Lentil Soup

Tonight we experimented with Lentils for dinner. Honestly, they had been in the cabinet (not sure how they got there!) So, it was time to try some lentils. 

Thanks to the trusty internet, I found a recipe that seemed appealing. Of course, it was Martha Stewart's recipe for lentil soup. How can one argue with Martha? 

No offense, Martha, but I can't make a soup with ONLY 3 pieces of bacon. Crikey. What are you thinking? So, I used the entire pound. 

The critics certainly approved.

Pecans!

Have you heard? We have a papershell pecan tree. And yes, the realtors were right, this tree can produce a large quantity of delicious pecans. (Not that this was the reason we purchased our home but everyone seemed to talk about it at that time). This is our first real crop of nuts from the tree as last year we saw a measley ten nuts. Imagine our surprise when the tree started dropping these beauties this fall! (If you would like some pecans - just ask!)

In preparation for Thanksgiving dinner I spent an evening shelling nuts. I'll admit, previously I was not a huge nut fan - but I think pecans are growing on me. (Probably a good thing, eh?) I made a delicious bourbon pecan pie for Thanksgiving dinner and topped our sweet potatoes with a pecan crumble. I have a feeling that I will be developing pecan recipes for quite some time. If you would like the recipe for the pecan pie check the facebook page, "Sue's Cooking" (the brainchild of my cousin Meg and my nephew, Philip)

And yes, I had to do it (in part because it has been the most popular joke of the week). Here is the picture of Bryan and his rather large nut sack. Er, um, I mean...sack of nuts!

By Request: Coconut Cream Pie

When I was at Gene and Esther's house a few weeks ago, I ask Gene if there was any dessert he wanted in particular for the Father's Day dinner we had planned at our home.

Gene asked if I would be so kind as to make a coconut cream pie. Coconut cream pie with a meringue is his favorite dessert.

Gene then told me how when he was growing up his grandmother always had a coconut cream pie for him when he came to visit. It seems, as the only grandson he was spoiled from time to time.

I explained to Gene that I had never made a coconut cream pie, but I certainly was not afraid to try.

This weekend it was time to make good on my promise to Gene; it was time to bake my first coconut cream pie.

My grandmother once told me that everyone should have an old Better Homes and Gardens cookbook, as the recipes are better in the older cookbooks. There are no shortcuts taken. And, I'll have to agree - if you want to make a recipe the way grandma used to, use the cookbook grandma would have used. I pulled my BH&G cookbook off the shelf (copyright 1953).

Sure enough, I was able to find a recipe for a coconut cream pie.

If you would like to make the pie, here's the recipe:
1/4 cup corn starch

2/3 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt

2 cups milk scalded (ok, I used 1 cup milk + 1 cup coconut milk)

3 slightly beaten egg yolks
2 tablespoons butter

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup moist shredded coconut + 1/2 cup for the top of the meringue
1 baked 9 inch pastry shell

Mix cornstarch, 2/3 cup sugar, and salt; gradually add milk. Cook over moderate heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and boils. Cook 2 minutes; remove from heat.

Add small amount to egg yolks; stir into remaining hot mixture; cook 1 minute; stirring constantly. Add butter, vanilla, shredded coconut; cool slightly. Pour into baked pastry shell. Cool.

Yes, the perfect meringue. A proper cream pie should be topped with a perfect meringue.

1. Beat 3 egg whites and 1/4 teaspoon salt till frothy. Whites will whip fluffie if they're at room temperature. Now you're ready to add sugar.

2. Beat in 6 tablespoons sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time. Beat until the meringue is stiff and glossy. The meringue is ready for the pie when the sugar has dissolved and the meringue is stiff enough to hold a point, yet still looks moist.

3. Cover pie with meringue. Sprinkle 1/2 cup coconut on top of meringue. Bake at 350F for 12 - 15 minutes.

4. Enjoy!


This is the finished Coconut Cream Pie. I hear that it was very tasty, but I didn't get to try a piece myself - it was all gone by the time I got to it!

I also made a lemon meringue pie, which I learned at dinner was Esther's favorite pie. Must have been my lucky day!

Not every baking adventure is a success

Not every baking adventure is a success.
If a recipe calls for self-rising flour - one should really use self-rising flour.

I'm just saying...oops!

Chicken Fajita Roll-Ups

While in college and for several years afterwards, I worked at Applebee's in Dubuque, Iowa. My favorite food to order at the end of my shift was a Chicken Fajita Roll-Up. After moving to Amarillo I decided to recreate my favorite dinner treat.

I made this roll-ups for our dinner gathering this week and thought I'd share the recipe I've developed. Perhaps someday I'll remember to use a camera to document the steps PW style.

Chicken Fajita Roll-ups
The recipe may for these may seem a bit complicated, but it's really not. Divide the tasks into 4 parts.

Step 1: Marinate the Chicken
Fajita Chicken Marinade Recipe
2 cups Water
1/3 cup soy sauce
3 Tablespoons Sugar
2 Tablespoons Salt
2 Tablespoons White Distilled Vinegar
1 Tablespoon Ground Chipotle Pepper
2 teaspoons Hickory Smoke Flavoring (Liquid Smoke)
2 teaspoons Garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon ground black pepper

Marinate 4 chicken breasts in marinade for no longer than 2 hours. (I also use chicken tenders instead of chicken breasts).

Step 2: Prepare the Pico de Gallo
2 medium tomatoes, diced
1/3 cup diced red onion
1 jalapeno, seeded and diced
2 teaspoons lime juice
2 teaspoons minced fresh cilantro
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Combine all ingredients and chill until ready to build roll-ups.

Step 3: Prepare the Mexi Ranch Dipping Sauce
(this is essential to the enjoyment of the wrap - do not skip!)
1/2 cup mayo
2 Tablespoons minced onion
2 Tablespoons diced tomato
1 Tablespoon buttermilk (or milk)
1 Tablespoon White distilled vinegar
2 teaspoons minced fresh cilantro
1 teaspoon (or more!) canned green chile peppers
3/4 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
healthy pinch dried dillweed
healthy pinch cumin
healthy pinch cayenne pepper

Combine all ingredients and chill.

Step 4: Prepare Chicken Wraps

1. Grill marinated chicken (I use our George Foreman Grill).
2. Cut chicken into bite size pieces.
3. Heat tortilla on grill pan. Melt a handful of cheese on the tortilla (I use a Mexican Shredded 4 Cheese blend). Add chicken. Once cheese is melted remove from heat.
4. Top meat and cheese with pico de gallo and shredded lettuce. Roll wrap. Slice on diagonal.
5. Serve with homemade mexi ranch.
6. Enjoy!

At Wednesday night's dinner, Bryan shared that this was one of the meals that I had made for him when we first started dating. He shared with his friends that if this is how I cooked - I was probably a pretty good catch. :)

And a final note, if you serve the wrap with french fries (this would be a good idea!) Mexi Ranch is a fabulous dip for your hot french fries.

Bryan's reason to be excited about Wednesday night dinner guests

Yes, ladies and gents, this might be the reason that Bryan was so excited to have company for dinner on Wednesday night.

Ok, it's probably not the only reason.

Ok, I know it's not the only reason.

Wednesday night we had a pair of our good friends over for dinner. We enjoyed an evening of conversation, dining and sharing the story of our home remodeling.

Bryan was very excited that I stayed up late on Tuesday night to prepare our Triple Chocolate Cheesecake for our dinner party.

After the guests had left Bryan was eager to share another piece.

Very eager.

If you'd like to make the dessert that Bryan smiling on Wednesday night - I can't take credit for the recipe - check out Martha's recipe here.

Guacamole

Yummy.

My husband makes delicious guacamole. I waited a year for a batch of guacamole. Hopefully, I won't have to wait that long for the next batch.

Fruit Dip

Another recipe rooted in the theory that every recipe is better with a little bit of liquor.

1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup light brown sugar
4 tsp. Grand Marnier

Mix, chill, enjoy with a variety of fruit.

Sausage Mini-Quiche

sI prepared these Sausage Mini-Quiches for a recent baby shower. The preparation work was worth the deliciousness!

Here's what you need:

1 roll Phyllo Dough

1/2 pound country sausage, sage

1/4 cup finely minced onion
1/4 cup finely diced red bell pepper

1 clove finely minced garlic

4 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
1/8 tsp dry mustard powder

1/4 tsp ground sage

1/4 tsp ground thyme (I didn't have ground thyme, so I used fresh thyme)

1/4 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp salt

Dash of hotsauce
Dash of Worcestershire Sauce
2 eggs
Shredded Gruyere or Swiss Cheese

Makes 24 mini-quiches

1. Prepare the Phyllo Dough according to the package instructions. Alternate a layer of Phyllo dough with a layer of melted butter. Build five sheets for one set. Using a 2 1/2 inch biscuit cutter, cut shells for the quiche. Fit each circle into the mini-muffin pan.

2. Saute pork sausage, onion, red bell pepper, and garlic together until the meat is no longer pink. Break up the sausage into small pieces as you saute. Let pork sausage mixture cool to room temperature.

3. Spoon 1/2-1 Tbs. of the cooled pork mixture into each mini-muffin cup.

4. Blend cream cheese, dry mustard, sage, thyme, onion powder, salt, pepper, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce until smooth. Beat in eggs one at a time until incorporated.

5. Spoon egg and cheese mixture over sausage in each cup. Top with a sprinkling of Gruyere or Swiss cheese.

6. Bake 10 minutes in a 400F oven.

Enjoy!

White Trash Orange BBQ Chicken

For our Memorial Day Cook-out we prepared White Trash Orange BBQ Chicken. The secret was in the sauce!

Here's the recipe:
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup frozen orange juice concentrate
1/2 cup white wine vinegar (truth be told, we ran out of white wine vinegar and I supplemented with some red wine vinegar

1/4 tomato paste

1/2 Tsp ground ginger
1 Tsp dried onion powder
1/2 cup water
2 Tbsp butter
Salt & pepper
zest of one orange

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until sauce becomes a thin syrup.

Grill chicken 20 minutes on first side, 10 minutes on second side, baste with sauce and finish cooking final ten minutes.

Enjoy!

Thanks to White Trash BBQ for the recipe.

Midnight Stroganoff

Late last night Bryan and I returned home after a day at the GNC for load-ins and symphony rehearsal. Around 11 p.m. Bryan announced that he was really hungry for prime rib stroganoff.

At first in shock, I said really? Then agreed to whip something out with the contents of our fridge. I'm still to sleepy to say much, but here are some images from Bryan's photo essay.

A tasty treat for sure!

Hobo Tilapia

Now that we have a functioning kitchen, it's time to start having fun cooking again! Last night I prepared this tasty and simple dish, Hobo Tilapia. Why Hobo Tilapia? Well, it's easy, didn't require a lot of prep work, and used dry ingredients that I already had in the house so an additional shopping trip was not necessary.

Here's how to make your own Hobo Tilapia.

First, gather all of your needed spices and some tilapia. (I used frozen tilapia fillets that I had thawed earlier in the day).



Next, combine the spices in a bowl large enough to dredge the fish fillets in.



Then, dredge each fillet in the spice mixture.



Here are all of the fillets ready to cook.



Heat a heavy skillet, add olive oil and heat until the oil is almost smoking. Cook the tilapia for 3 minutes per side, or until the fish can be flaked with a fork.



Once finished you could squeeze a bit of lemon juice on top - I didn't because we didn't have any lemons.

If you would like to make your own Hobo Tilapia, the spice mixture recipe is:

Hobo Tilapia
3 Tablespoons Paprika
1 Tablespoon Onion Powder
1 pinch garlic powder (ok, honestly - I use more than a pinch)
1 teaspoon ground white pepper
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon celery seed
1 tablespoon kosher salt

This is enough spice mixture for 1 pound of tilapia fillets.

Potatoes Gratin with Gruyere

Anyone who knows me knows that I am not the world's greatest fan of cheese. However, I do think that an Easter ham is best served with some potatoes gratin. This yummy recipe will make you a believer as well. (Thanks for the recipe, Kelly!)

Potatoes Gratin with Gruyere
(4 servings)

1 cup half and half or light cream
1/8 tsp ground red pepper (cayenne)
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 lbs (3 medium) Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
3 oz. (3/4 cup) Gruyere cheese, shredded

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Grease shallow 4 cup baking disk or 9" glass pie plate. Set Aside.

2. In a 3 quart sauce pan, combine half and half, ground red pepper, and salt. Heat to boiling over medium high heat. Add potatoes and cook 2-3 minutes or until half & half mixture thickens slightly, stirring gently.

3. Transfer half of potatoes to prepared gratin dish Sprinkle with 1/2 cup of Gruyere. Top with remaing mixture and rest of Gruyere.

4. Bake Gratin 35-40 minutes or until potatoes are fork tender and top is golden and bubbly.

Holiday Baking begins...

Nutcracker performances are this week, so that means it is officially time to start the holiday baking projects. While the fire was roaring in the fireplace and Cat was lounging leisurely about in front of the fire, I began the holiday sweet making process.

First up was the traditional sponge candy. Two weeks ago folks started asking me if it was time to make this candy yet. Honestly, it's a fairly easy sweet treat to make, it's just a bit time consuming. Last year, I blogged about the creation of this yummy goodness, but neglected to post a picture of the final product.



This link is the basic recipe for sponge candy that I use.

Besides sponge candy, I also baked a cheesecake. Bryan and I are attending a housewarming party tomorrow evening and are bringing a dessert. I have made this particular recipe a few times with much success. It's a triple chocolate cheesecake. Here's a picture of the cake while it is cooling. I'll finish the chocolate ganache tomorrow morning. You can also be like Martha and bake this cake - click here for the recipe.

Wait a minute....

"Ma'am, wait a minute! You are not Latino. Are you trying to kill someone or something?"

I kid you not, these are the words I heard as I was at the grocery store on Friday evening. What warranted this utterance from the grocery clerk? My purchase of two pounds of fresh jalapenos.
Apparently, the only folks in Clinton who purchase that many jalapenos are as the grocery clerk said, Latin or trying to kill someone.

So, that begs the question. Why was I purchasing two pounds of fresh jalapeno peppers? I was making bacon wrapped jalapeno peppers for our family Christmas gathering. You can find the recipe for these delicious (and easy to make) creations here. In case you were wondering, yes these spicy treats were a hit with the fam.

Follow-up: Here's a hint for preparing the jalapenos for this recipe. A friend asked me how I avoid the burning and stinging associated with removing the seeds from a jalapeno. Simple, I use a grapefruit spoon.

The Chemistry Experiment: Actual Results

A few days ago I posted a teaser blog indicating that these few ingredients could be used as part of a chemistry experiment that would yield a delightful holiday treat.

Sadly, I started the chemistry project a few days ago, and did not finish until today. On a positive note, the reaction was not hampered by the extended pause after phase one of the reaction.

This morning I decided I needed to bring yet another homemade goodie to today's Nutcracker performance.

Pause for a point of information:

In case you didn't know, Nutcracker is as much a time for food and fellowship among members of the orchestra as it is a time for playing an important ballet score. I have tried all week to have some sort of fresh treat for the members of the orchestra as bribery is often required when one is placing 65 people in a cramped space (more on that later)

So, this morning I opted to finish the chemistry project in order to create some happy musicians. The candy of the day is Sponge Candy. It's a relatively simple recipe, but is tricky. If there is too much humidity in the air, the candy will flop.

Here's how it works (also known as the recipe)

Combine 1 cup sugar, 1 cup dark Karo corn syrup and 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar in a saucepan. Mix well. Heat on stove top on medium heat.

The mixture should look like this:
Once the heating process begins, do NOT stir the mixture. Monitor the temperature of the mixture carefully with a candy thermometer. I use this digital one as it reminds me of the hours I spent in the chemistry lab in college.

The sugar mixture will continue to heat and look like this: Once the mixture reaches 300F, quickly remove the saucepan from heat and stir in 1 tablespoon baking soda. Use a spoon that is easy to clean as this makes one sticky mess. There are no pictures of this part of the process because you have to move quickly and I was alone in the kitchen.

I can tell you what happens though. Have you ever made a volcano for a science project? Well, this is the same idea, if you mix baking soda and vinegar you will create a chemical reaction. In this case the reaction causes the mixture to expand and harden.

Once the baking soda has been added to the heated sugar mixture, quickly pour the batter into a buttered (no margarine, use real butter!) 9x9x2 cake pan. The mixture will continue to expand and eventually harden like the picture to the right.

After the candy has cooled and harden, drop the pan on your counter. That's right. I said drop the pan. I'm sure there are far more elegant ways to break this candy, but I like the fun of dropping the pan. And really, if you are going to make a mess in the kitchen, one should really have some fun.

These individual pieces of candy should then be dipped in a chocolate coating (I use chocolate flavored almond bark).

The end result is bite size chunks of chocolate covered goodness, much like a Butterfinger, only better.

Regretfully, I forgot my intent to blog about this candy making experience and did not capture a picture of the finished product. I suppose I could take a picture of the empty containers that transported the goodies, but what good would that do? Only a few hours after the end of the preparations all of the pieces of candy are gone and I have only the happy mouths of musicans and stagehands to show for it. Some of the folks seem to think that I should just make another batch so that I would have one to take a picture of...I'll get right on that in all of my spare time.

Chemistry you can eat

Stay tuned for details on how this chemistry experiment becomes a yummy treat.