Author Archives: skurtz

More Muffins

  By skurtz | 01/31/2012 - 11:48 am | Breads, What's For Dinner
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So I made another batch and they don’t really look that different. They are a little more uniform in shape and a little flatter and just as yummy. I poked around the Internet and found the results of other people’s experiments were similar to mine. My conclusion: I will start making this on a regular basis and stop spending $2-$4 on a pack of store-bought ones.

Roly Poly

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  By skurtz | 01/30/2012 - 1:20 pm | What's For Dinner
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My sweet sister gifted me some new books to feed my hobbies. One of them was one of Peter Reinhart’s bread books. I spent the last few weeks reading all the words. I finally felt I was ready to tackle a formula. I picked English Muffins and this is what they came put looking like. They taste great. Logan and I tested them as-is and toasted with both butter and peanut butter. No complaints. This is really the fun part about baking bread – even though it’s a lengthy process with a good chance of screwing up the results (especially for a novice), there’s also a good chance the screw ups will taste pretty good too.

This first batch burned a little. And I am not sure they are supposed to look so much like rolls. So, I am trying again. Second batch is proofing now.

Chinese Chicken Fried Rice

  By skurtz | 01/23/2012 - 5:49 pm | Eggs, Cheese, Pasta, Rice, Poultry, Recipes
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Chinese Chicken Fried Rice

This is a great way to use leftover rice and chicken. You could also substitute pork for the chicken.

Ingredients

  1. 2 large eggs
  2. 1 tablespoon water
  3. 1 tablespoon butter
  4. 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  5. 1 large onion chopped
  6. 1 cup frozen peas (or some other green thing - like broccoli)
  7. 2 cups long-grain white rice cooked and cold
  8. 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  9. 1 teaspoon black pepper
  10. 1 cup boneless, skinless chicken breasts cooked and cubed

Instructions

  1. In a small bowl, beat eggs with water. Melt butter in large skillet over medium-low heat. Add egg and leave flat for 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from skillet and cut into shreds.
  2. Heat oil in same skillet; add onion and saute until soft. Add peas and cook until heated through. Then add rice, soy sauce, pepper and chicken. Stir fry together for about 5 minutes, then stir in egg. Serve hot.

Veggie Friends

  By skurtz | 01/20/2012 - 2:53 pm | Cooking
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I think its happened more than once.  My sister will be attending or hosting an event where vegetarians and sometimes even vegans will be hanging around and she wants to prepare a dish that will appeal to them.  And she will also be looking for something more interesting than cut-up sticks of carrots.  So she asks me.  I have no idea.  My salads aren’t even vegetarian-friendly.  But I came across this recipe the other day for “Sweet Potato and Chickpea Shepherd’s Pie” and thought of her and her vegetarian friends.  I even went so far as to imagine replacing the small amount of butter and sour cream in the recipe to make her vegan friend happy too.  Woo.  That was a lot of work.  There is no way I have enough energy left to actually make this now, so you try it and let me know how it is.

Sweet Potato and Chickpea Shepherd’s Pie

  By skurtz | 01/20/2012 - 2:47 pm | Recipes, Vegetables
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Sweet Potato and Chickpea Shepherd’s Pie

Ingredients

  1. 2 pounds sweet potatoes, scrubbed well
  2. 1 tablespoon olive oil
  3. 1 medium onion, finely chopped
  4. salt
  5. 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
  6. 3 to 4 teaspoons mild curry powder
  7. Freshly ground black pepper
  8. 2 15-ounce cans no salt-added chickpeas
  9. 1 1/2 cups vegetable broth, divided
  10. 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
  11. 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
  12. 2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro leaves
  13. 1/4 cup regular or low-fat sour cream

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350˚F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
    2. To bake the potatoes:
  2. Prick each sweet potato a few times with a fork or skewer. Place on the foil-lined sheet and bake until the potatoes are completely soft when squeezed and juices are running out of the pierced holes; the amount of time will vary depending on the size of the sweet potatoes. Small ones will be done in about 45 minutes; large ones may take up to 1 1/2 hours. Transfer to a platter; keep the oven at 350˚F.
    3. Meanwhile, prepare the chickpea filling:
  3. Heat oil in large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add onion; season with salt to taste. Cook for 5 to 6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened, then add the butter and 3 tablespoons curry powder. Season with pepper to taste, stirring to combine.
  4. Stir in chickpeas, 1 1/4 cups vegetable broth and brown sugar. Once the mixture has begun to bubble at edges, reduce heat to medium and cook for 10 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed, adding some or all of the remaining 1 tablespoon curry powder.
  5. Whisk together the remaining 1/4 cup vegetable broth with cornstarch in a measuring cup, stirring to dissolve the cornstarch. Add to the chickpea filling. Increase heat to medium-high so the broth comes to a boil. When the liquid has thickened, remove from heat and stir in the chopped cilantro. Transfer to 8-by-11-inch baking dish.
    6. To assemble pie:
  6. Cut each sweet potato in half lengthwise. Scoop the potato flesh from the skin and transfer to a large bowl; discard the skins. Add sour cream and season with salt and pepper to taste. Use a masher or fork to smash the potatoes until the other elements are fully incorporated.
  7. Drop dollops of sweet potato mixture on top of chickpea filling, spreading them with a small spatula to cover the filling completely. Bake at 350˚F for 20 to 25 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling around the sides of the dish.

Chicken Francaise

  By skurtz | 01/20/2012 - 2:15 pm | Poultry, Recipes
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Chicken Francaise

Easy. Delicious.

Ingredients

  1. 1 egg, beaten
  2. 1/2 lemon, juiced
  3. 1 cup all-purpose flour
  4. 1 pinch garlic powder
  5. 1 pinch paprika
  6. 6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
  7. 2 tablespoons butter
  8. 1 (14.5 ounce) can chicken broth
  9. 1 lemon, juiced
  10. 6 slices lemon, for garnish
  11. 2 sprigs fresh parsley, for garnish

Instructions

  1. In a shallow dish or bowl, mix together the egg and juice of 1/2 lemon. In another shallow dish or bowl mix together the flour, garlic powder and paprika. Dip chicken breasts in egg mixture, then flour mixture.
  2. Heat butter or margarine in a large skillet over medium heat. Add chicken breasts and cook until golden on each side.
  3. In a medium bowl, mix together broth and juice of 1 lemon, and pour mixture over chicken in skillet. Reduce heat to medium low and let simmer for about 8 minutes. Place on serving platter, and garnish with fresh lemon slices and parsley sprigs.