This was so easy and so good. I feel like a slacker using a pudding mix, but it's worth it for the taste!
Chocolate pie
Pre-cook and cool your favorite nut crust from the "Desserts" post.
In a medium bowl, mix together:
1 small box chocolate pudding mix (Jell-o brand was gf last I checked, but I'd call to make sure)
2 c. ice cream
1 c. milk
Pour it into your crust and refrigerate for a couple of hours or overnight
Beat until soft peaks form or shake in a tightly sealed jar until stiff:
1 c. heavy whipping cream
1/2 t. vanilla
1 t. sugar or 1 T. powdered sugar
pinch of salt
Spread over your chocolate pie and top with chocolate shavings.
Top with cool whip, if you can't make your own whip cream.
-Jennifer
Thursday, November 15, 2012
Desserts
I'll flesh this out more tomorrow, but I wanted to get the basics up here so you had something to work with.
These are notes from my friend Lynn about what she does for her gf pies
+++++
I make crust with almond flour . . . probably not easy for her to get, but
she can grind them herself if she has almonds and a coffee grinder.
JOC nut crust: 375 oven, 2 cups almonds (or walnuts or pecans) chopped to
meal or ground, mixed in with a fork the following: 4 tbs. softened butter,
3 tbs. sugar, 1/4 tsp. salt. Press into pie plate; bake until golden brown,
10-15 min.
I do an apple pie with a more streusel-like topping with the almond crust
also. You could tell her to do JOC nut crust (pre-bake it), do filling for
JOC Apple Pie II (7 cups peeled, cored, and sliced apples; heat 3 tbs.
butter until sizzling, add apples, toss and cover and cook on medium,
stirring frequently, until apples are softened on outside but slightly
crunchy, 5-7 min; stir in 3/4 c. sugar, 1/2 tsp. cinnamon, 1/8 tsp. salt;
cook on high until apples boil and juices become thick and syrupy (3 min.),
immediately spread on wax paper-lined baking sheet to cool to room temp; put
in cooled nut crust), and bake it with a streusel topping made from ground
almonds, butter, and a some brown sugar mixed together (Try this one: 1 cup
ground nuts, 1/3 cup brown sugar, 3 tbs. butter, mixed with a fork and
spread over top of pie filling before baking). I'd bake the thing at 375
until the filling has begun to bubble, over an hour? I don't remember how
long I bake apple pie . . .
Another yummy dessert that I have made in the past is a pre-baked nut crust,
filled with sliced pears, caramel poured over it in ribbons (cook 1 c. sugar
and 1/4 c. water on medium until it barely starts to turn golden brown, not
stirring at all, shaking the pan a bit to help clarify the sugar), and then
pour on a custard made from 1 egg, 1/2 cup milk, 2 tbs. sugar, and 1 tsp.
vanilla whisked very well together. Bake at 400 until pears are soft and
custard is firm, 20-30 min.
++++
Cornbread Stuffing
Stuffing is probably the hardest thing for me to give up at
Thanksgiving. I love bread stuffing! Ah, well... I love the people I
spend Thanksgiving with more than bread stuffing, so I'll survive
without it.
Make the Southern cornbread the day before, so that it's cool and easy to chop for this recipe.
Cornbread Stuffing
Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Chop into cubes
1 recipe southern cornbread
Put on a rimmed cookie sheet (I grew up calling these jelly-roll pans, but I'm not sure what the rest of the world calls them). Toast them in the oven for 5 minutes to dry them out a little.
Turn oven down to 350
Heat in a large skillet over medium heat:
4-8 T. butter
Add and cook, stirring, until tender (5 minutes)
2 c. chopped onion
1 c. chopped celery
1 seeded and chopped green bell pepper
1 seeded and chopped red bell pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced (or pressed in a garlic press)
Remove from heat and stir in:
1/4-1/2 c. minced fresh parsley
1 t. dried or 1 T. fresh chopped sage
1 t. dried or 1 T. fresh thyme
3/4 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper
Stir into bread cubes. You can add up to1 cup of chicken stock at this point. It depends how you like your stuffing. If you like it more firm, you can also add 1-2 beaten eggs. I usually add some stock and no eggs.
Pour into a shallow baking dish and bake at 350 (or really, whatever temp you have the oven at for everything else) for 25-40 minutes, or until a crust is formed on top and it is heated through.
-Jennifer
Make the Southern cornbread the day before, so that it's cool and easy to chop for this recipe.
Cornbread Stuffing
Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Chop into cubes
1 recipe southern cornbread
Put on a rimmed cookie sheet (I grew up calling these jelly-roll pans, but I'm not sure what the rest of the world calls them). Toast them in the oven for 5 minutes to dry them out a little.
Turn oven down to 350
Heat in a large skillet over medium heat:
4-8 T. butter
Add and cook, stirring, until tender (5 minutes)
2 c. chopped onion
1 c. chopped celery
1 seeded and chopped green bell pepper
1 seeded and chopped red bell pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced (or pressed in a garlic press)
Remove from heat and stir in:
1/4-1/2 c. minced fresh parsley
1 t. dried or 1 T. fresh chopped sage
1 t. dried or 1 T. fresh thyme
3/4 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper
Stir into bread cubes. You can add up to1 cup of chicken stock at this point. It depends how you like your stuffing. If you like it more firm, you can also add 1-2 beaten eggs. I usually add some stock and no eggs.
Pour into a shallow baking dish and bake at 350 (or really, whatever temp you have the oven at for everything else) for 25-40 minutes, or until a crust is formed on top and it is heated through.
-Jennifer
Cornbread
This is the recipe I made for you at least once while you were here and works well as a side anytime (especially with chili).
Southern Cornbread
Preheat oven to 450.
Place a heavy 9-inch skillet, preferably cast-iron, or 8x8 baking pan:
1 T. bacon fat, lard, vegetable shortening (or in a pinch, butter)
Whisk together:
1 3/4 c. stoneground corn meal (I used Hodgson Mills)
1 t. baking powder
1 t. baking soda
3/4 t. salt
Whisk in another bowl until foamy:
2 eggs
Whish in:
2 cups buttermilk
(I rarely have buttermilk, but it's easy to make a substitute. I put 1 T. lemon juice for each cup of milk into a measuring cup and add milk to equal a cup - for this recipe, I put in 2 T. lemon juice and add 1 7/8 c. milk. Let it sit for 5 minutes and it works like buttermilk for most recipes)
Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir until just blended.
Place skillet or pan in oven and heat until the fat smokes (or just melted and the pan is hot. Smoking fat always scares me a little). Pour in all of the batter at once and return to the oven. Bake for 20-25 minutes until the top is browned and the center feels firm when pressed lightly.
I'll put the rest of the cornbread stuffing recipe in another post.
-Jennifer
Southern Cornbread
Preheat oven to 450.
Place a heavy 9-inch skillet, preferably cast-iron, or 8x8 baking pan:
1 T. bacon fat, lard, vegetable shortening (or in a pinch, butter)
Whisk together:
1 3/4 c. stoneground corn meal (I used Hodgson Mills)
1 t. baking powder
1 t. baking soda
3/4 t. salt
Whisk in another bowl until foamy:
2 eggs
Whish in:
2 cups buttermilk
(I rarely have buttermilk, but it's easy to make a substitute. I put 1 T. lemon juice for each cup of milk into a measuring cup and add milk to equal a cup - for this recipe, I put in 2 T. lemon juice and add 1 7/8 c. milk. Let it sit for 5 minutes and it works like buttermilk for most recipes)
Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir until just blended.
Place skillet or pan in oven and heat until the fat smokes (or just melted and the pan is hot. Smoking fat always scares me a little). Pour in all of the batter at once and return to the oven. Bake for 20-25 minutes until the top is browned and the center feels firm when pressed lightly.
I'll put the rest of the cornbread stuffing recipe in another post.
-Jennifer
Carmelized Onion Sweet Potatoes
My friend Lynn found this one many years ago. It's the only reason sweet potatoes made it onto our Thanksgiving table, as none of us were big fans of the mashed, sweetened variety with marshmallows on top.
The original recipe is posted here:
http://www.bhg.com/recipe/vegetables/mashed-sweet-potatoes-with-caramelized-onions/
We've made a few changes, but not many.
Carmelized Onion Sweet Potatoes
4-8 Tablespoons butter
2 pounds yellow onions, peeled, halved, and thinly sliced (7 cups)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 pounds sweet potatoe
1/2 cup milk
1/3 cup sour cream
Directions
To caramelize the onions, in a large skillet heat 2-4 Tablespoons of the butter over low heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring frequently, about 1 hour or until golden brown, very soft and sweet. Season with the 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper. Remove from the heat; set aside (This can be done in advance)
Poke holes in the potatoes with a fork and roast them for about an hour at 400 degrees. This can be done the day before, then peel and mash them.
(The other option is to peel and chop the potatoes into 1/2 inch cubes. I don't know if you've ever peeled and chopped a raw sweet potato, but it's a pain!)
Add the remaining butter to the hot mashed potatoes and let melt. If your potatoes aren't hot enough to melt the butter, just melt it over medium low heat and add it to the potatoes. Stir in the milk, sour cream, and salt and pepper to taste. Stir in caramelized onions, reserving a few onions for garnish. Cook and stir over low heat until heated through. Transfer to a serving dish. Top with reserved onions.
If you are making it advance, skip the "heat it through" step and put it in the fridge overnight. Then, cover it and put it in the oven with everything else and heat it through. It will probably take 30- 45 minutes at any temperature from 325-375.
Makes 8 to 10 servings.
-Jennifer
The original recipe is posted here:
http://www.bhg.com/recipe/vegetables/mashed-sweet-potatoes-with-caramelized-onions/
We've made a few changes, but not many.
Carmelized Onion Sweet Potatoes
4-8 Tablespoons butter
2 pounds yellow onions, peeled, halved, and thinly sliced (7 cups)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 pounds sweet potatoe
1/2 cup milk
1/3 cup sour cream
Directions
To caramelize the onions, in a large skillet heat 2-4 Tablespoons of the butter over low heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring frequently, about 1 hour or until golden brown, very soft and sweet. Season with the 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper. Remove from the heat; set aside (This can be done in advance)
Poke holes in the potatoes with a fork and roast them for about an hour at 400 degrees. This can be done the day before, then peel and mash them.
(The other option is to peel and chop the potatoes into 1/2 inch cubes. I don't know if you've ever peeled and chopped a raw sweet potato, but it's a pain!)
Add the remaining butter to the hot mashed potatoes and let melt. If your potatoes aren't hot enough to melt the butter, just melt it over medium low heat and add it to the potatoes. Stir in the milk, sour cream, and salt and pepper to taste. Stir in caramelized onions, reserving a few onions for garnish. Cook and stir over low heat until heated through. Transfer to a serving dish. Top with reserved onions.
If you are making it advance, skip the "heat it through" step and put it in the fridge overnight. Then, cover it and put it in the oven with everything else and heat it through. It will probably take 30- 45 minutes at any temperature from 325-375.
Makes 8 to 10 servings.
-Jennifer
Wilted Spinach Salad
We've done a lot of different salads over the years. This is the one thing that has changed almost every year. Otherwise, we are pretty set on the menu.
Wilted Spinach Salad
6 cups (5-ounces) fresh spinach leaves, washed, dried, and chilled
2 slices bacon, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup sliced red onion
1/4 teaspoon coarse or sea salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly-ground pepper
1/8 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 tablespoon good-quality aged balsamic vinegar
1 pear, seeded and thinly sliced
bleu cheese to taste
Preparation:
Remove stems and veins from spinach and tear into bite-sized pieces; place spinach in a large bowl.
In a small frying pan over medium heat, fry bacon approximately 5 minutes or until crisp; transfer with slotted spoon to paper towel-lined plate, leaving fat in pan.
Return frying pan to medium heat; add 1 T. oil, onion, salt, pepper, and sugar. Cook 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onion is slightly softened. Add balsamic vinegar; swirl to incorporate.
Pour warm dressing over spinach and toss gently to wilt (when properly wilted, the leaf edges soften slightly, but the spinach retains some crunch).
Using the same pan, add remaining oil and pears. Return to medium heat and cook 2-3 minutes until pears are just softened slightly.
Sprinkle pears, bacon and bleu cheese over spinach and serve immediately.
Makes 4 servings.
-Jennifer
Cream of Mushroom Soup
This recipe showed up on our Thanksgiving table about 10 years ago.
Dan and I were still living in Dallas, TX when we ate at a great restaurant on Greenville Avenue. I think it was call "The Grape" or something like that. I'm not sure what made me order it, but I ordered their Cream of Mushroom soup. Once I had it, I couldn't believe that Campbell's soup had the audacity to call their condensed soup by the same name! I had to search out a recipe and thankfully, my Joy of Cooking provided.
Here's the recipe with a few modifications:
Cream of Mushroom Soup
Heat over high heat until the butter is melted:
3 1/2 T. Olive Oil
1 T. butter
Add:
1/2 cup chopped shallots
1 1/2 pounds mushrooms, wiped clean and sliced
I prefer about 1/2 of them to be some type of wild mushrooms. We've used dried before. If you need to do that, just purchase a couple of ounces of dried and reconstitute them by putting them in hot water for about 30 minutes. Save the water and use it as part of the stock for the soup.
Cook, stirring, until the mushrooms are wilted (about 5 minutes)
Add:
3 T. dry sherry
1 t. dried thyme or 1 T. fresh thyme
Reduce heat to low and cook for 5 minutes, stirring constantly, scraping the bottom of the pan.
Stir in:
6 cups chicken broth (or any vegetable broth - sub in the mushroom reconstituting water for some of it, if you have it) If you like soup really thick, cut this down to 4 1/2 cups.
1/2 t. salt
3/4 t. pepper
Bring to a boil, reduce to medium to simmer for 20 minutes. I usually make this very early in the day and let it sit after this step. Soup almost always benefits from sitting a little.
Just before serving, heat the soup to a simmer and add:
1/2 c. heavy cream
maybe a little more salt
Serve in warmed bowls with a thyme or parsley garnish.
-Jennifer
Dan and I were still living in Dallas, TX when we ate at a great restaurant on Greenville Avenue. I think it was call "The Grape" or something like that. I'm not sure what made me order it, but I ordered their Cream of Mushroom soup. Once I had it, I couldn't believe that Campbell's soup had the audacity to call their condensed soup by the same name! I had to search out a recipe and thankfully, my Joy of Cooking provided.
Here's the recipe with a few modifications:
Cream of Mushroom Soup
Heat over high heat until the butter is melted:
3 1/2 T. Olive Oil
1 T. butter
Add:
1/2 cup chopped shallots
1 1/2 pounds mushrooms, wiped clean and sliced
I prefer about 1/2 of them to be some type of wild mushrooms. We've used dried before. If you need to do that, just purchase a couple of ounces of dried and reconstitute them by putting them in hot water for about 30 minutes. Save the water and use it as part of the stock for the soup.
Cook, stirring, until the mushrooms are wilted (about 5 minutes)
Add:
3 T. dry sherry
1 t. dried thyme or 1 T. fresh thyme
Reduce heat to low and cook for 5 minutes, stirring constantly, scraping the bottom of the pan.
Stir in:
6 cups chicken broth (or any vegetable broth - sub in the mushroom reconstituting water for some of it, if you have it) If you like soup really thick, cut this down to 4 1/2 cups.
1/2 t. salt
3/4 t. pepper
Bring to a boil, reduce to medium to simmer for 20 minutes. I usually make this very early in the day and let it sit after this step. Soup almost always benefits from sitting a little.
Just before serving, heat the soup to a simmer and add:
1/2 c. heavy cream
maybe a little more salt
Serve in warmed bowls with a thyme or parsley garnish.
-Jennifer
Thanksgiving Already?
I'm not sure how the time passed so darned quickly, but here we are a week out from Thanksgiving and I'm just now getting these recipes to you. I'm sorry for the delay!
As I told you in the email, these are our menu items this year:
First Course:
Cream of Mushroom Soup
Rolls (we use Scharr brand for the gf people and the rest are made in a separate kitchen, frozen before the final rise and pulled out to use that day)
Salad Course:
Wilted Spinach Salad with pears, bleu cheese and red onions
(this changes from year to year)
Main Course:
Turkey
Mashed potatoes (we make both regular and dairy free)
Cornbread Stuffing
Carmelized onion sweet potatoes
Cranberry Sauce
Gravy
Green bean casserole (French's Onions are not gf, so I'll give you a few substitues)
Dessert:
gf/df pumpkin and apple pie
My friend is also planning to do a chocolate pie with a hazelnut crust. I'm not sure what her recipe is, but I'm going to give you a super-simple recipe, since you all can have dairy.
So---
Let's go!
-Jennifer
As I told you in the email, these are our menu items this year:
First Course:
Cream of Mushroom Soup
Rolls (we use Scharr brand for the gf people and the rest are made in a separate kitchen, frozen before the final rise and pulled out to use that day)
Salad Course:
Wilted Spinach Salad with pears, bleu cheese and red onions
(this changes from year to year)
Main Course:
Turkey
Mashed potatoes (we make both regular and dairy free)
Cornbread Stuffing
Carmelized onion sweet potatoes
Cranberry Sauce
Gravy
Green bean casserole (French's Onions are not gf, so I'll give you a few substitues)
Dessert:
gf/df pumpkin and apple pie
My friend is also planning to do a chocolate pie with a hazelnut crust. I'm not sure what her recipe is, but I'm going to give you a super-simple recipe, since you all can have dairy.
So---
Let's go!
-Jennifer
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Potato and Egg Hash
This is another fast lunch for us. It is a throw-it-together-from-all-the-leftovers-in-the-fridge special at our house. Somehow, when you put the eggs over the top, it makes it taste like something exciting and new :-).
Potato and Egg Hash
Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add and melt:
1-2 Tablespoons butter
Add and cook 5-7 minutes, stirring often, until the potatoes are softened:
1 potato, chopped in 1/2 inch cubes (if I made too many baked potatoes, I use that here. It cooks a little faster then)
1/4 chopped onion
Add:
1/2 cup or so of ham or leftover chicken, pork or beef, chopped in 1/2 inch cubes
1/2 cup frozen cut green beans (or a leftover vegetables or any other frozen veggie you like)
Cook, stirring frequently, until heated through.
Whisk:
2 eggs
Pour evenly over the mixture in the pan and cover. Cook until the eggs are set - usually 5 minutes (It's a little guess-work for me on the time here, since I'm usually tending to kids and trying not to let it burn...)
This should be a fairly hearty meal for one.
-Jennifer
Potato and Egg Hash
Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add and melt:
1-2 Tablespoons butter
Add and cook 5-7 minutes, stirring often, until the potatoes are softened:
1 potato, chopped in 1/2 inch cubes (if I made too many baked potatoes, I use that here. It cooks a little faster then)
1/4 chopped onion
Add:
1/2 cup or so of ham or leftover chicken, pork or beef, chopped in 1/2 inch cubes
1/2 cup frozen cut green beans (or a leftover vegetables or any other frozen veggie you like)
Cook, stirring frequently, until heated through.
Whisk:
2 eggs
Pour evenly over the mixture in the pan and cover. Cook until the eggs are set - usually 5 minutes (It's a little guess-work for me on the time here, since I'm usually tending to kids and trying not to let it burn...)
This should be a fairly hearty meal for one.
-Jennifer
Fried Rice
I thought of you today when I made this for my kids for lunch. It's a great way to use leftover rice and it's such a quick meal to put together that it makes regular appearances on our table.
There are much fancier ways to do it, but this is a basic recipe. I usually add a frozen or leftover vegetable (the favorite here is peas, which is why they are in the recipe, but put in whatever you want). If I have a little leftover chicken or pork, I'll chop it up very small and put it in, too. Just add it when you add the vegetable.
Fried Rice
In a small bowl, whip together:
2 eggs
a dash of salt
In a large, flat-bottomed skillet, heat over medium-high heat:
1 Tablespoon oil (I usually use canola)
Pour the eggs in all at once and tilt the pan to spread them out. You want a big, flat, egg pancake. Cook them until they are set. If you need to, pick up a corner of the eggs and tip some of the liquid onto the pan to get them all set. They should be dry-looking. Chop them up with a spatula and put in a bowl off to the side.
In the same skillet, heat:
1-2 Tablespoons sesame oil (you can use another oil in a pinch, but it will lose some of that unique flavor)
Add:
2 cups leftover rice (or whatever you have that's close to 2 cups. It's a very forgiving recipe!)
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger or 1/2 teaspoon dried ground ginger
1/4 of an onion, really finely chopped (you can skip this and add scallions-green onions at the end, but I don't always have green onions on hand and I rarely am without a regular onion)
Cook, stirring, until very hot. Add:
1/2 cup frozen peas (or vegetable/leftover meat of your choice)
Heat until the vegetable is warmed. Then add back in the eggs and 1 sliced scallion(green onion), if you don't use regular onion in the recipe.
You're done! The whole thing usually takes me 10 minutes.
Serve it with soy-sauce.
If you want to get fancy with your fried rice, you can use this recipe. It is delicious, but not as quick or easy
http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/southeast-asian-fried-rice-10000001949703/
-Jennifer
There are much fancier ways to do it, but this is a basic recipe. I usually add a frozen or leftover vegetable (the favorite here is peas, which is why they are in the recipe, but put in whatever you want). If I have a little leftover chicken or pork, I'll chop it up very small and put it in, too. Just add it when you add the vegetable.
Fried Rice
In a small bowl, whip together:
2 eggs
a dash of salt
In a large, flat-bottomed skillet, heat over medium-high heat:
1 Tablespoon oil (I usually use canola)
Pour the eggs in all at once and tilt the pan to spread them out. You want a big, flat, egg pancake. Cook them until they are set. If you need to, pick up a corner of the eggs and tip some of the liquid onto the pan to get them all set. They should be dry-looking. Chop them up with a spatula and put in a bowl off to the side.
In the same skillet, heat:
1-2 Tablespoons sesame oil (you can use another oil in a pinch, but it will lose some of that unique flavor)
Add:
2 cups leftover rice (or whatever you have that's close to 2 cups. It's a very forgiving recipe!)
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger or 1/2 teaspoon dried ground ginger
1/4 of an onion, really finely chopped (you can skip this and add scallions-green onions at the end, but I don't always have green onions on hand and I rarely am without a regular onion)
Cook, stirring, until very hot. Add:
1/2 cup frozen peas (or vegetable/leftover meat of your choice)
Heat until the vegetable is warmed. Then add back in the eggs and 1 sliced scallion(green onion), if you don't use regular onion in the recipe.
You're done! The whole thing usually takes me 10 minutes.
Serve it with soy-sauce.
If you want to get fancy with your fried rice, you can use this recipe. It is delicious, but not as quick or easy
http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/southeast-asian-fried-rice-10000001949703/
-Jennifer
Saturday, September 1, 2012
Cornmeal "Dutch Baby"
This is a Dutch pancake. When you make it with flour, it puffs up and can be run to the table for dramatic effect. We serve it for special breakfasts and brunches with berry preserves or jam or even just powdered sugar.
There's a whole story about Pannekoekan in my family. We took a trip to Minnesota for Thanksgiving with my aunt and uncle. My parents drove until late in the night on Wednesday night and slept in a hotel with all six of us kids. This was in the time before refrigerators and microwaves were in all of the hotel rooms, so they couldn't just pack breakfast for us. They planned to have us eat a quick, small breakfast at some place like McDonald's. Since it was Thanksgiving Day, though, none of those were open. The only restaurant in the town was a Pannekoekan House. We kids were all impressed with the waitstaff at the restaurant who would run across in wooden shoes yelling "Pannekoekan! Pannekoekan!" so that they could get to your table while the cake was still puffed up. It was, I'm sure, far more expensive than they'd intended and far more filling. We all arrived at my aunt's house still full from breakfast and did not do justice to the very full Thanksgiving table she had prepared for us. We never heard the end of it!
I was quite excited to see this recipe and it's been a favorite with our kids.
This version, made with cornmeal, doesn't puff up as well. However, it tastes great.
Cornmeal Dutch Baby
Preheat your oven to 425.
If you have a 10-inch cast iron skillet or other oven-proof skillet, you start this on the stove top. If not, use a large pie plate or 8x8 baking pan (or if you're cooking for more than 2 people, double the recipe and make it in a 9x13 pan) and just put it in the oven.
Put in your pan
3-4 Tablespoons butter
If you are starting on the stove top, melt it over medium heat. If you are starting in the oven, just put the butter in the pan and pop it in the oven to melt.
while its melting, whisk together:
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup cornmeal (finer grind is better than stone ground for this, but both are good)
1/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
Pour the batter into the pan and let heat for 1 minute on the stove top (skip this step, obviously, if you are not using a stove top proof pan).
Put the pan in the oven for 12-15 minutes, or until the middle is set (not jiggly).
Serve as soon as possible with a dusting of powdered sugar or a spoonful of jam.
-Jennifer
There's a whole story about Pannekoekan in my family. We took a trip to Minnesota for Thanksgiving with my aunt and uncle. My parents drove until late in the night on Wednesday night and slept in a hotel with all six of us kids. This was in the time before refrigerators and microwaves were in all of the hotel rooms, so they couldn't just pack breakfast for us. They planned to have us eat a quick, small breakfast at some place like McDonald's. Since it was Thanksgiving Day, though, none of those were open. The only restaurant in the town was a Pannekoekan House. We kids were all impressed with the waitstaff at the restaurant who would run across in wooden shoes yelling "Pannekoekan! Pannekoekan!" so that they could get to your table while the cake was still puffed up. It was, I'm sure, far more expensive than they'd intended and far more filling. We all arrived at my aunt's house still full from breakfast and did not do justice to the very full Thanksgiving table she had prepared for us. We never heard the end of it!
I was quite excited to see this recipe and it's been a favorite with our kids.
This version, made with cornmeal, doesn't puff up as well. However, it tastes great.
Cornmeal Dutch Baby
Preheat your oven to 425.
If you have a 10-inch cast iron skillet or other oven-proof skillet, you start this on the stove top. If not, use a large pie plate or 8x8 baking pan (or if you're cooking for more than 2 people, double the recipe and make it in a 9x13 pan) and just put it in the oven.
Put in your pan
3-4 Tablespoons butter
If you are starting on the stove top, melt it over medium heat. If you are starting in the oven, just put the butter in the pan and pop it in the oven to melt.
while its melting, whisk together:
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup cornmeal (finer grind is better than stone ground for this, but both are good)
1/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
Pour the batter into the pan and let heat for 1 minute on the stove top (skip this step, obviously, if you are not using a stove top proof pan).
Put the pan in the oven for 12-15 minutes, or until the middle is set (not jiggly).
Serve as soon as possible with a dusting of powdered sugar or a spoonful of jam.
-Jennifer
Sunday, August 26, 2012
Shrimp Pad Thai
This is one of my favorite show-off meals. Most people have only had it in a restaurant, if ever, and they think it's really hard to make or full of exotic ingredients. In my experience, it's pretty simple and most ingredients are easy to find.
One ingredient that can be a little different is the fish sauce. You can find it in the ethnic section of most grocery stores. It's generally cheap (yeah!) and in a huge bottle. It is shelf stable for years. I keep mine in the fridge, but that's only because I don't want it lost in the back of the pantry. I really don't need two bottles of it just because I couldn't find the first. I've been cooking with fish sauce for 10 years and I'm only on my second bottle!
The other is bean sprouts. Although you can make your own with a little moisture and some dried beans, it's a whole lot easier to buy them. The produce section of the grocery store usually has them near some of the herbs or in an ethnic section. HyVee has them bulk here, but they are also pre-packaged in a lot of stores. If you can't find them fresh, they exist in a canned version. It's not nearly as good, though. These don't keep well, so buy them within a day or two of when you plan to use them. Also, rinse them very well.
This recipe is from Joy of Cooking. The prep work is a little time consuming, but if you're serving it to guests, all of that can be done in advance. The actual cooking time is pretty short. It serves 3-4 people (or two if you're really hungry). Leftovers are good reheated in the microwave.
If I remember correctly, we made this for you a couple of years ago. Maybe it was before you left for Italy?
Shrimp Pad Thai
Soak in hot water for 20-30 minutes:
6 ounces dried rice stick noodles (they are wide noodles that are about 6 inches long)
Drain and cover.
Stir together in a medium bowl:
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
Peel, devein and halve lengthwise
8 oz. large shrimp
(or you can do what I do, and find the cheaper medium shrimp and don't bother halving them. Also, most shrimp comes deveined and if it doesn't, you don't have to do it if you don't want to bother. It's purely aesthetic)
Toss into the cornstarch mixture and marinate for 15-20 minutes.
Place in a small bowl:
3 large eggs, well-beaten
Place on a small plate:
1/2 cup scallions in 1 1/2 inch pieces (we use fresh chives or scallions, depending on what we have available. You could even use plain white onion, just use about 1/2 the amount and cut it in thin strips. The green is prettier, though)
2-3 fresh red chili peppers, chopped (if you can't find these or don't want it as spicy, you can skip this part and just add the crushed red pepper at the end to your taste preference)
2 Tablespoons finely minced garlic (I use about 6 cloves pressed through my garlic press)
Stir together in a small bowl:
1/4 cup thai fish sauce (nam pla is the thai name. I use whatever fish sauce I can find, since my choices are limited)
1/4 cup lemon juice
3 Tablespoons sugar
On a plate, put these in clockwise order starting at the top (you add them in this order at the end in fairly quick succession, so it's easiest if they are all arrayed on a plate):
1/2 cup bean sprouts
1/3 cup roasted, unsalted peanuts, coarsely chopped (I have a friend who actually adds a tablespoon of crunchy peanut butter to the fish sauce bowl above and skips this, but I prefer the chopped peanuts)
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, cut in thin strips
1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper (more or less, depending on your preference in spiciness)
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
To cook:
Heat a wok (because everybody has one, right? Just kidding!) or a large skillet over high heat. When it's hot, pour in:
1/3 cup peanut oil (you can use another oil, but the flavor is best with peanut. It's also generally considered the best oil for stir-frying)
Swirl it around until it is hot, but not smoking - this happens really quickly. Maybe 20 seconds?
Add shrimp and cook until they are translucent (or until they are pink and white like cocktail shrimp). Remove to a plate with paper towels on it.
Add 2 more tablespoons peanut oil and swirl briefly.
Slowly pour in the eggs, stirring constantly, and cook until set. Remove to a plate
Add 3 more tablespoons peanut oil and swirl again.
Add the scallion/garlic mixture and stir briefly (10 seconds, just enough that the garlic browns a little - try not to burn the garlic, although I find it's nearly impossible when cooking at high temperatures).
Add the noodles and stir until well coated.
Add the fish sauce mixture and stir well.
Add the shrimp.
Add the eggs and stir well.
Add the ingredients on the plate in the order given and stir after adding each.
Serve!
One ingredient that can be a little different is the fish sauce. You can find it in the ethnic section of most grocery stores. It's generally cheap (yeah!) and in a huge bottle. It is shelf stable for years. I keep mine in the fridge, but that's only because I don't want it lost in the back of the pantry. I really don't need two bottles of it just because I couldn't find the first. I've been cooking with fish sauce for 10 years and I'm only on my second bottle!
The other is bean sprouts. Although you can make your own with a little moisture and some dried beans, it's a whole lot easier to buy them. The produce section of the grocery store usually has them near some of the herbs or in an ethnic section. HyVee has them bulk here, but they are also pre-packaged in a lot of stores. If you can't find them fresh, they exist in a canned version. It's not nearly as good, though. These don't keep well, so buy them within a day or two of when you plan to use them. Also, rinse them very well.
This recipe is from Joy of Cooking. The prep work is a little time consuming, but if you're serving it to guests, all of that can be done in advance. The actual cooking time is pretty short. It serves 3-4 people (or two if you're really hungry). Leftovers are good reheated in the microwave.
If I remember correctly, we made this for you a couple of years ago. Maybe it was before you left for Italy?
Shrimp Pad Thai
Soak in hot water for 20-30 minutes:
6 ounces dried rice stick noodles (they are wide noodles that are about 6 inches long)
Drain and cover.
Stir together in a medium bowl:
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
Peel, devein and halve lengthwise
8 oz. large shrimp
(or you can do what I do, and find the cheaper medium shrimp and don't bother halving them. Also, most shrimp comes deveined and if it doesn't, you don't have to do it if you don't want to bother. It's purely aesthetic)
Toss into the cornstarch mixture and marinate for 15-20 minutes.
Place in a small bowl:
3 large eggs, well-beaten
Place on a small plate:
1/2 cup scallions in 1 1/2 inch pieces (we use fresh chives or scallions, depending on what we have available. You could even use plain white onion, just use about 1/2 the amount and cut it in thin strips. The green is prettier, though)
2-3 fresh red chili peppers, chopped (if you can't find these or don't want it as spicy, you can skip this part and just add the crushed red pepper at the end to your taste preference)
2 Tablespoons finely minced garlic (I use about 6 cloves pressed through my garlic press)
Stir together in a small bowl:
1/4 cup thai fish sauce (nam pla is the thai name. I use whatever fish sauce I can find, since my choices are limited)
1/4 cup lemon juice
3 Tablespoons sugar
On a plate, put these in clockwise order starting at the top (you add them in this order at the end in fairly quick succession, so it's easiest if they are all arrayed on a plate):
1/2 cup bean sprouts
1/3 cup roasted, unsalted peanuts, coarsely chopped (I have a friend who actually adds a tablespoon of crunchy peanut butter to the fish sauce bowl above and skips this, but I prefer the chopped peanuts)
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, cut in thin strips
1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper (more or less, depending on your preference in spiciness)
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
To cook:
Heat a wok (because everybody has one, right? Just kidding!) or a large skillet over high heat. When it's hot, pour in:
1/3 cup peanut oil (you can use another oil, but the flavor is best with peanut. It's also generally considered the best oil for stir-frying)
Swirl it around until it is hot, but not smoking - this happens really quickly. Maybe 20 seconds?
Add shrimp and cook until they are translucent (or until they are pink and white like cocktail shrimp). Remove to a plate with paper towels on it.
Add 2 more tablespoons peanut oil and swirl briefly.
Slowly pour in the eggs, stirring constantly, and cook until set. Remove to a plate
Add 3 more tablespoons peanut oil and swirl again.
Add the scallion/garlic mixture and stir briefly (10 seconds, just enough that the garlic browns a little - try not to burn the garlic, although I find it's nearly impossible when cooking at high temperatures).
Add the noodles and stir until well coated.
Add the fish sauce mixture and stir well.
Add the shrimp.
Add the eggs and stir well.
Add the ingredients on the plate in the order given and stir after adding each.
Serve!
BBQ Sauce (and a coleslaw recipe, just for fun)
Making BBQ sauce is extremely easy. It's about the only way I can make sure that the sauce is safe to serve to my gluten-free friends and still tastes good. Both of these recipes are from Cooking Light magazine.
The first should be flavors you recognize- Gates BBQ from Kansas City!
Kansas City BBQ Sauce
Combine all ingredients in a medium sauce pan:
1 cup plus 2 Tablespoons ketchup
1 cup water
1/3 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 Tablespoon onion powder (I've made it with fresh onion, too - just grate it and add a little extra)
1 Tablespoon chili powder
1 Tablespoon ground black pepper
1 1/2 Tablespoons molasses
3/4 teaspoon celery seed
1/2 teaspoon smoked salt (McCormick makes some, so you should be able to find it in the grocery store. It's a great addition to steamed vegetables if you want a little different flavor. Dan actually smokes his own. If we have any the next time you are in town, we'll send some home with you!)
Bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce to a simmer and simmer for 25 minutes.
As far as I can tell, this keeps for months. It makes 2 1/2 cups of sauce, so you'll have plenty to share with friends if you don't want that much. It's great over chicken or pork
Memphis BBQ sauce
This has a slight mustard flavor. My favorite way to eat it is over pulled pork with the coleslaw recipe below on top.
Combine all ingredients in a medium sauce pan:
1 cup ketchup
3/4 cup white (plain) vinegar
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
1 Tablespoon onion powder (again, use grated fresh if you don't have the dried)
2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce (Check to make sure it's gluten-free)
2 Tablespoons mustard
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
Bring to a simmer and cook 5 minutes. Best served warm, but leftovers come out cold at my house and I haven't heard anyone complain :-).
Memphis Coleslaw
This is a slightly different coleslaw that isn't sweet. I like it by itself, but it's really good on pulled pork with the Memphis BBQ sauce.
Combine in a large bowl:
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1 1/2 Tablespoons mustard
1 1/2 Tablespoons white (plain) vinegar
1 Tablespoon mayonnaise
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
Add and toss to coat:
6 cups chopped green cabbage
-Jennifer
The first should be flavors you recognize- Gates BBQ from Kansas City!
Kansas City BBQ Sauce
Combine all ingredients in a medium sauce pan:
1 cup plus 2 Tablespoons ketchup
1 cup water
1/3 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 Tablespoon onion powder (I've made it with fresh onion, too - just grate it and add a little extra)
1 Tablespoon chili powder
1 Tablespoon ground black pepper
1 1/2 Tablespoons molasses
3/4 teaspoon celery seed
1/2 teaspoon smoked salt (McCormick makes some, so you should be able to find it in the grocery store. It's a great addition to steamed vegetables if you want a little different flavor. Dan actually smokes his own. If we have any the next time you are in town, we'll send some home with you!)
Bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce to a simmer and simmer for 25 minutes.
As far as I can tell, this keeps for months. It makes 2 1/2 cups of sauce, so you'll have plenty to share with friends if you don't want that much. It's great over chicken or pork
Memphis BBQ sauce
This has a slight mustard flavor. My favorite way to eat it is over pulled pork with the coleslaw recipe below on top.
Combine all ingredients in a medium sauce pan:
1 cup ketchup
3/4 cup white (plain) vinegar
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
1 Tablespoon onion powder (again, use grated fresh if you don't have the dried)
2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce (Check to make sure it's gluten-free)
2 Tablespoons mustard
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
Bring to a simmer and cook 5 minutes. Best served warm, but leftovers come out cold at my house and I haven't heard anyone complain :-).
Memphis Coleslaw
This is a slightly different coleslaw that isn't sweet. I like it by itself, but it's really good on pulled pork with the Memphis BBQ sauce.
Combine in a large bowl:
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1 1/2 Tablespoons mustard
1 1/2 Tablespoons white (plain) vinegar
1 Tablespoon mayonnaise
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
Add and toss to coat:
6 cups chopped green cabbage
-Jennifer
Shall we consider the maternity leave over?
It's been 3 1/2 weeks since William was born and I've not had a chance to sit down to blog! I'm sorry for my absence and can't wait until you get a chance to meet the reason for my break in posting recipes.
On the plus side, I just spent three weeks hanging out with a gluten-free friend and her kids, so I have a lot of new recipes to add :-).
Jennifer
On the plus side, I just spent three weeks hanging out with a gluten-free friend and her kids, so I have a lot of new recipes to add :-).
Jennifer
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
Watermelon Salsa
We were lucky enough to get our first watermelon from our own garden this year! It was small, so I wanted to find a way to make it last a little. I found a great recipe from Cooking Light magazine (which I changed to fit the ingredients I had) and we paired it with grilled chicken. It was a fun way to use the fruits of the season.
The portions are huge for one person in the original recipe, so I'm going to try to trim it to a more reasonable amount for you and a roommate or friend.
Watermelon Salsa
1 cup chopped watermelon
1 cup chopped cantaloupe (or you can use honeydew melon or any other melon you like)
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
Juice from one lime, or about 1 tablespoon lime juice
1 lime worth of grated lime rind
2-3 shakes of chili powder (depending on how spicy you like it)
1/2 of a jalapeno finely minced (again, adjust this to your spicy-taste)
1 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped onion
Salt to taste
Mix it all together and let it sit for 15 minutes to meld the flavors.
-Jennifer
The portions are huge for one person in the original recipe, so I'm going to try to trim it to a more reasonable amount for you and a roommate or friend.
Watermelon Salsa
1 cup chopped watermelon
1 cup chopped cantaloupe (or you can use honeydew melon or any other melon you like)
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
Juice from one lime, or about 1 tablespoon lime juice
1 lime worth of grated lime rind
2-3 shakes of chili powder (depending on how spicy you like it)
1/2 of a jalapeno finely minced (again, adjust this to your spicy-taste)
1 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped onion
Salt to taste
Mix it all together and let it sit for 15 minutes to meld the flavors.
-Jennifer
Bulk cooking for one?
It seems a little crazy, but you can do some bulk buying and cooking for one. It's a great way to save money and make sure that the ingredients you are using are definitely gluten free.
I was thinking about this as we were getting ready for the arrival of my gluten-intolerant friends from Texas. My friend Lynn comes to visit when I have a baby for about three weeks to help around the house with laundry, cooking, cleaning, kid-watching, etc. (we do the same for her when she has a baby) It's a great arrangement! I wanted to make things easy for her to feed my 4 older kids and her 3 kids. It can be a challenge when we're both up and running and becomes really challenging when one of us is hanging out in bed!
Anyway, to make things run smoothly it works best if we don't have to worry about cooking meat or beans; ingredients we need for almost every meal. Sometimes, you just want to grab already prepared ingredients, throw them together and feed a pile of people. Since we can't have most of the easy, pre-prepared/processed foods, we make our own. Some of what you can do will depend on your freezer space. Investing in a small chest freezer may be a good idea if you find that you enjoy cooking this way.
Quick Note on Containers
You can re-use sour cream or yogurt containers if they have lids, or you can buy the re-usable/disposable gladware style containers you find in the store. Both are easy to label and stack. I don't recommend using ziplock bags- they break easily and it is difficult to do quick thaws- especially if you are using a microwave to thaw. Empty mayo and pickle jars are also handy to have on hand for saving leftovers in the fridge. However, freezing with them can be difficult since glass doesn't give the same way plastic does and you can end up with broken jars in your freezer.
Roasted chicken
I have a lot of mouths to feed, so I cook 4 chickens at a time when they go on sale. It takes the same amount of time in the oven for 4 as it does for one. Then, I strip the chicken from the bones, chop it and put it into freezer containers that are about what I need for one recipe. For me, that's 2-3 cup containers. For you, one cup containers probably make more sense. I'll use this to put together things like the Tabbouleh salad or chicken tacos as well as a quick lunch where I grab chicken and frozen peas, thaw them and put them in front of the kids. Protein and a vegetable make lunch, right?
Recipe for Roasted Chicken:
Rinse chicken and remove the giblet bag (very important! I've had friends accidentally cook the chicken with the bag in it...yuck!). Make sure the chicken is all the way thawed. If it starts frozen in the middle, it will stay raw in the middle and overcook on the outside. My quick and dirty way to flavor it is to peel and quarter an onion and stuff it inside the chicken. You can also halve and throw a lemon or orange in for flavor if you have an old one in your fruit drawer... Then rub olive oil inside and outside the chicken and sprinkle with salt and pepper. If you can stick some salt and pepper under the skin on the breast, it's even better. Put in in a casserole dish and bake at 400 degrees for about an hour. If you prick the leg or thigh the juices will run clear. It should register at 175 on a meat thermometer.
Roasted pork
This works on the same principle as the chicken. I use pork shoulder roasts, since they are inexpensive. They have the added benefit of being very tender and forgiving. Its hard to mess up a pork shoulder. There's quite a bit of fat in it, so it can be cooked multiple times without much trouble. It shreds well for pork tacos or sandwiches. It's also darned tasty fresh from the oven!
Recipe for Roasted Pork
Get a rub you like, or mix equal parts salt, pepper, cumin, chile powder, paprika, and brown sugar (start with a tablespoon of each) then add a teaspoon of red pepper if you like a little spice (or more to taste) and a dash of nutmeg. Rub it all over the outside of the pork roast and put it in a 325 degree oven for four hours. This WILL heat your house up, so I usually do this when the weather is getting cooler. The roast is done when a meat thermometer reaches 185 in the thickest part of the roast, near the bone. At this point Dan and the kids start picking bits off the outside of the roast - samples are big in our house! Let it "rest" for 15 minutes so the juices can re-distribute throughout, then carve into whatever you want to serve. You can do 1/2 inch slices and serve with vegetables for dinner, then chop the rest into recipe-sized chunks and freeze in 1 cup containers for easy snacks, meals and recipe-sized portions.
Dried Beans
Dried beans are significantly cheaper than buying them canned, but if you're doing them on the stovetop, they take forever and are kind of a pain. However, if you have access to a crockpot, you can soak the beans overnight in a bowl, then throw them in the crockpot with an onion and any spices you like, cover them with water that goes about 2 inches above the level of the beans and turn the crockpot on low for 10 hours. They end up about perfect. Then, you can use what you'd like and portion the rest out into your freezer. If you are going to freeze the beans, I find it best to drain them before freezing so they come out looking like beans instead of mush. If you make a lot of bean soups, though, you can freeze it with the liquid. I'll try to remember post my favorite black bean soup recipe for you.
Boy this ended up being a long post. I hope it's a little useful as something besides bedtime reading when you're suffering from insomnia!
-Jennifer (with quite a few edits from Dan)
I was thinking about this as we were getting ready for the arrival of my gluten-intolerant friends from Texas. My friend Lynn comes to visit when I have a baby for about three weeks to help around the house with laundry, cooking, cleaning, kid-watching, etc. (we do the same for her when she has a baby) It's a great arrangement! I wanted to make things easy for her to feed my 4 older kids and her 3 kids. It can be a challenge when we're both up and running and becomes really challenging when one of us is hanging out in bed!
Anyway, to make things run smoothly it works best if we don't have to worry about cooking meat or beans; ingredients we need for almost every meal. Sometimes, you just want to grab already prepared ingredients, throw them together and feed a pile of people. Since we can't have most of the easy, pre-prepared/processed foods, we make our own. Some of what you can do will depend on your freezer space. Investing in a small chest freezer may be a good idea if you find that you enjoy cooking this way.
Quick Note on Containers
You can re-use sour cream or yogurt containers if they have lids, or you can buy the re-usable/disposable gladware style containers you find in the store. Both are easy to label and stack. I don't recommend using ziplock bags- they break easily and it is difficult to do quick thaws- especially if you are using a microwave to thaw. Empty mayo and pickle jars are also handy to have on hand for saving leftovers in the fridge. However, freezing with them can be difficult since glass doesn't give the same way plastic does and you can end up with broken jars in your freezer.
Roasted chicken
I have a lot of mouths to feed, so I cook 4 chickens at a time when they go on sale. It takes the same amount of time in the oven for 4 as it does for one. Then, I strip the chicken from the bones, chop it and put it into freezer containers that are about what I need for one recipe. For me, that's 2-3 cup containers. For you, one cup containers probably make more sense. I'll use this to put together things like the Tabbouleh salad or chicken tacos as well as a quick lunch where I grab chicken and frozen peas, thaw them and put them in front of the kids. Protein and a vegetable make lunch, right?
Recipe for Roasted Chicken:
Rinse chicken and remove the giblet bag (very important! I've had friends accidentally cook the chicken with the bag in it...yuck!). Make sure the chicken is all the way thawed. If it starts frozen in the middle, it will stay raw in the middle and overcook on the outside. My quick and dirty way to flavor it is to peel and quarter an onion and stuff it inside the chicken. You can also halve and throw a lemon or orange in for flavor if you have an old one in your fruit drawer... Then rub olive oil inside and outside the chicken and sprinkle with salt and pepper. If you can stick some salt and pepper under the skin on the breast, it's even better. Put in in a casserole dish and bake at 400 degrees for about an hour. If you prick the leg or thigh the juices will run clear. It should register at 175 on a meat thermometer.
Roasted pork
This works on the same principle as the chicken. I use pork shoulder roasts, since they are inexpensive. They have the added benefit of being very tender and forgiving. Its hard to mess up a pork shoulder. There's quite a bit of fat in it, so it can be cooked multiple times without much trouble. It shreds well for pork tacos or sandwiches. It's also darned tasty fresh from the oven!
Recipe for Roasted Pork
Get a rub you like, or mix equal parts salt, pepper, cumin, chile powder, paprika, and brown sugar (start with a tablespoon of each) then add a teaspoon of red pepper if you like a little spice (or more to taste) and a dash of nutmeg. Rub it all over the outside of the pork roast and put it in a 325 degree oven for four hours. This WILL heat your house up, so I usually do this when the weather is getting cooler. The roast is done when a meat thermometer reaches 185 in the thickest part of the roast, near the bone. At this point Dan and the kids start picking bits off the outside of the roast - samples are big in our house! Let it "rest" for 15 minutes so the juices can re-distribute throughout, then carve into whatever you want to serve. You can do 1/2 inch slices and serve with vegetables for dinner, then chop the rest into recipe-sized chunks and freeze in 1 cup containers for easy snacks, meals and recipe-sized portions.
Dried Beans
Dried beans are significantly cheaper than buying them canned, but if you're doing them on the stovetop, they take forever and are kind of a pain. However, if you have access to a crockpot, you can soak the beans overnight in a bowl, then throw them in the crockpot with an onion and any spices you like, cover them with water that goes about 2 inches above the level of the beans and turn the crockpot on low for 10 hours. They end up about perfect. Then, you can use what you'd like and portion the rest out into your freezer. If you are going to freeze the beans, I find it best to drain them before freezing so they come out looking like beans instead of mush. If you make a lot of bean soups, though, you can freeze it with the liquid. I'll try to remember post my favorite black bean soup recipe for you.
Boy this ended up being a long post. I hope it's a little useful as something besides bedtime reading when you're suffering from insomnia!
-Jennifer (with quite a few edits from Dan)
Monday, July 30, 2012
"Tabbouleh"
Real Tabbouleh is made with bulger, but after making it with quinoa for Heather's shower, we decided we'd just make it with quinoa from now on. We liked it better than the original.
The original recipe came from Cooking Light, and all I did was change out the grains. It did require a little change in preparation.
Quinoa Tabblouleh
The original recipe came from Cooking Light, and all I did was change out the grains. It did require a little change in preparation.
Quinoa Tabblouleh
- 3/4 c. uncooked quinoa
- 1 1/2 cup water
- 2 cups chopped skinless, boneless rotisserie chicken breast (I use leftover chicken. That will be part of the next post)
- 1 cup chopped plum tomato
- 1 cup chopped English cucumber (I'm pretty sure I just used regular cucumber)
- 3/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
- 1/2 cup (2 ounces) crumbled feta cheese (Optional if you are trying to avoid milk, but I really like feta)
- 1/3 cup finely chopped green onions
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh mint (or 1 T. dried. I don't often have fresh mint on hand)
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon bottled minced garlic (or you can run a clove of garlic through the garlic press)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Preparation
- Place quinoa and water in a medium saucepan over high heat, covered. When it gets to a boil, turn it down to a simmer and cook for about 15 minutes - until the quinoa is lightened with just one spot in the middle of it. Remove from heat and fluff with a fork.
- Combine chicken and remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Add quinoa to chicken mixture; toss gently to combine.
Sunday, July 29, 2012
Tortillas and tortilla chips
Tortillas
We love to make our own tortillas. It's fairly quick and makes corn tortillas so much better!
2 cups masa harina (Maseca brand is the easiest to find. Usually it's in the ethnic food section near the salsas)
1 cup water
Mix them together thoroughly. It's about the consistency of playdough when you have it right.
Roll it into balls - about 1-inch in diameter, or a little larger, depending on your preference in tortilla size.
Put a ziploc plastic bag on the table. Put one ball on top of the bag. Cover it with another ziploc bag. Take the heaviest pan you have and squash out the ball until it's flat. (If you can find a tortilla press, use the plastic bags inside the tortilla press, but it's a bit easier to squash it out flat.)
Preheat a griddle or pan (again, the cast iron is great here, but any skillet will work) over medium-high heat. Don't put any fat in the pan, just leave it dry. Place your tortilla on the pan. After 1-2 minutes, it should be easy to slide the tortilla. If it's not, let it go a little longer until it is. Flip it and heat the other side for 30 seconds - 1 minute. Again, it should be easy to slide. Put the finished tortilla in a towel and cover it to keep it warm and moist until you've finished making tortillas.
These are great with a little butter and salt while they are hot. Obviously, they work for tacos. They are also handy for rolling anything you might like in a sandwich - meat, cheese, veggies, etc.
Tortilla Chips
You can use the homemade tortillas or store-bought tortillas to make your own chips. These are especially good for chilaquilles. Unlike store-bought chips, though, they can't really be stored. You have to make them and serve them within a short amount of time. They can be freshened by putting them in medium-hot (350-400 degree) oven for about 5 minutes, but they aren't quite as good.
Slice your tortillas any way you like - strips, wedges, etc.
Use a medium sauce pan.
Add 1/2 inch of canola or vegetable oil.
Heat it over medium-high heat until when you throw in a tortilla piece it sizzles.
Add a handful of tortilla pieces. You can stir them a little with a wooden spoon as they cook. It will take 3-5 minutes, depending on how thick the pieces are, but when they are crisp, take them out and put them on a paper-towel lined plate. When you've fried all of them, add a little salt.
In both of these cases, the easiest thing to do is buy the tortillas or chips, but sometimes it's nice to make them yourself. It's also a handy way of knowing what went into them. I prefer canola oil to many of the other oils for frying things like this. Who knows what the final research will prove, but canola seems to have better reviews from the nutritionists than many others do.
We love to make our own tortillas. It's fairly quick and makes corn tortillas so much better!
2 cups masa harina (Maseca brand is the easiest to find. Usually it's in the ethnic food section near the salsas)
1 cup water
Mix them together thoroughly. It's about the consistency of playdough when you have it right.
Roll it into balls - about 1-inch in diameter, or a little larger, depending on your preference in tortilla size.
Put a ziploc plastic bag on the table. Put one ball on top of the bag. Cover it with another ziploc bag. Take the heaviest pan you have and squash out the ball until it's flat. (If you can find a tortilla press, use the plastic bags inside the tortilla press, but it's a bit easier to squash it out flat.)
Preheat a griddle or pan (again, the cast iron is great here, but any skillet will work) over medium-high heat. Don't put any fat in the pan, just leave it dry. Place your tortilla on the pan. After 1-2 minutes, it should be easy to slide the tortilla. If it's not, let it go a little longer until it is. Flip it and heat the other side for 30 seconds - 1 minute. Again, it should be easy to slide. Put the finished tortilla in a towel and cover it to keep it warm and moist until you've finished making tortillas.
These are great with a little butter and salt while they are hot. Obviously, they work for tacos. They are also handy for rolling anything you might like in a sandwich - meat, cheese, veggies, etc.
Tortilla Chips
You can use the homemade tortillas or store-bought tortillas to make your own chips. These are especially good for chilaquilles. Unlike store-bought chips, though, they can't really be stored. You have to make them and serve them within a short amount of time. They can be freshened by putting them in medium-hot (350-400 degree) oven for about 5 minutes, but they aren't quite as good.
Slice your tortillas any way you like - strips, wedges, etc.
Use a medium sauce pan.
Add 1/2 inch of canola or vegetable oil.
Heat it over medium-high heat until when you throw in a tortilla piece it sizzles.
Add a handful of tortilla pieces. You can stir them a little with a wooden spoon as they cook. It will take 3-5 minutes, depending on how thick the pieces are, but when they are crisp, take them out and put them on a paper-towel lined plate. When you've fried all of them, add a little salt.
In both of these cases, the easiest thing to do is buy the tortillas or chips, but sometimes it's nice to make them yourself. It's also a handy way of knowing what went into them. I prefer canola oil to many of the other oils for frying things like this. Who knows what the final research will prove, but canola seems to have better reviews from the nutritionists than many others do.
Chilaquiles
Chilaquiles
I'm starting with the basic thing I go to when I have people coming who have any number of allergies. One time, I had a birthday party where we had to avoid gluten, dairy, peanuts, soy and we had a child coming who was vegan. We somehow made it happen.
Chilaquiles - based on the Rick Bayless recipe out of Joy of Cooking
This makes about 4 cups, so enough for 3-4 decent servings
Heat in a medium-hot skillet (if you've got that cast iron skillet, this is a perfect spot for it):
1-2 fresh jalapeno peppers (I've been known to skip the heating part and just use pickled jalapenos in a pinch, but fresh is best)
2 large cloves of garlic, unpeeled
Roast, turning occasionally, until the peppers are blistered and blackened and the garlic is soft - 10-15 minutes. When it's cool enough to handle, peel the garlic and put the peppers and garlic in a food processor or blender and pulse until they are coarsely chopped (if you don't have a blender or food processor, or if you are making this for a birthday party the next day and you don't want to make that much noise, you can just chop them really finely). Then add and process until coarsely pureed:
28 oz. whole tomatoes (I keep the juices in, you can drain if you like. It also works to use diced tomatoes, especially if you don't have the said blender).
In a soup pot, heat over medium heat:
1-2 teaspoons canola or vegetable oil
Add and cook until nicely browned - 8-10 minutes:
1/2 onion, thinly sliced
Increase the heat to medium-high, add the tomato mixture. Cook for about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low and stir in:
3 cups chicken or vegetable broth or stock
Simmer for 15 minutes
Season with salt and pepper
Serve over thick home-style tortilla chips. You can buy these or make your own - I'll get into tortillas in the next post. Just put a handful of these into a bowl and pour the sauce over them.
You can have these things to serve on top:
shredded cheese
chopped fresh cilantro
sour cream
When I'm making this for brunch, I'll add a poached egg. When I'm making it for lunch or dinner, I'll shred some leftover chicken into the sauce and heat it through before serving.
Eleanor's version of Chilaquiles is quite a bit simpler:
Open a can of refried beans and put into a medium sauce pan, add 1/3 can of water and stir well. Heat until hot and bubbly. Serve over chips with the toppings listed above. It's the quick and dirty version that her aunt from Mexico taught her.
There are other ways to do it, too. If you make the sauce above, or purchase a really good salsa, you can layer a casserole pan with chips, then sauce, then cheese, then chips, then sauce, then cheese (similar to lasagna). Put it in the oven at 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes (until it is hot throughout and the cheese is all melted). Serve it like you would lasagna. Add a side of beans and a salad and it's a pretty solid meal for company.
The sauce above can be made ahead and refrigerated or frozen for an easy make-ahead meal.
I hope you have fun with this one. It's one of our family favorites.
-Jennifer
I'm starting with the basic thing I go to when I have people coming who have any number of allergies. One time, I had a birthday party where we had to avoid gluten, dairy, peanuts, soy and we had a child coming who was vegan. We somehow made it happen.
Chilaquiles - based on the Rick Bayless recipe out of Joy of Cooking
This makes about 4 cups, so enough for 3-4 decent servings
Heat in a medium-hot skillet (if you've got that cast iron skillet, this is a perfect spot for it):
1-2 fresh jalapeno peppers (I've been known to skip the heating part and just use pickled jalapenos in a pinch, but fresh is best)
2 large cloves of garlic, unpeeled
Roast, turning occasionally, until the peppers are blistered and blackened and the garlic is soft - 10-15 minutes. When it's cool enough to handle, peel the garlic and put the peppers and garlic in a food processor or blender and pulse until they are coarsely chopped (if you don't have a blender or food processor, or if you are making this for a birthday party the next day and you don't want to make that much noise, you can just chop them really finely). Then add and process until coarsely pureed:
28 oz. whole tomatoes (I keep the juices in, you can drain if you like. It also works to use diced tomatoes, especially if you don't have the said blender).
In a soup pot, heat over medium heat:
1-2 teaspoons canola or vegetable oil
Add and cook until nicely browned - 8-10 minutes:
1/2 onion, thinly sliced
Increase the heat to medium-high, add the tomato mixture. Cook for about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low and stir in:
3 cups chicken or vegetable broth or stock
Simmer for 15 minutes
Season with salt and pepper
Serve over thick home-style tortilla chips. You can buy these or make your own - I'll get into tortillas in the next post. Just put a handful of these into a bowl and pour the sauce over them.
You can have these things to serve on top:
shredded cheese
chopped fresh cilantro
sour cream
When I'm making this for brunch, I'll add a poached egg. When I'm making it for lunch or dinner, I'll shred some leftover chicken into the sauce and heat it through before serving.
Eleanor's version of Chilaquiles is quite a bit simpler:
Open a can of refried beans and put into a medium sauce pan, add 1/3 can of water and stir well. Heat until hot and bubbly. Serve over chips with the toppings listed above. It's the quick and dirty version that her aunt from Mexico taught her.
There are other ways to do it, too. If you make the sauce above, or purchase a really good salsa, you can layer a casserole pan with chips, then sauce, then cheese, then chips, then sauce, then cheese (similar to lasagna). Put it in the oven at 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes (until it is hot throughout and the cheese is all melted). Serve it like you would lasagna. Add a side of beans and a salad and it's a pretty solid meal for company.
The sauce above can be made ahead and refrigerated or frozen for an easy make-ahead meal.
I hope you have fun with this one. It's one of our family favorites.
-Jennifer
Basic Kitchen Equipment
I am assuming you've probably got your kitchen fairly well stocked,
since your mom just left. Sorry I didn't get this list to you sooner.
Dan and I were talking about what things we thought were most important to have in your kitchen. Here's our first pass at what we would try to have.
-cheap, but decent non-stick skillet
-small sauce pan
-large sauce pan
-soup pot
-cutting board
-decent knives (this is the one place I would spend a little more)
--a paring knife and a big carving knife are sufficient to start out, but you want something that can be sharpened and will keep and edge.
-mixing bowls (make sure there's at least one large one)
-plastic spatula
-plastic mixing spoon
-whisk (if you can find one that won't scratch non-stick, those are great)
-wooden spoon -measuring cups
-measuring spoons
-liquid measuring cup
-garlic press (unless you like the smell of garlic on your hands)
-small strainer/fine mesh sieve
-blender or food processor (both if you have space)
-One of our favorite kitchen pans is cast iron, but it's kind of a pain to season it. If your mom or grandma has one for you, take it! It's like having one of the really great,expensive pans, but you can almost never ruin it. If you forget and leave water in it, you just sand and re-season it. However, it's not necessary in a small kitchen.
Spices- If you have a Penzy's store in Kansas City, their spices are all wonderful and it is my understanding that they are all Gluten free. They end up being pretty close to the same price as grocery store brand, only you use less because they are fresher and more powerful. Don't buy spices at Aldi, as it is one of the things they tell you may be cross-contaminated.
We use these a lot:
-Chili powder
-Cayenne or Ground Red Pepper
-Cumin
-Oregano
-Mexican Oregano
-Basil
-Thyme
-Rosemary
-Cinnamon
-Nutmeg
-Vanilla
-Almond Extract
-Salt and Pepper (of course!)
Once you have the basic equipment and spices, the rest is pantry and perishables. In my pantry, I almost always have-
-Cornmeal
-Corn Starch
-Masa (Maseca brand is gluten-free and probably the easiest to find)
-Quinoa (it's a little tougher to find, so let me know if you need some and I'll ship it to you. It cooks as fast as white rice, but has a lot more fiber and protein. It's what I used to make the "tabbouleh" that we had for Heather's shower)
-Brown Rice (I prefer brown basmati, but others really like short grain brown)
-White Rice (sometimes, you just need it done fast or a little stickier than brown rice)
-black beans
-refried beans
-white beans of some sort (great northern or cannellini)
-garbanzo beans
-salsa
-canned tomatoes
-tomato sauce
-red wine vinegar
-white vinegar
-balsamic vinegar
-cider vinegar
-rice vinegar
-olive oil
-canola oil
-canned broth (chicken is easiest and most versatile - really watch labels here, since they seem to randomly add gluten where it's not necessary)
I usually keep a few bags of various frozen vegetables around. One of the easiest meals is rice, frozen vegetables and whatever leftover meat I have on hand with a little vinegar and olive oil.
I'll get recipes going now :-).
-Jennifer
Dan and I were talking about what things we thought were most important to have in your kitchen. Here's our first pass at what we would try to have.
-cheap, but decent non-stick skillet
-small sauce pan
-large sauce pan
-soup pot
-cutting board
-decent knives (this is the one place I would spend a little more)
--a paring knife and a big carving knife are sufficient to start out, but you want something that can be sharpened and will keep and edge.
-mixing bowls (make sure there's at least one large one)
-plastic spatula
-plastic mixing spoon
-whisk (if you can find one that won't scratch non-stick, those are great)
-wooden spoon -measuring cups
-measuring spoons
-liquid measuring cup
-garlic press (unless you like the smell of garlic on your hands)
-small strainer/fine mesh sieve
-blender or food processor (both if you have space)
-One of our favorite kitchen pans is cast iron, but it's kind of a pain to season it. If your mom or grandma has one for you, take it! It's like having one of the really great,expensive pans, but you can almost never ruin it. If you forget and leave water in it, you just sand and re-season it. However, it's not necessary in a small kitchen.
Spices- If you have a Penzy's store in Kansas City, their spices are all wonderful and it is my understanding that they are all Gluten free. They end up being pretty close to the same price as grocery store brand, only you use less because they are fresher and more powerful. Don't buy spices at Aldi, as it is one of the things they tell you may be cross-contaminated.
We use these a lot:
-Chili powder
-Cayenne or Ground Red Pepper
-Cumin
-Oregano
-Mexican Oregano
-Basil
-Thyme
-Rosemary
-Cinnamon
-Nutmeg
-Vanilla
-Almond Extract
-Salt and Pepper (of course!)
Once you have the basic equipment and spices, the rest is pantry and perishables. In my pantry, I almost always have-
-Cornmeal
-Corn Starch
-Masa (Maseca brand is gluten-free and probably the easiest to find)
-Quinoa (it's a little tougher to find, so let me know if you need some and I'll ship it to you. It cooks as fast as white rice, but has a lot more fiber and protein. It's what I used to make the "tabbouleh" that we had for Heather's shower)
-Brown Rice (I prefer brown basmati, but others really like short grain brown)
-White Rice (sometimes, you just need it done fast or a little stickier than brown rice)
-black beans
-refried beans
-white beans of some sort (great northern or cannellini)
-garbanzo beans
-salsa
-canned tomatoes
-tomato sauce
-red wine vinegar
-white vinegar
-balsamic vinegar
-cider vinegar
-rice vinegar
-olive oil
-canola oil
-canned broth (chicken is easiest and most versatile - really watch labels here, since they seem to randomly add gluten where it's not necessary)
I usually keep a few bags of various frozen vegetables around. One of the easiest meals is rice, frozen vegetables and whatever leftover meat I have on hand with a little vinegar and olive oil.
I'll get recipes going now :-).
-Jennifer
Friday, May 4, 2012
Welcome, Dani!
I'm hoping this post is a good start to easy cooking for you during your Medical School years. Cooking for one is hard. Cooking for one gluten-free gets more difficult. Trying to make it through med school without getting sick from someone else's cross-contamination makes the job necessary, though, and I hope these simple recipes will help you.
We'll miss having you here in Kirksville and we hope that your future schooling and career allow you to stay in touch with us!
Dan, Jennifer, Camden, Eleanor, Thomas, Michael and "Hambo #5"
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