kitchen tool of the week

I love the kitchen. When we were planning the building of our house, I drew exactly how I wanted the kitchen and said, "now work around that." Along with loving the kitchen I love the kitchen tools. So every once and a while I will highlight a favorite kitchen tool. Today . . . .

the meat grinder

I just got this not too long ago. Every year I can salsa with my mother-in-law and we have used the timeless and painful method of hand grinding all the peppers (which you must do if you want any real flavor or spice in your salsa because is squeezes out the juice while it grinds the peppers). So this year I got the meat grinder and I felt like a old lady entering the technology age.


Lucky for me, salsa isn't the only thing I use a meat grinder for, I actually grind meat for it. For instance, my chicken lettuce wraps.

Pre-meat grinder I would pulse raw chicken in my food processor, which works just fine. You can add just about any ingredient to these lettuce wraps and they would probably taste good, as a matter of a fact I never really do them the same twice.

Ingredients;

2-3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, ran through meat grinder or pulsed in processor

1-2 cloves garlic crushed

diced green pepper (maybe 1?)

fine diced red pepper (half of a pepper?)

fine diced carrots (8-10 baby carrots?)

fine diced mushrooms (6-7?)

1/4 c soy sauce

2 or 3 T of oyster sauce

1/4 t chili paste (optional)


Saute this all together in a hot oiled pan. Do some tasting to see if you need a little more soy sauce. You can also add other ingredients, celery, water chestnuts, tofu, green pepper . . . . .

Election night Party

Yesterday was not a typical day, I cooked all day. As far as I am concerned, election night is like Christmas Eve, but it only comes every four years, and this year I got exactly what I wanted! We had all the family up to the cabin for an election party! So I did a bunch of Asian things; Sushi rolls, shrimp won tons, gyosa (pot stickers), seared tuna, Korean beef, chicken lettuce wraps. When I got to the cabin, mother dear had bought a bunch of junk food, chips, Carmel popcorn, pizza, donuts, and make a huge pot of chicken noodle soup. So we were kind of going in two different directions on that one.

So that is a lot of recipes to post my friends (not to sound like John Mccain), but stay tuned and I will post the lettuce wraps shortly!

The chocolate cake that makes you look like freakin' Martha Stewart!

Ok, you have to admit the cake looks good. Well it tastes good too, and its super easy.
Ingredients:
2 box chocolate cake mixes
2 small chocolate pudding mix boxes (instant)
8 eggs
1 c oil
1/2 water (add a couple more tablespoons if you want)
2 c sour cream

Mix together cake mix and pudding, then add the rest of the ingredients and mix well with stand mixer of hand mixer. The batter will be really thick. Divide into 9 nine inch round cake pans (sprayed with pam) and bake at 350 for 30-40 min. Try to make the batter as even as possible, you will be glad when its time to layer the cake You'll have to poke with a tooth pick to make sure they are done. (I cooked them for 35) You really don't want to over cook them!

Meanwhile . . . .
Frosting
You can use the can frosting, that is easy and is fine, I have done it before. Or you can make frosting. To be honest, since I never go off recipes this is what I did, generally. . . .

Melted a bar of Ghiradelli bittersweet chocolate with a stick of butter on the stove (or the microwave, but I don't have one . . .we'll get to that later)
a bag of powdered sugar
a splash of vanilla
a dash of salt (tiny dash)
and enough milk to turn it to frosting

Its a tasting thing, taste it, does it need more sugar? too sweet? better melt some more chocolate.

You can use coco powder as well, but to me the flavors don't blend as well with coco powder, I taste coco powder and sugar instead of CHOCOLATE

When the cakes are done, if you cakes have a little bit of a mushroom top, get your bread knife and give it a hair cut so the top is level. that way the cake will all stack well. But the first cake on the plate top down. Add frosting to the top, next cake bottom down, add more frosting. Last layer bottom down. Now it is time to frost the whole cake. Make it look pretty! Add some fruit to the top for looks (make sure the fruit is super dry and if you do strawberries, don't do it till serving because once you cut the tops of the strawberries they will start to bleed after a couple hours and make a little liquid on your cake). The key is making sure the cakes are flat.
Aren't you proud of yourself? You know I am!

The salmon staple

So children are asking me why I am always taking pictures of my food (and never them!). I am getting in the habit of it, but I only remembered halfway through dinner last night. We ate another family staple, salmon. Salmon is good for you, its easy to like and easy to cook, I do not vary from this method very often, and I would say it is perfect. First, get you dark sunglasses and trench coat because you are heading to the liquor store. I always use white wine when I cook salmon. At the liquor store you can buy what are called splits (thanks next door neighbor for introducing me to my first split, what a bad influence :) ) Which are half bottles, they also have some with replaceable lids (see pic).

I always get my salmon from Costco (as you will discover, costco is my world). Always rinse the fish is cold, cold water and pat dry. Heat up you skillet hot with olive oil coating the pan. Season your salmon with season salt, and pepper (a lemon pepper is best). If the fish has skin, but skin side up in the pan, if not, do seasoned side down. The fish should sizzle majorly. Season the other side the same way and cover. As soon as the fish turns opaque, flip it. It should be nice a browned. Pour like a 1/4c to 1/3 c wine on top and cover again. If the fish is thinner, turn off immediately, if it is a little thicker, give it 30 sec to a minute then turn off. Leave the lid on till you are ready to serve. Squeeze on a little lemon.

I served the salmon with some baked mac and cheese, asparagus, green salad and fruit.

Sunday Dinner

Sunday dinner in our family really hasn't changed for 4 generations. Meat, mashed potatoes, gravy, corn, green vegetable, orange vegetable, green salad, fresh fruit, dessert. That's how grandma Marion did it, that how my mom did it, and now that is how I do it. If its roast beef, I always put in 2 0r 3 roasts, because I never know who is coming to dinner. The constants are the grandparents and the great- grandparents.

This Sunday was chicken:

I like chicken pieces more than a whole chicken. I coat them in flour, salt and pepper the crap out of them (that is term you will hear a lot from me, if you know someone who is not a very good cook its because they are not doing the aforementioned) drizzle a little oil on them and brown them at 450 degrees, till browned. After they are browned add, bay leaves, 2 or 3 cloves garlic crushed, dried onion, a couple teaspoons chicken base (see pic) and just a little water (there should already be liquid from the chicken), next cover and put back into the oven. Now since I'll be away at church for the next 4-5 hours I am going to cook it really slow at 250 degrees, but you could do it as quick as 1-2 hours at 325.

next;

mashed potatoes

carrots with brown sugar

corn (best, coscto white corn)

green beans (fresh from costco)

home canned peaches

green salad with rice vinegar and oil

But the crowning achievement of the meal my beautiful cake. . . . . behold! I'll have to post that recipe later . . . .just to keep you wanting more!

Most people start a blog to keep people updated about their lives and the people they love. Well, I thought I would blog about something I love, FOOD! (sorry children of mine, I love you too). This blog will be about what I am cooking, and what I am learning about food. So if you ever are asking yourself, what should I cook for dinner, come lurk on the blog and see what Nan has been cookin'!

Starting the hobble creek kitchen blog

The blog can not be revealed until it is perfect!