TO DO

Things to cook:
POrk!!

lot'sa cheese

lotsa lettuce!

a few tiny zucchini

****************************

Movies to watch
Valley of the dolls
Mommie dearest

Chimichurri Pork Chops

I really love a good green sauce. Cilantro chutney, pesto of various sorts, Caribbean green seasoning,  and of course the fragrant, lovely chimichurri. It's a good way to get some green stuff in your system when you love cheese as much as I do. I love to use it in fajitas, in tacos, spread on turkey sandwiches, added to meatballs (because we all know how much I fucking love meatballs) and even as a dip for veggies and/or crackers.

Chimichurri:

1 1/2 cup parsley
1/2 cup oregano
2 green onions...
3-5 cloves garlic
1/2 cup olive oil
1 whole lemon, juice
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes!
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp salt and pepper

Blend herbs, garlic and oil and such until well mixed and liquified. Use half for stuffing, remaining half for a condiment!

Pork chops stuffed with chimichurri:

4 boneless, butterfly cut pork chops
1/4 cup grated cheese (such as asiago, feta, or other hardish cheese)
1/4 cup chimichurri


Pre heat oven to 350 and bake chops for about 30 minutes.

Fried Rice Da Kine

My grandpa on my father's side was half Portuguese and lived in Hawaii for most of his life. And although he was kind of a dick and I didn't really learn as much from him as my wonderful Irish maternal grandmother who taught me how to bake and paint and crochet (among other artsy things), he did pass down this tasty Hawaii fusion fried rice da kine.

Modern Hawaii style food is a wonderful mish-mash of cultures and based largely on ease of preparation and creativity, so substitutions are always encouraged. Don't have oyster sauce? Use some hoisin! Don't have that either? Just go with some soy and a splash of sesame oil! If you don't have any of those things, I highly recommend getting sesame oil and soy sauce ASAP because they are very versatile and fried rice is one of the best and most wonderful leftover conglomeration. If you can't find linguica sausage, andouille is an acceptable substitute. 

Fried rice breakfast da kine

3 cups cooked rice from yesterday
2-4 TB oil (coconut, peanut, grapeseed are my faves, but canola works too)
1 small onion or shallot, minced
1 carrot, diced (optional, throw in some peas too if you like!)
1 jalapeno or poblano, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 linguica sausage (or andouille)

2-3 tsp soy sauce
2-3 tsp hoisin or oyster sauce or sesame oil
1/2 -1 tsp kochujang or sriracha or any sort of hot sauce you have around*

3 green onion, sliced

opt. garnish:
4 TB cilantro
1 lemon or lime
2 eggs per person (I like to top with an over easy egg instead of scrambling it in)


Cook onion in a preheated wok  with 1-2 TB oil on high heat, stirring constantly. Add carrot and jalapeno. Stir until softened, then add garlic. Add a tsp or so of oil whenever things look like they need to be lubricated.

If veggies are starting to get too cooked or pan too full at this point, remove from pan until later. Add sausage and stir until cooked through. Remove everything from pan, add 1 TB oil, and then finally the rice. Stir vigorously until well coated with oil, and add all the remaining sauces.

Add all cooked veggies and sausage back to pan and stir until well incorporated. Remove from heat and stir in green onions, cilantro and squeeze half the lemon on top to give it a bit of a yummy zest.

Stir one more time and enjoy!


*NOT Tabasco. Leave that to haole cooking like buffalo wings and such. 

Easy recipes for Broski

Recipes for Brother: Mexican stuff for preggie lady, some nice Asian style easy dishes....we're thinking easy, low prep stuff...

Ideas:
Chorizo/goat cheese stuffed mushrooms

Feta kalamata potato salad

find a good chicken tortilla soup recipe

quinoa? black beans and quinoa pretty easy and healthy..

bean burgers!!

sofrito soup?

try to give some enchilada recommendations... see if you can easy up the guajillo spinach...do it last as a final test?

Falafel type thing tonight?*******

1 can garbanzo beans
1 small red onion
1/2 bell pepper
3-4 cloves garlic
handful of parsley
1/4 tsp coriander
1/4 tsp cumin
2 TB flour?
1 egg ?
handful of breadcrumbs?
olive oil..dash

tahini sauce:
tahini and yogurt and garlic and cayenne and .....

Hangover soup, beer cheese soup and curries!

Beer cheese soup tonight, hangover soup tomorrow... also maybe curries (after farmer's market tomorrow!!)
(scaled back by 1/4, changed cooking techniques, added peppers!
Sweat veggies in butter 10 minutes
add flour, cook another few minutes, add half and half gradually, add beer, chix broth mustards and worcestershire, simmer for 10 minutes, till creamy and thick, add cheese last (off heat) till combined.
1 c carrots, onion, celery
1/4 c hot peppers!
3 cloves garlic
s n p
2 c chix broth 1 1/2 c beer
1/3 c flour (maybe less)
2-3 c half and half
2 cups cheddar, sharp
2 cups mixed cheddar, jack, white cheddar...
1 tsp worcester 1/2 tsp dry mustard


Hangover soup:
Makes 2 servings.
2 cups chicken broth or vegetable broth
1/2 14 to 15-ounce can diced tomatoes (Jeanne likes the kind with herbs, Lyndsey skips the tomatoes altogether) (you don’t really need this much, only about a cup or so)
1/2 green, red, or yellow sweet bell pepper, seeded and chopped (or jalapeno...)
*(not really necessary)1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
2 cloves of garlic, smashed slightly, left whole
2 cloves of garlic, minced coarsely
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika (or not smoked)
1/4 teaspoon cumin
Salt and freshly ground pepper (a few shakes of salt, a couple of cranks of pepper)
2 eggs
1/2 cup fresh baby spinach (or maybe 2 cups, see what it looks like after adding 1 cup) *I included the spinach only as vegan option for the soup- but I’d like to say somewhere that whenever I say Chicken broth, it could easily be veggie broth
Pesto Toast

Dump all ingredients into a large pot. Bring to boiling over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Remove from heat. Stir in spinach. Top each serving with a piece of Pesto Toast.

Pesto Toast: Arrange four 1/2-inch baguette slices on a cookie sheet. Spread with pesto (or combine 1 clove minced garlic 2 tablespoons butter and brush it on). Broil for 1 minute or so or until lightly toasted. Remove from oven and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese (or leave it off, depending on your mood).


Tom Kha:
(reduced by 1/2)
1 jalapeno
1/2 inch knob of ginger- peeled and sliced into coins
2-3 cloves garlic
1 stalks lemongrass, outer leaves peeled off, bottom 2 inches of stalk*
1/2 can low sodium chicken broth plus 1/2 the can water (or not: about 2 cups)
1/2 can coconut milk (use lowfat if you are so inclined)
1/4 pound of chicken breast (1/2 breasts) sliced into strips (omit for vegan meal)
1/2 package mushrooms, sliced (small handful from co-opt)
1 teaspoons soy sauce
1 teaspoons fish sauce
1/2 tsp cornstarch
1/4 a lime (about a tablespoon)
1/2 cup of fresh spinach
2-3 green onions, sliced into rounds

1. Combine all the above (but only use half the can of coconut milk, save the rest for later) and bring to a boil in a soup pot of some sort.

2. Add the chicken and mushrooms to the boiling pot and bring the heat down to med. low. Let simmer for 10 minutes and then remove the chicken. Bring back to a boil for 4 minutes to intensify the flavors then strain the soup, reserving the solids. Shred the chicken, and if ya wanna get wild, dice the jalapenoes, garlic and ginger (this is optional, most people just chuck out these goodies but I like to put them back in the soup, cause YUM). Return the goods to the soup and heat it back up.

3. Mix the lime juice, and the soy and fish sauces with the cornstarch in a small bowl. Stir into the soup and simmer for a few more minutes to thicken. Finally, toss in the spinach and green onions, take off the heat, and let everything marinate for a few more minutes before serving, possibly with rice.

*Or, as I often do when lemongrass is unavailable, just sub 1/2 teaspoon of lemon zest and 1/4 teaspoon lime zest for the lemongrass)

**Vegetarian Chili

Vegetarian Chili

1 small red onion
1 lg anaheim pepper (or jalapeno plus bell pepper medium small)
chipotle.....
1 lg carrot

3 cloves garlic
1 28 oz can tomatoes

1 15 oz can, drained and rinsed black beans or red beans...
1/2 cup lentils.
spices:
chili powder
chile powder
cumin
garlic onion powder
paprika
pickapeppa sauce (worcestershire for non vegetarians)
cinnamon

green onions

Delicious Citrus Beurre Blanc!

Citrus Beurre Blanc

1/4 cup dry white wine
2 TB cup orange juice (or water)
2 TB cup lemon juice *
1 1/2 tablespoons lemon zest
1 tablespoons chopped shallot
1/2 stick unsalted butter, cut into small pieces


In small saucepan combine wine, orange juice, lemon juice, and shallot. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until mixture is reduced to about 1/4 cup and is almost syrupy. (Be patient. It takes 15 to 20 minutes.)

Turn heat to medium-low. Stir in lemon zest. Add butter, a piece at a time, whisking until each piece is melted before adding the next piece. (You might have to drop the heat to low. If the sauce gets too hot it will curdle.) Purists like to strain out the tasty bits of shallot and zest, but we leave ’em in. Sprinkle with fresh herbs just before serving over cooked fish, chicken, or veggies. (Keep the sauce warm in a thermal coffee mug, but be sure there is no residual coffee aroma in the mug. Ugh! Or keep it warm in a double boiler. It doesn’t reheat well: it likes to curdle.)

*Tip: Remove the yellow zest with a microplane or fine grater before you squeeze the juice from the lemon. It’s easier that way.

Hotdogs for cookbook with Mom:

You can show how saucy you are by the choice of tortilla chips you put on top. Blue corn? You’re a traditionalist. Buffalo wing flavor? You’re a fire-eating devil. Ranch flavor? You’re a fusion cooking wiz.

3 12-ounce cans or bottles Mexican lager beer (like Dos Equis, Pacifico, Sol, Corona)
1 small sweet onion, sliced
1 medium red sweet pepper, seeded cut in thin strips
1 poblano pepper, seeded and cut in thin strips
1 jalapeño or serrano pepper, seeded if you want (they’re hotter if you don’t, so how hot is hot enough for you?) and sliced

8 all beef hot dogs

¼ cup Creole mustard (or your favorite – but Creole is just the best)
¼ cup sweet pickle relish

8 hot dog buns, toasted

Tortilla chips, crunched up

In a Dutch oven or other big pot bring beer to boiling. Add onions and sweet and hot peppers. Return to boiling. Reduce heat and simmer 8 minutes. Add hot dogs and simmer 4 minutes more or until vegetables are very tender and hot dogs are plump and heated through. Fish out the hot dogs and cover with foil to keep warm.
Drain vegetables; coarsely chop 'em if you want. Stir in mustard and pickle relish. Serve hot dogs on buns piled with the vegetable mixture and sprinkled with some tortilla chips.

Baked Beans!******************

Why don't I eat more delicious beans? They forking rule!
From: http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/giant-chipotle-white-beans-recipe.html

for 1 lb of beans...

Tomato sauce: (or a romesco sauce instead!!?)
olive oil, garlic, pepper flakes
15 oz tomatoes
??chipotle?
Sausage

Some sort of herby pesto...
2/3 cup spinach or kale...
1 cup feta cheese?
1 1/2 bread crumbs, toasted in olive oil

1. Make tomato sauce
2. Pulse pesto in a blender
3. 425 degree oven
4. Grease a glass casserole pan
5. Toss everything together, sprinkling cheese and bread crumbs on top
6. 25-40 minutes till cheese is browned and things are tasty looking

Cookbook Today

Birthday foods:
Grilling around 7 or 8? Lunch out for sushi?

Chicken thighs get marinated, make some tasty rice thing involving those mushrooms... or grill the mushrooms too but I dunno bout that or I could even do chorizo stuffed shrooms.

3 tablespoons olive oil
1-2 TB lime
1-3 TB pickapeppa
1 lg or 2 regular jalepeno, hungarian wax or other smallish pepper with seeds, chopped (wear gloves when handling chiles)
2 scallions, green and white parts, chopped (about 3 tablespoons)
2-3 cloves garlic
1 TB dried thyme
allspice-cinnamon-cumin-coriander-curry-brown sugar
mustard

1 tsp kosher salt (or soy sauce?)
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
5 boneless chicken thighs

************Quest for Risotto

I've made risotto a few times but it's only been ok. I'm still searching for that unique flavor combo that will wow me. I want something above and beyond the standard peas and pancetta or parmesan and herbs.

quinoa mushroom risotto
1 cup quinoa-8 oz mushrooms- 6 oz rehydrated porcini or other fancy tasty shrooms- 1/2 cup onion-garlic-
3 cup broth- 1/4 cup wine- parmesan cheese-
Saute onion and garlic, add mushrooms, then quinoa, then wine, then broth slowly until absorbed. Sprinkle cheese on last.

BLT risotto