Last Gastro Adventure of 2010

Thursday December 30, 2010, the family headed South to St. Louis to attend a Trans Siberian Orchestra show at the Scott Trade Center. Parking at North Hanley, we boarded the Metrolink, our destination, Union Square. The original intent was lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe then wander Union Station until time to head to the show. We had tickets for the early show which began at 3:00 pm.
Upon arriving at Union Station and seeing Landry's Seafood, I made a bee line and the family scurried behind. Over the last few years, the boys have gotten a lot more cordial with shell fish. They both love shrimp, crab and lobster. Rob and I are converts from way back.

Immediately after establishing communication with our food bringer, I bucked staright out of the gate hoping for an 8 second ride with some raw oysters. I had been craving them for a while and thay are not very available in fly over country. It wasn't long after the drinks arrived that the pearls of the ocean appeared. Six lovely oysters on the half shell on a platter full of crushed ice is a beautiful thing. Everything looked as pleasing as punch until I spied a small container of horseradish. Yes sports fans I said horseradish. Not to be diswayed, I bore onward, a raw oyster, fresh lemon juice, cayenne hot sauce and yes, horseradish. Im in heaven, I'm in heaven. Yea I know, The Green Mile. So I have some of my favorite things, I was happy, my wife on the other hand just had to have lime juice after our culinary cavorts in Mexico.

I sing praises to horseradish and now I have a flavor for my raw oysters. Man, I love food. I am in food porn euphoria right now. Once the dream bubble above my head pops, I tell you about the mondo gumbo.

Grilled Portobello Shrimp Scampi

4 large portobello mushroom caps
Kosher salt fresh ground black pepper
1 pound peeled and deveined shrimp tail left on
olive oil
2 tbs fresh minced garlic
juice of 1 lemon
1/2 c white wine
2 tbs cold real unsalted butter
2 tbs fresh minced parsley
1 fresh chile pepper

Start by cleaning the mushroom caps. Wipe the top with a damp cloth, remove the stem and the gills. Preheat a stove top grill. Drizzle the musroom caps with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill until each side has grill marks. Set aside. Season the shrimp with salt and pepper. Heat a large saute pan over medium high heat. When the pan is hot add enough oil to coat the pan. Add the shrimp and quickly saute until they are just starting to turn pink. Remove the shrimp and set them aside. Add the mince garlic and briefly saute, do not burn the garlic. Add the lemon juice and white wine. Reduce the sauce to 2/3. Add the shrimp back to the pan and add in the butter.

Scoop a portion of the shrimp into each mushroom cap. Garnish with parsley and thin slices of the chile pepper. Serve and enjoy.

John's Peppers

Ingredients

2 bell peppers any will work but I find that red and yellow make for a better presentation
1 fresh chile pepper, choose based on your heat preference
grape or cherry tomatoes, 5 or 6 per pepper half sliced in half
2 cloves of garlic thinly sliced
1 tbs capers. Don't be afraid of capers, a little goes a long way
1/4 cup fresh basil
2 tbs red wine vinegar
olive oil
5 or 6 green or black olives per pepper half
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup pancetta or bacon diced
mozarella

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Cut each pepper in half thru the stem so you have a handle. Clean each pepper half of seeds and membranes. In a seperate bowl mix the tomatoes, chiles slices, garlic, capers, salt, pepper, vinegar, olive oil and olives. Mix well. I get both hands in there and squish but not too fine, keep it kind of rustic. Salt and pepper each bell pepper, fill each half with the salad you just made. Pour the salad juice over the pepper halves. Divide the pancetta eaqually among the peppers. Place the pepper halves in a baking dish and cover with foil. Bake covered for 15 minutes. Bake uncovered for another 15 minutes. Top with shredded mozarella, thinly sliced chiles, salt accordingly and drizzle with olive oil.

Enjoy

Hashbrown Casserole

1 package of frozen hashbrowns
8 oz. sour cream
1 can of cream of chicken soup
1 stick of real unsalted butter
1/2 cup finely diced onion
2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 X 13 casserole dish and add the hash browns to the dish. Season with salt and pepper. Melt the butter in a microwave. In a large bowl add all of the ingredients except the hashbrowns and cheddar cheese. Mix well and pour over the hashbrowns, spreading evenly. Sprinkle the cheddar cheese over the top. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes. Serve and Enjoy.

Three Cheese macaroni

Three Cheese Macaroni
1 large egg 1 12oz. can of evaporated whole milk
Pinch a cayenne pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
Kosher salt and fresh black pepper 1 1/3 cups of muenster plus 4 slices
½ cup grated cheddar cheese ¼ cup freshly grated parmesan
4 cups of pasta shells

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Whisk together the egg, evaporated milk, cayenne, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Combine the egg mixture and cheese to a clean sauce pan and heat on low until the cheese melts. Cook your pasta according to the package instructions. Toss the cooked pasta with the cheese sauce. Adjust seasoning for salt and pepper. Transfer the cheese and pasts mixture to a shallow casserole dish. Spred it evenly then top with the slices of muenster. Place in the oven until the cheese on top is bubbly. Enjoy.

Curing meat at home.

Today i am embarking on my first attempt to cure meat at home. I have a 3 pound pork roast thawing out now. I will be using 3 tbs of Morton's Tender Quick and 3 tsp of sugar. Once the meat is thawed completely, I will pat it dry and apply the dry cure mixture. I will then store it in a ziploc bag in the bottom of the fridge. I will shake the bag and turn it over every day.

After 7 days I will remove it from the bag and rince it off well. Once again I will dry then put it into my. I am going to try and do a cold smoke, because of that the temp will be below 200 degrees. I will smoke it until I get an internal temp aroud 150-160.

When all that is done I will run it thru the slicer and pack it into ziploc bags and put it in the freezer. Then I will just use it like I would bacon.

I will keep the blog updated.

Wish me luck!

Chicken Cacciatore

Ingredients

2 medium onions sliced
2 cloves of garlic minced
2 tbs cooking oil. I use canola.
2 to 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 16 oz can of diced tomoatoes
1 8 oz can of tomato sauce
2 green red or yellow bell peppers julienned
8 ounces of fresh mushrooms
1/4 c white wine.

Herbs
2 bay leaves
2 tsp dried oregano or basil crushed. I smash mine in a mortar and pestle
1/2 tsp dried rosemary crushed

Season the chicken with salt and pepper. For a cooking vessel I use an enameled cast iron dutch oven. That way it is a one pot meal. Set your heat to medium, add some oil, when the temp is up add the onions and sweat them for a few minutes then add the garlic. When they are soft remove them and set aside. Add more cooking oil and brown the chicken breasts on all sides. Now return the onion to the pan. Add the rest of the ingredient except the win. Cover and simmer 30 minutes.

Add the wine and cook uncovered for 15 minutes or until the chicken is tender. Taste for salt and pepper. Skim off any fat that accumulates, remove the bay leaves and serve. The chicken goes well with pasta or rice.

Pickled Red Onions

Pickled red onions are a great addition to any meal. They add a wonderful flavor to sandwiches and salads and are very easy to make.

1 large red onion
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 tbs honey
2 tbs olive oil
salt and pepper.

Place all ingredients in a bowl, season with salt and pepper. Mix well and let sit at room temp for one hour.

Good stuff.

Italian Cuisine

I have started researching Italian Cuisine. I can't afford to go there so I have to research it. I don't think there is one true Italian food. Prior to unification in 1861 Italy was a land mass of provinces, duchys etc. Each area had their own language, traditions and cuisines. Even as Italy moves in to the future, the regional cuisines still remain and are thriving.

The first area I am studying is Tuscany. I look forward to sharing my studies on this blog.

Enjoy!

I'm still around

Didn't want you guys to forget me. Haven't posted in a while. Been busy doing food things of course. The landlord still doesn't have the building ready. Bummer. All of my inventory is in the dining room. I have plenty of spices and herbs but no building to put them in. In addition to spices and herbs I have loose tea such as chinese black, green, oolong, earl grey and darjeeling.

I will be carrying stuff from all over the world. I have parmegiana reggiano cheese and san marzano tomatoes coming in and they are imported from Italy so they are the real deal. I will also being selling dehydrated mushrooms like woodear, which is a staple in asian food and porcini for the Italian cuisine.

I have some olives coming in from Sicily and black and white truffle oil from Italy. I found an importer in Rhode Island who carries a lot of mediterranean food. I will be adding sushi making supplies such as rolling mats, sushi rice and roasted nori (seaweed) sheets and chop sticks.

Look forward to do some cooking classes.

Stay Hungry

:)

Ultimate Nachos

My youngest son, Caleb, or the evil child, and I are having a guy day. So for lunch we chose "NACHOS."

My half is loaded with everything he has, and more like jalapenos, onion, tomatoes and salsa. He has refried beans, lettuce, cheese and lettuce.

Yummy!

Greek Vinaigrette

I came across a new recipe for a greek vinaigrette so I whipped some up this morning for my lunch time salad. It is wonderful. It reminds me of having a gyro salad at the Gyro House in Quincy. I loved those salads. I am not sure if they are open anymore.

1/2 cop olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper
1/2 tsp of oregano
1 tsp of sugar

Mix well

Breakfast at Tiffany's nope breakfast at Denny's

Denny's has taken over the restaurant at the Flying J in Wayland, Mo. They just opened. We decided to go there for breakfast this morning. We got there at the right time because soon after were arrived the crowd started to grow and there was a line waiting to be seated. It was a wet sunday morning here, a lot of the customers were coming from the mule festival in Kahoka.
It looked like they were maybe understaffed. It took a while to get our orders. While we waited a table over across from us got their orders. All four diners complained that their food was cold. A manager came out to talk to them then all four got up and left with their food on the table. I thought about raiding the food but the staff cleared the table pretty cook, naturally so because people were standing in line and that line was growing.
Our food came and it was wonderful, and yes it was hot. I ordered the ultimate omelet with hash browns and toast. It was delish. Everyone at our table got great food. There was plenty of it as well. I was the only one to clean my plate. My oldest son, Colton, tackled the double hamburger and and he was victorious, but he couldn't get thru the fries.
We were all satisfied with the service and the food. It was a gastro experience.

Tortas Ahogadas--- Who wants a drowned sandwich?

Some how, I came to be in possesion of 1/2 pound of dried arbol chile peppers. I hit the internet searching for a recipe to use them. I came acrossed a recipe for tortas ahogadas. One night I made two of them for dinner. They were wicked awesome. What made the whole dish was the arbol sauce, it rocked. So you are now wondering , what the hell is tortas ahogadas.
Let's travel down to old mexico. In the state of Jalisco, and the town Guadalajara, is the home to a wonderful, open face sandwich, submerged in arbol chile sauce. Tortas ahogadas translates to "drowned snadwich." The bread for this sandwich birote salado, it has a thick crunchy crust and a softer interior. They use this bread because it won't crumble when submerged in arbol chile sauce. The main protein is usually roasted pork.
They can be loaded up with several different fillings, such as tomatoes, refried beans, onions, or others. You can order different options, such as "media ahogada" which is half dipped and "bien ahogada" is well drowned or dipped. They are very messy but still eaten with bare hands.
This is a very popular street vender fare. You can also get one with tomato sauce rather than the arbol chile sauce.
Here is my recipe
Sauce
4 oz dried arbol chile peppers
1 cup vinegar
2 garlic cloves minced
kosher salt

Cut the top off of the chiles. Soak them in hot water for 30 minutes. Put all ingredients in a blender and puree. Some recommend straining the sauce to avoid large chunks of the chile pepper.
Sandwich
1-2 pounds of pork sliced thin
olive oil
4 rolls or buns
1 can of refried beans warmed up
1 big tomato
1 yellow onion

Saute the pork, making sure it cooked thru. Cut almost all of the way thru your bun. Spread the refried beans on the botton of the bun. Place the pork slices on top of the beans then add tomato and onion. Then depending on how much spice you like add the sauce. I always drown mine but I am a glutton for punishment.

This is an awesome sandwich, feel free to add any ingredients.

It's OK to play with your food.

Clam Chowder Part 2

Minorcan chowder is found in Florida. It is made with a datil pepper and has a tomato based broth.



Here is my clam chowder recipe:



3 ounces of salt pork diced

1 cup of yellow onion diced

4 or 5 russet potatoes cut into 1/2 inch cubes

1 can of clams and juice

2 cups of milk

Kosher salt

black pepper

parsley for a garnish



Get you heavy stock pot and render the fat out of the salt pork. Remove the salt pork but keep the fat. Sweat the onion in the pork fat until tender. Add the potatoes and milk. Bring to a boil and cook until the potatoes are soft. Drain the clams and add the juice to the pot. Now time to season with salt and pepper.



Finely chop the drained clams and add them to the pot. Check for salt and pepper seasoning and adjust accordingly. Continue to cook for a minute or two. Some cooks use a stick mixer to puree the soup but I don't, I want it chunky and hearty.



Serve hot, garnish with parsley.

Clam Chowder

Whether you call it chowder or chowdah, it's still a great thing. I can imagine some old salty dog coming back to port all cold, wet and tired. He stands by the fire to warm his bones but needs something to warm him up inside. Clam chowder to the rescue, it does a body good.

Ok then, what is a chowder? Michael Ruhlman writes in his book, "The Elements of Cooking" that " A type of soup that can also be thought of as a method of preperation. Traditionally, chowders are based on seafood and potatoes, contain salt pork for flavoring, and are packed with ingredients, almost like a stew."

To me, clam chowder is the ultimate comfort food. It has the warming property of a good soup, the texture and feel of a stew and has wonderful flavors. Anything that starts out with salt pork or bacon, can't be bad. I even cook it in the summer time just because I have a craving clam chowder. My wife and youngest son love it as well. I will confess I don't like the oyster crackers in my chowder, I would rather spoon it onto a saltine and enjoy it that way.

Needless to say, but soups have been around probably since man started eating. I have a bit of research for this article. The are some that believe that the word chowder comes from the Latin word calderia. Calderia meant a place for warming things. And then calderia evolved into "cooking pot." Then came cauldron and in French, chaudiere. Some thing the word chowder came from an English word jowter,which meant a fish monger.

The fishing villages of old would have a large cauldron and each fisherman would put part of his catch in the cauldron, hence fish stew or chowder. The Native Americans were already enjoy clams and chowders long before Europeans landed. It has been documented that Native Americans enjoyed clams and oysters so much that there piles of shells 10 foot high in some places.

Living in the Midwest, to me chowder is Boston or New England clam chowder, out East is another story. There are several varieties being made and each area claims to have the best clam chowder.

Boston/New England clam chowder

You have milk or cream, potatoes, onions, bacon or salt pork, and clams.

Manhattan

This chowder has a clear broth and tomatoes.

Rhode Island

This version has a clear broth. Some areas in Rhode Island serve a red chowder that has tomato broth as its base.

Outer Banks

This chowder has a clear broth, along with bacon, potatoes and onion.

Using Home Made Stock

I recently spent several hours making beef and chicken stock. It's easy to do and cheap. If you have left over bones and stuff, all you need is water and time. Last night I had a chance to use my stock. I cooked some filet mignons and then deglazed the pan with my beef stock while the steaks were resting. I made sure to scrape the bottom of the pan to get all those juicy and flavorful bits stuck to the skillet.

I added onions, mushrooms and garlic to the stock. I put in a little corn starch to act as a thickener. Then I let the sauce reduce by half then spooned it over the steaks. Very yummy indeed. It was worth the time and effort of making stock at home. I don't think I will ever buy broth again.

Portabellos stuffed with shrimp scampi

I am going to try a new dish tonight. I came up with the idea out of the blue. So what I am going to do is clean and then grill portabello mushrooms, then I will make the classic shrimp scampi and put that into the mushroom caps. Then I will garnish the dish with a lemon slice, cilantro and some thin slices of a fresh anaheim chile pepper.

Talk of the Town

This eatery is going tits up. Today was they're last day. Hate to see the employees lose their job. The first time I ate there my hamburger was a hockey puck and my fries were steaming hot but rawin the middle.

The first time we went there for breakfast, everything was well made it was tasty and there was plenty of it. The next time the portion sizes were greatly reduced but the price was not. I went there with my two brothers and my mom for lunch. I am not a fan of buffets but the buffet there was awesome, everything was fresh and hot. Not sure why the exit but I ventured a guess It would be lack of gourmet food. I always had the feeling that Talk of the Town was the place to get above average cuisine. Gues that didn't work.

I feel bad for the Hillers but it is what it is.

The Hawkeye Restaurant Keokuk, IA

Yesterday Rob and I met some friends for lunch at the Hawkeye Restaurant in Keokuk, IA. The service was excelloent as usual. I had the chicken ceasar salad. That was a big salad. I didn't finish it. Rob had the french dip and had to get a to go box. Everyone was well satisfied with their meal.

The food came quick and was delicious. I have never had a bad dining experience there. I highly recommend the Hawkeye as the go to restaurant in Keokuk.

The Ghost Chile---- Bhut Jolokia

The Bhut Jolokia or "ghost chile" is native to India. It has been officially recognized as the hottest chile pepper in the world. It weighs in at over 1,000,000 Scoville units for heat. That is dang hot. I tried a small bit of a dried pepper and that was enough to make me say "whoa."

So what did I do? I ordered some fresh peppers and some dried peppers. We have some friends that like to test their metal by eating hot stuff. I ordered the fresh chiles for the seeds so I can grow some next spring. From them I will make some hot sauce to sell at the spice shop. The dried ones I will use to make a Ghost Chile Oil.

Because of the heat factor I promised the wife that I would do it all outside. When you are making hot sauce or grinding dried peppers, the odor can get intense and drive you out of the house. So for the safety of my loved ones I will do it all outside.

Can't wait to try it.

Hold the phone! Talk of the town. Woah Nelly

Stop the presses and hold the phone. The upscale eatery in town isn't so up scale. Guess things aren't what they seem. Lately somethings have transpired to lead me to believe that things are amuck in Daisyville.

An attempt to bring culture and upscale food to this little burg has failed evidently. I was grocery shopping today, as I do every day and was surprised to see the shopper in front of me buying frozen meatballs. It was about an hour before lunch time but I didn't expect to see the proprieter of our only upscale eatery buying frozen meatballs. It would have been less expensive to buy ground beef and make them from scratch.

Oh well guess we know where my fam will not be eating. I can buy frozen meatballs too and serve them at home. But I don't, Rob and the boys have a great time making meatballs from scratch. That is one of our little pleasures.

Hot Sauce and Chile Oil

Once again I have been playing in the kitchen. This time with oils and sauces. It always happens this way, some one hands me something new and if I love it I try to make it at home in the kitchen.

A friend introduced me to Mongolian Fire Oil. It was wonderful stuff so I started searching the internet for recipes and videos. I had a large package of dried arbol chile peppers so I decided to use them for my chile oil. So with the peppers, garlic and vegetable oil, I made chile oil. It's wonderful stuff and can be used for all types of cuisine.

On the heals of that success, my next mission was hot sauce. I bought a small batch of jalapenos and serrannos. A simple recipe of peppers, vinegar and salt works wonderfully. This morning I went back to the market and bought all of the jalapenos they had. They are simmering on the stove top as I type this. The fumes can get heavy so I am doing this when everyone is gone. I have the exhaust fan going. I need to find a small building to rent so I don't have to di in the house anymore.

So start experimenting and have some fun.

Chile and Pancetta Stuffed Peppers

I thought I would try something differet with chile peppers. So I made chile and pancetta stuffed peppers.

Ingredients

2 bell peppers halved and cleaned

2 jalapeno peppers sliced thin

1 cayenne pepper sliced thin

1 hungarian wax pepper sliced thin

12 cherry or grape tomatos halved

2 cloves of garlic sliced thin

1 tbs of drained and rinsed capers

1/4 cup of fresh basil

a dozen olives green or black

2 tbs red wine vinegar

1/4 cup of olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

1/4 cup pancetta

In a medium size bowl add all of the ingredients but the bell peppers and pancetta. Mix well squishing it with your hands. Preheat your oven to 350. Place the bell peppers in a baking dish. Fill the bell peppers with your filling. Top with the pancetta. drizzle a little olive oil over the peppers. Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake for 15 minutes. Remove the aluminum foil and continue to bake until the bell peppers start to char.

Serve over toast with some mozarella cheese, olive oil and a few slices of fresh chile.

My take on a Classic Italian Bolognese

I had been planning this italian menu all morning. I wanted to make a bolognese and some garlic bread. I started prepping early on. Earlier in the day I roasted 2 bulbs of garlic. Just remove the outer skin, chop off about 1/4 to 1/2 inch of the top. Put it on some aluminum foil, coat with olive oil and wrap it up. Put in an oven preheated to 400F and bake for 30 minutes.

When the garlic has cooled to the touch remove it from the foil. I mix the soft garlic with one stick of unsalted butter that is at room temp. I put that on some deli rolls and top with parmesan then crisp it up in the oven.

For the bolognese I started with a package of johnsonville italian sausage. Remove the casing from the sausage and and brown in a hot pan with olive oil. When the sausage is almost done I add in half of an onion diced fine and some minced garlic. When the sausage is done, drain the fat. Then i add in 2 cans of tomato sauce, fresh basil and fresh oregano, salt and pepper. Bring it up to a simmer and reduce the heat. Allow the sauce to reduce and thicken. I don't like a runny sauce.

Top some fresh pasta with the sauce and garnish with a bit of fresh basil and parmesan.

The italian sausage and fresh herbs really take this sauce over the top.

oops

I realized that I forgot the spicy part. Mince up fresh chiles. However many for however hot you want it. I also add grated dry roasted peanuts. I have a small hand rotary grater that works real well for this recipe.

Spicy Asian Chile Dipping Sauce

This is a wonderful spicy sauce that pairs excellent with all things asian.

Ingredients

1/2 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 cup water
1 tbs sesame oil
1 1/2 tbs minced garlic
1/4 cup minced green onion
1 1/2 tbs sugar.

Chili Dogs --- Simple and Simply Delicious

The other day I was craving chili dogs. And naturally I have to go over the top with mine. I started by warming up a can of chili with no beans. Then I started cooking the dogs on a stove top griddle. When I was a child our hot dogs were always boiled. I wouldn't dream of doing that now. I want mine grilled whether in doors or out doors.

Any hoo, when the dogs are ready I put them in the bun and top with chili, then mustard, diced jalapeno and diced onion. Next i top them off with shredded cheese. MMMMM Good!!!!

Mushroom Risotto

Last night I made some mushroom risotto. It always seems to be a popular appetizer in restaurants on TV. Everyone here loved it. Colt, who doesn't like rice, thought it was good. It isn't a hard dish to make but does require a lot of attention.

Ingredients

1 cup arborio rice

2 tbs butter divided

1 onion chopped

1 tsp of garlic powder or fresh garlic

1/2 cup white wine at room temp

3 cups of hot chicken broth

1/2 cup grated parmesan, asiago or peccorino romano

fresh cracked black pepper

1/2 cup of chopped mushrooms(porcini or button)

I start by putting the broth in a stock pot with onion, celery and carrots. I bring it up to a simmer and let it be for a while. I need it to be hot when making risotto. On medium high heat saute the rice in 1 tbs of butter, stirring constantly. Add the onion and garlic and saute until the onion is tender. Add the wine and saute until all of the liquid is absorbed.

Slowly add 1 cup of broth, stirring frequently , as it cooks down, add the broth 1/2 cup at a time until all of the broth is absorbed. Add the mushrooms halfway thru adding the broth. Next fold in the rest of the butter, pepper and cheese. I then serve it with some left over cheese and a parsley sprig or two.

Canning Hot Peppers

Here a while back I decided that I needed to pick some of my hot peppers before they went bad. I didn't have enough of any one kind so i picked some of each. I didn't want to freeze them so i canned then. I got one quart of peppers. They were jalapenos, hungarian wax, anaheim and cayenne.

Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce

I have tons of different hot sauces. This one is one of my favorites. What I like about it is that a soon as you taste it you get bombarded with flavor not heat. You get the chili flavor, saltiness and garlic. A taste that screams asian cuisine. The heat is there an livens up your taste buds at the back of your tongue. But, the heat passes quickly so it doesn't over power the flavor of the food. By the time you are ready for your next bite the pleasure begins all over again.

Ingredients- chili, sugar salt, garlic, distilled vinegar, potassium sorbate, sodium bisulfate, and xanthan gum.

Delicious stuff. You can get it at Walmart of HyVee.

Testing Spare Rib Recipes.

Last Friday it was supposed to be 95F and a heat index of 111F. So what better to do on a sweltering hot day. Spend 6 hours smoking spare ribs. Yeah I know, I'm and idiot. But I had 3 new rib recipes that I just had to try. I'll fire up the smoker for just about any reason.

So I bought 2 racks of spare ribs and cut them in half. Then I prepped them as usual with mustard and dry rub. When I was done the family did a taste test for me. They thought the flavor of #3 was the best but they liked the texture and doneness of #1. So I guess my new recipe will be #3 cooked like #1.

Boquet Garni

Boquet Garni is simply herbs rolled and tied with cotton string. This technique is good for soups, stews and roasts. I have a pot roast in the crock pot so i thought it would be a good time to try a boquet garni.

Mine has a bay leaf, parsley, basil, oregano and thyme.

I let you know how it works out. Oh yeah you have to remember to remove it before serving.

Bamboo steamer basket test #2

Got the bamboo steamer out for another test. This time I took 2 medium size potatoes, washed them then cut them into wedges with the skin on. I put 2 inches of water into a sauce pan and brought it to a boil. I put the steamer basket over the sauce pan and let it go. At 5 minutes of steam, the potatoes were already starting to soften. At 10 minutes, I could about half way thru with a fork. At 15 minutes they were fork tender and perfect. It was so easy to steam the potatoes. I didnt have to hover around, I could let them cook.

How I season my new wok.

Here is a short video clip of me seasoning my new wok.

Smoking Fish

Saturday morning we went fishing. Caught 8 bass but only kept five. Since we were hosting a cookout Sunday, I thought smoked bass would be a good appetizer. When returned home, I got right to cleaning them. I decided to smoke them whole so I just took the scales off and removed the guts.

They went straight into a rinse container. I rinsed them again and placed them in the fridge overnight. Sunday morning I transfered them to a new container that contained a premixed brine solution. I let them soak for about 7 hours. I fired up the smoker, rinsed the fish one more time and put them in the smoker. I cooked them for one hour with out smoke then added the wet hickory chips to the fire box.

After another out I started checking their temps with an instant read thermometer. When the flesh reached 165 F, I pulled them off the smoker and let them rest for a few minutes then served. Everyone seemed to like the smoked fish.

Do you know curry? Indian Curry Chicken

If you like indian cuisine, they you are probably familiar with the spices curry powder and garam masala. These spices, whoa hold on. They aren't spices but are rather blends of spices. There are several different versions of each one. Curry powder is usually a blend of coriander, tumeric, cumin, red pepper and cardamom. You may also see mustard, fenugreek, chili, black pepper and salt.

Garam masala is also a blend of spices used in Inidan cuisine. The garam masala I have on my shelf is made by McCormick. It contains cardamom, coriander, cloves, cumin and cinnamon. You may see different versions. They are both wonderful additions to any food. I am posting a recipe for Indian Chicken Curry.

Ingredients

2 ounds of skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

3 tsp kosher salt

1/2 cup cooking oil

1 1/2 cups chopped onion

1 tbs minced garlic

1 1/2 tsp minced fresh ginger

1 tbs curry powder

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp tumeric

1 tsp coriander

1 tsp cayenne

1 tb water

1 (15 oz) can of crushed tomatoes

1 cup plain yogurt

2 tbs chopped fresh cilantro

1/2 cup water

1 tsp garam masala

1 tbs fresh lemon juice

Sprinkle the chicken with 2 tsp of kosher salt.

Heat the oil in a large skillet. Partially cook the chicken in batches until browned. Set the chicken on a plate and set aside.

Reduce the heat to medium high, add the onion, garlic and ginger to the oil, cook until the onions become translucent, Stir in the curry powder, cumin, tumeric, coriander, cayenne and 1 tbs of water, allow the mixture to heat up while stirring, Add the tomatoes, yogurt, 1 tbs cilantro, and 1 tsp of salt, Return the chicken to the skillet and any juices on the plate. Pour in 1/2 cup of water and bring it to a boil, turn the chicken to coat with the sauce. sprinkle the garam masala and 1 tbs of cilantro over the chicken.

Cover the skillet and simmer until the chicken breasts are no longer pink in the center and the juices run clear, about 20 minutes. Take the temperature of the chicken breast and it should be at least 165 F. place the chicken and sauce over white rice. Sprinkle with fresh lemon juice and serve.

My new bamboo steamer

I'm always picking up new gadgets to cook with. My latest purchase is a bamboo steamer I bought off of eBay. It's a small one, 8 inch diameter. My package came in the mail yesterday. As usual, I could'nt wait to put it to use. I just happened to have some corn on the cob handy, so it was time to get my steam on.

I chose a medium size stock pot, added an inch of water and a pinch of kosher salt. Once the water was boiling I added my corn to the steamer, then placed the steamer on a woven wire rack on top of the stock pot. I let it steam for 10 minutes then turned off the heat. I took one piece of corn out to test and left the rest in the steamer. The corn was wonderful. It wasn't water logged. It tasted very fresh and still had a good bite feel.

I went back 20 minutes later and there was still steam in the steamer. Cool.

Steaming food is supposed to be better for us healt wise. I like the idea retaining the nutritional components and maintaining some crunch. I think this would be a wonderful way to cook fresh fish.

The steamer was very inexpensive, so you might try purchasing one and get your own steam on. Enjoy!

I Love My Cabbage

I love my cabbage. Those of you that know me well might think I am talking about my oldest son Colton. I am not talking about that cabbage. Before he was born we were discussing name and I wanted to name him Cabot, but Rob said everyone would call him Cabbage. We named him Colton but the nick name is still used around this house.

Anyway back to my cabbage. My name and I were talking the other day about what kind of food we like to grill. He brought up what he said was barbecued cabbage. He talked about putting the cabbage in aluminum foil with butter and salt and throwing it on the grill. I used to take some cabbage, onions, potatoes, butter, salt and pepper and wrap it all in aluminum foil and throwing it in the coals. I always loved that semi charred veggie dish.

I got it in my head that I wanted to try oven roasting cabbage. I found a few recipes and like I always do, I played around with the recipes and came out with one I thought would work.

I was delicious. Take a rather mundane veggie and making it amazing. So what you see in the picture is oven roasted cabbage with parsley and chives, drizzled with olive oil

Recipe Follows.

1 head of cabbage cut into eighths and core removed,

3 tbs melted butter

salt and pepper

olive oil.

Preheat your oven to 500 F. Drizzle or baste the cabbage wedges with the melted butter. Season with kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper. Put in the oven for 20 minutes. Remove it from the oven, garnish with parsley, chives, and olive oil. Serve hot. At 20 minutes the outer leaves are wilted but there is still some crunch and the inside. If you want it less crunchy add a few more minutes.

Crostini

Yesterday I made kind of a ciabatta bread. Love my kitchenaid mixer, it makes cooking easier especially when it comes to making doughs. Once the dough took hold I let it rest for about ten minutes. Then I started kneading the dough in the mixer. I added fresh cut parsley and basil to give it a nice herb flavor.

I finished kneading and shaping by hand then let the dough "proof" on the counter top. I brushed the top with a corn starch and water mixture then scored the top about 1/2 inch deep. Then I baked it for 60 minutes.

Since we were making fresh pasta ravioli for dinner, I used the bread for garlic bread.

Crostini means little toast, I think.

So for dinner, I sliced the bread thin and put a garlic infused butter on top with parmesan cheese, sun dried tomatoes and pesto. I came out delicious. the crust was good and the inside was perfect.

I love the smell of bread baking. I need to make it at home more often I think.

Like Twisted Sister said "I wanna Wok!"

I am a huge fan of Asian cuisine. I enjoy it all, chinese, thai, japanese etc. I make a lot of asian food at home. Everybody is always happy when I cook asian recipes. Rob loves the hot and sour soup, egg rolls, crab rangoon. Cale loves the fried rice and Colt loves the chicken tempura.

I try to be as authentic as I can be. So I bought a nice steel wok. You can get non-stick woks but I prefer the steel woks. One things you have to keep in mind is that you have to season steel wok like you do with cast iron.

When you buy a new steel wok you should wash it in warm soapy water to remove and chemicals or oils left from the manufacturing process.

You need to dry it thoroughly. I season mine on my turkey cooker burner. I highly recommend doing outside because of the fumes and smoke. There videos on youtube about seasoning a wok. Once it is seasoned properly it should be virtually non-stick.

When you are done cooking with your wok, you need to wash it out with hot water, "do not use soap." Dry it completely and apply a light coat of cooking oil. This will keep your wok from rusting.

Go ahead and whip up some shrimp fried rice. MMMMMMM

"Wok and Woll!"

My restaurant menu if I had a restaurant

Appetizers
shrimp scampi
ceasar salad
crostini with sun dried tomatoes and basil pesto and garlic


Entrees

Beef or pork wellington
chicken cordan bleu
grilled salmon
hand made spaghetti
steamed lobster tail

sides

herbed smashed potatoes
sauteed mushrooms and peppers
steamed vegetables i.e. broccoli, cauliflower, julienne carrots
rice pilaf

desserts

crepes suzette
canoli
lemon curd in phyllo cups
bananas foster maybe



This menu is just brainstorming and having fun. Any suggestions?

Sorry for the typo

I meant under vacuum. Duh my brain had a hiccup

Sous Vide cooking

Sous vide is French for "under pressure." If any of you watch Iron Chef then I am sure you have seen chefs vacuum seal food then drop it into an immersion heater. The food is cooked at low temperatures for an extended amout of time. The following is a definition from Wikipedia.


Sous-vide (pronounced /suːˈviːd/),[1] French for "under vacuum",[1] is a method of cooking that is intended to maintain the integrity of ingredients by heating them for an extended period at relatively low temperatures. Food is cooked for a long time, sometimes well over 24 hours. Unlike cooking in a slow cooker, sous-vide cooking uses airtight plastic bags placed in hot water well below boiling point (usually around 60°C or 140°F).

Without the right equipment it would be difficult to do at home. You would have to constantly maintain the same temp throughout the cooking process. I don't think i will be trying this at home.

Make mine a chelada

A chelada is a special way of serving beer in Mexico. I love it. It's cold, it's refreshing and you won't get scurvy.

The tradional recipe calls for beer, salt and lime. What Prospero of the Barracuda bar served me was awesome for the summer heat and beach.

Here's the recipe he used

1.get a standard pilsner glass
2. wet and salt the rim
3. fill with ice
4. add a pinch of salt,
5. add a dash of lemon juice
6. squeeze out the juice of half of a lime slice and add lime slice to glass
7. add your favorite beer
8.stir and serve.

It's great on a hot day.

First Meal in Mexico This trip

Our flight left at 0645 so we had to be at the airport by about 0515. Because of that we didn't get the continental breakfast at the hotel. Luckily we thought ahead and packed a lot of snacks in our carry ons. They has a "deli box" on the plane for $7.00. We passed and ate our snacks.

We hit the hotel and were famished. So after dropping our bags off in the room, we headed out to forage for some grub. There were several restaurants at the resort and the first one we came across was called the "Worl Cafe." It was a buffet style meal as you will see in most all inclusive resorts.

We were starving so we dove right in and started grazing. I started with a salad and some orugi maki sushi. It had octopus and avacado in it, delicious. I finished off my lunch with a beef cutlet, pico de gallo and a few cabbage rolls. It was all good and there was plenty of it.

There are more mexico food posts to come. Hope you enjoy.

Rosati's Authentic Chicago Pizza since 1964

I recently returned from a trip to Huatulco, Mexico. I had plenty of great food but that will wait for a new post.

I flew out of chicago. After arriving late friday afternoon, we went back to the hotel and decided to order pizza for dinner. The clerk recommended two of her favorites so my wife brought back two menus that her and the boys looked at and decided to order from Rosati's.they decided that since we were in Chicago, we should have Chicago style pizza.

I have never been a big fan of Chicago style pizza. I prefer to eat my pizza with my hands not a shovel and and a pitch fork. they ordered a meat lovers pizza, breadsticks, garlic bread and had a coupon for a free small spaghetti. The food arrived about 45 minutes later.

Rosati's didn't scrimp on the food. The pizza was huge, and I guess weighed about 15 pounds. the menu said it would feed 4 people, Those four people must have been Chicago Bears football players. The free small spaghetti was a nice size casserole dish full. We had plenty of food to go around.

There were roasted tomatoes on the top in the sauce. I liked that, but that was the high light of the meal. there were burnt pieces of bacon on top. The bacon made the pizza pie way too salty for my taste. I like canadian bacon on my pizza but not regular bacon. The hamburger had a bit of a wang taste to it. I didn't set well with me.

Overall I wasn't impressed with the pizza and didn't even finish my first piece. Next I moved on to the spaghetti. Once again not impressed. there wasn't very much sauce and once again the food tasted too salty. The spaghetti was better than the pizza.

We had plenty of leftovers from the pizza and the spaghetti.

That was my experience with Rosati's of Chicago. Guess we should have wen't back to the Spaghetti Warehouse. LOL

Food Safari

While I am at the computer enjoying a steak fajita, I am looking forward to our vacation. We are traveling to an all inclusive resort in Huatulco, Mexico. I can't wait to taste the food and see the cooking techniques. Hopefully I can access the internet and update my blog about the food. I hope to take lots of pix and vids.

Enjoy

I have successfully made cheese in the kitchen

I have made cheese. So I guess now I'm a cheesehead. But I am not a Packers Fan!!!!! I started with 1 quart of milk, 1 cup of cultured buttermilk and 2 tsp of lemon juice. It came out with a texture like that of ricotta. I added fresh minced garlic and fresh basil. It is now chilling in the fridge to let it stiffen up and the flavors to meld.

If you want the recipe, let me know. The entire process took less than an hour.

Stalks stems and florets

I am a huge raw veggie fanatic. I snack all morning long on raw veggies. The usual suspects are cucumbers and tomatoes. But I don't stop there. I may have broccoli, cauliflower, green onions, carrots, cabbage, bell peppers, even zuchini.

When it comes to broccoli and cauliflower, my favorite parts are the stems or stalks. They have a wonderful concentrated flavor. A lot of people that buy fresh veggies have a tendency to discard the stalks and stems. Not me. If I am cooking the veg then I include the stems.

I am also a big fan of cabbage hearts. Not much goes to waste around here. I use everything from the florets to the hearts. Celery is also another favorite, works great in Bloody Marys.

There is nothing like fresh veggies. So get out of the can and into produce aisle.

Nun Farts

Wehave all ready covered devil farts so now its time to talk about nun farts. Ofcourse we are talking about the french pastry "pate a choux" or puff pastry. It bakes nice and poofy leaving a hollow center for cream filling or whatever filling you want to put in there. The lightness of the pastry inspired the name pets de nonne or "nun's farts."

We learn something new everyday.

Enjoy!

Recycling leftovers

I prefer the word recycling rather than leftovers which leads one to think that the meal is just reheated food. I prefer to recycling, which in my mind means transforming one food into another style of food. I mean the plastic water bottle you recycle can be a park bench next.

A prime example for me was last week. I over roasted a whole chicken for dinner. What was left went into the fridge. A night or two later, I diced up some of that chicken and we had chicken nachos, fajita style chicken. Then it became chicken tempura during an oriental feast. The final grace was the pieces picked off of the bone for chicken and noodles, which are always a hit here.

Last night we had ham. This morning we had ham in our scrambled eggs then I shaved the ham with my meat slicer and we had ham sandwiches for lunch. I'll probably freeze the rest and save it for ham and beans.

And don't forget about the chicken bones, freeze them and use them for chicken stock.

There are opportunites everywhere in the kitchen when you can make sure you absolutely get your moneys worth.

Enjoy!

An Amazing Basil Vinaigrette

I found this recipe online. This dressing is amazing.

Ingredients

1/2 shallot
1 clove of garlic
handful of fresh basil leaves washed
1 tbs dijon mustard
3 tbs red wine vinegar
9 tbs regular olive oil not extra virgin
salt and pepper to taste

combine all ingredients in a blender and process til smooth
or
combine all ingredients in a high wall bowl and process with an immersion blender.

If it is a bit too thick add some more vinegar

I made some yesterday and love it.

Enjoy

Nothing Like Home Made

I have really enjoyed making more things at home that I would usually buy at the market. It does take a little time but is worth the wait. Plus it can save a lot of money on things you use a lot of. Another great benefit is the more things you make at home the more you learn about, flavor, herbs, spices, etc.

Here are a few things we have made at home:

Mustard
Salsa
beef stock
chicken stock
taco and fajita seasoning
brined dill pickles
vinaigrette dressings
marinara sauce
pizza sauce
pasta
pico de gallo
bread
pizza crust
rib rub
bbq sauce
marinades


Try experimenting in your kitchen with the foods you love the best. Don't get discouraged if it is not perfect. You may find what you have made tastes better that what you were buying. There truly is magic in the kitchen. So go play in there a while and enjoy yourself.

Impulse Buy

I was at the market yesterday and found some beautiful anaheim chile peppers in the produce cooler. I bought half a dozen to make chile rellenos. Rob loves rellenos, she first had them at Dos Hombres in Warrensburg, MO. Since then she has made some herself and eaten them at various mexican restaurants. Tonight I am going to make some for her.

A lot of the recipes I have seen online are meat free. That won't work around here. So I am going to stuff them with chicken and pepper jack cheese. They should be good.

Anaheim peppers are great for those who prefer milder spice. Anaheim are very low in capsaicin so the heat is very mild. A good beginner chile pepper.

To stay with the mexican theme, I will make some nachos and tacos for the boys.

Enjoy.

Sushi

I do a lot of cooking on the fly. Sometimes the ingredients or dishes change then its off to the grocery store again. I never know what the muse has in store for me or what inspiration will strike next.

My latest challenge was sushi. I am not sure why but wanted to try my hand at this Japanese delicacy. At the local megamart I purchased the japanese style rice, nori seaweed sheets(algae), imitation crab meat(surimi), avacados and cucumber. I already had wasabi paste on hand.

So I set in cooking the rice then added the vinegar mixture. After reading about sushi and watching several videos, I tried to do it the right way. The rice is very sticky. Its hard to fold in the vinegar while trying to fan the rice with the other hand, but I did get the rice down to room temperature.

Now for the sushi roll. I didn't have a sushi rolling mat so did it on my cutting board. The nori I bought wasn't very wide so it was easy to in too much filling. Finally I got the rice on the nori after battling with the sticky rice. I rolled it up and had too much filling so the ends didnt quite meet. But it was enough to for Rob and I to eat. Besides having too mush filling I also had too much wasabi paste. WHEW!!!! Talk about a sinus cleaner, WOW.

All in all it was an ugly attempt but tasted great. I had left over rice so I rolled up some more yesterday just to practice. I turned the nori 90 degrees and had more room to work so the rolls came out better.

I have ordered some wider nori sheets and a bamboo rolling mat so there will be more sushi on our future. Havent decided on trying the raw fish yet(sashimi).

If you enjoy sushi try making it at home. Enjoy!

Got my knives back.

Got my knives back from Accurate Sharpening of Tempe, AZ. I sent out 6 knives and they all came back wicked shaarp. I think the total cost with shipping was $42. It was a very quick turn around time. I am well satisfied. I have a few others that I am going to send out.

Pumpernickel means Devils Farts

Pumpernickel comes from Wetsphalian dialect for the Devil(St. Nick) and for "fart", this is a high Fiber bread.

It is realy amazing to read about the history behind food.

This information comes from Harold McGee.

Knives and knives and knives OH My

Knives are a cook's best friend. You don't have to spend a fortune for a good set of knives. I bought a Wolfgang Puck set of 4 santoku knives at Sam's club for a bout $40. They are great knives, I love them.

Dull knives are a bad thing. Always keep your knives sharp. I have a hand sharpener with 2 ceramic rods. Before every use I run the knife thru the sharpener about 10 times, then I use a knife steel on it.

Don't put your knives in the dish washer, the heat is a bad thing, and they can get tossed around and damage their edge. I hand wash mine.

Over time, they will need to be resharpened by a professional. I just sent out 6 knives to Accurate Sharpening and Cutlery Sales in Tempe, AZ. I have never used them before. The average cost was about $5.50 per knife plus shipping charge.

I will let you know how it goes.

See Ya

Cheat Night

There are days when everyone's schedule is different from everyone else. From after school activities to sports and meetings, just cant get everyone together for dinner. At these times it is perfectly acceptable to go simple. Last night went to the old standby of tuna helper and veggies.

Everyone enjoyed it but at different times. And Cale around there are no leftovers. He grazes all evening.

Simple can be delicious.

Talk of the Town

I recently went there for lunch with my mom and two brothers. The first time I went there I was sadly disappointed. The hamburger was rock hard and the fries were smoking hot but raw in the middle. I took the family there for breakfast one sunday morning. The foos was good and there was plenty of it. We ordered a la carte. We went back there a few weeks later. This time the food food wasn't as good and the portions were smaller. Due to the past visits it isn't a place I frequent.

This time I was invited to lunch and my brother Max was paying so I went for a free meal. While my mon, Max and I were waiting for Carl, we took a look at the buffet. Usually there are only two buffets I eat at, and that would be the pizza buffet and a chinese buffet. The foods on those change over fairly quickly so usually the food is fresh. I don't want meat loaf that has sat under the hot lights for hours and swimming in grease.

Reluctantly I went for the buffet here partially because everyone else was getting the buffet but the food looked good. The fried chicken was still steaming form being cooked. The salad bar had several options including things like marinated mushrooms. I started there then went for the entrees and sides. There wasn't as mush of a selection as you would find at other places but i think that is agood thing.

I enjoyed the chicken, the potatoes and gravy and the stir fry. I was however a bit disappointed in the stir fry. The waitress warned us that it was spicy but it was sadly lacking in spice. The flavor was good but I was hoping for the heat.

Overall it was enjoyable and the food was good. Have to give them a thumbs up for their buffet.

Canning Trial #2

I decided to get more practice with the pressure canner. I peeled and sliced up a enough carrots for a pint. I sterilized the jar, lid and ring. I put some salt and boiling water in to fill up the pint jar. I locked the lid into place and lit the burner. The pressure built up and the safety valve popped up. Now I have to let it vent for 10 minutes. I thought it was a bit too much heat so I backed off the burner. Unfortunately it was too much and the pressure dropped enough for the safety valve to drop back down. Rather than continue I decided to let it cool down and try again another time. Oh well trial and error.

Day Pickles

Day pickles are pickles that are to be made in the morning and enjoyed all day, even for 1 or 2 days more if you can keep your fork out of the jar.

1 large cucumber

2/3 cup white vinegar

1 tbs kosher salt

1 1/3 cup of water

1 tbs dill seed

1 tbs dill weed

1 clove of garlic minced

I took the cucumber and sliced it thin. I mixed the ingredients and added the cucumber slices to the brine in a bowl. I covered the bowl and let it rest for 3 hours. Then I packed the pickles into a pint canning jar, poured the brine over them and sealed the jar then placed them in the fridge. When you go from the bwol to the jar you will have liquid left over, make sure you get the spices and garlic from the bottom of the brine.

To save time and energy, you can go straight to the pint jar.

Brine Pickles

Several years ago I tried to make dill pickles. I used the hot pack method. They always came out mushy and not very flavorful. This year I chose the old tried and true method of brining. I got some pickle sized cukes at walmart and some baby dill. Dill isn't quite in season yet. I started the brine about 6 weeks ago, skimming off the scum every few days. I ket them in a cool dark place. I didn't want the temp to get over 70 degrees.

They were a success. They are firm and not mushy. The dill flavor is lacking so Ill add more next time. The crushed red pepper brings some heat, but I think it is too much for the boys.

They are good but I think I can do better. Once this batch is eaten I will start a new batch.

Enjoy

Food and Time

For breakfast you have breakfast food, for lunch, lunch food and for dinner, dinner food. HOG WASH. Food knows no time. It cares not what the clock says. I believe you can eat any food any time of day. I eat whatever I want when I want. It maybe stuffed jalapenos for breakfast or an omelet for dinner.

When it comes to enjoying food, don't limit your self by the clock. Eat whatever you want whenever you wan't. And

HAVE FUN WITH YOUR FOOD!!!

Accidental Mashed Potatoes

A few days ago I was cooking beef filets. I planned on serving them with buttered potatoes and buttered corn. I was trying so hard to get the filets perfect, that I kind of forgot the potatoes. They boiled away un disturbed. When I strained them in the collander, they were very tender. Too tender as a matter of fact. I was kind of cook on the fly anyway so not to be bothered I thru in some butter and milk and got out the mixer. I yelled to the boys in the living room, "we are having mashed potatoes." The boys didn't seem affected at all.

Experimental Gardening

My neighbor told me that if you have potatoes that have eyes popping out all you have to do is lay them in the garden and cover them with straw. He swares they will grow. So we have a 12 pack bet. I put 6 of them out in the garden yesterday. We will see.

Canned Potatoes

My pressure canning experiment was a success. I was happy to see that. The canned potatoes came out with a mild salty flavor and were fork tender. They would be great for easy mashed potatoes or potato salad. I think I am going do do more canning as summers comes along.

Pressure Canning

Over the years Rob and I have canned a lot of salsa and sauce. We tried chili once but that didn't work out well. Our process was basically hot jars, hot lids and hot salsa. We would fill them and put on the lids and rings and then listen to them pop as they sealed. So now I am trying new processes. A lot of people I know can with a hot water bath method. But the water will never get over 212 degrees F. With a pressure cooker or canner you can get temps around 240 degrees F. That will kill most nasty things that can ruin you canned ingredients.

So I bought me an 8 quart pressure cooker. I bought it for cooking, because you can do beef stew in 30 minutes. Today I experimented with pressure canning. I put a rack in my cooker with several inches of water. My product was just a quart jar of raw potatoes and salt. Once the lid was sealed and the fire on I waited for the safety valve to pop up and then let it vent steam freely for 10 minutes, then I installed the 15 psi weight. Once the weight started gently rocking I let it cook for 30 minutes.

At 30 minutes I turned off the heat and let the steam vent off until the safety valve fell back down. I took out the quart of potatoes and let it cool. I just now heard the pop of the lid being sealed. This is the first time I have ever pressure canned anything, so I did it outside on my turkey cooker burner. Because of the wind I had to constantly adjust the heat to keep the weight rocking.

Tmorrow I will open the jar and see how it is. Hopefully good. So far it is and successful experiment.

Enjoy.

Cherries Jubilee

I don't eat sweets, no candy, cakes, pies etc. Because of that I never made desserts. In my quest for more knowledge about food and cooking, I have started making desserts. The last was a simple cherries jubilee. The whole family loved it. And no I didn't eat any. It was a simple recipe, the best part was the brandy flambe'.

Herbage

I love cooking with fresh herbs. The only fresh herb you can by in Kahoka is cilantro. If you wanted anything more you had to go to Keokuk. This spring I planted some indoors and some out doors. Then I came across a plater pot at a local vendor. I bought 2. Each planter pot has 5 different herbs. They are parsley, cilantro, oregano, basil, chives, sage, etc.

The plethora of aromas smells delicious. I recommend checking local greenhouses for them.

Enjoy

Hot Peppers

I have several dried chile peppers that we dehydrated a few years ago. I am grinding them into a powder with my blender. There are several varieties such as jalapeno, habanero, cayenne, anahiem, etc. Blending them together gives a nice flavoring you can use in anything such as chili or soup. Just remember a little dab will do ya, just like brylcreem.

The powder will keep forever.

Enjoy

Battle of Pizza Sauce

Last nights battle was pizza sauce. I had a home made sauce as did Rob and a can of contadina pizza sauce. Colt like the contadina, Cale liked Rob's, and I liked mine. I think the real winner was the contadina. I used a recipe that called for water. I should have substituted tomato sauce. Well that is how I improve on recipes is to try it first then adjust. The fresh herbs really gave the house a great smell.


Enjoy.

Pineapple Agua Fresca

I came upon this recipe a few days ago and thought it would be fun to make and drink. Pineapples are $2.99 at the grocery store and limes are cheap. Everyone here likes it but Rob thought it could use some rum or vodka.

2 cups of fresh pineapple chunks
3 cups cold water
3 tbs fresh lime juice (about the juice of one lime)
3 tbs honey

In a blender combine half of the pineapple and cold water. Blend until smooth. Train the mixture thru a sieveinto a pitcher pressing out the juice with a rubber spatula. discard the pulp and repeat with the rest of the pineapple and water.

Stir in the lime juice and honey. I used my hand mixer. Serve over ice with a pineapple spear.

Enjoy.

Welcome To Hammer's Kitchen

Hey all of my friends, welcome to my food blog. I plan on posting about food and cooking. hope you enjoy it. Ask me questions and I will find you an answer.