Next Up: Chili Verde

Billionaire’s Franks & Beans – Welcome to the Top 1% of Comfort Foods

Maybe it’s the billionaire(s) in the news lately, but for some reason I decided to take one of America’s most frugal meals, franks and beans, and give it a high-end makeover. Besides, all the other classic comfort foods have been fancified, hipsterized, and/or molecular gastronomized; so I figured I would take this one down. And by down, I mean up.

Usually, franks and beans is made by opening up a couple cans of baked beans, and heating it up with some sliced hotdogs. Not exactly something you’d serve to visiting dignitaries. However, by adding some fresh veggies, plain beans, and high-quality beef hot dogs, we can achieve something much healthier, equally delicious, and every bit as comforting.

So, how much more will it cost you to make this usually cheap dish, using these upscale ingredients? It’s tempting to say, if you have to ask, you can’t afford it, but that’s not the case. Sure, the Kobe hotdogs will cost you a couple extra dollars, but the rest of the dish is still quite inexpensive. I really do hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 4 portions Franks & Beans:

2 tbsp unsalted butter

1 diced yellow onion

1 diced poblano or other green pepper

2 tbsp minced fresh cayenne pepper, or other hot red pepper

1 rib celery, diced

1 pound hot dogs, sliced (literally any other sausage will work here)

2 (15-oz) cans cannellini beans, drained, rinsed

1 tbsp light brown sugar

1/4 cup ketchup

1 tbsp Dijon mustard

1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

2 1/2 cup chicken broth, or as needed

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1/4 cup sliced green onions

- serve with buttered toast and champagne

Mom's Southern Fried Chicken

I am convinced beyond a shadow of a doubt that no one made fried chicken like my Mom. I can close my eyes and still see her hands dropping those battered chicken pieces in that hot oil in her big old cast iron skillet. I can still hear the sizzle of that hot oil and seeing her nod of approval as she flipped each piece over to expose that beautiful golden brown skin. My Dad always gets tears in his... eyes when I make it....he remembers too.

  

Mom's Southern Fried Chicken

1 (5 pound) whole frying chicken, cut into pieces
1 quart whole buttermilk (secret to moist, tender chicken)
vegetable oil or Peanut Oil for frying
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
a pinch of cayenne pepper (more if you want a kick)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper

In a large bowl, combine chicken and buttermilk. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours. In a large cast-iron skillet, add enough oil over low heat to come 1 inch up side of skillet.

In a shallow dish, combine flour, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne, salt, and pepper. Shake buttermilk off chicken and discard. Dredge chicken in flour mixture to coat, gently shaking off excess.

Turn heat up to medium high. Place chicken in skillet, arranging thighs in the center and breasts and legs around edges. Fry chicken for 10 to 12 minutes per side or until golden brown. Turn down heat to low and cover with a tight fitting lid. Cook for about 40 minutes until chicken is cooked through.

Turn heat back up to medium high and allow chicken to get as crispy as you like it. Serve and enjoy!

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How to Make Fresh Spring Rolls – Authentic is as Authentic Does

Based on the YouTube comments appearing under the newly posted spring rolls video, lots of people missed the part about this not trying to be a specific recipe, but simply a demo featuring the magic that is damp, rice paper wrappers.

Don’t get me wrong; I love the “authentic” spring rolls I so often order at my friendly, neighborhood Vietnamese restaurant. Loaded with sweet shrimp, and bursting with vermicelli noodles, they are among the most delicious things ever invented.

However, I do reserve the right to soak rice paper wrappers in water, and… (I hope you’re sitting down for this) ...not make those! What you see here is just what I had on hand that day, and the next time I do a batch of these, who the heck knows what they’ll encase. If I have a point, that’s it.

Speaking of soaking in water, many commenters suggested that I dunk these in warm water for just a few seconds to hydrate, instead of the longer dip in cold water. I’ve tried both methods, and had more issues with the warmer/faster approach. They seemed to get too rubbery, too fast, which I found made the rolling harder.

Anyway, to each his own, and that goes for water temperature, filling ingredients, and dipping sauce. By the way, there are no ingredient amounts below, since that’s up to you entirely. You should be able to get “rice paper wrappers” at any large grocery store with an Asian food section, but if not, they’re easily found online. I hope you give these, or something similar, a try soon. Enjoy!

Click here to see our peanut sauce recipe video!

Peach Financiers – Because French Bankers Hate Dirty Money

There are many different techniques used for making financiers, but as usual, I’ve chosen the easiest one. I would have been happy to try those other more complicated versions, but fortunately, I enjoyed this one so much, there’s no need.

I mention in the video that these are called “financiers” because they’re rich, and look like gold bars (if you use the traditional rectangular molds). Well, apparently that’s not quite right.

Word on the “rue” is that there was a bakery next to the Paris stock exchange that made these small almond cakes so bankers could enjoy them on the way to work, without getting their fingers dirty. I assume this is accurate, since I read it in the YouTube comments.

Anyway, not only is this an easy recipe, but it works beautifully with pretty much any summer fruit. Berries are popular, as are other stone fruits. Just don’t use too much. It’s merely a garnish, and adding too much could effect the texture and cooking time. I hope you give these delicious peach financiers a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 12 small cakes:

3 egg whites

1/2 cup white sugar

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup almond meal (or finely ground almonds)

3 tablespoons flour

3 oz unsalted butter (6 tablespoons), toasted to a golden-brown

12 small sliced of peach

- I used mini-muffin pans, so you'll have to adjust your time if you used regular muffin tins, or other molds.

- Bake for 5 minutes at 400 F., then top with fruit, and continue baking until browned, about 10-12 minutes.

Homemade Dill Pickles – Naturally Fermented, Whatever That Means

This is going to be an easy post, in that I know virtually nothing about fermenting pickles. The only thing I know for sure is how to make them, and for me, that’s enough. If you make a simple salt brine, add some spices, and submerge Kirby cucumbers in it for about a week, you get some fairly delicious pickles.

Maybe it’s dumb luck, or just overwhelmingly good karma, but fortunately I’ve not experienced any of the problems I’ve seen others lament; such as mushy texture, scary molds, or exploding jars. Apparently, cucumbers are one of the more finicky things to pickle, but that hasn’t been my experience.

Like I said in the video, I’ve only made these a handful of times, so maybe my time is coming, but I’m pretty sure if you measure your salt right, and store the fermenting pickles at an appropriate temperature, you should get something close to what you see here.

Having said that, I will refer any and all of your questions having to do with variations, troubleshooting, probiotics, and/or best practices, to the Internet. The purpose of this video is to simply show the process, and how ridiculously easy it is. If this seems like something you want to try, and it should, I recommend doing lots of research before starting, so at least you’ll have someone else to blame if things go horribly wrong.

One thing I can tell you for sure is that you have to use pure salt for this. Table salt can contain additives like iodine, which inhibits the bacterial growth necessary for this to work. I’m also giving you weight measurements for the salt, since the size of the salt crystal can really effect measuring by volume.

Other than getting your brine right, just be sure to get very fresh, very firm pickling cucumbers to make this with. If your cucumbers start off soft and mushy, your pickles will be terrible, and not have that loud crunch associated with the finest examples. I really do hope you give this a try. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

2 pounds very fresh Kirby cucumbers, washed thoroughly

Handful of fresh, flowering dillweed

For the brine:

8 cups cold fresh water

8 tablespoons Kosher salt (By weight, you wants exactly 80 grams. The brand of kosher salt I use weighs about 10 gram per tablespoon, but yours may not, so it’s best to use a scale if possible.)

4 cloves peeled garlic

2 teaspoons whole coriander seed

2 teaspoon black peppercorn

3 or 4 bay leaves

4 whole cloves

- Ferment at room temperature (I hear that between 70-75 F. is ideal) for about a week. Check every day as these can ferment fast. They are done when you like the taste. If you go too far, they start to get soft, and the inside gets hollow. Keep the brine level topped off.

- This makes extra brine for topping off.

Pickling Spice Note: I tend not to like a lot of spices in my pickles, so I believe the amounts listed here are fairly puny compared to most recipes. Feel free to find one of the many pickling spices recipes online, and use that instead.

Ambrosia (AKA "The Pink Stuff")

Remember this pink stuff?  That's what we called it when we were kids. My brother and I used to pick out the marshmallows and cherries and leave the rest.

My Mom never made Ambrosia but it was always on our holiday table.  A friend would bring it for Easter dinner. A coworker would bring it to the company picnic. The in-laws would bring it for Christmas and Thanksgiving an the neighbors would bring it to potluck. It used to just show up at every gathering. It still does!   But the Ambrosia I make today is very different from the old recipes that used mayonnaise or Miracle Whip. This is the modern day pink stuff!

Ambrosia (AKA "The Pink Stuff")

1 (8 oz.) tub of whipped topping, thawed

1 cup sour cream

1 (8 oz.) can crushed pineapple

1 (15 oz.) can mandarin orange segments

1 1/2 cups sweetened coconut flakes

1 1/2 cups mini marshmallows

1 (10 oz.) jar of maraschino cherry halves

1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)

1 cup red or green seedless grapes, sliced in half (optional)

The most important step in making Ambrosia is to drain your fruit. I don't mean just put your hand over the can and allow some juices to run through. I mean dump it all out in a colander and let it drain in the sink for at least 3-4 hours. There is nothing worse than wet and soggy Ambrosia.

 In a medium bowl, combine whipped topping and sour cream. Add in coconut flakes and marshmallows. Then gently fold in the crushed pineapple, mandarin oranges, maraschino cherries and grapes and nuts, if using. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for about an hour before serving.

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Apple and Fennel Salad with White Balsamic Vinaigrette

Apple and Fennel Salad

1 1/2 pounds Granny Smith apples (about 3-4)

2  fennel bulbs 

1 cup golden raisins

1/2 cup celery, chopped or sliced thin

Slice apples into quarters, remove seeds. Slice thinly and place in a large mixing bowl. Thinly slice fennel crosswise and chop celery and add to apples. Stir in raisins, set aside.

White Balsamic Vinaigrette 

1/2 cup Star Fine Foods extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup Star Fine Foods Golden Balsamic Vinegar

2 teaspoons lemon juice

1/4 cup white sugar 

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

In a separate bowl combine balsamic vinegar and lemon juice and whisk until well combined.  Slowly whisk in olive oil until smooth. Whisk in sugar and season to taste with salt and pepper. 

Put apple mixture in a gallon-sized Ziploc bag, pour in vinaigrette and seal tightly. Lay the bag flat in a baking dish and Refrigerate for 1-2 hours, turning Ziploc bag after a half hour or so to ensure vinaigrette gets distributed evenly.  

Serve salad cold and garnish with fennel leaves.

Photography is the property of and copyrighted to ©Welcome Home.

Look for STAR Extra Virgin Olive Oil in the olive oil section of our local grocery store or online at: 

http://shop.starfinefoods.com/Extra-Virgin-Olive-Oil/p/STAR-00011&c=Star@OliveOils.

Star Fine Foods now has a promo code for all Welcome Home fans that will give you a 10% discount on anything you order online. Just enter WELCOMEHOME10 at checkout!

STAR Golden Balsamic Vinegar is available at Safeway (Northern California), Acme, Roundy’s, Schnucks, Bashas, Kroger, King Soopers, Ralphs, Smiths, Supervalu, select Walmart stores and online athttp://bit.ly/GoldenBalsamic.

Disclaimer: I have an ongoing relationship with STAR Fine Foods for my recipes and photography using their wonderful products. This post is sponsored by STAR. I am compensated for my time and work and I am sent products as I request them. However, all opinions of the product stated in this post are 100% my own. I truly love their products!

Next Up: Dill Pickles

Grilled Pattypan Squash with Hot Chorizo Vinaigrette – Almost Stuffed

Michele does a fantastic, sausage-stuffed pattypan squash, which was actually how these were supposed to be prepared, but someone, and we won’t name names, didn’t pay attention to buying ones of a uniform size, which is kind of a big deal if you want them to bake evenly. Okay, it was me.

In an attempt to redeem myself, I decided to grill them instead – a cooking method where any size will work – and top them with a hot chorizo vinaigrette. It’s something I’ve wanted to try for a while, and it really turned out to be a wonderful combination.

The ingredients below are just a rough guide, and you’ll have to figure out your own amounts, depending on how much squash you grill, but I do recommend a 1-to-1 ratio of sherry vinegar to olive oil/rendered chorizo fat.

I used a veal chorizo, which was very lean, so I had to add a good amount of olive oil. If you use pork chorizo, you’ll have a lot of rendered fat, so you may want to drain off most of it, keeping a few tablespoons, before adding your oil and vinegar.

Speaking of oil, don’t put any on your squash before you toss it on the grill. I used to do this myself, because it seemed logical, but it’s a bad idea. The dripping oil causes flare-ups that can make your veggies taste like gasoline, which is not good eats. Other than that, not much can go wrong with this simple summer dish. I hope you give it a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 4 portions

8 pattypan squash

kosher salt to taste

6-8 ounces fresh, raw chorizo sausage
(crumbled fine, and browned well in olive oil)

*you want to leave about 2 tablespoons rendered chorizo fat in the pan

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/3 cup sherry vinegar (or, use any vinegar you like)

splash of water to maintain moisture level if needed

1 tablespoon freshly sliced mint leaves

Peanut Butter Pie

Who doesn't like peanut butter pie? My mom loved baking pies and I think this was one of my favorites. She would chop up frozen candy bars for the top and drizzle it with thick chocolate...this is her recipe.

Peanut Butter Pie

Crust:

2 cups. graham cracker... crumbs
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 cup finely chopped honey-roasted peanuts
1/2 cup butter, melted

In a medium bowl, mix graham cracker crumbs, cinnamon, very finely chopped peanuts with the melted butter. Grease a 9-inch pie plate or spray with non-stick cooking spray and then firmly press the graham cracker crumb mixture into the bottom and up the sides of the pie plate. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 - 12 minutes, until lightly browned. Remove from the oven and cool completely.

Filling:

1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, softened
1 cup of any brand creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup light brown sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 2/3 cup whipping cream, divided

Beat cream cheese, peanut butter, brown sugar, and 1/4 cup of whipping cream with an electric mixer at medium speed until mixture is light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Beat remaining whipping cream and vanilla extract at high speed until stiff peaks form. Fold about one-third of the whipped cream into the peanut butter mixture to loosen it up; then fold in the remaining whipped cream. Spread the peanut butter mixture in the baked pie crust. Cover and chill at least 8 hours before serving.

Topping

2 frozen Reese's peanut butter cups, chopped
1 tablespoon honey roasted peanuts chopped fine
1 tablespoon of peanut butter chips or butterscotch or caramel chips
1 tablespoon chocolate chips
Chocolate syrup or chocolate Shell for drizzle

You can use any topping you wish for this pie. I like to freeze candy bars and then chop them up to sprinkle on top. Then drizzle with chocolate syrup or better yet, Reese's Chocolate Shell. Oh My Gosh!

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Spicy Caramel Chicken and a History Lesson

I’ve wanted to film an updated version of this caramel chicken for many years. It was one of the first videos I ever posted, and its unexpected popularity made me realize that there were actually people (non-relatives) watching these videos.

The original vision for Food Wishes was an online cooking school, where I’d charge tuition for a series of courses that would mimic the culinary school I’d just left. I started filming a few recipes each week, knowing full well that only a handful of people would see them, but I had to learn my new craft.

Caramel Chicken, Circa 2007

As the library grew, so did the audience, and I realized that instead of charging for the content, I could give it away for free, and maybe survive on the ad revenue that YouTube was just starting to offer. Above and beyond that, I was getting emails and comments, telling me that what I was doing was making them happy.

This wasn’t something I’d anticipated, and while at the time I would have preferred money, it was great to hear, and inspired me to push on. The rest, as they say, is history, and every time I got an email asking for an updated version of this recipe, I would fondly remember how all this came to be.

So, whether you were here from the very beginning, or you’re brand new, and will be trying caramel chicken for the very first time, I really hope you give this fast, easy, delicious, and historically significant recipe a try soon. Enjoy!

Makes 4 large portions:

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut in about 1 inch chunks

1/2 cup sliced, seeded jalapeno peppers

1/2 cup sliced, seeded mild red chilies, or bell peppers

1/2 cup chopped green onions

1/2 cup roasted peanuts

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves

4 cups cooked white rice

For the sauce mixture:

2 tbsp finely grated fresh ginger

4 cloves finely minced garlic

3/4 cup light brown sugar

1/3 cup rice vinegar

1/3 cup fish sauce

1 tsp soy sauce

2 tsp hot sauce, or to taste

Maasor Konir Bor (Fish egg fritters)

মাছর কণীর বড় 

Ingredients:

• Fish egg - 100 grms
• Onion - 2 (chopped)
• Green chilly -as per your taste
• Coriander leaves - chopped
• Curry leaves- 10-15
• Gram flour-1/2 cup
• A pinch off turmeric powder
• 1 tsp chopped ginger
• A pinch of Red chilly powder
• Salt - to taste
• Oil for frying
• Water - for mixing the ingredients

Method:

• First clean the eggs properly
• Now boil the fish eggs for five minutes (Add a pinch of salt in the water at the time of boiling. The boiling process increases the volume of the eggs)
• After five minutes strain it and let it to cool
• In a big bowl transfer the boiled fish eggs. Add all ingredients and mix well. Make a thick mixture with little water 
• Heat oil in a pan and shallow fry the fritters until golden brown on both sides.You can even deep fry if you want.
• Serve hot.

The Perfect Size Cakes By Duncan Hines! Red Velvet Cream

How many times have you felt like baking a cake but knew it wouldn't all get eaten? Like when you bake that Birthday layer cake or sheet cake for that one person knowing it’s just too much cake for one. How about that anniversary cake you wanted to bake for just the two of you knowing that you both would get tired of the same cake day after day.

Have you ever gone out to dinner with another couple and wanted to invite them back to your place for coffee and dessert but didn't want to keep the leftovers around for days? 

Well now you can put all the hesitation to rest because our friends over at Duncan Hines have created the Perfect Size Cakes! Why make a whole cake when you can make delicious little cakes that are the perfect size for 2-4 people. These are the right sized cake for that small luncheon with the girls, family game night, or for any occasion or celebration. 

Duncan Hines Perfect Sized Cakes. The name says it all. They bring us the perfect solution for those times when a full size cake is too much. Each kit comes with a cake mix, frosting mix, and a disposable 6-inch round pan made just for the cake. Simply prepare as directed for a moist and delicious cake that is topped with a rich, smooth and creamy frosting. Now you can enjoy a fresh baked cake anytime! All you have to add is an egg, water and butter and what you get is better than just an easy boxed cake....it's a moist, buttery cake with delicious creamy frosting!

But there’s more! Duncan Hines has made life easy because in every box you not only get the cake mix, and the frosting but also a perfect 6” disposable non-stick pan that has a push up bottom to release your cake!  There’s no need to buy a special pan to make these perfectly sized cakes and there’s no pan to clean up.

Here's how I made the Red Velvet Dream Perfect Cake. Pour your package of cake mix to a large bowl. Add an egg, some water, and 2 tablespoons of butter. Mix it all up with an electric mixer.
























Mix the cake mix, butter, egg and water.  Then pour the batter into the perfect non-stick pan included in the kit and bake it for a little over 30 minutes.
























Remove from oven and using the disc on the bottom of the pan, push it up and out of the pan. Genius idea Duncan Hines!

Place cake on a wire rack to cool. It has to cool completely before frosting. When cooled place it on a serving plate. Next make your frosting. Using an electric mixer, beat your butter until fluffy. Add your packet of frosting mix and some water and beat until thick and creamy. 

Using an off set knife or spatula, spread the frosting evenly over the top and sides of the cake.  I used leftover crumbs from my pan to decorate my cake.

A moist and delicious Red Velvet Cake for any special occasion!  Why waste a big layer cake or sheet cake when you can make the perfect sized cake for two or four people?

Now you can celebrate the little things in life with a perfect-sized cake for two, not ten. I love these cakes! So far I have made the Lemon Bliss and this Strawberries and Cream and I can say they are PERFECT!

Try all 5 flavors and see for yourself!

Golden Fudge (golden cake with chocolate frosting)

Chocolate Lover’s (chocolate cake with chocolate frosting)

Lemon Bliss (lemon cake with lemon frosting)

Red Velvet Dream (red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting)

Strawberries & Crème (strawberry cake with cream cheese frosting)

Sold in your grocer’s baking aisle

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