Archive for the ‘Comfort Food’ Category
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This year, like last year, I’m going to my friend’s for Thanksgiving, and like last year, I’m bringing something. It’s also my son, Spane’s birthday today, November 21, 2012, and he has requested Chocolate Cake with Mocha Frosting I made for his 7th birthday party. Since his birthday this year is the day before Thanksgiving, he is going to have his birthday party in December – so watch for recipes!
I have talked about going to my Grandmother’s house and wonderful turkey that came out of her Nesco Roaster. My Grandmother always had the best dressing on her table, that my Aunt Flora made every year. It was Oyster Cornbread Dressing, and it is my favorite dressing to prepare.
But, we always had canned cranberry sauce, that I really never liked. I have been making cranberry sauce for years, but today I found a new recipe that I’m going to make this year. It’s from Chef Bryan Voltaggio.
Posted in Comfort Food, Fall, Holidays, Make Ahead, Pescatarian, Sides, Spane, Thanksgiving, Vegetarian | 
Tags: celery, cinnamon, cranberries, onion, orange, oysters, Rosemary, sage, thyme, white wine | 
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Recipes in this Post
Sometimes, you need a little Christmas, right this very minute. That’s why we love ham steaks, because you satisfy your craving for a good piece of ham, without having to cook a whole ham. If you’re lucky, you even get to have the bone with the luscious marrow.
When I make a whole ham, I usually make a glaze of Russian mustard and Sour Cherry preserves. It’s sweet and a little hot, and definitely wakes up the ham. One of the traditional gravies for ham steak is Red Eye gravy, which has, you guessed it, coffee in it. I wanted to incorporate both.
Since The Good Plate is all about deconstructing packaged foods, and one everyone likes a lot is Rice-a-Roni. Rice-a-Roni is rice pilaf, but with way too much salt and other preservatives. There’s no need to use the box, just get the ingredients together and make it from scratch – you know what’s going in it, and you can add whatever you want.
Over the weekend, I made a salad with a new dressing. It was fresh dill and lime, and Amber absolutely loved it. She asked for it again tonight, so I’m including the recipe for it here.
Remember, if you’re having a ham steak, and you don’t want your bone, just give it to me!
Posted in Comfort Food, Evening, Reconstructed, Salads, Sauces, Sides, Vegetarian |
Tags: almonds, Avocado, cinnamon, coffee, dill, dried cranberries, dried red onion, flour, green onions, ham steak, Mushrooms, Pasta, Persian cucumbers, Russian mustard, Sour Cherry Preserve, tomato, vegetable base |
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Recipes in this Post
I have a very good friend who said to me once, “Does everything with you have to be gourmet?” and I said, nonplussed, “Yes!”. Why do you have to go to a restaurant when you can make gourmet food at home, for a fraction of the cost! I was reminded to this today when I started to make egg salad sandwiches for lunch, and decided to make this a Curried Egg Salad Sandwich.
Probably, one of the reasons I can do this is because I have a good pantry, a good spice rack, and I’m not afraid to try new foods. That means I usually have good curry powder in the spice rack, and Major Grey’s chutney in the refrigerator. I have to watch the chutney, though, because Spane likes to eat it by the spoonful, right out of the jar.
Posted in Appetizers, Comfort Food, Indian, Kids, Lunch, Sandwiches, Spane |
Tags: Chutney, Curry, Eggs, green onions, Mayonnaise, sour dough bread |
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Recipes in this Post
Blueberry Muffin Pancakes with Powdered Sugar and Lemon
Blueberry Muffin Pancakes with Powdered Sugar and Lemon
A few weeks ago, I bought an electric skillet at the Goodwill Store. My parents always had one, and I thought it would be a good idea to have one, just in case Bertha was broken. Then, when Father’s Day came, I was reminded of the wonderful pancakes my father would make in the electric skillet on Sunday mornings. This morning, with fresh blueberries in hand, I continued the Boswell tradition by making pancakes in the electric skillet.
When I buy blueberries, I use some of them for pancakes, and the rest for making Blueberry Muffin Morning Cake. But, it’s getting hot, and I really don’t want to heat Bertha if I don’t have to. Why not combine the two?
You have to try these pancakes. Making pancakes from scratch is really easy. As a matter of fact, you can just put the dry ingredients together and put them in a sealed bag for later use. Then you only have to add the liquid ingredients.
Recipes in this Post
Ox-tail served over noodles
Ox-tail served over noodles
When I was a little girl growing up in Germany, when we had Oxen Shvantz Suppe it was always a real treat. Braised with wine for hours they are tender and juicy. They are wonderful on a cold, rainy winter day.
What are ox tails, you ask? Well, they are the tail of an ox or steer which is cut into 2 to 3 inch pieces. They are very meaty and make a nice gravy, all on their own. How do you eat ox tails? You get most of the meat out with your fork, then you pick the piece up and suck all the goodness out of the bone. A bone bowl is a good thing to have on the table when you are serving ox tails.
When you go to buy ox tails, be sure and get them from a reputable butcher. The bony part should be bright white, the sinew pink, and the meat should be nice and red. I was lucky, my butcher brought out a tail and cut it there in front of me with his incredibly sharp knife. You can’t get any fresher than that.
Posted in Comfort Food, Evening, Fall, Italian, Make Ahead, Slow Cooker, Soups, Winter |
Tags: Armenian Red Pepper Sauce, beef base, bell peppers, carrots, crushed tomato, onions, ox tails, wine |
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Chili with fixin's
Chili with fixin's
Sometimes, on a cold day that looks like it might rain, you have to have chili. Usually, I make a big pot of it, and it cooks a long time to let the beans get nice and soft. Sometimes, you just don’t have that kind of time, but you don’t want something that came out of a can.
I don’t buy the Chili mix in the bag. I make my own, and you should, too. It’s very simple, and better because you can control the heat and you know what’s in it. Basically, it’s a mixture of chilies, cumin and a little salt.
If you live in California, you probably have access to fresh Anaheim chilies, if you live in New Mexico, you have the New Mexico chili which is a bit hotter than the Anaheim. Both chilies have thick skin, so they should be charred before use. When making my chili, I charred two nice big red bells peppers as well.
How to Char Chilies
Charring chilies is very simple. You need four things, the chilies themselves, a gas stove top, long tongs and a plastic bag (the one the chilies came in is fine). Put the gas flame up as high as it will go, and just lay the chili on the burner. Use the tongs to turn the chilies as they char. When most of the skin has been charred, put the chili in the plastic bag, close it, and let the chili steam in the bag. When the chili is cool enough to handle, remove the charred skin under running water. Not only is this a great way to skin a chili pepper, it also give the chili a nice roasted flavor. Of course, if you want really smoky flavor, do it on the Weber!
Posted in Chili, Comfort Food, Evening, Left Overs, Methods, Soups, The Weber! |
Tags: anaheim chilies, bacon fat, beef base, canned tomatoes, chipotle chili, cumin, garlic, onions, pre-cooked hamburgers, red bell pepper |
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