I can't begin to tell you how many times I have tried to type this blog. This is the third time. It seems that every time I get close to the end, I hit the wrong button and it deletes the whole damn thing. It would be all right if it were a short little blog, but it's taken me twenty minutes each time to type what I want to say and then I lose it all.
It's been a week since I blogged last. Over a week, so here goes.
Thursday: Leftovers. I'm sick to death of leftovers. I've got to start making smaller casseroles so I don't have to keep eating them over and over again.
Friday: Biltoki: We went to one of the Basque restaurants in town this weekend. We had the special which means a ton of food. Rob had cod and I had basque chicken, with soup, salad, fries, green beans, spaghetti, and beans. It's an immense amount of food. Rob's friend Tom was here to go hunting for deer over the weekend and they both got one. More on that later.
Saturday: I went to dinner at David's. His friend Tara was there and she is a vegan so we had an assortment of vegetables and spaghetti sauce over vegan meatballs. Is that an oxymoron? Anyway, it was good. I made my famous pear tart and David returned the pan to Rob on Monday, so he had eaten the last half by himself.
Sunday: Rob came in about 1:30 and we butchered his deer. It was a good sized deer and we got a lot of meat. About 7:30 we went to dinner at The Blind Onion and had a big caesar salad and then a greek pizza. It was really good.
Monday: Rob was not feeling well all day, and came home from work. I made him an easy meal of chicken, rice, green beans, and sauteed onions. Nothing fancy, nothing easy, but definitely tasted good.
Tuesday: I made sausage all evening. Three different kinds. The first kind was just regular breakfast sausage. 3 lbs of venison, 1/2 lb of beef suet, 1 tbs. of pepper, 1 tbs of red pepper flakes, 1 tbs of kosher salt. 3 tbs of rubbed sage, all mixed together. I divided it into 1/2 pound portions and put it in the freezer. The second type was rosemary, sun-dried tomato. I took two pounds of meat, 1/4 lb of beef suet, 3 tbs. of dried rosemary, 10 sun-dried tomatoes diced finely, 3 tbs. of garlic, and 1 tbs of kosher salt, 1 tbs. of black pepper. Divided it into 1/2 pound portions. Third type was definitely the best. Pear/Goat Cheese. 2 lbs of venison, 1/4 lb of beef suet, 1 whole pear diced finely, 5 tbs of crumbled goat cheese, 1 tbs of lemon pepper, 1 tbs of kosher salt. Divided into 1/2 lb. portions.
For dinner we had some of the pear/goat cheese sausage. It was great, if I do say so myself. We also had soup with greens, this is a wonderful recipe. 3 cloves of chopped garlic, 1/2 tsp of red pepper flakes, and 1 tbs of olive oil. saute the garlic and red pepper flake for about 1 minute,and then add two or three chopped italian sausages. Brown the sausage and then add 5 cups of chicken broth, and one package of thawed frozen spinach along with 2 tbs of grated parmesan cheese or a parmesan cheese rind. Let this simmer for about 15 minutes. Add 2 cans of white beans and let this cook for about 10 minutes more. Serve with a little parmesan cheese.
I could make this once a week and Rob would eat it all the time.
Wednesday: Leftover soup with greens and leftover pizza.
Thursday: Not sure what we will do for dinner tonite. Neither Rob nor I have to work tomorrow. It's Nevada Day and we get the day off. Usually we are travelling to Reno to see Lili. She has a big weekend at school this time, so we decided to stay home. This is the first time we've stayed home for a long time. I have to figure out what to do for Halloween. I saw a really cool pretzel stick dipped in different kinds of chocolate with sprinkles. I may do this for my treats with Halloween tomorrow.
Sorry this was a huge book. I'll do a better job of finishing these up daily instead of waiting to do it once a week.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
A Rut, a Big Ugly Rut
I feel like I'm in a rut, a big ugly one. WE had leftovers for dinnner last night. Rob had leftover shepherd's pie, and I had leftover fish pie. I'll tell you what, the wedding was over and I packed on the pounds. I have gained six or eight pounds and none of my clothes fit the way I want them too. I've got to start exercising again, and work on that dreaded portion control. Walking the dog a mile twice a day just isn't cutting it anymore.
It was so cold when I walked the dog today, that I think soup is going to be the ticket. I'm not sure what kind, but soup definitely, with garlic bread.
Rob and I are off to Salt Lake City tomorrow so that we can see various doctors. Found out last night that Rob's mom may have the "c" word. She works at the hospital where she had the tests done, so she pulled her own chart and the radioactive dye that they use targeted the cancer cells. She has some "blips" in her lungs and in her gall bladder. It was so lucky that she fell and had the x-rays, that showed the spots, so early. She'll let us know when she gets the word from her doctor as to what will happen next. Realize this isn't about food, but needed to vent.
It was so cold when I walked the dog today, that I think soup is going to be the ticket. I'm not sure what kind, but soup definitely, with garlic bread.
Rob and I are off to Salt Lake City tomorrow so that we can see various doctors. Found out last night that Rob's mom may have the "c" word. She works at the hospital where she had the tests done, so she pulled her own chart and the radioactive dye that they use targeted the cancer cells. She has some "blips" in her lungs and in her gall bladder. It was so lucky that she fell and had the x-rays, that showed the spots, so early. She'll let us know when she gets the word from her doctor as to what will happen next. Realize this isn't about food, but needed to vent.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Fish Pie
Yup. After some deliberation, it was fish pie. I took a recipe from Jamie Oliver and tweaked it a little bit, because I didn't have potatoes and I didn't want to use a hard boiled egg in anything.
So, it was a pound of leftover fish that I had, salmon, cod, and tuna along with assorted other things, that made a good pie. Although, Rob wasn't that excited about it.
I sauteed one yellow onion, 1 carrot and two stalks of celery in olive oil. When they were soft, I added 1 cup of no-fat half and half, when that had just come to a boil, I took it off the heat and added 1 tbsp of dijon mustard, the juice of one lemon, and a handful of chopped parsley, along with two handfuls of graded cheddar cheese.
Then in a casserole pan I put the fish, along with a thawed package of frozen spinach and mixed it with the veg mixture. I used a ready-made pie crust, covered the top and baked it at 450 for 25 minutes.
I served it with left over yellow beets. It was good, or so I thought.
So, it was a pound of leftover fish that I had, salmon, cod, and tuna along with assorted other things, that made a good pie. Although, Rob wasn't that excited about it.
I sauteed one yellow onion, 1 carrot and two stalks of celery in olive oil. When they were soft, I added 1 cup of no-fat half and half, when that had just come to a boil, I took it off the heat and added 1 tbsp of dijon mustard, the juice of one lemon, and a handful of chopped parsley, along with two handfuls of graded cheddar cheese.
Then in a casserole pan I put the fish, along with a thawed package of frozen spinach and mixed it with the veg mixture. I used a ready-made pie crust, covered the top and baked it at 450 for 25 minutes.
I served it with left over yellow beets. It was good, or so I thought.
Monday, October 19, 2009
It Was a Set Up!
Friiday was typical for us. We celebrated shabbat and then decided to go out to dinner with Jeff and Nayil to Machi's. I had the spicy shrimp linguini, minus the shrimp, add chicken. You know shell fish is traif. We went for a drink afterwards to celebrate our friend Harry's birthday. It was fun.
Saturday, Rob invited two people he knows to come over so he could set them up. Katie and David. I wasn't sure what to have, because David is a really healthy eater. He cycles 50 or 60 or sometimes 100- miles in a day, so I thought I ought to not do something layered in fat. And Katie is studying to be a nutritionist, so I really didn't want to show that we don't eat healthy.
I decided on fish after a long discussion with Rob. We had mixed grill, salmon, tuna, and cod. We cooked it on the grill, but I should have done it earlier, because by the time we had dinner, it was dark and hard to see the grill. I had gone to the store to figure out what kind of veg to have, and decided on these great golden beets. They were from the organic side of the store, a little more expensive than regular beets, but they were not at all messy. My hands didn't turn pink or yellow for that matter when I was peeling them. I cooked them in some water until they were tender and then added about 2 tbs of shredded mint leaves. The mint really added to the flavor.
I bought some dutch yellow potatoes and cooked them. And created smashed potatoes. I sauteed about 1 tbs of chopped garlic along with 2 stalks of rosemary and then added 1/3 c soy milk and 1/4 c of greek yogurt, to the potatoes. They turned out okay.
I lucked out on the other vegetable. Katie likes green beans, they are her favorite. So I sauteed an onion and a tomatoe and then added the green beans to the pan along with 1/4 c of water and put the lid on it to let the beans steam. It was great.
So that was dinner. Not too bad, everybody seemed to like it, and hopefully David and Katie hit it off with one another.
Sunday, I wanted to use up the leftover potatoes and the green beans, so I made shepherd's pie. I had a pound of ground turkey, because we don't eat a lot of beef. I sauteed one onion, two carrots, and two stalks of celery that had been finely chopped in 2 tbs. of olive oil. I then added ground turkey and cooked it until it was done, I added about eight ounces of chopped mushrooms and the left over green beans. Probably about a cup and 1/2. I added a package of powdered turkey gravy and 1/2 c. water and let it cook for just a few more minutes.
When everything was cooked through and hot, I put it in a casserole dish and then added the mashed potatoes from last night. I dotted it with two tablespoons of butter and put it in a 400 degree oven to cook for 30 minutes. Rob liked it, and I thought it was yummy.
Not sure what we'll have tonite, but something with leftover fish. Maybe fish pie.
Saturday, Rob invited two people he knows to come over so he could set them up. Katie and David. I wasn't sure what to have, because David is a really healthy eater. He cycles 50 or 60 or sometimes 100- miles in a day, so I thought I ought to not do something layered in fat. And Katie is studying to be a nutritionist, so I really didn't want to show that we don't eat healthy.
I decided on fish after a long discussion with Rob. We had mixed grill, salmon, tuna, and cod. We cooked it on the grill, but I should have done it earlier, because by the time we had dinner, it was dark and hard to see the grill. I had gone to the store to figure out what kind of veg to have, and decided on these great golden beets. They were from the organic side of the store, a little more expensive than regular beets, but they were not at all messy. My hands didn't turn pink or yellow for that matter when I was peeling them. I cooked them in some water until they were tender and then added about 2 tbs of shredded mint leaves. The mint really added to the flavor.
I bought some dutch yellow potatoes and cooked them. And created smashed potatoes. I sauteed about 1 tbs of chopped garlic along with 2 stalks of rosemary and then added 1/3 c soy milk and 1/4 c of greek yogurt, to the potatoes. They turned out okay.
I lucked out on the other vegetable. Katie likes green beans, they are her favorite. So I sauteed an onion and a tomatoe and then added the green beans to the pan along with 1/4 c of water and put the lid on it to let the beans steam. It was great.
So that was dinner. Not too bad, everybody seemed to like it, and hopefully David and Katie hit it off with one another.
Sunday, I wanted to use up the leftover potatoes and the green beans, so I made shepherd's pie. I had a pound of ground turkey, because we don't eat a lot of beef. I sauteed one onion, two carrots, and two stalks of celery that had been finely chopped in 2 tbs. of olive oil. I then added ground turkey and cooked it until it was done, I added about eight ounces of chopped mushrooms and the left over green beans. Probably about a cup and 1/2. I added a package of powdered turkey gravy and 1/2 c. water and let it cook for just a few more minutes.
When everything was cooked through and hot, I put it in a casserole dish and then added the mashed potatoes from last night. I dotted it with two tablespoons of butter and put it in a 400 degree oven to cook for 30 minutes. Rob liked it, and I thought it was yummy.
Not sure what we'll have tonite, but something with leftover fish. Maybe fish pie.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Soup and a Sandwich?
Last night was my crazy night of the week. I tutor until 7:30 and I also had a board meeting last night. I put bieroch in the freezer from last week, so I pulled them out and heated them in the microwave. I guess that's the sandwich part.
For a soup, I took 2 heads of garlic that had been finally diced and sweated them in about 1 tbs of olive oil. When it was soft, I added 8 cups of chicken broth and a bundle of rosemary, a bay leaf, thyme, and oregano. I let this simmer for 40 minutes. I shut it off and left it until I got home, and then added one bunch of broccolini, or broccoli would work also. I cut the broccolini up and added 8 ounces of small dried ravioli to the soup and brought it to a boil. When the ravioli was cooked, it was ready.
It was really yummy.
For a soup, I took 2 heads of garlic that had been finally diced and sweated them in about 1 tbs of olive oil. When it was soft, I added 8 cups of chicken broth and a bundle of rosemary, a bay leaf, thyme, and oregano. I let this simmer for 40 minutes. I shut it off and left it until I got home, and then added one bunch of broccolini, or broccoli would work also. I cut the broccolini up and added 8 ounces of small dried ravioli to the soup and brought it to a boil. When the ravioli was cooked, it was ready.
It was really yummy.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Stuffed Peppers
Yeah! Rob's trial was postponed. The defense attorney has the flu. So, I made stuffed peppers yesterday. I got some great red, yellow, and orange peppers at Costco when we were in Reno last weekend. I don't like the green ones, they are too bitter in stuffed peppers.
I chop up the leftover tops and use them in the stuffing. So, to make six stuffed peppers, I use the leftover tops, one small diced yellow onion, 1 clove of garlic chopped and 3/4 lb. of ground meat. Saute all the veggies until they are soft and pretty, add some salt and pepper and then the meat. I then added the left over rice from last night. About a cup and 1/2. Add 1 tbs of fresh thyme and a good grind of lemon pepper.
I bake the peppers at 425 before I stuff them for about 25 minutes. It makes them softer. Stuff the peppers with the meat mixture and then use 1-14.5 ounce can of tomato puree and 1/2 a jar of spaghetti sauce and pour that over the peppers. Bake at 375 for 45 minutes.
They are great with a loaf of nice hot bread.
I chop up the leftover tops and use them in the stuffing. So, to make six stuffed peppers, I use the leftover tops, one small diced yellow onion, 1 clove of garlic chopped and 3/4 lb. of ground meat. Saute all the veggies until they are soft and pretty, add some salt and pepper and then the meat. I then added the left over rice from last night. About a cup and 1/2. Add 1 tbs of fresh thyme and a good grind of lemon pepper.
I bake the peppers at 425 before I stuff them for about 25 minutes. It makes them softer. Stuff the peppers with the meat mixture and then use 1-14.5 ounce can of tomato puree and 1/2 a jar of spaghetti sauce and pour that over the peppers. Bake at 375 for 45 minutes.
They are great with a loaf of nice hot bread.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Fish
We had salmon for dinner last night. Not too long ago we went to Costco and bought some marinated salmon filets. They are quite good. They are easy to cook as you just take them out of the package and broil them.
I made two side dishes to go with them. Trader Joe's in Reno, one of my favorite stores has this brown rice medley, that has brown rice, radish seeds and black barley in it. You cook 1 cup with 2.5 cups of water or stock, I used chicken broth and then added five sauteed artichoke hearts, one small diced onion, and 2 cloves of garlic that had been minced. This really added to the grains.
I had some asparagus in the refrigerator, so I cut it up and sauteed it in one tbs of olive oil with some mushrooms and one diced tomato. I added a little chicken broth at the end to help it steam and covered it.
When I plated the dish, I put the salmon down on the plate and then covered it with some of the mushrooms and tomatoes from the asparagus.
This was good, and pretty low in fat. I'll make the rice dish this way again.
I made two side dishes to go with them. Trader Joe's in Reno, one of my favorite stores has this brown rice medley, that has brown rice, radish seeds and black barley in it. You cook 1 cup with 2.5 cups of water or stock, I used chicken broth and then added five sauteed artichoke hearts, one small diced onion, and 2 cloves of garlic that had been minced. This really added to the grains.
I had some asparagus in the refrigerator, so I cut it up and sauteed it in one tbs of olive oil with some mushrooms and one diced tomato. I added a little chicken broth at the end to help it steam and covered it.
When I plated the dish, I put the salmon down on the plate and then covered it with some of the mushrooms and tomatoes from the asparagus.
This was good, and pretty low in fat. I'll make the rice dish this way again.
Monday, October 12, 2009
A Fast Weekend, and a Crazy Week
We were in Reno this weekend. We had a visit with Lili which was great and a quick trip. Rob and I left on Friday around 4:30 and headed to Reno. We picked up Lili at 9:15 at our friends, Walter and Cindy's, house. Of course we couldn't do things quickly we had to have a couple of glasses of wine and then it was 11:15. We went into Reno and had dinner. Lili ate with Walter and Cindy, Rob and I had In and Out Burger. Lili had some too because she is always hungry. In and Out has to be the best fast food hamburger by a chain after Sonic. At least that's my opinion.
Saturday we got up and had croissants at a little coffe place and bakery called Franz's Bakestube which is German for bakery. For lunch we went to our little Indian restaurant and had the buffet. It was great. Dinner was around eight and we ate sushi. It wasn't my first choice, but Rob had a hankering for good sushi, so away we went. We did all you can eat.
Sunday, we had croissants again at Pete's and then Lili got on the plane to San Jose. Rob and I spent an hour at the fabric store so that I can get some purses made and then we ate Vietnamese. It was a weekend of Asian food.
Last night we got home late and I made pasta with olive oil, garlic and romano cheese. It was good and easy. Guess what? I'm having it for leftovers today.
This week is crazy for Rob, he has a jury trial, which always puts him in a difficult mood. So, we'll do lots of food at home this week and get him things for lunch, since he doesn't have a lot of time to eat. I'm thinking stuffed peppers for dinner one night, and fish is always good. I think we will have salmon for dinner tonight with asparagus and some kind of a starch, rice or something. I'll let you know tomorrow what happened.
Saturday we got up and had croissants at a little coffe place and bakery called Franz's Bakestube which is German for bakery. For lunch we went to our little Indian restaurant and had the buffet. It was great. Dinner was around eight and we ate sushi. It wasn't my first choice, but Rob had a hankering for good sushi, so away we went. We did all you can eat.
Sunday, we had croissants again at Pete's and then Lili got on the plane to San Jose. Rob and I spent an hour at the fabric store so that I can get some purses made and then we ate Vietnamese. It was a weekend of Asian food.
Last night we got home late and I made pasta with olive oil, garlic and romano cheese. It was good and easy. Guess what? I'm having it for leftovers today.
This week is crazy for Rob, he has a jury trial, which always puts him in a difficult mood. So, we'll do lots of food at home this week and get him things for lunch, since he doesn't have a lot of time to eat. I'm thinking stuffed peppers for dinner one night, and fish is always good. I think we will have salmon for dinner tonight with asparagus and some kind of a starch, rice or something. I'll let you know tomorrow what happened.
Friday, October 9, 2009
Leftovers
We had leftovers for dinner last night. Too much pasta from the night before, and soup from Monday, bieroch from Tuesday, so, it was leftover night. Leftovers are a great thing. Although I take entirely too many with me too have for lunch. When that happens I don't really want to have leftovers at all in the evenings. So, I put the bieroch in the freezer and we had the soup and leftover pasta for dinner.
Easy for me, and an early night.
Easy for me, and an early night.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Pasta
I tutored last night until 7:30. My big tutoring job cancelled, so I had time to make some dinner before I went to my 6:30 tutoring gig. I'm trying to clean out the freezer because Rob got a deer tag, and we could get some really good venison in the freezer in the next month.
In August one of my girlfriends brought over two of the biggest zucchini I had ever seen. There was no way I could use it all for stir fry, so I grated it and put it in the freezer. I also had two errant chicken breasts sitting in the freezer door, so I used them. Two weeks ago I had to pull my tomato plants out of the ground and hang them in the garage. It's been pretty cold at night. Yesterday I pulled all the tomatoes off the vines, green or no and brought them in. I used up all the ripe tomatos I had, we're going to be gone this weekend, so I'll have some more ripe by the time we get back.
I cut up about 5 or six medium sized tomatoes into small dice. I took one red onion and chopped it into small dice as well, and pulled the jar of minced garlic out of the fridge. I sauteed the onion with 1 tbs of chopped garlic in 2 tbs of olive oil. When the onions were soft I added the tomatoes. I sauteed them until everything was a sweet smelling paste. I added about 1/4 cup of chicken broth, 1 tsp of fresh rosemary, 1 tsp of fresh thyme, and 1 tbs of fresh basil. My herbs are going great guns in the house. It's wonderful to be able to use them. Add a little S and P and you are good to go.
I sliced the chicken breasts really thin and sauteed them in the pan I had cooked the tomato mixture in. I also added abourt 3/4 cup of the shredded zucchini and sauteed it until the chicken was cooked through.
I had a package of pennette pasta. The little penne. I boiled up about 3/4 of the package with some salt and olive oil.
I grated about 1.5 cups of aged edam cheese. I didn't have any romano so I used what I had.
In an eight or nine inch round casserole pan, or an eight inch square pan, put a layer of the tomato sauce. Add a layer of penne, a layer of the chicken and zucchini mixture and a layer of cheese. Repeat. Finish the dish with a layer of cheese.
I put the dish in the oven on 325 for an hour. It went into the oven right before I left to tutor and it came out an ahour later when I got home. The timing was perfect.
Rob had two helpings, so it must have been good. I served it with salad and some challah. I need to make some new challah today for shabbat tomorrow. Even though we are going to Reno to see Lili I still need challah. I'm thinking tonite will be leftovers, but I'm just not sure.
In August one of my girlfriends brought over two of the biggest zucchini I had ever seen. There was no way I could use it all for stir fry, so I grated it and put it in the freezer. I also had two errant chicken breasts sitting in the freezer door, so I used them. Two weeks ago I had to pull my tomato plants out of the ground and hang them in the garage. It's been pretty cold at night. Yesterday I pulled all the tomatoes off the vines, green or no and brought them in. I used up all the ripe tomatos I had, we're going to be gone this weekend, so I'll have some more ripe by the time we get back.
I cut up about 5 or six medium sized tomatoes into small dice. I took one red onion and chopped it into small dice as well, and pulled the jar of minced garlic out of the fridge. I sauteed the onion with 1 tbs of chopped garlic in 2 tbs of olive oil. When the onions were soft I added the tomatoes. I sauteed them until everything was a sweet smelling paste. I added about 1/4 cup of chicken broth, 1 tsp of fresh rosemary, 1 tsp of fresh thyme, and 1 tbs of fresh basil. My herbs are going great guns in the house. It's wonderful to be able to use them. Add a little S and P and you are good to go.
I sliced the chicken breasts really thin and sauteed them in the pan I had cooked the tomato mixture in. I also added abourt 3/4 cup of the shredded zucchini and sauteed it until the chicken was cooked through.
I had a package of pennette pasta. The little penne. I boiled up about 3/4 of the package with some salt and olive oil.
I grated about 1.5 cups of aged edam cheese. I didn't have any romano so I used what I had.
In an eight or nine inch round casserole pan, or an eight inch square pan, put a layer of the tomato sauce. Add a layer of penne, a layer of the chicken and zucchini mixture and a layer of cheese. Repeat. Finish the dish with a layer of cheese.
I put the dish in the oven on 325 for an hour. It went into the oven right before I left to tutor and it came out an ahour later when I got home. The timing was perfect.
Rob had two helpings, so it must have been good. I served it with salad and some challah. I need to make some new challah today for shabbat tomorrow. Even though we are going to Reno to see Lili I still need challah. I'm thinking tonite will be leftovers, but I'm just not sure.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
It's October, Time for Bieroch
I had to have them yesterday, the wonderful warm, fresh baked smell of bieroch. When I was growing up as a kid, my mom made the most wonderful bieroch. If you don't know what a bieroch is, you've had a deprived life.
I've taken my mom's recipe and tweaked it a little, but it's still great. To make the dough, take 5 cups of flour, 1/2 cup of sugar, and 1/2 tsp of salt and mix it together. Add, 1 tsp of yeast to 2 tbs. of water and let the yeast bloom, then add 1 and 1/2 cup of warm milk, 8 tbs of melted butter and two beaten eggs to the yeast mixture, add this to the flour and mix. Knead it and let it rise, just like any other bread dough.
To make the filling, brown 1 to 1.5 lbs of ground meat. I use turkey, but you could easily use ground beef, chicken, etc. Dice one large onion and 1 head of cabbage into fine dice and then add them with 2 tsps of chopped garlic to the meat. Cook it until everything is soft. Take it off the heat and add 1/4 lb of grated cheddar cheese and 2 tbs of dijon mustard. Mix it all together and then make your bieroch.
Divide your dough into 12 balls, roll them out, or in my case mash them out and then put a good heaping large spoonful of filling into the middle. Seal them up and put them into a 425 degree oven for 15 to 20 minutes.
I served them with the left over soup from Monday. It was a great and hearty meal.
I've taken my mom's recipe and tweaked it a little, but it's still great. To make the dough, take 5 cups of flour, 1/2 cup of sugar, and 1/2 tsp of salt and mix it together. Add, 1 tsp of yeast to 2 tbs. of water and let the yeast bloom, then add 1 and 1/2 cup of warm milk, 8 tbs of melted butter and two beaten eggs to the yeast mixture, add this to the flour and mix. Knead it and let it rise, just like any other bread dough.
To make the filling, brown 1 to 1.5 lbs of ground meat. I use turkey, but you could easily use ground beef, chicken, etc. Dice one large onion and 1 head of cabbage into fine dice and then add them with 2 tsps of chopped garlic to the meat. Cook it until everything is soft. Take it off the heat and add 1/4 lb of grated cheddar cheese and 2 tbs of dijon mustard. Mix it all together and then make your bieroch.
Divide your dough into 12 balls, roll them out, or in my case mash them out and then put a good heaping large spoonful of filling into the middle. Seal them up and put them into a 425 degree oven for 15 to 20 minutes.
I served them with the left over soup from Monday. It was a great and hearty meal.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
It's cold here and I don't like it!
I got up this morning and walked the dog. It was cold, I mean really cold, like in the 20's cold. It was that way yesterday too. It's not supposed to be this cold in October. I am really worrying about November, January, March. Yick! So, when I got home from tutoring last night, I decided I wanted to have something warm. I made red lentil soup.
1 onion chopped, 1 carrot chopped, 3 cloves of garlic chopped, and 1/2 tsp of chopped ginger. Saute this in olive oil. Add six cups of water, or broth and 1 can of coconut milk. 1 cup of red lentils and 1/2 cup of uncooked rice. Add 1/2 tsp of celery salt, fresh ground black pepper, 1 tbs of brown sugar and 1 bay leaf and let it simmer for 20 minutes or unitl the lentils are falling apart and the rice is cooked.
Serve it with chopped cilantro, lime, and scallions. I made flat bread, naan, to go with it.
Mix 1 tsp of yeast with 1/2 cup of warm water, add a little pinch of sugar so the yeast has some food. Let it proof for about 10 minutes and then add 1 tbs of olive oil, 3/4 tsp of salt and 1 and 1/3 cup of flour. Mix it together and let it rise for about thirty minutes. Divide it into four pieces and create flat round pieces of bread like pita bread. Heat up a skillet or grill pan, cover it with olive oil and then cook your bread. You want it to be golden with little bits of brown burned on it. This is really yummy with the soup. I could have eaten four bowls all by myself. This is a really healhty dish too. That's always good.
1 onion chopped, 1 carrot chopped, 3 cloves of garlic chopped, and 1/2 tsp of chopped ginger. Saute this in olive oil. Add six cups of water, or broth and 1 can of coconut milk. 1 cup of red lentils and 1/2 cup of uncooked rice. Add 1/2 tsp of celery salt, fresh ground black pepper, 1 tbs of brown sugar and 1 bay leaf and let it simmer for 20 minutes or unitl the lentils are falling apart and the rice is cooked.
Serve it with chopped cilantro, lime, and scallions. I made flat bread, naan, to go with it.
Mix 1 tsp of yeast with 1/2 cup of warm water, add a little pinch of sugar so the yeast has some food. Let it proof for about 10 minutes and then add 1 tbs of olive oil, 3/4 tsp of salt and 1 and 1/3 cup of flour. Mix it together and let it rise for about thirty minutes. Divide it into four pieces and create flat round pieces of bread like pita bread. Heat up a skillet or grill pan, cover it with olive oil and then cook your bread. You want it to be golden with little bits of brown burned on it. This is really yummy with the soup. I could have eaten four bowls all by myself. This is a really healhty dish too. That's always good.
The Weekend
I always feel like a cooking slug during the weekend. I do a pretty good job during the week, but the weekend hits and I'm tired. I should cook more because I have the time, but I just haven't been lately. Friday, we went out with our friends Nayil and Jeff. We had planned to have a drink at the Stray Dog, a local pub, but it was Octoberfest and the German polka music was more than any of us could stand. We went to a local bar/restaurant called Machi's. Rob and I had our first date at Machi's. The food is good, but the menu is really limited. Rob had prime rib and I had chicken parmesana. It was good, but it wasn't really what I wanted, and there are lots of things on the menu that Rob and I can't eat, like shellfish and port. It's a bummer.
Saturday, we had a teacher union function at one of the bars, called Muley's. They serve pub food, so I knew Rob wouldn't want to eat there. He thinks pub food is synonomous with fattening. Maybe he's right. Anyway, we had a few appetizers, a beer and then headed back to Elko. By this time it was 9 and we were both pretty hungry. We went to a local chinese restaurant called Monkey Sun and of course our eyes were bigger than our stomachs.
We took home three dishes, when two would have worked. Rob speaks what he calls "restaurant chinese." This restaurant chinese got us extra helpings of the dishes we ordered. We had Sauteed Tofu in Garlic Sauce, Kao Pung Chicken, and Beef Chow Fun. I'll be eating all this chinese for lunch leftovers for a week, I swear.
Sunday we were supposed to go to some friends for brunch. I made a pear tart to take, but my stomach became so upset because of a head ache, that I had to cancel. I couldn't drive the car without feeling like I was going to throw up. It was awful.
Anyway, I made this tart. I used a pecan crust. You make a pretty simple pie crust, 1 and 1/2 cups flour with 2 tbsp of powdered sugar, 1/2 tsp of salt and whisk. Add 1/2 cup of cold butter cut into chunks and 4 tbs of shortening cut into chunks. Cut this into the flour with your pastry cutter and then add 1/2 cup of chopped pecans. Sprinkle 3 - 4 tbs of cold water, one at a time around the edge of the dough and work it in with a fork until you have a nice ball of dough. Gather it into a ball and put it in the fridge for an hour.
Cut up a bunch of pears and sprinkle them with lemon juice so they don't get brown. I used about even medium pears. I sliced them thin. Take 1/3 cup of apricot preserves and 2 tbs of water and microwave them for one minute. When you've rolled out your crust and put it in the tart pan, brush the bottom of the crust with the apricot mixture and then layer it with the pears. Brush the pears with some more of the apricot mixture and then put it in the oven for about 50 minutes at 375. It was really good. Rob had two pieces right away.
I didn't cook much of anything else the rest of the day. We had left over chinese.
Friday, October 2, 2009
How do you spell Boulliabase?
I know that is not the way to spell bouillabaisse. Is this the way, spell checker said it was anyway. I made bouillabaisse last night. It was yummy. Rob has wanted me to make this for ever. Here goes. 1 onion finely chopped, 1 fennel bulb thinly sliced, 1 stalk of celery thinly sliced, 1 leek washed, and thinly sliced, and 2 - 3 cloves of minced garlic. Saute all this in 3 tbs of olive oil.
You also need fish broth, I used the kitchen basics brand of seafood broth. It's really good because it's not overly fishy. 7 and 1/2 cups of this. Along with the seafood broth add 2 pinches of saffron. This makes the dish this wonderful golden color. Add salt and pepper to taste and a bouquet garni of rosemary, bay leaf, oregano, thyme, whatever herbs you want. Bring this to a boil.
Then add ten ounces each of any three kinds of fish that you like. I used tuna, mahi mahi, and cod. Cut the fish into 2 inch chunks. Drop the heat to a simmer and simmer the fish for 10 to 15 minutes. No longer or the fish will break up and be over done and the soup will get all cloudy.
I served it with baguette that had been slathered with melted butter and chopped garlic, with a sprinkling of romano cheese on the top. I put it in a 500 degree oven for about 5 minutes and it was so good dunked in the soup broth.
This was the easiest soup to make.
You also need fish broth, I used the kitchen basics brand of seafood broth. It's really good because it's not overly fishy. 7 and 1/2 cups of this. Along with the seafood broth add 2 pinches of saffron. This makes the dish this wonderful golden color. Add salt and pepper to taste and a bouquet garni of rosemary, bay leaf, oregano, thyme, whatever herbs you want. Bring this to a boil.
Then add ten ounces each of any three kinds of fish that you like. I used tuna, mahi mahi, and cod. Cut the fish into 2 inch chunks. Drop the heat to a simmer and simmer the fish for 10 to 15 minutes. No longer or the fish will break up and be over done and the soup will get all cloudy.
I served it with baguette that had been slathered with melted butter and chopped garlic, with a sprinkling of romano cheese on the top. I put it in a 500 degree oven for about 5 minutes and it was so good dunked in the soup broth.
This was the easiest soup to make.
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Dinner Out
We had dinner out last night. We have a sushi restaurant in Elko. I know, who would think that Elko would have a sushi restaurant, but in typical Elko style it's a sushi restaurant that took over an italian restaurant, and to keep all the old loyal customers they still have italian dishes on the menu. For instance, Sausage and Gorgonzola Gnocchi, who has gnocchi at a sushi restaurant? Go figure, anyway, I had a big bowl of Thom Kha Soup last night.
We went out to dinner because I tutored until 7:30 and just didn't want to fix dinner. I like Thom Kha Soup. It's a coconut milk based soup with chicken and rice and other good stuff. I'm going to try to deconstruct it one of these days and make my own. I think I can make it better. Ooooo. I set myself up for a challenge.
I'm not sure what we'll have for dinner tonight, but it will be something warm. It is 25 degrees right now.
I'm going to make some kind of dessert with pears. Because we had a hard freeze last night all my friends were picking their fruit to save it. I have an entire bowl of pears, so I think I'll make a pear tart for dessert.
Rob has been after me to make a fish soup that our friend Shannon makes, so I just found the recipe in my emails and I may try it. We'll see how I feel.
We went out to dinner because I tutored until 7:30 and just didn't want to fix dinner. I like Thom Kha Soup. It's a coconut milk based soup with chicken and rice and other good stuff. I'm going to try to deconstruct it one of these days and make my own. I think I can make it better. Ooooo. I set myself up for a challenge.
I'm not sure what we'll have for dinner tonight, but it will be something warm. It is 25 degrees right now.
I'm going to make some kind of dessert with pears. Because we had a hard freeze last night all my friends were picking their fruit to save it. I have an entire bowl of pears, so I think I'll make a pear tart for dessert.
Rob has been after me to make a fish soup that our friend Shannon makes, so I just found the recipe in my emails and I may try it. We'll see how I feel.
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