Chicken Skin Snacks

 So I can't go telling everyone to buy skin-on chicken and then not tell you what to do with the skin after you take it off.  My kids think this snack is better than the actual meal that the chicken is used for.

Ingredients

• Chicken skin, taken off of whatever chicken parts you needed skinless
• Salt & Pepper (or any seasoning rub/mix that has no sugar in it)

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 (with convection, if you have it.) Spread the chicken skin out on a rimmed baking sheet. Season with a little salt and pepper (not too much, they will shrink a lot as they cook.) Bake for 20 minutes, using tongs and a metal spatula to unstick the skins from the pan every 5 to 7 minutes. Once they are deep golden brown, remove from oven and use tongs/spatula to remove skins from the tray and place on a paper-towel lined plate or sheet pan. Allow to cool for as long as you can stand - I normally last about 30 seconds and burn my tongue, but it's so worth it! Disclaimer: please wait 5 minutes and don't burn yourself!

Better Gumbo Than Last Time

So I love food from Louisiana: jambalaya, etoufee, red beans and rice, and (especially) gumbo. In fact, there is already a gumbo recipe on this blog. However, that recipe is sub-par for a few reasons: 1) It was "minimum effort" gumbo, meant to be as easy as possible. 2) It was "minimum effort" blogging, where I just tried to get the recipe out there ASAP with minimal editing or planning. 3) I've cooked gumbo approximately 10 or 20 times since I wrote that recipe, have found some flavor improvements in that time and learned some new techniques. WARNING: some of the aforementioned techniques are not necessarily "traditional" or accepted by everyone who makes gumbo. As I've said before, I'm not an authority on anything, I just like to cook and share what I've found.

NOTES: 

• I like a dry roux for a number of reasons, but mostly for it's ease of preparation and use. You may toast from ½ cup up to 2 cups of flour in the first step (that way you have extra for next time,) but be sure to only use ½ cup in the gumbo or it will be too thick!
• I only buy bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs. The skin on chicken thighs is simple to remove and when you do you can make chicken skin snacks (think pork rinds but so much better.)  Since we're going to shred the chicken at the end of cooking, removing the bones is also no problem, plus the bones fortify the broth as the chicken cooks. However, you can use boneless, skinless chicken thighs if you prefer. Just don't use chicken breasts as they will dry out and become chalky.
• I may get hate for this, but you don't have to use andouille sausage; I've used kielbasa, linguica, even hot link sausages. I wouldn't use German or Italian sausage, but anything smokey, spicy, or garlicky would work.

Ingredients

• ½ to 2 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
• 6-8 chicken thighs, skin removed
• 1 to 1½ pounds andouille sausage, cut in half lengthwise and sliced on the bias
• ¼ cup vegetable or canola oil
• 1 very large onion (or 2 medium), chopped small
• 1 bell pepper, chopped small
• 3 ribs celery, chopped small
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 4-6 cloves of garlic, minced or pressed fine
• ½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• ½ to 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes or ground cayenne pepper
• ½ teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes in juice
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme, marjoram, or oregano
  (use the one you prefer, I like ½ tsp thyme and 1 tsp marjoram)
• 1 tablespoon (yes, the big one) dried parsley
• 2-3 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon "Better Than Bouillon" chicken base
  (this is optional, especially if your chicken broth is homemade)
• 2-3 teaspoons of filé powder
  (also called gumbo filé, it is the dried and powdered leaves of the sassafras tree)

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 and line a large sheet pan with aluminum foil (if you're not making extra toasted flour for next time, just get an oven-safe skillet.) Spread 2 cups of flour evenly on the sheet pan and toast in the oven for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes (you may want to turn your kitchen vent on, as it gets very toasty/smoky.) Cool on the counter until room temperature, reserve ½ cup for this recipe and save the rest in an airtight container for the next time you need roux.

While the flour cools, place the sliced sausage in a large dutch oven over medium heat, stirring occasionally until some fat has rendered out and the sausage starts to brown. Use a slotted spoon and remove the sausage slices into a bowl. Set sausage aside to cool and put it in the fridge after 5-10 minutes. Meanwhile, turn the heat up to medium-high and put half the chicken thighs in the pot, smooth side down. Cook for 3-5 minutes, or until the thighs release easily from the bottom of the pot. Flip and cook the bone side for another 3-5 minutes. Remove browned chicken to a clean plate and repeat with remaining thighs. Once they are browned on both sides, add to plate with the first batch. 

Tilt the dutch oven to one side and eyeball the amount of fat rendered from the meat. There should be between ¼ and ½ cup; if there appears to be less than ¼ cup, add ¼ cup vegetable or canola oil. Add onion, bell pepper, celery, and salt. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until the vegetables have started to soften and brown on the edges. Reduce heat to medium. Add garlic, black pepper, red/cayenne pepper, and coriander. Cook, stirring constantly for 30-60 seconds. Stir in ½ cup flour and cook until all of the veggies are coated in flour/oil mix and no dry spots of flour remain. Add tomatoes with juice, half the chicken broth, and the bouillon base (if using), increase the heat to high. Stir/whisk, scraping everything off the bottom of the pot, until any lumps are smoothed out and the liquid starts to simmer. Put the browned chicken and any accumulated juices into the pot and add additional broth until everything is just covered. Bring to a simmer, put the lid on the pot, reduce the heat to low, and cook, stirring occasionally to scrape the bottom of the pot, for 45 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and falling apart.

Remove the pot lid. Using tongs, carefully remove the chicken to a rimmed baking pan or casserole dish. Stir in the filé powder. Shred the chicken and discard any bones and cartilage; you can use two forks or you can wear thin cotton gloves protected by plastic/latex gloves and shred with your fingers - it's much easier to find the cartilage. Put the shredded chicken and any accumulated liquids into the pot along with the browned sausage. Simmer until the sausage is heated through. Adjust thickness with additional broth (to thin) or filé power (to thicken.) Serve with white rice.

Raisin French Toast Casserole

 French toast is tasty but can be fussy and/or time-consuming. I developed a casserole version that tries to be quick and easy but still just as tasty.

Ingredients

• 9 cups cubed raisin bread (I used most of a 28-ounce loaf)
• 2⅔ cups milk (whole milk will be richer, but you could use 2%. I don't recommend skim.)
• 7 eggs
• 7 tablespoons sugar (that's ¼ cup plus 3 tablespoons OR ½ cup minus 1 tablespoon.)
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ tablespoon vanilla
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, divided
• 2 teaspoons freshly ground nutmeg, divided (from a nut if you can get it 😀)
• 1 cup toasted and chopped pecans (also good with walnuts or slivered almonds)
• ½ stick butter, cut into 12 pieces, plus additional butter for the pan

Directions

Preheat oven to 350℉. Butter a 9"x13" casserole dish or baking pan.

If you have time, lightly toast the bread cubes in the oven on a baking sheet for 10 minutes, stirring after 5 (this step is optional.) Remove the bread from the oven (keeping the oven on) and cool on a rack for 10-15 minutes

For the batter: beat milk, eggs, sugar, salt, and vanilla in a large bowl with an immersion blender (or use a whisk but try not to beat much air into the batter.) Add the cooled bread cubes and nuts and stir to combine. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon each of the cinnamon and nutmeg into the bowl and stir to distribute. Let the mixture soak for 10-15 minutes. Pour the bread mixture into the casserole and dust the top with the remaining cinnamon and nutmeg. Arrange butter pieces evenly on the top. Bake in the oven until the top starts to turn golden brown and crispy, about 50 minutes to an hour.

Jambalaya

 I'm always afraid to post recipes that are beloved regional or cultural favorites, since I don't necessarily have all the cultural history or culinary bonafides to qualify me as an authority on anything. I might be missing a key ingredient, preparation step, or other detail that can really make or break the recipe. All that being said, I've had some jambalaya that I liked as well as jambalaya that I didn't like, and this recipe here is the best I've ever had. Now I've never been to New Orleans or had jambalaya cooked by a real pro, but based on my very limited experience, this is worth sharing.

Ingredients

• 2 lbs smoked sausage such as Andouille, diced (I've also used Linguica)
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 bell pepper, chopped
• 2 Tablespoons minced garlic (4 cloves, give or take)
• 1 Jalapeno, chopped (you may take out the seeds and ribs if you like it mild)
• 2 cups long grain rice
• 2 cans chicken broth
• 2 dashes Worcestershire sauce
• 2 dashes Sherry vinegar
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt (or 1/2 teaspoon table salt)
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander seed
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon dried marjoram or thyme leaves
• 2 tablespoons dried parsley
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (or Cayenne pepper if you like it hotter)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large dutch oven, sweat the onion, bell pepper, and jalapeno in 2 tablespoons oil or butter with half the salt over medium-low heat. Once veggies are softened, add the sausage and cook until it starts to brown. Add the rice and cook over medium heat until the starts to get brown and smells toasty. Add the garlic, spices, and herbs except the bay leaf. Cook for 1 minute to bloom the spices. Add the chicken broth and bay leaf and deglaze the pan with a wooden spoon. Bring to a simmer and taste the broth for seasoning. Add remaining salt and any other additional seasonings to taste. Turn off the heat and add Worcestershire sauce and sherry vinegar. Stir to combine all ingredients. Wet a tea towel over the sink, wring it out well and cover the dutch oven with the towel, then it's lid. Pull the corners of the towel up onto the lid and bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and let rest off heat for 15 minutes. Fluff with a fork and serve.

Butter Mochi

The sisters of our ward had a luau this week. We some enjoyed some tasty dishes. I've included the link for some of the recipes.

kalua pork

teriyaki chicken

mac salad (if you like peas try this recipe)

rice

zucchini

green salad 

yummy fruity drinks

Guava Cake (ok, it was POG cake)

Chantilly Cake

Butter Mochi 

 

Butter mochi is such a wonderfully soft and chewy dessert. I love that I can pick it up and squish it before popping it in my mouth. It's not super sweet. I hesitate to call it a cake but it sure looks like one.

• 1 box mochiko/sweet rice flour (Koda Farms)
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 4 eggs
• 1/4 cup butter melted
• 2 cups milk

Preheat the oven to 350℉.

Grease a 9x13 pan.

Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl.

Add eggs and milk, then mix well.

Mix in butter. 

Put the mixture into the pan then bake for 40-50 minutes.

Check with a toothpick for doneness.

Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days

Medium-Effort Chicken Noodle Soup

 What is medium-effort chicken soup? Well, it's not no-effort soup where you throw a bunch of pre-cooked ingredients into a pan and heat it all up. It's also not the "supreme" or "ultimate" chicken soup recipes you find on Cook's Illustrated, Serious Eats, or any of the other foodie websites. This soup takes a little prep work, some time, but not very much effort and makes a soup that is substantially better than what you can buy pre-made.

Note on ingredients: I like a combination of black and white peppers in this dish, but it's fine to use only one of them. Also, if you like a particular herb or spice in your own chicken soup, just add it with all the other dried herbs. I think carrots and celery are the best veggies for chicken soup, but you can also use turnips, parsnips, potatoes, or whatever you like (or have.) In other words, this chicken soup can be made any way you like it!

Ingredients

• 2-3 pounds of chicken thighs or drumsticks (any combination of dark meat), skin-on and bone-in
• 4-5 cans of low-sodium chicken broth
• 5-10 garlic cloves, peeled and slightly crushed
• 2-3 bay leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground white pepper
• 1 teaspoon dried marjoram
• 1 teaspoon dried sage
• 1 tablespoon dried parsley
• 1 tablespoon dried/dehydrated minced onion (not onion powder!)
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 3 medium or large carrots
• 3 ribs celery (save the leaves from your bunch if it has them)
• 1/4 cup of fresh parsley leaves
• 12 ounces dried egg noodles
• 1 lemon, which you will both zest and juice.

Instructions

Put the chicken and garlic in a large soup pot, cover with the broth by about an inch. Turn the heat on high and while it comes to a boil add the dried herbs, spices, and salt. Once it boils, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 60-90 minutes, until the chicken is ready to fall apart. 

Carefully remove the chicken to a cutting board, keeping as much of the broth in the pan as possible. While the chicken cools, chop the celery and carrots into bite-sized pieces and place into the soup. Turn the heat to low and cover. 

Finely chop up the parsley and celery leaves and set aside. Once the chicken is cool enough to handle, pull the skin off and discard. Then pull the meat off the bones, discarding the bones and any cartilage or gristle. Chop or pull apart any large chunks of chicken into bite-sized pieces. 

Add the chicken meat and noodles to the pot, cover, and simmer until the noodles are tender, 7-8 minutes. Remove from heat. Zest and juice the lemon and stir in the zest, juice, parsley, and celery leaves. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste and serve.

Sheet Pan Sweet Potato Hash with Greens

I wanted something different to serve with some pork chops I was preparing. Potatoes are nice, but I thought that sweet potatoes would be a welcome change. Wanting to keep it simple, I decided to integrate the vegetables right into the potatoes in order to make a one-pan side dish. The high heat of the oven dries the greens out a bit while they brown, making it a little crispy and adds a great texture.

Ingredients

• 2 large (or 3 small) sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 large red onion, chopped large
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped large
• 1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram (or oregano*)
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• vegetable or canola oil
• 1 bunch collard greens, thick stems trimmed off, leaves washed and roughly chopped

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Toss the cubed sweet potatoes, onion, and bell pepper together in a large bowl with 1 or 2 tablespoons of oil (enough to coat everything) along with the herbs and spices (i.e., everything except the greens). Once everything is evenly coated with the oil and spices, pour the contents of the bowl out onto a large rimmed baking sheet or roasting pan. Cover the top of the pan with foil and cook in the oven for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and cook for another 15 or 20 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes are softened and starting to brown. Remove the pan from the oven and spread the greens over the top of everything. Using a large spatula, gently flip/stir the greens into the potato mixture until the greens are mixed into everything. Return to the oven for another 5-10 minutes, or until the greens start to brown.

Serving suggestion: sous vide pork chops (see below.) Leftovers are awesome when topped with a sunny-side egg!

*a note on the marjoram/oregano: I like marjoram better than thyme or oregano for most places that either are called for. Not sure why, I just do. I'll probably never write my own recipe from scratch that calls for either. Since marjoram is not a particularly common herb, you might not have it - just use whatever dried herb you have and like - thyme, oregano, basil, whatever!

Glazed BBQ Meatloaf

I've been refining my meatloaf recipe for a number of years. My kids call this "Dad's Awesome Meatloaf," and I think it's earned the moniker! (2/12/2020)

Update: Still refining! I think the new process described here makes for a much improved texture! (3/9/2023)

Ingredients

Glaze

• 1 cup ketchup
• 3 tablespoons cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons hot sauce (my favorite uses chipotle chilis)
• 2-3 jerks Worcestershire sauce (about a tablespoon)
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 tablespoon mustard powder

Meatloaf

• 2 teaspoons canola/vegetable oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic (from 2-4 cloves)
• 25 saltine cracker squares
• 3.5 ounces milk (7 tablespoons)
• 2 pounds ground beef (I like 80-85 percent lean, don't get the extra-lean stuff for this)
• 1 pound ground pork
• 2 whole eggs + 2 extra yolks (save the white for some other purpose, you won't use it here)
• 2-3 jerks Worcestershire sauce (about a tablespoon)
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons dried parsley
• 1 teaspoon dried marjoram
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions

Glaze

In a small saucepan, whisk together all glaze ingredients over medium heat. Once the mixture starts to bubble, remove from heat and set aside.

Meatloaf

In a medium skillet, heat the oil over medium heat and sweat the onion with a big pinch of salt for about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook over low for 2 or 3 minutes more until the onions are translucent and very soft (if at any time anything starts to brown, turn the heat down.) Take the skillet off heat.

Add the saltines to the bowl of your food processor and pulse several times until ground into fine crumbs. Add milk, onions, Worcestershire sauce, and Dijon mustard to food processor and pulse together several more times until well mixed (it does not need to be smooth or homogeneous, just evenly distributed.) Turn on your broiler. Cover a large rimmed baking pan with foil and lightly coat the foil with cooking spray. Reserve half of the cooled glaze (about 3/4 of a cup) in a dish for serving at the table.

Put on disposable gloves for this next part. Add the meat, cracker mixture, whole eggs and yolks into a large mixing bowl. Mix together with your gloved hands for 5 or 10 seconds until the eggs have started to incorporate with the meat. Add the dried herbs and pepper then continue to mix with your hands until they are evenly distributed throughout the meat. Form into a rough ball in the bowl and then pour the ball onto the foil lined pan. Continuing to use your hands, form into a loaf shape that is roughly 9x5 inches. Put the meatloaf under the broiler about 2 inches from the heat. Broil until it starts to brown. Remove from broiler and brush on about 5 or 6 tablespoons of the glaze still in the pan (enough to cover the top and sides of the loaf.) Return to the broiler and cook for another 2 minutes, until the glaze starts to brown. Remove from oven and brush again with remaining glaze from the pan. Set the oven for 350 degrees and bake until it reaches an internal temp of 155 degrees, about 40-45 minutes. Transfer your loaf to a carving board and rest for 5-10 minutes. Slice thick and serve with reserved glaze.

Sous Vide + Smoked Brisket: A Journey

As they say, don't bury the lede. Well here it is!

I wanted to document a fun experience I had this weekend to cook a beef brisket point via a new method I read about on Serious Eats. Many thanks to Kenji Lopez-Alt for the procedures and inspiration!

First I acquired a meduim-sized point-cut of beef brisket. Well actually I acquired an entire brisket and separated the point muscle, but that's another story for another day. I failed to weigh it after the butchery, but I suspect after trimming off the hard fat I had about 4-5 pounds of point. I made a rub of salt, pepper, and a little bit of pink curing salt and applied it in copious amounts to all surfaces of the meat.

Then it went into a vacuum bag:

and into a hot water bath at 155 degrees.

After covering the top of the pot with plastic wrap to prevent evaporation, I let it sit for 30 hours. For good measure, I flipped it once, halfway through cooking.

The next step was to place put it in an ice water bath for 30 minutes to chill the internal temperature back down to 40 degrees. The meat is cooked at this point, but I want it to spend enough time in the smoker to get some nice flavor, and if I smoked it still hot from the water bath it would dry out long before the smoke had time to penetrate. (Sorry, no pic of the ice water bath, I was distracted...)

While the brisket in the bag was chilling, I set up my smoker and got it to 220 degrees. This is a little lower than I would normally smoke a brisket, but I didn't want it to heat up too quickly (as the meat is already cooked). Once the meat was thoroughly chilled, I stuck a probe thermometer in the thickest part and put it in the smoker:

Here it is after smoking for about 30 minutes!

Once the brisket reached an internal temperature of 150 degrees, I pulled it out of the smoker and let it rest on the cutting board for a few minutes before slicing pencil-thin.

I served it with a side of pasta salad to a happy family:

In all, it was an amazing experience. I can't wait to try combine smoking and sous vide for other barbecued applications!

Sausage and Broccoli Stew

I had no dinner plan but I did have some pantry staples and some Italian sausage. The hearty soups at Olive Garden inspired me to make this, and it turned out to be remarkably tasty!

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil (any grade/quality will do, no need to splurge on EVOO)
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 2 medium carrots, diced
• kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 lbs Italian sausage, casings removed (hot or sweet or a combo of both, as you like it)
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried marjoram
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 can diced tomatoes (14 oz)
• 1 carton chicken broth (32 oz)
• 8 oz finely chopped broccoli
• 12 oz soup pasta (ditalini, small shells or elbows, rotini, whatever you have/like)
• 4 oz grated parmesan or pecorino (the good stuff, not from a can)

Directions

Heat oil in a large heavy dutch oven or soup pot over medium-high heat until the oil just starts to shimmer. Add onion, celery, and carrots with a heavy pinch of kosher salt and the pepper. Reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring frequently, until the carrots are just al dente. Turn the heat back up to medium-high and add the sausage. Cook, stirring constantly and breaking/mixing up the sausage with the veggies, until the sausage does not look raw. Add the dried herbs, tomato paste, and garlic. Cook for one more minute and add diced tomatoes (with their juice) and the broth. Increase to high and bring to a simmer. Add broccoli and pasta and let it come back to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring frequently until the pasta is cooked through, about 6-8 minutes (it will thicken as the pasta cooks, so make sure to stir the bottom of the pot to prevent burns). Season with additional salt and pepper to taste. Ladle into bowls, topping with parmesan at the table.

Pasta Marinara with Bacon and Broccoli

I love Broccoli and Bacon together. It's a perfect combination. I had both in my fridge last night, and I'd normally turn it into a salad, but I wanted something heartier. Then I thought, "Pasta!" With the addition of a few pantry staples, I made something that was pretty much a perfect pasta sauce.

Ingredients

• 6 slices thick-cut bacon
• 6 cups broccoli chopped into small florets
• I like to include the stems, sliced very thin, with the florets
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced fine (more if you like it)
• 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
• 1 can (14 oz) diced tomatoes with juice
• 1 can (14 oz) plain tomato sauce
• 1-2 tablespoons minced fresh basil (or a 1/2 teaspoon dried basil)
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon red chili flake
• kosher salt
• Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
• 1 box rotini pasta
• I like veggie rotini, but you can use regular, too.

Directions

Cook the bacon in a large skillet until crisp. Remove bacon to a plate with paper towels and drain off fat, leaving about 2 tablespoons in the pan and reserving 2 more tablespoons for later. Now would be a good time to start heating a large pot of water to boil the pasta.

Cook the onions in the 2 tablespoons bacon fat left the pan with a large pinch of kosher salt over medium-high heat. When they have started to brown around the edges add the remaining reserved bacon fat, broccoli, pepper, chili flake, and another heavy pinch of kosher salt. Toss together all the ingredients in the pan and cook, stirring frequently, until the broccoli starts to soften (but still slightly crunchy). Add the vinegar, canned tomatoes, and tomato sauce. If you are not using a non-stick skillet, there will probably be some fond on the bottom of the pan you want to scrape up so it incorporates into the sauce. Add the oregano and basil. Simmer in the skillet, uncovered, until the broccoli is cooked.

While the sauce simmers, cook the pasta in the boiling water, adding a 2 tablespoons of kosher salt to the water first. Cook the pasta until it is almost al-dente, but is still just a little underdone. Prior to draining the pasta, reserve a couple of cups of the cooking water. Drain the pasta into a colander, then pour directly into the skillet with the sauce (if your skillet is not large enough, you can put both the pasta and the sauce back into the pasta pot). Finish cooking the pasta in the sauce, adding back some of the reserved cooking water (probably around 1/4 to 1/2 cup) to loosen things up if it's too thick. Serve immediately, either as a main dish, or with sliced grilled chicken breasts. Top with (lots of) Parmesan cheese when serving.

Note on 4/7: I recently read this article on Serious Eats, it's totally helpful for properly cooking/saucing your pasta: http://www.seriouseats.com/2016/02/the-right-way-to-sauce-pasta.html

Cake Doughnuts (Dairy-Free!)

My kids are sensitive to dairy - it upsets their tummies :( When we are out and they see doughnuts, they always ask for them, but I have to tell them no because many doughnut recipes use milk (and it's hard to tell just by looking at them). Today I decided to figure out how to adapt a simple cake doughnut recipe to avoid dairy products; the results were quite tasty so I'm documenting them here!

• 2 1/2 cups flour (plus additional flour for dusting the work surface and tools)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons grated nutmeg
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 cup almond milk* (if using unsweetened milk, add 1 additional tablespoon sugar)
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice*
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup melted stick margarine for baking*
• 1 gallon of peanut or vegetable oil for frying

*If you prefer dairy in your pastries: use 1 cup buttermilk instead of the almond milk and lemon juice; use butter instead of stick margarine.

If you have a deep fryer, you can load it up with oil and start it heating to 375 degrees. Otherwise place the oil in a large heavy pot and insert a fry thermometer; don't heat the oil on the stove now unless you have someone to watch it for you - it should not exceed 375 degrees and you will be busy with the dough for a while.

Measure the almond milk in a 2-cup measure and stir in the lemon juice. Let it sit for a few minutes to make almond "buttermilk." In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, soda, salt, and nutmeg until evenly distributed. Whisk together almond milk mixture, sugar, egg, and melted margarine in a separate mixing bowl until smooth. Pour the wet ingredients onto the dry ingredients and stir until fully incorporated. It will probably be pretty wet. If you are going to cook on the stove, start heating the oil now.

Turn out onto a well-floured work surface (I like to use a silicone rolling mat) and work enough flour into the dough to make it dry enough to roll out into a 3/4 inch thick sheet. Using a large (3-inch) biscuit cutter dipped in flour, cut into rounds. Then use a small biscuit cutter (also floured) to cut out the holes. 

When the oil is between 360 and 375 degrees, start cooking the doughnuts two or three at a time (don't crowd the pot, it will make the oil temp drop too much). Be very careful not to splash the doughnuts into the oil or you will need treatment for burns! Fry for 1-2 minutes until golden brown before flipping with tongs or wooden chopsticks. Cook the other side until it is equally golden brown before removing the doughnuts to a sheet pan with a cooling rack set on top. Let them drain and cool on the rack for a couple of minutes before glazing or frosting with your favorite toppings. 

When the last cut doughnuts from the first batch are frying, collect up the scraps of dough and re-roll for a second batch. You should be able to get 8-10 doughnuts from this recipe, depending on if you roll up the holes with the scraps or cook them alongside the doughnuts.

Egg-Leavened Waffles

The first rule of waffles: Do not talk about waffles as if they are pancakes cooked in an iron. They are not. Waffles and pancakes have different culinary origins, even if Bisquick or Krusteaz would have you think they both just sprang ex nihilo from a corporate research kitchen. Think of the words you use to describe good waffles: crispy, puffy, tender, chewy; it's not the same as how you describe a good pancake. Waffles are special. They take more preparation, but they are worth it.

Ingredients (Makes 8-9 Belgian-style waffles, cut it in half for smaller groups)
2 cups flour
2 tablespoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt (I used fine sea salt)
2 tablespoons sugar
2 cups unsweetened vanilla almond milk
3 fluid ounces oil (that's 6 tablespoons OR 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons)
6 eggs, separated

Directions

Prep:
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and baking powder. Set aside. In another bowl, whisk together the sugar, egg yolks, oil, and almond milk. Set aside. Using a standing mixer (or a hand mixer in another bowl) beat the egg whites until firm peaks form. Set aside.

Mix and Cook:
Turn on the waffle iron to preheat. Pour the milk mixture into the flour mixture, whisk together for 20-30 seconds, then let it sit for another 30 seconds. Slowly stir through the mixture to ensure there are no dry spots, but small lumps are OK. Now fold the whipped egg whites into the batter in two or thee batches. Spray the waffle iron with cooking spray and scoop some batter on; I use two scoops from a #12 disher. Try not to overload the iron, or the batter will ooze out the sides as it expands. Cook until the steam stops coming out the sides of the iron and the waffle is golden brown. Serve immediately while still hot. You could try to keep them warm in a low oven, but I typically just start serving my family one or two people at a time as they come out of the iron.

In case you missed it...

We started to write a post on Waffles just over two years ago and saved it as a draft here in blogger. I finally got around to finishing it, but it has the date from 2013 on it. I figured I'd link to it here, so people who only check the front page would see it :)

• Egg-Leavened Waffles

Chicken and Sausage Gumbo

NOTE: I have a newer recipe for gumbo here that supersedes this one.

I made gumbo tonight. It was the best gumbo I have ever made. The recipe was requested and I am obliging.

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a dutch oven over medium-high heat. Working in batches, dredge 8 chicken thighs in 1 cup of flour that has been seasoned with salt and pepper and saute until golden brown on both sides (my dutch oven holds 2 or 3 pieces at once - do not crowd the pan or they will steam instead of brown). Start each thigh skin-side down so you render as much fat as possible out into the pan. As they brown, move the pieces to a large plate or casserole dish.

After all the chicken is browned, you should have quite a bit of rendered fat left in the pan. If there's not enough to thickly cover the entire pan, add 1-2 tablespoons more oil. With the dutch oven over medium heat, whisk in 1/2 cup of the leftover dredging flour. Whisk constantly until the flour toasts and becomes golden brown. Stir in 3 ribs of diced celery, 1 large diced bell pepper (or 2 small ones) and 1 large diced yellow onion. Add 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme (or a teaspoon of fresh thyme) and 2-4 cloves of minced garlic. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until the flour toasts a little more and the onions and peppers start to soften. Add one can of diced tomatoes (with its juice) and one can of chicken broth, scraping all the browned bits off the bottom of the dutch oven. Once the mixture starts to boil, put the browned chicken back in the pan, nestling the pieces so they each are surrounded by the broth. Add another can of broth (assuming there's still room - if there's not, add until the pot is full), 3 bay leaves, and bring to a simmer. Turn the heat down to low, cover, and cook until the chicken is tender, about 45 minutes, stirring every few minutes to keep the bottom from burning.

During the last few minutes of the chicken's cooking time, slice 1 1/2 pounds of smoked Andouille sausage. Once the chicken is cooked, pull it out of the gumbo and put in a clean casserole dish or on a cutting board. Turn the gumbo down to your stove's lowest setting and heat a large skillet over medium high heat on another burner. Brown the sausage in the skillet and put it, along with any rendered-off fat, into the gumbo. By now, the chicken should be cool enough to handle; pull off the skin and discard (it's going to be very flabby and unappealing) and shred the chicken with two forks, discarding any bones or cartilage. Put the chicken back into the gumbo (along with any juices remaining in the casserole dish). Stir in 2-3 teaspoons of filé powder (also called gumbo filé, it is the dried and powdered leaves of the sassafras tree). The filé will thicken the gumbo, so it might be best to stir in a teaspoon at a time until it's as thick as you like. Serve over rice. You may add chopped scallions or parsley for garnish and flavor, and season with Tabasco sauce for heat (Crystal and Louisiana brand sauces may also be used if you must, but any addition of Frank's Red Hot will get you banned from Mardi Gras for life!)

Tex-Mex Rice

I've heard it called "Spanish" rice, "Mexican" rice, and several other names. Since I'm using Ro-Tel tomatoes, I'm calling it Tex-Mex! This version differs from most in that it is baked (like pilaf) instead of simmered on the stove. This makes it very easy; as no stirring is needed after you put it in the oven, you can concentrate on whatever your main dish is.

Ingredients

• 2 cups medium grain rice (I used California Calrose rice)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium or large onion, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon chili powder (as always, homemade is best)
• 2 cans, 14 oz. (or 1 can, 28 ounces) Ro-Tel Tomatoes with Green Chiles (use the mild version if you're spice-averse), pureed in the blender
• 1 1/2 cups chicken broth (use the reduced-sodium version if you have a choice)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat oil in a dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onions and salt. Cook, stirring frequently until the onions have softened slightly. Add the rice and continue to cook, stirring frequently, until the rice just starts get brown. Add the chili powder and continue to cook for another 30 seconds. Add the tomato puree and broth, stirring well, and bring to a boil. Cover and place in the oven. Once the rice is tender (about 25 minutes), remove from oven. Stir well with to ensure the sauce is evenly distributed and let sit uncovered for 5-10 minutes before serving.

Wacky Cakes

Until Boy #2, we used box cakes. Yellow cake with chocolate frosting is my favorite. I miss the taste and the idea that it's more convenient. For a while, we did angel food cake mix since it was dairy and soy free. It's hit or miss if we can find a mix without corn product.

We finally decided it to bite the bullet and figure out how to make cake from scratch. We've tried a few recipes, but the only one I wanted to keep around was the chocolate wacky cake recipe I found at sweetlittlebluebird.com. The boys like it as cupcakes topped with raspberry or orange jello frosting. Mmm...

We tried the vanilla once, but it was bitter. Then tried the vanilla again, but as a platform to rework the guava/mango orange cake recipe for the boys. The flavor was fine, but the cake was gummy in the middle and hard on the outside. Next time, we'll try the lemon cake recipe instead, since it is similar to the mango orange flavor we were going for.

Chocolate Wacky Cake

Vanilla Wacky Cake

Lemon Wacky Cake

Garbanzo Curry on Couscous

Let me make one thing perfectly clear - I have never been to India. Therefore, my knowledge of Indian-spiced foods (known as "curry" in most of the English-speaking world) is second- or third-hand. I love to eat at Indian restaurants, and I love to cook from my Indian cookbook. This is an all-time favorite recipe in our home - simple, tasty, and exotic. -Jake.

Update 6/12/14: Last night I was making this dish and I tried a little variation: instead of broth (in the curry) I used tomato juice, and I added about a tablespoon of minced fresh ginger with the garlic. Both changes made for a great improvement!

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons canola oil
• 4 cups cut fresh vegetables - bell peppers, zucchini, carrots, celery, broccoli, red onion . . .
• 3 cloves garlic
• 2 cups vegetable broth, divided
• 1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder (and like last time, I still like McCormick brand, although you could make your own)
• 1 can (15 ounces) garbanzo beans (aka chickpeas), drained and rinsed.
• 1/3 cup golden raisins
• 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon salt (to taste)
• 3/4 cup couscous
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/4 cup sliced or slivered almonds, toasted

Directions

Over medium-low heat, heat oil in large saucepan. Add vegetables and sweat for 5-10 minutes, or until the veggies are slightly softened. Add garlic, cook 1 minute (until fragrant). Stir in 1 cup broth, curry powder and red pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover the simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in garbanzo beans, raisins, and salt. Cover and simmer for 2-3 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

Over medium high heat, bring 1 cup of broth to a boil in a sauce pan. Stir in couscous. Remove from hear and let stand for 5 minutes. Stir in cilantro and almonds with fork to fluff the couscous. To serve, spoon couscous into bowls then top with garbanzo curry.

Jalapeño BBQ Sauce

Another BBQ sauce recipe? Yes, I've posted sauce recipes before, but I'm always trying new variations. Adding jalapeños changes it enough for the better that I had to share! -Jake

Ingredients
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can tomato sauce
1 tomato sauce can cider vinegar (yes, measure the vinegar in the tomato sauce can)
1 small can diced jalapeños
2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 cups brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon celery seed
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon mustard powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions
Put tomatoes, sauce, vinegar, jalapeños, and garlic in a blender and purée together*. Place in a large saucepan on medium-high heat. Whisk in remaining ingredients. Once it starts bubbling, reduce heat to medium low and simmer, stirring frequently for 10-15 minutes, until the sauce is thickened.

* You can use an immersion blender and purée the ingredients directly in the saucepan if you would like.

Tropical Tuna Salad

Salad Ingredients

• 1 can pineapple tidbits (8 ounces), drained, juice reserved
• 2 cups cooked macaroni such as elbows or shells
• 1 can water chestnuts (8 ounces), drained and slices
• 1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
• 1/2 cup chopped green onions (white and green parts)
• 1 can albacore tuna, drained
• 4 cups chopped romaine lettuce
• 8 cherry tomatoes, halved

Dressing Ingredients

• 1/4 cup pineapple juice from canned pineapple above
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar (to taste)

Whisk all dressing ingredients together except oil and sugar. Slowly drizzle in the oil while constantly whisking continuously until fully blended. Add sugar if you like your dressing sweeter.

Toss together all salad ingredients except lettuce and tomatoes with the dressing. Let chill in fridge until ready to serve (up to several hours). To serve, spoon salad over chopped lettuce and top with tomatoes.

Alternative Serving: instead of using canned pineapple, buy a whole fresh pineapple. Cut in half and hollow out the halves to about 3/4 inch from the rind. Chop the pineapple from one of the hollowed-out halves and mix into the salad. The remaining half can be juiced for the dressing (either use a juicer, or puree the pineapple in a blender and strain out the juice). Serve the salad out of the scooped-out halves for a dramatic presentation.