Author: Kyllan

Recipe #6: Sweet Potato Fries

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William was in town this weekend, so I was hoping to try a new recipe while he was here, but instead, we just enjoyed the opportunity to spend time with each other and I did not cook until he left.  Kinda funny I guess 🙂

Anyway… after dropping him off at the airport, it was kinda late and I was not up to cooking anything too fancy, so I decided to try a recipe for a side dish/appetizer.  I found a recipe for sweet potato fries on the Food Network’s website.  It gave me the opportunity to use the deep fryer we got as a wedding gift.  I cannot believe we have not used it until know.  I took it out before William left, and he says “I didn’t know we had a deep fryer.”  (Some gifts arrived while he was in Denver, so I probably told him, but it has been a while).  So, the recipe was pretty simple and the fries came out pretty good.  I may have cooked them a bit too long, but I wanted them to be a little crispy.  The seasoning was pretty good also, but I may experiment with others as well.  The recipe is below.

Sweet Potato Fries (Courtesy of Emeril Legasse)

Ingredients

  • 2 large sweet potatoes (about 3 pounds, total)
  • 2 quarts vegetable oil
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • Pinch cayenne
  • Pinch cinnamon

Directions

Boil sweet potatoes in water to cover for 10 minutes. Remove and allow to cool. Peel potatoes and cut into 1/4 by 1/4-inch thick batons.

Meanwhile in a 5-quart pot or Dutch oven fitted with a candy or deep-frying thermometer, (or in an electric deep fryer), heat oil over medium-low heat until the thermometer registers 300 degrees F. Make sure you have at least 3 inches of space between the top of the oil and the top of the pan, as fries will bubble up when they are added.

Increase the heat to medium-high and add fries, a handful at a time, to the hot oil. Fry, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are soft and limp and just begin to brown, about 3 to 4 minutes. Using a skimmer or slotted spoon, carefully remove fries from the oil and set aside to drain on paper towels. Let rest for at least 10 minutes or up to 2 hours.

When ready to serve the fries, reheat the oil to 350?F. Transfer the blanched potatoes to the hot oil and fry again, stirring frequently until browned and puffed, about 1 minute. Transfer to paper lined platter and allow to drain for a minute.

Combine the brown sugar, salt, cayenne and cinnamon in a large bowl. Add the fries and toss to coat. Serve immediately.

Recipe #5: Chocolate Cookie Dough Brownies and Neiman Marcus Cookies

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Ok, my recipe for week 5 ended up being on Superbowl weekend, and since I was headed to a Superbowl party, I decided to bring appetizers and desserts.  I saw a recipe for Chocolate Cookie Dough Brownies on Bakerella, a cooking blog I regularly visit.  I LOVE sweets, so I was drooling after seeing her post on these brownies.  The actually use a brownie mix and cookie mix, but the ganache that goes on top is made from scratch and is delicious!  The Neiman Marcus Cookies came from a recipe I saw in a magazine.  There was once an e-mail going around about a woman who unknowingly paid $250 for the recipe, and as a way to get even, gave out the recipe to as many people as she could, but apparently it is not true.  Neiman Marcus has made their recipe public, so I decided that it was worth a try.  I thought they were pretty good, but one of my co-workers was absolutely crazy about them.  I think he ate about half of them.  The cookie dough brownies were more my style.  For the Neiman Marcus Cookie recipe, click here.  For the Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Brownie recipe, click here.

Recipe #3- Pulled Pork and Potato Salad

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I am a bit behind on cooking posts… so let me try to catch you up.  Since I went to undergrad in North Carolina, I tried to make a Carolina inspired meal.  I made pulled pork in the slow cooker and as a side dish, I made potato salad.  I was not that impressed with the pulled pork.  I went ahead and made a sandwich with a portion of the pork that came out pretty tender, but it was not a recipe to add to the rotation.  The potato salad, on the other hand, came out GREAT!  I was really impressed with myself on this one.  I used a recipe from Patti LaBelle’s cookbook, Recipes to Sing About.  It was so good, that I had potato salad each day for the rest of the week.  I may slightly alter the recipe next time, but I was impressed.  The recipe is below, and as usual, photos are on Flickr.

Patti’s Potato Salad (Courtesy of Patti LaBelle)

Ingredients:

3 pounds red-skinned potatoes (20 potatoes), well scrubbed

6 large eggs, hard cooked

1 medium red onion, finely chopped

1 medium green bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped

2 medium celery ribs, finely chopped

2 teaspoons celery seed

2/3 cups mayonnaise

2 tablespoons yellow mustard

3 tablespoons sweet pickle relish

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Paprika

Place the potatoes in a large pot and add enough salted water to cover by 1 inch. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until tender, but not mushy, about 20 minutes. Be sure they are cooked! Pour out most of the water and place the pot in the sink. Run cold water over the potatoes for about 2 minutes, or until cool enough to handle. Drain Well.

Peel the potatoes and cut them into ½ inch cubes. Place in a large bowl. Chop 4 hard-cooked eggs and add to the potatoes, along with the red onion, green pepper, and celery. Sprinkle with celery seed. Gradually stir in the mayonnaise, mustard, and relish (wear rubber or plastic gloves and use your hands, if you wish), being careful not to smash the potatoes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Transfer to a large serving bowl. Slice the 2 remaining hard cooked eggs. Arrange the slices on top of the salad and sprinkle with paprika. Serve immediately, or cool, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until chilled, at least 2 hours.

Here’s to President Obama!!

Kyllan 1 Comment

Yesterday was a wonderful celebration of a long journey (one that started long before President Obama’s announced his candidacy for President).  It was such a wonderful thing to witness, whether in person or on television or the Internet.  I thoroughly enjoyed watching the events.  Despite the fact I had to work, we have a television in our office and myself and several colleagues watched the ceremony in the midst of a busy work day.  After the acceptance speech, I didn’t even have words to say.  All I could do was reflect on such a powerful moment.

Given the historic nature of the event and the excitement in the air, my sister and I decided to attend an Inaugural Ball here in Dallas at the House of Blues.  We celebrated with food, dancing, entertainment, networking, and the hope of extraordinarily great things to come.  We had a great time!  I posted pictures on my flickr page.

I was so motivated at work today while thinking about the aggressive agenda President Obama had today on day 1 of his new job.  I was so inspired to push myself harder and I know I am not the only one who feels that way.  I simply cannot wait to see what is  in store during the Obama Administration.  Being a political science major, I wish, just for this instance, that I was a member of the Executive Office of the President.  How incredibly challenging, but wonderful that would be!

Recipe #3: Jamaican Jerk Pork Chops and Potatoes Au Gratin

Kyllan 1 Comment

Let me first say, sorry we have not posted in a while.  I do not want to turn this into a cooking blog, so we will do a better job of posting more regularly about other things.

Tonight I made Jamaican Jerk Pork Chops (using Pampered Chef’s jerk spice).  I used the spice before to make jerk chicken nachos, which were delicious, so I decided I would use it on grilled pork chops.  It also gave me an opportunity to use the grill we got from William’s cousins as a wedding gift, which I have only used twice, but I plan to use a lot more.  There is no complicated recipe for the pork chops.  I just sprayed with a little bit of oil, seasoned with the spice and threw them on the grill….very easy.  However, it was nothing to write home about, so I think I will have to try another recipe with marinade since William tends to order pork tenderloin or pork chops frequently when we go out to eat.

As a side dish, I made potatoes au gratin using a recipe out of B Smith’s cookbook, Entertaining and Cooking for Friends. It was a supposed to be a more sophisticated version of your traditional potatoes au gratin and I am definitely adding this to the rotation.  It used a combination of Gruyere and Parmesan cheese and was very good.  The only modification I would make is not adding as much butter.

I also made a salad using spinach, strawberries, pecans and Kraft’s Light Done Right Raspberry Vinaigrette dressing.  I really do not care too much for pecans, but they are good in an occasional salad.

As always, more pictures can be found on my flickr page.

Potatoes Au Gratin (courtesy of B. Smith)

Ingredients:

½ cup unsalted butter, softened

1 ½ pounds Idaho potatoes, peeled and cut into ¼ inch-thick slices

½ cup grated Gruyère cheese

½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1 cup heavy cream

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon ground black pepper

1/8 teaspoon paprika

Preheat the oven to 350? F. Butter a 1 ½ quart baking dish with about 1 tablespoon of the softened butter.

Arrange a layer of potatoes in the baking dish, and sprinkle some of the cheeses over them. Continue layering potatoes and cheeses until you’ve used them all, ending with a layer of potatoes.

In a small bowl, whisk the cream with the salt and pepper; pour this over the potatoes. Dot the remaining butter over the top, and sprinkle with the paprika. Bake for 1 to 1 ¼ hours, or until the potatoes are tender and golden brown on top. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Recipe #2: Cajun Shrimp Casserole

Kyllan 7 Comments

Although I love pasta and could do a pasta dish every week, that is probably not the best route, so I decided to try a casserole this week.  It took me a while to find a casserole that was a bit different than what I was used to.  I found a lot of enchilada casseroles and taco casseroles, etc. (which I will try another time), but then finally I stumbled upon a casserole on myrecipes.com for Cajun Shrimp Pasta.    I love shrimp, but William is allergic to shrimp, so this is not a recipe to add to the regular rotation.  I was thinking I could perhaps use it as a potluck dish or some other occassion.  I was a bit concerened about this dish b/c I wasn’t sure what the consistency was supposed to be like and that it would be spicy enough for my taste, but to my amazement, it actually turned out pretty good.  I was not blown away by it, but enjoyed it yesterday and have enough leftovers for a few days.  I also realized I am going to have to invite my sister or some girlfriends over so I wont waste so much food!  🙂   The recipe is below for those interested.

Cajun Shrimp Casserole (courtesy of Southern Living)

Ingredients

  • 2  pounds  unpeeled, large fresh shrimp
  • 1/4  cup  butter
  • 1  small red onion, chopped*
  • 1/2  cup  chopped red bell pepper*
  • 1/2  cup  chopped yellow bell pepper*
  • 1/2  cup  chopped green bell pepper*
  • 4  garlic cloves, minced
  • 2  cups  fresh or frozen sliced okra
  • 1  tablespoon  lemon juice
  • 1 1/2  teaspoons  salt
  • 1  (10 3/4-ounce) can cream of shrimp soup**
  • 1/2  cup  dry white wine
  • 1  tablespoon  soy sauce
  • 1/2  teaspoon  cayenne pepper
  • 3  cups  cooked long-grain rice
  • 1/4  cup  grated Parmesan cheese
  • Garnishes: quartered lemon slices, fresh flat-leaf parsley sprigs

Preparation

Peel shrimp; devein, if desired.

Melt 1/4 cup butter in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and next 3 ingredients; sauté 7 minutes or until tender. Add garlic, and sauté 1 minute. Stir in okra, lemon juice, and salt; sauté 5 minutes. Add shrimp, and cook 3 minutes or until shrimp turn pink. Stir in soup and next 4 ingredients until blended. Pour into a lightly greased 11- x 7-inch baking dish. Sprinkle evenly with Parmesan cheese.

Bake at 350° for 15 to 20 minutes or until casserole is bubbly and cheese is lightly browned. Garnish, if desired.

*1 (10-ounce) package frozen onions and peppers may be substituted for fresh onion and bell peppers.

**1 (10 3/4-ounce) can cream of mushroom soup may be substituted for cream of shrimp soup.

Note: Unbaked casserole may be made one day in advance. Cover and refrigerate. Let stand at room temperature 30 minutes before baking as directed. To freeze unbaked casserole, prepare as directed, omitting Parmesan cheese. Cover tightly, and freeze. Let stand at room temperature 30 minutes before baking. Bake, covered, at 350° for 50 minutes. Uncover; sprinkle evenly with Parmesan cheese, and bake 10 more minutes or until cheese is lightly browned.

Elaine Jeansonne, Cottonport, Louisiana, Southern Living, OCTOBER 2005

1st recipe of 2009- Beef and Cheese Manicotti

Kyllan 2 Comments

As mentioned in the previous post, I made a New Year’s resolution to try one new recipe per week since I would like to cook more than I currently do.

So… today I tried a recipe from foodnetwork.com.  One of my favorite chefs on the Food Network is Giada De Laurentis. She has a recipe for Beef and Cheese Manicotti that received great reviews and since William and I LOVE Italian food, I decided it would be a good place to start.

Some of the reviews mentioned people altering the recipe slightly to suit their personal taste.  I didn’t want to alter the recipe too much, especially the first time, so the only modifications I made were using 1/2 pound beef and 1/2 pound Italian sausage instead of 100% beef.  It gave it a nice flavor.  I also used a bit more mozzarella and sauce on top than the recipe called for, but that’s b/c I love cheese and extra sauce 🙂   There was also a tip to fill the manicotti shells by using a ziplock bag and cutting a whole in the corner so that you could pipe it into the shells.  This was a great idea!!  The shells can split easily and it is hard to stuff with a spoon, so the piping worked much better.

Anyway… the recipe turned out great!!  William and I both loved it.  We both had second helpings are now stuffed.  Since I am in Denver this weekend, it worked out great b/c now William has leftovers for lunch and dinner tomorrow.  Since I am headed back to Dallas in the morning…. no leftovers for me 🙁  It’s ok… I need to choose some healthier options for the rest of the week anyway.

I posted the recipe and picture below.  I also posted pictures on my flickr page.  I am glad the first recipe was a success.  Thanks Giada!!

Beef and Cheese Manicotti (courtesy of Giada De Laurentis)

Ingredients

  • 4 teaspoons olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
  • 1 pound ground beef
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 14 (8-ounce package) manicotti
  • 1 (15-ounce) container whole-milk ricotta
  • 3 cups shredded mozzarella
  • 1 cup grated Parmesan
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 3 cups marinara sauce
  • 2 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces

Directions

Heat a heavy medium skillet over medium heat. Add 1 teaspoon of the olive oil, onion and ground beef. Season with salt and pepper. Saute until the meat browns and the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, and cool.

Brush 1 teaspoon of oil over a large baking sheet. Cook the manicotti in a large pot of boiling salted water until slightly softened, but still very firm to the bite, about 4 to 6 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the manicotti from the pot to the oiled baking sheet and cool.

Meanwhile, combine the ricotta, 1 1/2 to 2 cups mozzarella cheese, 1/2 cup Parmesan, and parsley. Add the garlic, salt, and pepper to taste, and mix. Stir the cooled meat mixture into the cheese mixture.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Brush the remaining 2 teaspoons of oil over a 13 by 9 by 2-inch glass baking dish. Spoon 1 1/2 cups of the marinara sauce over the bottom of the prepared dish. Fill the manicotti with the cheese-meat mixture. Arrange the stuffed pasta in a single layer in the prepared dish and spoon the remaining sauce over.

Sprinkle the remaining 1 1/2 cups of mozzarella cheese, then the remaining 1/2 cup of Parmesan over the stuffed pasta. Dot entire dish with the butter pieces. Bake the manicotti uncovered until heated through and the sauce bubbles on the sides of the dish, about 30 to 35 minutes. Let the manicotti stand 5 minutes and serve.

Headed North

Kyllan 1 Comment

William and I are headed to Cleveland for Christmas. We are at the airport, but already have a 2 hour weather delay.  It appears that several of the Continental flights are on a 2 hour delay.  William and I should have learned out lesson 2 years ago when we tried to go to Jacksonville via Continental, but our flight got canceled and we had to abort the whole trip.  We should have listened to William’s mom and booked American.  Fortunately, today’s flight is a direct flight to Cleveland, so we should be ok, but I think we are giving up on Continental (although we had a bad experience with American on our honeymoon).  No airline is perfect I guess (although I have had very good experiences on Frontier Airlines to Denver thus far with the exception of 1 delay).  While in Cleveland, we will also be celebrating my mom’s 60th birthday!! (she is not bashful about her age). I am sure we will have lots of pictures to post after the weekend.
We wish everyone a very Merry Christmas!

It’s Beginning to look a lot like Christmas.

Kyllan 4 Comments

I just want to complain about the fact it is now 25 degrees outside and it was 79 degrees yesterday.  Yes… a 55 degree swing.  William doesn’t want to hear it.  It is -7 in Denver right now and I am sure it is much worse with the wind chill.  But… Denver is known for being cold.  Dallas… not so much.  It has been known to see drastic temperature changes, but this was more drastic than usual.  The other thing about cold weather in Dallas is that if it rains and turns into freezing rain, which = ice on the roads, people in Dallas DO NOT know how to drive.  They decide to drive 5 miles per hour, which is a bad idea.  They also like to put on the breaks when they hit ice….another bad idea.  The good news is that is looks like the forecast shows us warming back up to 68 on Saturday, but the bad news is that the low on Saturday night is 28.  I know it could be much worse, so I will stop complaining now.  My blood just seems to freeze in my veins when it is this cold.  Perhaps I should rethink my suggestion to William yesterday that we go skiing while he is in Colorado.

Season’s Greetings!

Kyllan 3 Comments

Wow… it seems like a long time since we have made a post…. oh wait… it has been a long time.  As you are probably already aware, the site was down a few separate times over the last week, but William worked with the host and I think we have worked out all the glitches.

William and I have had a good December thus far.  We got to see each other on back to back weekends!!  That usually does not happen, so it was great.  He was at home (in Dallas) for Thanksgiving and then back again this past weekend for my company’s Christmas party.  I was very glad he was able to come b/c my boss had spread rumors around about me having a husband who was just a figment of my imagination and did not really exist (jokingly) since most of my co-workers had not met William before, except for a few who met him briefly at the wedding.  So the whole night, people were coming over and saying “you really do exist!” and it was good to introduce him to everyone.  We both had a nice time and stayed overnight in a luxury suite at the hotel that hosted our party, the Adolphus, which is a very luxurious and historic hotel in downtown Dallas that opened in 1912 by Adolphus Busch.  It was awesome!!  The suite was more like an apartment than a hotel room.  You can find pictures on my flickr page.

Well…. I hope everyone is enjoying the Christmas season!