28 Meals Later

It's Been Way Too Long...

2009-06-15T17:49:00.000-07:00

I was at a barbecue with my parents yesterday and my mother mentioned to another attendee that I had a foodie blog that I hadn't made a post in since (Gasp) May! So today I sat down and decided I would attend to said blog. But then I noticed my dogs pacing in circles around the kitchen and dining room and realized it was nearly 6 pm and they hadn't had their evening walk. So, again, I walked away from the lap top... and the blog. I've been busy, doing what exactly, I have no idea.

The dogs have been walked and fed and now I'm on on my patio with a pale ale and my lap top and I'm ready to rock. The point is that I'm back, and possibly in full effect.

Unfortunately I don't have an idea for an "official post" but here are some photos to let you know what I've been up to in the last few weeks.

Poor Man's Coq au Vin

Turkey Spinach Meatloaf with Mashed Red Potatoes and Zucchini

My Husband's Grilled Chicken

Spinach Ricotta Stuffed Pork Chop Over Polenta with Chardonnay Gravy

Enchilada Suizas with Refried Black Beans and Basmati Rice

Wild Mushroom lasagna served with Filet and Broccolini

Thai Pork 2 ways with Yellow Curry and Sesame Lime Jus

Breakfast of Cranberry, Orange & Pecan Scones with Cherries

Above Scones with Homemade Blackberry Cherry Jam

Tonight with Happy Dog and Lap Top

Sausage and Greens

2009-05-20T09:59:00.000-07:00

My blog program has been acting up lately so I haven't posted because I haven't had the time or want to deal with it. I actually tried to post yesterday but the formatting got totally screwed, so hopefully I can muddle through it today.

This year is the first year my husband and I have had a real garden. It's our first home and the first time we've had space to do anything more than some potted tomatoes and herbs. We have mountains of zucchini that are nearly ready for harvest and lots of tomatoes and herbs. We also have collard greens, and lots of them. They were actually a mistake, my husband hates greens and I meant to plant broccoli. So I have been trying to find ways to use them so my husband will eat them and enjoy it.

I found this recipe for a sausage and collard green pasta a few weeks ago and I tried it on myself. I love collard greens and pretty much any type of greens for that matter, so this was right up my alley. The pairing of the sausage gave the dish enough flavor so that the greens were not too bitter or overpowering. I'm going to try this dish on my husband tomorrow, hopefully with good results.

Ingredients:

1 bunch collard greens, about 1 lb. stems removed, cut in half lengthwise, then sliced crosswise into half inch slices ( I remove the full vein out because I think the texture is better)

3 T olive oil

1 T minced garlic (I used 2 cloves and will use 3 next time)

1 t hot pepper flakes (she says this is optional, but I think it is a must)

5 links hot turkey Italian Sausage 12 oz. ( I would say 1 link per person is about right, so I'll use 2)

Pasta (she uses 3/4 of a box or about 6 servings, I will probably use 1/2 a box)

salt-pepper to taste

Grated parmesan

Directions:

Bring small pot of water to boil, add sausage and cook at low boil 10 minutes

Let sausage cool and slice

Bring large pot of water to a boil, add sliced collards and boil 5-7 minutes, until tender

Remove collards from water, keep water in the pot and bring back to a boil

When water comes to a boil, add pasta and a small amount of salt and cook 9-10 minutes

Reserve 1 cup pasta water then drain pasta

While pasta cooks, in large skillet, heat 2 T olive oil and add sliced sausage and brown until well browned on both sides

Remove sausage and add remaining T olive oil and garlic and red pepper and cook 2 minutes, scraping bottom of pan to get browned sausage bits

Add collards and saute 2 minutes, then add pasta and enough cooking liquid to moisten dish, and cook 2 minutes more

Taste and season with salt and pepper

Serve hot with freshly grated parmesan cheese.

Flexible Caserole Recipe

2009-05-18T08:18:00.000-07:00

I love lifehacker.com so much, even more so when they feature recipes or cooking tips. The feature today was on an easy and flexible casserole recipe.

Flexible Casserole Ingredients:

1 cup main ingredient (protein)
1 cup second ingredient (vegetable)
1-2 cups starchy ingredient (pasta, rice, etc)
1 1/2 cups binder (sour cream, milk, canned soup, etc)
1/4 cup "goodie" (cheese, nuts, butter, etc)
seasoning (salt, pepper, garlic, etc)
topping ( french fried onions, breadcrumbs, etc)

You can read the full article and cooking instructions at lifehacker.com and the simple dollar.

Epicurious Top 30 Cake Recipes

2009-05-14T09:47:00.000-07:00

So I decided to start a little diet yesterday and this morning my boss sent me an article, Thirty Top Rated Cakes from Epicurious.com. She's the devil. By cake number 2, I was literally salivating. Coconut cake... I pine for you.

But Seriously, how good does that look. I'm thinking about trying a healthier version of a carrot cake for a dinner I'm having this weekend. Substituting whole wheat flour and then applesauce for some of the oil. I'll still do a yummy cream cheese frosting, just with less sugar. I'd love to try to make a coconut cake healthier, but even in theory, it just won't work.

I'll let you know how everything turns out.

Diet!!! Yuck

2009-05-13T10:29:00.000-07:00

So I want to lose 14 pounds and a lot of my recipes don't exactly fit into the diet category. Almost everything I make is nutritious, I'm lucky that I love vegetables and whole grains, but it's not exactly diet-worthy. So now I have to somewhat overhaul the way I eat, which is no fun. I feel like my bread making hay day may be coming to a standstill.

I know that cutting out the sugar is my first step. Sad, that means no more honey pecan pork chops... Is a tablespoon of honey okay? I was thinking of maybe doing a citrus garlic pork chop instead. That might work. Then there's carbs, ugh.

I like to run, so I am a strong believer in carb loading on bread and pasta. Oh, and beer. I cut out the beer last weekend, so I'm a step ahead of the game. Now I just need to find a good substitute for pasta and bread. But I still need to get my fiber. I love spaghetti squash, so I think I'll be eating much more of that. I'll let you know what I find as a good substitute for bread.

If you guys have any good suggestions for healthy, high fiber desserts and breads, help me out. I know I'll need it.

Honey Pecan Pork Chops

2009-05-07T08:39:00.001-07:00

A few nights ago I made a delicious and easy meal. We're talking under 10 ingredients, very little prep, and maybe 15 minutes total in cooking time. I think this dish will definitely be a repeat in our household. I found the recipe here.
I love pork and tend to do the same old meal over and over with it. I just started grilling it a few months ago which has helped to liven up the dinner repertoire. I love this meal because I'm really interested in 10 item or less meals now. I may have to add that as a new category because we all need a go to place for great quick and easy dinners.

Ingredients:
4 pork chops- pound thin with meat tenderizer
1/2 c flour
s & p to taste
2 T butter
1/4 c honey
1/4 c chopped pecans

Directions:
Melt butter in saute pan over medium heat
Mix flour and s & p and dredge chops so they are lightly floured on both sides
Add pork to pan and cook until browned ( 5-7 minutes on each side)
Remove pork from pan and add honey and pecans to the left over drippings
You can just pour the honey sauce on the pork chops, but I returned them to the pan to caramelize them. It was just great. I highly recommend this easy dish.
As you can see I served mine with mashed yams and steamed broccoli. The mashed yams just have a little butter, milk, and salt and the broccoli is steamed in water so total number of ingredients is exactly 10. Not too shabby.

Easy Substitutes When Baking

2009-05-07T08:29:00.000-07:00

This happens to me all the time, I'm all set to start cooking and realize I've run out of eggs or milk. I've remedies this by keeping powdered milk and vegan egg substitute on hand at all times. Here is an awesome article from tipnut.com that lists substitutes for those things we may run out of.

I've listed a few great tips below, but go here for the full article.

Buttermilk Substitute: You can substitute 1 cup of buttermilk with the following quick recipe–In a one cup measuring cup, add 1 TBS of vinegar or lemon juice, then top up the rest of the measuring cup with milk. Set aside for 5 minutes, stir, then use as buttermilk in the recipe.

Baking Powder Substitute: Try 1/4 tsp baking soda & 1/2 tsp cream of tartar to substitute for 1 tsp baking powder.

Chocolate Squares Substitute: 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa & 1/4 cup melted Crisco (Substitution for 4 ounces unsweetened chocolate squares).

Fool Proof Pie Crust

2009-05-06T12:52:00.000-07:00

Here's a pie crust recipe from instructables.com that claims to be foolproof. I haven't tried it myself, but I think we all need fool proof recipes in our arsenal. Also, pie crusts are so versatile, you can make a savory or sweet dish. And the ingredients for pie crusts are normally in our cupboards or refrigerators so it's one of those things we can easily whip up and fill with something yummy. Maybe quiche or a vegetable pie would be nice for spring. Be creative.

Ingredients and directions from Instructables.com
To make two 9-inch crusts * 2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour * 1 teaspoon table salt * 2 tablespoons sugar * 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut…

Process 1 1/2 cups flour, salt, and sugar in food processor until combined, about 2 one-second pulses. Add butter and shortening and process until dough just starts to co…

Sprinkle vodka and water over mixture. With rubber spatula, use folding motion to mix, pressing down on dough until dough is slightly tacky and sticks together.

Divide dough into two even balls and flatten each into 4-inch disk. Wrap each in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 45 minutes or up to 2 days.

Once your dough is thoroughly chilled - as firm as a cold stick of butter - it's ready to roll out. Roll the dough out between two pieces of plastic wrap to prevent dough …

My New Obsession... Onion Marmalade

2009-05-06T08:29:00.000-07:00

My boss made meatloaf sandwiches on Monday and one of the condiments she used was onion marmalade mixed with a bit of mayonnaise. It was like heaven; slightly sweet, slightly tart with that wonderful earthy oniony taste. So I've been addicted ever since. Yesterday I had to have a grilled cheese sandwich with the addition of the marmalade.

I know I could go out and buy the stuff, but I've made jam before, so I decided to take a crack at it. I combined a few different recipes to fit my tastes.

About.com Onion Marmalade Recipe

Group Recipes Onion Jam Recipe

Recipe Zaar Red Onion Jam Recipe

Here's what I did

Red Onion Marmalade:

Ingredients:
2 Large red onions (chopped)
4 cloves garlic (chopped)
1 bottle white wine ( I used Charles Shaw Chardonnay because I think $2 wine is more than enough for a condiment)
1 c water
1/2 c sugar
2 T red wine vinegar
1 T olive oil
1 t salt
1/2 t pepper

Directions:

Heat medium, non reactive saucepan to medium low heat and add olive oil
Add chopped onions and garlic and saute, stirring often, until they become translucent, 10-15 minutes
Add remaining ingredients and cook covered for 30 minutes
Turn on exhaust fan, this can get stinky
Uncover pan and turn heat to medium
Cook an additional 45-60 minutes, stirring periodically to make sure nothing is sticking to the bottom, until the liquid has reduced and sauce seems syrupy
This will thicken more upon cooling as well

This should keep for a few weeks in a closed container. It can be used on a variety of meets as a condiment or addition to a sauce. I like it mixed with mayo, but it can also be mixed with cream cheese for a dip. Enjoy

Chocolate Powered Race Car

2009-05-06T08:17:00.000-07:00

Seems like a waste of chocolate to me, but I guess it is sustainable... Thanks to Jalopnik.com via Geekologie for information on this edible vehicle.

A Warwick University-based team has unveiled a Formula 3 race car built using sustainable materials. Its body is made of potatoes, the steering wheel is carrots, and the fuel is derived from chocolate. Delicious.

Chick here to read full article

Gizmodo's 53 foods so Disgusting you May Not Want To Eat Again for A Week

2009-05-05T13:33:00.000-07:00

If you don't read Gizmodo for the gear articles, you have to peruse it for all the weird stuff. Here are some entries from a recent Photoshop contest they held. Enjoy, at your own risk...

Click here to see all the entries.

5 Minute Ice Cream

2009-05-05T13:08:00.001-07:00

Uh Oh, just looking at this made my thighs fatter.

5 minute ice cream

1 pkg frozen fruit

1/2 c sugar

2/3 c heavy cream

1 t vanilla

Place all ingredients in blender and mix until substance resembles ice cream

Thanks to http://www.instructables.com/ for this chilly delight

Rosemary Focaccia

2009-05-01T17:50:00.000-07:00

I love focaccia and it is one of the easiest breads to make. It doesn't require much kneading and it really only needs one rise. It may be the high fat content in the bread, but whatever it is, it's darn good. It's basically a pizza dough without out the work and you can still top it with yummy things like kalamata olives, caramelized onions or just herbs, as I did. I served it along side a meal, so I just used rosemary from my garden as a topping.

I used Tyler Florence's recipe.

Ingredients:

1 pkg yeast
1 cup warm water (110-115 degrees)
2 T sugar
3 1/2 to 4 c flour
1 T salt
1/4 cup olive oil
2 T Rosemary
Cornmeal, for dusting
Cooking spray

Directions:

Proof yeast by stirring it in a large bowl with sugar and the warm water. If you have a standing mixer just put it in the bowl of the mixer for 5-10 minutes until it gets foamy.
Add the salt and stir to combine.
Add the flour a 1/2 c at a time.
Add the olive oil.
If you're using the stand mixer just turn it on medium for 5 minutes and let the mixer do the work, you will only need to knead for a minute at the end. If you are kneading the dough, just knead for 5 minutes on a floured surface until the dough is a little stretchy. Add flour if needed
Roll the dough into a ball and place into a bowl sprayed with cooking spray
Spray the top of the ball with cooking spray and cover with plastic wrap or wet towel
Let rise for 45 minutes until doubled
Spray cookie sheet with cooking spray and dust with cornmeal
Remove dough from bowl and stretch into an oblong shape and place on the sheet
Flatten it out somewhat uniformly then press finger prints into the dough
Sprinkle with rosemary
Preheat oven to 375 degrees
Cover dough with plastic wrap and let rest for 20 minutes
Remove plastic and bake on the bottom rack for 15-20 minutes

Pureed Kohlrabi

2009-04-29T11:38:00.000-07:00

While at the farmer's market this weekend I decided I wanted to try out some new vegetables. One of the most interesting veggies was the kohlrabi; it looks like a little green heart with it's ventricles shooting out into leaves. It was so interesting to me I had to purchase it. I had never seen or heard of kohlrabi before and the person working the stand couldn't tell me much about it, but I knew that Google could. So into my canvas bag it went.

While searching for kohlrabi recipes I found many of the recipes used the kohlrabi only as an addition to a salad, soup or stew. I wanted it as a side dish, but I wanted it to play the main part. That's when I happened upon this recipe from Farmgirl Fare. She even says "For the only thing you should ever be doing with kohlrabi is turning it into puree. Trust me." I trust you Farmgirl, I do. So I began the process of pureeing kohlrabi.

Ingredients:

4 kohlrabi bulbs with leaves

2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil1 large onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 c cultivated mushrooms (I used cremini and oyster), quartered

3 Tablespoons cream (or milk, chicken stock, olive oil, or water) I used skim milk

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

*Trim the kohlrabi bulbs, peeling them if the skins seem tough. Rinse the leaves (discarding any that are yellow) pat them dry, and coarsely chop. Set aside. But the bulbs into 1-inch chunks.

*Bring a saucepan of lightly salted water to a boil, and add the kohlrabi chunks. Reduce the heat and simmer until tender, about 15 minutes.

*Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a skillet. Add the onion and saute over medium-low heat until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, another 1 to 2 minutes. Do not let garlic brown.

*Add the mushrooms and the reserved kohlrabi leaves to the skillet. Cover, and cook 5 minutes. Then uncover, and cook, stirring, until all the liquid has evaporated, 3 minutes. Set the skillet aside.

*Drain the kohlrabi chunks and place them in the bowl of a food processor

At this point she suggests blending everything together, but I blended the chunks alone and they turn into this beautiful light green puree with a lovely mild broccoli taste.

Then I added the dark green leave and mushroom puree mixture

*Transfer the puree to a saucepan and reheat over low heat, stirring, 2 minutes.
*Makes 6 portions

I will definitely make kohlrabi again. I think that next time I will use the leaves as greens and just use the bulb for the puree because it really was so tasty.

Spinach, Mushroom, and Sun-Dried Tomato Salad

2009-04-28T08:43:00.000-07:00

My husband and I have recently started harvesting vegetables from our tiny home garden. We're still waiting for green beans, tomatoes and zucchini, but we have tons of spinach, collard greens, and herbs. So last night I made a wonderful spinach salad from our home grown harvest.

Spinach Salad
Ingredients:
2 c Spinach
1/2 c sliced mushrooms ( I used cremini, oyster and button)
1/4 c chopped onions
1/4 c halved pecans
1/4 c sun-dried or oven-dried tomatoes (see oven dried tomato recipe below)
1/2 T olive oil

Dressing:
3 T balsamic
3 T olive oil
1/2 t brown sugar
1 t seeded mustard
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Heat a saute pan to medium and add olive oil
Saute mushrooms and onions until golden
While mushrooms saute, whisk all ingredients for dressing
Place spinach in bowl and add mushroom mix while hot so spinach slightly wilts
Add tomatoes, pecans and toss with dressing

Note:
I called the tomatoes in this salad sun-dried but they are actually oven-dried. Oven drying tomatoes is a great thing to do with tomatoes that are on the edge of going bad; just at that wrinkled stage, if there is any rot present, they're toast. Keep in mind the drying process is low and slow so it can take 8-10 hours. I put them in an hour or 2 before I go to bed and just turn off the heat and let them sit in the warmth of the oven until I wake up.

Ingredients:

3 Tomatoes

1 T olive oil

Pinch Salt

Cooking spray

Parchment paper or tin foil

Directions:

Preheat oven to 200 degrees

Place parchment on cookie sheet and spray with cooking spray

Slice each tomato in 6 or 7 slices and place on parchment

Brush with olive oil

Sprinkle with salt

Cook for 1-2 hours then turn off heat (if they still look plump after an hour keep in longer)

Keep in oven 6-8 hours longer with heat off

These keep in the refrigerator for about 2 weeks. I put them in an old mason jar with extra olive oil.

Blue Cheese Souffle...and Reconstructed Buffalo Wings

2009-04-26T10:09:00.000-07:00

So what I was really craving for dinner on Saturday night was buffalo wings with celery sticks and creamy blue cheese dressing. But buffalo wings does not a meal make. Especially when it was my husband's first night home after his long project. So I decided to reconstruct the essentials of wings into a meal.

I decided to translate the blue cheese dressing into a blue cheese souffle.

The wings were a more literal translation; I stuffed a a chicken breast with a crunchy celery stuffing and sauteed it in butter and hot pepper sauce. I served it along with a baby green salad with a refreshing raspberry vinaigrette.

The blue cheese souffle was absolutely amazing and surprisingly easy to make. I have heard horror stories about souffles but I threw caution to the wind and gave it a whirl anyway. I think patience is the key to a good souffle. Keeping the heat low and slow seems to be really important. Also, not worrying about completely incorporating the fluffy egg whites into the yolk and milk mix is important. I didn't even really fold them in too much, just a quick flip over and figured it was enough...and it was. The souffle held it's height and it was fluffy and creamy and just plain wonderful.

Ingredients:

3 T unsalted butter, plus more for greasing ramekins
2-3 T grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese ( I didn't have this so I just used flour)
3 T all-purpose flour
1 c milk (I used skim)
5 egg yolks, lightly beaten
½ tsp. salt
freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 tsp. dry mustard powder (I was all out of this, so I used 1T prepared mustard, it was fine)
6 oz. blue cheese, crumbled (I used 4 oz blue cheese and 2 oz aged white cheddar)
5 egg whites

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare the ramekins by rubbing the insides all over with butter. Divide the Parmigiano among the ramekins, holding them sideways and spinning them around to get the cheese to adhere to the sides. This gives the souffle something to cling to. ( This is where I used the extra flour)

In a medium saucepan over low heat, melt the butter. When it is completely melted and the foam subsides, add the flour as you whisk constantly to form a smooth béchamel sauce. Cook for about two minutes, whisking constantly, to remove the raw flour taste. Slowly add the milk as you continue to whisk until incorporated and slightly thickened. Remove the saucepan from the heat.

Whisk a small dollop of the hot butter-flour mixture into the egg yolks so they don’t cook when you add them to the saucepan. Now add the tempered yolks to your saucepan, whisking to incorporate. Add the salt, pepper and dry mustard. Whisk in the blue cheese.

In a large bowl, beat the egg whites with an electric mixer until they hold soft peaks. Add 1/3 of the egg whites to the saucepan and gently fold them into the cheesy mixture with a spatula. Add the remaining whites in two more additions, folding them in gently. It is not necessary to fully incorporate the egg whites. Since the goal of folding is to preserve as much of their volume as possible, it is okay to see small bits of whites in the mixture. Divide the souffle mixture evenly among the prepared ramekins. Bake, directly on your oven rack, for 25 minutes. The tops should form golden brown, jagged plateaus and the centers should jiggle ever so slightly. For the most beautiful presentation, serve immediately.

This recipe was adapted from Tyler Florence but I found it at aminglingoftastes.com. Also, I used 1 2 quart souffle dish, but according to A Mingling of Tatses, you can use 4 8oz ramekins or 6 6oz ramekins.

Pizza Hack

2009-04-24T11:26:00.000-07:00

I thought this was a really great idea for a pizza box. If you're ordering a pizza, it seems like this would be a good box to get it in. It breaks down into 4 plates and a smaller storage container for leftover pizza. Thanks to Slice.seriouseats.com and ecoincorporated.com for this cool item.

Yogurt Honey Chocolate Bars

2009-04-23T08:23:00.001-07:00

A few days ago my husband requested I make some cookies for him to take to work. He was going to take left over grapefruit cake but because of its girth, there was nowhere to store it. I wanted to make something fun and tasty that a bunch of dudes would like but I also wanted to try something a bit unconventional, so that's where the yogurt and honey got mixed in with the chocolate.

Okay, so this is basically a brownie with a yogurt custard on top. But when it bakes, the middle stays so moist, it's like a layer of cookie, a layer of fudge and a layer of custard. MMMMM.

Ingredients:

8 oz semi sweet chocolate chips
1 c butter (2 sticks) in pieces
1 1/3 c sugar
4 eggs
2 c flour
2 t vanilla extract
1 t baking powder
1/2 t salt

1 1/2 c plain nonfat yogurt
2 eggs
3 T flour
1/4 t vanilla extract
1/2 c honey
2 T sugar

Directions:

Line a 9 x 13" cake pan with parchment paper going up all sides and spray with cooking spray
In a double boiler or sauce pan, melt chocolate and butter over low heat
Preheat oven to 350
Remove from heat and beat in sugar, eggs and vanilla
Mix in flour, salt and baking powder until incorporated, but not over mixed
Spread into the lined pan

In another bowl mix yogurt, honey, flour, vanilla, sugar and eggs until smooth and creamy
Pour on top of brownie mixture
Bake for 45-55 minutes

I was making a large amount for a group of people but I imagine this can be halved and baked in an 8x8 pan for 25-30 minutes.

I think I might try lavender honey next time, just for kicks

S. Pellegrino 50 Best Restaurants 2009

2009-04-22T10:12:00.001-07:00

And the winners are:
The 50 best restaurants in the WORLD

Easy Grilled Potatoes in Preparation for National BBQ Month

2009-04-22T08:27:00.000-07:00

When it's as hot as it's been I don't want to be heating up the house any more than it already is with cooking and baking. I think we get a little reprieve today; with the mercury rising only to the 80's, but it's good to have yourself armed with a variety of recipes that don't require a lot of heating...or that can be prepared outdoors. Also, May is National BBQ Month, so it might be a good idea to have some grill recipes up your sleeve to get ready for the celebration.

You can grill pretty much anything; vegetables, meats, breads and some fruits all do pretty well on the grill. Potatoes are really easy and they look so pretty when they're done.

Ingredients:

2 potatoes
1 T olive oil
Fresh herbs (rosemary, thyme, basil, sage...whatever you have on hand)
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat grill to 300-350 degrees or medium (if charcoal grill make sure the coal has started and it seems reasonably hot)
Scrub potatoes to clean
Don't completely slice the potatoes, but slice them 1/2 way in 1/2 inch increments
Microwave on high for 4-6 minutes (the potatoes should be nearly cooked but not completely)
Allow to cool for 5 minutes and slice completely
Brush slices with olive oil (or toss in a zipper baggy)
Season generously with fresh herbs
Cook on open grill 5 minutes on each side
Remove from grill and season to taste with S&P

The microwaving makes this go much quicker because potatoes can take a long time to cook. So if you're doing burgers or steak on the grill as well, you don't have to have the grill running for an hour before you put the meat on.

Cold Broccoli, Asparagus and Green Bean Soup

2009-04-21T08:20:00.000-07:00

People don't normally think of soups when it's 100 degrees and sunny outside, as it is in Los Angeles this week. There are a variety of yummy soups that are great for warm weather such as gazpacho (tomato and cucumber) and vichyssoise (potato and leek) that are served cold. These soups are also fantastic accompaniments to salads and sandwiches.

I had a fantastic asparagus soup at a bridal shower over the weekend. Butter, cream, and asparagus, yummmm. I loved it so much I wanted to make it but with a bit of a variation, I wanted it cold. I also had a bunch of other green vegetables that needed to be eaten soon and I figured soup was a good way to use everything up.

Ingredients:
1 lb asparagus
1/2 lb broccoli
1/2 lb green beans
1 brown onion chopped
6 c low sodium chicken stock
1 c skim milk
1 1/2 T flour
2 T olive oil
1 t fresh thyme
1/4 lemon or 1 T vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Heat large pot or dutch oven over medium low heat with 1 T oil
Add chopped onion and cook for 5 minutes until onion starts to become translucent
Remove ends of asparagus and toss, remove tips and set aside 10 for garnish
Chop remaining asparagus into 1/2" pieces and add to pot
Cut green beans in 1/2" pieces and add to pot
Cut broccoli into small florets and add to pot, cook for 5 minutes
Add chicken broth and thyme and cook for 20 minutes
Remove from heat and blend soup in batches, transferring to another pot
Once soup is blended set aside
Heat a small sauce pan to medium low heat with remaining T of oil
Mix in flour, salt and pepper
Cook for 2 minutes but do not let it brown
Whisk in milk until dissolved and creamy, remove from heat
Heat vegetable puree back to medium and stir in milk mixture
Once the soup is slightly thickened remove from heat and stir in the lemon juice or vinegar
Allow to cool at room temperature for at least an hour then cool completely before serving
Garnish with asparagus tips

I wanted my soup right away, so I put a bowl in the freezer for 30 minutes, worked great. But if you are serving more than yourself, this is better made a day ahead. It also freezes well. Also, I had collard greens and spinach and I tossed those in the soup as well. It was pretty darn good.

Los Angeles Grilled Cheese Invitational

2009-04-20T20:38:00.000-07:00

This is where you should be on Saturday
Grilled Cheese Invitational

Free Ice Cream Cone

2009-04-20T12:20:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is free cone day at Ben and Jerry's. Thanks to www.seriouseats.com for the tip. Here is a list of the locations offering free cones tomorrow.

The Lazy Gourmet

2009-04-20T11:26:00.000-07:00

One of my new favorite sites is http://www.wisebread.com/. You can see why when you read the article:
Seven Simple Solutions For The Lazy Gourmet
There are some fantastic ideas in this article. I love the towel bar idea. I love to have all my utensils out and ready at my fingertips, so this is such a great idea. I used to have a utensil rail from Ikea in my old place, but have yet to put one up in the new one. I guess it's about time. And the canning jars as blenders, AMAZING. I never would have thought of that.

Sandwich Bread

2009-04-20T08:25:00.001-07:00

I've been doing a lot of baking lately; breads, cakes, tarts. All that yummy stuff that's full of butter, eggs, and other fattening things. I almost always try to sneak in some whole wheat flour, substitute sweetener or egg whites instead of yolks. But I was dying for a soft sandwich bread, so gave in to the temptation of just using white flour.

It was perfect, I highly recommend this recipe.

Ingredients:

1 1/4 c skim milk
1 pkg yeast
4 c all purpose or bread flour ( I used ap and it was fine)
2 T butter, melted
2 T sugar
1 t salt
cooking spray

Directions:
Heat the milk in the microwave for about 2 1/2 minutes or until the temp is 105-115 ( I usually start at 2 minutes and then check and reheat in 15 second increments)
Stir in the yeast and let it dissolve for about 5 minutes
Put the dry ingredients in a stand mixer or bowl and mix until everything is incorporated
Slowly add in the milk
Then add the butter
If the dough is too dry add extra milk 1 t at a time, if it's too moist, add flour 1T at a time
Turn the dough out on a floured surface and knead for about 5 minutes and roll into a ball
Coat a large bowl with cooking spray and add the dough ball and cover with plastic wrap
Allow to rise for about 90 minutes or until doubled in size
Punch down the dough in the bowl and form back into a ball
Allow it to rise again for an hour
Take a 9x5" loaf pan or cookie sheet and coat with cooking spray
If you are using the loaf pan, roll out the bread into a rectangle and place in the greased loaf pan to rise for 1 hour. Then slice down the length of the bread with a sharp knife
If just using a cookie sheet form the dough back into a ball and and place on greased cookie sheet to rise for 1 hour. Then slice across the top in a cross hatch pattern
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
Spray top of bread with cooking spray
Bake for 45 minutes, or until golden and allow to cool before slicing

This is a great yeasty bread that slices really well. It's fluffy and light, and perfect for sandwiches or toast. I used this recipe from recipelink.

Brown Derby Grapefruit Cake (or 4 hours and a bottle of wine)

2009-04-16T14:59:00.000-07:00

I'm really lucky because my boss cooks lunch for me every day, so not only do I get free food, but I get free, AMAZING food. I don't know many people that get lamb stew or pork with cherries, sweet potatoes and Guinness for Lunch.

When I first started working with her, my husband, boyfriend at the time, said "That's awesome that she feeds you, but does she now how much you eat?" Ass. Anyways, she's also a culinary inspiration for me. She's always going through recipes and offering me copies of whatever she deems best. I often pass on the recipes because, although amazing, a lot are quite fattening and there are things I just don't need to be making.

Yesterday, however, I decided to take home a cake recipe, because sometimes you just need to bake a cake. Because the recipe is copied, I'm not sure where she got it from, but there is half an article attached, some cut off by being copied a few times and other parts continued on other pages. I tried to decipher it and one of my favorite parts in the article is:

"One of the most famous (recipes) was the Brown Derby's grapefruit cake. Owner Bob Cobb conceived it when gossip columnist Louella parsons threatened not to return until he put a non- fattening dessert on the menu. He told his cooks, "Put grapefruit on something, because everyone knows it's slimming."

This cake isn't slimming, just so you know. It's a lot lighter than a few cakes I've made, but it still has sugar, flour, oil and egg yolks, so I don't want anyone thinking this is healthy.

Oh, and did I mention this cake is fabulous. It's also a fabulous nightmare. I will post some tips at the end for fleshing or pithing a grapefruit, because that can be a lot of trouble. That is actually why I titled the post 4 hours and a bottle of wine. It took me 4 hours to make this cake and the pithing took close to an hour and drove me to drink. And I never do cakes like this; that require more than one bowl, lots of whipping, and lots of trouble. It was worth it though because it is a beautiful cake. I think next time I may do a whipped cream topping because the cream cheese is a tad too rich for this feathery light cake.

Brown Derby Grapefruit Cake

Ingredients:

2 1/4 c sifted cake flour ( I used regular flour and it worked just fine)
1 1/2 c sugar
1 T baking powder
1 t salt
1/2 cup vegetable oil
5 eggs yolks
8 egg whites
2 t vanilla
3 tablespoons grapefruit juice
2 t grated grapefruit rind
1/4 t cream of tartar

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325º F. Sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt into mixing bowl. Make a well in center of dry ingredients.
Add oil, egg yolks, grapefruit juice, and rind. Beat until smooth.
Beat egg whites and cream of tartar separately, until whites are stiff but not dry.
Gradually fold egg whites into the cake batter, folding gently with a rubber spatula until just blended. Do not stir the mixture.
Pour into 2 greased and floured 10-inch cake pans. Bake at 325º degrees for 45 to 55 minutes, or until cake springs back when lightly touched with a finger. Invert pan on cake rack until cool. Run spatula around edge of cake. Carefully remove from pan.

Grapefruit Cream Cheese Frosting

3 eight oz pkgs cream cheese
2 t grapefruit juice
1 1/2 t grated grapefruit rind
1 cup powdered sugar (sifted)
2 grapefruits peeled with pith and membrane removed
*crush 6 sections for frosting and reserve the rest for topping

Let cream cheese soften at room temperature. Beat cheese until fluffy.
Add grapefruit juice and rind.
Gradually blend in sugar. Beat until well blended.
Add crushed grapefruit and blend into frosting.
Frost Bottom layer of cake
Frost top and sides
Garnish with remaining grapefruit sections

I had major problems pithing the grapefruit, it all fell apart. I was able to salvage some so don't make the mistake I did on pithing the grapefruit. Here are instructions on doing it correctly

How to flesh a grapefruit

The original recipe actually used canned grapefruit slices, which I will definitely use in the future. Try this, you'll like it

Wonder Box and Vanilla Beans

2009-04-15T08:28:00.000-07:00

For almost every holiday my mother in law sends me an awesome care package. When I was growing up my grandmother used to send these too, filled with toys, games, candies and odd yard sale finds; my parents always referred to them as "wonder boxes." I hadn't received one for more than 10 years, but then I married my husband.

My mother in law has a great eye for things and she seems to know exactly what I like. For instance, this package included new tongs (which I really needed), a citrus zester, a hand towel that perfectly matches the decor of my bathroom, some vegetable seeds, and dried spices. She also put in some sugar free peeps that were surprisingly delicious, but the spices are the reason I'm writing this post.

One of the containers she sent holds 2 Madagascar vanilla beans.

I have never used a vanilla bean in my life. I love vanilla bean ice cream and vanilla bean cake. I mean, come on, how could you not? But since I've only used vanilla extract, I'm a little worried about using the bean itself. I searched for a bunch of recipes, but they were a little mundane and if I'm actually going to use the bean, I want it to be for something reallllllly tasty.

So, I was looking for a really tasty recipe and what caught my eye instead, was an article on making your own vanilla extract. And it uses VODKA. If there's Booze, I'm so in.

Thanks to KitchenProject.com for the full recipe and step by step instructions:

How to Make Vanilla Extract

Ingredients:2 Cups (16 oz.) vodka You may also use Brandy, 6 Vanilla Beans
You can easily cut this recipe in half and use 3 vanilla beans and 1 cup of vodka, brandy or rum.
You can use any kind of bottle you want, but I do recommend glass.

Cut the vanilla beans the long way with a scissors except the last inch. This way the bean stays intact.

Pour the vodka into the container you will be making your extract in. Here you see a quart mason jar.

I like to use clear glass, so I can see how the extract is developing. The darker it gets the stronger the extract is. There is no exact time that the extract is done. I like to wait at least 8 weeks.

Put the cut beans in the vodka and push them down until they are completely covered. They usually won't go down completely on their own as you see in this picture, so they need to be pushed down even farther.
Cover the vanilla extract and let it sit in a cupboard out of the light. You will start to taste some vanilla flavor even after a few days. How long you let it sit is how potent your vanilla extract is.

After 8 weeks the vanilla extract has the nice amber color and I am pouring it into small bottles for gifts.
I like to put a vanilla bean in each bottle. This way the extract will keep gaining in flavor and you can tell them that by adding a little vodka when it is halfway used up will replenish your supply of vanilla. It will dilute it for a while but it will regain strength quickly.
Some people will add some simple sugar syrup to the extract to sweeten it. . This is what they do in most commercial varieties so it has a nice sweet aftertaste. I like to use a little dark rum in my extract instead.
(1 teaspoon per cup of vodka)

How to Dry Herbs In the Microwave

2009-04-14T14:02:00.001-07:00

It's actually really easy and all you need is paper towel and a plastic baggie or air tight container. Last week when I was cleaning my oven I found some bay leaves I had dried in my lower oven a few months ago and totally forgot about. I wouldn't have forgotten them had I used the microwave. And now they're useless, damn it! Oh and using the microwave for 3 minutes uses much less power than having your oven going for 4 hours.

Here's the full article via tipnut.com:
How to Dry Herbs With a Microwave

Basic BBQ Tips

2009-04-13T13:05:00.000-07:00

Here's an oldie but a goodie from The Onion

*Marinate your ribs in bourbon before barbecuing. The best way to do this is by pouring the whiskey down your throat.
*One safety tip to keep in mind while barbecuing is that you should never, ever light your house on fire.
*It's important that you choose the right kind of fire for grilling meat. Class D magnesium-based fires are not the right kind of fire for grilling meat.
*Whatever you do, don't shout the phrase "Johnsonville brats!" at the top of your lungs. Don't let your neighbors do that, either.
*Do you have an entire set of tableware designed with a playful, summery watermelon-slice theme? Well, isn't that adorable. Let me see that spoon! Even the spoon is a little watermelon. Honey, come here and look at this spoon.
*Don't forget to repeatedly baste your cooking pork in barbecue sauce, which will "mask the spoiled taste."
*The endangered Cebu cinnamon tree of the Philippines is the best firewood for grilling. Use anything less, and you might as well be cooking your food on top of smoldering raccoon shit.
*For optimal flavor, raise your own animals, make your own charcoal, and distill your own vinegar. For passable flavor, head on down to Smokey's Ribs & Things out by the airport.
*When barbecuing veggie burgers, be sure to tie your long hair back. That will keep it away from the flames, you stupid hippie

The Ratio of Ingredients

2009-04-13T10:38:00.001-07:00

Check out this chart! It's a recipe breakdown of basic ingredients such as eggs, flour, water, sugar and how much you need of each to get the recipe outcome you desire. It's from Michael Ruhlman's new book, Ratio:The Simple Codes Behind the Craft of Everyday Cooking. How awesome is that? I like the bare basic approach to it. Knowing the fundamentals allows for experimentation. You can read an interview with Ruhlman by Lifehacker.com here.

New Life and a New Camera

2009-04-13T08:35:00.000-07:00

Man, it's been a busy weekend. Not seeing my husband for a week means we have to cram in 7 days of stuff into 2. Then it was also a holiday weekend so that added a little stress with entertaining and such. There's also been some excitement, my husband works in music and one of his projects' release dates was announced on Perez Hilton. Good news because Perez is great marketing especially to a crowd that may not have otherwise been introduced to the musician, Regina Spektor.

The excitement for me is that I got a new camera, well it's not exactly new, but new to me. And, although I'm a firm believer that it is the artist and not his tools, this camera takes such good photos. Way better than the old camera, anyways, so yay.

That is a baby green bean plant, less than a week old. A few months ago, late February I think, my husband and I started germinating seeds for vegetables. Our first attempt was halfway successful, we got a bunch of zucchini, a few onions and one lettuce plant going. But the carrots and chives didn't make it. It must be the warmer weather, but the plants are literally exploding. I am so excited to post new recipes and dishes made from our home grown vegetables. Stay tuned.

A Taste of Spring...and spring cleaning

2009-04-11T16:54:00.000-07:00

It's sad to say how little I've been cooking, but I'm looking forward to cooking tomorrow for my family. It's supposed to be a beautiful day which calls for being outdoors, grilling some meat and drinking some good beer.
I plan to make a a loaf of white bread which I never do; something light and airy and wonderful. And I'm extra excited because I just cleaned my oven. And I love my oven!! It's one of those necessary evils of spring cleaning, but it's so nice to see the usually crusty greasy enamel surface glistening.

Our house was last remodeled in 1966 and the age is visible in our oven alone.

I thought about painting it but have decided instead to remodel the kitchen around it. It's not just retro, it's a great effing oven. The temperature is perfect which is amazing, but it also has a rotisserie, which is crazy and awesome...and yet to be used.

I digress.

For the menu tomorrow I plan to do filet mignon, some grilled vegetable skewers, and perhaps a pasta salad. Nothing too difficult, but tasty all the same. I want to do something fresh that actually tastes like spring. If anything turns out especially good I'll post the recipes.
Enjoy your Sunday

Empanaditas

2009-04-09T08:36:00.001-07:00

So yesterday was National Empanada Day, so it made sense to me to whip some up for dinner. I made cheater empanadas because I'm lazy. Real empanadas, which are just a hand pie, are made with a yucca flour crust or a pie crust type crust; I used won ton wrappers. Here is a link to make some more authentic empanadas.

Empanada Recipe

Here are mine:

INGREDIENTS:
1 pkg won ton wrappers
1 chicken breast
1/2 c salsa (I used verde, but any will do, and the less chunky the better)
1/2 c shredded cheese
2 T olive oil
1/8 t garlic powder
1/8 t onion powder
1/8 t chili powder
1/8 t cumin
pinch of salt

DIRECTIONS:
Heat 1 T oil in saute pan to medium
Season chicken with all spices and saute until nearly cooked (5 minutes)
While chicken is cooking remove won ton wrappers from package and cut into circles
*I used a large biscuit cutter and cut about 6 at a time
After 5 minutes remove chicken from heat and cut into tiny pieces
Add salsa to saute pan and cook with chicken until chicken is cooked and most liquid is absorbed Remove chicken mixture from heat and allow to cool slightly
Put about ½ t of shredded cheese in the middle of each won ton round
Then about 1 t of chicken mix on top of that
Wet the edges of the won ton wrappers slightly with water and fold over to make half circle pockets
Use a fork to crimp the edges and get a good seal
Brush the tops of the pockets with the remaining olive oil
Place in oven for 7-10 minutes just to let the empanaditas get golden, crispy, and warm

These were super tasty, but definitely a better appetizer than dinner. And, they're obviously just baked won tons that look like emapnadas. But they are so easy. It looks like a lot of directions, but you just fill them and bake them. I think it could make a really cool dessert accoutrement too. Maybe fill them with chocolate or cherries...Yummy, Dude.

Tetris Ice Cubes

2009-04-08T18:41:00.000-07:00

This is so cool. Not super practical though. And to tell you the truth, I probably won't ever do this because I'm super lazy. To find out how to make your own Tetris ice cube tray go to www.instrucatbles.com

365 Reasons to Party

2009-04-08T13:21:00.000-07:00

So it blows my mind that every day is "National Insert Food Day." Here is a list:
Food Holidays
Not only are there daily food holidays, but food months too. For instance, today is national empanada day and it's grilled cheese month.

Snacking Chef Grilled Cheese - also, the snacking chef proposes that May be Led Zeppelin Month, I'm in.

I just found out January 23rd was national pie day, and I'm pissed I missed it. At least I have national cake day to look forward to on November 26th. And my birthday falls on national Kahlua day and national strawberry day, too bad I didn't celebrate this last birthday with either.

But whatever day it is, there is a food to enjoy. Here is another link for other reasons to party, besides food.
365 Reasons to Party

Pantry Staples

2009-04-08T08:53:00.000-07:00

I wrote in my previous post that I've been living out of the pantry and haven't been to the store, which was a lie because I totally made a beer run. But I haven't done any real shopping.

Last night I was totally craving bread to have with my dinner, and of course, had nada. I love to bake bread and I have a little baking station so I whipped some up. I used a sandwich bread recipe.

Bread Recipe
I switched it up a bit

INGREDIENTS:
1 T brown sugar
1 package dry yeast (about 2 1/4 teaspoons)
1 c warm skim milk (100° to 110°)
1 1/2 T butter, melted and cooled, divided (1 T for the dough and 1/2 for the top)
2 c AP Flour
1 c whole wheat flour
1 t salt
cooking spray ( I use an olive oil sprayer) Misto Olive Oil Sprayer

I mixed and let it rise per the instructions, but I always do a second rise, I think it helps with the flavor. Also, I decided to do a boule instead. I put corn meal on a baking sheet and dumped the risen ball on it. I let it rise again for 30 minutes and cut a diagonal pattern with a sharp knife. I preheated the oven to 450 but lowered it to 375 immediately when the bread went in. Then baked it for 30 minutes( I always check after 25.) It was totally yummy, I never make white bread, but I think I may try soon with this recipe because itwas delicious.

Dinner For One

2009-04-08T08:32:00.000-07:00

So one thing about not having my husband home for meals is that I don't feel the need to go to the grocery store as often. I'm basically living off pantry staples and frozen foods, which is good because it's time for some new stuff.

For instance, last night I had the ends of all my pastas mixed together( farfalle, penne, black rice elbow macaroni...) aglio e olio with sauteed chicken and broccoli. It was nice and colorful and totally decent tasting. Also, aglio e olio is one of the easiest dishes ever. You actually feel like you're cooking something, but it takes just a few minutes, and the outcome is always superb.

Aglio e olio is basically garlic and red pepper flakes fried in oil...mmmmmm. It's so easy to make, you don't really need a recipe. You just heat 2T olive oil in a saute pan on medium heat. Add one clove chopped garlic and a few pepper flakes and saute until the garlic is golden and remove from heat.
Cook your pasta per package directions and reserve 2T of the salted water. Add salted water to the garlic oil, drain pasta, and toss everything together. Voila! That's pretty much just a one serving recipe, but you can multiply it to fit your needs.

More Eggs for Easter

2009-04-07T08:30:00.000-07:00

This chick actually Tie Dyed Easter Eggs!!! Check it out:

Tie Dyed Easter Eggs

Obama Fooodorama

2009-04-07T08:17:00.000-07:00

If you haven't seen this site yet, you must. Whatever your political inclination, this site is great. It's much more than food, take a look:

Obama Foodorama

And here is the direct link to Michelle Obama's Shortbread Cookie Recipe

April is Grilled Cheese Month

2009-04-06T13:16:00.000-07:00

So I may try one or two grilled cheese recipes out, but check out www.pithyandcleaver.com because they plan to devote themselves to grilled cheese this month. Fantastic, I'm so in to it! I'm dying for apple and cheddar grilled cheese.

Rainbow Cake

2009-04-06T12:57:00.001-07:00

I love all my geek gadget sites and am always so excited when they post about food, especially when it's NOT BACON.

Today the Geekologie writer posted a rainbow cake. It looks so awesome so here's the recipe via Omnomicon

How to make a rainbow cake

Italian Sausage and Corn Chowder

2009-04-06T08:31:00.000-07:00

I haven't been doing a lot of cooking in the past week. When my husband works, he's not home for dinner (actually he's not really home at all) so I don't really cook. Cooking is a big part of my life, but this week has been more about home improvement and eating easy salads.

Instead of cooking, I painted the front porch railing. It had been black and peeling so I did a nice aged bronze kind of finish.

And just so you guys know, painting is a huge part of my life as well. And not just painting canvases. My motto is "I can paint that." And I can and have. We painted every surface of our new house when we moved in. I even painted the kitchen counters and floors. It works pretty well if you have any type of unbearable laminate. So if anything isn't aesthetically pleasing to me, I paint it.

On to food...

I actually did finally prepare something from scratch last night and it was kind of accidental. I initially planned to make turkey burgers but to make them super scrumptious I was going to mix in some hot Italian sausage with the ground turkey. Instead of defrosting the sausage, I cooked it so I had to think of another use for it. I also bought frozen corn at the store without realizing I already had a full bag in the freezer so I found myself with these extra ingredients and thought a corn and sausage chowder would be delicious.

INGREDIENTS:

2 1/2 c frozen corn

2-4 links Italian sausage (depending on how sausagey you want your soup)

2 potatoes, peeled and chopped into small chunks

8 c chicken or vegetable stock

1 sm onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, chopped

1 red pepper, seeded and chopped (I had a frozen bag of chopped peppers from trader Joes, so I used that)

1 c skim milk

1/4 c flour

1 T olive oil

1 T fresh parsley

1T fresh rosemary

1/2 T fresh thyme

1/8 t salt
1/4t pepper

DIRECTIONS:

Heat a dutch oven or large pan with 7 c stock, potatoes and herbs to high heat, allow to boil then reduce heat to medium and cook, covered, for 30 minutes

Heat saute pan to medium high and add 1c stock, olive oil, and sausages, let boil then reduce to medium

Cook sausages until liquid evaporates and sausages are browned, about 10 minutes

Remove sausages, cool

In same pan add onion, garlic and pepper and saute for about 5 minutes, onions should be golden and they should have absorbed some flavor from the sausages

Remove from heat and add the flour to the onion mix and stir to coat

Add corn to stock and cook for 5 minutes

Add milk to stock and cook another 5 minutes

Add all additional ingredients and cook for an additional 10-15 minutes, until theickened

This soup was super yummy. I think it is more appropriate for the cooler seasons, but the vibrant pepper and sausage and sweet corn were a yummy combo. It was a nice accompaniment to the turkey burgers, so I think I may freeze some of this to have the same meal again.

Easter Eggs

2009-04-05T17:10:00.001-07:00

Tell me those aren't some of the coolest dyed eggs you've ever seen. My husband just sent me this link and I had to pass it on. I want to talk more about dying eggs and I will try to in the upcoming week, but I think I've had one too many beers...And, Revenge of the Nerds is on so here's the link to read about it for yourself:

Barefoot Kitchen Witch

Old Storage Containers Become Self watering Tomato Planters

2009-04-04T11:36:00.000-07:00

I first found this post on lifehacker.com but here's the link to full directions on growing tomatoes in old storage containers. How cool is that? Not only does it conserve water, but you don't even need garden space; just a piece of concrete.
I'm already growing some tomatoes, but I'll definitely try this next year. I'm wondering if I can try this with some other veggies or fruits, maybe strawberries?

Frosting Recipes

2009-04-02T20:35:00.000-07:00

So here's some more from tipnut.com. I am so in love with them lately. All these frostings are made with condensed milk, something we should always have in our cupboards. As soon as I saw the peanut butter frosting I knew I had to post this. I can't wait to try it.

Frosting Recipes

Grilled Ravioli

2009-04-02T20:21:00.000-07:00

I totally forgot to post this! I recently made grilled ravioli and it was amazing. I posted my ravioli recipe a while back. I left out the butternut squash and used ricotta and mozzarella instead (about a cup of each.) I boiled the ravioli as normal, then drained them on a towel, sprayed them with olive oil and stuck them on the grill for 4 minutes on each side at medium heat. I just sprinkled a little parmesan and called them done.
HOLY MOLY!!!! It's sinful and great and oh boy, you better make these, but not too often or you know you'll get a huge A*#.
Enjoy

Garden Trellis For Small Spaces

2009-04-01T21:01:00.000-07:00

My back yard is a good size but I have a small garden area and just today I was struggling with the issue of what vegetables to plant to make the most of the space I have. I happened upon this little tip at tipnut.com. If you lack horizontal space go vertical with a vegetable trellis! Such a great idea, I'm totally gonna get started on it this weekend.

And More bacon

2009-04-01T08:07:00.000-07:00

Oh man, I thought canned bacon was scary.... Check this s#*t out!

Squeez Bacon

Thanks to ThinkGeek via Geekologie for that

Substitutions

2009-03-31T19:33:00.000-07:00

So I have a specific idea about what I want for dinner and I don't have ginger...not even dry (which I'll have to pick up.) So I found a great blog, Raw Test Kitchen, that has a list of substitutions for all kinds of stuff. Thanks dude!!!

1 whole vanilla bean = 2-3 teaspoons of vanilla extract

1 stick cinnamon = 1/8 to 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground allspice = 1/3 teaspoon each (equal parts) ground cinnamon, ground cloves and ground nutmeg

1 tablespoon fresh basil leaves = 1 teaspoon dried basil leaves

2 tablespoons chopped fresh celery = 1 tablespoon dehydrated celery flakes

1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice = 1-3/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon, blended with 3/4 teaspoon ground ginger, 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves or ground allspice and 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves = 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

1 medium clove garlic = 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

1 medium clove garlic and 1 teaspoon salt = 1 teaspoon garlic salt

1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh ginger = 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1 tablespoon fresh herb leaves, chopped = 1 teaspoon dried herb leaves
(leafy green herbs, such as basil, cilantro, dill, oregano, parsley, tarragon, thyme)

1 medium onion, chopped = 1 teaspoon onion powder

1 tablespoon fresh oregano leaves = 1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves

1 teaspoon dried marjoram leaves = 3/4 teaspoon dried oregano leaves

1 tablespoon fresh parsley = 1 teaspoon dried parsley leaves

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper = 1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper

Basil substitute with Oregano or thyme

Chervil substitute with Tarragon or parsley

Chive substitute with Green onion; onion; or leek

Cilantro substitute with Parsley

Italian Seasoning substitute with a blend of any of these: basil, oregano, rosemary, and ground red pepper

Marjoram substitute with Basil; thyme; or savory

Mint substitute with Basil; marjoram; or rosemary

Oregano substitute with Thyme or basil

Parsley substitute with Chervil or cilantro

Poultry Seasoning substitute with Sage plus a blend of any of these: thyme, marjoram, savory, black pepper, and rosemary

Rosemary substitute with Thyme; tarragon; or savory

Sage substitute with Poultry seasoning; savory; marjoram; or rosemary

Savory substitute with Thyme; marjoram; or sage

Tarragon substitute with Chervil; dash fennel seed; or dash aniseed

Thyme substitute with Basil; marjoram; oregano; or savory

Allspice substitute with Cinnamon; cassia; dash of nutmeg or mace; or dash of cloves

Aniseed substitute with Fennel seed or a few drops anise extract

Cardamom substitute with Ginger

Cinnamon substitute with Nutmeg or allspice (use only 1/4 of the amount)

Cloves substitute with Allspice; cinnamon; or nutmeg

Cumin substitute with Chili powder

Ginger substitute with Allspice; cinnamon; mace; or nutmeg

Mace substitute with Allspice; cinnamon; ginger; or nutmeg

Nutmeg substitute with Cinnamon; ginger; or mace

Saffron substitute with Dash turmeric (for color)

More Cooking Gadgets

2009-03-31T11:19:00.000-07:00

I just found a fun site with a nice list of cooking gadgets. I haven't read them all, but there's a fiberglass crisper for french fries and pizzas from Solutions that I really want. I knew it existed, but now I must have it. I think itwould be great for sweet potato fries that often get mushy.

KITCHEN CONTRAPTIONS

Bad Dreams...Do Come True

2009-03-31T10:15:00.000-07:00

I had a terrible nightmare last night where zombies were chasing me. And my husband fled with friends and I was all alone except for a famous musician that was half zombie (I don't know what half zombie is, but it was a dream.)

So my husband sent this to me this morning:

It kinda looks like the musician, I guess dreams do come true...
Here's the link for the full story on this cake.

DIY PIZZA

2009-03-30T11:54:00.000-07:00

This recipe is from mainstreet.com and it seems easy enough. Only 5 minutes kneading and 10 minutes rising isn't so bad.
DIY Pizza

Cooking Club

2009-03-30T10:14:00.000-07:00

I did a bit of a crazy thing last night, and it stems from answering an ad on craigslist. Don't worry, it's not casual encounters or anything. While perusing the site, I happened upon a call for the formation of a cooking club and I responded to the ad which is totally out of character for me. The good news is that the organizers replied back and asked me to attend. The better news is that I actually showed up, I often flake when I have to drive more than 10 minutes to do something.

I'm so glad I went. All the girls that attended were really nice and welcoming; I was the only person that didn't have a tie to the host. And, for the first meeting, I thought it went extremely well. There were some missed ingredients and some substituted ingredients (but hell, that's hard to avoid when you have 6 different people bringing stuff for a foreign dish that no one's ever cooked.)

The theme for the evening was Thai food. We did Tom Yum, Pad Thai, and caramel dumplings.

We paired up to make these dishes which was fun and worked pretty well. My partner and I did the Tom Yum. Here is the link to the recipe we used from recipezaar. Our recipe had a few subtle differences but I believe they originated from the same source. The only thing I would change is the amount of green peppers. We were directed to cook them in the soup and it was really hot, like lips numb hot. The recipe suggests 2-3 chilis and unless you like super spicy things, I would say 1 is more than enough. 1/2 a pepper for mild, 1 for medium, 2 for hot, and 3 for crazy hot. We also didn't use rice noodles, but we had Pad Thai as an entree and that would have been overkill.

I don't know the exact recipe we used for Pad Thai, but I'll post it when I can, because it was great.

For dessert we had caramel dumplings. That one was a bit of a trial because carmelization can be trouble, but the girls were able to execute it perfectly after a lot of hard work.

I also don't have the recipe for the dumplings, but I'll post it later.

Next month we're going to try sushi, stay tuned.

Chilaquiles

2009-03-29T10:03:00.000-07:00

After days of having tostadas and tacos we still have a bunch of corn tortillas left. Now corn tortillas freeze really well, but if you want to use them up and are bored of eating tacos and tostadas, you can use them for breakfast.

One of our favorite dishes is chilaquiles and it's super easy. You can search and find a hundred different recipes, but this is my favorite.

INGREDIENTS:
4 corn tortillas, cut in sixths
1/2 c salsa
4 eggs, beaten
1/4 c shredded cheese
2T olive oil

DIRECTIONS:
Heat oil in skillet on medium heat
Fry tortillas in batches until lightly golden brown but not super crispy
Remove tortillas and allow the pan to cool to medium low heat, about 3-5 minutes
Add tortillas back to pan and add eggs, kind of like a tortilla omelet
When eggs are almost cooked add salsa and cook until liquid is mostly absorbed
Remove pan from heat and add shredded cheese to the top and cover for 3 minutes.

This serves two, and can be served with beans if you want. Also, if you don't have salsa, you can use enchilada sauce, or tomatoes and onions. It's good with a tomatillo salsa as well. have fun with this recipe and enjoy.

Lucy's El Adobe

2009-03-28T09:26:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted many recipes recently because I've been having tostadas every night and I don't really think you guys need to know how to make tostadas. The reason, though, that we've been eating tostadas every night is because of the restaurant, Lucy's El Adobe, which is on Melrose across from Paramount Studios. Lucy's has the best tostadas and what makes them the absolute best is the salad dressing that accompanies the tostadas. You can buy the little bottle of dressing, which I do, for an exorbitant fee of $7, but it's soooo worth it.

So what's in this dressing that makes it soooo great? It's a secret recipe that no one knows. Some people say garlic salt and butter. I swear there's some anchovy paste in there. But there's some congealed looking stuff that floats in it and you can see it on the side of the bottle; I know it sounds unappetizing, but it's amazing.

So if you're in LA and you're hungry, try a tostada at Lucy's. Or...if you know the recipe for the dressing, email me.

Kitchen Lab

2009-03-27T10:16:00.000-07:00

Here's a fun article from popsci.com with a gallery of kitchen tools and appliances from some of the world's top chefs. This is way more fun than a food processor.

Season Your Food at Gun point

2009-03-27T10:01:00.000-07:00

This Spice Blaster isn't useless, per say, but I think there are more ideal ways to season your food. I think it might be more fun to use it to create some mayhem rather than in the kitchen. But that's just me...

Cooking Gadgets

2009-03-26T11:18:00.000-07:00

If you've read my blog at all you've probably figured out by now that I'm a bit of a geek. With my love of zombies and horror and my links to geeky sites, I'm now in the realm of nerdom. I think I've definitely become more geeky because of my husband. For instance, we're a 2 person household with 5 computers, 2 Macs, 2 PCs and a PC that runs Mac, Windows and Linux. It's a bit much, but just who we are. You can find us on an average evening, after dinner, sitting on the sofa with our laptops. We always laugh because we think of what we look like from our dogs' point of view: 2 people always staring at some box of light (computer,tv, cell phone).

With geekery comes gadgets. Of course my husband loves gadgets, he's a dude, but more and more I've become interested in gadgets of the culinary sort. I'll try to post if I see anything new and interesting but for now, here's a great site www.slashfood.com. They have a great category for food gadgets. Enjoy!

MMMM...Canned Bacon?

2009-03-26T10:57:00.000-07:00

This freaks me out a little. But the Geekologie writer reminded me that this would be good to keep in a zombie/robot shelter. ha

Stop Letting Your Food Go To Waste

2009-03-25T08:36:00.000-07:00

First off, people need to eat the food they buy, since, roughly 25% gets thrown away. You can read the article here. Also, half of US food ready for harvest never gets eaten.

Here's another tip form our friends over at lifehacker

Switch to a two weeks grocery cycle to waste less food

Cook two or three meals' worth of each recipe at the beginning of the two-week period, and immediately freeze the extra portions for the second week. Freeze any meat that you won't be eating within the next 48 hours.

Use up fresh fruits and vegetables first, and then supplement them with just-as-healthy frozen (foods) as you get into the second week. Check expiration dates on dairy products before you buy them; in most cases you can find products that will remain fresh for two weeks or longer. The idea is to always USE UP what you buy before you shop again.

Prune Torte Pics

2009-03-25T08:22:00.000-07:00

So I said I'd post pics of the prune torte so here it is:

Or half of it, anyway. It looked pretty when it was whole, but the prunes made it impossible to cut a pretty piece. It tasted good, but not amazing. I love the crust of this but I guess fresh fruits work much better. I've tried it with apples, cherries and peaches and all have turned out spectacular. This one was just alright for me, dawg. Skip the prunes, try the torte, it's worth it.

How Long Will Your Food Stay Fresh?

2009-03-24T19:38:00.000-07:00

http://www.stilltasty.com/

Infused Olive Oil

2009-03-24T08:58:00.001-07:00

Infused olive oil recipe

Thanks to www.lifehacker.com for this tip

Maple Syrup Substitute and Homemade Baking Mix

2009-03-23T08:36:00.000-07:00

On any given day that my husband and I get to share a breakfast at home, when he is asked what he wants for breakfast, he almost always replies "waffles."

A few months back I started making my own baking mix and storing it because it's a bit cheaper than store bought and you can add whatever you want. I always use whole wheat flour and oats and add whatever grains I have on hand. Here is my mix recipe, but once you have the general idea you can change things around a bit. I adapted this from a simple pancake recipe.
INGREDIENTS:
4 c flour
3 c whole wheat flour
1 c oatmeal
1/2 T salt
2 T baking powder
1 t baking soda
DIRECTIONS:
I mix it all in a zipper bag or a jar and for every heaping cup of mix I use 1 c skim milk, 1 egg, 1 T extra virgin olive oil and 1/2 t vanilla. For waffles I use egg whites. It's pretty easy and super tasty.

I also labeled this post as having a maple syrup substitute. I came upon this problem yesterday morning when I realized I had run out of maple syrup. I found a recipe for fake maple syrup here that seems pretty good, but of course, I had no maple flavoring. So I just made a sauce and it was fabulous.
INGREDIENTS:
1 c brown sugar
1/2 c water
1 T margarine
1 T whiskey
1/2 t vanilla
DIRECTIONS:
Melt margarine over medium heat
Add brown sugar, stirring to dissolve
Add water, vanilla and whiskey
Lower heat to medium low and cook for 5 minutes

It was a great topping and we didn't miss having maple syrup. It definitely gave breakfast a fun little kick.

Grilled Beets and Greens

2009-03-23T08:33:00.000-07:00

At the farmer's market this weekend I picked up some fresh beets because my husband loves them and I've never cooked them fresh before. We also got a new grill so we've been grilling everything we can. So I figured, why not grill some beets? The other great thing about beets is that the greens are edible too, so it's like having 2 completely different vegetables from the same plant.

Grilled Beets
INGREDIENTS:

4 fresh beets (peeled and sliced)
1 clove garlic
2 T olive oil
2 T balsamic
pinch of s & p
(1 t olive oil and 1 t balsamic for dressing)

DIRECTIONS:
Marinate beets 1 hour or up to 8 hours
Remove beets from marinade and place in foil and wrap up
Grill over medium for 25 minutes brushing with remaining marinade every 5 minutes or so
Remove from foil and place beets directly on grill for 1-2 minutes on each side
Remove from grill and dress with olive oil and balsamic and season with s & p to taste if needed

Beet Greens
INGREDIENTS:

Beet greens removed from root and chopped (cut off all large stems)
1/2 onion chopped
1 T butter or margarine or olive oil
s & p to taste

DIRECTIONS:

Saute onions in butter over medium low heat until translucent
Add greens and saute until soft, 7-10 minutes
Add s & p to taste

You can also cook beet greens as you would any other greens, with yummy bacon or even a little bit of vinegar. But do not over cook! The greens get bitter when over cooked, so just let them get soft and then remove them from heat. Enjoy!

Homemade Tortillas

2009-03-20T11:21:00.000-07:00

I love Mexican food and try to eat it at least once a week. Last night I shopped and had our Mexican menu completely planned out, was set to go...but, alas, forgot the tortillas! Crap. Now, I could've gone back to the store, but I knew that making them myself was possible.

The process of creating a tortilla is so easy, in fact, once you make them I think it might be hard to go back to the old packaged kind.

Of course, I didn't have all the ingredients normal recipes call for so I improvised. Here is the recipe I used. I substituted half the flour with whole wheat, as usual. And I used light margarine for the shortening. Everything else stayed the same and they were beautiful. I urge you to try to make your own, it's so worth it.

Whoopie Pie, Cake, Cookie... Oh My

2009-03-18T13:18:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Catherine for this excellent article and recipe. And thanks as well for making me fat!

Adapted from Zingerman’s Bakehouse, Ann Arbor, Mich.

FOR THE CAKES:
1/4 pound (1 stick) butter, at room temperature
1 cup light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon sea salt
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cocoa
1 cup buttermilk
FOR THE BUTTERCREAM FILLING:
3 large egg whites
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 pound butter (2 sticks), at room temperature
3/4 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon sea salt.

1. For the cakes: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a mixing bowl, cream together the butter and brown sugar. Add the egg and vanilla extract and beat until light and creamy. In a separate bowl, whisk together the baking soda, salt, flour and cocoa. Add dry ingredients to butter mixture in three parts, alternating with buttermilk, and combining well after each addition.
2. Using an ice cream scoop or a spoon, scoop out 12 1/4-cup mounds of batter and place about 6 inches apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake until tops are puffed and cakes spring back when touched, 12 to 14 minutes. Remove from oven and cool completely before filling.
3. For the buttercream filling: For best results, follow directions carefully, paying attention to required temperatures. Fill bottom half of a double boiler (or a medium saucepan) with an inch or two of water, and bring to a boil over high heat. In top half of double boiler (or a metal bowl), combine egg whites and sugar. Place over simmering water and whisk just until sugar is dissolved and temperature reaches 180 degrees on an instant-read thermometer.
4. Using a whisk attachment on a heavy-duty mixer, whisk egg whites and sugar on high until they double in volume and become thick and shiny. Continue to whisk until cool. Reduce speed to medium and begin to add butter about 1/2 tablespoon at a time, until all the butter is incorporated. Add vanilla and salt. If mixture looks curdled, continue to whisk until it is smooth. Increase speed to high and whisk for 1 more minute. Use immediately or place in an airtight container and chill for up to 3 days, whisking buttercream again before using.
5. For assembly: Using an ice cream scoop or spoon, place 1/4 cup buttercream on flat side of each of 6 cakes, spreading it to edges. Top filled half with another cake to sandwich the buttercream. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or wrap individually and freeze for up to 3 months.
Yield: 6 pies.

A History of Irish Cuisine

2009-03-17T13:26:00.001-07:00

http://ravensgard.org/prdunham/irishfood.html

Happy St. Paddys

2009-03-17T12:55:00.000-07:00

Here are some yummy sounding Guiness recipes for the holiday. I'll just take my Guiness straight up, thanks.
http://www.karott.com/guinness_recipes.htm

Fiber & Prunes & The Original Plum Torte

2009-03-17T12:26:00.000-07:00

Ugh...Prunes and fiber does not sound like something I want to mess with on a regular basis. But according to one of my favorite blogs on http://www.runnersworld.com/ prunes are great for bone health and fiber is even better than previously thought for cardiovascular health (why I eat my oats in the morning.)

I have to say, I've never eaten a prune in my life. So I wanted to find a recipe for a great prune cake that I could incorporate some fiber into. This way my husband won't make fun of me eating cake every day(I hope). Cake is my favorite thing, so I have to find a somewhat healthy way to incorporate it into my diet.
I'm thinking I can use prunes as I would any dried fruit. So I'm going to use one of my favorite recipes with a few substitutions.

INGREDIENTS
1/2 c margarine, softened
1/4 splenda
1/2 c sugar plus 1 or 2 tablespoons sugar
1/3c whole wheat flour
1/4 c oatmeal (instant)
1/2 c flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 c egg substitute
Pinch salt
24 dried prune slices, soaked in warm water for 30 minutes and drained
1 teaspoon cinnamon or more, to taste

DIRECTIONS
1. Arrange a rack in the lower third of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cream the margarine and the 1/4 c splenda and 1/2 c of sugar. Add the flour, oats, baking powder, egg substitute, and salt and beat to mix well. Spoon the batter into an ungreased 9- or 10-inch springform pan. Cover the top with the runes. Mix the cinnamon with the remaining 1 or 2 tablespoons of sugar and sprinkle over the top.
3. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let cool; refrigerate or freeze if desired.
4. To serve, let the torte return to room temperature and reheat at 300 degrees until warm, if desired. Serve plain or with vanilla ice cream.

I will post a picture of this in the next day or 2

Mushroom Barley Risotto

2009-03-16T21:42:00.000-07:00

I love to use different grains as substitutions for rice and pasta. My favorites are barley and quinoa. I also have this thing about not serving the same type of starch 2 nights in a row (or proteins or veggies for that matter) so I try to get creative with what I have.
Barley keeps a really good texture and it's pretty forgiving. It gets starchy but not too incredibly gummy when overcooked. And you can use it pretty much as you would rice. It has a nice nutty flavor so it adds an extra oomph to a recipe.

I used a Tyler Florence recipe from Food Network (I also included the recipe below) and halved it; and substituted the barley for the rice, of course. I only used crimini mushrooms, but I've used all different types in this sort of thing before, so feel free to play. I also used a little less broth than was called for. You'll notice in the recipe that you add 1 cup of liquid at a time, I start with 1 cup and add another every 15 minutes, simmering a total of 45 minutes. I used a total of about 3 1/3 cups stock. I did use about 1/3 c wine though, what can I say, I'm a lush.

Ingredients

4 cups chicken broth, low sodium
1 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1/2 onion, diced, divided
1 garlic cloves, minced, divided
8 oz crimini mushrooms, sliced
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoons fresh thyme, chopped
1 tablespoons fresh Italian parsley, chopped
1 tablespoons butteror margerine
Salt and pepper
1 tablespoon truffle oil
1 cup barley
1/3 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup fresh Parmesan cheese, grated
Fresh Italian parsley, for garnish

Directions

Heat the chicken broth in a medium saucepan and keep warm over low heat.( I just added mine cold)

Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add 1/2 onion and 1 clove garlic, cook, stirring, until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the fresh mushrooms, herbs and butter. Saute for 3 to 5 minutes until lightly browned, season with salt and pepper. Drizzle in truffle oil. Saute 1 minute then remove from heat and set aside.

Coat a saucepan with remaining 2 tablespoons of oil. Saute the remaining 1/2 onion and garlic clove. Add the barley and stir quickly until it is well-coated, 1 minute. This step cooks the starchy coating and prevents the grains from sticking. Stir in wine and cook until it is nearly all evaporated.

Now, with a ladle, add 1 cup of the broth and cook, stirring. Add the remaining broth, 1 cup at a time. Continue to cook and stir, allowing the barley to absorb each addition of broth before adding more. The risotto should be slightly firm and creamy, not mushy. Transfer the mushrooms to the rice mixture. Stir in Parmesan cheese, cook briefly until melted. Top with a drizzle of truffle oil and chopped parsley before serving.

It turned out pretty darn perfect. I had it again for dinner tonight mixed with some chopped spinach. Holla! That was some good barley.
Enjoy.

MMMMM....Grains

2009-03-16T21:07:00.000-07:00

I wanted to focus on doing recipe make overs this month to try to make amazing dishes a bit more healthy. One of the easiest ways to make over a recipe is to change up the grain. For instance, I made eggplant parmesan last night. But instead of dredging the eggplant slices in flour or breadcrumbs I used amaranth. There are a lot of great grains to use that are much higher in fiber or protein so you should definitely give some a try.

Great Grains

Splendid Spaghetti Squash

2009-03-14T10:04:00.001-07:00

One of my favorite foods is the spaghetti squash. My husband, a squash lover, had never had one until I cooked it for him and he fell head over heels in love with it. Even if you aren't a squash lover the spaghetti squash is a fantastic alternative to spaghetti. It's totally easy to prepare as well.

With a butcher knife, cut it in half lengthwise. Scoop out all the seeds and junk. At this point, you can bake, steam, or microwave. I almost always microwave because I prefer less of a mess. I sprinkle with Italian seasoning and a little garlic. Then in the recess where the seeds were I put about a T of water and I cover each half with plastic wrap. Then I microwave it for about 10 minutes.

Let it stand for about five minutes. With a fork, scrape the inside of the squash and you get all these spaghetti like strings. You can use the squash as the bowl and just pour sauce directly into the squash. I think it gets a little watery that way, so I scoop out the squash strings and serve it in a normal pasta dish.

I normally serve it with chicken parmesan or spicy Italian sausage, but it, again, is another one of those versatile dishes I love so much.

Enjoy!

I Think It Might Be

2009-03-13T08:25:00.001-07:00

TIME FOR SOME BANANA BREAD

This Recipe is From Betty Crocker's 40th Anniversary Cookbook

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/4	c sugar
1/2	c butter or margarine, softened
1/2 c	eggs ( I use egg substitute)
1 1/2	c mashed very ripe bananas (3 medium)
1/2	c buttermilk (I use nf milk and nf yogurt)
1	t vanilla
2 1/2	c flour (I'm using 1 1/2 c white, 1 c whole wheat)
1	t baking soda
1	t salt
1	c chopped nuts, if desired



	Print these coupons...





	About Concordance™

	DIRECTIONS: Move oven rack to low position so that tops of pans will be in center of oven. Heat oven to 350 Grease bottoms only of 2 loaf pans, 8 1/2x4 1/2x2 1/2 inches, or 1 loaf pan, 9x5x3 inches.
	Mix sugar and butter in large bowl Stir in eggs until well blended Add bananas, buttermilk and vanilla Beat until smooth Stir in flour, baking soda and salt just until moistened Stir in nuts Pour into pans
	Bake 8-inch loaves about 1 hour, 9-inch loaf about 1 1/4 hours, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean Cool 10 minutes Loosen sides of loaves from pans; remove from pans and place top side up on wire rack Cool completely, about 2 hours, before slicing. Wrap tightly and store at room temperature up to 4 days, or refrigerate up to 10 days This bread freezes well too; up to 3 months

What What in the Butternut

2009-03-12T08:30:00.001-07:00

I purchased some butternut squash about a week ago for the purpose of making a soup or just as a side. I never did either of those things so I've had these huge squash in my refrigerator taking up precious vegetable space. So last night I decided I would stuff them with some left over rice.

I used this recipe as a guide but mine looks a bit different. I still wanted to have the squash as a main vegetable so I didn't hollow it out all the way. I didn't have cranberries so I used dried apricots and I used far less onions, maybe about 1/2 a cup. I also used brown rice instead of basmati. I cut the squash in half, then microwaved for 10 minutes. Then I sauteed the onions, apricots and garlic and mixed in the rice. I stuffed these babies, and baked for 25 minutes at 375.
This, again, is one of those versatile dishes you can play around with.

If I had bought these for the purpose of stuffing I thing I would have used dried pears, pecans and fresh sage.

I served mine with tangelo glazed chicken (about 1/4 c juice from a tangelo off my tree in the backyard, 1 clove chopped garlic, a few red pepper flakes and s & p. Brown the chicken and garlic then pour the juice over and let it reduce to a glaze, 10 minutes.) and green beans.

If You Want a Boy, Eat Cereal

2009-03-11T11:22:00.000-07:00

My friend texted me early this morning to tell me she was having her second boy! Very exciting stuff. So I had to hop onto Google and find out what she's eating to conceive all these boys, or is it just in the water... Apparently it's not in the water, but in the cereal.
"If you want a boy, eat pleanty of breakfast cereals, says scientists"

Street Vendors for Inspiration

2009-03-11T08:26:00.000-07:00

Click here for an article about a new LA restaurant inspired by global street cuisine.

I Like Big Rumps

2009-03-09T19:31:00.000-07:00

Until recently I've had problems preparing a tri tip roast, but I came to terms with it, and conquered it. But, dear friends, I failed to mention that I've had problems cooking all sorts of roasts. I believe it stems form a few different things. 1. I grew up in a family of well done meat eaters and meat makers. And 2. Now I have a husband that is a medium-well eater of meat. So when I prepared these dry hunks of stringy beef for them it was always okay, pleasant even, but not for me. I realized in the last year that I am (gasp) a medium to medium-rare sort of carnivore.

I had this epiphany and decided I could change my ways. Now I actually have a few good meat thermometers and I use them religiously. I don't trust myself with timing a roast anymore; time can get away from you in the kitchen.

And I'm purchasing different kinds of roasts so I can find new techniques and really get this roasting thing down. So this week I bought a rump roast. I did it because it was a huge piece of meat and it was on sale, I can't help that I'm frugal. But I figured it would make a tasty dinner as well and lunches for my home bound husband.

I used a recipe called Perfect Rump Roast from recipezaar.com. And it absolutely was a perfect roast. I marinated mine all day prior to cooking it.
Here's the marinade:
2T olive oil
2T cooking wine (red wine vinegar can work too; but any liquid is fine, diet coke, beer, etc.)
1T black pepper
1T coarse salt
1t cayenne
1t garlic powder
1t onion powder
1t paprika
1/2 t thyme
1/2 t rosemary

I cut off the layer of fat and then got out all my aggression for the day by stabbing the roast about 20 times on each side. I let it marinate all day, but I took it out of the refrigerator about 90 minutes before roasting.
I roasted it, pretty much, as recommended by the recipe author, maybe 22 minutes a pound. I posted a photo below of some of the leftovers. I think it continued to cook while we were eating, but I swear it was perfect. Try it, you'll like it.

25 Vintage Cooking Tips

2009-03-09T14:55:00.000-07:00

Thanks to tipnut.com for a collection of vintage cooking tips from the 1940's.

“Hara Hachi Bu”

2009-03-09T08:53:00.000-07:00

"Hara Hachi Bu" is a Japanese phrase that translates to "eat until you are four/fifths full". Author Michael Pollan is looking for you or your cultures' food rules for his next book/project. You can read the New York Times article here and submit your rules in the comment section.

The Beautiful Brussel Sprout

2009-03-08T18:04:00.000-07:00

I love Sundays because I love to peruse the bounty of fresh foods and goods at the local farmers' market. I especially love this time of year because the weather is finally nice and the market is packed with vendors and consumers, it's just a good time.

My favorite items this week were the brussel sprouts. I feel so naive, but I never knew they grew on stalks, it just didn't occur to me. And the funny thing is that I absolutely love brussel sprouts.

I find that a lot of people despise brussel sprouts, my husband included. I think it's because he, and a lot of other people, only had them boiled or steamed rendering them brown, limp, slimy and bitter. Ewww and double ewww!

There are a few ways to make this vegetable spectacular. There is the creamy gratin version, which isn't the healthiest, but it's a good way to test out these baby cabbages if you are the faint of heart. Personally, I like to roast them, quick and easy.

INGREDIENTS:

15-20 brussel sprouts
1 T olive oil
Salt and Pepper

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350
Oil a baking sheet
Slice sprouts in 1/2
Layer flat side down on sheet and sprinkle with salt and pepper
Roast about 20 minutes, but don't let the leaves get too brown, a nice golden brown is good
Enjoy! This is a simple and clean dish.

(I have to give props to my boss for this little preparation recipe, she made me fall in love with brussel sprouts again)

5 Foods For a Better Mood

2009-03-07T18:53:00.000-08:00

I found this accidentally, but I love it...
http://altmedicine.about.com/od/popularhealthdiets/a/moodfood.htm

Doggy Salt and Pepper Shakers

2009-03-07T15:22:00.000-08:00

I wrote about these Doggy Salt and Pepper Shakers, where the salt and pepper comes out of the butts, a few posts ago.
They are available on Amazon.

Turkey Chili Verde

2009-03-06T20:06:00.000-08:00

It was such a cold day today, overcast and windy. It made me want to cuddle up and eat something super hearty, so I made a chili verde with ground turkey. The main flavorful ingredient is salsa verde. It gives it a distinctive green hue that doesn't properly show up in the photo below. I love the brand Herdez, which is available in most grocery stores, but you can use whatever you prefer.

INGREDIENTS:

1 lb ground turkey
1 lb navy/ white, or any bean will work, rinsed and soaked over night
2 c salsa verde (I used 2 eight oz cans, but you can make it yourself or use a jar of whatever you have, it's not an exact science recipe, so a 14 oz can or 20 oz can would probably work fine)
4 c low sodium chicken or vegetable broth
3 cloves garlic chopped
1 small brown onion chopped
1/2 t cumin
1/2 t paprika
1 t oregano
1/2 t black pepper
1/4 t cayenne
1/2 T olive oil

DIRECTIONS:

Cook beans, broth, salsa, onions, garlic and 1/2 , or so, of the spices in large pot over medium heat for 30 minutes (reserve a bit of the spices to brown the turkey)
Reduce heat to low and simmer for 3-4 hours or until beans are very tender and base becomes cloudy and reduced
Brown Turkey in olive oil with remaining spices over medium high heat for 5 minutes
Add Turkey to pot and raise heat to medium and cook for another 30 minutes
Voila! Easy as that

I like mine with just a tiny bit of a flavorful cheese, such as parmesan. A little sour cream would be nice too. And definitely a little cilantro. I think the Herdez salsa has a good amount of spice but if you want things more spicy, add some jalapeno.
Enjoy

Places You Should Spend Your Money

2009-03-06T07:07:00.000-08:00

Below is a list of some cool "green" stores. I use their products and stand behind them. I'm not doing it because it's trendy (well maybe a little but I've always recycled.) The last 2 stores have cool kitchen products, but all the stores have great items.
Regeneration for handmade, recycled and eco products if you're near eagle Rock or Pasadena.
I like the Magazine Box in the gift section and I got a super cool little planter for my birthday, but it must be a one off because I can't find it on the site
The Road Less Traveled store has similar types of products if you're in the Orange County area. They carry recycled, disposable, biodegradable plates made from leftover sugar cane pulp. Sooooo Cooool! We all know we have to use disposable plates sometimes and this is the kind to use.
The Green Life is in Santa Monica and they, again, have the eco products, but I especially like the pet section.

Healthiest Fast Food

2009-03-05T20:20:00.000-08:00

from wbbm780 via fark.com is a list of the 10 healthiest fast food restaurants

Taco Town

2009-03-05T20:15:00.000-08:00

You should definitely not eat THIS!

Potato Gratin

2009-03-05T10:25:00.000-08:00

Potato gratin can be a pretty unhealthy dish when you factor in butter, cream, and cheese. There's also the fact that people still seem to be scared of eating all that starch, even though potatoes are packed with nutrients. I love it. I think it's a fab side dish and it makes a nice presentation. It looks way more complicated than it actually is and it's guaranteed to taste great.

INGREDIENTS:
4 white rose or other starchy potatoes, sliced thin
2 garlic cloves chopped
2 T flour
1/2 c skim milk
1/2 c shredded Parmesan
2 T seasoned bread crumbs
1/2 t salt
1/2 t pepper
1/8 t nutmeg
cooking spray

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 375
Slice potatoes thinly about 1/8"
Spray a non stick pan with cooking spray and warm over medium heat
Add garlic to pan and cook until slightly colored, DO NOT BURN
Add milk and nutmeg to pan and cook for about 5 minutes, turn heat down if it starts to burn
In a zipper bag put flour, about 1/3 c of the cheese, salt and pepper
Turn off stove and let milk cool
Toss potatoes into the pan to coat with milk (there will be milk left over)
Then toss the milk coated potatoes in the bag to coat with flour and cheese
Arrange the potatoes in a glass dish about 8x4x3" or a loaf pan (you can use 8x8 too, but the gratin will be flat) so that the potatoes overlap in layers
If there is any cheesy stuff at the bottom of the bag just toss that in the dish
Cover potatoes with remaining milk
Cover dish with foil and cook for 40 minutes
Remove cover and add remaining ,sprinkle top with breadcrumbs and cook an additional 10 minutes

I served mine with baked pork chops, white wine and onion reduction, and asparagus. It's a versatile side dish so it can be served with pretty much anything.

Starter Garden

2009-03-04T11:32:00.000-08:00

So you may ask why I read AARP, same reason you read Playboy, the articles! Sorry if I called you out...But actually, my friend gave me an article from AARP on gardening to save money. I think it's a great article for all ages, so read it and start planting.

Apple Tartish Thing

2009-03-04T07:13:00.000-08:00

I have a huge blog crush on Orangette. I think the recipes are well thought, the photos are beautiful and the writing is impeccable, I gush. I just happened upon this site a few weeks ago and the blog's been around since 2004... I need to catch up.
While perusing the recipes and past blog posts I found an a pple tart-cake recipe that sounded divine and I knew I needed to try it. I emailed the recipe to my boss and she made it yesterday. It was everything you would expect it to be; rich, buttery, sweet, and all around amazing with a slight crunch to the crust. Because I'm trying to make things a bit healthier this month I tried to change things up just a bit. I wanted to keep the integrity of the dish but make it just a bit less buttery.
I pretty much copied the recipe, I hope I'm not crossing the line here. Copyright infringement? Hope Not... But if you clicked the link you saw her recipe, and this is mine:

3/4 c brown sugar
1/4 c Splenda
1/2 c all-purpose flour
1/2 c whole wheat flour
1 t baking powder
5 T margarine ( i used smart beat- it was fine)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 /4 c egg substitute
3 large Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and sliced very thinly

For topping:
2 T brown sugar
1 T Splenda
2 T margarine, melted and cooled slightly
1 t ground cinnamon
1 /4 c egg substitute

I can't believe how well it turned out. I'm not sure of the actual calories, but I know it's about 400 fewer calories in the butter alone. And it tastes great, I put such a negligible amount of the substitute sweetener, you can't taste it.
So if you're like me and care about calories, this may help a little, and you still get the awesome tart. It's worth a try.

Healthier Chicken Marsala

2009-03-03T10:17:00.000-08:00

I think Chicken Marsala is a fairly healthy dish, it has a good amount of protein and mushrooms are great for you. I used Emiril Lagasse's Chicken Marsala recipe but made a few changes. I added onions (also high in nutrients) before the mushrooms and sauteed them until they were translucent. I only used 1T of olive oil, 1/4 c flour, low sodium chicken broth, and I used 1/2 c of a white wine I had on hand (I guess this should be called Chicken 2 Buck Chuck) in lieu of the marsala.

I also made a whole wheat french bread that was fabulous. I used a baguette recipe and just substituted half the white flour for whole wheat. I also added 1/2 a T of brown sugar. It turned out perfectly. Also, this recipe just suggests "throwing water on the oven floor." I used a souffle dish that I use for this purpose all the time, which I think is better. Enjoy it warm out of the oven with butter and maybe a little honey. Yummy!

Recipe Make Overs

2009-03-02T12:24:00.000-08:00

As I've stated in 2 previous posts, I made a pasta with browned butter and sage for a party I had this weekend. It was a wonderfully tasty concoction, but healthy it was not. One of my guests actually said to me "You know how I know this is good? I just watched you poor a bowl of melted butter into the pasta."
It's true, butter makes everything better. Some recipes just need butter, that's all there is to it. But some recipes can be recreated fabulously with a fraction of the fat and calories. So this is my focus for the coming month, healthy recreations of fabulously fatty foods, and healthy recipes all around. I'm salivating just thinking about it.

Happy to Tell You

2009-03-02T08:15:00.000-08:00

My birthday was a success. We had a great little party on Saturday that I catered myself. I estimate about 25 people showed up, which is quite a few people to cook for. I had an easy menu of browned butter sage pasta, beet and goat cheese salad and cold blanched asparagus with coarse salt. There were a few missteps, but no epic failures.

I prepared everything ahead of time, good news in the sense that all I had to do when the guests got here was boil water; bad news because I forgot a few key elements.
#1. I forgot to salt and pepper everything to taste, so it was a little bland. Luckily, I keep these super cute doggy salt and pepper shakers where the s & p comes out of their butts, on the table out in the dining room. Hopefully everyone was able to fend for themselves
#2. I forgot to put the asparagus out all together. This was a total bummer because I bought 4 pounds of it at the store. It was perfect asparagus, slim stalks and super green, and on sale. So now my husband and I will be eating asparagus for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

I also made a mistake with the cake, but it turned out totally fine. I made a 2 layer cake with a whipped cream frosting and blackberries. The whipped cream frosting is super easy

1 1/2 c sifted powder sugar
3 cups whipping cream

beat the whipped cream until thick then slowly add the sifted sugar

Easy enough, but I forgot to sift the powdered sugar and just poured everything in together. It worked out fine, but the frosting had a few lumps in it that worried me, but I was like "oh well." After the cake was in the refrigerator for a few hours, the lumps melted and the cake turned out perfectly. Next time I will make the frosting according to directions, but I was very lucky this time that everything turned out ok.

No Posts Yesterday

2009-02-28T07:43:00.000-08:00

So I was too busy partying and driving down to Orange County to post anything yesterday. But I did eat a lot, and that's one of my favorite activities. For lunch I went to Opah which is part of a small restaurant chain in Orange County. I chose this place because of proximity to my lunching companions as well as the Gauginesque image on the website. The food was pretty eh. It was really greasy and they used a lot of heavy sauces to mask mistakes. But the food was presented beautifully, which kind of made it taste better. But also, the portions were huge and out of control. Do I really need a pound of fries with my Kobe burger? Probably not, this dish would have been better complemented by some micro greens in a vinaigrette. Oh well, I was the one that ordered it...

For dinner, my husband took me to Cliff's Edge in Silver Lake. That was an amazing meal and a super cool restaurant. They have outdoor seating that surrounds a huge, centuries old, ficus tree. It's one of those magical romantic restaurants that feels warm and relaxing with twinkling lights everywhere. I can't wait to go back.
We started our meal with a blood orange salad with prosciutto and roasted golden beets. We paired this with a dry rose. It was a nice bright start to the meal. Then I had a wonderful fillet with Gorgonzola and a red wine reduction. On the menu it was listed to come with garlic mashed potatoes, but instead was served with a layered potato gratin, which my husband kept sneaking. It was delish. He had a seared pork chop with barley risotto, which was the star of that dish. We paired that course with a zinfandel, which was perfect for my dish but a little strong paired with the simpleness of the pork and barley, an oaky white wine might have been better. We sat and savored our dishes for a while (and stargazed as Oliver Stone and his wife sat down.) We finished off our evening with a pear and apple cobbler drenched in buttery caramel and a few espressos. So good.
As a side note, my birthday was so fun. After dinner we went to see The Little Death, which is a band our friend Laura sings in, our other friend Daron plays the guitar, and Moby plays the bass. It was a fun show for stargazing too. Heather Graham was there, although i wondered to myself where she's been hiding? But Sasha Baron Cohen was there and that was a fun star sighting.

Anyways, it was a good night all together, and if you have a chance to go to the cliff's Edge, do it. As for Opah, I will recommend it as well, but I think they may do better on their lighter dishes.
Happy eating, all!

I Just fell in Love with Pithy and Cleaver

2009-02-26T14:28:00.000-08:00

You need to look at their site!
http://pithyandcleaver.blogspot.com/
and
http://brokeassgourmet.com/
is pretty great so far too

Coveted Brooklyn Food

2009-02-26T14:06:00.000-08:00

I've mentioned before that I am turning 30 tomorrow, yikes and double yikes. What I really want to do is go to Frankie's Spuntino in Brooklyn and eat the Homemade Cavatelli with Faiccos Hot Sausage & Browned Sage Butter but going to New York this weekend is not in the cards for me. Although I will be seeing the NYC band, The Little Death, on Friday. But that's as close as I'm gonna get for a while.

I'm having a little dinner party on Saturday and my immediate thought was to pre make some lasagnas and just heat them up for dinner. But becaue what I really want is Frankie's Sausage and Browned Sage Butter, I figured I would try to make that as best I could. Lucky for me, I can work the internets and I found a recipe for someone trying to recreate this specialty. Thank you! I love you!

Homemade Baby Food

2009-02-25T13:10:00.000-08:00

I'm turning 30 in 2 days and the internal clock is doing a baby countdown. For the last year I've been doing all kinds of baby research from cloth or disposable diapers (I'm gonna use both) to what kind of stroller is best. It's all that kind of stuff that makes my husband's eyes glaze over.
But we've agreed to try to start a family in the next few months. Woohoo!

I'm not super worried about the prepared baby food on the market but when I was a child my favorite was Gerber's Blueberry Buckle and that stuff is total sugar, although I would eat it right now if it was still on the market. But we know that the best foods are the least processed (I know there are decent frozen and canned alternatives.) But when you look at it from the standpoint of waste from all the jars and packages, the excess sugar and sodium, and the fact that it's canned and not fresh, it seems like home made baby food might be a good substitute.

I'm not a super "green" person but I like to do my part, and I am totally frugal. I also understand that when you have a kid there is a lot to be said about convenience. But I want to have a good balance of nutrients for my child. I found this great website with a bunch of homemade baby food recipes. I figure it's, at least, good to know about this stuff.

This Is Why Your Fat

2009-02-25T10:44:00.000-08:00

I will be adding this to my list of cool websites and blogs, but you need to see this!
http://thisiswhyyourefat.com/

Mixing Flowers and Vegetables in Your Garden

2009-02-24T12:01:00.000-08:00

My husband and I recently purchased our first home and we have all this gardening area that we've never had before. We planted native California plants and succulents in the front of the house as soon as we moved in so we would look somewhat civilized. But we have planters around the back yard that are begging to be herb and vegetable gardens that I have no idea what to do with. My thumb is a bit more brown than green. But I found some great advice on a gardening website's blog that I had to share.
I think it is so important for a cook to have a private garden to select from, whether it is only herbs or a huge assortment of vegetables. Talk about supporting small farmers, support yourself.

French Toast Casserole

2009-02-24T11:06:00.000-08:00

Ooooh bread pudding, you are my favorite dessert. I always said instead of having wedding cake I'd have wedding bread pudding with a maple syrup fountain. I got married in Vegas and couldn't find a place that could cater to my every whim (for the price, you know what I mean.) But, no matter, I can still have bread pudding on any other day.

I use less sugar in my recipe than a lot of others because I like to top mine with a very sweet maple whiskey sauce and maybe some ice cream. So there is no lack of sweetness if that's of any concern. I also like to have it for breakfast with just a touch of maple syrup, it will rival french toast any day.

INGREDIENTS:

1 loaf french bread- 3 to 4 cups (the more stale the better, but fresh will work fine) torn or cut into 1" cubes
1 c egg beaters or 4 eggs
2 c skim milk
1 c sugar (brown or white will work just fine)
1T vanilla extract
1t cinnamon
2T butter or margerine (for greasing the pan)

Maple Whiskey Sauce:
1/2 c maple syrup
1/4 c brown sugar
1/4 c butter
1/4 c whiskey
1/2 t vanilla
1/2 t allspice

DIRECTIONS:
Grease 13 x 9" pan with butter
Layer cubed bread fairly evenly in pan
Beat eggs, milk, sugar, vanilla and cinnamon with fork until mixed
Pour over bread to nearly cover. If it doesn't cover I add a little extra milk over the top
Cover with plastic wrap and press down and along the insides of the dish to seal
At this point you can leave it on the counter for 30 minutes and preheat the oven or you can leave it in the fridge over night. If you do leave it overnight, it must be taken out of the fridge prior to cooking so it is near to room temp when it goes in the oven.
Preheat oven to 375 and bake for 30-40 minutes or until it is set
While the pudding is baking put all sauce ingredients except for the syrup in a small sauce pan on low
Cook until the sugar melts then add the maple syrup, simmer on low for 5 minutes

You can eat this warm or cool. It's good in the fridge for 3-4 days and it really can do double duty as a breakfast or dessert. I am a purist so I don't like nuts or raisins in mine but you can put in berries, raisins, dates, dried fruit or nuts and have an ever changing dessert.