The Nayaug Kitchen

Quesadillas

2011-03-01T20:29:00.002-05:00

Just a simple dinner tonight - fill a tortilla with shredded cheddar and fry it in olive oil. A couple of those. Instant quesadillas!

Start of Spring

2011-03-01T19:23:00.000-05:00

Haven't spent much time updating this blog. I get intimidated when I think about taking photos of what I'm cooking, because I'm not really great at taking luscious, sexy food pictures.

However, I love to cook. Maybe I could learn how to photograph food such that it looks alluring.

In any case, spring returns. I live on a lake with towering pines all around me. I look forward to starting to cook again. I don't feel much like cooking during the winter.

Been converting to drinking a lot more tea. At the bookstore the other day I got the London Fog latte and it was incredible. I don't usually like Earl Grey with extra bergamot, but when it has lots of steamed milk and vanilla in it, it's good.

My Harney & Sons order came today. Their Paris tea and the Chopra Invigorating Tea (Kapha-balancing).

the decorated cookie: plaid cookies for St. Patrick's Day

2011-03-01T17:32:00.000-05:00

the decorated cookie: plaid cookies for St. Patrick's Day

Veggie Burger Attempt

2010-11-27T14:30:00.005-05:00

Okay, so after Dad left I started getting a craving for a hamburger. Forgot my thyroid medication. Must take that.

Rather than go out, decided to make a veggie burger. The taste came out okay (totally edible, not wonderful) but it was more of a glop rather than an actual burger. (Totally a brand new cuisine for me.)

Veggie Burger

Into the Magic Bullet, I put:
- black beans, rinsed (about half a can)
- tbsp olive oil
- tbsp chives
- tbsp chopped yellow onion
- tbsp Dijon Nayonnaise
- tbsp Balsamic Vingar
- 2 tbsp breadcrumbs
- tsp of minced garlic
- tsp of ground cumin
- pinch each of S&P

I "fried" the glop-mixture in olive oil in the cast iron pan. Took a hamburger roll and loaded it up with microgreens from yesterday's trip. Scooped the crispy mixture onto the burger, sprinkled shredded cheese over it and voila!

Not bad, not bad at all. I should have stopped before I added the Nayonnaise, which soupified it. Then I didn't like that flavor, so I added the balsamic vinegar to cover it. And I didn't like the flavor of the breadcrumbs so I didn't want to add *more* of those. I didn't particularly want to add oats, but I guess I could have. In retrospect I could have added chia seeds and they would have been an excellent binder. Next time.

And, no more craving to go to McDonald's. *nods* Good. Not exactly raw, but a whole hell of a lot better than MickeyD's.

Two observations:

a) the minced garlic in the fridge is intensely bitter. Uck. That jar is almost empty, so I think I will empty it, wash it and fill it with fresh minced garlic + some olive oil.

b) I don't like the flavor of store-bought bread crumbs anymore. (exception: the kind you can buy in the bakery at Whole Foods) Now that I've made my own a few times, my taste buds are completely rejecting the store-bought version.

Veggie Mixes Mean Fast Food

2010-10-01T18:19:00.000-04:00

I find it hard to cook for myself. I'd rather go and get takeout. Funny, because I love cooking for other people.

So, I've been stocking up on storebought frozen pre-chopped vegetables. I thought perhaps that would make it easier for me to cook on days when I have less energy.

Burritos: Rainy Day Comfort Food

2010-09-30T11:32:00.000-04:00

Potato & pepper & onion burritos are my idea of a rainy-day comfort food. A tropical storm is wending its way into Southern New England and I stared at the rain whilst clicking my little City of Wonder buildings, I thought of tortillas and cheese.

Perfect for lunch or dinner.

This is precisely how I made it because I used what I had on-hand, but you can modify it however you need: just eyeball the food you have and do what you can!

Ingredients:
- 1 16oz bag of sliced green, yellow and red peppers (still frozen)
- 1 12oz bag of diced onions (still frozen)
- 10 fingerling potatoes
- tortillas
- cheddar cheese, shredded
- olive oil
- 2 tbsp chipotle spice powder from Tupperware
- sour cream

1) I turned the burner to somewhat high heat (7 of 10) and put some olive oil in the pan, just enough to coat.
2) I poured the frozen veggies in, broke them up a bit with a spoon and left them to cook.
3) I washed and poked the potatoes and put them into the microwave to cook.
4) I stirred the peppers & onions, added the chipotle spice powder and played City of Wonder, because I'm completely addicted to this latest Disney Facebook game.
5) After about ten minutes the peppers & onions were starting to caramelize and were hitting the edge of what I'd call burnt-on-the-bottom. Love it, because that reminds me of what it's like when you get fajitas at a restaurant.
6) I cut up the cooked potatoes into bite-size pieces and stirred them into the pepper mixture.
7) I put a cast iron pan onto another burner, turned the heat to 5 (of 10) and when it was warm, I laid a tortilla in it.
8) When the tortilla was warm, I turned it over and liberally spread the cheese over it.
9) I waited until the cheese was mostly melted and took the tortilla out of the pan and put it into a plate.
10) I then spooned the pepper & potato mixture into the center of the tortilla and spooned sour cream over the top. I folded the tortilla simply (both sides up over each other into a roll) and it was done.

And it was SOOO good.

Moroccan Inspired Chickpeas - Pham Fatale

2010-09-10T00:13:00.000-04:00

Moroccan Inspired Chickpeas - Pham Fatale

Budget Bytes: naan $1.27 recipe / $0.16 serving

2010-09-10T00:11:00.000-04:00

Budget Bytes: naan $1.27 recipe / $0.16 serving

Roasted potatoes, garlic and shallots.

2010-09-05T21:24:00.000-04:00

I recently purchased a new preseasoned cast iron pan -- I need to get more iron into my system and I want to try to move away from teflon.

Yesterday I was having my friends Mark & Heather and their daughters over for dinner. The meal was designed to be entirely vegan and I was really looking forward to it -- and we all had a fantastic time.

One of the dishes I made was a combination of chopped potatoes & shallots and garlic cloves roasted for a while in the oven. After it was done, I stirred in some chopped scallions. Lovely. The house smelled heavenly -- with the scent of roasted garlic pouring out of the windows.

Ingredients:
- olive oil
- a bunch of scallions
- six medium potatoes, washed and chopped into bite-size pieces
- two heads of garlic, garlic cloves removed and left whole
- two large shallots, chopped into bite-size pieces
- 1 tsp each herbs: dried rosemary, dried sage, dried thyme

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400F
2. Put all of the garlic cloves, chopped potatoes and chopped shallots into a bowl and toss lightly.
3. Pour olive oil over the potato mixture, enough to coat lightly.
4. Put the herbs on top and toss the potato mixture.
5. Pour the potato mixture into your roasting pan (I used a 10.25" cast iron skillet). You could use a casserole dish.
6. Put into the oven. Stir periodically, every 15 minutes. Make sure the top doesn't dry out.
7. Cook for an hour to hour and a half, until potatoes are done and garlic is all buttery-soft.
8. Remove from oven, let cool slightly. Fold scallions into potato mixture & serve.

Chocolate Cake... a variation

2010-08-27T00:40:00.001-04:00

Just made my first chocolate soufflé. It's a little thicker than a soufflé, actually. More like a light and fluffy ganache, if that's possible. A thick mousse? A fudgey cake. All I have is the French name for it, which is "fondant au chocolate" so that doesn't help. I will post a picture when my camera battery is finished recharging.

Ingredients:
2 chocolate bars of deep, intense dark chocolate
5 eggs
1 cup of sugar
2 sticks of sweet cream butter, softened
1 tbsp dark rich coffee
1 heaping tbsp flour

Directions:
1) Melt chocolate bars in a double-boiler over barely-simmering water. Add the coffee.
2) Melt and stir in the butter
3) Stir in the sugar
4) Stir in the eggs, one at a time
5) Stir in the flour.
6) Bake at 350F for 20-25 minutes (I baked it about 22). The middle will be wiggly.

Gorgeous.

The instructions say to chill it overnight, but I couldn't wait. Based on the flavor tonight, I would say that chilling it will make it out of this world chocolatety.

Cool!!

So. In January of 2009 I won an ice cream maker at Dad's hunting club game dinner. I've never used it and it's spent quite a bit of time riding around in my car. It actually made it into this kitchen. I just pulled it out, washed the mixer tub and put it into the freezer. I intend to make coffee ice cream tomorrow.

Amish Friendship Bread

2010-01-13T21:24:00.000-05:00

Believe it or not, you can make your own starter for Amish Friendship Bread. You don't need to wait until a baking chain comes through your friends or family to get a cup of starter.

This is the Amish Friendship Bread that gets passed around from friend to friend. It
includes the recipe for the Amish Friendship Bread starter, and gives complete directions for how to make it once your starter is ready. When you pass the starter on to a friend, make sure they understand that they will need to follow the instructions beginning at day one then will use the Amish Friendship Bread Recipe (with the oil, eggs, vanilla, etc.) on Day 10.

Amish Friendship Bread Recipe

Day 1 - receive the starter (the recipe for the starter is below)

Day 2 - stir

Day 3 - stir

Day 4 - stir

Day 5 - Add 1 cup each flour, sugar and milk.

Day 6 - stir

Day 7 - stir

Day 8 - stir

Day 9 - stir

Day 10 - Add 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar and 1 cup milk. Divide into 4 containers, with 1 cup each for three of your friends and 1 cup for your own loaves. Give friends the instructions for Day 1 through Day 10 and the following recipe for baking the bread.

After removing the 3 cups of batter, combine the remaining cup of Amish Friendship Bread starter with the following ingredients in a large bowl:

2/3 cup oil
3 eggs
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
1 to 1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 cup sugar
2 cups flour
1 1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda

Using a fork beat by hand until well blended. You can add 1 cup raisins and 1 cup nuts (optional).

Grease two loaf pans with butter, sprinkle with sugar instead of flour.

Bake at 325 degrees F for 45 minutes to 1 hour (individual oven temperatures vary). Cool 10 minutes, remove from pans. Makes two loaves of Amish Friendship Bread.
Amish Friendship Bread Starter

This is the Amish Friendship Bread Starter Recipe that youll need to make the Amish Friendship Bread (above). It is very important to use plastic or wooden utensils and plastic or glass containers when making this. Do not use metal at all!

Ingredients:

1 pkg. active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water (110°F)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup white sugar
1 cup warm milk (110°F)

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast in warm water for about 10 minutes. Stir well.

2. In a 2 quart glass or plastic container, combine 1 cup sifted flour and 1 cup sugar. Mix thoroughly or the flour will get lumpy when you add the milk.

3. Slowly stir in warm milk and dissolved yeast mixture. Loosely cover the mixture with a lid or plastic wrap. The mixture will get bubbly. Consider this Day 1 of the cycle, or the day you receive the starter.

For the next 10 days handle starter according to the instructions above for Amish Friendship Bread.

From: http://www.momswhothink.com/bread-recipes/amish-friendship-bread.html

Special Mint Brownies...

2010-01-09T16:53:00.002-05:00

I made mint brownies --

- made up a box of brownie mix plus a teaspoon of peppermint extract
- baked it per normal
- while it was baking, I destroyed two York Peppermint Patties in my mini food processor
- when the brownies came out, I sprinkled the patty crumbles over the brownies
- then I dusted powdered sugar over the top

Dinner: Glazed Carrots, Braised Lentils & Olive Oil Dumplings

2010-01-02T18:59:00.000-05:00

For tonight's dinner I selected:

Balsamic-Garlic Glazed Carrots
Braised Lentils with Parsnips
Griddled Olive Oil Salt Rolls (which I turned into dumplings)

Ingredients

Balsamic-Garlic Carrots - balsamic vinegar, carrots, minced garlic

Braised Lentils - my dish included red lentils, olive oil, chopped sweet onion, chopped fresh mushrooms, diced celery, diced parsnips, sherry, water, bay leaf, salt & pepper

Griddled Olive Oil Salt Rolls - flour, olive oil, baking powder, salt + water

Good stuff. I didn't see the "cup of water" in the olive oil rolls recipe and I thought it was dry so I added more olive oil. Turns out I was missing the water part of the recipe, which was not in the ingredient list but instead in the instructions. I totally missed it. I shaped the dough as best I could into patties and put them to grill in a pan of hot olive oil, but I could quickly see that wasn't ever going to happen. So, I gingerly picked them up and put them into the lentil mixture as dumplings. Quite good - the olive oil flavor. Love it.

Beginning Bittman

2010-01-02T18:51:00.000-05:00

Decided that 2010 is the Year o' Bittman. I am going to cook as many recipes as I can in Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything Vegetarian. Yes, I just saw the movie Julie/Julia for the first time.

Why vegetarian? Well, it's cheaper. And generally, healthier. And I need both...

Angelhair...and breadcrumbs!

2010-01-01T23:11:00.000-05:00

Once I saw Giada de Laurentiis made a dish with spaghetti, roasted peppers and breadcrumbs. I had made it myself with penne and really liked it.

I was starving tonight, so I decided to make a variation. I put some angelhair pasta on to boil and then took out a frying pan. I chopped a sweet onion and set that to sauté in some olive oil. Then I opened up an 8oz can of Hunts tomato sauce (a backup!) and poured that in. I then covered the lot with what was probably a 1/2 cup of seasoned bread crumbs and two handfuls of grated parmagiano reggiano.

When the angelhair was finished, I scooped that into the frying pan mixture and gently stirred it all together.

At some point, I will take this same recipe, mix it together with my homemade sauce, put it into a pie dish, top it with mozzarella and bake it in the oven. This is fantastic...

It was a porcupine meatloaf

2009-12-15T10:13:00.001-05:00

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 --

Kinda cool

2009-09-13T19:12:00.002-04:00

Kinda cool, this new Daring to Drive site.

Mini-Meatball Soup

2009-04-04T17:56:00.003-04:00

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.

Delicious Low Point Weight Watchers Recipes – Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes: Asparagus and Swiss Cheese Frittata - 4pts

2009-03-30T21:13:00.000-04:00

Asparagus and Swiss Cheese Frittata

The Noshery » Blueberry-Balsamic BBQ Turkey Meatballs

2009-03-29T14:37:00.000-04:00

The Noshery » Blueberry-Balsamic BBQ Turkey Meatballs

Crêpes KKO - B COMME BON

2009-03-27T23:12:00.000-04:00

Crêpes KKO - B COMME BON

Chocolate crepes made with Cointreau...

pepsakoy: Cappucino and White Chocolate Muffins

2009-03-24T07:08:00.000-04:00

pepsakoy: Cappucino and White Chocolate Muffins

Lovin' From the Oven: Snickerdoodle Blondies

2009-03-24T07:04:00.001-04:00

Lovin' From the Oven: Snickerdoodle Blondies

Cooking Books: French Cornmeal Cookies

2009-03-24T07:04:00.000-04:00

Cooking Books: French Cornmeal Cookies

foodizm: Irish cupcake?

2009-03-24T03:55:00.000-04:00

foodizm: Irish cupcake? Guinness Chocolate Cupcake with Caramel Bailey's Frosting

Iron Cupcake Earth: Nuts & Seeds II « Informal Blathering

2009-03-23T21:57:00.000-04:00

Iron Cupcake Earth: Chestnut & Maple Cupcakes

atherosclerosis: too much orange county

2009-03-23T15:27:00.000-04:00

atherosclerosis: too much orange county

O Pistachio: potato, tomato & garlic gratin

2009-03-23T15:26:00.001-04:00

O Pistachio: potato, tomato & garlic gratin

Eat A Duck I Must!: Banana Espresso Chocolate Chip Bread

2009-03-23T15:26:00.000-04:00

Eat A Duck I Must!: Banana Espresso Chocolate Chip Bread

folkmann.ca » Blog Archive » Sticky pear pudding with caramel sauce

2009-03-23T15:25:00.001-04:00

folkmann.ca » Blog Archive » Sticky pear pudding with caramel sauce

hungry girl por vida: meyer lemon cream, cheesecake pots and my first tuiles

2009-03-23T15:25:00.000-04:00

hungry girl por vida: meyer lemon cream, cheesecake pots and my first tuiles

Coconut-Avocado Ice Cream - Allrecipes

2009-03-23T15:24:00.000-04:00

Coconut-Avocado Ice Cream - Allrecipes

honey & jam.: Banana Cupcakes with Cinnamon Honey Frosting

2009-02-17T19:15:00.000-05:00

honey & jam.: Banana Cupcakes with Cinnamon Honey Frosting

How to fix up Near East's Creamy Parmesan with White Rice & Pearled Wheat

2009-02-04T19:18:00.007-05:00

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.

Spring Pork Stew...in a snowstorm...

2009-02-03T18:37:00.003-05:00

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...

Scalloped Potatoes Au Gratin & Chicken Stuffed with Cranberry-Walnut Goat Cheese

2009-01-18T20:11:00.006-05:00

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.

Tinned Tomatoes: A Gift from Alison

2009-01-13T06:49:00.000-05:00

Tinned Tomatoes: A Gift from Alison

Pecorino Crackers Recipe : Giada De Laurentiis : Food Network

2009-01-13T06:47:00.000-05:00

Pecorino Crackers Recipe : Giada De Laurentiis : Food Network

One Tree Past The Fence: Little Bites of Goodness

2009-01-12T07:01:00.000-05:00

One Tree Past The Fence: Little Bites of Goodness

Cooking Books: Making Marzipan

2009-01-11T10:59:00.000-05:00

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.

Kalofagas - Greek Food & Beyond by Peter Minakis: Grandma's Pork & Quince (Χοιρινό & Κυδώνια της Γιαγιάς)

2009-01-11T09:35:00.000-05:00

Kalofagas - Greek Food & Beyond by Peter Minakis: Grandma's Pork & Quince (Χοιρινό & Κυδώνια της Γιαγιάς)

Must make this!!!

Spur of the Moment Risotto

2009-01-10T19:20:00.007-05:00

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:

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

NY Strip Steaks

2009-01-03T18:34:00.000-05:00

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.

Eggnog Pancakes - Erin Cooks

2009-01-01T21:48:00.000-05:00

Eggnog Pancakes - Erin Cooks

White Bean Dip with Pita Chips

2009-01-01T17:59:00.000-05:00

White Bean Dip with Pita Chips

Truman Capote’s Chicken Hash « The Crepes of Wrath

2008-12-30T21:02:00.000-05:00

Truman Capote’s Chicken Hash « The Crepes of Wrath

Pear Gingerbread, Pot Roast Pie & Stromboli

2008-12-28T15:14:00.001-05:00

The more I watching cooking videos on YouTube, the more I realize that I could totally do that---

I think I should get me one of those Flip Camera and go for it.

Today I made this upside down pear molasses gingerbread. Freakishly good, if I do say so myself. WOW.

The catch to this recipe is this: Use good ginger. Iffen you use crappy ginger, you will know.

Also, I made a pot roast galette-of-sorts. Last weekend I made a pot roast in a sweet red spiced wine. Carrots, potatoes, the usual suspects. I took the leftovers today and sauteed them up in a pan. Whipped up a batch of biscuit mix (I make mine, but you can use Bisquick) and laid that out in a rectangle on some parchment paper. Spread the pot roast remnants all over and baked in the convection-mode-on oven at 375F for 20 minutes. Outstanding.

Now, I am making a stromboli. The dough is rising. In the meantime, I caramelized onions, roasted peppers, zucchini and carrots. The carrots I chopped into very tiny matchsticks. I added some italian spices. I then took the veggies out of the pot and put them into a bowl. I crumbled 1/2 a block of tomato-basil feta into it. I then took the meat off of two roasted-a-few-days-ago chicken breasts and chopped that up and mixed it in with veggies. Oh baby. I can't wait for the dough to rise a bit.

Actually, it's probably ready now.

Seriously, people. Never poach a chicken breast. In the same amount of time, you can coat the chicken breast with olive oil and spices and bake it on parchment paper in the oven. You get a succulent, moist chicken breast every time. Not some washed out, dried up, tasteless thing that doesn't even taste good when you chop it up. Just say no (to poaching).

For Chocolate Lovers Only: March 2002's Recipe for Seven Layer Liqueur Cake on Star Chefs

2008-11-12T19:11:00.000-05:00

For Chocolate Lovers Only: March 2002's Recipe for Seven Layer Liqueur Cake on Star Chefs

Thinking about making this for Thanksgiving.

Maple Cranberry Butter

2008-10-19T00:18:00.004-04:00

Made this recipe this morning. Lovely, just lovely. I was concerned that it wasn't thick enough, so on Mom's suggestion I added cornstarch, but I did discover that it thickened nicely on its own once it cooled off. Couldn't find the vanilla, so I didn't include it.

It's a bit too tart for me, and I can't taste the maple. That said, my mother liked it. It has a lovely, balanced flavor for a cranberry-based mixture.

This will be absolutely perfect on toast - or biscuits. I would like to spoon it over some turkey, myself!

Hamburger, Corn & Potatoes...

2008-10-15T18:07:00.004-04:00

I didn't grow up calling it Shepherd's Pie. My Mom called it something French when she wasn't calling it "hamburger, corn and potatoes."

Tonight's version:
- browned ground beef, seasoned with a packet of Sazón.
- sweet niblet corn from a can with a green giant on the side
- mashed potatoes

For the mashed potatoes, I cut up some white-skinned generic taters. Left the skins on because my hands don't do the peeling thing. Boiled them.

Then, for seasoning: Kelp flakes w/cayenne. Cumin. Celtic Sea Salt. Ground black pepper. Whole Grain Dijon Mustard. Three chopped scallions. Yum! I like my mashed potatoes with flavor... and my folks don't like garlic, otherwise you'd see garlic in that list.

Preheated the oven to 375F.

Hamburger in the bottom of the casserole.
Corn next.
Mashed potatoes next.

Aluminum foil over all, into the oven for 30 minutes.

The Spam Dagwood

2008-10-14T16:18:00.003-04:00

I know that Spam Dagwoods aren't particularly New Englander, but there's nothing that Dad likes better than fried Spam on a hamburger roll piled high with lettuce, tomato and sweet onion.

So, for dinner tonight, I will open up the can of Spam-n-cheese that Dad picked up last week.

There are tomatoes in the fridge; I bought lettuce & Empire onions last Friday. Dad's bringing home hamburger rolls.

Going to slice up some potatoes and make oven fries.

I'll slice up the Spam and sauté it in a frying pan. I may spray the pan in a light coating of oil first, before putting in the Spam.

Going to warm up the sliced rolls in the oven,
Spread a bit o' yellow mustard on them and then start piling.

Baked Potatoes with Stilton and Cheddar

2008-10-14T12:14:00.001-04:00

Wow.

I hadn't realized how much cooking a meal down here in my basement apartment would cheer my spirits. Wow. Now I see why my brother put up a sign that said "Mongo's Place."

I put six mini potatoes into my new toaster oven, set it to 400F and timed it to 40 minutes.

-- The potatoes smelled SO good while they were baking that my stomach started seriously growling. That was hilarious.

The timer dinged, I headed over and the tiny taters were done perfectly. Crunchy skins. Wow.

I took them into the kitchen, sliced them in half and put bits of stilton-and-cheddar over them. This place smells Amazing.

Today, today is the One Year Anniversary of my being back in Connecticut. On this morning, very early, Dad and I left Fredericksburg and drove north, through DC, through the Palisades, up the Merritt and on home.

So I figure that cooking my first meal down here is a fantastic way to celebrate.

Recipe of the Day: Clam Chowder - Bitten Blog - NYTimes.com

2008-10-13T21:56:00.000-04:00

Recipe of the Day: Clam Chowder - Bitten Blog - NYTimes.com

YouTube - Cookin' with Coolio #1: Coolio Caprese Salad

2008-10-12T13:29:00.000-04:00

YouTube - Cookin' with Coolio #1: Coolio Caprese Salad

Love it. Brilliance. I'm going to have to buy his cookbook.

Sweet & Sour Kielbasa

2008-10-12T12:20:00.004-04:00

okay, for today's Sunday afternoon dinner: Sweet & Sour Kielbasa

- I use smoked sausage instead of kielbasa because I like it more and the only kielbasa I really like is the homemade-by-a-Polish-grandmother kind...

Ingredients:
1.5lbs of smoked sausage (amount optional)
1 red pepper
1 yellow pepper
1 green pepper
1 orange pepper
1 Vidalia onion (or Empire, or Walla Walla, etc. SWEET.)
2 stalks of bok choy
2 stalks of celery
2 10oz jars of LaChoy Sweet & Sour sauce. Not making my own sauce today.

Warm oven to 350F.
Chop the veggies into bite-size pieces.
Slice the sausage into bite-size pieces.

a) boil smoked sausage until it's thoroughly warm
b) empty pot, set aside sausage in a casserole dish
c) in pot, put a bit of olive oil and all of the vegetables; saute until mostly cooked
d) combine veggies & sausage & sweet and sour sauce into casserole dish
e) bake @ 350F for 30 minutes or so

I have no pineapple today, otherwise I'd add that, too.

Got this recipe from a friend of mine at work. Most excellent.

French Hazelnut Gingerbread Recipe - Pain d'épice avec des Noisettes – French Spice Cake with Hazelnuts

2008-10-03T22:41:00.000-04:00

French Hazelnut Gingerbread Recipe - French Spice Cake with Hazelnuts

Tartiflette Recipe – French Potatoes with Bacon and Cheese

2008-10-01T11:13:00.000-04:00

Tartiflette Recipe – French Potatoes with Bacon and Cheese

I still really really want to make this. Need to find a substitute fro Reblechon, as I'm not sure I can get this in the US without ordering it from France.

THE MINIMALIST; Chapati: Bread Born For the Grill - New York Times

2008-09-21T15:16:00.000-04:00

THE MINIMALIST; Chapati: Bread Born For the Grill - New York Times

THE MINIMALIST; A Sweet Science Without Tomato Cans - New York Times

2008-09-21T15:15:00.000-04:00

THE MINIMALIST; A Sweet Science Without Tomato Cans - New York Times

THE MINIMALIST; The Old Chickpea Learns a New Trick - New York Times

2008-09-21T15:12:00.000-04:00

THE MINIMALIST; The Old Chickpea Learns a New Trick - New York Times

THE MINIMALIST; It's Soup: Vegetables, Herbs, Water - New York Times

2008-09-21T15:05:00.000-04:00

THE MINIMALIST; It's Soup: Vegetables, Herbs, Water - New York Times

Deck Garden

2008-06-01T18:38:00.002-04:00

In the spirit of fresh, local ingredients, I have my own burgeoning vegetable gardens. One on the back deck, one over at my uncle's house in the center of down.

I took pictures of the deck garden today and put them here.

The Ultimate Tomato Sauce

2008-06-01T14:24:00.003-04:00

There are lots of ultimate tomato sauces. I make different varieties with the same core ingredients.

First, unless you're using fresh-grown tomatoes, ya gotta buy Muir Glen.

Today's sauce:
- 8oz sliced cremini mushrooms
- 8oz sliced shitake mushrooms
- a handful of chopped morel mushrooms
- 1 28oz can of Muir Glen Diced Fire Roasted tomatoes (the whole can)
- 1 28oz can of Muir Glen Crushed tomatoes with basil (the whole can)
- six chopped shallots
- 1 chopped Vidalia onion

Put a smidge o' extra virgin olive oil into your six quart saucier.
Pour in the shallots-n-onions.

I was forced to leave out garlic because my folks don't like it. Grr. So, I snuck it in via garlic powder. That came later.

Saute for a bit.

Pour in the mushrooms. Add a pat o' butter. Saute for a bit.

Add the tomatoes. Saute for a bit.

Let's see.

I went out to the deck garden and snipped off three marjoram twigs, two twigs of thyme and a handful of parsley. Put all of the leaves in and stirred them up. Added garlic powder. Added celtic sea salt and ground pepper. Added a small handful of sugar. Swirled a bit of balsamic vinegar in there just to be a showoff.

Cook and cook and cook on low heat to your heart's content. If you have a newer stove that cycles on and cycles off, cook on medium-low heat. My parents have an old-style stove that can boil water on low if you don't watch the thing.

Today I added meatballs to the sauce. I used ground sirloin, some tomato sauce, breadcrumbs, chopped vidalias, salt, pepper, italian seasonings and a mite o' ketchup. Baked the balls in the oven to get them crispy and then added them to the sauce.

It was so good it was unreal.

Grilled Cheese

2008-05-31T20:57:00.001-04:00

Tonight I went to the deck garden and snipped off of a bunch of not-so-baby lettuce and a bunch of flat Italian parsley. Washed it up and dried it in a paper towel.

Mom cut up the big tomato-basil cheddar block into slices and we made grilled cheeses with the baby lettuces. Very, very good.

What's for Dinner?

2008-05-31T20:55:00.002-04:00

I'm working on a customizable screen matrix that will give you recommendations for dinner (thank god) based on the options you choose...

Lunch & Dinner, Part 2

2008-04-12T19:13:00.000-04:00

Lunch - the mashed potatoes and meatloaf were great. The celery root was great but I didn't have enough of it to enhance the flavor. And the potatoes were smashed, not mashed. Came out awesome. The seasoning combination I used was such that the cold (s)mashed potatoes actually taste good and have flavor. Or maybe the celery root affected things more than I thought.

Dinner:
a) cut chicken breasts into strips
b) coated them in a basil pesto
c) coated them in breadcrumbs
d) baked them in the oven

I made a quick tomato sauce with Muir Glen Fire Roasted tomatoes with chopped Vidalia onions and a smoodge of tomato paste.

I didn't like the golden beets. They weren't as sweet as I would have liked. I didn't end up roasting them. But, my folks liked them.

Dessert was a blackberry and apple cobbler. My first attempt at making a cobbler. Fantastic flavor. Needed to cook it a bit more in the middle (this convection oven thing stymies me), but it was perfect otherwise. I want to do that with strawberries. Lots of strawberries.

Oh, and french bread.

So, I'm happy with it. And once my Dad got over the green chicken, he was good.

Cinnamon Rolls, Part 2 & Lunch and Dinner plans

2008-04-12T19:12:00.001-04:00

The cinnamon rolls came out great - I drizzled melted butter over them before they went into the oven, and I drizzled some homemade icing over them when they came out. Yeah!!

I want to make a cheese danish at some point.

Just went to Whole Paycheck. Took a right this time, at the front door. Explored the "restaurant" area. Saw the bakery. Walked to the back and discovered the cheese shop. Stopped there for a long while. Picked up a St Andres and a Wensleydale Cranberry (it had cranberries mixed into it) and block of Emmental. Having a cheese shop is NOT a good thing for my wallet.

Also picked up some basil pesto and an artichoke/parmesan spread. I should not take a right when I'm at the front door of Whole Paycheck, iffen I don't want to spend the whole paycheck. Got some golden beets, celeriac, fresh ginger and limes. I came *THIS* close to buying Chestnut Flour and caught myself.

Got home and make up a cheese course for me and Mom. Grapes, carmelized walnuts, the St Andres and the cranberry cheese, crackers. Really good. Note to self: next time, I want apricot jam.

Lunch today is meatloaf because I have to make that hamburger in the fridge. On the side: mashed potatoes made with russets and the celeriac! Woohoo! Very simple.

Instead of the red snapper I had planned tonight, I'm switching to chicken. I believe I will pound it flat, stuff it with the basil pesto and some cheese and maybe bacon (? not sure about basil and bacon) and roll it in bread crumbs and bake it in the oven. I'll roast the golden beets and we'll have a salad on the side. Good deal!

Dessert will be a blackberry fool sort of thing. Light and airy and just a touch of sweet.

Tomorrow, let's see. Breakfast is out. Lunch is out. Dinner, though, is going to be swiss chicken. That's why I picked up the Emmental, for a surprise.

Cinnamon Rolls, Part 1

2008-04-12T06:39:00.000-04:00

So, I picked up How to Cook Everything. Been wanting it a long time.

I like it.

This morning I headed up at about 6am to make the dough for cinnamon rolls. The dough is now rising in the warmed oven. At about 8:30am, I will head up and check it out. It's not perfect, but that's okay.

I would love to make more bread, as my folks love bread. I am not going to tackle the two or three loaves of sliced bread they go through each week, but dinner rolls and french breads and italian breads and breakfast breads and other yeasty goodness...that, I want to do. I have Mom's mixer. (I have mine, too, but it's still sitting in the living room where it was put in October.)

So, that dough is rising. I compromised with myself last night - if I went to bed at 10pm, I would get up early. I did, that's cool.

I intend to go grocery shopping today, so I am heading off to make some plans.

I like shopping each day to get fresh ingredients to eat.

Chicken Francese, my style

2008-04-11T19:09:00.000-04:00

Tonight I switched to a Chicken Francese. Made my own version of the sauce -- butter, olive oil, a touch of flour, a touch of tapioca, some wine, the juice of a lemon, a bit of sugar and a splash of balsamic vinegar. I also added in mushrooms and at the last minute, a chopped bunch of fresh parsley.

Seasoned the flour for the chicken with pepper and powdered coriander.

I steamed fresh broccoli in chicken broth seasoned with garlic and lemon and we had a red-lettuce salad on the side.

Outstanding. The sauce came out fantastic. Loved it. Fresh greens. Fresh herbs. Lovely. Just lovely.

Sausage & Peppers

2008-04-07T10:11:00.002-04:00

Tonight for dinner I picked up some garlic & onion chicken sausage. I'll saute that with Vidalia onions and three bell peppers cut into strips. This afternoon I'm going to pick up a red pepper, a yellow and a green.

We have some lettuce in house and a cucumber, so that'll go as well.

Chicken Salad Veronique

2008-04-06T16:16:00.003-04:00

Today I made an Herbed Potato Salad and this Chicken Salad Veronique, which I got from FoodTV's Ina Garten (the Barefoot Contessa). The recipe was outstanding.

Below is the recipe as I altered it:

2 pkgs chicken tenderloins
Good olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup good mayonnaise (used Hellman's)
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon leaves
1/2 one small Vidalia onion
1/2 bunch chives, chopped
1/2 bunch watercress, chopped
1/2 bunch chervil, chopped
1 cup green grapes, cut in 1/2

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Place chicken in a bowl, pour olive oil over it, season liberally with salt and pepper and pour out onto a cookie sheet.
Roast for 35 to 40 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through. Set aside until lukewarm.

Cut the chicken into bite-size pieces. Place the chicken in a bowl; add the mayonnaise, tarragon, chervil, watercress, onion, grapes.

Honestly, this was fabulous, and I do NOT like to experiment with chicken salad.

Herbed Potato Salad

2008-04-06T16:12:00.002-04:00

This afternoon, for Sunday dinner, I made a Chicken Salad Veronique and an Herbed Potato Salad. I saw both of these on Ina Garten's Barefoot Contessa. I adapted the recipes...added a few things.

Below is the recipe as I made it. See FoodTV for the original recipe!

3 pounds Russian Banana fingerling potatoes (2 bags)
Celtic sea salt
2 tablespoons good dry white wine
2 tablespoons chicken stock
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Freshly ground black pepper
2/3 cup good olive oil
1 small Vidalia onion, finely minced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon
2 tablespoons chopped fresh chervil
1 bunch of watercress, chopped
1 bunch of chives, chopped

Place the potatoes and 2 tablespoons salt in a large pot of water. Bring the water to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, until the potatoes are barely tender when pierced with a knife. Drain the potatoes in a colander, then place the colander with the potatoes over the empty pot off the heat and cover with a clean, dry kitchen towel. Leave the potatoes to steam for 15 to 20 minutes, until tender but firm.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together the wine, chicken stock, lemon juice, garlic, mustard, 2 teaspoons salt and 3/4 teaspoon pepper. Slowly whisk in the olive oil to make an emulsion. Set aside.

When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, cut them into quarters or halves, depending on their size. Place the cut potatoes in a large bowl and pour enough dressing over them to moisten. (As the salad sits, you may need to add more dressing.) Add the onion, tarragon, chives, watercress & chervil, and salt and pepper to taste. Toss well, cover, and refrigerate for a few hours to allow the flavors to blend. Serve cold or at room temperature.

Chicken Pasta Tomato Casserole

2008-02-09T19:00:00.000-05:00

Had cooked up some chicken breasts in the crockpot on Thursday, in some diced tomatoes. Tossed in a few dried herbs and left it.

So, I shredded up the leftover chicken tonight in the remainder tomato "sauce".
I boiled up some elbows.
I chopped up an onion and sauteed that in a small can of fire roasted tomatoes.
Added some tomato paste and garlic powder.
Cooked that up for a while...
Mixed the shredded chicken in with the "new" tomato & onion mixture.
Chopped up an 8oz block of sharp cheddar.

Then, I tossed the chicken mixture and the cheese with the elbows.
Covered it with a layer of shredded mozzarella.
Cooked it in the oven for 30 minutes at 350F degrees, covered in aluminum foil.
Uncovered it and then cooked another 10 minutes.

Added a salad and some garlic break and it was awesome!

Scalloped Mac & Cheese

2008-02-09T07:43:00.000-05:00

Made a killer mac-n-cheese last night. I think this is because I was making a baked scallop casserole, and I only belated realized that it was mac-n-cheese with scallops. Perhaps this is the key. This is the first good mac-n-cheese that I have made in a very long time. So many batches ruined.

- 1 container bleu brie & peppercorn cheese spread from Highland Park
- milk to mix with the cheese spread to thin it out
- 1 block of extra sharp cheddar
- 1 box of pipette-shaped pasta (half shell, half elbow)
- 1 stack of Keebler crackers, crushed
- bits of butter
- 1/2 lb of bay scallops

I put the pasta on to boil and preheated the oven to 350F.
Then I put the cheese spread in a bowl, poured milk over it and whisked it until it was foamy and the cheese was relatively broken up.
Then I chopped up the cheese block into cubes.
Then I put the crackers into a ziploc bag and crushed them.
I took out a 9" x 13" casserole pan and sprayed it with olive oil.
Drained the pasta, put it into the pan.
Poured in the cheese liquid.
Put in the cheese blocks.
Turned and stirred and coated the pasta.
Drained and rinsed the scallops.
Put those into the pasta and turned and folded it.
Poured the crackers on top.
Dabbed with bits o' butter.
Put aluminum foil over the top & cooked for 20 minutes.
Took the foil off and cooked for 10 more minutes, broiled the last few to get crunchy bits on top.

Yankee Pot Roast

2007-10-28T15:51:00.000-04:00

Made the recipe for Yankee Pot Roast that I found here. It's cooking on the stove now, actually, and it smells fantastic. I used a Pinot Noir and that smell mixed with the thyme and the beef broth is incredible.

I also put in a handful of "baby" carrots (not the real thing but the ones made from adult carrots), two parsnips and three celery ribs. I had some leftover minced onion from meatloaf yesterday, so I put a tablespoon of that in. I also put in a good healthy teaspoon of minced garlic.

Meatloaf and Mashed Potatoes

2007-10-28T15:43:00.000-04:00

Last night's menu:
- meatloaf
- mashed potatoes
- sauteed spinach
- Banoffee Pie, previously mentioned in this blog

1. I used the KitchenAid mixer with the flat beater to mix up four sirloin hamburgers, breadcrumbs, a healthy helping of Muir Glen crushed fire roasted tomatoes, one minced onion and a tablespoon or so of Italian herbage. I put it all in a loaf pan and cooked that on 400F for about 85 minutes.
2. I diced up six potatoes and boiled them until they were mash-worthy. Mom seasoned them and we used the KitchenAid mixer with the flat beater to do the rest.
3. I put a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil into a saute pan and added some minced garlic to that. Sauteed that on medium for a few minutes and then I added some chicken broth to thepan. I then then started adding spinach and in no time at all it was wilted.

I made the Banoffee Pie and it was more like pie soup. Something's missing from the recipe, perhaps something like "cook the sweetened condensed milk until it's jelled" or something. It was also incredibly over-sweet. Not that it wasn't good, but it couldn't be sliced and even one dessert bowlful made one sick. The best part was that I learned how to make homemade whipped cream: whipping cream, powdered sugar and vanilla. Dad was pretty shocked that I didn't use Cool Whip.

Eggplant Casserole Acadiana

2007-10-22T19:32:00.000-04:00

Eggplant Casserole Acadiana Recipe: Recipes: Food Network

Oh my gosh this sound incredible. I'll bet my Mom would actually eat eggplant this way.

Roasted Chicken with Cranberry Stuffing

2007-10-22T18:45:00.000-04:00

Made my first roasted chicken today - it came out brilliantly! The chicken was superbly moist and was falling right off the bone. The cranberry stuffing was moist and flavorful and just right.

First, I used the Tupperware Roaster. It's blue and I got it in 2002 or so. It's Tupperware, but it goes right into the oven.

Ingredients:
a 6.75lb chicken
a bag of dried cranberries (not sweetened), about 10oz or so
what was left of a two-days-old Italian bread loaf
chicken broth
two packets of Garlic and Herb Mrs Dash
a handful of olive oil
small onion & celery stalk

1. I preheated the oven to 400F and put the convection fan on.
2. I chopped a small onion and one celery stalk and set them to saute in a little olive oil. In retrospect, I could have used chicken broth.
3. I put the dried cranberries into a medium size bowl and pour some chicken broth over them.
4. I tore the bread into small pieces, maybe an inch x inch. I didn't have patience to tear smaller pieces.
5. I put the bread pieces into the cranberries and mixed with my hands.
6. I poured chicken broth over all to wet down everything. I mixed further with my hands. (You want it pretty pulpy - this moisture will keep the breast meat moist.)
7. I put the bread-and-cranberry mixture into the microwave to get it hot. I cooked one minute on high and then stirred the mixture and then cooked another minute. I then mixed in the celery and onion.
8. I the chicken out of the fridge and removed the chicken's gizzards and tossed them.
9. I rinsed the chicken in water.
10. I scooped a little of the stuffing into the cavity of the chicken, but not much.
11. I used my fingers and a small knife to separate the breast skin from the breast meat.
12. I stuffed the rest of the stuffing under the breast skin.
13. I tore open the two packets of Mrs Dash and sprinkled them over the top of the chicken.
14. I poured some olive oil into my palm and smeared it all over the top of the chicken.
15. I put the chicken, uncovered, into the pot and into the oven for 30 minutes. The skin got all brown and crispy. We didn't eat it, but it was nice to look at.
16. I covered up the chicken with the Roaster cover and reduced the heat to 350F. It then cooked for another hour and fifteen minutes (this particular bird).

In the meantime, I made mashed potatoes on the stove and a batch of brownies from a box mix in the other oven. Woohoo! A brilliant fall dinner. The cranberries were spectacular.

Chicken and Potato soup

2007-10-20T07:50:00.000-04:00

Alrighty then, I have arrived in CT as of 12Oct and have begun cooking. First, some basics. I'm a bit rusty as I just have not been motivated to cook for myself. But I brought the two all-clad sauciers as well as my cooking utensils.

On Thursday I made a chicken and potato soup seasoned with, of all things, Mrs Dash. It was fantastic. I took one peeled and cubed potato, one peeled and cubed sweet potato, one stick of celery, one small onion and sauteed them in chicken broth. Then, I added more chicken broth and started simmering. I added one packet of Garlic and Herb Mrs. Dash to the mixture. All of this was done on medium heat.

At the same time, I seasoned two boneless chicken breasts with a packet of Garlic and Herb Mrs Dash and started pan frying them in some olive oil. When they were done, I set them aside and chopped them up later to add to the soup.

After a while, sweet potatoes break down and turn into mush. They were the thickener for my soup - a very thick soup. I'm not much into brothy soups or bisques. The flavor of the soup was very vegetable with a hint of the spices from the Mrs Dash.

My parents are not too used to having garlic in everything, so that's why the very little garlic from the Mrs Dash. Adding the garlic slowly will be good.

Banoffee Pie

2007-10-09T17:42:00.000-04:00

Banoffee Pie Recipe: Recipes: Food Network

from Paula Deen

oh yeah

Apple Clafouti

2007-10-09T17:25:00.000-04:00

NapaStyle | Apple Clafouti

And from Michael Chiarello, an Apple Clafouti.

These look fantastic.

Pear Clafouti

2007-10-09T17:23:00.000-04:00

Pear Clafouti

The Barefoot Contessa cooked this in a tart pan. It looked divine. Seriously.

Chicken Enchiladas with Roasted Tomatillo Chile Salsa

2007-10-09T15:51:00.000-04:00

Chicken Enchiladas with Roasted Tomatillo Chile Salsa

from Tyler Florence

I watched him make this -- I have never cooked with tomatillos before, but I'd like to....and I really like enchiladas.

Pork and Chorizo Burgers

2007-10-09T14:15:00.000-04:00

Pork and Chorizo Burgers

from Emeril

Fascinating. I really want to try this. I can play with the green chili mayo.

Spice-Braised Lamb Shanks with Lentils

2007-10-08T22:15:00.000-04:00

Saveur - Spice-Braised Lamb Shanks with Lentils

from Saveur magazine

Bread-Crusted Halibut with Leek Ragoût and Red Pepper Purée

2007-10-08T22:10:00.000-04:00

Saveur - Bread-Crusted Halibut with Leek Ragoût and Red Pepper Purée

from Saveur Magazine

Pizza Pot Pie

2007-10-07T16:00:00.000-04:00

Chicago Pizza And Oven Grinder Co.

Well, I'll be damned. Pizza Pot Pie.

I've GOT to make this.

Take a decent sized soup bowl.
Layer cheese into it.
Put a handful of mushrooms or some filler veggie on top.
Ladle sauce over that.
Spread an appropriately-sized circle of pizza dough over it.
Put it in the oven and cook.

To service, flip the pot pie upside-down, so that the crust goes down on the plate.

Mangia!!

Savory Feta Pies

2007-10-07T07:33:00.000-04:00

Savory Feta Pies - Allrecipes

Beef and Roasted Red Pepper Sandwiches

2007-10-06T13:57:00.000-04:00

Beef and Roasted Red Pepper Sandwiches - Allrecipes

Chocolate Pizza Recipe

2007-10-06T12:21:00.000-04:00

Chocolate Pizza Recipe: Recipes: Food Network

oh yeah, going to make this for Dad

Grilled Lime Chicken with Black Bean Sauce

2007-10-05T20:50:00.000-04:00

Simply Recipes: Grilled Lime Chicken with Black Bean Sauce Recipe

Chicken Bacon Roulades

2007-10-05T20:45:00.000-04:00

Simply Recipes: Chicken Bacon Roulades Recipe

Cardamom Honey Chicken

2007-10-05T20:43:00.000-04:00

Simply Recipes: Cardamom Honey Chicken Recipe

Sour Cream Apple Pie with Streusel Topping

2007-10-05T20:42:00.000-04:00

Simply Recipes: Sour Cream Apple Pie with Streusel Topping Recipe

Apple Cranberry Currant Crumble Pie

2007-10-05T20:39:00.000-04:00

Simply Recipes: Apple Cranberry Currant Crumble Pie Recipe

Apple Cranberry Stuffed Pork Roast

2007-10-05T20:27:00.000-04:00

Simply Recipes: Apple Cranberry Stuffed Pork Roast Recipe

Emerilware from All-Clad Stovetop Smoker

2007-10-05T19:46:00.000-04:00

Emerilware from All-Clad Stovetop Smoker

Love it. I love this. Love it!

My folks have a double fireplace in their main living room. The left side has a wood-burning stove, the right side is an open fireplace. I can't wait to get my hands on some cast iron and start cooking on that wood stove during the winter. I also want to experiment with fire cooking, because I want to learn how for when I go camping next summer.

Coffee-Toffee Cake with Caramel Frosting

2007-10-05T19:00:00.000-04:00

Coffee-Toffee Cake with Caramel Frosting Recipe

from Betty Crocker

Can't wait to make this for Dad.

Autumn Leaf Cupcakes

2007-10-03T22:54:00.000-04:00

Autumn Leaf Cupcakes Recipe from Betty Crocker

Love this. I think I can use the technique to make the leaf toppers in a lot of different recipes.

Baked Orzo with Zucchini

2007-10-02T23:59:00.000-04:00

Baked Orzo with Zucchini