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Bacon, Gorgonzola, Avocado and Basil Pasta

June 30, 2010 by 14 Comments

Warning: The following post and recipe make liberal and unabashed use of strong smelling blue cheese, smoky bacon and bacon fat, pungent onions, highly aromatic basil, odiferous garlic and creamy avocado. If you are at all adverse to stanky foods, you may want to look at the pretty pictures and skip the verbiage.

This is a blueprint on how to make me happy.  Just in case you were wondering.

The formula is simple and scientific:

Pasta + (Crispy Bacon + (Bacon Fat/Onions) + Gorgonzola + Avocado + Basil + Garlic) = Infinite Goodness

By way of proof, I offer this photographic evidence.

Just try to break down my theory now.  I dare you.

Still not convinced?  I’ll expound.  Perfectly ripe avocado, crispy bacon, onions cooked in a hint of bacon fat, Gorgonzola cheese, garlic and freshly snipped basil stirred into freshly cooked, hot al dente pasta with a splash of red wine vinegar; the avocado melts around the pasta forming a delicate creamy sauce.  Oh yes.  It’s true.  It forms its own sauce.  Contented sigh.

This is my new favorite pasta dish. We’re talking flavor -big flavor- with very little effort.  In heat and humidity like this everyone needs a spectacular meal that delivers with very little at-the-stove time; this is that dish.

If you’re not in the blue-cheese lovers’ camp, there is probably nothing I can say to you at this point to make you want this (unless the word ‘bacon’ trumps everything else, in which case I bid you welcome.) But if you, like me, salivate at the mention of Gorgonzola then you might just be sitting there yelling, “Quit the yackety and get on with the recipe.  I want my fix!”*

*I may have actually yelled that at the computer once when someone got rather verbose about a blue cheese popover that I was desperate to try.

I’ll quit the yackety in a moment, but I just have to remind you that I have five little boys and my conversations ‘with’ them go something like this.

Me: “Hey guys!  Could you please come empty the dishwasher for me? I could use a little help before dinner.”

Guys: “Which was your favorite assistant on Dr. Who?”

Me: “Um, Amy, I guess.  Now can you get the dishwasher?”

Guys: “Did you know I can do this with my eyelids?”

Me: “Stop it.”

Guys: “Can we go run around the house naked?”

Me: “Dishwasher.”

Guys: “Have you seen that snake I brought in the house?  I can’t believe I lost him. He was huge!”

Me: “Eep!”

Guys: “I’m hungry. And I think I can sing The Star Spangled Banner like a robot in Pig Latin.”

Me: (Whimper)

Begrudging me the yackety will result in me having very little sane, adult conversation in the course of the day.  You wouldn’t want me to regress would you? *

*There might be some who would argue that it is already too late since I’m employing the terms ‘yackety’ and ‘stanky’ and ‘I dare you’ in a food piece.  To them, I stick my thumb firmly on my nose, wiggle my fingers and blow a giant raspberry in their general direction.

So, since you’re indulging me, can I show you a couple pictures of some of my basil plants?  They’re growing like crazy plants out there.

We have the Genovese Basil.  Lovely classic basil.

And two of the four funky varieties given to me by my friend, Deb; Ararat Basil… (Look at how gorgeous it is with the purple stems and veins.)

This pretty little thing is Sweet Dani Basil.  This particular plant came from a clipping Deb kept alive in a pot on her windowsill all winter long.  Hearty stuff for such delicate flavor.

Basil is a star in this dish, and this dish came about largely because I put in, ahem, 18 basil plants.  I was desperate for fresh basil after that long basil-free winter.  Does it show? But now I have basil coming out of my ears and I’m trying to make meals that make ample use of my new-found herbal wealth. Multi-tasking.  It’s what’s for dinner.

One more thing.  Avocados, once they are cut, age about as gracefully as Lindsay Lohan.  The day it’s made, it’s both pretty and delicious.  So for the best looks, eat this the day it’s made.  As leftovers, it will still taste fabulous; it just won’t look great.

For a photo-free, printer-friendly version of this recipe, click here with wild abandon.

Bacon, Gorgonzola, Avocado and Basil Pasta

Ingredients:

  • 1 pound uncooked small shaped pasta (fusilli, farfalle, penne, wagon wheels, etc…)
  • 1 pound bacon, sliced into 1/2″ strips
  • 2 small cooking onions, peeled, cut in half and sliced into half-moons
  • 1 very ripe avocado, peel and pit removed and discarded
  • 1/2 cup lightly packed basil leaves, snipped or very thinly sliced
  • 1/2 cup crumbled Gorgonzola cheese
  • 2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced, or 1 teaspoon garlic paste
  • 2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Bring a gallon of water to a full rolling boil in a large stockpot.  Salt the water and pour in the pasta.  Cook to al dente according to package directions.

Add the bacon strips to a large, heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat.  Stir the bacon and cook until crispy.  Use a slotted spoon to transfer the bacon to a paper towel lined plate.  Pour all but about 2 teaspoons of the bacon fat into a jar*.

*You know what I’m going to say right?  Go on, say it with me, “SAVE THAT BACON FAT!”  Pop a lid on that jar of bacon fat and stash it in the refrigerator.  You never know when it might come in handy.

Return the pan to the burner over medium heat and add the onions to the pan with a pinch of salt.  Stirring frequently, cook until the onions are crisp tender (about 5 minutes) and golden in color. Transfer the onions to a large mixing bowl.

Pour the lemon juice over the two halves of avocado.  Coarsely chop the avocado and add to the bowl with the onions.  Stir to combine. Add the red wine vinegar, garlic, and all but 2 tablespoons each of the crispy bacon, snipped basil and the Gorgonzola cheese and stir well again.

Drain the pasta and add to the avocado mixture.  Stir in gently but thoroughly to distribute the sauce.  Taste and adjust seasonings with salt and black pepper. Top the pasta with the reserved basil, bacon and Gorgonzola cheese and serve warm or room temperature.

Shoot yeah.  Keep on growing, basil…

Filed Under: Main Dish, Pasta, Rebecca, Recipes Tagged With: , , , , ,

Rum Soaked Preserved Cherries and Boozy Cherry Molasses

June 28, 2010 by 18 Comments

Cherry season usually gets away from me.  It seems like I find out cherries are on about twelve hours before the end of the (what feels like a twenty four hour) season.  I usually manage to get one or two glorious pounds.  We dispatch of those quickly with a manic eating and pit spitting binge that ends not with the jars and jars of pie filling and preserved cherries that I wanted but with pink stained lips and teeth and hands.  Then I sigh, promise myself I’ll get the jump on it next year and wait semi-patiently for blueberry season where I compensate by picking about a hundred pounds of blueberries.*

*Would that I were joking.  I put up in the neighborhood of 100 hand-picked pounds of blueberries every year. We were talking cherries, though, weren’t we?

But not this year.  Oh no.  Not this year.  This year, thanks to my good friend Lisa, I heard about an almost unbelievable deal from one of our local Amish bulk stores.  They were putting together a group order of cherries; sweet dark cherries, freshly picked, for $0.95 per pound.  And what’s more, they would be getting sour cherries, already pitted, in a couple weeks time for $1.26 per pound. I ordered thirty pounds of sweet darks and thirty pounds of sours.  I didn’t just get a jump on it.  I bungeed. Off a cliff.

The results of my cherry preserving bender are nothing short of lip-smacking and I’ll be sharing all of the recipes over the next couple weeks.  Some of the recipes require fresh cherries, some require frozen and some can take advantage of fresh, frozen or canned cherries; I’ll start with the ones that use the fresh cherries first.  Aren’t I logical?

First up is a two-fer; Rum Soaked Preserved Cherries and Boozy Cherry Molasses.  Rum Soaked Preserved Cherries are exactly what they sound like.  They are cherries soaked in a rum-heavy sweetened syrup.  And they are heavenly.  These tipsy little beauties can be eaten straight from the jar, added to baked goods, used to garnish drinks (think Maraschino cherries, but delicious and all natural), or perched on top of a scoop of ice cream that has been drizzled with the happy side-product of their creation; Boozy Cherry Molasses (a jewel-toned rum and Kirsch fortified, thick, sweet, intensely cherry syrup boiled down after making Rum Soaked Preserved Cherries.) What do you do with the Cherry Molasses?  It’s a chameleon, I tell you.  Pour it over ice cream, brush it on grilled pork or venison, eat it from a spoon.

You have some decisions to make when you start with these; stems or no stems and pits or no pits.  I prefer to leave mine with stems and pits intact. I think it makes for a prettier finished product but I’m not all flash and no substance; leaving the pits intact imparts a gentle almond flavor and leaving the stems on gives each cherry a built-in handle for removal from the jar.  If you want to remove the stems and pits, go for it! I’ve included the different quantities needed for both versions.

For a printer-friendly, photo free version of this recipe, click away!

Rum Soaked Preserved Cherries

Adapted from the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving (See here to learn more about the book.)

Yield: about 4 (8 ounce) jars.

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 cups water
  • 6 1/2 cups cherries with pits and stems intact (5 cups of cherries if you remove stems but leave pits intact, 7 1/2 cups of unpitted cherries if you wish to pit and stem them before preserving)

Per Jar:

  • 1 1/2 Tablespoons Golden Rum

Prepare your jars and lids. If you wish to make the cherries shelf-stable, please also prepare your canner.

Place a stainless steel or non-reactive stock pot over medium-high heat; add the sugar and water to the pot and stir to dissolve the sugar.  Bring the syrup to a boil and add all of the cherries immediately.  Return to a boil while stirring constantly.  Reduce the heat and allow to remain at a gentle boil for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat.

Using a slotted spoon and a wide-mouthed funnel, transfer the hot cherries from the hot syrup into the jars, leaving 1/2 of an inch of head space (the space between the rim of the jar and the food).  Add 1 1/2 Tablespoons of Golden Rum to each jar, then spoon or ladle the hot cherry syrup into the jar, maintaining the 1/2 of an inch of head space.

Insert a chopstick or skewer down the insides of the jar to remove air bubbles.  If necessary, add more cherry syrup to keep that 1/2 of an inch of head space.*  Wipe the rims of the jars, center the lids on the jars and screw down the rings until finger-tip tight.

*Hang on to that leftover hot syrup and leave it in the pan; that’s the most important part of the Boozy Cherry Molasses!  You can either make the Boozy Cherry Molasses right away, or pop the pan into the refrigerator to complete later.

You can either refrigerate the cherries in the syrup for up to a month or you can process them in a boiling water canner to make them shelf stable for a year.  I prefer to can them.

To process them, place the jars in a stockpot or canner, covering them by 1-2 inches of warm tap water.  Cover the pot and bring to a boil.  When the water is at a rolling boil (a boil that cannot be stirred down), begin timing and allow to process for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, remove the lid to the pot, turn off the heat, wait 5 minutes and then lift the jars straight from the water and place them carefully on a cooling rack positioned over a towel.  Do not tilt the jars (it interferes with the natural formation of a vacuum which is one of the things that keeps the food safe and shelf-stable!)

Cool, undisturbed, for 24 hours.  As the jars cool, you will hear a popping sound.  That is the sound of the lids sealing.  That is what you want to hear.  Check the jars after 24 hours.  If any of them have not sealed, simply store in the refrigerator.  Wipe the jars clean and label them before storing in a cool, dry place (like a cupboard.)

Boozy Cherry Molasses

Yield: Between 1 1/2 and 2 (8 ounce) jars

Ingredients:

  • Remaining hot cherry syrup from making Rum-Soaked Preserved Cherries

Per Jar:

  • 1 1/2 Tablespoons Golden Rum
  • 1 teaspoon Kirsh (or other cherry liqueur)

Place the remaining cherry syrup back over the burner over medium-high heat and return to a boil.  Lower the heat to medium-low and maintain a gentle boil until syrup is reduced by half (or more, depending on how thick and concentrated you want the syrup.)  The syrup should fall slowly from the spoon when thickened and leave a clear trail when you draw your finger across a spoon that was dipped into it. But do be careful.  Hot sugary syrups are, well, HOT!  Be patient.  Wait  before testing! When the syrup is thickened to your liking remove from heat.

Prepare your jars and lids. If you wish to make the syrup shelf-stable, please also prepare your canner.

Add the Golden Rum and Kirsh to your jars and ladle the thickened syrup into the jars to within 1/2 an inch of the rims.  Wipe the rims, center the lids on the jars and screw the rings on until fingertip tight.  I usually process this in a boiling water bath along with the Rum Soaked Preserved Cherries, but if you opted to save the hot cherry syrup and complete the task later, boiling water processing is optional.  As with the preserved cherries, you can store the Boozy Cherry Molasses in the refrigerator or process them for one year’s worth of shelf stability.  If you opt to can them, the directions are as follows.

To process them, place the jars in a stockpot or canner, covering them by 1-2 inches of warm tap water.  Cover the pot and bring to a boil.  When the water is at a rolling boil (a boil that cannot be stirred down), begin timing and allow to process for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, remove the lid to the pot, turn off the heat, wait 5 minutes and then lift the jars straight from the water and place them carefully on a cooling rack positioned over a towel.  Do not tilt the jars (it interferes with the natural formation of a vacuum which is one of the things that keeps the food safe and shelf-stable!)

Cool, undisturbed, for 24 hours.  As the jars cool, you will hear a popping sound.  That is the sound of the lids sealing.  That is what you want to hear.  Check the jars after 24 hours.  If any of them have not sealed, simply store in the refrigerator.  Wipe the jars clean and label them before storing in a cool, dry place (like a cupboard.)

Just look at this elixir poured over chocolate ice cream.

And ooh boy, how about doing this?

Go on.  You know you want some…

Oh.  I’m sorry.  You can’t taste it through the computer?  I guess you’ll just have to make some.  You’ll be happy you did.  Now pardon me, please.  I have to finish off this bowl of ice cream before it melts or I do.

Filed Under: Canning, Component Foods, Desserts, Food Preservation, Gifts, Instructional, Rebecca, Recipes, Stretching your dollars Tagged With: , , , ,

Cranberry Coleslaw

June 24, 2010 by 4 Comments

After my admonition to remember coleslaw and beans in the Corn Dog Bread post I realized something; I had loads of bean recipes here on Foodie With Family, but not one single coleslaw.  That was a problem requiring an immediate remedy.

You will note that the word ‘law’ is contained within the word ‘coleslaw’.  That is because it is the law that you need to have coleslaw with summer classic meals; corn dogs, barbecued brisket or ribs, grilled chicken, and the like.  You can even go to jail if you fail to serve coleslaw with hamburgers*!

*That might not be strictly true, but it should be.

How have I gone so long without sharing my favorite coleslaw recipe with you?  I should be strung up by my toes and given fifty lashes with a wet noodle.  I am contrite.

This recipe came to me years ago from Val and we’ve been making it religiously ever since.  I should have the recipe memorized at this point, but the little cobwebby corners of my brain have been filled with knowledge helpful to tasks like not tripping over shoes in the middle of the floor, remembering to sweep the chair free of Legos before lowering myself into it, making the kids lock the chickens safely in the coop at night, and releasing the parking brake before easing Hannibal* out of the driveway.

*Hannibal is the new-to-us big burgundy passenger van we recently acquired.  It’s big, people.  Big big.  As in crossing the Alps on an elephant big. In fact, one friend pointed out how we would be providing a boost to the economy every time we filled the tank.  And her son helpfully mentioned that if I ever got confused after shopping I would have no trouble finding the van since all I had to think was, “Oh!  I know!  It’s the MASSIVE PURPLE VAN! It’s right THERE!” And I feed this child on occasion.  Why I oughta…

As I was saying, I should have this recipe long since memorized.  This means that I do not.  Thankfully, Val is on my speed dial. I use this speed dial very, very often.  In fact, the number assigned to her on my phone is starting to wear off and the phone is less than two months old. My itchy dialing finger may account for the fact that Val dropped her phone into the toilet this week thereby rendering the boys and me incapable of annoying her every fifteen minutes with ridiculous puns and questions like, “Do you remember that one thing we ate that one time at that one place?  Do you still have the recipe for it?”

Mercifully, step-maternal guilt kept her from happily taking a breather from our near-constant barrage against her peace; she kept her email window open the whole time.  And so, not even five minutes after a panicked email reading something like this:

“Hey!  Remember the cranberry coleslaw you make?  Do you still have the recipe?  I can’t find mine anywhere!”

Val kindly responded with the necessary ingredient list and equally kindly avoided mentioning that she gives me this recipe once quarterly on average.  And once again, she saved my dinner and life was good.

At least you didn’t know what you were missing, because if you’ve been having plain old coleslaw all this time, you are about to be pleasantly surprised.  I’m talking about Cranberry Coleslaw. I have to admit, the first time Val made this lo these many years ago I thought maybe she had jumped the shark.  The thought of stirring dried cranberries and almonds or sunflower seeds into a creamy coleslaw momentarily fired up my latent inner picky-eating 8 year old.  But then I remembered that Val has  never -for as long as I have known her-  presented me with something to eat that was anything shy of delicious.  After the first bite I stuffed my inner picky eater back into the box with a stern warning and a reminder that I’m a grown up now. I was convinced.  Cabbage and dried cranberries were meant to be together.  Sweet and tart cranberries turned out to be the perfect pairing for peppery and crunchy cabbage.  And when it was topped with a tangy, slightly honey-sweetened dressing and almonds or sunflower seeds it absolutely sang. Who knew?  Well, I mean aside from Val?

Are you ready for my usual “But wait!  There’s more!”? It’s healthy! It’s really, really good for you.  Because you replace all but a minute amount of the normal mayonnaise with Greek yogurt this is a coleslaw that you can eat with reckless abandon*. By using Greek yogurt, you preserve all the creaminess you would’ve had with mayonnaise but avoid all the fat and calories.  Can I get a “Glory, hallelu!”?

*I know, I know.  I say that a lot.  But I like eating with reckless abandon, so in all likelihood I’ll keep saying it.  Just so’s you know…

You can definitely do worse things than make a double batch.  It tastes better and better in the refrigerator.  In fact, as I type this, I’m tucking into a bowl of three day old coleslaw and it. is. amazing.  So if you were looking for a good coleslaw (or even if you weren’t) to go with your Corn Dog Bread, look no further.

For a printer friendly, photo-free version of this recipe, click here!

Cranberry Coleslaw: Printer Friendly Version

Adapted from Valerie Daly’s recipe

Ingredients:

  • 1 pound bagged cabbage and carrot coleslaw mix (or 6 cups mixed shredded  cabbage and carrots)
  • 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
  • 1 Tablespoon mayonnaise
  • 1 Tablespoon honey
  • 1 Tablespoon lemon juice or white wine vinegar
  • 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon celery seed
  • 1/4 cup plus 1 Tablespoon dried cranberries
  • 2 Tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon shelled sunflower seeds or slivered almonds

Use a whisk to combine yogurt, honey, lemon juice (or vinegar), salt, pepper, and celery seed to make the dressing.  Set aside.

Add coleslaw vegetables to a mixing bowl.  Toss in 1/4 cup of the cranberries and 2 Tablespoons of the sunflower seeds.  Pour the dressing over the slaw and toss to coat completely.  Transfer to a serving dish and scatter reserved cranberries and sunflower seeds over the top.  Store leftovers, tightly lidded, in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

Filed Under: Camping Food, Happy Healthy and Wise, Healthy Foods, Party Food, Rebecca, Recipes, Side Dishes Tagged With: , , , ,

Corn Dog Bread

June 19, 2010 by 9 Comments

Summer and corn dogs are like winter and hot cider; you just hafta.

What is is about corn dogs that is so appealing?  Is it as simple as the whole “food on a stick” universal truth*? Or is it more complicated?  Maybe it comes down to the crazy appeal of the hot dog itself.  Perhaps it’s the hint of honey in the crispy-exterior, moist-interior cornbread.  Could it be the cultural association of fairs and festivals and carnivals and summer fun in sultry heat? The vinegar bite of yellow mustard dripping down the corn dog?  I don’t know.  All I know is that when you say ‘corn dog’ I make like Pavlov’s loyal companions and drool.

Alas, having chosen to live in the middle of nowhere as I have done, I don’t often stumble across carnivals and their vittles.  And I won’t settle for satisfying my corn dog cravings with an uninteresting box of frozen mystery hot dogs covered in cloyingly sweet cornbread batter*. The only solution is to take matters into my own hands.

*I know that fairs and carnivals probably aren’t serving up Zweigle’s or Nathan’s or Hebrew Nationals in their corn dogs, but somehow the ambiance of a fair makes up for it. I just don’t have the carnival barkers, brightly colored tents or enough tattoos to compensate at home.

Corn Dog Bread is the quickest, easiest, tastiest way to fill that corn dog shaped void in my psyche.  Of course, being unable to restrain myself, I added a few flourishes to the corn dog bread that bring it more into my wheelhouse; stoneground cornmeal, candied jalapenos and chopped onions.  But friends?  If you want the real deal, the most honest representation of corn dogs without a stick that you can possibly get, just go au naturel; use good old yellow cornmeal from the round canister and ix-nay the jalapenos and onions.  I won’t be hurt.

It goes without saying (but I’ll say it anyway) that this is the ultimate in kid-of-all-age-friendly food.  Cut up into squares, it’s easily tucked into a bag to take with you to baseball practice, on a picnic, at the drive-in theater or just out on the front porch enjoying that sweet summer breeze.  And this is easily turned into a vegetarian-friendly entrée by swapping out the hot dogs for veggie dogs.  Please ‘em all, I say!

Whichever way you make it, spicy or plain, serve with a plate piled with barbecue beans and coleslaw for the ultimate summer meal.

Corn Dog Bread

Scroll to the bottom for an easy-print version of this recipe!

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup (4.25 ounces by weight)  all purpose flour
  • 3 cups stoneground cornmeal (15 ounces by weight) (You can use regular yellow cornmeal, but be sure not to use self-rising cornmeal here!)
  • 1-1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 4 teaspoons baking powder
  • 3 Tablespoons honey
  • 2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon granulated garlic (garlic powder)
  • 1/4 teaspoon granulated onion (onion powder)
  • 4 eggs, beaten
  • 6 Tablespoons melted butter
  • 2-1/2 cups buttermilk (Don’t forget how easy it is to make your own real buttermilk!)
  • 8 hot dogs, sliced into 1/4-inch rounds (You can use leftover grilled hot dogs or fresh hot dogs; either is fine!)

Optional, but tasty:

  • 1/2 a cooking onion, peeled and chopped finely
  • 2 Tablespoons Candied Jalapeno or pickled jalapeno rings ~or~ 1 fresh jalapeno, sliced into 1/8-inch rounds

Preheat oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a 9-inch by 13-inch baking dish and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, cornmeal, soda, powder, salt and sugar with a whisk.  In a medium sized bowl or large liquid measuring cup, whisk together the eggs, melted butter and buttermilk.  Pour the liquid mixture into the dry mixture and stir lightly until the batter has mostly come together but still has some small lumps (Grandma’s notes specify to use a whisk.  I do what Grandma says.  It’s always for the best.)

Fold the sliced hot dogs and onions (if using) into the batter gently just until combined.  Scrape the batter into the greased baking dish and level the top.  If using the jalapeno rings, arrange evenly over the top of the batter.  Slide the baking dish into the oven and bake for 30 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and it tests done*.

*A toothpick or cake tester stuck into the center of the bread will come out clean.


Slice into squares and serve warm or room temperature with the usual corn dog accompaniments -mustard, ketchup, and hot sauce- or not.

…Whatever you do, and however you make it, don’t forget those Barbecue Beans and coleslaw!

 

Print
Corn Dog Bread
Author: 
Recipe type: Main, Side
Serves: 8
 

Everything you love about corn dogs minus the stick. This is the taste of summer and fairs and perpetual youth.
Ingredients
  • 1 cup (4.25 ounces by weight) all purpose flour
  • 3 cups stoneground cornmeal (15 ounces by weight) (You can use regular yellow cornmeal, but be sure not to use self-rising cornmeal here!)
  • 1-1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 4 teaspoons baking powder
  • 3 Tablespoons honey
  • 2 teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
  • ¼ teaspoon granulated garlic (garlic powder)
  • ¼ teaspoon granulated onion (onion powder)
  • 4 eggs, beaten
  • 6 Tablespoons melted butter
  • 2-1/2 cups buttermilk (Don’t forget how easy it is to make your own real buttermilk!)
  • 8 hot dogs, sliced into ¼-inch rounds (You can use leftover grilled hot dogs or fresh ones; either is fine!
  • Optional, but tasty:
  • ½ a cooking onion, peeled and chopped finely
  • 2 Tablespoons Candied Jalapeno or pickled jalapeno rings ~or~ 1 fresh jalapeno, sliced into ⅛-inch rounds

Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a 9-inch by 13-inch baking dish and set aside.
  2. In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, cornmeal, soda, powder, and salt with a whisk. In a medium sized bowl or large liquid measuring cup, whisk together the eggs, melted butter, honey and buttermilk. Pour the liquid mixture into the dry mixture and stir lightly until the batter has mostly come together but still has some small lumps (Grandma’s notes specify to use a whisk. I do what Grandma says. It’s always for the best.)
  3. Fold the sliced hot dogs and onions (if using) into the batter gently just until combined. Scrape the batter into the greased baking dish and level the top. If using the jalapeno rings, arrange evenly over the top of the batter. Slide the baking dish into the oven and bake for 30 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and it tests done*.

Notes
*A toothpick or cake tester stuck into the center of the bread will come out clean.

WordPress Recipe Plugin by EasyRecipe

 

Filed Under: Bread, Breakfast Foods, kid food, Main Dish, Meat, Party Food, Rebecca, Recipes, Stretching your dollars Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Strawberry Cheesecake Frozen Yogurt

June 17, 2010 by 8 Comments

Hot days require cold things to eat.  That is the law in my house.  I decreed it.  And so it was written.

There is nothing quite like ice cream to relieve the heat from the inside out, but The Evil Genius is still on his crazy “I want to be healthy!” kick.  And so, loving wife that I am, I’m trying to mess with him.  Now, don’t get me wrong.  I’m not shooting down his healthy diet attempts, I’m just trying to make him think that I am.  It’s complex.  Let me explain.

I have finally found the holy grail of diet-friendly desserts; frozen yogurt.  Yes.  I knew frozen yogurt existed before, and I had even tried it and liked it.  But my problem was that every time I made it at home (with this notable exception) it tasted like, well, yogurt.  And while yogurt is a pleasant thing most times, when I’m biting into something that looks like ice cream, I want it to taste like ice cream, too.  When I made my Blueberry Frozen Yogurt last month, it was a revelation.  It was frozen yogurt that tasted so much like ice cream that it totally confused all the menfolk in my house.  The boys thought I was teasing them by calling it frozen yogurt.  The Evil Genius thought I was trying to secretly fatten him.  It took another round of blueberry frozen yogurt, with them watching me make it, to convince them that it was really that healthy for them.

But when they were really and truly convinced it created a new, more insidious problem.  They nagged me for it constantly.  They wanted more, more, more…  As much as I love food, I get a little fickle if I have to prepare the same thing three times a week. (Unless by ‘prepare the same thing three times a week’ you mean unwrapping individual bite-sized dark chocolate bars.) I had to move on from Blueberry Frozen Yogurt.  The next step was a natural.  My favorite ice cream flavor is Fill-in-the-blank* Cheesecake. Clearly that was the next candidate for health-i-fication.

*Fill-in-the-blank= strawberry or blueberry.  Either will do!

Happily, the first attempt at Strawberry Cheesecake Frozen Yogurt was a grand slam home run.  Using 2% milk fat Greek yogurt and American-style Neufchâtel* cheese, I churned up a perfect creamy, healthy version of Cheesecake Ice Cream swirled with a fresh ruby strawberry coulis. Go on.  I know!  Seriously, it was cheesecakey.  It was fruity.  It was smooth.  And it didn’t taste even remotely healthy!  I call that a success!

*American-style Neufchâtel cheese is often sold next to cream cheese in the dairy section of grocery stores.  It is packaged identically to cream cheese, and usually says “1/3 less fat than Cream Cheese” or something like that on the label.  It is, in most cases, interchangeable with cream cheese in recipes.  This case is no exception!  You get the flavor and the creaminess imparted by cream cheese with less impact on the old rear.  And goodness knows I do enough to pad that area already.

And wait until you hear my secret ingredient; balsamic vinegar.  For those of you who have eaten a drizzle of balsamic vinegar over fresh strawberries this will not come as a shock, but if you’ve never had the combination before I should probably set your mind at ease.  It doesn’t taste like vinegar on strawberries.  Balsamic vinegar has an amazing ability, in small quantities, to make strawberries taste more like strawberries than ever before.  It transforms regular strawberries into the most intense tasting berries you’ve ever had.  It -in short- performs miracles.  But unlike  a stage mother, it fades into the background and doesn’t call attention to itself.

It’s hot out.  I think you need some frozen yogurt.  I think you deserve this.

For a photo-free, printer-friendly version of this recipe, click here.

Strawberry Cheesecake Frozen Yogurt

Yield: About 2 quarts of frozen yogurt

Ingredients for the cheesecake frozen yogurt:

  • 4 cups 2% milk fat Greek Yogurt
  • 8 ounces (1 brick) American-style Neufchâtel cheese (do not soften ahead of time)
  • 3/4 cup cold milk
  • 1 cup plus 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 2 Tablespoons pure vanilla extract

Ingredients for the Strawberry Coulis:

  • 3 cups whole, hulled strawberries, frozen or fresh
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 3/4 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

Add all of the ingredients for the coulis to your blender carafe.  After positioning the lid on the carafe, turn the blender on and process until smooth.  Pour into a measuring cup, jar or squeeze bottle with a tight fitting lid.  Refrigerate until needed.

Rinse and dry the blender carafe and lid.  Add all of the ingredients for the cheesecake frozen yogurt to the carafe.  Place the lid on top and process until smooth.  Pour into a bowl or container.  Cover tightly and refrigerate for one hour prior to churning.

Freeze the ice cream mixture according to the manufacturer’s instructions included with your ice cream maker. It takes about 25 minutes in my ice cream maker.

Something to keep in mind is that this frozen yogurt, unlike most ice creams, churns up fairly firm.  Listen for signs that your ice cream maker is struggling.  Turn it off immediately if it is.  If it is not quite as hard as you’d like it, you can always pop it in the freezer for a bit prior to serving.

To create the strawberry swirl:

Use a wooden spoon to transfer the churned frozen yogurt from the ice cream maker to a storage container.  Squirt, pour or dollop strawberry coulis by the tablespoonful over the frozen yogurt.  I use about 1/2 cup of the coulis.  Store the remaining coulis in the refrigerator.

Use two butterknives to cut and swirl the coulis into the frozen yogurt.

Smooth the surface of the swirled frozen yogurt with a wooden spoon or silicone spatula.

Cover tightly and freeze for 10 minutes prior to serving.  If you freeze longer than 10 minutes, you may need to leave the container out on the counter top for some time prior to scooping.

Serve on cones or in a bowl topped with chocolate covered graham crackers and drizzled with more coulis.

And if you have a 12 year old who is art-directing the photography of your frozen yogurt, you can hang on a minute or two while he scours the yard for the perfect flower to decorate your dessert.  “Voilà!,” quoth Liam, “It’s perfect!”

Filed Under: Desserts, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Chocolate Covered Graham Crackers and S’Mores Bars

June 16, 2010 by 7 Comments

Oftentimes, the ordinary things are the ones that bring the most pleasure; a cool breeze on a hot day, sitting quietly next to your kids on the couch, studying puffy white clouds in a cerulean sky, eating the first sun-warmed berry of the season or curling up to sleep at night between cool, clean sheets. And there are the blissful moments when simply ordinary is elevated just a bit; not so far that it’s ostentatious- only enough to gently nudge it into the realm of extraordinary.  Chocolate Covered Graham Crackers are one of those.

Most of us were raised with graham crackers as a staple of the snack table.  Brown, sweet and homey, graham crackers are an ordinary pleasure.  But dipped in chocolate, graham crackers glide into sublime territory. The transformation from plain Jane graham cracker to velvety chocolate-enrobed cookie is nothing less than magical. It goes from nursery food to party food.  If you lay a plate full of these out at the dessert table at a party I guarantee an empty, crumb-free plate within nanoseconds.

There are two real and present dangers with Chocolate Covered Graham Crackers.

  1. The danger of total paralysis in trying to decide just how much of that blasted cracker to cover with chocolate.  Do you carefully coat one side?  Dunk one end and leave a ‘chocolate-free zone’ for grasping with the thumb and forefinger? Drizzle melted chocolate artfully over the top?  Dip marshmallows in chocolate and stick to the graham crackers a la s’mores? Go all the way and submerge the entire cracker in chocolate?  It’s worse than deciding what to wear the first day of school!
  2. The danger of dunking an entire box of graham crackers in chocolate and eating it alone in the closet.

I combat the first threat this way.

In the name of all that is good and true, why would you only do it one way?  Consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, it has been said. Go wild.

And I combat the second temptation by succumbing to it.  Minus the closet.  Now don’t worry;  I share with the kids.  But they’re smaller than I am and I eat faster than they do.  Score.  They’re little, though, so I’m sure they’re low in calories.  Besides, real graham crackers are made with whole grains.  That makes this healthy*.

*Shhhhhh.  I know most graham crackers are not made with whole grains today.  Don’t intrude on my delusions.

I know I could’ve simply melted chocolate and dunked the crackers, but I went one step further; I added coconut oil to my chocolate when I melted it.  I had a couple reasons for this seemingly heretical act.  I wanted to make the chocolate a little easier to bite into after it set up and I wanted the chocolate to melt on my fingers so I could lick it off.  It’s the little things in life…* 

*Feel free to omit the coconut oil from the recipe when making this.

Oh!  And lest I forget, do come back tomorrow.  You might want to try what I did with these later.  I’ll give you a hint.

For a photo-free, printer-friendly version of this recipe, click here!

Chocolate Covered Graham Crackers and S’mores Bars

Ingredients:

  • 2 sleeves of graham crackers, broken into quarters along the scored lines
  • 12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate,  chips or (finely chopped) bars
  • 2 Tablespoons extra virgin coconut oil or unsalted butter
  • Optional: For s’mores bars, one large marshmallow per graham cracker piece

Place chocolate and coconut oil or butter into a microwave safe bowl.  Microwave on high heat for 1 minute.  Remove bowl and stir with a silicone spatula or wooden spoon.  Microwave in additional 10 second increments, stirring well after each time, until the chocolate and oil are completely melted, combined and smooth.

Line a cookie sheet with a piece of parchment paper and set aside.  Here’s how you gild those lilies.

For half-covered crackers:

  • Use the thumb and forefinger to grab the end of a graham cracker piece.  Dunk the free end into the chocolate and use a spoon to bathe chocolate as far up the cookie as you would like to go.  Let the excess chocolate drip away and place on the parchment lined pan.

For drizzled crackers:

  • Carefully drop a cracker flat onto the surface of the melted chocolate.  Use two forks to lift the cracker from the chocolate and allow the excess chocolate to drip away.  Transfer to the parchment lined pan.  Use a spoon to drizzle more melted chocolate in patterns over the uncovered surface of the cracker.

For fully covered crackers:

  • Drop a cracker piece into the melted chocolate.  Use two forks to turn the cracker in the chocolate, making sure all surfaces are covered.  Use the forks to lift the cracker from the chocolate and allow the excess chocolate to drip away.  Transfer to the parchment lined pan.

For s’more bars:

  • Carefully drop a cracker flat onto the surface of the melted chocolate.  Use two forks to lift the cracker from the chocolate and allow the excess chocolate to drip away.  Transfer to the parchment lined pan.  Cut each marshmallow in half.  Kitchen shears are the quickest way to do this job.  Dunk the cut sides of the marshmallow into the chocolate, lift and let excess chocolate drip away.  Position the marshmallow halves chocolate side down on the cracker pieces.  Leave as is, or use a spoon to drizzle chocolate over the marshmallows and crackers.

Important!: Place pan in the freezer to set up the chocolate. Eat with child-like abandon!

Filed Under: Breakfast Foods, Cookies, Desserts, kid food, Party Food, Rebecca, Recipes, Stretching your dollars Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Q&A: Foodie With Family style.

June 14, 2010 by 11 Comments

I’ve gone back and forth on whether to do this post for a while, so let me put it in reverse for a bit and explain.  A friend of mine suggested that I run a regular Question and Answer post here on Foodie With Family.  She also told me I was like a 100 year old lady who knew everything.  This was meant as and accepted as a compliment.  I. love. old. ladies.

I’ve used state-of-the-art photo editing to give you an idea of what I’d look like at 100. To see the effects of my hours upon hours of work, scroll down after viewing what I look like now…


Are you ready?

This is what I will look like at the ripe old age of 100.


But there I go again.  I know that I have a un-curb-able tendency to go off on wild tangents.  And sometimes those tangents take me away from points that could do with some answering.  For instance, I’ve put ‘measure uncooked rice into a clean, dry container’ more than once.  Why?

Allow me to set the scene:

I’m standing in the kitchen measuring cups of dry rice into the rice cooker.

Talking to self: “One… Two… Three…”

Liam enters the room:  “Hey Mom!  What time will dinner be?”

Me: “Sixish.”  (Thinking to self “ACK!  Where was I?  Oh yes… Four…”)

Liam:  “How many pieces of fish can I have?  Please say two or three or four!”

Me: “Liam!  I’m trying to count!  I can’t remember how many cups of rice I had in here!”

Liam staring deep into my eyes and speaking hypnotically: “Forty five.  You had twenty three.  I believe you said twelve.”

I gave him the stink eye, dumped the rice back into my container, banished my son from the kitchen and started over.

Now, if I had added liquid to the rice first, I would’ve sat around the cooker biting my nails wondering whether I was going to end up with fluffy rice, glue or little pebbles.  Leaving aside the fact that it’s bad form to add water to the pot or cooker before you add rice (because there is a fool proof method for determining how much water should be added to any amount of rice) I don’t like to combine stress with my cooking.  It’s bad for the digestion.

I have to say, it’s not as though I don’t get questioned enough during the course of a day.  As a homeschooling mom of five little boys, believe you me I get the questions.  My boys’ questions, however, tend to stem from situations like me applying lipstick in the morning.

Leif: “MOM!  Is dat da kind of lipstick where you put your lips in your mouth and take them back out?”

(What?!?)

Liam: “You’re putting on lipstick?  Are we going somewhere?”

Me: “We’re not going anywhere.”

Liam: “Then why are you putting on lipstick? Is someone coming over?”

Me: “No one is coming over and we’re not going anywhere.”

Liam: “Then why the lipstick?  Something’s fishy!”

Aidan: “Mom’s putting on lipstick?  Where are we going?”

Ty: “You’re not going to kiss me are you?”

Rowan: “I wanna kiss!”

Liam: “Something’s going to happen.  She put on lipstick.”

Ty: “I tell you she’s going to kiss us.”

Leif: “Did you take your lips back out yet?”

(What?@!?!@?)

Aidan: “No.  That’s not her ‘going somewhere’ lipstick.  That’s the boring stuff. Are you almost done, Mom?  I hafta go to the bathroom.”

Ty: “She looks like she’s ready to kiss!  RUN!”

Everyone but Rowan: “AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYEEEEEEE!”

Rowan: “Hi Mommy.  Can I have a kiss now?”

I wouldn’t mind questions that a.) came from adults and b.) didn’t make me question my personal grooming habits.

So here’s the skinny.  Is there something I started to explain and didn’t finish that you’re itching to know?  Do you have a recipe you’ve been searching for high and low? Do you have a question about any of my recipes?  Do you want to know why I insist on saving the root end of onions?  Do you want to know what my all-time favorite food (favorite kitchen tool, favorite candy bar) is?  Do you want to know the simple, cheap, no-elbow-grease way I clean baked on crud from pans? Have at it!  Fire away!

And no.  I’m not going anywhere and I’m not going to kiss you.

Smooch.

Filed Under: Instructional, Kitchen Techniques and Hints, Uncategorized Tagged With: ,

Tandoori Style Grilled Chicken and a Second to Naanwich. (Tandoori Chicken Sandwich on Naan)

June 10, 2010 by 5 Comments

Welcome to Part V -the final installment- of the series of component dishes  to make the transcendent ‘Second to Naanwich’ that has turned me into a slobbering idiot. I know it took a long time to get the whole series of recipes to you, but good things take time and this is all worth it. (Don’t forget to peek at Part I, Candied Jalapenos a.k.a. Cowboy Candy, Part II, Homemade Greek Yogurt and Cucumber Yogurt Salsa [Raita], Part III, Homemade Ghee and Part IV, Homemade Naan! And while you’re at it, have a look at the Golden Crunchy Pickled Onion Ring post from eons and eons ago. The onions really elevate this sandwich and they remain one  of our favorite items to can; and eat. )

It’s unofficially summer and that means that the unofficial start of ‘chicken on the grill’ season is here; and unless you’re a vegetarian, you’re probably pretty keen on it. One of the many reasons grilled chicken is a perennial favorite is its surpassing versatility.

Chicken is a great way to deliver flavors from around the globe in a familiar way. Tandoori chicken -a Punjabi dish, originally- is known for the reddish color imparted by the high quantities of cayenne and curry powder in the marinade and the big flavor that it delivers. I don’t happen to have a tandoor oven lying around, so I use my grill to replicate the high heat and closed environment that gives tandoori chicken its signature seared and charred flavors and keeps it moist.

This chicken is basically a dish that I’ve been making for years (as evidenced by one of my older Record-Eagle columns) and serving with rice or boiled potatoes or whatever suited my fancy.  But three weeks ago inspiration struck in the form of the ultimate sandwich -or Naanwich- and the household rejoiced.  And soon, if you make these, you’ll rejoice right alongside us.  I’m begging you.  I’m pleading. I’m needling you with my poky, bony elbows in my capacity as the big sister to the whole world; make these soon!

For a photo-free, printer friendly version of the recipes, click here!

Grilled Tandoori Style Chicken and a Second to Naanwich (Tandoori Chicken Sandwich on Naan)

Ingredients:

  • 3 large boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
  • 1/2 cup plain yogurt
  • 1/2 cup buttermilk (Don’t forget you can make your own!)
  • 1/3 cup white wine or cider vinegar
  • ¼ cup canola or vegetable oil
  • 3 Tablespoons ground cumin
  • 2 Tablespoons curry powder
  • 2 teaspoons granulated garlic
  • 2 teaspoons Kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger (or 1 Tablespoon grated gingerroot)
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
  • Pinch ground cinnamon

Add all of the ingredients except the chicken to a zip-top resealable bag (or whisk together in a flat baking dish.)  Set aside. This is your marinade.

Pat the chicken breasts dry with paper towels and lay out flat on a cutting board.  Holding a large, sharp knife parallel to the cutting board, cut the down the length of the chicken breast, dividing it into two evenly thick pieces.  This is easiest if you press your other hand down flat on the chicken breast to hold it steady. Transfer the chicken breasts to the zip-top bag that contains the marinade.  Seal the top and squish the bag around gently to coat all the chicken evenly.

Place the bag in a bowl to catch any leaks and stash in the refrigerator for at least two hours but preferably overnight prior to grilling.

When you’re ready to cook the meat you have a couple options. The best option is to grill.  You can use a grill pan or hot oven if you don’t have a grill at your disposal.

Option A (Grilling):

For a gas grill, preheat the grill, with the cover down, to high. Oil the grill racks very well as the chicken has a tendency to stick. Remove the chicken from the marinade, shake off excess and place on grill racks. Don’t move the chicken around once it’s on the grill. Give it a chance to develop a nice crust.

Cook, covered for four minutes, flip the chicken breasts and continue cooking, covered until the internal temperature of the chicken breasts reaches 160°F.  It’ll have charred bits on it and look much like this.

Remove to a plate and tent loosely with foil.  Allow to rest for 10 minutes before serving.

For a charcoal grill, prepare a glowing bed of coals. Grill on well oiled racks over a two-zone grill starting on medium hot for four minutes, flip chicken to cook for another four minutes. Move chicken to cooler coals or cooler side of grill and continue cooking in the indirect heat until it measures 160°F.

Option B (Grill pan):

Place a heavy grill pan over high heat. Turn on your oven hood or a fan in a nearby window, this WILL get smoky. When the pan is hot enough that drops of water flung from your fingertips skitter before evaporating, the pan is ready.  Oil it generously with a heat-safe brush. Remove the chicken breasts from the marinade, shaking off the excess.  Carefully lay the chicken out flat on the hot grill pan.  Cook for 4 minutes, flip and continue to cook until the internal temperature of the breasts is 160°F or the juices run clear when you cut into the meat.  Remove to a plate and tent loosely with foil.  Allow to rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Option C (Hot oven):

Preheat oven to 425°F.  Generously oil a cooling rack and place over a greased half sheet pan. Remove chicken from the marinade and shake off the excess.  Position the chicken breasts on the rack with space between them.  Place in a hot oven and cook for 15 minutes.  Carefully flip the pieces and continue to cook until the internal temperature of the chicken is 160°F, about 5-10 more minutes.  Remove from the oven and tent loosely with foil for ten minutes before serving.

To Assemble the Sandwich:

Each sandwich needs:

Lay out a Naan.  Top with a handful of mixed salad greens and the piece of Grilled Tandoori Style Chicken.

Arrange Candied Jalapenos and Crunchy Pickled Onion Rings over the chicken breast.

Top with the Cucumber Yogurt Salsa and the remaining Naan. Slice in half to make it easier to eat.

Now, if you feel so moved you can send me a love note but be forewarned; I’m happily taken. I’m just fine with being worshipped from afar, though.  But hey.  If you’re writing me admiring notes, can I have the second half of your sandwich?

Filed Under: Component Foods, Main Dish, Meat, Party Food, Rebecca, Recipes Tagged With: , , ,
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