The Curvy Cook

Finding excuses to use my new Kitchenaid stand mixer!

2010-08-14T19:55:00.000-07:00

My husband and I recently purchased a KitchenAid artisan stand mixer and ever since, I have been trying to come up with stuff to make with it. If it wasn't 100 degrees every day I would certainly be baking much more than I have. So far I have made whipped cream, fluffy eggs, rich chocolate mousse and today I made my first ever french bread loaves. They didn't quite come out like I expected looks wise but who cares! They tasted fantastic!

The ingredients were so simple. It's the waiting that was the hardest part. Rise, punch down, rise, punch down, rise again. The mixer came in ever so handy for kneading the dough. I was able to cook breakfast while the mixer did all the work. Gotta love that! I am normally a very hands on person that wants to do everything in the kitchen the long tedious way at least at first to learn but today was about putting this mixer to the test. A+++

I will have to come back and post more about the whole bread process once I have experimented more.

Crunchy Chicken Katsu

2010-03-08T12:59:00.000-08:00

I remember the first time I had chicken katsu at a local japanese restaurant. I instantly fell in love with this yummy crunchy delicacy. Since cutting back at eating out, I decided to just try to make it at home. I found it to be incredibly easy and shhh don't tell the restaurant but mine actually tasted better!

I have made this dish with both thigh meat and breast meat and I prefer the breast meat version personally but you can choose your preference. The procedure is the same for both.

Chicken Katsu
Ingredients:
Panko crumbs (Found in asian grocery or maybe international aisle in supermarket). If not can buy here
1 egg
flour
Skinless chicken breasts or thigh meat
vegetable oil for frying
salt

Directions:
What I normally do is get 3 containers or bowls set out in a row. In the first one I put some flour, the second one a mixture of 1 whisked egg and 2 tbls of water, and in the third container a good layer of panko crumbs with a dash of salt added.

Take your boneless, skinless chicken pieces and pound thin with the flat side of a meat mallet. I usually put one piece at a time in a large ziploc bag, makes for easy cleanup.
Now's a good time to heat your veg oil up. I have a deep fryer and had about 1.5 inches of oil in it and set it to 375°. If you have a fryer, please follow your user manual or if using a stovetop pan be sure to use the proper type of frying thermometer.

Take a piece of your chicken and coat both sides in flour and shake off excess then dip in egg and then the panko crumbs. I like to press the panko on good because the crunchiness is my fave thing about this dish. A good tip is to pick a breading hand and keep one hand clean otherwise it's a hand washing nightmare lol.

I don't like to crowd the fryer so I made two pieces at a time, slowly lowering them into the oil to avoid burning myself. This probably goes without saying eh.
Now, it's all about patience. I haven't found the need to time these, I just keep an eye on them and flip them once mid fry. The color is a really good indicator of doneness I've found. Once they are a deep golden color, I've always found it to be cooked through, but always give it a little cut once out of the fryer to ensure it's cooked thoroughly. Add a little pinch of salt as soon as it comes out of the fryer if desired.

All that's left is to cut into strips and top this yumminess off with some sauce. I haven't gotten around to making it from scratch yet but I usually use this Bulldog tonkatsu sauce I found at a local asian grocery but is also available online at the link. I hope you try out and enjoy this simple and delicious dish. -Curvy Cook

Cheese bread croutons

2010-03-04T13:29:00.000-08:00

I've gotten into the habit of making something and then making different things out of it...basically stretching the food and being creative. As I mentioned in the previous post, I made cheese bread and made a few different dishes from it. A couple days after making the bread I made a salad and realized I was out of croutons. Aha! I can make my own...easy peasy.

All I did was cut several thick slices of the bread and cut into cubes. I like a large salad crouton, but you can adjust to your preferred size. I then took a large ziploc bag and placed the cubed bread inside. I then drizzled some olive oil in(eyeball it so they are lightly coated not drenched) along with a pinch of kosher salt, ground black pepper, garlic powder and some grated parmesan cheese and gave the bag a good shake to distribute all the oil and spices very well.

I then placed in a single layer in my toaster oven (you can use a regular oven if you don't have a toaster oven) on a very low heat, essentially drying them out slowly without burning them. I believe I had the toaster oven on about 250° or so. You will need to keep an eye on them and turn once so both sides get toasted. Keep checking on them for crispness. It's really that easy and it beats paying a few dollars at the store for them for sure. Crunch crunch! -Curvy Cook

Cheese + bread= win win

2010-03-03T10:29:00.000-08:00

Growing up I always remember my mom using the ol red and plaid cookbook. It was what I knew as cooking. When I first got married back in 1992 it was the first cookbook I bought for myself also and I still use it to this day. This week the weather was chilly and I yearned for something warm and comforting and that means one thing ...bread... warm buttery bread.

I went to the kitchen and hunkered over the old faithful Better Homes and Gardens cookbook and decided to give bread a go again. I wouldn't call myself a successful bread baker so far but I'm not one to give up too easily. I decided on cheese bread. Cheese+bread=win win. Here's the recipe I used:

Cheese Bread- Adapted from Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups + 2 1/2-3 cups All purpose flour
1 package active dry yeast
1 egg
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar, swiss, or monterey jack with peppers cheese (I used cheddar)
1 1/4 cups warm water
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
Directions

Combine 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour and 1 package active dry yeast. Add 1 egg, 1 1/2 cups shredded cheese as listed above, 1 1/4 cups warm water (120°-130°); 1/4 cup sugar, and 1/2 tsp salt. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds, scraping bowl. Beat on high speed for 3 minutes. Using 2 1/2 to 3 cups of the flour, stir in as much flour as you can.* Once I noticed the dough ball formed and wasn't sticky any longer I stopped adding flour. The amount of flour used will vary. I did not need the full 3 cups and had quite a bit of excess actually.

Turn out onto lightly floured surface. Knead in enough of the remaining flour to make a moderately stiff dough that is smooth and elastic (6-8 minutes total). Shape into a ball. Place in a greased bowl;turn once. Cover, let rise in a warm place till double(1-1 1/4 hours). I used Pam spray in the bowl and also sprayed some on the cling wrap to prevent sticking.

Punch dough down. Turn onto lightly floured surface. Divide in half. Cover; let rest 10 minutes. Lightly grease two 8x4x2 inch loaf pans. Shape each half of the dough into a loaf. Place in pans. Cover, let rise in a warm place till nearly double (about 45 minutes). Bake in a 350° oven for 40-45 minutes or till done. Cover loosely the last 20 minutes if necessary. Remove from pans, cool. Makes 2 loaves.

After the bread was made, I went on to use it several ways throughout the week and will post those ideas soon!

As promised..rotisserie chicken action shots!

2010-02-25T15:53:00.000-08:00

I was roasting a chicken today and remembered just in the nick of time that I mentioned on my last post that I would post some pics of the Ronco rotisserie in action. It came out perfect as always. This was a 4 pound chicken and it took an hour to roast. You can see the silicone bands keep it all nice and neat and are reuseable which I love. Here's the link to the last post with more details about this awesome rotisserie gadget. Have a yummy day! -Curvy Cook

A kitchen gizmo I love

2010-02-12T14:44:00.000-08:00

A few years ago my husband walked in the door with a big box from the store. He was beaming with excitement which at first made me think oh no what did he buy this time and when he revealed it I thought yet again oh no what did he buy this time and is he planning on building me some more counters haha. He had purchased a Ronco rotisserie countertop cooker. As I was asking if he kept the receipt, I thumbed through the accompanying booklet of how to's and whatnot.

Fast forward to present and I have to say this little machine has become indispensable in our kitchen. I use it quite frequently at least a couple times a month I'd say. Last night I roasted a chicken in it and today from the chicken breast, I made a yummy roast chicken vegetable stew. Next time I roast a chicken I will include a pic of it along with some action shots of it roasting lol.

The whole house smells delicious as it cooks away and for most chickens takes about an hour or so give or take a few for weight. I usually keep the rub simple but you can really experiment with your seasonings have have some fun. I usually just rub with McCormick Rotisserie Chicken Seasoning or Mesquite seasoning and pop it in the rotissierie and it comes out great every time. The rotisserie comes with some disposeable oven safe elastic bands that you bind the chicken with but I decided to purchase something more permanent and I bought these reusable silicone cooking bands which are also up there on my must have list.

You can roast more than just chicken in this rotisserie but this is my primary use for it. If you have one or buy one feel free to share your yummy discoveries and perhaps I can break out of the just roasting chicken routine haha. Enjoy ~Curvy Cook

PS. I think I owe my husband some husband points for this purchase.

A chocolate fix

2010-02-08T13:11:00.000-08:00

I was having a big chocolate craving last night that was brought on by only the mention of brownies by a friend. By the end of the day, the craving was still going strong so I sought out some type of brownie recipe that could be made with easy ingredients that I had on hand. I was in luck and came across this recipe for brownies.

The ingredients are budget friendly also which I love. They came out with a nice chewy crust and dense chocolatey inside. Since they were made with oil they seemed abit on the oily side but delicious none the less. So if you need a quick chocolate fix I recommend these easy brownies. Here is the recipe also. I should snap a picture before they are gone eh?

Mom's Cocoa Powder Brownies
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
5 tablespoons cocoa
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Combine all ingredients and mix well. Bake at 350 for 25 to 30 minutes in an 8x8 or 9x9 pan. Allow to cool before cutting.

Creamy chicken soup with shell pasta

2010-01-28T12:17:00.000-08:00

The weather got a little chilly this week and when that happened the urge for comfort food set in quickly. No, not potato chips, although that's usually my 1st choice haha. This time I was craving something hearty, easy to make but rewarding. I knew I had some chicken broth in the pantry but what else could I pull together? Luckily making these dish takes some basic pantry staples so I could make a nice soup to ward off the chills.

Here are the ingredients I used to make this soup:

1 1/2 of the 32 oz. cartons of Progresso chicken broth reduced sodium
2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 cup small pasta shells (uncooked measurement)
3/4 cup diced carrots
3/4 cup diced onion
1/2 cup peas frozen or canned (I had canned on hand)
1 piece of smoked bacon
1/3 cup heavy cream (optional) -to make creamy if preferred
cornstartch (optional) - to thicken if preferred
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
2 bay leaves
1 tsp poultry seasoning brand as linked below
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp oregano
dash chipotle powder (optional)
1 tbsp olive oil for cooking chicken
For fast dumplings I used 2 leftover uncooked pillsbury flaky biscuits cut into wedges

To season chicken I used:
Kosher salt and ground black pepper
Mccormick poultry seasoning
Mccormick rotisserie chicken seasoning
dash of oregano

The first thing I did was prepare my pasta and cut up all my veggies and set aside for later. Then I cut the 2 chicken breasts into slices and then rubbed a moderate mixture of poultry seasoning and rotisserie chicken seasoning onto them once cut. I then heated a pan on medium high heat with the olive oil and a dash of salt and black pepper in the pan. Once pan is hot add the chicken in a single layer if possible for even cooking. Once one side has started turning golden flip over. Continue cooking until completely cooked and no pink remains in center. Once finished set these aside to cool abit.

Next in a taller stock pot I combined 1 tbsp olive oil along with 1 tbsp of butter with dash of salt and pepper on medium high heat. I then added the chopped carrots and bacon slive and cooked them several minutes before adding the chopped onions. I cooked these veggies until they started to soften up abit. Once ready, I then added the chicken broth and bay leaves and brought to a simmer.

While that's cooking abit I went back to the chicken and cut into hearty bite size pieces. The hard part is not eating a bunch while you are cooking..yum and yes guilty of pinching some chicken! I then added the chicken to the pot and placed lid on and reduced heat to medium and let cook about 10-15 minutes or so.

Now it's time to add the peas and cooked pasta shells to the pot. You can add as little or much of these as you prefer. At this time you can add the optional cream. I usually like to thicken it up abit by adding a mixture of cornstarch and water to the soup. (mix 2tsp cornstarch with 3 tbsp water in a small bowl, mix well). This is something I just prefer. Feel free to leave the cream and cornstarch mixture out.

More optional goodness.... I had 2 uncooked pillsbury flaky biscuits left over from the can and I didn't want them to go to waste so I cut them into small wedges, floated them on top of the soup and placed lid back on. Let them simmer with the soup until they cook and firm up. They float on the surface and gives it a nice finishing touch.

All thats left is to dish up a bowl of comfort! I must have been hungry, I got a little picture happy on this post! Enjoy - Curvy Cook

Trying new things

2010-01-25T10:09:00.000-08:00

One thing I am learning as I discover new things I am capable of in the kitchen is not to be afraid of trying new things. I've come to think of it all as one big learning experience. For example, last night I was talking to my friend about chinese food of all things. Of course this set off the craving bell in my head and instantly I wanted some vegetable egg foo yung.

In the past I would have thought nothing of ringing up the old chinese take out and having instant gratification on my doorstep but now as budget doesn't allow much of that I had to envision this dish in my head. I mean I know for the most part what's in it when I order it. How hard could it be to make it? Answer...not very hard at all and luckily I had enough ingredients to pull it off. The sauce on the other hand came out ok but was missing a sweet note. This I will have to figure out next time.

The egg part came out surprisingly yummy and I even surprised myself with how incredibly easy this was. However next time I will use a smaller pan so it is easier to flip. These are the kinds of things you learn as you just get in the kitchen and give it a go. All in all my experience was fun and delicious. So get in the kitchen have some fun and don't be afraid of trying new things. You might surprise yourself. ~Curvy Cook

Ps. I made 2 patties one with regular eggs and the one pictured I made with egg beaters. They both tasted great! Once I perfect the sauce I will post a recipe :)

Chicken in a garlic red pepper cream sauce

2010-01-23T15:28:00.000-08:00

Last night I wanted to make something different with chicken breasts besides my usual chicken marsala, so I took to the fridge and started going through crispers and shelves to see what I could concoct. All the while hoping for it to come out tasting great. With minimal ingredients I was able to whip up a pretty tasty meal.

To make this you will need:

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

6 cloves of garlic

1/3 cup of diced red bell peppers

1/2 pint heavy whipping cream

1 tbsp butter

1/2 tsp of ground oregano

1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese -can use more or less, adjust for consistency as needed

kosher salt and ground black pepper

olive oil for cooking

large frying pan with lid

The first thing I did to prep for this was to butterfly the chicken breasts by slicing through from the side but stopping before cutting entirely. That way it can be folded out to lay flat in the pan. It makes it abit easier to do this if the chicken is just a little firm from the freezer still. You will definitely need a large pan to fit these in or you can make a smaller serving if needed. I then let them continue to thaw for a short while, placed 1 at a time into a large ziploc bag and with the flat side of meat mallet pounded them abit to flatten slightly. Once all were done I set aside and moved onto the veggie prep.

First I finely chopped up about a 1/3 cup of red bell pepper and set aside. I wanted this dish to have a great savory garlic flavor so I took 2 of the largest cloves of garlic and made slashes to release flavor but did not cut all the way through. Refer to this handy photoshop picture I devised. The remaining garlic cloves I made into very thin slivers and set aside.

What I had in mind was to slowly infuse the garlic flavor into the olive oil by placing these two large sliced cloves into the pan that I had added 2 tbls of olive oil along with the tablespoon of butter to. I also added a pinch of kosher salt and ground black pepper to the pan. Bring heat up to medium and keep stirring garlic, butter and oil mixture periodically so as the butter and garlic doesn't burn. If it appears to be caramellizing, turn it down. We don't really want browning at this point, just the garlic fusing flavor with the oil and butter.

Once the garlic has softened slightly and you can smell the delicious garlic aroma it's time to add the chicken breasts to the pan along with another pinch of kosher salt. Increase heat to about medium high. Unfold the butterflied portions and lay flat in pan. Allow one side to slightly brown and then turn over and do the same to the other side. At this point they should not be cooked through, just browned slightly each side.

Now reduce the heat and add the cream, red peppers, and remaining thinly sliced garlic and oregano, keep stirring to mix up the garlic flavor into it. At this point I placed the lid on and frequently stirred it. I let it simmer for about 10-15 minutes. Always keeping an eye on it. If it needs more cream, feel free to add more. It is going to reduce abit when we add the parmesan. The chicken should be about done at this point and should feel firm to the touch. Go ahead and reduce the heat a little more to a low heat. Now we can add our shredded fresh parmesan cheese. I added it a little bit at a time stirring constantly to melt and distribute it evenly. Adjust as little or as much as you need to firm up the cream sauce. Just make sure the heat has been reduced otherwise the cheese will burn very fast and make a pan cleaning nightmare. Stir stir stir.

Then simply place the chicken on your plate and spoon a little of the sauce on top and it's off to creamy garlic happyland!! -Curvy Cook

Mmm Snickerdoodles

2010-01-21T09:19:00.000-08:00

For some reason or other, I am on a cinnamon kick lately. Sometimes I like to justify certain cravings with the body's natural sense of knowing what it needs. I decided to search the health benefits of cinnamon. I mean, c'mon there has to be some, right? Indeed there are. Check out this cool link showing some of the benefits of cinnamon.

Ok, so snickerdoodles aren't the pinnacle of health but they are in a way a comfort food with their delicious aroma and taste. The craving hit me early in the evening so I hit the pantry to see what I had available. Luckily I had all the necessary ingredients on hand, which is wonderful because otherwise I would be making cinnamon toast right now instead. Not the same....really not the same lol.

I came across this snickerdoodle recipe from Martha Stewart this past Christmas and I am hooked. I have come to the conclusion that when I make a cookie gift, it's gonna be these gems.

Here is the basic idea of the recipe in photo form however for the actual recipe please visit the snickerdoodle recipe link in the above paragraph. I don't want to anger the Martha Stewart empire by printing it here for you lol. The last thing I need is to suffer the wrath of Martha *grin*

After the ingredients were sifted, creamed, combined I basically just made a little assembly line as shown. They really are that easy to make. In retrospect, I could have spaced them a tad further on the sheet but otherwise they came out delicious. I use AirBake cookie sheets, they seem to work fine for me but you could use a regular cookie sheet and a silpat if you have it. One of these days I will buy a silpat. I really really want one :) Ok after blogging about these, I can hear the tupperware of them downstairs calling my name! ~Curvy Cook

Flirty Aprons

2010-01-20T01:23:00.000-08:00

Maybe it's just me but when I put my apron on, you know some serious cooking is about to go down. I'm a woman on a mission armed with spatulas, tongs and saucepans oh my!

The apron I have right now has a vineyard type theme and I am generally happy with it but I bumped into the FlirtyAprons.com site and after seeing all the cute aprons they had, I am thinking it may almost be time to retire mine or at least give it a well deserved vacation.

So far, I think this one is my favorite, along with the cherry blossom style. Now that I think about it, this would also make a fanastic gift! ~Curvy Cook

Women's Chic Pink Apron

Mini Chicken Meatballs

2010-01-19T10:20:00.000-08:00

As I mentioned in an earlier post I'm not much of a red meat eater so often I use chicken for recipes that traditionally use beef. One of my go to quick appetizers to make are my chicken meatballs. These would be great if you are throwing a tapas party just add a plate of decorative toothpicks and viola! The day I made these I was in abit of a hurry and just used a jar of "Classico fire roasted tomato and garlic" sauce I had in the pantry for the marinara dip. If you are feeling "saucey" you can always make your own yummy sauce to go along with these.

The ingredients are simple and few but make a great tasting morsel. To make these you will need the following ingredients.

1 lb. ground chicken breast
1 large clove of garlic minced
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1/8 cup seasoned breadcrumbs. I used Progresso Italian Bread crumbs. I used garlic & herb since it was in pantry but you can ideally use the Italian seasoned variety.
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1 small egg whisked or -- I used 1/8 cup Egg Beaters for convenience (also makes this healthier)
Olive oil for cooking.

Ok time to remove your rings and get your hands messy! Mix until all ingredients and spices are combined well. If you find your mixture to be abit runny you can always add a few more breadcrumbs or a little more egg if it is too dry. This part takes abit of judgement.

Next I set a plate aside and rolled the meat mixture into small approx. 1 inch meatballs and place on the plate ready to go into the pan. Once I've rolled out all the balls, I place a couple of tablespoons of olive oil into a pan and heat on medium heat. Once oil is hot, I add my meatballs to the pan allowing one side to slightly brown then I flip with my fave silicone tongs by Cuisipro. If you don't have these, I really recommend them for use on your nonstick pans.

I then reduce the heat to slightly lower than medium heat and place a lid over. Periodically checking for uncooked spots and rotating meatballs as needed. Be very careful as the onions will caramelize very quickly and can in an instant, burnalize! lol. You want browning but not burning :)

When cooked internally these will feel firm to the touch. You can have a look at the center of the largest one to ensure the inside has no pink. That's really all there is to it. Simply plate and serve with your favorite marinara dipping sauce or add to spaghetti as a nice finishing touch. I'm thinking about adding some fresh herbs to these next time I make them. I will post some results when I do! ~Curvy Cook

Had a "crunch tooth" today Crispy leftovers wontons!

2010-01-13T13:43:00.000-08:00

Leftovers Wontons

I was on the computer this afternoon when the sudden urge for the delicious filled wontons I get at a local Thai restaurant hit me. I happened to have the ingredients on hand to make my copycat version as well as some new ideas I tossed together utilizing leftovers in the fridge. I ended up making 3 different wontons.

The first was a shredded pork roast with veggies wonton, secondly a chipotle chicken wonton and last a cream cheese, crabstick curry wonton. The first 2 were just leftovers I had from crock pot pork roast and chicken tacos I had made earlier this week. The last was my Thai copycat. I also made a dipping sauce to go along with.

My faves ended up being the Thai ones and the chicken chipotle wontons. The pork roast ones seemed to dry up abit once fried. I may have overcooked those ones.

It really is simple to make these delicious little packets of yumminess. If you have a deep fryer it's super easy. I used vegetable oil at 375 degrees. If not you can prepare on a stove in a deep pot with about an inch and a half of oil. Make sure you use a cooking thermometer for your oil temp.

All that you need to have on hand are your ingredients, wonton wrappers and a little dish of water for sealing them.

Here are the ingredients I used for the Thai wontons. I only made a small batch so you would need to adapt the ingredients to your taste and batch size.

Whipped cream cheese

Thai curry powder

imitation crab sticks chopped finely

dash of ground red pepper flakes

dash of turmeric

dash of coriander

Mix ingredients well in a bowl.

To prepare the wontons, I simply used a large flexible cutting board and made a little assembly line. Place wonton flat on board add a small spooful of mixture to the center of the wonton. Dip your little finger in the dish of water and wet 2 adjoining edges. Carefully fold over and seal wonton edges firmly. I made a little diagram to show this. By dark lines are wet, I mean the dark yellow lines :) The dotted line is just the way you fold it over.

Once your oil is up to temperature drop a few in slowly. I kept an eye on them and turned once so that both sides were golden. Take out with tongs or straining ladel, allowing oil to drain then place on paper towels. I usually cooked 4 at a time to avoid overcrowding which will lower your oil temp.

While I was waiting for my first batch to cook, I made a dipping sauce to go along with the wontons. I combined light corn syrup along with mirin rice wine vinegar until I got a thinned consistency. Again the ratio depends upon the quantity you make. It needs to be stirred very well to combine the two. The consistency it is best at is slightly runny. I then mixed in a pinch of ground red pepper flakes and half a teaspoon of thai chili garlic paste.

The imitation crab wontons came pretty close to what I enjoy at my local Thai restaurant so it definitely took care of the pesky "crunch tooth" I had. The chipotle chicken ones were delish too but that recipe will have to wait till another time. I hope this helps you take a new look at your leftovers and inspires you to create new recipes to enjoy. ~Curvy cook

Day trip to BBQ heaven

2010-01-12T10:24:00.000-08:00

Being in Texas has many perks, one of which just happens to be fantastic BBQ. Recently my husband and I took a day trip to Lockhart, Texas or otherwise known as the bbq capital of Texas. There are two BBQ establishments that we have visited so far but we find ourselves always going back to the first one we tried which is Black's BBQ. I'm kicking myself now for getting so enthralled in the finger licking goodness and forgetting to take pictures of the food. I suppose that just means we will have to go back, right?! I did however snap a couple shots on the way out.

I have to say the brisket is my favorite along with the pork ribs. They offer many other bbq'd meats as well as a little sides bar and bbq accoutrements. Eating here is kind of like stepping back in time and I imagine the place has not changed much. The owners are always so friendly and welcoming. It isn't just the food that makes us come back, it's the experience and hometown hospitality. So, if you are ever in the area, stop on in and enjoy some fantastic pit smoked bbq at Black's.

Still cooking

2010-01-08T09:41:00.000-08:00

I apologize for lack of recent updates. If it isn't another project, it's probably just procrastination. I have been cooking now more than ever with our (husband and I) efforts to save money and not eat out. I think my main reason for not always blogging what I'm cooking is that I am what is known as an eyeballer kind of cook. If I'm not using a recipe, I am making things up which means I toss a little bit of this and a pinch of that into a bowl and get creative. Unfortunately this isn't too recipe sharing friendly, so when I go to blog it becomes abit of a challenge to recall measurements of my pinches and dashes lol. That is something I will definitely need to work on. I like to think this also gives you abit of freedom to adapt things to your liking also.

With that being said, I will post a yummy little rice dish that is great for leftovers and is a really affordable meal.

I believe I had some leftover boneless porkchops that I wanted to turn into something a little more substantial but you can use chicken too.

I first cooked some white rice in 1cup of chicken broth and 1 cup of water and I also added a dash of turmeric for color (optional). Once this was finished cooking I removed from heat and placed aside in a bowl to cool.

Meanwhile I cut up a piece of bacon into small pieces and sauteed in pan with some chopped onion on a medium heat. Once the onion was halfway cooked I added spices, (detailed below) shredded carrot, finely sliced mushrooms and shredded cabbage and let cook down.

Normally I add a pinch or 2 of kosher salt, ground black pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, 1-2 tbs of soy sauce and a pinch or two of Dynasty Chinese Five Spice Powder. You can feel free to spice to your liking. Once the mixture is near finished cooking down add the leftover (precooked) chopped up boneless porkchops or chicken and also add the rice back and combine together well until heated through. You can also scoot the rice mixture to one side of the pan and scramble an egg in the open side and mix into the rest of the rice once cooked. This is optional but makes for a typical fried rice dish.

The dish is really easy and works great for combing leftovers with inexpensive ingredients for a hearty warm meal. It's also easy to adapt for a vegetarian dish just omit the chicken broth when cooking rice, omit bacon and perhaps substitute tofu or grilled portobello mushrooms for pork/chicken. Enjoy! ~Cc

It all started with a glaze...

2009-11-13T11:05:00.000-08:00

It all started with a glaze I put together for some pork chops the other day. I got to thinking...this would be great as a wing sauce. I actually ended up combining the glaze along with my favorite bbq sauce and it was a smash hit.
I usually bake my chicken wings but I was feeling "saucey" pun intended lol and decided to break out the fryer this time. What a difference it made! That little crunch made a big difference and they actually seemed less greasy than when I baked them. I will go over the ingredients used below and hopefully inspire you to try them at home yourself. I definitely preferred these wings over any I have tried in a restaurant so far.

Pictured above are the ingredients I used for these wings. I guess I will call it a little bit of a sweet asian bbqish blend. In addition to the ingredients I also had on hand a metal mixing bowl, spice grinder and fryer.

Ingredients used: ( You can adjust these to your personal taste by adding or subtracting as you go. Just taste it along the way)

3 tbs. Honey
1 tbs. soy sauce
1 cup Sweet Baby Rays honey bbq sauce if you can't find locally, it's Available here
2 tbs butter (not spread)
1 tsp red pepper flakes (adjust as needed)
1 tsp Chinese five spices
Flour for dredging
1 package of wings

The first thing I did was grind the red pepper flakes and asian spice blend in a coffee grinder which I have reserved for spices only. If you don't have this you can either mash it together in a mortar and pestal or even mallet grind it really good in a plastic bag.

In large microwaveable bowl I mixed the honey, soy and spices together well and then added the bbq sauce along with the butter. Set aside until first batch of wings are ready.

Get your oil up to 375 degrees. While it's heating up, go ahead and put some flour in a bowl about a cup or so to start. Pat wings dry on paper towels and then coat in flour, tapping off any excess. Once oil has come to temp place in fryer or fryer basket making sure not to overcrowd it. Fry about 4-5 min. each side or until golden brown. I usually take one out to test to make sure it's enough time. Once done, take wings out and place on paper towels to drain a couple of minutes. Put your sauce in the microwave to warm it up then stir well to combine butter.
Transfer the drained wings into a clean mixing bowl. I used a metal one that tosses well. Pour a little of the warm sauce over the wings and toss them around in it till coated well. I usually reheated my sauce a little for each batch so it tossed easily in the bowl. Just a little tip. Repeat for batches of wings left and enjoy!. Oh I forgot to add napkins to the ingredient list!! :)

The Bluebonnet Cafe Marble Falls Texas

2009-11-13T10:28:00.000-08:00

I recently took a trip down to Marble Falls to meet with a good friend to catch up over some lunch at the Bluebonnet Cafe. We realized we should have left abit more room for that pie when it arrived at our table. We each picked a flavor from their selection and shared. I ordered the banana cream pie pictured right and she ordered the coconut meringue. WOW! do see how tall that meringue is??

These pies were truely amazing and I can honestly say the best I've had yet. We both agreed the banana won out on the taste test. Delicious! So if you are ever in that area in Texas I definitely recommend you stop in at least for some of that wonderful pie. -CC

On a technical note...

2009-11-08T09:03:00.000-08:00

Thank you to Itkupilli and her super helpful blog post on changing a minima 2 column template into 3. This post made it a cinch to change and also introduced me to backgrounds. Simply fantastic! I look forward to working more on the new template shortly and improving the blog as I go along. PS. There is abit of a blogger error occuring when I try to change some of the page element colors so please bear with me until there is a fix.-Curvy Cook

Where's the beef?

2009-11-05T08:46:00.000-08:00

Yes, behold....it's a healthy burger! I made this delight the other day and it was incredibly yummy. I don't eat much red meat so you will find variations of the norm here. This burger was made using ground chicken breast. Ground chicken is widely available in most supermarkets and is a great substitute for ground beef in most recipes.

Ingredients:

1 lb. Ground chicken breast
1/4 cup finely chopped onion - add or subtract to your liking
2 tbs. worchestshire sauce -can adjust to your liking also
1/2 tsp. kosher salt or sea salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
2 tsp Onion powder
1 hamburger bun (whole wheat is pictured and I grilled it)
*optional -finely shredded cheddar cheese (melted on top)
assorted burger fixings ie ketchup, mustard, mayo, dill pickle slices, onion, tomatoes

Directions: Combine the mixture thoroughly. Yes, this means get your hands messy, so if you wear rings, off they come. It really is the best way. Form the mixture into flat patties as large as you want them. I find the flatter ones cook more evenly and faster. Poultry must be cooked through ie no pink in the middle. Heat a pan up with about a tablespoon of vegetable oil and add the patties when pan is heated. Flip once after a couple of minutes and then add grated cheese if desired and cover pan with lid to melt cheese. The worchestshire should give the burger a little color as it caramelizes. Test center for doneness and serve up with your favorite burger fixings.

Welcome to The Curvy Cook

2009-10-28T15:11:00.000-07:00

Welcome to The Curvy Cook blog. I look forward to sharing my love of cooking with you. I love discovering new flavors from old inspirations and hope to learn even more along the journey.
Pictured to the left are some goodies from a farmer's market trip. If you haven't been to one, I highly recommend you pay one a visit. The tomatoes were the best I've ever had. The ones from the store paled in comparison. These particular tomatoes were grown hydroponically and were extremely juicy and flavorful. I really believe that fresh ingredients make the best dishes and I hope this will inspire you to visit a market and prepare something new. If you are not familiar with market locations, Local Harvest is a great site with locations of multitudes of farmer's markets across the nation. -Curvy Cook