157 new of 253 responses total.
Dinner tonight: http://savorysweetlife.com/2010/04/spinach-ricotta-quiche/ I made it exactly as directed except I added 1/8 tsp nutmeg. Because, it's a sin to make quiche without a pinch or two of nutmeg. 'Twas good - light yet flavorful.
Agreed. I think it was during the Atkins craze that I started making quiches without a crust....and I've never gone back. From what I can tell, no one misses them and it saves me time.
I've tried it a couple of time but someone (not saying who) missed the crust. But I think I'll try it again using the recipe in #97. Crustless quiches tend to freeze well. I have a jumbo muffin tin that I use for individual portions that reheat in the microwave beautifully. A crust, reheated this way, tends to get gummy.
Tomorrow we're hosting our book club and it's always fun coming up with appetizers to serve. I'll serve a white bean dip, pita wedges, veggies and these nuts: http://smittenkitchen.com/2008/12/sugar-and-spice-candied-nuts/ I used only almonds and they are delicious. Not sure if next time I won't cut back on the sugar by half though as it seems a lot was wasted on the silpat.
The nuts were a hit! I also served this white bean dip and pita chips: http://tinyurl.com/67rp2r A number of reviews had said Giada's recipe called for way, way too much olive oil so I took that advice and cut it to 2 tablespoons in the dip and that was perfect. I also added 1/4 tsp. cayenne and that was about right for my taste (a heat zing but not a lasting punch). The pita chips were amazing and mine were done in 7 minutes - these would be great with guac.
Oh, regarding the pitas, I only used 2 (she states 6) but they were huge and I opened them up to be single-layered. Each layer was cut into 10 pieces so I had 40 "chips". Any more bread than that I'd increase the amount of oil and seasonings.
Dinner last night was Peruvian Chicken - the recipe from Whole Foods. I served it with Ina's Couscous with Pine Nuts. Delicious, both. http://tinyurl.com/4jh6uf5 http://tinyurl.com/mq5mzx
I am such a bad cook that I am not even sure I should mention this here but for me this was a cooking accomplishment. Recently, I tried a drink at Sweetwaters called a 'Vietnamese tea latte' and I *loved* it. Since it is just hot tea with sweetened condensed milk, it is pretty easy to make at home. I mean, I can boil water and open a can with the best of them. But I am trying to avoid sugar so I went on a crusade looking for unsweetened condensed milk. It doesn't exist. But I found that that evaporated milk is similar enough to work with my tea lattes. The upside. I can have my tea with milk even if I run out of regular milk. I don't know why I like that taste that is unique to condensed/evaporated milk so much though. But I do :)
Why not try powdered milk, or make the tea in very little water and add it to liquid milk and heat that up?
resp:105 I've already tried powdered milk many times in my backpacking days. It doesn't taste as good.
Sweetened condensed milk is amazing stuff. If you simmer the can for 4-6 hours you get something called dulce de leche which is caramel-like and wicked good. I like to use condensed milk in soups that need a smooth, creamy consistency. I've never tried it in drinks but it sounds delicious.
It is 65% sugar so it probably is delicious in everything ;) I've heard about dulce de leche and would like to try it sometime but am worried about making a whole can because I would probably then proceed to eat the whole can :)
I LOVE dulce de leche....I use it as a topping on my tres leches pie, and it's integral to my banoffee pie.
Have you ever had a can blow-up while simmering? Or maybe you make it another way.
No, but I tend to be overly cautious when making it (ie, not going too far, checking water levels every half hour or so). You can buy it, but when I can get condensed sweetened milk on sale and with a coupon, I'll just make a bunch of dulce de leche all at once.
I have to admit I was all thinking that maybe I could try to make some until I heard the part about it exploding. ;)
Chick-En! ;-)
why not take the milk out of the can then simmer it? Or does it have to remain in the can? Could you vent the can somehow?
I think the whole point is to use pressure. But if that's the case, you can just make caramel....
It was cold today so I decided to make soup. The recipe: Hardware: 1 giant sized pot 20 qts. Software: 10 or so medium sized potatoes 2 medium onions water a few cubes of boullian chicken flavor (for salt) 1 cup or so of milk. method fill pot 3/4 of the way full of water. add potatoes, leaving the skins on. The skins have all the nutrients. bring to a boil and cook for about an hour. Remove potatoes and cut into pieces. Return the potatoes to the water and crush with a masher. Dont overdo it. Add the onion and milk and boullian cubes. Cook for about 30 minutes, Salt and pepper to taste and enjoy. The skins can be picked out or eaten. your call. I like potato skins, but if you don't pick em out. It comes out wonderful. Give some to your doggie if you have one. It will make him happy.
Add carrots, celery, parsley, turnips, mushrooms (dried are good), more onions, more garlic, cauliflower, tomatoes...
ok
It sounds delicious.
It is. Potato soup is one of my favorites and the nice thing is that it is good cold, too. It's even better the next day. I think I'll go have a bowl. ;)
So, I haven't actually made anything from this site, but I'm charmed by the content. The author shares both recipes and relationship advice and both are wicked good. Check it out: http://tinyurl.com/4l75mz3
Oh man....I LOVE that website!! I can't wait to make her slow cooked chicken with beer for tacos!
I am thinking of modifying the recipe below. I love hot cocoa but have
found that at the regular grocery store, it is kind of expensive and
Costco doesn't have the sugar free kind.
* 4 cups instant nonfat dry milk powder
* 1-1/2 to 2 cups sugar
* 1 cup powdered non-dairy creamer (coffee lightener like Creamora)
* 2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
* 1 package of instant store-bought chocolate or a vanilla pudding
mix (optional, but very good)
I recently found some regular powdered milk at a small grocery store
that caters to Mexican people. I am thinking that I could probably
substitute that for the 4 cups of instant nonfat dry milk power and 1
cup of powdered non-dairy creamer (which I think is gross). I guess I'll
try five cups of the regular powered milk. And I'll substitute the sugar
for Splenda. Not sure if I'll add the pudding mix but might if I can
find some sugar-free pudding.
So all you cooks out there. Do you think that five cups of powdered
whole milk might equal 4 cups of fat free powdered milk + 1 cup of non
dairy creamer?
Why not just make cocoa from real milk and cocoa powder? We microwave a small amount of milk or water with a spoonful of cocoa (or grated baking chocolate) for 20-30 sec until it dissolves (stir) then fill it up with milk and heat it and stir again, add sugar to taste (or not). Cocoa made with powdered milk does not taste nearly as good. The powdered creamer may be added to commercial mixes to save costs. You can also add vanilla or cinnamon.
resp:124 It is just easier for me to put the tea kettle on and then add hot water to a powdered mix. Plus, sometimes I am out of milk. A few years ago, I bought a hot cocoa mix that needs to be added to milk and then never bothered to make it.
So mix cocoa and powdered milk and a small bit of water, stir thoroughly, microwave 20 sec, add more water. Jim suggests do not add sugar.
Your mix sounds doable, Lynne, but I'm not sure if it would end up tasting too much of the chemicals in the pudding and Creamora. I think I'd instead play around with fat-free or 2% condensed milk, rich cocoa powder and maybe a mixture of sugar sub and agave syrup as sweetener. Solves the problem of having to have fresh milk on hand and you've minimized the fake stuff. One other thing I've found makes a big difference in hot chocolate is whipping it with one of these thingies. ttp://tinyurl.com/4hjysap It gives even non-fat Nestle hot chocolate packets a smooth consistency and with a small hit of whipped cream it's decadent enough for my needs. The whole mug comes in at 85 calories.
Opps, dropped an "h". Try: http://tinyurl.com/4hjysap
resp:127 I kind of want it to be a powdered mix but I found whole milk power at the Mexican grocery store so I am going to use that instead of the creamer (which I think is gross).
The creamer probably includes things like mono and diglycerides and polysorbate 60, which look like but do not taste like cream. With enough sugar who can taste the difference?
I can taste the difference even with sugar because what I dislike about non-dairy creamer is the "mouth feel" of it and no amount of sugar can hide that train wreck.
A neighbor just gave Jim a container of what he thought was cocoa mix and it is actually coffee mix and contains all those chemicals and a smidgen of cocoa so they can call it 'white cocoa'. Xanthan gum (made by bacteria from cellulose), etc. The chemicals make it feel thicker with no need to add real cream which costs money.
General Foods International Coffees Swiss White Chocolate Smooth, rich coffee blended with the delicious sweetness of Swiss white chocolate. INGREDIENTS: Sugar (for delicious sweetness of course), nondairy creamer (partially hydrogenated soybean oil, corn syrup solids, sodium caseinate (from milk), dipotassium phosphate, mono- and diglycerides, soy lecithin, maltodextrin (from corn), instant coffee, less than 2 percent of cocoa (processed with alkali), natural and artificial flavors, xanthan gum, sodium citrate. natural flavors are synthesized to match the ones found in nature xanthan gum is synthesized from wood pulp, I think sodium caseinate derives from milk (it is the part used in cheese) soy lecithin is left over when you make soy oil from soybeans There is probably just over 2% instant coffee in there. Instant cocoa is probably the same thing without the coffee.
Yeah but you just gave me a thought. I could add instant coffee and have a mocha mix
I like that idea. Woot! Yet another way to get MORE COFFEE! ;-)
I thought white chocolate was made with cocoa butter not cocoa powder. They probably used the word 'white' because that is the color of the mix due to the sodium caseinate and hydrogenated oil, since there is too little cocoa and coffee in there to look brown.
The other day I picked up a Consumer Reports magazine subtitled "Food & Fitness". It included a number of useful articles and a couple of recipes that looked good - all with an eye to lightening-up comfort foods. I made the first, a rice pudding, and it's really good. The best I've ever made. Unfortunately there isn't a link on their website so I'll just post it here, with the proportions and addition as I made it. Fruity, Nutty Rice Pudding 1 1/2 cups leftover (cooked & cooled) brown rice 1 cup skim milk 1/2 cup sugar 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract (my addition) pinch of salt 1/4 cup dried cranberries 1/8 cup slivered almonds 7 oz. 2% plain Greek yogurt Combine cooked rice, milk, sugar, cardamom, vanilla & salt in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, lower the heat to simmer and stir in the dried fruit and almonds. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the milk is absorbed - about 20'. The mixture will be somewhat thickened by then but beware - it will thicken even more when cool. Transfer to a bowl and cool completely. Gently stir in yogurt and serve. Make 3 cups of rice pudding, serving 4-6.
I make rice pudding without sugar. Raisins are plenty sweet.
Yep, going without sweetener is certainly possible and I bet a lot of people like it that way.
I thought everyone added lemon peel - I guess the cranberries are for tartness instead. We have a couple dozen lemons and limes and no rice - any ideas what to do other than salad dressing or hot lemonade? I have tried pumpkin soup with lemon juice, stir fries with lime juice. There is an egg-lemon soup.
Dried cranberries tend to not be tart, but rather sweet. As to lemons, you could make lemoncello (what I think I'm doing next weekend). Lemon curd. I do love avgolemono soup (the egg/lemon/rice soup you referred to). Maybe I'll make some of that.
The cranberries are very tart but the sugar added to them masks that. I made lemon curd once and did not like it. Maybe I can make egg lemon soup with millet or rice starch. Trying to cook something easily digested while getting over the flu so tonight was powdered milk and applesauce and rice starch pudding with cardamom flavoring. Was going to add honey for extra calories but it is too cold to get out of the silly bottle. I should probably avoid fiber for a while. Which does not leave much.
I like rice pudding but have never made it. That recipe sounds yummy. I like that it has brown rice. I actually prefer the taste of brown rice to white rice.
Does white rice have a taste? My mother used to butter it and tried to do so when I made stir-fried vegetables. She also buttered spaghetti, then the next morning adding milk to the leftovers and served it for breakfast. I wonder if she learned that from her mother. Do you ever watch Youtube cooking videos? There are some unintentionally funny ones.
Following up on the rice pudding recipe I posted - I made it early in the day and served it about eight o'clock. It was tasty but the yogurt made it very thick. It seems the longer it sits the thicker it gets. I suspect some of that is simply the nature of the rice (like pasta in pasta salad) continuing to absorb the available liquid. I'm going to play with this some and in a month or two make Alton Brown's rice pudding and see which I prefer. Alton's recipe: http://tinyurl.com/cbrtcp
Boiled or baked starchy puddings thicken as they cool, so do custards, and killed bacterial cultures most likely have nothing to do with it.
Winter. Cold. Gray. Dreary. WAFFLES! I made them Belgium-style and it yields 10 squares that freeze very well. To make these reasonable I substituted whole wheat pastry flour, light sour cream and cut the butter to 4 tablespoons and it still worked beautifully. They come in at 203 calories a waffle with 4 grams of fiber. I reheat them in the toaster. A side benefit - the house smells wonderful! http://tinyurl.com/4so7res
Tonight I made these black bean burritos. They ended up being nicely seasoned thanks to the chipotle peppers. Hearty too - one per person was quite filling. http://tinyurl.com/5uf2jq3
Yay! One thing I'm looking forward to when I move is making more vegetarian food. This is something I think Eric and I would both like.
Google has just introduced a new search feature where you can search for a recipe then dynamically drill down for time, ingredient, etc. Too cool! Here is a short video on the feature: http://www.youtube.com/user/Google#p/a/u/0/IsUN1dUbbM8
I just tried it. That's the bomb. ;)
This is going to be cool!
Well, I finally cooked something. No formal recipe for it though. But I made Halupki (or Haluptsi is more how my family pronounces it). Basically an old family recipe for cabbage rolls. I took 2 lbs of ground beef and 1 lb of ground pork and mixed it with a bunch of brown rice. Then I steamed a head of cabbage and pulled the leaves off in the way my grandmother showed me. The hardest part is boiling the head of cabbage the right amount. I boiled it for about five minutes and then had to keep putting it back in for five minutes as I peeled off the leaves since the interior ones were still raw. That is how my grandmother did it though so I am pretty sure it is right. You don't want the leaves cooked too much -- just enough to soften them up enough for rolling. You roll the meat mixture into the cabbage leaves. Then you line a roasting pan with cabbage leaves on the bottom and put in a bed of sour kraut. My grandmother made her own but I used the stuff from a jar. I added carroway seeds to the sour kraut. Anyways, you put the cabbage rolls on top of the sour kraut and then when you're done putting them in the roasting pan, you add crushed tomatoes (I used too few but next time I'll know) and then pack more sour kraut on top and stick a ham hock in it. Then I baked it for about three hours at 350F. It came out very good but not nearly as good as my grandmother's. My mother and aunt think it is because I didn't use enough salt. I guess my grandmother put a ton of salt in it and then salted each roll individually as she put them in the pan. I may have also overcooked the rice but I don't think making it with brown rice instead of white made it bad.
My mother added carrots, onions, and raisins to her tomato sauce. Try microwaving the cabbage. I think we held the rolls together with toothpicks. The Slavic names for this mean little doves and are related to Columbia.
I hate it when I realize I don't have an old family recipe any longer. It's like, why didn't I get that down. Or why didn't I take better care of it. Even if I never intend to cook with some of those ingredients, like lard, it would be nice to have that bit of family history. Your recipe sounds like a bit of family history, Lynne. It's cool you're bringing it back. I'm not a kraut person but, just the same, I'm familiar with the dish, and my father liked it a whole lot. His version called for a red sauce over the top - I think it included Campbell's tomato soup. of all things.
I thought I'd post this here, because there's really nowhere else to put it, and I thought you guys would find it funny. I entered a contest for www.showup.com to win tickets to a culinary festival this weekend. To enter, we had to put down a recipe, and 5 winners would be picked. I entered the Michigan Chicken recipe that I made when I worked at Maude's (Real Seafood Co. does a Michigan fish recipe, using I think trout). It's chicken breast sauteed with dried cherries, crimini and shitake mushrooms and basil. Did I win? No. Because some lameass recipe involving a crockpot and canned soup won. I'm not anti-crockpot, but canned soup? Really???
Funny. Outrageous, but funny. My mom cooked with canned soup a lot. That was back in the 50's and 60's when I think most moms did. Dad's tended to rule the BBQ grill but stayed away from the stove for the most part. I still make the green bean casserole for the winter holidays out of respect for tradition. ;-) I haven't given up cans and jars for speed meals - I've just moved on to better cans and jars. Last night I put Trader Joe's Masala cooking sauce into a Dutch oven with some browned chicken thighs and drumsticks and a little sliced onion. Brown rice went into the rice cooker. Broccoli got steamed at the last minute. No muss, no fuss, minimal hands-on cooking. But the results were an almost restaurant quality Indian dinner with leftovers. I like leftovers. The Maude's Michigan Chicken dish is wonderful, Brooke. I remember it well. I think it's a sin you didn't get a prize. ;-)
Yeah, I think I had that dish at Maude's too and loved it.
My mother made her cabbage rolls with cream of tomato soup. Truly awful from a woman who really could cook. Et tu Mary? I would have thought you wouldnt make that crappy green bean concoction. I should unfriend you for that. (just kidding) I pulled one out of the fire the other day.... I made a meatloaf, but I forgot the onion soup mix and the spices. Came out awful. I parked it in the cold box thinking I was doomed to eat flavorless meatloaf for the next 2 weeks. THEN, I bought some mushrooms on sale at la mercado, and I diced the shrooms up with 1/2 of the remaining meat. Cooked it some more, then added some water and let it simmer. Result was some awesome burrito filling, and topped with some homemade salsa and hot sauce it made some pretty good burritos. The rest of the meat is bound for hamburger helper. Hey, I need a change.
Do people really put canned friend onion rings on their green beans?
Yes. It makes the dish.
Is it the salt or the grease? Or the cute little circles?
All of the above.
I love that green bean casserole with the cream of mushroom soup and the fried onions from a can.
For mardi gras I made some jambalaya using this recipe: http://tinyurl.com/4s7dl4v And it was just okay. I mean, I followed the recipe exactly and used quality ingredients, and it had a nice bit of heat, but it was just "okay". One thing - it was a lot of rice for the amount of protein. I'll not be making this again.
Is it me, or is Jambalaya one of those things that just sounds so much better in theory?
Sounds right. The weird part is I like paella and they are so similar. Maybe I'm a closet saffron junkie.
Jambalaya for me is a box of Zaterains. I'm incredibly lazy in the kitchen.
Catching up a bit... For St. Patrick's day I made stew - Beef & Guinness stew - from Cooking Light. I've made it a number of times over the past year and the seasonings work with either beef and lamb. http://tinyurl.com/39ngo82 Last night I again made Cincinnati Chili. It too is a Cooking Light recipe. Served it on top of whole wheat spaghetti and topped with chopped onions and grated cheddar. That makes it 4 way chili if I remember correctly. Kinda wish omni could taste it and tell me how it compares to the real thing. I made a few small changes from the posted recipe - let me know if you want the details. http://tinyurl.com/4ev8deo And for this evening we're going to a rush-spring picnic. I'm bringing this favorite pasta salad: http://tinyurl.com/4s2x9t4 And this classic spinach dip: http://tinyurl.com/yao2kbe So much for being a gourmet cook. I'm more of a "back of the box" gal.
If you want "real" Cincinnati chili, go to Kroger and buy a can of Skyline. Thats the closest you're gonna find outside of the Queen City. You had a 3 way. 4 way is with beans. for the exact description go to http://www.skylinechili.com I have a recipe I could send you, Mary. It comes from the Cincinnati Tour guide book. I've made it and it is very close to the Skyline recipe. Also you can now buy Gold Star spices in an envelope for about a buck at Meijer. All you need to add is tomato paste, and meat. Very good, and very simple. There are 2 factions of chili people in Cincinnati; the Skyline crowd and the Gold Star crowd. You can't like both and you must pick one if you plan on living anywhere near Cincinnati. ;) I think I have lived in Ohio too long. I know wayyy too much about chili for my own good. ;)
From Wikipedia: two-way: spaghetti and chili three-way: spaghetti, chili, and shredded cheese four-way: spaghetti, chili, shredded cheese, and either diced onions or beans five-way: spaghetti, chili, shredded cheese, diced onions, and beans I'd like a copy of your recipe, Jim. Thanks.
resp:170 Is that like the great American Coney Island - Lafayette Coney Island debate in Detroit. ;) I realized recently that in my entire life, I've never even once had a coney dog from American Coney Island. I've kind of decided that I really need to go down there and get one from each place and decide for myself. I just have always gone to Lafayette since I was a kid and my Dad told me that they were better :)
I needed a side for tonight's dinner and this one had been in my "to try" list for some time. It's Ina Garten's Wild Rice Salad. Chock-full of nuts and dried cranberries and grapes, it sounded simply delightful. I made the rice in the rice cooker and eliminated her orange juice, olive oil and raspberry vinegar and instead just used 1/4 cup of my favorite raspberry vinaigrette. I also substituted drained mandarin oranges for her regular oranges. Came out perfect! This one is a keeper. http://tinyurl.com/46jcwmd
The lady I help out makes rice this way. water in the pot. salt. dump rice in. Boil til dry. she does not measure a thing and the rice is as good as if you fussed over it. talk about been there, done that. ;)
No cover? What does she do with the burnt parts on the bottom? Or all the water on the windows?
none of the above. She has been cooking since she was 8. That in my book speaks volumes. When something works dont fuck with it.
Amen, brother.
I made this the other day. It was pretty easy to make and they were a very fun if not especially healthy snack. The one change I made was to substitute the flour with a gluten free all purpose flour. I might try to make these with whole wheat flour next time. Anyways, they were really yummy. We had to keep the kids from eating them all and weren't especially successful. I only got 2 and I had doubled the recipe and made 50 of these suckers! I did have some trouble getting them out of the tins so next time I might try muffin papers. These will be something I can make to take to parties and such. http://noblepig.com/2010/03/30/pepperoni-pizza-puffs.aspx Pepperoni Pizza Puffs Adapted from Everyday 3/4 cup flour 3/4 teaspoon baking powder 3/4 cup whole milk 1 egg, lightly beaten 4 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded (about 1 cup) 4 ounces pepperoni, cut into small cubes (about 1 cup) 1/2 cup pizza sauce 2 Tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil Preheat oven to 375o. Grease a 24-cup mini muffin pan. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour and baking powder; whisk in the milk and egg. Stir in the mozzarella and pepperoni; let stand for 10 minutes. Stir the batter and divide among the mini-muffin cups. Bake until puffed and golden, 20 to 25 minutes. Microwave the pizza sauce until warmed through, then stir in 1 Tablespoon basil. Sprinkle the puffs with the remaining 1 Tablespoon basil. Serve the puffs with the pizza sauce for dipping.
What a fun snack or appetizer. I've bookmarked it. Thanks!
Instead of gluten-free you could use pastry flour (which you can sometimes find in whole wheat). Gluten is what makes yeast bread rise. If you have patience you could use yeast instead of baking powder (and warm the liquids first).
I'm not sure why slynne used gluten free flour - it could be because someone can't eat gluten. And pastry flour has gluten....
I was using the gluten free flour because a couple of the people I was cooking for are gluten intolerant. When I cook at home, however, I wont have that restriction and probably will see if I can find some whole wheat pastry flour.
I cook with whole wheat pastry flour a lot. It's a pretty easy swap-in for all-purpose flour. Early this morning I made some simple granola. Oats, almonds, maple syrup, canola oil and honey. The recipe is out of _Williams-Sonoma Eat Well_, so I don't have a link. But if anyone wants it I'll post it here.
Breakfast was this version of Huevos Rancheros from Real Simple: http://tinyurl.com/2blhc7k I added a 1/4 cup chopped onions to the beans and toasted the tortillas over the open flame on the gas burner. Otherwise no changes. 'Twas good.
I like mushrooms. So why I waited until now to make simple saut ed mushrooms is a legitimate, but boring question. So, I ran across this recipe from the ever-so-popular site Simply Recipes and gave it a try. Isn't that photo luscious? Well, the mushrooms were every bit as good. In an attempt to reign in the calories I only used half the called for butter and Marsala. The verdict - delicious. http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/marsala_glazed_mushrooms/
oooh - those look great!! and good call on the marsala - that seemed like a lot!
Last night I made an oldie-but-goodie recipe for salmon. So good. http://tinyurl.com/3lh2f7y
Oooh - that looks good! I love roasted tomatoes. You get almost a jam like flavor out of it.
Agree. Cherry tomatoes, even raw, are like guiltless candy in my book. Over time I've altered the cooking time for that salmon dish and cook the tomatoes for the same time as the salmon. 30 minutes at 400 was a bit much.
Made this version of Chicken Paprikash, from Everyday Food, yesterday. And reserved it again, tonight. It's a very good recipe that I'll be putting into my collection. The only change I made was to add 1 teaspoon of hot paprika to the called for 2 tablespoons of sweet paprika. That lent just a touch of heat. http://www.marthastewart.com/286270/chicken-paprikash
Er, re-served.
Accidentally made some excellent soup with frozen garlic scapes from last year (the new garlics are up already), sliced onions, frozen brandywine tomatoes, frozen snap beans (garafal oro?), frozen dryad's saddle fungus from a local woods, and salted Ethiopian mustard greens. This might be hard to reproduce. Dessert was frozen cherries from Whitmore Lake Road, frozen juneberries, and leftover oatmeal. The onion was not local. Or the oats. Or salt. What do people use chervil for? A large patch planted itself and is up (or made it over the winter).
I've had Margarita Chicken at restaurants and liked it a lot. But our liquor cabinet doesn't have tequila. Or at least it didn't. I went out and bought a smallish bottle and made Ina's Tequila Lime chicken, grilling it indoors. It was quite good. I didn't marinate it overnight, as she suggested, as I thought I'd end up with ceviche-style cooked chicken what with all that lime. So I gave it 8 hours. I think that worked out well. Also, I added 1 tsp. of salt to the marinate as a way of encouraging the marinade into the meat - brining light, kinda. I served this with a corn, tomato & avocado salad. The chicken recipe is at: http://tinyurl.com/53gm8f
Root time. I replanted most of the red beets, yellow beets, orange carrots and turnips to grow greens and seeds, but took some inside to cook. Made one pot of borshch. Any other ideas on what to do with some enormous beets and a few carrots?
Hmmm, can't help there as I don't cook with or serve beets. But I suspect a google search would throw out a lot of ideas.
Ceviche chicken ;-) Beets? Roast them!! Yum!!!
Okay, if you ever need proof positive I'm not a gourmet cook - you've got it here. I like a good pulled pork sandwich. A few months ago I made Paula Dean's recipe and it was wonderful. But then I ran across this recipe, from The Pioneer Woman, and she had me at Dr. Pepper. Too weird not to try, right? Well, I made it exactly as per her recipe. I did take her suggestion of defatting the broth by refrigerating it overnight and then just lifting off the solid top layer. The chipotle peppers come through giving the meat a rich, deep heat. This made about 24 portions, by my estimate, and would be great to serve for a crowd. http://tinyurl.com/3b29uha
Israeli Couscous & Vegetables Ah, one of my favorite ingredients - Israeli couscous. I let the vegetables go well past the saute stage she calls for and instead pan roasted them, meaning getting them very soft over medium low heat. Then the liquids are given up and cooked away, so the veggie flavors become very concentrated. Otherwise I made the recipe as directed. Very yummy. http://susikochenundbacken.blogspot.com/ Susi's Kochen kind of runs her recipes together so you'll need to tail back to April 11th to see this one.
Here is an outstanding chicken recipe, from Ina Garten. It came out looking just like that photo and was moist and flavorful. I used chicken thighs but otherwise made it according to specs. http://tinyurl.com/3wxqyvt One last bit - must love garlic.
And Brooke, I didn't know you used the pseudo "Susi".;-) Man, she looks like you.
Holy crap!! She does!
I'm a pretty unfussy fan of coleslaw. I'll take it dripping wet and creamy all the way to bone dry and spicy. About the only ones I don't like are the ones that are more mayo than cabbage. So this month Cook's Illustrated decided to deconstruct slaw and come up with a sweet & spicy slaw and boy, did they get it right. The directions are unique in that the cabbage is microwaved to release excess water. But it works. I made this up early in the day so I didn't need to do their dressing-in-the-freezer-first bit. I just gave the finished slaw 6 hours to cool before serving. And it was amazing how much water the salad spinner extracted. The end product's flavor and texture was spot on. Cook's Illustrated online is a subscription service but the link below takes you to a blogger who reproduces the recipe, exactly. http://tinyurl.com/5r9jxwa
that sounds yummy. I love cole slaw and I am not fussy about it either. I like all forms. But, fwiw, there is a cart at Mark's Carts that had some really excellent non-creamy cole slaw for $3. I am totally going to be getting that again.
Will try. Mark's Carts sure has been getting a lot of good attention.
Yeah, so far I've liked everything I've gotten there. They have lots of healthy choices too.
Last night I made this recipe for baked fish. It was fast, uber easy and tasty. I made it as suggested. http://tinyurl.com/3mox96m
Boneless & skinless chicken breasts get a nice treatment here: http://tinyurl.com/4xukwo8 I made this last night and it was quick and delicious. I did use 1 Tbsp. each butter and olive oil for the initial step where the chicken is cooked. I find spray just doesn't cut it there. And, although that sounds like a lot of mushroom, not to worry. They shrink when cooked and they make the dish.
yummy
Last night I needed a quick side for marinated flank steak. So I went through my list of keepers and came up with Moon Beam Salad - a Cooking Light recipe from like 15 years ago. It's a mystery why I haven't made this for so long as it goes together in a breeze and would be great for a picnic or potluck as it could be made the day before, unlike with lettuce or pasta salads. I could no longer find it on Cooking Light's website but there was this link. It calls for two cans of beans and I used one. I like the proportions better with one. It yields 4 big portions. http://tinyurl.com/3o7edq7
Sorry this isn't a picture. But it looks quite pretty.
I made Jamie Oliver's salmon baked in prosciutto over herby lentils for the new fella last night. It's an old standby that gets great reviews, and to be honest, is super easy. http://www.jamieoliver.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=25795 The recipe is the second one down. I also made a salad of spinach, peas and feta, with an olive oil/lemon dressing.
Salmon on lentils - sounds tasty. I've seen it on restaurant menus and been tempted. Think I'll try it. Thanks!
I really love it. It's healthy date food. I also made this: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/good-eats/chocolate-mousse-recipe/inde x.html For dessert. I'm not sure if I bloomed the gelatin correctly, but it really does have an amazing flavor....I omitted the rum and used vanilla, as I had no rum. I love the consistency, as while it's light, it also has a bit of punch behind it. We each had a couple of spoonfuls and were done.
well, I've cooked again and it didn't suck. I took the leftovers from a Costco rotisserie chicken and put it in a pot with some water and vegetable soup bouillon. Trader Joes sells packages of already chopped up onions, celery, and carrots so I bought that and threw that in the pot too. It came out well but it made way more soup than I can eat. Guess I'll freeze it or feed it to the dogs. It was pretty damn yummy though. I might do this again since the rotisserie chickens are so cheap but also much too big for a single person. I think I might add more vegetables like green beans and maybe cauliflower since I am trying to work more vegetables into my diet. Other than all of the salt, this is probably somewhat healthy too.
I'd freeze it in individual portions then always have one portion defrosting in the fridge, ready to eat, until the batch is gone. You are right, soup is a great way to get more veggies. I feel that way about stir-fry too.
That is a really good idea to freeze the soup in individual containers. I think I even have a bunch of old yogurt containers just waiting for such a use. That way, I can also easily microwave a bowl of soup any time I need a quick dinner.
Last night I made this recipe for Shrimp Korma. It had just the right amount of seasoning for our taste and it came together in about 45 minutes, including the rice. I didn't add the water, used 10 oz of shrimp and 1 cup (cooked) brown rice. It then was a nice dinner for two. I like leftovers but not when they include fish or seafood. http://tinyurl.com/3nlvzm8
You all must make this sometime this summer. It's a wonderful, easy to make cake that looks great and tastes even better. It's from Smitten Kitchen and it's packed with strawberry goodness. I gave it a test run last night to see if it would work for company - and it would and will. http://smittenkitchen.com/2011/05/strawberry-summer-cake/
I've made it for a BBQ. And I'm with you - it's freaking amazing. And SO easy!!!!
Juneberries are ripe! Mulberries just starting, and we missed the local sweet cherry trees but will bike an hour north to check on some slightly later ones tomorrow. White currants barely starting to ripen. First peapods. Lettuce starting to get bitter. Mustard bolting. Amaranth growing an inch a day. Garlic about to flower - scapes are edible for a bit longer. Beet greens.
Tonight was salad and sandwich night. But with a twist. I made bbq chicken quesadillas with a side of chunky mango-cucumber salsa. The salsa is a recipe I've made forever and I can't find it online anymore, but if anyone wants it I'll enter it here. The quesadillas went like this: http://www.howsweeteats.com/2010/06/bbq-chicken-quesadillas/
Looks good!
We have a crate of cukes to use up.
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/tzatziki-sauce/detail.aspx I keep meaning to make this because I *love* it and it has lots of veggies and I always figure if I love some food with lots of veggies, I should eat it more often. I like dipping cucumbers in tzatziki sauce. I might have to make some for the 4th of July festivities.
I've been trying to get keep more high protein snacks on the ready. Things like hard boiled eggs and hummus. Of course I've made (my mother's) hard boiled eggs before but they often cracked or had that ugly green covering on the yolk. Enter Ina Garten and her technique, which is dead easy and yields the perfect hard boiled egg, to my taste. Here is how she does it: http://www.barefootcontessa.com/recipes.aspx?RecipeID=322&S=0 On her show after the 15 minute bath she submerges the eggs in ice water for 5 minutes. This is what I did because I wanted to eat one NOW. I'd also like to keep hummus around and decided to try this dead-easy, 5 Minute Hummus recipe. It's adapted from Real Simple and this blogger marked the tahini as optional. So I left it out. The hummus is wonderful without it! http://tinyurl.com/3uqjojo
Oh no way. Tahini is what makes hummus taste so good. ;) Sometimes I even add tahini to store bought hummus. I have found the easiest way to have hard boiled eggs around for snacks. Trader Joes sells bags of hard boiled eggs that are already peeled and everything. They are much more expensive than regular eggs but cheaper and healthier than many other snack options. I also like making egg salad sandwiches (with cesar dressing instead of mayo) with them. Yum yum.
Now that I think of it, I'll bet using tahini instead of mayo in an egg salad sandwich would be worth a try.
I'm fairly new to Trader Joe's. I'm curious how long a peeled hard boiled egg stays fresh, refrigerated? Nice idea though. Regarding the hummus - I'm going to add tahini to the next batch and see if it improves it worth the calories and fat grams. If so, I'm there. But it's pretty tasty without.
resp:228 I've kept them as long as a week. I think they might be ok longer but I always eat them up.
My mother made the worst pancakes. They were like dog frisbees and you needed a knife to cut them. The whole time I was growing up I thought that restaurant pancakes were so good and mom's were so bad so it must be a restaurant trick moms don't know about. Well. About 20 years ago I finally got it. It's all about not overworking the batter. You stop when you can still see a few lumps. Mom beat her batter to death using an electric mixer. But lately I've been trying to come up with a tender but healthier pancake. And this morning I made a recipe that does that nicely. Now, be open minded here - it includes cottage cheese. That's not such a stretch when you consider good pancakes usually include buttermilk for the acid component. Here is the recipe: http://tinyurl.com/3as375p Now, my changes: I used an immersion blender on the liquid ingredients before gently hand mixing with the dry. For flour I used only whole wheat pastry flour. I halved the recipe using two eggs and ended up with 6 6" pancakes. Lastly, 1/2 cup of fresh blueberries went into the batter because it would be a sin not to. And there you have it. Fluffy, tasty pancakes, with added protein and fiber. Just right for a holiday breakfast.
I had a BBQ to attend yesterday, and at the hostesses' request, made banoffee pie, but then wanted something lighter. I had the last of my rhubarb in the freezer, so I bought some cheap strawberries and made this: http://smittenkitchen.com/2007/05/crumbling-crisp-convictions/ I doubled it and ended up with maybe a cup left. Which I brought home to heat up to eat tonight. It was GREAT! And everyone loved it!
I'd not heard of banoffee pie so I looked it up. Holy cow, that sounds decadent and wonderful. I'll also be trying that crisp recipe. I've been watching folks use electric ice cream makers and I'm intrigued. Not so much to buy one as to figure out how to make good sorbet, without one, and with less sugar than usual. So when I saw Giada make a watermelon version I decided to start there. I substituted diet ginger ale and only added the juice of one lime. I put the liquid into a plastic container and about every two hours into the freeze I'd go and give it a stir/flake. Worked! It's a light and refreshing ice. I'll be trying this with other fruits. http://tinyurl.com/44n3636
The banoffee is decadent - but it's also one of the easiest things to make if you buy the ingredients....I tend to like my own graham cracker crust better than anything I could ever buy, so that's scratch. And when condensed sweetened milk goes on sale, I buy a bunch so I can cook it down to dulce de leche....then it's just easier to make the dish. It's a real no-fail thing.
So, I found out there is a chemistry thing involved and if you want granita you can fork-scape the fruit/water mixture every half hour and end up with something scoopable. But if you want a true sorbet, frozen yogurt or ice cream, it needs to be churned. So I bought an ice cream maker. What a world of confectionary fun! So far I've made Alton's Serious Vanilla Ice Cream and a mango frozen yogurt from the Cusinart booklet that came with the device. Yummy. And with zucchini in season I made this quick bread with whole wheat flour, and raisins instead of chocolate chips. It's not overly sweet with a nice flavor and texture. Individual portions freeze well. http://tinyurl.com/5vrwlot
I have been thinking about buying an ice cream maker. Ironically because I am trying not to eat ice cream :). My substitute for ice cream has been frozen berries mixed with plain unsweetened greek yogurt but I find myself thinking that if I could freeze the yogurt/berry mixture and churn it, it would be pretty good.
This mango frozen yogurt has pretty good numbers. Here is a link to the recipe and nutritional info. http://www.cuisinart.com/recipes/desserts/6020.html Regarding purchasing an ice cream maker - I located the one I wanted, on sale, at Bed Bath & Beyondm for $50 and used a 20% off coupon so I was out the door at $43. http://tinyurl.com/6fsegxq
Er, Beyond.
I think I might try to get use one for less :) I would sure like to try that mango frozen yogurt though.
Is it here where I tell you that the new fella cooked for ME, and while I don't have a recipe, and holy crap was it decadent, it was seriously good? Grilled hotdogs, wrapped in bacon, grilled with BBQ sauce and topped with caramelized onions and blue cheese crumbles. On grilled naan. He also grilled some asparagus, because hey, gotta stay healthy, right? It was an amazing dinner, and it had been so long since someone cooked for me (he also made me a pretty amazing veggie omelet the next day), that seriously, it could have been Stouffer's and I'd have been thrilled. ;-)
Oh, man. You found a good one, Brooke.
resp:239 I always say that I would put up with a lot of BS from any guy who cooks me dinner :) I also have to say that his "swankie frankie" version sounds very delicious.
OMG! We are so totally going to call them that! Thanks!! And Mary, yes, I think I know that. ;-)
resp:242 You might want to spell it correctly though ;)
I once dated a guy that loved to cook; was nice while it lasted. :-)
Ice cream machine update summary: Oh my. Who would have thought research could be so much fun! Details: I've made four different frozen desserts in the ice cream maker thus far. A full, rich, butter pecan ice cream (NY style), a serious vanilla ice cream (Philadelphia style), a raspberry sherbet, a mango sorbet and there is a batch of cantaloupe sorbet chilling to be churned in a couple of hours. What I'm finding that isn't a surprise is an improved flavor over even premium store bought. What I didn't anticipate is how much more expensive it is to make quality ice cream at home. The ingredients add up especially when using vanilla beans. Here are a few links to those recipes: Butter pecan ice cream: http://tinyurl.com/42r7b9t Serious vanilla ice cream: http://tinyurl.com/56cdh6 Raspberry sherbet: http://tinyurl.com/3ufesr4 Mango frozen yogurt: http://tinyurl.com/3dfzt38 Cantaloupe sorbet (used only 1/2 cup sugar): http://tinyurl.com/6pcjfp
Where do you get ripe mangos?
Yes, the cost of milk and cream and eggs can be ridiculous. My friend made ice cream, and you could tell he cheaped out - and at that point, just buy what's on sale at the store.
The cheap ice cream at the store does not have eggs.
I got nice mangos at Krogers. The cantaloupe sorbet came out great! I used Midori instead of vodka. It comes in at 88 calories a serving without resorting to artificial sweetener. That's what I was looking to accomplish when I started this ice creeam making thing.
You can get canned ripe mango pulp at Indian food stores.
Overnight guests tonight and I'd like to serve something a little different for breakfast. So I had a trial-run of this recipe this morning and it's quite good. I made enough crepes for tomorrow, will put together a fruit salad tonight, and the morning will be golden. That's the plan at least. ;-) http://tinyurl.com/4xvw22z
the best laid plans....
I've been making lots of familiar dishes lately so not much to link to here. But for tonight I made a new recipe for Fried Rice with Tofu and it's very good. The only change I made was in using brown rice. This one is a keeper. http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/tofu-fried-rice-10000000689956/
You have several choices: