Shipping Day, 2010

It's Cattle Shipping Day, and once again, I'm making lunch for a fairly big crew of cowboys. No matter what time we end up eating, even if it's after dark, it's called "Shipping Day Lunch." This year, there's a possibility of 16 people, and it's cold outside, so I needed a big pot of something warm.

If you want to know more about what Shipping Day entails, please read my ranch blog post from a couple years ago!

In previous years, I've made my Rustic Chili or Beef Stew. This year, I wanted something a little different, especially since I just served up a big pot of chili for the cowboys a week or so ago.

I thought I'd share the Shipping Day Lunch Menu with you, so follow the links for recipes (stew recipe coming soon, and pictures will be coming soon too!)

Shipping Day Lunch, 2010

Beef Burgundy Stew



Artisan Bread


Salad
(any salad will do)

Chocolate Sheet Cake
(picture coming soon!)

Mexican Hot Cocoa Cookies

Wow is time flying by! I thought I was all set for Taste & Create, having finished my Stracoto with Shiitake Mushrooms a few days early. Then I noticed that I was getting a few hits on my blog from A Whisk & A Prayer...hmmm. The name sounded familiar, and I remembered perusing that blog...OMG! My Stracoto entry was from LAST MONTH!! Ack!

Let's get on with it, the deadline is approaching!

My partner for THIS month's Taste & Create is Liz from A Whisk and A Prayer. Taste & Create is a fabulously fun food blog event, created by the lovely Nicole of For the Love of Food. Participants are randomly paired off to choose and create a dish from their partner's blog. (If you'd like to learn more about T&C, go here!) And here we are. Liz chose to make my Yoghurt Coffee Cake...

I needed a dessert for dinner for cowboys tonight anyway, and had something chocolate in mind. I told Number One about Liz' Black Bean Brownies, but after a lively discussion about how "just" adding beans to something doesn't make that something "healthy" and him saying "Don't make brownies with beans in them"...I decided on a different course.

I noticed Liz' recipe for Mexican Hot Cocoa Dream Cookies, savory chocolate gems filled with...marshmallow fluff! YUM. (and I assume that's where the "Dream" part comes in)

Sadly, I'm almost completely out of marshmallow fluff myself, because someone has been eating it with a spoon. Ahem. So anyway, because we're having cowboys over for dinner, it just wouldn't be right to only have a few with fluff and the rest plain. That is not to say I won't personally sneak a couple cookies filled with fluff before everyone else arrives...I'm just being honest, here, sorry cowboys, maybe next time!

So, this time they're not exactly a "Dream," but I'm sure they'll be good.

Right in the middle of making these cookies, I realized with shock that our Abuelita Mexican Hot Chocolate Mix is GONE!! We have the Abuelita tablets (very very hard and must be mixed with hot milk), but no powdered mix. I was already committed <>ingredients up to the flour in the bowl<> to making a double batch of cookies, so I powered through it. Some of you may remember that I live 35 miles from the nearest town, so "running to the store" is ALWAYS out.

I added 5 packets (about 1 cup) of Swiss Miss Hot Chocolate Mix with mini Marshmallows (of course). I also threw in some cinnamon, nutmeg and a dash of cloves to make up for my sad lack of Abuelita. (see amounts below) I also substituted bittersweet chocolate chips for the semi-sweet. I have to say that I actually liked the taste of the dough (unlike Liz and the girl she got the recipe from). I am quite hopeful for these at-this-stage-experimental cookies! *After a test pan of 6 cookies, I decided to line the pan with parchment paper to prevent sticking. Also, these really spread so be sure to space them apart on the parchment. *I am sure the hot chocolate mix, which Liz originally substituted for baking cocoa, messed with the consistency--these might need some adjustments to compensate, but I don't have time right now*

The cookies are mildly spicy and pretty good after they've cooled down, although they do bake up thin. I decided to bake them smaller and turn them into ice cream sandwiches. I think I baked each batch right around 13 minutes, they weren't very golden, and still a bit soft, so that means when cool they are still chewy with just a bit of crunch around the edges.

As ice cream sandwiches, these cookies are AMAZING. Yum. The spices, the bittersweet chocolate, the ice cream, all complement each other perfectly. Not bad for an experimental emergency substitution!

I ran out of time to try one with fluff before everyone arrived, but there's always tomorrow!




Mexican Hot Cocoa Cookies

3/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup butter, softened
1-1/2 cups packed brown sugar
Scant 1/2 cup sugar
4 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup Abuelita Mexican Hot Chocolate Mix OR 5 packets Swiss Miss Hot Chocolate Mix with Marshmallows + 1-1/2 teaspoon cinnamon + 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg + 2 to 4 dashes cloves
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup vanilla or white chocolate chips
1 cup bittersweet chocolate chips

In a large bowl, beat the oil, butter & sugars until well blended. Add eggs, one at a time, and beat after each one. Beat in vanilla.

Combine the flour, hot chocolate mix, & baking powder. Gradually add to oil mixture & mix well. Stir in chips. Drop by rounded tablespoons 2 inches apart onto a parchment-lined baking sheet.

Bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes or until edges barely begin to brown. Cool for 1 minute before removing cookies from pans to wire racks.

Oven-Dried Tomatoes

I had some cherry tomatoes that had begun to dry in the refrigerator, so I decided to finish off the process. I remembered reading somewhere about oven-drying tomatoes (similar to sun-drying, but faster), but of course I couldn't remember where. So I googled it.

I looked at a bunch of recipes for oven-dried cherry tomatoes, and man is there a lot of variation. Olive oil, no olive oil, cut, not cut, herbs, no herbs, low temperature, high temperature, etc!!

What's a girl to do? Whatever she wants, that's what! My first batch I drizzled the tomatoes with olive oil before baking, then I didn't quite get them out of the oven in time before they burned. Drat. The second batch, I didn't use the olive oil, just salted the tomatoes and kept a more careful eye on them. Success! (except I forgot how many hours it took...I have more tomatoes to do, I'll update when I figure it out!)



Oven-Dried Cherry Tomatoes

approximately 2 pounds cherry tomatoes, washed
kosher salt
olive oil

Preheat oven to 225 degrees. Cover a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Spread cherry tomatoes in a single layer on top of the parchment. Drizzle with a couple tablespoons olive oil (if desired, I decided not to) and sprinkle with salt. Place pan in oven for 2 to 6 hours, until tomatoes are completely dry and shriveled, yet still chewy and not burnt! Remove from oven, cool completely.

Store in jar, covered with olive oil. You can add garlic and some fresh herbs if you'd like. These should keep for several weeks in the refrigerator, and would make a fantastic gift.


In fact, I'm going outside to pick the rest of my cherry tomatoes right now!

Zucchini Bread

Everyone who's ever been near a garden has a recipe for zucchini bread. I've tried quite a few different ones, but this is one of my favorites. It's from The Martha Stewart Cookbook, and I think the best ingredient in it is walnut oil. I use my absolute favorite: La Tourangelle Roasted Walnut Oil (for a yummy vinaigrette made with this oil, go here!)

The reason I'm making zucchini bread today is simple. I saw Uncle Paul yesterday, who said, "We were on the mountain for 2 weeks and our zucchini got out of control...want some?" I said, and I quote, "sure, I'll take a couple."

The next thing I know, there are 5 of the biggest zucchini I have ever seen in the back of my car! I'm not kidding, the largest ones are almost two feet long and over 5 inches in diameter!! And there are five of them!

I had to do something with them, and quick. Another good thing about this recipe is that the bread freezes very well! I'll make some big loaves, some little loaves, and have a freezer full of deliciousness.

~~~
Reality check: I managed to get the zucchini all grated with my beloved Bosch, in two phases. 70 cups of shredded zucchini in total. I used 5 cups for one batch of this bread, with two more 5-cup bags waiting. Ended up with three large loaves from the batch, we ate one and put two in the freezer. All the rest of the zucchini is in the freezer in 2-cup bags, but I have some ideas! I also had to harvest ALL of the tomatoes (red AND green) and 5 kinds of peppers from the garden before we left for the weekend because I was worried about a frost, so I've got my work cut out for me. Luckily zucchini bread can wait!



Zucchini Bread
Makes 4 large or 8 small loaves

This tea bread is a favorite on summer buffet tables. I serve it with cheese, with herb butter, and as a base for chicken salad hors d'oeuvres. The flavor is enhanced by the addition of walnuts and walnut oil.

6 eggs
3 1/2 cups sugar
1 3/4 cups light vegetable oil
5 cups unpeeled grated zucchini
5 teaspoons vanilla extract
6 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
6 teaspoons cinnamon
2 cups chopped walnuts
1/4 cup walnut oil

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter or spray with vegetable oil 4 large loaf pans (9 x 5 x 3 inches) or 8 small pans.

Beat the eggs until light. Add the sugar, mixing well. Add the oil, zucchini and vanilla and mix thoroughly. Sift the dry ingredients. Add by the cupful to the egg mixture. Stir until well blended. Add the nuts and walnut oil.

Spoon into the pans and bake for approximately 1 hour. Cool on racks.

Roasted Salmon with Potatoes

Here's another recipe from Real Simple's website that we had for dinner last night. I had some salmon fillets, but didn't know how I wanted to cook them. This is easy, and you only use one pan. The recipe calls for mushrooms, which I didn't have...I'm not sure how good they would have tasted with this, so let me know if you add them!

H-Bomb LOVED this, even with the sauce, and kept saying, "Thank you for making this salmon, Mom, I love it!" He said it at least three times. Sawed Off didn't like it one bit. Number One and I thought it was good.


Roasted Salmon with Potatoes (and mushrooms)

Serves 4
Hands-On Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes

• 1 pound small new potatoes (about 10), halved
• 8 ounces mushrooms, optional
  
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• kosher salt and black pepper
• salmon fillets (1 large or 4 small = 1 per person)
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon whole-grain mustard
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 2 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped

1. Heat oven to 400° F. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss the potatoes, mushrooms, 1 tablespoon of the oil, and ½ teaspoon each salt and pepper.
2. Roast, tossing once, until the potatoes begin to soften, about 20 minutes.
3. Push the vegetables to the edges of the pan and place the salmon in the center. Season with ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper.
4. Roast until the salmon is opaque throughout, the mushrooms are tender, and the potatoes are golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, in a bowl, whisk together the vinegar, mustard, honey, and parsley, the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil, and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper. Drizzle over the salmon and vegetables before serving.

Fettuccine with Peas, Shallots & Herbs

Since soccer practice kept us in town an extra hour this afternoon, I needed a quick dinner. I hadn't made any plans ahead of time. I found this recipe on Real Simple's website, and I honestly can't recommend Real Simple magazine enough.

I didn't have fettuccine so I substituted some kind of curly pasta. I also accidentally overcooked the shallots, but that was the only problem. This recipe is very quick and pretty good. I like cooking the peas with the pasta, it is a shortcut that just makes sense. We always use more Parmesan than recipes call for too.



Fettuccine with Peas, Shallots & Herbs
from Real Simple magazine
Serves 4
Hands-On Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes

• 12 ounces fettuccine (3/4 box)
• 1 10-ounce package frozen peas
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 shallots, sliced
• kosher salt and black pepper
• 1/2 cup grated pecorino or Parmesan (2 ounces)
• 1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• 1/4 cup fresh mint, chopped

Cook the pasta according to the package directions, adding the peas during the last 2 minutes of cooking. Reserve ½ cup of the cooking water, drain, and return the pasta and peas to the pot.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat.

Add the shallots, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, 3 to 4 minutes.

Toss the pasta and peas with the shallots, ¼ cup of the cheese, and the reserved cooking water.

Fold in the parsley and mint. Sprinkle with the remaining ¼ cup of cheese and serve.

Stracoto with Shiitake Mushrooms

I was sad to take a month or two off from Taste & Create, but it's not without good reason(s)! First, in July/August we were in France (and very soon we will get back to the story of our trip of a lifetime!). When we got home, I had just two weeks to frame a ton of photographs for my very first gallery show!! My friend Cath and I have a 6-month show at a local art gallery, her paintings and my photographs! So exciting! (let me know if you'd like more information)

So, because I've got some new readers, and I've taken a couple months off, maybe some of you aren't familiar with the fabulous food blog event, Taste & Create. It is the best event around, created by my friend, the lovely Nicole, of For the Love of Food. In which, bloggers are paired off to choose and prepare a dish from their partner's blog, and write about it. Fantastic. I love it!

This month, my partner was Kimberly of Rhubarb and Honey. Kimberly has some tempting recipes (although to be honest, you need to eat more dessert, girl!) I chose to make a pot roast, although it sounds better in Italian...Stracoto. Ahhh. Yum.

Regarding the pot roast, Kimberly wrote: "This is actually my brother’s favorite pot roast recipe, which he probably wouldn’t have stumbled upon had he not been watching Giada De Laurentiis on the Food Network (believe me, he wasn’t watching to see what she was cooking, if you know what I mean)."

Oh yes, we know what you mean, that girl is gorgeous. I read that to my husband, Number One, and he said, "Honey, if you had a cooking show, I wouldn't watch it for the recipes either." Sweet.

This stracoto is scrumptious. Tender, and the gravy is the best part! I didn't have porcini mushrooms, so I used a couple handfuls of shiitakes. I rounded up to 2 cups of beef broth, then with about an hour to go I added another 1 1/2 cups of water along with a couple cubed potatoes (I just had to have something to put that delicious gravy on). Try it and see for yourself! Number One doesn't even like pot roast, but this he loved. Do I have to tell you that no pot roast I know is photogenic? I'll let this photo speak for itself.


Stracoto with Porcini Mushrooms
(follow the above link for the original recipe, my changes are noted below)

1 (4-pound) boneless beef chuck roast
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 onions, sliced
6 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
1 cup dry red wine
2 cups canned beef broth
1/2-ounce dried shiitake mushrooms
1 large sprig fresh rosemary, plus extra for garnish

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Pat the beef dry with paper towels. Sprinkle the beef generously with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a heavy 6-quart roasting pan over medium-high heat. Add the beef and cook until brown on all sides, about 15 minutes total cooking time. Transfer the beef to a bowl.

3. Add remaining tablespoon oil to the pan, add the onions and saute until tender, scraping up the brown bits on the bottom of the pot, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and saute 1 minute. Add the wine and boil 1 minute. Stir in the broth and mushrooms.

4. Return the beef to the pan. Bring the liquids to a boil. Cover and transfer to the oven. Braise until the beef is fork-tender, turning the beef over halfway through cooking, about 3 hours. With 1 hour remaining, add potatoes and 1 to 2 cups water, cook until potatoes are tender. Transfer the beef to a cutting board. Tent the beef with foil and let stand 15 minutes. Carefully remove the potatoes with a slotted spoon.

5. Transfer the pan juices and vegetables to a blender and puree until smooth. Combine the sauce and rosemary sprig in heavy medium saucepan. Bring to a boil. Season the sauce, to taste, with salt and pepper.

6. Cut the beef across the grain into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Arrange the sliced beef on a platter and garnish with rosemary. Spoon the sauce over and serve.

Project Food Blog: Ready, Set, Blog!

UPDATE: VOTING IS NOW OPEN!
Please go vote for me HERE!

Number One & Me, Cafe' Premier, Paris
August 2010

Back in January 2008, my friend Shell and I were chatting about recipes. What if I created a recipe-sharing website, and invited all my friends to join and contribute their recipes? And with that, The Bad Girl’s Kitchen was born.

I created the site as a place everyone can come and post their favorite recipes...to share with friends, to encourage experimentation, to enjoy cooking for our families. It is my hope that each of us will find new family favorites, have some fun, and maybe even learn something in the process!

The Bad Girl’s Kitchen started out as me and Shell, typing up and sharing some of our favorite recipes. Since then, it has grown to include 30 members, some of whom I don’t even know, and features almost 600 recipes (and counting!) I’ll never forget how exciting it was to get a comment from someone who wasn’t my mom! BGK was quickly noticed by Foodbuzz, who became the blog’s first sponsor, and I became a Foodbuzz Featured Publisher.

Now, Foodbuzz is hosting this challenge. Project Food Blog is the first-ever interactive competition where thousands of Foodbuzz Featured Publishers are competing in a series of culinary blogging challenges for the chance to advance and a shot at the ultimate prize: $10,000 and a special feature on Foodbuzz.com for one year.

YOUR votes will help make my advancement in this challenge possible!

I don’t have to tell you what an exciting opportunity this is! I do, however, have to tell you more about me and my blog, so here goes.

I was born and raised in Northern Lower Michigan. Some of my earliest memories are of food—eating food, watching food being prepared in my mom’s, grandmas’ and aunts’ kitchens, and eventually helping prepare that food in those kitchens. My mom has never been afraid to try a new recipe, and neither have I. I’ve even been known to try new recipes when I have a boatload of guests coming!

I remember eating meals in the dining room at my friend Rene’s house; baking treats at sleepovers with my friend Kelly; exploring Polish and more gourmet cuisines across the street at my neighbors’ house; experimenting with ingredients and foods with my friend Jen, and I will be forever grateful to Jen’s mom for indulging us in our “concoctions” and actually tasting them without gagging. My food world expanded when I went to college, and I was one of few who actually used the dorm kitchen to prepare a few meals for my friends.

I moved to Utah in the early 1990’s, and am now married to a real, live cowboy, raising up two young boys. We live on my husband’s family’s cattle ranch in the remote red rock desert, literally in the middle of nowhere. We generate our own electricity and have absolutely no telephone service (not even cell service in the canyon). We are 35 miles from the nearest town, and the grocery store there is just a bit bigger than most convenience stores, which adds a special challenge to grocery shopping. Our nearest neighbors are more than 15 miles away, but they make a darn good milkshake. We raise cattle, have dozens of horses, three dogs, four cats, a small herd of chickens, and a couple lizards.

Some people couldn’t handle the isolation here, but we love it. It is the perfect place to raise our boys, and the scenery is spectacular every day. I have a garden every year, with vegetables and fresh herbs, and we have bountiful fruit trees which produce peaches, pears, apples, apricots and plums. I’ve followed in the footsteps of generations of women in my family, canning and freezing produce to provide for our families. I learned how to bake bread, and now store-bought loaves are a rarity in our house. We are doing our best to move to more local, less processed products (also a challenge in a small community).

I am a firm believer in moderation when it comes to food—no food should be completely off-limits, just don’t eat it every day!

I have collected recipes from most members of my extended family, and am working to assemble a family cookbook. Many of the recipes on the website are family favorites that I simply couldn’t wait to share! I cook everything from meals for my family and birthday cakes, to elaborate party foods and gourmet or ethnic dishes.

Spices with Orange

©MR Photography

The Bad Girl’s Kitchen has encouraged me to explore more foods with my family. My boys, H-Bomb, age 7, and Sawed Off, age 4 ½, help in the kitchen frequently, and have their own small cookbook collection. Their reactions to the foods we eat are an important part of the blog, although we sometimes disagree. Our recent family trip to France has expanded my food horizons even more, and I’m excited to learn more about French cuisine and share it with my readers!

I’ve also become acquainted with many new blog friends, too many to list them all here! Taste & Create is now a big part of my life, and I’m a weekly contributor at Our Krazy Kitchen, where my theme is “Try A New Recipe!” The Bad Girl's Kitchen even has a Facebook fan page!

I have many hobbies, including photography, jewelry making, gardening, hiking, quilting and tons more, but a girl’s got to eat. Cooking will always be a big part of my life, and I’m happy to be able to share it with everyone. It’s my love of recipes, of family, of friends, that I’d like to share as the next food blog star.

To reiterate what I said in my Project Food Blog Profile, the most rewarding thing about blogging is the friends I have made along the way; the recipes I've collected, been given, and stumbled across; sharing those recipes with others, and the encouragement I've received from total strangers. Food bloggers form a very diverse and supportive community, and I'm happy to contribute to this delicious world.

Please don’t forget to VOTE FOR ME!

And let me know what you think of the recipes here!

STIR FRIED GREEN BEANS WITH CASHEWS

STIR FRIED GREEN BEANS WITH CASHEWS
1 pound green beans; washed, trimmed & cut into bite sized pieces
1/2 cup cashews, chopped small
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 cup soy sauce
Juice of 1 orange*
1 teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon minced garlic, jar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon water

• In a small bowl whisk together the sesame oil, honey, soy sauce, garlic and orange juice until well blended. Set aside.
• In a small bowl whisk the cornstarch and water together. Set aside.
• In a skillet melt butter over medium high heat.
• Stir fry the green beans 5-7 minutes until tender.
• Add the cashews and soy sauce mixture.
• Bring to a boil.
• Add cornstarch mixture and simmer just until the sauce thickens and the beans are well glazed.

We had it with a slice of fresh bread and cantaloupe.
*You could substitute chicken broth.

Rudi's Gluten-Free Bakery Maple Bread Pudding

I came home from Rudi's Gluten-Free Gourmet Dinner at Root Down, Denver, with a loaf of Rudi's Gluten-Free Bread and a recipe for the delicious gluten-free bread pudding that had been served for dessert. Root Down made a really good bread pudding, so I was eager to re-create it using my gluten-free loaf of bread.

I cut off most of the crust and cubed one loaf of Rudi's Gluten-Free Bakery Bread for this recipe.

I altered the recipe slightly to accommodate the ingredients I had on hand. Here's what I mixed up:

• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• a pinch of sea salt

I poured my liquid mixture over the bread cubes and let it sit, stirring occasionally, for 45 minutes. Then, I added 1/4 cup shredded unsweetened coconut, mixed it one more time, and poured it into a pyrex baking dish to bake at 325 for 30-40 minutes, until it was golden brown and cooked through the center.

I patiently let it cool, then served it with farm-fresh strawberries, some peach, and a drizzle I made with equal parts heavy whipping cream and maple syrup.

This recipe is a winner! It is definitely some of the BEST bread pudding I've had.