Snuffers and Shiner...

There are not that many things I really miss about Dallas. I do miss my favorite eateries and my mother and friends but overall I am happier here in Chicago. However, after a long days work and at the end of the week we usually would go over to Snuffer's and have a fabulous burger and cheap, ice cold Shiner Bock! I can taste it now. We have found a few good burger places but nothing that compares to Snuffers. We really like Villains downtown but when the burgers start at 10 bucks...we limit our visits. We tried Flub-a-dub-chubs (yes, you read that right) and it was ok...we haven't been back. Then a Five Guys opened up down the street and we have been there twice and it is good but still...eh. At Snuffers we could get two burger, an order of cheese fries, and two Shiners each and walk out paying only 35.00. I just wish Taco Cabana would open a store here!!

Key Lime Pie

Linguine with roasted shrimp and cherry tomatoes...

This was light and yummy...

Serves 2
Linguine
10 Peeled and deveined shrimp (I used bay shrimp but prefer gulf)
2 tbs Unsalted butter
1/4 cup (about 5) Yellow cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
1/4 cup (about 5) Red cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
2 tbs Parsley, chopped
1 tbs Basil, chopped
Shards of Parmesan cheese
2 tbs Olive oil
1 tsp Salt plus more for pasta water
1 tsp Pepper

Preheat oven to 400

Place shrimp on baking sheet and toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Arrange shrimp so that they lay flat and are not touching each other. Place in oven and roast for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, boil water. Place linguine in salted boilg water and cook according to package instructions. Drain.

Combine all reamining ingredients in large bowl and toss together making sure butter coats the pasta. Serve with shards of parmesan. Enjoy.

Pasta Making...

Last weekend I decided that I was going to make pasta and I did just that! Making pasta is actually easy and you already have the stuff to make it in your pantry. Flour, eggs, salt, water. I do not have a pasta making attachment for my stand mixer...yet...so the process was a bit labor intensive but totally worth it! The Italians have been making pasta for centuries by hand so I think I can handle it! Last night I really wanted to make ravioli. So I did. The process was the same except I processed the pasta dough in the food processor and it was MUCH quicker and I ended up with a softer dough! I rolled out my sheets of dough very thin and then created the filling: ricotta cheese and leftover pesto sauce. I just could not believe how easy and fun making pasta is! It is almost zen-like. Then when you taste your creation....absolute splendor!

Doing things a little different...

I have decided that I am going to devote this website to cooking related stuff! Facebook kinda killed the ninja but I am still doing the cooking show and trying new things in the kitchen all the time!

Salmon Part 1

Black Beans Part 2

Coming Soon..

The season premier of Cooking with Karen! Filming is saturday and it should be posted sunday!!!

I am published!!!...

Really nothing at all to get excited about. I frequent the Dallas Morning News Eats blog. I posted a comment a few weeks ago on "The best Italian food in Dallas." DMN emailed me and asked if they could use the comment and I said most certainly! Unfortunately the quote was published in the print only Guide section of the DMN newspaper. The food critics published the best, and most expensive, Italian restaurants in Dallas. The public spoke! No one really agreed with the critics, mainly because the places they chose were so expensive. The DMN asked the public what they thought. I offered up Porta di Roma downtown as the best lasagna as well as saying Sal's was great. I also mentioned that I missed Neros Italian. Although the quote was small I am very happy that they used my opinion! Hopefully there will be more to come.

Cookbook...

For those Cooking with Karen fans, and myself, I have starting to work on the first edition of my cookbook. This is not going to be some thrown together piece of crap in a three ring binder. Nope, this will be a nice hard bound book of exceptional quality. I have also learned that doing this is no cheap endeavor. I have earmarked just a small handful of books as gifts and am figuring out what to do from there. I hope to have this completed by mid november.

I have been working on new episodes but the last one turned out awful so I scrapped it for later. I will be working on two new episodes this week and will alert everyone when they are up and running.

My New Toy...

Whenever I am at Target I must always go and visit the kitchen appliance isles. I always would gravitate to the stand mixers. I have wanted one for so long but just did not want to spend the money. Yesterday while pawing over the white Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer Ron said “we might as well get it.” The frugal part in me said “no, I did not need it” and the selfish part said “get it, use it, love it.” It was speaking to me and calling my name. I did tell Ron that I would not be baking anything until I got a mixer because of the mess I create. So I think he wanted me to have it partly because he has been itching for brownies. So we bought it. We get it home and open it up. Beautiful. The angels were singing and the clouds parted to rain sunbeams down in glorious celebration of this addition to our family.

I had some eggs that probably needed to be thrown out so I added the egg whites into the machine and added a little sugar. 30 seconds later I had meringue. I was super excited. So, as promised I started on the brownies. Now, B.M. (before mixer, not bowel movement-get your minds out of the gutter) I would have had every bowl out and a mess that would make me want to move instead of clean. A.M. (after mixer) I had one bowl that needed cleaning and the mixer bowl itself, a spoon, and rubber spatula…that was it. Chocolate stayed where it was supposed to and there was not a cloud of flour hovering over the kitchen. There was hardly any mess and I was not worn out. Cleaning the mixer was even easier…rinsed in soapy hot water and towel tried the bowl and attachment came clean instantly. After the brownies I made a spicy goat cheese dip that we both love. Then after dinner we sat down to indulge in a brownie. Ron made fresh whipped cream. So far the wire whisk and the paddle attachments have proven fabulous. All I need to use now is the dough hook. I have been looking at other attachments and I want them all! 

We did not go all out for a big pricey machine. We all know that these mixers are quite expensive. Target, the store of eternal happiness, has a 4.5 quart, white stand mixer by Kitchen Aid for $199.00. I am looking forward to a nice long life with the mixer and I cannot wait for its debut on Cooking with Karen.

Speaking of…I am working on a new CWK. I will have one posted by mid next week.

Cooking with Karen...

Hey all,

CWK will be on hiatus for a couple of weeks. We are in the middle of an incredibly busy time at work and I will not be getting home until very late. I will get right back to it as quickly as I can!

Karen

Williams-Sonoma = Porn…

I become giddy and wide-eyed as a little school girl every time I walk into a Williams-Sonoma. I could do some serious damage in that store. Why do I have such an addiction to kitchen ware? Luckily I have my wits about me enough to not buy crap. I hold out for the higher-quality appliances and wares. I want my stuff to last! I was in there earlier today just browsing and found at least 4-5 things I want NOW! Unfortunately the 4-5 things would run a grand total of around 800-100 dollars. I want to complete my Wustoff knife collection, add a Kitchen Aide stand mixer, several cookbooks, several small specialty gadgets, etc. Oh well. There is no need to stock up on stuff I really don’t need. Perhaps I could write it all off as a business expense for Cooking with Karen. Eh, probably not.

Cooking with Karen...

Caesar Salad with Pancetta

2-4 servings

Salad:

1 head romaine lettuce, washed

1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated

1/4 cup pancetta, cooked

Dressing:

1 egg yolk, room temperature

1 tsp dijon mustard (country style preferred)

1 clove of garlic

3 anchovies-optional

1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated

1 tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper

1/2 cup olive oil

Dice pancetta in 1/2 inch cubes and cook over medium low heat for 10-15 minutes until brown and crisp.  Drain on paper towel and set aside.

Wash romaine lettuce and cut into cubes

Dressing:

Combine egg yolk, mustard, garlic, cheese, salt, and pepper in a food processor. If using anchovies then omit the salt.  Pulse the machine several times until the mixture is combined through.  Add olive oil and pulse until mixed through.  

Toss salad with dressing until leaves are coated.  Add pancetta and 1/2 cheese and toss.

Enjoy!

Cooking With Karen...

Episode 2 of Cooking with Karen! Enjoy!



Next week: Ceasar Salad

I was a bit inconsistent with the cooking time on the video: 1 hour, 20 minutes @ 400 degrees.


Turkey Meatloaf:

1 lb lean ground turkey
1 large egg, beaten
1/3 cup dry bread crumbs
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1/4 cup red onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup good beer
1/8 cup Worcestershire
2 tbs olive oil
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp thyme
1 small clove garlic, minced
3 slices of bacon (optional)

preheat oven to 400˚

combine all ingredients in mixing bowl and mush all together until well mixed.
place turkey mixture in a loaf pan
place pan in oven and cook for 1 hour and 20 minutes.
optional-add bacon after 1 hour of cooking and return to oven for remaining 20 minutes.

Cooking With Karen...

Ok everyone! I have finally got all this worked out and now the first episode of CWK is ready for your viewing pleasure!!!!

Cooking with Karen...

Damnit!  I am having al kinds of issues posting the Cooking with Karen episode.  I am working to correct this and as soon as I do I will get the damn thing posted.

I am headed to New York City on Friday to see my fellow BP's, The Hazard's. I am exicted to get to NYC and see my peeps. Due to the quick planning of this trip I opted to cash in miles instead of paying the rediculous price of $800. Anyway, we will also be attending a memorial service for a fabulous person who left us way to soon. I will be posting more about this trip later.

Sooooo......

Friday morning before my flight I will be doing a real quick Cooking with Karen. I will edit this on the plane and by the end of the day friday there should be a completed version posted. I PROMISE!!! I will be making a nice summer salad that requires no stove and will be easy enough and quick enough to get posted!

Cooking with Karen...Test...and Intro

Alright ya'll, tell me what you think about this video.  I added music, credits, and fades!  Next post will be an actual show.  Promise!  I still need to mess around with the editing but I will worry about that later!  Rome wasn't built in a day!

Cooking with Karen...

Ok, I know I have been really bad about not posting any CWK episodes. I am starting to get angry emails and complaints! After doing a few I decided that I needed some equipment-mainly clear glass bowls and a other things to really make CWK better. I have not been happy at all with what I have done thus far. So, I am going to start with incredibly simple dishes. Also, learning iMovie has proved very time consuming. I will post a revised CWK intro that I did a while back. This time there is an into, music, fad-ins, fade-outs, and credits!!! Tell me what ya'll think. I will have that posted this evening sometime so check back!! I promise that I will have a real episode up soon!