For the last 6+ weeks (immediately following the roasting of our Thanksgiving turkey) - I have been without a functioning oven. I believe I am going through something similar to the stages of grief. First, disbelief, outrage, then resignation/acceptance… well, I’m not sure I can list all the emotions I have been through. I know for a short period it felt like a refreshing challenge. Then I went through a procrastination stage, thinking “I’ll bake Christmas cookies in January.” At the moment, I am back to anger, which is being directed at the repairman/manufacturer or whoever is responsible for me not having the required part.
All that to say, I have been stepping out of my box a bit and made fried rice last week. Usually my attempts at making Asian foods are pretty much failures. Usually, the best I can do is open a box of prepared egg rolls! Surprisingly, last week’s pork fried rice turned out well and most of us liked it. (My 6-year-old basically doesn’t like anything.) So this week, I tried again - shrimp fried rice for the shrimp eaters and chicken fried rice for the shrimp-detesters (me).
Again, this turned out unexpectedly well. And let me tell you - I don’t even own a wok. I’d like to own a wok. I just don’t have the space for one or the grace and finesse required to stir fry things in one, so it has always seemed a little pointless to wish for a wok.
So, here is what I used: Two skillets for stir-frying the vegetables (our family has seven members, so my largest skillet is still not big enough) AND a griddle for the rice/chicken/shrimp/eggs.
For the vegetable mix, I used:
sliced carrots
chopped green pepper
chopped mushrooms
chopped onion
a generous portion of coleslaw mix from Sam’s Club
sesame seeds
This was the easy part - heat the skillet to high, add some olive oil, and stir-fry everything. Once I see a little brown on the veggies, I turn it down, but keep stirring.
For the rice part:
Leftover rice - Apparently, fried rice should never be made with fresh rice. It should be 1-2 days old
tiny chopped chicken
tiny chopped shrimp
sesame seed oil
5 eggs
I divided the rice into two bowls and added chicken to one and shrimp to the other (gotta keep the shrimp away from the chicken). I heated my griddle to 375, sprayed it good with cooking spray and added a dab of butter for good measure. Next, I tossed the chicken/rice mixture onto the griddle and let it cook for about 5 minutes - trying to get the rice to start turning brown. I cracked 3 eggs into a bowl, whisked, and poured this on top of the rice, and began ’stirring’ it all up. Oh! And added a very small drizzle of sesame oil (it’s pretty flavorful stuff, I use it sparingly). Once the eggs were cooked, I placed this all in a bowl and repeated with the shrimp mixture.
Now the veggie part and the rice part is all ready to serve!
You’ll notice that I didn’t really flavor any of it with any sauces… At our house, everybody likes something different, so I serve the sauces at the table. Teriyaki, Sweet & Sour, Hoisin, and Sweet Chili are family favorites. (Mae Ploy Sweet Chilli is my personal best)
January 12th, 2011
Yep, that’s what we had for supper tonight. Tortellini with whatever I felt like throwing into it. Originally, in my mind’s eye, I was imagining spinach and other fresh vegetables, ending up with something Italian-like. What actually happened was sort of an Italy-meets-Mexico tortellini.
Digging through the fridge, I found:
Carrots
Red Pepper
zucchini
leftover cooked chicken breast
cilantro
half of a jalapeno pepper
old refried beans — oops, I tossed that, along with some old casserole that was obviously not going to get eaten
mushrooms
most of a can of diced tomatoes
Parmesan cheese, which I made my daughter grate for me
Of course, since I was planning the tortellini, I had that ready to go, and I also used a can of V-8
Here are my instructions:
Boil the tortellini as directed on the package. I buy frozen tortellini, the ready-to-go refrigerated type has a bit of a plastic-y taste that puts me off. I stay far away from canned pasta. Too mushy. So then I drain the pasta and tossed it back into the cooking pot along with some olive oil. I set this off the heat and covered to keep warm.
Meanwhile, I’d been chopping the vegetables…. carrots sliced thin, red pepper diced real small. Zucchini I split lengthwise and then slice into semi-circles. The jalapeno I minced very small, the mushrooms into bite-sized pieces. I put this all in my already-hot cast-iron skillet and sizzled away!
To the noodles, I added the diced tomatoes, minced cilantro, Parmesan cheese, and the can of V-8.
While the veggies sizzled, I cranked a liberal amount of sea salt and cracked some black pepper into the tortellini noodles. When the zucchini etc. were done, I tossed it all together and served with a side of Edamame.
Most of my family really enjoyed this creation and it definitely makes me feel like experimenting again! The lesson here is - be adventurous and it can be quite (sometimes) rewarding!!
January 10th, 2011
Basically, holidays are not allowed to pass unless I make apple pie. It’s become a must-have for two of my sons. My husband simply wants any kind of pie. My daughters love it, too. And myself - well I was once not much of a pie eater, but am being converted.
My apple pie is definitely a favorite. Over the years, I’ve mastered the ability to roll out the crust without mishap and have tweaked the filling until it suits us perfectly. Every time I make it, Sam says it is more perfect than before. I must admit this does wonders for my ego.
So first I shall direct you to a very old post about making the pie dough/crust: http://www.familychowhall.com/2006/02/28/pie-crust/
And next my recipe for the pie filling:
Apple Pie Filling
2-3 (depending on their size) Golden Delicious Apples
2-3 Fuji Apples
2-3 Granny Smith Apples
3/4 c. white sugar
2 Tablespoons quick tapioca
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg (optional - I personally am not a fan of nutmeg)
Start by peeling and coring the apples. Then slice them as thinly as humanly possible. In a large bowl, toss the sliced apples, the sugar, tapioca, and cinnamon. Place in prepared pie crust. You have to carefully arrange the apples. The pie should be heaping full, mounded up with apple slices. They soften and reduce, so at this point it should look awkwardly heaped up.
Next, you need to make the crumb topping…
1 stick (1/2 c.) cold butter
1 cup flour
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
Cut this together with a pastry blender or with two knives. When the butter is the size of small pebbles, you’re done. This crumb mixture gets sprinkled on top of your mountain of apples. Put most of it in the middle, then carefully push it out toward the edges, until it’s all on there. All of the apples need to be covered, don’t let any peek through.
Now you can put your work of art in the oven… 425 degrees for 50 minutes. About halfway through, check it and cover loosely with foil when it is a nicely browned color. (If you have a convection oven, do not use the convection fan.)
Warning: This pie needs to cool for a minimum of 1 hour, better if it cools 2-3 hours.
ENJOY!
December 12th, 2010
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