tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30871892751045809342024-02-07T02:01:42.996-08:00The Fork and DaggerCulinary concoctions regularly spring forth from the kitchen,
so here is a chronicle of our creations!Chef Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15284529271835234193noreply@blogger.comBlogger30125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3087189275104580934.post-11311177706830955152013-11-03T17:49:00.000-08:002013-11-03T17:49:50.538-08:00Chicken Parmesan<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">So it's been about 8 months, but I'm back with one of my favorite recipes from my mother - Chicken Parmesan!</span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9ybJ25i2AdGKssVtgBJidJGfBBiLEMCfJlOM-5ef2CsWrcmvgt0DdpWeHcIVxW91N4I1YLlK7VobAuuPoQ1bIrIIdsVwRZdrYGc-WTboF11MImL-xAyrOtk2pax7vMUk-VJE5YNtQ1ZA/s1600/ps1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9ybJ25i2AdGKssVtgBJidJGfBBiLEMCfJlOM-5ef2CsWrcmvgt0DdpWeHcIVxW91N4I1YLlK7VobAuuPoQ1bIrIIdsVwRZdrYGc-WTboF11MImL-xAyrOtk2pax7vMUk-VJE5YNtQ1ZA/s640/ps1.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I may not have an Italian bone in my body, but that's okay, because this recipe is pretty easy! If you feel like making a nice dinner or if you just want to eat something totally delicious, try this one out! </span></div>
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<span style="color: red; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><span style="font-size: large;">Ingredients </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">(serves 4)</span></i></span></div>
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<ul><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVuk9jK9qIN5eFoXZOLsWzirHxR_9jDB9jDBGHqGe4lSbT5Ssfua3MKjDoLP2dKheSTXhXlbUdE3mNIIryAZ8EGtK3XqCQCrBWMIBaAR8hSP6qAqX_waQB-TbFqpAta8M5Vf9U7sYy_WQ/s1600/ps2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="253" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVuk9jK9qIN5eFoXZOLsWzirHxR_9jDB9jDBGHqGe4lSbT5Ssfua3MKjDoLP2dKheSTXhXlbUdE3mNIIryAZ8EGtK3XqCQCrBWMIBaAR8hSP6qAqX_waQB-TbFqpAta8M5Vf9U7sYy_WQ/s400/ps2.jpg" width="400" /></a>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Boneless, skinless chicken breasts</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">2 eggs (lightly beaten)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1 teaspoonful salt</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1/8 teaspoonful black pepper</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1/8 teaspoonful garlic powder</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1/4 teaspoonful basil</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">3/4 cup plain bread crumbs</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1/2 cup vegetable oil</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">2 8oz cans tomato sauce</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1 tablespoonful butter</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1/2 cup Parmesan cheese</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">8 oz mozzarella cheese (sliced and cut in triangles)</span></li>
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><i>Directions</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Pound the chicken until 1/4 inch thick. They make tools for this, but I improvised using the back of a knife. (Miraculously I didn't slice a finger off! Maybe my coordination is improving.)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Dip the chicken into the egg mixture, then into the crumbs.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0vGwdL9E7SIi8dXU4Dmx471jbBwXkJ-Sn3gxdeSvaP_B2AIsohTpvq1xnuMx6ST8vrxydauysiOZSDh0eyO4GjUzi-HLUSumxqCIsUcxl9P6zw6-ADylQjoz-OOjyqdqVFGlQ8s4ZMxI/s1600/ps3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0vGwdL9E7SIi8dXU4Dmx471jbBwXkJ-Sn3gxdeSvaP_B2AIsohTpvq1xnuMx6ST8vrxydauysiOZSDh0eyO4GjUzi-HLUSumxqCIsUcxl9P6zw6-ADylQjoz-OOjyqdqVFGlQ8s4ZMxI/s400/ps3.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Heat the oil until very hot, and quickly brown the chicken on both sides, and then remove to a baking dish. (It is at this point that your kitchen will begin to smell DELICIOUS. Take note.)</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqriKXpa8aKXgJM6Q7TEvxm3aSR32ZibpRwj3IWdjUCc3IGOFvLv3iUWJE01rYLWfIo8VmdjnA-Z7-11CTTwWlOzNUF_BUvHIXvwt1B7qh3L8F5IPHgDrdiBs_LTmz_rZdruYooSzxBBM/s1600/ps4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqriKXpa8aKXgJM6Q7TEvxm3aSR32ZibpRwj3IWdjUCc3IGOFvLv3iUWJE01rYLWfIo8VmdjnA-Z7-11CTTwWlOzNUF_BUvHIXvwt1B7qh3L8F5IPHgDrdiBs_LTmz_rZdruYooSzxBBM/s400/ps4.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">After removing the chicken, in the same frying pan, stir in the tomato sauce, basil, and garlic powder. Bring to a boil, and then simmer for 10 minutes (or until it is thick). Stir in the butter.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQAbGJLlQlBKlhJ1CgELfQzc17rr3IjTRpWEcMHGog8s06DqQLQNQqlMAyXKO69PMrzpmO7zmP9uJFWrJdCy8bX8h7aC2LRiGcCvA20Thyphenhyphenam5LIf3FyUfmA9hp1UjFaOi_QmKOABTSrYM/s1600/ps5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQAbGJLlQlBKlhJ1CgELfQzc17rr3IjTRpWEcMHGog8s06DqQLQNQqlMAyXKO69PMrzpmO7zmP9uJFWrJdCy8bX8h7aC2LRiGcCvA20Thyphenhyphenam5LIf3FyUfmA9hp1UjFaOi_QmKOABTSrYM/s400/ps5.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Pour the sauce over the chicken, and sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVIby4x5sESHy32C1AXmiLSIzioHC5sa7fFRUIQX1ep95c-HS0HpixObNuIfeJ1_ZSKlzgNacrLwiK8W3JRkJtjymBFzJV5GLpy787I54xiQg0ewBozDxZ2ui9emHd52wf76TU5KvUe9o/s1600/ps6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVIby4x5sESHy32C1AXmiLSIzioHC5sa7fFRUIQX1ep95c-HS0HpixObNuIfeJ1_ZSKlzgNacrLwiK8W3JRkJtjymBFzJV5GLpy787I54xiQg0ewBozDxZ2ui9emHd52wf76TU5KvUe9o/s400/ps6.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Look at all that cheese. AMAZING.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Cover and bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Uncover and place the mozzarella slices on the chicken. Bake uncovered for about 10 minutes longer until the cheese melts!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And enjoy!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFa4l6cLgnOd5GzpWEoVBaOgyV4fqtVqLk1hGHoA6I5Sqo_QCrkvOhjJGfXetO16Ion5NLviMFZzf1TXZJ4WBE2Pf8GZJiR2UnQQZT1dHrNDF1qZq-3RatzYFCutF_485yLFooV_fADIQ/s1600/ps7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="506" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFa4l6cLgnOd5GzpWEoVBaOgyV4fqtVqLk1hGHoA6I5Sqo_QCrkvOhjJGfXetO16Ion5NLviMFZzf1TXZJ4WBE2Pf8GZJiR2UnQQZT1dHrNDF1qZq-3RatzYFCutF_485yLFooV_fADIQ/s640/ps7.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">P.S. This dish goes delightfully well with fettuccine alfredo. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I use a really easy recipe from my Aunt June:</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwLHFiRIjbjt1P_fqv7DfM7T-MKneRSZH20rkjz8vkdgqT6m3ONoYHmJJ8L5iRhNGP1FlJ7DpXDB57tHaMzRPAUMC7z5VOwtzpVJb9h7x75SaLPu2i3xccErNeqxNb96kyqe2kI6V5XRw/s1600/ps8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwLHFiRIjbjt1P_fqv7DfM7T-MKneRSZH20rkjz8vkdgqT6m3ONoYHmJJ8L5iRhNGP1FlJ7DpXDB57tHaMzRPAUMC7z5VOwtzpVJb9h7x75SaLPu2i3xccErNeqxNb96kyqe2kI6V5XRw/s320/ps8.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="color: red; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Ingredients:</i></span></div>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1 stick of butter</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">2/3 cup heavy cream</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1 cup Parmesan cheese</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1 package of fettuccine noodles</span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Directions:</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Using low heat, melt together butter and heavy cream in a saucepan. Cook the noodles as directed. Take the butter and cream off the heat, add the cheese and mix well. Pour and mix over the noodles! Yum, so easy!</span></div>
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Chef Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15284529271835234193noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3087189275104580934.post-679826901645213692013-04-03T17:59:00.002-07:002013-04-03T18:01:21.931-07:00Seared Scallops with Lemon Garlic Cream Sauce<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Hello! In an attempt to mix things up, we tried a new recipe tonight. I have cooked most types of seafood before, but never scallops, so we decided to give it a go! We used the following recipe for seared scallops, and it came out delightful! Also, fun fact: If you do Weight Watchers, this is only 7 PointsPlus!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidQLCcfq1w9Oim5eYzPrDVHPzP-ArPRB8_M90-gB4_rlQyA-JGhSYI10YJW-EJ7Dv1G_RR4Uccs4_vb0rBmt1UUoG0AFCouLKagJHSTWaR9DMNuf_pmLcQ3RRCqOs5c2VkogMGgl0MhWw/s1600/finished+up.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidQLCcfq1w9Oim5eYzPrDVHPzP-ArPRB8_M90-gB4_rlQyA-JGhSYI10YJW-EJ7Dv1G_RR4Uccs4_vb0rBmt1UUoG0AFCouLKagJHSTWaR9DMNuf_pmLcQ3RRCqOs5c2VkogMGgl0MhWw/s400/finished+up.jpg" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Recipe from <a href="http://www.mygourmetconnection.com/recipes/main-courses/fish-shellfish/seared-scallops-lemon-garlic-pan-sauce.php">My Gourmet Connection</a></td></tr>
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<span style="color: red;"><i><span style="font-size: large;">Ingredients </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">(serves 4... or 3 if you're my family!)</span></i></span><br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRcCyTqxeNSC3qJQiTtmjOM7VV340Pm85paSx0tLvcYhN3Hw1NksS8-njuI8fB-Q2axol2fv924mnPy6QEuzJW1nUhv2EwzoCSPhivxCeH4RHHge3xYHCaYhWeMT_ztmURCnvMZNwLsjk/s1600/ingredients.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRcCyTqxeNSC3qJQiTtmjOM7VV340Pm85paSx0tLvcYhN3Hw1NksS8-njuI8fB-Q2axol2fv924mnPy6QEuzJW1nUhv2EwzoCSPhivxCeH4RHHge3xYHCaYhWeMT_ztmURCnvMZNwLsjk/s400/ingredients.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Seriously, I use ramekins whenever possible. Makes me feel like a real chef!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<ul>
<li>1 pound dry sea scallops (not the wet ones... they're not natural!)</li>
<li>Freshly ground salt and black pepper</li>
<li>3 tablespoons butter, divided</li>
<li>1 tablespoon olive oil (since there aren't many seasonings on this, use a good olive oil!)</li>
<li>2 cloves of garlic finely chopped (Or, in the interest of laziness, 2 cubes of frozen crushed garlic)</li>
<li>1/4 cup dry white wine</li>
<li>Juice and zest of 1 fresh lemon</li>
<li>2 tablespoons of light cream</li>
</ul>
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<span style="color: blue; font-size: large;"><i>Directions</i></span><br />
Remove the "feet" from your scallops. It's sort of like a little tag hanging off the scallop, but supposedly is NOT great to eat. Luckily they're easy to remove, just pull them off!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj55OADrgu5dqQEq5QgGBsFj1MopGhKxG1K7JbapfnSvGT9m00UJ3N75h-DP8w2mvSM6LMCeQrf-psYF_5BIikrS0m0Tf7q97ExNtUZqVmAoBg4WyGKVLge4UV3Kk4alW18XXGSL7vOvoo/s1600/scallop+foot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj55OADrgu5dqQEq5QgGBsFj1MopGhKxG1K7JbapfnSvGT9m00UJ3N75h-DP8w2mvSM6LMCeQrf-psYF_5BIikrS0m0Tf7q97ExNtUZqVmAoBg4WyGKVLge4UV3Kk4alW18XXGSL7vOvoo/s400/scallop+foot.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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Pat the scallops dry (this helps the seasoning stick better). Season them on both sides with salt and pepper, and set aside.<br />
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Add half of the butter and the olive oil to a skillet, and heat over medium-high heat until very hot. Then add the scallops in a single layer. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes per side (I chose 2, since I used big sea scallops). Don't turn them too soon, or you'll miss out on a delicious sear like these ones!<br />
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Once they are done, remove them to a plate and cover loosely with foil to keep warm while you make this sauce.<br />
This part moved quickly, so no time to take pictures! In the pan that you cooked the scallops, add the rest of the butter. Heat until it starts to foam, then add the garlic. Cook until you can smell the garlic (about 30 seconds), then deglaze the pan with wine! Cook another 30 seconds, then add the lemon juice and zest.<br />
If at this point you feel like the sauce is too thin, give it a minute or two to reduce and thicken a little bit. At the end, stir in the cream and remove from heat!<br />
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I think these scallops would probably go with any side dish too, since the flavors are simple yet strong! :)<br />
We chose roasted asparagus and a white and black rice medley! Very tasty!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1p782e166ft-7U-eS0ees9MN2ZJ5vznlszZ4jlNVH8kf1vrmaXv_ZdwFlh_I8jeSL2VUHhFnkyVSPu7Kqww0V_I40ETASarzMx28PbO4PxpW9yCCkFdQo78bKsOIhrJDw__NXwhlA9nE/s1600/finished.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1p782e166ft-7U-eS0ees9MN2ZJ5vznlszZ4jlNVH8kf1vrmaXv_ZdwFlh_I8jeSL2VUHhFnkyVSPu7Kqww0V_I40ETASarzMx28PbO4PxpW9yCCkFdQo78bKsOIhrJDw__NXwhlA9nE/s640/finished.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Enjoy! :)Chef Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15284529271835234193noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3087189275104580934.post-21310213892174118372013-03-13T17:55:00.000-07:002013-03-13T17:56:06.616-07:00English Muffin Bread<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Hello, hello!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Lucky me had a day off today, so I decided to try to make some English Muffin Bread! This recipe looked absolutely DELISH so I had to try it for myself! The recipe came from <a href="http://www.blisstree.com/2009/05/05/food/english-muffin-bread/">Blisstree</a>, and it was ah-mazing!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4a5zFOadxad9gYMQkPzkDMpaiB5_vaSO_pfGb2Y6XwKXyky769_JC3EVLDgpfstyPdIHa5leHHrt1jyo6WON07KmYv65xuwphP3ajKDiDeH4B9symgQR3-7izi0Xm-h3QqPy3t3MBigg/s1600/DSC_0429.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4a5zFOadxad9gYMQkPzkDMpaiB5_vaSO_pfGb2Y6XwKXyky769_JC3EVLDgpfstyPdIHa5leHHrt1jyo6WON07KmYv65xuwphP3ajKDiDeH4B9symgQR3-7izi0Xm-h3QqPy3t3MBigg/s320/DSC_0429.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I had the wrong sized loaf pans (I only had very large ones!) so the bread came out a little flatter and wider than expected, but it tastes good none-the-less!</span><br />
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><span style="font-size: large;">Ingredients: </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">(makes 2 loaves - one to eat right away and another for tomorrow, obviously)</span></i></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRLUvy_NPKpHBxn8tN1mF-f7V5SZVGCPGQrKjhzp-4UqDfHUWFYFJo8Yyfqy_lN9ggjgYW1D8kwVWyNDhp7R_olZsxGnrAxvG9YzocWj4yqhvA3vHW0F5m9jvHU94-Dvo8sjaSo0c-RH4/s1600/DSC_0422.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRLUvy_NPKpHBxn8tN1mF-f7V5SZVGCPGQrKjhzp-4UqDfHUWFYFJo8Yyfqy_lN9ggjgYW1D8kwVWyNDhp7R_olZsxGnrAxvG9YzocWj4yqhvA3vHW0F5m9jvHU94-Dvo8sjaSo0c-RH4/s320/DSC_0422.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Look at that adorable honey bear, he is so excited to help!</td></tr>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">5 and 1/2 cups flour</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">2 tablespoons dry yeast</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1 tablespoon honey</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1/4 cup warm water</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">2 teaspoonsful kosher salt</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1/4 teaspoon baking powder</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">2 and 1/4 cups warm milk</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Butter for greasing pans</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Coarse Cornmeal</span></li>
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<span style="color: red; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><i>Directions:</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Mix the yeast, honey, and water, and set aside. (The warm water activates the yeast which eats up the honey and will get all nice and foamy!)</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOe7v-4PyQKfZPFT4i0RvYrdo1AgGStjjHq0H5d3kqR9C-BDLmcEIPPHkNmP7-Dc0Ero1_z21mLI5oGxdP3LIw0zTPTsP-RtOyQhRlf4ctLxtB3J0FjjJXnFW7qY6zQwctRqTk_L0VlJ4/s1600/DSC_0425.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOe7v-4PyQKfZPFT4i0RvYrdo1AgGStjjHq0H5d3kqR9C-BDLmcEIPPHkNmP7-Dc0Ero1_z21mLI5oGxdP3LIw0zTPTsP-RtOyQhRlf4ctLxtB3J0FjjJXnFW7qY6zQwctRqTk_L0VlJ4/s320/DSC_0425.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Om nom nom. Foam.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Sift the sale, baking powder, and flour together. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Add the milk and 1 cup of the flour to the yeast mixture, and mix well.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Add the remaining flower and beat to create a verrrrrry sticky dough.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Grease the loaf pans with butter and dust them with the cornmeal. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Divide up the batter between the two pans and let them rise in a warm place.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I put them in a warmed oven for just over an hour - this allowed the dough to rise up!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-KcqNa_7vUCZRxursBjoeWkf3HZ4W6zIQim2cGVaU33i2DrVZv515wM4TZTIcd6Cvea3rRjgRa3EhT-vZXxOqE0Nq4Pjs0RU59oynZGZGKTehkYuNlmlBRWPgRMAvTvvammHBGp1EBQg/s1600/DSC_0427.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-KcqNa_7vUCZRxursBjoeWkf3HZ4W6zIQim2cGVaU33i2DrVZv515wM4TZTIcd6Cvea3rRjgRa3EhT-vZXxOqE0Nq4Pjs0RU59oynZGZGKTehkYuNlmlBRWPgRMAvTvvammHBGp1EBQg/s320/DSC_0427.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Then preheat the oven to 425oF, dust the top of the loaves with cornmeal, and bake for 20-25 minutes.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">You will get this deliciousness:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnhCh1U3TTgAwnvYlbFskVQOUSt3JwMGVp0b_1UEkp_5_VWHUeFox2GEdeVI5APqwCAjSPZePFXbZaEr5dWgcxDgRlUrdvcbeworCf2qR64Gsi8Se5sbVf5Hj-u1o_2VI0lbhLmHQoAWU/s1600/DSC_0430.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="176" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnhCh1U3TTgAwnvYlbFskVQOUSt3JwMGVp0b_1UEkp_5_VWHUeFox2GEdeVI5APqwCAjSPZePFXbZaEr5dWgcxDgRlUrdvcbeworCf2qR64Gsi8Se5sbVf5Hj-u1o_2VI0lbhLmHQoAWU/s320/DSC_0430.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Wait until it cools to slice it up and toast it... and then of course, as always, enjoy!</span><br />
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<br />Chef Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15284529271835234193noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3087189275104580934.post-88021858226407356052013-03-09T18:06:00.000-08:002013-03-09T18:06:53.447-08:00New England Clam Chowder<br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Hello, reader(s)! :) It's been awhile! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">My apologies for the lack of posts... Things got busy, and this fell by the wayside. But tonight, I'm back! And I come bearing a yummy bowl of New England Clam Chowder!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHhinAYXWSSfGdnMI8vrydS5gpVK4faC9sVvXUvDFYNeEdzK_bT4GSxUectBRfY_73PvxiVwLmLqCz0p79YjhtTQ5BNbCHSYaxIO0y1B-EorWwu5Ybaa45jxrQig3xq4wqgZZiN09TooI/s1600/DSC_0417-001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="427" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHhinAYXWSSfGdnMI8vrydS5gpVK4faC9sVvXUvDFYNeEdzK_bT4GSxUectBRfY_73PvxiVwLmLqCz0p79YjhtTQ5BNbCHSYaxIO0y1B-EorWwu5Ybaa45jxrQig3xq4wqgZZiN09TooI/s640/DSC_0417-001.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This has always been a comfort food, and after the 2 feet of snow dumped on us the past few days, I needed a little comfort food! This is an easy, quick recipe that makes a delicious chowdah :)</span><br />
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><i>Ingredients:</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">2 small yellow onions, peeled and minced</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">3 tablespoons butter</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">21 ounces of minced clams (with their juices!)</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-KcFOZTJyQnoskoLZgIj1_3Xe1jvdePNd1jtimmxS3PS3ZupRrLgkdNk-n6ngCoSxzmeMWXpslUCCFEiWpZgP7GJ9alvA9yjY1wDy713r6px4YnEEY90fNUN6nHpIYdo_S0lQXjP4VJw/s1600/DSC_0413.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-KcFOZTJyQnoskoLZgIj1_3Xe1jvdePNd1jtimmxS3PS3ZupRrLgkdNk-n6ngCoSxzmeMWXpslUCCFEiWpZgP7GJ9alvA9yjY1wDy713r6px4YnEEY90fNUN6nHpIYdo_S0lQXjP4VJw/s400/DSC_0413.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>I couldn't find this exact amount of ounces. I ended up with 26 ounces (4-6.5 ounce cans.) No harm in extra clams! :)</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">2 cups diced, peeled potatoes. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Or however many potatoes you want! I probably doubled this... but I love potatoes!</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1 teaspoon salt</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1/4 teaspoon paprika</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1/8 teaspoon white pepper</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">2 cups of milk</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1 cup light cream</span></div>
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<span style="color: red; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><i>Directions:</i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Fry the onions in 2 tablespoons of butter. Cook them over moderate heat until they are pale golden (about 5 to 8 minutes). You don't want to brown them.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj20mHLwZHeKdKOEdtU609PX4adNv59DUa23MgHb_6nlv56pxyUfxMpzsi7QErTxkjYWJ5Kw1qXzmqcJHiH-CTBdYQCp9vSzHaDnL3S47m2eUG6H5dii0G6YnHhVGLBqUPG1Ua02GfomE8/s1600/DSC_0414.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj20mHLwZHeKdKOEdtU609PX4adNv59DUa23MgHb_6nlv56pxyUfxMpzsi7QErTxkjYWJ5Kw1qXzmqcJHiH-CTBdYQCp9vSzHaDnL3S47m2eUG6H5dii0G6YnHhVGLBqUPG1Ua02GfomE8/s320/DSC_0414.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This was the only picture I took of the process, because I got too distracted!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">After the onions are done, drain the liquid from the clams into the pan. Add the potatoes, salt, and pepper. Cover and simmer 10-12 minutes until the potatoes are nearly tender, stirring occasionally.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAnGFsx7XBul0CdgjkMmtmnOayn-aQDEi-a-GDJ3Eiz8p_Yec6bmlMLHzbBP9Neac6GmSzSA6jg8E2hg4oJyYS45KY9pDVTdhFLEEbnrcXLR3kwrZV6ge7MW82ZlYqVFcYUaDCdLjC67M/s1600/Potatoe+Clipart+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAnGFsx7XBul0CdgjkMmtmnOayn-aQDEi-a-GDJ3Eiz8p_Yec6bmlMLHzbBP9Neac6GmSzSA6jg8E2hg4oJyYS45KY9pDVTdhFLEEbnrcXLR3kwrZV6ge7MW82ZlYqVFcYUaDCdLjC67M/s200/Potatoe+Clipart+2.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I have to use clip art due to my lack of pictures. Hope you don't mind :)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq_zBOxPYJyd19nU53bo9MsAoI36HsOWhWIi-jSLH-2e_gWUChcB-4DckY9Y-2431aCw-GIRrPRCVuO5KG7YV73GfvPViC1bk7lXVEYdmMeYszDvra6JrIgS8eSpu5_nIuF7fNLp6iEeY/s1600/clam_box_logo_1.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq_zBOxPYJyd19nU53bo9MsAoI36HsOWhWIi-jSLH-2e_gWUChcB-4DckY9Y-2431aCw-GIRrPRCVuO5KG7YV73GfvPViC1bk7lXVEYdmMeYszDvra6JrIgS8eSpu5_nIuF7fNLp6iEeY/s200/clam_box_logo_1.gif" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">How does a clam make a call? On a shell phone!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Then, add the clams, milk, and cream. Cover and simmer 5-7 minutes, just enough to heat through!</span></div>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">At the very end, add the remaining butter, and stir until melted.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Ladle into bowls, and sprinkle with paprika if you want to! </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">At the very least, serve it with some oyster crackers!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And make sure you use the puffy ones, not those silly cracker ones. Good job. :)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Enjoy!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>Chef Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15284529271835234193noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3087189275104580934.post-57418776768256144812012-09-14T17:52:00.000-07:002012-09-14T17:52:46.709-07:00Nana's Swedish Meatballs<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Good evening! Tonight's recipe comes from my grandmother's kitchen!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIGZ5D0OFYGi774ebplqYQBV15TOc7tUs5Azg1lcKO0TymbXTifN7UX3wazueoTfCNdSVM1Ug5P8qedOyHveJb81RfnpMJOTO0qh61SF43TAnCJqezTtB67ae4rHOJw2J_pUMRtpm8zXs/s1600/Nana.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIGZ5D0OFYGi774ebplqYQBV15TOc7tUs5Azg1lcKO0TymbXTifN7UX3wazueoTfCNdSVM1Ug5P8qedOyHveJb81RfnpMJOTO0qh61SF43TAnCJqezTtB67ae4rHOJw2J_pUMRtpm8zXs/s320/Nana.jpg" width="211" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is my lovely grandmother! </td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This is one of my favorite recipes! It comes together quickly, and it tastes delicious! It tastes good with potatoes, with noodles, with corn, or whatever you want... the gravy is the perfect topper for pretty much any side dish.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The following recipe is based off of 1 lb of ground beef. We doubled it because we love leftovers, which made about 30 meatballs. It's your call as to the proportions!</span><br />
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><i>Ingredients:</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Meatballs:</b></span><br />
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<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1 lb ground beef</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1 teaspoon salt</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1 teaspoon sugar</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1 teaspoon grated onion </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1/2 cup plain bread crumbs</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Gravy:</b></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0Iz_yvNHJHlrth7g3knyq6dGYDQ9TL3CxhQnPRP6iqr5ffGa8AbPggAuMz60jLhI-iidF1dFWhDNg38YX0NpthluUSamoq0WXyc6Y1xzsaRElv5FMCkEa7WCgcMqmwjF1KgiRTdARqPk/s1600/DSC_1158.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="159" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0Iz_yvNHJHlrth7g3knyq6dGYDQ9TL3CxhQnPRP6iqr5ffGa8AbPggAuMz60jLhI-iidF1dFWhDNg38YX0NpthluUSamoq0WXyc6Y1xzsaRElv5FMCkEa7WCgcMqmwjF1KgiRTdARqPk/s200/DSC_1158.JPG" width="200" /></a><ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">2 tablespoonsful flour</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1 teaspoon salt</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1/8 teaspoon pepper</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">2 cups milk</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Gravy master (we find this in our supermarket near the spice aisle, where they usually also have the gravy packets!)</span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="color: red; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><i>Directions:</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Mix all of the meatball ingredients thoroughly. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I decided to be lazy chef tonight and try it in the kitchen aid mixer with the paddle attachment. Now if only it would shape them into balls too! (First world cooking problems?)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Then, shape them into meatballs.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Melt butter in a frying pan on medium-high, and then fry the meatballs.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Remove them when all sides are browned and set them aside.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In the same pan that you browned the meatballs in, mix together the flour, salt, pepper, and milk. Whisk well to avoid flour lumps. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Cook over medium heat until bubbles.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Add gravy master to thicken and darken, as desired. Mix thoroughly.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Add the meatballs back to the gravy and bring to a simmer to thicken. Cook until warmed through!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Enjoy!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">P.S. This meal seriously needs crusty bread. I know I often recommend this, but it tastes great when sopping up gravy from your plate! YUM! :)</span></div>
Chef Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15284529271835234193noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3087189275104580934.post-89018662222640723332012-09-11T18:58:00.001-07:002012-09-11T19:02:47.911-07:00Slow Cooker Ribs<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I love slow-cookers.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I love that I could prepare this dinner at 11 in the morning, and that I had a delicious dinner waiting for me when I got home from work tonight.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhebytIT6P57ueiO5qn7t2IuAJjw9Tujyy7wOOKZ2elc-15H4JCH15CUjcfylX8EZTnyAGbeJdANAMXzdHQv5Hih4Zr_cVcj6j814t0EdI3uD7h7hhsJZ_Nt26K_T8yaVC787P6xQAvbgQ/s1600/DSC_1106.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhebytIT6P57ueiO5qn7t2IuAJjw9Tujyy7wOOKZ2elc-15H4JCH15CUjcfylX8EZTnyAGbeJdANAMXzdHQv5Hih4Zr_cVcj6j814t0EdI3uD7h7hhsJZ_Nt26K_T8yaVC787P6xQAvbgQ/s400/DSC_1106.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Look at them. All cozy in there :)</td></tr>
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Ingredients:</span><br />
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">3 lb baby back ribs</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Salt and Pepper</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1-2 yellow onions</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">BBQ Sauce</span></li>
</ul>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It is at this point that I would like to add that you can use any BBQ sauce you want, or you can make your own. I have historically not been a fan of sauces that are too ketchup-y or molasses-y. I like a sauce that is more smokey, and so I used <a href="http://www.kraftbrands.com/bullseyebbq/">Bull's-Eye Hickory Smoke BBQ Sauce</a>.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The smokey flavor was not too sweet, but delicious!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: red; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Directions:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">First thing you need to do is admire your beautiful ribs.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzR5msKfA40hN2w9fH-BSQVHTC01I2i10nolL7-ucJKjLPEqtnJ5fdnTGWPm_37pl2qIJUCX8Gc1Ntuq83xjwVR5xoRbFAMc78Z2Ouq8JSHek_rRSHtjnt12tMMT-VTyVq4K9jq2nKFZ0/s1600/DSC_1089+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzR5msKfA40hN2w9fH-BSQVHTC01I2i10nolL7-ucJKjLPEqtnJ5fdnTGWPm_37pl2qIJUCX8Gc1Ntuq83xjwVR5xoRbFAMc78Z2Ouq8JSHek_rRSHtjnt12tMMT-VTyVq4K9jq2nKFZ0/s640/DSC_1089+%25282%2529.JPG" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">YUM. Yumyumyumyum.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Then you need to take off the gross membrane from the bottom side. This is the stuff that gets stuck in your teeth when you eat ribs! It peels off pretty easily, you just have to get the tip of your knife under the membrane, and then it should just peel right off! (Grab it with a paper towel for a better grip!)</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ-CojEpbj63UDvemU3qpqwySu8UpJLv-YyRfKC2uWADWJNjt0E_IURt3ji729Z1Xpnx4vsWG9m2H8DhpoCoKAeOcgKrut-FieR_-xmNrde4f-0x6NMpvP_bxmzz-Mr0ymF6xgXG6ABl0/s1600/DSC_1094.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ-CojEpbj63UDvemU3qpqwySu8UpJLv-YyRfKC2uWADWJNjt0E_IURt3ji729Z1Xpnx4vsWG9m2H8DhpoCoKAeOcgKrut-FieR_-xmNrde4f-0x6NMpvP_bxmzz-Mr0ymF6xgXG6ABl0/s400/DSC_1094.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I should note that this hand is not mine. I do not have man-hands. :)</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Then, cut the ribs into 3-4 rib sections. Pat them nice and dry, season with salt and pepper, and place on a broiling pan (or a cooling rack on a baking sheet).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Put under a broiler for about 15-20 minutes on each side, until they start to brown up a little.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBESoMgyXp4DuRoyKKQBZhM7O9tvAWBhp3pLSpmvcoCpxIZvLfnBbnMS-JGDGVKvcK9F9Ygo0rDYiGEIAotPrTta6i6yMHI41HLnIZcAiwcJzB1xS1TzIgW8hHqRGaKHJab7HjTXGoHI8/s1600/DSC_1101.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBESoMgyXp4DuRoyKKQBZhM7O9tvAWBhp3pLSpmvcoCpxIZvLfnBbnMS-JGDGVKvcK9F9Ygo0rDYiGEIAotPrTta6i6yMHI41HLnIZcAiwcJzB1xS1TzIgW8hHqRGaKHJab7HjTXGoHI8/s320/DSC_1101.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">While the ribs are broiling (and your house begins to smell DELISH!), slice up an onion or two into rings. Put these along the bottom of your slow cooker as a soft comfy bed for your ribs to go on!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKaBMKc2vzdNnQ2yUd0ok8edN2VNM4GiYQy0qZ9ucgfM1wBF9Sn34psXewWQBS3TNPGMTikSDY8w7Vkhs5u6FORLtWKeZk0rgTXbFTqblTZjaRIqmaOXBC5r-HYmdnqZv_123iuaqJn0s/s1600/DSC_1099.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKaBMKc2vzdNnQ2yUd0ok8edN2VNM4GiYQy0qZ9ucgfM1wBF9Sn34psXewWQBS3TNPGMTikSDY8w7Vkhs5u6FORLtWKeZk0rgTXbFTqblTZjaRIqmaOXBC5r-HYmdnqZv_123iuaqJn0s/s320/DSC_1099.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">When the ribs are done broiling, baste them with BBQ sauce, make sure they get covered, and throw them in the slow cooker. Then go ahead and throw some more sauce on to make sure they are EXTRA covered!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiL0o1kAfaDTK1aTxRPGxTqQGOK18-dIqDMGgdWUBMI3HL3iS4YmY2XRm1KV-AVBqm1gKt44ncYR_fPqThYati2nUx2ODxUEsQdCYFVSHCmHKTl_hpDSR7iUG3BV1fAVmjuKLCA74JKZM/s1600/DSC_1103.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiL0o1kAfaDTK1aTxRPGxTqQGOK18-dIqDMGgdWUBMI3HL3iS4YmY2XRm1KV-AVBqm1gKt44ncYR_fPqThYati2nUx2ODxUEsQdCYFVSHCmHKTl_hpDSR7iUG3BV1fAVmjuKLCA74JKZM/s320/DSC_1103.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Cook in the slow cooker on high for an hour, then set it to low until they are done (typically anywhere from 8-10 hours total cooking time).</span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsGdBTUVCoZ5PoE78DaZrAIeD0QfRYjbwmogKfJYKCH0j9LN2XtNMWeRMyE0ITQX23hOyqHMn8ODGagILaRSKiLUFOvTPfiEyKLM_JfKGLROS3NQ_d1a7zYKGhWytBZ0Ukulcbct6hqV0/s1600/DSC_1104.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="295" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsGdBTUVCoZ5PoE78DaZrAIeD0QfRYjbwmogKfJYKCH0j9LN2XtNMWeRMyE0ITQX23hOyqHMn8ODGagILaRSKiLUFOvTPfiEyKLM_JfKGLROS3NQ_d1a7zYKGhWytBZ0Ukulcbct6hqV0/s400/DSC_1104.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">See-you can even SEE how good it smelled!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">These ribs came out delightful, literally sliding off the bone! And because there was no membrane, they were not stringy at all. Instead, they fell apart into a plate full of deliciousness!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNE3XFgqfUPPmxgbsjFssEHRKl2EX1tC294cbZOSRfPB9GXiF4451khISZ8piFlDxXgfg5S77Gc_hDkBouczJ8LfsfxbkojRu6dO7td0Z43bB1knAXSjTX6tmJFvyMIMOURGw5i2fAt_Q/s1600/DSC_1148.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNE3XFgqfUPPmxgbsjFssEHRKl2EX1tC294cbZOSRfPB9GXiF4451khISZ8piFlDxXgfg5S77Gc_hDkBouczJ8LfsfxbkojRu6dO7td0Z43bB1knAXSjTX6tmJFvyMIMOURGw5i2fAt_Q/s640/DSC_1148.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Served with french fries, corn, or whatever other sides you like!</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Importantly, tonight this was served with a Shipyard Pumpkinhead Beer.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I love fall. :)</span></div>
Chef Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15284529271835234193noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3087189275104580934.post-13066688742247866332012-08-03T15:00:00.000-07:002012-08-03T15:00:33.292-07:00Soft Pretzels<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Last night I attempted my first KitchenAid yeast experiment: Pretzels!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgATTgL-_N61od5LhhG4F4D9_76PZtDniMdY1rgg-m1N78FN3NwaxPSDtsCNCujoTUljLpyjSceP2o9Ytfh0Hpw6PY4Mdji_n_6Q_5Xe4DwwMQl4EB_neibuEgThRQQPtFE-qZ-VD1isro/s1600/DSC_1029.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="402" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgATTgL-_N61od5LhhG4F4D9_76PZtDniMdY1rgg-m1N78FN3NwaxPSDtsCNCujoTUljLpyjSceP2o9Ytfh0Hpw6PY4Mdji_n_6Q_5Xe4DwwMQl4EB_neibuEgThRQQPtFE-qZ-VD1isro/s640/DSC_1029.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Look at them all. Just look at them! YUM!</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Yeast always intimidated me. I feel like I never let it rise long enough, or knead well enough. So I was hoping my friend the dough hook would help me be successful!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4HTq385tKNo8UWoKUrsfNCOFTiuEie2iEALGeYMiWMCBmH1QcP7qogt8OeFqAMnkkreC8rmFf7a6idta18sPyI58JVgSTWHpt4Hi3elbLswtUQZz85_SGeJcBNkUh9o5hDMcUZXV3tfU/s1600/DSC_1011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="203" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4HTq385tKNo8UWoKUrsfNCOFTiuEie2iEALGeYMiWMCBmH1QcP7qogt8OeFqAMnkkreC8rmFf7a6idta18sPyI58JVgSTWHpt4Hi3elbLswtUQZz85_SGeJcBNkUh9o5hDMcUZXV3tfU/s320/DSC_1011.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The following recipe (from <a href="http://www.justgetoffyourbuttandbake.com/?p=5974">Get Off Your Butt and Bake!</a>) is for use with a stand mixer, but you can swap it out for just mixing and hand kneading, especially if you have more kneading confidence than I!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i>Ingredients:</i></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKKbgePIyogDDziOc89aIWZqSXLrmDw0SYgpjWJvvddNFG2nW0PdXCny5XbalFS_WHTg-gYzkSkDDH2PIZCqizlfyES7lM4FPKvdhdOUEp8o1khAV2PH2n7lAwsS4D8fxyp7_TDn_rD7A/s1600/DSC_1013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKKbgePIyogDDziOc89aIWZqSXLrmDw0SYgpjWJvvddNFG2nW0PdXCny5XbalFS_WHTg-gYzkSkDDH2PIZCqizlfyES7lM4FPKvdhdOUEp8o1khAV2PH2n7lAwsS4D8fxyp7_TDn_rD7A/s320/DSC_1013.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1 and 1/8 cups water (70-80 degrees F)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">3 cups all-purpose flour (plus extra to add as you go!)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">3 tablespoonsful brown sugar</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1 and 1/2 teaspoonsful active dry yeast (1 packet)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1/2 teaspoon salt</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2 quarts water (8 cups for those who don't want to do the conversion)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1/2 cup baking soda</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Coarse salt </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Egg wash (1 egg plus 1 tablespoon water)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Optional: melted butter</span></li>
</ul>
<div>
<span style="color: red; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i>Directions:</i></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Add warm water and brown sugar in the mixer bowl. Dissolve the sugar quickly (so the water doesn't cool off), and then add the dry yeast.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Let the yeast mixture rest for 2 to 3 minutes. You should see it foam!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">That is how you know the yeast is alive and kicking! It's also really cool!</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Add 1 cup of the flour with 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Mix well with the dough hook.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Add the remaining 2 cups of flour and continue kneading with dough hook (speed 2 on the mixer) for 5 to 6 minutes. When it is ready, the dough will be elastic and smooth, and shouldn't be really stuck to the bowl. Add additional flour or warm water if needed to help this along. (I probably added another 3 tablespoons of flour!)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Once the dough is done, let it rest in an oiled bowl for about 10 minutes. Cover the bowl with a warm damp cloth.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEjAmTgJQIWbV1lgR5qqXty-y8ueF6cpR-V-oqgBpOlqsF9dTgheLPRlnl5eOAIcyIQ1V9MCxTjxxODGA-F4PzcwX5dhU4rU1a3frP1oVo1f60Khia6z88IRk9p94KX6Yqno2CVZgE8Zg/s1600/DSC_1020.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEjAmTgJQIWbV1lgR5qqXty-y8ueF6cpR-V-oqgBpOlqsF9dTgheLPRlnl5eOAIcyIQ1V9MCxTjxxODGA-F4PzcwX5dhU4rU1a3frP1oVo1f60Khia6z88IRk9p94KX6Yqno2CVZgE8Zg/s320/DSC_1020.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">While the dough is resting, add the baking soda to the water and get it ready to boil.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNMSRIwNNzMXjNWOwzBkMOhOhabFyOEjVKr7eEwfgI7WXWGfAQjKBw8qVoYGvZ0HTqA3KS9Y_z4b4Zzrlz86UnhjuaV2JGYqFtitNF5CkBnPU9ywpWpTG6uPKeGa-AApfG-NzzkJLfy-I/s1600/DSC_1015.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNMSRIwNNzMXjNWOwzBkMOhOhabFyOEjVKr7eEwfgI7WXWGfAQjKBw8qVoYGvZ0HTqA3KS9Y_z4b4Zzrlz86UnhjuaV2JGYqFtitNF5CkBnPU9ywpWpTG6uPKeGa-AApfG-NzzkJLfy-I/s320/DSC_1015.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Divide the dough into eight balls. I added a little extra flour around the balls, and stuck each one in a ziplock bag. You can also use saran wrap if you want! </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyN4oNYDRx1hCejbWFzCggjZwfkEx4ReXN7t8s6OCwZ6NbQphso3TZtkhk9zZFSMzzTD2VRZWNVwm8suuriFg9Mu8S6-W54t5xqqoXLyRcGEKUL6j1pDwvS4fBPPaEq7Bpif3A3S8Fq8s/s1600/DSC_1024.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyN4oNYDRx1hCejbWFzCggjZwfkEx4ReXN7t8s6OCwZ6NbQphso3TZtkhk9zZFSMzzTD2VRZWNVwm8suuriFg9Mu8S6-W54t5xqqoXLyRcGEKUL6j1pDwvS4fBPPaEq7Bpif3A3S8Fq8s/s320/DSC_1024.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Whatever you use, let the dough sit for another 3 to 5 minutes.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Flour your working surface, and roll each ball into a 20 inch rope. Then have fun and make whatever shapes you want! Or little pretzel nuggets work too.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Drop pretzels into boiling water, one or two at a time (I did one at a time because I was nervous). Boil for about 10-15 seconds (10 for the nuggets). Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYBOWh1U7da6Sq-MEm0-NdUqLfQuoVu_eJTEYeX_NEoWwzCiG4fyWjp8ZfSz2Gmkjsribou1wgldRufFJEr4Mm1tmanUlLr45lcT1EF1yOUrW1j-ubxsjN9We5citWhaR_3TKjprcpXwE/s1600/DSC_1025.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYBOWh1U7da6Sq-MEm0-NdUqLfQuoVu_eJTEYeX_NEoWwzCiG4fyWjp8ZfSz2Gmkjsribou1wgldRufFJEr4Mm1tmanUlLr45lcT1EF1yOUrW1j-ubxsjN9We5citWhaR_3TKjprcpXwE/s200/DSC_1025.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtOnC1i_ldOFYQsNLwXAoyeb0EcSVgy5uGvyPeKBjMrkFkUZ64RgZrU2ytiDqxl9g20Am_2XiPOs7AAbfvHoeSYpFl64zgWWFGkJnhZRjx2gQdOROOMXT6st7-CSUQVhZQt6v-KAZwbNY/s1600/DSC_1026.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtOnC1i_ldOFYQsNLwXAoyeb0EcSVgy5uGvyPeKBjMrkFkUZ64RgZrU2ytiDqxl9g20Am_2XiPOs7AAbfvHoeSYpFl64zgWWFGkJnhZRjx2gQdOROOMXT6st7-CSUQVhZQt6v-KAZwbNY/s200/DSC_1026.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Place pretzels on greased baking sheets, or if you have a pizza stone, use that! The pizza stone made our pretzels nice and crunchy on the outside!</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The next step is where you're supposed to brush the pretzel with the egg wash and then sprinkle with coarse salt. It was about 11pm when I was making these, and accidentally brushed it with the melted butter. Still came out good - but try the egg wash!</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Bake at 425 degrees for 10 minutes or until brown. If you want, here is where you can brush with melted butter.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8wFAnKWFWYcYaFYUq8yqt1Hq6X5Ce4WEM_sSjvgtauuSM6mBZJxFLlo62JZl8kvD0W84839aG9O8XX-_j0QkFw6zJLDNG6B6_nZ4rREIk0NrWLnljnhUBboWCayhVVFMNxjUGbNQOxOM/s1600/DSC_1027.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="207" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8wFAnKWFWYcYaFYUq8yqt1Hq6X5Ce4WEM_sSjvgtauuSM6mBZJxFLlo62JZl8kvD0W84839aG9O8XX-_j0QkFw6zJLDNG6B6_nZ4rREIk0NrWLnljnhUBboWCayhVVFMNxjUGbNQOxOM/s320/DSC_1027.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Let them cool (but not too much - because warm pretzels are just the best!) I like my pretzels dipped in mustard, but do whatever you like! Have fun!</span></div>
<div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMSpWfIqHYgEp-IRfniVIZWTBsLHXAW1ndsx5xPTiGmZ42rMoiCHO0ZJl26fLCAodD3Lq3k5H3Zzs0Zwf1-7OhvJo74L6bk83OIBV7ySvsMwDQfqH6VfIA2M7BQWgBo13-GnVxHo78rVE/s1600/DSC_1033.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="205" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMSpWfIqHYgEp-IRfniVIZWTBsLHXAW1ndsx5xPTiGmZ42rMoiCHO0ZJl26fLCAodD3Lq3k5H3Zzs0Zwf1-7OhvJo74L6bk83OIBV7ySvsMwDQfqH6VfIA2M7BQWgBo13-GnVxHo78rVE/s320/DSC_1033.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Delightful midnight snack!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>Chef Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15284529271835234193noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3087189275104580934.post-44136282620297514932012-07-31T19:27:00.001-07:002012-07-31T19:27:37.307-07:00Chocolate Chocolate Cupcakes<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Hello! Quick little post tonight - little KitchenAid mixer experiment!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">After working every day/night since getting my new mixer, I <i>finally</i> got a chance to play with it tonight!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Found an interesting chocolate cupcake recipe online, and decided to be daring and give it a shot. (Also easily made vegan if that floats your boat! My boat however floats on different waters!)<br /></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOaj90GMuLieS5zaJy9O9PKULcURLG9vm8qxASlTPbCN7CpNypr4umudGuZCm3JjjIyb4fdWS6t7SVkXVWDNLOSnEKs1S0rOb_qg-EkcYWKPSM8RUq7laoM8S-PUhOsAirMcbtXzqW5WY/s1600/Chococupcake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="613" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOaj90GMuLieS5zaJy9O9PKULcURLG9vm8qxASlTPbCN7CpNypr4umudGuZCm3JjjIyb4fdWS6t7SVkXVWDNLOSnEKs1S0rOb_qg-EkcYWKPSM8RUq7laoM8S-PUhOsAirMcbtXzqW5WY/s640/Chococupcake.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Just the one picture, because I wasn't expecting to post this... but once they were made, I just HAD to share! Enjoy!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: xx-small;"><i>(Adapted from <a href="http://www.food.com/recipe/moms-chocolate-cupcakes-105594">Food.com</a>)</i></span><br />
<span style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><i>Ingredients:</i></span><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1 and 1/2 cups flour</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1 cup granulated sugar</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1 teaspoon baking soda</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1 teaspoon salt</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1/3 cup cocoa powder (I used Shaws brand. Good, but I should really invest in some of the good stuff. Godiva maybe!)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1/2 cup vegetable oil</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1 cup milk (The original recipe called for water. If you want to keep it vegan, go ahead and use water, should turn out just as fine! The milk just made it a little richer)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1 teaspoon vanilla extract </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1 teaspoon white vinegar</span></li>
</ul>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">NO EGGS. Weird right? Almost scared me off, but I am glad I made it!</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: red; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><i>Directions:</i></span></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Preheat oven to 350 degrees</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Mix all ingredients together until moist / well blended (This is where my mixer made life sooooooooooo easy!)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Put in paper cupcake liners and bake for 20-25 minutes</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Frost with whatever you deem to be best!</span></li>
</ul>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I found a yummy frosting recipe on <a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/chocolate-frosting-recipe/index.html">Food Network</a>. I thinned it out with a little extra cream and a tablespoonful of warm water. Added some chocolate jimmies, and there you have it!</span></div>
</div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>Chef Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15284529271835234193noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3087189275104580934.post-50911063198008455552012-07-25T17:06:00.000-07:002012-07-25T17:17:23.742-07:00Grilled Marinated Flank Steak<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Hello and welcome back! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">My deepest apologies for not posting since April. A number of factors led to me really not cooking very much. This all culminated in me eating a whole bunch of terrible food, and not having anything of substance to post. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">However, stress level is significantly lower, so culinary adventures have resumed!<br />Tonight's specialty is some grilled, marinated flank steak.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNrew8ctgqGrtOztkI-crxk03XAWoavNCPoYdP_2O2uTqQdDht1i1wGsRr_8s-Coicw4XZfnDRu54eXiIn0TK_MzyAxAJ7ScD-T0ERXoSmq1Op6hjwXQwplz2S1dof-UJ79olNYBMxOqk/s1600/DSC_1010a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNrew8ctgqGrtOztkI-crxk03XAWoavNCPoYdP_2O2uTqQdDht1i1wGsRr_8s-Coicw4XZfnDRu54eXiIn0TK_MzyAxAJ7ScD-T0ERXoSmq1Op6hjwXQwplz2S1dof-UJ79olNYBMxOqk/s400/DSC_1010a.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Couldn't come up with a more creative name for this... Sorry folks, but sometimes it is what it is, and this time, it is just delicious.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />And how easy! I stuck this in the marinade last night, let it hang out overnight, and slapped it on the grill tonight! Served it with a baked potato and some corn on the cob. Love summer food!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />Enjoy!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: xx-small;">(Adapted from <a href="http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/grilled_marinated_flank_steak/">Simply Recipes</a>)</span><br />
<span style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><i>Ingredients:</i></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiApmtpbmAGfrNNjeloS5EzDOGLnaN432EqGtVK4GqS2Zhc7yAASvwQnm8LysyDJUE0AhMg7dW8LM9a49FzySc3b7n9MD8TgtbvNobPwB2JGh8WKiMOfFi99VgSo5U4z8xQrQebrZBAVa4/s1600/DSC_0988.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="207" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiApmtpbmAGfrNNjeloS5EzDOGLnaN432EqGtVK4GqS2Zhc7yAASvwQnm8LysyDJUE0AhMg7dW8LM9a49FzySc3b7n9MD8TgtbvNobPwB2JGh8WKiMOfFi99VgSo5U4z8xQrQebrZBAVa4/s320/DSC_0988.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Look at that adorable honey bear. SO CUTE.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">2 lb flank steak</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1/3 cup olive oil</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">4 cloves of garlic (or 2 cloves of elephant garlic! Yup. It's real.) crushed/minced</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">2 tablespoonsful red wine vinegar</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1/3 cup soy sauce (I opted for low sodium. I didn't want to overpower the steak with saltiness, plus, healthier!)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1/4 cup honey (I got the kind that is in a bear shape. Because it was TOO ADORABLE to pass up!)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1/2 teaspoonful ground black pepper</span></li>
</ul>
<div>
<span style="color: red; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><i>Directions:</i></span></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Score the flank steak with cuts about 1/4 inch thick</span></li>
</ul>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifl4_CuFF83JkYo0sKaVvaplBLnquIlvQSCoj14pBqhbnYE058dd1bVzkzoMtebBEURyltkKk2jognz4VmrONvawwQV4anBXkEs1UK9IR9HpLHWtSO95bvbP00IrbU2giEWBs3_kQnJvs/s1600/DSC_0993.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifl4_CuFF83JkYo0sKaVvaplBLnquIlvQSCoj14pBqhbnYE058dd1bVzkzoMtebBEURyltkKk2jognz4VmrONvawwQV4anBXkEs1UK9IR9HpLHWtSO95bvbP00IrbU2giEWBs3_kQnJvs/s320/DSC_0993.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hard to see, but I did it crisscross. You can choose to just do it one way if you'd like.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Combine all the ingredients (mix well!)</span></li>
</ul>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgeE-9pE86XBs1CdoynuiVGatCmBuzmgtgB9ZyEcg3eqYVgILW_un6TxK1VfOhQwcbOeds9Ka0P6SFG1IhGMlvelcWNLquSwTwv9OCqS21EAd3Qtg1Po0Lec73GfRYG67fZ3lW-XZCUj0/s1600/DSC_0991.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgeE-9pE86XBs1CdoynuiVGatCmBuzmgtgB9ZyEcg3eqYVgILW_un6TxK1VfOhQwcbOeds9Ka0P6SFG1IhGMlvelcWNLquSwTwv9OCqS21EAd3Qtg1Po0Lec73GfRYG67fZ3lW-XZCUj0/s320/DSC_0991.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I wish I had 10 whisks like this. Love it!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Trim the steak if you need to. Mine was really fatty</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Put the steak in the marinade either in a container or a freezer bag to marinate. I did it overnight, but if you're not going to do that, do it for at least 2 hours. The longer, the juicier!</span></li>
</ul>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMB3VGQ2qJu4CffSOq6EwWcx5Ke-UsQHLmgx1ZD8kEGj1PkVkl5D8sbDSLmhWPa_23DBlf0pg7FILhKS7VipRSlOy7wqw-MTYiO8seBdkHNQDJlVGunXorhENiySIkWo2JXJqsUNp85SA/s1600/DSC_0995.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMB3VGQ2qJu4CffSOq6EwWcx5Ke-UsQHLmgx1ZD8kEGj1PkVkl5D8sbDSLmhWPa_23DBlf0pg7FILhKS7VipRSlOy7wqw-MTYiO8seBdkHNQDJlVGunXorhENiySIkWo2JXJqsUNp85SA/s320/DSC_0995.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Grill! Use high heat. We cooked it sort of indirectly, on the cooler spot of the grill, because we were a little nervous the honey would burn. Cook it until it is the level of done-ness that you prefer!</span></li>
</ul>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0KJlqCSFrTnTXiWt8JwRBafyHuLP2eqctd90CErT43BypLCLOt9SLQSDTLu8jKpqADQ3vGRGW7NbVFc94ILUS6HpRMNOV8OJ2zfiJu7ifNRtEYXJ3CHV41KW-b8Yuk-eB3fVvypcerWo/s1600/photo+%25283%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0KJlqCSFrTnTXiWt8JwRBafyHuLP2eqctd90CErT43BypLCLOt9SLQSDTLu8jKpqADQ3vGRGW7NbVFc94ILUS6HpRMNOV8OJ2zfiJu7ifNRtEYXJ3CHV41KW-b8Yuk-eB3fVvypcerWo/s320/photo+%25283%2529.JPG" width="237" /></a></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Let it rest for a few minutes before slicing, and make sure you slice on the diagonal.</span></li>
</ul>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Enjoy!</span></div>
</div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">P.S. Kitchenaid mixed due in the mail in a few days. There will be LOTS of baking ahead! Also, I do take requests/suggestions!</span></div>Chef Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15284529271835234193noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3087189275104580934.post-20996642024182944812012-04-15T20:34:00.003-07:002012-04-15T20:43:57.850-07:00Roasted Lamb Dinner<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Happy Easter, blog readers!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">If you're confused and think that Easter was LAST week, you are both right and wrong! Today is the Greek Orthodox Easter (Καλό πάσχα, </span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Χριστός ανέστη! (Happy Easter, Christ is risen!)). To celebrate, we made traditional Easter lamb... And I can't tell ewe how how great it turned out!</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf3K2lutiGzc7h5rbYV-X6_2gTt7lJOBr-4iND70xGBhlEuYkGN9wWvZNpHxIg3ll-FiVeV6R-do7f_GgqTydW_kNb-2mNRcszvrqx-gn0HbMiXqto58rDs309xYUuzMX9eSJaN8Wr8wU/s1600/lambdinner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf3K2lutiGzc7h5rbYV-X6_2gTt7lJOBr-4iND70xGBhlEuYkGN9wWvZNpHxIg3ll-FiVeV6R-do7f_GgqTydW_kNb-2mNRcszvrqx-gn0HbMiXqto58rDs309xYUuzMX9eSJaN8Wr8wU/s400/lambdinner.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><br />
</span></span></div><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I'm not pulling the wool over your eyes folks! But to be sure, you'll have to try it yourself!</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><i>Ingredients:</i></span></span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7V_QKCQihyphenhyphen7hufwYZGuhAEB6NWk6X3MyMzrfVlfuWf30nrFp9Y_WQ5c_RppPlrIHTY8RrADyKHin3Q46dqt8VcsSRrgka0cWJUW87j0aUsCXZaJOAkNe4bNyVA781XLNf15k_Q5-ZWeU/s1600/lambdinner3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="346" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7V_QKCQihyphenhyphen7hufwYZGuhAEB6NWk6X3MyMzrfVlfuWf30nrFp9Y_WQ5c_RppPlrIHTY8RrADyKHin3Q46dqt8VcsSRrgka0cWJUW87j0aUsCXZaJOAkNe4bNyVA781XLNf15k_Q5-ZWeU/s400/lambdinner3.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
</tbody></table><ul><li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">Boneless butterflied leg of lamb (Ours was about 4 pounds. If you eat like us, this will MAYBE feed 3 people :) But for normies, this will probably be enough for your whole family.)</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">Red wine (Everyone on Food Network says to cook with a wine that you would also drink. Little do they know, I'm willing to drink boxed wine. We used whatever we had, which turned out to be a good red!)</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">4 lemons juiced (plus extra lemon wedges served with the meal)</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">Olive oil (an amount roughly equal to the lemon juice)</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">Garlic (4-5 cloves minced, and an additional 2 cloves cut into thin slices)</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">1/2 teaspoonful freshly ground black pepper</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">1 to 2 heaping tablespoons of oregano</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">1 small to medium onion, grated (whatever you have is probably okay)</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">Potatoes (as many as you want, whatever type you want!)</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">Carrots</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">More onions for roasting</span></span></li>
</ul><span style="color: red; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><i>Directions:</i></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="background-color: yellow; line-height: 18px;"><b>IMPORTANT: Make the marinade the night beforehand. The longer this baaa-d boy marinates the better it is!</b></span></span><br />
<u style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 18px;">Prepare the marinade: </u><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">Whisk together the olive oil and lemon juice before adding anything else.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">Add the minced garlic, oregano, pepper, and grated onion.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">Add a splash of red wine. Whisk until properly mixed.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">(If this look familiar at all, reexamine the <a href="http://forkanddagger.blogspot.com/2011/09/chicken-souvlaki.html">Chicken Souvlaki</a> post from last summer!)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><br />
</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifUcssqiFNOfT8nEvuwxJlb7UhD89Ahcv4wRIK7tDmerWc_DQcFC1YTBqDrtjdWr0vXFtTd7HHr0AkXIG7ZPU6vXtzFQLRxw066LdX9y9tyhC-NMV0tWDVvxYAqAsUvSIEhUEErANDP_8/s1600/lambdinner4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifUcssqiFNOfT8nEvuwxJlb7UhD89Ahcv4wRIK7tDmerWc_DQcFC1YTBqDrtjdWr0vXFtTd7HHr0AkXIG7ZPU6vXtzFQLRxw066LdX9y9tyhC-NMV0tWDVvxYAqAsUvSIEhUEErANDP_8/s400/lambdinner4.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><u>Prepare the lamb:</u></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">We like to trim excess fat off of the lamb. While some fat is okay and tastes good, too much can be hard to chew.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">Pierce the lamb randomly all over with a pointy knife, and insert the very thin sliced garlic into the piercings. Marinate the meat overnight!</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><br />
</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><b><i>Dinnertime Preparation:</i></b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">When it is time to start cooking, preheat the oven to 360 oF. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">Slice the potatoes and carrots into chunks, and boil for about 7 minutes. </span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 18px;">Slice onions into wedges.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigw3TFdfr0Iib4YEZb3ROQ_ulbpciwtSLVojyx_RztO-va7iu3NtYOgGJasyH19r4WI0clQyGCUYwBCHj9sER-ITIVGC4619tJim9x48zXEK0RbyEIDMVjs8zIGAwU9sfWHEiamLRkgPA/s1600/lambdinner5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="324" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigw3TFdfr0Iib4YEZb3ROQ_ulbpciwtSLVojyx_RztO-va7iu3NtYOgGJasyH19r4WI0clQyGCUYwBCHj9sER-ITIVGC4619tJim9x48zXEK0RbyEIDMVjs8zIGAwU9sfWHEiamLRkgPA/s400/lambdinner5.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 18px;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">Using a skillet, at high heat, sear the lamb for a few minutes on each side until caramelized.</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-TunFuK-YNGx33e0mLJoKTdXobp9Ch2skrPK9kxQBVpvBblKNKOcggUK9ljLh-EpMqHXsiUu1rTHXdjuaZMA1ryNAwhz_bBrxE2iM1ll4SEW1z-a9ewwPXJYR8CiyJvkgCA5xTCWQpxM/s1600/lambdinner6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="287" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-TunFuK-YNGx33e0mLJoKTdXobp9Ch2skrPK9kxQBVpvBblKNKOcggUK9ljLh-EpMqHXsiUu1rTHXdjuaZMA1ryNAwhz_bBrxE2iM1ll4SEW1z-a9ewwPXJYR8CiyJvkgCA5xTCWQpxM/s400/lambdinner6.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><br />
</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">Put the carrots, potatoes, and onions in the bottom of a roasting pan and drizzle with olive oil. You can go ahead and add some extra salt, pepper, and oregano if you want!</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">Lay the lamb on top of the vegetables, and sprinkle with salt. (use a roasting rack if you have one!)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><br />
Roast uncovered for about an hour and a half. We used the <a href="http://www.americanlamb.com/lamb101/cookinglamb.aspx">American Lamb Doneness Chart</a> to determine how long to cook it. Cook less if you want it more on the medium-rare side!</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><br />
After you take it out, squeeze fresh lemon juice over it, let sit for about 10 minutes before you cut into it. </span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKiIaJhvYE7CWNIHgMibH1HNqxuhJIPlUbj_A8FussrPTo-Rom5OllYbOlmKjJPQVpAp2qddyPeE0kBQaFpa9_2Oi9bTnbv6sniAfZ54h78vdzPqSKr1ucbqMxkEY5DwYtuvYcNRBJ1ro/s1600/lambdinner2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="334" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKiIaJhvYE7CWNIHgMibH1HNqxuhJIPlUbj_A8FussrPTo-Rom5OllYbOlmKjJPQVpAp2qddyPeE0kBQaFpa9_2Oi9bTnbv6sniAfZ54h78vdzPqSKr1ucbqMxkEY5DwYtuvYcNRBJ1ro/s400/lambdinner2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><br />
</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">I literally can't express how good our kitchen smelled, and how impatient I was during those 10 minutes. WORTH THE WAIT! We also served it with imported Greek feta cheese and olives!</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><br />
</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixftfjv9RmzVMt7h4MigB18Uh1Uw8Q3AB9ZkqXmMcj7bC90WNOI3DHKjN_OktMNblDLwbnecf0ISgeaCU_c578i8Rv8i0b-QxBG7ZOPAFuPCJliFwAtEmJUs6ZngS3QMmw7miOd_EjVm4/s1600/lambdinner7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="338" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixftfjv9RmzVMt7h4MigB18Uh1Uw8Q3AB9ZkqXmMcj7bC90WNOI3DHKjN_OktMNblDLwbnecf0ISgeaCU_c578i8Rv8i0b-QxBG7ZOPAFuPCJliFwAtEmJUs6ZngS3QMmw7miOd_EjVm4/s400/lambdinner7.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><br />
</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">Anyways, that's our lamb dinner! If you celebrate Easter, then I hope you had a wonderful holiday and were lucky enough to spend it with people who you care about.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">If you don't celebrate Easter, this is a good recipe anyways to have anytime you have time to make it! </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><br />
And as always, enjoy!</span></span>Chef Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15284529271835234193noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3087189275104580934.post-246016969463248482012-03-26T17:14:00.000-07:002012-03-26T17:14:19.122-07:00Mom's Lasagna!<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Hello, readers! Tonight's dinner is a classic - homemade lasagna!</span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0MM6dSQZx6rnzx_LIQj7NiHdFsi0J0Q2F0nffn2lwm6H4YgTBqMVHEXL92kzhhrXfU-poevJ0CHCYgtgPCvrj_IRheBvDVAKKlmWlr8OOE8gnItGY4JzsVPvtAGCc_gAKs_K6SyMDtkk/s1600/DSC_0881.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0MM6dSQZx6rnzx_LIQj7NiHdFsi0J0Q2F0nffn2lwm6H4YgTBqMVHEXL92kzhhrXfU-poevJ0CHCYgtgPCvrj_IRheBvDVAKKlmWlr8OOE8gnItGY4JzsVPvtAGCc_gAKs_K6SyMDtkk/s400/DSC_0881.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">This recipe comes from my mother, and is always good! (But especially good on freakish nights where it gets cold again. Not happy about that!!)</span><div><div><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I'm not going to lie about this one - not as simple as the others, mainly because it has homemade sauce. But it does freeze great, so you may as well make two while you're at it and throw one in the freezer!!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><i>Ingredients:</i></span></div><div><ul><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfFIashhf-jg9G_21hFLRsGFseV4yUgrEW9hIkcAGgGzpZ8-ysTAs3YWjuSf8ol_Ox2e49HqJ57-PvQrgPZgf-s3KZ5FbZ7BXVjTJolbD8AYC-EDS_upOi7irwdIREd-hOLbdgEr7Ld0Y/s1600/DSC_0861.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfFIashhf-jg9G_21hFLRsGFseV4yUgrEW9hIkcAGgGzpZ8-ysTAs3YWjuSf8ol_Ox2e49HqJ57-PvQrgPZgf-s3KZ5FbZ7BXVjTJolbD8AYC-EDS_upOi7irwdIREd-hOLbdgEr7Ld0Y/s320/DSC_0861.JPG" width="320" /></a>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1 onion</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1 green pepper</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Mushrooms (as many as you want! I used half of a package for 1 lasagna)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">6oz can tomato paste</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">29 oz can tomato puree </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Salt, pepper, garlic powder, basil, and oregano (to taste)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1 lb ground beef</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Lasagna noodles (1 lb if normal noodles, 1 box if <a href="http://pasta-products-prince.newworldpasta.com/Oven-Ready-Lasagna-ZX00411290108100CT00ZX21">no-boil noodles</a>. YES it is a thing!)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1 lb ricotta cheese</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1 egg</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1 lb shredded mozzarella cheese</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Romano cheese</span></li>
</ul><div><span style="color: red; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><i>Directions:</i></span></div></div><div><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>Make the sauce:</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Dice the onion, green pepper, and mushrooms. Brown in olive oil.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Brown the ground beef.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Add tomato paste and tomato puree. Rinse out tomato paste can with water and add to the sauce until it is of desired thickness.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Add the spices to taste... I like adding a little more basil than I do oregano, and just a bit of the other spices. (I am aware at how vague that was, but it really is individual per your palate!)</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Add the ground beef, and let the sauce simmer for at least 1 to 2 hours. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>Assemble the lasagna:</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Preheat the oven to 375oF.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Mix the egg in with the ricotta.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMWin2QMqR1uIZdOrrDMQhqJ5_H33NiIc39FC60mY3V_8Pm5MoOIOMueOjv-9qzATUjqHcUyawi8tExzKdlfwsxdI-XkkoPXDdL4-IQX0BdykUCfeKvbzG5nQwUDbmQO3MAwcWa_6b1zQ/s1600/DSC_0862.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMWin2QMqR1uIZdOrrDMQhqJ5_H33NiIc39FC60mY3V_8Pm5MoOIOMueOjv-9qzATUjqHcUyawi8tExzKdlfwsxdI-XkkoPXDdL4-IQX0BdykUCfeKvbzG5nQwUDbmQO3MAwcWa_6b1zQ/s320/DSC_0862.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Using a 9x13 dish (or a lasagna pan), layer sauce, noodles, ricotta, and mozzarella. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Repeat layers until 3 layers of each. Sprinkle Romano on the top when done with layers.</span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXS9g5v0G9ZLe8iNHEiq3d6jXSGTD6JEx6QkBEqOwNWezYQJ44OStP3D5fLQft5T3ZFc5YCkuxg7zKG8tFw1AhOmDsxnlBWPDYlocA8VOCmvoRsOkRgBDGpAfz3K7brTfbXfClznyKajo/s1600/DSC_0863.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXS9g5v0G9ZLe8iNHEiq3d6jXSGTD6JEx6QkBEqOwNWezYQJ44OStP3D5fLQft5T3ZFc5YCkuxg7zKG8tFw1AhOmDsxnlBWPDYlocA8VOCmvoRsOkRgBDGpAfz3K7brTfbXfClznyKajo/s320/DSC_0863.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Layer 1: Sauce (yumm!)</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgtYZ8I72_uqe3t2n5_ggS-dL4_enq1ww2EnWrIx5KHCu8epYjgBs6_kQKWHfX0lSpud25mFmW2FXOmBaV-30_vAEA72Dnqr5l4lp6OPEJmc3_HsfMaVAIRTepx0VxdEM_AgVGTINm39w/s1600/DSC_0866.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgtYZ8I72_uqe3t2n5_ggS-dL4_enq1ww2EnWrIx5KHCu8epYjgBs6_kQKWHfX0lSpud25mFmW2FXOmBaV-30_vAEA72Dnqr5l4lp6OPEJmc3_HsfMaVAIRTepx0VxdEM_AgVGTINm39w/s320/DSC_0866.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Layer 2: Noodles! These are the no-boil noodles</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtM1pgDU3LOJzyRsYylkn6z_wZbauv4rIiTSZOj0g7joeCKlhTE88F-ne7BASjRpZBf67oYeGDrJgQPtKpD13LjAO-nk3EUW4oEuhBrhSpxFvIO7bnvgsWARyZnUqLMgERBIcJ1FJIY58/s1600/DSC_0873.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="206" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtM1pgDU3LOJzyRsYylkn6z_wZbauv4rIiTSZOj0g7joeCKlhTE88F-ne7BASjRpZBf67oYeGDrJgQPtKpD13LjAO-nk3EUW4oEuhBrhSpxFvIO7bnvgsWARyZnUqLMgERBIcJ1FJIY58/s320/DSC_0873.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Layer 3: Ricotta cheese</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwdnee-9hse6IKodCrDIbj-_DOsjog4EFOEH4K-SLUUaGD3edYCy44S0Az318MV4l0ZP0ygAzx6bkOOdlVqX7EPs8cWOBYLKHwmuN69NHjfE_NQdlzvJSpYkpTsWPlR51Y2cXwJh_sKGw/s1600/DSC_0874.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="177" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwdnee-9hse6IKodCrDIbj-_DOsjog4EFOEH4K-SLUUaGD3edYCy44S0Az318MV4l0ZP0ygAzx6bkOOdlVqX7EPs8cWOBYLKHwmuN69NHjfE_NQdlzvJSpYkpTsWPlR51Y2cXwJh_sKGw/s320/DSC_0874.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Layer 4: Mozzarella</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Cook uncovered for 30 minutes, and serve with extra sauce. (And crusty bread. As I have said many times here on the Fork and Dagger, EVERYTHING goes well with crusty bread!)</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwE8RnjupBl661rxR8fsomemdEJcqRoeSemsk0MJEvACJ4njAalZf8gYCKWhl4bXfSGMHErVt9cC5mAgL8r0QbK8rY6jZ_2uO5gqMexlTVTlmDQfhf2r5Kk36IBdhhhvLGTIq-OQqLz4Y/s1600/DSC_0883.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwE8RnjupBl661rxR8fsomemdEJcqRoeSemsk0MJEvACJ4njAalZf8gYCKWhl4bXfSGMHErVt9cC5mAgL8r0QbK8rY6jZ_2uO5gqMexlTVTlmDQfhf2r5Kk36IBdhhhvLGTIq-OQqLz4Y/s320/DSC_0883.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Enjoy! (And then, enjoy a second time around when you reheat your second lasagna. Go ahead, thank me later :) You'll be glad you made it!)</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div></div></div>Chef Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15284529271835234193noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3087189275104580934.post-15516988951621259252012-02-18T17:25:00.000-08:002012-02-19T08:01:26.204-08:00Chicken Fajita Night!<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Good evening internet :)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">So I am currently spending 6 weeks with two of my friends in Virginia, and so I decided that the LEAST I could do was make them a few nice dinners! (Mainly just an excuse to add some more blog posts for you all)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">After making Dino Nuggets twice this week, I thought they were due for some real chicken...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
ENTER: Chicken Fajitas!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHansBw-5grGIJPmG860SVpQTg5aM2wEIVttmF9fPhuTrVjLbyZfRaB0I8HdGD0B84PVHpmhmZLnhNL3TCvbRAaQkRiH6QCKd8P6E5PfMqB_8FOiipJ8xE3wxrPf4c4Ip7q1wzKZEG2nQ/s1600/13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHansBw-5grGIJPmG860SVpQTg5aM2wEIVttmF9fPhuTrVjLbyZfRaB0I8HdGD0B84PVHpmhmZLnhNL3TCvbRAaQkRiH6QCKd8P6E5PfMqB_8FOiipJ8xE3wxrPf4c4Ip7q1wzKZEG2nQ/s400/13.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Or tacos. Or burritos. I'm not entirely certain of the technical difference, but in MY eyes, these are fajitas, so you can just deal with that.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">This is a good, easy, flavorful meal that always goes over well (or at least that's what they told me!) Enjoy!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><i>Ingredients:</i></span><br />
<br />
<ul><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6gHZRjdYnhNziswYkBSLSpGGCMZdpTjBbtAc4au2rvwq0KFPeNcEnMKCPLqh_efq2EhmJBfnNbilYQ6AlPohENvxZuv6wYvsvDfkwzJ__PXRoiBguLWcXmAHKgxE18dpZ-XRGDyBokyI/s1600/ingredients.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="188" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6gHZRjdYnhNziswYkBSLSpGGCMZdpTjBbtAc4au2rvwq0KFPeNcEnMKCPLqh_efq2EhmJBfnNbilYQ6AlPohENvxZuv6wYvsvDfkwzJ__PXRoiBguLWcXmAHKgxE18dpZ-XRGDyBokyI/s200/ingredients.jpg" width="200" /></a>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">4 Limes </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Olive oil</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Garlic (About 4 cloves... or more. If you read more posts, you'll know I often take liberty with garlic!)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1 teaspoon cumin</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1 tablespoon cilantro</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Chicken (~4 breasts yields about 8 fajitas)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Soft tortillas (white, wheat, corn, whatever floats your boat)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Cheese</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Toppings (Whatever you like! We used lettuce, tomatoes, and sour cream)</span></li>
</ul><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCmac50oCOiir940hDb4y-hlO6UTwfgTHu6o4lQfwaiTurrMhWB7uAffukPV3wxkyLFS8kaBjsTDyUtLxM_rIYm7JKw-cXH1CGHhbmqxrZEuYc1PlVzeMNkwvpcODf1kW1-fD7ibPusD4/s1600/9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="167" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCmac50oCOiir940hDb4y-hlO6UTwfgTHu6o4lQfwaiTurrMhWB7uAffukPV3wxkyLFS8kaBjsTDyUtLxM_rIYm7JKw-cXH1CGHhbmqxrZEuYc1PlVzeMNkwvpcODf1kW1-fD7ibPusD4/s400/9.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="color: red; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><i>Directions:</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">First you have to make the marinade for the chicken:</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">To make the marinade, whisk together the lime juice with an equal amount of olive oil. Once whisked, crush/mince the garlic and add to the marinade, and follow with the cumin and cilantro. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Slice the chicken into strips and let it soak in the marinade.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRyeEVUyL30aExpX0LVPGUM-J5jx5vFug7RNQIYC_z91sGkRpIwZnRb_SQZTz0028NnMxH6N-tFlw7IkluNo1hbt9PFlZcBDyCXemr-_EmJ7tpa_wpqifl693M3m0zpGDC5hIjoZWpfLA/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRyeEVUyL30aExpX0LVPGUM-J5jx5vFug7RNQIYC_z91sGkRpIwZnRb_SQZTz0028NnMxH6N-tFlw7IkluNo1hbt9PFlZcBDyCXemr-_EmJ7tpa_wpqifl693M3m0zpGDC5hIjoZWpfLA/s400/1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">And try to marinade the chicken enough in advance that they really get a chance to spend quality time together. About 4 hours of marinating time is good!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Done marinating? Time to go!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Heat some olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Saute the chicken strips in the skillet until they are cooked through and browned on the outside. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZdymlPL4vedOtFFkli8DbS_N1-A2nQOhyHcpbuIe3hyC_KjSq1MvOl052ZOZK993oflgJ1AMJ9frWSeIpNKdO0vEPzHEOb7hi3kKc2Oek_IutKBmmxrQbSuYcq6_1yEZrL54TcD4uOFM/s1600/7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZdymlPL4vedOtFFkli8DbS_N1-A2nQOhyHcpbuIe3hyC_KjSq1MvOl052ZOZK993oflgJ1AMJ9frWSeIpNKdO0vEPzHEOb7hi3kKc2Oek_IutKBmmxrQbSuYcq6_1yEZrL54TcD4uOFM/s400/7.jpg" width="334" /></a></div><div><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">*NOTE*: </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">DON'T OVERLOAD THE SKILLET! To avoid this, y</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">ou may have to do this in batches. If you do it in batches, use water to deglaze the skillet in between batches or else the little pieces of chicken and garlic that stick will burn before you are done!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">You're more or less done at this point. But here's my favorite part!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Lay some of the chicken strips on the tortillas, sprinkle on the cheese, and stick it under the broiler until the cheese is melted and the tortilla is slightly crunchy.</span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGevgmQhE97Rw3we7dpg6XjFtvqE1pM9Odzk7b3-xLH2v5_NP29kI9j3kNTOypwkeZJ-2RTVNbREOMBEO6uBMJVrDqpHeo-8IGltChQCSgMiqGk5syCLWFGwlouoVLo1xhd5pz7O5KiNg/s1600/11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGevgmQhE97Rw3we7dpg6XjFtvqE1pM9Odzk7b3-xLH2v5_NP29kI9j3kNTOypwkeZJ-2RTVNbREOMBEO6uBMJVrDqpHeo-8IGltChQCSgMiqGk5syCLWFGwlouoVLo1xhd5pz7O5KiNg/s400/11.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small; text-align: -webkit-auto;">Mmmmm... melted cheese :)</span> </td></tr>
</tbody></table><div><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Add your toppings, and you're good to go!! Enjoy!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0IpFZPfGDXIvqYhrndnfIrw1jFcjfC9yFAjzemWZ0AWMfihhKi2iDh5mLIQyMgnK9of104BrhI47MPzxLFWdOuP1smc7buopimh-JclNukUdc3eCTT-rKjD8T_BmiwzUIBOm-lg6pqfk/s1600/12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0IpFZPfGDXIvqYhrndnfIrw1jFcjfC9yFAjzemWZ0AWMfihhKi2iDh5mLIQyMgnK9of104BrhI47MPzxLFWdOuP1smc7buopimh-JclNukUdc3eCTT-rKjD8T_BmiwzUIBOm-lg6pqfk/s400/12.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Chef Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15284529271835234193noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3087189275104580934.post-3872486569524299612012-01-28T17:52:00.000-08:002012-01-28T18:16:15.875-08:00Delightful Slow Cooker Beef<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Happy winter, blog readers! To help you make it through these cold days, I thought I would provide you with a good, stick to your ribs, slow cooker beef dinner!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmW15BfXxgFNZv3XrRak-BPIgj3BB4V3zssE3uolqSWILrwayHd7RNaLEXhxGsFnT9jJy7YtTxrQ_vfa96JKN7dAoF-AKDdSSqX1S1Z1_jIvUOPblOnDt_QQviL_q0icQHP4Zjs6LKuH8/s1600/DSC_0745.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmW15BfXxgFNZv3XrRak-BPIgj3BB4V3zssE3uolqSWILrwayHd7RNaLEXhxGsFnT9jJy7YtTxrQ_vfa96JKN7dAoF-AKDdSSqX1S1Z1_jIvUOPblOnDt_QQviL_q0icQHP4Zjs6LKuH8/s400/DSC_0745.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yes, it IS as tasty as it looks!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">This was a SUPER easy dinner - and the beauty of the slow cooker meal is that it was almost all ready for me to eat when I got home from work today!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Well,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">almost. :)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">If you are looking for an easy way to eat hearty and stay warm this winter, this is the meal for you!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: xx-small;">(Adapted from <a href="http://zestycook.com/melt-in-your-mouth-beef/">the Zesty Cook</a>)</span><br />
<span style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><i>Ingredients:</i></span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibI6yUJlPqZ9Ok4YQMBa2jDCdiQz0k7VZFykn-G2AeCwzjn6oYV9FHFRkXehlvWavm3CDhEMHm288NaOnsnVWVsb5f4WZFx3nUkx4pwu-WzH-Yt8WysIEO-XjmnCboHsgXIp9IZStehMo/s1600/DSC_0737.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibI6yUJlPqZ9Ok4YQMBa2jDCdiQz0k7VZFykn-G2AeCwzjn6oYV9FHFRkXehlvWavm3CDhEMHm288NaOnsnVWVsb5f4WZFx3nUkx4pwu-WzH-Yt8WysIEO-XjmnCboHsgXIp9IZStehMo/s400/DSC_0737.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><ul><li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1 beef roast (~4 pounds)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">3-4 cloves garlic</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1/2 cup red wine (Food network always says to cook with a wine that you would also drink! We used a cabernet)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">White mushrooms (if you want a specific amount, we used 15 and quartered them. But listen to your heart :) And my heart loves mushrooms!)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Cherry tomatoes (again, for specifics, we used about 10)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1/4 cup chicken broth</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Thyme (The recipe I found didn't specify an amount, so I pulled the leaves off of about 3 sprigs of fresh thyme)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Salt and pepper to taste</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Cornstarch</span></li>
</ul><div><span style="color: red; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><i>Directions:</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">PART I: IN THE MORNING:</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">In a large pan with olive oil, on medium high heat, sear all sides of the meat until caramelized.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOPAJr6V3_YpyxAPQX7gc1XYyKJA-md7MmhVOaakMB5c2SYNxoqEzyQF8GcaCm4ksbPdruloSnfB4UvmdGTth61JQVImVjPLXRBNwMIPZ3esAUml4kDIN__-3H-82ekjATHO7id_Glurs/s1600/DSC_0740+-+Copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOPAJr6V3_YpyxAPQX7gc1XYyKJA-md7MmhVOaakMB5c2SYNxoqEzyQF8GcaCm4ksbPdruloSnfB4UvmdGTth61JQVImVjPLXRBNwMIPZ3esAUml4kDIN__-3H-82ekjATHO7id_Glurs/s400/DSC_0740+-+Copy.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Place meat in the slow cooker.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Add the mushrooms, tomatoes and garlic. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Then add the salt and pepper, wine and chicken broth, and then the thyme.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXoMM_ZOqjsFqZW7WwuVrDB2t-A2GLru9YmGlGwsLJQQAU4luFzwyKHxpCucNpK2ZAzxFU8fusBPzHlSz1j8YBHruSv3t5imqzoD22gUAVq274n_eOIzE_8P6U_6udmD3uRmBGeszFdAg/s1600/DSC_0743.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXoMM_ZOqjsFqZW7WwuVrDB2t-A2GLru9YmGlGwsLJQQAU4luFzwyKHxpCucNpK2ZAzxFU8fusBPzHlSz1j8YBHruSv3t5imqzoD22gUAVq274n_eOIzE_8P6U_6udmD3uRmBGeszFdAg/s400/DSC_0743.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Cover and set on low. Cook for at LEAST 8 hours.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">THEN GO DO WHATEVER YOU WANT! </span></div><div><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">If I had it my way, I would have spent the 8 hours necessary to properly cook this doing something awesome, like <a href="http://www.geocaching.com/">Geocaching</a>... or going to see a movie.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Or napping.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">But instead I had to go to work...</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">After working up an appetite counting pills, it was time to come home to my dinner.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">PART 2: AT DINNER TIME:, </span></div><div><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Take out the meat and vegetables </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">and put the sauce in a pan. Bring to a boil and reduce.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Add 2 tablespoons cornstarch to 3 tablespoons of water, mix well, and add to the sauce.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Allow the sauce to thicken and create a (delicious!) gravy.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrse1YRwZq6QS-U9VVYYr60Rl-lx_WK7GGpcHR52Lxf10EaX8kzs5ZrCpHkV5QxF_CJE238uXQcRWvCszAfCPM3JblSsFlZiWatrtT49zUsyx0KzMSqQOoB4_CoOynYTe862MPgjHLbp0/s1600/DSC_0746.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrse1YRwZq6QS-U9VVYYr60Rl-lx_WK7GGpcHR52Lxf10EaX8kzs5ZrCpHkV5QxF_CJE238uXQcRWvCszAfCPM3JblSsFlZiWatrtT49zUsyx0KzMSqQOoB4_CoOynYTe862MPgjHLbp0/s400/DSC_0746.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">We served our beef with corn and a baked potato. And of course crusty bread. If you're questioning our use of crusty bread, just keep reading other posts. It goes with EVERYTHING. But really, just do whatever makes you feel good :)</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSZCAnYA1PlNc1q_Nh-a4xihnYN5WCRO0wjstK9AXvm6NYPhgrlaXdsrk1dfm0Huj0Ypw1fY1m3QRwkfm3bSrfo_e2eA8-O2_dKZBmaTKsALW342A9kLDidDOlbiQEtu4CxK5e9eFZERA/s1600/DSC_0754.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSZCAnYA1PlNc1q_Nh-a4xihnYN5WCRO0wjstK9AXvm6NYPhgrlaXdsrk1dfm0Huj0Ypw1fY1m3QRwkfm3bSrfo_e2eA8-O2_dKZBmaTKsALW342A9kLDidDOlbiQEtu4CxK5e9eFZERA/s400/DSC_0754.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">And as always... enjoy!</span></div>Chef Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15284529271835234193noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3087189275104580934.post-92193268299139561712012-01-19T20:04:00.000-08:002012-01-19T20:04:56.109-08:00Creme Brulee French Toast<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Whoaaa two posts in a week! We're getting a little crazy here, watch out!<br />
Thought I would put up something I made on Christmas this year, but didn't get around to posting....</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5_hPuT_ujc9l0k6vRjpX0GHsZLxEzW6bRhzYwitYr52O35_x74GBCHcaCTPsM5d7oK2hAwARtzvEZdR03aIS1LCwmCKijxGORgRvvGOMOCAv96LNP9wAxMlV2pphM80tO-aZTdZmrxN0/s1600/DSC_0668.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5_hPuT_ujc9l0k6vRjpX0GHsZLxEzW6bRhzYwitYr52O35_x74GBCHcaCTPsM5d7oK2hAwARtzvEZdR03aIS1LCwmCKijxGORgRvvGOMOCAv96LNP9wAxMlV2pphM80tO-aZTdZmrxN0/s400/DSC_0668.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The bear mug in the background made this truly complete!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">A tasty creme brulee french toast!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I first had this recipe from one of my roommates: the lovely and fabulous Katie Post. She wrote down the recipe for me a few years ago but I lost it. Luckily I found a very similar (if not the same) recipe!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Enjoy our Christmas breakfast! Good for family brunch, holidays, or just when you have a hankering for something sweet and delicious!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: xx-small;">(Adapted from <a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/creme-brulee-french-toast-recipe2/index.html">Food Network</a>)</span><br />
<span style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><i>Ingredients:</i></span><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHCAPrcQ9N3723TDqfSvOTomTS2AD5mhG6-eidTR9j6qDKwtBBk2jcj4MxsGe73tnCz8rERHtTRs5Xu_-dyEW3H8NmjJW_iRd535oWlboasdgfjmtVG9-KRSKF0HZNl2FzwDLl1fnBEtk/s1600/DSC_0662.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHCAPrcQ9N3723TDqfSvOTomTS2AD5mhG6-eidTR9j6qDKwtBBk2jcj4MxsGe73tnCz8rERHtTRs5Xu_-dyEW3H8NmjJW_iRd535oWlboasdgfjmtVG9-KRSKF0HZNl2FzwDLl1fnBEtk/s200/DSC_0662.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I love the tiny Chambord bottle. <br />
The crown makes me feel fancy!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><ul><li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1/2 cup (aka 1 stick) unsalted butter</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1 cup packed brown sugar (I used light brown, because the color looked nice!)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">2 tablespoons corn syrup</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Some variety of sweet bread. In the past I have used tsoureki, a delicious Greek sweet bread. We waited too long to go shopping this year so we used about a 10-inch round of generic Shaws Supermarket sweet bread</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">5 large eggs</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1 and 1/2 cups half and half</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1 teaspoon vanilla extract</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1 teaspoon Chambord (I chose this because of the slight raspberry flavor. You can sub your flavor in of choice... the original recipe called for Grand Marnier, but I have used the Chambord twice and have not been disappointed!)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1/4 teaspoon of salt</span></li>
</ul><br />
<span style="color: red; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><i>Directions:</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">**I should preface this by saying that the bulk of the work on this french toast is done the night before!!**</span><br />
<br />
<ol><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2NE3Bo_jZINyRcrd_IW5Z-E8wYJrB6VSKWVGZXqE3tjNe58PGqW8gOuEdOG1aaaBfGVGDBzm-_VXVt0zVFS1uwSBWxHJr7LnFmOAWBzrTCo-YJjD8U5eMInRfpD8Tgp3OhQJh-Bcc1XM/s1600/DSC_0658.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2NE3Bo_jZINyRcrd_IW5Z-E8wYJrB6VSKWVGZXqE3tjNe58PGqW8gOuEdOG1aaaBfGVGDBzm-_VXVt0zVFS1uwSBWxHJr7LnFmOAWBzrTCo-YJjD8U5eMInRfpD8Tgp3OhQJh-Bcc1XM/s320/DSC_0658.JPG" width="320" /></a>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">In a small saucepan, melt the butter with the brown sugar and corn syrup over medium heat.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Stir until smooth and silky! </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Pour mixture into the bottom of a 9" x 13" baking dish</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Cut 1 inch slices from the bread and put on top sugar mixture in the dish (try to squeeze in as many pieces as possible! Like a puzzle. Or tetris!)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">In a bowl, whisk together the eggs, half and half, vanilla, Chambord, and salt.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Pour evenly over the bread until all the pieces of bread are covered.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">At this point, cover and chill in a fridge for at least 8 hours (up to 1 day)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Go to sleep! (zzzzz....)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Wake up! (And while you're brushing your teeth to get rid of morning doodle breath, take the french toast out of the fridge and bring to room temperature)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Bake uncovered in the middle of the oven 35-40 minutes. The edges should be pale golden and the french toast will be puffed! (It will settle down though. Don't worry!)</span></li>
</ol><div><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Serve with maple syrup if you would like, but with the creme brulee bottom you may not need it!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Bacon creates a great salty-sweet contrast, so feel free to cook up some bacon to go with it!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6Kzv9lJjasTBa_bdgIKUk8bxDz9KCztO0VL4bzfAsyxxIekfdRYRtyqKtfsYLYjEX0IyTlcGywPsWKrw0jKlJUzE-CWpFRpZ7th8wSo1feP_h34YcL2jW-U8lCGRcwvsBXGmIK6nsawE/s1600/DSC_0671.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6Kzv9lJjasTBa_bdgIKUk8bxDz9KCztO0VL4bzfAsyxxIekfdRYRtyqKtfsYLYjEX0IyTlcGywPsWKrw0jKlJUzE-CWpFRpZ7th8wSo1feP_h34YcL2jW-U8lCGRcwvsBXGmIK6nsawE/s320/DSC_0671.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Enjoy! (And happy belated Christmas!)</span></div>Chef Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15284529271835234193noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3087189275104580934.post-46144260187728998502012-01-17T17:37:00.000-08:002012-01-17T17:37:15.115-08:00White Bean and Roasted Mushroom Soup<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Before I begin - I apologize for my long absence from the Fork and Dagger... I have been very busy and as a result, cooking less and eating more nonsense. And by eating more nonsense I mean I have been eating lots of Dunkin everything bagels with cream cheese, McDonalds cheeseburgers, and pizza. While quite tasty, they were not quite blog-worthy.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">But now we've passed the start of the year and like most, I have jumped back onto the diet bandwagon. (Woo!) Tonight's dinner is one of hopefully many more tasty, healthy meals to come!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzPXL7Gq_jz9bm8hyphenhyphen_zXVu4CzD4l6JoNomJLmAK8Rq5MTOGqeGAWgntQ6ukkLh28Z0CcU8c5klzRVPY_KKZg7FPgIthlLvBp6q6mMuFYvrG4pQ_Q3K7QsSqbpdYLX_IGLAOMjjlzIYWbM/s1600/DSC_0711.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzPXL7Gq_jz9bm8hyphenhyphen_zXVu4CzD4l6JoNomJLmAK8Rq5MTOGqeGAWgntQ6ukkLh28Z0CcU8c5klzRVPY_KKZg7FPgIthlLvBp6q6mMuFYvrG4pQ_Q3K7QsSqbpdYLX_IGLAOMjjlzIYWbM/s320/DSC_0711.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">White Bean and Roasted Mushroom Soup... Serves 8. Unless you halve it like I did. Then it serves 4. But the below directions are for 8!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">(Recipe from <a href="http://shewearsmanyhats.com/2011/10/roasted-mushroom-soup/">She Wears Many Hats</a>)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br />
</span></span><br />
<span style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><i>Ingredients: </i></span><br />
<br />
<ul><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWCCMtPHzkB-ENhqgKBIQJabOI70RCk38_yqQIXtd-e7kmzLbSDPKXTn2BgLWtW4my1b7lAeJDDOjhtgcyFefd6z8vFcPHGpSactzNmSgAHDdQqc2QomSQBQgsh9ykYWGcWTw8qKfY5Yg/s1600/DSC_0685.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWCCMtPHzkB-ENhqgKBIQJabOI70RCk38_yqQIXtd-e7kmzLbSDPKXTn2BgLWtW4my1b7lAeJDDOjhtgcyFefd6z8vFcPHGpSactzNmSgAHDdQqc2QomSQBQgsh9ykYWGcWTw8qKfY5Yg/s320/DSC_0685.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Don't have stainless steel mixing bowls? GET THEM. <br />
Must-have in the kitchen :)</td></tr>
</tbody></table><li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">16 ounces of mushrooms halved or quartered. I used baby 'bellas, because the brown makes it look earthier and because they're adorable.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">2 large sweet onions, quartered</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">3 garlic cloves, lightly crushed</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1-2 tablespoons olive oil</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1 and 1/2 teaspoons salt</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1 and 1/2 teaspoons pepper</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">8-10 fresh sage leaves</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">8-10 stems + 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves</span></li>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><ul><li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">**If you prefer to use dried for either spice, you can feel free to do so. The rule of thumb is one part dried to three parts fresh.... But fresh tastes better!**</span></li>
</ul><li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">48 ounces broth (either chicken or vegetable is fine! we used chicken)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">3-15 ounce cans white beans NOT drained (we used cannellini)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Salt and pepper as needed.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Crusty bread is a MUST :)</span></li>
</ul><span style="color: red; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><i>Directions:</i></span><br />
<br />
<ol><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhavCuMhJOWpYD6ZsBkJD-WyDBpPreYRBHWCDACeEOif2ZTfEISsWIFmYu_rJ8LTk5rcb55I-tJ_Tzg6qJMma2D0OSWGyO6tZLyXl_DJ_8EaQVQ6OjrKYiUEiVuUF_80d6X12tXELCWqfU/s1600/DSC_0696.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhavCuMhJOWpYD6ZsBkJD-WyDBpPreYRBHWCDACeEOif2ZTfEISsWIFmYu_rJ8LTk5rcb55I-tJ_Tzg6qJMma2D0OSWGyO6tZLyXl_DJ_8EaQVQ6OjrKYiUEiVuUF_80d6X12tXELCWqfU/s320/DSC_0696.JPG" width="320" /></a>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Toss the mushrooms, garlic, and onion in the olive oil and 1 teaspoon each of salt and pepper (*The mushrooms are going to need to be separated at a later point, so you can save yourself some hassle and keep them separate from the get-go if you want! Ex. mix the mushrooms and onions/garlic with 1 tbsp oil, 1/2 tsp salt and pepper each*)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Spread veggies on baking sheet and add the sage and thyme. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Roast in oven for 10 minutes, toss, and roast another 15 minutes.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">While vegetables are roasting, add broth, beans, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper, and remaining thyme (1 tbsp) to a large stock pot. Simmer at medium heat.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">When the vegetables are done, separate the mushrooms.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Put the roasted onions, garlic, and herbs to a blender. (We also scraped up the browned bits from the bottom of the roasting pan and added those as well!)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Add 2 cups of the beans and 1 cup of stock to the blender as well.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Cover the blender and blend until smooth.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Whisk the pureed vegetables back into the stock pot until smooth. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Add the roasted mushrooms. Salt and pepper to taste! </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Keep the heat on low until ready to serve.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">MOST IMPORTANTLY: SERVE WITH CRUSTY BREAD :) Sops up the broth B-E-A-utifully!</span></li>
</ol><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd-hlBHebXv1Dyz5BNDZRNQzS4A3uKpKW2VfUqHM_P70oOwm-gJ4L4ofkbTs2zp9RkaOo3IIYJDurXz6WUwxzwJ57-EsGRP-MmWF_rHuaGqVwSnAayxB6exIcU4mE2l_NSJv04yrKzm3E/s1600/DSC_0707.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd-hlBHebXv1Dyz5BNDZRNQzS4A3uKpKW2VfUqHM_P70oOwm-gJ4L4ofkbTs2zp9RkaOo3IIYJDurXz6WUwxzwJ57-EsGRP-MmWF_rHuaGqVwSnAayxB6exIcU4mE2l_NSJv04yrKzm3E/s320/DSC_0707.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I encourage you all to make this - it was a delicious, healthy, earthy dinner. Served with a little salad on the side, and I would say I stuck to my diet today!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Enjoy!!</span></div>Chef Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15284529271835234193noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3087189275104580934.post-7985549692265991362011-12-31T07:59:00.000-08:002011-12-31T08:16:52.218-08:00The Seasonal Salad.<div style="text-align: left;">Sometimes you just want a nice salad that is simple, yet full of delicious. And cranberries. It should probably be full of cranberries too. Maybe some blue cheese (or bleu, depending on your spelling preference). Because these things are delicious.</div><br /><div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 277px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQvSUWjDFDirNmr0hyxUK5LY7Sp00SdX-kWa6i6BztDQkIEXgvi8OGZMa21C58dTQiUSXoSCCoqhCkGCJkOVQM_XWEtbMfn8Qcy4x3BwVy47x74l37oKkyVGuvn-4GsyLrvZZSImIWzsKf/s400/6570761011_e7c2b165e1_b.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5692324676661720962" /></div><div><br />So here's what you need:</div><div><br />Baby spinach leaves<br />Blue cheese (I like a nice Trader Joe's variety)</div><div>Dried cranberries</div><div>Nuts (preferably pecans and hazelnuts)<br />Olive oil<br />Balsamic vinegar</div><div>Lemon (for the zest, not the juice)</div><div><br /></div><div>First, toast your nuts. Throw them in a pan and heat them over a medium/high flame while constantly tossing them around in the pan so they don't burn. Do this for a few minutes until they brown a bit.</div><div><br /></div><div>Then, make your dressing. Do this by combining equal parts of olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Then use your lemon and the small holes of a cheese grater to make some lemon zest. If you're fancy enough to own an actual zester, that would work too. Throw some zest into your balsamic/olive oil mixture. The amount of zest is not too critical. I used about a 1/2 teaspoon of zest for a two person sized portion of dressing. Use your best judgement. </div><div><br /></div><div>Finally, assemble your salad by adding crumbled blue cheese along with your toasted nuts and dried cranberries to a bowl of baby spinach. Drizzle with your homemade lemon balsamic vinaigrette. Then eat him up!</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Deannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05304477517165669117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3087189275104580934.post-71729732614215914342011-10-09T17:30:00.000-07:002011-10-09T18:05:33.319-07:00Pumpkin Pie a la Fall<div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHsT-3mpiAnnxlA4z38FLlrAz8SSmwrj2ZOJciOXuex9WXho1XejDm-PE3q2BAX9-Jg-gW-zyioU4Fslk9vW3sELWjA-IOC7IclzmvbUJ1A3XrJtxrl_IHm9qhsNFmGXwaz7UCpfo4tlGj/s1600/018ps.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHsT-3mpiAnnxlA4z38FLlrAz8SSmwrj2ZOJciOXuex9WXho1XejDm-PE3q2BAX9-Jg-gW-zyioU4Fslk9vW3sELWjA-IOC7IclzmvbUJ1A3XrJtxrl_IHm9qhsNFmGXwaz7UCpfo4tlGj/s400/018ps.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5661662568076308450" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Hello again, fine blog readers. I've been in quite the "Fall" mood lately, and since it was a three day weekend, I gave in and dedicated my whole Sunday to the celebration of pumpkins. I LOVE pumpkins.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>I began this grand pumpkin day by carving a pumpkin up into little chunks to make a pumpkin puree. It's really quite easy. I hear you can roast the pumpkin to make a puree as well, but I like to cut it up into chunks and boil it until it gets nice and soft. Once its soft, you simply drain out the hot water and fill the pot with really really cold water (so you don't burn yourself when you cut off the pumpkin skin and throw the chunks into the blender). Then, blend the pumpkin. Often times you'll need to add a little of the milk from the pumpkin pie recipe below in order to get it to blend properly. Or you can add a little water, and just make a note to yourself to subtract a little water from whatever recipe you're using.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZYwBamd3Yp4V9qb-Q-CwakBX9gl07GdMinuKZljy7d3Uqgy5DL-0KHIWQ8u59BgCAor7JfaNSPUVywoz0Y9qHEY00HWz4YxyoJffl2UwXVvV5HHOMBMp2oGYoEDQXuJ9brGU4mDwbZw2u/s400/129ps.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 259px; height: 400px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5661656621520310642" /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div><br /></div><div>So now you have pureed pumpkin. In my case, I have A LOT of pureed pumpkin, so I may be posting a few more pumpkin related treats.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>Now for the pie. Begin by making your crust. Feel free to use whatever type of crust you like. If you don't feel like getting flour all over your kitchen, premade is the way to go. I was feeling rather adventurous this morning though, so I made it from scratch. Basically, just mix all the dry stuff, then add nice cold butter cut into little chunks. Mix it with your hands, breaking up the chunks of butter until everything is nice and crumbly. Then add just as much cold water as you need to get the dough to turn into a nice ball. Here's a recipe for guidance:</div><div><br />1 and 1/4 cups flour</div><div>1/2 teaspoon salt</div><div>1/2 teaspoon sugar</div><div>10 tablespoons butter</div><div>3 tablespoons ice cold water (less or more as needed)</div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>Put the ball of dough in the fridge for a half our or so if you're not in a hurry. It helps to have it cold when you roll it out so it doesn't stick to everything in its path. To roll out the dough, I like to sprinkle a little flour on a sheet of wax paper, place the ball of dough in the middle, and then sprinkle the top of the ball with a little flour. At this point, place a sheet of wax paper on top, and roll out the dough into a nice big circle. This cuts down on a lot of mess, as you can peel the dough off of the wax paper much easier than you can peel it off of your countertop. Once you're finished rolling, take off the top layer of wax paper, and carefully (and quickly) flip the dough into the pie dish. Then peel off the other layer of wax paper. At this point I like to trim off excess dough and try to make it look as pretty as possible. Throw the pie dish with crust in the fridge for few minutes while you preheat your oven to 400 degrees.<br /><br />Interlude: Here is a picture of one of my rats in a pumpkin. Her name is Mochi.</div><div><br /></div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnfkTPg3kqzXWKqQLzm5_Z_P04kY4LzkN_6loSgrB4JRLmVBz4w0IJxi2bI8cSra-ACdIAUhuSoHdaCpMAG194dxOr_mqsJa-XTIzoOzc_hFNVIms9QHVhA_bkhcd8v5pq5wG2jYYIAVjo/s400/047ps.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5661662788236380962" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px; " /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>Now for pre-baking your crust. This is usually the trickiest part for me, because I don't own actual cooking tools like "pie weights". Today, though, I discovered that unpopped popcorn makes a pretty decent pie weight. Just throw some wax paper or foil in your pie pan to cover up your crust, and throw in the popcorn kernels to keep the paper/foil firmly against the crust so it doesn't bubble up while you pre bake it. Bake it like this for about 10 minutes. Then take off the foil/wax paper and bake the crust uncovered for another 10 or 15 minutes (I went with 10 because I'm impatient). Take out the crust and turn the oven down to 350. Then pour in the pumpkin pie filling and bake for 45 minutes or until the middle isn't all wiggly and liquidy. </div><div><br /></div><div>Here is a nice pumpkin pie filling recipe:</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>2 cups pumpkin puree</div><div>1 cup brown sugar</div><div>1 teaspoon nutmeg</div><div>2 teaspoons cinnamon</div><div>(you can add a little ginger or cloves if you'd like, but I prefer it simple with just the nutmeg and cinnamon)<br />1/2 teaspoon salt</div><div>2/3 cup heavy cream</div><div>2/3 cup milk</div><div>4 eggs</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>And now you have a delicious pumpkin pie!</div><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7HaZpZmQsVPYi1-0itJXlKSfEI9YVzWSXnYP_6wsn_fSLtzKb79Bv3P6RF8bUYVrqULFpC-BLD-3oIwC0ssWvyJFeH8K1nOE5eXnAKbrfhUtYSwCY8lbzcLy_B0r5lN9kFRHGh8NdNRDz/s400/159ps.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5661662115942038978" /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 19px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); "><ul class="recipe_ingredients" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: block; list-style-type: none; font-style: normal; font: normal normal normal 10px/24px verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif !important; "><li itemprop="ingredient" itemscope="" itemtype="http://data-vocabulary.org/RecipeIngredient" style="text-align: right;margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 5em; background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; display: block; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; "><b><br /></b></li></ul></span></div></div>Deannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05304477517165669117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3087189275104580934.post-90386668075071776562011-09-30T07:39:00.000-07:002011-09-30T07:41:13.885-07:00Lemon Garlic Hummus<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Welcome back, readers! I hope you all enjoyed Chef Deanna's post, she will (hopefully) make regular appearances here on the Fork and Dagger!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Today's post is a healthy snack-time favorite: Hummus! I've been getting sick of buying hummus that tastes like lemon furniture polish, so I decided to make my own!</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">It's very simple, with very strong flavors, and no tahini (which is very high in calories, so we lightened this up a bit!) Enjoy!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: xx-small;">Adapted from <a href="http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/lemon-garlic-hummus/detail.aspx">AllRecipes.com</a></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><i>Ingredients:</i></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrqmHp_O6lKIzabWKmZUKJCLNe_d2Imq958srbkW4R7VWPXtQKB-dGz7SB0Y9efUap59jipNGi3ruE057to6_F5xfWPgV7gVfyaD2O-tYC8Hb0OMs2_vYF9TC05f33EJfhoSGrkP7IbiI/s1600/chickpeas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrqmHp_O6lKIzabWKmZUKJCLNe_d2Imq958srbkW4R7VWPXtQKB-dGz7SB0Y9efUap59jipNGi3ruE057to6_F5xfWPgV7gVfyaD2O-tYC8Hb0OMs2_vYF9TC05f33EJfhoSGrkP7IbiI/s320/chickpeas.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><ul><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Olive oil (Start with 1/4 -1/2 cup, and increase as necessary for desired texture)</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">3-4 tablespoons lemon juice</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">2 cups chickpeas, drained (and rinsed. It'll foam and get sudsy when you rinse it. Gross huh?)</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">2 teaspoonsful minced garlic </span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1/2 teaspoon salt</span></li>
</ul><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><i>Directions:</i></span></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRsDI-Ag8Wp034HGko_2WG1L5uR5jrLgmW7Rwoo1ze3jsjagIepttTRZeJxN9EWpJKx4JzlDECpa5FBEw_RQoz-EH0M3BxOjnFr5l8uwSYo5ELEFe-3JEes3s-Vk7ZJytjbxVgpH9gQIc/s1600/oilngarlic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRsDI-Ag8Wp034HGko_2WG1L5uR5jrLgmW7Rwoo1ze3jsjagIepttTRZeJxN9EWpJKx4JzlDECpa5FBEw_RQoz-EH0M3BxOjnFr5l8uwSYo5ELEFe-3JEes3s-Vk7ZJytjbxVgpH9gQIc/s320/oilngarlic.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div><ol><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Put the garlic and a small amount of the olive oil into a food processor, and blend until smooth. (You don't want to bite into a chunk of raw garlic. Or maybe you do, to each their own!)</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">When the garlic is well blended, add the chickpeas, lemon juice, salt, and more of the olive oil. Process until smooth (adding more olive oil / lemon juice if necessary for texture and flavor)</span></li>
</ol><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Serve however you usually serve hummus! Pita chips, veggies, on a sandwich, whatever your heart desires! </span></div></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlswLHLMbCY146MTJ1cMUnjjLAdE6XXlXlzBequ1afJ-Qz7qCU4CrkMdFFkXibZALJlAAaJNZvPHJq5Bo9Czkic4K4Vlxi4qV5Kz-I_cmsINgGRfIXiekWyEirItI6ibN-0h86iPUpmYs/s1600/finishedhummus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlswLHLMbCY146MTJ1cMUnjjLAdE6XXlXlzBequ1afJ-Qz7qCU4CrkMdFFkXibZALJlAAaJNZvPHJq5Bo9Czkic4K4Vlxi4qV5Kz-I_cmsINgGRfIXiekWyEirItI6ibN-0h86iPUpmYs/s320/finishedhummus.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yumm! Smooth and tasty!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div>Chef Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15284529271835234193noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3087189275104580934.post-16177121779209147522011-09-25T19:08:00.000-07:002011-09-25T19:49:40.960-07:00Steak with Sweet Potato Puree<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieau30NMMUsjaDZz_xgitbImx3fh5GUcyHSAXYoj-Epabxl1Aa9gqEJ9eINfExWzdCfJHObjdKrSHMxvDRiJ4sIgfk32INmpvMG-n-rX0PLXOlHykBUZySZA-78qW-TRIaiMK_zJVxk00p/s1600/6183288118_3b32a9cd6e_o.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 282px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieau30NMMUsjaDZz_xgitbImx3fh5GUcyHSAXYoj-Epabxl1Aa9gqEJ9eINfExWzdCfJHObjdKrSHMxvDRiJ4sIgfk32INmpvMG-n-rX0PLXOlHykBUZySZA-78qW-TRIaiMK_zJVxk00p/s400/6183288118_3b32a9cd6e_o.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5656494962319840498" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Hello, this is Deanna! Who the heck is Deanna, you ask?! To answer your question, I am a friend of Chef Megan. We both work to expand our knowledge of drugs at URI College of Pharmacy when we're not busy making delicious food.</div><div><span><div style="font-weight: bold; "><span style="font-weight:bold;"><br /></span></div><div>Lately, I've been very busy with rotations and haven't had time to contribute to this fine blog. But then I thought to myself, "Self, no more excuses!" So alas, I am here to share a recipe with you.</div><div><br /></div><div>Much like the Elias family, I enjoy a carnivorous diet. I also enjoy foods that look fancy on a plate. This is how my steak with sweet potato puree recipe was born.</div><div><br /></div><b>Ingredients (serves two hungry people):<br /></b></span><br />Two nice hunks of steak (choose your favorite cut!)<br />Olive Oil (enough to cover your steaks without them becoming drenched and drippy)<div>1 large Sweet Potato</div><div>1 cup Milk<br />1 cup Heavy Cream</div><div>1 pat butter (about 1/2 to 1 tablespoon)<br />Salt<br />Pepper<br /><div><div><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Directions:</span></div></div><div><span style="font-weight:bold;"><br /></span></div><div>1. Start off by peeling the sweet potato and cutting up into 1-inch chunks. </div><div><br /></div><div>2. Throw the chunks in a sauce pan, and cover the pieces with equal parts of milk and heavy cream (or half and half, if that's what you happen to have in the fridge). The amount of milk and cream you need is very dependent on the size of your chosen potato, so just use enough to ensure that all of your sweet potato chunks are submerged. Add about 5 grinds of salt and 5 grinds of pepper.</div><div><br /></div><div>3. Simmer potato mixture until the potatoes are soft (lid on for 1st half, lid off for second half). Once soft, throw the whole mixture in the blender! Blend until nice and smooth. If it is still too thick to blend at this point, feel free to add some extra milk or cream. The end mixture should be thinner than mashed potatoes, but not so thin that it's runny and weird.</div><div><br /></div><div>4. Pour the puree back into the sauce pan. At this point, you can add the pat of butter and season to taste with more salt and pepper. Set on the back burner until your steak is ready.</div><div><br /></div><div>5. Trim the fat off the edges of your steak. Unless you're a person who enjoys eating the fatty bits, get rid of them, they'll just slow you down when it's time to devour your meal.</div></div><div><br /></div><div>6. Rub steaks with olive oil, and then season with salt and pepper. I use a very generous helping of both salt and pepper.<br /><br />7. Preheat your cast iron pan (or whatever device you would like to use to cook these lovely steaks on...I just love cast iron pans and grills...but my grill was stolen on Labor Day weekend, so I had to go with the pan). Make sure the pan is nice and hot before you throw on the steaks. </div><div><br /></div><div>8. Cook steaks to your desired level of done-ness. Then remove them from the pan and let them rest for a few minutes.</div><div><br /></div><div>9. While your steaks are resting, reheat your sweet potato puree to make sure that it is nice hot for plating.</div><div><br /></div><div>10. You are now ready to assemble your plate, puree on the bottom, steak on top! Enjoy! If you'd like a meal that is a little more balanced, serve this with a lovely salad. I went with Romaine lettuce and blue cheese dressing (with those lovely little dried cranberries on top).</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div>Deannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05304477517165669117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3087189275104580934.post-65419955565944342382011-09-21T17:36:00.000-07:002011-09-21T17:44:25.473-07:00Chicken and Corn Chowder<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Welcome back summer? It is a delightfully warm night tonight, compared to how the last few have been, don't you think? (Well, you in New England. Those of you not sitting pretty in the Northeast, I have no idea how your weather has been. Just pretend you're here!)</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I planned this meal a few nights ago when it was chilly! And I mean, it was really brisk. I even had to break out the bunny slippers, and that means business.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">So the type of dinner doesn't exactly match with the weather - this is more of a fall/winter stick to your ribs type chowder, but it was delicious none-the-less!</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh70RLIIlbLjTzaG8k-yNSkPQ4PFnCtadJ2rs9XEch4Azte3pvBxFFtZ_i7ehtSQPWTfyB3V3J8V9wtpm834yi5XNkGb-eCs5b2MGVYOH5pLOPIO7Wvj3Ijbgmd3LQW89IGWDM5YnJUVUA/s1600/DSC_0015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh70RLIIlbLjTzaG8k-yNSkPQ4PFnCtadJ2rs9XEch4Azte3pvBxFFtZ_i7ehtSQPWTfyB3V3J8V9wtpm834yi5XNkGb-eCs5b2MGVYOH5pLOPIO7Wvj3Ijbgmd3LQW89IGWDM5YnJUVUA/s320/DSC_0015.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">(And if you're pinching pennies like I persistently seem to be, it was also a very inexpensive dinner! Less than $10 per serving!)</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">So if you're feeling chilly, winter-y, or just corny, sit back and enjoy my chicken and corn chowder!</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><i>Ingredients (serves about 8)</i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #cccccc; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-small;">Of course there were only four of us. And it more or less all got eaten. But that's my family for you. Shh...</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8giSDGwbglNILA31ci2UwbxvZkxQnrtXLqaP1n96fDZ7RR_OzmgtyxQ7BP-hXpHVAzI9tg-rGEoY7wQyuZikXo_gwhr1xmk6gRHn6Q64y0-BnCcnVyciMFwGH3On8DzjdDFC-EkdhAJQ/s1600/DSC_0005.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8giSDGwbglNILA31ci2UwbxvZkxQnrtXLqaP1n96fDZ7RR_OzmgtyxQ7BP-hXpHVAzI9tg-rGEoY7wQyuZikXo_gwhr1xmk6gRHn6Q64y0-BnCcnVyciMFwGH3On8DzjdDFC-EkdhAJQ/s400/DSC_0005.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><ul><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Bacon (8 strips, chopped roughly)</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">2 small onions (or 1 large. I'm not picky with proportions) diced</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">4 and 1/2 tablespoons flour</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">4 and 1/2 cups milk (we kept it light and used 1% milk, but you can use whole if you want it a little thicker)</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">About 22 oz chicken stock</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">4 ears of corn (slice the corn off the cob and keep the corn and cob separate)</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">2 potatoes, peeled and diced</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">3 springs fresh thyme</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1 </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">rotisserie chicken (take the chicken breasts and shred them with a fork... or chop them if you want it more chicken noodle soup style) </span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Salt and pepper as desired</span></li>
</ul><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><i>Directions:</i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div><ol><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Brown the bacon in a large pot, and cook on medium high until brown (maybe 5 minutes or so) </span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Enjoy the delightful smell of cooking bacon</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Add the onions and cook until soft (you can also use this time to drain out some bacon fat if you want)</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Add the flour and stir constantly until the flour turns golden brown (DO NOT BURN THIS! a) smells bad, b) might ruin the dinner)</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Slowly add the chicken stock, whisking constantly.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Whisk in the milk</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Add the corn COBS (not the corn), the thyme, and the diced potatoes.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring regularly to move the cobs around and add flavor</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">After 15 minutes, remove the cobs and the thyme, and add the corn and the chicken.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Heat until the chicken and corn are heated through, maybe about 5 minutes.</span></li>
</ol><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_xsqYmsBlCf-0fd0DPIN9JySESmafzSadjfhaGrUakruY5uS4NNiICT7BoPSKe0c0pm0-ZoIK-rK1Mpq7xKwQBMCwPGeOeCuaALk0kABGgMzgzZXts9yAO6N6RbboQlF3L7ARaI9td4c/s1600/DSC_0007.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="254" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_xsqYmsBlCf-0fd0DPIN9JySESmafzSadjfhaGrUakruY5uS4NNiICT7BoPSKe0c0pm0-ZoIK-rK1Mpq7xKwQBMCwPGeOeCuaALk0kABGgMzgzZXts9yAO6N6RbboQlF3L7ARaI9td4c/s320/DSC_0007.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brown the bacon and soften the onions...</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkh4kwwp1l6dEFb6CTIpjWA2BwUjN2s23GKQrZesIMcm0KQ8JI071KSoNVJwplM8pT5W5FsCkf_CKB-qZCxu7dwiYuEztBc1PV7X5N_bN7pyOUEI7JPogdaUS7fueesk73rY61NAZy60k/s1600/DSC_0008.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkh4kwwp1l6dEFb6CTIpjWA2BwUjN2s23GKQrZesIMcm0KQ8JI071KSoNVJwplM8pT5W5FsCkf_CKB-qZCxu7dwiYuEztBc1PV7X5N_bN7pyOUEI7JPogdaUS7fueesk73rY61NAZy60k/s320/DSC_0008.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After adding the thyme, potatoes, and corn cobs </td></tr>
</tbody></table><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Serve with some oyster crackers! (Not those thin stupid hexagonal ones. You need the puffy, New England/Cape Cod oyster crackers!) Add salt and pepper as you like it!</span></div></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp2tY0mU1EGWkzsl5-jIIj3S99yrnuEcdsHSwrwazSIUrvlTvWtcyOA-RmXjdSbTO2x3Gky7zYNH2pG7-WCjgp8xYbRdPsXeWu__BWL6P0618WdFh_py9koTbZFyQUOKb3D-YbLFAmUsM/s1600/DSC_0011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp2tY0mU1EGWkzsl5-jIIj3S99yrnuEcdsHSwrwazSIUrvlTvWtcyOA-RmXjdSbTO2x3Gky7zYNH2pG7-WCjgp8xYbRdPsXeWu__BWL6P0618WdFh_py9koTbZFyQUOKb3D-YbLFAmUsM/s320/DSC_0011.jpg" width="316" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I think I could just eat these for dinner, and be happy.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">And there you go, from my kitchen to yours, a yummy, easy, sort of healthy, not so expensive, dinner.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Enjoy!</span></div>Chef Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15284529271835234193noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3087189275104580934.post-42121427389218622782011-09-18T17:02:00.000-07:002011-09-18T17:02:16.091-07:00Chicken Souvlaki<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Well, it's the last official weekend of summer, and as a tribute, we made one of our favorite summertime meals: Souvlaki</span><div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Little linguistic lesson: "<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; line-height: 19px;">The word <i>souvlaki</i> is a diminutive of σούβλα <i>souvla</i> 'skewer', itself borrowed from Latin <i>subula." </i>(Thanks <a href="http://www.blogger.com/"><span id="goog_65748537"></span>W<span id="goog_65748538"></span></a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Souvlaki">ikipedia</a>! The more you know ~</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 15px;">★</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 18px;">)</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJuTikkVzDv45flxIn4gFfNGP54xhHduaVFpIJR0IgxfWZb6iCXKCxqLks9yZ1e1bkM60UMUqPe0JFsoLDO4NvyI3octdI5i4xZafTMjAII48VqKqfUQjAGup86C69NyVmDcIoN-BHQoY/s1600/chckngrill1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="249" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJuTikkVzDv45flxIn4gFfNGP54xhHduaVFpIJR0IgxfWZb6iCXKCxqLks9yZ1e1bkM60UMUqPe0JFsoLDO4NvyI3octdI5i4xZafTMjAII48VqKqfUQjAGup86C69NyVmDcIoN-BHQoY/s320/chckngrill1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 18px;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 18px;">So for those of you who haven't figured it out - Souvlaki is Greek Shish-Kabob, and it is quite delicious. Served on a salad or a bed of rice, with some grilled or roasted vegetables, souvlaki tastes like the essence of summer. Souvlaki can be pork, beef, lamb, or chicken, and the below marinade goes well with whatever meat you choose. We chose chicken, but let your heart (and stomach) guide your way! :)</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 18px;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue; font-size: large;"><i>Ingredients:</i></span> </span></div><div></div><div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJkwCaEpPiTPh1FUbawz5uF87ENzKM3k24rOgu3D_UnQVuERebHoBZo8_6cAQytSsYdCP0-xwnc1IVpFL1GrAzQxkbpHnqbhwsxi1PnLPCxZnexTwJj2aZYP9llk9pAtpWIanjsuympBY/s1600/marinade.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJkwCaEpPiTPh1FUbawz5uF87ENzKM3k24rOgu3D_UnQVuERebHoBZo8_6cAQytSsYdCP0-xwnc1IVpFL1GrAzQxkbpHnqbhwsxi1PnLPCxZnexTwJj2aZYP9llk9pAtpWIanjsuympBY/s400/marinade.jpg" width="346" /></a><ul><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">MEAT. (Well, if you're a vegetarian, I'm sure the marinade would go well on tofu or whatever it is you enjoy. I KNOW it goes well on vegetables.)</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Olive oil (we use about 1/2 cup, but there is no precision in the marinade. Add or subtract ingredients as you see fit)</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Lemon juice (use the juice of about 2-3 lemons. Use your best judgement, some lemons yield more juice than others. Try to get a 1:1 ratio of lemon juice to olive oil)</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Minced garlic (How much garlic do you like? We like enough to ensure that no vampires ever come near us. About 4 cloves or so, minced or crushed up nicely!)</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">About 1 tablespoon (heaping) of oregano</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">About 1/4 teaspoon black pepper (I think? We use about 10-20 grinds of our pepper mill. Like pepper? Go crazy)</span></li>
</ul><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><i>Directions:</i></span></div></div></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><ol><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKUixFmkg9D7H7H6TqIfkLgr-aoSwpfIW3H4aWD1w_imcMvaNkX4jHhFdcV6szZFnRD3psSKtQU1KWHbE405mSJ6Q5VGYnQ2B0MrLQSR3jYEmupWk1BXUjCU5FClU5IhNp44wAK5UQgEs/s1600/chcknskewred.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKUixFmkg9D7H7H6TqIfkLgr-aoSwpfIW3H4aWD1w_imcMvaNkX4jHhFdcV6szZFnRD3psSKtQU1KWHbE405mSJ6Q5VGYnQ2B0MrLQSR3jYEmupWk1BXUjCU5FClU5IhNp44wAK5UQgEs/s320/chcknskewred.jpg" width="320" /></a>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Make the marinade as follows:</span></li>
<ol><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Whisk together the olive oil and lemon juice before adding anything else. It helps to make the marinade a more even emulsion, as opposed to separating out.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Add the garlic, oregano and pepper.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Whisk until properly mixed</span></li>
</ol><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Dice the meat into cubes.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Marinade the meat (I bet you didn't see that step coming) <b>**The longer you can marinade the meat, the better it will taste. It's more or less that simple. We let the chicken marinade for about 6 hours today**</b></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Preheat the grill on high (See, the grill is what makes it taste like summer)</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Skewer the meat <b>*Note: if you are using wooden skewers, soak the skewers in water for about a half hour before grilling so they don't burn*</b></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Grill the skewers until they are at the level of doneness that you prefer</span></li>
</ol><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">We served ours with vegetables that we chopped up and roasted in the oven (at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes), and some rice pilaf. Oh, and rolls. Because that is what we do in our house. Bread, bread, carbs, and bread.</span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnLqnfYhJWPx77pWQIuKBzoW6OzonHT-b1Tvo4O-OV_s21zbK62z8g-9qrLUGyyks6nA6QM_nm7-6CGt6YpoApsXytcvZ3ZVKdWSBWzZaqcZfeTSU-hk1Fe3X6-PVcdxAmwC_rS9lE1II/s1600/plated.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnLqnfYhJWPx77pWQIuKBzoW6OzonHT-b1Tvo4O-OV_s21zbK62z8g-9qrLUGyyks6nA6QM_nm7-6CGt6YpoApsXytcvZ3ZVKdWSBWzZaqcZfeTSU-hk1Fe3X6-PVcdxAmwC_rS9lE1II/s320/plated.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">You can also choose, if you'd like, to skewer the vegetables in the same marinade and grill them. Warning: I've learned that when you grill little tomatoes, the inside stays roughly the same temperature as the center of the sun for about 4 hours after they come off the grill. Reader, beware.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Anyways, enjoy your last weekend of summer, and if you want to remember what summer tastes like in the heart of winter... it's never too cold to grill.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Enjoy your little skewer of Greece! Opa!</span></div></div>Chef Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15284529271835234193noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3087189275104580934.post-73776507443483663392011-09-15T20:00:00.000-07:002011-09-15T20:01:53.958-07:00Simple Salmon<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Hello! It is a beautiful night out, so I used that opportunity to... cook indoors.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I love grilling food as much as the next girl, but after working from 8 am - 9pm today, I wanted something quick and delicious that I could enjoy from the comfort of my own kitchen.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLLUr-KjDhK4RXpvObZ0HAKEcMMVY17WTLBhGzbaruECGYlGReBfImGLucuVm5-ipVXXNn_XDQYZC3Xht6uN0D-YiLU_LqUtwyPPHddFjjkPq3fxW2Xen6WGmnwluhWHqtbNWx5pj41SA/s1600/grill.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLLUr-KjDhK4RXpvObZ0HAKEcMMVY17WTLBhGzbaruECGYlGReBfImGLucuVm5-ipVXXNn_XDQYZC3Xht6uN0D-YiLU_LqUtwyPPHddFjjkPq3fxW2Xen6WGmnwluhWHqtbNWx5pj41SA/s320/grill.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Enter (on stage right) my<a href="http://www.target.com/p/George-Foreman-Champ-Grill-Black-36/-/A-12833820#?ref=tgt_adv_XSG10001&AFID=Froogle_df&LNM=%7C12833820&CPNG=appliances&ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=12833820"> mini George Foreman Grill</a>. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I bought this awhile back when I moved into my own place at school. $18 bucks and worth every tiny penny!</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">As mentioned in my last post, I'm trying to be healthy, so I decided to grill up a scrumptious piece of salmon. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I'm a new salmon eater, so when I found an easy recipe that worked, I stuck with it. I don't need any fancy sauces or rubs, and put some wasabi near me and my tongue lights on fire just thinking about it. The following is a very very easy, but delicious way to cook up a piece of salmon.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><i>Ingredients:</i></span><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Salmon</span></li>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQTXPOQg7GUmMRXrUCoIhbhhly0cX_4DcKbZLuNV8-vjFLxKB6c-H1uvF1fL5DEWWVHd2gr2tyqO8c8hZxux8aCdxUnS2vKonGQBvDD0kwiblL3f3YDk-QXfEjL8_Yowj9hqZdVAXgp3E/s1600/salmon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="148" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQTXPOQg7GUmMRXrUCoIhbhhly0cX_4DcKbZLuNV8-vjFLxKB6c-H1uvF1fL5DEWWVHd2gr2tyqO8c8hZxux8aCdxUnS2vKonGQBvDD0kwiblL3f3YDk-QXfEjL8_Yowj9hqZdVAXgp3E/s200/salmon.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<ul>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I should mention that when I went to Shaws, they had bright red, delightful looking <b>Sockeye Salmon</b>. I didn't know what this meant, but it looked wonderful (and more importantly, was on sale), so that is what came home with me. For other inquiring minds, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sockeye_salmon">Sockeye </a>is a type of salmon native to the North Pacific. I like to think this salmon lived a good life before it ended up on my plate.</span></li>
</ul>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Olive oil (I'm normally not a stickler, but try to use good olive oil. You'll actually be able to taste it!)</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Sea salt</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Cracked black pepper</span></li>
</ul>
<div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><i>Directions:</i></span></div>
<div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSvDu4JnkOSfCeSH3JH-JF6gn9h-Ku0lQ_epsu_kvggUJ0yuHBbPk2pXqhiU-HKfC6IbtIHh6Tl7fiP5HZeYxzZiBVqNENa20SpBOOIoG4ROH4QyfEqfLOApqwlqzKBUYDuBq1NzYhMjk/s1600/salmon2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSvDu4JnkOSfCeSH3JH-JF6gn9h-Ku0lQ_epsu_kvggUJ0yuHBbPk2pXqhiU-HKfC6IbtIHh6Tl7fiP5HZeYxzZiBVqNENa20SpBOOIoG4ROH4QyfEqfLOApqwlqzKBUYDuBq1NzYhMjk/s320/salmon2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<ol>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Preheat the grill (The beauty of the George Foreman is you just plug it in and wait for the light to turn off. If you are cooking on a big boy grill, preheat to medium-high)</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Drizzle olive oil on the side of the salmon with the skin. Sprinkle with salt and pepper (as you see fit)</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Place the salmon skin side down on the grill, then oil and season the fleshy, red, delicious side. (If you are using the George Foreman, leave the lid up for a minute or so. That lets the skin crisp up nice without overcooking the salmon).</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">After a minute or so, close the lid. Cook for a total of about 6-8 minutes. (On a real grill, flip about halfway through) Try not to cook for longer, or else the salmon dries out, and really, that lovely Pacific Sockeye gave its life in vain.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Definitely squeeze lemon over it - I'm not putting this as an option. It's too tasty to skip this!</span></li>
</ol>
<div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">A nice quick, easy dinner. Served with a potato and spinach that I cooked up in the microwave. Yum yum in less than 15 minutes. Enjoy!</span></div>
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrgj-S5SUNWf5wfvnzYMhc5shUkl2T6eFyQQEjvEOGSjhK-QJnw90AdNu9teMajVVeg9RrEEbUscZUt3unAQ-ieB3hp3AIvLH6bzE2YB-kRmfNm96-UTttQMCmPXU966qqmXiAVGecpis/s1600/salmonfinished.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrgj-S5SUNWf5wfvnzYMhc5shUkl2T6eFyQQEjvEOGSjhK-QJnw90AdNu9teMajVVeg9RrEEbUscZUt3unAQ-ieB3hp3AIvLH6bzE2YB-kRmfNm96-UTttQMCmPXU966qqmXiAVGecpis/s320/salmonfinished.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tasty omega-3 goodness!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
Chef Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15284529271835234193noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3087189275104580934.post-50101942805275371132011-09-08T07:54:00.000-07:002011-09-08T07:55:23.508-07:00Simple Poached Eggs<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Another update so soon? You are really all very lucky that I have nothing to do today. So good morning!</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I wanted a simple breakfast today, a poached egg and some toast. However, I've never made poached eggs the old fashioned way. We usually use a microwave egg poacher such as this little guy: <a href="http://www.kmart.com/shc/s/p_10151_10104_9990000010222611P?vName=Appliances&cName=Accessories&sName=Microwaves&sid=KDx20070926x00003a&ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=9990000010222611P">Egg Poacher!</a></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">It's a very efficient egg poacher, but either the yolks are too hard or the whites are too runny. (I know, I'm like the Goldilocks of the egg world. But come on, life is too short for bad eggs).</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">So I googled around different recipes, and came up with the following, which yielded perfect, old-fashioned, poached eggs! Enjoy!</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRQCdh3hLoWUOTqDXM2Hnc-td9yHFnJQFrTEjz5j9GM_hJ2N3LIZedXvS2yJOKwy4cGzVRmD96cLBAXnYgaDOYuXeOQyqwkw27hP3UCYLLOL0tMfGbFD1Sd44wal45c9cEpuTpKq3jjn0/s1600/poachedegg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRQCdh3hLoWUOTqDXM2Hnc-td9yHFnJQFrTEjz5j9GM_hJ2N3LIZedXvS2yJOKwy4cGzVRmD96cLBAXnYgaDOYuXeOQyqwkw27hP3UCYLLOL0tMfGbFD1Sd44wal45c9cEpuTpKq3jjn0/s320/poachedegg.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What is a breakfast without feta cheese? Or coffee in a homemade coffee mug (Thanks Joanne Zatzkin!)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><i>Ingredients:</i></span><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Egg(s) (WHAT. I know, probably the most shocking ingredient here)</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Water</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Dash of white vinegar (helps the egg stay together and look nice)</span></li>
</ul>
<div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><i>Directions:</i></span></div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Many different websites talked about measuring the temperature of the water, or messing with the temperature settings throughout the cooking process, but being lazy, that was too much work for me. I found the following to work nicely!</span></div>
<div>
<ol>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">In a small saucepan, bring water to a boil.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Once boiling, throw in a dash (maybe 1 - 2 teaspoonsful) of vinegar</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Lower the heat to a low simmer, and swirl the water to slow the boil a bit.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Crack the egg(s) into a small bowl. (Each egg gets its own bowl)</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Lower the small bowl into the water, and gently tip the egg into the water. (If you are doing more than 1 egg, wait 10-15 seconds before adding each egg)</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Cover for 4 minutes, then remove the egg(s) with a slotted spoon.</span></li>
</ol>
<div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Enjoy!</span></div>
</div>
Chef Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15284529271835234193noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3087189275104580934.post-54272683901287989152011-09-07T16:56:00.000-07:002011-09-07T16:57:06.641-07:00Grilled Shrimp on the Bah'bie (+ Remoulade)<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Hello readers! (Reader? Whoever you are reading this, hello!)</span><br />
<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Tonight's dinner was based upon (okay, basically a copycat of) the <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/disneymike/524540857/">Outback Steakhouse's Grilled Shrimp on the Barbie</a> (R).</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">However, I didn't want to violate any sort of trademarks or anything, so I threw a Boston accent on it, and voil</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; line-height: 15px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">é</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">! Grilled shrimp on the bahhhh' bie :)</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFohb8hAquPKJX9Uw7X-IlK-4QH9cXD0FkjYLRfs8N1rM3kPEjQdRtwsOun9UPjkHjXU3u0IiXQocSm3J55AzDxg0Ct5GWAANc6Jzx79iqKdGlpnlCfTNaDDO5mPYnBTlJ71yYFGAmqAs/s1600/shrimp1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFohb8hAquPKJX9Uw7X-IlK-4QH9cXD0FkjYLRfs8N1rM3kPEjQdRtwsOun9UPjkHjXU3u0IiXQocSm3J55AzDxg0Ct5GWAANc6Jzx79iqKdGlpnlCfTNaDDO5mPYnBTlJ71yYFGAmqAs/s320/shrimp1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Back on the healthy kick (let's see how long this lasts! Goodbye <a href="http://forkanddagger.blogspot.com/2011/05/red-velvet-cheesecake-cake.html">Red Velvet Cheesecake</a>)</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The shrimp is served with a WONDERFUL remoulade sauce that is relatively easy to make. So below, please find (and enjoy) the grilled shrimp rub and the accompanying sauce!</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><i>Remoulade Sauce:</i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><i>Ingredients (serves 4):</i></span></div><div><ul><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1 cup of mayo</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">2 tablespoonsful stoneground mustard</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">4 teaspoonsful milk</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">2 and 1/2 teaspoons horseradish (not horseradish spread - entirely different!)</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">2 teaspoons minced celery (roughly, we probably erred more on the side of 3)</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">2 teaspoons minced white onion (again, maybe 3)</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">2 teaspoons minced green bell pepper (3 again.. sensing a pattern?)</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1/2 teaspoonful white vinegar</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1/2 teaspoonful paprika</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1/2 teaspoon parsley (we used freeze-dried, you can also use fresh!)</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">pinch of salt</span></li>
</ul><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><i>Directions:</i></span></div><div><ol><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Mix in a small bowl</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Cover and chill </span></li>
</ol><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">*Note: making this sauce ahead of time and letting all of the flavors come together is very important to the taste!*</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2WYzd_5hECSO8zpVbIGJaGw3yXYNzxCevneYe2C991pP_6nYXuNCV7UZ2E8ARXyiMlhm3o7ADL9-SwuA7NeZvNyrFcheHIo8CrL5Ypfk94uXDVspQRJO0y8iRYixEgyabX4kTj5RWZ5o/s1600/shrimp2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2WYzd_5hECSO8zpVbIGJaGw3yXYNzxCevneYe2C991pP_6nYXuNCV7UZ2E8ARXyiMlhm3o7ADL9-SwuA7NeZvNyrFcheHIo8CrL5Ypfk94uXDVspQRJO0y8iRYixEgyabX4kTj5RWZ5o/s320/shrimp2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><i>Grilled Shrimp on the Bah'bie</i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><i>Ingredients:</i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">**Caveat!: The portions of shrimp rub below are intended to coat maybe about 6 shrimp. Multiply out the amounts as deemed necessary by your hunger for tiny crustaceans :) **</span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6CaNRyqRyxt_xHWE9vR1Rfn6np7Z6MCAausvtVTuJ0g6xF-VqHCS6g7KLoows069TeuoD1kIcBv4d2-7qDu0xtAAN6oYrUTJhHSHJdw4LRxbCqOOAWJgSxxJpwXtihi3FUmJWbS0DohE/s1600/shrimp3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="174" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6CaNRyqRyxt_xHWE9vR1Rfn6np7Z6MCAausvtVTuJ0g6xF-VqHCS6g7KLoows069TeuoD1kIcBv4d2-7qDu0xtAAN6oYrUTJhHSHJdw4LRxbCqOOAWJgSxxJpwXtihi3FUmJWbS0DohE/s200/shrimp3.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Layered before I mixed it all up</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div><ul><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1/2 teaspoon salt</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1/4 teaspoon garlic powder</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1/4 teaspoon onion powder</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1/4 teaspoon black pepper</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1/4 teaspoon chili powder</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1/4 teaspoon sugar (We were pretentious and used raw organic cane sugar. It is how I pretend to be fancy in my spare time)</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">A dash of ground allspice</span></li>
</ul><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><i>Directions:</i></span></div><div><ol><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Preheat grill to high (We used a George Foreman grill because it's raining and a little cold)</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Skewer shrimp (if on a real grill). </span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Brush with melted butter and sprinkle seasoning on both sides. </span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Grill 2 to 3 minutes on each side</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Serve with lemon and remoulade sauce (and other lovely sides. As you see, we served it with carrots, beans, and wild rice. Also, a dinner wouldn't be a dinner in the Elias house without crusty bread... mmmmm)</span></li>
</ol><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUIkmTCZSj4icqvEJ29b3xBROpoH1CvufqU6VzlvJOoBHJFg2J2LEB56_hecITh4ZpirBxo5yzRV5vPuY5raqJIEsvCrxI47-4f7GCr3g1Jd4_fYv3H_08VpBxe98vUXa0IWmrGvTE3eA/s1600/shrimp4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="294" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUIkmTCZSj4icqvEJ29b3xBROpoH1CvufqU6VzlvJOoBHJFg2J2LEB56_hecITh4ZpirBxo5yzRV5vPuY5raqJIEsvCrxI47-4f7GCr3g1Jd4_fYv3H_08VpBxe98vUXa0IWmrGvTE3eA/s320/shrimp4.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Well, enjoy folks. We sure did.</span></div></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Oh also, I feel I should warn you. While looking up if a shrimp was in fact a crustacean (it is.) I discovered this website: <a href="http://www.godhatesshrimp.com/">God Hates Shrimp</a> . Apparently eating this dinner was an abomination or something. I took my chances, good luck to you all.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I will be starting clinical rotations again on Friday, so hopefully I can keep up with this.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Happy eats, and try your best to avoid eternal damnation! </span></div>Chef Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15284529271835234193noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3087189275104580934.post-67860586701816902912011-08-24T17:39:00.000-07:002011-08-24T17:39:48.353-07:00GLiB 'Chops and Lemon Shallot Green Beans<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Hey there folks, it's been awhile! I had no idea how much time my clinical rotations would take up, but now that I am on a short break, I have time for an update!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I call this recipe GLiB 'chops because.. I had no other name and my sister, Erin, came up with this one. G, L, and B all stand for major ingredients in the pork chops (which came out tasting wonderfully!)</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgQTIm_ZCX0whw5MXRXrwo29rW1VlbsZQ6srBxXh1RISa8GrUUjF0I90con5JOd3SEEwxi4YbTGI4IbKIjwtfqwl-1ERLS3HnQABsHdmd-BsI4fQ6m4o2896TtqH6FwHPqtZdv541ij7U/s1600/porkonplate.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="277" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgQTIm_ZCX0whw5MXRXrwo29rW1VlbsZQ6srBxXh1RISa8GrUUjF0I90con5JOd3SEEwxi4YbTGI4IbKIjwtfqwl-1ERLS3HnQABsHdmd-BsI4fQ6m4o2896TtqH6FwHPqtZdv541ij7U/s320/porkonplate.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">G(arlic) Li(me) B(asil). Erin is so creative! :)</td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Recipe as follows:</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><i>Ingredients (makes 4 chops):</i></span><br />
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<ul><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">4 pork chops (we used bone-in and boneless, for some variety!)</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Juice of 1 lime</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">3 cloves of garlic (we are surprisingly lazy in my family, so we used <a href="http://www.dorot.co.il/">Dorot Frozen Garlic</a>, still tastes scrumptious though!)</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1/4 cup fresh chopped basil</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Course ground pepper (as much or as little as you want)</span></li>
</ul><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Note: This makes a very thick marinade, so we used some extra virgin olive oil to thin it out a little to make sure it coated all of the pork chops.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">2nd Note: We eat a lot, so although this recipe says it makes four, we tripled it for 12.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ7ZmrOkESJM5F1FsGMtnDYqWO8pMcy3iKRF8oxBOyYw8Lzc2_DxMVpUsHPjsn3KlHAEvYoQy31GY3RClXx781BZOwaUwsn8W8h-86j3o4qPFjXRGY5rglQYBYWkpIPhAgLHzHesWC1mI/s1600/porkraw.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="188" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ7ZmrOkESJM5F1FsGMtnDYqWO8pMcy3iKRF8oxBOyYw8Lzc2_DxMVpUsHPjsn3KlHAEvYoQy31GY3RClXx781BZOwaUwsn8W8h-86j3o4qPFjXRGY5rglQYBYWkpIPhAgLHzHesWC1mI/s320/porkraw.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
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</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">No fancy directions, just mix all of the ingredients into a marinade, let it sit (as long as you can! I think we did about 3 hours, but you could do it as long as you want.)</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">We grilled them on high, about 10 minutes on each side.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaQEdnCj_gtpQ6MPqK2KmLaNfTSLz5dy86BWr2k74Qzdde0miUX4P5JT-HOFrOBGThy1KMbow1anRYBJdCTRpUsKrIog42yo3cvy0-8hX_P0zeA9g749s18e2d0j7XdQ_dUm_rQtI2_UI/s1600/pork.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaQEdnCj_gtpQ6MPqK2KmLaNfTSLz5dy86BWr2k74Qzdde0miUX4P5JT-HOFrOBGThy1KMbow1anRYBJdCTRpUsKrIog42yo3cvy0-8hX_P0zeA9g749s18e2d0j7XdQ_dUm_rQtI2_UI/s320/pork.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
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</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Tasty!</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
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</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Now for the green beans. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><i>Ingredients (makes a whole bunch of beans!):</i></span></div><div><ul><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Green beans</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Chopped shallots (as many as you'd like, I used 2 which added a nice flavor)</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Olive oil</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Butter (1 pat. I love that term, so I use a pat of butter whenever I can, just so I can say pat)</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Lemon juice</span></li>
</ul><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><i>Directions:</i></span></div></div><div><ol><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Steam the green beans for 5 minutes or so</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Meanwhile, heat the butter and a few tablespoons olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Add the shallots to the skillet and cook until slightly clear.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">After the beans are done steaming, add them to the shallots, and cook another 5 minutes, tossing everything together.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">At the last minute, add in the juice of a lemon and stir until covered.</span></li>
</ol><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Didn't take a picture, we were too anxious to eat.</span></div></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">So here: </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPlfKIkjPkzZKp-mQI_JmblD6I5sf1AUnNEURf6qq9M3qk4iwpsqtbbFv-WOGtNUINZNjrvY27cZfQ1AeCgHSH2p9xq7asj5Px3DLqa4aylZZo-kBtTVfbgq2FIr2Y-jbZ_uFBtNDUIrs/s1600/greenbeans.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPlfKIkjPkzZKp-mQI_JmblD6I5sf1AUnNEURf6qq9M3qk4iwpsqtbbFv-WOGtNUINZNjrvY27cZfQ1AeCgHSH2p9xq7asj5Px3DLqa4aylZZo-kBtTVfbgq2FIr2Y-jbZ_uFBtNDUIrs/s1600/greenbeans.jpg" /></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Easy, yummy dinners... actually possible when you're not working 60 hour work weeks! Amazing! Enjoy!</span></div><br />
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</span>Chef Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15284529271835234193noreply@blogger.com0