A Moment with Julie and Julia

Well I just got back from watching Julie and Julia with my mom, cute movie by the way, but it made me want to try out those recipes.... not to eat but to cook. I know it's still strange to me that I love cooking, but I can't help it. The funniest part was that cooking was one of my greatest fears until I was in college. I remember planning on feeding my kids microwave dinners every night because I was the girl who messed up Craft Macaroni and Cheese, I know who can mess that up. Well it's true, I did and it wasn't like it was just a little off. The poor meal tasted revolting and that's when I swore off cooking. Thank goodness I got over that right away when I did go to college and it was right away too. Since then I've cooked through many recipes and created some of my own. I love to be in the kitchen and create something and have it turn out right. It's a magnificent feeling that comes over me each time.

And of course after watching this darling movie now I feel the need to cook my way through that daring recipe book, but now is not the time, but maybe someday I'll be brave enough to venture into the hands of Julia Child. But for now I'll just give you a couple of my favorite recipes other than the apple pie one that I've already posted.

Chicken With Artichokes and Angel Hair:

Ingredients

Coarse salt and ground pepper, 1/4 cup all-purpose flour, 8 thin chicken cutlets (about 1 1/2 pounds total), 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 cup chicken broth, 1 can (14 ounces) artichoke hearts packed in water, rinsed, drained, and quartered, 2 tablespoons butter, and 8 ounces angel-hair pasta

Directions

Set a large pot of salted water to boil. Place flour in a shallow dish, and season with salt and pepper. Dredge cutlets, shaking off excess. In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high. Cook chicken in batches, adding remaining oil as needed, until light golden, 1 to 3 minutes per side; transfer to a dish.

Add broth to skillet, and bring to a boil; cook until reduced by half. Add artichokes, capers, and the chicken with any juices. Gently swirl to combine, and bring just to a boil. Remove skillet from heat. Swirl in butter, and cover to keep warm.

Add pasta to boiling water. Cook until al dente; drain. Serve chicken and sauce over pasta, topped with parsley.

Lemon Pound Cake with Strawberries:

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream (one yogurt)

1/2 cup fat-free (skim) milk

1/3 cup sugar

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup cholesterol-free egg substitute (one egg)

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 teaspoon grated lemon peel

3 pints strawberries

Sugar substitute (optional)

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat 8×4-inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray; set aside. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl.

Combine sour cream, milk, sugar, oil, egg substitute, lemon juice and lemon peel in medium bowl. Stir sour cream mixture into flour mixture until well blended; pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 45 to 50 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.

Let cake cool 20 minutes before removing from pan; cool completely. Meanwhile, slice strawberries. Sprinkle to taste with sugar substitute, if desired. Slice cake and serve with strawberries.

Pink Lemonade Milk Shakes:

Use blender and mix together 1 1/2 cups vanilla ice-cream and 1/2 cup thawed pink lemonade concentrate.

Vanilla Crepes:

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 cups milk

3 egg yolks

2 tablespoons vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

5 tablespoons melted butter

DIRECTIONS

In a large bowl, mix together the milk, egg yolks and vanilla. Stir in the flour, sugar, salt and melted butter until well blended.

Heat a crepe pan over medium heat until hot. Coat with vegetable oil or cooking spray. Pour about 1/4 cup of batter into the pan and tip to spread the batter to the edges. When bubbles form on the top and the edges are dry, flip over and cook until lightly browned on the other side and edges are golden. Repeat with remaining batter.

Fill crepes with your favorite fruit, cream, caramel or even ice cream or cheese to serve.

Enjoy,

---Gabrielle Jean Murphy