tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-82671184081311356752024-03-13T06:12:22.846-07:00Bulletproof BitesIf I Can Make It, You Can Make ItAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09900722116531326873noreply@blogger.comBlogger34125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8267118408131135675.post-24862015377730016382017-03-29T08:17:00.002-07:002017-03-29T08:17:53.668-07:00Pork Noodle BowlThis is pretty good. It'll warm ya up on a cold day.<br />
<br />
<b><u>Ingredients:</u></b><br />
<br />
<b>Broth</b><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>2 C water</li>
<li>1 C homemade chicken stock</li>
<li>1/4 C soy sauce</li>
<li>1/4 C sherry</li>
<li>3 T packed light brown sugar</li>
<li>4 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed</li>
<li>2-inch piece ginger, peeled and sliced</li>
<li>1 pieces star anise</li>
<li>1/2 t kosher salt</li>
</ul>
<br />
<b>Solids</b><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>3 lb pork shoulder</li>
<li>1 head cabbage or bok choy</li>
<li>1 small package Chinese egg noodles</li>
</ul>
<br />
<b><u>Instructions:</u></b><br />
<br />
<ol>
<li>Add broth ingredients to slow cooker & mix. Add pork shoulder. Cover & cook on low for 8 hours.</li>
<li>Pork should be falling apart. Shred with two forks. Roughly chop cabbage, add to slow cooker, and mix into broth. Cover and cook for 20 minutes.</li>
<li>Mix in egg noodles, cover and cook for 10 minutes.</li>
</ol>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09900722116531326873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8267118408131135675.post-80403359247709572112017-02-06T09:23:00.000-08:002017-02-06T09:23:05.602-08:00Peanut butter chip peanut butter cookies<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Chocolate is better with chocolate, and peanut butter is better with peanut butter. Seems simple to me.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I'm not telling you what to do, but this recipe is worth doubling. Save the dough in the fridge and make cookies any time.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Ingredients</b></span><br />
<div class="p1">
</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">1/2 C butter</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">1/2 C creamy peanut butter</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">1/2 C white sugar</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">1/2 C brown sugar</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">1 egg</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">1/4 t salt</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">1/2 t baking powder</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">3/4 t baking soda</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">1 1/4 C flour</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">1/2 C peanut butter chips</span></li>
</ul>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><b>Instructions</b></span></div>
<div class="p1">
</div>
<ol>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Cream together butter and peanut butter.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Add white and brown sugar, then cream again.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Add egg, then cream again.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">In a separate bowl, combine dry ingredients. Then add to wet bowl and cream.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Mix in chips.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Chill finished dough for 1 hour.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Heat oven to 325 degrees.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Remove dough from fridge, and drop by </span>teaspoonful onto papered cookie sheets. You do not need to flatten the dough.</li>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Bake for 15 minutes.</span></li>
</ol>
<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09900722116531326873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8267118408131135675.post-91483130866643866552017-01-29T20:11:00.001-08:002017-01-29T20:11:16.565-08:00Chocolate chocolate chip cookies.This is it. This is the big one. Best cookie I've made. Simple. Easy. Delicious.<br />
<br />
<b>Wet Ingredients</b><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>2 sticks butter</li>
<li>2 C white sugar</li>
<li>3 eggs</li>
<li>1/4 C milk</li>
<li>2 t vanilla</li>
</ul>
<br />
<b>Dry Ingredients</b><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>3 cups all-purpose flour</li>
<li>2/3 cup cocoa powder</li>
<li>1 t baking soda</li>
<li>1/4 t salt</li>
</ul>
<br />
<b>Mix-Ins</b><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>1 cup chocolate chips</li>
<li>1/2 cup peanut butter chips</li>
</ul>
<div>
<b><u>Instructions</u></b></div>
<div>
<ol>
<li>Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lay out baking sheet with parchment paper</li>
<li>With an electric mixer, cream wet ingredients until light and fluffy. In a separate bowl, whisk dry ingredients until fully mixed.</li>
<li>Slowly add dry ingredients to wet while continuing to beat with electric mixer.</li>
<li>Fold in mix-ins</li>
<li>Drop by spoonful on parchment paper. Cook for 9 minutes.</li>
</ol>
<div>
Dough refrigerates very well; add 1 minute to cook time of using refrigerated dough.</div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09900722116531326873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8267118408131135675.post-17025832542935455182017-01-03T09:31:00.001-08:002017-01-03T09:31:48.196-08:00Eggnog by the gallon <br />
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<div class="column">
<span style="font-family: 'GentiumPlus'; font-size: 12.000000pt;">Eggnog by the Gallon</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'GentiumPlus'; font-size: 12.000000pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: GentiumPlus;">I love eggnog. It's the culinary highlight of the Christmas season. It took some tweaking to get this recipe nailed down, but I'm happy with it. You'll have to watch for sales on the run-up to Christmas, though. If you pay full price for the ingredients you'll hardly save money over what you get from the store. It'll taste better, though.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: GentiumPlus;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: GentiumPlus;"><b>Ingredients</b></span><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>1 pack instant french vanilla pudding </li>
<li>1/2 C sugar</li>
<li>1/2 t nutmeg</li>
<li>1 quart half&half</li>
<li>1/2 gallon or more<span style="font-family: GentiumPlus; font-size: 12pt;"> of whole milk</span></li>
<li>1 pack Egg Beaters</li>
<li>1 pack cool whip (defrosted)</li>
</ul>
<b style="font-family: GentiumPlus; font-size: 12pt;">Instructions:</b><br /> <br />
<ol>
<li>Pour milk into large pitcher</li>
<li>Mix sugar, nutmeg, and pudding mix in a large mixing bowl.</li>
<li>Pour half & half and Egg Beaters into bowl. Whisk until incorporated.</li>
<li>Add maybe a quart of milk and full pack of cool whip. Whisk until incorporated.</li>
<li>Pour mixture back into milk<span style="font-family: GentiumPlus; font-size: 12pt;"> jug. Cap and shake. </span>Fill half of remaining space with milk from pitcher<span style="font-family: GentiumPlus; font-size: 12pt;">. Cap and shake. </span>Finish filling<span style="font-family: GentiumPlus; font-size: 12pt;"> gallon with milk from </span>pitcher<span style="font-family: GentiumPlus; font-size: 12pt;">. Cap and shake.</span></li>
<li>Let sit for at least 2 hours for flavors<span style="font-family: GentiumPlus; font-size: 12pt;"> to mingle.</span></li>
</ol>
<br />
</div>
</div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09900722116531326873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8267118408131135675.post-25533963996058821592017-01-03T09:23:00.002-08:002017-02-06T16:39:08.539-08:00Buckboard Bacon<br />
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<span style="font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 12pt;">In the last year, I’ve made over sixty pounds of bacon. No, I didn’t eat it all myself. But we’ve eaten a lot of it: more bacon than we’ve ever had. I can hear you wondering about my cholesterol levels: they’re actually down from a couple of years ago. I’m not saying that’s because of this bacon, but I’m </span>not NOT<span style="font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 12pt;"> saying it.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 12.000000pt;">This bacon differs from store-bought in two ways. </span><br />
<ol>
<li style="font-family: 'Cambria'; font-size: 12.000000pt;"> <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-weight: 700;">It’s made from the pork shoulder, not the pork belly. </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Traditional</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-weight: 700;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">American bacon is made from pork belly, which can be expensive. Canadian bacon uses the same techniques, but with pork loin. This bacon is “buckboard” bacon, using the same techniques but with pork shoulder. That gives it a consistency somewhere between American and Canadian bacon, depending on the slice in question. Some slices will be almost as fatty as American bacon, others will be almost as lean as Canadian. Your mileage may vary. </span><br />
</li>
<li style="font-family: 'Cambria'; font-size: 12.000000pt;"> <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-weight: 700;">It’s hot-smoked, not cold-smoked. </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Most low-end supermarket bacon isn’t smoked at all, just flavored with liquid smoke. The high-end stuff is cold-smoked: it’s subjected to up to 4 hours of smoke, but no heat above 100 degrees. This is difficult and dangerous for the home enthusiast. This bacon is hot-smoked: smoked (or baked) at ~200 degrees until it reaches an internal temperature of 145. This means the bacon is technically safe to eat when it’s removed from the smoker or oven. It’ll taste better fried, though (like ham). </span><br />
</li>
</ol>
<span style="font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 12.000000pt;">If that sounds like something you’d be willing to eat, it’s actually really easy to make. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 12.000000pt;"><br /></span>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Kee9RdskIh0/WGveBtbS4xI/AAAAAAAAzwc/i2XNrEX8v0kM1UhnuamG2mbIWdf1kFoHQCKgB/s1600/IMG_20161224_121711800.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Kee9RdskIh0/WGveBtbS4xI/AAAAAAAAzwc/i2XNrEX8v0kM1UhnuamG2mbIWdf1kFoHQCKgB/s640/IMG_20161224_121711800.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 12.000000pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 12.000000pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 12.000000pt; font-weight: 700;">Micah’s Pretty Good Bacon Recipe </span><br />
<ol>
<li style="font-family: TimesNewRomanPS; font-size: 12pt;"> <span style="font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-weight: 700;">Cut pork shoulder into slabs of bacon</span>. </span><span style="font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 12pt;">A pork shoulder or “Boston Butt” is a big hunk of meat; probably the largest one handled by a typical home cook. It usually has a shoulder blade somewhere inside it. You’ll need to cut up big slab into smaller pieces for easier handling, curing, and smoking. I find 2” thick slabs to be ideal. Anything more than 3” will take extra time to cure. </span><br />
</li>
<li style="font-family: 'Cambria'; font-size: 12.000000pt;"> <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-weight: 700;">Cure slabs. </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Coat the slab with the appropriate amount of bacon cure. If making your own, mix up 450g kosher salt, 225g brown sugar, 50g curing salt (the pink stuff). Weigh the slab, then use 5% by weight. A 20oz slab would need 1oz cure, a 40oz slab would need 2oz cure, etc. Rub the slab with the appropriate amount of cure, and put in a Ziploc bag for 10-14 days. Don’t worry, it can’t “over-cure.” Moisture will leave the meat and make a brine in the bag. Flip the bag every few days to redistribute the brine. </span><br />
</li>
<li style="font-family: 'Cambria'; font-size: 12.000000pt;"> <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-weight: 700;">Soak, dry, and rub slabs. </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">After 2 weeks, remove the bacon and rinse it. If you like very salty bacon, move forward immediately. If you hate salt, soak slab in cold water for 1 hour. I recommend starting with a half-hour soak and moving up or down in subsequent batches. Remove slabs from water and dry thoroughly with a paper towel. Use a dry rub for flavoring (My go-to rub is 3 parts brown sugar, 2 parts Cajun seasoning, 1 part Montreal steak seasoning). Let sit in fridge for between 0 and 24 hours, then add to “smoker.” </span><br />
</li>
<li style="font-family: 'Cambria'; font-size: 12.000000pt;"> <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-weight: 700;">Smoke & cool. </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">If you have a smoker, great! It’ll add extra flavor to the bacon. Otherwise, put bacon on a wire rack over a cookie sheet and cook in a 225 degree oven for 3-4 hours. A meat thermometer is helpful; pull bacon when internal temperature reaches 145. Then cool uncovered in fridge for up to 8 hours before bagging in a Ziploc bag. I have no idea how long it will last in the fridge; we always eat it first! </span><br />
</li>
</ol>
</div>
</div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09900722116531326873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8267118408131135675.post-19296605197447283392017-01-02T15:28:00.003-08:002017-01-03T09:23:46.446-08:00(Ground) Beef with BroccoliThere's a right way to make beef with broccoli, and this isn't it. The real dish uses finely cut flank steak and fresh broccoli, stir-fried in a delightful, tangy sauce.<br />
<br />
Here's the thing, though: my kids won't eat that, the ingredients are too expensive, and it's a lot of work. While my version of the dish isn't terribly authentic, I can make the entire thing in 20 minutes, it uses cheap ground beef and frozen broccoli, and my kids will stuff themselves. So guess which one we make?<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ySA3mKejvMU/WGriFvXsFOI/AAAAAAAAzv8/ABcYKH15F0Q5x-LvXASFggan9xzzP1cFgCKgB/s1600/IMG_20170102_180747199.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ySA3mKejvMU/WGriFvXsFOI/AAAAAAAAzv8/ABcYKH15F0Q5x-LvXASFggan9xzzP1cFgCKgB/s640/IMG_20170102_180747199.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
First things first: make rice. <a href="http://bulletproofbites.blogspot.com/2014/01/simple-white-rice.html" target="_blank">Simple White Rice Recipe</a>. While that's cooking, do this:<br />
<br />
Ingredients<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>1.5 lbs ground beef.</li>
<li>6-8 cloves garlic, minced</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>2 packs broccoli</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>1/4 C brown sugar, packed</li>
<li>1/2 t crushed red-pepper flakes</li>
<li>1 T ground ginger</li>
<li>2 T corn starch</li>
<li>1/2 C reduced sodium soy sauce</li>
<li>1 T rice vinegar</li>
<li>1 T sesame oil</li>
</ul>
Instructions<br />
<br />
<ol>
<li>In a large pan, brown and drain ground beef. When beef is mostly brown, add garlic.</li>
<li>In a microwave, cook broccoli to "mostly done." This will depend on your broccoli and your microwave. We use the stuff from Sam's Club and cook it about 9 minutes.</li>
<li>In a large bowl, combine brown sugar, crushed red pepper, ground ginger, and corn starch. Mix until combined, then add soy sauce, rice vinegar, and sesame oil. Mix again.</li>
<li>Add broccoli to beef and stir to combine. Add sauce, stir, and cook until it comes to a simmer.</li>
</ol>
<div>
Serve over rice!</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09900722116531326873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8267118408131135675.post-37474770407192792172015-10-17T11:27:00.002-07:002015-10-24T18:33:41.262-07:00Quick Monkey Bread (from scratch)Sometimes you just need a hot cinnamon and sugar dessert for breakfast. Cinnamon toast is good, but a little basic. Cinnamon rolls are delicious but take a while to make. I have a monkey bread recipe using tube biscuits, but I was all out of tubes. This is my new go-to. It's a simplified version of a recipe I found <a href="http://growingupgabel.com/homemade-from-scratch-monkey-bread/" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-F94hbedwBn8/ViKRk5QBAnI/AAAAAAAAv1k/g1fjOLDeBII/s1600/2015-10-17%2B08.51.54.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-F94hbedwBn8/ViKRk5QBAnI/AAAAAAAAv1k/g1fjOLDeBII/s320/2015-10-17%2B08.51.54.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<b>Ingredients (Biscuit)</b><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>4 C all purpose flour</li>
<li>4 t baking powder</li>
<li>1 t baking soda</li>
<li>1 t kosher salt</li>
<li>1/4 C "Buttermilk" (1 cup yogurt + 1/4 milk or 1/4 C milk + 1.5 T vinegar)</li>
</ul>
<div>
<b>Ingredients (Sauce)</b></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>1 stick butter</li>
<li>2/3 C brown sugar</li>
<li>1 T cinnamon</li>
</ul>
</div>
<br />
<div>
<b>Steps</b></div>
<div>
<ol>
<li>Make the buttermilk and let it sit for ~5 minutes</li>
<li>Preheat oven to 350 degrees.</li>
<li>Add butter to non-stick saucepan on low heat. Once melted, add sugar and cinnamon, Once incorporated, turn off heat.</li>
<li>Mix dry biscuit ingredients, then add buttermilk. Mix and turn out onto countertop. Knead until dough comes together, then roll out as if making biscuits.</li>
<li>Slice a checkerboard pattern with roughly 1" between cuts.</li>
<li>Add all biscuit pieces to bundt pan. Add sauce, then toss thoroughly and distribute evenly.</li>
<li>Bake for 25-30 minutes.</li>
<li>After baking, let sit for a minute then turn out into a plate.</li>
</ol>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09900722116531326873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8267118408131135675.post-71967552504943276912015-04-02T15:12:00.001-07:002015-04-02T20:12:51.183-07:00Cinnamon and Spice Oatmeal (By the Pound)Last year our kids started eating oatmeal for almost every breakfast. We'd buy it in the 42-oz cylinder (the big one at your local supermarket), add a little cinnamon and sugar, nuke it in the microwave, and serve it up. The kids liked it a lot... until they discovered the pre-made packets from Quaker. They liked it all, but "Cinnamon and Spice" was their favorite. They went through it as if their lives depended on it.<br />
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</div>
<br />
Here's the thing, though: Quaker flavored oatmeal isn't nearly as good for you (LOTS of sugar), it's a lot more expensive, and the packets are a pain. After some experimentation, we were able to come up with a recipe that tastes like the "real" stuff (not quite as sweet) and is crazy cheap. We buy oats in 10-pound increments, but this recipe works for the big cylinder you'd find at your local grocery. If you buy the oats from the store, this recipe will cost you about $3.50 for about 30 breakfasts, so just over $.10 per meal. If you buy the oats in bulk, it's half that.<br />
<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7krrdlTB0Io/VR4BrW8pVuI/AAAAAAAAGsk/59fJStaQJQ0/s1600/IMG_20150402_224603.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7krrdlTB0Io/VR4BrW8pVuI/AAAAAAAAGsk/59fJStaQJQ0/s1600/IMG_20150402_224603.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<b>Ingredients</b><br />
<br />
42-oz cylinder of quick oats<br />
1 cup dried milk<br />
1 cup brown sugar<br />
1 T cinnamon<br />
1 t ginger<br />
1 t salt<br />
1/2 t nutmeg<br />
<br />
<b>Instructions</b><br />
<br />
<ol>
<li>Take 3 cups of oats from cylinder and add to food processor or blender. Process for 10 seconds.</li>
<li>Pour processed oats in large mixing bowl. Add dried milk, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, salt, and nutmeg. Mix thoroughly.</li>
<li>Add remainder of oats (about 9 cups) to mixing bowl and mix thoroughly.</li>
<li>Pour entire mixture into resealable container.</li>
<li>To serve, boil water (we love our electric kettle), pour 2/3 cup of oat mixture in a bowl, and add boiling water to your own preference.</li>
</ol>
<div>
I like my oatmeal a little runny, my wife likes hers closer to a brick. To each their own. After a bowl or two, you'll know how much water to add.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09900722116531326873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8267118408131135675.post-74228716655067476582015-03-28T06:50:00.002-07:002015-03-28T06:53:05.143-07:00Banana Oat (Chocolate?) MuffinsI don't create many recipes. Mostly I steal from recipe writers I like, and maybe do a tiny bit of tweaking. But these banana muffins are becoming extremely popular in our house, and this one is all (or at least almost all) mine. We have a batch cooling in the kitchen right now, and Jenna (who turned 8 last month) did every step herself. These are not complicated.<br />
<br />
Oats and bananas are staples in our family: the kids have oatmeal every morning and we all eat at least one banana a day. Years ago, Judi and I would joke that we kept a small Ecuadorian banana farmer in business, but we've doubled our consumption since then. Perfecting this recipe hasn't helped.<br />
<br />
I add the chocolate chips because the kids beg for them, but honestly I don't think the muffins need them. You won't be disappointed if you add them, and you won't be disappointed if you don't.<br />
<br />
<b><u>Ingredients</u></b><br />
<br />
<b>Dry Team</b><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
1 1/2 C flour (all-purpose or white whole wheat)<br />
1/2 C sugar<br />
1 T cinnamon <br />
2 t baking powder<br />
1 t baking soda<br />
1/2 t salt</blockquote>
<br />
<div>
<b>Wet Team</b></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
1 C milk<br />
1 C rolled oats<br />
1 egg<br />
1/3 C canola oil<br />
1/2 t vanilla<br />
1 banana, mashed</blockquote>
<br />
<b>Mix-Ins</b><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
1 banana, chopped (I cut slices, then quarter the slices)<br />
1/3 C chocolate chips (optional)</blockquote>
<b><u><br /></u></b>
<b><u>Instructions</u></b><br />
<br />
<ol>
<li>In a small mixing bowl, add the milk and the oats. Yes, the oats are part of the wet team. By soaking them for a couple minutes first, they soften up in a way I could never get them to do otherwise.</li>
<li>In a large mixing bowl, combine the dry team.</li>
<li>In the small mixing bowl, combine the rest of the wet team.</li>
<li>Add wet to dry (<a href="http://www.goodeatsfanpage.com/season7/EA1G06.htm" target="_blank">Muffin Method!</a>), stir and fold to combine.</li>
<li>Add mix-ins, stir and fold to combine.</li>
<li>Bake at 400 degrees for 18 minutes.</li>
<li>Let cool briefly, then allow your family to consume almost all of the muffins in one sitting. Try to hold a couple out for school lunches.</li>
</ol>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09900722116531326873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8267118408131135675.post-7593541628715479492014-02-19T21:32:00.002-08:002014-02-19T21:49:41.901-08:00Basic Sourdough Sandwich LoafI was laying in bed, drifting off to sleep, when my wife rolled over and said to me "Did you remember to bake the bread?" I hadn't. My bread was happily rising in the (cold) oven, and if left overnight would probably overflow and make a mess. So I'm downstairs, out of my nice warm bed, writing down this recipe and waiting for the bread to bake.<br />
<br />
A few months back, I tried making my own sourdough starter by <a href="http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/233/wild-yeast-sourdough-starter" target="_blank">catching wild yeast in pineapple juice</a>. It worked amazingly well. I've made bread several times, but honestly it's seemed somewhat hit-or-miss. Several loaves were beautiful, but several others were bricks. I've mostly used the sourdough starter to make quickbreads: pizza crusts, tortillas, pretzels, and the like. It's awesome for that, and ridiculously easy.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oruLxXlEdCU/UwWVMzQ3sqI/AAAAAAAAEDg/6MpFLtuRZnM/s1600/IMG_20140220_003710.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oruLxXlEdCU/UwWVMzQ3sqI/AAAAAAAAEDg/6MpFLtuRZnM/s1600/IMG_20140220_003710.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Homemade bread may sound scary, but the finished product is worth it.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
After much experimentation, though, I think I've finally got a bulletproof sourdough sandwich loaf I like. Judi makes an incredible honey oat bread that we use for sandwiches, and it is really excellent. The kids love it because it's ridiculously soft; practically a WonderBread. Sometimes I want something different, though. Something a little more firm, something with a little more tang, or something a little cheaper. Between the oats, honey, and yeast, the honey oat bread isn't necessarily less expensive than cheap grocery-store bread. It tastes better, but it costs about the same. This loaf, though, is crazy cheap. Basically flour and water, and you can get 25 pounds of flour for under $8.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-14mKkOeYDXk/UwWVm-kKvuI/AAAAAAAAEDw/2PKj0JZ9MW0/s1600/IMG_20140220_001005.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-14mKkOeYDXk/UwWVm-kKvuI/AAAAAAAAEDw/2PKj0JZ9MW0/s1600/IMG_20140220_001005.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">25 pounds of flour fits perfectly in these trash cans. That's bread<br />
flour on the left and all-purpose flour on the right.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Sourdough starter has different "strengths" based on how recently it's been "fed." If you read hard-core sourdough bakers, it can get pretty technical. This recipe avoids that by using two phases to reach the appropriate level of leavening. It really is dead simple. If you have sourdough starter, you can make this bread. And if you don't have sourdough starter, I'd be happy to give you a cup or two of mine, or just make your own by following the link above.<br />
<br />
<b><u>Ingredients</u></b><br />
<br />
<b>Phase 1 (Sponge)</b><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>2 cups starter (fed last night)</li>
<li>2 cups bread flour (can substitute 1 cup whole wheat flour)</li>
<li>1.5 cups water</li>
<li>1 T white sugar</li>
</ul>
<br />
<div>
<b>Phase 2 (Dough)</b></div>
<br />
<ul>
<li>3 cups bread flour</li>
<li>1 T kosher salt</li>
<li>1/8 C canola oil</li>
</ul>
<div>
<b><u>Instructions</u></b></div>
<div>
<ol>
<li>Combine starter, flour, water, and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Place somewhere warm. In winter, our house is cold enough that I can't get the yeast to do its thing without placing it in a barely-warm oven. Preheat the oven for 45-60 seconds, then turn off the oven and put in the mixing bowl. This will need to sit for several hours, depending on the strength of your starter, the warmth of your oven, and so on. Once you can see bubbles on every square centimeter or so, you're ready for phase 2.</li>
<li>Add flour, kosher salt, and oil to mixing bowl. Mix well. Turn out bowl onto flat surface and knead until dough comes together. Depending on the moisture level in the air, you may need to add a few teaspoons of water or a small handful of flour. Once dough is smooth, return to mixing bowl and let rise for 3-4 hours.</li>
<li>Divide dough in half and add each half to a lightly-greased sandwich loaf pan. You may want to shape the dough before panning; <a href="http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-shape-a-sandwich-loaf-o-108773" target="_blank">something like this will work well</a> (although my method is much less fussy).</li>
<li>Let the dough rise until it's about the size you expect to see in a loaf of bread. I might expect to see the top of the loaf about an inch over the lip of the bread pan, but that's up to you. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes, then remove and let cool (slightly) before cutting in and enjoying with butter and honey.</li>
</ol>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mJ3HzPbWINY/UwWVjYxAJvI/AAAAAAAAEDo/31QIzjIN8VE/s1600/IMG_20140220_000005.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mJ3HzPbWINY/UwWVjYxAJvI/AAAAAAAAEDo/31QIzjIN8VE/s1600/IMG_20140220_000005.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Once it's cooled a little and you've eaten your fill, move whatever is left to an airtight container. We went through several solutions before landing on a 2-gallon ziplock bag. The bread will continue to release steam, but if it's in an airtight container the steam will be reabsorbed into the crust, making it softer. Other than that, there's not really a secret; or at least not one that I know. Enjoy!</div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09900722116531326873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8267118408131135675.post-46344465388267899202014-02-01T09:43:00.002-08:002014-02-01T16:37:25.926-08:00Ultimate Chocolate Cake<div>
Everybody (except my sister-in-law) likes chocolate cake. I don't know that I've ever had a bad one. But this is the best chocolate cake I've ever had (including from bakeries and restaurants), and it's hardly any more difficult than what comes in a box. Actually, a boxed cake is the main ingredient. From humble beginnings come something truly amazing. I should confess that I modified (stole) this recipe from <a href="http://cakecentral.com/a/amazing-chocolate-wasc-cake" target="_blank">CakeCentral</a>.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
This will more than double the volume of the boxed cake. I use it in a bundt pan, but you can also use it in cupcakes or to make a great layer cake. Do as you think best.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>Ingredients</b></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<u>Dry</u></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>1 box chocolate cake (I've used all brands with success. Get the chocolatey-est cake you can find on sale)</li>
<li>1 C AP flour</li>
<li>1 C white sugar</li>
<li>1 T cocoa</li>
<li>1 t salt</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<u>Wet</u></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>1 1/3 C water</li>
<li>1/4 C canola</li>
<li>3 eggs</li>
<li>1 C sour cream (or 8 oz)</li>
<li>1 t vanilla</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div>
<b>Steps</b></div>
<div>
<ol>
<li>In a mixing bowl, blend all dry ingredients.</li>
<li>Add wet ingredients to mixing bowl and mix until mixture turns creamy.</li>
<li>Bake in a manner appropriate to your baking pan. For a bundt pan, lightly oil all surfaces and then lightly flour before adding cake batter.</li>
<li>Bake at 325 for a time appropriate for your baking pan. In a bundt pan, this will take about an hour. A sheet pan will be quicker.</li>
<li>Let cool, then remove from pan and add delicious chocolate icing. Serve with homemade ice cream.</li>
</ol>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09900722116531326873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8267118408131135675.post-86320532044015913562014-01-29T19:52:00.003-08:002014-01-29T20:04:35.886-08:00The Perfect Chocolate Chip CookieI've had a lot of good chocolate chip cookies, but I've never made one I loved. This week, thanks to multiple attempts and some input from <a href="http://sweets.seriouseats.com/2013/12/the-food-lab-the-best-chocolate-chip-cookies.html" target="_blank">Kenji</a>, I finally got it right. This recipe also appeals to my obsessive-compulsive side because the only two volume measures you need are the half cup and the teaspoon.<br />
<br />
I know it's a little complicated to use both white sugar, brown sugar, and corn syrup. I know it's weird to use both Crisco and butter. I know it's weird to brown the butter. But these cookies have a sweet, nutty caramel flavor and have crispy edges and a chewy center. This is it: my ultimate chocolate chip cookie.<br />
<br />
<div>
<b>Dry Ingredients</b></div>
<ul style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">
<li>2 C all-purpose flour</li>
<li>1 t baking soda</li>
<li>1 t salt</li>
</ul>
<b>Wet Ingredients</b><br />
<ul>
<li>1/2 C (1 stick) browned butter (see step 1)</li>
<li>1 ice cube</li>
<li>1/2 C white sugar</li>
<li>2 eggs</li>
<li>1/2 C Crisco shortening</li>
<li>1 t vanilla</li>
<li>1 T corn syrup (Note that 1 T is 3 t)</li>
<li>1/2 C packed light brown sugar</li>
</ul>
<b>Mix-Ins</b><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>1 C chocolate chips (semi-sweet)</li>
<li>1/2 C peanut butter chips</li>
</ul>
<div>
<b><br /></b>
<b>Steps</b></div>
<ol>
<li>Brown the stick of butter. It's easier than you'd think. For instructions on browning butter, <a href="http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/how_to_brown_butter/" target="_blank">click here</a>. Note that adding hot butter to eggs will curdle them, so it must cool before joining the other ingredients. Once the butter has cooled slightly (no longer boiling), add ice cube and move around until it melts. This should drop the temperature enough, but there's no harm in letting it cool a few more minutes before adding it in Step 5. If you don't mind doing extra dishes, you might pour it out of the skillet and into a small bowl to accelerate cooling.</li>
<li>Preheat oven to 325.</li>
<li>In a small bowl, mix dry ingredients and set aside.</li>
<li>Add white sugar and eggs to large mixing bowl. Mix until smooth. Add Crisco, vanilla, and corn syrup and mix again. Crisco will not fully incorporate, but should break into small pieces. Add brown sugar and continue to mix.</li>
<li>Once brown butter has cooled (does not need to be room temperature, but should not be hot to the touch), add to mixing bowl.</li>
<li>While continuing to mix, add dry ingredients, in small batches, until combined. Add chocolate and peanut butter chips.</li>
<li>Drop heaping spoonfuls on cookie sheet, preferably with parchment paper or silicone baking mat.</li>
<li>Cook at 325 for 18 minutes or until cookies are golden brown.</li>
</ol>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09900722116531326873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8267118408131135675.post-46054734573952402962014-01-23T10:11:00.000-08:002014-01-23T10:11:35.360-08:00Pumpkin MuffinsWe made our own pumpkin puree this year, and it was interesting learning to cook with amounts that weren't measured by the can. It also meant we needed recipes that used varying amounts of pumpkin puree, since we didn't think to measure the puree before we froze it. These muffins became our go-to method for finishing off the rest of the pumpkin.<br />
<br />
Note that the recipe is pretty forgiving with the pumpkin. If you have an extra quarter cup, just throw it in. We also made these once using mashed sweet potatoes, and they tasted pretty much the same. Substitutions for the win. In a pinch, you can also add half a cup of chocolate chips. Everything is better with chocolate.<br />
<br />
<u>Ingredients</u><br />
<br />
<b>Dry Team</b><br />
<ul>
<li>1.5C flour</li>
<li>1 t pumpkin pie spice</li>
<li>1 t baking powder</li>
<li>.5 t baking soda</li>
<li>.5 t salt</li>
</ul>
<br />
<b>Wet Team</b><br />
<ul>
<li>1 C pumpkin</li>
<li>1 C sugar</li>
<li>1/3 C canola</li>
<li>2 eggs</li>
</ul>
<br />
<br />
<u>Instructions</u><br />
<ol>
<li>Preheat oven to 350 degrees.</li>
<li>Add dry team to a small bowl and combine</li>
<li>Add wet team to a mixing bowl and mix.</li>
<li>Add dry to wet and mix.</li>
<li>Spoon into muffin tins. If you hate life, feel free to grease the tins or use paper cups. As for me and my house, we use silicone baking cups.</li>
<li>Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes.</li>
</ol>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09900722116531326873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8267118408131135675.post-22980978698459793432014-01-21T16:41:00.000-08:002014-01-21T16:42:44.520-08:00Homemade Pumpkin Pie SpiceThis is an easy one. Never buy pumpkin pie spice when it's so easy to make your own. If you have a larger container, double this recipe.<br />
<br />
<u>Ingredients</u><br />
<ul>
<li>2 t ground cinnamon</li>
<li>1 t ground ginger</li>
<li>1/2 t ground nutmeg</li>
<li>1/2 t ground allspice or ground cloves</li>
</ul>
<u>Steps</u><br />
<ol>
<li>Mix and store in an airtight container.</li>
</ol>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09900722116531326873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8267118408131135675.post-9107951712706102362014-01-19T15:51:00.000-08:002014-01-19T16:00:17.769-08:00Peanut Butter Fudge Sandwich CookiesI know, they need a better name. I thought about calling these "Peanut Butter Oreos," but didn't want to deal with the trademark violations. And the chocolate cookies aren't really Oreo-like... they're a little more like a cookie and less like a sweet cracker.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TUOnFRwhxS4/UtxkWS2cu7I/AAAAAAAAD3I/qmTBX62A3UA/s1600/IMG_20140119_160519.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TUOnFRwhxS4/UtxkWS2cu7I/AAAAAAAAD3I/qmTBX62A3UA/s1600/IMG_20140119_160519.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">C is for Cookie. Good enough for me.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
I should also say that while I tend to avoid fussy recipes like the plague, this is a moderately fussy recipe. Using a biscuit cutter takes a little more time, but it ensures that every cookie is exactly the same size (and thus easier to match with a twin for perfect sandwich action). I know it looks overwhelming, but it's actually not too bad and the finished product is excellent.<br />
<br />
<div>
<b>Dry Team</b></div>
<ul>
<li>1 1/2 C all-purpose flour</li>
<li>1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder</li>
<li>1/2 tsp. baking soda</li>
<li>1/4 tsp. baking powder</li>
<li>1/2 tsp. salt</li>
</ul>
<br />
<b>Hot Team</b><br />
<ul>
<li>1/2 cup chocolate chips</li>
<li>1 stick unsalted butter, cut into chunks</li>
</ul>
<br />
<div>
<b>Wet Team</b></div>
<ul>
<li>1 1/4 cups packed dark brown sugar</li>
<li>1 t vanilla extract</li>
<li>2 eggs</li>
</ul>
<br />
<div>
<b>Filling Team</b></div>
<ul>
<li>1 C confectioner's sugar (easily made at home <a href="http://bulletproofbites.blogspot.com/2014/01/confectioners-sugar.html" target="_blank">by clicking here</a>)</li>
<li>1 C peanut butter</li>
<li>3 T milk</li>
</ul>
<br />
<b>Instructions</b><br />
<ol>
<li>Add all dry ingredients to a mixing bowl and combine. Set aside.</li>
<li>Put chocolate chips and butter in a large microwaveable bowl. Microwave on full power for 20 seconds. Remove and stir. Repeat 2 more times; this should give you a bowl of fully-melted chocolate butter. Let cool slightly (if it's too hot it will curdle the eggs in the next step).</li>
<li>Add sugar and eggs to mixing bowl and beat until combined. Beat in vanilla, then the melted chocolate solution from step 2. Once fully incorporated, add the dry ingredients from step 1 and mix until fully combined. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.</li>
<li>Heat oven to 350 degrees.</li>
<li>Remove dough from fridge and divide into 3 sections. Cut 2 sheets of parchment paper to the size of your baking sheet. Lay out each sheet on your counter, add a third of the dough, and cover with wax paper. Keeping the wax paper between the dough and the roller, roll out the dough to a thin (1/4") layer. Remove top layer of wax paper, and use a 2" biscuit cutter to cut as many cookies as possible. Remove waste and use as the start of a fourth "third" of dough. If dough is too soft, add to fridge or freezer for 5 minutes.</li>
<li>Once two trays are complete, bake for ~8 minutes at 350 degrees. Pull trays out, let cool, and repeat step 5 with remaining two sections of dough.</li>
<li>While cookies bake and cool, make the peanut butter filling. Add sugar and peanut butter to food processor and process until incorporated. The mixture will ball up in the food processor. Redistribute, then add 1 T of milk. Repeat until all three tablespoons of milk have been incorporated.</li>
<li>By this time the cookies should be cool. Grab one, add peanut butter filling to bottom, and add another cookie to make a sandwich. Repeat until you run out of cookies or filling. Eat leftovers.</li>
<li>Enjoy with a cold glass of milk.</li>
</ol>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09900722116531326873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8267118408131135675.post-23998137632317127622014-01-19T14:50:00.003-08:002014-01-19T14:50:41.004-08:00Confectioner's SugarI needed confectioner's sugar for a recipe, but had none. Who knew it was so easy?<br />
<br />
If the goal is just to have sugar that dissolves easily, you can create superfine sugar by running 1 cup (or more) of sugar in a food processor for 30 seconds. If you're creating something that needs to gel (icing, for example), simply add 2 T of corn starch to the sugar before processing. You can create exactly the amount you need: If the recipe calls for 1.5 C of confectioner's sugar, add 1.5C of table sugar and 3T of corn starch to your food processor, then run for 30 seconds.<br />
<br />
You may have already known this, but it was news to me. Brilliant.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09900722116531326873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8267118408131135675.post-54384025546222498762014-01-16T10:21:00.000-08:002014-01-16T10:21:08.438-08:00Hawaiian RiceIt's not really Hawaiian. I know that. And it's not high cuisine. But it comes together fast, the kids will clean their plates, it makes great leftovers, and I can make the entire meal with unrefrigerated ingredients from the pantry. It's also very forgiving, so you can increase or decrease amounts as you please.<br />
<br />
<u>Ingredients:</u><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>1 onion, chopped</li>
<li>canola oil</li>
<li>1 pinch red pepper flakes</li>
<li>1 batch of <a href="http://bulletproofbites.blogspot.com/2014/01/simple-white-rice.html" target="_blank">Simple White Rice</a>.</li>
<li>1/8 C soy sauce</li>
<li>1 20oz can crushed pineapple</li>
<li>1 10oz can chicken, drained (reserve water)</li>
</ul>
<br />
<u>Steps:</u><br />
<br />
<ol>
<li>Add chopped onion and canola oil to a large skillet. Let cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent. Add red pepper flakes and heat slightly.</li>
<li>Add white rice. Plain rice will work fine (my kids prefer it), although I find rice with onion and ginger is especially good. Stir immediately to keep rice from sticking to skillet.</li>
<li>Add drained chicken to rice. Stir to distribute. If rice is cold or dry, some water from the canned chicken can be added.</li>
<li>Add 1/8 cup of soy sauce. Stir to distribute.</li>
<li>Add crushed pineapple, directly from can. Stir to distribute.</li>
</ol>
<div>
That's it. Like I said, it's dead simple. Serve with a green vegetable and call it a day.</div>
<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09900722116531326873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8267118408131135675.post-63112013045234724892014-01-15T15:55:00.004-08:002014-01-15T15:55:36.618-08:00Simple White Rice"The best teacher in America," a friend said to me, "is Alton Brown."<br />
<br />
My friend is a pastor, and we were talking about teaching hard parts of the Bible. Alton Brown is a cook. What possible connection could there be? I borrowed some DVDs to find out.<br />
<br />
My friend was right. Brown is a great teacher who takes difficult subjects (chemistry, physics, nutrition, history, etc) and makes them easily accessible to those interested in learning. I mostly just watched to learn to teach, but along the way I learned how to cook, as well. Today, I love to cook. I attribute the change, in large part, to Alton's influence.<br />
<br />
This is Brown's "<a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/perfect-rice-in-a-rush-recipe/index.html" target="_blank">Rice in a Rush</a>" recipe. I make it at least once a week.<br />
<br />
<b>Simple White Rice</b><br />
<br />
<b>Ingredients</b><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>3 cups boiling water</li>
<li>2 T butter</li>
<li>2 cups long-grained rice</li>
</ul>
<b>Instructions</b><br /><br />
<ol>
<li>Boil the water. It won't work if the water's not boiling.</li>
<li>Melt butter in an appropriately-sized pot over high heat.</li>
<li>Add rice and stir until lightly brown.</li>
<li>Add 3 cups boiling water, cover with a lid, and turn the heat to simmer. Set timer for 15 minutes and do not disturb until time is up.</li>
</ol>
<br />
<b>Notes:</b><br />
<br />
If you want to spice up your rice, add spices between steps 2 and 3. Alton adds a teaspoon of salt, which I avoid. I usually add a chopped onion, which he avoids. Depending on the dish, I may add other spices to the butter before adding the rice and water: chipotle, red pepper flakes, or ginger are the most common. Still, the basic instructions are almost impossible to mess up.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09900722116531326873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8267118408131135675.post-40039360087487116892014-01-09T10:38:00.002-08:002014-01-09T10:38:31.002-08:00Quick Beer Bread<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.15; white-space: pre-wrap;">I don’t drink beer. I don’t like it. But I love beer bread. Go figure. I pretty much never have beer in the house, but when I do this gets made with remarkable regularity. It takes 5 minutes to make and 35 to cook, so if you have any beer at home you could be eating this in 40 minutes.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Ingredients</span></div>
<ul style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">3 C all-purpose flour</span></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">3 T packed light brown sugar</span></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">1 T baking powder</span></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">1 t salt</span></div>
</li>
</ul>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
<ul style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">1 (12 oz) bottle beer, at room temperature and unopened</span></div>
</li>
</ul>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
<ul style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted</span></div>
</li>
</ul>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Steps</span></div>
<br />
<ol style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Preheat oven to 375 F. Grease your loaf pan. Make sure your 4T of butter is melted.</span></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In a big mixing bowl, mix your dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt).</span></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Open beer and add immediately. It’ll fizz like crazy... that’s how you know it’s working. Mix until it’s combined, but don’t overmix. Lumpy is fine.</span></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Move batter to pan. Level it out as well as you can. Pour melted butter on top.</span></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Bake for 35ish minutes at 375. If it’s done, a sharp knife stuck in the middle should come out clean.</span></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Give it a minute or so to cool down a bit, but this bread is best hot. It’s good cold, too, but nothing beats hot bread. Serve with butter and honey, or just plain. If there’s any left the next day (hey, it could happen), microwave and serve with butter and honey.</span></li>
</ol>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09900722116531326873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8267118408131135675.post-68733697234443031632014-01-09T10:34:00.003-08:002014-01-17T07:46:54.124-08:00Bulletproof Condiments: Classic Mayo and Fresh Aioli<span style="font-family: inherit;">I actually wrote these out once before, but I put four recipes in the same post and it was difficult linking to each. This post will just cover two recipes: Classic Mayo and a near-identical recipe for Classic Aioli.</span><br />
<br />
<b>Classic Mayo:</b><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Mayo is way more intimidating than it should be. Word to the wise, though: Only attempt this with a blender or food processor, and be careful what size eggs you use. The first two times I made this recipe it was perfect, the next time (same recipe, but with smaller eggs) it made soup. Not enough egg to oil. If you have large eggs, you can use up to 2 cups of vegetable oil. Add the 1 1/2 cups first, then add more a bit at a time until you're happy with the consistency. I generally find that 1.75 cups of oil is exactly the right amount for the eggs that we buy.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Ingredients</span><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">2 eggs</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">2 teaspoons salt</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">2 teaspoons dry mustard</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">1/4 cup white vinegar</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">1 1/2 cups vegetable oil (or slightly more)</span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Directions:</span><br />
<br />
<ol>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Put first four ingredients in a food processor or blender, and turn on.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">With the motor still running, SLOWLY and STEADILY add the oil. You want to continually add a small stream of oil. Drop it in batches and you'll get oily eggs.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">After your 1 1/2 cups are added, check consistency. Add more oil if mayo is too thin.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Refrigerate.</span></li>
</ol>
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Fresh Aioli</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Aioli is essentially a mayo made with </span>Italian<span style="font-family: inherit;"> flavors (garlic and olive oil). It's far less </span>versatile<span style="font-family: inherit;"> than the classic mayo, but it</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> tastes great on a sandwich. I usually make a smaller batch since there are fewer uses for it. We'll u</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">se the above recipe, but substitute garlic for dry mustard and olive oil for vegetable oil.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
Ingredients<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>1 garlic clove</li>
<li>1 egg</li>
<li>1 teaspoons salt</li>
<li>1/8 cup white vinegar</li>
<li>3/4 cups olive oil (or slightly more)</li>
</ul>
<br />
Directions:<br />
<br />
<ol>
<li>Add garlic clover to food processor, and turn on.</li>
<li>Add egg, salt, and vinegar.</li>
<li>With the motor still running, SLOWLY and STEADILY add the oil. You want to continually add a small stream of oil. Drop it in batches and you'll get oily eggs.</li>
<li>After your 3/4 cups are added, check consistency. Add more oil if mayo is too thin.</li>
<li>Refrigerate.</li>
</ol>
<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09900722116531326873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8267118408131135675.post-6147952785875946822013-11-23T20:01:00.001-08:002013-11-23T20:04:28.593-08:00Turkey MoleThat's pronounced "moe-lay." It's not the small burrowing mammal.<br />
<br />
I've got a fair number of new recipes to write up, but I've told myself I can't do any blog writing unless I finish my academic writing. I'm taking two classes right now in an attempt to finish my Master's degree in May. But I finished a paper this weekend and won't start on the next one until tomorrow, so this evening I can record this for posterity. It's going to become a standard for us.<br />
<br />
It's incredible how cheap turkeys get this time of year. It's practically criminal not to take advantage of some of the Thanksgiving sales. But there's only so many turkeys you can roast before you get sick of turkey. I can't make turkey more than 2 or 3 times a year without getting tired of the taste. Solution? Cook turkey meat so it doesn't taste like turkey.<br />
<br />
We thawed our frozen bird and this afternoon I broke it down. Legs, thighs, and wings come off, skin comes off, breasts come off, and the rest goes in the pot for stock.<br />
<br />
I used the turkey skin and breasts to make Kenji's <a href="http://www.seriouseats.com/2013/11/the-food-lab-turkey-porchetta-thanksgiving-recipe.html" target="_blank">Turkey Porchetta</a>. It's curing in the fridge; we'll know tomorrow night how it turned out. I think I'm going to braise the drumsticks and wings because braising helps break down the large amounts of connective tissue found in the legs of a large turkey. Right now I'm leaning towards <a href="http://www.marthastewart.com/349139/cider-braised-turkey-legs" target="_blank">Martha's recipe</a> but we'll see how it plays out.<br />
<br />
But my favorite part of the turkey is the thigh. It's the best meat on the bird, and it's easy (especially before you cook it) to make it boneless. I'll have plenty of dark meat over the next week, though. Today's mission: find a way to cook the thighs that doesn't taste like turkey. Solution: Mexican food. This isn't a true mole sauce (the authentic ones are way too much work), but it's a good 80% solution in maybe 5% of the time. Call it a faux-lay instead of a moe-lay. Faule? Fole?<br />
<br />
We're going to quickly brown the turkey, then braise it in a simple sauce made from tomatoes and chicken stock. It'll cook covered for 30-45 minutes, then it's ready to serve. Bulletproof.<br />
<br />
<b>Bulletproof Turkey Mole</b><br />
<br />
<b>Ingredients</b><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>2 turkey thighs</li>
<li>Oil to coat skillet</li>
<li>1 small onion</li>
<li>2 cloves garlic</li>
<li>1 cup low-sodium chicken stock</li>
<li>1 can diced tomatoes (I spent 97 cents and bought Great Value Fire Roasted Salsa-Style Seasoned Diced Tomatoes)</li>
<li>Spices may vary based on your own preferences and what you have available, but I used (measurements approximate):</li>
<ul>
<li>1 chipotle pepper in adobe sauce, diced small</li>
<li>1 T taco seasoning</li>
<li>1 t cajun seasoning</li>
<li>1 t cumin</li>
<li>1/2 C brine from jar of pickled jalapenos</li>
</ul>
<li>Taco fixings (tortillas, cheese, rice, black beans, sour cream, salsa, fresh chopped tomatoes, etc).</li>
</ul>
<div>
Steps</div>
<div>
<ol>
<li>Take the skin off the turkey thighs and remove the thighbone. Cut in half so there are four pieces.</li>
<li>Rough chop the onion, smash and mince the garlic.</li>
<li>Set large skillet on high heat and pour in enough oil to coat the bottom.</li>
<li>Once oil is hot, place turkey in skillet for about a minute. Add onions and garlic. Flip turkey and let sit for about a minute.</li>
<li>Remove turkey and add chicken broth to deglaze the pan. Use a metal spatula or spoon to get all the crusty bits off the pan and into the sauce you're creating. </li>
<li>Pour in diced tomatoes, stir, then add remaining ingredients.</li>
<li>Add turkey back to skillet. Ladle some of the sauce over the turkey, then turn heat down to medium and let simmer for 30-45 minutes. It really could go for longer or shorter, depending on your own needs. The longer you have, the lower you should set the heat. Once time is up, pull the turkey apart with a pair of forks but leave the meat in the sauce until it's time to serve.</li>
</ol>
<div>
This made a really satisfying taco meal with plenty of leftovers to spare. Best part? It doesn't taste like turkey. Not even a little bit.</div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09900722116531326873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8267118408131135675.post-13629983305525787522013-10-24T20:31:00.000-07:002013-10-24T20:44:11.403-07:00Freelance CookiesI'm in the middle of a big push to pick up some new freelance clients. Tomorrow, I'm visiting eight local engineering shops and dropping off my business card along with a plateful of cookies. I'm giving them my favorite cookie recipe; I made over a hundred of these today.<br />
<div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41kGc77oSxL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41kGc77oSxL.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Timid Salesmen Have Skinny Kids</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
It's everything I like in a cookie: some chocolate, some peanut butter, and some chewiness. I made four batches of these tonight; they're dead simple and delicious. I use a stand mixer, which is great, but you're welcome to use a hand-mixer or your bulging muscles if you like.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Ingredients:</div>
</div>
</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>1 stick butter (room temperature or warmer, but not liquid)</li>
<li>1 cup brown sugar</li>
<li>1 egg</li>
<li>1 t vanilla</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>1.5 C flour</li>
<li>1 t baking soda</li>
<li>.5 t salt</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>1 C old-fashioned oats</li>
<li>2/3 C chocolate chips</li>
<li>1/3 C peanut butter chips</li>
</ul>
<div>
Steps:</div>
</div>
<div>
<ol>
<li>Add butter and brown sugar to bowl. Beat.</li>
<li>Add egg and vanilla. Beat.</li>
<li>Add dry ingredients. Beat.</li>
<li>Add oats. Mix.</li>
<li>Add chocolate and peanut butter chips. Mix.</li>
<li>Add to cookie sheet in a size that you like. Cook at 350 for 13 minutes. I kept two cookie sheets going at all times, switching the top and bottom sheets at the 6:30 mark.</li>
<li>Move to cooling rack immediately. Try not to eat the first batch by the time the second batch comes out of the oven.</li>
</ol>
</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VolcAaE3zvA/Umnl6ZwlB-I/AAAAAAAADM0/IHvUPyRIvr0/s1600/IMG_20131024_231632.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VolcAaE3zvA/Umnl6ZwlB-I/AAAAAAAADM0/IHvUPyRIvr0/s320/IMG_20131024_231632.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09900722116531326873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8267118408131135675.post-76927055400947576822013-10-03T21:32:00.000-07:002013-10-03T21:32:01.528-07:00Delicious Failure<div style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
"Success," said Winston Churchill, "consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm." By this metric, I am an incredibly successful man.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-AbrYzIQBhU4/Uk5DhirkoTI/AAAAAAAADEo/pybwV5yCDfc/s1600/IMG_20131004_002452.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-AbrYzIQBhU4/Uk5DhirkoTI/AAAAAAAADEo/pybwV5yCDfc/s320/IMG_20131004_002452.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
I'm an odd and contrary dude. I generally don't enjoy reading books by people I agree with, and I don't enjoy cooking foods I know how to make. This means I cook a lot of things for the first time. They're usually decent... it's harder than you'd think to really destroy a from-scratch dish if you follow the recipe. Of course, my favorite dishes don't have recipes that I've been able to find... that's why I want to start writing them down.</div>
<div style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
Normally I wouldn't write about something I made until I'd nailed it at least once, but my failure to make jelly has been delicious. Backstory follows:</div>
<div style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
The stuff that makes jelly jel is called "pectin" and it's found in many natural foods, but apples are especially high in it. Specifically, apple peels and cores are high in it. That means if you use the flesh of an apple for cooking (<a href="http://iowagirleats.com/2013/09/20/apple-crisp-muffins/" target="_blank">these, for example</a>), you could still use the skin and cores to make jelly. But isn't an apple jelly pretty bland? Of course it is. Solution: add jalapenos.</div>
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I threw all of my apple leftovers in a pot and added water until they were covered. Then I started boiling. I added a double handful of chopped jalapenos (we keep "nacho style" pickled jalapeno slices in the fridge) and cooked until the cooking liquid looked almost brown. I poured the liquid into a multi-cup measure (it was almost exactly 3 cups), got rid of the solids, poured the liquids back into the pot, and added 3/4 C of sugar and a shake of cinnamon for every cup of liquid.</div>
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Here's my mistake: I added extra water from the tap. I prefer jams to jellies because james are more spreadable, and I worried that I'd have too much pectin in the soup and that it would set up into a "hard" jelly that doesn't spread well out of the fridge. So I added one cup of water, cooked until the liquid was 220 degrees Fahrenheit, poured off into jars, and refrigerated.</div>
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That extra cup of water killed me. Instead of having a nice spicy jelly, I have something more the consistency of maple syrup. It drips everywhere. And it is delicious.</div>
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Seriously, it's incredible. It starts out tasting like apple honey, and then when you swallow it you get the bite from the peppers. It's awesome. I've had it by the spoon, over muffins, on peanut butter, and stirred into a glass of water. Next up: pancakes and pork chops (not at the same time).</div>
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I'll try making this again, and this time I'll leave out the extra water. I may go easier on the jalapenos, because it has enough kick that nobody else in the family will eat it. But I might leave the heat alone... that might be a valuable feature.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09900722116531326873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8267118408131135675.post-47011883067426912452013-09-07T20:23:00.003-07:002014-01-09T10:35:41.733-08:00Bulletproof Condiments: Balsamic Syrup and Tonkatsu Sauce<div>
Here are some condiments that we make at home. They're pretty straightforward. Some things (soy sauce, ketchup, chili paste, Franks, etc) just aren't worth making for yourself, but both of these have been solid additions to our inventory. Last weekend I went on a tear and filled up a <a href="http://amzn.to/14BKpa0" target="_blank">6-pack of squeeze bottles</a> with homemade condiments. One bottle was my peanut sauce, three bottles were a tzatziki that's not yet ready for publication, one was the balsamic syrup, and one was the tonkatsu sauce.<br />
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<b>Balsamic Syrup</b><br />
This is perfect over fresh fruit. I couldn't stop eating it with a pineapple we had. But then I had just plain pineapple and it was still delicious. It's hard to mess up good fruit. But if you're serving company, this makes for an impressive-looking (and ridiculously easy) dessert.<br />
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<u>Ingredients (double or triple as desired)</u></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>1/2 cups balsamic vinegar</li>
<li>1 T brown sugar</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div>
<u>Steps</u></div>
<div>
<ol>
<li>Add vinegar and sugar to a small saucepan on medium-high heat.</li>
<li>Leave on heat and stir occasionally for 20 minutes. Syrup will reduce by 1/2 to 1/3.</li>
<li>Add to squeeze bottle and refrigerate.</li>
</ol>
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<b>Tonkatsu Sauce</b></div>
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Think of this as a korean bbq sauce. It's probably not close to real tonkatsu sauce, which I've only had once. I'm sure if I tasted them next to each other I'd be able to tell the difference. But this tastes similar to my memory of tankatsu, and it's delicious. I tried making spring rolls today with very thin rolled pasta, and stuffed them with fried pork, onion, garlic, jalapenos, and a bit of this sauce. A big win.<br />
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<u>Ingredients</u><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>1 tsp. dry mustard powder</li>
<li>1 cup ketchup</li>
<li>¼ cup Worcestershire</li>
<li>4 tsp. soy sauce</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div>
<u>Steps</u></div>
<div>
<br />
<ol>
<li>Combine and refrigerate.</li>
</ol>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09900722116531326873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8267118408131135675.post-45702524305100246442013-09-07T19:51:00.000-07:002014-01-29T17:36:37.020-08:00Late-Night PastaThis is my favorite pasta dish ever. Think of it as a poor man's / lazy man's carbonara with a fried egg on top. It is delicious, and contains no measurements. If every a dish was bulletproof, it's this one. We had it tonight and both kids (normally skeptical of long noodles) cleaned their plates.<br />
<br />
I'll admit that tonight's version wasn't particularly bulletproof, because I'm learning to make noodles and I had to scrap the batch and re-roll them all. Major pain. But don't worry about fresh noodles, just make this with whatever you have in the pantry. The entire point of this dish is that you can throw together an intensely satisfying comfort food in ten minutes. This started out as a <a href="http://www.traceysculinaryadventures.com/2012/06/late-night-pasta.html" target="_blank">Tracey Adaption</a> of a Martha Stewart recipe, but believe me when I say that this is not a recipe that requires Martha-level precision.<br />
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I've included some basic measurements, just so the recipe won't be intimidating the first time you make it. Don't feel obliged to follow these numbers; I usually tweak this depending on how much of each ingredient I have. The only thing that could be intimidating about this recipe is the juggling: you'll have three active dishes on your cooktop: the nonstick where you're frying an egg, the stock pot where you're cooking the noodles, and the skillet where you're making the sauce and assembling the pasta. I know the three dishes (and 11 steps) sounds like a lot, but trust me when I tell you this dish comes together quickly and easily and will absolutely satisfy whatever late-night craving you bring to the table.<br />
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<b>Ingredients:</b><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>One box of long noodles (Spaghetti is standard, linguine is our go-to dried pasta, and tonight I made fresh fettuccine. Do whatever you want).</li>
<li>Salt (for pasta water and for eggs).</li>
<li>Bacon, cut into 3/4" pieces (3-4 long slices is plenty, add more or less as you see fit).</li>
<li>1 onion, chopped (I love onions, feel free to use less if you like).</li>
<li>1 large spoonful of <a href="http://amzn.to/1ewoiG8" target="_blank">minced garlic</a>.</li>
<li>Butter (for sauce and for fried egg)</li>
<li>1/2 cup (or more) of refrigerated Parmesan cheese</li>
<li>Eggs (1 or 2 per person).</li>
</ul>
<div>
<b>Steps:</b></div>
<div>
<ol>
<li>Add water to large pot and start boiling.</li>
<li>Cut bacon into large skillet and begin browning.</li>
<li>Once water is boiling, add salt and pasta.</li>
<li>Once bacon is starting to get crisp, add chopped onion.</li>
<li>Once onion gets tender, add minced garlic</li>
<li>Fry an egg or two. No need to get fancy here: throw some butter in a non-stick pan and crack in an egg. Let it cook until it's done. If you like Over Easy or Sunny Side Up, go for it. I just go for a basic fried egg.</li>
<li>By this time, the pasta should be close to done. Take half a cup (or a large ladle, or whatever) of the pasta water and add it to the skillet. Stir as needed to get everything loose from the bottom of the pan.</li>
<li>Once pasta is done, move it over to the skillet. You can drain with a colander first, but it's easier just to drain with a pasta spoon as you move it over.</li>
<li>Add a large pat of butter (several tablespoons) to the pasta. Mix well to get butter distributed and the bacon/onion/garlic mixture coating everything. Turn off heat.</li>
<li>Add about a third of the cheese, then toss pasta to distribute. Repeat until you use all the cheese. Add pasta water if needed to even out the sauce.</li>
<li>Add to plate, top with a fried egg.</li>
</ol>
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Enjoy!</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09900722116531326873noreply@blogger.com0