Feed Your Family

Turtle Tart

2009-11-30T23:07:00.000-08:00

This was my contribution to our Thanksgiving Feast. I based it on a recipe from Bon Appetit.
If you love turtles (chocolate, not reptiles) then this is for you.

It's a little bit tricky for a novice, but if you follow the recipe closely, you should do fine. Make sure you read and understand the instructions before starting because there are a couple of steps that are a little time sensitive.

One technique that may be new to you is making the pastry in a food processor. Making amazingly easy pastry is one of the main reasons I got a Cuisinart. If you've never done it before, you'll be amazed at how simple it is.
Flaky pastry requires two things:
1. You must not overwork the dough (especially once you add water) because the gluten in the flour will make the dough chewy.
2. The dough must stay cold so the butter (or other fat) remains firm. Little bits of butter melting during the baking are what make pastry flaky and wonderful.
Using a food processor makes it easier to comply with those two requirements. It's so fast, that it's hard to overwork it, and it doesn't have time to warm up.

The second skill that you may likely not have done before is making caramel.
Just watch it closely so it doesn't burn. When you're boiling the sugar, let it turn to an amber color before adding the cream and butter. Add the cream carefully, because it will be EXTREMELY hot.

Here is the recipe.

I used pecans instead of macadamias and sprinkled a little fleur de sel because I like a little extra salt with my caramel.

Enjoy!

Happy St. Patty's Day!

2009-03-15T22:53:00.000-07:00

We celebrated St. Patrick's Day early this year so that I'd be able to post this early enough to inspire you to make it this March 17th (Tuesday).
Corned beef and cabbage, though it is not among the most aesthetically pleasing meals on the planet, is one of the tastiest and easiest to make. Next year I'll corn my own beef, this year I let the folks at Kroger do it for me.
First the history and background, then the recipe.
As it turns out, the Irish origins of this meal are questionable at best. It seems to have become popular among Irish immigrants looking for a less expensive alternative to bacon.
Where's the corn? That's what my son wanted to know when I served him a bowl yesterday.
The corned part actually refers to coarse kernels of salt, sometimes referred to as corns, used to prepare the beef. A beef brisket is covered in lots of salt and some water, along with some herbs and spices, then allowed to cure for 2 or 3 weeks. the salt preserves the meat, which isn't that important nowadays thanks to our Whirlpool, but was very important before the advent of refrigeration.
Here's how it's done:
Buy yourself a corned beef brisket
Open it and place it, along with the juices inside the package in a large pot.
They usually come with a little seasoning packet which generally includes mustard seeds, coriander seeds, allsoice, peppercorns, red pepper flakes, and bay leaves. Open this packet and throw the contents into the pot too.
Put in enough water to cover the beef, put it on the stove and bring it up to boil, then turn it down to a simmer. Let it simmer for three hours or more until it becomes tender enough to easily pierce it with a fork.
At this point, you could definitely eat it as it is, but I like to throw it in the oven while the veggies are cooking to get it a little crispy on the outside.
Pull the beef out of the liquid and throw it on a pan then into a 300 degree oven.
While it's in there, throw some peeled potatoes and carrots into the liquid and let them cook until they're soft (I actually like to strain the liquid first to get all the chunks out). Once they're cooked, pull them out (saving the liquid) and throw them onto the pan and into the oven with the beef to keep them warm while you cook the cabbage.
To cook the cabbage, cut a head into 4, 6, or 8 pieces, leaving the core intact (it will hold the leaves together while it cooks. Cook it in the same liquid until it's soft (about 10 minutes).
Pull everything out of the oven and slice the beef. Here's the important part: make sure to slice it ACROSS the grain. That means perpendicular to the lines running through the meat.
Throw everything onto a giant platter and serve it with some coarse ground mustard, some butter, and maybe some sour cream (that was a new addition this year thanks to Anne).
Seriously, it's so easy and an non-negotiable part of any serious St. Patty's Day celebration.
You can't go wrong as long as you cook it for a long time and slice it across the grain.
Have fun!

My Wife the Chef (Lemon Risotto with Mushrooms and Zuchini)

2009-02-11T20:47:00.000-08:00

This post isn't so much about sharing a recipe as it is to demonstrate an important point.
Five years ago, Anne had never heard of risotto. Tonight she made a risotto that easily could have been served at any restaurant in Ashland (and we have some good ones here). I wish you could taste it. It had mushrooms and zucchini and it was enhanced by a little bit of lemon juice and homemade chicken stock that came from a chicken she roasted herself a couple of weeks ago.
Now for the real surprise . . .
I wasn't even home! This picture is of the leftovers!
The lesson you can learn from this is this:
Don't be intimidated by cooking. Anne loves risotto, so she decided to learn how to cook it. If there's something you want to eat--find a recipe for it and cook it. You might not nail it the first time, but you will learn and get better each time.
When you're trying something new, give yourself extra time and enjoy it. Turn on some good music, pour yourself a lemonade, and enjoy it.

Nanaimo Bars

2008-12-14T21:28:00.000-08:00

Well, what kind of a food blog is this when Thanksgiving passes without so much as a recipe for yams or cranberry salad. I couldn't let the same happen during Christmas, so if you're looking for a recipe to add to your cookie/bar repertoire, this is it. These are a classic holiday treat in my family. They are a little more work than most bars, but are well worth it. The name, as far as I have found out, comes from Nanaimo, British Columbia, which is across the bay from Vancouver and is where they were created.
They're really not tricky--the hardest part, actually, is cutting them without breaking the chocolate layer on top.

Here's what you do:

In a double boiler over medium/low heat, combine:
1 stick butter
1 egg, beaten slightly
1/4 c. sugar
1/4 c. cocoa
1 tsp. vanilla
Whisk constantly until it's all combined and starts to get hot and thicken slightly.
Once hot, remove from the heat and add:
2 c. graham cracker crumbs
4 oz. coconut (about 1 cup)
1/4 c. chopped pecans or hazelnuts
Stir until well combined and press into the bottom of an 8x8 pan (don't use nonstick because you're going to need a sharp knife to cut them).
Place in the fridge until you're ready with the next layer.
In a large mixing bowl, mix:
3 tbsp. milk
3 tbsp. instant vanilla pudding
then add:
1 stick butter, softened, but not melted
2 c. powdered sugar,
and beat until well combined.
Spread the butter mixture over the bottom layer and make it as smooth as you can. Return the pan to the fridge and let it chill for a while before adding the next layer.
Melt 6 oz. of semi-sweet chocolate chips over a double boiler or in the microwave and pour the chocolat over the butter layer. Smooth it out gently, being careful not to pull the butter layer up into the chocolate.
Return it to the fridge and let the chocolate set.
Once the chocolate is firm, but before it gets really hard, cut them into small rectangles (as you might have guessed, they're pretty rich so small is preferable). I find it works best to score them first, then cut them by putting the point of the knife all the way to the bottom of the pan, then pulling it across the pan (as opposed to pushing down with the knife which squishes the filling out).
You should definitley try these. They will make your days merry and bright.

Beef Pot Roast

2008-11-09T20:50:00.000-08:00

So Anne thought that this is one that needed to be blogged because perhaps there are people who are wishing they had paid closer attention when their mothers (or in my home father) were preparing this staple of Mormon Sunday evening cuisine.
It is a very simple dish to prepare, but takes time.
There are of course a million ways to do it, but I will set forth some basics to help you out.
First of all--the meat. A chuck roast is what I have in this picture. It has more marbling (fat running throught the meat) and yields a more tender, fall-apart-with-a-fork finished product than a rump roast does. Rump roasts are good too, just different.
Basically, all that you really need to do is salt the roast liberally, then throw it in a dutch oven with the lid on, or some other oven-safe, coverable vessel and let the oven work for 4-5 hours at 300 degrees or so.
That said, the way I like to do it is to brown the meat first in the pot on the stovetop. Cover the bottom of the pot with a little oil, then brown all sides of the roast. Make sure to get it a nice deep brown--this will enhance the flavor and help lay the foundation for a good gravy.
After the roast is browned, I remove it and deglaze the pan (add some liquid and use a spatula or whisk to scrape all the little browned bits off the pan )with a little brandy or sherry (water or beef broth would work too--1/2 cup or so) and line the bottom of the pan with two thickly-sliced onions and a handful of peeled, quartered carrots. I put the roast on top of the veggies, cover the pot, and toss it in the oven (are my two-year-old's nursery rhymes affecting my vernacular?) for 4 to 5 hours at 300 degrees.
Now on to the gravy. I find that one roast never yields all the drippings I need to make enough gravy for all the mashed potatoes I need to accompany a whole roast. So I add about 1 1/2 cups of beef broth. Gravy made entirely from broth tastes like the stuff at Hometown Buffet, but with the veggie-flavored drippings, the gravy still turns out very homemade tasting. Remove the roast and the veggies and add the broth to the pot. Bring it up to a boil.
Put 1 cup of milk in a Mason jar, then add 3 heaping tbsp of flour, put the lid on, then shake it as hard as you possibly can until you are convinced there could not be any flour lumps left.
Add half of the mixture and whisk it in and bring it back to a boil. You can never tell how much effect a thickener will have until it boils. Then gradually add more until it's as thick as you like it. Taste it and adjust the seasonings.
I'll leave the mashed potatoes up to you with just this one suggestion: salt them. If the taters are properly seasoned, the gravy has less work to do. Leaving your potatoes without salt is like baking a cake without sugar and expecting the frosting to pick up all the slack.
Feel free to ask any questions or leave tips on how you like to do it.

Whole Wheat Blender Pancakes

2008-09-06T20:59:00.001-07:00

These pancakes are kind of a classic in my family. Anytime anyone cooks breakfast at my parents' house (as opposed to pouring cereal or making smoothies in my dad's pride and joy--the Vita-Mix), it invariably includes these pancakes. They are superdelish, and provide an excellent way to rotate wheat berries and dried milk that some of you may have about a year's worth of. You start with whole wheat berries and use your blender to grind them up into the batter.

Put in the Blender:
1 Cup of wheat berries
1 1/4 cups of water
1/4 cup Dried milk
(Or of course you can use 1 1/4 cups of milk)

Blend for three minutes (I actually like to do it for about 2.5 min. so it's a little more coarse)
Then add:
1 egg
1 tbsp. honey/sugar
1 tbsp. oil
1/4 tsp salt

Blend to combine everything,
then add:
1 tbsp. Baking Powder
and pulse it a few times.
Then cook it like any other pancakes (I'm assuming you've done that before).
Adding blueberries or pecans on top of the pancakes before flipping them is highly recommended.

Quinoa Chili

2008-06-26T22:35:00.001-07:00

Lately I have been a little obsessed with Quinoa (pronounced Keen-wah). It is what you might call a superfood. It's packed with protein, supplies all nine essential amino acids, and is filled with all sorts of minerals and other good stuff that nutritionists want us to eat. It is perfect for vegetarians and vegans or anyone else who is trying to eat meat a little more sparingly, but it also make an excellent side dish (like rice) and is good for salads (maybe a tabboulehesque sort of thing).
We had just loaded up on some from the bulk food section at WinCo (how can they sell food so cheap?!)when Anne received an e-mail from her cousin with a recipe starring Quinoa. How did she know it was my favorite food of the month?
When I got home from work tonight (the reason my blog has been seriously neglected lately--see link on the side) I walked into a fragrant house with a set table--ice water and everything, and a meatless, low-fat, protein-filled gesture of my wife's love--I'm a lucky man.
I recommend this dish whole-heartedly. I loved it loved it loved. The cinnamon adds a subtle depth that I think you will enjoy. If this is your first time with Quinoa, do not be afraid. It's easy to cook and quite neutral, like a brown rice maybe, but lots smaller.

2 cans kidney beans, rinsed & drained (or whatever beans you like)
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 teaspoon salt
1 green pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
2/3 cup quinoa, rinsed in warm water &
cup frozen corn
1 can tomato sauce, low salt (about 2 cups)
1 cup water
Heat oil in skillet over medium heat. Add onions, and sauté until tender. Add salt, garlic, pepper and spices; sauté for 5-10 minutes. Add rinsed quinoa and stir in. Add corn, tomato sauce, and water to onion/quinoa mixture. Simmer together 20 minutes. Add beans to the pot and simmer another 15 minutes. Serve with grated cheese, sour cream, sliced avocadoes or whatever else you like to put on chili. Makes 6-8 (1 Cup) Servings.

North African Chicken and Vegetables with Couscous

2008-05-15T18:49:00.000-07:00

First of all, let me explain my extended absence. We just moved and blogging kind of became a low priority for a while. Plus, we still don't have internet at home. Plus, I have a real job so I don't do much cooking anymore. In fact, I didn't even make this meal. My brother's wife, Melissa had us over for dinner and cooked this delish dish which she got out of a cookbook from a series that I love. It was so good that I decided to snap a picture and have a guest chef.
The series is called "Quick From Scratch" and this recipe is in the chicken book. The series is good because the recipes are relatively easy to execute and the ingredients are accessible, but they feel a little upscale and all the ones I've tried are tasty.

So here's the recipe:

1 tbsp. Olive Oil
3 chicken breasts, cut in half
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 onion chopped
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tbsp. fresh ginger, chopped
1/2 tsp. paprika
3/4 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/4 tsp. cayenne
1/4 tsp. ground turmeric
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 cup canned crushed tomatoes
1 cup canned garbanzo beans
1 zucchini, sliced

Season the chicken with a little salt and brown them in the olive oil. Add the onion and cook it until it's translucent. Add the spices, then everything else and simmer it for 15 minutes.

serve it over 4 cups of prepared couscous (a pasta from Morocco that is SO fast and easy to cook--follow the directions on the box) and sprinkle on some chopped parsley and some fresh lemon juice.

If you want to do it vegetarian, I think it would be great to add extra garbanzo beans, leave out the chicken, and use veggie broth instead of chicken.

Coffee Cake

2008-04-15T21:15:00.000-07:00

This recipe is straight out of the The Joy of Cooking (the cookbook I recommended you all own) and executed by Anne (thanks dear).
I share the authors' sentiment that putting nuts on top turns cake into a suitable breakfast food. The streusel topping is wonderful, but the cake by itself is also a great recipe for a basic yellow cake.
I think coffee cake is a perfect breakfast treat for a morning when you have a little extra time.

Prepare the streusel topping by mixing together
2/3 cup flour
2/3 cup chopped pecans
2/3 cup brown sugar
5 tbsp. of butter (melted)
1 tsp. of cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt

For the cake,
Preheat the oven to 350 and grease a 13 x 9 inch pan or two 8 inch rounds
Whisk together:
2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt

In another bowl, combine:
1 1/4 cups sour cream or yogurt
1 tsp. vanila

in another bowl, beat on high speed for 4 minutes:
1/2 stick butter
1 cup sugar
Then beat in:
two eggs

Ad 1/3 of the flour mixture and start mixing on low, then add half the sour cream mixture, then another third of the flour, then the other half of the sour cream and the last of the flour. Pur the batter in the pan(s) and spread it smooth, then sprinkle the streusel on top and bake for 25-30 minutes (until a toothpick comes out clean).

Chicken Cacciatore

2008-03-21T21:51:00.000-07:00

Cacciatore (catch-a-torry) means "hunters" and the dish has a sort of hearty, woodsy flavor from the mushrooms, wine and rosemary. This dish is quite easy to execute and can be made mostly from ingredients you ought to have in your pantry/fridge/freezer (except for the fresh rosemary, but you should plant some in your yard because it beautiful, tasty, useful, and extremely hardy--tolerating heat and cold very well).
Cooking time is over an hour, but for most of that time, it just sits on the stove, requiring no attention. This recipe should be enough to feed 10 people. You could cut it in half, or freeze part of it for a smaller group.

Dredge 3-3.5 lbs. of boneless/skinless chicken thighs and fry in batches until golden in a few tbsp. of olive oil in a large dutch oven or skillet (This step is a little tedious and a tad messy, so skip it if it's going to prevent you from making the dish, but it will improve the flavor and texture).
Slice one half pound of thick sliced bacon into little strips and fry it in a pan until it's thoroughly cooked but not crispy and drain the oil.
Chop one yellow onion, 2 carrots and 2 stalks of celery and sautee them in a large dutch oven or heavy pot on moderately high heat until the veggies start to get some color from the heat.
Squish the tomatoes from two 2 28 oz. cans in your hands (be careful--they'll explode onto your walls) and add them along with their juice to the pot.
Add 1 1/2 cups of red wine and 2 cups of chicken broth, then place the chicken thighs back in (or add them raw if you didn't brown them).
Slice 2 portobella mushrooms (cut them in half, then slice them) and about 10 white mushrooms and add them to the pot.
Add 1 tbsp. each of dried oregano and chopped, fresh rosemary along with a pinch or more of crushed red pepper flakes, 5 0r 6 cloves of minced garlic, the cooked bacon, and some black pepper.
Let it all simmer for about an hour and boil 2 lbs. of pasta in salted water when it's almost time to eat. I think linguine is best. while the pasta is cooking, use a wooden spoon to gently break up the chicken thighs a little bit, then at the last minute, stir in 1/2 cup of fresh, chopped parsley. Serve it over the pasta.

Chicken Tostadas

2008-03-04T13:35:00.000-08:00

This recipe is really more for the chicken than the tostadas. It's a really simple, healthy way to cook chicken and you could use it for tacos, enchiladas, burritos, or whatever.
I like to make a big batch and save the left over chicken for other meals later.
Just put a few chicken breats (3-5) in a large pot with a bottle of salsa verde and a couple of chicken bouillion cubes. Simmer it on low heat for an hour or so, then shred the chicken by holding a breast with one fork and pulling shreds of meat off with another fork.
You can find salsa verde in the Mexican section of any grocery store--I use Herdez brand. Salsa Verde is made mostly from tomatillos, which look like little green tomatoes with a papery husk.

To make the tostadas, you can either use premade shells that you'll find near the tortillas, or you can fry your own. Making your own is easy and they are so good when they're hot and crispy. Just fry corn tortillas one at a time in about one inch of hot oil. Keep them in the oil until they're crispy in the middle--when they're done, they'll pretty much stop bubbling.
Load up the fried shells with refried beans, meat, cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream, hot sauce and whatever else.

Best Cookbook Ever!

2008-01-31T15:01:00.000-08:00

I should've posted this before Christmas so you could have all put it on your wish lists. It is hands-down the most important and useful cookbook on the planet. Originally published in 1931 by Irma Rombauer, this book is the source for almost anything you want to know. The newer versions have been expanded to fit modern tastes and diets, including more international and vegetarian recipes.

I have close to 40 cookbooks, but this is the one I use all the time because it has everything; from pancakes to paella, clam chowder to cornbread, gumbo to gravy, beef wellington to borscht, strawberry pie to succotash, and just about everything else you can imagine. And since the book has been in a constant state of refinement for almost 80 years, you can be sure that all the recipes are pretty good.

In addition to the recipes, it has all sorts of useful information like instructions for various cooking methods, conversion tables, substitution ideas (Yes Vicki, you can use 1 cup of regular flour, 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder and 1/2 tsp. salt instead of one cup of self-rising flour), and a section called "know your ingredients" that you can refer to anytime you come across some unknown ingredient in a recipe.

If you don't already own it, this should be your next purchase.

Calzones

2008-01-28T20:02:00.000-08:00

I saw a recipe for calzones in a magazine at the doctor's office and I thought they looked so tasty and fun that I jotted down the recipe for the dough on the back of a receipt and made them the very same day. They turned out to be really tasty and easier than I thought. I decided they also make a good dinner for when you're having people over. You can make the dough in advance and set out all the fillings, then have everyone construct their own and throw them in the oven together. I think that a little participation in the process is fun, and that way, you can be sure everyone gets what they want. This recipe made four, rather large calzones--enough for four hungry adults. You could certainly make them smaller for kids, or as side dishes or appetizers.
Here's the recipe for the dough (I did it in a food processor which made it SO fast and easy, but you could use a stand mixer or do it by hand): (That wasn't an emoticon, just some good old-fashioned punctuation)

Put 1 package of dry, active yeast (those are just the normal packets you always see and each one has 2 1/4 tsp of yeast, if you're using yeast out of a jar) in one cup of warm (105-110 degrees) with 1/4 tsp. of sugar.
Let it proof (that just means sit there for a while so the yeast can wake up and start eating) for 15 minutes.
Then add 2 tbsp. of olive oil.

In a food processor, mix together 3 cups of flour (all-purpose or bread) with 2 tsp. of salt and 1 tbsp. of sugar.
With the motor on, pour in the yeast mixture and let the motor run until the dough comes together (less than 30 seconds).
Take the dough out, form it into a ball and put it in a large, oiled bowl, cover it and let it rise for one hour in a warm spot. Punch the dough down and divide it into four (or more) balls. Put the balls on a greased cookie sheet and let them rise for 40 minutes. Then, on a lightly floured surface, roll the balls out into circles with a rolling pin. Put two circles on an oiled cookie sheet and fill it with whatever you want. Leave a little dough bare around the edges like you would for a pizza.
Some of the things I set out were:Ricotta cheese, mozarella cheese, feta cheese, salami, pepperoni, ham, red peppers, zucchini, mushrooms, frozen spinach (thaw it, then squeeze all the water out first) and tomato sauce.
I recommend putting all your fillings on one side of the dough circle, then folding the other side on top. After folding it over, seal the edges with a fork.
Put them in a pre-heated, 375 oven for 15-25 minutes (I think our oven lies about its temperature, so ours was 25, but it should be shorter). When they start to get a little golden brown, then they should be done.
I like to eat them with some extra sauce, so put some of that on the table.
Here's what our little spread looked like.
I promise, this is super easy. Everyone should try it. Like I said, it's fun for having people over, but it's also something that kids would love.

p.s. I'm now realizing that the picture at the top isn't all that inspiring. I should have cut it in half so you could see all the tasty insides. In spite of the somewhat boring appearance, however, this one is really good!

Guest Baker . . . Anne!

2008-01-23T21:44:00.000-08:00

This is the bread recipe that my mom used when I was growing up. It was always such a treat when I'd come home from school to loaves of freshly baked bread. I know that sounds cliche, but whatever--it's something my mom was really good at and I loved it.

So when Anne began her mission to domestify, I suggested she get the recipe from my mom. As it turns out, it is a very quick and simple recipe--especially for whole wheat. It makes five loaves, so one bread-making session will be enough to last for a while.

100% Whole Wheat bread (large batch)
5 cups warm water (120-130 degrees)
2/3 cups oil
2/3 cups honey
3 T yeast
3 T dough enhancer (you can probably find it at your grocery store in the baking section)

2 T salt
10 -12 cups whole wheat flour

Preheat oven to 150 degrees

Put warm water, oil, and honey in mixer bowl.
Add yeast, dough enhancer, salt
Mix briefly
Add 8 cups of the flour and mix
With mixer running, quickly add remaining flour 1 cup at a time until dough forms a ball and cleans the side of the bowl
(this is the only part that takes finesse--too much flour will make dough heavy, unable to raise; too little and the dough will be sticky, so wait a few seconds in between cups, to see the flour get incorporated and watch for the sides to come clean. Bowl should be clean all the way down, slightly under the dough ball--but stop adding flour right when that happens)
Knead in mixer for 7-10 minutes

Lightly oil hands, shape dough into 5 loaves and place in oiled pans
TURN OFF OVEN
Place bread in warm oven with room between pans.
Let rise until double (20-30 minutes)
Leave bread in oven and turn heat to 350
Bake 30-35 minutes

The special tricks of this recipe are:
--letting the dough rise in a warm oven--it cuts the time by literally hours
--the dough enhancer--it gives the bread a white bread texture and lightness

You can also take one or two loaves-worth of the dough (okay, or the whole dang batch) and roll it out to make amazing cinnamon or orange rolls (use any recipe for the filling and bake times)

Nice job Anne! You're so domestic!

(For full disclosure, it should be noted that Anne also inherited a bread recipe from her side of the family that's great, but it's more like an after dinner kind of bread. It's also quite simple--maybe we'll get that one on here sometime too.)

*Editor's note--I think this recipe's fine for cinnamon rolls and such if you really want to use whole wheat. However, if we're gonna make cinnamon rolls, then let's make CINNAMON ROLLS. I hope to feature Danielle's cinnamon rolls in the near future (You better unpack your baking box Danielle). They're like Cinnabon, without the shame of walking through the airport carrying a watermelon-sized pastry in your sticky hands.

2008-01-15T12:40:00.000-08:00

French Onion Soup

2007-12-11T22:37:00.000-08:00

Everyone loves french onion soup and it's very easy to make. Of course, you're supposed serve it in these fancy little bowls with the lion faces on them, but I don't have any of those.
So here's what you need to do:
Melt 1/2 a stick of butter in a large pot over medium heat and add 3 lbs of sliced onions. Cook the onions, stirring periodically, until they turn a deep, rich brown. The importance of reaching this state cannot be over-emphasized. Browning the onions coaxes out the sweet, caramely flavor from the onions' natural sugars. As they cook, they will decrease in volume considerably as all the water evaporates. Once they start changing color, you'll need to scrape the brown bits off the bottom of the pot when you stir. This is about what they should like--it will take about an hour.

Once the onions are browned, add 1 cup of dry sherry (I know, back to the liquor store-if you leave it out, it will turn out fine, but adding it gives it depth and richness) and 2 quarts of beef broth (always buy low sodium broth if you can--it just tastes better). Bring it all up to a boil and let it simmer for 10 or 20 minutes.

At this point, you have delicious soup, but if you really want to make it wonderful, then toast some slices of baguette, place a toast on top of each bowl of soup, and cover it with some grated cheese (gruyere, emmentaler, or any swiss) and pop them under the broiler until the cheese is melted and starting to brown. Before doing this make sure your bowls are oven-safe. Alternatively, you can use a torch to do the job. Of course, in most people's kitchens, oven-safe bowls are probably easier to come by than blow torches.

Frosting Recipes

2007-12-07T12:33:00.000-08:00

OK--here are a couple of my favorite recipes for frosting. The execution on both recipes is very simple, so I'm certain that all of you are capable of either.

The first is for the tastiest chocolate frosting I've ever had. The recipe is from The Joy of Cooking (which is is something I need to post about in the near future). The frosting is perfectly rich, not too sweet nor heavy. If you like butter than you will especially love this. It is glossy and a beautiful, dark chocolate color. Here's a picture from a couple of years ago so you can get an idea of what it looks like.

So here's the recipe:

In a double boiler (see below for an explanation), melt 6 oz of semi-sweet chocolate (that's half a bag of chocolate chips) with 6 tbsp. of milk and 1 tsp. of vanilla. Once the chocolate is melted, remove from heat and stir in 6 tbsp. of butter (that's 3/4 of a stick). Stir it until the butter is melted and cool it until it's stiff enough to stand up but still soft enought to spread without destroying your cake. That's it! So easy, huh? I don't remember exactly how much cake this will frost, but it will at least do the top, sides and 1 layer of filling for a 9-inch circle.

So--about double boilers. They're used to gently heat things by placing a container over a pan of simmering water. You can buy a nice set like the one on the left, or just put a metal or glass bowl on top of a sauce pan like the picture on the right.

Just make sure that the bowl isn't touching the water and make the water simmer, not boil. This is especially important for chocolate because if it gets too hot, it will break, meaning that the cocoa butter will separate from the other parts and you'll have a nasty, unusable mess.

Recipe number two: Raspberry Whipped Cream

I think that whipped cream makes some of the best frosting. The melting point of butter (and therefore whipped cream) is about 90 degrees, compared to about 94 for margarine and 98 or more for shortening. This means that whipped cream and butter-based frostings melt quickly in your mouth and do not have the tendency to coat the inside of you mouth like shortening. Plus, the whipped cream is obviously full of air so it's of course very light.

Simply whip 1 1/2 cups of HEAVY cream until it's stiff enough to stand up on its own. When it starts to stiffen, stop beating frequently and turn you beaters upside down. As soon as its stiff enough that the whipped cream doesn't fall, you're done. Then take 1 cup of seedless raspberry jam and mix it up so it's smooth and has no lumps. Add the jam and a few drops of red food coloring if you want (I did for this cake) to the cream and gently fold it in. Store it, covered, in the fridge until you're ready to put it on the cake. This recipe was enough for the top, sides, and 3 layers in the middle of this 7-inch cake. To do a bigger cake, you could increase the cream to 1 pint and the jam to 10 0z.

The deal with electric knives--They are not a necessity. For leveling tops and splitting layers, a long slicer works great. If you have to straighten edges, however, an electric knife greatly simplifies things.

How to do the squiggles on the cake below--This was my first try and if you look closely it is evident. I just used the chocolate recipe from above and used the fine, round tip on a pastry bag and started swirling, trying to cover all the area wihtout overlapping. The sides were a little trickier and took a few tries to get it right. I had to kind of press the chocolate firmly into the frosting to get it to stick. If you just did the squiggles on top and left the sides bare, it would save you a lot of trouble and would still look cool.

A few tips for cakes

2007-12-02T13:56:00.000-08:00

OK, sorry for the extended absence. No excuses, just stopped posting for a bit.

So today's post isn't a specific recipe, but a few pointers for people who want to improve their cake-building skills.

1. Don't feel bad about using a cake mix. I almost always use a mix for the cake. As Alton Brown put it: "they have access to all sorts of super-chemicals that you and I can't get." Betty and Duncan just know how to make cakes turn out consistently well.

2. Do feel bad about using pre-made frosting. I'm sorry, but there are two things which I absolutely cannot support: fake cheese and store-bought frosting. Home made frosting is infinitely better and is really not that much work. I'll post two easy recipes later this week that you can use.

3. After baking your cakes, level with the tops so they are flat. In the picture below, you can see that the cake is totally flat. Rounded tops are normal upon removal from the oven, but removing the dome makes a more professional looking finished product. I just use a long knife and freehand it.

4. Also notice in the picture the strips of wax paper hanging out from beneath the cake. This is so you can decorate without fear of mucking up your cake plate. Cut strips of wax paper and lay them under the bottom layer of the cake. When you're totally done frosting, pull them out to reaveal your sparkling cake plate.

5. Cakes from nice bakeries taste nice because they use more frosting than most home cooks. Just becasue you bake your cakes in two round pans, doesn't mean you should settle for two layers. Cut each round horizontally in two then you frost in between all the layers. If you made delicious frosting, this will be a good thing.

6. Basic instructions for frosting the top and sides:
- Use a lazy susan or something that spins. This makes things a lot easier
-Put as much frosting as you think you'll need for the top AND sides on the top, then spread it toward the outside as you spin the cake. Push it over the edge and start spreading it down the sides of the cake. Push more frosting off the top and if you need it until you reach the plate. Use something with a straight edge (I recommend an off-set spatula and not what yousee in this picture--I left mine at my grandma's house) to straighten the sides as you spin the cake.

-Never pull you spreader directly away from the cake. It will pull crumbs off and they will be very hard to get out of the frosting. You have to kind of spread your spatula off-if that makes sense. It's hard to put into words, but you get the idea, right?
7. One more little thing--Tall, slender cakes seem to look fancier than short, wide cakes. Consider buying some smaller pans to increase you repertoire. Anne bought me these 7-inchers from Sur la Table. They're quite inexpensive.
8. Oh yeah, ONE more thing, cheaper cake pans usually have slightly sloped edges making it difficult to achieve straight sides. There are two solutions: buy the nicer, heavier ones with straight side, or trim your edges once the layers are stacked and frosted. An electric knife is the perfect tool for this job. I know you all got one as a wedding present, so dig 'em out and fire 'em up!

Have Fun!

Potato Spinach Soup with Parmesan Toasts

2007-11-06T18:56:00.000-08:00

This one's another Old Mother Hubbard meal. The only vegetables in the house were a box of frozen spinach, half an onion, and a potato. I chopped the onion and sauteed it in a pot with a couple tbsp. of butter until it was soft. Then I peeled and chopped the potato and put it, the spinach, and 3 cups of chicken or vegetable broth in the pot with the onions. I let it boil until the potato was soft, then added a cup of milk and put it in the blender. I pureed it and put it back in the pot over medium-low heat and added 1/2 cup of parmesan cheese, 1 tsp. of black pepper, and about 1/2 tsp. salt.
To make the parmesan toasts, I toasted some chewy bread, buttered it, sprinkled on some parmesan, and broiled them. Then I cut them up into strips.
Easy, huh?
Oh, to make the white squiggles, I mixed some milk into a little bit of sour cream and swirled it on top.
You can use the same method to make soup out of just about anything depending on what you have.

Salmon with Squash and Chard

2007-11-02T19:10:00.000-07:00

This is another meal that looks kind of fancy but is really very simple and very healthy. The secret of course is in how you present it.

Peel and cube a butternut squash and steam it in the microwave until it's soft. Mash it however you do potatoes and add a little butter, some salt and a bit of brown sugar. Add all these things to taste (I like it sweet).

Cut a fillet of salmon into single portion pieces, spread a few drops of olive oil on each one and salt them. Lay them in a very hot pan and flip them once they get a little bit golden (probably around 2-3 minutes). Do the same to the other side then remove them from the pan.

Chop up a bunch or chard, (it's meatier than spinach with a little bit of an acidic bite, but not tough like kale or collard greens) this is what it looks like:

Throw the chopped chard into a pot of salted, boiling water and cook it for about two minutes until it's soft, but not too floppy. Drain the water, dump the chard back in the pot and add a tbsp. or so of butter and a splash of vinegar (apple cider would work nicely) or lemon juice.

I like to use a little cylinder to help me stack it all up to look pretty. I just use a Planter's nuts can that I cut the end off of. I place it on the plate, then put a bit of squash in, then some chard, the I pull it off and put the salmon on top. The extra height is much more visually pleasing than a two o'clock, six o'clock, ten o'clock arrangement.

Vanilla Milkshake Ghosts

2007-10-27T19:09:00.000-07:00

Here's a fun, easy idea for a Halloween treat. Melt a handful of chocolate chips in the microwave and use a paintbrush to paint a face on the inside of clear glasses. Then fill them up with vanilla milkshakes.
The downside of course is that you end up with vanilla shakes--which is really just an unflavored milkshake in my book. Ooh! I just had an idea--you could use mint chip ice cream--or chocolate for that matter--to make monster milkshakes.

Aebleskivers (able skavers)

2007-10-21T21:04:00.000-07:00

Aebleskivers are a Danish treat cooked in a special cast-iron pan that looks like an egg poacher. They're kind of like little doughnuts and they're really fun to make. The trick of course is finding a pan. If you happen upon one at a garage sale or thrift store or something, buy it! Even if you're not Danish, aebleskivers will make a fun little family tradition for Sunday morning breakfasts, or holidays or something. I found this pan in my grandma's house and was so excited because I love old, unique cookware.

It snowed here yesterday and so even though our house is currently decorated with pumpkins, gourds, and glittery spiders, we turned on some Christmas music, made hot chocolate, and started our family aebleskiver tradition.

So, here's the recipe:

2 egg whites

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp. baking pwder

1 tbsp. white sugar

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

2 egg yolks

4 tbsp. butter, melted

2 cups buttermilk

vegetable oil for frying

1. Beat the egg whites in a bowl until they hold stiff peaks

2. Mix together all the other ingredients in another bowl until smooth, then gently fold in the egg whites.

3. Heat the pan over medium/medium-low heat and pour about 1 tbsp. of oil into each cup in the pan (the oil should be hot, but not smoking). Pour about 2 tbsp. of the batter into each cup and cook until they looked cooked around the edges (the middle will not be done yet). Use a fork to flip them over and continue cooking until they are done-- you may need to keep flipping them so they don't burn.

Serve them with powdered sugar, jam, honey, or whatever else you like.

Chicken Soup

2007-10-07T20:25:00.001-07:00

Home made chicken soup is divine and can be easy if you take some shortcuts. Of course it's very gratifying and supremely tasty to make your own chicken broth from scratch, but you can also buy some good pre-made stocks at the grocery store.

To make the broth from scratch, start with a roasted chicken (buy one at Costco, or do it yourself). Pull all the meat off and put it in the fridge until the stock is ready. Put the carcass (I know that sounds gross, but let's call a spade a spade people) in a pot with a chopped onion, a chopped carrot, and a chopped stalk of celery. Cover the bones and veggies with water and let it sit at a light boil for 1-2 hours. Strain it, saving the broth and pitching the rest of it, and put the broth into the fridge. Once it cools, scrape the fat off the top.

To make the soup, put 1 quart of broth in a pot with one stalk of celery and one carrot, both chopped. Boil the veggies until they're as soft as you like them, then add some chopped, cooked chicken (probably somewhere between 1/2 and 1 cup) and about 1/2 a pound of fresh fettucine cut into little strips (the stuff you can buy in the refrigerator section near the cheese is tasty).
Cook the pasta according to the direction on the package, and add the juice of 1/2 of a fresh lemon (I love adding lemon to chicken soup. Even if you use Campbell's, you should try the lemon). If you made your own broth, you'll have to add some salt to taste.

A trick for cutting brownies

2007-09-23T19:12:00.001-07:00

I'm sure you've had the experience of cutting brownies and having most of the pan stick to your knife. This is particularly problematic when you make brownies from a mix as they tend to be chewier and stickier than the from-scratch varieties.
So here's a little trick that will end your troubles: Use a plastic knife to cut your brownies. They are the best tool available for the job--simple but effective. So next time you're at KFC, or Cafe Rio, or whatever, keep the knife and toss it in your gadget drawer.

Chili Cook-Off

2007-09-19T13:05:00.000-07:00

Last week, our church put on a chili cook-off, something I had never before participated in. I decided it would be a fun opportunity for the 16, 17, and 18-year-old boys I teach at church to learn a thing or two about cooking. So together we created an entry, and wonder of wonders--we won! Unfortunately, I didn't take a picture until the pot had been entirely drained by hungry Mormons--the picture does, however, illustrate that my worst nightmare (bringing food home from a potluck) did not come to fruition. Phewph!

We cooked this two days before our event and I think it made it even better.

For about 6 quarts:

Toast 8 dried New Mexico Chiles (look in the mexican section of the grocery store) in a dry pan until they're fragrant, but not at all blackened, then remove the stems and seeds (kitchen shears work nicely for the task) and throw them, and

2 tbsp. chili powder

2 tbsp. ground coriander

1 tbsp. ground cumin

1 tbsp. sweet paprika

1 tbsp. dried oregano

1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 tsp. sugar

into a food processor and run it until you have a powder.

Put 6 lbs. Beef (chuck roast or something like it) cut into 1/2-1 inch cubes seasoned with salt and pepper, and 4 onions (chopped) into a large pot (at least 10 quarts) and cover with enough water to submerge the meat by about an inch. then add:

10 cloves of garlic, minced

6 canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, minced (scrape the seeds out to keep the heat under control)

1 28 oz. can of tomatoes, squished by hand

1 small can of tomato paste

and the chile powder you just made.

Bring it up to simmer (just barely bubbling--not a boil) and let it cook for 2-3 hours (until the meat is very tender and falls apart with any pressure). You may need to add more water during that time.

add 2 can pinto beans and simmer for another hour. Taste it and add some salt if it needs it (it probably will).

Serve it with saltines, chees, sour cream, cilantro, and/or breen onions.

Rotini with Caramelized Onions, Gorgonzola, and Arugula

2007-09-11T13:41:00.000-07:00

Believe it or not, this meal originated from an Old Mother Hubbard moment. We were starving and we had an onion, some left-over arugula, a tomato, two zuchinni, some gorgonzola and not much else (I always keep several kinds of pasta in the cupboard). It turned out to be pretty tasty, so I decided to tell you about it. Of course, you can substitute or leave out ingredients as you like or as your circumstances require. I am lucky enough to have a large piece of gorgonzola left over from a meal a while back, so it makes its way into lots of my meals and snacks.
If you've never had caramelized onions, you have to try them. As you cook onions for a long time, they lose their pungence and get very sweet. Arugula is another ingredient that you should try if you haven't. It makes a great substitute for spinach. Raw, it is a little spicy, kind of like a mild radish. Cooked, it's more like spinach with a little more flavor and bite.
This recipe makes enough for about four servings

Start by caramelizing the onions. This takes around 45 minutes and can't really be rushed. Slice one onion and put it into a large frying pan with a couple tbsp. of butter and a pinch of salt and cook them on medium-low heat, stirring every few minutes.
In the meantime, bring a pot of water to a boil for the pasta.
When the onions have been cooking for about 35 minutes, salt the water and add 3/4 lb. of rotini or somethinglike it (bowties, penne, etc.)
After the pasta has cooked for 5 minutes, add 1 zucchini, cut into half-moon slices and 1 tsp. of sugar (it heigthens the onions natural sweetness) to the onions.
Continue cooking the pasta according to the package directions then drain it and dump it on top of the onions and zukes.
Put a few handfuls of arugula on top of of the pasta along with 1/3 to 1/2 cup of crumbled gorgonzola and 1 diced tomato.
Stir it all together, check the salt level and add more if you need it, and serve it up with some black pepper.

Fresh Zucchini Soup

2007-08-27T20:50:00.000-07:00

Now's the time when everyone who planted zucchini is drowning in the abundance of those tender little squashes. I've heard that in Rexburg, the only time of year that you have to lock your doors is during zucchini season so that people don't overload you with their excess while you're away. The worst is when you are negligent with your harvesting and return to discover 10 lb. behemoths that could make enough zucchini bread to feed your entire city.

So here's an idea to help you use up some of your oversized zukes. This soup is super fast and easy, but it is definitely a side dish. We ate it along with BLTs (our friends Jared and Rachel gave us some beautiful, fresh tomatoes). This recipe will make enough for about six servings.

In a soup pot,

saute 1 chopped yellow onion in some butter

add 8-10 cups of quartered and sliced zucchini and saute until tender

Add 28 oz (2 cans) of chicken broth (or vegetable if you want to make it vegetarian)

Add 1 cup of milk, half n half, or cream (depending on how rich you want it) and bring to a light boil

Use an immersion blender (aka stick blender, hand blender, etc.) to puree the veggies (alternatively, use a regular blender, but let the soup cool first--NEVER START A BLENDER WITH HOT LIQUID INSIDE!--it will explode!) Bring back to a simmer and add 1 cup of grated asiago, romano, or parmesan cheese

Season with salt and black pepper.

You could use the same method with lots of veggies, including broccoli, spinach, asparagus, potatoes, etc.

I'm Back--Again

2007-08-19T19:35:00.001-07:00

So, do bloggers get Summer vacation? Well I took one anyway. We're back from Nova Scotia where we had a lovely time staying at a fantastic Bed and Breakfast called the English Garden. We also had the best fish and chips in the whole world. It turns out that haddock is a better choice than halibut--who would've thought? We were there with all of Anne's family and of course the guy with a food blog got nominated to make a few meals, which was no problem because I truly enjoy cooking if for no other reason than it is definitely the world's most appreciated hobby.

One night's dinner menu was decided by what would not require a trip to the grocery store, so we ate red lentils (of Esau fame). I didn't take any pictures of that one so I'll have to make it again some time because I rather liked it.

The other night took a little more planning and I made a dish from the Italian restaurant I used to cook at. This is a huge recipe (probably around 30 servings of the sauce), but what I do is make the whole batch and freeze some, then cook as much pasta as I need for each meal. So here it is:

Rigatoni with Sausage and Peppers

In a large pot,

Saute one, minced, yellow onion in olive oil until translucent

Add 5 hot, Italian sausages (squeeze the sausage out of the casings)

Cook the sausage all the way and break it up into small bits with the end of a spatula

Add 4, 28 oz. cans of tomatoes, pureed in the blender,

1 small can of tomato paste,

3-4 cloves of garlic, minced,

2 tbsp. salt

3 tbsp. sugar

black pepper

red pepper flakes (if you like it a little spicy)

2 fresh red peppers sliced into half rings (the freezer turns them into mush, so if you're going to make a large batch and freeze it, leave the peppers out until later)

Cook as much rigatoni as you need for your group (I use two handfuls per person) one minute shy of the lower end of the cooking time (if it says 14-16 minutes, cook it for 13, it will finish cooking in the sauce) in salted water, and use 1 cup of the prepared sauce per serving

Save one cup of the pasta water and drain the noodles. Dump the pasta into the sauce along with two spoonfuls of feta cheese per serving. If it looks dry, add some of the reserved water. Stir it all up and serve it with some grated parmesan.

Best way to Zest

2007-07-24T15:47:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the extended absence. I'm out of town, but blogging from my parents' house.
So, some people were wondering about the best way to zest so here's my input:
There are several different styles of zesters available, but the best ones are definitely made by a company called Microplane.
The tool was originally made for carpentry but people started using it for cooking so the company started putting comfortable handles on them and making different shapes and sizes specifically for food. This tool is so great because it just barely shaves off the flavorful outer skin of citrus while leaving behind all the bitter, white stuff. It also works well for hard cheeses, garlic, and especially fresh ginger.

Another popular zester is this version:

I don't recommend this version for making zest that you will use in recipes because it takes off too much of the white part and leaves too much of the orange part. It also leaves you with long strips that you have to mince before using. It does, however, work nicely for making decorations. The little curly strips of zest would look nice on top of a chocolate cupcake or the whipped cream on top of hot chocolate.

Best Non-home-made sauce ever

2007-07-16T22:18:00.000-07:00

I love home made tomato sauce. It's not that hard to make and it just beats the pants off Prego and Ragu. I thought that I'd never buy a bottled sauce, and then . . . Anne brought this Newman's Own sauce home the other day and it blew me away. It is SOOOOO good. It's the tomato and basil version and it's hands down the best bottled sauce I've ever tasted. It's sweet and has a nice fresh basil flavor and it's not too thick or stout. Sometimes I just pull it out of the fridge and sneak a few spoonfuls, cold. I think that from now on I'll keep a couple of bottles of this stuff around for those times when you just want to eat right now.
I guess we shouldn't have expected anything less from Mr. Newman. As I mentioned before his Sesame Ginger salad dressing is TDF.

I just thought that you should know.

Nice work, Anne.

Yummiest Muffins

2007-07-13T22:56:00.000-07:00

These muffins are my favorite. My sister found the recipe in Martha Stewart. The secret ingredients are vanilla and orange zest. Both flavors are subtle but the combination is divine. It just gives the muffins that certain je ne sais quois.

There's nothing tricky about the recipe, although it will probably require a special trip to the store as most people don't keep all these ingredients around

In a large bowl, combine:

11 tbsp. melted butter (no wonder they're good)

1 1/2 cups brown sugar

1 1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp. buttermilk

2 large eggs

2 tsp. vanilla

1 tbsp. orange zest

In another bowl, stir together:

2 cups flour

1 1/2 cups wheat bran

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. baking soda

3/4 tsp. salt

Stir the dry into the wet, then gently fold in:

1 1/2 cups berries (I used mixed frozen berries, but you could use whatever you can find--cran, rasp, blue, straw, scnozz (for all the fans of the original Willy Wonka movie))

Spoon the batter into 18 muffin cups and bake in a preheated oven at 350 for 30 minutes.

Danielle--Anne got me the same cake plate for Christmas that Travis got you for your anniversary. Hmmmmm.

Tips for using garlic

2007-07-12T13:38:00.001-07:00

Fresh garlic is an important ingredient in many of my favorite dishes. Contary to what Emeril Lagasse says, however, more is not better. The Emeril theory works for keeping Vampires at bay (maybe not that important to all you Twilight fans) but not for seasoning food that all will enjoy. Here are some tips to help you use garlic:
1. Fresh is best. I don't suppose I'll ever buy garlic salt or powder in my life. I'm not above it or anything, it's just that fresh garlic is inexpensive, readily available, and 1000 times tastier than the dried stuff.
2. To buy garlic. Look for plump-looking heads and feel them to make sure that the cloves are firm and not old and shriveled. You definitely don't want any green sprouts out of the top. These will suck the flavor out and may be bitter. Buy small amounts at a time, as it will not last very long in your cupboard.
3. To peel garlic--give each clove a firm press with the side of a knife to loosen the skin. Don't smash it all the way like Rachel Ray does because then you have to separate the bits of skin from the bits of flesh.
4. To mince garlic--Now give the peeled cloves a firm smash with the knife. This will flatten them and break them up a bit so you don't have to chop so much. After they're smashed, just run your knife through them a few times.
5. To cook garlic--Garlic burns quickly so if you're going to put it in hot oil, only do it briefly. I suggest adding the garlic with some liquid. This way, it keeps more of its flavor and there's no risk of burning it.
6. On mixing garlic with romance--I can only say that if you hope to mix garlic with romance, both partners must be equally yoked in their garlic consumption--wisdom from Mario Batali.
7. To get the garlic smell off your hands--This truly works, I promise it's not just some old wives' tale. Rub your hands on stainless steel under running water. There's something about the molecules in the steel that knocks the garlic scented molecules off your hands. It's like magic. They even sell a little bar-of-soap-shaped bar of stainless steel at Bed Bath and Beyond for this purpose. I'm guessing, however, that you can find something that's already in your kitchen. I just use the knife I used to chop the garlic.

2007-07-10T19:24:00.000-07:00

To most people, the idea of being passionate about a whisk might seem ludicrous, but alas, I find myself in awe of the wooden and stainless perfection of this specific whisk. The brand is aptly named "Best." I'm telling you that if you're ever going to buy a whisk (and if you don't have one you should), this is the one to buy. It is perfectly weighted and the wires are perfectly shaped (I prefer french to balloon-shaped), so using this whisk is a sort of therapeutic break from modern, electric, culinary comforts. Here's a picture of mine:

They're epoxy sealed where the wires go into the handles and all the metal is stainless, so water can't get up into the holes in the wood and they don't rust or fall apart.

I know most of you are just shaking your heads and thinking, "The perfect whisk? This guy is nuts" but I'm telling you, it's great.

I found it online at the kitchen store where I used to work for $9.95.

The website is: allysonsofashland.com

While we're on the subject of whisks, you may have seen the whisks with silicon-coated wires and wondered what purpose they serve. They are for when you need to whisk something in a non-stick pan. NEVER USE ANY METAL ON A NON-STICK SURFACE. If you are nice to your Teflon, it will last a very long time. If you scratch it up with knives, metal spatulas, the bottoms of other pans (that's right--don't stack things on top of your non-stick stuff), or even something as seemingly harmless as an uncoated whisk, you will soon end up with little bits of Teflon in your omelettes that look like, but do not taste like, pepper. Your pans will turn from non-stick to everything sticks. That is why you may want to consider investing in a silicon-coated whisk as well--same brand of course.

Happy whisking!

Farfalle with Tomatoes and Basil

2007-07-04T12:15:00.000-07:00

This one is sooo much tastier and healthier than mac-n-cheese but takes hardly any extra time or effort. I promise, you can even ask Anne. Sometimes we make it with chicken and sometimes without. Anne says she like it just as well without--I think I agree.
The amounts I have here are for four adult servings:
Cook 1/2 lb. of farfalle (bowties) according to the package instructions. Make sure you generously salt the water. If the package says "10-12 minutes" cook them for 10. By the time everything's finished, they'll be perfect.
While the pasta is cooking,
in a large saucepan or dutch oven, heat enough olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan,
then add:
1/2 onion--chopped finely
once the onion is soft and translucent, add
6 roma tomatoes, diced (I almost always cook with romas becasue they're easy to cut and usually the cheapest)
Cook the onions and tomatoes on medium-high heat until the tomato pieces have turned into sauce. You want to cook out a lot of the water.
Your pasta probably needs to be drained sometime in here, but scoop out a mug full of the pasta water before you drain it. I'll explain later.
Add about 1 tsp. of salt (make sure to taste it because seasoning is personal), 2 tsp. of sugar, some black pepper, and some red pepper flakes if you like a little spice.
Dump the pasta into the sauce and stir in 1/4 cup of grated parmesan cheese, 8-10 chopped basil leaves, and 1 chopped, grilled chicken breast or leftover chopped up chicken (if you want it).
Now is when you use the reserved pasta water to control the texture. I'm sure that sometimes you've cooked, or been served pasta that is dry and stuck together and just not perfect. Well, you can avoid that with the addition of a little pasta water. It works best becasue it's salted so it won't dilute the sauce, it's hot, so it won't make the dish cold, and it has some starch that the pasta abandoned during cooking so it won't make the sauce too thin.
Add a little water and stir it in until the pasta is covered in perfectly textured, shiny sauce.
Do it again when you come back for a second serving and the pasta looks all dried out.
Also, whenever you're reheating pasta, add a little water before putting it into the microwave.

Bachelor Food

2007-06-29T15:34:00.000-07:00

OK--So just because Anne's out of town doesn't mean I'm starving. I mean, granted, I do most of the cooking anyway, but you know how sometimes it just doesn't seem worth it to cook for one person. I know that most guys would just eat Ramen or something, but I don't want to get scurvy(you may not have known that potatoes are a good source of vitamin C--in fact, they are the top source of it for much of the world). Baked potatoes are my solution for a quick, healthy, tasty meal. I just throw a potato in the microwave for 6 minutes, slice it half (save the other half for later), sprinkle on some salt, pour on some hot chili, salsa, chopped tomatoes, cilantro and a little bit of sour cream. If you ask me, with all these toppings, there's no need for any butter. Healthy meal in less than 1o minutes!
Take that Rachel Ray!

Make Your Own Dressings

2007-06-24T20:08:00.000-07:00

OK--I know. You're all thinking "yeah right would I ever make something that looks like that!" I know, it's a little over the top, but it was Sunday afternoon and whereas some people draw or paint, I sometimes play with food. I decided to leave all the veggies separate because all the colors were so great and they looked cool together.

Really though, this post is not about this salad in particular, but the possibility of making your own dressings. If you can make a smoothie, you can make your own dressings. Anne told me tonight "One of my favorite things about you is that you can make your own dressing." Weird, huh? I never would have guessed.

The one I used here is a ginger/lime/cilantro vinaigrette.

So to make this dressing, put the following items in a blender or a cuisinart (if you don't have a cuisinart, start saving for one. They're kind of spendy, but it's the one kitchen appliance I would take with me if my house was burning down.)

A piece of fresh, peeled ginger--about the volume of a radish
1/2 bunch of green onions
1/2 bunch of cilantro
1/4 cup rice vinegar
juice of one lime
3 tbsp. sugar
salt to taste (start with 1/2 tsp.)

Blend all of that stuff until it's all ground up, then slowly add 3/4 cup vegetable oil

You could use this as a salad dressing, a sauce for steak (as in the picture), a marinade for fish, shrimp, or chicken, a sauce to put on top of rice, etc.

One more thing--If you're going to start making dressings, buy a couple of these plastic squeeze bottles from a kitchen store. Bed bath and Beyond has them for like a dollar or two. It makes it a lot easier to use and store your creations.

Oh yeah, one more thing--I wholeheartedly endorse the purchase of prepared salad dressings. In the past few years, some really great ones have emerged. Annie's Naturals are wonderful and readily available. Also Newman's Own has some good ones. My favorites are Annie's Shitake Sesame and Newman's Sesame Ginger. Mmmmmm.

Tilapia and Linguine

2007-06-21T20:30:00.000-07:00

Linguine is absolutely my favorite dried pasta. It has the most wonderful toothsome bite and goes especially well with seafood. Tilapia is a great fish because it is so darn cheap. I bought 5 fillets and it only cost about $2.50. Really, this whole meal is quite inexpensive. I suppose that the whole thing cost me about 8 or 9 dollars for about 8 servings. Not bad. It is also quite simple to prepare.

Dice an onion and saute it in some olive oil until it's soft and translucent. Then add two 28 oz. cans of whole tomatoes that you've crushed in between your fingers. I like to do tomatoes this way because it leaves them kind of rustic, plus it's just a good way to really feel the food. Just be careful, because they'll explode if you just squeeze them. You have to kind of puncture them first with your fingers.

After squishing all the tomatoes, add some salt, pepper, and sugar to taste, and some red pepper flakes if you like a little kick.

Depending on what brand you have, linguine takes around 10 minutes to cook, so now's the time to drop a pound of it into boiling, salted water. Time it and don't overcook it. (It's important to salt your pasta water always because if you add unsalted noodles to perfectly seasoned sauce, you'll end up with an undersalted finished product)

Bring it all up to a simmer then lay 5 or so Tilapia fillets into the sauce and kind of tuck them down in so they're covered.

Let it simmer for 10 minutes or so, then just when you're ready to serve it, add a handful of chopped parsley, and a small bottle of green olives that you've cut into quarters. As you stir it up, the tilapia should break into pieces.

Drain the pasta and dump it back into the pot. Ladle a few cups of the sauce onto the pasta and stir it around, then turn it into a serving bowl and pour the rest of the sauce over top.

Guest Chef--Anne!

2007-06-18T20:07:00.000-07:00

Although Anne likes to pretend that I'm the only one in the relationship who knows how to cook, she is very good at selecting a recipe from my expansive collection of books, and executing it brilliantly. For fathers' day this year, she made me fabulous fish tacos, fresh pico de gallo, guacamole, and even homemade chips. The recipes are from the Williams Sonoma cookbook--Mexican. This is a meal that you'll probably want to save for a special occasion as it involves deep-frying stuff, which is kind of a pain. I know, this is only my second entree and I'm already encouraging the purchase of another distilled spirit, but I promise, I'm not a total boozer--it's just coincidence. For this one, you could just use milk instead and I don't think anyone would know the difference.

So here's the recipe:
Stir together:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp garlic salt
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 cup dark beer or milk

Let the batter sit while you make the creamy salsa and the pico de gallo
For the creamy salsa, stir together:
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup ketchup
1/3 cup plain yogurt

For the pico, stir together:
1 lb diced tomatoes
1/4 cup diced onion (practice the new technique)
1/4 cup chopped, fresh cilantro
1 serrano or jalapeno chile
2 tsp fresh lime juice
salt to taste

Cut 1 1/2 lbs of snapper (it's easiest to find and cheapest), sea bass, or halibut, into strips, roughly 4 inches long and 1 inch wide (Pull out any bones with needle-nose pliers). Sprinkle them with the juice of a lime, 1 tsp of garlic salt, and 1/4 tsp of cayenne pepper, stir it around, and let it sit for 10 minutes. Dry them off with a paper towel, and dip them in the batter and fry them in batches in hot vegetable oil (start heating the oil on medium when you cut the fish--if it starts smoking, turn it down and wait). The fish will need to cook for about 6-7 minutes to get crispy and golden. While the fish is cooking, warm up some white corn tortillas on a griddle. When the fish is done, scoop it out and let it drain on paper towels.

Throw some fish on a tortilla with some shredded cabbage, pico, creamy salsa, and a squeeze of fresh lime.

Here are some pictures of the other components of the meal--plus Anne in action!

Quick, Easy Dessert Idea

2007-06-12T21:34:00.000-07:00

Here's an idea for a dessert that looks elegant and fancy but is so simple and won't take very long. Sometimes it's just a good idea to take a little help from Betty Crocker. I mean, come on, she's been baking since World War Two. This recipe uses a brownie mix , whipping cream, powdered sugar, fresh berries, and chocolate chips, and can be thrown together in less than an hour.

Prepare the brownies according to the directions on the box but pour the batter into two greased muffin pans. You should fill all twenty-four cups evenly. Bake at 350 for twenty minutes.

In the meantime, whip one cup of cream until it's just stiff and stir in around 1/4cup of powdered sugar, depending on how sweet you like it. Spoon the whipped cream into to a large Ziploc bag and set it aside.

Put 1/4 cup of chocolate chips in a small Ziploc with about 1 teaspoon of vegetable oil (this will make the chocolate stay shiny and soft) and microwave it until it's all melted. (about 40 seconds should do it, but do twenty, then squish it around and put it in for a little longer.

When the brownies are done, run a knife around the edges to loosen them, then put them on a rack to cool completely.

If you really like whipped cream, you can press a little cup into the brownies with the back end of an ice cream scooper or something.

Cut a corner off the whipped cream bag (about 3/4 of an inch) and squeeze a dob of cream onto each brownie. Then, arrange some fresh berries on top of that and finish it with a little drizzle of chocolate from a tiny cut off the corner of the melted chocolate bag.

It's so easy, but people think it's all gourmet or whatever. It's all about the presentation!

Risotto

2007-06-08T17:21:00.000-07:00

Risotto is just how Italians cook rice, so don't be intimidated by this fancy sounding dish. Although most people associate rice with Asia and pasta with Italy, rice is a very important part of the Italian diet--especially in the North. When cooking risotto, it's important to use the appropriate type of rice. Use either arborio or carnaroli rice. Arborio can be found in many grocery stores, although where I'm currently living, one must go the "health food store" to find it. What makes this rice special is that the outer starchy layer gets rubbed off during cooking and gives the dish a wonderful, creamy consistency. Notice in this picture how the grains are sort of translucent on the outside with a white kernel in the middle.

Risotto can be made in an endless number of varieties with additions of various vegetables, herbs, cheeses, meats, and seafood, added to the basic recipe. Yes, the recipe does include white wine, which makes it taste divine. For the Utahns out there, that does mean a trip to the state liquor store which can be a little daunting for a first-timer. Just buy something white, in a bottle (nothing from a box please!) that's on sale. Don't worry too much about which kind--sauvignon blanc, chardonnay, pinot blanc, pinot grigio, whatever. Yes, the alcohol does cook entirely out and you are left only with a wonderful, acidic bite that really makes risotto a treat. If you absolutely can't stomach the thought of buying booze, just substitute more broth and know that you will never truly live. For the batch in this pictures, I stirred in cubes of cooked butternut squash (toss it in the microwave with a little water until it's soft, probably around 8 minutes) and frozen peas right at the end before adding the cheese. To me, nothing says springtime like risotto with peas.

How to Dice an Onion

2007-06-08T14:41:00.000-07:00

Onions are possibly THE most important ingredient in the gastronomical world. They are used to flavor savory dishes from all over the world, so it is vital that you know how to use them. I know it might sound overly simple to suggest that there is a right way to cut an onion, but I'm telling you, if you don't already use it, this technique will make cooking more enjoyable for you.

1. Slice off the top and the bottom and cut the onion in half FROM TOP TO BOTTOM! Don't slice it along the equator. Now peel the papery skin off and the tough, outside layer.

2. Lay the half on its side and make slits all the way through it (again, from top to bottom). Cut all the way to the board, but not all the way through to the end. Leaving the end intact will allow the onion to hold itself together and you won't have to worry about it. Notice in the picture how I kind of curl my fingers up so they're not sticking out in the way of the knife. Once you get more than half way through, it's easier to hold it by squeezing it in between your fingers and your thumb.

3. Start slicing across the onion in the other direction until you get to the end of the slits, then drop the end flat and run your knife through it chop it up.