Showing posts with label Do you have a recipe for that. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Do you have a recipe for that. Show all posts
Thursday, January 10, 2013
Pineapple upside down cake lovely beverage
Equal parts of this vodka and pineapple juice plus a splash of grenadine - fantastic!
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
9/365: What's for breakfast?
I'm on a breakfast kick. I've been having a scrambled egg "Western Omelette" and I'm loving it. Sometimes with toast and jam, sometimes without. Always cooked well done.
I've been thinking it would be good in a warmed tortilla with a little salsa on top too. Breakfast has always been hard for me since I'm not a morning person.
I've got waffle batter in the fridge for tomorrow. We recently bought the waffle iron that was recommended by CI. I have to say it does a great job. I'm pretty excited for waffles tomorrow morning. After that, I'm out of ideas.
It doesn't have to be on the go, because I'm trying to get up earlier so I can just eat and relax with a cup of coffee. I'm in a much better mood during the day when I take the time to do this.
What do you all have for breakfast?
Char
Saturday, January 5, 2013
5/365: White Pan Bread
view full image
"5/365: Breakfast bread"
This morning we went to see John's dad for breakfast. We prepped everything last night. He requested a Western Omlette and home fries. We chopped the onions and peppers, cooked the potatoes, and made the bread dough. Today we chopped the potatoes, baked the bread in our never before used pullman loaf pan and packed everything up for breakfast. The omlette's were delicious and the potatoes were even better. I think everyone enjoyed their meal.
Thursday, January 3, 2013
Friday, December 28, 2012
Monday, December 17, 2012
Saturday, December 15, 2012
Monday, November 12, 2012
Have I mentioned that I love bacon?
Because the delicious skin on this turkey just isn't enough. I'd like to gild the lily.
Char
Char
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
One of the best soups ever...
I had this soup (or a version of it) at my Sister in Law's house about a month ago, she made it from scratch, even using fresh green beans. I've been craving it (and the shaved parmesan cheese that you put on top when you're eating it), so I made it on Sunday night.
I have to say, it's one of the best soups ever. If you know anything about me, you know that I LOOOOOVE soup. This one looks a little intimidating, but i'll tell you, if I can make it on a Sunday night, after moving furniture and doing a bunch of errands all day, ANYONE can make it. It really went together in a snap, and is so delicious... I know I keep saying that, but it really is. The layering of flavor is just astounding. Of course I know the fact that it made it into the "Joy of Cooking" cookbook, is a tribute to just how fantastic it is.
I made a few changes to the cookbook version. The most notable change was the addition of the sausage. I just love sausage in soup. There was a time, that I would have used spicy italian sausage, but not these days. I did add a little bit of crushed red pepper flake though, and it wouldn't have hurt to add a few dashes of Choloua or some other such hot sauce.
Enjoy!
Char
Char’s Provençal Vegetable and Sausage Soup
Adapted from Joy of Cooking
Ingredients
1 ½ lb Italian Sausage, casings removed (I used Publix cheese and parsley flavored-use what you like)
6 T olive oil, preferably extra virgin, divided
1 medium onion, chopped
1 small leek (white and tender green parts), cleaned thoroughly and chopped
1 medium carrot, peeled and chopped
1 large celery stalk, chopped
3 medium, ripe tomatoes, chopped
1 small potato, peeled and chopped
5 15 ½oz cans chicken stock
1 heaping T chicken base
Pinch of saffron threads (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste
1 can white cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1 can light red kidney beans, beans, rinsed and drained
Small handful of thin spaghetti, broken up, or macaroni
1 small zucchini, quartered lengthwise and sliced
1 pound FRESH green beans, cleaned and broken into bite size pieces
5 cloves of garlic (minced)
1/3 tube basil paste
2/3 cup grated or shaved parmesan cheese
1 tsp black pepper
Wine for deglazing (optional)
A few shots of White Worchestershire sauce (optional)
A pinch of red pepper flake (optional)
Directions
Heat 2 T olive oil in large soup pot or dutch oven over medium low heat. Add Italian sausage and red pepper flake, if desired. Cook until no longer pink, breaking up into smaller bite sized pieces. Remove to separate bowl. Deglaze pan with a little water (or wine if you have some). Add 2 - 4 more T olive oil. Add carrot, leek, onion and celery and cook, stirring, until tender but not browned, 5 to 10 minutes.
Stir in tomatoes, potato, stock, white Worchestershire sauce, chicken base, saffron and 2 tsp salt.
Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 30 minutes.
Stir in cooked sausage, cannellini and light red kidney beans, pasta, zucchini, green beans, basil paste, garlic, pepper, parmesan cheese and more salt to taste.
I have to say, it's one of the best soups ever. If you know anything about me, you know that I LOOOOOVE soup. This one looks a little intimidating, but i'll tell you, if I can make it on a Sunday night, after moving furniture and doing a bunch of errands all day, ANYONE can make it. It really went together in a snap, and is so delicious... I know I keep saying that, but it really is. The layering of flavor is just astounding. Of course I know the fact that it made it into the "Joy of Cooking" cookbook, is a tribute to just how fantastic it is.
I made a few changes to the cookbook version. The most notable change was the addition of the sausage. I just love sausage in soup. There was a time, that I would have used spicy italian sausage, but not these days. I did add a little bit of crushed red pepper flake though, and it wouldn't have hurt to add a few dashes of Choloua or some other such hot sauce.
Enjoy!
Char
Char’s Provençal Vegetable and Sausage Soup
Adapted from Joy of Cooking
Ingredients
1 ½ lb Italian Sausage, casings removed (I used Publix cheese and parsley flavored-use what you like)
6 T olive oil, preferably extra virgin, divided
1 medium onion, chopped
1 small leek (white and tender green parts), cleaned thoroughly and chopped
1 medium carrot, peeled and chopped
1 large celery stalk, chopped
3 medium, ripe tomatoes, chopped
1 small potato, peeled and chopped
5 15 ½oz cans chicken stock
1 heaping T chicken base
Pinch of saffron threads (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste
1 can white cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1 can light red kidney beans, beans, rinsed and drained
Small handful of thin spaghetti, broken up, or macaroni
1 small zucchini, quartered lengthwise and sliced
1 pound FRESH green beans, cleaned and broken into bite size pieces
5 cloves of garlic (minced)
1/3 tube basil paste
2/3 cup grated or shaved parmesan cheese
1 tsp black pepper
Wine for deglazing (optional)
A few shots of White Worchestershire sauce (optional)
A pinch of red pepper flake (optional)
Directions
Heat 2 T olive oil in large soup pot or dutch oven over medium low heat. Add Italian sausage and red pepper flake, if desired. Cook until no longer pink, breaking up into smaller bite sized pieces. Remove to separate bowl. Deglaze pan with a little water (or wine if you have some). Add 2 - 4 more T olive oil. Add carrot, leek, onion and celery and cook, stirring, until tender but not browned, 5 to 10 minutes.
Stir in tomatoes, potato, stock, white Worchestershire sauce, chicken base, saffron and 2 tsp salt.
Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 30 minutes.
Stir in cooked sausage, cannellini and light red kidney beans, pasta, zucchini, green beans, basil paste, garlic, pepper, parmesan cheese and more salt to taste.
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Artisian Bread in Five minutes a day
I have to admit. I'm a pretty dismal bread baker. Before Grampy died, he took me through his whole process, which you can see here . I'm glad I did that for so many reasons, not the least of which is that he died less than four months after I did that. Between pictures and video, it is memories of some of the most special times we spent together in the kitchen and talking about all things food related. I love him and miss him so much, and I really can't even look through the pictures without bawling, much less watch the videos. But if you can, I encourage you to. He was an amazing man. By the by, after he died, my Grammie gave me almost all of his bread baking equipment. I'll always treasure it.
When I heard about this recipe for making bread in five minutes a day,and no kneading was involved, I was totally all in. For some reason, I just can't figure out the kneading! If you watch the videos and look at the pictures, you can CLEARLY tell which bread grampy had his hands on, and which bread I had mine on. I know I should practice, because in this case, truly practice does make perfect, but I haven't found the patience for it yet. I will someday, and thankfully, I'll have Grampy by my side showing me how he kneaded the bread with perfection.
The recipe for Artisian Bread in Five minutes a day, is dead simple.
3 cups lukewarm water
1 1⁄2 tbsp granulated yeast (1 1⁄2 packets)
1 1⁄2 tbsp coarse kosher or sea salt
6 1⁄2 cups unsifted, unbleached, all-purpose white flour
Cornmeal for pizza peel
I like to add just a pinch of sugar.
The beauty is in the method. If you want the details and haven't been able to dig it up on line, send me a message or leave me a comment and I'll see what I can do, or better yet, go buy the book! You won't be sorry! You get the recipe and method for the main loaf, and TONS of variations!! People, this is so easy a caveman could do it! REALLY!
Here are some pictures from our most recent endeavor!
Now this isn't squishy wonder bread guys, this bread has some tooth to it. I loved it shmeared with butter right out of the oven, or rubbed with garlic and butter with some spaghetti. It has a hint of sour dough flavor to it, because it sat for a few days before we baked it. There's more in the fridge. Can't wait to make the next loaf. You know, it will only take five minutes to pop it in the oven, and fresh bread in 30 mins. Do you remember what the house smells like when you bake fresh bread? Do you? Aww you should go make some now!
Char
When I heard about this recipe for making bread in five minutes a day,and no kneading was involved, I was totally all in. For some reason, I just can't figure out the kneading! If you watch the videos and look at the pictures, you can CLEARLY tell which bread grampy had his hands on, and which bread I had mine on. I know I should practice, because in this case, truly practice does make perfect, but I haven't found the patience for it yet. I will someday, and thankfully, I'll have Grampy by my side showing me how he kneaded the bread with perfection.
The recipe for Artisian Bread in Five minutes a day, is dead simple.
3 cups lukewarm water
1 1⁄2 tbsp granulated yeast (1 1⁄2 packets)
1 1⁄2 tbsp coarse kosher or sea salt
6 1⁄2 cups unsifted, unbleached, all-purpose white flour
Cornmeal for pizza peel
I like to add just a pinch of sugar.
The beauty is in the method. If you want the details and haven't been able to dig it up on line, send me a message or leave me a comment and I'll see what I can do, or better yet, go buy the book! You won't be sorry! You get the recipe and method for the main loaf, and TONS of variations!! People, this is so easy a caveman could do it! REALLY!
Here are some pictures from our most recent endeavor!
 |
| Dough in container immediately after mixing. |
 |
| Dough in container after three hour rise at room temp. |
 |
| Risen dough after 3 hours at room temp, about tripled. We refrigerated it at this point. |
 |
| All I had to do here was make it into a smooth silky ball by tucking the ends under... Meh... |
 |
| I slashed the top for a scalloped effect in the finished product... ha |
 |
| Yes, well you see, it looks beautiful anyway! |
 |
| The taste... Oh Ma Gah! It was fantastic! |
Char
Saturday, January 22, 2011
The Big Green Egg and a hunk of beef two ways (Part 2 of 2) Chili!
Welcome to part 2!
So we had this beef in the fridge, and since it was a little on the dry side, but it had lots of flavor, we thought it would make good chili. It sure did!
So delicious!
Char
So we had this beef in the fridge, and since it was a little on the dry side, but it had lots of flavor, we thought it would make good chili. It sure did!
 |
| John slicing the green pepper |
 |
| Chopping the green pepper |
 |
| Chopping up the celery |
 |
| Onions, garlic, celery and pepper ready to go |
 |
| Sliced beef |
 |
| Sliced and diced beef ready for the sauteed vegetables |
 |
| All the meat, spices and veg |
 |
| Tomatoes, tomato sauce, beans and vegetables... everyone in the hot tub to simmer! |
So delicious!
Char
The Big Green Egg and a hunk of beef two ways (Part 1 of 2)
Almost two years ago, we decided that instead of putting a large hunk of money into another "disposable" grill from Home Depot, that we would spend a bit more money and have a grill that lasts a lifetime. We haven't regretted a moment of it.
Last weekend, I had an eye round roast, and had planned on cooking it in the oven, low and slow a la a recipe that an old boss of mine made for Christmas parties. The beef comes out super tender and rare. John mentioned that he'd like to try it on the BGE, but I had a little reservations about it, because it can sometimes be difficult for me to keep the BGE very low, which is what this cut needs. I was fretting about it, and not exactly sure what I should do, or how to go about it, and John said to just get started and it would come to me. He was at work, and I had this hunk of meat, so here we went...
We haven't used the BGE in a while, so it took a bit of time to get it prepped and ready, plus I had already soaked some mesquite chunks. It was going strong
Ready to throw the meat on after placing the probe thermometer and shielding it from the heat
Done... It ended up being a bit too dry. It cooked a little higher than I would have liked, and I pulled it at 130 degrees and I probably should have pulled it at 115 degrees especially considering the amount of time that it sat before we ate it. We ended up chopping it up and putting it on a salad and had it along side of the falafel below. It was delicious! Nice pink smoke ring too, which you'll see in dish two.
Needless to say, we had a bunch of meat left, and we've been meaning to make chili with it all week. We finally got it going today
I think I'm going to make this a two part series :) Part two coming in a few minutes.
Char
Last weekend, I had an eye round roast, and had planned on cooking it in the oven, low and slow a la a recipe that an old boss of mine made for Christmas parties. The beef comes out super tender and rare. John mentioned that he'd like to try it on the BGE, but I had a little reservations about it, because it can sometimes be difficult for me to keep the BGE very low, which is what this cut needs. I was fretting about it, and not exactly sure what I should do, or how to go about it, and John said to just get started and it would come to me. He was at work, and I had this hunk of meat, so here we went...
 |
| Nice sized eye round of beef rubbed with our Memphis Rub |
We haven't used the BGE in a while, so it took a bit of time to get it prepped and ready, plus I had already soaked some mesquite chunks. It was going strong
 |
| BGE Chugging along |
Done... It ended up being a bit too dry. It cooked a little higher than I would have liked, and I pulled it at 130 degrees and I probably should have pulled it at 115 degrees especially considering the amount of time that it sat before we ate it. We ended up chopping it up and putting it on a salad and had it along side of the falafel below. It was delicious! Nice pink smoke ring too, which you'll see in dish two.
Needless to say, we had a bunch of meat left, and we've been meaning to make chili with it all week. We finally got it going today
I think I'm going to make this a two part series :) Part two coming in a few minutes.
Char
Generosity
Working for generous people, is always a plus. What's even better is working for generous people who have generous friends.
Thanks to one of my bosses, this is what we had for dinner last night, gratis... courtesy of him!
I picked up some scallops and wrapped them in bacon just to gild the lily :-)
What a fantastic dinner. I'm a lucky girl.
Char
Thanks to one of my bosses, this is what we had for dinner last night, gratis... courtesy of him!
 |
| Stone crab claws with drawn butter |
 |
| Fresh rock shrimp from the east coast waters |
I picked up some scallops and wrapped them in bacon just to gild the lily :-)
 |
| Handmade bacon wrapped scallops with cucumber dill sauce |
Char
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Breakfast of Champions
Well I dunno about champions, but it really works for me.
I love me some bananas and peanut butter. So I cut up a banana, and put a dollop of crunchy peanut butter on top. Consume with fork. (Pinky out optional).
C
I love me some bananas and peanut butter. So I cut up a banana, and put a dollop of crunchy peanut butter on top. Consume with fork. (Pinky out optional).
 |
| Crunchy Peter Pan with a perfectly ripe banana! |
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Limoncello Martini
So if you read my laundry list of stuff I want to blog about down below, you saw that I made myself a fantastic drink when I got home Friday night. (That reminds me, I REALLY need to do some laundry.)
I wanted something lemony, and I remembered the homemade Limoncello that my wonderful BIL made for us. It's been in the fridge, so I pulled it out and mixed it up in a shaker with some Ciroc Vodka (My fave), some Grand Marnier and lots of ice. It was absolutely delicious!
Go get you some!
I just love me a nummy cocktail!
Char
I wanted something lemony, and I remembered the homemade Limoncello that my wonderful BIL made for us. It's been in the fridge, so I pulled it out and mixed it up in a shaker with some Ciroc Vodka (My fave), some Grand Marnier and lots of ice. It was absolutely delicious!
Go get you some!
I just love me a nummy cocktail!
Char
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
