Flat-Belly Secret #1: Spicy Honey Mustard Pork Tenderloin
Combine equal parts Dijon and honey, plus a chopped chipotle pepper. Spread half over the surface of a pork tenderloin or chicken breast. Grill until firm, but still yielding, and brush with the other half of the sauce before serving.

Flat-Belly Secret #2: Prosciutto-Wrapped Chicken Breast
Season a chicken breast with salt and pepper, wrap in thin slices of prosciutto, and grill over low heat until the prosciutto is crisp and the chicken breast is firm. Also works with a fillet of halibut.

Flat-Belly Secret #3: Grilled Watermelon Salad
Cut watermelon into half-inch squares. Rub with olive oil and grill until lightly caramelized. Toss with arugula, goat cheese, more olive oil, and balsamic vinegar.

Flat-Belly Secret #4: Simple Grilled Shrimp
Mix plenty of olive oil with a few cloves of chopped garlic, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Marinate shrimp in half of the mixture for 20 minutes, and then grill over high heat for 2 minutes a side, brushing with the remaining garlic oil.

Flat-Belly Secret #5: Herb-Grilled Haloumi Cheese
Place a hunk of haloumi cheese (found at Whole Foods or in Greek markets) directly on the grill. Cook until lightly charred on the outside, about 2 minutes a side. Top with olive oil and fresh herbs and serve with toasted bread.

Flat-Belly Secret #6: Gridiron Pizza
Roll a ball of pizza dough (store-bought or homemade) into 12-inch rounds. Cook on a well-oiled grill until the crust is firm enough to handle. Top with tomato sauce or pesto and your choice of cheese and toppings. Return to the coolest part of the grill, cover, and cook until the cheese begins to melt.

Flat-Belly Secret #7: Chopped Summer Salad
Toss zucchini slices, eggplant planks, onion slices, and asparagus spears in olive oil, salt, and pepper. Grill until lightly charred, then remove to a cutting board and give them a rough chop. Toss with cooked bow-tie pasta, plus olive oil, the juice of a lemon, and grated Parmesan.

Flat-Belly Secret #8: Spicy Shucked Oysters
Shuck a dozen oysters. Top with softened butter mixed with lemon and Tabasco. Place the shells directly on the grill and cook until the butter begins to bubble, 3 to 5 minutes.

Flat-Belly Secret #9: Curry-Seasoned Chicken
Mix curry powder with softened butter. Stuff under the skin of chicken breast and thighs and grill until lightly charred and cooked all the way through.

Flat-Belly Secret #10: Grilled Chicken and Pineapple Sandwich
Marinate a chicken breast in teriyaki sauce for half an hour. Stick it on a hot grill, and when it’s nearly cooked, melt a slice of Swiss overtop. Serve it on a whole-wheat bun with pickled jalapenos, rings of red onion, and a grilled slice of pineapple.

Flat-Belly Secret #11: Tri-Tip Steak
Rub a tri-tip steak with salt, pepper, garlic, salt, onion powder, and cayenne. Grill over medium heat until lightly charred on the outside and pink throughout, about 10 minutes per side.

Flat-Belly Secret #12: Grilled Strawberry Shortcake
Mix together sliced strawberries, balsamic vinegar, and a few grinds of fresh pepper. Set it aside. Throw a slice of angel food cake directly on the grill, and when it’s toasted and caramelized, remove it and scoop the strawberry-balsamic mix on top. Garnish with a scoop of whipped cream.

Flat-Belly Secret #13: Grilled Pineapple Sundae
Grill slices of pineapple until nicely caramelized. Top each with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a drizzle of melted dark chocolate.

Flat-Belly Secret #14: Grilled Apricots
Halve or pit an apricot or peach, and then cook flat side down until softened, about 5 minutes. Top each slice with a big scoop of Greek yogurt, 1 tablespoon walnuts, and 1 tablespoon maple syrup.

Flat-Belly Secret #15: Chicken Tacos

Rub chicken breasts with garlic, lime juice, and cumin. Grill until firm and serve sliced into warm tortillas with grilled onions and guacamole.

Enjoy eating your way to a bangin’ bod!

Recipes Courtesy of David Zinczenko, Men’s Health

Whoopi Goldberg’s Big Bad Ass Beef Ribs

Makes 3-1/2 cups of marinade
Serves 6

“You’ll have leftover marinade; use it in the same way
you would any great steak marinade.”

18 beef ribs (not short ribs)

Marinade:
2 cups Butch’s BBQ Sauce (or your favorite brand)
1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons orange juice concentrate
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon powdered thyme
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon freshly ground block pepper
1 teaspoon natural smoke flavoring

Place the ribs in a large pan of cold water and bring to a boil.
Simmer, uncovered, for 45 minutes.
While the ribs are cooking, combine all the marinade ingredients in a
large saucepan and bring to a boil. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for
15 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
Drain the ribs and arrange in 1 layer in a large roasting pan. Pour 2
cups of marinade over them, brushing it on to cover both sides. Bake
for 30 to 40 minutes, until the ribs are tender.
Serve with lots of napkins and a bowl of the remaining marinade
on the side.
 

Butch’s BBQ Sauce

Makes 7 to 8 cups

There are many ingredients in this sauce, but once you make a batch
of it, you’ll have plenty on hand to use any time you like. It’s a keeper
in the refrigerator and freezes well, too. You might even consider split-
ting a batch and storing half in the refrigerator, half in the freezer.

Don’t confuse creamy horseradish sauce with the plain grated variety.
You want a prepared creamy sauce here; it’s usually sold in the condiment
section of the supermarket. The granulated garlic is also found in many
supermarkets.

1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup chopped yellow onion
1/2 cup chopped garlic
4 cups tomato puree
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 cup Worcestershire sauce
3/4 cup clover honey
3/4 cup ketchup
1/2 cup creamy horseradish sauce
1/2 cup tomato paste
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup Dijon mustard
1/4 cup dark molasses
1/4 cup dried onion
1/4 cup granulated garlic
2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
1 bay leaf

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat until hot.
Add the chopped onion and garlic, and cook, stirring, about 1 minute.
Add all the remaining ingredients and 2-1/2 cups of water. Bring to a
boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for
20 minutes. Remove the bay leaf and let cool.
The sauce will keep in a covered container in the refrigerator for
2 months.

courtesy of La Belle Cuisine – More Beef Recipes

Paper Orchid Cupcake Wrappers–set of 12 $15.00

BCC Polka Dot Cupcake Liners-set of 50  $49.95

Charlotte-Bella Cupcake Coture-set of 12  $12

 Olivia Swirl Design Cupcake Wrappers-set of 50  $49.95

Meisha Cupcake Wrappers from Kiwi Cakes-set of 12  $18.00

Photo Credit: Mei Teng

Now this is my type of recipe!!

So easy – you can cheat a little too and no one will ever know.

Ingredients

Large pan with curved edges – this will be made on the stove top and no lid is needed – pan to table

4-6 chicken thighs

2 lamb merguez sausage or 2 chorizo

1/2 lb frozen shrimp

1 lb (I use frozen) manila clams

1 large onion

8-16 oz of paella rice (depending on number of people)

Seafood stock (boxed or make your own from clam juice, etc)

Few springs of saffron

A bit of Smoky paprika

Salt & Pepper

Olive oil

Bag of frozen green peas for color

Cook sausage in microwave or on grill or skillet until done – slice.

Heat oil in pan – brown chicken w/ salt & pepper and add chopped onions, cook until soft, add slices of sausage.

Add rice, cover with broth, saffron, smoky paprika – stir slowly. As broth gets absorbed add more, do not over stir.

When rice is near ready (still slightly firm) add shrimp (defrosted – keep tail on whole or cut into pieces) and clams to pan. Spoon some frozen peas (heated) over top before serving.

Start to finish approx 40 minutes.

****Pair with a good Rioja.

Recipe courtesy of Women & Wine

Goodmorning fellow carb lovers. Here’s a great recipe for fresh-out-of-the-oven bread, without all of the work. All it really takes is planning a day ahead. Now, even I can manage that.

Ingredients for basic yeasted No Knead Method:

3 cups bread flour (the above video used 1 cup (5 oz.) whole wheat flour and 2 cups (10 1/2 oz.) white bread flour
1/4 tsp. instant yeast
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups purified or spring water

• Mix together the dry ingredients.
• Mix in water until the water is incorporated.
• Cover with plastic and let sit 18 hours.
• Follow video instruction for folding.
• Cover loosely with plastic and rest for 15 minutes.
• Transfer to well floured towel or proofing basket. Cover with towel and let rise about 1 1/2 hours.
• Bake in covered La Cloche or Dutch oven preheated to 500 degrees for 30 minutes.
• Remove cover; reduce heat to 450 degrees and bake an additional 15 minutes.
• Let cool completely on rack.
• Consume bread, be happy.

Further notes: This method of baking is quite forgiving if you alter the ingredients and proportions. One of the great things about a bread recipe that is so easy and involves just one loaf at a time is you don’t feel like you’re risking a lot if your experimenting goes awry.

Try using different flours and/or different proportions of flour and play around with the water measurement a little.

Recipe courtesy of breatopia.com 

The following recipe is simple and healthy. The secret is purely in the technique. Chances are you already have a fave omelet recipe, but I thought this looked so yummy  and light you might enjoy receiving as much as I did (although my rendition would be fattened up with a little feta cheese). The recipe and the photos come from my sister-in-law, Elizabeth Gentry, who currently resides in China as a photographer, closet foodie and mother of four.  

Ingredients

2 eggs
1 small bell pepper cut into thin strips
1/2 small onion, sliced
2 large button mushrooms, sliced (about 3/4 cup’s worth)
1 clove garlic, mashed, then sliced
2 Tb oil, divided
1/8 tsp crushed oregano
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

- Beat eggs together with a dash of salt and a dash of pepper; set aside
- In a large non-stick pan add 1 Tb oil and heat on med-high until hot
- Add mushrooms, stir briefly, cover and cook until they begin to release their fluids
- Stir in bell peppers, onions, and garlic.
- Cover and cook for about 1 minute.
- Sprinkle with oregano and salt and pepper
- Continue to cook (covered), stirring frequently, until the vegetables are tender
- Remove from pan
- Add the remaining 1 Tb oil to pan
- When the oil is hot, pour in the egg, tipping the pan as necessary to ensure that all of the egg is cooked.
- As soon as the egg is set, turn off heat, add vegetables and fold…
- Remove from pan to plate using the vegetables which remain in the pan (the inevitable veggie fallout) as garnish

Miscelaney Holiday SURVIVAL Guide:

12 Days of Christmas

====================================================

On the fourth day before Christmas, 
Miscelaney sent to me 
4 Killer Apps

 Looking for something interesting to serve guests this holiday? Here’s four great ideas. Click through links for recipes.

1 ) Deconstructed  California Rolls

A nice twist for something light.

 recipe courtesy of Woman’s Day

2 ) Grilled Fig Bruschetta

OMG!

 recipe courtesy of recipegirl.com

3 ) Tea Smoked Chicken

Mmmmmmm, chile sauce and ginger.

 recipe courtesy of Foodnetwork.com

4 ) Piquillio & Crab Dip

Classic crab dip meets Spanish tapas. Zesty!

 recipe courtesy of Food.People.Want

Click through links for recipes and sources.

Sign up for Miscelaney by RSS feed (you can can also sign up by e-mail, (but I know how you people are about commitment). Don’t forget to become a fan on Facebook.

Hello Thanksgiving revelers, it’s me, the Kitchen Warrior. I have a winning Potato Crescent Roll recipe for your Thanksgiving feast(s). But I must caution you, if you are intersted in making/serving an everyday ”crescent roll” for Thanksgiving which is predictably good, quick, and expected, I suggest that you stop reading this post, find the dough boy in the refrigerated section, and carry on about your day.

BUT, if you are more interested in making your sister jealous, getting your mother-in-law’s approval [never a given, but this could certainly help], and creating a bit of a “frenzy” (if your audience is focused on your spectacular rolls, they may not be so focused on your wine consumption), then this is for you: Potato Crescent Rolls, from scratch.

This is not as easy as it sounds, and I have no problem admitting this. I’ve made my fair share of cinnamon rolls, but this recipe was my first real attempt at non-bread machine yeast bread. And (bonus!) I got to use the kneading function on my new food processor.  Here’s what ensued when testing out this recipe: 

• I found the perfect recipe, and made my list.
• I checked my pantry items, and it appears I just need the potatoes, and shortening. I don’t make a habit of baking with shortening, but I was afraid to improvise with butter the first time making this recipe.
• After a trip to the store I summon my inner Iron Chef.
• Peel, cut, boil, drain, mash, cool potatoes. Easy peasy!
• Mix active dry yeast packet with 1 1/2 cups warm (110 degree) water.
• Add potatoes, eggs, salt, sugar, shortening, and 3 cups of the flour.
• Next, add additional 3 1/2 cups of flour, 1/2 cup at a time. Huh. I get about 1 1/2 cups out of my canister, and realize, I’m out of flour…I determine it’s probably not THAT big of a deal.
• I think this because there is no room in the processor for an ounce more of flour (goupy dough is actually seeping out of the processor in areas I didn’t know it could). So I knead it for the outlined 8 minutes, then oil a nice large bowl, and put the “dough” into the bowl to rise for the next 8 hours.
• I re-read the instructions, and the dough is supposed to be in the shape of a large ball, and stiff but managable. Mine is just a blob. Now I panic. Is it too late to save?  Baking is a science, and I don’t know if you can re-knead dough without creating too much gluten, etc….
• So back to the store (flour in my hair, dough on my pants) to get more flour. At this point it feels a little like putting a bandaid on a gunshot wound, but it’s my last chance. Plus, I’m pretty sure my Insinkerator cannot handle absorping this “attempt”.
• I run home, add two cups of flour to the dough, and knead again to make it look like the instructions say it should. I wait 8 hours. I pull the dough out, and it has doubled in size! I followed the remaining instructions, and SUCCESS!

Morals of the story:
1. Check your pantry items and amounts before starting this recipe. 
2. Don’t use an 11 cup food processor for this particular recipe, use your stand mixer.
3. Make your dough enough in advance so you have time to:
-clean your kitchen
-lower your blood pressure
-find that can of “dough boy” just in case your Insinkerator eats your rolls

Potato Crescent Rolls:

Ingrediants

Directions

–Place potatoes in a saucepan, and cover with water. Bring to a boil, and cook until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain, cool, and mash.

–In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.

–When yeast is ready, mix in 1 cup mashed potatoes, sugar, shortening, eggs, salt, and 3 cups flour. Stir in the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until dough has become stiff but still pliable. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl, and turn to coat with oil. Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 8 hours, and up to 5 days.

–Deflate the dough, and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough into two equal pieces, and form into rounds. Roll out each round to a 12 inch circle. Brush generously with melted butter, and cut each circle into 16 wedges. Roll wedges up tightly, starting with the large end. Place on lightly greased baking sheets with the points underneath, and the ends bent to form a crescent shape. Cover, and let rise for 1 hour. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
 
–Bake in preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown.

 Bon Appetit!

Laurie Schneider has been a foodie all of her life. When her demands for a better Gerber’s meal went unmet as a toddler, thus started her long and interesting journey in the kitchen. You can follow Laurie’s adventures in the kitchen at Fork and the Cork.

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*see Perfect Pairing #1 and Perfect Pairing #2

SIDECAR ANEJO paired with CHORIZO AND ROASTED RED PEPPER MILLE-FEUILLE

Sidecar Anejo
Serves 2

Ingredients
1 oz. Jo’s Orange Cognac (or Patrón Citrónge)
1 oz. Patrón Añejo
1 oz. fresh-squeezed lemon juice

1. Mix the ingredients in a shaker half full of ice.
2. Strain and serve in a sugar-rimmed glass.
3. Garnish with a strip of lemon rind.

Chorizo and Roasted Red Pepper Mille-Feuille
Serves 8

Ingredients
2 ½ lbs. mixed bell and shisito peppers
2 lbs. fresh chorizo
4 eggs
1 c. orange cells (individual grains of orange)
1 c. orange supremes (sections of orange free of pit, skin, and pith)
Chives for garnish

1. Blister whole peppers directly on a stove top over high flame so that the skin turns black.
2. Immediately place in paper bag, rolling the top closed so that the steam can’t escape. Wait 15 minutes.
3. Peel and core peppers, leaving a section that can be flattened.
4. Slice chorizo lengthwise into ⅛ inch-thick slices.
5. In a lasagna pan, layer different peppers, alternating each color and type with chorizo.
6. Whisk the eggs and pour over combination.
7. Bake at 300˚F for 40 minutes.
8. Cut into sections, plate, and garnish with orange cells, chopped chives, and segments on the side.

*Photo courtesy of Daily Candy’s & Patrón Social Club’s Perfect Pairing Event. Recipe courtesy of executive Chef Colin Kruzic at Jo’s restaurant NYC

Jo’s
264 Elizabeth Street
New York, NY 10012
212.966-9640
www.josnyc.com