Monday, January 12, 2009
Friday, November 21, 2008
Mmmm.....Thanksgiving......
Here is the plan for Thanksgiving Dinner:
Turkey.
We brine it, which makes it soooo juicy! I think we will smoke it on Darrell's smoker. It really is tasty this way.
Mashed potatoes.
I use Yukon Gold potatoes, lots of butter, sour cream, salt, and pepper. I make mounds of them.
Cornbread stuffing.
I use only cornbread--no white bread. And I try to get it baked as dry as I can--lots of edges and corners. I guess it can't really be called stuffing, since it isn't stuffed into the turkey. I add just a little bit of onion, celery, spices and chicken stock. I like it to be cooked almost dry. No mackiness!
Candied yams.
I haven't really gotten this right in the past. I like to have still firm yams with a little butter and brown sugar carmelized on them. I usually end up with yams a little too mushy for my liking.
Sauteed green beans.
I blanch or steam the green beans and then saute them with olive oil, shallots and sesame seeds. They get a little burnt and taste almost sweet.
Gravy.
Ok. I cheat! I can't make gravy to save my life. I use the gravy that comes in the packets that say, "Just add water." It's my only cheat and it's worth it.
Rolls
Mmmm! Hot, out of the oven, with melty butter. Oh, if only I could have one now.
Raspberry Pretzel Salad.
My mom always makes seven-layer jello salad, but I don't have the skills to do that. So I make the Raspberry Pretzel Salad. My brother-in-law Nathan says this isn't a salad. I don't get it, though. There is raspberries, jello, cream cheese, whipped cream, all on a pretzel crust. He also says that Cookie Salad isn't a salad. Whatever. (I'll have to post the recipe for Cookie Salad one day.)
Cranberry Sauce.
I never liked this as a kid. Then I liked it when I grew up. I always used the canned cranberry sauce, thinking making it from scratch would be hard. Last year I made it for the first time. E.Z. And it tasted so much better.
Pumpkin Pie.
Duh! It isn't Thanksgiving without Pumpkin Pie. I always make the recipe on the back of the Libby can. It's the best one out there! I will probably use the canned pumpkin even though I still have at least 4 more cups of pumpkin puree. It was runnier than the canned pumpkin and I don't want a Pumpkin Pie disaster.
Apple Pie.
I will make the recipe I made last year. This year I will follow the recipe, though. I didn't add enough sugar to last year's and it needed it. The crust was divine! It took almost a week to finish the pie and the crust never got the least bit soggy.
Whipped Cream.
I whip my own. Maybe I'll whip two batches and put either cinnamon or caramel in the batch for the apple pie. That sounds really evil! (I'll tell you what else is evil...that you really can't google image whipped cream without seeing things your eyes weren't meant to see. This is the reason there is no photo.)
Cranberry Juice.
I love to drink cranberry juice for Thanksgiving. With a little Sprite for added zing.
A really long nap.
I think I will get one on Friday after Thanksgiving. After I go to the gym to work off some of the calories above. (And the majority of photos on google images for "nap" are kittens sleeping. I am not a kitten and don't find kittens sleeping as cute as some people.)
Turkey.
We brine it, which makes it soooo juicy! I think we will smoke it on Darrell's smoker. It really is tasty this way.
Mashed potatoes.
I use Yukon Gold potatoes, lots of butter, sour cream, salt, and pepper. I make mounds of them.
Cornbread stuffing.
I use only cornbread--no white bread. And I try to get it baked as dry as I can--lots of edges and corners. I guess it can't really be called stuffing, since it isn't stuffed into the turkey. I add just a little bit of onion, celery, spices and chicken stock. I like it to be cooked almost dry. No mackiness!
Candied yams.
I haven't really gotten this right in the past. I like to have still firm yams with a little butter and brown sugar carmelized on them. I usually end up with yams a little too mushy for my liking.
Sauteed green beans.
I blanch or steam the green beans and then saute them with olive oil, shallots and sesame seeds. They get a little burnt and taste almost sweet.
Gravy.
Ok. I cheat! I can't make gravy to save my life. I use the gravy that comes in the packets that say, "Just add water." It's my only cheat and it's worth it.
Rolls
Mmmm! Hot, out of the oven, with melty butter. Oh, if only I could have one now.
Raspberry Pretzel Salad.
My mom always makes seven-layer jello salad, but I don't have the skills to do that. So I make the Raspberry Pretzel Salad. My brother-in-law Nathan says this isn't a salad. I don't get it, though. There is raspberries, jello, cream cheese, whipped cream, all on a pretzel crust. He also says that Cookie Salad isn't a salad. Whatever. (I'll have to post the recipe for Cookie Salad one day.)
Cranberry Sauce.
I never liked this as a kid. Then I liked it when I grew up. I always used the canned cranberry sauce, thinking making it from scratch would be hard. Last year I made it for the first time. E.Z. And it tasted so much better.
Pumpkin Pie.
Duh! It isn't Thanksgiving without Pumpkin Pie. I always make the recipe on the back of the Libby can. It's the best one out there! I will probably use the canned pumpkin even though I still have at least 4 more cups of pumpkin puree. It was runnier than the canned pumpkin and I don't want a Pumpkin Pie disaster.
Apple Pie.
I will make the recipe I made last year. This year I will follow the recipe, though. I didn't add enough sugar to last year's and it needed it. The crust was divine! It took almost a week to finish the pie and the crust never got the least bit soggy.
Whipped Cream.
I whip my own. Maybe I'll whip two batches and put either cinnamon or caramel in the batch for the apple pie. That sounds really evil! (I'll tell you what else is evil...that you really can't google image whipped cream without seeing things your eyes weren't meant to see. This is the reason there is no photo.)
Cranberry Juice.
I love to drink cranberry juice for Thanksgiving. With a little Sprite for added zing.
A really long nap.
I think I will get one on Friday after Thanksgiving. After I go to the gym to work off some of the calories above. (And the majority of photos on google images for "nap" are kittens sleeping. I am not a kitten and don't find kittens sleeping as cute as some people.)
Saturday, November 8, 2008
It seems I'm always late!
The month of October had one of my FAV.O.RITE. ingredients!
I was SOOO excited--thanks Julie!
I made four, count them, four recipes.
The first was pumpkin puree. It was a ton of work, but it was fun. I don't know if I will do it again, unless I get a spankin' deal on sugar pie pumpkins.
The second was pumpkin seeds. I was a little disappointed with them. I think it was because the seeds are so much smaller in the pie pumpkins than in the gigantic carving pumpkins. They were a good treat, though.
The third was pumpkin ice cream. The recipe is basically a custard with pumpkin puree (see above) added. My ice cream maker wasn't working properly, so it only froze part way. I took it to Lucinda's and we ate some. It is very rich, so we couldn't eat much. Did I mention it was rich?
The fourth was pumpkin bread. Since I've made the recipe a million times, I added a streusel topping, making it even more dessert-ish. I was delish and I finished the last of it this morning for breakfast. (And, yes, I think all breakfasts should include dessert.)
I really enjoyed my yummy pumpkin recipes. I still have 4 more cups of frozen puree. I will have to think of more delicious foods to make.
I was SOOO excited--thanks Julie!
I made four, count them, four recipes.
The first was pumpkin puree. It was a ton of work, but it was fun. I don't know if I will do it again, unless I get a spankin' deal on sugar pie pumpkins.
The second was pumpkin seeds. I was a little disappointed with them. I think it was because the seeds are so much smaller in the pie pumpkins than in the gigantic carving pumpkins. They were a good treat, though.
The third was pumpkin ice cream. The recipe is basically a custard with pumpkin puree (see above) added. My ice cream maker wasn't working properly, so it only froze part way. I took it to Lucinda's and we ate some. It is very rich, so we couldn't eat much. Did I mention it was rich?
The fourth was pumpkin bread. Since I've made the recipe a million times, I added a streusel topping, making it even more dessert-ish. I was delish and I finished the last of it this morning for breakfast. (And, yes, I think all breakfasts should include dessert.)
I really enjoyed my yummy pumpkin recipes. I still have 4 more cups of frozen puree. I will have to think of more delicious foods to make.
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Better late than late for dinner!
This month, or rather, LAST month, the family cooking club had the challenge of making a different recipe of burgers. Any kind of burger. Turkey, veggie, ham (as in hamburger). Whatever.
I decided right away that I wanted to do a stuffed burger.
And I waited. Until today.
Here is my result:
And this is what Darrell's looked like when it was cut in half:
Doesn't the bun look delish? Yeah. I made 'em. The recipe will follow the burger recipe.
I used 80% lean hamburger (they really should call it 20% FAT), since it really makes the juiciest burgers. I had about 1.75 pounds. I added an egg, some Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper. I formed 8 really big and skinny patties. For Darrell's, I used grated cheese and bacon bits, sprinkled some in the middle and slapped two patties together, sealing well. For mind, I added some cream cheese. I made 2 burgers for each of us, but froze one set for later.
Darrell grilled over mesquite lump charcoal until done. (No pressing down on the patties while cooking, or a mess will ensue).
Here's the recipe for the buns:
1 cup milk plus 1 tablespoon, divided
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons butter, plus more for buttering bowl
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg, yolk and white divided
2 and 1/4 teaspoon yeast (I use SAF)
3 cups flour
In a microwave safe small bowl, combine 1 cup milk, sugar and butter. Heat until butter just melts and mixture is warm but not hot. If it is hot, wait until it is lukewarm to proceed. In a large bowl, combine salt, egg white, yeast, and flour-one cup at a time, to form a soft dough. (In a separate small bowl, combine remaining egg yolk and tablespoon of milk). Knead dough briefly, about three minutes. Butter same bowl, replace dough, cover and let rise for about 1 hour, or until doubled. (At this point, you could punch the dough down and refrigerate it for up to 24 hours, or until ready to proceed.) Shape dough into 10 separate round buns. You can roll them out and cut them with a biscuit cutter, or you can simply shape them into 10 round buns. Let rise on a greased baking sheet for about 45 minutes, or until light and risen. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Brush buns with egg yolk mixture. Bake for about 15-18 minutes, or until nicely browned.
They tasted yummy and I look forward to eating these again!
I decided right away that I wanted to do a stuffed burger.
And I waited. Until today.
Here is my result:
And this is what Darrell's looked like when it was cut in half:
Doesn't the bun look delish? Yeah. I made 'em. The recipe will follow the burger recipe.
I used 80% lean hamburger (they really should call it 20% FAT), since it really makes the juiciest burgers. I had about 1.75 pounds. I added an egg, some Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper. I formed 8 really big and skinny patties. For Darrell's, I used grated cheese and bacon bits, sprinkled some in the middle and slapped two patties together, sealing well. For mind, I added some cream cheese. I made 2 burgers for each of us, but froze one set for later.
Darrell grilled over mesquite lump charcoal until done. (No pressing down on the patties while cooking, or a mess will ensue).
Here's the recipe for the buns:
1 cup milk plus 1 tablespoon, divided
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons butter, plus more for buttering bowl
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg, yolk and white divided
2 and 1/4 teaspoon yeast (I use SAF)
3 cups flour
In a microwave safe small bowl, combine 1 cup milk, sugar and butter. Heat until butter just melts and mixture is warm but not hot. If it is hot, wait until it is lukewarm to proceed. In a large bowl, combine salt, egg white, yeast, and flour-one cup at a time, to form a soft dough. (In a separate small bowl, combine remaining egg yolk and tablespoon of milk). Knead dough briefly, about three minutes. Butter same bowl, replace dough, cover and let rise for about 1 hour, or until doubled. (At this point, you could punch the dough down and refrigerate it for up to 24 hours, or until ready to proceed.) Shape dough into 10 separate round buns. You can roll them out and cut them with a biscuit cutter, or you can simply shape them into 10 round buns. Let rise on a greased baking sheet for about 45 minutes, or until light and risen. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Brush buns with egg yolk mixture. Bake for about 15-18 minutes, or until nicely browned.
They tasted yummy and I look forward to eating these again!
Friday, August 8, 2008
Enchilalas!
Well, I am late in posting for July's family food club and have no good excuse. This month I was the one to choose our food to make. I chose enchiladas. I have wanted to learn how to make homemade enchilada sauce and figured this was a good opportunity. The recipe was so simple and it didn't take any longer than the one we have always made using the McCormick package.
Here's the recipe:
3 TBSP oil
1 TBSP flour
1/4 cup New Mexican chili powder
16 oz chicken stock
10 oz tomato puree
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp cumin
salt
In a saucepan, heat the oil, add flour and cook, whisking, for 1 minute. Add chili powder and cook 30 seconds. Stir in stock, tomato puree, oregano and cumin. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes. Season with salt.
I then heated corn tortillas in oil and layered in napkins, like Mom always does. My tortillas, however, did not stick like Mom's did in her post. I used shredded chicken, minced onion and "Mexican" cheese (Safeway brand, so it is really cheddar/jack combo) and rolled it all up. I had put a little bit of sauce in the bottom of my casserole pan, so they wouldn't stick and then more on top of the little rolls. I topped with more of my Mexican cheese. Baked them in the oven for 30 minutes at 350.
Here is what they looked like:
They tasted good, but I think Julie's sauce sounds better. That is more of what I was looking for.
I can't wait for August's challenge. Jennilyn is in charge and already knows.
Here's the recipe:
3 TBSP oil
1 TBSP flour
1/4 cup New Mexican chili powder
16 oz chicken stock
10 oz tomato puree
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp cumin
salt
In a saucepan, heat the oil, add flour and cook, whisking, for 1 minute. Add chili powder and cook 30 seconds. Stir in stock, tomato puree, oregano and cumin. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes. Season with salt.
I then heated corn tortillas in oil and layered in napkins, like Mom always does. My tortillas, however, did not stick like Mom's did in her post. I used shredded chicken, minced onion and "Mexican" cheese (Safeway brand, so it is really cheddar/jack combo) and rolled it all up. I had put a little bit of sauce in the bottom of my casserole pan, so they wouldn't stick and then more on top of the little rolls. I topped with more of my Mexican cheese. Baked them in the oven for 30 minutes at 350.
Here is what they looked like:
They tasted good, but I think Julie's sauce sounds better. That is more of what I was looking for.
I can't wait for August's challenge. Jennilyn is in charge and already knows.
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Cooking with Pineapple
My family decided to start a cooking club, so once a month we get an ingredient, a type of food or recipe that we all have to make and post about it. It was my idea, and I decided that we would choose the food to cook from oldest to youngest. So that means, my mom was first. She decided we would all cook with pineapple--fresh, canned, juice, whole....whatever we wanted, but it had to be pineapple.
I decided to grill fresh pineapple and make a pineapple chicken salad.
First, I cut the pineapple into wedges, sprinkled them with lime juice and grilled them for about 4 minutes each side.
I originally was going to use a recipe I got off Food Network's website, but I decided to modify it.
I grilled chicken with salt and pepper. Actually, Darrell grilled the chicken.
Since he doesn't like fruit, I made brown rice for him to eat with his chicken. I decided to add some rice to my salad, so I started with brown rice, added my chicken, snap peas, jicama, mandarin oranges, sliced almonds and a honey-lime vinaigrette that I made with honey, lime, rice vinegar, salt and pepper. I thought it was good, but I decided that the dressing and the pineapple didn't quite match. Here are some photos!
I decided to grill fresh pineapple and make a pineapple chicken salad.
First, I cut the pineapple into wedges, sprinkled them with lime juice and grilled them for about 4 minutes each side.
I originally was going to use a recipe I got off Food Network's website, but I decided to modify it.
I grilled chicken with salt and pepper. Actually, Darrell grilled the chicken.
Since he doesn't like fruit, I made brown rice for him to eat with his chicken. I decided to add some rice to my salad, so I started with brown rice, added my chicken, snap peas, jicama, mandarin oranges, sliced almonds and a honey-lime vinaigrette that I made with honey, lime, rice vinegar, salt and pepper. I thought it was good, but I decided that the dressing and the pineapple didn't quite match. Here are some photos!
Sunday, April 6, 2008
Baking=Chemistry
Baking is truly Chemistry in action. While there is an art to baking-creating something new and delicious with flavors-it truly is a science. I may have forgotten that today. In my quest to make Peanut Butter Fudge Brownies, I combined 2 recipes which were very different, into one. The results are still unknown, as there is still 10 minutes of baking time left. However, looking through the glass door, has me concerned. Here is the recipe. I will update later with the results.
1/2 cup Butter
2 oz bittersweet chocolate
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup peanut butter (I used extra crunchy)
1 Tbsp vanilla
2 eggs
1/2 cup flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
Melt butter and chocolate. Add sugars, peanut butter, vanilla and eggs. Mix thoroughly. Add flour, soda and salt. Mix to combine. Pour into oiled 8" square pan. Top with miniature Reese's peanut butter cups (found with the chocolate chips). Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.
1/2 cup Butter
2 oz bittersweet chocolate
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup peanut butter (I used extra crunchy)
1 Tbsp vanilla
2 eggs
1/2 cup flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
Melt butter and chocolate. Add sugars, peanut butter, vanilla and eggs. Mix thoroughly. Add flour, soda and salt. Mix to combine. Pour into oiled 8" square pan. Top with miniature Reese's peanut butter cups (found with the chocolate chips). Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.
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