Wednesday, September 5, 2012
Potatoes!!!!!!!
Sunday, September 2, 2012
Faux Pancakes
Faux Pancakes
Thursday, August 23, 2012
Julia Child Remixed | Keep On Cooking | PBS Digital Studios
Monday, May 23, 2011
Soda Pop! and Delicious Restaurants
This is Fresh Ginger Ale,it looks wonderful and I want it in my tummy! With the fresh ginger in it, you shake it a little before opening...no warnings about it exploding because of this process :) They also have a ginger ale with pomegranate and hibiscus added. Delicious!
Next us is a selection of Dry Soda from the Dry Soda Company. I love their unique varieties in flavor: Lavender, Lemon Grass, Blood Orange, Rhubarb, Juniper Berry, Vanilla Bean and Cucumber.
Then, there is Hot Lips Soda! They are a fresh fruit soda company and it makes my heart throb a bit dreaming about what they might taste like. Their flavors include: Apple, Black Raspberry, Blackberry, Boysenberry, Cranberry, Cherry, Pear, Raspberry and Strawberry. Someday, I think I'm just going to work for them so I can sneak berries into my mouth as I cook them up to make this sweet stuff! I'll have stained hot lips all the time from eating so many fresh berries every day :)
And, lucky for me, Hot Lips is sold in Utah...and not just anywhere, but right here in Bountiful!!!! It's a place called Moxi Bistro and they will be seeing my face very soon...they may even be making my upcoming birthday dinner so I can drink this berry juice till I'm plastered with it...not that that's possible, since it's pop...but I am looking forward to trying their Lamb-loin medallions with a cucumber-mint bombe and grilled yams with Panna Cotta for dessert.
If that didn't make your mouth water, then head a little farther south to a place called Trio. If you plan on dying and going to heaven for your next meal, I'm sure this is where you will be eating. When I get hungry I crave their Trio Flatbread served with olive tapenade, white bean puree, and basil pesto. When I die, I plan on eating massive amounts of olive tapenade...because I'll be able to...won't it? I'm pretty sure that's how it will work. If you think just their appetizer alone sounds great, then imagine trying their Chopped Salad (includes blood orange, pistachios, currants, beets, mixed greens, cucumber, feta and a vinaigrette dressing), Chianti Braised Short Ribs (served with creamy polenta which I would be willing frost a cake with, its just that good, root vegetables, braising jus, and horseradish gremolata), and top it of with their Bittersweet Chocolate Pudding...that's what just finished me off and made me a lifetime lover of all things on their menu. Before my death, I will eat here daily for a month...I'm certain I'll be able to afford it by then too :) since I plan on living for a long time...I can start saving up now.
Last of all, I need to mention a hidden gem here: Thyme and Seasons located in North Salt Lake. I thought it was just a tiny little store that sold spices, but boy was I wrong. I didn't expect my short stop in to turn into an exciting adventure. I tried to hurry out with my friend while finding out as much as possible and it was just about closing time. Before I knew it, we were talking to the head chef who ended up locking us into the store to spend an hour sharing his passion for food with us. We sampled gluten free chocolate cupcakes (three ingredients only), sticky rice, and tales about his love of simple cooking. By simple, it means there are very few ingredients that have very rich flavors. His spaghetti sauce alone is heated for hours...I think he said 11? It sounds crazy, but divine and beautiful. He gave us a tour of the entire open kitchen, , his herb garden, his store, his restaurant and explained his cooking classes. Each Saturday he holds cooking classes at amazing rates. They are by reservation only and he's book out well in advance. But he has one rule, before you can even think about registering for a class, you must eat at his restaurant. The way he explained it, it only makes sense to see if the food he cooks is good before wanting to learn how to make his food. His menu changes each week according to what is in season. I definitely recommend checking it out!
Thursday, May 12, 2011
Tuna Patties
Tuna Patties
7 oz Tuna, drained
3 cups Bread Crumbs
2 Eggs
4 tsp Onion, chopped
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Pepper
2 Tbsp Lemon Juice
Mix everything together. Form patties. Fry in 3 Tbsp olive oil. Brown on both sides for 4 minutes.
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Baked Apple Custard
Additional half and half (optional)
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Meringue Kisses
Meringue Kisses
3 large egg whites, at room temperature
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar12 tablespoons superfine sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
Preheat the oven to 250 degrees. line two baking sheets with parchment paper. In a small, deep bowl, beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar using a hand-held or electric mixer until they hold a shape. Gradually beat in 9 tablespoons of sugar and continue beating until the mixture is smooth and stiff peaks form when the beaters are lifted. Beat in the vanilla. Using a spatula, fold in the remaining 3 tablespoons sugar. Put 1/2 teaspoon of the meringue mixture under each of the four corners of the parchment paper to keep it from skidding. Drop teaspoonfuls of the meringue mixture onto the paper-covered cookie sheets. If you want to be fancy, put the meringue into a pastry bag fitted with a star tip and pipe out the kisses. Bake for 60 minutes. Turn off the oven and allow the meringues to remain in the cooling oven for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven, cool for 5 minutes, and store in airtight containers, where the meringues will stay crisp almost indefinitely.
Monday, January 31, 2011
Tyson's Dang Tasty Soup
Tyson's Dang Tasty Soup
2 Cans (13 oz each) chicken, not drained (or 2 whole chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
4 minced garlic cloves
1 to 2 Tbsp Olive Oil
2 (14.5 cans each) Chicken Broth
2 (14.5 Cans each) Diced Tomatoes (preferably with cilantro and lime)
1 Cup Salsa
1 Bunch chopped cilantro
2 Tbsp Cumin
1/2 an onion (optional)
In a large pot, saute the garlic and onions in olive oil until semi-clear. Add the remaining ingredients. Heat through. That's it! So simple.
Can garnish with lime juice, avocados, tortilla chips, shredded cheese, or better yet queso fresco!
Enjoy!
As a side note, this recipe was a bit of an experiment for me in the mysterious world of Yoders canned meats...I've heard from different sources they even have fried bacon that's been canned...I'm not sure how my tummy feels about that. But if you are looking for a preservative free line of canned meats, Yoders is who you should contact! My next experiment will be with this can of already cooked hamburger meat in my Borscht Soup (my valentines tradition)...I'm hoping it is as surprisingly great as the chicken I used in this soup.
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Tangy Chicken
Tangy Chicken
1 lb chicken, diced
1/2 cup flour
1 tsp salt
2 tsp butter
1/2 cup celery, chopped
1 cup water
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1/2 pepper, cut into chunks
1/2 cup onion, sliced
1 cup ketchup
Combine flour and salt, then role chicken in flour mixture. Fry chicken until brown on all sides.
Combine butter, celery, sugar, pepper, onion and ketchup together. Pour over chicken in skillet and let simmer for 30 minuted or until celery is soft and sauce thickened.
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Goat Cheese Potato Salad
- Those who like potato salad
- Those who like goat cheese
Those individuals who are not included in this list are kindly asked to, "Take off, eh!"
Now that I clearly have potato salad and goat cheese lovers reading, I'd like to just tell you that I died when I first ate this. I was at a bell ringing course on a saturday. Me and lots of others were ringing bells from 8:00 am till 5:00 pm and I thought I was going to topple over. Bells aren't heavy, but after ringing them for that long I could tell my body had sensed the extra weight. I was tired. I was crabby. I was dazing off into lala land. My body ached. I was having daydreams of laying down on the floor and taking a nap and in the dream nobody would even notice. And I was STARVING!!!
Some miraculous woman appeared with lunch for all of us and I picked her up and twirled her around, I was so happy and grateful for her. Okay, so I didn't pick her up and twirl her around the room, but I did appreciate the food. I dished up my plate and started chomping away, until I took a bite of heaven...whoever I was talking to got to watch me as I chewed my food, because I stopped focusing entirely on the conversation and just thought about the food in my mouth. As far as I knew it, nothing else existed except for trying to figure out what was in my mouth and what made it so good. I had never tasted anything like it before. I thought I was eating potato salad, but my mouth was telling me I was wrong. All I knew at that moment was that I had to 1) find out what it was and 2) make it every day for the rest of my life. I fulfilled number one. I'm just getting started on number 2. So for all you potato salad and goat cheese lovers, I give you the recipe, so you can experience this in your mouth! Please try it, you'll be so glad.
Goat Cheese Potato Salad
2 lbs (red) potatoes, scrubbed well and cut into 3/4-inch piece
Coarse salt
freshly ground pepper
2 Tbsp white-wine vinegar
1 tsp Dijon mustard
3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
3 oz crumbled goat cheese (1/2 cup)
1 celery stalk, finely chopped
1 small shallot or onion, finely chopped
2 Tbsp dill
1/4 cup plain yogurt (optional)
Boil potatoes in salted water till tender. Drain, reserving 1 Tbsp cooking liquid. Let cool 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, whisk together the vinegar, mustard, oil and reserved cooking liquid.Whisk until well blended.
Place potatoes in a large bowl. Drizzle with vinagrette. Stir in goat cheese, yogurt, celery, shallot, and dill. Season with salt and pepper.
While warm, put it in your mouth. Faint. Die. Come back to life. Eat more. Repeat.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Squash Stuffed Chicken Breasts
Ingredients
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup finely diced acorn squash
1 green bell pepper, diced (or red bell pepper, or a combo of both)
1 small onion, finely diced
1 stalk celery, chopped (optional)
salt and pepper to taste
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
2 ounces shredded Cheddar cheese
2 cups all-purpose flour for coating
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish (or simplify the dish and disregard the whole putting this dish into the oven). In a medium skillet, melt butter or margarine. Add the squash, green bell pepper, onion and celery. Saute until slightly tender. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove from heat, add cheese and mix together. (Before moving onto the next step, if you are taking the simple route, you would have chopped the chicken and cooked it along with the veggies).
Slice chicken breasts on the side about 3/4 of the way through. Stuff mixture evenly into each slit chicken breast until full. Dredge each breast in flour to coat completely, and brown coated chicken in skillet.
Place browned chicken breasts in the prepared baking dish, cover and bake in the preheated oven for about 30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and juices run clear.
Monday, October 25, 2010
Homemade Tomato Soup
So instead of complaining to myself about the "burden" of figuring out what to do with so many tomatoes, I decided to be excited for an adventure in teaching myself how to make my own tomato soup...it's a great way to use up the tomatoes and it definitely taught me that if I thought canned tomato soup was good, then I was living a lie my whole life...cause MAN this stuff, homemade, is DELICIOUS!!!!
Ingredients
4 to 5 cups chopped fresh tomatoes
1 onion, sliced
4 whole cloves, peeled
2 cups chicken broth
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons white sugar, or to taste
Directions
In a large pot, over medium heat, combine the tomatoes, onion, garlic and chicken broth. Bring to a boil, and gently boil for about 20 minutes to blend all of the flavors. Remove from heat. Place the mixture into a blender and puree. Strain the pulp if you want a smooth and creamy soup, leave it if you like it how it is (I like to leave mine how it is, just like I like to leave the pulp in the orange juice).
In the now empty pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Stir in the flour to make a roux, cooking until the roux is a medium brown. Gradually whisk in a bit of the tomato mixture, so that no lumps form, then stir in the rest. Season with sugar and salt, and adjust to taste. Eat with buttered toast, grilled cheese, or just eat it by the spoonful...double it to make room for plenty of seconds!!!
Friday, October 22, 2010
Spaghetti Squash Casserole
1 whole Spaghetti Squash
1 can Coconut Milk (regular Or Light)
1 Tablespoon Chopped Garlic
1 tsp Red Chili Paste
8 strips Cooked Bacon (or As Much To Taste) Cut Into Small Pieces
½ cup Shredded Fontina Cheese
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
John's Pizza
1/2 tsp Cajun Seasoning
1/2 tsp Organic no-salt seasoning
1/2 tsp Mint
1 Red Bell Pepper, chopped
1/2 Package Mushrooms, chopped
1/2 Cup Olives, chopped (green or black, or both)
1 Dijorno Pepperoni Pizza
Heat oven to 420 degrees. Heat a large pan with olive oil on the stove top. Add cut onions. Add cajun seasoning, no-salt seasoning and mint. Add red bell pepper. Cook 3 minutes, stirring all the while. Add mushrooms. Turn off heat. Add olives.
Add the sauteed ingredients to the top of the pizza. Place in oven and bake for 25 minutes.
Slice, eat, faint...wake up...eat more, faint...wake up, eat more...repeat as necessary.
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Peppermint Ice-Cream
1 Can Sweetened Condensed Milk
Friday, September 24, 2010
Salty Seattle
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Golubka
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Mashed Potatoes - Alternatives
Sweet Potato: Try adding mashed bananas, coconut milk or orange juice.
Cauliflower: Roast in an oven or steam, mash and add greek yogurt or sour cream.
Turnips: These have a more robust flavor than potatoes. Peel, wash, and quarter them. Boil 35-45 min. Drain water. For 7 large turnips, add 1 cup of milk with 2 Tbsp of Butter. Blend and add salt and pepper...actually sounds kinda yummy for a turnip!
Friday, June 18, 2010
Bok Choy and Potato Dill Soup
Me: Hey buddy, nice to see you!
Him: Hi...where's your roommate?
Me: She's at home. How are you?
Him: I haven't seen her for a while...is she liking her job?
Me: She likes her job! What have you been up to?
Him: Tell her she should join Bountiful Baskets
Me: Uhhh....okay....
Him: I told her about it once. Have you noticed if she's joined yet?
Me: I'm not sure, I'll have to find out...
Him: Well tell her I said hi!
Me: Okay....I'll be sure to do that!
Well...we had this conversation last november....it was also repeated every sunday until about february. I did ask my roommated what he meant by Bountiful Baskets...I thought it was some weird way for poor people to get some cheap, wilted vegetables. Then my best friend posted a picture on her blog and on facebook of the goods she got from Bountiful Baskets and it helped me realized it was nothing I had thought it was. Instead, it was a food co-op done in Washington State, Arizona, Idaho and Utah...not something named after the town Bountiful that I live in. You pay on mondays and go on saturday mornings to your nearest location and pick up your produce...an ample supply of fruits and vegetables that is big enough to last me for two weeks...and the best part is that it is only $15.00!!!! That makes me so happy I could tinkle! ha ha
Here is what I got last week:
Actually, the first time I got my "basket" I was grinning ear to ear and wanted to cry a little...you should all know by now how food is such a big contributor to my happiness...I couldn't help but want to cry. I price-checked everything I got at the store I usually buy my produce from and found out that if I had bought all this at the store I would have spend $45.00! Please grab your neighbors hand and hold a moment of silence right now for such a beautiful thing! Then sing kum-by-a! Okay, back to how any of this relates to Bok Choy and Potato Dill Soup. You'll notice that I got an ample supply of baby bok choy...it filled up two entire bread bags full...what does one do with so much bok choy! I like stir fry, but not enough to eat it till all this is gone.
Then I remembered a soup that a friend of mine made in Ecuador while I lived there and insisted that I tasted it for her. It was a silky, creamy potato soup with some type of leafy thing in it. I was 20 years old at the time and had never seen green leaves in soup before...I had no idea at the time I was missing out on things like Zupa Toscana and a variety of other things that make my taste buds sing. But as I tried that soup I clearly remember thinking, aching, wishing...needing some Dill in her soup.
I haven't owned dry dill for years. Not because I don't like dill, on the contrary, I really like it! It's just that every year I say in my mind that I'm going to grow it in the garden, and every year, just like the year before, it dies...I've slapped my hand for it and finally just went to the store and bought some. I had some milk, potatoes and bok choy that were aching to have some dill as their companion. So here is what was created:
Bok Choy and Potato Dill Soup
2 Tbsp olive oil (my kitchen is never empty of this...if it is, I'll start to cry)
4 to 5 bunches of baby bok choy (or one regular sized bok choy), chopped
6 small red potatoes, diced
4 cups milk, plus 1/4 cup
2 Tbsp dill weed
4 Tbsp butter
4 Tbsp flour
3 cloves garlic
1 tsp celery salt
salt and pepper
1 chicken boullion cube (knorr brand...it will improve your life)
Heat the oil on medium heat and add garlic. Saute till you can smell the aroma of the garlic. Add the bok choy and potatoes, turn heat down. In a large pot, add the potato and bok choy. Pour in milk (except for the 1/4 cup), add boullion, celery salt, salt and pepper and dill. Heat and boil till potatoes are soft. In a separate small saucepan, melt butter. Add flour and let heat and allow the flour to brown slightly. Add to this mix with a whisk the 1/4 cup of milk. If mixture is too thick, add more milk...you are trying to get ready to add to the soup without getting lumpy when incorporating it. Make sure it is a soft and silky liquid before adding it in. Add to large pot with the remaining ingredients. Let simmer 10 min to allow all the flavors dance around, get to know each other and have a party. Serve warm...unless for some reason you like cold soup. Enjoy!
If you are interested in being a part of the Bountiful Baskets or know someone who may be, click here!
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Pork Tenderloin with Honey and Peaches
Pork Tenderloins with Honey and Peaches (from http://www.cooks.com/)
4 med. sized peaches
1 tbsp. Dijon mustard
1 tbsp. salad oil
1/2 tsp. salt
Honey
4 pork loin, blade, rib, or sirloin chops, each 1 inch thick
Parsley sprigs for garnish
About 45 minutes before serving: Peel, pit, and chop 2 peaches. Peel, halve, and pit remaining 2 peaches; set aside.
In 1 quart saucepan over medium high heat, heat chopped peaches, mustard, salad oil, salt, and 2 tablespoons honey to boiling, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 5 minutes. Remove cover and cook 5 minutes longer, stirring occasionally.
Preheat broiler if manufacturer directs. Arrange pork chops and peach halves, cut side down, on rack in broiling pan. Spoon half of cooked peach mixture over pork chops; brush peach halves with some honey.
Place pan in broiler at closest position to source of heat; broil 10 minutes. Turn pork chops and peach halves; spoon remaining peach mixture over pork chops and brush cut sides of peaches with honey. Broil 8 minutes longer or until chops are fork tender.
With pancake turner, remove broiled peaches to cutting board. Cut peach halves into fans; starting close to stem end, cut each peach half lengthwise into 7 or 8 thin slices. Spread slices to form open fan, being careful to keep peach halves intact.
Arrange pork chops and peach fans on platter; garnish with parsley sprigs. Makes 4 main dish servings.
Cornbread
¼ cups Plus 2 Tablespoons Shortening
1 cup Yellow Corn Meal
½ cups All-purpose Flour
1 teaspoon Salt
1 cup Buttermilk
½ cups Milk
1 whole Egg
1 Tablespoon Baking Powder
½ teaspoons Baking Soda
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Heat shortening in an iron skillet, muffin pan, or other baking pan. Combine corn meal, flour, and salt in a mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, combine buttermilk, milk, and egg. Add baking powder and baking soda. Stir. Add ¼ cup melted shortening, stirring constantly. Pour into hot pan, smoothing surface with spatula. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown on top.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Curry Soup
Curry Soup
1 coconut (or make your life simpler and buy a can of coconut milk!)
2 pork tenderloins
8 small red yukon potatoes (yellow in the middle, red skin...I'm in love with these potatoes)
3 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp olive oil (if you dare, you can use other oil, but it will ruin your life...I'm just sayin'!)
Salt and Pepper
2 Tomatoes, gutted and diced
2 small red bell peppers, gutted and diced
2 cups chicken broth (or 2 cups of water and 2 bullion cubes...knorr brand preferably...they will never ruin your life...just sayin')
1 to 2 tsp celery salt
1 Tbsp curry powder
Crack open your coconut (you will use an old, meaning brown, coconut...not a soft, meaning green, one). Drain the clear liquid. You won't use it in this recipe, so I drank it, just like that! Start shredding your coconut. If you are smart, you will find a bench to sit on with a coconut shredder nailed to the bottom of it and you can just run the coconut over the shredder...5 min later, you're done!....but since most people don't have one of those...see the picture below for what my shredder looks like.
It will take you all night, as that is how this recipe was invented, just a forewarning....but maybe it's just my weak hands...who knows.
While you are shredding your coconut heat a large pot on the stove on medium high to high heat. Heat the olive oil and butter till melted. Throw in two large pork chops that have been thawed. Give them a nice shake of salt and pepper. Brown on both sides.
Chop potatoes into medium large chunks, like you would for a tin-foil dinner.
Cut tomatoe in half than in fourths. Take a spoon and gut all the seeds and juice out. If you are in love with tomatoes like me, you can save the guts and use them for an omlette in the morning for breakfast. If you don't love them, leave them out of the entire recipe if you want. Dice once gutted.
Gut and dice the red bell peppers.
Once pork is browned till real crispy on both sides, leave heat on, but remove the pork to a plate. Add to the pan the chicken broth and let it deglaze (remove the crispy meat flakes from the bottom of the pan). Throw in, chuck in, whatever you like better, the potatoes, tomatoes and peppers. Add celery salt, salt and pepper, and curry powder. Let boil till sauce is reduced and potatoes are soft. While this is cooking cube the pork. You still have a while, so go back to your now grated coconut. Fill a medium sized bowl with hot tap water. Heat in microwave for 3 minutes. Dump coconut shreds into hot water. Let sit for a few minutes until cool enough, yet still hot, to dare stick your hands in. Grap an empty medium sized bowl and have next to the bowl now containing hot water and the coconut shreds you slaved over. These time consuming babies are about to become painful....stick your hands in the water grabbing as much coconut as you can in your fist without squeezing. Lift it up out of the water, let it drain a little, then holding it over the empty bowl, squeeze the life out of it. Dump the now dry coconut in a third empty bowl (I guess I should have told you about that one too, huh). Repeat until all of the coconut has been squeezed, or milked. Place the dry coconut back into the hot water and do it all over again. You can generally squeeze the milk out of the coconut like this up to 3 or 4 times or until there is no more milk coming out of it. Throw away the remaining dry coconut.
Now that you have just milked a coconut, put a smile on your face and make your facebook status state how amazing you are...or not. Strain the milk to remove any possible extra coconuts that possibly escaped your fists while milking. Add the pork and the coconut milk to the pot and simmer for 15 to 20 min...or not at all, depending on how long you want to draw this out.
Dish up a bowl and enjoy.
(I saw you gag at my picture....just remember, an ugly picture does not equal nasty food...just means I'm a bad photographer, and I don't care either).
Friday, May 21, 2010
My favorite cooking websites
1) http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/ I go here daily! I love her sense of humor, her stories and her recipes
2) http://thepioneerwoman.com/tasty-kitchen/ Created by the pioneer woman, this site has user submitted recipes that are to good to be true - look them up if you don't believe me!
3) http://allrecipes.com/ I go to this website when I am pantry cooking (meaning I don't have all the ingredients I need to make what I usually make and need to get creative, or go to the store - I'd rather get creative). The reason the website is helpful for pantry cooking is because you can search by ingredients - if you are out of eggs, but need to make a cake, you can search for recipes to accommidate what you are looking for.
4)http://www.nutritiondata.com/ I haven't used this site as much but it has recipes PLUS information on what you are eating - giving you nutrition labels for single ingredients - making your cooking educational. You can also store your recipes here.
5) http://closetcooking.blogspot.com/ This is some random guy in a tiny kitchen who cooks his little heart out with adventure....er, well - I mean with unique ideas and tasty ingredients. If you are looking to explore new ingredients or new ways of combining them, check this guy out!
6)http://www.cheekykitchen.com/ if you want a good dessert with a mouth watering picture of it, you must come here. I love looking at food pictures and these are AMAZING!
7) http://www.laraferroni.com/category/cookandeat/ this one has puurrrty pictures on it and makes my mouth water. I love to torture myself by staring at purty pictures all day and having my stomach grumbling until I can go make one of the recipes on here. :)
8) http://www.supercook.com/ Extremely helpful for pantry cooking again - you simply enter in the ingredients you are looking to use or get rid of and it will search lots of different websites to find you a recipe suited to what you are looking for - pure genious!
9) http://rouxbe.com/ gives you cooking lessons, you need a paid membership to access everything, but they offer many things for free as well. Its worth looking at!
10) http://www.epicurious.com/ People rave about this website, but my favorite will always be the Pioneer Woman!
Monday, May 3, 2010
Spanish Grilled Corn and Chicken
3 tsp. Olive Oil
2 cloves Garlic, minced
1/4 cup onion, diced
1 chicken breast, cubed
1/2 bag frozen corn (or better yet, 1 or 2 grilled corn on the cobs, with corn sliced off)
1 or 2 can tomatoes, strained
1/4 tsp chili powder
1 tsp taco seasoning
Cilantro (if you like it)
Cooked rice
Tortillas
Heat olive oil in a frying pan. Add chopped garlic. Once the garlic and oil have had time to magically become one, add the onion, letting it join in on the fun. Next, add the chicken, and once it's almost cooked through add corn (preferrably it would be grilled in my mind, but since I don't have a grill or corn on the cob, this is my sad way of "grilling" the corn, ha ha - by heating it up with the chicken). Once cooked, add one can strained tomatoes. Add spices. Remove from heat. (I like to add the tomatoes without straining them, then boiling the mix till it's to a perfect unrunny thickness).
To serve, heat up tortillas in a pan with butter till they are nice and warm, put chicken mix on top with rice and freshly chopped cilantro.
Enjoy!
For dessert, try putting honey onto one of your warm and buttery tortillas, it's like magic in your mouth.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Creamy Chicken Taco Soup
3 chicken breasts
3 cloves garlic
½ bag frozen corn
½ jar salsa
1 can tomatoes
½ a pkg taco seasoning
1 can cream of chicken soup
Random spices: celery salt, seasoning salt, and chili powder
1 can chopped green chili peppers
Let cook overnight
Next day, sauté one onion in butter, add to soup. Take chicken out of soup and shred or chop, put back in.
Serve soup with tons of shredded cheddar cheese and crushed tortilla chips. Top with Cilantro or green onions if that floats your boat (it does mine).
Die and go to heaven only to find out they eat this on a daily basis up there.
The end
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Cilantro Buttermilk Dressing
Cilantro Buttermilk Dressing
1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup mayonnaise (not miracle whip)
1/8 tsp sugar
3 drops hot pepper sauce
Blend all ingredients together in food processor. Simple as that!
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Ready to Roll!
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Oat Bran
This, my friends, is Oat Bran. Do you know what it is? It's happiness in a measuring cup. It's better than oatmeal because it doesn't make a yucky slime when it sits in a bowl. And it's better for you, just look:
Nutritional Value: Oatmeal___ Oat Bran
Carbohydrates_____ 27 grams____ 25 grams
Fiber_____________4 grams_____ 6 grams
Soluble Fiber_______ 2 grams_____ 3 grams
Protein___________ 5 grams_____ 7 grams
Calcium__________ 0 %________ 2 %
Iron____________ 10 %_______ 20 %
Thiamin__________ 2 %_______ 25 %
Phosphorus________ 0 %______ 25 %
Riboflavin_________ 2 %_______ 6 %
Magnesium________ 0 %______ 20 %
Zinc______________ 0 %______ 10 %
Put 1/3 Cup in 1 Cup of boiling water.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
My Favorite Breakfast Smoothie
My friend told me about this amazing smoothie she has been whipping up for the past few years every morning for breakfast. I loved getting her little educational lesson on why each ingredient is important, especially for womens health:
Ingredients: 100% Pure Cranberry Juice (or whatever you can find), Flax, Soy Milk, Echinacea, Blackberries, Banana, Orange, Frozen Strawberries or any type of frozen berry. Ooh, and plain yogurt - I was all!
The banana is for potassium which regulates water balance, regulates levels of acidity, and blood pressure. The adequate intake for potassium for adults is 4700 milligrams per day. Normally you probably get around 2000 to 3000 milligrams per day, unless you are on a very low-calorie diet or are an athlete who exercises heavily, then it is even lower. So eat your bananas. You can also get potassium in kidney beans, yogurt, orange juice, zucchini, baked potatoes, tomatoes and cantaloupe. Interesting fact: kidney beans and winter squash actually have more potassium than bananas.
Notice this handy orange peeler - you don't get your hands all messy and it makes it so easy to peel an orange.
You can buy one from you local pampered chef lady for under a dollar and it's like having a piece of heaven in your kitchen.
Blackberries contain vitamin C, fiber, vitamin K and folic acid. Vitamin K helps your blood to clot and folic acid produces DNA and can also be found in Sunflower seeds and green veggies. Fiber....well let's just say this adds bulk to the brown stuff.
Flax is for omega-3 alpha-linolenic acid, which is an essential fatty acid. You can also get this in salmon and other fish, walnuts, mussels, crab, shrimp and canola and soybean oils. This fatty acid lowers your risk for heart attacks and helps your heart rhythm, lowers your triglyceride levels, and helps for those in pain from the inflammation that happens with rheumatoid arthritis. If you are using flax, you need to grind it up, because if not it will just go in one end and come out the other, not giving you any benefits. I use a coffee grinder to grind it up real good and put in about 2 tablespoons.
I have been adding two capsules of Echinacea since I have been fighting a cold this week. I just open the little capsules and dump in the powdery goodness. This stimulates the immune system and prevents and treats colds. It's just a mild affect, but if I'm fighting a cold, I will take what I can get.
Cranberry juice is for the prevention of UTI's. Cranberries have phytochemicals which help the cardiovascular and immune systems and may be an anti-cancer agent. They also prevent tooth decay and help with gingivitis.
Soy Milk is for possible protection from cancer and contains antioxidants. I'm beginning to think that this isn't really a big necessity in my smoothie as most of the health benefits contained in soy milk are found in larger quantities in my 2 small tablespoons of flax seed. Sorry, I just couldn't find enough research and information that justifies the supposed health benefits of soy milk - although I do think it is tasty!
Put all of this in a blender and blend away - and there you have it, the amazing breakfast smoothie. As for the measurements, put in however much you want - have fun with it! After making a few of them for a few days in a row, you will get down pat what suits you!
Friday, November 28, 2008
golden threads
The mystery food is: (drum roll.....) Foithong "Golden Threads". It's a Thai dessert made from beaten egg yolks which are gently cooked in a syrup of water and sugar. Here is a video showing how to make it. If you are a custard fan, you would like this. Maybe next time we will have some winners!
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Contest - deadline is thanksgiving day!
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Pomegranates
It's Fall now, my favorite season! There are so many reason why it's so great: Halloween is in the fall - there is only one day a year where everybody and their dog can dress however they want and not get funny looks. I mean, if I could wear black and green stripped tights everyday, I probably would, but I can't, so I save them for Halloween.
The leaves turn different colors, there is still sunshine but the air is crisper, you can wear your summer and winter clothes, the large amounts of cash you can win in the pumpkin carving contests and best of all: The FOOD! Pumpkin pie, apple pie, pecan pie, squash, soups, stews! Life suddenly becomes great during the fall. Pomegranates are one of my favorite things to eat right now, because it's the only time I can buy them in the stores and I go crazy about it.
I love you pomegranate!!
I recently come up with an amazing idea - I've always said that pomegranates are like raspberry flavored corn...so it hit me: we should sell pomegranates in movie theaters. They taste like popcorn and candy at the same time, so all your movie watching needs would be taken care of in one single mouth tingling bite!
When you buy a pomegranate, you find the best one if you get a feel for how heavy they are. A smaller pomegranate might be heavier then a bigger one and that would mean it has more juice in it - pick the heavy ones. Don't let the shiney, bright colored ones confuse you either - the fruit that has been on the tree longer will be darker, probably uglier than the bright colored ones. Give it a squeeze as well, if it is hard it won't be juicy - but don't pick the very squishy ones either - aim for somewhere in the middle. Check as well to be sure there is no mold on the crown. It would be a pity to buy a bad pomegranate.
To cut it open, cut of the crown like in the picture. You can see the different sections in the pomegranate - cut it into quarters following the sections.
You don't have to cut through the entire fruit, just a slice into the outer flesh and it should break open. Now pop a few of those in your mouth, I know you can't wait any longer.
An easy way to remove the arils (that's what those little guys are called) is to place the sections in a bowl of cold water for a minute. Then rub them off with your fingers, the pulp will float and can easily be skimmed off when you drain the water.
When you have finished and drained the arils, you then hold in your hand a piece of heaven. It's good for your body too: Pomegranates contain more antioxidants than green tea and red wine. They also contain Vitamin C, B5, Potassium, and Fiber. They reduce your risk for heart disease, lower your blood pressure, may inhibit viral infections and may have antibacterial effects against dental plaque! They are also doing research now on their effect against proliferation of breast cancer cells in vitro.
I usually just grab a handful and eat away, but if you would like some variety in your pomegranate eating habits, throw them in some plain yogurt.