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Showing posts with label recipes. Show all posts

Shillelagh Shake!

Top o' the mornin' to ya!

My half-Irish eyes are smiling while sipping on this cool shake.

(Shillelagh, pronounced shi-lay-lee, ya' know the Irish walking cane)

You must try my version of the franchise frozen concoction, featuring REAL ingredients.

After seeing the pictures of pink goo used to make nuggets, we will think once, twice and then make our own!

A couple unexpected ingredients make this truly a treat!

In your blender:

fill half way with vanilla ice cream

about a cup of milk

2 tablespoons of heavy cream

2 tablespoons of vanilla Torani syrup

2 drops of real peppermint extract

2 drops of green food coloring

This is not a low fat treat, but genuinely unexpectedly delicious.

Peppermint extract is very strong, don't overdo, this isn't a mint milkshake. The few drops add subtle freshness. Vanilla Torani also adds additional depth of flavor.

You could even make this into a cocktail by substituting the mint extract with a jigger of Dr. McGillicuddy.

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Soothe your ailments with this Chicken Soup

This winter, though unusually mild, is over compensating in the cold/flu department. This soup is sure to soothe what ails thee.

Homemade with love and fresh ingredients. Easy to digest with a plethora of unsuspected nutrients. Vitamin C and Iron rich parsley, Carrots chock full of B vitamins, Vitamin A and Potassium. Celery has vitamin K, A more potassium and Phosphorus.

There are probably dozens, maybe thousands of chicken soup recipes out there and many are outright bland and boring, sporting rubberband like noodles.

If you are interested in a rich, deeply flavored Chicken Noodle Soup, this won't disappoint.

Hubby even makes this. He takes great pride in the fact that he can whip up this comforting, delicious meal anytime I'm under the weather. We love it so much in fact that we eat it at least twice a month in the winter whether we need to or not.

Ingredients:

Package of chicken thighs with skin and bones

2-3 quarts of chicken stock

1/2 diced onion

1 diced stalk of celery

3 large carrots, sliced, cubed or coins

2 bay leaves

Fresh chopped parsley

Salt & Pepper

Garlic powder (fresh is best, but powder is better for this)

Olive oil

Kluski style egg noodles (please resist the wide flat egg noodles

try Kluski style that are opaque, roughly shaped-homemade looking)

Drizzle olive oil in a Dutch oven or large pot. Salt, pepper and garlic the chicken. Add to preheated pot, skin side down. Cook for 3-4 minutes or until brown, turn and brown other side

{fat will render from the skin and the browning builds flavor}

Remove chicken to a bowl and remove all but 2 Tablespoons of fat from the pan. Add the mirepoix (onion, celery and carrot) cook until onion is soft and translucent.

{Cooking the vegetables in the chicken fat adds huge flavor}

Add the chicken and any juices back to the pot, sprinkle with a teaspoon of garlic powder lower the heat to medium, cover and cook 20 minutes.

The fond (browned bits) on the pot bottom is better than bullion every time!

Add in the chicken broth and bay leaves. Turn heat up to med-high and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 20 more minutes. The browned meat will release rich flavor into the broth as well as gelatine from the bones which will add further depth to the soup.

Remove the chicken, add the noodles. Once the chicken is cool enough to handle, remove the meat, breaking into bite size pieces.

There is a lot of waste (in the bowl) $4 for 4 thighs makes a big pot, so I don't feel one bit guilty about tossing the less than glamorous thigh stuff.

You can see the meat is tender and juicy, kind of, not dry and chewy like so much boiled breast meat.

(Avoid breast meat, it easily over cooks and dries out in a soup, thigh meat is foolproof.

Of course you could use a whole chicken, adding in the breast meat just before serving)

Add back to soup. Boil gently for 5 minutes.

Add fresh chopped parsley, serve.

Find the Kluski noodles, avoid the bland rubbery wide egg noodles and no yolks.

Look at the texture of those noodles, rough and craggy captures the flavor of the broth like no other.

Kluskies are tender, short and easy to maneuver on a spoon, even for toddlers.

Be patient, this recipe takes about 90 minutes start to finish, and worth every bit of it.

This is not a quick and easy soup, the labor of love pays off.

Enjoy!

Adapted years and years ago from The Best Recipe.

I have also created a Thai version with lemongrass, keffir lime leaves and galangal...coming soon.

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Steak Soft Tacos

This is hubby's favorite. Considering he grew up in San Diego surrounded by great taco shops and stands, it's a real compliment. This is my version that I adapted from a Cook's Illustrated recipe. It seems like a lot of prep, and it is, but spread out over a few steps.

You'll need

1 flank steak or skirt steak, flat iron, (about 1 1/2 lbs), sliced lengthwise then make diagonal cuts.We'll have another chance to cut against the grain later.

I should be cutting against the grain here, but it's OK this recipe is very forgiving.

Dry marinade

1 Tbsp chili powder (grind dried pods for the most authentic flavor)

1 Tsp ground cumin

1 1/2 Tsp ground coriander

salt & pepper

4 cloves crushed garlic

1 jalapeno seeded and de-veined and minced (important, this is not a spicy dish, you want the flavor to come

through, not a bunch of heat. If you like it spicy wait and use a condiment on you taco :)

(YES that is the famous infomercial Magic Bullet! It is the best and noisiest kitchen gadget I own, seriously! I use it for everything from making baby food, to bread crumbs, smoothies to ground spices. Its the perfect size when you don't need the large capacity of a food processor or blender. I LOVE IT)

In a medium bowl toss the sliced meat with the spices, then add the garlic and jalapeno and toss some more.

Chill 1 hour or all day.

Heat 1-2 Tbsp of oil in a heavy (preferably cast iron) skillet, sear meat in batches

over med-hi heat one minute per side. You want a deep brown sear on the outside, still red/pink inside, it will finish cooking in the next step. ( if you overcrowd the pan, it will cool down and the meat will simmer instead of sear, the lack of flavor is evidenced by the pallor of the meat...eewww, grey and flaccid)

Transfer the meat to a bowl. Roughly chop the meat into uniform chunks, against the grain, careful to save the juices accumulating in the bowl. This makes the pieces tender to the tooth.

Take the skillet off the heat and add

1/4 cup of tomato sauce

Juice of 1 lime

1/2 cup orange juice

2 shakes of soy sauce

4 shakes of worchestershire sauce

the chopped meat and juices

Put skillet back over medium heat, and bring to a simmer and cook until sauce

reduces. It should be wet but not swimming around.

The meat is still coated in sauce but not swimming

Now the meat is perfectly cooked and SO flavorful. Place in a serving bowl.

Bring out the garnishes!

This is part of the fun, everyone chooses their favorite toppings.

I love a little onion, just meat and cheese for Big Brother S, no cilantro for Hubby.

For a crowd, we use decorative dishes. Here is just a Tuesday night dinner for the family.

and sour cream

taco sized corn or flour tortillas, heated, kept warm (we really prefer corn for these)

diced jalapenos

crumbled cotija or queso fresco (fresh mexican mild cheese)

chopped fresh cilantro

diced onion

fresh made guacamole

lime wedges

It's so fresh and delicious. We have served this many times and it always comes out perfect. A great buffet style meal for a summer gathering with the neighbors or for us, a regular weeknight treat.

Finger Food

Witch's Fingers, a delicacy for the most refined tastes.

Last week I shared my Creepy Treat Bags, these are the treats I am filling them with.

My sister introduced them to me a few years ago, she brings them to her neighborhood Halloween Parties.

You can find the simple recipe here. Just a butter cookie, rolled and pinched, score knuckles with a sharp knife and stick on the almond nail. I chose not to use food coloring, but it makes them even more dramatic!!! It's quick and easy. Just make sure you don't let them brown.

raw

cooked

Thank you for stopping by!

Strawberry Lemonade

In order to stay hydrated during the summer, I need something in addition to water.

Ginger Mint Lemonade has been my old standby for over a decade. Not too sweet and very refreshing. However, it's not a big hit with the kids.

I wanted to make something unique, that everyone would love.

This is quick easy and won't break the bank (since it's made with frozen concentrate instead of outrageously priced fresh lemons-pricey in Colorado, anyway. If lemons are more reasonably priced for you, by all means make it fresh)

You will need:

Frozen Lemonade Concentrate

Strawberries (preferably fresh, or frozen)

One Lemon, (scrubbed and sliced into rounds)

Water (6 cups)

Shhhhh!.... this is the secret ingredient, just between us girls, {{{vanilla extract}}} Just a tiny dribble is all it takes to transform regular into "Mmmm that's Good, What's in it?"

I just made 2 gallons and used less than 1/8th of a teaspoon. The extract will easily dominate. So if your making a single batch 3 drips is enough. It adds subtle sweetness and aroma. You don't want to add enough to know it's in there. Your probably thinking, such a tiny bit, is it worth it? Yes! But then again I'm biased, with my love of all things vanilla.

I admit to adding a drop to coffee with cream and sugar, from time to time. As well as hot cocoa, My favorite Italian Vanilla Cream Soda and even hot spiced tea!!!

It is delicous immediately, but the next day, the srtawberry flavor has really intensified and the pink color has deepened. So, make it ahead if you can.

(I used to make a Sparkling Lemonade with fruit as a non-alcoholic, party, standard. This is much better, in my opinion)

Disclaimer, yes there is alcohol in the extract, yes I allow my kids to have some. According to my calculations...If there are aprox. 20 drops of water in one ml, one drop is aprox .05 ml, 3 drops equal .15 ml. (there are 1.23ml in a quarter teaspoon as a reference point)

If one ounce = 29.5 ml that would mean the ratio of alcohol to a single batch of lemonade is aprox .15/1416 milliliters. I'm not worried about it. So per 6 oz. glass there is .018ml of extract

(just a little 7th grade cross multiplication ratio problem)

2nd disclaimer, different drops of different liquids vary in volume due to surface tension. Also depends how you measure a drop. All measurements aprox.

Just wanted to give you an idea how little alcohol was in there and ward off any negative "you give that to your kids!" comments.

I'll be bringing this Lemonade to the following parties;

fresh vietnamese spring rolls

These little beauties are one of my favorite foods of all time. Crisp, bright, cool, clean and colorful.

Full of flavor, and a trace amount of fat (from a few boiled shrimp). Gluten free as well.

Some of these items may not be readily available in the supermarket. I used to have to stock up when we visited the big city or ordered online, no problems, from here. Amazon is also an option. Fortunately my supermarket, here is rural Colorado carries the wrappers and noodles, Yeaaah!

Shopping list

Bahn Trang (rice or tapioca wrappers)

A note about fresh springroll wrappers, Bahn Trang, they last forever unopened in their original package. Once exposed to air they become very brittle and crack easily. Store the package in a gallon ziplock bag and take out as many as you are preparing and quickly seal shut.

mung bean tread/cellophane noodles

Soak in a bowl of water for 15 minutes then strain. They are ready to use, no boiling necessary.

lettuce leaves

(soft like bibb, or just the flexible green from romaine

any stiff parts, like the center rib of the romaine will tear the wrapper)

whole fresh mint leaves

(from my garden, read about it here)

whole fresh cilantro leaves

carrot, julienned or matchsticks

(if you don't have a mandolin or slicer, shave off some carrot with a peeler, it works equally well and is actually easier)

shrimp, cooked and de-veined

So I like to de-vein my shrimp then boil in some seasoned water, take the stems from the mint and cilantro and toss into the water. Bring to a boil a large pot of water. Add the cleaned shrimp shell on cook 2-3 minutes until pink but don't overcook. Strain shell and place in a bowl of ice, refrigerate until ready to use. OR use already peeled and cooked if you like a more simple version.

Dipping sauce - sweet chili sauce

(these are intended for fried spring rolls, but work excellent with these fresh rolls,

sweet and spicy - but not too spicy

not nearly as hot as Tabasco or even Srirachia)

Any version will work and many supermarkets have some. These are my favorites from an Asian market in the big city.

Take one of the wrappers and handle carefully. You don't want them to crack. Small cracks are OK but they can be difficult to handle and roll after they soften.

Fill a shallow dish with about 1" of water and place one wrapper in at a time or they will stick together.

Move it around gently to make sure it's getting wet on both sides. It takes just one minute or less. Remove it before it is completely saturated, yet flexible. Let it soak longer than a minute and it will be really floppy and hard to manage.

Place it on a cutting board and smooth it flat.

Now lets build the roll

Place 2 or 3 mint leaves in the center

then a piece of lettuce

some noodles

a bunch of carrot

a couple pieces of shrimp (you can use more, but I like to taste all the flavors, I find if you use more shrimp it over powers the other ingredients)

and a bunch of cilantro

Big Brother was helping, I love those chubbly little fingers

Maybe you can notice that the cutting board is wet, this keeps the wrapper slippery and easy to work with, don't bother wiping it dry

Now roll it up, similar to rolling a burrito.

This next little tuck squeeze and 1/2 roll is how the roll stays nice and uniform

I always have to eat the first one right away, they are so good I can't wait.

They will seem wet at first. After sitting for about five minutes, any remaining water will absorb into the wrapper, it will no longer feel slippery and will have sealed itself.

Aren't they gorgeous?

Serve on a simple platter, as to not distract from their beauty.

That wasn't so hard.

These keep for a day in the fridge and make EXCELLENT finger foods for any occasion. You can slice them on the diagonal to show off the goodness inside.

I guarantee everyone will be asking you how you made them and wanting more.

{nut free home, no peanut dipping sauce here}