Gourmandery

Thursday, April 05, 2007

Completely unrelated side note, Beau just took Jesse into the nursery to change his diaper after feeding him a bottle. I’m enjoying listening to them talk* to each other through the monitor.

* Beau does the talking; Jesse does the cooing.

OK, back to the topic of Thai cooking. I like Thai food, but we’re on a budget so I’ve been wanting to figure out how to make things at home. While at Wegmans on Sunday, I spent some time inspecting the A Taste of Thai seasoning packets and bottles of sauce. I knew I wanted Pad Thai, but I wanted to try some other things, too. I bought the Chicken and Rice Seasoning - the packet promised a one pot meal in 30 minutes and that is exactly what we got. It was delicious! I also bought the Peanut Sauce Mix and a packet of something spicier that I’m not finding on their website found it - Spicy Peanut Bake.

It’s tempting to try one again tonight, but I don’t want to wear out our enthusiasm for the flavors, so I’m probably going to do salmon instead. That also depends on how the afternoon goes work-wise.

If you like Thai food but have been nervous to try making it at home, give these seasoning packets and sauces a try.

Sunday, March 18, 2007

This is quickly becoming a cooking blog.

The corned beef turned out really well yesterday and shall become a Speaks family tradition for all future St. Patrick’s days. Although, as Marmie mentioned last night, maybe I can try my hand at other traditional Irish meals to come up with a repertoire of St. Patrick’s day dinners. At least I know the corned beef is a winner.

Next up comes chicken gumbo. I had a great recipe from my culinary school days, but I can’t find it. So a quick hunt at FoodTV.com got me Rachael Ray’s recipe, which sounds similar enough to what I remember that I’m going to try it. I plan to put that together today for reheating tomorrow in the crock pot while I’m working.

Thursday, March 15, 2007

Since I was pregnant last St. Patrick’s day, I didn’t feel inclined to cook anything, much less the traditional corned beef and cabbage for my husband of Irish descent. This year I am taking on the challenge. I’ve found a recipe that sounds good and is done in the crock pot.

Can you tell I’m loving my crock pot? I am. Because it’s the easiest cooking out there.

Anyway, I plan to set that thing to cooking on Saturday morning so that the dinner is ready for consuming after church on Saturday evening. This will be my first time eating the traditional dinner and I’m kind of looking forward to it.

I think when Tartan Day comes, I’ll try my hand at something Scottish. No, not haggis, about which I agree with Charlie Mackenzie from So I Married An Axe Murderer, “No, I think it’s repellent in every way. In fact, I think most Scottish cuisine is based on a dare.”

Monday, March 12, 2007

I thought I’d post the recipe for the yeast rolls we’ve been making lately. I made them yesterday using some oat flour and they turned out tasty, too.

Here’s the original recipe as published in the breadmaker user guide.

Butter-Rich Roll and Bread Dough

Add ingredients into the breadmaker pan in the following order:

1 cup water
1 large egg
3-1/4 cups bread flour
4 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
3 Tbsp dry milk
1/4 cup butter
1-1/2 tsp Active Dry yeast

Follow the steps for making dough in your breadmaker. When the breadmaker has finished the dough, remove it from the pan. Cut the dough into quarters and then each quarter into 6 pieces. Shape each into a ball. Place each ball about 1 inch apart on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Cover and alow to rise for about 40 minutes to 1 hour (I turn on the oven to the lowest setting before I shape the balls. When the sheet is full, I turn off the oven and place the pan in the warmed oven. The rise then only takes about 15-20 minutes. Brush with egg glaze, if desired. Bake in a 375 oven for about 10 minutes or until golden brown.

Here’s Beau’s modified list of ingredients - remember to add them to the pan in the order listed.

Beau’s Yeast Rolls

1 cup water
4 Tbsp rice milk
1 large egg
3-1/4 cups bread flour
2 tsp wheat gluten
4 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup butter-flavored Crisco
1-1/2 tsp Active Dry yeast

He can’t tolerate the milk products, so he’s replaced them. When I made them yesterday, I used 2 cups of the bread flour, 1-1/4 cup of oat flour, I used oat milk instead of rice milk.

Enjoy.

[LATER]: I was trying to type this post when Jesse needed immediate attention - hello, first cold! As a result, I forgot that I planned to also post about my pot roast yesterday.

I broke out the crock pot again for the pot roast, aiming for a one pot meal to go with the rolls I planned to make. So I chopped up some onions, carrots, celery, and red potatoes to add to the pot with the roast. Over all of that, I sprinkled a packet of Lipton onion and mushroom soup mix and added about 2 cups of chicken stock (I didn’t have beef stock handy and I wanted something other than just water, although water would have been fine). I started the crock pot at high for the first hour and then lowered for the next 7 hours. The meat was beautifully tender and the veggies delicious, although I think that next time I may add them after I lower the heat so that the carrots and potatoes don’t get quite so soft. And I might add peas later, too. Anyway, it was easy and turned out great.

Thursday, March 08, 2007

I’ll try to give a more exact recipe for the non-dairy “cream of mushroom soup” that I made the other day. The measurements are a guess and the soup was not creamy enough to be a classic cream of soup. But the flavor was there and I plan to tweak it some in the future to get it more how I want.

Jen’s Mushroom Soup

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp margarine + 1 Tbsp olive oil
3 Tbsp flour
2 small onions, diced
1 Tbsp minced garlic (I use the jarred stuff or two cloves fresh)
2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
2 small cans of button mushrooms, fully drained
1 large can of mushroom stems and pieces, keep the liquid
2 tsp dried thyme
1/3 cup rice milk
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat the margarine and olive oil in a medium sauce pan over medium heat. When the margarine is mostly melted, add the flour and whisk to form a paste. Continue whisking until the paste is a golden color then add the onions. Cook until the onions are soft and translucent then add the garlic. Add the stock slowly, whisking to smooth out the paste, preventing lumps. Allow the sauce to thicken and add the mushrooms (including the liquid from the one can) and thyme. Reduce heat to low and let simmer for 15-20 minutes. Add the rice milk and simmer for another 20 minutes or so. Season to taste with salt and pepper to finish.

I think I’m going to try adding some red wine to it next time to add a richer flavor (I’ll add it at the front end, before the stock to cook down the alcohol - more like a classic wine reduction sauce) and I’m going to let the sauce get thicker before I add the mushrooms and extra liquid. I want a more concentrated soup for that chicken recipe. But this soup will be good as is if you like to eat mushroom soup. However, I’d probably opt for adding fresh mushrooms instead of the stems and pieces for a nicer presentation.

Wednesday, March 07, 2007

Beau’s Sis came to see Jesse yesterday, so I fixed a lunch for us to enjoy together. And I just realized that we never took any pictures of her with him - I’m sorry I forgot about doing that!

Anyhoo, I wanted to make my mother’s no fail chicken recipe, but it calls for cream of mushroom soup. Beau’s milk allergy prohibits cream of anything soups, so I had to figure out a way to make this chicken without milk. I’m learning to make a lot of things that call for milk without milk - it’s been fun trying to think of ways to modify my old recipes. I managed it with the mushroom soup and the chicken turned out perfectly.

For the mushroom soup, I made a roux (I used a combination of olive oil and Smart Balance with flour) to which I added onions and garlic, sauteing them until soft, and then adding chicken stock to start a sauce. When that thickened, I added canned mushrooms (draining half of the juice and using the other half for flavor) and about 2 tsp of dried thyme. I let that simmer for about 20 minutes - it thickened a bit more - and then I added a small amount of oat milk (or you could use rice milk), mostly for richness than for flavor, and I let that simmer about 15-20 minutes longer. Season to taste with salt and pepper and you have a nice mushroom soup.

For the chicken, I placed two packages of chicken thighs (with skin and bones) into my crock pot (Mom bakes her chicken for 3 hours, but I didn’t want to do that with the tending to the baby and not knowing exactly what time Beau’s Sis was going to arrive). I then sprinkled 2 packets of Lipton onion soup mix over the chicken and poured the soup into the pot as well. I started it on the high setting and then lowered it after 3 hours. The chicken was perfect, tender enough to fall off the bone.

The difference between mine and Mom’s is that she uses the condensed canned soup, which is much thicker than my soup turned out to be. And my soup thinned out as the chicken fat and juices rendered into the crock pot. Mom’s resulting sauce is heartier than mine, so I need to work on a thicker soup mix, but the flavors were exactly the same. And I can’t tell you any measurements since I didn’t measure anything in the soup, except the cans of mushrooms.

I served it with rice and veggies. Beau also made roll dough, so we had some of those fabulous rolls that we had a few weeks ago, too. It was a delicious meal, if I do say so myself. And we have plenty of leftovers. Yummy!

[UPDATED (5:15 pm)]: Mom’s actual recipe is in the comments.

Tuesday, November 21, 2006

I had to make a run to Michaels for a few crafty things before we head north tomorrow. On the way back to the office I decided to stop at Checkers for lunch.

That is a lot of food, people. And I had no clue that a medium drink would rival a large at other fast food establishments. I opted for the vanilla shake rather than a soda and I’m still trying to down it all. I figure the quantity of calcium counter balances the sugar, although we’ll see how active the baby gets when the sugar kicks into gear.

Good burger though. And the fries were delish.

Monday, November 20, 2006

I’ve been checking Craigs List daily for a couple of weeks now for a freezer that we could put in the basement. Originally, we found a 5 cu ft chest freezer for about $50, but the guy never responded to our emails. So I kept looking and I found one on Friday - $50 for a 10.5 cu ft upright freezer.

Beau picked it up that afternoon after talking with the owner and was working it down the stairs when I got home. It’s about 2/3 the size of a regular frig and seems to work well. We immediately moved some stuff from the frig-freezer down there that night. And then I went to Wegmans on Saturday morning to buy groceries and stocked up on meat since they had good stuff for good prices. I bought a huge 7 lbs pack of ground beef and once home I separated it into 5 smaller vacuum packs using the FoodSaver we also found on Craigs List a little while ago.

I also bought the stuff I need to make the dessert that we’re taking to the in-laws’ for Thanksgiving. I won’t say what it is so that Beau’s Sis and Beau’s parents are surprised should they read the blog before we see them on Wednesday. I’ll be making the same dessert and my chili for the office Christmas pot luck lunch in a couple of weeks. And now that I have the APO address for Beau’s nephew who is in Iraq, I plan to bake a bunch of cookies to send to him for Christmas.

In the next few weeks, I’m hoping to put together some prepared meals to freeze so that we’ll have stuff on hand after the baby arrives. I need to get it done before Christmas because I’m already starting to lose the energy I had in the 2nd trimester - yesterday I did too much and it made me feel sick by the time we went to bed. I have a feeling that by the time we get to Christmas, I’ll not have much motivation to do anything other than lay around waiting for Jesse’s arrival.

Friday, October 13, 2006

So now that I’m pretty much back to normal, I’ve started cooking again. On Saturday I cooked some salmon fillets - simple really. I merely seasoned them with Paul Prudhomme’s Seafood Magic. Then I seared one side in the cast iron skillet. When it was time to turn them over, I then placed the skillet in the oven to finish cooking them for about 15 minutes. Tender and delicious. The sides were black beans and lima beans.

Then on Monday I made my lemon-mustard chicken with rice and steamed veggies. Yummy and easy.

I’m trying to decide what to make tomorrow - probably salmon again since we have it on hand. We need to go to the store to stock up on meats and fresh veggies. I want to make a pot of beef stew next week now that the temp has dropped. And maybe some of that Texas Chili, too.

Beau, start a list, hon.

Friday, October 06, 2006

I’m so happy it’s Friday and that Monday is a holiday. I’m tired.

We went to small group last night - my first time back since the morning sickness kicked into high gear. It was great to be back with our friends; we had a good discussion from Acts. But it was a late night - we didn’t get home until after 10pm so I’m dragging a bit today. Add the dreary rain and I just want to be at home, curled up with a good book or the TV.

We have a good weekend ahead. It shouldn’t be too busy. We’ll go to church tomorrow night and then on Sunday we’re taking my mother out for her birthday to The British Pantry for a brunch tea.

We have no plans for Monday, but I’m sure we’ll find something to do. Or not. I’ll be happy to have a lazy day to chill out before starting another work week.

Thursday, September 28, 2006

I love autumn. The cooler temperatures with fresher, cleaner air. The colors of the dying leaves.

Coffee.

I bought my first cup of coffee (decaf) (since I found out about the baby) this morning. Sure was tasty.

Bring on the Pumpkin Spice Latte*!

* Although, I went to Caribou this morning - Lite White Raspberry Mocha, thank you.

Thursday, August 31, 2006

I ate too much to post anything yesterday afternoon. It was all I could do to keep from hurling it all up in relief.

I still can’t figure out when I’ve eaten too much while I’m still eating and feeling hungry. It’s more critical in my current condition - the misery after eating too much these days is far more than before. And it’s only going to get worse as things expand and shrink in the next 6 months. *sigh*

That said, we had a feast yesterday and we’ll enjoy the leftovers for the next two days as well. The corn pudding went over well - there’s none of that left. The isn’t much of the potatoes or beans either.

The other primary cook brought scrumptious pulled pork, of which there is plenty. I can’t wait to dig into that at lunchtime.

Beau enjoyed some of the leftovers last night, including some chocolate cake and apple pie.

The good news is we’ll have another of these farewell luncheons at the end of September/beginning of October when another deputy departs us.

Wednesday, August 30, 2006

This is a rich, delicious favorite.

Corn Pudding
1 can cream corn
1 can whole corn, do not drain
8 oz sour cream
1 stick melted butter
2 eggs
1 box cornbread mix
grated cheddar cheese (I use about 1 cup)

Mix all ingredients together. Pour into greased casserole dish. Bake in 350F degree oven for 35 minutes covered, and then 15 minutes unconvered.

It smells heavenly when it bakes. Yum!

The quantities listed are complete estimates because I didn’t measure anything that I put into the pot. You’ll have to experiment to get it to your taste.

Jen’s Baked Beans
2 cans white northern beans, not drained
1 can pinto beans, drained
1 can black beans, drained
3 slices cooked bacon, crumbled
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp cumin
dash cayenne pepper
salt and pepper, to taste

In a 3-4 quart casserole or crock pot, mix all ingredients well.

If in a casserole, bake in a 350F oven for up to an hour.

If in a crock pot, cook on high for at least an hour and then reduce to low.

This batch of beans is in the crock pot. After about 90 minutes, the beans were still a bit al dente, but the flavors were coming together. I have a feeling the beans still had crunch because they sat in the frig overnight before we turned on the pot this morning.

Here’s the recipe for the potato casserole that my office loves and devours every time I bring it.

Hash Brown Casserole

2 lb bag of frozen hash brown potatoes (the cubes), thawed
1/2 C melted butter
1 can cream of chicken or mushroom soup
1 Tbsp dried minced onion
1-2 C sour cream
2 C grated cheddar cheese
salt and pepper to taste
bread crumbs, for topping

Mix all ingredients (except bread crumbs) together well and pour into a 9x13 casserole. Top with bread crumbs. Bake for 1 hour in 350F degree oven.

For our office luncheons, I double the recipe and pour the mixture into a crock pot. I have one of those crock pots with the removable bowl, so I put that in the oven for an hour and then I finish the cooking in the crock pot in the hours between when I get to the office and when we eat. Plus it’s an easy way to keep them hot all day.