Howdy people. I've been cooking a bit in my spare time and played with a recipe for pistachio pesto I found. I took the recipe and tweaked it to my own taste, for example, I added double the cilantro, I roasted an entire head of garlic and added it, I did an extra half cup of pistachios, and I added a bunch of fresh lemon juice, and double the olive oil to compensate for the extra ingredients. I loved it and the fam did to! the nice thing about this kind of stuff is you can make it your own and cater to your tastes. Here's the recipe!
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups fresh basil
1/2 cup cilantro
1 cup shelled dry roasted pistachio nut
2 -3 cloves garlic
1/4-2/3 cup olive oil or 1/4-2/3 cup pistachio oil
1 teaspoon lemons, zest of or 1 teaspoon lime zest
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Method:-Put all of the ingredients in the food processor or blender and puree until smooth.
REALLY HARD HUH!!
Enjoy! have fun!
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Sunday, March 25, 2012
Rabbit...Sweetbreads...and calves liver
I'm not gonna post any recipes for this unless anyone wants any in specific. This last week was an interesting one when we started out cooking rabbit. It was really easy to butcher and it looked and tasted just like chicken. Literally. It did have a very slight gamey after taste but over all it was delicious. We served that with a rabbit mustard sauce over fresh pasta. Then we moved on to sweetbreads! which is nothing like it sounds it's the thymus gland in the animal, generally taken from lamb or veal because in older animals they aren't very usable. Here's a picture of them raw.
Looks tasty right? We blanched them real quick to solidify them then peeled off a thin membrane to expose what looked like brains. Then pulled them into small pieces like cauliflower. We tempura battered them and fried them and chowed down...They weren't too bad....it tasted like, and had the consistency of a fried mushroom. Really trippy! So that was my week, next week we have finals and we get to cook calves liver!! not super excited but i'll cook it and eat it for the experience.
They actually look pretty tasty once they're fried : )
Friday, March 16, 2012
Basic Tart/Quiche Crust
Here is a basic crust that I learned for making quiche and tarts. I tried this with quiche and I think it turned out great! it is super simple and really fast! try it out and let me know how it went. here's a pic of my quiche....Not to bad for my first time : ) but practice makes perfect.
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 4 Tbs. (1/2 stick) chilled unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup vegetable shortening
- 3 to 4 Tbs. cold water
Method:
In a bowl, stir together the flour and salt. Add the butter and shortening and, using a pastry blender or 2 knives, cut them in until the mixture looks like coarse bread crumbs. Sprinkle in the water, 1 Tbs. at a time, stirring gently with a fork after each addition and adding only enough of the water to form a rough dough, when it will squish together without really falling apart it's ready.
Using floured hands, pat the dough into a smooth, flattened disk. Use immediately, or wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 2 days.
Using floured hands, pat the dough into a smooth, flattened disk. Use immediately, or wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 2 days.
Makes enough dough for one 9-inch quiche or tart shell.
Saturday, February 18, 2012
Braised Lettuce
This is a recipe that we learned awhile ago, and it's mega bacon amazingness. I'll post the recipe like I learned it but I would like to try to do it with cabbage leafs cause they will hold up better. The lettuce gets fragile after it's blanched. But these are actually delicious when done well. It's all in the seasoning of the stuffing.
Ingredients
8 oz bacon
4-6 pieces of boston lettuce
3 cloves of garlic (finely chopped)
3 shallots (finely chopped)
1/4 oz. parsley (finely chopped)
3 oz. butter
1/2 onion diced
1/2 carrot diced
5 oz. bread crumbs
1 egg
1 pt. chicken stock
Method
In a pot of boiling water, quickly dip the lettuce leaves then remove and place in ice water to stop the cooking process, then carefully spread out on a flat surface. For the filling, cook all the bacon until crisp. Take some out and reserve for the braising base. In the same pan, sweat 1/2 of the garlic and 1/2 of the shallots in the bacon fat, then add the bread crumbs. Remove from heat and let cool before adding the egg so it doesn't cook the egg. Place a small amount of filling on top of each leaf of lettuce and roll as tightly as possible. Let stand. In another pan melt some butter and sweat the onion, carrots, reserved bacon, the rest of the garlic and shallots. Form a small mound in the center of the pan and pour the chicken stock around it. place the lettuce wraps on top of the mound and cover. simmer for 5-8 minutes just so the egg in the filling cooks. Remove the lettuce wraps and keep warm. Strain the vegetables and reserve both in a clean pan. Simmer and reduce the stock to form a light sauce. When ready to serve, place a small amount of veggies on a plate with a lettuce wrap on top. Spoon reduced stock over the top and chow down.
Ingredients
8 oz bacon
4-6 pieces of boston lettuce
3 cloves of garlic (finely chopped)
3 shallots (finely chopped)
1/4 oz. parsley (finely chopped)
3 oz. butter
1/2 onion diced
1/2 carrot diced
5 oz. bread crumbs
1 egg
1 pt. chicken stock
Method
In a pot of boiling water, quickly dip the lettuce leaves then remove and place in ice water to stop the cooking process, then carefully spread out on a flat surface. For the filling, cook all the bacon until crisp. Take some out and reserve for the braising base. In the same pan, sweat 1/2 of the garlic and 1/2 of the shallots in the bacon fat, then add the bread crumbs. Remove from heat and let cool before adding the egg so it doesn't cook the egg. Place a small amount of filling on top of each leaf of lettuce and roll as tightly as possible. Let stand. In another pan melt some butter and sweat the onion, carrots, reserved bacon, the rest of the garlic and shallots. Form a small mound in the center of the pan and pour the chicken stock around it. place the lettuce wraps on top of the mound and cover. simmer for 5-8 minutes just so the egg in the filling cooks. Remove the lettuce wraps and keep warm. Strain the vegetables and reserve both in a clean pan. Simmer and reduce the stock to form a light sauce. When ready to serve, place a small amount of veggies on a plate with a lettuce wrap on top. Spoon reduced stock over the top and chow down.
Friday, February 17, 2012
Homemade Oreo's (gone wrong)
So...I wanted to make Oreo's today because I had a bunch of frosting leftover from valentines. Everything started out okay but the cookies stayed really fat, so I just frosted them instead : ) that's the gone wrong part hehehe : ) this is pretty much what I've eaten all day....I had milk too...but here's the recipe in case anyone wants to have a fatty day like I did.
1 boxed devils food cake mix.
2 eggs
1/2 cup oil
Mix, form into balls and bake at 375 for 8-10 minutes. Frost or make into Oreo's
that's it : )
1 boxed devils food cake mix.
2 eggs
1/2 cup oil
Mix, form into balls and bake at 375 for 8-10 minutes. Frost or make into Oreo's
that's it : )
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| My frosting job is horrible don't judge me! |
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Hollandaise
I think that one of my favorite things on this earth is a good hollandaise sauce. I first fell in love while eating it on top of eggs benni cooked in the middle of the grand canyon. Two of my favorite things combined, Eating and Rafting!! It was pretty much destiny. However, that hollandaise was made from a packet, which sparked my interest, how DO you make hollandaise from scratch? My answer didn't really come until I started school and one day my chef demo'd white asparagus with hollandaise! At last! So here it is folks and I gotta say it is easy but it takes some practice to get consistently good at it. So practice every once in a while, but not too much because it is about 90% butter : )
Ingredients
3 egg yolks
8 oz. clarified butter(if you don't want to clarify butter, using whole melted butter works fine too)
1 tbsp. lemon juice
2 sprigs of thyme
6 black peppercorns crushed
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup white wine (optional)
Method
There's a few different ways to cook the hollandaise. I use a double boiler because I have one at home. At school we use a metal bowl held over a small pot of boiling water. Use your imagination. Some chefs can do it over direct heat but I'm not that skilled or cool enough to do that yet. So I stick to what I know. First, combine water, wine, thyme, and peppercorns in a small pot and simmer until there's only a little liquid left. You're basically wanting to flavor the liquid with the thyme and pepper. Put yolks in a bowl and whisk till airy then add water and lemon juice, and whisk until frothy. Place bowl or pan over boiling water and whisk quickly, remove the pan every so often so the eggs don't curdle. Whisk until the yolks and liquid begin to thicken slightly. Then start adding the butter slowly, a little at a time. ONLY add more butter after the previous addition is properly incorporated. When all the butter is in, the sauce should be thick and creamy. If it looks like it's separated or is chunky, then it probably broke and it's ruined (there's a possibility to save it but just don't break it in the first place. If you really wanna know how to fix it after it breaks, just ask) but add some salt and pepper to taste and you're done!! Enjoy!
Ingredients
3 egg yolks
8 oz. clarified butter(if you don't want to clarify butter, using whole melted butter works fine too)
1 tbsp. lemon juice
2 sprigs of thyme
6 black peppercorns crushed
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup white wine (optional)
Method
There's a few different ways to cook the hollandaise. I use a double boiler because I have one at home. At school we use a metal bowl held over a small pot of boiling water. Use your imagination. Some chefs can do it over direct heat but I'm not that skilled or cool enough to do that yet. So I stick to what I know. First, combine water, wine, thyme, and peppercorns in a small pot and simmer until there's only a little liquid left. You're basically wanting to flavor the liquid with the thyme and pepper. Put yolks in a bowl and whisk till airy then add water and lemon juice, and whisk until frothy. Place bowl or pan over boiling water and whisk quickly, remove the pan every so often so the eggs don't curdle. Whisk until the yolks and liquid begin to thicken slightly. Then start adding the butter slowly, a little at a time. ONLY add more butter after the previous addition is properly incorporated. When all the butter is in, the sauce should be thick and creamy. If it looks like it's separated or is chunky, then it probably broke and it's ruined (there's a possibility to save it but just don't break it in the first place. If you really wanna know how to fix it after it breaks, just ask) but add some salt and pepper to taste and you're done!! Enjoy!
Homemade Mac N' Cheese
We all love a tasty macaroni and cheese! We learned a basic cream sauce in school and I adapted it to mac n cheese and it worked great! (For those who know what a bechamel sauce is, it's that with cheese). Here it goes.
Ingredients:
3 cups milk
1/4 onion- for the onion use the cloves as nails and stick the bay leaf to the onion
3 whole cloves
1 bay leaf
1 tsp ground nutmeg
2 cups favorite cheese (I like it super cheesy!! You can use a little less if you want)
1 lb. macaroni
2 Tbsp. butter
2 Tbsp. flour
Bouquet garni- bay leaf, thyme,celery, parsley stems, in leek leafs or put everything in cheese cloth and tie shut.
Method:
Start by making a roux with the butter and flour. Melt butter in a small pan, add flour, mix and cook for thirty seconds to a minute. Next cook macaroni in boiling salted water. Remove both from heat and reserve. Place milk and the onion studded with the clove and bay leaf in a sauce pan and place over medium heat. Stir and heat slowly to prevent scorching. When milk comes to a boil, add bouquet garni and nutmeg. Cook for a few minutes being careful not to let the milk burn. Whisk in the now cooled roux little by little until desired thickness (don't add too much roux. The sauce will thicken slowly.) Remove onion, and bouquet garni, and add cheese. Stir until melted and creamy. Pour on top of cooked macaroni and stir, making sure that it's nice and gooey. Enjoy!
Ingredients:
3 cups milk
1/4 onion- for the onion use the cloves as nails and stick the bay leaf to the onion
3 whole cloves
1 bay leaf
1 tsp ground nutmeg
2 cups favorite cheese (I like it super cheesy!! You can use a little less if you want)
1 lb. macaroni
2 Tbsp. butter
2 Tbsp. flour
Bouquet garni- bay leaf, thyme,celery, parsley stems, in leek leafs or put everything in cheese cloth and tie shut.
Method:
Start by making a roux with the butter and flour. Melt butter in a small pan, add flour, mix and cook for thirty seconds to a minute. Next cook macaroni in boiling salted water. Remove both from heat and reserve. Place milk and the onion studded with the clove and bay leaf in a sauce pan and place over medium heat. Stir and heat slowly to prevent scorching. When milk comes to a boil, add bouquet garni and nutmeg. Cook for a few minutes being careful not to let the milk burn. Whisk in the now cooled roux little by little until desired thickness (don't add too much roux. The sauce will thicken slowly.) Remove onion, and bouquet garni, and add cheese. Stir until melted and creamy. Pour on top of cooked macaroni and stir, making sure that it's nice and gooey. Enjoy!
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Crepes
These are easy and super tasty! I did them with blackberries (cause they were cheap at the time). I did some fresh whip cream and it really hit the spot.
Stuff You'll Need
1 Cup All-Purpose Flour
3 Eggs Lightly Beaten
11/4 Cup Milk
1 Tbsp. Sugar
1 tsp. Vanilla
4 Tbsp. Butter (melted)
Pinch o'salt
How to
Mix flour,salt and sugar. In a separate bowl, beat eggs, milk,and vanilla and butter. Then whisk egg mixture into dry ingredients don't stress the batter will be thin. Heat a fry pan to medium heat and melt a little butter (but not much) in the pan and ladle in a small amount of batter and swirl pan to spread the batter evenly. You don't want the pan too hot or the batter won't spread let cook for about 30 seconds then gently flip and cook for another 10-20 seconds or until done to your liking. Fill with your favorite sweet stuff and dig in! Here's a pic of how mine turned out. : )
Friday, December 9, 2011
Potato Leek Soup
SO we made this soup in class a couple days ago. It's really simple and it makes a hearty thick soup that's great with some good crusty bread. I made it for me and my wife and it turned out pretty darn tasty if I do say so myself. So here's the recipe. ENJOY!!
Stuff you'll need
5 oz.-Leeks, white, sliced thin
4 med.-Potatoes, cut into same size chunks so they cook evenly
3 Tbsp.- Butter
1 1/4 Pt. - Cream
1 1/2 Pt.- Vegetable stock (you can use water if you don't have veggie stock)
Parsley Stems
Thyme
Bay Leaf
Celery
Peppercorn
Boquet garni - Wrap parsley stems, sprig of fresh thyme,1 bay leaf, piece of celery, and a few peppercorns in two of the hard leaves of the leek and secure together with butchers twine. Or make small pouch with cheese cloth and do not add leek leaves. check out the link step by step to make your boquet garni
Garnish
2 oz.-Leeks, julienne (cut into very thin strips)
2 oz.-Carrots, julienne (cut into very thin strips)
Small crispy croutons (store bought or I made my own by frying them in butter then baking on 350 degrees until crunchy and golden brown.)
Method
1. Clean veggies
2. Thinly slice the leeks. Melt 2 Tbsp. butter in a large pan and sweat the leeks until translucent.
3. Cut the potatoes into small chunks. Add to the leeks and stir until coated. Add the boquet garni and water. Season with salt and pepper and gently simmer over low heat for 30-40 minutes.
4. Once the potatoes are cooked through, remove the boquet garni and put everything else through a food mill or blend with an immersion blender (I used a regular blender and it worked great). Transfer to a clean pot.
5. Heat cream but DO NOT BOIL and add to the soup and let mixture gently simmer. Adjust seasoning as needed. (At this point, if you want a pure white soup, you can put it through a fine mesh strainer. If you don't care, then the soup is done.) Keep warm in the pan and pat the top with the last Tbsp. of butter to keep a skin from forming on the top of your soup.
Garnish prep
I treated my veggies like small french fries and deep fried them separately in a little oil until they were slightly brown.(the recipe calls for them to be sauteed in butter until soft then placed on the soup). ladle the soup into bowls then place a small amount of the fried carrots on top then a few slices of the leek. Sprinkle a few croutons on top or leave to the side, and if you want a little more color place a couple leaves of parsley on top to finish.
EAT and ENJOY!
Here it is but be creative and playful! I had a lot of fun with this soup and you should too! here's a picture of my plating and I was really happy with how it looked and tasted : )
Stuff you'll need
5 oz.-Leeks, white, sliced thin
4 med.-Potatoes, cut into same size chunks so they cook evenly
3 Tbsp.- Butter
1 1/4 Pt. - Cream
1 1/2 Pt.- Vegetable stock (you can use water if you don't have veggie stock)
Parsley Stems
Thyme
Bay Leaf
Celery
Peppercorn
Boquet garni - Wrap parsley stems, sprig of fresh thyme,1 bay leaf, piece of celery, and a few peppercorns in two of the hard leaves of the leek and secure together with butchers twine. Or make small pouch with cheese cloth and do not add leek leaves. check out the link step by step to make your boquet garni
Garnish
2 oz.-Leeks, julienne (cut into very thin strips)
2 oz.-Carrots, julienne (cut into very thin strips)
Small crispy croutons (store bought or I made my own by frying them in butter then baking on 350 degrees until crunchy and golden brown.)
Method
1. Clean veggies
2. Thinly slice the leeks. Melt 2 Tbsp. butter in a large pan and sweat the leeks until translucent.
3. Cut the potatoes into small chunks. Add to the leeks and stir until coated. Add the boquet garni and water. Season with salt and pepper and gently simmer over low heat for 30-40 minutes.
4. Once the potatoes are cooked through, remove the boquet garni and put everything else through a food mill or blend with an immersion blender (I used a regular blender and it worked great). Transfer to a clean pot.
5. Heat cream but DO NOT BOIL and add to the soup and let mixture gently simmer. Adjust seasoning as needed. (At this point, if you want a pure white soup, you can put it through a fine mesh strainer. If you don't care, then the soup is done.) Keep warm in the pan and pat the top with the last Tbsp. of butter to keep a skin from forming on the top of your soup.
Garnish prep
I treated my veggies like small french fries and deep fried them separately in a little oil until they were slightly brown.(the recipe calls for them to be sauteed in butter until soft then placed on the soup). ladle the soup into bowls then place a small amount of the fried carrots on top then a few slices of the leek. Sprinkle a few croutons on top or leave to the side, and if you want a little more color place a couple leaves of parsley on top to finish.
EAT and ENJOY!
Here it is but be creative and playful! I had a lot of fun with this soup and you should too! here's a picture of my plating and I was really happy with how it looked and tasted : )
Monday, November 28, 2011
Homemade Mayo
This is a simple post, and it's about the fattening substance that we all know and love to put on our sandwiches,burgers, and in our Utah Fry sauce (mixed mayo and ketchup for the non-Utah folks). Usually this substance comes in a jar that we keep in our fridge and we use it all the time to lube up our food without giving it much thought. In school last week we showed up to class and out of nowhere the chef said, "Pull out your whisks. We're gonna learn to make Mayonnaise". I'd heard of people making homemade mayo but I'd never tasted it or really tried to make it and I knew it had egg yolk in it. That was the extent of my homemade mayo knowledge. The chef proceeded to give us the demo on the oily goo then we all went to work. There are a bunch of recipes out there but I'm gonna give the one she taught us that tasted pretty good, and wasn't too difficult.
Ingredients
1 large egg yolk
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt plus more to taste
1 cup canola oil
Method
In a bowl, whisk egg yolk, lemon juice, and vinegar together until well combined, then VERY SLOWLY drip oil in a small amount at a time until well incorporated. Repeat until oil is gone. Whisk like your life depends on it and as you add the oil it should start to look like mayo : ) Now if you don't want to do this by hand you can repeat the process in a mixer and it will be a lot easier. Also, add a little cayenne pepper to the mix for a nice kick. That's it ladies and gentlemen! Enjoy!
Ingredients
1 large egg yolk
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt plus more to taste
1 cup canola oil
Method
In a bowl, whisk egg yolk, lemon juice, and vinegar together until well combined, then VERY SLOWLY drip oil in a small amount at a time until well incorporated. Repeat until oil is gone. Whisk like your life depends on it and as you add the oil it should start to look like mayo : ) Now if you don't want to do this by hand you can repeat the process in a mixer and it will be a lot easier. Also, add a little cayenne pepper to the mix for a nice kick. That's it ladies and gentlemen! Enjoy!
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| doesn't that look yummy! |
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Easy Vinaigrette
SO, here's a basic Vinaigrette that we learned in class our second week. It's super easy and tastes great!
The basic formula for any vinaigrette is 3-1, 3 oil to 1 vinegar. For example for me and my wife I use 2 tablespoons vinegar to 6 table spoons of oil. Adjust the recipe according to your needs. Make sense?? Hope it does cause i'm going to move on : ) I'm going to do the recipe that I like and that is really basic but if you know the formula you can tweak the recipe for any kind of vinaigrette you want.
Ingredients
2 Tbs. Red Wine Vinegar
6 Tbs. Light Olive Oil
1 tsp. Dijon Mustard
1/2 Tsp. Fresh Garlic
Sugar
Salt
Pepper
Method
Get a small bowl and whisk, add vinegar to bowl and begin whisking. While whisking continuously slowly add oil a little at a time, only adding more after the previous addition has been incorporated until all oil is mixed in. Continue whisking and add Dijon mustard, garlic, and salt and pepper to taste. You may be wondering why sugar? the sugar will bring down the acidity and make the flavor come out even more. add a pinch at a time tasting after each addition until desired acidity tang is aquired everyone's tastes are different so explore!
That's it! if anyone try's it let me know how it went in the comment section and if I need to change something in the recipe please feel free to comment. Thanks!
The basic formula for any vinaigrette is 3-1, 3 oil to 1 vinegar. For example for me and my wife I use 2 tablespoons vinegar to 6 table spoons of oil. Adjust the recipe according to your needs. Make sense?? Hope it does cause i'm going to move on : ) I'm going to do the recipe that I like and that is really basic but if you know the formula you can tweak the recipe for any kind of vinaigrette you want.
Ingredients
2 Tbs. Red Wine Vinegar
6 Tbs. Light Olive Oil
1 tsp. Dijon Mustard
1/2 Tsp. Fresh Garlic
Sugar
Salt
Pepper
Method
Get a small bowl and whisk, add vinegar to bowl and begin whisking. While whisking continuously slowly add oil a little at a time, only adding more after the previous addition has been incorporated until all oil is mixed in. Continue whisking and add Dijon mustard, garlic, and salt and pepper to taste. You may be wondering why sugar? the sugar will bring down the acidity and make the flavor come out even more. add a pinch at a time tasting after each addition until desired acidity tang is aquired everyone's tastes are different so explore!
That's it! if anyone try's it let me know how it went in the comment section and if I need to change something in the recipe please feel free to comment. Thanks!
Monday, June 20, 2011
Killer Spaghetti Sauce!
Today I went to a family gig and I was surprised to find that I was put in charge of cooking spaghetti for the whole family. I am now here hanging out and was inspired to share my recipe for a fail safe, awesome spaghetti sauce. It's super easy and really tasty. I take pre-fab sauce and spice it up!
Ingredients:
1 large onion
3 Tbsp fresh garlic
1/2 lb. Italian sausage
1 large jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce
1 Tbsp basil
1 Tbsp oregano
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
Optional: 2 cups chopped fresh mushrooms
Directions:
Dice onions and garlic and sauté onions first in olive oil. Add some salt to help onions reduce. Add garlic and sauté until brown. DO NOT BURN THE GARLIC! Burned garlic turns bitter. Add sausage and cook all the way through. Add jar of sauce and heat through. Add basil,oregano,parmesan,and salt and pepper to taste. Cook for twenty minutes or so on medium heat to allow all the flavors to come together. About five minutes before you serve, add the chopped mushrooms if you decide to do them. If you add them too early they get mushy and brown. For this recipe you just wanna cook them a little not murder them.
So there you go! Easy awesome sauce, it's fool proof and takes no time at all. It's a super crowd pleaser. I've used it at a lot at dinner parties and on river trips. Check it out and as always let me know what you guys think. I love feedback even if you think it needs to be changed tell me what you did to tweak it! Happy eating!
Ingredients:
1 large onion
3 Tbsp fresh garlic
1/2 lb. Italian sausage
1 large jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce
1 Tbsp basil
1 Tbsp oregano
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
Optional: 2 cups chopped fresh mushrooms
Directions:
Dice onions and garlic and sauté onions first in olive oil. Add some salt to help onions reduce. Add garlic and sauté until brown. DO NOT BURN THE GARLIC! Burned garlic turns bitter. Add sausage and cook all the way through. Add jar of sauce and heat through. Add basil,oregano,parmesan,and salt and pepper to taste. Cook for twenty minutes or so on medium heat to allow all the flavors to come together. About five minutes before you serve, add the chopped mushrooms if you decide to do them. If you add them too early they get mushy and brown. For this recipe you just wanna cook them a little not murder them.
So there you go! Easy awesome sauce, it's fool proof and takes no time at all. It's a super crowd pleaser. I've used it at a lot at dinner parties and on river trips. Check it out and as always let me know what you guys think. I love feedback even if you think it needs to be changed tell me what you did to tweak it! Happy eating!
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Tangy Pork Chop Marinade
This recipe originally came from my uncle. He always cooks pork chops like this during the summer on river trips. I took the recipe and made it my own and added a little more to it and it's always a big hit. I'm just gonna post the recipe for the sauce cause that's 90 percent of the battle and it's easy and delicious! Just as a tip, I love to use nice thick center cut chops just cause they are delicious and fairly cheap for me and my wife. Really any chop can be used depending on how much you're willing to spend, and what you can find. So here it goes.
Ingredients:
1 small bottle- Major Gray's mango chutney (doesn't have to be Major Gray's specifically)
1 cup- Apricot jam
2 Tbsp- Dijon mustard
1 Tbsp- Ketchup
3 Tbsp-FRESH Minced garlic
1/2 tsp.- Anise seed
Salt
Fresh ground pepper
Mix all ingredients together in bowl an hour or more prior to use to allow flavors to meld. Use as a marinade, or brush on top of pork during cooking. Also, amount of ingredients can be changed according to specific tastes I personally like more garlic than most.
Well that's it! It's super easy like I said and it's super quick. People will be begging you to make these pork chops! It's also really great on chicken : ) So check it out and tell me what you think in the comments section of the post!!
Ingredients:
1 small bottle- Major Gray's mango chutney (doesn't have to be Major Gray's specifically)
1 cup- Apricot jam
2 Tbsp- Dijon mustard
1 Tbsp- Ketchup
3 Tbsp-FRESH Minced garlic
1/2 tsp.- Anise seed
Salt
Fresh ground pepper
Mix all ingredients together in bowl an hour or more prior to use to allow flavors to meld. Use as a marinade, or brush on top of pork during cooking. Also, amount of ingredients can be changed according to specific tastes I personally like more garlic than most.
Well that's it! It's super easy like I said and it's super quick. People will be begging you to make these pork chops! It's also really great on chicken : ) So check it out and tell me what you think in the comments section of the post!!
Saturday, June 11, 2011
Sweet and Spicy Pork Tenderloin
Ingredients:
16 oz. Pork Tenderloin
1/2 Tbsp. Salt
1/4 Tbsp. Pepper
1/2 Tbsp. Chile Powder
1/2 Tbsp. Cinnamon
2 tsp. Olive Oil
1/4 Cup Brown Sugar
1/2 Tbsp. Garlic (a little more or less depending on what you like)
1/2 Tbsp. Tabasco or your favorite hot sauce
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Mix salt, pepper, chili powder, cinnamon and coat pork well.
3. Sear in large pan with olive oil to seal in juices.
4. Stir garlic, Tabasco, and brown sugar. Pat on top of tenderloin. place in roasting pan and cook in oven for 30 minutes or until not pink inside.
5. Slice and enjoy!!!!!
So this recipe is super easy and has a lot of room for any curious cook to play around. Good luck and if you try it, leave a comment and let me know what you thought. Happy Eating!
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Simply Thai
Here's a new tasty restaurant my wife showed me this week. So I've been dying for Thai food and haven't had time or cash to grab some. We stopped at a place in sandy that my wife tried a couple weeks ago called Simply Thai. We walked in and the power was actually out, so they didn't have fountain drinks but we wanted water anyway and they were still serving food. We were sat and the servers and management were great! they were super nice and made the best of the situation. The prices were very reasonable with a great price for a lunch special $7.00 for two entrees, rice, and two wantons. Me and my wife ordered fried spring rolls that came with a delicious dipping sauce as an appetizer and we ordered pad thai, and pad pa nang (pretty basic curry with chicken, peanuts, red and green peppers in a coconut milk and curry sauce). The servings were large and they came with plenty of rice. The service was great and the management gave us a complimentary serving of their homemade coconut ice cream just for the power being out. If I remember right we paid an even $40.00 for the two entrees an appetizer and tip. I will definitely be going back and I suggest that everyone who enjoys good Thai food to check it out! here's a link to their website it shows their menu as well as hours and other options like a to-go menu. http://www.simplythaiutah.com/ on the site it has their address as well. Good luck and happy eating!! and if anyone gets the chance come back and tell me what you thought.
Monday, May 2, 2011
Bruchetta Collin Style
Ingredients
- 2 large tomatoes, coarsely chopped
- 1/2 sweet onion, chopped
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh basil
- 2 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley
- 1/2 (1 pound) loaf Italian bread, cut into 1 inch slices
- 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Directions
- Turn the oven on broil.
- Slice the baguette in half an inch pieces, drizzle with olive oil and toast until slightly brown on each side.
- In a medium bowl, combine tomatoes, onion, olive oil, oregano, basil and parsley. Place bread on a baking sheet, and top with tomato mixture. Sprinkle with Parmesan.
- Broil in preheated oven for five minutes, or until cheese is melted. Allow to cool 5 minutes before serving.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Milagros= Mexican Ribs!
So yesterday while working, one of the other staff, James, mentioned a place off 8th north in Orem that had killer Mexican ribs. Now, I know you're all thinking, "What! Mexican ribs?" and that's what I thought! Oh man, was I surprised. James left for a bit and brought back a half-rack of killer mexican ribs! They were sweet but with a little heat and the meat fell off the bone. They weren't super fatty, and they really hit the spot. He also brought back the fattest steak quesadilla that I've ever encountered. It was cheesy and packed full of steak. All this food came with a ton of rice, fresh corn and flour tortillas, guacamole, and beans. Since we weren't a fan of beans we got double rice which came either spicy or regular. All this food was for about 20 dollars and the portions were generous. I wish I had more to say about the actual restaurant but that will have to wait for another time. I will definitely eat there again, and want to let everyone know that Mexican ribs are awesome! Here's a link to their site, it has their menu as well as prices. Happy eating!
http://www.milagrosut.com/
Lemonade or Lemon Awesomness??
So this is my first post for this blog, but I really would like people to help me out with this one. I would reallllly like feed back, as well as comments about where I should go eat next and so on. So, to make lemonade or something with lemony amazingness cooked in? I think something with the amazingness cooked in, like this recipe that I found a couple of weeks ago that I'm hoping to try soon.
Lemon Butter Chicken
Ingredients
I promise that not all recipes will have to do with lemon, but this particular recipe looks awesome! check it out, and if anyone tries this before me let me know what you think!
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1/3 cup Italian salad dressing
- 1 lemon, zested and juiced
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 8 chicken tenderloins
- lemon pepper to taste
- garlic salt to taste
- onion powder to taste
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Place the butter in a 9x9 inch baking dish, and melt in the oven. Remove from heat, and mix in Italian salad dressing, lemon juice, and Worcestershire sauce.
- Arrange the chicken tenderloins in the baking dish, coating with the melted butter mixture. Season both sides of chicken with lemon pepper, garlic salt, and onion powder. Sprinkle with lemon zest.
- Bake 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until chicken juices run clear.
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