mrbunsrocks's Profile
Is your Thanksgiving menu/setting formal/informal, traditional/contemporary, family/friends?
Pretty traditional. I add a few small twists, but in my family, messing with tradition is akin to sacrilege. hehe.
You can read about it here: http://definitelynotmartha.blogspot.com/2007/10/thanskgiving-chez-dnm.html
Best online resources to improve my cooking?
I just want to add that How to Cook Everything is great, but there are a TON of recipes availalbe online that are free and taste fabulous.
www.epicurious.com - my go-to recipe site for slightly snazzier food. there are reviews and tips from people who've already made recipes, and they incorporate numerous articles and videos on technique
www.myrecipes.com - a newcomer (from my knowledge) - has recipes from a number of popular cooking magazines (including Cooking Light) - lots of easier recipes, lots of tasty ones
I think what's most important is not being scared to experiment with new spices and seasonings and sauces....that's what takes food that is okay and a bit bland and transforms it into something new and exciting.
Garlic and onions are your friends and will likely form the basis of most things you cook (dinner-wise, at least). Fresh herbs pack a bigger punch than dried ones - as long as you add them at the end of the cooking time!
:) Happy cooking!
What do you cook when you are cooking for one?
I'm a fan of the variations of stir-fry idea. :)
You can buy chicken breasts/flank steak/shrimp or whatever you prefer and if it's not in a small enough quantity, you can freeze the leftovers individually.
I always likes making a chicken/italian-style veggie stir-fry, serving with my favourite tomato sauce (barilla!) over pasta. Pasta is great because you only need to cook the amount you'll need. And always make enough for 2 meals so you'll have a lunch for the next day. :)
Asian stir-frys are great too - add a mixture of half soy sauce and half pineapple juice, and a little bit of cornstarch to thicken and you are set. Ginger and garlic are important too.
I think if you approach dinner for one as being a sort of relaxing thing to do at the end of the day - put on nice music while you cook, sip on something you enjoy - it doesn't seem such an onerous task. :)
cold, autumnal appetizer
Yep! You SHOULD try them. :) They are really tasty. Different...a new twist on comfort food.
cold, autumnal appetizer
Sorry for the delay!
Here is the recipe for the turkey cranberry dumplings:
Turkey Dumplings with Cranberry Soy Dip
1 tbsp (15 mL) vegetable oil
1/4 lb (125 g) lean ground turkey
1 1/2 tsp (7 mL) minced ginger
1 1/2 tsp (7 mL) sodium-reduced soy sauce
1/4 tsp (1 mL) each salt and pepper
3/4 cup (175 mL) shredded Savoy or Napa cabbage
1/2 cup (125 mL) shredded carrot
1/4 cup (50 mL) green onions
32 round dumpling or square wonton wrappers
Cornstarch for dusting
Sauce:
1 cup (250 mL) Cranberry Sauce
2 tbsp (30 mL) sodium-reduced soy sauce
1/2 tsp (2 mL)minced ginger
2 tbsp (30 mL) thinly sliced green onion
Heat 1 tsp (5 mL) vegetable oil in a large nonstick skillet set over medium-high heat. Crumble in turkey and brown well. Add the carrot, cabbage, green onions, ginger, soy sauce, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring for 3 to 4 minutes or until the cabbage is wilted. Remove from heat; cool to room temperature. Moisten two edges of each wonton wrapper with a little water. Place a rounded spoonful of the filling in the centre of each; fold to enclose, pressing to seal. Place on a baking sheet dusted with cornstarch to keep wontons from sticking. Cover with a damp towel.
Heat 1 tsp (5 mL) vegetable oil in a large nonstick skillet set over medium heat. Add a single layer of the wontons. Cook, without turning, for 2 minutes or until just golden on the bottom. Add 1/2 cup (125 mL) of water to the skillet. Cover and steam for 6 minutes or until all the water is evaporated and dumplings are tender throughout. Repeat with remaining dumplings, adding more oil to the pan as needed.
Sauce: Meanwhile, whisk the cranberry sauce with the soy sauce in a small saucepan; set over medium heat. Cook, stirring often until the sauce comes to a boil and is smooth and glossy. Cool slightly; stir in the ginger and green onions.
Makes 32 wontons.
And the parsnip twigs:
Parsnip Twigs
4 medium parsnips (about 8 oz)
1 T unsalted butter
pinch of sea salt
1 t chopped fresh thyme (or 1/4 t dried)
1/2 c. finely grated parmesan
1/8-1/4 t cayenne
2 T finely chopped fresh parsley
4 sheets phyllo pastry
1/4 c unsalted butter, melted
pinches of coarse salt
1. Peel parsnips, cut in half crosswise. Then cut lengthwise into batons about 1/4-1/2 inch thick. Heat butter in a large frying pan over medium heat. Sauté parsnips for 15-18 minutes, stirring frequently, or until golden brown. Remove from heat and leave in pan. Sprinkle with sea salt and thyme, cool completely.
2. Stir cheese with cayenne and parsley. Work with 2 phyllo sheets at a time; keep remainder covered with plastic until needed. Brush 1 sheet with butter, sprinkle with half of the cheese mixture. Top with another phyllo sheet, lightly brush with butter. Cut into 12 4-inch square pieces (3 cuts lengthwise and 4 cuts cross-wise should product approximately this size).
3. Line baking sheet with parchment paper of coat with nonstick spray. Lay a parsnip baton, or 2 if thin (I had up to three in some), in the centre of the square, allowing about 1/4-1/2 inch uncovered phyllo at each end (if parsnip is too long, nip off a bit of the baton). Roll up, brush with more butter.
4. Transfer twigs to prepared baking sheet, seam side down and slightly apart. Repeat with more phyllo. Lightly sprinkle twigs with sea salt (can be covered with plastic wrap and refrigerated for up to half a day....or freeze on tray, then transfer to an airtight heavy freezer bag once thoroughly frozen...defrost on prepared baking sheet for 30 minutes before baking).
5. To serve, preheat oven to 400F. Bake twigs for 8-10 minutes, or until brown and crisp. Serve immediately, scattered with remaining parsley.
Makes 24 twigs.
For the curry sauce, I just used light sour cream, with a little bit of indian curry paste stirred in.
cold, autumnal appetizer
For my (Canadian) thanksgiving dinner, I made turkey (asian-style) dumplings, served with a soy-cranberry dipping sauce. While you can serve them hot, I served them cold. They went over EXTREMELY well and were a nice change.
I've also served phyllo-wrapped parsnip twigs and that was a big hit too.
Looking in London, Ont.
I'm a fan of David's Bistro - it's on Richmond Street (not too far from Piccadilly). Always tasty stuff there.
What can I do with saffron?
I made a delicious soup with cauliflower last night. Very tasty - fast and easy too!
Recipe is here: http://definitelynotmartha.blogspot.com/2007/07/simple-super-soup.html
Good recipe for injeera?
I'm super tempted by the beer prospect. I tried the club soda method once. NEVER again. Yuck. But beer...hmmmm....
I'm too lazy to ferment stuff for days....I suppose I could just buy injera at the African market, eh?
Ribs and Boiling [split from Ontario]
I will admit to boiling. I boil the ribs in Dr. Pepper (with bay leaves and garlic) for 1 hour. Then I grill and baste with sauce.
It might get out some of the flavour, but it also boils away a lot of the fat. Otherwise, I don't eat ribs because I don't want to be huge.
Leaving the stove on, leaving the house
I have an electric range and have been known to leave something with a LOT of liquid either on low stovetop or in a warm oven for short periods of time. Don't know if I'd feel comfortable while I was sleeping, and I'd never do it for anything in a pan, or anything that will lose its liquid (like rice), but I think it's relatively safe if you're careful about how you do it.
I also leave my slow cooker while I'm away from the house - it's designed to work that way and I make sure it's on a flame resistant surface (like a metal cookie sheet) if something crazy were to happen.
Egg on top - new trend?
When I lived in France (five years ago), it was everywhere.
I am skeeved by runny yolks so it's not a trend I'm hoping will spread!
Have you ever had a recipe disaster?
Last year, I made a tiramisu frozen cake....it was actually very very good, but it took SO many steps and so much time to make it that I don't think I'd do that again. It was just too much work for a dessert that was good, but not knock-it-out-of-the-park amazing.
Frozen Hazelnut Tangerine Tiramisu - http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/recipe_views/views/551
Frozen beef in the slow cooker?
I've thrown frozen roasts in the crockpot before and they always come out nicely. Just remember that slow cooked meat has a totally different texture and flavour; sirloin tip is one of those cuts that's right on the border between tender and tough, so you either need to not cook it past medium (and hence NOT in the slow cooker), or braise it in liquid for 8-10 hours (in the slow cooker) to get tasty results.
Do kitchen appliances really need to match??
I think if the colour (i.e., stainless) is all coordinated that the brand totally doesn't matter. Get the appliances that do what you want, and use them often. :)
Superb Vegetarian Recipes?
I made a kick'a$$ vegan strudel a while back. I stuffed it with roasted veggies, and had it on a bed of truffle-scented sweet potato purée, with port braised mushrooms on top. It was actually awesome.
http://definitelynotmartha.blogspot.com/2007/01/veggie-and-lentil-goodness.html
Prepared Pasta Sauce ... WHY???
I agree with many others - at the end of the day, I don't have time to whip up sauce from scratch, and I don't really like eating food that's been frozen, so I'd rather use a good-quality purchased sauce, doctor it up with a few herbs, spices and veggies and be sitting at the table by 8.
It's just personal choice. :) On weekends, if I have more time and am feeling more martha-esque, I am happy to make my own sauce. But not every day.
What's your favorite food blog?
I love reading food blogs (like half of the CH'ers, it seems, I'm a food blogger as well).
My current favourite is smitten kitchen - www.smittenkitchen.com - she's witty and writes about both sucesses and failures. Always a great read.
I also really enjoy Jumbo Empanadas - http://jumboempanadas.blogspot.com/ - she's always doing crazy things like smoking her own bacon, curing her own salmon. Very inspiring for more lazy louts like me. :)
What else is better in Canada?
I respectfully disagree. While I admit that cheese curds and frites on their own are wonderful, there are many other dishes out there composed of individually wonderful ingredients that come together to be something that's also equally wonderful.
It doesn't ruin frites and cheese curds....it's just a different way of enjoying them. I'm not trying to imply that it's healthy (as clearly, it is not), but I think you're getting a little worked up about this for little/no reason. I was responding to the poster who asked a fairly innocent question........
What else is better in Canada?
Poutine is french fries topped with cheese curds and gravy. It's a Québec thing that caught on across Canada. I think it's available in a lot of fast food chains now (not very good though) and New York Fries has done criminal things to gravy and calls that mess poutine.
It's awesome though. Anytime I go skiing, I MUST have poutine for lunch from the lodge.
What hummus flavors do you create?
I like sundried tomatoes a lot. Hot peppers are good too though.
Classic Vinegrette/Vinaigrette?
3:1 oil to vinegar ratio, and you can't go wrong. I like evoo, balsamic vinegar and a tablespoon of dijon. You can't beat it.
No self-respecting hound would go out to dinner tonight - what's on your home-cooked menu?
I totally recognized myself in the alpha description....uh-oh!
Meal tonight...
Brie en croute with hot pepper jelly and baguette
French onion soup
Steamed king crab legs with garlic butter and spinach salad
nigella's chocohotopots (they were SO easy to make....hopefully they are yummy).
Kir for me, martinis for him, and a couple of bottles of red. yummah.
Slow cooker caramelized onion question
I also have onions on the go (for the first time!) today. If I wanted to dry them out, I'd probably stick them in a dry skillet.
I figure if mine don't work out, at least I can cut up my remaining two onions and do it the old fashioned way. :)
King crab legs....please help!
I have ginormous king crab legs in my freezer that I'd like to make for Valentine's dinner tomorrow.
Any suggestions? I haven't a clue of what I should be doing....they're already cooked, so it's just a question of how I warm them up and what I serve them with....right?
Any garlicky ideas? I have lemon, garlic, butter, wine, etc.....I would LOVE some guidance.
Thanks! :)
slow cooker caramalized onions- report
You are totally my new favourite person. I want to make french onion soup for valentine's day, and this IS awesome. Can't wait to try it! :)
crème de cassis
That's my favourite apéritif. :)
I second the other posters - I've actually often seen the crème de cassis right near the checkout of the LCBO. It's a bit pricey, but you don't need much. I like to mix it with an inexpensive sparkline wine for festive fun.
Anyone near a Mongolian BBQ?
The biggest joy though, is not having to do all the chopping! :)
