Monkey Around With This Recipe

Blame this one on the kids – for Mother’s Day, we love a sweet, sinful cinnamon bun with a steaming cup of coffee or an ice-cold mug of milk. We’re not sure why this is called Monkey Bread, but we’ve monkeyed around with the recipe our mama used to make, so we think the name is apropos. (Or maybe it’s because we have more fun than a barrel of monkeys as we stand in the kitchen and pull the warm bread apart, savoring each buttery bite.)

Forget a healthful breakfast in bed. Let the kids help shake the dough in the sugar and cinnamon, then wait for the amazing aroma of bubbly brown sugar and butter. And, for one morning, indulge in caloric overload. Mom’s Day comes just once a year. 

Monkey Bread

Serves 6 to 8 

2 (12-ounce) cans refrigerated buttermilk biscuits

1 cup sugar

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

1/2 cup chopped pecans

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 stick unsalted butter, melted

Heat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease 10-inch bundt pan.

Mix sugar and cinnamon in a large, zip-top bag.

Cut biscuits into quarters and roll into balls. Shake in bag to coat. Arrange evenly in bottom of pan and sprinkle with pecans.  

In small bowl, mix brown sugar and butter; pour over biscuit pieces.

Bake 35 minutes or until top is golden. Remove from oven and cool 10 minutes. Turn upside down onto serving plate; pull apart to serve.

A Different Dish for Easter Brunch

The divas love the springtime ritual of Easter – and, yes, we snitch chocolate, marshmallow chicks and jelly beans from the baskets, but there’s something hopeful in the sunrise that morning.   It’s a day for gathering family and friends around the communal table for a late-morning brunch, and instead of casseroles or a pile of ordinary scrambled eggs, it’s fun to let everyone get messy in the kitchen and make their own mini-pizza – topped with an organic egg to match the sunrise, the rich yolk melting into the crispy crust.

Let the dough sit at room temperature for easier rolling (or tossing).  And once you try an organic egg from a local farmer, you’ll never go back to the mass-produced, grocery-store eggs.

Happy spring!

Easter Brunch Pizzettes

Serves 6

1/2 pound spring asparagus, cleaned and trimmed

Coarse salt, to taste

1/2 pound Italian turkey sausage

1/2 pound fresh mozzarella

3 Florida tomatoes, thinly sliced

1 pound purchased fresh pizza dough

4 organic eggs

1/4 fresh basil, thinly sliced

Preheat oven to 350˚F. Lightly drizzle asparagus with olive oil and sprinkle with coarse salt. Roast in a single layer in a baking dish for 10 minutes, or until lightly browned and tender.  Remove from oven and set aside. 

Remove sausage from casings and brown in skillet over medium-high heat. Set aside.

Thinly slice mozzarella and tomatoes.

Adjust oven to 500˚F. Roll out dough to 1/4-inch thick.  Cut out 4 circles from the dough. Top with tomatoes, then sausage and mozzarella, Top with asparagus spears.  Arrange on pizza stone of heavy baking sheet.  Bake until cheese is melted and crust is golden brown, about 10 minutes. Remove from oven and adjust oven to broil. Crack fresh egg on top of hot pizza; return to oven just until egg is cooked through, about 4 minutes. Serve hot.    

Diva confession: The fancy name for thinly sliced thinly sliced basil is “chiffonade,”  literally translated from French as “made of rags.”  Rinse and dry basil leaves, then stack evenly, up to 8 at a time, and roll tightly into a tight, bundled cigar shape.  With a sharp knife, cut into thin strips.

Cookies Without Turning on the Oven

The divas are experts at keeping cool – we love leaving the oven off and making homemade goodies that only look complicated, a splurge with so little effort.

This dreamy recipe has a little bit of everything: chocolate, salty pecans, peanut butter and whipping cream – what’s not to love?  Forget a bottle of wine as a hostess gift, wrap these bars in a pretty container and share the love. Happy holidays!

Choco-Butterscotch Bars

Makes 3 dozen

6 tablespoons butter, melted

1 cup creamy peanut butter

1 1/2 cups sifted powdered sugar

1 cup crushed chocolate graham crackers

2 cups butterscotch chips

1/4 cup heavy whipping cream

1 cup chopped salted pecans

Grease a 13 X 9 X 2-inch baking pan and set aside. 

Mix butter, peanut butter and powdered sugar in a large mixing bowl until blended. Stir in wafer crumbs. Press into prepared pan, pressing down and smoothing surface; refrigerate.

Melt butterscotch chips and whipping cream in a heavy saucepan over low heat, stirring until smooth.

Spread over crumb mixture and sprinkle with nuts. Refrigerate about 2 hours, or until set. Cut in bars and store between layers of wax paper. 

Use Your Noodle

School bells ring and fall arrives this month with promises of cooler temperatures.  With visions of delicious Sunday suppers, we’re ready to roll – pasta, that is, a favorite homemade treat in the diva household.

Some of our sweetest family memories are rolling out pasta dough on a lazy afternoon. Skinny strands of angel hair; flat, hand-cut pappardelle; hearty fettuccine, and classic strands of spaghetti, all ready to cook with a little kneading and just three ingredients. Ideally, you invest in a pasta machine for cutting the noodles – but in a pinch we’ve rolled the dough super flat with a wine bottle or rolling pin, and hand cut tender noodles.      

            You can use an electric mixer, but there’s something therapeutic and satisfying about mixing by hand.  Start to finish, you’ll have noodles ready to cook in less than an hour. Open a jar of good red sauce, toss a fresh salad and a hand-crafted dinner is done.   

Use Your Noodle Easy Pasta

Serve 3 as a main course

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs

Mix flour and salt and place on a countertop. Make a well in the center of the mound and break eggs into the well.

Beat the eggs with a fork, slowly mixing in flour from the sides. (As you beat eggs, use other had to shore up flour.) As it thickens into a dough, press it into a ball an set aside to rest.

Knead the dough by pushing down with the heel of your hand, stretching the dough away from you. (The kneading will continue to distribute moisture.)  Knead for 10 minutes, pushing, folding and turning until the dough is smooth.

Pat into a ball and cover with plastic wrap or a dish towel and let rest for at least 30 minutes.

To roll, place dough on a floured surface and pat into a flat disk. Start to roll, making sure dough doesn’t stick to the board (if it is, dust with a little flour).  Roll it as thin as you can, until you can see through it.   

Cut noodles by hand with a sharp knife, or with a rolling pastry cutter. You can cook immediately, or let it dry a bit by hanging on a cookie rack, or pasta rack (or even a clothesline). 

To cook, drop in a large pot of boiling water with a splash of olive oil. Taste as soon as it comes to a boil, it cooks quickly! Drain in a colander and mix with favorite sauce.

Summer Supper In a Flash

Raise your hand if you prefer to stay out of the kitchen – for the entire summer, if possible. This quick, light dish takes minimum effort for maximum crunch and sweet, spicy flavor. Grill the shrimp outdoors or on your stovetop, whatever is easiest.

Buy wild American shrimp when you can find it, sweeter and more tender than the imported, farm-raised kind (and without the chemicals). And it’s packed with protein and cardio-protective omega-3s.   Grill the shrimp quickly to preserve the flavor, just a couple of minutes each side until pink, firm and slightly opaque.

Stash this one-dish wonder in the fridge, it’s delish for a couple of days (if it lasts that long).   

Shrimp ‘n Mango Summer Salad

Serves 4

1 pound Wild American shrimp, grilled and chopped

3 large mangoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch chunks

1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced

3 tablespoons chopped cilantro

1 small cucumber, seeds removed and diced 

1/2 jalapeño, seeded and chopped

Juice of 2 large limes

1/4 cup olive oil

Salt, to taste

Combine all ingredients and refrigerate for 30 minutes. 

Father’s Day Yum

This Father’s Day, don’t relegate the grill work – play with fire and wow the men in your life. Your guy may reluctantly hand over the tongs, but grillfriends, take over and rediscover the fun of the flames. 

            Whether you’re cooking on a hibachi or a flick-of-the-switch gas grill, sip a cold beer and get into the joys of grilling. If you have to light a match, we’re partial to cherry wood for pork, poultry and beef, or red oak for smoking ribs. (Try local hardware stores or buy online.)

            We’ll leave the meat to you, here are two fabu sides to wow your man. 

Crispy Prosciutto and Asparagus

Serves 4

10 to 12 thick asparagus spears

6 to 8 slices paper-thin slices prosciutto

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Freshly ground black pepper

Snap the dry stems off of each asparagus or peel ends with a vegetable peeler.

Wrap asparagus spears with thin slices of prosciutto. Brush lightly with olive oil. Grill, turning to brown and crisp the prosciutto and soften the asparagus.  Season with pepper and serve hot. 

Sensational Stuffed Figs

Serves 4 to 6

12 fresh figs

4 ounces goat cheese

2 tablespoons honey

Trim figs and cut lengthwise almost all the way in half.

Mix together goat cheese and honey. Stuff figs with mixture. Grill figs over low heat until soft. Serve warm. 

Dreamy Buttermilk Pie

The Divas took a road trip to Charleston, S.C., in search of the world’s best sweet tea and low-country cuisine.

We found our share of creamy shrimp ’n grits, fried green tomatoes and she-crab soup.

And for a sweet ending, we couldn’t get enough of Hominy Grill’s dreamy buttermilk pie.

How do Chaz’ton socialites keep their slim waistlines with this shameless indulgence coming out of the kitchen of one of the city’s most beloved restaurants?

With true Southern hospitality, Chef Robert Stehling graciously shares this recipe.

Proceed with caution — it’s addictive.

Hominy Grill Buttermilk Pie

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs, separated
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk, room temperature
1 baked (9-inch) deep-dish pie shell

Preheat oven to 350°. In a medium bowl, combine butter and sugar until sugar is completely incorporated. Add egg yolks and mix well to combine. Add flour, lemon juice, nutmeg and salt. With the mixer running, slowly add buttermilk. Mix well and set aside.

In another bowl, whip egg whites until they form soft peaks. Pour a small amount of the buttermilk mixture into the white. Fold gently to combine.

Gently fold egg white mixture into remaining buttermilk mixture until just combined.

Pour custard into baked pie shell. Bake in the middle of the oven until filling is lightly browned and barely moves when the pie is jiggled, about 45 to 50 minutes.

Cool in a rack and serve at room temperature. Refrigerate any leftovers.

Be My Valentine

With financial belt-tightening, it’s a good year for “dinner in” this Valentine’s Day – even though this divine dessert we pilfered from a favorite Disney World chef might have you loosening your belt. 

Make dinner simple and sensuous, it’s not the night for an exhausting kitchen repertoire. An indulgent bowl of pasta, a perfectly grilled steak, a one-pan dish … then wow your sweetie with this rich, devilish dessert that can be made a day ahead.  Chocolate isn’t just decadent, it has a long history as a powerful aphrodisiac: Casanova was said to sip chocolate daily.

Light the candles, chill the Champagne (or less pricey Prosecco) and cook up culinary romance.    

Flourless Chocolate Cake

Makes 6 individual cakes

For cake:

1/2 cup butter, cut into small pieces

1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

3 tablespoons cocoa powder

2 tablespoons freshly brewed espresso

2 tablespoons hot water

3 eggs

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 tablespoons rum

For ganache:

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 325F. Grease a 6-cup silicone muffin mold.

Combine butter and chocolate chips in a glass bowl and microwave on high for 60 seconds. Stir until smooth and set aside.

Combine cocoa powder, espresso and water in a separate bowl. Stir until smooth and set aside.

Combine eggs, sugar and rum in a large mixing bowl, whisking thoroughly. Add cocoa-espresso mixture to egg mixture, then stir in melted chocolate mixture. Whisk until smooth and creamy. 

Pour batter into prepared muffin molds and bake until cakes puff slightly and surfaces are set, about 22-25 minutes.

Cool, then refrigerate for at least 3 hours.

After cake cools, in a medium saucepan over medium heat, add heavy cream and bring to a boil.

Remove from heat and stir in chocolate chips; whisk until smooth.  Remove cakes from molds and set a wire rack over a large bowl. One cake at a time, coat with ganache, making sure to cover side. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Happy (Healthful) New Year!

Healthful Diva 101: always have something delish waiting in the fridge, ready to pounce on after a booty-busting workout or a hard day of shopping. We love crunchy, savory, satisfying tastes, and this simple edamame (soybean) salad keeps us happy.

Edamame are in the freezer section of your grocery store, still in the pod or shelled. And they pack a powerhouse of fiber and nutrition – a half cup has more protein than two eggs, and a generous dose of Vitamin C.

            Stash this salad in the fridge as your go-to sustenance and watch the pounds melt away. With a piece of salmon or a chicken breast, this salad makes a meal. 

Mama’s Edamame

2 cups shelled edamame

1/4 cup rice wine vinegar

2 tablespoons sesame oil

1 tablespoon grated ginger

1/2 teaspoon coarse salt

1/2 cup chopped napa cabbage

1/2 cup shredded carrots

8 radishes, thinly sliced

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds, optional 

Cook edamame according to package directions. Drain completely; set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together vinegar, oil, ginger and salt. Mix in remaining ingredients and toss with edamame. To serve, top with sesame seeds, if desired.  Serve chilled or at room temperature.

Divas’ Decadent No-Bakes

Visions of sugarplums – or at least sugar, dance in our heads, with dieting on hold for a New Year’s resolution. We box these easy cookies with a pretty bow for the perfect gift for a hostess, a teacher, a senior pal, neighbors and kids. (Quick, give them away so you won’t be tempted.)

While baking can be a zen experience, the divas prefer not to turn on the oven during the hectic holidays. Here’s a quickie that leaves time for family and friends – but wows the lucky recipient. It’s an addictive combo of butter, chocolate and rich, salted nuts on a platform of sweet graham cracker, ready to wrap in less than an hour.

            Wishing you happy holidays!    

Divas’ Decadent No-Bakes

Makes 48 bars

14 double graham crackers

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 cup butter

2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

2 cups deluxe salted nuts

Line a 15 X 10 X 1-inch jelly roll pan with graham crackers; set aside.

Combine sugar and butter in a 2-quart saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until mixture come to a full boil, 3 to 5 minutes. Boil stirring constantly, for 5 minutes.

Immediately pour mixture over graham crackers. Spread to coat; sprinkle with chocolate chips. Let stand 1 minute, then spread chocolate chips.

Immediately sprinkle with salted nuts, lightly pressing into chocolate. Cool and break into pieces.  

For a Sweet Ending…

The divas took a road trip to Charleston, S.C., in search of the world’s best sweet tea and low-country cuisine. We found our share of creamy shrimp ‘n grits, fried green tomatoes and she-crab soup. And for a sweet ending, we couldn’t get enough of Hominy Grill’s dreamy Buttermilk Pie.   

            How do Chaz’ton socialites keep their slim waistlines with this shameless indulgence coming out of the kitchen of one of the city’s most beloved restaurants? With true Southern hospitality, Chef Robert Stehling graciously shares this recipe. Proceed with caution, it’s addictive.  

Hominy Grill Buttermilk Pie

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup granulated sugar

2 eggs, separated

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup buttermilk, room temperature

1 baked (9-inch) deep-dish pie shell

Preheat oven to 350° F. In a medium bowl, combine butter and sugar until sugar is completely incorporated. Add egg yolks and mix well to combine. Add flour, lemon juice, nutmeg and salt. With the mixer running, slowly add buttermilk. Mix well and set aside.

In another bowl, whip egg whites until they form soft peaks. Pour a small amount of the buttermilk mixture into the white. Fold gently to combine.

Gently fold egg white mixture into remaining buttermilk mixture until just combined. Pour custard into baked pie shell. Bake in the middle of the oven until filling is lightly browned and barely moves when the pie is jiggles, about 45 to 50 minutes. Cool in a rack and serve at room temperature. Refrigerate any leftovers.

‘Bold & Beautiful’ Scallops ‘n Salmon Skewers

Like a favorite cashmere sweater and pearls, scallops wrapped in sizzling bacon have been a classic party combo since the ‘60s.      

But a makeover is overdue. With all the buzz about omega 3s, we look for creative ways to get fresh wild salmon, one of the best sources, in our diets. Scallops, high in protein and low in calories, move over to make room for chunks of  bacon-wrapped wild salmon in this snazzy, quick, promise-they’ll-love-it dish for your next party (or book group get-together).  Start to finish, you can serve this updated version with about 30 minutes of prep time.   

Line the baking dish with foil to make clean-up a breeze. And for instant gratification, experiment with sauces from your grocery store, where fabulous chipotle concoctions are all the rage.

 “Bold and the Beautiful” Bacon-Wrapped Scallop and Salmon Skewers

1/2 pound sea scallops

1 pound salmon fillets
6 skewers
1/2 pound bacon
Maple Chipotle Glaze (recipe below)

Juice of 1 large lime

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. Rinse scallops and discard any white membrane (that held the flesh to the shell). Cut salmon into chunks roughly the same size as the scallops.

 
3. If using wooden skewers, soak them in water for 10 to 15 minutes while you prepare the glaze.

4. Cut bacon slices in half, about 4 inches long. Wrap the scallops and salmon bites with the bacon, threading alternately onto the skewers. Liberally brush skewers with maple chipotle glaze.

5. In a shallow baking dish, bake at 450 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 minutes or until the bacon is crisp.

Drizzle with lime juice and serve immediately.

Maple Chipotle Glaze

1/2 cup maple syrup

 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons adobo sauce (from small can chipotle chiles)

Serves 6

Harmonious Hot ‘n Sour Soup

Soup season is short-lived in Florida, even though, like wearing white after Labor Day,   we tend to ignore the weather and slurp this spicy bowl of goodness when the mood strikes. If you’re jonesin’ for Chinese, don’t head for your favorite takeout, you can have this on the table in less time than it takes to call and send for pick-up. 

Vinegar and white pepper add harmonious zing to this Eastern melody of comfort that warms body, mind and spirit, a satisfying mélange of  shitake mushrooms, bamboo shoots, tender pork and egg swirled in a spicy broth.

Variations on a theme: toss in fresh shrimp instead of pork, or a small dice of firm tofu. Fresh spinach leaves added just before serving makes for a soup-er healthy treat.

Harmonious Hot and Sour Soup

Serves 8

6 cups chicken stock

10 shitake mushrooms, thinly sliced

1/2 pound lean pork loin, cut into small pieces

1 (8-ounce) can bamboo shoots, drained

6 tablespoons rice vinegar

1/4 cup frozen peas

1/4 cup soy sauce

2 teaspoons sesame oil

1 teaspoon ground white pepper, or more to taste

3 tablespoons cornstarch, dissolved in 1/3 cup water

1 egg, lightly beaten

3 scallions, thinly sliced

Fresh cilantro, chopped, to taste

Bring the chicken stock to a boil in a large saucepan.

Stir in the mushrooms, pork, and bamboo shoots and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, and simmer for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the vinegar, peas, soy sauce, sesame oil and white pepper; simmer for 3 minutes.

Add the cornstarch mixture, stirring until the soup thickens, 2 or 3 minutes.

Remove from the heat and add the egg, stirring constantly, until the egg resembles long threads. Garnish with sliced green onions and cilantro.

Sweet, Salty & Delish

That sound you hear is the crunching of diet-crazed America, at full tilt this month after mindless holiday grazing. We are diving in to fruits and veggies with all the gusto we can muster, amping up flavors with little or no fat.

 There’s something so satisfying about the sweet-salty flavors of Asian cuisine – and this crispy slaw does it without an ounce of fat.  Skinny slices of jicama beautifully absorb the flavors of the dressing – and pack a punch of Vitamin C. Tart Granny Smith apples and crunchy cabbage add to the harmony.   

Top with warm grilled shrimp for a meal in a bowl and the diet survives another day.     

 Asian Apple Slaw

 Serves 2 as an entrée, 4 as a salad

 1/4 cup rice vinegar

1/4 cup lime juice

1 tablespoon fish sauce

1 tablespoon sugar

1 cups jicama, julienned

1 cups Granny Smith apples, skin on, julienne

1 cups cabbage, thinly shredded

Coarse salt, to taste

 In a large bowl, whisk together the vinegar, lime juice, fish sauce and sugar. Stir in the jicama, apples and cabbage. Add salt to taste. Refrigerate at least 2 hours to meld flavors.

Diva Nirvana

Diva nirvana is sipping and noshing our way around the globe, and what better in these flimsy economic times than a day at the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival: French escargot with Pinot Noir, American lobster rolls with a lager, Spanish crema catalana with sparkling wine. (The annual fest runs for 6 weeks each year.) 

Our favorite taste was this sensuous stew from Rio de Janeiro that perfumes the kitchen with garlic, lime, cilantro and coconuts.  Put on a little samba music, sip a sweet caipirinha, chop to the rhythm and pretend it’s suppertime after a day on the beach at Ipanema.     

Moqueca de Camarão

(Shrimp Stew with Coconut Milk)

Serves 4 to 6

36 large shrimp, peeled and de-veined

6 tablespoons chopped cilantro leaves, divided

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

6 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 teaspoon coarse salt

2 medium yellow onions, chopped, divided

1 (13.5-ounce) can coconut milk

1⁄4 cup extra virgin olive oil

4 plum tomatoes, chopped

2 tablespoons butter

4 cups cooked long-grain white rice

Place shrimp in wide shallow dish.  Stir together 2 tablespoons cilantro, lime juice, garlic and salt in a small bowl and pour over shrimp.  Turn shrimp to coat and marinate at room temperature for 20 minutes.

Purée half of the chopped onions and the coconut milk in a blender; set aside.

Heat oil in a large deep skillet over medium heat.  Add remaining chopped onions and cook until translucent, 5 to 6 minutes. Add tomatoes and 2 tablespoons cilantro, stirring occasionally until tomatoes are soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in coconut milk purée and bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 8 to 10 minutes or until sauce is slightly thickened.  Stir in butter.

Add shrimp, pouring any remaining marinade in the skillet.  Stir in remaining cilantro.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium, cover and cook for 5 minutes or just until shrimp turn pink. To serve, spoon over a little hot rice to soak up the delicious broth.