tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358530819762757722024-03-27T19:55:06.869-04:00|amateur eater|Some people love food as a full-time professional job. For me, it's a hobby, so I guess I'm just an amateur. I'm pretty sure my friends are sick of hearing me talk about food, so I figure this is a good way to talk about it without having to force anyone to listen.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger140125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-635853081976275772.post-34408424136918987612023-07-31T13:45:00.006-04:002023-07-31T13:48:02.516-04:00| the glory of crispy chickpeas |<p> What protein costs less than $2, takes less than 15 minutes to prepare, tastes amazing, and goes with basically everything? CRISPY CHICKPEAS. Even my kid who doesn't like chickpeas will gobble these up as a snack or side. They're incredible. </p><p>Crispy chickpeas are my favorite thing to add to essentially any dish when it needs a protein but I don't know what to add:</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Pasta? Yes. </li><li>Salads? Also yes. </li><li>Indian food? Absolutely. </li><li>Mexican food? Sure thing. </li><li>East Asian food? Why not? </li><li>Throw them in a wrap or sandwich? Yep. </li><li>A topping for soup? Indeed. (And they work on hot soup or a cold soup like gazpacho.)</li></ul><div>Since I typically season mine with only salt and pepper they kind of just end up tasting like whatever I add them to. But you can also add whatever seasonings you want. When I'm snacking on them plain, I enjoy them with cumin or chili powder (or both). I've also been known to give them a quick soak in vinegar before preparing them and then they essentially turn into a salt & vinegar chip substitute. </div><div><br /></div><div>I've spent quite a few years perfecting my method, so here it is:</div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>Drain and rinse a can of chickpeas. I suppose you can make them from dry, but I typically don't. </li><li>Plop those puppies onto a clean dishtowel and then give them a good rub-down until they're very dry. This step is VERY important to crispiness - don't skip it. </li><li>Turn on a skillet to high and use a high-heat oil (I prefer coconut or grapeseed. Canola also works. NOT olive because it'll smoke. But you can add some olive oil later for flavor if you want.)</li><li>Toss a couple tablespoons of flour or cornstarch into a paper bag. Add salt, pepper, and any other seasonings. </li><li>Throw the chickpeas into the bag and shake, shake, shake. Then toss them in the skillet when the oil is hot. </li><li>Stir often and let them get as crispy as you'd like. And then let them get a tiny bit crispier. </li><li>At this point, if you crave the taste of olive oil, add a little drizzle for taste and let them crisp a bit more. </li><li>Dump onto paper towels. Let them cool a bit. Enjoy immediately. </li></ol><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgnc4xzMSlWR_p-U4gH-zTbiUi5QjL6HjQCCEz6Ka7ef-V1y8tWVf-NNa0RWnpXtVLfkrc-IOMFNC8NLPeaQQi_CNGukRZ0XM79yAvvolEbNgNi61ulsPBhq-4TBr93DAe101QctYmOpV5huiVBmHV-X4LAvCRFQZVgjMBH1wcnkxJGeq_cJ99BA/s4928/pexels-kyle-killam-106972.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="4928" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgnc4xzMSlWR_p-U4gH-zTbiUi5QjL6HjQCCEz6Ka7ef-V1y8tWVf-NNa0RWnpXtVLfkrc-IOMFNC8NLPeaQQi_CNGukRZ0XM79yAvvolEbNgNi61ulsPBhq-4TBr93DAe101QctYmOpV5huiVBmHV-X4LAvCRFQZVgjMBH1wcnkxJGeq_cJ99BA/w400-h265/pexels-kyle-killam-106972.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: PlusJakartaSans, -apple-system, "system-ui", "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen, Cantarell, "Helvetica Neue", Ubuntu, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: start; white-space: pre;">Photo by Kyle Killam: https://www.pexels.com/photo/round-grilled-food-106972/</span></div><br /><div><br /></div></div><div><br /></div><p></p><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-635853081976275772.post-21621835449210415432021-09-29T13:07:00.006-04:002022-12-27T16:41:06.105-05:00Moroccan Tacos<p>These are incredible. And as long as you have the spice mix ready ahead of time, come together in less than 20 minutes. Truly. </p><p>Recipe is adapted from Bare Minimum Dinners by Jenna Helwig (and I highly recommend the whole cookbook!) </p><p></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>If you can't find ras el hanout spice mix, you can easily make your own. I used <a href="https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/150574/ras-el-hanout/" target="_blank">this recipe </a>from All Recipes and it was delicious. I made a half-recipe and that was the right amount for a pound of ground beef. Get your seasoning mix ready to go before you start cooking. </li><li>Brown a pound of ground beef (or turkey or pork or whatever tickles your fancy). Drain the grease.</li><li>Stir in the ras el hanout spice mix and about a tablespoon of tomato paste. Stir it through the beef and let the spices get toasty and aromatic. </li><li>Add about 1/4-1/3 water mixed with a teaspoon or two of corn starch. Stir and let it get bubbly and delicious. </li><li>Shred/cut some cabbage and dress it with either lemon juice or your favorite vinegar (I like rice vinegar) plus good salt. You can add olive oil if you'd like. </li><li>Serve the meat on warm flour tortillas with the cabbage, tomatoes, plain yogurt/sour cream, and avocado slices. </li></ol><div>To make the ras el hanout: mix the spices below together and use about half of this recipe with one pound of meat.</div><div><br /></div><div>1 t salt</div><div>1 t ground cumin</div><div>1 t ground ginger</div><div>1 t ground turmeric</div><div>3/4 t ground cinnamon</div><div>3/4 t freshly ground pepper</div><div>1/2 t ground white pepper (I only had black pepper and it was fine)</div><div>1/2 t ground coriander seed</div><div>1/2 t ground cayenne pepper </div><div>1/2 t ground allspice</div><div>1/2 t ground nutmeg</div><div>1/4 t ground cloves</div><p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-635853081976275772.post-42761553259286176892021-05-30T19:42:00.004-04:002021-05-30T19:42:24.004-04:00| best banana bread |<p> I adapted this recipe from a Moosewood recipe. There are two things that make it unique and extra delicious: 1) using chia seeds instead of eggs, 2) adding coffee. </p><p>This recipe is vegan. I am not vegan, though, so I usually do sub melted butter for half of the oil (1 stick butter + 1/2 c oil instead of 1 c oil). If you want to be healthier, you can also sub up to 1/2 more mashed banana for 1/2 c of the oil. </p><p>I find that this recipe is so delicious it doesn't even need chocolate chips. And that's really saying something. It freezes really well, too, so don't worry about having two loaves on hand. Give one away or freeze one! </p><p><br /></p><p>BANANA BREAD (based on Moosewood)</p><p>Makes 2 loaves</p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">1 cups vegetable/coconut oil or butter, plus more for greasing the loaf pans</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">2 cups whole-wheat flour, plus more for dusting the loaf pans</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">1 teaspoon salt</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">1 T baking powder</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">1/2 teaspoon baking soda</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">2 teaspoons ground cinnamon</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">1/2 teaspoon freshly grated or ground nutmeg</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">5 ripe bananas, mashed</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">1 cup strongly brewed black coffee</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">1 3/4 cups packed light brown sugar (I used 1 ¼)</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">4 large eggs, at room temperature (or 4 T chia seeds in 12 T water)</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">Chocolate chips and or nuts (optional)</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></p><ol style="margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 0; padding-inline-start: 48px;"><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">Combine dry ingredients in bowl (except chips and nuts)</span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">Mash bananas in stand mixer bowl. Add other wet ingredients (except coffee). </span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">Mix dry into wet. </span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">Add coffee.</span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">Add chips and nuts, if using.</span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">Put into two prepared bread pans.</span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">Bake at 350 for 45-55 minutes. Check with toothpick. It'll probably need more time. </span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">Let cool for 20 minutes in pans before transferring to cooling rack. </span></p></li></ol>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-635853081976275772.post-90761190696309844582021-03-15T18:35:00.004-04:002021-03-15T18:35:56.248-04:00| method: chicken + wine is divine|<p>I love chicken but am pretty picky about how it’s prepared. Because I need it to actually TASTE LIKE SOMETHING. I recently discovered that soaking it in wine and then cooking it in more wine gets the job done. So here’s a pretty foolproof method for making that happen with whatever chicken, wine, and veggies you have sitting around your kitchen. </p><p>INGREDIENTS:</p><p>Wine - any kind you want, about 4 cups</p><p>Chicken - a whole chicken, a whole cut up chicken, thighs or breasts, with or without skin. Whatever you want, basically. </p><p>Veggies - onion, carrots, celery, mushrooms, potatoes, sweet potatoes all work well</p><p>Also - flour, chicken broth, salt and pepper, bay leaf, seasonings of your choice (thyme, rosemary, tarragon, garlic , oregano are all good), half & half or cream</p><p>1) Morning of or night before: cover your chicken in whatever kind of wine you have laying around. Toss in a bay leaf and a couple cloves garlic. </p><p>2) Preheat oven to 325 or 350 (depending on whether or not you want to maybe roast some other veggies in there while you’re cooking your chicken - if yes, go with the higher heat). </p><p>3) Drain your chicken on paper towels and blot it try. Season liberally with salt and pepper. </p><p>4) Toss a couple T butter or oil into a pot that’s oven-safe. After it melts, put your chicken in and sear a bit on both sides (2-3 minutes per side). </p><p>5) While that’s a-searin’ chop up your veggies into pieces that are about 1x1 inches. </p><p>6) Remove chicken from pan. Throw veggies in. Cook about 5-7 minutes until they start to soften. </p><p>7) Stir in 3 T flour until it starts to brown. Pour in about a cup of wine and deglaze the pan. Pour in about 2 cups chicken stock. Add the chicken back in. </p><p>8) Put in oven until cooked per an internal thermometer reading. About 30-45 minutes depending on your oven temp and size of the chicken pieces you use. Might take 45-60 if you’re using a whole chicken. </p><p>9) Remove from oven. Stir in a few T of heavy cream or about 1/4 c half and half. Check seasoning. </p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-635853081976275772.post-27965324597590326442018-02-19T19:56:00.001-05:002018-02-19T19:56:47.541-05:00| yes, instant pot yogurt is that great + drinkable yogurt YUM |So....we got an Instant Pot for Christmas. And, yeah, it’s basically as great as everyone says it is. It doesn’t really make things noticeably faster (except for beans - wow). It just makes them less effort. You can set it and forget it. You can get ingredients together in the morning and do a delayed start. You can put your hard boiled eggs in there and then make the rest of dinner or breakfast without thinking about them. It’s amazing. I’ll probably be talking about it more in the future.<br />
<br />
Right now, though, I just want to say that it has TOTALLY gotten us back into making homemade yogurt. The process is the same as all yogurt-making....bring milk up to 185 and hold for a bit, bring down to 110, add starter (i.e. yogurt), then hold at 100 for 6-10 hours. It’s the holding for 6-10 hours that’s always been a pain for me. I’ve tried keeping my yogurt on the porch during hot months, in the oven with a pilot light on and more. I’ve tried crock pot yogurt, but it was never great.<br />
<br />
My Instant Pot yogurt is PERFECT EVERY TIME. I’ll share my method below. But I also want to talk for a minute about whey. Because I typically like to strain my yogurt we end up with a lot of leftover whey. I enjoy using it in baked goods, soup, and for cooking beans. I also like just drinking it cause I’m weird.<br />
<br />
But the other day I was at the grocery store and they had Siggi’s brand drinkable yogurt, which I’ve never seen before. I ADORE SIGGI’S YOGURT. I could probably go on about it for days. But it’s so spendy, I rarely buy it. This stuff was on sale for 50 cents a bottle, though, so how could I resist? I knew it would be amazing so I bought several bottles.<br />
<br />
I was right. It was AMAZING. My first thought was, “This stuff is so expensive when it’s full price.” My second thought was, “I could totally make something similar on my own.”<br />
<br />
So it turns out that my yogurt whey is perfect for making drinkable yogurt! I use 8 oz mason jars and put about 1/2-1 teaspoon of maple syrup in the bottom, plus a few drops of vanilla extract. Then I spoon in about half the jar full of my Greek yogurt. Then I add whey to near the top and shake shake shake. I keep it in the fridge to grab on my way out the door in the morning or for an easy packable afternoon snack at work.<br />
<br />
DON’T THROW AWAY YOUR WHEY. It’s awesome stuff. And really can be used in so many baked goods. Especially anything you might use buttermilk in like bread, pancakes, biscuits, etc.<br />
<br />
Okay, so back to the yogurt itself. Here’s my process.<br />
<br />
1) Put 1 cup of water in the instant pot. Seal. Use the steam cycle to sanitize. Then run the outside of the insert in cold water to cool it down.<br />
2) Put starter on the counter top to come up to room temp.<br />
3) Pour 1/2 gal whole milk into the Instant Pot. Hit “yogurt” button until it says BOIL. Put the lid on and wait until it beeps. Check to see if it’s 185 (whisk gently first). If it is, put the lid back on and hold on BOIL for 5 minutes. If it isn’t put the lid back on (still on BOIL) and check again in a few minutes.<br />
4) While the 5 minute timer is running, fill up the sink with ice water. Once the timer goes off, submerge the outside of the pot in the ice bath. Wait until the just-whisked temperature in the middle of the pot is 110. Remove from the ice bath.<br />
5) Add the yogurt starter (2 T of plain yogurt with live cultures) and whisk gently to combine. If you forgot to bring it to room temp, you can temper it by adding a little of the hot milk to your starter at a time until it’s all warmish.<br />
6) Put the lid back on. Push yogurt until the timer shows. Set timer for 6-10 hours. 6 hours is not very tangy. 10 hours is pretty darn tangy. I usually like 6-7ish but your tastes may vary.<br />
7) Go to sleep or go about my day. When the time is up, move the whole pot WITHOUT STIRRING to the fridge and let it rest overnight or at least 6-8 hours.<br />
8) If desired, use a yogurt strainer to make it into Greek yogurt. Or if you like it thinner, just eat it as is.<br />
<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-635853081976275772.post-45624920785698886892018-01-20T19:55:00.001-05:002018-01-20T19:56:09.529-05:00| hand-cranked pasta with lentil Bolognese |We got an Instant Pot for Christmas and we’ve been cooking up a storm in it. I had a fast lentil marinara with spaghetti on the menu for lasted this week but then my son was begging for hand-cranked pasta this afternoon, so we moved it up on the menu (cause I’m surely not making hand-cranked pasta on a weeknight!).<br />
<br />
It was SUPER tasty so I wanted to make sure and write down the method for myself to find in the future. Hope you enjoy it, too!<br />
<b><u><br /></u></b>
<b><u>Instant Pot Lentil Bolognese </u></b><br />
half an onion, diced<br />
Half a red pepper, diced<br />
4 oz portabella mushrooms, chopped pea-size<br />
Oregano, basil, red pepper flakes, garlic<br />
1/2 c French lentils<br />
15 oz tomato sauce (organic tomato sauce is more flavorful and worth the extra cost)<br />
Splash of red wine vinegar<br />
1-2 T sugar, to taste<br />
<br />
1) Turn on sauté feature on IP. Once it gets hot, add 1-2 T olive oil. Sauté onion, red peppers, mushrooms for 3-4 minutes until they start to soften.<br />
2) Add about 1 t dried oregano, 1 t dried basil, a pinch of red pepper flakes, and 3-4 cloves garlic minced.<br />
3) Add French lentils, tomato sauce and about 8-10 ounces water. Stir.<br />
4) Pressure cook for 9 minutes. Natural release.<br />
5) Stir. Add more water if you’d like a thinner sauce. Add the vinegar and sugar. Salt and pepper to season.<br />
<b><u><br /></u></b>
<b><u>HAND-CRANKED PASTA TIPS</u></b><br />
There are about a million recipes online for homemade pasta. If you have a hand-crank I wanted to share some tips I’ve learned over the years, along with my regular method.<br />
<br />
Basic recipe (to serve 4 people)<br />
2 eggs<br />
2 c flour (half AP and half semolina works nicely - semolina makes it easier to work with)<br />
1/4 t salt<br />
1 T olive oil<br />
1/4-1/2 c water<br />
<br />
<br />
<ol>
<li>In a food processor, pulse the flour, salt, and egg until it’s crumbly. </li>
<li>Turn the processor on and drizzle in the olive oil. </li>
<li>Keep it going and drizzle in the water until it starts to ball up around the blades. It should still be crumbly but should be starting to gather. </li>
<li>Take out of processor. Kneed gently into a ball and wrap tightly in plastic wrap. </li>
<li>Once the wrap is on the dough, press the dough together tightly and flatten into a large disk. </li>
<li>Let the dough rest at room temp for 15-30 minutes while you have a cup of tea. </li>
<li>Cut dough into 4 sections and remove one from the wrap. Wrap up the rest so it doesn’t dry out. </li>
<li>Work the section through your pasta maker down to the thinnest level (see tips below). Set it to the side. </li>
<li>Repeat with the other three sections, ensuring to keep the not-yet-used ones wrapped up. </li>
<li>Cut each loooooong piece into chunks that are 10-12 inches long (probably 3 chunks per sheet). </li>
<li>Cut into noodles. Place onto a floured cookie sheet and swirl around so they can stay separated while you continue to work. </li>
<li>Boil in batches for 3-4 minutes each. Strain and run cold water over each batch. </li>
<li>Eat. Die happy. </li>
</ol>
<div>
Tips:</div>
<div>
- The method of egg/flour THEN the water is really important. It works great. </div>
<div>
- Do NOT skip the step of letting the dough rest. You will regret it. It makes it so much easier to work with. </div>
<div>
- I like to run mine through the thickest setting on my crank about 3 times before moving on. Each time I just run it through, fold it into thirds and then run it through again. This helps it get very smooth before moving on and helps everything hold together. </div>
<div>
- Keep a little flour on your table as you work and periodically rub down each size of your sheet of pasta dough with it to ensure that once you get to the thinnest setting it won’t all stick to itself. </div>
<div>
- The backs of ladderback chairs make nice places to let the big sheets rest while you finish up. I find that it’s more efficient to do all the sheets first and THEN cut into noodles. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-635853081976275772.post-35391185310421331092017-08-05T13:52:00.000-04:002017-08-05T13:52:10.072-04:00| behold: i finally made pizza |As a pretty confident home cook, I've been discouraged for a long time by my inability to make really good pizza. My whole family LOVES pizza and, in particular, I really adore all kinds - Chewy, multigrain crust? Yes. deep dish? Yes. Chicago style deep dish? Oh, my, yes. NY style? Yes. Greasy? Yes. Crispy? Yes. Wood-fired? Yes.<br />
<br />
I really can't think of a style of pizza that I don't love.<br />
<br />
Since having kids, I've REALLY wished I could perfect a home recipe because it's the kind of thing that's so perfect for a quick meal that is a crowd-pleaser. If you make the dough ahead of time, it takes less than 30 minutes start-to-finish to make several pizzas and everyone can pick the toppings they want. Plus, depending on how you make it, it's pretty healthy and very cheap. And it's a complete meal....protein, veggies, carbs. It's all there in one delicious slice.<br />
<br />
And it goes well with beer.<br />
<br />
So I've been trying to find the best crust recipe and technique for years. I've asked friends for recipes. I've scoured the internet. But my homemade pizzas always come out so-so. Usually, too puffy and doughy. Blargh.<br />
<br />
But today. TODAY I FOUND MY RECIPE AND TECHNIQUE. And I'm writing it down before I forget or try to experiment. (Note to future me: do not alter this. It is perfection as is.)<br />
<br />
I started with this classic <a href="https://www.fornobravo.com/pizzaquest/recipe-neapolitan-pizza-dough/" target="_blank">Neapolitan Pizza Dough recipe from Peter Reinhart</a>. I found his blog through a google search and the dude clearly knows his pizza. I was a little shocked to discover two things about this recipe: 1) so few ingredients (he says true Neapolitan dough only has four - flour, yeast, water, salt) and 2) the cold water. What the heck? I am pretty comfortable working with yeast but rarely do this cold-start thing. But, again, dude seems to know what he's talking about, so I decide to give it a go.<br />
<br />
NEAPOLITAN PIZZA DOUGH (adapted from Mr. Reinhart's recipe)<br />
500 g AP flour<br />
138 g bread flour (cause I already have five types of flour in my home and wasn't about to go on a quest for this special -00- flour he speaks of, thought it sounds pretty cool)<br />
2 t kosher salt<br />
1 t active yeast (I didn't have instant, so I just went with what I had)<br />
1 3/4 c + 2 T cold water (Reinhart said "cool" but when I actually measured 65 degrees it felt pretty darn cold to me. I even had to use a couple of ice cubes)<br />
<br />
1) Put all the ingredients in a stand mixer. Mix with a paddle (not dough hook) for 1 minute. Let rest for 5 minutes.<br />
2) Switch to the dough hook. Mix for 2-4 minutes, until it's smooth. Should be slightly tacky but not sticky. Add a little flour or water as needed to achieve consistency.<br />
3) Transfer to a lightly oiled work surface and hand-knead for another minute or so.<br />
4) Move to an oiled bowl and let rise for 30-45 minutes. Punch down. Put in fridge overnight or up to three days.<br />
5) 2-3 hours before you're ready to bake, remove the big ol' dough ball from the fridge and divide into sections. I was able to make six 10-12 inch pizzas. I used a little flour on a clean surface to make the six dough-balls. Then I put them on slightly-oiled baking sheet and covered with Saran Wrap (sprayed lightly with olive oil). Let rest for 2-3 hours until you're ready to go.<br />
<br />
BAKING TECHNIQUE<br />
(I didn't get this from the blog above. I made it up based on my previous knowledge.)<br />
1. Arrange your racks on the two lowest rungs. Preheat oven as high as it will go. For me, that was 550 degrees. Place a large, flat baking stone on the top rack. Place a very heat-resistant small crock on the lower rack (you'll use this later to generate steam).<br />
2. Get your toppings and work space ready. Dust a pizza peel with cornmeal.<br />
3. Once the oven is pre-heated, work with one pizza at time. Turn it out onto a floured surface. Shape it into whatever shape you want with whatever technique you like to use (rolling pin, pulling, tossing, pressing, etc.)<br />
4. Put your shaped pizza dough onto the peel and add your toppings.<br />
5. Check with a spatula to make sure it's loose enough to slide right off. It it's not, peel it back and add a little more cornmeal underneath.<br />
6. Open up that hot, hot oven door. Slide the pizza onto the stone and drop 2-3 ice cubes into the crock on the lower rack. You may be wondering, why not just water? You can. I just find the ice cubes are easier than trying to pour water into a very hot oven. You may be wondering, do I really need to do this at all? No. But it does make the crust chewier, which is one of my very favorite pizza properties, so I do it.<br />
7. Once it's in there and you've shut the door, don't go too far away. This baby will be done in 4-5 minutes. I usually check after about 3 and then move it around a bit with my peel to get an even browning.<br />
8. When it looks done enough for your tastes, take it out using the peel and put it on a big cutting board.<br />
9. Start over again at step #3 with the next dough-ball.<br />
10. Side note: if you want to make fewer pizzas at once, you can put the dough balls into the freezer. Wrap in Saran Wrap and then put in a heavy zip bag. Take them out at least 24 hours before you want to use them in the future.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-635853081976275772.post-75593489586455061552017-07-28T15:02:00.000-04:002017-07-28T15:02:12.421-04:00| summer recipe roundup |I can hardly believe summer is almost gone. Before it ends, I wanted to be sure and write down some of my favorite recipe discoveries of 2017 so I can dust them off next year!<br />
<b><u><br /></u></b>
<b><u>Turkey Burger Recipe</u></b><br />
My SIL got me hooked on turkey burgers last summer (okay, not ME because I'm a vegetarian, but the rest of my family loves them). I had been buying those super-convenient frozen, pre-made patties but one week they were out at I had already promised burgers. So I bought ground turkey and looked up recipes for seasoning. <a href="https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1016139-turkey-burgers" target="_blank">This one</a> from the NYT was a major winner. After trying it once, I bought 3 pounds of ground turkey on sale (I like to get the 85% lean kind for some extra moisture) and make up a whole tray of patties. Froze them on wax paper and then put them in a big ziploc bag. Now I have my own frozen, pre-made patties for a lot less money and just a little more work.<br />
<br />
For each pound of ground turkey, add the following.<br />
1/2 onion, finely minced (dried works, too)<br />
1 T Worcestershire sauce<br />
2 T ketchup<br />
Salt and pepper to taste<br />
I also like to add some bread crumbs for a little bulk.<br />
Mix well with your hands and form into patties.<br />
<b><u><br /></u></b>
<b><u>Spring Rolls with Peanut Sauce</u></b><br />
Why have I never made spring rolls at home before??? It's so easy. I just cut up bunches of stuff and put them in little bowls. Then everyone made their own at the dinner table. I took the leftover stuff and made a few for lunch the next day (wrap in a damp paper towel before storing in a container in the fridge).<br />
<br />
You can, of course, put whatever you want into them. All you really HAVE to have are rice paper rolls. You soak each one in warm water for 5-10 seconds and then spread it on a plate. Fill it with goodness and roll tightly like a burrito. I had the following on our table for fillings: small cubes of tofu, peanuts, cilantro, cooked rice noodles, cabbage, shredded carrots, a salad mix that was shredded cabbage, carrots, kale, and broccoli. I bought a rotisserie chicken and they kids also experimented by putting the chicken and some fresh mango in theirs.<br />
<br />
I made a simple peanut sauce to go with mine. Didn't really write down the proportions but I think it was something like this:<br />
1/2 c peanut butter (chunky if you like!)<br />
1-2 T soy sauce<br />
1 T minced ginger (we always keep some in a tube in the fridge)<br />
1 t sesame oil<br />
1 t sweet chili sauce<br />
1 T brown sugar<br />
Water to thin<br />
<b><u><br /></u></b>
<b><u>Greek Dressing</u></b><br />
Speaking of sauce, that peanut sauce also goes great on warm rice dishes, noodles, etc. Another stellar summer sauce that can go on hot or cold foods is this Greek dressing I cobbled together. I like to eat it on salad with kalamata olives, artichoke hearts, roasted red peppers or on a pasta salad (cheese tortellini, please) with tomatoes, cukes, olives, etc.<br />
<br />
1/4 c olive oil<br />
1/4 c vegetable oil (or more olive oil)<br />
1/3 c rice wine vinegar<br />
2 t sugar<br />
1 T Dijon mustard<br />
1-2 T lemon juice<br />
1 t each of dried basil, thyme, oregano, garlic powder (unsalted!)<br />
Black pepper to taste<br />
Shake in a jar and enjoy. This makes a lot!<br />
<br />
<b><u><br /></u></b>
<b><u>Pioneer Woman Ranch Dressing</u></b><br />
But that's not even my favorite dressing. My favorite dressing comes from the land of Oklahoma where Pioneer Woman really knows what's up. She has a <a href="http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/homemade-ranch-dressing/" target="_blank">delightful explanation</a> on her blog about how to make this and tailor it for your own tastebuds. A word of warning: this recipe will likely turn you into a total ranch dressing snob and you may never want to eat bottled ranch again. I suppose this isn't necessarily a bad thing. It's certainly cut down on my overall ranch consumption.<br />
<br />
What I usually do ends up looking something like this, depending on what I have on hand:<br />
Stir together 1 c full fat mayonnaise with 1/2 sour cream. Add buttermilk to desired consistency (you know you can make buttermilk by adding 1 T lemon juice or vinegar to regular milk and letting sit a few minutes, right? Right.)<br />
Add the following and shake:<br />
1-2 cloves finely minced garlic (see note below)<br />
1/4 c minced fresh parsley<br />
2 T chives (see note)<br />
1-2 T fresh dill (see note)<br />
1-2 t dried oregano<br />
1 T Worcestershire <br />
Notes on the garlic and herbs: The garlic, if you use raw, is going to get REALLY potent once it rests overnight, so use caution. Or roast your garlic first (see below). Ree Drummond suggests using fresh everything for the herbs but, to be honest, if I don't have them growing in my yard, I don't feel like paying $12 for a bunch of herbs at the store. That's some mighty-expensive ranch. I usually go with fresh parsley and dried for the rest (reduce quantities a bit if you're using dried). In a pinch, I have even used dried parsley and as long as it rested overnight in the fridge, it was just fine.<br />
<b><u><br /></u></b>
<b><u>Roasted Garlic</u></b><br />
I don't turn my oven on much in the summer, but when I do, I always put a few heads of garlic in alongside whatever else is cooking. This stuff is so good. I like to eat it plain, on bread, on salad, or mixed into anything that calls for garlic. It's heaven.<br />
<br />
Preheat oven to 350.<br />
Tear off one square of aluminum foil for each head you plan to roast.<br />
Cut the top off the garlic so you can see down into all the individual cloves.<br />
Put the head of garlic in the middle of the foil and start to pull up the edges like you're making a little bowl around the garlic.<br />
Pour 1-2 T olive oil right into the garlic cloves it'll drip down the sides, too)<br />
Pull the rest of the foil up like a little packet and twist at the top.<br />
Place directly on your oven rack or on a sheet and roast for 30 minutes.<br />
Let cool.<br />
Squeeze out of the skins and eat. If you have any left over, it can go in a little olive oil in your fridge. I don't know how long it will last because mine is always gone in 48 hours.<br />
<b><u><br /></u></b>
<b><u>Easy Creamy Dressing</u></b><br />
So sometimes I haven't made a big batch of ranch but then I'm craving it (see above problem with no longer liking bottled ranch). This simpler recipe doesn't have to be made ahead of time and is awesome. The <a href="http://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-two-minute-creamy-salad-dressing-recipes-from-the-kitchn-114115" target="_blank">original recipe from The Kitchn</a> says this makes enough for two side salads but, um, this is a single serving for my lunch.<br />
<br />
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, or other grainy mustard<br />
1 1/2 tablespoons mayonnaise or full fat yogurt<br />
Pinch salt<br />
Pinch sugar<br />
Fresh pepper, to taste<br />
1 tablespoon Champagne vinegar (despite having at least 5 kinds of vinegar in my cupboard, this is not one of them....so I usually just use red wine or apple cider or rice vinegar)<br />
<b><u><br /></u></b>
<b><u>Kale Salad</u></b><br />
When I don't feel like making any kind of dressing at all, I make a massaged kale salad. This is particularly good in my lunches when I just need some veggies on the side. Basically, you make sure all the stems are trimmed off your kale and chop it up small. Then you massage the kale with olive oil and lemon juice. Once it starts to soften up, add your toppings. It's really pretty and yummy. I usually throw on whatever random leftovers I can find in the fridge or cupboard, which often includes many of these things:<br />
Seeds: chia, flax, pepita, sunflower<br />
Slivered almonds<br />
Dried cranberries, raisins, or cherries<br />
Jarred roasted red peppers, olives, small pickles, or artichoke hearts<br />
Any number of fresh veggies, including leftover cooked ones like corn, peas, Brussels sprouts, asparagus<br />
And I usually top with a hard boiled egg.<br />
<b><u><br /></u></b>
<b><u>Deviled Eggs</u></b><br />
Speaking of eggs, I'm obsessed with deviled eggs and frequently whip up a couple for lunch. If you don't yet have a foolproof method for hard-boiled eggs, I recommend <a href="http://amateureater.blogspot.com/2017/06/perfect-boiled-eggs.html" target="_blank">this</a>.<br />
<br />
I love to put the following in my deviled eggs. And, if I do say so myself, they are really top-notch.<br />
I use about half-mayo and half-plain Greek yogurt (full fat)<br />
Mash that with the yolks and then add a little olive oil and whip really fast with a fork to get a creamy consistency.<br />
Then I add a dash of vinegar, whole grain mustard (or Dijon), and a dash of curry powder. Stir to incorporate.<br />
<br />
By the way, if you're making a big batch to take to a party or potluck, there's a really easy way to travel with them. Peel and halve your eggs and them put them in a platter. Cover TIGHTLY with Saran Wrap so they don't slide around. Put your yolks and other ingredients into a bit ziplock bag and mash. Bring a long a pair of scissors and when you're ready to eat just snip the corner of the ziploc bag and pipe in the filling like you're decorating a cake. Voila! This is my go-to summer potluck dish.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-635853081976275772.post-48349156877915049982017-06-01T13:49:00.003-04:002017-06-01T13:49:50.526-04:00| perfect boiled eggs |I adore hard-boiled eggs. I've been a quest to develop a foolproof method for years now. I hate when they won't peel. These suckers peel in one solid piece every single time. The peel just slips right off. It's amazing. <a href="http://www.seriouseats.com/2014/05/the-secrets-to-peeling-hard-boiled-eggs.html" target="_blank">I learned my method from this awesome article</a>. It may contain waaaaay more information that you really want, though, so feel free to read and use my TL;DR version below.<br />
<br />
1) Start with older eggs - not brand new, fresh ones.<br />
2) Bring a large pot of water to boil.<br />
3) Once it's at a rolling boil, carefully lower your eggs in. I use a spider to avoid splashing and cracking, but a large spoon or ladle would also work.<br />
4) Let the water return to a LOW boil (rolling will crack your eggs) and watch them for 1-2 minutes.<br />
5) Turn the water OFF and cover. Let it rest for 10-12 minutes, depending on how hard you want your eggs to be set.<br />
6) When they are almost done, fill a sink or large pot with lots of ice and water. Enough to cover the eggs.<br />
7) When your timer goes off, carefully move the eggs directly into the ice bath (again, this is where the spider is handy).<br />
8) Let them rest in the ice bath for 15 minutes to overnight (if they're in a pot).<br />
<br />
Enjoy!<br />
<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-635853081976275772.post-19748131095976054332017-01-18T19:11:00.000-05:002017-01-18T19:11:09.372-05:00| hearty spiced lentil and spinach soup |Started to make one of my <a href="http://amateureater.blogspot.com/2010/07/so-easy-spinach-soup.html" target="_blank">favorite soup recipes </a>tonight and then experimented and ended up with something else entirely. This turned out to be one of my favorite soup creations ever, so I'm going to write down the recipe for once.<br />
<br />
HEARTY SPICED LENTIL AND SPINACH SOUP<br />
2 T butter (oil, if you'd prefer)<br />
1 diced onion<br />
1 clove of garlic, finely minced<br />
1/4 c dry lentils (I prefer French)<br />
3/4 rice (I used a mixture of wild rice and white cause that's what I had on hand)<br />
2 t smoked paprika<br />
1 T curry<br />
6 c vegetable broth<br />
2 T tomato paste<br />
1 can of coconut milk<br />
10 oz frozen spinach<br />
Salt and pepper to taste.<br />
<br />
1) Sauté the onion in the melted butter or oil. When the onions are soft, add the garlic, lentils, rice and cook over medium heat for 2-3 minutes until fragrant.<br />
2) Add spices, broth, tomato paste, and coconut milk.<br />
3) Add spinach and bring back up to a simmer. Cover and stir occasionally until rice and lentils are cooked (about 30-45 minutes)<br />
4) Salt and pepper to taste.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-635853081976275772.post-17113714980496831092016-11-30T18:58:00.001-05:002016-11-30T18:58:11.944-05:00| vegetarian mushroom stroganoff |I was craving comfort food and sour cream, so this seemed perfect on a chilly fall night. I looked around at several recipes online and then made it up as I went. It turned out SO good.....and the whole thing came together in less than 30 minutes. Enjoy!<br />
<br />
MUSHROOM STROGANOFF<br />
3 T butter<br />
1 large onion, diced<br />
3-4 cloves garlic, minced<br />
1 T smoked paprika<br />
Salt and pepper<br />
16 oz sliced mushrooms<br />
2-3 T flour<br />
4 oz red wine<br />
2 T ketchup<br />
Dash vegetarian Worcestershire<br />
4 oz sour cream<br />
½-¾ c chopped fresh parsley<br />
Noodles or rice for serving<br />
<br />
<br />
<ol>
<li>Melt butter in large skillet or sauce pan. Start boiling your water for noodles or rice in another pot. </li>
<li>Once butter is melted, add onions and sauté over medium heat until they start to soften. Add garlic (MEDIUM heat so it doesn’t burn). Cook 1-2 minutes. Add smoked paprika, salt, pepper. </li>
<li>Add mushrooms. Stir often while they cook down. Once they are about ½ the size of when they were raw and you have a fair amount of liquid they are swimming in, add your flour and whisk.</li>
<li>Add the wine and turn up the heat. Allow to cook, stirring frequently, for 2-3 minutes. </li>
<li>Turn back down to medium heat. Add the ketchup, Worcestershire, sour cream. Cook until warmed through. </li>
<li>Add parsley. Stir. </li>
<li>Serve over rice or noodles. I also added some crispy chickpeas for protein. </li>
</ol>
<br />
<div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-635853081976275772.post-10322950100683379072016-06-26T14:27:00.006-04:002016-06-26T14:33:32.095-04:00| cucumber time |Whenever I have produce and I'm not sure what to do with it, Farmer John comes to the rescue. I bought this cookbook a few years ago. It's organized by fruit/vegetable, so you can just bring in whatever you have from the garden and find a good recipe that features it. Our cucumbers are just starting to come in and I needed a quick and easy way to use up three fresh ones yesterday. I was delighted to find this simple recipe. The end result is very similar to bread-and-butter pickles. Yum.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/pnZGVoCNfre9mR3aXUTbPr5EIjLxXiwLjQwxksCnPT_pVTNNoSzniVwXgxLdBPgdW9r5AA=s800" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/pnZGVoCNfre9mR3aXUTbPr5EIjLxXiwLjQwxksCnPT_pVTNNoSzniVwXgxLdBPgdW9r5AA=s800" width="280" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
MARINATED CUCUMBER SALAD WITH DILL<br />
Serves 6-8<br />
<br />
3 large cucumbers (about 2 pounds), peeled, very thinly sliced<br />
1 T coarse seat salt or kosher salt<br />
2/3 c white or apple cider vinegar<br />
1/2 c water<br />
1/2 c sugar<br />
1/4 t salt (note: I didn't add this, as I felt they were already salty enough)<br />
1/4 t pepper<br />
2 T finely chopped fresh dill or 1 T dried dill<br />
<br />
1) In a large bowl, use your hands to thoroughly but gently mix the cucumber and salt.<br />
2) Place a plate on top of the cucumbers, then place a 2-3 pound weight (like a large can of vegetables) on the plate to weigh it down (this helps release the salt). Set the cucumbers aside to marinate at room temperature for several hours or in the refrigerator overnight.<br />
3) Drain the cucumbers thoroughly in a colander and pat them dry on a clean dish towel. Rinse and dry the bowl, then return the cucumbers to the bowl. (Note: I tasted my cukes here and they were waaaaay too salty. So I rinsed them thoroughly.)<br />
4) Mix the vinegar, water, sugar, salt, and pepper in a small pot over medium heat and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring often, until the sugar is dissolved, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat.<br />
5) Pour the hot vinegar mixture over the cucumber slices. Sprinkle with the dill and mix to combine.<br />
6) Chill for at least 3 hours. Drain and serve.<br />
<br />
Ideas: I think these would also be good with some garlic and/or crushed red pepper added to the vinegar mixture. The recipe also suggests replacing the dill with the feathery leaves from a head of fennel. Yum.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-635853081976275772.post-57768632050757793502016-01-01T14:42:00.001-05:002016-01-01T14:42:55.789-05:00| the best chocolate chip cookies I've ever made | For Christmas, one of my co-workers gave me a jar of cookie mix. You know the stuff. I was amazed, when I made them, to discover they were the BEST chocolate chip cookies I've ever made. Ever. They were crispy on the outside and gooey-chewy on the inside. Perfection.<br />
<br />
The ingredients are nothing special, so I think it must have been the odd technique I used to make them. Read on for details....<br />
<br />
COOKIES IN A JAR<br />
Layer in a wide-mouth pint jar, pressing each layer firmly before adding next ingredient.<br />
1/4 c white sugar<br />
1/2 c chocolate chips<br />
1/2 c firmly packed brown sugar<br />
1 1/4 c flour, mixed with 1/2 t. baking soda, 1/8 t. salt<br />
<br />
Instructions on the gift:<br />
1) Empty cookie mix into a large mixing bowl. Use your hands to thoroughly mix it all together.<br />
2) Add: 6 T butter VERY soft, 1 small egg, 1/2 t. vanilla.<br />
3) Mix until completely blended. You can use a pastry cutter or fork to help you mix in the butter. You will need to finish mixing with your hands. Squish, squish.<br />
4) Shape into balls the size of walnuts and place 2'' apart on a baking sheet with parchment paper.<br />
5) Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes. Cool 10 minutes on baking sheet, then move to rack.<br />
Makes about 18 cookies<br />
<br />
That's it. It's almost like making biscuits, the way I cut the butter in. I'm never getting out the stand mixer again.<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-635853081976275772.post-3550471156093721852016-01-01T14:33:00.001-05:002016-01-01T14:46:16.197-05:00| seitan breakfast hash |I recently tried making my own seitan. Turns out, it's incredibly easy and way cheaper than buying seitan. One batch of <a href="http://www.theppk.com/2014/02/chicken-stylee-seitan/" target="_blank">this recipe</a> makes about 8 times as much as what you would find in a package of seitan at the grocery store. I freeze them in plastic baggies in their broth and that seems to work really well. Side note on that recipe: I've made it without nutritional yeast and it was fine. I've also made it without chickpea flour and, again, fine.<br />
<br />
I love this stuff. Especially at breakfast. I often dice it and mix it with whatever veggies I have in the fridge and then just eat a pile of it. Yum. I've also made some excellent biscuits and gravy with it. SUPER YUM.<br />
<br />
Here's a recipe for some quick and delicious vegetarian hash that I made up.<br />
<br />
SEITAN BREAKFAST HASH<br />
1) Saute some diced onion in olive oil. As they're cooking, dice up some new potatoes - very small. Add to the mix and let them cook until the onions are soft and the potatoes are starting to get crispy in some spots.<br />
2) Salt generously and add a dash of smoked paprika. I like to add some minced garlic, too.<br />
3) Add some liquid so the mix can simmer (this helps the potatoes cook). If you have seitan broth, use that. Meanwhile, dice up your seitan into little chunks and a bell pepper, too, if you've got one.<br />
4) Cook the potato and onion mix in the broth until the broth is basically gone and the potatoes are starting to get soft. Add more broth as necessary and stir occasionally.<br />
5) Add the peppers and seitan to the mix. Cook until the peppers are starting to soften. I like to add some butter along the way to help keep things from sticking and max out the flavor.<br />
You're done. Enjoy! I like to put some sliced avocado on top.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-635853081976275772.post-53789037147622592902015-01-17T13:32:00.000-05:002016-01-01T14:43:34.060-05:00| perfect brussels sprouts |I have perfected my method for preparing Brussels sprouts. I used to do dumb stuff like steam them, which was fast, but not as tasty. Or I'd just full-on roast them, which was yummy but took forever. This method takes about 15 minutes from start to finish and they are toasty on the outside, smooth on the inside. Perfection. If you've always been scared of Brussels sprouts, give this a try. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.<br />
<br />
<ol>
<li>Turn on your oven to 400.</li>
<li>Heat a cast iron skillet with a good high-heat oil in it (i.e. not olive oil) on the stovetop. My preference is coconut oil, but canola works fine, too.</li>
<li>As the oil melts, you can pop small sprouts in whole. Cut the larger ones in half and toss them in as you go. </li>
<li>Stir as it heats so things will get evenly browned. I like to add a small nob of butter here, too, but you don't have to. </li>
<li>Once they've been cooking for about 5 minutes, you are ready for the oven. </li>
<li>I like to season mine with salt, pepper, and some red pepper flakes before they go into the oven. </li>
<li>Let them cook in the oven for 10 minutes. </li>
<li>Stir. Squeeze a little lemon on and let them cool a bit. </li>
</ol>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Fun story about Brussels sprouts: I can still clearly remember the first time I ever saw/ate one. I was probably 14 or 15 years old and visiting my grandma in the hospital. The options in the cafeteria were limited and my mom told me the Brussels sprouts would taste like cabbage. I loved cabbage, so I got some. They were AMAZING. I was instantly in love. I'm pretty sure they were just boiled or heated from frozen or something, so, in retrospect, probably not the best ever. But I was enamored. I told my husband this story and he said, "Some people are just destined to become vegetarians, I guess."</div>
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<br /></div>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-635853081976275772.post-15326757976939079172014-08-04T22:57:00.000-04:002014-08-04T23:01:10.048-04:00| method: soup |I love soup. Always have. Once I figured out the basic method for making soup, I was in soup heaven. Here is my basic technique. It's a great way to use up whatever you have in the fridge and make a hearty meal or two or four. I love to make a big pot of soup at the beginning of the week for my lunches. I take a mason jar full of soup and my favorite easy salad for lunch all week long. (Sidenote: favorite easy salad is arugula with a diced hardboiled egg, olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper.)<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Okay. Soup-making time.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
1) Fat and aromatics.</div>
<div>
Get some fat going in a big pot. Olive oil, coconut oil, canola oil, butter, whatever. </div>
<div>
Add in your aromatics. Things like onion, leeks, shallots, garlic, carrots, celery. Whatever you want. Tip: if you're doing garlic, don't go too hot or it will burn. Keep on a medium heat.</div>
<div>
Saute until they start to get soft.</div>
<div>
(Meanwhile: heat up your broth. I usually heat water in an electric tea kettle and add the liquid veggie bouillon to it. You could also just heat broth in a separate pot, of course.)</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
3) Other veggies and seasonings (maybe).</div>
<div>
Rule of thumb: if you're using dried seasonings, add them now. If you don't know what kind of herb to put in, I find oregano or thyme are often a good bet. I also love to add just a hint of crushed red pepper to almost anything. (If you're using fresh herbs, save for later.)</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Another fun option is to add in some wine here. A cup or two of your favorite and then save the rest of the bottle for dinner.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Add in other veggies in order of hardness. So if you've got things like cabbage, peppers, zucchini, potatoes add them sooner. Save stuff like kale, spinach, or other greens for later. Cook for a while until it starts to get softer. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
4) Protein, broth and simmering. </div>
<div>
If you're adding a protein, now is the time. Beans, cooked lentils, etc.<br />
<br />
Add enough broth to cover everything. This is also a great time to add something like a can of diced tomatoes or tomato paste. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Simmer for a while to let the flavors start to mix together. (Side note: now is also a good time for grains if you're into that: small pasta, rice, bulgur, quinoa, couscous.)</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
5) Finishing.</div>
<div>
If you have remaining fresh herbs, now is the time. Salt and pepper, too. When in doubt, fresh parsley is never a bad bet. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
It's also a great time to finish with other options:</div>
<div>
- dash of vinegar (red wine vinegar or rice white vinegar are often lovely)</div>
<div>
- dash of lemon juice</div>
<div>
- milk is a good option (temper* it first so it won't curdle)</div>
<div>
- plain yogurt adds nice tang, or sour cream (again, temper*)</div>
<div>
- a can of evaporated milk makes things really creamy</div>
<div>
- note: do NOT mix acids with dairy or things will curdle</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
*Tempering is when you try to bring the dairy up to a similar temperature as the soup. So put your dairy in a separate container and then ladle in some of the broth and stir until the milk mixture starts to get pretty warm. Then stir it all into the soup slowly. Make sure the soup is either on low or off by the time you do all of this. </div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-635853081976275772.post-48817431411507542832014-08-04T22:46:00.001-04:002014-08-05T10:40:03.274-04:00| method: salad dressing |I am big on knowing METHODS for making things so that I can just make them up as needed, without a recipe. Here are two of my methods for making salad dressing.<br />
<br />
BASIC ANY KIND OF DRESSING<br />
You need to work with 1 part olive oil, 1 part canola (or other veggie oil) and 1 parts acid. So, for example, 1 T of EACH oil and 1 T of acid. The two kinds of oil are important because if you just use olive oil it will harden in the fridge. And if you just use canola oil, it will taste bad. :-)<br />
<br />
For the acid, you can use any kind of vinegar or lemon juice. Probably other citrus, too, though I haven't tried that. I have used white vinegar, apple cider vinegar, red wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar. Rice wine vinegar is one of my favorites.<br />
<br />
Then you need some kind of sweetener. I kind of eyeball that, but if you don't want it too sweet, go with about 1/2 of one of your other parts. So, if you're doing 1 T of each oil, go with about 1/2 T of the sweetener. Good sweets are honey, sugar, jam, agave, brown sugar.<br />
<br />
Salt and pepper. Whatever seasonings you want. Good options are things like oregano, thyme, rosemary, parsley, basil, cumin, turmeric, dill seed, celery seed. Pretty much anything, really.<br />
<br />
I like to use jars that already have markings on them (baby bottles are GREAT!) or just take a mason jar and mark it up on the side with your amounts. Pour in your oils and your acid. Add the sugar and seasonings. Shake and shake. Refrigerate whatever you don't use.<br />
<br />
BALSAMIC VARIATIONS<br />
When I am in a hurry, I often just throw together 2 parts olive oil, 1 part balsamic and then some nice jam. Raspberry, strawberry, apricot. All are delicious.<br />
<br />
Another option is to do 2 parts olive oil, 1 part balsamic, and then a touch of high quality whole grain mustard (dijon will work in a pinch, too.)<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-635853081976275772.post-35290609640712369042013-05-05T13:21:00.000-04:002013-05-05T13:21:07.827-04:00| green pasta |I have had <a href="http://www.vegalicious.org/2008/01/23/pasta-primavera-with-creamy-spinach-sauce/" target="_blank">this recipe</a> in my "recipes to try" file for ages, but just now finally got around to it. As usual, I tweaked it according to the items we had on hand and my basic laziness. It turned out great. A nice simple pasta dish that is super fast and versatile. This sauce would work well with virtually any veggie and I think next time we'll add some chickpeas or white beans for protein.<br />
<br />
I made the sauce ahead of time and left it in the fridge in a mason jar. Then when it was time to cook I just shook it up and heated it. The entire thing took less than 30 minutes from start to finish. WIN.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>GREEN PASTA</b><br />
1 T olive oil (or your favorite fat)<br />
1 box frozen spinach<br />
1 bag frozen peas<br />
1 1/2 cup whole milk (or lighter or heavier, according to your preferences)<br />
1 T veggie bouillon powder (chicken would be fine, too)<br />
2 t cornstarch<br />
1 t sesame oil (I used toasted for extra flavor)<br />
1 T whole grain mustard (I am a sucker for Maille)<br />
2 T chopped fresh parsley<br />
12-16 oz pasta (I used rotini)<br />
<br />
Ahead of time prep: Pour boiling water onto the spinach and let it sit for a while to get thawed out (a few hours?). Drain before using. Put peas on counter to thaw, too. Combine the milk through mustard in a container to save prep time.<br />
<br />
To cook: Bring water to a boil for your pasta. While pasta is cooking, put 1 T oil in a sauce pan and add the spinach (squeezed out first). Warm it, then add the milk mixture and cook until the sauce is warm and starting to thicken. Add the peas and warm again. Add the parsley. Once the pasta is done, drain it and then toss it with the sauce. Salt and pepper to taste.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-635853081976275772.post-36217221326293215452013-04-19T15:25:00.000-04:002013-04-19T15:25:36.853-04:00| spanakopita game-changer |I have always been a big fan of spanakopita. And it's always seemed easy to make, but every time I've tried it, it's never come out right. Finally, I decided to learn how to make the pointy little triangles (rather than cutting slices out of a pan). I used the <a href="http://www.spatulatta.com/recipes/94-its-greek-week-with-guest-cook-peter/466-folding-spanakopita" target="_blank">method </a>to fold happy little triangles. It was so incredibly easy. Only, instead of using butter, I used non-stick cooking spray making it approximately 1.2 billion times easier. I am never brushing butter onto phyllo dough again. Ever.<br />
<br />
Once I got going, I made myself a little assembly line: I'd spray a sheet and fold it in half, then repeat three times until my prep area was full. Then I'd give all four long ribbons of phyllo a spray and put about a tablespoon of filling at the top and slowly triangle-roll them down. One last hit with the spray once they were on the sheet and I baked them for 20 minutes. They are golden, non-leaky and delicious.<br />
<br />
You can use any filling you want, of course. I just kind of threw these things into a food processor and whirred them up:<br />
- 10 ounce package of frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed thoroughly<br />
- 1/2 c chopped green onions<br />
- 1/2 c fresh parsley<br />
- 1/3 cup cottage cheese<br />
- 1/4 cup parmesan<br />
- 4 ounces feta, crumbled<br />
- 1 egg<br />
- salt and pepper to taste<br />
<br />
So now, of course, I want to make a MILLION KIND OF PHYLLO DOUGH TRIANGLES! What other fillings should I try? (need to be vegetarian, please)<br />
<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-635853081976275772.post-91260585813962194562013-03-22T12:41:00.000-04:002013-03-22T12:41:09.968-04:00| my 13 month old says "water kefir" |Y'all this may be one of the most exciting food developments I've had in my life in years. I recently discovered the joys of water kefering (yes, I just used it as a verb. I have no idea if that's possible.).<br />
<br />
I have long had a nasty Diet Coke soda. Just ask anyone I went to graduate school with. McDonalds Diet Coke is the best Diet Coke in the world, btw. But I am really trying to kick the aspartame habit, so I've been in search of a somewhat healthy, fizzy alternative. I've been drinking plain sparkling water for a while, but it is so, well, PLAIN. Finally, though, I've found it. Water kefir is a healthy, home-brewed, fruity, slightly sweet, fizzy probiotic drink. Imagine a really really weak beer with fruit in it. Or a very weak wine cooler. There, that's water kefir. This stuff is blowing my mind. Sometimes during the day I find myself craving a Diet Coke and then I think, "No, no. I'm going to have water kefir tonight. It's all good."<br />
<br />
Water kefir is different than dairy kefir (which if you've actually happened to have heard of kefir, is probably what you are familiar with). Dairy kefir is sour and tastes like yogurt or buttermilk. Water kefir is not at all sour. Although water kefir and dairy kefir are made with different starters, the concept is the same and both result in a healthy beverage filled with probiotics.<br />
<br />
How does one make water kefir? Well, first you have to procure some water kefir grains. These little globulues of translucent white goodness are not actually grains at all, so no worries if you're gluten-free. They are called grains but they are actually just bundles of good bacteria. Before you get all grossed out by that, just think about yeast. They are like yeast.<br />
<br />
So what you do is you get some water kefir grains from a friend or by purchasing them online. These little ladies live off of sugar water. You need about 1/4 cup of water kefir grains to make a quart of water kefir. I'm not going to go into tons of details about how exactly to make your kefir because there are about a million other blogs that already do that. Use the google.<br />
<br />
I have been kefiring for a couple of weeks and have a good system down. I put my grains in a quart mason jar with 1/4 cup sugar and boiled tap water (that has been cooled). I add a few raisins for the mineral content (bonus: you can tell the kefir is almost done when the raisins all float to the top). I slap a coffee filter on there so dust doesn't fall in. I leave it there around 24-36 hours, and taste it to see when it's done. I like mine to be much less sweet than sugar water, but still a little sweet. (Side note: although you are putting a ton of sugar into this to start, apparently as it ferments the grains eat up the sugar and turn it into a simpler form of sugar that is easier to digest and has fewer calories).<br />
<br />
After that, the first fermentation is done and things get really fun. I pour mine into two pint jars, straining out the kefir grains and raisins. The raisins go in the trash (I haven't been brave enough to compost them....I'm just not sure if that's okay). The grains go right back into a fresh batch of sugar water. They can be used again and again. You can also put them on hiatus if you need a break. Over time they are also known to multiply, giving you grains to share with your friends (or to start making two quarts at a time - holla!).<br />
<br />
With my two pint jars of plain kefir, I add flavors for the second fermentation. Here is what I've done so far:<br />
<u>Favorites</u><br />
Blueberry, Strawberry (alone or together. I've noticed frozen fruit works great)<br />
Dried cherries<br />
Raisins (and then add vanilla right before drinking)<br />
Mango<br />
Apple cores<br />
<br />
<u>Just Okay</u><br />
Just vanilla (added right before drinking)<br />
Kiwi<br />
Fresh blackberries<br />
<br />
<u>Not Tasty</u><br />
Frozen cherries<br />
Fresh raspberries<br />
Dried apricots<br />
Anything with lemon or lime. I thought this would be awesome, but it was way too strong. I need to try again.<br />
<br />
So after another 24-48 hours, you are finally done. I burp my jars every day. If you want them to get very carbonated, put on a tight lid. If you're not into carbonation, use a coffee filter again. When it tastes yummy, strain out the fruit, put them in the fridge and enjoy. I like mine really cold, so I try to be patient. Again, it's good to burp every day or so.<br />
<br />
This stuff is amazing. I can't get enough of it. It's easy, cheap, fun, and tastes seriously good. My kids like it, too. Plus, I don't have to remember to take a daily probiotic (which, let's be honest, I never remembered to do). Oh, one last tip, I did read somewhere online to ease into it if your tummy isn't used to probiotics (from a pill, dairy kefir, or quality yogurt). I started by drinking a cup a day and had no problems, but my tummy is also pretty used to probiotics.<br />
<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-635853081976275772.post-36504698482818316192013-02-21T15:51:00.002-05:002021-06-12T15:50:36.090-04:00| cheap red wine lentils |About a month ago, I was invited to a potluck lunch with some midwives. I love spending time with amazing women and I had a hunch that midwives would know how to COOK, so I went. I was not disappointed. This is, most definitely, the best lentil recipe I have ever tried (and, believe you me, I have tried many). I want to carry it in my pocket to hand out to people when they ask me what to cook with lentils. Which actually happens pretty often. Last week I was buying lentils at the store and the cashier said, "What do these taste like? I see people buying them all the time." I replied, "Um....they kind of taste like beans. They kind of take on the taste of whatever you cook them in. I don't recommend eating them plain because they also taste like dirt."<br />
<br />
I am seriously thinking about printing this recipe and taking it to her so she can go to lentil heaven. And I hate using my printer. This recipe is that good.<br />
<br />
<b>CHEAP RED WINE LENTILS</b><br />
(Original recipe from Deborah Madison's <i>The Savory Way </i>but it has been altered a bit)<br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; font-size: 16px;">You can use regular old lentils, no problem, but those little French green ones make the best version. Here's the straight recipe (which you should double if you want to feed more than 3 people), plus my comments:</span><br style="font-family: "times new roman", "new york", times, serif; font-size: 16px;" /><br style="font-family: "times new roman", "new york", times, serif; font-size: 16px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; font-size: 16px;">1 cup</span><span style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold;"> lentils</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; font-size: 16px;">: soak in hot water while you get started.</span><br style="font-family: "times new roman", "new york", times, serif; font-size: 16px;" /><br style="font-family: "times new roman", "new york", times, serif; font-size: 16px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; font-size: 16px;">Melt together in a large pot 1T each </span><span style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold;">butter </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; font-size: 16px;">and </span><span style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold;">olive oil</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; font-size: 16px;">, and in them fry up a finely diced small </span><span style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold;">onion</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; font-size: 16px;">, 2 </span><span style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold;">garlic</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; font-size: 16px;"> cloves, 2 </span><span style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold;">bay leaves</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; font-size: 16px;">, and a pinch each of </span><span style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold;">thyme</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; font-size: 16px;"> and </span><span style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold;">marjoram</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; font-size: 16px;">. Add a handful of finely chopped </span><span style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold;">flat-leaf parsley</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; font-size: 16px;">, and stir in a spoonful (t or T) of </span><span style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold;">tomato paste</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; font-size: 16px;">. Here comes the fun part: pour in 2 cups of cheap, fruity</span><span style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold;"> red wine</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; font-size: 16px;"> (this is the perfect use for boxed wine; I used Franzia's sangria wine for the ones you had) and bring it to a boil. Let it boil off the alcohol for a full minute, dump in the soaked lentils, plus some </span><span style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold;">salt</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; font-size: 16px;">, return to a boil and then turn it down and let them slow cook. Depending on how much water they soaked up, you may need to add </span><span style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold;">more</span><span style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold;"> liquid</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; font-size: 16px;">. It can be water or broth; the batch you tasted had a fair amount homemade turkey stock in it, and I do think that enriches the dish.</span><br style="font-family: "times new roman", "new york", times, serif; font-size: 16px;" /><br style="font-family: "times new roman", "new york", times, serif; font-size: 16px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; font-size: 16px;">Expect to cook them 40-60 minutes. Check for saltiness and correct that, then before serving give them a dash of </span><span style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold;">red wine vinegar</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; font-size: 16px;"> to spike everything up, a bunch of</span><span style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold;"> black pepper</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; font-size: 16px;">, and if you are so inclined, another T or 2 of melted </span><span style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold;">butter</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; font-size: 16px;"> or really good </span><span style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold;">olive oil</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; font-size: 16px;">. Throw another handful of</span><span style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold;">parsley</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; font-size: 16px;"> in/on, and that's it. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; font-size: 16px;">The friend I got it from told me it goes great with fine toast. I went out on a limb and make some buttermilk biscuits to go with it. Don't have a favorite buttermilk biscuits recipe? I gotcha covered. This recipe is from a friend of mine who is from Alabama, so you know you're in good hands.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; font-size: 16px;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; font-size: 16px;"><b>JUDGE ADLER'S BUTTERMILK BISCUITS</b></span><br /><span style="font-family: times new roman, new york, times, serif;">2 1/4 cups flour </span><div><span style="font-family: times new roman, new york, times, serif;">1 T baking powder</span><br />
<span style="font-family: times new roman, new york, times, serif;">1 t sugar</span><br />
<span style="font-family: times new roman, new york, times, serif;">1/2 t salt</span><br />
<span style="font-family: times new roman, new york, times, serif;">1/4 t baking soda</span><br />
<span style="font-family: times new roman, new york, times, serif;">1/3 cup shortening or butter</span><br />
<span style="font-family: times new roman, new york, times, serif;">1 c buttermilk (you can put 1 T of lemon juice in a measuring cup and then fill to 1 cup. Let stand 5 minutes to curdle)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: times new roman, new york, times, serif;">Melted butter for the tops</span><br />
<span style="font-family: times new roman, new york, times, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: times new roman, new york, times, serif;">1) Heat oven to 450.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: times new roman, new york, times, serif;">2) Mix dry ingredients and cut in the fat. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: times new roman, new york, times, serif;">3) Add the buttermilk slowly, stirring as you go. The mixture should pull away from the sides and form a very wet dough.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: times new roman, new york, times, serif;">4) Roll out on a floured surface. I don't even use a rolling pin...just kind of smoosh it down. You want it to be thick - about 3/4-1 inch thick. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: times new roman, new york, times, serif;">5) Cut into 3 inch rounds (I use a juice glass). </span><br />
<span style="font-family: times new roman, new york, times, serif;">6) Place on ungreased baking sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes. Brush tops with butter and bake a few more minutes, until golden brown.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: times new roman, new york, times, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: times new roman, new york, times, serif;">Yield: 7-9 biscuits</span><div><br /></div><div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, system-ui, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">TIPS:</div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, system-ui, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">- I like to shape my dough into a big rectangle, then fold in half and turn, then smoosh into another rectangle, fold in half and turn....I do this 3-4 times to make good layers. </div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, system-ui, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">- I cut my biscuits into squares because it’s easier</div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, system-ui, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">- place them near each other but not touching and they’ll snuggle up and get tall together</div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, system-ui, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">- if you have plain yogurt on hand, you can bloop some of that in as a sub for buttermilk....so I put 1-2 T in the bottom of a cup measure, then bloop in a big spoonful of yogurt, then fill up with milk to 1 cup</div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, system-ui, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, system-ui, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div style="color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: medium; white-space: normal;"><span style="font-family: times new roman, new york, times, serif;">Shortcake Variation!</span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: medium; white-space: normal;"><span style="font-family: times new roman, new york, times, serif;">You can also use this biscuit recipe to make shortbread by just increasing the sugar to about 1/3-1/2 cup. Y</span><span style="color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, system-ui, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">ou can also crumble some sugar on top at the end when you brush on the butter.</span></div><div><span style="color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, system-ui, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div></div>
<span style="font-family: times new roman, new york, times, serif;"><br /></span></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-635853081976275772.post-70381884655168652802013-02-18T09:28:00.004-05:002013-02-18T09:28:51.560-05:00| better than canned |<span style="font-family: Helvetica;">I know this may come as a surprise to you, but I secretly love spaghettios. Well, I thought I did. But I bought a can about a year ago and almost gagged when I tried it. Not sure why...I loved those things as a kid. Luckily for me, one of my friends gave me a recipe for something she calls wagon wheel pasta that tastes a lot like the spaghettios of my memory. Here is my version:</span><br style="font-family: Helvetica;" /><br style="font-family: Helvetica;" /><span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><b>SPAGHETTIOS FOR ADULTS</b></span><br style="font-family: Helvetica;" /><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">12 ounce box of ditallini (or other tiny pasta)</span><br style="font-family: Helvetica;" /><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">1 can tomato paste</span><br style="font-family: Helvetica;" /><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">1/2 t garlic powder</span><br style="font-family: Helvetica;" /><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">1 T sugar</span><br style="font-family: Helvetica;" /><br style="font-family: Helvetica;" /><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">Combine tomato sauce with about two cans of water, garlic, and sugar. Bring to a boil. Add pasta and reduce to a simmer. Cook until pasta is done. Stir frequently or it will get stuck to the bottom. If it gets too dry, just add more water.</span><br style="font-family: Helvetica;" /><br style="font-family: Helvetica;" /><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">And while I am on the subject of recipes that are better than canned....can I get a holla for homemade <b>FRUIT SALAD</b>? My favorite thing right now is to cut up a bunch of fruit (pineapples, strawberries, kiwis, bananas, apples) and then add a healthy dose of lemon juice and some sugar and water. Then...the secret ingredient? A dash of cinnamon. So good.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-635853081976275772.post-31186661759380120142013-02-07T08:57:00.002-05:002013-02-07T08:57:24.869-05:00| shepherd's pie again |I've been making vegetarian shepherd's pie for several years now. It's always a little different and has never been quite tasty enough for me to write down the recipe. Last week I made two - one for us and one I took over to a friend. She reported back to me that her preschooler ate two slices (my preschooler, on the other hand, never touched his, though he did enjoy helping make the pie). She asked me to write down the recipe, so here it is. I do think this one was finally worth writing down.<br />
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<b>VEGETARIAN SHEPHERD'S PIE</b><br />
You've got basically four components happening here: mashed potatoes, lentil filling, cream of mushroom sauce, and pie crust. If you need to shortcut you can obviously use cream of mushroom condensed soup (I'd add a little milk) and ready-made pie crusts. But if you're going fully from scratch, here's everything you need to do.<br />
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<br />
<ol>
<li>Boil water and peel potatoes. You're going to need a fair amount of mashed potatoes for the top of your pie. I'm going to assume you know how to make mashed potatoes. I'd recommend using about 2 pounds of raw potatoes.</li>
<li>Heat your favorite cooking oil in a wide saucepan that has a lid (you'll need it later). Dice a small onion, a couple cloves of garlic, one green pepper, and about a cup of mushrooms. Saute them until they start to get soft.</li>
<li>Add about 1/2 cup of dry, uncooked lentils to the saute. Keep it heating for about 5 minutes as the lentils get toasty.</li>
<li>Add some seasonings - I like to use thyme, paprika, marjoram, poultry seasoning, oregano (maybe not all at once, but some combination of them). Also salt and pepper.</li>
<li>Add about a cup of red wine. Doesn't have to be the good stuff. Stir and reduce the heat so the mixture just simmers. Cover it up.</li>
<li>Keep an eye on your lentils as you make the pie crust. When the liquid gets all absorbed check to see if the lentils are done. If they are not, then add more wine (you didn't drink the rest of the bottle did you?) and keep coking.</li>
<li>Pie crust. Use your favorite recipe. If you don't have one, I like <a href="http://allrecipes.com/recipe/basic-flaky-pie-crust/" target="_blank">this one</a> and I use refined coconut oil in it instead of shortening, which I never have on hand.</li>
<li>Almost done! You need cream of mushroom soup. It's actually pretty darn easy to make. Chop up about 1/2 cup of mushrooms very fine. Heat 2 T of butter in a saucepan. Once it is melted, add the mushrooms. Once they are looking sautéed, add 2 T of flour and stir until the flour starts to get a little golden. Add 1 cup of milk and continue stirring over medium heat until it thickens. Turn it off.</li>
<li>When your lentils are done and you've got your potatoes mashed, assemble the pie. Dump your mushroom soup into the lentil mixture (the wine should be all cooked off). Pour the lentil/soup mixture into the pie crust. Top with potatoes. Bake at 350 for about 45 minutes, or until the crust looks golden. </li>
</ol>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-635853081976275772.post-56155045116077804662013-02-06T18:08:00.001-05:002013-02-06T18:08:04.031-05:00| cooking up cleaners | <span style="font-family: Helvetica;">If you cook, you probably also have to clean. I've been making my own cleaning recipes for about a decade now and I thought it might be nice to share my three absolute favorites. These are the ones I use on a weekly basis. If I were better at cleaning, I'd probably use them on a daily basis, but, whatever.</span><br />
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All you need to make the recipes below is:</div>
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- water</div>
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- tea tree oil</div>
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- baking soda</div>
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- liquid dish soap</div>
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- olive oil</div>
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- lemon juice</div>
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Chances are good you already have most of these sitting around in your house!</div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
ALL PURPOSE SPRITZER</div>
<div>
For cleaning up countertops after cooking, light dusting on non-wood surfaces, and anything I'd usually use 409 on I use a spray bottle filled with water and about 10-20 drops of tea tree oil. Tea tree is a natural disinfectant and has a nice smell (at least I think so - if you end up hating it, use lavender instead. It also has antibacterial properties.). You can keep this on hand indefinitely.</div>
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If I get sick of the tea tree smell, I sometimes go back to a vinegar/water mix. I do about half and half. Same uses.</div>
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NATURAL SOFT SCRUB</div>
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For my kitchen sink, stovetop and all my bathroom surfaces I make up a batch of soft scrub. This one you have to make each time you use it, but it takes all of 15 second to whip up. If I'm cleaning a bunch of stuff, I'll put about 1/4 to 1/2 cup of baking soda in a cup and then add about 1-2 tablespoons of liquid detergent. I stir it up well and then lather it on a sponge for cleaning. If I'm just cleaning the sink or the stovetop, I just sprinkle the baking soda directly on the wet surface, then squirt on soap and rub it all together with the sponge.</div>
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WOOD CLEANER</div>
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For everyday cleaning of our wood table, I usually just spray it down with the tea tree water (warning: don't use the vinegar spray on wood). Once a week or so, I do a more thorough cleaning with olive oil and lemon juice. I take an old prefold diaper (any soft cloth will work but diapers are awesome because they are so soft and absorbent in the middle) and pour on about a tablespoon of oil. Then I take my fancy schmancy bottle of "real lemon" lemon juice out of the fridge and pour on an equal amount of lemon juice. I rub it all over the table and then use a tea towel or other clean cloth to buff off any oily residue. The table looks and smells amazing. And that's saying a lot considering our table is a 12 year old JC Penney special that we bought for about $200. </div>
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If you use real lemons you could also take the juiced peels and rub them all over your kitchen sink to help it smell yummy. Another good use for lemon peels is cleaning wood cutting boards. Put a healthy amount of coarse kosher salt on the cutting board, then scrub it all around with the lemon peel. Let it rest for a minute or two, then rise off.</div>
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So there they are. My favorite cleaning recipes. If you just used these three recipes above, you could, quite literally clean most of your house. And you could stop wasting your money on $7 bottles of stuff that pretend to be organic and natural. Speaking of which, if you can handle coarse language, you need to<a href="http://www.raginggardeners.com/homemade-citrus-vinegar-cleaning-spray/" target="_blank"> check this out</a> because it's hilarious. </div>
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<br style="font-family: Helvetica;" /><br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-635853081976275772.post-30965281987342649242013-01-29T20:30:00.003-05:002013-01-29T20:30:55.361-05:00| savory corn fritters |I was bored with my kids' lunches and saw a recipe for corn pancakes which made me hungry. But I wasn't really excited about sweet pancakes, so I made up this recipe for some savory corn fritters. I am not a southerner, but I think they turned out pretty tasty. They taste like corn casserole in a more portable form. I think it's the coconut oil that made the recipe. I've had this stuff on hand for months now, using it for skin and hair, but just finally got brave enough to start cooking with it. Man, they aren't kidding when they say this stuff is good for frying. If you don't have coconut oil on hand, I'm sure any ol' fat will do ya - veggie oil, butter, bacon grease (but you didn't hear that from me).<br />
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SAVORY CORN FRITTERS<br />
3 eggs<br />
1/2 c flour<br />
1/2 c corn meal or dry polenta<br />
2 T butter, melted<br />
1/2 c buttermilk (or mix 1/2 T lemon juice with 1/2 c milk and let it rest for 5 minutes)<br />
1/2 t salt<br />
dash of cayenne pepper<br />
1/4 t paprika<br />
pepper<br />
15 oz canned corn, drained<br />
1/8 c bell peppers, minced finely<br />
<br />
1) Whip up the eggs. Then add the flour, corn meal, and butter. Add the milk until you reach the consistency of pancake batter. Stir in the seasonings. Stir in the corn and peppers.<br />
2) Melt about 2 T coconut oil in a skillet (electric griddles are great, of course). Use 1/4 c for each fritter and fry for about 3-5 minutes on each side.<br />
Yield: 10 5-inch frittersUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0