Salady bit-
1 12 oz bag of shredded lettuce (or shred your own if you're not lazy)
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1/3 cup chopped walnuts
1 small onion thinly sliced
2 oz crumbled blue cheese
Dressing bit-
1/3 cup mayonaisse
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 Tablespoon Sherry Vinegar
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
In a large bowl, mix together all the dressing bits until well combined. Add all of the salad bits and toss to coat. Yum, yum, yum, yum, YUM.
Tuesday, October 31, 2006
Tuesday, October 24, 2006
WIP (works in progress)
I'm trying to become better at chronicling (I wonder if I spelled that right) the food we experiment with. I've decided to just throw them here and work on them until the recipe is right. Hopefully I'll move them to a post of their own once I feel I've "perfected" them.
October 23, 2006
What a crock!
or
Karl's Curried Chickpeas and Chicken in a Crockpot
Night before-Drive to Schnuck's to buy cream for coffee. Wander around aimlessly then decide to make bean soup. Buy a few stalks of celery and a packet of Northern beans. Pay for groceries, get in car have husband tell you he'd like to make Chickpeas with Chicken and some Curry. Brainstorm...drive all the way to Pizza King on Weinbach because the one near our house sucks. Eat stromboli. Make another trip to Schnucks (the Washington Avenue one this time) Purchase a package of dried chickpeas and some other stuff not related to this recipe. Come home rinse chickpeas in colander picking out the bad ones. Place chickpeas in crockpot and add enough cold water to cover by 2 inches. Cover tightly and leave overnight to soak.
You can skip most of the above stuff and go directly to rinsing and soaking a 1 pound package of dried chickpeas.
In the morning add to the beans and leftover soaking water
2 large onions cut into small dice
1 cup frozen pepper stir fry
1/3 cup Maykway Curry Powder
2 Tablespoons Ship Curry Powder
2 teaspoons salt
1 clove garlic minced
1 cup (or more if needed) water
Stir together then add
4 chicken breast halves kinda burying them in the beans. Add more water if needed to barely cover the beans etc. Turn crockpot on low and leave to cook all day.
September 27, 2006
I brought this to work today and the muffins were so good. (Melissa had five if that tells you anything) Normally I would just go ahead and put the recipe in it's own post, however I'm trying a variation with cherries, blueberries and walnuts and in mix form. The original muffins reminded me of a really good bowl of oatmeal in muffin form.
The 12 grains are hard red wheat, stone ground corn,
rye, oats, triticale, brown rice, soy beans, oat bran, millet, barley, sunflower seeds, and flaxseed. Personally I think some of those things don't quite count as grains but Bob begs to differ and hell, 12 Grain Muffins sounds better than * Grain and Some Other Stuff Muffins.
12 Grain Muffin
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup Bob's Red Mill 8 Grain Hot Cereal
1 cup Bob's Red Mill 7 Grain Hot Cereal (Yes, these are two different things.)
3/4 packed light brown sugar
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon vanilla (powdered if you've got it)
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 cups milk
1/2 vegetable oil
1/2 cup sourcream
2 eggs
Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease small muffin tins or line with cupcake liners. In a large bowl mix together first 8 ingredients and stir to combine. Add final four ingredients and mix until just combined. Fill prepared muffin cups about 2/3 full. Bake 15-20 minutes or until golden brown and delicious. 24 muffins
12 Grain Cherry Blueberry Walnut Muffin Mix
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup Bob's Red Mill 8 Grain Hot Cereal
1 cup Bob's Red Mill 7 Grain Hot Cereal (Yes, these are two different things.)
3/4 packed light brown sugar
1/4 buttermilk powder
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon powdered vanilla
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/3 cup dried cherries
1/3 cup dried blueberries
Combine all ingredients thoroughly and divide into 2 portions and bag up. For each mix use 1 cup milk, 1/4 vegetable oil, and 1 egg. Mix until just combined and fill prepared muffin tins 2/3 full bake 15-20 minutes until gbd.
I'm making these for brekkie at work tomorrow if they turn out ok I'll give them their own post.
Notes-These were not quite as good as I hoped. I think they had too much leavening and were not quite sweet enough. I'm out of 7 Grain Cereal but my plan is to lower the baking powder to 2 teaspoons, add 1/2 a teaspoon of baking soda and up the sugar to a full cup. I may also up the cinnamon to a full teaspoon.
September 12, 2006
I'm planning a good ole fashioned southern feast for dinner tonight. Baked ham with gingersnap glaze, scalloped potatoes, succotash, buttered cabbage and 7 grain corn bread.
1 cup all purpose flour
3/4 polenta or grits
1/4 7 Grain Cereal
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup milk
1/4 sourcream
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
1 egg
Preheat oven to 425. Place a small amount of vegetable oil in a 9" skillet and place in oven to heat.
In a medium bowl mix first six ingredients together until blended. Add next 4 ingredients all at once and stir just enough to combine. Let sit for 5 minutes (just about the time it takes to clean up) then pour into heated pan in oven. Bake for ? until done.
I've fiddled with this in a few ways. The second time I made it I used whole wheat flour which I liked quite a bit. I also made a sweet version by adding 1/4 cup of brown sugar. Very yummy too. As for baking time it's 15-20 minutes.
September 4, 2006
Seven Grain Bread has moved to it's own post.
August 29, 2006
Still working on breads. I really liked the blueberry orange buns I made and I've decided to play with it it.
Cherry Berry Bread
In a small bowl mix one cup of warm water with 2 tsps sugar sprinkle one tablespoon active dry yeast set aside until foamy
In a sauce pan heat over low heat 1 cup whole milk with 1 stick (1/2 cup) butter until butter is just melted. Do not boil. If milk get overly hot set aside to cool otherwise stir in 1/2 cup sugar and two eggs and one teaspoon vanilla to combine.
In a large bowl mix 2 1/2 cups of flour with 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt. Stir in the yeast/water mix and the milk/butter/egg/sugar mix and stir until well combined. Cover and set aside for one hour. Mixture should be bubbly and risen. If not you screwed up and have to start over. Most likely prob...dead yeast either from being too old or too hot. Buy fresh and watch your liquid temps. I didn't so i get to go on to the next step.
Stir down the yeasty mixture (technical term sponge) and stir in 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 cups more flour to make a soft, workable, but slightly sticky dough. (if you are using a stand mixer the dough will clean the sides of the bowl but stick slightly on the bottom) Turn out on a lightly floured surface and knead for 5-10 minutes until dough is smooth and pliable. Form into a ball and place in an oiled bowl turning to coat. Cover with a damp cloth and set aside to rise until doubled.
At this point you have a great sweet bread dough. It will make yummo cinnamon rolls, heavenly fruit buns, even a passing danish type bread or conchas.
To make the cherry, blueberry buns, punch down the dough and knead in 4 oz each dried cherries and blueberries and half cup of chopped walnuts. Divide dough into 32 equal pieces form into buns and place on a lightly oiled sheet pan. Cover and let rise until doubled. Bake at 375 for 15-20 minutes until golden and hollow when thumped. While still warm frost with
1/4 softened butter
2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
dash salt
Beat together and add
2 Tablespoons sourcream (more is frosting is too thick)
----
Sun Dried Tomato and Swiss Bread has moved to it's own post.
Naan Bread
1/2 warm water
1 teaspoon white sugar
2 teaspoons or 1 package active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm milk
1/4 cup plain yogurt, room temperature (or yoghurt if you must)
4 tablespoons melted butter
3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Put warm water in a small bowl, add sugar and yeast and stir until dissolved. Set aside for 5-10 minutes or until it foams.
Blend in the warm milk, yogurt and melted butter.
In a large bowl, mix flour, salt, baking powder and poppy seeds. Pour in the yeast/milk mixture all at once and work it into the flour, using your hands. Continue mixing, adding flour or water as needed, until the mixture leaves the sides of the bowl.
Knead for 6 to 8 minutes or until smooth and elastic. Place in a lightly oiled bowl and turn to coat. Cover with a damp cloth and let stand in a warm place to rise for about 1-2 hours or until doubled in volume.
Punch down and divide into 8 equal pieces. Lay out the dough balls and allow to rise until doubled in volume (about 30-45 minutes). Roll each dough ball into an approximately 8 inch circle.
Preheat a griddle or large skillet over high heat until a drop of water dances on it. Lay one circle of dough on the griddle. Cook until lightly browned on one side, flip and brush the cooked side with a little bit of melted butter. Continue cooking on 2nd side until bubbled bits develop dark brown spots. (A little charring is ok)
Repeat wtih remaining dough.
Notes-These were not as chewy as I like naan to be. The taste was very good so I'm going to try it again with only 2 Tbls of melted butter.
Curried Onion Bread has moved to it's own post and been renamed to Bharji Bread.
Curried Beef Stew has moved to it's own post
All of these are from Sunday August 27, 2006
October 23, 2006
What a crock!
or
Karl's Curried Chickpeas and Chicken in a Crockpot
Night before-Drive to Schnuck's to buy cream for coffee. Wander around aimlessly then decide to make bean soup. Buy a few stalks of celery and a packet of Northern beans. Pay for groceries, get in car have husband tell you he'd like to make Chickpeas with Chicken and some Curry. Brainstorm...drive all the way to Pizza King on Weinbach because the one near our house sucks. Eat stromboli. Make another trip to Schnucks (the Washington Avenue one this time) Purchase a package of dried chickpeas and some other stuff not related to this recipe. Come home rinse chickpeas in colander picking out the bad ones. Place chickpeas in crockpot and add enough cold water to cover by 2 inches. Cover tightly and leave overnight to soak.
You can skip most of the above stuff and go directly to rinsing and soaking a 1 pound package of dried chickpeas.
In the morning add to the beans and leftover soaking water
2 large onions cut into small dice
1 cup frozen pepper stir fry
1/3 cup Maykway Curry Powder
2 Tablespoons Ship Curry Powder
2 teaspoons salt
1 clove garlic minced
1 cup (or more if needed) water
Stir together then add
4 chicken breast halves kinda burying them in the beans. Add more water if needed to barely cover the beans etc. Turn crockpot on low and leave to cook all day.
September 27, 2006
I brought this to work today and the muffins were so good. (Melissa had five if that tells you anything) Normally I would just go ahead and put the recipe in it's own post, however I'm trying a variation with cherries, blueberries and walnuts and in mix form. The original muffins reminded me of a really good bowl of oatmeal in muffin form.
The 12 grains are hard red wheat, stone ground corn,
rye, oats, triticale, brown rice, soy beans, oat bran, millet, barley, sunflower seeds, and flaxseed. Personally I think some of those things don't quite count as grains but Bob begs to differ and hell, 12 Grain Muffins sounds better than * Grain and Some Other Stuff Muffins.
12 Grain Muffin
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup Bob's Red Mill 8 Grain Hot Cereal
1 cup Bob's Red Mill 7 Grain Hot Cereal (Yes, these are two different things.)
3/4 packed light brown sugar
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon vanilla (powdered if you've got it)
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 cups milk
1/2 vegetable oil
1/2 cup sourcream
2 eggs
Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease small muffin tins or line with cupcake liners. In a large bowl mix together first 8 ingredients and stir to combine. Add final four ingredients and mix until just combined. Fill prepared muffin cups about 2/3 full. Bake 15-20 minutes or until golden brown and delicious. 24 muffins
12 Grain Cherry Blueberry Walnut Muffin Mix
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup Bob's Red Mill 8 Grain Hot Cereal
1 cup Bob's Red Mill 7 Grain Hot Cereal (Yes, these are two different things.)
3/4 packed light brown sugar
1/4 buttermilk powder
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon powdered vanilla
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/3 cup dried cherries
1/3 cup dried blueberries
Combine all ingredients thoroughly and divide into 2 portions and bag up. For each mix use 1 cup milk, 1/4 vegetable oil, and 1 egg. Mix until just combined and fill prepared muffin tins 2/3 full bake 15-20 minutes until gbd.
I'm making these for brekkie at work tomorrow if they turn out ok I'll give them their own post.
Notes-These were not quite as good as I hoped. I think they had too much leavening and were not quite sweet enough. I'm out of 7 Grain Cereal but my plan is to lower the baking powder to 2 teaspoons, add 1/2 a teaspoon of baking soda and up the sugar to a full cup. I may also up the cinnamon to a full teaspoon.
September 12, 2006
I'm planning a good ole fashioned southern feast for dinner tonight. Baked ham with gingersnap glaze, scalloped potatoes, succotash, buttered cabbage and 7 grain corn bread.
1 cup all purpose flour
3/4 polenta or grits
1/4 7 Grain Cereal
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup milk
1/4 sourcream
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
1 egg
Preheat oven to 425. Place a small amount of vegetable oil in a 9" skillet and place in oven to heat.
In a medium bowl mix first six ingredients together until blended. Add next 4 ingredients all at once and stir just enough to combine. Let sit for 5 minutes (just about the time it takes to clean up) then pour into heated pan in oven. Bake for ? until done.
I've fiddled with this in a few ways. The second time I made it I used whole wheat flour which I liked quite a bit. I also made a sweet version by adding 1/4 cup of brown sugar. Very yummy too. As for baking time it's 15-20 minutes.
September 4, 2006
Seven Grain Bread has moved to it's own post.
August 29, 2006
Still working on breads. I really liked the blueberry orange buns I made and I've decided to play with it it.
Cherry Berry Bread
In a small bowl mix one cup of warm water with 2 tsps sugar sprinkle one tablespoon active dry yeast set aside until foamy
In a sauce pan heat over low heat 1 cup whole milk with 1 stick (1/2 cup) butter until butter is just melted. Do not boil. If milk get overly hot set aside to cool otherwise stir in 1/2 cup sugar and two eggs and one teaspoon vanilla to combine.
In a large bowl mix 2 1/2 cups of flour with 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt. Stir in the yeast/water mix and the milk/butter/egg/sugar mix and stir until well combined. Cover and set aside for one hour. Mixture should be bubbly and risen. If not you screwed up and have to start over. Most likely prob...dead yeast either from being too old or too hot. Buy fresh and watch your liquid temps. I didn't so i get to go on to the next step.
Stir down the yeasty mixture (technical term sponge) and stir in 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 cups more flour to make a soft, workable, but slightly sticky dough. (if you are using a stand mixer the dough will clean the sides of the bowl but stick slightly on the bottom) Turn out on a lightly floured surface and knead for 5-10 minutes until dough is smooth and pliable. Form into a ball and place in an oiled bowl turning to coat. Cover with a damp cloth and set aside to rise until doubled.
At this point you have a great sweet bread dough. It will make yummo cinnamon rolls, heavenly fruit buns, even a passing danish type bread or conchas.
To make the cherry, blueberry buns, punch down the dough and knead in 4 oz each dried cherries and blueberries and half cup of chopped walnuts. Divide dough into 32 equal pieces form into buns and place on a lightly oiled sheet pan. Cover and let rise until doubled. Bake at 375 for 15-20 minutes until golden and hollow when thumped. While still warm frost with
1/4 softened butter
2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
dash salt
Beat together and add
2 Tablespoons sourcream (more is frosting is too thick)
----
Sun Dried Tomato and Swiss Bread has moved to it's own post.
Naan Bread
1/2 warm water
1 teaspoon white sugar
2 teaspoons or 1 package active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm milk
1/4 cup plain yogurt, room temperature (or yoghurt if you must)
4 tablespoons melted butter
3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Put warm water in a small bowl, add sugar and yeast and stir until dissolved. Set aside for 5-10 minutes or until it foams.
Blend in the warm milk, yogurt and melted butter.
In a large bowl, mix flour, salt, baking powder and poppy seeds. Pour in the yeast/milk mixture all at once and work it into the flour, using your hands. Continue mixing, adding flour or water as needed, until the mixture leaves the sides of the bowl.
Knead for 6 to 8 minutes or until smooth and elastic. Place in a lightly oiled bowl and turn to coat. Cover with a damp cloth and let stand in a warm place to rise for about 1-2 hours or until doubled in volume.
Punch down and divide into 8 equal pieces. Lay out the dough balls and allow to rise until doubled in volume (about 30-45 minutes). Roll each dough ball into an approximately 8 inch circle.
Preheat a griddle or large skillet over high heat until a drop of water dances on it. Lay one circle of dough on the griddle. Cook until lightly browned on one side, flip and brush the cooked side with a little bit of melted butter. Continue cooking on 2nd side until bubbled bits develop dark brown spots. (A little charring is ok)
Repeat wtih remaining dough.
Notes-These were not as chewy as I like naan to be. The taste was very good so I'm going to try it again with only 2 Tbls of melted butter.
Curried Onion Bread has moved to it's own post and been renamed to Bharji Bread.
Curried Beef Stew has moved to it's own post
All of these are from Sunday August 27, 2006
Sunday, October 08, 2006
Sunday, October 01, 2006
Rye and Kamut Bread with Caraway Seed
2 cups bread flour
1 cup dark rye flour
1 cup Kamut flour
2-2 1/2 cups water
1/4 cup Vital gluten
2 Tablespoons caraway seed
2 Tablepoons sugar
1 Tablespoon yeast
1 1/2 teapoons salt
In a large bowl mix together the bread flour, rye flour, kamut flour, vital gluten, caraway seed, sugar, yeast and salt. Add about 1 3/4 cups of flour and stir to combine. Continue adding water until a soft, slightly sticky dough forms.
This does have rye flour in it so it's not going to go completely smooth and if it's not slightly sticky you have too much flour.
Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 5-6 minutes. Watch how much flour you add, you really could end up with a brick. Place in a lightly greased bowl, cover and set aside to rise until doubled in bulk. Punch down and form into desired loaf size(s). Place on a lightly greased cookie sheet, cover with lightly oiled paper towels and let rise until doubled. Brush tops with Starch Glaze* or egg white. Slash tops with a sharp knife and bake at 450 for 10 minutes. Turn heat down to 350 and bake for a further 10-20 minutes until bread is golden, and sounds hollow when thumped.
Because this has rye and a whole grain flour in it you might want to test it with an instant read thermometer. You're looking for 190 at the center of the loaf.
Starch Glaze
1 cup water
1 Tablespoon cornstarch
Mix together and bring to a boil. Brush on chewier type bread to achieve a crunchier top.
1 cup dark rye flour
1 cup Kamut flour
2-2 1/2 cups water
1/4 cup Vital gluten
2 Tablespoons caraway seed
2 Tablepoons sugar
1 Tablespoon yeast
1 1/2 teapoons salt
In a large bowl mix together the bread flour, rye flour, kamut flour, vital gluten, caraway seed, sugar, yeast and salt. Add about 1 3/4 cups of flour and stir to combine. Continue adding water until a soft, slightly sticky dough forms.
This does have rye flour in it so it's not going to go completely smooth and if it's not slightly sticky you have too much flour.
Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 5-6 minutes. Watch how much flour you add, you really could end up with a brick. Place in a lightly greased bowl, cover and set aside to rise until doubled in bulk. Punch down and form into desired loaf size(s). Place on a lightly greased cookie sheet, cover with lightly oiled paper towels and let rise until doubled. Brush tops with Starch Glaze* or egg white. Slash tops with a sharp knife and bake at 450 for 10 minutes. Turn heat down to 350 and bake for a further 10-20 minutes until bread is golden, and sounds hollow when thumped.
Because this has rye and a whole grain flour in it you might want to test it with an instant read thermometer. You're looking for 190 at the center of the loaf.
Starch Glaze
1 cup water
1 Tablespoon cornstarch
Mix together and bring to a boil. Brush on chewier type bread to achieve a crunchier top.
WIP (works in progress)
I'm trying to become better at chronicling (I wonder if I spelled that right) the food we experiment with. I've decided to just throw them here and work on them until the recipe is right. Hopefully I'll move them to a post of their own once I feel I've "perfected" them.
September 27, 2006
I brought this to work today and the muffins were so good. (Melissa had five if that tells you anything) Normally I would just go ahead and put the recipe in it's own post, however I'm trying a variation with cherries, blueberries and walnuts and in mix form. The original muffins reminded me of a really good bowl of oatmeal in muffin form.
The 12 grains are hard red wheat, stone ground corn,
rye, oats, triticale, brown rice, soy beans, oat bran, millet, barley, sunflower seeds, and flaxseed. Personally I think some of those things don't quite count as grains but Bob begs to differ and hell, 12 Grain Muffins sounds better than * Grain and Some Other Stuff Muffins.
12 Grain Muffin
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup Bob's Red Mill 8 Grain Hot Cereal
1 cup Bob's Red Mill 7 Grain Hot Cereal (Yes, these are two different things.)
3/4 packed light brown sugar
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon vanilla (powdered if you've got it)
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 cups milk
1/2 vegetable oil
1/2 cup sourcream
2 eggs
Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease small muffin tins or line with cupcake liners. In a large bowl mix together first 8 ingredients and stir to combine. Add final four ingredients and mix until just combined. Fill prepared muffin cups about 2/3 full. Bake 15-20 minutes or until golden brown and delicious. 24 muffins
12 Grain Cherry Blueberry Walnut Muffin Mix
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup Bob's Red Mill 8 Grain Hot Cereal
1 cup Bob's Red Mill 7 Grain Hot Cereal (Yes, these are two different things.)
3/4 packed light brown sugar
1/4 buttermilk powder
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon powdered vanilla
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/3 cup dried cherries
1/3 cup dried blueberries
Combine all ingredients thoroughly and divide into 2 portions and bag up. For each mix use 1 cup milk, 1/4 vegetable oil, and 1 egg. Mix until just combined and fill prepared muffin tins 2/3 full bake 15-20 minutes until gbd.
I'm making these for brekkie at work tomorrow if they turn out ok I'll give them their own post.
Notes-These were not quite as good as I hoped. I think they had too much leavening and were not quite sweet enough. I'm out of 7 Grain Cereal but my plan is to lower the baking powder to 2 teaspoons, add 1/2 a teaspoon of baking soda and up the sugar to a full cup. I may also up the cinnamon to a full teaspoon.
September 12, 2006
I'm planning a good ole fashioned southern feast for dinner tonight. Baked ham with gingersnap glaze, scalloped potatoes, succotash, buttered cabbage and 7 grain corn bread.
1 cup all purpose flour
3/4 polenta or grits
1/4 7 Grain Cereal
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup milk
1/4 sourcream
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
1 egg
Preheat oven to 425. Place a small amount of vegetable oil in a 9" skillet and place in oven to heat.
In a medium bowl mix first six ingredients together until blended. Add next 4 ingredients all at once and stir just enough to combine. Let sit for 5 minutes (just about the time it takes to clean up) then pour into heated pan in oven. Bake for ? until done.
I've fiddled with this in a few ways. The second time I made it I used whole wheat flour which I liked quite a bit. I also made a sweet version by adding 1/4 cup of brown sugar. Very yummy too. As for baking time it's 15-20 minutes.
September 4, 2006
Seven Grain Bread has moved to it's own post.
August 29, 2006
Still working on breads. I really liked the blueberry orange buns I made and I've decided to play with it it.
Cherry Berry Bread
In a small bowl mix one cup of warm water with 2 tsps sugar sprinkle one tablespoon active dry yeast set aside until foamy
In a sauce pan heat over low heat 1 cup whole milk with 1 stick (1/2 cup) butter until butter is just melted. Do not boil. If milk get overly hot set aside to cool otherwise stir in 1/2 cup sugar and two eggs and one teaspoon vanilla to combine.
In a large bowl mix 2 1/2 cups of flour with 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt. Stir in the yeast/water mix and the milk/butter/egg/sugar mix and stir until well combined. Cover and set aside for one hour. Mixture should be bubbly and risen. If not you screwed up and have to start over. Most likely prob...dead yeast either from being too old or too hot. Buy fresh and watch your liquid temps. I didn't so i get to go on to the next step.
Stir down the yeasty mixture (technical term sponge) and stir in 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 cups more flour to make a soft, workable, but slightly sticky dough. (if you are using a stand mixer the dough will clean the sides of the bowl but stick slightly on the bottom) Turn out on a lightly floured surface and knead for 5-10 minutes until dough is smooth and pliable. Form into a ball and place in an oiled bowl turning to coat. Cover with a damp cloth and set aside to rise until doubled.
At this point you have a great sweet bread dough. It will make yummo cinnamon rolls, heavenly fruit buns, even a passing danish type bread or conchas.
To make the cherry, blueberry buns, punch down the dough and knead in 4 oz each dried cherries and blueberries and half cup of chopped walnuts. Divide dough into 32 equal pieces form into buns and place on a lightly oiled sheet pan. Cover and let rise until doubled. Bake at 375 for 15-20 minutes until golden and hollow when thumped. While still warm frost with
1/4 softened butter
2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
dash salt
Beat together and add
2 Tablespoons sourcream (more is frosting is too thick)
----
Sun Dried Tomato and Swiss Bread has moved to it's own post.
Naan Bread
1/2 warm water
1 teaspoon white sugar
2 teaspoons or 1 package active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm milk
1/4 cup plain yogurt, room temperature (or yoghurt if you must)
4 tablespoons melted butter
3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Put warm water in a small bowl, add sugar and yeast and stir until dissolved. Set aside for 5-10 minutes or until it foams.
Blend in the warm milk, yogurt and melted butter.
In a large bowl, mix flour, salt, baking powder and poppy seeds. Pour in the yeast/milk mixture all at once and work it into the flour, using your hands. Continue mixing, adding flour or water as needed, until the mixture leaves the sides of the bowl.
Knead for 6 to 8 minutes or until smooth and elastic. Place in a lightly oiled bowl and turn to coat. Cover with a damp cloth and let stand in a warm place to rise for about 1-2 hours or until doubled in volume.
Punch down and divide into 8 equal pieces. Lay out the dough balls and allow to rise until doubled in volume (about 30-45 minutes). Roll each dough ball into an approximately 8 inch circle.
Preheat a griddle or large skillet over high heat until a drop of water dances on it. Lay one circle of dough on the griddle. Cook until lightly browned on one side, flip and brush the cooked side with a little bit of melted butter. Continue cooking on 2nd side until bubbled bits develop dark brown spots. (A little charring is ok)
Repeat wtih remaining dough.
Notes-These were not as chewy as I like naan to be. The taste was very good so I'm going to try it again with only 2 Tbls of melted butter.
Curried Onion Bread has moved to it's own post and been renamed to Bharji Bread.
Curried Beef Stew has moved to it's own post
All of these are from Sunday August 27, 2006
September 27, 2006
I brought this to work today and the muffins were so good. (Melissa had five if that tells you anything) Normally I would just go ahead and put the recipe in it's own post, however I'm trying a variation with cherries, blueberries and walnuts and in mix form. The original muffins reminded me of a really good bowl of oatmeal in muffin form.
The 12 grains are hard red wheat, stone ground corn,
rye, oats, triticale, brown rice, soy beans, oat bran, millet, barley, sunflower seeds, and flaxseed. Personally I think some of those things don't quite count as grains but Bob begs to differ and hell, 12 Grain Muffins sounds better than * Grain and Some Other Stuff Muffins.
12 Grain Muffin
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup Bob's Red Mill 8 Grain Hot Cereal
1 cup Bob's Red Mill 7 Grain Hot Cereal (Yes, these are two different things.)
3/4 packed light brown sugar
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon vanilla (powdered if you've got it)
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 cups milk
1/2 vegetable oil
1/2 cup sourcream
2 eggs
Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease small muffin tins or line with cupcake liners. In a large bowl mix together first 8 ingredients and stir to combine. Add final four ingredients and mix until just combined. Fill prepared muffin cups about 2/3 full. Bake 15-20 minutes or until golden brown and delicious. 24 muffins
12 Grain Cherry Blueberry Walnut Muffin Mix
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup Bob's Red Mill 8 Grain Hot Cereal
1 cup Bob's Red Mill 7 Grain Hot Cereal (Yes, these are two different things.)
3/4 packed light brown sugar
1/4 buttermilk powder
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon powdered vanilla
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/3 cup dried cherries
1/3 cup dried blueberries
Combine all ingredients thoroughly and divide into 2 portions and bag up. For each mix use 1 cup milk, 1/4 vegetable oil, and 1 egg. Mix until just combined and fill prepared muffin tins 2/3 full bake 15-20 minutes until gbd.
I'm making these for brekkie at work tomorrow if they turn out ok I'll give them their own post.
Notes-These were not quite as good as I hoped. I think they had too much leavening and were not quite sweet enough. I'm out of 7 Grain Cereal but my plan is to lower the baking powder to 2 teaspoons, add 1/2 a teaspoon of baking soda and up the sugar to a full cup. I may also up the cinnamon to a full teaspoon.
September 12, 2006
I'm planning a good ole fashioned southern feast for dinner tonight. Baked ham with gingersnap glaze, scalloped potatoes, succotash, buttered cabbage and 7 grain corn bread.
1 cup all purpose flour
3/4 polenta or grits
1/4 7 Grain Cereal
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup milk
1/4 sourcream
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
1 egg
Preheat oven to 425. Place a small amount of vegetable oil in a 9" skillet and place in oven to heat.
In a medium bowl mix first six ingredients together until blended. Add next 4 ingredients all at once and stir just enough to combine. Let sit for 5 minutes (just about the time it takes to clean up) then pour into heated pan in oven. Bake for ? until done.
I've fiddled with this in a few ways. The second time I made it I used whole wheat flour which I liked quite a bit. I also made a sweet version by adding 1/4 cup of brown sugar. Very yummy too. As for baking time it's 15-20 minutes.
September 4, 2006
Seven Grain Bread has moved to it's own post.
August 29, 2006
Still working on breads. I really liked the blueberry orange buns I made and I've decided to play with it it.
Cherry Berry Bread
In a small bowl mix one cup of warm water with 2 tsps sugar sprinkle one tablespoon active dry yeast set aside until foamy
In a sauce pan heat over low heat 1 cup whole milk with 1 stick (1/2 cup) butter until butter is just melted. Do not boil. If milk get overly hot set aside to cool otherwise stir in 1/2 cup sugar and two eggs and one teaspoon vanilla to combine.
In a large bowl mix 2 1/2 cups of flour with 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt. Stir in the yeast/water mix and the milk/butter/egg/sugar mix and stir until well combined. Cover and set aside for one hour. Mixture should be bubbly and risen. If not you screwed up and have to start over. Most likely prob...dead yeast either from being too old or too hot. Buy fresh and watch your liquid temps. I didn't so i get to go on to the next step.
Stir down the yeasty mixture (technical term sponge) and stir in 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 cups more flour to make a soft, workable, but slightly sticky dough. (if you are using a stand mixer the dough will clean the sides of the bowl but stick slightly on the bottom) Turn out on a lightly floured surface and knead for 5-10 minutes until dough is smooth and pliable. Form into a ball and place in an oiled bowl turning to coat. Cover with a damp cloth and set aside to rise until doubled.
At this point you have a great sweet bread dough. It will make yummo cinnamon rolls, heavenly fruit buns, even a passing danish type bread or conchas.
To make the cherry, blueberry buns, punch down the dough and knead in 4 oz each dried cherries and blueberries and half cup of chopped walnuts. Divide dough into 32 equal pieces form into buns and place on a lightly oiled sheet pan. Cover and let rise until doubled. Bake at 375 for 15-20 minutes until golden and hollow when thumped. While still warm frost with
1/4 softened butter
2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
dash salt
Beat together and add
2 Tablespoons sourcream (more is frosting is too thick)
----
Sun Dried Tomato and Swiss Bread has moved to it's own post.
Naan Bread
1/2 warm water
1 teaspoon white sugar
2 teaspoons or 1 package active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm milk
1/4 cup plain yogurt, room temperature (or yoghurt if you must)
4 tablespoons melted butter
3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Put warm water in a small bowl, add sugar and yeast and stir until dissolved. Set aside for 5-10 minutes or until it foams.
Blend in the warm milk, yogurt and melted butter.
In a large bowl, mix flour, salt, baking powder and poppy seeds. Pour in the yeast/milk mixture all at once and work it into the flour, using your hands. Continue mixing, adding flour or water as needed, until the mixture leaves the sides of the bowl.
Knead for 6 to 8 minutes or until smooth and elastic. Place in a lightly oiled bowl and turn to coat. Cover with a damp cloth and let stand in a warm place to rise for about 1-2 hours or until doubled in volume.
Punch down and divide into 8 equal pieces. Lay out the dough balls and allow to rise until doubled in volume (about 30-45 minutes). Roll each dough ball into an approximately 8 inch circle.
Preheat a griddle or large skillet over high heat until a drop of water dances on it. Lay one circle of dough on the griddle. Cook until lightly browned on one side, flip and brush the cooked side with a little bit of melted butter. Continue cooking on 2nd side until bubbled bits develop dark brown spots. (A little charring is ok)
Repeat wtih remaining dough.
Notes-These were not as chewy as I like naan to be. The taste was very good so I'm going to try it again with only 2 Tbls of melted butter.
Curried Onion Bread has moved to it's own post and been renamed to Bharji Bread.
Curried Beef Stew has moved to it's own post
All of these are from Sunday August 27, 2006
Sun Dried Tomato and Swiss Bread
Sundried Tomato and Swiss Bread
1 1/2 cups warm water
2 Tablespoons sugar
4 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3-4 cups flour
2 Tablespoons good quality olive oil
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon cracked black pepper
1 1/2 oz sun dried tomatoes snipped into small bits
8 oz swiss cheese cut into 3/4 inch chunks
Dissolve the sugar in the water. Sprinkle on the yeast and allow to bloom. Stir in 1 cup of the flour, the salt and olive oil. Stir in enough of the remaining flour to form a soft, pliable dough. Form into a ball and place in a large bowl lightly greased with olive oil. Cover and let rise until doubled in bulk.
Punch down the dough and knead in the oregano and pepper. Form into a ball and place in a large bowl lightly greased with olive oil. Cover and let rise until doubled in bulk.
Punch down the dough and knead in the tomatoes and swiss cheese. Form into two loaves, and place on a lightly greased cookie to rise one last time. When doubled in bulk, bake at 375 for 35-40 until golden brown and hollow sounding when thumped.
Notes-This is not quite as spicy or chewy as the original (Great Harvest Bread Company) However it does have a fine grained crumb and the olive oil in the background is an exceptional note. I actually prefer my version especially because it has more cheese. Like the original this makes fabulous toast made even better by more swiss cheese chunks to toast and melt. Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!
1 1/2 cups warm water
2 Tablespoons sugar
4 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3-4 cups flour
2 Tablespoons good quality olive oil
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon cracked black pepper
1 1/2 oz sun dried tomatoes snipped into small bits
8 oz swiss cheese cut into 3/4 inch chunks
Dissolve the sugar in the water. Sprinkle on the yeast and allow to bloom. Stir in 1 cup of the flour, the salt and olive oil. Stir in enough of the remaining flour to form a soft, pliable dough. Form into a ball and place in a large bowl lightly greased with olive oil. Cover and let rise until doubled in bulk.
Punch down the dough and knead in the oregano and pepper. Form into a ball and place in a large bowl lightly greased with olive oil. Cover and let rise until doubled in bulk.
Punch down the dough and knead in the tomatoes and swiss cheese. Form into two loaves, and place on a lightly greased cookie to rise one last time. When doubled in bulk, bake at 375 for 35-40 until golden brown and hollow sounding when thumped.
Notes-This is not quite as spicy or chewy as the original (Great Harvest Bread Company) However it does have a fine grained crumb and the olive oil in the background is an exceptional note. I actually prefer my version especially because it has more cheese. Like the original this makes fabulous toast made even better by more swiss cheese chunks to toast and melt. Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!
Sunday, September 17, 2006
Wuss for the Cure
Every year I contribute to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Research Foundation's Race for the Cure. It's usually on a Saturday and my job keeps me from participating in any other way. This year it was on a Sunday and I convinced my wonderful husband to get up extra early and come out to do the Race with me.
I haven't been feeling well lately so I opted for the 1 mile family walk (Wuss for the Cure) as opposed to the 5k run/walk (Race) Also participating with us was my sister Lora Ferguson, my nephew Jacob Sisco, my neice in law Melissa Long my grand"daughter" Baylee and actually running in the 5k, my brother in law Don Ferguson. Due to a back injury my sister Cate Sisco Slept in for the Cure and good friend Brandi Davis might have had a little too much fun at a party the night before and also Slept in for the Cure. Together we were Team Piece of Cake.
Sunday morning dawned and after a nourishing breakfast of black currant yogurt topped with cranberry almond crunch and approximately 400 phone calls to find out who was going and where we were meeting, we arrived at Robert's Stadium parking lot to wait for the rest of the team and lament that we hadn't brought any coffee.
And I got up at 6 am to wait for your family in a parking lot?
It seemed like forever before Lora and Don arrived and of course Melissa and Jacob hadn't even left their houses. Everyone did get there before the last bus left, so in the end it was fine.
Lora Ferguson, the first of our team to arrive, with Baylee the last of our team to arrive.
Yes, that is Melissa taking off her shirt in a public parking lot. She says she can do the same with undies.
Here is Jacob, the only one of us with enough sense to preregister for the Race.
There wasn't anyone handy to get all of us and Don had run off already but Jacob took this photo of all the Pink Shirts on Team Piece of Cake.
Don left on one of the earlier buses but the rest of us wanted to sit together. So after everyone who was going to get there (remember Brandi may or may not have had too much 'fun' the night before.) got there we headed off to the big, yellow school bus which I forgot to take a photo of.
Baylee, who is just one year old had never ridden on a school bus before.
Karl, who is British, hadn't either.
The bus dropped us off a short distance from the actual race and we had to walk the rest of the way.
The crowds were unbelievable. It's hard to imagine that so many people could care enough to get their butts out of bed on a Sunday but they were there. In fact over 13,000 people participated in the Race this year.
We managed to find Don almost immediately in spite of the huge crowds. (Most likely because he's hilariously tall and skinny and was wearing a bright red shirt with a cake on it)
Grandpa Don (who actually RAN in the 5k) holding Baylee, who Strolled for the Cure.
After finding Don we headed off to late registration to get our T'Shirts and Race bibs.
If you've never done a Race this is the part that is hard. You pay your $25 for the privelage of a white shirt with the Race logo, a racer's number and in addition you can pin bright pink In Celebration or in Memory of placards onto your shirt to tell people who you are Racing for. You look around you and there are women in special pink Survivior t'shirts. Some of them don't have any hair, some of them are carrying signs that say "10 years" or "6 years". Over to the right is a group of people wearing matching T'shirts that proclaim the name of a woman they are racing in memory of. Then you think of some woman that you know and love, maybe more than one woman that you know and love, and if you're lucky you put her name on a In Celebration of instead of In Memory of and pin it to your back.
This is my first year racing. I didn't know that it was gonna make me cry. But I did and so did Lora and so did Melissa and when I asked my husband if it would be okay to carry his parents names with me too I could feel his sadness. I was fortunate to carry the name of two survivors with me. However being at the Race for the Cure brought back what they had gone through to become survivors.
I also discovered the night before the Race, that my Aunt Judy, who is on her second round with breast cancer, has been diagnosed with Lupus and a degenerative bone disorder. Carrying her name with me felt like an extraordinary responsibility and honor.
We got ourselves registered, dried our tears and Team Piece of Cake
waited for 9:30 and the start of the 5k race. Again, the amount of people participating was stunning. We tried to see Don but despite the hilariously tall and thin thing and the red shirt, lost him in the crowd.
Baylee and Melissa looking for Grandpa Don
and Karl foiling one of Baylee's escape attempts.
The 5k is the bigger part of Race day and literally thousands of runners and walkers pass through the opening gate. An announcer calls out team names and the names of Survivors as they pass. After the majority of the 5k-ers pass they let the ones walking in the 1 mile Family Walk line up at their start.
This is Karl heading towards the starting line.
And we're off!
The 1 Mile course takes you from the back of Eastland mall past Macy's and around the front almost to JC Penney's.
We decided about 3/4 of the way through that we all could have walked the 5k.
In fact it was an easy walk and a beautiful day for it.
The people in front of us.
The people behind us.
Apparently a few others agreed
For the last leg of the race we let Baylee out of her stroller to walk. She was initially way more interested in the flowers than actually walking anywhere. With Grandma Lora on one side and Mommy on the other she decided it was ok to go, go, go!
Which was a good thing because we were almost at the end where you get to be attacked by the big, pink, balloon arch.
All in all it was a great experience and if they continue to have it on Sunday then I will continue to Wuss or Race depending on my health at the time.
I haven't been feeling well lately so I opted for the 1 mile family walk (Wuss for the Cure) as opposed to the 5k run/walk (Race) Also participating with us was my sister Lora Ferguson, my nephew Jacob Sisco, my neice in law Melissa Long my grand"daughter" Baylee and actually running in the 5k, my brother in law Don Ferguson. Due to a back injury my sister Cate Sisco Slept in for the Cure and good friend Brandi Davis might have had a little too much fun at a party the night before and also Slept in for the Cure. Together we were Team Piece of Cake.
Sunday morning dawned and after a nourishing breakfast of black currant yogurt topped with cranberry almond crunch and approximately 400 phone calls to find out who was going and where we were meeting, we arrived at Robert's Stadium parking lot to wait for the rest of the team and lament that we hadn't brought any coffee.
And I got up at 6 am to wait for your family in a parking lot?
It seemed like forever before Lora and Don arrived and of course Melissa and Jacob hadn't even left their houses. Everyone did get there before the last bus left, so in the end it was fine.
Lora Ferguson, the first of our team to arrive, with Baylee the last of our team to arrive.
Yes, that is Melissa taking off her shirt in a public parking lot. She says she can do the same with undies.
Here is Jacob, the only one of us with enough sense to preregister for the Race.
There wasn't anyone handy to get all of us and Don had run off already but Jacob took this photo of all the Pink Shirts on Team Piece of Cake.
Don left on one of the earlier buses but the rest of us wanted to sit together. So after everyone who was going to get there (remember Brandi may or may not have had too much 'fun' the night before.) got there we headed off to the big, yellow school bus which I forgot to take a photo of.
Baylee, who is just one year old had never ridden on a school bus before.
Karl, who is British, hadn't either.
The bus dropped us off a short distance from the actual race and we had to walk the rest of the way.
The crowds were unbelievable. It's hard to imagine that so many people could care enough to get their butts out of bed on a Sunday but they were there. In fact over 13,000 people participated in the Race this year.
We managed to find Don almost immediately in spite of the huge crowds. (Most likely because he's hilariously tall and skinny and was wearing a bright red shirt with a cake on it)
Grandpa Don (who actually RAN in the 5k) holding Baylee, who Strolled for the Cure.
After finding Don we headed off to late registration to get our T'Shirts and Race bibs.
If you've never done a Race this is the part that is hard. You pay your $25 for the privelage of a white shirt with the Race logo, a racer's number and in addition you can pin bright pink In Celebration or in Memory of placards onto your shirt to tell people who you are Racing for. You look around you and there are women in special pink Survivior t'shirts. Some of them don't have any hair, some of them are carrying signs that say "10 years" or "6 years". Over to the right is a group of people wearing matching T'shirts that proclaim the name of a woman they are racing in memory of. Then you think of some woman that you know and love, maybe more than one woman that you know and love, and if you're lucky you put her name on a In Celebration of instead of In Memory of and pin it to your back.
This is my first year racing. I didn't know that it was gonna make me cry. But I did and so did Lora and so did Melissa and when I asked my husband if it would be okay to carry his parents names with me too I could feel his sadness. I was fortunate to carry the name of two survivors with me. However being at the Race for the Cure brought back what they had gone through to become survivors.
I also discovered the night before the Race, that my Aunt Judy, who is on her second round with breast cancer, has been diagnosed with Lupus and a degenerative bone disorder. Carrying her name with me felt like an extraordinary responsibility and honor.
We got ourselves registered, dried our tears and Team Piece of Cake
waited for 9:30 and the start of the 5k race. Again, the amount of people participating was stunning. We tried to see Don but despite the hilariously tall and thin thing and the red shirt, lost him in the crowd.
Baylee and Melissa looking for Grandpa Don
and Karl foiling one of Baylee's escape attempts.
The 5k is the bigger part of Race day and literally thousands of runners and walkers pass through the opening gate. An announcer calls out team names and the names of Survivors as they pass. After the majority of the 5k-ers pass they let the ones walking in the 1 mile Family Walk line up at their start.
This is Karl heading towards the starting line.
And we're off!
The 1 Mile course takes you from the back of Eastland mall past Macy's and around the front almost to JC Penney's.
We decided about 3/4 of the way through that we all could have walked the 5k.
In fact it was an easy walk and a beautiful day for it.
The people in front of us.
The people behind us.
Apparently a few others agreed
For the last leg of the race we let Baylee out of her stroller to walk. She was initially way more interested in the flowers than actually walking anywhere. With Grandma Lora on one side and Mommy on the other she decided it was ok to go, go, go!
Which was a good thing because we were almost at the end where you get to be attacked by the big, pink, balloon arch.
All in all it was a great experience and if they continue to have it on Sunday then I will continue to Wuss or Race depending on my health at the time.
Thursday, September 14, 2006
Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrggggghhhhhh!!!!! I'm a PIRATE!
Your pirate name is:
Black Jack Rackham
Like anyone confronted with the harshness of robbery on the high seas, you can be pessimistic at times. You have the good fortune of having a good name, since Rackham (pronounced RACKem, not rack-ham) is one of the coolest sounding surnames for a pirate. Arr!
Black Jack Rackham
Like anyone confronted with the harshness of robbery on the high seas, you can be pessimistic at times. You have the good fortune of having a good name, since Rackham (pronounced RACKem, not rack-ham) is one of the coolest sounding surnames for a pirate. Arr!
Arrrrrrrr
My pirate name is: Dirty Bess Kidd
You're the pirate everyone else wants to throw in the ocean -- not to get rid of you, you understand; just to get rid of the smell. Even though you're not always the traditional swaggering gallant, your steadiness and planning make you a fine, reliable pirate. Arr!
You're the pirate everyone else wants to throw in the ocean -- not to get rid of you, you understand; just to get rid of the smell. Even though you're not always the traditional swaggering gallant, your steadiness and planning make you a fine, reliable pirate. Arr!
Monday, September 04, 2006
On vegetable broth...
I keep a gallon zippie bag in my freezer. Every time I peel a vegetable (except potatoes) snap a pea or bean or cut the end off a tomato or squash I toss these normally discarded bits into the bag. When it's full I plop the frozen veggies into what I think of as my pretty big pan. I then fill it with water, bring it to a boil and let it go for anywhere for 1/2 an hour to an hour depending on how distracted I am whilst making it. After I notice it again I strain the vegetable broth into one of my gallon pitchers. I return all the cooked once veggies back to the pot, fill with water and repeat. I do let this second brew cook slightly longer because it kinda seems like you should have to. (Although I've never scientifically tested this.) I strain this batch into the second of my gallon pitchers (You could use large bowls if you don't happen to own gallon pitchers or both of them are filled with Kool Aid or iced tea.) Toss the veggies, (if you have one, put it on the compost pile) wash the pan out, combine both (approximate) gallons of veggie broth and allow to cool.
Once the broth is cool enough to handle, I place 1 and 2 cup amounts in quart size zippie bags, (Label them before you start) place the bags flat in the freezer and let them freeze solid. I also fill standard muffin cups with 1/3 cup of the broth freeze these solid then pop them into a gallon baggie for when I just need a wee bit of broth.
Some things that I've put in the bag-Asparagus ends, bean and pea snap offs, celery tops, carrot peels and trims, mushroom stems, tomato tops, zucchini and yellow squash trimmings, onion peels and tops, garlic peels, lemon peels (from when you've juiced a lemon, but I wouldn't go overboard) trimmings from broccoli and cauliflower (again not too many) cabbage cores, I've even used lettuce leaves.
Basically any non starchy and not too 'strong veggie'
What I would avoid-Potato peels or trimmings, beets (too staining) brussels sprouts, corn cobs, excessive amounts of any strong smelling or tasting veggie like fennel or raab.
I do know of people who will toss their leftover dinner veggies and the juice from canned veggies. I tend to avoid this as I like butter on vegetables and I really don't eat a lot of canned veggies.
"What's the point?" you may ask. Several things. I use a lot of broth in my cooking. A can of vegetable broth costs about 79 cents. For the cost of the zippie bags, 2 gallons(ish) of water, enough gas to boil it up and a bit of time, I can get the equivalent of 16 cans of vegetable broth. (If you do the math that's about $1.25 instead of $12.64) It's also a delicious, high quality broth with no added salt.
I can control portion size more easily than canned broth. A can of vegetable broth is about 15 oz (close to 2 cups) I don't always need 2 cups of broth and I often waste the remainder of the can. I have good intentions but the can sits in the fridge until it ferments or spills on the eggs, sometimes both.
I also like the idea of further using something that would normally just get pitched. Back in the days when I had more time I did pitch the spent veggies onto the compost heap. In turn the compost went into my pathetic garden which provided me with at least a few new veggie peels and trims to put in the zippie bag. That's a cycle I can get behind.
Oh, and I have a freezer to store the equivalent of 16 cans of vegetable broth, so it's also practical for me.
For me making my own broth makes sense. It's a money saver. For me it's also a time saver because I am forever forgetting to buy it and then having to run back to the store for it. Finally it's my little stand against the throw away society we live in. Reduce, reuse, recycle and eat well.
Once the broth is cool enough to handle, I place 1 and 2 cup amounts in quart size zippie bags, (Label them before you start) place the bags flat in the freezer and let them freeze solid. I also fill standard muffin cups with 1/3 cup of the broth freeze these solid then pop them into a gallon baggie for when I just need a wee bit of broth.
Some things that I've put in the bag-Asparagus ends, bean and pea snap offs, celery tops, carrot peels and trims, mushroom stems, tomato tops, zucchini and yellow squash trimmings, onion peels and tops, garlic peels, lemon peels (from when you've juiced a lemon, but I wouldn't go overboard) trimmings from broccoli and cauliflower (again not too many) cabbage cores, I've even used lettuce leaves.
Basically any non starchy and not too 'strong veggie'
What I would avoid-Potato peels or trimmings, beets (too staining) brussels sprouts, corn cobs, excessive amounts of any strong smelling or tasting veggie like fennel or raab.
I do know of people who will toss their leftover dinner veggies and the juice from canned veggies. I tend to avoid this as I like butter on vegetables and I really don't eat a lot of canned veggies.
"What's the point?" you may ask. Several things. I use a lot of broth in my cooking. A can of vegetable broth costs about 79 cents. For the cost of the zippie bags, 2 gallons(ish) of water, enough gas to boil it up and a bit of time, I can get the equivalent of 16 cans of vegetable broth. (If you do the math that's about $1.25 instead of $12.64) It's also a delicious, high quality broth with no added salt.
I can control portion size more easily than canned broth. A can of vegetable broth is about 15 oz (close to 2 cups) I don't always need 2 cups of broth and I often waste the remainder of the can. I have good intentions but the can sits in the fridge until it ferments or spills on the eggs, sometimes both.
I also like the idea of further using something that would normally just get pitched. Back in the days when I had more time I did pitch the spent veggies onto the compost heap. In turn the compost went into my pathetic garden which provided me with at least a few new veggie peels and trims to put in the zippie bag. That's a cycle I can get behind.
Oh, and I have a freezer to store the equivalent of 16 cans of vegetable broth, so it's also practical for me.
For me making my own broth makes sense. It's a money saver. For me it's also a time saver because I am forever forgetting to buy it and then having to run back to the store for it. Finally it's my little stand against the throw away society we live in. Reduce, reuse, recycle and eat well.
7 Grain Bread
Okay, so I may be trying to beat you to death with the staff of life.
2 1/2 - 3 cups flour
1/2 cup 7 grain hot cereal such as Bob's Red Mill 7 Grain Hot Cereal
1/4 cup demererra sugar (or brown sugar if you're husband isn't British)
1/4 cup malted milk powder such as Carnation or Horlick's
3 teaspoons yeast
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 cups milk warmed to about 120 degrees
2 Tablespoons melted butter
In a large bowl mix 2 1/2 cups of flour, the cereal, sugar, malt powder, yeast and salt together. Add the warm milk and butter all at once and stir to combine. If needed add up to a 1/2 cup more flour to make a soft workable dough. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead about 10 minutes. Form into a ball, place into a lightly oiled bowl, turning to coat, cover and let rise until doubled. Punch down, form into a loaf allow to rise bake at 375 35-45 minute until golden brown and hollow sounding.
2 1/2 - 3 cups flour
1/2 cup 7 grain hot cereal such as Bob's Red Mill 7 Grain Hot Cereal
1/4 cup demererra sugar (or brown sugar if you're husband isn't British)
1/4 cup malted milk powder such as Carnation or Horlick's
3 teaspoons yeast
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 cups milk warmed to about 120 degrees
2 Tablespoons melted butter
In a large bowl mix 2 1/2 cups of flour, the cereal, sugar, malt powder, yeast and salt together. Add the warm milk and butter all at once and stir to combine. If needed add up to a 1/2 cup more flour to make a soft workable dough. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead about 10 minutes. Form into a ball, place into a lightly oiled bowl, turning to coat, cover and let rise until doubled. Punch down, form into a loaf allow to rise bake at 375 35-45 minute until golden brown and hollow sounding.
Curried Beef Stew
Curried Beef Stew
2 lbs thick cut round steak cut into cubes
1 1/2 cups flour
2 Tablespoons curry powder (I used Ship)
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon each black pepper, white pepper and paprika
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 bell peppers cut in large dice
2 large onions diced
*1/2 of a 12 oz package snake gourd*
3 15 oz cans whole peeled tomatoes
3 cups water
1/4 vindaloo curry paste (I used Patak's)
In a bowl or ziploc bag mix the flour, curry powder, salt, black pepper, white pepper and paprika together. Add the meat cubes and toss or shake to coat.
Heat some of the vegetable oil in a large dutch oven over medium heat. Add the meat in a single non crowded and layer and brown on all sides. Do this in batches if necessary. Remove the browned meat and set aside. Add the peppers and onions to the pan and saute briefly in the drippings. Add 1/4 of flour to the vegetables and stir to incorporate. Add the tomatoes, water, *snake gourd* and the vindaloo curry paste. Gently add the meat and it's drippings back to the pan. Adjust salt to taste. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer 2-3 hours until meat is tender.
*snake gourd is apparently a semi common foodstuff in India but not so much in Indiana. We bought it because we've made a pact to try new things (I would not recommend salted dry gooseberries.) Check the freezer section of an asian or Indian market and you might find it. If not, I'm pretty sure zucchini or yellow squash would work or you can of course leave it out entirely.
Notes-This smells fantastic. We're gonna have homemade naan, the Bharji bread, brown rice pilaf, peas, hot mango chutney and yogurt with this.
More notes-The snake gourd didn't taste like zucchini or yellow squash but they really would make a good substitute. This was particularly good piled onto the Bharji Bread and dotted with yogurt and chutney.
2 lbs thick cut round steak cut into cubes
1 1/2 cups flour
2 Tablespoons curry powder (I used Ship)
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon each black pepper, white pepper and paprika
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 bell peppers cut in large dice
2 large onions diced
*1/2 of a 12 oz package snake gourd*
3 15 oz cans whole peeled tomatoes
3 cups water
1/4 vindaloo curry paste (I used Patak's)
In a bowl or ziploc bag mix the flour, curry powder, salt, black pepper, white pepper and paprika together. Add the meat cubes and toss or shake to coat.
Heat some of the vegetable oil in a large dutch oven over medium heat. Add the meat in a single non crowded and layer and brown on all sides. Do this in batches if necessary. Remove the browned meat and set aside. Add the peppers and onions to the pan and saute briefly in the drippings. Add 1/4 of flour to the vegetables and stir to incorporate. Add the tomatoes, water, *snake gourd* and the vindaloo curry paste. Gently add the meat and it's drippings back to the pan. Adjust salt to taste. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer 2-3 hours until meat is tender.
*snake gourd is apparently a semi common foodstuff in India but not so much in Indiana. We bought it because we've made a pact to try new things (I would not recommend salted dry gooseberries.) Check the freezer section of an asian or Indian market and you might find it. If not, I'm pretty sure zucchini or yellow squash would work or you can of course leave it out entirely.
Notes-This smells fantastic. We're gonna have homemade naan, the Bharji bread, brown rice pilaf, peas, hot mango chutney and yogurt with this.
More notes-The snake gourd didn't taste like zucchini or yellow squash but they really would make a good substitute. This was particularly good piled onto the Bharji Bread and dotted with yogurt and chutney.
Tuesday, August 29, 2006
Bharji Bread or the first one to make it out.
Bharji Bread formerly known as Curried Onion Bread
1 cup sour cream, at room temperature
3 tablespoons water
3-3-1/2 cups all-purpose flour, divided
1 package active dry yeast
2 tablespoons sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons of your favorite curry powder (I used Ship)
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 small onion cut into small dice
Vegetable oil or nonstick cooking spray
Small amount of melted butter
Stir together sour cream and water in small saucepan. Heat over low heat until temperature reaches 120° to 130°F. Do not boil. Combine 2 cups flour, yeast, sugar, salt and baking soda in a large bowl. Spread sour cream mixture evenly over flour mixture with rubber spatula. Stir until well blended. Turn out dough onto lightly floured surface. Knead about 5 minutes adding enough of remaining flour to make a smooth and elastic dough. Place in a lightly oiled bowl and turn to coat. Cover with a damp cloth and let stand in a warm place to rise for about 1-2 hours or until doubled in volume.
Punch down dough and knead in the onions until completely mixed through the dough. Form into a ball or loaf shape and place in the center of a lightly greased cookie sheet. Cover with a damp cloth and allow to rise until doubled in volume.
Preheat oven to 375. Bake loaf 35-45 minutes until golden brown and hollow sounding when thumped. Brush with melted butter after it comes out of the oven.
Notes-This was totally Karl's idea. My idea was to make more of a filled type bread with a curried onion filling. This turned out incredible. It reminds Karl of Bharji's which is exactly what he wanted. It reminds me of onion and dill bread that we used to get when we were little kids. I'm actually going to use the sour cream base for an onion dill bread in the near future. I'm pretty sure this is also going to make killer toast so I'm hoping there will be some left after dinner tonight.
August 29, 2006-Yes, it does make incredible toast and if you top it with eggs scrambled with sourcream and cheddar cheese it makes a damn fine breakfast.
By the way if you don't know what Bharji is (also spelled bharjee, bhargee, bhagee, and bhaji) It's a yummy fried onion fritter made with gram flour (chickpea flour), curry powder cilantro and of course onions.
1 cup sour cream, at room temperature
3 tablespoons water
3-3-1/2 cups all-purpose flour, divided
1 package active dry yeast
2 tablespoons sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons of your favorite curry powder (I used Ship)
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 small onion cut into small dice
Vegetable oil or nonstick cooking spray
Small amount of melted butter
Stir together sour cream and water in small saucepan. Heat over low heat until temperature reaches 120° to 130°F. Do not boil. Combine 2 cups flour, yeast, sugar, salt and baking soda in a large bowl. Spread sour cream mixture evenly over flour mixture with rubber spatula. Stir until well blended. Turn out dough onto lightly floured surface. Knead about 5 minutes adding enough of remaining flour to make a smooth and elastic dough. Place in a lightly oiled bowl and turn to coat. Cover with a damp cloth and let stand in a warm place to rise for about 1-2 hours or until doubled in volume.
Punch down dough and knead in the onions until completely mixed through the dough. Form into a ball or loaf shape and place in the center of a lightly greased cookie sheet. Cover with a damp cloth and allow to rise until doubled in volume.
Preheat oven to 375. Bake loaf 35-45 minutes until golden brown and hollow sounding when thumped. Brush with melted butter after it comes out of the oven.
Notes-This was totally Karl's idea. My idea was to make more of a filled type bread with a curried onion filling. This turned out incredible. It reminds Karl of Bharji's which is exactly what he wanted. It reminds me of onion and dill bread that we used to get when we were little kids. I'm actually going to use the sour cream base for an onion dill bread in the near future. I'm pretty sure this is also going to make killer toast so I'm hoping there will be some left after dinner tonight.
August 29, 2006-Yes, it does make incredible toast and if you top it with eggs scrambled with sourcream and cheddar cheese it makes a damn fine breakfast.
By the way if you don't know what Bharji is (also spelled bharjee, bhargee, bhagee, and bhaji) It's a yummy fried onion fritter made with gram flour (chickpea flour), curry powder cilantro and of course onions.
Tuesday, August 22, 2006
The staff of life...
Our recent trip to Indy introduced us to the joys of Mexican pastry. We do have a Mexican bakery here and I am planning on visiting it very soon but I'm afraid it's going to be aimed at the gringas and too upscale. So I decided to try my hand at Conchas which was damn close to my favorite thing we tried. I found a recipe on AllRecipes and modified it slightly so I could use ingredients I have on hand. This is extremely close and slightly better than the ones we had in Indy.
Conchas
Dough
2 1/2 teaspoons yeast
1/2 cup warm water
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup heavy cream
3/8 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup butter melted and cooled
1 egg
4 cups (approximately) all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Topping
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter softened
1 cup flour
2 teaspoons vanilla
In a large bowl stir together the yeast and warm water. Mix in the milk, 3/8 cup sugar, melted butter, salt and 2 cups of flour. Add the cinnamon and enough of the remaining flour to form soft, non-sticky dough that cleans the side of the bowl.
Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic about 10 minutes. Form into a ball and placed smooth side up in a greased bowl. Cover with a damp cloth and place someplace warm and draft free to rise until doubled in bulk. 1-2 hours. Punch down and allow to rise again. Alternatively you can place the dough in the refrigerator and allow it to rise slowly overnight. Remove it from the fridge and allow it to come to room temp before working.
When dough is done rising, make the topping. Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy add the flour and vanilla mix to form a paste.
Divide the bread dough into 12 equal balls and place on a lightly greased cookie sheet. Divide the topping into 12 equal balls, flatten and place one disk on each dough ball. Make score lines in topping to resemble a clam shell. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise until doubled about 45 minute to one hour.
Preheat oven to 375. Bake conchas 20-25 minutes until golden brown and hollow
sounding when thumped. Hardest part...allow to cool 15 minutes before eating.
The baking of conchas inspired me to do a little bit of experimental baking. I came up with
Chai Crumble Buns
Dough
2 1/2 teaspoons yeast
2 Tablespoons warm water
1 teaspoon sugar
1 cup milk
10 Chai tea bags (I used 6 Celestial Seasonings Teahouse Chai Original and 4 Stash Double Spice)
6 green cardamom pods (optional
1/3 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter melted and cooled
1 egg
4 cups (approximately) all purpose flour
Topping
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter softened
1/2 cup flour
2 weetabix biscuits crumbled or 1/2 cup oatmeal
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
In a small saucepan bring the milk, teabags and cardamom pods to a bare simmer. Stir and remove from heat. Set side to cool. When cool remove cardamom pods and teabags squeezing to remove as much milk as possible.
In a large bowl stir together the yeast and warm water. Mix in the chai flavored milk, 1/3 cup sugar, melted butter, salt and 2 cups of flour. Stir in enough of the remaining flour to form soft, non-sticky dough that cleans the side of the bowl.
Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic about 10 minutes. Form into a ball and placed smooth side up in a greased bowl. Cover with a damp cloth and place the dough in the refrigerator and allow it to rise slowly overnight or 12 hours. Remove it from the fridge and allow it to come to room temp before working.
When dough is at room temperature, make the topping. Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy add the flour weetabix, vanilla, cinnamon and white pepper mix to form a crumbly dough.
Divide the bread dough into 12 equal balls and place on a lightly greased cookie sheet. Divide the topping into 12 equal portions, place one disk on each dough ball and flatten out to cover as much of the top os possible. Make back and forth score lines in topping. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise until doubled about 45 minute to one hour.
Preheat oven to 375. Bake 20-25 minutes until golden brown and hollow sounding when thumped.
And...
Orange, Blueberry and Walnut Double Glazed Buns
Dough
2 1/2 teaspoons yeast
1/2 cup warm water
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup heavy cream
3/8 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter melted and cooled
1 egg
4 cups (approximately) all purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 oz dried navel oranges snipped into small pieces
2 oz dried blueberries
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
Double glaze
1/4 cup butter softened
3 cups powdered sugar
3 Tablespoons frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
3 Tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
dash salt
In a large bowl stir together the yeast and warm water. Mix in the milk, 3/8 cup sugar, melted butter, salt and 2 cups of flour. Add the cinnamon and enough of the remaining flour to form soft, non-sticky dough that cleans the side of the bowl.
Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic about 10 minutes. Knead in the oranges, blueberries and walnuts until incorporated. Form into a ball and placed smooth side up in a greased bowl. Cover with a damp cloth and place someplace warm and draft free to rise until doubled in bulk. 1-2 hours. Punch down and allow to rise again. Alternatively you can place the dough in the refrigerator and allow it to rise slowly overnight. Remove it from the fridge and allow it to come to room temp before working.
Divide the bread dough into 12 equal balls and place on a lightly greased cookie sheet. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise until doubled about 45 minute to one hour.
Preheat oven to 375. Bake 20-25 minutes until golden brown and hollow sounding when thumped. While the buns are baking make the glaze and frosting.
Double Glaze
Mix the butter, salt and powdered sugar until thouroughly combined. Stir in the
orange juice concentrate and the vanilla. Divide this into two parts. Thin one part with the 3 Tablespoons of milk.
While the rolls are still hot dip them into to the glaze and rotate to completely cover the tops. Allow to cool for 15 minutes then frost with the thicker icing.
There is a slight problem with these buns. I bought the dried navel oranges at Trader Joe's and now I can't seem to find another source for them. This doesn't really seem to be a good enough reason to buy a food dehydrator...maybe if one goes cheap enough on eBay...
Conchas
Dough
2 1/2 teaspoons yeast
1/2 cup warm water
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup heavy cream
3/8 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup butter melted and cooled
1 egg
4 cups (approximately) all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Topping
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter softened
1 cup flour
2 teaspoons vanilla
In a large bowl stir together the yeast and warm water. Mix in the milk, 3/8 cup sugar, melted butter, salt and 2 cups of flour. Add the cinnamon and enough of the remaining flour to form soft, non-sticky dough that cleans the side of the bowl.
Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic about 10 minutes. Form into a ball and placed smooth side up in a greased bowl. Cover with a damp cloth and place someplace warm and draft free to rise until doubled in bulk. 1-2 hours. Punch down and allow to rise again. Alternatively you can place the dough in the refrigerator and allow it to rise slowly overnight. Remove it from the fridge and allow it to come to room temp before working.
When dough is done rising, make the topping. Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy add the flour and vanilla mix to form a paste.
Divide the bread dough into 12 equal balls and place on a lightly greased cookie sheet. Divide the topping into 12 equal balls, flatten and place one disk on each dough ball. Make score lines in topping to resemble a clam shell. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise until doubled about 45 minute to one hour.
Preheat oven to 375. Bake conchas 20-25 minutes until golden brown and hollow
sounding when thumped. Hardest part...allow to cool 15 minutes before eating.
The baking of conchas inspired me to do a little bit of experimental baking. I came up with
Chai Crumble Buns
Dough
2 1/2 teaspoons yeast
2 Tablespoons warm water
1 teaspoon sugar
1 cup milk
10 Chai tea bags (I used 6 Celestial Seasonings Teahouse Chai Original and 4 Stash Double Spice)
6 green cardamom pods (optional
1/3 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter melted and cooled
1 egg
4 cups (approximately) all purpose flour
Topping
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter softened
1/2 cup flour
2 weetabix biscuits crumbled or 1/2 cup oatmeal
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
In a small saucepan bring the milk, teabags and cardamom pods to a bare simmer. Stir and remove from heat. Set side to cool. When cool remove cardamom pods and teabags squeezing to remove as much milk as possible.
In a large bowl stir together the yeast and warm water. Mix in the chai flavored milk, 1/3 cup sugar, melted butter, salt and 2 cups of flour. Stir in enough of the remaining flour to form soft, non-sticky dough that cleans the side of the bowl.
Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic about 10 minutes. Form into a ball and placed smooth side up in a greased bowl. Cover with a damp cloth and place the dough in the refrigerator and allow it to rise slowly overnight or 12 hours. Remove it from the fridge and allow it to come to room temp before working.
When dough is at room temperature, make the topping. Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy add the flour weetabix, vanilla, cinnamon and white pepper mix to form a crumbly dough.
Divide the bread dough into 12 equal balls and place on a lightly greased cookie sheet. Divide the topping into 12 equal portions, place one disk on each dough ball and flatten out to cover as much of the top os possible. Make back and forth score lines in topping. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise until doubled about 45 minute to one hour.
Preheat oven to 375. Bake 20-25 minutes until golden brown and hollow sounding when thumped.
And...
Orange, Blueberry and Walnut Double Glazed Buns
Dough
2 1/2 teaspoons yeast
1/2 cup warm water
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup heavy cream
3/8 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter melted and cooled
1 egg
4 cups (approximately) all purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 oz dried navel oranges snipped into small pieces
2 oz dried blueberries
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
Double glaze
1/4 cup butter softened
3 cups powdered sugar
3 Tablespoons frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
3 Tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
dash salt
In a large bowl stir together the yeast and warm water. Mix in the milk, 3/8 cup sugar, melted butter, salt and 2 cups of flour. Add the cinnamon and enough of the remaining flour to form soft, non-sticky dough that cleans the side of the bowl.
Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic about 10 minutes. Knead in the oranges, blueberries and walnuts until incorporated. Form into a ball and placed smooth side up in a greased bowl. Cover with a damp cloth and place someplace warm and draft free to rise until doubled in bulk. 1-2 hours. Punch down and allow to rise again. Alternatively you can place the dough in the refrigerator and allow it to rise slowly overnight. Remove it from the fridge and allow it to come to room temp before working.
Divide the bread dough into 12 equal balls and place on a lightly greased cookie sheet. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise until doubled about 45 minute to one hour.
Preheat oven to 375. Bake 20-25 minutes until golden brown and hollow sounding when thumped. While the buns are baking make the glaze and frosting.
Double Glaze
Mix the butter, salt and powdered sugar until thouroughly combined. Stir in the
orange juice concentrate and the vanilla. Divide this into two parts. Thin one part with the 3 Tablespoons of milk.
While the rolls are still hot dip them into to the glaze and rotate to completely cover the tops. Allow to cool for 15 minutes then frost with the thicker icing.
There is a slight problem with these buns. I bought the dried navel oranges at Trader Joe's and now I can't seem to find another source for them. This doesn't really seem to be a good enough reason to buy a food dehydrator...maybe if one goes cheap enough on eBay...
Monday, August 14, 2006
Back from Indy have to cook up all the weird food.
Seaweed Soup
8 cups of chicken or vegetable broth
A large handful of dried seaweed scissored into small pieces
1 clove of garlic minced
dash of ground ginger
1/2 cup sherry
1 8 oz can sliced water chestnuts and it's water
1 8 oz can sliced bamboo shoots and their water
1/2 tsp or more white pepper
Bring to a boil add
2 medium sized king oyster mushrooms sliced into thin rounds
8 oz raw shrimp
Bring back to a boil add
8 oz soy tofu noodles (fresh ones)
8 oz soy bean or mung bean sprouts
Bring back to a boil turn off heat stir in 1/4 cup of Bragg's liquid amino or light soy sauce. Adjust the level of white pepper until soup has a nice bit of heat. Serve with prawn crackers.
8 cups of chicken or vegetable broth
A large handful of dried seaweed scissored into small pieces
1 clove of garlic minced
dash of ground ginger
1/2 cup sherry
1 8 oz can sliced water chestnuts and it's water
1 8 oz can sliced bamboo shoots and their water
1/2 tsp or more white pepper
Bring to a boil add
2 medium sized king oyster mushrooms sliced into thin rounds
8 oz raw shrimp
Bring back to a boil add
8 oz soy tofu noodles (fresh ones)
8 oz soy bean or mung bean sprouts
Bring back to a boil turn off heat stir in 1/4 cup of Bragg's liquid amino or light soy sauce. Adjust the level of white pepper until soup has a nice bit of heat. Serve with prawn crackers.
Sunday, August 13, 2006
Vacation in Indy
We had a marvelous time. Only managed to sleep late once, discovered the joys of Mexican bakeries and ate oursleves completely silly.
Sea Potatoes
1 lb small new or fingerling potatoes well scrubbed
1/4 cup sea salt or kosher or uniodized salt
Water
Place the potatos in a single layer in a large sauce pan. Add the salt and enough water to cover them by 1 inch and bring to a boil. Cook until tip of knife inserted into largest potato slips in easily. Drain almost all of the water (leave enough to barely cover the bottom of the pan) and return to heat to evaporate the remaining water. Stir very gently to help a salt crust form on each potato. Serve piping hot with just a bit of butter.
New Fry Batter
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt, pepper and paprika
1 tsp baking powder
1 3/4 cup milk
Mix all ingredients quickly and well. Dip things you want to fry into the batter and fry them. We liked-green tomato slices, turkey breast chunks, chicken breast chunks, haddock (which we used in fish tacos) and mushrooms. Pretty much anything you could think of. Yum!
Chicken Paprikash
4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves cut into strips
1 1/2 cups of flour
1/2 tsp each salt, pepper and paprika
1/4 real butter
1/2 cup vegetable oil
8 oz package sliced mushrooms
4 cups chicken broth
1/4 paprika
2 cups sourcream
Sea Potatoes
1 lb small new or fingerling potatoes well scrubbed
1/4 cup sea salt or kosher or uniodized salt
Water
Place the potatos in a single layer in a large sauce pan. Add the salt and enough water to cover them by 1 inch and bring to a boil. Cook until tip of knife inserted into largest potato slips in easily. Drain almost all of the water (leave enough to barely cover the bottom of the pan) and return to heat to evaporate the remaining water. Stir very gently to help a salt crust form on each potato. Serve piping hot with just a bit of butter.
New Fry Batter
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt, pepper and paprika
1 tsp baking powder
1 3/4 cup milk
Mix all ingredients quickly and well. Dip things you want to fry into the batter and fry them. We liked-green tomato slices, turkey breast chunks, chicken breast chunks, haddock (which we used in fish tacos) and mushrooms. Pretty much anything you could think of. Yum!
Chicken Paprikash
4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves cut into strips
1 1/2 cups of flour
1/2 tsp each salt, pepper and paprika
1/4 real butter
1/2 cup vegetable oil
8 oz package sliced mushrooms
4 cups chicken broth
1/4 paprika
2 cups sourcream
Tuesday, August 01, 2006
Ketchup...the best part of meatloaf
I really like meatloaf especially the ketchuppy bit on top. I no longer bake my meatloaf in loaf pans but rather freeform on a sheet pan so there is more surface area to put ketchup on. I might be an addict.
This recipe actually makes 3 meatloaves, two to freeze and one to cook and eat tonight. The recipe can also be stuffed into peppers or rolled into meatballs.
8 lbs of ground beef
10 slices of soft white bread
2 eggs
2 15 oz cans petite diced tomatoes in juice
3 small onions peeled and quartered (or grated if you don't own a blender or food processor)
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup worcestershire sauce
2 tsps garlic powder (I do not use fresh garlic as it tends to overwhelm in this recipe)
2 tsps steak seasoning
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp black pepper
Ketchup, lots and lots of ketchup or whatever it is you really like on top of your meatloaf
Optional but excruciatingly yummy
3 8 oz packages sliced mushrooms seasoned with salt and pepper and sauteed in 1/4 cup butter then cooled
Blender or food processor method:
Add the onion quarters, one can of tomatoes, the juice from the other can of tomatoes (hold onto the tomatoes) the soy sauce, worcestershire, garlic powder, steak seasoning, thyme and pepper to the blender or food proccessor and whirl until onions are pureed.
Place the bread in a large bowl and pour the tomato/onion mixture over. Add the reserved diced tomatoes and smoosh (clean hands work best) until most (or all if you like it that way) of the bread is dissolved and incorporated. Mix in the eggs. Add the ground beef and mix gently but thoroughly.
Hand method:
In a large bowl mix the tomatoes and their juice with the grated onion. Squish to break up the tomatoes even more. Add the soy sauce, worcestershire, garlic powder, steak seasoning, thyme and pepper. Squish more. Add the bread one piece at a time, squish some more, add the eggs, squish, add the meat, squish again but gently.
For both:
Freezer loaves-Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil and lightly oil. Divide the meat mixture into 3 equal parts set one aside to bake tonight. Make a layer of meatloaf from about 1/3 of an equal part. Spread one third of the mushrooms over this and top with the remaining 2/3. Smooth into a nice loaf. Repeat and place these two in the freezer to freeze solid. Remove from foil, wrap, label and date. Put them back in the freezer otherwise they will thaw and that's not what we're going for, okay?
To bake-Preheat oven to 350. Remove from freezer and whatever you've wrapped it in. Place on a cookie sheet or in a baking pan. Cover with as much ketchup as you possibly can. Bake while still frozen for 1 hour 30 minutes.
Bake tonight loaf-Exactly the same as the freezer loaf except you don't need the foil lined cookie sheet or the freezer. Form the loaf in the pan you plan to bake in, cover with ketchup bake at 350 for 1 hour 15 minutes.
This recipe actually makes 3 meatloaves, two to freeze and one to cook and eat tonight. The recipe can also be stuffed into peppers or rolled into meatballs.
8 lbs of ground beef
10 slices of soft white bread
2 eggs
2 15 oz cans petite diced tomatoes in juice
3 small onions peeled and quartered (or grated if you don't own a blender or food processor)
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup worcestershire sauce
2 tsps garlic powder (I do not use fresh garlic as it tends to overwhelm in this recipe)
2 tsps steak seasoning
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp black pepper
Ketchup, lots and lots of ketchup or whatever it is you really like on top of your meatloaf
Optional but excruciatingly yummy
3 8 oz packages sliced mushrooms seasoned with salt and pepper and sauteed in 1/4 cup butter then cooled
Blender or food processor method:
Add the onion quarters, one can of tomatoes, the juice from the other can of tomatoes (hold onto the tomatoes) the soy sauce, worcestershire, garlic powder, steak seasoning, thyme and pepper to the blender or food proccessor and whirl until onions are pureed.
Place the bread in a large bowl and pour the tomato/onion mixture over. Add the reserved diced tomatoes and smoosh (clean hands work best) until most (or all if you like it that way) of the bread is dissolved and incorporated. Mix in the eggs. Add the ground beef and mix gently but thoroughly.
Hand method:
In a large bowl mix the tomatoes and their juice with the grated onion. Squish to break up the tomatoes even more. Add the soy sauce, worcestershire, garlic powder, steak seasoning, thyme and pepper. Squish more. Add the bread one piece at a time, squish some more, add the eggs, squish, add the meat, squish again but gently.
For both:
Freezer loaves-Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil and lightly oil. Divide the meat mixture into 3 equal parts set one aside to bake tonight. Make a layer of meatloaf from about 1/3 of an equal part. Spread one third of the mushrooms over this and top with the remaining 2/3. Smooth into a nice loaf. Repeat and place these two in the freezer to freeze solid. Remove from foil, wrap, label and date. Put them back in the freezer otherwise they will thaw and that's not what we're going for, okay?
To bake-Preheat oven to 350. Remove from freezer and whatever you've wrapped it in. Place on a cookie sheet or in a baking pan. Cover with as much ketchup as you possibly can. Bake while still frozen for 1 hour 30 minutes.
Bake tonight loaf-Exactly the same as the freezer loaf except you don't need the foil lined cookie sheet or the freezer. Form the loaf in the pan you plan to bake in, cover with ketchup bake at 350 for 1 hour 15 minutes.
Sunday, July 02, 2006
Aunt Gert's Strawberry Delicious Thing
My Aunt Gert was a marvelous woman, funny, kind and sweeter than an entire box of sugar. When I was five years old I spent the summer at her house. She convinced me to eat the crusts on bread, (She told me it would make my hair grow.) always made home made mashed potatoes, even though I told her you could buy a mix and made a strawberry thing that made you want to skip dinner and head straight for dessert.
I miss Gert. Like all of my mother's sisters, she had a screwy sense of humour and a fierce determination to love life, no matter what.
3 cups flour
1 cup chopped pecans
2 cups butter
Mix well and press into a 9x13 pan. Bake 15-20 minutes at 300.
1 8oz package cream cheese
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
Combine and spread on cooled crust.
Top with
3 quarts of sliced strawberries mixed with
2 packages of strawberry glaze
Cover with
1 12 oz container Cool Whip
I miss Gert. Like all of my mother's sisters, she had a screwy sense of humour and a fierce determination to love life, no matter what.
3 cups flour
1 cup chopped pecans
2 cups butter
Mix well and press into a 9x13 pan. Bake 15-20 minutes at 300.
1 8oz package cream cheese
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
Combine and spread on cooled crust.
Top with
3 quarts of sliced strawberries mixed with
2 packages of strawberry glaze
Cover with
1 12 oz container Cool Whip
Thursday, June 15, 2006
Little fingers and little toes...
I am ashamed to admit I was watching Ham on the Street and borrowed the idea for these from George Duran. I'm not really ashamed about the borrowing, more the watching of that idiot show. That man is ten times more annoying than Emiril.
Anywho, he was making lighter versions of chicken fingers and I decided to give it my own twist.
1 lb of chicken breast cut into strips (fingers) or chunks (toes)
1 cup of mayonaisse
Stuff to make the mayo tasty (see below)
2 cups panko bread crumbs or regular bread crumbs or matzo meal
salt and pepper
In a medium sized bowl mix the mayonaisse with the flavoring of your choice
Asian
2 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp rice vinegar
1/2 inch piece of fresh ginger grated
1 clove garlic finely minced
1/2 tsp sesame oil
1/4 tsp black pepper
Dash of hot sauce
Curry
1/4 cup vindaloo curry paste
3 Tbl curry powder
1 tsp hot sauce
Lemon Garlic
2 cloves of garlic finely minced
zest and juice of 1 large lemon
1/2 tsp black pepper
Barbecue
1 Tbl brown sugar
2 Tbl cider vinegar
1/2 tsp each garlic powder, onion powder & chili powder
Dash of liquid smoke
Preheat oven to 400. Lightly grease a baking sheet with vegetable oil or pan spray.
Spread your crumb of choice on a large plate and season with salt and pepper. (If making the curry ones a bit of curry powder, barbecue a bit of chili powder) Dip your chicken pieces into your mayo mixture then into the crumbs, turning and pressing lightly to coat well. (Messy) Lay each chicken piece on your baking sheet until all pieces are coated. Bake for 15-20 minutes until chicken is done and coating is nicely crisped.
Alternatively you can leave the chicken naked. ie dip them in the mayo and leave off the crumbs. Absolutely yummo!!!
Delicious all by themselves but you can make dipping sauces for them or use commercial ones such as sweet and sour, hot mango chutney or barbecue sauce.
We like
Hoisin Barbecue
1/2 cup good quality barbecue sauce
2 Tbl Hoisin Sauce
1 tsp hot sauce
Couple of dashes liquid smoke
Garlic Tahini
1/2 cup sour cream
2 Tbl tahini
2 cloves garlic finely minced
1/4 cup lemon juice
Curried Mayo
1/2 cup mayonaisse
2 Tbl vindoloo curry paste
1 Tbl curry powder
1 tsp hot sauce
Horseradish Ranch
1/2 cup ranch dressing
1 Tbl prepared horseradish (not the creamy kind)
Anywho, he was making lighter versions of chicken fingers and I decided to give it my own twist.
1 lb of chicken breast cut into strips (fingers) or chunks (toes)
1 cup of mayonaisse
Stuff to make the mayo tasty (see below)
2 cups panko bread crumbs or regular bread crumbs or matzo meal
salt and pepper
In a medium sized bowl mix the mayonaisse with the flavoring of your choice
Asian
2 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp rice vinegar
1/2 inch piece of fresh ginger grated
1 clove garlic finely minced
1/2 tsp sesame oil
1/4 tsp black pepper
Dash of hot sauce
Curry
1/4 cup vindaloo curry paste
3 Tbl curry powder
1 tsp hot sauce
Lemon Garlic
2 cloves of garlic finely minced
zest and juice of 1 large lemon
1/2 tsp black pepper
Barbecue
1 Tbl brown sugar
2 Tbl cider vinegar
1/2 tsp each garlic powder, onion powder & chili powder
Dash of liquid smoke
Preheat oven to 400. Lightly grease a baking sheet with vegetable oil or pan spray.
Spread your crumb of choice on a large plate and season with salt and pepper. (If making the curry ones a bit of curry powder, barbecue a bit of chili powder) Dip your chicken pieces into your mayo mixture then into the crumbs, turning and pressing lightly to coat well. (Messy) Lay each chicken piece on your baking sheet until all pieces are coated. Bake for 15-20 minutes until chicken is done and coating is nicely crisped.
Alternatively you can leave the chicken naked. ie dip them in the mayo and leave off the crumbs. Absolutely yummo!!!
Delicious all by themselves but you can make dipping sauces for them or use commercial ones such as sweet and sour, hot mango chutney or barbecue sauce.
We like
Hoisin Barbecue
1/2 cup good quality barbecue sauce
2 Tbl Hoisin Sauce
1 tsp hot sauce
Couple of dashes liquid smoke
Garlic Tahini
1/2 cup sour cream
2 Tbl tahini
2 cloves garlic finely minced
1/4 cup lemon juice
Curried Mayo
1/2 cup mayonaisse
2 Tbl vindoloo curry paste
1 Tbl curry powder
1 tsp hot sauce
Horseradish Ranch
1/2 cup ranch dressing
1 Tbl prepared horseradish (not the creamy kind)
Monday, June 12, 2006
Mushu Burgers
Burgers
1 lb ground pork
1 egg
1 inch piece fresh ginger grated
2 cloves garlic finely minced
2 Tablespoons ponzu or 1 Tablespoon rice wine vinegar and 1 Tablespoon soy sauce
1 Tablespoon Kikkoman or Tamari Soy Sauce
1 tsp hot sauce
1/2 tsp black pepper
In a medium bowl mix together all ingredients except the pork until well combined. Add the pork and using your hands, mix thouroughly but lightly. Form meat into four even sized patties. Cook on medium high turning once until cooked through.
Veggie Mix
2 cups coleslaw mix or shredded cabbage
1 small onion sliced into thin strips
4 oz button mushrooms cut into slices
2 Tablespoons soy sauce
1 Tablespoon Honey
1 Tablespoon rice wine, red wine or sherry vinegar
Salt and Pepper
2 Tablespoons Vegetable oil
Heat 1 Tablespoon oil in a wok or large saute pan until hot. Add the mushrooms season with salt and pepper and cook untill golden brown and slightly crisp. Remove from pan add remaining vegetable oil and the onions cook for 1-2 minutes until onions are translucent add the coleslaw mix, toss and fry until veggies are slightly wilted. Add the soy sauce, vinegar, honey and mushrooms. Cook and stir one minute more.
To assemble
4 burrito size flour tortillas
Hoisin sauce to taste
Spread a dollop of hoisin in the center of the tortilla, top with a 1/4 of the sauteed veggies and one of the burgers. Wrap up as best as you can and shove in your face. Yum!
The meat mixture makes an incredible filling for potstickers. Alternatively you can form it into meatballs and bake them at 375 for about 15 minutes then add them to the veggies and serve over rice. I'm thinking about experimenting and skewering the meat mix with possibly pineapple, green pepper and some onion then grilling them, maybe brushing on a bit of hoisin at the end. Sounds promising.
1 lb ground pork
1 egg
1 inch piece fresh ginger grated
2 cloves garlic finely minced
2 Tablespoons ponzu or 1 Tablespoon rice wine vinegar and 1 Tablespoon soy sauce
1 Tablespoon Kikkoman or Tamari Soy Sauce
1 tsp hot sauce
1/2 tsp black pepper
In a medium bowl mix together all ingredients except the pork until well combined. Add the pork and using your hands, mix thouroughly but lightly. Form meat into four even sized patties. Cook on medium high turning once until cooked through.
Veggie Mix
2 cups coleslaw mix or shredded cabbage
1 small onion sliced into thin strips
4 oz button mushrooms cut into slices
2 Tablespoons soy sauce
1 Tablespoon Honey
1 Tablespoon rice wine, red wine or sherry vinegar
Salt and Pepper
2 Tablespoons Vegetable oil
Heat 1 Tablespoon oil in a wok or large saute pan until hot. Add the mushrooms season with salt and pepper and cook untill golden brown and slightly crisp. Remove from pan add remaining vegetable oil and the onions cook for 1-2 minutes until onions are translucent add the coleslaw mix, toss and fry until veggies are slightly wilted. Add the soy sauce, vinegar, honey and mushrooms. Cook and stir one minute more.
To assemble
4 burrito size flour tortillas
Hoisin sauce to taste
Spread a dollop of hoisin in the center of the tortilla, top with a 1/4 of the sauteed veggies and one of the burgers. Wrap up as best as you can and shove in your face. Yum!
The meat mixture makes an incredible filling for potstickers. Alternatively you can form it into meatballs and bake them at 375 for about 15 minutes then add them to the veggies and serve over rice. I'm thinking about experimenting and skewering the meat mix with possibly pineapple, green pepper and some onion then grilling them, maybe brushing on a bit of hoisin at the end. Sounds promising.
Monday, May 29, 2006
Fruit Salad
3/4 cup sourcream
2 Tbl sugar
sprig of mint finely chopped
1 tsp vanilla
dash white pepper
Mix together and add
2 cups diced fruit of your choice. I totally cheat and use a combination of those fruit cup thingies such as citrus salad, tropical mix, pineapple and peaches
Yum
2 Tbl sugar
sprig of mint finely chopped
1 tsp vanilla
dash white pepper
Mix together and add
2 cups diced fruit of your choice. I totally cheat and use a combination of those fruit cup thingies such as citrus salad, tropical mix, pineapple and peaches
Yum
Wednesday, May 17, 2006
Karl's Killer Cod (no K on the cod)
1 lb cod fillets
1 cup tomato puree
5 or 6 large basil leaves torn into small pieces
Cheese Sauce
1/2 small onion finely diced
2 Tbl butter
1/4 cup flour
1/2 cup dry sherry
1/2 cup cream
1 1/2 cups milk
8 oz finely shredded sharp cheddar
4 oz finely shredded colby jack cheese
salt and white pepper to taste
1 cup fresh bread crumbs
2 Tbl melted butter
Preheat oven to 350
In a bowl or baggie mix the tomato puree, basil and cod fillets. Toss to coat, set aside while making cheese sauce.
In a medium saucepan melt the 2 Tbl butter add the onion season with salt and white pepper and saute briefly. Add the flour and cook 1 minute. Whisk in the sherry stirring constantly, slowly add the cream then the milk. Bring to a boil remove from heat and once it stops bubbling add the cheese a large handful at a time, stirring after each addition until cheese is melted. If the cheese doesn't want to melt you can briefly return the pan to very low heat.
Place the cod/tomato mixture evenly in a lightly oiled baking dish. Top with all of the cheese sauce. Mix the bread crumbs with the melted butter and sprinkle evenly over the top. Cover pan with foil and bake 20 minutes until cheese is bubbly. Remove foil and bake 10 minutes more until bread crumbs are crispy. Remove from oven and allow to rest 5-10 minutes before serving.
We had brown rice seasoned with onion, garlic and green pepper with this. Yum.
1 cup tomato puree
5 or 6 large basil leaves torn into small pieces
Cheese Sauce
1/2 small onion finely diced
2 Tbl butter
1/4 cup flour
1/2 cup dry sherry
1/2 cup cream
1 1/2 cups milk
8 oz finely shredded sharp cheddar
4 oz finely shredded colby jack cheese
salt and white pepper to taste
1 cup fresh bread crumbs
2 Tbl melted butter
Preheat oven to 350
In a bowl or baggie mix the tomato puree, basil and cod fillets. Toss to coat, set aside while making cheese sauce.
In a medium saucepan melt the 2 Tbl butter add the onion season with salt and white pepper and saute briefly. Add the flour and cook 1 minute. Whisk in the sherry stirring constantly, slowly add the cream then the milk. Bring to a boil remove from heat and once it stops bubbling add the cheese a large handful at a time, stirring after each addition until cheese is melted. If the cheese doesn't want to melt you can briefly return the pan to very low heat.
Place the cod/tomato mixture evenly in a lightly oiled baking dish. Top with all of the cheese sauce. Mix the bread crumbs with the melted butter and sprinkle evenly over the top. Cover pan with foil and bake 20 minutes until cheese is bubbly. Remove foil and bake 10 minutes more until bread crumbs are crispy. Remove from oven and allow to rest 5-10 minutes before serving.
We had brown rice seasoned with onion, garlic and green pepper with this. Yum.
Sunday, May 07, 2006
Shrimp Toast
It'd been a long time since I'd ordered shrimp toast as an appetizer. As a child I loved the stuff, Crisp toast, sweet and fragrant shrimp puree with that little sprinkling of sesame seeds on top. But like my love for egg drop soup my taste moved on to slightly more sophisticated fare. Shrimp toast was a fond memory.
Friday evening after a 12 hour shift at work we decided to head to Golden Buddha. Ironic almost that this would be the place that I rediscovered my love of shrimp toast as it is also a recovered treasure from youth. We ordered our usual House Special Sizzling Rice Soup, Egg Foo Yung and Shrimp with Pine Nuts and in a spirit of adventure decided to forego the usual pot stickers in favor of well...shrimp toast.
They were just as lovely as I remembered them to be and it inspired me to try my own version.
1/4 lb peeled and deveined raw shrimp
1 4 oz can water chestnuts
1-1/2 piece of fresh ginger finely grated
1/2 small shallot finely minced
2 Tbl sherry
1 Tbl soy sauce
2 Tbl cornstarch
1 egg white
1/4 tsp each white pepper and salt
2 Tbl Sesame seeds
8 slices white sandwich bread.
Oil for frying
Finely mince the shrimp and water chestnuts, combine with the seven ingredients and set aside. Using a spoon back lightly smoosh the bread to form a shell, divide the filling evenly between the bread and smooth over to edges. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and cut each piece of bread diagonally into quarters. Fry in hot oil, shrimp side down a few at a time about 2 minutes per side. Drain on paper towels and serve with hot mustard and plum sauce.
Friday evening after a 12 hour shift at work we decided to head to Golden Buddha. Ironic almost that this would be the place that I rediscovered my love of shrimp toast as it is also a recovered treasure from youth. We ordered our usual House Special Sizzling Rice Soup, Egg Foo Yung and Shrimp with Pine Nuts and in a spirit of adventure decided to forego the usual pot stickers in favor of well...shrimp toast.
They were just as lovely as I remembered them to be and it inspired me to try my own version.
1/4 lb peeled and deveined raw shrimp
1 4 oz can water chestnuts
1-1/2 piece of fresh ginger finely grated
1/2 small shallot finely minced
2 Tbl sherry
1 Tbl soy sauce
2 Tbl cornstarch
1 egg white
1/4 tsp each white pepper and salt
2 Tbl Sesame seeds
8 slices white sandwich bread.
Oil for frying
Finely mince the shrimp and water chestnuts, combine with the seven ingredients and set aside. Using a spoon back lightly smoosh the bread to form a shell, divide the filling evenly between the bread and smooth over to edges. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and cut each piece of bread diagonally into quarters. Fry in hot oil, shrimp side down a few at a time about 2 minutes per side. Drain on paper towels and serve with hot mustard and plum sauce.
Maitre D' Butter
Maitre D' butter is one of life's sinful joys. Take something as simple yet luxurious as a properly cooked steak, plop on a heaped spoon of maitre d' butter and the result of hot meat, melting butter and rich juices makes the most divine sauce ever.
1 4 oz stick real butter softened
4 oz blue cheese
1 smal shallot finely minced
1 tsp Chicken grill seasoning or favorite herb blend (mine has thyme, rosemary, orange peel, red pepper flake, dehydrated garlic and oregano)
Combine all ingredients smashing them together with a fork to blend. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours to get the full effect. Stays fresh in fridge about a week, in freezer about 6 months if tightly wrapped.
1 4 oz stick real butter softened
4 oz blue cheese
1 smal shallot finely minced
1 tsp Chicken grill seasoning or favorite herb blend (mine has thyme, rosemary, orange peel, red pepper flake, dehydrated garlic and oregano)
Combine all ingredients smashing them together with a fork to blend. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours to get the full effect. Stays fresh in fridge about a week, in freezer about 6 months if tightly wrapped.
Wednesday, May 03, 2006
Chicken and Dumplings
Depending on where you come from chicken and dumplings can mean a lot of things to different people. I happen to live in Evansville and most people around here think of chicken and dumplings as a thickish square egg noodle cooked in chicken broth with chicken. My parents however are from elsewhere and I think of chicken and dumplings as a light fluffy biscuit type thing cooked in chicken broth with chicken.
I've never been a fan of from scratch dumplings or biscuits for that matter. The most likely reason being that I may be congenitally unable to make light and fluffy dumplings or biscuits. However this evening we were rushed, we had to make several unplanned stops and when we went to the store I forgot the Jiffy mix. Being just a little too tired to schlep myself back to the store and feeling that it might be totally unfair to send Karl who was equally as stressed and tired as I was, I resigned myself to from scratch dumplings. I decided to take a different approach...
Boil a chicken, seasoning it well with salt and pepper in a large pan with enough water to cover until chicken is done between 45 minutes to an hour or so. Remove the chicken from the pot and set aside to cool.
4 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/3 cup lard
1/4 vegetable oil
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup (at least) milk
Mix the first 4 ingredients together in a large bowl. Cut in the shortening and the oil using a pastry blender or two knives until mixture resembles fine crumbs. Stir in the buttermilk and enough regular milk to form a loose but thick dough. Set aside.
Check the broth from boiling the chicken for seasoning add more salt and pepper if needed. Pick the chicken from the bones and add this to broth. Bring the broth to a boil. Drop about half of the dumpling mixture by large tablespoons over the boiling broth until top of broth is covered evenly in a single layer. Bring broth back to a boil, reduce heat cover tightly and simmer for twenty minutes. Remove lid and either serve the dumplings or skim them into a large shallow dish. For the second batch check the broth if it's very thick you can add more chicken broth or some water to thin it out. Repeat the same process for the second batch of dumplings.
These turned out very light and fluffy and pretty yummy too. Is this the end for Jiffy Mix? Probably not, I still can't make a decent biscuit, but in future not having it on hand will definitely not be the point of stress it's been before.
I've never been a fan of from scratch dumplings or biscuits for that matter. The most likely reason being that I may be congenitally unable to make light and fluffy dumplings or biscuits. However this evening we were rushed, we had to make several unplanned stops and when we went to the store I forgot the Jiffy mix. Being just a little too tired to schlep myself back to the store and feeling that it might be totally unfair to send Karl who was equally as stressed and tired as I was, I resigned myself to from scratch dumplings. I decided to take a different approach...
Boil a chicken, seasoning it well with salt and pepper in a large pan with enough water to cover until chicken is done between 45 minutes to an hour or so. Remove the chicken from the pot and set aside to cool.
4 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/3 cup lard
1/4 vegetable oil
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup (at least) milk
Mix the first 4 ingredients together in a large bowl. Cut in the shortening and the oil using a pastry blender or two knives until mixture resembles fine crumbs. Stir in the buttermilk and enough regular milk to form a loose but thick dough. Set aside.
Check the broth from boiling the chicken for seasoning add more salt and pepper if needed. Pick the chicken from the bones and add this to broth. Bring the broth to a boil. Drop about half of the dumpling mixture by large tablespoons over the boiling broth until top of broth is covered evenly in a single layer. Bring broth back to a boil, reduce heat cover tightly and simmer for twenty minutes. Remove lid and either serve the dumplings or skim them into a large shallow dish. For the second batch check the broth if it's very thick you can add more chicken broth or some water to thin it out. Repeat the same process for the second batch of dumplings.
These turned out very light and fluffy and pretty yummy too. Is this the end for Jiffy Mix? Probably not, I still can't make a decent biscuit, but in future not having it on hand will definitely not be the point of stress it's been before.
Tuesday, April 04, 2006
English chocolate, ponzu, Trader Joe's and Heaven and Hell
I am a foodie. I am not sure anyone had ever called me this before I told my friend Peter that I was going to Indianapolis for 3 days to visit my brother and shop at the great international grocery stores there. It's true though. When I go camping the scenery is gorgeous, the hikes are fun but to me the best part is cooking over an open fire. When I head to Indy in addition to seeing darling Patrick and lovely Janice, I also get indulge my need to find new and delicious foods to take home. I'm not the kind of foodie that wants to eat at 5 star restaurants. I'm the kind that wants to experiment in the kitchen and eat at any promising non chain restaurant that catches my eye, especially if it's a dive.
So we drive to Indianapolis, take the wrong exit, eat at possibly the worst Chinese buffet ever (sometimes dive hopping does not work out) and eventually end up at Pat and Janice's around 9pm. We are greeted by cries of "Oh shit! I forgot you were coming!" and apologies for the mess, then hugs. We crashed out on the couch, watched Pulp Fiction and settled down for the night. We woke to a kind of time warp sensibility because Indianapolis is an hour ahead of us and then there was Daylight Savings Time and my brother's only wall clock was about 5 hours fast. It set the tone for the entire weekend that we never really knew what time it was.
We woke up at some point Sunday morning sometime between 8:30 and 10:30, made coffee, and searched the Yellow pages for promising grocery stores. International Food Mart, which we had discovered on a previous trip, was our starting and end point. It was raining and although I know where Patrick lives, I don't know the address and didn't feel like getting soaked walking out to get it. I knew how to get to IFM from Pat's so it really was a logical choice. I used Mapquest to get directions to Sarraga, a huge international grocery in a converted KMart building. From there it was to be Trader Joe's and if we happened across one on the way a Meijer.
IFM was great. We picked up Vimto, some pigeon peas, dry chinese mustard and various other bits and pieces. Then on to Sarraga. Now anyone who's ever used Mapquest knows that occasionally they will just jack you around. Fortunately there was a nice big billboard to point us in the right direction.
Ignoring Mapquest completely we made our way to Sarraga. For a few moments we sat in the parking lot in awe of the immense size of the place. Our awe was soon overwhelmed by curiousity and we headed inside. Good lord the place was immense! We started in a section at the front of the store occupied by fairly norm of Asian imports. Noodles, noodles, noodles and some beer. Beyond this was the produce section.
A vast cornucopia of foodstuffs I'd heard of but never seen and stuff I'd never even heard of at all. Casava, giant yams, something that looked like an extremely angry potato. Chilis of all size, shape and color, green coconuts, long beans and at least 3 different kind of sprouts. All the exotic produce made my head spin. If I hadn't known for a fact that real life would intrude, I would have bought a bit of everything. However I knew we were constrained by home storage and perishability. Perhaps next time though. I did end up with enoki mushrooms and a pound of soy bean sprouts. We wandered into the home wares section of the store and marveled at the darling dishes and strange contraptions this led into the frozen food section.
A stunning array of exotic shellfish, more dumplings then you could eat in lifetime, edamame, esoteric fruits, steamed buns, interesting vegetables, and noodles, noodles noodles. Plush mochi. We made our slow way back and forth through the rows and rows of freezer cases and I eventually reached the conclusion that I was no longer seeing only staring. I looked over at Karl and realised the same thing was happening to him. Eventually we stumbled out of the freezer section and landed ourselves at the butcher's counter.
to be continued...
So we drive to Indianapolis, take the wrong exit, eat at possibly the worst Chinese buffet ever (sometimes dive hopping does not work out) and eventually end up at Pat and Janice's around 9pm. We are greeted by cries of "Oh shit! I forgot you were coming!" and apologies for the mess, then hugs. We crashed out on the couch, watched Pulp Fiction and settled down for the night. We woke to a kind of time warp sensibility because Indianapolis is an hour ahead of us and then there was Daylight Savings Time and my brother's only wall clock was about 5 hours fast. It set the tone for the entire weekend that we never really knew what time it was.
We woke up at some point Sunday morning sometime between 8:30 and 10:30, made coffee, and searched the Yellow pages for promising grocery stores. International Food Mart, which we had discovered on a previous trip, was our starting and end point. It was raining and although I know where Patrick lives, I don't know the address and didn't feel like getting soaked walking out to get it. I knew how to get to IFM from Pat's so it really was a logical choice. I used Mapquest to get directions to Sarraga, a huge international grocery in a converted KMart building. From there it was to be Trader Joe's and if we happened across one on the way a Meijer.
IFM was great. We picked up Vimto, some pigeon peas, dry chinese mustard and various other bits and pieces. Then on to Sarraga. Now anyone who's ever used Mapquest knows that occasionally they will just jack you around. Fortunately there was a nice big billboard to point us in the right direction.
Ignoring Mapquest completely we made our way to Sarraga. For a few moments we sat in the parking lot in awe of the immense size of the place. Our awe was soon overwhelmed by curiousity and we headed inside. Good lord the place was immense! We started in a section at the front of the store occupied by fairly norm of Asian imports. Noodles, noodles, noodles and some beer. Beyond this was the produce section.
A vast cornucopia of foodstuffs I'd heard of but never seen and stuff I'd never even heard of at all. Casava, giant yams, something that looked like an extremely angry potato. Chilis of all size, shape and color, green coconuts, long beans and at least 3 different kind of sprouts. All the exotic produce made my head spin. If I hadn't known for a fact that real life would intrude, I would have bought a bit of everything. However I knew we were constrained by home storage and perishability. Perhaps next time though. I did end up with enoki mushrooms and a pound of soy bean sprouts. We wandered into the home wares section of the store and marveled at the darling dishes and strange contraptions this led into the frozen food section.
A stunning array of exotic shellfish, more dumplings then you could eat in lifetime, edamame, esoteric fruits, steamed buns, interesting vegetables, and noodles, noodles noodles. Plush mochi. We made our slow way back and forth through the rows and rows of freezer cases and I eventually reached the conclusion that I was no longer seeing only staring. I looked over at Karl and realised the same thing was happening to him. Eventually we stumbled out of the freezer section and landed ourselves at the butcher's counter.
to be continued...
Tuesday, March 14, 2006
Noodle Stir Fry with Pea Greens
I love new stuff! If it relates to food, I especially love new stuff. While on a hunt for marrowfat pea seeds I discovered a site called Sprout People. They introduced me to the idea of pea greens, which in effect is pea sprouts (think bean sprout) taken to the next logical level. I grew mine myself although in the right area of the country you might find them in a specialty store or farmers market.
1 lb of cooked noodles such as #3 Chinese Noodles, Linguine, Soba or your favorite
2 chicken breast halves or 1/2 pound of pork loin cut into small pieces
4 cloves garlic finely minced
Black Pepper
Lots of assorted veggies* I used in this one
1 can of sliced water chestnuts, drained
1 can of fancy mixed chinese vegetables, drained
1 8 oz package sliced button mushrooms
1 6 oz pkg fresh sugar snap peas
1 large onion sliced thinly
A very large bunch of pea greens
Oil for frying
1/4-1/2 cup of soy sauce**
1 Tbl honey
Heat 2 Tbl of vegetable oil in a wok over high heat until almost smoking. Add your desired meat, the garlic, a sprinkle of black pepper and a bit of soy sauce. Saute until meat is cooked through. Remove from pan and set aside to keep warm add a bit more oil to the pan and add your mushrooms season with pepper and soy sauce and cook until mushrooms begin to brown add the remaining vegetables except the pea greens to the pan and more oil if needed. Toss and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the noodles and cooked meat and pea greens. Season with soy sauce to taste and 1 Tbl honey. Cook and stir until heated through. Yum, yum, yum, yum, yum!
*Other lovely veggies you can use
Bean sprouts
Soy bean sprouts (These are lovely. Traditional bean sprout flavor with a crunchy edamame tasting seed on the end)
Thinly sliced carrots
Broccoli
Snow peas
Green onion
Bamboo shoots
Cabbage (in any form)
Cole slaw mix
Broccoli slaw mix
Whatever takes your fancy although I would avoid beets, turnips and brussels sprouts
**Or try Ponzu, a blend of soy sauce and sidachu citrus this may be my favorite discovery since dry sherry.
1 lb of cooked noodles such as #3 Chinese Noodles, Linguine, Soba or your favorite
2 chicken breast halves or 1/2 pound of pork loin cut into small pieces
4 cloves garlic finely minced
Black Pepper
Lots of assorted veggies* I used in this one
1 can of sliced water chestnuts, drained
1 can of fancy mixed chinese vegetables, drained
1 8 oz package sliced button mushrooms
1 6 oz pkg fresh sugar snap peas
1 large onion sliced thinly
A very large bunch of pea greens
Oil for frying
1/4-1/2 cup of soy sauce**
1 Tbl honey
Heat 2 Tbl of vegetable oil in a wok over high heat until almost smoking. Add your desired meat, the garlic, a sprinkle of black pepper and a bit of soy sauce. Saute until meat is cooked through. Remove from pan and set aside to keep warm add a bit more oil to the pan and add your mushrooms season with pepper and soy sauce and cook until mushrooms begin to brown add the remaining vegetables except the pea greens to the pan and more oil if needed. Toss and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the noodles and cooked meat and pea greens. Season with soy sauce to taste and 1 Tbl honey. Cook and stir until heated through. Yum, yum, yum, yum, yum!
*Other lovely veggies you can use
Bean sprouts
Soy bean sprouts (These are lovely. Traditional bean sprout flavor with a crunchy edamame tasting seed on the end)
Thinly sliced carrots
Broccoli
Snow peas
Green onion
Bamboo shoots
Cabbage (in any form)
Cole slaw mix
Broccoli slaw mix
Whatever takes your fancy although I would avoid beets, turnips and brussels sprouts
**Or try Ponzu, a blend of soy sauce and sidachu citrus this may be my favorite discovery since dry sherry.
Saturday, March 04, 2006
Roasted Pork with Vegetables
For the roast
4lb boneless pork loin roast
4 lbs potatoes peeled and cut into halves and quarters
2 lbs baby carrots
2 large onions peeled and quartered
4 cloves garlic peeled and rough chopped
8 oz package Porcini or button mushrooms cut into rough chunks (reserve 2 for the gravy)
Salt and Pepper or greek seasoning to taste
1/2 cup dry sherry
1 cup chicken broth
1/4 butter
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
1/4 butter
For the gravy
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup dry sherry
2 Tablespoons soy sauce
1 tsp sherry vinegar
2 porcini or button mushrooms finely chopped
2 Tablesoons cornstarch dissolved in 1/2 cup water
Pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 350. In a large roasting pan mix the chicken broth, sherry, 1/4 cup butter and vegetable oil together. Add the potato, carrot, onion and garlic, sprinkle heavily with salt and pepper or greek seasoning. Toss the veggies in the broth mixture. Rub the pork loin with salt and pepper or greek seasoning and place fat side up on the vegetables. Cover the pan with a tight fitting lid or foil. Cook, covered for 1 hour 45 minutes. Remove from oven and carefully pour as much of the pan juices as you can into a large skillet or saucepan. Sprinkle the mushrooms and the remaining 1/4 cup butter over the vegetables stir lightly to coat and return the roast to oven and turn up to 475 for approximately 1/2 hour.
To the reserved pan juices add the sherry, chicken broth, soy sauce, sherry vinegar, and chopped mushrooms, bring to a boil stir in the cornstarch/water mixture and bring back to a boil. Season with extra pepper to taste.
4lb boneless pork loin roast
4 lbs potatoes peeled and cut into halves and quarters
2 lbs baby carrots
2 large onions peeled and quartered
4 cloves garlic peeled and rough chopped
8 oz package Porcini or button mushrooms cut into rough chunks (reserve 2 for the gravy)
Salt and Pepper or greek seasoning to taste
1/2 cup dry sherry
1 cup chicken broth
1/4 butter
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
1/4 butter
For the gravy
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup dry sherry
2 Tablespoons soy sauce
1 tsp sherry vinegar
2 porcini or button mushrooms finely chopped
2 Tablesoons cornstarch dissolved in 1/2 cup water
Pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 350. In a large roasting pan mix the chicken broth, sherry, 1/4 cup butter and vegetable oil together. Add the potato, carrot, onion and garlic, sprinkle heavily with salt and pepper or greek seasoning. Toss the veggies in the broth mixture. Rub the pork loin with salt and pepper or greek seasoning and place fat side up on the vegetables. Cover the pan with a tight fitting lid or foil. Cook, covered for 1 hour 45 minutes. Remove from oven and carefully pour as much of the pan juices as you can into a large skillet or saucepan. Sprinkle the mushrooms and the remaining 1/4 cup butter over the vegetables stir lightly to coat and return the roast to oven and turn up to 475 for approximately 1/2 hour.
To the reserved pan juices add the sherry, chicken broth, soy sauce, sherry vinegar, and chopped mushrooms, bring to a boil stir in the cornstarch/water mixture and bring back to a boil. Season with extra pepper to taste.
Thursday, March 02, 2006
Also Lemon Chicken
Frying lemons is my new passion.
4 chicken breast halves cut into bite size pieces
2 large lemons sliced very thinly
3 bunches green onion (spring onions, scallions, whatever you call them) white and green cut into 1" pieces
4 cloves garlic minced
1/2 cup dry sherry
1 15 oz can chicken broth or 2 cups homemade (if you have the time for that sort of thing)
1 cup water
2 Tablespoons cornstarch
Salt and Pepper to taste
1/4 cup vegetable oil
Heat 2 Tablespoons of the vegetable oil in a wok over high heat. Add the lemons to the oil and saute until limp and lightly browned. Remove the lemons form the pan leaving as much of the oil in the pan as possible. Heat the remaining 2 Tablespoons of oil in the pan and add the chicken and garlic, season with salt and pepper and saute until chicken is lightly browned and cooked through. Add the sherry and bring to a boil, cook for one minute. Add the chicken broth and bring to a boil. Meanwhile mix the water and cornstarch together stir into the pan and bring back to a boil, stirring to prevent lumps. Add the green onions and fried lemon and cook 2-3 minutes longer, adjust seasoning if needed with salt and pepper. Seve over rice.
4 chicken breast halves cut into bite size pieces
2 large lemons sliced very thinly
3 bunches green onion (spring onions, scallions, whatever you call them) white and green cut into 1" pieces
4 cloves garlic minced
1/2 cup dry sherry
1 15 oz can chicken broth or 2 cups homemade (if you have the time for that sort of thing)
1 cup water
2 Tablespoons cornstarch
Salt and Pepper to taste
1/4 cup vegetable oil
Heat 2 Tablespoons of the vegetable oil in a wok over high heat. Add the lemons to the oil and saute until limp and lightly browned. Remove the lemons form the pan leaving as much of the oil in the pan as possible. Heat the remaining 2 Tablespoons of oil in the pan and add the chicken and garlic, season with salt and pepper and saute until chicken is lightly browned and cooked through. Add the sherry and bring to a boil, cook for one minute. Add the chicken broth and bring to a boil. Meanwhile mix the water and cornstarch together stir into the pan and bring back to a boil, stirring to prevent lumps. Add the green onions and fried lemon and cook 2-3 minutes longer, adjust seasoning if needed with salt and pepper. Seve over rice.
Wednesday, March 01, 2006
The Second Best Curry Ever
The very best curry Karl ever made for me was so hot one bite immediately caused endorphin euphoria. Indian food is not particularly popular in our little neck of the woods and decent ingredients are hard to come by. We found the Vindaloo paste in an Asian Grocery store the first time and the second time in Indianapolis on the second happiest day of our lives. A trip to Minnesota yielded the Maykway powder but we're gonna have to beg Danny for an airmail package soon as we're almost out of it and tea.
2 lbs sirloin, top round or eye of round sliced into thin strips
1 cup sour cream
1/3 cup Patak's Vindaloo Curry Paste *
1 Tablespoon Maykway Hot Curry Sauce Mix **
1 large lemon sliced thinly
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 sweet bell peppers (preferably red and yellow) sliced into strips
1 med onion diced
1 15 oz can diced tomatoes
2 jalapeno peppers sliced into rings
1 cup sourcream
2 cups water
1/4 cup Maykway Hot Curry Sauce Mix **
Mix 1 cup sour cream, 1/3 cup Vindaloo paste and the Curry Sauce Mix together in a bowl or zippy bag. Add the sirloin and mix to coat and combine.
Heat the oil in a wok or large fry pan over medium high heat. Add the lemon slices and stir fry until limp and lightly browned. Remove from oil and set aside. Add the sirloin with all of it's marinade to the pan. Cook until the marinade starts to separate and the meat is mostly cooked. Add the bell peppers, onion, tomato and jalapeno and cook for 5 minutes. stir in the remaining cup of sour cream, the water and the curry sauce mix. Stir and bring to a boil, mix the fried lemon slices back in and cook for 1-2 minutes more. Serve over rice or rice pilaf or fried rice. Mmmmmmmm!!!
*You can use a different brand if you must
**Karl's brother sends this to us and it may be difficult to find. You can substitute your favorite curry powder and some cornstarch to get the proper thickening power.
2 lbs sirloin, top round or eye of round sliced into thin strips
1 cup sour cream
1/3 cup Patak's Vindaloo Curry Paste *
1 Tablespoon Maykway Hot Curry Sauce Mix **
1 large lemon sliced thinly
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 sweet bell peppers (preferably red and yellow) sliced into strips
1 med onion diced
1 15 oz can diced tomatoes
2 jalapeno peppers sliced into rings
1 cup sourcream
2 cups water
1/4 cup Maykway Hot Curry Sauce Mix **
Mix 1 cup sour cream, 1/3 cup Vindaloo paste and the Curry Sauce Mix together in a bowl or zippy bag. Add the sirloin and mix to coat and combine.
Heat the oil in a wok or large fry pan over medium high heat. Add the lemon slices and stir fry until limp and lightly browned. Remove from oil and set aside. Add the sirloin with all of it's marinade to the pan. Cook until the marinade starts to separate and the meat is mostly cooked. Add the bell peppers, onion, tomato and jalapeno and cook for 5 minutes. stir in the remaining cup of sour cream, the water and the curry sauce mix. Stir and bring to a boil, mix the fried lemon slices back in and cook for 1-2 minutes more. Serve over rice or rice pilaf or fried rice. Mmmmmmmm!!!
*You can use a different brand if you must
**Karl's brother sends this to us and it may be difficult to find. You can substitute your favorite curry powder and some cornstarch to get the proper thickening power.
Tuesday, February 21, 2006
Fried Green Tomatoes
Southern comfort food at it's absolute best. I've never been a fan of cornmeal so here's my deep fried version.
Fried Green Tomatoes
1 cup milk
1 Tbl vinegar
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
dash cayenne pepper
Thinly sliced green tomatoes
Oil for frying
Heat oil in a dutch oven. Meanwhile mix the milk and vinegar together and let thicken slightly. In a bowl mix together flour, baking soda, salt and cayenne add the milk/vinegar and stir to combine. Should be the consistency of thinnish pancake batter. if not add more milk. Dip tomaoto slices in the batter and fry until golden brown, place on paper towel to drain sprinkle with salt serve with horse radish ranch for dipping.
Horseradish Ranch
1 cup prepared ranch dressing (I prefer Wishbone)
2 Tbl Horseradish (not the cramy kind)
Mix together.
Fried Green Tomatoes
1 cup milk
1 Tbl vinegar
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
dash cayenne pepper
Thinly sliced green tomatoes
Oil for frying
Heat oil in a dutch oven. Meanwhile mix the milk and vinegar together and let thicken slightly. In a bowl mix together flour, baking soda, salt and cayenne add the milk/vinegar and stir to combine. Should be the consistency of thinnish pancake batter. if not add more milk. Dip tomaoto slices in the batter and fry until golden brown, place on paper towel to drain sprinkle with salt serve with horse radish ranch for dipping.
Horseradish Ranch
1 cup prepared ranch dressing (I prefer Wishbone)
2 Tbl Horseradish (not the cramy kind)
Mix together.
Thursday, February 09, 2006
Steak Sandwiches
4 mini french bread loaves or 2 regular
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter softened
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic minced
1/4 small shallot minced* (remaining shallot save for sandwiches)
1 teaspoon grill seasoning for chicken
8 oz of gouda grated
2 lbs top round or sirloin sliced thin
8 oz button mushrooms sliced
4 small (ok one of them is partial from the garlic butter) shallots sliced thin
1 cup dry sherry
1/4 cup butter
Salt and Pepper or Greek sesoning to taste
Preheat oven to 350. Mix softened butter, olive oil, garlic, shallot, and grill seasoning in a small bowl. Split french bread lengthwise and spread each half with the garlic butter. Place on a cookie tray and set aside
Melt 2 Tablespoons of butter over high heat in a large skillet. Season the steak strips with salt and pepper or greek seasoning. Add to the butter and saute until browned but still fairly juicy. Remove from pan and scrape out drippings into a bowl to keep warm. Put the french bread in the oven now. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter to the pan and heat until it begins to brown. Add the mushrooms in an even layer and sprinkle with salt and pepper or greek seasoning. Do not stir. Cook 3-5 minutes until mushrooms begin to brown and crisp. Give the pan a hard shake and repeat on second side. Add the shallots and cook 1-2 minutes more add the sherry and bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Meanwhile remove the french bread from the oven and sprinkle 1/4 of the shredded gouda evenly over the top halves of the bread put the loaves back in the oven to melt the cheese. Add the steak strips and all their juices to the mushroom/shallot mixture. Heat through. Remove the bread from the oven and spoon 1/4 of the steak mixture with it's sauce on the uncheesy side of the bread. Squish down to make it fit. Top with the cheesy side and cut each sandwich in half (or 1/4's if using full size loaves) Serves eight.
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter softened
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic minced
1/4 small shallot minced* (remaining shallot save for sandwiches)
1 teaspoon grill seasoning for chicken
8 oz of gouda grated
2 lbs top round or sirloin sliced thin
8 oz button mushrooms sliced
4 small (ok one of them is partial from the garlic butter) shallots sliced thin
1 cup dry sherry
1/4 cup butter
Salt and Pepper or Greek sesoning to taste
Preheat oven to 350. Mix softened butter, olive oil, garlic, shallot, and grill seasoning in a small bowl. Split french bread lengthwise and spread each half with the garlic butter. Place on a cookie tray and set aside
Melt 2 Tablespoons of butter over high heat in a large skillet. Season the steak strips with salt and pepper or greek seasoning. Add to the butter and saute until browned but still fairly juicy. Remove from pan and scrape out drippings into a bowl to keep warm. Put the french bread in the oven now. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter to the pan and heat until it begins to brown. Add the mushrooms in an even layer and sprinkle with salt and pepper or greek seasoning. Do not stir. Cook 3-5 minutes until mushrooms begin to brown and crisp. Give the pan a hard shake and repeat on second side. Add the shallots and cook 1-2 minutes more add the sherry and bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Meanwhile remove the french bread from the oven and sprinkle 1/4 of the shredded gouda evenly over the top halves of the bread put the loaves back in the oven to melt the cheese. Add the steak strips and all their juices to the mushroom/shallot mixture. Heat through. Remove the bread from the oven and spoon 1/4 of the steak mixture with it's sauce on the uncheesy side of the bread. Squish down to make it fit. Top with the cheesy side and cut each sandwich in half (or 1/4's if using full size loaves) Serves eight.
Thursday, January 26, 2006
Mushu Pork-Not in the least bit authentic
1/2 lb pork loin cut into thin strips
1 clove garlic finely minced
1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
1 tablespoon soy sauce
Black pepper
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 16 oz package Rainbow Salad or Broccoli Slaw
1 can bamboo shoots drained reserve the liquid
2 small or 1 large onion sliced thin
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup sherry
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tsp szechuan chili paste or other chili paste or hot sauce
2 tsp cornstarch
1 package burrito size tortillas
1 jar hoisin sauce
Heat a wok over high heat. Meanwhile toss the pork loin with the garlic, ginger, 1 tablespoon soy sauce and some black pepper. Add the oil to the wok and when almost smoking add the pork. Toss and cook until browned and cooked through. Add the onions to the pork and and cook 1 minute add the rainbow salad and bamboo shoots. Stir and cook for 2 minutes add the sherry, brown sugar, chili paste and remaining soy sauce. Continue to cook and stir for 2-3 minutes. Mix the 1/2 cup water, reserved bamboo shoot liquid and the cornstarch together pour into wok over meat and vegetables and bring to a boil, tossing to combine sauce and vegetables. When sauce has boiled and thickened remove from heat. To serve spread 1-2 tsps hoisin sauce on center of tortilla, top with a mound of mushu and roll up burrito style. Serve with rice.
1 clove garlic finely minced
1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
1 tablespoon soy sauce
Black pepper
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 16 oz package Rainbow Salad or Broccoli Slaw
1 can bamboo shoots drained reserve the liquid
2 small or 1 large onion sliced thin
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup sherry
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tsp szechuan chili paste or other chili paste or hot sauce
2 tsp cornstarch
1 package burrito size tortillas
1 jar hoisin sauce
Heat a wok over high heat. Meanwhile toss the pork loin with the garlic, ginger, 1 tablespoon soy sauce and some black pepper. Add the oil to the wok and when almost smoking add the pork. Toss and cook until browned and cooked through. Add the onions to the pork and and cook 1 minute add the rainbow salad and bamboo shoots. Stir and cook for 2 minutes add the sherry, brown sugar, chili paste and remaining soy sauce. Continue to cook and stir for 2-3 minutes. Mix the 1/2 cup water, reserved bamboo shoot liquid and the cornstarch together pour into wok over meat and vegetables and bring to a boil, tossing to combine sauce and vegetables. When sauce has boiled and thickened remove from heat. To serve spread 1-2 tsps hoisin sauce on center of tortilla, top with a mound of mushu and roll up burrito style. Serve with rice.
Wednesday, January 25, 2006
Campfire Cuisine-Lemon Chicken
Any fool can burn a hot dog and heat a tin of beans, and lets face it if you've just hiked all over the wilderness and it's freezing and you're starving, these things taste absolutely divine. But I've always enjoyed creative cooking and the challenge of a campfire only makes me want to be more creative. A love of hobo meals has caused me to experiment with other food you can bury in a fire. Potatoes and onions, whole and wrapped in a shiny jacket of foil taste incredible after you pull them from the coals. Adding mushrooms or peppers to the traditional mix of carrots, potato and onion in a hobo meal is a nice twist or changing from a hamburger patty, to a chicken breast or a pork chop is also welcome. This so far is my favorite is my favorite wrapped in foil experiment.
Lemon Chicken
For each:
1 sheet heavy duty aluminum foil
1 chicken breast
1/2 lemon sliced very thin
4 or 5 green onions white and green parts cut into 1 in pieces
2 cloves of garlic chopped
1 cup instant brown rice
1 cup chicken broth or water
1 tablespoon butter
salt and pepper
Spread the butter (or if it's cold break into bits) in the center of the sheet of foil, lay the lemon slices over the butter top with the onions, salt and pepper the chicken breast and lay this on top of the lemon and onions, fold the sides up to form a squarish bowl, sprink the garlic on top of the chicken pour the rice over the chicken then the broth over the rice. Fold the sides of the foil up and around the food and roll over twice to seal (watch your other ends so the broth doesn't spill out) roll each of the other ends to form tight seals. Bury in hot coals for 15-25 minutes depending on the heat of your fire. Open and wolf.
Lemon Chicken
For each:
1 sheet heavy duty aluminum foil
1 chicken breast
1/2 lemon sliced very thin
4 or 5 green onions white and green parts cut into 1 in pieces
2 cloves of garlic chopped
1 cup instant brown rice
1 cup chicken broth or water
1 tablespoon butter
salt and pepper
Spread the butter (or if it's cold break into bits) in the center of the sheet of foil, lay the lemon slices over the butter top with the onions, salt and pepper the chicken breast and lay this on top of the lemon and onions, fold the sides up to form a squarish bowl, sprink the garlic on top of the chicken pour the rice over the chicken then the broth over the rice. Fold the sides of the foil up and around the food and roll over twice to seal (watch your other ends so the broth doesn't spill out) roll each of the other ends to form tight seals. Bury in hot coals for 15-25 minutes depending on the heat of your fire. Open and wolf.
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