Well, what was supposed to be a post about delicious apple cider donuts is now a post about cooking safety.
Last night I almost burned my house down. Everyone is ok and no damage was done (except my poor cooking pot), but it was one hell of a scary time!
The mistake was mine - I was heating the oil to dip my donuts in, and I left the lid on the pot. That's a #1 big no-no. As soon as I went to lift the lid off, all hell broke loose. I was immediately rushed with a big cloud of smoke that smelled horrific and then the oil caught on fire. Luckily, my boyfriend was home to tend to the fire as I had to run to the living room (yeah, this smoke pierces your lungs. Healthy.).
Lesson #2 - DO NOT use water to put these types of fire out! Of course, our natural reaction to fire is water... and my boyfriend wasn't aware that oil fire and water do not mix... it only fueled the fire more. Not to worry though, as he automatically reached for our fire extinguisher under our sink and put the flames out. But the ordeal wasn't over. We still had a townhouse full of smoke, and it was hard to breathe and smelled terrible. It didn't help that all of our smoke detectors were going off either. We finally got it under control after about an hour of fanning the smoke out the windows and taking turns standing outside to breathe some fresh air.
So please learn from my mistake. Do NOT heat oil with a lid on. And in the event that it does catch on fire, do NOT use water to put the fire out. It's always good to have a fire extinguisher on hand in the kitchen just in case.
Needless to say, I will be baking these donuts next time.
Thursday, November 15, 2012
Thursday, October 4, 2012
French Onion Soup
So remember that time I had a blog? Eesh... sorry about that guys! I'm back and I promise to update this blog and give it the love that it needs! I have to give my friend Steph over at Cooking with Corgis credit for giving me inspiration to blog again.
Well, without further ado, I give you homemade french onion soup.
I know the usual mantra- French onion soup? Doesn't that take forever? And ramkins? And a blowtorch to melt the cheese? And doesn't it take all day long?
The short answer - no. The recipe I used took 30 minutes and I used my plain ol' bowls at home. No blowtorch required! Although, this is a bit of an upside-down soup, as the cheese and bread are on the bottom.
Ingredients
1 tbsp EVOO
1 small sweet onion, sliced
1 leek, rinsed and chopped (white and light green parts only, no leaves)
4 cloves chopped garlic
1/4 tsp dried thyme (or 1/2 tsp fresh)
1 tbsp dry sherry
Ground pepper, to taste
16 oz beef broth (see note)
2 tbsp chopped fresh scallions/chives
2 slices whole-wheat bread
2 oz Gruyere cheese
Preparation
- Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium high heat. Add chopped onion, stir to coat, and cover. Reduce the heat to medium. Cook until onions is soft, about 6/7 minutes, stirring often.
-Add leek, garlic, and thyme. Cook until leeks soften, about 4 minutes, stirring often.
-Add sherry and pepper. Turn heat to medium-high and stir until most of the liquid has evaporated (about half a minute).
-Add broth and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce to simmer, cover, and let simmer for 5 minutes.
-Remove from heat, stir in chives.
-Add bread an sliced gruyere cheese to bottom of bowl. Add hot soup on-top and enjoy! The heat from the soup will melt the gruyere cheese.
Note
For the beef broth, I would buy the 32 oz box. This is a very oniony soup, and buying the 32 oz box will allow you to add more broth if you want.
Well, enjoy this one! I'm in the mood to make many soups this fall, so be prepared! I might even do a Thanksgiving edition. Stay tuned!
Well, without further ado, I give you homemade french onion soup.
I know the usual mantra- French onion soup? Doesn't that take forever? And ramkins? And a blowtorch to melt the cheese? And doesn't it take all day long?
The short answer - no. The recipe I used took 30 minutes and I used my plain ol' bowls at home. No blowtorch required! Although, this is a bit of an upside-down soup, as the cheese and bread are on the bottom.
Ingredients
1 tbsp EVOO
1 small sweet onion, sliced
1 leek, rinsed and chopped (white and light green parts only, no leaves)
4 cloves chopped garlic
1/4 tsp dried thyme (or 1/2 tsp fresh)
1 tbsp dry sherry
Ground pepper, to taste
16 oz beef broth (see note)
2 tbsp chopped fresh scallions/chives
2 slices whole-wheat bread
2 oz Gruyere cheese
Preparation
- Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium high heat. Add chopped onion, stir to coat, and cover. Reduce the heat to medium. Cook until onions is soft, about 6/7 minutes, stirring often.
-Add leek, garlic, and thyme. Cook until leeks soften, about 4 minutes, stirring often.
-Add sherry and pepper. Turn heat to medium-high and stir until most of the liquid has evaporated (about half a minute).
-Add broth and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce to simmer, cover, and let simmer for 5 minutes.
-Remove from heat, stir in chives.
-Add bread an sliced gruyere cheese to bottom of bowl. Add hot soup on-top and enjoy! The heat from the soup will melt the gruyere cheese.
Note
For the beef broth, I would buy the 32 oz box. This is a very oniony soup, and buying the 32 oz box will allow you to add more broth if you want.
Well, enjoy this one! I'm in the mood to make many soups this fall, so be prepared! I might even do a Thanksgiving edition. Stay tuned!
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Peanut... Peanut Butter!!
I love peanut butter. And with my increased amounts of work outs, my body has begun to crave it. Isn't it fascinating how your body craves what it needs? Need protein? Body craves peanut butter. I love it. The human body is incredibly intelligent.
This year, the peanut crops did not do as well as expected. Therefore, peanut butter prices have gone through the roof. I've spent many hours consoling my poor mother who complained about her organic peanut butter going from $2.50 to $4.50 in the matter of a week. (I don't blame her for being upset, my father eats about two jars each week!)
Solution to beat the prices? Make your own! I bought a 5 pound bag of shelled peanuts for about $2. This served to make two batches of peanut butter, which is awesome! I also enjoy making my own because I can switch up what I want to put into it. Chocolate peanut butter anyone?
Peanut Butter Recipe
- Peanuts, unshelled
- Honey (optional)
- Salt (optional)
Place peanuts into food processor and hit go.
That's it, honest! Peanuts are naturally oily, so no extra oil is needed. Takes about 5 minutes for it to look like peanut butter. I added a little bit of honey to it, because to me, just peanuts alone was too dry. Feel free to add what you want to make it your own!
This year, the peanut crops did not do as well as expected. Therefore, peanut butter prices have gone through the roof. I've spent many hours consoling my poor mother who complained about her organic peanut butter going from $2.50 to $4.50 in the matter of a week. (I don't blame her for being upset, my father eats about two jars each week!)
Solution to beat the prices? Make your own! I bought a 5 pound bag of shelled peanuts for about $2. This served to make two batches of peanut butter, which is awesome! I also enjoy making my own because I can switch up what I want to put into it. Chocolate peanut butter anyone?
Peanut Butter Recipe
- Peanuts, unshelled
- Honey (optional)
- Salt (optional)
Place peanuts into food processor and hit go.
That's it, honest! Peanuts are naturally oily, so no extra oil is needed. Takes about 5 minutes for it to look like peanut butter. I added a little bit of honey to it, because to me, just peanuts alone was too dry. Feel free to add what you want to make it your own!
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| Getting crumbly, almost there! |
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| Going for a spin! |
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Brussel Sprouts
Before you disregard this post because of the title, please let me explain why this recipe will be delicious and NOT disgusting. I know, brussel sprouts get a bad wrap. Growing up, you learn you're "supposed" to hate them. When you finally do try them, they've only been steamed and taste like garbage. I know, I get it, I've been there. But, brussel sprouts were begging me to give them a second chance. "Please! Try us a different way! We swear you'll like us!" I caved in and tried, and I haven't looked back since. Last night I tried out this recipe, and let's just say, there were no left overs.
I will say that this recipe isn't very technical. It's more of a take it as you go, feel it out recipe. You'll find there aren't exact measurements in the ingredients, and that's ok. Adjust as you see fit!
Quinoa with Brussel Sprouts
Ingredients
- brussel sprouts (halved)
- cooked quinoa (see note below)
- red onion chopped
- extra virgin olive oil
- butter
- balsamic vinegar
- seasonings (salt, pepper, and garlic powder)
- shredded Parmesan
*To cook quinoa, always do two parts liquid to one part quinoa (1 cup liquid if 1/2 cup quinoa) Liquid can be water, but I prefer chicken/vegetable stock for more flavor. Bring quinoa to a boil in the liquid, then simmer for about 20 minutes. Quinoa should "puff" out and look almost like cous cous.
Directions
- Heat equal parts oil and butter (not too much, about a tablespoon) over medium heat. Place brussel sprouts flat side down and let cook for about 5 to 7 minutes. The mixture of butter and oil will prevent the brussel sprouts from burning. Once they're nicely browned, take off heat and season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder (optional).
-Add equal parts oil and butter again to pan. Stir to pick up brown bits left by brussel sprouts. Add in onion and saute until slightly browned.
-Add in balsamic vinegar (about 2 tablespoons) and stir until onions are completely coated. Keep on the heat until mixture begins to thicken, and then turn heat off.
-Add in brussel sprouts and toss until evenly coated. Add in quinoa and mix until coated. Season with salt and pepper.
-Top with freshly grated Parmesan cheese (optional)
This is a great vegetarian dinner recipe that's really filling! I suppose if you wanted to add a bit of meat, prosciutto would work wonderfully!
I will say that this recipe isn't very technical. It's more of a take it as you go, feel it out recipe. You'll find there aren't exact measurements in the ingredients, and that's ok. Adjust as you see fit!
Quinoa with Brussel Sprouts
Ingredients
- brussel sprouts (halved)
- cooked quinoa (see note below)
- red onion chopped
- extra virgin olive oil
- butter
- balsamic vinegar
- seasonings (salt, pepper, and garlic powder)
- shredded Parmesan
*To cook quinoa, always do two parts liquid to one part quinoa (1 cup liquid if 1/2 cup quinoa) Liquid can be water, but I prefer chicken/vegetable stock for more flavor. Bring quinoa to a boil in the liquid, then simmer for about 20 minutes. Quinoa should "puff" out and look almost like cous cous.
Directions
- Heat equal parts oil and butter (not too much, about a tablespoon) over medium heat. Place brussel sprouts flat side down and let cook for about 5 to 7 minutes. The mixture of butter and oil will prevent the brussel sprouts from burning. Once they're nicely browned, take off heat and season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder (optional).
-Add equal parts oil and butter again to pan. Stir to pick up brown bits left by brussel sprouts. Add in onion and saute until slightly browned.
-Add in balsamic vinegar (about 2 tablespoons) and stir until onions are completely coated. Keep on the heat until mixture begins to thicken, and then turn heat off.
-Add in brussel sprouts and toss until evenly coated. Add in quinoa and mix until coated. Season with salt and pepper.
-Top with freshly grated Parmesan cheese (optional)
This is a great vegetarian dinner recipe that's really filling! I suppose if you wanted to add a bit of meat, prosciutto would work wonderfully!
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Shameless
Hello faithful readers!
Stay tuned for my Girl's Night Menu!
Monday, January 2, 2012
Tomato Bread Pudding
Happy 2012!
I hope you all had a great holiday time, full of relaxation and family and friends. I had a great vacation and got lots of cooking goodies for Christmas!! New pots and pans set, a charcoal grill, and my loving boyfriend got me a GREEN KITCHENAID! Oh yeah!
*Peeling tomatoes
I hope you all had a great holiday time, full of relaxation and family and friends. I had a great vacation and got lots of cooking goodies for Christmas!! New pots and pans set, a charcoal grill, and my loving boyfriend got me a GREEN KITCHENAID! Oh yeah!
Needless to say, I've been cooking up a storm ever since. I had a lovely ladies night, which I will be posting about soon (I don't have the recipes with me). One item I had at ladies night was bruchetta, and as we didn't use all the ingredients I bought, I had left over tomatoes and half a loaf of bread left. I found this awesome little recipe that's very simple but tasted awesome - Tomato Bread Pudding! (Although I'm not sure why they call it a pudding, it doesn't look like a pudding!)
Ingredients
-5 tomatoes peeled, sliced, and seeded *See note below about pealing
-1/2 french loaf, sliced into small bits
-1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
-1/2 tsp sugar
-1/2 tsp salt
-4 tbsp butter
-Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Place pieces of loaf into a greased 9x12 pan. Pour butter on top of bread and mix gently to coat all pieces.
- Put tomatoes, sugar, and salt in a food processor and pulse until tomatoes are broken down and sugar and salt are fully incorporated.
- Place tomato mixture on top of the bread pieces. Gently stir to incorporate bread and tomato mixture.
- Bake for 30 minutes. Take out and top with Parmesan cheese and continue to bake for an additional 10 minutes.
- Enjoy!
When I originally found this recipe, I was a bit skeptical, but it was so delicious. It's like a deconstructed pizza! Feel free to get creative and add different ingredients!
To peel a tomato, score the bottom of the tomatoes with x's.Place tomatoes in a pot of boiling water for about a minute.
Then, take the tomato out and immediately submerge in ice water. Then peel from the x scored on the bottom of tomato.
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Tofu
Ah, the dreaded tofu. Unless you're a foodie or a vegetarian/vegan, chances are you cringe at the mention of the word. It's because you've never actually had it, or the time you did, you tried eating it plain. Am I right? (It's ok, I thought it was gross too until I made a drastic change in my eating habits!)
Well, I'm here to change your perception! I'm trying out vegetarianism, simply to see if it helps my awkward stomach. But I still crave meat, specifically BBQ (nom!) so I went out to find a BBQ recipe that was vegetarian and satisfied my need for delicious BBQ. Enter, tofu. Below is a recipe for what I like to call Crispy BBQ Tofu! BE ADVISED - the tofu will need to freeze overnight, so plan on two days for this recipe!
Ingredients
16 oz extra firm tofu (one package)
3 tbsp olive oil
1 egg white
2 tbsp BBQ sauce
1 cup AP flour
1 cup BBQ sauce
salt and pepper to taste
Directions
-Drain tofu and slice into strips (the size of the strips can be to your discretion). Place strips into freezer friendly bag, and freeze overnight.
-Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. In a small bowl, mix egg white and BBQ sauce together. This will serve as your egg wash. In another bowl, mix the flour with salt and pepper.
-Dip the tofu into the egg wash, then into the flour, then place into the hot pan to fry. Make sure to only load the skillet with a few slices to make it easier to flip. Fry each slice for about a minute on each side, and then put onto paper towels to drain.
-Preheat your oven's broiler. Brush tofu slices with more BBQ sauce. Place slices on broiler pan and cook for about 5 minutes on each side. Be sure to watch the slices as they can easily burn!
Feel free to use the rest of the BBQ sauce as dipping sauce! I found these to look kind of weird, but taste awesome! Unfortunately for me, my stomach can't really handle straight up soy foods, so this may be one of my last tofu recipes. But I'll still be looking for ways to incorporate the ingredient into everyday foods, whether my stomach likes it or not!
Well, I'm here to change your perception! I'm trying out vegetarianism, simply to see if it helps my awkward stomach. But I still crave meat, specifically BBQ (nom!) so I went out to find a BBQ recipe that was vegetarian and satisfied my need for delicious BBQ. Enter, tofu. Below is a recipe for what I like to call Crispy BBQ Tofu! BE ADVISED - the tofu will need to freeze overnight, so plan on two days for this recipe!
Ingredients
16 oz extra firm tofu (one package)
3 tbsp olive oil
1 egg white
2 tbsp BBQ sauce
1 cup AP flour
1 cup BBQ sauce
salt and pepper to taste
Directions
-Drain tofu and slice into strips (the size of the strips can be to your discretion). Place strips into freezer friendly bag, and freeze overnight.
-Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. In a small bowl, mix egg white and BBQ sauce together. This will serve as your egg wash. In another bowl, mix the flour with salt and pepper.
-Dip the tofu into the egg wash, then into the flour, then place into the hot pan to fry. Make sure to only load the skillet with a few slices to make it easier to flip. Fry each slice for about a minute on each side, and then put onto paper towels to drain.
-Preheat your oven's broiler. Brush tofu slices with more BBQ sauce. Place slices on broiler pan and cook for about 5 minutes on each side. Be sure to watch the slices as they can easily burn!
Feel free to use the rest of the BBQ sauce as dipping sauce! I found these to look kind of weird, but taste awesome! Unfortunately for me, my stomach can't really handle straight up soy foods, so this may be one of my last tofu recipes. But I'll still be looking for ways to incorporate the ingredient into everyday foods, whether my stomach likes it or not!
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