Mushroom Spinach Frittata

1T butter
1 medium onion, chopped
7 mushroom caps, sliced, stems removed
 1/4t salt
2 medium cloves, garlic, minced (or pressed)
4oz frozen chopped spinach

6 eggs
6T water
2t dry parsley
1t dry chopped chives
1/4t dry thyme
1/4t dry tarragon
1/4t dry basil
1/4t cayenne
1/4t salt
20 grinds black pepper
3oz cheddar cheese, grated

Equipment:   oven, stove, oven-safe skillet in the 10-12 inch diameter range (I prefer cast-iron), spatula for stirring (I like wood or bamboo), rubber or silicone spatula for getting everything out of a bowl, cutting board, knife for chopping vegetables, grater for the cheese (if you buy it in blocks)

Preheat your oven to 350F and make sure you have a rack in the middle of the oven.

Heat your skillet over medium heat.  You're going to leave it on medium the whole time you're working on the stove.   When it's hot enough for water that is flicked onto it to sizzle and roll around, add butter and swirl it around the skillet until it has melted, then add the onion and 1/4t of the salt.    When the onions look about like this (a few getting translucent, but not all of them), add the mushroom slices and toss them around with the onions and make sure they're all separated.   Sautee for 15-20 minutes, stirring every 3-5 minutes, so that some browning can occur.   Add the garlic about halfway through.


Meanwhile, crack the eggs in a medium-large bowl, add the water, and whisk until smooth and slightly frothy.   Add the herbs in steps, so that they get fairly evenly distributed through the egg.  Then add the cheese in the same way.  Set this aside until it's time to add it.

Once the onions and mushrooms have given up all of their liquid and have gotten some nice brown bits on them, add the spinach and get it evenly incorporated with them.   Continue cooking this for 2-4 minutes.   The main thing you're looking for is to get most of the ice melted and water cooked off.

When the spinach is looking somewhat dry, add the egg-cheese-herb mixture.   I usually wind up using a rubber or silicone spatula to try to get everything out of the bowl.   Keep stirring everything to get it mixed well, and to keep the egg from really setting until most of the water is cooked out.  Be sure to scrape the bottom from time to time.  This will take 3-5 minutes.   The egg will start to puff up in places when it's close to time.  The parts that don't puff up will start to take on a "cottage cheese" quality in their texture.   Now is the time to put the whole skillet into the oven.   Bake for about 15 minutes.   It will puff up some as it cooks.

Cut it into slices and eat it pretty soon after it comes out of the oven.  I usually wait until the puffed-up bits have settled back down.

Simple Bean Chili

July 29, 2008.    I think I called this "simple" because it used cans of beans, rather than dry beans.      I've never thought chili was particularly complicated, though.   I think the most complex one I have made was from "Vegetarian Southwest", and that involved roasting and peeling several pounds of peppers.   It was also worth it.    On the other hand, this one could be easily modified to make a crock-pot stew.

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1/2 large onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 jalepeno, seeded & chopped
2 small "cow horn" peppers (you could use half of a bell), seeded and chopped
1-1/2 cups of chopped tomatoes
1/2t salt

1 can of black beans
1 can of pinto beans
1 bean-can of water

1t turmeric
1t cumin seeds
2t black peppercorns
1/2t thyme
1/2t oregano
1t chili powder
1/2t hot mexican chili powder
4 dry pequin chili peppers

1/2 capful of liquid smoke
1/2 capful apple cider vinegar
1 pepper from a can of chipotles in adobo sauce + 1T of adobo sauce
2 bay leaves

ground the dry spices in the spice/coffee grinder.
heated cast-iron dutch oven / deep skillet on medium high, and added some butter to coat the bottom once the pan was hot.
sauteed the vegetables with the salt until the onions were translucent and the tomatoes were mostly falling apart, and the majority of the water was cooked out. added the beans and the water, and then everything else. simmered on medium-low heat for about an hour and a half, until it was thick and i could see the bottom of the pan for around half a second when i stirred. it would be ready sooner without the extra water.

Peach-Apple Cobbler

From July 25, 2008.   I tend to keep some dry apples on hand.   Dehydrating them is an easy way to preserve them, and they will keep next to forever in the freezer.    I occasionally break them out for a sweet but healthy snack, but about as often, they get used for one thing or another in cooking.   They go well in oatmeal or other porridges, cold cereal, or as a sort of filler, as in this recipe.   I had made one cobbler a couple of weeks previous to this, and it turned out way too watery.   The dry apples soaked up the water, and also added some nice tart flavor.

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8x8 stainless pan
a few handfuls of dry apples
10 peaches
1 stick butter
1t vanilla
1/2t cinnamon powder
1/2t ginger powder
1/2t salt
3/4 cup flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg

preheat oven to 375F.
lightly grease pan with butter.
put butter in small saucepan on low heat and let it melt. when it's mostly melted, add the vanilla.
mix cinnamon, ginger, salt, sugar, and flour together well and then mix in the egg, so it creates a slightly crumbly consistency
layer the dry apples on the bottom of the pan. it doesn't have to be solid apples everywhere, since i'm just using them to soak up some of the liquid. cut up the peaches and put them on top of the apples, then add the crust mixture fairly evenly on top of the fruit. pour the vanilla-butter on top, and put it in the oven for 50 minutes.

Balsamic Vinaigrette

When I'm making salads, I have this pretty much on tap.   The oil is healthy, the balsamic brings lots of flavor (and a $5-7 bottle of it will last quite a long time, if you keep it specifically for salads).   The combination is simple.   Unfortunately, Kroger stopped carrying this Spanish Olive Oil, so I've switched to some other stuff.   It's alright, but I liked the Spanish stuff much better.

Get about equal parts (this is around a teaspoon) of mustard powder and fresh ground black pepper, and half or less that amount of salt (I've got kosher salt in this picture).   Dump them into your jar.









Add the balsamic vinegar to fill the jar somewhere between 1/4 and 1/3 of the way.   Fill the jar the rest of the way with olive oil.   Let it all sit for an hour or two, so that the water in the vinegar will dissolve the salt.

Chickpea and Potato Curry

February 14, 2007.   This is a favorite, and i should really make it again sometime.
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curry powder (grind in a coffee grinder, or mortar & pestle, if you need to relieve some stress):
1T black peppercorns
2t ground coriander (i had some left over)
2t whole cumin
1t turmeric powder
1t black mustard seeds
1/2t whole fennel
1/2t cilantro
1/2t crushed red pepper
1/4t anise seed
1/4t nutmeg
1/4t cinnamon
1/4t allspice
3 cardamom seeds

vegetables:
1 onion, diced
4 jalepenos, diced (store-bought... weak)
3 cloves garlic, minced
28oz yukon gold potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch or so cubes
28oz can whole tomatoes (meant to get diced...)
1/2 bag of dried chickpeas, soaked per the bag & then cooked for about 1/2 an hour. (i think 2 cans of them would work just fine)

oil:
2T peanut oil
1T olive oil
2t sesame oil
1/2T butter

get the oil hot in a large, deep skillet. dump the curry powder in, and stir it around & let it cook for a minute or so, then add the onion, garlic, and peppers. cook all of that until the onions are looking limp and translucent, and then add the potatoes and stir them around for a bit before adding the tomatoes and chickpeas. i think i also added around 1/2 the tomato can of water, just so everything could cook down nicely. the canned tomatoes also bring a bit of salt, so you don't have to add too much (i like adding soy sauce to it). simmer until it's thickened & everything is soft, 30 minutes is good, an hour is better (and it's even better the next day).

Tomato Olive Dip

Constructed on February 1, 2007.   This worked quite well as a dipping sauce for some ciabatta bread, and would probably work well for other crusty breads. 

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6 kalamata olives
3 cloves of garlic
1 6oz can tomato paste
3-4T olive oil
1t italian seasoning
1/2t black pepper
1/4t crushed red pepper

buzz everything up in a food processor (after peeling the garlic and pitting the olives, preferably).  let it sit for a bit, so the flavors can come together.

Vegetarian Dirty Brown Rice

October 7, 2006.   This is rooted in things along the lines of Cajun Rice, but uses Textured Vegetable Protein for the protein, rather than the diced Andouille Sausage.  One thing to keep in mind is that the TVP will absorb some of the water pretty quickly, so extra water is needed beyond what the rice will take in.

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1 med. onion
1/2 large bell pepper
2 stalks celery
2 cloves garlic
2 medium and one small jalepenos (only one of these was actually hot, after licking the inner disk when i cut the stem off, which is why so many)
2T olive oil

1 cup brown rice
1/2 cup TVP (textured vegetable protein)
3 cups of water

1 vegetable boullion cube
1 teaspoon rubbed thyme
1 tablespoon parsley
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
2 teaspoons hot sauce (i used Captain Rodney's Corazon del Fuego)
2 tablespoons soy sauce

dice the vegetables heat up a large, deep skillet with the oil. when it's hot enough to make ripples in the oil (or you can smell it), add the vegetables & sautee until they're limp (or at least until the onion is translucent) (5-10 minutes). add the rice, and stir that around in the oily vegetables for a minute or two, you want it taking on some color again, but not to the point of turning brown, add the water. then add all of the seasonings and the TVP & bring it to a boil. turn the heat down to low, cover, and let it simmer for 45 minutes or until all of the water is absorbed.

Blondie

I made this on August 29, 2006.    I wasn't in the mood for chocolate, but I wanted something sweet, so i modified the Brownie recipe...
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1C flour
1 stick + 2T butter
1/2 C light brown sugar
1/2 C dark brown sugar
1t baking soda
1t baking powder
1/4t cinnamon
2 eggs

mix dry ingredients. melt butter. add butter and eggs to dry stuff and mix until smooth, then pour into a 8x8 baking pan, and toss it in a 350F oven for 25-30 minutes.

Another Apple Cobbler

This one is from August 7, 2006.   This particular combination of items in the crust is a direct consequence of ingredient shortages.  

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2-3T lemon juice
a bunch of apples
1 stick butter
1/2 cup oats
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1/2t cinnamon

first, i got the oven preheating on 350. then, i squirted some lemon juice into the pie dish, and as i peeled and cut the apples, i put them into the dish. the lemon juice helps to keep them from oxidizing, and it sours things up somewhat. once the dish was pretty much level-full, i stopped. i think there are 2 apples left out of that 3lb bag. next, i got out a stick of butter and got it started melting. then i realized that i didn't have sugar, so with some quick improvisation, i mixed up the remaining ingredients in a separate bowl. those are approximate amounts, both due to the way i cook (measuring utensils make handy scoops (i.e. What do you mean, "level it off"?), and due to me finishing off both the barrel of oats (slightly more than advertised) and the bag of sugar (slightly less than advertised). i have no idea if it'll actually be a good mixture or not, but we'll find out tomorrow. anyway, drizzle the melted butter on top, and i set it to cook for 55 minutes. basically, until i saw that it was bubbling in the middle.

Veggie Chili

This is also from May 17, 2006.   I'm still tempted to bring a vegetarian chili to one of the chili cookoffs at work.   the secret to good flavor with one of these is to use a bunch of peppers, rather than a bunch of chili powder.   too much chili powder will give it a weird grainy taste.   This one was pretty spicy, but not painfully so.

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1 pound pinto beans, soaked overnight
1 large onion, chopped
3 banana (cowhorn?) peppers, seeded & chopped
4 jalepenos, chopped
1 large bell pepper, seeded & chopped
3 stalks of celery, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 1/4 cups dry TVP
1 cube vegetable boullion
2T chili powder
1T ancho powder
1T chipotle powder
1 1/2 t cumin seeds, ground
2 bay leaves
1 oz dry tomatoes
2t basil
leaves from 3 sprigs of fresh thyme
leaves from 1 sprig of fresh rosemary
2t salt
1t black pepper

i covered the beans with water by about 3 inches, and just threw everything else in there with them on medium heat. turned it down to a simmer after it started boiling. wait for the veggies to fall apart, which should be in the 2-3 hour range. you should add water if it's getting dry while you're waiting for that to happen. used fresh thyme and rosemary because that's what i have. i'd guess between 1 and 2 teaspoons of each, dry. you could probably use a little less water & salt, and use a large can of diced tomatoes, instead of the dry ones, too, but once again, that's what i had.

Spicy hummus

From May, 17 2006.   It's hummus.   Spread it on stuff.   Especially tasty in a grilled cheese sandwich.
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8 oz dry chickpeas (garbonzos)
3T tahini
1/3 cup lemon juice
5 cloves garlic
1/8 oz dry tomatoes (ground in coffee grinder)
1t basil
1t turmeric
5 "bird's eye" thai peppers (the tiny ones)
black pepper to taste

follow the soaking instructions on the bag of chickpeas, then cook them for an hour and a half or so, drain them (keeping the water) and dump them in a food processor that has the chopping blades attached. add everything else and turn the processor on after pulsing a few times. while it's on, add the leftover water until it's got the consistency that you want (i like mine a little thick). this is a mildly modified version from what's in "The Joy of Cooking".

Curry Rice and Lentils

I made and dehydrated this around March 27, 2006 for a backpacking trip.   I should really do more of this sort of thing, because it's cheap and easy.   Reconstituting it takes about 15-20 minutes after you've added boiling water.   This fed 3 people who had just backpacked 7 or 8 miles with the peak temperature in maybe the mid 40's.   it snowed on us at one point that morning.

It's also really tasty with a handful of raisins in it.  the sweetness complements the spice and salt quite nicely.

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Lentils:

1/2C lentils
2t onion powder
1t garlic powder
1t black pepper
1t salt

put all this in a pot that's about 1/2 full of water and poil it for 45 minutes or until most of the water is absorbed/ boiled off

Rice:

1C brown rice
2T olive oil
2t sesame oil
1 medium onion chopped
1 medium bell pepper chopped
1 stalk of celery chopped
3 jalepenos chopped
4 cloves of garlic pressed or diced
2-3T curry powder
1 vegetable boullion cube
2t black mustard seeds
2.5C water

in a deep skillet heat the oil, then add the mustard seeds and get them hot. then add the vegetables and cook them down for a bit. then add the rice and stir it around until it's toasted some. add the water and boullion and curry powder and bring to a boil, then put a lid on and simmer for 45 minutes or until the water is absorbed.

Curry powder:

(sorry, no amounts, because i just wrote down what i put in, and not how much.)
coriander
cumin
funugreek
turmeric
2 cardamom seeds
crushed hot pepper
wasabi
thyme
cilantro
lemon peel
dry mustard

Spice (it must flow)

I first shared this on February 23, 2006.   I had been giving it out to people for several years before that.   It's often built differently, depending on what I have had in my cabinet, and what sorts of food I have been making recently.   This one is a little more Indian influenced than the original (which came out of "Cajun Quick" by Jude Theriot), but it's tasty in about any thing that you'd put a spice mix that's ... spicy... into.
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1/2 cup paprika
2T thai peppers i grew
2T jalepeno peppers my dad grew
4T onion powder
3T garlic powder
2T black pepper
2T white pepper
4t basil
2t mustard powder
2t chili powder
1t filé powder
1t cumin
1t coriander
1t turmeric
1t cocoa
1t cilantro
1t wasabi
1/2t thyme
1/2t rosemary
1/2t fenugreek
1/2t ginger
1/4t cinnamon
4 cardamom seeds

grind everything that's not already a powder into one in a coffee or spice grinder (or mortar & pestle, if you're a real luddite).   put everything into a large bowl and mix thoroughly, and then store in old spice (not "Old Spice") containers.    Use however you'd use a spice mix ( i.e. put a little on just about anything)

Black Bean Dip

From January 9, 2006.   I got this from Malachi, who I suppose got it from some cookbook, but I don't remember which one, though I do remember him telling me.   You can actually use any beans or salsa that you want with this.   This used Jack's Screamin' Hot, which is on the order of painfully hot to me, which a couple of friends would consider "tasty", and a couple others would call "OMGWTF??? OW OW OW"
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1 can of black beans, drained
3-5 tablespoons of salsa
1t cilantro
1t cumin
1t hot pepper (crushed red works... i used some of my dad's stuff)
1/2t black pepper
1/2t garlic powder
1T lime juice

combine in the bowl of a food processor and then buzz it all up until it's a thick paste, near the consistency of a thin peanut butter.   transfer to a serving vessel.   chill for a few hours for the flavors to meld.   eat it cold or warm it up and melt some cheese on it.   either way, it's tasty.  

Cajun rice

This particular recipe is from August 29, 2005, but I make a variation on this at least once a week, seems like.  It's one of my "go-to" dishes.   Part of the beauty is that it's so adaptable.   I'll probably try and put together a base recipe once I get everything consolidated over here, and then go into variations, etc.
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1T olive oil
1T butter
1 med. onion
1 med. green pepper
2 stalks celery
1 large tomato
2 small jalepeno peppers
1 thai dragon pepper
1 clove garlic
1/2 lb. andouille sausage
1 cup dry brown rice
2 1/2 cups water
1T soy sauce
1T pepper sauce
1t paprika
1t chipotle powder
1/2t file powder
1T parsley
1T basil

diced the sausage and sauteed it in the butter and oil until it was starting to turn brown on the sides (i'm pretty sure that stuff is just "heat & eat"... at least what i got). added the chopped vegetables after about 3 minutes, i guess, and cooked them a little beyond the point where the the onions were translucent. i actually used a big handful of yellow, cherry-style tomatoes, but i think it was about the equivalent of a single medium-large tomato. once a bit of the water had cooked out of all that, i added the rice and stirred it around and once it started turning opaque, i added the water and the flavoring. brought it back to a boil and then turned it down to simmer for around an hour, i guess. the parsley and basil are approximate, as they were fresh, too.

Hot Pepper Sauce

I made this on July 25, 2005.  As much as I like hot stuff, I've never really made a pepper sauce that made me want to keep making it.   this one was good, but I think that the dimension I'm really missing with these is the acidity.   A pepper mash would probably be the better way to go, and if I had been smart back in 2008, I would have made one with thai peppers from my dad's garden, when those plants were all over 6 feet tall.

This one was decent, and got some sweetness from something.
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1/2 C unsalted rice wine vinegar
1/2 C white wine vinegar
3T ground hot peppers
1t garlic powder
1t lime juice
1/2t kosher salt
1/2t mustard powder
1/2t wasabi powder
1/2t my seasoning

i put this all in a small pot and brought it to a boil, and let it simmer or a few minutes. then i poured it all in a blender and ran that on the lowest setting & added white wine vinegar until it had what i thought was the right consistency, then poured it into a pint jar. i'm gonna let it age for at least 2 weeks before i do anything with it.

Smoothy

From June 25, 2005.   This makes a great breakfast.

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5 small peaches cut up into 1-2" chunks
1 banana cut into 1" disks
a handful of grapes
1T lime juice
pomegranate juice (i used the rest of my jar, i'm not sure how much it was. maybe 2 fl oz.
maybe another 2 fl oz of milk

put everything into a blender and run it on the low setting for 20-30 seconds, dump into a glass, drink.

Posole

This one is from April 22, 2005.    If you're a fan of southwestern food, you owe it to yourself to find some posole.  I found it most recently at Rancho Gordo (they also have some really tasty cinnamon sticks, mexican oregano, and chili powder).   It's basically corn treated with lye (think hominy), and it was served on special occasions (read more about it on the wikis).   You can pretty much treat it like the beans in a chilli and you'll achieve a good result, but it really needs to cook on the order of 2-3 hours to fully develop.   Essentially, the kernels "pop" in the pot, which gives them a very interesting texture, and the starch that comes out helps to thicken the stew.

One other interesting property to note...  I believe that the starch from the corn binds to capsaicin somehow, thus reducing the heat that you perceive from the peppers.   If you're looking for a painfully hot dish out of this, you'll have to increase the amount of hot pepper that you put into it more than you normally would.   This version is pretty spicy, but probably not "thai hot".
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3 cups dry posole (soaked overnight)
1/2 large bell pepper, diced (you could use a whole smaller one, but this is what i had)
2 poblano peppers, diced
3 anaheim peppers, diced
4 jalapeno peppers, diced
3 stalks of celery, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, minced
3 small onions, chopped (could do 2 medium or 1 really big one)
5 links hot italian sausage
1 - 7 oz can chipotles in adobo sauce
2 quarts of water
1-1/2 tsp thyme
1-1/2 tsp rosemary
1-1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1-1/2 tsp kosher salt
1-1/2 tsp black pepper
1 small, dried thai pepper (cause that's all i had)
2 T olive oil

i cooked the sausage as whole links in the oil in the pot i intended to cook it all in, with a little bit of water, and the lid on, so it would steam and not burn and stick to the pan, etc. took it out, and put the veggies in the pot and let them saute/cook down while i cut the sausage into disks and then picked the chipotles out of the can and cut them up a little bit. once the veggies were fairly soft, i drained the posole and dumped it into the pot and mixed things up for a bit. then added the chipotles and sausage, and then the water. let that come to a boil and tasted it, then dumped all of those (dried) herbs and spices into the coffee grinder and ground them up to a pretty fine powder, and dumped them in. then i let it cook for 2 to 2-1/2 hours one night, and another hour the next. basically the posole had all popped open, and the peppers' flesh had seperated from their skin completely. served in a bowl with grated monterey jack cheese on top, and a tortilla to push against.

Chipotle Thyme Seasoning

I made this February 12, 2005.   I've made it a few times since then, and it is a very nice kind of "everything" spice mix.  
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2t chipotle powder
1t thyme
1/2t crushed red pepper
1/2t chili powder
1/4t filé powder
1/4t mustard powder
1/4t ginger powder
1/4t basil

Mix thoroughly in a spice grinder or  loosely in a bowl.

Blackening Something

This one is from November 18, 2004.   I'm pretty certain that I was blackening a fish of some sort, but that's about all I know.   Go ahead and take the batteries out of your smoke alarms when you blacken something, but be sure to put them back in when you're finished.   It's not blackened if it's not smoking.
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1t black pepper
1/2t chili powder
1/2t paprika
1/4t file powder
1/4t mustard powder
1/4t garlic powder
1/4t ginger powder
5 dried thai peppers (~1/4t cayenne)

mix in a coffee grinder and cover whatever you're blackening in it. this totals out to a little over a tablespoon, which should cover a single fillet pretty well. would probably do a boneless chicken breast (probably a hunk of tempeh or tofu, too), as well. last night i put about 2-3 tablespoons of peanut oil in the iron skillet and set it to med-high. waited til the oil did the orange-peel thing and gave it a little more time (ideally you want it in the 350F-ish range, i think), then gently laid the fillet in the skillet. cooked for 1-1/2 to 2 minutes on each side. i also didn't move it while it was cooking (other than to flip it), in order to get the proper kind of crustiness. i think if you're doing more than one, you should interleave placing them in the skillet by about 20-30 seconds, so that it can get back up to temperature.

An Apple Cobbler

 I love a good cobbler.   The crunchy, sweet topping contrasting with the soft, sour fruit underneath...   Especially when it's warm and covered in some ice cream.   I made this one for a party, and it wound up disappearing in about 15 minutes.   I can't remember if I got a piece of it or not.
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1/2 cup flour
1 1/2 cups oatmeal
~1 1/4 cups dark brown sugar
1 stick and 3 tablespoons of margarine (or butter)
a dash of nutmeg
a few dashes of cinnamon
~1 tablespoon lime juice
enough peeled and sliced apples to fill a 16x9 baking dish

peeled and cut the apples and stirred them around in the lime juice, so they wouldn't turn brown (this turned out to be unnecessary, but i'm sure it had some effect on the flavor). mixed up the dry ingredients while i melted the butter, and dumped them on top. poured the melted butter on top of it all, and tossed it in the oven at 350 for an hour.

the apples were winesap apples from my parents' orchard.... nice and sour.

Mushroom Tomato Pasta

Here's one from August 31, 2004 that exemplifies the seat-of-the-pants cooking I enjoy.   Some days, you don't realize the bounty that your pantry, refrigerator, and spice cabinet have to offer until you realize that you really don't want to go to the grocery, and haven't been for a couple of weeks.
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 so, i had some penne rigate and some fresh tomatoes and peppers that i got from my parents last weekend, and not much else, so i figured i'd do something with that. digging through my cabinet, i found some dried mushroom "medley"... hmmm, this sounds promising.

4-5 tablespoons(???) extra virgin olive oil
3 small tomatoes, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 hot pepper of unknown species (one of the milder hot peppers)
1 package of dried mushrooms
1.5 cups(???) water
1 teaspoon tobasco
1/2 teaspoon basil
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon marjoram
salt and black pepper to taste
2 cups penne rigate

reconstituted the mushrooms by boiling them in the water in a small saucepan for a few minutes. combined everything but the pasta in a bowl, while the mushrooms boiled, thought about how to mix it all together for a couple of minutes, then just dumped it all in with the mushrooms. kept all that simmering the whole time i cooked the pasta, so it was thickened up a bit by the time it was ready. ran the pasta through a sieve, then tossed it back into the pot i cooked it in, dumped the sauce on top, and stirred it around for a minute.

i was amazed that i managed to get the pasta/sauce combination "just right"... i tend to have a bit too much sauce. it was mighty tasty, and even better with parmessean sprinkled on top.

Explanation

I'm currently attempting to get all of my recipes from various places put here, instead of having them spread across a couple of different web sites, as well as little scraps of paper and within my brain.   Pretty much anything from before 2009 won't have any pictures with it, and even a few since then don't have pictures.    I'm trying to do it in such a manner that will keep things bloggishly interesting, though.   I don't want to spend every idle moment doing this for a week and never post again, so I'd like to stretch things out some. 

The majority of my cooking is seat-of-the-pants style.   Does it look right?  Does it feel right?  Does it taste right (the most important)?   This makes it somewhat difficult to translate what I've done.   I try, but that splash of wine may have been a gulp.   So some recipes may not be exactly the same as what I did when I made them, but they should all be reasonably close to target.   If there is a package involved, I usually stick with the cook time listed on it, since even if it's not exactly right, it should get you in the ballpark of doneness.

I am a bit more rigorous with my brewing, but between the turnaround time (2 weeks at a bare minimum) and the batch size (usually 5 gallons), I'm a bit more inclined to take better notes, and have some semblance of a plan (which is also necessary just due to the nature of setting aside water to dechlorinate, etc.).   I am also still fairly new to brewing, which tends to make a difference in how I approach things.

Hopefully, this will be useful to a few people, but if nothing else, it should make my life a little easier.

Macerated

What's better in late spring and early summer than fresh picked berries, covered in sugar and acid, and left alone for their cell walls to disassemble?   Or any time, for that matter.  

This was a batch from May 28, 2004, that I brought in to work to dump on some brownies.    A little whipped cream will bring it all together.
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1 lb. strawberries (you can do this with any berries, though)
1/4 cup sugar
1/2t lime juice
2T red wine
3T water

Combine everything in a bowl, cover and refrigerate.  A couple of hours would be good, but overnight is even better.  

Breakfast Cereal

I don't normally do much for breakfast, other than a couple of cups of coffee.   I have started up biking again, though, and I'm burning enough that I'll need some energy before lunch rolls around.

This particular mix has sustained me for the mornings of the last few days.   I've been outside for a good portion of each of these days, gardening, mowing, landscaping, and just sitting and enjoying a drink while I read on the porch.   I love spring

1/3 cup water
1/2T dry milk
1/3 Cup dry cereal grains
1/2t - 1T honey (to taste)
small handful of berries, nuts, fresh fruit, etc.

Let the milk soak in the water until it's no longer grainy.   Alternatively, you could use soy, almond, cow, goat...   whatever milk you have on hand.   I just keep dry milk around because it will sit on the shelf for a long time, and I don't drink much milk anymore, so it's usually just used for cooking.

This morning, I had Bob's Red Mill 5-Grain for the base, which is a pretty tasty combination of barley, oats, wheat, rye, and spelt.   I added somewhere around half a tablespoon of somewhat local clover honey, and a handful of frozen blueberries.  

Brownies

There are a couple of recipes that are pretty much burned into my memory.   They're good, they're simple, and I've made them for years, and eaten them for even more years.

These are great hot out of the oven, with ice cream melting on top of them.   They're also quite tasty at room temperature for breakfast.   They're not nearly as dense as some brownies, and the outer edges get a little bit cake-like.  

As well as the English walnuts, I have added one or more of the following at various times:

• 1/4t ground cinnamon
• 1/4t cayenne powder
• 1/4t ground nutmeg
• 1/4 C Black Walnuts + 1/4 C dried sour cherries (instead of the black walnuts)

3/4 C flour
1/2 t baking powder
1 stick + 2 T butter
3 T cocoa
1 C sugar
1/2 t salt (optional)
2 eggs
1 t vanilla
1/2 C nuts (optional... English walnuts are great)

Melt butter in a saucepan on low and preheat the oven to 350F.   Meanwhile, mix all the dry ingredients except the walnuts thoroughly.   Once the butter is melted, stir in the wet ingredients until smooth, and then add the walnuts. Pour into 8x8 greased pan. Bake at 350 F for 25-30 minutes.  Shorter cook times will yield a gooier center.

Meat Lasagna

 From January 31, 2004

This is from back when I still ate a good bit of meat.

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I think I started with the tomatoes...

1/2 cup dried tomatoes, 3/4 cup cabernet, & 1 teaspoon dry basil

I combined those in a small saucepan and let the wine cook down until it was thick, then let it cool while i was doing other things.

2 links of fresh hot italian sausage
1 small link of pepperoni

A piece of country ham that my parents brought me last weekend
1 Tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil

I cooked all of the meat (in total, right around 1/2 lb) over medium heat til it was brown, then added

1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 large bell pepper, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced

I turned the heat up to medium high and sauteed all of that in with the meat. when the onions were translucent, i added

the tomato-wine mixture
1 teaspoon of black pepper
1 teaspoon marjoram (+ some fresh marjoram from my plant)
1 teaspoon italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon of crushed hot pepper
2 8oz cans of tomato sauce
~2 cups of water

I brought it all to a simmer and let it cook down for probably an hour and a half to two hours. I got lucky, and this wound up being almost exactly the amount of sauce I needed. I think it's gonna wind up being a little soupy, though.

meanwhile....

I mixed 1 egg into a 16 oz container of cottage cheese (ricotta also works well, but is a little drier)

I cooked 9 lasagna noodles, because I couldn't remember how much they expand. I probably could have used 6 quite effectively, but 8 would have been ideal.

I also had 2 8 oz bags of shredded mozerella and 1 5 oz bag of parmessean. This is the first time I've done this with shredded parm (I think).

Once the noodles have cooked for however long the directions say to cook them, drain them in a collander and then pour some cold water on them so you can handle them.

I put this all in a 9x15 or so casserole (i don't remember the exact dimesnsions... it's rectangular, not square)
I put a spoonful of sauce in the bottom, and spread it around, so the bottom noodles don't stick. then two super-layers of smaller layers of stuff in this order. try to spread it all evenly:

1/2 of the noodles
full bag of mozarella
1/2 container of cottage cheese
1/2 of the meat sauce
1/2 of the bag of parmessean.

On the top layer, i like to sprinkle some more italian seasoning on the top, just for fun or something.

Preheat oven to 350F. cover dish with foil. bake 20-30 minutes with the foil on, then another 20-30 minutes with the foil off. let it rest for 10 minutes or so (I like to heat up bread in that time). slice and eat.

Note: most of my measurements are underestimated, since I didn't actually measure anything but the things that come as an object (sausage links, egg...) and the wine.

Fresh Salsa 1

From August 26, 2003
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2 cups of raw tomatoes, diced
1 jalepeno pepper, diced
2 green onions, chopped
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 tablespoon lime juice
1-2 teaspoons cilantro
1/4-1/2 teaspoon salt

mix it all together, let it sit for an hour or two, for the flavors to come together.

Veggie Lentil Curry 1

From August 16th, 2003... 

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1/2 bag of lentils
4 small yellow squash
1 medium zucchini
2 medium golden potatoes
1 medium yellow onion
1 medium jalapeno pepper
3 small cloves garlic
2-4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
enough curry powder to make a roux with the oil (i.e. 2-4 tablespoons)
1 12oz can of coconut milk
2-3 tablespoons soy sauce

Cook lentils in water for about 40 minutes (or as per the instructions on the bag)

 
Cook the oil & curry until the spices have started to brown slightly and are aromatic.  Add the onion & garlic and cook them for a minute or two (until translucent).  Add the rest of the veggies and stir to coat everything in the spicy oil.  Then dump the lentils in (water & all).  Add soy sauce & coconut milk.   Simmer over medium-low heat until the whole thing is at your preferred thickness, or until your rice is finished cooking.

Serve over rice.

Rye Thing

I was eating breakfast with Abby the other day and trying to think of what my next beer should be.   I was trying to think of a small beer (i.e. something with a relatively low alcohol content) that wouldn't have to spend much time aging.   She wound up suggesting the wheat beer that I've made a couple of times.  Then I remembered her pointing out a rye pale ale in the latest Northern Brewer catalog, and decided to basically do the wheat recipe, but with rye instead of wheat.

As a grain, I have only rarely eaten rye.   Occasionally, I have had it as the main part of some sandwich bread, or as an element in some sort of multi-grain thing.   I have always enjoyed Terrapin's Rye Pale Ale, though, and Yazoo made a Rye Saison last year that I think is the best thing they've ever done.   So, I made sure to get a large pinch of rye kernels and eat them while I weighed it out to be crushed.   I was pleasantly surprised by the nutty flavor.  Hopefully, that will carry through into the beer, but at 40% of the grist, I'm pretty certain that the rye will shine through.

This was also my first beer using my new copper-pipe-manifold for filtering the grain.   I was using a piece of stainless steel braid, but it was getting dented and squished from a few years of use.   The manifold covers more of the bottom of the cooler that I use for a mash tun, so I should be getting much better efficiency from my mash.

I was also interested in doing this beer because I made a Biere De Garde last year with the repitched yeast from the wheat beer, which I wound up really enjoying.   In thinking along those lines, I wound up getting Wyeast's 3725, which may be the yeast that Fantome uses.  So I may have a one or two of my next beers somewhat planned out.   (Saison with rye and wildflower honey, maybe?)

To round it out, I decided to use some Amarillo hops in the finish, to give the beer some citrusy character, and Fuggles for bittering, for some underlying "earthiness".


Rye Thing

Batch Size (Gal):  6
Total Grain (Lbs): 11
Anticipated OG: 1.043
Anticipated SRM: 4.2
Anticipated IBU: 20.9
Brewhouse Efficiency: 70%
Wort Boil Time (min): 60

Grain
59.1% --  6.5 lbs. Canada Malting 2-row Pale Malt
40.9% -- 4.5 lbs. Fawcett Malted Rye

Hops
1.00 oz. US Fuggle (Pellet, 5.10% AA) @ 60 min.
0.50 oz. Amarillo (Pellet, 6.90% AA) @ 0 min.

Extras
Whirlfloc - 1 tablet @ 10 min.

Yeast
Wyeast 3725 - PC Bier De Garde Yeast

Water Profile
Clearview, degassed overnight.

Mash Schedule
Sacch. rest 60 min. @ 152F

Notes 

• Brewed Saturday
• Sparge got stuck, so added 2 handfuls of rice hulls when I got everything stirred back up.
• Efficiency wound up at 79%  (Hooray for not knowing how to brew on new equipment)
• Everything else pretty well went as planned, but that efficiency increase led to me getting a OG of 1.051.   Hopefully, the yeast won't have a problem with that.
• Pitched the Yeast around 4PM and set the temperature controller to 67F.
• 7:30AM the Sunday, there were bubbles and a small line of foam on top of the wort.
• By 11:30AM, foam had filled all of the headspace, and the beer has blown off some, but the temperature has maintained at 67F (it's 3:45PM, now, and the temperature is still the same)
• Stepped up to 68F at 8AM Monday. 
• Stepped up to 69F at 8AM Tuesday. 
• Stepped up to 70F at 7:30AM Wednesday. 
• Measured 1.013 on Saturday
• Turned off temperature control at 7:30AM Wednesday.   
• Friday night, racked to a keg got a 2-glass sample, and measured.   FG: 1.007, which is approximately 5.8% ABV.   Right now (still), it has a kind of fruity-nutty nose and a nice sweet foretaste and a reasonably dry finish.     The rye is quite prominent, but I think I like this better than the wheat version I have done in the past.   Unfortunately, it wound up a bit strong to be a session beer, but i think it's still low enough to do what i need.

Bread, Cheese, and Icewater

Two slices of "Toasted Rustic Garlic Loaf" from Publix, and two slices of Kroger's Mozzarella brick.   Just something to run on until supper.

I'm not totally certain what I'm doing here, but wanted to have a single place to discuss the food-type stuff that I make.   I plan for it to include my homebrewing, and will probably extend into my gardening, as well.

I guess we'll see how far I get before I get distracted...