Christmas Gift Baskets

2010
12.19

With Christmas coming up this year, we got a mail-order catalog for food baskets. We, of course, thought: “What a great idea!” But rather than order baskets, we, of course decided to make them ourselves!

Even as I am writing this, we are in full cookie production mode. At the current rate, we’re producing approximately a dozen fresh cookies every 4 minutes. Kat made the dough, and rolled it into sugar-coated balls. My job is to manage the rotation of three cookie sheets: every four minutes, one comes out of the oven to cool, the bottom shelf sheet rotates 180 degrees and moves to the top shelf in the oven, and a fresh sheet of uncooked dough-balls goes in.

We made Molasses Spice Cookies, Snickerdoodle, and Delicious Pumpkin Bread. Also a few lucky folks got Chocolate-Dipped Jalapenos!

CRAZY Amazing Chili

2010
12.05

This was by far the best rendition of Amazing Chili we’ve ever made- and we named it “Amazing Chili” from the first iteration… so this is some GOOD stuff! As always we took the ingredients list to the grocery store, they started adding whatever looked good.

  • Meats:
  • 1.3 lb Top Round Beef
  • 1.3 Pork
  • 1 lb Ground Beef (93/7)
  • 2/3 lb Jimmy Dean Sausage
  • 1 lb Ground Lamb
  • Fresh Vegetables:
  • 4 lbs. Roma Tomatoes
  • 1.5 lbs. Tomatoes on the Vine
  • ½ Fresh Jalapeno
  • 3 Poblano Peppers
  • 4 Annaheim Peppers
  • 2 Green Bell Peppers
  • 1 ½ medium-sized onions
  • 1 large carrot
  • 1 stalk celery
  • 12 mushrooms
  • 8 cloves Garlic
  • Canned Veggies:
  • Great Northern Beans
  • Red Kidney Beans
  • Chili Beans (seasoned pinto beans)
  • Black Beans
  • Corn
  • Seasoning:
  • Red Wine
  • Beer (Fat Tire)
  • Pico de Galo Powder
  • Chili Powder (red)
  • Chili Powder (dark, sweat- Fairway)
  • Ancho Chili Powder
  • Cumin
  • Garlic Powder
  • Garlic Salt
  • Pickapeppa sauce
  • Kosher Salt
  • Black Pepper
  • Cinnamon
  • Bay Leaves (5-6)
  • Rosemary

Directions:

  1. Brown Meats
  2. Sautee Vegetables
  3. Simmer Tomatoes
  4. Simmer Peppers
  5. Simmer Beans
  6. Add Shrooms & Meat

Cube the steak and pork into 1 cm cubes (err larger, than smaller).

In a large chili pot, heat a thin layer of olive oil over Medium-high heat. Add cubed steak, season with kosher salt, pico de galo, black pepper, cumin, a small glug of pickapeppa, garlic salt, and garlic powder. Stir until all sides are just browned, leaving the meat mostly uncooked throughout. Add spices 2-3 at a time between stirrings, allowing them to be absorbed by the oil and cooking-off fat. Remove meat from pot to a large mixing bowl with all juices.

Add another thin layer of olive oil, allow to heat for a minute or two, then add cubed pork. Season with kosher salt, garlic powder, garlic salt, chili powder (dark). Add spices and brown as with the beef. Remove from pot and add to large mixing bowl with the meat, along with all juices.

Add another thin layer of olive oil, allow to heat for a minute or two. Add the ground beef, sausage, and ground lamb. Stir frequently, breaking up into bite-size chunks. I like to leave some larger, while some of the meat falls into small granules. Season with salt, rosemary, black pepper, generous amount of chili powder (dark), pico de galo, garlic powder, garlic salt. When the meat is sufficiently browned (do not overcook) remove from pot and add to the mixing bowl along with all juices, with the pork and beef chunks. Pour 1 cup red wine over the meat in the mixing bowl.

Add another think layer of olive oil, allow to heat for a minute or two. Add diced onion, minced celery and minced carrot. Stir vigorously to lift cooked-on meat residue, coloring the vegetables a dark brown. When the onions are translucent, add the diced tomatoes, reducing to medium heat. Once the tomatoes reach a simmer, allow to simmer enthusiastically for 20 minutes. Season with rosemary, generous amount of dark chili powder, bay leaves, kosher salt, and ¼ cup of red wine, and pickapeppa.

At 12, and 17 minutes, add a large handful of diced poblano peppers, stirring thoroughly and maintaining the simmer. At 20 minutes, add the rest of the peppers- poblano, annaheim, and bell. Stir thoroughly. When the simmer returns, simmer for 5 minutes.
Then add the canned beans and corn, one can at a time, stirring in each. Maintain on medium heat, stirring occasionally frequently until a solid simmer is reached, then reduce to medium-low heat. Add ½ jalapeno minced. Simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally (whenever the chunks settle).

Add beer, as needed, to attain desired liquid level. Add ¼ cup wine. Add sliced mushrooms. Stir in thoroughly, simmer for 5 minutes.
Return meat to the pot along with all liquid that has accumulated. Continue to cook over low heat, with just a gentle simmer, for 45 minutes for flavors to mingle. Salt & add additional spicy things to taste.

Rice Pilaf

2010
02.23

I’ve been working on this recipe for a short while now. I grew up with rice pilaf made from a box-mix. The Near East brand is actually quite good. I have yet to be able to quite replicate it, but I do like the results of this recipe.

Ingredients:

  • 2 Tbs. butter
  • 1/2 cup chopped onion
  • 1 cup rice
  • 1/4 cup Orzo (pasta)
  • 2 cups water
  • 1/2 tsp. salt

Directions:

In a sauce pan, melt the butter over medium-high heat. While the butter is melting, chop the onions. How you chop them is up to your preference, for this recipe I tend to err on the finer side, but still rough-chopped not aiming for any shape in particular. When the butter foams, add onions to the pan and saute. Once the onions have started to cook, reduce the heat to medium, add the rice and orzo and stirring immediately, thoroughly and frequently. Once the butter has been absorbed, add the water and salt, cover and reduce to medium-low heat. Remove from heat when the rice is done.

Rice is done when all the water has been absorbed. This is not to say when all the moisture is absorbed. I like to pull my rice off of cooking heat when there is still a clear coat of water on the grains before it totally dries out. Removing from heat while there is still measurable water in the bottom of the pan is too early.

I tend to double this recipe whenever I make it.

Not-Greek Fish

2010
02.23

First things first, what’s with the “Not-Greek”??  Well, my parents have a recipe for Greek Fish, a while fish baked with feta, olives and fresh tomatoes.  When I described this recipe to my dad, he said “ah, like Greek fish!”  No, not really I replied; though I can see the similarity in appearance and ingredients, the flavor and spirit of the two dishes is quite different.

In any case, here is our “Not-Greek Fish”:

Ingredients:

  • 4 White Fish Filets, I like to use Swai
  • 1 large onion
  • Dried Basil
  • Dried Oregano
  • 4 Roma Tomatoes
  • Parmesan or Romano cheese
  • White wine- pick a flavor you like!

Directions:

In an over-safe pan (the pan will go in the oven later) melt 2-3 tablespoons of butter with 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high heat. Slice the onions into quarter-inch diameter, half-rings. Don’t let me hear of anyone actually measuring their onions! Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Add the onions when the butter and oil foams, sauteing until they are translucent and starting to go limp. Pour white wine over the onions, and allow the alcohol to cook off- a minute or so? Turn off the heat, and lay the fish filets over top of the onions. Season the fish with salt and pepper. Cover the fish with the chopped tomatoes (Did I forget to mention chopping the tomatoes? I like half-inch cubes). Season the tomatoes with basil, oregano and salt. Place the entire pan in the oven, at 350 degrees on broil. The higher the shelf is in the over, the better the tomatoes will roast and wilt. Bake until the fish is done- the way I tell is probing it with a fork, if it flakes off it is cooked, if it holds together… like raw fish… it’s not done! Overdone fish is dry, tacky and generally bad. I err on the under-cooked side for my fish, but the ideal is a moist, tender, flaky perfection. Be aware that the thermal mass of the dish will continue to cook the fish even after it is removed from the oven, removing early is always better than removing late.

I like to serve this dish over Rice Pilaf with white wine, usually the same one I used to cook the onions.

The Parmesan cheese can be added in a number of places.  I have added it between the onions and the fish, over top of the tomatoes before baking, and just grated over top at the table.  All are good, but I think my favorite was between the onions and the fish- more subtle, adding complexity to the overall flavors without over-powering the dish.

Prime Rib, Roasted Potatoes & Veggies, and Salad

2010
02.23

This was a special-occasion epic meal.

My parents came out to visit, and as I learned both my cooking and entertaining habits from them, I enjoy throwing a bit of a eating extravaganza whenever they are out. This time around I procured a large cut of prime rib… actually 3 large cuts. What started out being a 24 lb. full rack became 3 full racks totally nearly 80 lbs. My freezer is well-stocked. We cooked the 30+ lb cut, though trimmed of its fat it was much closer to 20 lbs. Okay, let’s start at the beginning.

We consulted a few references for proper Prime Rib preparation techniques including the Joy of Cooking, and an old edition of Better Homes. We decided “rare” was defined as 120-135 degrees (closer to 135 in reality), and with the enormous thermal mass of a 20+ lb hunk of meat, pulling it out when the core internal temperature was about 110 degrees would probably be best. To be honest, my dad handled most of the cooking of the prime rib, however, I will recount what I noticed.

After trimming about 10 lbs of fat from the roast, we got it to fit into a large roasting pan. This fit on the bottom shelf of the oven. Meanwhile, the Roasted Potatoes & Veggies took up the top shelf of the oven in two large Pirex dishes. We kept the oven at 450 degrees, and the total time in-oven for the meat was about 2 hours.

The Potatoes & Veggies is another recipe I’ve been working on, but am having trouble making it as well as the first time. I am getting close though…

Not-Greek Fish w/ Rice Pilaf

2010
02.20

What a fantastic rendition of this white fish and rice!

See the recipe for “Not-Greek Fish.”  This time around I went a bit heavy on the onion- 2 large onions sliced, less the 1 cup of onion used for the rice pilaf.  I used Reserva Sauvignon Blanc for the white wine, 5 Swai filets, 4 large roma tomatoes.  Baked at 350 on the top shelf on broil, with lemon bars baking below it.

Referencing my own previous post about rice pilaf, this time I properly doubled the recipe, sauteing the 1 cup of onion in the 4 tbs butter, eye-balled of course- never measured, then sauteing the two cups of rice with 1/2 cup of Orzo in the butter before adding water.  I pulled the rice off just in time before it got too dried out like last time.

Finished off the evening with a couple hours of Beatles RockBand.  All in all, a great night!

Chicken Soup (improved!)

2010
02.14

This is an old family recipe that I’ve been making for a few years, but Kat’s suggestion really brought it to a new level of greatness!

Ingredients:

  • 1 whole chicken (thawed or frozen)
  • carrots
  • celery
  • onion
  • very ripe Roma tomatoes
  • fresh parsley
  • 2-4 cloves garlic
  • bay leaf
  • dried parsley
  • dried basil
  • whole peppercorns
  • sage

Directions:

The original recipe calls for a 3 lb. chicken, quartered.  I tend to use larger chickens (4-6 lbs.) and I usually leave them whole.  Place the chicken in a large pot.  Cover with water, typically 4-6 quarts.  Wrap dried parsley, bay leaves, dried basil, sage, peppercorns (about a dozen) and any other spices you choose in cheesecloth creating a “tea bag” of spices.  Put the spice bag in the water with the chicken.  Heat on medium-low (err towards lower) and bring to a simmer with the lid askew.  This will take a couple hours (particularly if the chicken is frozen).  Skim off any foam that accumulates on the top throughout this slow heating.  Chop carrots and celery into 1/3 stalks- the leafy parts of the celery stalk yield the most flavor.  Halve the onion, quarter the tomatoes.  Add the carrots, celery, onion & garlic and simmer with the lid askew for about 10 minutes.  Add the tomatoes and continue to simmer for another 30 minutes or so to create a sweet broth.

Now the “processing”:

Remove the chicken from the pot (I use tongs) and set aside.  Put it on a plate or in a bowl as it will leave a puddle of broth.

Using a slotted spoon, fish out the vegetables.  Save the carrots, onion & celery.  Discard the parsley and tomatoes.  Discard the spice bag.  It is important to get the big chunks, the smaller bits will be removed when straining.

Strain the broth through a fine mesh sieve.  I actually use a grease-catching/splatter-guard pan cover.

Chop the vegetables (carrots, onion & celery) into bite-size pieces.  This requires a VERY sharp knife, as the boiled vegetables will tend to just smush under a dull blade.  Add the cut up vegetables back to the broth.

Shred the chicken by hand (careful, it’s hot!) creating nice stringy chunks of meat.  Add the shredded meat back to the broth.

Salt to taste (Kosher salt is particularly good for this recipe).

Chill in the refrigerator, usually overnight.  Remove the 1/4-inch or so layer of congealed fat from the top of the storage container.  How much you chase the smaller bits is up to you, I like to leave some fat for flavor, but not removing any makes for a VERY fatty dish.

I like to add rice to my chicken soup.  I wait until after the soup is done and strained, then use the broth to cook the rice- very tasty!

Of course, noodles of various shapes go well also and are also cooked separately then added at the end.

The final piece of this recipe are the tiny delicious chicken meatballs.  To date I have not yet tried making them… I’ll admit I’m a little intimidated.  When I do try, I’ll share what I’ve learned!

It was Kat’s suggestion to add the spice bag.  This was our first attempt with the addition and it came out GREAT.

Leftover Meatloaf

2010
02.12

Thawed some meatloaf I had made a month or two ago.  This was a big batch of meat loaf (yielded 3 loafs!) and a real learning experience.  Though I had mostly settled on a meat loaf recipe based on my last few tries, I had forgotten to note one important detail.  Use LEAN ground beef!  80-20 ground beef just has too much fat for meat loaf.  The shear volume of fat I poured off, and the glacier-like gelled-up fat on the top of the loaves was a bit disturbing.  Once cleared off though, they did come out rather well!

Thawed in the fridge over night, reheated in the microwave along with some left over Rice Pilaf (see 2/12)- quite good!

Pork Tenderloin & Rice Pilaf

2010
02.11

Another easy one, though the time it takes to simmer rice disqualifies it from true “quick” status.

The pork was 2 smallish tenderloins, marinated for 48 hours in Iron Chef Sesame Garlic Sauce & Glaze, just in a gallon-size Ziploc bag.

The rice pilaf goes like this: heat 2 Tbs. butter in a medium sauce pan. Saute 1/2 cup chopped onion (2-3 minutes). Add 1 cup rice and 2 cups water with 1/2 tsp. salt. Saute briefly to coat the rice in butter. Bring to a boil then simmer, covered, until the rice absorbs all the water. I like to add Orzo pasta to my rice pilaf, about 1/4 cup per cup of rice. Working quickly, I actually measured out 2 cups rice and had it in the pan before I realized my mistake. To compensate I simply doubled the water, salt and Orzo. In the end, the ratio of onion to rice was fine, though some more butter for sauteing the rice would probably yield more flavorful results.

The pork I simply grilled on high heat until it was pink in the center. It was juicy, flavorful, and all-in-all delicious!

Total time from start to finished eating: less than 1 hour.

Accidentally Vegetarian Fajitas

2010
02.10

Quick and easy, just threw together some fajitas to use up some leftover tortillas.

Ingredients:

  • Sun-dried Tomato & Herb Tortillas
  • Onion
  • Green Bell Pepper
  • Anaheim Pepper
  • Mushrooms

Heated a combination of olive oil, vegetable oil and butter (totally about 2 1/2 Tbs.) in a medium pan. Meanwhile cut up the medium-sized onion into half-round, 1/4 inch slices, chopped the bell pepper into 1/4 inch vertical strips, chopped the Anaheim pepper cross-ways into rings, and chopped the the mushrooms into 1/4 inch slices. I started the sauteing, on medium-high, with the bell peppers, adding a large pinch of Kosher salt, a light shake of basic chili powder, and another shake of McCormick’s Gourmet Collection Mexican Style Chili Powder. After tossing in the pan a few times, and the peppers just starting to show signs of cooking (2-3 minutes), I added the onion. A few more tosses and the onions becoming translucent (4-5 minutes), I added the mushrooms and Anaheim pepper along with 2 Tbs. butter (just make a hole through the veggies in the middle of the pan and drop butter in), tossing immediately as the butter melted, I then lowered the heat to medium and continued to saute the whole mixture for another 4-5 minutes until everything looked sufficiently cooked.

Taking the pan with veggies, salsa, sour cream, and some grated cheese (cheddar and monterey jack) to the gable, we proceeded to assemble our fajitas. It was at this point I mentioned that I felt I had forgotten something important. I minute or two later after I had layered a heaping pile of veggies, salsa, sour cream, and cheese into my tortilla and was wrapping it up it hit me. Meat! Oh well, they’ll probably still be plenty tasty. Indeed, they were. Though, admittedly they were lacking some of that weight and substance provided by meat. I expect chicken or beef would have worked nicely with this.