~ Menu ~ 

~ Pulled Pork, cooked on grill

~ Grilled Burgers

~ Vichyssoise (start with recipe pg 160 in the art of cooking)

~ Roasted Chicken

~ Panini & Tomato Soup

~ Shrimp Tacos 

Menu to try to inspire myself

when I am not feeling inspired, I create a menu.

Moussaka with a salad of some kind
Turkey burgers, chips, and fruit
Salad with a little boiled shrimp, green beans, potatoes, olives, and egg
?
?
well I guess I have to go find more inspiration...

Biscotti Love

*Ginger Biscotti*

recipe adapted from Baking Illustrated

2 1/4 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp ground white or black pepper
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground cardamom  
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger 
1/4 cup crystallized ginger, chopped
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs + 2 large egg yolks
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup toasted almonds

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Whisk together dry ingredients, stir in toasted almonds. In another bowl, whisk together sugar, eggs, and egg yolks until a light lemon color. Stir in the vanilla. Fold the dry ingredients into the egg mixture, just until combined. Divide in half and shape each half into a 13x2 inch loaf. Bake about 35 minutes, rotating pan halfway through baking time, until just starting to crack on top. Cool for 10 minutes. Lower the oven to 325 degrees. Cut each cooled loaf into 3/8 inch slices. Arrange on baking sheet and return to oven. Bake 15 minutes, turning cookies over halfway through baking time, until crisp and golden. Cool completely on a wire rack.

Poule au Pot - Boiled Chicken

The other day my son and I were looking trough Tastespotting and he saw some boiled chicken and asked if I had ever had it.  I told him yes but it has been years since I have made it.  He then asked if I would make it and I thought this meal was a great idea.  I had forgotten how easy this is to make and how yummy it is.  Thank you  DS for the suggestion!

~ Boiled Chicken ~

1 Whole Chicken
1 Onion cut into quarters through the root with skin removed
a bunch of peeled, whole carrots
a few potatoes.  I cut them into quarters because they were kind of big.
2 large bay leaves
a tablespoon of peppercorns
salt and/or soup seasoning with salt
cold water

Wash the chicken and season with salt and pepper.  Add chicken to a large pot along with all the other ingredients and cover all with cold water.   Place on stove over low medium heat and cook for about an hour or until chicken is 170 degrees.  while the chicken is cooking skim off any or the foam that floats to the top of the water.  Once chicken is cooked remove it from the pot leaving the potatoes and carrots in the pot because they most likely will not be done yet.  Turn the heat up to medium high and cook the potatoes and carrots until they are tender, about 10 minutes.  While the potatoes and carrots are cooking remove the skin from the chicken and get it ready to serve.

I love meals that only require dumping everything in a pot and letting it simmer for a while so you can go do other things like study.

Pork Sliders from Leftover Carnitas

One of the things that I really enjoyed while in Mexico was Carnitas. Now every once in a while I pick up some pork rump roast or ribs to make my own Carnitas and when I do this there is enough meat for 2 or may even 3 meals.  The last batch was not exception so I made sliders with that pork on day 2.

The sliders were on homemade ciabatta bread  with sliced cabbage, onion, leftover pork, and lots of yellow mustard.  they were a big hit.

To make the Carnitas meat I season to pork with salt and pepper and then brown all sides in a hot pot with a little oil.  Once the meat is brown I add cold water just to cover, a tablespoon of cumin (or more), 2 bay leaves, an onion cut into quarters, a few chilies, garlic, 1 teaspoonish garlic powder and a little more S&P.  Simmer on the stove for a couple of hours, until the meat is tender and falling apart.

Gingerbread cookies

• 2 cups flour 
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon cardamom
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne  
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/3 cup packed dark-brown sugar
• 1/3 cup unsulfured molasses
• 1 large egg

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, spices, baking soda, and salt; set aside. With an electric mixer, beat butter and brown sugar until smooth. Beat in molasses and egg. With mixer on low, add dry ingredients; mix just until a dough forms. Place dough on floured plastic wrap; pat into an 8-inch square. Wrap well; chill until firm, 1 to 2 hours.

bake in preheated 350 oven for 10 - 12 minutes 

from here