So it's about that time - Holiday Cooking and Holiday Baking! For some reason lately I have really been into making candies. I was messing around with some chocolates this evening - had made my macaroons already and they were chilled waiting for their dip - yes I love macaroons - only homemade though :)
I get my chocolate melted, smooth - have it in a bowl - ready to go! What happens you ask? Well my measuring cup of water, that's what! It seized almost immediately and my heart is broken for that was the last of my melting chocolates and what hard work had gone into candies will now simply be another one of my frostings - if I can recover it a bit w/shortening. Just darn darn darn! I really wanted my evening to end w/a nice chocolate covered macaroon - now I am cooking even further into the night only to wind up with frosting.
I do make a mean frosting though..... hmmmm - maybe I shall make cupcakes tomorrow - maybe the seize was not a tragedy after all :)
Your tip out of this little story? Never let water near your melted chocolate - water is chocolate's enemy.
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Easy Coconut Bites
This one is fast - sweet & delicious!
You will need:
2 Packages of Wilton Candy melts - I use a combination of light and dark cocoa
1 Package of coconut (yes I have a thing for it!)
1 Package slivered almonds
Mini cupcake liners - the deco ones are great for displaying these delights :)
Prepare the Candy Melts according to the double boiler method - once you remove the flame toss in the coconut and almonds- mix until all things blended. Scoop into liners - pressing as you go and only going about 3/4. Let set/cool - and sit and enjoy :)
You will need:
2 Packages of Wilton Candy melts - I use a combination of light and dark cocoa
1 Package of coconut (yes I have a thing for it!)
1 Package slivered almonds
Mini cupcake liners - the deco ones are great for displaying these delights :)
Prepare the Candy Melts according to the double boiler method - once you remove the flame toss in the coconut and almonds- mix until all things blended. Scoop into liners - pressing as you go and only going about 3/4. Let set/cool - and sit and enjoy :)
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Wowza!
I tore it up in the kitchen these past three days! Such a great feeling of accomplishment to put together so many meals and know that they are there, no muss or fuss once done! Brian loves that he can go into the freezer and have a nice bowl of chili, slice of meatloaf, sausage and peppers in meat sauce, meatballs in redsauce - chicken for ready set go ranch chicken salad, meat for tacos (chicken or pork)- all types of goodies! I try and theme cook in that if I am making meatloaf, I make a seperate dish of meatballs and try to make the red sauce either same day or very next to freeze. I do those two together b/c I use a blend of beef and pork in each.
If it is large bulk I am cooking in I also make a pot of chili when I make meat balls and meatloaf. I use a fair amount of green pepper and onion in all as well as the same meats (except the chorizio for the chili) so I figure get them all done! It is usually a days worth of labor but enough food for several ready-set-heat & eat meals - they all freeze great!
Chicken, well I tend to mix the packages and divide - I can get a really good price on leg/thigh quarters coming in 4 pieces per package - I will bake 1 large bone in breast and 2 quarters - gives enough for a few meals. Pork - I always buy a should or loin and use the left over cuts - the cook down nicely.
For tacos I bake the chicken or pork in tomatoes, garlic, onion, cilantro, jalepenos, red pepper and cumin. Shred and debone - store in serving size containers by covering with salsa and freezing. When you heat each container it will be juicy, tender & tasty!
Just some tid bits from my couple days of cooking!
If it is large bulk I am cooking in I also make a pot of chili when I make meat balls and meatloaf. I use a fair amount of green pepper and onion in all as well as the same meats (except the chorizio for the chili) so I figure get them all done! It is usually a days worth of labor but enough food for several ready-set-heat & eat meals - they all freeze great!
Chicken, well I tend to mix the packages and divide - I can get a really good price on leg/thigh quarters coming in 4 pieces per package - I will bake 1 large bone in breast and 2 quarters - gives enough for a few meals. Pork - I always buy a should or loin and use the left over cuts - the cook down nicely.
For tacos I bake the chicken or pork in tomatoes, garlic, onion, cilantro, jalepenos, red pepper and cumin. Shred and debone - store in serving size containers by covering with salsa and freezing. When you heat each container it will be juicy, tender & tasty!
Just some tid bits from my couple days of cooking!
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Saturday, November 6, 2010
What are your favorite winter dishes?
I'm in the midwest and our fall/winters (we get like a blink of fall weather and seem to dive right into winter!) can be rough but also have some bonuses. To name a couple, the beautiful scenery such varied weather creates and of course - the food! Winter is the season here for all types of baked and hearty goodness and for some reason - maybe it's the midwest gal in me but I become a total meat and potatoes person in the winter. Nothing like a fantastic homemade bread/soup, casserole - roasts galore - all the great comfort foods. What are your favorite winter comfort foods? My I will list and hope to post the recipes asap :) I know, I need to learn how to summarize and clarify my recipes more - I'll get there!
The winter foods I can't get enough of:
Cream of Chicken & Dumplings
Chicken Casserole or Pot Pie
Baked/Stuffed Pork Chops (always served w/mashed potatoes and a kick ass gravy baby!)
Pot Roast! Chuck Roast - any type of beef roast - of course w/the above mentioned mashed potatoes and kick ass gravy :)
Slow Baked Ham - with all the trimmings - hells yeah! I do this about 6 times during the winter - have it smelling like the Holidays - nothing like a baked ham and I treat it right :) with all types of left-over ham ideas!
Turkey - yep - a whole bird - all the sides and trimmings - we have this at least 4 times in the winter. Leftovers are awesome - great recipes for this as well.
COBBLERS!!!! Every kind I can think of - I love making cobblers all winter long - even as far as to make our own mini ones - sllluurrp!
Chili - I make 3 big batches all winter - yum yum!!
These are just a few! Recipes for all of the above to follow! Anyone have any to share?
The winter foods I can't get enough of:
Cream of Chicken & Dumplings
Chicken Casserole or Pot Pie
Baked/Stuffed Pork Chops (always served w/mashed potatoes and a kick ass gravy baby!)
Pot Roast! Chuck Roast - any type of beef roast - of course w/the above mentioned mashed potatoes and kick ass gravy :)
Slow Baked Ham - with all the trimmings - hells yeah! I do this about 6 times during the winter - have it smelling like the Holidays - nothing like a baked ham and I treat it right :) with all types of left-over ham ideas!
Turkey - yep - a whole bird - all the sides and trimmings - we have this at least 4 times in the winter. Leftovers are awesome - great recipes for this as well.
COBBLERS!!!! Every kind I can think of - I love making cobblers all winter long - even as far as to make our own mini ones - sllluurrp!
Chili - I make 3 big batches all winter - yum yum!!
These are just a few! Recipes for all of the above to follow! Anyone have any to share?
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Sweet Coconut Tip
I love coconut! One of my favorite coconut treats is a good macaroon - I make a mean batch! This is one secret I can give out - the rest and finding your appropriate recipe is up to you. Swap out milk for coconut milk :) kicks it up a few levels on the coconut tip and is just creamy dreamy!
Delicious Lamb W/Pita
Not quite Gyros, but this is sooooo darn good! My usual warning that I don't do measurements applies so bear with me!
You will need:
MEAT:
Lamb - your choice to use a leg of lamb roast or chops - I use what looks best on that trip to the store if not going through a butcher.
SPICES AND LIQUIDS:
Garlic, Rosemary, Thyme, Oregano, Salt, Pepper, Olive Oil and Lemon
VEGGIES:
Onion and Spinach - I use Red Onion but Yellow or your preferred taste will do
CHEESE:
Feta! Lots of it :)
BREADS:
Pitas of your choice, full or pockets, wheat or regular
PREPARING THE LAMB: Start with pre-heating oven to 350
First I rub a fresh lemon all over the lamb, then do the same thing w/the olive oil. Then rub down w/all the spice ingriedients - all of the amounts being to your tastes. I let the rubbed marinade sit in the fridge for about an hour - covered of course.
**Little Helper Hint: If you do not cook with rosemary, thyme and oregano - start of small and adjust as you make dishes with them - if you are unsure about a spice figure it out by eliminating one each time and you will figure out your preferred amounts!
Put your lamb in a large roasting pan - 30-40 minutes per pound is a decent amount for most ovens but also depends on how well done you like your lamb. I do my first 40 covered and the remaining amounts with cover off.
While the lamb is roasting, slice your onions thinly, chop spinach (fresh!!) very lightly and crumble the feta - mix all three together and keep in fridge until lamb is roast.
Remove lamb from oven and de-bone and pull apart meat with a fork - putting the meat into a serving container w/a lid (I use a casserole dish) and adding your onion, feta & spinach mix - mix well together - cover w/the lid and let sit for about 8-10 minutes. I leave mine on top of the warmed stove/oven.
Serve with the pitas and it is so delicious! This is one of my favorites - can't stop eating it all day after I make it!
You will need:
MEAT:
Lamb - your choice to use a leg of lamb roast or chops - I use what looks best on that trip to the store if not going through a butcher.
SPICES AND LIQUIDS:
Garlic, Rosemary, Thyme, Oregano, Salt, Pepper, Olive Oil and Lemon
VEGGIES:
Onion and Spinach - I use Red Onion but Yellow or your preferred taste will do
CHEESE:
Feta! Lots of it :)
BREADS:
Pitas of your choice, full or pockets, wheat or regular
PREPARING THE LAMB: Start with pre-heating oven to 350
First I rub a fresh lemon all over the lamb, then do the same thing w/the olive oil. Then rub down w/all the spice ingriedients - all of the amounts being to your tastes. I let the rubbed marinade sit in the fridge for about an hour - covered of course.
**Little Helper Hint: If you do not cook with rosemary, thyme and oregano - start of small and adjust as you make dishes with them - if you are unsure about a spice figure it out by eliminating one each time and you will figure out your preferred amounts!
Put your lamb in a large roasting pan - 30-40 minutes per pound is a decent amount for most ovens but also depends on how well done you like your lamb. I do my first 40 covered and the remaining amounts with cover off.
While the lamb is roasting, slice your onions thinly, chop spinach (fresh!!) very lightly and crumble the feta - mix all three together and keep in fridge until lamb is roast.
Remove lamb from oven and de-bone and pull apart meat with a fork - putting the meat into a serving container w/a lid (I use a casserole dish) and adding your onion, feta & spinach mix - mix well together - cover w/the lid and let sit for about 8-10 minutes. I leave mine on top of the warmed stove/oven.
Serve with the pitas and it is so delicious! This is one of my favorites - can't stop eating it all day after I make it!
Monday, November 1, 2010
Fried Chicken!!!!
I love some good ol' fried chicken and there is so many fantastic ways to make it! I will try and share many of mine but will start with a fairly easy (I use the word "easy" loosely) one. I stress to you again that I am one of those cooks that does not really measure, I try and give a good idea as to the amount - sorry!
For this recipe you will need:
Toast - About 6 slices - I prefer to toast bread the day before so it has a chance to get really hardened - you use this for your breadcrumbs. Yes, you can use packaged but I do prefer to make my own, seems so pointless to pay the price of breadcrumbs when you can get a loaf of bread for $.99!!!! All you do is smash the hardened toast until you have nice even small crumbs. A little tip, I use a medium sized metal strainer over a bowl and keep putting the toast through that until a nice fine crumb mix.
Pancake Mix - I have only used Bisquick type mixes and approx 1/4 a cup, sometimes more depending on the amount of bread crumbs
Chicken Breast: I use a nice package (2lbs) of boneless skinless and cut it into chunks - cooks nice and even as well as being easier to manage when frying in a pan on the stove-top.
Ranch or Bleu Cheese Dressing- or both - I go through about a bottle total for this.
Garlic and Onion Powder, Sage, Salt and Pepper (or you can even use/add a dressing dry mix like Italian or Ranch - this does change the flavor quite a bit for a twist)
PREPARATION OF CHICKEN:
After cutting the chicken breast, place in bowl and cover with your choice of the Ranch or Bleu Dressing, adding some of the dry spices - (garlic/onion powders, salt/pepper and sage) use minimal amounts of sage - a dash will do - unless you are familiar with it and feel safe in using more. Mix the chicken/spice/dressing together and let sit in fridge - I let mine marinate for a couple hours. The marinated dressing is part of your coating mixture so you won't need eggs or milk!
PREPARATION OF BREAD CRUMB (BREADING) MIXTURE:
Combine your bread crumbs, pancake mix (dry of course!) and another bit (not too much or you will have a high burn factor with your breading) of your dry spices. Keep your bread crumbs in a large bowl. I get out another bowl to bread and add about half of mix for breading then add it in bit by bit as coating so not to have a dredgy (for lack of wording right now!) breadcrumb mix.
GETTING READY TO START FRYING!!!!
I do it on the stovetop right now seeing as how our fryer was lent out only to never have been brought back - but hey I have no problem takin' it old school! For my oil on this one I use a combination of shortening and veggie oil heated in very large saucepan.
Stir up the chicken so as to get another nice coating of the dressing marinade, in a seperate bowl put a portion (about half) of your breadcrumb mix - bread your chicken chunks, adding more breadcrumbs as needed.
I am careful not to put all my breadcrumb mix for chicken in bowl at once for two reasons:
1. Your breadcrumbs get NASTY!!
2. You may have leftover breadcrumbs you could save but if you drag raw chicken through them all you can't!
Fry them in batches, your size will be up to how many can fit nicely in your fryer without sticking together. Do not over handle them - they will get soggy. I usually go for about 8 minutes, 4 each side. Cut open your largest of the batch to confirm done if in question.
Enjoy!
For some sauces - fast sauces these can be whipped up fast and according to your tastes:
Hot Sauce and either your Ranch or Bleu Cheese - just mix together tasting as you go to find your notch!
Hot Sauce & Butter - melt your butter and add your hot sauce - again according to your own amounts and tastes.
Melted Butter, Garlic & Parmesean - all to your own tastes. I melt a stick of butter, press a few bulbs of garlic into butter while melting and finish it with grated parmesean an KISS KISS!!
Processed Pineapple, Butter & Red Pepper: I blend a can of pineapples (have juice set aside in saucepan) then add to the saucepan with it's juice, a bit of butter, red pepper to taste - mmmm mmmm this one is savory!
Hope you enjoy!
For this recipe you will need:
Toast - About 6 slices - I prefer to toast bread the day before so it has a chance to get really hardened - you use this for your breadcrumbs. Yes, you can use packaged but I do prefer to make my own, seems so pointless to pay the price of breadcrumbs when you can get a loaf of bread for $.99!!!! All you do is smash the hardened toast until you have nice even small crumbs. A little tip, I use a medium sized metal strainer over a bowl and keep putting the toast through that until a nice fine crumb mix.
Pancake Mix - I have only used Bisquick type mixes and approx 1/4 a cup, sometimes more depending on the amount of bread crumbs
Chicken Breast: I use a nice package (2lbs) of boneless skinless and cut it into chunks - cooks nice and even as well as being easier to manage when frying in a pan on the stove-top.
Ranch or Bleu Cheese Dressing- or both - I go through about a bottle total for this.
Garlic and Onion Powder, Sage, Salt and Pepper (or you can even use/add a dressing dry mix like Italian or Ranch - this does change the flavor quite a bit for a twist)
PREPARATION OF CHICKEN:
After cutting the chicken breast, place in bowl and cover with your choice of the Ranch or Bleu Dressing, adding some of the dry spices - (garlic/onion powders, salt/pepper and sage) use minimal amounts of sage - a dash will do - unless you are familiar with it and feel safe in using more. Mix the chicken/spice/dressing together and let sit in fridge - I let mine marinate for a couple hours. The marinated dressing is part of your coating mixture so you won't need eggs or milk!
PREPARATION OF BREAD CRUMB (BREADING) MIXTURE:
Combine your bread crumbs, pancake mix (dry of course!) and another bit (not too much or you will have a high burn factor with your breading) of your dry spices. Keep your bread crumbs in a large bowl. I get out another bowl to bread and add about half of mix for breading then add it in bit by bit as coating so not to have a dredgy (for lack of wording right now!) breadcrumb mix.
GETTING READY TO START FRYING!!!!
I do it on the stovetop right now seeing as how our fryer was lent out only to never have been brought back - but hey I have no problem takin' it old school! For my oil on this one I use a combination of shortening and veggie oil heated in very large saucepan.
Stir up the chicken so as to get another nice coating of the dressing marinade, in a seperate bowl put a portion (about half) of your breadcrumb mix - bread your chicken chunks, adding more breadcrumbs as needed.
I am careful not to put all my breadcrumb mix for chicken in bowl at once for two reasons:
1. Your breadcrumbs get NASTY!!
2. You may have leftover breadcrumbs you could save but if you drag raw chicken through them all you can't!
Fry them in batches, your size will be up to how many can fit nicely in your fryer without sticking together. Do not over handle them - they will get soggy. I usually go for about 8 minutes, 4 each side. Cut open your largest of the batch to confirm done if in question.
Enjoy!
For some sauces - fast sauces these can be whipped up fast and according to your tastes:
Hot Sauce and either your Ranch or Bleu Cheese - just mix together tasting as you go to find your notch!
Hot Sauce & Butter - melt your butter and add your hot sauce - again according to your own amounts and tastes.
Melted Butter, Garlic & Parmesean - all to your own tastes. I melt a stick of butter, press a few bulbs of garlic into butter while melting and finish it with grated parmesean an KISS KISS!!
Processed Pineapple, Butter & Red Pepper: I blend a can of pineapples (have juice set aside in saucepan) then add to the saucepan with it's juice, a bit of butter, red pepper to taste - mmmm mmmm this one is savory!
Hope you enjoy!
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