Two Can Skillet

Moved on

2012-06-18T17:15:00.003-07:00

For quite some time I wasn't happy with the direction of this blog so I've started fresh somewhere else. I'm really bad at breaking up but 2nd time is a charm right?

You can find my new food, projects & daily doings here: seethismakethatbekind.wordpress.com

Weekend Brunch: Homemade Maple Bacon Donuts

2011-03-13T21:05:00.000-07:00

Ever since I started this blogging thing, I started saving 4-6 recipes to try out during the weekend. Not only does the weekend allow me to test, taste and remake recipes but from my experience pictures taken during the day look so much better.

I was an art minor in college and spent my time with botanical drawings and painting landscapes. I regret to this day not making the time for a photography class. So here I am, learning day by day what makes a food shot look styled and professional. Obviously my end result is to make you want to try my recipes. A couple of things I'm trying out: white plate & white tablecloth. Let me know what you think.

A more important topic on the agenda, donuts. I've been eyeballing this shortcut donut recipe for a while. I was motivated to make them as a going away present for a friend/follower. I hope she enjoys them.

Homemade Maple Bacon Donuts Adapted from Serious Eats
Ingredients:
1 roll of biscuits (I used the Trader Joe's brand)
8 cups of vegetable oil

Maple Glaze
1 c powdered sugar
2 tbs maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla

2 cooked slices of bacon crumbled

Tools: 1 dutch oven or wok, chopsticks or thongs to flip the donuts and an oil & candy thermometer

Deep frying foods has always been intimidating to do on my own. I feel most comfortable using my wok to deep fry foods but just make sure whatever you use is tall enough so that the oil doesn't spill over.

Pour 8 cups of oil into your deep frying pan, turn heat on high and prep the donut dough while the temperature of the oil rises.

Unroll the can of biscuits, I love the popping noise that the container makes when you break it open. Do your best to keep the dough in a nice circular shape. Cut out the donut holes using a cookie cutter or something similar in shape (I used my Sigg lid).

Once the oil registers 350 degrees on the candy thermometer begin to gently drop the dough into the oil. Fry about 3-4 donuts at a time depending on the size of your pan.

Fry the donut for about a minute and a half and using chopsticks or thongs flip the donut onto the other side. Cook for another minute and then transfer the cooked donuts to a paper towel lined plate.

While frying the donuts, mix the glaze in a small bowl. Stir together the powdered sugar, maple and vanilla until you have a smooth glaze.

Once the donuts are done, dip the top half of the donut into the glaze. Set aside on a plate and sprinkle the crumbled bacon on top of the donut glaze.

Eat with coffee. High consumption of donuts will motivate you to go on the longest run you've ever been on.

Taco Tuesday: Cancun Tacos

2011-03-08T21:52:00.000-08:00

This dish is my interpretation of a dish my husband consistently orders at our favorite Mexican restaurant. It is very similar to pollo en crema (the Mexican version of a red Alfredo sauce) and on top of having chicken, it also has shrimp and crab. Next time I make it I plan on adding more mushrooms, I love the taste that they bring to this dish.

Ingredients:
4-6 medium sized cooked shrimp
1/4 c cooked crab meat
1/4 c shredded cooked chicken
1/4 of an onion chopped
2 cloves of garlic minced
1 c mushrooms chopped
1 tomato chopped
1/2 c chicken broth
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp salt
2 tbs milk
1/3 c sour cream
1/2 c shredded monterey jack
6-8 corn tortillas

In a skillet, saute the onion and garlic in oil until translucent then add the mushrooms.

Stir in the chicken broth, paprika, salt and tomatoes and simmer for about 5 minutes.

Add in the shrimp, crab meat and chicken.

Gently fold in the sour cream and milk. Once all of the ingredients have been mixed together well, sprinkle the shredded monterey jack over the dish.

Broil the dish for about 5 minutes until it comes out slightly golden end bubbly.

Spoon out into warm tortillas and enjoy.

You might have to eat these tacos with a fork.

Weekend Brunch: Savory Crepes

2011-03-06T21:15:00.000-08:00

As a child, the crepes I had were made by my grandma and filled with berries, jams, cottage cheese, whipped cream and powdered sugar. Being picky for the first 20 years of my life, I naturally resisted these burrito style crepes. It just didn't seem like an appetizing meal. Similar to my dislike for mustard, beans or avocados I slowly realized that I must be missing out on something that the greater population enjoyed.

These crepes are super simple to whip up and you can wrap them around any type of scramble.

Ingredients
Crepe:
4 eggs
1/2 c Bisquick
1/4 c cream (half and half or heavy whipping cream)
oil or butter for the pan

Filling:
2 eggs
1/8 of an onion diced
4 asparagus stalks
2 mushrooms
1/4 bell pepper chopped
1 dollop of sour cream
salt & pepper

Put all of the ingredients into a blender and puree until there are no lumps left over. If you are doing this by hand use a whisk and whisk hard.

Coat a skillet with olive oil or butter and turn heat onto medium-low. Pour 1/4 cup of batter onto the skillet and swirl around so the batter covers the entire pan.

Cook for about 30 seconds to a minute until the underside looks brown and flip the crepe. Cook for another 30 seconds to a minute and set aside. Repeat this process again until you've used up all of the batter.

For the filling saute the onion, asparagus, mushrooms and bell pepper until cooked thoroughly. About 5-8 minutes. Set the vegetables aside and scramble your two eggs. Once the eggs are halfway cooked add in your chopped veggies. Wrap the veggie and egg scramble into the crepe with a dollop of sour cream.

Taco Tuesday: Lobster Avocado Tacos

2011-03-01T18:45:00.000-08:00

I have come to the conclusion that standing alone, crab is better than lobster . . . unless it's used as an ingredient. I had left over lobster from my father-in-laws birthday so I spent all day trying to decide what to make:

~~lobster pot pie~~
~~lobster bisque~~
~~lobster risotto~~
~~lobster mac & cheese~~
~~lobster chowder~~
~~lobster pizza~~
~~lobster rolls~~
lobster tacos

I know, I'm a genius. If you don't have leftover lobster, the langostino tails from the freezer section of Trader Joe's work perfectly.

Ingredients
1 cup cooked lobster meat (or langostino tails)
1 avocado diced
2 tbs mayonaise
1 lime juiced
1/8 c chopped cilantro
2 green onions chopped
1/4 of a red cabbage head, shredded
1 tbs rice vinegar
salt and pepper
6-8 corn tortillas warmed
hot sauce
Serve with a Paloma

In a bowl, combine the lobster, avocado, mayonnaise, cilantro, lime juice and green onions. Season with salt and pepper.

In another bowl toss the shredded cabbage and rice vinegar.

Toss some red cabbage into a warm tortilla and spoon two scoops of lobster over the cabbage.

Quench your thirst with a Paloma

2011-02-28T19:09:00.000-08:00

Two days ago they predicted snow would fall in San Francisco. Snow did fall, but only on the highest point in SF. Today the sun is beaming into the house but deceivingly there is a layer of frost on the rooftops and ice anywhere water was once standing. I'm not going to complain, I'm just going to pretend it is warm by cranking up the heater and making a drink that is supposed to be made during hot and humid weather.

Ingredients
1 shot of tequila (2 oz)
1/4 shot of triple sec
1 can of Squirt
1/2 lime
rock salt
1 mason jar

Fill a shallow bowl with rock salt. Take your mason jar and run the rim under water. Dip the mason jar into the bowl so the entire rim is lined with salt.

Fill the mason jar with ice.

Pour one shot (2 oz) of tequila and one quarter of a shot of triple sec into the jar.

Fill the remainder of the jar with Squirt and squeeze half of a lime over the top of the drink. Stick a straw into that mason jar, pretend it's sunny, pretend you're on a beach somewhere with sand sticking to your legs because you are so sweaty from the heat and drink.

Weekend Brunch: Sour Cream Pancakes

2011-02-27T13:36:00.000-08:00

I originally found these sour cream pancakes on Smitten Kitchen's blog who got it from Ree Drummond's cookbook. I am not lying when I say that this is the ONLY pancake recipe that I have used since I originally stumbled upon Smiten Kitchen's post a year ago.

The recipe is perfectly sized for two. I get about 7 fluffy five inch pancakes out of this recipe.

7 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/ 2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sour cream (I swapped some with yogurt when I realized I was short, to no ill-effect)
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Butter or oil
Maple syrup

In a bowl stir together all of the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking soda and the salt).

Gently mix in the sour cream.

In a separate bowl, whisk the two eggs with the vanilla extract. Add into the batter.

In a skillet on medium heat coated with oil or butter, scoop two spoonfuls of batter onto the hot skillet.

Once bubbles begin to form at the very edge of the pancake batter, it's time to gently flip them over. This should take around 1-2 minutes depending on how hot your skillet is.

Cook for another 1-2 minutes until the goo on the outside of the pancake doesn't look runny. These pancakes get puffy so make sure and pat them down with a spatula a couple of times. Serve with maple syrup and enjoy every minute of these pancakes. They go way too fast.

Taco Tuesday: Ground Turkey Tacos (like the ones your mom used to make)

2011-02-22T19:10:00.000-08:00

There is one staple that we always had in our home when I was a kid and that was tortillas. Corn tortillas, flour tortillas, burrito sized tortillas and even sun dried tortillas. On any given day, if you are ever a guest at my parent's house, look into their fridge and I bet you $100 that they have both of those items. Make it $1,000.

It has been a family joke for years but my mom is a compulsive tortilla buyer and I adopted that habit. The only difference is I only eat corn tortillas and I buy mine at Costco and stick them in the freezer.

This taco Tuesday I decided to adapt my mom's recipe: ground beef, Lawry's taco seasoning packet, cheese, hot sauce and stewed tomatoes. I'm sure you've had them before.

Ingredients:
1/2 package of ground turkey (or 1/2 lb)
1 bell pepper chopped
1/4 onion chopped
1 jalapeno chopped
2 cloves of garlic chopped
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp paprika
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
2/3 c tomato sauce
cilantro, shredded cabbage and shredded cheddar cheese for garnish

In a hot skillet with oil pre-cook the ground turkey breaking apart the pieces with a wooden spoon. Pour out any liquids left over from cooking.

Add in the chopped bell pepper, onion, jalapeno and garlic. Saute until the onions are transparent.

Next add all of the herbs and spices. Depending on the heat you like you can always add more cayenne pepper.

Add the tomato sauce and cook on medium heat until the meat has soaked up the spices and tomato sauce. Set aside with the shredded cheese and shredded cabbage and enjoy a really easy meal and just call me Jacqui Crocker.

Homemade Dog Cookies

2011-02-21T21:26:00.000-08:00

According to a video made by Nova, dogs have the level of intelligence to understand a full range of words other than sit, down and roll over. Today I spent the day getting our dog Lucy to understand the words cookie, toy and clean up. By the end of the day she understood cookie and toy but we're still working on the words "clean up".

In all seriousness, all of the scares in the last couple of years with dog food laced with contaminated wheat gluten caused us to be extra cautious about the food we serve Lucy. In addition to $50 bags of dog food every month, we feed Lucy a homemade meal once or twice a week and lately I've been baking her homemade dog cookies. Have I mentioned yet that our dog is spoiled?

Similar to the baked goods I make these dog cookies get distributed to family and neighbors. I like to add parsley to this recipe (which helps eliminate bad dog breath) and blueberries (dogs love them, did you see Fantastic Mr. Fox?).

Nico, a chiweenie and my dog niece, says that she smacks her lips after eating my dog cookies because they are that good.

Ingredients
1 c flour
1/2 c wheat germ
3/4 c beef or chicken broth
1 c smooth peanut butter
2 cloves of garlic minced
1/4 dried blueberries
1/4 c chopped parsley

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a bowl combine the flour, wheat germ, chicken broth, peanut butter and minced garlic.

Fold in the parsley and dried blueberries.

Roll the dough out onto a floured surface (the dough should be about 1/4" thick). Cut the dough into rectangles or use your favorite cookie cutter to cut out shapes.

Bake for 20 minutes (or until golden brown). Let cool and serve.

Weekend Brunch: Sweet Potato Pecan Buns with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Glaze

2011-02-20T21:31:00.000-08:00

Since I got my espresso maker for Valentines Day I have a new morning routine. Who cares about breakfast, all I care about is coffee! Over the last week my coffee addition has gotten to the point where my body does not react to normal doses of caffeine.

This morning I decided to change the pace, committing to starting breakfast first, then I walked the dog, then I made coffee, then I cleaned the kitchen, and then I ate breakfast. If you're in a rush, start this recipe the night before. I promise I will go easy on the coffee moving forward.

Sweet Potato Butter Buns with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Glaze
Recipe Adapted from Smitten Kitchen

Dough
1 c milk
3 tbs unsalted butter
3 1/2 c unbleached all purpose flour (don't pour it all in at once)
1/2 c sugar
1 lg egg
2 1/4 tsp yeast
1 tsp salt
Extra butter for greasing your pan

Filling
3-4 tbs golden brown sugar
1/2 c finely chopped pecans
1 c sweet potato butter (or apple butter or any other fruit butter you have available)

Glaze
4 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
1 c powdered sugar
1/4 c unsalted butter, room temperature
1 tbs cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

To make the dough put the butter and milk in a bowl and microwave for about 30 seconds.

Once the butter is fully melted, combine one cup of flour, sugar, the egg, yeast and salt in a large mixing bowl. If you have an electric mixer use it! Stir all of the ingredients together until fully incorporated.

Add the last 2 1/2 c of flour one cup at a time. The dough should begin to ball up. If the dough is too sticky, keep adding more flour.

Knead for about 8 minutes (I forgot to mention that this recipe includes a workout).

Oil a clean bowl and coat the dough lightly with oil. Cover the bowl with saran wrap and a towel and store for two hours in a warm, draft free spot until the dough has doubled in size.

Just so you're prepared, butter your baking dish ahead of time. A 9x9 baking dish works perfect for these buns. (This is when you can walk the dog, run, take a shower, do what you need to do)

On a floured surface, roll your dough out with a rolling pin. If you prefer smaller buns, break the dough into four sections.

Once the dough is rolled out (about 1/4 inch thick) in the shape of a rectangle, spoon on your sweet potato butter and sprinkle with brown sugar and pecans.

Starting on the long side of the dough, roll the dough into one long log.

Cut the dough through the log. You should be able to cut about 9 circular sections more if you are making smaller buns.

Place the sections of dough into your pre-buttered baking dish. Leave a little space between each section of dough.

Set aside for another 45 minutes (or until they have doubled in size).

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bake for 20 minutes and while the buns are in the oven mix up your glaze.

Combine the cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla extract with a mixer. Beat until ingredients are well combined.

Take the buns out of the oven and let cool for 10 minutes.

According to the recipe you should invert the rolls onto a rack; however I missed this step and they still turned out alright. I can see how esthetically this would make a difference.With a spoon or knife, layer the cinnamon cream cheese glaze over the top of the cinnamon rolls. They should be just warm enough that the glaze melts slightly.

Eat while hot.

Taco Tuesday : Masa Pockets

2011-02-15T21:43:00.000-08:00

I managed to get this recipe out last night but before I wrote anything our internet went down. We've been hit hard with non stop rain, the water is so high on the road it creates a wave that splashes into our front yard. Last night I saw someone get hit by one of these waves. Now I'm heading out to face the rain. I can't find my rain boots, I don't have a proper rain jacket but I do have a big umbrella, wish me luck.

Ingredients
1 c masa harina
3 tbs flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 c water (added in 1 tbs at a time)
Filling
1/2 c corn
1/2 c cooked shrimp chopped
1/4 c shredded fontina
oil for pan frying

In a bowl combine the masa harina, flour, baking soda and salt.

One tablespoon at a time, add water to the dry ingredients until a nice ball is formed. The dough should not crumble easily and it should not have a sticky texture.

Take a golf sized piece of dough and roll it into a ball. Use a rolling pin to roll it out flat like a tortilla.

Spoon a teaspoon of corn a couple pieces of shrimp onto the masa dough.

Add the cheese.

Fold in half and pinch the edges together, making a half circle shape.If some of the sections are difficult, keep working the dough, it will mend together.

In a skillet on high heat add about 2 tablespoons of oil. Place the masa pockets into the pan and cook on each side for about 2-3 minutes until golden brown.

When they're done place them onto a paper towel to absorb the extra oil and eat them while they're hot!

Weekend Brunch: Leek and Feta Greek Quiche

2011-02-13T11:58:00.000-08:00

A while back I wrote about how I once imagined married life on the weekend
7:30AM wake up
7:45AM start breakfast & homemade lattes
8:30 AM sit next to a sunny window and read the newspaper, drink a delicious homemade latte and a savory breakfast (aka: google reader and NYT online)

My dream is now reality. My husband does not surprise me with gifts, he gives me options. Dearest Jacqueline, for Valentine's Day since I love you so much I want to buy you a KithenAid mixer or an espresso machine. In hopes that KitchenAid will find my food blog the perfect path for advertising they'll just send me a mixer, I went with the espresso maker. Talk about instant gratification, the perfect buzz and more cohesive mornings.

I enjoy the thrill of receiving gifts, so I'm saving my Valentine's Day gift for my husband until tomorrow. I did make him this Amazing Greek Quiche

Leek and Feta Greek Quiche
Recipe adapted from: My Greek Ambition

Ingredients:
1 onion, chopped
2 tbs butter
4 tbs olive oil
2 c leeks chopped
1 c plain Greek yogurt
1 c flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
3 lg eggs lightly whisked
1 package of feta cheese (buy a block of feta and then crumble by hand)
1 tbs dried dill
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease a pie pan or spring form pan. Turn your skillet onto medium high heat. Melt the butter in the skillet and add the olive oil. Toss in the onions and saute until transparent. Add the leeks and saute for about 5 more minutes until leeks are wilted.

In a mixing bowl sift the flour and baking soda.

Add the slightly beaten eggs and yogurt to the dry ingredients. After everything is thoroughly combined, crumble the feta and lightly fold it into the batter.

Pour the ingredients into your greased pan, sprinkle the dill over the top of the batter and cook for 40-45 minutes.

The result is a gorgeous golden crust and a light savory quiche.

Taco Tuesday: Quinoa and Corn SalsaTacos

2011-02-10T21:11:00.000-08:00

Taco Tuesday has been delayed but I have a really good excuse. Yesterday, I noticed that Ree Drummond of Pioneer Woman Cooks was doing a book signing in SF for her new book Black Heels to Tractor Wheels--A Love Story. Not my evening planned out at all, I sporadically grabbed my sister-in-law and dragged her out to the book signing. At about 7PM Ree arrived with her three daughters to a crowd of devotees.

Ree did a great Q&A session answering questions ranging from how she doesn't gain weight when all of her recipes contain butter and cream to how she keeps such a good relationship with her husband. I was thrilled when I heard that Elise from Simply Recipes was in the crowd as well.

Upon arriving at the bookstore, I had been given the letter "K" which identified when I could get my book signed. A couple of phone calls, a long bathroom line, one coffee and two hours later they were just calling letter "G". In desperation, I had to make a decision to wait it out another hour or so to get my book signed, or catch my last bus home.

And that's why Taco Tuesday was delayed.

Quinoa and Corn Salsa Tacos
Ingredients
1 c quinoa
1/4 c red onion diced
1/2 c corn
1/2 c bell pepper diced
1 avocado diced
1/2 c black beans
1/2 jalapeno minced
1/8 c chopped cilantro
2 limes juiced
salt and pepper
6-8 corn tortillas
queso fresco

In a bowl toss the quinoa and chopped up vegetables together.

Squeeze the lime juice over the mixture and season accordingly with salt and pepper.

To assemble the taco spoon the quinoa and corn salsa into the corn tortillas and crumble some queso fresco over the top.

Weekend Brunch: Mango Carrot Smoothies

2011-02-06T08:48:00.000-08:00

~~On foodie weekends such as Super Bowl weekend, I like to take on a lighter breakfast.~~ I made way too much food last night so I can't even imagine eating a big breakfast. First I made homemade cheeze-its and snacked on a couple. I made a homemade salsa for my husband to eat while I was slaving away in the kitchen. My mind is so cloudy I can't remember what I made next. Wait, I remember . . . I mixed up some polomas a drink with tequila, Squirt, lime juice and salt all in a mason jar over ice. I'm not finished, I made dinner which was a turkey quinoa meatloaf with lemon roasted asparagus, and then I made dog biscuits to ship out to my sister (I know you're thinking it and I did not sample those). I topped it off with some homemade soft pretzels, they were so soft, chewy, buttery and salty that I could not stop eating them hence the liquid diet this morning.

When it comes to smoothies I'm a texture girl. I don't like seedy smoothies, I hate when smoothies are too liquidy and chunks in my smoothies give me the goosebumps. This smoothie has never failed me. It is always smooth and consistent and I promise you it does not taste like carrot juice.

Mango Carrot Smoothies
Ingredients
2 c carrot juice
2 c frozen mangos

You can use store bought or homemade carrot juice. Just make sure the carrot juice is pure carrot juice without any other juices or added sugar.

First add the carrot juice and then add the frozen mangoes.

Blend.

Pour.

Cheers to an easy, light breakfast. As for the Super Bowl let the best men win.

Taco Tuesday: Salsa Verde Pork Tacos

2011-02-01T19:28:00.000-08:00

I typically like to spend the last part of my weekend cooking and baking. Why? I love being able to come home at 7PM and whip dinner together in a matter of minutes. If I don't do this, I end up making instant mashed potatoes or resorting to our local taqueria.

What did I manage to do this Sunday? I sorted receipts for taxes (30 min), read my Google Reader, went to a friends house, watched two movies, cleaned a bit, walked the dog and microwaved soup and made a grilled cheese sandwich. I almost forgot, I put pork butt into a crock pot with some other ingredients to make the best salsa verde pork tacos that I've ever had. Alas, it was so easy I didn't take pictures.

Not my typical Sunday but so far I'm happy with the outcome.

Recipe adapted from Sunset.com

Ingredients
1 1/2 lbs pork shoulder (pork butt)
1 jar of salsa verde-I bought mine at Trader Joes
1/2 onion chopped
1 1/2 c chicken broth
2 tsp cumin seeds
2 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp dried oregano
6-8 corn tortillas
1/4 c chopped cilantro

*Pork shoulder is typically sold bone in, I bought a larger piece of pork shoulder and cut it in half (awkwardly around the bone) and froze the rest for later. I recommend next time just buying your pork butt without the bone and chop it into quarters, it will cook quicker and you don't have to buy it in such a large hunk.

Trim the fat off of the pork butt.

In a crockpot toss in the pork butt, pour in almost all of your bottle of the salsa verde saving the last bit for garnish. Add in the chopped onion, chicken broth, cumin seeds, coriander seeds and dried oregano.

Turn the crockpot onto low heat and cook for 7 to 9 hours.

The meat should fork apart easily. Remove any extra fatty pieces.

To ensemble your tacos put a layer of shredded pork into the tortilla, spoon some salsa verde over the top and garnish with chopped cilantro and minced red onions. .

Please make this tomorrow, or even better . . . for your Super Bowl gathering!

Weekend Brunch: Breakfast Casserole

2011-01-30T10:20:00.000-08:00

It has been 3 years since I lived in Daly City, CA. Daly City appealed to me for two reasons:

I could see the ocean from my place
It was cheap

What I discovered the day I moved into my apartment next to the beach, is that the town is blanketed in fog 350 days of the year. Daly City fog means not being able to see your neighbors house across the street. Lets just say I'm much happier living north of San Francisco and out of the fog.

It has also been 3 years since I made this breakfast casserole. The source of this recipe has been forgotten as well, I want to say I found it in a Cooking Light magazine, but after multiple Google searches nothing came up. The recipe is very forgiving and can handle a variety of breakfast meats and/or vegetables.

Ingredients
Serves 2
4 eggs
1/4 c milk
salt & pepper
1/2 bell pepper diced
1/4 c diced ham
1/8 c red onion diced
1 c frozen hashed browns
1/4 c asparagus diced (optional)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Grease a small baking dish with butter (8" pie dish or your smallest rectangular dish, a skillet will work as well).

Chop up the bell peppers, ham, onion and asparagus and toss into the baking dish.

Measure out 1 cup of hashed browns and mix with the vegetables.

Whisk the egg, milk, salt and pepper together. Pour egg mixture over the vegetables, ham and hashed browns.

Sprinkle cheddar cheese over the top of the casserole and bake for 45 minutes or until egg is cooked all the way through.

Taco Tueday: Asian Beef Tacos

2011-01-25T21:50:00.000-08:00

Time to shake it up, time for a little taco fusion. For the last year every food blog has been writing about these Korean or Asian tacos but I haven't had the opportunity to find them in a food cart setting. After eating these tacos, I'm ready to hunt down some taco trucks to compare.

Ingredients
1 tbs garlic
2 tbs soy sauce
3 tbs fish sauce
4 tbs brown sugar
1 tsp sesame oil
dash of pepper
1/2 lb flank steak
1/2 c daikon, julienned
1/2 c carrots, julienned
1/4 c warm water
1/4 c rice wine vinegar
5 tbs sugar
1 tsp salt
1/3 c cucumber sliced thin
1/8 c cilantro
6-8 corn tortillas

Marinate the steak about an hour or more before cooking.

In a bowl whisk together the garlic, soy sauce, fish sauce, brown sugar, sesame oil and pepper. Place steak in the marinade, cover and set aside for an hour or more.

Prep and pickle the daikon and carrots.

In a bowl whisk the warm water, rice wine vinegar, sugar and salt. Toss in the daikon and carrots and set aside.

In a hot oiled skillet, cook the steak for about 3 minutes on each side. Once the steak is cooked, let it sit for about 5 minutes before slicing thinly against the grain.

Take out the pickled daikon and carrots and drain the vinegar mixture. To prepare the tacos take warm corn tortillas and pile on the thinly sliced steak. Toss some of the pickled vegetables on the top and garnish with sliced cucumbers and cilantro.

Weekend Brunch: Sage Biscuit Breakfast Sandwiches

2011-01-23T21:04:00.000-08:00

Me name is Breakfast Sandwich Monster. Sometimes me think what is love, and then me think love is what last breakfast sandwich is for. Me give up the last breakfast sandwich for you.

-Quote Adapted from Cookie Monster

Sage Biscuit Breakfast Sandwiches

Serves 4 sandwiches which can easily be eaten by two people, feel free to double the recipe if need be.

1 c flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/4 tsp sugar

1 tbs dried sage

3/4 c heavy cream

2 tbs melted butter

2 eggs

2 slices of bacon

2 slices of cheddar cheese

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. In a bowl add the flour.

Then add the baking powder and baking soda.

Next add some salt and sugar.

And finally add the sage. With a fork mix the dry ingredients together.

Pour the cream into the flour mixture.

Mix all of the ingredients together.

Flour your hands and separate the dough into 4 balls. Flatten them into 1/2 inch thick and 3 inch discs and place on a baking sheet. Brush the melted butter over the biscuit dough and then bake for 15-20 minutes.

In the meantime, cook up your bacon and fry your egg to your liking. If you like a runny egg, wait until you have the biscuits out of the oven.

Once the biscuits are out of the oven, take a knife and slice the biscuits open.To ensemble your sandwich, place the egg on the bottom side of the biscuit, layer on the cheese next and then finally place your bacon on top. Cover the bacon with the top of the biscuit. Umm-num-num-num-num.

Focaccia bread- Uhhhmazing

2011-01-21T19:13:00.000-08:00

Whenever good bread is in my house, it creates a centrifugal force pulling me and my husband in for more. We orbit around the bread tearing off pieces and snacking until (within about 2-3 hours) the bread is gone.

I came across this focaccia bread recipe three weeks ago and it has a strong centrifugal force. I've made it 3 times already and I think I'm addicted

Easy, Homemade Focaccia Bread
Recipe adapted from Nobil Pig

Ingredients

1-3/4 c warm water
1 package active dry yeast
1 tbs sugar
5 c all purpose flour, plus additional for kneading
1 tbs kosher salt, plus more for sprinkling
1 c extra-virgin olive oil, divided

Measure 1 3/4 c warm water (I just got warm water from the sink faucet) and empty one packet of dry yeast and sugar into the water. Set aside in a warm (not hot, not cool) spot for 15 minutes.

Now yeast is tricky, it needs the right environment to work. After the 15 minutes you should see the yeast mixture foaming.


If there is no foam, wait longer. After waiting longer and having no foam, you did something wrong so try again.

In a large mixing bowl, place the flour, salt 1/2 c of olive oil and yeast mixture. If you have a mixer set it up and knead with the dough attachment for about 5-6 minutes. If you don't have a mixer, roll up your sleeves and start mixing! If the dough is really sticky, sprinkle in some flour.

Cover the dough with saran wrap or a towl and set aside in a draft free spot in the kitchen. Within 1-2 hours the dough should double in size.

Once the dough has risen, take a large cookie sheet or jelly roll pan and pour the remaining 1/2 cup of olive oil. Place the dough into the pan and knead the dough so that it covers the entire surface of the pan. Flip the dough over so both sides are coated with olive oil. When kneading make sure and leave lots of dimples in the dough with your fingers. This will help create the texture of the focaccia bread.Set aside for another hour to rise.

Turn the oven onto 425 degrees. Put the focaccia dough into the oven for 20 minutes

Take the bread out of the oven once it is golden on top, instantly sprinkle sea salt all over the top of the focaccia bread. I have a rosemary salt that I use and it tastes divine.

Taco Tuesday: Fish Tacos

2011-01-18T20:15:00.000-08:00

Over the MLK weekend I spent lots of time working out recipes I've been putting off for the last month. Unfortunately I caught a baking bug. I made bread that didn't rise. I made a blueberry coffeecake with a streusel topping that was just too floury. I tried making a mint and lavender syrup for my seltzer water, the combination wasn't that hot. By the time it came around to Taco Tuesday, I was so happy to be cooking rather than baking. How was your MLK weekend?

Fish Tacos

Ingredients
2 fillets of cod (about 1/2 lb)
2 tbs olive oil
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp cumin
1/8 tsp salt
2 c shredded cabbage
1 tbs vinegar
1/4 c salsa
6-10 corn tortillas
1 lime
cilantro to garnish

Combine paprika, chili powder, garlic powder, cumin and salt in a bowl.

Pat cod dry and sprinkle spices all over cod.

Put your skillet on medium high heat and pour some oil into the skillet. Cook the fish 3 minutes on each side, (my cod was about 3/4 inch thick) Cook longer for a thicker piece of cod. When done, the fish should flake apart with a fork easily.

My cod was a little overcooked!

Quickly toss the cabbage around with the vinegar and salt. I used rice wine vinegar and it still tasted great. To put together your tacos start with a layer of cabbage slaw, a piece of the fish, a drizzle of salsa and a sprinkle of cilantro. Maybe you want to add hot sauce and don't forget the cerveza.

Weekend Brunch: Chilaquiles

2011-01-17T08:35:00.000-08:00

Looking at breakfast options at restaurants such as eggs benedict or huevos rancheros always seemed so foreign to me. I have this tick with eggs, I don't like them runny, soggy or sloppy. My grandma would always say that I like my eggs dead. My tick was so bad that I typically stuck to the same staples at restaurants: pancakes, waffles or omelets. You could imagine my husbands surprise when I ordered chilaquiles at our favorite breakfast spot a couple of years ago. Chilaquiles is a dish that uses old corn tortillas soaked in a ranchero sauce served over eggs and garnished with crumbled queso fresco, diced red onions and cilantro.
Sadly, a couple of months ago our favorite breakfast spot closed so I've been forced to make chilaquiles on my own.

Chilaquiles

Ingredients
1 tbs butter
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 white onion diced
1 garlic clove minced
1 c tomato puree
1/4 c chicken broth
3 tbs diced green chiles
2 tbs olive oil
2-3 old corn tortillas
2 eggs
1 tbs salt
dash of pepper

In a skillet on medium high heat melt your butter. Add the cumin, cayenne pepper, onion, green chiles and garlic and saute for about 2 minutes until onions are transparent.

Our the tomato puree and chicken broth into the skillet and stir all of the ingredients together.

Cut the corn tortillas into small triangles or strips. On high heat pour olive oil into the skillet. Toss the corn tortillas into the skillet and toss around until they are golden in color.

Place the golden tortilla strips into the sauce and carefully fold them into the sauce.

Scramble or fry an egg and place on a serving dish.

Spoon the sauced tortillas on top of the egg and garnish with crumbled queso fresco, diced red onions and cilantro.

I love my chilaquiles with a side of refried black beans

Taco Tuesday: Homemade Corn Tortillas . . . for tacos

2011-01-11T20:42:00.000-08:00

In my world, corn tortillas are far more superior than flour tortillas. Four tortillas get soggy and sometimes stick to my teeth. In addition, flour tortillas have more calories than corn tortillas considering the ones I made tonight don't call for lard and every flour tortilla recipe calls for it!

One flour tortilla=1 corn tortilla plus one cerveza for me.

To make homemade corn tortillas, all you need is masa flour, water, a tad bit of baking soda and a tortilla press (legit or makeshift), water and a little bit of baking soda. For the masa flour, you can buy any brand but I personally love Bob's Red Mill brand. They are an awesome company, and they always have obscure products ranging from tapioca flour to miscellaneous hot cereals plus this recipe was taken right off of the package. If you have a legitimate tortilla press-great; if you don't you'll need wax paper and a rolling pin.

I've cut this recipe in half and it yields about 8-10 6" tortillas.

Ingredients
1 c masa flour
1/8 tsp baking soda
1 c water (save an additional 1/4 c of reserve water)

Combine the masa flour, baking soda and water into a bowl. Let it stand for 5 minutes.

With your hands, work the ingredients together forming a dough. This dough should feel grainy but should not be crumbly.

Work enough dough to form into the shape of a golf ball. Place the dough between the two sheets of wax paper. With the heel of your hand or a rolling pin, work the dough out to a 6 inch circle. The uncooked tortilla should come off the wax paper easily.

*I found I liked my tortillas very thin. Cook tortillas one at a time to get a feel for your preferred thickness.

Turn an un-greased skillet onto high heat. Place the uncooked tortilla on the skillet and cook for 30 minutes on each side. Air pockets will begin to form in the tortillas once you flip them to the other side.

Keep tortillas warm by wrapping them in a towel.

This corn tortilla hugged some fish tacos.

Weekend Brunch: Browned Butter Oatmeal with Bananas and Pecans

2011-01-09T11:58:00.000-08:00

As a kid I always chose malt-o-meal over oatmeal. The turning point happened at a breakfast spot in Portland, I ordered the biscuits and gravy and my husband ordered the oatmeal. At the end of the meal, I was going back and forth between dishes eating one bite of my meal and two bites from my husbands meal. The oatmeal at this restaurant had a consistent creamy texture, they had a tray of nuts, dried fruits and milk served on the side and they creme bruleed the top of the oatmeal! From that day on I aspired to have more inventive oatmeal rather than the boring oatmeal with milk and brown sugar.

This recipe sounds like a type of bread and tastes pretty similar to the oatmeal version of banana bread. It's super easy to snap together and it has the "stick to the ribs" effect that all other oatmeal's have. Unfortunately this oatmeal doesn't make you want to go outside and work in the freezing cold weather, it makes you want to cuddle up next to the dog and read a good book. Thank goodness Sundays are not about production.

Browned Butter Oatmeal with Bananas and Pecans
Ingredients
1 c water
1 c oatmeal (I used a generic quick cook oatmeal)
1/8 tsp salt
1 c milk
2 bananas smashed
1/4 c pecans smashed
1/4 c brown sugar
2 tbs butter

Boil water in a pot, throw in the salt while the water is boiling.

Pour oatmeal into the boiling water and reduce to medium heat.

Once water has been absorbed into the oatmeal add the milk, turn heat to low.

In a bowl, smash two bananas with a fork.

The browner the banana, the easier it is to mash

Add smashed bananas to the oatmeal.

Put pecans in a plastic baggie and smash them with a meat tenderizer or rolling pin.

Add smashed pecans to the oatmeal.

In a separate small saucepan melt the butter. Once the butter turns gold and small brown flakes appear at the bottom of the saucepan, turn the heat off and add the butter to the oatmeal.

Patience is a virtue

Wait for it.

The butter should smell slightly nutty right now.

Take the butter off that heat right away!

Scoop the oatmeal into a bowl and serve with a couple of pecans or sliced bananas on the top to garnish. I think the oatmeal is perfect the way it is but you can always make it more decadent by adding more milk, sugar and butter to your liking.

Chicken Chow Mein-The wrong way and the right way

2011-01-08T20:27:00.000-08:00

Back in college I thought I'd wow everyone with my Chinese cooking skills. Here I am in the dorm kitchen cooking up chow main and the second I combined the sesame oil, garlic and ginger the smell lured my friends and other hungry college students from their rooms.

Let me back up and brief you on cooking chow mein. Chow mein is one of those recipes that is really easy, but it's all about sequence and heat. Unfortunately that day in college my two biggest weaknesses kicked in: I like to skip steps in recipes and I like to merge steps together. My chow mein turned out to be a mess of oily and sticky noodles, vegetables and meat. My friends regrettably ate the noodles, and new friends that I almost acquired from the smell of the chow mein set their bowls aside telling me they were "too full" to finish.

I'm older, I'm wiser, I'm more patient and I've foiled this recipe enough times to only do it the right way now. Follow this recipe closely, I promise I'll make it an easy and painless.

Chicken Chow Mein
Marinade for chicken
1/4 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp sesame oil
2 tbs soy sauce
2 tbs rice wine vinegar
3 tbs oyster sauce
2 tsp corn starch
1 tsp garlic
1 tsp ginger
1 chicken breast

4 tbs peanut oil (or olive oil)
4 tsp sesame oil
2 garlic cloves minced
2 tsp ginger minced
1 can water chestnuts
5 asparagus sprigs
1/2 bell pepper
1 bok choi
1 celery stock
1/8 c chicken stock
2 tbs soy sauce
1 tbs oyster sauce
1/4 c cilantro
1 green onion
one package of Asian noodles

Slice the chicken breast at a diagonal angle in thin strips. In a bowl, mix together the sugar, sesame oil, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, oyster sauce, corn starch, garlic and ginger.

Put the sliced chicken in the bowl, put plastic wrap over the top of the bowl and let it marinade for about 20 minutes.

Chop up all of your vegetables. Any vegetables can be used in chow mein so feel free to throw in whatever you have in your fridge, just remember when cooking some veggies take longer to cook than others. For example, broccoli takes longer to cook than asparagus.

In a wok or large frying pan, put it on high heat. Add the peanut and sesame oil, once it swirls around the wok easily you're ready to stir fry. Pour the entire bowl of chicken and marinade into the wok, you should get a good sizzle. Keep the wok on high heat, the chicken (if sliced thin enough) should cook in about 5-8 minutes). When finished, put the cooked chicken and sauce into a bowl and set it aside.

Get your wok hot again (get used to this, you'll need to do it one more time). Pour more peanut and sesame oil into the wok. Take a pinch of garlic and ginger and throw it into the wok, the smell by now should be amazing. Add the vegetables, cook for about a minute. Pour the chicken broth over the vegetables and cook for about 5 more minutes. Last, drain the water chestnuts and throw them over the stir fry. Put the cooked vegetables into the bowl with the chicken and set aside.

For the last time, heat up the wok, pour in the peanut and sesame oil. Toss the remaining garlic and ginger into the wok. Before adding the noodles read this: the trick to this next step is to keep the noodles moving, do this by holding the wok/pan slightly above the heat and shimmy the wok/pan back and forth (tossing the noodles around) or use a flat wooden spoon to continuously push the noodles around. On three add the noodles: one . . . two . . . three. Pour the remaining soy sauce and oyster sauce over the noodles.


To take the picture of these noodles I had to stop moving the wok, guess what . . . they stuck!

In a serving dish layer the noodles and spoon the stir fried chicken and vegetables on top of the noodles. Garnish with cilantro and green onions and enjoy your perfectly fried up noodles, crisp vegetables and teriyaki style chicken in a one wok meal.

Taco Tuesday: Chorizo Hash Tacos

2011-01-05T18:27:00.000-08:00

The last 10 years of my life I have evolved in the food world. Growing up, I lived in a small town with zero diversity. Tacos consisted of El Paso taco shells with ground beef and cheddar cheese. Lasagna was the most foreign item on the menu at Italian restaurants and Thai food and sushi were non existent foods in my town.

I have come to learn that chorizo is like the American version of bacon. Similar to bacon, different types of chorizo cook different & taste different. For example, Mexican chorizo is uncooked in the casing and the filling is ground rather than chopped. On the other hand Spanish and Portuguese chorizo are smoked and can be served sliced.

This recipe uses a Mexican style chorizo but I'm sure you can pull it off with another type if that is all that you have available.

Recipe adapted from the LA Times

Ingredients

1/2 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 pound Mexican chorizo, squeezed from casing and crumbled
1 medium potato chopped (or two small potatoes)
1 4 oz. can chopped roasted green chiles
Salt and pepper to taste
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 green onion, chopped
1/4 c. cilantro
1/8 c. goat cheese

Squeeze the chorizo out of the casing onto a skillet on low heat. Add the chopped onions and garlic, cook for about 5 minutes until the onions and garlic have softened.

Add the chopped potatoes to the skillet and mix all the ingredients together.

Throw in the smoked paprika and oregano, put a lid on the skillet and cook for about 20 minutes until the potatoes are soft.

Open the can of green chiles and drain the liquid out of the can. throw the chiles into the skillet. Cook for another 5 minutes.

To ensemble the tacos spoon about 1/4 cup of the chorizo hash into a tortilla and sprinkle green onions, cilantro and goat cheese over the hash.