Our friend Jennifer Lewis has shared a mouth-watering menu with us today that’s sure to impress your dinner partner on Valentine’s Day — or any day!

Jen is a mom of two and owner of Fresh & Fabulous Entertaining in Fayetteville, which focuses on the fine art of cooking and entertaining. For more information about taking a Fresh and Fabulous class with Jen, call her at 871-4139.

Now on to the menu!

Shrimp with Red Pepper and Tomato Sauce

Jen says: This recipe makes a great starter or main dish. If using as a starter, just use less shrimp. The sauce is incredible and could be used on chicken or other seafood. Make sure you buy large or jumbo shrimp. I like to get mine from Sam’s Club. 

Serves 4

Red Pepper and Tomato Sauce:

1 T unsalted butter

2 large red bell peppers, seeded and chopped

1 large tomato, seeded, and chopped

1 T chopped fresh chives

1 T chopped fresh dill

juice of ½ lemon

salt

white pepper

Shrimp

2 T unsalted butter

T Olive Oil

1 large shallot minced

1 t of red pepper flakes

fresh chives for garnish

Red Pepper Sauce: Melt 1 T of butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add bell peppers and tomato. Cook covered until peppers are soft, about 20 minutes. Transfer bell pepper mixture to a food processor. Puree until smooth.  Add chives, dill, and lemon juice. Process again. Season with salt and pepper. Keep warm or put in refrigerator and reheat later.

Melt 2 T butter in large skillet with Olive Oil over medium heat. Add shrimp, shallots and red pepper. Cook, turning, until shrimp turn pink and are cooked through. Will only take a couple of minutes. Put sauce on plate, place shrimp on sauce and use two long strips of chives to make an X over the shrimp.  Have some bread on the side.

Asparagus with Chardonnay-Black Caviar Cream Sauce

Jen says: The cream sauce really makes this dish. I love the caviar on it, but if you are not a fan of caviar then it can be left off. I buy my caviar at Richard’s Meat Market. It’s $9 for 2 ozs and you will have enough to make two recipes of asparagus. This would go lovely with the shrimp or as a side for steak.

Serves 4 to 6

2 pounds of Asparagus

1½ T unsalted butter

1 ½ T vegetable oil

3 large shallots, finely chopped

1/3 C  Chardonnay

2 t lemon zest

1 ½ cups of heavy cream

1 ½ t dried parsley

2 ozs black caviar

Blanch the asparagus in a large pot of boiling salted water for 2 minutes.  Drain and rinse with cool water to stop it from cooking. Pat dry.

Heat butter and oil in a saucepan over medium heat until the butter is melted. Add the shallots and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the wine and lemon zest. Simmer for 3 minutes. Add the cream and parsley.  Simmer for 15 more minutes, until thick. Pour sauce over the asparagus. Sprinkle on the caviar and serve immediately.

Decadent Chocolate Cake with Raspberry Coulis

Jen says: This chocolate cake is flourless and is pure bliss. The raspberry coulis is perfect for Valentine’s Day and is absolutely divine with the cake. This will be the perfect way to end your evening with the one you love.

Serves 6 to 8

For the cake:

8 ozs of good quality (Ghirardelli) semisweet baking chocolate

 8 T unsalted butter

¼ cup sugar

4 eggs separated

1 t vanilla

¼ t salt

1 T dark brown sugar

For the Coulis:

12 ozs fresh raspberries (reserve some for garnish)

2 T sugar

rum or orange liqueur

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

In a medium saucepan, melt the chocolate and the butter. Stir over low heat until smooth. Stir in the sugar until dissolved. Remove from the heat. Let the mixture cool slightly. Add the egg yolks one by one, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, beat egg whites with the salt until foamy. Add the brown sugar. Beat until the soft peaks form. Fold the whites into the chocolate mixture. Pour the batter into a buttered 9-inch cake pan. Set the pan inside a larger pan filled with boiling water about halfway up the sides of the cake pan. Place in the center of the oven and cook for about 30 minutes.  Do not over cook. When a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean, the cake is done.

While the cake is cooling, prepare the coulis. Puree the raspberries and sugar in a food processor. Strain through a fine sieve and stir in the liqueur. Pour the coulis on a small plate for each person and put a slice on the cake on each plate. Garnish with extra raspberries. Heaven!!

Thanks to Jen Lewis, owner of Fresh & Fabulous Entertaining, 871-4139.

If you’re new to Arkansas, you might wonder what “lucky” foods we Southerners traditionally eat on New Year’s Day. Well, black-eyed peas, cabbage or some kind of “greens”, hog jowls (really, just any pork will do, according to some) and cornbread. Don’t even try to find a cabbage head or a can of black-eyed peas — which are supposed to represent pennies or coins and bring you good luck in the coming year — at a grocery store on New Year’s Day.

Some of the Southern mamas I polled said they eat “Hoppin’ John”, which has black-eyed peas on the ingredients list. So if you want good luck in 2010, cook up some peas, greens and cornbread. Here are some various recipes we found that include peas (we bet you’ll find one you like):

Black-eyed peas with Sausage and Barbecue Sauce (from About.com)

Ingredients:

• 1 pound dried black-eyed peas
• 1 pound link sausage, or your favorite
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon prepared mustard
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup prepared barbecue sauce

Preparation:

Rinse, prepare, soak, and cook peas in about 3 cups water, following directions on the package. Drain and reserve half of the cooking liquid. In a skillet over medium heat, brown sausage and onions; drain off excess fat. Place peas in a 3-quart casserole; add sausage and onions. Stir in reserved liquid, brown sugar, mustard, salt, and barbecue sauce. Bake at 300° for 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
Serves 6.

Hoppin’ John (from Food Network.com)

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 large ham hock
• 1 cup onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup celery, chopped
• 1/2 cup green pepper, chopped
• 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
• 1 pound black-eyed peas, soaked overnight and rinsed
• 1 quart chicken stock
• Bay leaf
• 1 teaspoon dry thyme leaves
• Salt, black pepper, and cayenne
• 3 tablespoons finely chopped green onion
• 3 cups steamed white rice

Directions:

Heat oil in a large soup pot, add the ham hock and sear on all sides for 4 minutes. Add the onion, celery, green pepper, and garlic, cook for 4 minutes. Add the black-eyed peas, stock, bay leaves, thyme, and seasonings. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 40 minutes, or until the peas are creamy and tender, stir occasionally. If the liquid evaporates, add more water or stock. Adjust seasonings, and garnish with green onions. Serve over rice.

Spicy Black-eyed Peas (from Food Network.com, Paula Deen)

Ingredients

• 4 slices bacon
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 (16-ounce) package dried black-eyed peas, washed
• 1 (12-ounce) can diced tomatoes and green chiles
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 3 cups water

Directions

In a large saucepan, cook the bacon until crisp. Remove the bacon, crumble, and set aside to use as a topping for the peas. Saute the onion in the bacon drippings until tender. Add the peas, diced tomatoes and green chiles, salt, chili powder, pepper and water. Cover and cook over medium heat for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until the peas are tender. Add additional water, if necessary. Serve garnished with crumbled bacon.

Easy Black-Eyed Peas (from myrecipes.com, Southern Living)

Ingredients

• 2 1/2  pounds  fresh black-eyed or pink-eyed peas, shelled (3 cups)*
• 3  cups  water
• 2  large beef bouillon cubes
• 1  medium onion, chopped
• 1/2  (16-ounce) package kielbasa, sliced, browned, and drained (optional)

Preparation

Bring first 4 ingredients and, if desired, sausage to a boil in a saucepan. Reduce heat; simmer 40 minutes or until tender. Serve with Sweet Onion Relish.

*1 (16-ounce) package frozen black-eyed peas may be substituted. Reduce cooking time to 30 minutes or until tender.

Black-Eyed Pea and Cornbread Stuffing (from RachaelRayMag.com)

Ingredients:

• 6 slices bacon (about 6 ounces), chopped
• 2 shallots, finely chopped
• 2 ribs celery, chopped
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 3/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
• 1½ cups chicken broth
• 8 ounces thickly sliced ham, chopped
• 3/4 cup finely chopped mushrooms
• 1/3 cup finely chopped fresh sage
• 6 cups cornbread chunks
• Three 15-ounce cans black-eyed peas, drained
• Salt and black pepper

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350°. In a large skillet, cook the bacon over medium-high heat until just crisp, about 5 minutes. Add the shallots, celery, carrots and white pepper and cook until the vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl.

Stir in the chicken broth, ham, mushrooms and sage. Add the cornbread and black-eyed peas and mix until combined. Season with salt and black pepper to taste.

Spoon the stuffing into 2 buttered 3-quart casserole dishes and bake, uncovered, for 40 minutes.

Sometimes we moms don’t give ourselves permission to actually enjoy the holidays. We’re so busy scrambling around planning, shopping and cooking that Thanksgiving goes by in a blur and we’re exhausted by the time it’s over.

Some people love all the extra planning, shopping and cooking, but some of us dread adding another 10 things to an already full “to-do” list. If you’re in that second group, we have a Thanksgiving Dinner alternative to tell you about that would give you more time to visit with the family, play with the kids and enjoy a more relaxed holiday.

Cuisines in Rogers has just come out with their Thanksgiving Dinner Pick-Up Package that you can pick up the day before the holiday. This is FROM SCRATCH food — not the stuff that tastes “canned” or institutional. This is one of our favorite lunch spots, so we can vouch for the quality of the food. It always reminds me of something my mom would have made, and that woman can really cook! Here’s what they’ve got on the menu for Thanksgiving:

• Fresh roasted 14-pound turkey
• Cranberry sauce from fresh cranberries
• Real mashed potatoes and traditional gravy
• Scratch baked stuffing
• Candied yams
• Green bean casserole
• Rolls and butter
• Your choice of two dessert pies or two cakes

Package price: $129 (feeds up to 12 people)

For about $10 extra, you also have options to get a pre-carved turkey, boneless turkey breast or glazed whole ham. The meal comes packaged in foil pans so you’ll be ready to heat it on Thanksgiving Day.

The Thanksgiving package will definitely sell out, so you do need to call and reserve one, if you’re interested. The number to call is 479-631-2900. They’re located at 1001 S. 52nd Street in Rogers, north of the ALOFT hotel.

With the 4th of July coming up soon, the mamas thought it might be nice for someone else to come up with the menu. Jen Lewis of Fayetteville, mom to Ella and Ian, agreed to do the honors! Jen is a fabulous entertainer and cook. We’re breaking up the menu ideas into two parts. Appetizer and sides today and entree/dessert on Tuesday. See Jen’s personal notes along with each recipe.

Bruschetta Romano, appetizer (Serves 12)

Tomatoes are a must in the summer and especially for the 4th of July. This Bruschetta can be made early in the day and will be ready to go when your guests arrive. I love the Farmer’s Market in Fayetteville and you will be able to find most of the vegetables for your dish there.

Ingredients

2 pounds plum tomatoes, chopped
1 small red onion
1 cup packed chopped fresh basil
4 gloves of garlic
11/4 T salt
1T white pepper
1t oregano
1 1/4 C extra-virgin olive oil
2 loaves of French bread/sliced
1/2 C of grated Romano cheese

Combine the tomatoes, onion, basil, garlic, salt, white pepper, oregano and olive oil in a large bowl. Chill, covered in the refrigerator for 4 hours, stirring occasionally.

Let the bruschetta topping stand at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving.

Place bread slices on baking sheets.

Bake at 250 degrees for 5 to 10 minutes or until light brown. Sprinkle with cheese over warn toast. Put Bruschetta topping in a serving bowl and place bread pieces around the bowl. Use extra basil as garnish for the Bruschetta topping.

Roasted Potato Salad with Bell Peppers, Roasted Corn & Tomatoes (Serves 6)

I love this potato salad recipe! I got it out of Fine Cooking magazine two years ago and it has been one of my summer staple salads. It can go with any kind of meat and I love that it can be mostly made ahead of time. Using fresh roasted corn on the cob is a must to bring out the flavor in the corn. Please read through both recipes. One is for making the roasted potatoes and then everything gets mixed together.

Ingredients

2 lb. small red-skinned potatoes or small Yukon Gold potatoes, washed and cut into 3/4-inch chunks
3 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

How to make: Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 450ºF. Spread the potatoes on a heavy-duty rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with the olive oil, sprinkle with 1 tsp. kosher salt and several grinds of pepper, and roll them around to evenly coat them with the oil. Spread the potatoes in a single layer, preferably with a cut side down. Roast them until they’re tender when pierced with a fork, 20 to 30 minutes, depending on the potatoes. The potatoes should be browned on the sides touching the pan.

Loosen the potatoes from the pan with a thin spatula and transfer them to a large serving bowl to be tossed with the salad ingredients and dressing. They can be tossed while still warm or at room temperature.

Ingredients

1 ear fresh corn, in the husk
1/4 cup plus 1 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups red, yellow, or orange cherry tomatoes (or a combination), halved
1/2 red bell pepper, cut into 1/4-inch dice
1/2 green bell pepper, cut into 1/4-inch dice
1/2 small red onion, cut into 1/4-inch dice
1/2 yellow bell pepper, cut into 1/4-inch dice
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
2 small cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 Tbs. red-wine vinegar

(Tip: roast the corn while you roast the potatoes.)

How to make: Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 450°F. Remove the husk and put the corn on a small baking sheet. Drizzle 1 tsp. of the oil onto the corn and rub it over all the kernels. Sprinkle with kosher salt and pepper. Roast, turning the cob occasionally, until the corn kernels are light brown in a few spots, about 20 minutes. Let the corn cool. Cut the kernels from the cob. Mix together only if you are ready to eat. You can make the potatoes, corn and cut all ingredients, but wait until the last minutes before putting everything together.

Add the corn, tomatoes, red, green, and yellow peppers, onion, basil, and garlic to the potatoes. Toss gently. Whisk the remaining 1/4 cup oil and the vinegar together and add to the salad. Toss again. Season with kosher salt and pepper to taste and serve immediately.

Arugula Blueberry Salad with Orange Dressing

This salad is truly a seasonal favorite and I think it is perfect for the 4th of July. You have your red, white and blue and it is absolutely delicious. I really love Arugula and use it as much as I can when it is in season. You should be able to find it at the Farmer’s Market, Ozark Natural Foods or Marvin’s (IGA).

Salad
Serves 6
1 head Boston Lettuce
2 bunches of Arugula
2 Avocados-cubed
4 plum tomatoes
1 pint blueberries
1 can heart of palm cut in rounds

Dressing

1/2 c of Fresh OJ
2 T of lime Juice
1/2 t orange zest
1/2 t sugar
1/4 t salt
1/3 c olive oil

Mix the salad stuff together and pour dressing over right before serving. I add Sea Salt and pepper as well.
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