TEDTalks : The art of baking bread - Peter Reinhart (2008)
If you have not yet discovered TED talks, you are missing out on some of the most brilliant minds. Great talk on baking bread.
Turkey Spaghetti Bake
Baked Spaghetti is so good it should have its own fancy name. Baghetti? Anyway, the way the sauce thickens up and gels with the meat and noodles is nothing short of magic and they way it pleases your taste buds is practically food porn. What makes this dish even better is the versatility of ingredients you can use. Drop whatever meat or veggies (within reason) you have in the mix and its just as good.
This is the last bit of turkey from Thanksgiving. Mostly the darker and smaller bits that were not even put on the platter. Perfect for the Spaghetti bake. Just chop it up or pull it apart for a more rustic texture to the dish.
Next up, chop up some bread. If you have some crusty bread around that is a couple of days old, even better! The bread will keep this dish from getting to dense and will sponge up the liquids and olive oil.
I like to cut the onion up in small and large pieces. This will keep some pieces tender and others more caramelized. Thus, the full range of onion flavor.
Putting the ingredients for a dish all on a plate together, will give you a good idea of ratio and proportion. If you are prone to over doing it with garlic, onions or any ingredients I suggest you lay it all out like this to get a good visual on it.
This is a good point to get the oven warming up. I like baking this at 375. Slightly higher temps will give you a crustier top and bottom.
Use a tablespoon or so of olive oil infused with some dry herbs to coat the baking dish. I used basil and oregano in mine. Be sure your baking dish is oven safe, then drop in the bits you want to be on top of your Spaghetti Bake when you flip it over. I chose some meat, bread, onions and garlic bits.
Next pile on the Spaghetti. I suggest a good wholewheat spaghetti noodles. I cooked mine for about 5 minutes and then rinsed them in cold water. Just get the noodles limber enough to finish cooking in the oven.
It's important to completely cover the noodles with the spaghetti sauce. This will keep the noodles from getting crunchy. Crunch noodles are number 1 buzz kill of baked Spaghetti. Don't let it happen to you.
Whistle whistle... twiddle twiddle.. and 30 minutes later you get this bit of grub magic. Never mind the chard sauce on the sides. We will be flipping this just as soon as it cools and pulls itself slightly away from the dish edges. Just dump a little parmesan cheese on it and and get yourself a good beverage to wash down the goods.
My flipping technic involves placing the plate upside-down on the bowl, then flipping both in unison. At that point just walk away.. fight the urge to open it up and give it 2 minutes or so to gather itself before using a knife to edge under the bowl and pull it off.
Dump a little more parmesan cheese on the top with a little bit of balsomic vingare and you've done it. The last of the turkey and the makings of a home baked good mood.
Giddy Up - New Belgium Brewery
As the brewer of the greatest beer in th world (Fat Tire), New Belgium has the right to try whatever they want as far as I am concerned. After trying Giddy Up! I can tell you that I have never had a better coffee infused beer. Never! That said, its average at best. If you purchase the folly pack, the two bottles of Giddy Up! will be the last ones in the fridge. On first sip, Giddy Up! is shocking and totally wrong in your mouth. Like when you accidently grab a drink of expired milk. After guzzling a little down you'll find the beer is not nearly as obscene to your taste buds as it was a few sips ago and you can actually start to taste some of the lemon in beer. By the time you get to the bottom of the bottle.. well, you can at least say you tried it.
Save the Giddy Up! for guests and people you don't really like anyway. Stick with the Fat Tire.
Save the Giddy Up! for guests and people you don't really like anyway. Stick with the Fat Tire.
Anti Taco Bell Egg Roll
A simple bean and cheese egg roll that provides everything tired drunk person needs in a quick Mexican finger food.
What you need:
Egg roll wrappers
Sliced American Cheese
Re-fried beans
1 tablespoon of olive oil
It's anything but complicated but there is a good chance drunk people will be cooking this so lets spell it out.
1. Set the egg roll wrappers out to warm up to room temperature for easier folding and get some olive oil heating up in a medium heat pan.
2. Gather up the materials and tools you'll need.
Crack that can of re-fried beans open and do your best not to notice how similar it is to dog food. Then, peal the plastic off a slice of American cheese and your ready to assemble.
3. Assemble.
Place the egg roll wrapper on the working surface and the slice of American cheese on the upper portion of the wrap. Do your best to keep it lined up with the egg roll wrapper, it will roll better. Then, spread the re-fried beans directly on top of the cheese slice. Squirt a little hot sauce of your choice on the re-fried beans if you need the spice. I suggest it.
4. Roll and pan fry.
Roll the egg roll wrapper from the top down until the ingredients are fully wrapped (about half way) then fold in the side corners, taking care to keep it nice and neat. Once you have them tucked in, roll the rest of the way down and seal with a little water or hot sauce.
A poorly rolled egg roll will let all the melting cheese out and who wants to get jipped on cheese. This post shows a proper roll.
Tilt the pan slightly to pool the oil and hold one end of the egg roll in the hot oil to seal the ends. This will keep it from squirting out all over your shirt and party pants. Then, place the rolled bean and cheese egg roll in the pan and let it get gold brown on all sides.
Lastly, set the egg roll to the side for just a couple of minutes as not to burn the crap out of you mouth. This is a good time to crack another beer and get a show on the tube.
Enjoy.
What's the answer to the "what to do with the left over Thanks Giving food?"
Egg Roll Wrappers
What's the answer to the "what to do with the left over Thanks Giving food?" Egg rolls! Some of you will have you head space all out of whack about egg roll wrappers but, don't stress it. It's pasta. Simple water and rice flour pasta that has been rolled thin and readied for creative cooking. Versatile enough for savory or sweet and the filling possibilities are endless.
Set the egg roll wrappers out a for 15 minutes or so to warm up to room temperature. Chilled wrappers have tendency to break when over packed. Be sure to keep wrappers in a sealed bag when not being used. When ready, take them out of the plastic and get ready to roll.
The Process:
Three easy steps. Stuff. Roll. Fry.
Use a little of the liquid from the cranberry sauce in a small bowl as you wrapper glue. Just run the liquid around the out side edges and anywhere else you need a little extra holding power. Start by tucking the filling inside the top portion of the egg roll wrapper.
Bring the egg roll corners together on the back side of the filling to ensure they wrapper doesn't leave excess wrapper on the edges.
Get some olive oil in a medium heat pan.. no need to douse it just give it something to sizzle in.
Pan fry the egg rolls until GB&D (Golden Brown and Delicious) on all for sides for a nice chewy yet crispy texture. If you have a particularly runny filling you might also set in on end with some tongs for a few minutes to seal on the ends and keep it off your shirt.
Simple as that.. here are some combinations that worked well for me:
Turkey, Tomato and Cheese
Simple ingredients make profound rolls. Think of you favorite meals and the key ingredients those meals... then wrap them. Finger foods at their best.
Sliced cheese may seem a little college but, plain old yellow American is the perfect cheese. Trust me.
Turkey and mashed potatoes egg rolls with sawmill gravy
This would be great with just about any potato leftover.
Use a little inside the wrapper.
Get creative with it. Use a little turkey drippings sawmill gravy to dip the turkey and potatoes egg rolls in.
Turkey with jellied cranberry sauce and Sushi Rice
The sushi rice its really just to balance out the textures.
Hope this finds you well and good luck with the in-laws!
What's the answer to the "what to do with the left over Thanks Giving food?" Egg rolls! Some of you will have you head space all out of whack about egg roll wrappers but, don't stress it. It's pasta. Simple water and rice flour pasta that has been rolled thin and readied for creative cooking. Versatile enough for savory or sweet and the filling possibilities are endless.
Set the egg roll wrappers out a for 15 minutes or so to warm up to room temperature. Chilled wrappers have tendency to break when over packed. Be sure to keep wrappers in a sealed bag when not being used. When ready, take them out of the plastic and get ready to roll.
The Process:
Three easy steps. Stuff. Roll. Fry.
Use a little of the liquid from the cranberry sauce in a small bowl as you wrapper glue. Just run the liquid around the out side edges and anywhere else you need a little extra holding power. Start by tucking the filling inside the top portion of the egg roll wrapper.
Bring the egg roll corners together on the back side of the filling to ensure they wrapper doesn't leave excess wrapper on the edges.
Get some olive oil in a medium heat pan.. no need to douse it just give it something to sizzle in.
Pan fry the egg rolls until GB&D (Golden Brown and Delicious) on all for sides for a nice chewy yet crispy texture. If you have a particularly runny filling you might also set in on end with some tongs for a few minutes to seal on the ends and keep it off your shirt.
Simple as that.. here are some combinations that worked well for me:
Turkey, Tomato and Cheese
Simple ingredients make profound rolls. Think of you favorite meals and the key ingredients those meals... then wrap them. Finger foods at their best.
Sliced cheese may seem a little college but, plain old yellow American is the perfect cheese. Trust me.
Turkey and mashed potatoes egg rolls with sawmill gravy
This would be great with just about any potato leftover.
Use a little inside the wrapper.
Get creative with it. Use a little turkey drippings sawmill gravy to dip the turkey and potatoes egg rolls in.
Turkey with jellied cranberry sauce and Sushi Rice
The sushi rice its really just to balance out the textures.
Hope this finds you well and good luck with the in-laws!
Deglaze with a Lemon
After cooking up that chicken pork or fish, try deglazing with halved lemon and scrubbing the pan down as if it were a scouring pad. You'll be amazed how well the lemon picks up the bits and together with some olive oil from the cooking it will make a great dressing or topping for you meat. Fresh light and full of those magical little bits.
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