Something about Sundays

Gotta love Bisquick, they make Sunday mornings a breeze. Just add blueberries and stuff into face. =)

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It's too Hot to Cook!

It has been insanely hot here in the Pacific NW. Since air conditioning is non-existant in this corner of the country we are living like cave dwellers. Lights off, blinds closed, and for goodness sake NO STOVE!! Fortunately I have a few ticks for dinner on these 100+ degree days. Here is the first:

Cool Corn Burrito

What you need:
1 bag of frozen corn, thawed
1 can of black beans, rinsed and drained
1 pint of cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
1 diced avocado
.25 cup of cilantro
Juice of 2 limes
Drizzle of olive oil
Salt to taste
1 Package of spinach wraps
Creme Fresh
Iceburg lettuce

What to do:
Combine the first 8 ingredients, dress your wraps with creme fresh and lettuce, toss in the corn salad and wrap. Easy and no heat required!

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Something about Sundays

We were feeling a little pancaked out this week, so we went the quick and easy option of fried eggs and toast. Funny how a neglected classic can taste extra good once you finally get around to it!

What are your favorite weekend breakfasts?

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Something about Sundays

Just because the week is a bit haywire doesn't mean we get to skip Sunday breakfast. I put Dad to work at the skillet bright and early this morning making his famous whiskey pancakes. They are delish!


Turns out there isn't really a recipe, he kinda follows what's on the back of the Hungry Jack box. Since I didn't have any packaged pancake mix I combined the dry half of my recipe and handed it over.

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

Dad then added 2 eggs, a liberal dose of real vanilla, 2 cups of milk (give or take), a shot of corn oil, plus a shot and a half of rye whiskey. He says the amounts vary according to how "saucy" you feel, but insists that a thin batter is the way to go to get that light fluffy cake that is ideal for mopping up maximum butter and syrup.

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Something about Sundays

It's a crazy busy day today! What better than for breakfast that the portable goodness of a blueberry muffin? Thank you Betty Crocker!!

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Tuesday Night Delight

Last night I made a fantastic dish from my new cookbook that I just had to share.

Tomato & Mango Salad with Curry Orange Vinaigrette

What you need:

1 cup fresh orange juice
1 tablespoon oil
1 teaspoon curry powder
salt to taste
3 medium tomatoes, cored and cut into 3/4-inch-thick wedges
2 medium mangoes, peeled, pitted, and cut into 1/2-inch-thick strips
10 small mint leaves, slivered

What to do:
Bring the orange juice to a boil in a medium saucepan. Reduce the heat to medium, and cook until reduced to 3 tablespoons. Remove from heat. Stir in oil, curry powder, and salt. Cool to room temperature. Divide the tomato wedges and mango strips among salad plates. Drizzle evenly with dressing; sprinkle with mint.

Now of course I never follow the rules, so here are my alterations: I used 3 mangoes and 4 tomatoes. I didn't core them, just chopped, then everything went into a bowl. The extra liquid stretched the dressing just enough.

With the salad we had some fresh grilled flat bread and chipotle hummus. The combination was wonderfully dynamic and surprisingly filling.

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Something About Sundays

This morning we had french toast again. Only this time, as I went to add the vanilla, I realized I was out. Eeep!! Fortunately I had a few vanilla beans tucked away. Normally I find them to be not worth the trouble, nor the cost. However, they've saved my butt (and recipe) more than once. Should you find yourself in this situation simply slice the bean open and scrap the seeds out. Generally speaking 1 bean is equal to 2 teaspoons of extract.

To further stretch the vanilla goodness, add the used bean to a container of sugar or a bottle of vodka to infuse them with the yummy flavor.

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the bad melon

Okay, it wasn't bad...just over-ripe, but I hate to waist.

What to do? Make sorbet! I went to Alton Brown on this one. Super easy! Super yummy!

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Veggie Enchiladas

Per request here is a look at how last nights dinner came to fruition.

What I had:

2 zucchini's
1 onion
4 cloves of garlic
2 pasilla peppers
2 Anaheim peppers
1 jalapeno pepper
1 can of black olives
1 can of black bean
1 jar of Pace Specialty Salsa
5 multi-grain tortillas
1.5 cup of shredded white cheddar
cilantro

Now, I'd love to pretend that I have an amazing recipe that I am famous for. Truth is I looked up a recipe. As I realized I had NONE of the ingredients the recipe called for, I took note of the general method, slammed the book shut and headed for the kitchen to do what I do best. Wing it.

What I did:

After rounding up my "what I had" items. I first halved, then sliced the zucchini's and onion, then diced the garlic and peppers. In to the pan with it all for a quick saute in olive oil...only until the onions are semi-transparent the zucchini are a bright green.
Once you hit the sweet spot, toss the veggies in a bowl so they are off the heat. Rise and drain your beans and toss them into said bowl. Roughly chop 2/3rd's of the olives and add them to the party.
It would have be fantastic if I'd had more than 5 medium sized tortilla's....but I work with what I have. To compensate I made sure to use a smaller pan and over-stuffed the poor little things. They looked beautiful!
Naturally it was at this point that I realized that I wanted to have add the cilantro into the mixture, alas it was not to be.
Recast as a garnish, I chopped the cilantro and shoved it aside, reaching for the salsa. Open and apply. I love steps that easy.
Since all Mexican food has cheese (in my world) I grabbed the last of some white cheddar, about a cup and a half, just enough to sprinkle evenly over the dish. I then sliced the remaining olives and threw them on top, you know, for aesthetics.
Into the oven at 300 degrees for 20 minutes, or until hubby showed up. I then flipped on the broiler to brown the cheese real quick.

Wallah! Dinner is served. I have to say they were amazing, however if you are sensitive to heat you may want to leave the jalapeno out. Hope you enjoy my (sorta) recipe. =)

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Something About Sundays

Simple yet delicious, that's what I opted for today. Hubby is down with strep and I'm burnt and worn out from the garage sale. To help us re-coop I've paired up a fresh peach for vitamin C and potassium, yogurt which is good for anyone taking antibiotics and freshly baked popovers.

While popover may seem intimidating they are actually very simple. The key is to preheat your pan. The high heat quickly crisps the out side trapping the air that is inside and allowing them to "pop." Here is a good recipe to try if you feel like giving these a whirl!

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Something about Sundays

This is one of my most treasured recipes! I found it about two years ago in an old Cooks Illustrated magazine. It gives you a french toast that has a nice crisp exterior and is custard-like creamy on the inside. Pure heaven!

What you need:
1 large egg
2 tablespoons unsalted butter , melted, plus extra for frying
3/4 cup milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/3 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon table salt
4 - 5 slices day-old challah bread (3/4-inch-thick) or 6 to 8 slices day-old sandwich bread

What to do:
1. Heat 10- to 12-inch skillet (preferably cast-iron) over medium heat for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, beat egg lightly in shallow pan or pie plate; whisk in butter, then milk and vanilla, and finally sugar, flour, and salt, continuing to whisk until smooth. Soak bread without oversaturating, about 40 seconds per side for challah or 30 seconds per side for sandwich bread. Pick up bread and allow excess batter to drip off; repeat with remaining slices.

2. Swirl 1 tablespoon butter in hot skillet. Transfer prepared bread to skillet; cook until golden brown, about 1 minute 45 seconds on first side and 1 minute on the second. Serve immediately. Continue, adding 1 tablespoon butter to skillet for each new batch.

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Something about Sundays

I love my Sundays! This morning I wanted to use up the few remaining potatoes and half an onion that I did not use in last nights dinner.

That means home fries: Simply chop your potatoes and onions, remember that smaller cubes cook faster. Blanch the potatoes in salted water for about ten minutes or until tender. Drain thoroughly. Saute with butter, chopped onion. It's that easy.

Serve up with some cheesey scrambled eggs and morning star breakfast links. Don't forget the salsa, lets face it, everything is better with salsa.

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Mojito Esaladas

It's Friday and I have tons of leftover fruit in my fridge!
What to do? Fruit salad...with a twist.

Mojito Ensaladas

. 5 cup honey
.5 cup of water
.25 cup of tequila
juice of one lime
chopped mint

Combine, mixing vigorously
Toss with chopped fruit
Let salad set for few minutes to allow the alcohol to evaporate.

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Stock it

As I mentioned on Monday, my in-laws were up the other day. As always, they loaded us up with all sorts of goodies and brought dinner with them . They spoil us so much!

Part of that dinner, at least the part I want to talk about, was a rotisserie chicken. While I prefer not to eat meat, I find it a greater tragedy to allow so much to go to waist. So I opted to make a stock from what remained rather then throw it out. If you have not ventured to make your own stock before, I assure you it is very easy and far less expensive than buying it.

All you have to do is throw the remains in a big pot, fill it with water and gently boil for 6-8 hours and adding water needed. EASY! Once that's done, remove large pieces pieces with a slotted spoon and pour stock through a mesh stainer to remove remaining particulate. Place the container of stock into an ice bath to cool, then refrigerate. After the stock is chilled, you can easily remove the grease and freeze for up to 3 months.

Tips: add on hand veggies and herbs for flavor, strain liquid over the sink.

There you have it. A gallon of gourmet stock for essentially free, plus you've reduced your waste.

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Something about Sundays

I have always loved making breakfast on Sunday mornings!

Since we are in blueberry heaven right now I threw some in with the waffles. I also had a few grapefruit on hand that needed to be used up, so we had fresh squeezed juice too.
Yummy!

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Still baking

Lavender Lemon Butter CookiesIngredents:

7 ounces (14 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
3/4 cup icing sugar
1 egg yolk
pinch of salt
1 tablespoon dried lavender
zest from one lemon
1.5 cups & 1.5 tablespoons plain flour
3 tablespoons cornstarch

What to do:

1) Sift flour and cornstarch, set aside.
2) With an electric mixer, beat butter on medium speed until smooth, add icing sugar and beat until well blended.
3) Beat in the egg yolk, followed by salt, dried lavender and lemon zest.
4) Add the flour mixture and blend with a spatula. Mix just until flour is incorporated.
5) Gather dough to form a ball, divide in half and wrap each piece in plastic wrap. Chill dough for 30 minutes in refrigerator.
6) Form each piece of dough into a log that is about 1 to 1 1/4" in diameter. Wrap logs in plastic wrap and chill dough for at least 2 hours in refrigerator or leave overnight. (Dough logs can be wrapped airtight and kept refrigerated for up to 3 days or stored in freezer for up to 1 month.)
7) When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Once the oven is ready, slice the log into 1/4" thick and place on a lined baking sheet with 1/2" interval.
8) Bake for 12-14 minutes or until the cookies are set but not brown. Transfer to wire rack and let cool completely.

Courtesy of Happy Home Baking

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A means to an end

...and yes, I mean the bread. I opted to make croutons with half of the loaf for a caesar salad. This is very simple.

1) Cube your bread
2) Toss with salt, pepper and oil
3) Bake at 300 degrees for about 30 minutes.

The other half, what was left after hub's attacked it, I made sandwiches with. Piled high with cheese, avocado, cucumber, tomato, hummus and ham for Scott. Better than Quizno's any day.

Guess I'll be baking another loaf tomorrow!

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Back to Baking

Clearly I was inspired by my shipment of flour, because I just baked a loaf of English Muffin bread. This recipe came in the package, courtesy of King Arthur Flour.

3 cups Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon
1 cup milk
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons vegetable oil or olive oil
cornmeal to sprinkle in pan

What to do:

1) Whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, and instant yeast in a large mixing bowl.
2) Combine the milk, water, and oil in a separate, microwave-safe bowl, and heat to between 120°F and 130°F. The liquid will feel very hot (hotter than lukewarm), but not so hot that it would scald you. As a reference point, the hottest water from your kitchen tap is probably around 120°F.
3) Pour the hot liquid over the dry ingredients in the mixing bowl.
4) Beat at high speed for 1 minute. The dough will be very soft.
5) Lightly grease an 8 1/2" x 4 1/2" loaf pan, and sprinkle the bottom and sides with cornmeal.
6) Scoop the soft dough into the pan, leveling it in the pan as much as possible.
7) Cover the pan, and let the dough rise till it's just barely crowned over the rim of the pan. When you look at the rim of the pan from eye level, you should see the dough, but it shouldn't be more than, say, 1/4" over the rim. This will take about 45 minutes to 1 hour, if you heated the liquid to the correct temperature and your kitchen isn't very cold. While the dough is rising, preheat the oven to 400°F.
8) Remove the cover, and bake the bread for 20 to 22 minutes, till it's golden brown and its interior temperature is 190°F.
9) Remove the bread from the oven, and after 5 minutes turn it out of the pan onto a rack to cool. Let the bread cool completely before slicing.

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