Whip It Up: Week 7: Favorite Chef

For now, it seems these posts are getting worse and worse. However, tonight, I promise you a recipe! Instructions! Comments! and Pictures!!1! In the mean time, I found a recipe for Franklin Cafe's signature Turkey Meatloaf with Chive Mashed Potatoes and Fig Gravy. (I promise to even include the measurements for, oh, say, 1 lb of ground turkey, instead of, you know, 30 lbs)

I was away all last week so intended to make it for dinner Saturday or Sunday evening. But Saturday was a beach day followed by picking up our newest roommate, Bailey, getting her acclimated and stoop night with the new neighbors. Sunday brought key cutting, gift purchasing and shower attending followed by grocery shopping. We we stuffed and it was late. So the dish was made last night. But will not be consumed until lunch today.

It all smelled super wonderful. Bailey kept coming over to sniff for anything that might have made it to the floor. There weren't any figs in the grocery, so I made a plum gravy.

Whip It Up: Week 6: Appetizers

This post will have no pictures and be very brief. I'm at the beach - be happy I'm on the computer at all.

Not wanting to spend much time in the kitchen, not wanting to turn on the oven and in a flurry of unpacking, I kept this week's choice exceptionally simple. Don't worry, I was sure to not skimp on the scrumptious factor.

This is, apparently, the Best Tzatziki Sauce Ever. Well, maybe I added the ever, but that would be my guess. I'm so lazy, I'm not even going to post up the recipe itself. But, what you want to know is...

Was it good?
Yes. I may never buy store bought again.

Was it easy to make?
Again, yes. Simple, straight forward directions. It's hard to mess up, even for me. Admittedly, it would have been easier had I had a food processor.

Will you make it again?
I most certainly will. I can't vow off the store bought stuff and not replace it.

Whip It Up: Week 5: Spicy!!

So. A few apologies first.

Sorry for the lack of pictures in this post. They're locked away in my camera until I can find the associated cord. Silly me didn't have my memory card in the camera whilst taking them and I was hoping to find the cord while packing. This didn't happen.

The second apology is for missing the deadline. All that packing I was doing was so that I could move. This past weekend. I was smart enough to have the foresight to make this dish on Monday this past week, but that's where my non-moving-dedicated energy stopped. Do I still get credit? I hope so!

In terms of this week's theme, I really like spicy food. These days, the spicier the better. When I was little, I didn't much care for spicy food at all. But the past few years I've enjoyed it. The past few months, I crave it from time to time. I've also recently been introduced to the jalapeno popper. The kind they have at pizza places with the dubious yellow "cheese" doesn't even come close to the creamy-amazingness of the cream cheese kind that they served at a local establishment. Yes. Served. When I found out this particular app was being taken off the menu, I knew I would need to figure out an alternative.

So a few months ago, I set about looking for a baked (because I don't much care for frying at home, but more because I wanted it to be a healthier option) jalapeno popper with cream cheese recipe. As a part of my search, I found, made and fell in love with this recipe. Yes, I know. It's Emeril. But you know that I didn't buy his Essence. I mixed my own.

And one night, not long before Whip It Up, while making these poppers, I had a thought. Why not take the greatness that are these jalapeno poppers and combine them with another of the greatest recipes of all time. And that's when the idea for this week's submission was conceived.

The day I made this, I wanted to look online and see if this was a truly original idea, or if it'd been tried before. This was the first link I found (and the only real recipe I saw in the small amount of time I spent looking). I almost didn't make it because she had made it. But then I remembered how I was thinking of making it, and it sounded a thousand times better than her recipe. I'm glad I didn't back out.

Jalapeno Popper Baked Macaroni and Cheese

1 lb pasta (I used medium shells)

8 oz reduced fat cream cheese, softened
1 10 3/4 oz can Campbell's Cheddar Cheese Soup
3/4 soup can 1% milk
1 tbs cayenne pepper
1 tbs cumin
6 jalapeno popper, seeds and ribs removed. cut in half the long way then sliced
1 28 oz can diced or petite diced tomatoes
3 oz shredded reduced fat cheddar cheese

Bread Crumb Topping
1/2 c plain bread crumbs
2 1/2 tsp paprika
2 tsp salt
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp dried leaf oregano
1 tsp dried thyme

Preheat oven to 350.

Bring salted water to a boil in a large pot. When the water is boiling, add pasta and cook until a minute or two under al dente. The medium shells took 10 minutes. Drain the pasta well, and rinse immediately with cold water to stop from cooking any further.

In a small bowl, combine all ingredients of the bread crumb topping and set aside.

Meanwhile, blend together cream cheese, and cheese soup. When combined, add the milk and spices. In a 9x13 casserole dish, combine the cheese mixture and pasta. Next, add the tomatoes, jalapenos and shredded cheddar cheese. When well combined and distributed evenly in the dish, sprinkle with the bread crumb topping.

Place in the oven and back for 45-55 minutes until the cheese is bubbling and topping brown and crispy. Let cool for about 10 minutes. Enjoy!

So...

Was it good?
Oh my goodness yes. I was somehow able to restrain myself from eating the entire dish in one sitting. It made it all the way to three meals, or six servings.

Was the recipe easy to follow?
I was sort of making it up as I went along - but this is a merge of my grandmother's baked macaroni and cheese, which is fantastic and easy and those poppers, which is the same.

Will I make it again?
You bet your butt I will. And if you're lucky, maybe I'll share.

Whip It Up: Week 4: Healthy Option (The official entry)

(See that picture next to it? That's what it was "supposed" to look like.)

This week's challenge is a healthy option. I (generally) try to eat well on a day to day basis. And because of this, I know that the (not so) occasional craving hits for something that is (far, far) less than healthy. So, why not take this week's challenge and embrace those cravings - just in a version that wouldn't derail a day's (or week's) efforts?



To keep the health factor rolling, I served it with simmered/sauteed green beans and cauliflower and mashed potatoes made with chicken broth, Parmesan, Garlic Garlic, Onion Onion, and a touch of shredded reduced fat mozzarella. Delicioso!

Courtesy of Cooking Light... (originall recipe found here)




Pan-Fried Chicken

1 1/2 c all purpose flour
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground paprika
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp salt, divided

6 bone-in chicken drumsticks, skin removed

1/4 c canola oil

Combine flour, ginger, paprika, nutmeg cinnamon and 1/2 tsp salt in a large zip-lock bag. Rub chicken with the other 1/2 tsp salt. Place chicken pieces in zip lock bag one by one. Seal the bag and shake. (Shake and bake! and I helped!)

Once well coated, remove from bag and place on a plate, platter, whatever you have (a rack over a plate is probably best) and put it in the fridge for an hour to an hour and a half to let the flour mixture settle on the chicken. Discard extra flour mixture.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken to pan and reduce heat to medium-low. The trick is finding the right temp - too high and the outer coating will brown well before the chicken is done cooking, too low and the chicken will absorb too much oil. Cook for 25-30 minutes, turning every 5 minutes.

When the outer coating is brown and chicken cooked, remove from the pan and place on a platter with paper towels (really, the brown bags on a rack is better, but I don't have those). Let rest for 5-10 minutes, turn half way through.

Enjoy!

Because this is the healthy options week, here's the health information (Probably a little different because of my ahem modifications)

Calories: 245 Fat: 10.1g (sat 2g,mono 4.1g,poly 3g) Protein: 28.2g Carbohydrate: 9g Fiber: 0.8g Cholesterol: 87mg Iron: 1.8mg Sodium: 240mg Calcium: 17mg

So...
Was it easy?
Yes! I forgot to get the peanut oil, but the canola worked well. I also didn't' read some of the directions so well - so my spice ratio is different than the original.
Was it good?
Yes! ...but still not quite the fried chicken real deal.

Would you make it again?
To be honest, I think I prefer grilled chicken to this method...put perhaps.

Whip It Up: Week 3: Regional Favorites

I've lived in Boston since the fall of 2001. I guess that makes it just shy of 8 years. Since I've moved, I've been made aware, time and again, that there are a number of New England traditions of which Connecticut is entirely unaware. There's no clam bakes - but perhaps that can be blamed on the shore line being entirely taken up by the Long Island Sound, and not an ocean (by any stretch of the imagination). There's the undying loyalty to the Sox, but maybe that's because of the proximity of NY and the number of people residing in CT that work there. Connecticutioners completely lack any sort of accent. On the plus side, the pizza's actually really good.

But then there's the lack of Baked Beans, brown breads and fanaticism of Italian Sausages. However, since I now associate myself with Boston far more than Connecticut, I figured it was about time I tackled this rampantly regional dish.

Now, when I mentioned that this plan to Matt, he so kindly mentioned that his Grampy was an award winning baked bean maker. Well crap. Talk about expectations. Of course I couldn't make any recipe other than his Grampy's. But then, how could I ever live up to a blue ribbon legacy on my first attempt?? Well, in short, I didn't. First of all, Grampy's recipe, along with most Boston Baked Beans, calls for salt pork. Which I don't eat. I will count this as my saving grace. The two recipes couldn't possibly be the same, and I'm off the hook.

(also, I've never had and am sort of afraid of brown bread. only one, one!!, friend has ever said it's good. and again, this was when I was talking about making this dinner. so, i went with northern style corn bread)

Grampy's Boston Baked Beans

1 lb great northern beans

3 tbs molasses

1 tsp dried mustard

3 tbs brown sugar

3 tbs catsup (or 6 packets, you know, whatever you happen to have)

2 slices turkey bacon (not in the original recipe)

2 thick slices uncooked, fatty corned beef, cubed (also not in the original)

1 small onion, fine chopped

Sort and soak the beans overnight. Drain well and pour into a bean pot (or a casserole dish with a lid, like I did, if you don't have a bean pot).

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

In a separate bowl, combine molasses, mustard, brown sugar, and catsup. Combine well and add to beans as well as the bacon and corned beef. Stir until well mixed. Add water to cover. Place lid on the pot and put it in the oven for 5-6 hours. Check periodically, stir and add water as needed. You don't want it to get dried out. For the last half hour or so, let the sauce thicken without letting the dish dry out.

Upon removing and tasting, we decided to add some salt and a little more brown sugar.

Twas delicious, but I've still some work to do before I live up to Grampy's legacy.

For the corn bread, I followed this recipe. Before posting it to my site, though, I want to tweak it. First thoughts are it needs more salt and sugar.

So...

Was it easy?

Yes, exceptionally so.

Was it good?

As mentioned above, yes, very good. However - it's not there yet.

Would I make it again?

Again yes. Hopefully at some point with supervision/guidance from Grammy or Mary Jo.

Whip It Up: Week 2: Guilty Pleasure

That's right, a guilty pleasure. In regards to this, I think most people would automatically jump to dessert. The really rich, ooey-gooey stuff. Probably involving lots of chocolate, maybe some peanut butter. Or brown butter. But then, I've never been much of a dessert person.

I'm also not much of a chain restaurant person. I like eating local, supporting local business and seeing what the best chefs in town are capable of creating for my own gastronomic pleasure. And then there's the one food dish that I crave far more often than anyone should crave something from a national chain.



PF Chang's Vegetarian Lettuce Wraps (this version on Recipeezaar)
Cooking Sauce
1 tbsp hoison sauce
1 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
1 tbsp dry sherry (I used an open bottle of red table wine)
2 tbsp oyster sauce (omitted because I could not find vegetarian oyster sauce)
2 tbsp water
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp corn starch

Marinade
1 tsp corn starch
2 tsp dry sherry (same as above)
2 tsp low sodium soy sauce
1 tsp Chinese chili sauce (I use Sambal Olek)
2 tsp water


Filling
2 tbsp sesame oil
1 c baked tofu (recipe used below), diced
1 tsp fresh minced ginger
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 green onions, minced
1/4 large red onion, small diced
4 oz bamboo shoots, diced
4 oz water chestnuts, diced
1 8oz package cellophane noodls (could. not. find. Help!!)
1 head ice burg lettuce (or your wrapping lettuce of choice)

Spicy Sauce
1 tsp rice vinegar
1 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp dry mustard (Coleman's)
1 tbsp water
1 tsp Chinese chili sauce


While the tofu is baking...

Mix cooking sauce in bowl and set aside.

For the spicy sauce, mix the dry mustard and water until well combined and smooth. Add the rest of the ingredients and set aside. I ended up adding about another tablespoon of soy sauce.

In a medium bowl, make the marinade and set aside. Prep all of your ginger, garlic, green and red onion, bamboo and water chestnuts. When the tofu is done baking (if not done ahead) dice and add to the marinade. Stir until coated well and let sit for 15 minutes.

Heat a wok or skillet over medium-high heat. Add the oil and stir fry the tofu for 2-3 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside.

Add the ginger, garlic and green and red onion; stir-fry for about a minute. Add the bamboo and water chestnuts; stir-fry for another 2 minutes. Return tofu to the wok, add the cooking sauce. Cook until thickened, about 2 minutes.

Place cellophane noodles on a platter and pour the tofu mixture over the noodles. Serve with lettuce and spicy sauce.

Viola!



Baked Tofu (recipe found here)

1 lb extra firm tofu, drained and pressed
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp low sodium soy sauce
2 tsp olive oil
juice of 1 lemon
grated zest of 1 lemon
1/4 c vegetable broth (I used chicken. the ppk vegan would be mad)
1/4 c white wine (I didn't have any. replaced with broth)

Preheat oven to 400

Add the dry ingredients of the marinade to a small goal. Mash a bit to release the flavors better. Add wet ingredients, combine well.

Cut tofu into 8ths. I did this by cutting the long way. I might do it differently next time for slightly thicker pieces of tofu. Pour some of the marinade into a 9x15 baking pan. (or the cookie sheet with a rim that I used) Dredge tofu in the marinade and place in pan in a single layer. Pour remaining marinade over the tofu slices. Make sure some garlic and lemon zest sit on top of each slice. Cover.

Bake for 30 minutes. Remove tin foil, flip the tofu and continue baking for another 20 minutes. Remove from over and cool a little before serving (or you know, dicing and putting in the marinade)

So.
Was it easy? Surprisingly so. There are a lot of ingredients, but most are already pantry staples for me. Seriously people, if chili sauce and soy sauce are not a part of your pantry, they should be.

Was it good? Yes, it was good. However, though close... it wasn't quite PF Chang's. So I will keep looking for recipes, playing tweaking and trying. And until I get it right. Mr Feinstein (or whatever supremely Jewish name that the F stands for) will continue to get my money.

As for the baked tofu. I tried some out of the recipe. It was okay. I couldn't really taste anything. Next time, if I use the same recipe, I'll try it with the wine. And add salt and pepper. I was surprised it didn't call for any, but figured I'd never made baked tofu, so what the hell did I know. Apparently, something.

Would you make it again? See above. If I didn't want the PF Chang's version this would be very good and certainly made again. And I will try again, just maybe not this exact version.

Whip It Up: Week 1: Holiday Favorites

So here it is, the last day to post on what I made for Whip It Up. Way to wait to the last minute, right? Well, would it make you feel any better if you knew that I started it last Saturday? No, I guess not. I could tell you about how I'm tired or have been busy, or spent yesterday baking in the sun next to the river. But you're probably here for the cake.

This week's theme of "holiday" favorites had me thinking. I make almost everything for Thanksgiving, save for one recipe I don't yet know and will likely never share. I've hosted Rosh Hashanah dinners and Passover Sedars. Basically, if it's a holiday favorite, I've probably made it. Well crap. So I started looking up "holidays." You know the kind. Holidays such as "Stupid Guy Thing Day (June 23)" and "Let it Go Day (June 24)." Yes, those two follow each other.

And then I remembered one recipe from Passovers past that I have never, ever attempted.

Angel Food Cake. Added bonus? This recipe requires a lot (a LOT) of whipping. So there you have it. One cake, two holidays: Passover and Whip It Up's Inaugural Week, 2009.



(See all the whipping?)

I'm giving you the recipe as I made it... but hop over to Baking Bites for the real thing. I didn't have any almond extract, like theirs call for. However, I will write the instructions correctly. Not adding the vanilla after adding one addition of the flour mixture. I blame this for the deflation of my batter and resulting denser cake. It still tasted great.


Angel Food Cake (Courtesy of Baking Bites and The Best Recipe)

1 1/2 c. egg whites (about 10-12 large eggs) room temp
1 1/2 c. super fine sugar, divided
1 c. sifted cake flour
1 tsp. cream of tartar
1/4 tsp. salt
2 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 325F.

In a small bowl, whisk together 3/4 cup sugar and the cake flour. Set aside.

Beat egg whites until frothy, the add cream of tartar and salt. Beat until fully incorporated then begin to add the remaining 3/4 cup of sugar 1-2 tablespoons at a time. When sugar has been added, beat egg whites to soft peaks. You will know when you have soft peaks because the egg whites will look like soft waves and when you lift the beaters, the peaks will droop back down into the batter. If your batter is falling in ribbons, it is not quite done. Don’t be afraid to slow down the mixer and check a few times as you get close. Do not beat all the way to stiff peaks. Once you have soft peaks, add the vanilla and almond extracts and beat for a few seconds to evenly distribute. (highlighted because I missed this)

Sift the flour/sugar mixture over the egg whites in 6-8 additions and gently fold it in after each addition.

Spoon batter into an ungreased 9 inch tube pan with a removeable bottom. Smooth the top with a spatula and tap the pan on the counter once or twice to ensure that there are no large bubbles lurking beneath the surface.

Bake for 50-60 minutes, until the top springs back when lightly pressed. Mine took 55 minutes.

Allow to cool completely or overnight.

Gently run a thin knife around the sides, then around the bottom, of the pan to release the cake when you are ready to serve it.

I served ths with both fresh and stewed strawberries. This was easy. All you need is 1/4 - 1/2 c sliced strawberries, a sprinkle of brown and white sugar and a splash of lemon juice.

Combine all ingredients in a sauce pan. Let sit for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until juices form. Place over medium heat and let simmer for 10-20 minutes until strawberries are soft, cooked through, syrup forms and both strawberries and syrup are a beautiful bright red.

So, to recap:

Was it good? Yes. Very.

Was it easy? Not exactly. Maintaining the appropriate level of whipped-ness proved to be elusive. But then, maybe it would have been easier if I'd actually followed the instructions.

Would I make it again? Probably, but I'm not a huge baker.

AhEeeOooo Killer Tofu

So, I've no pictures of my own to share, the one above is courtesy of epicurious dot com (one of my favorite sites ever). But I made this last night. Well, a version of it. And let me tell you, this was surprisingly phenomenal.

The tofu is made very simply.
Drain one package of firm tofu. I pressed it with paper towels before slicing.

Then slice the long way into 8 pieces.

Let rest on and covered by a paper towel for about 10 minutes.

Spread both sides of each slice with about 1/4 to 1/2 cup total of whole grain dijion mustard. (I did not use nearly so much as is shown in the picture) Let rest for a while - as you prepare the other parts of the meal.

To actually cook the tofu, I used a sauce pan I had just finished making crispy shallots for this recipe (sans bacon drippings). Bring the burner to medium heat and let the pan heat a bit. Then lay the slices in the pan in a single layer, cover. Cook like this for about 2 minutes per side, so the tofu browns a bit and is heated through.

Enjoy!! I know I did. Seriously. I could not get over how good tofu quasi-marinated in mustard and seared tasted. This will definitely have to be worked into the regular rotation. Possibly with some mustard-roasted potatoes I saw over at my fav food blog (but have yet to make).

Since I obviously followed a different recipe for the greens but still wanted the sweet potatoes - I basically replaced shallots (since they were in the greens) with the onion, halved the amount of onion, ginger and lime juice. The sweet potatoes caramelized a bit on the outside.

All the flavors from the two? three? dishes still blended so well. A little brown rice on the side topped with a few shallots, some gastrique and a splash of soy sauce rounded out our plates.

Can you tell I'm loving my farm share? Can you tell I'm excited for Whip It Up?? Remember this?

Adventures in Cooking ^2

I'm about to embark on two adventures in cooking - simultaneously and separately. And I couldn't be more excited.

Adventure 1: Whip It Up! 2009
The gauntlet has been laid down and challenge accepted. Some of you might have even noticed a little icon on the right side of your window.

I've been invited to join a weekly cook-off. From what I understand, the only hard rule is that it has to be a new-to-me recipe. I also believe that each week we'll be given a style or foodstuff to work with to aid in narrowing down the vast world of culinary possibilities. Whilst cooking, I take pictures. After cooking, I put up the recipe, pictures and thoughts about the recipe. Oh yeah, and something about was it actually any good? was it easy? and would I ever put myself through it again?

Sound fun? Want to join in the merriment? Check out the link here. All you would ever hope to know about it... or at least who to ask if it's not posted. Seriously, you should sign up.

The fun begins on June 28th. And hey, added bonus.... I'll actually be posting weekly!

Adventure 2: Produce!!!!!!
Back in January, a friend and I signed up to be part of a farm share this summer. What this means in someone other than me works really hard all spring, summer and fall to seed, grow, nurter and harvest lots and lots of fresh produce, all for my our enjoyment. (all of my efforts so far have proved entirely fruitless veggieless. [see what I did there?])

Tonight I pick up my first share! I cannot wait. I don't get any say in the goodies I get, so the adventure part is no meal planning.... and probably lots of entirely new produce. That means new recipes, new ideas, new flavors, new new new. To be honest, I sort of love that Whip It Up! has corresponded (almost) with the beginning of this adventure in produce.