A Recipe Fail!

Aren't those colors beautiful? Vibrant? Delicious looking?  I know right!  However, the recipe that this was intended for was a complete failure!!!

As I mentioned before, I am testing recipes for an event using a certain brands' liquor.  Well I attempted to make a shrimp ceviche and it was way too strong, too much alcohol and not in a good way.  I know the error and I intend to attempt this again directly!

I hated to waste these pretty vegetables but there just was no saving those suckas.  In the OG words of Jay to the Z...on to the next one!!

What To Do?

Yet another Big Lots find.  I have never cooked with a fresh artichoke.  It looks intimidating.  However, marinated chokes have found their way in many of my salads (I LOVE a great salad!).  Anywho, these artichokes will soon be part of a fish dish!

I'm All Official!

You can find me on the web suckas!! Go on and try it...www.threefoodwords.com! In yo face!!!!! LOL

I celebrate...just because!!

Friday Food Randoms

Hey yall!!

I have been busy this week.  My second class has started...Economics! UGH!!

I am still working on my Easter menu. 

I don't think I want to invite folks over because I have homework and folks hang out at my house...LOL!

I have even considered having a fancy dinner....out.

There are LOTS of food blogs

The sites and recipes are inspiring.  People still cook good food!!

Eh I don't have much...Econ is on my brain!

Hope you get in the kitchen and chef something awesome up!

What To Do?

This was another Big Lots find!  I know exactly what I am going to make with these! Chocolate Cappuccino Pudding...

Italian Sausage Risotto

When most people think of comfort food they think chicken pot pie, fried chicken, mac and cheese, etc.  All those are fab choices of course but when I think of comfort food I think Risotto.  I have yet to meet a risotto that I don't like.  Babe calls is "fancy cheese rice" lol.  It may very well be with all its variations and creaminess and yumminess.  LOVE risotto.

I found this recipe by accident actually.  My cousin tried another Giada recipe and I went over to http://www.foodnetwork.com/ to print it and found her Dirty Risotto recipe.  I was all over it!  People always make risotto seem so laborous but to me it is not in my opinion.  Just takes a little patience.

When I make risotto I use homemade stock but canned will do just fine.  I always have dry white wine to cook with but you can definitely substitute it with additional broth/stock. Additionally, I was out of Parm cheese so I used the white cheeses that I had on hand and it was great.

Italian Sausage Risotto
Adapted from http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/dirty-risotto-recipe/index.html

What You Will Need:

• 5 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 ounces pancetta or 2 strips of bacon, chopped
• 1 link (about 6 ounces) spicy Italian sausage, casing removed
• 3/4 cup finely chopped onion
• 1 cup chopped red bell pepper (or whatever color you have on hand)
• 4 ounces button mushrooms, coarsely chopped
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 1/2 cups Arborio rice or medium-grain white rice
• 3/4 cup dry white wine
• 1/4 cup shredded Romano
• 1/4 cup shredded Asiago
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves, optional 

   
What to do:

• In a medium saucepan, bring the broth to a simmer. Cover the broth and keep warm over low heat. Or heat in the microwave as needed
• In a large heavy saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the pancetta and sausage and saute until golden brown, about 5 minutes.
• Add the onion, bell pepper, and mushrooms and saute until tender, scraping up the browned bits on the bottom of the pan, about 8 minutes. 
• Add the rice and stir to coat. Add the wine and simmer until the wine has almost completely evaporated.
• Add 1/2 cup of the hot broth and stir until almost completely absorbed.
• Continue cooking the rice, adding the broth 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly and allowing each addition of broth to absorb before adding the next, until the rice is tender but still firm to the bite and the mixture is creamy, about 25 to 30 minutes total.
• Remove from the heat. Stir in the cheeses.
• Sprinkle with the parsley and serve immediately.

Friday Food Randoms

That is a picture of all the recipes I wanted to test.  That number has tripled since last summer when this pic as taken

I now have them in a box.  I'm too ashamed to show my recipe work space...atrocious!

I took three days off this week for Babe's spring break.  We have been uber busy so I haven't had much time to cook more than the basic stuff we eat during the week. 

We eat a lot of seafood during the week.

E went to Galveston last weekend...shrimp catfish and tilapia baby!  You can soooo tell the taste difference from purchasing it at the grocery store.  It tastes so fresh.

E is listening to me.  He said he asked the fishmonger when the fish was caught so he could get the freshest possible for me. *smile*

Coming up on the blog: buttermilk brined chops, chocolate cappacino pudding, halibut packets and grilled ciabatta sandwiches. Oh and pumpkin bread.

E and Babe LOVE pumpkin bread

We have been straight slipping on our Meatless Mondays.  We start up again this coming week.
 

I'm country so fried cabbage and cornbread will definitely be in the rotation as a full meal! LOL

I have some collards I want to sautee...

I used to buy greens for my aunt or mama (read: someone else) to cook.  I can not make a decent pot of greens.  So I don't try that often.  Everyone elses always taste better.

When my mom visits she will make me a pot so I can freeze and have tthem throughout the year. Sigh...I love when she visits, she gets it in in the kitchen.

Let me call L Beezy up (that's her rap name!...LMAO!)

I had a very intense craving for cheeseburger macaroni on Wednesday.  It was soooo good.

E is smoking a salmon for me this weekend so I can test a recipe or two.  He can smoke the heck out of food.  I am sure he will place some chickens on there to so he can get some smoked chicken salad out of it....he ain't slick!

When E and I first moved in together he did all of the cooking.  I could only make a handful of dishes.  That is so funny now because I puts it downT in the kitchen now! LOL

Roasted Butternut Squash

  

Butternut squash season is almost over. I LOVE this delicious gourd. My recipe is really really simple because I don't t take the skin off which can be a daunting task.  I seed it, chop it and roast!  I also only season it with olive oil because I use it in sweet and savory dishes! The taste to me is similar to a sweet potato but milder.  Butternut with a drizzle of honey and cinnamon creme fraiche? *FAINT*

Roasted Butternut Squash

What You Will Need:

• 1 Butternut squash (size of your choice)
• Enough olive oil to coat the diced squash
• Salt and Pepper, to taste

 
What To Do:

• Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees
• Clean the skin of the squash thoroughly
• With a good sharp knife, cut the top and bottom of the squash and discard (I usually save mine to make vegetable broth)
• Cut the squash down the center length wise
• With a spoon scoop out the seeds and stringy parts, discard
• Cut squash into large strips then into chunks
• Place in a bowl with olive oil and toss to coat
• Place squash on a baking sheet and roast for 15 - 20 minutes. Adjust time and temp according to chunk sizes

What To Do?

Big Lots is one of my favorite places to shop.  You truly never know what you are going to find.  I found this box of broth for fifty cents!  I have a thai basil chicken recipe that I think this would be perfect for.  However, like gumbo, I only make it a couple of times a year because it is ingredient heavy, well more spice heavy and a tad labor intensive. And the richness (coconut milk)!!!  It is worth every minute in the kitchen. I am going to try using it this weekend in case I like it so I can go scoop up a couple more for the low low price of fifty freaking cents!!

Shrimp: Peel, Eat

See, I know what this looks like. I know it looks like this shrimp is sitting in a vat of butter and sauce but I promise it is not.  It is just enough sauce to sop up with some good ole crusty bread.

I'm country.  I use words like Sop! It's an action word!

I have never eaten as much shrimp as I have eaten since I moved to Texas. In Ohio there just wasn’t an abundance of fresh seafood like there is here. On any given Saturday, E will drive to Galveston and purchase huge shrimp from his "hook-up". There is NOTHING like fresh seafood.

 

The problem, or not, is finding different ways to prepare all of the shrimp we eat throughout the year. Enter Cuisine at Home…man this recipe was right on time! When we have impromptu BBQ’s, this is always one of my quick go to dishes! I have never actually cooked this on an actual outside grill. I have a round grill pan that I use on the stove. I also have cooked this with the shell on and without. I prefer without. The flavors get all up in through the shrimp with the shell off. However, for convenience leave the shell on and it will still be delicious.
 
Happy Cooking!

 

 

Shrimp: Peel, Eat
Adapted from http://www.cuisineathome.com/

 

What You Need:

• 1/3 cup fresh parsley chopped (dried will do fine)
• 4 Tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice (botltled will do fine)
• 2 Tbsp Tabasco (I have used hot sauce)
• 1 Tbsp minced garlic
• 4 dashes Worcestershire sauce
• 3 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 Tbsp paprika
• 1 Tbsp cayenne pepper, optional
• Salt and black pepper to taste
• 1 pound large shrimp, de-veined (shell on or off)

 

What To Do:

• In a large bowl combine first six ingredients. Do not mix. Put to the side.
• Preheat skillet or grill pan over medium-high heat.
• In another bowl, combine oil, paprika, cayenne, salt and black pepper. Should be a bit pasty. Add shrimp And toss to coat.
• Cook shrimp just until opaque, about 4-5 minutes per side. Adjust cook time if using smaller shrimp.
• Add hot shrimp to butter mixture and gently toss until butter is melted and all of the shrimp are coat
• Enjoy!

Homemade Cream Biscuits

So the thing about homemade biscuits is that I couldn’t make them until I found this recipe. I can’t even tell you how many biscuit recipes I have run through, how many gallons of buttermilk I’ve wasted or how many pounds of butter and flour that have gone straight to the trash because of my lack of skill!

If I had to give one tip for making biscuits from scratch is to NOT overwork the dough. The time it takes to mix the wet ingredient into the dry ingredients, then placing the dough onto a flour surface for rolling and cutting should be minimal, like about five minutes minimal. The biscuits will be fluffier and airy and soft and just delicious. The one thing that drew me to this recipe was the optional use of heavy whipping cream. Every recipe I have ever used required buttermilk or milk or water. I was quite skeptical but after I made them I am a believer!

The first time I made them I used a buttermilk cream mixture. The second time it was all cream…I prefer the mixture. I liked the soft texture it created. The breakfast table was quiet the morning I made these; mouths were full and only grunts and points were used to request seconds! LOL. Oh and they re-heat very nicely! I hope you guys enjoy as much as we did!

Happy Cooking!

Homemade Cream Biscuits

Adapted from http://www.thibeaultstable.com/2010/02/buttermilk-biscuits.html

  

What You Will Need:

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 Tbsp baking powder
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ cup room temperature unsalted butter
• ¾ cup heavy whipping cream
• ¼ cup buttermilk

What to do:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees
• Mix all of the dry ingredients
• Cut in the butter until it resembles coarse meal
• Stir cream in to flour mixture and mix quickly with a fork just until dough comes together
• With your hands gently pat the ingredients together
• On a lightly floured board and with floured hands pat out to about ½ to ¾ inches thick. DO NOT OVER HANDLE
• Cut with biscuit cutter (or for old school flavor the mouth of a glass!)
• Place rounds on a cookie sheet lightly coated with non stick spray and bake for about 12 - 15 minutes
• Brush with melted salted butter…enjoy!

Friday Food Randoms

That picture is of me and Babe trying to grow herbs....FUNNY! I have killed cacti....

I have been sick since Monday.  Flu A according to the doc.  It's like I can't get enough rest, my body aches and there is grossness all about!  I am quarantined to my bedroom. 

I miss the kitchen!!

I am thinking about Easter dinner and dessert.  I don't care for ham so we will have lamb....and green beans...and a badass chocolate cake...and something else...and something else...rolls....just thinking about it now
I'm sick of clear broth...wish I had the energy to take a pic of the "Cootie Tray" E and Babe have been giving me every morning.  It has a days supply of water and juices and soup broth and crackers and meds.

I make homemade chicken stock/broth and keep it in the freezer.  When  a recipe calls for broth I just pop it in the microwave to defrost

I usually make E chicken salad with the breast meat

I have some posts that are scheduled...cooked over the weekend.  Glad I did...

Baked Shrimp Scampi and Peel and Eat.  There is something else...can't remember....think my meds are kicking in....

Homemade Chorizo Filing

 

 

*Long Siiiiiiiigh* Cheese and Meat? Meat and Cheese? Yes please!

 

I have subscribed to Cuisine At Home for several years now.  Look them up, they are hot in the streets.  I love this cooking mag because they show technique (sounds like I have written this before...)...I heart them.  They will get my money for as long as they are in business!

 

The sausage that is in this delicious cheesy sandwich was made from their recipe.  Easy breezy baby!  Seriously...I placed some in an omelet for E, added it to some risotto I made over the weekend and ate it straight out of the container...so darn good. I love quesadillas because you can fill them with anything add cheese and it is a meal.  I added grilled peppers, pepper jack cheese, spinach and garlic.  For a lower fat version, I am definitely gonna try it on ground chicken and turkey.

 

Happy Cooking!

 

 

 

 

Mexican Chorizo Filling
http://www.cuisineathome.com/

 

What You Need:

• 2 tsp EACH, chili powder and minced garlic
• 1 tsp EACH cumin, coriander, salt, brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/4 tsp EACH ground cinnamon and ground clove
• 1 lb ground pork
• 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
• Enough olive oil to fry the pork (cook it like you would ground beef)

What To Do:

• In a large bowl combine all ingredients except pork and vinegar.
• Add pork and vinegar. Mix until combined
• Cook sausage mixture in oil over medium heat until browned, about 8-10 minutes.
• Drain on paper towel and enjoy!