Sweet Life in the Valley ...

Please check out www.sweetlifeinthevalley.com or www.outandaboutwiththefamily.com. Both are great websites, and the owner of both these sites is offering a trip to Disneyland.

I'm Back ...

OK, it has been a REALLY long time since I've last posted (way too long) !!

Since I've last posted, I have learned some really great recipes, been to some fun places, and now it's time let you in on some fun secrets.

First off, I've always looked on and off for bottled Marinara sauce, and have been dissapointed. As a results, I have been resigned to the fact that I probably would have to continue making Marinara sauce (which I enjoy, but it really takes a long time). I recently tried Barilla's Tomato & Basil Marinara Sauce, and I have to admit .. it is really good. It has a nice balance and does not have that acidic after-taste. I have used it in making various Parmesan recipes (including Vegetable and Eggplant Parmesans). They turned out GREAT !! SO .. go check it out.

Second, I have to tell you that I LOVE Blue Plate Diner. My wife and I really enjoy this place. More to come in a later post.

Third, I will have to introduce you to Dutch Pancakes. We took a trip to Europe earlier this year and became acquainted with this dish. Recipe to come !!

Finally, I have had a couple people ask for a recipe for Butternut Squash soup. Look soon for a post.

SO, stay tuned ...

A couple of good places to try out ...

I like finding individual, unique places. Recently we have come across a couple of eateries that I highly recommend you try out:

In Bountiful, you can try out Plates & Palates. It is located on the southeast corner of 400 North and 500 West. It has very good salads, soups, sandwiches and desserts. Jared, Nina and Justin Christensen are the owners and I found it to really be a nice little find. It is open Monday-Thursday 10 AM to 6 PM. Friday and Saturday it is open from 10 AM to8 PM.

In Salt Lake, try out Gourmandise, the Bakery. It is located at 250 South 300 East. They have great desserts, breads, salads and sandwiches. This was really enjoyable.

Again, both places are VERY GOOD !!!

Do you like Crepes ??

OK .. it has been way too long since I've last made a post. SO, we've enjoyed the past couple of days homemade crepes. They are easy and wonderfully delicious. Better yet, they're cheap and a little goes a long ways !!

Here's the recipe for basic crepes:

In a blender or food processor, put the following:

2 cups All Purpose Flour
1/4 cup Sugar
2 cups Milk
4 Eggs
1/8 tsp (Pinch) Salt

Blend until all ingredients are incorporated

Add 1/2 stick (4 tablespoons) melted butter

Blend until the batter is smooth.

Put the batter in the refrigerator and let it rest approximately 20 minutes.

Heat an 8" shallow flat pan on medium heat. Spray with non-stick cooking spray between each crepe. Pour the batter in the middle (approximately 1/4 cup) and swirl until the batter just coats the entire bottom surface of the pan. Let it cook approximately 1 minute. Use a spatula to flip the crepe to the other side and cook for another 30 seconds. Each side should be lightly brown. Put on a plate.

Fillings:

Put a stripe of Whipping Cream down the middle of the crepe. Put on top of the whip cream stripe some strawberries. You can get frozen strawberries sliced and in sweet syrup or you can cut up some fresh ones and add sugar. Roll the crepe. Top with powdered sugar, more whip cream or drizzled chocolate sauce. Enjoy !!

Gorgonzola Chicken

RENZO'S GORGONZOLA CHICKEN
Renzo Sciortino
Renzo's Restaurant, Boca Raton, Florida
Serves 2

4 pieces of chicken breast pounded thin
flour to dust
2 T butter
4 ounces mushrooms, sliced
pinch salt
pinch black pepper
pinch parsley
6 ounces heavy cream
6ounces Gorgonzola chunks

Dust chicken in flour.
Melt butter in sauté pan on high heat.
Sauté breasts about 2 minutes until they start to turn golden on both sides.
Add mushrooms, salt, pepper, parsley.
Add cream and Gorgonzola, and allow to melt and serve.

The Best Waffles

For those of you who came over this Saturday morning for breakfast ...
(and for those who didn't)

In one bowl mix together
* 1 Cup Flour
* 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
* 1/2 teaspoon Salt

In another bowl pour in 1 cup milk then add 1 egg and then mix with a whisk until you see nice froth

Add the milk/egg mixture to the flour mixture and mix by hand until the flour is just incorporated. Don't over mix.

Add 2 tablespoons melted butter and mix into waffle mixture. Let the waffle mix rest for 5-10 minutes before cooking.

For Saturday, I did 6 times this recipe for the group. Make sure you use a cooking spray each time cook waffles.

ENJOY !!

California Strawberry Salad

Please believe me when I tell you this is good !! Andrea and I have made this for many occasions and it always gets good reviews.

Take some fresh strawberries and cut them up.
Add to this the following ingredients:
* Blue Cheese
* Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
* Pecan Halves
* 1 Tablespoon Sugar (or to taste) >> The sugar will help the strawberries to get juicier
* Drizzle in some Girards Raspberry Dressing

Mix this up. Andrea and I call this the compote !! Let this set for a 10 to 15 minutes.

Make a bed of fresh greens. Spoon the compote over the greens and then sprinkle with shredded Parmesan and Mozzarella Cheese. Drizzle with just a little more dressing.

For an added twist, take some chicken (either grilled or roasted) and put on top of the greens before you put the compote.

ENJOY !!