August 26, 2008

English muffins

Okay, I've been wanting to put this up forever. My reward for finishing a draft of a chapter is to catch up on some e-mails, and do some blog posts that I've been putting off.

We're totally hooked on homemade English muffins. They're yummy, but kind of expensive in the store. I can make between 18-24 English muffins for a dollar or so worth of ingredients. And I can add whole wheat to them. I adapted a recipe from Beth Hensperger's very fun The Bread Lover's Bread Machine Cookbook. She just makes 12 of them from the same recipe, and doesn't use any whole wheat.

So here's what I do.

Bread Machine English Muffins

1) Dump (in whatever order your machine directs) into bread machine* and turn to dough cycle:

1 1/2 cups fat free milk
2 tbsp. butter or margarine
1 egg
3 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour (we have some stone ground wheat from a somewhat local mill and it's wonderful)
2 tsp. salt
2 3/4 tsp. bread machine yeast

2) Sprinkle surface with cornmeal, plop dough ball out onto it when finished, sprinkle top with cornmeal
3) Roll out about 1/2 inch thick
4) Cut out 2 1/2 to 3 inch circles (I just use a biscuit cutter). I press it down slightly to make it flatter. Roll out leftover scraps and make more. Depending on how thin I roll the dough, I end up with 18-24. You can make bigger ones, too if you'd rather, just cook for longer. Cover those that don't fit on your griddle with a clean kitchen towel.
5) Spray griddle with cooking spray. Heat on medium/medium high
6) Cook until deep golden brown (about 2-3 minutes for the size I make, longer for bigger ones) flip over and cook for about the same amount of time. There's sort of a line across the middle that develops when they're done--exactly where you'll fork split them.
7) Let cool. Fork split and toast when you want to eat them

We use them up quick enough that I usually keep them in the fridge, though you can freeze them easy enough. When I froze some, I fork split them before freezing to make it easy to toast.

They're so great to have in the house. Tim eats one for breakfast or takes one to work for a morning snack every morning. For lunches, I make one egg over easy and top it with a slice of cheese and a piece of Canadian or regular bacon, and make a little sandwich. And for easy dinners, we've been making eggs benedict (one egg over easy, one slice of Canadian bacon, hollandaise sauce [we've been using a jar from Trader Joe's] all over a toasted muffin).

*I'm sure someone more motivated than I am could make this by hand, just by kneading and rising a couple of times.

Posted by Tim and Jo at 3:45 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

August 22, 2008

Samosa pie

A couple days ago, I really wanted samosas. I thought about making them myself.

But I didn't feel like making the pastry or going out to the store to get some spring roll wrappers (I used wonton wrappers for ravioli and pierogi and they turned out pretty well).

So I sat and stewed and thought about samosas. And I remembered that I had a pie crust in the freezer that needed to be used up. So I invented samosa pie.* Tim really liked it. It was like eating a vegetable samosa and a beef samosa at the same time. I tend to just toss in Indian spices to taste these days, but I'll try to replicate what I did here.

Samosa pie (serves 4)

-One 9-inch (or 10-inch) deep dish pie crust (or make it yourself if you're not lazy, I mean, busy)
-1/2 to 3/4 lb. ground beef (OR ground turkey OR ground lamb)
-I medium onion diced
-3-4 tbsp. golden raisins
-1 bag instant potatoes (I used roasted garlic) or 2 cups leftover mashed potatoes
-2 to 3 garlic cloves or the equivalent in garlic powder
-1 to 1 1/2 cups frozen mixed vegetables OR peas and carrots
-1-2 tbsp. curry powder
-1/2 tsp. cinnamon
-1/2 tsp. all-spice
-2 tsp. cumin divided
-1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper powder or to taste (I used chipotle chili powder for warmth)
-1/4 cup ketchup
-salt and pepper to taste

1) Thaw and bake the pie crust for 10-15 minutes or until lightly brown
2) Meanwhile, make the mashed potatoes, if you're not using leftovers and mix in 1 tsp. cumin into potatoes
3) Brown ground beef, garlic and onions. Drain fat.
4) Mix golden raisins and the rest of spices into the ground beef mixture. Cook until fragrant. Add ketchup and stir until the sauce is very thick, about five minutes
5) Put meat mixture into baked pie crust. Top with mashed potatoes. Bake in 400 degree oven (or broil, watching carefuly) until lightly browned on top. I tried to slightly cover the edges of the crust with potatoes so it wouldn't get too brown.

*So, if any of you ever decide to make it, why don't you let me know because that would make me feel like I was really, really cool!

Posted by Tim and Jo at 7:57 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

July 25, 2008

Vacation: The Food

Tim and Joanna: We had a plethora of seafood during the trip--lunch, dinner and even a breakfast of shrimp-and-grits! We hadn't eaten this much seafood since our honeymoon on Prince Edward Island.

One night for dinner we went to the Taj Mahal of seafood restaurants, The Crab Shack. In no time at all we had a massive platter of crab (2 types), mussels, crawfish, shrimp, potatoes, sausage and corn on the cob in front of us.

The four of us dug in and by the time we were full, there was still a third of it left over. Joanna was tormented by an unwelcome bird that was using her for target practice. So we renamed the place "The Crap Shack." During dinner we gave the twins bottles but by the time Elanor was done with hers, she was drenched with milk. I thought maybe I didn't screw the lid on, but Joanna didn't think so. Did Elanor unscrew the bottle and try to chug it? Hmmmm....that one was a head scratcher.

Another night we bought fresh-caught shrimp off of the dockside and made "Frogmore stew" or "low-country boil." It was so easy that I wish I had tried it years ago. It's definitely going back on our menu the next time we see shrimp on sale.

Posted by Tim and Jo at 8:31 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

July 15, 2008

Tim's Behemoth Bachelor Burritos

Tim: So all of you In Search of Lost Time readers out there know by now that Joanna is an excellent cook. One needs only to go to the "Categories" list on our blog and to click on "cooking stuff" to view a veritable smorgasbord of virtual vittles. Well the time has now come to reveal my own cooking skills. Joanna suggested that I share one of my "recipes" from my bachelor days. I thank her for using the word "recipe" so loosely and for allowing the high standards we have for our blog to sink so low.

Nevertheless, I give you Tim's Behemoth Bachelor Burritos.

Ingredients:

• Two flat round tortillas


• Refried black beans (homemade is terrific)


• Onions and bell peppers


• Olives (sure, you can use the ubiquitous green olives, but a nice mix of gourmet olives or kalamata olives really raises the bar here)


• Corn (preferably: canned mexicorn with jalapenos and stuff)


• Salsa (again, the kind of salsa you use really makes or breaks these tortillas. Experiment! Green, red, smoky, fruity, whatever floats your boat)


• Cheese

Spread the black beans even on the tortilla. Chop up onions, peppers and olives and pile them on with copious amounts of corn. Spread on lots of salsa and cheese. Place another tortilla on top and microwave for 2 1/2 minutes. (Okay, so it's not really a burrito. But it's yummy!) The top tortilla gets kind of crispy. Joanna has tried doing this on a griddle, but the microwave is better (the tortilla burns by the time all the ingredients are warm, unless you want to do some kind of combo cooking method, but that takes away from the bachelor simplicity of the whole thing).

Now...to get the complete bachelor experience while eating the behemoth bachelor burrito, it is helpful to simultaneously be engaged in one or more of these activities:

1) Watch a WWII movie, or perhaps a football game (preferably the Steelers)
2) Drink a beer (a "proper" beer of course, not Budweiser)
3) Wear no more apparel than shorts, possibly socks also.
4) Listen to loud music (Wagner or progressive rock). Did I mention the music was supposed to be loud?
5) Argue theology vehemently with your favorite Sicilian (but more than likely, you'll be eating his bachelor spaghetti sauce during this activity)

Posted by Tim and Jo at 10:40 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

June 9, 2008

Fresh herb tabbouleh salad

It's been so blasted hot down here that I've been trying to find some no-cook/little cooking meals.

We finally made it to the Athens's Farmer's Market. It was nice. A little busy. A little yuppie-hippie-ish And nothing like the selection of our PA farmer's markets.

But we found some fun stuff there, leeks and fresh herbs. I haven't used the leeks yet, but I'm going to try to plan some of our meals this week around those herbs (I'd love ideas, folks!). Here's what I made over the weekend. We have tons of leftovers, and just scoop out what we want for snacks and lunches. It's really refreshing, and every bite tastes a little different because of the herbs. It's not overpoweringly parsleyish, either, which is what I don't like about some tabbouleh salads.

Tabbouleh salad
(1) Pour 3 1/2 to 4 cups of hot water over 1 box tabbouleh flavored couscous mix + 1 cup couscous* Refrigerate while you get other ingredients ready. Fluff a little before mixing in the other stuff.
(2) Mix in:

• 3-4 tablespoons chopped fresh basil (ours was lemon basil, yum!)


• 3-4 tablespoons chopped fresh mint


• 3-4 tablespoons chopped parsley


• 1-2 tsp. garlic powder (or about the same fresh)


• 1 pint grape tomatoes quartered or eighthed


• 1 cup chopped cooked chicken (optional, I just wanted to up the protein)
  
• 1 medium onion diced


• 2-3 ozs. crumbled feta cheese


• Olive oil, salt, lemon juice and/or balsamic vinegar to taste

(3) Refrigerate until ready
*Or 3 cups couscous, 1/4 cup lemon juice, 1/4 cup olive oil, and up the herbs, especially the parsley

Posted by Tim and Jo at 3:23 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

June 5, 2008

Crockpot ratatouille

This is the second time I made this, and I thought I had blogged the recipe before. But I couldn't find it! So, I went through my little research tour of slow cooker ratatouille recipes, and made it up again. I'm writing it down this time so that I don't have to recreate the process a third time.

Anyways, we both became fascinated with the idea of ratatouille after watching the movie. Last time, we had a little ratatouille party for three, dinner and a movie--a fun little multisensory experience. Last night it was an ideal dish because we had some vegetarian friends over. And it feels like a summery sort of dish anyways.

Ideally, I'd love to make it with vegetables from the new Athens farmer's market. But since I haven't been here for a Saturday since it started, that'll have to wait.

So, here is what I did this time. I cut the vegetables into different shapes for fun. It seems like it could be infinitely variable...

Crockpot Ratatouille

Layer:
1 large eggplant (quarted and thinly sliced)
2 small zucchini (thinly slices)
2 yellow squash (cubed)
3 celery stalks (diced thickly)
1 green bell pepper (diced thickly) [you could definitely use more of these. I would have if they weren't $3.00 a lb., urgh!]
[last time I used mushrooms, too]
2-3 teaspoons herbs de provence
2-3 teaspoons capers

Pour over:
2 14-oz. can diced fire roasted tomatoes [or just normal diced tomatoes]
1 28-oz can crushed tomatoes or sauce (I used a olive-mushroom tomato sauce because I had it on hand, and thought it would go well with the flavors).

After our favorite Sicilian told me one of the secrets to making his mom's tomato sauce was to fry the onions and garlic separately and add them later, I decided to add those at the end. So...

Cook vegetables for 4-6 hours on low. In last hour of cooking time,

Fry 1-2 diced onions and 4-6 cloves of garlic in 1/4 cup of olive oil until tender. Add to pot with 1/2 cup or so fresh parsley [I used fresh basil last time].

Serve with rice, noodles, or couscous.

Posted by Tim and Jo at 12:25 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

May 29, 2008

No-cook meals

The Georgia summer is coming our way. So we decided to do antipasti and bruschetta for a couple of meals this week, on Monday and last night.

We rarely get deli meats, so it's kind of exotic for us. I just got a 1/4 pound or less of a few different meats (prosciutto, salami, pesto ham, etc.), some fresh mozarella, muenster cheese, olives, and marinated red bell pepper. I cut everything into small pieces, and tossed it onto a platter together.

Then I sliced some homemade bread into small thin pieces, and toasted it with some olive oil and garlic. I cheated with some already made bruschetta topping, but maybe when tomatoes get into season and I get some gumption up, I'll make some more.

It tasted really fresh, cool and bright. And was a great accompaniment to rewatching the Godfather movies. We're kind of going with an Italian theme these days, wondering whether we'll be able to take a trip to Italy in a few years.

On Tuesday night, I took some of the leftovers and made a tomato and mozzarella salad and a couple of panini sandwiches. And we still have a couple more meals that can emerge from the same ingredients--maybe chicken cordon bleu?

Posted by Tim and Jo at 3:33 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

Mama's new toy

The kids are asleep. We finished our last encyclopedia article and sent it in last night. So, I'm finally going to finish a blog post I started awhile ago.

A couple months ago, my grandma gave me her breadmaker that she never uses. And it's been soooooo much fun! I don't think I've bought a loaf of bread since she gave it to me.

I like the idea of making bread completely by hand. But it just takes too much time and planning for me at this stage of my life. Here, I just need to find a fun recipe, dump in the ingredients, and let the machine do its thing

I found a fabulous cookbook for bread machines. It has artisan breads, sourdough breads, any kind of baguette you could imagine, sweet breads, multigrain/whole-grain breads, etc., even some gluten free breads. Some that you bake in the oven, some that you shape in traditional ways. And fun extras like pizza doughs, English muffins, naan, pita breads, and how to make pasta doughs in your machine. The thing I love most about the cookbook is that it explains the process, why you do something or add something, the chemical reactions, and what results from it. So the recipes are more like processes than simple five step formulas. Anyways, geeking out a little here.

As far as traditional breads go, I've made an oatmeal bread, a cracked wheat (bulgur is what I had on hand) bread, a pain viennois, and a milk bread.

One night, we made pizzas together. I made one recipe of whole-wheat pizza dough, and another garlic-parmesan-herb pizza dough. It made four good sized pizzas.

We ate one pizza that night, partially baked the other three and froze them for easy meals on other nights. Much cheaper than take-out, and we piled them with lots of fun toppings.

And here's my favorite recipe so far from the book--pain au chocolat. More like a sweet roll than a croissant, but still amazingly good!

I also made whole wheat cinnamon rolls. Note to self: even if the dough is frozen, don't take it on a 14 hour car drive, unless you want swollen rolls exploding lids off containers in your trunk.

Posted by Tim and Jo at 12:35 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

April 22, 2008

Pennsylvania, Proust, Polkas & Pierogi

I had some wontons leftover, and was also feeling a little homesick for Western PA. So I decided to try my hand at some pierogi.

The first time I ate pierogi was at a polka festival with my dear old roommate Teresa. She took me to a festival near her family's town. At the festival, there was the two of us, a couple young families, and an abundance of spry octegenarians who could boogie beer barrel style. Proust-like, that experience returns each time I eat a pierogie.

I digress. So, I made a box of instant cheddar mashed potatoes rather on the thickish side. And plopped a pile of potatoes on each wrapper.

I then fried them up in a little margarine (actually, I think a lot of margarine would have been more authentic!) and onions.

Even though they weren't quite authentic (faux pierogi, anyone?), I could've gleefully Pennsylvania Polka'd after the first bite.

Posted by Tim and Jo at 12:27 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

homemade mushroom ravioli

Yesterday (thanks to a babysitting Tim), I made a lot of progress on the dissertation front. So my reward today is catching up on some blog posts I've been meaning to write for awhile.

A few weeks ago, we had my mom over for a birthday dinner. I wanted to make something fancy (don't do that often these days, haha). So I found a recipe I had for a Malaysian influenced mushroom tortelloni in curry cream to serve with salmon poached in my slow cooker (the salmon was so easy--I used a large filet instead of four small ones, added lemongrass to the poaching liquid, and laid thin slices of lemon on top).

But when I went to our local grocery store, they had neither mushroom tortelloni or llini or even ravioli. Which inspired me (out of desperation) to try something I've been meaning to do for months. Use wonton wrappers as ravioli substitutes. I thought, even epicurious recipes suggest that, so it can't be too bad!

So, I put 8 ozs. of mushrooms, 3 cloves of garlic, a 1/4 cup of onions together in a food processor, and chopped them until it was a paste with some large chunks left. I mixed the paste with some dry breadcrumbs (about a 1/4 cup)until it was thick, and cooked it in some olive oil for a minute, then added red wine (a couple tablespoons) and balsamic vinegar (about a tablespoon). If I were to do it again, I would make sure I could more of the liquid out, and add some more bread crumbs.

I laid out wonton wrappers on a pan, put a little less than a tablespoon on each one. I then brushed each one with some water along the edges, gently pressed out air with my fingers as I sealed them, then pressed then on each side with a fork.

I think it made about four dozen small ravioli, maybe more. They turned out well, but a tiny bit soggy because I made them too far ahead of time. Next time I would either (a) make them right beforehand, (b) make the filling a little thicker, (c) turn them several times in the fridge, or (d) freeze them right away.

But making ravioli was so easy, and seems like it will be a really fun way to experiment with fun fillings.

Next up...what I did with the leftover wonton wrappers

Posted by Tim and Jo at 12:08 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

March 17, 2008

Baby Food 101

My dear aunt helped me make my first baby food today. We're still debating when we'll actually start them on it (they're around the corner from 4 months), but at least we'll have a well-stocked freezer.

Here's what we did (actually, I did a lot of watching and learning) step-by-step, with prices. It took about 3 hours start to finish.

We started with:

-10 lbs sweet potatoes (@ $.50/lb=$5.00)
-2 lbs. organic carrots (@$1.00/lb=$2.00)
-about 3 lbs. black-eyed peas (@$1.50/lb.=$4.50) (note: you can get these for much cheaper)
-5 lbs. apples (@$.50/lb=$2.50)
-50 1-cup containers (given to me by nice aunt)
-ancient food mill attachment on my grandma's Kitchenaid blender
-----
Total: $14.00

We kept the skin on most of the vegetables for the nutrients. The food mill took care of keeping solids out.

1) Black-eyed peas: did a quick soak (boil 2 minutes, soak one hour, rinse), cooked for about an hour. Mashed into smooth puree with cooking liquid. Total: 16 one-cup containers (about 10 lbs. weight)
2) Sweet potatoes: washed, halved, boiled in water until soft (about 35-40 minutes), pureed with some cooking water. Total: 21 one-cup containers (about 13 lbs.)
3) Carrots: washed, cooked in water until soft (about 30 minutes?), pureed with some water. Total: 4 one-cup containers (about 2.5 lbs.)
4) Apples: washed and cored, cooked with one cup of water for about 20 minutes until soft. Pureed all (including water). Total: 4 one-cup containers (about 3 lbs.)

After each was processed, we scooped them into containers to cool. Meanwhile, we labeled the dates and contents on each of the lids.

I came home with a crate of 46 very full containers, totalling about 28 lbs. of food. Especially in the beginning, it should last at least a month (even considering that there are two babies). Not bad for about $14.00, and an afternoon.

Here's the food (from left to right): sweet potatoes, black-eyed peas, apples, carrots.

I think it worked out to about ten cents for the equivalent of a jar of regular baby food (maybe less!), which seems like it will add up quickly--especially with two babies.

Plus, I can know exactly what's in their food. It'll be great when summer rolls around, and we can buy lots of local produce. I'm determined to find a local produce stand! And maybe after they get used to food, I can pull a DiBer and add fun spices to it.

Posted by Tim and Jo at 5:32 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack

August 20, 2007

Summer cooking: tomatoes and watermelons

Well...it's been a long time since I've blogged about anything other than All Things Baby, so here's a break for those of you who get slightly nauseated when inundated with too much cuteness.

I haven't done as much cooking this summer as I usually do, at least not as much creative cooking. I've probably done more in general, but (*blush*), I'm relying much more heavily on boxes and bags and freezers (but I make sure that I supplement with or add fresh vegetables and/or protein sources to the mixes/frozen foods). My energy level is definitely lower these days, and the triple-digit Georgia temperatures aren't exactly an incentive to stand over a hot stove. And at his request, Tim has asked me to teach him how to cook (so that he can help me as I get more limited or busy with babies), so I've been teaching him some easy dishes.

But here's a few things that I've done lately!

I have a summer ritual that started several years ago in Pittsburgh. A church friend couple has an enormous tomato garden, and they've shared their bounty with us repeatedly. We walked around the man's garden, and felt like we were being taken to a wine cellar by a great conneisseur. He told us the best qualities of all of his 40-something variety of tomatoes. And his heirloom tomatoes were beautiful. There was one variety that reminds me of a Monet watercolor, reds and yellows streaming together. I always saved those until last.

Anyway, my favorite thing to do with really good, in season tomatoes is to make a fresh tomato sauce. I used to have a recipe, but now I sort of wing it. A couple weeks ago, our local Whole Foods-ish grocery store, Earth Fare, had a .99/lb. (!!) sale on local heirloom tomatoes. Here's what I do:

Uncooked Tomato Sauce

1) Chop, deseed, and drain slightly (if necessary) 2-3 lbs of tomatoes.
2) Toss in bowl with olive oil, 2-3 cloves of minced garlic, salt to taste, freshly ground pepper to taste, and 2-3 tablespoons (or more!) of chopped, fresh basil (or whatever herb you have on hand). You can also add a teaspoon or two of balsamic vinegar if you want to deepen the taste. Also, some diced olives and/or capers makes a nice variation.
3) Dice 8-16 oz. brie OR fresh mozzarella OR crumble feta cheese. Toss with mixture.
4) Allow to set at room temperature for a couple of hours
5) Bring 8-16 oz. of pasta (angel hair is nice, or pretty much anything!) to a boil.
6) Toss with tomatoes while still hot. The pasta melts the cheese a little bit, but the uncooked tomatoes taste sooooo fresh!

I've also developed a watermelon fetish this summer. I've found it's a great way to stay hydrated, and get some vitamin C at the same time. Of course, I love it fresh, but I've also started making a virgin margarita-ish drink with it. So, again I wing it, but here's what I've been doing.

Watermelon "Virgin Margarita" and Granita

1) Cut several cups of watermelon into chunks, and dump into blender (I fill it about 3/4's of the way)
2) Pour 1-2 tsps. of lime juice over it.
3) Once or twice, I've gotten a watermelon that's not quite as sweet as I've liked, so I put in a teaspoon or two of the strawberry jam I made earlier in the summer. Frozen or fresh blueberries are nice, too.
4) Add half a dozen or so ice cubes and blend.
5) Then after I've drunk my fill, I freeze the rest into a granita. I pour it into a shallow bowl, put it into the freezer, and scrape it every few hours.

Yum!

Posted by Tim and Jo at 1:30 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

February 2, 2007

Casserole and time warp

I was trying to figure out what to make with some leftover kielbasa & a bunch of sweet potatoes yetserday. So I made up this casserole. Something about the comination of casseroleness, using up leftovers, and canned pineapples brought on a flashback to the 1950s.

2 lbs. sweet potatoes
1 lb. light kielbasa, thinly sliced into rounds
2 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. allspice
1/2 tsp. cloves
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 can (24 oz.) crushed pineapple in juice, drained, reserving juice
1 lb. onions, sliced thinly
3-4 tblsp. sugar
1-2 tblsp. olive oil
1 tblsp butter or margarine

1. Bake sweet potatoes about one hour at 400.
2. Meanwhile, mix together spices, salt and pepper.
3. When cool enough to handle, peel and mash potatoes with reserved pineapple juice, and 3 tsps. of spice mixture.
4. Spread in 13x9 pan. Top with sliced kielbasa. Mix pineapple with 1 tsp. of spice mixture. Put into 350 oven for about 40 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, cook onions in olive oil until translucent. Mix in suger and the rest of the spice mixture. Add butter and stir until lightly browned. Pour on top of casserole and cook for 5-10 minutes more.

Posted by Tim and Jo at 4:40 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack

January 24, 2007

Chicken Tagine

Here's what I made the other night.

I started out with a recipe for Chicken Tagine with Olives and Preserved Lemons, but I made a bunch of changes, adding lots of vegetables, changing the spices, and using rice instead of couscous.

The cut-up veggies reminded me of a brightly colored Easter egg.

The preserved lemons and the olives were bright and shiny. We found the preserved lemons at our favorite little Middle Eastern store in the Strip District. I hadn't had a chance to use them before, but they're wonderful--like an exoticly perfumed lemon, missing some of the sourness.

Then out come the exotic spices...

And finally...

Eating this reminded us of being in the Latin Quarter in Paris--walking down a narrow alley, we heard a woman shouting "Couscous! Couscous!" and found ourselves walking into a teeny hole-in-the-wall Moroccan restuarant, Chez Momo and eating some of the best food we had in Paris.

Posted by Tim and Jo at 10:29 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

November 3, 2006

Crockpots and Fugues

I've found a new approach to cooking lately. I've gradually come to see recipes (at least for cooking--nervous about the changing the chemistry of baking) as process not form. Reminds me of a counterpoint class I took and one that I thankfully was able to avoid. The one I didn't take taught writing fugues as (1) take a previously written theme (2) follow rule x + y + z +...to (3)come up with the perfect psuedo-Baroque cookie cutter fugue. And if you follow the rules right, everyone will come up with the same fugue. Shudder. The other (thank you Dr. Steele!) taught fugue as a process, a way of creatively exploring melodies.

Anyway, back on topic, here's what I "composed" this morning in my crockpot.

Chicken Enchilada Chili

Layer
1 can black beans (rinsed and drained)
1 can cannellini beans (ditto)
2-3 chicken breasts
1 large can kidney beans
1 large onion, large dice
2 red and/or green bell peppers, large dice
1 large can tomatoes in puree mixed with 1 packet enchilada mix,
[OR 1 regular (16 oz.) can of tomatoes mixed with one can of enchilada sauce] mixed with 4 minced cloves of garlic (or to taste), 1 tblsp. cumin, 1/2-1 tsp. powdered chipotle pepper, 2 tsp. paprika, 2 tsp. coriander
1 bottle of beer, or 1 cup chicken broth

Cook about 8 hours on low. Shred chicken breasts and mix in.

I'm hoping we'll have some leftovers to make real enchiladas with.

Posted by Tim and Jo at 1:01 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

October 6, 2006

Shepherd's Pie

Following up Jeannette's menu exchange from a few weeks back, here's a standard in our house, especially as the weather edges its way towards nippyness. It's an easy recipe to vary, so here are some variations as well. And it makes lots, great for making extras for lunches or busy days when you don't want to cook.

Shepherd's Pie (8-10 servings)

Continue reading "Shepherd's Pie"

Posted by Tim and Jo at 2:54 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

September 13, 2006

Tomatoes!

So, following up the Amish in the Inner City post, Jeannette said that this appears to be a state-wide initiative. I did a little digging out of curiosity, and found this site. The idea is simple and brilliant.


We found a bushel (!) of tomatoes on sale at the farmer’s market for just $8.00. After gazing longingly at it, and wondering if it would turn into a messy misadventure (like last summer when I tried to can strawberry jam with one hand, with a broken thumb on the other), and gazing at it some more, we gave in and bought it. Turns out the bushel yielded 78 tomatoes. Still haven’t figured out how many pounds that is.

I loved looking at their redness, spread out on our table. Over the past couple of weeks, I've made many several concoctions with them, getting ready for the bleak Pittsburgh winter, when skies are grey and tomatoes are pink and mealy.

I began by throwing together a curried tomato-zucchini bisque (with coconut milk added at the end) in the crockpot. Then I made a couple of tomato sauces--one in the crockpot, and another on the stove-top with sausage. And then a couple of salsas, an easy pico de gallo, and a roasted tomato-chipotle salsa. While I was roasting the tomatoes, I roasted some for soup, and later made a Mexican spiced tomato soup (to have with quesadillas on cold days). And finally, I made a fresh basil and tomato sauce.

After one of my marathons, it looked as though I had killed someone in our kitchen, the stove and counters covered in pulpy gore as red juice streamed relentlessly down the cabinet fronts. Thankfully I cleaned it up before anyone arrived on the scene. ;-)

Phew, Tim's a bit tomatoed out at the moment, but I like looking at the pretty red rows in the freezer (no canning adventures this year).

Posted by Tim and Jo at 9:07 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

July 20, 2006

Menu for a week

Thanks to Jeannette's suggestion, here's a hypothetical menu for a week.

Middle-Eastern meatballs, 2 ways

Mix 2 lbs. of ground beef (or turkey, or chicken) with 1 egg, ½-1 cup breadcrumbs, ¼ cup diced green or red pepper, ¼ diced onion, 2-4 cloves minced garlic, 1-2 tbsp. cumin (ground and/or seed), 1 tsp. coriander, 1-2 tsp. cinnamon, 2 tsp. allspice, ground red pepper, salt and pepper to taste, and a splash of lemon juice. And pine-nuts, if you’re feeling extravagant. Roll into small, even balls, cook in oven at 350 for about 20 minutes, or until done (on tin-foil or cooking-sprayed cookie sheet). This makes a ton of meatballs, enough for several dinners or lunches.

Freeze any that you don’t need right away. And…

#1: Toss frozen or fresh vegetables of choice (eggplant, cauliflower, carrots, peas, zucchini, whatever!) with some plain tomato sauce. Flavor with any of the spices used in the meatballs, if desired. Simmer until vegetables are tender, adding meatballs if frozen. Boil water for couscous (I usually toss in some chicken bouillon for extra flavor). Add couscous to the water (read the direction on the box). Pour the sauce with veggies and meatballs over the couscous.

#2: Warm meatballs, if frozen. Serve in pitas with yogurt, feta, and fresh vegetables (red or green pepper, cucumber, onions, lettuce).

Crockpot Sausages

Slice one onion and 1-2 green or red peppers thinly. Lay in bottom of crock pot. Lay kielbasa (and or hot dogs or healthier or gourmet versions of sausage—we had oodles of high-schoolers to our house when I made this, so we used a mix of kielbasa and hot dogs). Pour one bottle of barbeque sauce over everything. Cook on low for 3-4 hours. Serve on hot dogs buns (sturdy ones, like Kaiser buns—it might be saucy!), with sauce and vegetables. I saved the leftover sauce, and I’m cooking chicken in it today to shred for sandwiches.

Hutzla

Okay, this is a traditional PA Dutch breakfast that has been passed down through several generations of our family. Take day old bread (2-3 slices a person) and tear into chunks. Fry (in butter, or using cooking spray—butter is better!) until lightly browned. Meanwhile, beat eggs and milk (say, one egg and a ¼ milk for two slices of bread), adding ½-1 tsp. vanilla (or liquor if you’re feeling daring—a little Irish Cream is heavenly!). Pour over bread stirring quickly to coat. Press down slightly to make an even layer. Turn once when golden brown (you might need to cut it), cook until golden brown on other side, but still custardy in the middle. Serve with syrup.

Salmon in a Pepper Crust. Mmm! This is one of our favorite salmon dishes, and it takes very little work. I usually let it marinate for a couple of hours. And a coffee grinder makes it easy to grind the pepper.

Pasta with Brie and Fresh Tomato Sauce I know this isn’t the place I got the recipe I use (I’m still not sure where I found it), but with tomatoes finally coming in season, an uncooked tomato sauce is refreshing and easy. And I love brie!

And talking about seasons, almost local (NJ) blueberries are coming to the stores. So a crisp, pancakes, or muffins would be a special treat.

EDIT: Another easy, easy meal starter--bagels! Our local bagel shop has a summer sale (a baker's dozen for less than $5). Since my old roommate Teresa used to work at a bagel shop, and was able to take home leftovers at the end of the day, I learned to make all kind of bagel based meals.

Breakfast: bagels with butter, cream cheese, or egg
Lunch or dinner:
Bagel half+tomato sauce+cheese and toppings+broiler=bagel pizza
Bagel half+BBQ chicken (leftover from crockpot recipe)+veggies+cheese+broiler
Bagel half+tuna salad+cheese+broiler
Bagel half with a good canned soup
Bagel sandwich with anything you want!
*Bagels can also be sliced thinly and toasted for bagel chips for snacks or into chunks for croutons.

Posted by Tim and Jo at 9:32 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

June 5, 2006

Food Experiment #2: Margarita Chicken

Here's the new recipe I tried on Friday. Got it from this cookbook.

Margarita Chicken

Continue reading "Food Experiment #2: Margarita Chicken"

Posted by Tim and Jo at 3:14 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

May 23, 2006

Experiments with New Food, Week 1

I've decided to try cooking one new food a week. I'm getting rather busy with work and dissertation, but I still want to find time to do creative things. Plus, it will be a good incentive not to eat out, stretching our budget a bit further.

Food of the week: Bourride with Rouille

Continue reading "Experiments with New Food, Week 1"

Posted by Tim and Jo at 2:37 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

May 19, 2006

Vegetable Powerhouse Puree

Here's a recipe I adapted from several other recipes awhile ago. I jotted it down on a sticky pad, and I'm afraid I'm going to lose it, so here it goes. I was trying to make something that was nutritionally loaded (lots of beta carotene and other good stuff).

Vegetable Powerhouse Puree

Continue reading "Vegetable Powerhouse Puree"

Posted by Tim and Jo at 3:01 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

March 17, 2006

Quiche

So, we're having tons of people over tomorrow--kind of a college reunion for Tim's best friends from college. How fun! I decided to make-ahead some things for this weekend for the two of us, so I didn't have to worry about that while I was trying to host oodles of people.

Needed to use up some feta cheese, so I found this easy recipe on epicurious and modified it. I used some frozen pie shells I had in the freezer, doubled (at least) the recipe, tossed in some leftover sun-dried tomatoes, and used the leftover oil from the tomatoes to cook the red pepper for some extra flavor.

Spinach, Red Pepper, and Feta Quiche

I'll find out in the morning how it worked!

Posted by Tim and Jo at 9:22 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

February 21, 2006

Stuffed Chicken Breasts

I tried this last week--I was running out of time before I had to leave to teach my classes in the morning, so I improvised a bit. A little roasted garlic in the chicken breasts, and herbes de provence I brought back from Paris sparked it up a little bit. Kalamata olives were really good in it, too.

Stuffed Chicken Breast with Feta, Spinach and Tomatoes

Posted by Tim and Jo at 11:03 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

February 14, 2006

Dal or Dhal

Just found a great site with Dal recipes, Indian lentils.

http://www.mendosa.com/chanadal.html

Dal is

-Economical: .50-1.00 a pound, which goes a long way)
-Nutritious: easy to digest, lots of protein, etc.
-Tasty: I love Indian spices!
and
-Simple to make with a crockpot (maybe even without one).

The site also has an interesting recipe for an Indian tomato soup.

Posted by Tim and Jo at 10:48 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

January 30, 2006

weird website!

Okay, I'm still trying to figure this blog thing out, so I'm going to experiment with a few different entries. I found a hilarious website "The Museum of Burnt Food."

http://www.burntfoodmuseum.com/

I especially like the psychological analyses applied to the various charred masterpieces.

Posted by Tim and Jo at 10:52 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack