Salmon cakes

Tonight's dinner came together in a somewhat eclectic manner. I got home late from a long day of class and meetings so I wanted something quick and easy - so waiting for my frozen salmon filet to thaw was out of the question. But then I remembered that I had a can of salmon in the cupboard, so I decided to make salmon cakes. Here's what I did:

I scraped out the can of salmon into a bowl and added probably around a half cup of crushed Triscuits (the only sort of cracker I had around). Then I added dill, lemon pepper and lime juice to taste. If I had an onion I would have added that too, but they tasted great regardless. Then I whipped an egg and added it to the bowl and mixed everything together. At that point I formed salmon patties and cooked them over medium heat on a skillet coated with oil, a few minutes per side.

For garnishes I steamed some asparagus and served the salmon cakes on a bed of chopped tomato, avocado and more lime juice. Simple, but delicious!

Deviled Eggs

Today I made deviled eggs for the first time, and man, this is definitely not the last time. Here's what I did:

• Hardboil 12 eggs, then peel and slice in half
• Put the yolks in a mixing bowl and add:
• Mayonnaise until mixture is creamy
• Approximately 2 tsp mustard
• 1 cap full of apple cider vinegar
• dash salt and pepper
• dash paprika

Then I put the mixture into a gallon ziplock bag and cut a hole in the corner (which was too big - ah well, next time) to squeeze it out into the whites. Then I sprinkled paprika on top.

I can't wait to eat them at Easter brunch later today!

A Mexican food-inspired week

This week was all about Mexican food, which is probably my favorite kind. I could eat it every day, and indeed, this week I did. This first meal was inspired by a similar entree at Red Robin.

Dish 1: pico de gallo grilled chicken breast

First off, I made fresh pico de gallo. It was the first time I've ever made salsa, and everything was to taste. Here's a rough recipe:

• 2 off-the-vine tomatoes, chopped
• 1/2 yellow onion, finely chopped
• 1 red pepper, chopped
• lime juice from 1 lime
• cilantro to taste

Mix everything together and enjoy!

After that was done I sprinkled two chicken breasts with chili powder and cumin and grilled them on my George Foreman grill, which literally takes about five minutes. I cooked a box of Spanish rice as a side dish, and served the chicken breast with pico de gallo over the top, crushed tortilla chips, and extra lime juice.


Dish 2: beef taco salad

My mom has a friend who raises cows, and every year she buys part of a cow from her. The beef we get is the most delicious I've ever had. This year my mom gave me some ground beef, which I used to make taco salad, and then had in tacos for the next couple of nights.

I cooked the ground beef with half an onion and liberal amounts of chili powder and cumin. When it was done I dished it out on top of a bed of lettuce and added crushed tortilla chips, shredded Monterrey jack cheese, and leftover salsa. I also had leftover Spanish rice.

St. Patrick's Day

This is the first year I've done anything special for St. Patrick's Day. I made the traditional corned beef and soda bread.

The corned beef was a 4lb brisket from Fred Meyer. It barely fit into my crockpot. I cooked it for nine hours with two potatoes, several carrots, and an onion. Most of the pot was filled with Guinness, and I topped it off with water. The meat was delicious and tender, but for some reason the potatoes and onions never fully cooked - I have no idea why.

I got the soda bread recipe from Allrecipes, as usual, and it was amazing. I have to make it again.

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons white sugar
• 1/2 cup butter, cut into pieces
• 1 cup raisins
• 1/2 cup cranberries
• 3/4 cup milk
• 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease 2 baking sheets.
2. Stir together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and sugar in a large bowl until evenly blended. Cut in the butter using a pastry blender or your hands until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Stir in the raisins and cranberries, then make a well in the center and pour in the milk and vinegar. Stir with a spoon until the dry ingredients are moistened.
3. Turn the dough out onto a well floured work surface, and knead gently 8 to 10 times. Divide the dough into two balls, and place onto the prepared baking sheets.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 375 degrees F, and bake until the top of the bread is golden brown, about 15 minutes more.

Happy St. Paddy's Day!

Meat Pie

Several weeks ago now, when the weather was typically Seattle dreary, I decided a warm hearty dinner would be just the thing. I made a meat pie for the first time ever, and it was delicious. I definitely have to make them more often. I even made the pie crust from scratch! I found the recipes for the pie crust and the pie online, and I made some changes to the pie recipe. Next time I make it I'll use three potatoes instead of two.

All-butter pie crust

• 2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp granulated sugar
• 1 cup cold unsalted butter
• 3 to 6 T ice water

Combine flour, salt and water in a medium bowl. I found that it worked best to grate the butter into the bowl with my cheese crater and turn until combined. Sprinkle 6 T of ice water over the mixture and, using a rubber spatula, fold to mix. [Note: I could not get it to mix well enough this way, and ended up having to knead it with my hands to get it to come together]

Flour your hands and rolling pin generously. Divide the dough into two balls and flatten each into a 4-inch disk. Wrap both separately in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour before rolling.

This crust was extremely rich and delicious, and though it cracked at the edges when I rolled it out, I was still able to fit it into my 9'' pie pan.

Savory Meat Pie

Ingredients

• 2 medium potatoes, peeled and quartered
• 1/4 lb ground beef
• 1 chicken breast
  
• 3/4 cup sliced green onions
• 1 large carrot, finely chopped
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon rubbed sage
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon celery salt
• Pinch ground cinnamon
• 1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
• 1/4 cup chili sauce
• 1 Pastry for double-crust pie (9 inches)
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon milk

Directions

1. In a saucepan, cook potatoes in boiling water until tender; mash and set aside. Meanwhile, in a skillet, brown the beef; drain. Stir in the next nine ingredients. Simmer for 4-5 minutes. Stir in potatoes, parsley and chili sauce; remove from the heat. Place bottom pastry in a 9-in. pie plate; brush with mustard. Add the meat mixture. Top with remaining pastry; seal and flute edges. Cut slits in the top crust. Brush with milk. Bake at 450 degrees F for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees F. Bake 25 minutes longer or until golden brown.

Walnut Bread

Today I used one of my favorite recipes and made walnut bread. I found the recipe years ago on Redwall.net, and I've made it many times since then. It's a sweet bread, but it's not too sweet, and it's always wonderfully moist. The original recipe called for 1/4 cup shortening, but I always use apple sauce instead.

Nutbread

• 2 c flour
• ¾ tsp salt
• ¾ c sugar
• ¾ c milk
• ¾ c nuts
• 1½ tsp baking powder
• ¼ c apple sauce
• 2 eggs

Sift flour, baking powder, and salt. Cream sugar and apple sauce. Beat eggs and add to mixture. Add milk and flour mixture. Grease and line pan. Bake 1 hour at 350 degrees. Makes 1 loaf.

Filet Mignon

Last Friday I made dinner for my boyfriend's birthday and invited two of our best friends over to help celebrate. I decided to pull out the stops and make something that we could never afford out: bacon-wrapped filet mignon. I was so busy preparing for dinner and having so much fun when we were eating it that I completely forgot to take pictures, which is a shame, because it was beautiful and delicious!

My first-ever dinner party was a success, I'm happy to say. On the menu was bacon-wrapped filet mignon, cooked to medium-rare perfection thanks to the handy meat thermometer I got off Amazon (I'm far too paranoid to cook meat to anything but well done without one). I also made rosemary-garlic red potatoes and steamed asparagus. Our friends brought a 2002 Merlot and we drank the rest of the red zinfandel that I used in the sauce. For dessert I bought a box of Ghiradelli walnut brownie mix (delicious!) and served it with fresh raspberries on the side.

The hardest part was timing everything so it was all done when they arrived, especially since almost everything had to go in the oven at different temperatures. The potatoes could have cooked a little longer, but everyone said they tasted great. I was pretty nervous and jittery while cooking the filets - I almost never cook beef - but I'm sure with practice it'll get easier. Although the presentation on the filets wasn't the best (some of the bacon was falling off), they tasted great.

Cost

I bought everything except the wine at QFC.

4 ~8oz filet mignon: $37.60
4 slices of bacon: $1.40
Red zinfandel: $8.49
2 T shallots: less than $0.50
6 red potatoes: $1.71
2 cloves garlic: $0.26
1/2 onion: $0.63
Rosemary and olive oil is negligible, and I had both already.

Ghiradelli brownie mix: $1.99
Raspberries: $6.99

For a total of $59.57 for four people, or about $14.89 a plate! While this is certainly not a meal I can afford to make every month, it was a great special occasion meal and muuuch cheaper than buying it at a restaurant.

And now for the recipes!

Pan Seared Bacon Wrapped Filet Mignon in Red Wine Reduction Sauce

• 4 filet mignons wrapped in bacon (6 or 8oz each)
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons minced shallots (or to taste)
• 3/4 cup red wine (I used a red zinfandel)
  

Sprinkle steaks with a combination of garlic powder and ground pepper. Pat into steaks and let the steaks sit covered and unrefrigerated for approximately 1 hour.
Preheat a large skillet over medium high heat; turn oven to 375 degrees F. Add 2 tablespoons butter and let foam. Add the steaks and cook for 4 minutes per side. You should get a nice sear on each side. Remove the steaks and put them in the oven on an oven proof platter or casserole dish.
Reduce the heat to medium and add the remaining butter. Once melted, add the shallots and cook for about 1 minute until they soften, then add the wine and thyme. Raise the heat to high and let most of the sauce bubble away. Reduce heat to low.
Cook the steaks about 8-10 minutes. When the steaks are close to cooked - 140 degrees F at their thickest point - remove the steaks from the oven and let sit for 2 minutes. Toss the steak in the pan with the sauce, and then serve with a coating of the red wine sauce.

Rosemary garlic potatoes

• 6 red potatoes, quartered
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3/4 cup olive oil
• rosemary to taste
  

Combine ingredients in a gallon-sized ziplock bag and shake until potatoes are evenly coated. Cook potatoes for 30-40 minutes at 425 degrees F or until outsides are golden brown.

Hotroot Soup

When I was a kid, the Redwall books by Brian Jacques were one of my favorite series (in addition to Harry Potter). The stories take place in a world inhabited by talking animals - mice, hedgehogs, squirrels, moles, otters, hares, and badgers were among the "good guys," and stoats, weasels, rats, foxes, and cats were among the "bad guys." Each book featured clashes of good against evil (where good always triumphed, of course), coming-of-age tales, and lots and lots of descriptions of feasts and food. I always salivated while reading them. Over the years my friends and I experimented with Redwall cuisine: when I was in high school we had a "Redwall feast" featuring "Deeper'n Ever Turnip'n'Tater'n'Beetroot pie," (a mole specialty) "Daynurr's Zoop," (an original creation) strawberry scones, nutbread (still one of my favorite bread recipes), and sparkling cider.

Our Redwall feast

But my favorite Redwall dish is Hotroot Soup. This was the otters' specialty, and it is supposed to be very spicy. I can't handle spice too well, so I put in as much as I can handle. Here is my hotroot soup recipe, adapted from a recipe on redwall.net: (Edit: I made this again on 11/16 and have updated the recipe)

Hotroot Soup

• 1lb cooked shrimp
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 stalks celery, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 15 oz. can diced tomatoes (or fresh, naturally)
• 1 15oz. can corn
  
• 2 tsp basil
• cayenne pepper and chili powder to taste
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 3 cups water
• Vegetable bullion
  
• 1 cup brown rice

In a pot or rice cooker, cook 1 cup of brown rice (should yield about three cups cooked). In a large pot, add 3 cups water and vegetable bullion and set on high. Coat a skillet with olive oil. Salt and pepper the oil, then add onion, red pepper, celery, and spices and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until tender. Pour into boiling broth and stir in tomatoes, corn, and basil. Mix in the shrimp. Cover and simmer 30-40 minutes. Add cooked rice, mix well, and cook another 5 minutes to heat through. Makes about six servings.

Fall baking

For me fall isn't complete without the smell of goods baking in the oven. On Wednesday I made oatmeal butterscotch and chocolate chip cookies, and on Thursday I made pumpkin bread. They both turned out great!

The pumpkin bread is amazingly moist, and though the recipe said to use three loaf pans, I only have two, so I made it work. I had to cook them about fifteen minutes longer to make up for the fact that there was more batter in each pan.

Here is the recipe, from Allrecipes.com:

INGREDIENTS

• 1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 2/3 cup water
• 3 cups white sugar
• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour three 7x3 inch loaf pans.
2. In a large bowl, mix together pumpkin puree, eggs, oil, water and sugar until well blended. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger. Stir the dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture until just blended. Pour into the prepared pans.
3. Bake for about 50 minutes in the preheated oven. Loaves are done when toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Now I've got enough sweet things to keep me happy for awhile :)

A week of simple and cheap (but repetitive) meals

Last Thursday I wanted to make something quick and easy for dinner, without having to go to the grocery store. So I made refried-bean enchiladas.

This involved filling corn tortillas with canned refried beans, placing them in a 9x13 pan, dousing them with canned enchilada sauce, and grating liberally with cheese. After about a half hour in the oven at 350 degrees F, I had a delicious, if simple dinner that would feed me for a few nights. And since I could happily eat Mexican food almost every day of the week, I don't mind.

My enchiladas after I'd eaten the first serving

Yesterday I went to QFC to figure out what to make for dinner for Dom and I, and I picked up one of those awesome roasted chickens. I love those things! For $7 I get a pre-cooked, pre-seasoned chicken that will feed me for a few days at least. We ate the chicken with garlic bread, Stovetop stuffing and heated canned green beans.


And for dessert I made a healthy and delicious fruit salad. Well, healthy except for the dollop of cool whip. But it's better than brownies and ice cream, anyway. The fruit salad consisted of bananas, strawberries, an apple, and grapes.


And for tonight I'm going to cut up some of my leftover chicken and put it in my leftover enchiladas for chicken enchiladas, with more fruit salad for dessert. Woo!

Baked chicken and veggies, or "Ye Olde Standby"

It finally got cool enough in my apartment that I was able to turn on the oven again, so I made one of my favorite meals: baked chicken breasts and veggies. If I can't think of anything else to make for dinner, this is what I turn to. I almost always have the ingredients on hand.

I forgot to take a picture of it before it was mostly eaten, but I usually make this a few times a month, so hopefully I won't forget next time.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. In a 9x13'' pan, place two whole chicken breasts in the middle.

Place these vegetables around them in the pan:

• 4 red potatoes, chopped
• 1/2 onion, diced
  
• 4 large carrots, chopped
• 2 sticks celery, chopped

Then I spread just a capfull of vegetable oil on top of the chicken and add salt, pepper and basil to taste.

Cover the pan with aluminum foil and bake for one hour or until chicken is done.

Serve with stuffing or mashed potatoes! It also went great with a bottle of blackberry wine.

Chicken curry

Tonight's dinner was just for me, and it was a completely improvised chicken curry. I looked at a few recipes online, but I didn't have all of the ingredients for any of them, so I decided to wing it. It's not as spicy as I would have liked, but surprisingly yummy!

Put a quarter of an onion in a pan on medium heat with a dash of vegetable oil, and added one cut up chicken breast. Put in two cloves of garlic and about half a cup of water.

I added all of the spices to taste, because I only had a vague idea what I was doing!

-Lots of tumeric.
-Oregano
-Lemon pepper
-Chili pepper
-Nutmeg
-Cinnamon
-cilantro
-cashews

I put the curry over a Rice a Roni package of brown and wild rice and had some of last night's salad.

I don't know why the picture uploaded sideways! The next time I make curry, I'd like to have some of the ingredients I should have had - tomato sauce or paste or coconut milk, cumin, coriander, etc. But I definitely enjoyed it as is.

Chicken mole tacos

Tonight I made dinner for Dom and I: chicken mole tacos and a salad using the fresh greens my stepmom gave me from her garden last weekend.

The salad uses lettuce and spinach with a tomato thrown in. It could have used another tomato, but I only had one.
For the chicken I cut up two chicken breasts and cooked them in a pan with a dash of vegetable oil. I added pepper and chili pepper to taste.

For the mole sauce I looked up a couple recipes online, but I ended up mostly winging it. To my surprise, it turned out pretty well!

I put a dash of vegetable oil in a medium pot and added a quarter of an onion, finely chopped. I cooked it on medium until it was tender. Then I added a bit of garlic, cilantro, an 8 oz. can of tomato juice, and melted semi-sweet baker's chocolate to taste. I stirred, added pepper and cinnamon to taste, and cooked it until it was heated through.

I heated up corn tortillas on the stove and filled them with the chicken, then spread the mole sauce on top and garnished with fresh cilantro.
(Um... why is this picture sideways?)

Next time I'll also make Spanish rice and grate cheese on top of the tacos. I might put refried beans into the tacos as well, or maybe just rice. But I definitely want to make this dish again.

Oatmeal Apple Crisp

This is one of my mom's recipes that I tried last Christmas, and I love it. I've made it twice since, and made a few changes of my own (I like more cinnamon and oats, and less flour). Everyone loves it!

• 5 large peeled, cored and sliced apples (A mixture of fujis and granny smiths work well)
• 1 T lemon juice
• 1 cup oats
• 1 cup flour
• 2 sticks butter
• 2 T cinnamon
• 1 tsp. cloves
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar

Arrange apples in greased 9x13'' pan. Mix in lemon juice. Combine dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Add butter; mix until crumbly. Press mixture over apples. Bake at 350 degrees for about 50 minutes or until top browns. Makes 10-12 servings.