It's been a week since I posted last, and I really haven't done much cooking, actually none to speak of.
Tuesday, Rob and I left for San Francisco, drove to Reno, but stopped in Winnemucca and had chinese food at a good restaurant there. Made it in and left the next morning to go to Doris' house in Novato. We ate an old time San Rafael restaurant called San Rafael Joe's, kind of an American-Italian place. I had halibut. I've been eating a lot more fish lately, and the halibut was good.
Thursday, of course was Thanksgiving, I thought I was going to make pies to take to Fran and Phil's, but we stopped in Auburn and picked up a pecan and a marionberry pie at Ikeda's. They make great pies, and I just didn't have the time. The pies were outstanding. I did make a brussels sprouts side dish. I sauteed the brussell sprouts in olive oil until tender and then added chopped pecans, dried cranberries, and blue cheese. It was yummy. Non-brussell sprout eaters ate it too.
Friday, Rob, Lili and I went into the city and had chinese food in China Town at a place called The House of Nanking. It was okay, but not outstanding. We went to the movies and saw Pirate Radio. I highly recommend it. So funny. We got soup and stuff for grilled cheese sandwiches and that's what we had at home after the movie.
Saturday, Rob's cousin Phil and his wife Fran came to Novato to see Doris. She has been ill and didn't want to come to Thanksgiving. We had three kinds of breads, walnut, banana nut,and challah, along with bagels, lochs, and cream cheese. Easy to do.
We left Novato and drove to Reno Saturday night and then had dinner at India Curry and Kebab. We really enjoyed it. We had tikka masala salmon and murg dagwala tandorri. I love Indian food. Sunday, we ate at Peg's Glorious Ham and Eggs. Rob had a salmon omelet and I had salmon fish tacos. Yum. We got home late and had Pizza.
Today, I'm not feeling so well. I have a mild fever and a pretty good back ache. So Rob is bringing me Caldo de Pollo from Sergio's Mexican restaurant. It's the best.
We are leaving on Wednesday for San Francisco as Doris is having surgery on her gall bladder on Thursday.
Monday, November 30, 2009
Monday, November 23, 2009
ZA!
Well, even though it was late, Rob had a hankering for Pizza. So, that's what I made.
Pizza Dough
1/2 c hot water
1 tsp. yeast
a pinch of sugar
1 tbs. of olive oil
3/4 tsp of kosher salt
1 1/3 c flour.
Mix the water, yeast and sugar together and wait for the yeast to bloom. Add the olive oil, the kosher salt, and the flour. Knead for a few minutes and then put the dough covered in a warm place to rise.
Toppings: Anything you want. Last night: pizza dough goes onto pizza stone. Olive oil goes on dough, three chopped pepperoncini peppers, and two small tomatoes chopped go on top of that. A layer of parmesan cheese. Once sliced onion sauteed, one orange, red, green, or yellow bell pepper sliced sauteed, 1 can of sliced olives, and two heaping teaspoons of garlic, sauteed and put on top of parm layer. Layer of mozzarella, layer of parm. Cooking spray sprayed on the top. Bake at 450 for 20 minutes or until the crust is crisp and the cheese is goldeny brown. (I don't think there is such a word as goldeny, but i like it anyway.) Oh, and on one half of the pizza, I put anchovies. Rob likes anchovies. I do too, but not on pizza.
Pizza Dough
1/2 c hot water
1 tsp. yeast
a pinch of sugar
1 tbs. of olive oil
3/4 tsp of kosher salt
1 1/3 c flour.
Mix the water, yeast and sugar together and wait for the yeast to bloom. Add the olive oil, the kosher salt, and the flour. Knead for a few minutes and then put the dough covered in a warm place to rise.
Toppings: Anything you want. Last night: pizza dough goes onto pizza stone. Olive oil goes on dough, three chopped pepperoncini peppers, and two small tomatoes chopped go on top of that. A layer of parmesan cheese. Once sliced onion sauteed, one orange, red, green, or yellow bell pepper sliced sauteed, 1 can of sliced olives, and two heaping teaspoons of garlic, sauteed and put on top of parm layer. Layer of mozzarella, layer of parm. Cooking spray sprayed on the top. Bake at 450 for 20 minutes or until the crust is crisp and the cheese is goldeny brown. (I don't think there is such a word as goldeny, but i like it anyway.) Oh, and on one half of the pizza, I put anchovies. Rob likes anchovies. I do too, but not on pizza.
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Refrigerator Soup
Thursday Rob went to Wendover and I ordered a pizza. I just didn't have any energy, so a great veggie pizza from the Blind Onion was in order. Montse and I shared, she got the crust and we had a great evening.
On Friday we had Shabbat supper with the Jewish Community. It was a very small supper this time. Only three families. Pam brought salmon with sun dried tomatoes and basil on a bed of citrus. Barb and Herb brought salad and apricot pie for dessert. I made challah (duh!, I always make challah.) and a rice dish that I got from the November 2009 issue of The Food Network Magazine. This rice dish is so easy and so great. I doubled the recipe because I was feeding eight and not our.
You need two cups of cooked rice.
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup cheddar cheese
1 cup chopped scallions
1 4 oz can of diced green chilies
Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper
and cayenne pepper or smoky paprika.
Spray with nonstick cooking spray or olive oil the bottom of a small casserole dish. Take about 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese and sprinkle it in the pan, then in a bowl mix together the rice, sour cream (I used plain yogurt), the cheddar cheese and the scallions, along with the cayenne pepper or smoky paprika. I used the smoky paprika. Add salt and pepper to taste. Put it on top of the Parmesan cheese and then cover the dish with Parmesan cheese to make a great crust. I then spray the nonstick cooking spray onto the Parmesan and it helps it crisp. Bake in a 450 oven for about 20 minutes.
There was not a scoop left. Not one. I was upset. I wanted to take some home.
On Saturday, Rob and I lazed around because it's Shabbat and the wind was blowing about 200 miles an hour. It was the perfect day for soup. So hence the title refrigerator soup. I used what I had.
One and a half boxes of chicken broth, 2 cups of homemade stock, and 1 chicken bouillon cube.
One onion, 1 heaping tsp of garlic, two carrots, 8 ounces of mushrooms, the center of a celery bunch (four or five stalks with as many leaves as you can chop up into the soup), one potato, salt and pepper and Mexican noodles. You've seen them, they look like broken spaghetti noodles in a bag. Oh, and olive oil.
Now, put some olive oil in your soup pot and get it hot, add the onion, which has been chopped and the garlic. Saute until it is translucent. Add the chopped celery. Chop it fine, so it cooks quickly. Then add the carrots, I grate them, it makes them cook faster. I do the same with the potato, and then I add the mushrooms which have been sliced, a little salt, because I have added the bouillon cube, and a good grind of pepper. I bring this all to a boil, and then add two big handfuls of noodles. I cook the soup until the noodles are cooked and all the vegetables are soft.
I served it with multi-grain bread.
Today, we had leftover beans and rice for lunch. Not sure what we will have for dinner, it's getting pretty late, and I'm not sure how much I want to cook. Let you know tomorrow.
On Friday we had Shabbat supper with the Jewish Community. It was a very small supper this time. Only three families. Pam brought salmon with sun dried tomatoes and basil on a bed of citrus. Barb and Herb brought salad and apricot pie for dessert. I made challah (duh!, I always make challah.) and a rice dish that I got from the November 2009 issue of The Food Network Magazine. This rice dish is so easy and so great. I doubled the recipe because I was feeding eight and not our.
You need two cups of cooked rice.
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup cheddar cheese
1 cup chopped scallions
1 4 oz can of diced green chilies
Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper
and cayenne pepper or smoky paprika.
Spray with nonstick cooking spray or olive oil the bottom of a small casserole dish. Take about 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese and sprinkle it in the pan, then in a bowl mix together the rice, sour cream (I used plain yogurt), the cheddar cheese and the scallions, along with the cayenne pepper or smoky paprika. I used the smoky paprika. Add salt and pepper to taste. Put it on top of the Parmesan cheese and then cover the dish with Parmesan cheese to make a great crust. I then spray the nonstick cooking spray onto the Parmesan and it helps it crisp. Bake in a 450 oven for about 20 minutes.
There was not a scoop left. Not one. I was upset. I wanted to take some home.
On Saturday, Rob and I lazed around because it's Shabbat and the wind was blowing about 200 miles an hour. It was the perfect day for soup. So hence the title refrigerator soup. I used what I had.
One and a half boxes of chicken broth, 2 cups of homemade stock, and 1 chicken bouillon cube.
One onion, 1 heaping tsp of garlic, two carrots, 8 ounces of mushrooms, the center of a celery bunch (four or five stalks with as many leaves as you can chop up into the soup), one potato, salt and pepper and Mexican noodles. You've seen them, they look like broken spaghetti noodles in a bag. Oh, and olive oil.
Now, put some olive oil in your soup pot and get it hot, add the onion, which has been chopped and the garlic. Saute until it is translucent. Add the chopped celery. Chop it fine, so it cooks quickly. Then add the carrots, I grate them, it makes them cook faster. I do the same with the potato, and then I add the mushrooms which have been sliced, a little salt, because I have added the bouillon cube, and a good grind of pepper. I bring this all to a boil, and then add two big handfuls of noodles. I cook the soup until the noodles are cooked and all the vegetables are soft.
I served it with multi-grain bread.
Today, we had leftover beans and rice for lunch. Not sure what we will have for dinner, it's getting pretty late, and I'm not sure how much I want to cook. Let you know tomorrow.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Beans and Rice and Doug
It's a continuation of the goose saga from yesterday and a friend who eats a good amount of food.
I made the oca amb peres yesterday, it was okay, but the goose was a little tough, I talked to my friend Dave and used his advice in serving the goose as an appetizer last night. I bought some whole wheat Carr crackers, and sliced the duck very thinly. I heated up the left over sauce and put both on the cracker. It was great. I could really eat it, there was no goose after taste. Thanks, Dave.
Now, Doug can be a bit of a picky eater, not too bad, but large quantities are a good thing also. I made beans and rice.
I took a one pound bag of black beans and left them to soak over night. I cooked them for 40 minutes in 10 cups of water until they were sort of soft. While this was happening, I took one large chopped onion, 1 container of grape tomatoes,each little tomato cut into quarters, and 2 tsps of chopped garlic and sauteed them in olive oil until they were soft, I added one small can of diced green chiles, and 1 tsp of chili powder, 1 tsp of cumin, 1/2 tsp of smoky paprika, salt and pepper to taste, and let it simmer for 20 minutes.
I then drained all but 1 cup of water from the beans, added the onion mixture, and 5 cups of chicken stock. I brought this to a quick boil and then turned it down as low as I could and still have it simmer. I cooked it for five hours. I served it with white rice and cornbread.
What a wonderful meal, and Rob was thrilled with the Oca Appetizers.
I made the oca amb peres yesterday, it was okay, but the goose was a little tough, I talked to my friend Dave and used his advice in serving the goose as an appetizer last night. I bought some whole wheat Carr crackers, and sliced the duck very thinly. I heated up the left over sauce and put both on the cracker. It was great. I could really eat it, there was no goose after taste. Thanks, Dave.
Now, Doug can be a bit of a picky eater, not too bad, but large quantities are a good thing also. I made beans and rice.
I took a one pound bag of black beans and left them to soak over night. I cooked them for 40 minutes in 10 cups of water until they were sort of soft. While this was happening, I took one large chopped onion, 1 container of grape tomatoes,each little tomato cut into quarters, and 2 tsps of chopped garlic and sauteed them in olive oil until they were soft, I added one small can of diced green chiles, and 1 tsp of chili powder, 1 tsp of cumin, 1/2 tsp of smoky paprika, salt and pepper to taste, and let it simmer for 20 minutes.
I then drained all but 1 cup of water from the beans, added the onion mixture, and 5 cups of chicken stock. I brought this to a quick boil and then turned it down as low as I could and still have it simmer. I cooked it for five hours. I served it with white rice and cornbread.
What a wonderful meal, and Rob was thrilled with the Oca Appetizers.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Oca Amb Peres
Last night I cooked the goose breast that Rob took from the goose he shot on Saturday. I'll be honest, I don't care for goose. It's about ten times darker than the dark meat on turkey, and I don't like dark meat on turkey. Right after Rob shot it, we tried just a little bit, and it wasn't bad. Certainly not something I'd want to eat on a daily basis, but every once in a while is okay. It's really rich, you couldn't eat it the same way you eat chicken or turkey.
There is a Spanish dish called oca con peras, or in catalan oca amb peres that Rob has always wanted to try, but we're never in Spain during goose season.
This recipe is meant for a whole goose that has been cut into pieces, but again, I used two really large breasts.
Salt and pepper the pieces and then brown them in some olive oil in a pan. When they are nicely browned remove them from the pan. Add one finely chopped onion and two small tomatoes finely chopped, saute them, until they are almost carmelized. Return the goose to the pan. Add 2/3 cup of wine, a dash of cinnamon and enough chicken broth to cover the goose pieces. Let this simmer for about 20 minutes, then add 3 pears that have been peeled, cored, and sliced. While this is simmering again for about 10 minutes, take 1/2 piece of stale bread, 10 almonds, and 2 tsps of chopped garlic. Grind it in your food processor until it is fine. Add it to the liquid and let it simmer for about 15 minutes more. This is a great sauce. Unforunately, I overcooked the goose.
I asked my friend Dave, who is a big time cooker of game, and he said to serve it cold shave really thin as an appetizer on crackers or bread with the sauce warmed up on it. Sounds like that's what we'll do with the other left over breast. So appetizers tonite. Along with black bean, meatless chili and cornbread, with a salad.
There is a Spanish dish called oca con peras, or in catalan oca amb peres that Rob has always wanted to try, but we're never in Spain during goose season.
This recipe is meant for a whole goose that has been cut into pieces, but again, I used two really large breasts.
Salt and pepper the pieces and then brown them in some olive oil in a pan. When they are nicely browned remove them from the pan. Add one finely chopped onion and two small tomatoes finely chopped, saute them, until they are almost carmelized. Return the goose to the pan. Add 2/3 cup of wine, a dash of cinnamon and enough chicken broth to cover the goose pieces. Let this simmer for about 20 minutes, then add 3 pears that have been peeled, cored, and sliced. While this is simmering again for about 10 minutes, take 1/2 piece of stale bread, 10 almonds, and 2 tsps of chopped garlic. Grind it in your food processor until it is fine. Add it to the liquid and let it simmer for about 15 minutes more. This is a great sauce. Unforunately, I overcooked the goose.
I asked my friend Dave, who is a big time cooker of game, and he said to serve it cold shave really thin as an appetizer on crackers or bread with the sauce warmed up on it. Sounds like that's what we'll do with the other left over breast. So appetizers tonite. Along with black bean, meatless chili and cornbread, with a salad.
Monday, November 16, 2009
Dinner Was a Disaster
I used a recipe from the Martha Stewart magazine, Everyday Food. It's called Chicken, Lemon, and dill with orzo. Not good. I don't believe it was Martha's fault, or anyone at the magazine's fault for that matter, but ick. I must admit, I did cook it a little long, but still....
So anyway,
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 tbs. unsalted butter
1/4 tsp ground pepper
1 1/4 tsp coarse salt
1 lb. chicken tenderloins, cut into one inch pieces (i used turkey tenderloins)
1 pound orzo
2 cups crumbled feta (4 ounces)
1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh dill (I hate dill, I used Italian seasoning, about 2 tablespoons.)
2 tsps finely grated lemon zest, plus 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese.
Preheat oven to 400. In a saucepan, bring broth, 3/4 cup water, butter, salt, and pepper to a boil. Combine chicken, orzo, feta dill, lemon zest and juice in a 3-quart baking dish. Pour broth mixture over orzo and stir once to incorporate. Bake until orzo is tender and cooking liquid is creamy. 40 minutes. (This is my problem, I cooked it way too long, because I had to tutor.) I cooked mine at 300 closer to 80 minutes. When I took it out and put the Parmesan cheese on it, it was just beige and mushy.
So I thought I'd try to spice it up a little bit, I stirred it all up, hoping that if the orzo was exposed to air it would be less mushy. It worked a little bit, but not really, so then, I chopped up some tomatoes finely, added some salt to get the juices flowing and sprinkled them with a little bit of goat cheese over the top. Still not great, not much flavor, and well, not much flavor. Bland. Really, really bland. Plus, it says it makes six servings. It sure does for linebackers for the Kansas City Chiefs. I served it with green beans and multigrain bread. Thank goodness for the green beans and bread.
Anyway, not one I will try again.
So anyway,
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 tbs. unsalted butter
1/4 tsp ground pepper
1 1/4 tsp coarse salt
1 lb. chicken tenderloins, cut into one inch pieces (i used turkey tenderloins)
1 pound orzo
2 cups crumbled feta (4 ounces)
1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh dill (I hate dill, I used Italian seasoning, about 2 tablespoons.)
2 tsps finely grated lemon zest, plus 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese.
Preheat oven to 400. In a saucepan, bring broth, 3/4 cup water, butter, salt, and pepper to a boil. Combine chicken, orzo, feta dill, lemon zest and juice in a 3-quart baking dish. Pour broth mixture over orzo and stir once to incorporate. Bake until orzo is tender and cooking liquid is creamy. 40 minutes. (This is my problem, I cooked it way too long, because I had to tutor.) I cooked mine at 300 closer to 80 minutes. When I took it out and put the Parmesan cheese on it, it was just beige and mushy.
So I thought I'd try to spice it up a little bit, I stirred it all up, hoping that if the orzo was exposed to air it would be less mushy. It worked a little bit, but not really, so then, I chopped up some tomatoes finely, added some salt to get the juices flowing and sprinkled them with a little bit of goat cheese over the top. Still not great, not much flavor, and well, not much flavor. Bland. Really, really bland. Plus, it says it makes six servings. It sure does for linebackers for the Kansas City Chiefs. I served it with green beans and multigrain bread. Thank goodness for the green beans and bread.
Anyway, not one I will try again.
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Dinner the Rest of the Week
Tuesday, I didn't want any kind of lasagna for dinner, we had one left over pan, which after dinner on Wednesday, made it's way in individual portions to the freezer. But on Tuesday, I wanted something warm and easy. (Did I mention, we don't have a heater? Our furnace went out while I was gone, and we just got the repair man to fix it on Friday. The coil on the gas valve went out and they have to replace it, tomorrow, Monday.) Any way, I made soup. Eight cups of chicken broth, 1/4 pound of dried ravioli, I get the trader joe kind, and then I added 1 package of chopped frozen spinach, and 1/4 c. parmesan cheese along with one tablespoon of chopped garlic. Let it simmer for 30 minutes or so. We had this with some left over challah. It was really good.
Wednesday, as I mentioned before, I didn't have school and we layed around all day, because I was tired from Monday, and had leftover lasagna with challah and a salad.
Thursday I cooked fish. Took some of the ling cod that Rob caught in August and encrusted it in pepper, garlic, and chopped basil. I cooked it in the broiler for about 12 minutes and it was very moist and tasty. I also took an acorn squash, brushed it with olive oil, placed the flesh side down on a cookie sheet and baked it at 400 for about an hour. I had a can of crescent rolls in the fridge, so I sauteed six mushrooms, 1 onion, 1 tsp of chopped garlic, and 2 tomatoes chopped finely in olive oil.
I left the rolls, which are in triangles together and then placed a good two tablespoons of filling along with 1 tbs. of goat cheese on the rectangle and then folded it into a square, crimped the edges with a fork and then baked at 400 for 8 minutes to 12 minutes, until they were golden. These were yummy. So that was dinner for Thursday.
Friday, we went out to Biltoki with Jeff and Nayil. Basque food. I got Halibut. It was really good, but so much, I took home a whole Halibut steak in a doggy bag. Rob got the family style, so he brought home two lamb steaks, basque chicken, and meatballs.
Saturday, Rob went hunting and brought home a goose. He breasted this one out and we'll have oca amb peres on Tuesday, this week. It's an interesting catalan dish. I'll tell you more on Wednesday. But, he invited some friends to go out to dinner, so we went to Misty's, at the Red Lion, it's kind of a posher place, but the food wasn't as good as normal. I ordered Mediterranean pasta, it was supposed to have sauteed artichoke hearts, carrot, onion, and some kalamata olives in it. It was brown gloop over fettucine noodles. It tasted okay, but looked horrible. Rob had halibut and he said his was over cooked.
Tonight, I wanted to use up as many leftovers as possible, I get tired of them. I cut up the meatballs, because we are never sure if they have pork in them, and gave them to Montse, who has cracked the pad on her left foot while she was hunting, and is limping. She deserved a treat.
Then I took the lamb steak, (Rob ate one for lunch today before he went hunting, as well as the rest of the acorn squash from Thursday's dinner) along with the Halibut steak and put them into a 400 degree oven to warm up. I cooked two large yukon gold potatoes in the microwave for 12 minutes, and then peeled them, mashed them with 1/3 c. plain yogurt, and 1/4 c. parmesan cheese. I then sauteed the same mixture that I filled the crescent rolls with on Thursday and poured it over the mashed potatoes. I got some pencil thin asparagus and roasted it with some olive oil and kosher salt in the oven while I warmed the lamb and the fish.
That was dinner tonight. I've got the rest of the week planned out, so we'll see how it goes tomorrow.
Wednesday, as I mentioned before, I didn't have school and we layed around all day, because I was tired from Monday, and had leftover lasagna with challah and a salad.
Thursday I cooked fish. Took some of the ling cod that Rob caught in August and encrusted it in pepper, garlic, and chopped basil. I cooked it in the broiler for about 12 minutes and it was very moist and tasty. I also took an acorn squash, brushed it with olive oil, placed the flesh side down on a cookie sheet and baked it at 400 for about an hour. I had a can of crescent rolls in the fridge, so I sauteed six mushrooms, 1 onion, 1 tsp of chopped garlic, and 2 tomatoes chopped finely in olive oil.
I left the rolls, which are in triangles together and then placed a good two tablespoons of filling along with 1 tbs. of goat cheese on the rectangle and then folded it into a square, crimped the edges with a fork and then baked at 400 for 8 minutes to 12 minutes, until they were golden. These were yummy. So that was dinner for Thursday.
Friday, we went out to Biltoki with Jeff and Nayil. Basque food. I got Halibut. It was really good, but so much, I took home a whole Halibut steak in a doggy bag. Rob got the family style, so he brought home two lamb steaks, basque chicken, and meatballs.
Saturday, Rob went hunting and brought home a goose. He breasted this one out and we'll have oca amb peres on Tuesday, this week. It's an interesting catalan dish. I'll tell you more on Wednesday. But, he invited some friends to go out to dinner, so we went to Misty's, at the Red Lion, it's kind of a posher place, but the food wasn't as good as normal. I ordered Mediterranean pasta, it was supposed to have sauteed artichoke hearts, carrot, onion, and some kalamata olives in it. It was brown gloop over fettucine noodles. It tasted okay, but looked horrible. Rob had halibut and he said his was over cooked.
Tonight, I wanted to use up as many leftovers as possible, I get tired of them. I cut up the meatballs, because we are never sure if they have pork in them, and gave them to Montse, who has cracked the pad on her left foot while she was hunting, and is limping. She deserved a treat.
Then I took the lamb steak, (Rob ate one for lunch today before he went hunting, as well as the rest of the acorn squash from Thursday's dinner) along with the Halibut steak and put them into a 400 degree oven to warm up. I cooked two large yukon gold potatoes in the microwave for 12 minutes, and then peeled them, mashed them with 1/3 c. plain yogurt, and 1/4 c. parmesan cheese. I then sauteed the same mixture that I filled the crescent rolls with on Thursday and poured it over the mashed potatoes. I got some pencil thin asparagus and roasted it with some olive oil and kosher salt in the oven while I warmed the lamb and the fish.
That was dinner tonight. I've got the rest of the week planned out, so we'll see how it goes tomorrow.
Longer Than Tomorrow!
I blogged on Tuesday about all I did while I was in Kansas with my parents. Well, not all I did, but I discussed the food I cooked. I got home Sunday, after a trip to Costco for food for the Cross Country banquet on Monday. I headed over to the Catholic church started cooking sometime around 9:30. I was contracted to make lasagna, salad, bread, and dessert for 120.
I started off making the bread, so it would have time to rise. A simple recipe from the Betty Crocker cookbook for dinner rolls. I had trouble getting it to rise and would use a different recipe next time, but the rolls seemed to go all right, there weren't any left.
I took 15 pounds of ground beef and cooked it down, drained it, and added, six chopped onions, 12 red peppers, 6 tablespoons of chopped garlic, 1 cup of sugar, 6 small cans of tomato paste, 3 - 6 lb cans of crushed tomatoes, salt and pepper to taste, and 1/2 c. of italian seasoning. I let it simmer for quite a while. Adjusted the salt and pepper and then started to put the lasagna pans together.
Before I started layering, I mixed four 48 ounce containers of small curd cottage cheese with 8 eggs.
I also used three - three pound packages of sliced swiss cheese, and five 12 ounce bags of parmesan cheese.
Ladle some of the sauce on the bottom of the pan, and then put down four oven-ready lasagna noodles, cover with more sauce, cottage cheese mixture, and then five slices of swiss cheese, placed strategically. Noodles, sauce, cottage cheese, swiss cheese, same thing again. Cover the top with a layer of sauce and then sprinkle with the parmesan cheese. Bake in a 375 degree oven for an hour covered with tin foil. Let set before you cut, so it stays together.
Romaine, chopped up with parmesan cheese and dressing of choice. Cinnamon bars for dessert.
Mom has made cinnamon-coffee bars for years. We had them all the time growing up. It's a really simple recipe.
1/4 c. shortening,
1 c. brown sugar
1 egg.
Cream this together and then add
1/2 cup strong hot coffee.
Sift together
1-1/2 cup of flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon.
Mix with the liquid ingredients and then add 1/2 c. chopped nuts. I like pecans the best.
Put into a 9 x 13 sheet pan, and bake for 18 - 20 minutes at 350 degrees.
While they are still hot, glaze them with 3/4 c. powdered sugar,
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 tbs. of milk mixed together. This was a hit.
So, that's what I had for dinner on Monday. It went over very well. I'd do it again.
I started off making the bread, so it would have time to rise. A simple recipe from the Betty Crocker cookbook for dinner rolls. I had trouble getting it to rise and would use a different recipe next time, but the rolls seemed to go all right, there weren't any left.
I took 15 pounds of ground beef and cooked it down, drained it, and added, six chopped onions, 12 red peppers, 6 tablespoons of chopped garlic, 1 cup of sugar, 6 small cans of tomato paste, 3 - 6 lb cans of crushed tomatoes, salt and pepper to taste, and 1/2 c. of italian seasoning. I let it simmer for quite a while. Adjusted the salt and pepper and then started to put the lasagna pans together.
Before I started layering, I mixed four 48 ounce containers of small curd cottage cheese with 8 eggs.
I also used three - three pound packages of sliced swiss cheese, and five 12 ounce bags of parmesan cheese.
Ladle some of the sauce on the bottom of the pan, and then put down four oven-ready lasagna noodles, cover with more sauce, cottage cheese mixture, and then five slices of swiss cheese, placed strategically. Noodles, sauce, cottage cheese, swiss cheese, same thing again. Cover the top with a layer of sauce and then sprinkle with the parmesan cheese. Bake in a 375 degree oven for an hour covered with tin foil. Let set before you cut, so it stays together.
Romaine, chopped up with parmesan cheese and dressing of choice. Cinnamon bars for dessert.
Mom has made cinnamon-coffee bars for years. We had them all the time growing up. It's a really simple recipe.
1/4 c. shortening,
1 c. brown sugar
1 egg.
Cream this together and then add
1/2 cup strong hot coffee.
Sift together
1-1/2 cup of flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon.
Mix with the liquid ingredients and then add 1/2 c. chopped nuts. I like pecans the best.
Put into a 9 x 13 sheet pan, and bake for 18 - 20 minutes at 350 degrees.
While they are still hot, glaze them with 3/4 c. powdered sugar,
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 tbs. of milk mixed together. This was a hit.
So, that's what I had for dinner on Monday. It went over very well. I'd do it again.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Traveling
I'm back from traveling. Actually, I was back on Sunday, but I had a marathon day yesterday making lasagna for 120 people.
I went to my parents' house in Abilene, Kansas for a few days, left Rob and the dog to fend for themselves. You'd have thought I'd been gone for ten years when I returned.
I didn't do much cooking while I was at my parents. Lots of bread that's for sure. I made challah and multigrain bread. I've been looking and I've not put the recipe for either of these on the blog yet, so here goes.
Challah. (This recipe is adapted from Shabbat Shalom, a great Jewish Cookbook.)
4-1/2 tsps of yeast,
1 cup of hot water,
1/4 cup of canola oil
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup honey
2 whole eggs
3 egg yolks
4.5 to 5 cups of flour.
Place the yeast and hot water and 1 tsp of the sugar into a large bowl, mix, and let the yeast bloom. Then add the canola oil, sugar, honey, and the eggs. Mix completely and then add the flour a cup at a time. When the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl take it out and knead it.
Let the dough rise in an oiled bowl for about and hour or until it's double. Divide the dough into two equal halves, and then divide each of these halves into thirds. Make ropes with these thirds and braid the bread. You will have two loaves. Make an egg was and brush both loaves, sprinkle with sesame seeds and then let the dough rise again for about an hour. Bake at 400 for 20 to 25 minutes.
Multigrain bread,
2 cups water
3/4 cup multigrain cereal
1/3 cup molasses
1 tbs butter
2 tsps salt
1 tbs yeast
1/2 cup hot water
2 tsp. sugar
4 - 4.5 cups of flour.
Bring water to a boil and add the cereal, cook until the cereal has absorbed most of the water. Take off the heat and add the molasses, butter and salt.
In a bowl, add the yeast, 1/2 cup of hot water and the sugar, let the yeast bloom and then add the cooled cereal mixture. Finally add the flour one cup at a time, until it is all incorporated. This will be a really sticky dough.
Put it in an oiled bowl and let it rise for at least an hour until doubled in size. Take it out, punch it down, knead it, and then divide in half. Create two loaf shapes, snip two slits in the top for decoration and let rise again for 30 minutes. Bake at 400 for 25 minutes.
I'll get into lasagna tomorrow.
I went to my parents' house in Abilene, Kansas for a few days, left Rob and the dog to fend for themselves. You'd have thought I'd been gone for ten years when I returned.
I didn't do much cooking while I was at my parents. Lots of bread that's for sure. I made challah and multigrain bread. I've been looking and I've not put the recipe for either of these on the blog yet, so here goes.
Challah. (This recipe is adapted from Shabbat Shalom, a great Jewish Cookbook.)
4-1/2 tsps of yeast,
1 cup of hot water,
1/4 cup of canola oil
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup honey
2 whole eggs
3 egg yolks
4.5 to 5 cups of flour.
Place the yeast and hot water and 1 tsp of the sugar into a large bowl, mix, and let the yeast bloom. Then add the canola oil, sugar, honey, and the eggs. Mix completely and then add the flour a cup at a time. When the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl take it out and knead it.
Let the dough rise in an oiled bowl for about and hour or until it's double. Divide the dough into two equal halves, and then divide each of these halves into thirds. Make ropes with these thirds and braid the bread. You will have two loaves. Make an egg was and brush both loaves, sprinkle with sesame seeds and then let the dough rise again for about an hour. Bake at 400 for 20 to 25 minutes.
Multigrain bread,
2 cups water
3/4 cup multigrain cereal
1/3 cup molasses
1 tbs butter
2 tsps salt
1 tbs yeast
1/2 cup hot water
2 tsp. sugar
4 - 4.5 cups of flour.
Bring water to a boil and add the cereal, cook until the cereal has absorbed most of the water. Take off the heat and add the molasses, butter and salt.
In a bowl, add the yeast, 1/2 cup of hot water and the sugar, let the yeast bloom and then add the cooled cereal mixture. Finally add the flour one cup at a time, until it is all incorporated. This will be a really sticky dough.
Put it in an oiled bowl and let it rise for at least an hour until doubled in size. Take it out, punch it down, knead it, and then divide in half. Create two loaf shapes, snip two slits in the top for decoration and let rise again for 30 minutes. Bake at 400 for 25 minutes.
I'll get into lasagna tomorrow.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
I Love the Crockpot
Life just seems to get crazier and crazier and the crockpot was invented by a genius.
Friday, Rob and I went to the Star for dinner, our favorite Basque restaurant and had baked lamb and halibut respectively. Great meal. On Saturday Rob went on an overnite hunting trip with his friend Irineo, in hopes of getting Irineo's deer. No luck unfortunately, but Rob came home on Sunday with a goose. So Saturday, I had left over stir fry from Thursday night.
Veggie Stir-fry. Two yellow or red bell peppers sliced into strips, 8 ounces of sliced mushrooms, 1 bunch of asparagus cut into bite size pieces, one red onion cut into slices, 1 tbs of minced ginger and 1 tbs of minced garlic, canola oil, soy sauce, chicken broth, and rice-wine vinegar. Get your wok or pan really, really hot. Smoking hot and then add the peppers and onions to the canola oil. Add the garlic and ginger and then the asparagus, add the mushrooms last. When the veggies look crisp cooked add your soy sauce, chicken broth, and rice-wine vinegar to taste. Let it thicken up just a minute or two and serve with rice.
I also stir fried some green beans and chopped garlic and that was the second dish. It was pretty good.
I made dipped pretzel sticks for Halloween. Really easy. Take almond bark in whatever flavor you want, melt it, dip the pretzels in and then cover them with sprinkles of the season.
Sunday, as I said before, Rob came home with a goose. He cleaned it and plucked it and it is in the fridge awaiting something. But I'll put it in the freezer today since I'm leaving to go to Kansas tomorrow. Rob got home from hunting and neither one of us were really interested in cooking anything, so it was a hunt through the cabinet and eat what you wanted night. I didn't eat anything, not hungry. Rob had a pear apple and dried fruit and nuts.
On Sunday, I took a venison roast out of the freezer to thaw, and that's where the crockpot comes into play. Yesterday about 4:00 I put seared the venison roast in a pan with some olive oil, after I had drenched it in lemon pepper. I cut up three potatoes and put them on the bottom of the crock pot, along with about five carrots cut up, and 4 ounces of mushrooms quartered. I then lay the roast on top of the potatoes and put about 8 ounces of green beans on top of the roast. I deglazed the pan that I had seared the roast in, with some beef stock and put in two cups to the crockpot. I put it on high, and left it alone. At 6:30 I came home and turned it onto low for an hour and then we had this really great, easy meal. I took the juice thickened it with some corn starch and we were ready. Yum!
Friday, Rob and I went to the Star for dinner, our favorite Basque restaurant and had baked lamb and halibut respectively. Great meal. On Saturday Rob went on an overnite hunting trip with his friend Irineo, in hopes of getting Irineo's deer. No luck unfortunately, but Rob came home on Sunday with a goose. So Saturday, I had left over stir fry from Thursday night.
Veggie Stir-fry. Two yellow or red bell peppers sliced into strips, 8 ounces of sliced mushrooms, 1 bunch of asparagus cut into bite size pieces, one red onion cut into slices, 1 tbs of minced ginger and 1 tbs of minced garlic, canola oil, soy sauce, chicken broth, and rice-wine vinegar. Get your wok or pan really, really hot. Smoking hot and then add the peppers and onions to the canola oil. Add the garlic and ginger and then the asparagus, add the mushrooms last. When the veggies look crisp cooked add your soy sauce, chicken broth, and rice-wine vinegar to taste. Let it thicken up just a minute or two and serve with rice.
I also stir fried some green beans and chopped garlic and that was the second dish. It was pretty good.
I made dipped pretzel sticks for Halloween. Really easy. Take almond bark in whatever flavor you want, melt it, dip the pretzels in and then cover them with sprinkles of the season.
Sunday, as I said before, Rob came home with a goose. He cleaned it and plucked it and it is in the fridge awaiting something. But I'll put it in the freezer today since I'm leaving to go to Kansas tomorrow. Rob got home from hunting and neither one of us were really interested in cooking anything, so it was a hunt through the cabinet and eat what you wanted night. I didn't eat anything, not hungry. Rob had a pear apple and dried fruit and nuts.
On Sunday, I took a venison roast out of the freezer to thaw, and that's where the crockpot comes into play. Yesterday about 4:00 I put seared the venison roast in a pan with some olive oil, after I had drenched it in lemon pepper. I cut up three potatoes and put them on the bottom of the crock pot, along with about five carrots cut up, and 4 ounces of mushrooms quartered. I then lay the roast on top of the potatoes and put about 8 ounces of green beans on top of the roast. I deglazed the pan that I had seared the roast in, with some beef stock and put in two cups to the crockpot. I put it on high, and left it alone. At 6:30 I came home and turned it onto low for an hour and then we had this really great, easy meal. I took the juice thickened it with some corn starch and we were ready. Yum!
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