Fair warning: this is a lengthy post. I think it would be worth reading. But if you don't want lengthy, then you need not go on from here...or come back when you do have time to read it. :)
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Orange Walnut Crumble Cakes - from Daily Bites
Saturday, January 21, 2012
It's Girl Scout Season again....
...And until yesterday, I didn't think anything of it.
Then, one of my co-workers started going door to door in the office, selling cookies for the troop she oversees. For the first time in my life, I had to say no to Thin Mints. My favorite Girl Scout cookie of all time.
Not 5 seconds later, I decided that I would just make my own.
Then, one of my co-workers started going door to door in the office, selling cookies for the troop she oversees. For the first time in my life, I had to say no to Thin Mints. My favorite Girl Scout cookie of all time.
Not 5 seconds later, I decided that I would just make my own.
Friday, January 20, 2012
Moroccan Cuisine....Take 1
The part of me that loves international food is starting to revive again. In this post, I eluded some to my love of Indian food...I also think that I could probably live on Mediterranean and (some) Thai food :)
How to Make Your Own Veggie Broth (a.k.a. Mirepoix)
Say what??...Mere, huh?
Shortly after my first stint at making vegetable broth with celery, carrots, and some leftover onion, I was told that this kind of broth is known to professional chefs (like on those cooking shows) as mirepoix (pronounced meer-pwah). So if you want to sound professional when you're at home cooking your veggie broth, and your family asks, "What are you making?" you can look up from the stove and say, "oh, it's just my mirepoix." That's got to make them impressed, at least for a couple of seconds!
Making veggie broth is extremely simple.
(And, by the way, if you want to make chicken broth, you can do the exact same thing, except use leftover pieces of your rotisserie chicken in pot)
1) Roughly chop leftover vegetables.
2) Put them in a large pot.
3) Cover the veggies with water.
4) Simmer on medium to med-low (depending on your stove), covered, for about an hour.
The veggies I used here were (as mentioned earlier), celery, carrots, and onions. I also added pepper and dried parsley just because.
When it's done, use a slotted spoon to remove the vegetables and discard. Strain the rest of the broth into a heat-proof bowl, and allow broth to cool. Then you can use it for soups or other recipes, or put into containers and freeze for later.
Shortly after my first stint at making vegetable broth with celery, carrots, and some leftover onion, I was told that this kind of broth is known to professional chefs (like on those cooking shows) as mirepoix (pronounced meer-pwah). So if you want to sound professional when you're at home cooking your veggie broth, and your family asks, "What are you making?" you can look up from the stove and say, "oh, it's just my mirepoix." That's got to make them impressed, at least for a couple of seconds!
Making veggie broth is extremely simple.
(And, by the way, if you want to make chicken broth, you can do the exact same thing, except use leftover pieces of your rotisserie chicken in pot)
1) Roughly chop leftover vegetables.
2) Put them in a large pot.
3) Cover the veggies with water.
4) Simmer on medium to med-low (depending on your stove), covered, for about an hour.
The veggies I used here were (as mentioned earlier), celery, carrots, and onions. I also added pepper and dried parsley just because.
How to Roast Your Own Garlic
Recently I discovered this site to an amazingly easy (and yummy!) way to roast your own garlic, by wrapping it up in aluminum foil. Also I have a book that teaches how to roast garlic a slightly different way, by putting it in a pan with olive oil. . So here I will be illustrating the two ways to roast garlic.
Technique #1 will be on the left, and will be the pan-roasted version.
Technique #2 is on the right, and is the aluminum foil version.
Take the whole bulb of garlic and cut the pointy tops off.
With #1, put in heat-proof pan, and pour 1 teaspoon of olive oil into the bulb.
With #2, wrap in aluminum foil.
Roast in 400 degree oven for 30 minutes.
For #1 (pan-roasted): Use the prongs of a fork or a sharp knife to get the cloves out.
For #2: With this one, you're supposed to be able to squeeze the bulb with your hand, and the cloves come out. This works, except that they become a little more squished (which is fine if you're throwing the garlic into a soup or something anyway). So you can pick your method of choice. Here is one of the recipes I've made with the roasted garlic.
Technique #1 will be on the left, and will be the pan-roasted version.
Technique #2 is on the right, and is the aluminum foil version.
With #2, wrap in aluminum foil.
Roast in 400 degree oven for 30 minutes.
How to Cook Plantains
(I got this idea from this post at Life, Gluten Free. Also, for more on the do's and don't's of cooking plantains, click here.)
Introducing plantains:
What is a plantain, you may ask? They are similar to bananas, but are starchier, and are usually not eaten raw. The peeling of plantains is thicker than a banana's, so it's a little harder to peel. For this recipe, you have to wait till the plantain peeling is black. That's when it's perfect to cook. I tried frying it when it was still green, and it came out tasting like the consistency of french fries--which isn't horrible, but not exactly right when you're looking for caramel-ly sweet richness.
Slice the plantains thinly. (One reason for my "french fry"-like plantains the first time was because I sliced them too thickly) You can do this in rounds or longways.
I like to fry mine in coconut oil. Just put a blob in the skillet on medium high until it melts.
Fry on both sides, or until the slices turn a dark brown, and almost look burnt. That means they're perfect!
(Some people may not cook theirs this long. But my sister has been to Guatemala, and she says that they cook theirs like this--except sliced longways--and they melt in your mouth.)
I can't describe to you exactly what these taste like (maybe crunchy on the outside, sweet, rich fruitness on the inside), but you should definitely try them for yourself!
I would share some with you, but I already ate them all :)
Introducing plantains:
What is a plantain, you may ask? They are similar to bananas, but are starchier, and are usually not eaten raw. The peeling of plantains is thicker than a banana's, so it's a little harder to peel. For this recipe, you have to wait till the plantain peeling is black. That's when it's perfect to cook. I tried frying it when it was still green, and it came out tasting like the consistency of french fries--which isn't horrible, but not exactly right when you're looking for caramel-ly sweet richness.
Slice the plantains thinly. (One reason for my "french fry"-like plantains the first time was because I sliced them too thickly) You can do this in rounds or longways.
I like to fry mine in coconut oil. Just put a blob in the skillet on medium high until it melts.
Fry on both sides, or until the slices turn a dark brown, and almost look burnt. That means they're perfect!
(Some people may not cook theirs this long. But my sister has been to Guatemala, and she says that they cook theirs like this--except sliced longways--and they melt in your mouth.)
I can't describe to you exactly what these taste like (maybe crunchy on the outside, sweet, rich fruitness on the inside), but you should definitely try them for yourself!
I would share some with you, but I already ate them all :)
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