My Melted Pot

Recipe: Ice Cream Bread

2013-07-21T22:45:00.000-05:00

So this is a recipe that one of my co-workers brought up to me recently. It is an incredibly easy recipe and one great for doing with kids (you put ice cream in the oven ?!?!). Basically you start with 1 pint of premium ice cream. You will want the premium ice cream as the additional butterfat will help make the bread nice a moist. Other ice creams may end up much drier. Mix in with self-rising flour and sugar and bake. That's it.

I tried it with my boys and both of them were able to help, even the toddler. They loved helping daddy cook and really enjoyed licking the batter (or empty ice cream containers, spoons, etc). This bread is not a very sweet one, but if you would like it to be sweeter you could just increase the amount of sugar. I would recommend that the ice cream that you pick have some interest to it. If it is just vanilla or chocolate you will just end up with vanilla or chocolate bread. I tried Ben & Jerry's Phish Food and it turned out well. I've also heard butter pecan works.

Ice Cream Bread

INGREDIENTS
1 pint premium ice cream, melted (or mostly-so)
1 1/2 cups self-rising flour
4 Tbsp sugar
Cooking spray

Preheat the oven to 350F.

Mix the ice cream, flour and sugar in a mixing bowl until it forms a batter.

Add to a greased bread pan, and bake for about 45-55 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out mostly clean.

Remove from oven and let cool in the pan for about 5 minutes. Remove from pan and let cool on a baqker's rack until room temperature.

Recipe: Chocolate Banana Bread

2013-02-12T22:25:00.002-06:00

While I love the idea of being able to use the quickly-blackening bananas in a tasty bread instead of having to simply throw them away, I needed to make this recipe more interesting. In this case I added a little cocoa powder to give it more depth of flavor. I did not add so much that this became a chocolate cake bread, but enough to complement the banana flavor. And NO! - No nuts in this Banana Bread.

Chocolate Banana Bread

INGREDIENTS
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
2 Tbsp cocoa powder
5 1/3 Tbsp unsalted butter
3/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 very ripe bananas, gently mashed

Preheat oven to 350F.

In a medium mixing bowl, blend together the dry ingredients (flour through cocoa powder).

In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and the sugar together with a hand mixer on high until lightened in color, about 2-3 minutes.

Slowly add the dry ingredients to the creamed butter and blend together. Slowly beat the eggs into the mixture. With a spatula, gently fold in the banana.

In a greased loaf pan (6 cup), spread the batter evenly. Place in the preheated oven and bake for 50-60 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Let the bread cool in the pan on a rack for 5-10 minutes. Gently remove the bread from the pan and let completely cool.

Recipe: Broccoli Beef

2013-01-22T21:30:00.000-06:00

Unlike former President Bush 41, I love broccoli. The trick to good broccoli is to try and avoid overcooking it. Stopping the cooking process while the broccoli is still bright green, before it becomes army green, is key. This recipe blanches the broccoli and then drops it in an ice-water bath to stop the cooking.

When I made this recipe for my wife recently she loved it - tastes just like from a good Chinese restaurant. I think one of the keys is the beef bouillon. I have noticed that beef bouillon is used in a number of restaurant -grade recipes, and I think it helps impart a meatier (umami if you wish) flavor to the dish. While I tend to use Jasmine rice as my general go-to rice for most Asian and Indian dishes, you probably wouldn't go wrong with either a brown rice or a Basmati.

Broccoli Beef

INGREDIENTS

1 lb beef sirloin, sliced thinly across the grain

Marinade

2 Tbsp soy sauce

1 Tbsp rice vinegar

Sauce

1 cube beef bouillon dissolved in ½ cup water

2 Tbsp oyster sauce

1 tsp rice vinegar

1 Tbsp soy sauce

3 cups water (for blanching)

3 cups ice water (for cooling)

2 cups broccoli, chopped

3 Tbsp vegetable oil

1 Tbsp garlic, minced

1 Tbsp cornstarch, dissolved in 3 Tbsp water

Combine all the marinade ingredients in a bowl and marinate the beef for at least 20 minutes.

In a 1 cup liquid measuring cup combine the beef bouillon and water and microwave on high for 2 minutes or until the water comes to a boil. Remove from the microwave and add the remaining sauce ingredients. Stir well and set aside

Bring the 3 cups of water to a boil in a pot and blanch the broccoli for 1 minute. Remove the broccoli from the pot and cool in ice water for 10 to 20 seconds. Drain and set aside.

In a heated wok or frying pan over high heat, add vegetable oil.

Add the beef in one layer and cook for 1 minute. Turn the beef and add the garlic. Cook for an additional minute.

Pour-in the sauce and bring to a boil. Add the broccoli and cook for 1 minute. Stir-in the cornstarch slurry and cook until the sauce thickens.

Serve with rice.

Yields: 4 servings

Recipe: Crawfish-Pepperoni Bread

2012-11-27T19:00:00.000-06:00

This recipe is loosely based on the crawfish-bread that many of my friends have raved about from Jazz-Fest in N.O. My interpretation is basically a Stromboli with crawfish and crawfish seasoning. I’ve tried to make this a relatively simple recipe since I typically tend to make this during my annual crawfish boil. As I have many other duties going on at the same time I really don’t want to be burdened with trying to make something overly involved.

If you haven’t cooked your own crawfish you can alternately use the frozen shelled crawfish tails from your grocer’s freezer.

Just one more item I feel I need to point out: I sent this recipe into the Pillsbury Bake-Off, since it was such a hit at the boil, but I still have yet to hear anything more than the automated response from my entry on their website. Now that we’re about 1 ½ years out, I don’t expect to see one…

Crawfish-Pepperoni Bread

INGREDIENTS

1 refrigerated pizza crust (I wouldn’t’ use thin as you do want it to be bready)

1 oz (about 20) crawfish tails, peeled

14 slices pepperoni

3 oz mozzarella cheese

1/8 tsp Crawfish/ Shrimp boil seasoning (I prefer Louisiana Brand)

Preheat the oven to 400F.

Unroll the pizza crust onto an ungreased baking sheet. Place the crawfish tails along the top edge, leaving about 1” of the edge exposed.

Place the pepperoni in a layer just below the crawfish. Sprinkle the mozzarella cheese on top of the crawfish and the pepperoni and then sprinkle with the seasoning.

Starting with the crawfish end of the crust, roll the bread up like a large cigar and seal the edges if any of the filling escapes. You may sprinkle additional seasoning over the top of the bread if you so wish.

Bake for about 14-16 minutes, or until lightly browned.

Recipe: Thai Basil Chicken

2012-11-26T19:00:00.000-06:00

This is a dish that I have seen more than a couple of times in other venues that I had always wanted to try but did since I didn’t have easy access to Thai Basil. This changed last spring as I found a Thai Basil plant available for sale in my local HD. I decided that since my sweet basil grew so well already in my herb garden that I would give it a try. Worst case would be that it died and I would be out the cost of the plant. I went ahead and planted one next to my sweet basil and it absolutely thrived.

I have read other recipes that say that sweet basil is a substitute: it really isn’t. Thai Basil has a licorice/ anise flavor that is missing in sweet basil. As a quick side-note on Thai Basil: I asked one of my co-workers that is from SE Asia (Laos to be exact) and I asked him about Thai Basil. He responded that only in the US is it called Thai basil - everywhere else it is called Holy Basil. He called it a marketing ploy by the Thai. I’m not so sure about the marketing ploy, but I will include it’s alternate name in the dish.

One last note: try and use the fish sauce if possible. The stuff smells awful by itself, but it is an incredible flavor enhancer. If you are scared about the potency, feel free to cut the about in half and substitute the rest with soy sauce.

Thai/ Holy Basil Chicken (Kai Pad Bai Kaprow)

INGREDIENTS

3 Tbsp canola oil

1 yellow onion, chopped

1/2 cup Thai/ Holy basil, chopped

6 garlic cloves, minced

2 green onions, chopped

2-4 Thai red chilies, whole

2 tsp fresh ginger, grated

1 lb ground chicken/ turkey

5 tsp fish sauce (or soy sauce)

1 1/2 tsp brown sugar

In oil over medium-high heat, sauté the onion, basil, garlic, green onions, chilies, and grated ginger in oil until onions are soft.

Add ground chicken and sauté until cooked through and well browned.

Mix fish sauce (or soy sauce) and brown sugar in a small cup and add to chicken mixture.

Sauté for an additional 3 to 5 minutes.

Serve with Jasmine rice.

Recipe: Sonora Chicken Casserole

2012-11-20T19:00:00.000-06:00

For those of you that know me, you might be familiar with this casserole. This is our go-to casserole when we want to bring food to someone due to medical issues, mourning or birth of a child. We will sometimes find ourselves making multiple batches at once on the odd occasion. The benefit of this recipe is that it is not only easy to make, but it is easy to keep. This can either be eaten fresh or can be tucked away in the freezer to be cooked later. No defrosting required.

Not only have we found that adults like this recipe, but so do children. If you are making this for someone you might thing is sensitive to spice, I would recommend using mild salsa instead of medium or hot, although we typically use medium and have not heard of any complaints, yet.

Sonora Chicken Casserole

INGREDIENTS
4 cups cooked chicken, shredded or cubed

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 can (15 oz.) chili without beans

1/2 cup salsa

1/2 cup milk

1 small onion, chopped fine (1/4 cup)

10-12 corn tortillas

1 lb (16 oz) Mexican-style cheese

Mix together in large bowl the soups, chili, salsa, milk and onion. Tear tortillas into small pieces.

In a 3 qt. casserole, put half of chicken on the bottom, then half the tortillas, half the sauce and half the cheese. Repeat, ending with the cheese.

To bake immediately, put in 350 oven for 45 minutes, or freeze and reheat for 90 minutes at 350, and check the deep middle before serving. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Serves 8

Recipe: Chimichurri Sauce

2012-11-19T19:00:00.000-06:00

This is your basic chimichurri sauce. This recipe is not so different from any other recipe for it you will find other places, but I had to include it. Afterall this is one of the sauces that my wife likes so much that she would almost drink it by itself.

This sauce is most typically used on top of steak (such as flank or skirt), but it is also great with chicken or shrimp, or even as a marinade for same.

Chimichurri Sauce

INGREDIENTS

1 cup (packed) fresh Italian parsley

1/2 cup olive oil

1/3 cup red wine vinegar

1/4 cup (packed) fresh cilantro

2 garlic cloves, peeled

3/4 tsp dried crushed red pepper

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp salt

Puree all ingredients in processor. Transfer to bowl. (Can be made 2 hours ahead. Cover and let stand at room temperature.)

Recipe: Linguine and Clam Sauce

2012-11-16T22:05:00.001-06:00

So I believe that this is one of the first recipes that I basically made up on the fly one day back in college. Other than the heavy cream, these can all come from items kept in your pantry. This makes it easy to whip up on a whim. One warning though: this dish is quite rich. It is by no means health-food, but it is a good occasional indulgence.

The clams are already cooked, so you do not need to cook them any further. In fact, if you cook them too long you risk turning the clams rubbery. Just adding them to the end of the process will allow the heat from the sauce to heat them through without overcooking them. The clam juice drained from the clams helps give the sauce more clam flavor, although it by no means makes it overly so.

Linguine and Clam Sauce

INGREDIENTS

12 oz linguine

3 quarts water

1 Tbsp unsalted butter

1 cup yellow onion, chopped (about 1/3 of a large onion)

3 large garlic cloves, minced

6.5 oz can minced clams, undrained

2 Tbsp salt

1 pint heavy whipping cream

2 tsp basil, dried (or 3 Tbsp fresh basil)

2 tsp oregano, dried (or 2 Tbsp fresh oregano)

1 ½ Tbsp Parmesan cheese, shredded

Chopped parsley (for garnish)

Bring the 3 quarts of water to a boil and cook the linguine according to the directions on the package.

In a medium skillet over medium-high heat, melt the unsalted butter. Once melted, add the onion and the garlic and cook until the onion is translucent, about 2-3 minutes.

Drain the clam juice out of the canned clams into the pan and simmer for about 8 minutes.

Add the salt, heavy cream, basil and oregano and simmer until reduced and thickened.

Add the Parmesan cheese and the clams and cook until the clams are just heated through.

Serve over the linguine and top with parsley (if desired).

Recipe: Rum Chicken with Black Beans and Rice

2012-04-03T22:12:00.001-05:00

This is one of my earlier recipes that I had in my 3-ring binder cookbook right after college. I kept all of the recipes that I tended to make over and over again in one place, and most of the recipes quickly became coated in drip and drops. If I recall correctly, I got hold of this recipe from my Aunt. It is relatively easy and does not call for any exotic ingredients. I would say that this recipe has a South American feel, I guess due to the rum and black beans. If you like spice I would recommend adding in a little Tabasco sauce, but this dish is flavorful on its own.

If you are curious, yes I still have that same 3-ring binder with many of the same recipes still in it, although I have re-printed the recipes and now keep them in sheet protectors.

Rum Chicken with Black Beans and Rice

INGREDIENTS

1 Tbsp butter

2 Tbsp oil

4 chicken breasts

1 medium onion, chopped

1 green pepper, chopped

3 garlic cloves, chopped

1/2 cup dark rum

2 Tbsp tomato paste

1 cup water

16 oz can black beans, drained

2 Tbsp cilantro, chopped

cooked white rice

salt & pepper

Melt the butter with the oil in a large, heavy skillet. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and sauté over medium-high heat until golden brown on both sides, about 5 minutes.

Remove chicken to a plate or bowl. Add the onion, green pepper and garlic to the pan, sautéing for 2 to 3 minutes. Pour the rum into the pan and stir to deglaze. Mix the tomato paste and water and add to the pan. Return the chicken to the pan. Bring to a boil and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes.

Remove the chicken and keep warm. Boil the remaining liquid until it thickens somewhat into a sauce, about 5 minutes. Then stir in the beans and cilantro and heat the mixture through.

To serve, place 1 or 2 pieces of chicken on a mound of white rice and spoon some of the black bean mixture over.

Newspaper Food Sections: 2-1-12

2012-02-08T22:19:00.000-06:00

The Baltimore Sun

Are you Ready for Some Meatballs?

I don’t think the NFL uses this tagline anymore after some ill-timed comments from the singer, but I do like meatballs. I usually just buy them from IKEA (yep they have frozen meatballs in their small grocery section) since when I make them they tend to turn into large lumps. This article has some tips on making meatballs, as well as 3 meatball recipes.

Chicago Tribune

Little Helpers in the Kitchen

My 3-yr old loves to help Daddy in the kitchen, such as turning on and off (and on and off…) the mixer or food processor or helping cook the scrambled eggs he loves for breakfast in the morning on weekends. This is just an article about a book, but I am a firm believer in teaching children early how to cook.

PB&J Cookies

Continuing on the children in the kitchen theme…

8 Foods to Add to Your Baby’s Diet

We already feed our youngest Cheerios, and have attempted avocados, but beets?

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Pillsbury Bake Off – Butter Cake

So I am a little bitter over the Pillsbury Bake Off. I submitted my Crawfish-Pepperoni Bread recipe, which I make every year during my Crawfish Boil. My recipe draws raves from everyone who tries it. I submitted my recipe 9 months ago and with the next Bake-Off coming up soon I have not received so much as a “Sorry You Didn’t Win” response from Pillsbury. Very disappointed in Pillsbury. The recipe, however, does sound good.

New Orleans Times-Picayune

Crawfish off to a Slow and Pricey Start

I know most people are not interested in live crawfish, but since my boil depends on them I keep an eye out for what is going on in the market. It sounds like, from this article, that we should have a better crawfish season than last year, due to the drought in the region.

New York Times

Dark Cherry Ganache Bars

These sound very decadent.

Orange County Register

Easy Irish Soda Bread

I’m all about recipes that start with “Easy”, provided that they actually taste good.

Philadelphia Inquirer

Margherita Pizza

I have my own pizza dough recipe that I like. I make a whole bunch of it and then wrap it and toss it in the freezer for defrosting later. Maybe this can tide you over until I get around to posting my own recipe.

San Jose Mercury News

Science of Baking

I think this is a great way to teach cooking and science. This kind of meshes in with my whole teaching children to cook belief, as it shows the science side of the equation.

Newspaper Food Sections: 1-25-12

2012-02-08T22:13:00.000-06:00

Arizona Republic

Guide to Japanese Vegetables

I tend to have nori and kombu in my pantry, as they are not too difficult to find in a typical grocery store. Many of the other vegetables on the list may require a trip to a specialty store, however.

Japanese Green Beans with Garlic Sauce

Always good to have a different way to prepare green beans for when they come into season.

Boston Globe

Tips on Making Chinese Dumplings

I love dumplings, but have never made them from scratch. Yet.

Miso-Ginger Dressing

This sounds similar to a recipe we have for an Asian dressing we found in a healthy cookbook. I intend to post it one of these days.

Chicago Sun Times

Chefs are Pros at Turning Scraps into Second Acts

I hate waste. Although I do keep a compost bin so I do not have to throw away any old fruits and vegetables, this article gives great ideas on how to use leftovers and scraps.

Chicago Tribune

6 Essentials to Make You a Better Cook

Some good basics for those who are learning to cook, or (like me) have a lot of bad cooking habits.

Fresh Pasta Dough Questions

I never thought about freezing fresh pasta. Now that I have inherited a pasta machine I may have to take some time one weekend to crank out some fresh pasta for the freezer.

Fresh Pasta Recipe

Fort Worth Star-Telegram

Blueberry Banana Oat Bread

I tend to always toss bananas that are just about to go bad into the freezer (skin and all) so I can defrost them later for banana bread. I never thought about basically adding blueberries and oats.

Hartford Courant

“Patriots” Clam Chowder and Colonial Cheddar and Onion Biscuits

I am not one to be part of the recipe police, but I am going to get up on my soapbox this one time: If you chose to make the clam chowder in the recipe above please leave out the tomatoes – tomatoes do not belong in a New England-style Clam Chowder – maybe in Manhattan “clam soup” but not in a real clam chowder. I’m guessing the editors have been living too close to New York and have had their minds corrupted by NY style clam abomination. You might as well go to your “Big Game” party rooting for the Patriots while wearing an Eli Manning jersey. The two simply do not belong together. Okay, off of my soapbox. Try the biscuits. They sound good.

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Homemade Soft Pretzels

I love soft pretzels, especially the giant ones you can get at Oktoberfest in Germany. These sound like a good basic recipe I’ve seen repeated other places. I wonder, though, if these would get any benefit from an alkali dip for added browning and outer crunch like with bagels. Something maybe I need to think about.

Minneapolis Star Tribune

Split Pea Soup and Cream of Celery Soup

I just bought some split peas from the store the other day thinking split pea soup would be nice to have on a cold day. It hasn’t been exactly that cold here in Texas recently, but this recipe might encourage me to just go ahead and make some anyway.

New Orleans Times-Picayune

Lettuce Blossom

I might exclude the mushrooms, but this would be a good use for iceberg lettuce.

Orange County Register

Split Pea Soup

And here’s another split pea soup recipe. This one sounds simpler, but no ham.

Pittsburg Tribune-Review

Martin Yan’s Chinese Recipes

Well, it’s not all of his recipes, but there are a couple. I would catch “Yan Can Cook” on PBS in the days before I had cable and was usually entertained by his simple message and very good sounding recipes. I never have tried to make any of his recipes to this day, but here are a few you can try, if you are so inclined.

Seattle Times

Broccoli-Cheese Soup & The Perfect Chocolate Cake

I like my chocolate buttercream recipe better, but the cake sounds tasty.

Toronto Globe & Mail

Scottish Bread Pudding with Whisky Sauce

Mmmmm…. Bread pudding.

UK Telegraph

Burns Night Scottish Tart

I had never heard of Burns Night before this week. I guess you learn something new every day. I love the fact that this Scottish Tart is served with Johnny Walker Black. Not a Scotch drinker, myself, but I’m all for recipes that include a drink to go along with it. You can get Golden Syrup at a specialty grocer (Whole Foods tends to have some). I have no idea about the clotted cream, though.

Food Sections: 01-18-12

2012-01-18T23:57:00.001-06:00

Austin Statesman
Turn Just About Any Meal into Soup - From lasagna to tamales is the headline on this article. There are a couple of good "meal-type" soups in this article as well as giving ideas on how to transform a meal into soup.

Chicago Sun-Times
Meatless Mondays - I don't know if I'm necessarily on board with "Meatless Mondays", but with Lent coming up soon I would like to have a couple of ideas for meatless meals.

Minneapolis Star-Tribune
Spam Musubi - My wife completely turns her nose up at "Spam Sushi" when I make some for lunch, but you really need to try it at least once before you dismiss it.

The Oregonian
Gluten-Free Easy Minestrone - I try and keep an eye out for Gluten Free meals that sound good for those friends of mine (or children of friends) that need a gluten-free diet.

San Diego Union-Tribune
Slow Cooked Italian Chicken - This is not an extravagant meal, but it is one of those time savers that are helpful when you come home late and the last thing you want to do is cook dinner. Start this before you leave and it should be ready for you.

St Louis Times-Dispatch
Slow Cooker Tips - If I'm going to have a Slow Cooker recipe, I might as well have some tips included, right?

Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel
Bold Flavors of Korea - I love Bul-Kogi and Kimchi. I only tend to get it once per year as one of my good friends chooses a Korean place near downtown that is just great. Maybe this recipe will encourage me to try my hand at making it myself.

Cape Cod Times
Simple Ingredients for Sensational Pasta - Pasta is such a staple in most households, but few break out of the basic tomato sauce/ cream sauce with pasta. Maybe this will help me break that cycle too.

Chicago Tribune
Simple Ways to Boost Flavor - These are some basic ideas on how to amp up an existing recipe. I do this already, but it is always good to see some other ideas.

Houston Chronicle
Pull Apart Cheesy Onion Bread - This recipe may or may not be good, but the name of the recipe really got my interest. If it doesn't work, maybe I'll need to make a few adjustments...

Recipe: Fast & Creamy Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

2012-01-17T23:41:00.000-06:00

My wife asked me what sort of cake I would like for my birthday. I wanted a yellow cake with chocolate frosting, but I wanted buttercream frosting. My wife thought it would be too much work to make frosting and that we should instead just buy it out of the can. I wanted to prove her wrong.

The most difficult part of this recipe is waiting to make sure that the butter and the melted chocolate are room temperature. If the chocolate is too warm them the butter will break and you will end up with a mess. If the butter is too cold it will not incorporate with the rest of the ingredients.

Try making this recipe once with a basic boxed cake mix and you will never go back to the canned frosting again. This buttercream frosting is very addicting and makes even the simplest cake seem completely homemade.

Fast & Creamy Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

INGREDIENTS

4oz 60% cacao chocolate chips (preferably Ghirardeli)

3 cups confectioners’ sugar

1 sticks (8 Tbsp) unsalted butter, at room temperature

3 Tbsp milk (or more)

1 tsp vanilla extract

¼ tsp salt

All of the ingredients need to be at room temperature.

Put the chocolate in the top of a double boiler with simmering water in the bottom (do not let the water touch the top pan). Stir the chocolate until it is completely melted. Let cool to room temperature (about 20 – 30 minutes).

In a stand mixer with a flat beater, combine the confectioners' sugar, butter, milk, vanilla and salt and beat on low speed for about 1 minute or until combined. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Increase the speed to medium and beat for 2 minutes. Add the chocolate while on low and beat until combined. Increase the speed to medium and beat for an additional minute.

The frosting should hold its form, but still be easy to spread. If the frosting is still too stiff then add more milk, 1 tsp. at a time on low.

Makes about enough to frost one cake.

Recipe: Lobster Bisque

2012-01-10T23:55:00.001-06:00

This was one of the dishes that I made to celebrate the recent New Year with my wife and in-laws. Since lobster tail was on sale, I decided to make some again. I had tried making this once about 15 years ago that turned out great, but I couldn’t recall where the recipe originated. This recipe is based on one I found a couple of years ago.

I cut down on the lobster meat down to 8oz, since 16oz was excessive. I also added in some lobster stock, courtesy of Better Than Bullion since I only had about 2 cups of Lobster Stock in my freezer (made from the shells of the last time I made lobster). Better Than Bullion was great for this need and it keeps in the refrigerator for a very long time. I also substituted sherry for the cognac that was originally called for simply because I always have sherry on hand for cooking a number of Asian dishes I have. This includes the Pepper Steak recipe which was one of the first recipes that I made for my wife while we were still dating.

This is a very rich soup. It is not exactly one that I would not recommend often, but this has such a great flavor that you should reserve it for special occasions.

Lobster Bisque

INGREDIENTS

3 Tbsp butter

3/4 cup red or yellow onion, minced

4 cups lobster or chicken broth (Better Than Bullion makes a great Lobster Stock)

1 bay leaf

¼ tsp thyme

3 Tbsp flour

2 Tbsp tomato paste

¾ cup dry white wine

8 oz cooked lobster meat, minced
1 ½ cup whipping cream

1 Tbsp sherry

Melt butter in a large saucepan and sauté the onions over low heat until carmelized, about 15 – 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring chicken broth, bay leaf and thyme to a boil in another pan. Whisk flour into shallot mixture, cook, stirring 1-2 minutes. Stir in tomato paste; slowly whisk in boiling broth. Gradually add wine; simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Chop lobster meat, reserving a few nice pieces for garnish. Put the chopped meat and soup into a food processor and blend.

Return to pot, stir in half and half, then cognac. Heat through, garnish with lobster and serve.

Serves 6.

Food Sections: 01-04-12

2012-01-05T21:39:00.001-06:00

Arizona Republic
Pumpkin-Roasted Red Pepper Chili - This not only sounds tasty, but also a good way to use up any leftover canned pumpkin from the holidays.

Kansas City Star
Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup - There are plenty of chicken noodle soups out there, but this one has a recipe for making your own noodles. May take a little more time than I typically prefer, but sounds intriguing.

Los Angeles Times
Korean Fried Chicken - This was not a recent recipe, but was part of the Best of 2011 that many other newspapers did for the new year.
Quick Puff Pastry - I only occasionally have a need for puff pastry and this being quick and inexpensive sounds like a better idea than keeping some old puff pastry in the freezer.

New Orleans Times-Picayune
Menu Ideas to Cut Back on Calories - Some of these ideas are pretty basic, but sometimes it is helpful to have some things like these on hand to help you keep your New Year's Resolution.

New York Post
Corruption in the Olive Oil Industry - I always wondered if the "Extra Virgin Olive Oil" that I sometimes saw looked a little too perfectly green. It is very possible that those olive oils may not have been Extra Virgin, or possibly not even olive oil at all...

Pittsburg Tribune
Fillet of Beef in Cognac Mustard Sauce - Maybe this recipe will encourage me to finally go out and buy a bottle of cognac for cooking.
Quick Chicken Cordon Bleu - It sounds like this recipe will give me close to Chicken Cordon Blue with less work. I'm all for less work, as long as it still tastes good.

San Francisco Chronicle
Flavored Vodka Jelly Shots - This recipe takes me back to college and those ubiquitous usually awful Jello-O shots. This recipe, however, sounds much more grown-up. There is also a recipe for one for a Manhattan and a Tequila Sunrise, if you are so interested.

Toronto Globe & Mail
How to Use a Piping Bag - This is a skill I never learned, though my mother is quite adept. The most piping I have done is putting a little sour cream in a ziploc bag with one of the corners cut off so I could get the right amount of sour cream in my tacos. It all still seems like a bit of work, though.

Recipe: Asian Salmon Filet with Ginger-Cilantro Soy Sauce

2012-01-03T21:32:00.000-06:00

This is a recipe that I originally came up with over 10 years ago. I was looking to make a nice seafood dish and I had thought about a recipe that my mother had made in the past. I couldn’t put my finger on it, and those who know me would never consider me to have exactly a photographic memory, so my mother sent over a couple of Asian-style recipes that she had. I found one that sounded close and went ahead and made it.

I coupled my dish with some sesame broccoli and jasmine rice and served it. It ended up tasting great, and even my girlfriend at the times father thought it was easily good enough to be added to the restaurant menu at the golf course he ran in Germany. He ended up leaving the golf course before he could add the recipe, but I added it to my 3-ring binder of regular recipes. This recipe has been the most requested recipe I have made for others (outside of the Tomato Gravy recipe that I was given by a very good friend of mines’ mother, of which I have been sworn to secrecy).

The first step of the recipe is not necessarily a requirement, though, but I prefer my salmon without the skin or the darker flesh. The Ginger-Cilantro Soy Sauce will not only flavor the salmon, but works well as a sauce for the rice.

Asian Salmon Filet with Ginger-Cilantro Soy Sauce

INGREDIENTS

1 ½ - 2 lbs salmon filet

Sauce

½ cup soy sauce

4 Tbsp sesame oil

2 Tbsp rice vinegar

1 in ginger, minced

6 Tbsp cilantro, chopped

½ cup red onion, diced

4 garlic cloves, minced

Place the salmon filet, skin side down, directly on a piece of ungreased aluminum foil large enough to cover the entire side of the salmon. Place the foil on a cookie sheet and bake in a 400 oven for 10 minutes.

Sauce

Combine the remaining ingredients in a small bowl and let sit while the salmon cooks.

Remove from the oven and let sit for 5 minutes. The salmon skin should now be stuck to the aluminum foil so that the salmon filet can be easily lifted, leaving the skin on the foil. Discard the aluminum foil and salmon skin.

In a 9”x13” Pyrex dish pour 1/3 to ½ of the sauce. Place the salmon in the dish and pour the rest of the sauce on top of the salmon. Let the salmon sit and change the oven temperature to 350.

Bake in a 350 oven for 15 minutes, or until done. Serve with jasmine rice.

Recipe: Sopapilla Cheesecake

2011-12-31T07:29:00.001-06:00

This recipe is not exactly a sopapilla nor is it exactly a cheesecake, but it tastes a little like both and is absolutely the most delicious and easy dessert anyone can make. This recipe, from Paul and Jen, was the winner of a recent dessert competition at a friend’s party. Yes, I did enter a dessert (the Simple Chocolate Truffles), but since we did not arrive at the party until late, most voters had already made up their minds.

I made this for the dessert at the dinner for my wife’s friend and his wife. What I left out of the previous posts was that John and his wife ended up not coming to the dinner I had planned for him, but he did show up later and had the cheesecake. I had to make sure and set aside a piece I had promised to a co-worker and I was glad that I did, since that piece was the only one remaining by the end of the night.

Sopapilla Cheesecake

INGREDIENTS

2 (8 oz) pkg cream cheese, softened

1 cup white sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 (8 oz) cans refrigerated crescent rolls

1 cup white sugar

2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 cup butter, room temperature

1/4 cup honey, warmed enough to pour easily

Preheat an oven to 350F.

With a hand mixer on medium, beat the cream cheese, 1 cup of sugar and the vanilla extract in a bowl until well combined and smooth.

Unroll the cans of crescent roll dough on a lightly floured surface. Using a rolling pin, shape each piece into 9x13 inch rectangles. Press one piece into the bottom of a well greased 9x13 inch baking dish.

Spread the cream cheese mixture over the first layer of dough, then cover with the remaining piece of dough. Stir together the second cup of sugar, cinnamon, and butter. Spread the sugar-cinnamon over the top of the cheesecake.

Bake until the dough has puffed up and turned golden brown, about 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and drizzle the honey. Cool completely in the pan and cut into 12 squares.

Recipe: Jalapeno Cheese Soup

2011-12-29T21:46:00.001-06:00

I first heard about this soup through my wife’s sister. While we were visiting her one day, she mentioned that she had Jalapeno Cheese Soup at a restaurant with some of her friends the previous day. Since she knew that I liked to try and figure out how various restaurant meals were prepared, she asked me to try and figure it out.

Now all I had to go on was jalapenos and cheese. Not exactly a lot of help. I just a cursory search, but most of the recipes I found used processed cheese food. To me, that’s basically just cheese dip, not a soup. I tried to play around with a couple of ideas and eventually came up with the recipe found below.

I served this for the same meal that was for my wife’s friend and it was definitely a hit. This is NOT as spicy as you might think, since the dairy tends to cool off the spiciness without overpowering the jalapeno flavor. Even my mother-in-law who is a little sensitive to spicy foods loved this soup.

Jalapeno Cheese Soup

INGREDIENTS

4 Tbsp butter

4 Tbsp flour

3 cups chicken stock

2 cups milk (preferably 2% or whole)

2 Tbsp butter

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 large onion, minced

1 large carrot, peeled, and finely diced

1 large green or red bell pepper, seeded and chopped

3 jalapeno chilies, seeded and finely diced

2 cups Mexican style cheese, grated

Salt to taste

Melt 3 Tbsp butter in heavy large saucepan, over low heat. Add flour and stir for 3 minutes. Mix in stock and cream. Increase heat and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat and simmer until thickened, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, melt 2 Tbsp butter in a heavy, small skillet over low heat. Add garlic, onion, carrot and green pepper. Cook until soft, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Mix in chilies. Add both cheeses to stock mixture and stir until melted. Mix in vegetables, season with salt and serve.

Food Sections: 12-28-11

2011-12-28T22:55:00.000-06:00

Boston Globe
Cinnamon Raisin Buns - I can almost smell the warm cinnamon scent in my kitchen right now. This recipe might be a little involved, but it sounds great. Even better - this recipe does not call for almonds, or walnuts, or some other nut that I don't like.
Gluten Free Gingerbread Cake with Maple Frosting - I know there is only a very small portion of the population that is allergic to gluten, however I do have a friend that has such an allergy. We also have a friend who has limited her son's exposure to gluten. This recipe is for them.

Cape Cod Times
Throw a Roll-Your-Own-Sushi Party - I have made sushi a couple of times in the past. A little fish really does go a long way.
The Year in Food - 2011 - So people really spend time trying to figure out what the new "It" food is going to be for the next year? Oh bacon is so 2009... really? Gimme a break.

Chicago Tribune
Best Recipes from 2011 - If you are going to do a review of the previous year, review recipes. For some reason the "Lentils like Baked Beans" sounds intriguing.

Cleveland Plains Dealer
Favorite Recipes of 2011 - The Darkest Chocolate Ice Cream in the World almost makes me want to go out and buy an ice cream maker. It sounds incredibly decadent.

Hartford Courant
Don's Best Biscuits - These look really simple to make. With a food processor and a preheated oven it looks like you could have freshly baked biscuits in about 20 minutes.
Soy Sauce Cilantro Noodles - I don't know if these are appetizers, but this sounds like it would be good as a base for an Asian style chicken or beef main dish. I would replace the powdered ginger with fresh ginger, however.

Los Angeles Times
Barbecue Pork Ribs and Sweet Rice - Both of these sound like they would make a great meal. I don't have anything else to contribute.

New Orleans Times-Picayune
Dity Bird Seed - I have no idea if this will actually taste good, but I had to post it for "O", as he is an Atlanta Falcons fan. Maybe he can make some one day and see if it is any good.

San Francisco Chronicle
Ginger-Poached Chicken & Wonton Soup - A really light soup like this sounds good to have after a month of over-indulging.

Toronto Globe and Mail
Fudgy Chocolate Squares - Not exactly all homemade, but these look to be easy to make.

Recipe: Easy Baked Jalapeno Poppers

2011-12-27T21:49:00.000-06:00

My wife had a very good friend of hers, John, and his wife come into town for the Holiday season. John grew up in Texas and since he was due to come over for dinner, his request was for “Texas food”, whatever that meant. So I racked my brain for things other than just Tex-Mex (I already have plenty of those recipes on the site so far) and I came up with a game plan. The appetizer was going to be Jalapeno Poppers.

My wife had two different friends that had made poppers in the past, but the first one made his on the grill, and the second one would not return my wife’s calls. I needed to come up with an alternate recipe. Since I didn’t want to grill them, the traditional method is to deep-fry. Now every time I have deep-fried anything in the house my wife has complained about the cooking oil smell, so that method was out.

I went to try and find a baking recipe, but all of them required a messy batter. My alternative was to use panko bread crumbs and just press them into the cream cheese filling. I tried it and it worked really well. The panko gave it a nice crunch without battering. The cream cheese did drip out of a couple of the ends, however, but everyone really enjoyed them.

The added benefit was that these were somewhat healthier than traditional jalapeno poppers. I’m guessing you could make these even healthier by using reduced fat cheese and cream cheese.

Easy Baked Jalapeno Poppers

INGREDIENTS

12 fresh jalapeno peppers, halved lengthwise, stems, seeds and membranes removed

6 oz cream cheese, softened

2 cups Mexican style or Mozzarella cheese, shredded

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp cayenne, or less, to taste

1 cup panko crumbs, or fine dry breadcrumbs

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a baking rack on top of a rimmed baking sheet and set aside.

In a bowl, cream together the cream cheese, Mexican cheese, chili powder, onion powder, cumin, and cayenne.

In a shallow dish, add the panko crumbs. Spread 1 tablespoon of the cheese mixture into the middle of each jalapeno half. One at a time press the cream cheese side of the popper down into the panko crumbs, pressing to coat.

Place the poppers, cheese side up, on the prepared baking rack and bake until the filling begins to run out of the end and the panko is golden, about 30 minutes.

Food Sections: 12-21-11

2011-12-21T22:33:00.001-06:00

Arizona Republic
Homemade Creamy French Onion Dip - I know using the packet is much easier, but the fact that this recipe uses fresh ingredients that you have better control over just sounds better.

Boston Globe
1 Hour Anise Flavored Moroccan Challah - I really like Challah bread, and I really like the fact that this can be made in about 1 hour. I might think about removing the anise, though.

Chicago Tribune
Homemade Crackers - I've heard that crackers are easy to make, and the "Seedy Crisps" sound better than their name.

Hartford Courant
Eggnog Bread Pudding - This sounds so rich and delicious and a good alternate use of eggnog.

Houston Chronicle
Gingerbread House Disasters Part 2 - I never saw part 1, but some of these pictures were pretty funny. Particularly the last one. I think the caption really made it.

Kansas City Star
Penne con Salsiccia - This looks like a great simple dish for those times when you need to feed 10 people but do not have the time or energy to go all out.

Los Angeles Times
Sour Cherry Rugelach Cookies - These just look good and since I think cherries are in season about now, these might be a good cookie to test out for adding to the Christmas cookie list.

New York Times
Easy Christmas Pudding - What may not be so easy is readily finding some of the ingredients. One could consider adjusting some of the ingredients, though.

Recipe: Bean Burritos

2011-12-20T22:56:00.000-06:00

This is a really simple and basic recipe, but there is one ingredient I have added that I have not seen in other recipes. It is one ingredient that helps make this taste much better than a burrito with plain refried beans.

The trick is to add a concentrate of beef bouillon to the refried beans. You do not want to add too much water or the beans will become too soupy, so instead of using a full cup of water to make the bouillon you will use only 2 Tbsp. This will impart the entire flavor of the bouillon. You will want to put the beef bouillon in a small enough container so that the 2 Tbsp of water will cover the bouillon.

Just like the breakfast burritos, these bean burritos can be individually frozen, wrapped in wax paper, and then reheated in a microwave oven for about 1 ½ minutes. These make for a fast and easy lunch (or dinner) to grab instead of having to get questionable fast food.

Bean Burritos

INGREDIENTS

1 beef bouillon cube

2 Tbsp water

16 oz can refried beans

2 Tbsp chili powder

2 Tbsp dried minced onions or 2 Tbsp fresh onions, minced

½ cup salsa

8 oz Mexican cheese, shredded

8 flour tortillas

In a small microwaveable container, cook the beef bouillon and water on high for about 1 minute.

In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, add the refried beans, the bouillon concentrate, chili powder, onions and salsa. Cook until the refried beans and the rest of the ingredients are heated through and well combined. Let sit on low for about 5 – 10 minutes to allow all of the flavors to meld.

Place about 1/3 cup refried beans in one of the flour tortillas and top with 1 oz of cheese. Wrap each burrito and wrap in wax paper, if needed.

You may want to pop these on a griddle to toast the outside of the tortillas and melt the cheese before serving.

Recipe: Freshe’s Pork Tacos & Creamy Chipotle Sauce

2011-12-19T22:51:00.001-06:00

If I recall correctly, this recipe comes from one of O’s friends. My understanding of the story goes that Freshe took a trip to Mexico one year. During his travels, he wanted to really learn about Mexican cooking and eat what the locals eat. By watching and asking questions of an old Mexican lady while she cooked these tacos, he learned this recipe. I do suspect, though, that it has been adjusted to make do with what we have available here in the states.

Now of course, I could be completely off base and his buddy got this recipe from the back of a can of chipotles. Either way I had these tacos at my sister’s house and they were fantastic. And since his name was already attached to this recipe I kept it. So if you do make these tacos and like them, give a small moment of thanks to Freshe.

Freshe’s Pork Tacos & Creamy Chipotle Sauce

INGREDIENTS

Pork Butt

1 pork butt (between 7 and 12 pounds)
Chipotle Powder
Kosher salt
Olive oil
Creamy Chipotle Sauce

4 plum tomatoes, cut in halves

¼ of an onion

1 can of chipotle in adobo sauce (1-2 Tbsp of the sauce and 2 or more chilies)

16 ounce sour cream (fat free is fine)

1 garlic clove, minced

Pork Butt

Rub the oil over every inch of the pork butt. Repeat with the salt and the chipotle powder. Be generous with the dry ingredients. Since the meat has a lot of fat much of the chipotle powder and salt may end up melting off during cooking. You want to aim for a good, smoked/ salted/ fatty crust on the outside. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

Remove the plastic wrap and place in a roasting pan. Cook for 6 hours in a 315F oven. Baste every hour starting 2-3 hours into the cooking. You want the outside to be crusty and burnt (the bark) and the inside to be juicy almost falling apart. Let the pork butt rest and shred the pork with forks (or Bear Claws).

Creamy Chipotle Sauce

In a skillet on high sear the tomatoes, the onion, and the garlic. You want to see the outside of the tomatoes turn black. Move the seared vegetables into a blender. Add a few of the chipotle peppers and some of the sauce. That stuff is very hot, so go slowly. You can always add more. As the oils from the chilies distribute through the sauce it will get hotter over time. Add the sour cream. Blend until it is creamy and fully incorporated. It should be creamy, smoky, and piquant.

Serve the shredded pork meat in one or two of the warmed corn tortillas with a little of the sauce.

Recipe: Cinnamon Banana Pancakes

2011-12-16T22:14:00.001-06:00

About every other Saturday I make pancakes for my family. My oldest loves them so I’ll try and make a double batch of them and then freeze them with small pieces of wax paper to separate them in the Ziploc Freezer bag.

You can either mash the bananas up relatively fine or leave in large chunks in the batter, depending on how you prefer it. If you haven’t made pancakes before, you may end up with a bad batch the first time around. Once you’ve done it once or twice, though you should get the hang of it pretty quickly.

Cinnamon Banana Pancakes

INGREDIENTS

2 cups bisquick

1 cup milk

1 egg

2 Tbsp sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp vanilla

2 tsp cinnamon

1 banana

Mix together the bisquick, milk, egg, sugar, baking powder, vanilla, cinnamon and the banana together in a large bowl and mix until just blended. Do not over-mix or the pancakes may be tough.

On a preheated griddle set at 325, spoon about ¼ cup of the batter for each pancake and cook until the edges are dry and the top appears to have just set. The bottom should be golden. Flip the pancake and cook until the other side is golden.

Food Sections: 12-14-11

2011-12-14T21:04:00.002-06:00

Austin 360
Food Gifts - This is exactly what we are doing with the blackberry syrup that we made. In this article are a number of recipes for other gift ideas.

Arizona Republic
Cranberry Chipotle Meatballs - I tend to prefer to put out meatballs from Ikea (yes, Ikea has food) along with some of their mustard for dipping just due to the ease of setting it up, but this sounded like a nice change with a little sweet and spicy.

Boston Globe
Best-Guess Wonton Soup - I really like wonton soup, and this recipe sounded pretty good. I think the key to a good wonton soup is the quality of the stock that is used to make it.
Shrimp and Grits - My mother has a good recipe for Shrimp and Grits (that I may post at some time in the future). Always good to try other recipes, though, if for nothing else to get ideas on how to make your best recipe better.

Hartford CourantFruitcake You Won't Throw Away - I've made a really good fruitcake in the past that was similar to this recipe, but had adult spirits in the cake and fruit to give it more flavor.

San Francisco Gate
Filipino Feast for Christmas - This article has a couple of interesting recipes, as well as a little insight into another culture's Christmas traditions.

UK Telegraph
Carrots with Tarragon and Garlic - I never see enough recipes that call for tarragon, and I do love garlic.

Seattle Times
All About Nutmeg - Just what it says.
Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Balsamic Vinegar - I have had a good recipe for Brussels spouts that my wife made so I do like them. Bacon has to make them even better,

Miami Sun Sentinel
Gluten-Free French Onion Soup - French onion soup is so basic, yet so good. I don't know if the gluten-free makes a difference, but I do have friends with gluten sensitivities, so why not give it a try?