Creamy Cauliflower Garlic Rice

Or the time I wish I had more cauliflower

…

Cook rice as you normally would. I omitted adding butter to it since I knew that this would be creamy enough without the added butter.

While the rice is cooking, in another pot, bring water and brother to a boil.

Once the broth is boiling, add the chopped cauliflower to it and then cook for about 10 minutes or until tender.

Once the cauliflower is cooked, add it to a blender or food processor and puree it.

After pureeing all the cauliflower, mix the rice and the cauliflower mixture. Also add the milk.

In a skillet, melt butter and add the minced garlic. Let the garlic get nice and brown.

I also noticed that I need to really work on my mincing skills.

Once the garlic has browned, add as much of the rice cauliflower mixture to the skillet and mix them so that the garlic and butter are well combined. I thought that it was more liquidy than I wanted so I decided to let it simmer a little in the pan so get rid of some of the excess.

When everything is nicely combined, add the mozzarella cheese.

I thought that it looked a little bland, so I decided to spice things up a little.

Also added some green onions to the mix.

And when I finally enjoyed dinner,I got to mix it up a little bit more with corn, peas, broccoli and green beans. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

6-8 cups chopped cauliflower
4 cups vegetable broth
2 cups water
1/2 cup milk
1.5 cups rice
2 TBSP butter
6-8 cloves garlic minced
1/2 cups mozzarella cheese
Salt and Pepper to taste

Optional: crushed rosemary, parsley, Italian seasoning, green onions

1. Cook the rice according to the packaging.
2. Bring vegetable broth and water to a boil in a large pot.
3. Add cauliflower to the broth and boil for about 10 minutes until tender.
4. Transfer the broth and cauliflower to a blender or food processor in order to puree it, adding milk until smooth.
5.  Pour the mixture into the pot with the rice and stir to combine.
6. In a large nonstick skillet, melt butter and saute garlic until browned.
7. Add creamy rice mixture and stir until butter and garlic are well combined.
8. Add cheese to the rice and stir.
9. Season with salt, pepper and other optional ingredients.
10. Enjoy!

Until next time,
D-
xxx

Guinness Stew

Anyone catching a theme for this week for me? 

A few years ago, I had the opportunity of a lifetime and got to spend a week in Ireland during my junior year of college. I traveled with a bunch of classmates and one of my favorite professors. We were lucky enough to be in Ireland around St. Patrick’s day and on our last day of the trip, we had Guinness stew that I loved so much so this year, I decided, in honor of my family’s heritage, I would recreate this same stew.

Take the stew meat and cover it in vegetable oil. 

Combine the spices and then evenly coat the pieces of meat in the flour mixture.

After coating the meat with the flour mixture, place the meat in a pan with oil in order to brown the meat.

After browning the meat, place the browned meat into a Dutch oven. Since I have a tiny skillet, it took FOREVER!

Literally, it took probably 30 minutes if not longer.

Once you have finished browning the meat, chop the onion and garlic.

Place the onion and the garlic into the same pan that you browned the meat. Cook them until they are brown.

After the onion and garlic are browned, dilute tomato paste with some water. Then put the tomato paste mixture into the pan with the onion and garlic and let it simmer for a couple of minutes. After the simmering, pour half the Guinness into the skillet and scrap the browned bits of the bottom of the pan.

After the the simmering and scraping is complete, add the onion and garlic mixture to the meat. Then add the rest of the Guinness to the Dutch Oven.

I didn’t think that there was enough liquid so I added some vegetable broth.

Then let it simmer for about 2 hours. I returned to my Netflix binge watching!

Doesn’t this look delicious!!

Add the carrots, celery and potatoes and let it cook for about another hour, stirring occasionally.

Enjoy!

Ingredients

4lbs Stew meat, cubed
4TBSP vegetable oil
1 cup flour
Salt and Pepper to taste
Cayenne Pepper to zest things up
1/2 vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, crushed
1/4 tomato paste
1 tsp water
3 cups Guinness, divided
2 sprig of thyme (I used dried though)
4 large potatoes
2 cups carrots
2 cups celery
2 tbsp parsley (for garnish)

1. Toss beef cubes with vegetable oil in a bowl
2. Whisk salt, pepper. cayenne pepper and flour into a separate bowl. Coat the beef cubes with the flour mixture
3. Heat the vegetable oil in a skillet on medium/high heat. Cook the beef for a couple of minutes on each side in order to brown the meat. Then place the browned beef into the Dutch Oven.
4. Cook and stir onion and garlic in the same skillet as the browned beef until they are all lightly browned.
5. Stir tomato paste and enough water to dilute the tomato paste.Reduce heat to medium and cover, simmering for about 5 minutes.
6. Pour half the Guinness into the onion mixture, bringing to a boil while scrapping browned bits off the bottom of the pan. Transfer mixture into the Dutch Oven. Pour the rest of the Guinness into the pot and add thyme.
7. Cover the Dutch oven, reduce the heat to low and simmer for two hours.
8. Add the potatoes, carrots and celery, simmer, stirring occasionally for about an hour.

Until next time,
D-
xxx

Irish Bannock

Or Irish Soda Bread

As I have mentioned before, my mother is an avoid cook and one of the gifts she has given me is this amazing cookbook that has so many recipes, passed down through generations or just recipes that I love. When she was making this cookbook, she asked my brother and I what we think should be included in it. This is one of those recipes.

Combine the flour, wheat germ, backing soda, cream of tartar and salt into a bowl.

Combine melted butter, dark corn syrup and buttermilk into another bowl. If you do not have buttermilk, a substitute is lemon into milk.

Combine the wet and dry ingredients. I tried stirring the wet and dry but that failed so I took off my rings and kneaded it with my hands.

Then I realized that I forgot my grandmother’s secret ingredient, caraway seeds. So I added them and started to knead them into the dough. Then I started to her my mother’s voice about being careful not to over-knead the dough.

The dough should create two 7inch loafs of bread and place them on a greased cookie sheet. I know for a fact that they will create two 7inch rounds because last time when I was home and borrowed a measuring tape, my mom apologized for the flour that was on the measuring tape because she had made soda bread earlier that week.

After baking in the oven for 20 minutes, brush the tops of them with melted butter. The sheet recipe my mother typed up says that they are best served warm with jam or preserves after being cut into wedges.

Ingredients

3.5 cups flour
1/2 cups wheat germ
1.75 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp salt
1/2 cups melted butter
2 TBSP dark corn syrup
1.5 cups buttermilk
OPTIONAL: Caraways seeds

1. Combine the flour, wheat germ, baking soda, cream of tartar, caraway seeds and salt into a bowl. Whisking the ingredients together works best.
2. Melt the stick of butter.Then add buttermilk and dark corn syrup to the melted butter
3. Combine the wet and dry with a fork.
4. Knead the dough for a few seconds.
5. Shape into two 7inch rounds.
6. Bake on a greased cookie sheet at 375 for 20 minutes
7. After taking the cookie sheet out of the oven, brush the loaves with melted butter.
8. Enjoy

Until next time,
D-
xxx

Chicken Noodle Soup

Or that time I was so sick that my boss threw me out of the office.

Combine all the spices

Rub the spice mixture all over the chicken breasts and cook for 30-45 minutes. These were partially frozen still so they needed to cook for 45 minutes. Half way throw through cooking, turn over the chicken breasts.

While the chicken is cooking start the soup. I kept the peel on the carrots but feel free to peel them.

Make sure you give some carrot to the Bun Boy Rodney.

Add the carrots and celery to a pot with a little bit of olive oil in there.

Cook for a little while until the celery and carrots get really pretty! Then add the garlic and let that cook for a minute of so.

Then add the water and the broth to the vegetables and bring to a boil. Then reduce the heat to medium low and let it cook for 10 to 15 minutes.

Add two cups of dried pasta to the soup and let it cook until the pasta is cooked all the way through.

  

Once the chicken is done, take it out of the oven. Then cut the chicken into small pieces of shred it if possible. I did a combination of the two like I did. I couldn’t decide what was the best way to do it.

Then combine the chicken, dill and lime juice and mix together well.

 

Then go sit in your living room, over hydrate and get well soon.

Ingredients

1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
3 large carrots, diced
3 stalks celery, diced
8 cloves garlic, minced
32 oz containers vegetable stock
4 cups water
2 cups noodles of your choice
Lime Juice
1/4 cup to 1/2 cup dill, dried or fresh

1. Combine garlic powder, cumin, chili powder, cayenne pepper, oregano, salt and black pepper.
2. Coat the chicken breast with 2TBSP of the olive oil and rub the spice mixture onto the chicken breasts.
3. In an oven preheated to 375 degrees, cook the chicken for 30-45 minutes.
4. While the chicken is in the oven, put the remainder of olive oil into a large pot. When the oil is hot, add the carrots and celery.
5. After about 10 minutes, add the garlic to the celery and carrots. Cook for a minute or two.
6. Add the water and vegetable stock. You could use chicken stock, I just always use vegetable stock in everything.
7. Bring the soup to a boil and then reduce heat to medium low.  Cook for about 10-15 minutes.
8. Once the soup is done, the carrots and celery will be completely cooked, add the dried pasta and cook for the allotted amount of time. (I used pasta that cooks in 3 minutes. If you use regular pasta, I would place in the soup earlier)
9. When the chicken is done, cut or shred the chicken before placing it in the soup.
10. Add the dill and lime juice and combine well.
11. Enjoy!

Until next time,
D-
xxx

Let me tell you about my family and dill…

Once upon a time, there was a girl who wanted to make dill cover salmon for dinner for my family. I asked my father to buy dill, the only ingredient that I had forgotten at the market.

When my father returned, he handed me the BIGGEST bag of dried dill I have ever seen and have seen to date. That was roughly 5 or 6 years ago and my mother and I are still trying to make our way through this ginormous bag of dill. When I moved to the Berkshires for my job this past summer, my mother, of course, sent me with a mason jar filled with dill.

But why am I sharing this silly story with you all?? I have just finished the mason jar that mom gave me of dill! I have finally finished my portions of the largest bag of dill! This is amazing!

Recipe to come later today.

Until next time,
D-
xxx

Mini Pancakes

These are really yummy and for someone who wants to stay in bed for as long as possible in the morning, these are the perfect morning snack and super easy to make.

Ingredients

Pancake Mix
Water

Additives
Chocolate Chips
Fruit
Maple Syrup
Fruit Preserves
Basically anything you would want in pancakes

1. Make pancake mix as instructed on the box
2. Using a 1/4cup, pour batter into greased muffin pans
3. Once the batter in the the muffin pans, add whatever additives you want in your pancake muffins. I mixed in the blueberry preserves so that they would be more spread out.
4. Place into a 350 degree oven and cook for 15 minutes

Until next time,
D-
xxx

Chicken Tikka Masala

Or the time my house smelled to DIE

Combine minced garlic with plain yogurt, olive oil and just about every spice none to man! aka ginger, Garam Masala, tumeric, cumin, paprika, salt, cinnamon,black pepper and cayenne pepper. The recipe says that you can do anything from 1 to 3 teaspoons of cayenne pepper and since I LOVE spicy food I went with 2 just to be “save”…let me tell you that was an unsafe decision! GOOD LORD! My mouth was on fire the entire time. I highly suggest you stick with 1 tsp cayenne.

Then add in one can of diced tomatoes and one can of tomato puree.

Finally add in the cubed chicken and stir it well so that all the pieces are well coated with the mixture.

4 hours later your house should smell amazing and the tikka should look like this.

You’ll want to think it so whisk together half and half cream and cornstarch.

Then add it to the crock pot and mix until it thickens up. That should be about 20 minutes.

Then throw together some rice and

enjoy!

Ingredients

5 boneless, skinless, chicken breast, cubed
1 large onion, diced
4 garlic cloved
2TBSP ginger
15 oz can tomato puree
15 oz can diced tomatoes
1.5 cups plain yogurt
2TBSP olive oil
2TBSP Garam Masala
1tsp tumeric powder
1TBSP cumin
1/2TBSP paprika
2tsp salt
3/4tsp cinnamon
3/4tsp black pepper
1tsp cayenne pepper
1 cup half and half cream
3TBSP cornstarch
Lemon juice
Topped with cilantro

1. Place all ingredients up to the bay leaves into the crock pot and stir so that the chicken is well coated.
2. Once combined, add the bay leaves to the crock pot.
3. Cook for 8 hours on low or 4 hours on high.
4. Once the tikka is done cooking, mix together the cream and the cornstarch. Then pour it into the crock pot and let it cook for about 20 more minutes. Additionally pour in the juice of half a lemon
5. Serve over a bed of rice, topped with chopped cilantro.

Until next time,
D-
xxx

Deconstructed Shepard’s Pie

Or “Food of the Gods” is you ask my father.

This is one of my dad’s favorite things that my mom makes for dinner and I am about to ruin it. In theory, you are supposed to use instant potatoes so that they are nice and creamy. You are also not supposed to have vegetables in it…I’m sorry I am such a disappoint to you dad!

Microwave 5 medium potatoes or 10 small ones. Once they are cooked, take them out of the skin so that only the potato goes into the bowl. If you want to disappoint my father even more, feel free to keep the skins on the potatoes.

Mash the potatoes to get rid of any large clumps before adding liquid.

Here are a few tips and tricks I have learned over my 23 years of LOVING potatoes! When making mashed potatoes, you don’t want to add cold milk (or cream) and butter to potatoes. Microwave the milk and butter together before even thinking about adding it to the potatoes. Secondly, this spice mixture is AMAZING! When I was moving to the Berkshires, my mom pawned a lot of things off on me, this one included. I use it all the time! In the mixture is salt, dried  spices (ie onions, garlic, bell peppers, parsley) paprika, and butter flavor (which kinda creeps me out).

Add the spices and half of the milk and butter mixture to the potatoes and mash! If the potatoes are not creamy enough, add more of the liquid mixture. You can always add more liquid, you just can’t take it back (I just heard that in my mother’s voice).

Once the potatoes are to your liking, put them in a 9×9 pan and put paprika all over them. The more the better in this situation. Afterwards, place the potatoes under the broiler. You want them to get a beautiful golden brown to optimize deliciousness.

Now for the meat. I also added some of the potato seasoning to the meat when I start to cook it. The trick about my father’s recipe is to use as high as a fat percentage as you can find. The best part about this is the really crispy ground beef. I suppose you could use lean meat but I can promise you it won’t be as delicious.

LOOK AT THAT BURNT GOODNESS!

Take your favorite frozen veggies and microwave them while everything is coming together. I’m using corn, peas and green beans, extra freezer burned.

Once everything is ready, assemble in this order…veggies

meat…

POTATOES! Top with more paprika.

Then pour yourself a glass of wine and get back to work if you’re like me.
Enjoy

Ingredients

10 small potatoes
1lb ground beef – the higher the fat content the better
1 cup half and half
1/2 stick of butter
Frozen vegetables
Paprika – to taste
Salt – to taste
Pepper- to taste

1. Microwave potatoes until cooked all the way through.
2. Cut potatoes in half and spoon potato into the bowl.
3. Microwave cream and butter until butter is completely melted (about a minute and a half)
4. Mash potatoes to get rid of larger lumps, then add half liquid mixture. Mash until potatoes are the desire consistency.
5. Season with salt, pepper and paprika.
6. Place potatoes in a 9×9 baking dish,  and place under broiler until golden brown
7. Cook ground hamburger in a pan.
8. Cook frozen vegetables
9. Layer vegetables, hamburger and potatoes. Season with paprika.

Until next time,
D-
xxx

Chicken Avocado Burritos

Or that time I fed my best friend

Slice up two chicken breasts

 

In a pan, heat up some oil and sirarcha, This is what you’ll be cooking the chicken is so if you don’t like srircha then don’t add it. I like really spicey food so I threw it in.

Season the chicken with cilantro, cayenne pepper and cumin. When you turn the chicken over, make sure you season it again.

While the chicken is cooking, grate chicken and dice the avocado. I thought that I bought pepper jack cheese but I thought wrong and bought Monterrey jack cheese instead. Still good but I think that it would have been better with some zesty cheese. You really can do no wrong with cheese.

 

Once the chicken is done, add a dallop of sour cream to a tortilla. I was gossiping with Nikki while I was making this so there was really no measurements.

Layer up your burrito, first with chicken…

then with avocado and cheese.

After you have assembled the burrito, throw it back in pan and toast the burrito on both sides and make sure that they are nice and crispy. Make sure you put some oil back in the pan before putting the burritos in.

Thank you Nikki for the finally giving my blog an artistic picture of the food I am making! I need to cook for her more often!

Ingredients

2 Chicken breasts
2 TBSP olive oil
2 TBSP sriracha (optional – also more or less depending on amount of spice you like)
2 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tsp cilantro
2 tsp cumin
2 cups grated cheese of your liking – I suggest pepper jack
2 Avocados
3 cups sour cream (again, I am not sure if this is accurate, I was just dalloping)
6 tortilla
1TBSP olive oil

1. Slice chicken breasts
2. Cook chicken breasts in a pan with oil and sriracha, seasoning both sides of the chicken as you cook them.
3. While the chicken is cooking, grate cheese and slice the avocado.
4. Assemble the burrito place putting sour cream down first, then the chicken, followed by the avocado and cheese.
5. Once the burrito is assembled, put some more oil in the pan and toast the burrito on both sides.
6. ENJOY!

Until next time,
D-
xxx

Slow Cooker Corn and Potato Chowder

Or that time I decided to make soup instead of go back to work… Note: My crockpot is 3.5 quarts so plan accordingly based on the size of yours

Cube potatoes, crush garlic, dice onions, and place frozen corn into your crock pot. Also add broth that you will be using and season accordingly. Cook on high for 6 hours or low for 10. Then go back to work.

After the allotted time, use an immersion blender to blend soup together to the consistency that you like.

Then add cream to soup and season some more. Afterwards mix well and put back in crockpot for 15 minutes until heated. Then enjoy…

Unless you are like me and are going to save this for another day. Then pack it up into some tupperware and throw it in your freezer/fridge!

I think that this would be really good served with some cheddar cheese and bacon. I have seen some potato soups that call for bacon as well, more loaded potato soups then chowders but I still think that this soup could really benefit from more flavor. I add sriracha to it one day and it made it much more enjoyable!

Ingredients

2.5lb Potatoes, not peeled, cubed
4 cups Corn Kernels – I used frozen
1 medium onion, diced
4-5 garlic cloves, crushed
2 cups vegetable stock
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 cup half and half cream
More salt and pepper

What could be positive additions…
Cheese
Bacon
Sriracha
Chives or Green Onions

1. Combine all the ingredients except the cream into crock pot
2. Cook on low for 10 hours or high for 6 hours
3. Blend all the soup with an immersion blender
4. Add half and half and continue cooking, uncovered for 15 minutes or until heated through. Add salt and pepper to taste.
5. ENJOY

Until next time,
D-
xxx