Smells Like Food in Here

Food Plan and Grocery List, 121011

2011-12-10T23:31:00.001-08:00

This week is simply a meatloaf and butternut squash. Oh, and those one-pot wings, but I'll be using drumsticks instead of wings. I picked up odds and ends too, simply because I was shopping when hungry.
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Cost of Take-Out Lunch, Week Ending 120911

2011-12-07T23:14:00.001-08:00

Monday: Subway 6" Spicy Italian on wheat, chips and Dr. Pepper: $7
Tuesday: Taco Stop's tacos al pastor plate: on a coworker
Wednesday: Pho the Bowl #65: $10
Thursday: Kassra Restaurant buffet for two: $27.81
Friday: Jack in the Box Sirloin Cheeseburger and large Dr. Pepper: $6.77

Total: $51.58
Total for the year: $1776.01

Reheating A Cold Slice of Pizza

2011-12-03T23:59:00.000-08:00

The image above depicts a slice of Doria's Haus Special reheated in a skillet. In my opinion, it's the only way to reheat a slice as the toppings are nicely warmed, the cheese ooey-gooey, and the crust crisp, not at all mushy.

Mushroom-Spinach Lasagna, Part 2

2011-12-03T15:51:00.000-08:00

Oh my, lasagna corner piece heaven!

Remember the last lasagna I prepped? It was that Mushroom-Spinach Lasagna back in October about 1.5 months ago. I baked half then and stuck the other half in the freezer. Now it's all about that other half.

6:00 Thursday night, I pulled this covered dish from the freezer.

After popping the lid off the glass 8x8 dish, I peeked past the plastic wrap. It looks like something I picked up from the frozen section of the grocery store. The dish went into the fridge to thaw out.

2:30 Saturday afternoon, I pulled the same lasagna from the refrigerator and figured it was thawed enough -- maybe completely thawed. It sat out on the countertop for 30 minutes. Meanwhile I preheated the oven to 350°F.

The plastic wrap was removed and the thawed lasagna placed in the oven for 30-40 minutes or until browned.

After cooling for 10 minutes allowing the lasagna to set, it was quartered and a portion served. Note that each piece is a corner! I swoon.

Take a quarter of this lasagna and rejoice in it's delicious corner-piece-ed-ness.

And it's cheesy, mushroomy, spinachy goodness.

I am astounded by how fabulously this lasagna turned out. While it baked a little differently than the first time, not quite as even browning, no bubbling toward end of browning, it tasted just as great as the first one did in October.

This is one of those tricks to keep in the mental-note files, particularly for those singles and couples out there. It's really true you can divide a lasagna into two 8x8's, bake one today and bake another a later day, rather than make a giant 9x13 and going through the (ok, fairly minimal hassle) of wrapping individual baked pieces to reheat later.

Additionally, it confirms to me that you really can freeze a whole lasagna and bake it another day. I've read many times from various places that preparing two lasagnas (9x13" each) isn't too much more difficult than prepping one, so plan to make one to bake today and another one to freeze for later. I'll keep this in mind for things like potlucks, family get-togethers and that sort of "bring a dish" deals.

The recipe source says the frozen lasagna is good in the freezer for two months. I wonder if the limits on that can be lengthened. Anyone interested in subsequent trials?

Click here for the recipe, play-by-play execution, and cost.

Cost of Take-Out Lunch, Week Ending 120211

2011-12-02T23:13:00.000-08:00

Monday: Paul's Pantry turkey club and soup: on a coworker

Tuesday: Carl's Jr $6 Low Carb Cheeseburger and lunch for two others: $15.15

Wednesday: sick

Thursday: sick

Friday: sick

Total: $15.15
Total for the year: $1724.43

Doria's Original Haus of Pizza, Haus Special

2011-12-01T21:01:00.000-08:00

Could it possibly be true that I've not ordered a pizza for dinner since March?! I refuse to believe it, there must be a mistake!

Being sick and having a desire to be comforted by ooey-gooey-ness, I dialed Doria's. I showed up on time and unlike last time, didn't have to dance around diners making their entrances or exits. The pizza was ready when I got there, which was a good thing as I was in my pajamas and not feeling great.

I went for a repeat of last time, another Haus Special, though I can't remember if it was medium or large. Considering how the slice sprawls across the plate as long as does (above), I'm leaning toward large. There's the ubiquitous box...

and a pie lacking in the ooey-gooey lava-like qualities I'd anticipated.

While it tasted alright, it didn't push my buttons like last time. I couldn't help but notice that the majority of the toppings were central to the pie and unlike last time, no oozing of lava-like cheese and sauce. I wonder if this indeed was a large and the same quantity of cheese and sauce just happened to be used on my medium pie last time. Not horrible, but not as pleasing as I'd expected.

And you know what, the pizza wasn't so hot that there was any risk of fogging the camera lens. Hmm. What's up with that?

$21.23 out the door on the AmEx including $2 tip.

Hambone Soup out of a Measuring Cup

2011-11-30T16:28:00.000-08:00

Yes, that's Hambone Soup in a 2-cup Pyrex measuring glass. And yes, it's on my dinette floor for maximum sun. For the image, not because I think soup likes to sunbathe.

I'm sick and lazy. Every bowl in the joint is dirty and the soup was in a big bowl. I needed to divide the quantity and improvised. While this measuring glass is almost certainly oven-safe, I nuked the soup in the microwave.

Note the lack of cheese. Hambone Soup really is better without it.

Hambone Soup reheated

2011-11-29T22:18:00.000-08:00

Timing for soup couldn't have been better. I'm sick.

After reheating it on the stovetop in a small saucepan,

I topped the soup with some shredded cheddar.

Believe it or not, the soup is better without cheese!

Coming from a cheese-a-holic, that's impressive.

Hambone Soup

2011-11-27T18:48:00.000-08:00

Hambone from Thanksgiving in hand, I needed a recipe. I searched and browsed and perused and honed-in before finding the perfect selection: the Ham-Bone Soup recipe posted over there on Drick's Rambling Cafe's site. The part that cinched it for me was the Creole seasoning requirement. If you'll remember, I have a ton of Creole Seasoning Blend.

What I didn't know was that Drick had his own Creole Seasoning until I prepared this post. As Drick is specialized in southern food, including Creole, I'd certainly give his seasoning a spin.

Hambone Soup

adapted from Drick's Rambling Cafe
click to print

1 1/2 lbs mixed dried beans including navy, green split pea, and lentils
3 quarts water
1 tbsp white vinegar
2 tbsp + 2 tsp Creole Seasoning Blend, divided

1 left-over hambone
1 c chopped ham

2 cloves garlic, crushed and minced
1 large onion, diced
1 large potato, peeled and diced
2 large carrots, diced
3 celery stalks, diced
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 c chopped fresh parsley or freeze-dried (I used the dry stuff)
Pinch of thyme

8 c chicken broth (from Better Than Bouillon)
1 14.5 oz can corn

2 -14.5 oz cans diced tomatoes
Salt and pepper to taste

Day 1

Rinse beans in a deep bowl several times.

I measured my beans by mass, going over by a smidge, before rinsing them well in the same 8 cup vessel.

Transfer beans into a slow cooker; add the water. Remove any unwanted beans -- I assumed the floating ones were bad ones.

There appears to be a piece of white plastic up there between 11:00 and 12:00 in the photo above-right. I hope I saw that back then and removed it!

Add the vinegar and 2 tbsp Creole Seasoning Blend. Cover and cook on warm heat overnight.

Meanwhile, do mise-en-place for dry ingredients (hambone, chopped ham, garlic, onion, potato, carrots, celery, pepper, parsley and thyme, plus the 2 remaining tsp of Creole Seasoning Blend), cover and stow it in the fridge.

Day 2

Transfer the mise-en-place ingredients into an 8-quart or greater saucepan/stockpot and stir in the chicken broth. Bring to a low boil and reduce to a slow simmer for a couple of hours.

It took about 10 minutes for my pot to get to a boil over medium-high heat.

Meanwhile, I opened the lid to the Crock Pot, still set on warm, and took a look at the beans.

Hmm, pretty scummy looking. Digging around in there, I found that the lentils and split-peas were tender while navy beans were still hard after more than 12 hours on warm. I kept the heat on.

Skim any grease and scum from the top of the soup broth.

Remove the bone(s) and let cool if necessary before pulling meat from the bone(s) and shredding the resulting meat.

Transfer the drained beans and ham to pot, bring to just under a boil and then simmer on low until beans are done and mixture has thickened just a bit, about an hour.

Stir in the corn and tomatoes, salt and pepper to taste. If your beans are still firm like mine, hold off on the tomatoes. Continue cooking the soup on low another hour or until beans are softened.

An hour and 20 minutes later, my navy beans weren't the softest, but somewhat softened. I stirred in the tomatoes. And then, 30 minutes later, I remembered the salt and pepper. If your beans were soft enough that you'd added your tomatoes, salt, and pepper with the corn, dish it up and chow!

My soup was allowed to simmer another 30 minutes to let the tomatoes, salt and pepper to become infused with the entire mixture.

Serve with a crusty bread.

While it took a lot longer than I'd expected to complete this soup due to my navy beans staying firm, the soup was just as good as I'd anticipated! I think that if I'd stuck more closely to Drick's recipe, the results would've been even better. Everything was cooked well (my navy beans could've been cooked a little longer) and the soup was thicker than soupy, which is my preference.

Regarding things I should not have adjusted is the quantity of ham and dice of tomatoes. I didn't have quite as much chopped ham as Drick's recipe called for (I ate the majority of ham as leftovers before prepping the soup!) and it showed, even though I pulled quite a lot of meat from the bones -- it is essentially a ham soup, right? Secondly, Drick's recipe called for petite-diced tomatoes. As I had regular diced tomatoes on hand, I rolled with them. Mistake. Trust me, you want to go with the petite unless you like glaring hunks of hot tomato in your ham soup.

Would I do this soup again? Bet your ass I would. Next time I'll heed the above paragraph plus I'd use more of the beans Drick's had listed as possibilities. This first time, I used just what I had on hand. Best of all, this soup freezes very well*.

Cost:

navy beans: $0.50
green split peas: $0.50
lentils: $1.10
garlic: $0.10
onion: $0.25
potato: $0.77
carrots: $0.54
celery: $0.50
broth: $0.23
corn: $1.50
diced tomatoes: $0.32

Total: $6.31, assuming your hambone and ham were free. That makes each of nine 1.5 cup servings $0.70. Yep, 70 cents.

FYI: I opted to bake a batch of Cheddar-Zucchini Biscuits (using regular sharp cheddar found anywhere for less than $24/lb) and let me tell you right now, while they are awesome, they won't go quite as well with the soup as the corn or French bread Drick suggested would.

*Here's the soup I didn't eat. That's about 24 cups of soup dished into various bowls. Those in the left, uh, column are 4-cup bowls, the three in the center column are 2-cup bowls and the big bowl on the right handles 6-cups. I'll freeze a bunch, but leave some of the soup in the fridge for dinners this week.

Here's a perfect example of when the Anchor Hocking (or Pyrex) bowls come into play at my apartment. The soup is dispersed across multiple bowls expediting cooling. Once cool, the lids are snapped on and placed in freezer/fridge. That they stack nicely is great, saving space. Note: when putting a bunch of dishes into the fridge or freezer, don't stack them immediately as they'll only retain each others heat. Spread 'em out, let 'em chill/freeze, then stack.

Better Than Bouillon Organic Lower Sodium Chicken Base

2011-11-27T12:24:00.000-08:00

I found this jar of Better Than Bouillon reduced sodium (and organic) chicken base when I was browsing in the soup aisle of a local store.

Like the other Better Than Bouillon bases I've purchased before, the first ingredient in this jar is actually meat.

Organic and lower in sodium, there was not a visual or olfactory difference between this and the regular chicken base.

While I don't show it here, the lid has equivalences on it, just like the other jars, which makes it really convenient.

Unfortunately, I don't have pricing or availability. I think I picked it up when I was at Smart & Final a while ago, but cannot confirm. Guessing, it was $6 for this 1 lb jar.

Food Plan and Grocery List, 112611

2011-11-26T19:50:00.001-08:00

Thanksgiving Day was spent at my brother's house where I broke bread with him, my former sister-in-law, and my nephew. I came home with a giant container of leftovers, including the hambone. That means I'm gonna be making a hambone soup.

Stater Bros.:

cage-free eggs: $3.79/dozen
whole milk: $1.19/pint
sliced bacon: $3.99/lb
Italian squash: $0.68/0.53 lb
garlic bulbs: $1.29/2 each
Russet potatoes: $1.53/1.55 lb (2)

Total: $12.47

I forgot corn and because I can see into the future on this blog, I know I'll get a can of Goya corn from the little Mexican store around the corner for about $1.50 tomorrow.

Oh yeah, and since I didn't have a food plan last week, the only shopping I did was for my contribution for Thanksgiving dinner, which wasn't much:

Farmer John center-cut ham: $16.85 @1.69/lb
Good Cook meat thermometer: $4.19 on sale

Total: $35.01
Total for the year: $1411.54

The ham was just one part of the meal which my SIL essentially planned and executed single-handedly: ham, roast beef, shoepeg corn casserole, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, gravy, rolls with bacon and cheese built in. Everything was awesome though Lauren would remind me the beef came out too well-done and we didn't do the yams (my fault as she'd put me in charge of them and I totally spaced out, forgetting them entirely).

Cost of Take-Out Lunch, Week Ending 112511

2011-11-23T18:05:00.001-08:00

Monday: Chipotle Carnitas Burrito: $6.84

Tuesday: Corner Bakery Chicken Pomodori half and Corn Chowder: $9

Wednesday: Buffalo Wild Wings Traditional Wings combo: $8.07 + $2 toke: $10.07
Thursday: HOLIDAY!
Friday: HOLIDAY!

Total: $25.91
Total for the year: $1709.28

Cost of Take-Out Lunch, Week Ending 111811

2011-11-15T23:25:00.000-08:00

Monday: Carl's Jr. for two: $17.72

Tuesday: Sushi Plantation, lunch for three: $41.21 including toke minus boss's contribution

Wednesday: El Cortez Discovery Burrito: on a coworker

Thursday: Giving Thanks lunch at work

Friday: In-N-Out Cheeseburger combo: $5.55

Total: $75.48

Total for the year: $1683.37

One-Pot Sticky Chicken Wings

2011-11-13T16:35:00.000-08:00

Have you heard of Andrew Zimmern? He's the guy who eats bizarre food from around the world. Turns out, his family isn't quite as daring and so Zimmern's recreated a few bizarre dishes he found particularly enjoyable into those his kid might even eat. This recipe below is one of those available on the Food & Wine website. A friend of mine, who, like Zimmern, will eat anything, turned me onto it.

Before I go on, let me tell you up front that I have made subtle changes. I subbed an ingredient (crushed red pepper instead of chiles) and reorganized the ingredients from random to sequential. Food & Wine testers must've been perfecting the dish in the kitchen beyond print deadline and thus it wasn't quite complete upon submission.

One-Pot Sticky Chicken Wings

adapted from Food & Wine

click to print

3 lb chicken wings, wing tips removed and wings cut into 2 pieces (or Party Wings)

2 tbsp minced fresh ginger

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper

2 whole star anise

3" cinnamon stick

1/3 c soy sauce
3 tbsp oyster sauce
3 tbsp aji-mirin

3 tbsp sugar

2 scallions, thinly sliced

lime wedges, optional

In a large nonstick skillet, cook the chicken wings over moderate heat in batches, turning once, until golden, about 8 minutes. Combine batches.

Batches one and two browned before all dumped into the skillet together.

Add the ginger, crushed red pepper, star anise, and cinnamon and cook over moderately low heat, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute.

I broke one of my Costco-sized cinnamon sticks in half, resulting in a weapon-like sharp end.

Add the soy sauce, oyster sauce, aji-mirin, and sugar; bring to a simmer over moderate heat.

Cover and simmer for 10 minutes; uncover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the wings are cooked through and the sauce has reduced to a thick glaze covering the chicken.

That glaze part will take about 20-30 minutes.

Discard the star anise and cinnamon stick. Transfer the chicken wings to a platter, scatter the scallions on top and serve. Serve with lime wedges if you like.

Rather than doing the platter thing with lime wedges, I served up a portion with steamed white rice. FYI, you'll need a few napkins. Better yet, a warm damp towel.

I've gotta tell you, these wings are great! The fat from the skin is rendered during browning and becomes part of the sticky sauce, which makes the sauce very smooth and almost velvety. Using crushed red pepper, the heat is evenly distributed but can be adjusted to suit your tastes. If you are serving the kids, keep the volume low; if you are a heat-freak, crank it up. I found a 1/2 tsp to be fairly mellow and will certainly kick it up to a full tsp next time. The cinnamon and star anise add a nice flavor without either being overwhelming.

Most amazing is how the flesh wasn't rock hard or dry as a bone. We're talking white meat taking some punishing heat and still having texture you wouldn't dare compare to sawdust (unlike some holiday white meats at grandma's)! You're making a mistake if you avoid trying this one.

Cost:

party wings: $10.47
ginger: $0.72
star anise: $0.20 (swag)
cinnamon stick: $0.09
soy sauce: $0.25
oyster sauce: $0.36
aji-mirin: $0.47
sugar: $0.10 (swag)
scallions: $0.09

Total: $12.75 or $2.13 for each of six small-ish servings.

Morton and Bassett Star Anise

2011-11-13T14:58:00.000-08:00

Never in my life have I purchased star anise, held them, smelled them, or used them. Fortunately, I finally had a recipe to try that requires star anise. Look at how neat they look. And man, they are aromatic.

Each one looks different! Like snowflakes, but hard, brown, odorous (in a good way), and solid in your hand for more than 0.2 seconds. Much longer than M&M's even, though I doubt these would ever melt in your mouth.

Available in a 0.6 oz jar at Von's for $7.19.

I had to look star anise up in my Larousse Gastronomique:

star anise BADIANE
The fruit of a shurb native to the Far East. It is shaped like an eight-pointed star and contains seeds with a slightly hot aniseed flavour. It was first imported into Europe by the English during the Renaissance, and is used most commenly in infusions and in the preparation of liqueurs (anisette). In Scandinavian countries it is also used in pastry- and biscuit-making. Star anise is a spice commonly used in oriental cuisine. In China it is used as a seasoning for fatty meats (pork and duck) and sometimes as an ingredient of scented tea. In India it is used in all ground spice mixtures and is chewed as a breath freshener.

Kikkoman Aji-Mirin

2011-11-13T14:57:00.001-08:00

Shopping in the ethnic aisle at Von's, I could only find this Kikkoman Aji-Mirin. Mirin, as an FYI, is a sweetened rice wine or sake but with lower alcohol content. Briefly looking it up, it seems Aji-Mirin is loaded with salt and corn syrup while regular (ahi-mirin) is not.

Here's the ingredient statement of the Kikkoman Aji-Mirin:

glucose syrup, water, alcohol, rice, corn syrup, salt

Turns out I bought the overly-sweetened kind of mirin. I'm now obligated to get some homework done on this stuff.

Aji-mirin available in a 10-oz bottle at Von's for $5.29.

McCormick Cinnamon Sticks

2011-11-13T14:57:00.000-08:00

These cinnamon sticks are about 6" long. If you buy cinnamon sticks from your local grocery, they'll likely come in 3" lengths, in a much smaller container.

Available at Costco for $5.79/half-pound.

Looking up cinnamon in my copy of Larousse Gastronomique, I found:

A spice obtained from the bark of several tropical trees (cinnamon trees). The bark is removed, dried, and rolled up to make a tube (cannella in Italian), light fawn or dark grey in colour, depending on the species. The most popular varieties of cinnamon are from Sri Lanka and China. Cinnamon gives off a sweet penetrating aroma and has a hot spicy flavour. It can also be found in the form of a powder and an extract. It is one of the oldest spices, mentioned in Sanskrit texts and the Bible and used by the ancients to flavour wine. In the Middle Ages it was widely used in stews, soups, custards, and poultry fricassees. In France it is mainly used in compotes and desserts, and to flavour mulled wine. In eastern Europe and Asia its uses are much more numerous, in patisserie, soups, and meats.

Note that you can also buy cinnamon sticks from your supermercado for very reasonable prices. And today (012112), I found you can buy loose cinnamon sticks at Ralph's in the produce section. I'm not certain how trusty those at Ralph's would be as they are subject to regular misting. But then, it's bark, how bad could it get?

Foster Farms Party Wings

2011-11-13T14:50:00.000-08:00

Party Wings are essentially drumettes and flat-wings. The meatless wing tips have been removed for your convenience. Don't worry, you won't find hunks of chicken breast attached to the drumettes. Neat and trim, they are ready to boogie.

Available at Stater Bros. for $3.49/lb.

Anchor Hocking Bowls and Lids

2011-11-13T12:34:00.000-08:00

I like bowls such as these Anchor Hocking 2-cup bowls for a few reasons:

holding 2 cups of food, each is adequate for single-servings of soups or fresh fruit;
they come with lids, which is great for storage;
oven, dishwasher, and freezer safe, they are versatile;
essentially the same as Pyrex, they're generally less expensive.

Available at Big Lots in a pack of three for $6 (plus tax)!

Food Plan and Grocery List, 111311

2011-11-13T12:20:00.000-08:00

As I suffered a birthday recently, my weekend was busy; the line-up is simply a quick chicken dish.

Von's:

Kikkoman aji-mirin: $5.29
star anise: $7.19
Foster Farms party pak wings: $10.47/3 lbs
green onions: $0.99/bunch
ginger root: $0.72/0.18 lb
butternut squash: $3.03/2.35 lb
TOTAL: $27.69

Stater Bros., 111511

russet potato: $0.75/0.76 lb

Total for the year: $1376.53

Cost of Take-Out Lunch, Week Ending 111111

2011-11-11T23:11:00.000-08:00

Monday: Subway 6" Club on wheat with all the veggies on a co-worker

Tuesday: leftover Baja Fish Tacos Baja Bowl

Wednesday: Sango Sushi Combo A on a coworker

Thursday: Subway 6" Club on Wheat just like Mondays: $4.50

Friday: Thai at a new place on the gang

Total: $4.50 but I owe a few

Total for the year: $1607.89

Korean-Style Oven-Browned Short Ribs, Leftovers Reheated

2011-11-08T22:30:00.000-08:00

The really great thing about preparing six servings of kick-ass food on a single day is that I get to eat a seriously awesome dish for dinner the next five days with nearly zero prep. Tonight, I had leftover Korean-Style Oven-Browned Short Ribs, complete with steamed white rice, steamed broccoli, and a pile of kimchi.

FYI, for those paranoid about bugs and germs and bacteria, if you handle your food as well as your utensils appropriately, it can last quite awhile, worry-free. I put it to the test regularly and wouldn't steer you wrong.

Korean-Style Oven-Browned Short Ribs

2011-11-06T14:15:00.000-08:00

While I'm a huge fan of Chef Bruce Aidells, I admit I was skeptical about the Korean-based recipes in The Complete Meat Cookbook. Of course, I had to give one of them a try. Which one to choose? Well, Aidells knows big beefy pieces in stew, so I had to see how he'd handle beef ribs.

Korean-Style Oven-Browned Short Ribs

from The Complete Meat Cookbook can be found here and here

click to print

10 garlic cloves, peeled

1/2 c San-J Gluten Free soy sauce

1/4 c light brown sugar

3 tbsp fresh ginger, chopped

6 whole green onions

2 tbsp rice vinegar

2 c water

3 lbs English-style bone-in beef short ribs, trimmed of external fat

2-3 tbsp sesame oil

If you haven't yet, get your short ribs out of their packages and trim the excess fat.

That's two packages of bone-in ribs, weighing in at a combined total of 4.48 lbs, taken out of the packages and then trimmed of excess fat. Why did I get two packs? I have no idea. And my fat-trimming needs some work -- the beef looks like it has scabs!

Put all but the sesame oil in a Dutch oven, ensuring liquid covers the ribs. Add water and soy sauce as necessary to cover the ribs.

I added the liquids, then the solids, putting the garlic, ginger and onions over the beef. Then I remember a rule about adding things in order they're listed in the ingredients list. So I moved things around so the beef was on top before adding additional soy sauce:water in relative ratios.

Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer; skim any foam from the surface. Cook, uncovered, 1.5-2 hours or until the ribs are tender.

Beef brought to boil and then simmered 1.5 hours skimming foam occasionally; while quite tender, the beef was allowed to simmer another 30 minutes. By then, bones had fallen from the meat.

Preheat the oven to 450° F. Remove the ribs from the pot and liquid, reserve liquid; drain ribs well, patting them dry if necessary.

My ribs sat in the colander 10 minutes. Over that time, gravity as well as heat from the ribs themselves yielded pretty dry bones and meat.

Lay the ribs bone-side down on a broiler rack over the pan. Brush the ribs with sesame oil.

Pieces of meat that had lost their bones during simmering above were simply placed atop their bones. I don't think it mattered, except to maybe help prevent the meat from sticking to the broiler pan.

Roast in middle of oven until rib edges become crispy, 10-15 minutes.

Meanwhile, skim fat from the braising liquid surface. Taste the liquid. If it does not have a rich, beefy flavor, boil the liquid to reduce volume and concentrate flavors. The sauce should remain soupy. Ladle sauce into shallow bowls and put a rib or two in each. Serve beef over rice with vegetables, such as steamed spinach and kimchi.

Well, I'll be! These ribs were quite good, distinctly reminiscent of Korean Braised Short Ribs, Take 2, adapted from my first take of the Week of Menus's recipe. I wondered back when I did the Korean Braised Short Ribs what all of that soaking and rinsing of the beef would do -- looks like it eliminated the need to skim foam.

During the simmering portion, the aroma was heart- and apartment-warming. Once the simmering session was complete, I was a little disappointed about the meat losing their bones, but it turned out that had little effect in the outcome, so don't worry if you didn't set the timer.

The beef was certainly flavored like Korean-style beef should be and so very tender under a very slight crust. I particularly enjoyed just the hint of sesame oil flavor. I guessed the beef would be so tender that the soy sauce reduction would only wet my rice, not necessarily adding to the dish (but a spoon requirement). I was correct in that prediction and simply enjoyed the juices from the meat itself.

Bruce Aidells hit another one out of the park, one I'd certainly do again. Next time, for a house-hold of one, I'll stick to one pack of ribs.

Cost:

garlic cloves: $0.26
soy sauce: $1.20
ginger: $0.13
green onions: $0.45
vinegar: $0.15
bone-in beef short-ribs: $16.53

Total: $18.72 or $3.12 for each of six servings.

San-J Tamari Gluten Free Soy Sauce

2011-11-06T11:00:00.000-08:00

A friend of mine is gluten free. We'd gone to a sushi place for lunch and while waiting for our food to be prepared, he went to the store next door and picked up a bottle of gluten-free soy sauce, this San-J brand, as a matter of fact.

When I tasted the sauce, I was impressed by the flavor. It wasn't extremely salty, which is my number one complaint about soy sauce. So I went and got myself some.

The side label says

San-J Gluten Free Tamari is a premium soy sauce that is naturally brewed with 100% soy and no wheat whereas regular soy sauce is made with 40-60% wheat.
Higher concentration of soy protein gives San-J Tamari a richer and smoother taste than regular soy sauce.
San-J Gluten Free Tamari has more flavor enhancing properties than salt. Reduce sodium intake and enjoy the full flavor of your dish by adding 1 tsp Tamari (327 mg sodium) instead of 1/4 tsp salt (590 mg sodium).
Stir-fry or marinate poultry, meat, seafood, vegetables and tofu. Add 1-2 tsp to perk up sauces, soups, gravies and casseroles.

Available at HMart in a 10-oz bottle for $2.99. Oh yeah, and my friend bought his bottle from Sprouts, so know you can get it there too.

Food Plan and Grocery List, 110511

2011-11-05T19:50:00.003-07:00

Last night I was talking with a friend about the food plan this week and she suggested doing make-ahead Sausage Muffins with Egg, like those from McDonald's. Being a huge fan of those breakfast treats, I went to bed thinking that would definitely be great.

Then I woke up this morning and thought some beef short ribs would be nice. The breakfast muffins will have to wait.

Costco:

cinnamon sticks: $5.79

HMart:

Sriracha hot chili sauce: $2.99
San J Tamari soy sauce: $2.99
garlic bulbs: $0.79/pack of 6
ginger: $0.27/0.21 lb
kimchi: $3.02
spinach: $1.58/2 bunches
Total: $11.64

Stater Bros.:

Chobani Greek yogurt: $4/4
beef short ribs: $16.53
green onions: $0.89/bunch
Total: $21.42

Grand Total: $38.85
Total for the year: $1348.09

Cost of Take-Out Lunch, Week Ending 110411

2011-11-04T20:57:00.000-07:00

Monday: Halloween potato bar at work
Tuesday: Grill Hut leftovers
Wednesday: coworkers Sticky Wings with potato bar leftovers
Thursday: Baja Fish Tacos Baja Bowl: $7.55
Friday: Kasra Restaurant buffet for 2: $26 including toke

Total: $33.55
Total for the year: $1603.39

Chicken, Sweet Potato and Kale Stew

2011-10-30T16:17:00.000-07:00

Chicken, sweet potato and kale? How could that be wrong? Unlike any of the stews I normally make, this one isn't brown.

Chicken, Sweet Potato and Kale Stew

from Cooking Club of America
click to print

1/2 lb. boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces*
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 to 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tsp olive oil
1 small sweet onion, chopped
1 red or yellow bell pepper, cut into 3/4-inch pieces
1 large sweet potato, peeled, coarsely chopped (2 cups)
1 1/2 c lower-sodium chicken broth**
3 c packed coarsely chopped kale or Swiss chard (I used a "bound bunch")

Toss chicken, flour, thyme, salt and cayenne pepper in medium bowl until chicken is coated.

Heat large saucepan over medium heat until hot. Add oil; heat until hot. Add chicken mixture; cook and stir 3 minutes.

Add onion; cook and stir 2 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink on outside.

Add bell pepper, sweet potato and broth; bring to a boil, stirring to scrape up any browned bits from bottom of pan. Reduce heat to low; simmer, covered, 5 minutes.

Stir in kale; cook, uncovered, 8 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink in center and vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally.

* I was a half-pound shy of the one pound the original recipe called for. Apparently a 3.93 lb bird doesn't offer much in the way of dark meat.

** from Better Than Bouillon

Vibrant as all get-out with it's healthy vegetables, this stew looks like a crazy mango salsa with some chicken fruit mixed in. Ultimately, the dish really needs the entire pound of dark meat, maybe cut into smaller pieces for better dispersion. What can I say, I like brown in my stew. That said, this was a nice change of pace and I'd certainly do it again, particularly since outside of mise-en-place it's done in 30 minutes, suitable for any weeknight.

Next time though, I'll do this in my Lodge Dutch oven and won't be shy about really browning the chicken before the onions are added to get those glorious brown bits.

Cost:

chicken: $0.90
onion: $1.12
yellow bell pepper: $1.50
sweet potato: $1.62
kale: $1.99

Total: $7.13, but I'll round up to $7.50 to include flour, seasonings, and oil. That makes each of four 1.3 cup servings $1.88.

Skillet Chicken-Potato Pie

2011-10-30T15:42:00.000-07:00

I chose to prepare this recipe for three reasons: I adore every single ingredient (mashed potatoes, not necessarily the refrigerated ones), it's listed in the Weeknight Cook section of the magazine (meaning it shouldn't take hours), and I get to use my cast iron skillet.

Skillet Chicken-Potato Pie
from Cooking Club of America

click to print

1 c frozen pearl onions
1 (1 1/2-lb.) pkg. refrigerated mashed potatoes
2 tbsp butter, divided
1 lb. chicken tenders or boneless skinless chicken breast halves, cut into 3/4-inch pieces
2 c broccoli florets
1 c sliced ~~baby~~ carrots (3/8 inch)
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 1/2 c lower-sodium chicken broth
1 tbsp ~~coarsely chopped fresh~~ dry sage
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Cook pearl onions according to package directions (my package said they were ready to use). Warm potatoes in microwave according to package directions.

Meanwhile, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Cook chicken 5 minutes or until golden brown and no longer pink in center, stirring occasionally. Remove chicken; cover loosely with foil.

Melt remaining 1 tablespoon butter in same skillet. Cook broccoli and carrots 2 to 3 minutes or until just becoming tender, stirring constantly.

What's better than brightened broccoli?

Sprinkle with flour. Stir in broth, pearl onions, sage, salt and pepper; bring to a boil, stirring to scrape up any browned bits from bottom of skillet. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer 2 to 3 minutes or until sauce is thickened and vegetables are tender.

Meanwhile, heat broiler. Return chicken and any accumulated juices to skillet.

Spread potatoes over top, leaving 1 inch around edge of skillet uncovered.

Broil 2 to 8 minutes (depending on height of broiler pan/skillet) or until potatoes are lightly browned, watching carefully to prevent burning.

I really didn't expect this to be served like a pie, but sure enough wedges can be dished. Like hot dessert pie, the potato crust held it's shape but the filling oozed. Unlike pie, I didn't care too much for this crust. The refrigerated mashed potatoes gave the dish a packaged-meal flavor. Next time, I'll make the mashed potatoes from scratch and I bet it will rock.

Done in less than an hour, this is one you could put together after work. Best of all, clean-up is a cinch since it's all cooked in one skillet. If you use cast iron, it's stupid simple clean-up as a hot water rinse is really all that's necessary.

Cost:

pearl onions: $0.58
refrigerated mashed potatoes: $4.49
butter: $0.07
chicken: $0.90
broccoli: $1.97
carrots: $0.54
broth: $0.20

Total: $8.75 or $2.19 for each of four servings.

Cutting Up a Whole Chicken for Two Recipes

2011-10-30T14:30:00.000-07:00

Recipes calling for white and dark meat, respectively, resulted in my buying a whole bird. I figured I'd get everything I'd need without excess flesh or ridiculous prices. The whole bird imaged above was 3.93 lbs, and priced at $0.69/lb, cost me $2.71.

I thought I'd covered how to cut up a whole chicken into working pieces, but I see now I hadn't. I regret I didn't get images of how I cut up this bird. It's sort of like how you'd carve a roasted turkey. But a raw bird is actually, in a way, easier.

When I butcher/cut up/bone a chicken, I do a hybrid between what Alton Brown and Andrew Zimmern do:

Alton Brown (see this video but fast forward to 3:30 and watch it through to 8:01), and
Andrew Zimmern (see this video and watch it from beginning to end)

Note that both are keen on the "oyster" and believe me, you don't want to skimp on that component.
Anyway, my end result is a plate of chicken pieces as well as a chicken carcass.
The carcass immediately went into a Ziploc gallon-sized freezer bag.

Then I removed the skin from the breasts and separated the tenderloins from the breasts. The breast skin went into the trash. The breast and tenderloin meat were cut into approximately 3/4" pieces for one of the recipes.

That left me with a plate of thighs, drums, and wings. I threw the wings into the bag with the chicken frame/carcass.

Then I proceeded, for the first time ever, to remove dark flesh from thigh and drum bones of a chicken. It took quite a few minutes as I'd never done it before. I was getting a little frustrated, wondering why my cheap ass didn't just buy the dark meat.

Here's a couple videos to get the job done, but realize now I should've watched them a couple of times before execution rather than try it from memory:

an unknown who apparently knows what he's doing with a thigh, though videography is poor and sound is extremely abrasive
Jacque Pepin deboning chicken Galatine Ballotine (watch this video from 5:30). Actually, if you're really into learning ways to prep a bird, watch the entire Pepin video, it's amazing.

The thigh and drum bones joined the wings and carcass in the Ziploc bag which went immediately into the freezer.

I'm glad to have done my own dark meat boning but I definitely need to exercise this practice to get anywhere near efficient. I also realize that I need to have my knives sharpened.

FYI, if I choose to have bone-in chicken breasts I essentially butterfly the bird first and then cut away what I want, leaving only a backbone.

Whole chickens available at Stater Bros for $1.29/lb but when on sale are as low as $0.69/lb.

Country Crock Garlic Mashed Potatoes

2011-10-30T14:28:00.000-07:00

I'd not normally buy mashed potatoes from the ready-meal section of the store, but because I was following a recipe went all in. When browsing for prepared mashed potatoes (ready in the time it takes to reheat them), there were essentially two brands available. The other one and Country Crock.

The other one, I forget the brand...something like "Dining In", had a little flag emblazoned on the container claiming they use real butter. Looking at the ingredients, I saw that they indeed do use butter but not as much as they use margarine.

Believe it or not, Country Crock, the same company who make margarine uses real butter in their mashed potatoes! Look there in the ingredient statement below, butter is ingredient number four. (Click the photo for a close-up.) Of course they throw in some oil for good measure.

And don't forget the anti-microbial blend! Mmm!

Pulling the microwaveable bowl from the paper sleeve, I removed the lid and easy-peel film.

Rather than dirty a saucepan and reheating on the stove while stirring, I went with the microwave directions: nuke on high for 4-5 minutes, stirring once.

Voila! I had mashed potatoes. A little more wet than what I prefer, but they seemed alright. Tastewise they weren't too bad either.

Country Crock Garlic Mashed Potatoes available in a 24-oz container in the ready-to-reheat-and-eat case of your local Stater Bros. for $4.49.

Sweet Potato

2011-10-30T14:14:00.001-07:00

A recipe in the queue called for a sweet potato. Rather than buy an orange-fleshed one with the brown skin known as a yam in North America, I bought a white one. I find that the white ones aren't quite as sweet as the orange ones.

Peel 'em just like a regular Russett potato.

And if you need it for a stew recipe, cut it into a small dice. Remember though that it's a potato. You'll be quite surprised if you unwittingly pop a cube into your yammer thinking it's a square of cheese.

Sweet potatoes, available from Stater Bros. for $1.48/lb. The one I picked up weighed in at 1.09 lbs.

Food Plan and Grocery List, 103011

2011-10-30T11:38:00.000-07:00

This week is two chicken dishes, each made from one whole chicken that I'm going to cut into appropriate pieces. Both recipes are from the fall copy of Cooking Club magazine.

Skillet Chicken-Potato Pie

Chicken, Sweet Potato and Kale Stew

Stater Bros.:

Fage Greek yogurt: $4/5
whole chicken: $2.71
Hormel mashed potatoes: $4.49
kale: $1.99/bunch
carrots: $0.54/0.59 lb
broccoli crowns: $1.97/1.10 lb
yellow bell pepper: $1.50
sweet onion: $1.12/0.75 lb
sweet potato: $1.62/1.09 lb
TOTAL: $19.94

Total for the year: $1309.24

Cost of Take-Out Lunch, Week Ending 102811

2011-10-28T23:04:00.000-07:00

Monday: Sango Sushi Combo A: $8.08

Tuesday: Nordstrom Cafe California Chicken Club, on a vendor

Wednesday: Jack in the Box Southwest Chicken Salad on a coworker
Thursday: Grill Hut ground beef kabob on a coworker
Friday: BJ's gluten-free pizzas with two coworkers: $50 SWAG

Total: $58.08
Total for the year: $1569.84

Red Snapper and Wild Blend Saute Leftovers

2011-10-25T23:59:00.000-07:00

Admittedly, I had concern my apartment would smell fishy when reheating some of the leftovers. But warming a portion of the Wild Blend Saute topped with a portion of Red Snapper in the preheated oven at 350°F for about 20 minutes made dinner a nice temperature without making this joint fish-stinkified.

Red Snapper

2011-10-23T15:46:00.000-07:00

This red snapper and wild rice thing I've got going on was due to a friend's saying "some snapper and wild rice sounds good" compelling me to go on a recipe hunt. I chose a recipe found on a blog by a lady writing for Fabulous Friday. The photo of the fish looked great!

Not knowing how much "four fillets" actually is, I just went ahead and bought two fillets coming out at over a pound total. Looking back on it, I think the four fillets meant serving size fillets, as in 4-6 oz each.

Red Snapper

from Fabulous Friday

click to print

1 tsp grated ginger
1 tsp minced garlic

2 tbsp sesame oil

3 tbsp rice wine vinegar

2 tsp Dijon mustard

1 tbsp honey

salt and pepper to taste

2 fillets red snapper

Combine the marinade ingredients in a large bowl.

Dip the fish fillets in the marinade, swishing to coat.

Heat a pan at medium high until hot. Place the marinated fillets in it.

Sometimes I wonder if I ever learn from what I've read or done. Here I should've really waited until the skillet was blazing hot. But adding both fillets, which take up the majority of the skillet leaving only little wiggle-room, too early caused them to sweat. And that means steaming rather than searing and browning.

Cook for 2 minutes per side to sear and brown the fillets.

Pour the remaining marinade in the skillet and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 5-7 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork.

Serve on a bed of Wild Blend Saute.

The snapper turned out pretty well, though it didn't turn out with such caramelization that Fabulous Friday's fish had going on. Hers was so well caramelized it looked like a piece of chicken.

There were a couple of technical issues on my part that I would definitely do differently in the future. I'd wait until the skillet was scorching hot. And maybe stagger the addition of fish to the skillet instead of essentially dumping them in simultaneously. I'd also have a plan for how to turn the fish so I there was no dilly-dallying. The time it took me to figure it out certainly lended it's hand to my fish becoming brown. Of course, all of these changed would likely be unnecessary if I'd used fillet pieces.

Still, I'd try it again as the fish did taste good. The marinade would probably go well on chicken too. For chicken, I'd probably marinate it a couple hours or longer rather than simply dipping it in the marinade.

Cost:

ginger: $0.15
garlic: $0.05
mustard: $0.27
pacific red snapper: $8.18

Total: $8.65 but we'll round up to $9 for oil, vinegar, honey, salt and pepper. That makes each of four servings $2.25.

Wild Blend Saute

2011-10-23T15:19:00.000-07:00

I had a pacific red snapper recipe picked out and had originally thought I'd do the wild rice dish on that site. Then I opted to try this rice dish instead.

Wild Blend Saute

adapted from the recipe on the back of the Lundberg Wild Blend Rice package
click to print

1 cup prepared Lundberg Wild Blend Rice (see below)

2 tbsp butter
1/2 small red bell pepper
1/2 c chopped celery

1 c sliced mushrooms

1/2 red onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

~~3 tbsp teriyaki~~

Rice prep:

1 c Lundberg Wild Blend Rice

2 c water or broth

~~1 tbsp butter (optional)~~

salt to taste

Combine rice, water, and butter in a pot with tight-fitting lid. Bring to a boil. Stir once and cover.

Reduce heat to simmer and cook 50 minutes. Remove from heat, let stand covered for 10 minutes. Fluff with fork, salt to taste.

Mine was a little wet, but I think I uncovered it too early, as in almost immediately. I covered it and warmed it back up about another 10 minutes uncovered hoping to get the excess water out without burning the rice. It worked out pretty well.

In a skillet, saute vegetables and garlic in butter or oil over medium heat for 5-7 minutes.

Simmer until liquid is absorbed. Stir into the rice and serve.

Let me tell you what, I tasted the rice when it was ready -- before I added the sauteed vegetables -- and wow, this is a really good flavored and textured rice blend! It's not too "wild" but offers a little bit of wild-rice-ness with enough "regular" rice feel semi-Koreans like me are accustomed to chewing on. I'd definitely make this rice just to eat as a side without even feeling like it needs the hype of vegetable jazz.

Throw in the vegetables and it's just about good enough to eat as a main course, though a little kick (such as the teriyaki I chose to skip) would've rounded the dish out. Overall, a winner most certainly worth doing again.

Cost:

wild rice blend: $1.60
chicken stock/broth: $0.26
red bell pepper: $0.75
celery: $0.20
mushrooms: $2.50
red onion: $0.60
garlic: $0.05
butter: $0.07

Total: $6.03. That makes each of four servings $1.51 or each of six servings $1.01.

Pacific Red Snapper Fillets

2011-10-23T14:59:00.000-07:00

Having never had it previously, it was time to give pacific red snapper a spin.

The two fillets were picked up from the meat and seafood counter at Stater Bros. where pacific red snapper was going for $6.99/lb.

And checking this list just now, I am having difficulty determining whether I bought something I shouldn't have. I can't remember for sure, but I think the snapper I bought was from Canada and that's not even listed!

So Canadians, clue me in -- do you guys raise and/or harvest pacific red snapper? Help me out here.

Oh yeah, it might have seemed like I fell off the planet, but I just took a little inadvertant unintentional hiatus. Turns out I just needed a break from blogging. But I'm back! Now that I'm two months behind, I intend to kick it into a higher gear.

Maille Dijon Mustard Blend

2011-10-23T13:48:00.000-07:00

When I buy Dijon mustard, I usually get fancy with the Grey Poupon. This time I picked up some Maille Rich Country Dijon, a Dijon Mustard Blend. These folks must know they mustard pretty damn well as they've been in the business 260 years.

They know it so well, in fact, that they even tell you what material type of spoons to use -- wooden or plastic!

This doesn't look like Grey Poupon.

Get French with some Maille mustard. Available in the condiment aisle of your Stater Bros. for $5.39 a 7-oz jar.

Lundberg Wild Blend Rice

2011-10-23T13:32:00.000-07:00

Checking out the rice section of the store, I found this package of Lundberg Wild Blend Rice on sale. Having never tried it, I decided to give it a go.

Look at this rice! It's a bunch of different rices, just as "blend" would infer! Specifically, there's long grain brown rice, sweet brown rice, wild rice, whole grain Wehani rice, whole grain Black Japonica rice.

Available at Stater Bros. for $3.99/lb.

Check out the Lundberg website to get recipes using this rice as well as their other products. And if you're interested, get a coupon.

Food Plan and Grocery List, 102211

2011-10-23T00:23:00.000-07:00

The line-up this week is simply fish and rice.
Costco:

diced tomatoes: $7.69
black beans: $5.69
dice tomatoes: free (BOGO)
TOTAL: $13.38

HMart:

dragon fruit: $3.49
NOTE: I didn't buy a dragon fruit but was charged for one. I bought two small fruit bowls.
TOTAL: $3.49

Stater Bros.

red snapper fillets: $8.18
Lundberg wild rice: $3.99
Maille dijon mustard: $5.39
celery: $1.99
limes: $0.78/2
garlic bulb: $0.50 ea
red bell pepper: $1.50 ea
red onion: $1.19/0.92 lb
TOTAL: $23.52

Grand Total: $40.39
Total for the year: $1289.30

Cost of Take-Out Lunch, Week Ending 102111

2011-10-21T23:10:00.000-07:00

Monday: Jack in the Box Southwest Chicken Salad: $6.02
Tuesday: Jack in the Box Southwest Chicken Salad: $6.02

Wednesday: Jack in the Box Chicken Fajita Pita combo with small fry and Dr. Pepper: $6.67

Thursday: McDonald's 10-piece Chicken McNuggets and large fry: $7

Friday: Chipotle Carnitas Burrito Bowls and chips: $14.92

Total: $40.63

Total for the year: $1511.76

La Brea Bakery Take & Bake Rustic Ciabatta Loaf

2011-10-16T15:57:00.000-07:00

What better to have with lasagna than a warm slice of crusty bread? Ok, maybe a salad, but this bread was tip-top!

I bought this loaf of bread from the store thinking it would go very well with some Mushroom-Spinach Lasagna. It's a take and bake, meaning it's only cooked for the most part and you get to heat up your kitchen (and entire apartment depending on the size of the joint) to finish cooking the bread yielding a wonderful aroma as well as fresh-baked bread.

Though my visual and salivary glands were on overdrive at the store, I admit I was a little skeptical about the outcome. Thankfully, my skepticism wasn't warranted.

While I followed the directions for the most part, my aim for 385°F was likely not perfect.

While the oven was warming to temp, I cut an end from the loaf; once the oven was suitably preheated, I put that end in the oven. The remaining majority of the bread was placed in a gallon Ziploc and put in the freezer.

And yes, it smelled as though I was actually baking bread from scratch. This end is the crusty outcome.

Slicing it with my bread knife proved that the crust was truly crusty while the interior was quite soft. I will have no reservations about getting La Brea Take and Bake breads in the future.

La Brea Take and Bake Ciabatta available at Ralph's for $1.99/12-oz when on sale.

Mushroom-Spinach Lasagna

2011-10-16T14:29:00.000-07:00

Believe it or not, I sometimes have no idea what I want to eat. There are so many options, so few I've already tried, and so many yet to do. I get into ruts and trying to avoid them just for the sake of variety, become stumped. That's when a good friend comes in. She might live vicariously or simply use me as a guinea pig. Either way, it's a great thing to have suggestions. My friend's request/suggestion of a spinach lasagna caused me find and try a recipe I remembered reviewing from magazines past.

If you've got any suggestions for recipes I should try, don't hesitate to pass them along. I don't mind being your guinea pig.

The original recipe calls for prep in a different sequence. I changed it up to limit the number of dishes that would be dirtied. Remember, I'm the dishwasher as well as The Cook. While I opted to roast my own bell pepper, don't hesitate to buy a 7-oz jar of them if that works for you. Just click the link below to get details.

Mushroom-Spinach Lasagna

adapted from Cooking Club of America
click to print

VEGETABLES
2 tbsp olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 (10-oz.) pkg. frozen spinach, thawed, squeezed dry
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
1 roasted red bell pepper

SAUCE

1/2 c minced shallots, about 2 large
1 tsp dried sage
2 tbsp olive oil
8 oz. button mushrooms, sliced
8 oz. brown button mushrooms, sliced
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/3 c butter
1/4 c all-purpose flour
2 c lower-sodium vegetable broth, I used Better Than Bouillon
2 c whole milk
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
2 c shredded Gruyère cheese

LASAGNA

12 lasagna noodles
3/4 c grated Parmesan cheese

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in large skillet over medium heat until hot. Cook and stir garlic 30 seconds or until fragrant.

Add spinach; cook 1 to 2 minutes, tossing to coat with oil.

Note: I squeezed the moisture from the spinach but neglected to break it up before adding it to the skillet. You might want to break up the spinach as you add it to the skillet.

Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg. Place in bowl; cool. (Spinach can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)

Cook and stir shallots and sage in 2 tablespoons of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat 1 to 2 minutes or until shallots are slightly softened.

Add mushrooms; cook 7 minutes or until mushrooms are softened and most of the liquid has evaporated, stirring occasionally. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt and pepper.

If you wonder where the liquid could possibly come from, you'll be surprised, as I was, that it comes from the mushrooms. As the mushrooms become softened, they'll release moisture. Continue cooking until the moisture is essentially gone.

Add butter to skillet; stir until melted. Whisk in flour; cook 2 minutes, whisking constantly.

Slowly add broth, whisking until mixture boils.

Add milk and 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg; return to a boil.

Remove from heat; stir in Gruyère cheese until melted. (Sauce can be made 3 days ahead and refrigerated or 1 month ahead and frozen.)

This step went along pretty quickly. No wonder gruyere is a fondue cheese! Anyway, once the cheese was completely melted, I tasted the sauce. I immediately forgot what I was doing and where I was as the sauce was so scrumptious! I commenced to consuming a ridiculous quantity, which fortunately did not affect the outcome of the lasagna.

At least 15 minutes before you are ready to assemble your lasagna, soak the noodles in hot water for 15 minutes.

And if you haven't prepped your roasted red bell pepper yet, get on it now.

Heat oven to 350°F.

Spray 2 (8-inch) pans with cooking spray. Spread 1/4 cup sauce in each pan; top with 2 lasagna noodles, broken to fit as necessary.

Divide spinach evenly over noodles; cover with 1/2 cup of the sauce. Top with 2 noodles, broken to fit as necessary.

Spread with bell peppers; cover with 1/4 cup of the sauce. Top with 2 noodles, broken to fit.

Spread with remaining sauce. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Wrap one dish with plastic wrap and freeze for up to two months. Defrost in the refrigerator 2 days; let stand at room temperature 30 minutes before baking.

Bake, uncovered, 45 to 50 minutes or until lasagna is bubbling and cheese begins to turn golden brown.

Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

I like lasagna and this one did not fail to please. While lacking the height of any lasagna I'd prepared before, it allows for each serving to be a CORNER piece! How great is that?! Did you hear me? Every piece is a corner!

Aside from the corner piece benefits, the highlight of this lasagna is without a doubt the sauce. It kicks ass around the entire block. It is silky smooth (outside of the mushrooms of course), creamy, hearty and savory, so good in fact that I wouldn't mind a glass to slurp on as a type. As I taste-tested it repeatedly once the Gruyere was melted, I imagined using the sauce in other dishes. Say, tossing some ziti in it and baking it, hell even twisting it up with spaghetti, or even making a truly homemeade greenbean casserole. Can I get a hell yeah?

There were a couple of things that caused me to fret a little bit, but those worries were all for naught and whether you know it or not, I've already covered them.

Cost:

garlic: $0.25
spinach: $2.98
bell pepper: $1.50
shallots: $1
mushrooms: $5.29
broth: $0.26
milk: $0.90
Gruyere cheese: $10.49
lasagna noodles: $1
Parmesan cheese: $0.70

Total: $24.37, but I'll swing that up to $25 even to cover flour, salt and pepper, and that sort of thing. That makes each of the eight servings about $3.13. While the most expensive lasagna per serving I've made yet, there's no doubt in my mind about my doing this one again. You'll see.

Cheesecloth and Frozen Spinach

2011-10-16T12:43:00.000-07:00

Here's a couple of 10-oz boxes of chopped spinach. I bought them frozen and let them thaw in the fridge on a plate.

Nine times out of ten, a recipe will tell you to squeeze the spinach dry. I used to use paper towel to try and get the water out. I used LOTS of paper towel. It just dawned on me to use cheesecloth.

I lined a colander with the cloth just for support. And to catch the water, I placed the colander on a plate. In the future, I'll simply do it in the sink. I wanted to see how much water was going to come out.

And then I twisted the corners of the cloth together and really squeezed the spinach.

I'd use about half a roll of paper towel to try and squeeze this much moisture out of spinach and it wasn't nearly as effective.

Note that you might want to loosen the ball of spinach before using it as it will be a tight wad.

Food Plan and Grocery List, 101511

2011-10-15T20:50:00.001-07:00

Since I've been meat wild lately, I'm gonna go meatless this week with a Mushroom-Spinach Lasagna. Also, a friend wanted to check it out, so that helps drive the meatless option. Since I used the last of many of my seasonings to prepare the Creole Seasoning Blend, I re-upped so I wouldn't be caught without as I maintain a mental on what is in my spice racks.

Ralph's:

salt: $0.59
frozen spinach: $1.49/10-oz
frozen spinach: $1.49/10-oz
apple cider vinegar: $4.99
gruyere cheese: $10.49/8-oz
Ralph's sharp cheddar: $6.99/2-lb
Kroger oregano: $1.99
Kroger onion powder: $2.69
whole milk: $1.79/qt
Private Selection thyme: $3.99
Private Selection cayenne pepper: $3.99
mushrooms: $2.79
mushrooms: $2.50
green bell pepper: $0.99
red bell pepper: $1.50
broccoli:$ 0.53
garlic: $0.50
shallots: $2.15/0.72 lb
navel orange: $0.57
ginger root: $0.36/0.09 lb
cage-free brown eggs: $3.19/dozen
Farmer John's bacon: $4.99/lb
La Brea ciabatta: $1.99
TOTAL: $62.55

Total for the year: $1248.91.

Andouille Sausage, Caramelized Onion and Cheddar on a Club Roll Sandwich Half

2011-10-14T23:40:00.000-07:00

Having a couple of andouille links and some club rolls, I decided to make a small sandwich. I started making fries, and meanwhile, worked on the sandwich.

First I caramelized a small onion in butter. Pushing them to the side, I browned the bread and half a sausage link.

The toasted bread was smeared with mustard and plenty of cheddar was added. The sausage and onions were piled on.

The sandwich was really good, I really liked the onions and wonder why I don't have them more often, but sort of awkward as the links kept trying to slide out. Definitely going to do this again, but maybe I'll chop the sausage and use the cheese to glue the sausage in place.

Cost of Take-Out Lunch, Week Ending 101411

2011-10-14T19:37:00.001-07:00

Monday: holiday

Tuesday: Carl's Jr. Southwest Chicken Salad: $6.02
Wednesday: La Salsa Chipotle Shrimp Salad: $7.49
Thursday: jambalaya
Friday: Carl's Jr. Southwest Chicken Salad: $6.02

Total: $19.53

Total for the year: $1471.13

Short Ribs Jambalaya

2011-10-10T16:48:00.000-07:00

My sister-in-law sometimes makes a beef jambalaya and I think the recipe she executes is the one she found in one of my Cooking Club magazines. Having a hankering for it, I decided to give it a try. I made a couple of changes: one, because I think fire-roasted diced tomatoes are better than regular; two, because apparently I don't follow directions.

Short Ribs Jambalaya
adapted from Cooking Club of America

click to print

2 lb. boneless beef short ribs

4 tsp Creole seasoning
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1/2 c chopped celery
2 large garlic cloves, minced
2 (14-oz.) cans fire roasted diced tomatoes
2 c beef stock
2 bay leaves
1 tsp dried thyme
2 c long-grain white rice
8 green onions, thinly sliced
1/4 c chopped fresh parsley

Heat oven to 350°F. Cut ribs into 2-inch pieces. In small bowl, stir together Creole seasoning and pepper; rub into ribs.

Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until hot. Add ribs in batches; cook 3 to 4 minutes or until browned, turning once. Place on plate.

Reduce heat to medium. Add onion, bell pepper, celery and garlic; cook 6 to 10 minutes or until softened, stirring occasionally.

Return ribs and any accumulated juices to pot; add tomatoes, the stock, bay leaves and thyme.

Increase heat to medium-high; bring to a boil.

Cover pot; place in oven. Bake 1 1/2 hours or until meat is tender, stirring halfway through.
Beef mixture baked 45 minutes and stirred before going back into the oven for an additional 45 minutes.

Remove from oven; return pot to stove-top and stir.

At this point, I realized I had accidentally diverged from the original recipe as my mixture was so wet: I hadn't drained the tomatoes. I nixed the addition of 2 additional cups of stock the original recipe calls for. I also realized how much fat was pool at the top of the mixture -- against my better judgement, I didn't scoop it out.

Stir in rice, green onions, and parsley; cover and return to oven.

Bake 30 minutes or until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed. Let stand, covered, 5 minutes; stir before serving.

While a little greasier than I'd prefer (I totally should have skimmed the fat before adding rice!) the jambalaya turned out great: the beef was succulent, the rice was tender but not at all mushy, and overall the consistency of the jambalaya wasn't too wet or dry. I was concerned about that as I hadn't drained the tomatoes as directed, making up for the extra moisture by omitting 2 cups of stock.

This is an awesome recipe and as suggested by my comments thus far, you want 1) lean beef, and 2) seasonings you like. I liked the Creole Seasoning Blend found on All Recipes, but would have enjoyed a little more spicy kick.

As I'd used English-style beef short ribs and cut the bones from them myself to yield boneless beef short ribs, I realize there might be a boneless beef rib meat section that is leaner than the bone-in ribs and simply cutting the bone out doesn't constitute the same cut. Next time I'll spend the money for the boneless chuck short rib meat from Costco, which is always nicely trimmed and the marbling is quite pretty. Or I'll use the cut I used but will simply skim the fat as my ignored insticts suggested.

Best of all, while no one at my brother's house would be able to tell you as the jambalaya is gone in about the same time it takes to bring it to the table from the stove-top, I can tell you this jambalaya freezes well. So those of you beef-eater loners or couples who think this might be too much to prepare, know you can prep it and love it the first day, then happily store the leftovers for a revisit it later.

Cost:

beef short ribs: $7.56
onion: $0.25
bell pepper: $0.99
celery: $0.34
tomatoes: $1.98
stock: $3.00
rice: $0.50
green onions: $0.89
parsley: $0.99

Total: $16.50 or $2.75 for each of six generous 2-cup servings.

Making Beef Stock

2011-10-10T16:39:00.000-07:00

I've never done this before and I'm not going to pretend I know what I'm doing. I want to make a kick-ass recipe tomorrow and have decided that making it the best it can be means I need to make my own stock.

Googling it, I came across Simply Recipes's How to Make Stock post and I followed the jist of it.

Beef Stock

adapted from Simply Recipes

click to print

3.7 lbs beef marrow bones

1 lb beef bones from short ribs

1/2 lb beef short rib meat, cubed

Olive oil

2 medium onions, peeled and quartered

2 large carrots, cut into 1-2 inch segments

2 large celery ribs with leaves, cut into 1 inch segments

5 cloves of garlic, unpeeled

Handful of parsley, stems and leaves

2 bay leaves

10-20 peppercorns

Before I get going, let me explain my bones and meat. You saw the marrow bones.

But I'd also purchased two packages of English-style beef chuck short ribs. I cut the bones from the meat and then chopped two of the eight meat hunks up. The bones and chopped beef went into this recipe while the rib meat was saved for something else (jambalaya).

So on with it:

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Place bones, meat, carrots and onions on an 12x17" half sheet or in a large roasting pan. Drizzle two tablespoons of olive oil over them and and toss to coat. Roast in oven until nicely browned, about 45 minutes, turning the bones and meat pieces half-way through the cooking.

Raw goods as they went into the oven, how they looked 22 minutes later before tossing, and then how they looked after 49 total minutes in the oven.

Remove the browned bones, meat and vegetables and place them in a stock pot (mine was 20 qt and probably nearly double the size necessary). While the baking sheet is still hot, pour into it 1/2-1 cup of hot water. Use a spatula to scrape up browned bits stuck to the bottom. Pour the browned bits and water into the stock pot.

Add celery, garlic, parsley, bay leaves, and peppercorns to the stock pot.

Fill the stock pot with cold water, to 1 to 2 inches over the top of the bones. Put the heat on high and bring the pot to a low simmer and then reduce the heat to low.

Inserting my meat thermometer probe into the water after 12 minutes, having dropped the burner to low, let me know that it was at 186.4°F already, quick for my stove-top.

Use a candy or meat thermometer to maintain temperature between 180-200°F. The stock should barely simmer with just a large bubble or two coming up here and there. Cover the pot loosely and continue simmering 3-6 or 8 hours.

Covered for 5 minutes, the temperature of my water rose to 194.0°F. Taking a peek 2 minutes later, when the temperature was at 194.2°F, the stock didn't look much different than it did 7 minutes earlier.

Check on the stock occasionally and use a large metal spoon to scoop away the fat and any scum that rises to the surface. (Transfer the fat and scum to a container to discard.) I skimmed the scum and put it into an empty cat food tin. While I made it a point to skim the fat into the fat separator with a small metal measuring spoon, I saw later it wasn't necessary.

I wound up getting 1/3 cup of fat from the stock.

Instead of doing all of that fat skimming, make yourself an egg, bacon, and cheese sandwich while you continue to wait.

At the end of cooking time (4.5 hours for me as I was chasing daylight for photo purposes, though 6-8 hours is ideal) use tongs or a slotted spoon to gently remove the bones and vegetables from the pot and discard them.

If you look at Elise's directions, she'll tell you taste some of the marrow if you spied some. I thought I saw some, scooped it from a bone, and "tasted" it like an American kid anticipating a pretty Korean rice cake would taste like American birthday cake, as in I took a big mouthful. What I thought was marrow was indeed fat. You can imagine the face I made and the spitting that ensued. I regretted the amount I swallowed for hours after as my stomach was rolling. I need some schooling in what is marrow and what is certainly fat.

Line another large pot (8-quart) with a fine mesh sieve, covered with a couple layers of cheesecloth if you have it. Pour the stock through the sieve to strain it of remaining solids.

My strainer set-up had dampened cheesecloth over a mesh strainer which was inside a colander inside the 8-qt pot. I needed the colander to keep the mesh strainer up out of the pot.

Let cool to room temperature then chill in the refrigerator.

Overnight the fat had risen to the top and solidified. Skim the fat.

And I realized all of that fat skimming done the day before was not at all necessary. If you plan to use all of the stock within a couple of days, the fat layer is a seal against bacteria. Leave that fat layer in place and remove it when you're ready to use the stock. If you plan to freeze the stock you'd skim the fat anyway before transferring into appropriate containers. Either way, it's probably better if you simply remove scum and leave the fat day one.

I chose to reduce my stock over Day 2, pulling 2 cups from it when I was ready to use it, transferring the remainder into the quilted Kerr jars. I wound up with 7 cups left to go into the freezer.

Amazing how light factors into darkness of beef stock.

While it was essentially simple and a fun trial, I'm not sure that it really makes sense for me to do this again. How much beef stock do I really use? And since my freezer is only so big, I realize that I need to be selective about what lives in there. We'll see how these jars of stock end up lasting. I might find that it's really more spacially economical to continue using Better Than Bouillon.

Cost:

beef marrow bones: $7.42
beef short rib bones and some meat: $3.69
onion: $0.50
carrot: $0.30
celery: $0.34
garlic: $0.25
parsley: $0.99

Total: $13.49. That's 1.50 for each of the 9 cups of stock I got out of this.

Creole Seasoning Blend

2011-10-10T13:13:00.000-07:00

Rather than buy a Creole blend, I made one from a recipe on All Recipes. Why not, I have all of the stuff.

Creole Seasoning Blend

from AllRecipes
click to print

2 tbsp onion powder

2 tbsp garlic powder
2 tbsp dried oregano
2 tbsp dried basil
1 tbsp dried thyme
1 tbsp black pepper
1 tbsp white pepper
1 tbsp cayenne pepper
5 tbsp paprika
3 tbsp salt

In a small bowl, combine onion powder, garlic powder, oregano, basil, thyme, black pepper, white pepper, cayenne pepper, paprika and salt. Store in an airtight container.

Clockwise starting at 12: onion powder, garlic powder, oregano, basil, thyme, black pepper, white pepper, cayenne pepper; under the salt at the center is the paprika.

It makes quite a lot as written: nearly 1.25 cups. Looking back on it, as it's just ratios, I should've cut the recipe down to a third simply by using teaspoons instead of tablespoons. If you use teaspoons, plan to get just shy of 3/8 cups of seasoning. Actually, as it is just a ratio thing, you could simply use your smallest measuring spoon, usually a 1/4 tsp, and go from there. If you do that, you'll get 1/8 cup, which is just 2 tablespoons. Do it based on the quantity you need.

Now I see that I could've just used a 1/2 teaspoon to yield exactly the 4 tbsp of Creole seasoning I needed. If only I'd taken the time to think this through before execution. If you do it as needed, you could tweak it for the next go-round. I'm kicking myself.

I'd offer pricing, but is going to take more energy and time than what I'm willing to invest. In a nutshell, if you have the stuff, just mix it together. If you don't you might want to get a container of the stuff at the store. I think Emeril makes one.

Kerr 8-oz Quilted Crystal Jelly Jars

2011-10-10T12:36:00.000-07:00

Beef stock is going to need some containment. I bought some in the form of jelly jars, a 12-pack.

Each jar comes with a screw-top lid and and sealing-liner-lid-thingy.

There was a sheet of stickers to be used for labeling included. I figure writing directly on the glass with Sharpie will be just as suitable.

12-pack of 1-cup jelly jars available from Smart & Final for~~, well, I'm not sure. This is one where I'd lost the receipt. My AmEx shows an $11 charge, but I can't recall whether I'd purchased anything else. Whoops!~~ $10.49 or $11.30 with tax.

Cheesecloth

2011-10-09T16:52:00.000-07:00

I don't use cheesecloth very often. When I do use it, I wonder why I don't use it more often. It is quite handy. The backside of the package even lists it's uses:

I'm not sure how it would be used to baste poultry, but hey, know it's a possibility.

Everyday Living cheesecloth available at Ralph's in a package of 2-square yards for $3.99 right there in the baking aisle.

FYI, you can also find this stuff at a dollar store. You know, for a dollar.

Beef Marrow Bones

2011-10-09T09:55:00.000-07:00

Plans to make beef stock at home calls for bones, marrow bones. Fortunately, I'd seen them before and found 'em right there in the "weird" section of the beef portion of the meat case in my American grocery.

I was sort of surprised that frozen-thawed beef marrow bones are $1.99 a pound. They are bones.

Peeling back the plastic, I caught my first true eyeful of the bones. There is actually some meat on them.

And it wasn't just that one that had meat on it, most of them do. Not much, but they do have some flesh.

Looking down at the bones situated end-on, I see what apparently is beef bone marrow.

This isn't quite causing my mouth to salivate or my stomach to growl. Especially that one there at the 3:00 spot -- that looks like fat to me.

From the Larousse Gastronomique, bone marrow:

A soft fatty substance in the cavities of long bones. In cooking, beef marrow is usually used. Slices of gently poached beef marrow are served with grilled (broiled) or roast beef. Marrow is also used as a filling for artichoke hearts, cardoons, omelettes, bouchees, and croutes and it may be included in salpicons, garnishes, and soups. It is often used to prepare sauces for grilled meat or fish. A marrow bone is always included in a stockpot and often cooked with boiled rolled beef; the bone is then served with the meat and the marrow may be extracted with a teaspoon. Bone marrow may also be bought in jelly form.

Believe it, there are even recipes included: bone-marrow canapes, bone-marrow sauce, and grilled (broiled) red mullet with bone-marrow sauce. Who knew?!

Beef marrow bones, available at Stater Bros. for $1.99/lb in packages about 3-4 lbs each.

Bayou Chicken and Sausage Stew

2011-10-08T18:04:00.000-07:00

As the temperatures have been gradually dropping, some stew sounded good, real good.

Bayou Chicken and Sausage Stew
from Cooking Club of America
click to print

6 bone-in skin-on chicken thighs (about 2 1/2 lb.)
1/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp peanut oil
6 oz. andouille sausage (2 links), sliced (1 inch)
2 red bell peppers, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 large onion, chopped
3 tbsp all-purpose flour
14-oz. chicken broth (from Better Than Bouillon)
1 (14.5-oz.) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
1 tsp dried thyme
1 small yellow summer squash or zucchini, cut into 1-inch pieces

Ten thighs were found in this 4.24 lb package. I used six, bagging the remaining four in a freezer bag for another use another day.

Pat chicken dry; sprinkle with salt.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add oil; heat until hot. Cook chicken in two batches, skin-side down, 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown, turning once.

Hooray for the splatter screen!

Place browned chicken in Dutch oven.

Drain all but 2 tablespoons of drippings from skillet. Add sausage; cook over medium-high heat 3 to 4 minutes, turning to brown all sides. Add to Dutch oven.

Cook bell peppers and onion in skillet 3 to 4 minutes or until vegetables start to soften. Sprinkle with flour; cook and stir 1 minute.

Stir in broth until blended. Stir in tomatoes and thyme. Pour over chicken.

Bring chicken mixture to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to low; simmer, partially covered, 30 minutes.

Add zucchini; cook 15 to 20 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink in center and vegetables are tender.

Seven feet away, there's still daylight in my apartment.

Browned bone-in skin-on chicken thighs, sausage, fire-roasted tomatoes, and zucchini...I really thought this was going to rock my world. Turns out, it was just okay. Mostly it was annoying. That there were bones meant I needed to use a fork, knife, AND a spoon to eat stew. It tasted alright, but not good enough to wrestle with for another go-round after I polish this batch off.

Really, I could've chopped the chicken and removed the bones before serving, reminiscent of the Chicken Stew with Garbanzo Beans and Squash treatment. But actually, I like the stew with the beans better. I'll not be doing this one again.

Half of the stew is in the freezer. Maybe after revisiting the leftovers in the future, I'll have a change of heart. You know what -- maybe it just needed a crusty bread! Zoinks!

Cost:

thighs: $2.52
sausage: $2.50
red bell peppers: $3
onion: $0.25
chicken stock: $0.25
fire-roasted tomatoes: $0.99
zucchini: $0.70

Total: $10.21 or $2.55 for each of four generous servings.

Food Plan and Grocery List, 100811

2011-10-08T13:23:00.001-07:00

This is a three-day weekend for me, so I have a couple of recipes I want to try and one of them calls for beef stock which I've decided I'm going to make from scratch! I'm excited!

The line-up:

Bayou Chicken and Sausage Stew
Short Ribs Jambalaya
Beef Stock

Yeah, it's going to be a lot of food, but as I've recently been feeling bad from eating junk out a lot (namely McDonald's), I want to have plenty of yummy food around here with the idea that I'll be bringing it to work for lunch too. Freezing about half of the portions will work out well also.

I shopped:

Ralph's

Ralph's diced tomatoes: $1.49/28-oz
yellow onions: $2.49/3-lb
garlic bulb: $0.50
green bell pepper: $0.99
zucchini: $0.70/0.47 lb
Italian parsley: $0.99/bunch
red bell peppers: $3/2
romaine lettuce: $1.79/head
green onions: $1.78/2 bunches
iceburg lettuce: $0.99/head
Aidells andouille sausage: $4.99 with a $1 coupon
cheesecloth: $3.99/pack
TOTAL: $24.01

Stater Bros.

juice: $2.59
juice: $2.59
Hunt's fire-roasted diced tomatoes: $3.96/4 cans
beef marrow bones: $7.42
chicken thighs: $4.20
beef short ribs: $6.20
beef short ribs: $7.56
TOTAL: $34.52

Grand Total: $58.53
Total for the year: $186.36

Cost of Take-Out Lunch, Week Ending 100711

2011-10-07T22:09:00.001-07:00

Monday: pot roast
Tuesday: pot roast
Wednesday: McDonald's 10-piece Chicken McNuggets medium combo with Coke: $5.16
Thursday: Schlotszky's Chicken and Pesto Pizza: $8?
Friday: Jack in the Box Chicken Fajita small combo with Dr. Pepper: $6.67

Total: $19.83
Total for the year: $1451.60

Peppercorn-Dusted Pot Roast Sandwich on a Club Roll

2011-10-03T21:44:00.000-07:00

As the meat:vegetable ratio with the last pot roast, I had a meat surplus.

I sliced the club roll in half according to it's natural contour and browned the splayed halves under the broiler.

And then I placed two slices of cheddar on one half of the browned halves and slid it under the broiler, which had been shut off. Cheddar melting was done with residual heat.

Meanwhile, a portion of the Peppercorn-Dusted Pot Roasted beef was microwaved at low power for a couple of minutes.

The warmed beef was placed on top of the melted cheese.

The beef was topped with red onion slices, tomato slices, and lettuce leaves. And the entire thing was brought together by my smooshing the other bread half over the lower, cracking the lower bun in half.

As always, fries makes it all better, like a potato band-aid.

Ralph's Club Rolls

2011-10-03T21:22:00.000-07:00

You know that since I made pot roast, I was gonna make a sandwich. This is the bread I bought. It's from the Ralph's bakery and it's got a huge ingredient statement.

Click on the image to read the statement or skip it and read what I read and saw below.

Ingredients: enriched unbleached flour (wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), water, yeast, vegetable shortening (partially hydrogenated soybean and or cottonseed, and/or canola oils), contains 2% or less of each of the following: salt, sugar, dextrose, soy flour, diacetyl acid esters of mono & diglycerides, calcium stearoyl lactylate enzyme, ascorbic acid, azodicarbonamide, L'cysteine. Spray ingredients: water, corn sweeteners, modified starch, maltodextrin, vegetable gums, citric acid, potassium sorbate and sodium benzoate (used as preservatives).

Here's what I saw when I read all of that above:

Ingredients: enriched unbleached flour (wheat flour, vitamin B3, iron your body will more readily be able to use, Vitamin B1, Vitamin B2, Vitamin B9), water, yeast, shortening; 2% or less of: salt, sucrose, dextrose, soy flour, emulsifiers to aid in mixing, more emulsifier to aid in mixing, Vitamin C, gluten-development agent also a possible source of asthma and primarily used in plastics, amino acid and dough softener used to reduce process time. Spray ingredients: water, corn syrups, anti-drip agent, glucose, food thickener, Vitamin C, preservative and preservative (used as preservatives).

The scariest thing in there is the azodicarbonamide. If you walk around on the 'net, you'll find it's primarily used in plastics and there are sites that tell you it's the FDA's way of "hiding" bromine in the food you eat. Sure, it might not be the healthiest thing in the world, but I doubt the genetically modified food we eat on a daily basis is either. As for the bromine, I didn't see a single Br in the molecular structure of azodicarbonamide, so we can all relax on that one.

This is an example of what the rolls look like. It's funny that it and the others are concave. I'm not sure why that is.

Club rolls available at Ralph's in a pack of 6 for $3.99, or $0.67 each.

Peppercorn-Dusted Pot Roast

2011-10-02T17:02:00.000-07:00

Anticipating the latest Cooking Club magazine, I went to their website to see if the latest issue was out yet. Sure enough, I hadn't received mine, but new recipes were posted. For a pepper fanatic, this one was a no-brainer.

Peppercorn-Dusted Pot Roast
adapted from Cooking Club of America

click to print

1 1/2 tsp multicolored peppercorns
1/2 tsp black peppercorns
1 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp salt
1 (2 1/2- to 3-lb.) boneless beef chuck roast
1 tbsp peanut oil
2/3 c red wine such as a 187 mL bottle of Merlot
1 1/3 c water, divided
4 large red potatoes (about 1 lb.), cut into sixths
1 (8-oz.) pkg. button mushrooms, halved
4 oz. shallots (3 to 4 large), quartered
1 tbsp tomato paste
2 tbsp all-purpose flour

Heat oven to 350°F. Crush peppercorns; combine them with thyme and salt in small bowl.

If you don't have a mortar and pestle, you can crush your peppercorns by throwing them in a bag and beating them with something such as a small pot or meat tenderizer.

Pat beef dry; sprinkle with peppercorn mixture.

Meanwhile, heat Dutch oven over medium-high heat until hot. Add oil; heat until hot.

Cook beef 10 minutes or until well-browned, turning once. Set beef aside.

Add wine to Dutch oven, stirring to scrape up any browned bits from bottom of skillet.

Add 2/3 cup of the water to Dutch oven and stir to combine. Return beef and any accumulated juices to Dutch oven.

Cover and bake 2 hours.

Notice no wine is left in the bottom of the Dutch oven. What wine wasn't blown onto the sides of the pot was sucked into the beef.

Just an FYI, the beef was fork-tender and very tasty.

Arrange potatoes, mushrooms and shallots around beef. Bake, covered, an additional 30 to 45 minutes or until beef and vegetables are tender.

Remove beef and vegetables; cover loosely with foil. Let stand 10 minutes before slicing.

Whisk flour and remaining 2/3 cup water in small bowl until smooth.

Whisk tomato paste into cooking liquid in Dutch oven; bring to a boil over medium heat.

Slowly whisk flour mixture into sauce. Boil 2 to 3 minutes or until slightly thickened, stirring constantly.

Serve with beef and vegetables.

I wound up with a full cup of gravy.

I haven't made pot roast very often and honestly, it's because my results were never that great. They were usually edible, but never something to rave about. This one came a lot closer to what I think ideal pot roast should be. Looking back on previous trials, I believe the two-hour baking time in wine was key to a tasty, tender pot roasted beef. Now I understand why some folks think pot roast is the cat's meow.

That said, the title of the recipe isn't kidding: the beef is dusted with pepper. I had expected more of a peppery kapow! and was disappointed that most of the zing was in the sauce. I did really appreciate that the sauce was on the side and I could dab a little here and there for flavor without my beef swimming around in sauce.

The sauce, though, was slammin'. It was rich without being ridiculous, and again, I liked that I could apply it sparingly or liberally. The double-concentrate tomato paste made itself known without being overbearing.

The vegetables were tender but not mushy. I don't think there were enough to adequately provide service for the six the recipe indicated.

Overall, I call this one a definite win. It is simple to execute; the majority of mise en place occurred while the beef was in the oven or resting, so no time "lost". I'd certainly recommend this recipe, but for those hungry for pepper, I'd use more. And I'd go a little heavier on the vegetables too.

The best thing about this is that the leftovers are gonna be awesome!

Cost:

multicolored peppercorns: $0.50
boneless beef chuck roast: $8.76
187 mL bottle of Merlot: $1.50
red potatoes: $1.51
button mushrooms: $1.99
shallots: $1.17
tomato paste: $0.39

Total: $15.82 or $2.64 for each of six servings. The most expensive pot roast per serving I've prepared yet and it's worth the expense.

Amore Tomato Paste

2011-10-02T15:55:00.000-07:00

I grew up with Contadina tomato paste in those little 6-oz cans. When recipes called for a tablespoon of paste, I was distraught -- what to do with the rest of the can? If I chose to execute that recipe, which was rare, I always transferred the extra into a separate container to find it moldy much, much later. Then I learned that you could buy the stuff in a tube, which is supposed to be superior to that canned-stuff.

If you want to know, here's the nutrition facts.

What really matters though is that it's a metal tube of double-concentrate paste. You will have to spin the cap off the tube, invert the cap and puncture the thin metal originally designed toward keeping the paste at it's freshest. Squirt out your tablespoon and screw the cap back on the tube. Stow it in your fridge.

Amore Tomato Paste available in your ethnic or Italian aisle of your Ralph's for $3.49/4.5 oz tube, about $0.78/oz. Each of the nine tablespoons cost $0.39.

A quick comparison:
The last time I bought Contadina tomato paste in 6-oz cans was when I bought them from Costco. Apparently in August of '09 at $5.07 for twelve 6-oz cans. That's $0.07/oz. Considering that I'm still working on those cans, it might be worth the cost to save pantry space.

Shallots

2011-10-02T15:07:00.000-07:00

These are shallots. They have brown paper-y skins like brown onions, but once you peel the paper you'll find they have purple skins.

And they are sort of garlic-like as you might get one with "cloves," though shallot cloves aren't individually wrapped like garlic cloves are.

When you cut off the ends of shallots you'll find that they bleed white and cause your eyes to tear just like a regular onion.

Quartering them, shallots are like onions or garlic. It's crazy.

But look at their size when compared to a half-pound of halved button mushrooms and 1.5 lbs of quartered red potatoes.

Shallots are small. And pretty.

Available in the produce section, right there by the onions and garlic, of your Ralph's. Priced by the pound for about $2.50, I bought my three bulbs for $1.17.

Barefoot Merlot 4-pack

2011-10-02T13:21:00.000-07:00

This is along the lines of what I was looking for when I bought that Sutter Home Sauvignon Blanc*: a four-pack of 187 mL bottles of Barefoot wine.

Remember when I bought the Woodbridge four-pack**? I talked about how each bottle is just over 3/4 of a cup of wine? It really is a great size for cooking. I'm so stoked that Barefoot has this option!

Not available at every single store like it should be, Barefoot Merlot 4-packs are available at Ralph's for $5.99.

*I saved the majority of this bottle in the fridge with the intention of using it to deglaze my cast iron, saving the hassle of scrubbing it with a spatula before rinsing.

** I still have 2 of the bottles left.

Kroger Peppercorn Medley Grinder

2011-10-02T13:03:00.000-07:00

My next recipe execution calls for multi-colored peppercorns and so it went onto the shopping list. While I could've purchased name-brands in slightly greater quantities for much more money, I went with this little Kroger (aka Ralph's) guy.

It contains whole black, white, pink, and green peppercorns.

Better than that is that while it is a plastic grinder, with peppercorns safely sealed under a label, it offers a peppercorn-pouring option.

Peel the seal, screw the grinder portion onto the base containing peppercorns via threads, the grinder part is free-turning, and the cap is separate.

That cap says it's an adjustable grinder and to see the label. The label doesn't talk about it, but personally, I don't care. I don't see how it's adjustable unless it's a matter of loosening the grinder assembly from the peppercorn-ladened base.

I poured, via a brief measuring spoon visit, into a mortar.

Available in the baking/spice aisle of Ralph's for $2.49/1.37 oz (or 38 g)

Cuisses de Grenouille aux Fines Herbes, aka Fried Frogs' Legs

2011-10-01T16:48:00.000-07:00

I took a photo similar to this (or one of the photos below, I forget) with my dumb-phone and sent it to a friend. She laughed and said I was going to be eating frog asses. True, it's not for everyone.

Direct from the tome of cooking knowledge known as Larousse Gastronomique, here's how the recipe is printed:

Season the prepared frogs' legs with salt and pepper and dip them in flour (or in egg and breadcrumbs). Saute them in butter or olive oil in a shallow frying pan (skillet) for 7-10 minutes over a brisk heat. Drain, and arrange in a heated serving dish. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and lemon juice. If they were cooked in butter, pour it over them; otherwise use maitre de butter. Serve with boiled potatoes.

And now my take on it:

Cuisses de Grenouille aux Fines Herbes
adapted from Larousse Gastronomique

click to print

1.5 lbs frog legs
salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 c flour for dredging
3 tbsp butter
3 tbsp parsley, chopped
lemon, cut into wedges

Season the prepared frog legs with salt and pepper and dredge them in flour.

Saute them in butter in a skillet for 7-10 minutes over medium-high heat.

Drain, and ~~arrange~~ place on a ~~dish~~ plate. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and lemon juice. If you used enough butter that there'd be any left in the skillet, as in more than what I used, pour the butter over the legs.

Serve with steamed rice and broccoli.

And kimchi if you have it.

While the legs looked pretty, they turned out rubbery. Had many of the calf muscles not detached from their respective shin bones indicating overcooking, I'd have blamed the texture on the length of time the legs were in my freezer: a long time. The rice, broccoli, and kimchi were tip-top though, much better than any boiled potatoes would be.

Would I do this again? Oh yes, definitely, though with a reduced cook-time and certainly fresher legs. Why mess around? I've had excellent, crave-inducing frog legs in the past and to be conquer that here would be quite satisfying, in more way than one.

Cost:

frog legs: $7.73

I'm going with a lazy out on that one, stopping there.

Frog Legs

2011-10-01T16:04:00.000-07:00

I picked up this package of frog legs many moons ago. And because I didn't find a recipe I really thought would wow me, I put them in the freezer and forgot about them completely. The new directive to myself, to rotate frozen items, caused me to remove the legs from my freezer to thaw in the refrigerator a couple days.

I was shocked to see how old these "flog" legs were. Flipping through my grocery lists, I see I bought them at the end of November last year. Anyone know how long the frog legs stay good when frozen? I certainly do not.

After removing the plastic wrap and the container lid, I was surprised to see that the leg pairs were individually bagged.

I rinsed them and put them on paper towel to drain. They were quite white meat-ish in appearance and fortunately, I didn't see signs of freezer burn.

Hopefully, the legs are still good. Only one way to find out. The Cook is goin' guinea pig.

Frog legs available at your local Korean market, such as HMart, for $4.99/lb.

If you're interested, here's a couple of excerpts from Larousse Gastronomique. But first, "frog" in French is "grenouille." Just an FYI.

Certain species are edible, but only the leg meat. Frogs' legs were regarded as a tasty dish in the Middle Ages, particularly during Lent.

The delicate flavour of the meat is enhanced by seasoning, and frogs' legs are often prepared with herbs, garlic, and chopped parsley. They are also made into blanquettes, soups, omelettes, and mousselines and can be found fried or sauteed.

Well, la dee da. I found my recipe.

Food Plan and Grocery List, 100111

2011-10-01T15:10:00.001-07:00

You know how I had those three chickens in my freezer and then I thawed them out and ate one and threw the other two away? Well, I found a pack of frog legs in there. Yep, I'd forgotten about them completely.

This week it's all about pan-fried frog legs and because it's getting cold at night, Peppercorn-Dusted Pot Roast.

Ralph's:

Hunt's ketchup: $1.49
tomato paste: $3.49
multi-colored peppercorns in grinder: $2.49
sharp cheddar cheese: $4.49
Barefoot merlot: $5.99
Barefoot chardonnay: $5.99
russet potatoes: $1.64/2
button mushrooms: $1.99
red potatoes: $1.51/4
on-the-vine tomatoes: $2.48/2
shallots: $1.17/3
romaine lettuce: $0.99
iceburg lettuce: $0.89
lemon: $0.79
Fage yogurt: $5/5
club rolls: $3.99
TOTAL: $54.18

Total for the year: $1127.83.

Cost of Take-Out Lunch, Week Ending 093011

2011-09-30T19:42:00.000-07:00

Monday: Indian buffet: $13.99
Tuesday: I know I ate something, but don't have a record, $5 SWAG
Wednesday: Carl's Jr. Original Six-Dollar Cheeseburger: $5
Thursday: Corner Bakery Chicken Pomodori Panini: $8.29
Friday: Sango Sushi Combo A: $8.08

Total: $40.36

Total for the year: $1431.77

Cast Iron Skillet Chicken and Mushrooms Sandwich

2011-09-29T23:21:00.000-07:00

Whoa, hello! Image horror story above! What the crap are those white voids between sandwich halves!? I think that just proves that I made the correct decision by buying 20 MB with Picasa for $5/year. It'll take me approximately 60 years to fill it, but what the hell. I'm still learning photography, no need to add another variable! But notice that the cheese is holding the mushrooms and chicken to the bread -- life's good.

Chopped Skillet Chicken breast and Mushrooms on bread halves, warmed gently under the broiler.

Pepperjack was placed over the chicken and mushrooms and broiled until melted.

Romaine, red onion and tomato were added.

Oh yeah, and bacon too.

The melted cheese held all of the meat and mushrooms in place, ensuring even mouthfuls of each. Mmm, good.

Rice and Kimchi and Blogger Photos

2011-09-27T20:31:00.001-07:00

Sometimes all I want is a simple bowl of steamed white rice piled with Mom's kimchi.

I really like when she comes to visit as:

she and I eat out a lot, chowing on Korean as much as possible, even in local places I could easily, but don't normally, try because of being "too busy,"
Mom gets to eat stuff she can't order in her neck of the woods and doesn't make at home,
Mom gets to exercise her Korean, which makes me realize how much it sucks that I don't know much,
Mom makes kimchi from scratch, yo!

And I see now, inserting thumb into mouth, that my Blogger/Blogspot photo capacity is nearly at it's free capacity. I was dumbfounded when a few photos from recent posts wouldn't blow up to monitor-sized ginormousness, instead popping up the size of a postage stamp. That's no good!

I use my blog as a reference when preparing my weekly food plan and when cooking, thus the many Takes and the labels (which I realize need a serious overhaul). I want to be able to see what's going on!

That leads me to a point where I am forced to reflect. I don't normally do that in the grand scheme of things. My tendency is to look at details with scrutiny, agonizing over them, and adjusting things so that I am happy with them before finally saying, "that'll do, Cook, that'll do." I like that every single revision of any recipe I've tried is available to me with a quick search. Now that my photos aren't being supported as I'd like, something has got to give.

I've looked at and fooled with other free photo sites, but didn't find them to be as easily utilized as the Picasa/Blogger relationship I'd been using since day one. I've also considered simply starting a brand new blog as so much has changed since I first started blogging: my agenda, output of new recipe execution, and really, even my photography, is different from what it was when I first started the blog nearly 4 years ago. Really! Look at what I was doing at the beginning of Smells Like Food in Here. I didn't even have semblance of a format, I thought I knew what I wanted to capture, but it took some time before I really got it to where it'd be something I'd utilize. I do like that all of that is documented, while it is a little embarrassing.

A new blog though would be like starting anew, which would be just as I've grown quite a lot since the beginning. And if I started a new Google blog, it'd be a fresh start, a new chapter, and would be a defined point to continue growing from. I'd eliminate the many photos of oil heating in a skillet, freeing up time in two areas (at the time of execution and editing), streamlining and making more accurate how long it takes to complete a recipe.

But then it seems that Smells would soon become a blog like many others, with the perfect photos and the seemingly perfect execution of any recipe. That's not real! That's a food blogger spending many hours of time repeating recipes until they get it to where it is finalized and then posted, making any reader believe it was performed to perfect execution day one.

You know what? I wasn't sure what to do when I began writing this post, but I realize now that my true agenda was to try recipes and find which worked, which did not, and why those that did not failed for me. I'm my own America's Smells Like Food in Here Test Kitchen.

Update, 110911:
I figured out what was going on with the postage stamp sized photos. First, to clarify, the photos weren't popping up in a huge size when clicking on them. They looked normal in the posts.

The problem? The postage sized photos were due to broken links to the photos uploaded via Blogger into Picasa. How did that suddenly happen? I started using Google Chrome instead of Internet Explorer (IE). Silly me, I thought using Chrome, Blogger, and Picasa, all of which are Google family would streamline things! El wrongo!

I went back to IE, deleted the photos with broken links in few posts, uploading and situating them. When re-posting them, I see that the links are not broken. Clicking on any photo uploaded on Blogger through IE yields big images, just like I like! I hope to finish this little project tonight.

Those of you following, if you get a bunch of alerts to "new" posts that are old ones, it's just that I'm taking care of this image-link problem. Thanks for the patience.

Cast Iron Skillet Chicken Sandwich with Oven-Baked Fries

2011-09-26T23:09:00.001-07:00

Unlike Angela at The Spinning Plate, I had leftover Skillet Chicken. And so I made a chicken-club-ish sort of sandwich.

If you're gonna make a sandwich and have it with fries, start the fries now with this Oven-Baked Fries recipe. If you're making fries for one, use a single russet potato and a 7x11 baking dish or 1/4 baking sheet and ease up on the oil; keep the steps the same. While that's going, you can prep your sandwich.

I thinly sliced one of the breast halves, layered it over two slices of sourdough, topped it with thin-sliced pepperjack cheese and slid the bread slices under the broiler just a few minutes so the bread was JUST toasted, the chicken warmed, and the cheese melted.

Meanwhile, I fried some bacon (yep, in the cast iron skillet) and squished those bacon slices into the hot cheese. The bacon was topped with romaine lettuce leaves and tomato slices.

Oh man, I didn't put any mushrooms on it! Next time...

Cast Iron Skillet Chicken with Mushrooms

2011-09-25T17:01:00.000-07:00

And now I execute the recipe from the blog, The Spinning Plate, the one with the post called On Food that has images driving me crazy with lustful hunger. Or hungry lust. How 'bout we just get going?

Cast Iron Skillet Chicken with Mushrooms

adapted from The Spinning Plate
click to print

one 3-4 lb whole chicken
kosher salt
pepper
2-3 tbsp olive oil, divided
14-oz white mushrooms, cleaned and halved, or quartered if large
garlic bulb, extra papery skin removed and cloves separated with skin on
2-3 shallots, halved
lemon, halved; on half thinly sliced into rounds, the other half reserved
1/4 c white wine
small bunch Italian parsley, chopped

Preheat the oven to 475°F.

Butterfly the chicken, remove the keel bone, and pat dry with paper towel. Generously salt and pepper both sides of the chicken.

Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a cast iron skillet medium-high.

Is it just me or is the shimmer of hot oil mesmerizing?

Sear the chicken skin-side down 2-3 minutes or until the skin has browned. You can tell when it's ready by gently shaking the skillet: if the chicken moves freely, it's likely browned; if it sticks, it's not ready. Set chicken aside.

Transfer mushrooms, garlic, shallots and lemon into the skillet. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil.

Place the chicken, skin-side up, over the mushrooms. Roast the chicken in the oven 20-30 minutes, until juices run clear at the thigh or 165°F.

Remove the chicken from the skillet and set aside without tenting.

Place the skillet on the stove over medium-high heat, add wine and juice of half a lemon to the mushrooms. Once it reaches a healthy simmer, remove from heat.

Carve the chicken and plate with mushrooms, shallots and garlic (I don't like hot citrus), sprinkle with some parsley and serve along with some toasted sourdough. Squeeze the garlic from their cloves onto everything else like creamy butter.

I'd like to note that the author, Angela, says to return the chicken to the skillet, sprinkle it with parsley, carve and serve straight out of the pan, and expect no leftovers. Be sure to do this if you have even one guest as presentation would knock their socks off.

The recipe is straightforward: prep, get the oven going, sear the bird, throw it in the oven, finish the mushrooms, and dinner is done. The chicken is tip-top, juicy-fleshed and crisp-skinned. My vegetables were cooked perfectly, but were too "winey" for me, likely due to my selection. Next time, and there will be one, I'll select a different white. Maybe something from the Barefoot family*.

Cost:

whole chicken: $2.48
mushrooms: $2.99
garlic: $0.45
shallots: $0.48
lemon: $0.27
wine: $0.08
Italian parsley: $0.10

Total: $6.85 or $1.71 for each of four servings.

*Doh! Look! It tells you what's most dry to most sweet! If you click around, you'll see they rank their reds from light- to full-bodied. I might be talkin' about wine like a regular swiller shortly.

Sutter Home Sauvignon Blanc

2011-09-25T16:15:00.000-07:00

The chicken recipe I was working on called for a white wine. I was hoping like hell that the store I shopped at would have a four-pack of Barefoot white wines, but that was wishful thinking. I selected Sutter Home as it was a dollar cheaper than my favorite -- I only needed a quarter cup.

At home, I removed the foil wrapper and proceeded with working the cork out of the bottle.

I don't know if I just don't have enough practice removing corks or if Sutter Home uses a really long one but I had a problem.

I managed to work it out and decided that yes, Sutter Home uses a really long cork. It could not have been me.

Sutter Home Sauvignon Blanc in a 750 mL bottle available in the wine aisle of Stater Bros. for $3.99.

Food Plan and Grocery List, 092511

2011-09-25T14:32:00.000-07:00

Since I bought the 12" cast iron skillet, I've been ogling a chicken-in-a-skillet dish I saw once on Tastespotting. Today, I'm going to execute that recipe from the blog with the mouth-watering photos. Leftover chicken is going into sandwiches and salads.

Note that I had to buy a chicken. Those two chickens in my freezer didn't smell or look quite right after thawing. Unfortunately, they were tossed -- better safe than sorry. I will try to be better about rotating the items in my freezer.

Grower's Direct

lemon: $0.27/0.34 lb
broccoli crown: $0.43/0.54 lb
iceburg lettuce: $0.79/head
green bell pepper: $0.50/0.50 lb
green onions: $0.49/bunch
russet potatoes: $1.12/1.63 lb
sweet white corn: $0.25/ear
garlic bulb: $0.45/0.18 lb
romaine lettuce: $0.89/head
shallots: $0.48/0.21 lb
red tomato cluster: $0.64/0.65 lb (2 tomatoes)
Italian parsley: $0.39/bunch
gourmet mushrooms: $2.99/14 oz
TOTAL: $9.69

Stater Bros.

Sutter Home cabernet sauvignon: $3.99/750 mL
Chobani greek yogurt: $6.25/5 each
cage-free eggs: $3.79/dozen
whole body chicken: $2.40/3.48 lbs
TOTAL: $19.92

Grand Total: $29.61
Total for the year: $1073.65

Lodge Cast Iron Breakfast

2011-09-24T17:25:00.000-07:00

It might look sorta hideous -- the lighting is bizarre, but it sure tasted good.

I've read on a few sites that the authors'll cook just about everything in their cast iron but eggs. That's not what I wanted to hear. I look forward to having a cast iron skillet so seasoned that even eggs slip around in it because that'll mean I can get rid of my non-stick skillets. The place where the magic happens is tight on space with the recent cast iron acquisitions: enameled Dutch oven and skillet.

To get an idea of how well seasoned a seasoned-by-the-manufacturer seasoning is, I fired up the Lodge skillet and cooked some breakfast.

First, bacon to give me some and the skillet some natural lube.

Once cooked to my desire, I scooped out most of the fat and broke a couple of eggs into the skillet.

Once they looked about ready to flip, I flipped them (they sorta stuck a little) and added a mashed potato patty -- yep, just a patty formed from Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes.

When I thought it looked ready to flip, I flipped it and wished I had used a metal spatula to keep the brown stuck to the patty.

After it had crisped a little, the patty was plated and I scootched a spatula around the skillet. The crusties immediately came loose.

I am so close to telling this skillet I love it.

Sprouts San Francisco Style Sourdough Bread

2011-09-24T17:16:00.000-07:00

This is the most sour sourdough I've ever had. To my recollection I've never had a real San Franciscan (or is it San Francisco-an?) sourdough. Is it crazy sour?

Ingredients: unbleached enriched wheat flour (niacin, reduced iron, thiamine monotritrate, riboflavin, folic acid), water, sourdough sponge (a natural yeast), sea salt, vital wheat gluten.

**allergen notice: this was baked in a facility that processes tree nuts, soy, dairy and wheat.

A 1.5 lb loaf available at Sprouts for $3.99.

Fried Chicken Salad

2011-09-24T00:24:00.000-07:00

Romaine and iceberg lettuce mix topped with corn cut from an oven-roasted ear of corn-on-the-cob, shredded pepperjack cheese, black beans, and the last of the Fried Chicken breast makes dinner.

I was going for a Jack in the Box Southwestern Chicken Salad sort of thing, but it didn't quite make it. Italian dressing instead of a southwestern ranch killed it. Still a tasty salad.

Cost of Take-Out Lunch, Week Ending 092311

2011-09-21T20:51:00.001-07:00

Monday: Sango Sushi Combo A: on a coworker
Tuesday: NY Upper Crust Pizza's 2-slice combo, two of 'em: $13.47
Wednesday: Wendy's QP Single w/ Cheese combo: $6
Thursday: Baja Fish Tacos Baja Bowl, on a coworker
Friday: King's Fish House Calamari, fries and Northwest veggies: $21.64 including toke

Total: $41.11
Total for the year: $1391.41

Fried Chicken on Mashed Potato Soup

2011-09-19T23:28:00.000-07:00

I warmed up part of a Fried Chicken breast in the microwave. While a bowl of leftover Mashed Potato Soup with Roasted Garlic took it's turn in the microwave, I sliced up the chicken into thin strips.

While ok, I should've diced the chicken instead of wrestling with the bigger slices. The rest of the chicken is going into salads with soup on the side.

Mashed Potato Soup with Roasted Garlic

2011-09-18T17:08:00.000-07:00

When I made the mashed potatoes yesterday, I knew there was going to be a lot left over. Normally I'd go ahead and reheat the potatoes and eat them on the side of the fried chicken. This time though, I had a plan to reinvent my leftover potatoes into a new dish. I'm quite proud of this as it is so outside-the-box for me. If you have a small household and tend to cook a boatload of mashed potatoes because cooking a small quantity will take about the same amount of time like I do, you might dig this.

Mashed Potato Soup with Roasted Garlic

adapted from Epicurious

click to print

2 tbsp unsalted butter

1/2 c minced onion

1 small rib of celery including the leaves, chopped fine
1 carrot, grated coarse

4 garlic bulbs, roasted

2 c chicken stock (from Better Than Bouillon)
1/4 tsp dried rosemary, crushed in a mortar and pestle
2 c mashed potatoes
1 tsp white-wine vinegar

green onion, for garnish if desired

Melt butter in a large saucepan. Cook the onion, celery, and carrot in the butter
over moderately low heat, stirring, until the vegetables are tender.

Meanwhile squeeze roasted garlic into a bowl and mash.

Stir the garlic into the tender vegetables.

This was a lot pastier than I had anticipated it would be; stirring the garlic into the onions, celery and carrots didn't happen so much as sticking them to the garlic ball.

Stir in the stock and the rosemary; bring the mixture to a boil.

Whisk in the potatoes, a little at a time.

Bring the soup to a boil while whisking, and stir in the vinegar, and salt and pepper to taste.

Dish into serving bowls and garnish with green onions if desired.

If you had the foresight, a salad would've gone well with this soup. But the soup? Oh yeah, really good. So good, I was sort of kicking myself for not using all of the remaining mashed potatoes by doubling this recipe. Had I doubled it, I would've been able to report later on how well the soup freezes. That'll happen another time.

The soup was thick and just a little chunky with vegetables, which I liked very much. The garlic was more than an essence and fairly prominent, so keep that in mind if you aren't a garlic fanatic. If you prefer a thinner soup, simply use more stock. The chunkiness, if you aren't into that, could be overcome by transferring the soup into a blender or simply blending in the pot with one of those hand-held blenders I don't have (but seriously considered when I was at Costco not too long ago).

Overall, I was surprised by how satisfying the results were. Definitely going to do this again.

Cost:

butter: $0.07
onion: $0.25
celery: $0.17
carrot: $0.15
roasted garlic: $1.50
chicken stock: $0.26
mashed potatoes: $0.96
green onion, for garnish if desired: $0.30

Total: $3.66 or $0.92 for each of four generous servings.

Mortar and Pestle

2011-09-18T16:30:00.000-07:00

I picked this mortar and pestle up from 2000 Plus Restaurant Equipment a couple months ago. I wandered into the store simply because I was near and it was open. When I saw this, I grabbed it. It's heavy porcelain, all slick and shiny, except for the mortar interior and heavy end of the pestle where all of the grinding action happens. That part's gritty.

Just over 4" across, the mortar isn't too large or too tiny. I'm excited about using it to grind up some dried rosemary. I've missed having a mortar and pestle since my last pestle died a humpty-dumpty death by throwing itself from the countertop.

Available at 2000 Plus Restaurant Equipment, where they'll wrap it in newsprint (hooray for reusing!), for $8.64 out the door.

Roasted Garlic

2011-09-18T16:25:00.000-07:00

I first learned that I loved roasted garlic when I made that Roasted Potatoes and Green Beans recipe. Following that up with Roasted Garlic and New Potatoes confirmed the love. Getting ready to make some potato soup, a sudden realization came on: the soup should have roasted garlic. And thus I go forth.

Roasted Garlic

adapted from Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone by Deborah Madison

click to print

4 garlic bulbs, halved

olive oil

salt

fresh ground pepper

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Rub the garlic bulbs to loosen the outermost papers, leaving the cloves encased in paper.

The bulbs before papery skins removed.

Halve the bulbs. Place the bulb halves on a baking sheet.

Drizzle the bulbs with oil and season to taste with salt and pepper, tossing to coat.

Cover with foil and bake the garlic for 45 minutes. Remove the foil.

Bake another 30 minutes until garlic is completely soft.

Man, the aroma of garlic roasting is mind-boggling as you can smell the hotness become sweet. The soft cloves are so butter-like in texture that it was nearly impossible to stop myself from smearing them on toast and consuming all four bulbs while standing there in the kitchen. Oh hey, that's how I polished off those previously-mentioned potatoes and green beans -- standing in my kitchen! Yep, roasted garlic is simply dreamy.

Cost:

garlic: $1.50

Here's an excerpt about garlic "Use in cooking" from my Larousse Gastronomique:

The bulbs must be thoroughly dry. They can be stored in a cold place (from -0.5 C to +1 C, 31-34 F) or at a moderate temperature (18 C, 64 F), either laid out flat or hanging in bunches to improve aeration. If spots appear on them or the cloves become soft, the garlic is no longer usable. Generally speaking, white garlic keeps for about six months, pink garlic for nearly a year.

Add garlic at the end of the cooking time, as it introduces a bitter flavour if fried for too long.

I used to buy containers of minced garlic, which is offered at a really great price and keeps for a very long time in the fridge. But I've come to appreciate smashing the cloves with the flat side of my santoku knife* and have satisfaction in finding the paper coming off with great ease. Mincing the whole cloves forces me to execute knife skills which I could always practice for improvement. Anyway, I was just going to tell you that I keep my bulbs in a bowl in the dark of my pantry at room temperature but until now didn't know how to tell when it was bad. I simply guessed that if it was a month or two old it was "too" old. How do you keep yours and how long do you keep it?

*Place flat edge of wide knife on clove. While holding knife steady, bring heel of your other hand down forcefully on knife, flattening clove slightly and breaking the garlic skin. The skin should peel off in it's entirety with ease. I'm right-handed and tend to hold the knife in my left and smashing with my right -- if that helps.

Lodge Skillet Cleaned After First Use, Frying Chicken

2011-09-18T14:35:00.000-07:00

Before going to bed last night I drained the oil left in the Lodge skillet from frying some chicken. And I realized that I still need to buy a funnel specifically to drain oil from skillets.

While the garlic roasted I decided the skillet should really be cleaned.

So I followed the Lodge directions, for the most-part. I don't have a brush except the hard-core steel-bristled one, which I worried might do away with the manufacturer seasoning so used a Pampered Chef spatula to just scrape away the chunkies and majority of fat under hot tap water.

The skillet was placed on the stove-top and heated gently to cook off some of the water and wiped with paper towel.

As the skillet was still pretty slick with residual chicken grease and shortening, I didn't wipe it down with additional oil. Look at this beauty.

I am wondering if the steel-bristled brush was why I had to keep season my other skillets every single time. Was it scrubbing away the seasoning? Further experiments will be administered. I'll keep you posted.

Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes

2011-09-17T19:00:00.000-07:00

Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes

from Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone by Deborah Madison

click to print

3 lbs Yukon Gold potatoes, scrubbed

4-8 tbsp butter

1 c buttermilk, warmed

salt

fresh ground pepper

Place the whole potatoes in a large saucepan, cover with cold water, add 2 teaspoons (or more) salt, and boil until tender, 15-30 minutes, depending on the size of the potatoes.

Drain the potatoes once fork tender and add butter.

I peeled some of the loose skin from the potatoes with my fingers, but didn't make any attempt toward peeling off all of the skin.

Mash the potatoes and butter with a masher (or a hand mixer, food mill or ricer, though if you use a hand mixer please don't do it in your non-stick teflon-coated pan. That black non-stick will come off in a hurry and will wind up in your potatoes. Gross.)

Gradually mash in the warm buttermilk until the potatoes are smooth, moist, and fluffy.

Season with salt and pepper before serving.

Straightforward recipe and tasty. Buttermilk mashed potatoes have a little bit of a twang not normally tasted in mashed potatoes and I liked it. Definitely going to use buttermilk with potatoes again. Next time I'll use more than 4 tbsp of butter. Mashed potatoes should be buttery and these were slim there.

This container of buttermilk? None wasted!!

Cost:

potatoes: $2.07
butter: $0.15
buttermilk: $0.68

Total: $2.90 or about $0.48 for each of six 1-cup servings.