Our instructor made us Za'atar and flatbread last week while we were learning about herbs and spices.

Za'atar is traditionally used in the Middle Eastern cooking. Its very verestile and can be used on meats, veggies, and bread.  Try this mix (add olive oil) at your next party. Move over olive oil and garlic!

Zaatar
Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup sumac
• 2 tablespoons thyme
• 1 tablespoon roasted sesame seeds
• 2 tablespoons marjoram
• 2 tablespoons oregano
• 1 teaspoon coarse salt

Preparation: Grind the sesame seeds in food processor or with mortar and pestle. Add remaining ingredients and mix well.

Store za'atar in a cool, dark place in a plastic zip bag or in an airtight container. When stored properly, za'atar can be used from 3-6 months.

Spring is here!  What a way to bring in the season, but with a fresh salad. What makes a great salad, to me its the yummy dressing that goes with it.

Marinades/Vinigarettets are easy to make once you get the basics down, and you can whip up some in a few minutes. What combinations can you come up with?

THE BASICS
(courtesy of thefreelibrary- edited by Gourmet Diva)
Five flavors,Combining the five flavors your tongue experiences, balances the taste of the vinaigrette or marinade and makes it satisfying and enticing.
 Sweet, sour, salty, pungent, and spicy combine in an oil base that carries and infuses the flavors throughout the marinade. Pungent is often the most difficult taste concept to grasp. Garlic, ginger, rosemary, citrus zest, wasabi or horseradish
, cilantro, and onions can be described as pungent. 

1)  Pair up vinegar (or use lemon, lime, or orange juice) and oil.
2) Then, Sweetener (fruit sweetener, agave, mape syrup) to cut the acidity.
3) Add a salty ingredient, such as tamari or soy sauce, miso, or sea salt. 
Line up your choices and think about what you want to use before committing to the vinaigrette.

Overall
(vinegar + oil) + sweetener + salt = yummy vinigarette

Try this salad, my lil one likes it, but he rather have it with bananas than strawberries.


Heirloom Lettuce Salad with Strawberries, Walnuts, and Goat Cheese
From The Earthbound Cook by Myra Goodman

1 pint fresh strawberies, rinsed, dried,and hulled
Walnut Balsamic Vinaigrette
7 ounces pre washed mixed baby greens or pre washed baby green
1/2 cup walnut pieces, toasted
1/2 cup crumbled goat cheese

Cut the strawberries in quarters, place them in  small bowl, and toss them with about 2 tablespoons of the vinaigrette. Toss to lightly coat the leaves, then taste and add more vinaigrette if needed.

Transfer the lettuce to individual salad plates. Top the lettuce with the strawberries, toasted walnuts, and crumbled goat cheese, and serve immediately.

Walnut Balsamic Vinaigrette
Makes about 1/2 cup

2 tabespoons balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons toasted walnut oil
2 tablepoons extra - virgin olive oil
salt and pepper
Combine the vinegar, mustard, and both oils in a glass jar and seal the lid tightly. Shake the jar vegorously to combine. Season the vinaigrette with salt and pepper to taste. The vi

After yesterday's radio show, tribute to Woman's History and National Nutrition Month I mentioned that we should "Go Green". Urging listners that they should be more adventerous when it comes to eating vegetables. Here are the few recpies that I had mentioned on the show

Crispy Kale
Prep Time: 5 mins
Cook Time: 20 mins
Ingredients:
6 -8 cups chopd fresh kale, hard stems removed
2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
1/2 tsp. kosher salt or sea salt

Directions:
Place a rack on the lowest shelf of your oven. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Spread kale out on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and apple cider vinegar. Toss to coat.
Place on the lowest rack of the oven and bake for 10 minutes.
Remove from oven and stir so that kale can get crispy all over.
Bake another 8 - 12 minutes or until kale is crispy. It shold be just lightly browed and crispy to the touch.
Continue cooking until crispy.
Remove from oven and sprinkle with sea salt and serve immediately.


Kale on Toasted Bread - Cavolo Nero con le Fette (Italian)
Prep Time: 15 minutes Cook Time: 25 minutes Ingredients:

• A pound (500 g) Kale
• Tuscan-style bread
• Garlic
• Olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation: Take about a pound (500 g) black leaf kale, strip away the tough ribs leaves, and wash what remains with care. Then boil it in lightly salted water just until done (since the kale will wilt, start with as little water as you can; it's done as soon as the leaves are tender). Once the kale is cooked drain it, reserving the liquid, and coarsely chop it. Next, cut several slices of pane casalingo (Tuscan-style bread), toast them, cut them in half, rub them with a cut clove of garlic, dip them in the pot liquid, and arrange them on the plates. Put a 1/3-inch layer of kale on top of each slice, drizzle with good extra virgin olive oil, season with pepper to taste, and serve.

I was very excited to try this Sweet Potato gratin recipe from the "Today's Kitchen" cookbook that I recently picked up. How can I go wrong with sweet potatoes, ginger and pineapples. Well.... the recipe didn't produce enough pineapple mixture for the amount of sweet potatoes.  Lucky I'm here to make these mistakes to save you time.   I tweeked the measurements and added some notes so you can get it right the first time around.

Baked Sweet Potato Gratin with ginger and pineapples
Serves 8

3 lbs 4 lbs of, sweet potatoes, peeled, sliced thin into 1/8 inch pieces
1 tablespoon butter, plus 6 tablespoons, chilled
1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1 (12 – ounce) can crushed pineapples in its own juice
½ cup minced fresh ginger
Pinch of nutmeg
½ cup light brown sugar

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees and use a 9 by 13 baking dish or a gratin dish
2) Use one tablespoon of butter to grease baking dish
3) In a bowl mix together orange juice, pineapple,nutmeg, and ginger; set aside.
4) In the baking dish, make one layer of overlapping sliced of sweet potatoes.
5) Sprinkle with pineapple mixture, dot with butter, and then make another layer of potatoes and continue until potatoes are finished. End with pineapple mixture and butter on top.
6) Bake in oven for 40 to 45 minutes until sweet potatoes are tender when a pairing knife is inserted. Baste gratin with excess juices every 10 minutes. The top should be bubbly and brown. If the top gets too brown or starts to burn, cover with aluminum foil and continue cooking until sweet potatoes are done.

Tip for perfection:
 * Be sure to slice your potatoes as thin as possible. They get all melty and creamy. Slice them too thick and you'll have trouble cooking them through.

Random fact:
1 cup sweet potatoe puree = 1 lbs sweet potato

What else can we do with an egg? I feel like Forrest Gump and shrimp, there are plenty of things to do with them.  Today I decided to make a 'frittata'. A what? Yes frittata.

In my Alton Brown voice:
"The frittata is an Italian dish, similar in composition to an omelet. Unlike an omelet, however, the egg mixture is not folded over and finished on the stove top. Most variants of the frittata start with a few moments on the stove top until the bottom layer of the egg mixture has solidified, and then are baked in the oven for half an hour to an hour depending upon the size and recipe"

This thing was soooo easy to make, give it a try.  You probably have all the ingredients in your fridge. The possibilites are endless, you can try mushroom and peppers or another veggie combo. 

Spinach - Feta Frittata
Makes 4 Servings

Ingredients:
6 slightly beaten eggs
1/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon of dried dill
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 medium onion chopped
1/2 teaspoon bottled minced garlic or 1 clove garlic minced
1 tablespoon margarine or buttre
1/2 of a 10 ounce package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well drained
1/2 teaspoon lemon - pepper seasoning
1/4 cup feta cheese
chopped red sweet pepper
*source easy dinners vegeterian

1. In a medium bowl use a fork to beat together the eggs, milk, dill, salt and black pepper until combined. Set aside. (I'm not a huge fan of dill so I didn't use that much)

2. In a 10 inch broilerproof or regular skillet cook onion and garlic in hot butter until tender. Stir in spinach and lemon  - pepper seasoning.

3. Pour egg mixture into the skillet over the spinach mixture. Cook
over medium heat. As egg mixture sets, run a spatula around the edge of the skillet, lifting egg mixture to allow the uncooked portion to flow underneath. Continue cooking and lifting edge until egg mixture is almost set but still glossy and moist.

4. Sprinkle with feta cheese. Place broilerproof skillet under the broiler 4 - 5 inches from the heat; broil for 1 to 2 minutes or just until top is set.
(or if using a regular skillet, remove skillet from heat, cover and let stand for 3 to 4 minutes or just until top is set)

This was the point where I hoped my house wasn't going to go on fire. 

5 To serve, if desired sprink with red sweet pepper. Cut into 8 wedges

Nutrition facts per serving 206 calories, 14 grams total fat, 335 mg cholesterol, 535 mg sodium, 6 g carbohydrate, 13g protein

I always love looking for new appitizers to try out.  I saw this "Spinach and Feta Cheese Purses", they look so CUTE! And easy to make!  Give it a try, what else can we put in our purses?  Guava and Cheese?

I just finished hosting my first episode of "The Gourmet Diva Lounge", today's topic was "Preparing for Thanksgiving".  Feel free to listen and yes I did admit to the world that I clip coupons.  Frugal Diva!!!!! 

I got a little stumped with the Vegeterian Thanksgiving, but guess what!  We still have time to prepare, so to those Vegeterians out there PLEASE EMAIL OR POST a MAIN DISH for us to try.

I hope you enjoy these recipes to help make your Thanksgiving a little Gourmet Diva.  I will post a brine recipe and the answer on how big of a Turkey I should buy.
Overall, dont be scared to host Thanksgiving, remember to thank your host if your a guest, and most important, relax and have fun and create memor

Jamaica - Me - Crazy Jerk Turkey (Courtesy of Essence Magazine)
COOK TIME 4 Hours

PREPARATION TIME 4 Hours

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cup chopped onions
• 1 cup chopped scallions
• 2 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
• 2 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground or grated nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 item Scotch bonnet peppers or habanero, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 2 tablespoon oil
• 2 teaspoon vinegar
• 1/2 cup barbecue sauce

PREPARATION Stuffing: 1 whole apple (any kind)  1 whole orange (any kind)  1 large onion,  chopped coarse 3 celery ribs, chopped coarse 2 cups chicken broth or water 1 stick melted butter

Remove everything from turkey cavity; rinse with cold water and dry. Place turkey in large plastic bag. Combine all jerk seasoning ingredients in food processor and blend thoroughly. Pour marinade into bag with turkey. Seal bag and turn to completely coat turkey. Refrigerate 2 to 4 hours, frequently turning.
Heat oven to 350°F. Place turkey, breast side down, on rack in roasting pan. Fill cavity with whole apple, whole orange, chopped onion and celery. Pour stock or water in bottom of pan. Loosely tent turkey with foil.
Baste turkey every 30 minutes with melted butter and pan drippings. When bird has 1 hour roasting time remaining (see below), remove foil and flip to the breast side up. Baste every 15 minutes. Insert meat thermometer in mid-thigh, it should read 165? to 170°F when the turkey is done. Allow turkey to rest for 15 minutes before carving.

10 to 12 pounds: roast 3 hours   14 to 18 pounds: roast 4 hours

Candied Yams and Pineapple

INGREDIENTS

• 6 item large yams (about 4½ to 5 pounds), use orange-flesh yams
• 1 item stick butter
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground or grated nutmeg
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 cup fresh pineapple chunks

PREPARATION Peel and cut yams into ½-inch-thick pieces. Place yams in large pot of boiling water; cook until tender, about 10 to 12 minutes. Drain yams in colander. In medium-size pot, over medium heat, melt butter. Mix in both sugars, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and water. Bring to light simmer and cook over low heat 2 to 5 minutes. Stir sauce constantly.

Heat oven to 350°F. In 2½-quart baking dish, place yams and pineapple chunks. Pour sauce over mixture; gently toss to coat yams. Bake, basting occasionally, until liquid is bubbling and yams are tender and glazed, about 30 to 40 minutes.



YIELD 12 Serving/s

Collards and Cabbage Combo

INGREDIENTS

• 4 cup chicken or vegetable broth
• 2 item smoked turkey wings or other parts
• 2 item large bunches collards (about 5 pounds), well washed and sliced or chopped, or two 1-pound bags prew
• 2 item garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 item whole habanero pepper or Scotch bonnet pepper
• 1 teaspoon seasoned salt
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 cup cabbage, sliced into ½-inch-wide ribbons

PREPARATION In large pot, bring broth and turkey parts to a simmer. Cover pot; simmer on low for 45 minutes. Remove turkey parts. Add collards, garlic, habanero, salt and black pepper to broth. Simmer on low for 20 minutes, covered. Stir in cabbage and simmer until tender, about 10 more minutes. Do not overcook. Taste and adjust seasoning. Remove habanero before serving.

YIELD 12 Serving/s

Coconut Rum Eggnog
Makes about 20 Servings
1 Gallon Eggnog Chilled
1 Cup Coconut Rum
Garnishes: Whipped Cream and Nutmeg

In punch bowl or 2 pitchers, combine eggnog and rum. Ladle or pour into cups. Top each drink with a dallop of whipped cream and sprinkle of nutmeg.

Carving in Front of Guests ("Traditional" Method)

• If you'd like to show off your carving skills in front of your guests, the fanciest way to do it is by cutting meat from the breast while it is still attached to the rest of the bird.

1. Towards the bottom of the turkey (just above the wing joint), cut horizontally into the breast until you meet the breastbone in the middle.
2. Starting from the outside edge of the breast, cut vertically from the top until you meet the horizontal cut you just made.
3. Each slice will easily slip off, ready for stacking on a platter or serving directly to your guests!