Tough Love on My Recipes

Be Tough! No Clip Crazy

If you've followed this blog (all 10 of you) since day 1, you know I started the blog to "tough love" my cookbook collection.  While I would love to say that's a success, honestly, it's an epic fail.  However, the reason why is that I've shifted to cooking most (but not all) of my recipes from cooking magazines. 

As I don't ever want to be featured on the tv show "Hoarders"

for holding onto cooking magazines for years, or let's face it, decades, I clip recipes from the magazine pretty soon after receipt.  That said, I do tend to let those same recipes continually accumulate and I end up throwing out probably 50% of them a couple years later after I realize I won't try them.  Oops!

For those of you that love "Extreme Couponing," a key them is organization!  Organization will keep things from spiraling out of control and consuming your life.  Ok, maybe it still becomes all consuming, but it's a more organized approach.

So, with that, here is the first in a series of cooking magazine recipe clipping rules and its implementation:

"Re-ClipR" (Recipe Clipping Rules) (c)

Re-ClipR #1:
You may only clip as many recipes as you will realistically cook meals in one month.

Fiskars Scissors - Great Clipping Option

Translating this - if you only cook breakfast on weekend mornings (Saturday or Sunday(, don't clip more recipes than weekend mornings in a month.  If  there are 4 weekends in a month, then you clip up to 8 recipes approximately.  Cook only on Sunday?  Limit down even further.  Why limit yourself?  Realistically, life gets in the way of the best-laid plans.  You may intend to get up every Sunday morning and cook breakfast.  Then, the kids are sick, or you wake up late and want lunch, or you make brunch plans, etc.  So, rather than clip 10 recipes you may never make, clip 5 you love.  You're more likely to make them, and more likely to want to make them again and again!

Lippert International Recipe Box - Eco-friendly organizer

Same for dinners or lunches.  Never cook lunch?  Then don't count that as a meal you'd clip a recipe for.  If you cook 3 meals per day x 30 days, that's up to 90 recipes a month.  Would I ever clip that many recipes?  Most likely not, but I also don't cook 3 meals per day every day.  Realistically, I cook 4 dinners per week and homemake about 2 - 3 lunches and maybe 1 - 2 breakfast recipes a week. 

Multiply that x 4 weeks per month, and I can clip 16 dinners, 12 lunches, and 8 breakfast recipes.
Still quite a few recipes, but not the overwhelming amount that I will never conceivably make.  Now, I stretch the rule a bit since I make multiple recipes in one meal (i.e. meat, starch, and vegetable at dinner, so I give myself leeway to clip 3 - 4 for one single meal (if I plan it out).  Again, adjust the totals based on YOUR cooking habits.  This is a guide, not a must, but it's a guide intended to help me "tough love" my recipes.

Starting in October, I will be keeping count of what I clip and categorize!

Future rules: special occasion meals, recipe rating systems, and storage/organization!  Stay tuned....

Burger Bonanza

Burger Please!

Everyone has a food vice.  Mine tend to be anything involving salt, fat, and sugar.  But if I must be more specific, salt = french fries or salt & vinegar potato chips, fat = cheese, and sugar = dark chocolate.  While this might inspire me to consider chocolate dipped potato chips from time-to-time, I generally keep my food obsessions separate and distinct.

Right now, the food I cannot stop thinking about is a hamburger.  I am DYING to try a juicy, medium rare burger at a good burger place (and that doesn't mean fast food).  I want to sit down and enjoy a rich, medium-rare burger char grilled or flat-top butter basted, with a toasty bun and cheese.  My mouth is salivating at this thought.  I would actually make my own burger, but didn't buy what I need at the store for the week, so I won't make one myself.  I just can't get this out of my head.  What to do?

In honor of my obsessive thinking, and perhaps anticipating my burger decisions when I satisfy the craving, here are some ideas for tasty burgery treats:

Heart-Attack-on-a-Plate:
American cheese
Onions sauteed in burger fat or butter
Beef patty
Bacon
Steak sauce

Westward Ho
American or cheddar cheese
Sauteed onions
Barbecue sauce
Sour pickles
Beef patty

Southwest and Spicy
Tabasco/Cholula sauce
Sliced ripe avocado
Swiss or pepper jack cheese
Salsa
Jalapenos

And because I'm feeling like having someone else actually cook these burgers for me, here are my favorite burger joints at which to eat:

Five Guys Burgers - they do burgers, they do fries, and that's about it, but they do them well!
http://www.fiveguys.com/home.aspx


Mooyah - quirky disposition plus burgers, fries, and shakes adds up to family-friendly deliciousness
http://www.mooyah.com/


Twisted Root - chef-designed burgers, homemade pickles, and saucy disposition make this a foodie fave
http://twistedrootburgerco.com/wordpress/


So, now that I've made you drool, I would love to hear about your "vices" and what killer burgers you love (and where).

Perfect Panzanella

Living in Florida, light and healthy fare seems the most appetizing after a long day or week at work. Looking through my Cook's Illustrated one day and came across a recipe for Panzanella. What, exactly, is that? Panzanella is a bread salad traditionally made with leftover bread and summer tomatoes.

Well, if you are frugal or plain old cheap, it's the perfect way to use up day old French or sourdough bread when you cannot think of what to do. If you happen to be blessed with a bounty of summer tomatoes, then you have THE most critical ingredient to the dish. If you have both of those items plus some produce you need to use up, you, my friend, have hit the jackpot.

The secret to great Panzanella, according to CI, is toasting the bread, not just letting it go stale. Other recipes call for soaking the bread in water first. Personally, water soaked bread is a mushy goo, so I prefer the thought of toasting the bread until crouton-like. Aside from that, a simple technique of using the juices from the tomatoes (minus seeds) plus an acid and olive oil gives a great and well-flavored dressing.

Here is how to make my version of perfect summer Panzanella, both vegan or meat-loving:

Clear-the-veggie-drawer Panzanella

4 cups French bread, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 1/2 lb. Ripe summer tomatoes
Chopped veggies of choice, up to 2 cups*
4 Tbsp olive oil, divided
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1/4 tsp garlic powder
Salt and pepper
2 Tbsp fresh basil (or 1/2 tsp dried)
2 Tbsp fresh parsley
OPTIONAL additions - cubed fresh mozzarella and/or cubed salami or ham

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut up French bread and place on baking sheet. Drizzle bread with 2 Tbsp olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss cubes to distribute olive oil. Bake in oven for approximately 3 - 7 minutes or until toasted (not too dark). Remove from oven and cool.

Meanwhile, core tomatoes and remove seeds (squeezing out seeds is easiest). Chop tomatoes coarsely and place in colander. Sprinkle tomatoes with salt and place colander over bowl to capture juices. Let sit 10 minutes. Chop other vegetables into chunks and place in bowl. I suggest peeled and seeded cucumbers, chopped bell peppers, green onions, some olives and the tomatoes.

Once tomatoes have sat 10 minutes, squeeze them over the colander to release the juices, then add tomatoes to the other vegetables. Combine the tomato juices and red wine vinegar, garlic powder, and then whisk in the oil, adding up to 3 Tbsp. Season with salt and pepper.add the bread into the vegetables and pour over dressing. Add in Basil and parsley, if desired Mix to combine. Let stand 10 minutes. Just before serving, add in cheese and meat if desired.

Where have I been? Culinary re-inspirations....

If you've been wondering, strange things are afoot at the Circle K.  Actually, since February, my life has changed dramatically.  The hubs and I are dealing with the challenge of living in two separate cities due to a job change I undertook.  As a result, I primarily live in a temporary housing situation in Florida while he maintains the homestead in Dallas.  Aside from completely demotivating me to cook since there is no one for whom to cook, I don't have my knives, utensils, or kitchen (or my sweetie for inspiration).  So, as a consequence, I have honestly cooked very little in the past four months. 

After finally getting settled a bit (with permanent digs coming soon), I finally feel inspired to cook again.  So, welcome back readers as I immerse myself in some new directions (I cooked fish!!) and experiment some on recipes that Ice wouldn't consider trying.  My welcome back present is actually an old favorite that I took from "Real Simple" magazine and adapted.  It is PERFECT for a summer bbq or potluck and I promise you will inspire others to make it too.  It is the ultimate recipe celebrating improvisation and versatility.  Don't like whipping up cream?  Omit the cream and powdered sugar and use Cool-Whip like my mom did.  86 the chocolate chips for different types of crushed up cookies (mint Girl Scout Thin Mints are a fave) or chopped candy bars.  Any way you make it, you won't want to put it back in the freezer!

Simple Ice Cream Cake
1 box (about 12) ice cream sandwiches, frozen
2 cups heavy cream
4 Tbsp. powdered sugar
1 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

In mixing bowl, whip up heavy cream with hand blender or mixer on medium speed until soft peaks form.  Add powdered sugar and whip until stiff peaks form (almost overbeaten).  Set aside.  Line a bread loaf pan with plastic wrap and wax paper.  Place a layer (about 1/2 of mixture) of whipped cream on bottom and sides of loaf pan.  Unwrap ice cream sandwiches.  Make a single layer of ice cream sandwiches (about 1/3) in bottom of loaf pan (can cut sandwiches to fit).  Top with half of remaining whipped cream.  Sprinkle 1/4 cup of chocolate chips over whipped cream.  Layer with more sandwiches (another 1/3).  Top with remainder of whipped cream, then 1/4 cup of chocolate chips and finish with rest of sandwiches.  Wrap in plastic wrap and freeze for one hour or more.  Remove from loaf pan, flip (so that last layer of sandwiches is on the bottom), place on plate, and unwrap.  Let soften 2 - 3 minutes, then sprinkle whipped cream layer with remaining chocolate chips.  Place in freezer until ready to enjoy.

This makes a fantastic option with different types of chopped candy bars (probably need more than a cup of candy) and really gives you versatility based on the crowd.  Enjoy!

What is comfort food? An ode to ground beef

The foods of my childhood that I consider "comforting" are decidedly European in style - lots of "wursts" and potatoes to be found.  Ok, and ground beef, lots of it.  I still think fondly of the meals in Berlin, Munich, Prague, and Slovakia that evoke those same feelings of comfort and satisfaction. 

I know some of you that read this may turn your nose up at ground beef. From a foodie snob perspective, I can see the point. But really, some of the best food I've tasted has ground beef in it and even the most stuck-up food snob goes slummin' from time to time (generally under the guise of eating some authentic "ethnic" cuisine previously unfamiliar). What they don't know won't hurt them, right? I have news for food snobs - ground beef has tons of flavor! That burger you chow down - ground beef! Those empanadas you love at 2 am after leaving a club? Ground beef too! If you're a purist, you could grind your own (and yes, I have a meat grinder and I can do that), but honestly, on a random Tuesday night when I get home at 8:45 pm from work, do I REALLY want to bother?


I found myself thinking tonight about what would make me "comforted" after yet another LONG and trying day at the office.  Instead of my expected yearning for sausages (the "wurst") and 'taters (the potato component) that my husband would probably have requested, I found myself longing for Tex-Mex flavors.  Unwilling to purchase yet another bad version of fajitas at my local Chili's (they have great fajitas in Texas, not sure what the problem is in Florida), I turned to my pantry and another childhood staple - ground beef.

Yeah, didn't think you would want to bother either....  So, with that, I went to the subconscious part of my brain craving some comfort and asked it what it really might want on a night I'm missing my sweetie and generally feeling down.  The answer?  Tex-Mex flavors wrapped up in a ground beef package.  While our culture has decidedly focused their "versatility" monniker on chicken breasts, and deservedly so, an unsung hero in the home cook's arsenal is ground beef.  I'm not suggesting you go out and get some insanely fatty ground beef.  Ok, maybe for a juicy burger since you really need some fat to make that work, but for everyday use you can choose a variety of fat content options and yes, even lean versions with only 7% fat. 

Realizing that I only wanted to spend about 20 minutes cooking, I searched ye old pantry.  I found a bunch of spices with a Tex-Mex flavor, canned black beans, frozen corn, salsa, and ground beef.  Guess what?  They make a pretty tasty "kitchen-sink" dish, only took 20 minutes to cook, and satisfied my craving.  So here's my tribute to ground beef, a la Tex-Mex style:

"Kitchen Sink" Tex-Mex Main Dish
1 lb 85% lean ground round
1 medium onion, diced
1 cup frozen corn
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup store bought salsa
2 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. minced garlic or garlic powder
1/2 tsp. oregano
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper (optional)
Salt and pepper
Tortilla chips and shredded cheese for garnish

Cook onion until translucent; add ground beef and brown over medium heat until cooked through.  Once cooked, add in corn, black beans, salsa, and spices through oregano.  Bring to a simmer and reduce heat to low.  Cook over low heat five minutes or until heated through.  Add cayenne, salt, and pepper to taste.  Serve in bowls with crushed tortilla chips and shredded cheese as a garnish.

Packers win the Superbowl! Football food

Being a lifelong Packer fan, I just had to get that said. :)  In preparation of the Packers first trip to the Superbowl since 1997, I prepared a series of appetizers and a signature dessert - French Silk Pie.  Made some simple sausage rolls, homemade salsa, guacamole, chili, cowboy caviar, buffalo chicken dip, artichoke-olive dip, and the aforementioned dessert.  Yes, I break every rule Ina Garten taught when it comes to quantity of food.  But I listened to her rule about not cooking while guests are present - everything was done ahead.

I agree with the principles of easy entertaining.  By that rule, I should have done 3 - 4 items, max.  Why didn't I?  Partially, because this is a send-off of sorts and was my final chance to cook for friends for a while.  Partially, I had the ingredients already handy for so many of the items it seemed silly not to use them.  Lastly, because I wanted to.  As moms all over the world say, "do as I say and not as I do!"

I've covered some of thes recipes before, but the one that is my absolute "signature" item that I think everyone will remember me for is my French Silk Pie.  I based it on a recipe from the cookbook "Recipe Hall of Fame" but I diverge in two key areas - 1. the crust - they use a meringue crust.  I find that's a recipe for soggy, so I create a cookie crust; 2.  the whipped cream topping.  Not that I'm looking to save calories on a dessert made of butter, sugar, and heavy cream, but I like to lighten up my whipped cream by adding beaten egg whites.  Cuts the sweetness a bit since the chocolate mousse is sooo rich. 

While I won't give the WHOLE recipe, here's the recipe for the chocolate mousse.  I hope you enjoy!

Heather's Very Chocolatey French Silk Mousse

1 cup butter, room temperature
2 oz unsweetened chocolate
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 1/2 cups sugar (superfine is best)
4 eggs

Beat softened butter about 1 minute or until fluffy.  Meanwhile, melt the chocolate in a double boiler or microwave.  Add the chocolate to the butter and beat at medium-high speed 2 - 3 minutes, scraping bowl halfway through.  Add the sugar and vanilla and mix to incorporate.  Add eggs and beat on high for 15 minutes (color will change from light to darker brown). 

Pour into container(s) to chill.  Let chill 2 to 4 hours and serve.

Reinventing the classics of our childhood

My post the other day on Facebook about the ground beef and rice dish of my childhood reinvented gave me inspiration to try another old favorite in the middle of Snowpocalypse 2011.  I brought out a skillet version of tuna noodle casserole.

My mom's tuna noodle casserole was egg noodles, tuna, peas, and cream of mushroom soup topped off with potato chips and baked.  I'm not a person into peas, but aside from that, I started making my version in college and it's still something I make from time-to-time and Ice loves it.

Pretty simple variation - one box of Kraft Mac & Cheese (whole grain version), 1 large pouch of tuna, 1 can cream of mushroom soup and some cracked black pepper.

I cook up the pasta al dente (just under the time recommended on the package), then add the cream of mushroom and the cheese package.  Once mixed, I flake in the tuna and add pepper.  Simple and hearty.

I sometimes add shredded cheese and heat to melt, but other than that, I pretty much stick to tradition.  Yum!