With all of the popsicle love going around these days, I decided it was time to grab a set of molds and try out some popsicle goodness myself. I started with a version of one of my favorite summertime drinks.
Strawberry-Basil Lemonade Popsicles
Lemonade (I used the 13.5oz bottle of Simply Lemonade)
2-3 strawberries
6-7 basil leaves
Combine all in the blender, pour into popsicle molds, freeze overnight. I found these to be just sweet enough, a great flavor, and the basil makes them soooo refreshing. They're also less than 50 calories each, and my popsicle molds are fairly large. Perfect for this insane heatwave that won't go away.
Incidentally, that drink I based these off of might have to be my next post. Hint: add strawberry vodka.
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Reminscing, Part II: Culinary Tour of Belgium, France and The Netherlands
My in-laws were kind enough to care for our dog, cat and vegetable garden while we were on vacation for 3 weeks, so a fancy-type feast was in order to show our thanks. Since our trip was to Belgium, France and The Netherlands, I made a dish from each place. From Belgium: a traditional fish stew with an ultra-light, but creamy base. From France: a potato gratin with Camembert and bacon, based on a peasant-style crepe we ate for lunch. From The Netherlands: Dutch apple pie, of course.
Waterzooi: I pulled the basic recipe from the Belgian cookbook I bought, and just altered a few things along the way for my own tastes (I also doubled it for our crowd). We ate this at a tiny restaurant in Brussels called La Villete, that specialized in traditional Flemish food...highly recommended.
2 Tbsp butter
4 leeks (cleaned and chopped)
2 large shallots (chopped)
1 large carrot (chopped)
3 cups fish stock or seafood stock (I used a mix of both)
1 cup white wine
1 Tbsp dried thyme
1 bay leaf
Pinch of saffron threads (if you have it - won't kill it if you don't)
Salt & pepper to taste
1.5 to 2 pounds of white fish, cut into chunks (I used cod - shrimp or scallops would also work, clear out your freezer)
1 cup light cream
3 egg yolks
First, melt the butter into a soup pot or dutch oven on the stove, then add the leek, shallot and carrot, cooking until just softened. (Hint: I used my food processor to do all of my chopping at once). Next, add the wine, stock, bay leaf, thyme and saffron, then simmer, covered, for about 10 minutes. Test it at this point for seasonings - mine required a lot of salt and pepper. Now, add your fish, and simmer another 10 minutes (uncovered) until it is just cooked through. While it is cooking, whisk together the cream and egg yolks, then temper the mixture by adding a ladle-full of the hot soup to the cream/egg mix, while whisking, to bring the temperature up. Do this a few times, so the egg mixture warms up a lot, but gradually (so that when you add it to the hot soup, it doesn't scramble the eggs). Add the cream/egg mix to the soup, and continue to simmer just until it is fully warm - do not allow it to come to a boil, or the cream will curdle. Time to eat!
Norman Potatoes: we had a lovely crepe dish at a roadside cafe near Pointe du Hoc, where the crepe was topped with ham, potato chunks, and melted Camembert cheese. I've recreated that here, minus the crepe.
4 slices bacon, chopped
3 baking potatoes, sliced
1/2 cup light cream
1 package Camembert cheese
In a casserole dish, put a thick layer of potato slices, then a handful of the chopped bacon. Continue layering like this until the dish is nearly full. Pour the cream over the potatoes, then top with Camembert (I just tore it apart in chunks and covered it as completely as I could). Bake at 400 degrees for 45 minutes. That's it! Add a side salad and your meal is ready. It was all delicious, and made the perfect background for travel tales.
Time for dessert! We had a wonderful apple pie at a cafe near our apartment in Amsterdam, that I would like to eat again...frequently. I used a standard pie crust recipe (first time I've made my own - it was AWESOME), and combined a few internet recipes for the apple filling.
Crust:
2 sticks of butter
2 and 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
Ice water (start with about 1/2 cup)
Here's the trick: cut up the butter into small pieces, then put it in the freezer for 20 minutes. It has to be COLD for this turn out flaky. When ready, put the flour, salt and butter into a food processor, and mix until it looks like wet sand. Then add the ice water, 1 Tbsp at a time, and pulse until it sticks together in 1 lumpy mass (it won't be well mixed - you want the butter chunks). Put equal parts of the dough into containers (I used zip-loc bags), and place in the fridge for 30 minutes. They can then be rolled out on a floured surface. Place one in your pie pan, cutting any excess away from the edges, and cut the other into strips - these can be placed in a lattice pattern across the top once filled, and brushed with whipped egg whites so they turn brown and flaky.
For the filling:
4 apples (I used 2 Granny Smith and 2 Fuji) - peeled, cored and sliced THIN (I used the food processor)
1/2 cup sugar
2 Tbsp flour
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg (1/4 tsp if using ground)
Mix sugar, flour and spices together, then toss with apples. Layer the apples into the pie crust, then sprinkle any leftover dry mix over the top. Attach pie crust strips as noted above, then bake in a 400 degree oven for 1 hour. Easy as...(wait for it)...PIE! Ha! Honestly, it's a lot easier than I thought.
The feast was awesome, and lots of fun. Thanks again family for taking care of our furry kiddos, and for letting us relive our adventure one more time. Sigh...I guess it's really back to reality now. After one more slice of pie of course...
Waterzooi: I pulled the basic recipe from the Belgian cookbook I bought, and just altered a few things along the way for my own tastes (I also doubled it for our crowd). We ate this at a tiny restaurant in Brussels called La Villete, that specialized in traditional Flemish food...highly recommended.
4 leeks (cleaned and chopped)
2 large shallots (chopped)
1 large carrot (chopped)
3 cups fish stock or seafood stock (I used a mix of both)
1 cup white wine
1 Tbsp dried thyme
1 bay leaf
Pinch of saffron threads (if you have it - won't kill it if you don't)
Salt & pepper to taste
1.5 to 2 pounds of white fish, cut into chunks (I used cod - shrimp or scallops would also work, clear out your freezer)
1 cup light cream
3 egg yolks
First, melt the butter into a soup pot or dutch oven on the stove, then add the leek, shallot and carrot, cooking until just softened. (Hint: I used my food processor to do all of my chopping at once). Next, add the wine, stock, bay leaf, thyme and saffron, then simmer, covered, for about 10 minutes. Test it at this point for seasonings - mine required a lot of salt and pepper. Now, add your fish, and simmer another 10 minutes (uncovered) until it is just cooked through. While it is cooking, whisk together the cream and egg yolks, then temper the mixture by adding a ladle-full of the hot soup to the cream/egg mix, while whisking, to bring the temperature up. Do this a few times, so the egg mixture warms up a lot, but gradually (so that when you add it to the hot soup, it doesn't scramble the eggs). Add the cream/egg mix to the soup, and continue to simmer just until it is fully warm - do not allow it to come to a boil, or the cream will curdle. Time to eat!
Norman Potatoes: we had a lovely crepe dish at a roadside cafe near Pointe du Hoc, where the crepe was topped with ham, potato chunks, and melted Camembert cheese. I've recreated that here, minus the crepe.
3 baking potatoes, sliced
1/2 cup light cream
1 package Camembert cheese
In a casserole dish, put a thick layer of potato slices, then a handful of the chopped bacon. Continue layering like this until the dish is nearly full. Pour the cream over the potatoes, then top with Camembert (I just tore it apart in chunks and covered it as completely as I could). Bake at 400 degrees for 45 minutes. That's it! Add a side salad and your meal is ready. It was all delicious, and made the perfect background for travel tales.
Time for dessert! We had a wonderful apple pie at a cafe near our apartment in Amsterdam, that I would like to eat again...frequently. I used a standard pie crust recipe (first time I've made my own - it was AWESOME), and combined a few internet recipes for the apple filling.
2 sticks of butter
2 and 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
Ice water (start with about 1/2 cup)
Here's the trick: cut up the butter into small pieces, then put it in the freezer for 20 minutes. It has to be COLD for this turn out flaky. When ready, put the flour, salt and butter into a food processor, and mix until it looks like wet sand. Then add the ice water, 1 Tbsp at a time, and pulse until it sticks together in 1 lumpy mass (it won't be well mixed - you want the butter chunks). Put equal parts of the dough into containers (I used zip-loc bags), and place in the fridge for 30 minutes. They can then be rolled out on a floured surface. Place one in your pie pan, cutting any excess away from the edges, and cut the other into strips - these can be placed in a lattice pattern across the top once filled, and brushed with whipped egg whites so they turn brown and flaky.
For the filling:
4 apples (I used 2 Granny Smith and 2 Fuji) - peeled, cored and sliced THIN (I used the food processor)
1/2 cup sugar
2 Tbsp flour
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg (1/4 tsp if using ground)
Mix sugar, flour and spices together, then toss with apples. Layer the apples into the pie crust, then sprinkle any leftover dry mix over the top. Attach pie crust strips as noted above, then bake in a 400 degree oven for 1 hour. Easy as...(wait for it)...PIE! Ha! Honestly, it's a lot easier than I thought.
The feast was awesome, and lots of fun. Thanks again family for taking care of our furry kiddos, and for letting us relive our adventure one more time. Sigh...I guess it's really back to reality now. After one more slice of pie of course...
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Flemish Stew
I've just returned from vacation in Belgium, France and The Netherlands, and have come to this conclusion: The Flemish are my culinary kindred spirits. Their cuisine is based on meat, potatoes (mostly french fries), cheeses, waffles, seafood and beer - and it hasn't changed much in centuries. And BOY is their beer tasty. Like ALL of it. I wanted to learn to make some of the foods I'd enjoyed, so I purchased a lovely book called "Everybody Eats Well in Belgium" by Ruth Van Waerebeek with Maria Robbins. One of my favorite dishes was the traditional Flemish Stew (over french fries of course), and here is the version from that book, which came out really well when I tried it on Friday night.
-2 pounds beef stew meat (I bought a roast and cut it into chunks myself - I sometimes find the pre-cut meat too tough after stewing)
-1.5 large onions, thinly sliced or rough-chopped
-2 or 3 sprigs of fresh thyme (or 1 tsp dried thyme)
-1/2 stick of butter
-1/2 cup flour
-2 bay leaves
-1.5 Tbsp brown sugar
-1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar (red wine vinegar would also work)
-Salt & pepper
-12 oz of Belgian beer: I used Allagash Belgian-style stout for strong flavor - a Dubbel (brown/bruin) would do as well...for lighter beer flavor try a Tripel-style (blond). A good American substitute would be either New Belgium's 1554, Sweetwater's Georgia Brown, or a Sam Adams Black Lager.
Start by seasoning the flour with about a tsp each of salt and pepper, while about half of the butter melts in a large saute pan.
Dredge the meat lightly in the flour, shake off excess, and brown on all sides in the butter. Do this in batches (don't overcrowd the pan) - too many in the pan at once changes how they cook. Replenish butter as necessary - it will turn brown as it absorbs meat bits - this is good. Place finished meat into a stew pot or dutch oven.
Once meat is finished, brown the onions in the same butter - you want them soft and translucent, but not burned. Once complete, place these in the pot with the meat.
Add all of the beer to the saute pan, bring to a boil. Scrape all of the buttery/meaty bits from the pan into the liquid and add the bay leaves and thyme, then pour all of this over the meat/onions. Cover the pot, bring the mix to a simmer, and leave it for 1.5 to 2 hours, until meat is tender and stew has thickened.
Just before serving, add the brown sugar and vinegar, simmering for another 5 minutes. Also taste it at this point, and add any salt/pepper as necessary. I did find it needed extra salt, but then it was perfect.
The stew is served in Belgium over a serving of french fries (I used store-brand frozen steak fries, crisped in the oven for 20 minutes), with salad on the side. With a cold beer to drink, this meal is just about perfect.
I expected to love the scenery, culture and beer in Belgium, but falling in love with their food was a surprise - I just didn't know much about it, honestly. Discovering the world through food and connecting with people over shared tastes and meals is one of my favorite parts of traveling. I am so thankful to have had these experiences, and to be able to recreate that feeling at home through food whenever I want.
What are some of your favorite food/travel memories? It's never to early to start planning the next trip...
-2 pounds beef stew meat (I bought a roast and cut it into chunks myself - I sometimes find the pre-cut meat too tough after stewing)
-1.5 large onions, thinly sliced or rough-chopped
-2 or 3 sprigs of fresh thyme (or 1 tsp dried thyme)
-1/2 stick of butter
-1/2 cup flour
-2 bay leaves
-1.5 Tbsp brown sugar
-1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar (red wine vinegar would also work)
-Salt & pepper
-12 oz of Belgian beer: I used Allagash Belgian-style stout for strong flavor - a Dubbel (brown/bruin) would do as well...for lighter beer flavor try a Tripel-style (blond). A good American substitute would be either New Belgium's 1554, Sweetwater's Georgia Brown, or a Sam Adams Black Lager.
Start by seasoning the flour with about a tsp each of salt and pepper, while about half of the butter melts in a large saute pan.
Dredge the meat lightly in the flour, shake off excess, and brown on all sides in the butter. Do this in batches (don't overcrowd the pan) - too many in the pan at once changes how they cook. Replenish butter as necessary - it will turn brown as it absorbs meat bits - this is good. Place finished meat into a stew pot or dutch oven.
Once meat is finished, brown the onions in the same butter - you want them soft and translucent, but not burned. Once complete, place these in the pot with the meat.
Add all of the beer to the saute pan, bring to a boil. Scrape all of the buttery/meaty bits from the pan into the liquid and add the bay leaves and thyme, then pour all of this over the meat/onions. Cover the pot, bring the mix to a simmer, and leave it for 1.5 to 2 hours, until meat is tender and stew has thickened.
Just before serving, add the brown sugar and vinegar, simmering for another 5 minutes. Also taste it at this point, and add any salt/pepper as necessary. I did find it needed extra salt, but then it was perfect.
The stew is served in Belgium over a serving of french fries (I used store-brand frozen steak fries, crisped in the oven for 20 minutes), with salad on the side. With a cold beer to drink, this meal is just about perfect.
I expected to love the scenery, culture and beer in Belgium, but falling in love with their food was a surprise - I just didn't know much about it, honestly. Discovering the world through food and connecting with people over shared tastes and meals is one of my favorite parts of traveling. I am so thankful to have had these experiences, and to be able to recreate that feeling at home through food whenever I want.
What are some of your favorite food/travel memories? It's never to early to start planning the next trip...
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Weeknight Fish Love
This is the easiest thing I've made in months, and it was SO incredibly flavorful.
Whitefish filets (I had Swai because it was on sale)
Salt & pepper
Ground Coriander
Ground Cumin
1 Mango
1Tbsp fresh cilantro
Season both sides of the fish with all 4 seasonings. Just a few sprinkles of each. Put the fish in a pan and saute until flaky. Meantime, cut up the mango into chunks and mixed it with the chopped cilantro. THAT'S IT. And did you notice? The few calories you'll get from the fish itself and the mango chunks are it. This could not be better for you.
I used the Indian-style spices because I keep those on hand, but substitute whatever you like. It also goes perfectly with any side. I had some store-bought naan, so I warmed that up, and it was the perfect compliment.
Total cooking time: about 10 minutes. Just another reason to LOVE fish.
Whitefish filets (I had Swai because it was on sale)
Salt & pepper
Ground Coriander
Ground Cumin
1 Mango
1Tbsp fresh cilantro
Season both sides of the fish with all 4 seasonings. Just a few sprinkles of each. Put the fish in a pan and saute until flaky. Meantime, cut up the mango into chunks and mixed it with the chopped cilantro. THAT'S IT. And did you notice? The few calories you'll get from the fish itself and the mango chunks are it. This could not be better for you.
I used the Indian-style spices because I keep those on hand, but substitute whatever you like. It also goes perfectly with any side. I had some store-bought naan, so I warmed that up, and it was the perfect compliment.
Total cooking time: about 10 minutes. Just another reason to LOVE fish.
Monday, May 16, 2011
Homemade Marshmallows - Totally Worth It
Went to the mountains this weekend with the husby, sister and brother-in-law to celebrate birthdays and Lindsay's grad school graduation. The cabin we stayed in had a nice fire pit. Naturally, that means a giant pile of graham crackers, chocolate bars and marshmallows made the trip with us. As I wanted to make a special trip out of this, I decided it was time to try making homemade marshmallows.
Since I'm not usually a baker, I clearly did not make up a recipe for this, but borrowed Alton Brown's from the Food Network site. The only thing I did differently was to use 1 oz of Bailey's instead of 1 oz of vanilla at the end. It was so easy it was almost silly. The only bad part was cutting them up the next day - you really do have to roll your pizza cutter through the powdered sugar after almost every pass, and coat every surface of every square with the sugar or they'll stick to everything. But honestly, they melt in your mouth immediately, and I've never tasted a better marshmallow. It was completely worth the minor effort.
Be warned though: they don't blaze up in the fire like other marshmallows do, so you don't really get that charred effect if you like that. And watch the angle you're holding your stick at - we lost a few to the fire pit gods when they slipped off the end. Rest in peace, little yummies.
Since I'm not usually a baker, I clearly did not make up a recipe for this, but borrowed Alton Brown's from the Food Network site. The only thing I did differently was to use 1 oz of Bailey's instead of 1 oz of vanilla at the end. It was so easy it was almost silly. The only bad part was cutting them up the next day - you really do have to roll your pizza cutter through the powdered sugar after almost every pass, and coat every surface of every square with the sugar or they'll stick to everything. But honestly, they melt in your mouth immediately, and I've never tasted a better marshmallow. It was completely worth the minor effort.
Be warned though: they don't blaze up in the fire like other marshmallows do, so you don't really get that charred effect if you like that. And watch the angle you're holding your stick at - we lost a few to the fire pit gods when they slipped off the end. Rest in peace, little yummies.
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Take That Cancer! -or- Strawberry-Pomegranate Cake
With a thick layer of the mixture between cake layers, I mixed 1 container of whipped cream cheese frosting with half a container of strawberry frosting, and added two small shakes of ground cardamom - just enough to bring in that lovely floral scent and a hint of spice, again to calm the sweetness since there is SO much strawberry in the cake. Apply frosting generously. :)
I'm happy to say that the cake looked lovely in the auction, and sold for $50. What a sweet way to start the Easter weekend!
PS - I believe I have now corrected the issue with email followers being able to comment, if you care. :)
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Grilled Greek Pizza
Spring came back to Atlanta today, so of course I wanted to use the grill tonight. Greek pizza, fired on the grill for a few minutes, was the perfect end to a lovely day.
1 refrigerated pizza crust
Olive Oil
1 Italian sausage
1/4 onion, sliced very thin
1 garlic clove, minced
Feta cheese crumbles
1/2 lemon, sliced very thin
Oregano to taste
Shredded mild cheddar (or mozzarella)
Brown the sausage, breaking into crumbles (easiest if you remove the casing first). Remove to a paper-towel lined plate once done, leaving the remaining fat in the pan. Add the onions and garlic to the pan and cook down until the onions are nicely carmelized. Scoop out and add to paper-towel lined plate. Add a bit of olive oil into the pan now if the fat has mostly gone - just enough to cover most of the bottom. Add the lemon slices, and fry until they just start to brown. Add these to the paper towel once done also.
To build the pizza: drizzle olive oil onto the crust and spread out very thinly. Start with less oil than you think you need - you can always add more, but you just want to make sure the crust is covered throughout, no more than that. Sprinkle the sausage on first, then spread out the onion/garlic mix. Cut the lemons into small chunks and sprinkle those on, then the chunks of Feta. Sprinkle a bit of oregano over the top (to taste - but you generally don't need much, it's a strong flavor). Since Feta doesn't melt, add some other shredded cheese to pull it together. I used mild cheddar, because I had it on hand, and the flavor worked really well with the fried lemon (which is not bitter anymore, but just the perfect slightly sour punch). Bake the pizza at 450 for about 10 minutes, then pull it out of the oven and slap it on the grill for another 5-7 minutes - this gives the crust an awesome charred flavor, perfect for enjoying on a lovely spring evening!
Thursday, March 17, 2011
St. Patrick's Day - Not Just for Drinking!
I love celebrating holidays through food - and yes, that includes St. Patrick's Day. Irish food has never been as celebrated as Irish drink, but I think it should be. And boy, do I love Irish drink.
Irish cuisine is based on simplicity - the meats, fish and vegetables available on a small, rocky island. Today I'm celebrating the Irish with roasted herb-crusted lamb, colcannon (mashed potatoes with sauteed kale and Irish cheddar), and chocolate stout cupcakes with vanilla-Irish Cream frosting.
I bought a small rack of lamb ribs - 3 ribs each is enough for two people. I put 1/2 tsp each of dried sage, rosemary and thyme (sorry, no parsley) in a small bowl, with 1 tsp each of salt and fresh cracked pepper. To the herb mix, add 2 minced garlic cloves and just a bit of olive oil - just enough to make it a paste (probably about a Tbsp). I rubbed the paste onto both sides of the lamb, and roasted in a 325 degree oven for about half an hour - the temperature of the meat should be 160 for medium. The photo makes the meat look very red, but it was done perfectly.
Colcannon is a little bit of work, but worth it. You need about 2 lbs of potatoes - I used baby dutch yellows, cut in half, so they would cook quickly. Add the potatoes to a large pot of boiling water, then add about a Tbsp of salt. While they are cooking, grate some cheese if you want it (about half a pound is good) and saute your kale - trim the thick parts of the ribs off and rough-chop the leaves until you have about a cup. Put this in a pan with a splash of chicken stock, beer, water - anything liquid really. Just cook it down enough to wilt the kale without burning it (this takes away the natural bitterness). Once the potatoes are fork tender, drain them and add 2 Tbsp butter and a cup of any of the following: cream, milk or sour cream. Today I used about half a cup of light cream (had it in the fridge), and filled in the rest with reduced fat sour cream. Use more liquid if you like your mashed potatoes creamier. Mash it all together, then mix in the wilted kale (and cheese if using).
For the Stout Cupcakes: I made regular chocolate cake mix, replacing the required water with Guinness. Then I added 1.5 oz (one shot) of Irish Cream liqueur to a tub of regular vanilla frosting. I think this would have been even better with a buttercream or cream cheese frosting, but I already had a tub of vanilla I needed to use. As it was, it was great. I like to put the frosting into a zip-loc bag, cut the corner, and pipe the frosting on so I can pile it up better. Green sprinkles on top, of course.
To round your St. Patrick's Day meal, you should include some Irish whiskey of course. Choose your favorite - Paddy's, Jameson, Tullamore Dew, whatever you like. Drink it neat, or add a couple of ice cubes and swirl. Just whatever you do, stay away from that Bushmills stuff - it's Protestant whiskey.
Irish cuisine is based on simplicity - the meats, fish and vegetables available on a small, rocky island. Today I'm celebrating the Irish with roasted herb-crusted lamb, colcannon (mashed potatoes with sauteed kale and Irish cheddar), and chocolate stout cupcakes with vanilla-Irish Cream frosting.
I bought a small rack of lamb ribs - 3 ribs each is enough for two people. I put 1/2 tsp each of dried sage, rosemary and thyme (sorry, no parsley) in a small bowl, with 1 tsp each of salt and fresh cracked pepper. To the herb mix, add 2 minced garlic cloves and just a bit of olive oil - just enough to make it a paste (probably about a Tbsp). I rubbed the paste onto both sides of the lamb, and roasted in a 325 degree oven for about half an hour - the temperature of the meat should be 160 for medium. The photo makes the meat look very red, but it was done perfectly.
Colcannon is a little bit of work, but worth it. You need about 2 lbs of potatoes - I used baby dutch yellows, cut in half, so they would cook quickly. Add the potatoes to a large pot of boiling water, then add about a Tbsp of salt. While they are cooking, grate some cheese if you want it (about half a pound is good) and saute your kale - trim the thick parts of the ribs off and rough-chop the leaves until you have about a cup. Put this in a pan with a splash of chicken stock, beer, water - anything liquid really. Just cook it down enough to wilt the kale without burning it (this takes away the natural bitterness). Once the potatoes are fork tender, drain them and add 2 Tbsp butter and a cup of any of the following: cream, milk or sour cream. Today I used about half a cup of light cream (had it in the fridge), and filled in the rest with reduced fat sour cream. Use more liquid if you like your mashed potatoes creamier. Mash it all together, then mix in the wilted kale (and cheese if using).
For the Stout Cupcakes: I made regular chocolate cake mix, replacing the required water with Guinness. Then I added 1.5 oz (one shot) of Irish Cream liqueur to a tub of regular vanilla frosting. I think this would have been even better with a buttercream or cream cheese frosting, but I already had a tub of vanilla I needed to use. As it was, it was great. I like to put the frosting into a zip-loc bag, cut the corner, and pipe the frosting on so I can pile it up better. Green sprinkles on top, of course.To round your St. Patrick's Day meal, you should include some Irish whiskey of course. Choose your favorite - Paddy's, Jameson, Tullamore Dew, whatever you like. Drink it neat, or add a couple of ice cubes and swirl. Just whatever you do, stay away from that Bushmills stuff - it's Protestant whiskey.
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Grill Time! Peach-Barbecue Pork
Daylight Savings Time started today...so I thought it was a perfect night to grill. Since it was also a Cobb Symphony weekend, I was playing a concert most of the afternoon. So, I made up a new marinade and left the pork loin to get flavor-licious while I was gone. I called Hal on the way home, and he threw it on the grill. By the time I got home, we had an awesome meal, all ready to go.
It was the easiest marinade I've done in a while! Only 3 ingredients: barbecue sauce (whatever you have), peach nectar (I bought a single can for $1 in the international section at Kroger), and hot sauce (whatever you have). If you feel like making homemade barbecue sauce to have on hand, I highly recommend the Neely's version. It's great on ribs.
I just mixed the 3 to taste, and make enough to cover the pork loin in a zipper bag (don't forget to take the tough membrane off the pork first). Cook the pork to 160 degrees - remember pork can still be pink inside if it's the right temperature. The meat went really well with instant mashed potatoes (flavored with dried rosemary) and some fruit. I finally felt like summer was on the way!
It was the easiest marinade I've done in a while! Only 3 ingredients: barbecue sauce (whatever you have), peach nectar (I bought a single can for $1 in the international section at Kroger), and hot sauce (whatever you have). If you feel like making homemade barbecue sauce to have on hand, I highly recommend the Neely's version. It's great on ribs.
I just mixed the 3 to taste, and make enough to cover the pork loin in a zipper bag (don't forget to take the tough membrane off the pork first). Cook the pork to 160 degrees - remember pork can still be pink inside if it's the right temperature. The meat went really well with instant mashed potatoes (flavored with dried rosemary) and some fruit. I finally felt like summer was on the way!
Saturday, March 5, 2011
KILLER Shepherd's Pie
ground meat - about a pound
onion - about half of a large one, chopped
garlic - about 4 cloves, chopped
mushrooms - about half a pound
brown gravy mix packets - 2 of the 0.87 oz size
beer - 2 bottles (an ale or dark lager works best)
frozen peas and/or carrots
salt and freshly ground pepper
shredded cheddar cheese (if you want) - about 2 handfuls
chopped fresh parsley if you happen to have some
instant mashed potatoes
Here's how easy this is: open one of the beers, and drink it while you're cooking. Preheat oven to 375. Brown the ground meat with the garlic, onions and mushrooms in the pan. While this is cooking, make the instant mashed potatoes and set aside. Once the meat is done, add the gravy packets and the other beer (1.5 cups, or a full 12-oz bottle), then the frozen peas/carrots. Simmer for a few minutes until the gravy is thickened and well mixed. Add salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste, then the few handfuls of cheese if you want (no need to melt, they'll do that in the oven). Pour the mixture into a baking dish - I find an 8x8 works fine. Spread the mashed potatoes over the top, then sprinkle on the parsley if you have it. Bake for 15 minutes. And THAT IS IT.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Valentine's Day
This year, I made sea scallops, dusted with flour and seared in a garlic-infused olive oil that my mom gave me (Sweetwater Growers in Canton, GA is also a good source...and they ship easily). For sides, I made individual potato gratins from a Melissa d'Arabian recipe, and prosciutto-wrapped plums stuffed with Gorgonzola. I intended to use figs or baby pears, neither of which I could find, so I thought I'd try plums since they are a good size too. I put them in the oven for about 5 minutes to crisp up the prosciutto and melt the cheese - yum! I think the key is not to use TOO much Gorgonzola, and maybe next time I'll add a drizzle of honey. The potato gratins, which involve layering potato slices, scallions and shredded swiss in the cups of a muffin tin, then drizzling with lite cream and baking, I must say were a bit of a disappointment. The cream sort of congealed a bit, and the flavor was just a little bland.
To make up for that, I made Molten Spiced Chocolate Cabernet Cakes that I found in a McCormick ad a while back. These were terribly easy, and very delicious. We each finished about half of one, since they were so dense, but they were really lovely! I was glad the liquid center and cakey outside worked so well. Give these a shot - it only takes a few minutes to make up the batter, which can be done ahead, and about 15 minutes to bake. I cut out a paper heart, put it on top, and dusted powdered sugar all over before removing the heart. They were as cute as they were yummy.I hope you too had a Valentine's Day filled with love and good food, whether with family, friends, or the man you've loved dearly for the last 10 years.
Saturday, February 12, 2011
The 3-Meat Super Bowl
Hal and I like to have a Super Bowl party every year - it prevents us from needing a designated driver. We love the big game, and the big food that comes with it. This year, a small plate of carrots and ranch dip was the only healthy option available. I decided to skip fruit/veggies, and go straight for the all-meat fiesta. It's only once a year, right?
So which three meats? Chicken, pork and beef. I made a beef vindaloo I saw on Aarti Party, another of Aarti Sequeira's recipes from her blog- Sriracha Pomegranate Chicken Wings, and an Asian-style honey barbecue pork that I made up. Yes, I'm obsessed with Aarti these days. I've made several of her recipes now, and they've all been fantastic. She's amazing.
The beef vindaloo was about medium-spicy the way I made it (just like her recipe, only I used a sweet onion instead of red). I cooked it on the stove, then transferred to a crock pot. I took the serrano pepper out of the crock once it came to the right spice level for me.
I changed up the chicken a bit more - for starters, I didn't make wings. I made the sauce just like the recipe, using her idea of cooking down pomegranate juice since I didn't find the molasses. Then I used the rub (made with ground cardamom instead of pods - I can't find those anywhere) on some regular chopped up chunks of chicken breast. Once again, I let it cook on the stove after the chicken sat in the rub for a while, and kept warm in a crock pot. Yes, I have two.
I had to borrow the third (thanks Lindsay!). In that one, I put the Asian pork I made. For that, I chopped up a pork tenderloin and cooked it up in a mixture of equal parts hoisin sauce and plum sauce with generous drizzles of soy sauce and honey - I just played with those until I was happy. I didn't want it too sweet. This took about 20 minutes total, including chopping the pork.
The whole meat-topia took about 1.5 hours to create, which I didn't think was bad at all considering the amount of food and things like curry made from scratch. Woot!
There were also 3 great dips. We had my homemade guacamole (original recipe courtesy of my sister Kristin's Cuban sister-in-law), a corn and cheese dip I learned from my sister Shannon, and a killer salsa dip my friend Amanda brought. My guac is just avocado, finely chopped onion and garlic, lots of cilantro and fresh lime juice. The Cuban secret is that you don't mix it - you cut through it with a knife repeatedly until it is well mixed and you still have some great chunks of avocado. It only takes a minute, and it's totally worth it.
Here is the magic corn and cheese dip: 14 oz of fiesta corn (with the peppers in it), 1.75 cups of good lite mayo (trust me, the store-brand stuff makes it weird), 2 cups shredded colby jack, half cup shredded parmesan, and 2 heaping Tbsp finely chopped jalapeno. Stir all of that together, and bake at 350 for 30 minutes. That's it. And you can save the world with that dip.
There were also brownies, chips, the poor, out-of-place carrots, a mini-keg of Newcastle and a lovely bucket of sangria. Okay it wasn't actually in a bucket. I feel horribly full again just thinking about all of this. Maybe that's why it took me a week to write about it - I had to let my tummy heal a bit. Or maybe I just didn't want to admit that football season is actually over. Sigh...see you next year, meat-topia.
So which three meats? Chicken, pork and beef. I made a beef vindaloo I saw on Aarti Party, another of Aarti Sequeira's recipes from her blog- Sriracha Pomegranate Chicken Wings, and an Asian-style honey barbecue pork that I made up. Yes, I'm obsessed with Aarti these days. I've made several of her recipes now, and they've all been fantastic. She's amazing.
The beef vindaloo was about medium-spicy the way I made it (just like her recipe, only I used a sweet onion instead of red). I cooked it on the stove, then transferred to a crock pot. I took the serrano pepper out of the crock once it came to the right spice level for me.
I changed up the chicken a bit more - for starters, I didn't make wings. I made the sauce just like the recipe, using her idea of cooking down pomegranate juice since I didn't find the molasses. Then I used the rub (made with ground cardamom instead of pods - I can't find those anywhere) on some regular chopped up chunks of chicken breast. Once again, I let it cook on the stove after the chicken sat in the rub for a while, and kept warm in a crock pot. Yes, I have two.
I had to borrow the third (thanks Lindsay!). In that one, I put the Asian pork I made. For that, I chopped up a pork tenderloin and cooked it up in a mixture of equal parts hoisin sauce and plum sauce with generous drizzles of soy sauce and honey - I just played with those until I was happy. I didn't want it too sweet. This took about 20 minutes total, including chopping the pork.
The whole meat-topia took about 1.5 hours to create, which I didn't think was bad at all considering the amount of food and things like curry made from scratch. Woot!
There were also 3 great dips. We had my homemade guacamole (original recipe courtesy of my sister Kristin's Cuban sister-in-law), a corn and cheese dip I learned from my sister Shannon, and a killer salsa dip my friend Amanda brought. My guac is just avocado, finely chopped onion and garlic, lots of cilantro and fresh lime juice. The Cuban secret is that you don't mix it - you cut through it with a knife repeatedly until it is well mixed and you still have some great chunks of avocado. It only takes a minute, and it's totally worth it.
Here is the magic corn and cheese dip: 14 oz of fiesta corn (with the peppers in it), 1.75 cups of good lite mayo (trust me, the store-brand stuff makes it weird), 2 cups shredded colby jack, half cup shredded parmesan, and 2 heaping Tbsp finely chopped jalapeno. Stir all of that together, and bake at 350 for 30 minutes. That's it. And you can save the world with that dip.
There were also brownies, chips, the poor, out-of-place carrots, a mini-keg of Newcastle and a lovely bucket of sangria. Okay it wasn't actually in a bucket. I feel horribly full again just thinking about all of this. Maybe that's why it took me a week to write about it - I had to let my tummy heal a bit. Or maybe I just didn't want to admit that football season is actually over. Sigh...see you next year, meat-topia.
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Apple-Butternut Ravioli with Sage & Whiskey Cream Sauce
I've been working a lot again lately, so I decided to take a nice break this afternoon and make some ravioli. I use the standard "well" technique I learned from Mario Batali for making fresh pasta, rolled out using my Kitchenaid stand mixer pasta attachment that my lovely husband gave me for Christmas in 2009. Thanks baby!
During the 30 minutes the pasta rested before rolling, I made the filling. I cut up some butternut squash and apple in small chunks (about a heaping half-cup of each), and put them in a covered bowl in the microwave for 5 minutes with 1 Tbsp of butter. Then I just mashed it all up with a potato masher and added some salt, pepper and fresh-grated nutmeg.
For the sauce, I sauteed about half of a sweet onion and two garlic cloves in olive oil, then added about 1/4 cup Irish whiskey (Jameson was on hand) and about the same amount of light cream, then seasoned it with salt, pepper and about a tsp of sage. I'd intended to put some crumbled bacon on top with the shredded parmesan I added, but when I looked in the fridge, there was a lamentable lack of bacon. I consulted the freezer - no Italian sausage either. I think having the bacon or sausage would have been the perfect compliment to the very-slightly-sweet pasta, but it was great anyway. Next time, I'll be sure to have some sort of pig meat available to crumble on top, and maybe some gorgonzola instead of the parmesan to offset the pasta filling just a teeny bit more. I really liked the apple and squash though.
Dinner was quite lovely overall I think, and frankly it just felt good to get back in the kitchen for a while. I've been a little rusty since the holidays ended, and I need to get warmed up again before the Super Bowl party next week...
During the 30 minutes the pasta rested before rolling, I made the filling. I cut up some butternut squash and apple in small chunks (about a heaping half-cup of each), and put them in a covered bowl in the microwave for 5 minutes with 1 Tbsp of butter. Then I just mashed it all up with a potato masher and added some salt, pepper and fresh-grated nutmeg.
For the sauce, I sauteed about half of a sweet onion and two garlic cloves in olive oil, then added about 1/4 cup Irish whiskey (Jameson was on hand) and about the same amount of light cream, then seasoned it with salt, pepper and about a tsp of sage. I'd intended to put some crumbled bacon on top with the shredded parmesan I added, but when I looked in the fridge, there was a lamentable lack of bacon. I consulted the freezer - no Italian sausage either. I think having the bacon or sausage would have been the perfect compliment to the very-slightly-sweet pasta, but it was great anyway. Next time, I'll be sure to have some sort of pig meat available to crumble on top, and maybe some gorgonzola instead of the parmesan to offset the pasta filling just a teeny bit more. I really liked the apple and squash though.
Dinner was quite lovely overall I think, and frankly it just felt good to get back in the kitchen for a while. I've been a little rusty since the holidays ended, and I need to get warmed up again before the Super Bowl party next week...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)