Saturday, March 28, 2009
Sourdough bread
Here are the pictures from the sourdough bread that I made last weekend. See a few posts below for the recipe link.
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Sunday Cooking
As you know, instead of resting yesterday I spent at least 6 hours online reading random blogs. Several featured recipes that got me thinking about cooking with my slow cooker and cooking in general, I guess. Despite the long list of things that I should be doing today, I decided to cook up a storm and have planned more big meals throughout the week. Cooking a different meal each day was also something I hadn't thought of in awhile and was reminded by the various whacko homemaker blogs that I'm also reading for whatever reason. Anyway, here's the list of what I have made today and hope to make later this week:
1. Sticky chicken with mango cumin couscous
- This recipe came from the December 2008 BBC Good Food Magazine. As you can see I made so many modifications that it made sense to rewrite the recipe, but my product is still similar to what's pictured. Today, because I didn't feel like making couscous, after tossing the mango with the cumin and rice wine vinegar, I added a little chicken stock, brought it to a boil, and tossed some cooked jasmine rice that I had on hand. I made this for lunch and have two portions left over.
2. Slow Cooker North Woods Turkey Wild Rice Soup
- This is simmering in the crockpot as I type. I used lefter turkey from Xmas that I had in the freezer.
Edited to add: This turned out a lot thicker than I had expected. Though it may have been partially because I didn't measure to wild rice, just eye-balled it, I added about 2 cups more chicken broth than the recipe called for and it was still very thing. Good, but thick.
3. Coffee-Braised Pot Roast with Caramelized Onions
- This will be made in the oven as soon as I rest for a bit and read the paper, hopefully for dinner this evening, although my turkey wild rice soup will also be done around the same time.
Edited to add: I cooked a smaller roast (<3 lbs) for about 2.5 hours and it was perfect. The coffee braising gives it almost a chocolate-like flavor. I can't wait to have this tomorrow night.
4. Irish Lamb Stew
- I will make this stew also using my slow cooker once I go to Trader Joe's later this week for boneless leg of lamb. This is what I had hoped to make this weekend in honor of St. Patrick's Day, but I didn't feel up to it.
5. Bread from scratch, maybe sourdough. I watched a number of how-tos on YouTube, including this one, but I think I'll try something that starts with yeast rather than trying to grow it naturally. I may try this one from good 'ole Emeril as it sounds straightforward enough. I bought an extra-large bag of flour today!
6. Kalua pig, also in the crockpot. The recipe is simply to make: Cook about 4 lbs of pork in the slow cooker with a tablespoon of liquid smoke for 8-10 hours or until the meat shreds easily with a fork. After shredding, salt liberally with sea salt or something more flavorful than table salt.
- I bought a pork shoulder today at the market when I couldn't find the leg of lamb. I may make this Wednesday or Thursday, or pot it in the freezer.
1. Sticky chicken with mango cumin couscous
- This recipe came from the December 2008 BBC Good Food Magazine. As you can see I made so many modifications that it made sense to rewrite the recipe, but my product is still similar to what's pictured. Today, because I didn't feel like making couscous, after tossing the mango with the cumin and rice wine vinegar, I added a little chicken stock, brought it to a boil, and tossed some cooked jasmine rice that I had on hand. I made this for lunch and have two portions left over.
2. Slow Cooker North Woods Turkey Wild Rice Soup
- This is simmering in the crockpot as I type. I used lefter turkey from Xmas that I had in the freezer.
Edited to add: This turned out a lot thicker than I had expected. Though it may have been partially because I didn't measure to wild rice, just eye-balled it, I added about 2 cups more chicken broth than the recipe called for and it was still very thing. Good, but thick.
3. Coffee-Braised Pot Roast with Caramelized Onions
- This will be made in the oven as soon as I rest for a bit and read the paper, hopefully for dinner this evening, although my turkey wild rice soup will also be done around the same time.
Edited to add: I cooked a smaller roast (<3 lbs) for about 2.5 hours and it was perfect. The coffee braising gives it almost a chocolate-like flavor. I can't wait to have this tomorrow night.
4. Irish Lamb Stew
- I will make this stew also using my slow cooker once I go to Trader Joe's later this week for boneless leg of lamb. This is what I had hoped to make this weekend in honor of St. Patrick's Day, but I didn't feel up to it.
5. Bread from scratch, maybe sourdough. I watched a number of how-tos on YouTube, including this one, but I think I'll try something that starts with yeast rather than trying to grow it naturally. I may try this one from good 'ole Emeril as it sounds straightforward enough. I bought an extra-large bag of flour today!
6. Kalua pig, also in the crockpot. The recipe is simply to make: Cook about 4 lbs of pork in the slow cooker with a tablespoon of liquid smoke for 8-10 hours or until the meat shreds easily with a fork. After shredding, salt liberally with sea salt or something more flavorful than table salt.
- I bought a pork shoulder today at the market when I couldn't find the leg of lamb. I may make this Wednesday or Thursday, or pot it in the freezer.
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Food
I've been on a smoothie kick this week, as well as a grilled cheese sandwich one. On Wednesday, I made the first grilled cheese sandwich that I had made in years and had half for breakfast and the other half with chicken wings for dinner. On Friday, I wised up and made only a half sandwich for breakfast. The trouble was that I got distracted and burned the damn thing. Though successful on my second try, it defeated the purpose making a half-sandwich. I made another half (without burning) and polished if off with some leftover chicken chili for dinner, mmmmhhmm.
Back to the smoothies, which I first decided to make as a vitamin C kick to my cold:
1. Tuesday (p.m.) - Mango and orange juice
- Yummy! I remember why I love smoothie. Wished that I had a banana.
2. Wednesday (a.m.) - rest of the smoothie from the night before.
- There was about a small juice glass full left. Good way to kick-start the a.m., especially after sleeping for 10 hrs.
3. Wednesday (p.m.) - peaches, orange juice, (banana?)
- Peaches weren't as sweet as the mango, so I was somewhat disappointed with this one. I also was stingy on the OJ, which is why there wasn't much left for breakfast.
4. Thursday (a.m.) - rest of the smoothie from the night before--very little left.
5. Thursday (p.m.) - strawberries, peaches, blueberries, orange juice, a little water to thin it out without too much orange flavor
- Still tart; again wished that I had added a banana.
6. Friday (a.m.) - rest of the smoothie from the night before
- Didn't make another smoothie for dinner the blender still needed soaking and the dishwasher was full. I think may also have been fever-ish as I remember chugging lots of water.
7. Saturday (a.m.) - strawberries, blueberries, banana, orange joice.
- Very good. I'm thinking of drinking what's left in the blender, rather than saving it for later.
It's shortly after noon and I've been up and online for about 2 hours...without coffee. I thought about brewing a pot while I was making my smoothie and making breakfast (two eggs, sunny-side, atop a toasted english muffin sprinkled with mixed cheddar/colby cheese), but decided that I didn't feel like it. Now I believe I'm feeling the beginnings of the dull ache of a caffeine headache, so I'd best attend to the situation.
More later as I've been reading random blogs....
Back to the smoothies, which I first decided to make as a vitamin C kick to my cold:
1. Tuesday (p.m.) - Mango and orange juice
- Yummy! I remember why I love smoothie. Wished that I had a banana.
2. Wednesday (a.m.) - rest of the smoothie from the night before.
- There was about a small juice glass full left. Good way to kick-start the a.m., especially after sleeping for 10 hrs.
3. Wednesday (p.m.) - peaches, orange juice, (banana?)
- Peaches weren't as sweet as the mango, so I was somewhat disappointed with this one. I also was stingy on the OJ, which is why there wasn't much left for breakfast.
4. Thursday (a.m.) - rest of the smoothie from the night before--very little left.
5. Thursday (p.m.) - strawberries, peaches, blueberries, orange juice, a little water to thin it out without too much orange flavor
- Still tart; again wished that I had added a banana.
6. Friday (a.m.) - rest of the smoothie from the night before
- Didn't make another smoothie for dinner the blender still needed soaking and the dishwasher was full. I think may also have been fever-ish as I remember chugging lots of water.
7. Saturday (a.m.) - strawberries, blueberries, banana, orange joice.
- Very good. I'm thinking of drinking what's left in the blender, rather than saving it for later.
It's shortly after noon and I've been up and online for about 2 hours...without coffee. I thought about brewing a pot while I was making my smoothie and making breakfast (two eggs, sunny-side, atop a toasted english muffin sprinkled with mixed cheddar/colby cheese), but decided that I didn't feel like it. Now I believe I'm feeling the beginnings of the dull ache of a caffeine headache, so I'd best attend to the situation.
More later as I've been reading random blogs....
Friday, March 13, 2009
Mango Chicken Stir Fry
(this is my husband's favorite recipe)
(this is my husband's favorite recipe)
Ingredients
1 mango
1 red pepper
1 yellow or orange pepper
1 med onion
1.5 lb chicken breasts or thighs, skinless
Marinade
2-3 cloves garlic, minced 2 T soy sauce
1.5 tsp sugar
1 T corn starch
1 T rice wine vinegar
1 T oil
Sauce
3 T soy sauce
2 T rice wine vinegar
6 oz pineapple juice
.5 tsp crushed red pepper
1 T corn starch.
1. Whisk marinade together.
2. Chop chicken, peppers, and onion into bite-sized pieces. Marinate chicken while chopping veggies and starting the rice. Make about 1-2 cups uncooked rice.
3. Heat wok with about another tablespoon of oil. Saute onions, adding peppers once onions have begun to soften.
4. Remove veggies, keep warm. Mix sauce.
5. Saute chicken till fully cooked. Add mango for a minute or so until slight charring.
6. Return veggies to the wok, add sauce. Simmer for 5-10 minutes, adding additional corn starch, if needed.
7. Serve with rice.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Welcome to TheFishie's Kitchen
Hello and welcome to TheFishie's Kitchen--a virtual home for my recipe box, food/cooking/baking commentary, and other random thoughts. I created this blog when Geocities closed in May 2009, but importing my posts from my old blog was not seamless as some post were just dumped into one date, while others like the one immediately following this one in time, were transferred with a date. Thus, please bear with me as I attempt to organize, but trust that there are tasty things ahead.
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