Burnt Pan Fix

       

I recently discovered an easy, effective, and sort of fun way to clean my burnt Revere Ware stainless steel pan. (The casualty was a batch of rice.) I did some research to come up with the best way to clean it, and learned this method will also clean my Le Creuset cookware. 

                                

You'll need:  a wooden spoon, bottle of hydrogen peroxide, & 1/4 cup of baking soda.

Pour 1/2" of hydrogen peroxide into the burnt pan and add the baking soda. Heat the pan to high heat. You'll start to see burnt bits floating to the top. Stir the mixture occasionally with a wooden spoon. Boil for about 5 mintues or until the mixture looks foamy. Gently scrape the bottom of the pan to get any extra tough spots.

Turn off the stove, remove pan from heat, and let sit for 15-30 minutes, depending on how burnt the pan is. Scrape the bottom of pan again with the wooden spoon. Rinse the pan and run through dishwasher or clean well before using again.

Voila! Below are my Revere Ware & Le Creuset cookware "after" photos:

           

Creamy Cucumber Radish Salad

Creamy, crunchy, and fresh. This is an easy salad to make and you only need five ingredients.

2 medium-ish cucumbers, thinly sliced
2 bunches of radishes, thinly sliced
1/2 cup green onion, chopped
3/4-1 cup light sour cream (or yogurt)
Kosher salt

In a large bowl, mix the cucumber, radish, and green onion. Before serving, add the sour cream, and salt to taste. Stir in the sour cream and your salad is ready to serve.  

Stick those leftovers in the fridge.

Pizza Margherita

The delightfully simple pizza margherita is usually topped with mozzarella cheese, tomatoes, and fresh basil. For some reason I added a few red onion slices to this version. My simple marinara sauce recipe was used to top the crust as the base for the pizza. 

Pizza margherita originated in Italy and per Google:  according to popular tradition, in 1889, 28 years after the unification of Italy, during a visit to Naples of Queen Margherita of Savoy, wife of King Umberto I, chef Ratoffaele Esposito of Pizzeria Brandi and his wife created a pizza resembling the colors of the Italian flag....tomatoes for red, mozzarella for white, and basil for green.

Pizza dough
1 1/2 cups marinara sauce
1 14 oz. package mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced
2 vine-ripened tomatoes, seeded & sliced
1/4 cup red onion, sliced 
1/3 cup fresh basil, roughly chopped or torn

Roll out pizza dough on a rectangular or round baking sheet. Top with marinara sauce, cheese, tomatoes, and onions. Bake at 375 for 18-22 minutes or until crust is golden brown and the cheese is melted. After baking, you can broil the top for a few minutes if you prefer it to be more brown and bubbly. Keep a close eye on the pizza when it's under the broiler.

Sprinkle the chopped fresh basil on the pizza as soon as it comes out of the oven and let cool for a few minutes. Then you can feed your hungry people. Just slice with a pizza cutter or sharp knife and serve! You can also freeze individual slices of pizza but there may not be any leftovers because this pizza is irresistable.

Salt & Pepper "To Taste" - Huh?

Happy New Year everyone!  I've missed you and have been ignoring my blog.  I hope to post more often this year.  I thought I'd start 2017 out with a cooking tip.  

So, what exactly does salt and pepper "to taste" mean?  To me, it means tasting your recipe as you go to see if it needs salt, pepper, or some other herb or spice.  Trust yourself, and remember you can add more of something but not take it away.

There are a few different definitions of "to taste" floating around and I've listed some below.  Enjoy.

To taste the food, and decide if it could be better. If you think it can, then add some salt. And repeat until you’re happy. It’s that simple. 

-thestonesoup.com

It’s a shorthand way of saying season your food as you cook it, then taste as you go to make sure you’ve got it right. 

-cookingclarified.com

To add as much salt or pepper or as much of a spice or herb as one likes so something tastes good.

-Merriam-Webster Dictionary

In the amount needed to give a flavor pleasing to someone eating a dish. 

-English Oxford Dictionary

When a recipe tells you to add a particular spice or other flavouring to taste, it means that you can add as much of that ingredient as you like. 

-Collins Dictionary

As an ingredient in dishes, salt plays two very important roles. First, it reduces bitter flavors. Second, because it reduces bitterness, adding salt allows the aromas and tastes of the other ingredients in your dish to shine through.

If you have a dish that tastes flat or bitter, a little salt might be the only fix you need. Before adding more spices or seasonings, try just adding a teaspoon or a pinch of salt. Taste again and see if the flavors have improved. Add a little more. Taste again.

-thekitchn.com

Happy 2017!  Enjoy your food!

Chicken Garbanzo Bean Soup

This soup is wonderfully satisfying and delicious, mildly spicy, and has a creamy, reddish-orange broth. It's Asian inspired and you can turn up the heat by adding more chili paste.

3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 medium yellow onion, chopped
2 cups cooked chicken breast, chopped
6 tablespoons red curry paste
2 14 oz. cans coconut milk
4 tablespoons chili paste
2 teaspoons Kosher salt 
1 teaspoon ground ginger
2 cups water
1 14 oz. can garbanzo beans, drained 

Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large saucepan or Dutch oven. Add onions to the pan and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the chicken and stir for about 5 minutes until chicken is heated, then add the curry paste, coconut milk, chili paste, salt, ginger, and water. Stir to combine, and then slowly bring the soup to a boil, being careful not to burn the bottom of the pan. Add the drained chickpeas, lower the heat, stir, and simmer for 45 minutes. Add fresh spinach or Swiss chard to the soup for the last 15 minutes of cooking time for added color and nutrients. Taste and adjust the seasonings to your liking. Serve with naan or pita bread. Enjoy your food!

Ramen Noodle Salad with Feta Cheese

This cold noodle salad is healthy and filling. I'd never made Ramen noodles until using them for this recipe, not even in college. By the way, you won't need the seasoning packets that come with the noodles for this recipe. You can add your own spices, herbs, veggies, nuts, seeds, and more.

Ingredients:
5 packages of Ramen noodles

3/4 cup of crumbled feta cheese
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1/4 of a red cabbage, chopped small
2-3 tbsp sesame oil
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
1 1/2 tsp Kosher salt

Boil Ramen noodles for 3-4 minutes and then drain. 

Run cold water over the noodles to stop the cooking process and let them drain for a few more minutes. 

Mix noodles with remaining ingredients in a large bowl until everything is well blended. Refrigerate for a couple of hours to let the flavors blend. Serve cold.

Effie's Congo Squares / Happy 100th Birthday Effie!

Effie, the best cook in North Carolina, turns 100 today.  In tribute to Effie, I'm posting her congo squares recipe from the cookbook that was decicated to her. Happy birthday, Effie!

1 1/8 stick margarine

1 box light brown sugar

3 eggs

1 pkg. (6 oz.) chocolate chips

2 3/4 c. flour

2 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1 c. nuts

Melt margarine.  Add sugar and cool.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Add flour, baking powder and salt.  Fold in chocolate chips and nuts.  Bake at 350 for 25 minutes in a 10x15 inch pan. After it's done, wait 10 minutes before cutting.

Asian Coconut Chicken Soup (Tom Kha Gai)

This soup is full of the same feel good magical healing qualities of homemade chicken soup--it'll cure what ails you. I've ordered this soup in restaurants by the name of tom kha gai and discovered it's easy to make at home and just as yummy. It's a little spicy and you can adjust the heat to your liking. Here's my take on the soup:

1 can coconut milk

32 oz carton coconut milk 

2 cans fat-free, reduced-sodium chicken broth

12 1" slices fresh ginger

1 cup sliced white onion

2 tablespoons lemongrass stir-in-paste (in a tube)

2 boneless, skinless, chicken breasts pulled into bite-sized      pieces

Juice of 2 limes

1 tablespoon Asian fish sauce

2 teaspoons sugar

1 tablespoon sambal oelek (Thai chili paste), to taste

1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

In a medium saucepan, combine the coconut milk, chicken broth, ginger, onion, and lemongrass. Bring to boil over high heat. Add the chicken, lime juice, fish sauce, sugar, and chili paste. Reduce heat, stir, and simmer for 45-60 minutes. Remove ginger with a slotted spoon. Garnish with cilantro and serve hot. Jasmine rice goes well on the side or add some to the soup if you'd like.

-revised January, 2022

Mom's Traditional Simple Sage Dressing

This is the sage/celery/onion dressing my mom made when I was a kid and to me, it screams Thanksgiving. It's easy to make and oh-so delicious. I use homegrown sage from my garden which is always a nice touch in a recipe.

1 loaf sliced white bread
3/4 cup butter 
1 medium onion, chopped 

4 stalks celery, chopped 
3 tablespoons fresh sage, dried & minced
Salt & pepper to taste
1 cup chicken broth

Let bread slices air dry for 1-2 hours on the counter, then cut into cubes. 

In a Dutch oven or large saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add and cook the onion and celery until soft. Add sage, salt, and pepper.  

Stir in the bread cubes until evenly coated. Add the cubes slowly to make sure the liquid gets absorbed. Add chicken broth; mix well. 

Chill for a couple of hours and then bake in a buttered casserole dish at 350 for 40-45 minutes.

Classic Meatloaf

I've had this classic, basic, meatloaf recipe in my file for years. I can't remember where I got it or if I made it up myself. Either way, it's delicious comfort food and it makes your house smell wonderful when it's cooking. It makes two 9x5" loaves that are topped with ketchup during the last 30 minutes of cooking time. I freeze meatloaf in pieces wrapped in foil so it's easy to grab a day before and have it thawed by the next. Let it cool before you freeze it. 

2 1/2 lbs ground beef (85/15)

2 cups bread crumbs

2 eggs

2 tablespoons worchestershire

2 1/2 cups fat-free milk

1 cup onion, chopped fine

1 tablespoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon dried sage

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon dry mustard

Ketchup 

Mix all ingredients thoroughly and divide mixture between 2 ungreased 9x5 loaf pans. Bake at 350 for an hour and 15 minutes. After 45 minutes of cooking, add a layer of ketchup to the top of each meatloaf. Bake 30 more minutes. 

For a real comfort food fix, serve with homemade garlic mashed potatoes.