CLASSIC POUND CAKE

I have been in a total cooking slump lately. Just completely uninspired for some reason, and don't care. Weird how that just comes and goes. Like writer's block or something. Cooking block, I guess?

I really haven't made anything "post-worthy" in a long time and I have no idea when I'll get motivated again, but I didn't want the last post on here to be about stupid butter .... so here's a pretty picture of a super good pound cake I made last weekend - but the only reason I put out the effort was because it was my husband's birthday.

This version is dense and buttery. I like to sprinkle the top with a little bit of sugar before putting it in the oven, then it gets all caramelized and crusty.

Cake batter:

Cream 1/2 lb. of butter in mixer then slowly add 2 Cups of sugar, mixing on low-med speed. Next add 6 whole eggs, one at a time, mixing each in completely before adding the next. Add 1 Tbsp Vanilla to the batter and then stop the mixer. The last step is to fold in 2 Cups of sifted flour by hand. Grease your pan and fill with batter. Cook at 350 for 35-50 min depending on size of pan used. Test with toothpick after 35 min.

HOMEMADE BUTTER

When I was a kid, our babysitter moved out to the country and bought a farm. One weekend we went to go stay with them and I remember being fascinated when she made homemade butter. I didn't know you could make butter. And the taste was incredible. Of course she was using fresh cream from a just-milked cow, and the cream was unpasteurized. But still. You can still make it at home and it'll taste better than what we can get in the American grocery stores. 

You can use a food processor or a mixer. I personally have not used the food processor. I like the mixer. Anyway, you want to use heavy or very heavy "whipping" cream. If you can get "vat-pasteurized" cream, it has a better flavor. If not, you can use the ultra-pasteurized commercial type. 

Since I just grabbed some of the grocery store cream, I like to lightly sweeten it by adding about a teaspoon of simple syrup while mixing. It doesn't make it "sweet," it just gives it a richer taste, and enhances the sweet cream.  I also add a pinch of salt. Go light on the salt! You can always add more later. 

Mix on low-medium. It will first turn into whipped cream...

Then will turn yellow and you'll see the butter separate from the buttermilk.

When it looks like this, you can stop. 

Drain the butter from the milk (the milk is really good too! Sweet, not sour.)

At this point, you can do a couple of things. Eat it right away, or process further for longer term storage. I like to put it in a bag, then knead it to expel the rest of the moisture. If you're not going to eat it right away, then you should also "wash" it, by putting it back into the mixing bowl and mix for a minute with ice water. Drain the water and replace with clean water a few times until water stays clear. 

Washed or unwashed - storage should be air tight. Plastic bag or wax paper is OK. You can also cut into chunks and put them in a jar and cover with clean water and store in the fridge replacing water once in a while. This will allow it to keep it's fresh taste. Can also be frozen. 

Enjoy!

FROM THE FREEZER: PORK CHOPS: SLOW BAKED COUNTRY PORK CHOPS WITH FENNEL & TOMATO RAGOUT

I think the days of me making elaborate dinners is over for a while. I just don't have the time luxury anymore to plan, create and prepare food like I used to. I even resort to prepared frozen kid's dinners, frozen chicken nuggets and Spaghetti-O's way more than I'd like to admit, and I never used to buy that crap. This is what having a fussy 2 year old, a home business and a dog with special needs does to your schedule. I know some day I'll be back in "gourmet mode."  Just not this year.

Like a lot of people, I have a well stocked freezer. Meat, fish, veggies, herbs, homemade stock. Leftovers that I save for those times I need a fast dinner but never end up using. Once in a while things get pretty cramped in there, so I go on a mission to use the stuff up. Last night I pulled out a package of country pork chops. 

I needed something that I could stuff in the oven and forget about. Traditional baked chops are always good, but then you need to make a side. So I opted for a one dish meal. But the chops I wanted to bake slow and low. What vegetable can stand up to that without being wrecked?  Fennel! Fennel is awesome when slow roasted and would make a delicious ragout (think bouillabaisse). It gets sweet and buttery and I think it would be perfect. I had a large bulb in the fridge, so I sliced it, white and green parts, and put it into a casserole dish. 

Next I added a few strands of saffron. Then a can of tomatoes. (I was only cooking for 2 btw). Salt & pepper to taste.

For added flavor, I finely diced one celery stalk and 1/4 of an onion and mixed it in with the tomatoes. Small dices though, I wanted the fennel to be the star of the show and not have other vegetable textures mixed in. By dicing them really small they will just melt away.

Frozen chops. I don't bother defrosting them for something like this. I do the same for my roasted chickens. Put them in frozen. They turn out just fine, you'll never know the difference. 

The chops were added on top of the ragout, salted, then I added about 2 cups of semi-thawed homemade chicken stock. The pieces you see on top are chopped dehydrated garlic. It's one of my favorite new ingredients. I think they toast it lightly or something. The flavor is delicious, and tastes very fresh! I never do garlic in a jar though. I hate that stuff in it's "citrus" juice. Gross. 

Let's see... I cooked this for about 2 hours. I turned it on 350 for about 30 minutes to defrost the chops. Then I bumped it to 425 for another 20 or so minutes until they were browned a little bit ... then dropped the heat back down to 325 for the rest of the time until they looked like this. 

The chops were tender, and since they sat above the ragout, the fat around the edges was able to get brown and super yummy. The fennel was absolutely delicious, and the broth.... well.... fennel, tomatoes and saffron. What can I say. I could have bathed in it.

ENDIVE & BRUSSELS SPROUTS GRATIN with JAMBON (aka, Ham)

One of my favorite local restaurants is a Swiss-French little gem which I am not going to name because it's hard enough to get into as it is -- but they have this endive gratin appetizer that is just the bee's knees. I love the bitter of the endive along with the sweetness of the béchamel and the saltiness of the parmesan. So the other day when I was at the grocery and I spotted the endive, I thought immediately of the gratin. Even the thought of it made me start to drool, so although I had no recipe, I was pretty  sure I could make some sort of copycat that would at least be similar. I picked up a couple of the the endives, then I saw these super young, small brussels sprouts and thought, hmmmm.... I bet the sweetness of those would go really well in the gratin? 

Oh. My. Gosh.

The rest is yummy history.    

The basic recipe starts with equal parts of endive, which I thickly sliced and sauteed for about 1 minute in some butter along with a little bit of chopped ham, and brussels sprouts, which I steamed. I made just enough of a thin bechamel to nicely coat the brussels sprouts, endive & ham. You don't want it soupy because there is nothing to really soak it up, so you just want it nicely dressed. I put the mixture in a baking dish and then grated a very generous portion of fresh parmesan and it baked in a 400 degree oven just until bubbly and the cheese was starting to brown nicely. It made a great side to our Friday night NY strip steak! 

Go ahead - I know you want to. Click on the picture to supersize it.

WEEKEND INSPIRATION - A GLASS OF CHILLED FRENCH ROSE'

FOR BREAKFAST TODAY we had Eggs over Crispy Potato Cakes, topped with Crumbled Bacon

Crispy pan fried potato cakes.

A fried egg.

Lots of crumbled bacon.

What I ate today: Baguette, buttered, with sliced radish

Channeling Jacques Pepin:

Crisp red radishes, sliced, and served with butter on fresh baguette, with a light sprinkle of fleur de sel and fresh pepper. 

I don't know who originally came up with this, but it is absolutely delicious.

MMMMMMMM!!!! Minty Margarita

Margarita season is upon us! Fresh lime. Crushed ice. Silver tequila. Triple Sec.

I love them traditional, don't get me wrong. But I'm ready for something with a twist.

So I added a bit of mint. And a splash of gin. And.... WHOA! SuperYUM!

Take a small handful of mint leaves, add it to a little bit of crushed ice and about a tablespoon of simple syrup and squish it around a little. I don't have a muddler, so I just used a fork. I guess a muddler would have done a better job and it would be way more minty - so keep that in mind. 

For one margarita: 

2 oz silver tequila

3/4 oz triple sec

1 lime - juiced by a super juicer (as seen below)

3/4 oz Hendricks Gin

small handful of fresh mint

1 tablespoon simple syrup

These juicers get probably 3x as much juice out of lemons and limes that you could ever squeeze by hand. You get what you pay for, and the cheap ones break, just a warning. I like the Norpro. 

After you muddle the mint, syrup and ice, add the rest of the ingredients, a splash of water, and more ice. Shake vigorously. Pour into glass and garnish with lime slice and more fresh mint.  I think you'll find this more tasty than any Mint Julep or Mojito you've ever had. Seriously.  

How to get your 2 year old to eat vegetables. No, really.

Hide stuff in mashed potatoes. 

When my daughter was a baby, she ate everything. Now that she's two, she eats nothing aside from goldfish crackers, pasta, tofu and eggs. No vegetables. Don't they all love mashed potatoes though? Heck, who doesn't. So I chop stuff up real small, and hide it in the potatoes. And she eats it. I can even go as far as crumbling some tofu in it and making it a one dish meal.

Now, I know you can still see the green mixed in with the white - but I swear, if you chop the vegetables up really super small, then mix them in, it's fine. You really can't taste them, even though they are there.  I like to use something without a strong taste, and that packs a huge nutritional punch -- my favorite is swiss chard, but spinach works too. Broccoli is hit or miss, but cauliflower is easier (although both kinda smell like farts if you ask me). 

If you have a ricer,  you're set. It takes only minutes. Cook the vegetable. Pop the potato in the microwave. Push it through the ricer. Add a little butter, enough broth to reach your mashed potato thickness preference, and then salt and pepper of course. Chop the cooked vegetable as tiny as you can get it and mix it in. That's it. I like to do no more than 20% vegetable in the mix. I don't want to push my luck, if you know what I mean.  

It's good for adults, too! :)

Anyway ... don't take my word for it. I have photographic proof:

Homemade Tomato Soup in 3 Minutes

All I wanted was a bowl of soup for lunch. I don't need a whole pot. Just enough for one person. 

I had half a container of tomatoes left from the previous night's dinner. I added that (about a cup) to a bowl. Then I added about 1/2 cup milk (you could use half & half if you have it and it would be SO YUMMERS!)  I also added a tablespoon of simple syrup, and then a pat of butter. Oh, salt and pepper of course. 

Microwave it until hot, which was 3 minutes at my house. Rich, hearty, cheap, fast and delicious. This makes a chunky tomato soup, but you could blend it first for a smooth soup. If you want it thick, you could add 1/4 teaspoon corn starch before microwaving it. 

Scotch Eggs - As it turns out, they couldn't be simpler to make.

I had picked up some spicy pork sausage while shopping one day, because it sounded good, but wasn't sure what to do with it. Sure, I could totally fry it up and have it for breakfast, but that's too dangerous because we'd eat the whole package since I'd have to cook up the whole package because you can't just use half - then you don't have enough left over to make anything else, so you might as well just cook it all. And I'd do it with the intention of saving some for hash the next day or something, but the reality is that it would never make it to see the next day. So, scratch that idea. I could add it to a pasta dish - that's classic and you can't go wrong there. But... pasta is my go-to thing for the times when I'm lazy and only have boring protein, like chicken. Then it hit me - Scotch Eggs! So, I made them from memory. And I left off the breadcrumb coating, only because I knew these would be fattening enough and the breadcrumbs (or in my case it would have been Panko) would have just held on to more of that fat. So just sausage. And really, isn't that enough?

These could not be easier. You take a hard boiled egg, then wrap it in sausage. There is a tip I can offer though; try to make the sausage coating as even as possible, and don't go too thin because it will "crack" during cooking since the sausage will shrink as the fat melts away. It's not a big deal I guess, but wouldn't look as pretty.  

I used my grill pan so that it would drain the fat a little as it ran off. I cooked these at 350 in the oven until the sausage was cooked through. If you overcook it, you will also have troubles with it cracking. The traditional cooking method is to deep fry these - and if you have a fryer - be my guest, I'm sure they'd be to die for! If you were going to coat them in breadcrumbs, you'd roll them in it after you apply the sausage. 

Fully cooked, golden brown. I served it with crispy potato casserole and a green salad. 

HAPPY EASTER!!!

It's a wonderful day! 

Persian Marinated Grilled Skirt Steak with Ramp Risotto

Oh, how I LOVE Persian food. And one of my favorite things are their kebabs. Chicken or fillet mignon... I love them both. It's the flavor that is special, and until recently, I didn't know what the flavors were exactly, I just knew it was unique and out of this world delicious and we'd often make special trips to Darya just to quench our cravings for the stuff. Now that I have my trusty New Food of Life Persian Cuisine cookbook though, it is a secret no more. 

Tonight's dinner -- Persian spiced marinated skirt steak. And since I still have fresh ramps, I made ramp risotto. A bit of a twist to the usual side of  plain white basmati rice.

Lets begin:

The meat is whatever you choose. Filet mignon is a classic, so is chicken breast. But I had skirt steak, so that's what I used. 

You make a marinade for the meat, and it should marinate for at least 2 hours, and most Persian recipes call for 24 hours. I never plan that far ahead though, so I can't personally tell you if it makes a difference. 

For a serving of 4: 

1 1/2  to 2 pounds of meat

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 tsp fresh ground black pepper

2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground saffron dissolved in 2 Tbsp hot water

1/2 cup of plain yogurt

2 Tbsp lime juice

1 large onion, chopped

Mix all ingredients and then add the meat. If you are going to skewer them, cut them into the chunks before adding to the marinade. For this dinner, I grilled the steaks whole so I left the meat in large pieces. I put it in a ziplock bag and it rested in the fridge for about 3 hours. 

For the risotto I started by sauteing the chopped ramps in butter. I also added 1 clove garlic, chopped. 

After about 2-3 minutes, I added the rice and mixed to coat it with the butter. 

I had fresh chicken stock on hand, so I spooned hot stock into the rice mixture a little at a time, stirring constantly until liquid was absorbed, then I would add more stock. This is repeated until the rice is fully cooked and tender (which means you need to taste it frequently until it's to your liking). Finish it with a sprinkle of grated parmesan cheese and stir into the rice to melt. 

When you take the steak out of the marinade, wipe the excess yogurt and onion mixture off with a paper towel. If you are cooking over an open flamed grill, it's less important to have it completely dry -- but if you are cooking it in a pan, try to get it as dry as you can so that it will brown nicely. Too much moisture will steam the steak in a pan, making it tough and rubbery. For best taste, you want a nice brown sear, as seen here.  For mine, I wiped them well with a paper towel, then coated the bottom of my pan with canola oil, got the pan really hot, then quickly seared the meat on both sides resulting in a medium to medium rare doneness. 

It's plated with the risotto, and then a traditional garnish of tomatoes. And if you have time to grill the tomatoes a bit - even better!

Whole Baked Golden Trout with Wild Leek (aka RAMPS, aka Ail des dois) Stuffing

It's April! Happy spring! Aaaaand .... it's RAMP season! Or as the French call them, ail des bois. Wild Leeks. I don't have ramps at my local farmer's market here in southern California (well, not that I've seen anyway) so I get mine from Doug in Ohio -- if you want some too click here but hurry! Ramp season is only about 2 months long!  Buy extra so you can make ramp butter out of the leftovers so you can enjoy it all year long.

My package arrived with a big bunch of beautiful ramps in it, and my first recipe was going to be trout with ramps. And I was originally going to make a buttery white wine ramp sauce to go over the trout. But then I got this good loaf of sourdough bread at the store, and well, I ended up making ramp stuffing instead. Ramps taste unique - and it's sort of a onionish-garlicish flavor. Not too strong, but strong enough to really add a lot of flavor. It's really a unique flavor, and there is really nothing else like it.

I cleaned up the ramps, cut the roots off and then diced them along with some white onion, a clove of garlic and a celery stalk. (I was only making stuffing for 2 people). 

Saute the celery and white onion in about 2 tablespoons of butter for about 3-4 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. 

Then I diced the bread into cubes. About 2 cups worth.

Since I was only using the green parts of the ramps for this recipe (the white parts are being saved for tonight's recipe of ramp risotto!) I added them last so they wouldn't overcook. Lightly toss the ramps with the butter and cooked vegetables. 

I just happened to have a huge batch of fresh chicken stock that I had made yesterday also, so I added the bread and sauteed vegetables in a bowl, then added chicken stock a little at a time until the bread was wet but not soggy. 

I bought the trout fresh yesterday at the Santa Monica Seafood Market, and I had them de-bone it for me, but leave it whole for presentation. 

Now -- stuff the fish! I added equal amounts of stuffing, then folded the fish over. Nothing else added, other than a drizzle of olive oil on the top, and a sprinkling of salt. 

The oven was set to 450, and my rule of thumb for fish is - 10 minutes per inch of thickness in a 450 oven. It works every time. The fish, stuffing included, was just about 2 inches, so I set the timer for 20 minutes. 

It came out perfect. The stuffing was buttery and moist, and the ramp flavor is like nothing else. Just delicious! The fish was tender and flaky. Served whole - It was a one dish meal.  Next up: Ramp Risotto

MY OCEAN FRESH HALIBUT with RAMPS & BACON IN A EGG YOLK CREAM SAUCE

This is a post from last year that I am reissuing. Because it's made with ramps, and it's ramp season! I don't see them at my Farmer's Market here in Southern California, so I get mine from Doug, who lives in Ohio. He sells them on eBay. Really, it's OK. Buy some! They're perfectly good, and I actually got the tip from Claudia at Cook Eat FRET. She also bought some from him. If you've never had them, you need to try them. They're really good. Sort of a cross between an onion and garlic -- but not really -- just totally unique! And delicious!


So, as mentioned yesterday, I got this Halibut on Sunday. Gorgeous, fresh caught Halibut. Sunday morning it was swimming, Sunday afternoon it was in my fridge. I had also bought the live sweet shrimp (see below, they were out of this world!) so we had those on Sunday night, and I saved the Halibut for Monday. 

So delicious looking, it was hard to keep my husband from eating raw! He loves Hirame.  

Anyway, since I only got a half pound I decided to cube it and toss it with some noodles. I also had some ramps in the fridge, so I thought this would be a good time to use them.

The ramps came from Ohio. I cleaned them and diced them. Into a pan with a few slices of bacon, also diced.  

Oh what the hell.... Let's get this party started! Add some butter! And a little garlic! 

After the ramps were tender and the bacon crispy, I added the Halibut for a quick roll in the buttery goodness, cooking to just above medium rare. The fresh Halibut was so tender I had to be gentle to make sure it didn't fall apart.  In a separate bowl I had the noodles waiting. I added fresh diced tomatoes, a few diced artichoke hearts, and then 3 raw egg yolks that had been whisked with 2-3 tablespoons of half & half. It added just enough creaminess to make this all come together without overpowering the delicate halibut. 

Finished with a sprinkle of Parmesan. This was really, really good. Those ramps are so flavorful. Everything was just perfect. :)

REALLY GOOD (and not screwed up) PANTRY PAELLA

Some of the best paella I have ever had was from my own kitchen. And not made the traditional way either, I'll be honest. Only because -- unless you do it often, it's hard to get it perfect. And if the rice is too soft or too hard or the mix is too wet, it's not going to be good. 

Mine always comes out of a frantic - "Oh my gosh, what can I make? I have a screaming kid and need to put something together FAST!"  It's what I like to call Pantry Paella. Just grabbing leftovers from the fridge, or whatever fresh meat I have on hand, or both. I cook the elements separate, so that I can control things better, and then put it together at the end. Then the rice is perfect, the meat is perfect, and it was easy. I'm not saying not to make it the RIGHT way, I'm just saying it's really easy to make paella my way, and it tastes really good.

I cook the meat and rice separately. I got this wonderful new Le Creuset grill pan, and it made delicious grilled shrimp, chicken & onions for my paella. 

Saffron is absolutely mandatory for paella. Without saffron, it just won't have that unique flavor. When I cook my rice, I put a good pinch of salt, and then a hefty pinch of saffron threads. 

I grilled some fresh onions and peppers, and then also some frozen mussels I found in the freezer that my husband bought at an Asian store. They add a lot of great flavor. 

Once you have the rice done, and the meat, lightly toss it together in a large pan, add a few pats of butter here and there, a cup of diced tomatoes (canned is fine, just drain them!) and then let it sit for a couple minutes, covered, and let the flavors come together. Adjust the salt and pepper to taste - and serve!  Total time from start to end, about 30 minutes. 

JUICY ROASTED TURKEY CARNITAS

Who doesn't love melt in your mouth Carnitas?  It's one of those things that I could literally eat until I exploded. But obviously the fat content of Carnitas is not really something to be proud of. And it's not like I have anything against fat -- I love fat -- it's just that it's really not good for you. So everything in moderation, right? But if you can't control yourself... like I can't be trusted to be left alone around a big pot of Carnitas, then you need to make a compromise. 

Hence the turkey Carnitas creation. 

I have a business I run from home, and a 2 year old, so I don't get to spend as much time in the kitchen lately as I'd like to. When I made this dish the first time, I made it with some frozen turkey hind quarters that I had in the freezer, and as if being frozen wasn't bad enough, I didn't even have time to thaw the turkey before popping it in the oven because it was a busy day and I was running out the door -- and I know this is going to sound crazy, but it came out better than when I use fresh (not frozen) turkey! It's true. Maybe by freezing the meat the tissues break down more and in the end it is more tender? I have no idea. I'm not a scientist. Just a girl who likes to cook. 

So for our small family of 3, I took 2 frozen turkey hind quarters, coated them with a drizzle of olive oil, and put them in a cast iron dutch oven.  A generous sprinkle of salt and pepper and into a 450 oven they go for 1 hour. 

The high heat really browns it up fast.  After the initial hour, remove from the oven and turn heat down to 350.

A smokey flavor really adds a lot to this, so there needs to be an element of smoke. And not liquid smoke because it's way too strong. In the past I have added a few pieces of smoked sausage, but today since I didn't have sausage, I added some of these unbelievable Boggy Creek smoke dried tomatoes.

Add 1 cup of dry white wine, your smokey element, and enough water to come up and cover the sides of the meat. 

I also add a few potatoes - not because they add anything to the dish, but potatoes roasted with meat are so good and I like to kill 2 birds with one stone and steal some of the meat's flavor while cooking -- then I use the potatoes later for a great mashed potato or even let them cool and do roasted potato salad. 

But anyway...

Add one or 2 pieces of bacon for more smokey flavor and FAT, since turkey is so lean. Then back into the now 350 oven for another 3 hours, covered. Just set it and forget it.

You can't argue with me that this looks tempting! It's so dang good.  Now, you can shred the meat and eat as-is with fresh tortillas, or over rice, or however you like. Those who like the crispy edges of traditional Carnitas (like me!) just give it a quick saute in a hot pan with some oil to lightly crisp the edges. No big.  

Warm Roasted Fennel Salad with Boucheron Goat Cheese

Roasted Fennel is just one of my favorite things. I love it raw too, but when it's roasted it gets soft and sweet and almost smells like a Snicker Doodle. 

I also love Boucherondin (Boucheron) cheese. It's a goat's milk cheese that comes from France's Loire Valley - it comes in a white log and has a mild and dry-crumbly center that somewhat resembles your basic Chevre, and it just melts on the tongue. The part near the rind is creamy and has it's own unique flavor different from the center and it tastes a little like a firm Brie. Absolutely WONDERFUL. You can find it at Whole Foods in the glass case, and it is about $15/lb.  I snack on it as-is, but it's also great with fresh, hot French bread. 

If you haven't roasted fennel before, it's so easy. Clean the Fennel bulbs and cut off the green tops and the bottom core. Keep some of the fluffy fennel fronds for later. I like to slice mine about 1/4 inch thick. Put them on a cookie sheet on parchment paper and drizzle with olive oil. 

Next, I like to add a sprinkle of fresh Parmesan cheese. It really goes perfect with the fennel and brings out so many flavors - it gets nutty when toasted, and it adds just the right amount of salt.

45 minutes in a 350 oven and this is what they look like when done. Soft and slightly brown on the edges. The Parmesan is golden brown and your house smells amazing. 

Let them cool for about 20 minutes, then toss with some of the fennel chopped up fronds and crumble some of the Boucheron cheese on top. You could also crumble regular Chevre (goat cheese) on top also and it would taste pretty similar. Goat cheese goes so well with this type of dish because it really compliments sweet foods. The fennel will be lightly sweet, but the parmesan is salty and balances it very well. 

This salad is so simple, but absolutely decadent! 

THE BAREFOOT CONTESSA'S VERSION OF HOMEMADE CHICKEN STOCK

This is my new favorite cookbook. Of course I have a new favorite each week, but this week I'm really loving the Barefoot Contessa's Back to Basics. I just got it, and it has some really great food inside. It's cooking food the way I like - Simple. Not that I don't like food that has 1200 steps to prepare, because I make food like that all the time, but some of the best foods I have ever had have actually been very simple, with only a handful of ingredients. 

It was hard deciding what to make first, but I decided I'd kill 2 birds with one stone. I needed more chicken stock, and she had a recipe that was a little different than what I'm used to -- so what the heck. Chicken Stock it is!

I usually just do the standard Michael Rhulman stock, so it was time to try something different anyway. 

The things that were different for me was, first of all, she uses whole raw chickens. I usually just saved my bones and used those. Also, hers called for parsnips (which are optional and I didn't have so I left them out) and dill. Dill? Hmm. I wouldn't have normally used that. And I was afraid to make 7 quarts of stock with dill -- you know, just in case it sucks. But I already omitted the parsnips, so I guess if I was going to make her stock, the least I could do is make it like she does. And if she uses dill, fine. I'll use dill too then. You never know unless you try, right? And none of her recipes have ever let me down before. So anyway, I'm glad I did, because it was awesome! You can't distinctively taste the dill, but there is a background flavor that is there that you can't quite identify, yet it just adds a delicious flavor. De-Licious. 

I cut her recipe by one third, and that is what's reflected below, because I only had 2 chickens in the freezer, and I only had so many containers to store it in  :o)

Out came my biggest pot. I put in 2 whole, raw chickens. 2 carrots, cut lengthwise. 3 small stalks of celery, 2 onions, unpeeled and cut in 4ths. One head garlic, cut in half, 20 sprigs parsley, 15 sprigs thyme, 20 fresh dill sprigs (or 2 tbsp dried dill wrapped up in cheesecloth). Lastly, 2 tbsp Kosher salt, and 2 tsp whole peppercorns. Then I added 5 quarts of water. Bring to a boil and then drop to a low simmer and let it simmer for 4 hours. 

I strained it way more than she did though. She says to just strain it through a colander, then put in containers and refrigerate. That 'aint enough for me though.  I strained out the big stuff, then used my fat separator, then strained it twice through all 3 of my wire strainers, then a final strain through a cloth lined strainer. Then it was peeeeeeerfect! 

And since I used the whole chickens, I also ended up with 2 tons of shredded chicken. So it looks like tomorrow might be burrito night. 

When you're tired, and only have ground beef ... what to make?

When you have kids, and are tired from a long day, sometimes dinner is just another chore. Like laundry. Even when you like to cook.   

So I go out to the garage - Open the freezer, and stare. Looking at what frozen meat I have, and wondering what the hell to make for dinner. I didn't go to the grocery yesterday like I typically do, so I don't have my usual assortment of fresh meats and fish for the next few days. So I gotta pick something frozen. We've had a lot of chicken lately, so I don't think my chicken-disliking husband can gag down another chicken dish. Pork? Nope, no pork in the freezer. Shrimp? No... no shrimp either because I'm shrimped-out too. So that leaves ground beef. 

OK, so I got ground beef. NOW what? Last night I made noodle stroganoff with ground chicken, so it can't be anything along those lines.

I guess the vegetable drawer could give me some help. I look -- I got Kale. And fresh tomatoes. Alrighty then, ground beef, with sauteed kale and chopped fresh tomatoes it is!  Over white rice. 

Boil chopped kale in salty water until tender. Meanwhile, brown ground beef. Drain fat from beef, and return to pan. Add the cooked, drained kale - and saute a couple minutes. Add salt & pepper to taste, 2 cloves chopped garlic, cook 3 minutes more, then add the tomatoes at the very end. 

CREAM OF CHICKEN & AVOCADO SOUP - THE HEALTHY VERSION

Have blender, will make soup.

I always have homemade chicken stock in my freezer. I save chicken bones from several chickens, then make huge batches of stock and freeze it. I use it to create gravies and sauces during the week, but also I make quick soups. My personal favorite are creamy soups. Take any cooked vegetable, blend it with some stock, a few tablespoons of flour and maybe a splash of half & half (or fat free half & half), then transfer to a pan and heat through until flour is cooked. Done. Takes 10 minutes. 

Today I was in the mood for a cream of chicken avocado soup. The avocados are really good right now, and if you happen to have a ripe and tasty one, you should give this recipe a try! It's one of those great versions that are still delicious without all the butter and cream. 

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To serve 4 small or 2 large:

INGREDIENTS:

4 cups chicken stock

1 large Haas avocado (must be ripe and taste rich and buttery)

4 cooked skinless boneless chicken thighs

3 tablespoons flour

salt & pepper to taste

4 tablespoons half & half (or more to taste)

suggestions for garnish: crispy bacon, drizzle of olive oil, croutons, cubed avocado

METHOD:

In a blender, add about 2 1/2 cups of the chicken stock, the chicken meat, the flour and the avocado. Blend on high until smooth. Soup will thicken in the blender quite a bit. Empty into a saucepan, add the remaining chicken stock and heat until just starting to boil, then reduce to medium and cook 7 minutes longer, stirring frequently. Add salt & pepper to taste. When done, remove from heat, stir in half & half and serve. 

Takes only minutes. 

Pictured below is a richer version, I've added a tad more cream and a slice of crispy bacon. 

STUFFED VEGETABLES

The other night I made a Filet Kebab recipe from my New Food of Life Persian cookbook. If you've ever had the steak kebabs at a Persian restaurant you'll probably agree with me, they are just out of this world delicious. I am working on an oven version (as opposed to having to cook them on an outside grill). I'll let you know how it goes. The last batch I made wasn't marinated long enough, and then it was too wet in the pan and didn't brown well enough. I'll share the details later, once I find success.  

So with that dinner, we ended up with a lot of leftover rice. I decided to make porcupine meatballs, but once again, I screwed up -- I added too much rice. I first put in 3 eggs, thinking it might still hold it together and the meatball idea could be saved. Nope.

The next thing you know, I'm dumping all sorts of stuff in there.  

3 pieces of whole grain bread - in the blender to make breadcrumbs. Then, I had a few Roma tomatoes that needed to be used, and they went in. Then a good drizzle of olive oil. Then, I remembered I had some leftover roasted tomatoes and fennel in the fridge. In it went. Then, half an onion. And I pulverized it. Then mixed it with the 2 cups of rice and 1.25 lb of ground beef. The result was a DELICIOUS mixture. But definitely not stiff enough for meatballs. 

So, instead, I stuffed stuff. Tomatoes, peppers and zucchini. Carve out the center of the veggies, stuff, and cook at 350 until the meat is cooked through (peppers and tomatoes take longer than zucchini). 

Meatballs who? This was so much better!