Alright, this one started out as what was supposed to be a quick and easy dinner for my roommate and I. We didn't really want to put a whole lot of time and effort into it, so we thought "Frito Chili Pie"...everyone loves it, it's easy, and we had all of the ingredients. Or at least we thought we had all of the ingredients. We were planning on being lazy and using canned chili. Well, we got started...browning the meat and onions and all of that shit. Well lo-and-behold, we go to get the canned chili out of the cabinet and (you already knew this was coming) we didn't have any goddamned chili. So I set out to the 7-11 to grab a can. No chili there, either. Mind you, this is about half past midnight and I don't want to have to get in my car and try to find parking by my apartment when I get back (that can be a 45 min process in itself at this hour). Fortunately, our neighborhood has a few mom-and-pop markets within walking distance (although farther than I wanted to be walking at this point), and being that we live in an Indo-Pak neighborhood, they tend to keep late hours. Unfortunately, this also means that they specialize in Indo-Pak groceries. In case you didn't know, Hormel No-Beans Chili is not Halal certified- so no chili for us (I did walk an extra 2 blocks to check all 6 markets, though). After several phone calls to my roommate (I was only supposed to be going to the corner of our block), I ended up with a bit more on my hands than I originally anticipated. The good news is, though, that this recipe is actually pretty easy if you have all of the ingredients on hand. But seeing as we didn't use Fritos, didn't use actual chili, or make a pie, we decided this could only be one thing: "Not-Frito Not-Chili Not-Pie"
Skill Level: Easy
Budget: Cheap
Makes: 8 Servings
Prep Time: 25-35 mins
Cook Time: 15-20 mins
Ingredients:
Ground Beef- 1 lb (Ground Pork or Turkey may also be used)
1 Red Onion- diced
Whole Kernel Corn- 1 can, drained
Diced Tomatoes with Green Chilies- 1 can, drained (I use Rotel for EVERYTHING...love the stuff)
Beans- 1 can, drained (we used small fava that were pre-seasoned and cooked with cumin..I'd guess that kidney, black, or pinto would work just as well, if not better)
Tortilla Chips- 12 oz
Velveeta- 8 oz (cut into squares)
Mixed Shredded Mexican Cheese- 8 oz
Seasonings to taste (we used red chili powder, salt, pepper, onion salt, and garlic salt)
Preparation:
Sautee onion in a bit of vegetable oil or butter until tender. Add ground beef and cook until browned. Drain and return to sautee pan.
Add Velveeta and cook on med-low heat until cheese is melted and gooey. Add seasoning (approximately 1/2 teaspoon of chili powder, 1 teaspon salt, 1 teaspoon pepper, 2 teaspoons onion powder and 2 teaspoons garlic powder).
Add corn, tomatoes, and beans. Stir well and cook on med to med-low heat until mixture is warm throughout. Mix in 1/2 of the crushed tortilla chips
Crush tortilla chips to about 1/4"-1/2" pieces. Spread just enough of the crushed chips to cover the bottom of a 9"x 13" casserole pan. Spread the meat mixture ("meat mixture" just became one of my new favorite phrases in the world) evenly over the chips. Crush the remainder of the chips to approximately 1/16"-1/8" pieces and sprinkle over the meat mixture (I'm going to use it every chance I get, you know). Spread the shredded cheese evenly on top and cook in a 340 degree oven approximately 15-20 minutes, or until cheese is melted.
See, that was easy (assuming you didn't have to visit 6 Indo-Pak grocers with no knowledge of the Hindi language). Now go make dinner for all of your friends!
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes
So what's better than an Irish Car Bomb (the ones with booze, not explosives)...? Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes! All the Guinness, Jameson's, and Bailey's of our favorite shot, but in a delicious, chocolatey cupcake form!
Alright kids, this one is a doozy. Actually, the first time I tasted these, I SWORE that I would never let anyone else have the recipe. It was my plan to force people to be my friend so that I would make the cupcakes for them...they are THAT GOOD! But I love you guys, so I'll share...just this once (but don't tell anybody!) Fair warning, though...these things are pretty hard to get right (my friend who is an avid baker still can't figure out how she keeps screwing them up), they are MESSY to make, the liquor makes them pretty pricey, and it's a time-consuming/labor-intensive process. That being said, I hope you all have a happy St. Patrick's Day with these (just be sure to keep them away from the young'uns, since these things can pack a pretty decent punch.)
Skill Level: Very Difficult
Budget: Expensive
Makes:20-24 Cupcakes
Equipment:
Cupcake Pan
Cupcake Liners
*Piping Bag (a plastic baggy with the corner cut may be used instead)
*1" Cookie Cutter or Apple Corer (a butter-knife and small spoon may be used instead)
Large Saucepan
Several Large Mixing Bowls
Electric Mixer
Spatula
*If you have a cupcake decorating plunger/gun, it will work in place of these and make it MUCH easier.
Total Time: 4+ Hours (Plus a LOT of cleanup time)
Guinness Chocolate Cupcakes (step 1)
Ingredients:
1 cup stout (I used Guinness Extra Stout)
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
3/4 cup cocoa powder
2 cups all purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
2/3 cup sour cream
Technique:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 24 cupcake cups with liners. Bring 1 cup stout and 1 cup butter to simmer in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add cocoa powder and whisk until mixture is smooth. Cool slightly.
Whisk flour, sugar, baking soda, and 3/4 teaspoon salt in large bowl to blend. Using electric mixer, beat eggs and sour cream in another large bowl to blend (may be mixed by hand with a whisk). Add stout-chocolate mixture to egg mixture and beat just to combine. Add flour mixture and beat briefly on slow speed. Using rubber spatula, fold batter until completely combined. Divide batter among cupcake liners, filling them 2/3 to 3/4 of the way. Bake cake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, rotating them once front to back if your oven bakes unevenly, about 17 minutes. Cool cupcakes on a rack completely.
Ganache Filling (step 2)
Ingredients:
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate (I used Godiva Bittersweet Chocolate Chips)
2/3 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons butter, room temperature
1 to 2 teaspoons Irish whiskey (I used Jamesons...technically, this is optional, but what fun is that?)
Technique:
Put the chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Heat the cream until simmering and pour it over the chocolate. Let it sit for one minute and then stir until smooth. (If this has not sufficiently melted the chocolate, you can return it to a double-boiler to gently melt what remains. 20 seconds in the microwave, watching carefully, will also work.) Add the butter and whiskey and stir until combined.
Let the ganache cool (you can speed this up in the fridge, but you MUST stir it every ten minutes or so to keep the consistency...it took 30-40 mins for me) until thick, but soft enough to be piped.
Baileys Frosting (step 3)
Ingredients:
3 to 4 cups confections sugar
1 stick (1/2 cup or 4 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperatue
3 to 4 tablespoons Baileys Original Irish Cream (or milk, or heavy cream, or a combination thereof if your gonna be a wuss)
Technique:
Whip the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, for several minutes. You want to get it very light and fluffy. Slowly add the powdered sugar, a few tablespoons at a time.
TIP: If you add the sugar slowly, quick buttercream frostings get less grainy, and tend to require less sugar to thicken them up.
When the frosting looks thick enough to spread, drizzle in the Baileys (or milk) and whip it until combined. If this has made the frosting too thin (it shouldn’t, but just in case) beat in another spoonful or two of powdered sugar.
TIP: I added the Bailey's as I went, using it to thin out the mixture when it got too thick to whisk (I didn't have an electric mixer, so it took me about 45 minutes to make the frosting with a hand whisk, plus I got a couple of nice blisters...and that was with my roommate taking turns whisking with me).
Fill the Cupcakes (step 4)
THERE ARE 2 WAYS TO DO THIS.
EITHER:
Use your 1-inch round cookie cutter or an apple corer to cut the centers out of the cooled cupcakes. You want to go most of the way down the cupcake but not cut through the bottom — aim for 2/3 of the way. A slim spoon or grapefruit knife will help you get the center out. Put the ganache into a piping bag with a wide tip and fill the holes in each cupcake to the top. (Again, you can use a butter knife to gut the cupcakes and a plastic ziplock bag with the corner cut off to fill.) It's then up to you whether you want to put the part you cut out back in to fill the hole...doesn't really matter.
OR:
Put the ganache filling into a cupcake decorating plunger/gun. Using the small tip, insert halfway into the cupcake and plunge away! This option works great if your cupcakes have collapsed in the center since it fills them back up. It is also MUCH easier and quicker than the first option. (I learned this after buying the gun for 8 dollars for my second batch.)
Ice the Cupcakes (step 5)
Ice and decorate the cupcakes. ( You can use a flexible clean paint pallet knife and dip it in hot water to clean when it gets all gooey. If your frosting looks fucked up, you can use a hot water knife to smooth it out. Dry the knife first.) Obviously, if you have the cupcake decorating gun, it can be used to decorate the cupcakes...whoda thunk? Have fun with food coloring, colored sugar sprinkles, etc. I generally like a touch of green and/or orange for a more Irish feel.
Notes:
I ended up using more liquor than the recipe requires (like, a LOT more)...it's really up to you. I just wanted to get all of my friends drunk (plus I like it when you can actually taste the whiskey).
Special thanks to Kim at smallBar and her sister for sharing this recipe with me. It has quickly become one of my favorites, as smallBar quickly became one of my favorite bars.
Alright kids, this one is a doozy. Actually, the first time I tasted these, I SWORE that I would never let anyone else have the recipe. It was my plan to force people to be my friend so that I would make the cupcakes for them...they are THAT GOOD! But I love you guys, so I'll share...just this once (but don't tell anybody!) Fair warning, though...these things are pretty hard to get right (my friend who is an avid baker still can't figure out how she keeps screwing them up), they are MESSY to make, the liquor makes them pretty pricey, and it's a time-consuming/labor-intensive process. That being said, I hope you all have a happy St. Patrick's Day with these (just be sure to keep them away from the young'uns, since these things can pack a pretty decent punch.)
Skill Level: Very Difficult
Budget: Expensive
Makes:20-24 Cupcakes
Equipment:
Cupcake Pan
Cupcake Liners
*Piping Bag (a plastic baggy with the corner cut may be used instead)
*1" Cookie Cutter or Apple Corer (a butter-knife and small spoon may be used instead)
Large Saucepan
Several Large Mixing Bowls
Electric Mixer
Spatula
*If you have a cupcake decorating plunger/gun, it will work in place of these and make it MUCH easier.
Total Time: 4+ Hours (Plus a LOT of cleanup time)
Guinness Chocolate Cupcakes (step 1)
Ingredients:
1 cup stout (I used Guinness Extra Stout)
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
3/4 cup cocoa powder
2 cups all purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
2/3 cup sour cream
Technique:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 24 cupcake cups with liners. Bring 1 cup stout and 1 cup butter to simmer in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add cocoa powder and whisk until mixture is smooth. Cool slightly.
Whisk flour, sugar, baking soda, and 3/4 teaspoon salt in large bowl to blend. Using electric mixer, beat eggs and sour cream in another large bowl to blend (may be mixed by hand with a whisk). Add stout-chocolate mixture to egg mixture and beat just to combine. Add flour mixture and beat briefly on slow speed. Using rubber spatula, fold batter until completely combined. Divide batter among cupcake liners, filling them 2/3 to 3/4 of the way. Bake cake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, rotating them once front to back if your oven bakes unevenly, about 17 minutes. Cool cupcakes on a rack completely.
Ganache Filling (step 2)
Ingredients:
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate (I used Godiva Bittersweet Chocolate Chips)
2/3 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons butter, room temperature
1 to 2 teaspoons Irish whiskey (I used Jamesons...technically, this is optional, but what fun is that?)
Technique:
Put the chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Heat the cream until simmering and pour it over the chocolate. Let it sit for one minute and then stir until smooth. (If this has not sufficiently melted the chocolate, you can return it to a double-boiler to gently melt what remains. 20 seconds in the microwave, watching carefully, will also work.) Add the butter and whiskey and stir until combined.
Let the ganache cool (you can speed this up in the fridge, but you MUST stir it every ten minutes or so to keep the consistency...it took 30-40 mins for me) until thick, but soft enough to be piped.
Baileys Frosting (step 3)
Ingredients:
3 to 4 cups confections sugar
1 stick (1/2 cup or 4 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperatue
3 to 4 tablespoons Baileys Original Irish Cream (or milk, or heavy cream, or a combination thereof if your gonna be a wuss)
Technique:
Whip the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, for several minutes. You want to get it very light and fluffy. Slowly add the powdered sugar, a few tablespoons at a time.
TIP: If you add the sugar slowly, quick buttercream frostings get less grainy, and tend to require less sugar to thicken them up.
When the frosting looks thick enough to spread, drizzle in the Baileys (or milk) and whip it until combined. If this has made the frosting too thin (it shouldn’t, but just in case) beat in another spoonful or two of powdered sugar.
TIP: I added the Bailey's as I went, using it to thin out the mixture when it got too thick to whisk (I didn't have an electric mixer, so it took me about 45 minutes to make the frosting with a hand whisk, plus I got a couple of nice blisters...and that was with my roommate taking turns whisking with me).
Fill the Cupcakes (step 4)
THERE ARE 2 WAYS TO DO THIS.
EITHER:
Use your 1-inch round cookie cutter or an apple corer to cut the centers out of the cooled cupcakes. You want to go most of the way down the cupcake but not cut through the bottom — aim for 2/3 of the way. A slim spoon or grapefruit knife will help you get the center out. Put the ganache into a piping bag with a wide tip and fill the holes in each cupcake to the top. (Again, you can use a butter knife to gut the cupcakes and a plastic ziplock bag with the corner cut off to fill.) It's then up to you whether you want to put the part you cut out back in to fill the hole...doesn't really matter.
OR:
Put the ganache filling into a cupcake decorating plunger/gun. Using the small tip, insert halfway into the cupcake and plunge away! This option works great if your cupcakes have collapsed in the center since it fills them back up. It is also MUCH easier and quicker than the first option. (I learned this after buying the gun for 8 dollars for my second batch.)
Ice the Cupcakes (step 5)
Ice and decorate the cupcakes. ( You can use a flexible clean paint pallet knife and dip it in hot water to clean when it gets all gooey. If your frosting looks fucked up, you can use a hot water knife to smooth it out. Dry the knife first.) Obviously, if you have the cupcake decorating gun, it can be used to decorate the cupcakes...whoda thunk? Have fun with food coloring, colored sugar sprinkles, etc. I generally like a touch of green and/or orange for a more Irish feel.
Notes:
I ended up using more liquor than the recipe requires (like, a LOT more)...it's really up to you. I just wanted to get all of my friends drunk (plus I like it when you can actually taste the whiskey).
Special thanks to Kim at smallBar and her sister for sharing this recipe with me. It has quickly become one of my favorites, as smallBar quickly became one of my favorite bars.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Let's start simple...Pot Roast
Since we're all new here, let's keep it nice and easy. This is a pretty tried-and-true recipe that most everyone has a version of. There are several great things about this one:
1. It's FRICKIN' EASY! That's why I'm getting it started for dinner tomorrow...so I don't have to worry about it later.
2. You can use pretty much whatever you have around in it. I'm using leftover soup that I need to get rid of.
3. It's all-in-one. Since you have veggies and meat all together, extra sides aren't really necessary. I'll probably throw some dinner rolls in the oven and be done with it...your mileage may vary.
4. You can feed quite a few people fairly cheaply. Find rump roast on sale and you're good to go.
Skill Level: Easy
Budget: Fairly Cheap
Feeds:3-5
Equipment:
Slow Cooker (Crock Pot, etc)
Prep Time:
5-10 mins
Cook Time:
5-8 hours or more
Ingredients:
Rump Roast- 1-2 lbs (various other beef or pork cuts may also be used)
Dry Onion Soup Mix- 1 Package
Cream of Mushroom Soup- 10oz (I'm using leftover homemade soup, but canned works just fine...other creamy soups may be used for mushroom allergies.)
3-5 Diced Potatoes (1 can new potatoes may be substituted)
Baby Carrots- 1 lb
1 Onion- Chopped (optional)
Sliced Mushrooms- 8oz (optional)
Preparation
Place meat in the slow-cooker and empty onion soup packet over it. Pour mushroom soup over the meat. Add all other ingredients. Turn on slow cooker (approx. 5 hours on high setting, 8 hours on low). Cook until meat is tender and cooked through.
Notes:
This is a VERY versatile recipe. Add things that sound good, take out the things that don't. Just remember, softer vegetables (ie-tomatoes, corn, green beans, etc) may not hold up to being cooked for so long.
Well, there's the first recipe. Basic. Easy. Delicious. Let me know what you think!
1. It's FRICKIN' EASY! That's why I'm getting it started for dinner tomorrow...so I don't have to worry about it later.
2. You can use pretty much whatever you have around in it. I'm using leftover soup that I need to get rid of.
3. It's all-in-one. Since you have veggies and meat all together, extra sides aren't really necessary. I'll probably throw some dinner rolls in the oven and be done with it...your mileage may vary.
4. You can feed quite a few people fairly cheaply. Find rump roast on sale and you're good to go.
Skill Level: Easy
Budget: Fairly Cheap
Feeds:3-5
Equipment:
Slow Cooker (Crock Pot, etc)
Prep Time:
5-10 mins
Cook Time:
5-8 hours or more
Ingredients:
Rump Roast- 1-2 lbs (various other beef or pork cuts may also be used)
Dry Onion Soup Mix- 1 Package
Cream of Mushroom Soup- 10oz (I'm using leftover homemade soup, but canned works just fine...other creamy soups may be used for mushroom allergies.)
3-5 Diced Potatoes (1 can new potatoes may be substituted)
Baby Carrots- 1 lb
1 Onion- Chopped (optional)
Sliced Mushrooms- 8oz (optional)
Preparation
Place meat in the slow-cooker and empty onion soup packet over it. Pour mushroom soup over the meat. Add all other ingredients. Turn on slow cooker (approx. 5 hours on high setting, 8 hours on low). Cook until meat is tender and cooked through.
Notes:
This is a VERY versatile recipe. Add things that sound good, take out the things that don't. Just remember, softer vegetables (ie-tomatoes, corn, green beans, etc) may not hold up to being cooked for so long.
Well, there's the first recipe. Basic. Easy. Delicious. Let me know what you think!
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