EASY CAULIFLOWER & POTATO SALAD.
When summer comes around I want to make meals that are easy and fast especially on the hot hot days when it can reach 110. This is one of our favorites.
Note: This is a very flexible recipe. Don't want a lot add less potatoes and cauliflower, want more add more. The key is to keep the potatoes and cauliflower of equal proportions.
INGREDIENTS: ( Have a steamer pot ready)
About 4 medium potatoes of your choice. (About a 1/2 of a pound) I like yukons, yellows and reds. But any potato will do.
A whole cauliflower. (About a 1/2 of a pound)
One to two table spoons Mayonnaise
1 teaspoon of hot Chinese Mustered ( Optional)
3 celery stalks
2 Table spoons of capers. any size will do.
1 half of a white onion or whole depending on how much you like onion. I tend to use it all, except for a small batch.
1 Red bell pepper chopped small.
Note: Now don't hesitate to add any extras if you want. Make it your own. You can add diced jicama, apples, cucumber or black olives.
METHOD OF PREPARATION:
DICES, STEAM & MIX That's all their is too it.
First cut the Potatoes in half, right down the middle, next place the two half face down on the cutting board. Cut lengthwise into three equal half or two depending the size of the potato. Turn side ways and cut into 3 or 4 times. You should end up with equal size or bite size potato chunks. Cut all the potatoes and set aside. Now cut the steam out of the cauliflower, by pointing the knife down into the steam and carefully cutting and breaking it out. Break off the cauliflower florets. Now take your knife and act like your cutting off the little trees, until you have what you need. Mix the cauliflower piece with the potato piece, Then add it to the steamer basket. Turn the stove to high. Check frequently. Pull a piece out cool it and carefully taste it. Is is tender or crisp. Crisps is not done. Tender is done. Soft and mushy over done. Although it can be past tender a little bit.
NOTE: WHEN LIFTING THE STEAMING BASKET LID. ALWAYS OPEN IT UP AWAY FROM YOU. ANGLE THE LID SO THE STEAM IS DIRECTED AWAY FROM YOUR FACE, THEN PROCEED WITH WHAT YOU NEED TO DO.
Next; Dice all the veggies you want to add, onion, red bell pepper, celery set aside in a bowl and add capers.
When the potatoes and cauliflower are done. Turn off stove and cool right away. Put in large bowl and add cold water to it until you can stick your fingers in the water and swish it around. Add ice cubes to speed up the process, when the ice cubes are melted the food should be cool enough. Drain well. Use the same bowl and add the veggies. Now add one or two tablespoons of mayonnaise and mustard, mix into salad well. If you want you can let rest in the refrigerator for 1 hour or a half to cool. Or you can eat right away.
DIG IN AND ENJOY.
Sunday, March 15, 2015
Monday, March 9, 2015
GRAVY TO KEEP YOUR COMPANY GUESSING
OMG! I just realized I never publish this. And I did this back in 3/9/2015 :O Dang! Well here it is. Hope you like it.
GRAVY TO KEEP YOUR COMPANY GUESSING. "How she/he do it.?" Well if they don't read this post their not finding out and it will be our secret. ;)
ONE CAN NEVER HAVE ENOUGH SOUP BROTH! My quote of the day.
Note: Good things take time, so this is not a recipe you can whip up in one day. But if you do try it, you'll never make gravy the old way again. And you will find all the recipes you will need on this blog. Now if you have a time honored recipe that has been passed down from your great great great auntie you can incorporate this method into your recipe.
First let us consider that you don't have to make a full batch of stock or broth you can make any amount you want.
INGREDIENTS FOR THE FIRST BATCH.
1. SMALL BATCH: Do not strain fat off you can do that after it's done. Stain the fat off when the broth is cool and put it in a freezer safe plastic container. Then after it is frozen cut off the fat and keep the cup or more of broth. If you skim off the fat in the beginning that how much broth you are throwing out.
One large pot,
5 pieces of chicken parts or enough to fit snugly, but not overwhelm the pot when you add the fixings OR The whole flat of chicken or a whole fryer.
2 carrots peeled and chopped
2 celery chopped.
1 sweet onion peeled and chopped.
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon cinnamon.
1 teaspoon cumin.
1 teaspoon basil
1 teaspoon pepper.
1 teaspoon paprika. Note: You can add more spices, or less, it all up to you. I like a lot.
One of each of these hot peppers (Optional) Jalapeno, Anaheim, Plablano.
Half of a garlic any size.
A chopped apple (Optional)
NOTE: Just make sure the water covers the chicken by a inch.
Fill pot with water till the chicken is almost covered. As it cooks every thing will soften and sink.
Now with every thing in the pot bring to a boil with the lid on. As soon as it starts to boil turn down to low .
You can cook it for 1 hour on low or cook it for 2 hours on low. If you chose to do the 2 hour version you will get pulled chicken. so yummy. After the 2 hour is up remove the chicken, cool and strain the broth and cool for 1 hour.
Now we have our broth to play with.
Freeze all in a muffin tin or ice cube tray, then put in freezer safe bags.
The next time you cook chicken in a pan add enough cubes to the pan, about two cups or less depending the size of your pan. Place the raw chicken in the broth and cook on low or med- low for an hour. The chicken will be really nice. Bring to a boil, turn to low.
Note: If your Chicken turns out rubbery it's old chicken, it has nothing to do with your cooking.
Remove the chicken and fixings then, hold the broth back cool for a hour and a half or more and return to the freezer, until you want to use it to cook meat again.
Repeat this method as many time as you want. It is totally ok to add one cup of water to the broth before you cook your meat. Repeat again and again.
What you are doing is making the flavor of the broth more and more intense.
Then when you decide that you have the ultimate broth for making gravy, go for it.
Don't for get you can do this with stock too and you can mix stock with broth.
HERE IS THE GRAVY RECIPE
INGREDIENTS:
2 to 3 cup broth or stock.
3 Table spoons butter or 4 Table spoons olive oil. (Update I've been using olive oil lately and it really make it awesome in flavor. If you decide to use the olive oil it take a little bit more stirring.
Flour add with a Table spoon.
FIRST:
Have 2 to 3 cups soup in a pot simmering. Ready to use. If you decide later on you want to use more that is perfectly fine.
SECOND:
Cut butter in to small chunks and melt on low or heat oil on low. Watch it so the butter does not burn. Towards the end I turn off the burner, lift the pan off the burner and swish it around.
THIRD:
Keep your eye on the consitency of the mixture.
Keep burner on low. Add one tablespoon of flour whisk away, does it look like small dough balls or wet. If it looks wet add another table spoon of flour and whisk away. Keep doing this until flour is soaked up and you get a bunch of small looking dough balls.
NOTE: OKAY This is the part where you got to trust your self, when you add the hot liquid to the small buttery dough balls it is going to go thought a transformation that going to look like you ruined it. All you have to do is keep whisking until it look like mash potatoes. :)
CAUTION: THIS WILL SPIT AND SPAT, AND TAKE CARE WHEN YOUR WHISKING.
FOURTH: Turn up the heat to Medium.
Now add two ladle fulls to the butter mixture, it will sear in the hot pan. Whisk away and keep whisking until it looks smooth and creamy mash potatoes. When it looks like creamy mash potatoes, add two more ladle fulls. Whisk, whisk ,whisk and be careful. Keep whisking until it has the consistency of creamy mash potatoes. Then add your soup again.
When you are finished adding the amount of soup you want keep the burner on med low or low and stir about 4 to 3 minutes more.
FIFTH:
Now like I said above you are in control of your cream soup/gravy. If you like super thick gravy stop. If you like your gravy a little bit runnier add more soup, but in batches like I stated above.
SIXTH: TIPS: Oh the possibilities!
Whether it's thick or really thin, this really is a comfort food. Have veggies left over with rice or noodles you have an instant meal. And keep in mind no (NO SOUP of GRAVY left behind) no matter how small, even if it one table spoon full it can be frozen. Here is what I do. Instead of adding all the fixing to the pot. I add the fixing to the soup bowls and then pour the creamy goodness over the yumminess. :) Have a ice cube tray handy and if there is any left over gravy or soup, use a spatula and scrape out as much of the gravy as possible, even if it make just fills one cube. Freeze and then plop then into a freezer bag. After a while you will have a bag full of gravy and soup ice cubes that can either be used as more gravy or soup.
Gravy and broth cubes can be mix together to make new amazing soup or gravy and they're great when you get home and don't want to cook. Throw the cubes in the pot melt, add veggies and instant fast food.
SEVEN: HOW TO THAW YOUR SOUP & GRAVY CUBES.
If you put your gravy cubes into a pan and turn in on medium, it will burn. So if you have broth cubes melt about a half of a cup full then add the gravy cube. If you do not have any broth cubes add a 1/2 cup of water.
Note: When mixing soup cubes and gravy cubes, it will look a bit weird as the two things mix together, but when their all mix up and heated up it will be so yummy you won't even notice.
CHEERS & HAVE A GRAVY OF A DAY. :)
GRAVY TO KEEP YOUR COMPANY GUESSING. "How she/he do it.?" Well if they don't read this post their not finding out and it will be our secret. ;)
ONE CAN NEVER HAVE ENOUGH SOUP BROTH! My quote of the day.
Note: Good things take time, so this is not a recipe you can whip up in one day. But if you do try it, you'll never make gravy the old way again. And you will find all the recipes you will need on this blog. Now if you have a time honored recipe that has been passed down from your great great great auntie you can incorporate this method into your recipe.
First let us consider that you don't have to make a full batch of stock or broth you can make any amount you want.
INGREDIENTS FOR THE FIRST BATCH.
1. SMALL BATCH: Do not strain fat off you can do that after it's done. Stain the fat off when the broth is cool and put it in a freezer safe plastic container. Then after it is frozen cut off the fat and keep the cup or more of broth. If you skim off the fat in the beginning that how much broth you are throwing out.
One large pot,
5 pieces of chicken parts or enough to fit snugly, but not overwhelm the pot when you add the fixings OR The whole flat of chicken or a whole fryer.
2 carrots peeled and chopped
2 celery chopped.
1 sweet onion peeled and chopped.
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon cinnamon.
1 teaspoon cumin.
1 teaspoon basil
1 teaspoon pepper.
1 teaspoon paprika. Note: You can add more spices, or less, it all up to you. I like a lot.
One of each of these hot peppers (Optional) Jalapeno, Anaheim, Plablano.
Half of a garlic any size.
A chopped apple (Optional)
NOTE: Just make sure the water covers the chicken by a inch.
Fill pot with water till the chicken is almost covered. As it cooks every thing will soften and sink.
Now with every thing in the pot bring to a boil with the lid on. As soon as it starts to boil turn down to low .
You can cook it for 1 hour on low or cook it for 2 hours on low. If you chose to do the 2 hour version you will get pulled chicken. so yummy. After the 2 hour is up remove the chicken, cool and strain the broth and cool for 1 hour.
Now we have our broth to play with.
Freeze all in a muffin tin or ice cube tray, then put in freezer safe bags.
The next time you cook chicken in a pan add enough cubes to the pan, about two cups or less depending the size of your pan. Place the raw chicken in the broth and cook on low or med- low for an hour. The chicken will be really nice. Bring to a boil, turn to low.
Note: If your Chicken turns out rubbery it's old chicken, it has nothing to do with your cooking.
Remove the chicken and fixings then, hold the broth back cool for a hour and a half or more and return to the freezer, until you want to use it to cook meat again.
Repeat this method as many time as you want. It is totally ok to add one cup of water to the broth before you cook your meat. Repeat again and again.
What you are doing is making the flavor of the broth more and more intense.
Then when you decide that you have the ultimate broth for making gravy, go for it.
Don't for get you can do this with stock too and you can mix stock with broth.
HERE IS THE GRAVY RECIPE
INGREDIENTS:
2 to 3 cup broth or stock.
3 Table spoons butter or 4 Table spoons olive oil. (Update I've been using olive oil lately and it really make it awesome in flavor. If you decide to use the olive oil it take a little bit more stirring.
Flour add with a Table spoon.
FIRST:
Have 2 to 3 cups soup in a pot simmering. Ready to use. If you decide later on you want to use more that is perfectly fine.
SECOND:
Cut butter in to small chunks and melt on low or heat oil on low. Watch it so the butter does not burn. Towards the end I turn off the burner, lift the pan off the burner and swish it around.
THIRD:
Keep your eye on the consitency of the mixture.
Keep burner on low. Add one tablespoon of flour whisk away, does it look like small dough balls or wet. If it looks wet add another table spoon of flour and whisk away. Keep doing this until flour is soaked up and you get a bunch of small looking dough balls.
NOTE: OKAY This is the part where you got to trust your self, when you add the hot liquid to the small buttery dough balls it is going to go thought a transformation that going to look like you ruined it. All you have to do is keep whisking until it look like mash potatoes. :)
CAUTION: THIS WILL SPIT AND SPAT, AND TAKE CARE WHEN YOUR WHISKING.
FOURTH: Turn up the heat to Medium.
Now add two ladle fulls to the butter mixture, it will sear in the hot pan. Whisk away and keep whisking until it looks smooth and creamy mash potatoes. When it looks like creamy mash potatoes, add two more ladle fulls. Whisk, whisk ,whisk and be careful. Keep whisking until it has the consistency of creamy mash potatoes. Then add your soup again.
When you are finished adding the amount of soup you want keep the burner on med low or low and stir about 4 to 3 minutes more.
FIFTH:
Now like I said above you are in control of your cream soup/gravy. If you like super thick gravy stop. If you like your gravy a little bit runnier add more soup, but in batches like I stated above.
SIXTH: TIPS: Oh the possibilities!
Whether it's thick or really thin, this really is a comfort food. Have veggies left over with rice or noodles you have an instant meal. And keep in mind no (NO SOUP of GRAVY left behind) no matter how small, even if it one table spoon full it can be frozen. Here is what I do. Instead of adding all the fixing to the pot. I add the fixing to the soup bowls and then pour the creamy goodness over the yumminess. :) Have a ice cube tray handy and if there is any left over gravy or soup, use a spatula and scrape out as much of the gravy as possible, even if it make just fills one cube. Freeze and then plop then into a freezer bag. After a while you will have a bag full of gravy and soup ice cubes that can either be used as more gravy or soup.
Gravy and broth cubes can be mix together to make new amazing soup or gravy and they're great when you get home and don't want to cook. Throw the cubes in the pot melt, add veggies and instant fast food.
SEVEN: HOW TO THAW YOUR SOUP & GRAVY CUBES.
If you put your gravy cubes into a pan and turn in on medium, it will burn. So if you have broth cubes melt about a half of a cup full then add the gravy cube. If you do not have any broth cubes add a 1/2 cup of water.
Note: When mixing soup cubes and gravy cubes, it will look a bit weird as the two things mix together, but when their all mix up and heated up it will be so yummy you won't even notice.
CHEERS & HAVE A GRAVY OF A DAY. :)
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