Sometimes Andy comes home and just kind of looks at me when I tell him what's for dinner. He never says, "I don't want that;" he says, "that sounds heavy/breakfast-y/like a lot of work" and from this I am to ascertain he doesn't want what I'm making. Now, I could tell him to suck it, you'll eat what I freaking make you but a good part of the pleasure of cooking comes from feeding the person (people) you're for whom I'm cooking.
Long story short: my Cherizo Quiche became a Quick 3-Bean Chili.
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Lemon Buttermilk Snow
Yellow snow* you can eat! This ice cream seriously reminds me of being a kid, eating handfuls of snow off my mittens. It's got the wet but dry, crumbly mouth feel that is followed close by lemon and cream. Omigosh, I drove home on my lunch break to dig into it again; it's that good. Perfect winter dessert.
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Chicken and Spinach Casserole
This recipe is, um, fat forward, let's just say. I can't get Andy to eat this kind of meal very often so I don't think this will become a part of the repertoire and I hesitate to include it but I liked it, so here we go. I cut the fat by a tiny bit by using milk (the original recipe called for 1 1/2 c half and half. Oof.)
Menu 11/29/2010
currently on the menu
Tues: Cherizo Quiche, Broccoli (quiche turned into Quick 3-Bean Chili)
Wed: Pasta
Thurs: Ricotta, Sage and Asparagus Quiche with Potato
Gotta try: Homemade Gravlax (next week!!)
Lemon Curd (can use the leftover whites for Thurs Quiche!)
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Buttermilk Syrup
I used to get so frustrated that recipes would call for buttermilk because who the hell has buttermilk laying around? But now that I'm making my own butter (btw, whipping cream works as well as heavy whipping cream), I have all this buttermilk I have to use. Suddenly, it makes sense why all these old recipes call for it and I really don't need another excuse to make this Buttermilk Syrup.
Pickles!
Uh, too EASY. Something else to put in the Xmas baskets? Hmm..so far we have hot cocoa, marshmallows, and pickles...
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Pancakes
3/4 c all purpose flour
3/4 c wheat flour
3 1/ tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 egg
3 tbs melted buter
1 1/4 c milk
Mix dry ingredients then mix in the wet ones. Listen, you are going to want to mix the batter til it's smooth but DON'T. If you do that, your pancakes will be flat and dense. Dump the wet ingredients into the dry and mix until just incorporated. That way you will have light, fluffy pancakes.
Spoon your lumpy batter onto a hot, buttered griddle or pan in 1/4 c. amounts and cook til both sides are brown. Here's a trick a grandfather taught me: when the first uncooked side is bubbling and the edges are dry, it's time to flip.
3/4 c wheat flour
3 1/ tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 egg
3 tbs melted buter
1 1/4 c milk
Mix dry ingredients then mix in the wet ones. Listen, you are going to want to mix the batter til it's smooth but DON'T. If you do that, your pancakes will be flat and dense. Dump the wet ingredients into the dry and mix until just incorporated. That way you will have light, fluffy pancakes.
Spoon your lumpy batter onto a hot, buttered griddle or pan in 1/4 c. amounts and cook til both sides are brown. Here's a trick a grandfather taught me: when the first uncooked side is bubbling and the edges are dry, it's time to flip.
Homemade Marshmallows
I'm working on Xmas gift ideas that won't break the bank and I think I've hit on at least one: a hot cocoa recipe with homemade marshmallows. Seriously, these things have so little in common with the bags at the supermarket: they are airy, they melt, and they taste fantastic.
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Best Brownies Ever
Seriously gooey and amazing and will make a great base for Rocky Road Brownies. With Homemade Marshmallows, of course
Homemade Butter
Heavy Cream or Whipping Cream
Whip a pint of cream until it hardens and starts to form liquid, buttermilk. Drain through a fine mesh strainer and mix for more buttermilk. Strain again. Return to mixer. Once it's done, the butter will tangle in the mixer spools. You just churned your own butter! Set the liquid aside and knead your butter in some cold water. When the water discolors, dump and do it again; keep kneading til the water is clear to make sure all the buttermilk is out. This is important because if there is any buttermilk left in the butter, it will go rancid within a week and ruin your Rice Krispy treats. When properly washed, the butter should last up to a month but, honestly, you'll have to weigh how much you really want that fresh butter. It tastes amazing but it can be work intensive with the straining and washing.
Also: the buttermilk byproduct can be used in the place of whole milk in recipes but not as buttermilk. Back in the day, they would sour milk and skim the cream off until they had enough to churn butter and the byproduct of the soured cream would be buttermilk but since we're basically using a shortcut (heavy cream that hasn't come from soured milk), it's not real buttermilk. I learned this the "hard way" with what was supposed to be buttermilk dinner rolls: they made a great bread pudding but a lousy roll.
Whip a pint of cream until it hardens and starts to form liquid, buttermilk. Drain through a fine mesh strainer and mix for more buttermilk. Strain again. Return to mixer. Once it's done, the butter will tangle in the mixer spools. You just churned your own butter! Set the liquid aside and knead your butter in some cold water. When the water discolors, dump and do it again; keep kneading til the water is clear to make sure all the buttermilk is out. This is important because if there is any buttermilk left in the butter, it will go rancid within a week and ruin your Rice Krispy treats. When properly washed, the butter should last up to a month but, honestly, you'll have to weigh how much you really want that fresh butter. It tastes amazing but it can be work intensive with the straining and washing.
Also: the buttermilk byproduct can be used in the place of whole milk in recipes but not as buttermilk. Back in the day, they would sour milk and skim the cream off until they had enough to churn butter and the byproduct of the soured cream would be buttermilk but since we're basically using a shortcut (heavy cream that hasn't come from soured milk), it's not real buttermilk. I learned this the "hard way" with what was supposed to be buttermilk dinner rolls: they made a great bread pudding but a lousy roll.
Handmade Pasta
3 cups of all-purpose flour
4 large eggs
dash of olive oil
Make a mound of the flour and a well in the middle. Crack egg into well and begin to swirl with fingers or fork (will be very sticky). Incorporate the edges of the flour into the well until a ball is formed (there will be plenty flour left over). You could also just mix this in your stand mixer and save your counter; it's not traditional and Molto Mario will shoot daggers from his eye teeth if he knew but since he doesn't live with you (presumably) do what you want. Either way, let the ball of dough rest for 30 minutes. Then roll out and roll out and roll out til thin (takes forever). Cut into strips and boil immediately for pasta!
I kind of forget how I have this recipe but one thing that I've sot of learned is that you need one more egg than cups of flour. So, if you want to make a smaller batch of pasta, you'd crack 3 eggs to 2 cups of flour or 2 eggs to one cup, get it? You get it.
I doubt I'll make much more of my own pasta til I have this.
UPDATE! I totally got my extruder and started pasta yesterday. I followed a recipe in the manual (1 1/2 c flour and 2 eggs and a teaspoon of water but had to add another egg and some olive oil. Anyway.) and it seemed to come out great! I dried it for almost an hour and packed it away for dinner tonight (Dec 6, 2010)
4 large eggs
dash of olive oil
Make a mound of the flour and a well in the middle. Crack egg into well and begin to swirl with fingers or fork (will be very sticky). Incorporate the edges of the flour into the well until a ball is formed (there will be plenty flour left over). You could also just mix this in your stand mixer and save your counter; it's not traditional and Molto Mario will shoot daggers from his eye teeth if he knew but since he doesn't live with you (presumably) do what you want. Either way, let the ball of dough rest for 30 minutes. Then roll out and roll out and roll out til thin (takes forever). Cut into strips and boil immediately for pasta!
I kind of forget how I have this recipe but one thing that I've sot of learned is that you need one more egg than cups of flour. So, if you want to make a smaller batch of pasta, you'd crack 3 eggs to 2 cups of flour or 2 eggs to one cup, get it? You get it.
I doubt I'll make much more of my own pasta til I have this.
UPDATE! I totally got my extruder and started pasta yesterday. I followed a recipe in the manual (1 1/2 c flour and 2 eggs and a teaspoon of water but had to add another egg and some olive oil. Anyway.) and it seemed to come out great! I dried it for almost an hour and packed it away for dinner tonight (Dec 6, 2010)
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Menu Week of November 22, 2010
Sun: Steak, Kale, Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Mon: Roast chicken, brussels, bread
Wed: Black Bean Soup, broccoli
Gotta Try: Sourdough starter
Easy Bread
from New York Times
3 cups flour (pictured above is 1 1/2 c bread and 1 1/2 c whole wheat four)
1/4 tsp instant yeast
1 tbs kosher salt
1 1/2 c warm water
Mix dry ingredients and add warm water stirring until the batter chases the spoon around the bowl. Cover and set in a warm place for 12-20 hours (overnight). Drop on floured surface and pull ends to the top of the ball to make a taut surface (wet hands to avoid sticking). Wrap in well-floured towel in a bowl and set in a warm place for 2 hours, the towel should cover the dough while it doubles in size. A half hour before preparing to bake, preheat oven to 450 degrees and warm a lidded casserole dish in the oven. Line the warmed casserole dish with parchment paper (very important! I lost the lower half of my second loaf to the bottom of the dish because I forgot this, lol) and drop in dough. Bake covered for 20-30 minutes, uncovered for another 10-25 minutes or until sufficiently browned. When it's baked through, bread should sound hollow when tapped (or be 210 degrees in the center).
UPDATE! I've made this bread I think 6 or 7 times since I posted this and each time it's proven fool-proof. Honestly, I have not been able to mess this bread up (Andy did by adding too much salt one time but that actually had a silver lining since he's back to staying out of my kitchen, lol). I started to think: why do I need that second rising? It's no a No-Knead Bread! It would make sense if I had to punch it down but I don't so...I skipped the second rise this past weekend (Dec 4) and dropped it into a parchment paper-lined bread loaf pan and covered with tin foil. I even put it into a cold oven! 45 minutes later, I had a fluffy sandwich bread. Seriously, this bread is that EASY.
Friday, November 19, 2010
"Quick" Chicken and Rice Soup
Whole Roasted Chicken
2 apples, sliced
Celery stalks and leaves, rough chop
Onion, rough chop
Carrots, rough chop
Parsley, rough chop
Garlic, rough chop
Olive oil
Roasting spices
S+P
Brown Rice, prepared according to directions
Preheat over to 375. Coat whole chicken with oil, S+P, and spices (I used thyme, oregano, paprika, and herbs de provence) and rub in. Place in roasting pan and roast for 25-35 minutes or until temperature of breast is at 180. Allow to cool.
Take off the meat of the chicken and set aside for a few meals (wraps, quiche and this soup).
Throw bones and rib cage into large stock pot with apples and veggies and a generous portion of S+P. Allow to simmer uncovered for as long as you can (I think I managed a couple of hours last night), skimming fat that rises to the surface. Don't boil.
Strain the liquid through a fine mesh sieve.
In large pot and olive oil, sautee onion, garlic, carrots and celery until soft. Add chicken stock and chicken and simmer until chicken is hot.
Lay brown rice into bowls and spoon soup over it.
This is "quick" because you can roast the chicken and make the stock days in advance. But it's not really quick, I guess. Worth it, though!
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Chicken Wrap #1
Roasted chicken, cubed or shredded
Cherry tomatoes, halved
Scallions, chopped
Green olive, pitted, chopped
Goat cheese
Mixed greens
Spinach or flour tortillas
Balsamic vinegar
S+P
Combine tomatoes, scallions, and olives in a small bowl and let marinate in some balsamic vinegar with S+P to taste. Warm tortillas in oven (optional) and spread with goat cheese. Layer tortilla with marinated veggies, chicken, and greens.
(Save the bones of chicken for stock)
Cherry tomatoes, halved
Scallions, chopped
Green olive, pitted, chopped
Goat cheese
Mixed greens
Spinach or flour tortillas
Balsamic vinegar
S+P
Combine tomatoes, scallions, and olives in a small bowl and let marinate in some balsamic vinegar with S+P to taste. Warm tortillas in oven (optional) and spread with goat cheese. Layer tortilla with marinated veggies, chicken, and greens.
(Save the bones of chicken for stock)
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Kielbasa Quiche
5 eggs
Turkey Kielbasa
Scallions
Cottage Cheese
Onions
Garlic
Red pepper
Olive oil
S+P
Frozen or homemade pie crust
Preheat oven to 350.
Sautee onions, garlic and cherizo until it starts to brown and add red pepper and cook til soft in olive oil.
Meanwhile, beat eggs and add cottage cheese and scallion, salt and pepper. Fill pie crust with cherizo mix and top with egg mix.
Bake til firm, about 25-35 minutes.
Turkey Kielbasa
Scallions
Cottage Cheese
Onions
Garlic
Red pepper
Olive oil
S+P
Frozen or homemade pie crust
Preheat oven to 350.
Sautee onions, garlic and cherizo until it starts to brown and add red pepper and cook til soft in olive oil.
Meanwhile, beat eggs and add cottage cheese and scallion, salt and pepper. Fill pie crust with cherizo mix and top with egg mix.
Bake til firm, about 25-35 minutes.
Monday, November 15, 2010
Menu Week of November 15, 2010
Tuesday: Roasted Chicken Wraps
Wednesday: "Quick" Chicken Stew
Thursday: Chorizo Quiche
Friday: Whole Foods Run, I think, maybe pasta; Fridays are hard.
Skillet Bread
I'm going to try this tonight with my lentil soup.
Ingredients:
1 1/2 c flour
1 c. water
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
Preparation:
Mix dry ingredients then add water. Pour batter into a buttered skillet on med high heat and cook til brown on one side then flip to brown the other.
Sounds easy! I have some leftover rosemary, I think I'll probably throw that in for good measure.
UPDATE: It was pretty good! I added more water to make it a pancake consistency since that made sense to me but I definitely needed to add more salt. No problem, this recipe is so easy, I'll just try again tonight!
UPDATE 2: Success. It's good with drizzled honey, by the way. Tastes like a biscuit.
Ingredients:
1 1/2 c flour
1 c. water
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
Preparation:
Mix dry ingredients then add water. Pour batter into a buttered skillet on med high heat and cook til brown on one side then flip to brown the other.
Sounds easy! I have some leftover rosemary, I think I'll probably throw that in for good measure.
UPDATE: It was pretty good! I added more water to make it a pancake consistency since that made sense to me but I definitely needed to add more salt. No problem, this recipe is so easy, I'll just try again tonight!
UPDATE 2: Success. It's good with drizzled honey, by the way. Tastes like a biscuit.
Friday, November 12, 2010
Beef Stew
I did this in a slow-cooker overnight but I think 12 hours is too long to cook. Might have to try to make this into a stove-top stew some other time.
Beef stew meat, cubed
Celery, chopped
Onion, chopped
Carrots, chopped
Garlic, minced
Large russet pototo, cubed
All-purpose flour
Paprika
Cayenne pepper
Olive oil
1 container Beef broth
1/2 cup Red wine
S+P
3 sprigs Rosemary
2 Bay leaves
Steak sauce or Worcestershire sauce
Preparation:
Fill crockpot with potato, carrots, celery, bay leaves, some salt and pepper.
Mix flour, paprika, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper in a freezer bag and shake the beef in it to coat. Pan fry in a olive oil, adding them in batches so your pan doesn't instantly cool down. Remove meat to crock pot, add a little more olive oil to sautee onion and garlic until soft. Deglaze pan with red wine. Add beef broth and sauce and simmer for a few minutes. Add mixture to pot. Top the stew with rosemary sprigs and set to low for 12 hours.
It's good and cheap but I'll add more salt next time with a shorter cooking time. I still cannot seem to make my crockpot to work for me! Maybe when I'm home with the baby and can keep an eye on it, it will work better. ;)
Almond Cheesecake
From Epicurious. (I didn't know cheesecake was so easy to make and now that I do, I'm doomed.)
Ingredients:
3 packages of 8oz cream cheese, room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 egg yolks
1 tsp almond extract (or vanilla if you prefer)
Vanilla cookies, crumbled
1/2 stick butter, melted
extra butter for coating pan
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350.
Crust: Mix cookie crumbles with melted butter and press into the buttered bottom of whatever you're using to bake. I used a silicone muffin baking sheet that holds 6 heart-shaped and another small casserole dish. (You can use a mini muffin tin or cupcake pan or a baking dish but whatever you use keep in mind that the larger the receptacle, the longer the baking time.) Leave some crumble left over to put over the top of the cheesecake.
Cake: With an electric blender mix the sugar, cream cheese and extract until smooth. Add the eggs and egg yolks one at a time. Divide the mixture up into baking dishes and place them in the bottom of a large roasting pan. Fill the pan with hot water, about halfway up the baking dishes.
Bake until cheesecakes are firm. My smaller cakes took 45 minutes while the larger took a little over an hour.
Ingredients:
3 packages of 8oz cream cheese, room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 egg yolks
1 tsp almond extract (or vanilla if you prefer)
Vanilla cookies, crumbled
1/2 stick butter, melted
extra butter for coating pan
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350.
Crust: Mix cookie crumbles with melted butter and press into the buttered bottom of whatever you're using to bake. I used a silicone muffin baking sheet that holds 6 heart-shaped and another small casserole dish. (You can use a mini muffin tin or cupcake pan or a baking dish but whatever you use keep in mind that the larger the receptacle, the longer the baking time.) Leave some crumble left over to put over the top of the cheesecake.
Cake: With an electric blender mix the sugar, cream cheese and extract until smooth. Add the eggs and egg yolks one at a time. Divide the mixture up into baking dishes and place them in the bottom of a large roasting pan. Fill the pan with hot water, about halfway up the baking dishes.
Bake until cheesecakes are firm. My smaller cakes took 45 minutes while the larger took a little over an hour.
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
White Quiche
Ingredients:
5 eggs
Shallots, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 russet potato, cubed and boiled til tender but not falling apart
3/4 c. cottage cheese
1/2 bag frozen cauliflower (doesn't have to be frozen but that's what I had on hand)
1/2 lb Roasted turkey, chopped (I bought some already prepared at the deli counter = easy)
3 large sprigs Fresh rosemary, chopped
1 tsp thyme
1 tbs butter
salt and pepper
Frozen deep dish pie crust (you can make your own from my recipe on Feb 9, 2009 but, eh, I didn't feel like it and Mrs. Calendar is buttery and EASY)
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 375. While the crust thaws and the cauliflower is defrosts, sauté your shallots and garlic in olive oil til fragrant. Add rosemary, thyme, cauliflower, cubed potato; season to taste and sauté with butter until veggies are browned. Scramble eggs until really loose and then add cottage cheese, turkey, and veggie mix. Load into pie crust and bake 30 minutes or until firm.
5 eggs
Shallots, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 russet potato, cubed and boiled til tender but not falling apart
3/4 c. cottage cheese
1/2 bag frozen cauliflower (doesn't have to be frozen but that's what I had on hand)
1/2 lb Roasted turkey, chopped (I bought some already prepared at the deli counter = easy)
3 large sprigs Fresh rosemary, chopped
1 tsp thyme
1 tbs butter
salt and pepper
Frozen deep dish pie crust (you can make your own from my recipe on Feb 9, 2009 but, eh, I didn't feel like it and Mrs. Calendar is buttery and EASY)
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 375. While the crust thaws and the cauliflower is defrosts, sauté your shallots and garlic in olive oil til fragrant. Add rosemary, thyme, cauliflower, cubed potato; season to taste and sauté with butter until veggies are browned. Scramble eggs until really loose and then add cottage cheese, turkey, and veggie mix. Load into pie crust and bake 30 minutes or until firm.
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Menu week of November 1, 2010
Monday: Too expensive Sushi with Amy (Ouch)
Tuesday: Salmon, Kale and Cous Cous with Cherry Tomatoes
Wednesday: Shrimp Scampi
Thursday: Seriously, No Idea
Friday: Chinese BBQ Spare Ribs Take-Out with Brown Rice
Experiment: Roasted Butternut Squash and Apple Soup with Sage (Update: didn't happen)
Tuesday: Salmon, Kale and Cous Cous with Cherry Tomatoes
Wednesday: Shrimp Scampi
Thursday: Seriously, No Idea
Friday: Chinese BBQ Spare Ribs Take-Out with Brown Rice
Experiment: Roasted Butternut Squash and Apple Soup with Sage (Update: didn't happen)
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