Hot Sauce

I would much rather use the commercial hot sauces that I like instead of making my own.  Not that making basic hot sauce is difficult, but there is a certain amount of experimentation needed to make a sauce with just the right blend of heat and flavor. A basic hot sauce can be made with just three ingredients:

2 cups plain white distilled vinegar

1 1/2 lbs seeded jalapeno chilis 

2 teaspoons salt 

Simmer all ingredients for at least 5 minutes, then puree mixture in a blender. Put mixture in a glass jar with a tight fitting lid and put in a dark place to age for at least three months. Check on the jar once a week to make sure too much pressure isn't building in it. The sauce is actually fermenting to a certain extent, so removing the lid to let the fermentation gases out might be a good idea. Be careful though. The gases will contain capsaicin,  the substance that give hot peppers their heat. Getting a whiff of the fumes could be quite uncomfortable.

There are scads of other recipes out there that add tomatoes, spices, and god-knows-what to the basic recipe for the more adventurous. One of the problems with making hot sauce that is consistent in heat and flavor is that in any given season the heat of the peppers can vary significantly. Very hot, dry weather can make peppers hotter than seasons that are cooler. The variety of peppers used also can make a big difference. Cooking that many hot peppers and vinegar in the house can also really stink up the place and release capsaicin in the air, so it's best to do it outside. Cutting up and seeding hot peppers, even the milder varieties, can make your hands feel like their on fire, so I'd wear rubber gloves. 

So for anyone that wants to make their own, I say go for it. For me, I've found two commercial hot sauces that I use on a regular basis. The first one is a versatile sauce that was the original hot sauce used for Buffalo Hot Wings; Franks Original Red Hot sauce. This sauce has been around since 1896. It uses cayenne peppers and is just right for my palate. The original Buffalo Hot Wings are very easy to make:

Chicken wings

1 tablespoon vinegar

pinch of garlic salt

pinch of celery seed

Franks Original Red Hot Sauce

Deep fry wings until done and crispy. Drain wings. In a cast iron skillet, melt a stick of butter and add vinegar, celery seed and garlic salt. Put wings in butter and coat them with the butter, let cook for a few minutes. Remove wings from the skillet and put them in a large bowl. Add hot sauce, toss wings until evenly coated. Swerve with blue cheese dressing with carrot and celery sticks.  

When I want more heat, or I'm going to cook with hot sauce, I use Sriracha sauce, an oriental sauce. If you want more heat to your Buffalo Wings, this is a good sauce to substitute with. I like to use this sauce for stir fries.  The longer this sauce is heated, the more heat it will lose, so I add it towards the end of the cooking process. It gives a great flavor to stir fried chicken or shrimp.

There are more hot sauces out there than you can shake a stick at. Some are basic, some are complex. Some are too damned hot for my taste.  If you like hot and spicy, explore Chinese, Mexican, Indian and many other ethnic foods and you'll find hot dishes.

Macaroni And Cheese

There's nothing any more satisfying than a home made macaroni and cheese casserole. It's not a difficult dish to make at all, and it can be made ahead of time and put into the oven about 30 minutes before mealtime. This recipe has a little cream along with the milk to add some richness. It definitely is not a low calorie - low fat food,  but it's great for a once in a while splurge.

Macaroni and Cheese

• 3 cups cooked shell macaroni
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1/4 cup cream
• 3 cups sharp cheddar cheese
• salt to taste

Set oven to 350 degrees and preheat. Cook the shell macaroni, drain and set aside. Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat, add flour and whisk together. Let cook for a minute or two until mixture begins to bubble slightly. Do not cook over high heat as this will burn the butter and darken the sauce. Add the milk and cream, whisk until the mixture becomes thick. Do not boil. When mixture is thick, add 2 1/2 cups of the cheddar cheese and stir until cheese melts.  Add macaroni shells and gently stir until shells are covered well with the cheese.  Grease a casserole with butter or oil and put shell/cheese mixture into it.  Dot the top with butter and add the remainder of the cheese. Put into oven and bake for 25-30 minutes.  Remove from oven when cheese is just starting to brown and is bubbly. sprinkle with parsley flakes and serve.

Baby Artichoke And Chicken Stir Fry

Unlike regular size artichokes,  baby artichokes can be eaten whole with a little prep work. Their flavor is mild, and they make a perfect compliment to chicken in a stir fry.

• 12-16 baby artichokes, cleaned and cut into quarters
• 1 chicken breast, cut into small cubes
• 2 carrots thinly sliced
• 3 green onions chopped
• 1/2 lb. fresh mushrooms sliced
• 1 can baby corn
• 1 tablespoon sherry
• 1 tablespoon corn starch
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1/2 cup water
• oil for frying (peanut or olive)

Preparation of ingredients -  Place artichokes in a colander and rinse thoroughly under cold water. Remove the dark green outer leaves of the artichoke until the leaves become pale green . Cut off the stem and the top of the artichoke. Cut the artichoke into quarters and put in a bowl with acidulated water to prevent them turning brown. Acidulated water is water that lemon juice or vinegar has been added to. Below is a picture comparing a whole baby artichoke with a correctly prepped one. 

Slice up the carrots, green onions, and mushrooms and set aside. Mix the corn starch and soy sauce with the water and set aside. Cut up chicken breast into small cubes.

Cooking directions -  Add 2 tablespoons of oil to a hot wok. Wait until oil is hot, put in chicken and stir-fry for a minute. Add sherry and continue stir frying until chicken is almost cooked through and begins to brown. Remove chicken, add a little more oil and reheat the wok. Thoroughly rinse and drain the artichokes, pat dry and add to hot wok. Stir fry for two minutes, add the rest of the vegetables and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the cooked chicken, and add the corn starch mixture. As soon as the wok returns to temperature the corn starch will thicken. If sauce is too thick, add water a teaspoonful at a time until desired consistency is reached.  Serve over rice or noodles, add a few chunks of fresh honeydew and cantaloupe for a complete meal.

Pork and Jalapeno Frittata

A frittata is an open faced omelet with other ingredients added to it. The recipe for my Pork and Jalapeno frittata can be used as an example, as most anything can be used in a frittata. It's an excellent way to use up leftovers.

• 6 oz. raw pork, cut into cubes
• 1 small onion, chopped fine
• 1/2 ripe red pepper, cut into thin strips
• 1 small jalapeno pepper cut into rings
• 1 small clove garlic, minced
• salt and pepper 
• 3 eggs

I used raw pork in this frittata, so I used a little bit different method to cook it.

Put a few tablespoons of olive oil in a medium sized skillet (10-11 inches in diameter). Let oil heat thoroughly. Add pork, onions, red peppers, garlic and jalapeno, salt and pepper and fry until pork is done. Beat up the eggs in a bowl, slowly pour them over the mixture. Shake the pan to make sure the eggs spread evenly. Reduce the heat to medium and put on a lid to help the center of the frittata set, or you can put the pan in the oven (350 degrees) for a few minutes.  When the center is set and the frittata is golden brown on the bottom, turn it out onto a plate and enjoy!

A frittata can be made out of most anything you've got left over too. If the meat you're using is already cooked, you can add everything to the eggs before putting into the skillet, or add the eggs separately. Experiment with different ingredients and cooking methods. There's really no right or wrong way to do it, as long as the eggs get cooked and it tastes good!

Yogurt, Walnut and Chocolate Chip Cookies

Here's a great recipe that uses yogurt and no eggs to make some of the best chocolate chip cookies I've ever tasted.

• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup shortening
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/2 cup plain nonfat yogurt
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• pinch of salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups semi sweet chocolate chips
• 2 ounces chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cream together sugars, shortening and butter until thoroughly combined. Stir in yogurt and vanilla. In a separate bowl combine salt, flour and baking soda. Stir into creamed mixture until thoroughly combined, mix in chocolate chips and walnuts. Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto greased cookie sheets and bake for 8-10 minutes or until edges are lightly browned.  allow to cool for a few minutes on cookie sheet after taking out of oven, remove cookies to a wire rack to cool. Makes about 36 cookies.

Tea Brined Chicken

First of all, hats off to Lacy and her blog New York City Eats where I first saw this recipe. She's got an impressive blog you need to visit with tons of great recipes.

I've seen chefs on Food Network brining turkey for Thanksgiving but never tried it. People who have, swear by the method as it makes the turkey more flavorful and juicy. I saw this recipe at the above mentioned blog and thought I'd give it a try for myself. Trying it with a chicken is easier than with a big turkey anyway. After making a few changes to the recipe, I found that brining the chicken with tea did make it very juicy and flavorful! So give it a try, either version of the recipe, and I'm sure you'll agree.

Original brine recipe
3 Twinings Lapsang Souchong tea bags
1 quart + 1 cup water
1/3 cup + 2 tablespoons kosher salt
1/4 cup + 1 teaspoon dark brown sugar
(for brining 3-4lb chicken)

My alternative recipe
3 Twinings African Rooibos Red Tea bags
1 1/2 quarts water
1/2 cup pickling salt
1/3 cup brown sugar
(I was brining a 5 pound chicken)

So why the changes? A bigger chicken for one thing, plus I couldn't find the Lapsang Souchong tea locally. I picked the African Red tea just to be different, and I didn't realize until I got home that it is an herbal tea. But sometimes you just have to run with what you've got. I used pickling salt instead of kosher salt because it's what I had. Like I said, run with what you've got...

Whichever recipe you use, bring the water to a boil. Take off  the heat and put in the tea bags. Let steep for 20 minutes, then add salt and sugar. Let mixture cool, then put chicken in a gallon zip-seal bag and pour brine into it. Seal bag, put in a large bowl (just in case it leaks) and refrigerate over night.  Next day, remove chicken from brine, place in a roasting pan and roast in a 375 degree oven until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.

The chicken comes out of the oven a reddish-brown color and the skin is delicious. I didn't put anything on the chicken when I roasted it and it needed no salt at the table. After it rested for 15 minutes, it was very tasty and juicy. I'll definitely be doing this again using a different kind of tea to see how it affects the flavor.

Tuna And Home Made Noodle Casserole

Not just any home made noodles, but noodles that have flax seed meal in them. Flax seed is high in soluble and insoluble fiber, anti-oxidants, and Omega-3 fatty acids. flax seed meal can be found in the supermarkets. If you get some, be sure to store it in an air tight container in the refrigerator. It should be used within two months after opening.

Home made noodles are pretty easy to make, it just takes a little extra time to do it.

Noodles

• 2 3/4 cup all purpose white flour
• 1/4 cup flax seed meal
• 4 eggs
• 2 TBSP olive oil
• 2 TBSP cold water
• 1/2 tsp salt

Put all ingredients into large bowl, mix and knead until loose dough forms. Gather all the dough and press it into a ball shape and knead for a few minutes. Again make the dough into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap and let rest for 30 minutes.  Separate dough into halves, roll each half into a large rectangle, making sure to keep dough well floured.  When dough is the thickness desired (remember that the noodles will get thicker when cooked) start at one end and roll up the dough like a jelly roll. With a sharp knife, cut thin noodles along the whole length of the roll of dough. Noodles will unroll after cutting if enough flour was used. Heat a large pot of water to boiling that has a little salt and olive oil added to it. Cook noodles until tender, about 5 minutes. Check noodles often while cooking as fresh noodles cook faster than dried ones.

Casserole 

• 1 26-ounce can cream of mushroom condensed soup
• 3 5-ounce cans tuna packed in water
• 1 TBSP garlic powder
• 1 regular sized package frozen peas
• pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup cheddar cheese
• cracker crumbs

In a large sauce pan, combine soup and tuna with all the water it is packed in. Add garlic powder and cook over medium heat until hot.  Add frozen peas and cook a few minutes. Drain noodles thoroughly and put in large bowl. Add soup mixture and combine thoroughly to cover all the noodles. Stir in pepper to taste. Place noodle mixture in a 13 x 9 baking pan. Sprinkle cheese and cracker crumbs on top. Place in a preheated 375 degree oven for 30 minutes or until cheese and cracker crumbs are nicely browned.