Pear Port Tart

One of my fellow water aerobic pals told me about this dessert she discovered which could be made in one pan, and once cooked it tasted wonderful. Hubby loves pears, so I decided to try it. However I marinated the pears in port and a squeeze of lemon the night before. Reducing the port over heat and drizzling it on the tart before serving.

PEAR TART

from Parade Magazine

Melt 4 1/2 T butter in pie dish at 350 (5-8 min)

Whisk together
3/4 C flour (I use half whole wheat pastry and half unbleached white)
3/4 C sugar (I use 1/3 C)
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
(I also add 1 tsp cinnamon)

Add 3/4 C milk
1 1/4 tsp vanilla

Whisk until smooth.
Pour batter over hot butter.
Top with 1 1/2 C diced pears

Bake 45 min. until browned.

My little sister is in town for a month, graduation party, beach combing and a Long Island winery tour, so this is a quick one!

Stuff It!...with Chorizo!

I know the photo kind of bites right...well the meal from Memorial day was just plain good. But the Chorizo Stuffed Chicken recipe from Chris @ Nibble Me This was not plain anything...it was brilliant and it will be an honored tradition at all my BBQ's from now on.

Knowing my guest were not real spicy eaters as we are I found some mild chorizo at a local market known for carrying south American ingredients (great array of cheeses) off Route 27 in South Brunswick. I wrapped thighs around the sausage, and slit open the breasts, then closed them up with toothpicks once I felt the amount of chorizo was sufficient. I mixed together well chopped cilantro, lime juice, corn syrup, brown sugar, salt/lemon pepper, and olive oil for the outside marinade. Leave in mixture for at least hours. I did feel I should have added more brown sugar for a better blackened coating, but it all tasted wonderful.

Once on the grill I continued to baste the mixture on the chicken. It was wonderfully moist in spite of how the picture  above may appear. I could see doing this marinade on many other things. I could see chorizo stuffed inside hamburgers!

I have to remember to post this macaroni salad recipe, a simple one, since it was a big hit at my Memorial Day BBQ. By the way, I turned 50 last week, and wanted to thank many of you for your Birthday Wishes you passed my way...I am in the club now!

My comments will remain off since I found it very freeing. I do miss hearing from the readers, but see many of you on facebook and twitter each week. Summer is a busy time for me with writing and friends, as well as my sister coming for a few months. We will be running around, and I barely have time for my work in the professional kitchens which employ me. If you are thinking of turning off your comments, do it. We can still visit each other, I still read many of your posts each week, or when you add new posts, commenting when I can.

Sam's Tomato Poppers

Sure Sam gave credit for this Tomato Popper recipe to a friend, but I am giving her credit for recognizing it as an easy and delicious treat to pass along to us!

Seeing this great recipe, it became part of my Memorial Day Birthday Celebration table. Let's just say they will be on many of my tables to come.

I took cherry tomatoes, tossed them with dill, lemon pepper and sea salt. They worked on the appetizer tray, in the salad, and even as an after dessert snack while sitting outside sipping wine. In spite of how much food you serve throughout a party, they will always appreciate something to pop in their mouths in those last minutes before the party breaks up.

Memorial Day Birthday Celebration

In my family tradition we celebrate our birthday for a whole month, or at least it always ended up that way. Many friends and family cannot get together as easily in summer months, so we string out the gatherings over a few weeks time. I began the tradition with my children, and found many others do as well...

I am turning 50 in June, but would be traveling to Texas, so I wanted to do some celebrating with my New Jersey friends. However the trip is postponed, but celebration plans go on. Where I am in the photo? In their smiles, as well as their tummies...no they did not eat me, but ate my good BBQ meal!

Planning my memorial day feast, I had seen two blog post that struck me as great food sources for good eats. Sam @ My Carolina Kitchen, and Chris @ Nibble Me This are two of my favorite follows, on Blogger and facebook. They always have some good eats posted!

I will be posting their recipes in the next two weeks, so stay tuned, and enjoy the heat!