No actual recipes in this post, just teasers. I've been poking about a lot of cookbooks lately--specifically Top Chef: The Cookbook. I got this book while visiting Book Expo America in NYC two years ago--Chronicle Books (an excellent publisher...check out their stuff and you may be surprised how much of it you're familiar with) was giving it away and having them signed by Hosea Rosenberg, Ariane Duarte, and Hung Huynh, all in order to promote a new book they were releasing (Top Chef: The Quickfire Cookbook). Though I watched season 2 of Top Chef during college, I haven't really followed it since...but I like it. And I love this cookbook. Here are some of the recipes I plan on adopting and adapting to my own demoniacal uses:
-Herb spaetzle (from scratch!)
-Espresso Shrimp Flambeed with Sambuca, wiith Roasted Hazelnut and Peanut Paste
-Mirin-Glazed Sea Bass
-Truffle and Cognac Mac + Cheese
-Portobello and Button Mushroom Cream Soup with Walnuts
-Grilled Cheese with Portobello Mushrooms and Roasted Red Pepper Soup
-Berry Cream, Roasted Mango, and Warm Apple Compote Tarts
-Molten Chocolate Cakes with Vanilla Creme Fraiche and Raspberry Coulis
-Low-Fat Berry Cheesecake
-Chocolate Ice Cream with Sauteed/Carmelized Banana
Look for Top Chef-inspired recipes soon!
Monday, August 30, 2010
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Jen's Easy Cheesy Quesadillas
We went to visit our fantastic friend Jen last night, and she made these for dinner. This is her go-to recipe for visitors. I suggest you try them!
-Tortillas
-Butter
-Shredded Mexican blend of cheese
-Pre-cooked chicken strips
1. Butter the tortillas. Just one side--this'll make them nice and crispy.
2. Cook the first layer. Put a tortilla butter side down in a pan over medium heat. Sprinkle cheese over it. Add chicken pieces. Wait until the cheese starts to look melty, then...
3. Add the second tortilla. Make sure you put it on butter side up. Wait for a bit until the cheese seems to have adhered to the top layer.
4. Flip the quesadilla. The bottom side should now be toasty and crisp. Wait a bit until the current bottom side gets crisp too.
5. Serve with sour cream and salsa.
You can get crazy and grate your own cheese, cook your own meat beforehand, and add whatever you like...black beans, hamburger, chili peppers...whatever. Enjoy!
-Tortillas
-Butter
-Shredded Mexican blend of cheese
-Pre-cooked chicken strips
1. Butter the tortillas. Just one side--this'll make them nice and crispy.
2. Cook the first layer. Put a tortilla butter side down in a pan over medium heat. Sprinkle cheese over it. Add chicken pieces. Wait until the cheese starts to look melty, then...
3. Add the second tortilla. Make sure you put it on butter side up. Wait for a bit until the cheese seems to have adhered to the top layer.
4. Flip the quesadilla. The bottom side should now be toasty and crisp. Wait a bit until the current bottom side gets crisp too.
5. Serve with sour cream and salsa.
You can get crazy and grate your own cheese, cook your own meat beforehand, and add whatever you like...black beans, hamburger, chili peppers...whatever. Enjoy!
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Kick-Ass Tuna Noodle Casserole of Awesomeness
Joe and I decided that, since we had two cans of tuna that have been in the pantry for...well...let's be optimistic and say a year...we should make tuna casserole. Everybody knows the basic ingredients...noodles, tuna, milk, cheese, veggies...but I was unsure as to the proportions. I poked through some of my favorite cookbooks (Fix it and Enjoy it Healthy Cookbook by Phyllis Pellman Good, a local Lancastrian; The New Best Recipe, All-New Edition [2004]), but couldn't find a recipe that rang true. After looking through my favorite cooking blogs, I finally found one that sounded like a good starting point. This isn't the easiest dish I've ever made, and not the quickest, but it's on the easier side of the middle range. Aaaand totally worth it! The fluffy noodles and chewy cheese combine to make an awesome texture, and you can pump this baby full of as much veggies as you want--though you are limited by the size of your casserole dish.
KA Tuna Noodle Casserole of Awesomeness
adapted from Simply Recipes
Makes 10 servings
16 oz extra wide egg noodles
8 oz sliced baby portabella mushrooms
3 cups frozen peas
1.5 cups sliced carrots
2 6 oz cans of tuna, drained
1 10 oz can cream of mushroom soup
4 cups shredded cheddar cheese (this'll be two small bags or one big one)
1/3 cup 1% milk (on the heavy side...probably 1/3c plus a few tablespoons)
2T granulated onion
1. Boil the water in the large pot. It sounds silly, but don't forget to put a lid on it...your water will boil MUCH faster.
2. When the water's boiling, add the veggies. Stir and let cook for about 7 minutes, until peas seem warmed through.
3. Use a slotted spoon to remove the veggies to a bowl. Set aside.
4A. Add the noodles to the water and cook until tender. Drain.
4B. While the noodles are cooking, saute the mushrooms. There's no need to add a fat--the mushrooms will release their own liquids and cook nicely in that. Cool, huh? That's about 8 minutes. Stir frequently!
5. Mix noodles, veggies, soup, milk, mushrooms, and granulated onion in the pot. If your pot is the size mine was...this will be somewhat difficult. Take it slow, Mac!
6. Grease your lasagna pan--bottom and sides.
7. Scoop the noodle mixture into the pan. Sprinkle with cheese and fold in (a wooden spoon works really well for this).
8. Bake in a 400-degree oven for 20 minutes.
Nutrition highlights: 377 calories, 4g fiber, 85% of your vitamin A, 37% of your calcium
KA Tuna Noodle Casserole of Awesomeness
adapted from Simply Recipes
Makes 10 servings
16 oz extra wide egg noodles
8 oz sliced baby portabella mushrooms
3 cups frozen peas
1.5 cups sliced carrots
2 6 oz cans of tuna, drained
1 10 oz can cream of mushroom soup
4 cups shredded cheddar cheese (this'll be two small bags or one big one)
1/3 cup 1% milk (on the heavy side...probably 1/3c plus a few tablespoons)
2T granulated onion
1. Boil the water in the large pot. It sounds silly, but don't forget to put a lid on it...your water will boil MUCH faster.
2. When the water's boiling, add the veggies. Stir and let cook for about 7 minutes, until peas seem warmed through.
3. Use a slotted spoon to remove the veggies to a bowl. Set aside.
4A. Add the noodles to the water and cook until tender. Drain.
4B. While the noodles are cooking, saute the mushrooms. There's no need to add a fat--the mushrooms will release their own liquids and cook nicely in that. Cool, huh? That's about 8 minutes. Stir frequently!
5. Mix noodles, veggies, soup, milk, mushrooms, and granulated onion in the pot. If your pot is the size mine was...this will be somewhat difficult. Take it slow, Mac!
6. Grease your lasagna pan--bottom and sides.
7. Scoop the noodle mixture into the pan. Sprinkle with cheese and fold in (a wooden spoon works really well for this).
8. Bake in a 400-degree oven for 20 minutes.
Nutrition highlights: 377 calories, 4g fiber, 85% of your vitamin A, 37% of your calcium
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Nutty Pig Omelet
Just now, I was inspired by an awesome and easy recipe I saw on The Kitchn (a great blog that can be found on my list to the right). They found a vintage book on canapes and photographed some of the pages. Here's the original canape recipe, paraphrased (cuz 40 words is too much to type):
Baconnette Canape
-Bacon
-Peanut butter
Spread slices of uncooked bacon with PB. Roll together, poke through with a toothpick, and cook under a flame until the bacon is done. Serve by inserting toothpicks into an apple.
---
So here's me: "Peanut butter and bacon? Bacon, with peanut butter. ... YES."
My first idea for combining these is to use the dastardly duo as an omelet filling. Though I haven't tried this out yet, I'm thinking I'd fry up the bacon first, then crumble into a bowl with PB and a little milk to help smooth it out. Cook up the omelet as usual (I have no tips for you here...through my many attempts to make omelets, I inevitably end up with scrambled eggs). I'd suggest serving with a dusting of powdered sugar. Mmm. And of course, this dish must be called the Nutty Pig Omelet. You are hereby forbidden to serve it without calling it by its proper name.
On the flip side of the day, you could also use the filling as an ice cream topper...that would be so good...or if you are lucky enough to own an ice cream maker (I will get one someday!), you could TOTALLY ribbon the filling into vanilla ice cream. Can you imagine? Vanilla ice cream with peanut butter bacon ripple. Sign me up! By the way, if you attempt this, the rough steps are to first make the vanilla ice cream in the maker--meanwhile, put a large metal bowl and spoon in the freezer--when the ice cream hits the proper soft stage, pour it into the bowl and spread it out up the sides. Drizzle the filling all over, then fold the sides in over the top. Mix gently, because the more you do, the less the ripple will show. Then plunk it in a freezer container and freeze for at least 24 hours. You should totally call this Nutty Pig ice cream. And serve with more crumbled bacon and chopped peanuts.
YESSSS. Thanks to The Kitchn and that rad vintage book for the inspiration!
Baconnette Canape
-Bacon
-Peanut butter
Spread slices of uncooked bacon with PB. Roll together, poke through with a toothpick, and cook under a flame until the bacon is done. Serve by inserting toothpicks into an apple.
---
So here's me: "Peanut butter and bacon? Bacon, with peanut butter. ... YES."
My first idea for combining these is to use the dastardly duo as an omelet filling. Though I haven't tried this out yet, I'm thinking I'd fry up the bacon first, then crumble into a bowl with PB and a little milk to help smooth it out. Cook up the omelet as usual (I have no tips for you here...through my many attempts to make omelets, I inevitably end up with scrambled eggs). I'd suggest serving with a dusting of powdered sugar. Mmm. And of course, this dish must be called the Nutty Pig Omelet. You are hereby forbidden to serve it without calling it by its proper name.
On the flip side of the day, you could also use the filling as an ice cream topper...that would be so good...or if you are lucky enough to own an ice cream maker (I will get one someday!), you could TOTALLY ribbon the filling into vanilla ice cream. Can you imagine? Vanilla ice cream with peanut butter bacon ripple. Sign me up! By the way, if you attempt this, the rough steps are to first make the vanilla ice cream in the maker--meanwhile, put a large metal bowl and spoon in the freezer--when the ice cream hits the proper soft stage, pour it into the bowl and spread it out up the sides. Drizzle the filling all over, then fold the sides in over the top. Mix gently, because the more you do, the less the ripple will show. Then plunk it in a freezer container and freeze for at least 24 hours. You should totally call this Nutty Pig ice cream. And serve with more crumbled bacon and chopped peanuts.
YESSSS. Thanks to The Kitchn and that rad vintage book for the inspiration!
Monday, August 16, 2010
Easy Scout Donuts!
Joe showed me this recipe last night...all I have to say is, thank god for boyscouts. This is one of many delicious treats Joe learned to make while on the trail with the scouts...if you have young sons, you should coerce them into joining the scouts just so they learn how to cook. If it is easy enough to make while camping...you can probably pull it off at home with a minimum of effort.
Easy Scout Donuts:
1 can of refrigerated buttermilk biscuit dough
Enough oil to fill a small saucepan
Powdered sugar
1. Shape the donut. Crack open the tube of dough, remove one biscuit, and poke a hole in the middle. Squish the dough into a shape befitting a proper donut.
2. Fry the donut. After heating the pot of oil on the stove, drop in the dough. Make sure that it doesn't stick to the sides or bottom of the pot. After a minute, flip over the donut with tongs. The donut should be a nice golden brown on both sides before you take it out of the oil...generally about 2 minutes or so. It's a pretty quick process.
3. Season the donut. Put powdered sugar in a bowl with a lid, add the hot donut, and shake to coat. You could also create a glaze by boiling sugar water until it's thick...or you could coat with regular sugar...cinnamon sugar...maple syrup...just think of the possibilities!
Nom.
Easy Scout Donuts:
1 can of refrigerated buttermilk biscuit dough
Enough oil to fill a small saucepan
Powdered sugar
1. Shape the donut. Crack open the tube of dough, remove one biscuit, and poke a hole in the middle. Squish the dough into a shape befitting a proper donut.
2. Fry the donut. After heating the pot of oil on the stove, drop in the dough. Make sure that it doesn't stick to the sides or bottom of the pot. After a minute, flip over the donut with tongs. The donut should be a nice golden brown on both sides before you take it out of the oil...generally about 2 minutes or so. It's a pretty quick process.
3. Season the donut. Put powdered sugar in a bowl with a lid, add the hot donut, and shake to coat. You could also create a glaze by boiling sugar water until it's thick...or you could coat with regular sugar...cinnamon sugar...maple syrup...just think of the possibilities!
Nom.
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Extra-harvest corn soup
The recipe for today is another inspiration from the Grey Goose cookbook...really a very worthwhile publication, and with beautiful photographs...plus, you know, recipes that involve alcohol of some kind. Even if the alcohol part gets cooked off, there's still something sexy about putting liquor in your meal. You know it. We harvested lots of corn this weekend from the garden...though a lot of it was eaten as corn-on-the-cob, and a goodly portion was blanched and frozen in bags, some of it was saved for this delicious dish.
4 cups of corn
6 cups of veggie broth
1.5 T italian seasoning
4T scotch
S+P
Garlic
1. Boil. Put corn and broth in saucepan, bring it to a boil, and simmer for about ten minutes.
2. Blendify. Process about 3/4 of the soup so that it's all blended and chowdery. Try not to use a small food processor that only takes about 3 tablespoons at a time and doesn't handle liquids well.
3. Final cookage. Put all the soup, blended and not, back in the saucepan and add the spices and scotcheroony. Simmer for about half an hour. Yer done! You can serve chilled, if you like, or make some pigs-in-a-blanket and call it a day.
4 cups of corn
6 cups of veggie broth
1.5 T italian seasoning
4T scotch
S+P
Garlic
1. Boil. Put corn and broth in saucepan, bring it to a boil, and simmer for about ten minutes.
2. Blendify. Process about 3/4 of the soup so that it's all blended and chowdery. Try not to use a small food processor that only takes about 3 tablespoons at a time and doesn't handle liquids well.
3. Final cookage. Put all the soup, blended and not, back in the saucepan and add the spices and scotcheroony. Simmer for about half an hour. Yer done! You can serve chilled, if you like, or make some pigs-in-a-blanket and call it a day.
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Grilled Pineapple
This recipe is modified from the ingenious Grey Goose cookbook. It's pretty easy, and makes a tasty dessert when you're grilling. I mean, nothing says "Impressive" and "Fancy" like "Grilled Pineapple." Try it on your friends. Say..."I'm having sausage, baked potato, and corn on the cob, with grilled pineapple for dessert." They will inevitably say something like..."Oooo." Or "When do I get to come over to your house?"
1 pineapple
Rum of choice (I like coconut rum combined with some dark rum)
Brown sugar
Pumpkin pie spice
1. Prep the pineapple. Cut off the top and bottom of the pineapple. Don't remove the rind. Cut the fruit in quarters lengthwise. Remove the corner of the core that is on the point of each pineapple wedge. Make a long slice lengthwise, then several perpendicular to the center line.Arrange the quarters on a plate.
2. Add liquor. Mix a few tablespoons of each rum together and pour slowly over the pineapple quarters. Try to get the rum in the slices.
3. Add brown sugar. Press a bit of brown sugar onto all the juicy sides of the pineapple.
4. Add spices. Sprinkle the pumpkin pie spice lightly over the quarters.
5. Grill. Put those suckas on the grill for about 15 minutes. I recommend starting them on the top rack and moving them down for the last few minutes.
5B. Make sauce. While the pineapple is grilling, pour some rum, brown sugar, and spices into a saucepan. Reduce over medium heat until you've got the viscosity you want. I will say that if you want the sauce to be thick, you will need more that a few shots of rum. Also, keep in mind that breathing in the steam over the cooking rum WILL make you a bit tipsy.
6. Serve. Have a sharp knife on hand to cut the fruit from the rind. Enjoy with some more of that rum...
1 pineapple
Rum of choice (I like coconut rum combined with some dark rum)
Brown sugar
Pumpkin pie spice
1. Prep the pineapple. Cut off the top and bottom of the pineapple. Don't remove the rind. Cut the fruit in quarters lengthwise. Remove the corner of the core that is on the point of each pineapple wedge. Make a long slice lengthwise, then several perpendicular to the center line.Arrange the quarters on a plate.
2. Add liquor. Mix a few tablespoons of each rum together and pour slowly over the pineapple quarters. Try to get the rum in the slices.
3. Add brown sugar. Press a bit of brown sugar onto all the juicy sides of the pineapple.
4. Add spices. Sprinkle the pumpkin pie spice lightly over the quarters.
5. Grill. Put those suckas on the grill for about 15 minutes. I recommend starting them on the top rack and moving them down for the last few minutes.
5B. Make sauce. While the pineapple is grilling, pour some rum, brown sugar, and spices into a saucepan. Reduce over medium heat until you've got the viscosity you want. I will say that if you want the sauce to be thick, you will need more that a few shots of rum. Also, keep in mind that breathing in the steam over the cooking rum WILL make you a bit tipsy.
6. Serve. Have a sharp knife on hand to cut the fruit from the rind. Enjoy with some more of that rum...
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