sides of the cake. 
4. While this is still wet, put chocolate chips onto the side of the cake. (I did not do this because I thought the cake was rich enough)
5. Optional: Melt half a cup of white chocolate chips (in the microwave) and swirl into the icing if you want yours to look like the picture.
6. Refrigerate the cake. 
7. Pipe chocolate frosting around the top as a border.
8. Serve cold. Delicious!

Dinner Fit For A President

Since it was President's Day, I decided to make some of our President's favorite foods.  I was surprised to see how many websites are dedicated to the foods Obama likes, and after a little research, I found some of his favorites.  But first, you might be interested to hear what some of his dislikes are...Do not try to feed the President any mayonnaise, salt and vinegar potato chips, beets, asparagus, or soft drinks.  Instead, you can definitely make him happy with any of the recipes below and whatever your political views, I think you will enjoy this meal!

Drink...

Black Cherry Iced Tea

*recipe adapted from Food and Wine.com
According to the Food and Wine website, "one of Obama's favorite drinks is the hard-to-find, organic Black Forest Berry Honest Tea.  His staff tries to keep bottles on hand, but, in a pinch, he might like this home-made black cherry tea made with green tea leaves."
This tea is great tasting, but very sweet.  I would say it tasted more like juice than tea.  You might want to either add a little water or even a little alcohol to make it less sweet!
Ingredients:
(makes 1 1/4 quarts) 

• 1 1/4 quarts water
• 1/2 pound fresh black cherries, pitted, or one 10-ounce bag frozen pitted black cherries, thawed
• 1/2 cups + 2 tbs sugar
• 2 tbs fresh lemon juice
• 1 1/2 whole star anise (I omitted this because I have no idea where it buy it!)
• 1/4 vanilla bean, split and scraped(I used a splash of vanilla extract)
•  8 green-tea bags
• Mint sprigs, for serving 

 Directions:

1. Bring the water to a boil in a large saucepan. 
2. Add the black cherries, sugar, lemon juice, star anise and the vanilla bean with its seeds. 
3.  Simmer the cherries over low heat for 15 minutes, crushing them against the side of the pan with a wooden spoon. 
4. Remove the cherries from the heat, cover and let stand for 1 hour.
5. Strain the cherry juice through a fine sieve into a clean saucepan, pressing on the solids. Discard the solids. 
6. Bring the cherry juice to a boil over moderate heat. 
7. Remove from the heat, add the tea bags and let steep for 5 minutes. 
8. Discard the tea bags and let cool to room temperature. 
9. Transfer the cherry tea to a large pitcher and refrigerate until chilled or for up to 2 days. 
10. Serve the tea over ice, garnished with mint sprigs. 

Dinner...

Obama Family Chili 

*recipe from iVillage.com 
According to the website above, Obama says, "I have been using this chili recipe since college and would bring it to any potluck.  I can't reveal all the secrets, but if you make it right, it's got just the right amount of bite, the right amount of oomph in it, and it will clear your sinuses." 
I would agree with the president that this chili is tasty, but I apparently did not "make it right" because there was no spice to it!  If you like any spice in your chili at all, add something to it, because this doesn't have any!
Ingredients:
(serves 5-6)

• 1 large onion, chopped  
• 1/4 tsp ground basil  
• 1 green pepper, chopped  
• 1 tbsp chili powder 
•  several cloves of garlic, chopped 
•  3 tbsp red wine vinegar  
• 1 tbsp olive oil  
• 1 can red kidney beans  
• 1 pound ground turkey or beef 
• several tomatoes, depending on size, chopped 
•  1/4 tsp ground cumin  
• 1/4 tsp ground turmeric
• shredded cheddar cheese (for garnish)  
• 1/4 tsp ground oregano sour cream (for garnish)  

Directions:   

1. Saute onions, green pepper, and garlic in olive oil until soft. 
2. Add ground meat and brown.
3. Combine spices together into a mixture, then add to ground meat.
4. Add red-wine vinegar and tomatoes and let simmer until the tomatoes cook down. 
5. Add kidney beans and cook for a few more minutes.
6. Serve over white or brown rice. 
7. Garnish with grated cheddar cheese, onions, and sour cream.

Dessert...

Sweet Potato Pie

*recipe from iVillage.com

 iVillage.com says, "It's no secret that President Obama loves pie. During his Presidential campaign, pundits began counting the number of times he said "pie" during a speech (his record was 15 times in 104 seconds). He has proclaimed sweet potato pie as his favorite on many occasions, mentioning it in the following speech:" “We decided to stop at a diner because I was hungry and I decided I wanted some pie. Pie. That’s what I wanted. ... I like sweet potato pie. I'm thinking of having a sweet potato pie here in Philadelphia. Because I've heard a lot of people are saying they can make sweet potato pie. I'll put it up against my mother in law's sweet potato pie.”
-- President Barack Obama, October 2008
I had never had sweet potato pie, so I was a little nervous.  If you haven't had it either, it pretty much tastes just like pumpkin pie.  Delicious and surprisingly easy to make (if you use my shortcuts.)

Ingredients:

• flour (for pie crust)  
• 1/4 cup sugar 1 tsp salt (for pie crust)  
  
• 1 tsp sugar (for pie crust)  
• 1/2 cup plus 1 tbsp very cold water (for pie crust)
• 3/4 cup brown sugar  
• 1 tsp cinnamon  
• 1 tsp ginger  
• 4 eggs 
•  1/4 tsp orange zest  
• 2 cups sweet potato puree 
•  pinch of salt  
• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream 
• whipped cream

Directions:

1. I'm sure Obama likes his pie crust home-made, but if you want to make it even easier, be like me and buy a frozen pie crust and skip to step 2.  Otherwise, the recipe calls for this "easy" pie crust: 
1. Place the dry ingredients in a food processor and pulse 4 or 5 times.
2. Add the butter and pulse just until small pebbles form.
3. Add the ice water and pulse just until a crumbly dough comes together. If needed, add 1 Tablespoon of water at a time until the dough forms.
4. Remove from the food processor (carefully?) and form a flat disc. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 1 hour (or 20 minutes in the freezer).
5. Roll your dough in a shape 2” larger than your pie pan. Using the rolling pin, pick up and gently lay the dough into the pan. Cut, crimp or use the tines of a fork to create a decorative edge.
6. Bake blind (with pie weights) at 350 degrees Fahrenheit until golden on the edges, or fill according to your favorite recipe and follow its instructions.

    2. For the filling: Using a large bowl and whisk, beat the eggs with 

        the salt.  

    3. Add the remaining ingredients and whisk thoroughly.

    4. Remove the pie weights from your baked pie crust (or take out 

        your  frozen pie crust). 

    5. Pour the filling into the pie tin and bake pie at 375 degrees
        Fahrenheit for 35 minutes. (20 minutes for smaller pies), or until       
        the center is ‘set’.  (mine took a lot longer - about 45-50 minutes)

A Dinner With Your Valentine

I love fondue.  And I love crème brûlée.  And for some reason, both of these foods seem romantic to me.  I know, you're thinking . . . fondue, I could never make that!  Crème brûlée, certainly I could never make that!  Well, guess what . . . you can!  These two things might seem difficult to make, but they are actually two of the easiest recipes I have blogged about so far.  Not only are they easy, but they are sure to be so delicious that they will trick your valentine into thinking you are a gourmet chef.  :)

Drink...

Kir Royale

Champagne is a great Valentine's Day drink.  This is a classic cocktail with champagne and crème de cassis, a blackcurrant liqueur.  In France, it is usually drunk as an apéritif (before dinner).  We decided to drink some before and during dinner.  It was really good and went well with the meal.
Ingredients:
(for 1 drink)

• 1/2 shot of crème de cassis
• 4-5 shots of champagne (I preferred more champagne since the crème de cassis is very sweet)

Directions (order of steps is important):

1. Pour the crème de cassis into a champagne glass.
2. Add the champagne and drink!

Dinner...

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE fondue!  What's not to love?  Coating everything you eat in melted cheese cannot be bad.  But, I not only love the taste of fondue, I also love the experience of eating fondue.  Usually our meals are so fast.  We eat quickly and then shortly thereafter leave the table.  However, fondue forces you to slow down and enjoy everything.  This is a fondue recipe from my mom and it's a classic fondue recipe.  I am sure you could use other types of cheese, but I just love the classic Swiss!

Classic Swiss Fondue (AKA "Mom's Fondue")

*recipe from Maureen K.
Ingredients:
(serves 2)

• 3/4 lb of Swiss cheese
• 2 1/4 tbs flour
• 1 clove of garlic
• 1 1/2 cups of white wine (we used Chablis which works well in the fondue and is also a traditional wine for Kir [the drink we made, but with white wine instead of champagne—the champagne is what makes it "royal"]
• 3/4 tbs lemon juice
• 1 tsp nutmeg
• dash of pepper
• Dipping ingredients (We used bread, apples, and garlic chicken sausage. You could use so many different things!)

Directions:

1. Cut the cheese into cubes.
2. Toss the cheese with flour in a bag.
3. Rub the fondue pot with the garlic clove.
4. Pour the wine into a pot and set to medium heat.
5. When the wine simmers, add lemon juice and cheese, stirring constantly.
6. Bring the cheese to a bubble, then add nutmeg and pepper.
7. Put the mixture into a fondue pot if you have one.  If not, you can eat it out of the pot in which it was cooked.  It should stay hot long enough for you to eat!

Dessert...

Crème Brûlée

*recipe from Chicago Metallic 
This is one of my favorite desserts.  Before I knew how to make it, I thought it would be very complicated, but as it turns out, it is ridiculously simple!  My parents knew about my love of this dessert and gave me a crème brûlée set a few years ago.  So, I actually have a torch to caramelize the sugar on top.  However, the recipe says you can just put the ramekins no less than 5 inches under the broiler to caramelize it if you don't have a torch. It's good with fresh berries on top as well.
Ingredients:
(serves 4)

• 6 egg yolks
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 cups of heavy cream
• 3/4 tsp vanilla extract
• 6 tsp granulated sugar (for the caramelized tops)

Directions:

Before Baking

1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk egg yolks and sugar together until the sugar is dissolved and the egg yolk mixture is thick and light in color.
3. Add cream and vanilla extract and whisk until blended.
4. Fill a baking pan a little less than halfway with water.  
5. Pour the brûlée mixture into ramekins and place the ramekins into the water bath.
6. Bake until the edges are set, but the center is still slightly loose, about 50-55 minutes.
7. Remove the pan from the oven and cool.  
8. Remove the ramekins from the pan and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
9. Before serving, sprinkle 1 1/2 tsps of sugar on top of each and torch until the sugar is caramelized.

Torching - the scary part!

After a couple bites