It's been all types of frigid in DC for the past couple of weeks. 9 degrees in the Nation's Capital is just not right. When it gets cold its time for a hearty meal. This recipe I adapted from a couple of sources cooks.com, big daddy's house on food network but I have to put my own spin on things, a mini sheperd's pie which I jokingly referred to as a meat cupcake.
Mommy's Meatcakes
1 lbs of ground veal (you can use lamb or turkey if you're offended by veal, if you are get a grip its not that serious)
1 small tomato
1 large potato
3/4 cup of shredded cheddar cheese
2 cloves of garlic chopped
1/4 cup of red wine
2 packages of grands buttery rolls (trust me use this kind)
1 tbsp of dried thyme
1/3 cup of milk
1 tbsp butter
1/4 cup of chopped onions
Heat the oven to 350. Boil the large potato until cooked through. Add the wine, thyme, garlic and onions to the veal. Place in a hot skillet with a bit of olive oil. Cook until almost done then add the tomatoes. While the potato and meat is cooking open the roll packages and place each in a greased muffin tin. You should have 16 total. MAke sure the dough covers the sides. Place in oven. If you have baking beads then place them in each muffin ring (I don't know anyone who owns these so you'll have to do it the ghetto way). Bake for the allowed time checking every 5 minutes or so and sticking a metal spoon in the center of the biscuit to keep it hollow. Once potato is done cooking peel it and mash it with the butter, 1/2 the cheese and milk. Remove the biscuits from the oven. Scoop 1 large spoonful of meat mixture into each biscuit shell. Top with a heaping tablespoon of mashed potatoes and then sprinkle the top with the remaining cheese. Place back in the oven for about 2 minutes for the cheese to melt. Serve immediately. Eat it with your hands with a side of some other hearty vegetable like greens. Very good even the child was asking for seconds
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Friday, January 9, 2009
Just try it you might like it
For Christmas I baked a cajun turkey. That's my thing, I do cajun turkeys because I loathe the taste of turkey and the only way I'll eat it is if I can't taste it. I removed the innards: liver, heart and gibblets. I love poultry livers and gibblets. But the heart, I'd never had the heart of anything. I was intrigued, after my many hours of watching No Reservations and Bizarre Foods I feel like I can eat just about anything and survive, hey Bourdain and Zimmern are still alive.
Much to the disgust of everyone in my house at the time (all of whom eat chitterlings and pig feet, go fig) I fried it up like a piece of chicken and ate it with some grits. I'm only 4 generations removed from being a country girl. It tasted good. It tasted just like the liver but had the texture of gibblets. The best of both worlds. Of course the only other person who would try it was my little one who thinks she's a little Zimmern. If it sounds weird or digusting she's all over it. She won't eat a donut but deep fried chicken hearts, she's all over that.
When telling my family about my new discovery everyone was typically grossed out but my mom brought up a good point, we eat a lot of things that look gross. I mean really lobster looks like a huge roach. But our culture tells us its good. We eat chicken embryos all the time, what's any grosser than that? And how many people know that McDonald's beef is actually kangaroo meat. My dad swears by this and if he's just been playing a life long joke on me, My apologies to McDonalds.
Trying new foods is one of the great things about living in Western world. I often go to the grocery store and buy things I've never had before and try to make things out of it. I would encourage eveyone to try something different that sounds disgusting. One can only eat so much chicken, potatoes and greens. Even if you don't like it, you never know until you try it.
Much to the disgust of everyone in my house at the time (all of whom eat chitterlings and pig feet, go fig) I fried it up like a piece of chicken and ate it with some grits. I'm only 4 generations removed from being a country girl. It tasted good. It tasted just like the liver but had the texture of gibblets. The best of both worlds. Of course the only other person who would try it was my little one who thinks she's a little Zimmern. If it sounds weird or digusting she's all over it. She won't eat a donut but deep fried chicken hearts, she's all over that.
When telling my family about my new discovery everyone was typically grossed out but my mom brought up a good point, we eat a lot of things that look gross. I mean really lobster looks like a huge roach. But our culture tells us its good. We eat chicken embryos all the time, what's any grosser than that? And how many people know that McDonald's beef is actually kangaroo meat. My dad swears by this and if he's just been playing a life long joke on me, My apologies to McDonalds.
Trying new foods is one of the great things about living in Western world. I often go to the grocery store and buy things I've never had before and try to make things out of it. I would encourage eveyone to try something different that sounds disgusting. One can only eat so much chicken, potatoes and greens. Even if you don't like it, you never know until you try it.
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Asian Inspired Roast beef with Red wine Au Jus
In addition to the turkey I made my first roast beef and loved the flavor. Best thing to do is season the beef when you put the turkey in the oven and it'll be flavored just right when the turkey comes out.
1 Roast beef
1 tablespoon of Red Chili Sauce
1 inch piece of ginger chopped
2 large cloves of garlic chopped
1/2 cup of Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup of olive oil
1/2 cup of red wine
Mix all ingredients except wine in a large zip lock bag. Marinate the beef for at least 2 hours. Place in the oven covered and cook to desired doneness. Once the beef has cooked. Transfer all pan drippings to a small sauce pan. Add the wine. Simmer for a few minutes. Tastes great drizzled over the meat.
1 Roast beef
1 tablespoon of Red Chili Sauce
1 inch piece of ginger chopped
2 large cloves of garlic chopped
1/2 cup of Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup of olive oil
1/2 cup of red wine
Mix all ingredients except wine in a large zip lock bag. Marinate the beef for at least 2 hours. Place in the oven covered and cook to desired doneness. Once the beef has cooked. Transfer all pan drippings to a small sauce pan. Add the wine. Simmer for a few minutes. Tastes great drizzled over the meat.
Jerk Turkey and Gravy with Curried Dressing
I've never claimed that large portions are my forte. I usually cook for no more than about 5 people. But I decided to do some large portions of meat for Christmas. The first being the Jerk Turkey which is officially "my ting" (with the Jamaican accent, lol). Very Simple but the flavor is amazing. This should be done the night before.
1 10-12 lb turkey (cleaned and innards removed)
4 tablespoons of McCormick Jerk Seasoning, Plus extra for coating (it doesn't have black pepper in it)
4 tablespoons of Soy Sauce
4 tablespoons of Olive Oil
4 tablespoons of Apple Cider Vinegar
3 large cloves of garlic
Wisk all ingredients except garlic and turkey in a small bowl. Chop garlic into slices and slide under the skin throughout the bird. Take a baster and squirt the marinade under the skin in various parts of the bird and massage in. Rub the bird down with olive oil. Pour any remainder marinade over the bird. Sprinkle the outside of the bird with the dry jerk seasoning. Cook according to bird direction (or until the little thingy pops out).
***Toss the turkey necks and other innards in dry jerk seasoning and keep refrigerated until the gravy is ready to be prepared. Fry up the kidneys, liver and heart (yes heart) fry them up like chicken chop it up and throw them in some grits, maaannn, bang, you talking about some good eats!
I still haven't mastered the art of non lumpy gravy so the gravy is rather simple. Boil the turkey necks in water until cooked through. Bring 2 large jars of store bought turkey gravy just to a boil, add in the turkey neck broth and drippings from the fully cooked turkey. Simmer for a few minutes and your done. Add the dry jerk seasoning if the drippings don't add enough flavor.
Again the grocery store is your greatest friend on holidays. Get two packages of turkey stove stop stuffing. When heating the water and butter add 2 tablespoons of curry powder before the dry mix is added. Then cook as directed. Really good flavor combination with the turkey. If you can find it throw in some cooked curried goat.
1 10-12 lb turkey (cleaned and innards removed)
4 tablespoons of McCormick Jerk Seasoning, Plus extra for coating (it doesn't have black pepper in it)
4 tablespoons of Soy Sauce
4 tablespoons of Olive Oil
4 tablespoons of Apple Cider Vinegar
3 large cloves of garlic
Wisk all ingredients except garlic and turkey in a small bowl. Chop garlic into slices and slide under the skin throughout the bird. Take a baster and squirt the marinade under the skin in various parts of the bird and massage in. Rub the bird down with olive oil. Pour any remainder marinade over the bird. Sprinkle the outside of the bird with the dry jerk seasoning. Cook according to bird direction (or until the little thingy pops out).
***Toss the turkey necks and other innards in dry jerk seasoning and keep refrigerated until the gravy is ready to be prepared. Fry up the kidneys, liver and heart (yes heart) fry them up like chicken chop it up and throw them in some grits, maaannn, bang, you talking about some good eats!
I still haven't mastered the art of non lumpy gravy so the gravy is rather simple. Boil the turkey necks in water until cooked through. Bring 2 large jars of store bought turkey gravy just to a boil, add in the turkey neck broth and drippings from the fully cooked turkey. Simmer for a few minutes and your done. Add the dry jerk seasoning if the drippings don't add enough flavor.
Again the grocery store is your greatest friend on holidays. Get two packages of turkey stove stop stuffing. When heating the water and butter add 2 tablespoons of curry powder before the dry mix is added. Then cook as directed. Really good flavor combination with the turkey. If you can find it throw in some cooked curried goat.
Mommy's Great Chocolate Cake
Apologies to Bill Cosby. Made this cake twice to rave reviews. Its really a Double Chocolate Caramel Cake with the aid of duncan hines. It's super rich so its not for the faint of heart.
1 package of Devils Food cake mix
1 1/3 cups of water
1/3 cup of vegetable oil
3 eggs (2 large, one jumbo, Makes the cake really moist)
1 container of milk chocolate whipped icing
6 oz of Caramel topping (can be found in the ice cream section)
Prepare the cake mix according to package instructions. Pour batter into two 9 inch round cake pans. Allow to cool. Once cooled. Spread the caramel generously between the layers. Ice the rest of the cake with the milk chocolate icing. Sprinkle the left over caramel on top of the cake.
1 package of Devils Food cake mix
1 1/3 cups of water
1/3 cup of vegetable oil
3 eggs (2 large, one jumbo, Makes the cake really moist)
1 container of milk chocolate whipped icing
6 oz of Caramel topping (can be found in the ice cream section)
Prepare the cake mix according to package instructions. Pour batter into two 9 inch round cake pans. Allow to cool. Once cooled. Spread the caramel generously between the layers. Ice the rest of the cake with the milk chocolate icing. Sprinkle the left over caramel on top of the cake.
Monday, December 1, 2008
Chinese Dinner 4 Dad
Since I get my unique taste in food almost exclusively from my dad I decided to try my hand at a few dishes on his birthday. They all came out really good and will get added to the routine.
Egg Drop Soup
2 cups of chicken broth
2 small pieces of ginger
1/2 teaspoon of oyster sauce
1 large egg, scrambled
1 dried chili pepper
a dash of hot sauce
Bring all ingredients (except the egg) to a boil in a medium sauce pan. Once the broth is boiling profusely drop in the egg and stir lightly with a fork to break it up. Remove from heat. Serve immediately.
Shrimp Egg Foo Yung
10 medium raw shrimp peeled, deveined, and halved
1/3 cup of bean sprouts
1/4 cup of diced onions
4 extra large eggs
5 leaves of chinese cabbage chopped
1 teaspoon of hot sauce
1 tablespoon of oyster sauce
1 cup of chicken gravy
Beat the egg and wet ingredients together in a large bowl. Add sprouts, shrimp, onion, and cabbage. Pour 1/4 of the mixture into a very hot small skillet. Once the bottom has browned slightly flip and cook the other side completely. Remove heat, smother in gravy. Repeat using the rest of the mixture until complete.
Shrimp Fried Rice
10 medium raw shrimp peeled, deveined, and halved
1/3 cup of bean sprouts
1/4 cup of diced onions
1 egg scrambled
2 leaves of chinese cabbage chopped
1 teaspoon of hot sauce
1 tablespoon of oyster sauce
2 tablespoons of soy sauce
3 cups of cooked rice
Add add olive oil to skillet. Heat until smoking. Add the egg, then immediately add the other ingredients. Cook until shrimp is done.
Egg Drop Soup
2 cups of chicken broth
2 small pieces of ginger
1/2 teaspoon of oyster sauce
1 large egg, scrambled
1 dried chili pepper
a dash of hot sauce
Bring all ingredients (except the egg) to a boil in a medium sauce pan. Once the broth is boiling profusely drop in the egg and stir lightly with a fork to break it up. Remove from heat. Serve immediately.
Shrimp Egg Foo Yung
10 medium raw shrimp peeled, deveined, and halved
1/3 cup of bean sprouts
1/4 cup of diced onions
4 extra large eggs
5 leaves of chinese cabbage chopped
1 teaspoon of hot sauce
1 tablespoon of oyster sauce
1 cup of chicken gravy
Beat the egg and wet ingredients together in a large bowl. Add sprouts, shrimp, onion, and cabbage. Pour 1/4 of the mixture into a very hot small skillet. Once the bottom has browned slightly flip and cook the other side completely. Remove heat, smother in gravy. Repeat using the rest of the mixture until complete.
Shrimp Fried Rice
10 medium raw shrimp peeled, deveined, and halved
1/3 cup of bean sprouts
1/4 cup of diced onions
1 egg scrambled
2 leaves of chinese cabbage chopped
1 teaspoon of hot sauce
1 tablespoon of oyster sauce
2 tablespoons of soy sauce
3 cups of cooked rice
Add add olive oil to skillet. Heat until smoking. Add the egg, then immediately add the other ingredients. Cook until shrimp is done.
Get 'em drunk Rum Balls
The rum balls came out wonderfully. It's super easy to make, and quite potent. Only for those 21 and up.
2 cups of crushed Nilla waffers
1/4 cup of honey
1 tablespoon of cocoa powder
1/2 cup of dark rum
Powdered sugar
Combine all ingredients except powdered sugar until it forms a thick dough. Roll into balls. Roll balls in powdered sugar and they are ready to eat!
2 cups of crushed Nilla waffers
1/4 cup of honey
1 tablespoon of cocoa powder
1/2 cup of dark rum
Powdered sugar
Combine all ingredients except powdered sugar until it forms a thick dough. Roll into balls. Roll balls in powdered sugar and they are ready to eat!
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