tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65298840096126230622023-06-20T21:30:52.195-07:00Joy of Cooking (In a Dorm)Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00532170541942673575noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6529884009612623062.post-89600407477774541482011-03-28T05:39:00.001-07:002011-03-28T05:39:27.460-07:00Chocolate Mousse<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style>
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<div class="MsoNormal">I don’t know what do to this time, so why not chocolate mousse?</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Here’s a tip for this: use an electric mixer. It can be one of those little hand mixers, I think you can get one from Target or Walmart for $20 or so. It’s a very useful tool to have.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Me, I’m going to my boyfriend’s house and borrowing his mom’s nice stand mixer. I’ve been craving a KitchenAid for years, but borrowing one is good too.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">When I made this, I actually spilled half of it on the floor. Disappointing. But the other half turned out great!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><u>Chocolate Mousse</u></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Ingredients</b></div><div class="MsoNormal">6 oz semisweet chocolate</div><div class="MsoNormal">3 tbsp unsalted butter</div><div class="MsoNormal">1 tsp vanilla</div><div class="MsoNormal">3 large eggs, separated (that means separate the yolks from the whites. For the best way to do this, see the notes)</div><div class="MsoNormal">¼ cup plus 3 tbsp sugar</div><div class="MsoNormal">¼ tsp cream of tartar</div><div class="MsoNormal">½ cup heavy cream</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">In a <b>double boiler</b> or a heatproof bowl over a pot of boiling water, combine the chocolate, butter, vanilla, and 2 tablespoons of water. Stir with a <b>wooden spoon</b> until chocolate is melted. Remove the bowl from the heat and set it aside.</div><div class="MsoNormal">In a second <b>heatproof bowl</b> over boiling water, combine the yolks of the eggs, 3 tablespoons of water, and 3 tablespoons of sugar. Whisk constantly until thick and puffy.</div><div class="MsoNormal">Add the egg mixture into the chocolate mixture, and whisk to combine.</div><div class="MsoNormal">As this cools to room temperature, beat the egg whites using an <b>electric mixer</b>. </div><div class="MsoNormal">When the egg whites are foamy, add the cream of tartar and continue beating until soft peaks form. This means when you lift the beater out, a peak will form but the tip will fall over.</div><div class="MsoNormal">Gradually beat in the ¼ cup of sugar. If you add it all at once, it will fly out of the bowl and make a mess, so add a bit at a time. Beat until you have stiff peaks—that means the tips don’t fall over anymore.</div><div class="MsoNormal">Add ¼ of the egg white mixture to the chocolate mixture and stir thoroughly. Then add the rest of the egg whites, but fold them in. This means stir very gently, ideally with a <b>spatula</b>, the very minimum amount you can for the two mixtures to be combined.</div><div class="MsoNormal">Using the mixer, beat the cream until you have soft peaks. If you’re using the same bowl as you did for the egg whites, thoroughly wash it first.</div><div class="MsoNormal">Fold the cream into the chocolate mixture.</div><div class="MsoNormal">Refrigerate for at least four hours before eating.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Notes:</div><div class="MsoNormal">The best and easiest way to separate eggs is to do them one at a time. You should have three bowls. Let’s call them A, B, and C.<span> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal">Gently crack the shell of the first egg. You want two neat halves, not a shattered mess. Pour the white into bowl A. Carefully pour the yolk between the two shell halves, letting some of the white fall between them into the bowl. It’s easy enough if you go slowly.</div><div class="MsoNormal">Dump the yolk into bowl B and pour the white into bowl C. Repeat with each egg.</div><div class="MsoNormal">The use of the third bowl as the workspace is so that if you mess up one egg, you can throw it out and not ruin everything. A tiny bit of fat in the egg whites will ruin this.</div><div class="MsoNormal">For those of you concerned about using raw eggs, don’t be. You are cooking the egg yolks just enough to lose any risk. Also, the egg whites do not contain any bacteria. </div>Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00532170541942673575noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6529884009612623062.post-87701790652501374542011-03-21T05:40:00.001-07:002011-03-21T05:40:36.198-07:00Roasted Garlic Soup<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style>
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<div class="MsoNormal">This week, my wisdom teeth come out.</div><div class="MsoNormal">I need soup. It’s all I can eat.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><u>Roasted Garlic Soup</u></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Ingredients</b></div><div class="MsoNormal">6 heads of garlic</div><div class="MsoNormal">2 tbsp olive oil</div><div class="MsoNormal">3 14oz cans chicken broth</div><div class="MsoNormal">3 slices white bread, crusts removed, torn into small pieces</div><div class="MsoNormal">¼ tsp salt</div><div class="MsoNormal">¼ tsp paprika or red pepper</div><div class="MsoNormal">Black pepper to taste</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Preheat <b>oven</b> to 325.</div><div class="MsoNormal">Do not peel the garlic, but cut off the top—the pointy bit where the outer skins meet. This exposes the cloves inside.</div><div class="MsoNormal">Put the garlic in a <b>baking pan</b>--one large enough to hold all 6 heads and has deep sides. Add water to the pan to come up to 1/3 the level of the garlic heads. Drizzle the olive oil over the top.</div><div class="MsoNormal">Place the pan in the oven and bake for one hour until soft and tender. </div><div class="MsoNormal">Set it aside until it is cool enough to handle, but not cold. </div><div class="MsoNormal">Pull each clove out from the skins and put them in a <b>bowl</b>. Check them as you’re doing this and make sure none of them are rotting. If some are, just throw out that one clove, not the whole head. Mash them together with a <b>fork</b>. They should be very soft and you should have no trouble mashing them</div><div class="MsoNormal">In a large <b>saucepan</b>, pour in the chicken broth. Add the mashed garlic. Using a <b>whisk</b> or a <b>wooden spoon</b>, stir everything together.</div><div class="MsoNormal">Put the pan over medium heat and bring the mixture to a simmer.</div><div class="MsoNormal">Add the rest of the ingredients, mix them together, and let it simmer for another 5 minutes before serving.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Notes:</div><div class="MsoNormal">To be honest, this isn’t the best recipe in <i>Joy of Cooking</i>. It’s very garlicky. If you love garlic, that’s great for you! </div><div class="MsoNormal">If you feel the soup needs more bulk, add some chopped cooked chicken into the broth.</div><div class="MsoNormal">Also, be warned that excess garlic can cause intestinal distress. Even if you think you really love garlic and you can handle it, this is a <i>lot</i>. So just be warned.</div>Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00532170541942673575noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6529884009612623062.post-58554911992876889112011-03-14T15:38:00.001-07:002011-03-14T15:38:58.548-07:00Shepherd's Pie<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style>
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<div class="MsoNormal">St Patrick’s Day is this week. I’m not Irish but a lot of people who live around here are.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">So, something Irish I guess. I don’t even <i>like</i> Irish food really, so I guess this’ll be a good challenge to create something that I like. And that’s still easy enough for all my loyal if nonexistent readers to create.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><u>Shepherd’s Pie</u></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The biggest hurdle for me is that to make a true shepherd’s pie, it needs to be made with lamb. I can’t eat lamb, but substituting ground beef as I plan to do makes this something called ‘cottage pie’.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">So I’ll tell you to use lamb. But you can substitute ground beef if you want.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Ingredients</b></div><div class="MsoNormal">1 package instant mashed potatoes</div><div class="MsoNormal">3 tbsp vegetable oil</div><div class="MsoNormal">1 medium onion</div><div class="MsoNormal">1 carrot </div><div class="MsoNormal">1 celery stalk</div><div class="MsoNormal">1 lb raw ground lamb</div><div class="MsoNormal">1 tbsp flour</div><div class="MsoNormal">¾ cup beef broth</div><div class="MsoNormal">½ tsp thyme</div><div class="MsoNormal">½ tsp rosemary</div><div class="MsoNormal">2 tbsp butter</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Make the mashed potatoes according to the package directions.</div><div class="MsoNormal">Preheat <b>oven</b> to 400. </div><div class="MsoNormal">Chop the onion, carrot, and celery into small chunks. Place the pieces in a <b>skillet</b> with the vegetable oil. Cook over medium low heat until the vegetables just start to get tender.</div><div class="MsoNormal">Add the lamb and increase the heat to medium. Break up the lamb with a <b>spoon</b> and cook until it is no longer pink.</div><div class="MsoNormal">Add the flour and cook, stirring, for about two minutes. Add the broth, thyme, and rosemary, and cook on low heat for another ten minutes. The mixture should thicken as it cooks.</div><div class="MsoNormal">Transfer the mixture into a greased <b>baking dish</b> or <b>pie plate</b>. The size or material of this dish doesn’t matter, just make sure it’s oven safe.</div><div class="MsoNormal">Spread the prepared mashes potatoes over the top of the mixture.</div><div class="MsoNormal">Cut the butter into small pieces and spread over the top of the potatoes.</div><div class="MsoNormal">Bake in the oven about 30 minutes, until the potatoes are browned. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Notes:</div><div class="MsoNormal">You can use whatever vegetables you like in this. Mike swears corn is one of the essential ingredients, I personally think it would taste odd. </div><div class="MsoNormal">All that’s really required for this dish is a layer of meat, a layer of vegetables, and a layer of potatoes. Whatever you want will work fine.</div>Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00532170541942673575noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6529884009612623062.post-79439437453650246602011-03-07T15:20:00.001-08:002011-03-07T15:20:40.365-08:00Chocolate Sheet Cake<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style>
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<div class="MsoNormal">Maybe I should make a cake. Yummy cake.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Point of interest, Mike made me a cake for Valentine’s Day. Brownie batter baked in a graham cracker pie crust and marshmallows on top. So delicious. If only it was in the book so I could give you the full recipe.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Today’s cake will be <u>Chocolate Sheet Cake</u> with <u>Quick Chocolate Butter Ice Cream</u></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">So, I now have some financial troubles. Lost out on a job opportunity. I need to be frugal about what I’m buying for these recipes. So therefore, I’m going to let you know how much everything cost, so if you’re budgeting, you can do the same.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Ingredients</b></div><div class="MsoNormal">For cake:</div><div class="MsoNormal">2 c sugar (I already had this—all ingredients I didn’t have to get will be marked with *)</div><div class="MsoNormal">2 c flour (*)</div><div class="MsoNormal">1 tsp baking soda (*)</div><div class="MsoNormal">½ tsp salt (*)</div><div class="MsoNormal">½ c vegetable oil (*)</div><div class="MsoNormal">½ c unsalted butter ($4.70)</div><div class="MsoNormal">½ c unsweetened cocoa powder (hot chocolate mix works for this) (*)</div><div class="MsoNormal">2 eggs ($1.30)</div><div class="MsoNormal">½ c buttermilk (or ½ c milk—not skim! Needs some fat—and ½ tbsp white vinegar) ($0.90 for the vinegar, stole the milk from the dining commons on campus)</div><div class="MsoNormal">1 tsp vanilla (*)</div><div class="MsoNormal">For frosting:</div><div class="MsoNormal">3 oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped ($2.80)</div><div class="MsoNormal">3 oz unsalted butter (unsalted is important here. it’s a little more expensive, but not too much.) </div><div class="MsoNormal">¼ c hot coffee, cream, or milk (*)</div><div class="MsoNormal">1 tsp vanilla </div><div class="MsoNormal">1-2 c powdered sugar (*)</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">To make the cake:</div><div class="MsoNormal">Preheat <b>oven</b> to 375. Grease a <b>13x9 in pan</b> (a glass one is good to have but you can get a disposable one at any grocery store for cheaper). </div><div class="MsoNormal">If you did not get buttermilk, at this point you should mix together the milk and vinegar. Let it sit out in room temperature.</div><div class="MsoNormal">In a large <b>bowl</b>, mix together the sugar, flour, baking soda, and salt.</div><div class="MsoNormal">In a <b>saucepan</b> over medium heat, mix 1 cup of water with the oil, butter, and cocoa powder. Bring this mixture to a boil, stirring constantly, and then pour over the dry ingredients in the bowl. Stir everything together, and let cool for a few minutes.</div><div class="MsoNormal">Then add in the eggs, buttermilk or milk/vinegar mixture, and vanilla. Mix well.</div><div class="MsoNormal">Pour it into the pan and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick or knife can be inserted into the center and come out clean.</div><div class="MsoNormal">Let cool completely before adding frosting.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">To make the frosting:</div><div class="MsoNormal">Melt in a <b>double boiler</b> (if you have one of these, you’re lucky, but if not, use a heatproof bowl over a pot of boiling water) the chocolate and the butter.</div><div class="MsoNormal">Remove from the heat and stir in the coffee/cream/milk (whichever you used) and the vanilla.</div><div class="MsoNormal">Gradually add in the powdered sugar and beat until it’s smooth and spreadable.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Notes:</div><div class="MsoNormal">This cake can also be made in two 8-inch round cake pans. That’s how I did it, and I used the frosting as a filling between the two layers, since it didn’t really make that much. If you want to use that frosting to cover an entire sheet cake, double the recipe, maybe triple it if you like lots of frosting.</div>Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00532170541942673575noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6529884009612623062.post-67384733281016551562011-02-28T14:33:00.001-08:002011-02-28T14:33:46.411-08:00Breaded Pork Chops, Lima Beans, & Fettucine Alfredo<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style>
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<div class="MsoNormal">So I want to do another bacon recipe for Mike.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">But the only bacon recipe left? <u>BLT</u>. And no, I’m not bothering with that. If you don’t know how to make that, you fail.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">So I’m gonna do a recipe for myself. My birthday’s this week anyways. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I should make a cake, but my birthday’s Wednesday which means I can spread out the cooking to two weekends. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I do have a traditional birthday dinner. Shake and Bake porkchops, lima beans, and angel hair pasta with alfredo sauce. I’ve liked this since I can remember. Weird, right? What little kid likes pork chops?</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Anyways, I’m going to do what I can from this.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><u>Breaded Pork Chops</u></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Joy of Cooking really says this for the recipe: Prepare <u>Breaded Veal Cutlets</u>, substituting pork chops.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">So I’m going to do the whole substitution for you! ooh. ahh.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Ingredients</b></div><div class="MsoNormal">4 pork loin chops</div><div class="MsoNormal">½ c flour</div><div class="MsoNormal">2 c bread crumbs (if you can use fresh, go for it. But that’s so much bread it is actually worth it to buy canned crumbs.)</div><div class="MsoNormal">2 eggs</div><div class="MsoNormal">1 tbsp milk</div><div class="MsoNormal">3 tbsp vegetable oil</div><div class="MsoNormal">Salt and pepper</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Season the pork chops with salt and pepper. </div><div class="MsoNormal">Spread the flour on a <b>plate</b>, and the bread crumbs on another <b>plate</b>.</div><div class="MsoNormal">Beat the eggs and the milk together in a <b>bowl</b>. </div><div class="MsoNormal">Heat the oil in a <b>skillet</b> over medium-high heat.</div><div class="MsoNormal">One or two at a time, as many will fit in the skillet at once, prepare the pork chops. Coat them in the flour first, then dip in the egg/milk mixture, and then coat with the bread crumbs. Cook in the skillet for 3 to 4 minutes each side, until brown and crunchy.</div><div class="MsoNormal">Drain on paper towels before serving.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><u>Lima Beans</u></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Okay, I doubt you’ll find fresh lima beans and actually want to take the time to cook them, so here’s a way different recipe.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Ingredients</b></div><div class="MsoNormal">1 package frozen lima beans (as much as you want)</div><div class="MsoNormal">2 tbsp butter</div><div class="MsoNormal">1 tbsp lemon juice</div><div class="MsoNormal">1 tsp dried parsley.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Thaw the lima beans by microwaving them in a <b>bowl</b> with some water.</div><div class="MsoNormal">Stir in the butter, lemon juice, and parsley until the butter has melted.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Note: if you don’t like the taste of lemon too much, use less juice. That much is only a suggestion here.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><u>Fettuccine Alfredo</u></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Because angel hair pasta is traditional for me, that’s what I’ll be using. You can substitute whatever pasta you want.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Ingredients</b></div><div class="MsoNormal">1 pound angel hair pasta</div><div class="MsoNormal">½ c butter</div><div class="MsoNormal">1 c heavy cream</div><div class="MsoNormal">1 c grated Parmesan cheese</div><div class="MsoNormal">Salt and pepper</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Cook the pasta in a large <b>pot</b> of boiling water (4-6 quarts, with a pinch of salt to keep the pasta from sticking) until it is tender. The pasta package will give you guidelines on the time.</div><div class="MsoNormal">Meanwhile, in a <b>skillet</b>, melt the butter over medium heat. When the pasta is done, drain it and add it to the skillet—or add the butter to the pasta if your skillet isn’t big enough.</div><div class="MsoNormal">Add the cream, Parmesan, and salt and pepper. Toss it all together over low heat.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Notes: When I made this, I accidentally added only ½ cup of cream and ¾ cup of Parmesan. It was still delicious, just with a more subtle flavor. Try this if you’re on a diet and want lower fat in this dish. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">also, is anyone reading this? Please comment if you are, I'm feeling invisible here. </div>Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00532170541942673575noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6529884009612623062.post-28315365329259413982011-02-21T14:15:00.001-08:002011-02-21T14:15:16.513-08:00Sauteed Apples With Bacon<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style>
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<div class="MsoNormal">This week, my boyfriend and I will be celebrating our anniversary. I chose this week’s recipe in his honor.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">He likes bacon.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">There are few recipes for bacon, most of the bacon entries are different methods of cooking it. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">So I’m going to go with <u>Sautéed Apples With Bacon</u>. This sounds so weird, but it’s really really good. It’s best as a breakfast dish or a snack.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Ingredients</b></div><div class="MsoNormal">4 large apples</div><div class="MsoNormal">8 slices bacon (make sure they’re raw, not just cooked bacon you steal from the cafeteria)</div><div class="MsoNormal">2 to 4 tbsp sugar</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Peel and core the apples, then cut them into ¾ inch wedges.</div><div class="MsoNormal">Cook the bacon in a <b>skillet</b> over medium heat until brown and crispy.</div><div class="MsoNormal">Remove the bacon to a <b>plate</b> lined with paper towels. Pour all but 2-3 tablespoons of the grease out of the skillet.</div><div class="MsoNormal">Add the apples to the bacon grease, putting the skillet back over medium heat. Cook the apples until they start to get tender and slightly brown.</div><div class="MsoNormal">Sprinkle the apples with sugar, and arrange them on the plate with the bacon.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Notes:</div><div class="MsoNormal">Make sure your apples are firm-fleshed. Granny Smiths are always good. My favorite is Golden Delicious, they’re a bit sweeter.</div>Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00532170541942673575noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6529884009612623062.post-577796312319998462011-02-14T09:51:00.000-08:002011-02-14T09:51:26.250-08:00Spicy Maple-Roasted Quail<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style>
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<div class="MsoNormal">So, it’s Valentine’s Day today. That means one more recipe from the Valentine’s list.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><u>Spicy Maple-Roasted Quail</u></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">This serves 4-8 people. You can half it to serve less, or plan on having leftovers.</div><div class="MsoNormal">And we’re not using quail. Chicken’s way cheaper. If you can afford to buy 8 quails, go ahead, but I’m assuming you’re not doing that.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Ingredients</b></div><div class="MsoNormal">One whole chicken (about 4.5-5 pounds) or 8-10 chicken breasts (these can be boneless if you prefer to do less preparation) or 2 Cornish game hens</div><div class="MsoNormal">¼ cup maple syrup (“maple flavor” will work. Just won’t taste good.)</div><div class="MsoNormal">¼ cup soy sauce</div><div class="MsoNormal">2 tbsp red wine vinegar</div><div class="MsoNormal">2 tbsp chili-garlic paste (if you can find it, that’s sometimes hard—to make some yourself, mix 2 tbsp tomato paste, 1 tsp Tabasco, and 1 tsp garlic powder)</div><div class="MsoNormal">8 cloves garlic, chopped finely (a clove is not the whole thing. A clove is one of the little bits inside. One head of garlic will easily have 8 cloves. If you’re unsure, Google it.)</div><div class="MsoNormal">¼ tsp cinnamon</div><div class="MsoNormal">¼ tsp pepper </div><div class="MsoNormal">Salt and pepper to taste</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">If you have a whole bird, remove the innards. Giblets (if there are any) will be in a bag you can just pull out. Pop out the kidneys—they are just at the opening in the back, and you should easily be able to just pop them out.</div><div class="MsoNormal">Sprinkle the chicken with the salt and pepper.</div><div class="MsoNormal">Combine in a <b>bowl</b> the syrup, soy sauce, vinegar, paste, garlic, cinnamon, and pepper. Place the chicken in this mixture and coat it. </div><div class="MsoNormal">Marinate the chicken in the mixture for 4-8 hours in the <b>refrigerator</b>.</div><div class="MsoNormal">Preheat the <b>oven</b> to 475°.</div><div class="MsoNormal">Drain the chicken, but keep the extra marinade. Place the chicken in a <b>casserole dish</b> or <b>roasting pan</b>. Lacking either of those, you can form some aluminum foil into a makeshift one. You just want it to be in a large pan with deep sides.</div><div class="MsoNormal">Roast in the oven for 10 minutes, and then lower the temperature to 400°. </div><div class="MsoNormal">Roast for a little over an hour (65 minutes plus 10 minutes per every pound over 3.5), or until you cut into the chicken and the flesh is white. As it’s roasting, you’ll want to baste it twice—pour some of the extra marinade over the chicken.</div><div class="MsoNormal">Remove from oven, cover loosely with aluminum foil, and let sit 5 minutes before serving. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Note: this could turn out really tender. When I made it, the bones literally just slid out of the meat. (very nice, as I hate eating meat off the bone.) </div><div class="MsoNormal">Your roasting time will vary based on what kind of meat you have. Best idea, Google it if you’re unsure.</div>Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00532170541942673575noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6529884009612623062.post-85782237886585978922011-02-07T13:32:00.001-08:002011-02-07T13:32:22.666-08:00Dipped Chocolate Truffles<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style>
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<div class="MsoNormal">What’s the one thing every girl wants on Valentine’s Day? Flowers and chocolate.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">This isn’t Joy of Gardening, so you’re on your own with the flowers. But I can help you make some kick-ass chocolates.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><u>Dipped Chocolate Truffles</u></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">This recipe will, again, be combining two recipes. The other recipe is <u>Microwave Chocolate Truffle Centers</u>.</div><div class="MsoNormal">Also, this recipe makes over 50 pieces of chocolate. Feel free to half it if that’s too much.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Ingredients</b></div><div class="MsoNormal">1 pound plus 10 oz bittersweet or semisweet chocolate (don’t buy a chocolate bar, get this from the baking aisle of the grocery store. Each square of that chocolate is exactly 1 oz, so it’s easy to measure)</div><div class="MsoNormal">¾ cup heavy cream</div><div class="MsoNormal">¼ unsalted butter </div><div class="MsoNormal">~1 cup powdered sugar</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Chop 10 oz of the chocolate and put them in a microwavable <b>bowl</b> with the cream.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Microwave</b> the mixture in 30 second increments, stirring between, until completely smooth.</div><div class="MsoNormal">Add in the butter and stir until completely melted.</div><div class="MsoNormal">Cool it to room temperature, then move it to the <b>fridge</b> for 3-4 hours, until it is cold to the touch.</div><div class="MsoNormal">Cover a <b>baking sheet</b> with wax paper or parchment paper. </div><div class="MsoNormal">Remove the chocolate from the fridge and roll it into ¾ inch balls. If it is too cold to be malleable, let it heat to room temperature. Use the powdered sugar to coat each ball before rolling to prevent your hands from being covered in chocolate.</div><div class="MsoNormal">Cover the sheet loosely with plastic wrap and set it in the <b>freezer</b> as you make the coating.</div><div class="MsoNormal">Melt the other pound of chocolate in a <b>double boiler</b> (you can make one of these with a metal bowl over a pot of boiling water). While it’s still hot, take the centers from the freezer. If you have multiple batches, only take one batch from the freezer at a time.</div><div class="MsoNormal">Dip the centers into the melted chocolate using a <b>fork</b> and set them aside to cool. Ideally, you want them on a <b>mesh rack</b> so the excess chocolate can drip off, but they’ll taste just as if you cool them on parchment or wax paper. They just won’t be as pretty.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Do not use paper towels</b>. The paper will tear and stick to the chocolate.</div><div class="MsoNormal">When all the chocolates are coated, move them back to the baking sheets and put them in the fridge for another 20 minutes so they set. </div><div class="MsoNormal">These can be stored in an airtight container separated by wax or parchment paper. In the fridge for 3 weeks or the freezer for 2 months, but you’re probably going to give them to your significant other right away, so don’t worry about that.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Notes: this is a difficult recipe. Making chocolate usually is. But I promise you it’ll taste delicious no matter what, your main difficulties will only be with making it look nice. Just be patient with it and if something isn’t working quite right, try your best to fix it.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div>Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00532170541942673575noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6529884009612623062.post-8088809100273408302011-01-31T09:54:00.000-08:002011-01-31T10:06:47.650-08:00Asparagus with Hazelnuts and Orange & Roast Beef with Mushroom Wine Sauce<div class="MsoNormal">So, Valentine’s Day is coming up in a little less than a month. This time of year is romantic for me, because a week after V-Day is my anniversary with my boyfriend. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">So for a few weeks now, I’ll be posting the ‘romantic’ recipes—what’s indexed under Valentine’s Day, for example.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The first one on the list, sure I’ll cover that.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><u>Oysters on the Half-Shell</u></div><div class="MsoNormal"><u><span style="text-decoration: none;"><br />
</span></u></div><div class="MsoNormal">Don’t do it.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I’m serious, don’t even try this one. Yeah, oysters are an aphrodisiac (according to urban legend) but raw oysters are a health risk. It’s possible to chemically cook them with enough acid, but this recipe is literally crack open oysters, serve on half-shell. I won’t help you get poisoned from raw oysters.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">So I’ll give you a better recipe instead.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><u>Asparagus with Hazelnut and Orange</u></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Asparagus doesn’t sound too tasty, I’ll admit, but it is surprisingly good. And this recipe will be good to make for your significant other if they’re vegetarian or a health nut. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Ingredients:</b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">1 lb frozen asparagus</div><div class="MsoNormal">2 tbsp butter</div><div class="MsoNormal">¼ cup hazelnuts (a little hard to find in some stores, so walnuts or almonds will be an acceptable substitute)</div><div class="MsoNormal">1 orange</div><div class="MsoNormal">Salt and black pepper</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Preheat <b>oven</b> to 325°. Cover a rack with tin foil and spread hazelnuts on it. Cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring every so often so they don’t burn.</div><div class="MsoNormal">At the same time, thaw the asparagus. You can use a <b>microwave</b>, or place the frozen sealed bag in a <b>bowl</b> of room-temperature water.</div><div class="MsoNormal">Put a large <b>skillet</b> over medium heat. Cut the orange in half and squeeze as much juice as you can out of it directly into the skillet. If you suck at squeezing, squeeze both halves. Add the butter and hazelnuts. Cook everything together until the butter is completely melted and slightly brown.</div><div class="MsoNormal">Add the asparagus, and cook it all together until the asparagus is heated through. Stir it or toss it to make sure everything’s warm.</div><div class="MsoNormal">Add salt and pepper to taste.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Notes:</div><div class="MsoNormal">This can get cold pretty fast, so it’s best served right away.</div><div class="MsoNormal">Some frozen asparagus comes in steamer bags. For these, just follow the directions on the bag and it’ll turn out perfect.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Be warned: asparagus will make your pee so noxious, unless you’re one of those lucky people whose body’s a little different. If you’re part of one of those couples still embarrassed to even fart in front of each other, I’d skip this one.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Or, if asparagus just isn’t your taste, keep reading.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Yeah, this is a long one this week. I managed to get a lot done—don’t expect this every week.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><u>Roasted Beef Tenderloin</u></div><div class="MsoNormal"><u><span style="text-decoration: none;"><br />
</span></u></div><div class="MsoNormal">There is not a cheap and easy way to roast beef. There is a cheap and easy way to have it, though.</div><div class="MsoNormal">Go to your local grocery store’s deli and buy some. There is no way that they don’t have some type of roast beef, trust me.</div><div class="MsoNormal">Get however much you can eat. You don’t have to use it all in one dish.</div><div class="MsoNormal">If you’re going to use the sauce I’m giving in the second recipe, try and buy the beef without any sort of marinade. The flavor may not mix well with the sauce. </div><div class="MsoNormal">If all they have is sliced, it’s fine. It’s not the best, but it’ll do. If you can buy it unsliced, that’ll be better.</div><div class="MsoNormal">When you bring this back to your dorm or apartment and heat it up, use the <b>oven</b>, set at about 200° for five to ten minutes. If you use the microwave to heat this, it will dry out and be tough and chewy. If you like your roast beef to turn into beef jerky, go for it.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Now, a sauce over the beef would be nice, wouldn’t it?</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><u>Mushroom Wine Sauce</u></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">This won’t be real wine in it. I’m 19. I can’t even buy cooking wine. I’ll note where you can add the wine if you’re legal to buy it.</div><div class="MsoNormal">Also, this is two recipes mixed into one because you’re supposed to add a sauce to this sauce, and this book is kind of confusing okay? Anyways, the other recipe that I’m using is <u>Quick Brown Sauce</u>.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Ingredients</b></div><div class="MsoNormal">4 tbsp butter</div><div class="MsoNormal">2 tbsp flour</div><div class="MsoNormal">1 can (10.75 oz) beef consommé (beef stock is an appropriate substitute)</div><div class="MsoNormal">1 cup sliced mushrooms</div><div class="MsoNormal">¾ cup beef stock</div><div class="MsoNormal">¼ cup red wine vinegar (if you can get red wine, do ½ cup stock and ½ cup wine)</div><div class="MsoNormal">Salt and black pepper</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Put a <b>saucepan</b> over medium heat. Add half of the butter and let it melt. Stir in the flour until completely blended, and cook for about seven minutes, or until lightly browned.</div><div class="MsoNormal">Stir in the can of consommé and bring to a boil. </div><div class="MsoNormal">Put this aside.</div><div class="MsoNormal">Put a <b>skillet</b> over medium heat and melt the butter in it. Add the mushrooms and stir for two minutes.</div><div class="MsoNormal">Add the stock and the vinegar (or wine) and simmer for 10 minutes. </div><div class="MsoNormal">Add the sauce you previously put aside and simmer for another 20 minutes. </div><div class="MsoNormal">Add salt and pepper to taste.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Notes: The butter and flour will form a kind of paste that you’re basically frying before adding the consommé. It’ll stay lumpy when you add the consommé, so try to stir until all or most of the lumps are out. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Overall cost</b>: about $20. I didn’t buy some of the staples (butter, flour, etc), but even so, I was surprised at how cheap the rest of the ingredients were. If you make this right, it’s easily worth $50 at a nice restaurant, so you’ve saving quite a bit here.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Next week, something special’s coming.</div>Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00532170541942673575noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6529884009612623062.post-45974414879664796482011-01-24T10:51:00.000-08:002011-01-24T10:51:43.585-08:00Buffalo Wings & Bleu Cheese Dressing<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]><img src="http://img2.blogblog.com/img/video_object.png" style="background-color: #b2b2b2; " class="BLOGGER-object-element tr_noresize tr_placeholder" id="ieooui" data-original-id="ieooui" /> <style>
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<div class="MsoNormal">All right, let's start cooking. There’s some sections in the beginning of this book about nutrition and how to entertain people with food, but seriously, a quick trip to Wikipedia will tell you all you need to know. Do you really care about the proper table setting for a meal that includes a soup and a dessert? <i>Hell no</i>. If you’re throwing a party, you’re serving cheap snacks and cheap beer. Your guests won’t care, because it’s free.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Well, unless you’re charging your friends $5 a head, but if you are, you’re throwing terrible parties and you hate your friends. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">So since we’re on the subject of parties, let’s do a classic party snack. Wings sound good?</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><u>Buffalo</u><u> Chicken Wings</u></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The original recipe is simple enough, but it calls for a deep fryer. Do you have a deep fryer in your dorm room? Well, if you do, just go find the original recipe, ‘cause I’m assuming you don’t.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">To make this easier, I’m bolding all the pots and utensils you’ll need to make this, so if you have absolutely nothing, you know what to get.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Ingredients</b>:</div><div class="MsoNormal">1 ½ pounds chicken wings (bone-in)</div><div class="MsoNormal">½ cup flour</div><div class="MsoNormal">1 tsp salt</div><div class="MsoNormal">½ tsp black pepper</div><div class="MsoNormal">Vegetable oil</div><div class="MsoNormal">3 tbsp butter</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.5in;">2 tbsp red wine or apple cider vinegar (both are pricier than simple white vinegar, but trust me, the taste difference matters)</div><div class="MsoNormal">2 tbsp Tabasco (or other hot pepper sauce)</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Preheat <b>oven</b> to 200°. (This is not completely necessary, but it does make the wings taste better.)</div><div class="MsoNormal">Remove the wing tips from the chicken—that’s just the final joint and the bone after it. Now you should have chicken wings with one joint each in them, so cut all the pieces in two at the joint.</div><div class="MsoNormal">By joint I mean where the bones connect. I shouldn’t have to say that, but if you’re from my college…</div><div class="MsoNormal">Mix the flour, salt, and pepper. </div><div class="MsoNormal">Coat the wings in the flour mixture, and set them aside.</div><div class="MsoNormal">Fill a <b>saucepan</b> with an inch of oil. Heat on the <b>stove</b> over medium heat. It’s hot enough when you drop in a wing and you hear a sizzle. Or, you could splash a little bit of water in and it will spit at you and go all crazy. I wouldn’t recommend that, as you’ll probably burn yourself.</div><div class="MsoNormal">Drop in all the wings and fry them till the coating is golden brown and the chicken is thoroughly cooked (180° if you have a thermometer, or if you cut a piece open, it should all be white, no pink). </div><div class="MsoNormal">Pull the chicken out of the oil (using tongs or a fork or something, <i>not</i> your bare hands!) and place them on a paper towel to drain. If you have a preheated oven, put them in there to keep them warm. If not, just put them aside.</div><div class="MsoNormal">Empty the saucepan, then wash and dry it. Put it back on the stove, over low heat. Drop the butter in it and let the butter melt.</div><div class="MsoNormal">Once the butter is melted, remove the saucepan from heat (just turn off the burner if you’re using a gas stove, but if you’re using electric you need to literally move it elsewhere). Mix the vinegar and Tabasco in with the butter.</div><div class="MsoNormal">Take your chicken out of the oven. If it was not in the oven, you may want to microwave it for a few seconds to get it warm again.</div><div class="MsoNormal">Put the wings in a <b>bowl</b> large enough to hold all of them. Pour the sauce onto the wings and toss until all the wings are coated. </div><div class="MsoNormal">Serve them now because cold wings suck. You might want some celery on the side.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Notes:</div><div class="MsoNormal">Don’t worry if the flour on the wings comes off when you put them in the pan. It’ll do that. Just cook them like normal, and they’ll be crispy enough.</div><div class="MsoNormal">You may want to add more Tabasco than the recipe calls for. I thought it was good, but my boyfriend complained the sauce was too mild.</div><div class="MsoNormal">These wings will not look like buffalo wings that you get from a store. They certainly don’t look like the ones from my local wings place. But trust me, they taste the same.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">And you probably want something to go with those wings, right?</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><u>Bleu Cheese Dressing</u></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Yeah that’s right, you get <i>two </i>recipes. Now I’ll admit that it would be far cheaper to just buy some bottled dressing, but it wouldn’t taste as good. If you think people won’t really care, go for the bottled. If you want to really impress people—and why not? you've already got homemade wings—make this dressing too.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Ingredients</b>:</div><div class="MsoNormal">1 cup mayonnaise</div><div class="MsoNormal">½ cup sour cream</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.5in;">¼ cup chopped parsley or 1 tsp dried parsley flakes (I always buy dried herbs instead of fresh—they’re initially more expensive, but they’ll last longer)</div><div class="MsoNormal">1-2 tbsp red wine vinegar (use the same vinegar from the wings recipe)</div><div class="MsoNormal">1 tsp minced garlic or ¼ tsp garlic powder</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.5in;">6 dashes Worcestershire sauce (I have heard soy sauce or steak sauce is an appropriate substitute, but the taste will be different)</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.5in;">Salt and pepper </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.5in;">4 oz Roquefort or other blue cheese </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.5in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Add all ingredients except for the salt, pepper, and cheese to a <b>blender</b>. Mix until it is one smooth consistency.</div><div class="MsoNormal">Add the cheese to the mixture, and again mix until smooth. </div><div class="MsoNormal">Taste and add salt and pepper as you think it’s needed.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">And, my currently nonexistent readers, I must of course give credit for the original recipes on which these are based. If you want the original and more complicated version, read <i>Joy of Cooking</i>, by Irma Rombauer, Marion Rombauer Becker, and Ethan Becker. Seriously, this classic and influential cookbook has a recipe for <i>wings</i>, you guys. It’s worth a look.</div>Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00532170541942673575noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6529884009612623062.post-55025257558665228992011-01-17T11:56:00.000-08:002011-01-17T11:56:48.089-08:00Hello world!<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style>
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<div class="MsoNormal">I started cooking because I couldn’t find a job. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The summer between high school and college, my parents decided to stop giving me an allowance. Fair enough, I was 18. I needed to find a job—but in this economy, no one would hire just for the summer. I was stuck jobless and penniless.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">So, my parents agreed to let me work for them. I would be cleaning the house, doing some yardwork, and cooking, for $8/hour. (at least this was tax-free, so actually better than a real job!) Cooking dinners and desserts for my family, I learned something great. <i>I love this</i>. And then I realized something not so great.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Crap, I’m going to college in a month.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I knew that the dorms would have kitchens, but I’d gotten used to a nice kitchen with tons of counter space, a large oven and stove, a stand mixer. I would have none of that at school, but at the same time, I would not be giving up cooking.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I’ve had three semesters in the dorms now. The ovens are tiny and turn off automatically before the food’s done, the stoves are small, the microwaves need to be shared with other students who want to make popcorn and Ramen. But despite these, I’ve been cooking. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Food at college is important. People will pretty much do anything for free food, because seriously, food’s <i>really</i> expensive, especially if it’s good. So, if you can make good food, you’re going to get a lot of friends. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I’ve learned tricks to cooking in the dorm, and I’ve learned how to use cheap ingredients to make food good. I could simply tell you these tricks, but I don’t think that’s enough.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Any chef knows the book <i>Joy of Cooking</i>. It’s a classic. It’s got hundreds of recipes and techniques. But it’s not a great book for the college cook. After all, you can’t really make ‘Roast stuffed goose with giblet gravy’ in a dorm kitchen, right?</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Wrong. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">That’s what I’m going to do with this blog. I bought a copy of <i>Joy of Cooking</i>, and I will be altering every single recipe to something that you can do with that microwave and tiny stove. If you can boil water, you can cook.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">If you can’t boil water, then I really can’t help you. Sorry.</div><br />
I'd ideally like to be updating this blog weekly. But when I got to my dorm this semester, I realized that I don't even have a microwave this time, wow. So, I'll have to rely on my boyfriend for help with a lot of these recipes, and I'll be trying to update as close to a weekly schedule as possible. <br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I guess this is where I’d put some goodbye catchphrase, like <i>Bon appétit!</i> but I don’t have one yet. So, just have fun cooking, okay?</div>Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00532170541942673575noreply@blogger.com0