Category: Random Recipes

I almost skipped writing this post, because it’s so simple. But, if you’re like me, during the dog days of summer, I don’t want to cook and I certainly don’t want to go out into the heat to go to the grocery store, unless I absolutely have to. So I get creative, and when that creativity is successful I write it down.

A few days ago, it was humid and hot and I had NO desire to cook, or go to the grocery store, even though I knew my cupboards were pretty bare. I was gonna have to use what I had. I started pulling random things out of the refrigerator and cabinets – a serving of cooked frozen broccoli, a bag of petite carrots, half a red bell pepper, kalamata olives, parmesan cheese, sundried tomatoes, and about 2 servings worth of dry pasta. It came to me – pasta salad! Very little work or cooking involved, and the payoff would be a cool and refreshing side dish. Perfect! I added a little zesty italian dressing, and it was AWESOME! It was so good in fact, that I decided to make it again. A larger batch this time. And since I really did need to go to the store, I added a few things. The recipe below is the latest version that I made. It’s delicious and so easy!

Open up your refrigerator and get creative! The ingredient combinations are endless. You can serve this as a side dish or add a meat or another protein and serve it as a main dish. I jotted down some other ingredient ideas, and have shared them at the end of this post. I think I’ll be making versions of this salad often this summer.

 

Enjoy!

 

½ box Radiatore pasta

½ c. chopped sundried tomatoes that have been soaked in hot water to soften

⅓ c. parmesan cheese

1 bag of broccoli slaw

½ c. sliced kalamata olives

½ red bell pepper, chopped

¼ c. finely diced red onion

½ c. chunky sliced petite carrots

2 c. chopped fresh cauliflower

garlic powder

zesty italian dressing

 

Chop and combine all the vegetables, parmesan cheese, garlic powder in a large bowl. Add  the dressing of your choice and mix. Continue to add dressing until vegetables are coated. Stir, and set aside to let veggies marinate. Cook pasta. Drain and let pasta cool. DO NOT RINSE. Once the pasta is cool, add to the vegetables and mix.  Add additional dressing until salad is is coated. Amount of dressing is to your taste. Chill and serve.

 

NOTES:

• The amounts of ingredients are based on your tastes. I tend to add more vegetables than pasta in my salads.
• If you make a large batch, you may have to continue to add additional dressing the longer it sits.
• If you decide to add cubed cheese, I would not mix it in, but add it as the salad is served, so that it doesn’t get soggy.
• I like crunchy vegetables, so when using frozen, I would either defrost and add them or only cook them for a minute or so in boiling water, and cool them down quickly in an ice bath.
• Try adding nuts or seeds before serving. I added a sprinkling of sunflower seeds when I served this.
• You can substitute pasta with cooked quinoa, barley or rice

Additional Ingredient Ideas:

frozen peas

frozen corn

frozen broccoli

rainbow slaw

cubes of salami or pepperoni

cubes of cheese (leave on the side)

crumbled feta cheese, bleu cheese, or goat cheese

choice of dressing – even creamy dressings

fresh herbs like basil, parsley

canned tuna or chicken

cucumbers (seeded)

fresh zucchini or summer squash

green and/or black olives

celery

capers

snow peas, fresh or frozen

fresh mushrooms

bean sprouts

green beans, fresh or frozen

kidney or black beans

barley, quinoa, rice

It’s times like these, when I’m craving authentic, Mexican food that I especially miss my days in Tucson, Arizona. Massachusetts, for the most part, has not mastered the art of real Mexican food.

Tucson, is situated about an hours drive north of the Sonoran border of Mexico. It’s full of fantastic little, sometimes hole-in-the-wall restaurants AND food trucks that would put to shame any Mexican cuisine found around here. Sure, we have the chain restaurants, but they are in no way, shape or form, real Mexican food. In my eight years here, I’ve come across only 2 independently owned restaurants that served any thing close to authentic Mexican food. So, I find myself researching recipes and experimenting to try and recreate the flavors, as I remember them, of some of my favorites. Carnitas would be on that list.

Carnitas are essentially Mexican pulled pork. In researching how to make them, I found that there are several different methods to prepare them, including my pick, which is using a crockpot. My motto is: USE WHAT YOU HAVE. Other methods, which are probably closer to the authentic version, involve boiling the meat in lard, or in water, and then finishing it in the oven. The goal is always the same though – to produce a moist, tender meat that easily pulls apart.

I also noticed when researching, that a wide variety of ingredients are used, some of which I’ve never heard of. My thought is that the ingredients may vary by regional preference.  None of them sounded like they would taste the way I remember them from Tucson though. What I remember about carnitas is that they have a very subtle citrus and spice taste that doesn’t overpower the flavor of the meat, but enhances it. I think the following recipe does just that. 

A couple of notes about this recipe: The ingredient amounts for the dry rub are more of a guideline than a must. Feel free to adjust amount of spices based on your own personal  taste.  For the purposes of this post, I used what I had on hand, which were limes and a 2.5lb pork loin roast. The limes gave a nice hint of citrus, but my preference would have been to use oranges. Instead of pork loin, I would have preferred using a pork butt or shoulder roast. The meat is more marbled, and with slow cooking, holds more moisture and flavor than a loin cut. 

I would also suggest browning the meat well.  This helps produce some crispy bits that hold a lot of flavor. 

 

Serving suggestions:

One of my favorite parts about carnitas are the crispy bits. To do this, after the meat is cooled, pull off serving size pieces. Heat a skillet over medium heat and add a little oil or bacon grease. Add the chunks of meat to the hot skillet and quickly heat them through, allowing parts of the outside to brown and get crispy.

Serve with corn tortillas, Spanish rice, limes and your favorite salsa or pico de gallo

 

This recipe is based on approximately a 2.5lb to 4lb roast, so please adjust amounts accordingly.

Dry Rub:

1 T. kosher salt

2 T. chili powder

2 T. garlic powder

1/2 t. ground black pepper

1 t. dried oregano

1 t. cumin powder

Marinade:

1/3 c. vegetable oil

Citrus: Juice of 2 medium oranges (2/3 c. or 1 c. of orange juice from concentrate)  OR Juice of 4 or 5 small limes (4 – 5 T.)

2 T. cider vinegar

Crockpot:

1 can of chicken broth OR approximately 12 oz of beer –

1/2 large onion cut into chunks

Skillet:

1 T. bacon grease

 

Directions:

Using a small, sharp, pointy knife, press the point of the blade in to make several deep slits on all sides of the roast. Start with the salt by itself. Press liberal amounts of salt firmly into the meat on all sides. For the rest of the dry ingredients, you can combine them, or apply them inidividually. You want to press firmly so that you create a crust with the dry rub.

 

                        

In a small bowl whisk together orange or lime juice, vinegar and oil. Place roast in a ziploc bag or a container that can be sealed. You don’t want to lose any flavor, so make sure to add any dry rub that falls of the roast into the bag or container as well. Pour in liquid. Let meat marinate for at least a couple hours, or overnight. Turn meat every couple hours so that all sides get to steep in the marinade.

Heat bacon grease in a skillet on medium heat. Brown roast on all sides. DO NOT DISCARD MARINADE. Place roast in crockpot. Pour in marinade. Add broth or beer, and onion. Cook on low until meat begins to fall apart. Pull apart and serve.

This roast cooked about 7 hours on low.

                      

 

 

I have used this recipe several times, most recently to make a wedding cake and cupcakes – see Picture Today entry: Tips for Constructing & Decorating a Cake When You’re Not a Cake Boss.

This recipe will make a half sheet cake, 2 – 9 inch rounds, or 22 jumbo cupcakes. This cake has a great buttery taste and is moist and a little dense. It’s the perfect consistency for large or tiered cakes.

Here are some tips that are helpful for successful baking:

• To ensure ingredients combine properly, make sure all ingredients are at room temperature before using.
• Use shortening and flour to grease pans, rather than cooking spray or butter. It’s been my experience that using shortening and flour to coat pans makes it easier to remove the cake from the pans, and keeps the crust intact making it easier to frost.
• Oil can be substituted for butter. Butter provides a great flavor, but makes a denser cake than when baking with cooking oil. I have experimented with using half butter which still provides a great flavor, and half oil which makes the consistency of the cake a little lighter.
• Once you have filled the baking pans with batter, gently tap the pans a couple of times on a flat surface to distribute and even batter out, and release any large air bubbles.

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup butter or oil (see note above about using butter vs. oil)

2 cups white sugar

3 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups milk + 2T white vinegar

3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder

2 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350° Grease and flour pans.

In a small bowl combine milk and vinegar, stir and let sit for approx. 5 minutes. Set aside

In a large bowl, combine all dry ingredients. Work butter into dry ingredients until you have a sandy consistency.

• I find that this is easier if you slice the butter up into chunks and then add it to the dry ingredients. Use a fork, pastry blender or, if using a mixer, the paddle attachment seems to work the best.

Add slightly beaten eggs to milk mixture and stir to combine.

Add approximately half of the liquid mixture to the butter / dry ingredients and mix on low to combine, scraping bowl to ensure all ingredients are combined. Add the rest of the liquid and beat until thoroughly combined – approximately 1 minute.

• Be careful not to over mix. Over mixing will produce a denser, rubbery consistency, rather than a light and fluffy consistency. Mix until the ingredients are combined and the batter has an over all even consistency, making sure to scrape the sides of the bowl, to ensure that all ingredients are incorporated.

Pour batter into prepared pans. Time for baking will depend on the size pan you are using. It’s been my experience that a 9” cake generally takes about 20 minutes, though I check it at 15 minutes and adjust the time appropriately. For jumbo cupcakes, I would start with 10 minutes and then test by inserting a toothpick into the center. Cake is done when toothpick inserted into the center of cake / cupcake comes out clean. Allow to cool.

• For cakes, I generally let them cool on racks in their pans for about 10 minutes. Cool completely before frosting.

Okay, now that you have your fabulous cake baked, are you ready to decorate it? If you’re a fan of buttercream icing, I have just the recipe for you. Check it out HERE

If you read my blog post: Tips for Constructing and Decorating a Cake When You’re Not a Cake Boss, this is the icing I used to decorate the wedding cake and cupcakes, and it was a big success! I did a lot of research to find just the right decorating icing that I hoped would taste good and hold up in uncertain weather. You never know what kind of weather April will bring to Tucson. I lived there for ten years and remembered that early Spring can run the gamut for temperatures. I needed an icing that I could count on to hold up even if the weather was warmer than anticipated. I was not disappointed. As usual, I cobbled a few recipes together and came up with this recipe that did not fail me. This creamy, great tasting icing can be used to simply frost a cake or to decorate with. It holds it’s shape beautifully!

 

Ingredients:

1 c of salted butter (room temperature)

1 c of vegetable shortening

• 2 c of butter or shortening is needed for the amount of confectioners sugar. I found that, in the environment I was working in,  equal amounts of butter and shortening had just the right amount of creaminess and firmness to use to both cover the cake and decorate it. Experiment with different amounts. More butter will create a more flavorful creamy texture, but it might not hold up for decorating purposes. The more shortening you use the less likely the icing is likely to melt. If you use all shortening, I would suggest adding a butter flavor extract, or using butter flavored shortening to enhance the overall icing taste.

2lb bag of confectioners sugar

2 t of vanilla extract

1/3 c very hot water + 2T of powdered coffee creamer dissolved and cooled

Mix 1/3 c of hot (almost boiling water) with 2 T of powdered coffee creamer. Stir until creamer is completely dissolved. Cool and set aside.

In a mixing bowl, using paddle attachment (if you have it) combine butter, shortening and vanilla. Beat on medium until combined. Add 1 c of sugar and mix on low until combined. Scrape bottom and sides of bowl. Continue to add 1 c at a time until mixture is stiff, mixing on low only until combined. Be sure to scrape bowl often to ensure all sugar is incorporated. By now you should have added close to half the sugar. Add 2T of creamer mixture and beat on low just until combined. Continue adding the rest of the sugar and more creamer liquid until you get the desired consistency. Scrape bowl, and beat mixture on medium high or high until smooth and creamy.

 

This is a recipe that I just threw together and wrote down as I went along. My original idea was a creamy, bacon, chicken dish to serve over pasta. As soon as I thought about pasta, my mind immediately went to pesto. I love pesto on pasta – say that three times fast! So I added pesto to the mental list of ingredients, and continued thinking about the flavors. I started thinking about the creamy base sauce. Bacon is salty, and when I make homemade pesto I add a lot of parmesan cheese which can be salty as well. I’m out of my pesto, so I would be using a store bought pesto that I had never used before. I guessed there would be a good amount of salt in it as well, so I really had to think about how I could make a creamy sauce that still had a lot of flavor, without adding salt or any other strong flavors that would compete or overpower the  fragrant, basily pesto flavor that I love. Cream cheese came to mind. Perfect. But cream cheese and pesto seemed a little ho-hum. I wanted to fill the taste out a bit. Make it a little more complex. I wanted some punches of flavor that wouldn’t overwhelm the overall dish, but would add bites of brightness. Savory dishes with bacon….Hmmm… Then it came to me. Another favorite of mine, and the reason I originally cooked all the bacon in the first place was to make a BLT&A sandwich, which was sublime I might add. To get the maximum tomato flavor I decided on sun-dried tomatoes.  I also decided more vegetable sounded like a great idea, so I lined my baking dish with a bed of fresh spinach, which I already had on hand, and before baking, topped the chicken with  fresh asparagus – again, because I had it on hand.

*** Things to consider BEFORE you start cooking:

Ingredient substitutions. In this recipe, the one substitution that could really affect the taste is the type of garlic you use. I used ready-to-use minced garlic from a jar. In my opinion, this type of garlic does not pack the same punch as freshly minced garlic does, so I used a lot. If I were to chop fresh garlic, I might only use about half, in this case, maybe only a tablespoon. If I were using garlic powder, I would only use 1 -2 teaspoons. In instances of substitution, I recommend adding a little and tasting as you go. The same goes for the pesto.  When making this recipe, I had not used this brand of pesto before, so I added and tasted until I got the flavor I was looking for, which equaled 2 heaping tablespoons. If I used fresh, or another brand, I might have to adjust this.

 

Creamy Bacon Pesto Chicken

3 – 4 boneless chicken breasts, cut into hearty slices (I sliced mine into 1″ to 1.5″ pieces)

1 8oz pkg of neufchatel or cream cheese

1/2 c sour cream

3 T. milk

2 T. pesto  (I used 2 very generous tablespoons)

2 T. ready-to-use minced garlic (pls see note *** above if substituting)

1/2 c. frozen chopped spinach, thawed, excess water squeezed out

1/2 c. chopped sun-dried tomatoes reconstituted in warm water and drained

1/2 c. cooked bacon, crumbled

12 oz of sliced mushrooms (I used portobello) sauteed in 1 T of butter

Directions:

Chop sun-dried tomatoes and soak in warm water to soften. Drain and set aside.

Saute mushrooms and set aside.

Spray a large covered baking dish with cooking spray. Line bottom of dish with chicken pieces.

In a bowl, combine cream cheese, sour cream, milk, pesto and garlic. Mix to combine. Stir in spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, and bacon.

Spread mixture over chicken pieces. Cover and bake at 350°F for an hour. Serve over pasta or rice.

After the Dish Notes:

The chicken was fantastic! It delivered just the right amount of pesto flavor and tomato punch that I was looking for. The bacon flavor was present, but not overwhelming. It provided enough salt to bring out the flavors of the other ingredients.

When making it again, however, there are a couple of things that I would change. Please note that I did not add  the following to the recipe above, but they are in the blog entry, so I will mention them. First, I would skip the bed of spinach. For me, it served a purpose since I had it on hand and needed to use it up, but it really didn’t add anything to the dish. There is already spinach in the sauce, and unless you pack the fresh spinach into the bottom of the dish, it basically disappears. The next time, if I want additional vegetables, I’ll try thick slices of lightly sauteed zucchini. I say lightly sauteed because I’d want to sweat out some of the moisture of the squash before adding it, but not cook it so much that it would be overly mushy in the completed dish. This brings me to the second thing I would change. I would not add asparagus. The flavor of the asparagus worked beautifully with the other flavors, but for me, they got a little over cooked. Next time I would either serve a lightly sauteed asparagus on the side, or not add them until about halfway through the cooking time. Lesson learned.

I’ve had a lot of indoor time on my hands this winter. With back to back snowstorms in the Northeast burying us in 5+ ft of snow, accompanied by bitter, bitter cold (do I sound bitter – lol?), my time outside this season has been mainly dedicated to two activities – snow blow, shovel, repeat. Over and over and over… To combat “cabin fever” I’ve started several creative projects like photographing the development of icicles outside my kitchen window, and cooking. This week’s project is a favorite of mine – Chinese pork dumplings.

I love these because they are very versatile – they can be served as a soup, an appetizer or even as part of a meal. They’re a little labor intensive, but so worth it! A single batch will produce five to six dozen, double it, and you’ll have dumplings through Spring!

Versatile Chinese Pork Dumplings

Makes approximately 6 dozen

1 ½ lbs of ground pork

1 bunch of green onions, thinly sliced

1 c. of cooked white rice

½ c. finely chopped Napa cabbage (optional)

1 t. garlic powder

½ t. ground ginger

½ t. white pepper

2 t. cornstarch

3 T. sesame oil

3 T. soy sauce

3 T. rice or white vinegar

 

Wonton wrappers

¼ c. water

2 t. cornstarch

Directions:

Combine first 11 ingredients, except wonton wrappers. Mix thoroughly. See below for tips on how to fill wonton wrappers.

Tips for filling the wrappers: In a small shallow bowl combine 1/4c. water and cornstarch. Once you open the package of wonton wrappers, keep them covered with a damp cloth until ready to use. You don’t want them to dry out, or they’ll crack when you try to fold them. Below are the steps to fold them as shown in the picture:

1. Lay out 5 to 6 wrappers at a time, and I set them up with a corner of the wrapper pointing towards the top of the work space.
2. Using your finger, wet all four sides with the cornstarch water.
3. Using two teaspoons, drop approximately a half a teaspoon of the pork mixture onto the center of the wrapper.
4. Fold the wrapper by pulling the top corner down to bottom corner.
5. Pick up triangle, point side up and hold with both hands using thumbs and forefingers. Start with one open edge, and pinch to close, pushing in around pork ball to get any air pockets out. Pinch other side closed.
6. Moisten pinched edges with cornstarch water and fold over edge and pinch for an extra seal.
7. Bend corners on long flat side back and pinch to seal.

See below for cooking instructions. For later use, freeze dumplings on a cookie sheet and then transfer to freezer bags for storage.

Directions for dumplings: Bring a pot of water to boil. Add dumplings and boil 6 to 8* minutes until dumplings look a little translucent.

Directions for Pot Stickers: Coat the bottom of a skillet with enough oil to cover the bottom. Heat skillet. Add dumplings and cook until bottoms begin to brown. Add water until bottom of pan is covered and water level is half way up the side of the dumpling. Partially cover the skillet allowing a little steam to escape and cook until water is evaporated, approximately 5* minutes. Once water evaporates, continue to cook, uncovered,  for an additional minute so that the dumpling bottoms crisp up again.

Directions for dumpling soup: Use chicken broth instead of water, and add your favorite seasonings like garlic, soy sauce, ginger, sesame oil, red chili flakes. Add favorite vegetables such as carrot shreds, spinach, Napa cabbage or Bok Choy, peapods, green onion, sliced water chesnuts.

*Extra time may be needed if cooking frozen dumplings.

Dipping Sauce:

1 c. soy sauce

1 T. thinly sliced scallions

2 T. minced garlic

3 T. sesame oil

¾ c. rice or white vinegar

Optional – red chili flakes or chili sauce to taste

Can be refrigerated for later use for approximately a week.