Pumpkin Bread

I was in the mood for pumpkin bread so I experimented with this recipe. I used the banana bread recipe Lynn posted on this blog and substituted one can of pumpkin puree for the banana. I also added:

-1 teaspoon ground cloves
-1 teaspoon allspice
-1 teaspoon pumpkin pie seasoning

Since pumpkin is drier than banana I added two large spoons of sour cream to make the cake less dry. I think this was a bit much, next time I will only add 1 large spoon of sour creme.

Enjoy!

How To Make White Rice - So Easy!

Rice is so easy to make - here is a simple recipe that does not require a rice cooker!

Ingredients:
1 cup rice [wash it first]
2 cups boiling water
1/4 cup of onion
salt, to taste
olive oil

-In a sauce pan place a tablespoon of oil. Heat on medium heat.
-Add the onion. Cook the onion until to turns slightly golden - but do not burn it!
-Add the uncooked rice and salt to the sauce pan and lightly cook [2-3 minutes]. Make sure to stir frequently so the rice does not burn to the bottom of the sauce pan.
-Add boiling water directly to the sauce pan, cover and let cook.

You can increase or decrease this recipe accordingly - note that every cup of rice requires 2 cups of hot water.

Chef Notes:

-I heat the water in an electric tea kettle. If you don't have one, you can heat the water in the microwave or in a traditional kettle. Make sure the water is hot before you add it to the sauce pan!
-You can make a large quantity of rice and freeze it in small ziplock bags for consumption throughout the week.
-For an easy and fast dinner heat leftover rice in a saute pan with a little olive oil. Crack one or two eggs directly on the rice. The egg mixture will cook directly into the rice and make a nice fried rice. Add whatever you have in your fridge that sounds good - I usually add cut up ham, green onions, soy sauce and leftover vegetables. Voila!

Kung Wow Chicken (Chef John's Version of Kung Pao Chicken)

This is a recipe I adopted from Chef John on his foodwish blog. It's a very savory and lovely dish for any occasion. The ingredients can all be chopped and refrigerated earlier if you plan on entertaining guests and want to make the dish quickly once your guests arrive. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Cut into 1-inch cubes (make sure they are all the same size so they cook evenly!)

For the marinade:
1 tablespoon white wine
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon brown sugar
white parts from 3-4 green onions, chopped

For the sauce mixture:
1 tablespoon white vinegar
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons white wine
1 tablespoon soy sauce, or to taste
2 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon Asian chili paste (sambal), or more to taste
2 teaspoons ketchup
4 cloves minced garlic

Other ingredients:
2 tablespoons peanut vegetable oil for frying
2 cups cubed zucchini
1 cup cubed red bell pepper
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon cornstarch, dissolved in 2 tablespoon water
1/4 cup green onion tops, chopped
handful roasted, salted peanut halves
4 cups cooked white rice

Instructions
-Cook the white rice separately. (See recipe for how to cook white rice).
-Combine marinade ingredients above with cubed chicken. Let marinade in the refrigerator for 1 hour or more.
-Combine all sauce ingredients and set aside.
-Combine .5 cup of water and dissolve the corn starch in it. The trick to making a thicker sauce is adding cornstarch - in about 30 seconds it will make your sauce thicker. Add more or less corn starch to thicken the sauce depending on your personal preference. Set this aside, you'll need it later.
-Chop all of your ingredients before you heat the pan. Once you turn the pan on everything moves very quickly so you will want everything ready to go. I recommend slicing the vegetables in triangles instead of squares or rectangles to make the dish more aesthetically pleasing.
-In a large wok or saute pan heat the peanut oil until it begins to smoke. You will want the pan to be REALLY hot before you throw the chicken on there - that way the chicken does not dry out. This is the trick to getting juicy and tender chicken. Note: The chicken will cook in less than 5 minutes, don't worry about it being under cooked.
-Once the peanut oil begins to smoke, add the chicken mixture. Keep it on HIGH heat the entire time. Saute for approximately 2 minutes. Add the vegetables. The vegetables will start to soften, when they reach the desired consistency add the sauce mixture (about five minutes). Stir. Add the cornstarch mixture you made and the chicken broth. Stir.
-Turn the heat off. Add the chopped green onions and the peanuts.

Serve over a bed of white rice. Bon Appetite!

Easy Homemade Bread Recipe- No Kneading Required!

I am a sucker for homemade fresh baked bread. My Aunt Silvia discovered this recipe in a magazine and it is now a family favorite. Enjoy!!

Notes From the Chef: Make sure the water is warm - if it's cold it will still rise, but it will take a significantly longer time to rise. I use a perforated bread sheet designed specifically for bread connoisseurs like myself, but you can substitute a classic baking sheet. You can make one large loaf or divide the dough to make small loaves. The most important part of this recipe are the baking instructions below- pay attention to make sure the oven is very hot and make sure you create steam in the oven so that your bread comes out crunchy on the outside and soft in the middle. Delicious!

Time: about 1½ hours, plus 14 to 20 hours’ rising time

3 cups all-purpose or bread flour, more for dusting
1-5/8 cups water
1/4 tsp instant yeast
1-1/4 tsp salt
Cornmeal or wheat bran as needed

In large bowl combine flour, yeast, salt. Add 1-5/8 cups water and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest at least 12 hours (preferably about 18), at warm room temperature, about 70 degrees.


Dough is ready when surface is dotted with bubbles. Lightly flour work surface; place dough on it. Sprinkle with a little more flour, and fold dough over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap; let rest about 15 minutes.

Using just enough flour to keep dough from sticking to work surface or fingers, gently and quickly shape dough into ball. Generously coat cotton towel (not terry cloth) with flour, wheat bran, or cornmeal; put dough on towel, seam-side down. Dust with more flour, bran, or cornmeal. (One day I was out of all of these and used classic bread crumbs- it worked perfectly!) Cover with another cotton towel; let rise for about 2 hours. When ready, dough will be more than double in size and will not readily spring back when poked with finger.

Baking Instructions: Place an empty ceramic bowl or pan in the bottom of the oven. Heat oven to 350 degrees. When the oven is very hot place the bread in the middle rack on a bread pan or baking sheet. Add 3 cups of water to the hot pan in the bottom of the oven. This will create steam and will make your bread crunchy on the outside.

Bon Appetite!

Sweet Potatoes with Pecans, Goat Cheese, Cranberries and Celery

After a microwavable sweet-potato disaster the night before last, I decided to try a new sweet potato dish and actually cook them (not using a microwave)...I remembered seeing this recipe on smittenkitchen.com and decided to give it a whirl! It was amazingly delicious... the sweet potatoes had a marshmallow-y texture and the "salsa" was basically to die for. It was a little shallot-heavy, probably because the shallot I used was rather large...I will probably use half of a normal size shallot next time...and yes, there will be a next time...probably many more in fact...YUM!

Serves 2 1/2 - 3

1 1/2 pounds sweet potato, scrubbed, unpeeled, in 3/4- to 1-inch coins
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1/4 cup toasted and cooled pecan halves
2 tiny or 1 small shallot
2 stalks celery
2 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley
1 tablespoon dried cranberries or cherries (optional)
2 ounces firmish goat cheese
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon smooth Dijon mustard

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Coat a large baking sheet generously with olive oil, about 1 to 2 tablespoons. Lay sweet potatoes in one layer on the oiled sheet. Sprinkle with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Roast, without disturbing, for 15 to 20 minutes. Carefully flip each piece: the undersides should be blistery, dark and a bit puffy and should release from the pan with no effort. If they’re not, let it cook longer. Sprinkle them with additional salt and freshly ground black pepper and return the pan to the oven for another 10 minutes or so, until the undersides match the tops.

Meanwhile, prepare your salad. Chop your pecans well, mince your shallot, chop your celery and parsley, mince cranberries if using them. Crumble your goat cheese. If it’s firmer, stir it into the mixture.

In a small dish, whisk together 2 tablespoons olive oil, 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar and 1/2 teaspoon dijon. Pour half over salad.

When the sweet potatoes are done, lay them on a serving platter (to be fancy...I just left them on the pan and put them directly onto our plates). Scoop a spoonful of the salsa over each round. Pour remaining salad dressing over top, to taste. Eat immediately.

(I served with a filet mignon but I'm sure it would go with pretty much anything)...I'm starting a detox and this was absolutely perfect for my "last meal"...I'm salivating okay I need to stop now...

Butternut Squash-Gorgonzola Risotto with Fried Sage Leaves

I adapted this recipe from a few sources.   All in all thought it was a delicious dinner and perfect for winter!

Ingredients: 

1 cup canola oil

10 to 12 sage leaves

Half of a butternut squash (about 2 cups)

1 medium onion, finely diced

1 1/2 cups Arborio rice **I only had Spanish rice so used that instead

1  cup dry white wine

4 cups chicken stock

2/3 cup crumpled gorgonzola cheese

4 tablespoons butter

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

This meal took some serious multi-tasking.  I started off by heating up the canola oil in a sauce pan on medium heat.  I let it get nice and hot before placing 4-5 sage leaves at a time.  Let the sage sizzle for a bout 20 seconds and then remove with a slotted spoon and place on paper towel.  Repeat until you have fried all leaves.  Place to the side.

Finely dice the butternut squash and onion.  (I only diced the squash to about 1cm, next time I will dice much finer.)  Meanwhile, heat the chicken broth in a sauce pan on low. 

Melt 3 tb of butter in a large sauce pan. Add the squash and onion and cook until onion is translucent (about 5 minutes).   Add rice.  Let brown for a couple of minutes. Add wine. Stir until wine is completely absorbed. Add one or two ladles of broth (should cover ingredients).  

 Now you must continue stirring the rice, letting the liquid absorb, and slowly keep adding broth, repeat, for the next 20-25 minutes.  When the rice is tender yet still firm to the bite and is in its final minutes of cooking, add the gorgonzola cheese and 1 tb butter.  Keep stirring until the risotto is of a creamy consistancy.

Transfer to plate or bowl, add some parmesan cheese, and the fried sage leaves on top.

I was super nervous about this dish because I had never made risotto but it turned out really great!! We had Lucy’s Roasted Brussels Sprouts on the side (yummm) and of course a glass of wine.

Banana Bread!

Wondering what to do with those spotty bananas that are getting a little too ripe to eat? Enter banana bread...

Recipe from Smitten Kitchen (my fave)

3 to 4 ripe bananas, smashed
1/3 cup melted salted butter
3/4 to 1 cup light brown sugar (depending on the level of sweetness you prefer, I always use the smaller amount)
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon bourbon (optional)
1 teaspoon baking soda
Pinch of salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
Pinch of ground cloves
1 1/2 cup of flour
Preheat oven to 350°F. Using a wooden spoon, mix butter into the smashed bananas in a large mixing bowl. Then mix in the sugar, egg, vanilla and bourbon, then the spices. Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the mixture and mix in. Add the flour last, mix. Pour mixture into buttered pans.


Bake for 50 minutes to one hour, or until a tester comes out clean. Cool on a rack. Remove from pan and slice to serve.