I know this sounds pretty gross, but in application it is pretty tasty. As I have mentioned before, I am a real stickler when it comes to using leftovers. I had leftover mashed potatoes, so I knew immediately that I wanted to make cream of potato soup, which is an easy Finnish recipe I had picked up on a couple years ago. I also had some sauerkraut left over from when I made hot dogs and decided, why not combine the two and put my own twist on the traditional recipe?
The traditional recipe is pretty straightforward. First, you take about two cups of leftover mashed potatoes and mix them with about two and a half cups of milk, whisking to eliminate as many lumps as possible. Once you do that, slowly whisk in about a cup of half and half; this time I didn't have any half and half, so I made my own using some whipped cream and milk. Then you put it into a pan, if you haven't already, and heat it on medium heat, whisking constantly, until it's slightly thickened and bubbly. Then you add allspice and salt and pepper to taste. Then you put some soup into mugs and top the soup with a half teaspoon of butter. The variation I made was adding the sauerkraut just before it gets to the point of boiling. I also didn't add any butter when serving because, well, it's fatty enough without adding more.
Will wasn't home to try it, since he had to work late, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. The sauerkraut added a nice zing to it without overpowering the potato flavor. And for those of you who are vegan, all you have to do to make this work for you is use mashed potatoes that have been made with dairy alternatives and instead of milk and half and half, use a soy milk of any other dairy alternative.
UPDATE: Will tried it yesterday for lunch. He enjoyed it as well and wants me to make it again. Perhaps on nights when I have leftover sauerkraut and not enough carrots to make carrot casserole I shall.
Saturday, August 4, 2012
Thursday, August 2, 2012
Cold Pork and Cheddar Sandwiches: Easy Use of Leftovers
Remember those pork chops I made earlier in the week? Well, I was afraid it would be too salty to make pulled pork with, so I decided on the next best thing: cold sandwiches served with tri-color radiatori with seasoned salt.
The trick to any good sandwich is the bread; you can have an amazing meat and really good cheese, but without good bread to emphasize the flavors, your sandwich will fall flat. I really like to use a San Fransisco sourdough bread, but any artisanal bread will do fine. Then, thinly slice your pork and cheese; if you want to add any other toppings, go for it. For example, I added sweet onion and mayonnaise, but Will had it plain.
We both really enjoyed it. While sandwiches may seem like a cop-out, they do work for something nice for a hot summer evening, especially if you make them into something more than just cold cuts and Kraft singles.
The trick to any good sandwich is the bread; you can have an amazing meat and really good cheese, but without good bread to emphasize the flavors, your sandwich will fall flat. I really like to use a San Fransisco sourdough bread, but any artisanal bread will do fine. Then, thinly slice your pork and cheese; if you want to add any other toppings, go for it. For example, I added sweet onion and mayonnaise, but Will had it plain.
We both really enjoyed it. While sandwiches may seem like a cop-out, they do work for something nice for a hot summer evening, especially if you make them into something more than just cold cuts and Kraft singles.
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
Hot Dogs With Sauerkraut and Caramelized Onions: Quick Yet Simple
It may sound not nutritionally dense, but we did this without any bread, so it's not as bad as it could be. I also used all beef, uncured hot dogs that are low on sodium and, instead of frying them, grilled them; all excess fat wound up in the depths known as my grill burners.
First, I grilled my hot dogs slowly with a smoker box full of hickory chips. The smoke can make up for the lower salt content by adding extra flavor. Meanwhile, I made my Bavarian style sauerkraut and caramelized my onions. With caramelizing onions, you don't need to use much; a little pepper adds a pleasant zing to them without compromising the flavor.
Will liked it, so well that he ate four hot dogs; he never does that.
First, I grilled my hot dogs slowly with a smoker box full of hickory chips. The smoke can make up for the lower salt content by adding extra flavor. Meanwhile, I made my Bavarian style sauerkraut and caramelized my onions. With caramelizing onions, you don't need to use much; a little pepper adds a pleasant zing to them without compromising the flavor.
Will liked it, so well that he ate four hot dogs; he never does that.
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Beer Butt Chicken: Fun and Tasty
Whole fryer chickens were on sale three weeks ago, so I decided to pick one up to make into beer butt chicken. Unfortunately I forgot to take into account that it's monsoon season. By the time I got the chicken thawed out enough to cook, it had poured; call me crazy, but cooking on a gas grill in the middle of a thunderstorm sounds like a really bad idea. I wound up making this in the oven instead.
First, you preheat the oven to 350 degrees and put the rack for your oven on the bottommost position. Meanwhile, empty half a can of beer into a glass; consider it a treat for yourself. Sprinkle the outside of the chicken with salt, pepper, and herbs of your choice; rosemary, thyme, oregano, and sage go really well on chicken. Set the half full beer can in the center of a roasting pan and carefully set the chicken's cavity onto the beer can. You should be able to form a tripod with the legs so the chicken doesn't fall over. By now your oven should be ready, so carefully put the chicken in the oven. Cook this for about an hour and fifteen for a four pound bird. Once the chicken is done completely, take it out of the oven and let it sit for about five minutes. Then carefully set the chicken on its side and remove the can while wearing an oven mitt. Remember the oven mitt part specifically; that beer is very likely boiling and the metal can probably doesn't feel too pleasant either. Carve up your chicken and serve with sides of your choice. I personally chose to make baked potatoes and broccoli, but any sides will do, and the pan drippings would have made an awesome gravy, so I froze the drippings for a later date.
My entire family enjoyed it to say the least. Will said this is something I will have to do again. Between the price of fryer chickens and the fact that I can make stock with the bones, I will be happy to do this again.
First, you preheat the oven to 350 degrees and put the rack for your oven on the bottommost position. Meanwhile, empty half a can of beer into a glass; consider it a treat for yourself. Sprinkle the outside of the chicken with salt, pepper, and herbs of your choice; rosemary, thyme, oregano, and sage go really well on chicken. Set the half full beer can in the center of a roasting pan and carefully set the chicken's cavity onto the beer can. You should be able to form a tripod with the legs so the chicken doesn't fall over. By now your oven should be ready, so carefully put the chicken in the oven. Cook this for about an hour and fifteen for a four pound bird. Once the chicken is done completely, take it out of the oven and let it sit for about five minutes. Then carefully set the chicken on its side and remove the can while wearing an oven mitt. Remember the oven mitt part specifically; that beer is very likely boiling and the metal can probably doesn't feel too pleasant either. Carve up your chicken and serve with sides of your choice. I personally chose to make baked potatoes and broccoli, but any sides will do, and the pan drippings would have made an awesome gravy, so I froze the drippings for a later date.
My entire family enjoyed it to say the least. Will said this is something I will have to do again. Between the price of fryer chickens and the fact that I can make stock with the bones, I will be happy to do this again.
Monday, July 30, 2012
Cream of Tomato Soup: A Quick, Easy Summer Recipe
This is the single easiest recipe I know how to make. All you need are a couple small ingredients that are easy to keep in and around the home and a little know-how.
All you need is 8 ounces of cream cheese; if you want to slim down, don't go for the low fat. To make it low fat, they have to add all kinds of chemicals to get the texture and consistency right. Try using neufchatel instead; it's lower fat and has no funny stuff in it, plus it's often cheaper than cream cheese. You also need a can of diced tomatoes, fresh basil, salt, pepper, and milk. I used ones that are roasted with Italian herbs, but really, any canned diced tomatoes will do well. This time, my basil plant is really small (when I lived in my apartment, my basil plant was nearly four feet tall, but due to planting the plant at my house late, it's less than half the height it was at the apartment), so I wound up using dried mixed in with some of the fresh. For those of you who ask me why grow basil, let me tell you that fresh basil is really expensive and generally the first thing to go bad in the fridge. You save a lot of money simply by going outside and getting what you need off your plant; plus it helps your yard to smell fresher.
If you're like me, you hate doing large amounts of dishes. What I do is stick my ingredients in my pan and blend it using my immersion blender. This way, all that needs to be washed is the pan I cooked in and the bottom portion of the immersion blender. Finally, taste it, and alter the seasoning as necessary. Once it tastes right, heat it on medium until it's thick and heated through.
I usually serve this with Caprese sandwiches, but like I said, I didn't have enough basil to get away with that. However, we had oyster crackers, so Will went to town with that.
All you need is 8 ounces of cream cheese; if you want to slim down, don't go for the low fat. To make it low fat, they have to add all kinds of chemicals to get the texture and consistency right. Try using neufchatel instead; it's lower fat and has no funny stuff in it, plus it's often cheaper than cream cheese. You also need a can of diced tomatoes, fresh basil, salt, pepper, and milk. I used ones that are roasted with Italian herbs, but really, any canned diced tomatoes will do well. This time, my basil plant is really small (when I lived in my apartment, my basil plant was nearly four feet tall, but due to planting the plant at my house late, it's less than half the height it was at the apartment), so I wound up using dried mixed in with some of the fresh. For those of you who ask me why grow basil, let me tell you that fresh basil is really expensive and generally the first thing to go bad in the fridge. You save a lot of money simply by going outside and getting what you need off your plant; plus it helps your yard to smell fresher.
If you're like me, you hate doing large amounts of dishes. What I do is stick my ingredients in my pan and blend it using my immersion blender. This way, all that needs to be washed is the pan I cooked in and the bottom portion of the immersion blender. Finally, taste it, and alter the seasoning as necessary. Once it tastes right, heat it on medium until it's thick and heated through.
I usually serve this with Caprese sandwiches, but like I said, I didn't have enough basil to get away with that. However, we had oyster crackers, so Will went to town with that.
Friday, July 27, 2012
Sesame Crusted Pork Chops: Added a Twist, Learned a Lesson
I made the sesame crusted chops I made last month. This time, I added a touch of wasabi paste for an extra kick. That was a nice touch, but I think that next time I make this, I won't marinate this as long. It really only needs to marinate for a couple minutes.
This time I served it with mashed potatoes, broccoli, and fresh tomatoes. All in all, it turned out pretty well.
This time I served it with mashed potatoes, broccoli, and fresh tomatoes. All in all, it turned out pretty well.
Thursday, July 26, 2012
Hawaiian Pulled Pork Sandwiches: Quick, Easy Use of Leftovers
I made this before we went on vacation and decided to post it now because I forgot to due to packing.
As I've mentioned before, Will and I cannot eat an entire pork chop by ourselves. I've taken to trying to find a solution for the leftovers, and this one is by far the best. What I do is, I take my leftover chops, put them in a bowl, and pull the meat apart with two forks. If the meat is too tough to pull, I let it sit in my marinade, which will be below, and then pull it after a day in the marinade.
I mix together a bit of oil, preferably not olive; molasses, soy sauce, ginger, and a small can of unsweetened pineapple juice. I let my meat sit in this mixture in my refrigerator for at least a day, depending on how tough my meat is.
Once I deem it tender enough, I make sandwiches with it. I get my griddle good and hot, assemble my sandwiches, and get to grilling them. I like to use Swiss cheese and sourdough bread, but any combination will do. I use a panini press that is similar to the George Foreman grill in that it removes a lot of excess fat, although these don't tend to be really fatty unless Will makes them.
I have done this for nearly two years and not only does it help us to get every penny out of our meat purchases, it also is a quick meal for when we're on the go.
As I've mentioned before, Will and I cannot eat an entire pork chop by ourselves. I've taken to trying to find a solution for the leftovers, and this one is by far the best. What I do is, I take my leftover chops, put them in a bowl, and pull the meat apart with two forks. If the meat is too tough to pull, I let it sit in my marinade, which will be below, and then pull it after a day in the marinade.
I mix together a bit of oil, preferably not olive; molasses, soy sauce, ginger, and a small can of unsweetened pineapple juice. I let my meat sit in this mixture in my refrigerator for at least a day, depending on how tough my meat is.
Once I deem it tender enough, I make sandwiches with it. I get my griddle good and hot, assemble my sandwiches, and get to grilling them. I like to use Swiss cheese and sourdough bread, but any combination will do. I use a panini press that is similar to the George Foreman grill in that it removes a lot of excess fat, although these don't tend to be really fatty unless Will makes them.
I have done this for nearly two years and not only does it help us to get every penny out of our meat purchases, it also is a quick meal for when we're on the go.
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