Cristina Ferrare’s Deviled Eggs & Cookbook Giveaway!

by kitchenrunway // April 5, 2011 // 48 Comments

Photo Credit: Tod Porter & Diane Cu of White on Rice Couple

Cristina Ferrare’s new cookbook: Big Bowl of Love hit shelves today. It is a wonderful collection of over 150 of her favorite recipes that are great for all occasions. We were excited to preview this gorgeous cookbook and offer a copy to one of our readers! There’s a variety of recipes that are influenced by both American and Italian flavors. It’s apparent that the dishes Cristina has created and cooked over the years have special meaning to her and her loved ones. Her passion for food has made her a New York Times Best Seller and a host of her own cooking show, Big Bowl of Love, on the Oprah Winfrey Network. The photos in the cookbook were beautifully photographed by Tod Porter and Diane Cu of White on Rice Couple and like all of their other work… it’s breathtaking.

Since Easter is around the corner, we thought Cristina’s deviled egg recipe would be great to share. It’s a retro dish that is perfect for brunches and parties. It’s bright, fresh and so simple to make. The trick is boiling the eggs for the right amount of time to yield beautiful eggs without the unattractive green ring around the yolk (which means you boiled your eggs to the point of no return). Good thing Cristina guides us on how to conquer the questionable boiling time for eggs. These deviled eggs consist of six ingredients, but that doesn’t mean that it’s lacking in flavor. The pop from the Dijon mustard, brightness from the lemon juice and the heat from the cayenne pepper makes this little deviled egg simply fabulous.

cristina ferrare's big bowl of love cookbook collage

Yup, those are my deviled eggs in the top left hand corner and a sneak peak of some of the recipes...

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Maple Bacon & Apple Baked French Toast

by kitchenrunway // March 27, 2011 // 32 Comments

As part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program we were challenged to create a spring brunch dish using King’s Hawaiian breads. We jumped at the chance. King’s Hawaiian rolls are a staple in our house. It’s great toasted with a smear of nutella for a quick snack or served along two eggs over easy for a satisfying breakfast. King’s Hawaiian bread is slightly sweet, incredibly soft and is a great canvas for so many dishes. We decided to go with a baked French Toast dish that would be perfect for spring. It’s a great dish to entertain with since you can make it the night before and baked it before your guest arrive. I am a big fan of make ahead meals! What makes this French toast special is the addition of maple bacon and Fuji apples. The bacon adds a layer of sweet maple flavor and saltiness to this dish. The apples helps cut the richness and is a wonderful compliment to the savory bacon. We top the baked French toast off with more crumbled bacon and a drizzle of maple glaze. This will be a sure hit at the next brunch or baby/bridal shower! Continue reading →

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Asian Shrimp and Edamame Salad

by kitchenrunway // March 25, 2011 // 7 Comments

We were recently asked by Smart and Final to create a dish using ingredients from the frozen food section. It’s pretty tough to forgo fresh ingredients for frozen ones, but we’re always up for a challenge! We cruised the aisles at Smart and Final to look for products that would inspire us. Derrick found some frozen Cornish game hens and thought stuffing them would be a great idea. At first I was sold, but then I thought about the time required to defrost it, make a stuffing, stuff it and then roasting it. Delicious? Yes, but too involved for us on this busy weekend. (gonna save that idea for another day…) I did see some frozen avocado halves that I found very fascinating. Frozen ripe avocados that you can have all year round! I’m definitely intrigued! We finally decided on frozen shrimp and edamame. I’ve been baking up a storm lately – from Meyer lemon bars, cranberry – orange cake, blueberry lemon coffee cake to baked rigatoni! I thought it would nice to throw a healthy salad into the mix.

This Asian inspired salad is light and refreshing. The soy sauce and lime juice adds zip and tang with just the right amount of saltiness to the dish. The dressing is made with Greek yogurt which is a healthy alternative to mayonnaise and adds another dimension of flavor. These frozen products are great to keep on hand for a last minute meal or easy snack. The frozen shelled and deveined shrimp was easy to defrost and the shelled edamame tastes delicious on its own for a healthy, protein packed snack. Overall – I think we did a good job utilizing frozen ingredients and I think the salad looks fresh and bright. Who would have guessed the two main ingredients were previously frozen? Continue reading →

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Three Cheese Baked Rigatoni

by kitchenrunway // March 13, 2011 // 14 Comments

As part of Foodbuzz’s Tastemaker program, I received a sample of Newman’s Own pasta sauces, dressings, coupons and a Flip camera to record my very first recipe video! I’m a little camera shy…so take it easy on me! The goal was to create a fun family recipe that can be made in 30 minutes or less. Newman’s Own holds a special place in my heart…it’s simply a great product and they donate their profits to charity! Now that’s eating for a good cause. It makes ya feel good to eat when it’s going to charity right?

Okay – back to my recipe for Three Cheese Baked Rigatoni. It’s a hearty and well rounded pasta dish with zucchini, crimini mushrooms, onions, Italian sausage, ricotta, mozzarella & parmesan. It’s so easy to make and even more satisfying to eat. I love baked rigatoni because it’s great for serving crowds and nice for parties since you can assemble everything ahead of time and bake it right before your guest arrive. You have your protein, veggies, carbs, and dairy all in one place… it’s a balanced meal all in one! We like to serve garlic bread along with this dish and we are set for a quick and easy crowd pleaser for both adults and kids.

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Blueberry Lemon Coffee Cake

by kitchenrunway // March 9, 2011 // 38 Comments

Blueberry Lemon Coffee Cake….doesn’t that just sound divine for breakfast with a fresh cup of coffee or a tall glass of ice cold milk? Blueberries and lemons go so well together – creating a cake that is bright with just the right amount of sweet and tart. The best part of any coffee cake is the crumb topping and glaze! It’s an added texture that is sweet and crunchy. You may have noticed I’ve been on a 2 flavor cake combo lately. This cake is a variation of the Cranberry, Orange & Almond Cake that I made a few weeks ago. Please keep in mind this cake takes lots of patience. It bakes for about an hour and a half at a low temperature. I usually bake this at night and let it cool over night. I then glaze it in the morning and it’s ready for breakfast or brunch. Hope you enjoy it!

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