Comfort Foods and Indulgences

Panna Cotta is one of those great desserts that you can make ahead of time.  It's so quick and easy and can be served in any pretty glass.  When I make this recipe, I always have some mixture left over and I pour the extra into small ramekins.  You can also pour this into coffee cups or espresso cups for a really fun presentation.

Panna Cotta means "cooked cream" in Italian and is a very adaptable recipe and  can be flavored with just about anything.  If you want to leave out the cocoa powder from this recipe, you can add some vanilla bean and have vanilla panna cotta.  Or add a touch of honey or a little pureed blueberries.  You really can flavor it any way you like.  

When I heard that my friend, Brigid was making “50″s junk food” I immediately went to a recipe I have been coveting for some time now; Homemade Tater Tots. I have read and re-read Saveur’s 100 issue and there are so many recipes that I want to try, modify, and taste.  But it is these little golden nuggets of fried “potatoes” that I keep coming back to.  Yes, these Tater Tots are indeed fried.  And fried food is one of my guilty pleasures.

This is not a dish that I would regularly put on my dinner table, but it is a great treat and perfect for a crowd.  This is also a dish that could be done in advance.  All of us busy people, juggling everything from kids, work, volunteer committments, plus the perils of everyday life – having something pre-prepared and in the freezer is truly a wonderful thing.

There is simply nothing better than a homemade Tater Tot.  I made mine with organic potatoes and whole wheat flour.  With that said, could this be considered a healthy treat???

My oldest son saw this in a magazine and instantly proclaimed he wanted it for dinner.  I was rather surprised as most kids, including my own, don't like food that is touching or mixed up.  In other words, casseroles are usually out.

But when my kids see something they want me to make, I usually oblige.  However, I can't even begin to imagine what the calorie count is here.  Actually, I don't even care.  Moving on.

I have to admit this quiche is pretty cool, it does taste exactly like a cheeseburger.  A bacon cheeseburger.  You have a crust in place for the buns and this thick slab of cheese on top, meat in the middle and what makes it most authentic tasting is the dill pickle relish.  The relish just gives it that "cheeseburgeresque" taste.  Leaving it out would be a mistake.  A big mistake.

Your first bite will surprise you as your mind is seeing quiche but you are tasting burger.  I even wanted to squirt some ketchup on the side for a little dip.  I think I'll try that tomorrow.

Have you ever tried to make something once, (twice, three times, with three different recipes from three different cookbooks) and it never quite came out the way it was supposed to. And your husband, who’s a better cook than you are (or at least better at actually following the recipe) tries the same from yet another cookbook and then another (at least we’re persistent) and it never works, never quite tastes the same tender, delicious way it does in practically any Italian restaurant on any corner in any city in the world.

So, you put it in the category of “Don’t try this at home.” Osso Bucco. It’s never quite tender, never quite fall off the bones delicious, Italian, melt in your mouth restaurant perfect!