So yeah, trying to revive some blogs up in here. I've still been cooking, more now than usual even because I just got called back to work after my layoff and cash be tight, yo. One way to counteract the poor is brownbagging ye lunch, and I do it fairly often (until I start making enough cash to waste on takeout pizza). And a lot of the recipes I've been making have been via Pinterest. Yes, I drank the Kool-Aid, and a-Pinteresting I go.
Needless to say, I've gotten mixed results.
I use Pinterest in two ways, 1 - straight up ganking recipes. And 2 - stealing ideas, forgetting to pin them, and then making up how I think they probably go. The latest one of these was the idea of a meatless entreé using black beans and corn over a baked potato. I liked this idea because meat's expensive (no, I have no moral objections to meat. Deal.), and I figured I could take it to work. The problem I have with a lot of recipes (especially "healthy" ones) is that they don't travel well, or assemble quickly. I've got half an hour to eat at work, and I don't drive. At work we have a microwave and a toaster that doesn't really work (it warms rather than toasts a bagel), so I need something that can survive that and still be edible.
So this recipe came on a site that had like a dozen more that all involved lentils or some nonsense that I don't have, and so I forgot to pin it for the single recipe I thought I'd do. Oops. So here's my reconstruction!
First off, I baked a bunch of potatoes. There's really no point in baking 1 potato ever. Don't waste electricity/gas by running your oven for one damn potato, do a bunch and have homefries the next day or whatever. Or soup.
Next I chopped up 1/4 of a big onion and sauteéd it. Then I took a can of reduced-sodium black beans and drained and rinsed them, and tossed them in with the onions. I took half a bag of frozen corn that I had mouldering in the freezer and tossed it in the skillet as is, then covered the whole lot for a bit to let it thaw and cook. My corn had some kind of "butter sauce" which normally gives me the heebie jeebies (what the hell is butter sauce? Is it actually butter, or is it yellow liquid? Best not to know), but since this was all going over a potato anyway, it wasn't going to hurt.
Anyway, once the corn had ceased to be a huge chunk of nonsense, I threw in some minced garlic, salt (seasoned salt in my case), black pepper, chili pepper (Penzey's natch), and smoked paprika. If you haven't tried smoked paprika, do yourself a favor and do so. It's magic, and makes food taste foodier. These are all, of course, highly astute and accurate observations I'm laying down here for you. Then I reduced the heat to a simmer and let it all blend for a bit. You don't have to cook this at high heat; the stuff in it is already cooked (excepting the onion at the beginning), you're just warming and combining things. Fork open your potato and toss that in with a bit of grated pepperjack and you're good to go.
And hey, it wasn't bad! It kept well, traveled well, and with three minutes in the microwave for the potato and about 60 seconds for the bean mix, I still had time to read on my lunch break.
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
Sunday, July 15, 2012
A change of pace.
Since neither Dez nor I have been posting enough about cooking related topics, but we are both vociferous, opinionated and witty on many other topics - and also because I've been told lately that I am freaking hilarious when I rant on Facebook about the state of fashion these days - I've decided to extend the subject matter of this blog from strictly culinary to also including fashion. Specifically, "plus-sized" women's fashion. Needless to say, since we both enjoy cooking so much, both Dez and I fall into that category.
As a preface, I have always been a big girl. I was born nearly two feet long and doctors were telling my mother that I'd be over six feet tall when I was just a little kid. We laughed and thought I'd probably be tall, oh, let's say around 5'10-5'11", but who ever heard of a woman over six feet tall? Well by the time I was thirteen and in middle school I was already 5'11" and shot up to 6'2" by the time I graduated high school. As a result, to keep my internal organs safe from the threat of a violent collapse-y smushed death, my frame had to be a bit large.
Everyone expects fat people to be lazy or eat unhealthy or something that would cause them to be solely responsible for their body while people who are good and do things the right way get to stay skinny. In high school, I was actually very athletic. I was on the swim team and spent three hours every day in the gym, running and swimming laps. Even during school breaks, even over the summers, even on holidays. As a result, I weighed 155 lbs my first two years of high school, which is 20 lbs under the ideal recommended weight for my height and frame size. I had no boobs to speak of, and very little in the way of a feminine figure. But my thighs still had cellulite and I still wore a size 13.
After I graduated and my activity level went down, my hips filled out and my boobs... As one of my favorite lines from opera ever, Cunégonde from Candide says: "My memorable mammaries like alpine peaks!" HOLY BOOBAGE, BATMAN! Suddenly I had a womanly figure. My breasts and hips made sense in relation to the thunder thighs and bubble butt I'd always had. I felt sexy and desirable and comfortable in my body for the first time in my life. I was also a size 16. Society says I'm not allowed to feel sexy and also be wearing clothes from the shameful section of the store marked "plus", but fuck society. I'd never gotten below double digit pant sizes even when I had a body fat percentage lower than my damn pant size! I am never going to be delicate and waifish, and I made peace with that a long time ago.
Anyway, all of that is to say that now you all get the joy of Dez and I gleefully ripping the plus-sized women's fashion industry to shreds. We're going to tear into all of the standards for hiding those unsightly rolls and lumps. Ruffles are a fat girl's best friend! And if in doubt, add more ruffles! Aymmetrical pleats to distract the eye so that it's almost as though you look like a size 4! Cut that neckline low, big ladies, because we all know epic cleavage is the only thing you're good for! Add as many tacky, unnecessary sequins, gemstones and beads as you can in the hopes that it will distract and confuse male suitors so that they won't notice you're fat. And of course, the shining gold star of the plus-sized girl's wardrobe; the empire waist. *insert angelic harp music here*
As a preface, I have always been a big girl. I was born nearly two feet long and doctors were telling my mother that I'd be over six feet tall when I was just a little kid. We laughed and thought I'd probably be tall, oh, let's say around 5'10-5'11", but who ever heard of a woman over six feet tall? Well by the time I was thirteen and in middle school I was already 5'11" and shot up to 6'2" by the time I graduated high school. As a result, to keep my internal organs safe from the threat of a violent collapse-y smushed death, my frame had to be a bit large.
Everyone expects fat people to be lazy or eat unhealthy or something that would cause them to be solely responsible for their body while people who are good and do things the right way get to stay skinny. In high school, I was actually very athletic. I was on the swim team and spent three hours every day in the gym, running and swimming laps. Even during school breaks, even over the summers, even on holidays. As a result, I weighed 155 lbs my first two years of high school, which is 20 lbs under the ideal recommended weight for my height and frame size. I had no boobs to speak of, and very little in the way of a feminine figure. But my thighs still had cellulite and I still wore a size 13.
After I graduated and my activity level went down, my hips filled out and my boobs... As one of my favorite lines from opera ever, Cunégonde from Candide says: "My memorable mammaries like alpine peaks!" HOLY BOOBAGE, BATMAN! Suddenly I had a womanly figure. My breasts and hips made sense in relation to the thunder thighs and bubble butt I'd always had. I felt sexy and desirable and comfortable in my body for the first time in my life. I was also a size 16. Society says I'm not allowed to feel sexy and also be wearing clothes from the shameful section of the store marked "plus", but fuck society. I'd never gotten below double digit pant sizes even when I had a body fat percentage lower than my damn pant size! I am never going to be delicate and waifish, and I made peace with that a long time ago.
Anyway, all of that is to say that now you all get the joy of Dez and I gleefully ripping the plus-sized women's fashion industry to shreds. We're going to tear into all of the standards for hiding those unsightly rolls and lumps. Ruffles are a fat girl's best friend! And if in doubt, add more ruffles! Aymmetrical pleats to distract the eye so that it's almost as though you look like a size 4! Cut that neckline low, big ladies, because we all know epic cleavage is the only thing you're good for! Add as many tacky, unnecessary sequins, gemstones and beads as you can in the hopes that it will distract and confuse male suitors so that they won't notice you're fat. And of course, the shining gold star of the plus-sized girl's wardrobe; the empire waist. *insert angelic harp music here*
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Basics: Pasta
I may be composing this because the servers for Diablo 3 are busy, and my audiobook for Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell (bless you, Audible, for letting me buy it for a single credit) isn't finished downloading yet. Maybe. Don't judge me.
Anyway, one of my bachelor friends asks me for cooking advice occasionally (actually, this is a lie; I get asked for advice from a lot of people), so I figured I'd lay this out in plain terms.
1. Buy whole grain pasta. Stop buying the enriched stuff; the whole grain tastes just as good (better, in fact) and most stores (even here in the hinterlands of the Midwest) have their own brand of whole grain pasta, so cost isn't an issue anymore. Besides, storebought pasta is like a dollar. Splurge and buy the kind that's $1.08.
2. If you're doing a cream sauce/cheese sauce/anything heavier than olive oil or marinara (or various Asian sauces like lo mein sauce, teriyaki, etc.), get a pasta that's ridged (rigate is usually the word on the box). The ridges are there for a reason, and that reason is to hold the sauce to the pasta.
3. SALT THE WATER. If you're asking yourself, "Should I salt the water?" you should first ask yourself, "Am I cooking pasta?" That's like asking if you should use soap in the shower. YES.
4. Use the biggest pot you have. The pasta needs room to move. Using a pot just big enough to hold your pasta and some water barely covering the top is insufficient.
5. DO NOT PUT THE PASTA IN THE POT UNTIL THE WATER IS BOILING. Don't do it! If you're not sure if the water is boiling yet, WAIT. It'll get there.
6. Cook your pasta by the package directions, and only cook it until the lowest time given. For example, if your pasta says cook 6-8 minutes, cook it 6 minutes. Period. Any less and it's crunchy, any more and it's mushy. These people make the stuff, they should know the minimum cooking time.
7. Don't wander off. Don't start reading a book in the other room, don't go sell your goods to the merchants in your game, just stay put. Stir your pasta occasionally, and settle down. It's usually less than 10 minutes. If you can't chill out in one room for 10 minutes, you shouldn't be cooking on the stove. Use the microwave, and resign yourself to eating a lot of sodium-packed processed food.
8. Drain your pasta, but don't rinse it unless you're serving it cold. If you're making macaroni salad, rinse it. If you're gonna eat it immediately, don't.
9. SEASON YOUR FOOD. This is NOT optional. Grab some herbs and spices and toss it onto the pasta before you sauce it. At the very least, sprinkle it with black pepper. If you don't know how much to use (I eyeball it. Couple shakes, voila), start out with 1/2 teaspoon herbs. You can add more later. 1/4 teaspoon pepper or garlic powder. Stir it around to make sure you don't end up with one reallllllly peppery noodle.
10. Sauce and taste. Once you have stuff sauced, your spices are on there, TASTE IT BEFORE SERVING IT. That's when you can say, "Hmm, this herb mix is tasty. Need more!"
Anyway, one of my bachelor friends asks me for cooking advice occasionally (actually, this is a lie; I get asked for advice from a lot of people), so I figured I'd lay this out in plain terms.
1. Buy whole grain pasta. Stop buying the enriched stuff; the whole grain tastes just as good (better, in fact) and most stores (even here in the hinterlands of the Midwest) have their own brand of whole grain pasta, so cost isn't an issue anymore. Besides, storebought pasta is like a dollar. Splurge and buy the kind that's $1.08.
2. If you're doing a cream sauce/cheese sauce/anything heavier than olive oil or marinara (or various Asian sauces like lo mein sauce, teriyaki, etc.), get a pasta that's ridged (rigate is usually the word on the box). The ridges are there for a reason, and that reason is to hold the sauce to the pasta.
3. SALT THE WATER. If you're asking yourself, "Should I salt the water?" you should first ask yourself, "Am I cooking pasta?" That's like asking if you should use soap in the shower. YES.
4. Use the biggest pot you have. The pasta needs room to move. Using a pot just big enough to hold your pasta and some water barely covering the top is insufficient.
5. DO NOT PUT THE PASTA IN THE POT UNTIL THE WATER IS BOILING. Don't do it! If you're not sure if the water is boiling yet, WAIT. It'll get there.
6. Cook your pasta by the package directions, and only cook it until the lowest time given. For example, if your pasta says cook 6-8 minutes, cook it 6 minutes. Period. Any less and it's crunchy, any more and it's mushy. These people make the stuff, they should know the minimum cooking time.
7. Don't wander off. Don't start reading a book in the other room, don't go sell your goods to the merchants in your game, just stay put. Stir your pasta occasionally, and settle down. It's usually less than 10 minutes. If you can't chill out in one room for 10 minutes, you shouldn't be cooking on the stove. Use the microwave, and resign yourself to eating a lot of sodium-packed processed food.
8. Drain your pasta, but don't rinse it unless you're serving it cold. If you're making macaroni salad, rinse it. If you're gonna eat it immediately, don't.
9. SEASON YOUR FOOD. This is NOT optional. Grab some herbs and spices and toss it onto the pasta before you sauce it. At the very least, sprinkle it with black pepper. If you don't know how much to use (I eyeball it. Couple shakes, voila), start out with 1/2 teaspoon herbs. You can add more later. 1/4 teaspoon pepper or garlic powder. Stir it around to make sure you don't end up with one reallllllly peppery noodle.
10. Sauce and taste. Once you have stuff sauced, your spices are on there, TASTE IT BEFORE SERVING IT. That's when you can say, "Hmm, this herb mix is tasty. Need more!"
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Jambalaya.
Everyone has a dish that they love making, that takes them to their happy place. Mine is jambalaya. A large part of it is due to my OCD nature. I like things just so. This dish requires a lot of knife skills and a stepwise process that builds flavor. Making it calms and soothes my nit-picky soul, and the flavor is amazing.
First, you need to gather your ingredients.
Next, dice your onion, thinly slice your peppers and mince your garlic.
Then slice your sausage into 1/2 inch pieces and cube your chicken. You can season your chicken however you like. I like using cajun seasoning.
Next, put a large, heavy skillet over high heat. Fry your sausage for about 1-2 minutes just until they get a good char on them and you've got some grease coating the pan. Remove the sausage with a slotted spoon but LEAVE THE GREASE! This is what makes this dish so amazingly flavorful. You build on the flavors each step creates.
Lower the heat to medium-high and add 1 tablespoon of oil. Then add your chicken and cook until no longer pink.
See all that crusted goodness on the bottom of the pan? Once you remove the chicken with a slotted spoon, again LEAVING THE GREASE, hit that with a splash of white wine to deglaze the pan. Scrape up all the flavor bits and swirl them around in the wine and fat drippings. Add another tablespoon of oil to the pan and reduce the heat to medium, then add your peppers, onions and garlic and cook until tender.
Once your veggies are tender, add the rice and salt + spices. Turn the heat back up to high and cook for 1 minute before adding the chicken broth, canned tomatoes (with their juice!), 1 cup of water and tabasco.
Bring that to a boil then add the meat back in and cover with foil and bake at 400 degrees F for about 15-20 minutes, until all the liquid is absorbed.
The most crucial ingredient in this recipe is the tabasco sauce. I have accidentally left it out before and even though it's only a half teaspoon, it is very noticeable. Although the original recipe calls for 1/2 tsp, I actually don't measure the tabasco anymore. I generally just do anywhere from 4-6 "dashes" from the bottle. Your level of heat preference may vary.
Also, the cup of water is easy to forget so I always set it out along with my other ingredients before I start cooking. You can totally play around with andouille sausage or shrimp. I've done both as well as adding okra before. This is a very versatile recipe.
Jambalaya
1 package smoked sausage
2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts
6 cloves garlic
1 large onion
2 small bell peppers, your choice of color
3 c instant white rice
1 tsp paprika
3/4 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp thyme
1 tsp salt
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can chicken broth
1 cup water
1/2 tsp tabasco sauce
First, you need to gather your ingredients.
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| Not pictured: two chicken breasts and a package of smoked sausage. |
Then slice your sausage into 1/2 inch pieces and cube your chicken. You can season your chicken however you like. I like using cajun seasoning.
Next, put a large, heavy skillet over high heat. Fry your sausage for about 1-2 minutes just until they get a good char on them and you've got some grease coating the pan. Remove the sausage with a slotted spoon but LEAVE THE GREASE! This is what makes this dish so amazingly flavorful. You build on the flavors each step creates.
Lower the heat to medium-high and add 1 tablespoon of oil. Then add your chicken and cook until no longer pink.
See all that crusted goodness on the bottom of the pan? Once you remove the chicken with a slotted spoon, again LEAVING THE GREASE, hit that with a splash of white wine to deglaze the pan. Scrape up all the flavor bits and swirl them around in the wine and fat drippings. Add another tablespoon of oil to the pan and reduce the heat to medium, then add your peppers, onions and garlic and cook until tender.
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| See all that awesome flavor? And that's just from the grease and chicken seasoning. We haven't even added any spices yet! |
Bring that to a boil then add the meat back in and cover with foil and bake at 400 degrees F for about 15-20 minutes, until all the liquid is absorbed.
The most crucial ingredient in this recipe is the tabasco sauce. I have accidentally left it out before and even though it's only a half teaspoon, it is very noticeable. Although the original recipe calls for 1/2 tsp, I actually don't measure the tabasco anymore. I generally just do anywhere from 4-6 "dashes" from the bottle. Your level of heat preference may vary.
Also, the cup of water is easy to forget so I always set it out along with my other ingredients before I start cooking. You can totally play around with andouille sausage or shrimp. I've done both as well as adding okra before. This is a very versatile recipe.
Jambalaya
1 package smoked sausage
2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts
6 cloves garlic
1 large onion
2 small bell peppers, your choice of color
3 c instant white rice
1 tsp paprika
3/4 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp thyme
1 tsp salt
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can chicken broth
1 cup water
1/2 tsp tabasco sauce
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Best. Wings. Ever!
One of the things that I love about living in the Caribbean is the local tendency to waste nothing when it comes to a carcass. Go to the grocery store and you'll see the necks, wing tips, backs, offal... Every part of a chicken, laid out fresh. This grosses a lot of American students out when they first get here. Me, I had visions of roasted bones and savory chicken stock dancing in my head!
You can also buy huge bags of fresh wings. I found this recipe the other day and decided to give it a go. I can't get Frank's buffalo sauce down here, and the local stuff is too buttery/not spicy enough for me, so I decided to try a teriyaki glaze instead.
I marinated the wings in the 50/50 mixture of Italian dressing and soy sauce overnight. This morning I pulled them out, drained them, patted them dry and then roasted them for 30 minutes at 400 degrees. I mixed up some teriyaki sauce and sriracha sauce and tossed the wings in it before popping them back in the oven for another 10 minutes.
Oh. Em. Gee. Sooo good! I only wish I'd used a little more sriracha, because a little more heat would make these perfect.
You can also buy huge bags of fresh wings. I found this recipe the other day and decided to give it a go. I can't get Frank's buffalo sauce down here, and the local stuff is too buttery/not spicy enough for me, so I decided to try a teriyaki glaze instead.
I marinated the wings in the 50/50 mixture of Italian dressing and soy sauce overnight. This morning I pulled them out, drained them, patted them dry and then roasted them for 30 minutes at 400 degrees. I mixed up some teriyaki sauce and sriracha sauce and tossed the wings in it before popping them back in the oven for another 10 minutes.
Oh. Em. Gee. Sooo good! I only wish I'd used a little more sriracha, because a little more heat would make these perfect.
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Bow before me, puny humans!
Or, as my sister would put it, “Gawd Cwaffee Cheesecake” (picture Mike Myer’s Jewish mother voice from SNL in the nineties). No, I dunno why she started saying it like that.
Anyway, God Coffee is an invention of our friend Jes who would mix various liqueurs into her coffee during parties, traditionally Irish cream, Kahlua, and Amaretto, but it could include any combination of these things (plus some more exotic concoctions; we picked up a bottle of Dooley’s toffee flavored liqueur, and it was a welcome addition). Lovely stuff, and for my friend Thomas’ birthday (since he didn’t give me a definite item to make) I decided to delve into making a cheesecake version.
Anyway, God Coffee is an invention of our friend Jes who would mix various liqueurs into her coffee during parties, traditionally Irish cream, Kahlua, and Amaretto, but it could include any combination of these things (plus some more exotic concoctions; we picked up a bottle of Dooley’s toffee flavored liqueur, and it was a welcome addition). Lovely stuff, and for my friend Thomas’ birthday (since he didn’t give me a definite item to make) I decided to delve into making a cheesecake version.
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Greatest hits.
I'm missing my good baking pans, Penzeys spices and weather cool enough to make baking tolerable. I've been nostalgically browsing my Photobucket account, drooling over things I made in yesteryear.
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| Spooky Halloween "rainbow" cupcake. Rainbow cupcakes are super easy to do. Just make a box white cake mix, separate the batter evenly into different bowls, add food coloring to desired intensity and then layer the batter into the pan. Buttercream recipe. |
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| Sugar and spice! Sugar cookie recipe. Icing recipe. Spice crackles recipe. |
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| Chocolate angel food cake. Recipe via "The Cake Bible." |
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| Mandarin orange cupcakes with vanilla pineapple whipped cream topping and toasted coconut. Sorry, ya'll aren't getting this recipe. Family secret passed down from my grandma. ;) |
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| Chocolate Guinness stout cupcakes with Irish cream and peppermint frosting. Recipe via smittenkitchen. Only change I made was to add Rumple Minze to the frosting as well as the Bailey's. |
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| Persimmon cheesecake. Changes: Omitted the sour cream topping and ginger. Added 1/2 tsp cinnamon and 1/4 tsp nutmeg to the filling and did a crushed gingersnap crust. This was so incredibly delicious. This was all that remained after a weekend in Chicago with friends. |
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| Lemon cake with lemon curd filling (Trader Joe's) and raspberry buttercream icing (same buttercream recipe as the Halloween cupcake, plus raspberry fruit spread) for my mother's 49th birthday. Yeah, the top is domed and the piping on the bottom is amateurish. I finished this at like 11:30pm when I had to be at work at 6am the next day, so I couldn't be arsed to level it or get fancy with my decorating. It tasted amazing and my mom loved it, and that's all that matters. |
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Sticky, delicious chicken.
Hello again from the Caribbean! Today marks the beginning of our "semester break", which means we get one day off next Monday for a three day weekend. It seems paltry, and it kind of is, but it when you're used to putting in 8-12 hour days on campus 5 days a week, plus TA sessions on weekends, a day off feels like an eternity. So I'm going to be having an extra meal at home this week and thought I'd do it up right. Lucky for me the decision about what to cook was pretty much made for me as yesterday, while I wandered around the grocery store looking for ideas, I spotted whole chickens on sale. Sticky chicken it is!
This recipe always gets praise from my husband and friends. It's a rotisserie-like chicken with crispy, sticky skin, tender, juicy meat and lots of flavor.
4 lb whole chicken, skin on and guts removed
2 tsp salt
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp white pepper
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
If you don't like your food spicy, I've substituted the 1/4 tsp each of black and cayenne pepper for 1/2 tsp of lemon pepper in the past when I knew I was feeding people with a milder palate.
Sprinkle evenly all over your chicken and then rub the spices into the skin to evenly distribute the flavor all over the bird. Don't forget to rub a little bit on the walls inside of the chicken as well. Sometimes I spray a little canola oil on the skin before adding the spices to make it really crispy. If you want to use 4 lbs of split chicken breasts or drumsticks you can just toss them in a big bag with the spice mix, but I'm not sure how that would effect the cooking time so that's on you to figure out. Preheat your oven to 300 degees. Grease your baking dish, otherwise the skin will stick horribly and you'll lose all of that delicious flavor on one side of your bird. Bake low and slow, uncovered, for 3 hours or until it reaches 170 degrees internal temperature. Pull it out and while it rests it will continue to cook until it reaches 180 for perfect doneness.
This recipe always gets praise from my husband and friends. It's a rotisserie-like chicken with crispy, sticky skin, tender, juicy meat and lots of flavor.
4 lb whole chicken, skin on and guts removed
2 tsp salt
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp white pepper
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
If you don't like your food spicy, I've substituted the 1/4 tsp each of black and cayenne pepper for 1/2 tsp of lemon pepper in the past when I knew I was feeding people with a milder palate.
Sprinkle evenly all over your chicken and then rub the spices into the skin to evenly distribute the flavor all over the bird. Don't forget to rub a little bit on the walls inside of the chicken as well. Sometimes I spray a little canola oil on the skin before adding the spices to make it really crispy. If you want to use 4 lbs of split chicken breasts or drumsticks you can just toss them in a big bag with the spice mix, but I'm not sure how that would effect the cooking time so that's on you to figure out. Preheat your oven to 300 degees. Grease your baking dish, otherwise the skin will stick horribly and you'll lose all of that delicious flavor on one side of your bird. Bake low and slow, uncovered, for 3 hours or until it reaches 170 degrees internal temperature. Pull it out and while it rests it will continue to cook until it reaches 180 for perfect doneness.
Sunday, February 13, 2011
A very heart-y followup
The Peanutella project is a mixed bag. On one hand, the product itself is so very good. On the other hand, the Peanutella sandwich cookies were a colossal failure.
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Some things I've tried, and some upcoming projects
I dunno about anyone else, but this time of year always gets me down. I'm laid off for a few months, it's cold, I'm bored and housebound, and I get sick of cooking the same thing in-and-out. My live-in is what some people would generously call, "a picky eater," and what I call (in my less-kindly moments), "A GIANT PAIN IN MY ASS!"
It's hard for me to find things he'll eat; given his druthers, his entire diet would be made up of Little Debbies, spaghetti marinara with garlic bread, steak, cake, and ice cream. I've tried over the years to expand his palate a little, but much of the time I'll just go, "Welp, I'm making this, so grab some ramen for yourself if you don't want to eat it."
So this time of year is my time for combining recipes, combing the web for new ideas, and raiding my local library for cookbooks.
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Enchilada sauce.
So it's been awhile! Sorry for the absence, but I kind of moved to another country, so... y'know.
Last night was the first night myself and my new roommates threw together a joint-contribution meal where I made enchiladas and they made tacos. Living in a 3rd world country means adapting in oh-so-many ways, one of which is availability of ingredients. I can get many of the things I need for enchiladas here, but not enchilada sauce. An added complication is that one of my new roomies is gluten intolerant, so I had to do some searching until I found what looked like a decent recipe.
I ended up going with this one. We don't have any rice flour or other flour substitutes yet, so I just left out the roux formation and most of the water and oil. I added those in at the end until I got the right consistency. Amazingly, even without all that, it still tasted very good! Very flavorful and bakes up just like enchilada sauce should - not too gummy, not too runny, just right.
I don't have any pictures, sorry. I gobbled up the last of the leftovers for lunch today before thinking to grab my camera. You'll just have to take my word for it.
Last night was the first night myself and my new roommates threw together a joint-contribution meal where I made enchiladas and they made tacos. Living in a 3rd world country means adapting in oh-so-many ways, one of which is availability of ingredients. I can get many of the things I need for enchiladas here, but not enchilada sauce. An added complication is that one of my new roomies is gluten intolerant, so I had to do some searching until I found what looked like a decent recipe.
I ended up going with this one. We don't have any rice flour or other flour substitutes yet, so I just left out the roux formation and most of the water and oil. I added those in at the end until I got the right consistency. Amazingly, even without all that, it still tasted very good! Very flavorful and bakes up just like enchilada sauce should - not too gummy, not too runny, just right.
I don't have any pictures, sorry. I gobbled up the last of the leftovers for lunch today before thinking to grab my camera. You'll just have to take my word for it.
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
The way to a person's heart is through their truffles
Warning: This recipe may cause spontaneous declarations of love and ardent offers of sexual favors.* Do not make these without proper safety procedures in place.
Right, so a lot of people I know love chocolate chip cookies and their dough; me, not so much. I mean, they're okay. But I've been making chocolate chip cookies since I was about seven; they just don't hold much interest for me anymore. I know I'm in the minority here, and realizing this I decided to try out this recipe for all the people in my family who lick the spoon after mixing up some cookie dough.
Right, so a lot of people I know love chocolate chip cookies and their dough; me, not so much. I mean, they're okay. But I've been making chocolate chip cookies since I was about seven; they just don't hold much interest for me anymore. I know I'm in the minority here, and realizing this I decided to try out this recipe for all the people in my family who lick the spoon after mixing up some cookie dough.
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Chicken and wild rice soup.
I was too exhausted after work last night to do a full write up of this recipe, but it's so good that it simply must be shared. I've made this three times now and I have to say, it's pretty idiot-proof. I've forgotten to add the rice in until the last minute, only had half of the flour the recipe calls for and didn't realize it, and once my mother added about three cups of water to a big batch coming right out of the fridge before it had reheated thoroughly on the stove because it was "too thick", not realizing that the fat would thin out as it warmed. The finished product is always yummy regardless.
Few changes:
- I always saute onion, celery, carrots and mushrooms separately and add them with the chicken.
- I also add about 1/2 cup of instant white rice to help thicken it up.
- I use half and half instead of heavy cream, and 6 full cups of chicken broth because why on earth would anyone add water to soup? The only time water should be added at any point of the soup-making process is during broth/stock preparation.
Best winter soup ever. Thick, hearty and filling and goes great with a crusty hunk of bread.
Few changes:
- I always saute onion, celery, carrots and mushrooms separately and add them with the chicken.
- I also add about 1/2 cup of instant white rice to help thicken it up.
- I use half and half instead of heavy cream, and 6 full cups of chicken broth because why on earth would anyone add water to soup? The only time water should be added at any point of the soup-making process is during broth/stock preparation.
Best winter soup ever. Thick, hearty and filling and goes great with a crusty hunk of bread.
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Not your average home cook.
Right now I'm reading "Kitchen Confidential" by Anthony Bourdain, lent to me by the wonderful Dez. It's a really great book so far, and I heartily recommend it to anyone with an appreciation for food and snark. But one chapter really tickled my fancy, where he described what sets a professional cook at a restaurant apart from your average home cook. These are a few of the things that he listed as being common to necessary in restaurant kitchens that you typically don't see in your average home:
- fresh garlic
- shallots
- squeeze bottles of oil, wine, coulis, etc.
- a good chef's knife
Um...
Garlic, shallots and oh, lemons, too! Because I will zest a lemon into practically any pasta or salad. Which I just did, along with frying up some of the shallots crispy for the greek salad I had for lunch. Speaking of oil...
Olive oil and peanut oil, arranged mise en place on the back of the stove, even. For when I need a drizzle of oil while I'm cooking.
This baby has been through years of heavy-cooking and eight months of peeling and chopping hard squashes daily for a foster iguana.
Now yes, I realize the book was written ten years ago before the foodie craze and suddenly every housewife wanted to be Rachel Ray. I also realize, as my husband put it, "No one would ever call you an 'average' home cook." And I've also met the very home cooks he's referring to. My own mother, when I ask if she has garlic, thinks I'm referring to garlic powder. I've been at house parties before and offered to help with prep, and when I asked for a knife to dice an onion have been handed a steak knife.
But I thought it was pretty damn amusing reading through his checklist of things that set restaurants apart as though I were reading through my own grocery list.
- fresh garlic
- shallots
- squeeze bottles of oil, wine, coulis, etc.
- a good chef's knife
Um...
Garlic, shallots and oh, lemons, too! Because I will zest a lemon into practically any pasta or salad. Which I just did, along with frying up some of the shallots crispy for the greek salad I had for lunch. Speaking of oil...
Olive oil and peanut oil, arranged mise en place on the back of the stove, even. For when I need a drizzle of oil while I'm cooking.
This baby has been through years of heavy-cooking and eight months of peeling and chopping hard squashes daily for a foster iguana.
Now yes, I realize the book was written ten years ago before the foodie craze and suddenly every housewife wanted to be Rachel Ray. I also realize, as my husband put it, "No one would ever call you an 'average' home cook." And I've also met the very home cooks he's referring to. My own mother, when I ask if she has garlic, thinks I'm referring to garlic powder. I've been at house parties before and offered to help with prep, and when I asked for a knife to dice an onion have been handed a steak knife.
But I thought it was pretty damn amusing reading through his checklist of things that set restaurants apart as though I were reading through my own grocery list.
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Asparagus soup.
When we first began dating, my husband hated any and all vegetables save for iceberg lettuce. Slowly but surely we began to add new and exotic veggies to his palate; things like romaine lettuce, green beans and asparagus. He now loves asparagus.
So last night we were out to dinner with his mother and I mentioned that I would be making cream of asparagus soup the next day, one of his favorite dishes, and his mother says, "Asparagus?! You hate asparagus!" And I admit, I experienced that tiny thrill that goes along with knowing the man your significant other has become better than his own mother, who thinks that his tastes haven't evolved much beyond chicken nuggets and mac n' cheese. Then she went and fucked it all up by getting him to try a piece of tuna sashimi, something I've been begging him to do for years now. Bitch.
Anyway, the soup. This is a favorite of both of ours. It's warm, thick, creamy and peppery, and the flavor of the asparagus really shines through. My husband would drink this by the gallon if I let him.
So last night we were out to dinner with his mother and I mentioned that I would be making cream of asparagus soup the next day, one of his favorite dishes, and his mother says, "Asparagus?! You hate asparagus!" And I admit, I experienced that tiny thrill that goes along with knowing the man your significant other has become better than his own mother, who thinks that his tastes haven't evolved much beyond chicken nuggets and mac n' cheese. Then she went and fucked it all up by getting him to try a piece of tuna sashimi, something I've been begging him to do for years now. Bitch.
Anyway, the soup. This is a favorite of both of ours. It's warm, thick, creamy and peppery, and the flavor of the asparagus really shines through. My husband would drink this by the gallon if I let him.
Sunday, December 5, 2010
The Turduckening
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Thanksgiving, a bit late.
Buckle in, kiddies, it's gonna be a long one!
This Thanksgiving the husband and I ate at his mother's house. Now, I have nothing against the woman personally, but it has to be said that she can't cook meat. Side dishes, veggies, cold items, all good. But I can't tell you how many classic meat dishes - meatloaf, pork chops, pot roast - my husband hated when we first began dating because he thought that they were "too dry." So yeah, the bird was dry, but otherwise we had a good time and plenty of good food. We were also sent home with a huge bag full of dry, flaky turkey.
Next weekend the two co-authors of this blog, moi and the fabulous Dez, are getting together for an event we have dubbed "The Turduckening." Neither Dez nor I have ever tried turducken, and we are very eager to. As I will be leaving for St. Kitts to begin vet school soon, this seemed like a good time to have a get together with our close friends and say to hell with the expense and just do the damn thing. So Dez is preparing the birds and gravy (side note: this quote from Dez exemplifies why she and I are such good friends. "Hell if I'm NOT making gravy out of the pan drippings of three different poultry."), and I am contributing cranberry sauce and stuffing.
This Thanksgiving the husband and I ate at his mother's house. Now, I have nothing against the woman personally, but it has to be said that she can't cook meat. Side dishes, veggies, cold items, all good. But I can't tell you how many classic meat dishes - meatloaf, pork chops, pot roast - my husband hated when we first began dating because he thought that they were "too dry." So yeah, the bird was dry, but otherwise we had a good time and plenty of good food. We were also sent home with a huge bag full of dry, flaky turkey.
Next weekend the two co-authors of this blog, moi and the fabulous Dez, are getting together for an event we have dubbed "The Turduckening." Neither Dez nor I have ever tried turducken, and we are very eager to. As I will be leaving for St. Kitts to begin vet school soon, this seemed like a good time to have a get together with our close friends and say to hell with the expense and just do the damn thing. So Dez is preparing the birds and gravy (side note: this quote from Dez exemplifies why she and I are such good friends. "Hell if I'm NOT making gravy out of the pan drippings of three different poultry."), and I am contributing cranberry sauce and stuffing.
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Homemade chicken and noodles.
My mom was never a big cook. She knew how, but she didn't enjoy it. Probably because she would get home from working a 7am-5pm shift in the emergency room being vomited on, bled on and having crackheads swear at her and throw their soiled bedpans at her, only to have to cook dinner for two self-absorbed kids who were completely oblivious about what her day had been like. But one of the things that I remember her seeming to take an inkling of pleasure in preparing was her chicken and noodles. This was something that she'd spend a little more time and care on, and it showed in her demeanor when she'd make it. It's a dish that is forever associated for me with calm, relaxed evenings at home watching TGIF, and going out for ice cream later.
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Wherein our illustrious guest blogger makes an appearance
A little about me: I'm frequently broke, especially around the holidays, and I have a large family and a huge pool of friends. All of this breaks down into one thing: I don't give presents, I give baskets and bags of baked goods and candies for the holidays. Some recipes are a given for certain groups: I can be pretty sure most of my presents for my friends will involve alcohol, I have to find a tasty diabetic-friendly recipe for my live-in's grandmother, I have to find something that ships well for his father, and I have to figure out something interesting that can be made in advance for the voracious and superlatively picky bunch that are related to me.
As a result my "holiday baking" starts early with new recipe testing. And as with all recipe testing, things go wrong. For today, I'm trying out Chocolate & Peanut Butter Meringues.
I was specifically thinking of my brother and mom for this one as they both adore meringues and macaroon-type cookies. Myself, I am not a fan. But these were pretty tasty. Also, the only thing that might go wrong if you let the batter sit for a while (as I did) is that the second batch that's been sitting doesn't poof up as much. They still taste good, they're just a little flat.
I should place here a disclaimer: I am not a photographer and my food frequently turns out delicious but homely. If other food bloggers have pictures that are considered food porn, mine's food amateur porn: lots of enthusiasm, but messier than a professional job.
As a result my "holiday baking" starts early with new recipe testing. And as with all recipe testing, things go wrong. For today, I'm trying out Chocolate & Peanut Butter Meringues.
I was specifically thinking of my brother and mom for this one as they both adore meringues and macaroon-type cookies. Myself, I am not a fan. But these were pretty tasty. Also, the only thing that might go wrong if you let the batter sit for a while (as I did) is that the second batch that's been sitting doesn't poof up as much. They still taste good, they're just a little flat.
I should place here a disclaimer: I am not a photographer and my food frequently turns out delicious but homely. If other food bloggers have pictures that are considered food porn, mine's food amateur porn: lots of enthusiasm, but messier than a professional job.
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Pumpkin pie tartlets.
The husband and I are going to an early Halloween party tonight and I decided to put the homemade pumpkin pie filling I made a couple of weeks ago to good use.
I used my friend Hilary's recipe as a jumping off point and tweaked it to suit my tastes
I used my friend Hilary's recipe as a jumping off point and tweaked it to suit my tastes
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