Wolf's Den

So, last month, I posted about joining The Daring Bakers, with my Dark Chocolate-Green tea Cheesecake.

Well, with this post, I announce that I've also joined The Daring Cooks!



The Daring Cooks is a new group, affiliated with the Daring Bakers, and also resides at The Daring Kitchen. This is the very first Daring Cooks Monthly Challenge, EVER. WooHoo! Party time!

So for this Challenge, CreamPuffs in Venice and La Mia Cucina, the Founders of The Daring Kitchen, chose a recipe from The Zuni Cafe Cookbook, Zuni Ricotta Gnocchi.

Well, what a way to inagurate the Daring Cooks, let me tell ya. I'd never made Gnocchi, let alone even eaten it. Yes, yes, I know, where the devil have I been, in a cave?

I've always wanted to make homemade ricotta though, and guess what this recipe calls for? Go on, guess! }:P

( Continued! )

The April 2009 challenge is hosted by Jenny from Jenny Bakes. She has chosen Abbey's Infamous Cheesecake as the challenge.

Mmm, Cheesecake....

I love cheesecake. So when I finally joined the Daring Bakers and was eligible for the April Challenge, imagine my delight to find that the challenge recipe was cheesecake. I haven't made cheesecake in quite sometime. This would be fun!



( Onward to the recipe and photos! )

Today's dinner...



About an hour from being finished. Needed to add more liquid (mead )to the pan below the meat. Rather than soak the smoking chips, I generally place a pan with liquid in it beneath the meat to be smoked. This results in flavorful stock at the end of the smoking. Sometimes I use plain water with dried herbs (tarragon, basil, thyme or oregano), or sake. In this instance, I used mead.
( The results... )

We Swap Snacks comm on LJ has these mass snack swap exchanges every few months. I managed to get in on #4.}:P
By the way, they need more INTERNATIONAL swappers. So if you're interested, and have an LJ, head on over and check it out!

I think that's right, at least.}:P I sent my box to karizma23 in Washington, and received one from him, here in Virginia.}:P



BOX! whee! Pardon the hockey catalog, was using it to cover addresses.}:P It arrived on Weds, which surprised both of us, as we really thought it'd take longer, coming across the US and all.

( But what's inside??? You ask... )

Winner of the March Monthly Theme Contest for the BakeBakeBake Community on LiveJournal.



Doesn't that look yummy?

( You know you want more... )

So I'm participating in a swap in the We Swap Snacks comm on LJ, and while looking for more local, or East Coast type snacks for my swap partner (in Washington State), we headed to the Natural Food Co-Op here.

Where upon we spent way too much money, as per usual. I seriouwsly don't know why I bother to set a 'budget' for a swap, I inevitably always surpass it.

I was standing in front of the frozen foods and local meat section, and spotted some Ostrich fillets.

Yes, OSTRICH FILLETS.

I pulled one out, and turned to Mark.

"Hey, look, want to try it? ", I said.

"Ostrich? Not particularly", he replied.

"What happened to your sense of adventure and the thrill of trying new things?", I asked.

"I guess I lost it"< he laughed, "Or I got old."

"Hmph", says I, "We're trying it. AND we're trying the Bison steaks too."

"Yes, dear", he says.

Yup. Ostrich and Bison. Tomorrow, we're tring the Bison steaks. Grilled of course. Topped with a pat of Kerrygold Garlic & Herb Irish butter.

But tonight... oh, tonight, it's all about buttermilk soaked, seasoned, panko breaded fried Catfish fillets. Yum. Haven't had that since... well, since I was a teenager!

Mark, the BiL and the SiL have never had Catfish, to the best of their knowledge. This must be remedied. Yes, indeed.

If I remember, I will get photos so I can post what I do with the Catfish. Definitely photos of the Bison and Ostrich. Most definitely.

I seem to be addicted to Meyer Lemons this year. They're so good that I'm inventing ways to include them in recipes- both sweet and savory. This happens to be the latest.



( Meyer Lemon Sugar Cookies )

Sure to make you hungry...



Bacon, egg, and Mozzarella cheese biscuit for lunch.



Beef roast, marinated in sake,and various herbs,topped with sauteed mushrooms, and the sides- steamed asparagus, and potatoes, mushrooms, carrots, celery, and onions. Dinner last Sunday.



Meyer Lemon Sugar Cookies. Recipe forthcoming. They lasted 2 days. Yeah.



TODAY- Box mix Dark Chocolate brownies that I covered with homemade caramel, pecan pieces and semi-sweet chocolate chips. Picture post with details forthcoming. OmNomNom.

So, Sat night I really didn't feel like cooking a big meal.

We had just gotten home from seeing Watchmen AND going to Sam's Club to stock up on meat goods and frozen veggies. After dealing with breaking all that meat down into meal sized portions, I wasn't looking forward to cooking.


I took a package of the ground chuck we'd just gotten and made something with it.

Approx 1lb ground chuck (or whatever burger you prefer), browned and drained
1 can chili beans
1/2 jar of salsa (whatever strength you prefer, I used mild)
2 servings cooked rice (I used jasmine)
Approx 1/2 tsp dried tarragon
sea salt, garlic powder and pepper to taste

Shredded cheese of your choice (I used mozzarella)

Cook your rice and distribute between 2 bowls.

In sauce pan, combine browned meat, salsa, chili beans, sea salt, pepper, garlic powder and dried tarragon. Heat through.

Dump over rice in bowls. Top liberally with shredded cheese and enjoy.



Took all of maybe 15 minutes and created enough leftovers for lunch today. Heh. Next time I think I'll eat it with tortilla chips.

Sometimes, the simplest things can be the best.

Mark's absolute favorite cake in the world, is carrot cake. Not just carrot cake, but carrot cake topped with homemade cream cheese icing AND crushed pineapple. He complains sometimes that I don't make it near often enough for him. And sadly, he's right.}:/



So when the Bake3 Monthly Theme Challenge came up as 'Doctored Up Boxed Mixes ', I knew I had to make Mark's favorite cake, with a few modified changes. Oh and as cupcakes instead of an actual cake.}:P

( Onward... )

Oh we had such plans, you and I. Such wonderful plans. Earl Grey and Meyer Lemon, what could possibly go wrong?
( You'd be surprised... )

I wanted to make cupcakes again today. Hell, last night I wanted to bake *something*, anything. Instead I made pudding. Chocolate pudding with caramel chips, topped with whipped cream.

Between the two of us, it's gone. Yeah.

So, anyway, cupcakes.

But I realised this morning, I'm out of flour. Oh, sure, I have bread flour, but I don't think that'd work as well. Sure, I could always make bread instead, but... that wouldn't cure the cupcake want. After all the trouble of going to get heavy whipping cream last night too...

Monday, I did make cupcakes. I made Pineapple-Carrot cupcakes, with pineapple cream cheese icing. For Mark, mind you, as that's his favorite. Only, I ran out of icing, so 5 are now officially dubbed 'muffins' instead.

Then I came across a nifty recipe last night, perusing FoodPhotoBlog (evil, just like Tastespotting* and Photograzing*, EVIL, I say.), and I printed it off with the intentions of trying them out today.

Only, I can't. As I have no flour. Hmph.

So instead, I'm eating a bowl of Cinnamon Life. Dry. With Mountain Dew. But not together. I'm eating the cereal and drinking the Dew. Together? Eww. Just, eww.



But, I DID actually prep stuffs for dinner tonight. Today is one of those days where you just don't know what to cook. So I took out a couple flank steaks, sliced them up into strips (have I mentioned my new Wusthof knife set yet? No? Well, then!


Yeah, sooo wonderful , I covet these knives. Good thing I'm not religious, eh? COVET, I say.)

Anyway, the flank steaks...

Cut into strips, then I tossed them in a bowl with a dash of sesame oil, rice vinegar, fresh minced ginger, dried tarragon, garlic powder, fresh cracked pepper and a sprinkling of sea salt. Then I thinly sliced up a red onion, tossed that in the bowl, covered and shook the crap out of the bowl to thoroughly coat everything.

Not satisfied with simply marinated flank steak and possibly rice, I roughly chopped up some red skin potatoes. Hey, it's my dinner,I can mix and match as I please.

Tossed those in another bowl with lemon juice, olive oil, fresh chopped thyme from my Aerogarden, which, sadly is on the decline, guess they really do only last 4 months.}:(, garlic powder, sea salt, fresh cracked pepper, dried parsley, covered and shook the crap out of that as well. Yes, 'shook the crap out of' is a technical term in my kitchen.}:P

So... marinated flank steak, oven roasted potatoes, and maybe biscuits. Yeah, I have those Pilsbury ready bake frozen biscuits. They're relatively cheap, especially with a coupon, and quick, so sue me. Remember, I have no flour... well, I guess I do, after all bread flour would work...

I also did all my dishes today. Yay me.



* Have I mentioned I'm on both now? Yup. Go me.

The March issue of Cooking Light has this recipe in it. It looked interesting, so I made it for dinner last Weds.

It's definitely on the 'To Make Again' list!

Mind you, this is just a paraphrase of the recipe in the magazine. They used fresh parsley, I used dried, they used a skillet for the fish, and quite possibly, fresh fish, I used a glass dish and frozen fillets.

But it was still quite delicious and I'm willing to bet, would be even better with fresh Tilapia fillets, or even maybe, any other fresh whitefish you could get your hands on.

Someone also suggested, in a food comm on LJ, making the salsa the night before. I would think that the flavors would meld more if you did this and the salsa would taste even better then. I think that's what I'll be doing the next time I make this dish.



3 large-ish oranges (I used Naval Oranges)
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley (flat leave would work best, I would think. I used dried this time)
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
3/4 teaspoon salt, divided (I used sea salt)
4 (6oz) tilapia fillets
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, divided
2 cups hot cooked rice (I used jasmine, they say 'instant white rice' and suggest jasmine, brown or basmati, whatever you prefer)

Grate 2 teaspoons of fresh orange rind. Peel and section oranges over a bowl, reserving 2 Tablespoons of juice. Chop sections into pieces. Combine zest/rind, chopped orange, 2 Tablespoons parsley, 5 teaspoons olive oil, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Toss well, set aside.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees(F)

Sprinkle fish evenly with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Place fish in ovenproof skillet (I used a glass baking dish) coated with remaining 1 teaspoon of olive oil. Bake at 400 degrees for 14 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with fork.

Meanwhile, cook your rice.

Then, combine 2 Tablespoons of reserved orange juice with remaining 2 Tablespoons of parsley, remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper and the cooked rice. Toss well.

Spoon 1/2 cup of rice onto each plate, top with one fillet, and top each fillet with 1/4 cup of salsa. Enjoy!

We paired ours with steamed mixed veggies (carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, mushrooms, onions & green beans).

I've never used, let alone tasted, Meyer Lemons before. So when the theme for the month in the LJ comm bakebakebake came up as 'edible flowers', I knew I had to pair Lavender with Lemon and this would be a great time to try a Meyer Lemon.

Not only was the husband able to pick me up Meyer Lemons on his way home from work yesterday, but he managed to find organic ones too!

( Drooling ahead... )

I made cupcakes tonight. This is a teaser shot.

More photos and recipe will be posted tomorrow. But let me just say, organic Meyer Lemons and Lavender? Yum.



I saved the seeds from one of the Meyer Lemons too. Wonder if I can get them to grow...

When I first saw these on Tastespotting, I knew I had to make them.

( No ifs, ands, or buts! )

Have I mentioned how much I'm loving my Aerogarden?

My mom in law got me the 6 pod version 'just because', even though I told her it was supposed to be a Christmas gift.

Anyway... the Genovese Basil grows like gangbusters, and the Fernleaf Dill isn't far behind. The Mint is doing ok, the Chives, Thyme and Oregano are growing well too.

So I had to find a use for all that Dill and some of the Basil (already used a lot in spaghetti sauce earlier).



Friday afternoon, I made up tinfoil packets of tilapia fish, dill, basil, fresh ground pepper, sea salt and a few splashes of lemon juice. That's it. Then I stuck then in the fridge for dinner later.





After I did a homecheck for ARMAC, I stuck then in the oven at 450 degrees for 20 minutes to steam, basically, in their own juices and the lemon juice. meanwhile, I steamed some french style green beans (frozen), and boiled up some 4 color pasta.



Needless to say, it was quite good, and I'll definitely be doing this again soon. Maybe with some Salmon for Mark...

This was a case of not being happy with the first result, so I baked another!

( Recipe and more photos... )

Not the best photos, but I forgot to get one before I bagged them up to send to my dad and father in law.

Last year, the local paper ran a story about a German family living here. This recipe is a family tradition, passed down through the generations of their families, directly from Germany.

Suitable both for building Gingerbread houses as well as delicious cookies, the best part is that it uses NO molasses, which some people don't like. Me, I love molasses, but this recipe is awesome despite there being none.

( Recipe and one more photo )

Since finding this recipe in an issue of Southern Living, back in 1994, I've made these dinner rolls nearly every year for Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Everyone who tries them loves them. They have a nice 'tang' to them from the sour cream and are great as mini turkey sandwiches the next day.




1 8oz container of sour cream
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/4 teaspoon salt
2 1/4 oz envelopes of active dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water
2 large eggs
4 cups all purpose flour
2 Tablespoons butter, melted

In medium saucepan, cook first 4 ingredients over medium/low heat, stirring occasionally until thoroughly combined and the butter is melted. Cool slightly.

Combine yeast and warm water in small bowl, let stand 5 minutes.

Stir together yeast mixture, sour cream mixture, eggs and flour in large bowl until well blended. Dough should be slightly sticky, but smooth.

Chill, covered, 8 hours or overnight.

Divide dough into 4 equal pieces. Shape each into a ball and roll to 1/4" thickness on well floured surface. Cut dough with a 2 1/2"-3" round cutter. Brush rounds with melted butter.

Make a crease across each round with a knife and fold in half, gently press edges to seal. Place rolls in a 15'x10" jellyroll pan with sides touching. *

Cover, and let rise in a warm place, free from drafts, 45 minutes or until doubled in bulk.

Bake at 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned. Brush with more melted butter. Serve warm.


* I was lazy this time around and just left them flat. Made for easier mini sandwiches.}:P