Grilled Bologna

Maybe I don't need to say anything; this picture should pretty well tell the story. But here are the details in case you are interested.

We grilled hot dogs in the fireplace. They were yummy. Then my wife went to work and left me alone with the fire and the hot dogs. I looked at them longingly for a while and then decided that grilled bologna was just a different form of the same meat.

Now before you start thinking that bologna is below you, lots of great dishes are made from the cheapest cuts of meat. These cuts just happen to have been processed. Keep an open mind.

I used thick-sliced bologna and stuck it on the grilling stick. I grilled it on one side until all nice and toasty brown. Yum. The experiment almost ended here... :-)

Next I took it off the stick, added a corn tortilla, and replaced it on the stick (grilled side towards the tortilla). Then I grilled the other side of the bologna and the tortilla until it looked yummy.

Looked pretty grilling.

Here's how it looked when I took it off the fire.

I added a little whole grain mustard and sliced sweet gherkin pickles (homemade, of course).

And here's the final product! You have to admit it looks sexy. First bite I thought that the corn tortilla was dry because I'm used to frying them in oil, but then I decided that it tasted like a tamale--a bologna, mustard & gherkin tamale.

Delicious!

Fried Eggs, Red Pepper Flakes, Garlic, And Herbs Pasta

When I'm looking to cook a relatively easy meal with a little bit of pizazz, I often cook this recipe that I found on (the totally awesome) seasaltwithfood.com.

She lists the ingredients as:

1 lb Spaghetti or any long pasta
3 Tbsp Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
2 Tbsp Unsalted Butter
2 Large Garlic Cloves, thinly sliced
4 Large Eggs
Coarse or Maldon Sea Salt to taste
Crushed Hot Red Pepper Flakes to taste
½ Cup Freshly Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano plus additional as an accompaniment
¼ Cup Minced Fresh Parsley
1 Tbsp Minced Fresh Oregano or Sage Normally

I change/add a couple things - I leave out the parsley and add green onions. Sometimes I use dried herbs, but ground up really fine - sometimes i use basil and rosemary. The red pepper flakes I usually change out for red chili flakes. Any sort of spice would work here, even a dash of sambal olek (I am seriously addicted to sambal olek lately).

Put the water on to boil and cook the spaghetti (or angel hair or linguine or whatever). I find mise en place to be pretty important in this dish, So I get everything together and laid out while the water is boiling. It's better to have your spaghetti done too early, rather than too late. Drain when al dente.

Once everything is in place and the spaghetti is cooking, add the oil/butter to the pan and fry up your eggs. It's best to do it basting with the butter and not flipping them. The important part is leaving the yolks runny. Once they are done, Toss some cheese and red pepper flakes on the tops and set them off to the side.

Here's where I differ a little from recipe - in the oil left in the pan, add your seasonings and herbs and garlic, fry 'em up for 30 seconds until fragrant, then add your drained pasta and toss it in the oil and spices for a minute or two. Portion the spaghetti up, add more cheese, put the eggs on top, and serve. When you break the yolk, it combines with the oil and seasonings to make a great, nearly dry pasta sauce.

This is normally a summer dish, but two days ago it was 71 degrees here, so I'm in a summer frame of mind.

Oatmeal Texture - Methods to our Madness

Have you ever had oatmeal at the end of a four-hour hotel breakfast buffet and it is all sticky and gooey? It's so thick that your spoon will stand up in the bowl. I love that! he he he Some people just can't stand that texture and want it just as flaky and loose as corn flakes. I love that, too! Okay, I'm pretty easy to please when it comes to oatmeal.
Oatmeal is more or less sticky depending on released starch. The more starch released, the stickier the oatmeal. So if you want your oatmeal stickier, let out the starch. If you want it flakier, don't let out the starch. Simple as that.
Here's how to make oatmeal so sticky you can patch tires with it - Put 2 cups of water and 1 cup of oats (or mixed rolled whole grains) in a pot (for 2 servings). Add a pinch of salt. Cook on medium-low. Stir a lot. If it starts to dry out before you get the stickiness you want, add another cup of hot (boiling) water and keep cooking and stirring. Keep adding water a cup at a time until you get what you want. This is what happens in the breakfast buffet. They put a pot of oats in the steam table for hours and add a bit of water. Patrons stir the oats when they dip out their portion. Once you know how much water and cooking is required you can just put that much water in at the start. Or you can always use instant oatmeal; Its naturally sticky.
Most people don't want to know how to make oatmeal more sticky, since it tends to want to do that on its own. So how do you make it less sticky and more flaky? Its really simple. Put a cup of oats and a cup and a half of milk in a ceramic mug or bowl. Microwave it just a bit until the milk is hot. Usually then I cover it with a piece of foil or a saucer or a lid and put it in the oven on the lowest temperature (170F). Leave it while you work out, shower, whatever. It needs to be in the oven at least, I don't know, 10-15 minutes and I've left it a couple hours. Once the oats absorb all the milk that they can and cook up a bit, they just hang out until you are ready for them. Technically, maybe this is muesli (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muesli), but it is good and it is flaky. There are other things you could do, like just soak the oats and leave it overnight. I've put the oats and hot milk in a thermos and that works, too. I've never tried upping the temperature to cook it more, but that might work if you like it that way.
Some interesting approaches to oatmeal from Alton Brown:
- Overnight oats - http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/overnight-oatmeal-recipe/index.html
- Steel cut oats - http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/steel-cut-oatmeal-recipe/index.html

Fried Noodles

I love Japanese pan noodles at http://www.noodles.com/food/ in Lafayette CO. I found a recipe for fried noodles on page 172 of Charmaine Solomon's The Complete Asian Cookbook. But I didn't have celery or prawns or peanut oil or red chilies or... So I adapted. Here's what I made:

8 oz pad thai rice noodles

1 lb ground pork

lard

2T Sambal Olek Red Chili Paste

1 onion, finely chopped

3 cloves garlic

3 medium carrots, thinly sliced

2T oyster sauce

Salt & Pepper

Light soy sauce to taste

Soak rice noodles for 30 minutes in cold water. Cook in boiling salted water until soft but firm (I severely overcooked mine in about 3 minutes). Cool noodles quickly.

Saute onions, garlic & carrots in lard until carrots are half cooked.

Add pork.

When pork is nearly cooked drain if necessary and add oyster sauce and sambal olek. Cook a few more minutes to blend flavors.

Toss with noodles in pan and serve immediately.

Really delicious! Good blend of fishiness, salty soy, and spicy chili. Next time, to make it more varied and a little more healthy, I would add more veggies and use leaner meat (like shrimp or other seafood). Wouldn't hurt to use peanut oil.

Oatmeal Ingredients

I grew up on oatmeal, eating it at least 5 days a week for years. I really like it and still eat it about 5 days a week. I've been asked how I can eat the same thing that often. Well, I seldom make it the same 2 days in a row. You can come up with a very different dish by changing the ingredients and cooking process.

I remember years ago when my granddaughters stayed with us for a few days. I asked if they wanted oatmeal and they said, "what flavors do you have?" They were on the right track by understanding that oatmeal doesn't have to be boring and the same everyday, but they didn't know that oatmeal can be much better than what you get out of the instant packets.

First, my dirty little secret - I don't eat oatmeal very often, well not straight oatmeal. The local bulk store sells a 7-Grain mix of Rye, Barley, Spelt, Red & White Wheat, Oat, and Triticale. It is all whole grain and is all rolled, like standard commercial oatmeal. From time to time we run out of the 7-Grain and eat straight oats. Straight oats without the other grains just seems to be less robust to me now. I use the 7-Grain exactly the same as oats, so either will work. But do try to add other whole grains to your pot.
Further, I also keep on hand these grains which I add from time to time:
- Oat Groats
- Buckwheat groats
- Cracked wheat
- Rolled oats (yeah, just the plain old oats added in change it up a bit)
- Corn meal
Usually I just replace some of the 7-Grain with an equal amount of one of these, keeping it mostly 7-Grain. However, sometimes I just cook one of the above. Yesterday I cooked a pot of buckwheat groats. They are chewier and have a nice "bite." Sometimes I make a pot of cracked wheat. Wait...do those belong in a different article?

Fruit - I add fruit about two-thirds of the time, usually raisins (black or golden), craisins, apricots, dates, figs, etc. Basically, any dried fruit is fine. Why does it have to be dried? Well, I don't know, but I always use dried fruit in the pot and if I'm using fresh or frozen fruit (I LOVE peaches) I put them in the bowl.

Spices - Always a pinch of salt, but just a pinch. A small pinch. I alternate between no other spices, cinnamon, and fresh-grated nutmeg. Occasionally I'll use vanilla or amaretto. Seems like I should be using other spices. Suggestions?

For serving methods the old standby is milk and sugar, and is delicious. There are some other options, however. Oatmeal is heart-healthy but is all carbs. I like to add fat-free yogurt, greek or plain. This provides some fat-free protein and makes the oatmeal last longer through the morning. I still add a little milk just to loosen it up a little. For sweeteners I like to use one or more of these--fruit, sugar, honey, or sorghum. Occasionally I toss a little Grapenut cereal or granola on top for texture.

Huevos Rancheros

I love huevos rancheros. Years ago in New Mexico I had them for the first time. The waitress asked if I wanted red chili sauce or green chili sauce. I was nearly tossed out when I didn't have an opinion. Now I've decided that I love them both.

I have a reasonable version of huevos rancheros. It's simple to do. I start with Hatch green chilis. Here in Missouri I can't get great fresh ones so I just buy canned ones. They are fine. I open the chili and grill it till just starting to brown and warm. I use two chilis for me and one for my wife. I put the chilis on top of a soft grilled corn tortilla.









Next I add black beans. Yeah, you can make them from scratch. I open a can into a pan, warm them up, just start to mash them up a little, adding a little water or stock to make them kind of like refried beans, but not quite so mashed. Next layer is fried potatoes and onions.

Finally, I add eggs, scrambled or over medium, some sharp cheddar cheese and of course chili sauce, green or red. I make my own green chili sauce, but you can find reasonable sauces in your local store. I like ones with tomatillos in them.

If it isn't a mess, toss it out and start over.
Be sure to salt all the layers and get some browning on the tortillas, green chilis, potatoes and onions. Loosen your belt and dig in.

Hot Pepper Sauce

I love hot pepper sauce. I get lots of compliments on my sauce. I've never found any like mine. My secret? Smoke. I smoke my peppers for 8 hours on a light to medium smoke.
I use mulberry wood usually, or oak or hickory. Really I use whatever is handy. Maybe the wood makes a difference, but not to me.
Here is how to make my hot sauce--follow the Red Hot Sauce in the Ball Canning Cookbook. It calls for 1.5 cups of chopped hot peppers (about 24). I just toss 24 habaneros in the smoker for each batch (I made a quadruple batch the first time so I used 100 peppers). While they are smoking, feel free to also smoke a huge chunk of mammal or some cheese or whatever--the peppers won't mind. Take the peppers from the smoker after 8 hours and let them cool a bit.
Put on gloves (yes, even if you are really tough. this is concentrated!) and pull the stems from the peppers and discard the stems. Be very careful! If you rub this stuff in your eyes (or, ahem, other sensitive areas) you will go to the emergency room. This is a really hot pepper that has been concentrated over a long period of time and will give you chemical burns if you aren't careful.
I run the peppers through a food mill to remove the seeds and skins. I would be interested to know if anyone has a better way. I've thought about just adding the entire pepper to the tomato sauce, simmering for a while, chopping with a blender or immersion blender, and then straining. Seems that I would retain more flavor and I wouldn't have to clean up the food mill. Cleaning the food mill is a bother and all the stuff I'm cleaning off of it is good to eat.
Then just follow the Ball Canning Cookbook recipe.
Man, it is good! The pepper with the smoke is divine.
Want it hotter? More peppers. Milder? Less peppers or vary the pepper variety. I've made it with jalapenos and it is still really good. Want some subtle flavor differences? Use a mix of peppers. I've added some bell peppers and it sweetens it a little.
Anyone have any other methods of making hot sauce?

Vanilla Beans

I really like to use Vanilla Beans in cooking. Custard/pudding made with vanilla beans is much better tasting than ones made with vanilla extract. This applies to homemade ice cream as well!
We really like to use the vanilla pods after we scrape out all the vanilla seeds. Using a part that would normally be discarded just seems to make the entire exercise more productive.
Vanilla beans in the local stores are so high as to take your breath away. I order vanilla beans from eBay. I think I bought something like 35 pods for maybe $10-$15. One pod in some stores is $8! Just search eBay; there are lots of sellers. Look for one with a good selling history on eBay.
There are different grades of vanilla pods. I haven't researched this lately. If someone runs across a good summary of the grades, please post the link in comments. I think I bought a grade B, which as I remember is just as good but not as long. Since I never serve a whole bean, I don't really care how long it is.

Vanilla Sugar / Powder

Years ago my Wife, Sister, and Mother returned from a shopping trip to the city with Vanilla powder. We used it on lots of things, anything to which you wanted to add vanilla but did not want to add liquid. We dusted it on things primarily, like cupcakes, brownies, etc.
We can't buy vanilla powder locally, but have to get it from Kansas City, so I attempted to make some.
Ingredients were corn starch and dextrose and vanilla. I mixed corn starch and dextrose (from the local bulk store) together and added vanilla bean pods (after I scraped the vanilla bean seeds from the pods for some other recipe). I really like the vanilla powder. I made up several quart jars and gave them away. Mom quickly says, "no, no, we are okay on vanilla powder" when I try to give her some, so I don't know if she doesn't like it or really has plenty. Haven't heard from anyone else. Admittedly it isn't something to get really excited about, and the 2 quart jars we kept have lasted for a few years. I mean, you use a tablespoon or so at a time (sometimes just a fraction of a teaspoon) so it last a looonnnggg time.
I really like the vanilla pod flavor. It's very "natural" tasting, in that all you really get is the vanilla without any carrier.
I think if I was doing this all over again, I would just get a pint jar of powdered sugar and add my spent vanilla pods. No real reason to mix corn starch and dextrose, unless you want to tone down the sweetening.
We also add vanilla pods to granulated sugar--really nice in coffee or when you want to dust with granulated sugar.
Anyone have any experience with vanilla powder or vanilla sugar?

Wedding Reception Cake

 

Here is my pixie making a wedding reception cake this summer. Hours of work and attention to detail. We usually bake the cakes a day or two ahead of time, wrap them in plastic and freeze them. Makes decoration day go easier since you do the hot work ahead of time and have the kitchen cool to decorate, and because you divide the work between the days. Also, the cakes don't crumb off as easy, making it easier to apply icing. She is an artist with a piping bag. And doesn't she look lovely?

Garden Harvest

 

A bit of harvest from the garden during last summer. 

I've had a lot of success with bell peppers over the past couple of years. I don't mess with much water to them. They hang around on the plant a long time in case I don't get to them for a few days. All I need to do is keep the weeds down. Last year I used agricultural plastic with drip tape underneath. This year I use the drip tape and some wood mulch. Had to rescue the plants from weeds a couple times, but they forgave me and gave us lots of peppers. Trudy chops them and loads them into gallon freezer bags and tosses them into the freezer.

Love the yellow grape tomatoes. I eat all I want in the garden and bring the rest to the house.

Okra is yummy fresh in the garden, nice and green and no time to go slimy. Sure it is good coated and fried, but it is good in soups and oven-roasted whole. We like to dry okra in our food dehydrator and store in a mason jar on the counter. Looks pretty and nice to toss into soups.

Purple hull peas were new for us. Not sure we'll repeat this next year. They go dry too quickly for me, on the vine. Garden plants need to be more flexible of my schedule.

Onions, beets, and maybe a potato or two in the back.

Blackberry Wine

 

Grew the 30 pounds of blackberries on the farm that went into this wine. This is my first wine so I don't know how it will turn out. Since it takes about a year to find out, I think I'll start another batch in the meantime.

30 lbs fresh blackberries

2 lbs raisins

11 lbs sugar

water to make 5 gallons

5 lbs overripe bananas (steeped them for a while and used the "broth" and discarded those nasty overripe bananas)

1 packet Cote des Blanc yeast

Tannin

Acid Blend

Pectic enzyme

Yeast Nutrient

Was concerned about how to break up 30 lbs of blackberries. Froze them as I harvested, which broke some cells. Used an immersion blender to finish the job.

Fermented vigorously for 7 days. By "vigorously" I mean that I had to divide it into two buckets because one 7-gallon bucket couldn't contain it.

Racked off into this container. How are you supposed to get all that fruit out of the primary fermenter (bucket)? I don't have a strainer that will hold a couple gallons of fruit. I used a spider to fish out as much as possible and then strained the rest, twice, to clean it up. Could use an easier process.

Due to rack off again 1/10/11. Then it sits for 8 months to a year. I figure it will be ready for my birthday in November.

Grilled Turkey

 

Grilled half of a pastured-raised turkey. Brined the turkey for a day in the refrigerator. Grilled on a bare rack for a while, using indirect heat, and then put foil underneath to prevent burning the bottom. Used some mulberry chips grown on the farm to give the meat a bit of smoky flavor. Inserted a meat thermometer and grilled until just right. Threw a sweet potato from the garden on there to keep the turkey company. Turned out perfect. And here is where the turkey came from. Raised on grass and local grain with no drugs or animal by-products.

Caramel Machiatto

I've just started making espresso drinks. This is a Caramel Machiatto--steamed milk on the bottom, a layer of dark, rich coffee in the middle, and foamed milk on the top. What's really nice about this is that as you drink you get the dark coffee first, followed by the sweetened, flavored steamed milk. Rich, dark start with a sweet creamy finish.

Buttermilk Fudge

 

Buttermilk fudge from the Southern Living cookbook. Starts out white in the pan (from the buttermilk) and turns to this delicious brown as it cooks. I think toasting the pecans before adding them to the fudge makes all the difference. You can smell the nuts when you open the storage container. We kept tasting the fudge and it almost didn't make it to the party. I eventually ended up cutting the pieces in half so there would be enough to go around.

Gingerbread Castle

I made gingerbread in a mold pan. It looked pretty interesting but for pure eating enjoyment I think I would go with a more uniform shaped pan.
I expected the cake to stick pretty badly, but it came right out. It seemed to me that there was a lot of variability in the consistency of the cake, likely due to the odd shapes and differing thicknesses. It did look pretty interesting. I dusted it with vanilla powder that I made a long time ago (another post...).
I just printed out Nigella Lawson's Guinness Gingerbread recipe. Sounds yummy.