Monkey Bread

Mmmmonkey bread....brings back memories of when mom would make this for us for breakfast. I saw a recipe for this online the other day and I just had to make it. This recipe does not disappoint, however I definitely would not make this on the daily, because not only is it loaded up with butter and sugar, it calls for canned biscuits...which alone are not known for their health benefits. But if you are looking for a yummy treat that will serve at least 8 people, this is for you.

Monkey Bread:

 4 (8 ounce) cans refrigerated biscuits

2/3 cup sugar

3 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

3/4-1 1/2 cup butter

1 cup brown sugar

1 tablespoon cinnamon

1 cup pecans, chopped

Take apart the biscuits, and cut each one in 4ths, place all in a large zip-lock bag with the 2/3 c sugar and 3 1/2 tsp cinnamon and shake till the biscuits are well coated. Set aside. In a small saucepan, melt the butter (I used 1 1/2 sticks of butter), sugar, and cinnamon till it boils. Remove from heat. In a greased bundt pan, layer pecans and sugared biscuits until filled and then pour over the butter mixture. Place the pan into the oven set at 350 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes. When still hot, empty pan onto a plate to cool for a few minutes until ready to serve.

I think the next time I make this, I will use frozen biscuits instead.

 

Deep Dish Pizza

I love pizza. Joe loves pizza. So I made us pizza.

I decided to try making deep dish pizza this time around, simply because I worked all day and did not feel like taking the time to stretch, roll and throw around the dough to make it thin. Publix, (the most amazing supermarket ever!!!) sells pizza dough that their bakery makes daily, it is delicious and convenient. I took the dough smooshed it into my oiled pie pan, sprinkled the bottom with mozzarella cheese, topped the cheese with cooked sausage and sauteed shittake mushrooms, dumped on a can of pizza sauce, topped with sliced tomatoes, mozzarella cheese and some Parmesan. And threw it the oven at 425 degrees for about 25 min or until done.

I think I am going to stick with deep dish from now on. Not only is it incredibly convenient, you can add a lot more toppings without the fear of the dough getting soggy or not being strong enough to hold up all that deliciousness. Hope y'all enjoy.

Smoked Pork Butt

Veteran's Day gave me an excuse to get outdoors and cook. I was looking at the meat in Albertson's and saw that their pork butt roasts were on sale, I took a closer look, only to find a 7 1/2 lbs hunk of meat for only $4! Now I am a college student, so any kind of deal like that I cannot pass up. Needless to say, I had absolutely no problem coming up with an idea with what to do with it....Pulled Pork, baby! Since Joe's birthday was in the next couple of days, I thought that this was an ideal time to cook one of his favorites! My parents have a smoker at their house so I packed up my car and headed out there for the day to smoke my pork butt.

I did marinate the pork butt overnight, to ensure a flavorful tender meat. I simply made one inch slices all over the meat and inserted whole cloves of garlic into each hole, then I seasoned the entire thing with salt and pepper, and made a sauce with apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, dried mustard, cumin, a little ginger, soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce. I then wrapped it in plastic wrap and stuck it in the fridge overnight.

In the smoker I used natural wood charcoal and created wood with water soaked wood chips and fresh herbs, rosemary and sage (since I have an abundance of them). The time you need to completely smoke a piece of meat the size that I was dealing with, would have taken me around 21 hours to finish. I simply did not have the time (or patience) to wait that long. So, I smoked the pork for about 4 hours (enough time to absorb that amazing smokey flavor) and then stuck it in a pyrex dish, covered it with foil and baked at 400 degrees in the oven till the meat reached the correct temperature.

 

At this point the meat was done but not pulled pork consistency (we still ate some at this point and it was moist and incredibly flavorful). The next day I put the rest of the pork butt in my crock pot on low all afternoon and returned to find the best pulled pork ever. You can tell when pork butt is fall apart ready when the shoulder bone come clean out of the meat. I served this on buns with some homemade bbq sauce. Nom nom nom.

 

Casatiello

My awesome lil' sister got me the book i wanted for my birthday: The Bread Baker's Apprentice. Peter Reinhart has filled this amazing book with luscious recipes. For my first recipe I chose Casatiello (an Italian Brioche), filled with meat and cheese. It definitely took me two tries to master this recipe and produce an outstanding result. My advice: follow the instructions to a 't' and use the right kind of flour...

This was my starter...

Dough rising for the second time. I used parchment to extend the edges of the pan, giving me a taller loaf.

The final result!!! I used provolone and pepperoni that I fried to release a lot of the fat before adding to the dough.

 

Sweet Potato Gnocchi with a Sage Butter Sauce

Ok, so I have had gnocchi before and I have made gnocchi before, but for some reason I just could not get over the texture of these. The sage butter sauce was absolutely incredible! And although I didn't really like these, my boyfriend and my roommates loved this. So, not an epic fail! Hooray!I got the recipe form epicurious...they got some good things going on on their website. Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Brown Butter and Sage Sauce.

Sweet Potato Pie with a Pecan Topping

Wow.  I love sweet potato pie, and with the addition of pecans....words can't even describe the deliciousness. This recipe is fairly simple, and if you have leftover sweet potatoes from the holiday or just because (which is what I had in my fridge), it makes it even easier. Since, I was craving dessert and wanted it fast, without the all the hassle of making my own pie crust...Pillsbury Pie Crusts in the refrigerated section of the store work perfectly.

Sweet Potato Pie with Pecan Topping:

1 1/2 lbs sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 2 inch pieces
2 large eggs
1/3 cup plus another 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
3 Tbsp maple syrup
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3/4 cup plus 1 Tbsp heavy cream
1 pre-baked pie crust
3 Tbsp butter
1 cup of pecans, half of them lightly chopped, the other half whole 

•  Place your pie crust in your pan and prick the bottom with a fork. And bake at 375 for about 8 min or until golden.

•  Make the sweet potato purée. In a large saucepan, cover the sweet potato pieces with water and bring to a boil. Simmer for 15 minutes or until the sweet potato pieces are soft when poked with a knife or fork. Drain. Purée in a food processor until smooth. You may need to add back a little liquid (a tablespoon or two of water) to get a smooth consistency. Let cool completely before using.

•  Prepare the pie. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Place rack at bottom of oven. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, 1/3 cup brown sugar, and maple syrup until smooth. Add the sweet potato purée, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and 3/4 cup of cream. Mix until completely smooth. Pour into cooled crust.

•  Bake the pie. Bake on lowest rack for 50 minutes, until filling has set. You may want to tent the edges of the pie with aluminum foil to prevent the pie crust edges from burning. Cool on rack for one hour. Then transfer to refrigerator and chill completely.

•  Make the pecan topping. Melt 3 Tbsp butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add 1/2 cup of brown sugar and cook, stirring, until smooth, about 3 minutes. Add 1 Tbsp cream, and mix in. Add the pecans, mix to coat the pecans with the sugar mixture. Let cool for 1 minute. Pour mixture over cooled pie. Use a rubber spatula to spread topping over the top of the pie. Cool until topping has hardened, about 30 minutes. 

 

Pescado Zarandeado

I've never de-boned and butterflied a whole fish, but for this recipe I was feeling a little adventurous. Now it probably was not the most beautiful de-boning ever done, but it did the trick. For this recipe I used Red Snapper because it's fresh and easy to find in Florida, however, I think any white fish could be used with good results. Pescado Zarandeado is a Mexican fish dish with Asian influences...this recipe is pretty involved and takes some time to do in the kitchen but it was well worth the results.The recipe can be found here.

I served the fish with warm corn tortillas and citrsy, spicy black beans, which are fantastic if you love spicy food :) The recipe can be found here. I quickened up this recipe by using canned black beans.

Beer-can Chicken

An essential part of my tailgating activities include food and beer...and this combines the best of both worlds. If you haven't tried beer-can chicken, I encourage you to make it. The meat comes out so tender and the flavor from the rub is outstanding. I use Steven Raichlen's basic barbecue rub recipe from his book Beer-Can Chicken. This rub could be used for any meat, I've used it on ribs and they've come out great!

All-Purpose BBQ Rub:

1/4 cup coarse salt (kosher or sea)

1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup sweet paprika
2 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper

I usually double the recipe for the rub and store what i don't use in a ziplock bag in the freezer (this makes it easier for the next time I want to make this yummy chicken).

Basic Beer-can Chicken:

1 can (12 ounces) beer
1 chicken (31/2 to 4 pounds)
2 tablespoons All-Purpose Barbecue Rub
2 teaspoons olive oil 

First, you are going to want to rinse and pat dry your chicken. Then drizzle 1 tsp olive oil inside the chicken cavity and sprinkle with the rub. Do the same with the outside of the bird. Now you are going to want to drink (or pour out) half of your can of beer and put a spoonful or two of the rub inside the beer-can (it will foam don't worry). Finally, if you have a handy dandy beer-can chicken stand you place the can in the middle and slide the bird on top of the can, or simply slide the bird over the can so it is sitting upright. Put it on your grill in indirect medium heat for about an hour to an hour and a half or until done. I use a meat thermometer check. When your bird is done, using large tongs (and perhaps with the help of someone else) very very carefully remove the chicken from the can (the liquid will be hot so watch out!). tent the meat and let it rest 15 min and then slice and serve with your preferred side. Trust me once you've tried this, you probably won't want bbq chicken any other way!!

Ratatouille's Ratatouille!

Last week, i gave in and bought a mandolin slicer (it's beautiful!) that I've been wanting to get for the past month. And naturally had to use it to make something and what better than ratatouille or technically, confit byaldi. I've made this recipe several times, it is time consuming but well worth the wait. Of course I've added a few shortcuts here in there to take some of the time off. :) Here is the recipe, it was printed in the New York Times:

For Piperade:

• 1 1/2 red bell peppers, halved
• 2 tbs evoo
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 1/2 c finely diced yellow onion
• 12 oz tomatoes peeled, de-seeded and juice reserved (here i just take a 28oz can of whole peeled plum tomatoes and mush them up...it works great and saves time!)
• sprig of thyme
• sprig of flat leafed parsley
• 1/2 a bay leaf
• kosher salt

For vegetables:

• one japanese eggplant, one zucchini, one yellow squash, and four plum tomatoes

For olive oil mixture:

• 2 tsp evoo
• 1/2 tsp minced garlic
• 1/8 tsp fresh thyme leaves
• salt and pepper to season

For vinaigrette:

• 1 tbs evoo
• 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
• asst fresh herbs (thyme, parsley, etc)
• reserved piperade
• salt and pepper to season

Directions:

1. For piperade, heat oven to 450 degrees. Place pepper halves on a foil-lined sheet, cut side down. Roast
    until skin loosens, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let rest until cool enough to handle. Peel and
    chop finely.

2. Combine oil, garlic, and onion in medium skillet over low heat until very soft but not browned, about 8
    minutes. Add tomatoes, their juices, thyme, parsley, and bay leaf. Simmer over low heat until very soft and
    very little liquid remains, about 10 minutes, do not brown; add peppers and simmer to soften them. Season
    to taste with salt, and discard herbs. Reserve tablespoon of mixture and spread remainder in bottom of an
    8-inch skillet.

3. For vegetables, heat oven to 275 degrees. Down center of pan, arrange a strip of 8 alternating slices of
    vegetables over piperade, overlapping so that 1/4 inch of each slice is exposed. Around the center strip,
    overlap vegetables in a close spiral that lets slices mound slightly toward center. Repeat until pan is filled;
    all vegetables may not be needed.

4. Mix garlic, oil, and thyme leaves in bowl and season with salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle over
    vegetables. Cover pan with foil and crimp edges to seal well. Bake until vegetables are tender when tested
    with a paring knife, about 2 hours. Uncover and bake for 30 minutes more. (Lightly cover with foil if it
    starts to brown.) If there is excess liquid in pan, place over medium heat on stove until reduced. (At this
    point it may be cooled, covered and refrigerated for up to 2 days. Serve cold or reheat in 350-degree
    oven (until warm).

5. For vinaigrette, combine reserved piperade, oil, vinegar, herbs, and salt and pepper to taste in a bowl.

6. To serve, heat broiler and place byaldi underneath until lightly browned. Slice in quarters and very carefully
    lift onto plate with offset spatula. Turn spatula 90 degrees, guiding byaldi into fan shape. Drizzle vinaigrette
    around plate. Serve hot.

Yield: 4 servings

Before the baking

Ratatouille makes great leftovers!!! And the best way to eat this left over is in sandwich form!!!! It makes a simple but absolutely yummy sandwich: All you need is a french bread loaf, some cheese ( i like mozzarella), and your ratatouille. Toast the bread with the cheese till crispy and melted and then add you ratatouille and piperade (if you have any left):

 

First Post.

Wow! I can't believe am so excited that I actually got around to doing this. Hopefully this blog won't become too much of a distraction for me, but i guess we will see. Haha. Today, I made my first pot roast (it's weird that it's my first...considering i cook all the time)!! It was a Red-Wine Pot Roast with Porcini, and let me tell you, it was an absolutely fabulous, melt in your mouth, killer aroma pot roast. Of course I tweaked it a little bit, but for the most part, I made it as written. I doubled the garlic (because I love it!), substituted thyme for marjoram (because that's what I had in the fridge), and cooked it in my crock pot on low for 6 hours (with amazing results if i may say so myself). The amazing boyfriend (who claims he hates pot roast <<= how is that even possible??) is coming over soon , and has promised me he will try it. This is because of course I can cook anything (according to him) and make it taste good (he also hates yellow squash..i made ratatouille last week with this in it and he ate it and liked it...hmmm) :) :). I'm serving the pot roast with roasted garlic mashed potatoes (sooo delicious), and I am pretty positive he won't be able to not like it. So I guess my next step to this whole blog thing will be taking pictures and of course uploading them...this will not happen tonight, but I promise one day it will.