Beef and Cabbage Stir Fry with Peanut Sauce, African Peanut Stew, Ricotta and Olive Stuffed Bread, Orange Beets, Stuffed Chicken Breast and Spicy Boozy Mousse

Today we have a larger collection of recipes.  The first two make great dinners for a couple nights, and the rest combine to make an amazing night's dinner.  Stick with me till the end; I finish with an incredible dessert.

First up today, we have a Beef and Cabbage Stir-Fry with a Peanut Sauce, which makes for a decently healthy dinner, and makes it quite simple to eat half a cabbage.  To make, saute 3 cloves garlic and 1lb thinly sliced steak in a bit of hot oil until barely pink.  Then, saute 1 small head cabbage, thinly sliced cabbage in a bit of oil with a bit of water until it wilts, then add the cooked steak back in.  Whisk 1/4C peanut butter, 1/3C orange juice, 3T soy sauce, 1T rice vinegar and 2t sugar together and pour over everything, and serve topped with peanuts.  Makes a good dinner that's quite simple, healthy and tasty; but this is the weakest of this batch of recipes.  Via http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/beef_cabbage_stir_fry_with_peanut_sauce.html

Next up is an absolutely awesome African Peanut Stew.  Saute 2-3lbs of chicken thighs and/or legs, 1 sliced large onion, a 3-inch piece of minced ginger and 6-8 minced garlic cloves in a pan with a bit of oil, in stages if necessary.  Add 2-3 lbs chunked sweet potatoes, 1qt chicken stock, 1 15oz can crushed tomatoes, 1C peanut butter1C peanuts, 1T coriander, 1t cayenne pepper to the chicken and onion in a stock pot, and simmer for ~90 minutes, or until the meat shreds easily and the potatoes are tender.  Shred the chicken well and add salt and pepper to taste; there should be a nice peppery taste.  Add in 1/5-1/2C cilantro, and serve.  Also quite good cold.  Another way that this soup is very good is blended; I took a portion of the soup and pureed it with an immersion blender, and it turned into an extremely creamy and complex soup that was just awesome.  Via http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/african_chicken_peanut_stew/

Next up we have the first course of an awesome dinner; a Ricotta and Olive stuffed Bolso bread.  To make the dough, combine 3+C flour (half all purpose, half bread) with 1T proofed yeast, 1 1/4C milk, 1T honey, 2t salt, 2t melted butter, 1t ground oregano, 1/2t basil and 1/2t crushed rosemary, and kneed until smooth and well combined.  Let rise for at least an hour, or until doubled.  Meanwhile, make the filling.  Combine 1 egg, 1/3C grated cheddar, 1/3C sliced green olives, 1/2lb ricotta cheese, 1/4t salt, 1t dried oregano, 2 cloves minced garlic, 2+T finely chopped sun-dried tomato and 1/2C grated Parmesan.  Once the dough has risen, roll out into a large square on semolina flour, and spread the filling down the center third.  Using kitchen shears, cut diagonal slits down each edge (with the same number on each edge) that are ~1/2'' wide.  Fold a flap up at the top and bottom, then alternate sides, braiding the sliced dough to form what you see in the picture.  Brush with egg wash (an egg beaten with a bit of water), then bake on a stone at 350 for ~45 minutes.  Makes a bread that is great cold or warm, and makes a quite attractive loaf.

The freshly made loaf

And the cut loaf, showing the filling

Next up, a simple recipe for roasted beets.  Wrap cleaned and trimmed beats in tin foil, and bake at 375 for about an hour.  Unwrap, then peel immediately under running cold water (the outside will get cool enough to handle while under the tap, and the inside will stay hot.  Beets suck to peel before baking).  Then, slice 75% of the way down in slices, spread the wings and drizzle with orange juice and orange zest that has been reduced by half.  Beets are naturally sweet, and adding the juice just accentuates the natural flavors.  Via http://www.lemonsandlavender.com/2011/02/hasselback-style-roasted-beets-with.html

Next up, we have a spinach stuffed, bacon wrapped chicken breast which, besides being quite large and impressive looking, are quite tasty.  Start off by thoroughly flattening 3-4 chicken breasts with a meat hammer.  The thinner you can get them the better (I may have used a regular hammer to help; I suggest a layer or two of plastic wrap over the chicken while you beat it.  Prepare the filling by combining 1 package chopped frozen spinach with 2/3C ricotta, 1/2C shredded pepper-jack cheese, 4 cloves minced garlic, 2T lemon juice, black pepper, salt and 2/3C sliced and sauteed mushroom caps.  Fill the flattened chicken with the mixture, then wrap with 3 pieces of bacon to secure and place in a baking dish.  Bake for 35 minutes at 375, then broil for 5-10 minutes to crisp the bacon.  Make sure not to overcook it, as overcooked chicken gets dry.  Consider pouring some white wine in the bottom of the baking dish to add moisture and flavor to the oven as it cooks.  They end up being quite large, and exceedingly tasty.  Via http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/spinach-stuffed-chicken-breast/Detail.aspx

The wrapped chicken

And cut open revealing the deliciousness within

Finally, a absolutely jaw-droppingly amazing mousse that has the consistency of rich custard and the flavor of a decadent spiced dark chocolate bar.  To make, combine 2 eggs, 3/4C milk, 3T dark rum, 1T maple syrup, 1/2+t cinnamon and a pinch chili powder in a bowl and mix well with an immersion blender.  Melt 6oz good chocolate (I used dark Ghirardelli chips) and add in 3T strong brewed coffee, then slowly pour that into the other ingredients while running the blender.  Continue blending for a bit until nice and frothy, then distribute into ramekins and chill for at least a couple hours.  Absolutely amazing; I have no other words for it.  Via http://www.thekitchn.com/thekitchn/dessert/recipe-spicy-boozey-mousse-041125

So there you have it, enough for dinners for at least a week and enough for a nice dinner party.  Enjoy!

Onion Pork Chops, Banana Bread, Stuffed Peppers and Pear Torte

I know, I know, 2 posts so close together, what am I thinking?! I've gotten a bit of a backlog, so decided to put 2 out this week.

First off, a copiously easy dish that's good for a weeknight. All you do is pour a can of Cola and packet of onion soup mix in a container with a couple pork chops, then bake for 30 minutes a side. I recommend reducing the sauce a bit more once it comes out, but otherwise it works well as a sauce over rice. Tasty, simple, and can make enough for leftovers.

Next, some banana bread. Combine 2C flour, 1t baking soda, 1/4t salt, 1/2C butter, 3/5C brown sugar, 2 eggs, 1t vanilla and 3-4 overripe bananas. Stir until combined, pour in a loaf pan, then bake at 350 for about 60 minutes. If you use bananas that are still edible to normal people, they will end up as chunks in the bread (which is actually quite tasty). Makes a great snack, breakfast, or dessert.

A stuffed green pepper makes for a great dinner, and keeps really well for a couple days. If you have leftover filling, it also works well sautéed for breakfast. To make the filling, brown 1 chopped onion and 1 lb ground beef, drain grease, then add 1 minced clove of garlic, 2t basil, 2t oregano, salt and pepper and a 15oz can of chopped tomatoes. Add the meat mixture and 1 cup of prepared rice with an egg, adjust seasonings to taste. Then fill halved and cleaned green peppers, top with cheddar, and bake at 350 for an hour. They're quite tasty, and sort of a comfort food for me.

Finally, another filling for the torte recipe from a while ago. Slice pears, then boil in heavily sugared water with cinnamon and nutmeg. Cook until well reduced, then use as filling in the tort, sprinkle with more cinnamon sugar and nutmeg, close and bake. Delicious.

Beginnings, Cream Cheese Bread, Beer Bread, Beef Casserole

I was going through my RSS feeds today, and realized that I had quite a number of cooking feeds, but was not really happy with any of them, because the recipes they posted were often either something I had no interest making or absurdly complicated. Since I cook a pretty often, I figure that I will post what I make, what recipes I use and what modifications I make. I make pretty much everything, and have a special penchant for breads. I got my love of cooking from my mother, who cooks every day, and rarely the same thing twice.

Since Tuesday afternoons are when I have free time, that is when I have been doing most of my cooking lately. Last Tuesday, I made red velvet cupcakes with strawberry frosting (in honor of Valentines Day), a cream cheese bread in cupcake tins, beer bread, and a really easy beef casserole. The cupcakes were very simple and from a box, but I'll go through the other three recipes.

The cream cheese bread sounds a little odd, but I assure you, it makes for a very moist final product. I also made them in cupcake tins instead of a loaf, which makes small, roll-like breads that keep a lot longer than a cut loaf. To make it, combine 1/3C milk, ~2/3C cream cheese (I used about half a Philadelphia block; the more you use the creamer your result), 1/4C butter, 1 egg, 4T sugar, 1t salt, 3C bread flour, 2.5T yeast. I prepped the yeast with honey and warm water, and melted the butter and cream cheese in the microwave, then stirred everything together. After it has become almost dough-like, dump it onto a CLEAN counter and kneed for 5-10 minutes. Kneading makes the dough into a very uniform, stretchy form that ends up making a very nice final product. I then separated it into 12 cupcake cups and baked at 375 for ~25 minutes. From http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Cream-Cheese-Bread/Detail.aspx

Beer bread is the simplest bread I have ever found, and it always is a hit when you get it fresh out of the oven. All it takes is 3C self rising flour, 3T sugar and 1 can flat beer (pour it between 2 cups a couple time to flatten it). Mix and pour into a loaf pan, then bake at 350 for 1 hour. If you want, you can grease the top with butter for a shiny presentation. Tastes just dandy with the cheapest of beers, and is best eaten fresh. I got this recipe from my mother a long time ago.

Finally, the very easy beef casserole, almost a stew. In a crock pot, put 1 can cream of mushroom soup, 1 package fresh mushrooms, 1 onion cut up however suits your fancy, 1 large envelope onion soup mix, 1/2 C milk, and 1 to 1.5Lb stew beef. I cooked it on low for ~10 hours, served it over egg noodles, and it was delicious. One recipe makes enough for 3-4 servings (depending if you eat like a college guy or not), so it's great for leftovers. From http://www.cdkitchen.com/recipes/recs/42/Easy-Beef-Casserole131756.shtml