Since it's been a week I figured I would update the blog, unfortunately I come with little to report. I tried a new brownie recipe today (which I will not link due to the results). If you're into bland cocoa bark/cement I have a pan full at my house, just call ahead.
I'll be traveling this week, so please forward me any innovative recipes that can be cooked with only a sink, microwave and fridge. I'll gladly share my results along with my dining adventures in the greater Boston area.
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Sunday, August 9, 2009
That's Far Too Much Macaroni For 2 1/2 Mouths
Facing the dinner options of soba or starvation again I decided to try the homemade macaroni and cheese sooner than anticipated. After noticing the recipe (from the book mentioned in my last post) called for squash (seriously, why?!) I needed to make some alterations and really only followed the book for the amount of cheese to use. Well technically I also followed it for heating times and the amount of macaroni to use, but I feel those are pretty standard so no credit is required. This doesn't photograph that well but take a look.
Recipe for 3 cheese macaroni and cheese (tough economic times, one cheese from the original recipe didn't make the cut) was as follows. Cook one box of macaroni pasta. In a medium sauce pan melt 1/4 cup of butter (that's 4 tablespoons, it's like I'm a magic cooking measurement converting machine), once melted take off heat, add 1/4 cup of flour a dash of pepper and a teaspoon of salt. Slowly add 2 cups of milk (chocolate if you're daring... kidding) and mix until smooth. Return to heat until it boils and let it simmer for a minute before removing from heat. Place the pasta in a dish, pour the flour concoction over the top along with 1 1/3 cup of cheddar cheese, 2/3 cup monterey jack and 1/2 cup of ricotta. Mix it all up to a gooey mess. If you want breadcrumbs on top it was 2 tablespoons of bread crumbs and 1 teaspoon of olive oil mixed and sprinkled over the top. Throw it in the oven at 375 for 20 minutes then finish it off with 3 minutes on broil.
Now how does it compare to the famous Velveeta Shells and Cheese? Hard to say. This recipe made a much lighter dish with a more complex taste (when compared to the boxed kind, not really that complex in the grand scheme of things). The flavor was, as can be expected, much more "organic" then anything you'll get out of a box. I say they both have their place. I typically only eat the boxed kind when I am starving and I don't think this would fill that void. I think this would play a good role in a more balanced meal, even as a side dish at a large gathering/for a holiday/etc. All in all, it's pretty good, but it is just macaroni and cheese, not sure you can expect that to be something epic.
Also worthy of note, I reheated a brownie from the last post for dessert again today (you're judging me again, stop it!) and, more then 24 hours after creation, it reheated incredibly well. Thirty seconds in the microwave and it tasted fresh out of the oven.
Recipe for 3 cheese macaroni and cheese (tough economic times, one cheese from the original recipe didn't make the cut) was as follows. Cook one box of macaroni pasta. In a medium sauce pan melt 1/4 cup of butter (that's 4 tablespoons, it's like I'm a magic cooking measurement converting machine), once melted take off heat, add 1/4 cup of flour a dash of pepper and a teaspoon of salt. Slowly add 2 cups of milk (chocolate if you're daring... kidding) and mix until smooth. Return to heat until it boils and let it simmer for a minute before removing from heat. Place the pasta in a dish, pour the flour concoction over the top along with 1 1/3 cup of cheddar cheese, 2/3 cup monterey jack and 1/2 cup of ricotta. Mix it all up to a gooey mess. If you want breadcrumbs on top it was 2 tablespoons of bread crumbs and 1 teaspoon of olive oil mixed and sprinkled over the top. Throw it in the oven at 375 for 20 minutes then finish it off with 3 minutes on broil.
Now how does it compare to the famous Velveeta Shells and Cheese? Hard to say. This recipe made a much lighter dish with a more complex taste (when compared to the boxed kind, not really that complex in the grand scheme of things). The flavor was, as can be expected, much more "organic" then anything you'll get out of a box. I say they both have their place. I typically only eat the boxed kind when I am starving and I don't think this would fill that void. I think this would play a good role in a more balanced meal, even as a side dish at a large gathering/for a holiday/etc. All in all, it's pretty good, but it is just macaroni and cheese, not sure you can expect that to be something epic.
Also worthy of note, I reheated a brownie from the last post for dessert again today (you're judging me again, stop it!) and, more then 24 hours after creation, it reheated incredibly well. Thirty seconds in the microwave and it tasted fresh out of the oven.
Saturday, August 8, 2009
And now for the results of the ingredients below (in the reverse order they were eaten):
Black and White Brownies
These are some of the best brownies I've ever had. Thanks to the white chocolate they have a lighter taste but more chocolaty than most brownies. I stuck pretty close to the recipe here except I baked them in a cupcake pan so they would be a perfect pairing with ice cream. Honestly, I have some pretty stellar plating skills. If you go for this one be sure to eat the brownies warm, they even reheated very well in the microwave.
And the second set of ingredients were for barbecue sauce for some homemade baby back ribs.
I got the recipe's for the sauce and ribs from "Barbecue Nation" by Fred Thompson. These turned out incredibly well, with one minor drawback... it took almost 3 hours from start to finish. Since the recipe isn't online (buy the book!) I'll give you a brief rundown. Cook the ribs for 1 hour in a 300 degree oven in a roasting bag with a quarter cup of water. Let the meat rest for 30 minutes. Brush with mustard and spices (brown sugar, cayenne pepper, paprika...). Throw the meat on the grill on medium heat for a total of 45 minutes, brushing with barbecue sauce and flipping every 10-15 minutes. At the end drizzle with some honey and leave it on the grill for a couple minutes longer. There are some pretty distinct flavors in this recipe but once you mix them all up and throw it on the grill they balance out well.
All in all a great meal, but then again, I won't be blogging about terrible meals (at least not ones I make) so get used to me saying things are good. The week ahead brings me back to "The Food You Crave" for some macaroni and four cheeses. Perhaps I'll make some Velveeta Shells & Cheese (also known as the greatest food ever) for the ultimate mac & cheese showdown.
Black and White Brownies
These are some of the best brownies I've ever had. Thanks to the white chocolate they have a lighter taste but more chocolaty than most brownies. I stuck pretty close to the recipe here except I baked them in a cupcake pan so they would be a perfect pairing with ice cream. Honestly, I have some pretty stellar plating skills. If you go for this one be sure to eat the brownies warm, they even reheated very well in the microwave.
And the second set of ingredients were for barbecue sauce for some homemade baby back ribs.
I got the recipe's for the sauce and ribs from "Barbecue Nation" by Fred Thompson. These turned out incredibly well, with one minor drawback... it took almost 3 hours from start to finish. Since the recipe isn't online (buy the book!) I'll give you a brief rundown. Cook the ribs for 1 hour in a 300 degree oven in a roasting bag with a quarter cup of water. Let the meat rest for 30 minutes. Brush with mustard and spices (brown sugar, cayenne pepper, paprika...). Throw the meat on the grill on medium heat for a total of 45 minutes, brushing with barbecue sauce and flipping every 10-15 minutes. At the end drizzle with some honey and leave it on the grill for a couple minutes longer. There are some pretty distinct flavors in this recipe but once you mix them all up and throw it on the grill they balance out well.
All in all a great meal, but then again, I won't be blogging about terrible meals (at least not ones I make) so get used to me saying things are good. The week ahead brings me back to "The Food You Crave" for some macaroni and four cheeses. Perhaps I'll make some Velveeta Shells & Cheese (also known as the greatest food ever) for the ultimate mac & cheese showdown.
Ingredients Galore
Later today, what two things I make from these two sets of ingredients (note: I can't stand mustard).
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Cookbook Review (?)
Tonight I made macaroni and cheese for my daughter (cheater boxed kind) and soba for myself (cheater bagged kind), and that's not exciting at all. So I thought I'd take some time to talk about a cookbook and other such things. As much fun as it is to create things, and fail, I typically use a recipe to give me general guidance. One cookbook I have found especially handy lately has been "The Food You Crave: Luscious Recipes for a Healthy Life" by Ellie Krieger. So far I have made two full meals (entree, sides, dessert) using this cookbook and everything came out very tasty, especially the Beef Tenderloin with Rosemary and Chocolate(!). Another huge plus to this book is that they lay out all the nutritional facts for every dish, and the dishes are healthy. Great for when you are trying to lose weight as I am now (hey soba only has 240 calories, don't judge me!). The directions are clear and easy to follow and I got the book as a gift, which I highly recommend. Like all cookbooks there are some things I will never attempt but there are dozens of dishes I look forward to trying. Therefore it gets my meaningless recommendation.
Speaking of losing weight, my true partner in crime has been the Lose It! application for the iPhone. You tell this handy FREE application your current weight, goal weight and how fast you want to lose it and it budgets your calories day by day. As you eat you enter all your food and it keeps track of your remaining calories for the day, as well as your weekly status. The application is also nice enough to credit your calories for any exercising you do and comes pre-programmed with tons of generic, name brand and restaurant food choices. To each is own, but this has truly worked for me, down about 12 pounds in 6 weeks. On the downside, there is no way to email yourself all the food you've eaten/your history and occasionally the calorie counts for brand name foods doesn't match the label of the food, but there is enough flexibility in the application to overcome the latter. Most importantly, it's free, if you want to lose weight and you have an iPhone you have nothing to lose. If you don't have an iPhone and you have $200 to lose... sorry wrong blog for cell phone advice.
More food creations this weekend, stay tuned.
Speaking of losing weight, my true partner in crime has been the Lose It! application for the iPhone. You tell this handy FREE application your current weight, goal weight and how fast you want to lose it and it budgets your calories day by day. As you eat you enter all your food and it keeps track of your remaining calories for the day, as well as your weekly status. The application is also nice enough to credit your calories for any exercising you do and comes pre-programmed with tons of generic, name brand and restaurant food choices. To each is own, but this has truly worked for me, down about 12 pounds in 6 weeks. On the downside, there is no way to email yourself all the food you've eaten/your history and occasionally the calorie counts for brand name foods doesn't match the label of the food, but there is enough flexibility in the application to overcome the latter. Most importantly, it's free, if you want to lose weight and you have an iPhone you have nothing to lose. If you don't have an iPhone and you have $200 to lose... sorry wrong blog for cell phone advice.
More food creations this weekend, stay tuned.
Monday, August 3, 2009
Teriyaki Stir Fry
Is anyone else frustrated with the lack of quality pre-made teriyaki sauce at the grocery store? Good, glad you agree. Now I've made my own teriyaki sauce before but, to no one's surprise, lost the recipe. So I hit the internet in search of a new recipe. In my mind, the key to good teriyaki sauce is thickness. The taste is really a personal preference, but watery teriyaki sauce is just frustrating. After scouring the entire internet for hours (5 minutes from 5-6, 3 minutes from 6-7....) I settled upon this one:
Restaurant Teriyaki Sauce
You're obviously thinking what I'm thinking, it says restaurant in it, it must be the best. None the less I felt the need to tweak it slightly. Rather then water I used pineapple juice, as the lost recipe included this and because I like pineapple (used 3/4 cup of pineapple as opposed to 1 cup water). Secondly, I didn't have cornstarch so I used flour instead (double the amount as per one of the comments). All in all it doesn't get much simpler then this recipe, and the taste, while not crave worthy, was far better then my local grocery options. What I really liked about it is that it is very thick, you can then water it down, without greatly impacting taste, to your desired consistency depending on what you are using it for. In this case I was going to use it in a simple stir fry over some noodles.
I'm picky when it comes to vegetables, this probably would have been great with some peppers and onions, but alas, no. I threw some tofu, broccoli, shredded carrot and water chestnuts in a pan with about 2-3 tablespoons of sauce and mixed it well over medium-high heat for a few minutes. After that I added the noodles and added another 2-3 table spoons of sauce, mixed it all up, put it in a bowl and here you have it:
Not sure if this looks all that amazing, but the taste was very good, and very filling.
Restaurant Teriyaki Sauce
You're obviously thinking what I'm thinking, it says restaurant in it, it must be the best. None the less I felt the need to tweak it slightly. Rather then water I used pineapple juice, as the lost recipe included this and because I like pineapple (used 3/4 cup of pineapple as opposed to 1 cup water). Secondly, I didn't have cornstarch so I used flour instead (double the amount as per one of the comments). All in all it doesn't get much simpler then this recipe, and the taste, while not crave worthy, was far better then my local grocery options. What I really liked about it is that it is very thick, you can then water it down, without greatly impacting taste, to your desired consistency depending on what you are using it for. In this case I was going to use it in a simple stir fry over some noodles.
I'm picky when it comes to vegetables, this probably would have been great with some peppers and onions, but alas, no. I threw some tofu, broccoli, shredded carrot and water chestnuts in a pan with about 2-3 tablespoons of sauce and mixed it well over medium-high heat for a few minutes. After that I added the noodles and added another 2-3 table spoons of sauce, mixed it all up, put it in a bowl and here you have it:
Not sure if this looks all that amazing, but the taste was very good, and very filling.
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