A Breakfast Bowl for Champions Served to You by Gourmet Gin

When it comes to breakfast (brunch) I tend to take many chances with my family's menu.  My culinary inventiveness (actually it is just a desire to use all leftovers) trumps traditional breakfast fare on most days.

This week, for some odd reason, we had fresh delicious corn on the cob at the market.  Go figure, I have never seen it in December EVER!!  It has been nice here (Cincinnati) so I fired up my grill.  I treated my family to a summer dinner of steak, corn on the cob, and baked potatoes.

I am using family loosely here because my oldest son is away at college, and my senior in high school has a job, a girlfriend, and a schedule that on most days has me feeding him separate.  This has been hard because family dinners have been an important tradition through the years to me and my husband.  Times change, and I am going to change with them.

 I can see that I am really going to have to practice cooking for two!  I had several ears of corn left and there was no way I was going to let those go to waste.

The breakfast bowl consist of my 2 packets of low fat Ramen Noodles, fresh corn on the cob, fried egg, spicy relish and fresh limes.

Gin's Spicy Relish

4 jalapeno peppers, thinly sliced
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 tablespoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil

(1) Mix all ingredients and let marinate  for 1/2 hour.  (2) Heat a cast iron skillet over high heat, add oil and then sear remaining ingredients for 4 to 5 minutes stirring frequently.  (3)  ENJOY!

I use this relish on just about everything.  I love it, guess who doesn't?

That's right, Mr. Picky Head.  Imagine that??  His loss!  While I am enjoying perfectly cooked fish with a spicy topping, he is just eating fish.  While I am enjoying a taco with an additional fresh topping,  he is eating the same old "boring" taco.  (I think I will stop here since he is helping me with the purchase of a new camera!)

I divided the Ramen Noodles in three bowls and topped mine with the spicy relish, corn, fried egg and fresh lime slices.  The other two bowls were topped with corn and fried egg.  Why?  Mr. Picky Lucas Head is his father's son.

They are two picky peas in a pod.  The apple doesn't fall far from the tree.  Here the two are at a picture taking event at his girlfriend's (Betsy) house for senior Homecoming. Betsy's Mother ( in the background) was kind enough to host this event at her house.

This dish is perfect anytime of the day.  I want to serve it with poached eggs, but I am terrible at this process!  The relish gives it just enough kick to get your taste buds going and the lime adds a subtle fresh flavor.

So go ahead, dare to serve this "different" breakfast to your family.  Hopefully you don't have Picky Heads in your house!!

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND EVERYBODY!!

Succulant Smoked Salmon and There is a Winner in Pay It Forward!!

It is Saturday afternoon and I am busy preparing for a day of "family" birthday celebrations. In my family we usually lump birthdays together and have a big day of celebration. Of course, the day is all about the food and the cake.

Today's celebration is a "little" special because we are adding a new teenager to the mix.

Jake's (my nephew) birthday is very special for two reasons. The number one reason is obvious, he is now a teenager! The number two reason is that thirteen years ago Jake entered the world weighing barely two pounds. Jake was a preemie. It is hard to believe now that he had such a shaky start, because he is growing like a weed grows in my garden, FAST!!

Of course, I have to mention Nick, my now ten year old nephew.

Nick now lives each day in the double digits (10) has he likes to say. Nick is the sweetest and smartest ten year old boy that I know. Ok, I know he is my nephew and I might be a little partial to him!

Thanks to my brother-in-law, I have a freezer of fresh wild caught Salmon!

Rob just got back from a very successful Alaskan fishing trip which brings me to my Smoked Salmon.

I am taking a big platter of homemade smoked salmon to the birthday celebration.

Word of warning!! This smoked salmon is fresh with rich smoked flavor. You will need a charcoal grill to to get that rich smokey flavor.

Gin's Smoked Salmon

1 salmon fillet, 2 to 3 pounds

2 cups rum

1 cup packed dark brown sugar

1/2 cup Chardonnay Oak Smoked Sea Salt

1 tablespoon fresh ground black pepper

(1) Rinse salmon and pat dry. Put salmon in baking dish and cover with rum. Let marinate in rum for 45 minutes. Drain salmon and pat dry. (2) Mix brown sugar, salt and pepper in a bowl. This is your cure. Put salmon in baking dish and cover salmon with cure. Cover with plastic wrap and put in to refrigerator for 4 hours. (3) Soak 3 cups of your favorite wood chips in water for 1 hour. (4) Prepare charcoal grill for indirect heat. (5) Rinse the cure off the salmon with cold water and blot dry. Brush your grill grate with oil and place salmon in the center of grate. Add drained wood chips to hot coals and cover grill. (6) Smoked Salmon for approximately 20 minutes or until it flakes easily. (7) Cool and ENJOY!

I served the Smoked Salmon on a big platter with capers, red onion, chopped hard boiled egg, cucumbers, lemons and pumpernickel bread! Delicious! This salmon will save for three to four days in the refrigerator, so you can enjoy it with your morning bagels if you so do choose.

On to Pay It Forward. I put every body's name in a hat and picked a winner the old fashion way. I wish I could show you the process, but once again I have a dead camera battery! (So AGGRAVATING!) DRUM ROLL PLEASE. . . . . . . THE WINNER IS. . . . . KIM FROM the Ungourmet!! Kim has a great blog and if you haven't had a chance to check it out, head there now! Kim drop me an email with your address and I will send a package your way.

Have a great week!!

A Tower of Tangy Rhubarb Mini Coffee Cakes

Being the resident "foodie" of the neighborhood, sometimes things just show up at my doorstep! Tuesday I was out running the neighborhood, preparing for a June triathlon (another story see below) and came home to find a bag full of fresh rhubarb.

I absolutely love rhubarb. It is sweet-tart and lends itself to jams, pies, sauces and of course coffee cake. Rhubarb is easy to prepare and even better to eat.

I recently have come into procession of a mini square Calphalon baking pan. I love it!! It didn't take long for me to start thinking Mini Rhubarb Coffee Cakes.

Tangy Rhubarb Mini Coffee Cakes

1 box yellow cake mix
1 cup fat free half n half
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 teaspoon coffee extract
3 oz cream cheese
4 cups chopped fresh rhubarb
1/2 flour
3/4 sugar
1/2 cup butter
2 packs of instant oatmeal flavor of your choice (I used Maple and Brown sugar)

(1)Heat oven to 325 degrees. (2) In a large bowl beat cake mix, half n half, vanilla, almond extract, coffee extract and cream cheese. Beat on medium speed for at least two minutes. (3) Boil a pot of water and remove from heat. Add 2 cups of the fresh rhubarb to the water for approximately two minutes. Gently drain. (4) By hand, gently fold the additional two cups of fresh rhubarb that you have coated in 1/4 cup of the flour and the "cooked" rhubarb. (5) In a small bowl mix sugar, remaining 1/4 cup flour, butter and oatmeal to coarse crumbs. Fill muffin cups (or in my case the mini squares) only half full. Sprinkle the crumb mixture on top and bake 20 to 25 minutes. Cool and remove from pan. ENJOY!!

These mini coffee cakes are really good. They are perfect with coffee, milk or tea. They are sweet with a tang to awaken your taste buds. So get baking!!

Why did I bring up the fact that I am doing a triathlon? BECAUSE I don't want to do it!! I participated the Little Miami Triathlon in October with my husband (honey) being my partner. The triathlon consist of 6 mile canoe, 5.5 mile run, and an 18 mile bike race in that order. It literally took me days to recover from this gruelling race! Let me just tell you that we were awful! We didn't come in last, but darn close. We totally underestimated the canoe part of the race and spent most of the time in the water! A bunch of people in our neighborhood participated in this triathlon and they beat us by over an hour. So, with honey it is kind of a pride thing. Me on the other hand, I just plain don't care. At neighborhood parties we are kind of made fun of and I pretty much take it stride. This kind of harassing just eggs honey on.

So, at the beginning of the year, Lo and behold, I got an email congratulating me on signing up for the Little Miami Triathlon! I have remained strong in my commitment NOT to do this triathlon, but my resolve is wavering. Honey wants to do it, now my sister is doing it, and how the heck can I say 'NO?"

Any suggestions for how I can say "no" just pass them my way! Other than that, have a wonderful day!

Chinese Tea Eggs and the Easter Buffet

When I came upon http://www.sugarlens.com/2009/04/chinese-tea-eggs.html I immediately remembered my two trips to China. My sister's husband worked for Proctor and Gamble and took an international assignment to Guangzhou, China. I had the opportunity to visit my sister twice. I have to tell you that I absolutely hate to fly! Can you imagine? The trip to Guangzhou was approximately twenty four hours! Anyway, as much as my sister is adventurous, I am cautious. As much as she dives right in, I prefer to be in the know before I go. Nothing could prepare me for China. It was an unbelievable adventure. The people, the sites, the culture and the food.



Once I landed and got over the fact that I just spent over twenty four hours with white clenched knuckles just waiting for the airplane to drop out of the sky, I decided to be open minded to being in China. I am so happy I did that. Authentic Chinese food will heighten every sense that you have. The sight and the smell so very different than I was use to, but surprisingly enough different in a good way. As far as food goes, I am very adventurous. There is nothing that I will not at least try once. There were "some" food items in China I politely passed on, but I tried a variety of foods that were absolutely amazing.


That brings me to the Chinese Tea Eggs. One afternoon there was a knock on my sister's apartment door. There stood the sweetest older Chinese woman. There was no language barrier. What I mean by that is, that her sweet genuine smile spoke volumes to me. She handed my sister a small basket Chinese Tea Eggs and my sister handed her a small stack of Chinese money. These things were incredible and I ate several a day until I boarded a flight back to Cincinnati. I had all but forgot about those eggs until I came across http://www.sugarlens.com/2009/04/chinese-tea-eggs.html Sugarlens's eggs look authenic and really pretty!!



I called my sister and asked if she knew how to make those eggs. I went to her house (she has been back in the States now for several years) and away we went. We made several batches until we decided what we liked best. So, here are our Chinese Tea Eggs



Gin and Suz's Chinese Tea Eggs



8 hard boiled eggs

1/2 cup teriyaki Sauce

2 tablespoons Chinese Five Spice

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 tablespoons raw sugar

4 tablespoons rice vinegar

2 large black tea bags

water to cover the eggs completely



(1) Boil the eggs 8 to 10 minutes, cool. (2) Take the back of a spoon and crack the eggs but leave shell in tack. (3) Combine all ingredients and bring to a gentle boil. Add eggs and water to cover eggs completely. (4) Simmer for 1 1/2 hours. Remove from heat and let eggs sit in liquid for several hours. (5) Refrigerate and serve cold.



The part that my sister and myself could not do is let the eggs sit in the liquid. We started eating them right away. They are so unique in taste that you really just have to try them. What do you have to lose but a eight eggs? If you really want the "WOW" factor then try serving these for Easter Dinner. It will be an unique treat for your guests!!



I am heading to Tampa tomorrow to visit my son. He is a sophomore at the University of South Florida. I am taking my computer and my camera in hopes of blogging. Tampa has some of the best restaurants in Florida. I will have to see how it goes. My son has been struggling with mono since Thanksgiving. He is improving day by day, but still has some lingering effects of the virus. I will have to take my cue from him. Happy Easter from my family, to you, and your family.

The $12,000 Donut

Who could not use $12,000 dollars right about now? I know that I could. That would pay for my new kitchen counter tops and my broken KitchenAid! I have an ever so slight chance to win $12,000, and so can you!!

For all my foodie friends, this contest is right up your alley. Head over to dunkindonuts.com They are running a contest until April 7, to create their next donut. The prize for the winning donut is $12,000. It is easy to do. There are some really unique flavor combinations to choose from. Let me know it you decide to try your hand at this contest. It is a lot of fun to see the donuts that people have created. You guys are so creative, I just know one of you can win this. The story that you attach to your donut is pretty important, so make sure you bring your best writing skills to the contest.

Who wouldn't want to eat a Dunkin Dounut everyday? I know I would. Their coffee alone is enough to get me there. Add a donut to that coffee and I am all in! I have to face the facts though, I can not eat a donut everyday. No matter how many miles I run, it would never be enough if I was eating a donut a day! For a special treat, I choose Dunkin Donuts. In honor of this contest, I have come up with a "healthy" version of a donut hole.

Gin's Baked Donut Holes

1 cup reduced fat baking mix
1/4 cup Splenda sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon almond extract

1 teaspoon butter extract
1/4 egg substitute
2/3 cup fat free half-n-half
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 can reduced sugar frosting

(1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. (2) Spray a 12 hole mini muffin pan with cooking spray. (3) In a medium bowl, combine baking mix, 1/4 cup Splenda, cinnamon, egg, half-n-half, vanilla and almond extract. Mix well to combine. (4) Drop by spoonfuls into prepared muffin pan and bake for 14 to 16 minutes. (5) Place muffin pan on a wire rack and cool for 12 minutes. Remove holes from pan. (6) Melt 1/2 can frosting in microwave. Dip donut holes in frosting. Cool and enjoy!!

These donut holes are a simple concoction with a hint of sweetness. I add a couple of tablespoons of fiber to mine to add a bit more "health." You can also roll the holes in sprinkles or colored sugar after dipping in the frosting, if you so do choose.

Now, go to dunkindonut and create for a chance to win $12,000!

Pass the Sweet Tart Mandarin Orange Muffins PLEASE

Mandarin Oranges are in every grocery store around here. These oranges are awesome. They are sweet, easy to peel, a great to go snack, and good for you!! What more can you ask for? I will tell you!! For them to go away!! Bear with me on this. When you buy fresh Mandarin Oranges, they come in a big pack. It is like you are buying them in bulk. You bring them home. You peel and eat, and eat, and eat, and eat...... You can not eat them fast enough before they start to spoil, or you become sick of them. What is a foodie to do?

I peel a bunch of Mandarin Oranges and freeze them. They are great to add to smoothies. You can add them to salads for a different taste twist. Finally, you can bake with them. This brings me to the Sweet Tart Mandarin Orange Muffins.

Sweet Tart Mandarin Orange Muffins

3 eggs
2/3 c. orange juice
1/2 c. buttermilk
1/2 cup melted vanilla chips
1/2 c. butter, melted
3 c. flour
1 c. sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
10 peeled Mandarin Oranges
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons lemon extract
1/2 almond extract

(1) Gently mix all ingredients except Oranges. (2) Gently fold in Oranges. (3) Fill prepared muffin cups to the top. (4) Bake in a 350 degree oven for approximately 15 to 20 minutes.

If you like, you can add a crumb topping to your Mandarin Orange Muffins. It is simple and adds an additional sweetness to these delectable treats. Here is what I like the most about these muffins. They are not too sweet or not to tart. It is a perfect combination of flavors. These are great with morning coffee, or a big glass of cold milk. I carefully packed them and shipped a batch to my son who is in college. They arrived at his apartment and were all eaten the same day. You never have to worry about shipping food to college students and it spoiling!!

I would like to tell you that I bought my Mandarin Oranges at Jungle Jims. I wish I could blog about this place, but I could never make you understand what it is without pictures. No photography in Jungle Jims! I have put a call in to Jungle Jims asking if I could have permission to take some pictures? No word yet, but I am keeping my fingers crossed! Until then, go to their web site and see what I have in my back yard!!

Fantastically Fresh Made Mini Muffins

Twas the night before the launch of my very first food blog, when all through the house not an oven was baking or a mixer was a shaking. The recipes were prepared with pride and care in hopes that followers would soon be there. While visions of banana bread danced in my head? WHAT, BANANA BREAD? I can’t do any better than boring bland banana bread? Well, actually I can. I present to you Belle of the Ball Banana Crunch Munch Mini Muffins. It is a mouth full, I know, and that is exactly what you are going to get. You will savor a mouth full of tender and moist muffin, with a crunchy richness that can be relished morning till night. In honor of my very first blog post there is a BIG GIVEAWAY!! Well, it is not so big but it is still fun to receive something free in the mail. The first person to leave a comment will be the proud winner of their very own bottles of Banana Extract and Coffee Extract!!

Belle of the Ball Banana Crunch Munch Mini Muffins

3 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 pound unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 extra-large eggs
3/4 cup whole milk
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon banana extract
½ teaspoon coffee extract (*see note below)
1 cup mashed ripe bananas (2 bananas)
1 cup medium-diced ripe bananas (1 banana)
1 cup granola (**see note below)
1 cup sweetened shredded coconut

Chopped dried banana chips, dried fruits (of your choice,) additional granola and coconut for topping
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
· Coffee extract will not make your muffins taste like coffee, but will impart a robust and dense flavor to these mini morsels.
· I use basic honey and oat granola bars and pound them with my meat mallet.

Line 100 mini muffin cups with paper liners. Sift the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Add the melted butter and blend. Combine the eggs, milk, vanilla extract, banana extract, coffee extract and mashed bananas, and add them to the flour and butter mixture. Scrape the bowl and blend well. It is very important not to over mix.

Fold the diced bananas, granola, and coconut into the batter. Spoon the batter into the paper liners, filling each almost to the top. Top each muffin with dried banana chips, granola, dried fruit and coconut. Bake for 15 to 17 minutes, or until the tops are lightly brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Cool slightly, remove from the pan, and serve.

Most likely you will have extra topping that can be used in yogurt, oatmeal or ice cream .