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Monthly Archives: April 2017
Tonight I am getting back on track with the Sunday Picture Post on the final Sunday of the month (since I missed last month). Here is a quick review of some of the meals I made this past month that did not become posts, but were picture-worthy at least! Chicken Curry with Cauliflower and Peas over Jasmine Rice Skillet Shepherd’s Pie Pinto Beans with Smoked Pork Jowl and Kielbasa Rice Penne with Sausage Mushroom Tomato Sauce Sous vide Pork Tenderloin with Balsamic Drizzle, Sous vide Parsnip Puree with Parsley and Caramelized Cabbage with Bacon Eggs and Hash Browns… twice! Double Dipped French Toast (made with slices from the No Knead Dutch Oven Bread!) Enjoy! Save…
Tonight’s cocktail comes from playing with the prosecco I used in the Tortellini with Prosciutto, Green Beans, and Red Pepper dish. I paired the dry prosecco with the flowery, unique St. Germain, and a squeeze of lemon juice to produce a delicious drink. Adding a splash of club soda lightened the drink and increased the ‘fizz factor’ nicely. Perfect with the meal above or just for relaxing on a spring day, you should give this drink a try. Of course, I also urge you to play with the ingredients to suit your own unique tastes! Save Print St. Germain Spritz Prep time: 10 mins Total time: 10 mins Serves: 1 Ingredients 1 part St. Germain elderflower liqueur 3 parts dry…
What goes better with fresh baked bread than a hearty stew! Well, fast on the heels of the No Knead Dutch Oven Bread comes this lamb stew with vegetables and Guinness. Yep, that’s right… we are cooking with beer here. I am not much of a beer drinker, but I do like Guinness – so this recipe was a must make. This recipe is a variant of the one on Jenn Segal’s Once Upon a Chef website and scaled down for 2 people (or 1 person and leftovers!). In reality, this recipe is a straightforward stew so there are no surprises here. The surprise is in the hearty, delicious results complimented beautifully with the fresh bread made earlier. With the unseasonably cool and…
OK, so this is not exactly a meal for one, but just think of the dishes you are going to enhance with this delicious homemade bread. I have seen several of these recipes and finally settled on replicating this one from Girl Versus Dough. Naturally, you just know I had to play with the recipe. I split the flour between bread and all purpose. And you know what? This bread is beyond description! Crusty on the outside while tender and soft on the inside with an incredible flavor. Are you skeptical about the amount of effort it takes to make this delicious bread? Don’t be, because it truly does not require kneading. Simply mix the flour, yeast, salt and water together, cover and let rise, then…
Are you ready for another pasta dish? This dish is similar to other tortellini dishes I have posted earlier – Tortellini with Prosciutto and Asparagus and Tortellini with Pancetta and Brussel Sprouts with a change up on the light sauce and vegetables used. Also like the other dishes, this one is quick and easier to prepare, perfect for a weeknight dinner. For an intense flavor to compliment the salty and smoky prosciutto and sweet red peppers, I use butter, lemon juice, and prosecco in the making of the sauce for this dish. Kissed with red pepper flakes and lemon zest, you will enjoy the nuanced interplay of flavors in this dish. Well, at least I hope you do! Let’s get busy – all this writing has…
I just had to try using the sous vide cooking technique with scallops. Delicate and delicious, scallops usually come out under or over cooked. Under cooked, they are cool and gelatinous. Over cooked, they are dry and rubbery. The challenge is always when to know when the scallop is done. The touch test is most popular, but let’s face it that takes a bit of experience – i.e. expensive trial and error experience. Well, I can say using sous vide took all the guess work out of knowing when the scallops were done. Yet there are a few tricks to successfully sous vide cooking scallops. First, I started with frozen scallops – they can stand up to the vacuum sealing being frozen hard. Thawed or…
One of the many ways I like green beans is spicy. Whether spicy pickled, sauteed with dijon mustard sauce, or Szechuan style, there is something special in spicy green beans. Today, I tried sous vide cooking some green beans in a Szechuan style spicy sauce. The flavors were intense and wonderful – and perfect as a side dish for the pan seared garam masala scallops. So if you ever needed a reason for a second sous vide immersion circulator or water bath, this is it. Vegetables need higher temperatures and longer times than delicate scallops, salmon, and ahi so you will not be able to cook them all together in one water bath. Yet the results are incredible, so make that investment in a second sous vide set…
Previously I posted a recipe for a Mexican restaurant style Arroz con Pollo, but today I want to share a different type of Arroz con Pollo. This recipe is for a rice and chicken dish with Caribbean flair. Simply seasoned yet bountiful with flavorful ingredients, this hearty meal satisfies a healthy hunger. With a little preparation and initial cooking effort, the remainder of this dish cooks without fuss, making it a good recipe for busy lives. I find this dish a great way to enjoy the taste of the Caribbean any time… without the hassle of an airport! Save Print Arroz con Pollo, Caribbean Style Prep time: 25 mins Cook time: 35 mins Total time: 1 hour Serves: 2 Ingredients 10 – 12…
Tonight’s cocktail includes some of my favorite ingredients – agave nectar, blood oranges, tequila, and Tuaca. What’s Tuaca you ask? Tuaca is a deliciously sweet Italian vanilla citrus liqueur. I bet that description just captured your attention! This lovely citrus vanilla liqueur blends so well with a clean silver tequila and fresh citrus (lime, lemon, and blood orange) that I cannot believe I never tried this cocktail before. Well, I will make amends for that oversight… this smooth margarita will be added to my regular rotation. Give it a chance, I think you will agree! Save Print Herradura Italian Margarita Prep time: 10 mins Total time: 10 mins Serves: 1 Ingredients 1½ oz Herradura Silver Tequila 1½…
Here is a fast and easy way to make cake from a mix for one (or two). I used a Pillsbury Devil’s Food cake mix for this recipe and it worked out perfectly. I simply divided the cake mix and its preparation instructions into thirds. Finding the correct timing for the small cake was the trick – and of course making a small amount of frosting to top it. I opted for an amaretto cream cheese frosting which paired wonderfully with the chocolate cake. Here is how I did it… now you can too! Save Print Quick Cake Prep time: 15 mins Cook time: 25 mins Total time: 40 mins Serves: 2 Ingredients Cake 5 oz Pillsbury Devil’s Food…