I keep forgetting to post here. Not to mention I have been kind of slacking on the cooking lately...
So tonight I made clam chowder and grilled cheese sandwiches, with chocolate pudding. All good except the pudding. Came out thick and gelatinous and unappetizing. Chocolate doesn't seem to be my strong suit... I do okay with fruity desserts and I can make a cake from a mix but every time I work with chocolate it seems like SOMETHING goes wrong. This time it was the texture, the time I made fudge it was the sugar boiling over and spilling all over the kitchen.
Mom's visiting in a couple of weeks. I'm pretty well decided I'm making that beef tenderloin with roasted shallot gravy because it was so unbelievably delicious, but beyond that I'm not sure. Some sort of potato dish, and I'd like to make something using leeks and fennel because I like cooking with them... specifically I made braised leeks once, where they were boiled until tender and then roasted and basted with butter/leek juices and they were SO RIDICULOUSLY GOOD but I suspect that it might not go so well with the beef/shallot, which is very rich.
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Friday, December 21, 2007
Apple Crisp
Making apple crisp this morning for the work potluck. It's got about 10 minutes to go and it smells SPECTACULAR. I am so so so tempted to just dive right into it when it comes out but NOOOO I must resist.
Apple Crisp
1 cup flour
1 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup oats
1/2 cup melted butter
1 tsp ground cinnamon
4-5 cups sliced apples
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1 tbsp cornstarch
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Mix flour, sugar, oats, cinnamon and butter until crumbly. Press half of mixture into a 9x13 dish. Top with apples.
In a small saucepan, bring sugar, water, cornstarch and vanilla extract to a boil (stirring) and cook (stirring) until thickened and clear (stirring). Pour over apples.
Top with remainder of oat mixture and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.
Apple Crisp
1 cup flour
1 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup oats
1/2 cup melted butter
1 tsp ground cinnamon
4-5 cups sliced apples
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1 tbsp cornstarch
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Mix flour, sugar, oats, cinnamon and butter until crumbly. Press half of mixture into a 9x13 dish. Top with apples.
In a small saucepan, bring sugar, water, cornstarch and vanilla extract to a boil (stirring) and cook (stirring) until thickened and clear (stirring). Pour over apples.
Top with remainder of oat mixture and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Ham-Potato-Cheese Casserole and Christmas review
So, Christmas dinner was ultimately as close to a disaster as I think I've ever had cooking (and that includes the time I scorched a beurre blanc sauce, the time I made approximately 8 gallons of beurre blanc for a meal for 4 people, the time I set a wok on fire [leading to the title of this blog], the time I caught a burner on fire while trying to a boil a pot of potatoes...). First off, I made two tins of "fudge". I say "fudge" in quotes because it wasn't real soft-ball stage fudge, it was a workaround that should taste about the same. I managed to spill incredibly sticky boiling sugar-evaporated milk mix all over the stovetop, sink, cabinets, and floor (it said use a 4-qt pot, I said "eh a 3-qt pot should be okay", YEAH RIGHT never underestimate the expansion properties of a pot of boiling sugar liquid). I swiffered until it didn't feel like it was sticking anymore, but 3 hours later I was still sticking/slipping everywhere. Ugh.
Then ham. Had to use an insanely big blue pot we took from Alex's parents' house a while back, because my standard "big pot" was approximately the same size as the ham. Put it in the cooking liquid, put it on stove, SMOKE EVERYWHERE from scorching sugar all over burner and burner area. Went "AHHH ALEX HELP" and he came out and went "wtf do you want me to do" and I said "I don't knoooow" so he made a frustrated noise and opened the patio door.
Ham cooked for 5 hours, during which time we dealt with Chestnuts of Doom. Then Alex got a splitting headache just in time for the ham to be taken out of the pot and covered with glaze, which was NOT a one-person job because the ham was 11 lbs and prone to falling apart or off the bone at this point (yeah. Note to self: if the recipe calls for a 4-5 lb boneless ham, and you can't find one, PICK A DIFFERENT RECIPE). So he came out, grumbling and being cranky, and we lifted the ham out of the pot onto a cutting board onto the counter, which dripped ham juices everywhere, and then he went to bed. I did not know this until I had finished cooking everything, made a plate, and went to take it to him. So that ruined my evening. Did some washing up, ate a plate (brussels sprouts were a tad underdone, and chestnuts were too crunchy , probably due to me buying fresh. Note to self: NEVER EVER BUY FRESH CHESTNUTS AGAIN EVER EVER), and sulked.
So tonight, since I have a tasty-but-pain-in-the-ass ham sitting in the fridge, I'm making ham-potato casserole, layered with a standard cream sauce (butter, flour, milk, onion, s&p) and with cheddar sprinkled on top. And garlic bread, which was bought from Hyvee and just needs to be heated up. Both should be pretty fail-proof as far as flavor, especially since I did wait for the cream sauce to thicken and boil before adding to the casserole. So, it should be a nice relief.
Shithead Alex (my coworker, not my husband) says he is bringing a home-cooked ham to the work potluck this Friday. He also listed polo shirts, in complete seriousness, as something his work Secret Santa should get him. I think he fails to understand the intricate subtleties dividing work Christmas and family Christmas. I made a home-cooked ham for Husband Alex, because I wanted to do a Christmas dinner and we're not going to be here on the day of, but I wouldn't dare go to all that effort for work. I'm making an apple crisp in a 13x9 dish, nothing gourmet or particularly complex about it, and that's good enough for me. Last time we had a work potluck, it was my shift lead's baby shower (funny story: she went into labor that morning, a month premature, so she wasn't even there), and he had been insisting he was going to make stuffed/rolled chicken breasts, but at the last minute decided it was too much work (ya think?) and made two huge pans of lasagna instead, most of which didn't get eaten because when 25 people are bringing food, you DON'T need to bring an entree like that, or at least not that much of it. It was supposed to be Mexican/Southwest themed, too, I thought I was pushing it with chili but LASAGNA? Plain old beef-ricotta-tomato-pasta lasagna? Not even close. (For the record, my chili was delicious as it always is, and plenty of it got eaten.)
He says his dad is a chef (he also says his dad is a deadbeat but that's another story) so I can only assume he thinks he inherited magical gourmet powers. And maybe he did, I have never actually eaten anything he's made so who knows. (His lasagna looked dry and grayish.) But he definitely does NOT have any powers of common sense when it comes to work stuff and seems to have this need to compete/outdo everyone. Which is funny, because nobody is trying to compete with him, and it mostly just makes him look stupid at best and like a complete ass at worst.
Then ham. Had to use an insanely big blue pot we took from Alex's parents' house a while back, because my standard "big pot" was approximately the same size as the ham. Put it in the cooking liquid, put it on stove, SMOKE EVERYWHERE from scorching sugar all over burner and burner area. Went "AHHH ALEX HELP" and he came out and went "wtf do you want me to do" and I said "I don't knoooow" so he made a frustrated noise and opened the patio door.
Ham cooked for 5 hours, during which time we dealt with Chestnuts of Doom. Then Alex got a splitting headache just in time for the ham to be taken out of the pot and covered with glaze, which was NOT a one-person job because the ham was 11 lbs and prone to falling apart or off the bone at this point (yeah. Note to self: if the recipe calls for a 4-5 lb boneless ham, and you can't find one, PICK A DIFFERENT RECIPE). So he came out, grumbling and being cranky, and we lifted the ham out of the pot onto a cutting board onto the counter, which dripped ham juices everywhere, and then he went to bed. I did not know this until I had finished cooking everything, made a plate, and went to take it to him. So that ruined my evening. Did some washing up, ate a plate (brussels sprouts were a tad underdone, and chestnuts were too crunchy , probably due to me buying fresh. Note to self: NEVER EVER BUY FRESH CHESTNUTS AGAIN EVER EVER), and sulked.
So tonight, since I have a tasty-but-pain-in-the-ass ham sitting in the fridge, I'm making ham-potato casserole, layered with a standard cream sauce (butter, flour, milk, onion, s&p) and with cheddar sprinkled on top. And garlic bread, which was bought from Hyvee and just needs to be heated up. Both should be pretty fail-proof as far as flavor, especially since I did wait for the cream sauce to thicken and boil before adding to the casserole. So, it should be a nice relief.
Shithead Alex (my coworker, not my husband) says he is bringing a home-cooked ham to the work potluck this Friday. He also listed polo shirts, in complete seriousness, as something his work Secret Santa should get him. I think he fails to understand the intricate subtleties dividing work Christmas and family Christmas. I made a home-cooked ham for Husband Alex, because I wanted to do a Christmas dinner and we're not going to be here on the day of, but I wouldn't dare go to all that effort for work. I'm making an apple crisp in a 13x9 dish, nothing gourmet or particularly complex about it, and that's good enough for me. Last time we had a work potluck, it was my shift lead's baby shower (funny story: she went into labor that morning, a month premature, so she wasn't even there), and he had been insisting he was going to make stuffed/rolled chicken breasts, but at the last minute decided it was too much work (ya think?) and made two huge pans of lasagna instead, most of which didn't get eaten because when 25 people are bringing food, you DON'T need to bring an entree like that, or at least not that much of it. It was supposed to be Mexican/Southwest themed, too, I thought I was pushing it with chili but LASAGNA? Plain old beef-ricotta-tomato-pasta lasagna? Not even close. (For the record, my chili was delicious as it always is, and plenty of it got eaten.)
He says his dad is a chef (he also says his dad is a deadbeat but that's another story) so I can only assume he thinks he inherited magical gourmet powers. And maybe he did, I have never actually eaten anything he's made so who knows. (His lasagna looked dry and grayish.) But he definitely does NOT have any powers of common sense when it comes to work stuff and seems to have this need to compete/outdo everyone. Which is funny, because nobody is trying to compete with him, and it mostly just makes him look stupid at best and like a complete ass at worst.
Sunday, December 16, 2007
Chestnuts
Note to self: NEVER EVER BUY FRESH CHESTNUTS AGAIN.
...my poor fingernails...
(In other news, I'm making Nigella's ham and brussels sprouts for dinner tonight. The ham is twice as big as the one she requested, so that's twice the leftovers. Couldn't find a 4-5 lb uncooked ham to save my LIFE....)
...my poor fingernails...
(In other news, I'm making Nigella's ham and brussels sprouts for dinner tonight. The ham is twice as big as the one she requested, so that's twice the leftovers. Couldn't find a 4-5 lb uncooked ham to save my LIFE....)
Sunday, December 9, 2007
Melt In Your Mouth Beef Ragout
Tonight I'm doing Melt in your Mouth Beef Ragout with garlic mashed potatoes. I don't think I've ever had Chianti before, and as I was pouring it into the measuring cup a few drops dribbled onto my finger and I licked it and it was surprisingly fruity. I'm not usually a huge fan of red wine but this may be pretty impressive.
Also I must say, the ragout smelled delicious even before it had started cooking. I am VERY much so looking forward to dinner tonight.
Also I must say, the ragout smelled delicious even before it had started cooking. I am VERY much so looking forward to dinner tonight.
Sunday, December 2, 2007
Baked Potato Soup
Tonight I did Baked Potato Soup, and it was rather underwhelming. Not TERRIBLE, just pretty bland, and overly thick. I probably let it heat up a bit too far and caused the milk to boil too much. Also, even though I cooked the onion/garlic in bacon fat rather than butter, it still needed more flavor. Maybe more cheese, or something. Oh well.
Baked Potato Soup
2 strips thick-cut bacon, diced
1/2 onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/3 cup flour
3 medium russet potatoes (roughly 1.25 lb)
3 cups milk
2 tbsp sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream
Salt and pepper
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bake potatoes 45 minutes or until tender. Let cool, then peel and mash roughly.
In a large saucepan, cook bacon over medium heat until crispy. Remove with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain. Add onion and garlic to pot with bacon fat, cook until soft. Add flour, stir well. Gradually add milk and whisk to combine. Let sit on medium heat until thickened and bubbly.
Add mashed potatoes, cheddar, and plenty of salt and pepper. Remove from the heat. Add sour cream. Heat slowly until heated through (mine was heated through instantaneously, which is another reason I think I heated/thickened it too far).
Serve garnished with bacon, extra shredded cheddar, and plenty of black pepper.
Serves 4.
Baked Potato Soup
2 strips thick-cut bacon, diced
1/2 onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/3 cup flour
3 medium russet potatoes (roughly 1.25 lb)
3 cups milk
2 tbsp sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream
Salt and pepper
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bake potatoes 45 minutes or until tender. Let cool, then peel and mash roughly.
In a large saucepan, cook bacon over medium heat until crispy. Remove with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain. Add onion and garlic to pot with bacon fat, cook until soft. Add flour, stir well. Gradually add milk and whisk to combine. Let sit on medium heat until thickened and bubbly.
Add mashed potatoes, cheddar, and plenty of salt and pepper. Remove from the heat. Add sour cream. Heat slowly until heated through (mine was heated through instantaneously, which is another reason I think I heated/thickened it too far).
Serve garnished with bacon, extra shredded cheddar, and plenty of black pepper.
Serves 4.
Monday, November 26, 2007
Garlic Lemon Chicken
Tonight I'm doing garlic lemon chicken, with goose fat roasted potatoes and sauteed cabbage. Should be easy enough. Gives me an excuse to use up some of that cup of goose fat I accumulated, and the cabbage is like, 10 minutes tops to done. As for the chicken, we're quite low on garlic and I actually do not have any chicken broth at the moment, but I'll substitute white wine instead and it should be fine. This is what I get for shopping for garlic at Hyvee, where the bulbs have like 5 cloves in them, rather than Dillon's or Hen House, where the bulbs have reliably at least 15.
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