Fried Rice

I really love fried rice. I mean really, really love it. I have learned my lesson though. I've pretty much given up ordering it when I am out. I found that fried rice from restaurants typically had only a 5% enjoyment factor, meaning that only 5% of the time that I ordered it did I think it was worth a darn. I'm not sure what the other 95% of places do to their rice to make it so bad since fried rice is very easy to make.

I like my fried rice moist and flavorful. Ooooo... and I like a lot of scrambled egg, too. The peas add a nice bit of color and a creamy, flavorful bite. And the bacon. Well, bacon makes everything better, right? The combination of flavors here is divine. I usually leave off here, but this recipe is a great starting point to make your own combination fried rice. Add whatever additional ingredients strike your fancy.
Fried Rice
Yield: Serves 2-4

1 cup uncooked long grain rice (I like Jasmine rice)
1 1/2 to 2 cups water (depending on rice type)

6 slices bacon, chopped
1/2 cup diced onion
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1/2 cup frozen, shelled peas
1/4 cup soy sauce

In a sauce pan with a lid, bring the water to a boil. Use the amount of water specified on the package for your rice type. Jasmine rice typically uses 1 1/2 cups water whereas regular long grain rice requires 2 cups. Once the water has reached a boil, add rice, stir, cover, and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook for 20 minutes. If you have leftover rice, you can use that instead of cooking up fresh rice for this dish (you'll need about 4 cups, cooked).

When the rice is about done, start cooking the bacon over medium-high heat. When the bacon is about halfway cooked, add the onions. Stir regularly to keep things cooking evenly. When the bacon and onions are about done, add the peas. You don't want to add them too early since they just need enough time to thaw and heat through.

Cook your scrambled eggs. I just spatula the rest of the ingredients to the sides of the pan and cook my eggs in the middle. If you want your eggs to be bright yellow and pretty you can cook them in another pan or cook them first before starting everything else and then add them back in at this point. Use your spatula to break the scrambled eggs up into pieces.

Make sure the pan is still pretty hot at this point (I use medium-high throughout) so that when you add the rice, it doesn't just sit in the bacon grease doing nothing. I do not drain off any of the bacon drippings. I find that the amount of grease from six strips is about right for coating the rice and frying it up, but you can drain some off if you want. Keep the rice moving to heat it up and then add the soy sauce. I never actually measure it. I pour little splashes in and stir until it is the color that I like. I taste occasionally too to be sure it's right.

Serve and enjoy! I often make fried rice as a one dish meal. Last night, though, I made pot stickers to go with it. I'll show you how I make pot stickers (won tons) tomorrow!
Oh, and I grew up eating this rice, so kudos to my mom for coming up with such a great recipe!

Fried Calamari

So last night's dinner was a fry fest. I don't do that very often, but if I'm going to drag out the oil and deep fry I guess I figure I might as well make a variety. So in addition to the "toasted" ravioli, I also made some fried calamari. I'd never made fried calamari before - actually, I'd never touched calamari in my kitchen at all before. But it's pretty straight forward... it's just not very appealing when it comes home from the market:

Yup, that's a tentacle there stuck along the side. Looks yucky like this, but I actually like eating the tentacles the best. They get nice and crunchy.

If you're not familiar with the pieces and parts that you get when you purchase cleaned calamari (no sense having to do all the work yourself!), here are the basics. You get body pieces and tentacle pieces. You can almost imagine this little guy swimming along...

The body is hollow; that's how you end up with round calamari rings. Slice across the body to make the rings. I cut them into about 1/4 inch diameter rings.

Uhhmmm... some of the tentacles are a little crazy long. I just cut them off to the same length as the rest of the tentacles.

Now it's just a matter of putting a coating on them and throwing them in the hot oil to fry. You want to try and keep the oil between 360 and 370 to get a nice golden product. I found that I needed to treat the rings and tentacles differently. I tried battering the tentacles, but I just ended up with big, obnoxious blobs. For the tentacles, I just mixed a little flour and salt and then tossed the tentacles in the flour to coat. This way, when they're tossed in the oil, the individual tentacles spread out and you end up with nice crispy calamari.

For the rings, a batter was in order. I still dipped the rings in my salted flour to help the batter stick to the rings, but then I dipped them quickly into a thin batter (recipe below). They cook very quickly. I drained them on a paper towel and then served immediately with marinara sauce.

Calamari Batter

1 cup flour

1 tsp cornstarch

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp kosher salt

1 1/2 cup cold water

Mix together in a small bowl. You're looking for a fairly thin batter, but it is all personal preference. Adjust to your preference.

Toasted Ravioli

A couple of good things have happened to me in St. Louis. It was where my husband proposed to me and it was where I was first introduced to toasted ravioli. Until fairly recently, one could only find toasted ravioli on restaurant menus if you were within a certain radius of St. Louis. Last year was the first time I found it outside of that radius and that was at Olive Garden. Unfortunately, I was not that impressed with their version, so I still have to make my own if I want to enjoy these tasty little pillows of goodness.

Toasted Ravioli
Yield: variable

Vegetable oil, for frying

Fresh ravioli (such as Buitoni, in your grocer's refrigerated section), meat filled is classic

Egg wash (egg and a splash of water beaten together)

Breading:
1/2 cup plain, dried breadcrumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp kosher salt

Marinara sauce, warmed, for serving (optional)

Prepare a pan for frying. Make sure the oil is at least two inches deep and use a thermometer to ensure good results. The goal is to keep the temperature between 350 and 360 throughout.

Prepare two bowls for the breading procedure. In one bowl, mix an egg (or two if you are making a lot) and a splash of water. In the other, combine the ingredients for the breading and mix thoroughly.

When the oil has reached 350 degrees, you are ready to go. Dip the fresh, uncooked raviolis in the egg wash. Let drip slightly and then dip the raviolis in the bowl with the breading mix. Toss to coat completely. Drop in the hot oil and cook until nicely browned, turning halfway through. Remove the cooked raviolis onto a paper towel lined tray to drain. Serve immediately. Marinara is the classic dipping condiment for this snack.

A Better Rolling Pin Cover

I always hated traditional rolling pin covers but not using one was even worse. I hated that they were expensive and often hard to find. I hated that they left wacky lines all over the dough. I hated that they always ended up stretched out and then would get sloppy on the rolling pin, sliding all about. And it never took long before they looked nasty and dirty, even after washing.

Fortunately, I found a perfect alternative. I had a drawer full of those white knee high nylons that come in the little plastic balls. On a whim a couple of years ago I figured I would try using one on my rolling pin. It was perfect! I cut off the toe and the ribbed top and it ended up just the right length to cover my rolling pin. It is super stretchy, so it easily fits over the pin, but it is elastic enough to stay in place. I love that it does not leave a bizarre pattern on my dough, but it doesn't stick to it at all either. I like that it is super easy to clean and dries quickly. Washing and drying it also reinvigorates its elasticity. I have to change the nylon out maybe three or four times a year. And the best part? A pair of 'em only costs 49 cents.

Spaetzle

Being of Germanic descent on all sides, it's somewhat surprising how little I know about German fare. Oh, I suppose I probably have been more influenced by their food than I know. I'm sure there are plenty of Pennsylvania Dutch (FYI, not really Dutch but Deutsch) touched recipes that I make all the time without knowing it. But overall, I feel like I have been somewhat neglectful of this type of cuisine.

Recently, my husband and I tried out a German restaurant in our new town. It was very good and the spaetzle, little noodle-like dumplings, was exceptional (of course, it might have been the gobs of oil and cheese on it). I started thinking that I could make them very easily at home. And I could! But I highly recommend using a spaetzle maker. While you can supposedly use a colander or simply spoon the batter into the boiling water, I think for the price, this little thing makes itself priceless. Unfortunately, the instructions and recipe both were a little lacking...

The first time I made spaetzle, I made a mess. Then I realized that the spaetzle maker should be mounted on the pot of boiling water before you begin adding the batter (it seems so obvious now). The spaetzle maker has a little container that slides along a track over a perforated tray. Once the water is boiling, I salt it and then pour the batter into the "cup" on the spaetzle maker. As the batter falls through I run the cup slowly back and forth along the track. The dumplings cook very fast and as soon as they float up to the top, you can start thinking about fishing them out. I use a large perforated skimmer spoon. Spaetzle can then be seasoned as you choose. They are just like pasta in that they are a nice, blank slate. I typically season with browned butter, a little Parmesan cheese, and thyme.

Spaetzle
Yield: serves 4-6

3 eggs
1 cup milk
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
pinch ground nutmeg

Set a large pot of water on to boil. Beat eggs and milk together. Add remaining ingredients and mix until well incorporated. When water has started to boil, add a good pinch of salt and rest the spaetzle maker on top of the pan. The batter should be thick but still a little "runny," as it needs to be able to fall through the holes on the spaetzle maker.

Fill the little basket up and slowly move the basket back and forth across the slider. Batter should be falling into the water and making little dumplings. When half the batter is used, remove the spaetzle maker and let the dumplings in the water finish cooking. Remove to a bowl using a large skimmer spoon and hold while making the second batch. Flavor spaetzle with your choice of seasonings.

Beer Braised Steak & Mushrooms

This little gem turned out so tasty. I didn't initially plan to put it over spaetzle, but I had a rather large amount of the little noodle dumplings left over from the other night (I'll post how I made the spaetzle tomorrow). It was a very fortuitous pairing. I made it with venison steaks, but I really think that it would be best with chuck steak. The braising method is really good for those tougher cuts of meat. The cut that I used, being game and the equivalent of a sirloin, was so lean that it ended up being a bit on the dry side. Tender and flavorful, but still a bit dry. A cut of meat with a little more connective tissue would make this dish absolutely superb.

The first step was to saute the chunks of meat in a some oil in a Dutch oven. I used a cast iron one, which I highly recommend if you have it. I had the heat high enough to produce some good browning. And I was careful no to overcrowd the pan, either. Steaming is no good. Not at all. About when the meat was nicely browned, I threw in a chopped onion and three crushed, peeled garlic cloves. I added salt, pepper, and savory to the mix as well.

I deglazed the pan with a cup of beer. I used a lager (Yuengling) and added about one cup. I stirred to loosen all the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Then I added one cup of hot beef broth. I then brought it to a boil and reduced the heat, covered, and simmered for two hours.

A couple of minutes before serving, I sauteed some halved mushrooms in a saute pan with butter. I did not cook them all the way through, just got a nice bit of browning on them. I then threw them in the pot with the meat and finished the meal with a little bit of cornstarch and heavy cream.
As I mentioned above, I served the meat over spaetzle, but it would be just as good over noodles, potatoes, or rice. Heck, it'd also be good as a soup! It is rich and flavorful. It would also be easy to make in a crock pot. Just be sure not the add the mushrooms until the end.

Beer Braised Steak & Mushrooms
Yield: serves 3-5

1 TBS oil
1 lb chuck steak cut into large chunks
1 small onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tsp savory
1 cup lager beer
1 cup beef broth
1 pint mushrooms, halved
1 TBS butter
3 TBS heavy cream
1 TBS cornstarch

Brown the steak in the oil until it is nicely browned. Add the onion and garlic, saute a couple minutes more. Add the salt, pepper, and savory. Deglaze the pan with the beer, stirring to lift all the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the beef broth and stir. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce heat to low. Simmer for two hours or until the meat is fall apart tender.

Saute the mushrooms in the butter until they are nicely browned. They do not need to be cooked through. Add the mushrooms to the meat. Sprinkle the cornstarch over the top of the stew with a strainer (or mix with a little cold water) and mix in. Add the cream. Cook for five minutes.

Serve over pasta, potatoes, or rice.

Orange JuJu

There are some really good things about moving around all the time as a military wife. You get to go new places and try new things every couple of years. I really enjoy exploring new places and finding what each location has to offer. The down side is that sometimes the new place is missing something that you really, really like from another place.

For instance, I've only had a Trader Joe's at one of the last four places we have lived. That's a tough gig! The other missing item that I lament is the Orange Julius. Firstly, I am all about smooth, frozen foods. I love ice cream, sorbet, slushies, etc. I seem to always be craving something cold and sweet. I grew up with Orange Julius, but for the last two stops in our life, I have had to do without.

Frustration finally took over and I began trying to make my own version to fill the hole. Only being able to have an Orange Julius when I was home visiting was simply not cutting it. It only took about fifty tries, but I came up with something that completely satisfies my craving.

I have a blender with a lid that fits onto mason jars, so I simply make my smoothies in a pint sized jar. It works great because the jar I use to make it is the jar I use to serve it (which is great because I hate washing that big blender pitcher). Not all blenders will fit a mason jar, but I find it is very useful, so I searched one out. Once I have made the smoothie, I wrap a paper towel around it (it's cold to hang on to!), stick in a straw, and slurp it down! And don't feel guilty about this snack. If you use 1% milk, it is low in fat and a great way to get your calcium!

Orange JuJu
Yield: 1 16 oz serving

1/2 cup crushed ice
1/4 cup frozen orange juice concentrate
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp Dreamwhip powder
3/4 tsp meringue powder (such as Wilton's)
1 cup milk (1% works fine)

Combine all ingredients in a blender. Blend until the mixture is smooth and then blend it a little longer. That extra bit of blending will get the Dreamwhip powder to froth up a bit, which adds a nice lightness to the drink.

Shredded Hash Browns

I love Sunday morning breakfasts... of course, I'd probably love them even better if my husband enjoyed more pastries and such. I'd love to have an excuse to make things like cinnamon rolls on a more regular basis. Of course, it is probably better this way; the last thing I really need is to have homemade pastries in the house all the time! So, when I make Sunday breakfast, I tend to lean toward the typical bacon and eggs kind of thing. I don't make hash browns all the time, but when I do, I want some good ones. I prefer shredded hash browns for breakfast.

Growing up, there was never much fried food to be had in our house. Oven fried chicken may actually be the closest thing we had that I can think of... but, when I was first out on my own, I lived in Alabama for a couple of years. You don't live in the south without learning how to fry food! Making home fries (cubes of potato) are actually much easier than making shredded hash browns. There are a few tricks to the latter that I thought might be helpful to pass along.

Shredded Hash Browns

How you prepare the potato shreds is important:

• I use my food processor to get shreds that are less broken down. If you use a box grater (which I used to before I got my processor), the shreds tend to lose too much of their integrity and make for a mushy end result.
• If you have time, especially if you are using russet potatoes, it's good to soak them in water for about ten minutes to get rid of some of the starch that can make them gluey.
  
• Be sure to dry your shreds off. I place them in a paper towel lined bowl and put a few more paper towels over the top and push down to squeeze out the excess moisture (see picture).

Your fry technique can make or break them:

• While the type of potato does play a role in the end result, the actual frying technique is the most important variable.
• You can use any type of skillet. I prefer cast iron because it holds a consistent temperature so well. You can use your non-stick skillet as well as any other.
• Use enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan about 1/4 inch deep. Be sure the oil is hot before adding the potatoes. This is important for a couple of reasons. For cast iron skillets, in particular, if you add the potatoes before the pan is hot enough, they will stick. That's a bad deal. For all skillets it is important to wait for the oil to heat up enough so that the shreds will not absorb too much oil. When you have as much surface area as you do with shreds, this is a major concern. To test the oil, throw one shred in; if it doesn't immediately start bubbling away, wait a little longer. You want to get your oil above the temperature you will hold it at to fry because it will cool down when you add your potatoes.
  
• Don't layer too deeply. These things will release a lot of steam and you want that steam to be able to escape easily, lest you steam the rest of the shreds (not what we're aiming for). I shoot for the potatoes being no more that a half inch deep in the pan.
• Let them be. This is another one of those ones that is a big deal with the shreds. The more you play with them, the more gluey they're going to turn out. If you leave them be, they'll fry up more golden and light. To be honest, I often will fry these up in single serving piles because the shreds do tend to stick together and that way I don't have to try and move them around much.
  
• Cook until the shreds are mostly golden and tender. The amount of time will vary depending on a number of factors, just grab a little bite to test if they're done.

Drain them on paper towels to catch the excess oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, sprinkle with cheese if you're so inclined, and serve immediately!

Strawberries & Cream

It's that time of year. Strawberry season usually sneaks up on me because I think of it too early and have to tell myself to wait, and then it seems like I usually get caught up in other things and risk missing them. That happened to me the year before last; I couldn't believe it. A whole year with no strawberries in the freezer. It was horrible.

During their short season, I like to eat them fresh in all kinds of ways, but I always have to have some in the freezer to enjoy their fresh, bright taste during the dark winter months. Strawberries are so easy to put up. I average putting 40 pounds in my freezer each year. I simply hull them, cut them into quarters (depending on their size), smash them with my hands a bit, add sugar to taste, ladle them into freezer containers, and then sit back and feel good about my stash. Be sure to let them sit and macerate in the sugar a bit and, whatever you do, don't add any water! They'll produce plenty of their own juice. When fresh strawberries are available, I prepare them this way for immediate use, too.

I use these little frozen containers through the year on waffles and pancakes, for strawberry shortcake, for strawberry smoothies or blended "adult beverages," and many other similar uses. By far though, the most common use for this strawberry "topping" is the ultra simple strawberries and cream.

First, I gotta tell you that I am a whipped cream fanatic. Hmmm... that may not be a strong enough word. Actually, I am obsessed with whipped cream (have you ever tried whipped cream on a bowl of raisin bran and milk? Sublime!). But, I recently found that I also really like half-whipped cream. Talk about a simple dessert (or snack!). Pour a little heavy whipping cream in a small bowl, add a little sugar and vanilla and start running a fork through it until it gets partially whipped. Pour this over your strawberries and enjoy. Whoops, excuse me... I hear some strawberries calling my name!

Everyday Meatballs

Well, the truck has delivered all our stuff and the boxes are stacked to the ceiling. I have spent two days trying to move into the kitchen... it can be hard sometimes trying to fit into a new space in an organized fashion. Last night, though, I was ready to cook, so I cleared off one small part of the counter and the stove top. I wasn't sure what to make; after much deliberation, I decided that meatballs sounded like a good plan. One bowl, one pan. I also tried a new type of rice but it only came out so-so. I'll need to work on that one before I post it.

But the meatballs, now they turned out pretty good. I have made meatballs plenty of times before. I often make a large batch and freeze them to use later for a quick weeknight spaghetti. I've made Swedish meatballs for parties. But I've never made meatballs just as a main course. I'm not sure why it never occurred to me before... they make a fairly quick, simple, and tasty meal!

Everyday Meatballs
Yield: 12-15 golf ball sized meatballs

1/2 of a medium onion, minced
1 stalk of celery, with leaves, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 lb ground meat, such as hamburger
1 egg
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 TBS tomato paste
1/4 cup dry bread crumbs (unseasoned)
1/2 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp parsley
1/2 tsp savory
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp pepper

2-3 TBS vegetable oil

2/3 cup water
1 tsp beef base or bouillon granules
2 tsp cornstarch
salt & pepper to taste

In a medium sized bowl, combine the first group of ingredients. Stir gently, but mix thoroughly. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. You want enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan but not so much that the meatballs will be swimming. Make sure the oil is nicely heated before beginning to place meatballs in the pan.

Form loose meatballs the size of golf balls and place in the pan. Cook, turning to brown all sides, until the meatballs have a nice crust. This took me about 10-15 minutes. With tongs, gently remove meatballs to a holding plate or bowl and pour off the excess grease. Try not to lose too much of the browned bits in the bottom of the pan as you want those to flavor the sauce.

Return the pan to the heat (turn down the heat if necessary to keep things from scorching). Mix the water, beef base, and cornstarch together. Pour into the pan and whisk until the sauce is well mixed and beginning to thicken. Return meatballs to the pan, turning to coat them with the sauce. Place a lid on the pan and cook over medium-low heat another 5 minutes or so, until the meatballs are cooked through.

I served my meatballs with rice and peas, but I think they would go with just about anything! Potatoes, yup! Pasta, yup! You gotta love a versatile main course.