Martha A. Cheves's Blog, page 113

Jello - Another forgotten food.

Jello is one of the most inexpensive ingredients you can buy. A few years ago, it, like the Fondue Pot, was very popular. Then and now it still makes some of the best desserts around at very little cost. Tonight I decided to bring it back, at least to my home, and make a jello dessert. This is what I used.

1/2 cup coconut
1 small can pineapple chunks, drained
1 cup miniature marshmallows
1 pkg jello (strawberry is what I used)
1 cup of hot water
1/2 cup nuts

In a bowl mix the jello and hot ...

Visit to Carrabba's Part 6 - Dessert Rosa The Perfect Ending for the Perfect Meal

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Now for the perfect ending.  Dessert Rosa is served in "shot" type glasses.  In the bottom of each glass is a square of butter cake.  That's topped with a layer of pineapple, a couple of strawberry slices and a banana circle.  On top of that Chef Michael added vanilla pudding, topped that with cool whip, a drizzle of chocolate and garnished it with a strawberry slice.  This is just one flavor of yet another deliciously simple desserts made and served at Carrabba's.  And as I said, the size is...

Visit to Carrabba's Part 5 - Penne Franco

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Penne Franco consists of sauted mushrooms, sun dried tomatoes in oil, artichoke hearts, black olives and ricotta salata.  I had no idea as to what ricotta salata was but Chef Michael explained that it's ricotta that has been salted, making it firm.  When I bit into this dish, my mouth filled with many flavors.  I could taste the individual ingredients but a wonderful blend of flavors at the same time.  This is a truly wonderful dish.

Visit to Carrabba's Pat 4 - Linguine Pescatore

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The Linguine Pescatore is made with Carrabba's "mother" Marinara Sauce. I call it the "mother" sauce because it's used in many of their dishes.   Like most dishes served at Carrabba's, it's made of simple ingredients such as onions, garlic, anchovies, red wine, lots of tomatoes and a few herbs.  To this, Chef Michael adds shrimp, sea scallops and mussels and serves it over linguine.  This has to be one of the best marinara sauces I've ever eaten.  It has the bite at the back of your mouth fro...

Visit to Carrabba's Part 3 -Tag Pic Pac

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This had to be one of the simplest dishes made by Carrabba's.  The sauce is made by cooking slices of garlic in extra virgin olive oil until soft.  Chef Michael then adds basil, crushed and chopped tomatoes, salt and pepper.  This is then served over Tagliarini, which looks like a narrow linguine.  OH so good!

Visit to Carrabba's Part 2 - Pesto

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Pesto is so versatile.  It can be added to anything from pasta to pizza.  It's great added as a topping for bruschette or just as a dip for fresh veggies and cheese.

I have to admit that I've never made my own pesto.  I've always bought it in a jar or in a package that required adding a little oil and water.  BUT, after watching Chef Michael make fresh Pesto for Carrabba's and after tasting this wonderful dish, I will be making my own fresh from now on.  Pesto can be refrigerated for 4-5 days ...

My Trip to Carrabba's Italian Grill - Part 1

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This past Saturday I had the pleasure to visit Carrabba's Italian Grill in Huntersville, NC.  This was made possible through the invitation of Foodbuzz Tastemaker and the Carrabba's Proprietor Marci Lambert, with the event featuring Carrabba's Chef Michael Brannock.

Chef Michael choose several of Carrabba's "Signature Dishes" for his demonstration.  Fortunately for me, his choices were dishes new to me.  But the real joy came when I was able to actually watch Chef Michael prepare and cook each...

Turtle Bars

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There have been times that I've found a recipe, made it following the recipe to the letter and it just not work out.  This was one of those.  The Turtle Bars are delicious but I did change them just a bit when I made the the 2nd time.  Using the original recipe I had trouble getting the bars out of the pan.  They were simply too moist and sticky.  I fixed that problem by cutting the amount of chocolate chips and caramel topping.  So, here is the original recipe with my changes.

1 pkg. (18 oz.)...

Chocolate Fondue

Since I brought up the subject of bringing back the Fondue Pot, I thought I would post this really delicious dip.

8 oz. cream cheese
8 oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped
1 cup heavy cream
2 Tbl. unsalted butter
Fresh Fruit or Cookies

Beat cream cheese with an electric beater until soft and creamy. Put in Fondue Pot. Add chocolate, cream and butter. Stir over low heat until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth. Serve warm with fresh fruit on skewers or cookies.
If you aren't a ...

Sausage and Egg - a KISS Recipe

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This is a true KISS recipe (keep it simple silly).  I wanted something different for breakfast one morning and came up with this.  It's nothing but a toasted tortilla, a sausage patty, and a soft fried egg topped with cheese while it's still hot.  Oh how good!

You can do this with country ham, Canadian bacon, ham, bacon, etc.