Amy's Cookbook

This site has moved

2010-08-28T09:30:00.001-07:00

I've closed this site and started a new food blog at http://www.kitchen.chezanimalhair.com/
Please come visit over there!

So here's the dealio

2009-11-13T05:48:00.001-08:00

I abandoned this blog over three years ago when I decided to just put all my recipes on my personal/main blog. I figured no one except friends was reading it anyway. So I moved all the recipes and then thought I deleted this blog.

Some months later, I got an email that said that someone had commented on my blog. Since it was spam, I wanted to 'reject' the comment but I'd since forgotten my password. I tried the password retrieval process but I never got the email. So I gave up.

Today I got another message saying someone left me a (spam) comment. This time I tried again and since they're now hooked up with Gmail accts, I was able to sign in and lo and behold, my cookbook/blog is still here! So I'm thinking of reactivating it. I've been doing a lot of cooking lately since I'm on a new (not a diet, not a diet) eating plan.

So that's the intention. Not that I have ANY extra time for another blog. I've abandoned at least one other one already, but I just may give it a go. Maybe having more of a focus will help. Just food. No posts about the dogs, cats, husband, unless it pertains to the recipe.

Yeah, right. Wish me luck!

NOTE: about half hour later, after poking around in here, I changed my mind! Blogger is awful. I can't even figure out how to categorize the posts. (such as, label some Beef, or Desert). Then I looked back at my regular blog, and saw that I had a TON of recipes there and not wanting to move them all I decided this was a bad idea.
So I'm deleting this one. for Good. I'm only writing this in case the delete didn't work, like last time. And if that's the case, you can find all my recipes and food related posts here:

http://www.blog.ecalos.com/?cat=8

Laad Na

2006-03-22T12:29:00.000-08:00

Greg and I went to Sawatdee a week or so ago and I was determined to try something different than the same old red curry I get every time we go there. I needed to branch out.

So I opened the menu and the first thing I saw was something called Laad Na. It was described as such: Fun noodles (those are the big wide lasagna, looking ones) stir fried with egg in a bean sauce topped with stir fried broccoli and Napa cabbage in a savory gravy. I just loved the words “savory gravy” so I ordered it. It was delicious.

I looked all over the Internet for a recipe and none seemed to be like what I had. But some were close. So I printed them all out and then improvised and tried to come up with something that would be similar. This is what we came up with. It’s not exact, but it’s darn close.

The photo is of the actual dish I had at the restaurant. I didn’t take one of my masterpiece because we used the wrong kind of noodles (can’t find “fun” noodles here) so it didn’t look exactly right. When I had it in the restaurant I had tofu, at home we used chicken. I liked the tofu much better.

Laad Na

Marinade:
3/4 pound boneless, skinless beef, chicken breast, tofu or pork, cut into 2 x 1/4 x 1/4-inch strips, or 3/4 pounds shrimp
2 teaspoon thin soy sauce
2 teaspoon Chinese cooking wine
2 teaspoon cornstarch

Noodles:
1/2 bag wide rice noodle
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon black bean paste
2 eggs

Sesame oil
2 cloves garlic smashed

Gravy:
2 cups chicken broth
2 teaspoons black bean paste
1 Tablespoon soy sauce
½ teaspoon fish sauce
¼ cup Chinese cooking wine

To thicken:
¼ cup water
1 tablespoon cornstarch

Place noodles in a bowl and pour hot or boiling water over them to soften. They need to sit for about 25 minutes or so, so this is a good time to get everything else ready.

Assemble marinade ingredients in a bowl and set aside.
Assemble gravy ingredients in large measuring cup or mixing bowl, set aside.

Cut up the broccoli and cabbage, and yep, you guessed it, set aside.

Now you’re ready to begin cooking. Once you start, it’s hard to stop, so you want to make sure everything is ready.

Heat wok, add soy sauce and black bean paste and rice noodles, cook for just a couple of seconds and then add the egg. Scramble it all up until the egg is done and noodles are covered with the sauce. Place the noodles in the serving bowls.

Heat oil in wok. Add marinated meat/tofu and cook until white (for pork or chicken, starting to brown for tofu). Remove and dish out in serving bowls.

Adding more oil to the wok if necessary, add the garlic and cook until it becomes fragrant. Add the broccoli and cabbage and stir-fry until the broccoli begins to soften and turns a deeper green. Remove to serving bowls.

Add gravy mixture to the wok and let it boil for a few moments. Once it’s at a good boil slowly add the cornstarch/water mixture and stir until thickened. Ladle over the other ingredients in the bowls. Optional but good, add some freshly ground black pepper just before eating.

Indian Beef With Cucumber Rice

2006-03-20T13:21:00.000-08:00

We made this last night. It was really yummy. It lost some of it's flavor the second day, and I thought the rice needed salt, but it was really pretty good. The meat has to cook at least this long or it won't be tender.

1 1/2 lb. lean beef boneless chuck roast
1 c. plain nonfat yogurt
1 tsp. cardamom seeds (removed from pods), crushed
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 tbsp. reduced-calorie butter
2 lg. onions, chopped (about 2 cups)
1 tbsp. grated gingerroot
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3/4 tsp. coriander seed, crushed
1/2 tsp. cumin seed
1/4 tsp. ground turmeric
3/4 tsp. salt
1/4 c. cold water
1 tbsp. cornstarch
1 tbsp. Gold Medal all-purpose flour
Cucumber Rice (below)
1/4 c. plain non-fat yogurt
Chopped fresh cilantro

Trim fat from beef roast. Cut beef into 1-inch cubes. Mix 1 cup yogurt, the cardamom, cloves and nutmeg in glass or plastic bowl or heavy plastic bag. Stir in beef. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours.

Heat butter in 10-inch nonstick skillet until melted. Cook onions, gingerroot and garlic in butter about 2 minutes, stirring frequently, until onions are tender. Stir in beef mixture, coriander, cumin, turmeric and salt. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and cook about 1 hour 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until beef is tender.

Shake water, cornstarch and flour in tightly covered container; gradually stir into beef mixture. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir 1 minute. Serve beef mixture over Cucumber Rice. Drizzle with 1/4 cup yogurt. Sprinkle with cilantro.

CUCUMBER RICE:

2 c. hot cooked rice
1 med. cucumber, seeded and chopped (about 1 cup)
2 tbsp. lemon juice

Mix all ingredients.

I've been busy

2006-03-15T10:53:00.000-08:00

Yes, I have cooked since February 25th...if you call opening a can of pasta sauce and boiling water "cooking".

I'll try and post something soon. I'll have to make dinner tongiht....unless I throw in a frozen pizza. :)

Smothered Pork Chops

2006-02-25T16:27:00.000-08:00

I was determined to make something that did not involve rice tonight. I found this on the FoodTV Network site and then, of course, made some changes. Greg actually cooked this. I made the accompanying mashed potatoes and spinach salad.

Smothered Pork Chops

Recipe By :Tyler Florence...then us.
Serving Size : 2

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons dried onion flakes
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon cayenne
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 pork chops -- 1" thick
2 tablespoons olive oil
1- 1/2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup buttermilk

Put the flour in a shallow platter and add the onions, garlic powder, cayenne, salt, and pepper; mix with a fork to distribute evenly. Pat the pork chops dry with paper towels to remove any moisture and then dredge them in the seasoned flour; shaking off the excess.

Heat a large saute pan or cast iron skillet over medium heat and coat with the oil. When the oil is nice and hot, lay the pork chops in the pan in a single layer and fry for 6 minutes on each side until golden brown. Remove the pork chops from the pan and add a little sprinkle of seasoned flour to the pan drippings. Mix the flour into the fat to dissolve and then pour in the chicken broth in. Let the liquid cook down for 5 minutes to reduce and thicken slightly. Stir in the buttermilk to make a creamy gravy and return the pork chops to the pan, covering them with the sauce. Simmer for 15 minutes until the pork is cooked through. Season with salt and pepper.

I made a simple spinach salad of just spinach, sliced mushrooms, sliced black olives, and the dressing was raspberry vinegar, honey, garlic powder, pepper and olive oil. Then I tossed some pecans over the top.

Thai Shrimp And Spinach Curry

2006-02-20T16:43:00.000-08:00

This was originally found in a Gourmet magazine, but I've changed so much about it, it's mine now.

Thai Shrimp And Spinach Curry

Original Recipe found in Gourmet – 1993 – But revised.
Serving Size : 4 Preparation Time :0:20

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
14 ounces coconut milk
1 tablespoon Thai green curry paste
1 pound shrimp – cooked, shelled, deveined
1 tablespoons naam pla (fish sauce)
1 red bell pepper – chopped into ½" squares
3/4 pound spinach -- stems removed
¼ cup fresh cilantro -- chopped
cooked rice
1 cup basmati rice – uncooked
2 cups water

Bring the water to a boil while you rinse the basmati rice in water in a strainer.
Add the rice to the water and bring back to boil. Reduce heat and let simmer about 10 minutes. You can begin to make the shrimp sauce when the rice is almost done.

Spoon about 1/3 cup of the coconut milk and in a large heavy skillet cook it over moderate heat, stirring, for 2 to 3 minutes, or until it is thickened slightly.

Add the curry paste and cook the mixture, whisking, for 1 minute.

Add the remaining coconut milk and the naam pla and simmer the mixture, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 1 minute.

Add the shrimp and the bell pepper; simmer the mixture over moderately high heat, stirring, for 5 minutes until the sauce thickens a little and the shrimp are heated through. Add the spinach, stirring until it is wilted. Add the cilantro.

(this is what it looks like before you add the rice)

Add the cooked rice to the shrimp sauce and mix well. Serve.

Chicken and Wild Rice with Smoked Sausage

2006-02-14T07:30:00.000-08:00

I made this again last night. It's wonderful comfort food. This is one where I have not really changed the recipe at all! I used not Uncle Ben's but a different brand of white and wild rice mix. No seasoning packets came with mine. Very good casserole type thing but made in a pot (not baked). The only thing I'd say is this is really more like 4 servings if that's all your having and you're hungry.

Chicken and Wild Rice with Smoked Sausage

Recipe By :
Serving Size : 8 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Breads And Grains Lamb And Pork
Poultry

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
1 pound skinless boneless chicken breast -- cubed
14 ounces reduced fat smoked sausage -- sliced 1/4" thick
4 cups portobello mushroom -- sliced 1/2-inch thick
2 cups chopped onion
2 cloves garlic -- minced
2 14.5 ounce fat-free chicken broth -- low sodium
2 6.2 ounce packages fast cooking recipe long grain and wild rice -- such as Uncle Ben's
1/2 cup chopped green onions
14 ounces artichoke hearts, canned -- quartered
2 1/4 ounces black olives -- sliced

Heat a Dutch oven coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add chicken, sauté 4 minutes or until done. Remove from pan, keep warm.

Recoat pan with cooking spray. Add sausage; sauté 5 minutes or until browned. Add mushrooms, 2 cups of onion, and garlic, sauté 3 minutes. Add broth and rice, omitting seasoning packets; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce hear, and simmer 20 minutes or until liquid is absorbed.

Stir in chicken, green onions, artichokes, and olives. Cook 3 minutes or until thoroughly heated.

Crusty Macaroni and Cheese

2006-02-12T12:05:00.000-08:00

I made this for lunch today. The noodles got so hard that I hurt my tooth on one. Seriously, like it shot pain up to my brain. It was also extremely oily. I would not use cheddar.

Crusty Macaroni and Cheese
Serving Size : 8

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
3 tablespoons butter -- divided
12 ounces extra-sharp Cheddar cheese -- coarsely grated
12 ounces American cheese or Cheddar cheese -- coarsely grated
1 pound elbow pasta -- boiled in salted water until just tender, drained, and rinsed under cold water
1/8 teaspoon cayenne -- optional
Salt
2/3 cup whole milk

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Use 1 tablespoon butter to thickly grease a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Combine grated cheeses and set aside 2 heaping cups for topping.

In a large bowl, toss together the pasta, cheeses, cayenne and salt to taste.

Place in prepared pan and evenly pour milk over surface.

Sprinkle reserved cheese on top, dot with remaining butter and bake, uncovered, 45 minutes.

Raise heat to 400 degrees and bake 15 to 20 minutes more, until crusty on top and bottom.

Source:"Star Tribune January 11, 2006

Grilled Pork Chops With Wilted Greens And Garlic-almond Sauce

2006-02-09T07:48:00.000-08:00

I’ve made this several times. The nutritional values are anything but nutritional but I think the main reason is that it calls for ½ cup of olive oil for the sauce, which I’ve never used. I use *maybe* a quarter cup. Mine is more like a paste than sauce.

I also think 10 ounces of pork is a bit much for one person. Being that the recommended portion size is 3 oz., 10 oz. more than enough for three people. So I’d change that to, maybe 4-ounce chops. Also most times I make this, I can’t find Arugula in the store so I use just spinach and while the Arugula adds a nice peppery taste, spinach alone is just fine. Oh and I use Balsamic vinegar instead of red wine vinegar. So does that make this my own recipe now? See I can’t leave anything alone.

In the photo this is served with mashed potatoes with cheddar cheese mixed it. The potatoes come from the leftovers from making the sauce. It’s hard to only boil part of a potato. Serve with steamed broccoli too.

Grilled Pork Chops With Wilted Greens And Garlic-almond Sauce

Recipe By :Tom Fitzmorris
From "Bon Appetit April 1994"

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
1/4 Cup Vegetable Oil
2 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
1 Tablespoon Fresh Rosemary -- finely chopped
4 10 Oz Pork Chops -- center-cut
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 Large Onion -- sliced
3 Cups Fresh Spinach -- stems removed
3 Cups Arugula -- stems removed
2 Teaspoons Red Wine Vinegar
Garlic Almond Sauce
1/2 Cup Russet Potato -- peeled and diced
1/4 Cup Blanched Almonds -- toasted
3 Garlic Cloves
1/4 Cup Fresh Lemon Juice
1 Teaspoon Red Wine Vinegar
1/2 Cup Olive Oil

Combine first 3 ingredients in baking dish. Add pork; turn to coat. Chill at least one hour and up to 6 hours.

Then make the sauce:
Cook potato in boiling water until tender, about 8 minutes. Drain: cool. Mince almonds and garlic in processor. Add potato; puree. Blend in lemon juice and vinegar. With processor running slowly add oil. Season with salt and pepper. Serve at room temperature.

Preheat oven to 400°F. Heat heavy large ovenproof skillet over high heat. Season pork with pepper. Add to skillet; cook until brown, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer skillet to oven; bake until pork is cooked through, about 8 minutes.

Meanwhile heat olive oil in another large heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion; sauté until tender, about 6 minutes. Add greens sauté until wilted, about 2 minutes. Sprinkle with vinegar; season with salt and pepper.

Divide greens among 4 plates. Top with pork. Serve with sauce.

Company Chicken

2006-01-20T07:58:00.000-08:00

Another all time favorite. My notes say "this is the lower-fat version of the Bon Appetit recipe, cut from 68g to 8g. fat." But I looked online and can't find the original recipe. I also show it to be more than 8 g. fat. Whatever, it's worth it. This has changed so much it's mine now anyway.

Last night I made my own breadcrumbs. I had some hardened bread crusts from another recipe and just ground them up (food processor) with some Italian seasoning, dried garlic and dried onion and it was perfect.

Company Chicken

Serving Size : 2
Preparation Time :0:15
Start to Finish Time: 0:45

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
2 whole boneless skinless chicken breast halves
1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 ounces fresh mushrooms -- sliced
2 ounces muenster cheese -- sliced
1/2 cup fat-free chicken broth
1/4 cup dry white wine

Heat oven to 350°. Rinse chicken and pat dry. Dredge in breadcrumbs.

Heat oil in large non-stick skillet. Add chicken and cook until just brown, about 3 minutes per side.

Transfer to glass baking dish. In same skillet cook mushrooms (and a little of the broth if needed) until soft, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes.

Spoon mushrooms over chicken. Top with cheese. Bake until chicken is cooked through, about 20 minutes.

While the chicken is baking, add remaining broth and wine to skillet. Boil scraping up any browned bits in the pan. With about ten minutes left on the chicken take it out of the oven and pour the reduced sauce over the chicken.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 442 Calories; 18g Fat (37.4% calories from fat); 42g Protein; 25g Carbohydrate; 2g Dietary Fiber; 96mg Cholesterol; 1178mg Sodium. Exchanges: 1 1/2 Grain(Starch); 5 Lean Meat; 1/2 Vegetable; 2 1/2 Fat.

Serving Ideas : Serve with hot steamed rice and asparagus

Lamb Chops With Ginger And Five-Spice

2006-01-19T09:26:00.000-08:00

This one of Greg’s favorites (mine too). This was originally from Bon Appétit Magazine (February 2002) but it called for lamb shanks and was 6 servings. I used blade lamb chops instead because I was only cooking for two. I later tried this with shanks and it didn’t work nearly as well. Stick with chops. This also works with parsley if you don't like cilantro.

Lamb Chops With Ginger And Five-Spice

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
6 dried shiitake mushrooms
1 cups boiling water
1 long piece fresh ginger -- peeled, thickly sliced
3 garlic cloves -- peeled
3/4 cup fresh cilantro
4 tablespoons black bean sauce
4 teaspoons sesame oil
1 1/2 teaspoons five-spice powder
2 large lamb chop -- excess fat trimmed
1/2 cup green onion -- thinly sliced
1/2 cup dry Sherry
Steamed white rice

Place mushrooms in bowl. Pour boiling water over; let soak until mushrooms soften, at least 45 minutes and up to 4 hours. Strain mixture, reserving 1 1/2 cups soaking liquid. Cut stems from mushrooms and discard; thinly slice caps.

With food processor running, add ginger and garlic and finely chop. Add cilantro, black bean sauce, 2 teaspoons sesame oil, and five-spice powder. Process until paste forms, occasionally scraping down sides of work bowl. Using sharp knife, cut 5 small shallow slits into each lamb chop, spacing apart; (you can also just stab them with a sharp knife) Rub black bean-cilantro paste into slits and all over surface of each chop. (Mushrooms and lamb shanks can be prepared 6 hours ahead. Cover mushrooms, soaking liquid and shanks separately and chill.)

Preheat oven to 325°F. Cut 2 18-inch squares of aluminum foil; place on work surface. Place green onions and sliced mushroom caps in center of each foil square, dividing equally. Heat remaining 2 teaspoons sesame oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add lamb chops and cook until brown on all sides, about 3 minutes per side. Place 1 lamb chop atop green onions and mushrooms on each foil square.

Pour reserved mushroom soaking liquid and Sherry into same skillet. Boil until liquid is reduced to a thick-ish sauce, scraping up any browned bits from bottom of skillet, about 10 minutes. Spoon reduced liquid over each lamb shank, pulling up foil around shanks to prevent liquid from spilling out. Enclose shanks completely in foil, twisting foil to seal; place on large rimmed baking sheet or baking dish.

Bake lamb shanks until very tender, about 25 minutes. Make rice.

When the chops are done open up foil packets; slide the chops out onto a plate of steamed rice.

See the original recipe on Epicurious
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Spicy Bean Curd Stiry Fry

2006-01-18T11:46:00.000-08:00

We had this last night and it was very tasty. However, the sauce was pretty thick. We even thinned it with rice wine, but it was still pretty sticky. You could try to double the amount of wet stuff in the sauce. I'm not sure where I originally got this recipe but I've changed so many things that it's mine now.

Spicy Bean Curd Stir Fry

Categories : Vegetarian

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice wine
1 tablespoon creamy peanut butter
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon Sri Racha Sauce
1 pound firm tofu -- cut in 2" cubes
2 tablespoons sesame oil
1 tablespoon fresh ginger -- minced
2 tablespoons garlic -- finely chopped
1 pint bean sprouts -- washed and drained
1 whole green bell pepper -- cut in 1" cubes
4 ounces mushroom -- quartered
3 whole green onions -- sliced
3 tablespoons peanuts -- chopped

In a small bowl combine the soy sauce, rice wine, peanut butter, brown sugar
and hot sauce. Mix well and set aside.

Cut the bean curd into pieces about 1 ½”. Heat a wok or sauté pan, add the sesame oil and the bean curd and stir-fry until the curd begins brown, approximately 5 minutes. Gently remove the bean curd from the wok or sauté pan and hold in a warm place.

OR

A better way to prepare the tofu is to deep fry it. Toss the cubes of tofu in flour with a little dried lemongrass and then deep fry.

In the wok, stir-fry the ginger and garlic until they start to brown.
Add the soy sauce and rice wine mixture to the pan.

Return the bean curd to the pan. Add the bean sprouts and green onions, green peppers, and mushrooms. Stir-fry just long enough to coat everything with the sauce. Garnish with peanuts and serve.

Copyright Whimsical Prodctions 2006

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 236 Calories; 16g Fat (55.6% calories from fat); 14g Protein; 14g Carbohydrate; 3g Dietary Fiber; 0mg Cholesterol; 18mg Sodium. Exchanges: 1/2 Grain(Starch); 2 1/2 Lean Meat; 1 1/2 Vegetable; 2 1/2 Fat; 0 Other Carbohydrates.

First Post - Introduction

2006-01-18T11:39:00.000-08:00

Hi there

I thought I should make my first post be a bit of an introduction. I am Amy. I live in Minneapolis, MN with my husband, three dogs and two cats. I love to cook, as does my hubby. We make everything from macaroni and cheese to sushi. Easy or difficult, we’re up for it.

So here I will be posting some of my recipes. This will feature both things that worked out really well and those that didn’t so much. Hopefully I will have good photos of both the successes and the disasters.

If you happened up on this site and are looking for a recipe for something in particular, email me or comment on this post and I’ll see if I have something you can use.

Let’s get started.