Author: Chez Starz

I have a passion for food and travel. I am always looking for delicious recipes to cook and share with my family. This site is simply a way to share family recipes and those I find in cookbooks and online.

Chocolate Mousse Dessert Cake

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This is a classic recipe from Julia Child. A rich delicious chocolate cake that does not need frosting. I watched her make this one on her show and she made it look so simple, as she often does. However, there are many steps and it can be a little tricky with the water baths but worth the effort and a great treat for the holidays.

Ingredients;

  • 6 whole eggs
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 pound of chocolate (14 oz semi-sweet, 2 oz unsweetened)
  • 1/4 cup dark Jamaican rum
  • 1/4 cup strong coffee
  • 1 cup heavy whipping cream (chilled)
  • 1 TBS vanilla

Directions;
Butter and flour a 10 cup cake pan, have a piece of wax paper buttered as well and place on bottom of cake pan.
Whip eggs and sugar.
Melt chocolate, rum, and coffee in water bath and add vanilla to chocolate mixture.
Whip heavy cream into soft whip cream.
Fold chocolate into beaten eggs and sugar then fold whip cream into mixture, pour into prepared pan. Bake at 350 degrees in water bath for 1 hour. Leave in pan of water, oven off for 30 minutes.
Remove carefully from pan and sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Sweet Potato Puree with Brown Sugar and Sherry

This is an intriguing recipe I found in my epicurious app and adapted a bit with marshmallows. The thing I absolutely loved about this dish is the hint of sherry. This is the second sweet potato dish I have placed on the website. You might be able to tell, I love sweet potatoes. If you don’t use 4 pounds of potatoes, reduce the amount of Sherry.

Ingredients:

  • 2 pounds medium-sized red-skinned sweet potatoes (yams)
  • 2 pounds medium-sized tan-skinned sweet potatoes
  • 10 TBS (1 1/4 sticks) butter, room temperature
  • 1/4 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
  • 5 TBS dry Sherry
  • 1 bag mini marshmallows
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Pierce all sweet potatoes with fork and bake until tender, about 55 minutes. Cool slightly. Using spoon, scoop potato pulp into large bowl. Add butter and brown sugar, using electric mixer, beat until smooth. Beat in Sherry. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to a baking pan and cover with one layer mini marshmallows. Bake for 6-8 minutes at 400 degrees or until marshmallows are tanned.

Mom’s Apple Pie

 

My mom makes the best apple pie. I always try to produce a pie worthy of her but it has been a difficult road. I am not giving up because my mom’s apple pie is my all-time favorite food. It is not the same without mom’s pastry recipe that has been passed down throughout the generations in her family. You have to make this pastry the day before.

Mom’s Pastry

Ingredients;

  • 5 cups flour
  • 1 pound lard
  • 1 tsp salt
  • ¼ tsp baking powder

Directions;

Mix the above 4 ingredients together in a large bowl, use fork to start than by hand (I use my Cuisinart mixer for the entire recipe and it does a fabulous job).

  • Beat 1 egg in a measuring cup
  • Add 2 tsp white vinegar
  • Then add water to make ¾ cup

Add to flour mixture and mix. Mix until lard is almost absorbed. Mixture will be very sticky. Roll into log and cut into 6 even pieces. Wrap in tin foil and freeze for at least 1 day. Thaw and roll out with lots of flour.

Mom’s Apple Pie

Ingredients;

  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup flour
  • 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • Dash of salt
  • 8 cups thinly sliced apples, I use granny smith for their tartness but you can use whatever you like. (About 8 medium)
  • 2 TBS butter

Directions;

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Prepare pastry. Mix sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in a large bowl. Stir in the apples. Turn into pastry lined plate. Dot with butter. Cover with top crust and cut slits in top. Seal and flute edges. Cover edges with 3 inch flute of aluminum foil to prevent excessive browning. Remove foil during last 15 minutes of baking. Bake 40-50 minutes or until crust is brown and juice begins to bubble through the slits.

 

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread

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Thanksgiving is almost here, that means feasting on holiday food, one of my favorite things. This is a recipe I found in a Halloween themed magazine years ago. I don’t remember the name. I made this for a family gathering and it was very popular. It is a super easy recipe.

Ingredients:

  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 4 eggs
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 2 cups canned pumpkin
  • 1 1/4 cups vegetable oil
  • 1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:

In a large bowl, combine the flour, cinnamon, salt and baking soda. In another bowl, beat the eggs, sugar, pumpkin and oil. Stir in the dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in the chocolate chips. Pour into two greased 8 inch x 4 inch x 2 inch loaf pans.
Bake at 350 degrees for 60-70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wires racks.

Sugar Cookie

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Looking for a sugar cookie for the holidays and inundated by how many recipes there are online? Well look no further. Here is a recipe from the bf that is easy to make and delicious.

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 cup butter
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 5 cups flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp salt

Directions:

Mix butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla together. Add flour, baking powder, and salt. Chill for 1 hour at least, roll out and make those cookies in any shape desired.

Bake at 400 degrees for 8 minutes.

Let cool and decorate.

Merry Christmas!

Chicken Parmesan

 

 

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I made this the other night and my son devoured it like he was a paramedic, it was funny. Our favorite restaurant in Brentwood, Cap’s, serves an outstanding chicken parm and I have tweaked the sauce to resemble there’s. This means I add a bit more sugar while trying to get the delicate salty and sweet balance a chicken parm should have. Recipe is Tyler Florence’s.

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus 3 tablespoons
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1/2 cup kalamata olives, pitted
  • 1/2 bunch fresh basil leaves
  • 2 (28-ounce) cans whole peeled tomatoes, drained and hand-crushed ( I uses pureed tomatoes to make this step easier)
  • Pinch sugar
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 4 skinless, boneless, chicken breasts (about 11/2 pounds)
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1 TBS water
  • 1 cup dried bread crumbs
  • 1 (8-ounce) ball fresh buffalo mozzarella, water drained
  • Freshly grated Parmesan
  • 1 pound spaghetti pasta, cooked al dente

Directions

Coat a saute pan with olive oil and place over medium heat. When the oil gets hazy, add the onions, garlic, and bay leaves; cook and stir for 5 minutes until fragrant and soft. Add the olives and some hand-torn basil. Carefully add the tomatoes (nothing splashes like tomatoes), cook and stir until the liquid is cooked down and the sauce is thick, about 15 minutes; season with sugar, salt and pepper. Lower the heat, cover, and keep warm.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

Get the ingredients together for the chicken so you have a little assembly line. Put the chicken breasts side by side on a cutting board and lay a piece of plastic wrap over them. Pound the chicken breasts with a flat meat mallet, until they are about 1/2-inch thick. Put the flour in a shallow platter and season with a fair amount of salt and pepper; mix with a fork to distribute evenly. In a wide bowl, combine the eggs and water, beat until frothy. Put the bread crumbs on a plate, season with salt and pepper.

Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high flame in a large oven-proof skillet. Lightly dredge both sides of the chicken cutlets in the seasoned flour, and then dip them in the egg wash to coat completely, letting the excess drip off, then dredge in the bread crumbs. When the oil is nice and hot, add the cutlets and fry for 4 minutes on each side until golden and crusty, turning once.

Ladle the tomato-olive sauce over the chicken and sprinkle with mozzarella, Parmesan, and basil. Bake the Chicken Parmesan for 15 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly. Serve hot with spaghetti.

Nonna Luna’s Rice

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I was watching The Food Network at work the other day and Giadi was making this dish with her mom. It looked good so I made it last night and it’s simple to make and tasty.

Picture above is of my BF and his daughter on our trip to Kauai.

Ingredients

  • 1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter, divided, at room temperature
  • 2 cups parboiled long-grain rice
  • 3 1/2 cups chicken stock
  • 2 tsp kosher salt
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 2 pounds small shrimp, peeled and de veined
  • 1/2 cup lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
  • 1 TBS hot sauce
  • 1 cup whipping cream
  • Freshly ground black pepper

Directions

In a medium nonstick saucepan, heat 1/2 of the butter over medium-low heat. Add the rice and cook, stirring frequently, until golden, about 6 to 7 minutes. Add the chicken stock and salt. Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer covered for 20 to 25 minutes until the rice is tender and all the liquid is absorbed. Remove the pan from the heat and rest covered for 5 minutes.

In a large skillet, melt the remaining butter over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring frequently, for 1 to 2 minutes until aromatic. Add the shrimp, lemon juice, and hot sauce. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes until the shrimp is pink and cooked through. Stir in the cream and heat through. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Baby-Back Rib Chili

I found this unusual chili recipe in the Jan 2003 issue of GQ magazine. Titled “A Big Bowl of Love” and it truly is. Article by Terry Sullivan; he says he received the recipe from his accountant, Liz. Thank you Liz!

Ingredients:

  • 1 or 2 slabs baby back ribs, seasoned with salt and pepper
  • 2 large white onions, diced
  • 1 large bunch celery, diced
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 2 cans (28 oz) whole tomatoes
  • 1 can (28 oz) tomato sauce
  • 1 can (40 oz) kidney beans, puree
  • 1 palmful cocoa powder or 3 to 4 oz chocolate syrup
  • 2 palmful chili powder
  • 2 tsp each salt
  • 1 tsp pepper
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp brown sugar
  • 8 to 10 shakes Worcestershire sauce

Directions:

Partially precook ribs in a 450 degree oven for 45 minutes. Meanwhile, saute the onions and celery in olive oil for 10 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients. Cook for 30 minutes or so, then remove the ribs from the oven, pour off the grease, cut them into two-rib sections and add to the pot. Cook over medium heat for several hours stirring occasionally.

Roasted Carrots

 

This is a recipe from one of my favorite chef’s, Jamie Oliver. Very simple yet so tasty. No measurements given because you just add to taste and depends on how many carrots you are cooking.

Ingredients:

  • Carrots
  • Clementine
  • Olive Oil
  • Salt
  • Pepper
  • Rosemary
  • Pinch of cumin

Directions:

Parboil the carrots for 10 minutes while heating the oven to 400F, place the drained carrots on a roasting sheet and squeeze the clementine over them, toss with the remaining ingredients and cook for 50 minutes.