It's been a while guys - a lot going on. I promise I'll be cooking every weekend and starting to post again!!
In the meantime, you have to check out a blog called Cake Wrecks - www.cakewrecks.blogspot.com
It's a collection of professional cake disasters. The pictures are all sent in by readers. The author also has a book out. I was actually short of breath and in tears, laughing so hard I had to put the book down and take a break while reading.
Toni V
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Ribs and 'Ritas
Today it's about 100 degrees outside. I don't feel like turning any heat sources on in the house. So I'm BBQ-ing baby back ribs and making margaritas.
To make the ribs I'm using John Smith's BBQ smoker. It's so easy, especially if you have one of those chimney-style charcoal starters. I rubbed the ribs in cajun spice and put them right in there. Low, slow cooking. They'll go for about 2-2 1/2 hours.
In the meantime I'm gonna make margaritas. Nothing fancy. Marg mix with ice and tequila in the blender. Simple. Today's meal is all about simple. :)
To make the ribs I'm using John Smith's BBQ smoker. It's so easy, especially if you have one of those chimney-style charcoal starters. I rubbed the ribs in cajun spice and put them right in there. Low, slow cooking. They'll go for about 2-2 1/2 hours.
In the meantime I'm gonna make margaritas. Nothing fancy. Marg mix with ice and tequila in the blender. Simple. Today's meal is all about simple. :)
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Barbecue!
Summer's on us in full swing!
To me, that means barbecue. And I don't mean throw some chicken on the grill and slather it in BBQ sauce. I mean slow, dry cooking over an open flame. There really is no better way to cook meat. It's kind of like roasting but add the open burning charcoal taste.
Last week I did pork, and today I'm doing lamb. Same cut of meat, but different preparations. For both I selected a shoulder cut. You want to select a cut of meat that has a lot of tough connective tissue and some fat. This is not the same as grilling. This is not the proper cooking method for a tenderloin, for example. What you ultimately want to do is cook the meat slowly and at a low temperature, and give the tough connective tissue plenty of time to melt away. The end product is much more succulent and tender than what you started with. You also want to make sure there is some fat on the meat. As the meat cooks the fat melts (or renders) and keeps the meat moist and tender. If you cooked meat this way without any fat it would just dry out.
For the pork last week I used a dry rub of cajun-type spices (salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder). Rub it all over the meat before putting in the BBQ. For today's lamb I blended a marinade of fresh herbs (rosemary, thyme, basil, parsley) with lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil, garlic, salt and black pepper. I poured it over the lamb, rubbed it in, and let it marinate for a few hours.
Both meats were cooked enclosed in the barbecue vessel for a few hours. The heat source was smoldering real-wood charcoal. I let the meat cook for about 2 1/2 - 3 hours. Both cuts of meat were in about the 3 pound range. If they were larger, I would have cooked them longer. You want to cook it until it almost falls apart when you poke it with a paring knife.
Feel free to play with this cooking method. It's fun. Marinate or rub as you want, and change the flavor by tossing a few smoking chips on the fire. Hickory, maple or cedar are great suggestions!
To me, that means barbecue. And I don't mean throw some chicken on the grill and slather it in BBQ sauce. I mean slow, dry cooking over an open flame. There really is no better way to cook meat. It's kind of like roasting but add the open burning charcoal taste.
Last week I did pork, and today I'm doing lamb. Same cut of meat, but different preparations. For both I selected a shoulder cut. You want to select a cut of meat that has a lot of tough connective tissue and some fat. This is not the same as grilling. This is not the proper cooking method for a tenderloin, for example. What you ultimately want to do is cook the meat slowly and at a low temperature, and give the tough connective tissue plenty of time to melt away. The end product is much more succulent and tender than what you started with. You also want to make sure there is some fat on the meat. As the meat cooks the fat melts (or renders) and keeps the meat moist and tender. If you cooked meat this way without any fat it would just dry out.
For the pork last week I used a dry rub of cajun-type spices (salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder). Rub it all over the meat before putting in the BBQ. For today's lamb I blended a marinade of fresh herbs (rosemary, thyme, basil, parsley) with lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil, garlic, salt and black pepper. I poured it over the lamb, rubbed it in, and let it marinate for a few hours.
Both meats were cooked enclosed in the barbecue vessel for a few hours. The heat source was smoldering real-wood charcoal. I let the meat cook for about 2 1/2 - 3 hours. Both cuts of meat were in about the 3 pound range. If they were larger, I would have cooked them longer. You want to cook it until it almost falls apart when you poke it with a paring knife.
Feel free to play with this cooking method. It's fun. Marinate or rub as you want, and change the flavor by tossing a few smoking chips on the fire. Hickory, maple or cedar are great suggestions!
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
The Magic of Brining
This past week I introduced myself to the wonderful world of brining, and as a result made some wonderful stuff!
Like bacon. Yes, I made my own bacon. It's surprisingly easy. Pork belly soaked in a brine for about 2-3 days, then smoked. For a brine I used water, salt, brown sugar and black peppercorns. What I do is mix about 2.5 oz by weight of salt for each quart of water. Then I just sprinkle in a liberal amount of brown sugar and a small handful of whole black peppercorns. Bring the solution up to barely a boil and whisk to dissolve the salt and sugar. Remove from heat. Let it cool down some, and while still warm, pour it into the plastic container you placed the pork belly in. Let it sit in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.
Remove it from the brine and smoke. Ideally you want to cold smoke bacon, but most folks have warm smokers at home. Usually in the form of some modified barbecue equipment. This is okay. Smoke the bacon for about an hour. Cool it, slice it, cook it and enjoy!
You can use this brining technique for anything. Meat, poultry, fish. Smaller pieces only need to brine for a few hours. I did pork chops this way and boy were they good! Tender and juicy off the grill. And that's what brining does. Not only does it add flavor but it keeps meats that may usually dry out while cooking tender and juicy.
Give it a try next time you're looking for something different. You can also add different herbs and spices to the mix to change the flavor profile.
Like bacon. Yes, I made my own bacon. It's surprisingly easy. Pork belly soaked in a brine for about 2-3 days, then smoked. For a brine I used water, salt, brown sugar and black peppercorns. What I do is mix about 2.5 oz by weight of salt for each quart of water. Then I just sprinkle in a liberal amount of brown sugar and a small handful of whole black peppercorns. Bring the solution up to barely a boil and whisk to dissolve the salt and sugar. Remove from heat. Let it cool down some, and while still warm, pour it into the plastic container you placed the pork belly in. Let it sit in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.
Remove it from the brine and smoke. Ideally you want to cold smoke bacon, but most folks have warm smokers at home. Usually in the form of some modified barbecue equipment. This is okay. Smoke the bacon for about an hour. Cool it, slice it, cook it and enjoy!
You can use this brining technique for anything. Meat, poultry, fish. Smaller pieces only need to brine for a few hours. I did pork chops this way and boy were they good! Tender and juicy off the grill. And that's what brining does. Not only does it add flavor but it keeps meats that may usually dry out while cooking tender and juicy.
Give it a try next time you're looking for something different. You can also add different herbs and spices to the mix to change the flavor profile.
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Been a Long Time
Sorry readers that I haven't posted for the longest time, but I have actually been super, super, super busy. Not only have there been multiple weddings and large parties at the golf club the last several weeks, but the LPGA (Ladies Professional Golf Association) actually played a week-long tournament at my place this past week.
I had a sneaky suspicion there would be ALOT of work preparing for the event, but I really had no idea. WOW!!!! For the days leading up to and the days of the tournament (11 days total) I worked just shy of 140 hours. Yep, I worked all eleven days and logged in just under 140 hours. The kitchen staff prepped and cooked for all professional golfers and caddies, the media, and members of the club. The amount of food that passed through the doors of our refrigerator and freezer could have fed a small country.
All in all, it was a great week and I'm glad it's over. The pros had nothing but great things to say about the food and the experience they had at Hamilton Farm Golf Club. I'm not only proud of where I work (for the fact that they were given the amazing opportunity to host a professional event), but I'm more proud of myself for making it through hell week and working through the exhaustion and pain.
Until next time!!!
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Fresh Stuff
Sometimes I feel bad when I let too much time elapse between posts. I mean, the blog is called Food for Every Day, isn't it? Ha!
Anyway, this week on my day off, I made the most awesome batch of spaghetti bolognese. I used 100% pastured (grass-fed) ground beef from Whole Foods. Even my guy said you can taste the difference! I also used about 20 organic Roma tomatoes instead of canned. Passed them through the food mill. I also used fresh onions, garlic and basil. You can't go wrong with all this fresh stuff!
As for my little garden, it's still alive and kicking. Next week I'll post some pictures. Honestly, right now it really doesn't look much different from the last post. I can't wait until it starts to produce. Even if I get one tomato it'll be worth the effort.
Anyway, this week on my day off, I made the most awesome batch of spaghetti bolognese. I used 100% pastured (grass-fed) ground beef from Whole Foods. Even my guy said you can taste the difference! I also used about 20 organic Roma tomatoes instead of canned. Passed them through the food mill. I also used fresh onions, garlic and basil. You can't go wrong with all this fresh stuff!
As for my little garden, it's still alive and kicking. Next week I'll post some pictures. Honestly, right now it really doesn't look much different from the last post. I can't wait until it starts to produce. Even if I get one tomato it'll be worth the effort.
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Big John say's,It's easy being green
Toni gave me the idea of posting one of my favorite sites:
www.localharvest.org/
There's a lot of chemical free food sources here.
I like it because it lists all of the farmers markets on it.
While I'm at it, here are some of the other sites I like:
epicurious.com/
chef2chef.net/
www.localharvest.org/
There's a lot of chemical free food sources here.
I like it because it lists all of the farmers markets on it.
While I'm at it, here are some of the other sites I like:
epicurious.com/
chef2chef.net/
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)