Things I make In My Kitchen

Last night, I made the most ridiculously great family dinner for my roommates.  Along with maple brown sugared ham and garlic butter green beans, I made these Fantastic scalloped potatoes.  Here's the recipe!

Caramelized Onion Scalloped Potatoes

2 Red Onions

4-5 Cloves of Garlic (Minced)

4 Tablespoons of Butter

1 Tablespoon of Butter

4 Tablespoons of Flour

1 and a half Cups Milk (I prefer Vitamin D)

Dash of Cayenne Pepper

Pinch of Nutmeg

Dash of Mustard Powder

Black Pepper

Teaspoon of Salt

1 heaping cup of Shredded Cheddar Cheese

8-10 Redskin Potatoes (Sliced thinly)

Big Chunk of Sharp Cheddar Cheese (I used this great creamy one that is crusted with paprika)

Big Chunk of Parmesan Cheese (I used this BellaVitano cheese crusted with espresso)

Sprinkling of Paprika

Wasn't originally planning on writing an entry but this sandwich was too perfect not to share. 

Leftover Jerk Chicken Sandwich

2 slices rye bread

1 leftover jerk chicken breast.  Will post recipe for jerk chicken later.  It was marinated and baked with our homemade jerk sauce.

1-2 slices raw cheddar cheese

2 slices thick cut bacon

1 small onion

3-4 small garden fresh tomatoes

2 Pineapple slices

1 Tablespoon brown sugar

Extra leftover jerk sauce

- Presandwich assembly: fry bacon and chop onion - When bacon has finished frying, caramelize onion in half of the bacon fat.  Save other half. - When onion is caramelized (brown and translucent), remove from heat.  Remove onions from pan and add remaining bacon fat to same pan. - Fry pineapple slices over medium heat.  When they brown on both sides, sprinkle with brown sugar and slice into pieces as pineapple begins to candy.  - To assemble sandwich: spread jerk sauce on one bread slice, top with chicken slices and cheese.  Place with other bread slice in oven to toast.  - When toasted, remove from oven, top with bacon slices, onions, sliced tomatoes, and candied pineapple. - Be sure to grab a toothpick because this is a huge sandwich!

Enjoy.  Future recipes will have more photoz. 

Basil Lemonade, Strawberry Basil Lemonade, Raspberry Lemonade, and Pina Colada!!

(I'm sorry I always suck about writing down exact measurements for recipes, but the key here is to make sure there is definitely more water than alcohol so that they will still freeze!  Taste it as you go and add more of just about anything according to taste)

Mango Mojito Popsicles

3 Small Mangoes

2 Limes

A couple tablespoons of sugar

Fresh mint leaves, 5-6 in blender, a small one in each popsicle mold

1 cup Water

1/2 cup Rum (I used Bacardi)

Just attempted to make these for the first time.  I was planning on adding chopped lacinto kale to the chicken filling but ended up with too much chicken for all that.

Chicken (And Kale?) Chipotle Enchiladas

1 Large Red Onion

3-5 Cloves of Garlic

2 Chipotle Peppers (Dried)

24 oz Organic Strained Tomatoes (Or Tomato Sauce)

1 Cup Water

2-3 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast

2 Roma Tomatoes

Cumin

Chili Powder

Garlic Salt

Black Pepper

Paprika

1 Tablespoon Black strap Molasses.  

Corn Tortillas (About 10?)

White Cheddar Cheese (I didn't measure, but I shredded the entire block, seen in the third photo.

1 Bunch Cilantro

-Fill small cup with warm water, and soak chipotle peppers for at least an hour or two.  I do this earlier in the day so they are nice and soft by the time it is time to cook. (See photo 1) -Preheat oven to 415 degrees Fahrenheit -Slice onion, and begin to caramelize in olive oil over medium heat in a large cooking pot. -Mince garlic and add to onion when it becomes translucent.  (See Photo 2) -Once onions are caramelized, mince soaked chipotle peppers and add to onions.  If you want more spice, include seeds.  For less heat, remove.   -Add tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, and water to onions, stir.  If you want even more heat, substitute some of the water with the water left from soaking the chipotles.   -Add a tablespoon or two of cumin, chili powder, and paprika.  Add 1 tablespoon of molasses.  Adjust according to taste.  Season with garlic salt and black pepper to taste.   -Place whole chicken breasts in sauce, so they are covered.   -Cover pot and let cook, stirring every 5-10 minutes, until chicken pulls apart with a spoon. -Strain chicken/sauce mixture so that sauce is seperated.  Push down to squeeze out most liquid. -Grate cheese if it is not already grated.  The cheese I ended up using can be seen in photo 3.  -Using a fork, shred chicken, and mix with onions, kale, 1/3 of the cheese, and 1/3 of a bunch of cilantro. -Microwave tortillas or 30 seconds.   -Coat bottom layer of a glass baking pan with enchilada sauce.   -Fill tortilla with chicken mixture, roll into a cylinder, and place seam side down in pan.  Line up to fill pan.  (With this one, I ended up filling the above rectangular pan, as well as a square 8x8 one). -Cover enchiladas with sauce, spreading evenly with a spoon. -Evenly distribute cheese over enchiladas, cover with tinfoil. -Bake for 20-25 minutes, covered. -Remove tinfoil and bake for 5 more minutes uncovered. -Garnish with cilantro, avocado, sour cream, etc.

This is a simple salad, but packed with flavor! 

1 Bunch Kale (We used Red, but any works)

1 Bunch Arugala

1 Onion

2-3 Cloves Garlic

A handful of Green Beans

A handful of Cherry Tomatoes

Balsamic Vinegar

Olive Oil

1 Lemon

Fresh Cilantro

Black Pepper

- Wash and Chop up kale and arugula, toss in salad bowl. - Slice up onion, begin caramelizing in olive oil over medium-low heat.  - When onion is translucent, add minced garlic.  - Wash green beans, cut off ends and cut in half.  Add to onion/garlic and sautee for 1-2 minutes.  - Add whole cherry tomatoes, and toss with about a tablespoon of balsamic vinegar while they are cooking.  When tomatoes become deflated and brown, turn off heat. 

(I tend to toss salad dressing by ingredient directly into the salad, but it can be made seperately)

- Drizzle greens with olive oil, a couple squirts of balsamic vinegar, the juice of 1 fresh lemon, about 1/3 of a bunch of chopped fresh cilantro, and a bunch of black pepper.  - Top with green bean/tomato mixture - Toss well

DISCLAIMER: This is not my original recipe, I got it from my local food co-op, and they adapted it from a recipe by Frontier Natural Foods Co-op.  I usually just post my own creations on this food blog but this came out TOO GOOD not to share. This is a doubled version of the original, which is enough to share with friends!

Citrus Hibiscus Iced Tea

2 tsp. Dried Peppermint

2 tsp. Dried Rosehips

2 tsp. Fresh Orange Zest

4 tsp. Dried Hibiscus

4 tsp. Dried Lemongrass

4 cups Water

2 cups Orange Juice

2 cups Sparkling Water

2 tbsp. Honey (Or to taste)

I just made the best cake of my lifetime with my best friend.  I wouldn't call this a full blown recipe because we used cakemix and didn't measure anything, but seriously it was so fucking delicious I have to tell you what we did.

  Butter Pecan and Cherry Chip Rainbow Cake

      1 Box Cherry Chip Cake Mix

    1 Box Butter Pecan Cake Mix

    Crisco

    Butter

    Eggs

    Cream Cheese

    Powdered Sugar

    Peanut Butter

    Oreos

    Maple Syrup

    A whole bunch of Crisco

  - We did this with 3 disposable cake pans.  First, we mixed the cherry chip cake mix according to the box instructions.  We then separated it into 3 equal bowls.  Since we wanted every other layer to be the same cake, (and we were only making 6 so we grouped indigo and violet together to purple), we colored these orange, green and purple, and baked in our extremely well greased pans.

- Once these were done and cooled, we made the butter pecan cake mix and did the same thing, coloring these red, yellow and blue.

- We let these cool for a long time and began on the filling.  Using an electric mixer, we combined 1 stick of softened butter, a couple spoonfuls of melted cream cheese, a spoonful of peanut butter, a couple of crushed oreos and a whole lot of powdered sugar.  This became the filling in between layers.

- After stacking the layers in correct order with filling, we made the frosting for the top.  Just like the first one, we used an electric mixer to combine 1 stick of softened butter, a couple spoonfuls of melted cream cheese, 1 spoonful of peanut butter, a few squirts of maple syrup and a whole lotta powdered sugar.  We frosted the whole cake this way, and then put it in the freezer for 5-10 minutes to solidify.

This is the half-way recipe for the really delicious curried sweet potato soup I made to give away for the local DIY fest we had here last weekend!  We had a food not bombs meal the same day so I made this ahead of time to give away at our table.  I made a really large quantity of soup (Like, more than my largest soup pot could even hold) and I was generally frazzled so I didn't write down my measurements or cooking times...for a general recipe the quantities would be a bit smaller...but here's how I made it! (Ill write down a formal recipe next time?

Curried Sweet Potato Soup

A whole bunch of sweet potatoes...I filled one large baking pan and one small square baking pan full.

6-10 Cloves of Garlic

2 Red Onions

About 6 Bell Peppers (I used red, yellow, and green)

Olive Oil

1 1/2 Cans Curry Paste (My favorite paste is in the upper left photo)

1 Can Coconut Milk

6-8 Tomatoes

Alot of veggie broth, not sure how much I used

A few tablespoons Turmeric

1 1/2 Lemons

Black Pepper

Sorry for the hiatus, but the end of the semester has been KILLIN ME, and my weekends are now taken up by Food not Bombs.  Little time to cook at home.

This recipe is actually one I whipped up at Food Not Bombs this past weekend.  It was so good, I am surely going to make it at home all the time.  Sorry for the lack of measurements.  Things at FNB tend to be way too chaotic to keep track of any of that.  I'll update this when I make em again!

Balsamic Roasted Cherry Tomatoes and Green Beans

Cherry Tomatoes, I probably used about 2-3 little plastic boxes

1 Bag Green Beans

A couple sprigs of Fresh Rosemary

4-5 Cloves Garlic

Enough Olive Oil to coat tomatoes/green beans, my guestimate would be about 1/3 cup.

1/4 or so Balsamic Vinegar

Black Pepper

When I made this, I didn't decide to add the green beans until after I roasted the tomatoes, but I wouldroasting them together.

- Preheat oven to 425 - Wash veggies, Take ends off Green Beans - In mixing bowl, toss green beans, whole cherry tomatoes, and fresh rosemary with olive oil, balsamic, minced garlic, and a healthy amount of black pepper. - Spread mixture evenly across large baking sheet, so there is just one layer, like tomatoes in photo one.  - Bake until they look like the second photo, stirring every 10-15 minutes.  I was in way too hectic of a kitchen to time it.  Will update times next time I make em! - Once roasted, toss with a bit more balsamic vinegar.

I'm beginning to type this post as these beets are cooking and let me tell you,they smell fucking fantastic. 

Roasted Beets and Poblanos, with Lime and Cilantro

8 Large Beets

1 Large Red Onion

2 Poblano Peppers

A small bulb of Garlic

1/2 Cup Olive Oil

3 Tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce

Black Pepper

1 Bunch Cilantro

2 Limes

- Preheat Oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.  - Slice Beets into wedges, and Onion into large chunks. - Separate Cloves of Garlic out of bulb, keep them and the peppers whole. - Combine Olive Oil, Worcestershire Sauce, and Black Peppers in a small bowl - Distribute veggies and sauce evenly between 2 glass pans.  I used one small and one large. - Stir until veggies are evenly coated. (First Photo) - Bake 70 minutes or so, stirring every 10.  The Poblanos will be done after about 45-50 minutes.  When stirring, check peppers.  When they are roasted and soft, remove from oven while beets continue to cook. (Roasted Poblanos in second photo) - Chop up poblanos, removing seeds and stem.  When Beets are done, add chopped poblanos back. - Chop cilantro and juice limes over beets.  ENJOY! (3rd Photo)

I didn't take photos of this one because it was a very last minute food not bombs dish, but it came out really really great! 

2 Heads of Brocolli

1/2 Head of Red Cabbage

1 Small Red Onion

About 1/2 a Cup of Olive Oil (Or veggie oil, which is cheaper!)

about 1/3 Cup of Soy Sauce

A few Tablespoons of Dark Brown Sugar

A few squirts of Sriracha (Depending on your spice preference)

- Preheat oven to 425 - Cut up veggies to size preference - Mix up everything else into a sauce, and toss veggies in it - Pour into a glass pan and roast for about a half an hour, stirring every 10 minutes - When onions are cooked, and veggies are softer, theyre done!