In the spirit of St. Patrick's Day, I made a traditional Irish dish (actually, a traditional St. Patty's Day dish). Every year I make something authentically Irish on St. Patty's Day. Last year, it was bangers n' mash. This year, I went with a corned beef brisket with roasted vegetables, including cabbage, of course.
I bought the brisket from the grocery store. You can always find corned beef around St. Patrick's Day. I prepared my own seasonings with the mortar and pestal which included corriander, peppercorns and sea salt as well as fresh garlic. I started the roast in my Dutch oven inside the oven (at 300 degrees) with approximately one cup of water and 1/4 cup orange juice. After two hours, I added the vegetables.
The vegetables included carrots (not baby carrots), baby red potatoes and green cabbage.
With the risk of sounding redundant, I absolutely love my Dutch oven. It's fool proof and makes "can't miss" meals. Everything is done to the perfect tenderness and it keeps all the flavors in whatever is being prepared. This corned beef was so tender. It was chock full of flavor and, like most corned beef, was somewhat salty. It was perfect. This was the first time I put the Dutch oven in the convential oven. I must say, I was pleasently surprised.
Ingredients:
3.84 lbs corned beef brisket
3 cups chopped cabbage
10 carrots (chopped in half)
20 baby red potatoes
a variety of seasoning
Weather: gorgeous, 61 degrees
Music: Ke$ha - Blah, blah, blah
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Sauteed scallops
It's been way too long. I haven't blogged about my food creation is what seems like forever. I promise, I have been eating very well and cooking for my family. I just haven't found the time to write about them.
Scallops are very delicate to prepare. They need to be fresh and can't be overcooked. I sauteed the scallops in two tablespoons of olive oil and seasoned them with garlic, pepper and basil. I fried each side for about six minutes, or until each side had a hint of a golden finish. After the first flip (with tongs), I added a handful of Parmesan cheese and, mixing with the oil, it created a little glaze of sorts. After placing them on the serving plate, I topped the scallops with pesto.
The scallops were so tender and "melted" in my mouth. They did. If they're overcooked, they become chewy. These weren't chewy. They were perfect. As a side dish, I broiled asparagus seasoned with garlic and basil. It turned out to be a very good Italian meal. It tasted very expensive.
Weather: 64 degrees!
Music: Milow - One of It
Scallops are very delicate to prepare. They need to be fresh and can't be overcooked. I sauteed the scallops in two tablespoons of olive oil and seasoned them with garlic, pepper and basil. I fried each side for about six minutes, or until each side had a hint of a golden finish. After the first flip (with tongs), I added a handful of Parmesan cheese and, mixing with the oil, it created a little glaze of sorts. After placing them on the serving plate, I topped the scallops with pesto.
The scallops were so tender and "melted" in my mouth. They did. If they're overcooked, they become chewy. These weren't chewy. They were perfect. As a side dish, I broiled asparagus seasoned with garlic and basil. It turned out to be a very good Italian meal. It tasted very expensive.
Weather: 64 degrees!
Music: Milow - One of It
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Slow cooker sweet & tangy chicken
Well, it's March and I successfully cooked my way through February without having to spend an arm and a leg on groceries. I must say, I felt pretty resourcefull and my February meals were very rewarding. I didn't have a lot of time to blog about them, but I threw a few in for you.
March will probably be a different all on its own. I'll be doing a lot of weekend traveling and with the change of weather, our mood starts to lean towards fresh produce and, weather permitting, the grill.
My first documented meal came by way of the slow cooker, or Crock Pot. I know what you're thinking, I'm too modern and creative to use such an old-fashioned cooking appliance like the Crock Pot. I mean, come on, I received six of them, in a variety of sizes, as wedding gifts. I seldomly use the slow cooker because they're not very hands-on, but they're easy to use and make wonderful food.
I mixed the barbecue sauce with onion, green pepper and garlic. I put three chicken breasts in the slow cooker, covered it with half of the barbecue sauce, put down two more pieces and poured the rest of the sauce over the top. Then I let it cook on low for 8 hours. That's it. I also made a side of rice.
The chicken had a terrific flavor. I was expecting an Asian taste, but it was a sweet backyard barbecue taste instead. It was very good. The chicken was moist and soft. It went very well with rice, but would probably be better with some broiled vegetables next time.
Ingredients:
5 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
2 bottles of Sweet Baby Ray's barbecue sauce
1 can (20 oz.) crushed pineapple with juice
1 onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
Weather: 40-degrees and sunny!
Music: Train - Soul Sister
March will probably be a different all on its own. I'll be doing a lot of weekend traveling and with the change of weather, our mood starts to lean towards fresh produce and, weather permitting, the grill.
My first documented meal came by way of the slow cooker, or Crock Pot. I know what you're thinking, I'm too modern and creative to use such an old-fashioned cooking appliance like the Crock Pot. I mean, come on, I received six of them, in a variety of sizes, as wedding gifts. I seldomly use the slow cooker because they're not very hands-on, but they're easy to use and make wonderful food.
I mixed the barbecue sauce with onion, green pepper and garlic. I put three chicken breasts in the slow cooker, covered it with half of the barbecue sauce, put down two more pieces and poured the rest of the sauce over the top. Then I let it cook on low for 8 hours. That's it. I also made a side of rice.
The chicken had a terrific flavor. I was expecting an Asian taste, but it was a sweet backyard barbecue taste instead. It was very good. The chicken was moist and soft. It went very well with rice, but would probably be better with some broiled vegetables next time.
Ingredients:
5 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
2 bottles of Sweet Baby Ray's barbecue sauce
1 can (20 oz.) crushed pineapple with juice
1 onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
Weather: 40-degrees and sunny!
Music: Train - Soul Sister
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Iron skillet hamburgers
I'm not going to lie, I make really good hamburgers. When we have people over and I grill hamburgers, they're always amazed how flavorful and juicy my burgers are. I put a lot of interest into making them unique. I think they have a very distinct taste.
I always finely chop an onion and garlic and mix it with the ground beef. I also like using Worcestershire sauce and teryaki sauce. Sometimes I put barbecue or other sauces in to assure they're the juiciest burgers around. Tonight, I stayed clear of the barbecue sauce because I was afraid of how that would work with the cast-iron skillet. Instead, I put in some shredded cheese. It worked out very well. I put an egg in, too.
The cast-iron skillet that I have has ridges. It leaves marks that look like whatever you're cooking spent some time on the grill. Each patty was almost 3/4 pound. They were very, very good - juicy and full of flavor.
I always finely chop an onion and garlic and mix it with the ground beef. I also like using Worcestershire sauce and teryaki sauce. Sometimes I put barbecue or other sauces in to assure they're the juiciest burgers around. Tonight, I stayed clear of the barbecue sauce because I was afraid of how that would work with the cast-iron skillet. Instead, I put in some shredded cheese. It worked out very well. I put an egg in, too.
The cast-iron skillet that I have has ridges. It leaves marks that look like whatever you're cooking spent some time on the grill. Each patty was almost 3/4 pound. They were very, very good - juicy and full of flavor.
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Three bean turkey chili
This has been a fantastic weekend so far. Liz and I were able to spend our entire Saturday at home with Isaiah. Of course, I followed my wrestlers online, but my heart was with my family. It was very nice and refreshing. We both needed it. I was able to put some time and effort into making a hearty and healthy batch of chili. It all felt so right.
Before yesterday, I had never made chili. I've eaten a lot of it, though - healthy, meaty, spicy, weird, etc., I've tried it all. Since I've had so many varieties, I knew exactly what I wanted and what would feel the most like "our home."
I browned ground turkey seasoned with Lawry's Seasoning, drained the excess liquid and set aside. In my lovely Dutch oven, I warmed 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and added an onion, a shallot, a red pepper, three stalks of celery and Andouille chicken sausage. I also added a bunch of chili powder, a dash of crushed red pepper and salt and pepper. I covered the pot and cooked for about 15 minutes then added five cloves of minced garlic and the ground turkey and mixed everything together.
In no particular order, I added a large can of diced tomatoes, a small can of tomato sauce (and one can of water), a can of black beans, a can of kidney beans and a can of garbanzo beans. I also added more chili powder and salt and pepper. Finally, I added whole wheat fusilli pasta. It took an additional 10-15 minutes until the pasta was ready.
I put a lot of thought and effort into the ingredients and the best part was, as always, eating it. I made enough to have left overs for a few days...isn't that the best way to make chili? I love going to the fridge for left over chili more than any other left over.
Before yesterday, I had never made chili. I've eaten a lot of it, though - healthy, meaty, spicy, weird, etc., I've tried it all. Since I've had so many varieties, I knew exactly what I wanted and what would feel the most like "our home."
I browned ground turkey seasoned with Lawry's Seasoning, drained the excess liquid and set aside. In my lovely Dutch oven, I warmed 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and added an onion, a shallot, a red pepper, three stalks of celery and Andouille chicken sausage. I also added a bunch of chili powder, a dash of crushed red pepper and salt and pepper. I covered the pot and cooked for about 15 minutes then added five cloves of minced garlic and the ground turkey and mixed everything together.
In no particular order, I added a large can of diced tomatoes, a small can of tomato sauce (and one can of water), a can of black beans, a can of kidney beans and a can of garbanzo beans. I also added more chili powder and salt and pepper. Finally, I added whole wheat fusilli pasta. It took an additional 10-15 minutes until the pasta was ready.
I put a lot of thought and effort into the ingredients and the best part was, as always, eating it. I made enough to have left overs for a few days...isn't that the best way to make chili? I love going to the fridge for left over chili more than any other left over.
Friday, February 19, 2010
Fried pan-fish
I graciously received two bags of freshly caught perch from the parent of a young Victory athlete. It was imparative to cook the fish while they were still fresh. So, fried fish was on the menu for lunch today.
I mixed flour, salt, pepper and garlic salt in a small bowl and rolled the fillets in the flour mixture. I warmed some extra virgin olive oil in a pan and fried the battered fish for approximately 5-6 minutes before I flipped the fillets. After flipping them, I cooked them for an extra 3-4 minutes.
The fish was wonderful. The more fillets I cooked, the better feel I had for when to flip them. It was best when I coooked them longer than I had anticipated, leaving a little crunch to the batter. Regardless, every fillet was scrum-didily-umptious.
I mixed flour, salt, pepper and garlic salt in a small bowl and rolled the fillets in the flour mixture. I warmed some extra virgin olive oil in a pan and fried the battered fish for approximately 5-6 minutes before I flipped the fillets. After flipping them, I cooked them for an extra 3-4 minutes.
The fish was wonderful. The more fillets I cooked, the better feel I had for when to flip them. It was best when I coooked them longer than I had anticipated, leaving a little crunch to the batter. Regardless, every fillet was scrum-didily-umptious.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Pancakes
This morning I got up earlier than usual so I could make pancakes for Liz before she left for work. We both love pancakes and it works out well because Isaiah happens to love pancakes, too (I think he likes the syrup most). I had a Sturdiwheat pancake mix, so I decided to take the easy route today.
Sturdiwheat pancakes are amazing. They're extremely easy to make and easier to eat because they taste great. All it takes is equal parts water and pancake mix to create the smooth batter.
We have a nice griddle - one of many wedding gifts that we're still using - and I sprayed it with Pam spray and poured eight dollar size pancakes. For me, the fun part to making pancakes is watching the batter transform into a soft and chewy pancake. When they bubble, they ready to flip. I only flip them one time.
One of the most important ingredients with pancakes is the syrup. We're syrup snobs and it's the only way to go if you're intending on enjoying pancakes or waffles at anytime. 100% pure maple syrup is how we do it. I used to have a wrestler who brought me syrup from his syrup farm, now we buy it. It's expensive and it's worth it.
Ingredients:
1 cup Sturdiwheat pancake mix
1 cup warm water
Music: Brook Fraser - The Thief
Weather: 13 degrees (it's going to be in the 30's)
Sturdiwheat pancakes are amazing. They're extremely easy to make and easier to eat because they taste great. All it takes is equal parts water and pancake mix to create the smooth batter.
We have a nice griddle - one of many wedding gifts that we're still using - and I sprayed it with Pam spray and poured eight dollar size pancakes. For me, the fun part to making pancakes is watching the batter transform into a soft and chewy pancake. When they bubble, they ready to flip. I only flip them one time.
One of the most important ingredients with pancakes is the syrup. We're syrup snobs and it's the only way to go if you're intending on enjoying pancakes or waffles at anytime. 100% pure maple syrup is how we do it. I used to have a wrestler who brought me syrup from his syrup farm, now we buy it. It's expensive and it's worth it.
Ingredients:
1 cup Sturdiwheat pancake mix
1 cup warm water
Music: Brook Fraser - The Thief
Weather: 13 degrees (it's going to be in the 30's)
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