Sunday, February 7, 2010

Herb Bread

This is ACTUALLY the first time I have ever made bread...and I don't mean to brag...but DAMN! It was so good! I made the Herb Bread from The Joy of Cooking...which is actually their Milk Bread + herbs. Here's the recipe with my changes:



















Ingredients:

3 tbsp. warm water
1 package active dry yeast
1 c. warm milk (microwave for 1 1/2 minutes)
5 tbsp. butter, melted
3 tbsp. sugar
1 lg. egg
1 tsp. salt
2 c. flour (+ about 3 more cups)
Melted butter
1 tsp. dill
1/2 tsp. basil
1/2 tsp. thyme
1 tbsp. parsley
1/2 tsp. oregano

Directions:

Dissolve yeast in warm water. Meanwhile, mix warm milk, melter butter, sugar, egg, and salt. Add yeast and 2 cups flour.Gradually add rest of flour until not sticky, but still moist. Add herbs. Knead for about 10 minutes. Cover and let rise in an oiled bowl for an hour. Place into bread pan, let rise for another hour. Preheat oven to 375 F. Brush melted butter on top of bread. Let bake until just golden. Brush on more butter, bake for about 5 minutes, and then remove from oven.

Here is a picture of the sandwich I made for lunch today with the bread. SOOO yummy!







Super Bowl Queso Dip

Who would have ever thought that Christie, Corey, and I would be sitting in the living room, WATCHING the Super Bowl?! Ok, sooo Corey and Christie are studying, and I'm blogging, but still! It's on! So, I decided to take advantage of this festive opportunity and make some dip for the game!















Ingredients:

3/4 block extra sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
5 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp. flour
1/2 bottle beer (I used one called Old Peculiar...it's a dark, English-pub style beer)
3 chipotles, chopped, + their sauce
5 tsp. salsa
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. garlic powder

Directions:

Saute garlic in olive oil. Add remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil, and continually mix until homogeneous. Enjoy with tortilla chips and the rest of that beer!

GO SAINTS! (I guess...I'm not really too worried about it!)


Saturday, February 6, 2010

Snow-garitas!

Ummm...in case you haven't heard, it snowed about a mile this weekend in Harrisonburg! So, we've been stuck inside, watching Harry Potter and Sex in the City all weekend long! Corey, Christie, and I decided to prepare before the storm and stock up on ingredients to make snow-garitas (that's right...margaritas made from snow). Here you go!

Ingredients:

3 oz. tequila (2 shots)
3 oz. margarita mix (2 shots)
Salt
Enough snow to fill your margarita glass 3x

Directions:

Dip rim of glass in water and then in salt to rim. Fill margarita glass will snow. Pour in tequila, and stir. Add more snow. Pour in margarita mix. Add more snow. Stir and add snow until it is the consistency you want! You MAY need to add more mix or tequila...but this worked for us!

Monday, February 1, 2010

Bobby Flay's Chili and Caldo Verde Report #2

John is here! So, we made this chili recipe that we say Bobby Flay making on the Food Network yesterday! It was originally a lamb chili, but we made it with beef. Here is the original recipe:

Lamb Chili:

  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 2 1/2 pounds lamb from the leg, boned and cut into 1/4-inch cubes
  • 1 1/2 large red onion, finely diced
  • 6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • 1 cup dark beer
  • 1 (16-ounce) can whole tomatoes, drained and pureed
  • 1 tablespoon chipotle puree
  • 3 tablespoons ancho chile powder
  • 1 tablespoon pasilla chile powder
  • 1 tablespoon ground cumin
  • 4 cups chicken stock
  • 2 cups cooked or canned black bean
  • Salt and freshly ground pepper
Here is our revised recipe:

Lamb Chili:

  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1.25 pounds shoulder steak, diced into 1/4 inch cubes
  • 1/2 large red onion, finely diced
  • 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • 1/2 cup Guiness, Extra Stout
  • 1 (8-ounce) can tomato puree
  • 1/2 tablespoon chipotle puree
  • 2 tbsp. chili powder
  • 1/2 tablespoon ground cumin
  • 2 cups chicken stock
  • 1 can black bean
  • Salt and freshly ground pepper
Directions:

Brown the seasoned meat in olive oil. Using a slotted spoon, remove meat. Saute onions and garlic. Return the lamb, add the beer and reduce. Add tomato puree, chipotle puree, chili powder, cumin, and chicken stock. Let simmer for 15 minutes. Add black beans and let simmer for 15 minutes. Enjoy with shredded cheese, sour cream, and tortilla chips on top!


**ALSO...I made Caldo Verde again, this time shredding the potatoes, using 1/2 chicken stock and 1/2 water, and chopped up the kale more.

IT WAS AWFUL! Do NOT do this.