Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Raw eggs
Let's talk about raw eggs. I know I need to get over my fear of putting raw eggs into things like frosting but I can't! I want to make this frosting for tommorrow night but it calls for a raw egg. Uh!!!! I don't know what to do. I guess I'll keep looking for a different recipe. Ok just had to vent.
Mocha Mousse or is it pudding?
Let me start out by saying I don't measure. Sorry about that. Half the fun in cooking for me sometimes is just going in the kitchen and throwing things together. That is something that I would encourage anyone who happens to run across my blog to do.
So I was watching Nigella Express a few weeks ago and she made a Ameretto Silibob for a friend. So that got me thinking. We aren't big Ameretto fans but we do love our chocolate and coffee and what better way to deliver them than through heavy cream?
I took some instant coffee (ok I don't drink it I had it leftover from another recipe) and made it 3x stronger than it said to on the package. I thought that would make it taste more like espresso and would give me more flavor with less liquid. Then I added in some ice cubes to make it cool so it wouldn't destroy all my hard whipping work.
I took 1/2 cup of heavy cream (don't cheat and try to use something else because it won't come out as well) and wisked that until soft peaks formed. I added one heaping tablespoon of confectioner's sugar and 1 tablespoon of cocoa powder. I did not sift them but you should and I will next time. Then I added in about three tablespoons of the super strong instant coffee and I wisked again until it was light and fluffy. I had some chocolate biscotti so I put one in a baggie and beat it with my rolling pin until it was crumbly and put half in the bottom of each ramekin and then spooned the mousse on top. Couldn't be easier. I think from start to finish (not counting boiling the water to make the coffee) it took about 5 minutes. If you were going to make this for a dinner or a party you could easily make the coffee in advance.
This made two servings and all mesurements are guesstimates.
So I was watching Nigella Express a few weeks ago and she made a Ameretto Silibob for a friend. So that got me thinking. We aren't big Ameretto fans but we do love our chocolate and coffee and what better way to deliver them than through heavy cream?
I took some instant coffee (ok I don't drink it I had it leftover from another recipe) and made it 3x stronger than it said to on the package. I thought that would make it taste more like espresso and would give me more flavor with less liquid. Then I added in some ice cubes to make it cool so it wouldn't destroy all my hard whipping work.
I took 1/2 cup of heavy cream (don't cheat and try to use something else because it won't come out as well) and wisked that until soft peaks formed. I added one heaping tablespoon of confectioner's sugar and 1 tablespoon of cocoa powder. I did not sift them but you should and I will next time. Then I added in about three tablespoons of the super strong instant coffee and I wisked again until it was light and fluffy. I had some chocolate biscotti so I put one in a baggie and beat it with my rolling pin until it was crumbly and put half in the bottom of each ramekin and then spooned the mousse on top. Couldn't be easier. I think from start to finish (not counting boiling the water to make the coffee) it took about 5 minutes. If you were going to make this for a dinner or a party you could easily make the coffee in advance.
This made two servings and all mesurements are guesstimates.
Monday, October 29, 2007
Must Try Porkchops!
We have never met a porkchop that we haven't liked so when I saw this recipe I knew that I had to give it a try. I had planned to make corn fritters to go along with it but unfortunately my corn got freezer burn. Instead I made rice and for the first time I made it entirely with chicken broth and that turned out really well and was the perfect side for this. I thought Michael was going to faint he loved this meal so much. It really was delicious with the sauce drizzled on top.
Here is the link to her blog (Oct11bride03):
http://tasteofhomecooking.blogspot.com/2007/10/tennessee-whiskey-pork-chops.html
Here is her original posting of it:
http://tasteofhomecooking.blogspot.com/2007/08/tennessee-whiskey-pork-chops-and.html
Here is the corn fritters recipe in case you want it (it looks super good):
http://tasteofhomecooking.blogspot.com/2007/08/farmstand-corn-fritters.html
When I posted the recipe rave on the cooking website I frequent someone said that her husband didn't like porkchops (gasp! How is that possible?!?) and asked for another suggestion. Like most recipes involving pork, chicken can easily be substituted. You would, of course, have to figure out cooking times but just look at another recipe or dig out a cookbook.
Thanks for the recipe and I can't wait to make it again! :)
Here is the link to her blog (Oct11bride03):
http://tasteofhomecooking.blogspot.com/2007/10/tennessee-whiskey-pork-chops.html
Here is her original posting of it:
http://tasteofhomecooking.blogspot.com/2007/08/tennessee-whiskey-pork-chops-and.html
Here is the corn fritters recipe in case you want it (it looks super good):
http://tasteofhomecooking.blogspot.com/2007/08/farmstand-corn-fritters.html
When I posted the recipe rave on the cooking website I frequent someone said that her husband didn't like porkchops (gasp! How is that possible?!?) and asked for another suggestion. Like most recipes involving pork, chicken can easily be substituted. You would, of course, have to figure out cooking times but just look at another recipe or dig out a cookbook.
Thanks for the recipe and I can't wait to make it again! :)
Sunday, September 30, 2007
Cooking lessons with Jennifer
My brother-in-law (aka Bubba)'s girlfriend doesn't know how to cook, but she wants to learn how. We were all at the ILs hanging out the other day (grandfather-in-law, GFIL) is in town and we were visiting. Well Mother-in-Law (MIL) and Father-in-law (FIL) took GFIL out to dinner but told us that we could make whatever we wanted at their house. Well, as you all may know it is much harder to cook in someone else's kitchen than it is your own. So, I went to my house and got a few ingredients for something that I had created in my head and wanted to try because I thought it would be a good basic lesson for the girlfriend. Here's what we made:
Basic white sauce turned cheese sauce:
1/2 stick of butter
1/4 cup flour
1 tsp salt
1/8 teaspoon (or a big pinch) pepper
1 1/2 cups whole milk (do not cheat and used reduced fat or skim or your sauce will taste like a combination of dog poo and wallpaper paste-you have been warned)
1/2 cup heavy cream (we all have to cheat now and again)
one golf ball size portion of Parmesan cheese, finely grated
1. Combine flour, salt & pepper in a bowl and set aside.
2. Melt butter over medium heat, stirring contantly. When butter is melted remove pan from heat.
3. Gradually add flour mixture and stir until smooth.
4. Combine the whole milk and heavy cream in a liquid measuring cup with a spout. Slowly wisk into the butter and flour mixture.
5. Place back onto burner over medium heat and wisk constantly until boiling. Boil for two minutes.
6. Remove from heat. Grate in pamesan cheese and stir until melted.
7. Pat yourself on the back, you have just made a white sauce and then a cheese sauce. You also made a roux (combining the butter and flour and cooking the flour- although we used the heat of the pan to cook it), which is the basis for soups and other yummy goodness.
Red sauce a la Jennifer
1/4 pound panchetta cubed
1/2 cup onions, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1/4 cup white wine
1 large bell pepper (could be green, red, yellow, etc- use what you have or what you like)
1 cup spinach, chiffonade
1 can diced tomatoes, undrained
1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes
1. Place a stainless steel frying pan over medium high heat and allow the pan to heat up.
2. Add in panchetta. Cook on both sides until browned and slightly crispy. Remove from pan, leave behind the fat (which should not be much).
3. Reduce heat to medium. Add onion to pan and cook until translucent. Add in garlic and cook slightly. Do not burn garlic, cook for only 1-2 minutes.
4. Deglaze pan with wine. Scrape up all the "goodies" on the bottom of the pan. Allow the alchohol to cook out.
5. Add bell pepper and panchetta back to pan. Allow to cook for about a minute.
6. Add spinach, diced tomatoes and sundried tomatoes. Allow to heat through and to slightly reduce.
7. Pat yourself on the back, you just made red sauce.
I served this with grilled chicken breasts that I cooked in my grill pan. I seasoned them with my Italian spices spice grinder (dried spice) and some salt & pepper. I seared them over high heat on both sides and then finished cooking in the oven. I just placed the grill pan into the oven.
I served the sauces over whole wheat rotini pasta. I cooked the pasta and then drained it. I added a laddle of the red sauce on top and then a small amount of cheese sauce on top of that. Mixed together they made a rich, creamy tomato sauce.
Everyone raved about how great the meal was and having a soux chef in the kitchen definately helped.
Oh, I almost forgot the appetizer. I made crustini with brushetta.
We sliced a baguette on the bias to create larger slices of bread. We brushed them with olive oil and sprinkled with parmesan cheese. Then we placed them under the broiler until the edges of the bread were browned and the bread was nice and crispy.
Brushetta
Roma tomatoes, deseeded and diced
basil, torn into small pieces
onion finely chopped
garlic powder (because you do not want to bite into raw garlic)
salt
pepper
olive oil
balsamic vinegar
I used about 6 roma tomatoes and about 1/2 of a very large onion. I used about 1/4 cup of basil leaves, a really big four finger pinch of garlic powder, about 1/4 tsp of salt and about 1/2 tsp of pepper. I used about 2 tablespoons each of the olive oil and balasmic vinegar.
You should really make this recipe to taste. You can add more or less of everything to make a brushetta that you really like. There are many things that you can add to this. A local restaurant makes their brushetta with basically the same ingredients I do but then they add in some olive tapenade for some added flair.
What I hope that you take away from the blog entry today is to have fun and experiment in your kitchen. Read cookbooks for ideas but then really make the recipes your own by going into your kitchen and adding the things that you really like.
Oh, and my non-vegetable eating husband ate the red sauce and said that it was very good and did not taste like vegetables. :)
p.s. sorry there are no pictures, still working on that.
Basic white sauce turned cheese sauce:
1/2 stick of butter
1/4 cup flour
1 tsp salt
1/8 teaspoon (or a big pinch) pepper
1 1/2 cups whole milk (do not cheat and used reduced fat or skim or your sauce will taste like a combination of dog poo and wallpaper paste-you have been warned)
1/2 cup heavy cream (we all have to cheat now and again)
one golf ball size portion of Parmesan cheese, finely grated
1. Combine flour, salt & pepper in a bowl and set aside.
2. Melt butter over medium heat, stirring contantly. When butter is melted remove pan from heat.
3. Gradually add flour mixture and stir until smooth.
4. Combine the whole milk and heavy cream in a liquid measuring cup with a spout. Slowly wisk into the butter and flour mixture.
5. Place back onto burner over medium heat and wisk constantly until boiling. Boil for two minutes.
6. Remove from heat. Grate in pamesan cheese and stir until melted.
7. Pat yourself on the back, you have just made a white sauce and then a cheese sauce. You also made a roux (combining the butter and flour and cooking the flour- although we used the heat of the pan to cook it), which is the basis for soups and other yummy goodness.
Red sauce a la Jennifer
1/4 pound panchetta cubed
1/2 cup onions, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1/4 cup white wine
1 large bell pepper (could be green, red, yellow, etc- use what you have or what you like)
1 cup spinach, chiffonade
1 can diced tomatoes, undrained
1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes
1. Place a stainless steel frying pan over medium high heat and allow the pan to heat up.
2. Add in panchetta. Cook on both sides until browned and slightly crispy. Remove from pan, leave behind the fat (which should not be much).
3. Reduce heat to medium. Add onion to pan and cook until translucent. Add in garlic and cook slightly. Do not burn garlic, cook for only 1-2 minutes.
4. Deglaze pan with wine. Scrape up all the "goodies" on the bottom of the pan. Allow the alchohol to cook out.
5. Add bell pepper and panchetta back to pan. Allow to cook for about a minute.
6. Add spinach, diced tomatoes and sundried tomatoes. Allow to heat through and to slightly reduce.
7. Pat yourself on the back, you just made red sauce.
I served this with grilled chicken breasts that I cooked in my grill pan. I seasoned them with my Italian spices spice grinder (dried spice) and some salt & pepper. I seared them over high heat on both sides and then finished cooking in the oven. I just placed the grill pan into the oven.
I served the sauces over whole wheat rotini pasta. I cooked the pasta and then drained it. I added a laddle of the red sauce on top and then a small amount of cheese sauce on top of that. Mixed together they made a rich, creamy tomato sauce.
Everyone raved about how great the meal was and having a soux chef in the kitchen definately helped.
Oh, I almost forgot the appetizer. I made crustini with brushetta.
We sliced a baguette on the bias to create larger slices of bread. We brushed them with olive oil and sprinkled with parmesan cheese. Then we placed them under the broiler until the edges of the bread were browned and the bread was nice and crispy.
Brushetta
Roma tomatoes, deseeded and diced
basil, torn into small pieces
onion finely chopped
garlic powder (because you do not want to bite into raw garlic)
salt
pepper
olive oil
balsamic vinegar
I used about 6 roma tomatoes and about 1/2 of a very large onion. I used about 1/4 cup of basil leaves, a really big four finger pinch of garlic powder, about 1/4 tsp of salt and about 1/2 tsp of pepper. I used about 2 tablespoons each of the olive oil and balasmic vinegar.
You should really make this recipe to taste. You can add more or less of everything to make a brushetta that you really like. There are many things that you can add to this. A local restaurant makes their brushetta with basically the same ingredients I do but then they add in some olive tapenade for some added flair.
What I hope that you take away from the blog entry today is to have fun and experiment in your kitchen. Read cookbooks for ideas but then really make the recipes your own by going into your kitchen and adding the things that you really like.
Oh, and my non-vegetable eating husband ate the red sauce and said that it was very good and did not taste like vegetables. :)
p.s. sorry there are no pictures, still working on that.
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Too good to wait.
I was going to wait to start posting to my blog until I got the digital camera situation straightened out, but I just had to share this with everyone. A couple of weeks ago I stumbled across adamswife's blog and saw a recipe that I thought Michael would like. He loves to dip chicken nuggets into honey so when I saw this I knew it would be an instant hit. I made it the next day and he loved it! Last night he was working late and I needed a quick meal for just me so I whipped this up again to use up some chicken breasts that I had thawing. It came out even better this time because I gave the chicken a double roll in the cracker crumbs. I rolled them once and then waited a few minutes and rolled them a second time (but didn't re-dip in the egg) to get them extra crunchy. mmmm just how I like them! I was hesitant at first to try baked chicken because I love me some fried chicken, but since we are trying to eat healthier and I knew that it was something Michael would like I decided to give it a go. I am so glad I did! Here is the link to her blog so that you can see the recipe.
http://adamswife.blogspot.com/2007/07/chicken-fingers-with-honey-dipping.html
Thank you adamswife for a great recipe that will definately go into my rotation!
http://adamswife.blogspot.com/2007/07/chicken-fingers-with-honey-dipping.html
Thank you adamswife for a great recipe that will definately go into my rotation!
Monday, August 20, 2007
My first posting!
Hi y'all and welcome to my blog! I got inspired to create a cooking blog by the nesties on the What's Cooking board. After discussing it with my husband we decided it would be a great idea. We both love to cook and love to try new recipes. Most of the time though we go in the kitchen grab stuff, throw it in a pot and come out with a wonderful meal. I think it is a gift that we developed watching our parent's cook for so many years.
Anyway, here's some stuff about us. We live in SC. I (Jennifer) am a native, Michael is an army brat transplant, but he's been here forever so he's practically southern. We are in our 20's and are child-free for the moment (unless you count the dog, cat & bunny). We both work full time (and Michael a little more than full-time) and are both students. We are taking a semester off to transfer schools so that will free up a little more time for "real meals." Most of the time during the school year we cook meals on weekends and make tons extra for leftovers or "re-creations" during the week.
I am cooking for the world's pickiest man. He eats practically no vegetables. He is a real "meat and potatoes" kind of guy. I, on the other hand, prefer vegetables with rice or pasta and some lean meat in small portions. There are a few vegetables that I refuse to eat though. I hate peas. Hate them. I will never like them and I am done trying new recipes for them. I give up. I also dislike asparagus. Other than that I like practically anything although I am picky about the way some things are cooked. My favorite vegetable is broccoli and I am always looking for new recipes to try using it.
I hate baking for the most part and never (ok almost never) bake completely home-made. If you are looking for bread recipes you need to move on because you won't be finding them here. :)
Welcome to our blog and our kitchen!
Jennifer
Anyway, here's some stuff about us. We live in SC. I (Jennifer) am a native, Michael is an army brat transplant, but he's been here forever so he's practically southern. We are in our 20's and are child-free for the moment (unless you count the dog, cat & bunny). We both work full time (and Michael a little more than full-time) and are both students. We are taking a semester off to transfer schools so that will free up a little more time for "real meals." Most of the time during the school year we cook meals on weekends and make tons extra for leftovers or "re-creations" during the week.
I am cooking for the world's pickiest man. He eats practically no vegetables. He is a real "meat and potatoes" kind of guy. I, on the other hand, prefer vegetables with rice or pasta and some lean meat in small portions. There are a few vegetables that I refuse to eat though. I hate peas. Hate them. I will never like them and I am done trying new recipes for them. I give up. I also dislike asparagus. Other than that I like practically anything although I am picky about the way some things are cooked. My favorite vegetable is broccoli and I am always looking for new recipes to try using it.
I hate baking for the most part and never (ok almost never) bake completely home-made. If you are looking for bread recipes you need to move on because you won't be finding them here. :)
Welcome to our blog and our kitchen!
Jennifer
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