So this post may not be relevant at all to any of you, but it something I thought I would share. As my close friends and family on here know, my youngest son Vinnie has seizures. He has been having them for over a year now. They think whatever is causing his autism in his brain is also causing his seizures. Well about a month ago, after being seizure free for 6 months we had another EEG to make sure everything was looking good. As it turns out, he was still having seizures while he was sleeping. So our doctor changed his medicine. I must put in here what a horrible ordeal it was to get him to take his first medicine. It was a powder inside a capsule. And the only thing that worked was putting it in chocolate milk to dissolve. It is also important to note that Vinnie eats almost NOTHING! You think your kids are picky? HAHA!! My son will not eat a pancake if it is cut the wrong way.......yeah......dead serious. Well this time they gave us a liquid medicine. I was terrified, and rightly so. He just spit it in my face. So we asked for another alternative. This time it was called "sprinkle capsules". And while you might think that is the same thing as the other medicine....a powder...you'd be completely WRONG! It was little beads. They did not dissolve in anything. And doctors and pharmacists tell you to put in yogurt or applesauce or other soft food. But when there is no texture in the yogurt how do you expect children to just take it?? Well me and Alex were at our wits end trying to uncap the meds and pour down his throat or desperately trying to squirt the liquid down his throat. Finally my brilliant husband had his most genius idea ever!! Chocolate! Vinnie eats Toblerone squares with the texture inside the piece of chocolate so why not use the same principle? I contacted doctors and pharmacists to see if this was an option with the meds. I got the clearance and started making chocolate candy!
Basically I take milk chocolate and melt it down. Then I let it cool down until it is about room temperature. Using a small spoon I spoon small amounts into a mini ice cube tray. Then I add one capsule per unit. And then to keep the Toblerone theme, I add some coarse ground almonds. I wanted there to be more texture in there than just medicine. And you know what?? IT WORKS!! It is still not completely pleasant most days, but it works! I am so proud of us!!
So I keep saying that I do not bake, I'm not a dessert cook, but deep down I still love doing it. And I think a well rounded chef should be able to do everything. So I continue to make sweets! And it is days like this one in particular that I am grateful I have not given up on making sweet treats. For if I had, the churros I made from scratch this night would never have been made, and if they had never been made I would not have experienced their intoxicating fragrance and taste. And what I am about to reveal may be horrific to your eyes....so if you are unsure you want to read it....skip ahead! But I had never had a churro before this time!! SHOCKER!! And to be honest with you....I do not know why I have never had one. I mean we live in Las Vegas where there is Hispanic food EVERYWHERE!! And at every event or place you go, there are churros. But as shameful as it is to admit, it led me to this food revelation. Churros are freaking awesome!! I think I had some preconceived notion in my head they would be like Taco Bell's cinnamon twists: crunchy. But they were tender and fluffy and warm and almost like a beignet and a donut had a mexican baby. That baby's name is Churro. Have I excited you enough to want to try it?? SUCKER!! Recipe is all mine! Ok, I'm only joking you can have it! Gotta have a little fun sometimes right??
Recipe:
1 1/4c milk
4T unsalted butter
1T white sugar
1/2t vanilla
1/4t salt
1 1/4c all-purpose flour
4 large eggs
vegetable oil for frying
Bring the milk, butter, sugar, vanilla, and salt to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring until the butter melts and the sugar dissolves. Reduce heat to medium-low; add flour and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until the mixture gathers into a glossy ball, about 1 minute. Transfer to a large bowl and let cool slightly, about 5 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time with a mixer. Trandfer the batter to a piping bag fitted with a 1/2inch star tip.
Fill a shallow dish with sugar for coating the churros. Heat about 2 inches vegetable oil in a wide saucepan until a deep-fry thermometer registers 350 degrees. Working in batches of about 6, pipe 3-inch-segments of batter into the hot oil; use a knife to cut off the segments. Fry, turning once, until golden brown. Transfer to a peper towel-lined plate to drain briefly, then roll in the sugar.
If you like to have something different every once in a while you should try the dipping sauce I made for it. The churros are wonderful all on their own but take on a completely different flavor when dipped in coconut sauce!!
Recipe:
1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
3/4c unsweetened coconut milk
Cook the condensed milk in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly, until it turns a light caramel color and starts to pull away from the sides of the pan 10-15 minutes. Gradually add the coconut milk and whisk until smooth, about 5 minutes; set aside. You can refrigerate the sauce, covered, up to 2 days, reheat before serving.
We had such a gluttonous feast on these I thought we might die. So to get them out of my house I gave them to a neighbor. So hopefully you know your neighbors enough to bring them some churros when you realize how many of them you made and that you are liable to eat them all yourself!!
So now that you have finished making your sweet chili sauce, it is time to get down to business with the meat portion of the recipe!! The meatballs!! And I mean who doesn't love a good meatball? I love them! Turkey, beef, pork, chicken....doesn't matter. They are all comfort food for me. And I love a good challenge to boot! So I started my trek with the Asian style ones.
Recipe:
1lb ground turkey meat
1 finger length size lemongrass, minced
2-3T fresh ginger, minced or grated
2 cloves garlic, minced
1-2T chopped cilantro (I am not a huge fan so I err on the side of less is more)
1t fish sauce
2t soy sauce
1/2t Szechuan peppercorns
1t salt
Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl. If you need to taste and see if the seasonings fit with your ideas, take a small portion of the meat and roll in a small ball and fry to taste. If not you can either wrap the meat in saran wrap and place in fridge until ready to bake or go ahead and bake them.
You want to form about 16 balls with your meat. You want them small enough to not take forever to cook and big enough to make a filling lettuce wrap with 2 of them. I lined a baking dish with foil and then used a cookie rack to let the grease drip off. However you could always bake without the rack or even fry them. If you fry them be sure to cook them over medium-medium/low heat to make sure they cook through and do not burn on the outside.
While those are cooking you can prep for your pickled veggie mix.
Recipe:
1/2 bag of broccoli slaw (can be found in any grocery in the produce section)
1 daikon radish or 2 regular radishes, sliced thin
2T cider vinegar
2t white sugar
1/4t salt
1/2 cucumber, peeled and cut into half slices
head of boston lettuce or butter lettuce, leaves peeled off
Sweet Chili Sauce
Chili Sauce (optional, can be found in asian aisles or asian grocery store)
Mix the vinegar, salt, and sugar in a bowl. Place the broccoli slaw and the radishes in the vinegar to pickle.
To officially make your lettuce cup you should take a leaf of lettuce and place 2 meatballs inside. Drizzle about a spoonful with your sweet chili sauce and if you want or need extra flavor add a small dollop of spicy chili sauce on each meatball. Top your meatballs with a little pickled veggies and sliced cucumbers. Gather the lettuce wrap in your hands and dig in. WARNING! The sauces will drip all over you and coat your hands. But it is absolutely worth it!! So perhaps wear a bib!!
Unfortunately I was in such a hurry to eat these suckers that I forgot to take a picture of the final product. But I plan on making these again soon. When that day comes I will edit this page and post a picture of the yummy Thai meatballs. Until then.....eat these until you black out in an Asian induced coma of intense flavors!
The first step in recreating a dish from our Food Truck experience was to figure out which one to start with. After some debating I decided to start with the Thai style meatballs because they were my favorite and an easy one to do. I knew it was turkey meat and Asian flavorings so I went to their site to see if they gave any descirption of it. And they did! How lucky did I get?? "ground turkey, fresh lemongrass, ginger, cilantro; served with pickled cucumbers, carrot and daikon, wrapped in
boston lettuce; accompanied by thai and sweet chili sauces" So this is where I started. But the sweet chili sauce was going to be a challenge. Or was it?? I started some research online and figured out what went into a basic sweet chili sauce: rice vinegar, sugar, water, garlic, crushed chili, and cornstarch.
Recipe:
1/2c rice vinegar
1/2c + 2T white sugar
1/4c water
2T mirin*
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2-1T crushed dried chili (depending on hotness level)
1 1/2T cornstarch dissolved in 3-4T cold water
*Mirin is a sweet Japanese cooking wine. I found it at the local commissary on base but I am unsure if you can find it at a local grocery store. You should be able to purchase if you have a local Asian grocery store. If you do not have it, just omit.
Combine vinegar, sugar, water, mirin, garlic, and chilis in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 10 minutes. Add in your cornstarch mixture and cook for 2 more minutes.
Remove from heat and let cool slightly. Then pour into a jelly jar. I had just enough for one jar. Once in the jar let it cool down and place in the fridge and it can last up to a month.
You can see that the flakes of garlic and chili rise to the top, before serving or using just give it a good shake or stir to redistribute. This sauce is absolutely divine though! And it would be great with potstickers or eggrolls or dim sum. I have some leftover dim sum in my freezer I plan on eating with this sauce. It is sugary at first taste, then you feel the intense heat and then the tanginess from the vinegar. It's like a little party in your mouth! I bet it would also make good presents to your foodie friends who happen to love Asian food. Hope y'all love it as much as me!!
Me and Alex went on a date last weekend for the first time in a long time. And on this particular outing we decided to go to the Vegas StrEats. This was an outdoor venue located on Freemont Street with some artists and assorted vendors as well as most of the food trucks in the Las Vegas area. I was super stoked!! I mean its gourmet food trucks!! Who wouldn't love that?? So we found a babysitter and fasted all afternoon and took ourselves downtown. There did happen to be a parade going on for the Helldorado Days. And while we were waiting for it to pass by so we could cross the street I happened to see this float......
This is a recipe that I am afraid has become something of a specialty and must have in part of my family. I made this a couple of Thanksgivings ago and everyone loved it. And now I believe I will be expected to make it every holiday. However, if any of you are reading this now.....not gonna happen! LOL! I do not like getting stuck into things I have to make. It takes the fun out of life. Don't get me wrong I love this dish as much as the next person, but I do not make the same thing twice in a 6 month period and on holidays I do not like to make the same side dishes. I may make it another time or two if there is enough pressure, but I would like to venture out of the family comfort zone and let them try some new crazy dishes!! Perhaps we can persuade Melinda to continue making them!! (Yep, I threw you under the bus Melinda!!)
But enough of my crazy family....back to the recipe at hand. I made this to bring something new and fresh to my family Thanksgiving dinner and I could not have imagined the intense positive feedback I got from it! They LOVED it!! So what is this magical recipe? It is brussel sprouts. I am sure at this point you are cringing at the thought of eating something in your mind you remember as brussel sprouts. Well I guarantee you have never had brussel sprouts like these before. And even if you do not like brussel sprouts or even cabbage you will like this dish. How do I know?? I hate cabbage. I am not thrilled with brussel sprouts and I love this recipe. The thing that sets it apart is the quick cooking, the leaves all torn off the head of the brussel sprout, and the other wonderful flavors that are incorporated into the salad.
Brussel Sprout Salad:
3/4lb brussel sprouts, ends trimmed and halved
1/4c bacon, diced before cooking
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/3c fresh breadcrumbs
2T pine nuts or walnuts
1/4t salt
1/8t pepper
1/2ounce shaved Asiago cheese or Parmesan cheese
Take your halved brussel sprouts and peel the outer leaves off. Once you reach the small core cut in half. Continue this process with every brussel sprout. Trust me, this is worth the effort!
If you dice the bacon before cooking it the bacon cooks quicker and more evenly. Heat a skillet on medium heat and cook bacon until crispy. Drain on a papertowel. In the bacon fat, saute the garlic for a minute. Add the breadcrumbs and cook another minute. Add the nuts and cook until the nuts are toasted and the breadcrumbs are golden brown. Transfer mixture to a small bowl.
Heat 1/2t oil in skillet. Add the brussel leaves and cores to the pan. Season with salt and pepper. Cook 8 minutes or just until leaves wilt and the cores are crispt-tender, stirring frequently so as not to burn. Add back in the garlic mixture and the bacon. Toss together until warmed through. Turn off the heat and sprinkle your cheese over the top.
And it is just that simple! And heavenly. And if you try this for company they will think you a culinary hero. So my advice? Go to the store today and try it! Or perhaps hold it in your repertoire until a big occassion arises and then pull out the big guns!! Hopefully your family and friends enjoy it as much as mine do!
Okay, it has come to my attention that I am being missed on this site. I truly appreciate that. And I have no real reason why the delay in writing. I suppose it stems from my writing insecurities. No one ever thinks their stuff is that good. They never believe people are actually reading and not just reading but trying out recipes. I mean I think I'm awesome......and my husband better think that as well, but it is truly an honor to think other people think I'm awesome (and yes I am putting words in your mouth because even if you think I am just slightly above average I shall twist your words to tell me its awesome!! LOL!). So without further delay I shall reveal to you a somewhat exotic and very tasty dish known as tagine.
Tagine,
if you want to look at an official site, is a Morroccan dish named after the pot it is cooked in. It is slightly triangular and conical on the top. Its a stew basically. But this can be done and effectively without a tagine, just use a dutch oven. (Big shout out to my Dad for my awesome one I use!). It is not a spicy dish like curries, it is a sweeter type dish so do not get carried away thinking it needs to be spicy when taste tasting. Lamb is pretty typical in these dishes. And who doesnt like lamb?? And these stews are typically cooked with some kind of sweet dried fruit. We used apricots because it is the closest thing to authentic. I even went so far as to buy the Mediterranean apricots! I know I know....I'm a dork as well as a food snob. But I accept my lot in life and that has to count for something!!
Tagine:
1/2c apricots, soaked enough water to cover
2T olive oil
1 onion, diced (or 1/2 onion pureed in the food processor like me)
3 medium carrots, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2lb cubed lamb*
1t cumin
1/2t Ras al Hanout**
1t corriander
1t cinnamon
3 bay leaves
rind and juice of 1/2 orange
1t saffron
1/2-1t chili flakes (depending on hotness level)
1T ground almonds (after using I think I would use flour or something other than the almonds, it gave the dish a gritty feeling in your mouth that was not all together pleasant)
1 1/4c chicken stock
1-2T capers or chopped green olives
1t sesame seeds, toasted
salt and pepper
rough chopped parsley for garnish
*I roasted a leg of lamb the night before and therefor used that lamb and cut the slices into chunks. Alternatives to this are using other cuts of lamb, preferably leg, thigh, or shoulder pieces with some fat to them and cubing them.
**Ras al Hanout is a middle eastern spice that is relatively unheard of. I know I had not heard of it until I took a spice class. Every person/manufacturer makes it different but it typically includes: cardamon, clove, cinnamon, chili flakes, corriander, nutmeg, tumeric, and peppercorns. Mine had a thai peppercorn, lavender and rose petal incorporated in it. You can leave out the Ras al Hanout and add a little extra of the other flavors or be bold and buy some from a specialty spice site. My spice sage is my favorite site to buy from. They have a wide range of products as well as containers for their spices. And never buy when there isn't a promotion going on. Most of the time there is either a free shipping or free product promotion going on with any purchase. So if you are so inclined to buy....wait for a promotion to get free stuff!!
Heat olive oil in dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, carrots, and bay leaves and cook until onion gets soft. Add meat and try to get a nice color on the meat. Add spices and cook 5 minutes. Add apricots and the juice they are soaking in, chicken stock, orange juice and zest, saffron and ground almonds or flour. Season with salt and pepper. Reduce heat to slow simmer. Cook until meat is tender. Some recipes say 45 minutes, others call for hours. Mine took about 1 1/2 hours and could have used a little longer. I suggest having at least 3 hours to simmer gently on low to get the best results from the meat.
Once done it goes well with a simple couscous and na'an bread. This is crucial!! Na'an is a middle eastern staple and in Las VEgas can be found at my local Wal-Mart in the deli bread section. I strongly recommend finding na'an. It is a flat bread traditionally baked inside a wood oven. You will thank me for it later!! If you cannot find it, flour tortillas or pita bread or other flat bread will work. Garnish tagine with sesame seeds and chopped parsley.
