Sunday, December 5, 2010
A Lot has happened...Easiest Pumpkin Recipe
Whiskey Carmel Sauce
1/4 C. Jameson Whiskey, Flamed
1/2 C Heavy cream
1 1/2 Egg Yolks
1 C Brown Sugar
1/3 C Butter
1 tsp Vanilla
Cream Butter, Sugar, vanilla in a bowl. Lightly beat the eggs and add them mixture, and blend thoroughly. Heat the Jameson and flame (carefully). Add cream and Jameson into the top pan of a double boiler and cook for about 5 minutes or until it thickens. Stir constantly.
Prepping fresh Pumpkin for Pies other recipes
1 small Pumpkin
Preheat oven to 425. Remove Pumpkin Stem, cut in half, and remove seeds. Place on cookie sheet and place in over for 1 hour or until soft. Scrap out pumpkin and strain to remove excess water. Then put it into a blender, and puree.
The Easiest Pumpkin Muffins with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
15 Oz. of Pumpkin
1 package of Spice Cake Mix.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 12 cup muffin pan or line with paper liners.In a large bowl, mix together the cake mix, pumpkin puree. Spoon into muffin tin swirl in Carmel sauce (optional). Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, until a toothpick inserted in the center of one comes out clean.
Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/4 C butter, softened
1 C sifted powder sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 Tbsp cinnamon
In a medium bowl, cream together the cream cheese and butter until creamy. Mix in the vanilla, then add cinnamon. Gradually stir in the powder sugar. Top the Pumpkin Muffins with frosting.
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Tostones with Chicken and fresh Pico de Gallo and quick Magic Hat Hex review
As a side note, I tried Magic Hat's Seasonal "Ourtoberfest" beer called "Hex". It was a really good fall beer. There were hints of Cherry...Almost like a mixture of Sam Adams Cherry Wheat and Octoberfest. It was a great fall beer... Unfortunately it was like 95 degrees today. Diffenately had to enjoy it in a frozen mug today. Magic Hat has a stronger hops flavor then most beers sold. It is a Micro-brew from Vermont. One of my favorite beers is their Magic Hat #9 Not so Pale Ale. Enjoy!
Tostones with Chicken and fresh Pico de Gallo
2 Chicken Breasts
2 Plantains
Jerk Marinade (can be store bought but they are usually Sweet)
2 C shredded Cheese
Pico De Gallo
3 Roma Tomatoes, diced
1/2 small white onion, diced
1 shallot, diced
1 Sweet Chili Pepper, diced
1 Tbsp Fresh Cilantro
1/4 C Diced Chives
1 Cooked Cob of Sweet Corn (removed from the cob)
2 Limes
1 Tbps Sugar
Salt to taste
Marinate the chicken in the Jerk Sauce. If you make you own marinade and it has Habanero peppers in it make sure you don't marinate for more than 45 minutes. Habaneros will start to "cook" the chicken and make it tough.
Mix Tomatoes, Onion, Shallots, Pepper, Corn, Cilantro, and Chives in a sealable bowl. Zest the limes and cut in half and sqeeze the juice into mixture. Add sugar and salt. Mix and set in the refigerator.
Peal the Plantains and cut at an angle. Fry the Plantains for 2 minutes to soften. Smash on a cutting board with the bottom of a small frying pan. Set aside.
Remove the chicken from marinade and disgard marinade. Grill the Chicken. After cooked fully dice.
Place plantains back in the fryer and cook fully (about 7-10 minutes).
Layer the Plantains, Chicken and cheese on a plate. Place under the broiler to melt the cheese. Top with the Pico
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Great Grilled Pizza but with an user errors
Pizza Dough
1 1/2 C very warm Water
2 tsp Yeast
2 tsp Sugar
2 3/4 C Bread Flour
1/2 C Semolina Flour or Wheat Flour
1 tsp Salt
In a Large bowl mix Warm Water, Yeast and Sugar together. After about 2-3 minutes you should see bubbles in the mixture. Add the dry ingredents and mix by hand. In another Large put 1 Tbsp of olive oil and spread around. Transfer the dough to this bowl and cover with a clean kitchen towel. Let is sit in at room tempature until it doubles in size (about an hour).
Pizza Sauce
10 Roma Tomatoes
1/2 small white onion
2 cloves of Garlic
10 freash Basil leaves
1 Tbsp Fresh Oregano
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 can Tomato Paste
Boil Tomatoes until skins crack and dump into cold water. Remove the skins and put tomatoes into a blender with the garlic, onion, basil, oregano, crushed red pepper, salt and pepper. Blend well. Transfer to pot add tomato paste and reduce to a thicker sauce.
Roll Dough out on to a 14-16" pizza stone (remember to put either corn meal or flour on the stone). Spread Sauce on the dough. Put your choice of topping on it and top with cheese. The better the cheese, less grease you end up with the pizza. Put the pizza stone on the Grill that is pre-heated to at least 350 degrees (a good grill will exceed 550 degrees so keep an eye on your pizza). It took about about 15 minutes for my pizza to cook fully.
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Grilled Pork Chops with Tomatillo and Green Apple Sauce
We also made this with Mashed Califlower and Fresh Herbs and Olive Oil Pasta.
Grilled Monster Pork Chops with Tomatillo and Green Apple Sauce
Pork Chops
3 tablespoons ground coriander
3 tablespoons ground cumin
2 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt
1 1/2 tablespoons black pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
4 (2-inch-thick) loin pork chops (each about 1 lb)
Marinate chops:
Stir together coriander, cumin, salt, and pepper in a small bowl, then add oil and stir until combined well. Rub spice mixture all over chops. Let chops marinate while making sauce and preparing grill.
Tomatillo and Green Apple sauce
1/2 lb fresh tomatillos (about 5), husks discarded and tomatillos rinsed
2 Granny Smith apples
1/2 cup loosely packed fresh cilantro sprigs
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 cup apple juice
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon mild honey
1 teaspoon minced canned chipotle chiles in adobo (I used 1 dried and finely chopped it as I couldnt find canned)
Simmer tomatillos and 3 cups water in a 2 1/2- to 3-quart saucepan, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until tomatillos are just soft, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain and cool 15 minutes.
While tomatillos are cooling, core apples and cut into 1/4-inch dice. Purée tomatillos with remaining sauce ingredients except apples in a food processor. Transfer to a bowl and stir in apples.
To cook pork using a gas grill: (there is direction for Charcoal in the app and Epicurious.com)
Preheat all burners on high, covered, 10 minutes. Sear pork on lightly oiled grill rack, covered with lid, turning over once, until well browned, 10 to 12 minutes total. Turn off 1 burner (middle burner if there are 3) and put pork above shut off burner. Reduce heat on remaining burner(s) to moderate and grill pork, covered with lid, until thermometer inserted diagonally into center (avoid bone) registers 150°F, 12 to 16 minutes. Transfer pork to a cutting board and let stand, loosely covered with foil, 15 minutes (temperature will rise to 155°F).
Serve Topped with sauce
Mashed Califlower
1 head of Califlower
1 Tbsp butter
1 8oz package 1/3 fat Philly Cream Cheese
Steam the califlower about 10-15 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and mash. Salt and pepper to tase
Fresh Herb and Olive Oil Pasta
3 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 Tbsp fresh Sage, miced
1 Tbsp fresh Thyme, miced
1 Tbsp fresh Cilantro, miced
1 Tbsp freah Basil, miced
1/2 box of whole wheat Linguini pasta
Boil Pasta according boxes instructions. In a saute pan heat the olive oil. Once oil is bubbling add herbs and stir for about 1 minute. Stir in cooked pasta and serve.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Barbecued Sausages with Red Wine Sauce and Herbed Flavored Potatoes
1lb 2oz good quality pork sausage (I used fresh brats), at room temperature, and don't prick them
Sauce
10 Tbsp unsalted butter, chilled and diced
3 Shallots, Thinly sliced
1 garlic clove, minced
few thyme sprigs
2 C. Chianti or Similar Wine (I used Master's Red Blend from Sacred Stone out of California it was inexpensive wine but tasted good)
1Tbsp brown sugar
1tsp Dijon Mustard
Splash of balsamic vinegar
sea salt and pepper
Melt about 2 Tbsp of butter in a pan, and add shallots, garlic, and thyme. Cook over high heat for a few minutes, then add wine, and brown sugar and bring to boil. Stir to dissolve the sugar. Boil until reduced by half and discard sprigs of thyme
Remove from heat and whisk in the mustard and cold butter a piece at a time (this will prevent the butter and wine from separating as it cools). Add balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper to taste.
Herbed Flavored Mashed Potatoes
12 small/medium Yukon Gold potatoes
Milk to texture
2 Tbsp of butter
6 sage leaves finely diced
2 tsp fresh thyme
2 basil leaves finely diced
Boil potatoes in salt water and drain when soft. Add Milk, butter (However you want it to be a little drier than normal mashed potatoes), and Herbs. Let sit for a few minutes covered so the flavor sits.
Cook the Sausage on the grill slowly over medium low heat until cooked throughout and colored right. Serve on a bed of Potatoes and topped with Wine Sauce.
Monday, July 26, 2010
Homemade Four Cheese Ravioli
It has been a while since we have made anything worth while to put on the blog. With My Back Surgery and Julie being 5 months Preganet we haven't done much in-depth cooking. It Sucked!!! But Julie found this recipe and it was worth the wait. Now it took us almost 4 hours in total but it was the first time we made ravioli. However a KitchenAid Stand Mixer and Pasta Roller saved a ton of time.
Ravioli Dough
2 C. All Purpose Flour
1 pinch of salt
1 tsp Olive Oil
2 eggs
1 1/2 Tbsp water
Mound the flour and salt together on a work surface and form a well. Beat the teaspoon of olive oil, 2 eggs, and water in a bowl. Pour half the egg mixture into the well. Begin mixing the egg with the flour with one hand; use your other hand to keep the flour mound steady. Add the remaining egg mixture and knead to form a dough.
Knead the dough until smooth, 8 to 10 minutes; add more flour if the dough is too sticky. Form the dough into a ball and wrap tightly with plastic. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
Ravioli Filling
8oz. Ricotta Cheese
4oz. Cream Cheese (softened)
1/2 C. shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 C. shredded provoline cheese
1 Egg
1 Tbsp italian herbs
While the dough is resting, prepare the ravioli filling. Combine the ricotta cheese, cream cheese, mozzarella cheese, provolone cheese, egg, and italian herbs and mix well. Set the filling aside.
Pesto-Alfredo Cream Sauce
2Tbsp Olive Oil
2 cloves Garlic, Crushed
3 Tbsp Basil Pesto Sauce
2 C. Heavy Cream
3/4 C. Grated Parmesan cheese
24oz. Jar your favorite marinara sauce
Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the crushed garlic and pesto sauce and cook for one minute. Pour in the heavy cream, raise the heat to high, and bring the sauce to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the Parmesan cheese and stir until the cheese melts. Remove the pan from the heat and keep warm.
Meanwhile, in a separate saucepan, warm the marinara sauce over medium-low heat.
Egg Wash
1 Egg
1 Tbsp Water
Ravioli Assembly
Preheat an oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Beat the egg with the tablespoon of water to make the egg wash.
Roll out the pasta dough into thin sheets no thicker than a nickel. To assemble the ravioli, brush the egg wash over a sheet of pasta. Drop the filling mixture on the dough by teaspoonfuls about one inch apart. Cover the filling with the top sheet of pasta, pressing out the air from around each portion of filling. Press firmly around the filling to seal. Cut into individual ravioli with a knife or pizza cutter. Seal the edges.
Fill a large pot with lightly salted water and bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Stir in the ravioli, and return to a boil. Cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the ravioli float to the top and the filling is hot, 4 to 8 minutes. Drain well.
Grease a baking sheet. Place the cooked ravioli on the sheet pan and bake in the preheated oven until brown, about 4 minutes.
To serve the ravioli, divide them among four warmed serving bowls. Drizzle the marinara sauce over the ravioli and then top with the cream sauce.
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Pork Tenderloin, Bourbon Creamed Corn and Creamy Au Gratin Potatoes
Creamy Au Gratin Potatoes
• 4 Yukon Gold Potatoes, sliced into 1/8 inch slices
• 1 onion, Diced
• salt, pepper, and Garlic Salt to taste
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 3.5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups milk (I did 1 C Whole milk and 1 C Skim Milk)
• 2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Butter a 1 quart casserole dish.
2.In a medium-size saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Mix in the flour and salt, and stir constantly with a whisk for one minute. Stir in milk. Cook until mixture has thickened. Stir in cheese all at once, and continue stirring until melted, about 30 to 60 seconds.
3. Layer the potatoes into bottom of the prepared casserole dish. Top with the onion and Sauce. Continue layering like this and top with remaining Sauce . Season with Garlic Salt, salt and pepper to taste.
4. Bake 1 1/2 hours in the preheated oven.
Pork Tenderloin
1.5 lb Pork Tenderloin
1 small sweet onion Diced
2 cloves of Garlic diced
Sage, Salt, and pepper to taste
Olive Oil
Combine Onion, Garlic, Sage, Salt and Pepper with enough oil to coat. rub mixture into the tenderloin. Place on a Rotisserie for 40-45 minutes for Medium
Bourbon Creamed Corn
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
• 1 cup chopped shallots (about 4 large)
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 large red bell pepper, coarsely chopped
• 3 cups fresh corn kernels (cut from about 5 medium ears)
• 2/3 cup whipping cream, divided
• 1/4 cup bourbon
• 1 1/4 cups chopped green onions (about 6), divided
Melt butter in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add shallots and garlic; sauté 2 minutes. Add red bell pepper; sauté 1 minute. Add corn; sauté until almost tender, about 2 minutes. Add 1/3 cup cream and bourbon. Simmer until sauce thickly coats corn, stirring occasionally, about 2 minutes. Add remaining 1/3 cup cream and 1 cup green onions. Simmer until sauce thickens enough to coat corn thinly, about 2 minutes longer. Season creamed corn to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to bowl; sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup green onions and serve.
Enjoy!!!
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Grilled Ham Steaks with Redeye Glaze
Ham Steaks with Redeye Glaze
1/2 cup of Firmly packed Brown Sugar
1/8 cup (1oz) whole-grain Mustard
1.5 oz Cider Vinegar
1 oz Strong Brewed Coffee (stronger the better)
Pepper to taste
1 - Ham Steak 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick (Costco usually has some good ones comes in pack of 3)
To Make the Glaze
In a small sauce pan over Med. heat combine Brown Sugar, Mustard, Vinegar, coffee, and Pepper. Bring to a simmer and stir to dissolve the Sugar. Simmer and stir until smooth (about 5 minutes).
Heat Grill to Medium Heat. Place ham Steak on there and brush with Glaze on each side. Usually about 3-5 minutes a side (Ham is already cooked so you are just warming it and caramelizing the Glaze).
Serve with Mashed Potatoes and Fresh Corn.
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Irish Whiskey and Guinness Stew
Irish Whiskey and Guinness Stew
2 Medium sized Leeks
1 onion
3-4 Cloves of Garlic
3-4 stalks of Celery
1 lb of either Leg of Lamb or Shoulder of Lamb (I used Leg because that is all i could find yesterday)
1 lb of Beef roast (the better the cut the more tender...I used a Pot Roast because that is what I had, but would have loved to Tenderloin)
5-6 Parsnips (peeled and cubed)
5-6 Yukon Gold Potatoes (washed and cubed)
5-6 Medium Carrots (or about 20 Baby carrots) (cubed)
1/2 of Jameson Irish Whiskey
2 Bottles of Guinness Irish Stout
1/4 cup of Olive oil
3 Bay Leaves
Beef Stock
2 cups boiling water
2tsp Better than Bouillon Beef
To Taste
Thyme
Kosher Salt
White Pepper
Roughly chop the Leeks, celery, onion and Garlic. Saute with olive oil. Cut both lamb and beef into approx. 1" cubes and add to leek mixture. Cook meat fully (should take 5-10 minutes). Add Jameson and flame (this will get rid of the alcohol but leave the flavor). Then add the Guinness, Beef Stock (mix the Better than Bouillon and Boiling water, this is less salty than the Beef Stock you buy pre-made), Carrots, Parsnips, Potatoes and Bay Leaves. Add to your taste Thyme, White pepper and Kosher Salt. Cook of Low-Med Heat (the longer it cooks the more flavor it will have. Mine will have cooked for 5 hrs, but remember the longer you cook it the lower the heat. Keep an eye on it and add water or more beef stock if needed. If you want to really slow cook it put it in a Crock-pot then you can cook it all day).
Serve with some kind of fresh rolls.
Sunday, February 14, 2010
First Recipe (sort of) Homemade Dog Food
Homemade Dog Food
Makes about 1 week of 2 cups per day
5 whole Carrots Cut into piece
1-2 Potatoes cubed
2 cups of Minute Rice (made per box instructions)
2 lbs. of hamburger
Boil Carrots and Potatoes for about 5-10 minute just to soften
Cook Hamburger thoroughly
Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl.
Reheat 1 cup for 45 second before serving per preference.
Starting a Blog
Last March we traveled to Ireland, where we had some of the best food I can remember eating that we haven't made. We travel through 4 cites in 7 days. First was Dublin, where we toured the Guinness Brewery at St James Gate. There is nothing fresh Guinness. We also had an Irish Stew made with Jameson (we should have toured their distillery). Then came Cork, and we were there over St Patrick's Day. We watch the parade, and then stood in line for Crepes from the "Crepe Man" who is a local legend at festivals. There were 5 other places selling Crepes but this was the only place with a line, and worth the wait. There their was Tralee, and the Ring of Kerry, where we had fresh caught fish and chips. Lastly was Adare, and incredible Adare Manor (home of the Irish Open Golf Tournament). Here we had a Shepard's Pie that was so good. I also had Middleton Very Rare Irish Whiskey, and it is not my new guilty pleasure as I am not much of a drinker, but it is a taste I can't describe (Julie brought me a bottle for my Birthday). There was so much food that was not fancy, but more like home cooking.
Last October we did a 7 Course dinner for some friends and family. Here is the Menu...
- A Bison Slider with Sundried tomato relish and tempura onion ring...pair with 5 oz. Sam Adams Octoberfest
- Sweet Potato Soup with Cinnamon Creme Fraiche
- Mixed Greens with Amaretto Roasted Pears, dried cherries, and walnuts with Balsamic Vinaigrette...Pair with 45 White from 45 North Vineyard in Michigan
- Mango Rum Granita to Cleanse the Platte (not really a course)
- Squid Ink Paste topped with a Pan Seared Scallops and a White Wine Butter sauce
- Espresso rubbed Beef Tenderloin with a Port Wine Sauce accompanied with White Truffle Oil Potato Diaphanous and Haricot Vert...Paired with 45 Red from 45 North Vineyard in Michigan.
- Irish Cheese platter
- Darkest Chocolate Crepe Cake with Hazelnut Cream served with Saffron Mace Ice Cream...Pair with Nothpor from 45 North Vineyard in Michigan
So Hopefully if you are reading this you enjoy. I will post recipes of thing that we try going forward. And for future reference we are planning another dinner in October.
Thanks
Bryan