forgive my posts this week, i forgot my dslr at friends' saturday after the abysmal US vs Ghana game and haven't gotten it back yet. i'm finally posting older posts.
i made this baked chicken a few weeks ago. i've made this particular recipe a number of times already, all with good results. this time, i didn't add garlic and sprinkled lavender on top, because i felt like it. served on mashed potatoes. it was perfect. my chi wandering chopsticks knows her baked chicken.
it's been an exciting few weeks here at casa angry asian and nuria. i probably won't be posting anything until after the holiday weekend so please, have a loverly holiday, be safe and enjoy the fire works.
1 cup of simple syrup (1 cup of sugar in 1 cup scant of water, melted and reduced till thick and syrupy)
1 can of coconut milk
handful of coconut flakes
mix it all, put in a container and throw in freezer. after an hour, scrape the solidified contents. put back into freezer for another, take out and scrape again. do this a few times until you reach desired amount of shavings. voila.
1 lb/450 g tomatoes, peeled (or just a can of diced tomatoes is fine)
2/3 cup beef stock
2 Tbl olive oil
1 lb/450 g shallots, peeled
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 lb 9 oz/ 700 g stewing steak, cut into 1" cubes
1 fresh rosemary sprig
1 bay leaf
2 Tbl red wine vinegar
salt/pepper
1 lb/450 g potatoes, quartered
place tomatoes in a blender or food processor, add the stock, and process to a puree.
heat the oil in a large, heavy bottom pan or ovenproof casserole. add the shallots and garlic and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until golden. transfer to plate with a slotted spoon. add the steak to the pan and cook, stirring frequently, until browned.
return the shallots and garlic to the pan, add the tomato mixture, herbs, and vinegar and season to taste. cover and allow to simmer gently for an hour and a half. add the potatoes, cover and let simmer for another 30 minutes. remove and discard the rosemary and bay leaf. serve.
for a new hire orientation (my first hire!) i made a blueberry boy bait cake. it was midnight when i made this cake, i doubled the recipe because i have a 14X10 pan (the recipe calls for 9X13) and plus, nuria has an office function too so the extra batter went into a round pan. it was too late for me to be inspired to alter the recipe much (like add in candied ginger or some kind of citrus juice) but alas, i'm glad i didn't mess with perfection. i did, however, dust some powdered sugar on top.
the internet and photo cuisine sites will have beaucoup blueberry boy bait "adaptations" but when you look closely enough, you won't see much adaptation, but more blatant copying, which is a pity. /rant.
the evening we made arepas and the roasted cauliflowers, nuria and i also stewed a rabbit, spanish-style.
it was delightful. i'm still wrapping my head around the fact that i've been loving on bunnies... i mean, chowing down on bunnies. when the meat is stewing, it turns tender and soft, falling gently off the bone. it's gamey, wild on the tongue but so incredibly succulent. it's very expensive, it was about 2lbs for $15. it's obviously not something we eat often so when we do, it's gotta be a good recipe using the freshest ingredients.
1 small rabbit, about 2 lbs
40g/1 1/2 oz AP flour
5 Tbl olive oil
3 cloves of garlic
1 large onion, finely chopped
175 ml/6 fl oz white wine
100 g/3 1/2 oz olives, stoned
50 g/2 oz toasted almonds
salt & pepper
Season the pieces of rabbit with salt/pepper, then coat with flour, shaking off any excess. Heat the oi in a saucepan. Add the pieces of rabbit, in batches if necessary, and cook over medium heat, turning frequently, for about 10 minutes, until evenly browned all over. Remove from the pan and set aside. Lightly crush two of the garlic cloves and add to the pan. Cook, stirring occasionally, for a few minutes, until browned, then remove with a slotted spoon. Add the onion to the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 8 minutes, until beginning to brown. Return the rabbit pieces to the pan, pour in the wine and cook for about 10 minutes, until slightly reduced. Season with pepper and add just enough warm water to cover the rabbit. Cover the pan and cook over a medium-low heat for 30 minutes. Put the olives into another sauce pan, pour in water to cover and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and cook for 2 minutes, then drain, pat dry and cut each olive width ways into two or three slices. Stir the olives into the pan. Pound the almonds with the remaining garlic clove in a mortar, then add to the pan. Mix well, re-cover and cook for a further 15 minutes, until the rabbit is tender. Put the rabbit pieces into a warm dish and pour the sauce over them.
this particular cupcake stand took a little more time to assemble. it was also a smidge more expensive than the plate cupcake stand, just due to the supplies that i needed.
you will need:
styrofoam discs, purchased at michael's, in varying sizes. keep the plastic on them. they ranged from $8 - 13/each, depending on size
wrapping paper - $1.50 from target
ribbon - two rolls at $1 each
stacking items to hold up the discs. since the theme was spring, i found a teacup and flower vase for $2.00/each in the clearance bin. just make sure the height is relatively the same and will provide enough space for the cupcake with icing
double sided tape - already had available
hot glue gun - bought some years ago
nuria and i just cut the wrapping paper to fit the surface of the discs, both sides and double taped them. for the edges, we used ribbon to add a splash of color. we hot glued the vase and teacups to the discs, assembling them rather quickly, the biggest disc on the bottom and climbing up. allow to dry completely but still be careful when moving the structure.
the best kinds of dinners are the ones where you have all the ingredients the recipe calls for in the pantry already and the meat has been thawed appropriately.
i also like it when i come home from work and an hour later everything is done simmering/baking/roasting/cooking and i can sit down to watch Jeopardy with a drumstick in my hand as i yell out (in)correct answers at Alex Trebek.
it's the simple things, you know.
Roasted Drumsticks with Spiced Tomato Glaze slightly altered from Crossroads Cooking by elisabeth rozin
*not exact measurements, i don't remember how many drum sticks i used and i really did just throw in the seasonings. use at your discretion
drum sticks
butter or olive oil (i used olive oil)
salt
freshly ground black pepper
onion, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
ginger, finely mince
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 cup tomato sauce
preheat oven to 350F. wash/dry drumsticks and place on cookie sheet. coat them with a bit of olive oil, then season with salt and pepper/ put in oven to roast.
heat either the butter or oil in saucepan and saute the onion, garlic and ginger over low heat, until the onions are translucent. stir in the seasonings and then add the tomato sauce. simmer and stir for five minutes.
after the drumsticks have roasted for about 30 minutes (it depends on how many and how big they are) and the skin has begun to turn golden and crisp, baste with some of the tomato sauce. do this a few times for another 30 minutes, until the drumsticks are fully cooked.
when they're done, allow to rest for a few minutes.
i served this with rice and had leftover tomato sauce to spoon over.
i'm a big eater, as a result i'm constantly fighting with my body. it is hard for me to come to terms with the fact that i can't eat as much as i used to without the consequences of a higher number on my scale and tighter fitting clothes that have nothing to do with washing/shrinkage. {tears} in college i didn't gain the Freshman 15, i maintained a steady weight while still indulging in late night snacks, vending machine raids, take out and cheap fraternity beer. one of those late night snacks/take out order was Chrusties from dubious college joint (use of word on purpose) Chancey's.
anyone who went to Radford in the 90s knows what chrusties are. it's just basically pizza rolled up like a cinnamon bun, baked and served with ranch dressing or marinara sauce.
i made this throwback to my college days over the weekend, in a fit of nostalgia. i contacted a few classmates to figure out the recipe and well, too much time has passed (it's been 10 years since i graduated) and our memory is just shot. so i winged it a bit. i used this pizza dough recipe, using instead whole wheat flour. i also liked this recipe alot because it doesn't require any rise time.
i added a simple tomato basil pesto as the base, threw on some basil-almond pesto chicken and topped with a slight sprinkle of pecorino romano cheese. i sprayed the entire concoction with a bit of olive oil, baked for about 10 minutes and that was that.
verdict: i could only manage to eat two and i couldn't eat anything else for awhile. i can't believe i used to pack away half a dozen easy. it was good, just not like how it was in college: late night from a frat party, reeking of cigarette and hardcore drunk hunger. but i would make this again, it makes for a very easy party dish.
for a recent new hire orientation i made a strawberry cake that i've been d.y.i.n.g to make since it debuted last summer on Shannalee's blog. i doubled the recipe and added the juice of one lemon to the batter.
it's my new favorite cake. no mixer needed, one bowl and just dropping the strawberries on top makes for an easy, no fuss but delicious and beautiful looking cake.
memorial weekend this year was a quiet affair. nuria and i stayed close to home, venturing out for late night movies and the farmer's market on sunday. it was a much needed respite from the hectic day to day, as well as preparation for what is shaping up to be a busy summer.
on sunday, we bought luscious beets: magenta, with dirt still clinging to its stems. we also bought a bunch of basil, for the sweet corn & basil ice cream. it was a hot day, one that sapped you of energy, one that you spent perpetually wet, either from a cool shower or from sweating.
for dinner that night, i boiled the beets, cubed them and dressed them with a light dijon mustard & lemon vinaigrette, served atop some thyme challah that nuria had baked. she had also created a fresh basil & almond pesto, which i mixed with roasted chicken from the previous evening's meal. all served with a glass of crisp, cold riesling.
doesn't that sound lovely? it was.
inspiration for the beet salad (note: we used pecorino romano cheese, as it was handy, and i made a very simple dressing of dijon mustard & lemon juice)
pesto recipe Nuria referenced, tho she used 3/4 cup of olive oil, did not add cheese, and used almonds instead.
i entered a cupcake contest last week. i was so obsessed with preparing for it, i made two cupcakestands, i bought a proper cake box, i made kelcy help me with a catchy name for them and i even had kim design a sign/logo for me.
so imagine my ire when i received an EMAIL 40 minutes before i was due to register that the event was being postponed due to a major emergency. as of now, still no word as to the why. yeah. unless there's a different organizer, i'm not doing this event again.
30g oil (any flavorless oil, i used grapeseed oil)
45g honey (infused with 3TBL lavender. warm up the honey & oil with the lavender. allow to steep and strain out when ready for use)
3 large eggs
40g sugar
75g cake flour (i used AP)
½ tsp baking powder
this recipe is for 10 cupcakes but i stretched it to 12.
Preheat oven 325F.
Line cupcake trays. warm and mix honey & oil, just until loose. if using lavender or any flavoring herb agent, strain out.
Sift flour and baking powder. using a mixer with the whisk attachment, beat the eggs and sugar until the batter changes to a pale yellow.
Throw in the dry ingredients and warmed infused honey & oil mixture into the batter. Stir quickly but gently until just combined.
Bake for about 15minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cupcakes comes out clean.
mix the butter and cream cheese until incorporated. gradually add in the sifted powdered sugar. eventually add in the liquids (lavender honey & coloring)
Icing #2:
2 sticks of softened butter
3 TBL lavender honey
5 cups of SIFTED powdered sugar
2 drops red coloring, 2 drops blue
mix the sifted powdered sugar into the butter until reach desired consistency of icing. i didn't want to get too aggressive with the coloring, the goal was a pale lavender but it ended up looking still kinda white.
top cupcakes with icing, purple sprinkles and lavender petals.
verdict: i was going to enter for the Spring Theme. i did bring in test cakes for my coworkers who enjoyed the icing (they were 2 days old so the cakes themselves were a bit dry). nuria and i preferred the cake over the icing. there was a nice balance of the floral after taste and the honey during taste.
