WHITE ZINFANDEL COQ AU VIN

WHITE ZINFANDEL COQ AU VIN
1/3 cup flour
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/4 pound bacon. choppped
1 1/2 pounds chicken tenders, cut into bite sized pieces
2 tablespoons butter
1 & 1/2 cups carrot slices
2 stalks celery, sliced thin
1 really large bunch green onions, sliced thin (I used Mexican green onions)
1 & 1/2 cups white zinfandel
2 tablespoons Better Than Chicken Base
2 cups boiling hot water
fresh parsley sprigs
fresh tarragon sprigs

• Place flour in a large plastic bag, add chicken, seal and shake to coat chicken with flour.
• In a large saute' pan brown bacon until crumbly.  Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.
• In the bacon drippings stir fry the chicken pieces until browned. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.
• Add butter.  Scrape bottom to loosen and browned bits.  These will add great flavor.  When butter is melted add carrots and cook 2-3 minutes.  Add celery and onions and saute until tender.
• Whisk together wine, boiling water, chicken base and seasonings.  Pour over vegetables.
• Add back in the chicken and bacon pieces. 
• Cover and bring to a boil.
• Lower heat and simmer 15-20 minutes until sauce is thick.
• Serve over Parmesan Potatoes.

Taste & Create: Coconut Curry Peanut Butter Cookies

So what do you do when your Taste & Create entry is late Late LATE, (and you're the host this NOW LAST month!!) and you simply can't find the time to make the delicious meal of Mushroom Soup and Gougeres with Gruyere? (even though there is no gruyere to be found for almost a hundred miles)

Well, you briefly (albeit seriously) consider a quick fix like Taco Dip for Dinner because you happen to have most of the ingredients, but then when your husband, who happens to be in town 35 miles away at the nearest grocery store, DOESN'T GET THE TEXT about adding avocados to the shopping list...you go back to you partner's blog and start from scratch.

My partner this month is Stef, of Iron Stef. Not only does she have the best blog name, she has some great recipes. It's hard to narrow down. Well, for me it's not that hard because I just don't have access to the groceries required for many of Stef's recipes, unless I plan ahead for about a month and beg anyone who's going to the next state to please please please pick up some (fill in the blank).

However, since I was past the Taste & Create deadline already, I knew I couldn't even wait until Wednesday when we'll be driving to a pretty big town with a decent grocery store. I had to make something, and quick.

I decided on these simple, yet intriguing cookies: Coconut Curry Peanut Butter Cookies.

For those of you who don't know, Taste & Create is a fabulous food blog event in which participating bloggers are paired off to create a recipe from each other's blog. It was created by my lovely friend Nicole of For the Love of Food. It is really, really fun, and it can be as quick or complicated as you'd like it to be. There are many participants from all over the world, and the pairing is truly random, so you never know who your partner will be! I've had partners from Kuwait, India, South Africa, France, and all over the United States! If you'd like to sign up for next month, be sure to visit the How it Works page--deadline to sign up each month is on the 8th!

So back to the recipe. I was wondering just what the heck coconut powder is, and what I could possibly substitute for it. Then I remembered one of my T&C partners from India, and how I had to order some spices for her recipe, and how I tacked on a bunch of treats (sugar-coated fennel seeds, jaggery) to my order that I love but never get to buy or that sounded interesting. On a hunch, I checked the place in the pantry where I have all the Indian treats stashed, and what do you know? I had a little packet of...coconut powder!! These cookies were meant to be!

Did I tell you Steph found this recipe on twitter? Short recipe indeed!

UPDATE> Meant to be? Except. They just didn't work! The mixture was so crumbly, it wouldn't hold together. I put one little pile on a cookie sheet, tried to mash it together, and pressing coconut on top almost did it in! I baked it, and it just crumbled. Hmph.

The mixture seemed quite dry, so first I added some oil from the top of the natural peanut butter. A little better, but still crumbly. I added another egg, and then I could shape them (gently) and even press them down (gently) and add coconut (gently).

I baked them for about 10 minutes, and they looked like cookies! I let them rest on the pan for a minute or two, then removed them to a rack to cool. You know what, they taste like cookies! They are still a bit crumbly, but they'll do. I'll sure eat them. You can't really taste the curry, just a little bit of heat on the back of your throat (which would confuse you if you didn't know about the curry). I love the coconut with the peanut butter. Although they're easy, and pretty good, I can't say that I'll make them again...but you might find me adding curry powder and coconut to a tried and true peanut butter cookie recipe!


So here's the recipe, the way I made them. You can find Steph's original version (and the story about the twitter) here.

Coconut Curry Peanut Butter Cookies

-1 cup peanut butter (+ extra oil if needed)
-1 cup sugar
-2 eggs
-1/2 teaspoon curry powder
-2 Tablespoons coconut powder
-sweetened coconut for topping

Stir everything except the sweetened coconut together, roll the dough into small balls (about 1 inch diameter), flatten on a cookie sheet. Press a pinch of sweetened coconut into the top of each. Bake at 350ºF until set, about 8 to 10 minutes or so.

Classic Barbecue Spareribs

"That meat looks yummy and smells yummy."
- H-Bomb, upon seeing the ribs come out of the oven.

This recipe comes from Real Simple magazine, and it is a WINNER all-around. It's so easy to prepare, just mix up a quick rub, then baking it in the oven is completely hands-off! Grilling the meat and basting with barbecue sauce for a few minutes before serving puts the perfect finishing touch on a wonderful dish. Everyone loved these ribs! The sauce is delicious too, there were barely any leftovers!


Classic Barbecue Spareribs
Hands-on Time: 15 minutes Total Time: 3 1/2 hours Serves: 4

1 scant tablespoon chili powder (or 1/2 tablespoon if your chili powder is strong)
1 tablespoon ground coffee
1 scant teaspoon ground cumin
4 tablespoons brown sugar (divided)
3/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (divided)*I leave this out entirely*
Kosher salt and black pepper
6 pounds spareribs (2 racks), trimmed of excess fat
3/4 cup ketchup
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup molasses
2 tablespoons tomato paste

Heat oven to 275 degrees F. Make the rub: In a small bowl, combine the chili powder, coffee, cumin, 2 tablespoons of the brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon of the cayenne, 2 teaspoons Kosher salt, and 1 teaspoon black pepper.

Place the ribs on a large rimmed baking sheet. Rub the ribs with the spice mixture and tightly cover the baking sheet with foil. Bake until tender and the meat easily pulls away from the bone, 2 1/2 to 3 hours.

Meanwhile, make the sauce: In a saucepan, combine the ketchup, vinegar, molasses, tomato paste, the remaining 2 tablespoons of brown sugar and 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne, and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer 1/2 cup of the sauce into a small bowl for serving.

Heat grill to medium-high. Grill the ribs, basting with the remaining sauce and turning occasionally, until just beginning to char, 4 to 5 minutes. Serve with the reserved sauce.