Cooking To Die For

Roasted Tomato Basil Soup

2012-03-10T14:48:00.000-08:00

It's been a bit chilly up here in Nor Cal and as such I've been making soups and stews more frequently. The latest was a delicious roasted tomato basil soup that we'd perfected a few years back and posted on our old blog (now defunct). So, I decided that I would post it here for reasons of sharing and for posterity. It is a delicious soup, assuming you like tomatoes and basil, and is awesome with a nice crusty grilled cheese or any sandwich really.

To accompany the soup I'm throwing in some SNFU as they take me back to a time when I ate soup and sandwiches far more often than I seem to of late. Some classic DIY punk with some DIY homemade soup. Plus, the song Painful Reminder is off of their album "Something Green and Leafy This Way Comes". Green, leafy...basil? Get it?- justin

Tomato Basil Soup
Time: 1 1/2 hrs
Difficulty: easy
Serves: 6-8

3 lbs ripe plumb tomatoes cut in half (also called Roma tomatoes)
1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp kosher salt
2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
2 tbsp butter
2 cups chopped onion
1 tbsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flake (omit this if you don't like heat)
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar (substitute red wine vinegar if you don't have balsamic)
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 28 oz can plum tomatoes
3 cups fresh basil leaves
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 quart chicken stock
1 cup heavy cream

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Toss the ripe plumb tomatoes with the 1/4 cup olive oil, the salt and the pepper. Spread the tomatoes out in a single layer on a baking sheet and roast for 45 minutes.

In an 8qt stock pot over medium low heat, saute the onions and garlic in the remaining 2 tbsp of olive oil, the butter, the red pepper flakes, and the vinegar for about 10 minutes. Add the brown sugar, canned tomatoes (liquid and all), the basil, thyme and chicken stock. Add the oven roasted tomatoes, including any liquid that may have accumulated on the baking sheet. Bring to a boil and reduce to simmer for 20 minutes.

Using a blender (immersion or standing will work), blend until the desire consistency is reached. Add the heavy cream and simmer for another 15-20 minutes.

This recipe can also be made without the cream if you want a "lighter" soup or is you wish to serve it chilled like a gazpacho.

Simple Boule

2012-03-07T10:40:00.000-08:00

I've been trying to get back to baking more often as I grew up with my mom baking frequently, and as an adult have done less baking than when I was younger. So, I've been trying my hand at breads lately and was suggested one by a good friend recently. She is somewhat of a foodie herself and based on her recommendation I gave it a shot and succeeded beyond my wildest dreams. This is a very simple recipe that you leave to rise overnight. After 14 hrs or so of rising it's rolled one last time in some flour or cornmeal and it bakes in a dutch oven, which I'd never done before. In any case, this recipe I'm posting is our variation of this recipe and has a couple of extra flavor enhancers tossed in so feel free to experiment cause it's hard to mess this one up.

And what would go better with baking some bread than Propaghandi with their early track titled "Who Will Help Me Bake This Bread" off of their album How to Clean Everything. - justin

Simple Boule
Time: 15 to 16 hrs
Difficulty: medium
Serves: 6-8

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp sea salt (or 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt)
1 tsp herbs de Provence ( or 1/4 tsp each: thyme, fennel, basil, savory, lavender)
1 tsp minced garlic
3/4 cup water
3/4 cup milk (I used 1% milk)
1/2 tsp active dry yeast

Combine the flour, salt, herbs, and garlic in a large mixing bowl. Warm the millk and water to a lukewarm temp either on the stove or in a microwave safe dish. The liquid should not be hot, merely lukewarm, no more than 115 degrees Fahrenheit. Add the yeast and let sit for 5 minutes. After five minutes add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir to mix.

Just stir in the liquid until the dough forms into a ball and deposit in an oiled bowl that will have enough room for the dough ball to double in size. Cover with a wet towel and leave to rise in a warm place for 6 hrs or so.

After 6 hrs or so make sure the dough has doubled in size. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and fold onto itself a couple times, using a little flour to keep it from sticking to your hands and counter top. After the dough has been worked back down to a smaller size, just a minute or two of kneading, return to the oiled bowl, cover again with a wet towel and let rise at least another 6 hrs.

After the second 6 hr rising period, once again kneed the dough ball a couple times, no more than 2 or 3 folds, and let rise, covered, for a final 2 hrs.

30 minutes before you are ready to bake the bread pre-heat your oven to 450 degrees. Place an 8qt dutch oven inside to pre-heat along with the oven. When ready to bake, place the dough ball in the dutch oven, seam-side facing up, cover with the dutch oven lid, and bake for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, remove the lid from the dutch oven and bake an additional 15 minutes. Remove the loaf of bread and set on a rack to cool at least 10 minutes before serving.

Ribollita

2012-02-28T12:36:00.002-08:00

We've been having a lot of soup weather here in Humboldt lately so I decided to make some delicious Italian soup, ribollita, that I'd first tried a few months back. The ingredients are cheap, it's simple to prepare, it makes a good amount, and it tastes heavenly. If you like minestrone, then you'll love ribollita, as ribollita simply means "re-boiled" and is a classic Italian "day after minestrone" leftover soup. It's a way to stretch another meal out of the leftover minestrone in a way that tastes very similar. The bulk of the soup is veggies and almost any veggies you want can be used. It really is a "toss whatever you have in the fridge that you need to use up" dish.

For tunes with this recipe I decided to go with some old school, New York Dolls, Chatterbox. It's dirty, grungy, dissonant, and it's the very early 70's garage rock that would eventually become punk rock as it was known in the late 70's and early 80's. -justin

Ribollita
Time: 3 hrs
Serves: 8
Difficulty: Easy

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp sea salt (or 2 tbsp kosher salt)
1/4 lb bacon, diced
2 cups chopped yellow onion
1 cup chopped carrots
1 cup chopped celery
1 tbsp capers
2 tbsp minced garlic
1 tsp fresh ground black pepper
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 can (28 oz) whole pealed tomatoes in puree, chopped
4 cups roughly chopped cabbage
3 cups roughly chopped kale
1/4 cup fresh chopped basil
6 cups chicken stock
1 can white beans
3 cups bread cubes
freshly grated asiago cheese

In an 8qt dutch oven, or similarly large soup pot, heat the oil. Add the diced bacon and onions and cook over medium-low heat for 10 minutes or until the onions are translucent. Add the carrots, celery, capers, garlic, salt, ground black pepper and red pepper flakes. Continue cooking over medium-low heat for an additional 10 minutes or until veggies are tender. Add the tomatoes with their puree, cabbage, kale and basil and cook, stirring occasionally, for another 10 minutes.

Drain the beans, reserving the liquid, and add half of the whole beans to the veggies. Puree the other half of the beans in their liquid and add to the stock pot along with the 6 cups chicken broth. Bring the soup to a boil and reduce to a low simmer for 1.5 hrs. Add the bread to the soup and simmer for another 30 minutes.

Taste for seasoning and serve hot with a little drizzle of olive oil and the grated asiago.

Caramel Corn

2012-02-27T14:42:00.000-08:00

So glad I found a way to make caramel corn! It's ridiculously over-priced to buy, and so freakin' cheap to make! And right now, we're being cheap! I've got the imitation butter as optional because it really isn't necessary to add, but I found that adding it definitely gives the caramel a better buttery taste... reminds me a little more of the butter-toffee flavoured corn you can buy than straight up caramel corn. And I really recommend the saltiness of some roasted peanuts, if you dig nuts!

The Cramps' "Goo Goo Muck" totally made me think of something gooey and mucky like caramel. -jen

CARAMEL CORN
Time: 8 minutes prep, 1 hour bake, 20 minutes to cool
Serves: makes about 2 gallon-size Ziplocs full
Difficulty: Easy

3/4-1 cup popcorn seeds
1 cup butter
2 cups packed brown sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1 teaspoon imitation butter flavour (optional)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup roasted peanuts or pecans (optional)

Preheat oven to 200 F.

Pop corn with your preferred method. I like using the air popper for this. Pour popcorn into large roasting pan.

In a large sauce pan over medium heat, combine butter, brown sugar, corn syrup, butter flavouring (if using), and salt. Bring to a boil for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and quickly stir in vanilla and baking soda until combined. Pour over popcorn and sprinkle on nuts, if using. Stir well to coat all of the popcorn.

Bake at 200 F in roasting pan for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Spread over waxed paper to cool. Then break up large chunks and serve.

Couscous Veggie Salad

2012-02-24T16:18:00.000-08:00

So we've done a few couscous salads in the past but have continued to refine them over time till we've come up with this version. It's very Mediterranean tasting, very light and refreshing, and a great side dish for a heavier main course or good as a main course all on it's own. It's super easy to prepare and can be made in either large or small quantities with little to no trouble. And it's fairly healthy as far as pasta salads go since it's loaded with fresh veggies and has no heavy dressing or anything on it. I know, I know. Cooking to Die for right? Well, after a lot of artery clogging stuff we have to balance things, even if only just a little. And who better to do some salad tunes than those rowdy hardcore boys from the east coast, Minor Threat? So enjoy some Salad Days while you whip this dish up or while you eat. - justin

Couscous Veggie Salad
Time: 20 min
Serves: 6-8
Difficulty: Easy

1 cup instant couscous
1 1/2 cups chicken broth (water is okay but less tasty, even bouillon is better than nothing)
1 whole cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced
1 red/yellow/orange bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 medium shallot, minced fine
2 green onions, minced fine
1 cup broccoli, diced
1/4 cup green olives, finely chopped
1/4 cup feta cheese
1/4 cup fresh basil, finely chopped
2 tbsp fresh mint, finely chopped
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp fresh ground black pepper

I find it's best to prep all the veggies and whatnot ahead of time as it's a toss everything in the finished cous cous kind of dish and not much time is involved in anything but the prep. If you happen to be using English or "hothouse" cucumbers, ignore the part about seeds as they won't be present.

In a medium saucepan, bring your stock to a boil. Stir in the instant couscous, cover and turn off the heat. Let sit for five minutes. Transfer the couscous to a large salad bowl and fluff with a pair of forks until any large clumps are broken up. Add all the remaining ingredients and toss thoroughly. It's that simple. This can be served chilled or just after combining everything; it's up to you.

Lemon Ricotta Cake With Blueberries

2012-02-20T08:31:00.000-08:00

What I like about this cake is that it sounds sort of decadent (to me, anyway), but it was solely inspired by the extremely tight budget we're on simply by using what we had in the house. Had some leftover ricotta from making lasagna, blueberries in the freezer that I'd picked last summer, and we almost always have lemons in the house. Just had a sweet craving and decided to do something about it!

While baking, we had some Pandora station on that played this song about forty times, and though I tried to think of something cakey or lemony to go with the recipe, I just kept coming up with this song, so I might as well just get it out of my freaking head!! Dramarama's "Anything Anything". -jen

LEMON RICOTTA CAKE WITH BLUEBERRIES

1 cup butter, softened
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1/2 cup Ricotta cheese
1/2 cup milk
zest of 1 large lemon
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
juice of 1 large lemon
1 cup blueberries**

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Generously coat a bunt pan with non-stick cooking spray.

Cream the butter and sugar with an electric mixer until smooth. Add the egg, 1 at a time. Then add the Ricotta, milk, lemon zest, and vanilla until combined.

In a separate bowl, mix the flour, baking soda and salt. Add the flour mixture to the wet mixture until completely blended. Then add the lemon juice. Stir in the blueberries by hand.

Spoon batter into prepared pan and bake for 60 minutes, or until tester comes out clean. Remove cake and allow to cool completely.

**Note: I found my blueberries all sunk to the bottom of the pan (top of the cake) and think next time I would spoon 2/3 of the batter into the pan, sprinkle the blueberries on top, and spoon the remainder of the batter over it. I imagine you'd just get a layer of blueberry still, but they'd sink to the middle rather than all the way down. Just an idea!

LEMON ICING

2 cups confectioner's sugar
zest and juice of 1 large lemon
2-3 tablespoons Limoncello (optional)

Whisk to combine sugar and lemon juice. Use Limoncello liqueur or water in tablespoon increments to thin icing just until it's a consistency that can be drizzled over the cake. You don't want it too thin, or the cake will just absorb it!

Cream of Asparagus & Broccoli Soup

2012-01-08T18:48:00.000-08:00

This is basically a "we're broke and gotta do something with leftovers" soup that came out fantastic! Very rich, creamy soup and surprisingly, neither the asparagus nor the broccoli are overwhelming. As Justin just said, it's a stick-to-your-ribs soup. Now, I actually made this soup with some of Justin's homemade pork broth which gave it this great, smokey, ham or bacon flavour. However, since I know most people don't have pork broth hanging around in their freezer, I'm going to post the recipe with chicken broth, which is perfectly acceptable.

I'm going to be honest here with the music - I was in a retro mood and listening to my Rosemary Clooney Pandora station (even my garnish got retro!), but this is a rock'n'roll blog and I just can't bring myself to post one of her songs. So I'm going with a song that came across my ears yesterday that I hadn't heard in years! T.S.O.L.'s "Black Magic"! I remember loving this song the first time I heard it and then playing it over, and over, and over, and then over again! Hard to find a video of this song at all! -jen

CREAM OF ASPARAGUS & BROCCOLI SOUP
Time: 45-60 minutes total
Serves: 6-8
Difficulty: Easy

1.5 pounds of asparagus
1 pound of broccoli
olive oil
salt and pepper
10 tablespoons butter
2 medium onions, chopped
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
2/3 cup flour
5 cups chicken broth
3 cups milk
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried marjoram
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/2 teaspoon dried tarragon
1/8-1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (depending on taste)
2 tablespoons dry sherry

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Remove woody ends of asparagus and discard; chop the asparagus into 2" pieces. Chop broccoli into about 2" pieces, including the stems. Lay out on a baking sheet and drizzle generously with olive oil, then toss to coat all vegetables. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and roast for 30 minutes. Set aside.

Meanwhile, heat butter in stock pot over medium-high heat and saute onions until soft and transluscent, 5-10 minutes. Add minced garlic and cook an additional 3 minutes. Add flour and stir until combined, cook another 5 minutes. Whisk in chicken broth and milk until all clumps have disappeared and sauce begins to thicken. Add roasted asparagus and broccoli, thyme, marjoram, rosemary, tarragon, and cayenne pepper. Taste soup to see if it needs additional salt and pepper. Using an immersion blender, blend until smooth. (If you don't have an immersion blender, you can use a regular blender or food processor, but do it in batches and be careful because the soup is hot!) Stir in sherry and serve.

Creamy Spinach Stuffed Mushrooms

2012-01-06T13:31:00.000-08:00

I love making stuffed mushrooms all kinds of different ways! Mushrooms rock! Usually I do a crab-cheese-breadcrumb stuffing, but last night we had some leftover spinach in the freezer and I was thinking of going a little creamy with it. I've tried doing creamy stuffed 'shrooms before using cream cheese, but I didn't really care for the way it came out... a little too rich and stick-to-the-roof-of-your-mouth. Thinking there must be a better way, I tried a bechamel and cheese sauce and I loved how these came out! They might even be better than the crab stuffed 'shrooms! Oh man... now I'll have to try making crab and spinach stuffed mushrooms using this recipe!!!

How about a little Face to Face doing a cover of Popeye! Eats your spinach! -jen

CREAMY SPINACH STUFFED MUSHROOMS
Time: 20 prep, 20 baking
Serves: 5-7
Difficulty: Easier than Pie!

12-15 large white mushrooms, cleaned
4 tablespoons butter, divided
1 large shallot, finely diced
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup milk
1.5 cups shredded Fontina cheese
1.5 cups frozen spinach, thawed (squeeze all the juice out! Do it!)
2-3 tablespoons fresh, chopped basil (love having the AeroGarden!)
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup Panko breadcrumbs
non-stick cooking spray

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Prepare a baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray.

Using your hands, gently tug the mushroom stems away from the caps, careful not to break the caps, and dice the stems finely. Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter over a medium-high heat and saute the mushroom stems, diced shallots and garlic until tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in the flour and cook, stirring occasionally, for another 3 minutes. Quickly pour in the milk and whisk to remove all lumps. Continue whisking until sauce becomes thick, another 3-5 minutes. Add the cayenne pepper and salt and pepper to taste (I think I used about a teaspoon of salt and probably 1/2 a teaspoon of black pepper.)

Once the sauce has thickened, remove from heat and add about 1/2 of the shredded Fontina, stirring until the cheese is entirely melted. Stir in the spinach and the basil until entirely incorporated, then add the remainder of the cheese and set aside.

In a small bowl, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter in the microwave. Add the Panko to the melted butter and toss until entirely coated.

Spoon the spinach mixture into the mushroom caps. Since the mixture is creamy, you don't want to go too far over the top of the cap or it will just ooze and melt when you bake it. Top each mushroom with a generous portion of bread crumbs, gently pushing the crumbs into the spinach mixture. Place mushrooms on the prepared baking sheet and bake at 400 degrees F for 15-20 minutes, until breadcrumbs are golden brown.

Accordion Potatoes

2012-01-01T18:35:00.000-08:00

We started out the new year with a great brunch with new friends (new for me, anyway). I'd been wanting to try my hand at some sliced baked potatoes because I had a ton of different ideas for them. Our friend Mike had made some a while back, showing us pictures - they looked great! Then we saw some made on television and decided we had to make them. Today presented a perfect opportunity, as we were hosting brunch and needed something to go with the Greek frittata that Justin was making.

I'm not a huge fan of potatoes - baked, mashed, scalloped. It's not that I dislike them, they just don't do a whole lot for me. Until... today. These potatoes were so freaking bomb ass, I ate two servings at brunch, and went back for a half of a potato for a snack. I want to make more right now... we just don't have any potatoes left.

C'mon. Irish. Accordion. Potatoes. This was a total no brainer for music. Flogging Molly's "Drunken Lullabies". I love these guys. -jen

ACCORDION POTATOES

3 large baking potatoes
4 tablespoons butter, melted
2 teaspoons seasoning salt
2 teaspoons dried dill
1-2 lemons, sliced super thin
1-2 shallots, sliced super thin

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Scrub outside of potatoes clean. Lay potato on cutting board and slice into 1/8-1/4" slices, not slicing through the bottom of the potato. You can use two wooden spoons on either side of the potato as a bumper to stop you from cutting through it like in this photo.

Drizzle all but a teaspoon or two of the melted butter over entire top of potato, using your fingers to separate the pieces and get butter down into the crevices. Sprinkle seasoning salt and dill over potatoes, separating pieces again to make sure seasoning gets into all the slots.

Squeeze sliced lemon and shallots, alternating, in between the potato slices. Brush the tops of the potatoes with the remaining butter. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 60-80 minutes, until potato is tender. (Timing depends on how large your potatoes are. Test a middle piece with a fork - if it slides in easily, it's done.)

Remove and serve. Don't forget to pull out the lemon wedges if you're not into eating lemon rind.

You could really season the potatoes with anything you wanted. I actually used Penzey's Forward spice mix, some salt, and the dill. Next time I'd like to use one of our chile-based spice rubs we make, and sprinkle some shredded cheese on during the last 10-15 minutes.

Hunter's Stew

2011-12-11T12:56:00.000-08:00

I'm a guy who loves game meat. My former father-in-law and myself used to raise chickens and rabbits for meat. We had coveys of quail that nested and fed in his backyard. Wild turkey roosted in the trees down by the river where the deer also bedded down during the heat of the day. Wild pig rooted on the hillsides up the ridge. Needless to say that I've had my fair share of game meat. Pig roasts were common for weddings or graduations and when folks took a deer or a bear, there was often a cookout that followed.

A few months back, I'd picked up a couple of whole, trimmed rabbits from a local butcher who carries them and I finally decided to pull one out and do something with it. It's been getting colder here of late and a nice hearty stew seemed like the perfect thing to do with a rabbit. I figured the slow cooker would be a perfect way to break down the meat off the bones and impart a good savory flavor to the meat as Jen isn't too fond of the "gamey" taste of many wild meats. Personally, I like it. It also helped me clean up a few leftover veggies I had sitting around and I made up some barley to serve it over. A great old-timey comfort dish. Jen said it reminded her of some sort of hunter's stew so that's what I decided to call it.

Note: If you have an aversion to eating Bambi, Thumper, or any other cute, cuddly woodland creatures, poultry may be substituted for rabbit but your cooking times will be much shorter. Probably no more than 6 hours or so.

A little Jawbreaker "West Bay Invitational" seemed apropos as I would gladly have invited everyone to the West Bay, or Humboldt since I then wouldn't have to drive, to a kick-ass party where I would serve much cerveza and plenty of rabbit stew. With kick-ass live music of course. - justin

Hunter's Stew

Time: 8-9 hours
Servings: 6-8
Difficulty: Easy

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 cup shallots, chopped
1/2 cup carrots, chopped
1/2 cup celery, chopped
1 cup mushrooms, chopped
1 tbsp garlic, minced
2 tbsp kosher salt
1 tbsp seasoned salt
1 tbsp ground black pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/8 tsp Chinese Five Spice
1 tsp Herbs De Provence
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
2 cups chicken stock
2 cups water
1 cup very dry sherry
1 whole 3lb rabbit, trimmed (paws, head, fur, skin, tail, and innards all removed)
1/2 cup wild rice
1/2 cup red wine
1 cup fresh scallions, chopped
1/3 cup of raisins

Thickening the Broth

Liquid from the slow cooker
1 cup chicken stock
3 tbsp butter
3 tbsp flour

Get your oil, shallots, carrots, celery, mushrooms, garlic, kosher and seasoned salts, black and cayenne peppers, Chinese Five Spice, Herbs de Provence, basil, 2 cups chicken stock, water, and dry sherry in the slow cooker and set it to low for 8 hours. Every 2 hours, turn the rabbit if the liquid doesn't cover the entire animal (we have a 7 qt slow cooker so my liquid left half my rabbit exposed). After 6 hours stir in the rice, red wine, scallions and raisins. After 7 hours, remove the rabbit and pull the meat from the bones. Most of the meat is located in the hind legs but don't forget the back straps, the shoulders, and the breasts hold a good bit of meat as well. I find the easiest way is to pull as much meat off with a fork as possible and use your hands for the rest, once the meat has cooled a little, that is.

Add the pulled meat back to the slow cooker for the last hour. When the 8 hours is up, place the butter in a skillet over medium high heat and melt. Add the flour and cook for 2 minutes or until the roux is a light brown color. Strain the liquid from the slow cooker into the skillet, add the last cup of chicken stock and whisk quickly until thickened. Add the thickened sauce/gravy back to the veggies and meat in the slow cooker and serve over rice or barley.

Smokey Squash Soup

2011-12-08T11:46:00.000-08:00

So we have all of these autumnal veggies sitting around the house and in an effort to use them before they start to go bad, I decided to make some squash soup. I'd already been on a mission one day to make soup stock out of a chicken carcass and ended up going the extra mile to make a pork stock as well. It seemed like the perfect base for a squash soup. I went the smokey pork rout for the stock and tossed in a smoked pork femur, some trimmings off of a ham steak, and a healthy dose of bacon. The result was awesome. Some crumbled bacon and fresh chopped scallions made this an amazing comfort dish, perfect for a cold day or for the morning after a long night of debauchery when your body needs nutrients other than hard drugs and alcohol. Hearty and filling, healthy veggies, smooth and silky texture. Warms you from the inside!

Since it's a healthy and hearty soup it would naturally pair with some Supersuckers which is more like country/punk with a side order of "kick me in the teeth". A little "Born With a Tail" makes this good soup seem a little more edgy so here ya go. You can feel a little more rock-n-roll-devil-child while you eat your healthy squash soup. - justin

Smokey Squash Soup

Time: 1 hr
Serves: 6
Difficulty: Easy

2 cups butternut squash
2 cups sweet baking pumpkin
1 lb bacon, chopped
2 cups onion, chopped
2 tbsp salt
1 tbsp ground black pepper
2 tsp ground white pepper
1 tbsp paprika
2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp ground ginger
2 tbsp minced garlic (about 3 medium cloves)
1/4 cup dry vermouth or dry sherry
6 cups pork or chicken stock
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tbsp butter
2 cups scallions, chopped
1/2 cup Pecorino Romano, grated

I was working with a whole squash and a whole pumpkin so I simply cut them in half, seeded them, and roasted half of each, cut side down, on an cookie sheet covered in oiled aluminum foil in a 425 degree oven for 45 minutes. They came out perfectly. If you are working with diced veggies, use the 4 cups and toss them in a little olive oil and roast in a 425 degree oven and check them after 25 minutes. Pull when they are fork tender.

Brown the bacon in a large stock pot over medium heat until the fat has rendered and the bacon is crisp. Remove bacon and dump all but 3 tbsp of the bacon fat. Add the chopped onion and sweat until translucent and starting to brown. Add the salt, black and white peppers, paprika, chili powder, ginger and garlic and cook for another 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the vermouth or sherry and cook for 2 minutes or so to deglaze. Don't forget to scrape the pot with a wooden spoon or silicon whisk get all those yummy bits off the bottom. Those are called flavor.

Add the stock to the pot along with the squash and pumpkin and add 1/2 of the crisped bacon. Didn't think I'd forgotten that did you? Puree with whatever method you have available. We have a stick blender and that makes it easy but a food processor or blender would work as well. Just work in batches. After a smooth consistency has been achieved, turn the heat to high and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 25 minutes or so. When the desired consistency has been achieved (continue simmering if you like a thicker soup) stir in the cream and butter. Once they have been fully incorporated, serve with rest of the crumbled bacon, chopped scallions, and Pecorino Romano as a topping.

I also thought that a dollop of sour cream would be good on this. Or maybe some roasted apples or something.

Baba Ghanoush Hummus

2011-12-03T21:48:00.000-08:00

Having just survived through Thanksgiving, I've been in the mood for stuff on the healthier side. I decided to make some baba ghanoush, but ended up kind of crossing it with hummus. Came out way tasty! Makes me think of the show MXC, which is only the best show that's ever been on television, because Vic and Kenny always name one of the contestants Baba Ghanoush. But Justin also came up in an instant with the best song EVER for this dish! Nerf Herder's "Nose Ring Girl". This is an awesome live version! "...and rice cakes! Rice Cakes! Rice Cakes! Rice Cakes!" Admit it... Nerf Herder and MXC are a beautiful union. Just like baba ghanoush and hummus. -jen

BABA GHANOUSH HUMMUS
So awesome!
Time: 1 hr roasting/10 minutes prep
Level: E-Z

Roasted Veggies

1 large eggplant
1 large zucchini
1/2 of a large onion
1 head of garlic
olive oil
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil (this helps clean up!) Cut eggplant and zucchini in half lengthwise. Score the flesh of each in a diamond pattern, cutting all the way through the flesh, but not through the skin. Drizzle olive oil over each, salt and pepper. Place both vegetables scored-side down on baking sheet. Chop onion into large chunks, drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper and place on baking sheet. Cut the top off of the head of garlic to expose some of the heads. Drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper and place on baking sheet. Roast all of the veggies at 400 degrees F for 1 hour. Set aside to cooled enough to handle.

Dip

roasted veggies listed above
1 can (15.5oz) garbanzo beans
1/4 cup tahini
juice of 1 large lemon
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
1/4-1/2 cup chopped cilantro (depending on taste)
1/4 teaspoon minced garlic (or 1 fresh clove)
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon Accent or MSG (optional)
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/8 teaspoon (or a few cranks) of black pepper
1/4-1/2 cup olive oil

In a food processor, combine the scooped out flesh of the eggplant (discard the skin), the zucchini, and the onions. Squeeze out the roasted flesh of the garlic head (discard the paper/skin) and add to processor. Then add the garbanzo beans, tahini, lemon juice, vinegar, cilantro, minced garlic, cumin, coriander, salt, Accent, red pepper flakes, and black pepper. Process at high speed, slowly drizzling in the olive oil. 1/4 cup makes a thick dip, but you may want to add as much as 1/2 cup olive oil to your dip to thin it out more. Blend at high speed until garbanzo beans are completely broken up and dip is smooth and creamy.

Serve as a dip with toasted pita chips, tortilla chips, crackers, or fresh vegetables like carrots, bell peppers and cucumbers. Or use as a condiment for lettuce and tortilla wraps, burgers, or sandwiches!

Olive oil drizzled in the center

Coffee Toffee

2011-11-18T11:24:00.000-08:00

I'm not much of a candy fan, but I do love English toffee. Started making it when Justin and I first lived together, but that was about 6 years ago and I haven't made much since. Until yesterday. We had picked up some coffee toffee made locally and it was black, which was awesome! Tasted great too, but it was expensive! Like $2.50 for three tiny little pieces. Knowing I could make toffee, I decided to try my hand at my own coffee toffee. It came out great (though not black). I'm still going to experiment; I don't know why I need it to be black, but I so want it to be black! This recipe only has ground beans in it, which like I said, is delicious... but I'm thinking if I put a tablespoon or two of espresso in it when cooking... it might come out black.

This song is a little throw back and I had to be cheesy and use it. More new wave than punk, I suppose. They used to play the video on MTV all the time in the early/mid 80s, and I was like six or seven years old when I decided I wanted Annabella Lwin's shaved hair style! Actually, I think I have had that hair style, only with dreads! Bow Wow Wow's "I Want Candy". -jen

COFFEE TOFFEE
Prep Time: 2 minutes
Cook Time: 5-7 minutes
Level: Super easy!
Special Tools: Candy/Oil thermometer
Note: Be very careful making this. The melted butter/sugar can burn you badly and it sticks like a mofo!

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter + some for pan
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon light corn syrup (though I've made it without this too)
2 teaspoons finely ground coffee beans
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup chopped pecans (optional)

Generously butter a baking sheet that has a rim, set aside.

In a large 2-quart saucepan, combine 1/2 cup butter, sugar, corn syrup and ground coffee beans. Using a wooden spoon, stir over medium-low heat until butter and sugar have melted. Increase heat to high and continue to stir, bringing candy temperature to 300 degrees F (hard crack stage). Immediately remove pan from heat, quickly stir in vanilla, and spread onto buttered baking sheet. Gotta move fast here, stoners! Sprinkle pecans over the top quickly and allow to cool for about 20 minutes. Flex the pan a little and candy should release.

Another option is chocolate. Instead of sprinkling pecans on it immediately after pouring it out, you could sprinkle chocolate chips or shaved chocolate across the top. The residual heat will melt it after a few minutes and you can spread it smooth across the top.

Brussels Sprouts and Bacon Gratin

2011-11-16T08:21:00.000-08:00

If you don't think you like brussels sprouts... you should try these. You might change your mind. These sprouts are so creamy and cheesy and delicious! Loved 'em! Even half-way through the cooking process, before the cream and cheese were even added, they tasted awesome! I might have just stopped there, except I had the gratin game plan.

I was on a little psychobilly kick while cooking these... it somehow seemed appropriate, since I think of brussels sprouts as throwbacks to the 50's. But these definitely aren't your mom or grandma's sprouts! I kept coming back to the Horrorpops, so here's their "Miss Take". -jen

BRUSSELS SPROUTS AND BACON GRATIN

3/4 pound bacon, chopped into 1" pieces
3 tablespoons butter (divided)
2 medium shallots, sliced
1 pound brussels sprouts, cut off brown ends
3/4 cup chicken broth, seasoned*
pinch red pepper flakes
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup Gruyere cheese, shredded
1/4-1/2 cup panko bread crumbs

* I seasoned the chicken broth with about a teaspoon of the KFC Copycat seasoning. If you don't have that, you could use seasoning salt or just salt and pepper. The seasoning is really up to you.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

In a large skillet (that has a fitted lid, which you'll need later) over medium-high heat, cook bacon until browned and crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on some paper towels. Set aside.

In the same skillet, keep about 1 tablespoon of the bacon fat, discarding the remainder. Add 2 tablespoons of butter. Melt over medium-high heat and add shallots. Cook for several minutes until tender. If your brussels sprouts are large, cut them in half. If they're small, you can leave them whole. Add brussels sprouts and just toss them around for 2-3 minutes to get a little browned. Add the chicken broth to deglaze the pan (scrape up the crusty bits) and the red pepper flakes. Bring to a boil, then cover and lower heat to simmer for about 7 minutes or until brussels sprouts are slightly tender when pierced with a fork.

Note: At this point, you could just stop and eat the sprouts like this because they're delicious and it would be a lower-fat, lower-carb dish. Or you can continue into the awesome, evil world of cream and cheese and bread crumbs!

If your skillet is oven safe, you can leave everything in it. If not, transfer sprouts and shallots into a buttered 2-quart baking dish. Add cream, shredded cheese, and crisped bacon. Toss. Melt remaining 1 tablespoon of butter and toss with panko. Sprinkle buttered panko over the top.

Bake at 400 degrees F for 15-20 minutes, or until browned on top.

Shown here with some homemade chicken strips.

Copycat KFC Chicken with Waffles

2011-11-13T13:55:00.000-08:00

Chicken and waffles have always had a magical place in my heart and stomach. Jen had seen some show not too long ago where the guy, Todd Wilbur, tried to discern the secret blend of herbs and spices in the KFC Original Recipe chicken by deconstructing the finished product. He apparently got incredibly close so we decided to give it a go, as I could think of no better tasting chicken to go with waffles and maple syrup (my favorite topping for the dish)! We didn't have everything his blend called for in terms of the tellicherry and the savory so we made a few substitutions but the finished product was juicy and tasted amazing. The waffles were Jen's creation and were golden and crispy with a little cornmeal crunch that was perfect.

Note: This is not health food. No one should in any way mistake this for a low fat, low carb, low sugar, light meal. This seasoning blend contains MSG, commonly known as Accent, and though it's a small amount some folks are particular about not consuming MSG. Also, this is fried chicken. You'll need a deep fryer or a large dutch oven and some frying oil.

Was in an old school punk mood so I went with some Circle Jerks "Wonderful" as that is exactly how I felt about this dish. Wonderful! - justin

Prep Time: 2 hrs
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Serves: 4
Level: Easy

BRINE

The recipe called for a brine which I will include here but I didn't use it. I had a quart of my own brine left over from a previous recipe and it worked out just fine!

8 cups water
1/3 cup salt
1 tbsp Accent (MSG)

Dissolve the salt and Accent in the water and add chicken for at least 2 hours. Chicken can be left to brine for as long as 24 hours in the fridge. Remove from brine, rinse, and pat dry.

BREADING

9 oz all purpose flour
1 tbsp kosher salt
1 tbsp Accent (MSG)
2 tsp granulated sugar
2 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp ground white pepper
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp ground tarragon
1/2 tsp ground sage
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground marjoram
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/8 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp ground cayenne pepper

Combine all ingredients in a ziplock bag and shake thoroughly to mix.

Jen's Note: After the chicken was so awesome due to the seasoning, I made a double batch (minus the flour) just to keep on the counter as an awesome seasoning salt!

DREDGE

4 eggs
2 cups milk

Beat eggs in a large bowl and stir in the milk.

Heat oil or deep fryer to 300 degrees. When oil is hot, dredge each piece of chicken in the egg mix and cover with breading. Make sure it is well coated and set aside for 5 minutes. Shake off any excess breading and fry 2-4 pieces at a time or whatever your fryer may allow. Don't crowd the chicken though. Fry for 18-20 minutes or until the chicken becomes golden brown. Drain on a rack for at least 5 minutes before serving. Chicken can be kept in a 200 degree oven to maintain temp until served.

WAFFLES

1-1/2 cups all purpose four
1/4 cup cornmeal
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 egg yolks
1-3/4 cups milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil

Mix all your dry ingredients in a bowl and lightly whisk the eggs, milk and oil in a separate bowl. Add the liquid to the dry ingredients, whisking until just mixed together. Let sit for 10 minutes before cooking as per your waffle maker's instructions (ours cooked about 7 minutes).

Serve chicken with waffles and cover with a generous splash of real maple syrup and you have achieved comfort food!

Caramelized Onion Jam Pork Roast

2011-11-11T16:52:00.000-08:00

So, I'd had a desire to make some onion jam recently and finally found a recipe I liked as well as the motivation to actually attempt it. It came out delicious! With roasted garlic and some apple cider how can you go wrong? Once it was done, however, I needed to use it on something. So we got a nice, big pork tenderloin roast and carved it out into a flat sheet, brined it overnight, smothered it with the jam, cranberries, raisins, pecans, and rolled it back up and baked it. Awesome is the best way to describe it. The brine is good for both pork and chicken and the jam works well on bagels with cream cheese, most meats, and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are next on my list to try.

To back it up musically, I've got some Cock Sparrer with one of my favorites from them "Take 'Em All". Nothing like some gutter punks to compliment a nice fall meal! - justin

Brine

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Makes: Approx 2 quarts
Level: Easy

5 cups water
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup kosher salt
2 tbsp black peppercorns
1 tsp cumin seed
1 tsp brown mustard seed
1 tsp whole allspice berries
1 tsp whole corriander seed
4 whole bay leaves
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flake
1 whole cinnamon stick

Add all ingredients to a 3 qt saucepan and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce to simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool completely. This can be frozen for later use if desired.

Caramelized Onion & Roasted Garlic Jam

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 60 minutes
Makes: Slightly less than 2 quarts
Level: Easy

4 heads of garlic
4 cups onion, chopped
1 cup raisins
1/4 cup butter
2 tbsp olive oil
3/4 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tsp ground mustard
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp ground white pepper
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp smoked paprika
5 cups sugar
2 oz dried pectin

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Remove the papery outer skin from the garlic heads but do not peel or separate cloves. Cut off the top inch of the garlic bulbs and brush with olive oil. Wrap each bulb in heavy duty foil and bake for 35-40 minutes or until soft. Allow to cool for 10-15 minutes.

In a dutch oven, saute onions in butter for 30-40 minutes or until lightly browned. Squeeze softened garlic into pan. Stir in the cider vinegar, balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, mustard, salt, white pepper, ginger, cloves, and smoked paprika. Bring to a rolling boil. Gradually add sugar, stirring constantly. Return to a boil for 3 minutes.

Add the pectin and bring to a rolling boil. Boil for one minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and allow the liquid to cool for 5 minutes, scraping any foam off the top afterward. Pour mixture into sterile quart canning jars, leaving 1/2 inch of head space. Adjust the caps and process in boiling water for 10 minutes if long term storage is desired. Otherwise the jam can be stored in the fridge for immediate use.

Onion Jam Pork Roast

Prep Time:12 hours
Cook Time: 2 to 2.5 hrs
Serves: 8 people
Level: Medium

5 lb pork tenderloin roast
1 qt pork or chicken brine
1 cup Caramelized Onion Jam
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup pecans
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1 tbsp kosher salt
1 tbsp ground black pepper

Fillet the pork roast out into a flat sheet, like a flank steak. Take a large knife and cut an inch thick piece along the length so the as you roll the roast away from the knife you create a sheet of meat. Place in a gallon ziplock bag and all enough brine to cover the top of the meet. Place in a spill proof container overnight.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Remove the pork from the brine and rinse with cold water to remove the brine. Pat dry with a paper towel. Lay the pork out flat, over three pieces of butchers twine (cotton string) cut to 1 ft in length, and cover evenly with the jam, raisins, pecans, and cranberries. It should look like this when you are done:

Roll the roast back up and tie off at even intervals with the butchers twine. Place in a roasting pan, sprinkle the top with the salt and pepper and place in the oven for 30 minutes a lb, or until the center of the roast reaches an internal temp of 150 degrees. Remove from heat and allow the roast to rest for 10-15 minutes before slicing and serving.

Serve with the jam as a condiment or topping and enjoy!

Apple-Pecan Bread Pudding

2011-11-10T14:42:00.000-08:00

A few days ago, we helped at a spaghetti dinner cancer benefit and at the end of the night, they sent us home with three giant loaves of french bread that were left over. We used one loaf just for bruschetta, but by the second day, we were sitting on two loaves of stale bread. It was bread pudding or stuffing... and since I actually had all the other ingredients at home (from the previously posted baked pumpkin recipe), I decided to go with bread pudding. I really had wanted to use whiskey in it, but hadn't realized that Justin had finished the Jameson, so I used what we had - rum. And it was great!

We're also trying to remember to give you guys some additional information such as cook time, prep time, serving size, and difficulty level. Thought it might help.

Samiam is just who was playing while I was baking. "Full On". -jen

APPLE-PECAN BREAD PUDDING

Prep Time: 20-30 minutes
Cooktime: 50-60 minutes
Serves: about 10
Level: Easy

3/4 French bread loaf, day old (about 9oz), cubed
2 tart apples, chopped
3/4 cup raisins
3/4 cup pecans, chopped
3 cups milk
3/4 cup brown sugar
3 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 tablespoons rum
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
4 eggs, lightly beaten

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Generously coat 2-qt baking dish with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.

Combine cubed bread, apples, raisins, and pecans and place into baking dish (may come up over the edges a little, but that's okay.)

In a large saucepan, combine milk, brown sugar, butter, vanilla, rum, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Over a medium-high heat, bring just to a simmer, then turn off heat. Temper eggs by ladling about 1/4 cup of the hot milk mixture into the eggs, beating constantly so they don't turn into scrambled eggs. Then pour egg mixture into milk mixture and whisk. Take wet ingredients and carefully pour over the bread mix in the baking dish. Using a spatula, gently press the bread down into the liquid so it's all saturated. Let sit for 10-20 minutes to absorb the liquid. Bake at 350 degrees F for 50-60 minutes.

Awesome Autumnal Stuffed Pumpkin

2011-11-06T13:20:00.000-08:00

Right before Halloween, Justin and I headed to the pumpkin patch to get our carving pumpkins... it's something I have to do every year. While we were there, we grabbed some acorn squash, butternut squash, carnival squash, and a few sugar pie pumpkins. We had ideas for them... until the lady who was running the show told us how good they were stuffed with apples and raisins. Well, we did a little research, and then like usual, we winged it. It came out so awesome! I felt like it was a dessert, though it wasn't overly sweet (which is how we like our desserts). My sister in law topped it off with whipped cream to add a little kick to it. Justin thought it was a perfectly good meal and had no need to be labeled "dessert". Next one I make, I think I'm going to add some oats to it to give the stuffing even more body. Either way you eat it... it's going to be awesome!

Here were this year's pumpkins - mine is evil, Justin's is the cyclops.

And so, even though it's past Halloween, we're going to lay down some Misfits' "Halloween". -jen

AWESOME AUTUMNAL STUFFED PUMPKIN

1 small sugar pie pumpkin (2-3 pounds)
2 medium Granny Smith apples, chopped
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup pecans, chopped
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
2 teaspoons amaretto liqueur (or whiskey, or brandy, or rum - it's all good)
2 tablespoons butter, cubed small

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Cut the top off of your pumpkin. Scoop out the seeds and string insides, discarding. Mix all of the remaining ingredients except the butter. Pack firmly into the pumpkin until about half way. Sprinkle with half of the cubed butter. Pack the remaining filling into the pumpkin and top with the remaining butter.

Place the lid back on top of the pumpkin. Place on a baking sheet or in a pie pan and bake for 1.5 - 2 hours, until pumpkin insides are tender.

Slice the pumpkin into quarters and serve topped with the stuffing. Depending on the size of your pumpkin, you may have leftover filling that wouldn't fit inside. I suggest saving it and mixing it in with some oatmeal for breakfast the next morning!

Fall Harvest Pork Chops

2011-10-18T10:30:00.000-07:00

So I've been tromping around the wooded hills here in Humboldt lately, and after harvesting some wild apples, onions, and some laurel leaves, I made a nice pork recipe. I saw a lot of pig sign in the hills, taking walks every day, that reminded me of my hunting days, several years back. When I returned home, the wife said she'd be brave enough to try my concoction, so I decided to make it tonight. Up in the hills, I had fresh laurel leaves, or what most folks know as "bay", and that has a very different flavor than the dried "bay" leaves. However, there's no loss of flavor in the dish, simply a different one, when using dried "bay". The apples, onions, and peppers all combine to make a delicious medley of flavors that the pork chops only compliment.

The trick to this meal is that it can mostly be done ahead of time and the total prep time, in terms of work hours, is less than 30 minutes. And it yields a great end result!

The brine is the key in this dish. It can be used for the chops, a loin roast, chicken thighs, a turkey, etc. When one figures out that its uses, and subsequently its variations, are endless, then one truly becomes "Lucky". It can be made, and used, days ahead of time or used for as little as 2 hrs, if necessary. - justin

Osker: Lucky

FALL HARVEST BRINE

5 cups water
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup kosher salt
1/4 tsp red pepper flake
1/2 tsp dried rosemary
1/2 tsp herbs De Provence
1 star anise pod
1 cinnamon stick
1 tsp whole black peppercorns
1/2 tsp whole brown mustard seeds
2 bay (or fresh laurel) leaves
10 whole cloves
4 large, bone-in pork chops, approx 3 lbs

Bring all ingredients, except the pork, to a boil and reduce to a simmer for five minutes, to allow flavors to incorporate. After five minutes, remove from heat and allow to cool. Place pork chops and brine in a Ziploc bag or air-tight container and refrigerate for 4-6 hours.

FALL HARVEST PORK CHOPS

2 cups chopped red bell pepper, deseeded
2 cups chopped yellow onion
2-1/2 cups chopped green apples (I used Granny Smiths)
1/2 cup olive oil
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
4 large, bone-in pork chops, approx 3 lb, brined
2 tsp Dry Meat Rub

In a 13x9 baking dish, combine the chopped bell pepper, onion, apple, olive oil, salt, and black pepper and toss thoroughly. Place the brined chops on top of the veggies and apples, spacing them evenly apart. Sprinkle 1/4 tsp of Dry Meat Rub on each side of each chop. Bake in a 350 degree F oven until an internal temp of 145 is reached, or approximately 45 minutes. Cover dish with aluminum foil and allow meat to rest 5-10 minutes before serving.

Prep time: 4-6 hrs
Cook time: 1 hr
Servings: 4-6
Difficulty: Easy

Pumpkin Molasses Spice Cookies

2011-10-12T11:17:00.000-07:00

I'd just had a craving for something pumpkin. I'd had a can of pumpkin just hanging around. And I love molasses as a sweetener. So I thought I'd give it a shot. I'm not into baking a whole lot - it's not that I can't, it just doesn't interest me as much as cooking does. With cooking, it's pretty easy to experiment and not mess things up. I don't know quite enough about baking to experiment successfully all the time. Like the other day, I thought I'd make some blondies with chocolate chips in 'em. I had a pretty quick, basic brownie recipe that I'd used before and I thought, "Oh, I'll just discard the cocoa powder, make it the same, no problem." What I didn't think about until they were half way done baking was that it was 1/2 a cup of dry ingredients I just tossed. And... my blondies came out like chocolate chip cookie soaked in butter for a day. However... the Pumpkin Molasses Spice Cookie experiment came out awesome! I'd make these again any day. I went a little heavy on the spices, because I really like to taste the spice in spiced cookies... if you're not into spice, I guess you could probably just decrease the quantities.

Pumpkin... Halloween... naturally, it brought me to a toss up between The Cramps and The Damned. But these spicy cookies had way more drive, like The Damned, and so I went with them. Everyone who knows The Damned knows "New Rose". Maybe it's just me, but I never get tired of this song, no matter how much I hear it. It's one of those wake-me-up-in-the-morning songs for me. -jen

PUMPKIN MOLASSES SPICE COOKIES

2.5 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
8 tablespoons butter, room temp
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup molasses
1/4 cup 100% maple syrup
3/4 cup pumpkin pure (100% pumpkin)
1 large egg
1/2 cup coarse sugar, for rolling

In a large bowl, mix together flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves, allspice, nutmeg, and black pepper. Set aside.

Using a stand mixer or hand held mixer, beat the butter until smooth and creamy. Add the brown sugar, molasses and pumpkin until combined. Scrape the sides and add the egg, beating until combined. Slow mixer speed and add the dry ingredients, 1/3 of it at a time, combining well before additions. Do not over-mix dough. Dough will be soft and wet.

Spread out two large sheets of plastic wrap and divide the dough in half, one half on each sheet. Fold up tight and freeze for 30-45 minutes, until firm, or refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper. Place sugar into shallow dish. Roll dough into 1.5-2" diameter balls. Roll balls into sugar to coat, and place onto cookie sheet, 2-3" apart. Using the bottom of a glass, press dough balls into 1/4-1/2" thick cookies.

Bake one sheet at a time for 12-14 minutes until tops feel set and edges are starting to brown. Remove from oven and slide parchment paper and cookies onto a cooling rack for about 5 minutes.

Makes 30-35 cookies.

Thai Spring Rolls with Asian BBQ Chicken

2011-10-11T10:04:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, we went to try a new restaurant in town and got their spring rolls as an appetizer. After that, I was craving them like crazy. We'd made them before, I knew how simple they were, but I couldn't remember why the hell we didn't eat these largely phallic delicious, nutritious goodies more often! (Perhaps because I like to mention to my hetero life mate how phallic they are? Could be.)

I almost feel guilty even posting this as a recipe (especially without a peanut sauce recipe), because there's really nothing to it, it's just baking some chicken, chopping up veggies, cooking some noodles, and rolling them up. But I don't know many people who make spring rolls at home... and maybe it's because they didn't know how easy they were.

A note about the peanut sauce: I can't really post a recipe for it, simply because I used a random recipe I found online for a non-cook peanut sauce, and it came out like peanut butter with garlic in it. So, rather than tossing it, I thought I'd try to save it... I threw it in a pot, put it on the stove, added more coconut milk, more soy sauce, more fish oil, some rice vinegar, and more garlic. However, in my haste to not waste almost a whole jar of peanut butter, I didn't write down what I added. It actually came out pretty tasty, but I can't even begin to guess at measurements. So... you could go to your local Asian store and buy a peanut sauce, or you could find a recipe on line to make one. I'll have to find a different way of making one and post it later.

I think I posted a Fugazi song a few recipes back, but I heard their song "Ex-Spectator" the other day and had forgotten how much I loved it. And... you could make these spring rolls with tofu or just veggies, so it could very easily and deliciously be a vegetarian dish that even Ian MacKaye could love. -jen

THAI SPRING ROLLS WITH ASIAN BBQ CHICKEN

3 chicken thighs, skin on, bone in
3 tablespoons Hoisen sauce
3 tablespoons soy sauce
3-4 tablespoons Thai peanut sauce
bean thread (or cellophane) noodles
rice paper wrappers
butter lettuce leaves
1 large carrot, shredded
3-4 green onions, chopped
1/2 cucumber, chopped into matchsticks
whole basil leaves
whole mint leaves

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil (this helps clean up tremendously.) Peel the skin back from the chicken thighs and place a tablespoon of Hoisen on the chicken, coating the top of it (this gives it that barbecue taste). Place skin back over the chicken. Sprinkle each thigh with a tablespoon of soy sauce, and then rub a tablespoon of peanut sauce over each chicken skin. Bake on lined baking sheet for 20-25 minutes, until inner temp reaches 160 or until juices run clear. Allow to cool.

Once the chicken is cool enough to handle, remove the skin and discard, then take the meat off the bone and place meat into a food processor. Grind the meat until it is finely chopped (but don't process it too much or it'll turn into a paste!) It should be about the same consistency as canned tuna or chicken. Set aside.

Cook noodles according to package (usually at a boil for 12-15 minutes, until clear and al dente). Drain and set aside.

Prepare rice paper one at a time. Take a large dinner plate or pie plate and add hot water. Press the dry wrapper into the water and using your finger tips, gently move the wrap back and forth a little until it reaches an edible pliability (about 30 seconds). Carefully, so as not to tear the wrap, remove it from the water and lay on counter top, cutting board, or even a kitchen towel. Wrapper will be wet, but dries quickly.

Arrange your vegetables in your wrap. I found the best way was to put two layers of lettuce on the bottom, being sure that you leave about 1" of wrapper on each side (like you would for a burrito, so you can tuck the ends in). Add a layer of the basil and mint leaves. Then your chopped scallions, followed by the cucumber matchsticks and the shredded carrot. Take a handful of noodles and shape them to fit over your vegetables. Then mold 3-4 tablespoons of the ground chicken on top of the noodles.

Pull the bottom of the wrapper tightly (but carefully!) over your filling, give it a roll, tuck in the left and right sides, and finish rolling.

You'll want to place a damp paper towel over your finished rolls as you make them. And I found a good way to store them is by wrapping them in damp paper towels and putting them in a Ziploc bag.

Serve with a peanut sauce for dipping. Makes about 8 spring rolls.

Macaroni and Cheese

2011-10-07T23:48:00.000-07:00

We're always trying to make the perfect macaroni and cheese. This one comes pretty close for our likings. I think it's the shallots that do the trick.

I have no connection for this recipe and this song. But I'm a huge Kinks fan... I wore out my parents' Kinks vinyl more than they did, and I loved this song when the Kinks did it. But then, one of my favourite bands did a cover, and it was awesome! Close to the original, just a little bit of their own flare. I always hope that tomorrow, I'll find better things... and if not, I'll just listen to some Bouncing Souls and eat some mac and cheese

Drew... this recipe was made with you in mind, bro. -jen

MACARONI AND CHEESE

3 tablespoons salt
3 cups dried macaroni
1 egg, slightly beaten
5 tablespoons butter, divided
1 large shallot, finely chopped (about 3 tablespoons)
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 cup flour
2-1/2 cups whole milk
2 heaping teaspoons dry mustard
2-3 dashes Worcestershire sauce
1/2 to 1 teaspoon Srirachi hot sauce
1 pound cheese, shredded (we used 1/2 pound sharp cheddar, 1/4 pound champagne aged cheddar and 1/4 pound mozzarella for a little stringiness)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Fill a large stock pot 3/4 way full of water. Add 3 tablespoons salt and bring to boil. Add macaroni and cook 9-12 minutes, until al dente. Drain and set aside.

For a creamier, saucier macaroni, preheat your oven's broiler (this only takes about 5 minutes so you could do it later). For a thicker, more custard-like macaroni and cheese, preheat oven to 350 F.

Use 1 tablespoon of the butter to generously grease a large baking dish.

In a small bowl, lightly beat egg and set aside.

In a large pot (I just use the same one I cooked the macaroni in), melt remaining 4 tablespoons of the butter over medium heat. Add shallots and garlic, stirring frequently until shallots are tender and translucent. Sprinkle flour into pot and stir, cooking another 3-4 minutes.

Turn up heat to medium-high and while whisking, pour in milk and vigorously whisk to avoid any flour lumps. Add mustard, Worcestershire, and Srirachi. Stir continuously until sauce begins to thicken (if it starts boiling, lower heat to medium.)

Temper egg by adding a little of the sauce into the bowl of egg, whisking to combine. Then add all of the egg back into the sauce. Set aside about 1 cup of the cheese for later. With the remaining cheese, add a handful at a time to the sauce, waiting to add the next handful until the first one has completely melted. Once all the cheese is incorporated, remove from heat and taste. Add salt and pepper to taste. (Some cheeses are saltier than others, so always taste your sauce first!)

Pour the drained macaroni into the sauce and stir until combined. Pour macaroni into the prepared baking dish.

For a creamy, saucy macaroni, sprinkle the remaining cheese on top and place under broiler until cheese is golden brown... only takes a few minutes.

For a thicker, custard-like macaroni, place in oven for 30 minutes, adding the remaining cheese to the top for the last 10-15 minutes of baking.

Wisconsin Beer Cheese Soup

2011-10-05T19:41:00.000-07:00

So we've just started getting some fall weather up here on the North Coast and Jen and I decided that on a cold, rainy day we had to have some cheese soup for dinner. There's not much better than a hot bowl of some stick-to-your-ribs soup in the winter. And since the wife spent part of her childhood in Wisconsin we had some comparisons and adaptations to make for the Humboldt version. Some California cheese, a little chopped, fresh hot pepper, and some Sierra Nevada Pale Ale make this a Nor Cal soup all the way.

What better to accompany a Wisconsin Beer Cheese Soup than some original Wisconsin tunes from an iconic 80's alternative rock group, The Violent Femmes? Here they celebrate this crazy whacked out country of ours, in a way that only they can, with their hit "American Music"! - justin

Wisconsin Beer Cheese Soup

1/2lb Smoked Polish Sausage (Kielbasa)
1/2 cup butter
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1/2 cup carrot, chopped
1/2 cup celery, chopped
1/4 cup green onions, chopped
1/4 cup fresh pobalano (or other mild pepper), deseeded and chopped
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 cup flour
2 cups chicken broth
12oz beer (I used Sierra Nevada Pale Ale)
2 cups whole milk
8oz extra sharp Cheddar, shredded
8oz Colby Jack, shredded
1 tsp prepared yellow mustard
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

Dice the Polish Sausage and cook in a skillet over medium high heat for 5 minutes, or until cooked through. Drain off excess fat and set aside.

Melt butter in stock pot over medium heat and add yellow onion, carrot, celery, green onion, fresh pepper, salt and ground black pepper. Sweat until translucent, approx 5-7 minutes, and add the flour. Stir in the flour until all the butter is absorbed and cook for another 5 minutes, stirring to avoid burning. Add the chicken broth and beer and stir to incorporate flour until liquid returns to a boil. Add the milk to thin out the thickening soup base and then slowly add the cheese in small increments, making sure it melts before adding more. After the cheese is incorporated, add the yellow mustard and the Worcestershire sauce and stir in the cooked sausage. Voila! Serve hot as the soup will thicken further upon cooling.

Cinnamon Apple Fritters

2011-10-05T12:47:00.000-07:00

I quit my job yesterday. Still woke up at 7:30am this morning and didn't really know what to do with myself. We had apples. So I got out the deep fryer, emptied the old oil, cleaned it out, filled it with some fresh peanut oil, and in about 10 minutes, whipped up some apple fritters! Best way to start off the first day into the unknown! And I had no idea how easy they were!

Justin put on some Murder City Devils... and it just seemed..... right. So here they are, singing "Dancin' Shoes". I couldn't find a good live version, but the song is still awesome. I love The Murder City Devils. -jen

P.S. If anyone has work for me, let me know!

CINNAMON APPLE FRITTERS

2 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon amaretto liqueur (or vanilla extract)
1 egg
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 cups flour
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1 medium apple, chopped with skin on
1/2 cup sugar

Preheat 3" oil in skillet or a deep fryer to 325 degrees F.

In a large bowl, beat cooled butter, milk, amaretto liqueur, and egg. In a separate bowl, combine baking powder, salt, flour, and cinnamon. Add to wet mix until blended. Fold in lemon zest and apples.

Carefully drop large spoonfuls of batter into hot oil. Fry for about 4 minutes (until deep golden brown), turning to cook evenly. Toss in sugar as soon as they come out of the fryer.

Makes about 6 apple fritters.

Note: These were delicious as is. But we both thought they might be a little better if the dough itself was slightly sweetened. So next time I make them, I'm going to try maybe 1/4 cup of brown sugar mixed with the butter before adding the milk, egg, etc.

Death By Chocolate Bacon Brownies

2011-10-02T18:47:00.000-07:00

I'm no philosopher, but I truly believe there are two things that can bring people together in a beautiful, happy way: weed and bacon. And you could use both in this recipe, if you lived in a state or country where marijuana was legal, as I would never condone such a thing otherwise! But, this recipe does use 3 sticks of butter, which would be a hell of a lot of bang butter... I'm just sayin'.

However, this recipe isn't about pot! It's about the beauty of bacon, and how it connected us with a guy named Mike in a kick ass band called Death By Stereo, whom we soon discovered loved food and punk rock (and bacon!) as much as we do. We spoke of collaborating on our mutual art forms... I thought, "Rent a beach house up here in NorCal for a weekend of music provided by DBS and food provided by CTDF. But due to the 14 hours distance between us and the expenses, we had to settle for combining ideas instead for THE ULTIMATE AWESOME DESSERT!!! (I'm still holding out for the beach house party idea, though!)

It seems like a lot of death in the kitchen... Death By Stereo... Cooking To Die For... but then, six eggs, 3 sticks of butter, and a pound each of bacon and chocolate will probably bring all of us death, so it's apropos.

And so without further ado, I present you with an idea brought forth by Mike Cambra, and put into action with a few twists by me... Death By Chocolate Bacon Brownies. While you salivate over the recipe, you can listen to DBS' "Bet Against Me, You Lose", from their first album. -jen

Don't forget you can find Cooking To Die For on Facebook too!

DEATH BY CHOCOLATE BACON BROWNIES

3 sticks (1.5 cups) butter
12 ounces bittersweet chocolate chips
6 large eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1+ 2/3 cup flour
cooking spray
1 pound bacon
2 tablespoons 100% maple syrup
chocolate ganache (see recipe below)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a saucepan over low heat, melt butter and bitter sweet chocolate until combined and smooth. Set aside to cool for a moment.

In a large mixing bowl, beat together eggs, granulated sugar, brown sugar, salt, and vanilla extract until combined. Add the cooled chocolate mixture. Then fold in flour. Coat a 9x11 baking dish generously with cooking spray. Pour in brownie mix and bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes. Center may be a little gooey still.

While brownies are baking, cut bacon slices in half length-wise, to create long strips. Then dice into small 1/2" squares. Cook in skillet over medium-high heat until brown and crispy (10-15 minutes, stirring occassionally). For the last two minutes, stir in maple syrup (no need to drain the fat first). Remove bacon from skillet with a slotted spoon onto a plate (not a napkin, it'll stick).

After brownies have cooled, sprinkle candied bacon bits over the entire pan of brownies. If bacon has cooled and clumped, just microwave for 10-15 seconds until it's warm and loose again. Then cover bacon with chocolate ganache and allow ganache to firm up a little before cutting and serving brownies.

CHOCOLATE GANACHE

1/2 cup heavy cream
8 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
1 teaspoon instant coffee granules

Cook all ingredients over a double boiler until smooth, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat.

That's A Spicy-a Meataballa!

2011-09-30T08:12:00.000-07:00

Alright, I'll admit it. We were watching Disney's Lady & the Tramp. We still have hearts, man. Souls. Feelings. We don't always want to punch some smarts into people. Sometimes we just want to watch some freakin' feel good Disney movies! And laugh at the awful, ethnic stereotypes - "Whattsa matta for you, Joe! I break-a your face!" That's family entertainment! And also a direct quote from the movie. And then we craved meatballs! So we made them.

We try meatballs anywhere we can... and we are disappointed, every time. Too dry. Too mealy. Too big. Too bland. Well I'm going to go out on a limb and say that these are the best meatballs I've ever had. They were perfect (for what we like). I spiced the hell out of these balls, because Justin made the sauce, and he was feeling like a less-seasoned marinara than we usually make, so they balanced each other out perfectly. The combo was killer. And we're not big on pasta... we eat it now and then, but we don't crave it, so we just ate our Meatballs and Marinara with some rustic buttered bread.

And Fugazi... need I say more? "Waiting Room". It's my favourite Fugazi song; I'm not alone there. But I'm not alone there for a reason. -jen

BASIC MARINARA

2 cans (28oz each) whole, peeled tomatoes
5 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 red onion, diced
1/4 cup chopped celery greens
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
2-3 tablespoons minced garlic (depending on taste)
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried marjoram
1 teaspoon rosemary
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon sea salt
2 teaspoons ground black pepper
1/2 cup Marsala wine
1 can (14oz) can tomato sauce
1 shot (1.5 oz) dry Sherry
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

Empty whole tomatoes into a large bowl and break them down with your hands so that they're crushed. (Careful, they squirt! Wear an apron or be prepared!) Set aside.

In a stock pot, heat 3 tablespoons of the olive oil to medium-high heat. Add chopped onion and celery greens and sweat until onion is translucent, 3-5 minutes. Then add minced garlic and red pepper flakes. Cook an additional 2 minutes. Add fresh basil, oregano, marjoram, rosemary, bay leaves, salt and black pepper. Cook another 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Then add Marsala and let reduce for a couple of minutes. Add the tomato sauce and whole tomatoes that were crushed earlier. Simmer, covered, for 1 hour, then blend with a stick/immersion blender or pour into food processor and carefully blend (it's hot!) and return to stock pot.

Simmer uncovered for an additional 1.5 hours (You can start making your meatballs here). Ten minutes before it's done, add Sherry and remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil. (For a spicier, more seasoned version of this sauce, we just add an additional 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning and 1 teaspoon Thudium's Herb Seasoning.)

Note: All the simmering and cooking down isn't absolutely necessary if you're in a hurry, but it definitely helps the flavour of your sauce if you have the time.

SPICY MEATBALLS

3 slices bread, cubed small
1 cup milk
1.5 pounds 15/85 ground beef (we used Angus beef, yum)
1.5 pounds Italian sausage
1 egg yolk, beaten
2 medium shallots, finely chopped
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese (or Romano or Asiago)
3 tablespoons salt
2 teaspoons black pepper
4 teaspoons dry Italian seasoning (or a variation or oregano, thyme, rosemary)
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a small bowl, soak bread and milk. In a large bowl, combine all remaining ingredients. Squeeze out some of the milk from the bread and crumble the soaked bread into the mixture, just mixing until combined. Refrigerate for about an hour. Place a baking rack over a baking sheet and roll meatballs about 2" in diameter. Place on rack and partially bake meatballs for 12 to 15 minutes at 375 degrees F.

Using tongs, place the hot meatballs into the simmering marinara and cook for another 15 minutes or until internal temperature of meatballs reaches 140 degrees F. (If you want to bake the meatballs in the oven until completely cooked through because you won't be cooking them in sauce, bake for a total of 20-25 minutes.)

Asian Chicken Thighs

2011-09-27T19:19:00.000-07:00

I don't have much of an intro for this; it's been a long day. But these are delicious, and they were a pretty quick fix for us... we usually have all of these ingredients on hand. It'd still be worth buying the stuff if you don't have it, because chicken thighs are cheap and easy (like your mom) and this is better than just plain ol' thighs.

Here is a completely random song that has nothing to do with Asian Chicken Thighs - Millencolin singing "Devil Me". -jen

ASIAN CHICKEN THIGHS

1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1 heaping tablespoon Hoisen sauce
1 heaping tablespoon minced garlic
1 heaping teaspoon lime relish (or juice and zest of 1 lime)
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon ginger powder
a few dashes of Sriracha hot sauce
8 skinless chicken thigh*

* In the picture, you can see I used thighs with the skin on, but I wouldn't recommend it because the skin won't crisp up due to the marinade, and you'll end up with some soggy, gelatinous chicken skin.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Combine all ingredients except chicken in a bowl and whisk. Place chicken and marinade in a Ziploc bag and marinate no more than 3 hours (or your meat will get tough from the vinegar). Place in a shallow baking dish and cook for 20-25 minutes, or until the chicken has reached 160 degrees and the juices run clear. Let sit for 5 minutes before serving.

Once Baked Potato Casserole

2011-09-25T14:06:00.000-07:00

I'm not really much of a potato person, but I do love a good twice-baked potato. They seem like such a waste, though. You can't scoop all the inside out, or your shell is too thin, and then most people just eat the stuffed innards and toss the skin. With this recipe, we use it all! It's like twice baked potato casserole... but, it's once boiled, once baked. Whatever it is, it's awesome.

If you have cholesterol problems or are a physician, you might not want to continue.

Here's a little Social Distortion. They go with potatoes really well. -jen

ONCE BAKED POTATO CASSEROLE

4 large Russet potatoes
2-3 tablespoons salt
1 pound bacon
6 tablespoons butter + 1 tablespoon butter, room temp
4 ounces cream cheese, room temp
3 tablespoons heavy cream
2 tablespoons finely chopped shallots
1 tablespoons chives, chopped
2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
black pepper

Thoroughly clean potatoes and dice into large cubes, leaving the skin on. Place diced potatoes into a large pot. Add water just to cover the potatoes and stir in the salt. Turn heat on high and bring to a boil. Once boiling, cook 10-12 minutes until potatoes are fork tender. Drain.

Meanwhile, chop bacon into small pieces. Heat large skillet over medium-high heat and add bacon when skillet is hot. Stir to keep from sticking and brown bacon until crispy, 7-10 minutes. Remove using a slotted spoon and scoop onto a paper towel covered plate to drain. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a large bowl, combine potatoes, 6 tablespoons butter, cream cheese, and cream. Using a hand held mixer, blend until desired consistency - we like ours chunky. Stir in shallots, chives, bacon and 1.5 cups of the cheese, setting aside the remaining 1/2 cup. Pepper to taste.

Using the remaining tablespoon of butter, generously grease a 8x8 baking dish. Spoon in mashed potatoes.

Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup cheese on top and bake an additional 15 minutes, or until cheese has begun to brown.

Wild American Shrimp Etouffeé

2011-09-17T14:31:00.000-07:00

My grandma and your grandma we're sitting by the fire... So, lately, I've been wanting to do some southern-style cooking and the other day something reminded me of a commercial that was running on TV right after hurricane Katrina. Jen and I always loved it because the one we had seen locally actually used the words, "All up in your etouffeé." The video I found online is a bit shorter and says, "Right there in your etoufeé" instead but the point is that it inspired me to do some Cajun cookin and I decided on shrimp etouffeé. I used a pearled barley in place of the rice, as Jen and I prefer it, but you could use anything you want since etouffeé is just a French word that means "smothered". Smother whatever you wish!

Since the dish was inspired by wild American shrimpers, I figured it would only be apropos to accompany the dish with some Dead Kennedy's "Holiday in Cambodia". Why, you might ask? Because of some connective process by which one has to be aware that the biggest competition for wild American shrimpers is Southeast Asian shrimpers. And Holiday in Cambodia seemed fitting. If you read the next recipe post, I'll show you how to get from The Dead Kennedy's to Kevin Bacon in under three moves. - justin

Shrimp Etoufeé

3 cups water
3 tbsp salt
2 cups pearled barley
2 tsp kosher salt
2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp white pepper
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp dried sweet basil leaves
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/3 cup chopped onion
1/3 cup chopped celery
1/3 cup chopped fresh pepper (Bell, Anaheim, Poblano) - I used poblano
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup flour
3 cups seafood stock
1 cup butter (2 sticks)
2 lbs peeled, de-veined shrimp
1 cup finely chopped scallions

Bring the water and 3 tbsp of salt to a boil over high heat in a saucepan and add the pearled barley. When it returns to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover and let cook for 30 minutes. No lifting the lid! After 30 minutes, set aside to cool. This can be made far in advance if desired.

Thoroughly mix the salt, cayenne, white and black peppers, sweet basil and thyme and set aside. In a separate bowl combine the onion, celery, and fresh peppers.

In a large skillet (preferably cast iron), heat the oil over high heat until it just stars to smoke, around 4 minutes or so. Mix in the flour gradually, stirring with a whisk until the mixture is smooth and continue cooking over high heat, whisking constantly, until the roux is a dark reddish-brown color, about 3-5 minutes:

Remove from heat as soon as you are at the desired color and immediately add the chopped vegetables and 1 tbsp of the seasoning mix. Stir in with a wooden spoon and continue stirring until the roux has cooled, approximately 5 minutes or so. The idea is to stop it from cooking or the residual heat will carry it far beyond where you intend, even burning your roux after it's been removed from the heat.

In a 3 quart saucepan bring 2 cups of the seafood stock to a boil over high heat. Add the roux in increments, making sure to completely dissolve it before adding the next bit. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 2 minutes while continuing to whisk. Remove from heat and set aside.

In a large saucepan or stockpot, melt 1 stick of butter (1/2 cup), over medium heat. Stir in the shrimp and green onions. Sauté for a minute or two, stirring constantly. Add the remaining stick of butter, the last cup of seafood stock, and the stock/roux mixture. Cook until the butter melts into the sauce, about 5 minutes, constantly shaking the pan in a circular motion over the heat, rather than stirring*. Add at least 1 tbsp of the remaining seasoning mix and stir it in. There should be 3 tbsp left and I used 2 for some spicy zip!

Serve over rice, or barley, and enjoy with a tall glass of iced tea or a cold, dark beer.

*A note on shaking the pot as opposed to stirring. There are scientific reasons as to why this is a better way to combine butter in a sauce over medium heat instead of stirring but I don't know them. What I do know is that it helps the oils released from the melting butter to better incorporate in the sauce than stirring does. It works. It just does. If your sauce comes out looking oily or separated, add 2 more tbsp of stock or water and shake the pot for a couple minutes and the sauce will blend.

Roasted Sage Chicken with Mushroom Sage Stuffing

2011-09-13T20:43:00.000-07:00

This came out to be such a tasty, home cookin' kinda meal! We'd just had the whole chicken in the freezer for a while, not sure what we were going to do with it. Justin had mentioned brining it. But I left work early today and decided I was cooking up a meal. We had a lot of the stuff on hand - that's often inspiration enough for us... trying to see what we can use up in the fridge and still create something fantastic. We had the garlic sourdough bread, the leftover corn bread, we had onions and lemon... so I really just picked up a few odds and ends to complete it.

Oddly, we weren't really listening to much music while cooking this tonight. So as I posted this, I had this random stream of thoughts that made their way to Rage Against the Machine's "Bulls On Parade" in a ridiculously long, out-of-the-way though process. Punk? Well, not really, though I can think of a handful of arguments on how you could call Rage punk. But I get to break my own rules whenever I want. And if I want to post some Rage, I'm gonna post some Rage! :) -jen

ROASTED SAGE CHICKEN

1 whole chicken (about 5 pounds)
1 cup sage butter (recipe below)
1/2 a lemon, quartered (use other 1/2 in butter below, zest whole lemon first)
1 large carrot stick
1/2 a medium onion, quartered
1-2 celery sticks
a handful of fresh parsley
a handful of fresh basil
salt and pepper
butcher's twine

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Make sure all innards are removed from chicken cavity. Generous salt and pepper the chicken cavity. Stuff lemon, carrot, onion, celery, parsley and basil into cavity.

Tie legs tightly together with butcher's twine. Then gently lift the skin from the chicken and using your hand, rub a generous amount of sage butter under the chicken skin. Rub remaining sage butter over entire outside of chicken. Place chicken in a roasting pan and cook for about 90 minutes, or until the breast reaches 160 degrees F and juices run clear.

SAGE BUTTER

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, room temp
1 heaping tablespoon minced garlic
3 tablespoons fresh sage
2 teaspoons parsley, chopped
zest of 1 lemon
juice of 1/2 a lemon
several cranks of fresh cracked pepper

MUSHROOM SAGE STUFFING

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1.5 medium-sized yellow onions, chopped
3 cups roughly chopped crimini mushrooms
1 cup chopped celery
5 tablespoons chopped fresh sage
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon salt
several cranks of fresh cracked pepper
6 cups stale bread, cubed (I like 4 cups sourdough, 2 cups cornbread)
3/4 cup chicken broth
2 eggs, beaten

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Melt butter over medium-high heat and add onions, mushrooms, and celery. Saute until tender, 8-10 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in sage, parsley, salt and pepper. Set aside to cool.

In a large bowl, combine bread, chicken broth, and beaten eggs. Mix in sauted vegetables.

Pour into a buttered 9x13 baking dish. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes at 425 degrees F. Remove foil and continue baking for an additional 30 minutes.

Pickle Wheels

2011-09-11T20:32:00.001-07:00

In my family, there are two "appetizers" (and I use that term loosely) that we must have at every major holiday. One is a salsa-tortilla roll-up thing that I may or may not post later... and the other high-class hors d'oeuvres are Pickle Wheels. They're something that came into our family about twenty-five years ago, when my Aunt Yvonne showed up to a family holiday dinner with these scrumptious little morsels instead of deviled eggs or green bean casserole! Pickle wheels - dill pickles smothered in cream cheese and then wrapped with the cheapest lunch meat you can find, Buddig's. Everyone I've ever made these for has whole heartedly balked at the ludicrous idea... until they try them. Once tried, it's very likely that it will become your favourite little snacky thingie EVER! My mother would make gorgeous, delicious, decadent holiday dinners... lobster stuffed filet mignon, creamy holiday mashed potatoes with chives and cream and cheese, spinach-stuffed mushrooms... and she'd tell us that Pickle Wheels didn't go with her meal. We'd whine and beg and plead until she allowed us to make them! They are a must have at all our holidays... or, like tonight, just when my bro and I and our spouses get together for a game night. -jen

I know this is ska and not punk, but what else could I use for this recipe except some Skankin' Pickle?!

PICKLE WHEELS

one jar Claussen whole dill pickles
2 packs (8oz each) Philadelphia cream cheese, room temp
4 packs Buddig's beef lunch meat slices

First, you need to dry your pickles by patting with a paper towel. Then slice a few of the pieces of Buddig's beef evenly in half and set aside.

Using a butter knife, place a dollop of cream cheese on the end of a pickle.

Pat the cream cheese with the flat side of the knife to spread it evenly over the end of the pickle. I find it easier to just pat it to spread it out than to try spreading it like you would butter on toast. You want to cover it about an 1/8" thick. Enough that pickle isn't showing through, but not too thick!

(Insert dirty comment here)

Then place one half of the beef slice on the end, pressing it gently into the cream cheese. This will give you a little of a less-messy hand hold on the pickle. Repeat with the opposite end of the pickle.

Then smear the cream cheese on the exposed middle of the pickle, wrapping a slice of beef around as you go. I usually end up using two slices of beef to go around the middle of the pickle, in addition to the two halves at the ends.

Store pickles, whole, in the fridge for an hour or more to allow the cream cheese to firm back up. You can make these a day ahead of time.

Then slice up into wheels and serve!

Garlic Cheese and Bacon Biscuits

2011-09-07T19:21:00.000-07:00

I have no intro to this recipe, really. I love cheese and garlic biscuits. I wanted some. Been on a bacon kick. Decided to add bacon. Made them. They rocked!

(As much as I love bacon, I don't think I'm ready to make this monster yet, though. Look, two recipes for the price of one!)

We both reeeeeeeeally liked these biscuits; they didn't last long at all.

Don't remember what I was listening to when making these - it was a while ago; I've been slacking with the posting. But as I wrote it up tonight, I was listening to a little Lars Frederiksen and The Bastards (and some Rancid, and some Choking Victim, and some Minor Threat...) But here's a little Lars and a little biscuits. -jen

GARLIC CHEESE AND BACON BISCUITS

10 strips bacon
2 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons dill, dried (optional)
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
few grinds of fresh cracked black pepper
1 cup milk
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 cup monterey jack cheeese, shredded

Preheat oven to 425 F.

Chop uncooked bacon into small pieces. Cook over medium high heat until crispy. Drain and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, dill, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, and black pepper. Mix well. Make a well in the middle of the dry mixture and add milk, butter, bacon and cheese. Mix by hand just until dry ingredients are combined (mix as little as possible!) Using a 1/4 cup measurement, drop biscuits onto an ungreased baking sheet about an inch apart.

Bake until golden brown, 20-22 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool. I recommend removing them from the pan immediately (or at least flip them and let them rest on their tops). Otherwise the bottom of the biscuits continue to cook and can get too dark.

Makes about 8 biscuits.

Check out that fancy paper plating! Hey, I've got the rustic veggie thing going on behind it!

Bacon Maple Pineapple Upside Down Cake

2011-08-28T16:39:00.000-07:00

I decided to jump onto the Bacon Bandwagon. Since there's no donut shop in my nearby area that carries a bacon maple donut, I had to improvise. Pork and pineapple go together. Pineapple and maple go together. Maple and pork go together. It's rich, but it's sweet and salty and delicious! Loved it! And how many cakes do you know of that include a pound of bacon?! It's awesome.

It makes me think fondly of the Prodigal Son that used to be in Chicago. Irish pub in the front, angry, dirty punk music in the back, and bottomless free baskets of deep fried bacon on Wednesday nights. I think I actually saw more blood spilled in that venue than any other venue. That's just what happens when you get crazy and mix bacon and punk rock! Chaos and anarchy!

The last show I saw there was my friend Germ's band, The Rotten Fruits, shown in the video here! You can find Germ with his new band, Modern Day Rippers! If you're in the Chicago area, check 'em out! It's always a good show!

BACON MAPLE PINEAPPLE UPSIDE DOWN CAKE

1 pound bacon
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened and divided
2 tablespoons shortening
2 cups + 1/3 cup 100% pure maple syrup (Grade B if possible)
3 egg yolks
1 egg
1 & 1/4 cups whole milk
1 cup dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons bacon fat (rendered from bacon)
1 can pineapple slices
Maraschino cherries
non-stick cooking spray

Chop bacon into bits and cook until crisped over medium-high heat. Use a slotted spoon to remove bacon from pan and drain on papertowels. Save 2 tablespoons of the bacon fat and set aside.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees

Spray 9x13 cake pan with non-stick spray and then coat with flour.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, cinnamon, allspice, baking powder, and salt. Stir until mixed. In a large mixing bowl, combine 1 stick of butter and shortening and beat with an electric mixer until fluffy. Add 2 cups of maple syrup and beat until smooth, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl. Add egg yolks and egg, one at a time, blending thoroughly after each addition. Alternately add flour mixture and milk, 1/3 of each at a time. Set aside

Melt 1 stick of butter and 2 tablespoons bacon fat over low heat. Once melted, remove from heat and stir in 1/3 cup maple syrup. In floured pan, sprinkle 1 cup brown sugar evenly over bottom of pan. Pour butter and maple mixture over brown sugar. Place pineapple rings on top and cherries in the middle of the rings. Sprinkle bacon in even layer over everything. Then carefully pour in cake batter. Bake at 325F until a knife or toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean (40-45 minutes).

Cool cake over cooling rack for 10 minutes. Then invert onto serving platter and let cool another 20 minutes.

(Served here with a Fig Balsamic reduction)

Ordinary Mutton Stew

2011-08-26T18:30:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago, Jen and I happened to be out of town near a little butcher that I know and he almost always has some goodies stashed away that you can't find at your local markets around here. So we picked up a mutton loin, bone in, complete with fat cap and skin still attached and hid it away in the freezer until I could decide what to do with it. After some consideration I decided to do a stew with it as I have never had mutton before and what could be more traditional than a mutton stew? Almost every culture across the globe, at one point or another, has developed a stew using sheep flesh so why not try my hand at that? Plus, I like stews and soups as they are usually simple to prepare, require little to no attention after starting, store well, get better with a couple of days in the fridge, and last but not least, they reheat easily. Folks are welcome to substitute lamb or beef for the mutton as I can't imagine many folks having access to it unless you live somewhere outside the US or happen to be, or know, a sheep farmer.

I did this in a 7 quart slow cooker and there was plenty of room for more to be added so if you've got a 3 or 4 qt slow cooker, you should be just fine. Alternatively, if you don't have a slow cooker you can simply follow the recipe as listed and add everything to a roasting pan. Cover tightly with foil and bake in the oven at 250F degrees for 3 hours.

As musical accompaniment to this dish, I decided to go with Face to Face's song "Ordinary" as it takes me back a good 15 yrs or so down memory lane to my teen years, just as a good homemade stew should take you back to childhood. Besides, this recipe is fairly, well... ordinary. A meat stew is usually savory and doesn't have a lot going on in the "Wow" department. It's homey, hearty, warm, and perfectly reliable as a good meal, especially in the winter months. Ordinary. - Justin

ORDINARY MUTTON STEW

1 3lb mutton loin, bone in (approx 8 ribs)
2 medium potatoes
1 large onion
2 large carrots
1 large rutabaga
2 tsp kosher salt
2 tsp ground black pepper
2 tsp dried rubbed sage
1/2 cup fresh chopped parsley
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup beef broth
1/2 cup dry sherry
1 shot dry vermouth
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp white pepper
1/4 tsp dried ground tarragon
1/4 dried ground herbs de provence
1/4 cup fresh chopped chives
1 cup wild rice or pearled barley

If you've acquired your roast at a grocer or butcher, chances are you won't have to prep it at all, so in an effort to save time describing how to butcher and skin a sheep, we'll assume you all have done the former and we'll skip right to the veggies. If your roast has rib bones, leave them in as they will exude the best tasting marrow into your broth while they cook! If your roast doesn't have ribs, you can either leave it whole or dice it into 2 inch cubes.

Wash the carrots, potatoes, and the rutabaga and leave the skins on them as that is where all the flavor and nutrients are. Dice them all, and the onion as well, into roughly similar sized chunks, approximately an inch to an inch and a half and add them to the bottom of the slow cooker. Add the kosher salt, black pepper, sage, parsley, chicken and beef broths, the sherry and the dry vermouth and stir everything to combine. You want to make sure that the liquid comes up to the top of the veggies. If you need to, add a little more broth or some water to raise the level. Add the roast to the top of the veggies, rib bones up if you have a bone-in roast, cover and cook on low for 6 hours.

After 6 hours pull the meat off the bones and cut it into 1"h to 1.5" chucks and add back to the slow cooker along with the sea salt, white pepper, tarragon, herbs de provence, chives and rice. Cook for another 2 hrs on low. Serve with some good bread for soaking up broth.

Savory Meat Rubs

2011-08-26T18:21:00.000-07:00

So, lately, I've been really into making spice/herb blends here at home in order to find flavor combos that I really like as Jen and I frequently do something simple like steaks or baked chicken thighs with a salad or soup for dinner. It's really nice to be able to grab a shaker and sprinkle some heaven on your meat and throw it on a grill or in the oven and be done with dinner! Or to rub it into some steaks or chops the night before a cookout and not have to mess with wet marinades and leaky plastic bags. Sometimes I like something herb-based for chicken or a hot chili rub for a beef roast or whatnot. I've narrowed down a few basic ones that can often be used alone or, more commonly, be used as a base for other flavors to be built on. The main rub I'll feature here was spread liberally over a tri-tip roast and actually has 3 other rubs as a base so I'll include recipes for those as well.

Making these three blends will provide you with a mildly spicy dry meat rub, a garlic herb sprinkle, and garam masala (an Indian "warming" spice blend), all of which will last far beyond this recipe and will provide you with an endless combination of flavors limited only by your tastes and imagination. I recently purchased a small electric coffee grinder that I am using exclusively for herbs and spices as the oils from said ingredients rarely wash out completely and will flavor your coffee if it does double duty for you. I picked one up for $15US and am very pleased so far as a mortar and pestle would take ages. Alternately, if you don't want to put out the cash for a grinder, dried ground spices can be used. They just won't pack the same punch in the flavor department but that won't matter if you just add a bit more of the finished rub to your meat than you normally would.

Safety Warning: Do not touch your face once you have handled spices! All spices have oils that we will be working to release, oils that will irritate your tear ducts and sensitive membranes! I spent a good thirty minutes tearing up in the bathroom after rubbing my eye on the way to wash up. I would suggest washing immediately after you're done grinding spices or, even better, wearing nitrile gloves that can be removed and disposed of after use.

After rinsing my eye repeatedly with cold water, I decided it would only be appropriate for the song to go with this recipe to be NOFX's "Stickin In My Eye" - Justin

GARAM MASALA

2 tbsp cardamom seeds
2 tbsp coriander seeds
2 tbsp black peppercorns
4 tsp cumin seeds
4 tsp brown mustard seeds
2 tbsp whole cloves (roughly 20 individual cloves)
1 cinnamon stick broken in half
1 dried chili de arbol, stemmed and seeded
3/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg

If you are foregoing the roasting and grinding of spices, simply substitute ground versions of these spice measurements and shake to mix in a ziplock bag.

Add everything but the nutmeg to a cast iron skillet and toast over medium-high heat for about 3minutes moving the pan constantly. Remove from heat and spread out on a tray or plate to cool for 5 minutes. Once cool, add everything, along with the nutmeg, to the grinder and grind for 1 full minute. Store in an airtight container and use as desired.

Garam masala is rarely used by itself as it has many sharp and pungent flavors. It has some sweetness from the cinnamon but has much more flavor from the clove and cardamom. By itself, it's not very spicy. It imparts a slow burn and tingle to the tongue and back of the throat and is literally translated as "warming spice" as it adds a savory (almost a ginger flavor), mild, warming sensation to dishes.

SPICY DRY MEAT RUB

2 tbsp kosher salt
1 tbsp cayenne pepper
1 tbsp pasilla chili powder
1 tbsp ground white pepper
1 tsp ginger powder
1 tsp ground cumin
2 tbs onion powder
2 tbsp garlic powder
2 tbsp light brown sugar
1 tbsp seafood seasoning (Old Bay all the way!)
1 tbsp ground black pepper
2 tbsp dry yellow mustard

Add everything to a bag and shake until well combined. Simple as that.

This rub is good for any meats. I also like adding a little to soups to liven them up a bit.

THUDIUM'S HERB SEASONING

3 tbsp dried marjoram
3 tbsp dried savory
3 tbsp dried tarragon
2 tbsp dried basil
1 tbsp dried thyme
1 tbsp dried chives
2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried sage
2 tbsp seasoned salt
4 tbsp garlic powder

Add all of the dried herbs to a grinder or mortar and pestle (you'll have to work in batches that way) and grind until fine. Add the herbs, salt, and garlic powder to a bag and shake well to mix.

This is a good blend to lightly dust over pork chops, chicken or seafood. Also good for soups and stews.

SAVORY TRI-TIP ROAST

1 2-3lb Tri-tip roast
1/2 tsp Garam Masala
1/2 tsp Thudium's Herb Seasoning
1/2 tsp Spicy Dry Meat Rub
1/2 tsp ground sea salt
1/2 tsp light brown sugar
1 tsp pasilla chili powder

Cover the meat liberally on both sides and let sit in a plastic bag in your fridge overnight. Grill the next evening over high heat for 8 minutes per side, if you like medium rare.

This is not an overly spicy rub as the pasilla chili powder is not hot but rather tastes a lot like raisins in flavor. If you like spicier meat rubs add a little more of the Spicy Dry Meat Rub to it or substitute cayenne for the pasilla chili powder for some Cajun-style heat!

Crab-Stuffed Chicken Thighs with Pesto Alfredo Sauce

2011-07-29T18:20:00.000-07:00

Justin's cousin Mike was visiting us from St. Louis and we'd had all these amazing things we wanted to cook for him, but it was his first visit to Northern California and we stayed busy (and lazy and purple hazy) and hadn't made anything after several days into his visit. So I brainstormed some things I'd been craving and was originally going to make stuffed chicken breasts with a pesto ricotta, cheese, sun dried tomatoes, and olives. Then Mike kindly reminded me how his mother's side of the family was Italian and his mom could make some mean Italian food. I'm going to admit it... I chickened out of the challenge, at least part of the way. What if after all the recipes he's seen, I try to make something "Italian", but really it comes off as a pathetic botched American version?! Could I stand for him to go back to St. Louis and tell his mom?! I wasn't sure. So I compromised and changed it up to a little coastal crab stuffing! Something he wouldn't get a lot of in the midwest, so it'd be both appropriate for his visit and it'd be something I'd been wanting to make for a while (crab stuffing). But I was bound and determined to show him that I wasn't too much of a slouch in the ethnic cooking arena, and I kept the Pesto-Alfredo sauce.

Didn't take too long to cook for as "fancy" as it might have sounded, and it was delicious! And we ate the hell out of it! Oh! And got some crab cakes out of it, too, the next night! Sadly, we were too busy enjoying our company and food to take some nicer plated pictures. :)

I don't even remember what we were listening to when we made this. But I love the band Against Me!, and this song is so great, albeit the acoustic version. No matter how many times I hear this line, "...and we'll dance like no one was watching... with one fist in the air," I get chills. Actually the whole damn song gives me chills. Though I'm still trying to get behind their more recent sound, I really love their earlier years. Good band. Good song. Good food. -jen

CRAB-STUFFED CHICKEN THIGHS

8-10 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup shallots, diced fine
1 cup mushrooms, diced fine
1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes, diced fine
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 pound crab meat
3/4 cup green onions, chopped
1.5 cups panko bread crumbs
1/2 cup finely shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup finely shredded parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large skillet, heat olive oil on a medium-high heat. Add shallots, mushrooms, sun dried tomatoes, thyme, and Italian seasoning. Cook until shallots and mushrooms are tender, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and crab meat and cook for another 3 minutes. Turn off heat and stir in bread crumbs and cheeses. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Set aside.

Place chicken thighs between two sheets of plastic wrap and pound until 1/4" thick. Place 1/4-1/3 cup stuffing into each thigh and fold over like a taco. Place in a lightly oiled baking dish and bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes, or until chicken is thoroughly cooked.

PESTO ALFREDO SAUCE

12 tablespoons (1.5 sticks) butter
1/3 cup shallots, diced finely
2.5 cups heavy cream
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup grated Asiago cheese
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, finely shredded
3 heaping tablespoons pesto

In a medium-sized sauce pan, melt butter on medium-high heat. Add shallots and cook for 3-5 minutes, until tender. Add heavy cream and bring to a boil. Turn heat to a simmer and cook, stirring constantly, until cream becomes to thicken. Add a small handful of the cheeses and stir until cheese is entirely blended in before adding another small handful. Continue until all the cheese is incorporated. Then stir in the pesto and remove from heat.

Miso Salmon With Cilantro-Ginger Sauce

2011-07-16T15:00:00.000-07:00

I'm walking out of work one day last week, around six o'clock, and in the parking lot is a coworker, standing at the back of his pickup. He asks me if I'd like some fresh-caught salmon... as if anybody would say no. Even if you didn't like salmon, you would take fresh salmon, when offered, and then gift it to a friend, who will then think you are probably the most amazing friend they've ever had. So of course I wanted some of his salmon! And so on a piece of cardboard on his tailgate, he proceeded to fillet a three foot salmon that he just caught five miles off the coast, and I came home with a giant slab of salmon tail!

We eat a lot of fish, but for some reason, not a lot of salmon. Justin had a few ideas for cooking it, but I was looking for something just a little different. I'm not going to lie - I didn't make this recipe up off the top of my head. I've never even cooked with miso before this (but I will be cooking with it again soon!) I found a recipe by an infamously evil woman, and though it nearly shamed me to use it... well, it just sounded damn good, and who am I to let morals and ethics stand in the way of delicious grub? I changed the recipe up a little, so it's not an exact duplicate. I can't say if my way is better or not, because I've never tried the recipe in its original form. But mine was delicious... so why even bother with the Mistress of All That Is Dark and Crafty's version? The cilantro-ginger sauce alone was so delicious that we've already begun to come up with other uses!

For some reason, when I was trying to think of some good nautical themed music for this dish, the first song that popped into my head seemed perfect! Jawbreaker's, "The Boat Dreams From The Hill". Fell in love with this song the first time I heard it, but the lyrics also depress the hell out of me, even if they sing "fishy flutter on its rudder". Maybe the song is apropos. It's upbeat, but also depressing. And this dish is delicious, albeit stolen from a villain! And so I give you salmon and Jawbreaker. -jen

MISO SALMON WITH CILANTRO-GINGER SAUCE

1 cup white miso
1/3 cup rice vinegar
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed, plus one 1 teaspoon
4-6 large salmon fillets
1.5 cups fresh cilantro, chopped
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
1 large shallot, peeled and quartered
1 serrano chili, seeded
1 tablespoon minced garlic (or 2 cloves)
1 piece fresh ginger (about 2" in length), peeled and quartered
2-3 tablespoons olive oil

In a medium saucepan combine miso, vinegar, 1/2 cup brown sugar, and 1/3 cup water. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until miso and sugar have dissolved; cool to room temperature. Marinate salmon in the miso sauce, refrigerated for at least 2 hours.

In a blender, combine cilantro, lime juice, shallot, chili, garlic, ginger, oil, and remaining teaspoon of brown sugar. Blend until mixture is smooth.

Heat broiler with the rack in the highest position. Place salmon skin-side down on a lightly oiled baking sheet and broil until cooked through, about 10 minutes. Salmon will flake from skin easily. Serve with cilantro-ginger sauce.

Sausage Gravy

2011-07-10T21:42:00.000-07:00

Biscuits and gravy is not entirely uncommon in our house. It was one of my favourite meals that we had when I was a kid. My mom's father was from Tennessee and she spent summers there as a kid, watching the women cook giant Southern meals from morning until night. When I was younger and there were four of us kids to feed, money was tight, so we had a version of Shit On A Shingle that was made with Buddig's beef lunch meat all chopped up in it, over Bisquick drop biscuits. I loved it. Once I got older and the older boys had moved out, my dad started making his gravy with sausage, which needless to say, was much better. Growing up in California, Justin says he never even heard of "biscuits and gravy" as a kid until he'd joined the army at 17 and was introduced to their version of S.O.S. But once I moved in with him, it became a more regular meal in our home... breakfast, dinner, it didn't matter.

Today, we decided to change it up. Instead of our regular, quick Bisquick drop biscuits, ~~Justin the Mighty and Awesome Baker~~ I made some old school Southern biscuits... made with lard and rolled out on the counter top. They came out so-so. I'll post how I did the recipe, and though they weren't bad, they were kind of small and needed something else, so it's a work in progress until I get it right. And instead of making my basic sausage gravy, I tried a few new things and am definitely happy with the results! I always just ground the breakfast sausage up and no matter how much I tried chopping it up with the wooden spoon in the pan, or adding water while cooking, it stayed pretty chunky and I just wanted to get it a little finer for the gravy. So I threw it into the food processor after it was cooked. Perfect! Also, been on a bit of a shallot kick, so added that to the gravy, as well as some Gruyere cheese just to be experimental. It kicks ass! I really wanted to make my own breakfast sausage, but it was getting late when I started cooking, so I just bought some Jimmy Dean sausage and spiced it up. Here it is... guaranteed to cause a heart attack... our version of Biscuits and Gravy!

For music, well... that was pretty easy. B&G make me think of my mom's family, from Tennessee. Tennessee makes me think of Nashville and Memphis. Those towns make me think of rockabilly music, which led me straight to psychobilly and The Reverend. -jen

SAUSAGE GRAVY

2 pounds breakfast sausage
2 teaspoons rubbed sage
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried marjoram
1/2 teaspoon celery salt
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
couple dashes Worcestershire sauce
2 large shallots, diced fine
2 sticks (1 cup) butter
1 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon Caldo de Pollo (or chicken bouillon)
1/4-1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (depending on taste)
dash of hot sauce
1/2 gallon of whole milk
1.5 cups Gruyere cheese, shredded fine

In a bowl, mix sausage with sage, 1 teaspoon thyme, marjoram, celery salt, red pepper flakes and Worcestershire sauce. In a large skillet on medium-high heat, cook sausage until all pink is gone. Set aside to cool. Once cool, place in food processor and pulse until crumbled to desire size.

In a large skillet, on medium-high heat, sautee shallots and butter until shallots are tender. Add flour and whisk until smooth, making a roux. Cook, stirring constantly, for about 5 minutes. While whisking, add milk and bring to a boil while continuing to whisk to break up any lumps. Once boiling, turn heat to medium and add Gruyere in small handfuls, whisking until cheese is fully incorporated in sauce before adding next handful. When cheese is fully melted in sauce, stir in the sausage and serve.

For the biscuits, I used Paula Deen's recipe, only I switched up the butter with lard, and the milk with buttermilk. Like I said... they were definitely edible! But I think I rolled out the dough a little thin and the flavour was missing something. So I'm going to tweek it a few times and see what I can come up with.

Spinach and Sausage Cannelloni al Forno

2011-06-13T20:31:00.000-07:00

There's a little restaurant just outside of Ukiah, California called Mario's Ristorante Italiano. It's owned by some family friends of Justin's and Mario makes the best cannelloni I've ever had in my life! He's inspired us to try, and try, and try again to make a cannelloni as good as his. We can't. But... our cannelloni is pretty freakin' awesome and this is the recipe for the last one we made!

Here to go with our cannelloni is Face to Face's cover of "Sunnyside of the Street", originally done by The Pogues. The cannelloni made Justin think of this song because the first line mentions Rome... and we listen to a lot of Face to Face in our house. :) -jen

SPINACH AND SAUSAGE CANNELLONI AL FORNO

2 pounds mild Italian sausage (sometimes I use a mix of hot/mild)
1.5 cups diced onion
4 teaspoons minced garlic (divided, 2 tsp/2tsp)
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
6oz fresh spinach
1 container (15oz) Ricotta cheese
1.5 teaspoons dried thyme
1.5 teaspoons dried oregano
2 tablespoons sundried tomatoes packed in oil, diced
1 egg
1 teaspoon salt
black pepper, to taste
3 tablespoons good muffuletta (olive salad)
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup fresh basil, chiffonaded (is that a word?)
about 12 crepes (see recipe below)
marinara sauce (see recipe below)

In a skillet, brown Italian sausage and onion. Drain and return to heat. Add 2 teaspoons minced garlic and red pepper flakes. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring to keep the garlic from burning. Turn off heat and immediately mix in all of the spinach (it will cook down).

In a large bowl, combine Ricotta, thyme, oregano, remaining 2 teaspoons of garlic, sundried tomatoes, egg, salt, and pepper. Add sausage/onion mixture, muffuletta, and Parmesan, mix. Add basil last.

Refrigerate for one hour (at the same time your crepe batter is refrigerating) so flavours combine.

Preheat oven to 350F. Coat a baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Spread a thin layer of marinara over the bottom. Spoon filling into crepes, roll, and place seam-side down into sauce (it's okay for cannellonis to be touching). Cover the middle with sauce. I like to leave the ends exposed and sauce-free so they crisp up a little. Sprinkle with some shredded mozzarella and bake for 30 minutes, or until the ends are browned. Let cool slightly before serving.

QUICK MARINARA

1 tsp olive oil
1/4 cup diced yellow onion
2 cloves garlic
1/4 cup red wine
28 oz can tomato sauce (or 28 oz can whole pealed tomatoes blended till smooth)
3/4 tsp ground black pepper
3/4 tsp salt
3/4 tsp dried basil
3/4 tsp ground oregano
3/4 tsp dried thyme
1 bay leaf
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper

In a medium saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat and add the onion and garlic. Sweat, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent, about 4-5 minutes. Add the wine and cook for 2 more minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients and turn the heat up to medium high, bring to a boil. Once the sauce has come to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cover for 25 minutes, occasionally stirring to make sure nothing sticks and that the simmer hasn't died. This can be prepared ahead of time as the longer it sits, the better the flavor gets. Make it a day ahead of time to get the best flavor result.

CREPES

2 large eggs
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup water
1 cup flour
3 tbsp melted butter
1/4 tsp salt
oil or butter to lightly grease a small frying pan.

Place all ingredients in the blender and pulse until thoroughly combined, roughly 30 seconds. Pour through a strainer into a separate container for fridge storage. Leave to sit for about an hour before using. This can actually be stored in the fridge for up to 48 hrs if desired.

Coat a small nonstick pan with butter or oil (only a very light coating is needed), heating over medium high heat and pour 1 oz of batter onto the surface when the pan is hot. Swirl the pan around till the batter is spread out into a "round" shape as thin as can be managed. The batter begins cooking instantly so you won't have more than one roll of the pan to get the shape but that's alright as they are meant to taste good as opposed to look perfect. After 30 seconds, use a spatula to flip the crepe and continue cooking 15 more seconds. Set aside and lay flat to cool. Once cool, they can be stacked and frozen for up to 2 months, used right away, or kept in the fridge for a day or two.

Elvis Bread (Peanut Butter Banana Bread)

2011-05-29T21:11:00.000-07:00

Well, we had some bananas sitting around getting old. We had some organic peanut butter in the fridge, and we really don't eat peanut butter in our house. So I decided I was going to make something with them. I really don't enjoy baking much at all. Sure, I'll make a cheesecake here and there, and sometimes I get a baking bug up my butt, but it's not something I really enjoy like cooking. I Googled for different ideas - cookies, muffins, cakes, breads. In the end, I didn't really like any of the recipes I found so I simply decided I was going to make peanut butter banana bread and come up with my own recipe by combining elements of recipes I found on line. I was really happy with the results! When we ate the bread by itself, the peanut butter flavour was really strong, but didn't over-power the banana, it was a nice balance. When we made french toast with it, or toasted it with some butter (which was like waffles!), the peanut butter got a little weaker, but it was still freakin' delicious!

I still want to play with this recipe... being that I'm calling it "Elvis Bread", I so want to make it again and add a bunch of crumbled bacon to it! I think it would be killer. And I might add a little more butter, too. Though the bread wasn't dry, I don't think it was as moist as I'd like it. But until I make it again, this is the recipe I made the other night.

I'm torn about what kind of music to post. It's Elvis Bread, so you'd think I'd have been listening to Elvis, but I wasn't (even though I love The King!) I was actually listening to some soul music when I baked it (so you know it's was made with some love): Solomon Burke, Maurice Williams, Sam & Dave, Ike & Tina. However, this is a punk rock cooking blog, and because the bread was made with bananas, the first song that popped into my head was The Dead Milkmen's "Smokin' Banana Peels" on the album Beelzebubba. I remember discovering this album in 7th grade with the only other weirdo in school, my good friend, Nate. Sneaking into the cafeteria with out little boombox, playing Punk Rock Girl over and over. And so, rather than posting "Smokin' Banana Peels", I'm going with "Punk Rock Girl". -jen

ELVIS BREAD

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar
4 eggs
2 cups mashed bananas (about 4 large)
1 cup peanut butter, melted (just throw in microwave for 30-60 seconds)
4 cups flour
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Cream butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, making sure each is incorporated before adding more. Add mashed banana and peanut butter. In a separate bowl, combine flour, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon. Incorporate dry ingredients into large ingredients, a little at a time. Batter will be very thick.

Spray a cake pan with nonstick cooking spray. Pour in batter and smooth until even. Bake for 40-45 minutes, until a knife or toothpick stuck in the middle comes out clean.

Chimichangas de Pollo en Mole, Guacamole, Mexican Rice

2011-05-14T10:48:00.000-07:00

So, our Cinco de Mayo dinner recipe is posting a bit late, but that's only because we're too busy eating leftovers to wash our fingers off and use a keyboard. I originally had designs on a traditional Mexican meal, complete with an old school mole that involved all kinds of chiles, cocoa, nuts, and herbs along with several steaming, steeping, grinding processes, etc. Needless to say, that didn't come to pass. Instead, I found a couple of modern, shortcut recipes that have a very similar taste and texture to the one that Abuelita would make and they only take a little while to prepare, comparatively.

We decided on chimichangas as they are just like a burrito only deep fried crispy and they happen to be one of my favorite things to get when we go out for Mexican here in NorCal. Jen put together the filling and made a guacamole that was perfect to balance the mild heat and savory flavor of the mole sauce.

I could think of no better group to accompany this recipe than Union 13 as they are a rocking punk band from East Los Angeles that is not only comprised of Hispanics but also sing at least one song on each of their four albums in Spanish. Suitable for Mexican dinner on Cinco de Mayo, especially since Jen and I both had a couple shots of Chinaco Reposado (my favorite tequila) to celebrate! -justin

MOLE SAUCE

1/3 cup pumpkin seeds
1 can (8oz) salsa verde
2 tbsp ground New Mexico chile powder
2 tbsp ground Pasilla chile powder
1 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tsp salt
1 and 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
3 tbsp butter
1 medium yellow onion, diced
2 fresh Poblano peppers, seeded, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
5 cups chicken stock
1 tbsp brown sugar
2 oz semi-sweet chocolate
1/4 cup peanut butter

To start, pulverize the pumpkin seeds in a grinder or small food processor. Incorporate the can of salsa verde with the pumpkin seeds in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring occasionally to keep from sticking, until thickened, around 15 minutes or so.

While the salsa and seeds are going, combine the New Mexico chile, Pasilla chile, cayenne powder, salt, cumin, and coriander in a small bowl and mix thoroughly. This is the seasoning mix referred to from here on out.

Melt the butter in a large soup pot over high heat. When butter is hot, add the onions and Poblanos and cook for 3 minutes without stirring. Stir in 3 tbsp of the seasoning mix, add the garlic to the pot, and cook for 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add 1/2 cup of the chicken stock and the brown sugar and cook for 5 minutes or until the mixture starts to stick to the bottom of the pan. Add another 1/2 cup of chicken stock to the pan and deglaze with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon to get all the good bits off the bottom. Stir in the chocolate, peanut butter, and the pumpkin seed/salsa verde mixture. Cook for 3-4 minutes while continuing to stir. Add the remaining 4 cups of chicken stock, the rest if the seasoning mix (make sure to save 1/2 tbsp to use in the cimichanga filling!) and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally, for about 4 minutes. At this point you'll want to use a whisk to make sure everything is mixed well. Stir continuously until sauce thickens, becomes darker brown, and comes to a rolling boil (large, fast bubbles). Reduce heat to low and mix with a hand blender (or portion into stand blender) until smooth. Let simmer over low heat for 20 more minutes or until sauce coats the back of a spoon like a brown gravy. Let cool and place in fridge while preparing the chimichangas as this will give the flavors a chance to marry. This sauce can be made several days ahead of time and stored in the fridge, in an airtight container.

CHIMICHANGAS DE POLLO

2 tbsp olive oil
6 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
1 tbsp salt
1 tbsp ground, black pepper

2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
1 tbsp dried Mexican oregano
1/2 tablespoon leftover seasoning mix from Mole sauce
2 teaspoons lime juice
1 can (4oz) diced green chiles
few dashes of green Tabasco
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
salt and pepper to taste
large flour tortillas
1/2 cup vegetable oil for frying

Preheat oven to 450F degrees. Add oil to 1 large baking sheet and brush evenly over surface. Side note: Jen and I also use tin foil (or aluminum foil for you modern folks) on our sheet pans before oiling as they are super easy to clean up after dinner that way! Mix salt and pepper and apply evenly to both tops and bottoms of thighs. Space evenly apart on sheet pan and place in center of the oven. Bake for 30 minutes, or until skin in golden brown. Let cool until you can handle them.

Tear off meat from bones and shred into a large bowl (I use my hands, but you can use two forks to shred it too.) Add the cilantro, oregano, seasoning mix, lime juice, chiles, Tabasco, Cheddar and salt and pepper and toss.

Heat the vegetable oil to medium-high in a large skillet. Fill your tortillas with the meat mixture (Jen added Mexican rice, guacamole, and more cheese to hers.) Fold sides in tightly and roll so that the ends are sealed, like a burrito. Fry in oil seam-side down first, until golden brown, then turn and cook until entire chimichanga is golden brown.

GUACAMOLE

3-5 ripe avocados
1-2 teaspoons lime juice
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
dash of cumin
dash of salt
few dashes of green Tabasco sauce
2 green onions, chopped
1 roma tomato, diced

In a medium-sized bowl, add avocado and lime juice. Mash. Then add garlic powder, cumin, salt, Tabasco, green onions, and tomato. Mix. (I like to top it with crumbled Queso Fresco! -jen)

MEXICAN RICE

2 tbsp vegetable or olive oil
1 cup uncooked white rice
1.5 cups water
1 can (4oz) tomtao sauce
1 heaping tablespoon Caldo de Pollo (or 2 chicken bouillon cubes)
1-2 tablespoons minced garlic (to taste)
2 tablespoons taco seasoning (click for homeade taco seasoning recipe)
1 can (7oz) diced green chiles
1 tablespoon diced jalapeños
7oz (1/2 of a 14oz can) diced tomatoes
salt and pepper

In medium sauce pan, heat oil on high. When oil is hot, add rice and fry for several minutes (do not brown). Add water, tomato sauce, Caldo de pollo, garlic, taco seasoning, chiles, and jalepeños. Stir until well mixed and bring to a boil.

Reduce heat to a simmer, cover with lid and let simmer 20 minutes until rice is tender. Do not lift the lid during cooking! Once rice is tender, remove from heat, stir in tomatoes and serve.

Crab Bisque

2011-05-09T14:13:00.000-07:00

So, when we did the crab stuffed sole, we had some canned, lump crab left over and were trying to decide what to do with it. We "kicked" around a couple of ideas regarding croissants, avocados, Swiss cheese, and other accoutre mounts, but settled on a crab bisque since we both love soup and had been craving creamy, savory goodness for some time. This was another amazingly simple meal to throw together with the crab on hand and took about 40 minutes to do, total. Include some bread to sop up soup with, and maybe some steamed or roasted veggies, or a carb like rice or potatoes, and you're all set.

I was enjoying some Dropkick Murphys, live on St Patty's Day, 2002, as I made the bisque since they are the quintessential, east-coast punk rock Irish band. And their ode, "Boys on the Docks" only seems all too appropriate for this recipe. This is a later video but that's okay because how would you like to be this close to the stage in such a small venue for the Dropkicks?! - justin

CRAB BISQUE

1 teaspoon olive oil
2 tablespoons shallots (or sweet onion)
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon lemon zest
2 tablespoons flour
3 tablespoons butter
2 cups crab meat
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
2 cups chicken broth
1 tablespoon very dry sherry
2 cups heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/8 teaspoon white pepper
salt to taste

Add the olive oil to a medium saucepan that's heated to medium-high heat. Add shallots and cook until golden brown. Add garlic and lemon zest and cook 2 minutes. Add flour and butter and cook 2 more minutes. Add crab and parsley and cook 3 minutes, scraping, making sure the mixture doesn't stick to the pan. Add chicken broth and sherry, cover partially, and simmer for 20 minutes. Add cream, cayenne, and white pepper, and add salt to taste.

Bread is a must for this soup! This is rich and savory and creamy. Some sourdough or crusty Italian bread will do nicely! The sourdough is a nice accent to the richness of the soup and the Italian style loaves tend to be dryer and more absorbent.

Crab Stuffed Fillet of Sole in Lemon Dill Sauce

2011-05-07T20:09:00.000-07:00

So, growing up here in California in general, and more specifically the North Coast, I've always been exposed to awesome seafood. From fresh snapper, to abalone, to salmon, my family and I have always enjoyed the fruits of the Pacific. I caught my first catfish at 8 and my middle brother caught his first mackerel in the open Pacific at 9. I've fished bluegill, rainbow and brown trout, steelhead, small mouth bass, lingcod, and a myriad of other fish since my childhood. While I rarely fish anymore, I love to cook seafood here at home for Jen and myself. Living in Eureka, one of the old fishing capitols of California, affords us the opportunity to get fresh seafood at an affordable price almost anytime of year, from a variety of outlets and vendors.

When Jen moved out to Cali, she'd only been exposed to seafood in the Midwest and was not much of a fan at all. I don't blame her. After living here a couple of years, she started falling in love with sushi, fresh pan-fried catfish, all kinds of shellfish, and basically any kind of crustacean (i.e. crabs, lobster, shrimp, etc.), many of which she had liked before but rarely had fresh. Since then we've made it a regular part of our menu. Recently, we'd wanted to do some seafood and she suggested stuffing some whitefish with some crab. Since I'm no moron, I said, "Of course!" I decided to do something simple and easy, some canned crab, as opposed to fresh, as it involves much less prep and it tastes awesome regardless.

As I made the dish, I was listening to an all time classic of one of my favorite bands, Primus, "Fish On". Though this song is not punk rock, per say, it is none the less a part of my musical repertoire from earlier days and I happen to love Les Claypool's bass action, especially in their earlier years. Since he happens to reference San Pablo Bay, which is located in the north eastern part of the Greater San Francisco Bay, it seemed perfectly appropriate for me to use as I grew up in what San Franciscan's refer to as the North Bay, but the rest of us call Ukiah.

This is a simple dish that can be a perfect meal to serve to company as it seems far more complicated than it is. We served it up with some steamed broccoli and used wild Dover sole for the whitefish, but you could substitute your your favorite mild, whitefish or garden veggies very easily. The sauce is simple to put together and takes no time at all so it really is a snap to prepare as long as you have the ingredients all chopped and measured out ahead of time. -justin

WILD DOVER SOLE STUFFED WITH CRAB

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons minced yellow onion
2 tablespoons minced mushroom
2 tablespoons minced green onion
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 cup crab meat (I used canned, lump crab but you could use whatever you prefer)
2 tablespoons grated Gruyere cheese
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
1 teaspoon Mexican oregano
salt to taste
ground black pepper
6 fillets of wild Dover sole (or whatever whitefish you prefer)

Preheat oven to 400F degrees. Put 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a 3-quart sauce pan and heat to medium-high. Add the yellow onion and cook until golden brown. Add mushrooms, green onion and garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Pull vegetables from heat and transfer to a large mixing bowl. Add the crab, Gruyere, lemon juice, white pepper, and Mexican oregano and mix thoroughly. Add salt to taste. Lay out fillets and salt and pepper both sides. Divide filling evenly among the fillets and roll them closed over the filling, using toothpicks to secure the ends of the fish fillets. Place evenly spaced on a lightly oiled sheet pan, brush tops lightly with 1 tablespoon olive oil, and place in the oven. Cook for 25-30 minutes or until tops are starting to brown. Serve with the following sauce which can easily be prepared while the fish is baking:

LEMON DILL SAUCE

1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup diced shallots (or onions)
3 cloves minced garlic
1/2 cup white wine
juice of one lemon
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1/4 cup fresh chopped dill
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon black pepper
salt to taste
5 tablespoons sweet cream butter

Add the olive oil to a small sauce pan heated over medium-high heat. Add shallots and cook until golden brown. Add garlic and cook 2 minutes. Add wine and cook 5 minutes. Add lemon juice and zest, dill and Dijon and stir until combined. Add heavy cream and black pepper, taste and add salt ass needed. When properly seasoned, add butter 1 tablespoon at a time, making sure each is melted and incorporated before adding the next.

We served this with steamed broccoli, as I mentioned before, as the sauce goes with it beautifully. One could also use cauliflower, asparagus, or artichokes, etc.

Chicago-Style Deep Dish Pizza

2011-04-25T20:53:00.000-07:00

Chicago deep dish pizza. If you've never had it, you can't even begin to understand the delicious lie that it is. It's not really a pizza... it's a monster. If you've eaten one and you're not from Chicago, you went home and told all your friends and family how awesome it was. And if you live in Chicago, you have your favourite... probably Giordano's (which is my favourite), or Gino's, or Lou Malnati's. And if you're like me, you've lived in Chicago and moved... and sometimes late at night, when you're alone, you cry a little for some real Chicago deep dish pizza. Well, after four years of living in California with only one visit home, I decided I had to make my own, because I couldn't bring myself to fork out the $50 to have it shipped to me frozen. I researched different recipes, tried to find what sounded right to me, and I made myself one hell of a Chicago pizza! In fact, I'm going to brag and tell you that I think it was better than some of the afore mentioned restaurants' pizzas! I put a can of Coke there for size-reference. ;)

If you're not familiar with a Chicago pizza... it's a thick crust, and the cheese goes on the bottom. Then your toppings. Then the sauce goes on top. You can't eat it with your hands (unless it's leftover cold pizza the next day). And you'd be hard pressed to eat more than two pieces at a time... one is pretty much enough. Don't let this recipe intimidate you... it looks lengthy, but it's not too hard. Really it's like this: mix part of the dough, let rise, add the rest, knead, let rise. Punch it, let rise. Add toppings. Bake. See... it's easy! You just need a few hours for all the rising and baking (and a cast iron skillet or a deep-dish pizza pan). And I apologize in advance... I made homemade marinara for this, and I always just wing my marinara, so I didn't consider writing down measurements for the recipe. :\ I will do this next time!

We were going to make this Saturday, but our guests' schedules worked better for Sunday... which happened to be Easter. So we celebrated Zombie Day with pizza, chocolate, dice, and good company! We tend to lean away from the traditions of the church... far, far away. (Except that Justin said pizza is Italian, and the Italians were the ones who crucified Jesus, so in a way, it's quite befitting and following the church.) And though there were a few excellent punk rock songs that would have fit this post well... Justin and I both thought that Bad Religion's "Don't Pray On Me" was the best song for this recipe. It is on the album titled "Recipe for Hate" and surely someone is going to be offended for my non-interest in the Christian faith... so it really has all come together in the end! Don't let your hate spoil your appetite though... this pizza rocks! -jen

CHICAGO-STYLE DEEP DISH PIZZA

1/4 ounce packet Quick Rise yeast
1 and 1/4 cups lukewarm water
1 teaspoon sugar
3 and 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup medium-grind yellow cornmeal
1 and 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 cup olive oil , plus
1/2 pound Provolone, sliced 1/8" thick
1/2 pound Mozzarella, sliced 1/8" thick
pizza toppings*
2 to 3 cups marinara
1 cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese

* If using Italian sausage, do not pre-cook it. Add to pizza in raw form. Suggestions for other pizza ingredients: chopped or sliced red onion, green onion, pepperoni, mushrooms, fresh garlic, green or black olives, fresh basil, sweet peppers, spinach - whatever!)

In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast in 1/4 cup of the warm water. Add the sugar and 1/4 cup of the flour and stir to combine. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for 20 minutes (I have a gas oven, so I set it in the middle of the stove top, towards the back. Or you can turn your oven to it's lowest heat, open the door all the way, and just set the bowl on the open door.)

Add the remaining 1 cup warm water and 3 cups flour, the cornmeal, salt, and 1/2 cup olive oil. If using a stand mixer, first use mixing attachment to combine, then switch to dough kneader and run for 10 minutes.

If not using a stand mixer, stir the dough with a wooden spoon to combine. Turn the dough out on a lightly floured work surface and knead until soft and elastic, 10 to 12 minutes. It will be a little sticky, but shouldn't stick to your hands.

Lightly coat a large bowl with olive oil. Add the dough and turn to coat on all sides. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place a clean, damp, kitchen towel over the top. Set the bowl in a warm spot and let rise until doubled in volume, 1 and 1/2 to 2 hours. (For a slow rise, place the covered bowl in the refrigerator and let rise for 10 to 12 hours, returning dough to room temperature before using).

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

When the dough has doubled in volume, punch it down and knead it for 2 to 3 minutes. Coat a 14" cast iron skillet well with olive oil or butter. (If using a 12" cast iron skillet, remove 1/4 of the dough and use for something else - pepperoni twists, cheesy garlic sticks, etc.) Sprinkle a dusting of corn meal over the oiled pan. Press the dough evenly into the bottom and up the sides. Let the dough rise in the pan for 15 to 20 minutes.

Place a layer of Provolone cheese on dough, then add a layer of Mozzarella. Continue adding all remaining toppings in layers (except the olives, I sprinkle those on top of the sauce.) If using raw sausage, I suggest tearing it into finger-tip size pieces to guarantee thorough cooking. Gently ladle sauce to completely cover toppings. Add grated Parmesan and olives.

Place in a 325 degree oven for 25-30 minutes, then turn heat up to 475 and cook an additional 15-20 minutes. Crust should be golden brown and Parmesan should be golden.

Remove and let sit at least 20 minutes to allow the ingredients to firm up. If you try to serve right away, you'll have a soupy mess that's impossible to serve.

Chipotle Chocolate Chili

2011-04-23T21:40:00.000-07:00

So Jen had been craving some chili lately and I decided to make a batch on Wed, which happened to be April 20th, Carmen Electra's birthday! Also, it is supposed to be some sort of stoner holiday or hippie celebration or something...not sure where I heard that. Anyway, since stoners, bachelors, and assorted college students (was that redundant?) always have a trusty can of chili in the cupboard for that "Crap I can't afford food" emergency meal, I thought it would be fitting to undertake such a meal on said day. For musical accompaniment, I had a variety of tunes but the most fitting for this adventure would have to be Sublime's "Smoke Two Joints". I know it's not very punk but they used to be a punk band...and, well, we live in Humboldt. Reggae, ska, and such are just the norm around here. Everyone's got a Che Guevara tee or a knitted rasta hat and dreads, so this works for the day and setting.

This chili is actually very easy to pull off and has an amazing complexity to the flavor and heat. There's a slow, medium burn at the end of a spoonful that stays with you for a bit and warms the body nicely but it's not very hot up front. It has a bit of chocolate, cinnamon and agave nectar (to mellow out some of the heat) so it's very Mexican inspired and ends up having a very silky texture and a dark, smokey flavor that is a definite plus in my book! Plus, it's made with a whole bottle of dark beer, which we all know makes everything taste better! - justin

BEEF

3 tablespoons olive oil
2 pounds ground beef (20/80)
2 tablespoons Kosher salt
2 tablespoons black pepper
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
2 Tbsp semi-sweet chocolate chips
12oz bottle of dark beer (I used Lost Coast Brewery's 8Ball Stout but a porter or Guinness would work nicely as well)

VEGGIES

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 red onion, diced
4-6 cloves garlic, chopped
1 whole poblano chili
1 whole jalapeno chili
3 chipotle peppers in Adobo sauce, pureed
1 quart chicken broth
2 cans (14oz each) whole peeled tomatoes, pureed
1 tablespoon New Mexico chili powder
1 tablespoon Chili de Arbol powder
1 tablespoon Pasilla chili powder
2 Tbsp Light Agave Nectar

To start the beef you'll need to heat a high-sided skillet or dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the 3 tbsp of olive oil and when it starts to shimmer add the ground beef. As the beef starts browning add the salt and pepper and cook until well browned. Drain off the excess fat and add the cuman, cinnamon, and chocolate to the beef and continue stirring to melt the chocolate chips. Once they are mostly melted add the bottle of dark beer (making very sure to save a bottle for sampling...you know, for safety) and cook the liquid down till it's mostly evaporated. This concentrates all the seasonings and flavors in the meet before it's added to our vegetable base.

Fire roasting the jalapeno and poblano chilies is not necessary but can be done very quickly over a gas burner on the oven. Use tongs so as not to fire roast your finger tips. When the skin starts to snap and pop and singe, you are done. The peppers can then be cut in half, deseeded, deribbed, and diced.

In a separate soup pot, add your 2 tbsp of olive oil and set on medium high heat. When the pan is hot, toss in your onion and sweat it down until translucent, about 5 to 7 minutes. While the onion is sweating, puree the whole peeled tomatoes and the chipotles in adobo (found in the Mexican or ethnic aisles of the market) in a blender or food processor. Add the garlic, poblano, and jalapeno to the onion and cook for another couple of minutes. Add the powdered chilis, tomato/chipotle puree, and the chicken stock, turn the heat up to high, bring the pot to a boil, and let it boil uncovered for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally to make sure nothing sticks to the bottom of the pot.

After the 20 minutes are up, puree the entire pot. I used a stick blender but a standing blender or food processor would work. Make do with what you have. The main idea is to break down the sauce to a smoother consistency, unless you want a chunky chili, in which case, ignore this whole paragraph.

Add the meat to the veggie pot and stir in. Cover with a lid and let it simmer on low for an hour. Add the 2 tbsp Agave nectar (one could alternatively use maple syrup or some light molasses, or dark brown sugar for another twist on the flavor profile) and stir in thoroughly. At this point, one must taste and reseason as needed. If it's too spicy, add a little more sweetness to cut some of the heat. If it's not spicy enough for ya, toss in another chipotle and simmer for another 10 minutes or so. Serve with some bread for sopping, a little grated cheese and some sour cream and you have one killer bowl. This pot of chili will serve 4-6 folks with hearty appetites.

Oh, almost forgot to mention the best part! This chili gets better with age...to a certain extent. It tastes great the night that you make it. Try it the next day for lunch and you'll find that the flavors really marry in the fridge overnight.

Pork Steaks with Mushroom and Onion Gravy and Mashed Potatoes

2011-04-23T18:46:00.000-07:00

I've always loved Salisbury steaks... the crappy TV dinner kind, the school cafeteria kind, the greasy diner kind. They're usually made with ground beef or cubed steak. Well, we had some pre-tenderized pork steaks we'd been buying lately that were like cube steaks, and they've been a fast, tasty fix for nights we haven't felt like cooking. Recently, we've had some sitting in our freezer and rather than breading and frying them like we usually do (delicious!), I thought I'd try something that "fancied" them up a little, but wasn't a pain in the ass to cook. And this is the recipe I came up with! It looks like a lot of ingredients, but don't let it scare you, it's really fast to make. Basically you're just throwing some onions and mushrooms in a pan with flour and broth, then making a quick dry rub and broiling the steaks for 8 minutes. Super basic, cheap, and some serious home style comfort food.

Having come up with the recipe, I had to decide what kind of music I wanted to listen to while cooking. It seemed like it was a bit of a Southern dish, but I just wasn't in a real hard, punk rock mood. Instead, I did a little 90's flash back to some good, southern alt-rock: The Toadies. I know, I know, we said this was a punk rock cooking blog. But we listen to a LOT of different kinds of music, and we cook a whole lot, so sometimes we're just going to have to mix it up a little. The Toadies never fail to bring some messed up, dark, Southern imagery to mind... creeping kudzu, old plantation houses, old dark family secrets, people mentally and emotionally (and sometimes physically) tortured by generations of fucked up bible thumping... oh yeah, and gravy! So here is one of my favourite Toadies songs, "Away". -jen

PORK STEAKS WITH MUSHROOM AND ONION GRAVY

3 tablespoons olive oil (plus additional oil for drizzling)
2 tablespoons butter
1 large yellow or white onion, julienned
1 pound white mushrooms, sliced
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1 tablespoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1/4 cup flour
1-1/2 cups chicken broth
1-1/2 cups beef broth
2 tablespoons dry Sherry
1/2 to 1 teaspoon Sriracha hot sauce (depending on how spicy you want it)
salt and pepper to taste
4 large pork steaks, tenderized (we bought ours pre-tenderized, like cube steak)

Seasoning Mix:

1 tablespoon Kosher salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon dried cumin
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

In a large skillet with straight sides, heat 3 tablespoons olive oil and 2 tablespoons butter on medium-high heat. Add onions and mushrooms, tossing to coat with oil and butter. (The pan's going to look too full, but it'll all cook down.) Cook, stirring occasionally until onions are translucent and mushrooms are tender. Add garlic, Italian seasoning, thyme, Worcestershire and soy sauce, cooking another 3-5 minutes. Sprinkle flour over vegetables and stir in until completely absorbed, cooking about 3-5 minutes. Add chicken and beef broth all at once and stir quickly in order to avoid lumps in your gravy. Bring to a boil, and then simmer until gravy has thickened. Add Sherry, Sriracha and salt and pepper to taste. Set aside on very low simmer, stirring occasionally to make sure gravy isn't sticking to the bottom of the pan.

Meanwhile, turn oven to broil. Mix together all of the ingredients for the seasoning mix. Line a baking sheet with tinfoil and drizzle with a small amount of olive oil. Pat pork steaks dry and lay over olive oil on one side, then flip to the other side so both sides are coated with a small amount of oil. Season both sides of steaks with seasoning mix to taste (you'll probably use 3-4 teaspoons of the mix in total). Leftover seasoning mix can be stored in airtight container for future use! Broil steaks on one side for about 5 minutes. Flip and broil an additional 2-3 minutes. Serve smothered in onion and mushroom gravy. We used homemade mashed potatoes, but concurred that egg noodles or rice would also be delicious.

MASHED POTATOES
Serves 4

3 large baking potatoes
salt
4 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup milk
pepper to taste

Bring well salted water to boil in large pan. Peel 1/2 of the potatoes (and scrub skin of the unpeeled ones clean). Dice into 2" cubes. Carefully put into boiling water and cook until they're fork-tender (about 12-15 minutes, fork should slide in easily). Remove from heat and drain. In a large bowl, combine potatoes, butter, and milk. Mash with a hand masher until all ingredients are well mixed (butter will melt from the heat of the potatoes). Add pepper to taste.

(We're really trying to work on our plating techniques... so we thought we'd each try a plate.)

Pizza Popcorn Seasoning

2011-04-17T18:28:00.000-07:00

I didn't really have any musical inspiration for this recipe... this is one I've been making since 2005. But it's a quick, tasty way to kick up your popcorn! And since I feel compelled to post some music, I'm going to go with Hot Water Music's "Trusty Chords" on the album "Caution" (because it was the last song I was singing in the shower). -jen

PIZZA POPCORN SEASONING

2 tablespoons Dry Spaghetti Sauce Mix (in the gravy/sauce packet section of your grocery store)
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried Italian herbs mix
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
dash of black pepper
dash of cayenne pepper (optional for spicy popcorn)

Blend all ingredients in a blender or mini food processor until fine powder. Sprinkle on buttered popcorn!

Southern Fried Dill Pickles & Veggies

2011-04-15T23:05:00.000-07:00

Admittedly, the food inspired the music tonight, instead of vice versa. I'm a huge fan of dill pickles, served in a number of ways. Just wait until I post the recipe for my family's favourite holiday appetizers - pickles, cream cheese, and cheap ass lunch meat! But I do love a good deep fried pickle. Being a Southern thing, most people here in Northern California have never heard of them, let alone tasted one! I'm going to assume the rest of the country (outside of the South) is equally in the dark, and I want to shine the light onto the shiny, greasy deliciousness that is the fried pickle! And while operating the deep fryer, who better to belt it out in Southern punk rock fashion than one of my all time favourite punk bands, Avail. I. Love. This. Band. I got to see them a number of times when I lived in Chicago, and they were the loudest, fastest, angriest shows! I never left one without bruised ribs, stomped toes, and a kick or two in the head from crowd surfers. Best shows ever! I miss them. Here's their "Simple Song". -jen

Back to the food... I like my batter really seasoned, and I find a lot of places don't season their batter much. So you could definitely cut back on the seasoning if you're more of a plain-batter kind of person (but what fun would that be?)

BEER BATTER

1 cup flour
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
1-1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
1-1/2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 to 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (depending on how spicy you'd like it)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon cumin
6-12oz ale
vegetable or peanut oil for frying
dill pickle slices (Vlasic makes "Ovals" which are huge slices, great for this!)

Heat oil in a deep fryer or deep pot to 360-370 F.

On a plate, lay out two layers of paper towels. Place pickles in single layer on towels and cover with another double-layer of paper towels, pressing down on the pickles so that the towels absorb the juice.

In a large bowl, combine all dry ingredients. Begin whisking in the beer, a little at a time. I like my batter to be a little on the thick side, so I'll use about 1/2 a bottle of the beer. Some people like a thinner batter, which would require 3/4 to 1 whole 12oz bottle. Start conservatively and remember you can always add more beer!

Dip the pickles in batter and gently place into oil, frying until golden brown (2-3 minutes). I use plain, wooden, disposable chopsticks to flip the pickles half way through the cooking time. Don't over-crowd the pan, fry in batches. Let drain in a paper towel-lined dish. You can preheat your oven to 250 F and keep your early batches warm. Serve with ranch dressing for dipping sauce.

Tip: You can re-warm leftovers in the oven or toaster oven. Set to broil, lay leftovers in single layer. Broil until crispy on top side, then flip. In the toaster oven, it's 4-5 minutes on each side.

The pickles are the front-left, next to the ranch (see, big Ovals). The batter really works for anything. I got a little crazy tonight and ended up making enough deep fried food for about thirteen people (instead of the two of us). I did zucchini, crimini mushrooms, onion rings, cheese curds, and then I even tried stuffing pickled cherry peppers with the cheese curds. They were a little sour and not as good as I thought they'd be. I'll have to try my hand at some jalapeno poppers next time - those'll be great!

Baked Chicken with Balsamic Reduction

2011-04-13T22:12:00.000-07:00

This recipe is one I decided to dedicate to our friend who recently had a baby and a birthday (you know who you are, Eric). It's a quick, easy, and a deceptively fancy tasting dish (just like Eric! -jen). The leg quarters could be substituted with any cut of chicken (and the sauce is awesome on pork as well so use what ya got). The polenta could be rice, or pasta, or mashed potatoes so the main thrust of this post is the chicken and the sauce. The cooking time is about 45 minutes for the chicken and the sauce reduces down during that time period so it's not hard to pull off at all. I had to listen to The Descendents song "Sour Grapes", of course, because they kick ass. Balsamic vinegar...sour grapes...though unlike the song lyrics, this sauce leaves anything but a "bad taste". -justin

BAKED CHICKEN WITH BALSAMIC REDUCTION

4 leg quarters
poultry seasoning
adobo seasoning
salt and pepper
1 cup Balsamic vinegar
4 teaspoons honey
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper

Preheat oven to 350 F. Season both sides of the chicken with a light dusting of poultry seasoning, adobo seasoning, salt and pepper. Cook in shallow baking sheet at 350 F for 45 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a sauce pan, whisk together Balsamic vinegar, honey, garlic, Worcestershire, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, careful not to let it boil over. Once it comes to a boil, lower heat to keep sauce at a gentle boil for about 30-45 minutes, stirring occasionally. If your sauce is rising to the top of the pan, your heat is too high. You want to get your sauce to be like molasses - thick but drizzleable (which is not a word).

You could serve the chicken with the sauce on the side, drizzle it over the chicken, or drizzle it over the plate and place your chicken atop it.

Served here with a garlic-herb polenta and steamed cauliflower. (My attempt at better plating! It's a work in progress -jen)

Peppermint Mocha Kahlua Chocolate Chip Cheesecake

2011-04-11T22:28:00.000-07:00

I can't really take credit for this recipe... this one, like the beans in the last post, is my mom's recipe. Only she made it with Bailey's, which is also pretty kick ass! Always a favourite of the whole family... I didn't even like cheesecake until she started making this recipe! But I've had the Peppermint Mocha Kahlua hanging around since Christmas and it's not getting used, so I thought it'd be tasty. -jen

Doh! Forgot to put down what we were listening to while I baked last night! Kind of defeats the purpose of a punk rock cooking page, doesn't it? Then it'd just be a boring cooking blog that nobody followed... instead of a kick ass punk rock cooking blog... that nobody follows. And actually... we weren't even listening to punk rock while I baked. Had an electronic 80's Pandora station on - lots of Gary Numan, New Order, Depeche Mode.

Crust

Nonstick cooking spray
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup granulated sugar
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) butter, melted

Filling

2-1/4 pounds (4.5 bricks) cream cheese, room temp
1-2/3 cups granulated sugar
5 eggs, room temp
1 cup Peppermint Mocha Kahlua
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Coffee Whipped Cream

1 cup chilled whipping cream
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon instant coffee powder

For Crust: Preheat oven to 325 F. Coat 9-inch springform pan with nonstick vegetable oil spray. Combine crumbs and sugar in pan. Stir in butter. Press mixture into bottom and 1" up the sides of pan. Bake until light brown, about 7 minutes. Maintain oven temperature at 325 F.

For Filling: Using electric mixer, beat cream cheese until smooth. Gradually mix in sugar. beat in eggs 1 at a time. Blend in Peppermint Mocha Kahlua and vanilla. Sprinkle half of the chocolate chips over crust. Spoon in filling. Sprinkle with remaining chocolate chips. Bake cake until puffed, springy in center and golden brown - about 1 hour 20 minutes. Cool cake completely.

For Whipped Cream: Beat cream, sugar and coffee powder until peaks form. Spread mixture over cooled cake.

This one isn't going to have the delicious coffee whipped cream because I'm taking it in to work. Going to try to get pictures of it out of the springform pan!

Rancid Recipes #3: Asian Barbecue Pork Sandwiches; Asian Barbecue Sauce; Baked Beans with Bacon

2011-04-10T21:23:00.000-07:00

Song Title: Memphis
Album: Indestructible (2003)
Lyrics: "By the time we made it to New Orleans, it must have been half past three. By the time we made it to Memphis, we were crazy."

The song "Memphis" might be my favourite song off of the "Indestructible" album... though I suppose it depends on my mood. This song gets me going! This is the song that I play in the car as loud as my pathetic speakers will allow when I'm in a happy mood... but I will do the same thing with this song if I'm in a really pissed mood! Right from the start you're assaulted with a great, driving beat backed by what I can only describe as electric bagpipes?! When I get it loud enough... it kind of takes my breath away (awww). And then it inspires me to make some southern barbecue! Which I did... but for some reason, I was feeling like Asian food too, so it turned into Southern-Asian fusion! This came out so tasty! I'd never cooked meat in vinegar before and the flavour was so tangy, the meat was perfect and juicy, falling apart! I was almost sad to put the sauce on the meat because it was so good plain! We'll be making this again... and again! -jen

ASIAN BARBECUE PORK SANDWICHES

4-5 pound pork shoulder
4 tablespoons minced garlic
3 tablespoons minced ginger
2 tablespoons sesame oil
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 teaspoon chili paste
2 cups cider vinegar
1/2 cup soy sauce
Asian barbecue sauce
fresh sandwich rolls
shredded carrots
fresh cilantro

Cut pork shoulder into 2" steaks. In a bowl, combine garlic, ginger, sesame oil, fish sauce, and chili paste. Place pork steaks into slowcooker. Pour vinegar and soy sauce over steaks. Spread the garlic and ginger mix over the steaks. Cover and cook on high for 7 hours. Remove pork from slowcooker and shred. Drain liquid from slowcooker and put shredded pork back in. Begin mixing Asian barbecue sauce into the pulled pork. I suggest starting with about 1/2 a cup and adding more to your taste. I ended up adding about 3/4 cup sauce all together, as I don't like my barbecue real saucy; I like to be able to taste the meat's flavours. (And now I have a lot of leftover sauce to use for other barbecuing.) Rewarm pork and serve on a roll with spicy mayonnaise, shredded carrots and fresh cilantro.

Spicy Mayo = mayonnaise with sriracha hot sauce to taste.

ASIAN BARBECUE SAUCE

34 oz tomato sauce
6 oz can tomato paste
1 jar (8oz) Hoisen sauce
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons dark molasses
2 heaping tablespoons minced garlic
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
zest and juice of 1 lime
1/2 cup white wine vinegar
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon dried cilantro or oregano
1 tablespoon dried basil
1 teaspoon Chinese 5 Spice
1 teaspoon Pasilla chili powder
1 teaspoon New Mexico chili powder
2 chipotle peppers (from a can of Chipotle peppers in Adobo Sauce)

Whisk all ingredients in a large sauce pan. Bring to a boil. Simmer on a low heat for 30 minutes to 1 hour.

BAKED BEANS WITH BACON
(Gotta give credit to my mom, Loretta, for these! I might have zipped them up a little, but she's been making kick ass baked beans my whole life and I got my base recipe from her!)

1/2 pound bacon, diced
1 can (1 pound 12oz) pork and beans in tomato sauce
1 can (15oz) kidney beans, drained
1/2 medium onion, diced
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1-1/2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon dark molasses
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon yellow mustard
1 tablespoon whiskey
1/2 tablespoon minced garlic
black pepper to taste

Cook diced bacon over a medium-high heat until crispy. Remove from pan and set aside on a paper towel to drain. In an oven safe dish, combine all ingredients (including crumbled bacon). Cook at 325 F for 1 hour if you like your beans saucy, or for 1.5 hours if you like thick beans (which is how I like 'em!)

Rancid Recipes #2: Shanghai Fried Noodles with Chicken Stir Fry; Egg Drop Soup; Pork and Shrimp Egg Rolls

2011-03-19T23:17:00.000-07:00

Song Title: Arrested In Shanghai
Album: Indestructible (2003)
Lyrics: "In my cell there is no sky, when I was arrested in Shanghai"

Good mellow song. Cursed with an overactive imagination, I end up thinking of horrifying images of what prison in Shanghai might be like. Makes me think of the movie "Midnight Express". Chilling. But back to the food! I haven't had a lot of experience with making Chinese food, only a few different dishes over the last few years. I came up with a few recipes tonight and wasn't feeling so confident about how it was turning out. However, I'm glad to say that the dinner was a delicious success - fantastic Chinese food without a delivery fee! -jen

SHANGHAI FRIED NOODLES WITH CHICKEN STIR-FRY

2-3 medium sized boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup soy sauce, divided (1/4 cup, 1/4 cup)
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1/4 cup green onions, chopped + 1 cup green onion, sliced in 1" strips
2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
5 tablespoons minced garlic, divided (2 tbsp, 2 tbsp, 1 tbsp)
2 teaspoons minced ginger, divided (1 tsp, 1 tsp)
1/2 teaspoon chili paste
olive oil
1 cup broccoli florets
1/2 cup shredded carrot
2 cups shredded Napa cabbage
8-oz sliced mushrooms
2 cups bean sprouts
3 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
2 cups chicken broth, divided (1-1/2 cup, 1/2)
3 tablespoons corn starch
pan-fried noodles (see recipe below)

Cut raw chicken breasts into thin slices. In a Ziplock bag, combine sliced chicken, 1/4 cup soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, 1/4 cup chopped green onions, cilantro, 2 tablespoons minced garlic, and chili paste. Refrigerate and let marinade for at least an hour.

Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large skillet or wok on high heat. Stir-fry chicken in two or three batches, adding oil for each batch as needed (remember to give the oil a minute to get hot in between batches.) Set chicken aside. Add 2 tablespoons of oil and in small batches, stir-fry broccoli, carrot, cabbage, mushrooms, and bean sprouts, 2 tablespoons of minced garlic, and 1/4 cup of the remaining soy sauce, setting cooked veggies aside in a bowl after each batch. When final batch is finished, toss with the chopped basil.

In the hot skillet, add 1 tablespoon minced garlic and 1-1/2 cups of the chicken broth. Bring to a boil. Combine the remaining 1/2 cup broth and corn starch in a small dish. Mix until smooth. When the broth comes to a boil, add the corn starch mix, and whisk until the liquid returns to a boil. Broth should begin to thicken into a gravy. Once gravy has begun boiling again, quickly add chicken and vegetables. Cook for a couple more minutes until chicken is rewarmed and remove from heat.

Serve over pan-fried noodles.

PAN-FRIED NOODLES

1/2 pound Shanghai noodles or Chinese egg noodles
1 tablespoon sesame oil
olive oil

Cook noodles until al dente. Drain. Rinse with cold water and let drain again. Toss with sesame oil. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet or wok. Add 1/4 of the noodles to the pan, spreading out to the edge of the pan. Cook on high for 5-8 minutes - do not stir! When noodle-patty is golden brown, carefully flip the patty and cook the other side until golden brown. Repeat three more times to make a total of 4 patties.

This was my first attempt at flipping a noodle patty without using a spatula... I wouldn't recommend it unless you know what you're doing... and I didn't. But I've flipped a lot of crepes this way. I didn't do too bad for my first noodle flip.

PORK AND SHRIMP EGG ROLLS

1/2 pound ground pork
1/4 cup shredded carrot
2 cups shredded Napa cabbage
1 cup bean sprouts
1/4 cup green onions, chopped
1 tablespoons minced garlic
1 teaspoons ground ginger
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon chili paste
3-4 cranks of fresh black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup bay shrimp (tiny shrimp)
2-3 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
egg roll wrappers
1 egg white, beaten

In a large bowl, mix pork, carrot, cabbage, bean sprouts, green onions, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, chili paste, and black pepper. Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add pork mixture and cook until pork is cooked through. Add shrimp and cilantro, toss, and remove from heat. Let cool. Lay egg roll wrapper out with a corner pointed at you. Add 3 tablespoons of meat mixture about 1/3 of the way up from the corner pointed at you. Brush a little egg white on the top two edges of the wrapper. Roll the lower corner over the filling and roll tightly until the halfway point. Tuck the left and right sides in and continue wrapping until the top egg-washed sides seal the wrapper.

Heat oil in deep fryer or large pan to 350 degrees. Deep fry 3-4 egg rolls at a time for 5-7 minutes, until golden brown. Turn egg rolls half-way through to cook evenly.

EGG DROP SOUP

1 tablespoon sesame oil
1/2 tablespoon minced garlic
1/2 tablespoon minced ginger
1 quart chicken broth
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 eggs
1/4 cup corn starch
salt and pepper
1/4 cup green onions, chopped

In a 3 quart pan, heat sesame oil on medium heat. Add garlic and ginger and let them sweat for 2-3 minutes. Set 1 cup of the chicken broth aside and add the remainder of the chicken broth, as well as the soy sauce, to the ginger and garlic. Bring to a boil. In a separate bowl, mix the corn starch and 1 cup of chicken broth until smooth. In a different bowl, whisk two eggs (like you were making scrambled eggs) and set aside. When the broth has come to a boil, whisk in corn starch mixture and continue whisking until it comes back to a boil. When it has begun boiling again, slowly drizzle in the eggs, breaking them up in the soup with a fork as you drizzle. Remove from heat and serve topped with a few green onions as garnish.

Rancid Recipes #1: Great Athenian Stuffed Chicken; Vegetable Couscous Salad; Olive Tapenade Crostini

2011-03-12T21:18:00.000-08:00

The last month or so, I've been listening to a lot of music by Rancid - a great punk rock band that bridged the dirty ditches between different genres/styles of music and brought them all together with an incredible, original sound. We were lucky enough to catch bassist Matt Freeman's other band, Devil's Brigade, in San Francisco recently - it was a complete fluke that we were in town the weekend they were playing, so we jumped on that! Lars Frederiksen (guitarst) even showed up and sang a song with 'em. Needless to say, I've just been in a Rancid mood, and they've been on a lot of the play lists I've been listening to while cooking... and working, and driving, and reading, and sleeping. Sometimes I gotta wear a band out, set 'em aside for a while, and then bring them back out for a comeback.

So I got this idea in my head... what if I took a Rancid album, and made a recipe for each track of the album that somehow related to the song? I started with their self-titled 1993 album... but found it a little difficult, as it's hard to come up with any ideas other than Ramen noodles when listening to a song called "Rats In the Hallway". :\ Instead, I decided to switch to the 2003 album, "Indestructible", thinking there was a lot of mentioning of worldly places in that album; surely it'd be easier to come up with some recipes. Track 1 proved to be very inspiring and I had all these amazing ideas for Greek food and NY Deli style food... but once I got to Track 2, I had absolutely nothing.

Naturally, I came to this conclusion: Fuck it. ("Fuck it! Yes! That's your answer. That's your answer for everything! Tattoo it on your forehead!") I decided to just find kick ass songs that inspired kick ass recipes, from any Rancid album, in no particular order.

You might ask what the point of this project is, to which I would reply... "I dunno." I love punk rock, and I love cooking. Why shouldn't the two come together... in a dirty, sticky, angry, buttery mess?! Just like that porn movie you watched last night.

Of course, I expect soon after I begin the project, this blog will go global. I'll be offered my own Food Network show, which I will snidely turn down, though I may be inclined to accept a cookbook offer. The talented men of Rancid will no doubt start begging to come over for dinner on a regular basis and hang with us, because that's just how I roll. Soon enough, my food will inspire punk bands everywhere, I'll have to start my own band, Tim Armstrong will have to produce it...

Or... I'll just be satisfied if I can get five people to read the damn blog, let alone find someone who will actually try cooking one of the Rancid Recipes (which is probably not the most appetizing title to use in relation to food, but it gets the point across, and there's even alliteration.)

Well... without further unnecessary rambling... here is the first installment of my Rancid Recipes. -jen

__________________________________

Song Title: Indestructible

Album: Indestructible (2003)

Lyrics: "the great Athenians, they're not even from Athens"

I love this album! It got a lot of criticism when it came out, but it's still my favourite Rancid album - I liked listening to the way the band evolved on this one. Thinking of recipes for this song was a no brainer! Greek food is awesome, and I even went so far as to do a little research on Athenian dishes (which is where I got the couscous idea from). Being that the internet is full of incorrect information, I don't know if couscous is really a staple in Athens or not. But I knew from the start I wanted olives involved... a butt load of olives. I'm not claiming it's totally Greek - I used mozzarella cheese, definitely not Greek. So really, my Great Athenian Stuffed Chicken's not even from Athens. But it's Greek and Punk Rock inspired! So you know it's going to be killer!

GREAT ATHENIAN STUFFED CHICKEN

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
15 oz ricotta cheese
1 head roasted garlic
olive oil
salt and pepper
1 cup fresh spinach, chopped
1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes in oil, chopped
1/4 cup kalamata olives, pitted and chopped
2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
1/2 tesaspoon minced garlic
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup shredded mozzarella

Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Chop the stem-end off of a garlic head and place on large square of aluminum foil, cut side up. Drizzle with about a tablespoon of olive oil, sprinkle a little salt and pepper on top, and fold the foil into a little pouch. Roast at 500 degrees for 50-60 minutes. Let cool. Gently squeeze the whole head to squish the roasted garlic out.

Empty ricotta cheese into a large bowl. Add roasted garlic, spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, olives, basil, lemon zest, minced garlic, egg, and salt. Stir to combine. Mix in mozzarella and refrigerate 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pat chicken breasts dry. Place single breast between two sheets of plastic wrap and pound out until about 1/2" thick. Repeat for the next 3 breasts. Scoop about 1/4" of the ricotta filling into the middle of the breast and roll. Place chicken seam-side down on a lightly greased baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 45-40 minutes, until juices run clear. Remove from oven and let cool 5-10 minutes before serving.

Punk Rock Tip #1: Don't spill food on your boots!

VEGETABLE COUSCOUS SALAD

1 cup plain couscous
1-1/2 cups water
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon Caldo de Pollo (or chicken bouillon)
1 cucumber
1 cup broccoli florets
1 roma or plum tomato, diced
3 tablespoons lemon juice (about 1 lemon's worth)
oregano
fresh ground black pepper
1/3-1/2 cup Feta cheese

In a medium sized sauce pan, bring water, Caldo de Pollo, and olive oil to boil. Stir in couscous and turn off the heat. Cover and let sit for five minutes, until all the water is absorbed. Transfer to a large bowl and refrigerate until cool. Once cooled, add cucumber, broccoli, tomato, and lemon juice. Sprinkle oregano and black pepper to taste and toss. Mix in Feta cheese and serve at room temperature.

OLIVE TAPENADE CROSTINI

1 loaf of French bread
1/2 cup of muffuletta**
1/3 cup pitted kalamata olives
1 heaping teaspoon capers
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon anchovy paste
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
Provolone cheese

**I used Granzella's Muffuletta. If you can't find a good Muffuletta, you can always use equal amounts of kalamata olives, green olives, and giardiniera mix to make your own quick muffuletta.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Slice french bread into 3/4"-1" slices. Place on a cookie sheet and brush the tops with olive oil. Toast for 10-13 minutes at 350 degrees, until tops are just beginning to turn golden and crisp. Remove from oven and set aside. Turn the oven up to broil.

In a food processor, combine muffuletta, kalamata olives, capers, garlic, and anchovy paste. Pulse until it's large chunks. Add lemon juice and olive oil and pulse several more times until the tapenade is in small, spreadable chunks (but don't process too much or it will turn into a paste!) Spread tapenade thinly over toasted bread. Top each crostini with a slice of provolone cheese. Broil for 1-1.5 minutes until cheese is melted.

Mexican Chicken Phyllo Rolls (Homemade Hot Pocket)

2011-02-20T22:44:00.000-08:00

I'm not sure what my inspiration was for this recipe. Justin had chicken thighs thawed and we had most of the items on hand. It sounded like a delicious mix of Mexican, Greek, and American influences. I imagine most food critics or trained chefs would be appalled by this combination, but it came out to be a delicious, soul-warming homemade Hot Pocket! I was a little leery about making and using the gravy in this, but after tasting it, I have no regrets! Imagine crossing a chicken pot pie with chicken enchiladas and wrapping it all up in some crispy, Greek phyllo dough! Play list while cooking consisted of the Operation Ivy Pandora station - Some Op Ivy, Rancid, Goldfinger, Descendents, The Slackers. -Jen

MEXICAN CHICKEN PHYLLO ROLLS (HOMEMADE HOT POCKETS)
Makes about 6 phyllo rolls

frozen phyllo dough, thawed (requires appx 8 hours thawing, follow instructions on box)
1 can (14.5oz) diced tomatoes
5 chicken thighs, with skin and bone
3 teaspoons seasoning mix, divided (see recipe below)
1 can (4oz) chopped green chiles
2 green onions, chopped
2-3 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
2 teaspoons garlic
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon, plus extra green Tabasco hot sauce
1-1/2 to 1-3/4 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
1/2 to 1 cup chicken broth, as needed
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1 egg (and 1 tablespoon water)

Seasoning Mix

1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon ground pasilla chile powder
1/2 teaspoon ground New Mexico chile powder
1/4 teaspoon ground California chile powder
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander

Mix spices together

Place a small strainer over a bowl and empty can of tomatoes into strainer. Toss with 1 teaspoon of salt and set aside to drain.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Lightly grease the bottom of a baking dish with olive oil. Place chicken thighs in baking dish and sprinkle with 1-2 teaspoons of seasoning mix. Bake at 450 for 25-30 minutes, until juices run clear. Remove from oven and using tongs, place chicken thighs on a plate to cool and set aside. Carefully pour the remaining chicken juice and fat from the baking pan into a bowl and refrigerate.

When chicken is cooled, remove skin and discard. Pull the meat from the bone and place into a bowl. Using two forks, shred chicken meat. Add green chiles, green onions, cilantro, garlic, oregano, cheese, and 2 dashes of Tabasco. Mix together and set aside.

Remove chicken drippings from refrigerator. The fat should have solidified on top. Scoop all the fat solids off the top of the chicken broth, saving 2 tablespoons of fat. Measure out the chicken broth saved from baking and use canned chicken broth to make a total of 1 cup of liquid. Place the 2 tablespoons of chicken fat in a small sauce pan (use olive oil to make up the difference if you didn't have 2 tablespoons worth of fat). Heat on medium and add 2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour. Stir constantly until a paste is formed, making a roux. Quickly add the 1 cup of broth to the roux, turn heat to high, and begin whisking constantly. While whisking, add 1 teaspoon of the seasoning mix. Once the liquid begins to boil, the gravy will begin to thicken. Continue whisking until it's a gravy consistency and remove from heat.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Since phyllo dough can be a pain to work with because it dries out quickly, it's best to arrange your work station like an assembly line. You'll need your chicken filling and gravy near by, enough room for two working areas for phyllo dough, and a well greased cookie sheet. Make sure your butter is melted and egg wash prepared (by whisking egg and 1 tablespoon of water together) before opening your phyllo dough. Remove one sheet of phyllo dough and keep the rest covered with a clean, damp kitchen towel or plastic wrap. Brush melted butter over the first sheet of phyllo and cover buttered dough with a second sheet of phyllo dough. Brush second sheet with melted butter. Gently place about 1/2 a cup of filling near the bottom of your phyllo sheets. Top with 2 tablespoons of the gravy. Carefully begin to roll the filled phyllo like a burrito, tucking the sides in as you roll.

Place rolled pouches seam-side down on well greased cookie sheet. Brush tops with egg wash. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes, until tops are golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool for five minutes before serving.

Pork Tenderloin with Blackberry Barbecue Sauce; Roasted Garlic Creamed Cauliflower

2011-02-20T21:23:00.000-08:00

These were recipes Justin came up with for dinner the other night. They're really simple and easy dishes that seem a little more decadent than just "meat and potatoes". His play list consisted of the Descendents' compilation album, "Somery". -jen

PREPARE THE ROASTED GARLIC FOR THE CAULIFLOWER DISH -

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Prepare roasted garlic by cutting off stem end, about 1/4" into the garlic cloves. Place garlic, cut side up, in the center of a square of aluminum foil that's about 8"x8". Drizzle the exposed garlic with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Salt and pepper it with a pinch of each. Fold ends of foil to make a pouch that won't leak and roast garlic in 375 oven for 60 minutes. Remove and let cool.

ROASTED PORK LOIN

3 pound pork loin roast
1.5 teaspoons Sate seasoning (Indonesian spice found at Penzeys.com)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1 teaspoon ground thyme

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all spices in a small dish. Rub outside of entire roast with seasoning mixture.

Place pork in roasting pan, fat-side facing up. Cook in 350 degree oven uncovered for approximately 45 minutes, until internal temperature reaches 148 degrees using a meat thermometer. Remove roast from oven, cover tightly with aluminum foil, and let rest for 10 minutes before slicing. Serve with warmed or chilled Blackberry Barbecue Sauce.

ROASTED GARLIC CREAMED CAULIFLOWER

1 head of roasted garlic
1 head of cauliflower, cut into large chunks
1 cup shredded Gouda cheese
2 tablespoons butter, room temp
1/4 cup milk
3 green onions, chopped
1 teaspoon dried marjoram, parsley, or any herb of choice
salt and pepper, to taste

Steam cauliflower in a large pot by placing 1" of water in the bottom of the pan. Put cauliflower in pan, cover and bring to a boil. When water begins boiling, turn heat down to a simmer and keep covered until tender, about 25 minutes. Test cauliflower by poking with a fork. If fork slides in easily, cauliflower is done. Remove from heat and drain thoroughly.

Using a food processor or immersion stick blender, combine drained cauliflower with all other ingredients and blend until smooth. Garnish with chopped green onions.

Blackberry Barbecue Sauce

2011-02-15T20:03:00.000-08:00

We'd had some blackberries in the freezer that we picked last summer. We didn't have enough to make a crumble or a pie, so Justin decided to make a barbecue sauce out of them. Came out great! Playlist: Lars Frederiksen & The Bastards on Pandora. -Jen

BLACKBERRY BARBECUE SAUCE

2 cups blackberries
1/3 cup ketchup
1/3 cup honey
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 cup minced ginger
5-6 dashes hot sauce
1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1 teaspoon salt

Blend all ingredients together in a blender until smooth. Pour into saucepan and simmer for 20-30 minutes until reduced.

Some simple variations on this recipe would be to substitute chipotles in adobo sauce for the ginger in order to give it more of a smokey, chili flavor. Agave syrup could be substituted for the honey or a little molasses could be added to give it more depth of flavor. Limes or other citrus zest could be added; cloves, cinnamon, or a myriad of other spices to give it more of a range of flavors. The variations are limited only by your imagination at this point. -Justin

Serving suggestions: served as a warm sauce for chicken, pork, or egg rolls. (Haven't baked or grilled with it yet, so not sure if it'd burn too easily or not with the sugars that are in it - you've been warned!)

White Fish Tacos, Avocado Sauce, Black Bean & Olive Spanish Rice

2011-02-13T20:09:00.000-08:00

Fish is a food that I didn't like until I was about 27 years old and Justin made me my first fish hash tacos. This sealed the deal for me and fish and I have had a love affair ever since. Since it's surely due to California that I love fish (it's much less "fishy" here than it is in Chicago), it was only natural that our play list consist of some of our favourite California bands - Rancid, NOFX, and Sublime. Sublime's "Bad Fish" came on, and seemed incredibly appropriate in its juxtaposition to our excellent fish recipe below. -jen

BLACK BEAN & OLIVE SPANISH RICE

3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 onion, diced
1/2 cup shredded carrots
1/2 cup chopped green or Kalamata olives
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1.5 cups of long-grain white rice
2.5-3 cups water **see instructions
15oz can diced tomatoes, drained (keep juice and set aside)
15 oz can black beans, drained
2 tablespoons Caldo de Pollo (or chicken boullon)
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon coriander
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Heat olive oil in large skillet or sauce pan. Sautee onions and carrots until tender and onions are transparent. Add chopped olives and minced garlic and sautee another 3 minutes.

Add rice to vegetables and mix in. Measure the drained tomato juice into a measuring cup, and use water to make up 3 cups of liquid total. (If you have 1/2 a cup juice, you'll use 2.5 cups of water). Carefully add liquid to hot pan. Stir in tomatoes, beans, Caldo de Pollo, cumin, coriander, chili powder, smoked paprika and cilantro. Bring to a boil. Cover and turn heat to low. Simmer for 25 minutes or until all the liquid is absorbed. Don't lift the lid during cooking!

FISH TACOS

2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup diced onion (yellow, white, spring, or combination)
1 pound of boneless, light fish (sole, snapper, catfish, cod, etc), patted dry and cut into large chunks
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon rubbed or ground sage
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (if desired)
1 lime (1 tsp of zest, and then juice the entire lime)
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
corn tortillas
Avocado Sauce (see recipe below)
cilantro and chopped green onions for garnish
Queso Fresco (if desired)

Heat oil in a large skillet on medium-high heat. Add onion and cook until onion is tender and translucent, 1-2 minutes. Add fish, salt, pepper, sage, thyme, lime zest, and cayenne. Cook for 2-3 minutes; fish will begin to turn an opaque white. Add lime juice, garlic, and cilantro. Continue cooking another 3 minutes, using the spatula to break up the fish into a hash. Remove from heat.

Heat tortillas over the open flame of a gas burner until lightly browned (or use a dry skillet if you have electric burners). Serve fish in warmed tortilla, top with Avocado Sauce, green onions, and cilantro. We like to add a little crumbled Queso Fresco to ours.

AVOCADO SAUCE

This is a light, avocado and citrus sauce that goes well with fish, chicken, or as a vegetable dip.

1 avocado, cubed
1 green onion, chopped
juice of 1 lime
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons cilantro
2 tablespoons sour cream
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
1 teaspoon green Tabasco sauce
pinch of salt
pinch of black pepper

In a small food processor, combine all ingredients, blend well.