My New Kitchen Gadgets

Since beginning this exercise in cooking I have had to gather a few new kitchen gadgets as well as gained respect for a few that I have already had.  Any previous gadgets that I had must be attributed to my wife who already knows a good thing when she sees it... like me!

A good knife is without a doubt the best investment that can be made in the kitchen.  A close second to this is a good wood cutting board.  I have two and switch between them depending on what I am cutting.  I use the big one when the ingredients are not really "juicy".  If I am cutting tomatoes or other "juicy" items, I use the smaller one that has a little trough around the edges so the juices do not spill over the edge of the cutting board.

Good cooking utensils are also a necessity!  Out of all the ones in the drawers, these are my favorites.  A good spatula with a wide blade for clearing out mixing bowls, a plastic whisk for cooking in non-stick pans, a plastic spatula with a smooth, solid surface (not slots or holes), and a pair of stainless steel tongs.  I use these four guys more than the rest of the ones in my drawer combined.  I will even search them out and hand wash them if they are dirty.  Everyone has favorites... these are not children people... we are allow to have favorites!

If you have not figured it out yet, I am a bit obsessive compulsive.  I am not quite OCD (because it is not alphabetical).  One thing I can not stand is a messy kitchen while I am cooking.  This little puppy lets you put your dirty utensils on it and then you only have to wash it when you are done.  If you are particular like me, this is something that you need in the kitchen.

While cooking these recipes I have switched over to sea salt for my salting needs.  I found that a nice open container that I can seal air tight when I am done is best.  I got this at Meijer for a couple dollars.  I love it!  It is easy to get a measuring spoon into as well as if I just need a pinch to fine tune a dish as I am making it.

A good pepper grinder is a must as well!  I got one from my sister-in-law and have been using it non-stop since.  There is nothing like freshly ground pepper from a pepper mill to add to just about any dish!

For Christmas I got some ramekins and a small kitchen torch.  One of the recipes that I will be eventually making is Creme Brule.  This requires both to complete.  (Thanks Hon!)  I have also found them nice to create little single serve breakfast or dinner meals in the ramekins as well.  Just put them on a cookie sheet and turn on the broiler!

Tina came home one day from the store with a pastry cutter and I had to ask her what it was for.  She said that she read the apple pie recipe and saw that it was recommended for preparing the dough.  This works the shortening into the flour to make a light flaky crust.  Huh... I guess I am glad she reads ahead because I would have not known what the heck a pastry cutter was.

I picked this up a Target because it was on sale and I am addicted to kitchen gadgets.  This is a chopper/scoop.  I find that it is helpful when I need to, guess what... chop and scoop ingredient into a bowl.  This does a nice job of chopping up soft items like boiled eggs to make egg salad and scoop them into a bowl in one handy motion.

A set of mixing bowls with a non-skid bottom are nice as well.  There is a lot of mixing in cooking and these babies have a rubber ring around the bottom to keep them from sliding around the counter when you stir.  Tina got these some time ago, but they are my favorite bowls to use in the kitchen.  I think I melted one some time ago in the microwave, so that is why there are only two left.  I can not be held responsible for these types of mistakes prior to starting my cooking hobby.

As I get more gadgets, I will update you to let you know what I have found works well for me in the kitchen!

Mark

Mac and Cheese that a Mother Could Love!

Mac and Cheese does not sound like a complicated meal, and yet I continue to see cooking shows on Food Network show how it is made.  I have always used the two step method in the past... open the Kraft package, turn on microwave... presto... mac and cheese!  Well this recipe had me making my own cheese sauce.  It has a pretty simple list of ingredients as you can see below.

Since mac and cheese is my daughter's favorite meal, she got involved in the kitchen with me.  She was my photographer for this meal.  The prep is simple, cook noodles in boiling water.

Making the sauce is more involved.  It requires constant whisking for about 10 minutes while it is cooking on the stove.  Different ingredients are added along the way and having the extra help that my daughter provided on this meal was key!  Here I am whisking away for the picture.

Since I had to keep whisking the entire time, and I had not read the recipe thoroughly before had (yes Tina, I will next time!), I had to move everything over next to me by the stove.  I also had to measure up and add one handed from time to time because the attention span of a 9 year old girl is not the greatest.

Once I had the sauce prepped, I got to add the cheese sauce to the noodles!  Libby was very interested in this part because eating comes soon after this part!

You can serve it immediately after adding the sauce, but I wanted to bake it in... so we added it to a baking dish, added a little more cheese to the top, and sprinkled on some paprika for color.  Twenty minutes later we had pipping hot home made macaroni and cheese for the eating!  I can tell you that one little girl at my house (and one adult girl) were very pleased with this dish.  We actually argued over who got to have it first since so many of us were salivating to try it!

Next up are Maple Scones...looking forward to "eating" with you again soon!

Mark

Tomato soup even I liked!

I have to start out telling you that I am not a big fan of tomato soup.  I know that many people like it, but it is just not something that trips my trigger.  I would rather have the grilled cheese than the soup.  But the tomato soup is in the book so I have to make it.  My wife and daughter were looking forward to it as they are tomato soup and grilled cheese junkies.  So here we go... here are the fixin's to make the soup.

This is not a "smooth" tomato soup... it has onions, and chunks of diced tomatoes in it.  The onions filled the house with a wonderful smell while they were being sauteed.

After the onions the diced tomatoes and tomato juice are added... along with some special ingredients.  It simmered on the stove top for a while before it was ready to be served.  I was actually quite surprised at how simple it was to make, especially since it tasted so good!

Of course, what is tomato soup without a couple grilled cheese sandwiches to dip in the soup as you eat it?  Nothing fancy here... just plain white bread, some spray butter, and a slice of Kraft cheese.  I promise I'll do some more "gourmet" type sandwiches another time.

Next up is homemade macaroni and cheese.  This is my daughter's favorite food, so if she likes it I know it will be a hit!

Looking forward to "eating" with you soon!

Mark

A Friend's Eggs

The title of this recipe does not begin to describe how good these eggs are.  Huevos Hyacinth... this is basically just a friend of the Pioneer Woman's (Hyacinth) who helped come up with these eggs.  These eggs are prepared by placing a slice or two into a ramekin.  Top with a little salsa and then crack an egg over it.  Add a little goat cheese and then broil in the oven for about 4 minutes.  These eggs come out so good that I would knock my own mother down to get seconds!  (Sorry Mom, but sometimes the truth is painful.  I promise I will not make these when you are in town!)

We made four of them, but my wife and I decided that these were too sophisticated for the kids.  Just look at how the cheese melted and browned under the broiler.  Yum!  You could use any pig based meat for this dish (ham, sausage, bacon, etc).  You can also substitute cubed tomatoes for the salsa if you do not want it to be as runny.  I think next time I will use the tomatoes and some sausage.  The goat cheese was very good.  Not nearly as "footy" as feta or blue cheese.  This was just enough for me.

Up next this weekend is Sherri-ed Tomato Soup with homemade Macaroni and Cheese.  I might even end the meal with some sort of dessert from the recipe list.  Let me know if you want me to make anything special!

Looking forward to "eating" with you soon!

Mark

Fresh Cinnamon Roles on Christmas morning

Cinnamon rolls are a great treat on any morning, but fresh home-made cinnamon rolls on Christmas morning are really special.  I made the dough the day before and refrigerated it so we could have them in the morning.  I rolled out the dough on the island and sprinkled the cinnamon mixture over the dough.  I rolled it up and cut the rolls out of the log of dough.

I had a lot of interest from my favorite little helper in the kitchen.  She wanted to help roll out of th dough, but was torn because she also wanted to play with her new toys.  I let her off the hook and told her to go play, I would let her help me make them again.

This whole adventure began with watching the movie Julie and Julia... I got it in my stocking!

The rolls went into butter pans and then into the oven.  I made several dozen and they had to be baked in shifts because I do not have the room to cook them all at once.

The plump up nicely and fill the entire dish.  They look good enough to eat like these... but there is more!  This recipe comes with homemade maple icing.

The maple icing is simple enough to make, just make sure you have some maple flavoring or it is just plain vanilla icing.  We put it on top and let it soak in.  I wrapped up several dishes and went around to my neighbors houses.  I caught them by surprise in their panamas.  I just dropped off the dish, wished them Merry Christmas, and was off to deliver another batch!  I think I liked seeing the reaction on their face almost as much as baking these!

I have to admit that these did not last long.  My wife and I made short work of the first batch.  This will definitely be a repeat recipe.

Next up are Huevos Hyacinth.  This is a twist on a traditional egg breakfast.

Looking forward to "eating" with you soon!

Mark

Mashed Potatoes

For the holidays we committed to bringing some mashed potatoes to my sister-in-laws for dinner.  We had made these potatoes for the holidays before (from the website) and knew that they were good.  This is a really simple recipe to make and includes cream cheese (how can you go wrong?).

You can find this recipe on the Internet at The Pioneer Woman's website:
http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2007/11/delicious_creamy_mashed_potatoes/

This capped off a cooking marathon the day before Christmas.  We cooked these potatoes, some cookies, and other desserts for the family meals that were coming soon.  There was a lot going on in the kitchen.

It was a lot of fun to cook up all these meals, the only problem is that it also leaves a lot to clean up.  My wife and I have struck a new deal, since I am doing all the cooking, I will also do all the dishes.  In return, I am now exempt from laundry.  On this day, I believe I got the short end of the stick.

Next up are fresh cinnamon roles on Christmas morning.

Looking forward to "eating" with you soon.

Mark

Chili today and hot tomorrow

Everyone likes a nice hearty chili in the cold winter months.  The Pioneer Woman's cookbook has a meaty recipe for chili in it.  One thing I have learned through cooking these recipes from Ree Drummond is that cowboys LOVE meat.  There does not seem to be a single meal that does not contain a lot of meat in it.  I have to say... I think I might have the stomach of a cowboy.

You just mix up a special concoction of spices and cook the beef on the stove... this fills the house with a special kind of manly smell.  You just know it smells like what southwest kitchens smell like.  Yum!

After that, you a kidney and pinto beans to the mix and let it simmer for a while.  While this is cooking we started putting together the ingredients for our skillet cornbread.

The ingredients for the corn bread are mixed together and cooked over a high heat to give it a nice golden brown bottom.  Then you transfer it to the oven to finish cooking.  I do not have a traditional heavy iron skillet to cook it in like the Pioneer Woman shows, so I had to use my stainless steel skillet... it worked pretty good none the less.

For some reason, the kids do not eat chili, so they ended up with hot dogs this night.  My wife and I put the left over chili in single serving Gladware and have enjoyed it for several more days.

It tasted even better several days later.  This is definitely one that we will cook again!  Going to bring some of the Pioneer Woman's mashed potatoes to my sister-in-laws house for dinner.

Looking forward to "eating" with you soon.

Mark

Mark's 'Mazing Migas

First of all, I have to say that my only exposure to authentic Mexican cooking if from my brother-in-law Dan.  He has introduced me to chorizo, fideo, migas, and other Mexican dishes.  So when I saw this recipe for migas I at least knew that it would be good.  The only problem is that I have no idea what is in migas.To the cloud... the literal translation is "crumbs".  This is a traditional breakfast dish of eggs with tortilla strips in the mix.

The fun part was cooking the tortillas on the stove top.  I had never made my own tortilla strips and you basically just fry up regular tortillas in canola oil and then cut them into strips after they are crispy.  It adds and nice crunch to the dish.  What really makes it good though its the fresh cilantro that you add towards the end. I really like the taste of cilantro and like to chop up a bunch to add while it is cooking and garnish with when it is plated.

When it is ready to serve, I sliced up some oranges as a side/garnish.  Just add a dollop of sour cream and call everyone to the table.  Needless to say these did not last long at my house.

One more recipe down on my journey.  Next up is a hearty chili with cornbread.

Looking forward to "eating" with you soon!

Mark