recipephile

We Made Big Macs

Two all beef patties, special sauce, lettuce cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun. Jeffrey and I were reminiscing about this commercial and I said, "lets make Big Macs" and he said, "Okay". And so the quest and intensive research process began. What would we season the meat with? How would we handle the bun with two lower halves and one upper? How would we prepare the special sauce?

Here is how it went:

The meat (we had to make 14 burgers) was seasoned very simply, with salt and pepper. We made two patties per burger and cooked them on the grill.

We bought extra buns and used the leftovers to make croutons for the salad we served with the macs

The special sauce was made using my Thousand Islands dressing recipe, which is pretty simple:
- 1 jar of Heinz Chili Sauce
- 2-3 big ol' scoops of mayonaise OR you can use Greek yogurt (my favorite brand is Total made by Fage)
- 2 tbsp sweet relish OR you can dice up a handful of cornichons
- 1/2 red onion diced up fine
- 1 small jar of red pimento

Mix it all together, stir well and serve on salad or on your Big Mac.

When the burgers were done we created an assembly line. There was a bun man, burger man, sauce man, cheese man (Amerkan Cheese Please) and a lettuce, pickles and onions man.

Then our friend Jim perfected the burgers by wrapping them up in a paper towel, kind of like they do at In-n-Out Burger.

Those little potatoey things on the plate was our less than sad attempt at making funky potato nibbly things. Not even worth going into.

Quick Bites - Citrus Yogurt Sauce

My friend Jeffrey made dinner last night and served salmon with yogurt citrus sauce.  The sauce was so amazing and he used my absolute favorite Greek yogurt.  As I watched him make the sauce (it only took a few minutes) he was telling me that he puts this on just about everything.  It balances out heavy foods like lamb, complements lighter flavors like fish, and also makes a great dip for pita wedges. 

Last night, this yogurt sauce went over a salmon fillet that he had simply broiled for about 10 minutes - skin side down, with only salt, pepper, olive oil and lemon slices - and then baked at 350 for another 8-10 minutes to make sure it was cooked evenly.  A 2 3/4 pound fillet fed seven of us.

1 tub unflavored Greek yogurt (12-16 oz.)
zest of 1 lime and juice of 1/2 lime (2 tablespoons)
zest of 1 orange and juice 1/4 orange (2 tablespoons)
2 cloves finely minced garlic
3-4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon honey
salt and freshly cracked pepper to taste

That's it!  Tasty, easy, and sneakily healthful!

Quick Bites - Cream Cheese, Crab and Cocktail Sauce

My mom makes this all of the time and it is delicious and so easy to make.  The headline says it all.  Get once package (8 oz.) of Philadelphia Cream Cheese (I use the new product with a 1/3 less fat -- it tastes just as good), 1 lb of jumbo lump crabmeat (if you are on the east coast this is easy to find, but on the west coast you may need to use dungeness crab), 1/2 jar of Heinz Chili sauce with 2-3 tsps of horseradish mixed in) and lemons for garnish.

Spread the cream cheese onto the bottom of a porcelain pie pan or other serving dish that is about 1 inch deep. Place the crab on top of the cream cheese and cover with cocktail sauce and horseradish mixture.  Squeeze 1/2 lemon on top and use the other half as garnish.

Serve with crackers.

Notes on Creativity - Try Everything

Okay... I broke a major rule yesterday.   My goal is to do as much food preparation as possible and use this forum to write about my experiences.  I just moved into a new place and for the first time ever, I have a microwave.  So as I was strolling the aisles of the frozen food section a Lean Cuisine caught my eye.  At first I walked away and said NO.  Then I walked back and thought... "This is something I have to try.  230 calories and 7 grams of fat. Why not?" 

I chose the turkey with stuffing and apple sauce, went  home, popped into the microwave for 4 minutes and then sat at my desk to read email and eat.  It was by no means amazing and by no means absolutely inedible (I ate the whole thing), but for me it lacked the excitement I have in actually preparing a meal for myself or friends.

It was an experience and provided me with some real insight.  Some I apply to business all of the time is "the worst that anyone will say is NO" and the worst that this meal would say to me was "NO" you do not like me and so never try me again. 

I will not be lining up to buy Lean Cuisine any time soon, but now I know because I tried it.  So get out there and try stuff.  Pigs feet, tripe, pork rinds, whatever life presents you. 

 

Quick Bites – Easy Apple Pie

I admit it. A baker I am not. But while watching my mother make her apple pie over the holidays it made me realize that there are some things I can bake – and quite easily too.  This pie recipe is easy.  Very easy.

-  2 pie crusts from the freezer section at the store (you can buy the crust already in a foil plate, these usually come in twos or you can buy the pre-prepared and rolled kind and put it into your own plate)
- 3 apples peeled and chopped into bite sized pieces
- 1 can of apple pie filling
- 2 tsp of ginger
- 2 tsp of nutmeg
- 2 tsp of cinnamon
- 1 egg beaten and set aside (this is for brushing the top of the crust).

Preheat the over to 350 degrees.

You will need two piecrusts for this recipe as one will go on top of the apple mixture.  If you have purchased the kind that is already rolled out take a 9 inch pie plate and form one of the crusts into the dish. Set aside the other piece of dough onto a lightly floured surface.

If you have purchased piecrusts that are already formed into a foil pan set one aside and very carefully turn the other upside down and remove the crust.  You have to be careful when you do this and may need to push lightly on the bottom of the pan to coax the crust out.

Mix ingredients together in a large bowl and then place them into the pie pan atop the crust. Take the other piece of crust and place it on top of the filling.  Trim the crust so it is flush with the edges of the pie pan. Brush the top with a beaten egg.

Place onto a cookie sheet (this is catch the filling that tends to bubble out during the cooking process) and into the oven for about 45 minutes or until the crust is golden in color.

Serve with ice cream and watch everyone smile.

Wilted Spinach and Fennel Salad

A few weeks ago I was tasked with making a salad for a dinner party that I was going to.  So I wandered into the grocery store with no list and no idea of what I wanted to make -- this happens often as I find the aisles of the store often invoke some great ideas for recipes. 

My head was saying wilted spinach salad with pancetta, but my friend was saying NO NO NO, so and so is a vegetarian.  What -- I thought to myself -- would add to the flavor of this salad in an interesting way without making my veg friend puke.  Then it hit me, and I have no idea why, FENNEL. 

I picked up two bulbs of fennel and big bag of spinach (as well as some other ingredients) and headed home.

This salad is easy to make and tastes great with grilled chicken on top.

Here is what you will need:

- 2 fennel bulbs (chop the white part into half moons and compost the rest)
- 2 bags of baby spinach
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 3 cloves of garlic chopped
- 3 medium shallots chopped
- 1 1/2 lemons (juiced with seeds removed)
- Crumbled Gorganzola cheese
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Place the oil into a sauce pan and turn heat to medium.  Add the garlic and shallots and saute until the room fills with the smell and the shallots are translucent (stir constantly to keep the garlic from burning).  This should take about 2-3 minutes.  Add the fennel and continue to saute until it is translucent.  Add the lemon juice and cook for another minute.

Remove from the heat, let rest for about 2 minutes and then toss with the spinach.  Add salt and pepper to taste, top with cheese and serve.

Your guests will love this salad.