distracting myself from the horrors means that it's broth day today. local asian market will sell me like, a kilogram of pork neck (so much bone!!! and a lil meat :))for like less than five bucks
in the meat goes with star anise, green onion and sliced ginger. ya fry it all up with some oil, deglaze with shaoxing, fill up the pot with water and bring to a boil.
skim the gross foam that bubbles up to the top and toss it, then let it go on med-low simmer for like 4-6 hours.
around the 4 hour mark i usually take the soft simmered meat out and have that as a lil snack by pouring a bit of soy sauce over it but thats just an optional step my mom and i always did
when its all done, let it cool down. you can use the stuff immediately but usually i freeze them into discs using takeout containers and then keep em in a bag in the freezer
this is that ultra rich, collageny stuff that will solidify into a meat jello if kept in the fridge, you'll only need a disc or two for an ENTIRE pot of soup moving forward!
If you ice cube tray the lot you can pop a cube into your instant ramen to make it INSTANTLY more soupful
have fun! you can substitute which bones and adjust for time, iirc chicken bones is like 1-2 hours, pork tends to be 4-6ish, and i think beef is around 6-8? idk most beef broth/stock recipes ask you to simmer overnight
just made some chicken and rice burritos that turned out real good and I wanted to share. like literally finished them and immediately was like 'I have to tell the people'
Rice Cooker Chicken and Rice Burritos, an Approximate Resippy
Ingredience:
about 8 ounces of cooked, boneless chicken (this is about 2 cans, drained)
one rice cooker cup of rice (approximately 3/4 of a cup)
half a packet worth of taco seasoning (about 1.5 tablespoons)
some chicken bullion (about one cube)
around tablespoon of chipotle powder (optional)
teaspoon ish of oil or margarine or butter for the rice
water
burrito flats (ETA: flour tortillas of a burrito size, sorry, I forgot this was weird terminology lol)
grated cheese (optional) (whatever you use for burritos or have on hand)
sour cream (optional)
enchilada sauce (optional) (you could also sub in taco bell sauce if you those packets on hand)
rinse rice in cold water until water runs clear, put in rice maker. fill to the correct line according to your rice maker (making one rice cooker cup should be fill to the first line, but I don't know your rice maker)
optional: add about half again more water for extra mooshy rice. I know this is not everybody's thing, but for me this gave it the texture like the grilled stuffed burritos from taco bell, and part of what made me go OOOH THIS IS GOOD was the texture. however, you do you.
add oil, taco seasoning, bullion, and you can also add some spice with chipotle powder if you want. If not, just leave it out. If you are using low salt seasoning and bullion, you may want to add a pinch of salt. if you're using canned chicken, also add it now.
turn on your rice cooker and go do something else for a bit. come back when rice is done. my rice cooker takes around 30 minutes, I don't know about yours.
heat chicken up in microwave, if you're not using canned. stir chicken into rice.
warm up burrito flats and make burritos, topping with cheese, enchilada sauce, and sour cream to taste. for six inch burrito flats, the recipe will make approximately 12 burritos for me.
more notes below the cut, mostly me yappin in more detail, but I wanted to get the full recipe before the cut
I don't know how to make rice without a rice cooker, sorry, but if you do you should be able to add all this shit to your rice and make it that way.
rinsing rice: I know this is one of those things that people get weird about. rice gets goopy if you don't rinse it, and goopy is not the texture you're looking for here. (we're looking for somewhat mooshy, but relatively dry, depending on your tolerance for mooshy rice). yes, you are rinsing off vitamins and minerals, if you buy enriched rice. my daily multivitamin has those nutrients, so I don't worry too much about it.
(I know there's arguments about the supplement industry but from what I've been able to tell a big name daily multi vitamin is fine and useful, especially if your diet is a little uh samey due to autism or lack of money or both.)
if you don't like mooshy rice that's fair, I didn't mean to make it this mooshy, but I was talking to my dad and added extra water by accident because I was distracted and went 'eh fuck it that adds time to the clock' because I was talking to my dad, and went and sat down. but it turned out that I really enjoyed the texture it came out! definitely a ymmv situation
oil/margarine/butter you don't technically need to make rice, but a lot of the flavors in spices are fat soluble, so it really helps to have some fat in the rice, and I also think it helped with mouthfeel. I went with vegetable oil because that was the nearest thing to me when I thought about adding some fat, but I think a small pat of butter or margarine would also be fine.
sorry for all the approximate measuring, that's just how I cook. I was talking to my dad and just dumping stuff in a pot because I realized I was out of cooked pinto beans and low on precooked food, so I wanted to make a batch of something real quick so I could make beans today or tomorrow. I think my guesses at the amounts I used are correct, because I'm pretty good at approximating this kind of thing, but if it doesn't seem like enough/seems like too much then tweak it for you.
the only reason I have a hard number on the chicken is that I buy big box rotisserie chicken, the blue big box store has them for 4 dollars when they're cold, and then I break them down into 4 ounce portions to freeze.
(I also use the bones to make stock when I'm low on stock.)
I used white meat in this recipe because when I opened the freezer that's what I grabbed. Now, personally, I think the white meat is also what helped it taste like taco bell to me, but dark meat or a mix would work fine.
if you wanted to change the amount of chicken I would reduce it, rather than add. I think the ratio turned out basically perfect, I definitely wouldn't want more chicken in the rice, but less chicken wouldn't be world ending. the chicken is for protein and texture, the rice is load bearing with the flavor, and with the bullion you're getting some chicken flavor in the rice. (Translation: if you only have one can, I think it'll be fine.)
if you don't have chicken, I think the rice would still make a pretty good burrito on its own.
If you change how much chicken is in the rice, however, it's going to effect how many burritos you get out of it, so bear that in mind.
the reason I added the precooked chicken at the end is that sometimes cooking it in the rice can dry it out and make it very unpleasant to eat, in my experience. canned chicken is basically bulletproof, so you can add it at the start, (and honestly I think it helps with the texture of canned to cook it for a bit) but if you've got precooked I would wait and just heat it up real quick and add it at the end.
I did not have sour cream, but I absolutely wish I had, and I may run out and get some tonight. honestly something crunchy would also rule. some broken up tortilla chips would be real nice. or even, like, some fritos. my dollar general has store brand fritos for pretty cheap. name brand doritos are too expensive for my blood but that's another one where store brand chips would work I bet. just a little cronch.
you could also add some corn and black beans, I think either or both, that would be really good, but I didn't have black beans at hand (as stated previously I am out of cooked beans) and I didn't think about corn until after.
I don't know if you could freeze the burritos to reheat later. presumably you can, rice and chicken both freeze fine, as far as I know, and make ahead burritos are totally a thing, but that's not how I meal prep personally, so I can't attest to it.
if you have the 8 inch size burrito flats this recipe will probably make about 8 burritos, I don't know about smaller than that because I try to buy the larger flats.
It gonna be smokey pop open some windows or, better yet, do this outside over fire w/ a cast iron pan.
Spice mix
salt
garlic powder
onion powder
pepper
parsley
Korean chili pepper flakes
mix together set aside.
Mushrooms
Mushrooms
Cut them slightly thicker and set aside.
Pork Steaks.
Pork shoulder roast
A pan with a lid that fits it
Oven pan
Unsmoked Provolone Cheese
Make cuts one inch deep in one inch intervals, rub it down with with the spice mix.
You can let it sit and absorb it if you want, but this isn't required as we're just cooking it in the oven at the moment to make sure that, when we sear the inch thick cuts in the pan, it's actually getting cooked to a safe temperature.
Oven to 350 Fahrenheit, pop it in there, bake until internal temperature is about 135-140.
Remove from oven, let cool down.
Cut into inch thick steaks using the premade cuts.
Butter in pan, pan on medium high heat. How much butter? depends on the size of your steaks/how many you're doing at once.
Dump the mushrooms and arrange them around/in between your steaks.
Sprinkle it all with the spice mix.
Lid on, keep an eye on it and it should be cooked through once you got a nice sear on both sides of the steak. Ensure you flip/stir the mushrooms. When you flip the steak, sprinkle the other side lightly with more spice mix but not the mushrooms.
The mushrooms are gonna get a bit crispy, but that's fine. You want that. If they look like they're gonna get Burnt, though, go ahead and remove them and plate them.
Cut into the steak a bit to make sure it's cooked all the way through frfr, turn off the heat, put enough provolone on the steak to cover it like a blanket, put lid back on until the prov melts, but not too much.
To celebrate 1,356 days left. Mix 1/4 cup flour, 2 tbsp cocoa powder, 2 tbsp sugar, 1/4 tsp baking powder, 2 tbsp vegetable oil and 1/4 cup plus 1 tbsp milk and microvwave for 70 seconds. You’re welcome.
Like many people it is incredibly rare for me to remember anything about my dreams. I wake up, and poof, they're gone. But this one stuck with me, and you all get to benefit from that.
I don't remember much about the dream in question. I only remember a little bit of it, right toward the end, right before I woke up (which might be why I remember any of it at all): I was being served a dessert, one which the dream told me was called "Cream of Paradise"; the dream said that this dessert was popular in the American North-East in the very late 1800's. It was a drinkable dessert, served in a chilled wine glass, a bit thicker than eggnog, but thinner than a pudding. I remember seeing a large pot on an old-timey stove, and seeing spices floating in it to season. And when I woke up, I of course decided to look up if "Cream of Paradise" was a real thing.
It was not.
Which, of course, meant that I would need to invent it.
Which meant a lot of reading and research on old-timey desserts, and a lot of hunting down a few less-than-common ingredients, things that would have been more commonly used and well-known in the time period my brain said that this was from, but which have fallen out of favor in modern times. And after several weeks of tinkering, I present to you, Cream of Paradise:
Ingredients
2C Heavy Cream
2C Whole Milk
6 Egg Yolks
3/4C White Sugar
1 Vanilla Bean
1 Cinnamon Stick
1 Star Anise Pod
1 Mace Blade
1/2 tsp Grains of Paradise
1 Lemon
~1 tsp Orange Blossom Water
Salt
In a saucepan, combine your 2 cups of Cream with 2 cups of Milk
Use a knife to split your Vanilla Bean, and then the flat of the knife to crush your Grains of Paradise. Add the Vanilla Bean, the Cinnamon Stick, the Star Anise, the blade of Mace, and the crushed Grains of Paradise to the saucepan, as well as two strips of Lemon zest
Over medium-high heat, bring to a simmer
Remove from the heat, cover, and allow to steep for 30 minutes
Separate six Eggs, discarding the whites and saving the yolks; place in a heat-proof bowl, and add the Sugar and a pinch of Salt
Whisk vigorously, until the Sugar and Salt are fully incorporated, and the mixture is pale and slightly frothy
Bring the liquid back to a bare simmer. Use a ladle to slowly stream ~1 cup of the liquid into the eggs, whisking constantly, to temper* the eggs
That accomplished, pour the egg mixture into the saucepan, and allow to simmer for ~5 minutes, until it thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon**
Strain out the spices and discard. Whisk in the Orange Blossom Water
Chill thoroughly in the refrigerator; it will thicken as it cools***
Serve in a chilled glass; optionally garnish with a scant grating of fresh nutmeg
Kept in a covered container in the fridge, it will keep for about a week, but once you try it, I doubt that it will last that long. The texture is cool and rich and creamy, a bit like melted ice cream. The flavor is warm and spiced, with wonderful citrus and floral notes. This absolutely tastes like something that would be included in the Boston Ladies Auxiliary Cookbook of 1897.
* "Tempering" the eggs means slowly raising the temperature without cooking them; this prevents the eggs from scrambling or curdling, like you would get if you raised the temperature too quickly.
** Dip a spoon into the mixture, then remove it; hold it parallel to the stovetop, with the back toward yourself, and drag a finger through the liquid. If the liquid flows back down and refills the line you drew, then it is too thin; if the line stays, then it is the correct thickness.
*** If the mixture is not thick enough for your liking, toss it back in the saucepan on the stove and simmer for another ~5 minutes; if it's too thick, then some vigorous whisking (or going at it with a mixer) will help to thin it out to the proper consistency
#lifehack : you can blend up a strawberry smoothie and then substitute it for the water in a waffles mix and then have fruit waffles without having to mess around with chopping anything. i didn't measure anything at all so constitution wise mine ended up a little floppy, but very pink. hot strawberries smell really good. 10/10 try it
hello for st patrick's day eve i will share my mom's soda bread recipe. mostly because it's on an absolutely ancient piece of paper that's hard to read & i want it transcribed. all measurements in US
ingredients:
4 cups flour (my mom does 2 cups wheat / 2 cups white. but do all white if you want the traditional look)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
2 tbsp caraway seeds (i skip these because i hate them)
3/4 stick butter, softened (i usually do the whole stick for ease. she has crossed out and changed this measurement 5 times. measure with your heart)
1.5 cups raisins
1/2 cup sugar
1.5 cup buttermilk* -- add more if dry (this amount has been changed three times)
1 egg (but "2" is written next to it? genuinely also measured with your heart)
1 tsp baking soda
instructions:
Mix together flour, salt and baking powder (recipe says "sift" but no one in my family has the patience for this). Stir in caraway seeds if you're a monster who likes them. Cut in butter until mixture is crumbly. Add raisins and sugar. In a separate bowl, combine buttermilk, egg and baking soda. Stir liquid into flour mixture until just moistened.** Turn dough onto a floured board and knead a few time until smooth. Shape into a large ball and place into center of a well-greased 9-inch cake pan. Press down slightly. With a sharp, floured knife, make a 4 inch cross, 1/4 inch deep in the center of the dough. Bake 1 hour at 325** degrees (Fahrenheit) or until loaf is nicely browned. Cool on rack.
serving suggestion: eat with lots of butter, preferrably an irish brand like kerry gold
NOTES:
*you can make your own buttermilk by adding 1 tablespoon lemon juice to 1 cup milk (so for this recipe, 1.5 tbsp lemon juice to 1.5 cup milk). let stand five minutes, stir, and proceed with recipe.
**i have just been slowly pouring the whole mixture in. i do not think i have ever actually read the instructions until just now. when i do this, the dough will come out kind of wet and not really hold a shape but the bread will be moist and good.
***the original recipe calls for 350 degrees and i THINK this change was made because our oven ran kind of hot, rather than because it needed less heat? unclear. watch your bread.
