The Beginning!

My 1st blog! I have mentioned to many of you that this was an idea of mine to keep us in touch and drooling. I have had a curious obsession and interest in cooking since I was young and I sure do like to eat (especially when its made for me). This Blog is for OUR ideas and creations in the kitchen. I would like a combined effort from all of you family and friends to add your culinary ups and downs. Share your advice, Play with your food, and then BLOG! Blogging is a horrible word so think of it as food critiquing or a food journal. As soon as we get enough people using it, your recipe book will be full. You will also have a easier time deciding what to make throughout the week. The average American spends $163.5 a week on food. The reason why is because they just pick items and do not plan. This blog will hopefully help you plan your recipes for the week and also inspire us all to try what you made. My wife and I each week switch off who is cooking and try different recipes from various cookbooks. We both have very distinct and different palates, her's is simple with many flavors and usually vegetarian, while mine leans towards hearty and homestyle. There are many types of palates out there especially in our circles of friends and family. Sweet to Sour, Light to Heavy, European to Asian, Winter to Summer, Party or Dinner for One. This Blog will hopefully bring ideas and recipes from all these palates and let us explorer and adventure. This blog is mainly for me because I miss all of you and want to hear from you but I thought this idea would be a great experience. Hope to hear and see things from all of you!

Love,
Chad..der Box

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Easy as 1-2-3.... Pain Au Chocolat!!!

While in France every morning Kayla would get 2 or 3 of these croissants filled with chocolate. They were amazing. I tried to duplicate them and it was REALLY easy! They weren't exactly the same but for cutting out the 3 centuries of history and experience most of the bakeries have there, it does the trick.

Chocolate Crossants

  • 1 package of Pillsbury Butter Flake Croissants
  • 7-9 Tbsp Nutella 


Thats it!
Take the croissant dough, unroll. Add a tbsp of the Nutella onto the wide side of the dough and roll.
Follow the instructions on the packaging of the croissants.....and walla!


Thursday, September 2, 2010

SoMe nEw ReCiPeS

It has been forever since I have added anything to this thing. We misplaced our camera since our move and I was planning to put a bunch of things up but couldn't take any pic of the recipes. Here are a couple good ones that we have tried...

Panko Crusted Salmon
  1. teaspoons olive oil
  2. 4 pieces thickly cut, boneless salmon(each 6 oz)
  3. salt and pepper to taste
  4. 2 Tbsp honey mustard
  5. 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
  6. 2/3 cup panko bread crumbs (I prefer Progresso brand by General Mills haha)
  7. 2 Tbsp chopped Italian Parsley
  8. 1/2 teaspoon hungarian sweet paprika.. This is quiet expensive for such a small item, substitute cayenne pepper
Notes: Paprika is made from special kinds of sweet red peppers, which are dried and ground. Varieties include the highly regarded and sweet Hungarian paprika = rose paprika = sweet paprika = Hungarian pepper and the cheaper and more pungent Spanish paprika = Spanish pepper = pimentón = pimenton. Cookbooks that call for paprika are usually referring to Hungarian paprika. Substitutes: cayenne pepper (much hotter)



    Directions-
    1. Preheat the oven to 400°F (convection or regular). Set the salmon on a foil-lined baking sheet skin side down. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
    2. In a small bowl, combine the honey mustard and 1 teaspoon of the thyme. In another small bowl, mix the panko with the remaining 1 teaspoon of thyme, 4 teaspoons of olive oil, parsley, and paprika. Add salt and pepper (a light sprinkle).
    3. Using a small spoon, spread the mustard mixture on the salmon; top with the bread crumb mixture.

    4. Roast the salmon for 12-14 minutes (test at 10) or until it is almost completely firm to the touch and flakes when poked with a fork. I always bake it longer, so more like 16-18. Serve at once


    We served this up with garlic potatoes.. that was too strong to go with this meal. The salmon is very flavorful so I suggest something light as a side like a salad.



    Wednesday, April 28, 2010

    Banana Muffins












    First blog post of my life. (Except for that thing Xanga we did 100 years ago before the word "blog" was invented.) Anyway- here is a tasty recipe next time your bananas turn brown. (The ones I used were only semi-brown, and therefore we had chunky banana muffins, but anyway...)
    Ingredients
    1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
    1 teaspoon baking soda
    1 teaspoon baking powder
    1/2 teaspoon salt
    3 large ripe bananas, mashed
    3/4 cup sugar
    1 egg, lightly beaten
    1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted

    TOPPING:
    1/3 cup packed brown sugar
    1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
    1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
    1 tablespoon cold butter

    Directions

    1. In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients.
    2. Combine bananas, sugar, egg and butter; mix well.
    3. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups three-fourths full.
    4. Combine the first three topping ingredients; cut in butter until crumbly.
    5. Sprinkle over muffins.
    6. Bake at 375 degrees for 18-20 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.
    If you are bored with generic recipes like I was, you can also add a bit of vanilla, cinnamon, or anything else you think will taste good. That's what I did, and rave reviews followed.

    Wednesday, March 17, 2010

    UJEQE (AFRICAN STEAMED BREAD)

    This week, I longed for a traditional african meal. I googled around looking for the recipe but was still skeptical with what I found. I turned to the source, my South African friends. I received some answers to my questions and here it is..................
    Ujeqe, yes OOje(click)e!!!!
    This is a very unique recipe and not for the faint in heart. Just kidding! The name is more bark than bite. The recipe is very easy. See for yourself, the ingredients are below.
    - 4 cups cake flour
    - 3/4 packet dry yeast
    - 5 tablespoons white sugar
    - 1/2 teaspoon salt
    - 2 cups Warm water
    - Oil
    First- Mix all the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Slowly add the warm to hot water while kneading the dry ingredients in. We are making a dough so create it to the consistency where the dough comes clean off your fingers and is no longer sticky. Keep some flour close, for security. When you knead it smooth set in a warm area and cover with a clothe. Let it sit for 15 minutes and rise a bit. After it has sat, knead it a bit more and then let it sit some more. This time longer, for about a hour. Now for the fun. Take a plastic grocery bag and with a paper towel covered in the oil, rub the inside of the bag to prevent it from sticking to badly. Put the dough in the bag, enclose the bag and then put into a 3 qt pot. This pot will then go into the 6 qt pot of boiling water just enough so it doesn't spill over. Like a double broiler. Let it steam in the pots for 2 hours, yes 1 1/2 to 2 hours. This will give you enough time to practice pronouncing its name. Open up the top of the bag to check if still doughy. You will also need to check it time to time and see if there is still water in the bigger pot.
    This bread is SUPER moist even closely related to that of a dumpling. Try serving this light spongey bread with a spicy curry or gravy. Heck, even with some pb and j the next day.


    Picture of what we served it with. A red curry full of chicken, potatoes, and red peppers. Sides- Butternut squash baked coated in rosemary, a pomegranate honey, lime, and olive oil.. baked to perfe...a little burnt.. oops sorry Kayla(so beautiful she's distracting). Also a curried spinach and peanut butter stew. Also not for the faint in heart. 
    Enjoy!



    Friday, March 12, 2010

    Pictures of the Corn Tamale Cakes

    Tasty-
    This was really good! The recipe is the 1st one I added to the blog! Scroll Down!

    Sunday, February 28, 2010

    Fruited Chicken Salad

    Ingredients:

    1 box shell pasta cooked and drained

    cooked & chopped chicken breast

    2 big cans mandarin oranges

    2 cups seedless grapes-halved

    1 can sliced water chestnuts chopped

    1 cup diced celery

    3/4 cup chopped nuts (optional)

    2 pkgs. dry buttermilk ranch salad dressing mix

    1/2 of the milk called for in 1 pkg dressing mix

    3/4 cups mayonnaise


    Directions:

    Put all ingredients in large serving bowl except oranges and dressing ingredients

    Mix dressing ingredients in small bowl and pour over other ingredients

    Refrigerate

    Just before serving, mix in oranges

    Sort of looks like this:

    Monday, February 22, 2010

    { golden chicken potpie } by williams-sonoma

    Ingredients

    for the filling
    • 1 Tbsp unsalted butter
    • 1/2 cup yellow union diced
    • 1 stalk celery, finely sliced
    • 4 small carrots, sliced
    • 1 cup mushroom caps, quartered {I didn't have mushrooms, so I used frozen peas, very tasty}
    • 1/4 cup dry white wine
    • 1 cup chicken stock {or broth if you prefer a bit more of a salty taste}
    • 1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
    • 1 Tbsp all-purpose flour
    • 2 cups diced cooked chicken
    • 1 large egg beaten with 1 tsp water
    for the crust {quick puff pastry}
    • 3&1/2 cups all-purpose flour
    • 2 tsp kosher salt
    • 1 lb cold unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch cubes
    • 2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
    • 1 cup ice water

    {filling}
    Boil chicken in water until fully cooked. Drain water, remove chicken, dice, and set aside. In a pot, warm and melt butter. Add onion and celery, and saute until golden {3-5 minutes}. Add carrots and mushrooms {again, I used peas...I'm not a HUGE mushroom girl} and saute an additional 3 minutes. Pour in wine, bring to a simmer, and reduce for 3 minutes. Add the stock and thyme and simmer until the vegetables are crisp-tender, about 5 minutes.

    In a small bowl, whisk together the flour and 1/4 cup cold water until smooth. Add to stock mixture to thicken. {I added quite a bit more flour and water to achieve a thicker gravy-type filling, so add flour to desired thickness :) } Stir well, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until the vegetables are just tender, about 5 minutes. Add the diced chicken and let simmer another 5 minutes. Remove from heat and pour into a bowl, let cool, cover, and refrigerate for 2 hours. The filling can be made up to 2 days in advance {it's important to chill filling before assembling the pie, because if warm, the filling will heat the pie crust; thus, making it less flaky}

    Preheat oven to 400F. Butter a 9-inch pie dish. Pour filling into the dish and cover with pastry crust, folding the edges onto the dish. Brush with egg mixture and cut a few vents in the center. Bake until the crust is golden and the filling is hot and bubbling {about 45 minutes} Let cool 15 minutes before serving.
    *This makes enough filling for 1 9"potpie. I doubled this recipe and made 4 {quite large} mini-potpies. I've also made it a few times and found that using broth adds a little more flavor. I felt the stock made the filling a little bland and lacking salt. But that's just me :) Either way this recipe is divine! I love crust, but I like that the crust on this potpie is only on the top. You get more of the hearty filling that way! It is already a family favorite and I plan on using it in the future. {read more if you want to try the homemade crust...recommended...}



    {crust}
    If you decide you'd rather purchase a store-bought pie crust or use your own recipe with shortening, go for it! BUT I highly recommend trying this at least once! It makes all the difference with butta as the main ingredient...it really melts in your mouth {mmmmm}

    In the bowl of a stand mixer, stir together the flour and salt. Fit the mixer with the paddle attachment, scatter the butter over the flour mixture, and mix on medium speed until the butter is the size of large peas and coated with flour. On medium-low speed, add the vinegar and then drizzle in the ice water until the flour mixture is moistened and starts to come together. You may not need all of it.

    Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, gather into a ball, and knead lightly until uniform. Roll out until the dough is about 1/2" thick. Divide into thirds, roll each third into a ball, wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to overnight. {Or freeze up to 3 months and thaw, still wrapped, in the refrigerator overnight} Makes enough for 3 10" tarts.

    When ready to use, roll out on a floured surface to desired thickness and cut a circle for desired size of pie/tart. ***This crust is great with fruit pies as well, just sprinkle sugar on top before baking***

    Note: It's important for the pastry dough to be chilled before baking. The colder the dough is going directly into the hot oven, the flakier the crust will be :)



    From our family to yours,
    Enjoy <3


    P.S.
    Sorry for the sudden blog bomb, our Mack friends! I've been meaning to post recipes for a while, so I had a few stored up. I'll try to stay more on top of it :)