The Comestible Station

homemade yogurt

2010-12-31T09:09:00.007-06:00

a few years back i tried to make yogurt in a crockpot using some powdered yogurt starter (and milk i guess). it didn't make because the crockpot on low is still too hot and kills the bacteria that makes the yogurt. i figured i needed a yogurt maker but then an indian friend described how she makes yogurt just by, in the morning, boiling milk, cooling it, adding a little yogurt as a starter, and storing in the oven to insulate until the around dinner time. my first three attempts were utter failures and much too complicated but now the last three attempts, all simpler than i had thought was possible, all made.

ingredients:
4 c 2% milk
2 T yogurt (stoneyfield plain yogurt. i think the greek yogurt doesn't work)
1 T sugar

main accessories:
2 G cooler
2 Q cooking pot
1 Q tupperware
food thermometer
whisk

(1) prep the incubation area. fill the cooler with enough hot tap water to cover up most of the tupperware when filled with water. originally i used a thermometer to get this to 120 but now i don't measure because the tap water gets to about 110 which is fine. shut the cooler off to insulate.

(2) prep an ice bath. fill the sink with cold water and ice. the hot pot of milk will be placed in here later to rapidly cool it. the ice bath can be prepared just before it is needed.

(3) set out the yogurt in a small bowl to let get closer to room temp.

(4) on medium heat, bring the milk to 180-185. it gets frothy around there. stir occassionally, more so at the end. i keep a lid on slightly open so the thermometer can fit in. this should take about 20 minutes- don't draw this process out too long.

(5) take off heat. put pot in ice bath. stirring milk to cool, bring down to about 110.

(6) take out of ice bath. stir in sugar. stir in yogurt. whisk it in so not clumpy.

(7) pour into tupperware. close lid.

(8) put in cooler. leave for about 8 hours. it becomes more sour the longer it incubates (which is not always bad).

(9) take out of cooler. it should be thick yogurt now. stir and put in refri. (i had added 1/2 c fresh blackberries along with the sugar and yogurt before incubation).

(10) eat it after a few hours (maybe wait 8 hours or so).

chicken afritada

2010-11-15T08:44:00.002-06:00

i'm pretty sure i've strayed a lot from the original filipino way of making this filipino dish but i'll still call it afritada. it is quite tasty.

prep vegetables:
onion: 1 diced
garlic: 1 bulb
ginger, minced
bell pepper (green or red), diced
english peas: 1c
potato: 1 russett, pealed, thinly diced

prep sauce in large bowl:
soy sauce: 2T
oyster sauce: 1/4c
tomato sauce: 8oz (can)

prep chicken:
drumsticks: 5
rinse, pat dry, black pepper

in dutch oven, heat sesame oil.
add chicken, brown all sides, use tongs, ~10 minutes total.
set chicken aside. cut off skin (i don't like the skin).

add a little more sesame oil.
sautee onion, garlic, ginger.
add back chicken.
add sauce.
simmer ~15 minutes, covered.
add potato.
simmer ~20 minutes, covered.
add bell pepper.
simmer ~10 minutes, covered.
add peas.
simmer ~10 minutes, covered.
simmering longer and slower may be good if time allows.

take off heat . serve with rice. 5 servings (duh).
total time: 2 hours (prep :40, sautee :25, simmer :55)

spaghetti squash!

2010-04-23T18:56:00.005-06:00

today i experimented FINALLY with a spaghetti squash! put the oven on 350, cut the squash in half, put them cut side down, and then bake for 45 minutes. that's all you do! and then once they come out and cool some, you can use a fork to "scrape" out the squash strands that really do look like spaghetti.

so here's what i did with what i made:

"spaghetti" with shrimp and vegetables!

here's what i used:

- baked spaghetti squash. i think used about 2/3 of the squash i had? just eyeball whatever you would eat in pasta amount i suppose...
- roasted shrimp. 1/2 pound of shrimp, peeled, etc, and i roasted it on 400 about 5-6 minutes with some olive oil, salt and pepper.
- diced zucchini.
- chopped green onion.
- minced cilantro.
- tomatoes. i decided to use cherry tomatoes that i halved and roasted along with the shrimp.
- salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, and sherry just because i like it.

saute the zucchini, onion, then add the squash, and splash the sherry, and then add the shrimp and tomatoes and cilantro. toss! serve! we garnished ours with some grated parmesan and some avocado and yum it was good! the dish was so colorful and delicious. would have been 100% complete with some crusty bread and a nice glass of wine!

will DEFINITELY be using spaghetti squash more in my cooking!

pictures to come when i upload my camera...

black beans

2010-02-27T20:59:00.005-06:00

cooking black beans is always an experiment (especially on how to incorporate the cumin the best way so that it doesn't just float on the top of the broth) but i've more or less settled down on a way that makes pretty good beans.

black beans: 1 pound dry
water: 8 c
onions: 2, halved
garlic: 2 bulbs, pressed
bay leaves: 5
cumin: 1 t
chili powder: 1 t
black pepper
salt: 1.5 t
oregano: 2 t

- soak the beans ~8 hours. put in dutch oven with water and bring to a low simmer, covered.
- add the onion halves.
- prep your garlic, sautee in some olive oil, add to pot.
- sautee cumin, chili powder, and BP in some olive oil, take off the heat, and add some broth before adding to the pot.
- ~1 hour in, add salt and oregano.
- simmer another hour or so (the longer and lower the simmer, the better).
- take off the heat, remove and discard the onion pieces, let sit covered a while and let cool before refrigerating.

this recipe makes enough to have several meals of beans and several of bean soup.

curried pumpkin soup

2009-10-19T20:07:00.003-06:00

i guess it's time for a new recipe...

i've recently discovered roasting the various winter squashes to be quite fun and tasty. i started with roasting a small sweet dumpling squash with a bit of salt and pepper, slathered it with some butter, and lo and behold, a tasty side dish! i also procured some small sugar pumpkins with the intent of making pumpkin pie, but then i decided to make a soup with it, much to the delight of H. and it turned out so deliciously, i must share the recipe.

ingredients:

1 small sugar pumpkin, about the height of a canned coke or something
chicken stock (or veggie, whatever you have)
cream
sour cream (for garnish)
1 yellow onion, peeled and rough chop
cloves of garlic, peeled
1.5-2 inch piece of root ginger, rough chop
cilantro, minced
red curry paste
salt
pepper (i used some black and white pepper)
red cayenne pepper to taste

first you gotta cook the pumpkin flesh. you can do this in any number of ways...what i did was to cut it into sections, scoop out the seeds (SAVE THEM TO MAKE THE ROASTED SEEDS), and then steam them until a fork easily pierces the skin/flesh. this took me about 10-12 minutes. alternatively, you could roast them in the oven along with the onion, garlic, and ginger (since you have to roast those anyway to get really good flavor). (next time i think i'll roast the pumpkin with the rest of the ingredients, if that helps you decide.) roast the veggies at around 350 for 45 minutes or so. just check them periodically, and when they look good, just take them out!

after everything's done, puree the whole lot in a blender. or food processor. i don't have one of those, so i used a blender. over medium heat in a pot, put your concentrated "soup" into it. add a cup of the chicken broth and stir. add more if you want thinner soup. i believe i added about 1 3/4 cup chicken broth. then add your spices. i ended up using about 1.5 tsps of the red curry paste, and then i put in some yellow curry powder as well. i like spicy food so i added a lot of cayenne pepper. basically, just add your spices and cilantro a little at a time, taste, and then adjust. i went through multiple tastings before i got it how i wanted, but that's just how soup is.

once everything warms through and just starts to bubble, turn the heat off and add a bit of the cream. the cream really helps to just smooth things out a bit. after you add the cream, you do NOT want to bring the soup to a boil. that is why you add the cream AFTER you've gotten your soup seasoned the way you want.

serve in a bowl. i garnished with a dollop of sour cream and H added some peanuts to his. it was a lovely soup with nice spice and heat to it...enjoy!

braised lamb shank

2009-04-16T18:39:00.004-06:00

i had been craving some lamb lately and found myself in fresh market the other day, and voila, they have lamb! of multiple varieties! i decided to try to cook the lamb shank...i knew it just needed some long slow cooking for it to taste good, so why not? i had a few hours to spare...

ingredients:

1 lamb shank (a little over 1 lb)
1/2 onion, sliced
garlic, minced
1 small apple, sliced
coriander
cumin
paprika
PINCH of cinnamon
salt
pepper
mint
red wine

preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. heat up some olive oil in a dutch oven. trim the excess fat off of the lamb. season the lamb with the salt and pepper. brown the lamb shank on all sides and then set aside. add the onions, garlic, and apple and saute until everything looks good and translucent. add your spices and let cook for a few moments. deglaze the pot with some red wine. bring to a boil. once at a boil, add the lamb shank back into the pot, cover, and place in oven. bake it in the oven for about 1-1.5 hours, or until the meat falls off the bone.

once it was ready, i took it out, carved it, and had 2 good servings of delicious lamb! this method of cooking was very similar to cooking coq a vin, just in case you needed a reference point.

the lamb was served with some of the sauce in the dutch oven, fresh lightly boiled green beans (seasoned with some of the spices used in the lamb), and some oven-baked cheddar mac and cheese. delicious meal, and quite colorful as well.

chicken salad

2009-03-26T14:49:00.002-06:00

we all know that it is hard to find a chicken salad recipe without nasty eggs and disgusting mayonaise. this has neither- it's got yogurt. this makes about 3 servings. very good on toasted pita bread.

mix all this together in a bowl:
2 cups cooked chicken *
1 stalk celery diced
1/4 red onion, diced
cilantro, minced
garlic powder
curry powder
paprika
S&P
1/2 c plain yogurt
mustard

*poached, shredded, and chopped (one breast and one drumstick are enough)

bulgogi

2009-03-22T07:50:00.002-06:00

bulgogi is grilled, marinated beef strips. along with white rice, garlic, and gochujang (a sweet and picante chili-garlic sauce) beef strips it is wrapped in a leaf of lettuce. the marinade recipe comes from manchi and the assembly comes from how i remember it being done in korea.

=====
for the marinade, mix in a bowl:
1/4 c soy sauce
1/8 c white sugar
1/2 asian pear
1/2 head garlic
1/4 c water

puree then add and puree again:
1/2 T honey

add:
black pepper
1/2 T sesame seeds
5 stalks chopped green onion
1 T sesame oil

=====
for the meat:
1 # sirloin tip
slice long and thin strips again the grain
add to the marinade
refrigerate >= 3 hours

=====
grill meat, flip each strip once (~4 mins each side)
wrap in lettuce as described above
this serves 4. can easily be doubled.

banana choco chip mini muffins

2009-03-06T10:14:00.003-06:00

i whipped these up this morning from my brain and they are delicious! i've already eaten 6...but they are mini and yummy and good.

1 cup AP flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup sugar
1 egg
2 tbsp veggie oil
2 tbsp sour cream + tiny bit of milk to get the batter consistency you want
chopped up choco chips (i used bittersweet chocolate)
mashed up banana

combine all ingredients. i used a whisk, nothing special. put batter into mini muffin tin...this was enough to make 20 giganto-mini muffins, and they turned out nice and a bit "big", so you could stretch the batter to make 24 nice-sized mini muffins. and if you wanted to do regular sized muffins, this would probably make 6 or 7 comfortably. bake for 15 minutes at 350 degrees. enjoy!

ragu sauce

2009-03-03T12:08:00.004-06:00

all these years when i have made spaghetti and a meat and tomato for it, i have incorrectly called it a "spaghetti sauce". the correct term in the italian culinary lexicon for such a meat-based sauce is a "ragu sauce". there is also a "bolognese sauce" that seems similar but has eggs in it.

vegetables: onion, carrot and celery, garlic, mushroom.
spices: basil, oregano, chili powder, s & p.
meat: 1 # beef
tomatoes: 1 can paste, 1 can sauce, 2 cans (14 oz each) stewed toms (pureed).

cut your vegetables, mostly finely diced.
season your meat, start browning, draining along the way.
start sauteeing vegetables in the order listed above in large pot.
add spices.
(haven't tried this but a cup of red wine could be added now and cooked til absorbed/evaporated).
add paste
add sauce
add pureed toms
when meat is ready, add
add some water if necessary

let simmer low, covered at least 1.5 hours.

chicken enchiladas

2009-02-17T13:13:00.002-06:00

12 tortillas (de maiz)
1 onion
garlic
3 c shredded chicken (1 breast, 1 drumstick, 1 thigh)
1/2 c cottage cheese
1/2 c shredded mozzarella
1 can enchilada sauce

warm the tortillas to make pliable.
sautee onion, garlic. add chicken.
remove from heat, add cheeses.
spray casserole dish.
fill tortillas with filling, roll and place in dish.
pour enchilada sauce on top.
bake at 350 for ~30 minutes.

this makes four servings.

* filling could be of spinach instead of chicken.

banana wheat muffins

2008-12-31T08:15:00.003-06:00

threw a recipe together on the fly, and whaddayaknow, it's delicious!

1 1/2 cups AP flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup oil
1/2 cup yogurt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 mashed banana

bake at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes. they come out and taste nice and hearty.

notes for next time:
- if i have 2 bananas, i could omit the egg. (1/2 cup mashed banana = 1 egg, for substitution in vegan cooking.)
- i could add 1/2 cup chopped nuts.
- i could add peanut butter.
- i have those frozen raspberries in the freezer...maybe i could throw some of them in.
- add some rolled oats for texture.

turnips

2008-12-19T12:25:00.003-06:00

my obsession with turnips goes back several years to when i decided not to eat some heavily fertilized turnips grown in a field as deer bait and instead decided to grow my own (organically). they grow great in mississippi although the root (the turnip itself) never got big enough to eat due to the high clay content of the soil in the garden.

in cooking with turnips, i have learned that are different from potatoes (despite both being roots). turnips tend to absorb a lot of water when cooked with a wet method. boiling them waterlogs them the most. last night i steamed them (two turnips, about a pound between them, peeled, diced) and they were much better. quite plain and mushy- not like the starchy potato in the same situation- but nice and bitter. i went on to add S&P, a little butter, and a tiny bit of milk to make mashies. really tasty (with pork chop and green beans) but without the creamy and cohesive properties of mashed potatoes. in the future, i will experiment with steaming half potatoes and half turnips and mashing them together.

several days ago i roasted the same amount of turnips. this involved tossing in 1-2 T olive oil with S&P, garlic powder, and some other spices then baking at 350 for about 45 minutes. these were delicious and really good with the ham i had from arkansas.

sushi rolls

2008-12-10T17:30:00.008-06:00

ingredients:
sushi rice
fish
cucumber
avocado
seaweed
soy sauce
gochujang (korean spicy paste)

process:
-put seaweed piece on bamboo roller
-smush rice onto seaweed
-add fish
-add vegetables
-add gochujang
-roll

-cut into 6-8 pieces

eat with chopsticks, dipping in soy sauce

sushi rice

2008-12-09T08:48:00.004-06:00

ingredients:
1 C rice
1 T rice wine vinegar
1 T white sugar
pinch of salt (~1/8 t(?))

process:
rinse the rice several times.
drain pretty well.
add 1.5 C water.
bring to boil, reduce to low, 20 minutes (don't ever remove top).
remove from heat, let sit 10 minutes covered.

mix vinegar, sugar, and salt.

put rice in large (plastic) bowl, toss around a little to let cool.
add mix to rice, fold in.

this makes enough rice for sushi for 3-4 people and should be used in the sushi.
since it is so wet and sticky, leftover rice is not very good for fried rice.

pink velvet cupcakes

2008-12-08T20:59:00.003-06:00

i have been wanting to bake a red velvet cake for a while...so why not do cupcakes instead? i used this red velvet cake recipe and used this recipe for cream cheese frosting. you may notice that my cupcakes are PINK rather than red...this is due to the fact that i did not have enough red food coloring! the pink did not detract from the yummy flavor of these cupcakes though. not one bit.

notes for the cake recipe: this recipe made 24 cupcakes. i eyeballed each cupcake liner to be filled 2/3 high when i put them in the oven, however, when i took them out, they were all different heights! nothing fancy icing tricks couldn't fix though. i baked them at 350 degrees F for about 20 minutes.

notes for the icing recipe: this recipe calls for 1 package of cream cheese and 5 tablespoons butter and vanilla extract and 2 cups + whatever you like powdered sugar. i ended up using about 2.5 cups of powdered sugar and the icing was perfect...i'm not a big fan of super sweet stuff...so this was just sweet enough! an interesting observation...when i beat the cream cheese and butter together, it got very crumbly. i must admit that i got a little concerned that my icing was going to turn into crap. however, once i added all the sugar...BAM! it looked like icing! i don't know what happened, but it turned out just lovely.

and for the icing piping...i have a pastry decorating icing bag that i filled with both colors of icing. (i added a few drops of red food coloring to make it pink.) that's why i was able to do a dual-color icing! but of course you knew that already...haha.

i will DEFINITELY make these again! and once i have more than 1 useable baking pan (i destroyed one of my 9-inch circular baking pans by baking a cobbler in it...so FYI...DON'T BAKE COBBLERS IN NONSTICK BAKING PANS!)...yeah, so once i have more than 1 baking pan i will make a fabulous red velvet CAKE complete with cream cheese frosting and chopped nuts for garnish.

pan-fried breaded tilapia

2008-12-06T17:16:00.004-06:00

the recipe for this dish came mostly from a paul prudhomme cookbook though i don't think they used tilapia back when it was published... i fry one fillet at a time.

1. mix some spices together
2. make an egg wash (egg and milk)
3. wash and dry fish
4. start heating skillet with 1/4 inch of vegetable oil
5. rub spices into both sides of fillets
6. dredge in flour
7. coat in egg wash
8. dredge through flour again
9. add to pan when oil is at medium heat
10. cook 3-4 minutes each side

11. place on paper-toweled plate
12. serve

man it is good and crispy and moist and tasty.

beef and vegetable and kale soup/stew experiment

2008-11-09T21:38:00.003-06:00

so tonight i made a soup/stew creation from complete scratch, and it turned out GREAT. unfortunately, i did not take a picture, nor is there a recipe, but i'll put down all that i put in it. once i perfect it, then i'll write up an official recipe!

onion
garlic
carrot
celery
kale
can of diced tomatoes and its juice
chopped beef
water
splash of red wine
salt, pepper, parsley
rice

basically, i sauteed the beef until just a bit brown and removed it from my dutch oven. then i sauteed the onion, garlic, carrot, and celery, making sure to scrape all the yummy bits of meat brownings. then i added the meat back and deglazed with the wine (basically just splashed wine into the pot). then i added the can of tomatoes + 2 cans full of water. when that simmered, i added the kale and covered the pot and let it simmer on an extremely low heat for a loooong time. i seasoned it to taste and then served it over rice. it was delicious.

thoughts for next time include playing around with sliced jalapeno pepper for spice kick, bay leaves, turnips, parsnips, radishes, tomato paste, starting out with a traditional roux, hmmm...it was pretty good tonight, but since it is my first attempt, i know i can improve upon it until it is perfect. yay.

marbled and mocha vegan cupcakes

2008-09-16T22:00:00.001-06:00

just thought i'd tease y'all with some marbled and mocha vegan cupcakes with coffee vegan buttercream icing!

more organization

2008-09-14T08:40:00.003-06:00

after looking through this blog to find a recipe, i realized that some post tags needed to be created in order to have a better browsing experience. you'll find them on the right hand side of the blog.

also, since it seems that posts with a picture get more attention, i am going to try and remember to photo document my creations more often...

happy cooking!

blueberry muffins!

2008-07-29T06:05:00.003-06:00

these are SO GOOD!!!

2 cups flour
2 tsps baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter, cut in cubes, room temp
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tbsp vanilla
1/2 cup milk
2 cups blueberries

preheat oven to 350 degrees. spray or line 1 muffin pan (12 regular sized muffins). add the flour, baking powder and salt to one small bowl and mix. then in another bowl, cream together the butter, then sugar, then eggs, and then vanilla. slowly add the flour mix and milk to the liquid bowl, alternating between the two. finally, fold in the washed and rinsed blueberries. bake for around 26-27 minutes and then it's yum time!

important notes:

FOLDING is important because you don't want to squash the blueberries.

RINSING is important because you don't want to dye your batter purple...unless you want that, but i didn't in this instance.

if you're going to substitute a different fruit for the blueberries, you may want to reduce the sugar amount. for example, strawberries are much sweeter, so you would want to reduce the sugar. also, if the fruit is chopped up and a bit "sticky", mix it with a tablespoon or so of flour before folding it into the batter. the flour will help keep the color of the fruit from bleeding into your batter.

vegan oatmeal raisin muffins

2008-07-24T06:29:00.003-06:00

i just whipped these up this morning and they are DELICIOUS! i found a recipe online that i kind of liked, and then swapped and added things as i felt necessary...so i guess you could say that i invented this recipe!

3/4 cup rice milk
1 cup oats
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup melted margarine (non-dairy, i used earth balance)
1/2 tsp salt
chopped almonds (i think i had somewhere between 1/3 and 1/2 cup)
raisins (again, probably somewhere between 1/3 and 1/2 cup)

to start, preheat oven to 350 degrees. mix the rice milk and vinegar together. (this makes a "buttermilk"...the vinegar "curdles" the rice milk.) add the oats and let them soak for up to 10 minutes. at this time, i also added the sugar, oil, vanilla, and melted margarine. i then mixed all the dry ingredients together: flour, baking soda and powder, salt. i added the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in 3 installments, mixing after each one. at the end, i added the almonds and raisins. bake for 15-20 minutes. this makes 12 dense and delicious muffins.

things for next time: i may add some cinnamon, add more vanilla, or even substitute out some of the sugar for honey. also, you could swap out the oil for applesauce. and i just had rice milk on hand...you could use any type of "fake milk" you wanted, or you could even create your own using whatever nuts you have on hand. if you wanted to use cow's milk, then you probably wouldn't have to add the vinegar, but don't quote me on that. H and i are partial to the almond, but i bet this recipe would be delicious with walnuts and pecans too.

enjoy!

senegalese chicken peanut soup

2008-05-20T07:19:00.003-06:00

this is SO YUMMY and quite easy to make as well...

ingredients

1 medium onion, diced
minced garlic (use however much you like)
4-5 tomatoes, coarsely chopped
chicken, cubed (i used 2 breasts)
1.5 cups of chicken broth
half a can of coconut milk
good spoonful of smooth peanut butter
red pepper powder (i used almost 1 tsp, and it was nice and SPICY)
1 tbsp of curry powder
salt
pepper
chopped cilantro for garnish
sour cream (if desired)

how to:

basically, get everything chopped up and ready to go. sauté the onion in some oil (i used sesame) until it gets a little clear, don't brown it. add the garlic and the red pepper powder and let that cook in. then add the curry and stir it around for about 1 minute.

add the chopped up tomatoes and chicken broth. at this time, you might think you haven't added enough liquid, but just wait...those tomatoes will cook down and you'll be fine. let that simmer on low heat for about 10 minutes.

while that is simmering, brown the cubed chicken in a separate pan in some oil. drain the chicken periodically. when that is done, add the chicken to the soup (preferably at around the 10 minute simmer mark) and let that simmer for another 10 minutes or so on LOW heat so the chicken remains tender and doesn't dry out.

close to time of serving, add the half can of coconut milk (i used LITE milk) and let that warm through. it doesn't necessarily need to simmer, just get it warmed up. then add the peanut butter and give it some good stirring so everything is incorporated.

ladle the soup into bowls, garnish with cilantro and sour cream. this makes about 4 generous servings.

buon appetito!

cookies and cream vegan cupcakes

2008-05-11T13:38:00.003-06:00

my first batch of vegan cupcakes! i got many great compliments from these, and they don't taste any differently than you would think. you still use a lot of sugar, but, you don't use eggs which add some fat. eh, who cares about all that! they were delicious!

bechamel sauce

2008-01-15T07:40:00.000-06:00

i think i heard a white sauce is one of four main sauces a chef should know how to make. the other three, i do not know about but this one turned out good over pasta, chicken, and brocolis:

1 c milk
2 T butter
1.5 T flour
salt
pepper
(oregano, garlic powder, parmesan cheese)

heat the milk in a pot to almost boiling.
melt butter in a skillet.
add the flour and mix in with a wooden spoon.
let this go a few minutes.

spoon about 2 T hot milk in and mix in.
when this is incorporated, another 2 T.
eventually, add a little more milk each time
letting it thicken and heat before adding more.

let it go about 10 minutes.

add spices and the cheese and soon after
remove it from the heat.

granola

2007-11-05T10:45:00.001-06:00

preface:

why buy store bought granola when you can make your own and control what goes into it?

recipe:

in a large bowl mix:
1/4 c vegetable oil
1/2 t almond extract (or vainilla extract)
1/2 c honey
1/2 c peanut butter (smooth)

stir in:
6 c old-fashioned oats

spread this on a couple of baking tray, dont heap it too thick.

bake at 325 degrees for 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes.

with ten minutes left, add:
1/2 c somewhat chopped almonds

after baking is done add:
1/2 c raisins

let it cool- dont store it while its hot.

eat it for breakfast 10 days in a row and then it is gone.

eggplant, part II (eggplant parmesan)

2007-09-19T08:28:00.000-06:00

why this way is good:

* not fried in oil
* not brushed with oil
* doesn't hurt stomach b/c of excessive oil
* doesn't use lots of salt for getting moisture out
* turns out like lasagna

egplant: wash, lop off the ends and slice horizontally (~7 slices). boil slices in water about 5 minutes then drain in a colander.

sauce: sautee minced garlic in olive oil (this is the only oil used). add some type of tomato-based sauce (~1.5 c pureed canned diced tomatoes), 1 T italian seasonings (oregano, basil,...), simmer 10-15 minutes.

bake: layer eggplant, sauce, eggplant, sauce, then parmesan cheese in sprayed cooking dish. cover with aluminun foil and bake at 350 degrees 20 minutes, remove foil and bake 10 minutes more.

mediterranean-esque salad with salmon

2007-08-26T19:49:00.000-06:00

after deciding that a fresh, colorful dinner was in order, i decided to create a salad and add salmon to it since salmon is so delicious.

salad ingredients:

green leaf lettuce (or whatever green lettuce-like vegetable you like)
green onion
1 whole apple, chopped (i used fiji)
sprouts (sprouts are just fun to eat!)
1 roma tomato, chopped

vinaigrette ingredients:

1-2 cloves of garlic, minced and "smushed" (so the juice gets out)
handful of whatever herbs you have on hand (for me, oregano and thyme from my mini-garden)
pinch of salt
few shakes of pepper
equal parts balsamic vinegar and olive oil (i used a little less than 1/4 cup, and it was just enough for all the salad)

instructions:

to make the vinaigrette, put all the ingredients together in an air-tight container and SHAKE SHAKE SHAKE to get everything together. an emulsion, if you will. (it's that easy! and you can try with different variations of vinegar or lemon juice or whatever herbs you want.) add all the vinaigrette to the salad and toss till well coated.

to make the salmon, cut the salmon into cubes and season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. sautee in a pan until done.

to assemble the salad, just put the green stuff in the bowl first. then add the salmon chunks. garnish with croutons and crumbled feta cheese and then you have the most delicious salad EVER.*

*it could only be more delicious with a nice glass or two of red wine, preferably a cabernet. a merlot would be too sweet i think with the vinaigrette and the apple.

chick pea soup

2007-05-04T09:42:00.000-06:00

* this is called "milan chick pea soup" on many web pages but when one reads about milanesian (?) cuisine, no such dish is listed. despite its origins, it is delicious.

(1) remove 1/2 pound italian sausage from its casing, brown in a skillet.
(2) add a chopped onion and a chopped head of garlic (sure, all the cloves).
(3) add 1/2 cup (or 2/3 cup to use the whole can) tomato paste.
(4) add 2 cans of chick peas (with the licuid). if you have time but not money,
obviously, cook these yourself in which case i guess you need 4 cups.
i will experiment with this next time.
(5) add 10 oz or so of chicken stock or broth.
(6) add 4-8 oz chopped mushrooms.
(7) add spices: basil, oregano, black pepper.
(8) bring this to a boil, simmer good uncovered 20 minutes.
(9) add one zucchini, in large cubes.
(10) simmer 5-10 minutes.
(11) serve with (whole wheat penne is good) pasta (1/2 cup dry pasta per person)
and parmesan cheese.

this feeds four hungry people and makes 6 cups.

fish tacos for two!

2007-05-03T19:51:00.000-06:00

fish tacos are not only delicious, but are also healthier than red meat tacos. we made these on monday with an avocado salsa/guacamole. we used salmon, but i suppose any fish would do. i just really like salmon, and i like how it changes colors while it cooks so i know that it's done cooking (versus orange roughy, which contrary to its name, is a white-fleshed fish, not orange.)

for the fishy part:

1/2 pound salmon was cubed, or rectangled, into small chunks. i mixed together 1/4 teaspoons of the following: black pepper, cayenne pepper, cumin, salt, and garlic powder. i then put all the salmon chunks in with the seasoning and stirred it up. then i sauteed them in a frying pan until they were done with just a little bit of olive oil. easy!

for the avocado salsa:

1 avocado and 1 medium tomato were diced and put in a bowl. add 1/4 cup of diced onion. then we added 4-5 cloves of minced garlic (raw) and minced serrano pepper to it, but i suppose that part is all to taste. chop a handful of cilantro roughly and add as well. a dash of salt and pepper, and a nice squeeze of lemon or lime, stir it up, and VOILA! you're done!

for the eating:

just take a corn tortilla or taco shell or what have you, spoon in what you like, maybe add some sour cream or cheese if that's what you want, and have at it! so delicious, and it was perfect for a warm evening. oh, and we drank red stripe with it and it was good too. and the recipe was perfect for 2 people to eat 3-4 tacos each without being overly stuffed.

vietnamese spring rolls or vietnamese foods, part 2

2007-05-03T07:53:00.000-06:00

here is the now perfected recipe:

-boil shrimp, peel
-boil rice vermicelli (pancit noodles) until clear
-lay out bowl of water, wet towel, wrappers, cilantro, lettuce
-dip each wrapper in water for one second, let it drain, place it on the towel
-put in the stuff: rice vermicelli, lettuce, shrimp, cilantro
-fold the right and left side over a little.
-start rolling from the bottom until fully and tightly rolled

serve with a hoisin/peanut dipping sauce which i have yet to produce.

i can eat about 4 and thats a meal for me and its delicious and light.

vietnamese foods

2007-04-25T08:14:00.000-06:00

pho is the vietnamese noodle soup dish that can make sweat come out of your forehead. even using homemade chicken stock and a "beef pho paste", i could not quite get the taste of the broth right despite several attempts. like the conclusion i reached after several attempts at making that ethiopian spongy sour-dough bread, i decided i would leave making pho to the vietnamese restaurant.

after memories of this failure had passed, it was time to try spring rolls, another favorite item on the menu at the local vietnamese eatery. i got a package of 48 spring roll wrappers and a crappy recipe of the internet, and i was ready to go.

for the filling, some ground turkey was browned and drained then mixed in with shredded cabbage, carrot, green onion, garlic, cilantro, and a little sesame oil and oyster sauce.

and getting the filling in the wrappers? you have to dip the wrapper in water briefly. this makes it go from hard to almost slimy. put it on a dry surface like a cutting board, put the filling in, and wrap it up.

at this point, my recipe said to bake these rolls. however, i dont think this is necessary, just brown the garlic with the turkey initially.

also, next time i may use iceberg lettuce, shrimp, and sliced pork, as at the restaurant. there should be another post about this in the future.

chicken broth: the building block of life

2007-03-26T19:43:00.000-06:00

in order to make any soup more succulent, we believe that a homemade chicken broth base is vital for success. making chicken broth, in its basic form, involves boiling a chicken in water for around an hour and a half. however, the things you put in there (vegetables, etc) give the broth flavor and subtle nuances that can make or break the broth. huitzl has deemed his chicken broth recipe "top secret", alas, so i won't be sharing that with you. just know that when you get that perfect blend, keep it! it will reap you tasty rewards!

chicken tortilla soup

2007-02-28T19:49:00.000-06:00

after figuring out why my camera was giving yellowish tints to all my previous pictures, i decided to become adventurous and present to you a MOVIE rather than pictures of the chicken tortilla soup. the recipe is simple enough:

boiled shredded chicken
chicken stock
diced tomatoes
onions
garlic
jalapeno pepper
garnishes

the secret to success in this dish is making your own chicken stock in advance. that, my friends, is why the chicken tortilla soup is as delicious as it is.

now for the movie...my apologies for the random movements and comments, i haven't yet learned how to keep the camera steady and i have a habit of saying whatever pops into my brain first...

meuniere sauce a la h

2007-02-23T23:16:00.000-06:00

so remember that post that huitzl did about the meuniere sauce? well, we recreated it superbly the other day, and here's an example of how we used it in our dish. let me try to describe it to max out it's potential...

pan seared salmon topped with brown butter sauce with notes of cilantro and lemon, accompanied with asparagus steamed in a salt bath and whole-wheat angelhair pasta delicately tossed with butter.

yum...

shrimp scampi with mushrooms

2007-02-20T20:52:00.000-06:00

what a lovely dish i created on the fly. i got a pound of frozen peeled shrimp and thawed them. i sauteed garlic in olive oil, and then added the shrimp and cooked them for 2-3 minutes (until they just got pink) and then removed them from the pan. then i added about 1/2 stick of butter (that is a lot for my cooking style, but you could use more), chopped green onion, and mushrooms. i sauteed the mushrooms until they were yummy, and then added worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, pepper, cayenne pepper, salt, and BEER! (i used amber bock tonight.) i simmered all of that for 4-5 minutes, and then added the shrimp back in and made sure they were well covered in the sauce. then i served it over wheat penne pasta and BAM! wonderful goodness!

eggplant dip

2007-02-09T09:09:00.000-06:00

many people are fascinated with eggplant because of references to it in the novel don quijote, because of its position as trickster in one thousand and one nights, and because of the impressiveness of its dark purple in a summertime garden patch.

its strange culinary properties only escalate (augment, if you will) its mystique. there are seemingly billions of recipes for preparing eggplant, each different.

i have breaded and fried, sauteed, boiled and baked, and baked eggplant but havent found that one way of preparing it that i would not tire of. my latest method:

cubed the eggplant, boiled the cubes in salted water for 10 minutes, drained, sauteed in olive oil, then blended in a blender with the same ingredients as i would for hummus (sub eggplant for chick peas). the result was a really nice dip but from an entire, albeit small, eggplant, the yield was maybe just under 2 cups of dip. and i basically ate it all in a half hour.

the moral of the story is: maybe this isnt the best way to do eggplant since i think a lot of the eggplant got boiled away into the water. back to the old drawing board.

meuniere sauce (for salmon and angel hair pasta)

2007-01-23T15:45:00.000-06:00

for 2 people{
combine in pan{
2 T butter, 1/2 T worchestire, lemon juice,
chopped green onion, chopped cilantro, minced garlic,
1/4 t salt, 1/8 t cayenne pepper
}
heat this til melted
keep warm til the fish is ready
}

asian-y chicken and pasta

2007-01-21T19:31:00.000-06:00

being from a somewhat asian heritage, it comes to no surprise that when i just "feel like cooking up a little something", it leans towards oriental flavors. one day last week when left to my own devices, i decided to cook up some chicken and also try and use some penne pasta with it, since i hadn't eaten any in a while.

the items i had at my disposal were:

garlic
ginger
celery (2)
carrot (1)
one chicken breast, cubed
sesame oil
soy sauce
schezuan sauce
penne pasta

i minced the garlic and ginger, and sauteed those in a non stick pan (because i was going to make a "sauce" and didn't want to have to scrape up nasty bits) with sesame oil. i then put the celery and carrot that i had cut up into small pieces, and sauteed those as well. finally i put in the chicken, let it brown slightly, then gave it a good dousing of soy sauce. i then put the pasta on to boil, figuring that the chicken and pasta would be done at the same time. i then put a spoonful of the schezuan sauce in the chicken, stirred it up well, then cooked it on low heat, covered, until the pasta was done cooking. then after everything was done, i drained the pasta, put it in a bowl, and then put the entire contents of the pan on top.

it was quite delicious, nice and spicy, with enough sauce to coat all the pasta. the celery and carrot still had some crunch to it, and the chicken was nice and moist. not bad for just throwing something together on the fly...

blackened fish

2007-01-11T15:56:00.000-06:00

this week i've had the fortune to make blackened fish on two separate occasions! as requested by H, i dug up some recipes on cooks.com and then modified them to fit what i wanted to make. total cook/prep time ~ 20 minutes!

i used tilapia filets as my fish of choice, but i'm sure that any other fish would be good. for my seasoning, i basically put at least 1/2 tablespoon of whatever spices i could find in my cabinet. (note: for the pepper-like spices, obviously i didn't put as much in!) these included salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder, red chili pepper powder, oregano, basil, thyme, rosemary, cumin...i think that's all. i think adding onion powder would have been really yummy too. i then beat an egg in a bowl and dipped a filet into the egg, covering it completely. i then covered the eggy filet with the spice mix, and then fried on a skillet/pan for 2 1/2 minutes on each side on high heat. the fish came out tasting delicious and spicy...

see? quick and easy, and tastes so good...

plain brown lentil soup

2007-01-09T13:10:00.000-06:00

why i like:

(1) tastes good,
(2) eat with couscous or rice,
(3) freezable and is still good,
(4) cheap,
(5) healthy (i guess)

how i make:

(1) soak 1 cup lentils in cold water for 30 minutes.
(2) sautee 1 onion and as much garlic as you want in olive oil.
(3) add spices (try 1/4 teaspoon paprika, cumin, curry powder, and a little less cayenne powder).
(4) stir for 1 minute.
(5) add 3 cups of licuid (2 cups chicken broth, 1 cup cold water).
(6) bring to boil.
(7) add salt and pepper.
(8) add the drained lentils.
(9) simmer 45 minutes (or until lentils are cooked, duh).
(10) puree half of it.
(11) return to a boil.
(12) remove from heat.
(13) down the hatch.

orange ginger chicken

2007-01-03T23:45:00.000-06:00

after a trip to florida, huitzil and i were bestowed a gift of a bazillion oranges. so therefore, i wanted to make something dinner-y with an orange or two, and we both felt like it was a great success! the only drawback was that i didn't take any pictures, but let me tell you, it was beautiful...

first, the ingredients. i used about 6 cloves of minced garlic, tablespoon of minced ginger, half a chopped onion, chopped celery, juice of one orange, and chicken thighs (for something different...it's a nice change from chicken breasts). i browned the chicken in some olive oil, and then removed it from the pan. then i sauteed the onion first, then added the rest of the chopped ingredients. after that was nice and brown, i put the chicken back in the pan, and added some spices because, hey, why not! (i added cumin, paprika, salt and pepper.) then i splashed it with some low sodium soy sauce (got to love the soy) and then drenched it with freshly squeezed orange juice. then i turned the heat down some, covered the pan, and let it cook for about 25 minutes or so. (from a great suggestion from huitzil, low heat and slow cooking make for some delicious chicken! i've also found it really brings out the ginger as well.)

secondly, to plate the deliciousness, i put a chicken thigh, rice (that i so conveniently cooked with a slice of orange to infuse the flavors together...and it worked!), and half an orange on a green plate. the colors looked nice. oh, and i put the "sauce" and whatnot on the chicken and rice. huitzil added some celery stalks for crunch and nutrition factor, and VOILA! yummy orange ginger chicken!

coconut curry chicken

2006-12-26T20:32:00.000-06:00

the wonders of the coconut, paired with the curry, make this a good and spicy dish. with permission from huitzilopochtli, who was the mastermind behind all of this, i am being allowed to document this recipe!

first of all you need coconut milk (we used lite), 6 garlic cloves (we like garlic), ginger, onion, carrot, bell pepper, red curry paste, and chicken. we have made this recipe with potatoes too, but for some reason we didn't today.

dice up the onions, carrot, and bell pepper, mince the garlic and ginger. sautee the onions first, then add the garlic and ginger. also add the carrots. add some coconut milk, stir in 1/2 tablespoon of curry. after that is all stirred up beautifully, add the rest of the coconut milk. bring to a slow boil. add the bell pepper. (add that later to retain crunchiness. crunchy = good) let boil again, and then add chicken. this time, we used chicken that we had already boiled and cooked, but usually, for better flavor, take some chicken breasts, dice them or whatever, and lightly brown in a skillet, and then add them to the coconut milk mixture and let it finish cooking in the pot. that makes it taste better. also if you're using potato, add them now too. and since we used already cooked chicken, we added some chicken broth for flavor, but not too much. let all of that simmer for a while, until it feel right, maybe 15 minutes or so...

and then VOILA! coconut curry chicken! we served it over rice (or in the case pictured here, over rice to more accurately gauge how much you really need) and then enjoyed it very much.

food blog!

2006-12-26T20:20:00.000-06:00

here we go, as promised, a blog totally devoted to all things food-related!!! all experiments, successful and crappy, shall be recorded for your viewing pleasure.

buen provecho!