Chicken, Stock, Rice and Ground Beef, Cooking for the week

I'm cooking for the week, not because I have to (I homeschool now *feel free to go see what we're up to*  http://tracyhomeschooling.blogspot.com/    so there's gobs of time to cook) but because I WANT to!

In the fridge is some cooked chicken, a couple of lbs of ground beef and some left over mashed potatoes.  I need a weeks worth of food, part fun, part necessity, part challenge!

SUNDAY WEEK COOKING: 

STOCK: 

In the pressure cooker, the backs, bones, skin and any 'other' bits from the roasted chicken pieces in the week.  I have a giant container of beautifully cooked chicken and now, the otherworldly parts will do my bidding.

I added a couple of small carrots, a large celery stick, some herbs duProvence and some thyme, a bayleaf and I covered it all with water, time 15 minutes pressure. We will have chicken stock.

MEXICAN STYLE BEEF

In the dutch oven while the stock does it's stocky thing.

Sweat a couple of onions, some carrot, celery, garlic in some bacon fat (oh yes)

When the veggies are soft and lightly colored, add the 2 lbs of ground beef you got on sale for $1.00 and brown it dark.

Add a little flour to seize the fat and tighten the meat up and then throw in a can of tomatoes with chili and a small can of tomato sauce. I added some of the chicken stock to make it soupier, after all, it is going to cook a while.

Season with salt, pepper, cumin, taco seasoning, chili powder, a tablespoon of cocoa powder and some Worcestershire sauce.

Throw a lid on it and put it in a low oven, 275, for a while, maybe a couple of hours hour or so then we'll look.

I keep this concoction on hand for the week.  It will be put in soft tacos one night.  It will be combined with nibblets, put in a casserole dish and covered with cornbread batter and baked then served upside down with dollops of sour cream and gratings of cheese.  It will be added to some additional meat and made into mini meatloaf (baked in a muffin tin) and served with mashed potatoes and and a tomato based 'gravy'.  It will be rolled in tortillas with some cheese and refried beans and baked with plain tomato sauce on it. It will be mixed with rice and eaten in a big bowl.

I like my mystery Mexican style meat mixture :)

RICE

Stock is strained, drained and separated.

In the pressure cooker, I tossed a little bit of bacon fat, and 2 cups of rice.  I fried it around a bit until the ends looks a little translucent.  It truly keeps the grains separate and this is 'in the week' rice so I need it separate.

To the 2 cups of rice I add 2 cups of the stock and 2 1/4 cups of water, lock and load, 8 minutes.

DING!  8 minutes later, release pressure and spread it out on a sheet pan to dry, then bag it.

COCONUT CHICKEN CURRY

In the pot;  large pieces of 3 onions, garlic, ginger.  Fry until they look delicious in a little, um, bacon fat?  No, I use peanut oil for this.

Toss in some pre-made curry paste or powder and fry fry fry.  IF you don't have any prepared paste or powder then add cumin, tumeric, fennel seed, corriander seed, salt, pepper, pinch of sugar.  I always add a little of the fresh spices to my powder anyway to fry around.  It matters.

Pour in some coconut milk or cream (I just found coconut cream sold in mini tetra packs!) Then add more of that chicken stock.  Shred in some of the cooked chicken and a few large potato chunks.  Be sure the liquid covers all the good stuff by at least an inch.  Adjust the stock/coconut milk ratio to your own liking, I like it heavily coco-nutty (yes, that is a word!).

Simmer until it all thickens and the potatoes cook.  I toss frozen peas in during the last 5 minutes but you can keep it green free if you like.  A little chopped parsley and a squeeze of lemon freshens it up nicely too at the end.

Serve over...RICE!

CHICKEN SALAD


Shred some of the leftover cooked chicken.  Add a blob of mayonnaise, a little dijon, a little tarragon and a little tyme.  Sprinkle a little curry powder in.  Add one rib of celery chopped fine and one shallot, also chopped fine.

It's going to make a fine chicken wrap/sandwich in the week with crispy romaine.  I'm making ciabatta tomorrow so it'll be a hearty sandwich for sure!  I may add tomato and bacon and make it a club!

SALMON CAKES

In a bowl, throw in the left over mashed potatoes, there's about 2 cups, a drained can of salmon, bones and skin removed, liquid reserved.  Add some chopped scallion, salt, pepper, some sauteed shallot and an egg.  Mix it all in and then add fresh bread crumbs as needed to make it just combine and stick together.

Form into 2-3 inch sized balls and throw it into the fridge to set up.

Dip the balls into a couple of beaten eggs then into panko bread crumbs and flatten into patties at this point.  Put them on a tray and throw them into the fridge or freezer.  Ready to fry up, in a little peanut oil butter combo.  You can bake them too. Whenever the mood hits I am fishcake ready, I like Heinz beans in tomato sauce with them and buttered, thinly sliced, homemade white bread.

QUICKIE CHICKEN FRIED RICE

I'll beat 2 eggs with a pinch of salt a drizzle of soy and a splash of water and throw it into a hot hot wok and fry it fast then remove it.

Add fresh peanut oil in the hot wok then add grated ginger and garlic and shush it around.  Add some cole slaw mix (I have some in the fridge), and fry it around then add a couple handfuls of cooked rice.  Season with oyster sauce, fish sauce, soy, pepper, chili garlic paste and toss/fry until it's beautiful. Taste taste taste. Add shredded cooked chicken, see how that's being stretched out?!?!  and the scrambled eggs and some frozen peas..  Fry Fry Fry quickly for a moment or two, drizzle a few drops of sesame oil over it, toss about and tip into bowls.  Eat greedily with Rooster sauce on the table.

DONE!

Everything holds well, saves well and freezes well so I'm good.

I have a few things to do to each meal to get it ready, make a salad, add a veg, make some bread or naan or  tortillas but really, we'll be laughing this week.  It's noon on Sunday and I am done, I think I'll have my husband take me to the movies.  That way we spend time together but really, don't have to say a thing...  perfect.

/go cook!

Tracy

White Bread, my Daily Bread

 

I've had loads and loads of people ask about the white bread loaf I make.  I've passed the recipe along but here is the pictures, the play by play.

In the bowl of your kitchenaid 

1 cup of warm milk, 1 T sugar, 2 T melted butter, 2 T vegetable oil, 2 1/4 tsp yeast.  Mix and leave it there to come to life!

 

ADD 1 egg, 1 1/2 tsp salt, 3 cups flour.

MIX slowly with dough hook to combine

 

This looks a little sticky so I shake in 1/4 cup of flour
 

There, that looks better
 

CRANK up to high and let it go for 5 minutes
 

After 5 minutes, it's soft and has cleared the bottom of the bowl!


Put on lightly floured surface and flatten it, knead it a couple of times and turn it into a ball
  

I put a dollop of room temperature butter on the top of the ball, smear it around with my hands then gently roll and and pull the dough ball under itself which distributes the butter all the way around. Roll it around in your hand creating a smooth surface and it'll feel lovely and happy.

(*I will do a video because I've been asked)

 

I put it in a plastic container to rise, these don't need to be greased at all, pop a lid on and I put in the oven with the light on for 60 minutes.
 

After 1 hour, look how HAPPY it is!!  It's easily tripled.   THANK you, bread dough, you DO love me!


On a lightly floured board, dump it out (the corners make me giggle).  Flatten it with your hands, fingertips actually then fold it into 3rds
  

Fold the top third down and the bottom third up.  Then turn it 90 degrees.
  

Flatten it a bit then roll from the bottom, tightly, (keep the edges even!) and seal the edge over.  Pinch it hard!
  

I roll it lightly in flour and put it, seam side down, in a greased loaf tin.  Sorry mine is really grotty but I love the bread this makes and the shape is right.
 

In the oven with the light on with a dry towel, for 45 minutes, then peek.
 

OH HAPPY risen bread!!


Pop it into a preheated 375 oven for 25 minutes. If your oven isn't completely even, spin it at 20 minutes.

Remove from oven.  *LOOK HOW BEAUTIFUL THIS IS!* and remove from pan immediately and leave to cool.
 

THAT is how I make my daily bread, every 3rd day or so.  I hope you make it, I hope you love it, I hope you show me how yours comes out!

(You CAN substitute 1/2 cup of whole wheat flour for a/p if you feel but do not substitute a higher percentage!!)

/enjoy!

Millionaire Shortbread *you're welcome* :)

I remember millionaire shortbread from back in the day.  I don't know if my mother, my aunts or my grandmother made it.  I think my mother made something similar to these, I just remember eating them.

It's my party piece.  No one in my house eats it but me so I make it to take away, sneaking the edge bits or a slice for myself of course.

It's best kept in the fridge and left to room temperature to serve.

It lasts a long time, well, if there's no one in your house.  Otherwise, sorry for your luck!

This is one of my favorite things.

I took it to a party last night and was delighted to over hear, "don't go near those chocolate things on the end, they're like crack! you'll be addicted immediately, I have to go outside to get away from them".


Here's some beauty shots
  
you can make it in a tart pan and cut it in wedges
 


in a square pan, cut into chunks
 
the chocolate cracks and the caramel oozes
 
dark chocolate or milk chocolate, oh look how flaky
 

The recipe:

BASE:

1 1/4 cups a/p flour
tsp salt
1 stick butter or margarine (YES! margarine works just fine here)

MIX with your fingers and press into an 8x8 prepared pan and prick it all over with a fork.  I prepare the glass dish with a stripe of parchment paper so I can lift the entire thing out in one piece for slicing.  And for slicing off the edges, in the name of square-ness, so I can eat them.

BAKE 350 about 20 minutes, until it's pale light golden around the edges.

COOL  (yes, I shove it straight from the oven into the fridge on either a rack or a tea towel. My patience? Not great)

CARAMEL LAYER

1 stick butter
1 cup sugar
1 can evaporated milk  (NOT sweetened condensed!)
tsp salt

Put all this in a medium sized pan on the stove.  Medium high heat.  Get a glass of wine and stir.  Stir some more and keep stirring, slowly, until the mixture looks and smells like caramel.

You just have to know how to do this, the mixture will boil like mad, get huge bubbles then smaller ones then suddenly, about 15 minutes later, it'll be lava.  The odd blurp and it'll color and thicken fast.  This is not the time to check your email or even talk on the phone.  I stand, with a glass of wine and stir.  I think about things sometimes but mostly I stir and cocktail.

When the caramel is the colour you like and thick, pour it over the cooled shortbread base. Straight back in the fridge if you have no patience, leave it out to set if you do.

CHOCOLATE LAYER:

1 cup chocolate chips, dark or milk or mix
1-2 tsp plain oil.

Nuke until it's melted, don't scorch it!  Stir it smooth and pour it over the caramel layer.  Score the chocolate layer immediately.

These are very very VERY rich so tiny is fine

Make these, love these, and let me know how it goes.  If you're one of the inner sanctum, keep inviting me to functions and I'll keep bringing these!  :)

/enjoy!

Salmon Meat Balls (mini cakes)

T'is the season to be invited to cocktail parties, Christmas parties and just having the chance to get together with friends.  I love feeding people.  I try to do something new, even though I have a couple of hard core fans who demand I bring the same thing over and over.

Every once in a while, I take a bite of something I've made, and made up, and I'm quite simply delighted.  I have had that very experience this morning.

I've been invited to a cocktail/snack Christmas Caroling Singing gathering.  Sometimes, I think, Christmas demands a higher level of snacking than something bought and brought although really, that is perfectly fine. This time of year is also when a lot of us are watching our budgets so I stood staring into my pantry wondering what I could come up with that was a little bit special, a little bit that would feed many cocktailing carolers and something that was absolutely deliciously wonderful.  I wanted to be the rock star.

I had a can of salmon.  *bingo!*

I'll be honest, my mother is queen of the fishcake but I make a killer meatball so what we have here is the cocktail party big bang moment; enter my new party piece, salmon meatballs.

Before I even bothered getting dressed, here's what went down:

Tracy's Salmon MeatBalls

1 tablespoon butter
1/2 small onion, chopped small
2 slices hearty white bread (I used my homemade single white loaf and cut a piece about 1 1/2 inch thick)
2 green onions
handful of fresh parsley
1 egg
1 can salmon, picked and liquid saved
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
juice 1/2 lemon
salt and pepper
panko bread crumbs
vegetable oil for frying

In a small frypan, sautee the onions in the butter until they are soft but not brown.  Set aside to come to room temperature.  A trick I use is to fry the onions for a few minutes then squirt in a little water and throw a lid on the pan, this will speed up cooking the onions without adding any color to them.  Finish the onions without the lid to allow any excess liquid to steam off.

In a large bowl, crumble the bread, add some of the reserved liquid, about 4 tablespoons of the salmon liquid, add the onions, green onions and parsley,the egg, mayonnaise, lemon juice and combine lightly.  Add the salmon, trying not to completely crush it in the mixture.  I use a fork.  Toss it together and if it's too liquid, add a little of the panko to help bind the mixture.  It should be soft but not too sticky.

Divide the mixture into tiny balls, roll them lightly and put them on a plate.  Cover and put in refrigerator until needed.  We love the do ahead.  You can just roll them in panko and fry them immediately if you want but there's slightly less risk of disintegration if you let them rest a bit.

Roll the balls in panko bread crumbs lightly, fry them on medium heat until they are beautiful, brown and crunchy.  There really isn't anything to cook heavily inside so these go quickly.  Blot them on paper towel or a brown paper bag, go green, and set aside.  Cook them all.

Serve them with this sauce

Tracy's Salmon MeatBall dip/sauce

3 tablespoons mayonnaise
1/2 tablespoon sweet relish
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon chili sauce
salt and pepper to taste

Combine, chill, serve up with anything.   This is a ridiculous flavor addition to the salmon meatballs.

Serve the meatballs with the dip/sauce and stand back, you're going to get solid rock star accolades.  These are simply delicious little nuggets.  Let me know how much you love them.

Here are the beauty shots:

In a big bowl, here's the breadcrumbs, add liquid from can, a couple of green onions and parsley, chopped up and an egg.  Fry up the onions to soften but not color.
  

Gently mix it all up and form into 1 inch balls, salt and pepper it all.  Be light handed, no need to pack these tightly, merely enough to hold them together in a ball.  After they are formed, roll in panko breadcrumbs.
   

lightly fry the salmon balls in peanut oil or some unflavored oil until they are beautiful.
  

Serve them with/on a little of the sauce and a parsley leaf if you're feeling chef-y.  Alternatively, put them on a platter with decorative sticks to pick them up and dip them.  I might try them on my mini homemade rolls later as a more substantial snack.




Make these as your new party piece.  There's enormous bang for your buck and one can of salmon ($2.29 at my HEB) made 30 salmon meat balls.  You will be a rockstar.

Merry Christmas!!

/tracy