20 posts tagged “cooking”

Use this as a much desirable alternative to fruitcake!  It uses candied fruits, too, but... it is NOT fruitcake, OK?

Two disclaimers:

1. This is written for 1.5 and 2 lb. bread machines
2. I do not think making the glaze from soynog would be a good idea.  Fortunately, it is quite tasty sans glaze.

Best Bread Machine Recipes: For 1 1/2- and 2-pound loaves (Better Homes and Gardens Test Kitchen)

Better Homes and Gardens Books

This is a mashup of two quinoa salad recipes-- one from Dr. Phil's The Ultimate Weight Loss Solution Cookbook, p. 88-89 and one from a "Good Food Recipes" entry in Good Housekeeping, February 2008.

Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 25 minutes
Makes 5 side-dish servings (but with this combined recipe, it can be a meal all by itself- we had it for breakfast).

ReciTip: Quinoa is often called a supergrain.  Because it contains all 8 essential amino acids, it is considered a complete protein.  It has a delicate flavor, but some people don't care for it because they find it has a bitter aftertaste.  Toasting quinoa helps reduce the bitterness and brings out its tasty nutty flavor.  Look for it in health food stores in some supermarkets.

1 1/2 c. quinoa
2 1/2 c. water
1/2 t. salt

For the dressing:
2 T soy sauce
1 T rice vinegar (seasoned is good)
1 t. Asian sesame oil (I used Japanese toasted sesame oil, which includes a little soy oil)
1 t. grated peeled fresh ginger
2 green onions, thinly sliced diagonally
1 T water

To mix in:
1/4 c. sliced natural almonds, toasted
1 large grapefruit, sectioned
1/2 c. dried cherries or raisins
4 ribs celery, thinly sliced (I omitted this)
I included one small apple, chopped.

1. In a 12" skillet, toast quinoa on medium 5 minutes or until fragrant and golden, stirring frequently.
2. Stir 2 1/2 cups water and 1/2 teaspoon salt into toasted quinoa; heat to boiling on high.  Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 15 to 17 minutes or until all water is absorbed.
3. Meanwhile, in small bowl, stir together soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, ginger, green onions, and remaining 1 tablespoon water.
4. Transfer quinoa to large serving bowl.  Stir in soy sauce mixture until quinoa is evenly coated, then the grapefruit, raisins, and apple.  Sprinkle with toasted almonds to serve.

Each 3/4-cup serving contains about 305 calories, 9 g protein, 38 g carbohydrate (8 g sugars), 7 g total fat (1 g saturated), 4 g fiber, 0 mg cholesterol, 460 mg sodium.  Each serving counts as 1 nonstarchy vegetable, 1 starchy carbohydrate, 2/3 fruit, and 1/2 serving fat.

(Apologies if the nutritional info is less than accurate-- I tried to glean what I could from each recipe entry.)

"What is your favorite food?  When you cook for your family, what do you enjoy cooking most?"

If you've read my wife's reply, then first I have to say: I'm the cook, she's the baker.  She likes to make muffins, tarts, pies, and such, while I like to cook a variety of dishes for dinner.

I think my favorite thing to cook is pozole, really.  There is always more than enough for all of us and it lasts for weeks, but it's very cheap and most everyone who has eaten it (wife, daughter, apartment handyman, parents, etc.) likes the way I make it.

If you search the tag 'cooking' in my VOX, you should find what I've made in the past... unless you've been reading already, and then you should be somewhat familiar :)

I'm sorry I don't have pictures!  We never seem to have a working digital camera around here-- that is, the rechargeable batteries are always dead.  So, I'm going to have to use other images.

This is the recipe, with the changes I made:

Ingredients

2 cups cooked black sticky rice

1 can (14 ounces) coconut milk

1/2 cup packed raw cane sugar (I used piloncillo, as the author suggested)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup toasted, shredded, sweetened coconut

1 cup sliced strawberries or kiwifruit or chopped peaches or mango

finely chopped mint, optional

Instructions

In a saucepan, combine coconut milk, brown sugar, and salt. Bring to a boil over medium heat and cook, stirring, until sugar dissolves. Stir in rice and cook, stirring, until thickened, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a serving bowl and chill, if desired.

When you're ready to serve, top with fruit and garnish with coconut and mint, if using.

Piloncillo is a Mexican raw sugar in a conical shape, that looks like this:

Piloncillo

Hardly authentic for a Thai dish, but it is very easy for me to get and very convenient, too.  I also used a "lite" coconut milk (a little less fat) and squeezed in the juice of two key limes (which contain more juice than regular limes).  We garnished with coconut but skipped the fruit and mint-- didn't think of it right away and strawberries tend to be consumed quickly in our home.

I decided to steam the rice beforehand in the microwave for convenience.

This is rather close to what the finished product looked like:

Black sticky rice pudding

My wife adores this dessert and that is why I decided to make it at home.

Dough pieces.resized

Rolling out ropes.resized

Rolling out ropes 2.resized

Rolling out ropes 3.resized

Rolling out ropes 4.resized

Shaping the pretzels.resized

Pretzels laid out.resized

Salting the pretzels.resized

Finished results.resized

Crossposted to LJ, itemid = 1043, security = public, mask = 0.

This is partly a reply to sylph's response here to the QotD.  She is taking a retrospectively satirical look at convenience foods and recipes of the post-war period that used them (retrospective also meaning some posts she made earlier and on other blogs), and some of her response was concerning how such things have persisted to Thanksgiving dinners.

I mentioned there how some of this is difficult to escape, since canned foods are non-perishable and usually comprise the donations made to the food bank.  We always get canned cranberry jelly there at Thanksgiving and Christmas, and often canned sweet potatoes.

As a general rule, we have yet to make a formal Thanksgiving dinner on our own.  We have gone to my in-laws each year, and since we are but a few of the kids that show up, my mother-in-law will do whatever she can to make sure we come.  Mashed rutabaga is now my favorite Thanksgiving food as a result, and of course, it has to be made from whole food.  I thank my acquired taste to cafeteria staff exposing me to raw rutabaga years ago in elementary school during a nutrition education day.

I admit that mashed potatoes and gravy by my own preparation is sometimes from mix and flakes.  I am certain, however, that my mother-in-law makes it from whole potatoes.  But ever since I had mashed potatoes with a bit of the peel added back in at Whitman (in the middle of my undergrad years), I can appreciate retaining even more of the potato skin.  I also discovered that the Yukon Gold variety is especially suitable for a nice batch of mashed potatoes.
Although I have yet to make gravy from scratch, I seem to remember my in-laws usually make it as such for the meal. I quite like how my father-in-law adds giblets (from the turkey, or chicken parts) to the gravy.

I am still trying to figure out how to puree pumpkin easily.  Is it better to cook it first, so it can be scooped from the shell?  You've already seen the stitches in my finger; Cimmy had to have her pinky stitched because we tried to do it the hard way-- peel off the shell and then blend it.  But that year we were able to bring pumpkin pie made totally from scratch.  I could taste the difference, even if others could not.  We've already missed the window of opportunity, though, as far as pumpkin-- once Halloween hits, they're gone-- usually carted away the day after.  But... a squash is a squash is a squash.  I'm fairly sure other winter squashes can be used the same way pumpkins are.  At the very least, I've been in the habit of saving the seeds and toasting them.  It's quite easy now that we have a contact grill with removeable plates, one of them being a griddle plate.

Speaking of pies, we got a lot of apples through various means, and Cimmy decided to make some pies for our dinner with her parents.  She decided to get pre-made shells, but homemade filling made from a mixture of Granny Smith, Gala, and some other varities should be quite delicious.

Relatively little of the meals will be leftovers of our own making.  Besides the main meal with my in-laws, my parents have regularly begged us to come over to their place the day after.  (Since such Friday dinners are generally very small affairs, we retain our option to duck out quickly when some family members get too saucy.)  We will always have leftovers from the meal with my in-laws, and maybe we might get a few leftovers from my folks.  When we get high-processed convenience foods from area foodbanks and the LDS bishop's storehouse, more often than not, it will wind up as an ingredient to something else.  I mentioned earlier how I like to use canned sweet potatoes as a Moroccan-style chicken dish.  The jellied cranberries will usually wind up on store-bought bread with leftover turkey and stuffing usually made from a mix.  Oh well.  Nothing can be perfect, hehe.  If we can tame a loaf made from the bread machine to make solid slices, maybe it will be homemade instead.    

Crossposted to LJ, itemid = 1025, security = public, mask = 0.

Once again I am reminded that I should follow the lead of the Hispanics I see at the local Mex supermarket-- buy hominy in the #10 cans.  Don't try to buy it dry in bulk and then try to soak the hulls off!

I found instructions on how to do it with baking soda instead of lye.  I'm not sure if I added enough to the water, but I probably shouldn't have put the lid on the bucket.  I was worried about water spilling all over the floor, but when I opened it today-- phew!-- the strong scent of stinky corn was overpowering.  If I could learn to do it properly, I might save enough coin for it to be worth it, but until then... just not ... no vale la pena.  Just not worth the pain and trouble.

Crossposted to LJ, itemid = 1009, security = public, mask = 0.

Last seen at Purplesque's blog.  I don't ascribe to a vegetarian or vegan diet, but I really think a lot of veggie dishes deserve good press.

Your mission, should you choose to accept it:

1) Copy this list into your own blog, including these instructions.
2) Bold all the items you’ve eaten.
3) Cross out any items that you would never consider eating.

4) (My option) Underline items you would like to try.

5) Post a comment here once you’ve finished and link your post back to this one.

6) Pass it on!

Note: I am also marking items that I am not sure I have had (or definitely sure I have not had) veggie-only with asterisks.

1. Natto
2. Green smoothie
3. Tofu Scramble
4. Haggis*
5. Mangosteen
6. Creme brulee*
7. Fondue
8. Marmite/Vegemite (It was so funny watching others make faces as I enjoyed it.)
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Nachos
12. Authentic soba noodles
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi
15. Taco from a street cart*
16. Boba Tea
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes (religious dietary law)
19. Gyoza
20. Vanilla ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes (not sure)
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Ceviche*
24. Rice and beans
25. Knish
26. Raw scotch bonnet pepper
27. Dulce de leche
28. Caviar
29. Baklava
30. Pate
31. Wasabi peas
32. Chowder in a sourdough bowl*
33. Mango lassi
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Mulled cider (non-alcoholic)
37. Scones with buttery spread and jam
38. Vodka jelly (can't have that either)
39. Gumbo
40. Fast food french fries
41. Raw Brownies
42. Fresh Garbanzo Beans
43. Daal
44. Homemade Soymilk
45. Wine from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
46. Stroopwafle
47. Samosas
48. Vegetable Sushi
49. Glazed doughnut
50. Seaweed
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Tofurkey
54. Sheese
55. Cotton candy
56. Gnocchi
57. Piña colada (non-alcoholic)
58. Birch beer
59. Scrapple
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores
62. Soy curls
63. Chickpea cutlets
64. Curry
65. Durian
66. Homemade Sausages
67. Churros, elephant ears, or funnel cake
68. Smoked tofu
69. Fried plantain
70. Mochi
71. Gazpacho (also had a version with watermelon)
72. Warm chocolate chip cookies
73. Absinthe (tempting but another dietary no-no)
74. Corn on the cob
75. Whipped cream, straight from the can
76. Pomegranate
77. Fauxtess cupcake
78. Mashed potatoes with gravy
79. Jerky* (how does one make vegan jerky?)
80. Croissants
81. French onion soup
82. Savory crepes
83. Tings
84. A meal at Candle 79
85. Moussaka
86. Sprouted grains or seeds
87. Macaroni and “cheese”*
88. Flowers
89. Matzoh ball soup
90. White chocolate
91. Seitan
92. Kimchi
93. Butterscotch chips
94. Yellow watermelon
95. Chili with chocolate (Mole!)
96. Bagel and Tofutti
97. Potato milk
98. Polenta (technically, no-- I had corn grits)
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Raw cookie dough

Crossposted to LJ, itemid = 967, security = public, mask = 0.

From snoringKatZ, who got it from Jody.  I've made a few annotations and extended the list.

Directions:

    * Copy the list to your own blog
    * Bold any items that you have consumed
    * Star (*) any items that you love/consume regularly
    * Cross out any items you would never consider even trying
    * Underline items you would like to try (jak's edit)

The List:

1. Venison (deer and elk)
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile
6. Black pudding (not keen on the idea of eating blood)
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht*
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich (PB&J sandwich with apple slices*)
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Steamed pork buns*
20. Pistachio ice cream* (but more especially pistachio pudding*)
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras
24. Rice and beans
25. Brawn, or head cheese
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters*
29. Baklava*
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas*
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl*
33. Salted lassi
34. Sauerkraut (on bratwurst*)
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects
43. Phaal
44. Goat’s milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
46. Fugu
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel (in sushi*)
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer above 8% ABV
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores
62. Sweetbreads (pan dulce - Mexican sweetbread*)
63. Kaolin
64. Currywurst
65. Durian
66. Frogs’ legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake (especially churros, elephant ears*)
68. Haggis (unauthentic)
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost
75. Roadkill
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie (Blackberry and lemon flavors*)
78. Snails
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Lutefisk
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam*
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish*
95. Mole poblano*
96. Bagel and lox*
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake

jak's extended list:

101. Sopa de siete mares (Soup of the Seven Seas- Mexican)*
102. Swordfish*
103. Pozole* (pork and hominy soup)
104. Edible seaweed* (not nori)
105. Anchovy pizza (oyster and anchovy pizza*)
106. Sopa de chivo* (goatmeat soup)
107. Tacos, burritos, etc. from a taco wagon*
108. Tongue
109. Traditional mincemeat pie (including the meat, not merely a mince pie)

Crossposted to LJ, itemid = 958, security = public, mask = 0.