Two Chemists in the Kitchen

Old Faithful

2011-09-25T19:47:00.003-07:00

We are revisiting favorites this week at our house. I made a batch of barbeque sauce yesterday that I'll be using for pulled pork tomorrow night. I'm excited already! And Darren and I just finished eating some lo mein. Later this week, we'll be eating semi-homemade pizzas on flatbreads from Trader Joe's. And Wednesday, we're having Darren's buffalo chicken tenders. He keeps vowing to post them, so maybe this time, they'll appear on here.

I hope you and yours have had a wonderful weekend, and I hope the week to come is great! Keep sharing food with friends and family. That's what it's all about!

And we're back!

2011-09-10T19:06:00.000-07:00

After moving and starting a new job, I am finally back. I hope I'll be able to keep up with the blog on a more regular basis, but Darren has been cooking some and hasn't been posting his kitchen adventures either. Today we made sangria, bean dip, and a giant cookie. Hopefully, we'll get around to posting those eventually, but today I'm posting a delicious lasagna primavera that I briefly mentioned in the first post on our blog.

I changed the recipe very little, using two 12 oz. packages of spinach, adding some fresh squash and zucchini from Darren's grandmother's garden, and omitting the peas. It is great, but it makes a lot. I think next time, I will make it in two 8x8 pans and freeze half for later. It is a little labor intensive, so it would be nice to enjoy it a second time without all of the work!

I started by slicing all of the vegetables, grating the mozzarella, and mixing up the ricotta mixture.

Then I started working on the sauce by cooking a little garlic in some olive oil. I cheat and use that stuff in the jar that's already chopped.

Then I add the flour, whisk in the milk, and cook the sauce until thick.

Once the sauce is thick and bubbly, I remove it from the heat and stir in the veggies.

Then I prepare my pan with some non-stick spray and start with a thin layer of sauce.

Then I build up the layers with noodles, sauce, noodles, cheeses, noodles, sauce, noodles, cheeses. Mmmmm... it looks good already!

Then I baked it according to the directions and had a feast! It is actually better on the second or third day, so I will definitely see what freezing adds to the mix next time I make it. Eat up!

Moving and Recipe Variation

2011-07-10T09:33:00.001-07:00

Moving really takes it out of me, or moving in the desert heat does. We are so excited about getting settled in our new apartment, but all of the moving and unpacking have not left much time for cooking and blogging. Hopefully, that will change really soon.

My goal is to put up one new food post or recipe each week after we get fully settled into our new apartment. I might also start adding some other things, too. We'll see how it all goes.

Anyway, I just wanted to let any faithful readers out there know that we will be coming back soon. I'm looking forward to taking pictures that include our new dishes and glasses, and using some of our new kitchen gadgets.

One quick variation of a previously posted recipe. Tonight, we made buffalo chicken pockets. Instead of bell peppers and onions, as in the chicken philly pockets, we left out the bell peppers, onions, and spices, and made buffalo pockets with spinach and Frank's Red Hot. I thawed and drained a 12 oz. package of frozen chopped spinach and added it after the chicken was cooked through. Once the spinach was warmed, I added the block of cream cheese and some Frank's to taste, probably 1/4 - 1/3 c. for our taste. Then we filled the pockets and baked them. Delicious!

I hope everyone is enjoying summer!

Peanut Butter Banana Pudding

2011-06-23T12:48:00.000-07:00

The other day, I got seven boxes of Girl Scout cookies in the mail (Thanks, Katie!!). Then Darren's friend Chris came over and brought two more boxes. I don't know how familiar most people are with GS cookies, but there are two authorized bakers that I know about: Little Brownie Bakers and ABC. Depending on where you live, your cookies might be slightly different. Everyone knows classics like Thin Mints, but what about Golden Yangles. Those were actually little cheese crackers (like Cheez-Its or Goldfish) that used to be sold with the cookies. I don't think they exist any more. And Chalet Cremes? I love those, and they have an image of the Swiss Chalet on every cookie. The Chalet is one of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS) four world centers. One day, I'd like to see them all. And did you know that Girl Scouts originally baked and sold their own cookies. There is old literature with recipes and information about how much to charge based on the cost of flour and such.

I have a HUGE soft spot for Girl Scouts. I loved being a Girl Scout, and especially loved the summers I spent at Camp Wahi, which used to be the Middle Mississippi Girl Scout camp, but Middle Miss is now Girl Scouts of Greater Mississippi. Thanks to FB, a bunch of my old camp friends and I have been reminiscing lately. I could probably spend days talking about it. I also got to go to a national scouting event, Together We Stand II, in Nashville, Tennessee back in 1993, and on a WiderOp (now called a Destination, I believe), Canoe Country Rendezvous hosted by Northern Lakes Canoe Base, to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in 1994. We even got to go into the Quetico Provincial Park on the Canadian side of the lakes. Those were the days. But back to the cookies...

We had been talking about making banana pudding, and I thought it would be a great way to use up some of the cookies, so we bought some bananas and got a little creative. Banana pudding is a good Southern dessert. In my opinion, it's right up there with caramel cake, peach cobbler, and pecan pie. My grandmother, my dad's mother that we called Bubber, used to make banana pudding when I was a kid. The thing I remember most was that she would let me eat the meringue off the top. I loved it more than the pudding. I was young when she died (3rd grade), but I always think of her when I make banana pudding. I wish I knew her recipes. She was an amazing cook. Still, I think she'd be proud of my kitchen talents.

For this banana pudding, we added a peanut butter twist by using Do-Si-Dos (Peanut Butter Sanwiches or Savannahs in some markets). First I buttered a big pyrex bowl (it turned out to be too big, but that's okay).

Line the bottom of the bowl with Do-Si-Dos that have been split into halves. Place them PB side up. Don't worry if all of the PB sticks to one side; just spread those out. We actually used one sleeve of Do-Si-Dos and one of Peanut Butter Sandwiches, because the boxes were from different places, and we had eaten some of each doing taste tests.

Then slice up a couple of bananas and layer those alternating until you run out of cookies, bananas, or room in your bowl. About 12 oz. of cookies and 2-3 bananas will make enough for one batch of pudding.

Now it's time to make the pudding. You'll need eggs, milk, brown and white sugar, vanilla, and corn starch or flour. Start by separating four eggs.

Then put the yolks in a heavy sauce pan and whisk them up before adding the sugars. And then whisk around the sugars.

Measure the cornstarch, add some milk and mix it up really well, and then fill it up to two cups. Add the milk a little at a time while heating over medium-low heat. Stir the pudding frequently to prevent scorching the milk or having lumpy pudding.

Once the pudding starts to boil, it only needs a couple of minutes to thicken. Then remove it from the heat, whisk in some vanilla, and pour the hot pudding over the cookie-banana layers.

Feel free to lick the spatula when you're done.

Then use the egg whites to make some meringue. Beat them until peaks begin to form, add a little cream of tartar, and some sugar and continue beating until stiff peaks form.

Then spread the meringue over the top of the pudding, making sure to seal the edges to the bowl. Then bake for about 10 minutes to brown the meringue.

Only lick the spatula if no one is watching, and you aren't afraid of salmonella.

Let the pudding cool for a while and then dig in!

Since we still had lots of bananas and Girl Scout cookies, I also make some small puddings for Darren to take to work using Trefoils and Shout-Outs. He says the pudding with Shout-Outs is delicious!

Baked Beans

2011-06-18T17:56:00.002-07:00

I have wanted to make baked beans from scratch for a while now. I finally got around to it last week. I more or less followed Alton Brown's Once and Future Bean Recipe. He is one of my favorites on the Food Network and has yet to steer me wrong with any of his recipes that I have tried.

Darren has been raving about these beans all week, and I remembered to take a lot of pictures, so I'm putting them up here. I started with a bag of dried navy beans. I soaked them in a plastic container with enough water to cover them by about an inch. These ended up soaking for about 32 hours, but they need a good 24 hours to soak. I advise checking them once or twice to make sure there is enough water.

After the beans have soaked overnight, drain the beans and reserve the cooking liquid.

For these beans, I used about 1/4 lb. of thick cut pepper bacon, 1/2 lb. of smoked sausage, and some of the leftover pulled pork, which I added much later. Chop the bacon (and other meats, if using).

Begin cooking the meats in a skillet over medium heat to render the fat.

While the meats are cooking, chop the onion and jalapenos. Remove the membrane and seeds from the jalapenos if you like things milder. I left it all in. I advise wearing gloves to chop jalapenos. I once got capsaicin in my eye, and it was not fun at all. I chopped these on the butcher paper from the bacon so I wouldn't have to wash a cutting board.

Once the fat is rendered from the pork, add the onion and jalapenos to the skillet.

Stir this occasionally, and cook it for about 5 minutes, until the bacon is done and the onion is translucent. While these things are cooking, add about 1 c. of the soak water to the crockpot. Also add some brown sugar, molasses, and tomato paste.

Stir this up and then add the salt, pepper, and cayenne.

Then stir the spices around and add the beans.

Stir the beans around, add enough soaking liquid to cover the beans by about an inch, and stir them around again.

The onion should be done by about this time, so layer the meat-onion-jalapeno mixture on top of the beans.

Cook this on high for an hour or two, and then stir in the meat, lower the heat to low, and cook 4-6 hours until the beans are tender. Check them once or twice, and add some liquid, if needed. I ended up adding a small can of chicken brother part way through cooking. I also added some of the leftover pulled pork a couple of hours before the beans were done.

I served these beans with some corn muffins, and Darren went crazy for them.

I will definitely be making these again. They were sweet, spicy, and DELICIOUS! They are probably a bit spicy for kids, so if you're cooking for the young'uns, I would definitely advise removing the seeds and membrane from the peppers, and I would probably even suggest using only one pepper (or possibly replacing the jalapeno with bell pepper or Anaheim pepper).

In the Kitchen

2011-06-14T08:31:00.000-07:00

How would you like to see this when you look up in your kitchen?

Yep, that's a scorpion trapped in the kitchen light fixture. It was alive when I first noticed it last week, and kept creeping around inside the fixture. It was quite disturbing to look up and see that thing walking above my head at first, but then I realized the kitchen light is sealed. I named him Scorpulon. I thought he might eat the other bugs that are trapped in there, but it turns out scorpions only like fresh kills. Scorpulon is now deceased, but he is still stuck inside the light fixture.

More Barbeque! Now with Homemade Sauce!

2011-06-13T20:07:00.001-07:00

In case you're new around these parts, I'll let you in on a little secret: I am a barbeque lover and I firmly believe that barbeque is made of pigs! I love P O R K! I have also been working on my barbecue skills for a while now. You can check out my dry rub over here.

Darren and I started making our own barbeque sauce a few months ago. We started with this cola-based sauce and even tried it with root beer. It was pretty good, but there was something missing in my opinion, so we added a little cayenne and some liquid smoke. Those things improved the sauce, but it was still lacking, in my opinion. I couldn't put my finger on it, but I considered fruit juices, since fruits are used in lots of marinades for meat.

I read the back of a few bottles of commercial sauces, and many of those have juices or concentrates in them. I also thought about a soul food place in Fulton, Missouri, that I went to once with a friend from grad school. I don't remember the name of that place, and have no idea if it even exists anymore, but the owner was also the chef, and he made his barbeque sauce from scratch. I remember that it had little bits of pineapple floating around in it, and I started looking around the web for sauces with pineapple. I found this one, and used it and the cola sauce as a guide to develop my sauce. I made this sauce to go with some crockpot pulled pork, which is an easy way to make pork without heating up the kitchen during the summer. I could also use it on my ribs, but I'm going with pork sandwiches this week.

Pork was on sale at Fry's this week, so by the time I went to the grocery store on Sunday afternoon, all of the pork loins and small roasts were gone. I bought a ~7.5 lb. pork butt for two people. I cut it into three 2-3 lb. portions and froze the other two. We'll be eating high on the hog for a while yet. [Side Note: One of Darren's college roommates wouldn't eat pork butt, because he said he wouldn't eat butt. Pork butt is from the high shoulder of the pig. Ham is actually much closer to the butt.]

Using my trusty mandoline, I sliced up some onion and lined the crockpot with it.

It is not easy to take pictures of white onions on a white cutting board or counter.

I rinsed the pork butt, patted it dry, and trimmed some of the fat. I left a thin layer of fat to help it cook without drying out. I seasoned the pork butt with salt, pepper, cayenne, red pepper, and brown sugar, laid it on top of the bed of onions fat side up, and poured some pineapple juice over it. Then I set the crockpot to high and went to make my barbeque sauce.

I used some of the left over onion slices for the sauce. I minced up about three slices or so. I also made a garlic paste with about 1 heaping tablespoon of garlic and some salt.

Then I melted some butter in a sauce pan over medium-low heat and added the onion and garlic.

I cooked those for five minutes or so until they were soft and fragrant. Then I added some cola and increased the heat to medium.

I let this cook for a while until most of the carbon dioxide had escaped, and it stopped hissing at me. Beware of too high heat at this step. With all of the escaping gas, it is very easy for this to boil over.

Once the carbon dioxide escaped, I added the ketchup, pineapple juice, and cider vinegar.

Then I let this mixture come to a rolling boil and boiled it for ten minutes. Then I added the sweet stuff (and the savory)! I poured in some brown sugar, molasses, liquid smoke, and Worcestershire and stirred that around to dissolve the sugar.

Now it's time for some kick! I added hot sauce, black pepper, salt, and cayenne.

After stirring the sauce around and making sure everything was mixed and letting it boil for another couple of minutes, I removed it from the heat and added the juice of half of a lime.

Then I tasted it, decided it needed a little more heat and added an extra tablespoon of hot sauce and a couple of dashes of liquid smoke. When I tasted it again, I could feel a nice, mild burn at the back of my throat. I pronounced this sauce done and let it cool. Then I poured some into a Mason jar and put that aside in the refrigerator, and I put the rest in a tupperware to use with the pulled pork that was cooking away in the crockpot. My kitchen smelled like HEAVEN!

Look at that delicious, sticky brown barbeque sauce! As I've said before, I encourage you to take my recipe and tailor it to your taste. I think this is the best sauce I've ever made, but I might continue to tweak it in the future. The cola sauce that I started with doesn't have onion. I definitely think that is part of the lack in that sauce, but it isn't deep or layered, in my opinion. I think I've developed a nice sauce with some sweet, some heat, and a little complexity.

After a few hours, it was back to the pork. I removed the pork from the crockpot. It was falling apart, so I knew it would be good. I poured the liquid from the crockpot through a collander to reserve the onions. Then, I picked out the bones, scraped away as much fat as possible, and shredded the pork in the crockpot. I also put the onions back in the crockpot.

I added sauce to the meat and set the crockpot to warm.

I forgot to take pictures of the finished sandwiches, but they were delicious!

Quick Marinade for Chicken

2011-06-08T09:58:00.003-07:00

I have been apartment hunting, and I spent most of yesterday out and about looking for a new place to live. I only had a limited amount of time to whip up a quick dinner, and I planned to make broccoli casserole and grilled chicken. Due to my time crunch, I didn't take pictures, but the chicken turned out really well, so I'll share it here.

juice of 1 lemon

1 t. pepper

a pinch of salt

dash of cayenne

1 T. oil (olive or vegetable)

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Add first 5 ingredients to a quart ziplock bag, and mix to dissolve salt and disperse oil and spices through lemon juice. Add the chicken breasts and shake to coat. Squeeze as much air as possible out of the bag, and pound the chicken breasts with a meat mallet to an even thickness. The pounding really helps the flavors penetrate the chicken quickly, and the even thickness helps it cook evenly. Cook ~5-6 minutes per side on a grill preheated to medium.

You can make this as mild or spicy as desired. Lime and chipotle could easily be used for a Mexican spin for use in tacos or taco salad. Reduce lemon by half and add soy sauce for an Asian-inspired marinade. I think this chicken would be a great addition to a spinach salad or Caesar salad. I think we'll be eating a lot of chicken this summer.

Grayce's Bulkogi

2011-06-08T09:51:00.001-07:00

I don't know if it's "bulkogi" or "bulgogi", but no matter how you spell it, this stuff is delicious! There are probably as many versions of this stuff as there are people who cook it. This particular recipe comes from Darren's Japanese grandmother, Ba-Chan. The recipe is actually Korean, and Ba-Chan once mentioned that a Korean woman told her she was making it all wrong. Regardless, it is a great Asian-y marinade for beef. We've also used it for chicken or pork with equally delicious results.

I first had this dish four years ago when I went on vacation with Darren and his family to Donner Lake. It's a beautiful part of California. It was my first meeting with most of Darren's family. They've been going for as long as Darren can remember. The bulkogi was great, and Darren's Ba-Chan is an excellent cook.

The marinade has soy sauce, sesame oil, rice vinegar, and some other stuff. The recipe calls for green onions, but I didn't have any, so I left them out. You can also spice it up a bit with some Sriracha. I would have done it, if I had remembered. I did it last time...

Mix all of the ingredients in a gallon ziplock plastic bag and squish it around to dissolve the sugar and distribute the garlic, ginger, and sesame seeds (I did a terrible job of documenting this, and forgot to take a picture until it was all put together). Then add the meat of your choice and marinate overnight in the refrigerator.

I suggest turning it over a few times during the marinating process.

On a side note, a lot of bulkogi recipes call for thinly sliced meat. I have eaten it that way and marinated the meat that way, too, but this is Ba-Chan's recipe, and I am going to follow it. She marinates slabs of meat. The meat can be grilled, broiled, or stir fried to desired doneness. I have had it both grilled and broiled by Darren's grandparents. Today we are going to grill it and serve it with rice.

I heated the grill to medium high and cooked the bulkogi for 3 minutes per side.

I let the meat rest for 10 minutes after cooking and then sliced it thin and served it with rice.

I have vowed to make this again soon and use a variation that is a little more traditional Korean - thinly slicing the meat before marinating, and maybe even add a little fruit juice. I'll keep you posted.

Memorial Day Food

2011-05-31T10:50:00.000-07:00

I have a soft spot for the Navy, because my dad was a Sailor, and one of my oldest friends (and the MOH at my wedding) and her husband are also Sailors, and I am grateful to all of our men and women of the military. I took a few moments yesterday on Memorial Day to remember them, as well as the fallen men and women who have made is possible for me to have three day weekends with friends and family!

I spent yesterday with my husband and friends playing Mystery Express, Ticket to Ride, and Puerto Rico and eating Pioneer Woman's big fat bacon sliders and a (slightly) modified version of her bacon-wrapped jalapeno thingies. We also had chips, rotel, guacamole, mimosa fruit salad, and Ben & Jerry's ice cream, thanks to Mai-Li.

Darren helped me put together the sliders on Sunday evening. We were expecting people to come over around 2:00 pm, and I wanted to make sure we had plenty of prep time so we would have plenty of time to play games with our guests. I read PW's recipe last week and decided that they would make the perfect Memorial Day burgers. For once, I more or less followed the recipe. I started with 4 pounds of ground beef and added some pepper and season salt and mixed it all together.

Then I rolled the meat into 24 balls.

I sliced up two fresh jalapenos to tuck under the bacon jackets of six of the burgers. All of the burgers were wrapped in a piece of bacon, cut in half.

Wrap 1/2 slice of bacon around the burger, joining the ends on the bottom, and then wrap a second 1/2 slice at 90 degrees to the first slice. Place the burgers on a broiler pan. Line the bottom with foil for easy cleanup!

Continue wrapping in bacon until all of the burgers are done.

I put toothpicks to mark the ones with jalapenos. I put these in the refrigerator until about 20 minutes prior to cooking on Monday.

Before cooking, I brushed the burgers with barbecue sauce. I forgot to take a picture of this step, and then cooked them at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes. They looked delicious when they came out of the oven, and we served them on dinner rolls.

I did a terrible job of documenting the process of making the stuffed jalapenos, but I took pictures of the finished product.

Seeded jalapeno halves are filled with cheesy delicious filling and wrapped in bacon secured with a toothpick.The filling is an 8 oz. box of cream cheese softened and mixed with 4 oz. of shredded jack cheese. I made some without bacon for those crazy people who don't love pigs. They are cooked for 20-30 minutes at 375 degrees Fahrenheit. YUM!

I hope you had a great Memorial Day with family and friends, and I hope you took a moment to remember our fallen.

Pork Chops with Mashed Potatoes (and Potato Pancakes from the Leftovers)

2011-05-28T10:38:00.006-07:00

I love pigs. I know I am getting repetitive, but I cannot escape my love of pigs. Fortunately, Darren loves them, too. If only I could get him to say "y'all" and "fixin' to", I might convert him to a Southerner. I know I've got a hold on his taste buds...

Pork chops are one of my favorite pig parts. I love them fried, grilled, baked, cooked in mushroom sauce, and on biscuits. Darren likes pork chops, too, and he especially likes them fried, so I decided to make him some. They were delicious!

I began the meal by cutting up a bunch of new potatoes into pieces and putting a big pot of salted water on to boil.

I start the pork chops by making my flour mixture. I mix some flour with salt, pepper, cayenne, and paprika. I mix them in a plastic bag for easy cleanup. I also add pepper and cayenne to my milk wash.

Then I mixed the spices into the flour by shaking the bag and gave the milk wash a whisk. This time I used boneless pork chops this time, but bone-in will work, too.

Dredge the chops in the flour, then coat with milk, and then back into the flour. Set them aside on a plate.

Darren found these cute plates in the dollar bin at Michael's.

Heat up about 1" of oil in a heavy skillet. I have a "chicken fryer" packed in a box somewhere, so I'm just using a regular skillet for this one. Apparently I got distracted and forgot to take pictures of the cooking steps.

I cooked the chops over medium heat for about 6 minutes per side. The day I cooked these, I heard on the news that the USDA now recommends cooking pork to an internal temperature of 145 degrees Fahrenheit, due to improved handling, transport, storage, etc. That means a little pink in your pork is okay! I didn't actually use my meat thermometer on these, but I did cook them for about 6 minutes per side until they were golden brown, and I drained them on paper towels.

While I was finishing up the pork, Darren was working on the mashed potatoes. We boiled them until they were fork tender. I think it was about 10 minutes... Then drained them well and put them in a bowl to mash.

To the potatoes, we added about 3 or 4 tablespoons of butter and 1 cup of sour cream. This is a lot of potatoes, because I made extras to try out potato pancakes another night. I'll get to those next. Serve the pork chops with the mashed potatoes (and a green vegetable if you are being healthy).

Thanks to Darren for this last picture.

Then a night or two later, I decided to try my hand at potato pancakes. I had never made them before, although I think my mom used to make them when I was a kid. I looked up some recipes online and then combined the things I liked with what I actually had on hand in the kitchen.

First, I beat two eggs in a mixing bowl.

Then I added the left over mashed potatoes and mixed them with the eggs.

Then I added 1 cup of grated cheese and some extra pepper and cayenne. And mixed all of that together. It seemed a little thin to me, so I also added about 1/4 cup of flour. Then I formed potato patties that were about 4-5 inches across.

Then I fried them over medium heat in a skillet with the bottom just covered with oil and added more oil as needed between batches.

Cook until golden brown on both sides. These were served with a salad, as they were just an experiment. I might plan on making extra mashed potatoes in the future to make these again.

Let us know if you try any of these recipes.

I'm having some problems with the printables, but I'll get those up later today, I hope.

UPDATE: Links to printable recipes for pork chops and potato pancakes are now working. Enjoy!

Chicken Fajita Burritos

2011-05-27T15:45:00.000-07:00

Darren grew up in the Southwest, so eating food wrapped in a tortilla is for him like eating lima beans cooked with pork is for me. His mom always says you can wrap anything in a tortilla, so today I'm sharing my recipe for fajitas.

I have been working on my fajita recipe since my grandmother gave me a stove-top grill for my first apartment in 1997. I don't think I ever cooked anything for her before she passed away several years ago. That's a shame, but I have put that little stove top grill to good use. I like to think she'd be pleased. She made a delicious apple cake with caramel icing. Maybe one of these days, I'll get around to sharing it on here.

Since I've been making fajitas for nearly 15 years, I'd say I've got a pretty good handle on them at this point. At least, I make fajitas that Darren and I both like. His mom likes them, too. I don't eat tomatoes, but if you like them, feel free to add them to the recipe.

I used to make my fajitas on a stove-top grill, but lately, I've been using a griddle. I like the higher sides of the griddle, as I tend to make a mess when I cook. I like to make my spice mixture first. I mix salt, pepper, chili powder, and several kinds of ground chilies in a gallon ziplock bag with a bit of vegetable oil. I actually do this twice, because I like to marinate my meat and vegetable separately. I have no explanation for this.

Then I chop up some bell peppers and onions and slice some chicken (or beef, but usually chicken).

I add the veggies to one bag and the meat to the other, and let them stand for at least 20 minutes.

I start the veggies on the griddle over medium heat and cook them until the onions start to become transparent and the peppers begin to brown. I stir them often.

Then I push them to one end of the griddle and add the meat.

Once the meat has browned on both sides, I mix it with the veggies.

I always look for the largest slice of chicken and cut into it to make sure it is done. Then I serve up the fajitas on flour tortillas. For this particular meal, we used giant burrito-sized tortillas because we already had them on hand.

Add refried beans, guacamole, sour cream, salsa, cheese, and whatever toppings you'd like.

Then roll it up and dig in! Darren's burrito would barely close, but that's okay!

Darren likes to pile everything in his burrito, and I like my guacamole on the side, because I like the cold guacamole to contrast with the hot burrito. Eat them however you see fit.

Enjoy!

Rib Rub

2011-05-17T20:40:00.001-07:00

I'm Southern, and we love our pigs. In fact, there's a little joke about it:

Q: What parts of the pig are edible?
A: Everything but the squeal!

We even have a grocery store chain named after pigs, and I am the proud owner of two Piggly Wiggly T-shirts. Some people even believe that bacon is a vegetable. Well, not really, but add a little bacon/salt pork/fat back to your next pot of beans, greens, or cabbage, and you're well on the way to some tasty vittles. Also, real barbecue is made of pigs. I'm sure to get some flak for that one, but it is fact. Beef doesn't have the same fall-apart-goodness that pork has. FACT.

About a year ago, Darren decided that he wanted some ribs, and as a die-hard Southern (who happens to have lived in several regions of the country at this point), I assure you that you cannot get good Southern barbecue in Southern California. In the two years we lived there, we tried chains and local places, including Jay Bee's, a joint that was featured on Guy Fieri's Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives. Don't get me wrong, Jay Bee's sauce tasted really good, but the meat didn't have that fall-apart-goodness that I was craving. The closest we found was at the Mississippi Picnic in LA, which is an annual event that occurs in September, so we decided we would have to make our own. I had never cooked ribs before, so I looked to the internet for some guidance.

The original recipe I started with was courtesy of Jamie and Bobby Deen, Paula Deen's boys. I thought they couldn't steer me wrong because I trusted in their Southernness, but I thought their rub had entirely too much cumin and not enough heat or depth. I have come to the conclusion that BBQ is a deeply personal thing. One day, I hope to ask Lewis Grizzard about it in heaven. He knows that it's a sin to serve sorry barbecue.

Over the last year, I have combined bits and pieces of many other people's rub recipes and come up with something that Darren and I both enjoy, and a cooking method that makes the ribs super tender. The primary secret to making good BBQ is low and slow. If you need some elaboration on that, cook your BBQ very slowly at a low temperature.

I will share my recipe with you, but I urge you, with all of my BBQ-loving heart, to take it and make it your own. And to share the fruits of your labor with family and friends. That's what BBQ (and food in general) is all about to Southerners, food brings families together.

My rub has brown sugar, salt, pepper, chili powders, cayenne, lemon zest, and some other stuff. Gather up all of your ingredients, a set of measuring spoons, and a 1/3 c. measuring cup.

I like to mix all of my ingredients in a plastic bag so I can knead it to evenly mix the spices.

Then I shake, mash, pinch, knead, etc. to mix everything together. Make sure you break up any clumps of brown sugar or lemon zest.

I think this could be stored in the refrigerator for a week or two, but I always use it the day I make it. For ribs, I normally use baby backs, because that is what is easy to find in our local store, but today, I am using spare ribs.

I rinse the ribs in cold water, remove the membrane from the back side, and trim away any big chunks of fat. Then I pat them dry with paper towels.

Next I score the meat and sprinkle on some liquid smoke, from a couple of teaspoons to a couple of tablespoons, depending on the size of the ribs.

This slab of ribs was gigantic, so I also cut it into two pieces. And laid each piece on a double thickness of heavy duty aluminum foil.

Then I put a handful of rub on each piece and smeared it around, adding more as necessary.

It already smells really good! I also put some rub on the backsides, because I had plenty to use. Then I wrapped them up in their foil packets and placed each on a foil lined baking sheet. Let them stand for 2 hours or more before cooking. If they will be standing for more than 2 hours, place them in the refrigerator.

I tend to err on the side of caution with foil when making ribs, because the sticky, gooey rub is not easy to clean up, especially not once it mixes with the meat juices and fat. Save yourself some time and energy, and cover the baking sheets with foil. The packets almost always end up leaking.

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the ribs in the oven and set the timer for 5 or 6 hours depending on the size/thickness of the ribs. I suggest 6 hours for a large slab like this. At this point, open a packet and check the temperature with a meat thermometer. It should read around 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Put them back for additional time, if needed.

If the ribs are done, open the packets and fold back the foil, and put the ribs back in the oven for 20-30 minutes. This will help them form a nice crust on the outside.

Remove the ribs from the oven, and let them stand about 10 minutes before cutting into portions and serving.

Now go make some barbecue, and bring your family and friends together.

Also, if you are traveling through the South/Midwest, here are some BBQ places that I am either a fan of or would like to try and become a fan of: Country's BBQ in AL, Little Dooey in MS, Ubon's in MS, Pappy's Smokehouse in MO, Sprayberry's in GA, The Rendezvous in TN, and Leatha's in MS. According to Lewis Grizzard, when you walk into a BBQ joint, the more the people look alike, the better the BBQ will be. I'd hazard that family tradition just might have something to do with good food. ;)

I'm sure there are dozens of other places, especially those that are of the hole-in-the-wall variety that have mastered the art of BBQ. Let me know if you have a suggestion of where to get the best BBQ in your area. Maybe one day, I'll go on a pig tour.

Many Layer Cake

2011-05-16T10:17:00.001-07:00

I started reading Bakerella's blog a few years ago, and have long wanted to try out the fourteen layer cake. I bake brownies and cookies every few weeks, but for some reason, cakes are special. I feel like I need an excuse to bake a cake. A couple of years ago, I made this chocolate peanut butter cake from Smitten Kitchen for Darren's friend Kyle's birthday.

It was a delicious cake, and sometime I might bake it again, but I always want new adventures. So for my sister-in-law's birthday, I made the multilayer cake.

It is a really moist vanilla cake with chocolate icing. Bakerella used two kinds of chocolate icing, so I did, too, but in the future, I might make a change.

Prepare 12 9 in. disposable cake pans by buttering the pans, lining them with parchment, buttering the parchment, and flouring the pans.

Mix the sifted, dry ingredients, and set those aside. Begin mixing the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, and also scrape up the stuff from the bottom.

Add the eggs one at a time, mixing and scraping and all that.

Add the flour at low speed in three additions, separated by additions of the milk. Remember to scrape, scrape, scrape the sides/bottom of the bowl.

Then add the vanilla, and make sure that everything is sufficiently mixed. I preheated the oven at this point, because I knew it would take me a while to portion out the batter. I used a 1/2 cup measuring cup to put ~1 cup of batter into each pan.

Then I spread it out all nice and thin and dropped the pans to try to remove air bubbles.

Then I got all my layers ready for baking.

I was able to bake them in groups of three for 12-14 minutes per batch. I had a few problems with air bubbles - one layer didn't make it into the cake because it was riddled with giant holes. Layers were cooled for 5 minutes in the pans and then turned out onto racks to cool completely.

Once the layers were cooled, I stacked them on a wax-paper-lined plate, separated with sheets of waxed paper.

Then it was time to make the glaze (thin icing) by mixing the butter, sugar, cocoa, and evaporated milk in a pot and bringing that mixture to a boil. Then I reduced the heat and boiled for about 5 more minutes until the mixture was slightly thickened.

Then I added the vanilla,

mixed it around, and ultimately moved it into a bowl to cool. Then I started frosting the cake, layer by layer.

It was at approximately this point that I knocked my camera off the counter, shattering the LCD screen. Fortunately, the lens still works, so I can take pictures using the viewfinder, but the only thing I know how to do without using the menus is turn the flash from "auto" to "off". It was also at this point that I pitched a major fit because I broke my camera. I think I have an unnatural attachment to my electronic devices. I actually cried a bit. =(

However, the show must go on, so I continued icing the cake and taking pictures through the view finder. If any look too bright, I apologize, but now I can't check the picture quality on that convenient little LCD screen.

Icing continued until the top layer was on, and the drips were dripping away like crazy!

Then I mixed up the other frosting suggested by Bakerella. I didn't have any dark chocolate cocoa, so I compensated with 2/3 c. of dark chocolate chips that Darren melted for me in the microwave. =)

Due to the broken LCD screen, I didn't do so well at documenting this part. I made the frosting, and put it in the refrigerator while the drips continued, and Darren and I went to the Fox and Hound for drinks and appetizers with his sister and sundry friends to celebrate her birthday.

When we got home, it appeared as though most of the drips had stopped, so I iced the cake with the cream cheese based icing. Then I put it on the cake stand that we got as a wedding gift and went to bed. Darren's sister and her husband came over on Sunday, and we cut into the cake.

Sorry for my shoddy work with the viewfinder, but the cake was great! I think that if I make this cake again, I will not pour the liquid-y glaze over the top layer, but instead beat a cup or two of powdered sugar into the remaining glaze and use that to ice the cake.

Also, I plan to use the cake part as a base for my grandmother's caramel icing. I will let you know how that turns out at some point in the future. Happy baking!

Chicken Salad

2011-05-16T09:02:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, Darren and I went to Los Angeles and had a fun weekend catching up with friends. I got to attend the Mother-Daughter-Friend Luncheon at the Monrovian with my sisters in Beta Sigma Phi. I'm pretty sure everyone had a great time. I know I did. It was lovely as usual, with a raffle and fun door prizes for everyone in attendance.

The lunch was a lot of fun, and the food was really good this year - turkey salad sandwiches on croissants with a green salad. I don't usually like salad spreads, because they are made with mayonnaise. I know I claim to be Southern, but I'm not a fan of mayonnaise (Please don't tell anyone, or they might revoke my membership).

I actually like the salad and tried to determine the ingredients. I came up with a pretty close approximation, and it certainly pleased my taste buds, and not a drop of mayonnaise in sight! I used Greek yogurt to get the creamy texture, and I was quite pleased with the results.

I used chopped, cooked chicken (because I didn't have any turkey around), cashews, craisins, and water chestnuts.

Chop about 2 cups of chicken. I used part of a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store.

Add about 1/2 cup of chopped water chestnuts. I used about 7 whole water chestnuts.

Add 1/2 cup each of craisins and chopped cashews. Mix in 1/2 cup of Greek yogurt, and season to taste with salt, pepper, and paprika. Stir everything together and let the flavors mix for a bit. I served my sandwich on some French bread that was left over from another meal.

I thought it was a great first try, and I will definitely be making this again. Try it out for yourself.

Salad Dressing

2011-05-05T21:26:00.000-07:00

Just a quick post. I made salad dressing this week that Darren and I have both enjoyed.

2 c. Greek yogurt
5 T. vinegar
1/3-1/2 c. sugar
pinch of salt
fresh ground pepper to taste

Mix the yogurt, vinegar, and 1/4 cup of sugar in a jar and shake well. Taste and add additional sugar as desired. Add a pinch of salt and pepper to taste.

We have eaten it with broccoli salad, which was good. We have also eaten it with romaine, diced avocado, and a little bit of cheese, which was great! Enjoy!

Hash Browns from Scratch

2011-04-30T11:51:00.000-07:00

I tend to make most of my baked goods from scratch. It's weird because people always seem impressed by this, but I think it's nearly as easy, usually less expensive, and much, much tastier to make things from scratch than to make them from a boxed mix. However, I usually use frozen shredded or chopped potatoes for hash browns. Not so today! I got out the mandoline and shredded a few potatoes.

My mandoline was a gift from Darren's stepfather. He got one for me and one for Darren's mom. I LOVE it and use it often (THANKS!), while Darren's mom is not a fan of hers. Any one out there got an opinion on a mandoline? My mandoline has a permanent diagonal blade and a rotating part that switches among thick slices, thin slices, large julienne, and small julienne. I used the small julienne setting for these hash browns.

The internet tells me that the secret to crispy hash browns is dry potatoes. Different sites suggest different methods, so I am going to go with my instincts and a combination of how my mom makes homemade french fries.

Prepare a bowl with cool water and a generous pinch of salt. Julienne the potatoes and put the slivers in the water to soak for 10-15 minutes.

Drain the potatoes through a fine colander, shaking out as much water as possible. Place the potato shreds on a kitchen towel (I am using my spinach towel), and fold/wrap/bundle them inside. Wring or press out as much water as possible.

Fold the towel a different way, and wring out some more water. Now you're ready to cook those hashbrowns.

Preheat the griddle to medium heat and coat it with a thin layer of oil. Just use a large skillet, if you don't have a griddle.

Add the potatoes in a layer. I tried making little bunches like they do at Waffle House, but I failed miserably.

Cook the potatoes for 4-5 minutes until beginning to brown and then flip. Season with salt, pepper, and desired spices. I used salt, pepper, paprika, and crushed red pepper. Repeat this process 3-5 times until the potato shreds and all done and a fair amount are nicely browned.

If desired, sprinkle cheese on top and allow to melt.

Serve alone or with sausage, eggs, and biscuits. Yum yum, gimme some!

If you try these hash browns, leave a comment and let us know how they turn out.

Update

2011-04-28T12:25:00.002-07:00

I have attempted to go back to older posts and add a link to a printable copy of the recipe. If you come across one and there doesn't appear to be a link to a printable recipe, please leave a comment and let me know. Happy cooking!

Crescent Chicken Pockets

2011-04-28T09:53:00.000-07:00

Do you remember in my last post that I made a double batch of chicken? Here's why! Last night, Darren and I made crescent chicken pockets. They are a combination of some recipe I found in a cookbook of my mother's that I can't remember, and a sandwich that I used to get at a place called Quinton's in Columbia, Missouri. The original recipe for chicken crescent roll-ups was kind of bland, so I fixed it!

You will need:
1-1.5 lb. chicken breast, cut into bite-size pieces
2 bell peppers, seeded and roughly chopped
1 medium onion, roughly chopped
2 cans crescent rolls (without seams, if you can find them)
8 oz. block of cream cheese
salt and pepper, to taste
red pepper, paprika, and cayenne, to taste
1/2 c. grated cheese (optional)
2-3 T. oil

I chop everything first, because that's how I roll. I place the chicken in a gallon ziplock bag with 1-2 tablespoons of oil, 1 teaspoon of salt, and 1 teaspoon of pepper (Remember I cheated and did this with 2.5 pounds of chicken for the last recipe, and I saved half of it for this recipe). It seemed a little weird to me when I started doing this, but coating the meat (whatever meat I'm grilling, sauteing, or skillet-browning) lightly with oil keeps the meat from sticking and somehow locks in the delicious meat juices that keep it tender. Adding the salt and pepper at this point helps the spices stick to the meat.

Cook the vegetables in about one tablespoon of oil over medium heat. I usually start the onions and let those cook a few minutes before adding the peppers.

Once the onion are starting to get a little clear (3-5 minutes), I add in the bell peppers and stir or toss it all around (Action shot!).

Allow the peppers to cook for another 3-5 minutes, sprinkle with a little salt and pepper, and then add the chicken. I let the vegetables cook a bit longer on this one, because I precooked the chicken. Anyway, once the vegetables were almost to the desired tenderness, I added the chicken and let it heat through. To speed this process a bit, I used a lid to cook and steam.

And by lid, I mean a second skillet inverted over the first one. =)

Once the chicken was heated through, I reduced the heat to low and added a block of cream cheese to the pan. I also turned on the oven to preheat it to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Stir to melt the cream cheese and evenly coat the chicken and vegetables.

Then add spices to your taste. I don't measure, but I know that I want my cream cheese to have a nice, orange cast to it.

Once the cream cheese is melted and spiced, and all of the chicken and veggie pieces are nicely coated, it's time to fill the pockets. Open the crescent sheets and cut each sheet into 3 or 4 rectangles depending on your preference. Put them on a baking sheet and fill each with a heaping spoonful of filling. You can add a sprinkle of grated cheese, if desired, although I skipped this step tonight.

Press the edges to seal, and poke a few holes in the top of each pocket so the steam can vent. Place them in the oven for 15-20 minutes until golden brown, and eat up!

I'm trying something new with this post. If you'd like to print this recipe, try this google document. If you print it, please leave a comment and let us know how it works!

Peanut Noodles with Chicken and Vegetables

2011-04-26T20:58:00.003-07:00

I got the original recipe for this dish from Eating Well. I have altered it over the time I've been making it, and while my version is a little less healthy, it is much tastier.

You will need:
1 - 1.5 lb. chicken
1-2 T. oil
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper
1 lb. vegetables (I used carrots, mushrooms, and zucchini.)
1 c. natural peanut butter
4 T. low sodium soy sauce
1 T. Sriracha chile-garlic sauce
1/2 t. ground ginger
1 lb. pasta

In a gallon ziplock bag, mix the oil, salt, and pepper. Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces and put them in the bag. I actually used 2.5 lb. of chicken, and I'll be saving half for tomorrow's dinner.

Clean and chop all of the vegetables into bite-sized pieces and set aside.

Mix the peanut butter, soy sauce, chile-garlic sauce, and ginger.

Start the water for the pasta. Cook the chicken over medium heat until cooked through and some pieces begin to brown. Remove from heat and set aside.

Cook the pasta according to the package directions and drain, reserving ~2 cups of the pasta water.

Cook the vegetables over medium heat.

While the vegetables are cooking, mix the peanut sauce with the pasta, adding pasta water until the pasta is coated and the sauce is creamy.

Mix in the vegetables, once they have cooked to desired tenderness.

Dinner is served!

Here's a printable recipe.

Ricotta Pasta

2011-04-26T20:37:00.002-07:00

I made this last night for dinner. It is a super fast meal that tastes good. It is actually based on the filling of a recipe for stuffed shells with alfredo sauce. I can't find the original right now, but maybe one day I will make it again and post it. Until then, here is my weekday short cut.

You will need:
1 lb. pasta
15 oz. container of ricotta (I use low fat, but part-skim or whole milk will work, too).
10 oz. box or 12 oz. bag of frozen spinach
crushed red pepper
salt
pepper
nutmeg
parmesan cheese

Thaw the spinach and ring out as much water as possible using a kitchen towel. I use one I don't like that has some ugly chickens on it.

Cook the pasta according to the package directions. I used a half box of bowties and a half box of penne.

Drain the pasta and mix with the container of ricotta.

In a medium sauce pan, melt the butter.

Add some red pepper, and stir constantly until the fragrance comes out.

Add the spinach and heat through. Season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg to taste.

Mix the spinach into the pasta-ricotta mixture. Sprinkle a little parmesan on top, and it's time for dinner!

Want a printable recipe?

Green chili chicken enchiladas

2011-04-20T20:22:00.020-07:00

Lib and I have a really interesting story. I'm part Asian and from the southwest, she's from the south, but we met in the northeast. As a result, we have a pretty eclectic set of recipes (though most involve bacon). This one started as a much different beast in a Rachael Ray cookbook that I got for Christmas a few years ago. I unwrapped it shortly after telling the gifters that I'm not a fan of Rachael Ray. Oops!

At any rate, it has evolved over the years for a couple of reasons. Mainly, I wanted it to be less trouble and more delicious. I think we've achieved both of those goals. 30 Minute Meals my butt.

Like a lot of our recipes, this one is approximate, because we don't really measure. As usual, add or subtract amounts of the ingredients to your taste.

1/2 of a rotisserie chicken, pulled apart

2-3 dollops of sour cream (roughly 2/3 cup)

1 16 oz. jar of green sauce

1 lb of pepper jack cheese

12 corn tortillas

First off, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. To make the filling, combine the chicken with the sour cream, half of the green sauce, and half of the cheese. With two forks, stir/shred the chicken and make sure it is sufficiently coated with delicious dairy goop.

That's just the cheese that didn't go into the filling.

Coat a 9x13 pan with cooking spray, then start rolling the filling up in the tortillas! It helps to have room temperature tortillas, as cold ones tend to crack. I like to place them with the seam down so they don't unroll.

You'll want to pack them pretty closely together in order to fit all twelve into the pan.

Lib asked me why I don't just make two rows of six. It was something I just always did, and I had forgotten why until just now. I made these for a potluck one time, where the vertical enchiladas had chicken and the horizontal ones were straight cheese for the vegetarians in the group. Sorry vegans, you get no dairy-free enchiladas from me.

After they are arranged in the pan, pour the rest of the green sauce on top.

Spread it as evenly as you can. Any piece of tortilla that doesn't get soaked with sauce may end up hard and chewy after it comes out of the oven.

Sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top.

Oh yeah, that's the stuff.

Put it in the oven for twenty minutes, then take it out and serve it. As you can see at the top of this post, we served ours with guacamole, but I wouldn't be against serving with refried beans, more sour cream, bacon, or nothing at all.

Get yourself a copy of the recipe!

Fried Rice

2011-04-19T20:08:00.001-07:00

Darren and I make fried rice pretty often - at least every other week. We have come up with a recipe that we both really like, and we both make. It's only gotten better since the Wongs gave us a wok as a wedding present. Thanks, Wong family!

And the presentation has gotten prettier since the Nichols gave us a beautiful platter with giant chopsticks (hashi)!

Thanks, Michelle and Dave!

For the fried rice, you will need:
2 c. uncooked rice (short grain)
4-6 strips thick cut bacon
1-2 c. chicken (I cheated this time and used rotisserie chicken from the store)
2-6 carrots, depending on size
8-12 mushrooms, depending on size
4 eggs
salt & pepper
soy sauce
sriracha
sesame oil

Cook up the rice according to package directions. I use a rice cooker. I had never had one until I started dating Darren. He gave me one for Christmas a few years ago. Now I don't know how I ever lived without it! Thanks, Darren! <3 Also, I like to cook the rice a little in advance, maybe a couple of hours before I plan to make the rice, but I've even done it a few days in advance.

I like to do all of my chopping and cutting before I start so that I can make the dish without stopping. Peel the carrots, and slice them into 1/4 in. pieces. Then set them aside.

Slice the mushrooms, and set those aside, too.

Cut the bacon into 1/2 inch pieces.

Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces, and set them aside. Sometimes I use raw chicken, and sometimes leftovers. When I use raw chicken, and I remember to plan ahead, I cut the chicken into thin strips and marinate them in a mixture of soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic, sugar, and rice vinegar, similar to a bulkogi marinade. Maybe we'll post up that recipe next time we cook it.

Crack the eggs in a bowl and scramble them. You can season them with a little pepper, if you'd like. I would do it.

Cook the bacon in the wok over medium-high heat until browned and beginning to get crispy. Stir the bacon frequently, almost constantly. The higher the heat, the more you'll need to keep it moving.

Remove the bacon from the pan and leave behind the delicious, golden fat. Use the rendered bacon fat to cook the chicken.

Remove the chicken from the wok, and set it aside with the bacon. Add the vegetables to the wok and cook until the mushrooms are beginning to brown. Season the vegetables with a nice pinch of salt (I use kosher salt) and a generous amount of black pepper.

Remove those from the pan and set them aside. Now we're ready for the rice. Add the rice to the pan and cook it until it loses some of its stickiness.

Season the rice with a nice snail of sriracha. Remember that this stuff is pretty hot, but oh so good!

Mix in the sriracha, and then sprinkle with black pepper. I think I use 10-15 grinds from the pepper mill.

Then add some soy sauce, probably a couple of tablespoons. Shake some into the rice. I suggest adding a little at a time and tasting it. Also add a little drizzle of sesame oil, probably about a teaspoonful.

Stir the rice around and evenly mix the sriracha, soy sauce, sesame oil, and pepper. Once the rice grains start to brown, remove the rice from the wok and set it aside. We're moving on to the eggs. Add the eggs to the wok and scramble, scramble, scramble. We don't like scabs on our eggs around here.

Now we can combine everything together and give it a taste. If you think it needs more of something, add it in and stir it around.

Once the rice is well mixed and everything is hot, move it to a beautiful serving platter, grab some chopsticks, and eat up!

Notes: Darren's Bachan says that pork fat is the secret to delicious Japanese fried rice. I, for one, believe her. After all, she is Japanese, and a really good cook! Also, I don't think hot sauce is completely necessary, if you like things mild, just leave it out. Finally, thanks again to the Wongs and the Nichols for the wedding gifts. As you can see, we are really enjoying them!

Go make yourself some fried rice!

Shrimp Boil & Caesar Salad with Shrimp and Crash Potatoes

2011-04-18T19:39:00.005-07:00

Yesterday, I put together a shrimp boil, known to some as a low country boil. It has lots of variations, and this one is what I use, although I have noted some of the variations. Please note that all measurements are estimates, and some people will eat more, and others will eat less. I will give per person estimates for everything based on what we eat at my house. This is a great meal to feed 2 or 10, because it just takes a giant pot of boiling water. Also, I was really excited to make it so I could use the new stock pot we got as a wedding gift. Special thanks to the Geiger family and the Kirby family, who gave us gift cards to Bed, Bath, and Beyond so we could purchase things from our registry, like the stock pot!

Shrimp Boil (printable)
You will need the following for each person you are trying to feed:
~1/2 lb. large, raw, deveined shrimp
~2-3 small red skinned potatoes per person
~1-2 ears of corn per person
~1/2 med. onion per person
~1 lemon per person
(Other variations include smoked sausage cut into 4-6" pieces, crab legs, or crawfish)

Spices (These are the approximate amounts I use in ~8 quarts of water.):
3-4 T. salt
2 T. whole pepper corns
50-60 grinds fresh cracked black pepper
50 shakes red pepper flakes
1-2 T. cayenne
2-3 bay leaves (optional)

Put water in a large stock pot (mine is a 16 quart), and add spices. Peel the onion(s) and quarter them and add them to the pot. Cut the lemons in half, juice them into the pot, and add the spent lemons. Bring this to a boil. You should have a nice fragrant mix. You can taste a little if you like to check the spiciness, and dilute with water or add more spices to suit your taste.

While you're waiting for the water to boil, wash the potatoes, and shuck the corn breaking each ear into 2-3 pieces.

To the boiling water, add the potatoes and cook them for 10 minutes. Then add the corn and cook an additional 6-10 minutes until the potatoes are fork tender. Once the potatoes are tender, add the shrimp, and cook for ~3 minutes, or until they turn pink and start floating. Once the shrimp are done, put everything in a big bowl, take it outside to a picnic table covered with newspaper, and DIG IN!

You might wish to serve this with melted butter, or not. Also, you can use plates and utensils, or you can just eat everything with your hands over the newspaper, and then wad it up and throw away paper, peels, and cobs!

As it turned out, neither of us was super hungry yesterday, and I cooked extra potatoes, so we had a lot of leftovers. Tonight, we had caesar salad with spicy shrimp, crash potatoes, and corn on the cob. I have read Pioneer Woman on and off for a while, but I went through all of her recipes over the last few weeks. I picked out several I wanted to try, and tonight, I made a variation of her crash potatoes to go with our planned salad and shrimp.

Crash Potatoes
Using the left over potatoes from our boil, I tried out PW's recipe, with some cheese on top. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Liberally oil a sheet pan with olive oil, and place the potatoes on it. Smash the potatoes with a masher so that they are disk-like. Brush them with olive oil, sprinkle liberally with salt and fresh cracked pepper, and if you're me, sprinkle a little mozzarella and parmesan on top. Place them in the oven for about 20 minutes until they are starting to brown. Eat-them-up-yum!

Spicy Shrimp
I added about 1 T. of butter to a skillet over medium heat. While the butter was melting, Darren and I peeled the left over shrimp from last night. I added the shrimp to the skillet and sprinkled them liberally with cayenne and black pepper and tossed them around for a couple of minutes until they were heated through. Then I dumped them on top of a nice caesar salad that Darren made with a bag of lettuce and a kit.

I also heated the corn in some boiling water with a little salt and a little sugar. Dinner is served!

Cornbread Dressing

2011-04-10T21:39:00.001-07:00

I'm Southern, and I love eating the foods I grew up with. Darren is a West Coast kid, and while he eats sushi, he missed out on so much - especially the various joys of pork! My cornbread dressing doesn't always have pork, but I tried a new variation. It was good, but I think it still has some tweaking. Still, it was tasty, and I took pictures, so I'll put it on here.

You will need:
Cornbread crumbles (I don't know how much - what's left after a few slices have been eaten from a large pan of cornbread, maybe 6-8 cups)
1 can of chicken broth (or more)
1 egg (or more)
1 can of cream soup (chicken, mushroom, or celery are recommended)
1 medium onion, chopped
1-2 carrots, chopped
6-8 oz. bulk pork sausage (not the sage kind, unless you like sage)
1 lb. chicken (Cheater step: use leftovers, or one of those grocery rotisserie chickens)
spices (salt, pepper, paprika, cayenne - some people like sage or poultry seasoning, but I think those things are gross)

Crumble up the leftover cornbread. I like to put it into a ziplock bag and smush it up.

Chop the onion and carrots, pretty finely.

Brown the sausage in a skillet, breaking it up into small pieces. I forgot to take a picture of this step. Drain the sausage on paper towels and allow it to cool slightly.

You can clean the skillet and then use a little butter or olive oil to cook the onion and carrot, or you can just use the sausage grease. I'm in favor of the pork fat, but that's not very health conscious. Use the pork fat, or choose something healthier, but cook the vegetables until the onion is translucent.

While those things are cooking, mix the broth, cream soup, and egg in a buttered or greased baking dish.

Add in the cornbread crumbles and make sure they get saturated.

When the carrots and onions are done, allow them to cool slightly, and add the sausage and the vegetables to the cornbread mush and stir.

This time, I used raw chicken; however, I often use one of those grocery rotisserie chickens that I've pulled apart. Those things can be used in all sorts or recipes, but I digress.

Anyway, cut the raw chicken into bite sized pieces, removing any fat or tendons. Brown the chicken over medium heat. Keep using the sausage grease if you've got it, or a touch of oil will work, too.

When the chicken is cooked through and slightly browned, add it to the dressing mixture.

This mixture should be really soupy. If it's not, add some more liquid - more broth, another can of soup, a second egg - use your judgement. One thing to remember, is that Southern dressing, at least the stuff I grew up eating, is not dry. Add some spices, if you like. I use salt, pepper, paprika, and cayenne. I don't know how much. You could taste it, but remember this mixture has raw egg in it. I judge by color - I like my dressing to have a bit of an orange tinge from the paprika and cayenne.

Cook the dressing at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 30-45 minutes, until the dressing is set around the edges and beginning to brown. It should not be set in the middle. I suggest checking it several times during cooking to make sure that it isn't too dry. If your dressing is solid, you need to add some liquid - broth or water will do fine. When it is done, the edges, and any peaks should be golden and maybe even a little crispy, but the dressing should still have some jiggle to it.

I forgot to take a picture before we started to dig in. Notice that the dressing kind of oozes into the area where the scoop was removed. This is a GOOD thing. Eat up!

Print the recipe! Go make some!

Sizzling Fish

2011-04-10T21:06:00.001-07:00

This is a dish that we like almost as much as fish candy. It's called sizzling flounder, and I originally read the recipe in Southern Living. The name might be flounder; however, we have never had flounder in our local store. So we have to use an alternative. The recipe lists tilapia, grouper, or catfish as good alternatives. We have used both tilapia and catfish. Tonight was a tilapia night.

You will need:
1/4 c. parmesan cheese
1 t. paprika
2-4 shakes of cayenne (optional)
4 (~6 oz.) fish filets
1/2 c. butter
2 T. lemon juice
salt and pepper

Place one oven rack 5 inches from the broiler. Place a second rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.

Season the fish with salt and pepper.

Mix the parmesan, paprika, and cayenne (if using). We like things spicy, so we add cayenne to many of our dishes.

Put the butter on a broiler-safe baking dish. I like to cover the pan with foil to make clean up easy. Put the dish in the oven for ~8 minutes until the butter is melted and beginning to brown.

Place the fish in the dish skin side down and cook on the middle oven rack for 10 minutes. Then flip the filets over, baste with lemon juice and pan juices, and top with parmesan mixture.

Cook for 5 minutes more, and then switch the oven to broil. Move the pan to the top rack and broil 2-3 minutes until the topping is bubbly and golden.

Tonight we ate this with rice. I drizzled the juices over the rice.

It was delicious! You should try it sometime.

Tacos!

2011-04-05T21:03:00.001-07:00

Every Sunday, I make Darren sit down and help me plan out dinners for the week. Usually, we don't cook on Tuesday nights, because Darren teaches a chemistry class from 7:00 to 10:00 pm, so he isn't here during dinner time and I don't like cooking for just myself. After a busy couple of weeks with the wedding, we resumed our meal planning on Sunday, but I completely forgot about Darren's class, so I planned a big meal for tonight. This morning, I decided to move it to lunch instead, because I was really excited about the meal: roasted pork tacos with guacamole and fried corn!

Here's how I made the roasted pork:
2-3 lb. pork loin roast (boneless)
salt, pepper, and seasonings of your choice
1 - 2 T. oil

Rinse the pork roast in cool water and trim away most of the fat. Pat the roast dry with paper towels.

Sprinkle the roast fairly liberally with salt and pepper. For this roast, I also used chipotle pepper and ancho chile powder to go along with our Mexican themed meal.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Heat the oil to medium-high in a large skillet on the stovetop. Sear the roast on all sides for ~2 minutes per side.

Transfer the roast to an oven-safe roasting pan, and cook for 25-30 minutes per pound until a meat thermometer reads 160 degrees.

Remove the pork from the oven and let it rest for 10-15 minutes before slicing. Voila!

Slice, chop, or pull the pork as desired. We chopped this roast for use in tacos. We made guacamole using McCormick's Spicy Guacamole powder. Sometimes we make our own, but using the powder keeps it consistent. I also made fried corn, which is so easy and tasty!

For the fried corn:
1 can corn (I like Mexicorn), very well drained
1 T. butter
salt and pepper to taste

Melt the butter over medium heat in a skillet. Add the well drained corn and cook until it begins to brown, stirring frequently. Salt and pepper to taste. (Easy-peasy!)

Here's the finished product:

Broiled salmon with spicy lemon glaze

2011-04-03T19:26:00.002-07:00

It's been awhile since we've cooked anything, because we've been busy going out to eat with family and then eating leftovers from the wedding. This week we're finally back in our normal swing of things, and we're starting it off with our favorite fish dish. It is essentially an Alton Brown recipe, but I modified it with my love of cayenne pepper, and we jokingly call it "fish candy."

FISH CANDY

About 1 pound boneless salmon fillet (sockeye salmon is best, but usually expensive)

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

zest of 1 lemon

Process all of the non-fish ingredients together for about twenty to thirty seconds, until it is mixed well.

Cover a baking pan with foil, put the salmon fillet on the foil, skin side down, then cover the top with the brown sugar mixture. Let the salmon rest for 45 minutes, until it looks like this:

Place salmon about six to eight inches from the top of the oven, and broil on high for seven minutes. This is where we see the biggest difference between Alton's recipe and ours. With his settings, our oven burns the fish to a crisp. If it's done right, it should look more like something delicious and less like smoker's lung.

After it comes out of the broiler, let the salmon rest for ten minutes before serving. After serving, simply discard the gooey, sugary, carbon mess on the foil. We usually eat this with rice, since the timing works out. We start cooking the rice as the salmon is resting for 45 minutes, so the components are all ready to serve at about the same time. Tonight, Lib made creamed spinach to go along with the fish and rice. She will have to tell you how she did it, because while she was making the spinach, I was outside playing Pictionary Man.

Go make some broiled salmon of your own!

Desserts! Lots of Desserts!

2011-03-24T22:40:00.001-07:00

I spent a lot of time today shopping with my mom and my friend, Karen, but I also baked four desserts and made a giant pan of macaroni and cheese. Darren and I are getting married Saturday (HOORAY!!), and his mom and stepdad are hosting a BBQ for us tomorrow night. All of this deliciousness is for the BBQ. I didn't do a good job documenting the process, as I was just trying to get the desserts finished in a reasonable amount of time, but I will share the recipes. Here's a peek at the desserts.

At the top is a chocolate chip cookie cake, with mint chocolate brownies in the middle-left, brownies with pecans in the middle-right, and peanut butter chocolate blondies at the bottom (which were covered with chocolate ganache after they cooled). The giant cookie is for Jaydyn, our junior bridesmaid. She will be 13 next week! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JAYDYN!! Also, it's a good thing I am a better baker than decorator.

GIANT CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE CAKE
(slightly altered from an Emeril recipe)
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup bittersweet chocolate chunks
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup white chocolate chips
1 cup toffee bits
Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Butter a 16 inch pizza pan.
In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugars. Add the eggs, beating well after the addition of each.
In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt and mix with a whisk. Add to the butter mixture, mixing to incorporate, and add the vanilla extract. Fold in the chips and chunks. Spread across the bottom of the prepared pan, leaving ~3-4 inches for the cookie to spread, and bake until the edges are golden and the cookie is set but the center is still slightly soft, 20 to 25 minutes.

(before baking)

AMPED UP STUDY AVOIDANCE BROWNIES

(My friend Amanda used to make the original study avoidance brownies when we were working on physics lab reports in college. Thanks for the original recipe, Amanda! I have altered it over the years.)

3 squares unsweetened bakers chocolate
¾ stick of butter
¼ c. + 1 T. firmly packed brown sugar
½ c. + 2 T. white sugar
2 eggs
2 t. vanilla
½ c. + 1 - 2 T. flour
1 c. chocolate chips
1 c. chopped nuts
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8” x 8” pan with butter.
1. Melt butter and chocolate in double boiler or over low heat in a heavy sauce pan stirring to blend. Allow to cool.
2. Add sugars to butter-chocolate mixture and mix well.
3. Beat eggs and add beaten eggs to chocolate mixture. Mix well.
4. Add vanilla and mix.
5. Fold in flour until blended. Mixture will be thick.
6. Add chips or nuts, if using.
Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
**For mint chocolate brownies, add 1 - 2 t. peppermint extract and replace nuts with mint pieces (Junior Mints, York Premier, or Andes chips).

PEANUT BUTTER CHOCOLATE CHIP BLONDIES
(I altered this recipe from Smitten Kitchen, who I believe altered it from some other source.)

For brownies:
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1 cups sugar
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
2 large eggs
1 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cups all-purpose flour
1 chocolate chips (semisweet or bittersweet)
For ganache:
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips (semisweet or bitter sweet)
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
Make brownies: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F with rack in middle. Butter an 8-by-8 inch baking pan.
Beat together butter and sugar with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until mixture is light and fluffy, then add peanut butter and beat until incorporated. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Reduce mixer sped to low, then mix in flour until just combined. Mix in chocolate chips then spread batter in baking pan, smoothing top. (It will be thick, almost like cookie batter.)

Bake until brownies are deep golden, puffed on top and a wooden pick inserted in center come out with some crumbs adhering, 40 to 45 minutes. Cool completely in pan on a rack, about 1 1/2 hours.

Make ganache: Put chocolate chips in a heatproof bowl. Bring cream to a boil in a small saucepan, then pour over chocolate chips and let mixture stand for one minute. Gently whisk in butter until it is incorporated, chocolate is melted, and a smooth mixture forms. Spread ganache on cooled brownies and let stand until set, about 15 minutes.

Mount Breakfasuvius

2011-03-22T10:53:00.001-07:00

Today we made a mountain of breakfast with scrambled eggs, hash browns, cheese and sausages.

Cook hash browns in a couple of tablespoons of vegetable oil, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Brown some sausages and drain well. Scramble some eggs. Layer eggs, cheese, hash browns, and cheese on a plate. Serve with sausages.

Mount Breakfasuvius!

Lo Mein

2011-03-21T20:21:00.001-07:00

Tonight we had lo mein for dinner. Darren and I cooked it together. We have been making lo mein for a couple of years now, and we have finally worked out a recipe that we both really like.

You will need:
4 slices of thick bacon
3-4 carrots, peeled and sliced
~10 oz. mushrooms, sliced
1 lb. spaghetti or fettuccine
1 c. cold water
1 t. (heaping) chicken bouillon
1 T. cornstarch
1 T. sriracha chile-garlic sauce (or less, we like things spicy!)
3 T. soy sauce
1 T. sesame oil
salt and pepper to taste

Start by cutting the bacon into bite-sized pieces. Cook the bacon over medium heat in a large skillet or wok until done.

Add the mushrooms and carrots, and cook until just tender. Add salt and pepper to taste.

While the bacon and vegetables are cooking, boil the package of noodles according to the package directions, drain, and set aside.

Mix the water, bouillon, cornstarch, chile-garlic sauce, soy sauce, and sesame oil in a small sauce pan. Whisk together and bring to a boil. Stir while boiling 1-2 minutes until sauce begins to thicken.

Add the pasta to the skillet/wok and toss to mix.

Pour the sauce over the pasta-vegetable mixture and stir to coat. Allow to stand a few minutes before eating.

Enjoy!

Navy Beans, Navy Beans!

2011-03-20T18:43:00.000-07:00

Today I made navy beans with ham hocks and cornbread for dinner. We are getting married on Saturday, so I wanted to make something that would make a lot and will reheat well during the week. Friends and family start arriving on Wednesday morning, so we probably won't be doing too much cooking this week.

First, the beans:
I started with 2 pounds of dried navy beans. I rinsed them and soaked them overnight. I took 3 ham hocks (1 1/2 to 2 lb.), scored the outsides with a sharp knife, and placed them in the bottom of the crockpot. I added the drained and rinsed beans, and then added enough water to completely cover the beans by about 1/2 inch. I also added:
1 T. chicken granules
2 pouches Goya ham flavoring
1 T. paprika
1 T. black pepper
1/2 t. cayenne pepper
1 t. red pepper flakes

I cooked the beans for 6 hours on high, and then I used the back of a spoon to mash up some of the beans and continued to cook them on low for another 2 hours or so.

Then, the cornbread:
Start by coating the bottom of a cast iron skillet with vegetable oil, and place the oil in the oven and heat to 400 degrees. Then mix the batter, as follows:
1 3/4 c. cornmeal
3/4 c. flour
2 T. baking powder
1 t. salt
2 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 c. milk
1 can cream style corn
Whisk together the dry ingredients, and then add the liquids and mix until well blended. Pour into the hot skillet and cook for 35 - 40 minutes, until firm and the edges and top are golden.

Serve with hot pepper relish, if desired. Eat up! YUM!!

First Post

2011-03-20T10:05:00.000-07:00

Lately I have been posting pictures of things I cook or things Darren and I cook on FB. He suggested that I start a blog, so here it is. Since we often cook together, I named the blog for both of us.

Darren and I both like to cook, and he will eat almost everything, but I am a bit picky. I don't like tomatoes or English peas, so if those things are in a recipe, I try to find a way around them, like in this lasagna. I left out the peas and used two 12 oz. packages of spinach instead. I also added some black pepper to the sauce and extra to the ricotta mixture, because I am a fan of pepper! It tasted great and looked really pretty.

I hardly ever follow a recipe as written, and I often don't measure spices, which makes it difficult to duplicate a dish that tastes really good. I am trying to get better at writing down what I do as I go along. Hopefully, this blog will inspire me to write as I go.