Who? What?

First encounter.

Doo, doo, doo, Lookin' out my back door...

. . . and you wonder why I can't sleep in? lol

This is actually the window at the head of my bed,
but I couldn't help but think of that Buck Ownes song.

Miniature Shrimp Quiches

1 cup swiss cheese shredded, (4 ounces)
1/2 cup shrimp, cooked finely chopped
2 tablespoons chives chopped
1/2 teaspoon thyme dried
2 large eggs beaten
1/2 cup cream, half and half
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg ground
1 dash red hot pepper sauce (eg. Tabasco)

Pastry Shells
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1/2 package cream cheese softened, (4 ounces)
1 1/2 cups flour, all-purpose
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 C. + 1 T. water

PASTRY SHELLS: Beat butter and cream cheese at medium speed of an electric mixer until well blended; stir in flour and salt. Add water and blend just until incorporated. Cover and chill 1 hour. Shape chilled dough into 1-inch balls. Place in ungreased miniature (1 3/4-inch) muffin pans, shaping each ball into a shell.

QUICHE: Combine first 4 ingredients, spoon evenly into pastry shells. Combine eggs and remaining ingredients, stirring well; pour mixture evenly into pastry shells.

Bake at 350F for 30 to 35 minutes or until set.

Yield: 3 dozen

Zinger - Zing Zing

Thank you to everyone who sent in their Z name suggestions. That was a lot of fun, and I have kept a tally list along with the reasons given so I can look at it again and again. When the final vote was in; Zinger won out!

As you can see Zinger is already getting into things, and quite happy about it too.

Isn't he just adorable?

PS You can hardly tell he has a broken leg any more. Hopefully he won't have a limp at all.

Rosemary Goat Cheese Muffins With Golden Raisins

1 T. chopped fresh rosemary
3/4 C. golden raisins
3/4 C. milk
4 T. unsalted butter
1-1/2 C. all-purpose flour
1/2 C. sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 lg. egg, lightly beaten
4 oz. goat cheese (8 T.) or 4 oz. cream cheese, cut into 3/4" cubes


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a muffin pan. Combine rosemary, golden raisins, and milk in a small saucepan. Simmer 2 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat. Add butter and stir until melted. Let cool. (To cool quickly, place pan in refrigerator about 10 minutes.) Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Mix until combined. Set aside. Slowly add beaten egg to cooled milk mixture. When combined, add to dry mixture. Mix until dry ingredients are moistened. Spoon one-third batter into muffin cups. Place 2 teaspoons goat cheese or one 3/4-inch cube cream cheese in center of batter, dividing among cups. Top with remaining batter. Bake 20 minutes, or until golden brown and springy in centers. Muffins can be served hot or at room temperature.

YIELD: 1 dozen muffins
Source unknown

Look What The Cat (Precious) Dragged In

This is a little male
who is a total lover.
Everyone at the vets office
totally adored him.
His leg is broken,
but on the mend.
Won't you help me name him?
I like names that start with the letter Z.
The first thing that came to mind is Zinger.
Mom suggested Teddy.

Chocolate Ribs

The first time I made this recipes was to make a Valentine dinner for my husband who is a chocolate lover. Since then I've made this at least half a dozen times. This recipe is a real keeper.
BRAISED SHORT RIBS WITH CHOCOLATE AND ROSEMARY

1/4 cup diced pancetta (Italian bacon; about 1 1/2 ounces)
6 pounds bone-in short ribs
1 1/2 cups finely chopped onions
1/4 cup finely chopped shallots
1/4 cup finely chopped celery
1/4 cup finely chopped peeled carrots
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups dry red wine
3 cups low-salt chicken broth
2 cups chopped drained canned diced tomatoes
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 very large fresh thyme sprig
1 bay leaf
3 tablespoons shaved or grated bittersweet chocolate
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder (preferably Dutch-process)
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary

Heat heavy large pot over medium heat. Add pancetta and saut�� until crisp. Using slotted spoon, transfer pancetta to paper towels to drain. Sprinkle ribs with salt and pepper. Working in batches, brown ribs in drippings in pot over medium-high heat until brown on all sides, about 8 minutes per batch. Transfer to plate. Add onions and next 4 ingredients to pot. Cover, reduce heat to medium, and cook until vegetables are soft, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Add wine. Boil uncovered until liquid is reduced by half, scraping up browned bits, about 5 minutes. Add broth, tomatoes, parsley, thyme, bay leaf, and pancetta. Return ribs to pot, cover partially, and simmer 1 1/2 hours. Uncover and simmer until rib meat is tender, stirring occasionally, about 1 1/2 hours longer.

Transfer ribs to plate; discard bay leaf. Spoon fat from surface of sauce. Boil sauce until beginning to thicken, about 8 minutes. Reduce heat to medium. Add chocolate, cocoa powder, and rosemary; stir until chocolate melts. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Return ribs to pot. Simmer to rewarm, about 5 minutes.

Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Bon App��tit
January 2006
Bruce Aidells and Nancy Oakes

My Notes: I don't eat pork so I use boneless beef ribs, and either substitute the pancetta with turkey bacon or leave it out altogether. It doesn't make or break this dish at all.