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Thursday, June 17, 2010

9:27PM - Bulgogi marinade

It's been a while since I've posted here. This is for about 2 pounds of thinly sliced beef (I had close to a full kilo). The butcher at my grocery store (New Seasons) sliced a tri-tip steak for me for free.

4 tbs soy sauce
4 tbs sugar
3 tbs rice wine
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tbs granulated garlic
2" piece of ginger, peeled and grated
1 tbs dried onion

Chives and sesame seeds for after cooking; marinade the beef overnight or up to 24 hours and sear in an iron skillet for about a minute on each side.

Finer ingredients may be used in place of the dried onion, granulated garlic, and chives (perhaps fresh garlic and scallions instead). I would not recommend substituting the freshly grated ginger, as it is very important to an authentic home-style bulgogi.

Sunday, May 13, 2007

11:01PM - *Home-made guacamole

3 ripe Haas avocados.
1/2 of a small onion, diced.
salt to taste.
black pepper to taste.
chili powder to taste..
1.5 tbs lemon juice.

Cut, pit and peel the avocados, scooping whatever looks the right shade of green/yellow into a bowl. Add the diced onion, a decent amount of salt, a little bit of pepper, and as much chili powder as you'd like. Add the lemon juice, and use a potato masher to mix everything through. Cover bowl and chill in fridge for half an hour before using.

There should be more chili powder used than salt, and more salt than black pepper.

Current mood: tired

Sunday, January 29, 2006

4:42PM - Mixed Berry Pie*

Similar recipe as the Pomegranate Pie.

Equipment needed

9" (9 oz.) pie tin & shell, unbaked (make your own if you prefer)
cookie sheet or similar, to place pie tin on.

Ingredients

2 eggs
1 1/2 cups sour cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp salt
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup flour
3 cups of mixed berries (I usually get blueberry, marionberry, and raspberry)

You can also just go with straight-up blackberries, raspberries, etc.

Preparation

Pre-heat the oven to 400F. Crack open the eggs into a mixing bowl, and beat them with sour cream and vanilla. Mix in the salt, sugar, and flour, then the pom^H^H^H berries. Place pie shell on cookie sheet, then fill the crust with the mixture. Place cookie sheet into the oven, and bake for 35-45 minutes. No need for skewers, it'll never be clean (unless you've baked the pie into some sort of dehydrated fruit cake). Cool and serve. Can be refridgerated.

Current mood: accomplished

4:26PM - Pomegranate Pie*

Pomegranates seeds are delicious, but cutting up the fruit to get the seeds makes for what looks like a crime scene. Make sure all your cupboards are closed and your dishes are covered, to keep them from getting splattered.

Equipment needed

9" (9 oz.) pie tin & shell, unbaked (make your own if you prefer)
cookie sheet or similar, to place pie tin on.

Ingredients

2 eggs
1 1/2 cups sour cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp salt
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup flour
2 to 2 1/2 cups of pomegranate seeds, picked through
(requires 2 or 3 large pomegranates, depending on how many seeds you ate)

Preparation

Pre-heat the oven to 400F. Crack open the eggs into a mixing bowl, and beat them with sour cream and vanilla. Mix in the salt, sugar, and flour, then the pomegranate seeds. Place pie shell on cookie sheet, then fill the crust with the mixture. Place cookie sheet into the oven (preferably with the pie on top), and bake for 45-50 minutes, or until top is browned. If a skewer comes out clean, the pie is done. Cool and serve. Can be refrigerated.

[post-edit]

Some kind soul mentioned that pomegranate seeds can be removed underwater with little mess. See comments.

Also, I have found that adding bottled pom-juice to the seeds before using makes for a much better pie. Just saturate the seeds in juice.

Current mood: accomplished

Thursday, July 28, 2005

12:06AM - Potato & Leek Soup *

New recipe ideas for me to try out have slown down - I am cooking for my parents, and they can't have the spicier stuff that I like to make. They do love this one, however. And it can be salted and peppered to taste.

Equipment needed

large, deep skillet (for sauteeing)
soup pot (should hold at least 3 quarts)
potato masher (or similar)

Ingredients

3 (14.5oz) cans of chicken broth
4oz olive oil
7-8 gold potatoes, cleaned and diced
3-4 leeks, sliced, cleaned, and diced
1 (10.75oz) can of Campbell's Cream of Celery (or Chicken, Asparagus, Mushroom, your choice)
10oz of milk (at least 2% fat or more)
salt to taste
pepper to taste
6 strips of bacon, cooked crisp, and crumbled (optional)

Preparation

Use 3 leeks if you like to use some of the light green portions, 4 if you prefer to only use the white portions. Cut the bulb and roots off, cut the darker green portions off. Peel off the outer skin of the remaining stalk, then rinse. Cut the stalk lengthwise, then rinse the top underneath a cold tap, making sure to clear out any dirt between the layers. Then cut into small slices, and set aside.

Clean potatoes, cut out any eyes. If you're using russets instead, then peel them. Otherwise, keep the skin on. Dice the potatoes into small cubes.

Sautee potatoes in olive oil until they're starting to get tender. Put the potatoes in the soup pot, save the olive oil for cooking the leeks.

Sautee leeks until they're starting to get tender, then add them to the soup pot.

Add the 3 cans of broth, making sure that the potatoes and leeks are covered.

Bring pot to a boil, then simmer covered for 10-15 minutes until potatoes are tender.

Use the potato masher to get the potatoes to desired consistency, then add the Cream of Whatever (hopefully that's not what it actually says on the can), and the milk.

Add the bacon if you wish. Use the masher to make sure everything's mixed in evenly. Salt and pepper to taste.

It's delicious! I eat it with Ritz crackers, but home-made bread or Italian bread would go great as well.

Current mood: full

Thursday, March 17, 2005

12:07AM - Flatbread Pizza *

Another simple and easy recipe.

Ingredients

tomato sauce
flatbread
shredded mozarella cheese blend (I used mozarella, provolone, cheddar)
Italian seasoning

Other ingredients can include other seasonings (garlic, pepper) and any toppings. If you're topping it with meat, it should be pre-cooked, such as pepperoni.

Preparation

Pre-heat oven to 350F. using a small spoon, put tomato sauce on the flatbread, leaving perhaps a centimeter of space on the edge of the flatbread. Season lightly with Italian blend seasoning, then layer the shredded cheese over the tomato sauce. Add any toppings or other seasonings at this time. Place pizza in oven, bake for about 10 minutes or until the cheese has melted together.

Current mood: full

Monday, February 28, 2005

10:01PM - Spaghetti sauce *

Been a while since I posted here, have made a few new recipes but they needed tweaking before I could inflict them on the world at large. This one is already excellent:

Ingredients

salt (will be to taste)
black pepper (will be to taste)
9 oz frozen spinach (I used Green Giant brand)
5 tbs minced garlic
2 (6 oz) cans of tomato paste
2 (14.5 oz) cans of diced tomatoes with basil, oregano, & garlic added (Hunt's brand)
1.5 lbs ground elk meat (ground beef can be used as well)
1 cup dried shiitake mushrooms, cut into smaller pieces (Shiitakeya brand)
1 white onion, chopped and diced
4 cups hot water

Notes

If you don't use spiced diced tomatoes, you should add some Italian seasoning (basil, oregano) instead. If you use ground beef instead of elk or venison, you'll need to drain the grease from cooking before seasoning or adding to the rest of the ingredients. Some brands of shiitake might have grit or silt in them, the brand I used does not.

Cooking

Thaw the frozen spinach and the ground meat to make your life easier.

Add shiitake mushrooms to 4 cups of hot water, and bring it to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for the next 20 minutes or so. Remove from heat and add the chopped onions, let it set while covered.

Brown and crumble the ground elk in a skillet, adding pepper to taste. Once fully cooked, add that to the pot of mushrooms and onions, and bring it to a boil over medium heat. Add spinach, bring it back to a boil, and let it boil for about 10 minutes. It will be fairly thick.

Add the two cans of diced tomatoes, the garlic, and the two cans of tomato paste. Let it boil on medium-low heat for another 10-20 minutes, adding salt to taste.

Serve with boiled spaghetti. I think this makes about 3 or 4 quarts of sauce.

Current mood: full

Saturday, November 13, 2004

9:13PM - Brussell Sprouts in Chicken Broth *

Ingredients

1 chicken breast, cooked and shredded
6 cups chicken broth
14-16 Brussell sprouts
1/4 tsp black pepper
1tsp olive oil
salt to taste

Alternatively, you can use spices to taste for your favorite type of chicken soup.

This is a simple and quick recipe based on one my former roomates used to make. Prepare Brussell sprouts by cutting off the stalks and removing the fugly outer leaves, then rinse them in cold water. Place the shredded chicken in the chicken broth, and bring to a boil. Add the Brussell sprouts, oil, pepper, and salt. Boil the soup for 6-8 minutes, then remove from heat completely (you don't want to overcook Brussell sprouts, ever). Serve with crackers or fresh bread.

Other vegetables could be added, such as carrots or celery. If you do those, then cook those vegetables completely before adding the Brussell sprouts to cook for the last 6-8 minutes.

Current mood: accomplished

Sunday, September 5, 2004

2:22AM - Mild Two-Bean Chili

Ingredients

2 cups dried red kidney beans, cooked and drained
2 cups dried pinto beans, cooked and drained

3# ground elk (you can use cattle beef, just drain the grease before using)

1 onion, diced
2 red bell pepper, diced

1 tbs minced garlic
56 oz (2 large cans) diced tomatoes

3 tbs chili powder
1 tsp curry powder
3 tbs Irish whiskey
salt to taste

Up to 1 cup hot water to thin chili with (can save water from boiling the beans, if you prefer)

Preparation

I recommend cooking the two beans separately, as it seems that pinto beans take a little longer to cook than the red beans do. Rinse the beans, place them in a pot with plenty of water, a teaspoon of salt per cup of beans, and a tablespoon of olive oil per two cups. Bring to a boil, then lower heat to simmer the beans for 60-90 minutes. Drain beans, place them aside. If you were smarter than me, you were doing the rest of this recipe while the beans were boiling, instead of playing Doom 3.

Brown the ground meat with the onion and bell peppers. Add garlic, the diced tomatoes, chili and curry. Bring to a boil, then add the beans and whiskey. Add hot water, any salt you think you need, and then simmer the chili on low heat for 1 or 2 hours. Store chili, then heat and serve the next day. Serves a whole lot more people than I have in my family, I am such an idiot.

For hotter chili, you can add more curry (or cumin if you prefer), jalapeno, and/or habanero peppers. Preparation time is about three hours, plus the wait until next day. Can be slow cooked in a crock pot. [post-note] This is a specifically mild chili, not meant to have bite. My father tends to have problems with ulcers and heartburn. This is easy to spice up for people that are looking for something delicious and hot, and easy to eat for those who've got problems similar to my father's.

Current mood: tired

Tuesday, August 3, 2004

5:45PM - Milk Chocolate

Ingredients

1 and 1/2 oz. of baking chocolate
3 tbs. sugar (5 tbs for sweeter chocolate)
1 cup (8 oz) or 6 oz. of vanilla bean yogurt

Slowly melt the chocolate in a sauce pan over low heat. Add yogurt and sugar, and stir until thoroughly mixed. Use as cake frosting before it completely cools, or temper it into a chocolate bar.

I do not know how to temper chocolate for candy making as of yet, but there's an FAQ on chocolate right here that will tell you how (section 2.1):
http://www.faqs.org/faqs/food/chocolate/faq/

This is handy for making a tart (depending on the yogurt) tasting milk chocolate that can be experimented with. I imagine that raspberry-flavored yogurt might be good for it, too.

Current mood: creative

Sunday, July 25, 2004

8:53PM - Coconut Chickpeas *

Based on the recipe found here:

http://www.qwantz.com/20031111.html

http://www.qwantz.com/index.php?comic=196 (current url)

Ingredients

2 (16oz) cans of chick peas (garbonzo beans), drained
1 (13.5oz) can of coconut milk

1 (8oz) can of sliced bamboo shoots, drained

1 (8oz) can of tomato paste (diced tomatoes add wonderful texture)
4 whole cloves
1 tbs garlic paste
1 tsp ginger paste
1/2 to 1 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp turmeric

Stir the above ingredients into a pot, and bring to a boil. Then simmer for 20-30 minutes. Serve over rice. For added spice, you can add 1/2 tsp of curry or garam masala.

Coconut chick peas over rice, served with stir-fried chicken strips

So, I guess tonight's dinner was brought to you by Canadian dinosaurs. ^_^

[post-edit] Turmeric added back to the recipe, I think it both looks and tastes better that way, and that's the way I make it now. I also no longer add bamboo shoots to this recipe.

Current mood: creative

Wednesday, July 21, 2004

11:07PM - Potato Lentil Soup

This ended up being a hearty, vegetarian soup. I have no idea how well this stores, as I've never made it before.

Ingredients

12 cups water
1/2 cup barley
2 1/4 cups lentil (2 pounds)
5 small white potatos, chopped (I did them in 8ths)
2-3 stalks bok choy, chopped (can substitute celery)
2 tsp salt
2 tsp garlic paste
1 tsp curry
1 bay leaf

Rinse lentils clean, rinse barley clean.

Add to pot with 12 cups of water, bring to boil on high heat.

Add potatoes, boil at medium heat for 10-15 minutes

Add bok choy, bay leaf, salt, garlic, and curry.

Add MSG or black pepper to taste. Simmer until done. Should take 45-60 minutes total cooking time. Remove bay leaf before some poor fool tries to eat it.

This is a heavily modified recipe that I decided on when I got back from the grocery store, and found out that all the vegetables I thought I didn't need to buy (onions, carrots, cabbage) had spoiled in the crisper. ;_; Doh. My family went with a bit of MSG sprinkled into the soup, no pepper. This came out well, but might need some tweaking.

Current mood: accomplished

6:04PM - S'mores - indoor versions *

I'm just putting this one down just in case I ever get, say, brain damage. I think most North Americans should know this one, I'm not quite certain of the rest of the world. Also, I took a picture of the one remaining s'more I had before I devoured it.

Wooden or metal skewers (preferrably ones safe to hold)
2 marshmallows
3/4 bar of Hershey's Chocolate
2 graham crackers (plain, or honey, or chocolate)

Personally, I think S'mores taste best with marshmallows roasted over an open flame. For people without access to a barbecue or gas range, there are two options.

S'mores - over the stove

Set one of the small burners on high. The burner should be clean, you don't want your s'more tasting like, say, burnt macaroni
Skewer both marshmallows, and lay the chocolate on one of the graham crackers.
Carefully roast the marshmallows over the burner, rotating them to making sure that all sides are uniformly dark brown (going for black will probably drop the marshmallows onto your stove - not a good thing).
Quickly place skewered marshmallows on the chocolate, then sandwich it with the other graham cracker, and carefully pull the skewer out as cleanly as possible.
If you burn yourself, or the burn the house down, you're doing it wrong.
Eat and enjoy.

S'mores - in the microwave oven

This one doesn't taste as delicious, but it's still good - especially if you do not have a stove.
Place graham cracker on microwaveable plate (or use a paper towel), and carefully place the two marshmallows on the middle of that, lengthwise.
Place in microwave oven, and microwave on high for 15-20 seconds, depending on your oven.
Quickly remove from oven, place the chocolate on top of the marshmallows, then sandwich it with the other graham cracker.
Eat and enjoy. Use skewer to pick teeth while waiting for the next s'more to cook.

Peep Jousting! - microwave only

2 Easter Peeps (the chick-shaped ones, preferrably of different colours)
2 wooden toothpicks or short skewers
1 square paper towel

Set paper towel in microwave oven.
Carefully place toothpick into the right front of each Peep, facing the pointy end forward.
Set peeps about 3-4" (I forget) apart in the oven, facing each other.
Place bets on your favourite Peep, if this is legal in your locale.
Microwave for 60 seconds, cutting the oven short once one Peep has skewered the other, or the Peeps are threatening to fill the oven without scoring a win.
Exchange money (again, if this is legal) and throw Peeps away.
I am not responsible for you getting sick from actually eating microwaved Peeps, or any microwave malfunction you might get from trying this.

Current mood: happy

Sunday, July 18, 2004

10:13PM - Split Pea Soup

Ingredients

8 cups water
1 pound (or 2 cups) split peas, rinsed
2 tbs garlic paste
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper (or to taste)
1 pinch curry powder
1/2 pound of sliced, smoked ham, cut in pieces
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 stalks of bok choy, chopped, with leaves

Boil water and peas for about 3 minutes or so, then cover and set it aside for about an hour, away from heat. If you're me, you take this opportunity to shower, then run to the store to buy the ham and bok choy you forgot to make sure you had.

Add the garlic paste, salt, pepper, carrots, and ham, and simmer for about 30 minutes. I usually stirred it every 10 minutes.

Add the bok choy and the pinch of curry, and simmer for another 30 minutes. Remove from heat, let it cool a bit, then eat!

This also makes a great leftover, and I presume it would be a great crock pot meal. But I don't have a crock pot.

Current mood: full

Thursday, February 12, 2004

1:55PM - Hamburgers *

Ken's hamburger seasoning
1 part ground curry
1 part ground cayenne (red) pepper
1 part ground black pepper
1 part monosodium glutamate (I use Aji-no-moto... Accent should work, too)
1 part ground ginger

Mix thoroughly, and put in a shaker.

If you react poorly to MSG, you might want to substitute salt instead.

Ken's honey-sweetened ketchup

1 part favorite brand of ketchup or catsup
1 part favorite brand of honey

Mix completely using a spoon or butterknife, put in squeeze bottle. Actually, put it in the squeeze bottle first, then mix it with a knife. Shake before each use.

Current mood: hungry

Thursday, February 5, 2004

5:45PM - Quick recipes *

Egg Drop Soup with ramen base

Ramen noodles can be used for 'ghetto spaghetti' and low mein, but what to do with the sauce packets? This recipe takes care of some of that.

2 cups water
1 packet of ramen sauce base (Top Ramen/Nissin has no lactose, usually)
2 eggs
sweet corn (optional)
seaweed (optional)
straw mushrooms (optional)
seasonings to taste (optional)

Boil the two cups of water with the ramen base. Whip the eggs in a glass, and drop into the boiling water, stirring lightly. Remove from heat, add whatever else you like. I like to lightly pepper it. Serves 1.

Sweet Teriyaki Low Mein (Freddy's variation)

1 pack of ramen noodles
1/4 cup teriyaki sauce
1 tablespoon sugar (or 2 teaspoons if you like)
stir fry vegetables (optional)
beef or chicken (optional)

Soak noodles until slightly tender. Cook meat and vegetables if you plan on having them in this dish. Set aside. Cook noodles in frying pan with teriyaki sauce and sugar, letting noodles soak up the sauce. Add meat and vegetables and cook a bit longer to let sauce glaze the additions. Serves 1.

Tuna Casserole

Enough steamed white rice to leave about an inch left in your casserole dish
(probably 2-3 cups of uncooked rice, starting)
2 cans of tuna, drained (I prefer tuna in springwater)
2 cans of Campbell's Cream of Chicken with Herbs
black pepper to taste

Mom used to make this with regular Cream of Chicken, and no pepper. Now she makes it like I do. Mix rice, tuna, and black pepper together, bed it in the casserole dish. Cover with the cream of chicken. Sometimes I add a bit of pepper to that, too. Bake in oven uncovered at 375F if you're using hot, fresh rice, and covered if you're using cold, leftover rice. Bake for 25-30 minutes, uncovering it at the 20 minute mark if it was covered. The edges should start crisping when it's done.

Current mood: full

Wednesday, February 4, 2004

7:49PM - Quesadillas *

1 pound of shredded, cooked chicken*
1 pound of shredded monterrey jack or pepperjack cheese
black pepper*
jalapeno or other peppers (optional)
10 burrito-sized tortillas
butter or margarine - I don't think Vegemite will work
chunky salsa, guacamole, and sour cream as condiments

Set frying pan on the stove on medium-low heat. Using a butterknife, scrape a thin layer of butter on one side of the tortilla. Toss tortilla onto the hot pan, butter-side down. Spread a layer of shredded cheese (or cheese substitute) on burrito, and lay pieces of shredded chicken down the middle. Sprinkle with black pepper, unless you already seasoned your chicken how you like. Add peppers if you like. Fold tortilla over in thirds, using the melted cheese to help keep it closed, then flip over. Quesadilla should be fairly crisp. You might need some practice with your timing. Serves three hungry roomates.

*season the chicken/quesadilla how you like, this recipe is the quickest, simple way.

Current mood: content

7:09PM - Chimichangas *

These are pretty simple, all you need is a deep fryer or a deep frying pan. Olive oil or canola oil is the best choice.

Ingredients you'll probably want:
1 pound of meat (beef, usually)
1 can of refried beans
chili powder or favorite taco seasoning
half pound of of cheese colby/jack, pepperjack or monterrey jack cheese*
burrito-sized tortillas
plain toothpicks (optional)
guacamole
sour cream
chunky salsa (medium or hot or ketchup**)

Turn your deep fryer on. I can't remember what heat oil is supposed to be at, so I use a fryer. *asks someone* Try medium heat.

Brown about 1 pound (.5 kilo) of ground beef, drain. You can also use shredded chicken or beef, to your preference. Season the beef to taste, or follow instructions with the taco seasoning. Cooking at about medium-low heat, mix in the can of refried beans, and mix well. Yaay. Now make your burritos.

Make the burritos with large enough evelope folds to help keep the filling inside while it fries. Place meat, top with cheese. Fold top, bottom, then edges, pinning it shut with a toothpick if you like. Fry the burritos until golden, set on rack to drip and cool. Top chimichangas with guacamole, sour cream, and salsa. Serve. Serves... Well, how big did you make them? Should be at least 3 or 4.

*tofu cheese will work, but you want to put that under the meat instead of over
**If your ketchup is chunky, throw it away. Please.

Current mood: calm

Wednesday, January 28, 2004

9:42PM - Using tortilla chips as a non-stick bedding

CZ: Answer #1: Use tongs, preferably a pair of tongs, one for each hand, place tortilla in pan first, add stuff, then take tongs and use then to fold and move the enchilada. And Presto! No burns.
CZ: twit. ;P
derumi: That would mess up the bed of crushed tortilla chips.
CZ: o_O
CZ: WTH are tort chips doing with enchiladas????
derumi): It avoids the need for greasing the pan, and you don't have to scrape out the enchiladas later. *s*
CZ: *grasps head in hands* That actually makes sense, damn you!!!
derumi: *points and laughs* And it's not too bad if you want to eat the chips.
CZ: yesh
derumi: Toss the chips in, about one layer, then empty into a ziplock bag and crush. Then lay a thin layer of it.
derumi: I do an open burrito fold to stuff them now, they unfold after I lay them in. Works well.

This works better with Mexican foods, of course. I have done it with pasta casseroles, and it works well. It's more like breading when used this way.

Current mood: full

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