Dinner and Conversation

I'm moving! Over to my own domain - http://dinnerandconversation.com

2009-05-11T15:12:00.000-07:00

I've mainly got my new layout fixed and LLB Designs finished my logo, so I'm hopping over to my own domain. Change your bookmarks and hop on over to dinnerandconversation.com - no need to type blogspot or www or anything else, just dinnerandconversation.com

The switch is to give me more functionality and to make things like my categories searchable and hopefully one day, findable from a straight google search.

Head my new direction. one more time http://dinnerandconversation.com

Continuing the Mother's Day Theme, My Mama's Braised Pork Chops

2009-05-10T18:39:00.000-07:00

This week seems to have made me very nostalgic for my mother's recipes. My mama taught us all so much about cooking. When I was younger, Marti and I always used to tell a then much much younger Hannah, "This is how southern women learn to cook!" while taking turns holding her and making meals. I've been so blessed to have so many family, friends, and roommates who love to cook, all who've taught me new basics, recipes and techniques. But the foundation came from my mother, so on Mother's Day it's only fitting that I would cook her pork chops.

This method of cooking pork chops yields such a tender wonderful result. Braising takes awhile to reach the perfect point, but really after the browning process, they're simmering on the stove, not actually requiring attention just time.

Smoked paprika is everywhere in the culinary world right now. It seems to be featured on every food show, in every month's food magazines and all over the internet. We've always made this recipe with regular paprika, but I decided to try it in a dish I knew well to taste the difference first. I don't really think I'd repeat it for this recipe, but the smell straight from the jar is fantastic. I'd definitely be willing to try it on deviled eggs or broiled chicken. I think maybe the slow braising process might not have been a good match for the smokiness to present itself. It's not that it tasted bad, it just didn't add anything and if you smell the two spices side by side, there is a definite difference. It also would probably be delicious as a topping on hummus.

3 thick or 6 thin-cut pork loin chops, bone-in (we prefer thin)
2 tbsps butter
paprika
kosher salt
fresh ground pepper
water

Generously season pork chops with paprika, salt, and pepper. In a large saute pan, melt two tbsps butter on medium heat. Turn heat to high and brown pork chops on both sides. If using thin chops, brown in two batches. Cover with water so that just the tops are showing and simmer at least an hour on low heat. Longer the better. Serve with a side of the broth for dipping.

Chocolate Souffle

2009-05-08T06:21:00.000-07:00

I started making this chocolate souffle recipe recently and it has jumped to my new favorite desert. I'm not entirely satisfied with this picture as my presentation so I'm going to remake this weekend and rephotograph for you. The key to souffles is all in the egg whites. I was trying to make this version while attempting to do bedtime for my two preschoolers. I'm not even sure if that's the correct terminology for my kids as one technically isn't old enough for preschool, but they're bigger than toddlers.

Anyway, our current bedtime routine looks something like, bath, jammies, books, long discussion over which room and which bed(s) they are going to sleep in, me beginning to lose my temper, finally tucking in somewhere, with one extremely picky over proper blanket placement. Then the bigger one talks to the little one, or knocks on the wall or something, so the little one comes running out to "announce" this irritation, an average of 3-5 times. Anyway, it's pretty chaotic. So that's my backstory for my kind-of screwups on this souffle.

Souffle's have a reputation for being difficult and apt to fall and a whole lot of hassle. This one is very simple and has only 3 real ingredients. I'm not a huge dessert person, but I do like chocolate, and I like to make things for other people who really like dessert. This souffle tasted good, and it did rise, even if not to quite as beautiful a presentation as I usually have. But everything that went wrong, was because of my egg whites, which I knew were totally off so considering, I think this was a really great result.

When attempting to beat egg whites to stiff peaks, it works best to have your eggs at room temperature. I succeeded there - though usually that's the part I screw up, and it has always turned out fine anyway. I started out wrong by absentmindedly leaving the flat beater on my Kitchen Aid instead of my wire whip. You want the wire whip because the whole goal is to incorporate enough air into the egg whites to form first the soft peaks, then later the stiff peaks. Then I didn't notice until I'd been beating the eggs for so long they'd already been abused and weren't savable- really they'd passed on to that ribbony texture that's kind of a yellow-y color instead of fluffy white clouds. So I turned off my kitchen aid and did what I could with my regular old wire whisk, like I should have in the first place, and got them as fluffy as I could.

I should have just started over with new eggs, but sadly, those were the last four eggs in my fridge. I though about calling my neighbor, but she's moving (I'll miss you Genny!) and I hate bothering people after dark. Anyway, moral of the story, souffle's aren't as finicky as you may have believed, cause it all worked out fine - or edible at least.

After I made altered to this version of the recipe I ran the nutrition information for a friend once, so if anyone wants it....

Nutrition info per serving:
choc 150 cal fat cal 60
sugar 48 cal
yolk 27 cal fat cal 21
whites 16 cal fat cal 1
butter 25 cal fat cal 25

Calories 266 fat cal 107 - not too shabby for a real dessert!

1/4 cup of sugar minus 2 tbsps for sprinkling
4 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped
2 large egg yolks, room temperature
4 large egg whites

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Butter 4 ramekins, then sprinkle with sugar, shaking out excess. In a double boiler, melt chocolate in top portion over barely simmering water. Stir occasionally, until smooth. Remove from heat, add egg yolks, stir, mixture will look thickened. Beat egg whites plus a pinch of salt on medium speed until it forms soft peaks. Add remaining sugar, slowly while continuing to beat, then increase speed. Beat until stiff peaks are formed. Stir a large spoonful of whites into chocolate mixture, then gently fold in remaining whites.

Spoon into prepared ramekins, then run your thumb around the inside edge of your ramekin (helps in rise process). Bake in middle of oven on a cookie sheet until risen and crusted, but center still jiggles, about 15 minutes, but I start checking by the minute at 12 minutes. Enjoy!

*notes*
Soft peaks - when you pull up your whisk peaks droop slightly to one side
Stiff peaks - when you pull up your whisk peaks stand straight up and don't fall
Fold in whites - gently turning half your mixture over other half, not stirring - which would be to jarring on your fluffy egg whites

Crispy Chicken Breasts with Baked Potatoe and Roasted Zucchini

2009-05-07T07:14:00.000-07:00

This crispy chicken is made with panko breadcrumbs. I really don't know how I made it before I knew about panko. It seems like I use panko very frequently and I've probably only known about it for about 5 years. Panko is made from crustless bread, coarsely ground, resulting in a light extra crispy texture. Regular breadcrumbs can seem so dense, panko doesn't absorb your egg or oil and maintains a light and beautiful presentation. I also prefer panko for crab cakes or salmon croquettes or other mixed seafood cakes.

My roasted zucchini is made in my cast iron skillet. I used to do it in a regular All-Clad Saute pan, but the cast iron seems to yield crispier roasted vegetables. I also roast broccoli and asparagus this same way. I used to steam vegetables exclusively, but we all prefer them roasted.

In retrospect on the chicken, I would pound it a little in the future, to break it down a little/tenderize a bit, but this result was good and would work well sliced for a salad dish also.

1 c. flour
2 eggs
1/4 c. water
1/5 c. panko
3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
canola oil
kosher salt
fresh ground pepper

Spread flour over one dinner plate. Mix eggs and water together in a wide, shallow bowl. Spread panko over another dinner plate. Season flour with salt and pepper and stir thoroughly. Dredge chicken in flour, coating evenly and shaking off any excess. Then dip in the egg and finally, the panko. Coat evenly.

Heat a large saute pan on medium high heat. Add canola oil to barely cover bottom, swirl for even coating and heat another 2 minutes or so. Test oil heat with a pinch of flour, if it sizzles immediately, you're ready. Brown chicken breasts in a single layer on first side 4-5 minutes, then turn and brown second side 3-4 minutes or until cooked through. Watch heat and underside of chicken to prevent over browning, but use caution when flipping to avoid scraping off breading.

4 zucchini, halved then sliced into 1/2 inch moons
olive oil
kosher salt
fresh ground pepper

Preheat oven to 400. Toss zucchini in olive oil, salt, and pepper, coating evenly. Roast in oven about 20 minutes, until liquid has released and zucchini are slightly shriveled. Turn once with wooden spatula to even browning.

Mama's Meatloaf and One More Day with Dinner on the Table

2009-05-06T19:38:00.000-07:00

Some nights, it's tricky just to get dinner on the table. I like our meals to be special and even more so, now that I'm attempting to write about them. But sometimes what matters is simply providing my family with something to eat.

Luckily this meal was made with all on hand products. It's taken me years to be able to cook anything, much less a balanced meal, without a trip to the store. If you cook often enough, staples add up and eventually dinner can be served even after being out of town. This isn't the healthiest meal ever, but it was quick, comforting, and sufficient.

I'm one of those aliens that actually likes meatloaf. Well, my mama's meatloaf. I'm not sure if I'd like anyone else's. My mom used to make this meal for me whenever I came home. And because we're cut from the same mold, she too felt guilty that meatloaf wasn't "special" enough.

The neon yellow looking rice is Mahatma's Saffron Yellow. I love these packets for several reasons. They cost about 50 cents, which seems unreal. They are a nice quantity for two adults and two toddlers. I tend to grossly over-make rice quantities and we are not very good at using leftovers. It's quick, but not Minute Rice quick. The package takes 20 minutes. Minute rice may only take five, but it's quality is pretty squishy and poor, IMO.

The broccoli came from one of those steamer bags they're carrying in the frozen aisles these days. My husband bought it, I probably never would have so I've no idea how much it cost. In the grand scheme of things, steaming broccoli in a double boiler is pretty easy anyway, and it makes me a little nervous microwaving in plastic. But in a pinch, it was an easy on-hand, not quickly perishing vegetable option.

I'm not a huge fan of bell peppers. A really nice thing about them though, is they freeze well. I freeze a partial in a plastic bag and it will last up to a couple of months, just pull out, slice, and add to your dish, no need to thaw.

1.2 lbs ground beef
1/2 white onion, finely chopped
1/2 a small green bell pepper, cored, seeds removed, and very finely chopped
1 egg
1 handful oatmeal
2 tbsps ketchup
6 strips bacon
can tomato sauce
kosher salt
fresh ground pepper
Jane's Krazy Mixed-Up Salt

In a large bowl, combine beef, onion, bell pepper, egg, oatmeal, ketchup and spices. Mush into a loaf in a large glass casserole. To cook more quickly, make a shape that is flatter and longer, not more than 1 inch thick. Cover with strips of bacon and cook in oven preheated to 375. After 30 minutes, remove from oven, remove fat from casserole with a spoon. Pour tomato sauce over top of meatloaf and return to oven. Cook another 10-15 minutes and remove from oven. Slice and serve.

Chicken, Carrot, Kalamata Olive Pasta Salad

2009-04-28T19:05:00.000-07:00

This started as a what-do-I-have-on-hand meal. I wanted to run get some feta, but we decided that would defeat the purpose and could be added to the leftovers later. It had a very nice flavor and was pretty simple. We ate it warm, but I'm pretty certain that it would be good cold as well. *update - yep good cold, too*

My sister adopted an olive tree for me for Christmas last year. Nudo sent a very nice package including a description and picture of my tree, as well as a spring pressing package of olive oil and a fall flavored package. The olive oil was outstanding and I totally need to re-up my adoption as well as order some extra. I highly recommend this gift for any foodie friends or yourself. Caution, you may wind up wanting to drink the olive oil.

3 chicken split breasts

olive oil

kosher salt

paprika

fresh ground pepper

3/4 c. pitted kalamata olives, sliced

3/4 c. sliced baby carrots

3/4 c. Italian Parsley, chopped

1.5 c. penne pasta

1 shallot, chopped

2 tbsps olive oil

4 tbsps champagne vinegar

1/8 tsp ground mustard

1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper

3/4 tsp murray river salt

Preheat oven to 400. Season chicken with salt, paprika, and pepper. Drizzle with olive oil. Roast for 40 minutes or until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 170.

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add penne, cook for 6 minutes, add carrots cook another five minutes. Drain, add to large bowl.

Shred chicken with fork, add to pasta. Add, parsley and olives. In a small bowl, combine olive oil, vinegar, mustard, pepper, salt, and shallots. Stir then pour over pasta dish. Serve warm or cold.

Chicken Marsala with Cremini Mushrooms

2009-04-27T18:04:00.000-07:00

Food can bring back memories, and memories can bring back food. I went to a wedding once, not one of my finer moments. The wedding was for one of my now husband's cousins. At the time, I was busy having a nervous breakdown about the fact that I was still not engaged and being asked to step out of family pictures. My husband is from a very Italian family. His uncle is a deacon in the Catholic church, and this wedding was for the eldest of his four daughters. So aside from the fact that I was totally inappropriately dressed (dress too red, too dressy, and too revealing to boot), somehow in my anger/sadness/worry about my impending need to dump my boyfriend because he wouldn't propose, I had a bit too much to drink. The meal was catered by another Italian friend, and the entree was Chicken Marsala. I don't think I'd ever had chicken Marsala before, but in my memory, it was delicious. The next morning, I wasn't so sure.

Anyhow, that night is not one I've often liked to revisit over the years. As we close in on a decade since the event, I suddenly had the desire to attempt my own chicken Marsala. I love that my husband is from a very Italian family. I've always joked that I'm a first generation American. Not that *I* emigrated here, but our lineage is becoming such the melting pot, I don't even know what to call myself other than American. My mother is quite the genealogist and would assure you that this is not true, and that we have very specific western European lineage, but combine that with my dad and it's all pretty muddled at this point. When my husband's grandfather was dying, I cooked a lot of meals for him. It was the only thing I knew how to do, the only way I knew how to contribute. I'd try to cook things he liked or asked for, but a renal diet is rather challenging. But I think Grandpa would have liked this chicken Marsala. Not that he was picky with me, he mainly said everything I cooked was wonderful. In fact once he joked that I could cater my own next wedding. (Which I definitely do not plan on having!)

So I completely spaced out when planning what to serve with this dish. I completely forgot about pasta all together. After ruling out couscous (we had it last night) and black beans (totally inappropriate) I settled on lentils. The husband and kids liked it, but the sauce would have been much more suited to pasta.

4 skinless boneless chicken breasts, butterflied, then pounded thin
kosher salt
fresh ground pepper
flour
olive oil
5 tbsps butter, divided
16 oz cremini mushrooms, sliced
2 cups dry Marsala wine
1 cup chicken stock
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 tbsp lemon juice
chives for garnish

Sprinkle chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Dredge each in flour in a shallow bowl. Heat a large skillet over medium high heat, add 2 tbsp olive oil, then 1 tbsp butter. Shake excess flour from chicken, then brown in skillet, about 3-4 minutes per side, minding your heat and adding additional olive oil to your chicken to keep the flour browning. Only cook about 3 chicken pieces at a time. When browned, remove chicken to plate and set aside.

Add 1 tbsp butter to skillet then add mushrooms. Cook over medium high heat about 6-8 minutes or until liquid has released, and mushrooms begin to brown. Add Marsala wine and bring to a boil. Cook until reduced by half. Add chicken stock, garlic, lemon juice, and remaining 3 tbsps of butter. Cook 4 more minutes, then add chicken back to skillet. Cover and cook 6-7 minutes, turning once. Serve over pasta and garnish with chives.

Pancetta Wrapped Pork with Couscous and Herb Salad

2009-04-26T16:26:00.000-07:00

I am suffering from a severe lack of creativity over here. Maybe it's because it was my birthday last week, maybe it's because my husband's been sick, maybe I'm just bored. In any case, I'm feeling to lazy at the moment to really whip up any of my own inspired meals. On the upside, sometimes it's good to simply follow someone else's recipes because you learn things you can incorporate into other dishes later.

Tonight I'm making a pancetta wrapped pork loin I found on Martha Stewart's website. Martha actually has a couple of versions of the same thing on her site, but this is the one I liked the best. The little onions for example, unpeeled? Really? I was anxious to see how they turned out and really shocked to see them on the serving platter. Are they just for decoration? Edible? Do they turn out like roasted garlic, all squishy in the center, good on toast? (They looked cool, and peeled like roasted garlic, but tasted kind of bleh, IMO.)

I also like the sauce base for this recipe, used in place of a roux. Equal parts of fat and flour used to thicken broth. But instead of cooking the fat and flour, then adding the liquid, you're adding it after reducing the liquid. It should thicken and make a nice basic sauce. (Sauce had great color and was a very nice addition. )

Of course everything seems to be thwarting me these days. The grocery was out of rosemary. I thought about emailing some friends to ask if anyone had an out of control rosemary bush I could pilfer a few branches from, but instead trucked it to another grocery store. I'm frustrated that I don't have a real outdoor herb garden. I used to have one, but somehow, my life got stuck on permanent pause when I moved here, and I just can't manage to get a life plan together and actually start living instead of merely planning, debating, pondering, then starting the vicious cycle all over again. And I hate my kitchen. Perhaps I should go back to work so I could buy myself a nice kitchen. Of course than I wouldn't have any time or energy to use it. Yet another conundrum. Ack. I promise to try to be back on top of the world tomorrow.

The recipe is definitely pretty. But as for basting with the juices, mine had no juices. Of course, my pancetta was a little thin as it was the prepackaged stuff, since the neighborhood grocery doesn't carry it in the deli. If it were thicker, I am certain it would render more fats and juices. Even without basting, the end result was very good. I give the recipe a very high ranking.

1.5 lbs boneless pork center loin

kosher salt

fresh ground pepper

olive oil

2 tbsps finely chopped fresh rosemary, plus several sprigs

1/3lb pancetta or bacon, thinly sliced

10-12 small pearl onions, unpeeled

1 tsp butter, softened

1 tsp flour

1 c. chicken stock

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Season pork with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Sear pork on all sides until browned, about 10 minutes total. Remove from heat.

Rub pork with chopped rosemary. Wrap with pancetta, overlapping strips slightly. Use toothpicks to secure pancetta, if necessary. Place a rosemary sprig on top; tie pork with kitchen twine, and remove toothpicks. (I didn't use twine or toothpicks, a benefit of using very thinly sliced pancetta) Return pork to skillet. Scatter onions and rosemary sprigs around pork. Roast in oven, basting occasionally with cooking juices, (see above concerning my results) until it reaches an internal temperature of 140 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, 30 to 35 minutes. Remove from oven. Transfer pork and onions to a platter; cover to keep warm.

Make pan sauce: In a small bowl, combine butter and flour. Place skillet over medium heat. Add stock, scraping bottom of skillet to loosen browned bits. Bring to a boil; reduce liquid slightly, about 2 minutes. Whisk in butter mixture; cook until thickened. Season with salt and pepper. Slice pork, and drizzle with sauce.

Strawberry Cupcakes with Strawberry Frosting

2009-04-22T06:25:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was our friend's 30th birthday. Her favorite cupcakes are all strawberry, all the time. I like strawberries but generally stray from things flavored with/by strawberries. After preschool, I drove past the Sprinkles cupcakes, thinking how conveniently it is located. But then I remembered I'd have to take two kids out of carseats, drag them into a store full of over-priced sugar, wait in line, then purchase 12 of the $4 a piece cupcakes. So I shook off that image, came home, hit google and voila! Martha Stewart had a recipe for Sprinkles' Strawberry cupcakes!

I think I may become a baker yet, y'all! After I made the batter, I decided to take a small taste. Salmonella be damned! WOW! There really aren't enough explanation points in the universe to show my excitement over this batter. This was so easy and the result was delightful. The cupcakes came out very fluffy and light and the frosting was delicious. I did add an extra tablespoon of strawberry and an extra half cup of powdered sugar to the original recipe, just to give it that extra strawberry kick.

For those of you without preschool aged children, there's this crazy food allergy phenomenon going on these days. When I was a child, home-baked/homemade food was strictly forbidden due to concerns about food handling procedures or possibly that some rouge parent was going to try to poison their children's friends or other such madness. Well luckily, the pendulum has swung. Luckily in some ways I guess. I'm thrilled that schools are back to trusting parents sanity and personal responsibility, and what's better than homemade foods? But the reasoning is almost crazy. Apparently there isn't a bakery in town that can guarantee a peanut free environment. So store bought goods are now strictly forbidden. Anyway, I should total start advertising at the school. Need some homemade cupcakes? Call me! I'll be happy to bake them with the finest ingredients. Peanut free!

You can find the recipe for these delightful cupcakes here.

Vegetable Soup

2009-04-21T09:55:00.001-07:00

Last night I had the pleasure of dinner by myself with a glass of wine and a book. This is *very* unusual and was most welcome. I've always enjoyed dining by myself. I like to go to restaurants by myself as well. Sometimes I really miss the days when I was working and I'd go hide at Houston's for lunch because it was highly unlikely anyone from my office would come looking for me there. No, I didn't have any business eating lunch at an expensive restaurant like that. It probably took me the whole day's pay to make up for my lunch. But it was divine. These days, I make no money and generally travel with an entourage of toddlers. Plus sometimes my husband works from home, and he'd totally bust me for extravagant lunches like that.

Last night while the kids watched Aladdin for the 10 billionth time, I hid in the dining room with my dinner, glass of wine, and book. Which also has totally made me make the jump from vampires to faeries. I finished Wicked Lovely in one day mainly because I am obsessed. Granted it is also a young adult novel, but I love the escapism.

As for the blackeyed peas, you can use fresh or dried that you've soaked overnight after cooking them in water for about an hour. Just don't put them in your ham stock raw. Or you can use canned, but I'd rinse them first.

Vegetable Soup

Leftover shank bone from ham, with some meat still attached

Water

large white onion, sliced

1 lb of carrots, peeled and sliced

6 stalks of celery, sliced

2 c. cooked blackeyed peas

8 small red potatoes, peeled and sliced into thin discs

40 or so ounces canned diced tomatoes

22 ounces canned whole kernel sweet corn

salt

pepper

cayenne

Place ham bone in stock pot, cover with water. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cook 3 hours or so, the longer the better. Remove ham bones with a slotted spoon. Add blackeyed peas, carrots, celery, onion, cook 30 minutes. Add potatoes cook, 10 minutes, add tomatoes and corn, cook another 20 minutes. Season to taste, serve with grilled turkey and cheddar sandwiches.

Brisket with Family Recipe Barbque Sauce

2009-04-21T09:13:00.000-07:00

My sister, Amelia, started me making my own brisket. I just don't really remember anyone making briskets growing up in the midwest. I don't even remember hearing the word brisket until I came to college in the great state of Texas. My family has long been barbecue seekers and connoisseurs, but we tended to stick with ribs and chopped beef sandwiches and pulled pork as our staples. In retrospect, I guess that chopped beef came from brisket mixed with sauce, I just don't remember seeing it sliced. My favorite brisket for the record, is the extra moist at Rudy's. And though I like their sauce, it's not my favorite, I'm not sure I've found a sauce in Texas worthy of a favorite. My godmother sometimes brings this Alabama barbecue to the beach with a super thin almost like vinaigrette consistency sauce that I love. And though it's been a long time since I've had it, I have fond memories of Show Me Barbecue sauce.

I finally made the family recipe for my husband and he loved it so much he said, "Bottle it and Sell it." When asking my mama for permission to post the family recipe here, she said, "If Cory likes it so much, why *don't* you sell it, Lane?" Well, I'm pretty sure that it would be totally cost-IN-effective to sell something made from so many already commercially produced products and not raw ingredients. And how on earth would I list my ingredients on the label to meet USDA requirements? I'm pretty sure A-1 Sauce, is not a valid "ingredient." So our family sauce is added to my list of products to re-engineer. Perhaps once I pull off a successful re-engineered version from the basics, I will sell it! But until then, I recommend this method for deliciousness.

8 lb beef brisket
kosher salt
fresh ground pepper
paprika
olive oil
white onion, cut into rings
2 Fat Tire beers
1 tsp brown sugar

Season brisket with salt, pepper, and paprika. Cut into two pieces if necessary to fit in your pans. In a large, heavy bottomed pan, heat olive oil on medium high heat. Brown brisket thoroughly on all sides, raising and lowering your heat as needed, to reduce smoking and increase browning.

Cover the bottom of your crock pot with the onion rings. Place browned brisket on top, pour over two beers and sprinkle with brown sugar. Cover and cook on higher heat settings for six hours or more. If your liquid amount seems really full, cook with the lid off for last 45 minutes.

Family Barbecue Sauce

1/2 c. Worcestershire
1/2 c. ketchup
1/2 c. A-1 Sauce
1 c. water
1 c. tomato sauce
1/2 to 1 tsp cayenne
2 tbsp butter
1 tsp liquid smoke
1 tsp brown sugar

Add all ingredients in a sauce pan and cook on low for 20-30 minutes.

Flank Steak With Herb Sauce

2009-04-21T08:47:00.000-07:00

This was the week for revisiting recipes I've already blogged about. Maybe I just wasn't feeling creative, but I think I just wasn't feeling on my A-Game. Anyway, we had a great week of food, and luckily all the repeats turned out better the second time around. In early March, I blogged about my experiment using top round steak in place of flank steak. The meat was tough and blah and I was disappointed. I went back to my usual flank steak this time, with great results. In that round, I plated the meal poorly as well as drowned it in sauce, cause I was trying to overcome my meat. This was much better. The meat was tender and juicy and the sauce complementary instead of dominating.

Flank Steak is cooked opposite of the way you normally cook steaks on a grill. The goal is to avoid grill marks, as you don't want your flank steak to curl up and cook unevenly.

Flank Steak

Olive Oil

Kosher Salt

Fresh Ground Pepper

Yep, that's it. All you need. Rub your flank steak in olive oil, then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Heat your grill pan on medium high heat. Add flank steak, then turn every couple of minutes, rotating the meat to avoid grill marks. The whole process takes around 10 minutes. Cook to an internal temp of 135, then move to a cutting board and let the meat rest for a full 15 minutes. Cut against the grain, and serve topped with the herb sauce.

Herb Sauce

4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 tsp salt

1/2 a bunch flat leaf parsley, stems trimmed, finely chopped

7 sprigs of fresh mint, leaves removed, chopped

3 tbsps. capers

15-20 pitted Nicoise or Kalamata olives, chopped

1 tsp anchovy paste, optional
olive oil

In a small bowl, combine garlic and salt. Mash with a fork to make a paste. Add parsley, mint, capers, anchovy paste, and olives. Cover with olive oil and stir. Let stand at least 30 minutes for flavors to combine. Serve on flank steak.

Banana Bread Experiment with Yogurt Substitution for Sour Cream Experiment

2009-04-13T18:50:00.000-07:00

I found time to get in touch with Robert Shimmin concerning my banana bread yougurt substitution experiment. If you followed that link, you'll notice it takes me to my domain instead of the normal blogspot address. Now that I've gotten going with this blog, I've realized I really should have had it at my own domain and using wordpress software instead of blogger. So in an effort to minimize my correction of links, I'm going to start pointing you over there. The theme or layout is ugly, and in my computer dorkiness fashion, I've decided to code my own theme, so that's in the works and I'll soon be back to my black background and a better layout.

Back to the experiment, Robert explained the science perfectly, so I'm going to quote his answer to my original question. When baking and substituting yogurt for sour cream, why it suggested to add an extra tsp of baking soda per cup of yogurt?

You add extra baking soda to the yogurt because yogurt is more acidic than sour cream, and so you're adding some extra base to balance it out.

Details: Whole milk that hasn't been homogenized will separate into milk and cream. Cream is the fat rich phase, milk is the water rich phase. Milk sugars are water soluble, so they mostly stay in the milk. (If you're curious, look at the nutritional info on cream sometime. Not much sugar in there.)

Sour cream is cream fermented with lactic acid bacteria. Yogurt is milk fermented with lactic acid bacteria. The bacteria eat sugar. The lactic acid is their waste product, and it curdles the milk. Milk contains more sugar than cream, so afterward, yogurt contains more lactic acid than sour cream.

Whole milk yogurt is a good baking substitute for sour cream. Low-fat and nonfat yogurt is a brand-by-brand experiment, because I have no clue which of the various thickening agents used in them stand up to the oven.

And there we have it. My results of course weren't as I expected. Isn't that always the way with science? So I have a few theories on why it went wrong. First and foremost though, what went wrong. 1) The batch with extra baking soda did not rise as well. 2) The batch with baking soda tasted like soap. Well not awful, but had soapy backnotes. It's possible that the original recipe is wrong and had too much baking soda to sour cream ratio or that my oven is funky (messing up the rise - in retrospect whenever I make 2 zucchini breads, one always rises a little better), but at the end of the day, in this recipe, if you sub the sour cream for yogurt, leave the baking soda alone. Also, I used 1% fat yogurt - Mountain High brand - and that held up. The normal 1 tsp of baking soda tasted great.

Did you ever wonder how the original cooks came up with bread baking in the first place? I think about that every single time I bake. Cooking seems fairly intuitive to me, but baking, really? Hmmm... I guess I'll throw some of these flours and sugars and fats together and tweak it until the whole is better than the sum of it's parts... I am awed by the original bakers.

Chicken Avgolemono: Round 2 With Gusto

2009-04-13T18:25:00.000-07:00

I wrote a post on Chicken Avgolemono back in March. I'm remembering not being pleased with the way my sauce turned out and more than likely due to a messed up bedtime during the point of critical mass. This sauce is really delicious but takes focus and concentration like a gravy. Actually, it doesn't so much take focus, but constant stirring and occasionally paying attention to the heat and the thickness. I love that it's so light yet it feels totally decadent and creamy. I also remember being displeased with my picture, and in retrospect, I can see why! We were thrilled with the taste of tonight's dish and I liked the plating better. Check the link above for the recipe. The only things I did differently tonight were using 3 lbs chicken breasts instead of tenders, and I left out the broccoli. I wished I had asparagus on hand, but I didn't. To make up for the increase in chicken, I used about 3 cups of chicken stock, 5 eggs and 6 tbsps of lemon juice. But we have tons of leftover sauce, so that really wasn't necessary. If you can tell the color change in the sauce on this round, that's totally due to my doing a better job on browning my chicken from the get go. Cheers!

Egg White Omlets with Ham, Cheese, and Fresh Herbs

2009-04-12T20:05:00.000-07:00

So you know you spend too much time in the grocery store when...

Last week I got busted by the Kenneth type grocery sacker doing a little dance to the bad elevator mix in the laundry detergent aisle. Our neighborhood grocery is two stories, so while I was alone in the aisle, "Kenneth" was looking from above on the mezzanine level. When some one called out, "Hey, I like this song too!" I was mildly embarrassed, but chalked it up to the over exuberance any mother feels on a preschool day.

Today we divided and conquered after nap time. I took the baby, my 2.5 year old bundle of joy little boy, who'd been exhibiting Excorsist worthy post-nap behavior. We did well on the quick drive over, and my spirits were lifted when I pulled him out of his carseat. On our way in the grocery, spring-like, atrium inspired music met my ears, and I began to bounce involuntarily with the beat.

TO MY FLIPPING DISMAY, I suddenly realized - holy hell, this is a Paris Hilton song. Yep, same song in exhibit A and B, Paris freaking Hilton. On a mix loop version. Jeez. I wish I could safely use stronger expletives. I am now the least cool person on the block. scratch that in the city. scratch that in the universe. WOW.

Anyway, when grocery planning this morning, my stomach began to crave food. Good food. And I realized, though I am not a morning person, hey! It's noon! The stove can be my friend. So I whipped up some omelets including last weeks ham leftovers. And chives from my aerogarden (though bestowing us many fresh herbs, mine doesn't look quite that balanced). I *might* decide to like breakfast food if it could consistently be made at noon. Heck, we nearly ran out of coffee today and the end result was not pretty, unless you like things thrown at your head.

Egg White Omelet

5 egg whites

olive oil

3 tbsp finely chopped ham

1.5 tbsp chopped sauteed white onion

2 tbsp finely shredded cheddar

1/2 tsp fresh chopped chives

1 pinch Murray River Salt - if you follow the link scroll below, I used to put my thoughts at the end of the recipe

Whisk egg whites with a fork. In a skillet over medium heat, heat 1 tbsp olive oil. Pour egg whites into skillet. Cook for 3-4 minutes until bottom looks firm, yet surface still looks like raw egg whites. Add ham, sauteed onion, and cheddar to one half of eggs, cook for another 2 minutes. Use spatula to loosen non-topped egg side from skillet. Balance and watch. When there is too much oil, you can see the egg bubbling and oil around all the edges. When there's NOT enough oil, your egg sticks to the skillet and your spatula has troubles sliding underneath. When it's just right, you see no oil, but the egg is not sticking. Err on the side of too little. When you have to little oil, gently add oil to the edges of egg slowly, then gently squish your spatula underneath to spread the oil. That will gently ease the oil underneath. Gently fold over half onto toppings, wait 30 seconds. Slide the fold side edge to the edge of skillet, use a *fish spatula to scoop omelet onto plate. Top with fresh chives.

*when I went to make the link on this tool, what I have is no longer manufactured. What I'm referencing is a wider than long spatula. I will photograph mine and look for a new site to update purchase options, but I guess mine no longer exists. bummer.

Ready to Cook Ham

2009-04-11T05:38:00.000-07:00

Around Christmas and Easter, and a few other times, you can find ready to cook hams in the grocery. They come in a shank portion and a butt portion. I go with the shank portion because it has less gristle and is easier to carve. A ready to cook ham has been wet cured and needs to be cooked to reach an internal temperature of 160.

Ham also definitely falls under my budget meals category. This 8 pound ham cost just over 10$. Sometimes it's more than that, I've paid double or triple, but this is still a good price. An 8lb ham serves about 15 dinner size servings, and the bone provides a wonderful base for blackeyed pea soup or vegetable soup. The price per serving of this meal was literally about $1.25. Of course we'll need to be committed to eating ham sandwiches for the next while, but who doesn't love a jambon-beurre sandwich?

8 lb ready to cook ham
water

In a glass pan, place rinsed ham, then add about an inch of water to the pan. Cook in an oven preheated to 325. Needs to cook for about 18 minutes per pound to an internal temperature of 160.

To carve, slice thin slices down to bone, then cut along bone to free slices. Turn ham to other side and repeat. Save shank bone in freezer for later use.

Tortilla Soup

2009-04-09T16:04:00.000-07:00

Everyone seems to have their own version for tortilla soup. Some are thick, some are thin, some are creamy, some are brothy, some are red, some are green. This one's mine. Without the fried tortilla strips, this soup wouldn't be much. It would still taste good, but the tortilla strips make the meal.

I don't think I'd ever had tortilla soup before I moved to Texas, but it is prolific here. You can adjust the spiciness to your liking, and optional toppings include avocado strips, cilantro, fresh lime, and shredded cheese.

For the fried tortilla strips, take caution in heating your oil to the proper temperature. Frying at a lower temperature results in extra oil absorption, 375 really is the perfect temp. I generally use canola oil for frying, for reasons I've discussed here. But you could also fry in another oil with a high smoke point like peanut oil, grapeseed oil, sunflower or safflower oils to your liking.

Chicken Tortilla Soup
1 whole chicken
4 split breasts with skin
5 stalks celery chopped
1 large or 2 small yellow onions, diced (not sweet, or maui, but yellow - white will work if you can't find them)
3/4 of a 1lb bag of baby carrots
4 cloves whole garlic
1-2 tsps crushed red pepper
1 diced yellow onion ( this is not a repeat it's for a separate step)
2 tsp oregano leaves
2 cloves garlic
4 bay leaves whole
1/2 a jalapeno, seeds removed and finely chopped
1 1/2 large cans diced organic tomatoes - get the most expensive kind at the grocery - it doesn't cost that much more - but adds alot - if you can find the ones in glass instead of canned - even better
10 tortillas
a whole bunch of canola oil

I use an 8qt stock pot - but really I wish I had a bigger one

I use a leftover roasted whole chicken. I roast a lot of chickens, and we only eat the breasts so this is essentially a whole chicken sans breasts. Before I roast it I add 4 garlic cloves, 1 lemon quartered, 2 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp pepper to the inside. After I make it and serve it, I throw the whole thing in a bag in the freezer and it will keep for several months if needed.

Pull the chicken from the freezer, put in pot, add split breasts, cover with water and add 1 1/2 tbsps salt. Cover, bring to a boil, then turn heat to medium and cook for at least an hour - the longer the better. Add celery, onions, carrots, garlic, and red pepper. Cook for another hour at least. Really you can't over cook this, use as much time as you can gather.

Saute onion in a separate pan in olive oil - about 2 swirls. Keep it on medium high, but watch it to make sure you don't burn your onions. Cook til soft and translucent, probably 10 minutes. Halfway through, season with salt, pepper and oregano. Add garlic, jalapeno, and bay leaves, saute for 3 more minutes. Add tomatoes, season with salt and pepper and cook for 4-5 more minutes. Turn off heat.

Remove chicken from soup to a large bowl. The longer you've cooked it the more it will be falling apart, so you will need to carefully go through the soup with a slotted spoon to get all the pieces. Discard everything but your split breasts. Pull the bones and skin from the split breasts and shred chicken. It will be very easy and just fall apart.

Add tomato and onion mixture to stock, then add shredded chicken. Stir and let simmer for 20-30 min then taste and adjust seasonings.

In a large, heavy bottom skillet add about an inch to an inch and a half of canola oil. Heat until 375 - this is vital, if you don't have a thermometer, heat for 8 min on high then start testing with teensy pieces of tortilla. You want it to instantly bubble heavily when added. Cut tortillas into strips. Add a about 10-15 at a time to oil and turn occasionally, frying until golden. Remove to plate covered with paper towels and salt immediately with sea salt. Repeat. Watch your heat, at some point, you will have to reduce the heat from high to med-high. You can tell when the tortillas start browning nearly immediately or if your thermometer reads over 400.

Serve soup with tortilla strips on top. You can also garnish with avocado slices and cilantro if you so choose, but I never go to the trouble, of course I don't really like those.

Whole Roasted Chicken with Sauteed Cabbage

2009-04-07T15:44:00.000-07:00

Last week Central Market had whole chickens on sale for an absurd price. Actually whole chickens are often very inexpensive and provide the base for an additional soup meal. You know how people always talk about how much money you can save cooking at home instead of eating out? If you ate like this every day, you would. I like to experiment, so I'm not sure that we save any money in the long run, but we eat well and I can control everything that goes into our bodies. This dinner fed the four of us, plus leftovers for the kids school lunches for a grand total of about $8. And I could have made that under $5 by using bulk rice or lentils or another bulk grain instead of the Near East boxed couscous. That link is to the Roasted Garlic and Olive Oil flavor instead of the Herbed Chicken shown in the picture. We grabbed the wrong box from the grocery likely while trying to wrangle small toddlers from tearing open the dried beans to pour all over the aisle.

Cabbage costs absolutely nothing, like 79 cents or something. The secret to mine is sauteing in a tiny bit of bacon grease. Yumm. Cabbage is a cruciferous vegetable, like broccoli, kale, and brussel sprouts. If you clicked on that link and read any of it, it seems to prevent nearly every kind of cancer with amazing results.

Make sure you save your chicken carcass for a soup base, I'm making tortilla soup with mine.

Whole Roasted Chicken

3.5 lb whole chicken
1/2 of a small lemon, cut into quarters
4 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed a little
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper
paprika
olive oil

Preheat oven to 400. Rinse chicken, remove any giblets and pat dry. Put salt and pepper in chicken cavity. Place lemon and garlic cloves inside chicken cavity. Place chicken on a rack in a roasting pan. Drizzle with olive oil, then sprinkle with paprika, kosher salt, and fresh ground pepper. Cook for approx 16 minutes per pound, though check to ensure chicken reaches an internal temperature of 160. Let rest for 10 minutes then carve and serve.

Sauteed Cabbage

1/2 head of green cabbage, sliced thinly
1/2 tbsp bacon grease
kosher salt and fresh ground pepper

In a cast iron skillet, warm the bacon grease over medium heat. Add cabbage and saute until cabbage turns a bright green and softens about 7 minutes.

Super Thin Crust Pizza

2009-04-06T06:36:00.000-07:00

I grew up near the best pizza restaurant in the the free world. Agatucci's is unlike any other pizza I've ever eaten and has such a place in my heart, I've regularly considered moving back to the midwest just so I could eat it more frequently. I periodically have bursts of intense homesickness and have to plan a trip all brought forth from just thinking about this pizza. I took seriously amateur dance and gymnastics across the street as a kid and my best friend's grandmother lived in the neighborhood behind the restaurant. It is such a place of memories for me, it brings tears to my eyes.

If you clicked through to that link for Agatucci's above, you no doubt read the restaurant has been handed down between four generations of sons. What lucky sons! I know restaurants can be all-consuming of your time, energy, and resources, but I envy anyone who has a "family business." Let alone in food!

I'm going to try and go with a two picture method today to point out some unique characteristics of this style of pizza. Please try to ignore my 10 million year old oven in the background. One day, a gourmet kitchen and I will come together in bliss. And yes, I broke my oven thermometer in the pizza making process, hence its disheveled appearance in the background. My oven has a mind of its own and suddenly started heating 35-45 degrees hotter than the setting this year.

So key items to note include: toppings go nearly edge to edge, this crust is so thin, the pizza is cut in small rectangles instead of triangles, the tiger sauce in the first picture, and the baking apparatus. I used a yeastless dough recipe, cause in this style you really don't want your crust rising at all. I've no idea if this is how Agatucci's does it, it's just my attempt at recreation of greatness. I was pleased with the consistency of the dough and the texture. I mentioned last week that I'd asked Agatucci's how they baked their pizza and they'd told me no pan just direct in the oven. Well that wouldn't work with my oven rack so I went in search of the pizza disc you see here. Those holes go all the way through, providing more direct heat to the crust. I'm not sure if I think it was better or not, so next time I am also going to try one on a pizza stone to compare textures. I had a hard time figuring out how to move my paper-thin rolled pizza onto the 16-inch disc, so I wound up doing some final rolling on the disc, which resulted in little hole dents in the bottom of my crust.

I tried rolling on wax paper, but the dang paper kept getting folded and torn. I wasn't sure how to move it direct from the counter, so I didn't go that route. What I think would actually work best would be a large silicone sheet the size of your disc that you could roll on, then pick up and flip your crust onto the surface. I guess maybe that's the theory with the pizza peels, that you flip it and drop it, I had never used one though and was imagining trying to slide off the pizza and thinking that will never work! I would think a large cutting board would work as well.

My sauce could have been zippier, but wasn't bad. I'm thinking definitely more garlic and possibly some kind of vinegar? I'll update it next time I try this. The cheese was definitely not quite right. In my research, I came across a kind of cheese called provel, which is used in St. Louis style pizza, specifically Imo's. It's a blend of cheddar, swiss, and provolone. My sister thought it was Velveeta, and apparently, she's not the only one. I've had Imo's and I just don't remember it making a big impression. But the cheese is consistently described as tangy, so I was wondering what a blend of mozzarella and swiss might do for my pizza? Something to try.

I meant to make my own sausage topping for this pizza but the process and research became all consuming and my husband over-ruled me and went out and bought pepperoni. So made the crust, topped to edge with sauce, topped to edge with mozzarella, then added pepperonis and a sprinkling of white onion. Serve topped with the Tiger Sauce, a garlic flavored vinaigrette purchased at Agatucci's. You could probably call them and they'd mail it to you!

Crust:

1 3/4 c. all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 tsp olive oil

1 1/2 tsp dark corn syrup

3/8 c. water

Mix all ingredients until thouroghly combined, shape into a ball and roll out until paper thin.

Sauce:

28 oz can puree tomatoes

14 oz drained petite diced tomatoes

1 tbsp green bell pepper, finely chopped

2 tbsp yellow onion, finely chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tsp thyme

1 tsp oregano

salt and pepper

Put all ingredients for sauce in food processor and puree until smooth. Pour into saucepan and heat on lowest heat for 15 minutes. Cool before using.

Blackened Red Snapper

2009-04-03T10:47:00.000-07:00

Well, I should have had the seafood watch app on my iphone. Cause it looks like I went ahead and bought red snapper which is on the avoid list due to overfishing. Seafood has gotten incredibly hard to buy, I think. There are the environmental concerns to be aware of, then there are the health concerns, then there's the local food concept to consider as well. The fishmonger at Central Market suggested a Hawaiian fish instead of my snapper, but I don't live anywhere near Hawaii, and it was farm raised. It's complicated. Next time, I'll take the extra time to go to the local seafood store and I'll see what are options are. Anyway, it was delicious. Spicy, but delicious. Served with roasted asparagus and quinoa.

I used this blackened seasoning. Take note, this stuff is hot. I only blackened one side, and I thought I was fairly gentle with it, but it was hot. So use with care.

1.5 lbs fresh red snapper fillets

blackening seasoning

Murray River Salt

olive oil

Rinse fillets and pat dry. Rub fillets with olive oil on both sides, sprinkle surface with blackening seasoning, then sprinkle lightly with salt. Cook in a grill pan in a 400 degree oven for about 15 minutes depending on thickness of fillets. Cook until flesh is opaque.

Sliced Chicken Salad

2009-04-03T10:32:00.001-07:00

My husband wanted chicken salad for dinner and I was all, umm okay, gross. I hate mayonnaise. And he was all, what? And I realized he meant a green salad with chicken on it, not that other stuff people serve on bread and call a sandwich. This is totally not a recipe, but I'll just give you a picture and shout out to one of my favorite salad finds.

Brianna's Salad Dressings. Brianna's is made by Del Sol Foods in Brenahm, TX. Back when I was a working person, they were a customer of my former employer, Megabyte Express. I love the French Vinaigrette, but my husband is partial to a combo of the French Vinaigrette and the Blush Wine Vinaigrette. The french vinaigrette is also delicious over hot pasta. I have always been envious of people who've made their life's work in the food business. How awesome would it be to create and manufacture salad dressings? I wonder if they have a factory tour.... hmmm....

Banana Bread

2009-04-03T09:41:00.000-07:00

This recipe comes from my Great Aunt Marguerite, who I am embarrassed to say I can't actually remember who she's related to. I know she's on my mother's side, but past that I can't remember. (Sorry Mom!) The sour cream is allegedly the key, though I've used yogurt as well and also like that. The official substitution guidelines call for adding a teaspoon of baking soda per cup of yogurt, but I don't really remember doing that. I may have to do a food science experiment on this one. I'm not sure, but I *think* you're adding extra baking soda because the yogurt contains more acid and the baking soda is what neutralizes it. I couldn't google any confirmation of the acidity levels, but I may just be using the improper terms. I'll check with Robert Shimmin and I'll do the experiment next week.

In case you're wondering who Robert Shimmin is, he's a guy I went to school with. He came to our school in the 5th grade and is far and away the smartest person anyone will ever meet. And I knew/know a lot of smart kids. As an example, when studying colligative properties in chemistry one time, I was musing if fish die when lighting strikes the ocean since the salt in the water conducts electricity. Robert knew *off the top of his head* the equation to determine the radius fish would die. The guy's crazy smart. It's awesome. I wish every one grew up with a kid like him.

This recipe is a total conundrum for me because I don't like bananas, sour cream, or walnuts, yet I kind of like this bread. It's strangely addictively good. And the family likes it.

1/2 c. butter

1 c. sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

2-3 mashed bananas

1.5 c. flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 c. sour cream

1/2 c. finely chopped walnuts

Cream butter and sugar together. Then add eggs and vanilla. Add other ingredients, stir just enough to blend.

Pour into a greased loaf pan. Bake 1 hour in a 350 degree oven.

Cuban Inspired Chicken and Mojitos

2009-03-31T18:01:00.000-07:00

I'm dying for summer. Borderline hysterical. I just feel like a better person with warm sunshine on my skin. Plus my Aerogarden is being totally overwhelmed by my mint. So I dubbed tonight mojito night and planned out a Cuban inspired chicken dish to complement. Not that I've been to Cuba, but I drove through Miami once and I read an enormous amount of food literature. Please don't flog me if this isn't Cuban at all. It just seemed to go with the mojito.

There's a link to the Orange Saltburst from Austin's own Spiceburst below. I found this company in a buy local project and loved them because I am always on the hunt for well thought gourmet food products. I highly recommend them!

It could have been spicier too. I'd definitely up the crushed red pepper next time, but if you don't like the heat, this will add the flavor without the pain.

3 split chicken breasts

juice of 3 lemons

juice of 2 mandarins

1 c. olive oil

4 cloves garlic, crushed

1.5 tsp cumin

1.5 tsp crushed red pepper

1 tsp Orange Saltburst

1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper

Place chicken breasts in a large ziploc bag. Add juices, oil, and spices, shake until mixed. Let marinate in fridge for 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 425. Remove chicken from bag, letting any additional marinade drip into bag, then discard. Place chicken in a glass casserole and cook until it reaches an internal temp of 165. About 40 minutes.

Corned Beef Sandwiches

2009-03-30T09:10:00.000-07:00

I've always wanted to make a fresh corned beef, but I've never seen one and didn't really know the process involved in the "corning". Lo in behold, at the almighty Costco, I found a fresh one a few weeks before St. Patrick's Day. I have no idea if I'll see one of these again, and if I do, it likely won't be until next March. After an inspection of the packaging, and a few googles, it seems you can corn your own brisket via a brine and pickling spice mixture. I may try that out as well.

The flavor was wonderful and the process extremely easy. Only exception being that I totally cut mine wrong. I *know* what cutting against the grain means, but somehow, my brain turned to a mush-like jelly substance and I just did it wrong. Oh well. So, I decided to settle for chopped corned beef sandwiches instead of my original idea.

Did you know sauerkraut used to be taken on sea voyages to prevent scurvy? Me neither. The brine keeps the Vitamin C from being oxidized during storage. It has multiple cancer-fighting compounds and other nutrients as well as being low calorie, albeit high-sodium. But variety's the key, right?

The beer's for tenderizing and flavor. If you can't get Shiner Bock, you should move. But preventing that, just use any kind of dark beer you want.

Fresh Corned Beef

Water

Shiner Bock Beer

Place corned beef plus accumulated juices in a stock pot, cover with water and add 1 Shiner Bock beer. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 3.5 -4 hours.

Slice Against the grain and serve.

Fillets of Sole with Mustard-Horseradish Sauce

2009-03-27T17:07:00.000-07:00

This recipe came from a Williams-Sonoma Simple Classics Cookbook, which appallingly, Williams-Sonoma seems to no longer sell. I have cooked the bulk of recipes from this book, and with the exception of a disastrous Baked Sea Bass with Fennel many years ago, this book is chalk full of solid dishes. I've made this recipe more times than I can count, and even have had better than average results from non-seafood eaters. In fact, I think this recipe may have inspired my friend Angela to introduce seafood to her diet.

I make my breadcrumbs from the end pieces of Orowheat Oatnut bread. I've linked to their site before, but after just checking again, their products page STILL seems to be under construction, so I'm not going to bother again. When we finish a loaf I throw the two end pieces in the freezer, and when I have a bunch of them, I grind them up in the Cuisinart and freeze the breadcrumbs for later use. It was a handy tip I picked up from an Austin Mama that fits in well with my efforts to reduce our food waste.

I'm also a bit of a horseradish snob. Or maybe just picky. We like the kind of horseradish we call kick-your-dog-hot. Not because we would possibly ever kick an animal, but because once, when making homemade horseradish, my eyes were watering so badly I tripped over the dog, resulting in my husband asking if the finished product would be kick-your-dog-hot. It stuck, even though my attempts at making homemade freshly prepared horseradish have not. After all the pain of grating, mine just wasn't that hot. But, the Silver Springs Organic Brand Horseradish is the best I've found. Horseradish can be tricky to find in the grocery store, too. ALWAYS buy the refrigerated kind. It's usually on a high shelf somewhere near the dairy/biscuits/butter/eggs section.

My sister found the most wonderful store for mushrooms in Dallas. Spiceman's FM 1410 is full of fresh from the farm produce and always has an incredible mushroom selection. Plus they are full of tips. And unusually nice. People can often be so snotty about food and cooking, this is the absolute opposite experience. I may just have to move across town so I can hit the store more often.

breadcrumbs

1/2 lb small fresh mushrooms

1/4 c. butter

1 large or 2 small shallots, chopped

juice from 1 1/2 lemons

3 tbsps dijon mustard

1 1/2 tbsps prepared horseradish

1/4 freshly grated Parmesan Cheese

1/2 c. sour cream

salt and freshly ground pepper

5 sole fillets

Position a rack in the lower part of an oven and preheat the oven to 425. Butter a flameproof baking dish that will accommodate the fish fillets in a single layer without crowding.

Clean the mushrooms by brushing them with a paper towel; do not wash. Slice thinly and set aside.

In a saute pan over medium-low heat, melt the butter. Add the shallots and saute, stirring, for 1 minute. Raise the heat to medium, add the mushrooms, and cook, stirring and tossing, until the mushrooms are just wilted, 2-3 minutes. Set aside.

In a bowl, stir together the lemon juice, mustard, horseradish, Parmesan cheese, and sour cream until well blended. Add to the mushrooms, return to the heat, and bring just to a simmer. Stir to blend and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Rinse the sole fillets and pat dry. Place in the prepared baking dish i a single layer ad spoon the sauce over the fillets. Sprinkle the bread crumbs evenly over the top. Bake until the fish is opaque through-out when pierced with a sharp knife, 10-20 minutes, depending on thickness.

Serve at once.

Chicken and Vegetable Stir Fry

2009-03-25T13:23:00.000-07:00

I'd kind of forgotten about stir-fry for some reason, probably in large part due to my ginormous wok currently being stored in my playroom cabinets. This is a quick meal, and has a very unusual (for me) advantage of nearly no dishes for cleanup at the end of assembly. The sauce was quite flavorful, but if you're trying to limit salt, definitely use a low-sodium soy sauce. You could also use almost any vegetables, fresh or frozen, this was just what was on hand in the fridge at dinner time.

Fish sauce is made from fermented fish, which at first hearing, sounds kind of gross. It is a staple ingredient in almost all Vietnamese and Thai cooking, and has historical use in China. I started using it in my Asian-inspired cooking, due to it's prevalence in recipes.

5 skinless boneless chicken breasts, trimmed, sliced into thin strips

soy sauce

fish sauce

juice of one lemon

cumin

onion powder

fresh ground pepper

frozen mixed vegetables, defrosted

1 bunch fresh asparagus, trimmed and chopped in 1-inch pieces

1/2 white onion, sliced

hoisin sauce

Place chicken strips in a large bowl and cover with soy sauce, add 1 tbsp. fish sauce, lemon juice, 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp onion powder, and 1/2 tsp pepper, stir. Let sit for 10-20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Heat a wok on high heat, then add 2 tbsps canola oil. When oil is hot, add chicken to wok in a single layer, discarding any used marinade. Put lid on and cook until chicken is cooked through, turning occasionally. Add onions and asparagus. Cover and cook for 3 more minutes, then add other drained vegetables. Add 1 tbsp fish sauce, 1.5 tbsps hoisin sauce and stir. Cover and cook additional 5 minutes. Serve over brown rice.

Salmon Croquettes

2009-03-23T17:08:00.000-07:00

Canola oil has fallen victim to rampant internet rumors of toxicity. If you've been thinking it's bad for you, check here or here. I use olive oil for most everything, except frying. Canola oil has a higher smoke point than olive oil and is significantly lower in saturated fat than other frying oils like peanut oil. Grapeseed oil would also make a great choice, but it's quite a bit more expensive.

My family has been heavy users of Jane's Krazy Mixed Up Salt my whole life. It's a wonderful quick way to spice up food.

18 oz. wild Alaskan Sockeye Salmon
olive oil
1/2 a white onion, chopped finely
1/2 a green bell pepper, chopped finely
1 clove garlic, minced
2 eggs
2 heaping tbsps panko
kosher salt
fresh ground pepper
Jane's Crazy Mixed Up Salt
cornmeal
Canola Oil
lemon wedges

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Rub salmon with olive oil and sprinkle with Jane's Salt, kosher salt, and pepper. Cook on a grill pan for 15 minutes, then let cool on grill pan.

Remove skin from salmon and add to a large bowl. Add onion, bell pepper, garlic, eggs, panko, 1 tsp kosher salt and 1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper. Mix together and form croquette shape. Roll in cornmeal.

Add 1/2 inch of canola oil to a saute pan and heat to 375 degrees. Place croquettes in hot oil two at a time and turn to gently brown all edges.

Rotel makes Homemade Tacos Great!

2009-03-14T06:34:00.000-07:00

Tonight's Recipe: Homemade Tacos

This homemade taco meat is very simple and can be the base of a multitude of meals. I think Rotel is available nearly everywhere these days, but if you can't find it in your grocery, let me know. I am pretty sure my sister told me it's hard to find in the Bay Area, but she might just mean at her local grocery. That led to her receiving a case of Rotel and a 3 pack of 2% milk Velveeta, the staples of the best queso. I don't think I could make it through football season without queso. Lack of access to Rotel may in fact cause, seasonal depression, headaches, cravings, road rage, insensitivity, hostility towards strangers, poor success in sporting events. Look into it and stock up. It's like skipping black-eyed peas on New Years Day, only Rotel must properly be consumed at least every 10 days to prevent withdrawal symptoms.

1.3 lb ground turkey

3/4 large white onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, chopped

cumin

kosher salt

fresh ground pepper

Rotel

16 oz water

taco shells

tomatoes

corn

olives, sliced

grated cheese

Brown turkey in a saute pan on medium high heat. When browned, move turkey to one side of pan and add onions. Saute until soft, then stir turkey and onions. Add garlic, saute 2 minutes more. Shake ground cumin over surface turkey mixture until lightly covered. Sprinkle with 1/2 tsp salt and pepper. Pour can of rotel and juices over turkey mixture and add water. Stir and simmer until nearly all the liquid has evaporated.

Spoon mixture into prepared taco shells and top with corn, olives, cheese and tomatoes. Green onions, black beans, sour cream, and slivered lettuce make nice additional toppings.

Can Frozen Sockeye Salmon be any good?

2009-03-12T18:20:00.000-07:00

I recently picked up a new item at Costco, Kirkland Signature Wild Alaskan Sockeye Salmon, individually vacuum-packed, and once frozen. I went out on a limb because I also had some good luck with similar packaged frozen sole from the Whole Foods. I love fresh salmon, and the result of these frozen were decent, but I should have made a sauce. Perhaps a lemon-butter-caper sauce or even a chimichurri, but something. I'm recovering from strep throat, so I'm a little off my A-game.

Another thing I often find myself confused by is whether I prefer Alaskan Sockeye Salmon or Atlantic Salmon. I *think* my answer in general is, I prefer Atlantic Salmon for grilling or broiling, and sockeye for things like making salmon croquettes or salmon patties.

White pepper is just the seed from the ripened fruit of the flowering vine, Piperaceae. All of the fruit is removed during processing. Black Pepper comes from the fruit which was picked pre-ripening, then cooked and dried, during which the fruit shrivels resulting in the darkened surface. The flavors are similar, just a little different, bringing new components to your meal.

Sockeye Fillets

Olive Oil

Kosher Salt

Paprika

Fresh Ground White Pepper

Fresh Lemon

Preheat oven to 425. Rub fillets with olive oil on both sides, sprinkle with salt, paprika, and white pepper. Place on a grill pan. Cook in oven 10-12 minutes depending on thickness. Remove from oven, squirt with lemon slices. Salmon will easily remove from skin.

Lasagna love

2009-03-09T16:08:00.000-07:00

Tonight's Recipe: Homemade Lasagna

Lasagna is another recipe that's great for sharing. Making 2 isn't really any more work than making one. Plus, you can pre-make it, then leave it in the fridge for up to 48 hours then cook or freeze it up to 2 months, then cook. It's comforting food that reminds you of friends and love. My friend, Marti, made me a lasagna once and I never gave her pan back. It's okay, cause she had another one and she said I could keep it, but really, up until that pan, I never made homemade lasagna, just the store bought kind. Sometimes all it takes is the right pan. Of course, now I make mine in glass because I like to see the sides during the cooking process. Umm, Marti? Do you want your pan back, it's only been 5 years? : )

We've nearly quit using ground beef and switched over to turkey. We started in the interest of forming lifetime healthy food habits. The reason I've gone with the change in traditional dishes like lasagna is that I think the quality of ground beef and ground chuck, have gone seriously downhill. I don't have an explanation, but the ground beef and chuck our groceries are carrying seems truly poor quality. Feel free to make this with ground beef or chuck, if you can find good quality!

2 lbs. ground turkey

3 28 oz. cans of crushed tomatoes

1 tbsp tomato paste

2 tsps bacon grease

1 tsp sugar

2 tsps kosher salt

fresh ground pepper

5 cloves roasted garlic

Oven ready lasagna strips

3 cups Mozzarella cheese, shredded

16 oz. Ricotta cheese

1 egg

1 tsp dried oregano

3 tbsps fresh grated Parmesan, plus an additional 2 tbsps

Brown turkey in a saute pan over medium high heat. Drain. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, bacon grease, sugar, salt, and pepper. Cook on lowest heat for an hour.

Meanwhile, heat an oven to 325. Place a whole garlic on a cookie sheet and brush with olive oil. Roast in oven 45 minutes, until soft and squishy. Pull off five cloves, and remove papers. Crush to a paste in a bowl, then add to meat sauce.

Cook on low another 15 minutes.

Cover the bottom of a 9 x 13 glass pan with a thin layer of meat sauce. Place 3 lasagna pieces cross wise. Coat in ricotta cheese mixture. Cover with another thin layer of meat sauce. Sprinkle the surface with shredded mozzarella cheese. Place 3 more lasagna pieces, then repeat. Repeat a third time but with no additional ricotta. Also sprinkle the top layer with more freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

Either cover and refrigerate for up to 48 hours, or bake in a 350 degree oven immediately. Cook 45 minutes, unless it's not bubbly, then continue cooking. Remove from oven, let stand 10 minutes and serve.

Shredded Beef Chimichangas

2009-03-08T15:26:00.000-07:00

Tonight's Recipe: Shredded Beef Chimichangas

This chimichanga recipe came from my mother, inspired by their life in Arizona during my dad's PhD. I don't think I've really altered it over time, but feel free to comment, Mom, if you feel I missed your essence.

Mole is a Mexican condiment or sauce base. People have unbelievably strong opinions on mole when you mention it. For most, mole = gross. That said, where I probably wouldn't order a mole recipe in a restaurant, it adds a lot of depth to this dish without overwhelming. In fact, no one has ever tasted these chimichangas and gone, "Oh mole, gee." Anyway, it can be tricky to find, though I never had any problem in Austin. If you live in Dallas, send me an email, I can tell you exactly which grocery's carry it. Or get it from amazon. Amazon is also the only place I can still find my favorite pickles. Well, the Piggly Wiggly probably still ships them, but half their case was broken every time I ordered. If you're on the fence, think about it like ordering in a Thai restaurant. Even though I cook tons, I still have a hard time imagining from an ingredient list what a Thai Dish is going to taste like. If you're interested in Thai, go to the master, my friend Jam in Austin.

4 lb. beef chuck roast

2 tbsps flour

kosher salt

fresh ground pepper

paprika

2 tbsps. olive oil

2 tbsps. ground cumin

1 tsp onion powder

2 1/2 tbsps. mole

8 burrito size flour tortillas

1 egg, beaten

canola oil

tomatoes

shredded monterey jack

sour cream

Season chuck roast with salt, pepper, and paprika. Then coat with flour, and shake off excess. Heat olive oil on medium high heat in a 6 qt stock pot. Brown roast thoroughly on all sides. Cover with water, just to the top of roast then put on lid and continue to cook on medium high for 3.5 hours or move to a 350 degree oven.

Remove roast from pot to a separate bowl and shred meat, removing any remaining fat or gristly bits. Season with cumin and onion powder. Add two ladles of broth. In a cup, combine mole with another ladle of broth, stir til smooth then add to meat mixture and stir. Let sit at least 30 minutes, up to overnight in fridge.

Microwave tortillas on a plate covered with a damp towel or paper towel for 30-45 seconds to prevent tearing. Spoon meat mixture then place in center of tortilla. Fold sides over, then seal with egg to form a packet.

Heat 3/4 of an inch of oil in a saute pan, and place packets two at a time in oil, flipping once, to crisp and gently brown.

Serve with shredded cheese, chopped tomatoes, salsa, sour cream, and guacamole if you have it.

Chicken Avgolemono

2009-03-07T18:13:00.000-08:00

Tonight's Recipe: Chicken Avgolemono

Avgolemono is a Greek sauce comprising predominantly of chicken broth, lemon and egg. The thickened result is like a cream sauce, but much healthier and delicious.

2 tablespoons olive oil

1.5 lbs boneless, skinless chicken tenders

Kosher Salt

fresh-ground black pepper

1 3/4c. chicken stock

2 tbsp fresh dill

2 cups gemelli pasta

2 carrots, quartered and cut into 2-inch lengths

1 small crown of broccoli, chopped

3 eggs

3.5 tablespoons lemon juice

In a large saute pan, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Season the chicken breasts with and add to the pan. Cook until browned, about 6 minutes. Turn the chicken brown 5 min; add the broth, dill, and 2 teaspoons salt. Bring to a simmer, reduce the heat, cover and simmer, 5 minutes. Remove the chicken and cover lightly with aluminum foil to keep warm.

In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the gemelli pasta for 2 minutes. Add the carrots and broccoli, continue cooking about 6 minutes longer. Drain. In a medium glass or stainless-steel bowl, beat the eggs, lemon juice, and 1/8 teaspoon of pepper until frothy. Bring the chicken broth back to a simmer and add to the eggs in a thin stream, whisking. Pour the mixture back into the pan and whisk over the medium low heat for 3 minutes. Increase heat to medium and cook another 4 minutes or until you feel/see a definite thickening. Do not let the sauce come to a boil, or it may curdle. Serve pasta and vegetables on plates and top with the chicken and sauce.

Beef is back

2009-03-06T17:25:00.000-08:00

Tonight's Recipe: Boneless Ribeye Roast and Quinoa

Last night my husband said the words I've been wanting to hear for ages. "I'm kind of sick of chicken. And Turkey." For the last 4 years, he's been fairly anti-red meat, because apparently he has enough of it when he travels. Which leaves me totally toast, because of course I'm not going to fancy business dinners. So, meat week at my house. I couldn't hit the store fast enough to stock up on beef reserves.

Quinoa is one of the new grains taking the US by storm. It is high in protein and contains all of the essential amino acids, making it an excellent choice for vegetarians. It's also yummy and has a great mouthfeel, with a nice crunch. I personally much prefer it to rice. Look for it in the bulk foods section of your grocery. Make sure to rinse the quinoa thoroughly as it is coated in a natural pesticide which will leave a bitter flavor.

5lb boneless ribeye roast

kosher salt

fresh ground pepper

paprika

6-7 cloves garlic

Remove roast from fridge approx 2 hours before cooking to let meat come to room temperature. Preheat oven to 500. Sprinkle roast with seasonings. Cut slits in the fat side of the roast at even intervals, stuff the slits with the garlic cloves. Place roast fat side up in a saute pan and place in oven. Cook at 500 for 30 minutes, then reduce oven temp to 325. After 30 minutes raise heat to 425, then cook until roast reaches an internal temperature of 140.

2 1/2 c. chicken broth

1 1/4 c. quinoa, thoroughly rinsed

1/4 of a white onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic

generous pinch of dried rosemary, crushed

4-5 sprigs fresh thyme

4 bay leaves

1 tsp murray river salt

fresh ground pepper

In a medium sauce pan, bring 1/2 c. of chicken broth to a boil, add onion, spices and garlic, cover and cook 5 minutes. Add remaining chicken broth and quinoa. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Cook for 18 minutes.

Enjoy!

When the Whole is Better than the Sum of its Parts

2009-03-03T17:03:00.000-08:00

Tonight's Recipe: Crock Pot Pulled Pork

Everybody has days like today. I slept poorly, kids kept loosing their pacis and waking me up all night, I had 10 million things to do, and the kids resemble zombies from Shaun of the Dead only mutantly crossed with extremely noisy screaming banshees. Or maybe those lemurs at the zoo, they get really obnoxiously loud sometimes. And somehow, I keep rolling through the day under the assumption that at any moment, they'll realize "Holy Hell! This is the best day ever! Why on earth would I ever want to end this by crying and throwing a fit?" But alas, that's not how it works.

So yes, that is a 16oz. Bud Light in the photo with my sandwich. Sometimes both food and life call for an extra tall beer. And my husband generously chopped the onions, so they're a little thicker than the paper-thin I usually roll with, but, hey? I remind myself not to look a gift horse in the mouth.

This is a super cheap and yummy meal. Saves well, transports well, often confused for restaurant pick-up. The thing is, there is nothing to it. Like literally, nothing. So thank God I threw this on this morning or who knows we might have had to settle for eating our own feet tonight.

The recipe came from one of those small paperback cookbooks at the end of the grocery checkout aisle. It was called something like Slow-Cooker Favorites. And to be honest, the only thing in the book worth possibly preparing, let alone mentioning. There are only 3 ingredients. I serve it on Oroweat Oatnut bread. Husband likes it toasted, I don't care one way or the other.

I am borderline horrified to admit that I cook this, and that everyone loves it. I've thought about re-engineering the Kraft so I didn't have to admit to using a bottled dressing but it's just good this way and one of the few super easy recipes in my rotation. P.S. the longer you cook it, the better your color.

4lb center cut pork loin roast

12 oz. Kraft Zesty Italian Dressing

3/4 c. brown sugar

Place roast in crock pot. Sprinkle brown sugar then cover with dressing. Cook on low for 8 hours or so. Shred meat with forks and serve with red onions for sandwiches.

2009-03-02T16:23:00.000-08:00

Tonight's Recipe: Turkey Soup

Spring is around the corner, and I couldn't be more ready. Current forecasts include an 86 degree high for Thursday. Thank goodness. In addition to being tired of my plates, I am also tired of my winter clothes. Well, technically, I don't really have a winter wardrobe, but am seriously ready for sundresses and tank tops. But for one of our *hopefully* last cold days of the year, I did another steamy soup. The amount of crushed red pepper I added brings almost negligible heat, IMO, feel free to add a bunch more. Also, when storing your leftovers, make sure not to store the pasta in the soup, cause it will greedily eat up all of your brothy goodness. Cheers!

Broth:
Turkey Carcass, cut up to fit in stock pot

Turkey Neck, chopped into 2 inch segments

2 carrots, peeled and chopped

3 celery stalks, chopped

1 white onion, sliced

kosher salt

fresh ground pepper

olive oil

Soup:
Shredded Turkey reserved from carcass

6 carrots, peeled and chopped

7 celery stalks, chopped

1 white onion, sliced

kosher salt

fresh ground pepper

crushed red pepper

radiatori pasta, cooked

Add 2 tbsps of olive oil to a saute pan, bring to medium high heat and add turkey neck, carrots, celery and onions. Saute until slightly browned and soft, add to 6qt stock pot with turkey carcass. Cover with water, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Season with 2 tsps. salt and 1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper. Simmer for 3-4 hours.

Remove carcass, meat, veggies, bones to a bowl with a slotted spoon. Everything should be falling to pieces. It's a bit messy, but the taste is worth it. Separate turkey meat, shred and reserve. Add 2 tbsp olive oil to saute pan, saute carrots, celery and onion. When starting to soften, add to reserved broth. Add reserved shredded turkey. Simmer 15 minutes, then season to taste with salt and pepper, add 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper.

Serve over cooked pasta with a side of bread for dipping.

Sauce is Boss, Marinade is Toss

2009-03-01T19:08:00.000-08:00

Tonight's Recipe: London Broil with Herb Marinade

Since this is the real world, sometimes things don't work out like I plan. I usually make a flank steak with the herb sauce below. I was *trying* to be budget conscious and purchase a top round London broil instead. I can't really remember the pricing off hand, but if I had to guess, I think flank steak runs around $10.99 +/- a pound. Central Market had the top round for $6.99 a pound. I was disappointed. Even with the overnight marinade, the meat was just kind of, eh. Flavorful, yes, but kind of tough and just.... So unless you burn for top round or are bound to your budget, get the flank steak, skip the marinade, rub with olive oil, and season with kosher salt and pepper. Then continue as below.

I went wrong in a couple of ways tonight. In retrospect, the presentation would have been much nicer on a bed of couscous instead of next to the also very green looking salad. And, perhaps a less busy plate. I've had these plates for 7 years now. Unfortunately, I'm tired of them. Luckily, I have a couple of sets of plates so I can rotate, but I wonder, will I ever love them again? Or should I bribe a toddler to start breaking them? Actually, my aunt once told me she saw a demonstration of these plates at The Great Indoors where they were letting you chunk plates at the wall. She had four boys, and bought them on spot.

London Broil with Herb Marinade

3 large basil leaves, chopped

4 twigs fresh thyme

2 sprigs fresh mint, stems removed, chopped

2 handfuls fresh parsley leaves, chopped

juice of 2 small lemons

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper

3/4 c. olive oil

4 tbsp sherry vinegar

2 tbsp Dijon mustard

2 tbsp Worcestershire

3 large pinches kosher salt

1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper

1.5 lb top round London broil

Combine ingredients in a bowl, add meat to a Ziploc and pour marinade over. Marinate meat in a Ziploc overnight.

Preheat a grill pan on high heat. Put meat on grill, turning after 5 minutes, then turning again to ensure a criss cross grill mark pattern. When meat reaches an internal temp of 135, pull from grill pan to a cutting board. Let rest for at least 10 minutes for proper redistribution of juices, then cut against the grain into thin slices.

Herb Sauce
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 tsp salt

1/2 a bunch flat leaf parsley, stems trimmed, finely chopped

7 sprigs of fresh mint, leaves removed, chopped

3 tbsps. capers

15-20 pitted Nicoise or Kalamata olives, chopped

olive oil

In a small bowl, combine garlic and salt. Mash with a fork to make a paste. Add parsley, mint, capers and olives. Cover with olive oil and stir. Let stand at least 30 minutes for flavors to combine. Serve on top round or flank steak.

Perhaps you're wondering what my deal is with fresh herbs. Well, I come from a family of gardeners. I had a lovely herb and flower garden at one point, but when we sold that house,
there was no way to transplant my beds. I've never replanted yet. The garden was born in a time of great pain for me and I've never been able to get back to wanting to do it again. I think my family might be concerned that I'm incomplete without growing something, so for Christmas, my sister gave me this. It's a fascinating little machine, and provides fresh herbs for me with practically no effort. I'm not sure there's actually a cost savings if it weren't a gift, but there's the convenience and the whole idea that you grew it yourself. So anyway, I'm using my herbs, but limited a tiny bit by what I have growing at the time. This week I'll need to harvest my dill, so get ready for a Chicken Avgolemono. Aeroponic technology is cool.

Comfort Breakfast

2009-03-01T09:19:00.000-08:00

This Morning's Recipe: Biscuits and Bacon Gravy

I'm not really a morning person. The stories from growing up are legendary. I can go back to sleep anywhere, any time. These days I have coffee, which helps a little but really I'm not too available in the morning. Plus as a general rule, I hate breakfast food.

My husband loves biscuits and gravy. He adores it. So I learned to make it. He doesn't generally get biscuits from scratch as well, see above - not a morning person. Learning to cook something you don't eat is a new adventure. Especially when you can't understand what it's supposed to taste like. Traditionally, this is made with sausage, but my kids don't really like sausage and I definitely don't, so 50% of the time I make it with bacon. It's not as flavorful but it works.

1 lb. bacon

4 tbsp flour

24 oz. 2% milk

kosher salt

fresh ground pepper

can of biscuits - follow directions

Fry your bacon in a skillet, I use cast-iron. Turn off heat. Remove and reserve all grease but 4 tbsps. In a shaker combine flour and milk. Pour into bacon drippings and stir like crazy. Put heat on medium. Continue to stir, being certain to scrape the full bottom of the pan. Gravy will begin to thicken after about 5-10 minutes. It is vital to keep stirring to prevent lumps. When thick, season with salt and pepper. Add more milk if gravy needs thinning.

Serve over split biscuits.

Refrigerate any reserved grease for later use. Delicious on cabbage.

Everything's Better Roasted

2009-02-28T16:29:00.000-08:00

Tonigt's Recipe: Roasted Chicken Breasts and Asparagus

Everything's better roasted. Really, meat, vegetables, you name it. And the process is pretty universal, high heat, drizzle of olive oil, few seasonings, and roast.

So the Cutters Cross spice in this recipe was given to me as a gift back in my working days. I used to belong to a professional group, TEC (they call themselves Vistage now). Our chair gave these as a Christmas gift one year. Anyway, these are great! spices. The steak seasoning is killer, and though I've been out for awhile the California Style Garlic Salt is a favorite of mine, too. I've always wanted to start a spice business, but life just keeps getting in the way. If you're looking for a gift for a foodie friend, I highly recommend a box of these spices.

Roasted Chicken and Asparagus

3 chicken split breasts

paprika

kosher salt

fresh ground pepper

Cutters Cross Cajun Spice

olive oil

asparagus

Heat oven to 425. Drizzle chicken breasts with olive oil. Season chicken breasts, with paprika, salt, pepper, and a generous sprinkling of cajun spice. Place chicken in a saute pan and roast in oven about 45 minutes or until chicken reaches 165 internal temp. Occasionally baste chicken with pan juices.

When chicken reaches 165 remove from oven to rest. Reduce oven temp to 400. In another saute pan shake asparagus with 2 tbsps olive oil, kosher salt, and pepper. Roast in oven 8 minutes or 9 if they are thick asparagus.

I also made the Barefoot Contessa's Brown Rice, Tomatoes and Basil except, I was low on both tomatoes and basil, so I only used four roma tomatoes, and 4 basil leaves. And I didn't have Texamati rice, so I used regular long grain brown rice. It was delicious. Ina Garten is my hero.

Sides to Liven Up Leftovers

2009-02-28T16:16:00.000-08:00

Tonight's Recipe: Leftover Turkey with Creamed Spinach and Lentils

If you've been following along, you might be wondering what happened to the 12.5 lb turkey. We aren't an army, just four people, and two of them sometimes refuse to eat anything but Veggie Booty. With the leftovers, we had some turkey sandwiches, tonight's menu, and next week we'll have turkey based soup.

I'm trying to get better about reducing our food waste while not winding up bored to tears with identical leftover meals. I've never been a great left over eater, but it does warm my heart a little to be able to get 4-5 different meals from one dish.

Creamed Spinach
16 oz package frozen organic spinach

3/4 of a white onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, chopped

3 tbsp. butter

1/3 c. half and half

1/3 c. 2% milk

kosher salt

fresh ground pepper

nutmeg

In a saute pan, melt butter. Saute onions 6-7 minutes on medium high heat until soft. Add garlic, saute another 1-2 minutes. Reduce heat if onions or garlic appear to be browning.

Thaw spinach and squeeze all the water out through a strainer. Add to onions and garlic, saute 3-4 minutes. Add half and half and milk, stir and continue to heat about 3-5 minutes until liquid is reduced by half. Add salt, pepper, and nutmeg to taste.

Lentils
3 cups chicken stock

1.5 c brown lentils

murray river salt

fresh ground pepper

Rinse lentils thoroughly. Bring chicken stock to boil in a saucepan. Add lentils and reduce heat to simmer. Cover and cook about 25 minutes, until lentils are soft. Season to taste.

I know, I know. That's not even really a recipe. But lentils are new to our rotation by about 2-3 years. I didn't grow up eating them and had never cooked them at all until relatively recently. Lentils are very high in protein, iron, folate, and fiber. When I had gestational diabetes with my son, I had an extremely hard time keeping my blood sugar in check. I think that was what pushed lentils further into our rotation. They are practically the perfect pregnant lady food. And they are dirt cheap. Bonus!

Nutmeg is one of my favorite spices and it does wonders for spinach. But don't overdo it or your dinner will constantly push memories of eggnog into your brain. Fresh nutmeg is considerably stronger than dried, but is really fun and smells marvelous. We picked some up on a trip to Jamaica last year, which incidentally had a fascinating rafting trip where our guide pointed out all of the local spice plants. Think of how much faster you can take a trip to Jamaica if you start eating more lentils.

Not Thanksgiving, but a regular old Turkey Tuesday

2009-02-24T14:50:00.000-08:00

Tonight's Recipe: Roasted Turkey with Mashed Potatoes and Gravy

12.5 lb fresh turkey, rinsed, neck and giblets removed

olive oil

kosher salt

fresh ground pepper

paprika

turkey herb mix

4 cloves garlic

butter

Preheat oven to 425. Drizzle the turkey with olive oil and tuck wings under. Add 2 tsps kosher salt, 2 tsp turkey herbs, garlic, and 1/2 tsp pepper to inside of bird. Sprinkle the skin with kosher salt, pepper, a teensy bit of the herb mix, and paprika. Put bird in oven and let cook for 25 minutes.

Reduce heat to 325. Continue cooking for about 15 min per pound. Every 45 min or so, rub the skin with the butter. After the turkey reaches an internal temp of 165, remove from oven and let rest for 15 minutes.

Mashed Potatoes

4 Russet potatoes

4 tbsps butter

3/4 c. 2% milk

Murray River Pink Salt

Fresh Ground Pepper

Peel and slice potatoes to 1/2 inch thick. Put in a pan of room temperature water, bring to a boil and continue to boil until potatoes become soft and edges start to crumble. Drain, return to pan. A potato ricer gives the best texture, but in a pinch a slotted spoon will mash just fine. Add butter and milk, stir. Season to taste.

Turkey Gravy

Drippings from roasted turkey

3-5 tbsps flour

25-30 oz of turkey stock or water

Kosher Salt

Fresh Ground Pepper

Let drippings reach room temperature. In a large shaker container, start with 3 tbsp flour and 25 oz stock if you have it or water. Shake, shake, shake until blended. Add to drippings and stir, stir, stir with a wooden spoon. Start with medium heat, and increase as gravy begins to thicken. Wait until gravy boils and is fully thickened, then add your additional flour/stock in a similar fashion if necessary to thicken. Season to taste.

I'm a bigger fan of turkey than chicken, or maybe it's just that chicken is so omni-present in our American lives. Plus, Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday, so why not bring it out more often. And after the week my friends are having, I have a whole lot to be thankful for. Meet Ike, if you need to feel sobered.

So a few things here, one might ask, "Why the Murray River Pink Salt, Lane?" Well, I have a bit of a passion about salts for purposes. And the Murray River Pink Salt is a flaky salt that I particularly like to use when finishing heated items, as it's just not as coarse as kosher salt. And there's the whole thing about it aiding the inland salinity problem in Austrailia. Also, "Why Russets and not waxy potatos?" It's a texture thing. Russets yeild a fluffier mashed potato, which I personally prefer.

Another thing I'm working on this year is ways to reduce waste. I cook a ton, mainly from scratch, but useful things find their way to my garbage. I'm saving my turkey neck for a stock I'm going to make in a couple of weeks. I'll let you know how it turns out.

Be thankful. Love Life. Promote Peace.

Chicken and Goat Cheese Enchiladas, Food is Love

2009-02-22T18:21:00.000-08:00

Tonight's Recipe: Chicken and Goat Cheese Enchiladas

6 chicken split breasts

8 oz fresh goat cheese

olive oil

10 sprigs leafy fresh thyme, stems removed

4 large basil leaves, chopped

sea salt

1 large red onion, chopped

4 large garlic cloves chopped

2 tsp cumin

2 tsp Mediterranean oregano

2 dried ancho chilies

1 cup dry white wine

20 oz purred tomatoes

3 cups chicken stock

kosher salt

fresh ground pepper

corn tortillas

shredded monterey jack cheese

In a large pot, cover chicken breasts with water. Bring to a boil and continue to boil gently for an hour.

In a small bowl, combine goat cheese, 3 tbsps olive oil, thyme leaves, and basil. Add finely ground sea salt to taste. Let sit to combine flavors.

In a pan, bring 2 cups of water to a boil, add ancho chilies. Remove from heat and let stand for 30 minutes. Remove stems and seeds. Place chilies and 1 cup of soaking water to a food processor and puree until smooth.

In a saute pan, add 3tbsp olive oil and onions. Saute on medium heat until soft. Add garlic, cook 1 minute, add cumin and oregano, cook 2 more minutes. Add chili puree and bring to a gentle boil, cook on medium 4 more minutes. Add wine, tomatoes and stock and cook for an additional 20 minutes. Season with kosher salt and pepper to taste.

Remove the chicken from the water to a bowl and shred removing bones and skin. Place a stack of tortillas in a microwave between two damp paper towels. Microwave for 45 seconds.

Coat the bottom of two 9x12 glass casseroles with chili sauce. Take one tortilla and spread the middle portion with goat cheese mixture, then cover with shredded chicken. Roll and place seam side down in casserole. Repeat until filled. Cover with chili sauce and then top with monterey jack. Bake at 375 for 20 minutes or until bubbly.

Ancho chilies are dried poblanos. They make a wonderful deep flavor. I used to have troubles finding these, and made this with green chilies, which just wasn't the same at all. They store nicely in your pantry though, so buy a bunch and keep them around.

Also, the goat cheese is excellent this way, but if you are trying to cut down on steps, CheesyGirl's Femme Fatale is a nice substitute. I imagine any herbed goat cheese would be good.

Enchiladas in any form are a bit of work. But they make good leftovers and freeze well. Also, they are a very easy food to portion out. If you're going to the trouble to make them, invite over friends or make a pan for a friend. This recipe makes about 20 enchiladas. Years ago, my friend Marti and her sister used to often make double portions then swap a dish. I was always truly envious of the arrangement. I've never managed to pull off a regular arrangement like this, but Sunday dinner has long-standing been an open invitation in my house. Actually, most any night is an open invitation. I've never been great at cooking in small portions, and love to feed friends. Food is Love in my book.

Black Eyed Pea Soup and Home Sweet Home

2009-02-21T16:20:00.000-08:00

Tonight's Recipe : Black Eyed Pea Soup

1 leftover shank bone with some meat attached from a ham

1 lb of dried black eyed peas, pre-soaked

1 whole yellow onion, chopped

1 lb carrots, peeled and sliced

9 stalks extra large celery with leaves, sliced

2 tsp cayenne

2 tsp chili powder

2 cans Italian seasoned tomatoes

1.4 lbs sausage

salt and pepper to taste

In a 6qt stock pot, cover the ham shank with water, boil for 2hrs. Add onion, carrots, celery, tomatoes, cayenne, and chili powder. Boil for another 2hrs. Meanwhile, in a separate pan, cover the black eyed peas in two inches of water. Simmer for 45 min or until soft. Drain and add to soup. Let simmer another 30 min. Grill sausage in a grill pan, slice and add to soup. Let simmer 10-20 min and serve with some crusty bread if desired.

We've been on a short vacation, and we're just returning home. Nothing like the comforts of homemade food. My husband travels all the time, I seem to travel in spurts. Sometimes when I'm here, I'm wishing desperately that I were in a hotel, free to shower with millions of fresh towels and promptly leave them strewn about for someone else to pick up. But when I do travel, I really start to miss the comforts of my own home. I miss my kitchen, and cooking my own food the way I like it. It does wonders for my meal planning, as I can actually think through what I want to make in the upcoming days instead of the typical 4pm what's in the refrigerator panic.

Soup is love, and this hearty soup will warm your heart. You can alter it up by using fresh or canned black eyed peas or increasing the spice level. I'm feeding toddlers, and even though mine like spicy food, I can't really serve five-alarm dishes. This soup is even better the day after, but for the most part, I tend to add my sausage near serving time, not leaving it to soak for days.