Pages, Pucks and Pantry

Brown Ale-Braised Chicken

I'm a fan of Guinness...some people aren't. I like the flavor it gives to food be it this Brown-Ale Braised Chicken or a Guinness cake. This surprises some people because I don't like beer. I just like Guinness. More specific, I like Black and Tans. Guinness and Bass Ale. With very salty potato chips. I have no clue why. So yeah, pretty much anything cooked with Guinness works for me.

Mr. L and I both really liked this recipe and the flavor the stout gave this dish. I realize they called for "brown-ale" and gave many local beer examples. That's fine for you. I'm using Guinness. The whole thing is pretty simple to put together but took me about 30 minutes or so to prep and then you just have to wait the 40 minute baking time. Which gives you time to sit back and have a Guinness (because you of course bought a full six pack because the grocery store no longer sells the single bottles and you'd hate for Guinness to sit around and go bad). With St. Patrick's Day coming up this weekend, this would be a great dish to serve for dinner.

The recipe for this Brown Ale-Braised Chicken came out of the October 2012 Better Homes and Gardens magazine. As usual the photo of my recipe doesn't look a whole lot like theirs, but at least it tastes really good.

BROWN ALE-BRAISED CHICKEN
(Better Homes and Garden October 2012)

1 Tbsp. packed brown sugar
1/2 Tbsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper
8 skin-on chicken thighs
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 medium onion, sliced
2 stalks celery, chopped
8 small whole carrots with tops, peeled and tops trimmed to 1 inch
2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 12-oz. bottle brown ale
1/2 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
4 cloves garlic, peeled
Coarsely chopped celery leaves
Fresh Thyme

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a small bowl combine brown sugar, chili powder, salt, ground black pepper, and crushed red pepper; rub into chicken thighs. Let stand 10 minutes.

In an extra-large ovenproof skillet heat oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook until well browned on both sides and skin is crispy. Remove chicken from skillet. Drain fat, reserving 1 Tbsp.

In the same skillet cook and stir the onion, celery, and carrots in the reserved fat about 5 minutes or until tender. Stir in flour; cook and stir 1 minute. Stir in beer and broth. Bring to a simmer. Return chicken to skillet. Add garlic. Cover and bake 40 minutes. Sprinkle with celery leaves and thyme.

Makes 4 servings. (Each serving 552 cal, 23 g carbs, 4 g fiber)

Note: I couldn't find any small carrots but I did find some smallish organic carrots of different colors. I used them but cut them into half and thirds. Messes a bit with the presentation but still tasted good.

Note: I used Guinness Stout in bottles

Note: I of course had the thyme and stuff to garnish the dish and then completely forgot to put them on. Sometimes cooking when you're really hungry isn't the best for food blogging.

Note: We seemed to have way more "sauce" than pictured in the recipe article. It's pretty good sauce so I kept it and used it to pour over some brown rice and quinoa.

All in all a great dish that we would definitely make again and perfect to serve to company.

 

Koala Float

I've been collecting recipes from magazines for years. I tend to keep my food magazines whole, but recipes I find in magazines like Sunset or Good Housekeeping usually get cut out and stuffed in a folder. Or a box. Or a drawer. Basically I'm saying besides having stacks of cooking magazines all over the house I also have  slips of paper with recipes on them all over too (don't get me started on the stacks of cookbooks).

At one time Mr. L (before we were married) convinced me to start going through my stack of Gourmet and Bon Appetit magazines (I probably have 25 years of each) and cut out the recipes I wanted. I found I was cutting up pretty much the entire issue...and in my mind there was just something inherently wrong with destroying my beloved cooking magazines. So I stopped. I have ignored the pleas of just buying DVD's with all those recipes on them because there is just something about sitting down with an old Gourmet and looking at the ads and stories that go along with the recipes that takes me away to another world...much like reading a book does.

A little slip of paper with this recipe printed on it was in a folder marked "To Try"...not sure why that folder was different from the zillion other folders I have with cut out recipes in it, but I figured maybe I'd go through it and see what I could find. I believe this recipe originally came from an old Bon Appetit magazine as it seems to have originated from a column where Barbara Sweeney from Visalia, California was asking if the magazine could duplicate a drink she'd had at Oahu's Turtle Bay HIlton and Country Club in their Bay View Lounge.

Nice drink to have on a hot day. I wished my blender was better as the ice didn't quite blend enough for me (you can see the little beads of ice in the glass). But it still made a nice refreshing drink.

I have no idea why they call it a "Koala" Float. Quite frankly I have a feeling I misread it originally and thought it said Kahlúa.

Simple little drink which I always have the ingredients on hand to make. Did I mention how nice something like this is on a hot day? Did I mention it's supposed to be 104 where I'm going for Fathers Day? I think I may need to bring a pitcher of these along with me.

KOALA FLOAT

4 cups ice
3/4 cup canned sweetened coconut cream
6 tablespoons coffee liqueur
6 tablespoons Irish cream liqueur
Chocolate Shavings

Blend first 4 ingredients in a blender until smooth. Pour into 2 tall glasses.

Sprinkle with chocolate shavings and serve. Makes 2 servings.

NOTE: I used Kahlúa coffee liqueur. I use Bailey's Irish Cream liqueur.

NOTE: After taking a sip, I played with adding a bit more Baileys to get the taste of the drink I wanted.

 

Pork-and-Tofu Stir-Fry

I admit that I'm not the biggest fan of tofu, though there are several tofu centric dishes I've loved over the years. The Phantom used to make a wonderful tofu enchilada that the first time I tried it, I had no idea was made from tofu (lots of cheese might have helped). Mr. L also made a fried tofu dish years ago, that I loved the flavor of. But I tend to bypass most recipes that call for any types of tofu.

Of course, you tell me that you're going to add pork to tofu, I might just give the recipe a second glance. Which is what I did when I found this recipe for Pork and Tofu Stir Fry in the May 2009 issue of Food & Wine magazine.

This was okay, but I felt it could have been better. I loved the flavor of the sauce but it didn't coat the meat/tofu/veggies enough for me. The sauce was very "liquid" so I'd like it to be a bit more syrupy, a bit thicker. Next time I would cut the leeks a bit smaller and simmer the liquid longer so that it reduces more.

This was a quick dish to put together and the sauce had a nice flavor so I'd make this again with the changes mentioned.

 

PORK AND TOFU STIR-FRY
(Food & Wine May 2009)

3 Tablespoons vegetable oil
1 pound pork loin, cut into 1 1/2-by-1/4 inch strips
Salt and freshly ground pepper
3 garlic cloves, minced
Large pinch of crushed red pepper
1 large leek-halved and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 cup chicken stock or low-sodium broth
1/2 pound firm tofu, cut into 1-inch cubes
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
2 teaspoons sherry vinegar
1/2 teaspoon Asian sesame oil

In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil. Add the pork, season with salt and pepper and stir-fry over high heat until cooked, 2 minutes.  Transfer to a plate. Add the remaining vegetable oil to the skillet. Add the garlic and crushed pepper and stir-fry for 1 minute. Add the leek and 1/4 cup of the stock, cover and cook until the leek is softened, 2 minutes. Add the remaining 3/4 cup of stock and bring to a simmer. Add the tofu, then stir in the pork, hoisin, vinegar and sesame oil. Transfer to bowls and serve.

Makes 4 servings.

Note: The leeks were a bit too big for me so I'd cut them smaller next time.

Note: I'd simmer the liquid longer to reduce it a bit more.

Note: This went well over rice and would work over couscous or quinoa.

T-Bone Steaks with Balsamic Onion Confit

When it comes to a good rib-eye or t-bone steak I usually don't do much to prep them. A bit of salt, some heat and the steak gets eaten. I'm not one to use dry rubs or marinades unless I'm working on a specific recipe. It's Mr. L who loves to play around with seasonings when it comes to meats. Though I've recently made some compound butters to put over steaks, more often than not, the steak on my plate gets eaten with few accompaniments.

Which is why when I saw this recipe, I was surprised that it demanded to be made. It's pretty simple, but the flavors of the onions and steak worked well together. I was also surprised by where the recipe came from. People Magazine. For quite a while now, they have been featuring recipes from celebrities and this recipe was featured as coming from A-Rod (or Alexander Rodriguez for those non baseball types). The cookbook People mentioned was Diamond Dishes: From the Kitchens of Baseball's Biggest Stars which was from the May 30, 2011 magazine. Can't say I'm going to run out and buy the cookbook, but it might be a nice gift for someone who likes baseball and likes to cook. I guess it's only appropriate to make this since baseball season is right around the corner (though truth be told, I'm not an A-Rod fan).

T-BONE STEAKS WITH BALSAMIC ONION CONFIT
(People Magazine May 30, 2011)

1 tbsp. unsalted butter
3 large onions, peeled and sliced 1/2 inch thick
3 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
3 tbsp. honey
4 (14-oz.) T-bone steaks
1/2 tsp. salt, plus a pinch
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

(2 cups water which is not in the ingredient list but is in the directions)

To make confit: Melt butter in a large, nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onions, pinch of salt and 1 cup water. Cook for 20 minutes, stirring often, until water evaporates and onions are softened. Stir in another cup of water. Cook 20 minutes more, stirring often, until water evaporates and onions begin to brown.

Add vinegar and honey. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring often, until onions caramelize.

Set charcoal or gas grill on high. Season steaks with salt and pepper.

Lightly oil grate. (If using a gas grill, turn heat to medium.) Place steaks on grill and cover. Grill 3 1/2 minutes on each side for medium rare.

Transfer each steak to a dinner plate. Top with onions. Serves 4

Note: A 14 ounce steak per person? Even with the bone, that's a whole lot of steak! We actually just used one nice big t-bone steak and then split it between the two of us.

Note: For some reason I had way to much liquid so I might think twice about adding that full second cup of water.

Note: Mr. L just grilled the steak on a grill pan inside.

Note: Since we only cooked one steak but made the entire batch of onion confit, we probably used more than normal with our steaks and still had some leftover to eat with some grilled chicken we had in the fridge.

Though maybe not this exact recipe, I think that making some sort of onion confit works wonders on a steak that is overcooked, tough, or not necessarily a tasty cut of meat.

 

Red Posole

Though I've previously bookmarked recipes for Posole on blogs and in recipe books, I've never made it before (or eaten it for that matter). The magazine I got this recipe from, Skinny Slow Cooker (a Better Homes and Garden Special Interest Publication that says display until March 13, 2012), had two recipes for Posole...Green Chili-Pork Posole and Red Posole. The only reason I made the red version first is that I had some pork shoulder in the freezer and figured this recipe was a good use of it.

I have no idea how authentic the recipe or flavors in this dish are, but we loved it. The fact that I could just toss everything together in the crock-pot and have a wonderful dinner when I got home made this dish even better. I did cut up the pork and onions the night before and measured out the spices. Got up in the morning, tossed everything in the crock-pot and came home to a wonderful smelling house! Do remember that you don't add the cabbage or enchilada sauce until half an hour before the dish is done (I almost put them in at the start!).

RED POSOLE
(Skinny Slow Cooker)

1 1/2 pounds boneless pork shoulder, cut into 1-inch-cubes
2 15-ounce cans hominy, rinsed and drained
1 cup chopped onion (1 large)
1 4-ounce can diced green chiles
1 tablespoon ancho chile powder
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano, crushed
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
2 14.5-ounce cans reduced-sodium chicken broth
2 cups coarsely chopped cabbage
1 10-ounce can enchilada sauce
Lime wedges
Fresh pineapple wedges (optional)

In a 4 to 5 quart slow cooker combine pork, hominy, onion, green chiles, chile powder, oregano, garlic, and cumin. Pour broth over mixture in cooker.

Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 8 to 9 hours or on high-heat setting for 4 to 4 1/2 hours.

If using low-heat setting, turn cooker to high-heat setting. Stir in cabbage and enchilada sauce. Cover and cook for 30 minutes more.

To serve, garnish with lime wedges and, if desired, pineapple wedges. Makes 8 servings at 279 calories a serving.

Note: I used white hominy because that was the only kind I found. I used a large carton of chicken broth that was not low-sodium and had an ounce or two more broth than called for.

Note: I cooked the Posole on high for 9 hours.

Note: I did not add the pineapple (pineapple?) but I did add a quick spritz of lime just before serving which brightened the flavors a bit.

Definitely make this again. Loved the crunch of the cabbage as, adding it late, it didn't get all mushy. Though this works fine on it's own, I can see serving this over rice (which my Mom did and loved) or maybe even polenta.

There are a ton of great sounding crock pot recipes in this magazine, all low calorie which is great this time of year!

 

Cheddar-Corn Spoonbread

 

I've never actually made any sort of spoonbread before. I've always worried about whipping up egg whites.  In other recipes I've either not whipped them enough or over whipped them which has effected the outcome. Anything close to a souffle has also always been put in the same category of things I'm afraid to do...like work with yeast or make anything that requires a candy thermometer. I figured this was a good recipe to get me closer to doing one of those cooking things I'm afraid of.

This recipe came from the Everyday Food Special Summer Magazine August 2011 (large format issue).I actually made this last August when corn around here was in season and you could find it at your local Farmers Market. I used the corn that came with our CSA. Though I did like the dish it was just 'okay'. To me it seemed to lack any real cheesy flavor. We had some white cheddar that I bought special for this dish but it had a very mild flavor which I think was the main problem. Next time I will probably buy a better white cheddar.

Though Mr. L thought there was plenty of corn taste in this, I didn't think the corn was sweet enough.
We have since canceled our CSA as most of the fruits and vegetables we got from them seemed very tired and worn when we got them. I'm thinking this would taste a lot better with fresher corn.

Though we did enjoy the Cheddar-Corn Spoonbread I felt this recipe could have been so much better than the final result. This is one of those recipes that I believe is only as good as the ingredients you put in. Definitely a better cheese and fresher corn next time.

But, even though this didn't come out perfect? The leftovers? Ahem, Try frying them. Just a quick fry in a little bit of oil. Totally works. Not that we would do anything so decadent....

CHEDDAR-CORN SPOONBREAD
(Everyday Food)

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, plus more for baking dish
2 cups whole milk
1 1/2 cups corn kernels (from 2 ears)
2/3 cup yellow cornmeal
coarse salt
cayenne pepper
3 ounces sharp white cheddar, finely grated (1 cup)
4 large eggs, separated

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Butter a 2-quart baking dish. In a large saucepan, combine butter, milk, corn, cornmeal, 1 teaspoon salt, and a pinch of cayenne. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium and simmer, stirring frequently, until mixture is slightly thickened, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in cheese. Let cool just until warm to the touch, 15 minutes. Stir in egg yolks until combined.

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat egg whites and pinch of salt on high until soft peaks form. Witha rubber spatula, stir one-third the whites into corn mixture until combined, then gently fold in remaining whites. Pour into dish.

Place dish in oven, reduce heat to 375 degrees. Bake until browned on top and slightly loose in center, about 30 minutes. Let cool slightly before serving.

Serves 6 at 276 calories a serving.

Note: I'm sure one could use thawed frozen corn when fresh corn isn't in season.

Again, this just needed a slight punch up in flavor...fresher corn or a sharper cheese...to elevate the recipe to perfection. And though it might seem a bit complicated for a novice, it was actually pretty simple to put together.

 

 

A Strawberry A Day Recap

So, I consider my A Strawberry A Day challenge, where I made everything the June 2011 issue of The Food Network magazine listed for the month of June, a success. Though if I put something with strawberries on the table anytime soon, Mr. L might get up from the table and not eat. Love strawberries, but too much of a good thing, is, well, too much.

Would I do this challenge again? Probably not. Not because of the food (Mr. L did suggest that should there be a month of pork and pork related products, he could deal with that) but because cooking and posting every single day is hard! I don't know how these prolific bloggers do it, but I'm still recovering.

I did enjoy discovering new ways to use a food that, up until the challenge, I had boringly just pretty much eaten raw. Not that there is anything wrong with that, because a good, fresh, ripe strawberry is heaven on earth. But it was nice to cook out of the box for a bit.

What was my favorite strawberry day? At first I thought that was going to be a tough decision. I love using frozen strawberries in drinks and dipping strawberries in sour cream and then brown sugar is a regular occurrence for a quick dessert. But even though there were many good ideas, the simple Strawberry Soup won me over. Easy to make, it's a dish that I probably wouldn't have made without the challenge and something that I really did enjoy. It's also given me a desire to experiment with different fruit soups in the future.

The funny thing is, I keep finding strawberry recipes I'd like to try! Maybe it's the season, maybe I just became more aware of strawberries in general, but there are so many new strawberry recipes on blogs everywhere that sound enticing. Except maybe not right away. Maybe I need to wait a bit. Or find a strawberry recipe that is mainly bacon...

A Strawberry A Day - June 30 - Strawberry Vinaigrette

This is the last day that I'm making strawberry related things (okay, last day for the A Strawberry A Day strawberry posts anyway) and I really thought that this dressing would be a bust. But I actually became quite attached to the flavor.

FOOD NETWORK INSTRUCTIONS

Thursday June 30, 2011

For dinner, blend strawberries into vinaigrette, then toss with arugula, chopped berries and grilled chicken.

Mr. L, who is completely over and done with strawberries for quite some time, wanted nothing to do with this dressing or having strawberries anywhere near his dinner. Therefor for him I just served some chicken over a salad mixture not adding any berries at all. I on the other hand, did use this dressing over not only my lettuce greens but also over my chicken. Loved it. Really not sure why the mixture worked so well for me, but I'll be finding more ways to use the remaining  dressing over the next few days.

I used a recipe I found online on the blog "Our Best Bites". Great blog from two women who also feature some cool family crafts. Check out the blog and the recipe:

BERRY POPPY SEED VINAIGRETTE

It has a lovely color and I think the strawberry vinaigrette would also work well on a spinach salad. It doesn't have an overpowering sweetness which is what I expected. I really was surprised how well it went with the chicken so I might have to grill (or poach) up some chicken breasts to use up the rest of the vinaigrette!

And if you've come this far, thank you for joining me on this little A Strawberry A Day adventure. I plan on doing some sort of round up of everything in the next couple of days. Hopefully either a recipe, an idea or a tip worked it's way into your menus this month!

A Strawberry A Day - June 29 - Strawberries as Ice Cubes

Earlier in the month, when the daily A Strawberry A Day instructions were to freeze strawberries, I knew I'd be using them for this days post. What I didn't know back then, is that we would still be in winter weather with some wind, pouring rain and cool temperatures. I'm craving hot cocoa, not a nice summer drink with ice cubes!

FOOD NETWORK INSTRUCTIONS:

Wednesday June 29, 2011

Chill happy hour drinks with frozen whole strawberries instead of ice: They won't dilute your cocktails.

Alas, any cocktail I thought of that I'd want frozen strawberries in, just wasn't doing it for me with this weather. Thus I grabbed a bottle of sparking pink lemonade and added my frozen strawberries. Excellent idea, as the mixture went well together. Or course everything just seemed a bit off because I was wearing flannel pajamas, big fuzzy slippers and sipping this in front of a fireplace!!

 

A Strawberry A Day - June 28 - Strawberry Smoothie

There are a ton of different ways to make a smoothie so I kinda took a simple route...milk (I used whole), yogurt (I used Clover organic low fat strawberry) fresh strawberries, and some ice. Of course you could add a bit of vanilla ice cream, though that would make it more like a milkshake.

FOOD NETWORK INSTRUCTIONS

Tuesday June 28, 2011

One cup of strawberries has more vitamin C than an orange. Blend some into a smoothie to get your daily dose.

Not sure why I don't have more smoothies for breakfast, especially in the summertime. Using non-fat milk would make this even healthier. Maybe use some greek yogurt and add a bit of strawberry preserves as a sweetner. Using fresh ripe berries gave this the extra touch it needed to make a great start to a work day.