Domesticity Nouveau

Gluten-Free Bread Recipes ~ Honey Oat and Multi-Grain

2011-11-19T20:27:00.000-08:00

Thank goodness for our modern kitchens! Could you imagine having to make a fire and get your oven just-so before you could make some yummy gluten-free bread?! No KitchenAid mixer to do the work that would exhaust your arm!? No dishwasher!??!?! I'm surprised the woman in the photo looks so happy... maybe she has a martini stashed where we can't see...

This is just another quick post, and unfortunately without pictures to show you how absolutely easy and DEEEE-LICIOUS these gluten-free breads are. I'm sorry there are no pictures, but please trust me that these breads are wonderful!

I started with the basic gluten-free bread recipe and tweaked things to create two breads I had been missing, honey oat and Dave's Killer Bread. I think everyone knows about honey oat bread, but if you have not experienced Dave's Killer Bread... oh, boy are you missing it out! Nuts and seeds, soft and sweet, but not too sweet... heaven! It truly is worth tracking down the ingredients to make the Multi-Grain recipe below.

Gluten Free Honey Oat Bread
1 loaf

Dry Ingredients
1 cup sorghum flour
2/3 cup brown rice flour
1/4 cup gluten free oat flour
1/3 cup tapioca starch
1/2 cup potato starch
1/4 cup gluten free rolled oats
2 teaspoon instant/quick rise yeast (about 1 packet)
1 teaspoon flake kosher salt
2 3/4 teaspoon xanthan gum

Wet Ingredients
2 eggs + 2 egg whites, room temperature
1 cup warm water + 2 Tablespoons
3 Tablespoons melted butter, warm but not hot
3 Tablespoons honey

Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees

1. Place all dry ingredients in bowl of heavy duty mixer. Using paddle attachment, mix on low speed for 2 minutes to combine.
2. Mix all wet ingredients thoroughly in a separate bowl.
3. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and start mixer on low speed. Mix for a moment and then scrape down sides. Mix on medium high speed for 5 minutes, scraping bowl half way through.
4. While dough is mixing, butter a loaf pan and set aside.
5. When dough is done mixing, scrape into loaf pan. Dough will be soft, very unlike traditional wheat based bread. There is no kneading or additional rising and rest times.
6. Using a spatula, smoosh dough into pan, making sure to get it into the corners. Smooth top with spatula. Cover with a dish towel or greased foil and let rise 30-60 minutes in a warm place (stove top on a cold burner is great) until it reaches the top of the loaf pan.
6. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. You will know when bread is done when it has a golden brown crust and a hollow sound when tapped.
7. Let rest in loaf pan for 5 minutes, then remove and cool on baking rack. If you let it sit in the pan too long and steam has made the bottom crust soft, you can place back in the oven, out of the loaf pan, for a few minutes to crisp it again.
8. Once completely cooled, store in a sealed container or zip top bag and slice as needed. Storing in the fridge will extend the keeping time of your loaf.
9. Save the heals and any stale portions in the freezer until you have enough to make your own gluten free bread crumbs by whirling in a food processor until desired consistency.

Gluten Free Multi-Grain Bread
1 loaf of the bom-diggity!!

*Feel free to use whatever seed and nut mixture you prefer. You will need approximately 3/4 cup combined of chopped nuts and seeds for this recipe.

Dry Ingredients
1/2 cup sorghum flour
1/4 cup amaranth flour
1/4 cup teff flour
2/3 cup brown rice flour
1/4 cup gluten free oat flour
1/3 cup tapioca starch
1/2 cup potato starch
1/4 cup gluten free rolled oats
2 teaspoon instant/quick rise yeast
1 teaspoon flake kosher salt
2 3/4 teaspoon xanthan gum

Wet Ingredients
2 eggs + 2 egg whites, room temperature
1 cup warm water + 2 Tablespoons
3 Tablespoons melted butter (warm but not hot) or oil
3 Tablespoons honey, sugar or combination

*Nut and Seed Mixture
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup raw pumpkin seeds (also called pepitas)
1 Tablespoon sesame seeds
1/2 Tablespoon flax seed
1/2 Tablespoon Amaranth seed

Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees

1. Place all dry ingredients, along with nut and seed mixture, in bowl of heavy duty mixer. Using paddle attachment, mix on low speed for 2 minutes to combine.
2. Mix all wet ingredients thoroughly in a separate bowl.
3. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and start mixer on low speed. Mix for a moment and then scrape down sides. Mix on medium high speed for 5 minutes, scraping bowl half way through.
4. While dough is mixing, butter a loaf pan and set aside.
5. When dough is done mixing, scrape into loaf pan. Dough will be soft, very unlike traditional wheat based bread. There is no kneading or additional rising and rest times.
6. Using a spatula, smoosh dough into pan, making sure to get it into the corners. Smooth top with spatula. Cover with a dish towel or greased foil and let rise 30-60 minutes in a warm place (stove top on a cold burner is great) until it reaches the top of the loaf pan.
6. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. You will know when bread is done when it has a golden brown crust and a hollow sound when tapped.
7. Let rest in loaf pan for 5 minutes, then remove and cool on baking rack. If you let it sit in the pan too long and steam has made the bottom crust soft, you can place back in the oven, out of the loaf pan, for a few minutes to crisp it again.
8. Once completely cooled, store in a sealed container or zip top bag and slice as needed. Storing in the fridge will extend the keeping time of your loaf.
9. Save the heals and any stale portions in the freezer until you have enough to make your own gluten free bread crumbs by whirling in a food processor until desired consistency.

Note: If you like these bread recipes and want to make up a few jars or bags of mix for quicker use in the future, place all dry ingredients in container except for yeast, seeds and nuts; a quart size canning jar works great. Label and add a note with remaining ingredients to be added and instructions for mixing and baking; store in a cool, dry, dark place. The most time consuming part of making gluten free bread is measuring all the ingredients.

Happy Baking!

Gluten-Free Cornbread

2011-11-18T19:33:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving is just around the corner and the questions of stuffing (or is it dressing?) and being gluten-free come about. If you make a bread stuffing, you have lots of good options to make your bread cubes from, like this basic gluten-free bread recipe, or some of the store brands which have greatly improved over the years. Finding a good gluten-free cornbread recipe is key if your family makes a cornbread stuffing.

This cornbread recipe is GREAT! You can see in the photos that it is moist and tender crumbed, what you can't experience is just how darn tasty it is!

This is a quick post, without the normal Q&A. If you have any questions, please leave a comment and I will get back to you as quickly as I can.

Gluten Free Buttermilk Cornbread
1 12” cast iron skillet or 9x13 baking dish or 24 muffins

Dry Ingredients
1 1/3 cups gluten free flour blend
2/3 cup oat flour
2 cup cornmeal
1/2 to 1 cup sugar or honey, to taste
1 tsp xanthan gum or guar gum
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
4 Tbsp buttermilk powder**

Wet Ingredients
1 cup butter, melted and cooled
4 eggs
2 cups water**

**can use 2 cups buttermilk in place of water and buttermilk powder. Buttermilk powder can be found near the powdered milk in the baking section of your local market. It is super handy to have on hand!

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees and place cast iron skillet in oven to preheat as well.

1. Measure all dry ingredients into a large bowl and whisk well to mix.
2. Make sure butter has cooled sufficiently to not cook eggs and mix with eggs and water.
3. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and mix until combined with a few small lumps remaining.
4. Remove cast iron skillet from oven and fill with batter or pour batter into a buttered baking dish or divide batter into muffin cups.
5. Bake cast iron skillet or baking dish for 30-40 minutes; muffins take much less time, start checking at 15-20 minutes. Cornbread is done when toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
6. Leftovers freeze well. Cool completely, wrap in foil and then place in a zip top bag. This recipe is easily cut in half for a smaller batch.

Note: If you like this cornbread and want to make up a few jars or bags of mix for quicker use in the future, place all dry ingredients in container, a quart size canning jar works great. Label and add a note with remaining ingredients to be added and instructions for mixing and baking; store in a cool, dry, dark place.

Happy Baking!

Gluten-free Flour Blend

2011-11-18T19:26:00.000-08:00

It's been a while since I have done any gluten-free baking, but with the holidays coming up, I know a lot of you are looking forward to baking up some gluten-free goodies.

Finding the right flour mix was a challenge! I tried some that had bean flour in them and they sat like a lump in my tummy and digested just like beans are known to do... that wasn't fun for anyone! Some were grainy and gritty, others were just a bunch of starch that got gummy.

Somewhere along the journey I stumbled across enough recipes and information to come up with the blend below. It substitutes straight across to *most* baking recipes that call for wheat flour, meaning you can use it cup for cup in your favorite family cookie recipe. Make sure to add in the appropriate amount of xanthan gum or guar gum to mimic the missing gluten.

The sorghum flour really was the key to having a great gluten-free flour. It is lighter than rice flour and doesn't have the grittiness that rice flour sometimes imparts. It adds a slight hint of sweetness that mimics the sweetness in wheat flours, bringing the flavor closer to what we remember from wheat based goodies. If you want to play around with it in recipes, you can swap it out cup for cup with rice flour.

No Q&A on this post, just wanted to slap it up for those who are going to need it in the next week! If you have any questions that need an answer, leave me a comment and I'll get back to you as soon as I can! Leave a message at the beep.....

Gluten Free Flour Mix
6 cups

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups brown rice flour
2 1/2 cups sorghum flour
1 1/3 cups potato starch
2/3 cup tapioca starch

Instructions
Mix all together thoroughly and store in a cool, dry, dark place such as the freezer or a cupboard away from the stove. Use cup for cup in recipes calling for all purpose flour. You will need to add xanthan gum or guar gum to your recipes to mimic gluten properties for proper baking. Feel free to use white rice flour if you prefer it over the brown rice flour.

Per 1 cup of gluten free flour used in a recipe:

Cookies            1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum
Cakes or muffins    1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
Quick breads        3/4 teaspoon xanthan gum
Yeast breads        1 to 1 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
Pizza crust        2 teaspoons xanthan gum

To make up smaller or larger batches of this mix, I did the hard math and here are the calculations for your ease and pleasure... yeah, I know that was awesome of me!

18 Cups Gluten Free Flour Mix
4 1/2 cups brown rice flour
7 1/2 cups sorghum flour
4 cups potato starch
2 cups tapioca starch

12 Cups Gluten Free Flour Mix
3 cups brown rice flour
5 cups sorghum flour
2 2/3 cups potato starch
1 1/3 cups tapioca starch

3 Cups Gluten Free Flour Mix
3/4 cup brown rice flour
1 1/4 cups sorghum flour
2/3 cup potato starch
1/3 cup tapioca starch

2+ Cups Gluten Free Flour Mix
1/2 cup brown rice flour
3/4 cup + 2Tbsp sorghum flour
1/2 cup potato starch
1/4 tapioca starch
*(slightly more than 2 cups)

1+ Cup Gluten Free Flour Mix
1/4 cup brown rice flour
1/2 cup sorghum flour
1/4 cup potato starch
2 Tablespoons tapioca starch
*(slightly more than 1 cup)

Happy Baking!!
Don't forget to stir in the Love!

Spinach Artichoke Dip

2011-11-18T16:29:00.000-08:00

I love the spicy spinach artichoke dip that Costco sells, but I don’t love all the wonky ingredients. I could get on my soap box and rant about all that, but I know you really want a good recipe instead.

I looked through many different recipes, broke them down and rebuilt a recipe that suited my cupboard ingredients. The base is very simple and you could easily change out any of the ingredients and customize the flavors to your preferences. Maybe you would prefer caramelized onions and bacon instead of artichokes... mmmmm, bacon....

I'm looking forward to digging into some more of this cheesy, gooey, loveliness on Thanksgiving! You can easily make this the day ahead, stash it in the fridge and bake it up the next day.... just make sure to let it come to room temperature for about 30 minutes first.

Spinach Artichoke Dip

Ingredients
1 14 oz can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1 10 oz package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
8 oz package of cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup of mayonnaise
1 cup grated parmesan
1 1/2 cup grated mozzarella or jack
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 4oz can diced green chilis

Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients, except artichokes, together with hand mixer, keeping back a bit of the cheese to sprinkle on top. Once combined, mix in the artichoke hearts with a spoon or rubber spatula. Place in baking dish and top with cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes, until bubbling and the cheese on top is browned.

Here we go with another round of questions...

Can I use marinated artichoke hearts or frozen?
Absolutely. The marinated ‘chokes will carry the flavor of the marinade with them into the dip and that could be really delicious! My grocery market had the plain canned ones on sale, so that is what I went with. When I first made this, I didn’t chop the artichokes and they proved to be too big for a dip, but just fine as a topping for a burger. I have a hard time finding frozen artichokes in my area, but I have seen them before. Make sure they are thawed and well drained if this is the route you take.

How do I drain spinach?
Place the frozen spinach in a sieve to thaw and drain a bit. The easiest way to get the moisture out of the spinach is to squeeze it tightly in your hands. Some people prefer to put the thawed spinach in a clean dish towel and squeeze it tightly. That makes laundry. I don’t like laundry. Squeezing with your hands gets you in touch with your food and your hands wash easily.

Do I have to use mayonnaise?
I saw many recipes that had 50/50 sour cream, mayonnaise base. I didn’t have any sour cream, so I just made a batch of mayonnaise and called it good. The sour cream would add a nice tang to the dip and I think I will try it the next time I whip this up, which will be for Thanksgiving!

About the parmesan cheese... is it okay if I use the stuff in the green container?
Of course, your kitchen, your rules. That’s all I had on hand, so I went with it. I know that the real stuff, in shreds or grated would be MUCH better! You have to work with what you have... if you have romano cheese on hand, use that.

Which is better, mozzarella or jack?
It depends on which you prefer, both are mild cheeses that get gooey when heated. You could really spice things up and use some pepper jack cheese or Crimson Fire from the WSU cheese heaven. Maybe swap it out for some gorgonzola or bleu cheese or plain ol’ cheddar. Every cheese brings something different to the party. The base is the mayonnaise and cream cheese, everything else is negotiable.

I don’t like a lot of spiciness, are green chilis really hot?
Green chilis are fairly mild. I will be adding in some jalapeno in future recipes because I like more of a kick! Keep in mind that the dairy in the recipe tempers the heat of the peppers a bit. The chilis or peppers are completely optional, feel free to leave them out. You could change things up anyway you like... maybe some cranberries and goat cheese with some walnuts tossed in, or bacon and cheddar, or roasted garlic and bacon, or...

What size dish do I use?
I used an 6 cup soufflé dish because it was a brand new gift and I wanted to play with it! An 8x8 baking dish or a loaf pan or a 9” cake pan or 10” pie plate or anything that will hold about 4-6 cups. You could even do this in a slow cooker, just increase the time needed for everything to get all gooey together! The thinner the layer is in the pan, the less time it will need to get all melded together, the deeper the layer the more time. Take a peak part way through the cooking time to see how things are going and adjust accordingly.

What do I serve this with?
I topped burgers with this delicious, creamy goo and it was MARVELOUS! A vegetable tray would be lovely for those who don’t eat grains. Of course crackers, pita chips, corn chips etc for those who do eat grains. My personal favorite delivery device is a spork... nothing but a spork to interfere with the creamy deliciousness!

Happy Cooking!

Marinated Mushrooms

2011-11-14T14:43:00.000-08:00

These wonderful marinated mushrooms would be a welcome appetizer or snack at any party! With the holiday season coming around, it is the perfect time to learn a quick and easy recipe that you can bring to your gatherings. They also make a great topping for salads or a side dish to a steak!

When I have to travel, I pack a cooler full of fun picnic type foods. It is difficult to be assured that I can find gluten-free foods on the road, so I just eliminate any potential of being ill (or hungry!) on a road trip by planning ahead. It also saves money and is much higher quality!

I like to try some new sort of treat for each trip and this time I went for marinated mushrooms. They are one of my favorite options at the high priced olive bars and I knew they had to be easy and cheaper to make, so I dug through a bunch of recipes and melded them together.

The base is oil and vinegar with seasonings and salt. The salt helps draw the moisture out of the ‘shrooms and ups the flavor. Don’t be intimidated by the heavy hand of salt in the recipe, in no way does it create mushroom salt licks! Since the simplicity of this recipe is a vinaigrette dressing, you could potentially use a bottled salad dressing, but the few moments of whipping together a JERF version makes this MARVELOUS!, rather than just good.

My husband always teases me about all the jars I save, but when I make something as tasty as this, it justifies my jar obsession! The best part of this recipe is it can all be made in one jar (or bowl), leaving you with minimum dishes to wash! I love a lazy recipe.

Marinated Mushrooms

Ingredients
1 lb button mushrooms
1 red pepper
2/3 cup olive oil
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 Tbsp white wine vinegar
1/4 tsp dried lemon zest
1 tsp Italian herbs
1 tsp Aleppo pepper flakes
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 shallot, thinly sliced
1 Tbsp kosher flake salt
Fresh ground pepper

Instructions
Mix all but mushrooms and peppers together. Slice red pepper into bite size strips and if necessary, quarter or halve mushrooms into bite size pieces. Add mushrooms and peppers to marinade, stir (or shake) to get everything covered with goodness and let sit in the refrigerator at least one hour, preferably overnight.

Questions, questions, who has questions?!

Do I have to use olive oil?
Nope, but it is the best option for getting a really good flavor! This is a time to use your good extra virgin olive oil so that the flavor really shines. If you can’t bear to part with 2/3 cups of your good stuff, go half and half with your fancy stuff and your common use oil. You can really use any oil you want, but remember that the flavor is going to greatly influence the end results.

Why two vinegars?
I like balsamic vinegar. A lot. However, it is a strong flavor and can overwhelm everything else in a dish. To get a good balance of yummy balsamic flavor, I decided to cut the super punch of the balsamic with milder white wine vinegar. You can use any vinegar you would like in the amount of 1/4 cup, but just like the oil, the vinegar is a predominant flavor against the subtle mushrooms. You could even use juice from your jar of pickled peppers. That would really spice things up!

I don’t like red peppers, do I have to use them?
Of course not! You can use any vegetables you like! Carrots, green beans, asparagus, cauliflower, green peppers Throw in some Kalamata olives or pepperonicis. Cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, cabbage and Brussels spouts will likely impart an unpleasant flavor, so avoid those in the mix. I came across several recipes that even used leftover steamed and roasted veggies in the marinade mix! Talk about changing up your leftovers!

How do I clean mushrooms?
You can either wipe them clean with a paper towel, rinse them under running water or give them a quick swish in a bowl of water. There is always debate over which way is best. Soaking mushrooms for any length of time in water will effect them, but a quick rinse or swish under water isn't going to make any impact in my experience. I'm cheap, so I don't like to waste my paper towels on mushrooms. I used white mushrooms for this recipe, but crimini should work well, too. I prefer to save the fancy expensive mushrooms for a recipe where they shine... the vinaigrette of marinated mushrooms would overpower the delicate loveliness of some of the more expensive gourmet 'shrooms.

Just mix it all up in a jar to save doing dishes!

What about the seasonings?
You can season the mix however you prefer. The base is the oil, vinegar and salt. Everything else is going to change up the flavor. Try Greek seasoning in place of the Italian or maybe some Herbes de Provence. Use orange zest in place of lemon zest. Leave out the Aleppo pepper, or make it extra spicy with diced jalapeno instead. Try a 1/4 cup of diced red onion in place of the shallot. There are so many ways to customize this recipe, just keep the oil, vinegar, salt ratio and season as desired.

I don’t have dried lemon zest, how much fresh should I use?
I adore Penzeys’ dried lemon zest! I never remember to buy lemons at the market and at 10 p.m. the last thing I want to do is run out for a lemon. If you happen to be more on your game than me and have a fresh lemon, you’ll want about a teaspoon of fresh zest.

Before marinating overnight

Do I have to make it in a jar?
Of course not! You can make this in any vessel you chose. I just chose a jar because it was handy. I do start the jar out upside down so the marinade gets a chance to make friends with the mushrooms on the top, and then flip it part way through. You can make this in any bowl or dish, giving a stir if needed to get all the 'shrooms a chance to make nice with the lovely flavors of the liquid.

There is a lot less marinade in the jar than my mushrooms. Is that okay?
As the mushrooms sit for a while, the salt will pull the moisture from them and they will shrink a bit. I put my jar in the refrigerator upside down for a while and then turn it right side up before going to bed. That lets the top mushrooms get a good soaking before the bottom mushrooms get to linger in the lovely juice. As they sit for a while the liquid will increase in volume. Make sure you have a jar with a lid you trust before storing it upside down! No one wants a mess in their fridge! If in doubt, or simply extra cautious, place the jar in a small bowl... just in case.

After marinating overnight

Now that they have sat, I have A LOT of marinade... what else can I do with it?
When you serve your mushrooms, drain off the marinade and save it for your next salad. It is now a mushroom and pepper infused Italian vinaigrette dressing! You can add a dollop of Dijon mustard and whisk away till your reach salad dressing heaven.

Happy Marinating!

Sugar-free, Gluten-free, Teriyaki Jerky and Marinade

2011-11-09T13:44:00.000-08:00

Beef jerky has always been one of my favorite snack foods, but trying to find a sugar-free version to buy left me empty handed, hungry, and on the verge of tears.

Teriyaki has always been one of my husband’s favorite sauces and flavorings, but trying to find it sugar-free left him with an empty bento bowl, hungry, and maybe a little ticked off at my attempts to get us healthy by eliminating sugar from our diets.

While sugar and honey are commonly used to provide the sweet factor in teriyaki, I went with stevia extract powder. A lot of people do not care for stevia, and I understand. In large quantities it can have a licorice-type back note which is really unflattering to desserts (licorice cheesecake – YUCK!) but in savory dishes and used moderately, that back note disappears or blends in perfectly. Different brands have different expressions of the aftertaste and you may find that you prefer one over another.

Since my household has been sugar-free for the better part of a year, our palettes have changed. Things I never found to be sweet in the past are almost candy-sweet now, i.e. roasted carrots or cauliflower. If you are just embarking on the sugar-free path, you may find that your experience of sweet will change, too.

I came up with the recipe to make beef jerky, but when I found myself with more beef strips than would fit in the dehydrator it quickly became apparent that it is also a fabulous recipe for stir-fry marinade!

Sugar-free, Gluten-free, Teriyaki Jerky and Marinade

Ingredients
4-5# lean beef, sliced 1/8 inch strips
1/4 tsp stevia extract powder
1 1/2 tsp powdered ginger
12 cloves garlic
1/2 medium sweet onion
1 cup tamari
1/2 cup rice vinegar
3/4 tsp kosher flake salt
1/2 tsp liquid smoke (optional)

Instructions
Slice beef and place in zip top bag. Place all other ingredients in food processor and run until onion and garlic are liquefied. Pour marinade over beef strips and place in fridge overnight. Drain marinade from meat and lay strips, without touching, onto dehydrator trays. Dehydrate 8-16 hours until leathery, but not brittle. Store in the fridge or freezer.

It’s time to play questions!

Can I just use this as a marinade?

If you aren’t up for making jerky, this makes a fantastic marinade for a teriyaki stir-fry. You can easily cut the recipe in half and use it for any chicken, beef, or pork of your choosing. Because there is no sugar, the sauce will be thinner and less like the sticky glaze that is characteristic of commercial teriyaki, but the flavor will satisfy a craving while keeping you sugar-free.

What type of beef do you use?
Any lean cut of beef will work. My local market often has petite sirloin on sale so that is what I commonly use. I freeze (or thaw if pulling from the freezer) until the meat is halfway frozen, not completely solid, but not squishy to make slicing easier. Trim off as much of the fat as you can, it doesn’t dehydrate like the meat and can become rancid in storage. You want to cut with the grain of the meat to get that chewy, stringy jerky texture. As best you can, make all your slices even in thickness so they dehydrate at the same rate. If some are thin and some are thick you run the risk of over drying some pieces to brittle cardboard and under drying the others.

Do I have to use stevia?
Of course not. Feel free to use whatever sweetener you desire to the equivalent of 1/4 to 1/2 cup sugar. Different sweeteners will impart different flavors to your marinade. Start with less and taste the marinade before it comes in contact with the meat; adjust as necessary, but remember the sweet will concentrate a bit during dehydration.

Can I use garlic and/or onion powder?
Yes, but you might need to add a bit of water, like 1/4 cup to make up for the liquid that the fresh onion contributes. 2 Tbsp garlic powder and 3-4 Tbsp onion powder should translate to the same flavor that the fresh offers. Every manufacturer's potency of garlic and onion powder differs, so you might need to play with it a bit; keeping in mind that like sweet, you can always add, you can’t take it back out.

What is tamari?
Tamari is a fermented soy product that is almost identical in flavor to soy sauce, without having wheat as an ingredient. Make sure you read your labels, as I have crossed paths with some tamari that contains wheat.

What kind of dehydrator do you use?
I use a 12 year old Magic Chef dehydrator. Yeah, it is kind of ghetto and cheap, but it works GREAT! There are a variety of models on the market that range from reasonably priced to needing to take out a second mortgage on your house. Each and every one will operate slightly different, and when combined with the humidity of your house and thickness of your beef slices, the time needed to create your meat leather is going to vary widely. I rotate my trays part way through the process, but I don’t think it is necessary; I just can’t help but fuss. You can also dehydrate in your oven at 150 degrees for 8-16 hours. Place your strips of beef across wire racks on cookie sheets and then into the oven.

How do I know when it is done?
If it is floppy, it is not done. If it cracks like a corn chip, it is overdone. Inevitably some of your slices will be thinner or thicker than others, so you might need to pull some of the thinner slices before the thicker slices are done. You are shooting for flexible and leathery strips. After it all sits for a day or so in a zip top bag, the moisture tends to even out and some of the strips that maybe got a little too dry will steal some moisture from the others and improve in texture. If after resting for a day, any of the jerky seems underdone, place back in the dehydrator and continue to dry. With experience and practice you’ll get to know your dehydrator/oven and how long it takes to get the perfect leathery jerky.

How do I store the jerky?
Although jerky should be just fine in a closed container on the counter, I prefer to keep mine in the fridge and freezer just to add an extra ounce of prevention. Remember that this is a JERF food product and since it isn’t full of all the chemicals and preservatives that grocery market jerky has, it is subject to eventual spoilage. The sodium in the tamari and salt greatly help with preventing nasty bacteria, but be smart about your food: if it smells bad or gets slimy or moldy, pitch it to the curb. Jerky seldom sticks around very long in our house, a couple of weeks at the most, so I can’t tell you precisely how long you can expect it to last, but I suspect you will gobble it all up before you even have to question if it is still good!

Happy Dehydrating!

Spiced Chocolate Pumpkin Custard

2011-11-04T19:30:00.000-07:00

After a few days of pumpkin custard, I was wanting chocolate pudding. Good Chocolate pudding. Not just a “healthy” attempt at chocolate pudding.

I really didn’t want to disrupt my lazy and create something new, so I worked with what was already great, the pumpkin custard recipe. I was hoping that chocolate was a strong enough flavor to dominate the pumpkin and coconut. Thankfully it is! I was worried that this would be a strange combo, but it is surprisingly perfectly chocolaty... mmmmmmmmm, chocolate, mmmmmmmm....

Spiced Chocolate Pumpkin Custard
Sugar-free, Dairy-free, Gluten-free

Ingredients
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp kosher flake salt
3/8 tsp stevia extract powder
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
15 oz can pumpkin puree
14 oz can coconut milk
Optional: pinch of ground chipotle

Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix cocoa powder, cinnamon, salt, stevia powder, and chipotle if using, in small dish, set aside. Beat eggs and vanilla in large bowl, stir in pumpkin and spices. Stir in coconut milk. Place Six 4oz ramekins, lightly greased with coconut oil, in baking dish and fill with custard mix. Pour 1 inch boiling water into baking dish around ramekins and bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes, until still a bit wobbly in the center. Remove from oven and immediately take out of the water bath and set on a rack to cool. Serve warm or chilled, with or without a dusting of cinnamon.

I’m going to refer you to the original Pumpkin Custard post for the majority of today’s questions and answers, but there are a few points that deserve attention...

The original recipe I came up with mimicked a pumpkin pie recipe in starting at one oven temperature and then reducing to a lower temperature part way through cooking. This is WAY too complicated for this lazy cook, so I took a gamble and went for one temperature for the entire cooking time. The gamble paid out and this is soooo much easier!

I boosted the stevia just a wee bit to accommodate for the bitterness of cocoa powder. Combined with the natural sweetness of the coconut milk and pumpkin there is a perfect balance. Of course, we don’t eat a lot of sweet foods and haven’t had sugar for most of this year, so our palettes may be different than those that are accustomed to a lot of sweet. If you are using an alternative sweetener, such as honey or sugar or maple syrup, etc, you will want to start with 1/3 cup, taste and adjust as needed.

I’m thinking next I might switch this chocolate version up a bit with orange extract or zest, or maybe some almond extract and toasted almond slivers, or maybe some fresh raspberries, or.... so many chocolate possibilities!

Happy Cooking!

Pumpkin Custard

2011-11-02T12:24:00.000-07:00

Dairy-free, Gluten-free, Sugar-free Pumpkin Custard

I have been craving pumpkin pie lately, but really didn’t want to go to the effort of trying recipes for grain free crusts, being the lazy cook that I am. And really, it was a yearning for the filling that I wanted to satiate, not some need to replicate pie dough.

I wanted that traditional pumpkin pie flavor, nothing fancy and ‘gourmet’, just good ol’ pumpkin pie. My family has always used the Libby’s brand pumpkin pie filling, so I went to their recipe, tweaked things a bit to fit our dietary desires and below are the results.

I am in pumpkin pie heaven and I hope you are, too... get out your sporks and dig in!

Pumpkin Custard
Sugar-free, Dairy-free, Gluten-free

Ingredients
1/4 tsp stevia powder
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
3/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/8 tsp fresh grated nutmeg
1 tsp kosher flake salt
2 large eggs
15 oz can pumpkin purée
14 oz can coconut milk

Instructions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Mix stevia, salt & spices in small dish, set aside. Beat eggs in large bowl, stir in pumpkin and spices. Stir in coconut milk. Place Six 4oz ramekins, lightly greased with coconut oil, in baking dish and fill with custard mix. Pour 1 inch boiling water into baking dish around ramekins and bake at 425 for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 bake 15-20 minutes, until still a bit wobbly in the center. Turn oven off, crack door and let rest 5 minutes. Remove from oven and immediately take out of the water bath and set on a rack to cool. Serve warm or chilled, with or without whipped cream.

(11/5/2011 edit: Check out the Spiced Chocolate Version and alternative baking method!)

Here we go with another round of Q and A...

I don’t have stevia powder, can I use something else?
You can use whatever sweetener of choice you would desire in the amount you desire. The original recipe from Libby’s called for 3/4 cup sugar. The 1/4 tsp of stevia powder is equivalent to about 1/4 to 1/3 cup of sugar in sweetness. Feel free to use sugar, honey, agave syrup, maple syrup, etc from 1/4 to 3/4 cups. The coconut milk has quite a bit of sweetness to it, which is why I was able to cut back on how much sweetness needed to be added.

Can I just use pumpkin pie spice instead of the spices listed?
Sure, that would be much easier! You will need 2 1/2 tsp of pumpkin pie spice instead of the individually listed spices. Libby’s recipe doesn’t call for nutmeg, but I thought a little bit would add a nice touch. Freshly grated nutmeg tastes quite different than ground nutmeg from the jar. You don’t need a fancy nutmeg grating contraption, simply use a microplane to grate however much you desire from the whole nutmegs. Whole nutmegs keep for a very long time compared to ground nutmeg.

I don’t have kosher flake salt, can I use table salt?
Of course you can, just cut the measurement to 1/2 tsp salt.

I don’t have a mixer, can I do this by hand?
You sure can. I hadn’t used Betsy (my Kitchenaid mixer) in a while. It was probably a bit of overkill in the power tool department for this recipe, but I missed her. The coconut milk doesn’t mix in quite as easily as the original recipe's choice of condensed milk, but that just means you get more of a workout whisking it in.

Won’t this taste like coconut because of all that coconut milk?
Surprisingly not! I always worry about that in recipes that substitute coconut milk. I think pumpkin and all the spices are much stronger flavors and why this works. For those of you new to coconut milk, it tends to form a thick, hearty layer on top, with a thin watery layer on the bottom. This often results in me trying to pry the thick layer out of the can while simultaneously applying enough force for the watery layer to come squirting out and dousing my face with coconut liquid. If I was smart, I would remember this each time and slide a knife down the side and into the thick layer so I could gently pour out the thinner liquid without the mess, then remove the thick layer. Unfortunately, I forget this most times. If you happen to lose a little of the thin liquid because of this, don’t worry, it will still turn out fine!

Do I have to use coconut milk?
Of course not. If you are not worried about dairy-free or the additives in condensed milk, feel free to use a 12 oz can of condensed milk as the original recipe calls for. I decided to go with the coconut milk because I could use less stevia to sweeten the recipe and am trying to avoid as many additives in food as possible. I have nothing against dairy in general, but try to use it in as whole a form, without additives, as I can. Too much stevia can sometimes have a back-note on the palette that is unpleasant. It works in recipes where a subtle and mild fennel/licorice type flavor isn’t noticed or is complimentary, but not so much in desserts. The Kal Pure Stevia Powder has the least of this back-note in my experience, but it is still there when used in amounts necessary for some sweets. Thankfully it works perfectly with this pumpkin custard recipe!

I don’t have coconut oil, what else can I grease the ramekins with?
You can use whatever fat of choice you would prefer, just make sure it is a flavor you would like with pumpkin pie... olive oil, not so much, walnut oil, much better. Palm shortening and butter would work well, but avoid the butter if you are trying to keep this dairy-free.

Do I have to use ramekins?
You can use whatever vessel you desire, the baking time will just need to be adjusted. You could even pour this into a pie plate (with or without your crust of choice) and bake. The original Libby’s recipe calls for baking a pie at 425 degrees for 15 minutes, then 350 degrees for 40-50 minutes. I like the ramekins because they are cute and I won’t eat the whole recipe in one sitting while hiding in the closet with my spork.

What’s with the boiling water?
It’s called a water bath and it helps to keep smaller portions from overcooking and drying out. I thought about skipping this traditional step in custard making, but I’m glad I didn’t. I really think it helped to make this treat creamy, light and moist. Be careful when moving to and from the oven so you don’t slosh yourself or your treats with scalding water!

What does wobbly in the center mean?
When the final timer goes off, give the baking dish a little wiggle and you should see the custard jiggle but not slosh like it does before baking. Before you start the baking, give a filled ramekin a little nudge to see how it moves so you have something to compare with when deciding if baking is complete.

How do I get the ramekins out of the hot water and baking dish?
I used a solid pair of tongs. Make sure you have a sturdy grip on the little dishes as it would be a shame for them to slip from your tongs and splash back into the water bath! If you are unsure of your tongs, or just don’t have any, carefully do this with a pot holder. You need to remove the ramekins immediately because the water bath will continue to cook the custard since it is very, very hot. I placed mine on a cooling rack so that air could circulate and cool all the sides evenly, assuring the bottoms did not retain heat and overcook. Once at room temperature, you can place them in the fridge to chill if that is how you plan to serve.

How do I make whipped cream?
Whipped cream happens when the fat in the cream surround the air you mix into it. In order for this to happen you need everything very cold. Think about the difference between cold butter and room temperature butter; the room temperature butter is soft and doesn’t hold its shape as well, the same thing applies to the fats in liquid cream. Pour your cold heavy whipping cream into a chilled bowl and add sweetener of choice. Using a chilled whisk or chilled mixer beaters, whip at a high speed until it doubles in volume and holds its shape. Be cautious not to over whip or you end up with butter or buttery textured whipped cream. To keep this sugar free, I used Sweet Leaf Vanilla Cream liquid stevia to sweeten the whipping cream. I hear you can whip coconut milk the same way, but have yet to try that.

Sugar-free Canadian Bacon

2011-10-31T18:05:00.000-07:00

Friends of mine who have hearts in Canada will probably argue that this is not true Canadian Bacon, which I hear is rolled in corn/pea meal and quite different from the American thoughts on Canadian Bacon. Some may argue that this is more like ham. Some may say this is spot on. Others may debate smoking the cured meat or leaving it to just a simple low and slow oven roast. Regardless, this is some tasty tasty meat!!

Curing your own meat at home sounds intimidating to some people, but if it wasn’t a lazy activity, I promise I wouldn’t be doing it. Charcuterie is the fancy term for curing meat, and it is also the title of a FANTASTIC book by Michael Ruhlman. If you are at all interested in meat preservation, sausage making, and many other gourmet meat treats I can’t suggest this book highly enough!

Sweetener is a necessary part of many cured meat products because it balances the extreme saltiness needed for preservation of meat. I looked everywhere for sugar-free bacon and sugar-free Canadian bacon but couldn’t find it; so of course, I figured it out on my own. Stevia powder works great for this! I am wary of artificial sweeteners. There is a lot of research out there and it is conflicting, so we just avoid them when possible. Also, I was unsure if there would be any bizarre chemical reactions between the sodium nitrite essential to the curing process and the chemicals in the artificial sweeteners.

While sugar-free was my main concern, many more people flip their lids over nitrites and nitrates. There is a lot of misunderstanding when it comes to this subject. Nitrites are essential for making that cured meat flavor, pink color and keeping meat safely preserved (botulism is no fun!). Unfortunately, they have an undeserved bad reputation. “Spinach, beets, radishes, celery, and cabbages are among the vegetables that generally contain very high concentrations of nitrates (J. Food Sci., 52:1632). The nitrate content of vegetables is affected by maturity, soil conditions, fertilizer, variety, etc. It has been estimated that 10 percent of the human exposure to nitrite in the digestive tract comes from cured meats and 90 percent comes from vegetables and other sources.” Did you get that? Vegetables, not cured meat, are the main source of nitrates in our diet.

“Uncured” bacon that you see in the market falls into a marketing & USDA labeling gray zone. Because sodium nitrate/nitrite is not directly added to the process it cannot be labeled as a cured meat. The fact that naturally occurring nitrates in vegetables are used as the curing medium is quietly dismissed since it allows marketing folks to create an illusion of a healthier product and charge more. Applegate Farms is one of the companies that is more honest about the nitrite/nitrate issue and has an excellent FAQ explaining the differences.

Long before you could go to Amazon.com to order your sodium nitrite, saltpeter (AKA potassium nitrite) was used for the curing process. Saltpeter is also an ingredient in fireworks and gun powder and was traditionally created through a process that involves mixing urine (or manure), straw and wood ash. Even though I am very much a DIY gal, I don’t see myself harvesting urine to make saltpeter anytime soon.

Modern meat curing relies on sodium nitrite, which also goes by the names of Instacure #1, Prague Powder #1, DQ Cure #1, DC Curing Salt, Pink Salt and a few other names. It is dyed pink so as to avoid any accidental confusion with regular salt (it is the nitrite, not the dye that gives cured meat its recognizable pink color). It is mainly made up of salt as a carrier for the small amount of nitrite. It is available from many sources: Amazon, Butcher and Packer, The Meadow and a variety of other places. Prices are all over the board for the same product, shop smartly!

Much more can be written about curing meat and nitrates, but I’m more interested in getting to the actual simplicity of the recipe instead of the complexity of the science and health arguments. If you are interested, you can read more here:
Nitrite in Meat
Curing
Meat Curing Safety Issues
The No Nitrites Added Hoax
REPORT 9 OF THE COUNCIL ON SCIENTIFIC AFFAIRS (A-04), Labeling of Nitrite Content of Processed Foods

Sugar-free Canadian Bacon

Ingredients
8-10 pound whole pork loin
1 gallon of water
12 oz Salt
1.5 oz Prague Powder #1
1.5 tsp Pure Stevia Powder
8 Bay leaves
1/4 cup dried rubbed sage
1 Tbsp dried thyme
1 Tbsp black peppercorns

Instructions
Combine all but pork in a large pot over high heat until dissolved, and then chill completely. Submerge pork loin fully in brine for 48 hours. Remove from brine, rinse and dry thoroughly. Allow to rest on rack in fridge 12-24 hours, uncovered. Hot smoke and/or low roast in 200 to 250 degree oven until the meat reaches an internal temperature of 145 degrees. Refrigerate completed pork up to 2 weeks, or portion as desired and freeze for future use.

Certainly you have questions!

Do I need to make 10 pounds!?

You can easily cut this recipe in half or a quarter. I prefer to go all out with ten pounds since that is the size of one whole loin, it freezes well and it is just as much work to make 10 pounds as 2 pounds. Make sure to get a pork loin that is just meat, not something that has been infused with a solution. I haven’t tried this recipe with pork tenderloin, but considering that the tenderloin is part of the whole loin, it should work just fine. You will need to cut a whole loin into 3-4 pieces to be able to fit into a container with brine.

How many cups is 1 gallon of water?
16 cups is one gallon. When dissolving the salts in the water, you can speed the chilling process by using only 1/2 the water and adding in the remaining water (in the form of ice or cold water) once the salts are dissolved. It isn’t necessary to bring the brine to a full boil, just heat and stir until everything is dissolved. I start the brine in the morning and let it cool to room temperature by the afternoon. Once at room temperature, I stick it in the fridge to cool even further. The key is that you don’t want to be putting raw meat into hot brine. Once it is cool by evening, I then submerge the loin in the brine. This sets me up for the time schedule to take the pork out in a couple of nights for an overnight drying in the fridge and then to start smoking the next morning.

What size pot do I use?
You need one that will hold all your brine and all your pork loin. I use an 8 quart stock pot which is just about perfect. Depending on the size of the pork loin, I might need to pour off a small amount of the brine, just so it isn’t filled to the brim and spilling as I move it to the fridge. Make sure to use a non-reactive container, glass or stainless steel is best, cast iron and aluminum are not for this project.

Do I have to weigh the salt?
Yes. Different grinds of salt, when measured by volume, have different weights, i.e. light and fluffy kosher salt vs super-fine salt. The only way to assure that you have a safe amount of salt in your brine is to weigh it. You can use whatever salt you would like, provided it has no fillers or anti-caking agents or other additives. Diamond brand Kosher Flake Salt or Morton’s Canning and Pickling Salt are two that I have used with great results. The key is that the only ingredient should be salt. Save your fancy sea salts and finishing salts for another project.

I don’t like sage, can I use another herb?
Sure, you can use whatever seasonings you like. The part you can’t mess around with is the water, salt and curing salt ratio. Here’s a version of Canadian Bacon from Michael Ruhlman’s blog. The sweetener and flavorings are adjustable to personal preferences. Maybe you want to throw in some hot peppers or orange zest, go crazy, it’s your project!

I don’t care if it is sugar-free, how much sugar would I use?
If the stevia powder isn’t for you, feel free to use whatever sweetener you would like to the equivalent of 1 cup sugar. Brown sugar, white sugar, demura sugar, honey, agave syrup, maple syrup... totally up to you! I use Kal Brand Pure Stevia Powder, but I’m sure there are others out there. Be cautious with some of the supermarket stevia blends, many have ingredients that might not work well in a brine. Sweetener, whatever you use, balances the large amount of salt in cured meats. Since it isn’t essential to the chemical preservation, which comes from the salt and curing salt, you can adjust this to personal taste.

My pork loin wants to float, how do I keep it submerged in the brine?
I put my pot of brine in the sink before adding the pork loin, just to avoid any potential overflows on the kitchen counter. To keep the meat submerged, I place a salad plate on top which offers enough weight to keep the meat under. Depending on the size of the loin and how it is arranged in the pot, I might adjust the position of the pork pieces half way through the soaking process. It probably isn’t necessary, but it makes me content to play with my project and assure that all parts get a good exposure to the brine.

Why do I rinse and dry and let sit in the fridge uncovered?

You’ll need to rinse your pork to get all the bits of herbs that stuck to it off. This is more for appearance sake than for flavor. Drying is important for the same reason you let it sit in the fridge uncovered: you want to develop a pellicle. Pellicle is a tacky (not as in bad fashion choices, but sticky) surface on meat that acts like smoke glue. If you put wet meat into a smoker, the smoke won’t adhere as well and your flavor won’t be as rich and deep. The sticky surface that comes from 12-24 hours of air drying in the fridge gives the smoke something to cling to.

The time scheduling is confusing me, how do I calculate it?
Day 1 morning: make brine and allow to cool at room temperature
Day 1 afternoon: move room temperature brine to fridge to chill
Day 1 evening: submerge pork loin in brine
Day 2: patience and dreams of porky goodness
Day 3 evening: remove from brine and place on rack to develop pellicle
Day 4 morning, afternoon or evening: smoke and/or roast
If you want to finish on a Saturday, begin on Wednesday morning. Yes, this takes many days, but the steps themselves take about 5 minutes each and the rest of your time can be spent napping.

How long does the smoking/roasting process take?
Several hours. It is hard to say beyond that because all smokers and ovens are different. In my smoker it takes about 2-3 hours for a pan of chips and then another 2-3 hours in the oven (200 to 250 degrees) for the meat to reach 145 degrees internally. If you aren’t smoking and are just roasting in the oven, I would think 3-4 hours. Start checking your temperature when you pull from the smoker, or about 2 hours into roasting.

How much smoke and what flavor wood chips?
That’s a personal preference. The first time I made this recipe I used 2 pans of apple wood chips and it was a bit too smoky, closer in flavor to streaky bacon than Canadian bacon. I now use one pan of chips, which goes for about 2-3 hours in the smoker, and then finish in the oven. Apple wood is my preferred wood chip since it is sweet and mild. Mesquite is a really hearty and strong smoke and I find it over powering for bacon, better suited for a grilled steak. Hickory is a favorite smoke for bacon, and cherry or other fruit woods are good, too.

What kind of smoker?
I use a Little Chief smoker. I created an insulation blanket out of HVAC insulation to boost the heat a bit because it never really gets warm enough for me to completely finish my meat to temperature. Because of this, I first smoke my meats and then finish them in a low oven. If you don’t have a smoker, you’ll miss out on a bit of the flavor, but the oven works just fine and you still have a great cured meat to enjoy. A Google search can provide many ideas on how you can smoke meat in your oven, which might work if you have really great ventilation in your kitchen.

Now go get busy Makin' Bacon!

Salmon Mousse

2011-10-30T12:17:00.000-07:00

BRRRAAAAAIIIINNNNZZZZZ!!!!

Halloween is always a fun time to play with your food. This year I was able to get a cute little brain mold which was perfect for Salmon Mousse.

Salmon Mousse sounds fancy, but I promise it is so easy a zombie could do it. It is a great appetizer for your holiday parties or a cool and refreshing meal on a weeknight. We like to use it to top cucumber slices, but crackers would work great, too. It is quite rich and small individual servings would make a fantastic appetizer for a dinner party.

The original recipe called for fresh cooked salmon and fresh herbs, but I have found canned salmon and dried herbs to be a very tasty and more wallet-friendly version. I can only imagine that smoked salmon would be quite delightful!

Salmon Mousse

Ingredients
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 shallot, quartered
1/2 cup boiling water
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp kosher flake salt
2 tsp dried dill weed
2 tsp dried chives
1 14oz can salmon, drained
1 cup cream

Instructions
Place gelatin, lemon juice, shallot and boiling water in bowl of food processor with ‘S’ blade and whirl for about 1 minute. Add all remaining ingredients, except cream, and blend for an additional minute. Slowly pour in cream, with machine running, until combined. Pour into a 4 cup mold or serving dish, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 5 hours, preferably overnight. To unmold, dip dish into warm water for 30 seconds, and invert onto serving plate. Garnish as desired.

Zombies don’t ask a lot of questions, but you might have some...

What size shallot should I use?
About the size of a jumbo egg should work. If you don’t have shallots or access to them, a thick slice of onion would work just as well in the recipe.

Is that fresh or bottled lemon juice?
Either is just fine! I normally use bottled because it is handy and I forget to buy lemons. If I had a fresh lemon handy, I think I would add a bit of the zest finely grated, too.

Do I need to use smoked paprika?
You can use regular sweet paprika if you would like, or none at all. I like the little hint of smokiness that comes through with the smoked paprika, it just adds a nice depth to the flavor. A 1/4 tsp of liquid smoke would add a nice little boost also.

If I am using fresh herbs, how much would I use?
About 1 Tbsp fresh chopped dill and 1 Tbsp fresh chopped chives. I don’t always remember to put in the chives and the mousse still turns out great. Green onions would work fine in place of the chives... work with what you have on hand.

Do I need to pick out the bones and skin from the canned salmon?
Nope! That’s the easiest part, just drain off the liquid and dump the can into the food processor. The bones and skin breakdown in the time spent whirling around in the food processor and all those healthy vitamins, minerals and fats keep our brains running great, just in case we need to out-think a zombie. If you are using fresh cooked or smoked salmon, you will want to make sure the bones are removed.

What type of cream?
ANY! I use heavy whipping cream, but half and half would work well, too. The notes with the original recipe state that 2 percent milk is fine, but why miss out on the decadence and richness of good cream!

How do I invert the mold?
After a quick dip in warm water to loosen the mousse, place a plate on top of the mold, face down. Grab both the plate and the mold together and flip. You might have to give the mold a couple of sharp raps with your fist to get it to release, or it may just slide out perfectly. The other option is to serve the mousse out of a serving dish that you don’t have to unmold at all.

Garnishing?
A sprinkling of fresh chopped parsley or chives... a dusting of paprika... those little finishing touches can really make things fancy. You know your zombie guests will appreciate fancy brains!

Chicken Cacciatore

2011-10-24T16:11:00.000-07:00

When you know you are going to be gone all day and want to come home to a hearty warm meal, chicken cacciatore is perfect for the slow cooker. You can throw it together the night before and then start it cooking as you head out the door in the morning.

For the most part, I think cooking with fresh ingredients is always best, but occasionally there are benefits in using dried ingredients. When I normally make this recipe, I use only dried vegetables. When I wanted to make this batch, all I had was fresh. The big difference was the amount of liquid that resulted in using the fresh versus dried. This recipe is still hugely flavorful with fresh, but the sauce is a little thinner. The chicken releases a lot of broth and the dried vegetables soak it up, keeping the sauce thick. With the fresh vegetables, extra moisture is released as they cook which makes for a thinner sauce. Both taste excellent, it is just a matter of preference.

The other benefit to using the dried vegetables is that I can mix up little packages ahead of time and just pull one from the cupboard when I want to pull this slow cooker meal together. When you go to the effort to measure out the ingredients for one recipe, it can be of benefit to take an extra moment and measure out a few ready-made packets to save time later.

Listed below are the two versions, one with fresh ingredients and one with the dried ingredients.

Chicken Cacciatore

Ingredients - fresh
1 whole chicken, cut into serving pieces
1 large onion, thinly sliced
8 oz mushrooms, quartered
1 red or green bell pepper, diced
2 stalks celery, chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup kalamata olives, rough chop
2 Tbsp capers
1 6oz can tomato paste
1 28oz can diced tomatoes
1 Tbsp Italian Herb Seasoning
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp ground black pepper
2 tsp kosher salt
2 bay leaves

Instructions
Place chicken pieces in bottom of slow cooker. Combine onion, bell pepper, celery, garlic, olives and capers and distribute over chicken. Mix together tomato paste, diced tomatoes, Italian herb seasoning, crushed red peppers, vinegar, salt and pepper. Pour over vegetables and chicken. Tuck in 2 bay leaves. Cook on low 6-8 hours, high 4-6. Garnish with fresh grated parmesan and serve.

Ingredients - make ahead packets (preferred recipe)
1/3 cup dried minced onion
1 cup dried mushroom pieces
1 Tbsp dried minced garlic
2 Tbsp dried celery
1/4 cup dried red/green bell pepper
1 Tbsp Italian Herb Seasoning
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
1 tsp ground black pepper
2 tsp kosher salt
2 bay leaves

Add to:
1 whole chicken, cut into serving pieces
1 6oz can tomato paste
1 28oz can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup kalamata olives, rough chop
2 Tbsp capers
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar

Instructions
Make as many seasoning packets as desired, store in a cool, dry, dark place until ready to use. Place chicken pieces in bottom of slow cooker. Mix together tomato paste, diced tomatoes, olives, capers and vinegar. Add seasoning packet to tomato mixture and mix well. Pour over chicken, cook on low 6-8 hours, high 4-6. Garnish with fresh grated parmesan and serve.

Who has questions?

Do I have to use a whole chicken in pieces?
Feel free to use whatever chicken pieces you would prefer, you’ll need about 3-4 pounds of pieces. I prefer to use bone in pieces because the meat is more flavorful when cooked on the bone and you get some of those good minerals and whatnots from the bones in your sauce. If you prefer boneless, skinless chicken breasts, go for it. You can use whole chicken thighs or drumsticks or whatever pieces you have handy.

Why do I have to mix the cans of tomatoes together? Can’t I just dump it in?
The tomato paste is what provides the deep tomato flavor in this recipe without excessive moisture. It is super thick and because of that, needs to be thinned down by the liquid from the diced tomatoes so that its loveliness can be shared equally.

I like the idea of having packets ready to go in the cupboard. Where can I find the ingredients to make them?
I have found everything but the dried mushrooms at Penzeys Spices. The dried mushrooms I have found at Costco, some higher-end markets, the farmer’s market, and Amazon. You can even dry your own with a food dehydrator. Remember that different mushrooms have different flavors, for example, dried shitake mushrooms can add an Asian flavor. Look for dried white mushrooms, or dried portabella, or a mix.

I'm going to be gone longer than the recipe cooks for, what can I do?
I normally make this recipe up the night before and stash it in the fridge. This slows down the cooking by 1-2 hours on high and 2-3 hours on low.

I don't have to brown the meat?
Browning is optional, but it does add another dimension to the finished dish. If you are going to be making this the night ahead, do not brown your chicken. Partially cooked meat is a safety concern. If you do decide to brown your meat, make sure you are proceeding with the slow cooker straight away to finish the cooking.

Can I use other olives?
Sure, use whatever type of olives you like or a mixture. I have seen recipes that call for green olives and recipes that call for no olives (how horrid! Gasp!) If you prefer the black olives from a can that fit perfectly on finger tips, use those. The green and kalamata olives add a certain depth from their pickled flavor, the same way the capers add a little something special.

Pancetta Wrapped Stuffed Pork Loin

2011-10-16T17:19:00.000-07:00

By now, you know I'm proud to be what I consider a lazy cook. I prefer simple and tasty meals over those that take a lot of time and fussing. Every once in a while, though, I get the itch to put on my fancy pants and bust out something glorious.

I started my journey into charcuterie this year and made pancetta. For those of you unfamiliar with pancetta, it is commonly described as Italian bacon. This comparison is sadly lacking as pancetta is all the glory of bacon, but so much more complex and wonderful! It is flavored with garlic, juniper, black pepper and thyme, allowed to cure in a dry rub for a few days, then rolled, tied, and hung up to air dry for several weeks. It develops a deep flavor that only fermented meats, like salami and such, can claim.

Pancetta’s Italian origins were the inspiration for the filling of the stuffed pork loin. Instead of making an actual pesto and dirtying a dish (I’m still lazy even when I have my fancy pants on), I left the ingredients in rough form.

Despite there being a lot of steps to making this stuffed pork loin, they are all simple. If you can play whack-a-mole, you can flatten the loin. If you can chop some basil and nuts, you can create the filling. If you can roll up a swim towel, you can roll the loin. If you can tie your shoes, you can tie up the loin.

Pancetta Wrapped Stuffed Pork Loin

Ingredients
3-4lb pork loin
1 lb pancetta
4 cloves garlic, minced
Handful of fresh basil,
chiffonade
Handful of pitted Kalamata
olives, chopped
1 cup chopped walnuts, toasted
1 cup mayonnaise
2-3 oz parmesan, grated
1 tsp aleppo pepper
Fresh ground pepper

Instructions

Butterfly and flatten pork loin to 3/4 inch thick. On a piece of waxed paper or parchment, place 5-6 long pieces of butcher twine. Next, lay slices of pancetta to the width of your pork loin on top of the strings, overlapping to form a solid sheet. Lay pork loin on top of pancetta sheet, with fat cap face down, farthest from you. Rub minced garlic and a light dusting of fresh ground pepper evenly across loin. Spread mayonnaise evenly to 1 inch from the edges and 2 inches from the top and bottom Evenly distribute kalamata olives, basil, walnuts, parmesan and aleppo pepper on the mayonnaise. Using the waxed paper to get you started, begin rolling the loin snugly, being careful to keep the strings out of the rolling process. Once rolled, tie loin with butcher twine, starting in the middle and working your way to the ends. Place on a baking rack. Bake at 450 degrees for 20 minutes. Crack oven door and set temperature to 325 degrees, closing door when oven begins heating again. Roast at 325 degrees for approximately 30 minutes a pound, until internal temperature reaches 145 degrees. Check temperature at 1 hour and adjust time from there. Once done, remove from oven, tent with foil and allow to rest for 15 minutes. Remove twine and carefully slice into medallions for serving. Gracefully accept ooohs and awes from your family and friends.

And now some Q&A...

What do you mean to butterfly the pork loin?
Carefully slice through the middle of your pork loin to about 1 inch from the other side, like you are making it a book. Loins tend to be more of an oval than a round. Make this cut through the “tall” part of the oval. Make one initial and confident cut, and then follow up with several shallower and gentler slices until you are one inch from cutting all the way through.

How do I flatten the pork loin?
Lay down several layers of plastic wrap, overlapping as needed to accommodate the size of your pork piece. Place the pork on top and then cover with a few more layers of plastic wrap. The trick to laying the plastic wrap on the counter without battling the cling, is to gently wipe the counter with a slightly damp sponge or towel. Place the box of wrap at the edge of the counter closest to you, and pull it out away from you, allowing the moisture to catch the wrap. I promise the plastic wrap struggles will most likely be the greatest frustration of making this meal.

Once encased in plastic wrap blanket, take something heavy and gently pound the pork loin. You’ll want to use the smooth side of a kitchen mallet, not the sides used for tenderizing. If you don’t have a kitchen mallet, try a small frying pan, rolling pin, a can of tomatoes, brick wrapped in several layers of plastic wrap, anything that is clean, heavy, and sturdy. Start gently till you get the feel for the process, too strong of a whack and you might create a blowout and a hole.

What length should I cut the twine?
About 18-24 inches so that you have plenty to tie the rolled loin with. Too short and it can be hard to tie. Too long and all you have to do is trim any excess once tied. Error on the side of too much.

I can’t find pancetta, can I use bacon?
Of course! The spiral shape of pancetta is lovely and helps to form an even sheet that won’t slide about like strips of bacon would. If you are using bacon, I would advise weaving your strips together so that they form one cohesive sheet. If you just aren’t into the idea of playing bacon weaver, make sure to lay your strips perpendicular to the strings so they will all be secure when rolled and tied.

Why do I have to put the fat cap away from me?
When you finish rolling, the portion that is farthest from you will be the top of your rolled loin. You want to keep the fat cap on top so that it can baste the meat as it roasts. If it were on the bottom, all that lovely juiciness would just be in the bottom of the pan and your meat will miss out on the extra moisture that it provides... you want succulent meat!

What’s with the mayonnaise?
Pork loin is an incredibly lean cut of meat. The mayonnaise helps to keep the meat moist, as it is mostly made of oil. It also helps to glue the ingredients together so they don’t slide around when you are rolling. You want to keep it about an inch from the edges and two inches from the top and bottom. As you roll, the filling will squish out to fill the empty space. If you spread to the edges, your filling will squish out from your roll and you’ll lose all your tasty work!

Hey, you didn’t mention salt! You always mention salt! Why no salt?
The pancetta has plenty of salt for this recipe. Along with the parmesan cheese in the filling and the kalamata olives, there is no need to for anything more than a few grinds of black pepper.

How much is a handful of basil? Can I use dried?
Um, well... about one basil plant from Trader Joes. Maybe one packed cup, not too tight, not too loose. Dried basil isn’t going to have that pesto flavor. Basil is one herb that really changes its flavor when dried. If it is all you have, go for it, better to cook than not too cook, but the flavor won’t be the same.

What is chiffonade of basil?

It’s a fancy French word for thin slices. You can just as easily chop the basil, but it bruises easily. The bruising doesn’t really matter since it will be cooked inside the rolled meat, but this is an opportunity to practice a new technique. Take the whole leaves of basil and make a stack, starting with the bigger leaves on the bottom. Gently roll the leaves lengthwise and gently draw the blade of a sharp knife across the leaves to slice. Pressing down will cause the bruising, which turns dark. Again, perfection doesn’t matter here, but I don’t like to miss an opportunity to practice good techniques for when it does matter.

How do I toast the walnuts? Can I use pine nuts instead?
I do mine in the toaster oven. I set the oven to about 350-400 degrees; spread them evenly on the baking sheet lined with foil, and toast for about 3-5 minutes. As soon as you can smell them, pull them and toss them into a cool bowl to stop the toasting. You can always add more time, you can’t salvage burnt nuts. No one likes burnt nuts. You can also toast them in a skillet over medium high heat, but because of the nooks and crannies of walnuts, only the peaks get toasted and the valleys miss out. Pine nuts work great also, they are just more expensive.

Do I have to use pesto flavors?
Nope, you can use whatever flavors you would like, just make sure your pieces of ingredients are chopped fine enough to be easily rolled. Another idea is thyme or sage with finely diced apples and toasted pecans. Gorgonzola, pecans and cranberries would be lovely. Keep the mayonnaise, though, for the moisture and binding of the stuffing ingredients. If you would prefer, you can mix all the filling ingredients together in a bowl and then spread it evenly, it just makes another dish to wash if you do.

How do I roll this thing?

Lift up the edge of the waxed paper closest to you and start rolling the loin into itself and away from you. As your roll takes form, make sure to keep the strings free and peel back the waxed paper as you go so it doesn’t get caught either. Don’t wrap so tightly that you squeeze the filling out, but not so loosely that it doesn’t look like a roll. Go slowly; be gentle and patient with yourself and the pork loin. When you get almost to the end, reverse and roll the top toward you. This has your roast finishing with the top on top and ready to tie.

I just tie it up?
Your twine pieces should be evenly spaced still, but if not, give them a little adjustment. Start tying in the center and work your way out, this assures that the roll is even without bulges in the middle. This is the one step you might want to call in an extra set of hands for. It is by no means necessary, but it might make someone feel important if they get to help you :) Tie the knots just tight enough to keep the roll in its form, but not so tight that you squish out the filling. Trim the excess twine.

Do I have to use a baking rack?
Of course not, but it assures that the pancetta becomes crispy all around. Without the rack the bottom won’t crisp up, but it will still be YUMYY!

What’s with the two oven temperatures?
Old family secret! It sears the outside with the initial high temperature, creating a lovely crust (crispy pancetta in this case) and allows for the benefits of slow roasted meat, which is more succulent. After the initial blast at 450 degrees for 20 minutes, pop the door open for 5 minutes or so until the temperature comes down to 325 degrees.

At 30 minutes a pound, a 3 pound loin would take an hour and 30 minutes, but you say to check at 1 hour, why is that?

Every piece of meat cooks a little different. The time and oven temperature are just a guideline and a thermometer is the only true way to know if your meat is done, or overdone. I prefer to check at 1 hour so I can avoid all possibilities of over cooked meat (nasty!). Every oven is different, as well, so what works in my oven may be different in yours. Checking at one hour also gives you an opportunity to lay a piece of foil over the top if it is looking like it might burn. If you do need to use foil, don’t wrap it tightly as this will create steam and ruin your crispy exterior, simply lay it on the top.

How do I slice this lovely after it has finished resting?
Using a very sharp knife, pull across the crispy pancetta and loin to slice it. Pressing down with a knife will crumble all your lovely crispiness and mush the lovely spiral shape. Carefully move from cutting board to serving dish or plates and enjoy!

Stuffed Jalapenos

2011-10-04T15:16:00.000-07:00

I’m a lazy cook. I’ll admit it... and I’m kind of proud of it. There is something very satisfying about making delicious food that doesn’t take much effort!

One of my favorite lazy snacks and side dishes is stuffed jalapenos. The simplicity of a couple of ingredients and a few minutes in the oven can’t be beat. It’s perfect for an after-school snack, football season munchies, or a party appetizer.

Stuffed Jalapenos

Ingredients
Jalapenos
Cream Cheese, or other soft cheese
Seasoning of choice

Instructions
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Slice the stem portions from the top of the jalapenos, leaving as much of the pepper as possible. Slice jalapenos in half lengthwise. Remove seeds and veins from the inside of the peppers. Slice off a small bit of cream cheese and smooth into the hollow of the jalapeno. Continue with all peppers until complete, placing on a baking sheet or pan as you go. Sprinkle packed peppers with salt and pepper, or seasoning of choice. Place in oven and turn oven setting to broil. Set timer for 8 minutes and check to see how jalapenos look. They should be soft and very lightly browned on top when done.

Requests for information (aka Questions)....

How do I keep the pepper juice from burning my hands and eyes?

Well, to keep it from burning your eyes, keep your fingers out of your eyes!!! Seriously, pepper juice can be really painful in your eyes. If it does happen, milk on a cotton ball is going to be your best bet for relief. To keep it from burning your hands, coat your hands very lightly with oil to act as a barrier, but be more aware when using the knife after you do. You can also wear gloves. Or you can just enjoy the burn and go for it without any sort of barrier.

How do I remove the seeds and veins?
The seeds and veins are where the heat is in the pepper, and unless you really don’t like who you are feeding, you will want to take them out. I found that a cheap, metal measuring spoon works best for this. The metal is thin and acts almost like a blade and the shape is perfect for quickly evacuating those bits from the jalapenos.

How much cream cheese? How many jalapenos?
When doing your shopping, plan on 1 ounce per whole jalapeno. Jalapenos come in lots of different sizes, so it can be hard to calculate. 1 8oz package of cream cheese will stuff about 8-10 peppers, even more if you mix things in with your cream cheese. Calculating the number of jalapenos can be more challenging. A room full of men watching football can pack dozens of these away in a matter of minutes! As a side dish, I figure 2-3 peppers per person, which makes 4-6 stuffed halves.

What seasonings do you use?
It depends on which way the wind is blowing... I’m finicky that way! I do season liberally with salt; it helps to bring up the flavors. Other than that, it really just depends on what is within reach: smoked paprika, aleppo pepper, cumin, smoked salt, chili powder, Mexican oregano, seasoned salt, crushed red pepper flakes, Penzeys Forward, toasted onion powder, garlic powder, Adobo seasoning, BBQ rub, etc. Simply sprinkle a nice dusting on the top of your stuffed peppers. You can also mix things into the cream cheese like shredded cheddar cheese, crumbled bacon, diced pepperoni, minced onion, left over shredded chicken, chopped black olives... you get the idea. A handful (about 1/2 cup), seems to be the right amount to mix in for 8 oz of cream cheese.

Can I make these ahead of time?
Absolutely! You can make these a day in advance and stash them in the fridge until you are ready to cook. Give them 15-30 minutes to warm up on the counter before you stick them in the oven. You can easily take them over to your friend’s house and cook them up there, too!

Hey! What about bacon?!?!?
Wrapping the jalapenos in bacon is an EXCELLENT idea, unless you are cooking for vegans, they kind of frown on the whole bacon love. If you want to wrap your jalapenos with bacon, you need to partially cook the bacon to assure that it crisps up nicely in the short oven time. Cook those lovely strips for a few minutes, making sure they are still wiggly and flexible so you can wrap them. Let the slices cool a bit so you can handle them without burning yourself, then wrap them around your stuffed peppers and proceed with broiling them in the oven. If you cook the bacon too long and it is crispy, you won’t be able to wrap, but you can still garnish with lovely bacon bits!

Happy Cooking!

Slow Cooker Pork Loin

2011-10-01T16:29:00.000-07:00

When it comes to basic cooking techniques, nothing is easier than dumping food in a slow cooker, turning it on and coming back hours later to dinner! Yes, it really is that easy and it truly maximizes your lazy time.

This is a long post, so bear with me... If you are new to slow cooking, there are a few things to take into consideration when embarking on this lazy cooking technique. None of it is difficult, but I want to set you up for success!

Yes, it is clean!
30 years of love takes a toll!

Slow cooker is the type of device, Crock-Pot is a brand. Not that this has anything to do with actually cooking a meal, I just thought it was an interesting fact. You can find slow cookers in a variety of sizes, shapes and colors, from 1 Qt (4 cups) to 9 Qt (36 cups), footballs, hearts, pumpkins, square, industrial design, country kitchen design and any color of the rainbow. Somewhere between 3 Qt and 6 Qt is most practical, it just depends on how much you want to cook at once.

Different sizes, makes and models cook at different temperatures and speeds; newer models of slow cookers cook a hotter and faster than older versions. Recipes may need to have the time adjusted based on these differences. You need to get to know your slow cooker, take it out for a date, get to know its likes and dislikes, really build a relationship with your tool. This is best done on a weekend when you are home so that you can check it at the earliest finishing time. It’s a shame to go to the effort of dumping in your ingredients, heading out for the day and coming home to an under- or over-cooked meal. Once you get to know each other, you will have a good idea on how long you can leave your pot bubbling while you go have some fun.

If you still have the instruction manual, read it. If you don’t, you can likely do a quick internet search to find the company and download a copy. It will be a dull read, not nearly as interesting as the wittiness (a-hem) of this blog.

Under-filled which resulted
in slightly dry Bavarian Pork Loin.

Use the right size cooker for the amount of food you are cooking. Slow cookers perform best when 1/2 to 3/4 full. Don’t under-fill or your food may over cook, don’t over fill or your food may take much longer to cook. Keep your ingredients to within an inch from the top. As you are getting the hang of slow cookers, an instant read thermometer is the best way to know if you have reached safe cooking temperatures for your finished foods.

Don’t open the lid. Don’t walk by and stir. Set it and forget it. Every time you open the lid, you slow down the cooking process. When you are getting to know your cooker, it is okay to open the lid at the earliest finish time, i.e. your recipe says cook on low 4-6 hours, you can check at 4 hours to see if it has reached a safe cooking temperature.

Don’t add unnecessary liquid. The tiniest amount of liquid is needed to properly cook vegetables and keep meat moist. Large pieces of meat cooked on low do not require liquid. When cooking small and/or lean meat pieces, or with high heat, using a small amount of liquid is a good idea. Liquid does not evaporate when using a slow cooker, so use it sparingly or you run the risk of a bland, watered down meal.

Newer. Smaller. Faster. Hotter!

Fresh herbs, dairy and fish don’t like the slow cooker. They need to be added just before serving, about 15 minutes. Fresh herbs dissipate into nothingness and their flavor components are lost during the long cooking time. Fish easily overcooks and becomes nasty, dry and rubbery. Dairy breaks down, separates, and curdles over the long processing time. If these ingredients are going into your pot, add them at the end and cook just long enough to bring up to temperature, and cook through in the case of seafood.

Frozen food takes longer. DUH! If cooking on high, add about 2-3 hours, if cooking on low, add about 4-6 hours. This can be used to your advantage if you are going to be gone for an extended length of time or have a busy schedule. This is also an advantage in that you can do the prep for meals weeks in advance, freeze, and then pop out a ready to go meal on a busy morning. Work smarter, not harder!

Vegetable layer for Fall Harvest Pork Loin

Prep and layer your ingredients according to their cook time. Root vegetables and winter squash take longer to cook and should be in the bottom of the pot. Whole sweet potatoes take longer to cook than pieces of sweet potato; whole chicken takes longer than bite size pieces of chicken breast. Get the idea? Good!

Use the refrigerator to slow the cooking time. If you are leaving for work in the morning, but won’t be home for another 9 hours, you can slow down the cooking time by prepping your pot the night before and stowing it in the fridge till you start the cooking as you walk out the door. With my vessels, this slows High cooking about 1-2 hours and Low cooking 2-3 hours.

Now, are you ready to get cooking?

Slow Cooker Pork Loin

Salsa Verde Pork Loin

Ingredients
Whole Pork Loin
Vegetables, optional
Seasonings of choice
Liquid, maybe

Instructions
If using vegetables, prepare as desired and place in bottom of the crock. Season lightly if desired. Brown in a skillet if desired. Place whole pork loin in crock and season as desired. Cook on low 4-8 hours, high 3-6 hours. Pork is done at 145 degrees.

Let’s answer some questions...

How big of a pork loin?
That depends on the size of your slow cooker. You want it to fit without having to be forced in, but without a lot of empty space. If your pork loin is too large for your crock, slice off a couple of pork chops and use them for another meal. If the loin is too small, add more vegetables to fill in the space. The pork loin to the left was too large and had to be squished into the pot, not ideal.

What kind of vegetables?

Onion, garlic, jalapeno for Salsa Verde Pork Loin

Anything you like. Keep in mind that they will be cooking over a long period of time, so some turn to mush while others keep their texture nicely. Root vegetables (onions, tubers) and winter squash do well and keep their shape and texture. Fruit will break down and melt into the sauce that is created during cooking. Summer squash, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, etc. turn to mush. You don’t need to add vegetables to your pot if you would prefer not.

Any seasonings?
Salt and pepper is always a good place to start, but you can use anything you like. Don’t limit yourself to dried spices. Salsa, chutney, apple sauce and other liquid-type flavorings are great and easy! Below are three different examples of recent pork loins that came out of the Domesticity Nouveau kitchen to get your creative juices flowing.

Do I have to brown the meat?
Browning is totally optional. It does add another depth to the layers of flavor, but it isn’t necessary. If you choose to do it, do not refrigerate or freeze for another time. Browned meat needs to go directly to the slow cooker. To brown your pork loin, heat a heavy skillet to medium-high. Place loin in the skillet and brown 2-3 minutes per side and on the ends. I prefer my cast iron skillet that is well seasoned, holds the heat and doesn’t require any additional oil to keep the meat from sticking. If you are using another type of skillet, you might need to add a wee bit of oil to prevent sticking and the cold meat will likely cool the pan temperature, requiring a little longer browning time. Meat will release easily from a pan when it has browned perfectly. If it is sticking, you likely need to let it cook a little longer.

What do you mean “Liquid, maybe”?
If you are using something like salsa or apple sauce, you have will have plenty of liquid to keep things perfectly moist. If you are just throwing in onions, you’ll need to add a few tablespoons. The smaller your slow cooker, the less you will need. Start with 1 Tbsp per quart size your cooker is, for example, if you have a 4 quart slow cooker, use 4 Tbsp (1/4 cup). Any liquid will work: water, orange juice, broth, etc.

High? Low? 3-8 hours? Can you be more specific?
Um.... not really. This is where you need to know your beast’s temperament and calculate that with your desired meal time. I have two slow cookers, one is old and large, the other is modern and small and they behave differently. Yours will, too. Different size pork loins are going to take different cooking times, too. This vagueness is frustrating in the beginning, but after a few meals in your slow cooker, you’ll know if your pot runs hot & fast or low & slow. As you are getting to know each other, check at the earliest finish time and move forward from there.

Can you recommend any flavor combinations?
Sure! But don't forget the beauty of plain, it allows for changing up the flavors of leftovers with different sauces. Here are three I recently made:

Salsa Verde Pork Loin
2 cups of tomatillo sauce I had in the freezer, one sliced onion, garlic and diced jalapeno. I layered the vegetables on the bottom, browned the meat, then poured tomatillo sauce over the pork loin. Cooked on low for 7 hours and served with stuffed jalapenos.

Bavarian Pork Loin
Penzeys Bavarian Seasoning, salt, pepper, sliced onion and 1/4 cup apple sauce left over from a visiting niece. I rubbed the outside of the pork loin with Bavarian Seasoning, salt, & pepper, then placed on a bed of onions and apple sauce in the bottom of the crock. Cooked on low 9 hours in my older Crock-pot. There was a lot of broth created, so I poured that off and boiled it down by half to make a sauce and served with homemade sauerkraut.

Fall Harvest Pork Loin
1 small acorn squash, 1 pear, sliced shallots, pecans, a dusting of pumpkin pie spice, salt, pepper, and a dribble of water. Peeled and chunked up an acorn squash and placed on the bottom. Cored and sliced a pear and added to the crock along with the sliced shallots, dusting all with a bit of pumpkin pie spice, salt and pepper. Nestled the pork loin in the vegetables and sprinkled with salt and pepper. Stuck in the fridge overnight, then cooked on low for 9 hours. I wish I would have put in a dribble of maple syrup!

Up next.... Stuffed Jalapenos!

Homemade Mayonnaise

2011-09-25T12:26:00.000-07:00

~~Slow Cooker Pork Loin~~ Homemade Mayonnaise

I just couldn’t wait any longer and had to interrupt the planned slow cooker pork loin!

I do believe that mayonnaise is my favorite condiment. Slightly tangy, creamy, smooth, delicate, decadent. It offers a wonderful balance to the crisp crunch of asparagus. A luscious dip for the sweet petals of artichoke. A base for wonderful dressings that adorn refreshing and cool salads. Yep, it is just about the most wonderful thing in my refrigerator.

And yet, this wonderful condiment evades many home cooks. They read of the trials and tribulations in attempting to make it from scratch. They fret about the safety of eggs. Doubt consumes their minds as they debate the merits of using the food processor or the stand mixer or the blender. It just becomes too much and they turn to the jar at the store, defeated.

[Insert the battle cry of mayonnaise here.]

What would the battle cry of mayonnaise be, anyhow? I’m not exactly sure, but I do know that victory is yours when you use an immersion blender (aka stick blender)! I fail miserably, where countless others have succeeded, when I use any kitchen appliance other than an immersion blender to make mayonnaise. I have no idea why, but I imagine that someone who is knowledgeable in physics could explain the inverse action of the whirly-thingy to the gravitational pull of the gooey stuff.... yeah, I just want to eat it.

Homemade Mayonnaise

Ingredients
1 whole egg
1 tsp kosher flake salt
1 tsp dry mustard powder
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp white vinegar
1 cup extra light olive oil

Instructions
Bring all ingredients to room temperature. Place in a pint size canning jar in the order listed. Gently insert immersion blender to the bottom of the jar and begin blending. As mayonnaise begins to form, slowly draw immersion blender to the surface, mixing in all the oil. Store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

I’ll take your questions now....

Why do you use a whole egg?
Some recipes call for egg yolks, some call for whole eggs. I have had success with both, but I find it easiest to just crack one egg into the jar instead of separating out yolks. This is where I have found my success and what works for me. Some people are concerned with the use of raw eggs, I am not one of them, but respect the concerns of those who are. Your Lighter Side Blog did a great review on Safest Choice Pasteurized Shell Eggs and a quick Google search will bring you many sources on how to pasteurize your own eggs at home. Our food choices are personal, and while I have no problem with consuming raw eggs, you have to make that educated choice for yourself.

Do I have to use kosher flake salt?
No, you can use regular table salt, just cut the measurement to 1/2 tsp of salt. I prefer Diamond Kosher Flake Salt for my cooking. Other people stock their kitchen with a fine grind sea salt, or a luxury salt like fluer de sel; different grinds of salt have different volumes when measured. I could write paragraphs about salt, but we are talking mayonnaise! Just remember you can always add, you can’t take it back out.

What is dry mustard powder?
Mustard powder (sometimes called mustard flour) is the ground seeds from the mustard plant. You can find it in any supermarket spice section. Many recipes for homemade mayonnaise call for wet mustard, and I suppose that would work just fine, too. Do note that different flavors and styles of wet mustard may impact your end flavor. Mustard works as an emulsifier, helping the oil to merge with the other liquids when it normally would not want to. You know how oil and vinegar salad dressing will separate into layers? Mayonnaise is essentially the same thing, but when the mustard is added, everyone gets along, holds hands, and stays unified in the creamy form.

Why both lemon juice and white vinegar?
Sssshhhh, don’t tell anyone, but I use bottled lemon juice (gasp)! I prefer the consistency in flavor and acidity level, plus I never remember to buy lemons at the market. It will be our little secret.

When I was playing around trying to get a flavor as close to my favorite store brand mayonnaise (Best Foods/Hellmans), I read the back of all the labels & every recipe I could. One thing that seemed to change from brand to brand and taste to taste was the acids they used. Some used no citrus juice and only vinegar. Others used no vinegar and only citrus. The above recipe is what I settled on as my preference, but you are welcome to change to your tastes and pantry supplies. The key is to use 2 Tbsp of acid to the 1 cup of oil to get the right balance and not be too tangy or too greasy. Once you get the hang of making mayonnaise, you can get creative with your choices, playing with lemon juice, lime juice, wine vinegars, flavored vinegars, etc.

It only takes a few seconds
and things start coming together

Do I have to use extra light olive oil?
You can use whatever oil you wish, but stronger flavored oils, like extra virgin olive oil, will likely produce an off tasting mayonnaise. Extra light olive oil is about as bland an oil that you can find that isn’t seed based. The more neutral flavored your oil the better. Some people like to use a mix of oils, like coconut oil and light olive oil, or a nut oil instead. When you are beginning, start with the simple and save the expensive oils for once you have mastered the technique.

Why a canning jar?
Why not? It is the perfect size for a batch of mayonnaise, you can store in the same container you mix, and there is something charming about mason jars! Of course you can use whatever container you would like that is tall and narrow, allows your immersion blender to fit and will hold all your ingredients. One benefit of using a pint size canning jar is that the top of the word ‘Ball’ or ‘Kerr’ is the perfect spot to pour oil to after layering in the other ingredients, therefore saving you from having to wash a measuring cup.... laziness has its benefits!

I just stick in the blender and let it go?

A few seconds from being complete!
You can stir in any remaining oil.

Amazing, huh?! No more slowly dribbling in oil over a 5 minute period. No more hot mayonnaise because your blender over-heated while you slowly poured in the oil. You don’t have to wash the entire food processor. Your arm doesn’t get tired dribbling into the stand mixer. Just stick it in and go!

What do you mean slowly draw to the surface?
As the mayonnaise begins to form in the bottom of the jar, slowly start lifting the blender to the top; I think it takes me 30-60 seconds. This will draw in the oil into the emulsion you are forming. There may be the tiniest bit of oil that remains on the surface, but that is easy to mix in with a couple of flicks from a spoon... or a spork if that is what is handy.

It only lasts a week?
I have no problem with raw eggs, but I’m not dumb about it. Write the date on a piece of tape and stick it on the jar so you know when to pull it and make some more. The acids do help to deter funk, but REAL food doesn’t last forever. Use your noggin with this. If it smells bad, it is bad. Better to lose a few dollars than be ill for a week. Store bought mayonnaise is full of stuff that makes it almost as shelf stable as a Twinkie. You are making JERF mayonnaise!

But mine didn’t blend together!
This happens, even to the experienced. Who is to blame? The chicken for its egg or the cook? Lets blame the chicken, just to save some face. Always set yourself up for success. Water is an enemy in this process, so make sure your utensils are completely dry. Cold can be a factor, so make sure you bring your ingredients to room temperature. Although I must note, that using the immersion blender technique, I have success using an egg right from the fridge. Sometimes you can rescue your mayonnaise with the addition of another egg: crack it in, let it sink to the bottom and repeat the immersion blender treatment. Sometimes a little more mustard powder will work. Sometimes nothing does, and the best solution is to use it as a base for salad dressing for that evening. Sometimes that doesn’t even work and you just need to get your box of tissues and shed a tear. It will be okay. You will have victory another day. It is only defeat if you never try again.

All hear the battle cry of mayonnaise!!!! Glorp, glorp!!!

Up next.... Basic Slow Cooker Pork Loin! No interruptions from the condiments this time...

Basic Broiled Pork Chops

2011-09-24T15:35:00.000-07:00

This was going to be a post on how to grill pork chops... but, the grill ran out of gas about 2 minutes after I put on the chops, DOH!

With summer coming to an end, broiling is a more practical cooking basic to cover anyway. And it is reassuring to read about other people’s mishaps in the kitchen... we all have them, but sometimes reading other people’s blogs, I feel like I don’t have a clue what I’m doing nor should I be talking about it!

But I do have a clue some days, and with a little quick thinking I changed dinner plans from grilled to broiled and have something to share with you!

I was able to find a great buy on whole pork loin, but that is anywhere from 7-10 pounds of meat to deal with at one moment. Why would I buy that much you ask? Because I would rather spend the 5-10 minutes slicing the loin into some chops and a chunk for the crockpot than pay double the price per pound to have the butcher do it for me. Yeah, I’m cheap like that. And I like leftovers so I can maximize my lazy time!

Broiled Pork Chops

Ingredients
Pork Chops
Seasonings of choice

Instructions
Place pork chops on a rack on a baking sheet and dust with seasoning. Bring to room temperature for about 20-30 minutes. Set oven rack to highest slot. Turn oven on to broil and slide in pork chops. Broil 3-7 minutes, turn and continue to broil an additional 3-7 minutes until 145 degrees or barely pink inside. Remove from oven, tent with foil and allow to rest 5 minutes.

It’s time to play questions!

Whole pork loin

Do I have to slice my own pork loin?
Nope. You can use any pork chop you would like. Pork blade steaks work equally as well with this method. I only chose to slice my own loin chops because it was frugal and easy. If you prefer to buy already sliced chops, it is your time and money balance that you have to take into consideration. There are many different names for pork chops and all can be used with this technique.

How many pork chops?
As many as you would like. You can do one or a whole baking sheet full. You can do this in your toaster oven, too! I prefer to maximize my efforts so I do as many as I have available so there are plenty of leftovers and I can spend more time reading food blogs.

Do I have to use a rack?
Nope. If you don’t have a rack or a broiler pan, don’t worry about it. Just use that pizza pan or cookie sheet or cake pan... but don’t use glass baking dishes. They aren’t designed to handle the heat of the broiler as well as metal pans can.

What seasonings do you use?
My go-to seasoning of choice for pork chops is Penzeys Pork Chop Seasoning. Creative name, huh? In the photo I used pork chop seasoning, salt and pepper, and chili powder and salt. Indian spices like curry, garam masala or tandori are fun to use. Pork is such a neutral base I really can’t imagine a bad seasoning. Equal parts powdered ginger and granulated garlic with salt & pepper would be darn tasty! You don’t have to measure, just sprinkle some on! A little cumin... maybe some Mrs. Dash... a bit of za’tar... you have endless possibilities!

Why do I let it come to room temperature?
Bringing meat to room temperature before cooking it allows the heat to penetrate and cook more evenly so that the outside doesn’t overcook while the inside remains raw. It isn’t essential, but I find that I have better results when I add this step. If you don’t bring to room temperature, you might have to add additional cooking time.

I don’t have to preheat the oven?
Not for this technique. It is the hot broiler at the top of the oven that is doing the cooking, not the ambient heat in the oven like when you roast a chicken. You want that glow from the heat source going to get that meat sizzling and browning.

The highest slot? That looks awfully close!
Yep, the highest position for the rack you can manage. Of course, common sense does play into this a bit. If you have a really thick hunk-o-meat, and it is only 1/4 inch from the broiler element, you would do well to lower your rack level. One to two inches from the broiler element is just fine.

3-7 minutes is a big window! Nothing more specific?
For the 1 inch loin chops in the photos, it took about 5 minutes per side in my oven. If your meat is thinner, it takes less time. If your oven runs low or slow, it takes more time. I would flip 1/2 inch thick pieces at 3 minutes, and then check after 6 minutes total. You can always add more time and heat, but you can’t take it back if you turned that meat to jerky!

Are you sure about 145 degrees? My Mama always said 160 degrees.
Things changed this year and 145 degrees is the sweet spot you want to hit. Without a thermometer, you are going to need to go by sight. If your meat is the same color all the way through, it is likely over-cooked. You want to look for just the barest of blush in the middle, right before it would all be the same color. A $10 instant read thermometer is really worth the investment....

Up next.... Basic Slow Cooker Pork Loin!

Sugar Free Ketchup

2011-09-11T12:43:00.000-07:00

When I decided that our home would be sugar-free, I didn’t realize I would be eliminating one of my husband’s morning staples. He didn’t complain, he just marched on, secretly mourning the loss of his ketchup. Being the wonderful wife that I am, (after several mugs of dark coffee and an hour or two of quiet in the mornings) I set my mind to giving him back his morning essential. I LOVE my husband and want him to be happy! (and Sugar free!)

I searched the stores and internet for sugar-free ketchup. There is now ketchup without high fructose corn syrup (a step in the right direction), but it still has sugar. I found other versions that had replaced the sugar with artificial sugar alternatives which aren’t great either. So what’s a loving wife to do? Make it herself!

In reading the back of every ketchup bottle I could find, “spices” was all that was listed to give me a direction for getting the taste right. I searched my canning books, cookbooks, and the internet and finally figured it out.

Stevia is the sugar replacement that I work with and I use a Kal brand pure stevia extract powder. I prefer it because it doesn’t have any bulking ingredients or other funky additives that some of the popular brands have. Stevia is known to have an unpleasant licorice/fennel/anise-type back note that doesn’t appeal to some people, or some recipes. The pure powder has less of that back note, but it is still there. Fortunately, fennel and anise are common spices in ketchup flavoring! If you don't have pure stevia extract powder, below are some suggestions for what you can use.

Sugar Free Ketchup
Makes approximately 2 1/2 cups

Ingredients
6 oz Tomato paste
14 oz Tomato sauce
1/2 cup White vinegar
1 tsp Celery salt
1/2 tsp Kosher salt
1/2 tsp Onion powder
1/4 tsp Garlic powder
1/4 tsp Allspice
1/8 tsp Cloves
1/8 tsp Ground mace or nutmeg
1/8 tsp Cinnamon
4 scoops Stevia powder
Love

Instructions
Place all the ingredients into a saucepan and mix together well over medium heat. Bring to a simmer, cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 30 minutes to blend flavors, stirring once or twice. Let cool then store in the fridge.

Questions! Questions! Who has Questions?

What kind of tomato sauce do I use?
You want the kind that is found in the market next to the tomato paste (often near the canned veggies). Check the ingredients to make sure it doesn’t have any added sugar. The kind I use often has onion and red/green peppers in the mix, but sometimes I find one that doesn't. Get a sauce that has the fewest ingredients possible and NO SUGAR. If you can find salt free, even better, but you may need to adjust the salt in the recipe by adding a bit more. Whatever you do, don’t get pasta sauce!

I don’t have any white vinegar...
You can easily substitute apple cider vinegar. I have gone with a mix of 50/50 white and apple cider vinegars and the results were just fine. Red and white wine vinegars will change the flavor from you traditional store bought ketchup you grew up with, but you might enjoy the more sophisticated flavor profile they lend to the ketchup. White vinegar seemed to be the most common listed on the back of the famous brands. Work with what you have!

I don’t have Kosher salt, can I use table salt?
Sure! Just cut the measurement by half as table salt is finer and denser in volume that kosher salt. Use 1/4 tsp Table salt instead of 1/2 tsp Kosher salt.

That’s a lot of spices, do I need them all?

Can you guess my favorite spice source? :)

Yeppers; if you want the flavor to be familiar. Once you gather all your spices from the cupboard, it only takes a minute or two to measure them all out. If you don’t want to invest in buying jars of all the spices (totally worth it, but I understand budgets can be an issue) find a store that has a good bulk spice turn-over so you are getting fresh-like spices. Nothing beats fresh spices, which is what the recipe is based on. You may find that you have to add more if your spices are old or of the supermarket variety, because the flavor will be weaker. Make the recipe as is, and then taste it. If you think it needs more spice, start by adding 1/2 again what the recipe called for, i.e. add in another 1/4 tsp onion powder or 1/8 tsp allspice. Let it simmer a little bit longer to blend the flavors and taste again. Make notes on what you did so you’ll remember next time!

What’s ground mace?
Mace is the funny little gangly covering of nutmeg pods. It is similar to nutmeg in flavor but gently different. I’m not a huge nutmeg fan, so I prefer ground mace. It can sometimes be difficult to find and nutmeg is a perfectly acceptable alternative.

It is a VERY tiny scoop
of stevia extract powder!

I don’t have stevia extract powder, what else can I use?
You can use any sweetener you like to equal 2 1/2 tablespoons of regular sugar. You can even use regular sugar if you don’t care about sugar-free. I can’t guarantee how artificial sugars will taste when used in the recipe, since sometimes they have a funny after-taste or react with the acid in the tomatoes/vinegar strangely. If your diet allows, honey would be a good substitute, but make sure it is mild flavored as it has its own unique flavors; but who knows, you may like it better with a strong flavored honey! Remember, you can always add, but you can't take away. Start slowly adding in your sweetener of choice and add more as needed. If you don’t use the stevia extract powder, you might want to include 1/8 tsp ground fennel powder to the recipe to make up for that missing back note the stevia offers.

I just mix it all together in a pan?
This is a dump and stir recipe, easy pleasy! I have found the easiest way to get it all incorporated together is with an immersion blender. Just place that stick blender in the pot and whirl until it is smooth and the spices are completely mixed in. If you don’t have an immersion blender, I would place the tomato paste in the pan with the vinegar and gently mix until the paste is a bit looser so it will blend in easier with the tomato sauce. As it cooks, the heat will help the paste to smooth out into the sauce.

I just simmer it and it’s done?
Easy, huh? Once the sauce starts bubbling and burping, turn the heat to low and put a cover on the pot. The cover keeps in the moisture so the sauce doesn’t evaporate and become too thick; it also keeps little tomato burps from covering your stove top in red dots. Heat changes the flavor of spices and melds all the flavors into one tasty pot of love.

Classy!

How do you store your ketchup?
I store the hubby’s ketchup-love in an old vinegar bottle in the refrigerator. I grab a funnel and pour it on in. If you need to use a jar with a wide mouth because you don’t have a funnel or old bottle to use, make sure you always use a clean spoon to scoop it out to prevent contaminates from possibly ruining your efforts. The vinegar will help the ketchup to keep for several weeks in the refrigerator, if it doesn’t disappear quicker into tummies. It also freezes quite well!

Speaking of love, what’s up with that as an ingredient?
I firmly believe that the attitude you have when you cook transfers to whatever you are making. While you are cooking, never forget to think loving thoughts about the people who will be eating your food. Imagine them enjoying every morsel with satisfaction and feeling how much you care about them. Stir in thoughts of laughter and family togetherness and see how it changes things at the dinner table! Of course if you are angry and want someone to have a nasty meal, feel free to stir that in... it is your kitchen and relationships... although I really don’t recommend it!

Up next.... Broiled Pork Chops!

Roast Chicken

2011-09-05T14:04:00.000-07:00

Basic Roast Chicken

When you are learning to cook, a roast chicken sounds like a worthy goal to accomplish. You imagine that golden bird coming out of the oven, crispy skin, tender meat... the smiles of your friends and family as they gasp at your new abilities... But then you start reading recipes and find that the instructions have oven temperatures ranging from 325 to 450 degrees and cooking times from 30 minutes to 2 hours! What should be simple becomes overwhelmingly confusing.

I could explain all the intricacies with using a lower temperature over a higher temperature, basting with broth vs. basting with butter vs. not basting, etc. But really, all you want is to know how to roast a chicken, plain and simple, so you can feed your belly.

Heat + Time = Cooking

Roasting a chicken is simply a matter of putting a whole chicken (or its pieces) in an oven safe vessel, placing it in a hot oven and waiting long enough for it to be done. I refer to it as ‘Dump and Shove’ cooking.... dump on some seasoning, shove it in the oven... Wah-lah, easy dinner!

One piece of cooking equipment I think is essential for cooking poultry is an instant read thermometer. I bought mine for under $10 and it takes the guess work out of knowing if something is done or not. When you are learning to cook, it will be your best friend when working with meat.

Roast Chicken

Ingredients
Whole chicken or chicken pieces, bone in
Seasoning

Instructions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Remove Chicken from its wrappings. Check inside the cavity of whole chicken for giblets and remove. Dry surface of chicken with a paper towel. Place whole chicken or chicken pieces in baking dish. Sprinkle on your seasoning of choice. Bake for 30-90 minutes, until done (165 degrees). Remove from oven and rest 10 minutes before carving or serving.

Okay, okay, you have questions! Good!

Why 400 degrees?
The temperature is adjustable. If you have something else baking at 425 degrees or want it to take a little longer at a lower temperature so you can watch a movie, simply adjust your timer up or down. I like 400 degrees because it nicely browns the outside without drying out the insides. Hotter tends to overbrown/burn the skin while waiting for the inside to finish cooking. Lower tends to not brown the outside as well and can dry out the chicken after being in the oven for an extended period of time. If you need to cook at a higher temperature, part way through cooking you might need to LOOSELY lay a small piece of foil on top of the whole chicken to prevent it from burning.

Giblets? What are those, what do I do with them?
The giblets are the heart, liver & kidney of your bird. Often the neck is included as well. If you have critters in your home, they make a great treat, just give them raw or after a quick pan fry. Many people find these bits delicious and you might want to save them for your own treat. Other people add them to their bone broth for added nutrition. If you don’t find those options agreeable, just pitch ‘em.

Why do I need to dry my chicken? Don’t I need to wash it first?
Nope, don’t rinse your chicken. Here’s the word from the USDA on safe Poultry handling:

Rinsing or Soaking Chicken
Washing raw poultry before cooking it is not recommended. Bacteria in raw meat and poultry juices can be spread to other foods, utensils, and surfaces. This is called cross-contamination. Rinsing or soaking chicken does not destroy bacteria. Any bacteria that might be present on fresh chicken are destroyed only by cooking.

So just pop that chicken, or pieces thereof, out of the package and pat them dry with a paper towel. This helps the skin to crisp up. It isn’t an essential step, if you forget, you’ll still get a nice roast chicken.

One note on good kitchen hygiene practices... If you are going to be prepping veggies as a side dish, do those first to assure that no raw chicken juices or bits cross contaminate your side dish.

What seasonings do I use?
This is always a matter of personal taste and what YOU want in YOUR mouth. Salt and pepper are the easiest and most basic. The whole roast chicken in the pictures has smoked paprika, salt & pepper. The individual roast pieces have garlic powder, salt and pepper (a household standard). You might want to try chili powder, onion powder, celery salt, Adobo seasoning, cumin, ginger powder, Mrs. Dash, poultry seasoning, shallot salt, a BBQ rub.... let your imagination run wild with the flavors you enjoy! Remember, though, you can always add, you can’t take away. As you are learning, be gentle with your seasonings until you get a feel for how much you like. 2-3 tsps of most spices is enough to start with. It really is worth the time to find a few seasoning blends that you find particularly happy in your mouth. It makes a quick and easy meal that much more satisfying!

I just put it in a baking dish?

Yeppers. If you have a baking rack that fits in your dish, that truly is the best way as it keeps the chicken out of the juices and helps all sides to get browned. If you don’t have a baking rack that fits in your dish, you can try a few thick slices of onion to keep the chicken elevated. (The added bonus of this method is some yummy onions to serve as a side dish.) If you don't have a baking dish, a rimmed cookie sheet will work, but make sure it is rimmed so the drippings don't run off the side and start an oven fire... EEK! So to sum it up: in the dish – good, on some onion slices – better, on a rack – best. Don’t let a missing rack, no baking dish, or lack of onion stop you, just work with what you have. Cooking isn’t about perfection!

I don’t have to tie the legs up?
Nope. Some argue that it makes for a better presentation, but I’m eating it, not using it as a centerpiece. In addition, leaving the bird au natural creates more surface area for the heat to reach the meat, and we all want dinner sooner than later. If you want, feel free to tie those ankles (do chickens have ankles?) together. It’s your bird to cook and present how you want! You may need to add 10 minutes or so to your cooking time.

It is best to pin the wings. Just tuck that end piece back and under. It prevents them from hanging over the edge and dripping onto your oven’s floor. It also prevents them from over cooking.

That’s an awfully big time window, how do I know when it is done?

Smaller bird, or individual pieces,
take less time to cook.
Pieces are usually done in 30-40 minutes.

The most reliable way to tell if a chicken is done is to insert an instant read thermometer in the thickest part of the thigh, but not near a bone. You want a temperature of 165 degrees. Check individual pieces at 30 minutes and a whole chicken at 45 minutes. Figure an additional 1-2 minutes for each degree you need to increase, i.e. you checked and the thermometer said 160. You will likely need an additional 5-10 minutes and then recheck. In my oven, a 5 pound bird takes around an hour to cook to 165 degrees. Another method is to make a slice into the deepest part of the meat to assure it is no longer pink and juices run clear or golden (not pink). By making a slice you lose some of the juices and if you have to continue cooking, run the risk of a dry piece of meat where you sliced. One other less reliable way to assess doneness is to shake your chicken’s hand, or ankle as the case is. A wimpy, sloppy, loose shake is bad for first impressions, but likely means you bird has cooked through.

Hey! Wait a minute; you didn’t say anything about basting. How do I do it?
You don’t. It really is not necessary to achieving a tasty roast chicken. I find it to be unnecessary fussing that takes away from my wine drinking. I have spent time basting in the past, and honestly, it doesn’t seem to make a lick of difference to my outcome, so I say: Skip it! If you want to, because that is how your Nana did it, by all means feel free. You certainly are not going to ruin it. About 20-30 minutes into your cooking time, pull the bird and pan out of the oven and spoon any juices over the top. Or stick a glob of butter on a fork and rub it all over the hot bird. Now repeat that every 10 minutes until your chicken is done cooking... tedious, huh!?

Why do I need to let it rest?
Besides the fact that it just came out of a 400 degree oven, is lava hot and will burn your tongue, it allows the juices to redistribute in the meat. It also lets any residual heat finish up the cooking. While it is resting is the perfect time to steam up some vegetables and open a bottle of wine.

Now how do I carve it?
Don’t. Just sit down and go at it with your hands. Alright, alright, not everyone embraces their inner cave-person. Carving is easier to explain with a demonstration, so here is a video that will walk you through it... but seriously, consider the fun of reenacting a dinner from the theme restaurant Medival Times and have plenty of napkins handy!


Yummy caramelized onions!

A few parting thoughts... Since you already have the oven going, you might as well roast two chickens. It is great to have left-overs for lunch or dinner another night. And save those bones for a yummy broth! Being roasted adds a nice depth that raw bones don’t have. Just pop them in the freezer until you are ready to make your broth.

Up next... Homemade Sugar Free Ketchup!

***edit 9/5/2011 - I forgot one important key piece of info! If you are doing pieces, make sure to leave the skin ON!!! You can take it off later if you don't like it, but it protects the meat from drying out while baking.

Grilled Vegetables

2011-09-02T12:42:00.000-07:00

Same vegetables prepped three different ways:

for a grill basket (left), direct grilling (center), and kebobs (right).

Grilled Vegetables

We’re starting our series on cooking basics with an original cooking technique from long ago.

Food + Fire = Dinner, stick optional

Because of where I work (a spice shop) I get a lot of cooking questions. These questions tend to reflect, more than anything, the person’s aptitude for cooking and their belief system about cooking. Some people see cooking as something only professionals, who have spent years training, can do properly. They are intimidated by boiling water; Amazed at how the people on TV can turn out a glorious feast in 30 minutes. For them, cooking is about perfection and appearance. Feeding themselves seems like an insurmountable challenge because they can’t get it “right” or figure out how to do it with the ease they see on TV or in magazines. If it isn’t worthy of a photo shoot for a magazine, they have failed.

I want to scream at them. But I don’t; because I am at work, and I really like my job.

I eat my food, I don’t hang it on a wall as art. I appreciate a beautifully crafted meal, but the day to day, work-a-day world just doesn’t allow for that. AND there is a certain beauty in simplicity!

The only wrong way to cook is to not cook at all! Yes, there are techniques that work better and some that are worse, but in the end, if you can get food on a plate and eat it, you are doing it right! I’m talking about real food. Nourishing food. Not frozen pizza.

Cooking is essentially applying heat and time to a raw ingredient. There really isn’t more to it than that. As the kids these days say... It’s so easy a caveman could do it!

Grilled Vegetables

Ingredients:

Vegetables
Oil
Seasoning

Instructions:
Preheat grill to a high heat. While waiting, cut vegetables into desired size and shape. Apply a very light coating of oil & season to taste. Place veggies on grill and cook till crisp-tender. Time will vary based on the vegetable, the size you prepped it and what your grill considers a high heat. Figure about 5-10 minutes, turning half way through.

For many people, this recipe is too vague... I understand that you want specifics. What vegetables? Which oil? What do I season with? Here are my answers...

Any Vegetable can be cooked on the grill.
-Really. Any veggie you fancy or any combination. If you are just beginning, start with one vegetable like broccoli or asparagus or zucchini slices. Once you get the hang of things, use a combination of vegetables, keeping their sizes respective to how long they take to cook so they all finish at the same time. A few produce picks (artichokes cut in half, potatoes or sweet potatoes in 1/2 inch slices, etc) benefit from a quick parboil in salted water prior to grilling. To do this, bring a pot of salted water to a boil, drop your pieces in and cook for a few minutes until just starting to become tender, but don't let them cook all the way, that's why you are grilling them. Immediately drop into a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. Drain and dry off; they are now ready to go!

Any oil can be used.

-Really. Any oil you chose will work. Olive oil, room temperature schmaltz, leftover bacon drippings, butter... whatever you fancy. Simply brush a very light coat on all sides of the veggies. Don’t have a brush, place a small amount in your hand and gently rub to coat evenly. The oil is simply your insurance that things don't stick. I never have a problem with sticking, and you shouldn't either, provided your grill is hot enough. Make sure to let that grill heat up for 15 minutes at least!

Cook till done.
-This is the tricky part as we all like our veggies cooked to different levels of crispness. Experience will be your guide, which is a frustrating answer when you are just starting out on your cooking knowledge. One thing to keep in mind is that your produce of choice will continue to cook a wee bit after you remove it from heat, so pull it just before you think it is ready. Zucchini takes less time than cauliflower, asparagus is quicker than onions. You know a veggie has reached the crisp-tender stage when you can pierce it with a fork, it is bendy but not floppy, and it still retains its bright color and shape. The good thing about vegetables is if undercooked, they aren't going to make you ill, like say undercooked chicken would. You can always throw them back on the heat if they aren't done. If they accidentally become overcooked, you can still eat them and you learned about heat + time!

Any seasoning your taste buds fancy will work.
-Salt and pepper is easiest and you can’t really go wrong with it. Crushed red peppers, Aleppo pepper flakes, garlic powder, toasted onion powder, Mrs. Dash, curry powder, smoked paprika, garam masala, ground cumin, chili powder, fresh grated parmesan, vinaigrette dressing, lemon juice, lime juice, zatar, szechwan salt and pepper... you get the idea. How much to use is totally a matter of personal taste. Start with a little and adjust as needed; you can always add, but you can't take it away. If you are lucky enough to have a Penzeys store near you, go spend some time sniffing all the jars of spices till your nose and belly agree on what sounds tasty.

Three different grilling options: Grill basket, kebobs and direct grilling. I normally direct grill on the lower grate, but ran out of room with this abundance of yummies! It just takes longer on top, and in some cases that works out well while you cook something equally yummy below!

A grill basket allows for smaller pieces that might fall through the grill to still make it to the BBQ. It also allows for quicker cooking because the pieces are smaller. Grill up extra to have leftovers for the next morning’s omelets!

Kebobs are nice because the stick keeps the veggies together, thus preventing them from falling through the grill. It also makes for nice serving sizes and well, food on sticks is fun! If you use bamboo skewers, make sure to soak them for at least 30 minutes before threading with the vegetables. This will keep the skewer from burning up. When you turn your skewers, use your tongs to grab a couple of the vegetables for grip in turning. Simply grabbing the stick with the tongs can be an exercise in frustration.

Direct grilling is great for bulky vegetables or when you want to grill large pieces. Make sure your grate is VERY hot when you place your vegetables on to grill, this helps to prevent sticking. The key to this method is obvious: make sure the vegetables are large enough that they don’t fall through and position them appropriately with the direction of the grill.

Now muster up some courage and go grill a vegetable!

Coming up next.... Basic Chicken!

Meat Cake!

2011-08-27T19:10:00.000-07:00

Yep, you read that correctly.... Meat Cake!!!

Several months ago our home made some diet adjustments and sugar went out the window... the window... the second story window... with a heave and throw, a mighty throw, we threw it out the window (be happy you can't hear me sing that to you!)

So what do you do when a birthday rolls around and all the celebratory foods are made with sugar? You adapt, at least that is what we did.

This birthday cake is a tasty layered meatloaf. Frosted with puree of roasted cauliflower and roasted carrots, accented with shredded white cheddar and heart shaped egg slices. You know you want some.

Making the meat cake is more about assembly than a recipe. Simply make your favorite meatloaf recipe and bake it in round cake pans. Make up a batch of pureed cauliflower, or mashed potatoes, or any other whipped veggie to frost your cake with. When the meatloaf is done cooking, assemble just as you would any traditional layer cake. Level off your layers so they stack nicely. Spread a thin layer of "frosting" as a crumb coat and then go crazy decorating!

Basic Gluten Free Bread

2011-03-15T15:11:00.000-07:00

Check out the Gluten-Free Honey Oat and Multi-Grain Bread Recipes!

Domesticity Nouveau may have been silent, but not inactive! The kitchen has been a disaster, the dogs are full from sampling the mishaps, the husband and friends are happy from sampling the successes and there is a new batch of recipes to be posted!

First up, a basic gluten free bread.

When I first went gluten free I remember reluctantly handing over $7 for a loaf of gluten free bread. I thought it was going to be some really amazing stuff for that $7. I was so very wrong. That first very horrid experience still lingers in my memory and has been a driving force in finding a way to do it better. By better I mean tasty, texturally pleasing, and friendly to my purse.

This recipe produces a delicious loaf that keeps well, holds up as a sturdy sandwich bread, makes great toast, comes together quickly and is much less expensive than buying a tiny loaf of mediocre gluten free bread.

Basic Gluten Free Bread

1 loaf

Dry Ingredients

1 cup sorghum flour + 2 Tablespoons

2/3 cup brown rice flour

1/3 cup tapioca starch + 2 Tablespoons

1/2 cup potato starch

2 teaspoon instant/quick rise yeast (about 1 packet)
1 1/2 teaspoon sugar or honey

1 teaspoon flake kosher salt

2 3/4 teaspoon xanthan gum

Wet Ingredients

2 eggs + 2 egg whites, room temperature

1 cup warm water

1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

3 Tablespoons olive oil

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F

1. Place all dry ingredients in bowl of heavy duty mixer. Using paddle attachment, mix on low speed for 2 minutes to combine.

2. Mix all wet ingredients thoroughly in a separate bowl.

3. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and start mixer on low speed. Mix for a moment and then scrape down sides. Mix on medium high speed for 5 minutes, scraping bowl half way through.

4. While dough is mixing, butter a loaf pan and set aside.

5. When dough is done mixing, scrape into loaf pan. Dough will be soft, very unlike traditional wheat based bread. There is no kneading or additional rising and rest times.

6. Using a spatula, smoosh dough into pan, making sure to get it into the corners. Smooth top with spatula. Cover with a dish towel or greased foil and let rise 30-60 minutes in a warm place (stove top on a cold burner is great) until it reaches the top of the loaf pan.

6. Bake at 350°F for 45 minutes. You will know when bread is done when it has a golden brown crust and a hollow sound when tapped.

7. Let rest in loaf pan for 5 minutes, then remove and cool on baking rack. If you let it sit in the pan too long and steam has made the bottom crust soft, you can place back in the oven, out of the loaf pan, for a few minutes to crisp it again.

8. Once completely cooled, store in a sealed container or zip top bag and slice as needed. Storing in the fridge will extend the keeping time of your loaf.

9. Save the heals and any stale portions in the freezer until you have enough to make your own gluten free bread crumbs by whirling in a food processor until desired consistency.

Note: If you like this bread and want to make up a few jars or bags of mix for quicker use in the future, place all dry ingredients in container except for yeast; a quart size canning jar works great. Label and add a note with remaining ingredients to be added and instructions for mixing and baking; store in a cool, dry, dark place. The most time consuming part of making gluten free bread is measuring all those ingredients!

(edited 11/18/2011 with change in vinegar & sugar, very minor changes...)

Fried Rice

2010-06-25T13:00:00.000-07:00

Domesticity Nouveau recently had the pleasure of creating a guest post for Ginger Lemon Girl's 30 Days Gluten Free Quick & Easy Meals. Carrie's kitchen focus is on cooking gluten-free whole grains, low sugar, and healthy fats and protein sources. Her blog is a great resource and has loads of tasty recipes just calling out for you to get into the kitchen and start cooking!

Below is the post I shared, plus a few more versions to inspire your palette!

How many times do you look in the fridge and declare “There is nothing to eat?” all the while knowing full well that there is, it just isn't appetizing. Rather, it just isn't appetizing in its current form. The quick meal that our home always goes to is Fried Rice.

Plain rice is a constant staple to be found in our ice-box. On its own, it will fill the hole and stop the grumbling, but it yearns to be something greater. It dreams of being as tasty as it was the day of its creation when it was smothered in a scrumptious sauce. It longs to become a taste filled expression of culinary art. It pines for adoration from gastronomic brilliance. It covets the cravings we express for pizza. It aches to become….

Okay, okay, I know it is just plain rice, but like us all, it holds so many possibilities to become something magnificent! Although fried rice is commonly thought of as a Chinese dish, it is more a cooking technique that easily lends itself to other cuisines.

The key to good fried rice is day old, very cold rice. I make big batches of brown rice every week, so it is always available and I freeze potions so it is ready anytime we need it. Another key to successful fried rice is an extremely hot pan. For this reason, do not use a non-stick pan, since Teflon will release toxins at high heat.

I don’t normally follow a precise recipe for fried rice, since it is happens to be whatever is in my fridge, but I do have several versions that have served us well. Here are the basics and six different versions to inspire your pantry creations!

Fried Rice Basics
for 2 servings :

1 1/2 cup cooked rice, any variety
2-3 Tbsp oil
1 1/2 cup veggies
2 eggs, scrambled
1/2 cup protein, diced
1-2 tbsp aromatics
Salt & pepper to taste
Garnish

Rice – day old, cold rice of any kind
Oil – Vegetable oil, bacon grease, schmaltz, coconut oil, olive oil
Protein – Egg, seafood, poultry, pork, tofu, beans, bacon
Veggies – carrots, celery, green beans, peas, a bag of whatever is frozen in the freezer
Aromatics – soy sauce, roasted Szechwan salt and pepper, herbs, spices, garlic, sesame oil, citrus zest or juice, Caribbean seasoning, Greek seasoning, Bragg’s liquid Aminos
Garnish – green onions, feta cheese, seeds, nuts, fresh herbs, fruit

The basic technique:
Have all ingredients prepped and at the ready.
1. Heat a large frying pan or wok over high heat. Add a bit of oil and fry eggs; remove from pan and set to the side.
2. Add a bit more oil and stir-fry vegetables (and protein if uncooked) until crisp tender.
3. If needed, add a bit more oil and bring to high temperature. Add cold rice and stir-fry until hot.
4. Add aromatics, protein (pre-cooked) and eggs, tossing to distribute evenly.
5. Transfer to serving dish, garnish and serve with a smile.

Chinese Fried Rice

1 1/2 cup rice
2-3 tbsp oil
1 1/2 cup carrots and peas
2 eggs
1/2 cup diced pork or chicken or shrimp
1-2 tbsp gluten-free, low sodium soy sauce or Bragg’s to taste
1/4 tsp roasted Szechwan salt and pepper (optional)
Garnish with sliced green onions

Chicken and Celery Fried Rice

1 1/2 cups rice
2 tbsp vegetable oil or schmaltz
1 1/2 cups sliced celery
1/2 cup chicken
Aromatics:
2 Tbsp gluten-free, low sodium soy sauce
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
Garnish Options:
Sesame seeds or sliced almonds

Greek Fried Rice
(Top Photo)

1 1/2 cups rice
3 tbsp olive oil
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups green beans, diced carrots, sweet peppers & onions
1 large handful of spinach torn into smaller pieces
1/2 cup chicken
Aromatics:
2 tsp Greek seasoning
-or-
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 tsp lemon zest
1 Tbsp fresh oregano, or 1 tsp dried
1/2 Tbsp fresh thyme, or 1/2 tsp dried
1 tsp fresh dill, or 1/4 tsp dried
Garnish Options:
Kalamata olives
Feta
Fresh ground pepper
Fresh chopped mint

Add spinach and aromatics just prior to adding rice.

Tropical Fried Rice

1 1/2 cups rice
3 tbsp coconut oil
2 eggs
1/2 cup diced sweet pepper
1/2 cup diced ham
Aromatics:
1 Tbsp grated fresh ginger
1/2 tsp orange zest
1-2 Tbsp gluten-free, low sodium soy sauce or Bragg’s to taste
Garnish Options:
1 small can of crushed pineapple, drained or 1/2 cup diced mango
Chopped macadamia nuts or cashews
3 green onions, thinly sliced
Salt to taste

Add ginger just prior to adding rice

Mexican Fried Rice

1 1/2 cups rice
3 Tbsp oil
2 eggs
1/2 cup cooked shrimp or chicken
1/2 cup corn
1/2 cup red onion, diced
1/2 cup sweet pepper, diced
Aromatics:
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small jalapeno, minced
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp dried oregano
Garnish Options:
Juice of 1/2 lime
1/4 cup pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
avocado and tomato wedges
Salt and pepper to taste

Add aromatics just prior to adding rice

Irish Fried Rice

1 1/2 cups rice
3 Tbsp butter
2 eggs
1/2 cup diced carrot
1 cup finely shredded cabbage
1/2 cup diced corned beef
Salt and pepper to taste

Roasted Szechwan Salt and Pepper

2010-06-19T18:00:00.000-07:00

It is sometimes the most simple of things that make drastic differences.

Salt is one of those simple things, just ask any slug.

A little sprinkle of salt can take an avocado from good, to delectable. A few grains can resuscitate a bitter cup of coffee. Sea salt caramels and chocolate covered pretzels bring candy to a whole new level of PMS satisfaction by combining salty and sweet.

Sodium balances bitter and brings out sweetness, but too much of a good thing and somebody is going to cry-out about health and nutrition. Party poopers.

Recently it came to my attention that the USDA recommendation for daily sodium intake dropped from 2,300 mg to 1,500 mg. That means it dropped from just under 1 1/4tsp of table salt to 3/4 tsp per day. 3/4 tsp for a whole day. Not just a meal, but a whole day! I am probably nowhere near the ideal, and I make everything from scratch. I can only imagine what sodium intake would look like for people who use the conveniences of the grocery market products, let alone frozen and fast food meals!

So here is the part where I throw that new knowledge about the RDA of sodium out the window. I’m not saying you should pour it on, but salt makes food better! A bit of salt on bland foods, like rice, can bring out a nuttiness and add depth. A sprinkle on vegetables will highlight the natural sweetness.

But plain ol’ salt can get boring. Specialty sea salts can add a snazzy and hip finish to a dish, but if you really want to bring out the WOW factor of a salt, roasted Szechwan salt and pepper is where it is at! It adds a subtle exoticness, slightly floral, camphor-like pungency that is delicate and bold in one swoosh.

Roasted Szechwan salt and pepper is an incredibly simple and quick seasoning to make. It makes a great hostess gift and a few minutes of work will last you several months.

Because this seasoning has only two ingredients, salt and Szechwan peppercorns, it is important that you invest in quality ingredients. Thankfully this is one place where you get huge bang for your buck as both are inexpensive.

From my experience, Diamond Kosher Salt is the only way to go. Unlike other brands, it does not contain any additional anti-caking ingredients; it is just clean tasting salt.

Szechwan peppercorns may not be at your local market, but that doesn’t mean they are difficult to find. If you are lucky enough to have a Penzey’s Spice house near you, make a visit, but set aside some time because to a passionate cook, it is like a candy store to a kid. If you don’t have a Penzey’s near you, you can order from them online. Once you are signed up on their mailing list, you get catalogs that have coupons for free jars of spices, another bonus to this fabulous company!

Regardless of where you purchase your peppercorns, there are a few things you should look for. You should be able to smell them through the bag and there should be a minimum of twigs, thorns and the bitter black seeds.

A batch lasts our house about 3-4 months. We use it on everything: scrambled eggs, popcorn, vegetables, in place of the salt called for in stir-fries, on fried rice, to marinate meat, on salad, in soup, I can’t think of a place where its flavor wouldn’t be welcome!

Roasted Szechwan Salt and Pepper

1/4 cup whole Szechwan peppercorns
1/2 cup Kosher Salt

Pick through peppercorns and remove any twigs or thorns.

Heat a heavy skillet over medium heat for a minute or two, until hot. Add peppercorns and salt. Stir gently for about 5 minutes until salt begins to turn off white and peppercorns begin to barely smoke. (See before picture on left, and after picture on right) Do not let peppercorns burn.

Transfer the hot mixture to a food processor and let it whirl for a minute to turn into a fine powder. Pass the powder through a fine mesh sieve to remove the husks from the peppercorns. Store in a dry, airtight bottle.

Schmaltz

2010-06-14T11:45:00.000-07:00

No judgment. Really. What we are about to discuss will disturb some of you. Some will be disturbed and intrigued. Some will try it. Many will want to try it. And some have been doing it already.

I’m talking about rendering animal fat. Depending on which nutritional school you follow, this is either a fantastic idea or absolutely horrible. Since I’m going to tell you how to do it, you can be certain that I’m in the fantastic idea camp!

Rendered chicken (and goose) fat is also called schmaltz, schmalts, schmalz. It is a golden yellow color and works just like butter does in your cooking. In kosher cooking, meat and dairy must be kept separate so, for example, schmaltz could be used instead of butter in meals that contain meat.

In rendered animal fats, the protein and water have been removed; therefore it does not spoil easily. In France (and other places) meat is preserved by submerging and cooking it in rendered fat, allowing it to cool, and storing it in a cool dark place for up to several months. Confit of goose and duck are common in Southwest France. I’m not sure about this, but I’m sure that fresh, it is tasty! How can you go wrong with cooking something by submerging it in fat?!?!

If you make the investment in quality organic poultry, either financially or by raising your own, then I’m sure you want to make the most of that investment. By saving the fat from your broth making, you can get a large amount of schmaltz. A little goes a long way when it comes to adding flavor and it helps keep money in your pocket by not buying cooking oil or butter.

This may sound like a very foreign concept, rendering fat, but if you have ever saved the grease from cooking bacon, you have rendered fat. If you have ever used ghee in Indian cooking, it is rendered fat. The “rendering part” is cooking out the water and removing any particles so you have a pure fat product that will keep indefinitely with proper handling.

Here are the step by steps...

Schmaltz

Collect your fat. I spoon it from the top of my stock po t into a tall container. Let it rest until room temperature, this allows the liquids and particles to sink to the bottom. Carefully cover and move to the refrigerator, chill overnight.

Remove the chilled fat from container to a saucepan, leaving as much of the liquid and particles behind as possible. Over medium or medium-low heat, melt the schmaltz. When it is hot enough, any liquid that is still in the fat will start to bubble out. Once the bubbling has stopped, give it a stir or two to make sure all the liquid has boiled out. Pour into a sterile glass jar, screw on the cap and allow to cool to room temperature before moving to the fridge. Scoop out with a clean spoon when needed.

Another method is to save any little bit of chicken skin and fat that you come across. Keep it in a bag in the freezer till you have enough, then fry it all in a skillet as you would bacon, until the skins are a deep golden brown and the fat has crispy bits in it. Strain all the particles and store in a sterile glass jar in the fridge. You might consider adding a chopped onion with the raw skin and fat, which is traditional.

So what do you do with schmaltz?

Use it anywhere you would butter or oil… to sauté veggies for a risotto, mixed with oil for fried rice, mixed with butter or shortening in a pie crust for a chicken pot pie, to brown onions in for bean soup, in place of butter when cooking rice, fry up left over mashed potatoes shaped into patties… anywhere you need a form of fat and chicken flavor would be welcome.

Notes about fat in general: Fat is an excellent carrier for flavors, which means that whatever was in the pot at the time the fat was collected will be a flavoring in your finished product. If you make a broth that is heavy in ginger, the schmaltz will be heavy in ginger. Not that this is necessarily bad, just something to be aware of and maybe used to your advantage. Fat can also be a collection point in the animal’s body for toxins, which is why this is best done with chicken you know the history of from a butcher you trust.

Chicken Stock, Chicken Broth

2010-06-13T17:50:00.000-07:00

I have to disagree with one of my favorite cooking references, Cooks Illustrated, who says “Rare is the cook who has the time for the slowly simmered perfection of homemade chicken stock.” WHAT?!? Chicken stock is one of the easiest things to make and really does not take much active time in the kitchen. I suppose they could be right if you take into consideration how long it bubbles away on the stove, but that is passive time that you can spend doing something better, like taking a nap, teaching the dog to vacuum, or building squirrel agility courses.

When it comes to frugality, quality and kitchen fundamentals, stocks and broths have to be at the top of the list. To take scraps from your kitchen and turn them into something more magnificent than you could ever buy at the store is certainly a bit of kitchen alchemy.

So what is the difference between stock and broth? Well, in my world, not much. However, traditionally there are a couple of small differences. Stock is made with more boney bits and broth is made with more meaty bits. The more bone, the more gelatin is released and therefore the thicker, silkier, and deeper the finished product. Stock is thicker and heartier; broth is thinner and more delicate. Broths are for eating straight up, as in chicken soup; stocks are for enriching other preparations, such as risotto, pan sauce or a pot pie.

Making stock is as simple as making tea; soak something yummy in boiling water until concentrated to your liking, then remove it. However, there are a few things that can make the difference between good, better, and best. There are four basic components to your stock:

Meat: You can toss it in raw, but a quick broil will bring out so much more depth and color to your finished product. You can also save the bones and scraps from roasted chickens, even the bones that your family has gnawed on, GASP! They’ll be boiled and cooked long enough that any germs wouldn’t stand a chance. The Thanksgiving turkey carcass is perfect for this! Start a bag in the freezer to collect your chicken parts as they cross your path. If you buy whole chickens and separate them yourself, throw the backs in a bag in the freezer until you have enough. And if you don’t have scraps, or freezer space to store them, you can easily use a whole chicken; just whack it into a few large hunks with a clever so the bones are exposed and can release their flavor.

Veggies: Mirepoix, the fancy French way of saying a base of carrots, celery and onion, are part of any good stock. You can save the outer layer of onions, the tops, bottoms and peelings of carrots and celery in a freezer bag until it’s time to cook. As with the meat, a quick broil will add more flavor and color, but you can always toss them in raw or frozen.

Aromatics: These are the flavorings that really add character to your stock. Peppercorns, ginger, garlic, herbs or other fruits and veggies. This is where you define the personality of your broth.

Water: Since this is the most abundant ingredient, it is worth taking into consideration. If your tap water is less than desirable for drinking, it will remain that way, and even concentrate more unfavorably in your broth. If you filter your tap water to drink it, I would recommend filtering it for your stock.

A note about salt. PLEASE don’t add any salt to your stock. The time for salt is when you are making an actual meal with your stock. By adding salt your stock you run the risk of it condensing it into a saline solution that fish won’t even swim in.

Every cook has their kitchen failures. My most recent was putting too hot of broth into the freezer and the resulting broken jar. In all the years I have made broth, this was my first broken jar. To avoid this happening in your freezer, there are a few essential steps to ensure your success. Leave enough head room for the broth to expand as it freezes, about 1 1/2 inches should be sufficient for a quart jar, about 1 inch for pint jars; wide mouth jars are better suited for this process. Allow your hot broth to come to room temperature at the very least, better to chill further in the fridge, before putting in the freezer. You must NOT store broth using a water bath canning process, it just isn’t sufficient enough to preserve its freshness, you’ll need to either freeze your broth, or use it within 3-4 days. I’m thinking there are probably pressure canning methods for broth, but I haven’t ventured into pressure cooking… yet.

Chicken Stock

3 1/2 to 4 pounds chicken bones
2 celery stalks, in chunks
2 carrots, in chunks
1 medium onion, in chunks
5 quarts cold water
Aromatics (see below)

Optional: Broil chicken bones on a baking sheet, on middle rack, for 10-15 minutes until starting to turn golden brown
Optional: Broil vegetable chunks on a baking sheet, on middle rack, for 5-10 minutes until starting to brown. (I do this while the chicken is coming to a boil)

Place chicken in large stock pot and cover with water. Bring barely to a boil for 5-10 minutes until a thick foam forms. Turn heat to low and skim as much scum as possible from the top of the liquid and discard. Add vegetables and aromatics and bring to the barest of simmers. Slowly simmer from 4-24 hours, reducing volume by 1/3 to 1/2. Do not stir, I know it will be tempting, but leave the stock undisturbed until reduced. Put the spoon down, and step away from the stock pot!

When stock is reduced in volume, strain the liquid through a fine-meshed sieve lined with cheese cloth into a large bowl. Allow to settle, then spoon off the fat that rises to the top. (You can save the fat to make schmaltz or discard it.) Ladle the stock into your storage containers, making sure to stir well with each scoop to assure that whatever fat is remaining be distributed evenly between the containers. Allow to cool to room temperature and place in freezer or fridge.

When the solid parts in the strainer are cool, you can pick through to claim the chicken meat to use in another dish.

Aromatics

Asian
(inspired by China Moon Cookbook, Barbara Tropp)
1” thumb of fresh ginger, sliced into 4-5 pieces
3 scallions, in chunks
1 tsp whole black peppercorns
1 tsp whole white peppercorns
1 heaping tsp whole Szechwan peppercorns

Herbal
(inspired by my garden)
3 large bay leaves
5 large sage leaves
Large handful of fresh thyme
1/2 Tbsp whole black peppercorns

Traditional
(inspired by Grandmas everywhere)
1 small bunch fresh parsley
1 bay leaf
1 tsp whole peppercorns
1 clove of garlic, peeled

Chocolate Mint Satisfaction!

2010-06-07T15:40:00.000-07:00

Brownies sell cookies I can’t eat. It makes me sad. Even though the Girl Scout cookie season has come and gone around here, I’m still a bit jealous that I wasn’t able to hide in the closet with a box of Thin Mints.

I stumbled across some copy-cat recipes for Girl Scout Cookies, and I thought about transitioning them to gluten-free. And that is where it stopped. I thought about doing it, and maybe someday I will, but what I really needed was quick satisfaction to my craving. I needed the quickness that comes from buying the box from an adorable young woman hocking her sugary treats outside the market. I needed the satisfaction that comes from ripping the box open as I drive away and eating the whole thing on the way home in a bliss induced stupor that makes me wonder how the car got itself into the garage. I needed instant; not the hassle of recalculating a recipe, fussing with precise cutting of thin chocolate mint circles, baking them, waiting for them to cool and the tedious process of tempering chocolate to dip cookies in one by one, then waiting for them to cool. It’s a lot of work for a cookie binge!

I happened to have a bag of gluten-free bun mix hanging out on the counter. (I like to make up baggies of things I commonly bake so I don’t have to go to the hassle later on. I just mix the dry ingredients together, stick in a note listing the remaining ingredients and directions.) I had run out of yeast when I mixed up the last batch, so this bag was patiently waiting to be completed, but was re-purposed for my chocolate mint craving. After reading though too many brownie recipes to count, I took my notes and created the following recipe, which surprisingly, worked out on the first try!!!

These brownies are more cake-like than fudgy, but I like them that way. To conquer my craving for Thin Mints, I frosted them with peppermint icing. Not exactly a Girl Scout cookie, but I was still able to hide in the closet with a grin on my face!

Gluten-Free Chocolate Cake Brownies

5.6 oz Brown Rice Flour
1.7 oz Potato Starch
1 oz Tapioca Flour
1 1/4 tsp xanthan gum
1/3 cup dry milk powder
1 tsp salt
3/4 tsp egg replacer (I use Ener-G)
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 stick butter, melted
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup warm water
4 eggs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9x13 baking dish.

Mix all the dry ingredients together in the bowl of a heavy duty mixer. With paddle attachment, mix the melted butter and oil into the dry ingredients, then add the eggs one at a time. Add the water and mix for 2 minutes. It will be more like dough than batter.

Place in the baking dish, and with wet hands, press the mixture into an even layer. Bake for 30 minutes.

You can cut the recipe in 1/2 and bake in a square 8x8 or 9x9 for about 20 minutes. You can also just make the regular batch and freeze some if a giant pan of brownies is too much bliss for you to handle at once.

Frost or leave plain or cut into the shape of Girl Scouts and frost little uniforms onto them.

Once you make these and you know you like them, I recommend making up a few containers of brownie mix to have in your cupboard for those times when you need a quick fix of chocolate.

Peppermint Frosting

3 tbsp butter, room temperature
2 1/3 cup powdered sugar, sifted
2 tbsp cream, half and half, or milk
1/4 – 1/2 tsp peppermint extract

Whip the butter until light and fluffy. Slowly add in 2 cups of powdered sugar until incorporated. While still mixing, add cream and peppermint extract, then the remaining sugar. Use extra cream or powdered sugar until your desired consistency. Peppermint extract is really strong, so start with a 1/4 tsp and work your way up until you get your desired minty-ness.

Peanut Butter Frosting

1/4 cup peanut butter
2 1/3 cup powdered sugar, sifted
2 tbsp cream, half and half, or milk
1 tsp vanilla extract

Whip the peanut butter until light and fluffy. Slowly add in 2 cups of powdered sugar until incorporated. While still mixing, add cream and vanilla extract, then the remaining sugar. Use extra cream or powdered sugar until your desired consistency.

I Can Make the Sun Shine

2010-06-06T16:21:00.000-07:00

It’s been raining a lot lately. Almost a month straight. With only a tease of sunshine here and there. Not even a full day of sun. It’s getting to be a bit too much grey, even for this Northwest gal.

The closest I can come to recreating that happy, yellow, golden ball of warmth in my kitchen is polenta.

Polenta has a history as a peasant food, and is often the case, has now transitioned into something fancy-schmancy. Lobster is another peasant food that has made this transition (it used to be prison food!) but thankfully polenta hasn’t seen the same price increase, therefore making it a very favorable option in my kitchen.

It’s cheap. It’s easy. It’s versatile. It’s gluten-free. It’s a whole grain. It’s a happy, sunshine-yellow, comfort food.

The recipe is incredibly basic, which allows for numerous adaptations to suit what you have in the pantry or are craving. Take coarsely ground corn meal, slowly stir into simmering liquid, and gently stir until done. Even easier than a box of anything you can buy in the store!

Below is the basic recipe, and then a couple of my recent concoctions. Take a look in the cupboard, think about what you want to make a happy belly and then get cooking!

Polenta

1 cup polenta
4 cups simmering liquid
1/2 to 1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp butter or olive oil

Bring liquid, salt and butter/oil to a simmer in a sauce pan. Slowly stir in polenta. Turn heat to medium low and cook until done, 10-30 minutes, stirring frequently, especially at the end. Cooking time depends on the coarseness of grind of the corn. It’s done when it makes lava-like bubbles that gurgle and blop, the corn grains are soft and it is becoming gelatinous. If you want a softer result, add a cup or two more liquid. As the polenta sits, it will firm up.

Serve as you would mashed potatoes by making it softer with more liquid and smothering in butter.
-or-
When done cooking, pour into a baking dish and allow to cool. Then slice and serve, warm or cold.

Customize your sunshine!

The first way to customize is your choice of liquid. Water works just fine, but chicken or vegetable broths add a lot of flavor. Milk makes an extra creamy polenta. Or a combination of any of those. I recently used the drippings from a roast chicken and water.

You can stir in anything flavorful near the end of cooking: 2 Tbsp fresh minced herbs or 1 tsp dried, a minced jalapeño, a can of green chilies, several cloves of roasted or fresh garlic, a handful of finely sliced green onions or chives, a flavored oil, chopped sundried tomato., sliced black olives, crumbled bacon, cubed ham or bits of sausage, slices of roasted red pepper decorating the top.

Cheese makes everything better in my world. For those who can tolerate dairy, when the polenta is finished, stir in 4 oz of cubed cream cheese or a cup of shredded cheddar. Or both! Or try 1 cup of shredded parmesan or top with spicy pepper jack or smother in smoked gouda.

Cut into fancy shapes with cookie cutters and serve alongside a salad, like a crouton. Grill slabs on a well oiled grill and serve with baked beans and barbequed meat or grilled vegetables. Pan fry slices and serve in a pool of enchilada sauce, topped with black beans. Bake cheesy polenta slices until golden brown and top with sautéed green beans with garlic and almonds.

Smother in a sauce. Spaghetti sauce, pepperoni and black olives on top can satisfy a pizza craving very well. Left over gravy from a roast turkey or chicken. Nacho cheese sauce if you are craving that neon orange cheese satisfaction. Sautéed mushrooms in a wine reduction.

Get as fancy or as ghetto-fabulous as you like.

My most recent concoction used the drippings from a roast chicken mixed with water to make 4 cups of liquid. 6 cloves roasted garlic (that roasted while the chicken roasted) with a handful of fresh thyme made a rich tasting polenta that had lots of chicken-flavored goodness with the hearty satisfaction of garlic and herbs.

My go to recipe is a pint of broth plus enough water to make 5 cups liquid. Add polenta and cook until still loose in consistency. Stir in 4 oz cubed cream cheese until melted. A little extra salt makes the cream cheese really pop and you have sunshine clouds of cheesy bliss.

Spaghetti sauce with black olives, and pepperoni if I have it, is my favorite. But so far, I haven’t found a way I didn’t like it!

Polenta is a blank canvas for your creation. Play with your food, paint yourself a sunny picture and enjoy the sunshine-yellow even if it is grey outside!

Tasty Tahini

2010-05-16T19:59:00.000-07:00

Do you ever look at something in the store and just feel totally ripped off for buying it? I do all the time. Tahini is one of the most recent ones.

I have been craving hummus, good hummus, the kind you get at restaurants and dream about (yes, I dream about hummus). It’s ground up beans (garbanzo) with a few seasonings… should be inexpensive… until you get to the tahini, which runs around $7-$10 for a container. Sesame seeds are inexpensive, so it must be those priceless glass jars it is packaged in that makes it such a luxury item.

Desperate to satisfy my craving, I hit the internet… not a lot out there in terms of making homemade tahini, most call for a lot of oil, which ups the price. After making homemade peanut butter, and realizing it doesn’t take any oil if you let it run long enough, I got to thinking. They make peanut oil and they make sesame oil, which means both must have plenty of their own oils… so perhaps if I let the little sesame seeds run long enough in the food processor, like I do with the peanut butter, the same beautiful silky result would occur.

It does.

Well, almost. It does take a wee bit of oil, but not nearly as much as the recipes I came across would suggest. And it is cheap! A pound of sesame seeds is around $2 at my favorite bulk store and that will make enough for plenty of hummus and other tahini based yummies. $2 plus a wee bit of time verses $10 for convenience… well, you know where I stand on that!

So here, in its entire splendor, is the recipe for tahini and the most amazing hummus you will ever have!

Tahini

12 oz Sesame Seeds
2 Tbsp olive oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread sesame seeds evenly on a rimmed cookie sheet. I like to line it with foil so that it makes transferring them to the food processor a snap. It can be a wee bit messy to swoosh them into the food processor off the cookies sheet. Using the foil as a lift and dump device makes it easier.

Toast sesame seeds until golden in color, about 10-15 minutes depending on how thin your layer of seeds is. Make sure to stir after 5 minutes, and then every 2-3 minutes. You don’t want them underdone because it will make a bit of a bitter tahini, you don’t want them overdone because, well that will be a bit of a burnt and bitter tahini. You need the Goldilocks perfect golden brown. They will continue toasting for a few moments after you remove them, so error on the side of underdone, you can always stick them back in.

Once your seeds are toasted, let them cool for a few moment, then place them in a food processor with the 'S' blade. Turn your beast on, and whirl those little seeds around. Slowly drizzle in 2 TBSP olive oil. Let the machine whirl and whirl for a couple of minutes until you can see the paste starting to form. Scrape down the sides occasionally until it all becomes liquefied.

Wasn’t that easy!

Dreamy Hummus
1/2 cup dried garbanzo beans (aka chick peas)
1 qt water
1/4 tsp baking soda

2 Tbsp lemon juice
1/4 cup water
1/3 cup tahini
3 Tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp cumin
Dash of cayenne pepper

Soak dried beans for 8 hours. Drain, rinse and cover with 1 quart fresh water (4 cups). Bring to a boil with 1/4 tsp baking soda. Reduce heat to a low simmer and cook about 45-60 minutes, until quite tender. Drain and rinse with cool water. You can do this a day or two ahead if you want. You can even cook a double batch and freeze 1/2 for the next time you want to make hummus.

In a small bowl combine lemon juice and water and in another small bowl combine tahini and olive oil.

In the food processor, whirl together the cooked beans, garlic, salt, cumin and cayenne. Scrape down the bowl and while the machine is going, slowly pour in the lemon juice and water. Scrape down the bowl again and then slowly drizzle in the tahini and olive oil while running. Let it all whirl around for a minute or two, scraping down the sides as needed.

Hummus is often served smoothed on a plate, drizzled with a good olive oil and lightly dusted with paprika. A few little parsley bits make a nice garnish, too… or, you can do as I am often tempted to do, which is hide in the closet with the hummus, a spoon, and a giant grin.

Every cook likes things a little different, you might like a little more lemon or tahini or cumin. A little more water or oil will make it a bit thinner; a little less a bit thicker. Play around and once you get your preferences down, you can start having fun making all those very expensive hummuses (is that a word?!) in tiny containers you see at the market. Maybe try using roasted garlic instead of raw. Or add in some sun dried tomatoes or roasted red pepper. Maybe a little fresh basil or thyme. You could make a dressing by whipping together equal parts of hummus, yogurt and olive oil. Or just hide in the closet with a spoon.

Bob's Red Mill

2010-04-30T15:28:00.000-07:00

Bob's Red Mill is an amazing company. Not only is it employee owned, thanks to Bob's generous gift to his employees, but it is a great source for gluten free goodness!!!

A lot of folks with gluten issues must avoid oats because of cross contamination in the processing. Thankfully, Bob and his fine people came to the rescue with certified gluten free oats. Until recently, they were only available in the steel cut and rolled forms, both of which can take longer than you have in the morning, or are willing to wait for when the tummy is a grumblin'! But now, Bob's Red Mill has QUICK cooking oats and oat flour!! You can get to that warm bowl of goodness quickly and have time to enter their drawing for a chance to win a cookbook and two oat products. Click here to enter!

Breakfast Fiesta!

2010-04-18T17:08:00.000-07:00

Having breakfast for dinner is a favorite for many people. I am, however, not one of them. My husband on the other hand, would probably eat breakfast for every meal if given the opportunity.

One of our compromises on this matter is Mexican breakfast dinners. Huevos Rancheros and Breakfast Enchiladas are two of our favorites. To my husband, they count as breakfast because of the eggs. For me, they work as dinner because of the hot and spicy. Either way, we both have happy bellies!

Finding good enchilada sauce was a challenge, even before having to be gluten free. Finding enchilada sauce that didn't break the bank complicated matters. Finally, though, after much research, I think I am on the right track and have a recipe that is close to the restaurant experience, at a fraction of the price!

Rolling enchiladas, removing them from the pan and having them stay rolled has been another obstacle in my quest for perfection of el corazon de casa (la cocina)! To that end, I have simply decided to stop fighting the corn tortillas and make enchilada casserole instead. Same great taste without the battle... and less mess! (Tortillas 1, Domesticity Nouveau 0)

Enchilada Breakfast Casserole

1 recipe of Enchilada Sauce (below)
12 corn tortillas
8 eggs
1-2 medium russet potatoes, diced
1 red, green, yellow, or orange sweet pepper, diced
1/2 medium onion, diced
1 Tbsp olive oil
Salt & Pepper
Any other veggies or meat you want to toss in (great for using up leftovers)
Shredded Cheese of choice (maybe cheddar or monterey jack or Farmer's Cheese)

Make enchilada sauce and pour a cup or so into the bottom of a 9x13 casserole dish. Place a single layer of tortillas on top, breaking in 1/2's and 1/4's as needed to fill in the gaps. Smooth a small amount of sauce on top of tortilla layer.

In a frying pan over medium to medium-high heat, saute the potatoes, peppers, and onions in olive oil until the potatoes are browned on the outside and soft on the inside. How long this takes depends on the size you diced everything, but figure about 10-20minutes-ish. Salt & pepper to taste.

Spread the veggie and potato mix over the 1st layer of tortillas.

Scramble the eggs, and cook until just done, maybe a little underdone as they will finish in the oven. Place eggs on top of the potato mix. Salt & pepper to taste.

Cover the eggs and potatoes with a 2nd layer of tortillas. Pour remaining enchilada sauce evenly on top. Sprinkle with cheese.

Bake in a 400 degree oven for about 15-20 minutes, or until the whole thing is bubbly gooey perfection. Let sit for a few minutes so you don't burn your tongue! Slice, serve, enjoy.

***Notes*** You can make this an even easier dish to prepare by using packaged o'brien potato mix from the freezer section. (If you need to be gluten-free, make sure to read the ingredients as it might have some sort of dusting on it to keep everything from clumping together.) There are so many possibilities on ways to customize this recipe for your liking... sweet potatoes instead of russets, mushrooms, olives, sausage, soyrizo, canned beans, cilantro, taco seasoning, left over asparagus, ham or bacon (like there is ever leftover bacon!)... you get the idea.

Enchilada Sauce

2 Tbsp Olive oil, or canola, or butter, or whatever is your oil of choice
2 Tbsp tapioca flour (or regular flour if you don't need to avoid gluten)
5 tsp chili powder
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp onion powder
1 tsp sea salt
6 oz tomato paste (small can)
2 1/2 - 3 cups water or chicken broth
1/2 tsp balsamic vinegar (optional)

Make a roux by browning the flour and oil over medium heat. Turn heat to medium-low and add spices and tomato paste, smooshing together until combined. Stir in a small amount of water (about 3/4 cup), until smooth. Slowly add remaining water until well combined. (I use an immersion blender, because it is fast and I am a lazy cook!) Bring to a boil and simmer for about 5 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings if you would like.

Huevos Rancheros

28 oz can tomato sauce or 2 pint jars homemade tomato sauce
1 medium jalapeno, seeds and veins removed, finely chopped
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 green or red pepper, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp dried Mexican oregano
Pinch of cayenne pepper
Dash of green tabasco
Salt & pepper to taste
6 eggs
6 corn tortillas
Oil to fry tortillas

In a large frying pan with straight sides and a good fitting lid, mix tomato sauce with jalapeno, onion, pepper, garlic, oregano, salt & pepper. Bring to a low simmer and simmer for 10-15 minutes.

In a small frying pan, heat oil over medium high heat until it starts to shimmer. Quickly place one tortilla in oil and flip after about 30 seconds. Continue to fry until crisp, drain on paper towels. Repeat for all tortillas. You can save the oil in the fridge, once it has cooled, and use it again for your next round of tortilla frying.

Or... you can brush or spray oil onto each tortillas front and back and broil in the oven until crisp. About 2-3 minutes... don't forget to raise the oven rack close to the broiler.

When tortillas are crisp and sauce has simmered, turn the heat down to medium-low until there is hardly a simmer in the sauce. (Simmering will break your eggs when you poach them in the sauce and there will be plenty of heat to carry through the cooking.)

Break an egg into a custard cup or short glass, keeping it whole. Make a little well in the sauce and pour the egg into the hole. Quickly repeat with remaining eggs and then place the lid on the pan. Cook for about 2-4 minutes and then carefully lift each egg from the sauce and place on a tortilla. When all eggs are out, spoon remaining sauce over the eggs. You can serve as is, or as we do, with Better Re-Fried Beans or Cheater Beans.

Make Laundry Fun with Magic Cleaning Sprinkles!

2010-04-12T17:24:00.000-07:00

I wish that laundry was fun. It’s not. Even when you give the laundry soap a cute name, like Magic Cleaning Sprinkles, it is still a lame chore. It’s not so much the washing and drying, (the machines do most of that tedious process), it’s the folding and putting away. I have yet to find anything redeeming about the folding and putting away, other than it is what one is suppose to do with their clothing so that others don’t look upon them with shame. Lack of shame isn’t much of a motivator for me. If however, the laundry basket spit out quarters like a Vegas slot machine when the clothes were in proper order, I would probably be a laundry fanatic!

A friend of mine likes to joke about how I gave her instructions for making homemade yogurt that started with buying yogurt. This is another one of those type recipes in that making your own laundry soap starts with buying soap. I realize that sounds somewhat silly, but like the yogurt, it’s more cost effective to make your own and you know what is going into your finished product. It only takes a few minutes to whip up a batch of laundry soap and it is so much more wallet friendly than anything you can get at the store on sale.

It is a bit different, however, in that it isn’t laced with a lot of fragrance or chemical fabric conditioners. This means your clothes will probably feel slightly different than you are used to because the cloth fibers aren’t coated with conditioners that release fragrance for days and days. Your clothes will just be clean and for some people, that is the goal. Well, for most people I think the goal of laundry is clean clothes, but I could be wrong.

Magic Cleaning Sprinkles

(AKA frugal laundry powder)

1 bar of Fels Naptha
1 1/2 cups Washing Soda
1 1/4 cups Borax

1/2 cup Baking Soda

Grate the bar of Fels Natha, by hand or with your food processor. In the bowl of your food processor, mix together the grated Fels Naptha with all the other ingredients until it becomes a uniform powder, about 30 seconds to one minute. Let the mixture rest for a moment so the dust can settle and not hit you in the face when you take the top off. Use 2 TBSP for your average large load. A little more or less for extra dirty or smaller loads.

Fabric Softener

1/4 cup distilled white vinegar

If you have one of those blue fabric softener balls, just fill it to the line with white vinegar and drop in as usual. If you don’t have one of the balls, you can add in the vinegar during the final rinse or any other way you add fabric softener. And nope, your clothes won’t smell at all like vinegar! Of course, they also won’t smell like Tahitian Waterfall Meadow Flower Rainy Spring Sunshine Morning Dew, but that can be good!

A Cozy Bowl of Tomato Soup

2010-03-12T14:04:00.000-08:00

My beautiful sister recently gave me a hand-me-up of a treadmill and breadmachine. I'll let you guess which I used first.

One of the meals I have missed most since going gluten-free has been toasted cheese and tomato soup. Specifically, a toasted cheese sandwich made with Wonder Bread and Kraft Singles with a bowl of Campbell's tomato soup made with milk. While I haven't found the perfect recipe for gluten-free bread yet, I have found a really good mix. The Gluten Free Pantry Favorite Sandwich Bread Mix does a fine job of a near perfect replication of traditional white bread and whips up easily with or without a bread machine.

While getting a good bread mix was exciting, the real excitement came at a gluten-free replication of Campbell's tomato soup! Some things in life have no substitution.... or so I thought! After reading the ingredients in Campbell's tomato soup, it dawned on me that there really wasn't much to it. The red and white can simply contains tomato paste, water, high fructose corn syrup, salt, WHEAT flour, and a few preservatives. How much simpler could it be? So off to the internet recipe sites I went in the hopes of not having to reinvent the recipe and borrowing from another person's labor or as I like to call it, working smarter, not harder. Wellllll, there were several gluten free tomato soup recipes, but they were all fancy with diced tomatoes and garlic and creme fraiche and basil and onions and, and, and nothing with the simplicity of the red and white can. I did manage to walk away with one simple recipe that I could use as a springboard to create the recipe I now give you.... drum roll please.... Gluten-Free, High Fructose Corn Syrup-Free, Low Sodium, Mock Campbell's Tomato Soup! And yes, the title is longer than the ingredient list.

Gluten-Free, High Fructose Corn Syrup-Free, Low Sodium, Mock Campbell's Tomato Soup

1 6oz can tomato paste (I adore Muir Glen)
1 tsp sea salt or kosher salt (Diamond Kosher salt is by far the best)
0-1 Tbsp sugar or honey or agave nectar or fairy dust or sweetener of choice
2-3 cups liquid (I use 1.5 cups of water & 1.5 cups of milk)

Mix everything together in a saucepan over medium heat until simmering. Best served with toasted cheese sandwiches and dill pickles.

I like to use an immersion blender so I can be really lazy and not have to whisk or stir as much. Different cans of tomato paste have varying degrees of sweetness to them, so you may or may not have to use a sweetener to get that truly Campbell's taste. Maybe you are such a sweet person that all you will have to do is dip your finger in and the perfect amount of sweet will be delivered. If your mom made it with water, then just use water. I ran out of milk the other night, but had some heavy whipping cream, so I used 2.25 cups water + .75 cups cream and it was delicious. You get the idea and know how you like your comfort food!

Two by Two Lentil Stew with Gluten Free Naan

2010-02-09T14:15:00.000-08:00

Believe it or not, I had never cooked lentils until recently. On a couple of occasions I have consumed lentil soup from a can, but was not impressed. Actually I was downright horrified that people considered it food! So when a few different friends mentioned that they were making lentils, I had to pause and wonder if I had been cheated out of a gastronomical experience. After all, lentils are a common food in a vast number of cultures; that many people on the planet can't be wrong about something.... can they?

I was familiar with lentils being part of the Indian food culture, and as I was looking for recipes and asking friends how they made lentils, I discovered they are also included in the diets of people from Africa, the Mediterranean region, North & South America, Europe, pretty much everywhere! This wee little legume has quite a bit of flexibility when it comes to creating a tasty dish. Its a rather neutral base, similar to chicken, that can be flavored to whatever culture is creating the meal. That got me thinking... if I make a large "plain" batch, I can change the flavor each time I serve it... cheap eats that aren't boring and bland! So off I went, reading hundreds of recipes and figuring out the base that is common to most cultures. It is amazing how similar the basics of cooking are across the globe!

The first night we had "plain" lentils that were anything but plain; savory, rich, earthy, down right delicious if I do say so! The next night I added curry paste and coconut milk. Another night was cajun spice and smoked sausage over rice. Why did it take me so long to discover these tiny little protein packed gems? I'm looking forward to the next batch and discovering some new spice mixes to share with everyone.

Along with lentils being a cross-culture commonality, flatbread, in one form or another can often be found in countries around the world. In the Mediterranean there are pitas. In Central America there are tortillas. In India there is Naan.... oh how I mourned the loss of flatbread when I had to go gluten free. After the success I had with flourless "flour" tortillas, I quickly realized that other flatbreads weren't that different and all that sorrow had been a waste of time! I got to work in the kitchen and came up with a version of gluten free Naan that satisfied my yearning for a curry companion.

Two by Two Lentil Stew
Makes: A lot, enough for several dinners and lunches, good to freeze for days you don't want to cook

2 tsp Olive Oil
2 medium onions, diced
2 large celery stalks, diced
2x2 (4) carrots, diced
2x2 (4) cloves garlic, pressed or minced
2 large tomatoes, diced or 1 14 oz can diced tomatoes
2 cups of dried lentils (I use a mix of 1 cup petite green French lentils & 1 cup brown or green lentils)
2 bay leaves
2 quarts (8 cups) water or broth (I use water because it is cheap eats)
2 potatoes, diced
2 cups of packed chopped spinach, or 1 10 oz pkg frozen spinach
2 tsp balsamic vinegar or lemon juice
Salt & Pepper to taste

In a large soup pot, heat olive oil over medium high heat and saute onions, carrot and celery until tender. Stir in garlic, cook for about 30 seconds (you don't want it to burn or it will be bitter) and add tomatoes. Add lentils and water/broth, stirring up any browned bits that may have been on the bottom of the pan. Toss in the bay leaves and simmer gently for 45 minutes, or until lentils are soft. Add potato and spinach and cook until potato is tender. Stir in balsamic vinegar or lemon juice and season with salt and pepper.

Once you make the base, you can flavor individual servings with curry paste or powder, coconut milk, Cajun seasoning, Greek Seasoning, taco seasoning, add in cooked sausage, chicken, tofu... get creative and play with your food, I won't tell your Mom!

Gluten Free Naan (Indian Flatbread)
Makes: about 12 pieces, depending on how you portion and roll it out

9 oz brown rice flour
4 oz potato starch
1 oz tapioca flour
1 Tbsp Sugar
2 tsp Xantham gum
1 tsp sea salt
2 tsp instant yeast
4 Tbsp melted butter or ghee
3/4 cup warm milk (not so warm it kills the yeast, not so cold the yeast don't wake up)
1 large zip topped bag

Measure the flours, sugar, xantham gum, salt, and yeast into a bowl. Add melted butter and warm milk, mixing until dough forms. You can do this with a KitchenAid Mixer using the paddle attachment or by hand.

Divide the dough into 12 equal size portions and roll into balls. At this point, you can either refrigerate and use the next day or roll out immediately. Keep the dough balls covered as they wait to be rolled out. I prefer to let my dough sit overnight, the flavor improves a bit, but it isn't necessary. If you do refrigerate, pull the dough out about an hour before you intend to roll it.

Take a moment to read through the post about flourless "flour" tortillas to get some pointers for rolling out flatbreads.

Open your ziplock bag and Place one ball in the center between the sheets. (Because of the butter in this recipe, I didn't find it necessary to dust the plastic layers with flour, but if yours sticks, try dusting with potato starch.) Take a pie plate or cake pan and mash the ball down to a flat circle. Using a rolling pin, roll out the naan to between 1/4" and 1/8" thick. Carefully peel back the top of the ziplock and very gently remove the naan from the other side. Place the naan on a sheet of waxed paper and cover with another sheet. Repeat until all the dough has been rolled and shaped. Let the dough rest for about 30 minutes in a warm area.

Using a frying pan or griddle over medium to medium-high heat, cook naan one at a time for approximately 2 minute per side, until lightly browned and starting to puff a wee bit. Continue cooking until you are finished. Keep warm in a 200 degree oven until ready to serve, or reheat if making ahead.

These did just fine in the freezer. Just make sure to thaw completely before reheating thoroughly. There is a slight texture change, but it is worth the convenience of having these made ahead! You can reheat in a frying pan or wrapped in foil in a 350 degree oven until warm.

Soft... Warm... Doughy....

2010-01-18T23:41:00.000-08:00

Soft. Warm. Doughy. Although these words could be used to describe my belly, they instead describe the most wonderful thing to go in my belly in quite a while.

Since going gluten free I have had to give up many foods that bring me comfort. Truth be told, many of them probably were not that good for me... in particular I'm thinking apple fritters and maple bars. Many though, were just neutral on the health scale... things like flour tortillas.... and some down right horrible, like cup noodles!

Flour tortillas are such versatile items! Burritos, quesadillas, sandwich wraps, peanut butter and banana delivery devices, Frisbee... okay, well maybe not Frisbees, although the store bought gluten free substitutes could be easily mistaken for a Frisbee. Hard, dry, brittle, chewy... yuck!

After reading several recipes, and starting to get the hang of some of the flour substitutes used in gluten free baking I ventured into the world of tortillas and I will never be the same!! If I had only known tortillas were so easy to make, I would have never bothered buying them, gluten free or regular! I have a friend whose mother makes delicious homemade tortillas, but she always seems so magical when I watch her that I never imagined my Irish hands could make such a delight. Boy howdy was I wrong!

Below is the recipe I used. It is a combination and tweaking of a couple different ones I found online and in cookbooks. For a while I have heard that weighing ingredients for baking makes a huge difference in creating a quality product, gluten free or not. One of my new cookbooks stresses this is the only way to successful baking, and the base recipe I started from was in grams, so I stuck with weighing and the results were great!

A few tricks are worth learning for this recipe. My first bit of guidance would be to take a large ziplock bag and cut it down both sides. Roll out your tortillas between the plastic layers and you will have less issue with trying to get a very thin piece of fragile dough off the counter top or baking board. Second, start to roll your tortillas by flattening the ball with the flat bottom of a cake pan or pie plate, this will at least start you closer to an actual circle. Third, have all your pieces of waxed paper cut before you begin to roll, so all you have to do is roll and stack without having to pause and possibly allow your tortillas to dry out. Fourth, If you have a Misto spray oil device, now is the time to use it. I haven't used Pam or other spray oils in so long, but I imagine they are the same in principle. Spray your pan, flop in the tortilla, spray the tortilla. Fifth, as the tortillas come off the pan, place the sheets of waxed paper back in between to keep them from sticking. Finally, keep these babies warm so they are soft, warm and doughy! I keep them in a 200 degree oven until it is time for them to be devoured.

Flourless Flour Tortillas
Makes about 12, 7"-ish tortillas

11 oz Brown Rice Flour
5 oz Potato Starch
2 oz Tapioca Flour or Corn Starch
1 TBSP Sugar
2.5 tsp Xantham Gum
1.5 tsp Sea Salt
1 to 1.5 cups water, depending on humidity
13 sheets of waxed paper
Large Ziplock bag
Spray oil

Measure all dry ingredients into a bowl. Add one cup of water and mix until dough forms, adding more water as necessary. You can do this with a KitchenAid Mixer and paddle or by hand. You are looking for the consistency of pie dough, or play-dough if you are more familiar with that.

Divide the dough into 12 equal size portions and roll into balls. (divide main ball into thirds, then divide each third in half and each half in half... isn't math fun!). Keep the dough balls covered as they wait to be rolled out.

Open your ziplock bag and lightly dust with potato flour. Place one ball in the center between the sheets. Take a pie plate or cake pan and mash the ball down to a flat circle. Using a rolling pin, roll out the tortilla very very thin (less that 1/8"). Carefully peel back the top of the ziplock and very gently remove the tortilla from the other side. Place the tortilla on a sheet of waxed paper and cover with another sheet. Repeat until all the dough has been tortilla-fied. This is the step that can take some practice... they may not be supermarket perfect, but they will taste wonderful even if they are an oval or triangle or other lopsided shape instead of a circle.

Using a frying pan or griddle over medium to medium-high heat, cook tortillas one at a time for approximately 1 minute per side. Spray the pan lightly with oil, carefully peel a tortilla off the waxed paper and flop into the pan, spray with oil around edges to help keep from drying out too quickly, turn tortilla after 1 minute and finish cooking second side. Place on a sheet of waxed paper (use the one you just had separating the uncooked tortillas). Continue cooking and stacking until you are finished. Keep warm in a 200 degree oven until ready to serve, or reheat if making ahead.

I haven't tried freezing these yet, but if you do, let me know how they turn out! I don't think they will ever stick around long enough for me to get them in the freezer!

Fajitas!!!
Serves 3-6 depending on how hungry your belly is

1 lb of meat... thinly sliced beef or chicken, shrimp... maybe even tofu!
3 TBSP Lime juice
3 cloves Garlic, pressed
2 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp liquid smoke
a few dashes of Green Jalapeno Tabasco
salt & pepper

Mix the above all together and let sit in the fridge for about 4 hours, or overnight

1 red bell pepper, sliced into 1/4" - 1/2" strips
1 yellow, green or orange bell pepper, sliced into 1/4" - 1/2" strips
1/2-1 whole yellow onion, cut into 1/4" to 1/2" wedges and separated into pieces
1-2 tomatoes, cut in wedges

Heat a frying pan over high heat until a drop of water rolls around like a marble. (Do NOT use a non stick as you need to heat it to scorching hot and non-stick will release toxins anywhere above medium to medium-high) Place meat with marinade in a single layer in pan and cook for about 2-3 minutes, stir and cook until done, remove from pan. Add veggies and cook until starting to brown and char (you might want to add a wee bit of water to bring up the seasoning left from the meat to coat the veggies). Quickly add meat back into pan, salt & pepper to taste, stir everything together and bring to the table sizzling hot... YUM!

Serve with salsa, sour cream, guacamole, cheese, re-fried beans and those delicious tortillas you made!

Better Re-Fried Beans

1 can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup diced onion
1/2 TBSP finely minced jalapeno
1 clove garlic, pressed
1 tsp oil
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
optional, squirt of lime juice

In a sauce pan over medium heat, saute onion and jalapeno until soft. Add in garlic and cook 1 minute longer. Stir in beans and season with cumin and chili powder, heat through. Mash beans until desired consistency.

Cheater Beans

1 can re-fried beans (I won't tell you didn't make them from scratch, gasp!)
1/2 TBSP dried minced onion
1 tsp Green Jalapeno Tabasco
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
optional, squirt of lime juice

In a sauce pan, over medium heat, mix everything together and heat through.

How Sweet It Is!!!

2010-01-02T14:23:00.000-08:00

For those of us lucky enough to have received espresso makers for Christmas (Thanks, Sis!) you might find yourself in a euphoria of bliss from the money you are able to keep in your pocket instead of the coffee shop's till.... or it might just be the caffeine and sugar high. Either way, if there is a way to somehow put a homemade twist on this experience, you know I would find it.

It's not practical to grow, process and roast my own coffee, nor would that provide any instant gratification. I don't have a cow (yet), so the discussion regarding the benefits and blessings of fresh milk will have to wait. That leaves the flavored syrups. A quick tour of the grocer's coffee aisle left me a little disappointed by both the high fructose corn syrup or artificial chemical sweeteners in the list of ingredients and the cost of over $5 a bottle for flavored sugar water. So I did what any reasonable person would do, I decided to make my own!

This has to be one of the simplest (and quickest!) things that even the most domestically challenged individual can make. I have always had a bottle of Mapleline on hand so I could make maple flavored syrup in a pinch, you know, for those 2 a.m. pancake emergencies. I figured it couldn't be any different to make other flavors of syrup for fancy schmancy coffees. A quick tour of my cupboard revealed peppermint, almond, and vanilla extracts. A quick tour of the internet revealed recipes for chocolate syrup. A few minutes in the kitchen and I had my own specialty coffee syrups for less than the cost of one bottle of fancy syrup.

Basic Recipe
2 parts sugar (white or brown)
1 part water
flavoring

Stir sugar and water together in a saucepan over high heat until sugar dissolves completely and mixture becomes clear. Boil one minute and remove from heat. Allow to cool for a minute or two and stir in flavoring. Pour into a container and close with lid. This does not need to be refrigerated.

The recipes below each make approximately 8 oz of syrup:

Vanilla Syrup
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup water
2 tsp vanilla extract

Peppermint Syrup
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup water
1 tsp peppermint extract

Amaretto Syrup
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup water
1 1/2 tsp almond extract

Maple Flavored Pancake Syrup
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup water
1/4 tsp mapleline flavoring

I think you get the idea now. For a flavor I haven't listed, start with about 1/2 tsp extract and work your way up until you get the desired strength. I'm trying coconut next so I can make an almond joy mocha!

Chocolate Syrup
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup water
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

In a dry saucepan, mix sugar and cocoa powder until combined. Add salt and water. Stirring constantly, bring to a boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract. Pour into container and close with lid. Store in the refrigerator.

Laziness Can Be a Blessing

2010-01-01T15:52:00.000-08:00

Most of my inspiration comes from not wanting to be bothered with getting dressed to make a trip to the store for a missing pantry item. I know that sounds lazy, but it is also about not having to deal with traffic lights and traffic, parking spots and other shoppers, standing in line and spending more for a convenience item that I know is just a few basic ingredients ingeniously packaged together as a magical taste creation. It's a matter of working smarter, not harder; valuing time and money... but some might call that lazy.

Somehow today I got it in my mind that I needed to make buffalo chicken dip (recipe below), and that required ranch dressing, which I didn't have. So as usual, I figured it out on my own. I read through several recipes on-line, discovered the similarities, pondered the flavors and got to work. Below is my rendition of ranch dressing, followed by a recipe for taco seasoning. When you consider the cost of those little packets of seasoning at the market, it's worth the 3 minutes it takes to make your own.... plus you know what is in it.

Ranch Dressing

1/2 cup milk
1/2 Tbsp lemon juice or vinegar
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tsp dried minced onion
1 tsp dried parsley
1/8 tsp dried dill
1/8 tsp dried thyme
1/2 to 1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 to 1 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper

Mix milk and lemon juice together and set aside. This is a basic buttermilk substitute, of course you can substitute an actual 1/2 cup of buttermilk for the buttermilk substitute.

In a bowl mix together all the ingredients from the minced onion through the black pepper. Whisk in sour cream and mayonnaise. Add buttermilk until desired consistency. Let chill in the fridge for an hour or more to let the flavors meld together. If you are impatient, you can use it right away... it just gets better with a little bit of time to rest.

You can make this as full fat or non-fat as you like by using skim milk, fat free mayonnaise and fat free sour cream or the full fat equivalents or anywhere in between.

For ranch dip, omit milk, lemon juice, & mayonnaise. Increase sour cream to 2 cups/1 pint.

Taco Seasoning

1/2 cup + 1 Tbsp Chili Powder
1 Tbsp Garlic Powder
1 Tbsp Onion Powder
3/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 Tbsp beef bouillon (optional, but it does make it better)
3 Tbsp Cumin
1 Tbsp Paprika
1/2 Tbsp Oregano
1 Tbsp Kosher Salt
1/4 cup Corn Starch

Mix all together in a jar and store until ready to use.

To use, mix 3 Tbsp with 1 pound of ground meat, add 1/2 cup of water and simmer until most of the water is gone.

Buy your spices in bulk to make this a cost effective alternative to those overpriced envelopes.

Buffalo Chicken Dip

8 oz Cream Cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup of Cholula Hot Sauce or buffalo wing sauce
1/2 cup of ranch dressing
1/2 cup of Velveeta
2 cups diced cooked chicken or turkey, or 2 cans drained
a pinch of cayenne if you want more kick
corn chips
cut veggies such as carrots and celery

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl whip room temperature cream cheese until light and fluffy with an electric mixer, or use the paddle attachment on a KitchenAid mixer. Break velveeta into small pieces and whip into cream cheese until combined. Slowly mix in Cholula and ranch dressing to avoid splatters. Add chicken and whip everything until light and fluffy. Place in an 8x8 baking dish or a pie plate and bake for about 20-25 minutes, stirring once. Serve hot with corn chips and veggies.

Warm up that belly!

2009-11-21T11:25:00.000-08:00

My fridge and freezer are strange places. They have little bits of this and that since I save almost any little bit of this or that because I know I can use it later. This comes in handy for some interesting creations at times. Yesterday that creation happened to be Sweet Potato Enchiladas. There is something very pleasing and comfy about sweet and spicy food; perfect for a stormy evening.

I was inspired by a recipe I found at All Recipes, but didn’t have exactly the ingredients listed, but that has yet to stop me! Below is my rendition of the recipe. Keep in mind that I make almost everything for our home from scratch, probably the reason my fridge and freezer are strange places. In this recipe my homemade ingredients were yogurt, black bean burgers and enchilada sauce. My most recent batch of enchilada sauce (recipe below) was incredibly spicy, so I used yogurt to temper the spice and stretch the sauce a bit, you may not need to do this with store bought enchilada sauce. If you don’t have black bean burgers, I imagine a can of black beans rinsed and drained would work just as well. If you don’t have Chipotles en adobo, trying sautéing some chopped red pepper with the onions, or leave out the peppers. You can adjust everything to your liking. If you don’t like heavily seasoned foods, use less spice or use more if you do like a heavy spice. I you don’t like black beans, leave ‘em out or use something different, maybe some frozen corn or left over rice. If you don’t have yogurt, try sour cream or leave it out. You get the idea! My one word of caution is you can always add, you just can’t take out… go be creative!

Doyle Sweet Potato Enchiladas
(yep, that would mean Irish Mexican food)

2 large sweet potatoes in large chunks, w/ or w/out skins
1 small yellow onion chopped
3 black bean burgers
1 1/2 cups plain yogurt, divided
2 Tbsp diced Chipotles en adobo peppers with sauce
2 tsp Chili Powder*
2 tsp Cumin
2 tsp Oregano
1 tsp Garlic Powder
1 pinch of cayenne
Salt & Pepper to taste
16 oz spicy enchilada sauce
Corn Tortillas, probably about 12
Oil for frying tortillas**
Cheese such as cheddar or jack for topping
Sliced olives for topping

Boil sweet potatoes till soft. While potatoes are boiling, cook black bean burgers until just done and sauté onion in a tiny bit of oil until soft and starting caramelize. Break up the burgers and add with onions to the sweet potatoes and mash with 1/2 cup of the yogurt. Add your seasonings and adjust to taste.

Preheat oven to 350F. Fry tortillas, one at a time, pausing between each to generously fill with sweet potato filling and roll into an enchilada, place in an 9”x13” baking dish (have a smaller baking dish ready in case you need it for extras). Mix enchilada sauce and remaining yogurt together to your liking, or don’t mix in yogurt at all, up to you. Pour the sauce over the enchiladas, top with cheese and olives. Bake for 30 minutes, until gooey and bubbly and you can’t wait to dive in. I recommend serving with slices of lightly salted avocado.

*I use straight chili powder, not the commercial blends that are labeled as chili powder. You might need to adjust your seasonings with slightly less cumin since that is a common ingredient in commercial blends. We like a strong spice, so perhaps start with half or less of all the spices to get it to your liking.

**Frying the tortillas till soft & easy to roll is a traditional method. An alternative method is to warm the individual tortillas for a few seconds in the microwave till soft enough to roll. It isn’t nearly as delicious, and I won’t use a microwave, but you’re eating it, not me…

Corn tortillas are a very budget friendly tool come dinner time. Try making enchiladas with scrambled eggs and hash browns O’Brien (more Irish Mexican), fill with left over chicken or ground beef, mash up some black beans, left over rice and corn… you get the idea… wrap some stuff in a corn tortilla and pour sauce over it! It may not always be a “traditional” Mexican enchilada, but that won’t stop it from tasting delicious!

Enchilada sauce isn’t as budget friendly, at around $2-$4 for a small can. My enchilada sauce is somewhat different from what you can find in a can at the market or on your plate at a restaurant, but for about the cost of one can, you can have about 12 pints! About a year ago I spent several days reading all the enchilada sauce recipes I could find and came up with the one below. I make a huge batch and freeze it so I always have it handy for quick dinners. It is still a work in progress, but this is where I am so far. Someday I will perfect it… I will… I Must… I will MASTER enchilada sauce!!!! Bwahahaha (evil laugh for effect)

Enchilada Sauce

12-16 ounces dried chili peppers*
1 head roasted garlic
2 yellow onions, chopped & sautéed until soft and golden
1/4 cup dried oregano
Optional:
1/4 to 1/2 tsp cocoa powder
2 Tbsp to 1/4 cup brown sugar

To roast garlic: Heat oven to 250 degrees. Separate cloves from the main garlic bulb, but leave paper on. Cut off the root end of the cloves. Place cloves on a piece of foil, drizzle lightly with olive oil, and mix to coat. Close up foil to make a packet and place in the oven for about an hour, or until the cloves are soft and lightly browned. You can also simply cut the top portion of the head off, keeping all the cloves intact, but this can take longer to roast and I often get the papers in my concoctions when I go to squeeze out the garlic.

While your garlic is roasting, sit down in front of the tv with a large soup pot, a garbage bowl and your bag of peppers. Remove the stems and seeds from the dried peppers and place in the garbage bowl. Tear the seeded peppers into pieces, put in the large soup pot. Make sure to not touch your face while you do this, as the oils from the peppers will be all over your fingers. I don’t wear gloves, but some people do.

Cover the dried peppers with water. Bring to a boil and simmer for a few hours until the peppers are very soft and falling apart. Keep an eye on the water level to make sure they are always covered and stirring occasionally. Once soft, add oregano and onion, squeeze roasted garlic into the pot, taking care to keep the papery skins out. Take an immersion blender to the pot and whirl away until there are no remnants of anything and you have a smooth sauce. I suppose you could do this with a blender or food processor in batches if you don’t have an immersion blender. Taste, add salt as needed and the cocoa powder and brown sugar if you are using them. Pour into pint jars, leaving an inch of head room and freeze.

*Dried chili peppers can often be found in the produce section or the Mexican food aisle. Different peppers have different flavors and heat levels. I buy mine in the produce section and don’t have a clue which pepper is which, so I just grab a mix. You can look online if you want to get more specific, but I like the surprise factor!

Caramel Goodness

2009-11-14T13:05:00.000-08:00

Caramel is one of my favorite foods. Smooth, creamy, sweet... mmmmmmm. Once I start eating it, it is hard for me to stop. I think the craving has its origins in my very pale skin; if I eat enough, I will turn a beautiful caramel color, like when you eat too many carrots you turn orange.

This holiday season I’m hoping to get a good knowledge base in candy making. My entry into this foreign land has been similar to Goldilock’s visit to the three bears. I started with hard candy, and it was okay, not spectacular, but it was hard. Next I made pulled molasses taffy. After a couple of hours of pulling taffy, it never became taffy. It was quite tasty, but much too soft. My third attempt was caramels, and they were just right!

I was given the recipe by a friend at church (Thanks, Janelle!) and hoped that I would have success. I have been reading about sea salt caramels for a while, and really wanted to try them, but couldn’t bring myself to pay the outrageous amounts they go for. So, I made my own. Below is the recipe as Janelle gave it to me and my version for sea salt caramels.

Epikos Caramels

2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup corn syrup
1 cup butter (NOT margarine)
1 cup evaporated milk (NOT sweetend condensed milk)
1 pint heavy whipping cream
1 ¼ teaspoon vanilla

Grease a 12x15” pan. In a medium pot (I used a 4 qt), combine everything but the vanilla. Watch the heat of the mixture with a candy thermometer, while stirring over low to medium heat. When the mixture reaches 250F* remove from the heat. Stir in the vanilla. Transfer to prepared pan and let it cool. When cool, cut the caramels into squares and wrap in wax paper for storage.

Epikos Sea Salt Caramels

2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup corn syrup
1 cup unsalted butter (NOT margarine)
1 tsp sea salt
1 cup evaporated milk (NOT sweetend condensed milk)
1 pint heavy whipping cream
2 teaspoon vanilla
Sea salt to sprinkle on top

Line a 13x9” baking dish with foil and heavily butter. The foil will make it easier to remove the caramels after they have cooled. In a Medium pot (I used a 4 qt), combine everything but the vanilla. Watch the heat of the mixture with a candy thermometer (essential), while constantly stirring gently over med to low heat. Be patient, do not turn up the heat to speed this along and be gentle, do not stir like a crazy person. When the mixture reaches 250F-255F* remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla. Transfer to prepared pan, sprinkle with sea salt and let it cool. When cool, remove from pan and cut into squares. Wrap squares in wax paper for storage. The amount this makes will depend on the size you cut your caramel squares, but it makes A LOT, more than enough to share and still eat yourself silly.

*The mixture will easily reach about 220F, and then stall for a while. Resist the temptation to turn up the heat, just be patient and take the delay as an opportunity to thinking loving thoughts (or any other emotion you choose) and stir them into the caramels. I cook mine to 255F because I like a firm caramel and live in a humid climate. Also, if you live above sea level, you will need to adjust the final temperature. To do this, place your candy thermometer in a pot of water and note at what temperature it begins to boil. Water boils at 212F at sea level, but may boil at 202F for your altitude. Subtract the difference from your final cooking temperature.

When your caramels are cooling, you might look at your pan and think you will never get the cooked mess of goo out and you momentarily hate me for trying this recipe. Your hate will quickly turn to love when you realize that candy is one of the easier foods to clean up. All you have to do is let your pan and utensils soak for a bit in water; the sugar dissolves and everything washes away easy-pleasy! If it isn’t washing away easily, you haven’t been lazy enough! Let everything sit for a bit longer and be patient! Go pour a glass of wine and relax!

Along the same lines as caramel is Dulce de Leche. For those of you not acquainted with Dulce de Leche, it is this wonderful sweet & creamy Latin American caramel-like sauce or candy. It can be quite expensive if you want to buy it, especially when you consider how inexpensive it is to make… and how easy! It has four ingredients, and will cost you under a $1.50 to make 16 oz.; far better on the wallet than the $10-$20 you would pay for such a gourmet treat. I’m always amazed at how expensive “gourmet” foods are when they are usually the most simplistic and basic of ingredients.

I had milk that was about to go bad and really didn’t want to throw it out. Our ancestors faced this same dilemma. Well, maybe not the same dilemma, but they understood how to preserve their food to make it last as long as possible. Before the mighty refrigerator, milk was preserved as yogurt, cheese, butter and…. Dulce de Leche! So if you don’t drink your milk fast enough, consider this as an option, you will thank me and probably want to hide it so you don’t have to share.

Dulce de Leche

2 qts whole milk
3 cups sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 tsp baking soda

In a large sauce pan (I use an 8 qt) over medium heat, combine the milk, sugar and vanilla. Slowly stir until the sugar dissolves. Stir in the baking soda and prepare for foam!* Don’t try to incorporate the foam, just let it do its thing. Once the mixture begins to simmer, reduce the heat to low and keep it at a low, slow simmer. Stir occasionally until the mixture reduces to about 2 cups and becomes a dark caramel syrup, anywhere from 2-5 hours, depending on humidity and your stove. Store in the refrigerator up to four weeks, if it lasts that long. Dulce de Leche can be used as an ice-cream topping, filling for cookies, stirred into hot cocoa or hot apple cider, or just hide in the closet with a spoon.

*Michelle’s note: This is really going to foam like crazy, which is why it is essential that you use a pot much larger than you think you will need. Expect the mixture to foam a bit each time you give it a stir. I switch spoons after the initial mixing and that seems to help cut down on the foaming. You can easily reduce this recipe by half.

My favorite beverage... GRAVY!!!

2009-11-07T13:55:00.000-08:00

For me, the most essential element to a fabulous Thanksgiving is the gravy. It helps to have mashed potatoes, stuffing and turkey to put it on, but it isn't necessary... a spoon and bowl are all that I need. Come to think of it, sitting by the fire sipping from a warm mug of gravy sounds perfect!

So what goes into a good gravy? Like a lot of fabulous foods, you need to build flavors through a few simple steps. You have to start with a tasty base, add in the delicious drippings from the roast turkey, and season it just so. Another key to good gravy is the quantity... there MUST be a massive amount!! Whoever came up with the idea that a scant 1/4 cup is a serving of gravy must have had a mother who was a horrible cook!

How you thicken the gravy will also contribute to your gravy experience. My mother always used cornstarch to thicken her gravy because she was afraid of having lumps from the flour. I now have to use cornstarch because of my body's severe rebellion to wheat and gluten. So my recipe that follows uses cornstarch, but feel free to adapt it to flour if that is what you are used to.

A big part of the Thanksgiving experience is having the flavors that you grew up with. I believe that is why Thanksgiving is such a comforting holiday, it is filled with the familiar and familial. If you have ever experienced a turkey-day away from your family and with food that didn't taste like your Mom's, you understand the importance of tradition; It comforts and soothes the soul. The smells reconnect you to all the years past where you enjoyed good food and the blessings of having a family. It makes you feel safe because it is something you know from it's repetitive nature. It nourishes your soul because it connects you to the roots of your family, knowing that generations upon generations of your family have gathered annually to eat the same meal you are eating today. But I digress...

Mama 'bare's gravy recipe:

Turkey neck (find it inside the turkey's cavity, or under the tail, when you clean the turkey before roasting)
1/2 medium onion, cut into large chunks
1 medium carrot, cut into large chunks
2 stalks celery, cut into large chunks
Poultry seasoning or sage & thyme to taste
Chicken Broth and/or water
Cornstarch
Salt and pepper to taste

As you wash and prep your bird for roasting, pull out the neck and gizzards and what-nots from inside the bird's cavities. Set the neck to the side for your gravy... what you do with the rest is up to you, growing up we cooked the organs for the kitties so they could have a treat. Once you get the bird in the oven to roast, it is time to make your gravy base. I always pour a can of chicken broth in the bottom of my turkey roasting pan... not to keep things moist, but to assure that I have great dripping to add to the gravy base later.

Over medium high heat, brown the turkey neck and veggies in a 2 quart sauce pan. Just use a dry pan, no oil or butter. This takes about 3-4 minutes per side and adds some depth to the gravy flavor. Don't worry if bits stick to the bottom, this is a good thing because those brown bits add deliciousness!!!

Once your neck is browned, quickly pour in 1/2 can of chicken broth and scrape up anything that stuck to the bottom during the browning. Pour in the remaining broth and fill the rest of the pan with water, to within 2-3 inches of the top. Sprinkle lightly with poultry seasoning or sage & thyme (1/2 tsp each). I don't like my gravy to be heavily seasoned since I tend to heavily season my stuffing and that perfumes the rest of the meal, but seasoning is a matter of taste and yours may be different from mine. Wait until the end to adjust seasonings, though.

Bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for a few hours while your turkey cooks. When you are ready to make the gravy, remove the neck and veggies from the pan. Toss the veggies to the doggies or the compost pile. I let the neck cool a bit and pull off the meat, which I add back into the broth.

When the turkey is done, pour all the drippings from the roasting pan into your gravy base. It's at this point that you want to do your fat skimming. Either use a spoon to carefully remove the fat layer on the top of your gravy base or use a fat separator or throw in a handful of ice cubes which congeal the fat and quickly scoop out the ice cubes and fat or however else your mother taught you or leave all the fat in. It is up to you, but do remember that you need a small amount of fat in your gravy base in order for your thickeners to work and fat has a lot of flavor. Personally I use a spoon because I am A. cheap, and B. concerned that I will loose gravy to the few drippings that will stick to the inside of the fat separator, possibly decreasing the amount of gravy available to drown my plate in. (I do set aside a small amount of this gravy base and dripping mixture to drizzle over my extra pan of stuffing, it helps to boost its flavor like it was roast in the bird.)

To thicken the gravy, bring the gravy base to a boil. Mix together a couple of heaping spoonfuls of cornstarch, about 3 TBSP, and mix with a small amount of water, until thin enough to pour. Drizzle cornstarch slurry into boiling gravy base while stirring. Let the cornstarch work it's magic for about a minute. If it isn't thick enough, add a little more cornstarch and water until you get it how you like it, if it is too thick, stir in some water until you get it how you like it. If you prefer a gravy thickened with flour, you are going to have to call your Mom and ask her how she does it, or hope that one of the wise people who leave comments leaves some tips on flour based gravy :)

It will thicken a bit as it cools, so make it a wee bit thinner than you would like. Turn the heat off and season to taste with salt and pepper. Remember you can always add, but you can't take away. And if you are going to error in your seasoning, always better to under season since people can add salt and pepper at the table.

Pour into a mug..... er, gravy boat, and enjoy!

Hybrid Gravy

So not everyone wants to go to the effort of gravy from scratch and that is completely fine! You have to stick with your comfort level and taste, you need to do what makes you happy. If your Mom always made gravy from a package and that is where you feel safe & cozy, then make it from the package!!!

Hybrid gravy is somewhere between gravy from scratch and instant gravy. Boil the turkey neck in water for a few hours and replace the water in the instant gravy with your turkey broth and/or skim the fat off the drippings from the roasting pan and add some dripping to your instant gravy. Viola, hybrid gravy!

Regardless of the gravy recipe you follow, the one ingredient never listed is your love. While you are stirring and waiting for the glorious gravy to thicken, take some time to project the love you have in your heart into your gravy. Imagine your gravy covering them with love, imagine swimming in it, feeling the warmth and... oh wait, that's my secret fantasy!

Gobble Gobble, wobble wobble!!!

Thanksgiving 101

2009-11-03T23:21:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving is almost here!!!! This is by far my favorite holiday because it is all about food!!! But what if you were sick the day they covered Thanksgiving in home-economics? What if your school didn’t offer home-economics? What if your Mom prepared Thanksgiving dinner by getting you dressed and driving to her Mom’s house?

One thing I am incredibly thankful for is my Mom patiently allowing me in her kitchen when I was young. I used to ask how long it would take until dinner was ready and she would say something like thirty minutes. Then I would ask when dinner would be ready if I helped and she would say an hour. Eventually my skills improved over time and I could help with dinner in a manner that wouldn’t delay the entire family chowing down on some tasty grub.

On several occasions, one recently, I have been asked for help in doing a Thanksgiving dinner, which has inspired this rather long dissertation. My apology for the length, but it’s a big meal!

As the preparer of the meal, it is important that you enjoy it as well. With that in mind, you need to decide which of the following four categories you fall in:

1. Kitchen Queen – you can and have done everything from scratch for a Thanksgiving meal. You might not have mastered fine French cooking, but that’s okay because you don’t need those skills for Thanksgiving.
2. Kitchen Princess – You have the equipment, you have some skills, but you are a Thanksgiving virgin. Cooking dinner and baking cookies is one thing, but a holiday feast is a wee bit intimidating
3. Kitchen Jester – You have seen people use a kitchen and you have used the kitchen… only because the phone is in it and that is where you keep the menus for delivery and take-out
4. Kitchen Nightmare – you know who you are

As the person that is preparing the meal, it is important to honestly answer where you stand. If you are in over your head, you will not enjoy Thanksgiving. I’m going to go out on a limb and guess that you are a Kitchen Princess. Kitchen Jesters are figuring out which grocer to order from and Kitchen Nightmares are making reservations or coming to your house to eat! As a princess, it is important to pamper yourself, which in the kitchen means working smarter not harder…. and wearing a cute apron.

So where do you start? First, take a deep breath, and keep up the deep breathing until Christmas is over. Pour yourself a glass of wine. Relax. Turn on some music.

The first thing to keep in mind is that your attitude shows up in your food. If you are stressed and worried and frazzled, you can’t be stirring in love for your friends and family. This applies to the planning and prep as much as it does the actual cooking. Now drink your wine, relax and smile!

Thanksgiving is not complicated, as long as you are organized. There are a lot of steps, and the key to not tripping up is to plan. Proper planning prevents piss poor performance. Thanksgiving is about food and family. Family planning is another topic altogether, so that leaves planning the food.

A couple weeks before T-Day, start thinking about what you want to serve. Are there any traditional family foods? Make a list of everything from beverages to dessert to the turkey sandwiches afterwards. I apply the K.I.S.S. principle to Thanksgiving. There are a lot of dishes and keeping it simple, well… it keeps it simple. If you do want to try something new and fancy, make it now to see if it will be realistic (or taste good) come turkey day. Forget all those fancy magazines with grandiose recipes that have you baking pumpkins filled with soup, brining the turkey in a special herb blend, and decoratively carving rare, hard to find vegetables for roasting. Stick to the basics until you are a Kitchen Queen, and most KQ’s became KQ’s because they know and value the superiority of simple, good, clean food.

What will you serve?
Meat – Turkey, ham, tofurkey?
Side Dishes – mashed potatoes, yams, brussels sprouts, green bean casserole?
Condiments – cranberry, gravy, olives, relish tray, butter, salt & pepper?
Bread – rolls, bread, biscuits?
Beverages – gravy, water, soda, wine, cocktails, juice, sparkling cider, pepto bismol?
Dessert – pumpkin pie, apple pie, pumpkin cheesecake, pepto bismol?
Snacks for before or after – cheese & fruit, veggie tray, snack mix, potato chips, dip?
Sandwiches after – bread, mayonnaise, bacon, lettuce, tomato, cheese, chips?

Now that you have an idea of what you will cook, walk away for today, but let your brain start processing stage 2.

Planning Stage 2. Pour yourself a glass of wine, take a deep breath, turn on the music and relax. It’s time to evaluate your tools. Do you have the right size pots and pans to cook all your dishes in? How are you going to serve it? Do any of your recipes require special equipment, like a mixer or food processor? Will everyone sit down to your table and pass your yummy creations around the table or will you serve buffet style? What will you put your yumyums in? Do you have enough serving dishes and serving utensils? How about plates, napkins, silverware, glasses etc? Containers for leftovers? Kiddie table with non-breakables and non-stain-ables?

Deep breath, glass of wine. Now don’t be overwhelmed. These are just questions, take your time answering them, pour another glass of wine. This planning is the foundation of your success, and you will be successful!!! And if not, it will at least be memorable because of the lack of success.

Planning Stage 3. Pour yourself a glass of wine, take a deep breath, turn on the music… I’m not kidding about how important it is to relax and enjoy the process! Your next step is to make a shopping list. Gather all your recipes and jot down a list of the ingredients. Then go through your cupboards and cross of anything you have enough of. Your final product will greatly depend on the freshness of your herbs and spices, so if you can’t remember when you bought them, it is probably time to get new ones. You already have the jar, so don’t throw it away. Simply buy your herbs and spices in bulk and refill the old jar; you will save A LOT of money doing this. And if you don’t have a certain spice, don’t buy a jar of it, buy it in bulk. You can save around $3-5 per jar. Watch the papers for sales and stock up where you can. Butter can be frozen, soda keeps. Buy on sale throughout the month, keeping the perishables for the Thanksgiving week run. The stores in my area often have coupons for free turkeys with a certain purchase amount. If you don’t normally buy organic, this is one meal where it is worth the extra moo-la. The flavors are far superior and that alone will make simple dishes a smashing success!

Make a list of any cooking tools or serving utensils you will need to acquire as well. You can find many of them at the dollar tree, especially good for foil baking pans and glassware. Thanksgiving can get expensive really fast, but it doesn’t have to. Don’t be afraid to borrow from family and friends if they are coming to your house to eat, they obviously won’t be using their dishes!

Planning Stage 4. Pour a glass of wine, relax, turn on the music and be happy. Make a list of what you will need to set the table and gather as much of it together now as you can. Put the table cloth, napkins, napkin rings, candles, etc into a basket and set it aside for later. Then when it is time to set the table, you won’t be running around finding everything only to realize that you are missing something. The days leading up to turkey are about food. The days leading up to the days about food are about everything else. You can also easily hand this basket to someone who wants to help you out, but you don’t want anywhere near the food until it is time for them to eat it.

Planning Stage 5. This one is short and sweet, but still pour yourself a glass of wine, turn on the music and smile at everything you are accomplishing! Gather together all your containers for leftovers and put them in a bag somewhere. The last thing you are going to want to do at the end of a big meal and after cooking all day is scrounge up the containers. If they are all in one place, in one easy to grab bag, it will make things a lot easier on you and your helpers.

Planning Stage 6. This part requires math, so maybe only pour ½ glass of wine and turn the volume down on the music. Start with the time you want to serve dinner and work backward. Take a gander at the roasting time for your turkey’s size and add an hour. This hour is for wiggle room and to allow time for your side dishes to cook. For example, you want to have your meal at 3 pm. You are roasting an 18 pound stuffed turkey, which takes approximately 5 hours to cook. You will want to have it in the oven at 9 a.m. To get an idea on how long to calculate and what size bird will feed your guests, check out the Butterball site. It has all the info you will ever need on turkey prep, and it saves me from having to retype the info here.

Putting your bird in at 9 a.m., with the goal of dinner at 3 p.m. gives you 6 hours to accomplish everything else. Those 6 hours go by fast! Do as much prep work in the days before that you can, it will save you a lot of headaches and hassles while the turkey roasts. Chop the vegetables the nights before, so everything is ready to assemble the day of. Cook as much as you can ahead of time. Pie crusts can be made a few weeks ahead of time and frozen until the day before when you make the filling and bake the pie. Rolls can be made and frozen, then reheated.

Here’s a sample schedule to give you an idea:
Weekend before - Eat everything in the fridge to make room for gobble gobble wobble wobble day, clean the house
Monday - Get the turkey out to thaw if frozen, put your recipes together in one spot and read over them
Tuesday - assemble all your dining and cooking dishes, make sure everything is clean and pretty, prep what veggies you can, like onions, carrots and celery. Make cranberry sauce if doing it from scratch.
Wednesday - bake your pies and, take out anything you have frozen so it has time to thaw, set the table and tidy up around the house. Go to bed early!
Turkey day –
7:30 a.m. Clean the turkey and get the roasting pan ready
8 a.m. Make the stuffing & stuff the turkey
9:00 Turkey in the oven & extra stuffing in the fridge
9:15 Assemble side dishes and put in fridge
1 p.m. Take side dishes out of fridge to warm up, along with the butter
1:08 Start peeling potatoes & get them boiling
2:00 Take turkey out of oven and tent with foil
2:15 Side dishes in the oven to bake, call for some helpers
2:30 Get condiments and wine to table & make the gravy
2:45 Mash those taters & carve the turkey
2:55 Reheat/bake rolls & bring everything to the table
3:00 Grace
3:03 Eat, drink, laugh & love, graciously accept compliments about your amazing meal
3:45 Dessert
4:15 Bring leftovers to kitchen and box up
5:00 First load of dishes in the washer
5:07 Nap and snacks

Tips:
If people ask if they can help… you say YES! Remember it is important that you enjoy the day, too! They can peel potatoes, make the relish trays, bring a side dish, bring a centerpiece, bring snacks, bake a pie, open a jar, reheat the rolls, set the table, decorate the table, bring dishes to the table, open the wine, pour the drinks, clear the table, package leftovers, wash the dishes, clean the day before, or bring you wine.

People always like to gather in the kitchen.... it must be the delicious smells of your cooking! But unless they are helping, they are underfoot and make for a cranky Kitchen Princess. Set snacks and drinks up away from the kitchen so it keeps people out of your way. Those who really want to help (and who will be helpful) will stay in the kitchen, those who just want food will follow the food.

Depending on where you live, the outdoors can be your refrigerator. Store beverages outside the night before so they are cool and your have fridge space for food. Put leftovers outside to cool first so your fridge doesn’t have to work so hard to cool everything down. If you can’t use the outdoors to your benefit, keep the beverages in a cooler away from the kitchen so you have less foot traffic and more room in the fridge.

Your kitchen is going to get quite warm with the oven on all day and things bubbling away on the stove. Don’t turn on the heat in the house until people comment about being cold. You might want to get a fan ready to blow heat out of the kitchen. Don’t point it into the kitchen, it might blow something undesirable into your delicious creations!

Always have two of each prep tool. Why should just one person peel the ‘taters when two people can? Prep work is necessary for everything you cook, so it is important to be smart about it so it can go efficiently. Have the trash can handy, or a scrap bowl on the table. Assemble everything you need before you begin, you are going to have to pull it out anyway and this saves you trips to and fro. Sit at the table to do your prep work; you are going to be standing all day on Thanksgiving and that will be no fun if your feet hurt from the days before. Figure out how much onion, carrot, celery etc. you are going to need and do it all at one time. Have containers handy for the prepped food and stick it in the fridge as you are finished with it

Wear comfortable shoes, you will be on your feet a lot!

I’ll post my recipes over the next few weeks, but if there is something specific you want to see or have a question about, let me know and I’ll get to answering it right away!

Having the Better Homes and Gardens magazine layout display is great, but not realistic for everyone. Don’t be a perfectionist, be about the love. Stir it into your dishes, say it with your smiles and hugs. What they say about being able to hear a smile over the phone is true for food too; when you keep loving thoughts of the people you are cooking for in your heart while you cook, it gets stirred into your meal and it is the difference between a good and a great cook. The perfect Thanksgiving is one spent with friends and family, eating a fabulous feast and counting your blessings. If you forget to light the candles, the yams burn and the gravy is really salty, it doesn’t matter because you blessed your family with love.

mmmmmmm, smells so good!!!

2009-11-03T16:39:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I made candy and the house smelled soooo good. Then I made corned beef and cabbage and the house smelled not so good. I really enjoy corned beef, if only there was a way to get around the smell that lingers for too long. I woke up still smelling it, which is not what I was I was hoping to wake up to. My ideal wake up smell is coffee and bacon, lots of bacon.

To counteract the smell in the house, I was going to plug in all the air freshener thingies, but then I remembered that they made both of our noses unhappy and our eyes burn. So what is a girl like me going to do? Make something better!

After a very brief dig on the internet, I came across the recipe below for gel air freshener. I remember seeing these things at craft fairs several years ago... canning jars all decked out with uber amounts of lace and ruffles. Not my style at all. I like the concept, and frugality, and ease, just not the lace.

I'm not one to steal a recipe without giving credit to the author, but this recipe is EVERYWHERE, so I'm not feeling so bad this time. I was excited to remember that I had all the ingredients, thanks to Brette finding a big box of Knox when he deep cleaned the kitchen for my birthday present... oh, the joy a clean kitchen brings me!!!

Okay, here is the super simple, fast and easy, way to make air freshener.

You will need:
A Jar to your liking, without it's lid, you want the smell to get out of the jar, right? If you don't have a pretty jar, maybe you have something pretty that you can hide a jar in, or hide the jar. The jar part is up to you, you know what you like!

2 cups of water, divided (no, not parted, that would require Moses)
4 packets of Knox unflavored gelatin
1 TBSP of salt (this inhibits mold)
Essential oils or home fragrance oils
Food coloring - optional

Instructions:
Heat one cup of water in a small saucepan until simmering and remove from heat.
Stir in gelatin until completely dissolved
Add remaining cup of water and stir
Add salt and stir till dissolved
Add the smelly stuff, 20-30 drops, or to your liking and stir
Add one or two drops of food coloring (optional)and stir
And stir one more time just for fun
Pour into your container and let sit for a few hours to solidify

Once it is set, you can give it a vigorous stir and break it into bits and pieces, fill a clear bowl and set in a candle... if you want to get all fancy, I'm about the practical. You can also glue all sorts of lace and ribbons to a canning jar if that is your style... it's your house, not mine :)

French Onion Soup

2009-10-06T14:26:00.000-07:00

The arrival of fall is welcome for so many reasons, one of which is the smell of delicious soups bubbling on the stove. Soup is one of the more simple things to cook, basically stuff of some sort with liquid of some sort. Now I'm sure there are people out there who have very refined palettes with matching vocabulary that would argue with my simple description, but you can't eat words, although at times I'm sure we all wish we or someone else could. I don't feel a strong desire to create elaborate descriptions of good food, I just want to eat it!

I think a lot of people are intimidated by what they perceive to be the difficult task of cooking a meal. Like all things, it takes some practice to have good knife skills and a nose that can distinguish between oregano and thyme. French Onion Soup, fortunately, is one of the most simple meals to make.

To begin with drink a glass of wine. Yes, the whole glass. Your creations take on your personality, and if you are all bent up and fearful of making mistakes, it shows in your results. Have you finished your wine? Go ahead, chug it, I'll wait.

Now, take a soothing stroll through the garden and gather your onions and thyme. Don't have a garden? Maybe another glass of wine? I'm serious about this relaxing stuff!

Now that you are relaxed (and maybe a little tipsy), lets break out the knives. Knives are the most basic of tools in the kitchen. Just like a carpenter has a hammer for nails and a screwdriver for screws, different knives do better at some tasks than others. You wouldn't want to hammer a nail with a screwdriver, so why would you cut an onion with a steak knife from DollarTree? Those cheap steak knives are great for slicing tomatoes, but really inefficient, bordering on dangerous, when cutting an onion. Use a big knife with a wide blade and make sure it is SHARP. Dull knives are frustrating because they don't cut, and often slip which has the potential of being really unpleasant. Here is a link to a youtube video on very basic knife skills.

So lets get started! The basic instructions are as follows: Drink a glass of wine, slice the onions, caramelize the onions, add the broth, let the flavors marry (so romantic), make some toast, put it all in a bowl, smother with cheese and devour. Make sure the person you want to kiss tonight has had a glass of wine and eats the soup too, it lowers their objection to the onion breath :)

French Onion Soup
8 servings

4 TBSP Butter
4 pounds of red onions, or a mix of red, yellow and sweet (6-8 medium onions)
4 32oz boxes of beef broth
4 sprigs of fresh thyme or 1 tsp dried
2 Bay leaves
Salt and Pepper
8 Slices of bread
8 oz Gruyere or Swiss cheese

In a large soup pot, over medium heat, melt the butter. Slice onions into 1/4" slices, adding to the pot as you go and very lightly salting. Let cook for about 45 minutes to caramelize (get soft and start to turn brown), stirring every 15 minutes or so... not too much. Hopefully you get some golden goodness stuck to the bottom of the pot, but if not, no worries, it will still taste fabulous! Pour in a container of beef broth and scrape up any goodies on the bottom. Add the remaining beef broth, thyme, bay leaves and a light grind of pepper. Bring to a boil and reduce heat. Simmer for about 30-45 minutes without the lid (you want the flavors to concentrate).

Heat your oven to 200 degrees and place the slices of bread on a rack to dry out for about 30 minutes, turning once. Or if your toaster really dries out your bread, use that instead... mine only makes an impression of being toasted or briquettes. Stale bread is great for this step!

Here is where things get tricky... I'm telling you it is complicated!!! Traditional French Onion soup is placed under the broiler to get the cheese all gooey and messy. However, I do not have fancy schmancy oven proof bowls, so I had to get ingenious, (all right, it's not all that clever, but it is a workaround). Take those dried out pieces of toast you made, carefully pile on cheese slices and put under the broiler for about 2 minutes, until the cheese gets good and gooey. Now pour some soupy goodness in a bowl and top with your cheesy toast... wait a moment before you eat it, cheese burns are not fun!

I always like to make big batches of soup so it is available for lunch or the freezer, but I understand that not everyone likes to do that. Below are the ingredients for 2 servings, and I'm sure you can do the math to adjust that for whatever your needs are. Now go chow down!

French Onion Soup Ingredients per 2 servings:
1 Tbsp Butter
1 pound of onion, about 2 medium*
1 32oz container beef broth
1 sprig fresh thyme or 1/4 tsp dried
1/2 bay leaf
2 slices of bread
2 oz Gruyere or Swiss Cheese
*Note, it won't take as long for a smaller batch of onions to caramelize.

Herbed Brown Rice

2009-10-03T11:17:00.001-07:00

In the fall I particularly like having something yummy baking in the oven. After months of avoiding the oven because it makes the house hot, I eagerly welcome the warmth and coziness from that wonderful kitchen appliance. There is something magical about cooking. Even cooking in an Easy-Bake, light-bulb-powered oven. You put something in raw, completely inedible and a while later pull out something warm and satisfying. The grumbling in your tummy stops and all seems right with the world for a short time. If only I felt the same glow of satisfaction from the dishwasher as I do from the oven!

One of my new favorites is a baked brown rice dish that is as easy and cheap as it is delicious. It is simple to change the flavors and create something different to suit whatever you are craving, just follow the base recipe and adjust the seasoning to something that satisfies your yearnings.

Herbed Brown Rice
serves 1-6, depending on the size of the grumbling in your tummy

Base:
1 1/2 cups Brown Rice
1 can Chicken Broth + water to equal 2 1/2 cups liquid
1 TBSP Butter
Salt and Pepper to taste (about 1 tsp kosher salt)

Seasoning:
1 tsp dried thyme
1/8 tsp dried dill
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp dried minced onion
handful of chopped nuts (almonds and filberts are good)
1 can mushrooms, drained

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place rice in a covered baking dish (or use a square baking dish and seal tightly with foil). In a Saucepan, heat liquid, butter & seasonings until boiling. Pour over rice and stir. Cover dish and bake for one hour. Let rest for 15 minutes before serving.

Another version is:
Creamy Spinach Chicken and Rice

Base:
1 1/2 cups Brown Rice
1 can Condensed milk + Chicken broth to equal 2 1/2 cups liquid
1 TBSP Butter
Salt and Pepper to taste (about 1 tsp kosher salt)

Seasoning:
1 cup cooked chicken, or 1 can of chicken, drained
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp dried minced onion
10 oz package of frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed of all liquid
1 can mushrooms, drained

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place rice in a covered baking dish (or use a square baking dish and seal tightly with foil), and mix in shredded cheese and chicken. In a saucepan, heat liquid, butter and seasonings until boiling. Pour over rice and stir. Cover dish and bake for one hour. Let rest for 15 minutes before serving.

Pumpkin Pasta

2009-10-02T11:18:00.000-07:00

Fall is officially here! To welcome my favorite season, yesterday I baked three pie pumpkins from the garden. I love pumpkins, and not just because their presence indicates my birthday finally approaching. I saved a bit of the pumpkin to cook for dinner and baked the rest for pies and what not.

I tried two ways to bake the pumpkin as a test to see the easiest way to remove the skin. For both I cut the pumpkins in half and scooped out the seeds and stringy stuff.

For pumpkin 1 I left the pumpkin in two halves with the skin on. I placed it in a baking dish with a 1/4 inch of water (to prevent burning and sticking) and baked at 400 degrees for about 40 minutes, until it was fork tender. I let it cool and then removed the peel. My hands got messy and the peel stuck in places so I still needed to use a vegetable peeler to get it off, but it didn't require the hand strength that pumpkin 2 below did.

For Pumpkin 2 I cut each pumpkin half into wedges and removed the peel with a vegetable peeler. Then I cut it into large chunks and placed in a baking dish with 1/4 inch of water. I baked at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes. This was by far the easier and less messy route, and it doesn't require that much hand strength, only slightly more than a carrot or apple. However, I could see if you had arthritis or carpal tunnel or some other issue, this might not be easier.

Regardless of which method you use to bake your pumpkin, you end up still needing to process it for a recipe. I tried the food mill first and didn't really get anywhere so I switched over to my favorite kitchen appliance... the Kitchen Aid Food Processor. Yes, it is a spendy little critter, but it is worth every single penny in my book! Of course there are more frugal options out there, but if you are going to use your food processor like I do, I say bigger is better and get one that will last! But I digress, constantly, I digress, but again that is me digressing... so back on topic. I didn't want to use the 'S' blade since that can sometimes liquefy, so I instead opted for the plastic blade that I think is used for pie crusts or other pastry. This worked great! You have to stop and scrape the bowl several times, but it keeps everything a good texture.

Three medium sized pie pumpkins gave me about 14 cups of puree. I measured it out into 2 cup portions, glopped it neatly into vacuum freezer bags, and vacuum sealed it all up. To keep things neat and tidy, I folded the edge of the freezer bags over a clean quart container for yogurt. This allowed for easier packaging because I only have two hands, instead of the required three used in putting pumpkin into a bag... one to hold the bag open, one to hold the measuring cup of pumpkin and one to scrape the pumpkin from the measuring cup.

Of course, you can avoid all the above hassle by purchasing cans of pumpkin. Personally, I'm satisfied with my $1.29 for one pumpkin plant, knowing it is organic, and far superior taste. It is more work, but it's not complicated and it doesn't take that much time. Another benefit of processing your own pumpkins is the seeds!

To prepare your pumpkin seeds, wash them off under cool water in a strainer and remove any pulp. You don't have to be excruciatingly picky about getting the pulp out, or you can be if that's your style. Most of it bakes down to nothing noticeable. Once you have your seeds rinsed and drained, pour out onto a towel and get them dried off. The basic recipe at this point is to lightly coat with vegetable oil (olive has a strong flavor) or a bit of butter, and lightly salt. Spread onto a baking sheet and roast at 275 degrees for about an hour, stirring a couple of times while roasting. It's tempting to stick one in your mouth fresh out of the oven, but I would advise you to wait a few minutes... trust me on this.

Party Pepitas
3 cups pumpkin seed
3 TBSP Butter
1 tsp Seasoning Salt
1 tsp Garlic Powder
1/4 tsp Onion Powder
1 1/2 TBSP Worcestershire Sauce

Melt butter. Stir seasoning salt, garlic powder, onion powder and Worcestershire into melted butter. Mix butter mixture with pumpkin seeds to coat. Pour onto a baking sheet and spread out evenly. Roast at 275 degrees for about one hour, stirring every 20 minutes.

Now after all that cooking, I was hungry, and after all that reading, you are finally getting to the point of today's post:

Caramelized Pumpkin Pasta!
for 2 servings:

2 cups raw pumpkin, cubed into 1 inch pieces
1 medium yellow or sweet onion, sliced into 1/4" rings
6 fresh mushrooms, quartered
1/4 cup packed fresh sage leaves julienned (about 6 large leaves)
5 cloves of garlic, sliced thin
Pinch of nutmeg
1/2 - 1 TBSP Olive Oil
2 TBSP Butter + 3 TBSP Butter
Mizithra cheese or Parmesean
Spaghetti noodles or Spaghetti squahs, how much depends on how hungry you are :)

Add olive oil to a small pan over med-low heat, and place garlic slices in pan in a single layer. Cook until barely starting to turn golden. Watch carefully as you don't want to over cook. This takes about 20 minutes.

Add 2 TBSP butter to large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add in sliced onions and pumpkin. Cook for about 5 minutes and place mushrooms on top. Ccook for about 10 minutes. Turn pumpkin pieces to brown on other side and give onions a slight stir to prevent burning. Add sage and nutmeg, cover. Cook for about 10 minutes more, or until onions and pumpkin are caramelizing. Pour garlic and oil over pumpkin mix and turn of heat.

In the small pan that had the garlic, add the 3 TBSP butter and cook over med-high heat until butter begins to brown. Remove from heat.

To serve, place spaghetti in a bowl, top with some cheese, spoon brown butter over top. Place pumpkin and onion mixture on top and cover with more cheese. Enjoy.

Grandpa Jim's Pink Beans, good cheap eats!

2009-09-28T21:42:00.000-07:00

My Grandpa Jim was an interesting man. I remember being over for dinner at his house one time. My other Grandpa was there and had said something mean and hurtful to me, so I had left the dinner table to got sit in the living room. A short time later my Grandpa Jim had excused himself from dinner to visit the bathroom and on his return paused and looked at me with loving understanding. I felt comfortable enough at that moment to say something along the lines of "Grandpa Walt is an ass hole." Very calmly without skipping a beat, Grandpa Jim replied, "Yes he is, but you can't say that. You need to respect your elders even if they are ass holes." I love Grandpa Jim.

He had a rough life and I'm happy to know that the last half was filled with love for my Grandma, a comfy chair, a great library filled with good books, evening cocktails and one very agile and loving cat. He taught my Father many things, some very tasty meals being on the list. Here is his recipe for Pink Beans... just because you are poor doesn't mean you have to eat poor tasting food.

Grandpa Jim's Pink Beans (So simple it is amazing they taste so good!)
1 large onion, chopped
2 pounds of pink beans (that is their name, they are NOT pinto beans)
2 smoked ham hocks
1/2 tsp - 1 tsp crushed red pepper, to taste
salt and pepper to taste at the end

Soak beans in a large pot over night. In the morning, pour off the water.
Around 10 am, add to beans the chopped onion, ham hocks and red pepper. Cover with water.
Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer all day long, stirring occasionally, more so toward the end of cooking.
Dinner will be ready around 5 or 6 pm. Serve with bread and butter.
Makes anywhere from 8-12 servings, depending on what you call a serving :)
Costs around $5-$6 for a full recipe, which ends up being anywhere from $.75 or less a serving.