Yes, I know, I always say I'm going to blog more, and another month goes by . . .
Anyway, I now have something to blog about. In our booth at the Boone County Farmers' Market, we're now carrying spice blends made by our friend Colonel De. As he has been so kind as to provide samples of the blends for me to play with, I've been trying some new recipes!
First off, the other day I took some excellent pork chops, rubbed them well on both sides with the Colonel's Soul Seasoning, and grilled them. Yummy! The Soul Seasoning had just a little kick and really enhanced the tender pork. Then I made my old standard, calico corn, and added some of the Colonel's Bayou Blend. Wow! Here's the recipe:
Calico Corn
based on a recipe found at Eating Well
1 onion, diced
1 bell pepper (or other type of pepper, your choice!), any color, diced
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups of corn kernels, fresh or frozen
1 can of hominy, drained and rinsed
1 tsp Colonel's Bayou Blend
Add the oil to a skillet and heat until hot. Add the onions, peppers, and corn and saute until tender, 3-5 minutes. Add the hominy and stir together well. Add the Colonel's Bayou Blend and stir and cook for another 1-2 minutes, until heated through. Enjoy!
The day after I made this, I took some of the leftover calico corn, spooned it over lettuce, and drizzled with a vidalia onion vinaigrette for a tasty and filling cold salad!
Friday, May 20, 2011
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Things to be thankful for . . .
March was a really rough month, and the past week hasn't been too easy, either. I've been battling my usual spring allergy attack/cold, I'm on the committee at church interviewing potential new ministers (three nights in a row, whew!), doctor's appointments for mum, and a huge glut of papers to grade. It's now Wednesday night, the interviews (phone part, at least) are over until next week, my cold is on the mend, the doctor's appointments are over for a couple of weeks, and I'm sitting in my living room watching the movie Hairspray again. Again as in the sixth (or is it seventh) time this week.
What is it about stress and illness that make me fixate on a particular movie or musician? Anyway, I'm thankful to be sitting here, relaxing, and getting ready for class tomorrow. Tomorrow is my long teaching day, but it's still good. It definitely helps that I cancelled my one class today and came home and slept for four hours. It made all the difference!
Cooking wise, I haven't done much at all this week. However, I do have a big batch of cookies to make Friday. :)
I just read the best quote over on the blog Tea & Cookies: "I do know that writing is like a muscle—the more you exercise it, the more you make use of it, the easier and stronger it becomes." I tell my students this, but maybe I need to practice what I preach . . .
What is it about stress and illness that make me fixate on a particular movie or musician? Anyway, I'm thankful to be sitting here, relaxing, and getting ready for class tomorrow. Tomorrow is my long teaching day, but it's still good. It definitely helps that I cancelled my one class today and came home and slept for four hours. It made all the difference!
Cooking wise, I haven't done much at all this week. However, I do have a big batch of cookies to make Friday. :)
I just read the best quote over on the blog Tea & Cookies: "I do know that writing is like a muscle—the more you exercise it, the more you make use of it, the easier and stronger it becomes." I tell my students this, but maybe I need to practice what I preach . . .
Monday, March 28, 2011
Life is Good . . .
Indeed, it is. After a particularly ick Sunday (just not a happy outlook, no particular horror), the sun is out, and Monday has arrived. Add to that my replacement mattress was delivered this morning (yay! No more valley in the middle--gotta love those 10-year warranties), I baked a fresh loaf of wheat bread that has the house smelling lovely (my previous loaf, besides not raising, had started to grow grey fuzzies . . .), I have a miniature bacon/cheese/sun-dried tomato quiche in the oven for brunch, and a pear-yogurt smoothie at hand (along with my seventh cup of tea this morning!).
Now, my quiche today is a miniature one, made in a 5-inch pie shell, but I'll give the details for making a full-size (8 or 9 inch) pie. It is sooo incredibly easy!
Quiche
(inspired by/based on Julia Child's recipe in The French Chef cookbook)
3 large eggs
1 cup of milk (JC calls for whole milk or cream, I usually use skim because that's what I have)
1-2 cups grated cheese (I use Swiss when making a large one, but for my small one I used some Italian Four-Cheese blend I have on hand)
1/2 cooked bacon (I use Hormel bacon pieces that come in a bag--they are very lean and no mess!)
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes
nutmeg to sprinkle generously over the top
salt and pepper to taste
1 9-inch pie crust (I used Pillsbury)
Preheat the oven to 375.
Spread the grated cheese over the bottom of the pie crust. Sprinkle the bacon and sun-dried tomatoes over that. Sprinkle on the nutmeg, salt, and pepper.
Whisk together the eggs and milk. I cheat and throw them all in my Magic Bullet blender for a few seconds! Pour the egg mixture over the other fillings in the pie crust.
Place in the pre-heated oven and bake for one hour. The quiche is done when the custard is well-set. It's hard to describe, but the filling should jiggle slightly when you shake the pan, but not slosh under the surface. Cool for a few minutes, then slice and serve.
Easy, no? When I make small ones like the one I'm having, I bake for thirty minutes, then check the status and add time, usually about fifteen minutes.
Notes: You can add just about any filling you want to this--I've put in all sorts of veggies, different cheeses, different meats, and different herbs. This can also be made without the crust, just pouring the filling into a well-greased dish.
P.S. I'll try to post pics later!
Now, my quiche today is a miniature one, made in a 5-inch pie shell, but I'll give the details for making a full-size (8 or 9 inch) pie. It is sooo incredibly easy!
Quiche
(inspired by/based on Julia Child's recipe in The French Chef cookbook)
3 large eggs
1 cup of milk (JC calls for whole milk or cream, I usually use skim because that's what I have)
1-2 cups grated cheese (I use Swiss when making a large one, but for my small one I used some Italian Four-Cheese blend I have on hand)
1/2 cooked bacon (I use Hormel bacon pieces that come in a bag--they are very lean and no mess!)
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes
nutmeg to sprinkle generously over the top
salt and pepper to taste
1 9-inch pie crust (I used Pillsbury)
Preheat the oven to 375.
Spread the grated cheese over the bottom of the pie crust. Sprinkle the bacon and sun-dried tomatoes over that. Sprinkle on the nutmeg, salt, and pepper.
Whisk together the eggs and milk. I cheat and throw them all in my Magic Bullet blender for a few seconds! Pour the egg mixture over the other fillings in the pie crust.
Place in the pre-heated oven and bake for one hour. The quiche is done when the custard is well-set. It's hard to describe, but the filling should jiggle slightly when you shake the pan, but not slosh under the surface. Cool for a few minutes, then slice and serve.
Easy, no? When I make small ones like the one I'm having, I bake for thirty minutes, then check the status and add time, usually about fifteen minutes.
Notes: You can add just about any filling you want to this--I've put in all sorts of veggies, different cheeses, different meats, and different herbs. This can also be made without the crust, just pouring the filling into a well-greased dish.
P.S. I'll try to post pics later!
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Today's Adventure: Changing the Bed
Sounds simple enough, right? I mean, how hard is it to change sheets. I wish it were as simple as that! I decided not just to change the sheets, but to change the mattresses as well. Wha? Why? when I built my house six years ago, I decided that rather than buy a cheap mattress/springs set for my spare bed, I would move my several-years-old, but still very good set that I had on my bed to the spare room and buy a new set for my bed. Everyone I talked to agreed it was a good idea.
So I went out and bought a luxury mattress--not just a pillow top, but a luxury pillow top. This mattress is so deep I had to get a special low-profile set of springs with it, and even then I needed a set of bed steps to get into my antique walnut bed (the bed is so high I have to rig two dust ruffles to reach from the frame to the floor!). One of my nieces said something about the Princess and the Pea--great analogy.
Skip ahead about four years. The luxury pillow top mattress, guaranteed never to develop a hole in the middle, did just that. Now, I come from a family that regularly turns their mattresses--just flipping side to side one time, over-end the next. This lessens the wear-and-tear on the mattress, and helps prevent the dreaded valley in the middle. With the luxury pillow-top, this isn't an option. Not only does it have a pillow top only on one side, the other side is just a papery backing, much like the bottom of a set of box springs. I could turn it around, bottom-to-top, but that was it, and the valley deepened.
Today, I got fed up. Instead of just changing sheets, I stripped both beds, pulled, pushed, and slid the mattresses across the house, and remade the beds. The spare bed is now ridiculously high (and the frame of it is so low you can't store anything under the bed), almost hiding the headboard, and my lovely Princess-and-the-Pea bed appears diminished. I even moved the bed steps away, as I don't need them. :( I figure I'll sleep better, plus I can look for another mattress to take the place of the luxury lemon.
So I went out and bought a luxury mattress--not just a pillow top, but a luxury pillow top. This mattress is so deep I had to get a special low-profile set of springs with it, and even then I needed a set of bed steps to get into my antique walnut bed (the bed is so high I have to rig two dust ruffles to reach from the frame to the floor!). One of my nieces said something about the Princess and the Pea--great analogy.
Skip ahead about four years. The luxury pillow top mattress, guaranteed never to develop a hole in the middle, did just that. Now, I come from a family that regularly turns their mattresses--just flipping side to side one time, over-end the next. This lessens the wear-and-tear on the mattress, and helps prevent the dreaded valley in the middle. With the luxury pillow-top, this isn't an option. Not only does it have a pillow top only on one side, the other side is just a papery backing, much like the bottom of a set of box springs. I could turn it around, bottom-to-top, but that was it, and the valley deepened.
Today, I got fed up. Instead of just changing sheets, I stripped both beds, pulled, pushed, and slid the mattresses across the house, and remade the beds. The spare bed is now ridiculously high (and the frame of it is so low you can't store anything under the bed), almost hiding the headboard, and my lovely Princess-and-the-Pea bed appears diminished. I even moved the bed steps away, as I don't need them. :( I figure I'll sleep better, plus I can look for another mattress to take the place of the luxury lemon.
Thursday, January 27, 2011
It's a Keck!
So last week I posted about all the baking I was doing as the result of it being a snow day. Today I have the results of that! All in all, over Thursday and Friday last week I made eight sandwich loaves (three wheat, three white, one herb, one rye), four round loaves (two each wheat and basil-garlic), two cinnamon coffee cakes, three small loaves of cranberry oatmeal bread, two large and one small loaf of pumpkin bread, and one killer chocolate bundt cake. Not too shabby for just hanging around the house watching it snow, right?
First off, all the bread turned out well, except for the rye. I don't know why, but I cannot find a good rye bread recipe. I can almost never get the darned stuff to rise! This loaf was no exception. All of the other bread was beautiful, but the rye was sad-looking. The coffee cakes turned out beautifully, as well, and the the quick breads all did nicely (and were devoured at church on Sunday!).
Then came the cake. The cake was a success--but with reservations! I tried the recipe I found over at Joy the Baker's blog. It was wonderful--rich, moist, and delectable. I mixed it up, popped it in the oven, then went and put my feet up. When I checked on it after 45 minutes, I found a beautiful, if not yet fully baked cake. Finally, after an hour and 15 minutes or so, I had my cake: beautiful, no? Then I saw th
e oven. Arrrgh!
The scraps didn't go to waste, however, as I sampled them (quality control, don't you know;)). After making myself about half-sick from the rich stuff, I decided to share the rest of the scraps with the birds.
As directed, I let the cake cool for a while, then turned it over on my largest plate. Finally, I came to the glaze. Hey, you can't go wrong with chocolate, butter, sour cream, and powdered sugar. But as I read the recipe, I HAD to make some changes. First, I don't do double boilers. For the normal person, I'm sure they work beautifully, but for me, I always want to fling the darned thing out the window. Besides, I do just as well with a well-regulated gas range and a heavy saucepan. Second, the recipe said to melt the chocolate and butter separately, then stir them together. This struck me as insane. I melt chocolate and butter together all the time when making my brownies. After that, I followed the recipe. All went well, until I went to pour it over the cake . . . It started running over the edges a bit, but I wasn't worried. So I kept pouring.
Oops!
What you 
can't see in either pic is the fact that the inner hole of the cake was completely filled with chocolate! I didn't let it go to waste, however, as I scooped it into a container, and Friday night some friends and I spread it on graham crackers and added mini marshmallows to make s'mores! Yum!
First off, all the bread turned out well, except for the rye. I don't know why, but I cannot find a good rye bread recipe. I can almost never get the darned stuff to rise! This loaf was no exception. All of the other bread was beautiful, but the rye was sad-looking. The coffee cakes turned out beautifully, as well, and the the quick breads all did nicely (and were devoured at church on Sunday!).
Then came the cake. The cake was a success--but with reservations! I tried the recipe I found over at Joy the Baker's blog. It was wonderful--rich, moist, and delectable. I mixed it up, popped it in the oven, then went and put my feet up. When I checked on it after 45 minutes, I found a beautiful, if not yet fully baked cake. Finally, after an hour and 15 minutes or so, I had my cake: beautiful, no? Then I saw th
e oven. Arrrgh!
The scraps didn't go to waste, however, as I sampled them (quality control, don't you know;)). After making myself about half-sick from the rich stuff, I decided to share the rest of the scraps with the birds.
As directed, I let the cake cool for a while, then turned it over on my largest plate. Finally, I came to the glaze. Hey, you can't go wrong with chocolate, butter, sour cream, and powdered sugar. But as I read the recipe, I HAD to make some changes. First, I don't do double boilers. For the normal person, I'm sure they work beautifully, but for me, I always want to fling the darned thing out the window. Besides, I do just as well with a well-regulated gas range and a heavy saucepan. Second, the recipe said to melt the chocolate and butter separately, then stir them together. This struck me as insane. I melt chocolate and butter together all the time when making my brownies. After that, I followed the recipe. All went well, until I went to pour it over the cake . . . It started running over the edges a bit, but I wasn't worried. So I kept pouring.
Oops!
What you 
can't see in either pic is the fact that the inner hole of the cake was completely filled with chocolate! I didn't let it go to waste, however, as I scooped it into a container, and Friday night some friends and I spread it on graham crackers and added mini marshmallows to make s'mores! Yum!
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Maybe I should try writing more?
I mean, after all, I am a writing instructor! Anyway, it's a snow day, so I'm chilling out, baking some bread, and taking it easy. I'm really good at check other people's blogs, but I don't do much with my own. So maybe I should start.
What am I cooking today? Well, to start with, I'm making some bread, some for the family, and some for a meal we're having at church Sunday (I always volunteer to bring bread/baked goods!). So far I've got a new recipe for rye started, two loaves of wheat (one for me, one for church), and a loaf of Italian herb/cheese (for church) begun. When these go for their second rise, I'll make three loaves of white (two for the family, one for church). Let's just hope the rye turns out!
I'm also supposed to make quick bread for church. Someone else said they'd do banana or pumpkin, so I'm thinking maybe date-walnut and cranberry-oatmeal.
I also need to bake something special for my dad, as it's his birthday. I may do a tried-and-true recipe, or I may try something new.
As for myself, I tried something different, but not too different for lunch today. I made an egg in a nest. I took a slice of Italian herb/cheese bread, cut a circle out of the middle with my scone cutter, and then buttered both sides and then popped it (as well as the circle from the middle) in my favorite blue circulon skillet. After it started browning, I broke an egg into the hole, then lightly salted and peppered it. After the egg had set well, I flipped the whole thing over (the circle of bread, too), and sprinkled a little of my Italian cheese blend on the egg. Loving fried eggs as I do, I didn't time the cooking, but guessing when the white would be cooked and the yolk still runny, I placed the bread circle over the cheese to help it melt, slid the whole thing onto a plate, and noshed out!
I will have to say, it was good but nowhere near as good as my special grilled cheese, egg, and salami sandwich!
What am I cooking today? Well, to start with, I'm making some bread, some for the family, and some for a meal we're having at church Sunday (I always volunteer to bring bread/baked goods!). So far I've got a new recipe for rye started, two loaves of wheat (one for me, one for church), and a loaf of Italian herb/cheese (for church) begun. When these go for their second rise, I'll make three loaves of white (two for the family, one for church). Let's just hope the rye turns out!
I'm also supposed to make quick bread for church. Someone else said they'd do banana or pumpkin, so I'm thinking maybe date-walnut and cranberry-oatmeal.
I also need to bake something special for my dad, as it's his birthday. I may do a tried-and-true recipe, or I may try something new.
As for myself, I tried something different, but not too different for lunch today. I made an egg in a nest. I took a slice of Italian herb/cheese bread, cut a circle out of the middle with my scone cutter, and then buttered both sides and then popped it (as well as the circle from the middle) in my favorite blue circulon skillet. After it started browning, I broke an egg into the hole, then lightly salted and peppered it. After the egg had set well, I flipped the whole thing over (the circle of bread, too), and sprinkled a little of my Italian cheese blend on the egg. Loving fried eggs as I do, I didn't time the cooking, but guessing when the white would be cooked and the yolk still runny, I placed the bread circle over the cheese to help it melt, slid the whole thing onto a plate, and noshed out!
I will have to say, it was good but nowhere near as good as my special grilled cheese, egg, and salami sandwich!
Friday, November 12, 2010
What would you eat?
Here’s what I want you to do:
1) Copy this list into your blog or journal,
including these instructions.
2) Bold all the items you’ve eaten.
3) Cross out any items that you would never consider eating.
4) Optional extra: Post a comment here at www.verygoodtaste.co.uk linking to your results.
The VGT Omnivore’s Hundred:
1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile
6. Black pudding
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras
24. Rice and beans
25. Brawn, or head cheese
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Salted lassi
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects
43. Phaal
44. Goat’s milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
46. Fugu
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer above 8% ABV
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores
62. Sweetbreads
63. Kaolin
64. Currywurst
65. Durian
66. Frogs’ legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake (I’ve had them all!)
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain (does boiled count?)
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost
75. Roadkill
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant.
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake
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