Packin' heat

This sauce needs input. I like it, but I also like spicy food.

I ended up making a marinara/red/spaghetti sauce tonight and well, let's just say it's packing some serious heat. I never knew pepper was that spicy. In the middle of cooking it, I decided it sounded like a fantastic lunch. And so for lunch it will be.

I've sort of wondered how to make spaghetti a nicer plate. Mostly I associate it with being a kid and getting it all over my face and camping. But I know I have seen it done nicely. Anyway, I gave it a shot.

Sauce:

2 cans 6oz tomato paste
1 very large can tomatoes with juice (like the large San Marzano)
1 cup water
2-3 cloves garlic minced
1 shallot minced
2 tsp rosemary
2 tsp basil
2 tsp oregano
2 heaping tlb black pepper
1 tlb kosher salt
1 cup red wine
1/2 tlb olive oil

puree canned tomatoes in a blender. Combine all in a large pot and simmer for 2.5 hours.

I started "Cleaving" by Julie Powell. I'm not sure what it's going to be like. There is a lot of her personally like in her writing, and just as much that I don't. We'll see how it goes, it will be interesting regardless.

Potatoes!!

So I ended up making roasted rosemary potatoes and chicken in a caper white wine sauce. Success! The potatoes were probably some of the best potatoes I have ever eaten. Man. SO good. The chicken was great, and easy too. So there's a keeper. I should have started the potatoes first, the prep is simple and easy, but they bake for 30 minutes. Just enough time to make the chicken. The chicken was simpler than I thought. I ended up keeping the sliced and cooked breast in the sauce pan on low to medium while I finished up with the potatoes and let them cook.

Enjoy.




Chicken in a white wine caper sauce

Thinly slice 1 chicken breast, cook until just done, remove from pan.
 
Boil 1 cup dry white wine  down to 1/2 cup.
Add 2 Tbls lemon juice
Add 2 Tbls crushed capers (lightly crush with back of fork)
Add 1 clove minced garlic (or two, I am heavy handed on garlic and love it so I always tend to add more)
Add 1 tsp finely chopped rosemary or basil
Boil 1 minute reduce heat to low.
 
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter cut in tablespoon pats.
whisk in 1 Tbsp butter pat at a time whisking constantly as butter melts, until all butter pat are in.
add chicken and heat. Season with salt and pepper
   
serve with rice or pasta

Rosemary Roasted Potatoes - Barefoot Contessa

Ingredients

• 3 pounds baby Yukon Gold potatoes
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 4 teaspoons kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh rosemary (divided)

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Slice the bottom off each potato and cut crosswise at 1/8-inch intervals, cutting to within 1/4 inch of the bottom. (You can place the potato on a large spoon so the edges of the spoon prevent you from slicing completely through the potato.)

Place the potatoes in a large bowl, add the olive oil, salt and pepper and 1 tablespoon of the rosemary and toss well, working the salt mixture in between the slices. Arrange the potatoes on a sheet pan cut side up.

Bake the potatoes for 30 minutes, until they are tender and golden and crisp on top

• Sprinkle with remaining rosemary and serve.

Yesterday I discovered that some of my potatoes had started sprouting. To the point I could plant the sucker and grow some potatoes. Mmm. since potatoes can just about grow anywhere I think I will! I just need a very large pot. I'm getting so fascinated by plants and growing food lately. And wanting a cow. And a goat. And some chickens.

Sprouty Potato!

I also found out an easier way to make worm composting bins, and a place to order a small one for $45. Good deal.

Measurements Imperial/Metric

Me cooking crepês for my host dad's birthday, Feb. 2006

Having studied abroad in France with a wonderful family whom I still love, I cooked in a metric kitchen.  We found a new use for our dictionary! Yes, we kept an English/French dictionary at the kitchen table. It did not save me from several... embarrassing errors. 

Anyway, given this is the internet, I thought I might post the conversions, which I had almost down by memory by the end of my 6 months, but have now forgotten.

Volume Conversions: Normally used for liquids only
Customary quantity	Metric equivalent
1 teaspoon	5 mL
1 tablespoon or 1/2 fluid ounce	15 mL
1 fluid ounce or 1/8 cup	30 mL
1/4 cup or 2 fluid ounces	60 mL
1/3 cup	80 mL
1/2 cup or 4 fluid ounces	120 mL
2/3 cup	160 mL
3/4 cup or 6 fluid ounces	180 mL
1 cup or 8 fluid ounces or half a pint	240 mL
1 1/2 cups or 12 fluid ounces	350 mL
2 cups or 1 pint or 16 fluid ounces	475 mL
3 cups or 1 1/2 pints	700 mL
4 cups or 2 pints or 1 quart	950 mL
4 quarts or 1 gallon	3.8 L
Note: In cases where higher precision is not justified, it may be convenient to round these conversions off as follows:   1 cup = 250 mL   1 pint = 500 mL   1 quart = 1 L   1 gallon = 4 L

Weight

Weights can be converted with the following table. Note that the ounces referred to in this table are not the same as fluid ounces.

Weight Conversions
Customary quantity	Metric equivalent
1 ounce	28 g
4 ounces or 1/4 pound	113 g
1/3 pound	150 g
8 ounces or 1/2 pound	230 g
2/3 pound	300 g
12 ounces or 3/4 pound	340 g
1 pound or 16 ounces	450 g
2 pounds	900 g

Other non-liquid ingredients

Non-liquid ingredients specified in American recipes by volume (if more than about 2 tablespoons or 1 fluid ounce) should be converted to weight with the following table. If you need to convert an ingredient that isn't in this table, the safest thing to do is to measure it with a traditional measuring cup and then weigh the results with a metric scale. In a pinch, you can use the volume conversion table, above.

Weights of common ingredients in grams
Ingredient	1 cup	3/4 cup	2/3 cup	1/2 cup	1/3 cup	1/4 cup	2 Tbsp
Flour, all purpose (wheat)	120 g	90 g	80 g	60 g	40 g	30 g	15 g
Flour, well sifted all purpose (wheat)	110 g	80 g	70 g	55 g	35 g	27 g	13 g
Sugar, granulated cane	200 g	150 g	130 g	100 g	65 g	50 g	25 g
Confectioner's sugar (cane)	100 g	75 g	70 g	50 g	35 g	25 g	13 g
Brown sugar, packed firmly (but not too firmly)	180 g	135 g	120 g	90 g	60 g	45 g	23 g
Corn meal	160 g	120 g	100 g	80 g	50 g	40 g	20 g
Corn starch	120 g	90 g	80 g	60 g	40 g	30 g	15 g
Rice, uncooked	190 g	140 g	125 g	95 g	65 g	48 g	24 g
Macaroni, uncooked	140 g	100 g	90 g	70 g	45 g	35 g	17 g
Couscous, uncooked	180 g	135 g	120 g	90 g	60 g	45 g	22 g
Oats, uncooked quick	90 g	65 g	60 g	45 g	30 g	22 g	11 g
Table salt	300 g	230 g	200 g	150 g	100 g	75 g	40 g
Butter	240 g	180 g	160 g	120 g	80 g	60 g	30 g
Vegetable shortening	190 g	140 g	125 g	95 g	65 g	48 g	24 g
Chopped fruits and vegetables	150 g	110 g	100 g	75 g	50 g	40 g	20 g
Nuts, chopped	150 g	110 g	100 g	75 g	50 g	40 g	20 g
Nuts, ground	120 g	90 g	80 g	60 g	40 g	30 g	15 g
Bread crumbs, fresh, loosely packed	60 g	45 g	40 g	30 g	20 g	15 g	8 g
Bread crumbs, dry	150 g	110 g	100 g	75 g	50 g	40 g	20 g
Parmesan cheese, grated	90 g	65 g	60 g	45 g	30 g	22 g	11 g

Christmas Cookies!

I had a Christmas cookie baking party planned for several weeks now, so it was time to force my self to move and stretch. I made the sugar cookie and ginger bread doughs last night so they would be ready for baking today! We ended up making three kinds, including a chocolate espresso cookies.

We tried the rolling pin rings, and well, unless you want tracks in your dough, you need to make sure the dough its the same width as the rolling pin... we forwent them for efficiency today.  So still something for me to try when I can roll out dough again. Yep, the cripple tries to bake.

The sugar cut outs were incredibly cold and crumbly. The initial worry was assuaged of a dough too dry, when it finally warmed. Then the fun could begin. Something to note, I don't have what you would call traditional cookie cutters. I have ones along the lines of moose, dinosaurs, woodland creatures, javelinas, donkeys...   

Look at the parsley grow! (it's on the left, front) 

The food coloring also took some color wheel knowledge to to solve some odd coloring issues. Lord knows I have had enough painting projects imposed on me from my parents, or maybe it's trying to describe hues and undertones to my red/green color blind father. Anyway, I did wear my tshirt from my vicodin and robaxin induced purchase from King Arthur Flour.

Both of the recipes below are the ones I have been making since I could hold a spoon.

Sugar Cookies
Cream 1 cup butter, slowly add 1 cup of powdered sugar. Cream.

Add 1 egg, 1 1/2tsp almond extract and 1 tsp vanilla. Cream.

Add 2 1/2 cups flour (sifted) and 1/2tsp salt. Blend and chill.

Roll out, cut, and bake on greased sheets or with parchment at 375 degrees F. 8-10 minutes. (I found 9 worked great.) Frost!

Gingerbread Cookies ( slight variation on basic gingerbread)

Cream 1/3 cup shortening, 1 cup brown sugar, 1 1/2cup molasses. Stir in 1/2 cup cold water.

Stir together 2tsp baking soda and 3 tbl water.

In a separate cup mix together dry ingredients:
-6cups flour
-1tsp ginger
-1tsp all spice
-1tsp cinnamon
-1tsp ground cloves

Add dry ingredients in thirds to the shortening mixture alternating with 1/3 of the soda water. (I didn't do this, and added all of the wet, including this at once, and it came out fine.) Blend until mixed. Chill.

Roll out and cut. Bake on greased or parchment-ed cookie sheets at 350 degrees F for 10minutes.

It's like taking a drunk to a bar

My flour order came! I ordered a t-shirt and organic flour in 5lb bags since I have yet to see it in the stores, plus with a bad back, why should I cary bags of flour. So I also got Vietnamese cinnamon, which is supposed to be the best in the world,  and rolling pin rings! SO excited to try them out for cookie baking!! I invariably roll my dough out too thin or two thick. Alton Brown on his cookie show said these little pieces of rubber really help.

I love King Arthur flour. I could go broke ordering things from them. And I promise, I will do some book reviews soon! I just end up taking a nap when I think I'm going to do it.

Oatmeal Bread!

So the bread turned out! And it's really tasty! It makes me want to make it again in order to get better at it. It's going to go great with dinner. Dinner is chevre chicken. Quick, easy, AMAZING.

Anyway here's the bread!!

Oatmeal Bread*
1 tlb salt
1 tlb shortening or butter
1  heaping cup oats (not instant)
2 1/4 cups water
1 tlb dry instant yeast
1/2 cup light molasses
8 cups unbleached white flour

I ended up needing a bit more water because my dough was dryer, I just got all the four absorbed, but it required some work.

In a large bowl, combine salt, butter, oats and add the water. In a separate cup dissolve yeast in 1/4 cup very warm water. Add yeast to oat mixture, and add molasses and flour. Add each of the 8 cups of flour one cup at a time. Mix with a wooden spoon or dough whisk. Cover with a damp towel for 12 hours and let rise.

Divide dough into to loaves and place in buttered pans. Cover dough and let rise until it has doubled in size for about 2-3 hours. Preheat the oven to 350 when dough starts to look ready. Bake for 1 1/4 hours, (75minutes). Let cool.