this is a page for

Category: Tips

Experiment: Swimming Angel

Well my new job has keep me quite busy and out of the kitchen, but this week I had a chance to work on a few new recipes – and here are the results from one of them.  Swimming Angel is a popular Thai restaurant dish with steamed spinach, white rice, and a stir fried protein (and maybe some vegetables), covered in a spicy, yet sweet peanut sauce. There is a reason why this dish is popular, it is wonderfully delicious when done well. I think the key aspect of this dish is the sauce – slightly spicy, slightly sweet, slightly nutty, and silky smooth. I researched this sauce once in the past and this simple recipe produces the results I desire. The ingredients are just coconut cream…

Experiment: Sous Vide Deconstructed Chicken Cacciatore

Here is one of the bonuses of my new job – testing pre-production equipment. Tonight I used the Vesta Imersa immersion circulator to make a sous vide chicken cacciatore. Yep, you read that right and the process was simple. I placed the sauce ingredients into a large recloseable bag with a valve, suctioned the air out, and cooked it in the water bath at 185F for at least 6 hours. After the 6 hours (or more), I lowered the temperature of the water bath to 145F in order to cook the chicken. Here is a pro tip – adding ice to the water bath will bring the temperature down to the target. I placed a chicken breast in a small recloseable bag with the desired spices and…

Herb Infused Olives

Just in case the holidays have not exhausted your party spirit (or maybe you have finally recovered and are ready to get back to enjoying the company of others!), tonight’s post is a quick and easy appetizer perfect for either a happy hour type meet-up or a true appetizer for a more formal affair. The concept for this recipe came from Leite’s Culinaria, a wonderful resource filled with interesting dishes. And this recipe called to me on many levels. First, this appetizer is beyond easy. Second, I wanted to try it with different olives and herbs. Lastly, I wanted to try preparing this dish using sous vide. So after a little research, the results are below. I also provided a link to the…

December Picture Post

Here we are at the end of 2017 and these are some of the dishes I made that did not become posts or were previously posted. I hope you enjoy seeing them as much as I enjoyed eating them! Farewell 2017 and Welcome 2018! Drunken Noodles This dish is always a favorite to try and work into the menu! Sous vide 12 Spice Beef Bites Based on an appetizer from one of my favorite restaurants, this tasty beef dish benefits from temperature controlled cooking for tender bites infused with robust Mediterranean spices. I will keep working to deliver this one to all of you! Fajitas Because sometimes you have to enjoy those wonderful Mexican flavors… Pulled Pork Fried Rice Did anyone notice the Basmati rice in this…

Holiday Spritz

Do you think the spritz is a drink for summer only? Well, here is a holiday cocktail based on sparkling wine from those creative geniuses at America’s Test Kitchen. A friend mentioned I should try this one and well, it is just about perfect as an easy sipper at a holiday party. It pairs well with all those rich, delicious holiday foods from appetizers to dessert. The combination of St. Germain, Aperol, and sweet vermouth with sparkling wine is uncommon, but it really works. Of course, I tweaked my version by substituting Lillet Blanc for the sweet vermouth and increasing the St. Germain by a small amount. The results are outstanding in my opinion. Make it and see for yourself… I think you will definitely…

Lebkuchen

Nothing says Christmas like the smell and taste of lebkuchen. As a child, I remember my mom baking lebkuchen in November before placing them in a tin in a closet for us to enjoy in December. She always said these cookies are so much better once they have been stored a while. Well, my mom’s lebkuchen recipe was lost quite a while ago… so I went online to find a new recipe to fulfill my Lebkuchen desire. Wow, was I ever surprised at the plethora of recipes! So I bookmarked several to try and possibly adapt/combine into a Cooking-4-One recipe. This recipe is primarily based on the recipe from GoodToKnow.co.uk with some aspects added from the Serious Eats recipe. The…

Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies

This week, instead of posting a weekly menu, how about I post several cookie and dessert recipes? Building on the few recipes I posted around the holidays last year, let’s start this year’s cookie baking with a favorite – the chewy oatmeal cookie. I have made these cookies many times before with varying inclusions – raisins, chocolate chips, dried cranberries, etc and they are always a hit. These cookies are warmly spiced and subtly sweet, perfect for any time of the year. When paired with a cup of coffee or tea, it is a wonderful way to give yourself (or a guest) a tasty homemade treat. I like them and I believe you will like them too! Save Print Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies Prep time…

Pantry Basics

I recently received a request for which pantry staples I consider necessary and some organizational ideas. I have to say the question really got me to thinking because I have pantry space many people may not – so I keep many different items that I may not necessarily. With that in mind, I thought ‘what are the items I use regularly or that I want on hand if I need to improvise while making a meal’. Therein lies the conundrum, as I found that with so many more ingredients then I had ever considered before, it was hard to decide what was necessary. So in thinking back to when I first began cooking for myself, I came up with the solution below. I have listed what…

November Picture Post

Wow, can you believe November is over and we are onto December? This past year has flown by and in keeping with the monthly picture post, here are some of the dishes I prepared this November. It has been a tasty month all month long, not just because of Thanksgiving! I can honestly say I had some fun in the kitchen and here is the photographic proof. I hope you enjoy the pictures as much as I enjoyed these tasty eats! Cheater, Cheater Pizza Eater Kielbasa and Macaroni with Peas and Carrots Spaghetti cooked in a skillet – it works! (and looks cool too!) Prawns Fra Diavolo Cake for One No Knead Dutch Oven Bread Beef Stew (Goulash) Beef and Prawn Stir Fry Biscuits and Chorizo Gravy Pork…

Menu for the 5th Week of November

Well, I had a tough time sticking to last week’s menu plan as you may have seen. I switched up Monday’s meal for Wednesday’s dinner, then went out Wednesday and skipped dinner altogether on Friday. So, that means I have a few meals to move forward to this week – namely Bulgogi Rouladen and Yellow Curry Chicken. Those dishes are a great start to this week’s menu planning and the other meals will be equally delicious, even if I say so myself! Shall we get started with planning what is for dinner this last week of November? Sunday – Thanksgiving Leftovers I finished up the Thanksgiving leftovers while watching football. It was a great day to stay in and just…