27 April 2011
Totally by accident Mac 'n Cheese
As the next round of grocery shopping looms, the cupboards are getting bare and the fridge moreso empty. I was at a loss as to what to whip up quickly for dinner last night so I threw the following together.
Be warned, this is not healthy in the least, but it was sooooooooooooo good!
1/2 cup milk (I used 1%)
2 tbsp "Mooove over Butter" spread
Bring that up to a steamy temperature over medium heat. Add the following (measurements are guesses ... I just did this off-the-cuff)
1/2 tsp dried cilantro
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp paprika
1 tsp minced onion (I used the dry ones)
1/2 tsp garlic powder
Stir it together. Now add:
1/2 cup sour cream (I used Daisy Light)
1 cup shredded cheese (I used a blend of sharp cheddar, colby and monterey jack)
(again, these are approximates ... nothing was measured)
Here's the funny part. Using a handheld electric mixer, I blended this on medium in the hot pan while on the stove for about two minutes. I did this since the cheeses I use typically end up kind of "grainy" tasting. So I beat the heck outta them!
I had some leftover Velveeta, so I added some of that as well. Not sure home much, maybe 1/2 cup worth. I then used the mixer again in the hot pan on high for about 2 minutes. The texture was smooth. No chunks, no visible particles, just cheese and spices in sight.
Mixed the sauce into 2 1/2 cups of cooked pasta and served (I used shells). It was great!
I'll update this for accuracty and add pictures next time I make it.
Be warned, this is not healthy in the least, but it was sooooooooooooo good!
1/2 cup milk (I used 1%)
2 tbsp "Mooove over Butter" spread
Bring that up to a steamy temperature over medium heat. Add the following (measurements are guesses ... I just did this off-the-cuff)
1/2 tsp dried cilantro
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp paprika
1 tsp minced onion (I used the dry ones)
1/2 tsp garlic powder
Stir it together. Now add:
1/2 cup sour cream (I used Daisy Light)
1 cup shredded cheese (I used a blend of sharp cheddar, colby and monterey jack)
(again, these are approximates ... nothing was measured)
Here's the funny part. Using a handheld electric mixer, I blended this on medium in the hot pan while on the stove for about two minutes. I did this since the cheeses I use typically end up kind of "grainy" tasting. So I beat the heck outta them!
I had some leftover Velveeta, so I added some of that as well. Not sure home much, maybe 1/2 cup worth. I then used the mixer again in the hot pan on high for about 2 minutes. The texture was smooth. No chunks, no visible particles, just cheese and spices in sight.
Mixed the sauce into 2 1/2 cups of cooked pasta and served (I used shells). It was great!
I'll update this for accuracty and add pictures next time I make it.
25 April 2011
Spiced Cake (work in progress)
Watch your step, as this recipe is under construction. It is no where near "perfect" but it's a start.
This makes a tasty spiced cake, however the consistency is a bit off. It's heavy like banana bread which tells me "less flour" and "less shortening" next time.
The result was a 6" x 6" two layer cake.
I used the following:
Preheat oven to 350F. Spray a bread loaf pan (~12" x 6") with Pam(tm) ant set aside.
Mix all of the dry ingredients above. I dumped it all into a bowl and mixed with fork.
Add remaining ingredients, except eggs, and beat at medium speed for abut two minutes. Next, add eggs, beat medium for two more minutes.
Pour mixture into loaf pan. Bake for about 30 mins or until a toothpick, skewer, knife or other sharp stabby object can be inserted and comes out clean.
Once done, remove from oven. Extract the cake from the pan and set it on a wire rack to cool. Once sufficiently cooled, cut the rectangular cake in half. On a serving dish, spread some cream cheese frosting on the bottom then place the first layer of cake on the frosting, frost the top of that cake then add the second layer on top. Frost the top and sides however you like.
I added a couple cinnamon sticks on top along with a sprinkle of cinnamon and ginger.
I found it quite tasty and the cake itself was not too sweet. The texture was a bit heavy, so I need to improve that.
This makes a tasty spiced cake, however the consistency is a bit off. It's heavy like banana bread which tells me "less flour" and "less shortening" next time.
The result was a 6" x 6" two layer cake.
I used the following:
- 1 cup all-purpose flour (Robin Hood)
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt (actually a bit less)
- 1/4 tsp ground cloves
- 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp ground allspice
- 1/8 tsp nutmeg
- 1/4 cup shortening
- 2 tbsp peanut oil
- I didn't have buttermilk so I substituted:
- 1/2 cup milk (used 1%)
- 1/2 cup light sour cream
- 1 large egg (white & yolk)
- 1 large egg (white only)
Preheat oven to 350F. Spray a bread loaf pan (~12" x 6") with Pam(tm) ant set aside.
Mix all of the dry ingredients above. I dumped it all into a bowl and mixed with fork.
Add remaining ingredients, except eggs, and beat at medium speed for abut two minutes. Next, add eggs, beat medium for two more minutes.
Pour mixture into loaf pan. Bake for about 30 mins or until a toothpick, skewer, knife or other sharp stabby object can be inserted and comes out clean.
Once done, remove from oven. Extract the cake from the pan and set it on a wire rack to cool. Once sufficiently cooled, cut the rectangular cake in half. On a serving dish, spread some cream cheese frosting on the bottom then place the first layer of cake on the frosting, frost the top of that cake then add the second layer on top. Frost the top and sides however you like.
I added a couple cinnamon sticks on top along with a sprinkle of cinnamon and ginger.
I found it quite tasty and the cake itself was not too sweet. The texture was a bit heavy, so I need to improve that.
22 April 2011
Difference between "pasta" and "pizza" sauce
Tonight the Sabres play in game 5 of the Stanley Cup quarter finals. Given that and the fact we have company over tonight, I was going to make some small pizzas. I have no pizza sauce on-hand but I have a LOT of pasta sauce.
This got me thinking about how the two are different. I have never made any tomato-based sauce before so I had no clue at all. Little secret, tomatoes repulse me. I cannot stand them, so I do not work with them often.
A quick search on Google yielded many explainations, I liked this one the best:
http://www.pizza-coupon.com/blog/what-is-the-difference-between-pizza-sauce-and-spaghetti-sauce/
I'll try something with a jar I have on-hand and see how it turns out.
Update
Blended the contents of a 16oz jar of sauce to make it very smooth. In a large saucepan, I brought the blended sauce to a boil and reduced to a simmer for 30 mins. During that time, I added garlic and onion power as well as some cilantro, dash of ground red pepper and some dried oregano.
After simmering, I allowed 30 mins cool-down. I noticed that there was a lot of separation of the liquid vs. the solid portion of the sauce. Since pizza-style sauce is typically thicker than pasta sauce, I had this idea...
The same situation occurs in my cream cheese recipe, where I need to remove the liquid from the sour cream to yield a thicker, creamier cheese. With this in mind, I used a cloth to strain some of the sauce. In about 30 seconds I had what I was looking for, and a whole lot less sauce. I'm repeating the above process with another 16oz jar to double the resulting volume of pizza sauce.
This got me thinking about how the two are different. I have never made any tomato-based sauce before so I had no clue at all. Little secret, tomatoes repulse me. I cannot stand them, so I do not work with them often.
A quick search on Google yielded many explainations, I liked this one the best:
http://www.pizza-coupon.com/blog/what-is-the-difference-between-pizza-sauce-and-spaghetti-sauce/
I'll try something with a jar I have on-hand and see how it turns out.
Update
Blended the contents of a 16oz jar of sauce to make it very smooth. In a large saucepan, I brought the blended sauce to a boil and reduced to a simmer for 30 mins. During that time, I added garlic and onion power as well as some cilantro, dash of ground red pepper and some dried oregano.
After simmering, I allowed 30 mins cool-down. I noticed that there was a lot of separation of the liquid vs. the solid portion of the sauce. Since pizza-style sauce is typically thicker than pasta sauce, I had this idea...
The same situation occurs in my cream cheese recipe, where I need to remove the liquid from the sour cream to yield a thicker, creamier cheese. With this in mind, I used a cloth to strain some of the sauce. In about 30 seconds I had what I was looking for, and a whole lot less sauce. I'm repeating the above process with another 16oz jar to double the resulting volume of pizza sauce.
13 April 2011
SPARTANS! Tonight we dine... on pizza!
There are few things I enjoy making more than pizza (my chili is one, but that's another story for another day). Tonight the menu on the 'fridge says "pizza". As most everyone knows, this is one of the most dynamic foods in the world. Anything goes for toppings. It can be eaten hot, warm or cold. It fits nicely into any meal and almost everyone likes some form of pizza.
This post will be updated this evening!
Update:
Just put the ingredients into the bread machine to mix and knead while I work.
Ingredients used:
Added the above in order and set for "dough". The machine will run for 90 minutes. After it's done, I'll put the dough in the refridgerator while I run some errands outside the house. This has the added benefit of giving the yeast a chance to work on the dough while preventing excessive rising. To give the bread a boost after I take it out later, I've added some vinegar to the mix. Should re-rise like hell when it take it to shape and prep.
Update:
Just put the ingredients into the bread machine to mix and knead while I work.
Ingredients used:
- 3 cups Robin Hood white flour
- 1 cup very warm water
- 1 tbsp light peanut oil
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 'splash' of white vinegar (a bit less than 1/2 tsp)
- 1 1/4 tsp active yeast
Added the above in order and set for "dough". The machine will run for 90 minutes. After it's done, I'll put the dough in the refridgerator while I run some errands outside the house. This has the added benefit of giving the yeast a chance to work on the dough while preventing excessive rising. To give the bread a boost after I take it out later, I've added some vinegar to the mix. Should re-rise like hell when it take it to shape and prep.
12 April 2011
Needs
At some point, I'd like to pick up a spice grinder and something that I can use to process/reprocess beef, chicken, etc (like a meat grinder). I use my large food processor for this to make meatballs and my zombie burgers (lol) but I don't want to burn up the motor.
More or less a "note to self".
More or less a "note to self".
10 April 2011
A Basic Hot Chai
I'm a couple weeks late but here goes. Grab a small saucepan and add the following:
1/2 cup of cold water
3/4 cup of milk (lowfat or whole)
Set the pan aside.
Now if the fun part. Gather the following ingredients:
3 whole cloves
3 cardamom pods
1/2 cinnamon stick (1 1/2 inch)
6-8 black peppercorns
Quarter-sized slice of ginger root (sliced into wedges)
pinch of star anise seeds
1 teabag (I used a store-brand black decaf)
Here is your cast of players for this spicy ensemble:
Cut the teabag open and pour contents into the cold saucepan. Drop in the ginger wedges.
Smash (hammer, thrash, pummel or otherwise destroy) the cinnamon stick. Drop dismembered pieces into the saucepan.
Grind up the cloves, peppercorns, anise and cardamom pods (pods and interior seeds together). I used a mortar since I'm taking the low-tech route today. Dump it all into the saucepan and stir.
Measure out 2-4 teaspoons of sugar (or your preferred sweetener) and set it aside.
Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring repeatedly. Once the bubbling starts, add the sugar and stir it up. Remove the saucepan from heat. Let it set for about 5 minutes (or more, the more time, the more flavor but not too long or you will cool the mixture too much for the next step).
Strain the mixture into a large cup. I poured the tea into 2-cup measuring cup then poured that through a strainer into the large cup.
The result of this is a very "basic" chai in my opinion. From this platform you can tweak ingredients.
Some of what I like to do:
Enjoy! I'd be interested to hear of any adjustments/improvements/etc anyone makes to this. It's very dynamic.
1/2 cup of cold water
3/4 cup of milk (lowfat or whole)
Set the pan aside.
Now if the fun part. Gather the following ingredients:
3 whole cloves
3 cardamom pods
1/2 cinnamon stick (1 1/2 inch)
6-8 black peppercorns
Quarter-sized slice of ginger root (sliced into wedges)
pinch of star anise seeds
1 teabag (I used a store-brand black decaf)
Here is your cast of players for this spicy ensemble:
Cut the teabag open and pour contents into the cold saucepan. Drop in the ginger wedges.
Smash (hammer, thrash, pummel or otherwise destroy) the cinnamon stick. Drop dismembered pieces into the saucepan.
Grind up the cloves, peppercorns, anise and cardamom pods (pods and interior seeds together). I used a mortar since I'm taking the low-tech route today. Dump it all into the saucepan and stir.
Measure out 2-4 teaspoons of sugar (or your preferred sweetener) and set it aside.
Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring repeatedly. Once the bubbling starts, add the sugar and stir it up. Remove the saucepan from heat. Let it set for about 5 minutes (or more, the more time, the more flavor but not too long or you will cool the mixture too much for the next step).
Strain the mixture into a large cup. I poured the tea into 2-cup measuring cup then poured that through a strainer into the large cup.
The result of this is a very "basic" chai in my opinion. From this platform you can tweak ingredients.
Some of what I like to do:
- Add cayenne pepper
- Add vanilla
- Add cinnamon powder to the cup
- Add allspice
- Replace anise with fennel
- Omit the ginger, boost the cardamom for a whole different taste
Enjoy! I'd be interested to hear of any adjustments/improvements/etc anyone makes to this. It's very dynamic.
03 April 2011
Chai ... something hot to chill out with
I was going to post a little something that I was working on with a homemade chai creation, however I have unwittingly used up a few of the necessary ingredients. This means I will have to wait a couple weeks until I can really put something on here. I hate just posting anything without actually whipping it up in real time.
The tough part with chai is that it never comes out the same way twice when I make it. I always tweak, adjust or experiment with something on the occasions when I make it myself. Usually, for convenience sake, I use "pre-fab" chai tea bags. Some are better than others, but I find Tazo is my favorite and Stash my second.
However, nothing and I mean NOTHING beats a homemade chai. A little effort is needed, but it pays off. What I have done is scour the almighty Internet for ideas about how to do this. I've tried dozens of recipes and recommendations. No single approach seems to be what I am looking for and when some are combined the result are really fantastic.
In a couple weeks I will have something to put here, however until then if you want to do you own exploration, allow me to give you a few pieces of advice:
The tough part with chai is that it never comes out the same way twice when I make it. I always tweak, adjust or experiment with something on the occasions when I make it myself. Usually, for convenience sake, I use "pre-fab" chai tea bags. Some are better than others, but I find Tazo is my favorite and Stash my second.
However, nothing and I mean NOTHING beats a homemade chai. A little effort is needed, but it pays off. What I have done is scour the almighty Internet for ideas about how to do this. I've tried dozens of recipes and recommendations. No single approach seems to be what I am looking for and when some are combined the result are really fantastic.
In a couple weeks I will have something to put here, however until then if you want to do you own exploration, allow me to give you a few pieces of advice:
- Avoid using pre-powered spices to make the "umph" part of the tea. It's just not the same. Your "pre-fab" chai tea bags have been processed (by whatever means) so that the flavor is more concentrated. If you want to make your efforts worthwhile, use "raw" ingredients.
- Your primary components are cardamom, ginger, cinnamon, black pepper and tea. Other countless additives very based on taste.
- Traditionally chai is brewed in hot liquid, not in heated then cooling liquid to maximize potency of the spices used. Furthermore this liquid is usually 50% water / 50% milk (this varies).
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