Video for the Star-Telegram Taste of the NFL Contest TCU Rose Bowl Chili

Spaghetti Squash Spaghetti

One day we were watching Rachael Ray. She loves to make pasta. On this day, she was going to make a pasta like dish without the pasta. It's vegetarian and very delicious. We watched her make it and tried it ourselves. We loved it. So if you are tired of plain, old spaghetti, try this.

1 spaghetti squash for every two servings
olive oil
Kosher salt
Fresh ground pepper
Spaghetti sauce with your favorite veggies such as tomatoes, carrots, onions, bell peppers, or zucchini

Cut each spaghetti squash in half and take out the seeds. Pour olive oil, salt and pepper over them and bake in the oven for about 45 minutes on 350 degrees. In a skillet, saute your favorite veggies in olive oil until tender. Add spaghetti sauce. When the squash is done, take a fork and pull the "spaghetti" away from the squash so it sticks up. Top with spaghetti sauce mixture and parmesan cheese.

Jazz Cafe Review by Shanna

The best day to visit the Jazz Cafe is Sunday. The best time to go is around 11 a.m. Nick Kithas, the owner, plays the saxaphone and has a full band. This is a destination restaurant. Do not go if you are in a hurry. If you are ordering breakfast/brunch, I would recommend the SOB Eggs. The eggs are scrambled with corn tortillas and salsa and served with a side of beans and a tortilla. As you sip your coffee, you can enjoy the wonderful jazz music. If you get there later for lunch, I would order the Green Gobbler. This is a huge sandwich made with homemade bread, turkey, and avocado. Two people could split this easily, and it comes with a side of chips. The atmosphere is very Austinish - cement floor, mismatched tables and chairs, very laid back. No one is in a hurry here. So if you want good food and great music, head on over to the Jazz Cafe and tell Nick I sent ya.

Fish Soup (Caldo de Pescado)

Fish soup! Yuk! You may be saying. If you've ever had it at La Playa on Hemphill off of Berry, it's fantastic. Here's a recipe for fish soup that I use. It is from the Kimbell Cookbook. In the cookbook, it's called Southwest Chicken Soup. I just replace the chicken with catfish or tilapia. It's nice to make on cold winter nights. Serve with a dollop of sour cream and corn or flour tortillas on the side. A nice appetizer would be tostadas topped with cheese. It's tasty and healthy.

1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 chopped onion
6 cups chicken stock or 6 cups water with a chicken bouillon cube
1/2 cup brown rice
1 can corn (drained)
2-3 fish fillets
1 teaspoon cumin
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 tablespoons salsa
1 can diced tomatoes
1 (4 oz.) can chopped green chilies (if I don't have the tomatoes and chilies, I use Rotel)
Kosher salt
pepper

In a soup kettle, saute fish in olive oil with onions. When fish is white and onions are translucent, add the other ingredients. Simmer for about 45 minutes on medium to low heat.

Tokyo Cafe Review by Shanna

Sushi is one of our favorite foods. We like to go to Tokyo Cafe for many reasons. One, it's in our neighborhood just off of Merrick and Camp Bowie. Second, the owners, Jarry and Mary, are so nice and friendly. Third, the sushi is always fresh and full of flavor.

My favorite is the Seattle Sunset. It has salmon and cream cheese. Yummy! I would recommend starting off with some Miso soup and edamame. The Miso soup has mushrooms and tofu. The edamame is steamed with just the right amount of sea salt on top.

Graysen usually gets the Crunchy Roll with eel sauce. It's full of crab meat and cream cheese.

Chris orders the Teriyaki chicken bowl. It is full of rice and chicken with Teriyaki sauce. With this he'll order the California Roll.

We all order hot green tea which comes with a small teapot for easy refills. For dessert we get the green tea ice cream or the fried banana dessert with ice cream.

The waiters and waitresses are always friendly. Don't try to go on a Friday or Saturday night at 7 p.m. It's really crowded.

So head out for some great sushi at Tokyo Cafe!

Frijoles

I just made a big, pot of beans and asked Chris what I should call it. He said, "Frijoles!" I love making them because they are so good for you and are very tasty. Plus, we have leftovers so we can make burritos or tostadas with them. My favorite beans at a restaurant used to be the ones at Uncle Julio's. Now I make my own.

2 cups dry beans (soak in water)
1 chicken bouillon cube
3 slices bacon cut into little pieces
1 can Hunt's diced tomatoes
3 Tablespoons salsa
2-3 cloves garlic
1/2 chopped onion
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon paprika
Kosher salt

Soak beans for several hours in water. Rinse. Put in pot with about 6 cups water. Add other ingredients. Boil for about 1 hour. Simmer for about 1 hour.

Chocolate Cake

Growing up, we always made cakes from a box of Betty Crocker cake mix. I thought that was the only way to make a cake. Well, the first time I ever made a cake from scratch was when I found a recipe in The Pantry cookbook for chocolate cake. I thought Betty was the only person who could make a cake. What a surprise! One reason I like this recipe is because I usually have all the ingredients already in the pantry and don't have to run to the store. Enjoy!

2 cups granulated sugar
2 cups flour
 4 tablespoons cocoa
1/2 cup Wesson oil
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 cup water
2 eggs beaten
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup milk (it calls for buttermilk, but we never have buttermilk)

Mix all ingredients together except milk. Add last to prevent batter from being lumpy. Pour into 9"x13" pan. Bake at 350 for approximately 20-25 minutes until center is set. Frost with your favorite icing.

Lemon Squares

I learned to bake in 1984 when I was a senior at Permian High School. I was a "pepette." Only five girls could be cheerleaders and about fifty girls wanted to be cheerleaders so someone invented pepettes. We cheered at all the games and wore cheerleading like uniforms on Fridays. "What does that have to do with baking?" you ask. We each were assigned a football player. We had to do two things for them each week - make a humongous poster for them to be hung in the hall and bake them something. Thus, I learned how to bake. One of my favorite desserts to make was lemon squares. Since I made them so much in high school, it was just a couple of years ago that I wanted to make them again, for me. My friend, Sheila, took me to The Pantry Restaurant in McKinney, Texas. We had a wonderful lunch, and she recommended that I buy their cookbook. I did, and low and behold, there was a recipe for lemon bars. Graysen and I love to make them.

2 cups flour
1 cup butter
1/2 cup powdered sugar

Mix together and press into a 9"x13" pan. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes.

4 eggs
8 tablespoons lemon juice
2 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup powdered sugar

Beat eggs with lemon juice. Slowly add sugar, flour, and baking powder. Pour over crust and bake additional 25 minutes. Cool. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Cut into squares.

Sweet Potato Pie

During the week of Thanksgiving, we watched Rachael Ray. One day she had a guest chef on the show who made a sweet potato pie. He made it look so easy. So we decided to try and make it. It was fantastic. I made it for some friends who came over and watched Eat, Pray, Love. They liked it, too. Then, we made it for my mom and sister and niece in Odessa, and they liked it. I'm sure you will too.

2 large or 3 small sweet potatoes
3 eggs
1/4 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
vanilla
pinch of nutmeg
1 tsp. cinnamon
3 tablespoons butter
1 box Pillsbury pie crust (2 crusts)

Bake potatoes for 1 hour on 350. In a large bowl, mash potatoes and add the other ingredients. Spray a glass pie pan or aluminum pie pan (for easy cleanup) with Pam. Put one pie crust on the bottom. Add mixture. Cut the other pie crust into 1 inch strips and make a grid on top. Bake about 45 minutes on 350 or until brown. Serve with whip cream on top.

Swiss Pastry Shop Review by Graysen

Swiss Pastry Shop is a fabulous Swiss American Restaurant and Bakery located on Vickery Street in Fort Worth, Texas. A large glass case full of sweets greets you at the door and past it are dim lights illuminating a calm atmosphere. The floors have green carpet with red vinyl chairs and wood tables atop it. There are landscape murals on the walls. The warm inviting feel of the restaurant is accomplished by the owner, whose goal is to make the inside feel homey and like you're actually in a Swiss Restaurant hidden in the hills of Switzerland where fresh cooked homestyle meals are commonly served. The Swiss meal, presented on the Swiss Pastry shops lunch menu, can be anything from Kaiser rolls to German sausage. A pinch of American is added by also serving warm Deli sandwiches, potato salad, and potato chips. A unique addition to their lunch menu is a plate of fresh fruit including, grapes, strawberries, sliced watermelon and cantaloupe accompanied with a side of cottage cheese and carrot cake. It's rare to find a restaurant where you can order a healthy helping of so much fresh fruit. Not only do they have a delicious lunch, but also breakfast and desserts.

The Swiss Pastry breakfast is phenomenal! You can start your day off with their ravishing delectable coffee. To create the perfect consistency put only one cream and one sweet-n-low! The result is indescribable. It exceeds your wildest dreams. The flavor is rich. The sweetened coffee delivers pure delight. The warmth of the coffee relaxes you.  You feel right at home, content with your cup of heaven. The special coffee brand is a secret, but I'll share it. They use Cane's coffee, the best of the best coffee in America! Don't worry about the coffee in the cup going away because the cup is never empty. Refills are quick.

The breakfast options are endless. You can enjoy a big breakfast with everything on it: Real eggs that aren't too greasy, thick nicely browned hash browns or grits, warm fluffy white biscuits (I swear- these are the biggest fluffiest biscuits I've ever laid eyes on) or toast of your choice, topped off with a good bit of protein: either a thick seasoned sausage patty that sparks your tongue with spices in every bite or soft bacon. This big southern breakfast is fit for a farmer and hits the spot! However, if you are not the big country breakfast type, you can order any of the items separately or an omelet, a breakfast sandwich, a plate of fresh fruits, or their large doughy pancakes that fill the circumfrance of the plate. For those with a craving sweet tooth in the morning, the bakery offers cinnamon rolls, sticky buns, muffins and fruit-filled horseshoes, strudels and pockets.

The wide variety of desserts sold in the Bakery are endless. They are always made daily and fresh. They've got pies, including, fruit, mousse, meringue and cream, plus cakes. Brownies, chewy fruit bars, cookies, and pastries fill the racks. The more delicate items are their fruit tarts, cannelloni, truffles, and cream puffs which, let me warn you, are very very sweet.

Prices are amazingly low for the amount and quality of food you receive. The big breakfast platter is only about $5! Even the lunch prices are low. The service is always fast and very dependable. Those waitresses work hard so if you stop in, be sure to give them a generous tip! Try the Swiss Pastry shop and you'll be impressed to the fullest extent and leave with a big smile and a full tummy!

Eggplant Lasagna

Graysen has a friend who is a vegetarian so I am always making spaghetti when she comes over. I was trying to think of something else I could serve when she's here. I thought maybe since we like lasagna, I'd just replace the meat with a vegetable that we like. So I decided to use eggplant. I made the recipe just like I usually do, but instead of meat I used eggplant. It is delicious! We try to eat a vegetarian dinner once a week. It's healthy, and you save money because the most expensive item in a store is meat. Remember the old grocery store contests where the person had 5 minutes to get whatever they could in their basket? They went straight to the meat aisle. Enjoy even if you aren't a vegetarian.

1 eggplant
3 cloves garlic minced
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 onion chopped
lasagna noodles
1 can Hunt's spaghetti sauce
1 container ricotta cheese
1 cup parmesan cheese
1 cup mozzarella cheese
2 eggs
Kosher salt
pepper
Italian seasoning

Skin and cube the eggplant. Saute in a skillet with olive oil, onion, and garlic until soft. Add spaghetti sauce. Boil water and add salt, olive oil, and lasagna noodles for about 8 minutes or until soft. In a large bowl, mix cheeses and eggs. Add Kosher salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning. In a glass dish or aluminum lasagna pan (for no mess cleanup) layer eggplant/sauce, then noodles, then cheeses and continue until you have eggplant/sauce on top. Bake in the oven for about 45 minutes to an hour on 350. Let cool before you cut it. Refrigerate leftovers.

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

Growing up my mom would make Campbell's Chicken Noodle Soup. I thought all soup came out of a can until I bought the Kimbell Cookbook (Kimbell Museum). There was a recipe for Southwest Chicken Soup. I made it a lot and suddenly realized how easy it is to make my own soup rather than pour it out of a can. When I make it, I can use whatever ingredients I want. So one day, I decided to try to make my own Chicken Noodle Soup. It was even better than Campbell's! Plus, it's really easy and great for when you are feeling a little under the weather.

1-2 chicken boneless chicken breasts
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 onion chopped
carrots chopped
celery chopped
2 cloves garlic minced
1 chicken bouillon cube
1 cup pasta noodles (elbow, penne, or your favorite)
6 cups water
Kosher salt
pepper

Cut chicken into small, bite size pieces. Saute them in the soup pot on low heat (secret to tender chicken) with the onions, garlic, carrots, and celery. When the chicken is cooked and the veggies are soft, add the rest of the ingredients. Simmer for about 30 minutes. Serve with crusty bread.

Rainbow Pizza

We really like pizza, but the frozen kind is kind of boring and the delivery kind is too expensive. So tonight we tried to make our own creation. Enjoy eating your rainbow.

1 Boboli ready made pizza crust
Hunt's spaghetti sauce
mozzarella cheese
yellow bell pepper diced
broccoli cut into small pieces
carrots diced
onions sliced

Bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes.

Salsa

My friend Sheila, who is a fabulous cook, taught me how to make my own salsa about ten years ago. I haven't bought store bought salsa since then. It is really good and you never know exactly how hot it will turn out since every jalapeno has it's own "heat index." It's great with chips, egg burritos, tostadas, fish tacos or whatever you eat with salsa.


1 can Hunt's diced tomatoes
1/2 onion
2 cloves garlic
1 jalapeno
cilantro
Kosher salt

Put all ingredients (cut off stem of jalapeno) in a food processor for about a minute.

Chicken Pot Pie

On cold winter nights, this is very comforting and easy! I grew up eating those little, frozen chicken and turkey pot pies. My mom would put them in the oven and would serve them by dumping this upside down on my plate. I guess she thought it would cool faster. One of my favorite childhood meals.

2 boneless chicken breasts
1 bag frozen vegetables, preferably corn, carrots, green beans, potatoes
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 package Pillsbury pie crusts (2 crusts)
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves garlic
Kosher salt
pepper

Cut chicken into bite size pieces and saute in a skillet with olive oil and garlic on low heat until done (low heat is the secret to tender chicken). Add vegetables and soup. Stir. Put one pie crust into round glass pie dish or aluminum dish. Pour chicken mixture. Top with second pie crust. Pinch the edges together. Bake for about 45 minutes on 350 degrees (or until crust is a golden brown).

TCU Rose Bowl Chili

I love chili. I usually use the Odessa Junior League's chili recipe, but a friend of a friend e-mailed me this one. It's even better! I used this recipe for the first time for the TCU Rose Bowl game. We loved it, and our friends seemed to like it, too. Graysen made purple corn bread (by adding food coloring). TCU beat Wisconsin 21-19 that day. Go FROGS!

2 pounds ground beef
1/2 onion chopped
3 cloves garlic chopped
1 can black beans
1 can white hominy (drain)
1 can corn (drain)
1 can Rotel
2 T. chili powder
Kosher salt
pepper
chicken bouillon cube
1 packet red pepper flakes
1 cup water

Brown the ground beef with the onions and garlic. Add the other ingredients and simmer on low heat for about 30-45 minutes. Serve with a dollop of sour cream and/or shredded cheese.

Shanna's Top 11 Favorite Restaurants of 2011

Tokyo Cafe
The Kimbell
Le Madeleine
Benitos
Fernandez
Mamma Mia's
Tres Jose's
Jazz Cafe
Mexican Inn
George's Greek Specialty Foods
Swiss Pastry

What are Fort Worth Foodies?

Fort Worth Foodies are people who live in Fort Worth, love good food, and try out recipes at home. We will be posting our favorite restaurants and recipes we've cooked that appeal to our taste buds. Our inspiration comes from family, friends, cookbooks, and of course, the Food Network. Our heroes are Rachael Ray, Bobby Flay, and Paula Deen.

Note: In all of our recipes we only use Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper. So put away those old salt and pepper shakers you grew up with.