corn dog muffics

when i saw this recipe, i thought that stephen would love it.  it was ok.  they didnt like it too much ... i used aidells mini chicken apple sausages ...

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup Shortening
• 1 cup Yellow Cornmeal
• 1/2 cup All-purpose Flour
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 1 cup Buttermilk
• 1/2 cup Milk
• 1 whole Egg
• 1 Tablespoon Baking Powder
• 1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
• 6 whole Hot Dogs

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Combine corn meal, flour, and salt in a mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, combine buttermilk, milk, and egg. Add baking powder and baking soda to the wet ingredients. Stir into the dry ingredients. Add ¼ cup melted shortening, slightly cooled, stirring constantly.
Grease muffin tins (whatever size you want) and fill them a little more than half full with batter. Cut a hot dog into pieces (small rounds if using mini muffin tins; 1-inch slices if using larger muffin tins.

Bake until cornbread is done, about 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from the pan and serve with ketchup and mustard!

soft pretzels

i dont know what i did wrong but this recipe came out horrible.  the pretzels were hard and not buttery or soft.  nothing like aunti annies!  i may want to try alton browns recipe next.  i did spell some of the yeast mixture and when the dough was so hard that i couldnt knead it to evenness.

Ingredients:

4 teaspoons active dry yeast 1 teaspoon white sugar 1 1/4 cups warm water (110 degrees F /45 degrees C) 5 cups all-purpose flour 1/2 cup white sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons salt 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 1/2 cup baking soda 4 cups hot water 1/4 cup kosher salt, for topping

Directions:

1.	In a small bowl, dissolve yeast and 1 teaspoon sugar in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
2.	In a large bowl, mix together flour, 1/2 cup sugar, and salt. Make a well in the center; add the oil and yeast mixture. Mix and form into a dough. If the mixture is dry, add one or two tablespoons of water. Knead the dough until smooth, about 7 to 8 minutes. Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
3.	Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). In a large bowl, dissolve baking soda in hot water.
4.	When risen, turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 12 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a rope and twist into a pretzel shape. Once all of the dough is all shaped, dip each pretzel into the baking soda solution and place on a greased baking sheet. Sprinkle with kosher salt.
5.	Bake in preheated oven for 8 minutes, until browned.

chocolate chip cookies

i felt like baking cookies and decided on this recipe.  they were pretty good.  i substituted the chocolate chips with heath chips and also dark chocolate almond chunks.  i did half and half

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted 1 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar 1 tablespoon vanilla extract 1 egg 1 egg yolk 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:

1.	Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets or line with parchment paper.
2.	Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.
3.	In a medium bowl, cream together the melted butter, brown sugar and white sugar until well blended. Beat in the vanilla, egg, and egg yolk until light and creamy. Mix in the sifted ingredients until just blended. Stir in the chocolate chips by hand using a wooden spoon. Drop cookie dough 1/4 cup at a time onto the prepared cookie sheets. Cookies should be about 3 inches apart.
4.	Bake for 15 to 17 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the edges are lightly toasted. Cool on baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.

gumbo

because of all the random stuff in our fridge i decided that i wanted to make gumbo. paula deens recipe seemed to incorporate everything we had in the kitchen.  for a tutorial on roux i suggest:  http://www.southerngumbotrail.com/roux.shtml  paulas recipe doesnt specify what color roux but since i didnt know i stopped at peanut butter color.  i used frozen shrimp.  and i added the okra too early and it all melted.

Ingredients

• 3 large boneless skinless chicken breast halves
• Salt and pepper
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 pound smoked sausage, cut into 1/4-inch slices
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 5 tablespoons margarine
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 8 cloves garlic minced
• 1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• 3 stalks celery chopped
• 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 bunch flat leaf parsley, stems and leaves, coarsely chopped, plus chopped leaves for garnish
• 4 cups hot water
• 5 beef bouillon cubes
• 1 (14-ounce can) stewed tomatoes with juice
• 2 cups frozen sliced okra
• 4 green onions, sliced, white and green parts
• 1/2 pound small shrimp, peeled, deveined and cooked

Directions

Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a heavy bottomed Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Cook the chicken until browned on both sides and remove. Add the sausage and cook until browned, then remove. Sprinkle the flour over the oil, add 2 tablespoons of margarine and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until brown, about 10 minutes. Let the roux cool.

Return the Dutch oven to low heat and melt the remaining 3 tablespoons margarine. Add the onion, garlic, green pepper and celery and cook for 10 minutes. Add Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper, to taste and the 1/4 bunch parsley. Cook, while stirring frequently, for 10 minutes. Add 4 cups hot water and bouillon cubes, whisking constantly. Add the chicken and sausage. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for 45 minutes. Add tomatoes and okra. Cover and simmer for 1 hour. Just before serving add the green onions, shrimp and chopped parsley.

albondigas and biscuits

when i saw this recipe i knew s would love it.  so i set out to make it.  i didnt read the comments so i didnt season the meatballs.  i shouldve known to do that anyways but i had a brainfart.  the recipes on this blog arent really recipes.  he just kind of talks about what he makes.  which makes it kind of hard to follow as a recipe.  lots of improvising.  i actually didnt add the flour because when i added the veggies, they sweat and there was way too much liquid for the flour.  the soup was fine without the flour i thought.  through this recipe i also discovered that trader joes biscuits are really good!  no need to make your own when they are fast and easy and that good!

The meatballs were 1.25 pounds of beef, 1 cup of cooked rice, 1/4 cup of chopped cilantro, 1 egg, a clove of garlic, and a pinch of cinnamon.

For the soup I seared off the meatballs to brown on all sides, then removed them from the pan. Cook an onion and pepper to lightly brown, then add chopped carrot and celery, about a cup of each. Cook for about 5 minutes, then add garlic and a half stick of butter. Stir to mix well. Add in 1/4 cup of flour and stir well to form a roux. Cook about 5 minutes stirring the whole time before adding a 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes, 1 box of chicken stock, and red pepper flakes to taste. Stir well so no lumps are formed. Bring to a simmer to thicken up a bit. Add the meatballs back in and top with your favorite store bought or homemade biscuits. Bake until the biscuits are cooked. Remove from oven and serve.

cucmber side dish

i also made cucumbers which were also super salty! maybe i didnt use enough water? and i didnt even soak them for one whole week!  just a day or two!

Ingredients: Kirby cucumbers (5 pound: 2.5 kilograms), water, kosher salt, vinegar, apples

Directions:

Wash and drain 5 pounds of cucumbers.

In a large pot put 9 cups water, 1 cup salt, and 1 cup vinegar.

Remove the cores from two small apples. Slice the apples thinly and put them into the pot.

Stir the pot of brine and apple slices with a wooden spoon until the salt on the bottom of the pot has dissolved.

Bring to a boil over high heat for about 40 minutes.

Strain the cooked apples.

Put the cucumbers into the hot brine. Turn them over with a wooden spoon

Let the pot sit until the brine cools down.

Move the cucumbers into a glass jar and pour the brine over the cucumbers.

Close the lid and let it sit for 12-24 hours at room temperature

Drain the cucumbers by pouring out the brine into a pot.

Boil the brine again for 10 minutes to sterilize it.
*tip: leave the cucumber in the jar

Turn off the heat and let the brine cool down.

Pour the brine into the cucumbers and refrigerate it.
*tip: Wait at least 1 week to start eating

brocoli side dish

i also made brocoli banchan.  i made the mistake of not dunking the cooked brocoli in cold water fast enough so they turned color and looked a bit yellow. also not sure why but it turned out super salty!

Ingredients: 1 bunch of broccoli (about 700 grams), salt, sugar, vinegar, and water
Directions:

1. Make pickle juice first:
   Put 5 cups of water, ¼ cup of salt, ¼ cup of sugar, and ½ cup of vinegar into a pot and bring to a boil.
2. Separate the florets from the stems with a knife and cut them into bite sized pieces by cutting lengthwise into halves or quarters.
3. Remove the tough bottom ends of the stems, and skin off the rough parts. Then cut them into bite sized pieces.
4. Rinse and drain the broccoli florets and stems and put them into a strainer over a large bowl.
5. When the pickle juice boils, pour it over the broccoli little by little to blanch. The hot boiling juice will go through the strainer and gather in the bowl under the strainer.
6. Immerse the blanched broccoli into icy cold water to keep its bright green color. Strain it.
7. Put the broccoli into a glass jar and wait until the pickle juice cools down.
8. After the juice cools, pour it into the jar and close the lid.
9. Store it in the refrigerator.

bean sprouts side dish

with the korean short ribs i also made some banchan.  the bean sprout one is one of my favorites.  i used a recipe from the same site.

Ingredients (for 2-4 servings):
Mung bean sprouts, salt, garlic, green onion, cucumber, sesame seeds, and sesame oil
Directions:

1. Wash and drain 12 oz (340 grams: about 3½ cups’ worth) of mung bean sprouts in cold water a couple of times until they’re clean. Pick out any brownish rotten beans.
2. Put them in a pot and add ½ cup water and ¼ ts salt.
3. Cover the pot and bring to a boil over high heat for 5 mins.
4. Rinse in cold water, strain, and set aside.
5. Cut about 1 cup’s worth of seedless cucumbers into matchsticks and put into a bowl.
6. Add ½ ts salt to the cucumbers. Mix and set aside for a few minutes.
7. Squeeze any excess water out of the cooked mung bean sprouts and put them into a mixing bowl.
8. Squeeze any excess water out of the cucumber strips and add them to the sprouts in the mixing bowl.
9. Add 1 clove of minced garlic, 1 chopped green onion, ½ ts salt, 1 ts sesame oil, and 1 ts sesame seeds to the mixing bowl.
10. Mix well by hand.
11. Transfer to a serving bowl and serve with rice.

korean dinnner

this past weekend we rented a house in healdsburg.  for saturday dinner i wanted to make korean food and decided on short ribs and some banchan.  i ended up making a marinade from this recipe and also some pickles.  i like these recipes because they come with pictures and also ingredient clarifications. it was a success!   we grilled them on the bbq and it was as if we were eating korean food at a restaurant!

Serving: 4-6
Ingredients:
3.5 LB (1.5 kg) of LA style beef short ribs, soy sauce, water, honey, garlic, onion, ginger, pear, sesame oil, sesame seeds, black ground pepper, soybean paste, hot pepper paste, green onions, lettuce, perilla leaves, green chili pepper, cucumber, and carrot.
Directions:

1. Trim excess fat from the short ribs and rinse a couple times in cold water.
2. Soak the ribs in cold water for 10-20 minutes to remove the blood.

Make marinade:

1. In a large bowl, add 1/3 cup soy sauce, 1/3 cup water or cooking wine, ¼ cup honey (or 1/3 cup brown sugar), and 1 ts ground black pepper.
2. Blend 1 Korean pear (about 2 cups’ worth), 8 cloves of garlic, 1 medium onion, and 1 ts of chopped ginger until it turns into a white creamy liquid.
3. Add it to your soy sauce base and add 2 tbs sesame oil.
   *tip: If you can’t find a Korean pear, use 2 ripe bosc pears. I sometimes use bosc pears and they work well.
4. Rinse the short ribs in fresh cold water a couple more times to remove any remaining bone fragments. Drain the water.
5. Add the ribs to the marinade and mix it well, by hand.
6. Keep it in the refrigerator for at least an hour. Overnight is better, but an hour is ok if you are short of time.

Make dipping sauce:

1. Mix these 2 tbs soy bean paste, 1 tbs of hot pepper paste, 1 stalk of chopped green onion, 1 clove of minced garlic, 1 ts honey, 1 ts of sesame oil, and 1 ts sesame seeds in a small bowl with a spoon.

Prepare vegetables:

1. Rinse and drain lettuce and perilla leaves. Put them on a plate or basket.
2. Cut a cucumber into strips 3 ½ inch to 4 inches in length and ½ inch thick (8-10 cm long x1 ½ cm thick),
3. Chop green chili peppers and slice a few cloves of raw garlic and put them next to green lettuce and perilla leaves.

chewy almond cookies

i used to buy these chewy almond flour cookies from sigonas in palo alto.  they were light, chewy and a bit crispy on the outside.  and i think the woman made them at home.  i tried to look for a recipe but it was actually very hard to find.  i had bought a bag of almond meal from trader joes and thought that would be the main ingredient.  i ended up with the recipe below. instead of slivered almonds i used the almond meal.  i didnt have cinnamon and i didnt end up liking the tast of the cardamom.

3 3/4 cups slivered almonds 2 large egg whites 1/2 cup sugar 1/4 tsp cardamom (ground)

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon 24 slivered almonds

1	Process almonds in a food processor 9 minutes or until a paste forms, stopping to scrape down sides.
2	Beat egg whites at medium speed with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form.
3	Combine almond paste, sugar, cardamom and cinnamon in a bowl, mixing with hands until blended.
4	Add egg whites; knead by hand until smooth and doughlike consistency.
5	Wet fingers with water, and shape dough into 1-inch balls (about 1 tablespoon dough for each cookie).
6	Slightly flatten with thumb.
7	Place cookies on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
8	Top each with almond sliver pressed in lightly.
9	Bake on middle rack of oven at 325? for 15-20 minutes or until bottoms are lightly browned.
10	Remove cookies immediately to wire racks; cool.

hazelnut cookies

i saw this recipe on a blog and knew i had to make them.  i dont have cookie sheets/pans so some of them are burnt on the bottom.  who knew the equipment was so important. i also misread the temp.  its in C and not F so its actually about 350degrees F.  my oven doesnt even go down to 160F. i also burned the hazelnuts while i was toasting them. maybe im not meant to do this baking thing?

Hazelnut Crinkle Cookies

Makes about 3 dozen cookies

3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 cups Nutella
4 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
1-1/3 cups granulated sugar
2 eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon instant coffee
1/3 cup milk
2 cups hazelnuts, toasted and finely chopped
1 cup powdered sugar

 

Combine the dry ingredients : flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl and set aside. In another bowl, beat the Nutella, butter, and granulated sugar for about 2 minutes with an electric beater. Add the eggs, vanilla, coffee and mix until incorporated. Reduce the speed to low and alternate additions of flour mixture and milk, starting and ending with the flour, and mixing until just combined after each addition. Fold in ½ cup of the chopped hazelnuts. Refrigerate the dough until firm, at least 2-4 hours. 8 hours worked best for me.

Preheat oven to 160 C. Line your baking trays with baking paper. Place the remaining hazelnuts and the powdered sugar in two separate bowls. Take about a tablespoon of the mixture and roll the dough into balls, roll in the hazelnuts, then roll in the powdered sugar. Place the balls 2 inches apart on the baking sheets. Bake until the edges are set and the middle still looks a little soft, about 13-15 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature. Just before serving, to jazz them up, drizzle with some Nutella.