I'm working on my grocery list and menu for the next few weeks and remembered Valentine's Day is coming up very soon! Time to start preparing. The past few years, we've gone out for dinner, but this year, since we are in a new area and I don't have a sitter yet, I'm going to make dinner for my husband.
I'm having visions of grandeur here. Candles, flowers, sparkling cider (we don't drink alcohol), and music in the background. Of course, the girls will be with us, but I think they deserve something special for their Valentine dinner too. Sounds fun, doesn't it?
Then I got to thinking that perhaps I would challenge YOU to make Valentine's dinner for your special love(s) as well. I'm not sure how I'm going to pull this off (LOL) but it's possible we might have to have our special dinner a week early so I can get photos and recipes out to you beforehand so you can join in the cooking fun.
I came up with three menus and would like you to vote which meal your family would like the best. I will have the shopping list up by February 1st so you can get all the necessary ingredients to make your meal. What do you think? I would *LOVE* to see how many do this with me and I hope you get pictures too and share them with me!
Alright... here are your choices.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Valentine's Day Help! COME VOTE!!!!
Monday, January 19, 2009
.strawberry-orange-ginger jam.
My sister, Marcia (pronounced mar-cee-uh), came to visit me last week and brought her two children, Samantha and Jacob along. Samantha is 7 months younger than Paige so they get along great.. and fight like sisters. Jacob had a lot of fun playing with Perry, despite the age difference. Marcia's expecting baby #3 (another boy!) in March and she knew if she didn't come visit now, who knows when she'd get out this way.
Makes it hard. I wish I could live back in Washington state, especially when I hear about all of the fun get togethers they have, but I know I will enjoy living here in New York. It's always been a dream of mine to see The Big Apple (which we did venture into while she was here)!
Anyway... while she was in town, I didn't make a lot of new dishes. Marcia isn't much of an adventurous eater and her kids are the same so I had to stick with tried and true family stuff. You know what I'm talking about, right?
One thing I did make the morning they arrived was some strawberry jam. But not just any strawberry jam. Strawberry jam with orange and candied ginger. Yummy!
If you've never made jam on your own, it is SO EASY!!! What are you waiting for!?!?! (Yes.. this is me subtly coaxing you into making some.) All it takes is fruit, sugar, lemon juice, and pectin. Of course, I did add the orange and candied ginger but you don't have to go all crazy like me.
Since fresh strawberries this time of year are expensive, I bought a couple of these little babies. Frozen strawberries. It doesn't change the flavor or anything so don't worry if they're not fresh. These strawberries came sugared already. If the strawberries you buy aren't sweetened, add 3 cups sugar. (You really don't know how full of sugar jam is until you make it!)
Let them thaw completely before making the jam.
Dump the strawberries into a soup pot. You need one that's big because the fruit does boil up as it cooks.
I mashed up the strawberries a little bit. I hate when I get a big ol slimy piece of strawberry. If you don't want them mashed up, then skip this step.
Measure out 1 tsp or so of candied ginger. You can make your own if you can't find it in the grocery store. Just google "making candied ginger" and there are a few places that give step by step instructions. I took the easy way out and bought mine. You can find it in the spice aisle.
Add the ginger to the pot. Add a squirt of lemon juice too while you're at it. :)
Take one orange, and using a vegetable peeler, peel the skin off. This is an easy way of zesting.
Cut up the orange peel into very thin pieces. We don't want the orange flavor to be distorted at all so hold this off to the side until after we add the pectin. Once I sliced up the zest, I did squeeze in the juice of the orange into the pot though.
Put the pot on the stove and bring to a boil. The fruit will start foaming a lot on top. Take a large spoon or ladle and carefully skim the top to remove as much foam as possible.
Let this boil for about 2-3 minutes. Add the contents of the pectin packet. Stir and then bring to a boil again. Let boil one minute and remove from the heat.
My jam is going into the freezer so I'm using these rubbermaid containers. If you want to have this shelf safe, use clean jars with new lids. Fill the containers up but not to the top. Make sure you leave a little room at the top for a vacuum seal.
If you're using jars, as soon as you fill, wipe any jam that may have gotten on the lip. Place the lid and then tighten the ring on. Flip the jar upside down and leave it that way until the jam has cooled completely. Turn the jars over and press in the center. If it doesn't pop or move, your jar is perfectly sealed. If it *does* pop, you're going to have to keep it in the fridge or freezer. I don't think I've ever had any trouble with unsealed jars doing it this way.
That's all there is to it! Homemade jam is AWESOME and so much more delicious than the stuff you buy in the store (in my opinion). Inside the box of pectin you will find a sheet of directions. They have recipes for every kind of jam you can think of.
So again, if you've never made jam before, you'll see that it really isn't very intimidating and you don't need any special equipment except for a box or two of Ball jars and lids. No pressure cooker or anything! Good luck and I hope you let me know if you make some for yourself. Do me proud!
Monday, January 12, 2009
.polenta with skirt steak and mushroom ragout.
When my husband, girls and I first made our trek north to New York to check out the area, we stayed in a hotel with a small kitchen. I was trying to avoid eating out for every meal because I'm sure if you've done it before, you know how old it gets, right?
One of the items I made was a creamy parmesan polenta with skirt steak and a wild mushroom ragout. It was so delicious that I knew I'd have to make it again.
You need to mentally break this meal into three separate tasks. 1)Polenta, 2)Steak, 3)Ragout. Each are very simple to make, but when you bring them all together, it makes for a very showy meal. Not only that, but you could easily have this on your table in 30 minutes! That's something I think we can all appreciate.
Let's start with the polenta. Polenta was considered a mexican peasant type food ... a lot like grits, cornmeal mush... that kind of thing. "Gruel". In recent years, however, polenta has come up in status and is now found in many upscale restaurants. This recipe is dressed up with a little parmesan and mascarpone cheese. If for any reason you can't find mascarpone, use cream cheese. It won't give you the exact flavor, but it will give you the creamy texture that makes this polenta so desireable.
In a saucepan, put 3 1/2 cups chicken stock. Bring to a boil.
While whisking, add 1/2 cup polenta to the stock. It will begin thickening after 3 minutes. Stir to make sure it doesn't burn or get too thick. If it's super super thick, add a little more stock. We don't want runny polenta but we don't want it too thick either. Season with a little salt and pepper. Don't add too much salt.
Add 1/4 cup mascarpone cheese and 1/4 cup parmesan cheese. Mix well. Taste the polenta at this stage. The cheese adds more saltiness so if you've put in too much sal beforehand, it's going to be too salty. This is why I said to not overdo it. If it needs more salt at this point, go ahead and add it.
That is all this dish needs! See what I mean? EASY!! Set the saucepan aside.
Now for the steak. You want to use skirt steak for this meal. I couldn't find skirt steak so I went with a flank cut. They're pretty comparable. Both are very lean cuts of meat and have very little fat. They are also rather thin and cook quickly.
Begin by seasoning both sides well with fresh cracked black pepper and sea salt.
Heat a skillet on medium high heat. Pour a little olive oil into the pan and then put your steak in. Wait until the pan is hot before putting your oil and steak in. The instant heat will sear the steak, which locks in all the juices and flavor. That's key for a good steak.
Let this sear on one side for 3 1/2 minutes then flip over and sear the other side for another 3 1/2 minutes.
Now if this were a skirt steak, which is MUCH thinner than flank, you'd probably be ready to pull it off the pan at this point. However, this was a thicker piece of meat so I covered the pan, lowered the heat just a smidge and let it cook through for another 3-4 minutes.
I like my steak medium rare, so if you want it more done, let it cook a few more minutes.
Once the steak is done, pull from the pan and put on a cutting board. Let it sit and "rest" for about 5 minutes before slicing.
Slice diagonally against the grain tilting the knife at a 45 degree angle. This gives you nice striations and it's easier to get thinner slices. That's what we're going for!
Now let's do the final step: mushroom ragout.
Mince 1 clove garlic.
Peel 2 shallots and slice thinly.
Clean 1 - 1 1/2 cups mushrooms. I suggest using a mixture of wild mushrooms like crimini, white, and shiitake. I had crimini on hand in the fridge and used those. Trim off the stems and slice.
Roughly chop a little italian flat leaf parsley.
Heat 1 tsp olive oil and a little butter in a skillet. Don't let them get too hot otherwise it can distort the flavor.
Add the mushrooms and stir the pan to coat them with the butter/oil.
When the mushrooms start browning, add the garlic and shallots. Stir to mix and saute for a few minutes.
When the aroma is strong, season with salt, pepper, and a little thyme. If you're using fresh thyme, toss in a few sprigs.
After the shallots start getting soft, add 1/4 cup white wine, and 1/4 cup chicken stock. Keep cooking this over medium high heat until the liquid begins to evaporate and reduce by half.
Pull from the heat. It's time to plate up!
Begin by putting some polenta on a plate. See how thick this is? It will hold it's shape like pancake batter.
Take some of your steak slices and lay them in a fan-like fashion on top of the polenta.
Spoon some of the mushroom ragout on top and then sprinkle with a little parsley. Serve immediately.
Now that you've seen each step broken down, it's important to time this right. Each step doesn't take a lot of time to make. Start with the steak because that will probably be the one that takes the longest to sear, cook, and then rest before slicing. While it's in the pan, you can quickly whip up the polenta. That can sit over low low heat while you quickly saute up the ragout. By overlapping your cooking times, you will have this meal on your table within 30 minutes. Something quick, delicious, and elegant in the time it takes to order and have pizza delivered. You can do it! Enjoy!
Printable version:
http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dg2vfjqm_1278489b9cq
Thursday, January 8, 2009
.herbed gratin potatoes.
Potatoes are such a comfort to me that I am going to have a very difficult time easing up on them this year. It's part of my New Year's resolution.. the whole weight loss thing. I have mentally chosen (CHOSEN!) to reduce portions if I make something that might not be healthy for me, chosen to work out EVERY DAY (minus weekends), and chosen to eat healthier. My family will revolt if I change everything at once so I am taking baby steps.
I am not a fan of diet programs. I have more success when I do it my way.
So anyway.. throwing all of that out the window, I made herbed gratin potatoes to go with roast chicken. I love these so much. Traditionally gratin potatoes are made with gruyere and a nice browned crust on top. I mix it up by adding tarragon, thyme, and some parmesan cheese.
Start by peeling and thinly slicing 5 white or yukon gold potatoes.
Put the potatoes in a skillet and put on medium/medium high heat.
Pour some milk into the pan, halfway up the potatoes. Then take some cream and pour enough in to reach the top of the potatoes.
Season well with salt, pepper, tarragon, and thyme.
Bring the cream to almost a boil and then turn to low heat. Stir the potatoes around to ensure they are all cooked at the same time. Let sit on low heat for about 10 minutes.
While the potatoes are on the stove, grate your parmesan cheese a nd gruyere. I use about 1 cup of each.
Butter your baking dish well and then rub a crushed garlic clove all around the edges and bottom. I left the garlic in the bottom of the baker but you can remove it if you want.
Remove the potatoes from the stove. Using a spoon, place some in the bottom of the baker and then spoon on a little of the cream.
Add a layer of parmesan/gruyere cheese. Repeat the process over and over spooning cream whenever you put in some potatoes.
Make sure when you reach the top that you have saved enough cheese to sprinkle on the surface. Put in a 350* oven for 45 minutes.
When it's done, the top will be beautifully golden and bubbling. Remove from the oven and let sit for about 10 minutes before serving or run the risk of burning your tongue with these nuclear hot potatoes. lol
Bon Appetit!
Printable version:
http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dg2vfjqm_126dm2m8sfw
.sweet potato bread.
It feels great to be back in business!!! My new lens is going to take some getting use to. I have already decided I need another one, but for now this works.
Years ago when my husband and I went to Ohio to visit his family, his dad took us to Young's Dairy for dinner. It's an actual dairy farm with a petting area and ice creamery and a restaurant. When you sit down, they bring out a loaf of warm sweet potato bread and cinnamon honey butter. We loved it so much that I wanted to try and recreate this for us to enjoy whenever we wanted.
After much trial and error, I came up with this recipe. I even made it everyday at the bakery and it was a big hit. We even made it up as french toast and drizzled with a little honey. Delicious! I'm sure this will be a hit in your own homes as it is in ours.
In a sieve, sift 3 cups flour, 1 tsp baking powder, 2 tsp baking soda, 2 tsp salt, 1 tsp cinnamon, and 1/2 tsp cloves.
I sifted right onto a piece of parchment paper because I didn't want to dirty up another bowl.
Sorry blurry picture! In a mixing bowl, put 2/3 cup shortening, 2 cups sugar, and 1/2 cup brown sugar.
Mix until it's crumbly.
Add 3 eggs and mix until nice and creamy. Sorry for these blurry pictures! They look so clear on my little lcd screen.
I like to make a bunch of sweet potato mash ahead of time. I divide it into ziplocs and freeze so all I have to do is pull one bag out of the freezer and thaw and it's ready for use. To make your sweet potato mash, cut up sweet potatoes (with the skins on). Put them in a big ol pot and fill up with water. Boil until they're soft. Dump into a colander and let strain until they are dry. Pull the skins off and mash the flesh in a bowl. I have found that if you fill one of those plastic produce bags at the grocery store full of sweet potatoes, you'll have enough for about 8 loaves of bread.
Add 2 cups sweet potatoes to the mixing bowl and mix well.
Dump in the dry ingredients all at once.
Turn the mixer onto the lowest speed setting and mix only until the wet and dry are combined. Don't overmix this. The batter will be slightly thick.
Spray two medium sized bread pans with Pam and divide the batter between the two. See how lumpy I put it in there? One of the gals at my bakery used to try and make it so nice and smooth on top and I told her to not do that. It all works out on its own in the oven and you actually do want a little peak in the center.
Put these into a hot 400* oven. As soon as you put the loaves in, turn the heat down to 350* and bake for about 35 to 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
See how beautiful these turn out? When you pull these out of the oven, remove them from the pans and let cool on baking racks.
Serve with whipped cinnamon honey butter.
To make this honey butter, put 2 semi soft sticks of butter in a bowl. Add 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar and 1/2 tsp cinnamon. Begin mixing on low speed to incorporate the butter and sugar. Drizzle honey in and turn onto high speed. Keep drizzling until the butter becomes nice and fluffy.
Transfer to a tupperware bowl and hold in the fridge when not using.
Printable version:
http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dg2vfjqm_123dnj9tvcc
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