The Executive Cook: Weeknight Cook - Weekend Entertainer

By Tonya Morgan

I hope this book is something you find useful and maybe even adventurous. Try something that looks intimidating and just take your time, break it down, and have some fun. Many weekend nights, my husband and I will just put music on, have some wine, and cook a meal. The worst thing that can happen is, you have to order pizza, and the best thing is, you make something wonderful, gain confidence in the kitchen, and enjoy.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Page Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: May 11, 2021
• ISBN: 9781647017255

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The Executive Cook

-Weeknight Cook ~ Weekend Entertainer-

Tonya Morgan

Copyright © 2020 Tonya Morgan

All rights reserved

First Edition

PAGE PUBLISHING, INC.

Conneaut Lake, PA

First originally published by Page Publishing 2020

ISBN 978-1-64701-724-8 (pbk)

ISBN 978-1-64701-726-2 (hc)

ISBN 978-1-64701-725-5 (digital)

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

Appetizers and Small Bites

Soups

Salads

Fish

Chicken and Turkey

Beef, Lamb, Pork, Duck

Pasta and Other Main Dishes

Sides

Desserts

Breakfast

❃❃Introduction❃❃

Let me start by introducing myself. I am an executive in corporate America most of the time, I love to cook, but I am not a trained chef, hence the name The Executive Cook. I have a website, but I am not a blogger since I work full-time.

I participate on Instagram encouraging the people I follow, and they do the same for me. Some of these recipes have come about recently, some are my grandmother’s or mother’s, and some I made up over fifteen years ago.

My love of cooking did not come naturally nor from home. We were not allowed to cook because no one wanted to clean up the mess. Back then, my grandma or my mother had a dishwasher, and my grandmother had to prepare breakfast for us, lunch for my grandfather and others on the ranch, make a midday snack for everyone, and make dinner for my grandfather, mother, myself, and my brother.

We sat at the table every night and ate together. We had to say a prayer and mind our manners or Grandma would make sure we saw the time-out areas or the back of the lefse stick. The menu was fairly standard from week to week, consisting of roast, potatoes, vegetables, bread, chicken, hamburgers, frozen pizza, and chili.

I grew up on a ranch in Montana in a ski resort town. We used to have about nine months of winter, it felt like, and in the summer, we were beyond busy trying to get the hay done and put up for sale during the year. My family grew a type of hay called timothy hay, which is a high-protein hay for racehorses. I think this explains part of my excitement and enjoyment of the Kentucky Derby itself and all the food involved.

The one thing my family would always make at Christmas is Lefse. Lefse is a low-fat Norwegian dessert made from potatoes, heavy cream, and flour. It is rolled out, similar to a tortilla, covered in butter then in sugar, and finally rolled up and eaten. The number one breakfast in my book is lefse and a diet Mountain Dew. Others may choose coffee.

I have always worked a lot of hours, and in the beginning of my marriage, I would cook large casseroles for leftovers all week, and well, this is how my mother would cook, so that is the only thing I knew. Cooking consisted of actually adding hamburger into the jarred spaghetti sauce at that time.

After college, when I was visiting my mother-in-law while she had cancer, we would sit and watch the Food Network for hours. Back then, I think there was only Emeril, Tyler Florence, Bobby Flay, and Sarah Moulton, but I really began to see that cooking was not that hard.

My love of food and the expansion of my palette really started to happen as we made more money, ate at nice restaurants, traveled the US, and traveled the world. I have been fortunate enough to eat everywhere from Michelin Star and James Beard restaurants around the world to food trucks in my own backyard. I love where I grew up and I love meat and potatoes, but there is so much more to experiment with and to savor.

I learned that it really does not take that much more time to cook something from scratch, or cook it ahead, than it does to assemble a casserole. I primarily shop the perimeter of the grocery store and buy meats, fish, produce, dairy, and some staples such as chicken stock from the interior aisles.

The way I cook and have cooked for twenty-five-plus years is, I make a menu every Sunday for the week, make a grocery list by department, and buy everything on Sunday unless it is fish or something that will spoil. I come home and prep as much as possible, and then I know what my game plan is for the entire week for dinner and lunches.

I love to entertain on the weekends and for holidays. I believe cooking is a way to express your love and appreciation for someone and adding small, easy, but special touches makes someone feel special too.

This book has a get ahead tip on almost every recipe which could be anything from chopping all ingredients to making the entire dish and warming when ready to eat.

I hope this book is something you find useful, fun, and maybe even adventurous. Try something that looks intimidating and just take your time, break it down, and have some fun. Many weekend nights, my husband and I will just put music on, have some wine, and cook a meal. The worst thing that can happen is, you have to order pizza, and the best thing is, you make something wonderful, have a great time, gain confidence in the kitchen, and enjoy.

Experiment and enjoy

Tonya

I want to thank my unsuspecting neighbors, family, and friends that became taste testers during this process and, most of all, my husband. He gained weight, tasted a ton of desserts and food, encouraged this process, and was the photographer for 80 percent of this book!

Brent, Grandma, Grandpa, Tom, Mom, Lee, Debi, Dara, Travis, Natasha, Tayden, Thaya, Sunita, Kim, Patti, Dave, Vishal, BJ Morris, Joe, J.R. and girls, thank you.

Appetizers and Small Bites

Chestnut and Pork Mini Pies

Chicken, Prosciutto, and Fontina Macaroni ’n’ Cheese Balls with Apricot Dipping Sauce

Pears Wrapped in Goat Cheese, Basil, and Prosciutto

Crab Louie Deviled Eggs

Fried Green Tomatoes Topped with Chive Goat Cheese over Piquillo Pepper Sauce

Chicken and Waffle Cones

Duck Confit Crostata

Provencal Artichokes with Lemon Aioli

Smoked Trout on Crispy Potatoes with Chive Crème Fraîche

Pear and Blue Cheese Tart with Port Drizzle

Ham, Comte, and Apple Tart

Montana Skewers

Smoked Salmon Crostini with Egg and Grilled Asparagus

Buckwheat Blini with Mushroom and Chestnut Topper

Duck Taquitos with Avocado Dipping Sauce

Guacamole with Sweet Corn and Baked Chips

Fig and Goat Cheese Tart

Carrot Hummus

Elk Sausage in Puff Pastry with Huckleberry Dipping Sauce

Fried Eggplant with Caponata

Spanakopita Quesadilla

Honey Goat Cheese with Roasted Za’atar Carrot Tart

Snap Crackle Shrimp

Black-Eyed Pea Hummus and Chicken Tartines

Beet and Goat Cheese Skewers

Corn and Smoked Gouda Dip

Chestnut and Pork Mini Pies

I needed a new appetizer to take to the neighbors for a Christmas party, and I was really into chestnuts at the time and trying to figure out what I could make with them. We had just gone to England the year before, and there were always meat pies in the restaurants, so I put together these pork pies with chestnuts, and they were a hit.

Ingredients

1 lb. ground pork

5.5 oz. roasted and peeled chestnuts

1 leek (1 c. finely chopped)

2 tbsp. olive oil

6–8 pie crusts

2 tbsp. flour

1 1/2 c. chicken stock

3/4 tsp. allspice

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. minced thyme

1 dry bay leaf

1/4 Granny Smith apple

1 egg

salt

pepper

flaked sea salt

❃❃Makes 48❃❃

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400. Spray two mini muffin tins with nonstick cooking spray.

Mince leeks, mince thyme, chop apple into small pieces, and chop chestnuts into small pieces. All ingredients need to be small as they need to fit into the mini pie.

Beat egg with 1 tsp. of water and set aside.

Cut out 48 5-centimeter circles and put into the muffin tins. Cover with a damp paper towel. Cut out 48 4-centimeter circles and set aside under a damp paper towel.

Pork Filling

In a skillet over medium-high heat, add the pork, breaking apart with spoon into small pieces, and cook until done. Remove from pan with a slotted spoon. Add 2 tbsp. olive oil to the pan and add leeks and chestnuts along with allspice, garlic powder, thyme, bay leaf, apple, pinch of salt, and a pinch of pepper. Cook until onions and chestnuts are soft.

Once cooked, add 2 tbsp. flour to the pan and cook for 1–2 minutes to cook out the raw taste. Turn heat to high and add the chicken stock, scraping any bits off the bottom of the skillet. Turn heat down and add back pork. Let the mixture cook for about 5 minutes on medium heat and until thickened. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Remove from burner and let cool.

Assemble and Bake

Once mixture has cooled, evenly fill all 48 pie shells. Top each with the smaller disk of pie dough, slightly tucking around the bottom shell, and seal with a fork on the edges. Once complete, cut a small slit into each pie on the top to release the steam.

Brush each pie with egg and lightly sprinkle each with some flaked sea salt.

Bake for about 20 minutes or until the tops of the pies are golden.

❃❃Get Ahead

Cook filling only and store or assemble uncooked pies, flash freeze, and then put into a baggie. Once ready to make, return to original mini muffin tin, defrost, and bake.

Chicken, Prosciutto, and Fontina Mac ’n’ Cheese Balls with Apricot Dipping Sauce

I love these flavors together, and I had done an appetizer years ago, from a cookbook, that was in crostini form. Crostini got boring, and I love fried macaroni and cheese, so I combined the two and came up with these yummy little bites that literally everyone loves!

Ingredients

1 c. ditalini pasta

1 tbsp. butter

1 c. + 1 tbsp. flour

1 c. milk

6 oz. Fontina cheese

1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

3.5 oz. thick cut prosciutto

1/2 tbsp. olive oil

4 c. canola oil

2 chicken breasts

salt

pepper

3 eggs

2 c. panko

1/2 c. apricot preserves

❃❃Makes 50 Balls❃❃

Preparation

Grate cheese, dice prosciutto into 1/4 inch by 1/4 inch pieces, and set up dredging station with 1 cup flour on one plate, 3 eggs beaten in a bowl, and 2 cups panko on a third plate.

Add water to a saucepan large enough to boil 1 cup of pasta. Bring to a boil over high heat and add pasta cooking according to package instructions or until slightly al dente. Once cooked, drain and set aside.

Cut chicken into small pieces that are about 1/4 inch by 1/4 inch.

Chicken

Add 1/2 tbsp. olive oil to skillet along with chopped chicken and a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook for 3–5 minutes until all chicken is cooked through. Once cooked, remove from heat and put chicken on a plate with paper towels to drain any oil.

Mac ’n’ Cheese

Add 1 tbsp. butter to a saucepan and melt. Once melted, add 1 tbsp. flour and whisk together. Cook for a couple of minutes to cook out flour taste. Whisking, add in milk and continue whisking until there are no lumps. Add nutmeg, cheese, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Once cheese sauce is smooth and thick, stir in pasta, chicken, and prosciutto. Once combined, remove from heat and cool in the refrigerator for at least one hour.

Assemble

Once pasta mixture has completely cooled, use a 1 tbsp. scoop to measure out mixture, roll into a ball, and set aside. Once all balls have been rolled and mac ’n’ cheese mixture is gone, put the balls into the refrigerator to allow mixture to set for at least 30 minutes. After balls are set, start dredging each in the flour until completely coated, then coat in egg mixture, and finally coat in panko mixture.

After all the macaroni balls are coated, put them in the refrigerator until oil is heated. Heat 4 cups canola oil to 350 in a deep-sided Dutch oven. Once oil is at temperature, add 4–6 balls into oil to cook at a time with a spider or slotted spoon. Let cook until browned and crispy. Remove with slotted spoon onto a cooling rack that is over a sheet pan lined with foil. Once all balls are fried, serve or put sheet pan in the oven at the lowest temperature to keep warm for up to 30 minutes.

Add apricot preserves to a pan and heat until sauce is slightly warmed. Transfer to a bowl to serve for dipping.

❃❃Get Ahead:

Make filling, roll into balls, and refrigerate.

Pears Wrapped in Goat Cheese, Basil, and Prosciutto

These are so refreshing and a light appetizer. We first had these at a wine and tapas restaurant on Daniel Island when we lived there. The restaurant is no longer there, but I came home and made my own version so I can still have them when I have the craving. Inspiration or ideas come from everywhere.

Ingredients

2 pears (any pear, but Asian pears are best)

4 oz. goat cheese

12 fresh basil leaves

6 slices thin-cut prosciutto

1 tbsp. lemon juice

❃❃ Makes 12 ❃❃

Preparation

Juice the lemon and cut each piece of prosciutto in half.

Assembly

Cut each pear into 6 wedges, removing seeds and stem.

Place pears into lemon juice and make sure each pear is well covered as this will ensure the pears do not turn brown.

Cover the exposed, nonpeel sides of the pear with goat cheese, place a basil leaf over the goat cheese in the middle of the pear slice, and wrap each wedge with the prosciutto.

❃❃Get Ahead

No need; so fast and easy.

Crab Louie Deviled Eggs

What can I say, I love crab Louie salad and I love deviled eggs, so I just combined the two!

Ingredients

❃❃Get Ahead

Make everything except for topping with the tomato.

6 hard-boiled eggs

2 oz. crab

2 tbsp. mayonnaise

2 tsp. chili sauce

1/4 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

2 cornichons

salt

3 cherry tomatoes

❃❃Makes 12❃❃

Preparation

Cut eggs in half across or lengthwise, and remove yolks to a bowl. Cut a small amount of the white off to even the bottoms of the eggs so they will stand up.

Ensure all shells are removed from crab, slice tomatoes into quarters, and finely dice cornichons.

Eggs

Mash yolks with a fork and mix in mayonnaise, chili sauce, Worcestershire sauce, pinch of salt, and cornichons until smooth. Fold crabmeat into mixture and taste for seasoning. Add salt if needed.

Fill a piping bag or plastic baggy with egg mixture and fill each egg until mixture is gone. Top each deviled egg with a tomato.

Fried Green Tomatoes Topped with Chive Goat Cheese over Piquillo Pepper Sauce

Another wonderful restaurant inspiration that I immediately went home and recreated. I have lived in the South for thirteen years, and I love fried green tomatoes. These are a great appetizer to serve for two people all the way to twelve people. Each component can be made ahead of time, kept warm in the oven and a saucepan, and assembled at the last minute.

Ingredients

2 green tomatoes

6 oz. goat cheese

2 tsp. chopped chives

12 oz. jar grilled piquillo peppers in brine

1 egg

1/2 c. cornmeal

1/4 tsp. paprika

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

1/4 tsp. onion powder

2 c. canola oil

salt

❃❃Makes 8❃❃

Preparation

Remove the top and bottom of the tomatoes and then cut each into 4 even slices.

Mix softened goat cheese and chives together and set aside.

Heat oil to 350 in a cast-iron pan or Dutch oven.

Piquillo Sauce

Add entire jar of piquillo peppers, with liquid, into a blender and blend until smooth. Remove to a saucepan and keep warm on low heat.

Tomatoes

Mix the cornmeal, paprika, garlic powder, and onion powder together. Whisk the egg in a separate bowl. Dip each tomato in the cornmeal, lightly coating each tomato, then dip in the egg wash, making sure the tomato is fully covered, and finally dip back into the cornmeal, slightly pressing the cornmeal onto each side to ensure tomatoes are fully covered.

Place the tomatoes into the oil and cook until coating is browned. Remove to a paper towel or paper bag to drain excess oil. Lightly salt each when they are removed from the oil.

Assembly

Place piquillo sauce on the bottom of a plate or tray, top with fried green tomatoes, and top each tomato with goat cheese and chive mixture.

Note: You could use a marinara sauce kicked up with some red pepper flakes if the piquillo peppers are not available. The piquillo peppers are in some grocery stores and not in other stores, but I have also ordered them online. These can also be fried in an electric, above-counter fryer with a basket if frying food is a scary prospect. I, for one, never knew how to fry food until I moved to the South and bought a cast-iron pan. Thank goodness for Southern cooking!

❃❃Get Ahead

Combine goat cheese, chives and refrigerate. Puree piquillo peppers and refrigerate until ready to warm.

❃❃Get Ahead

Mix waffle batter and refrigerate, cut chicken, refrigerate, and set up dredging station.

Chicken and Waffle Cones

Chicken and Waffles are a definite staple in the South, and who does not love them? I thought this was a fun little take on this dish, and my neighbor girls loved them when I served them for a party.

Ingredients

Cones

3 eggs

1/4 c. vegetable oil

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 1/2 c. flour

1 tsp. baking powder

3/4 c. sugar

Fried Chicken

3 chicken breasts

3/4 tsp. cayenne

1 1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1 1/2 c. flour

salt

pepper

24 oz. canola or vegetable oil or Crisco

Optional

maple syrup

❃❃Makes approximately 28❃❃

Note: You must have a pizzelle iron for this recipe. You will also need small paper cups, jars, cupcake stands, or a box with holes in the top to stand your cones up in.

Preparation

Cut chicken breasts into small pieces (1/4 inch by 1/4 inch). This is easier if the chicken is very cold to slightly frozen.

Mix flour, cayenne, garlic powder, a large pinch of salt, and a large pinch of pepper together in a bowl. Set aside.

Preheat Pizzelle machine to the 3–3.5 setting.

Cones

Whisk eggs, flour, oil, vanilla, baking powder, and sugar together in a bowl. Let rest for 10 minutes. The batter will be thick and sticky.

Fill each circle on the Pizzelle machine slightly fuller than the outline, which is about a heaping teaspoon, as the circles need to be slightly larger to fold into a cone shape. Cook for approximately 45 seconds until browned. Immediately remove each and fold into a cone shape, ensuring that they are sealed on the meeting side. Set aside and allow to cool. You can buy a cone shape or make a cone shape from foil.

Chicken

Dredge all cut chicken in the flour mixture, making sure each piece is fully coated.

Heat oil or Crisco to 350, and drop chicken, in batches, into oil. Allow to cook until very crispy and browned. Remove to a paper bag or a paper towel to drain excess oil.

Once all chicken has been cooked, add to cones until each is full. Heat syrup and drizzle over the top of the cones or serve on the side.

Duck Confit and Fig Crostata

First, I love duck confit and I love figs, so I was trying to figure out a fun appetizer to combine them. I used to be able to find duck legs that were already confit in the store, but those have disappeared except for online ordering. I then began to