I had two pounds of hamburger and wanted a way to stretch it. Decided to make porcupine meatballs and realized that my meatball-cooking-dish was in the car! I wasn't wanting to brave the 22F weather, so I improvised: Porcupine Meatloaf!
(this meatloaf makes a very loose mixture that you can stir with a fork even when it's cooked, but you can bind it with an egg or something if you want)
This tastes like stuffed cabbaged without the cabbage.
- 2lbs hamburger
- 2 cups jasmine rice (or, what have you)
- 2 tbsp dried marjoram
- 1 tbsp dried italian-mix seasonings
- 1 pinch dried crumbled thyme
- 1 28oz can of Muir Glen crushed fire-roasted tomatoes
- 1 lb extra-sharp cheddar cheese
Take a big bowl and add all of the ingredients. Put into a casserole dish. Cook at 350F for 1.5 hours, longer if need be. Cover.
About every 30 minutes, stir the hamburger mixture to make sure all of the rice gets moist.
When there's about 15 minutes left, dice up a block of extra-sharp cheddar cheese. (You can also use shredded cheese.)
Take the "meatloaf" and stir in the cheese. Add as much cheese as you want. Put back into the oven until it melts, about 15 minutes.
I scooped this meatloaf into a bowl and ate it that way --
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Saturday, April 4, 2009
Mini-Meatball Soup
Years ago I lifted the basic recipe for Italian Wedding Soup and made it my own. The soup becomes a luscious, silky concoction of vegetables, meatballs and pasta. Absolutely delicious on a cold spring day, light enough for hot summer days.
I put a soup pot on the burner at sauté heat and drizzled in a round of extra virgin olive oil.
Got out the chopping board and my knife. I diced up:
- one large red onion
- two stalks of celery
Earthbound Farm Organic sells snack packs of really small carrots, so I threw in three packs of those.
I then put in two bay leaves and stirred the pot.
I went to the fridge and pulled out the jar of pureed fresh ginger. I put a scant spoonful of that in there. (A regular spoon, not a soup spoon.)
I stirred.
I turned the heat up to high and put three 16 oz cans of chicken broth into the pot. I then added two cups of water.
Pulled 1 lb of hamburger and the jar of minced garlic out of the fridge and put it into a bowl.
I then put two handfuls of parmesan cheese into the bowl.
I poured two cups of breadcrumbs in there.
I put an egg in there and a 1/2 cup of water.
I put a heaping spoonful of minced garlic in there too.
I waited for the pot to bowl and walked over to the stove with my meat bowl.
I made miniature meatballs with my hands and dropped them into the boiling soup.
When I was done, I put a cup of alphabet pasta into the soup.
Then I put a cup of tubettini pasta into the soup.
I then let it boil away until the pasta was done...
In the meantime, I grabbed the bag of fresh spinach that we had in the fridge and chopped it up. All I did was run my knife through the spinach about 10 times.
Then, when the pasta was nearly done, I started dropping handfuls of the spinach into the soup pot. I let the spinach wilt in and I would drop the next handful. I'd stir it periodically with the soup still boiling away.
When the spinach was all in, the soup was done!
I don't serve it with anything because we find it's a full meat, but crusty bread or grilled cheese sandwiches are a fantastic accompaniment.
Beware: the soup is really hot! You may want to wait for it to cool a bit.
I put a soup pot on the burner at sauté heat and drizzled in a round of extra virgin olive oil.
Got out the chopping board and my knife. I diced up:
- one large red onion
- two stalks of celery
Earthbound Farm Organic sells snack packs of really small carrots, so I threw in three packs of those.
I then put in two bay leaves and stirred the pot.
I went to the fridge and pulled out the jar of pureed fresh ginger. I put a scant spoonful of that in there. (A regular spoon, not a soup spoon.)
I stirred.
I turned the heat up to high and put three 16 oz cans of chicken broth into the pot. I then added two cups of water.
Pulled 1 lb of hamburger and the jar of minced garlic out of the fridge and put it into a bowl.
I then put two handfuls of parmesan cheese into the bowl.
I poured two cups of breadcrumbs in there.
I put an egg in there and a 1/2 cup of water.
I put a heaping spoonful of minced garlic in there too.
I waited for the pot to bowl and walked over to the stove with my meat bowl.
I made miniature meatballs with my hands and dropped them into the boiling soup.
When I was done, I put a cup of alphabet pasta into the soup.
Then I put a cup of tubettini pasta into the soup.
I then let it boil away until the pasta was done...
In the meantime, I grabbed the bag of fresh spinach that we had in the fridge and chopped it up. All I did was run my knife through the spinach about 10 times.
Then, when the pasta was nearly done, I started dropping handfuls of the spinach into the soup pot. I let the spinach wilt in and I would drop the next handful. I'd stir it periodically with the soup still boiling away.
When the spinach was all in, the soup was done!
I don't serve it with anything because we find it's a full meat, but crusty bread or grilled cheese sandwiches are a fantastic accompaniment.
Beware: the soup is really hot! You may want to wait for it to cool a bit.
Monday, March 30, 2009
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Friday, March 27, 2009
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Monday, March 23, 2009
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
How to fix up Near East's Creamy Parmesan with White Rice & Pearled Wheat
Near East makes a box mix called "Creative Grains: Creamy Parmesan with White Rice and Pearled Wheat". Normally I love it on its own, but tonight I wanted to kick it up a notch.
I took my Le Creuset 2 quart pot out of the frozen undercabinet and put it on low to warm up to room temp. Then I turned it up to high. (This is a thirty year old stove: high will be too high for your modern stove - use medium.) I drizzled extra virgin olive oil in it and let that heat up...
I took a big sweet onion (one more of the Walla Wallas) and chopped that roughly and tossed it into the oil.
I took a red pepper out of the fridge, seeded and chopped it and tossed that in.
I put a tablespoon of minced fridge-garlic in.
I put a teaspoon of minced fridge-ginger in. (Note, that was a LOT of ginger flavor. I would put a 1/2 teaspoon in next time.)
I let it sauté a bit and then raised my eyebrows a few times and reached for the toasted sesame oil. I drizzled that lightly over the sauteeing veggies.
I then squinted at the bright orange pot and scooped a couple of tablespoons of Hoisin sauce into the mix.
Bubble, bubble, toil and trouble.
I pulled out a can of chicken broth and put that in, and brought it up to a simmer.
I opened the box and poured in the rice and wheat. I mixed it all together.
Then I thought to toss in a small snack-size package of mini-baby carrots. Yes, they have preemie baby carrots.
I then pulled out a crossword puzzle and waited for the mixture to boil. I then turned it down to medium and let it simmer steadily. A Strong Simmer.
And it cooked. And I filled out my puzzle. And it cooked. I stirred it a few times, despite dire warnings on ze box. And I filled out my puzzle. And it cooked.
Twenty minutes later, I stirred in the parmesan seasonings packet and a healthy helping of grated parmagiano reggiano.
OH YEAH!! Perfect for this freezing winter evening.
Really strong on the ginger, but luckily I like ginger. I'll hold back a bit next time.
I took my Le Creuset 2 quart pot out of the frozen undercabinet and put it on low to warm up to room temp. Then I turned it up to high. (This is a thirty year old stove: high will be too high for your modern stove - use medium.) I drizzled extra virgin olive oil in it and let that heat up...
I took a big sweet onion (one more of the Walla Wallas) and chopped that roughly and tossed it into the oil.
I took a red pepper out of the fridge, seeded and chopped it and tossed that in.
I put a tablespoon of minced fridge-garlic in.
I put a teaspoon of minced fridge-ginger in. (Note, that was a LOT of ginger flavor. I would put a 1/2 teaspoon in next time.)
I let it sauté a bit and then raised my eyebrows a few times and reached for the toasted sesame oil. I drizzled that lightly over the sauteeing veggies.
I then squinted at the bright orange pot and scooped a couple of tablespoons of Hoisin sauce into the mix.
Bubble, bubble, toil and trouble.
I pulled out a can of chicken broth and put that in, and brought it up to a simmer.
I opened the box and poured in the rice and wheat. I mixed it all together.
Then I thought to toss in a small snack-size package of mini-baby carrots. Yes, they have preemie baby carrots.
I then pulled out a crossword puzzle and waited for the mixture to boil. I then turned it down to medium and let it simmer steadily. A Strong Simmer.
And it cooked. And I filled out my puzzle. And it cooked. I stirred it a few times, despite dire warnings on ze box. And I filled out my puzzle. And it cooked.
Twenty minutes later, I stirred in the parmesan seasonings packet and a healthy helping of grated parmagiano reggiano.
OH YEAH!! Perfect for this freezing winter evening.
Really strong on the ginger, but luckily I like ginger. I'll hold back a bit next time.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Spring Pork Stew...in a snowstorm...
I was determined to deny winter its power on this blizzard of an evening. So, I decided to make an old favorite that I made quite often in Florida but never in Nayaug: a spring pork stew. Spring because of the plethora of vegetables.
I set a pot to warming on high. My mother's 28 year old electric Jenn-Air takes a while to warm up its burners. I drizzled once around the pot with extra virgin olive oil.
Chopped a big sweet onion - I believe this was a Walla Walla, can't remember - and tossed it in.
Tossed in a tablespoon of minced fridge-garlic.
Tossed in two ribs of celery, chopped.
Tossed in three medium potatoes, chopped.
Tossed in about 12 baby carrots, chopped.
Tossed in one yellow pepper, seeded and chopped.
Tossed in two zucchini (here's the especially spring part), chopped.
I had a box of organic chicken broth from Whole Foods, so I started pouring it in bit by bit to let the vegetables steam.
I pulled the leftover pork roast out of the fridge and warmed that up for two minutes in the microwave. This is an old microwave - two minutes does just enough to leave the meat cold but make it pliable.
I then trimmed it of every ounce of fat and chopped the rest into bite-size pieces. Tossed those into the pot.
Poured the rest of the chicken broth into the pot. Added a cup of water. Put the lid on. Let it simmer.
At some point I added a tablespoon of italian seasoning and a packet of Sazón. I added sea salt (Celtic gray) and a healthy dose of white pepper.
I let it simmer some more, checking the potatoes for doneness.
Then I grabbed the box o' tapioca and measured out a scant half cup. Poured that in, mixed it all up. Presto! Stew! Just the right thickness.
And, five minutes later, we were done. Ladled it into soup bowls. Had I thought of this ahead of time, I would have made bread. Such is life...
I set a pot to warming on high. My mother's 28 year old electric Jenn-Air takes a while to warm up its burners. I drizzled once around the pot with extra virgin olive oil.
Chopped a big sweet onion - I believe this was a Walla Walla, can't remember - and tossed it in.
Tossed in a tablespoon of minced fridge-garlic.
Tossed in two ribs of celery, chopped.
Tossed in three medium potatoes, chopped.
Tossed in about 12 baby carrots, chopped.
Tossed in one yellow pepper, seeded and chopped.
Tossed in two zucchini (here's the especially spring part), chopped.
I had a box of organic chicken broth from Whole Foods, so I started pouring it in bit by bit to let the vegetables steam.
I pulled the leftover pork roast out of the fridge and warmed that up for two minutes in the microwave. This is an old microwave - two minutes does just enough to leave the meat cold but make it pliable.
I then trimmed it of every ounce of fat and chopped the rest into bite-size pieces. Tossed those into the pot.
Poured the rest of the chicken broth into the pot. Added a cup of water. Put the lid on. Let it simmer.
At some point I added a tablespoon of italian seasoning and a packet of Sazón. I added sea salt (Celtic gray) and a healthy dose of white pepper.
I let it simmer some more, checking the potatoes for doneness.
Then I grabbed the box o' tapioca and measured out a scant half cup. Poured that in, mixed it all up. Presto! Stew! Just the right thickness.
And, five minutes later, we were done. Ladled it into soup bowls. Had I thought of this ahead of time, I would have made bread. Such is life...
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Scalloped Potatoes Au Gratin & Chicken Stuffed with Cranberry-Walnut Goat Cheese
It's a good thing I don't like food. You know how that is...
When I emerged from the basement, intent on dinner, I was lugging with me the bottom of my Le Creuset casserole. I refused to leave it upstairs lest it get attacked by metal utensils.
I put the dish in the oven and turned the oven onto 300F convection bake.
Pulled six potatoes out, washed them, poked them and put them into the microwave to partially cook. I was looking for a 3/4 cooked potato.
Then I turned to the stove. I grabbed a small saucepan and melted some butter in it. Threw in some flour to make a roux. Poured in some milk after the flour had cooked, warmed that up and then snagged every half-empty bag o' shredded cheese in the fridge. Mozzarella, Monterey Jack, Pepper Jack. I also grabbed the block of parmagiano reggiano. Pour the cheeses in there and then used the cheese cutter to cut myself some hunkage of the mother cheese. Left that to warm up and meld flavorage together...
Turned to the potatoes. Sliced a few. Took the dish out of the oven and ladled some of the cheese sauce into it. I like a nice crispy bottom, see...
Started layering the potatoes into the dish. Actually, I layered all of the potatoes into the dish and then ladled the rest of the cheese sauce over it.
Put the dish back into the oven and set the oven on 400F convention bake.
I then turned to the chicken:
At lunch on Friday, I picked up an exceedingly delicious container of goat cheese mixed with dried cranberries and walnuts and loved all over by some honey. Thinking about what I paid for it, next time I will buy a big ole block of goat cheese and mix the rest at in at home. But, that aside...
I took my All-Clad saute pan, set it to low on the stove and brushed some olive oil in the bottom.
I took some plain chicken breasts and pounded them out to the dulcet tones of Lyle Lovett telling everyone to kiss his ass, with his pony and boat and all.
I put a mound of goat-cheese-mixture into each chicken breast and rolled up the chicken.
I dipped each rolled chicken breast into a bowl of bread crumbs moistened with some melted butter.
I put each chicken breast into the saute pan.
At this point the potato dish was getting nice brownage on top. Lovely. I put the saute pan into the oven and turned the head down to 375F.
I then set a whole stack of baby carrots to bubbling with a mixture of chicken stock, massive amounts of ginger and a 1/2 cup of maple syrup.
Ten minutes later, I took the potato dish out of the oven and let it sit.
Twenty minutes later, I took the chicken out of the oven.
I put the potatoes and carrots on the plates. Then I turned to the chicken pan -- and picked it up with my right hand. Burned it badly. So, I got no pictures of dinner.
That said, when I emerged quite a while later (having conquered the pain somewhat), dinner was quite fantastic. I highly recommend it.
When I emerged from the basement, intent on dinner, I was lugging with me the bottom of my Le Creuset casserole. I refused to leave it upstairs lest it get attacked by metal utensils.
I put the dish in the oven and turned the oven onto 300F convection bake.
Pulled six potatoes out, washed them, poked them and put them into the microwave to partially cook. I was looking for a 3/4 cooked potato.
Then I turned to the stove. I grabbed a small saucepan and melted some butter in it. Threw in some flour to make a roux. Poured in some milk after the flour had cooked, warmed that up and then snagged every half-empty bag o' shredded cheese in the fridge. Mozzarella, Monterey Jack, Pepper Jack. I also grabbed the block of parmagiano reggiano. Pour the cheeses in there and then used the cheese cutter to cut myself some hunkage of the mother cheese. Left that to warm up and meld flavorage together...
Turned to the potatoes. Sliced a few. Took the dish out of the oven and ladled some of the cheese sauce into it. I like a nice crispy bottom, see...
Started layering the potatoes into the dish. Actually, I layered all of the potatoes into the dish and then ladled the rest of the cheese sauce over it.
Put the dish back into the oven and set the oven on 400F convention bake.
I then turned to the chicken:
At lunch on Friday, I picked up an exceedingly delicious container of goat cheese mixed with dried cranberries and walnuts and loved all over by some honey. Thinking about what I paid for it, next time I will buy a big ole block of goat cheese and mix the rest at in at home. But, that aside...
I took my All-Clad saute pan, set it to low on the stove and brushed some olive oil in the bottom.
I took some plain chicken breasts and pounded them out to the dulcet tones of Lyle Lovett telling everyone to kiss his ass, with his pony and boat and all.
I put a mound of goat-cheese-mixture into each chicken breast and rolled up the chicken.
I dipped each rolled chicken breast into a bowl of bread crumbs moistened with some melted butter.
I put each chicken breast into the saute pan.
At this point the potato dish was getting nice brownage on top. Lovely. I put the saute pan into the oven and turned the head down to 375F.
I then set a whole stack of baby carrots to bubbling with a mixture of chicken stock, massive amounts of ginger and a 1/2 cup of maple syrup.
Ten minutes later, I took the potato dish out of the oven and let it sit.
Twenty minutes later, I took the chicken out of the oven.
I put the potatoes and carrots on the plates. Then I turned to the chicken pan -- and picked it up with my right hand. Burned it badly. So, I got no pictures of dinner.
That said, when I emerged quite a while later (having conquered the pain somewhat), dinner was quite fantastic. I highly recommend it.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Monday, January 12, 2009
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Cooking Books: Making Marzipan
Cooking Books: Making Marzipan
Seems like a good recipe for making my own marzipan. Not sure if I'd want to - but my mother might really like it.
Seems like a good recipe for making my own marzipan. Not sure if I'd want to - but my mother might really like it.
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Spur of the Moment Risotto
I was feeling the need to eat something healthy today, so I decided to make a modified risotto. This is the first time I've taken pictures while I was cooking! I'm using the new Pentax Optio A40 that I picked up from Woot.
The finished product:
It was fantastic - just what I needed.
So, what'd I do?
First, I brought out a deep but small saucepan and set some olive oil and a drizzle of sesame oil to warming. On my old stove in Florida, it would have been medium heat. On this ancient stove in CT, it's on high.
Then, I grabbed two decent-size shallots and sliced them. I didn't bother dicing them or chopping them into small pieces. I then put the shallots into the pot to saute.
When the shallots had sauteed for a bit, I started putting in chicken broth. I ultimately used two cans of salt-free Swanson's broth. You can pretty much use anything.
I put one cup of Jasmine rice into the mixture and started it bubbling away. I added broth when it needed it.
Toward the end, I added in about 1/3 cup of grated parmesan cheese and 1 can of peas:
I then stirred in some Celtic sea salt and ground some Grains of Paradise over the mixture. If I'd had lemon, I would have added it.
And, once again:
The finished product:
 |
| From The Nayaug Kitchen |
It was fantastic - just what I needed.
So, what'd I do?
First, I brought out a deep but small saucepan and set some olive oil and a drizzle of sesame oil to warming. On my old stove in Florida, it would have been medium heat. On this ancient stove in CT, it's on high.
 |
| From The Nayaug Kitchen |
Then, I grabbed two decent-size shallots and sliced them. I didn't bother dicing them or chopping them into small pieces. I then put the shallots into the pot to saute.
 |
| From The Nayaug Kitchen |
When the shallots had sauteed for a bit, I started putting in chicken broth. I ultimately used two cans of salt-free Swanson's broth. You can pretty much use anything.
 |
| From The Nayaug Kitchen |
I put one cup of Jasmine rice into the mixture and started it bubbling away. I added broth when it needed it.
 |
| From The Nayaug Kitchen |
Toward the end, I added in about 1/3 cup of grated parmesan cheese and 1 can of peas:
 |
| From The Nayaug Kitchen |
I then stirred in some Celtic sea salt and ground some Grains of Paradise over the mixture. If I'd had lemon, I would have added it.
And, once again:
|
| From The Nayaug Kitchen |
Saturday, January 3, 2009
NY Strip Steaks
Dad brought home NY Strip Steaks. I marinated them in balsamic vinegar + olive oil, seasoned with a little Montreal Steak Seasoning. Seared them on high for a few minutes on the first side; seared for a few minutes on the second side; turned the heat down to medium and put a pat of butter on each steak. When the butter was melted, the steaks were done. We like them well-done around here. Perfect - moist, tender, tasty. Oh yeah...
I chopped some shallots and sauteed them with corn. Seasoned the mixture with an Italian spice mix.
Baked potatoes.
'Twas good.
I chopped some shallots and sauteed them with corn. Seasoned the mixture with an Italian spice mix.
Baked potatoes.
'Twas good.
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