Tag Archives: recipe

Black Bean tacos

Posted on September 2, 2012 by | Comments Off on Black Bean tacos
IMG_8174

Black bean tacos

1 pound dried black beans

bay leaves

1 tablespoon epazote

3 serranos, minced

shredded Monterrey Jack cheese

cilantro

corn tortillas

Cover beans with at least 3 inches cold water in a heavy bottom pot and bring to a boil for 5 minutes. Turn off heat and let stand, covered, for an hour. Bring back to a simmer, add some bay leaves and the epazote and simmer until tender. (30 minutes for me but I get “fresh” local dried beans which cook faster). Drain the beans reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid and add that back to the pot along with just enough olive oil to allow you to mash them to your desired texture. Add 3 minced fresh serranos and a handful of chopped fresh cilantro. (Sauteed garlic would be a dandy addition)

Place a dollop into a corn tortilla and gently fold in half. Fry in a cast iron skilled in preheated olive oil until golden brown on both sides. Top with cheese, avocado and fresh tomatoes.

 

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Frito Pie

Posted on August 30, 2012 by | Comments Off on Frito Pie
Frito Pie, home version

I haven’t made Frito Pie in a really long time but Jason had some at the rodeo earlier this summer and requested it again this week. We used to have this at football games in high school and it came right in a small bag of Fritos, slit along the side. I couldn’t find small bags of Fritos so ours is just in bowls but it tastes just as good.

Frito Pie, home version

1 bag Fritos
2 pounds lean ground beef
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large sweet onion, finely diced
2 tablespoons garlic, minced
14 ounces canned crushed fire-roasted tomatoes
half a can of water
1/2 cup ketchup
2 or 3 tablespoons cumin
1 or 2 tablespoons ancho chili powder
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
salt to taste
shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Coat a large deep skillet with the olive oil and brown the meat over high heat. As it begins to approach done, remove excess fat. Add the onion and garlic and continue to cook until onions are soft. Add remaining ingredients except for cheese and chips. Simmer gently ten minutes or until thickened. Serve over chips and top with cheese.

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In the kitchen with Dinah

Posted on August 22, 2012 by | Comments Off on In the kitchen with Dinah

IMG_8052 granola IMG_8061 White bean and escarole soup with artichokes

Monday was a very busy day in the kitchen. I made an egg casserole for Jason’s breakfasts which has been divided up and frozen so that he can thaw just a few at a time and have a quick breakfast when he’s in a hurry. I made another batch of granola and refined the recipe a bit more and then for dinner I made escarole and bean soup with artichokes. My feet were pretty tired by the end of the day!

Granola

Over low heat, melt together 1/2 cup unsalted butter, 2/3 cup water, 1/2 cup olive oil, 2 cups brown sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, 2 teaspoon vanilla, 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, 2 teaspoons ground cardamom. When the sugar has dissolved, transfer to a large bowl and stir in 1 pound extra thick oats, 1 cup white wheat flour, 4 ounces unsweetened coconut flakes, 4 ounces flax seed and 1 pound raw almonds. Spread into two jelly roll pans and bake at 350F stirring every 20-30 minutes or until browned. Let cool completely and store in air-tight containers.

White bean and escarole soup with artichokes

Add 1 pound dried canellini beans to a large heavy pan and cover with about 3 inches cold water. Bring to a boil and cook 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand, covered, about an hour. Return to heat, bring to a simmer and cook with occasional stirring until beans are soft. In a small pan, brown 1 head of garlic, minced, in 1 tablespoon olive oil. Transfer to bean pot and add salt to taste, 1 head escarole thoroughly rinsed and chopped, 1 jar artichokes drained and chopped, 1 teaspoon oregano or epazote, 3 serranos minced. Simmer until escarole is wilted and served with a garnish of freshly grated Asiago cheese and hot crusty bread.

 

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Basil Chicken Curry

Posted on August 12, 2012 by | Comments Off on Basil Chicken Curry

Basil chicken curry IMG_7862

I was really excited to use the first onions from my garden this week and I am just managing to keep up with the serrano peppers.

 

Basil Chicken Curry

2 pounds bone-in chicken parts
1 cup diced onion
2 tablespoons fresh ginger, minced
4 serrano peppers, minced
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
1 teaspoon red and black pepper blend
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
salt to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 can coconut milk
1 28-ounce can crushed fire-roasted tomatoes
1 bunch basil leaves
hot cooked rice

Brown the chicken well on all sides. (I had the breasts still on the bone with skin). Add the onion, ginger, and peppers and cook until just soft. Stir in the garlic and spices and cook, while stirring, about a minute longer. Add the coconut milk and crushed tomatoes and just enough water to rinse the cans. Bring to a simmer. Remove half the basil leaves from their stems, chop and add to the pot. Cover the pot and transfer to an oven preheated to 350F, bake 1 hour. Remove chicken to a cutting board. Shred chicken, discarding skin, tendons and bones and return to the pot. Remove remaining basil from the stems, chop. Serve curry over hot cooked rice, topped generously with basil.

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Cinnamon Rolls, take two

Posted on July 21, 2012 by | Comments Off on Cinnamon Rolls, take two

Cinnamon Rolls Cinnamon Rolls

Jason and I are spending the night in Boston so, of course, I had to leave some extra provisions for the boy. These cinnamon rolls turned out perfectly now that I’ve tweaked the recipe. I start by splitting my sourdough start and feeding both halves so that I have two cups for this recipe. I do let it get happy for an hour or two before I begin.

2 cups sourdough starter
1 cup milk
2 TBSP honey
2tsp vanilla
2 TBSP melted butter
1 1/2 tsp salt
4-5 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
4 TBSP melted butter, for brushing dough
3 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup sugar
Powdered Sugar Glaze
1 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
1 TBSP butter, melted
1/2 tsp vanilla
pinch tsp salt
2 to 4 tsp milk

Directions

Mix together the starter, milk, honey, vanilla and melted butter. Stir in salt, baking soda, and enough flour to make the dough stiff enough to handle. Knead dough for 4-5 minutes, with dough hook, in the bowl of a mixer, adding more flour if necessary.

Place in an oiled bowl and turn once. Cover tightly and set in a warm place to rise 4 or 5 hours, or until doubled.
Punch down dough and turn out onto a floured surface. Roll out into a 9×18-inch rectangle. Brush with melted butter then sprinkle with a mixture of cinnamon and sugar. Dot with pecans. Roll up and cut into 1-inch slices. Arrange in a 9×13 pan. Cover and let rise overnight in the refrigerator. Let warm up 30-60 minutes before baking.

Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes. Drizzle warm rolls with glaze

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The chicken soup cure?

Posted on June 19, 2012 by | Comments Off on The chicken soup cure?

sourdough bread chicken soup

In an attempt to stave off a summer cold, I made chicken soup this week. I never seem to make chicken soup the same way twice. This time I addeed ginger, garlic and serrano peppers for a cold fighting boost. It sure cleared out my sinuses! The bread is a sourdough recipe from King Arthur Flour that I’ve been using for awhile. I’m finally getting a feel for how stiff to make the dough and what shape loaf works best. I’ve discovered snipping the loaves works a lot better for me than slashing. My only modification to the bread recipe is to add a tablespoon of honey along with the starter, water and yeast.

 
Chicken Soup

1 whole chicken, abot 5 pounds
3 carrots, peeled and diced
4 ribs celery, diced
1 large sweet onion, chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
1 bunch chopped parsley
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
2 serrano chilis, chopped
cold water, to cover
1 cup orzo pasta

In a large Dutch oven, saute carrots, onions and celery in olive oil, over medium-low heat, until they begin to soften. Add garlic, ginger, and serrano,  and saute another minute or two, stirring so it does not burn. Season chicken with salt and pepper and place in the pan atop the veggies. Add thyme, half of the parsley, and enough cold water to cover. Put the lid on and bring to a simmer. Simmer 30 minutes then turn off and let stand 60 minutes. Drain chicken into the pot and remove it to a cutting board. Add pasta to the pot, bring it to a boil for 60 seconds and turn off heat again. Remove all meat from the chicken carcass and return meat to the pot, discard carcass. Add remaining parsley, taste, and adjust seasonings.

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C is for Cookie

Posted on June 17, 2012 by | Comments Off on C is for Cookie
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I never used to bake chocolate chip cookies because it was something special between Dan and his dad. Now that Keith’s gone, it falls to me and his window kindly sent me a copy of his recipe.

Keith’s Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 1/4 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup melted butter

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 large eggs

2 cups Nestle chocolate chips

1 cup chopped walnuts

Mix together sugars and butter until well combined. Beat in eggs, one at a time, and vanilla. In a small bowl, whisk together dry ingredients and then beat into wet mixture just until combined. Fold in chips and nuts. Bake at 375F for 12 minutes or until just beginning to brown around the edges.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Spiced Applesauce Pancakes

Posted on May 28, 2012 by | Comments Off on Spiced Applesauce Pancakes
You know by now that I am unhealthily obsessed with all things apple-related.

 apples we picked

And pumpkins actually, but that's neither here nor there.

Anyway. I have a brand spankin' new recipe to share. Well, I know there's nothing new new under the sun, but I most definitely improvised these pancakes earlier today for brunch (actually measuring and writing things down, go figure!) with no other recipes in mind, so it is new to me at least. :)

pancakes


Spiced Applesauce Pancakes

1/2 cup oats, gently ground (seriously, just smashing them a little between your hands is fine)
1/2 cup buckwheat flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup unbleached flour
1 tsp baking powder

Thoroughly combine above ingredients in large mixing bowl and set aside.

1/4 vegetable oil
2 eggs
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup applesauce
1 cup apple juice (or cider)
1/2 tsp cinnamon
dash cloves

Combine wet ingredients and spices, mixing well. Whisk into dry mixture and let stand for five minutes.

The following cooking recommendations are for an electric griddle, because that's what I use. If you use something different, you'll have to experiment with your cooking times and burner temps, sorry!

Preheat griddle to 325º F. Spoon pancake batter onto griddle with large serving spoon or ladle (approximately 1/4 cup batter for each pancake) and spread to about 1/2 thickness for even cooking -- resulting pancakes will be about five inches in diameter.

At that temp and thickness, my pancakes needed to cook for three minutes on each side. Before flipping, the top of your pancakes should be covered in medium to small bubbles, and the surface should look like it is just starting to firm up and dry out a little. This should give you a nice golden brown color on the other side.

pancakes served

And that's that! We served ours with butter and plain old table syrup, but so many things would be delicious with these. The texture is light and spongy, with a nice chew, thanks to the oats.

I always say this, but... Let me know if you give them a try!


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Granola

Posted on February 24, 2012 by | Comments Off on Granola
granola

I’m still searching for a granola recipe that I like. This one turned out pretty well though I got it a bit browner than I meant to.

 


1 lb extra thick oats
¼ lb white whole wheat flour
2 oz unsweetened shaved coconut
2 oz flaxseeds
12 oz sunflower seeds and whole almonds
2 cups palm sugar (brown sugar is fine)
10 oz unsalted butter
2/3 cup water, 1/3 cup olive oil
1 tsp kosher salt
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground cardamom

Preheat your oven at 300F. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix thoroughly with a rubber spatula. Let stand at room temperature 10 minutes. Transfer to a non-stick baking sheet and bake at 300F, stirring at 15 minutes intervals, until quite brown and nearly dry. (about 90 minutes in my kitchen) Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before transferring to airtight containers.

 

(modified from 64 sq ft kitchen)

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Sourdough naan

Posted on February 23, 2012 by | Comments Off on Sourdough naan

Chicken curry Spinach salad with zucchini, chickpeas and avocado

I’ve tried a few times to make naan but this week I found an excellent recipe that turned out so well I think my search is over. As often happens, I’ve modified it to suit my tastes and kitchen.

Sourdough Naan

1 cup active sourdough starter
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup plain yogurt
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon honey
1/2 teaspoon active dry yeast

In the bowl of a mixer, combine the starter, yogurt, honey,  salt , 1/2 cup warm water and the flour. Knead to a smooth dough, about 5 minutes. Add water or flour as needed. Transfer to a lightly oiled bowl and cover. Let rise 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven and baking stone to 450F.

Divide dough into about 10 equal portions and roll out on a floured board into rough ovals about the size of your hand. Bake ovals directly on the stone 5 or 6 minutes or until lightly browned on both sides. There is no need to turn during baking. Serve immediately.

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