Ice Cream in a Bag

 Another one from the kids' cooking class.  This was a fun activity, although afterwards our arms were tired!

Ice Cream in a Bag

Ingredients

1/4 cup milk

1/4 cup half and half

1 tablespoon white sugar

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup ice cubes (or as needed)

3 tablespoons ice cream rock salt

Directions

Combine milk, half-and-half, sugar, and vanilla in a pint sized resealable plastic bag; seal tightly.

Put a scoop of ice, 3 tablespoons of ice cream rock salt, and the bag containing the cream mixture into a gallon sized resealable plastic bag; seal tightly.

Rock the bag back and forth (do not shake) until contents thicken into ice cream (about 10 minutes). Wipe salt from the top of the pint sized bag before opening to prevent salt from getting into the ice cream.

English Muffin Pizzas

 The kids have been taking cooking classes.  Here's one of the recipes they tried out.  It's a fast and easy kid-friendly lunch.

English Muffin Pizzas

Ingredients

4 English muffins, split

Olive oil

1/2 cup pizza sauce

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Pepperoni slices

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Place English muffin halves, cut side up, on a baking sheet. Brush with olive oil. Spoon some pizza sauce on each one. Top with mozzarella cheese and pepperoni slices.

Bake for 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the cheese is melted and browned on the edges.

Couscous

 The kids really enjoy couscous, and it makes a very versatile side dish for lots of meals.

Couscous

Ingredients

1 small onion, chopped

Olive oil

1 cup Israeli (Pearl) couscous

Salt, pepper, chopped parsley, and other spices to taste

1 1/4 cup boiling water or broth

Salt, pepper, chopped parsley, and other spices to taste

Directions

Saute onion in olive oil until golden brown.

Add couscous and stir well.

Add spices according to taste.

Add water.

Cover pot and simmer for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Portobello Mushroom Steaks

Note: The original recipe is fully vegan.  I am not, so my version is not.

Another random note: I can never remember how to spell it, and it's because both Portobello and Portabella are correct.  

Portobello Mushroom Steaks

Ingredients

4 large portobello mushrooms , stems removed and dry brushed clean

MARINADE
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons grapeseed oil or preferred oil
1 tablespoon worcestershire 
1-2 teaspoons mesquite seasoning (sub with 1 teaspoon smoked paprika or liquid smoke)
1 large garlic clove, minced or crushed
½ teaspoon granulated onion
salt and fresh cracked pepper, to taste

Directions

In a large and shallow baking dish, whisk all the marinade ingredients together. Taste and add more seasoning if desired (*note: the flavors will be concentrated).

Add the mushrooms to the dish and liberally brush the marinade on all sides. You can also spoon it on. Let it sit for 10-20 minutes, flipping and brushing again midway through the marinating time.

Heat a Grill, Grill Pan or Skillet over medium-high heat. When fully heated, brush with oil and place the mushrooms on top (they should sizzle when they hit the pan). Don't move them once they are in the pan, just gently press down with a spatula or tongs. Give them a minimum of 4-5 minutes so they sear. Flip over and sear the other side, adding more oil if needed (you can also brush on more marinade). Grill until browned and tender about 4-5 minutes. Enjoy!

Original link:

https://veganhuggs.com/grilled-portobello-mushroom-steaks/

Oven Bacon

We love bacon. And now that I've figured out how to make big batches in the oven, I'm never going back to stove top again.

Oven Bacon

Ingredients

Bacon! 

Directions

Heat the oven to 400°F and prepare the baking sheet. Arrange rack in the middle of the oven and heat the oven to 400°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil, making sure there is overhang on all 4 sides (overlap a few sheets if needed, this makes cleanup easier).

Arrange the bacon on the baking sheet. Arrange 12 ounces bacon on the baking sheet in a single layer. The slices can be close together or touching, but don't let them overlap or they'll stick together during cooking.

Bake the bacon. Bake until the bacon is deep golden-brown and crispy, about 14 minutes for regular bacon and 18 minutes for thick-cut bacon. Exact baking time will depend on the thickness of the bacon and how crispy you like it. Begin checking the bacon after 12 minutes. The bacon fat will sputter and bubble as the bacon cooks, but shouldn't splatter the way it does on the stovetop.

Transfer the bacon to a plate lined with paper towels. Use tongs to transfer the bacon to the paper towels to drain and finish crisping. Serve immediately.

Clean up. If you want to save the bacon grease, let it cool slightly, then pour it through a fine-mesh strainer into a heatproof container and refrigerate. If you don't want to save the grease, let it solidify on the baking sheet, then crumple the foil or paper around it and discard.

RECIPE NOTES

For even crispier bacon, fit a metal rack over the lined baking sheet and place the bacon on the rack before baking, which allows the bacon allows to cook from all sides and become extra-crispy.

Original link:

https://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-cook-perfect-bacon-in-the-oven-cooking-lessons-from-the-kitchn-107970

Easy Thai Yellow Curry Paste

 Yellow curry is a bit hit at my house.  I always make a large batch of curry paste and freeze the leftovers using an ice-cube tray, and the cubes can be popped into any dish whenever I need it.  

(This trick also works well for things like tomato paste, where I always have more than I need and always have plenty of later uses for it.)

Easy Thai Yellow Curry Paste

Ingredients

4 large shallots
4 large heads of garlic (not individual cloves – FULL HEADS of garlic)
6-inch piece of fresh ginger
5–20 whole dried Thai chili peppers* (they’re very small and usually found in the spice section) or fresh Thai chili peppers (found in the produce section)
1 1/2 tablespoons salt
2–3 tablespoons turmeric
2–3 tablespoons mild curry powder
2 teaspoons roasted ground coriander
3 tablespoons lemongrass paste
1/4 cup packed cilantro leaves and stems

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Prep the aromatics: Peel the shallots – then drizzle with oil and wrap in foil. Peel the ginger and cut into thin slices. Arrange in a single layer, drizzle with oil, and wrap in foil. Pull the outer paper off the garlic. Cut the pointy tops off the heads of garlic so the cloves are partially exposed. Drizzle with oil, and wrap each head of garlic in foil.

Bake the aromatics: Place all the foil packets on a baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove the ginger (it should be soft), increase the temperature to 400, and roast the shallots and garlic for another 30 minutes until golden brown and very fragrant. When cooled, you can squeeze the garlic cloves out of the rest of the paper.

Soak the dried chilis: While the aromatics are roasting, pour boiling water over the chili peppers to rehydrate them. Let them soak for 15 minutes. Drain the water.

Make the paste: Put everything in a food processor or very strong blender. Pulse or puree until the yellow curry paste reaches your desired consistency. The recipe should make about 1 1/2 – 2 cups of curry paste, and I use about 1/3 cup or more in each of my yellow curry recipes, so usually I can get 4-5 batches of curry out of this yellow curry paste recipe. The paste keeps for about a week in the fridge and it freezes well!


**The number of peppers will either make your curry paste mild or hot.

5 chilis = very mild
10 chilis = medium
15 chilis = medium hot
20 chilis = HOT

Original link:

https://pinchofyum.com/easy-homemade-yellow-curry-paste 

Note: For a more authentic (but untested) curry paste recipe, try this https://pinchofyum.com/thai-yellow-curry-with-beef-and-potatoes 

Boiled Baby Red Potatoes

I remember once having the most amazing baby potatoes in my life - creamy on the inside, deliciously seasoned on the outside - and I've spent years trying to chase that high.  Baked, broiled, parboiled, grilled, roasted, etc. etc. etc., and I could never get it quite right.  One day I grabbed a bag of baby reds, and the bag recommended boiling them.  I'd tried everything else, so I thought why not... O. M. G.  My life will never be the same again.

Boiled Baby Red Potatoes

Ingredients

Baby red potatoes

Melted butter

Kosher salt

Dried parsley

Directions

Pre-wash potatoes, if needed.

Boil a pot of water with a pinch of salt.  Add potatoes and boil for 10-20 minutes, until easily pierced with a fork.

Remove potatoes from water and place in a serving bowl.  Add melted butter and dried parsley for seasoning.  Serve warm.