Simplify, Simplify, Simplify…It’s Summer Yellow Squash easy. Simply WASH the yellow squash, SLICE, RINSE it to keep it moist, DIP it into flour mixed with salt and pepper, and lightly FRY and flip the medallions in olive oil. Enjoy this southern summertime specialty! © Kelly McBride Loft
Everyone craves a good meal and when the appearance is stepped-up, the accolades abound. Try my stuffed tomatoes, but to acquire that appetizing appearance, select tomatoes that are large enough for stuffing and still have the sepals (the green pointed structures beneath the stem) attached. Prepare a tomato per person. Cut the tops off, maintaining the sepals and stems on each. Hull out the tomatoes and cover with olive oil, including the tops. Meanwhile, in a skillet, partially brown 1 lb. of lean ground meat and drain. Add a half of a finely chopped onion, 2 finely chopped Roma tomatoes, drained, 1/4 cup of raisins, 3 tablespoons of A-1 Steak Sauce, 1/4 teaspoon of ground cloves, 1 finely diced apple, 1/8 cup of chopped black olives and a sprinkling of almond slivers. Stir and stuff the mixture into the selected tomatoes. Put the tomato tops back on each tomato and bake at 350⁰F for 30 to 45 minutes, covered. Let the garden-fresh summertime feast begin! © Kelly McBride Loft
It’s Raspberry Chicken as a rescue from mundane 4th of July meals. First, create a “rub” of paprika, a dash of Cayenne pepper, and a dash of salt. Mix these dry ingredients with olive oil and coat bone-in chicken breasts. In a deep-dish heat resistant pan, place the coated chicken breasts in the oven, tightly sealed with foil. Bake the chicken at 350⁰F until thoroughly cooked (about 30 minutes). Meanwhile, on the stove, melt 1 jar of raspberry jelly. Strain and remove the seeds. To the strained raspberry sauce add a dash of pepper, to taste. Before serving the chicken, coat the chicken with the raspberry sauce. Then, sprinkle on ground-up pecans or chopped walnuts, with whole fresh raspberries to garnish. Happy 4th of July! © Kelly McBride Loft
Summer hams can go a long way for providing meals now that the children are on a school break and the flavor is all in the marinate. My personal favorite marinate is: 4 small cans of pineapple juice, 1 large can of crushed pineapple, a generous dash of molasses, a heaping spoonful of brown sugar, a generous dash of crushed cloves and honey to mix things up. If you are daring, a dash of brandy is always a good choice, too. After these ingredients are mixed well, pour this into a large leak-proof double plastic bag and place your spiral cut ham in the marinate. Remember to turn the ham inside the marinate bag every few hours and to keep marinating the ham overnight. Remove the ham from the liquid and cook the ham at the recommended temperature, until thoroughly cooked. Some like to smoke their hams, while others choose to bake. The yield creates a great meal that evening. Reserve the leftover ham to the refrigerator or freezer because the leftovers are good for ham sandwiches, chopped cabbage and ham, Eggs Benedict, and ham flavored dried bean selections. © Kelly McBride Loft
Brighten up your evening meal with a delicious Rainbow Trout Fillet on a bed of Rainbow Swiss Chard! First, marinate the trout fillet(s) in sherry for at least 1 hour. Pat dry and sear the fillet(s) (skin side facing up) in browned butter and flip to sear the skin side. Carefully, add a dash of fresh sherry and drizzle the sauce on the fillet(s). Reduce the heat, squeeze on fresh lemon juice, a dash of kosher salt, and chopped basil, thyme, or dill. Meanwhile in a separate pan, briefly toss finely sliced rainbow Swiss chard in hot olive oil. Lightly season with salt and a spritz of balsamic vinegar. Place the finished Rainbow Trout on the bed of Rainbow Swiss Chard for astonishing excellence in flavors, plating design, and seasonal flair! © Kelly McBride Loft
Put a wrap on it… It’s your kitchen repertoire turned up to the height of the temp outside. The summer sear sizzle on the grill thrills those gathered and nothing fires up the cheers than “Devils on Horseback.” It is simply made by cutting a pocket into a date, stuffing it with a smoked almond and wrapping it bacon. Raw shrimp can be grilled by inserting a pepper slice and then wrap the shrimp in a bacon. Wrap-up your crowd pleaser with bacon-wrapped and cheese filled hot dog wieners. Chicken Kiev is made more interesting with jalapeno pepper Monterey Jack cheese wrapped with prosciutto and inserted into a chicken breast for grilling. Scallops and fish fillets can also be wrapped in bacon, then grilled. For the scallops, utilize a grilling basket to cook the scallops evenly. Then, we have the American-style bacon-wrapped beef filet, with a big wooden stick penetrating the best beef – not my favorite concept. Why would you take a perfectly perfect cut of meat and poke a big hole in the middle of it? If you wish to poke a hole in your meat then try my bourgeoisie bacon-wrapped chopped sirloin steak. Mix your chopped steak with some Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper and dash of strong coffee. Form into patties. Let the patties drain off the excess liquid. Wrap each patty with bacon and pick. Bake or grill. It makes the chopped steak taste fantastic and it steps up the integrity of the sirloin chopped steak! Top it with brandied sauteed mushrooms and you and your guests are royalty for the evening – and isn’t that what you deserve for the summer of 2021? © Kelly McBride Loft
Paint your Memorial Day Celebration table palette with colorful and imaginative salads! Try a tossed salad of fig halves, walnuts, Radicchio, and goat cheese with raspberry vinaigrette. Belgium endive leaves can be filled with savory cheese blends and topped with a French chive. Potato salad can be made with fresh basil and herbs to enhance the flavor and color. Hull out the inside of cucumber halves and fill each half with ratatouille. Beets can be red to golden and a beet salad will be an exceptional choice to serve. Salad Niçoise can be made with seared fresh tuna and not the boring canned tuna. Add watermelon radishes to your Salad Niçoise and your culinary repertoire soars. Mix chilled roasted chicken pieces with mango chutney to wow your guests. A salad of oranges, blood oranges, and grapefruit can be peeled and then sliced for a look that resembles stained glass. Use all clear glass containers for each of the salad selections and vary the height of each container for a unique avant-garde presentation. Offer homemade bread with the kaleidoscope array of stunning garden delights. Serve with a lovely chilled wine and the celebration feels like a victory. © Kelly McBride Loft
Chilled puddings are also known as moulded bavarois, chilled mousses, chilled souffles, aspics, and frozen fruit mixtures. All are a stunning way to enhance a salad or create an unforgettable dessert. Gelatin is needed to keep the shape of the mould. To create an impacting salad, mix prepared gelatin into heavily strained chicken stock. Place fresh herb leaves, basil blossoms, and/or a tomato rose into the selected mould and pour on the gelatin infused chicken stock. Refrigerate the mould and once set, serve this lovely accompaniment with chicken salad or a chicken Caesar salad. It’s an impacting design with a stepped-up seasonal flavor! © Kelly McBride Loft
Graduations abound and this year, the graduation parties should be more celebratory than in other years because our students overcame the barriers of a pandemic, too. Let’s celebrate with a banana split bar! No canned whipping cream is allowed – whip your own, from real cream. Offer the top-quality ice creams, of course, such as a true chocolate ice cream, creamy strawberry ice cream and caramel swirl vanilla ice cream. Make your own pineapple topping by heating a jar of natural orange marmalade with a can of drained, crushed pineapple, and sweeten to your liking. Then, add a dash of Grand Marnier liqueur to enhance it. Make your own strawberry sauce with corn syrup, a dash of Chambord liqueur, and fresh sliced strawberries. Offer fresh blueberries and pecan pieces with the freshly split bananas to let the fun begin! Be sure to have your banana split boats purchased in advance with the long handle ice cream spoons. Finish your grand sweet treat station with long-stem brandy marinated cherries and confetti candy for that over-the-top specialty design. Happy Graduation! © Kelly McBride Loft
Shrimp Medallions are the quintessential treat because the taste is great and you can claim it as authentically homemade. First, boil 1 lb. of peeled shrimp. Then, cut the shrimp into pieces, toss it with fresh lemon juice and chill. Next in a mixing bowl, mix 2, 12 oz containers of cream cheese with ¼ cup of sour cream. Add a dash of liquid smoke, 2 tablespoons of grated onion, and a dash of Pickapeppa sauce. Mix well. Then, add a small amount of minced black olives and completely drained finely chopped pimentos. Add salt to taste and adjust the seasoning with the Pickapeppa sauce. Add the chilled, chopped shrimp to the mixture. Now, form your cylinder as a pre-step to the medallions. Place a linear mound of the shrimp mixture onto plastic wrap and shape this into a cylinder, the diameter of the cracker that you are serving with the Shrimp Medallions. Roll the cylinder in dried herbs, such as basil, and seal the cylinder tightly in the plastic wrap. The shrimp cylinder should be chilled for at least 3 hours (and eaten the same day). Slice the Shrimp Medallions and place each Shrimp Medallion on a cracker. The nice thing is that you can do this in the morning and have an impacting treat for the children when they come home from school or a wonderful evening appetizer. © Kelly McBride Loft
We can never thank our mothers enough…and what mom doesn’t like a beautiful sweet treat… For Mother’s Day, create a delicious Strawberry Charlotte. First, make the base crust by mixing 1 cup of minced pecans, 1 cup of flour, and 1 stick of melted butter (1/4 cup). Mix well and press a circle shape onto parchment paper. Bake on a cookie sheet at 425⁰F for no more than 10 minutes. Let cool and place the cooked crust onto your cake stand. Second, you will need “lady fingers” (the small thin little cakes, about the length of one’s finger.) You can make these with a right cake mold or the easy way is to purchase the lady fingers, premade. You will also need 3 pints of fresh strawberries. Next, in the food processor, mince 2 pints of washed strawberries (with the sepal removed). In a large bowl, gently mix 1 cup of whipped cream (until fluffy), a half cup of softened cream cheese, a half cup of mascarpone cheese, with a mixer until incorporated. Then, add ¼ cup of Chambord liqueur, to mix again. Add a touch of sugar to taste. Then, slowly add the minced strawberries, little by little. But only add enough of the minced strawberries to the desired thickness. (Check the sweetness again.) You want the mixture to be substantially thick to hold its shape and allow cutting. Now, assemble your Charlotte. Pile the strawberry mixture onto the cooled crust. Then, vertically edge the strawberry mixture with the lady fingers. The lady fingers should be trimmed to correct height to be slightly higher that the strawberry mixture. Lastly, with the last pint of strawberries, keep the sepal intact and gently wash the strawberries thoroughly. Pat dry and gently dip each strawberry in your choice of light corn syrup or dark chocolate. Top your lovely strawberry Charlotte with the decorated whole strawberries. Keep the Charlotte chilled until serving. Enjoy this homemade Mother’s Day dessert for your exceptional Mom or you! © Kelly McBride Loft
Creating spiral shapes with food is delightful and fun. Spirals are also impacting for plating design. So, if your children are challenged with vegetable enjoyment, maybe the presentation needs to enhanced. My suggestion is to use a cooking utensil called a Mandoline slicer. This kitchen tool should only be used by adults to very carefully and slowly slice pre-washed zucchini and yellow squash. Once the thin vegetable medallions have been cut, artfully layer and spiral the alternating medallions in a ramekin, per person. Top with butter and heat thoroughly prior to serving. Just invert the ramekins onto the individual plates and the springtime palette of colorful vegetables enhances the palate of those dining! © Kelly McBride Loft
We should offer dessert options to our family and cheese is meant for sharing … and pairing. Wine comes to mind, first (if all are of age); however, surprise your family with some delightful fruit compotes and fruit breads when serving cheese. One of my favorite compotes is made with shaved or tiny diced apple mixed with a dash of lemon juice, minced pecans, and a dash of cinnamon. Another compote is made from peeled and diced peaches and/or apricots sauteed with butter until tender. Add a pinch of sugar and dash of ground cloves. Any fresh chopped fruit can be mixed with prepared chutney for an amazing pairing with cheese. Finish your cheese tray with banana bread slices and you have springtime inspiration extraordinaire! © Kelly McBride Loft
Mini muffins are so versatile! These can be made with your favorite recipes of banana bread, bran, blueberry, etc. All of these delightful bite-size wonders can also be frozen for later usage with drop in guests, breakfast, brunch, picnics, after-school snacks, teatime, after-dinner treats, and personal you-time. There is a very simple way to up the mini muffin magnificence…top each with Dulce de Leche! By simmering the contents for a can of sweetened condensed milk in a double boiler on a light simmer for at least 2 hours, the milk is transformed to a distinctive “icing” to enhance the muffins. This milk naturally caramelizes when slowly heated. What a treat – that you deserve! © Kelly McBride Loft
Lobster is expensive; however, there is a way to showcase and exalt these crustaceans without breaking the bank. Try my Lobster Vol-au-Vent, which are lobster medallions in a Bechamel dill sauce, set into lovely puff pastry cups. First, boil the lobster tails and slice the tail meat into medallions, with a light dash of squeezed lemon. Then, prepare the Bechamel sauce with equal parts of butter and flour, to make a roux and then incorporate hot whole milk (or half and half milk) by slowly but vigorously stirring. Season with kosher salt. (Puff pastry cups can be found in the freezer section of your grocery store.) Add the cooked lobster medallions to the baked puff pastry cups and ladle the Bechamel sauce over the lobster medallions to fill the Vol-au-Vent cups and sprinkle with dill. Voila! How simply marvelous to have a seaside springtime dinner in an edible cup! © Kelly McBride Loft