16 November, 2014

Roasted Sweet Potatoes

Ingredients:
2 sweet potatoes, cubed
1 TBSP butter
1
TBSP of brown sugar
1 tsp of ground cinnamon 

¼ tsp of ground nutmeg
2 TBSP frozen orange concentrate
Pinch of ground ginger
Sea salt, to taste


Directions:


·  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
·  Cover a small baking tray with aluminum, and coat with olive oil. (Next time: try parchment paper, and no oil.)
·  Melt butter and Orange concentrate in the microwave. Mix in the brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and salt. Pour over the potatoes in a bowl, and mix until they're evenly coated. 
·  Bake in the oven for 50-60 minutes.
·  Stir the sweet potatoes once or twice during roasting. (I didn't. Wouldn't have hurt.)
 

08 November, 2014

Vaguely Quichely Breakfast


Serves One: Scale as appropriate:

½ sweet potato, sliced very thinly.
2 slices bacon, chopped
2 eggs.
1 cheese stick (typically mozzarella), cubed small.
2 oz cheddar, cubed small.
⅓ cup half & half
½ cup Parmesan cheese, shredded.

Preheat toaster oven to 350º. Grease a small (6’ or so) pie pan with butter. Be generous. Line the bottom and the bottom half of the sides of the pan with sliced sweet potato.

Mix eggs, mozzarella, cheddar, and half of the bacon in a bowl with the half & half. Pour into the pie pan. Top with the other half of the bacon and the Parmesan cheese.

Bake 30 minutes, until eggs are done and the top is browning nicely.

Enjoy with good coffee.

28 September, 2014

Roasted Tomato Paste


Instructions for two pans:

Coat a 9x13 (or so) glass baking pan with olive oil. Whatever fits in the oven. If you're using a metal baking pan, line it with parchment paper.
Cut largest tomatoes in quarters; more modest size tomatoes in half. Leave cherry tomatoes whole. You’ll need a good supply: a garden in fall is recommended. And Roma-type tomatoes are a good choice.
Place tomatoes, cut side up, in the baking pans.
Grind fifteen or twenty fresh cloves of garlic in a food processor. Spread relatively evenly over both pans.
Season fairly aggressively:
o       Salt & freshly ground pepper
o       Rosemary, basil, oregano
o       Experiment?
Drizzle more olive oil over the top.
Roast at 375, checking regularly, for approximately 2 hours.
    (Alternate: "Put the tomatoes in the oven and roast for several hours at 250º — at least 3 hours but up to 7 — depending on how big the tomatoes are and how soft and caramelized you like them. Roast until the tomatoes are collapsed and tender throughout and beginning to brown and caramelize nicely on the bottom")
Cool to room temperature.
Grind in food processor until consistency of hamburger.
Freeze in snap-top container.


This stuff is amazing. Frankly, we didn't freeze all of them: some, we cut up into scrambled eggs. It would be enough to top spaghetti with the chopped results and parmesan cheese. I’d love to mix this with Parmesan to top French bread.
Makes the kitchen smell wonderful.


Don't be surprised if much snitching happens. Perhaps this is to be encouraged.


08 July, 2014

Grilled Veggies

Cube your veggies. Mostly a little bigger than half inch cubes. Softer things get to be a little bigger.  

This requires some sort of veggie grill pan: amzn.to/1q1JEDq or http://amzn.to/1pYyouU

Note: I used to use an old street sign that I'd burned all the paint off of; it worked fairly well, but of course, it didn't drain well. I've also used a cast iron griddle or frying pan. Personal opinion: small drain holes are good. Side walls are a necessity. 

Put on the roots first: taters, sweet potatoes, turnips, beets, carrots, etc. 

When they're halfway done, add the garlic, onions, peppers, broccoli, zucchini, parsley, snow peas, cashews, etc. 
 
Experience will teach you how big to cut each piece. Hint: turnips should be cut into smaller chunks than sweet potatoes. 

 
Sometimes we add chorizo or tofu chunks with the soft veggies or cubed chicken breast, with the root veggies. 

 
Experiment. I'll bet you'll love it! Oh, and it's fine to serve it alongside a big flank steak.

30 March, 2014

Whole Wheat Oatmeal Pancakes

Ingredients:

  • ½ cup whole wheat flour
  • ¼ cup quick oats
  • ⅛ tsp salt
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 large egg
  • ¼ cup milk
  • 1 TBSP brown sugar
  • ¼ cup yogurt
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • ¼ cup add-ins like chocolate chips or fruit, optional

Directions:

Toss the flour, oats, salt, baking powder, and cinnamon together in a mixing bowl. Set aside.

Load the egg and milk into the blender. Pulse. Add the brown sugar, vanilla and yogurt and blend until no lumps remain.

Pour the wet ingredients in with dry. Stir gently until just combined. Do not over-mix the batter or your pancakes will be tough and dense. Add any mix-ins you like.

Heat a griddle or cast iron skillet over medium heat. Coat generously with cocoanut oil or butter.

Once hot, drop about 1/4 cup of batter on the griddle. Cook until the edges look dry and bubbles begin to form on the center or sides, about 1 minute. Flip and cook on the other side until cooked through, about 2 more minutes.

Makes 4 medium size pancakes.

16 March, 2014

Ugly Rice


The Gulf Coast states have their Dirty Rice. This is my Ugly Rice.



Ingredients:
1 tsp coconut oil

¼ pound Jimmy Dean sausage, cut to ¼” cubes.

¼ cup dried mushrooms

¼ cup dried vegetables.

2 TBSP red onion, chopped,

1 TBSP tomato paste

Heat coconut oil in cast iron frying pan. Cook sausage to “mostly done” stage. 

Add remaining ingredients, and mix well. 



Place mixture in rice cooker. Add:

3 slices bacon, cooked, cut into ¼” slices.

¾ cup rice blend mix

½ tsp roasted garlic powder.

¼ tsp red pepper powder

¼ tsp roasted paprika powdered

⅛ tsp curry powder

A little pepper may be nice. I used white pepper.

2 – 2½ cups water.



Yeah, it's really ugly. But it's really good. But this is not a "lite" or a diet meal. This is Guy Food.





14 March, 2014

TJ’s Curry Fried Chicken



Ingredients:
3 chicken breasts, cut into “chicken tenders” size.

Sauce:
3 cloves garlic
1 TBSP fresh ginger
2 TBSP sweet onion
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp ground cumin
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
2 tsp yellow curry powder
1½ TBSP tomato paste

Mix this together in a blender until it’s a paste. Add a little olive oil if needed to make this a medium thick sauce to coat chicken with. Sauté the sauce until it’s dark brown. TJ describes this as “almost burnt.” Set aside.

Fill a large (cast iron) fry pan half full of water, and heat to boiling. Add chicken and boil until the outside of the pieces is done, but the centers are still raw. Discard water.

Add sauce, and cook over medium heat until chicken is nearly done. Increase heat to maximum for the last few minutes just to dry the sauce and get it firmly soaked into the meat.


01 March, 2014

Bacon Cornmeal Flapjacks

The instructions are pretty simple:

1) Fry some bacon. Drain off some grease.

2) Make some cornbread batter (make it kind of thin).

3) Fry the flapjacks on the bacon.

4) Add syrup, and peanut butter if you like.

5) Enjoy. 







27 February, 2014

Harvest Crock Pot Roast

Ingredients:
½ beef roast, of any size and quality
½ onion, sliced thickly
½ large sweet potatoes or 1/2 large yam, peeled and cut in 1” chunks
¼ lb whole baby yellow squash, rinsed, with stems cut off (optional)
1 large granny smith apple (about a pound) cored and cut in large chunks.
¾ cup spicy apple cider 
   (¾ c apple cider, 1 TBSP orange juice, ⅛ tsp cinnamon, a pinch of nutmeg, ⅛ tsp orange zest, and a dash of lemon juice.)
⅛ cup apple cider vinegar
⅛ cup brown sugar
garam masala (an Indian spice blend)
kosher salt
roux, for gravy (optional)

Directions:

o        Place thick-sliced onions in bottom of slow cooker.
o        Trim any visible fat from roast. Sear the roast (while it was still frozen, if possible)
o        Rub the roast all over, on both sides, with garam masala and salt to taste. 
o        Place roast in slow cooker with yam or sweet potato, squash, and apples piled around it.
o        Mix together spicy cider, vinegar, and sugar.
o        Pour cider mixture over meat and vegetables, making sure all parts of the roast are covered by about the same amount of liquid, and no vegetables are dry.
o        This can be refrigerated overnight at this point. 
o        Cover and cook on “high” for 5 to 8 hours, or “low” 10 to 12 hours, until roast falls apart easily when tested with a serving spoon.
o        Drain the apple juice out before serving it. (Set the juice aside for cooking other yummy things.)
o        If you feel like it, make gravy from some of the liquids in a saucepan.

Comments
  • This is pretty darned good. 
  • Make the gravy! Oh my goodness, make the gravy!
  • This goes with lighter beer, not stouts or dark ales. 





25 February, 2014

Barrel-Aged Beer Ice Cream




Ingredients:
  • 4 egg yolks
  • ½ cup sugar
  • 1 cup barrel-aged beer
  • 1 cup heavy cream
Instructions:
In a medium bowl, quickly whisk the egg yolks and sugar until the mixture becomes a pale yellow. 
In a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat, bring the beer and cream to a simmer. Do not allow it to boil.
Slowly pour the beer mixture over the egg mixture, whisking constantly to temper the yolks. Return the mixture to the pan and cook over low heat, stirring frequently, until it thickens. Pour the mixture through a strainer into a mixing bowl set over ice and stir until cool. Freeze in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s directions.


23 February, 2014

Blood Orange Powder

Didn't get a picture of the process, but I finished a batch (5 trays) of blood oranges. Got 'em free from a produce stand two weeks ago, and have been dehydrating them since. They're very dry, which was the goal. Ground 'em all up. Made a cup & a half of powder. Not sure what to do with it.

Might be good, mixed with sugar, sprinkled on top of sweet breads. I think that it might make pretty good ice cream, but I have no idea how much to use. Might make some orange syrup, for pancakes or something. 

I'd kind of like to try an orange sauce for fish (a couple tablespoons of white wine, some melted butter, some orange powder, a little salt & pepper). And I have kind of an idea for an orange sauce for chicken (Current idea: 2½ TBSP white sugar, 1 tsp cornstarch, 1 tsp lemon juice, 1 tsp rice vinegar, ½ tsp soy sauce, 2 tsp orange powder, 1 tsp  cornstarch, ½ tsp flour, and a pinch of garlic powder and red pepper powder; cook gently, stirring, until thick.)

08 February, 2014

Waffle Browns



Apparently, cooking with a waffle iron is a “thing” now. Or so I am informed by my daughter the librarian. She & I worked this out in conversation last night.

Ingredients:

1 cup frozen hashbrown potatoes (feel free to use fresh)
½ cup frozen hashbrown sweet potatoes (or fresh)
⅓ cup sweet onion, sliced thin, cut into hashbrown size
3 strips bacon, cooked (not crispy), sliced to hashbrown size
1 TBSP bacon drippings
1 tsp dried oregano
1 TBSP olive oil
2 TBSP honey
½ tsp dried tarragon
Salt and pepper to taste
Butter

Fry the bacon: mostly done, but not crispy. Defrost frozen things. Mix potatoes, sweet potatoes, onion together gently. Add sliced bacon, bacon drippings, spices, oil & honey. Mix together gently.

Shape into a rough patty, and place 1 pat of butter on top.

Pre-heat waffle iron. Oil bottom plate. Place the patty (with butter on top) onto waffle iron; close & press down.

When cooked through, remove from waffle iron. Serve immediately. Top with shredded cheese, a fried egg and/or drizzle with honey if you like. 

Caution: Be sure to re-oil the waffle iron before every batch!
 

05 February, 2014

Making Lemon Powder

I wanted to make some spices for cooking fish. I wanted citrus. I can pour (or squirt) lemon juice on the fish, but it always washes the other spices off, and that's not wonderful.

So I sliced three lemons and a lime real thin, and dehydrated them. I gave an extra long time in the dehydrator, because I wanted to make a very dry powder.
I removed the rind from all the lemons and loaded them into the grinder. 
This is what the dehydrated segments look like. Kinda weird.
Ground into powder, it's not so weird. It's a very strong flavor.

I added one lime, but included the rind on that one for a little complexity to the flavor.

It's excellent on mahi mahi with dill and a little coconut oil. Definite winner.

26 January, 2014

Horchata



Ingredients
(Makes 6 cups)
1 cup uncooked white long-grain rice
5 cups water
½ cup milk
½ tablespoon vanilla extract
½ tablespoon ground cinnamon
⅓ cup white sugar (this might be a little much)

Directions
Pour the rice and water into the bowl of a blender; blend until the rice just begins to break up, a minute or two. Let rice and water stand at room temperature for a minimum of 3 hours; overnight in the fridge is even better.

Strain the rice water into a pitcher and discard the rice. Stir the milk, vanilla, cinnamon, and sugar into the rice water. Chill and stir before serving over ice.