St. Louis Food Blog, recipes, & cooking advice from Helen FletcherHelen S. Fletcher

Buffalo Chicken in Pita Pockets

By Helen S. Fletcher, on January 31st, 2012%

Super Bowl has become a national event where football and food meet. But whatever is served it needs to be “watcher friendly”. Nobody wants to take their eyes off the screen less they miss THE PLAY!!! Pita pockets fit this category to a tee as they keep the contents totally contained unlike a sandwich.

With buffalo chicken . . . → Read More: Buffalo Chicken in Pita Pockets

Italian Calzones

By Helen S. Fletcher, on January 26th, 2012%

Super Bowl Sunday has become an American institution for many. While I generally don’t even know who is playing, I love the food associated with it. Hand pies are ideal for this event since no one seems to want to look at what they are eating lest they miss THE PLAY!!!

Calzones fit perfectly into this category. Easily picked up, packed with flavor and do ahead ability make this a must have. This recipe makes a lot. It can easily be halved if you don’t want a bunch. Or make and freeze them to enjoy whenever the mood strikes. To freeze them, make them all the way through the last step before baking. Freeze them on a sheet pan, then individually wrap them in foil and store in a freezer proof bag. Bake from the frozen state.

One of the things I like so much about this recipe is that it does not use a yeast dough for the crust. That eliminates a lot of waiting time. This crust is so full of flavor and is very easy to use and to make. After the initial roll out of the crusts, I trim them into perfect 8″ circles by using an 8″ cardboard circle. This isn’t because I am seeking perfection but because it is easier to enclose the filling if the circles are relatively perfect.

These hearty Italian Calzones are perfect for anytime, and Super Bowl Sunday seems just about perfect. Continue reading Italian Calzones

Southwestern Roasted Vegetable Couscous with Southwestern Chicken Strips

By Helen S. Fletcher, on January 19th, 2012%

When I had my retail shop this was a huge hit. It is super easy, super tasty and the vibrant colors make you want to dive right in. Serve it with a grilled or roasted chicken breast or salmon fillet for a complete meal. Toasting the couscous first insures it will not clump together when it is finished. It’s easily done while you cut up the veggies.

Do not confuse the North African couscous which is a yellow semolina pasta that looks like grains of sand with the larger Israeli couscous which is also made from semolina with the addition of wheat flour and is about three times as large as regular couscous. The Israeli couscous is sometimes known as pearl couscous. It is also toasted rather than dried. Continue reading Southwestern Roasted Vegetable Couscous with Southwestern Chicken Strips

Salmon Fillet with Sweet, Grainy Mustard Crust

By Helen S. Fletcher, on January 16th, 2012%

This is one of the quickest to prepare entrees you will ever have in your arsenal. A few ingredients and 20 minutes of time are all you need for a very rewarding entrée.

1/4 cup grainy mustard
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons apple juice concentrate (found in the frozen juice section)
1/3 cup Panko crumbs
Salt as needed
Pepper as . . . → Read More: Salmon Fillet with Sweet, Grainy Mustard Crust

Lasagna al Forno

By Helen S. Fletcher, on January 12th, 2012%

Like most Americans, I grew up eating lasagna. Although my mother made lasagna, the red sauce was nowhere near this version which I adapted from Pat Bruno Jr’s recipe. Mr. Bruno is a food writer and a food critic for the Chicago Sun-Times. His expertise in the field of Italian cooking is enormous as he once owned and operated an Italian cooking school in Chicago and has written several cook books. While I dinked a little here and a little there, increasing this a bit, reducing that a tad, this is without a doubt the sauce I have searched for near and far. Its thickness comes from long slow cooking so you have to plan to be doing something else in the kitchen. The sauce goes together quickly but needs to be stirred very frequently and as it nears the end, it is good to stir it every four to five minutes. But the reward is worth every turn around the pot as the sauce reduces to red gold. Continue reading Lasagna al Forno

Lovely Lemons Liven Up Life!

By Helen S. Fletcher, on January 9th, 2012%

Can you tell I love alliteration? Well, I finally feel like a real writer. It is 12:40 and the night is dark and cold. After going to bed early, as tomorrow is a 4:00 a.m. wakeup, I awoke 2 hours later unable to go back to sleep. Rather than toss and turn for another hour, I went downstairs, made a cup of coffee (decaf of course), loaded it up with creamer and sweetner and am up in my office ready to commit everything I know about lemons to paper – computer actually. Normally a tea drinker, I felt coffee more in keeping with the writer thing. Afterwhich, I hope to be sufficiently tired enough to sleep for another couple of hours.

My office rather looks like a lemon – all yellow and white, bright and zesty. When the sun shines in, the room looks as though a thousand watts are lighting it up. It is my favorite room in the house, save the kitchen.

Throughout the ages, lemons have been used in medicines, as bleach, invisible ink and in witchcraft according to “Food Lover’s Companion”. Lemons are one of my favorite things to cook/bake with. They can liven up a flat dish and add excitement to an okay one. Equally at home in both savory and sweet cooking, both the outer skin (the rind or zest) and the juice are useful. With the price of lemons (as well as everything else) on the rise, I was appalled recently when I found lemons were a dollar a piece. While there was a day I would use the zest or the juice and toss the rest away, I don’t do that anymore. I have become both resentful and frugal as the years go on – which is the crux of this blog. Continue reading Lovely Lemons Liven Up Life!

See Helen on the set of KMOV-TV’s Great Day St. Louis!

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