Two Recipe Thursday

I try to limit trips to the grocery store to about once a week. Even though I can walk the 10 blocks easily, lugging back bags of food isn't appealing to me. Plus, it's a tiny store and doesn't always have what I need which then results in me having to take the car to Wally World aka "giant headache".

 As a result, I have to get creative in my cooking. I don't always have everything a recipe calls for and have to substitute. Today the DB (dearest boyfriend) requested Spam and rice for dinner. I used to scorn Spam until I tried it. Alas, no rice to be found. Okay then, he wanted beenies and weenies (hot dogs and baked beans). Oh wait, no hot dogs. (And hello sodium overload! I prefer something a bit more well rounded)

After flinging the cupboard doors open repeatedly, hoping something new would appear, I remembered a recipe I saw a few days ago. Spicy black bean burgers. Hmmm. Healthy and flavorful served on a bun. But could I convince the DB that bean burgers are just as good as a hunk of meat? Worth a shot.

This recipe was discovered on Iowa Girl Eats, who got the original recipe from Eat Live Run. My adapted version is below.
3 cups cooked black beans (I had no canned so I prepared from dry using the recipe on the bag)
2 Tbsp chopped dried hot peppers reconstiuted in hot water
2 cloves garlic
2 T tomato sauce
1/2 cup homemade breadcrumbs
2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp smoked chipotle paprika seasoning (you could sub chili powder and cayenne)
1 1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup corn
Sunflower oil  (for frying burgers)

Grate the garlic cloves into your mixing bowl and add the peppers. Add 1 1/2 cups of the beans and mash with a fork until very smooth. Add the cumin, paprika seasoning, and salt and stir again to combine. Stir in the breadcrumbs, tomato sauce, and corn. Form into patties. I refrigerated mine for a few minutes so they could firm up.

Heat the oil in a non-stick skillet over medium high heat. Fry the patties for about 4 minutes per side, or until they get nice and crusty. Serve on burger buns with chipotle mayo. (mayo and ketchup with chipotle seasoning mixed in. Easy.)
Conclusion? I loved these. They get a really nice crispy crust from cooking that is addictive and reminds me of the fried veggies at the county fair. The beans are really creamy and the peppers and spices give everything a nice kick. 8.5 out of 10.
I was nervous about testing these out of the DB since he's definitely a meat and potatoes kind of guy but he devoured 2 burgers and declared that I should make them again. He also gave them a 8.5 out of 10















Now me being the way I am had to avoid the store at all costs so I made homemade burger buns to serve these on. They're quite simple and don't squish down and get soggy like store bought.

Recipe adapted from King Arthur Flour

1 Tbsp granulated sugar
1 Tbsp yeast
¼ cup water
1 cup warm milk
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp salt
3 to 4 1/2 cups Flour

Mix the sugar, yeast, water, milk, oil and salt together in a mixing bowl. Add the flour a little bit at a time until a dough forms. Remove from the bowl and knead on the counter until smooth and elastic. (See here how to knead bread dough.) Return to the bowl, cover, and let rise until doubled. Once the dough has doubled, dump it back out onto the counter and divide into 12 pieces or so. Roll into balls (they are a bit bigger than golf balls) and place on a grease baking sheet. Cover again and let rise until doubled. Bake at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes, or until nice and browned.

Food Fail

Ever find a recipe that sounds amazing, has great reviews, and all the ingredients happen to be in the pantry? That happened to me last night. Before I moved my mom gave me some venison out of the freezer and I had been looking for a way to cook it for a while. After some time spent Googling and recipe searching, I found a recipe that sounded perfect and BONUS! I had all the ingredients stocked. Venison roast with apples and onions in the slow cooker, what could be easier and more delicious? A lot apparently.

 

Now I'm not completely blaming the recipe for how this turned out but it was certainly a disappointment. The apples cooked down and thickened the juices to a nice sauce (really good on egg noodles!) and the onions added good flavor as well. Sadly they couldn't distract me from the awful taste of the venison. I've had venison before. I usually like venison. But this hunk of deer was the gamey-est I've ever had. It tasted like musty, bad liver. Blech, my mouth hurts just thinking about it. Sadly, now my fridge is crammed with a Crock-Pot of venison that I refuse to eat, but am too stubborn to just throw away. Anyone want to lend me their dog?

 

For reference, here is the recipe. Sorry, I didn't deem it worthy enought for a picture.
 I plan to try this again with a well marbled pork roast and will report back with how that turns out.

1 tablespoon olive oil

3 pounds boneless venison roast, seasoned with salt and pepper

1 large apple, cored and quartered
2 small onions, sliced
4 cloves crushed garlic
1 cube beef bouillon dissolved in 1 cup hot water

Pour the olive oil into the bottom of the slow cooker and place the meat on top. Arrange the apples, onions and garlic around the meat and then pour the broth over top. Cook on low 7-8 hours (mine went about 6 because that's when I had planned to eat, it was fairly tender and not dried out after this time). Remove meat onto cutting board and let rest 15 minutes, then slice against the grain. Serve over egg noodles or mashed potatoes with the juice.

A quick. easy dinner

One of my favorite types of dinners are those that come together quickly without relying on a lot of prepared and "convenience" items. I never really cared for Hamburger Helper and the like and so thinking up of quick meals can be a challenge. There used to be a store in my hometown that catered to this issue: Super Suppers. Basically a food bar, you prepare a set menu of meals there to take home and freeze. While the concept is intriguing, the cost is more than most can handle and therefor not economical for some. I was privileged enough to attend a private fundraising session a few years ago and though I don't remember much I do remember one item: The Bread Braid
This meal is one of my favorites. It's easy, versatile and best of all it can be prepared quickly, with no fuss, and be on the table in about 45 minutes.


Bread Braid
Start with one loafs worth of bread dough (I used homemade part-white part-wheat *recipe below* today, but have also used store bought frozen with excellent results.)

If using homemade bread dough, roll out after the first rise. If using frozen, thaw before using and no need to rise
Put the dough onto a sheet pan and roll out or use your hands to press it into a large rectangle. I roll it the complete length and leave some space width wise. Don't spread the dough too thin, it will rip and the braid will leak. (This was a large recipe of dough so it almost filled the pan and was still fairly thick)

Next, add your fillings down the middle. I used 3/4 of a kielbasa sausage, 1 chopped green pepper, 1/4 of an onion, 1/4 cup spaghetti sauce, and Monterey Jack cheese to cover.

(cheese not pictured)

Once all of your toppings are laid out, snip the edges of the dough into strips on both sides and then criss-cross them to braid

(forgot to take a pic of this step, thank you Google)


(credit: http://reliableanswers.com/kitchen/sweet_bread.asp)

Once your dough is braided, let it rise until it gets slightly puffy, maybe 30 minutes or so. Then bake it at 375 degrees for 20-30 minutes or until well browned. Don't worry if it leaks, mine usually do and they turn out fine. Let cool a few minutes before cutting into slices. Serve.

Don't limit yourself to just kielbasa for the filling. Other great variations to try:

Ham and chedder
Chicken and broccoli with alfredo
Chicken with onions and barbeque sauce
Buffalo Chicken with ranch
Cheesesteak with fried onions and provelone
Corned beef with sauerkraut and Thousand Island dressing.

The possibilities are endless! They freeze great too. Just fill, braid and wrap in plastic wrap. Be sure to let thaw on the sheet pan before baking.

And for reference, here is the bread recipe I used:
http://chickensintheroad.com/farm-bell-recipes/grandmother-bread-2/

1 1/2 cups warm water
1 teaspoon yeast
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
3 1/2 cups flour (I used 2 1/2 white and 1 wheat)

Awesome Beef Chili

I have a secret to admit...

I had a resolution (okay yes, it was a bit after New Years but better late than never) to start a blog and am failing at it. It's not for a lack of material, I'm cooking almost every day, with recipes I'd love to share with the world. Getting the food from the table to the internet is the hard part. How does one best motivate themselves to share the love of food with the world? Though I tried it before, I'm going to try again. I want to be able to share recipes that other can make and love as much as I do.

 With that, I have a quick recipe to share. Beef Chili. The LB (lovely boyfriend) came home from work and asked if I could make him chili for dinner. Who am I to say no. No problem that it's 85 degress and the only air conditioner is in the bedroom. Despite the sweating and eating something so hearty on a hot summer day, this recipe is definitely a keeper. The chili is meaty, spicy, more like a chunky soup and completely different from the ground beef chili that I'm used to.

Beef Chili
-adapted from Cook's Country February/March 2008-
There are a few things I changed from this recipe. I left out the chipotle chilies in adobo since the tiny grocery store didn't stock them. I didn't puree the tomatoes, simply because I (a) didn't have a food processor and (b) I was too lazy and didn't want to do extra dishes. Oh and I left out the added oregano since I didn't have any. Honestly, you wouldn't even notice.

1 14.5oz can diced tomatoes (petite diced would probably be good too if you choose not to puree them)
4 slices bacon, chopped fine
1 (3 1/2 to 4 pound) chuck roast, cut into 1 inch pieces (I use prepacked stew meat)
1 onion, chopped
1 jalepeno, minced
3 Tbsp chili powder
1 tsp smoked paprika chipotle seasoning (this was my substitute for the chiles in adobo, if using chiles- mince 2 tsp)
1 1/2 tsp cumin
4 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups water
1 Tbsp brown sugar
2 Tbsp cornmeal

Cook the bacon in a Dutch oven until crispy. Remove from the pot with a slotted spoon to a paper towel lined plate. Then drain the grease into a heat proof bowl. Put the pot back on the stove (Not on heat!)

Pat the beef cubes dry with paper towels and season with pepper. Heat 1 Tablespoon of the reserved oil in the pot until almost smoking the brown half the beef until nicely seared. Remove to another heatproof bowl and then add 1 more Tablespoon of the bacon fat to the pit. Sear the remaining meat and place in bowl.

Add 1 more Tablespoon bacon fat to the pot (if not enough fat, use oil) and saute the onion and jalapeno until softened. Once onion and jalapeno are soft, add in the chili powder, paprika seasoning, cumin and garlic and cook until fragrant. Stir in the water, tomatoes(and chipotle chiles if using), bacon, beef, and sugar. Bring to a boil and then simmer for about 1 hour then skim the fat, if any, (Mine had hardly any fat on top so I did not skim it) then simmer another 30 minutes or until the beef is tender.

Ladle 1 cup of the broth into a bowl and stir in the cornmeal. Microwave 45 seconds to 1 minute, until the mixture is thick then stir this into the chili. Simmer the chili until it thickens slightly. Serve with cornbread.

I think I may have to ditch my ground beef chili recipe from now on.

How to Make Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup...

...when there is no chicken to be found in the house.

A few afternoons ago I had a massive craving for chicken noodle soup. The weather has just been awful lately with rain and snow and cold and I hate it. I figured some good old-fashioned chicken noodle soup (and a good book) was in order. Problem was, that upon investigating, I found that we were out of chicken.
What to do? Just make "Noodle Soup" instead. 

I chopped up 2 carrots and an onion, cooked them on medium heat in a soup pot with about 2 teaspoons of oil. Once they softened up a bit, I poured in about 4 cups of water. To that I added one spoonful of chicken base (or I suppose you could use bouillon cubes too). Then I let that come to a boil, and added a few handfulls of thin egg noodles, the ones that are toothpick sized and some dried parsley. I let the noodles cook until tender, ladled a bowlfull and curled up with a good book.

What do you like to eat when the weather gets nasty?

What I did with the dough

Now that you've learned how to make lovely fresh bread dough, here is an idea to put it to good use!

Roll out the dough into a large rectangle, bigger then you would for a loaf.

Soften one stick of butter and spread it evenly over the dough.
Then mix up your filling:
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
Pinch of salt

I always want to eat a spoonful.


Then sprinkle the sugar evenly over the dough. Don't worry if some of it doesn't stick, just leave it on. This is what makes the cinnamon rolls so deliciously gooey.
Roll up the dough from the long end towards you, trying to keep the filling from falling out. This is kind of tricky so be sure to roll tightly and tuck the dough under itself.

Once the dough is all rolled up, butter a pan. (I used  one rectangle and one square cake pan. Use whatever you have) Cut the dough into individual rolls. Mine were about 1 1/2 inches. You can make them smaller or bigger, it doesn't matter.
Plop those into the pan, cover with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled.

I smeared a little extra butter on top. Yum


Once the rolls have risen, bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes. While they are baking whip up a quick glaze. I don't have an exact recipe but mine was about a tablespoon of butter, 1 cup of powdered sugar, a splash of milk, and a pinch of salt. Whisk until it's smooth and drizzle over the hot rolls.

Devour.

How to Make Bread Dough

I love baking bread. I was never really taught by anyone but myself since my mother tends to kill things with yeast in them (sorry Mom!). I just learned by doing it, reading bread baking books, and searching on the internet. Once you've gotten the hang of making bread, it's the easiest thing to do. I hate eating store bought "Wonder-bread" anymore. That's not real bread. Try this and I promise you won't be disappointed.

The most basic bread is just flour, water, salt, and yeast. This recipe adds dry milk, butter, and an egg (though I was out so I ommitted it). When you make bread, don't feel like you have to adhere to any strict recipe. Add some whole wheat flour, use less salt, add some sugar, it does not matter. Bake it in a loaf pan, free form, heck even a cast iron pan- I promise, your bread will live. Just know the technique and soon you can have homemade bread on your table.

First, gather your ingredients.

Flour, salt, powdered milk, butter, sugar, yeast, egg (not pictured), water (not pictured)

Mix together the flour salt, powdered milk, sugar, and yeast in a large sized bowl. Melt the butter and let it cool slightly. Beat the egg and add it, along with the water and butter to the flour.

Stir with a wooden spoon until mostly combined.

It's around this point where I dump everything out onto the counter and knead it to combine the rest of the way. I've seen online people asking how to knead bread. It's quite simple. As long as you're kind of pushing and pulling the dough around, it'll work. This is how I do it:


Knead the dough. It'll be quite tacky and almost sticky but try not to add a lot of flour. This will make the dough dry. Instead just keep on kneading it and the formation of gluten from kneading will make it less sticky.
You can tell when the dough has been kneaded enough when it becomes smooth and doesn't stick.

See how the top is smooth and not craggy looking?

Then, I usually take the bowl that I mixed the dough in, wash it quick, and use it to rise the dough in. Spray it with a bit of non-stick spray and plop the dough ball in and cover it with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise at room temperature or if your house is cold and drafty, warm up the oven for a few minutes, turn it off, and put the bowl on the rack. Let it rise about an hour or until it doubles. Either that or you can gently press it with a finger, it the indent stays or fills in very slowly, then it is ready.

Once the dough has risen, dump it out onto a lightly floured counter. Press it gently with your hands to deflate.

Here is where you have many options. You can shape the dough and freeze it for later. Oil a plastic baggie and plop it in there.
To make a loaf shape, pat and lightly stretch the dough into a rectangle no wider than the width of the loaf pan. Then you roll it up into a cylinder, pinching the seam. Put it into an oiled loaf pan.

Roll pretty tightly


Or, if you prefer, you can make dinner rolls or hamburger buns. Pull off a piece of dough about the size of a walnut (larger for buns) and roll into a ball. Repeat.

Once your dough is shaped, let it rise again then bake it at 350 degrees. It'll take about 30-35 minutes for a loaf, less for buns and rolls. Make sure they are nicely browned. Cool on a wire rack.

Here are the complete measurements:

4 3/4 cups white flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup powdered milk
3 1/4 Tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons instant yeast
1 egg, beaten
3 1/4 Tablespoons butter, melted then cooled
1 1/2 cups water, room temperature

Stay tuned for what I did with my dough!