Chocolate ice cream with candied bacon bits (and no ice cream maker) - Adventures of the Kitchen Ninja Believe it or not, this is my 200th post. Yowza. That's 200 things I've cooked and shared with you ... at least 200 photos -- not all good, but still ... and 200 (well, probably 5000) smart-assed comments about food -- not all good, but still. So what better way to celebrate than with ice cream? Yes, my friends, candied bacon. (I think Job 1 this weekend is to re-make the bacon oatmeal cookies with candied bacon, don't you agree?) Before we get too far down the candied bacon road, let me emphasize that this post is really about making ice cream without an ice cream machine. For a while now, I've been debating about whether or not I need an ice cream maker. I am torn. Should I decide in favor of ice cream, my choices for making it are to get the attachment for my Kitchen Aid stand mixer or buy a standalone machine. So, here's how my thinking went after that: But now we've got good news and bad news. Good news: The candied bacon is simple and amazing. But do report back your results, please.
Two Ingredient Fresh Pumpkin Pasta Oh man, I’ve had so much fun showering you guys with pumpkin recipes this past week. I love theme weeks! I hope you have enjoyed this little glimpse into my pumpkin obsession. After today, I promise to put the pumpkin down and walk away (at least for a little bit). I’m not sure if you noticed or not, but many of the recipes this week ended up being free from animal products. It’s not my secret way of telling you I’m going vegan or anything (I heart cheese and eggs too much for that to ever go well). It just so happens that pumpkin is a wonderful substitute for animal products in many dishes. The binding properties of pumpkin is what I was really relying on for this pasta. If you’ve ever been afraid to make fresh pasta at home, this recipe is a great place to start. And even better than the tiny number of ingredients? If you have a pasta roller and cutter and want to use it, go right ahead, but don’t be shy if you don’t. Two Ingredient Fresh Pumpkin Pasta Author: Cassie Johnston Ingredients
101 Fast Recipes for Grilling 20. Grill pineapple (or anything, really, from pork to tofu to eggplant). Make a sauce of half-cup peanut butter, a tablespoon (or more) soy sauce, a dash (or more) sriracha chili sauce, a handful of basil or mint and enough warm water to thin. (I’m tempted to say, “Throw away the pineapple and eat the sauce,” but the combination is sensational.) 21. Waldorf salad revisited, sort of: Grill cut apples until browned but not mushy; grill chunks of Napa or savoy cabbage, also left crisp; grill halved red onion. 22. 23. 24. Photo 25. Meat 26. 27. 28. 29. 30. 31. 32. 33. 34. 35. 36. 37. 38. 39. 40. 41. Fish and Shellfish 42. 43. 44. 45. 46. 47. 48. 49. 50. 51. 52. 53. 54. 55. 56. 57. Kebabs 58. 59. 60. 61. 62. 63. 64. 65. 66. 67. 68. Salads 69. 70. 71. 72. 73. 74. 75. Burgers 76. 77. 78. 79. 80. 81. 82. 83. Sandwiches and Breads 84. 85. 86. 87. 88. 89. 90. 91. 92. Desserts 93. 94. 95. 96. 97. 98. 99. 100. 101. Continue reading the main story
Vegetarian Times - Great Food, Good Health, Smart Living Mix & Match Bagged Meals At Home Bagged meals found in the frozen section at your local grocer can make for a quick weeknight meal. Unfortunately, they come with a heavy price tag and don't always leave you satisfied after a long day's work. But if you fill your freezer yourself with mix and match individually portioned ingredients, you'll be set for dinner when time is of the essence.Most bagged meals have 4 basic, individually frozen/packaged parts. Some meals keep these things in separate bags and some freeze everything individually, but package it all in the same bag. Here's how to prepare each part: • Protein - Pork, Beef, and Chicken are all great candidates for this method. • Starch - Most bag meals will contain some form of rice or pasta. • Vegetables - The best part about making your own bagged meals means you don't have to include veggies you aren't exactly fond of. • Sauce - Most sauces made at home are perfect for freezing. Related: Quick Tip: Buy Baguettes to Freeze
33 Healthy Veggie Meals in 12 Minutes or Less Life moves fast, which is why fast food is so popular. The last thing people want to do after a hectic whirlwind of a day is to spend another hour in the kitchen. Unfortunately, most fast food from the drive through window is an unhealthy option. But, fast food doesn’t need to equate to junk food. Here are 33 fast (and fatigued-cook friendly) healthy vegetarian meals that will tickle your taste buds. Note: Most of these options can be made completely vegan. 1. A great healthy dessert! 2. This is an amazing way to get living fresh foods in your diet during the day. 3. For another great breakfast smoothie idea that could also pass for a desert, blend together 1 cup oatmeal, 2 cups almond milk, 3-4 Tbsp peanut butter, 3 bananas, 1 cup strawberries (optional), and ice. 4. For those vegetarians that do eggs, this is a very easy, healthy meal. 5. Just about any veggie combo will work for this easy dinner idea. 6. 7. The sweet potato contains so many more benefits than a regular potato. 8. 9.
How to Freeze Fresh Herbs: Rosemary and Thyme Even though it's still quite warm in Utah, I can feel the nights getting a bit cooler, and I know it's not that long until the garden goodness has to either be preserved or lost. I hate losing anything that comes from my garden, and try to freeze as much as possible. Since I have lots and lots of herbs, a few years ago I started to experiment with freezing them to see if I could preserve the flavor enough to make it worthwhile to use the herbs in the winter. I'm no expert, but I've learned a few tricks. If you're going to try freezing herbs, first it helps to understand the difference between soft herbs and hard herbs. Hard herbs are things like rosemary, thyme, savory, and sage which are suitable for long cooking times. I was delightfully surprised when the frozen leaves fell off the stems, and even happier when I tried using some of the frozen rosemary and thyme leaves and discovered they were nearly as good as fresh. Cut some rosemary branches. Cut some thyme branches.
More About Freezing Fresh Herbs: Freezing Thai Basil, Sage, Tarragon, and Mint From Thai Basil Plants Out of Control To Frozen Thai Basil Cubes! What would you do if you had an enormous patch of Thai Basil like this that was seriously going to seed, not to mention lots of other fabulously bushy herb plants, and you lived in Utah where winter was well on the way? The verdict is still out as far as the usefulness of frozen Thai Basil but all these herbs appear to have frozen with good results. I used the same process for tarragon, mint, and sage, except I did use my garden scissors to cut the sage from the stems, which was easy to do. Tarragon Sage Mint When they were spun dry, I put the herbs into the Ziploc bags. Then I sealed the bags, squeezing most of the air out, and put them in the freezer. After that time, the leaves will start to fall off the stems. Not a very good photo because I took it at night, but here are the jars of frozen sage and tarragon leaves I ended up with. Freezing the Thai Basil was a slightly different process.
mashed potato spinach patties Today’s recipe is an idea inspired by my mom. We were talking about what to make this week, and she suggested potato pancakes [aka latkes] in the spirit of Passover. The last time I pulled out my grater to make latkes, I distinctly remember my arm feeling like it was going to fall off and nearly shaving off half my hand. Soon after, I realized I have a grater attachment for my food processor. But in case you don’t have a food processor or a grater, I created this easy mashed potato patty recipe. As we made these, completely guessing on amounts of ingredients, I didn’t feel too optimistic. But that was not the case at all! These 5 ingredient patties [okay, 7 if you include salt + pepper] are gluten free, Passover, and vegan friendly! steam. mash. chop. mix. shape. pan cook. done! Print this! Mashed Potato Spinach Patties [yields 10 medium patties] notes: By using Earth Balance or a tasteless oil this recipe can be made vegan. Toppings are definitely not necessary but they are delicious.
5 Delicious Pregnancy Safe Cheeses Everyone Will Enjoy Well, I guess it’s time I came clean. The for rent sign on my belly has been removed and I’ve got my 3rd tenant. That’s right, I’m joining the outnumbered club and having a 3rd baby. So far this one’s already demanding, in the food department at least. This week has been all about cheese, glorious, forbidden during pregnancy cheese. image credit: Prudent Baby Thank you, Jacinda over at Prudent Baby, for satisfying that deep, cruel, pregnancy craving and finding all these amazing cheeses! The better for you diet, low sugar, all natural soda - DRY Soda Why Small Batch Canning Is Awesome: And What You Need To Get Started Urban Preserving with Marisa McClellan When I first started canning, I made huge batches of jam. Between the cleaning, peeling and chopping, I'd be dripping with sweat and every inch of my kitchen would be covered in sticky fruit residue. Despite the fact that each jamming session took hours and hours, I did it that way because that's just how I thought canning was supposed to be. And so I started tearing down the recipes, dividing the amount of produce required and finding pieces of cookware that worked best with these small batches. These days, I do a lot of very small batches. Equipment for Small Batch Canning There are just two pieces of cookware that I really recommend if want to do these tiny batches. 1. Stainless steel is the best material because it won't leach metallic flavors into your jam (cast iron and aluminum can give jam a tinny taste) and it is durable enough for you to cook at high temperatures (something that's not recommended for non-stick cookware). 2. Marisa McClellan is our guest feature writer for June.
The Porthole by Crucial Detail: The Aviary's Glassware at Home Plenty of places can make great cocktails these days, but when it comes to presentation nobody comes close to Chicago's The Aviary. Grant Achatz's cocktail lounge is like the Cirque du Soleil of bars, and its custom glassware makes every drink look at least 20 percent cooler. And now the rest of us will be able to get our hands on some of our own.Of all the eye-catching serveware at The Aviary, the one that stands out the most is probably the Porthole, a flat, clear, teapotlike flask designed for infusions. Arrange it full of whole flowers, fruit, herbs, spices, or whatever, then fill it with the spirit or spirits of your choice for a cocktail that's almost too pretty to drink. (I'm just kidding; drink it. You can make another.) Martin Kastner of Chicago's Crucial Detail — who designs glassware for Alinea, Aviary, and Next — said they've been working to adapt the Porthole for production for the rest of us. According to Kastner, the production run will be funded via Kickstarter.
Summer Preserving: Buy Fruit In Bulk From Local Farms We like to shop around at farmers markets for good deals on summer berries, cucumbers, and other fruit for summer cooking and preserving. But did you know you can get even better deals if you go straight to the source? In fact, many farms and farm stands offer bulk quantities of fruit for customers willing to buy 10 pounds of blackberries, 12 pints of strawberries, a batch of dill pickles' worth of cucumbers. This is how we discovered our latest prize: 10 pounds of tart, juicy cherries. We got a tip (thanks Lisa!) One farm had them for much less than $2/pound. It also made us realize, seeing the other kinds of fruit available for bulk order, that this is a much cheaper (and easier) way to get our fruit for summer preserving or wine-making. And now for the real question: what should we do with all our cherries? Related: Eat Cheap: Farmstands in the Country (Images: Faith Durand)