Friday, December 6, 2013

Gift Ideas

Everyone loves an edible gift, especially if it's homemade!  Here are a few ideas that are available From Jen's Kitchen and great for host/hostess gifts, under the tree, or even in the mail.

Fruit & Nut Granola
A great gift to mail to family and friends out of town.  Homemade, healthy and delicious!  Beautifully packaged in a 16oz jar and ready to be wrapped.  $6/jar

Dried Pasta
Made fresh, dried and packaged to be shared in any way you choose - can be gently wrapped and boxed up for shipment, or I can skip the drying process and package it fresh if you need a host/hostess gift for that holiday party tonight! 
Choose from spaghetti, linguine, or pappardelle.  $4/lb

Fresh Bread
The perfect gift to bring to any holiday event, and with so many options!  Full size loaves can be ordered in jalapeno cheddar, Italian herb & cheese, or whole wheat honey - these are great to add to a gift basket with some tasty jams and a nice cutting board.  Mini loaves can be ordered in the three types mentioned above, or the sweeter options of blueberry lemon, pumpkin, or chocolate chip banana - these come in paper loaf pans and look beautiful no matter how you wrap them.
$5/full loaf
$3.50/mini loaf, or $10/3 mini loaves

Saturday, November 23, 2013

Roasted Garlic

Roasting garlic is so easy that if you have never done it, I highly recommend that after reading this, you give it a try, because it's fantastic.  All you need is a couple full bulbs of garlic and some olive oil.  

To roast garlic:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Peel away the outer layers of skin from the garlic bulb, but keep the bulb intact and do not remove the individual skins from the cloves.  Use a sharp knife to cut off the top quarter inch or so of the bulb, so that you can see into each clove.  Place the bulb, right side up, either into the cup of a muffin pan, or on a piece of foil.  If using foil, fold the edges up into a cup shape.  A tablespoon of olive oil over the garlic, making sure to get some on each clove.  If using foil, seal the foil around the bulb, if using a muffin pan, fold/crinkle up a small piece of foil to cover the   cup(s) containing bulbs.  Bake for 30-40 minutes.  Remove from oven and allow to cool until you can touch the bulb with your fingers.  Garlic should now be soft.  You can use a pairing knife to cut open the individual skins and remove the cloves, but I usually just use my fingers.  I gently rip the skins open and squeeze the cloves out.  Place the cloves in a small jar and add just enough olive oil to cover the garlic.  Discard skins.  To use, crush garlic using a fork or your fingers and add to veggies, pasta, or any other desired dish while cooking.  This is my favorite way to use roasted garlic...

Roasted Garlic Pizza

Pizza Crust
Alfredo Sauce (I just use my favorite jarred sauce)
5+ large Cloves Roasted Garlic
Fontina Cheese, shredded
Chopped Fresh Parsley

Place crust or dough on a pizza pan or baking sheet.  Evenly spread desired amount of sauce onto crust.  Crush and pull apart garlic cloves and spread over sauce.  Top with cheese and garnish with parsley.  Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes or until cheese is nicely melted and begins to turn golden.  

*I got this recipe from my favorite pizza restaurant and it's absolutely one of the best pizzas I have ever had!

Friday, November 15, 2013

Mmm... Pancakes

I made pancakes for breakfast this morning and decided I would share my favorite recipe and a few ways to change it up.  Enjoy!
Perfect Buttermilk Pancakes
2 cups flour
1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
2 cups buttermilk
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) melted butter

Combine all dry ingredients in a large bowl.  Combine all other ingredients in another bowl.  Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour milk mixture into the well.  Using a wooden spoon, fold all ingredients together until entirely combined, but do not over mix - batter should be a bit lumpy.  Cook desired size pancakes over medium heat in a lightly buttered skillet or shallow pan.  It's time to flip them when the surface of the batter becomes covered with bubbles.  (I remember my dad teaching me that trick while making pancakes over a campfire roughly 20 years ago!)
*If you are like me, you don't usually have buttermilk in your kitchen.  However, you can easily make your own buttermilk if you have regular milk and either lemon juice or vinegar.  Measure out the needed amount of milk, leave it in the measuring cup and add a bit of lemon juice or vinegar - 1 tbsp per cup of milk.  Mix and let sit for about 10 minutes.  The milk will thicken and curdle a bit... and you have buttermilk!
*Another good substitute for buttermilk is yogurt.  My dad always puts yogurt in his famous waffle batter and it also works in pancakes.  Instead of buttermilk, use any type of yogurt mixed with a bit of water or skim milk.  I like this idea because you can add extra flavor by using different kinds of yogurt - I like to use cherry vanilla, or mixed berry yogurt.
*Make blueberry-lemon pancakes by adding the juice of half of a lemon and 1-2 cups of fresh blueberries to the original recipe above.
*Make vanilla-raspberry pancakes by adding 1-2 tsp vanilla and 1 cup of lightly smashed fresh raspberries to the original recipe above.
*Make more hearty pancakes by substituting 1/2 cup of the flour with whole wheat flour and add 1-2 tsp of ground cinnamon.

Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Investments

If you cook at least 3-4 nights a week, there are a few items for your kitchen that I suggest you invest in.  These three items are not necessarily things that you will use everyday, but when you need them, you will be glad they are there.  They can also get kind of expensive, so they make great gifts to ask for when birthdays and holidays come around!

A Good Knife

Everyone should have at least one really great knife.  I recommend choosing either a Santoku, or chef style knife because both are nice for chopping.  The better quality your knife is, the sharper it will be and the longer it will last.  A great knife will be designed in a way that does not allow food to stick to the blade when slicing.  Mine is a Santoku style Wüsthof and was a gift from my brother.  The Santoku is one of my favorite styles because it was designed for cutting sushi, so it is excellent for anything you need to slice super thin.  I use mine for things like slicing steaks for braciole, partially frozen beef for cheesesteaks, or anytime I need something with a perfectly clean cut. 

A Pizza Stone

A few years ago, my parents gave me a pizza stone as a Christmas gift and I absolutely love having it - it never leaves my oven.  If you are not familiar with this item, a pizza stone is a flat piece of stone or ceramic that is used for baking.  They are usually square or round, but come in many sizes and generally range in price from $20-$50 and up.  Like I said, I never take mine out of the oven as I use it fairly often and having it on the lowest rack of my oven also helps keep the heat evenly distributed along the bottom of the oven.  When I bake pizza, or bread I usually do so directly on the pizza stone for at least half of the cooking time, if not the entire time.  Baking directly on the pizza stone will create a delicious and evenly cooked quality in your food, and give it an amazing crispy texture that you will absolutely love!

A French or Dutch Oven
I am so happy I have one of these; if you don't know much about these ovens , they are essentially a heavy multi-purpose pot.  Dutch ovens are generally cheaper than the French version, but are equally useful.  Mine is a Le Creuset 3.5 quart French oven that was my grandfathers.  I most often use it for slow cooking things like roasts, ham balls, Italian beef, etc., and the reason I prefer this cast iron pot to the crock pot, is because I can use it on the stove to give the meat a nice quick sear before putting it straight into the oven on very low heat for the next few hours.  Depending on the size, type and brand, they typically cost anywhere from $50-$300 or more... as I suggested earlier, this is a good one to ask for as a gift and if you do much slow cooking, I promise you will get good use out of it! 

Thursday, October 24, 2013

Magic Ingredients

I have had a belief for quite some time now, that pretty much any dish can be improved with a) some type of cheese, b) pineapple, or c) cheese and pineapple.  Well, I have yet to be proved wrong, so I wanted to share a couple of my favorite recipes which are alright on their own, but are much improved with one of these super special ingredients.
Fried rice is always good, but gets about 10x better with some fresh pineapple - this is my fried rice recipe that I've put together over the years, but feel free to use a different one if you already have a fried rice recipe you like!
Pineapple Fried Rice
3 tbsp oil (wok oil if you have it, if not, veg oil works fine)
3 cloves minced garlic
1/4 cup chopped onion
2 tsp chopped red chillies (or you can use 1-2 tsp Asian chili sauce)
1 cup meat of your choice (I recommend pork,
thinly sliced, or shrimp)
1 cup mixed frozen veggies
3 cups of cooked rice,cooled (I like jasmine rice,
but use what you prefer)
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 egg
1 cup pineapple chunks
Heat wok or large deep nonstick pan over medium-high heat.  When hot, add 1 tbsp oil.  Once oil is hot, add garlic, onion & chillies.  Stir and cook for 1 minute, then add meat.  While meat is cooking, stir frequently until done. Shrimp will only take 2-3 minutes to cook, but other meats such as pork or chicken may take more like 5 minutes.  Add veggies, tossing until heated.  Transfer meat/veggie mixture into large bowl.  Reheat wok and add remaining 2 tbsp oil (I like to add a splash of sesame oil as well for extra flavor).  When oil is hot, add rice and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes.  Return veggie mixture to wok, add fish sauce and soy sauce and mix everything well.  Move everything out to the sides of the wok to make an empty area in the center.  Crack egg into center of wok and scramble until cooked.  Once cooked, mix in with other ingredients, add pineapple chunks and remove from  heat.  Garnish with cilantro and toasted sesame seeds.
*This can easily be made a vegetarian dish by subbing the cup of meat with extra veggies!
 
Most stuffed mushroom recipes call for some amount of Parmesan or Romano cheese, but I've found that smoked Gouda can make your stuffed mushrooms amazing - now I never make them without it!
Stuffed Mushrooms
24-28 white mushrooms
1-2 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
1/3 cup smoked Gouda cheese
1-2 tsp fresh parsley, finely chopped
1-2 tsp fresh basil, finely chopped
1/2 cup Italian breadcrumbs
olive oil
balsamic vinegar
white wine
Preheat oven to 350.  Wash mushrooms and pop out stems.  Finely chop stems.  Heat oil over medium heat in a medium or large pan.  Add garlic and chopped mushroom stems.  Allow to cook for 1-2 minutes, draining any water that may sweat out of the mushrooms.  Stir in cheeses and continue cooking another 2-3 minutes until cheeses begin to melt.  Remove from heat and stir in parsley, basil and breadcrumbs.  Drizzle a baking dish with olive oil.  Use a teaspoon to distribute filling mixture evenly into mushroom caps and place filled caps into baking dish.  Once all caps are filled, drizzle tops with balsamic vinegar and a little white wine.  Bake uncovered for 20-25 minutes until tops of filling begin to get crispy and turn golden.

Thursday, October 17, 2013

Don't Forget!


I try to keep my kitchen pretty well stocked, but with how much I cook, it is easy to forget a couple things from the store sometimes. However, forgetting something important at the store is something that I really try to avoid - as any stay at home parent knows, with two little kids it's practically impossible to simply "run to the store." Without mentioning the obvious items such as butter, milk, etc., there are a few things that I never allow myself to run out of, and if you cook most nights, I recommend you keep them on hand as well! Much of this might be obvious to you if you do much work in the kitchen, but check it out anyway - it might inspire something new for you :)
Garlic
There is so much you can do with garlic. It comes in many forms and can be used in practically any type of dish. I always keep fresh garlic in my kitchen as well as garlic powder. If you are looking for an easy way to make something like scrambled eggs more exciting, just add a little garlic powder in with your salt and pepper! Using fresh crushed garlic is a great way to add flavor to butter or olive oil when cooking. If you're searing a roast before putting it in the oven or crock-pot, simply add oil to a hot pan, add a couple cloves of pealed and crushed garlic once oil is hot, let garlic cook for 1-2 minutes, then add your roast. After another minute or two, remove and discard garlic cloves and finish searing your roast. I always add minced garlic when cooking things like taco meat, or fajita veggies - just mix one or two minced cloves (a small teaspoon or so if using the prepared garlic from a jar) into your pan while cooking - super easy and makes such a difference. If you keep fresh garlic in your kitchen, you can easily roast a couple of bulbs and store the roasted cloves in a bit of olive oil in a little jar and use it as needed on pizzas, in sauces, or with anything else that needs some extra flavor!
*The smaller the the garlic is prepared, the stronger the flavor will be. Garlic powder will be more widely distributed throughout the dish than garlic slivers or crushed garlic, plus when spices are dried (such as garlic powder), their flavor becomes stronger.
Pasta
Oh pasta, how I love you. Everyone should always keep at least one box, or bag, frozen, fresh, or dried, in their kitchen at all times. With pasta, the possibilites are endless. You can find filled pasta, wheat pasta, gluten-free pasta, potato pasta (gnocchi), chile pepper pasta, practically anything that you can imagine or ask for. Pasta is not limited to traditional Italian dishes, either. Egg noodles are awesome with beef stroganoff, or Swedish meatballs. Cajun chicken, or shrimp dishes are great with linguini, and many Thai/Asian dishes are just as good with pappardelle (long wide noodles) if you don't have rice or rice noodles around. I always have different types of pasta in my kitchen because different types and shapes are better for certain sauces, so if you want to experiment with a variety of flavors and dishes, keep a variety of noodles on hand.
*Always cook your pasta al dente, especially if it's going into a baked dish like lasagna - as the dish bakes, the pasta will cook a bit more in the sauce. There's nothing worse than overcooked pasta!
Fresh Fruit
In the last few years, I have found that fresh fruit is the best snack. While I was pregnant I began keeping more fruit in the house, 1) because it's obviously great for you, and 2) because I always wanted sweets. Ever since, I have always had at least two kinds of fresh fruit in my kitchen at all times. My favorites are bananas, pineapple and berries. Bananas are great because they're so simple - you grab it, you peel it, you eat it. You can take them to work for breakfast if you're running late and they give you a little extra energy. They're the perfect food for kids of any age - mash them up for you infant, or begin peeling it for your toddler and they can do the rest! Bananas are great sliced into stuffed French toast, a peanut butter sandwich, or mixed into pancake batter. Not to mention one of the best uses of a banana comes when they're past their prime - banana bread!
Pineapple is not only one of my favorite fruits, but one of my favorite foods. As a whole, it simply looks awesome, I love buying fresh pineapple. Don't be intimadated by cutting a fresh pineapple, try it once and you will find out how surprisingly easy it is to do. All you really have to do is (using a very sharp knife) lay the pineapple on it's side and cut off the top and bottom. Stand it up on one end and remove the rest of the outside by cutting it off in strips. I like to remove the core by slicing the fruit off vertically in long pieces while it's still standing on end. Last, cut long pieces into desired sized chunks and you're done! By the way, the core is super sweet, so I recommend doing this at least once - hold the core like an ear or corn, dig your teeth in and such the juice out... I swear, it's delicious! Also, if you have a teething baby, stick the core in the feezer and give it to baby later like you would a teether toy :) What is there to say about fresh berries that you don't already know... probably nothing, everyone knows how many kinds there are, how delicious they are and everyone has a favorite... so maybe I'll just share how they're most commonly used in my house. In cereal - we love blueberries and strawberries in pretty much any cereal. In pancakes - mix some blueberries or raspberries into your pancake batter for an extra sweet breakfast treat. In fruit crisps or pies - if you're ever baking an apple or peach pie, mix in some fresh berries if you have them. Berries do not only make your dish more tasty, I promise it will also be more beautiful!


Friday, October 11, 2013

"Why are you getting this tattoo?"


"Because I love food."

So, I have spent all day trying to think of an excuse to post all of these pictures... I couldn't come up with anything quite good enough, so I am giving up. Instead, you simply get a photo bomb blog post of my food pictures. It's not quite "food porn" quality, (if you're not familiar with the term look it up!) but hopefully you find it to be worth scanning through... Thanks for the look everyone!
A Rhombus Guys Specialty
In Grand Forks, ND you will find something unexpected -
one of the BEST pizza places you have ever experienced
Mussels & Spaghetti
So simple, yet so delicious,
my favorite meal at my favorite Italian restaurant -
Giuseppe's in Grand Forks
my mom's fresh pasta
I can remember making pasta like this with my grandmother
when I was younger and
when my mom does this, it brings back those memories...
my marinara sauce
best. comfort food. ever.
my four cheese ravioli
I would love to make these for you!
They are a bit time consuming, so could get pricey,
but there's nothing like fresh pasta
my mixed berry apple crisp
I'm not sure why I love making these so much,
but I think it has to do with the amazing smell and
how beautiful they look when they're done baking...
half of the pastry counter at Dakota Harvest Bakers
I worked at this fabulous bakery while I lived in Grand Forks,
and it was the best job I've ever had - I miss those smells!
A Katie Regan Cheesecake
My amazing friend Katie has made some of the greatest cakes I've ever seen,
I don't know how she does it ~ (love you Nightman!)