1. Magazine of their favorite hobby/topic
2. Mini booze bottles
3. Lotto tickets
4. Filler candy (small chocolates, candy canes, etc)
5. Specialty candy
6. Travel size hand lotion
7. Travel size any toiletry
8. Four packs of AA and AAA batteries (my family buys a jumbo pack and splits up the batteries)
9. Chapstick
10. $5 gift cards (Starbucks, Itunes, fast food)
11. Sharpies
12. Shot glasses
13. Mini flashlight
14. Travel tissues
15. Mints or gum
16. Coffee/tea samplers
17. Thumb drives
18. Hand and feet warmers
19. Contact solution/ eyeglass wipes
20. Specialty food items (hot sauce, spices, nutella)
21. Keychain bottle opener
Friday, December 5, 2014
Monday, November 10, 2014
Perfect Imitation Curry
Curry's actually pretty difficult to figure out if all you've got is a cooking background of the WASP variety. I love Indian food, but for years I was never able to pull off an actual, quality curry dish. Oh, I've got a curry chicken salad, a seven boy curry (a dish which I've never once seen in a restaurant and seems to be a distinctly "white folk" meal), and I've even thrown together a mostly satisfying curry-in-a-hurry. But that wonderful, orange/red sauce? That heavenly aroma that fills the house (and that you can never quite seem to achieve with McCormick's yellow curry mix)? It was always just out of my grasp.
But at last, I have finally found the secret. I still use McCormick's curry powder, BUT I also use their garam masala mix. It should be noted I don't mix my own curry or garam masala (fun fact: these are spice mixes, not individual spices! I went many years not knowing that). Really, who has the time to do all that mixing? But combing the two pre-made, plus a couple extra spices, finally gets me to that wonderfully full aroma of a true curry dish. And the sauce? The answer, ladies and gentlemen, is stewed and pureed tomatoes and onions (and maybe even some cream).
Give this recipe a shot; it'll satisfy all your cravings in the comfort of your own home.
Ingredients:
1 block extra firm tofu / OR 2-3 chicken breasts, chopped into 1 inch cubes
2 tbsps. Butter
1 11 oz. can petite diced tomatoes (if you don't have a blender, instead use one can tomato sauce)
1 large sweet onion
1 green bell pepper cut into 1 inch squares
1 tsp fresh minced garlic (equal to one clove)
3/4 cups frozen peas (this is a guestimate. I usually just sprinkle them in until it looks like there's proportionally enough in the dish)
McCormick's garam masala
McCormick's yellow curry powder (Badia could work too, but I find it to be too salty)
Cumin
Turmeric
Salt to taste
Optional:
8 oz can chickpeas
1/4th cup chopped peanuts
Raisins
Grated coconut
Optional, for butter chicken:
Ground Fenugreek
Ground Cardamom
1/3 cup heavy cream
To Cook:
1) Cut tofu or chicken into one inch cubes; toss into a bowl and coat with garam masala (don't sprinkle; COAT). Set aside.
2) Cut the onion in half. Set one half aside and finely dice the other half. In a deep pan, melt butter and toss in diced onion. Saute until translucent and then pour in the diced tomatoes and add the garlic. Let simmer for about 5 minutes.
3) If you have an immersion blender: Pour tomato and onion sauce into a large pot and blend until smooth. Leave in pot.
If you don't have an immersion blender: Let the sauce cool a bit and then pour into a normal blender. Blend until smooth and then pour into a large pot.
If you have no blender: Leave as is and pour into a large pot.
4) Put the pot of sauce to simmer.
5) Take the deep pan previously used (not need to rinse or wash). Heat the pan back up and throw in your tofu/chicken. Brown on all sides, using a little sauce to wet the pan every now and then if it gets too dry. Once browned, put the tofu/chicken in the pot with the sauce. If you'd like to add chickpeas, add them now.
6) Chop the bell pepper and other half of the onion into 1 inch squares. Saute in the pan for 2-3 minutes with a little sauce and butter. Once done, add to the pot with the sauce and tofu.
7) Add frozen peas to the pot. Sprinkle liberally with curry powder. Sprinkle less liberally with cumin and turmeric. If you're making butter chicken, sprinkle fenugreek and cardamom. Add salt to taste. Let simmer for 15-20 minutes. (Before simmering, it might be fun to add a handful of raisins, but I've never tried it)
8) If you're making butter chicken, turn off heat and stir in the heavy cream.
Serve over rice and add as much raisins, peanuts, and coconut as you'd like!
But at last, I have finally found the secret. I still use McCormick's curry powder, BUT I also use their garam masala mix. It should be noted I don't mix my own curry or garam masala (fun fact: these are spice mixes, not individual spices! I went many years not knowing that). Really, who has the time to do all that mixing? But combing the two pre-made, plus a couple extra spices, finally gets me to that wonderfully full aroma of a true curry dish. And the sauce? The answer, ladies and gentlemen, is stewed and pureed tomatoes and onions (and maybe even some cream).
Give this recipe a shot; it'll satisfy all your cravings in the comfort of your own home.
Ingredients:
1 block extra firm tofu / OR 2-3 chicken breasts, chopped into 1 inch cubes
2 tbsps. Butter
1 11 oz. can petite diced tomatoes (if you don't have a blender, instead use one can tomato sauce)
1 large sweet onion
1 green bell pepper cut into 1 inch squares
1 tsp fresh minced garlic (equal to one clove)
3/4 cups frozen peas (this is a guestimate. I usually just sprinkle them in until it looks like there's proportionally enough in the dish)
McCormick's garam masala
McCormick's yellow curry powder (Badia could work too, but I find it to be too salty)
Cumin
Turmeric
Salt to taste
Optional:
8 oz can chickpeas
1/4th cup chopped peanuts
Raisins
Grated coconut
Optional, for butter chicken:
Ground Fenugreek
Ground Cardamom
1/3 cup heavy cream
To Cook:
1) Cut tofu or chicken into one inch cubes; toss into a bowl and coat with garam masala (don't sprinkle; COAT). Set aside.
2) Cut the onion in half. Set one half aside and finely dice the other half. In a deep pan, melt butter and toss in diced onion. Saute until translucent and then pour in the diced tomatoes and add the garlic. Let simmer for about 5 minutes.
3) If you have an immersion blender: Pour tomato and onion sauce into a large pot and blend until smooth. Leave in pot.
If you don't have an immersion blender: Let the sauce cool a bit and then pour into a normal blender. Blend until smooth and then pour into a large pot.
If you have no blender: Leave as is and pour into a large pot.
4) Put the pot of sauce to simmer.
5) Take the deep pan previously used (not need to rinse or wash). Heat the pan back up and throw in your tofu/chicken. Brown on all sides, using a little sauce to wet the pan every now and then if it gets too dry. Once browned, put the tofu/chicken in the pot with the sauce. If you'd like to add chickpeas, add them now.
6) Chop the bell pepper and other half of the onion into 1 inch squares. Saute in the pan for 2-3 minutes with a little sauce and butter. Once done, add to the pot with the sauce and tofu.
7) Add frozen peas to the pot. Sprinkle liberally with curry powder. Sprinkle less liberally with cumin and turmeric. If you're making butter chicken, sprinkle fenugreek and cardamom. Add salt to taste. Let simmer for 15-20 minutes. (Before simmering, it might be fun to add a handful of raisins, but I've never tried it)
8) If you're making butter chicken, turn off heat and stir in the heavy cream.
Serve over rice and add as much raisins, peanuts, and coconut as you'd like!
Friday, November 11, 2011
Helpful little guide
Because I so vehemently hate cleaning, I feel compelled to spread whatever tips I find to anyone else who may also vehemently hate cleaning. I found this a while ago, it's a quick, comprehensive guide on what products are best at killing and removing mold:
http://blackmold.awardspace.com/kill-remove-mold.html
http://blackmold.awardspace.com/kill-remove-mold.html
Lemony/Peppery/Herby Chicken Dinner Over Couscous
Maybe one of you fine readers can help me think up a more eloquent name for this dish.
You'll Need:
4 chicken breasts
1 medium sweet onion
1 large yellow squash
1 large bell pepper, any color
Small grain couscous
1 17 oz. container of chicken broth
Butter
Olive oil
lemon juice
Cracked black pepper
Salt
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon minced garlic, dried
1 teaspoon dill
Baking pan deep enough to hold the chicken breasts
Meatloaf pan (for the veggies)
Large saucepan
1) Set your oven to broil. Place chicken breasts in pan with 4 tablespoons of butter; sprinkle both sides of the breasts generously with lemon juice. In a bowl, mix together 1 teaspoon garlic, 1 tsp salt, 2 tsps cracked black pepper, and 1 tsp dried oregano. Sprinkle half of the spice mix over the chicken breasts, flip the breasts and sprinkle with the other half of the mix.
2) Slice the squash, onion, and pepper, and lightly coat with olive oil. Place in meatloaf pan and season with salt and pepper.
3) Place chicken and vegetables in the broiler, making sure to flip the chicken and stir the veggies every three minutes until done (should take 9-12 minutes total to cook).
4) While the chicken and veggies are cooking, begin making the couscous according to the directions on it's package. Instead of water, use chicken broth to make the couscous in. Once the couscous is done, stir in 1 tsp dill, and season with lemon juice, salt, and pepper to taste.
Serve chicken and veggies over couscous.
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Boeuf Bourguignon / Beef Burgundy with Mashed Potatoes
Not quick, not cheap, but ridiculously delicious and fun to make if you've got an extra 5-10 hours (seriously. this dish takes forever). And despite the length of the directions, it's really not hard to make. You can shorten your cooking time by using regular onions instead of pearled, and already chopped mushrooms. You can save yourself some work by serving the beef over noodles (which is more traditional), but I prefer it over potatoes.
You'll need:
3 lbs stew beef
4 slices thick cut bacon
1 bottle red wine, preferably burgundy or chianti
1 32 oz. container of beef broth
1 small sweet onion
3-4 sprigs fresh thyme
4 leaves fresh sage
2 bay leaves
1 large clove of garlic, crushed
3 large carrots
1 container mushrooms
2 bags fresh pearl onions (or one large sweet onion)
olive oil
flour
butter
salt and pepper
See below for mashed potato recipe
1) Marinate the beef with half the bottle of wine. Cover and place in the fridge for at least three hours, but preferably overnight.
2) While the beef is marinating, cut the bacon into matchstick-size pieces
3) Once the beef is done marinating remove from the marinade, reserving the liquid. Pat the beef dry (this is important, to get it to brown properly). Season the beef with salt and pepper, and coat with flour.
4) Fry the bacon in a deep pan. Once cooked, remove the bacon into the crockpot, keeping the bacon fat in the pan.
5) Fry the beef in batches in the bacon fat, making sure not to crowd the beef in the pan. Fry just enough to brown, about 3 minutes, and remove to crockpot. If you start running out of fat to cook the beef in, add a little bit of olive oil.
6) Once all the beef is browned and in the crockpot, add the marinade to the pan (while the heat is still on) to deglaze. Boil the marinade for five minutes, then add it to the crockpot.
7) Peel, root, and quarter the small sweet onion, and add it to the crockpot. Add the thyme, sage, and bay leaves. Add enough beef broth to cover the beef, stir, and cover the pot. Set the crockpot for four hours on high.
8) While the beef's cooking, peel and chop your potatoes (chop into fours or sixes) and boil. Chop your mushrooms and carrots and set aside, then prep your pearl onions.
9) To peel pearl onions: Set a pot of water (large enough to hold all the onions) to boil. While the water boils, pull off the initial flaky skin of the onion and cut off the root end. Once the water reaches boiling, dump the onions in and boil for about 2-3 minutes. While the onions are boiling, prepare a bowl of ice water. Drain the onions and immediately put in ice water bath. Once the onions are cooled, drain again, and the tough outer skin should pop right off! (Note: it'll look like you're losing a lot of onion once you peel them, but that's okay, cause two bags is a lot of onions to begin with)
10) An hour before the timer on your crockpot is done, add the carrots and crushed garlic and cover.
11) Saute the mushrooms in 2-3 tablespoons of butter until the mushrooms begin to give off a lot of their liquid. Remove from heat and set aside, with liquid.
12) Saute pearl onions in 2-3 tablespoons of butter until they start to turn golden brown. Remove from heat and set aside with butter/juices.
13) A half hour before the timer on your crockpot is done, melt six tablespoons of butter in a pan, and stir in six tablespoons of flour to make a roux. Continue cooking roux until it starts to turn brown, then add the roux, onions, and mushrooms to the crockpot. Cover and cook for the remaining half hour.
14) While the stew is cooking for the last half hour, make your mashed potatoes according to the recipe below.
15) Serve stew over potatoes and enjoy!
Mashed Potatoes
You'll need:
6 gold yukon potatoes
1.5 sticks of butter
1 small container sour cream
Milk to consistency
salt and pepper
Peel and chop the potatoes. Boil in water (I recommend adding a couple pinches of salt to the water) until very soft. Once done, drain off water and return to pot. Mash butter into potatoes with a potato masher then mash in sour cream. Continue mashing and add milk to desired smoothness and consistency. Add salt and pepper to taste.
You'll need:
3 lbs stew beef
4 slices thick cut bacon
1 bottle red wine, preferably burgundy or chianti
1 32 oz. container of beef broth
1 small sweet onion
3-4 sprigs fresh thyme
4 leaves fresh sage
2 bay leaves
1 large clove of garlic, crushed
3 large carrots
1 container mushrooms
2 bags fresh pearl onions (or one large sweet onion)
olive oil
flour
butter
salt and pepper
See below for mashed potato recipe
1) Marinate the beef with half the bottle of wine. Cover and place in the fridge for at least three hours, but preferably overnight.
2) While the beef is marinating, cut the bacon into matchstick-size pieces
3) Once the beef is done marinating remove from the marinade, reserving the liquid. Pat the beef dry (this is important, to get it to brown properly). Season the beef with salt and pepper, and coat with flour.
4) Fry the bacon in a deep pan. Once cooked, remove the bacon into the crockpot, keeping the bacon fat in the pan.
5) Fry the beef in batches in the bacon fat, making sure not to crowd the beef in the pan. Fry just enough to brown, about 3 minutes, and remove to crockpot. If you start running out of fat to cook the beef in, add a little bit of olive oil.
6) Once all the beef is browned and in the crockpot, add the marinade to the pan (while the heat is still on) to deglaze. Boil the marinade for five minutes, then add it to the crockpot.
7) Peel, root, and quarter the small sweet onion, and add it to the crockpot. Add the thyme, sage, and bay leaves. Add enough beef broth to cover the beef, stir, and cover the pot. Set the crockpot for four hours on high.
8) While the beef's cooking, peel and chop your potatoes (chop into fours or sixes) and boil. Chop your mushrooms and carrots and set aside, then prep your pearl onions.
9) To peel pearl onions: Set a pot of water (large enough to hold all the onions) to boil. While the water boils, pull off the initial flaky skin of the onion and cut off the root end. Once the water reaches boiling, dump the onions in and boil for about 2-3 minutes. While the onions are boiling, prepare a bowl of ice water. Drain the onions and immediately put in ice water bath. Once the onions are cooled, drain again, and the tough outer skin should pop right off! (Note: it'll look like you're losing a lot of onion once you peel them, but that's okay, cause two bags is a lot of onions to begin with)
10) An hour before the timer on your crockpot is done, add the carrots and crushed garlic and cover.
11) Saute the mushrooms in 2-3 tablespoons of butter until the mushrooms begin to give off a lot of their liquid. Remove from heat and set aside, with liquid.
12) Saute pearl onions in 2-3 tablespoons of butter until they start to turn golden brown. Remove from heat and set aside with butter/juices.
13) A half hour before the timer on your crockpot is done, melt six tablespoons of butter in a pan, and stir in six tablespoons of flour to make a roux. Continue cooking roux until it starts to turn brown, then add the roux, onions, and mushrooms to the crockpot. Cover and cook for the remaining half hour.
14) While the stew is cooking for the last half hour, make your mashed potatoes according to the recipe below.
15) Serve stew over potatoes and enjoy!
Mashed Potatoes
You'll need:
6 gold yukon potatoes
1.5 sticks of butter
1 small container sour cream
Milk to consistency
salt and pepper
Peel and chop the potatoes. Boil in water (I recommend adding a couple pinches of salt to the water) until very soft. Once done, drain off water and return to pot. Mash butter into potatoes with a potato masher then mash in sour cream. Continue mashing and add milk to desired smoothness and consistency. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Super Easy, Super Quick, Super Tasty Chicken Dinner
I'm all for cookin' food from scratch, but let's face it, that's extremely time consuming and not very practical with a full time job, hour long commute, and entire house to take care of. But just because you don't have time for all the washin, peelin, and choppin, doesn't mean you have to run straight to the box of potato flakes. Our happy alternative: pre-prepped veggies! Most grocery stores now will sell produce pre-washed and chopped, and they're not much more (if at all more) expensive than the whole veggies you'd find in the produce section. You can buy them ahead of time and they'll keep in your fridge for a good couple of days. Frozen veggies are nearly as healthy as fresh ones and good in a pinch; you should keep a decent stock in your freezer at all times. For an entree, a pre-baked chicken is tasty, cheap, and will last for at least three meals (two notes: it can also be organic if bought at the right place, and once picked clean, can be boiled for broth).
This meal is tasty, inexpensive (if you've kept your kitchen stocked), and wonderfully simple. You'll need:
1 baked chicken (or baked chicken parts)
1 bag washed and cut green beans
1 bag frozen sweet corn (you'll be cooking 1-2 cups)
1 bag Ore Ida or generic brand ready-to-mash russet potatoes
1 17 oz container of chicken stock
milk
butter
salt and pepper
dried minced garlic
1) The ready to mash russet potatoes should have cooking directions on the bag. Throw the bag into the microwave for the prescribed cooking time.
2) While the potatoes are microwaving, pour the chicken stock in a large sauce pan with the bag of green beans, 2-3 tablespoons of butter, and a couple shakes (about 1/2 tsp) of dried minced garlic. Add a pinch of salt and pepper, cover and set on medium heat.
3) Once the potatoes are done, stick the corn in the microwave and cook according to directions on the package.
4) Mix the potatoes in a bowl (watch out, they're HOT) with the recommended milk and butter (again, see recipe on the bag). Salt and pepper to taste.
5) Once you're done mashing the potatoes, turn off the heat on the green beans, and you're done!
So there you have it, it's only taken 30 minutes and you have a full, tasty, (mostly) healthy meal!
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