See Helen on the set of KMOV-TV’s Great Day St. Louis!
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By Helen S. Fletcher, on October 27th, 2011%
 How could Artichoke Croustades, Versatile Meatballs with two Sauces and Sesame Salmon with Apricot Ginger Sauce be anything but the start of a great get together? These appetizer recipes are so easy I didn’t feel a need to include how to’s with this blog. But ease of preparation doesn’t mean lack of flavor. All of these can be made ahead and stored in the refrigerator or the freezer to be heated up or baked off later.
Add a cheese and fruit tray and the Spicy Orange Hummus with Herbed Pita Chips to round out the party.
So send out the invites, chill the wine and get ready to enjoy your own party. Continue reading Do Ahead Appetizers
By Helen S. Fletcher, on October 20th, 2011%
I don’t know about you, but I always wince when I have to sear meat. It all about the mess it creates. I used to cover everything in site with foil but recently when I was working on a recipe, I had one of those kitchen moments that makes it all worthwhile! I was working in . . . → Read More: Searing Meat without the Mess
By Helen S. Fletcher, on October 17th, 2011%
These are the most fun to make for Halloween. They are easy and taste better than Reese’s cups if you can believe that! Children love to help with these. Just make sure you stick around so they aren’t eaten before they can become monster eyeballs.
Make sure the butter is very soft for a smooth, creamy . . . → Read More: Monster Eyeballs
By Helen S. Fletcher, on October 13th, 2011%
 Hot or cold, Americans have taken to pasta in a big way. Pasta salads are among the easiest and tastiest ways to enjoy this love affair. Other than cooking the pasta and chopping the veggies, there isn’t a lot more to do. The fact is holds wonderfully in the refrigerator, makes this ideal for get togethers or to take to a pot luck.
Orzo is a rice shaped pasta. My husband has never been a big fan of rice and I remember the first time I served this to him. He thought this was the best rice dish he had ever eaten. I’m not sure to this day if he realizes he isn’t eating rice! I honestly don’t remember telling him differently.
I can’t tell you how much of this we made at the retail shop. It has the perfect balance of pastaa, vegetables and dressing. Whenever I have included this in one of my teaching menus, it is always a huge hit. At one of the classes, students were almost diving over the counter to get more.
Feta is an interesting cheese and there is an in depth discussion in the Individual Greek Shrimp blog. Continue reading Mediterranean Orzo Salad
By Helen S. Fletcher, on October 6th, 2011%
 This is an unusual blog for me to write. Normally I write about foods I love, recipes I’ve developed or articles I think would be helpful to my readers. But when I saw this method of making ice cream without an ice cream machine, I knew I had to write about it. The next thought was, as it is with so many food people, what else can I do with it? Gilding the lilly immediately came to mind as you can see with the hot fudge sauce and the marshmallow creme.
I wish I could say I was the genius behind this fantastic ice cream, but, alas, ‘twas not me. This comes to us from Cook’s Country.com which is from America’s Test Kitchen. Of course, I tinkered with the basic idea a bit but this is so fast, so easy, so creamy and soooooooo delicious. The one thing to be aware of is that is freezes rock hard. So when it comes time to serve, let it sit at room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes to make it more scoopable. The fact this requires no ice cream machine makes this accessible to everyone. Although I used mini chocolate chips, any add in can be used such as caramel, marshmallows, candy pieces, etc.
Make sure to use sweetened condensed milk and not evaporated milk as they are two completely different products. The heavy cream is often sold as 40% cream. Continue reading The Ultimate Chocolate Hot Fudge Sundae with Marshmallow Creme
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Welcome to The Ardent Cook!
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How could Artichoke Croustades, Versatile Meatballs with two Sauces and Sesame Salmon with Apricot Ginger Sauce be anything but the start of a great get together? These appetizer recipes are so easy I didn’t feel a need to include how to’s with this blog. But ease of preparation doesn’t mean lack of flavor. All of these can be made ahead and stored in the refrigerator or the freezer to be heated up or baked off later.
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