Separating Eggs Yolks

Ok, this little video is pretty amazing and I can't wait to try.  Hope you enjoy this as much as I did.

http://wisemindhealthybody.com/separate-egg-yolk-easy/

How Do you Buy Spices

Hello Everyone!  I suppose today's blog entry is more of a tip than anything else, and I promise full of savings!  For most of my life when I needed spices, I'd go to the spice isle, look up and down until I found what I wanted, then usually chose the least expensive brand because I found some of those jars of goodness really expensive!

What most people don't realize, spices have a shelf life of 6 months to a year, beyond that they have lost quite a bit of their flavor and "power" so to speak.  When I learned this and actually did an inventory of my spices, I found some that I had in my cupboard that were there since college...well beyond the 1 year mark!  So, I'd like to recommend you change up the way you deal with spices, from storage to acquisition.

1.  Purchase a set of generic spice jars.  These come in all sorts of sizes and shapes, and most all include labels for a variety of spices.  If they don't come with labels, pull out that old label maker you have laying around and don't know what to do with..OR..use a dry erase marker to write on the top of each jar.  Here is an example:  This is on Amazon.com, just search for spice jars.

2.  AVOID the canned spice isle.  Go to a supermarket that has spices in bulk.  You will quickly find you can fill a spice jar for less than a dollar vs. several dollars on the pre-packaged type.  You can also buy the amount you think you will use in a year vs. a jar that may last until the end of time!

3.  Now that you have jars that are all the same size and shape you can arrange them in a variety of ways that fit your cupboard.  I purchased a wire tray and line mine up in there...it's awesome and so easy to access.

Once you get used to getting spices in the bulk spice area, you will never go back to the spice isle.  I'm not saying that on occasion I don't use pre-packaged rubs and odd spices, but 90% of the time I can get what I need in the bulk area.

Eat Well!

Salmon Deviled Eggs

So my boss at my last job and I had several discussions about deviled eggs, and the fact he just didn't care for the "egginess" of the filling.  After giving this some thought I decided I'd change it up a bit by adding smoked salmon to the mix.  I thought the smokiness of the salmon would help mask the pronounce yolk flavor that you have in so many recipes. So David...this recipe is for you....give it a try!



INGREDIENTS: 

1 DOZ EGGS
3 TBSP DICED ONION
1 TBSP CAPERS
1 PACKAGE 1.25 OZ SMOKED SALMON (SEE PIC)
1/2 TSP DILL
3 TBSP MAYO
1.5 TBSP SOUR CREAM
PINCH OF SALT
PINCH OF PEPPER

1.  You want to hard boil your eggs.  Now I've cooked many things in my days, but I will admit publicly that I hate making hard boiled eggs.  I know...some of you are pros and the shell just slides off....well not me!  Hey, we all need to strive for something..mine is an easy peel hard boiled egg.  Here's a link that may help.  http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/how_to_make_perfect_hard_boiled_eggs/print/

2.  Once the eggs are boiled and peeled, half the eggs and put the yolk in a food processor.  Along with the yolks, add the remaining ingredients and process until smooth. Once this is complete, put your mixture in a plastic zip lock bag as seen in the pic.  Cut the end off and pipe the mixture into each egg half.

3.  At this point the hard work is over.  For presentation and a little added flavor put a bit of caviar on each egg.  Not only does it look nice, but it really adds a briny element to the deviled egg.

There really aren't rules to deviled eggs....give this one a try or share your favorite idea with me!

Eat Well!

Mjeddrah - Palastinian Street Food

This is one of my all time favorite side dishes to make...and bonus..it's completely vegetarian.  I'm dedicating this post to my friend from St. Louis, Kay Yoon who lived in the Middle East for several years, and brought this recipe home with her.  If you research this dish, you will find many variations, and her's is a bit different as well, but oh so Yummy!

You can do this without a pressure cooker, and most versions of this recipe don't call for one.  Kay however, taught me that it give a great texture to the dish and is done in 1/2 the time.


INGREDIENTS:

1/4 cup olive oil
2-3 ONIONS MED DICED
1 CUP OF ORANGE LENTILS
2 CUPS OF BASMATI RICE
6 CUPS OF WATER
TABLESPOON OF SALT AND PEPPER

1.  In your pressure cooker, add the oil and caramelize the onions.  This step takes some time, but is critical for the taste of the dish.  Do this on a med heat so you don't burn the onions.  Caramelization is good, burnt is yucky!

2.  While this is going on, rinse your lentils.  Many recipes call for brown lentils, but kay insisted on using the tiny orange / red lentils.  They really break down into nothing, giving this dish a very dense outcome.

3.  Once the onions look as they do in the picture, add the rice, lentils, salt, pepper and water to the pressure cooker.  Seal the cooker, and when it begins to steam, pressure cook for 17 minutes.

After the 17 minutes have passed, let your cooker cool, and open it up.  At this point, you need to determine taste and consistency.  If it's too soupy, then continue to cook on the stove until it tightens up.  If it's too think, simply add water and stir until it loosens up.  Taste it as well...it will most likely need some additional salt.

Kay explained to me that this was a very basic street food in Palestine.  Most of the recipes call for fried onions on the top, though I never add that step to the dish.  Kay always served this dish along side a salad with a garlic acidy dressing.

In this version, the consistency will be thick like mashed potatoes...the rice and lentils really break down.  I LOVE that about this version...and the simplicity of the flavors are amazing.  It re-heats well, and again...if it sets up too thick...just add some water and it comes right back to life.  ENJOY!

Roasted Cauliflower

Pretty much roasted anything is yummy, but lately I've really been enjoying Roasting Cauliflower.  Take a head of cauliflower and cut the florets into small pieces.  Some of them may have to be cut in half or even quartered as seen in the attached pic.  Once you do that, put them in a big ol' bowl to prep for some roasting.  I like to drizzle some olive oil, salt, pepper, cumin and coriander over all of it, toss and put in a shallow roasting pan or cookie sheet.  Place in a pre-heated oven at 400 degrees and let it roast until it starts to brown nicely.  You'll be able to tell...and quite honestly some of those dark edges are the best part of the dish!  Roasting maintains some nice crunch / texture, and the seasoning is really tasty!

Smoked Chicken

So as a follow up to my post about my nifty electric smoker, I thought I'd share the latest adventure in smoking.  My Dad has been saying how much he would like to smoke a chicken on his smoker, but just hasn't done it yet.  So I invited Mom and Dad out to the house and tested a recipe out to see if he would liked it.

When I smoke chickens, I use simple fryers.  I try and get birds that are hormone free, or as naturally raised as possible.  A fryer will range in price from 4-8 bucks a bird, depending on where you buy it and how "naturally" raised it was.  When I get it home, I split the bird down the back by cutting down it's backbone.  I like to use kitchen shears for this..it's easy and quick.  Once you slice down it's back, open up the bird to it's basically laying flat.  I rinse the chicken off, getting any remaining blood, and trim off the huge fat flaps near the backside.  After a basic clean up, I pat it dry with some paper towels and get the chicken ready for seasoning.  At this point,
you can pretty much season the chicken as you wish.  This run, I used a seasoning that my brother gave me for Christmas called "Butt Rub".  Pretty basic rub flavors and worked well.  Once seasoned liberally on BOTH SIDES, take the birds out and get them on your smoker.  If you are running at 225-250 degrees, they will take about 4-5 hours.  you want the temp to be around 170 and juices to be clear.

I've done this recipe many times and it's always a crowd pleaser.  Enjoy!