Karl Elvis mentioned making stock. And I like making stock. It's a great base, and when you make it yourself, you know just what went into it so you've got control over the flavors that are or aren't added. There's nothing I just plain dislike as much as I dislike using a mediocre stock. Unfortunately, most canned stocks are just that, so I'm going to be making stock next week.
Here's the recipe I'm going to be using
Basic Beef Stock
5 pounds bare rendering bones, sawed into 2" pieces (you can also use bones from steaks or trimmings from roasts, whatever you happen to have. You can request bones from the butcher at your local friendly butcher shop [we've got one in town], or just ask at the local grocery. They should be cheap)
1 pound carrots, rough chopped into 1/2" pieces
3 yellow onions, rough chopped
1 pound celery, rough chopped
Roast your bones. Now, no bad jokes. Set the oven to 400, place the bones down on a pan that you've put foil into, roast them until they're toasted brown, but not black. Should take about 1/2 an hour to 1 hour, and you flip it while roasting so you get a good overall color.
Put the roasted bones into the bottom of a big soup or stock pot. Cover with enough water so the bones are completely submerged by at least an inch. Bring to a boil. Skim the foam. Drop the heat to medium, throw in the veggies. Let this simmer for at least 6 hours, with 12 hours being preferred.
If you've got a crock pot, put the bones in the bottom of the crock pot, add water to cover. Set to 'High' for 1 hour. At the end of 1 hour, skim any foam, pour in the veggies and fill the pot with water. Set it on 'Low' and let it go for a full 24 hours.
At the end of the cook time, let it cool. Float some bags of ice in it, or set it into an ice chest filled with ice. Don't just set it in the fridge, you'll heat everything in there up. Get it cooled down* your favorite way. Strain it.
When you're done cooling and straining, put it into freezer containers, ice cube trays (2 or 3 stock cubes and I say you have a pan sauce!) bags, whatever you need to do. It'll keep in the freezer for 6 months, and it's a heck of a lot cheaper than buying stock.
You can also do a bit of what I've been known to do. I'll boil down the stock with the veggies in it for a good long while, get it really concentrated. Strain and freeze above, but it's super-concentrated. Then you just have to pull out an ice cube of it, add 2 cups of water and voila! Stock that doesn't take up nearly as much freezer room.
*Just as an aside, I have been thinking of this. The little hand-held blenders have taken off like hotcakes. They should make a 'cooler' about that same size, with a refrigerated coil encased in something that's foodsafe. Easy cool down for leftovers and soups and such. Someone should get on that. There. A free invention for someone.
Apr 23, 2007
Apr 17, 2007
Variations on a theme... Recipe Tuesday
One of the things I've insisted on, Dear Reader, is that people play with their food. Don't accept a recipe as written just because that's the way you've always done it, don't do it the way your mom always did it because... well, tradition, things like that. New cooking methods, new spices, new ways of looking at things. Try something new.
So today's variation is variations on the theme of a Tennessee phenomenon called Sausage Balls that my grandmother morphed into her breakfast-y Sausage Biscuits. The recipes are alike enough that it makes it easy to set them together. First, the basics...
Basic Sausage Biscuits (Sausage balls ingredients are parenthetical)
1 pound sausage (1 lb sausage)
10 oz. shredded cheese (8 oz. shredded cheese)
2 1/4 cups Bisquick (2 cups Bisquick)
water to moisten (LEAVE THIS OUT)
Heat oven to 350. For biscuits, form into golf ball sized balls, flatten slightly. Cook for 18-20 minutes or until golden brown. For balls, form into small walnut sized balls, do not flatten. Cook for 15-18 minutes or until golden brown.
Here's the variation we tried:
Biscuits= Italian sausage + Longhorn style cheddar
I won't recommend this. I got 3 dozen biscuits, they're all eaten (Sic_un and his roommate, mostly), but they didn't taste quite right to me. Here's the variations I've come up with:
Biscuits=mild breakfast sausage+mild cheddar cheese (serve with syrup &/or jam for breakfast)
Biscuits=hot breakfast sausage+sharp cheddar cheese (see above, more savory)
Balls=Italian sausage+blended Italian mix cheeses (savory, serve with a marinara as appetizer)
Balls=Chorizo+blend of manchego and cheddar (savory, serve with queso for a Mexican appetizer)
So, Dear Reader, the moral to this Recipe Tuesday is simply this:
So today's variation is variations on the theme of a Tennessee phenomenon called Sausage Balls that my grandmother morphed into her breakfast-y Sausage Biscuits. The recipes are alike enough that it makes it easy to set them together. First, the basics...
Basic Sausage Biscuits (Sausage balls ingredients are parenthetical)
1 pound sausage (1 lb sausage)
10 oz. shredded cheese (8 oz. shredded cheese)
2 1/4 cups Bisquick (2 cups Bisquick)
water to moisten (LEAVE THIS OUT)
Heat oven to 350. For biscuits, form into golf ball sized balls, flatten slightly. Cook for 18-20 minutes or until golden brown. For balls, form into small walnut sized balls, do not flatten. Cook for 15-18 minutes or until golden brown.
Here's the variation we tried:
Biscuits= Italian sausage + Longhorn style cheddar
I won't recommend this. I got 3 dozen biscuits, they're all eaten (Sic_un and his roommate, mostly), but they didn't taste quite right to me. Here's the variations I've come up with:
Biscuits=mild breakfast sausage+mild cheddar cheese (serve with syrup &/or jam for breakfast)
Biscuits=hot breakfast sausage+sharp cheddar cheese (see above, more savory)
Balls=Italian sausage+blended Italian mix cheeses (savory, serve with a marinara as appetizer)
Balls=Chorizo+blend of manchego and cheddar (savory, serve with queso for a Mexican appetizer)
So, Dear Reader, the moral to this Recipe Tuesday is simply this:
PLAY WITH YOUR FOOD!
Apr 10, 2007
Corned beef ... Recipe Tuesday
Right now, Dear Reader, I have a pot full o'goodness bubbling away on the stove. We've passed St Patrick's Day by 3 weeks or so and casting about for something to eat led Sic_un to say "You still have some corned beef in the freezer. Make it up. We'll have sandwiches".
So I have corned beef bubbling on the stove. Here's how I do it for sandwiches, which is a little different from how I do it for corned beef and cabbage:
Corned Beef for Sandwiches
1 beef brisket (for St. Pat's, I didn't want a huge amount of leftovers, so I got a 3 lb brisket and cut away about 1 1/2 lbs. SO I'm using about 1 1/2 pounds)
2 teaspoons mustard seed-lightly crushed
1/2 sweet white onion, finely chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons caraway seeds-lightly crushed
1 teaspoon each dried basil and rosemary
1 bay leaf (leave it in the broth)
2 teaspoons fresh ground black pepper
water to cover
In the bottom of a large saucepan or soup pot (whatever the brisket will fit into, remember: You can cut it to fit), saute the onion and spices over medium heat until the onion is transparent. Mine took me about 3 or 4 minutes. Once the onion is transparent, put the beef on top of it, fat side down. Let it sizzle and render some of the fat off for about 3 minutes. Turn it over, let it go another 3 minutes. Fill the pot with enough water to cover the brisket. Bring just to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 45 minutes.
Turn off the heat and let it rest in the broth for about 15 minutes.
Remove from broth, let rest 5 minutes.
Slice thin, make sandwiches.
The difference between this for sammies and this for c.b.&c is that I use less mustard and caraway, but add in thyme. Then, after simmering and getting all happy in the broth, I'll throw in potatoes (peeled and chunked) for about 30 minutes and cabbage wedges for about 15 minutes (take a head of cabbage, slice it into wedges lengthwise--I can get up to 16 out of a head) and that's corned beef and cabbage. Less spicy, since the meat has to do less.
For sandwiches, we're using cheddar cheese, white bread, mayo, mustard (dijon), lettuce and tomato (yeah, we're weird, we'll cop to that).
Enjoy!
So I have corned beef bubbling on the stove. Here's how I do it for sandwiches, which is a little different from how I do it for corned beef and cabbage:
Corned Beef for Sandwiches
1 beef brisket (for St. Pat's, I didn't want a huge amount of leftovers, so I got a 3 lb brisket and cut away about 1 1/2 lbs. SO I'm using about 1 1/2 pounds)
2 teaspoons mustard seed-lightly crushed
1/2 sweet white onion, finely chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons caraway seeds-lightly crushed
1 teaspoon each dried basil and rosemary
1 bay leaf (leave it in the broth)
2 teaspoons fresh ground black pepper
water to cover
In the bottom of a large saucepan or soup pot (whatever the brisket will fit into, remember: You can cut it to fit), saute the onion and spices over medium heat until the onion is transparent. Mine took me about 3 or 4 minutes. Once the onion is transparent, put the beef on top of it, fat side down. Let it sizzle and render some of the fat off for about 3 minutes. Turn it over, let it go another 3 minutes. Fill the pot with enough water to cover the brisket. Bring just to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 45 minutes.
Turn off the heat and let it rest in the broth for about 15 minutes.
Remove from broth, let rest 5 minutes.
Slice thin, make sandwiches.
The difference between this for sammies and this for c.b.&c is that I use less mustard and caraway, but add in thyme. Then, after simmering and getting all happy in the broth, I'll throw in potatoes (peeled and chunked) for about 30 minutes and cabbage wedges for about 15 minutes (take a head of cabbage, slice it into wedges lengthwise--I can get up to 16 out of a head) and that's corned beef and cabbage. Less spicy, since the meat has to do less.
For sandwiches, we're using cheddar cheese, white bread, mayo, mustard (dijon), lettuce and tomato (yeah, we're weird, we'll cop to that).
Enjoy!
Apr 2, 2007
Shish! Kabob, that is... Recipe Tuesday
So spring has sprung. Sic_un just mowed the lawn for the first time, we've been doing some grilling (on the OH SO INADEQUATE grill he owns), and I figured...
Let's do Kabobs. They're quick, easy, beef so Sic_un can eat it, opens to a huge amount of flavor possibilities... Quick, easy, etc...
Beef Kabob
1 1/2 punds London Broil, approx. 1" thick, cut into 1 to 1 1/2" cubes
1 large sweet onion
1 large green bell pepper
4 tablespoons prepared teriyaki sauce
4 tablespoons worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons barbecue sauce
3 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon basalmic vinegar
1 teaspoon dried rosemary (crushed)
1 teaspoon dried marjoram (crushed)
1" grated or sliced fresh ginger (I keep my ginger in the freezer. When I need some, I can peel it really quickly with my veggie knife, then slice off shavings of it that will melt into the marinades)
Mix the teriyaki, worcestershire, barbecue, honey, basalmic vinegar, rosemary, marjoram and ginger until well blended. You can heat it in the microwave for up to 30 seconds to melt the honey if you need to. Place the marinade and the meat into a ziplock bag, refrigerate overnight.
When you're ready to grill, thread meat, pieces of onion and slices of bell pepper onto skewers. If you use wooden or bamboo skewers, please soak them thoroughly in water before using.
Grill until they're done to your point of done-ness. I like things medium to medium-rare, Sic_un likes well. Grill until they're done to your point of done-ness.
Served with grilled pineapple rings and green salad. Great for a quick, easy, no thought quiet Sunday, you know?
Have a good week, Dear Reader.
Let's do Kabobs. They're quick, easy, beef so Sic_un can eat it, opens to a huge amount of flavor possibilities... Quick, easy, etc...
Beef Kabob
1 1/2 punds London Broil, approx. 1" thick, cut into 1 to 1 1/2" cubes
1 large sweet onion
1 large green bell pepper
4 tablespoons prepared teriyaki sauce
4 tablespoons worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons barbecue sauce
3 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon basalmic vinegar
1 teaspoon dried rosemary (crushed)
1 teaspoon dried marjoram (crushed)
1" grated or sliced fresh ginger (I keep my ginger in the freezer. When I need some, I can peel it really quickly with my veggie knife, then slice off shavings of it that will melt into the marinades)
Mix the teriyaki, worcestershire, barbecue, honey, basalmic vinegar, rosemary, marjoram and ginger until well blended. You can heat it in the microwave for up to 30 seconds to melt the honey if you need to. Place the marinade and the meat into a ziplock bag, refrigerate overnight.
When you're ready to grill, thread meat, pieces of onion and slices of bell pepper onto skewers. If you use wooden or bamboo skewers, please soak them thoroughly in water before using.
Grill until they're done to your point of done-ness. I like things medium to medium-rare, Sic_un likes well. Grill until they're done to your point of done-ness.
Served with grilled pineapple rings and green salad. Great for a quick, easy, no thought quiet Sunday, you know?
Have a good week, Dear Reader.
Mar 27, 2007
Because.... Cherry-O Pie :Recipe Tuesday
Because I'm thinking of Mom and this is close enough....
Cherry-O Pie
1 graham cracker pie crust
8 oz. cream cheese
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup lemon juice
1 cap almond extract
1 can cherry pie filling, chilled
Instructions:
In a mixing bowl, mix cream cheese, milk, lemon juice, and extract until well blended and smooth.
Pour cream mixture into pie crust and smooth top.
Chill overnight in the refrigerator.
Top with cherry pie filling before serving.
Cherry-O Pie
1 graham cracker pie crust
8 oz. cream cheese
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup lemon juice
1 cap almond extract
1 can cherry pie filling, chilled
Instructions:
In a mixing bowl, mix cream cheese, milk, lemon juice, and extract until well blended and smooth.
Pour cream mixture into pie crust and smooth top.
Chill overnight in the refrigerator.
Top with cherry pie filling before serving.
Mar 20, 2007
Irish? Why yes... Yes I am...
But I cannot, for some reason, make bread.
This week's Recipe Tuesday comes to you from Food TV, where I got what seemed to be a decent recipe for Soda Bread. Go here for the recipe.
Now, what I ended up with isn't a chewy, earthy bread good for corned beef and cabbage and potatoes. That's what it should have been.
I didn't use enough liquid.
I ended up with a large hockey puck that had a dry, icky texture.
If anyone can make bread, teach me.
Happy Recipe Tuesday, folks
This week's Recipe Tuesday comes to you from Food TV, where I got what seemed to be a decent recipe for Soda Bread. Go here for the recipe.
Now, what I ended up with isn't a chewy, earthy bread good for corned beef and cabbage and potatoes. That's what it should have been.
I didn't use enough liquid.
I ended up with a large hockey puck that had a dry, icky texture.
If anyone can make bread, teach me.
Happy Recipe Tuesday, folks
Mar 6, 2007
SOPA!!!
Once again, Dear Reader, it's time for Recipe Tuesday. Slight disclaimer: I'm cooking these when I get home tonight, I'll update and let you know how they turn out Tuesday evening (posting from work, no internet at home, Sic_un's getting his sissy bar installed tonight).
I've been craving Sopas... Sopapillas. A delicious light, airy fried bread prevalent (very) in every Mexican restaurant in New Mexico. People here haven't HEARD of them... Why, you may ask. I asked that too. Nobody here could tell me.
So you go to the internet and what can you find? THIS. Apparently, according to Wikipedia (and, really, this is the best explanation I can find), sopapillas were developed or created or whatever in the late 1800's... IN NEW MEXICO. There is a South American dish called torta frita that is quite a bit like it, but apparently sopas are a New Mexican phenom. Even the language kindof carries this through. The etymology: American Spanish, diminutive of Spanish sopaipa, fried dough sweetened with honey, from earlier xopaipa, from Mozarabic xupaipa. Also diminutive of úppa, súppa, bread soaked in oil, from Old Spanish sopa, food soaked in liquid, of Germanic origin.
And I've been craving.
Shall we go to the kitchen, Dear Reader?
Sopapillas (service for 6)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon shortening
1/4 cup and 2 tablespoons warm water
2 cups oil for frying --USE SHORTENING... Fries up better.
In a large bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, salt and shortening. Stir in water; mix until dough is smooth. Cover and let stand for 20 minutes.
Roll out on floured board until 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick. Cut into 3 inch squares. Heat oil in deep-fryer to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Fry until golden brown on both sides. Drain on paper towels and serve hot. You may dust with powdered sugar, serve with honey, or stuff with whatever you desire.
Easy recipe. Please note, you can get more servings if you double/triple, etc. I don't see ANY problem with expanding this recipe. BUT... Sopas don't store so well, they don't reheat so well. You're better off keeping the batches smaller to fit how many you want to feed at any one time.
You MUST roll them really thin otherwise they don't puff the way they should (thick dough=thick sopa...icky). I've often heard they should be tissue paper thin. Don't need to go that thin, but it does puff up better the thinner it is.
Use shortening for frying. Oil doesn't give quite as good a browning from what I've seen in the past. I prefer to deep fry with shortening.
My favorite way to enjoy them is to either have them with enchiladas (gooey and dripping with chile verde over at Los Cuates) or as dessert drizzled with honey. The salt in them (and it really is a bit of a savory dough) contrasts nicely and makes it a 'not heavy' dessert.
Enjoy, and I'll let you know how it turns out tomorrow afternoon or evening. Maybe even with pictures :)
I've been craving Sopas... Sopapillas. A delicious light, airy fried bread prevalent (very) in every Mexican restaurant in New Mexico. People here haven't HEARD of them... Why, you may ask. I asked that too. Nobody here could tell me.
So you go to the internet and what can you find? THIS. Apparently, according to Wikipedia (and, really, this is the best explanation I can find), sopapillas were developed or created or whatever in the late 1800's... IN NEW MEXICO. There is a South American dish called torta frita that is quite a bit like it, but apparently sopas are a New Mexican phenom. Even the language kindof carries this through. The etymology: American Spanish, diminutive of Spanish sopaipa, fried dough sweetened with honey, from earlier xopaipa, from Mozarabic xupaipa. Also diminutive of úppa, súppa, bread soaked in oil, from Old Spanish sopa, food soaked in liquid, of Germanic origin.
And I've been craving.
Shall we go to the kitchen, Dear Reader?
Sopapillas (service for 6)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon shortening
1/4 cup and 2 tablespoons warm water
2 cups oil for frying --USE SHORTENING... Fries up better.
In a large bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, salt and shortening. Stir in water; mix until dough is smooth. Cover and let stand for 20 minutes.
Roll out on floured board until 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick. Cut into 3 inch squares. Heat oil in deep-fryer to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Fry until golden brown on both sides. Drain on paper towels and serve hot. You may dust with powdered sugar, serve with honey, or stuff with whatever you desire.
Easy recipe. Please note, you can get more servings if you double/triple, etc. I don't see ANY problem with expanding this recipe. BUT... Sopas don't store so well, they don't reheat so well. You're better off keeping the batches smaller to fit how many you want to feed at any one time.
You MUST roll them really thin otherwise they don't puff the way they should (thick dough=thick sopa...icky). I've often heard they should be tissue paper thin. Don't need to go that thin, but it does puff up better the thinner it is.
Use shortening for frying. Oil doesn't give quite as good a browning from what I've seen in the past. I prefer to deep fry with shortening.
My favorite way to enjoy them is to either have them with enchiladas (gooey and dripping with chile verde over at Los Cuates) or as dessert drizzled with honey. The salt in them (and it really is a bit of a savory dough) contrasts nicely and makes it a 'not heavy' dessert.
Enjoy, and I'll let you know how it turns out tomorrow afternoon or evening. Maybe even with pictures :)
The Its-Been-a-Hell-of-a-Week Quiche
Hi, I'm SiO2. I've commented some here and I post Recipe Tuesday stuff in that Other journaling site, but the food's good so at Neuro's request I'll be cross posting here and there and I also ended up with my own blog(I'll link if I do anything with it). I'm sure that's mostly a sentence.
Its Recipe Tuesday and after the week or so that it has been, Dear Reader (rough and not in that warm squishy way), I figure I'll make comfort food this week.
This is the sort of about right style my dad taught me to cook in (think of measuring a teaspoon in of salt into your cupped palm and knowing its about right). I have no idea what dad calls this, but its thing he made for dinner when the day had been long or awful.
OK pick up a zucchini: wash and shred it
Take a glass baking pan and grease or spray it. Then line it with the zucchini shreds and press them into place. Bake 350 that til a little crispy. After you pull that out of the oven turn it up to 400 to preheat.
Take enough eggs (5ish - it depends upon your pan) and milk and cheese to fill this and beat them and pour it in to the crust, plus or minus spicing but really I like it mostly plain. Fresh sage could go well.
Place mixture in the crust then cover with red chile sauce, which is buy red chile add water and simmer till gooey.
Bake at 400 or so for 30-45 or til golden brown and solid.
I always think this is fabulous in its balance: spicy and plain, crunchy and soft. Sorry no pictures.
Its Recipe Tuesday and after the week or so that it has been, Dear Reader (rough and not in that warm squishy way), I figure I'll make comfort food this week.
This is the sort of about right style my dad taught me to cook in (think of measuring a teaspoon in of salt into your cupped palm and knowing its about right). I have no idea what dad calls this, but its thing he made for dinner when the day had been long or awful.
OK pick up a zucchini: wash and shred it
Take a glass baking pan and grease or spray it. Then line it with the zucchini shreds and press them into place. Bake 350 that til a little crispy. After you pull that out of the oven turn it up to 400 to preheat.
Take enough eggs (5ish - it depends upon your pan) and milk and cheese to fill this and beat them and pour it in to the crust, plus or minus spicing but really I like it mostly plain. Fresh sage could go well.
Place mixture in the crust then cover with red chile sauce, which is buy red chile add water and simmer till gooey.
Bake at 400 or so for 30-45 or til golden brown and solid.
I always think this is fabulous in its balance: spicy and plain, crunchy and soft. Sorry no pictures.
Feb 27, 2007
Pizza pizza..
First, I'm late off work tonight, so I'm posting this from work. There will be no pictures. Sorry. Like I said, I'm late off work, and rather than go up and only spend 2-3 hours with Sic_un, I'm 'staying home'. Since I have no intarweb, it must be done here. No pictures because well, it's work. I can get fired for plugging things into the computers here.
Sic_un and I have been tossing around dinner ideas, who cooks, etc etc etc. Yesterday, we decided 'Fuck it, we'll make pizza'. That's this week's Recipe Tuesday
PIZZA PIZZA
1 pizza crust (you can use Boboli, pre-cooked crusts, frozen crusts, refrigerator crusts [this is what we did], or make your own. I didn't want the mess so we used refrigerator crusts. I've also used standard french bread loaves sliced in 1/2)
Pizza Sauce (jarred sauces are fine--We used the Ragu Pizza sauce. It has no added sugar((!)) and it's not overpoweringly sweet-Look into white sauces, pestos, make your own)
Italian sausage-Brown before hand
ham slices
Pepperoni
Mushrooms
Sliced bell peppers
Jalapenos
Sliced red onion
Cheese (we used pre-shredded 'italian' blend from Sargento...It was on sale and the same price a standard 3 cheese blend would be, so we used the 6 cheese blend from Sargento)
Start with crust preparation. If you want to make your own crust, check Food Network or Recipe Source for recipes. Follow the directions. Next time, we're talking about making our own crusts. The Pillsbury refrigerator crust is OK flavor-wise, a little tough texture-wise, and it winds up as a 'thin' crust. I don't like 'thin' crusts in general, so I wasn't super happy with it, but it was OK.
Once the crust is prepped (my instructions were bake it 8 minutes, then top it and bake it 9-11 minutes more), top.
Start with the sauce. Don't load it down too much with sauce because it will make the crust soggy after baking.
Drain all meats and veggies. This makes it less likely to drip and get wierd.
Layer on your toppings. I started with a little cheese in the sauce, then meats, then more cheese, then veggies then more cheese.
Sic_un did sauce, meat, veggies, cheese.
Bake it to bubble the cheese. If the crust appears to be getting too dark, feel free to cover the edges with foil and stick it under the broiler to get a bubbly hot top.
So we had pizza for dinner and were curious... Has anyone else ended up making pizza and getting more than satisfied with 1 or 2 pieces? We order a pizza and I can scarf down a full 4 slices if I'm determined to. I could barely finish 1 piece of the homemade, it was that filling. Any clue? I mean, I know amount of topping has a lot to do with it, and I packed a huge amount of toppings on, but Sic_un was only able to finish 2 pieces of his and he was full too. Anybody else experience this?
***
The birthday was great! I had a ball! We're actually talking about going bowling now. I bowled an 86 the first game and a 74 the second game (last drunken bowling I made a 13? 15? Something like that. It's an improvement!). We're not too concerned with scoring, it's just... Is it fun? Yes. Did we HAVE fun? Yes. Was it different? Yes. SO we'll probably go again.
Peace, Dear Reader.
Sic_un and I have been tossing around dinner ideas, who cooks, etc etc etc. Yesterday, we decided 'Fuck it, we'll make pizza'. That's this week's Recipe Tuesday
PIZZA PIZZA
1 pizza crust (you can use Boboli, pre-cooked crusts, frozen crusts, refrigerator crusts [this is what we did], or make your own. I didn't want the mess so we used refrigerator crusts. I've also used standard french bread loaves sliced in 1/2)
Pizza Sauce (jarred sauces are fine--We used the Ragu Pizza sauce. It has no added sugar((!)) and it's not overpoweringly sweet-Look into white sauces, pestos, make your own)
Italian sausage-Brown before hand
ham slices
Pepperoni
Mushrooms
Sliced bell peppers
Jalapenos
Sliced red onion
Cheese (we used pre-shredded 'italian' blend from Sargento...It was on sale and the same price a standard 3 cheese blend would be, so we used the 6 cheese blend from Sargento)
Start with crust preparation. If you want to make your own crust, check Food Network or Recipe Source for recipes. Follow the directions. Next time, we're talking about making our own crusts. The Pillsbury refrigerator crust is OK flavor-wise, a little tough texture-wise, and it winds up as a 'thin' crust. I don't like 'thin' crusts in general, so I wasn't super happy with it, but it was OK.
Once the crust is prepped (my instructions were bake it 8 minutes, then top it and bake it 9-11 minutes more), top.
Start with the sauce. Don't load it down too much with sauce because it will make the crust soggy after baking.
Drain all meats and veggies. This makes it less likely to drip and get wierd.
Layer on your toppings. I started with a little cheese in the sauce, then meats, then more cheese, then veggies then more cheese.
Sic_un did sauce, meat, veggies, cheese.
Bake it to bubble the cheese. If the crust appears to be getting too dark, feel free to cover the edges with foil and stick it under the broiler to get a bubbly hot top.
So we had pizza for dinner and were curious... Has anyone else ended up making pizza and getting more than satisfied with 1 or 2 pieces? We order a pizza and I can scarf down a full 4 slices if I'm determined to. I could barely finish 1 piece of the homemade, it was that filling. Any clue? I mean, I know amount of topping has a lot to do with it, and I packed a huge amount of toppings on, but Sic_un was only able to finish 2 pieces of his and he was full too. Anybody else experience this?
***
The birthday was great! I had a ball! We're actually talking about going bowling now. I bowled an 86 the first game and a 74 the second game (last drunken bowling I made a 13? 15? Something like that. It's an improvement!). We're not too concerned with scoring, it's just... Is it fun? Yes. Did we HAVE fun? Yes. Was it different? Yes. SO we'll probably go again.
Peace, Dear Reader.
Saturday Night Let-It-Sit Stew...
Greetings, Dear Reader. I was really in a quandry about what to post for Recipe Tuesday. See, I made stew Saturday, then Sic_un made roast for Sunday, and I really didn't feel like cooking tonight. SO what to do for Recipe Tuesday... It's, well, it's stew or roast or an untried recipe.
Then I thought about how I ended up making the stew. New cooking trick for me, so...
Saturday Night Let-It-Sit Stew
1 1/2 pound chuck roast, cut into 1 1/2x1 inch chunks
3/4 cup flour
3 tablespoons McCormick Montreal Steak Seasoning
1/2 onion, coarsely chopped (1/2" pieces)
1 tablespoon oil
***
1 1/2 onions, medium chop (1/4" pieces)
4 carrots, sliced into 1/2" thick pieces
3 stalks celery, chopped into 1/4" pieces
3 tablespoons worcestershire sauce
***
5 cups beef broth
1 can navy beans, rinsed well
4 potatoes, cut into large bite size chunks (I ended up cutting them in 1/2 lengthwise, then 3/4 inch chunks)
2 cups frozen green beans
To start the stew, mix your seasoning into your flour. Coat the beef chunks with the flour. Heat the oil in the bottom of a large soup or stock pot over medium-high heat until shimmery. Sear the meat chunks in batches with small amounts of the coarsely chopped onion, removing each batch to a plate to catch the juices. You will not be cooking the meat through, just searing it for color and texture. Be sure to drain as much of the oil off the pieces and leave it in the pan.
After searing the meat, throw the onions, carrots and celery into the pan. After approximately 5-7 minutes of cooking (you want the veggies barely softened), sprinkle approximately 3 tablespoons of your coating flour over the top of the veggies, stir well. We're cooking the flour rather than cooking the veggies as much. Keep stirring. Once the flour reaches a nice golden color, stir in the reserved beef, the worcestershire sauce and the 5 cups of beef broth. You should notice it getting thicker once it gets to the bubble point. At this point, turn it down and let it simmer for about 1/2 an hour. Taste it for seasonings, add to your heart's content. I threw in about 1 teaspoon of Jane's Crazy Pepper, which gave it an immediate bite and flavor boost without a whole lot of 'hot'.
After it's simmered for a 1/2 hour or so, add in your beans and potatoes. Add water to cover veggies if necessary. Bring it to a bubble. Simmer it on medium heat, at a bubble, stirring occasionally. After a half hour, turn it off. Yeah, yeah, I know. "Don't keep food in the 'danger zone'". We went to G&D's to pick up equipment and kick back for a few. It ended up being 2 hours. But that 2 hours? The pot held the heat really well, the stew held it's temperature really well, and the flavors just BLENDED. You could stop at this point, pour it into a bowl and let it refrigerate overnight, but let it REST.
When we came back home, we popped the heat back up, brought it to a boil, turned it down to simmer, threw in the green beans, and let it just bubble at a lower heat for about 1 1/2 hours.
Serve with the bread and salad of your choice.
It really is a stew, thick and rich and peppery. We had about 6-8 servings left over that we froze for future 'Don't wanna cook' nights. You can thin it down with broth or water, add in more veggies (how good would corn be in this?), add some tomato (we didn't want the acid in it), throw in some V8.... Play with it, but as is, it's a very thick and rich hearty stew OH so good for days that start out like this:
Enjoy Recipe Tuesday, folks! Changes to it are on the way, including adding in SiO2's recipes :)
Then I thought about how I ended up making the stew. New cooking trick for me, so...
Saturday Night Let-It-Sit Stew
1 1/2 pound chuck roast, cut into 1 1/2x1 inch chunks
3/4 cup flour
3 tablespoons McCormick Montreal Steak Seasoning
1/2 onion, coarsely chopped (1/2" pieces)
1 tablespoon oil
***
1 1/2 onions, medium chop (1/4" pieces)
4 carrots, sliced into 1/2" thick pieces
3 stalks celery, chopped into 1/4" pieces
3 tablespoons worcestershire sauce
***
5 cups beef broth
1 can navy beans, rinsed well
4 potatoes, cut into large bite size chunks (I ended up cutting them in 1/2 lengthwise, then 3/4 inch chunks)
2 cups frozen green beans
To start the stew, mix your seasoning into your flour. Coat the beef chunks with the flour. Heat the oil in the bottom of a large soup or stock pot over medium-high heat until shimmery. Sear the meat chunks in batches with small amounts of the coarsely chopped onion, removing each batch to a plate to catch the juices. You will not be cooking the meat through, just searing it for color and texture. Be sure to drain as much of the oil off the pieces and leave it in the pan.
After searing the meat, throw the onions, carrots and celery into the pan. After approximately 5-7 minutes of cooking (you want the veggies barely softened), sprinkle approximately 3 tablespoons of your coating flour over the top of the veggies, stir well. We're cooking the flour rather than cooking the veggies as much. Keep stirring. Once the flour reaches a nice golden color, stir in the reserved beef, the worcestershire sauce and the 5 cups of beef broth. You should notice it getting thicker once it gets to the bubble point. At this point, turn it down and let it simmer for about 1/2 an hour. Taste it for seasonings, add to your heart's content. I threw in about 1 teaspoon of Jane's Crazy Pepper, which gave it an immediate bite and flavor boost without a whole lot of 'hot'.
After it's simmered for a 1/2 hour or so, add in your beans and potatoes. Add water to cover veggies if necessary. Bring it to a bubble. Simmer it on medium heat, at a bubble, stirring occasionally. After a half hour, turn it off. Yeah, yeah, I know. "Don't keep food in the 'danger zone'". We went to G&D's to pick up equipment and kick back for a few. It ended up being 2 hours. But that 2 hours? The pot held the heat really well, the stew held it's temperature really well, and the flavors just BLENDED. You could stop at this point, pour it into a bowl and let it refrigerate overnight, but let it REST.
When we came back home, we popped the heat back up, brought it to a boil, turned it down to simmer, threw in the green beans, and let it just bubble at a lower heat for about 1 1/2 hours.
Serve with the bread and salad of your choice.
It really is a stew, thick and rich and peppery. We had about 6-8 servings left over that we froze for future 'Don't wanna cook' nights. You can thin it down with broth or water, add in more veggies (how good would corn be in this?), add some tomato (we didn't want the acid in it), throw in some V8.... Play with it, but as is, it's a very thick and rich hearty stew OH so good for days that start out like this:
Enjoy Recipe Tuesday, folks! Changes to it are on the way, including adding in SiO2's recipes :)
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