Friday Night Dinner - Chicken Blackberry BBQ with balsamic peppers and onions on a roll
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Posted:Feb 22, 2013 4:30 pm
Last Updated:Feb 23, 2013 5:46 pm
10462 Views
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Tonight's dinner was so easy. If you don't have much time, this is a throw together meal that's very tasty, or great for a Saturday lunch, or lunch for the if you are home during the day.
I heated two pans and put canola oil in them. Heat the pan for the peppers and onions first as they will take longer to cook than the chicken. Slice the peppers and onions and put them in the pan. Any seasonings you want to use are optional, when almost done you can add minced garlic, also optional. But for a great taste and sweetness, please add the balsamic vinegar. Dribble some on and stir around. As it evaporates, the balsamic vinegar becomes sweet.
I sprinkled the sliced chicken length pieces with chili powder, you can use any seasoning, mesquite, bbq seasoning, any meat seasoning, then I put it in the smaller pan, stirred it around and when almost done, add the bbq sauce and cook until done. Don't overcook as the chicken will get tough and become dry.
A variation on this is to mix a little blackberry jam with the bgq sauce, or Jack Daniels! You can even try buttering the chicken with the blackberry jam before slicing it and then cooking it.
You can also add a little Peach brandy/schnapps to the bbq sauce and then when the chicken is almost done, put some sliced peaches in the pan until tender, adding a little bit of brown sugar if you want. Then you can top the chicken with the cooked peaches, and peppers and onions.
I took some short fat long rolls, we call them torpedo rolls around here, also known as hoagie rolls, Portugese rolls, you can have them fresh or toast them face down in a pan or on a grill.
Put the chicken on the rolls and dribble any left over juices over the chicken allowing to soak into the rolls. Top with the balsamic peppers and onions, you can add some more bbq sauce, or mustard, tonight I wanted ketchup on it.
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Thursday night dinner - Chipotle Panko Chicken with potatoes with parsnips and carrots
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Posted:Feb 21, 2013 6:19 pm
Last Updated:Feb 22, 2013 4:12 pm
10375 Views
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Well, let's start with a vegetable most people hate, or think they hate, because they've never eaten it or eaten it cooked well. Parsnips! I love taking vegetables my girlfriend doesn't like, or others don't like, and turning it into an acceptable dish.
Tonight I had parsnips! I peeled the parsnip, which looks like a white carrot, and sliced the carrots, then tossed them in a small ceramic baking dish with Italian salad dressing, butter, and fresh ground pepper. I baked them at 350 for 60 minutes, not sure of the correct time or temp.
At the same time baking the potatoes. I slice them three ways making cubes, also tossing them with Italian salad dressing and fresh ground pepper and then I wrapped them in aluminum foil and baked them with the parsnips but I put them in 15 minutes before as they take a little longer to cook at 350 to soften.
For the thinly sliced chicken, I buttered both sides with a thin layer of bbq sauce, then sprinkled Chiptole Panko bread crumbs on one side with some Italian seasoned bread crumbs and the other side with only Italian seasoned bread crumbs and put it in a hot pan with olive oil. I put this in the pan 10 minutes before the veg and potatoes were done.
And for dessert, an apple log, which I will post another time.
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Tomatoes, Crushed Tomatoes, and Ketchup and their history.
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Posted:Feb 21, 2013 7:07 am
Last Updated:May 1, 2024 12:23 pm
9213 Views
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Tomatoes have an interesting history. They were grown only in South America, probably Peru, and migrated to Central America and Mexico but did not come to the U.S. through Mexico but traveled to Europe and then to the U.S. by European immigrants. What we think of being Italian, is not!
They also were not eaten in Europe or America for a long time being though of highly poisonous aso a member of the deadly nightshade family and looking similar to the fruit on the deadly nightshade plant. They were called the wolf peach and thought to be able to conjure up werewolves with some of the other members of the deadly nightshade family. Other members are potatoes, chili peppers, and eggplants but they were not suspect since they were familiar to Europeans coming from the Old World while the tomato came from the New World. Best I can gather, by the time of the late 1700s if not earlier, tomatoes were being eaten and in the U.S. by 1820s they were eaten extensively.
They do best grown in warm to hot weather with some rain, too much rain is detrimental to growing. From my "research", in the northeast, we grow tomatoes as annuals, they die as the cold weather approaches and with less daylight but they are really perennials and can be coaxed indoors throughout the winter. I did not know this! Hey, but I've been told by parents not to wander too far from home because I'll fall off the edge of the earth so I've stayed around home not sure where the edge is, besides, I could never look over the edge, I'm scared of heights and it's a long way down. To somewhere.
Botanically tomatoes are fruits and not vegetables. They are the fruit of the tomato plant. However the U.S. Supreme Court a number of years ago but recently decided they are vegetables.
An important benefit of tomatoes, they contain lycopene. Lycopene is an antioxidant which counteracts or fights the radicals in the body. Radicals cause premature aging of everything in our body, cells, skin, organs, by attacking and destroying the cells of the body. However, lycopene is only released by tomatoes when heated. You lose this valuable benefit when eaten raw.
Tomatoes are very high in Vitamin C and high in Vitamin A.
Regarding products with tomatoes in them, read the labels.
You'll find some items will have tomatoes as the first ingredient tomato, others will have tomato paste, and some will have water, sugar, corn sugar, fructose.
You'll find ketchup to have sugar in one form or another such as corn syrup. And if you are so inclined, making ketchup at home is very interesting, both the texture and the taste. There are a lot of recipes on the net for homemade ketchup.
Don't worry when you see salt or any chlorides added to crushed tomatoes as this prevents oxidation. But look at the cans of crushed tomatoes for other chemicals and some do not list tomatoes as the first ingredient. Some crushed tomatoes will list tomato paste as the main or one of the ingredients. I find most crushed tomatoes to be very similar, I tend to go with the ones that include Italian seasonings, however for certain dishes I prefer Rienzi crushed tomatoes, a very coarse crushed tomato. You'll find the differences between brands is the fineness of the tomatoes. Some will be chopped, or diced, or finely diced, or almost a pureed form.
If you have skin psoriasis, some feel having a high acid diet is a detriment and will encourage the worsening of psoriasis or the start of psoriasis thus it is recommended not to eat tomatoes in any form along with other acid foods and beverages such as fruits, juices, o.j., soda. For those who don't know, psoriasis is an inherited abnormality. 2% of the population have it and 4% of Scandinavians have it, and no race is immune to it, Caucasian, Negro, Oriental, Asian Indian. I don't know about American Indians, Eskimos, and some others. Essentially what psoriasis is, we shed skin cells everyday, awake, sleeping, showering, and new skin is replaced unaware to us. Psoriasis is where skin grows on parts of the body at a faster rate than we can shed them off naturally. This faster rate results in a build up of skin however the skin that builds on the surface is dead skin cells.
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Wednesday dinner - Chicken with Chiptole crumbs, peas, brocoli, over spaghetti
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Posted:Feb 20, 2013 5:31 pm
Last Updated:Feb 23, 2013 5:50 pm
10048 Views
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Tonight is New and Used aka leftovers
I buttered the thinly sliced chicken with mayonnaise, then sprinkled on some seasoned bread crumbs and 4C Chipotle Panko crumbs. Put this in a hot pan with olive oil, cooked one side, flipped it, then added some minced garlic, diced onions, thinly sliced broccoli florets, peas, and a finely diced hot pepper (optional). When the chicken was done I removed it and covered to keep warm. I then added to the pan 1/2 cup of chicken broth, 1/3 cup white zinfandel wine, oregano, a good size piece of butter (optional), 1/2 cup sour cream, big spoonful of ricotta (optional), 1/2 cup of crushed tomatoes (optional), minced garlic, grated cheddar cheese, leftover spaghetti cut into pieces. I've was trying to use up leftovers. I let it sit, stew, let some liquids evaporate until I get the thickness I want.
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Valentine's Day Menu!
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Posted:Feb 13, 2013 10:09 am
Last Updated:Feb 24, 2013 4:41 pm
10347 Views
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Working on a Valentine's Day Menu
This is what I'm doing or considering.
Appetizer - dates wrapped with prosciuto
Lobster salad topped with passion fruit
Soup - a modified Paella soup of course with saffron, or crab bisque, or a curried sweet potato carrot coconut milk soup
Dinner - Crab cakes with ground pistacchio nuts and a Triple Sec mustard cream sauce or
Pistachio encrusted fish with a white chocolate cream sauce
Side - Crab slaw with mangos and pears with a white balsamic vinegar dressing
Dessert - Tiramisu or Pound Cake covered with strawberries, toasted almonds, and an almond cream sauce
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Taking Meatloaf up a notch or two
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Posted:Feb 11, 2013 12:40 pm
Last Updated:Mar 30, 2015 3:41 pm
10799 Views
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No recipe here, just some ideas for taking meatloaf up a notch or two. Use your recipe and consider these changes or you want my meatloaf recipe, contact me and I’ll give you the date so you can scroll down to the correct blog post.
Many meatloafs use bread crumbs, of course you can make your own and consider buying some different type of breads, such as a 7 grain bread, toast it, and then put the toast in a food processor to make crumbs.
Consider putting in a variety of crumbled potato chips in the meat loaf such as BBQ.
Consider using Panko bread crumbs or 4C Chiptole Panko crumbs.
You may want to consider a little oj added to your meat loaf, I prefer lemon juice and lemon zest. I’m not fond of oj in foods.
Meatloaf is a great place to hide frozen mixed vegetables.
Think of adding worcestershire sauce, chili powder, cumin, and/or curry as spices to your meatloaf, or smoked sweet paprika, maybe some mustard if your recipe doesn’t call for it.
Add some bbq sauce to your meatloaf in place of any ketchup you may use.
Cook up some ground pork with your ground turkey or ground beef to your meatloaf.
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Lou Costello buys a computer from Bud Abbott
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Posted:Feb 11, 2013 7:18 am
Last Updated:May 1, 2024 12:23 pm
9340 Views
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LOU COSTELLO CALLS TO BUY A COMPUTER FROM BUD ABBOTT WHO WORKS AT THE SUPER DUPER COMPUTER STORE
ABBOTT: Hello, Super Duper Computer store. Bud Abbott here. How can I help you today?
COSTELLO: Thanks I'm setting up an office in my home and I'm thinking about buying a computer.
ABBOTT: Mac?
COSTELLO: No, the name's Lou.
ABBOTT: Your computer?
COSTELLO: I don't own a computer. I want to buy one.
ABBOTT: Mac?
COSTELLO: I told you, my name's Lou.
ABBOTT: What about Windows?
COSTELLO: Why? Will it get stuffy in here?
ABBOTT: Do you want a computer with Windows?
COSTELLO: I don't know. What will I see when I look at the windows?
ABBOTT: Wallpaper.
COSTELLO: Never mind the windows, I need a computer and software.
ABBOTT: Software for Windows?
COSTELLO: No. On the computer! I need something I can use to write proposals, track expenses and run my business. What do you have?
ABBOTT: Office.
COSTELLO: Yeah, for my office. Can you recommend anything?
ABBOTT: I just did.
COSTELLO: You just did what?
ABBOTT: Recommend something.
COSTELLO: You recommended something?
ABBOTT: Yes.
COSTELLO: For my office?
ABBOTT: Yes.
COSTELLO: OK, what did you recommend for my office?
ABBOTT: Office.
COSTELLO: Yes, for my office!
ABBOTT: I recommend Office with Windows..
COSTELLO: I already have an office with windows! OK, let's just say I'm sitting at my computer and I want to type a proposal. What do I need?
ABBOTT: Word.
COSTELLO: What word?
ABBOTT: Word in Office.
COSTELLO: The only word in office is office.
ABBOTT: The Word in Office for Windows.
COSTELLO: Which word in office for windows?
ABBOTT: The Word you get when you click the blue 'W'.
COSTELLO: I'm going to click your blue 'w' if you don't start with some straight answers. What about financial bookkeeping? You have anything I can track my money with?
ABBOTT: money.
COSTELLO: That's right. What do you have?
ABBOTT: money.
COSTELLO: I need money to track my money?
ABBOTT: It comes bundled with your computer.
COSTELLO: What's bundled with my computer?
ABBOTT: money.
COSTELLO: money comes with my computer?
ABBOTT: Yes. No extra charge.
COSTELLO: I get a bundle of money with my computer? How much?
ABBOTT: One copy.
COSTELLO: Isn't it illegal to copy money?
ABBOTT: Microsoft gave us a license to copy money.
COSTELLO: They can give you a license to copy money?
ABBOTT: Why not? THEY OWN IT!
(A few days later)
ABBOTT: Super Duper computer store. Can I help you?
COSTELLO: How do I turn my computer off?
ABBOTT: Click on 'START'.............
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Friday Night Dinner - Blackberry BBQ Chicken w Balsamic Onions/Peppers & Vanilla Coleslaw
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Posted:Feb 8, 2013 5:00 pm
Last Updated:May 1, 2024 12:23 pm
9400 Views
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Tonight's dinner was unplanned as many times. All week I wanted to make a long stewing Moroccan Chicken with chickpeas and raisins but never got around to it. Either too busy, lack of enthusiasm, started dinner too late, didn't feel like it.
Yesterday I was attempting make an apple log using diced apples, walnuts, raisins, vanilla, rum, cinnamon, lemon juice, honey, rolled inside a pie crust but it didn't work out as planned though it didn't look great but it tasted great, though a little dry. I will attempt it again as I know where I went wrong. And when I have it down, I will post it.
I had a quarter of a cabbage in the refrigerator that I wanted to use up and decided to make coleslaw with it. Then what would go good with the coleslaw, BBQ Chicken, with balsamic peppers and onions and spiced up baked beans from a can. No baked beans in a can so I couldn't spice them up so I went with the other.
I sliced the chicken in very thin narrow strips, seasoned with chili powder, black pepper, salt, curry, cumin. I then put a tsp of red curry paste in the hot canola oil and swirled it around to mix followed by the chicken strips. When almost done I added 2 Tablespoons of blackberry jam and swirled to cover the chicken, then I added just a touch of crushed tomatoes for the sauce.
I sliced open a short narrow Italian roll, around here we call them torpedo rolls, also Portugese rolls. I put this in a pan with some butter, olive oil, and garlic and browned the rolls.
I thinly sliced a whole pepper and onion and put that in another pan with hot canola oil, seasoned with chili powder, when almost done I added some minced garlic, then a few minutes later put some balsamic vinegar in.
When I plated the chicken on top of the browned roll, I then dumped the balsamic peppers and onions in the chicken pan to soak up those sauces and added 1 tsp of blackberry jam, then mounded this on top of the chicken.
For the vanilla coleslaw, I finely grated the 1/4 head of cabbage and finely grated 1 large carrot in a bowl, I added a squirt of Italian Salad Dressing, 1 Tb white balsamic vinegar, 2 Tb EVOO Extra Virgin Olive Oil, a good shot of mayonnaise, oregano, basil, shot of mustard (not too much), and 1 tsp of my homemade vanilla in dark rum. I then mixed this well and poured it over the cabbage carrot mix. I refrigerated this for several hours to allow the dressing to be absorbed by the cabbage.
I thought the coleslaw was excellent, really good; and so was the chicken and peppers and onions. The seasonings was perfect and the touch of blackberry jam took it up a notch.
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Tomato Pies and Mustard Pies
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Posted:Feb 8, 2013 8:14 am
Last Updated:May 1, 2024 12:23 pm
9653 Views
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Tomato Pies and Mustard Pies
In my area we have something called a tomato pie and there are only a few places that still offer a mustard pie. Before I tell you what this dish is and since this is an area dish, let me tell you where I live for those who don’t know since this blog is viewed throughout the world. For others, scroll down to the next paragraph. I live near Trenton New Jersey in the United States. New Jersey is located on the east coast of the U.S. on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean with New York bordering it’s north and Pennsylvania bordering to it’s west and Washington D.C. 250 miles (400 km) to our south. New Jersey is separated on it's entire western length from Pennsylvania by the Delaware River and where I live, Trenton NJ, is located along the Delaware River, just a little north of the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
I grew up in North Jersey and when I moved to this area I did not know what a tomato pie was, let alone a mustard pie.
Most people know what a pizza pie is, and if not, Google it. I love pizza and I search the best places out to try. I maintain a list of recommended restaurants in my word processor that are suppose to have a good pizza pie so as I travel, both in New Jersey and out of state, I can try them. If you are in N.J., contact me and I will tell you the places that I am aware of near you that serve very good or great pizza. If you have places you’d like to share with me, let me know, and I will at some time visit them though I don't know when.
For those don't know, a pizza pie is a baked thin bread that is first covered with a tomato sauce and then cheese on top, generally mozzarella and then put in the oven at 500-700 degrees for 7 minutes or less! You can add different toppings to your pizza pie.
Though mozzarella cheese is used almost all the time, in the past there were a few restaurants in the Trenton area that mixed cheddar cheese with the mozzarella. The only restaurant I'm aware of that still mixes cheddar cheese with mozzarella is Maruca’s Pizza on the Seaside Boardwalk, a shore town with swimming, amusement rides and games in Seaside Park, NJ, along the ocean and beach, which unfortunately has been closed until this summer because of Hurricane Sandy doing severe damage in November taking out the boardwalk, pier, and buildings. The original Maruca’s was located on Olden Ave. in Trenton NJ and closed in the 1970s.
A tomato pie, you can get more information from Wikipedia, is also called the Trenton Tomato Pie. It originated in the formerly dominant Italian section of Trenton NJ called Chambersburg You will still find it being served at many places in the Trenton NJ area and outside Trenton, especially the Philadelphia area. You can also find tomato pies being made in New York City, southern Connecticut, and Rhode Island. New Haven CT has 2 excellent and very well known tomato pie places. The tomato pie is the original old time pizza pie and is being offered by more and more pizza places. It usually has a very thin crust.
Regarding thin crusts, pizza when it comes out of the oven should not flop down. If it flops, the crust has not been cooked all the way through. After biting into the crust, looking sideways at the inside of the crust, you will see that it hasn't cooked all the way through. You are eating uncooked dough! The crust should have been cooked through and if it has, it will stand straight out! Hmmmm. There is only 10-20 seconds between a properly baked crust on the bottom and a burnt crust.
Trenton is known for the oldest continuing pizza restaurant in the U.S., Papa’s Tomato Pie, 1912. New York City has the oldest pizza restaurant, Lombardi’s, 1905, but it closed in 1984 and reopened 10 years later a block away. Lombardi’s as some others, still bakes their pizza in coal fired ovens.
Now for Mustard pies. As far as I know, they are a local Trenton specialty and were popular in the 1940s, 1950s, 1960, 1970s then all the old time pizza places died out. There are still a few places you can get a mustard pie as an option, a choice, not their main pie, in the Trenton area. The most well known is Papa’s Tomato Pie. A very famous pie place but closed in the early 1980s was Schuster’s on Whittaker St.
Many pizza places in the Trenton area are only open after 4pm, Delorenzo’s on Hudson St., now closed, Schuster’s, now closed, and Papa’s, still open, and most sold only whole pies, no slices. They were sit down restaurants or take out. Another Delorenzo’s on Hamilton Ave., soon moving out of Trenton this year, is open for lunch and dinner but closes in the afternoon and only sells whole pies, no slices. All the waiters are required to wear white shirts and black bowties. During the heat of the summer, you may find yourself standing outside for one of the 15 tables for 1-2 hours! It’s amazing.
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Thursday night dinner - Chipotle Lemon Chicken with egg noodles, peas, cheese sauce
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Posted:Feb 7, 2013 6:40 pm
Last Updated:Feb 12, 2013 2:55 pm
9896 Views
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I was busy today and didn't want to cook anything "fancy". Yea, right. I was busy.
Brought the salted water to a boil and when I put the egg noodles in I put the chicken in the hot pan.
Sliced thinly the chicken breasts thin, seasoned with basil, oregano, salt, and patted seasoned bread crumbs and 4C Chipotle Panko crumbs and put in a hot pan with olive oil. Flipped over, put some minced garlic in, shook the pan, added some white zinfandel wine, the juice from a 1/2 lemon and the lemon zest. When done, plated and covered it while waiting to do the egg noodles for the side dish.
Put a big dab of minced garlic in the same pan as the chicken, swirled, releasing it's fragrances in to the hot oil, added oregano, basil, freshly ground pepper, salt, the defrosted frozen peas, added a few Tb of ricotta cheese, same for some sour cream, swirled and mixed, if you have any heavy cream, it would go well with this dish. When heated, mixed, and bubbly, I added the drained the egg noodles and mixed in well coating the egg noodles. I then grated cheese into this dish and mixed in and grated some more and mixed in again. Then served as an accompaniment to the Lemon Chipotle Chicken.
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Not much tonight, I fell asleep, dinner curried chicken
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Posted:Feb 6, 2013 4:51 pm
Last Updated:May 1, 2024 12:23 pm
9571 Views
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Today I took a day off from work and went MTB Mountain Biking. I rode about 11 miles in the woods, up and down hills, jumping logs, through mud, only fell 5 times, all stupid, handlebar hit a tree, wasn't paying attention and ran off the 18" wide path and my wheels slid onto an icy snowy sideways slope. With the falling, and the length of the ride, the friction from the knobby tires on my bike, shifting problems, brakes were rubbing and wouldn't release, I was tired when I got home. So tired that just before dinner time, my girlfriend calls me as she's leaving the gym to give me a heads up to get dinner ready and I was sleeping in my office chair! I was on the computer working, watching tv, and the phone rang and I woke. I was late getting dinner ready! I had something else planned but didn't have time, only had 10 minutes. Fortunately I had carrots and sweet potato leftovers from last night that I baked with fresh apple juice from when I made applesauce, honey, and freshly grated ginger which in the oven formed a syrup, which I forgot to post! For the chicken, I seasoned with a lot of curry and put it in a hot pan, flipped one side and spread one side with
the red Madras Curry paste, or you could use a red Thai Chili paste. It was very tasty. I admitted to my gf that I had fallen asleep and of course, told her, I didn't work today, I went MTBiking with a friend. Oh well. Sorry that it wasn't much today for all of you. Thank you for reading.
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Tuesday Night dinner - Spicey Chicken and peas over spaghetti
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Posted:Feb 5, 2013 7:11 pm
Last Updated:May 1, 2024 12:23 pm
9584 Views
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I never made this before and it came out pretty good. My gf said it was excellent. I didn't know what to make, I was thinking about Moroccan Chicken or Jambalaya but I didn't want to cook the rice, didn't have any carrots, and felt like pasta.
I wanted to do some heat so I thought to use the Madras Red Curry paste that I have. I cut the chicken off of the breast and forze it saving for soup stock. I defrosted the peas, heated the olive oil, though I wanted to use the Madras Red Curry paste, I added some red pepper flakes to the hot oil to render the flavor and heat from the pepper flakes, plus I added some of the Madras Red Curry paste and a little oregano. How hot??? I seasoned the chicken with salt, black pepper, nutmeg, basil, and oregano and added it to the hot oil, while the spaghetti was doing it's thing. I flipped the chicken, let it sit for a minute, then removed and covered. I added some crushed tomatoes and marsala wine (I wanted red wine but out) and about 1/2-3/4 chicken broth. I brought it to a boil and brought it to the right consistency of a tomato sauce. I then put the cooked spaghetti in and stirred it around, and added the cooked chicken and covered to heat.
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Making Bread and a Bread recipe
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Posted:Feb 5, 2013 7:17 am
Last Updated:May 1, 2024 12:23 pm
9678 Views
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I make bread every week if not twice a week. If you have , guess what, you'll be making it every day! or every other day!
It doesn't take any time at all if you have a bread maker. You can use the bread maker for the entire process or you can use the bread maker to mix, knead, and rise the dough. The latter is generally what I do.
Some people ask me to if I do it because it's cheaper. Yes it is cheaper but that is not the reason I do it. I do it because the bread tastes better, it's fresher, there are no artificial ingredients, I can control what I put into it, I can control how I want it to look. Do I want a heavy bread, a lighter higher rise bread, do I want a chewy bread, a crumblier bread, do I want a nice crunch crust. Differing not only the ingredients but also the rise technique, the baking temperature, the baking time, whether you use the bread machine or bake it in a oven will change the texture and look of the bread.
With a bread machine, plug it in, put the ingredients in, press Start, walk away, 3-4 hours later you'll have bread. Or you can knead and rise the bread in the bread machine and put the bread in a loaf pan and bake it. The latter is generally what I do. This takes 63 minutes to mix, knead, rise, and then some time for the 2nd rise and baking in the oven.
First the basic bread recipe I use 99.9% of the time. From here, I differ this recipe slightly or the process depending upon the final product I want. You can also use this basic recipe for making pizza dough, focaccia bread, roll.
3 cups bread flour
1 tsp salt
1 Tb sugar
2 tsp regular yeast
1 tsp sugar
1/2 cup warm milk
3/4 cup warm water
I put the bread flour, salt, sugar in the bread machine and then stir to mix. I put the 2 tsp of yeast with 1 tsp sugar in 1/2 cup warm milk heated by the microwave for 40 seconds or so. I wait 10-20 minutes until the yeast has started to rise. If let too long, the yeast may rise over the top and that's fine, use it. You want to see a nice frothy head of yeast, not just a few bubbles on the surface. The sugar is the food for the yeast though the yeast can feed on the naturally occurring milk sugar. Pour the yeast sugar mixture in the bread machine with the 3/4 cup of water.
You can also rise the yeast in the water, you don't need to rise it in the milk. You can use 100% milk or water. You can add 1-2 Tb of olive oil to the final mixture. I usually add 1/2 cup of whole wheat pastry flour, also called whole wheat light flour or white whole wheat flour. Sometimes I add 1 cup of whole wheat pasty flour. I haven't used whole wheat for years so I don't know how well it will work but my idea is it will make it heavy. Sometimes for a darker and deeper tasting bread I add 1-4 Tb of molasses. When making pizza dough I add 2 Tb olive oil and 2 Tb corn meal. You can even vary this amount. At any time you can differ any of the ingredients BUT you have to have enough moisture in the bread to allow it to rise. If you decide to add whole wheat flour, you'll have to increase the amount of liquid. I do not suggest making 100% whole wheat bread.
Let's look at the different baking and rising techniques. Above I covered some simple changes to this recipe.
If you do this entirely in the bread machine, this is my favorite bread but my gf doesn't like it. The bread comes out very tasty but somewhat crumbly. Great for eating. Great for toast. Great with eggs. Lousy for sandwiches. It's too crumbly for her.
The way she likes it is a smaller heavy dense loaf. She uses the bread machine to mix, knead, and rise the bread and then puts it in a silicon loaf pan and bakes it in our small counter top convection oven for 45 minutes @ 350. I dislike intensely the denseness of this bread.
So I came up with a different texture bread as a compromise.
I use the bread machine to knead and do the first rise, 63 minutes. I then put the risen dough into a silicon loaf pan, the bread will collapse and that's ok. If you decide to use a metal or glass loaf pan, that will change the texture and browning of the bread. I then do a very important second rise in the convection oven. This will make a lighter bread. I set my convection oven for the lowest temperature, 150 degrees for 12 minutes and then let it sit in the oven for a total of 30 minutes. Do not open the oven now or for any reason until the bread has been baked At the end, I do not touch the bread. I then turn the oven on for 35 minutes @ 450. You also may like 35 minutes @ 350. The time and temperature will vary as my convection oven is not preheated.
Remove the bread and let it sit for at least a little while. If you try to cut it when it's hot, it will collapse and fall apart. You must use a very sharp serrated knife!
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To link to this blog (RelaxedandFun102) use [blog RelaxedandFun102] in your messages.
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10
|
11
|
12
|
13
|
14
|
15
|
16
|
17
|
18
|
19
|
20
|
21
|
22
|
23
|
241
|
25
|
26
|
27
|
28
|
29
|
30
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
