random recipes and the like

The Belmont

2006-03-24T20:48:00.000-08:00

Alright, I'm 21 now and I'm going to post a drink recipe, like it or not...

This is the Belmont. I'm going to give my modified recipe because the original is a bit on the rough side...

1 and 1/2 ounce Gin
1 ounce Light Cream
1 tablespoon Raspberry Syrup (or to taste)
5 Raspberries

Put two scoops of ice in a shaker. Add the first three ingredients. "Shake it like a polaroid picture."

Rinse the raspberries and put them in a chilled martini glass. Strain the liquid in the shaker over the raspberries and serve.

This drink is great. Add more or less raspberry syrup if you so desire.

Multigrain Banana Pancakes

2006-02-18T12:00:00.000-08:00

This was Ethne's birthday party meal. Hope you enjoy.

1 mashed banana
1 cup milk
.25 cup unsweetened apple sauce
1 egg
1 cup whole wheat flour
.25 cup oatmeal
2 tablespoons corn meal or cream of wheat
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1.5 teaspoons baking powder
.5 teaspoon salt

Beat banana through egg on low until slightly foamy. Add remaining ingredients and beat until mixed. I like to put the batter in a sport top water bottle (or old washed ketchup bottle) and squeeze it onto the griddle/skillet because it stays pretty clean and makes nice round cakes, or just use about .25 cup of batter per pancake. Flip pancakes when bubbles pop and edges appear cooked.

Lime-Cilantro Pork Tacos

2006-01-18T21:08:00.000-08:00

We tried this out in the apartment last night. It's awesome, trust me.

Ingredients:
1 lb pork tenderloin (trimmed and cut into thin strips)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 and 1/2 cups thinly sliced onion
1 small jalapeno pepper (chopped)
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup chopped plum tomato
3 tablespoons chopped cilantro
2 and 1/2 tablespoons lime juice
flour tortillas

Directions:
1. Heat a large-nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle pork with black pepper and salt. Add oil to the pan. Add the pork and brown it. Remove pork from pan and place to the side (ideally in a bowl or something).
2. Add onion and jalapeno to pan. Saute until tender.
3. Add broth and reduce heat. Let simmer for a minute or so. Stir in tomato and simmer for two minutes.
4. Return pork and accumulated juices to pan. Stir in cilantro and lime juice. Cook until pork is done.
5. Warm the tortillas in a small skillet (no need for oil or anything).
6. Serve and enjoy.

The Orange Fizz

2006-01-10T21:12:00.000-08:00

Well, well, well. I have a fancy little book about mixed drinks. I think it’s time to share something from it.

So here it is, a simple non-alcoholic beverage (I know, I know. Non-alcoholic might mean non-enjoyable to some of you. But I’m not old enough to drink. And I’ll only post recipes that I’ve tried and approved. Deal with it.)

The Orange Fizz

3 ounces orange juice
3 ounces ginger ale
4 ice cubes
1 orange slice
1 maraschino cherry

Put the juice, ginger ale, and ice in a large wineglass, in that order. Garnish with the orange slice and cherry.

Note: I’ve tried this with store-brand liquids and the higher quality juice and ginger ale. Go for the higher quality ingredients. Trust me, it makes a HUGE difference.

Swiss Dish

2005-12-30T10:08:00.000-08:00

My grandmother moved here from Switzerland when she was eighteen and this is one of the recipes she has reserved from her childhood. It is traditionally made with calf meat (not veal, calf is younger than veal), but she found calf hard to come by in America and figured out that chicken tenders work just as well. Spring for the tenders, they cook up better than just plain old breast. Two pounds of strips will serve six.

1 1/2 to 2 pounds chicken breast tenders
1 tablespoon olive or canola oil
1 glass chilled white wine
1 teaspoon chicken bullion
salt and pepper to taste
wondra (or cornstarch- anything to thicken the sauce)
half and half

Slice the tenders into strips, not chunks. Heat oil on med high. Add chicken to hot oil and saute until most of the pink is gone. Add the wine, bullion, salt and pepper. Slowly sprinkle the wondra while constantly stirring until the sauce thickens (I like it to be about gravy consistency). Remove from heat, splash in some half and half and serve immediately. Traditionally it is served over hashbrowns, but rice or noodles work just as well.

Tip: if you find you really like the sauce it's easy to increase it by adding more wine and bullion.

Puerco Pibil (Poo-air-ko Pee-bee-el)

2005-12-17T11:34:00.000-08:00

This dish is stolen from Robert Rodriguez. He put together a short video on how to make this dish on the Once Upon a Time in Mexico DVD. It's a pretty awesome video, so I'd suggest checking it out.

Anyway, here's the recipe for those of you who don't care to go rent the movie.

Ingredients:

5 tbps of Annato or Achiote Seeds (same thing, different name)
2 tsp Cumin
1 tbsp Black Pepper
1/2 tsp Cloves
2 tbsp Salt
8 Allspice

1/2 cup Orange Juice
1/2 cup White Vinegar
5 lemons
8 cloves of Garlic
2 Habanero Peppers
Tequila (that's right, it's going to be fun)

5 lbs of Pork Butt

(I've broken the ingredients up for a reason, just be patient.)

Directions:

1. Take the Achiote, Cumin, Pepper, Cloves, Salt, and Allspice and toss them in a coffee grinder. (Note: You're probably going to want to buy a new grinder for this so you don't have nasty tasting coffee later.) Grind all these into a nice, fine mixture.

2. Take your Vinegar, OJ, and Garlic and toss it in a blender.

3. Squeeze the juice out of the Lemons and add that to the blender. (Note: don't go too crazy with those lemons. Just give them a good squeeze. You don't need to squeeze out every drop of juice, trust me on this one.)

4. Remove and discard the seeds from the Habanero Peppers. Add the peppers to the blender.

5. Add the mix from step one to the blender and blend the crap out of that stuff. You'll want to make sure that the garlic cloves and habanero peppers are chopped up.

6. Chop the Pork Butt into 2-inch cubes.

7. Put the pork in a ziploc bag and pour in the mix from the blender. Let it marinate overnight.

8. Later, lay a few good-sized sheets of foil across a baking pan. (Rodriguez suggests using banana leaves, but I have yet to find and use them. Foil seems to work just fine.)

9. Pour the contents of the ziploc bag into the pan and wrap the foil up tight. (You don't want any steam to escape, so keep that in mind.) Take another sheet of foil place it over the top of the wrapped up foil and seal it all tightly.

10. Place the pan in the oven at 325 degrees. Four hours later, it's chow time.

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All that being said, this recipe is great over a bed of rice. Luke's rice recipe is awesome and I'll see if I can't get him to post it.

Enjoy!

Chocolate Mint Cookies

2005-12-12T13:31:00.000-08:00

Cookie:
1 cup softened butter (2 sticks)
2 cups brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ cup milk plus ½ tbl lemon juice
3 ½ cups flour (sifted makes them less dense)
1 tsp baking soda

Beat butter through vanilla until mixed. Add milk through baking soda and beat well. Chill dough 1 hour. Drop by the spoonful onto cookie sheets. Bake at 375° for 8 minutes. Let stand 1 minute on cookie sheet, remove and cool completely on wire rack.

Coating:
1 bag Hershey’s Mint Kisses

Melt in a saucepan on low, stirring constantly. Once melted, dip cookies into liquid chocolate, or spread chocolate with a spatula. Place on wax paper and cool until coating is firm.

Rice Noodles with Sesame-Ginger Flank Steak

2005-11-21T20:29:00.000-08:00

I just tried this one tonight. Everyone seemed to like it...

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Ingredients:

1/3 cup rice vinegar
3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 and 1/2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons grated peeled fresh ginger
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons dark sesame oil
1 (1-pound) flank steak, trimmed and cut into 1/4-inch strips
1 and 1/2 cups shredded carrot
1 and 1/2 cups sugar snap peas
1 cup of 1/4-inch slices of red bell pepper strips
1/2 sup fresh bean sprouts
4 cups hot cooked rice noodles (roughly 8 ounces uncooked noodles)
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1 tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted

Directions:

1. Combine the first 8 ingredients in a separate bowl, stirring until sugar dissolves.

2. Heat a large nonstick skillet over a medium-high heat. Add 1 teaspoon of the sesame seed oil to the pan. Add half of the steak, saute for 4 minutes or until browned. Remove steak from pan.

3. Repeat step two with remaining oil and steak.

4. Add vinegar mixture from step 1, carrot, peas, bell pepper, and sprouts to pan. Cook and stir for 3 minutes.

5. Return steak to pan. Add noodles, cook 1 minute, stirring constantly.

6. Sprinkle with onions and sesame seeds.

7. Serve and enjoy.

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It makes a pretty generous amount of food. I doubled the recipe and it over-fed four college men.

Hope you guys like it.

Autumn Apples

2005-11-16T11:42:00.000-08:00

Sorry there are no real measurements, I just made this up on a whim.

Healthy Version:
4 chopped apples
Cinnamon to taste
Cloves to taste

Place apples in a shallow skillet, sprinkle with spices and stir. The cinnamon and cloves will disperse as the apples cook. Cook, covered, over med-low heat about 20 minutes or until apples are tender. Stir periodically. Keep the cover on as much as possible; the apples soften from the trapped steam. A big plate or cookie sheet will work as a cover if no lid is available.

Not So Healthy Version:
Sauté apples in 1 tablespoon butter before adding cinnamon and cloves. Cook as directed above. Remove cover, sprinkle with brown sugar and stir until sugar melts.

Italian Dinner

2005-11-14T21:00:00.000-08:00

This meal stemmed from a need to use leftovers and produce on the brink of its demise. Most ingredients can be substituted with any leftovers you have around.

Appetizer:
½ tsp jarred minced garlic (roasted or regular)
1 ½ tsp dried rosemary (or two sprigs fresh)
¼ cup extra light olive oil
French bread or Baguettes

Crush the garlic and rosemary with the back of a spoon to release flavor. Combine all ingredients in an air tight container. Let stand at room temperature for a few hours before serving. Tear bread and dip in olive oil.

Entrée:
1 ½ pounds left over roast, cut in ¼ inch thick slices (pre cooked chicken breast will work too)
6 tablespoons cornmeal
4 tablespoons Italian Style bread crumbs (or normal ones with some oregano and garlic powder)
6-7 handfuls crushed corn flakes
Parmesan cheese to taste
1/3 cup milk
1 egg
Cooking spray
Sliced mozzarella cheese
1 can spaghetti sauce
Cooked spaghetti

Preheat oven to 400°. Combine cornmeal through parmesan in a shallow dish. Combine milk and egg in a shallow dish, whisk with a fork until mixed. Dredge meat slices in milk, then cornmeal; repeat. Place roast on wire rack coated with cooking spray. Place wire rack on cookie sheet, bake for 15 minutes or until breading is golden brown. -OR- Bake on foil lined cookie sheet. (Foil makes for easy cleaning; just be sure to put it shiny side down) Once breading is golden brown, cover roast with sliced cheese. Broil about 1 minute until cheese is brown and bubbly. Serve over spaghetti noodles with sauce. [For a healthier alternative bake a spaghetti squash, cut side down in 2 inches of water with fresh rosemary in the cavity, for 45 minutes at 350º. Serve roast over squash.]

Dessert:
2/3 cup lemon juice (about 4 lemons if you want it fresh)
3 cups water
1 cup sugar
1 cup orange juice (about 4 oranges)

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook for 1 minute or until sugar dissolves; stir constantly. Remove from heat; cool. Pour into a 13 x 9-inch baking dish. Cover; freeze at least 8 hours or until firm.
Remove dish from freezer, let it thaw slightly, and then scrape the entire mixture with a fork until fluffy. Store the remaining granita in an airtight container; cover and freeze up to 1 month. Serve with Balsamic Glazed Oranges:
2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar (or 1 tablespoon vinegar, 1 tablespoon red wine)
2 oranges, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh mint (optional)

Combine sugar and vinegar in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil. Cook mixture until reduced to 2 tablespoons (about 1 minute), stirring constantly; remove the mixture from heat. Divide orange slices evenly between 2 salad plates. Drizzle each serving with 1 tablespoon vinegar glaze. Garnish with chopped mint, if desired.

In-a-Pinch Moo Shu Chicken

2005-11-09T20:27:00.000-08:00

This is a recipe for Moo Shu Chicken. It's not too difficult, although it will require some time.

Aimee and I decided to start with this recipe because we both really like it and we both love to cook it.

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This recipe is actually pretty simple. The only tricky part is the first paragraph. You'll be just fine after that part of it.

Ingredients

Cooking spray
2 eggs
1 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast or chicken tenderloins
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
2 teaspoons bottled minced garlic
1 1/2 teaspoons minced peeled fresh ginger
4 cups packaged cabbage-and-carrot coleslaw
3/4 cup chopped green onions
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/2 cup hoisin sauce
flour tortillas

Directions

Take the frozen chicken (it actually will be easier if the chicken is frozen) and put it in your blender. Yes, I realize that's a disgusting concept, but trust me on this one. Anyway, puree the poultry. The more frightening the consistency, the better off you are. (NOTE: make sure to give yourself plenty of time for this. It's not an easy task. It is, however, well worth it.)

If you have finished this step, take a small break and do a little victory dance. The worst is over.

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken, garlic, and ginger; cook roughly 3 minutes, stirring to crumble.

Stir in coleslaw, onions, salt, and pepper; cook 3 minutes or until tender, stirring frequently. Stir in hoisin.

Open a whole in the mixture about the size of your fist in the center of the pan. Crack the two eggs and cook them in the middle of that Moo Shu goodness. After they've been thoroughly cooked, be sure to stir the egg into the rest of the food.

Warm tortillas according to package directions. Load the chicken into the center of the tortilla. Roll up. Eat lots.

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That's the first of many recipes. Be sure to check back for new ones.