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The Infamous Mushroom Taco

2011
09.12

Okay, so infamous is probably a stretch. Those who have tried them have loved them, even if at first they were convinced they were “weird.”  That, of course, was before taking a bite. I’ll even brag and say that this has turned at least one mushroom hater into a mushroom lover. Measured out the ingredients just for you. They are a perfect light meal for one, or two, a glass of wine, some gossip, followed by a cupcake? Okay, getting off track.

 

Mushroom Tacos
Yeild: 6 tacos, serves 2 (or 1 if you’re really hungry)
Ingredients:
1 onion
2 anaheim peppers (banana peppers would also work)
10 oz baby portabella or white button mushrooms
2/3 c dry sherry wine
Baby spinach
1 c grated white extra sharp cheddar
6 soft flour taco shells
Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper
1 lime
Optional: 1 jalapeno
Instruction:
Heat 1 tbs over medium heat in a fry pan. Slice onion into inch long strips (cut the onion in half, remove paper, then set the onion cut side down, cut in half long ways, then slice short way into thin strips). Add to fry pan, add a pinch of salt (this will draw moisture from the onions and allow them to caramelize). Cook stirring around occasionally for approx 10 minutes until onions begin turning golden brown.
Slice Anaheim peppers into strips similar size to onions (cut pepper into four pieces length wise, then slice into strips). Add to onions in the fry pan. Cook peppers with onions for 3-5 additional minutes. Then remove onions and peppers from fry pan.
In same fry pan, add sliced mushrooms (sliced in half, then into pieces with the cut end down), and add 2 tbs of olive oil on top of mushrooms. Add a heavy pinch of salt, and several grinds of fresh cracked pepper. Saute mushrooms, stirring occationally on medium for approx 10 minutes until golden brown and soft.
Lower temperature to medium low, and to the mushrooms add 2/3 c of dry sherry wine to pan. Stir with mushrooms and use wooden spoon to pick up any fried bits on the bottom of the pan. Add peppers and onions back into pan with mushrooms, and stir to combine. Continue to cook until liquid is absorbed.
To build taco: on soft taco shells, add several leaves of baby spinach, then add 1/6th mushroom mixture, and 1/6th of grated extra sharp cheddar. Add slices of jalapeno if you would like spice to your taco. Serve with a wedge of lime to squeeze over top.

These are quite delicious, the mushrooms absorb all that dry sherry flavor which gives such an interesting flavor, with the warm, almost sweet flavors of the caramelized onions and anaheims. These tacos would  not be the same with that punch of the extra sharp cheddar, so do not skip that.  Along with the lip licking heat from the jalapenos, and the contrast of the lime to the earthiness of the mushrooms! Nom nom nom… Why I am I not eating these right now? Try these. You can thank me later.

Category Food I Have Dreams About, Recipes |

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Apple Cider Cupcakes – Updated!

2011
09.12

So in order to find the perfect cupcake to bring to my yoga Relax and Restore class which was a special event, I made a few tweaks to the original apple cider cupcake recipe to make them more appley and dare I say it – more healthy! And as much as veganism baffles me (love a good steak over here), you can also make these vegan. And I’ve added a note on the icing recipe to do so if you desire to not eat dairy. They really are delicious, so definitely try this. The cake is wonderfully moist, and definitely could be a fall favorite. A little bit of tartness from the apples. And my friend Carol would probably eat the whole container of icing if it were left out near her.

Also, for the purposes of a special occasion, I made them pretty with food coloring. Completely unnecessary, unless you want to show off your artistic abilities. Here you go, the official tested and approved recipe:

 

Relax and Restore Apple Cider Cupcakes with Spiced Cream Cheese Frosting
Yeild: 24 cupcakes/ 72 mini cupcakes
Cupcake Ingredients:
2.5 c flour
- and 3 tbs for apples
1.5 c sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
.5 tsp fresh grated nutmeg
.5 c browned butter
1 c unsweetened organic apple sauce
- for vegan cupcakes, leave out browned butter, use 1.5 c apple sauce
1 cup apple cider
2 eggs
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp vanilla
2 tsp lemon juice
1 granny smith apple diced in to small cubes
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a bowl mix dry ingredients: flour, sugar, baking soda, salt and nutmeg, mix to combine. In a separate bowl, mix wet ingredients: browned butter, apple sauce (or just apple sauce if not using butter), apple cider, eggs, vinegar and vanilla and whisk together.
Sift dry ingredients into wet in thirds, and beat together until completely combined.
Dice apple in small cubes, toss in lemon juice. Then add 3 tbs of flour, and toss in flour. Add to batter and fold in.
Spray cupcake tins/papers with non stick spray (this is important, since the lack of oil means they stick to the paper more than a normal cupcake), then fill 2/3rds of the way with batter.
Bake at 350, for 22-24 minutes, 18-20 minutes for mini cupcakes.
Browned Butter Instructions:
Add stick of butter to fry pan, and heat on medium. Allow butter to melt and cook until milk solids become golden brown, then remove from heat. Allow browned butter to cool completely before adding to batter.
Spiced Cream Cheese Icing
Ingredients:
1 lb cream cheese (two 8 oz packages) brought to room temperature
1 c butter (two sticks) brought to room temperature
1 tsp vanilla
.5 tsp fresh grated nutmeg
4 c confectioners sugar
Instructions:
Beat together cream cheese, butter, vanilla and nutmeg until smooth. Then add confectioners sugar 1 cup at a time, beat each cup until smooth before adding the next.
*For a vegan icing, instead of 1 lb cream cheese and 1 c butter, use 1 c vegetable shortening.

Category Baking, Recipes, Uncategorized |

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The Cupcake Experiment

2011
09.06

Several weeks of birthday fun for both myself and others, I found myself in a cupcake baking and decorating  mood, with a couple of ideas. Most of which based on a very delicious Red Velvet Recipe by Paula Deen.

I felt inspired by the sesame oil I had, because it has a nutty flavor that I thought could be incorporated into something sweet like a cupcake, and then some Asian flavors in an icing. Then I also had bought a delicious half gallon of apple cider, since it is now the beginning of fall. I wanted to find a way to make a delicious fall cupcake. So here are the recipes that I invented:

Apple Cider Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Icing
Yeild: 24 or 48 Mini
Ingredients:
2 ½ cups flour
1 ½ cups sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 ½ tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp nutmeg
1 ½ cup vegetable oil or applesauce
1 cup apple cider
2 eggs
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp vanilla
Heat oven at 350.
In one bowl, combine vegetable oil (or applesauce), cider, eggs, vinegar and vanilla. Whisk to combine.
In a separate bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.
Sift dry ingredients into wet ingredients in thirds. Mix until combine.
Pour into cupcake molds, filling 2/3rds of the way.  Bake for 20 – 22 minutes (13-15 minutes for mini cupcakes)
Icing:
1 lb cream cheese (room temperature)
2 sticks of butter (room temperature)
2 tbsp apple cider
½ tsp lemon zest
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp nutmeg
4 cups of powder sugar
Beat cream cheese and butter together until smooth. Then beat in apple cider, lemon zest, cinnamon and nutmeg.
Then beat in powder sugar on low, one cup at a time
Sprinkle with cinnamon on top, unless you want to get fancier! I think using the applesauce instead of the vegetable oil is a good exchange as it makes it a little appley-er. And healthier. If you care. But definitely a good fall cupcake. Probably excellent with a glass of hot cider!
Next…
Sesame Cupcake with Lemon Ginger Buttercream
Yeild: 24 or 48 Mini
Ingredients:
2 ½ cups flour
1 ½ cups sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 ½ tsp salt
1 ½ cup vegetable oil
1 cup heavy cream
2 eggs
1 tsp vinegar
2 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp vanilla
Heat oven at 350.
In one bowl, combine vegetable oil, cream, eggs, vinegar, sesame oil and vanilla. Whisk to combine.
In a separate bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt.
Sift dry ingredients into wet ingredients in thirds. Mix until combine.
Pour into cupcake molds, filling 2/3rds of the way.  Bake for 20 – 22 minutes (13-15 minutes for mini cupcakes)
Lemon Ginger Buttercream:
½ cup butter (room temperature)
½ cup vegetable shortening
1 tsp lemon zest
1 tsp fresh grated ginger
1 tsp salt
2 tbs lemon juice
4 cups of powder sugar
Beat cream cheese and butter together until smooth. Then beat in apple cider, lemon zest, cinnamon and nutmeg.
Then beat in powder sugar on low, one cup at a time.
I sprinkled the tops with sesame seeds for decoration and crunch. As a disclaimer, my mom did not like these. And my step dad liked the cake better than the icing. So, if you’re into things outside the box, go for it. Otherwise, stick to the apple cider cupcakes. The sesame adds a nuttiness, but can be over powering. I think the tart buttercream is a good contrast because the cake is a little heavy tasting. But delicious all the same.

Category Baking, Recipe Ideas, Recipes |

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New Dawn, New Day and Toasted Garlic Spinach Dip

2011
03.07

I am definitely aware it’s been a while since my last post. After much convincing from some folks (I.E. my brother and friend, Rachel, who even busted out the lies that I’m her favorite cook, which as much as I don’t believe, and yet still feeds my ego), I’ve decided to start up again. At least as much as I can. And as many recipes as I can invent. Or, you know, reviews of delicious food I’ve eaten. So here it goes…

I don’t know about you, but I am not a fan of vegetables. I’m pretty sure it’s a running joke how much I hate things like salad, or celery. Or carrots. However, as an adult, I feel like I should be expanding my palette. Or you know, eating healthier or whatever. In this quest I discovered a vegetable I do enjoy (above and behind spicy chili peppers). Spinach. Not particularly the frozen kind that looks like stuff that floats on top of lakes, but fresh baby spinach leaves. I’ve found that you can hide it in things – cheeseburgers, alfredo, my own version of Red Lobster’s Cheddar Bay biscuits, tacos – a plethora of unhealthy foods now with a hint of green (yay!). I’m pretty sure even one of my past recipes used it.

Because of my discovery that I can stomach spinach, I feel less hesitant to try things that have it involved. Hence, spinach dip. My brain thinks, “Hmm, creamy cheesy goodness?… With green? Hmm…” So tried it at several different locations. Spinach dip… Spinach artichoke dip… And I came to the conclusion, that I could do it better. After a few different times of playing around, here is what I’ve come up with.

 

Ingredients:
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup dry sherry (or other dry white wine)
1 cup of extra sharp white cheddar (white is important. I didn’t want my dip neon orange. plus extra for topping)
1/2 cup of Parmesano Reggiano (fresh grated people, not the crap in the can. Plus extra for topping)
2 tsp corn startch
1 tbsp butter or olive oil
3 cloves of garlic minced
6 ounce bag of fresh baby spinach leaves roughly chopped
A pinch of red hot pepper flakes
Salt to taste

Directions:
In a pretty good size pot (I think the one I used was a 4 quart pot), melt the tbsp of butter over medium high heat (or just add in the olive oil if you’re skipping the butter). Once melted, add in the minced garlic and turn heat down to just slightly above medium. Sauté the garlic until golden brown (this probably won’t take more than 5 minutes). Make sure you don’t burn the garlic or it will be bitter.

When garlic is almost done (with maybe 30 seconds left to go), add a pinch of red hot pepper flakes. Now, if you like wimpy food, don’t. If you like spicy food, add more. But a small pinch just adds a tiny bit of heat that is good without anyone even saying that it’s “spicy.” With just a pinch, I certainly wouldn’t have claimed it to be a spicy dish. Anyway, continue to sauté the garlic until it is done.

Once the garlic is golden brown and delicious, add the 1/4 cup of dry sherry (or other white wine), and stir. Turn heat back to medium high, and allow to reduce slightly, until it is a little syrupy. Then add the cup of heavy cream, and reduce heat to medium.

While cream is heating, add the two tsp of corn starch to your cup of extra sharp white cheddar and your 1/2 cup of Parmesan in a bowl and mix together so the corn starch coats the cheese. Now make sure you buy a block of Parmesan and grate it. If you get the stuff in the can that looks similar to cheese sand, you will have an equally gritty consistency in your dip. Which in the words of Alton Brown is “Not Good Eats.”

When the cream comes to almost a boil (but not quite) add the cheese and corn starch mixture to it. Fold in and mix with a spatula. Continue to mix together (scraping the sides and bottom) until cheese is completely melted. Once cheese is melted, remove from heat.

Now you’ll want to add the entire 6 ounce bag of baby spinach to the mixture. Make sure you roughly chop before adding it. Makes for easier dipping in the end. And yes, I understand this looks like a TON of green to cheesy goodness ratio, but trust me, the spinach wilts down. Use your spatula to fold the spinach into the cheesy goodness until it all starts to come together and the spinach is wilted.

Now at this point, you have a few choices. For me, I have been cooking this for myself, and in doing so, I can not eat this whole mixture alone. I’ve found it separated perfectly into two 16 ounce ramekins, one for now and one for later. The whole thing would probably fit fine in a 1.5 quart baking casserole. Your real key is to make sure it’s shallow enough for dipping, and a lot of surface area for the melty cheese on top. So whichever you prefer.

When you are ready to finish and bake top with cheese. This is why the ingredients call for “extra.” You have the choice to have as much cheese or as little on the top as you want. I would do a mixture of both cheeses, and for the 16 ounce ramekin I usually top with ABOUT a half cup of cheese. I would just make sure the surface is covered. If you’re not going to bake immediately, wait to top with the cheese until you’re ready to put it in the oven.

When you’re ready to bake you have two options:

Cooking immediately after mixture came off stove: Because the dip is already hot, we just want to make it golden brown and delicious, cover with cheese, and place under the broiler in your oven for approximately 5 minutes. No perfect way to tell, but PAY ATTENTION. Take it out when it’s bubbly and golden. Don’t let it burn.

Cooking after mixture has been refrigerated: Bake at 450° for about 20 minutes. Again, until it is golden brown and delicious.

Best served with: Toast. Hot toast. Thick slices of French or Italian bread toast. But Pita chips or whatever would work fine too. But the bread just mops up the cheesiness so perfectly… Excuse me while I salivate.

Extra Things to Note:
Don’t let my cheese selections limit you. Extra Sharp Cheddar and Parmesan make a really good spinach dip. But if you like other things try them. I made a delicious version with a Dubliner cheese, which is similar to cheddar but a little less sharp and more tangy with a really nice nutty tone. I imagine provolone with parm would be good too, or a low moisture mozzerella. Use your favorites. Although, again, I would avoid orange. But that’s just me.

Category Random Food Thoughts, Recipe Ideas, Recipes |

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Sesame Shrimp!

2010
01.16

So tonight I went out to dinner with my friend. There are several places in the area we were heading out shopping, but Stephanie was in the mood for Pad Thai and I was willing to go anywhere that you could get a drink that you had to be at least 21 years of age to order.

So, whenever I go out I prefer to get seafood, because it’s not as easy to make at home as it is to order out, so those are usually the things I look for first. I decided on the Sesame Shrimp. It was absolutely delightful. It had that nice mix of fruity, citrusy sweetness but not quite as sweet or citrusy as say… a General Tso’s. It had a little bit of heat too, but not really spicy, just a light heat. And the sesame seed added a crunch and a nuttiness that just really completed the dish in my opinion. I think the shrimp it self was a little over cooked. It was a little bit tough, but not enough to complain about it. It was still really, really great! The fried rice that came with it was also good, but was your standard fried rice.

So for my adult beverage, I had something they called a “Fuzzy Melon” which actually didn’t taste much like an adult beverage. It was a mixture of Midori, Blue Curocao, Peach Schnapps, pineapple juice and cream. There might have been something more but I don’t quite remember. Do you remember eating fruit snacks as a kid and some of them had those creamy colored pieces – the ones that weren’t translucent? That’s exactly what it tasted like. Like a creamy shark fruit snack. I definitely enjoyed it. Although I wish I would have had another, because just one made me sleepy for the shopping!

Stephanie had the Pad Thai, which she loves, and said is even more delicious as left overs. I couldn’t get much more of a description from her than that. But I took a picture of her Chicken Pad Thai as well. She only had water. After all this we went out to find Stephanie some cookwares for her new house. She got a personal size wok and a salad dressing mixer! Yay!

I really enjoy Taiwan 101, you should definitely visit if you’re in the area. They have both your traditional and non traditional Asian food that you can’t find in every Chinese restaurant around. Check their website, although it’s not completely finished it looks like. But it does give their location. Enjoy!

http://www.mytaiwan101.com/

Category Eating Out |

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Enchiladas and sweet potato hash

2010
01.15

So, tonights dinner was enchiladas and sweet potato hash. My family loves Mexican food, and my favorite is enchiladas. I really like the enchilada sauce. I was in the mood for more sweet potatos after the gnocchi last night, so I decided to make a hash with my favorite new mixture of ingredients – bacon and walnuts.

I think the hash was my favorite part of this meal, the walnuts, turkey bacon and sweet potatoes all went very good together, with the salty and smoky of the bacon mixed with the sweet tang of the potato and a really great crunch from the walnut. I also made a monterey jack cheese sauce that was poured over the top of it. And was delicious. The enchiladas were also good, but they were pretty standard as far as enchiladas go – healthier since I used ground turkey, but they tasted just fine. Just not as exciting as the hash. But my brother definitely said he would request the hash again, so SCORE.

Ingredients for Hash:
Two large sweet potatoes, peeled and diced into small cubes
1 package of bacon (I used turkey bacon, but you could use either)
1 cup of walnuts chopped
2 tbs olive oil
1 tbs salt
20 grinds of fresh black pepper
2 tsp fresh grated nutmeg

What to do:
Preheat your oven to 350. Put you cubed sweet potatoes into a large bowl and cover with the olive oil, salt, black pepper and nutmeg. Mix together with your hands so that all pieces are coated, then pour this out on to a baking sheet. Make sure there is a single layer and the pieces have room. Put this in the oven, this will bake for about 30-40 minutes. They should be fork tender, taste on to check doneness.

While those are baking take your bacon and slice it into about 1/4-1/2 inch chunks. We don’t want the long pieces. Throw all of it into a fry pan at medium heat. If you are using turkey bacon like I did, you might want to throw about a tablespoon of olive oil on there since there is not as much fat in turkey bacon. When the back starts to look like it’s not raw any more, but not completely cooked – it hasn’t started to brown yet – add the walnuts in the fry pan and incorporate. Now is where it is up to you. Continue to cook this mixture to your desired crunchiness. I like my bacon extra crispy, some people do not. Just be careful not to let the walnuts burn. If you do like your bacon really really crispy, add the walnuts in a little later.

Once the sweet potatoes are done roasting in the oven, add them all to the fry pan. Although, if you used real bacon and not turkey bacon, judge how much grease is in the pan, you may want to drain some out before mixing the potatoes in. But once the potatoes are in, mix it all together, and allow to cook for about 2 or 3 more minutes on medium low so that the sweet potatoes can pick up some of the other flavors. Then serve!

If you want to add the cheese sauce, melt 2 tbs of butter in a small pot, then add 2 tbs of flour to the melted butter. Once that is combined allow to cook for about 30 seconds, then add 1/2 pint of heavy cream. Allow this to heat up. Once mix begins to thicken, add 8 ounces of fresh grated monterey jack cheese. Once it is melted, add 1 tsp of onion, 1 tsp of garlic powder and 1 tsp of white pepper. Salt to taste. Pour over top of the hash.

Ingredients for Enchiladas:
2 medium cans enchilada sauce (or 1 big can)
8 flour tortillas
1 lb ground turkey
1 onion diced
2 tbs minced garlic
2 tsp dried cilantro
1 tbs cumin powder
2 tbs lime juice
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup or more of grated cheddar and/or mozzerella cheese

Directions:
Pre heat your oven to 450. Melt about a tablespoon of butter in a fry pan OR use a tablespoon of olive oil. Add in the onions over medium high heat. To that, add a heavy pinch of salt (roughly 2 tsps). This will not make it too salty, this is to draw the moisture out of the onions.  Saute the onions until the edges of them start to brown. Then add the turkey burger, and lower to medium heat. Chop up the turkey burger with your spatula so that it is chunky. We want to brown the turkey burger. Once it is browned add the cumin, cilantro, lime juice, and then salt and pepper to taste. Mix this in and allow to cook for a few minutes to encorporate but do not cook too much longer, we don’t want turkey to be dry. You could also add here some hot sauce, or taco sauce or something to give it a little more flavor if you want. I put a few dashes of some jalepeno hot sauce, but I don’t think it’s that easy to find. A few dashes of Frank’s or Tabasco might be good, but up to you. Once this mixture is done, evenly distrubute between the 8 tortillas. Roll the tortillas and lay them side by side with the seam side down in a 13x9x2 baking dish. Then open your cans of enchilada sauce and pour over the top, try to coat all of the tortillas. On top of that add the grated cheese – I used cheddar and mozzerella, you can use whatever you have on hand, I used the pregrated kind from the store. I covered the top of my enchiladas, I would use at least a cup of chese. You can never have too much. Put pan in the oven and allow to cook for about 10-15 minutes or until the cheese on top is bubbly and brown. Then you are done!

Things I would have done differently:
Okay at first I thought nothing, but then I thought of something. Firstly, I would like to try the hash with real bacon and not turkey bacon next time. But I really did like it with the turkey bacon, so that is less of a “thing I’d have done differently” more a “I’d like to try it this way next time.” So for the thing I’d done differently:

1. Added avocado to the enchiladas. Not in, but on. Maybe like a guacamole, citrusy avocado mush on top of the enchilada. I feel like it would have really brightened up the flavor. My mom says a dolop of sour cream. Maybe sour cream mixed in with the avocado? We’ll see next time.

Oh, and I probably would include a margarita or mimosa for myself next time. While cooking and eating…

Category Recipes |

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Gnocchi and imitation crab tossed in brown butter over roasted sweet potatoes with a romano cheese and white wine sauce

2010
01.14

My first thought is that I really  need to come up with shorter names for some of the things I eat. Although it seems a bit pompous to “name” a dish. It’s whatever.

This dish was semi inspired from a wood grilled scallop and gnocchi meal that I had at Bravo Cuccina a while back. A meal that I can not replicate, but have constant dreams about. Some meals, my friends, you just want to leave to the experts. But theirs is covered in a lobster sherry sauce, which, my friends, inspired me to lick the plate in front of co-workers it was so good.  And we’ll not get started on their lobster bisque. But I will stop there, I must go again soon, and I will talk about it then.

SO, Ingredients:
2 packages of store bought frozen gnocchi
1 package of imitation crab sticks
2 big sweet potatoes – peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 1/2 cups of grated pecrino romano cheese
2 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup white wine
6 tbs butter
3 tbs flour
3 tbs olive oil
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp white pepper
1/2 tsp fresh grated nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste
baby spinach leaves

Roasted Sweet Potato part:
Preheat your oven to 350. Then, I took two big sweet potatoes, peeled them and then sliced them in to about 1/2 inch cubes. I put these in a bowl where I added approximately 3 tbs of olive oil, maybe more, maybe less. Enough to coat all the sweet potato chunks but you don’t want a lot of extra in there. Then I added a heavy pinch of salt and about 10 grinds of fresh black pepper. I mixed this all this together with my hands and then poured it out on a baking sheet. You want a single layer, nothing on top of itself, give it room, and spread those pieces out. Then into the oven. This will be about 40 minutes. Which gives you the time to do the rest!

Romano cheese and white wine sauce
Okay, I’m giving you the pieces in the order in which I did them in, which I think is the most efficent, based on what takes longer, and what can sit around while you do other things.

So, sauce. In a medium size pot on your stove top melt 3 tbs of butter over medium heat. Once this is melted, whisk in 3 tbs of flour. Give this a minute to cook (literally like 30-40 seconds) and whisk every so often through ot this. We want to cook out some of the raw flour taste. At this point, pour in milk. Raise the tempature to medium high, and countinue to whisk slowly. We want to raise this to ALMOST a boil, but not a boil. You’ll be able to tell because it starts to get thick. You don’t need to whisk constantly, but don’t leave it alone for too long, because you don’t want the milk to burn to the bottom. Once you see almost one bubble form and it might be ready to boil, move the heat to meduim low. At this point, whisk in the grated romano cheese. Now add the garlic powder, onion powder, white pepper and fresh grated nutmeg. If you don’t have fresh grated, skip the nutmeg. And then add the wine. Whisk in all of this, and give it a minute or two for the alcohol to cook out of the wine. Now salt to taste. Please note, salting to taste involves tasting to make sure that it tastes the way you want it to! Voila!

Note: This sauce should be a syrupy/gravy-ish consistancy. It shouldn’t be really thick – like cheese sauce you put on your french fries. If it’s too thick, add some more milk or wine until you get the desired consistancy. If it’s too thin, you may not have cooked hot enough for the butter and flour to effect it… But I think for this recipe thinner is better than thicker.

Gnocchi and Imitation Crab
First thing, follow the instructions on your gnocchi package to cook the gnocchi, and strain. And take your imitation crab sticks, and cut into inch long chunks (roughly the same size as your gnocchi).

In a fry pan, melt 3 tbs (or more if you like) of butter. Allow to cook for a minute or so until the butter starts to smell nutty, and the milk solids start to turn a golden color. To that add the crab and gnocchi. Cook this by mixing occasionally until the gnocchi and crab starts to brown in places.

Plating
On a plate put a few leaves of baby spinach in the middle. On that, put about a 1/4-1/2 cup of the sweet potatoes that were roasted on top of the leaves, on top of that add a scoopful of the gnocchi and crab mixtures. I then added another scoopful of the sweet potatoes on top of that. Then take a laddel full of the romano cheese and wine sauce over the pile. To make it pretty I added about four or five sweet potato chunks to the very top with a small spinach leaf.

If you have a family member who loves the heat, you could also sprinkle some red chili flakes over top.

Okay, some things I’d do differently:

1. I used riesling wine in the sauce. Why? Because it’s a wine I had that was open. I probably wouldn’t use this again in the future. I would probably try a dry chardonay or even a champagne. I would DEFINITELY suggest using dry sherry. It is horrible to drink, but is so good in cooking. In just about anything. I always use it for almost any cheese sauce.

2. Next time I would definitely make homemade gnocchi. Homemade is so much lighter and fluffier where these store bought just seemed more dense and heavy. They were delicious, but homemade would be better. Always.

3. I might add some fresh grated nutmeg to the sweet potatoes before roasting them. Maybe a teaspoon or so. I think it would have added a little extra flavor.

Those are all. And those are very minor changes. Overall I really really enjoyed this dish. It was creamy and salty and cheese, and the crab was delicious – even if though it was imitation, which I do enjoy – and the gnocchi browned up a little made pieces of it added a slight crunch and nuttiness. And the sweet potatoes – although not too sweet – added a really interesting flavor contrast to the saltiness of the cheese sauce. The spinach added a nice green bite too it as well, a freshness and crunch. Definitely lovely!

Category Food I Have Dreams About, Recipes |

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Chicken and avocado over soba noodles with teriyaki double hot sauce

2010
01.12

Chicken and avocado over soba noodles with teriyaki double hot sauceSo, lets discuss two separate things. What I did, and what I’d do differently.

First of course, what I did.

I used chicken tenderloins (because that’s what had been defrosted for me to use). I got some assistance removing the tendon from the tenderloin. Which is a nasty job in itself. There were probably about 16 tenderloins, which would have been enough for about 4 people. These were cut into about two inch cubes, salted and peppered, and put into a fry pan, and browned, and of course cooked through. Once they were browned, I added about 1/3 a cup of terriyaki sauce, 1/4 cup of soy sauce, 1/4 cup of rice wine vinegar, and 2 tablespons of minced garlic. I also made a box of soba noodles (which can be found in the Asian section of the International aisle of Wal-mart or any grocery store). I also cubed up some avocado. Plating, as can be seen above, soba noodles then a pile of chicken then some of the avocado, dressed with the teriyaki double hot sauce (recipe can be found from earlier today) and then a final sprinkle of sesame seeds. I mixed it together to eat, and added more of the sauce then I initially drizzled on in the picture.

Now for things I would have done differently.

1. I wouldn’t have added the additional sauce at the end that I mentioned. Just the drizzle. It ended up being too spicy towards the end. If I wanted to keep the amount of sauce I probably would have added more teriyaki or more soy along with it to water down some of the spicy. Or if I was making the sauce specifically for this, I might have gone down to 1 or 2 teaspoons of the sriracha chili hot sauce instead of a full tablespoon. I think I was fooled on how hot it was by eating it with avocado, because they’re so much cooler. Another possible idea for someday would be to make the sauce with an avocado blended in. That might be interesting…

2. The chicken needs to be cut smaller. Even to 1/2 inch cubes. Honestly, I’d really like to try/think it would be better with ground chicken or ground turkey.

3. As far as plating goes, if I was photographing it again, I would have poured the sauce on and then put the avocados on top of that. The sauce made them look a little brown in the picture.

4. I also feel like some colors wouldn’t have hurt either – like some additional spinach, parsley, red peppers, orange peppers or something like it. Portabello or shitake mushrooms wouldn’t add any color but they may also taste good.

This are the four main things I would change, and or other ideas I would have for this particular recipe. I’m going to mark this as an idea though and not really an actual recipe though, it definitely needs some work. Somethings need to be cooked a few times before they’re perfected. I would like to note if you really like spicy food, the recipe may be perfect as is (although the ground chicken/turkey would still be beneficial). My stepdad really enjoyed it and then added about three or four more squirts of sriracha sauce. Please take note though: he is from Texas, and I think they grow them with different taste buds there.

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Teriyaki Double Hot Sauce

2010
01.12

Ingredients you will need:
1/2 cup teriyaki sauce
1/3 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon sriracha hot chili sauce
1 tablespoon Chinese mustard
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (more or less, depending on how spicy you want it)
1/4 teaspoon brown sugar

Directions:
In a salad dressing mixer combine all ingredients and mix!

It really has a nice heat in two ways from the Chinese mustard and the sriracha chili hot sauce, and the soy and teriyaki have that nice salty flavor. I really enjoy this. I was inspired to create this particular recipe from the PF Chang’s dipping sauce that they have for you right at the table. Clearly it’s not the same. I didn’t have any pot sticker sauce to use. But I’m pleased with the outcome of my experimentations.

Eating Suggestions:
If you’re lazy (like I was for lunch today) I just cubed up an avocado, and drizzled this on top, and shook on some sesame seeds, and ate it. It was delicious. I think that the cream, cool, green flavor of the avocado is a really nice combination because of the heat and saltiness of the sauce. You could also put this on just about any kind of greens though if you want to use it as a salad dressing. It will however overpower a lot of subtle flavors, if you’re trying to emphasize that.

If you’re not feeling lazy, tonight for dinner I am going to make soba noodles, with some cubed sauteed chicken breast, again with the cubed avocado (which I’m currently obsessed with) and sesame seeds on top. Clearly, I’m going to make this later today, so I don’t have an exact recipe. YET. I will be writing about this part tomorrow. STAY TUNED!

Explainations and substitutions:

Chef'n Sald Dressing EmulsifierIf you don’t have a salad dressing mixer, put it in anything you can shake up, or even in a big bowl and wisk. If you like to make your own salad dressings, and you don’t have a mixer, you should invest. Because they’re pretty sweet, and they’re not very expensive. Here is one from Chef’n, which is the same company that makes mine, although it’s not the same, this one looks pretty neat, and you can get it on Amazon or Bed Bath and Beyond. You can also see a demonstration on Chef’n's website. I think it’s betweent $13-$15.

You can also get some pretty fancy electric emulsifiers. If you want a manly one Black and Decker makes one. Then it will match your tools!

So, some substitutions and explainations. If you don’t have any sesame oil, and you don’t want to buy any because you don’t feel like it’s something you’ll ever use, you could subsititue for olive oil, but I may just leave it out all together. The sesame oil gives it a really nice nutty flavor. But I would suggest in getting some. You can use this in a lot of recipes, especially if you’re trying to cut out some butter for example. You could use olive oil in a recipe instead of butter and then just a drop of sesame oil to add the nutty flavor that browned butter would have without the fat. Keep in mind though with sesame oil a little goes a long way. Don’t over do it, or it will taste funny!

Chinese Mustard

Chinese Mustard. What the heck is the difference from real mustard, you ask? I would say Chinese mustard is closer to Dijon than your standard yellow or brown mustards. BUT it’s spicier.  It’s spicy like Dijon but without the vinegar taste. Mustard is made with vinegar but Chinese mustard is not. It’s got a kick similar to horseradish or wasabi, since it’s just the mustard seed with some liquid mixed into a paste. It’s probably not quite the kick of wasabi, but it hits you in the same spot, were you get that feeling that your sinuses are clear. Don’t be nervous if you’re unfamiliar! This is why I call it a “double” hot sauce, because it’s hot in two ways, your normal chili pepper way, and then in the back of your throat with the Chinese mustard. So if you must substitute, use Dijon, even an extra hot Dijon. Don’t go with your standard yellow.

Sriracha hot chili sauce is kind of irreplacable in this recipe. If you used something like Frank’s Red Hot it’s too vinegary. And maybe it would taste good, but it wouldn’t taste that Asian. I’d have to try it before I’d tell you how delicious it is or isn’t. Tabasco doesn’t have the vinegar, but also neither of these has the thickness that sriracha has. If you like spicy food, I would suggest trying it. It really is delicious, but it’s hot! You could always put it on your french fries too! Of course, before you think “Where am I even going to get these ingredients?!?!?!” Chill. I got mine from the grocery section in Wal-Mart. If the have it at Wal-Mart, they have it where ever you grocery shop too. Try the international aisle, it’ll be near the soy sauce (ah! Which you also need! One stop shopping!). So that being said, I’d substitute tabasco before a vinegary hot sauce, but I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it.

If you have no brown sugar, you could also use regular white, clearly. Brown has a more molasses-y flavor. Which I would prefer in this dish, but it’s whatever. Use what you have here. (If you feel the need to buy it for this recipe make Blondies later! Yum yum yum!)

And finally red pepper flakes. These are optional, really. So is the amount. This is how much I liked in mine, however the first time I did this, I think I mentioned previously I used my step father’s extra extra hot, which is not necessary. The regular kind is fine. If you don’t have any, that’s fine too. They just add a little extra heat. Of course, if you’re sensitive to heat in the stomach, maybe skip this all together. Either way, you MIGHT want to have some Tums on hand if you eat a lot of this sauce, but YUM! It is worth it.

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Alimentaire est l’amour!

2010
01.11

Welcome to my new blog about food!

Food is my passion, and one of the things I spend nearly every waking hour thinking about. What could go with this? How can I use the new fig balsamic with more food? How can I incorporate more flavor into my pancakes? How can I make crab cakes taste more like crab and have it be better than that crab could have ever thought it could be? How many whisks can one person own?

Many more ponderings than can be mentioned.

Truth be told, whisks are kind of like butter in a recipe, there is not really such a thing as too much or too many.

I spend a lot of my days thinking about what to cook, or where I’m going to eat going out with my friends. And when we go somewhere, I usually read the recipe days in advance for preparation. My ultimate goal is to have somewhere to discuss and document my adventures in food and hopefully inspire other foodies out in the world!

Although, I feel like I would go amiss to not even mention food in my first blog. A bit of back ground on me is that I work from home to do my job. Which has nothing to do with food in fact. But, working from home allows me to have a complete kitchen at my disposal at the time of the day where I want to eat. My mother often says that I definitely take full advantage of working from home when it comes to meals. So for lunch today, I kept it simple with an avocado cubed and then a sauce I concocted last night inspired by the PF Chang’s dipping sauce they made at the table – of course I had no pot sticker sauce. But it was spicy and salty and delicious, and I’m still feeling the heat from the horseradish in the Chinese mustard in the back of my throat. Next time I probably won’t use my step dad’s extra extra spicy red pepper flakes, and probably just the regular kind, as there are some beginning of heartburn, but if you could have tasted it, you too would agree heartburn would be worth the flavor!

Tomorrow for lunch I will be creating a different version of this I believe, with soba noodles, chicken and this sauce. We have no more avocados. But I bet I could find some on my way home from my outting this evening. Recipe for sauce and this mixture to follow!

Category General Life, Recipe Ideas |