I found the most amazing 50's styley household tricks book that I bought cause I thought it looked cool. Turns out it was super handy. I love finding little tricks to make life easier in the kitchen or otherwise.
Sugar Cube
My personal favorite is the sugar cube. If you burn food into the bottom of your pots and pans grab a couple of sugar cubes and rub it over the blackened mess and it will dissolve almost instantly without ruining the surface. Regular sugar also works, however the sugar cube is easier to rub on the bottom of the pan. This also works on ceramics and glass. Takes away tea and coffee stains in mugs too.
Okay if you leave your pan on the oven for an hour burning a 1/4 inch layer then you'll need more than a sugar cube. In this instance I scrape away what I can with the sugar cube and then let the sugar soak over night. Repeating until I reach the bottom.
Corn Starch to cure bee stings.
This is the BEST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! cure for bee stings. It works magic. refuse to use anything else. You add a bit of water to corn starch until it becomes a paste and apply it over the sting. You want just enough water so it is soft, but doesn't run off the sting rather makes a crust. It will suck the poison right out and 5 mins later you won't even know you had been stung. Just take a small baggy with you in your back pack when your out with the kids or on hike. Haven't tried in on mosquito's however, you usually don't know you have been stung until long after the fact.
Corn starch has unusual properties so when you add water it will give the appearance of being hard when poked, but will eventually give way and become liquid. It's also fun to add food coloring and let the kids play with it. Has an interesting textural feel.
more to come shortly
Monday, April 27, 2009
Creamy Pasta Sauce
Not being a very big fan of tomato sauce I generally make a simple creamy sauce that I spice up with varying spices and vegetables.
1/2 lrg yellow onion chopped (You can substitute with any sort of onion)
2 garlic cloves chopped
3 TBS olive oil
2,5dl/1 cup cooking cream alt whipped cream
4-5 TBS Creme Fraiche
1 TBS dijon (if you like)
1/2 vegetable buljong
splash of Tabasco
Salt pepper and if you have it Santa Marie's garlic krydd mix in the grinder.
Saute the onions and garlic in the olive oil until translucent then add the cream careful not to burn it. Add the creme fraiche also careful not to burn it. Add the buljong, spices and mustard and slowly simmer. You now have a base that you can add almost anything to. Keep in mind that certain flavors work better with meats than with fish.
If I am doing a mushroom sauce I saute them with the onions. Wild mushrooms give a better flavor.
Steamed or grilled asparagus.
You can add a cheese to this, parmesan, peccorino, gorgonzola...
FRESH GINGER this is my secret weapon in both my red and cream sauces. It adds a fresh accent to the flavor. Just chop it up finely and add it to the sauce shortly before the sauce is finished. Just long enough for it to soften up but not to lose it's flavor.
Add all fresh herbs just before you remove it from the heat to keep the flavor.
Coriander is also a favorite depending on what you will be serving it with. Works great with fish and lighter sauces.
Fennel can also add a nice flavor to a pasta sauce. Chop it up thinly, don't use to much and saute it with the onions.
If the sauce gets to thick jsut add a bit of milk.
Lax sliced up as a garnish also goes rally well with this recipe. You can add a bit of lemon grass to the sauce and your all set.
1/2 lrg yellow onion chopped (You can substitute with any sort of onion)
2 garlic cloves chopped
3 TBS olive oil
2,5dl/1 cup cooking cream alt whipped cream
4-5 TBS Creme Fraiche
1 TBS dijon (if you like)
1/2 vegetable buljong
splash of Tabasco
Salt pepper and if you have it Santa Marie's garlic krydd mix in the grinder.
Saute the onions and garlic in the olive oil until translucent then add the cream careful not to burn it. Add the creme fraiche also careful not to burn it. Add the buljong, spices and mustard and slowly simmer. You now have a base that you can add almost anything to. Keep in mind that certain flavors work better with meats than with fish.
If I am doing a mushroom sauce I saute them with the onions. Wild mushrooms give a better flavor.
Steamed or grilled asparagus.
You can add a cheese to this, parmesan, peccorino, gorgonzola...
FRESH GINGER this is my secret weapon in both my red and cream sauces. It adds a fresh accent to the flavor. Just chop it up finely and add it to the sauce shortly before the sauce is finished. Just long enough for it to soften up but not to lose it's flavor.
Add all fresh herbs just before you remove it from the heat to keep the flavor.
Coriander is also a favorite depending on what you will be serving it with. Works great with fish and lighter sauces.
Fennel can also add a nice flavor to a pasta sauce. Chop it up thinly, don't use to much and saute it with the onions.
If the sauce gets to thick jsut add a bit of milk.
Lax sliced up as a garnish also goes rally well with this recipe. You can add a bit of lemon grass to the sauce and your all set.
Okay chris here is how you do it!
After 2 on hands it's time for you to fly solo Chris, although in my wine clouded state I did miss one important step the last time. Add parmesan to the bread crumbs!
MMMMM a nontraditional eggplant Parmesan. I ordered this a lifetime ago at a Sacramento restaurant. It wasn't at all what i had expected, but I couldn't get it out of my mind once I chowed it down.
This is a really nice alternative to the deep fried variety and is simple enough to make. Perfect for the meat eater and the vegetarian.
I genereally serve it with a bit of simple pasta with a creamy asparagus or mushroom sauce.
Eggplant Parmesan with goat cheese
1-2 large eggplants for 4 people 2-3 slices each
Spreadable goat cheese/alternatively thinly sliced goat cheese
2.5 dl/1 cup creme fraiche/sour cream
1 egg
Parmesan cheese alternatively Peccorino ( I try and always have a hunk of peccorino laying about.)
Garlic salt (not powder) I use loads of garlic salt in my cooking.
Bread crumbs/SKORPMJÖL!
Flour
Olive Oil
Pesto red, green or both
Preheat oven to 380F or 200C
Slice up your eggplant in to 1-1,5 cm/.5 inch slices and lightly salt. Then mix the egg with the creme fraiche. On 1 plate sprinkle out some flour. On another plate sprinkle out some bread crumbs mixed with garlic salt and thinly shredded parmesan.
Grease a baking sheet with olive oil.
Rinse the salt off the eggplant and dry it with a paper towel. Using a fork roll the eggplant slices first in the flour, then in the creme fraiche egg mix making sure to coat it well followed by a roll in the bread crumbs. Place it on the baking sheet and keep going. Put it in the oven and bake on each side for 10 mins or until golden brown.
During this time you can whip up a simple pasta sauce. (Look for my basic cream sauce recipe) Chose whatever pasta you like.
When the pasta sauce is done and the eggplant baked it's time to stack them.
In the middle of a plate you are going to place 1 eggplant slice that you will top with a bit of goat cheese/spread and a tsp of pesto. Top that with another slice of eggplant. If your using red and green pesto use the green in the middle and top the last eggplant slice with an additional tsp of red pesto to garnish the top. otherwise top it with what you have.
You can stack these up to 3 high adding cheese and pesto between the slices.
Encircle your eggplant with pasta and sauce and serve.
Basically like this...
eggplant
goatcheese
pesto
eggplant
goat cheese
eggplant
pesto
The baked eggplant works perfectly with the more traditional eggplant parmesan. Basically baked eggplant topped with a red sauce and mozzarella cheese and baked again for 10 or so minutes.
MMMMM a nontraditional eggplant Parmesan. I ordered this a lifetime ago at a Sacramento restaurant. It wasn't at all what i had expected, but I couldn't get it out of my mind once I chowed it down.
This is a really nice alternative to the deep fried variety and is simple enough to make. Perfect for the meat eater and the vegetarian.
I genereally serve it with a bit of simple pasta with a creamy asparagus or mushroom sauce.
Eggplant Parmesan with goat cheese
1-2 large eggplants for 4 people 2-3 slices each
Spreadable goat cheese/alternatively thinly sliced goat cheese
2.5 dl/1 cup creme fraiche/sour cream
1 egg
Parmesan cheese alternatively Peccorino ( I try and always have a hunk of peccorino laying about.)
Garlic salt (not powder) I use loads of garlic salt in my cooking.
Bread crumbs/SKORPMJÖL!
Flour
Olive Oil
Pesto red, green or both
Preheat oven to 380F or 200C
Slice up your eggplant in to 1-1,5 cm/.5 inch slices and lightly salt. Then mix the egg with the creme fraiche. On 1 plate sprinkle out some flour. On another plate sprinkle out some bread crumbs mixed with garlic salt and thinly shredded parmesan.
Grease a baking sheet with olive oil.
Rinse the salt off the eggplant and dry it with a paper towel. Using a fork roll the eggplant slices first in the flour, then in the creme fraiche egg mix making sure to coat it well followed by a roll in the bread crumbs. Place it on the baking sheet and keep going. Put it in the oven and bake on each side for 10 mins or until golden brown.
During this time you can whip up a simple pasta sauce. (Look for my basic cream sauce recipe) Chose whatever pasta you like.
When the pasta sauce is done and the eggplant baked it's time to stack them.
In the middle of a plate you are going to place 1 eggplant slice that you will top with a bit of goat cheese/spread and a tsp of pesto. Top that with another slice of eggplant. If your using red and green pesto use the green in the middle and top the last eggplant slice with an additional tsp of red pesto to garnish the top. otherwise top it with what you have.
You can stack these up to 3 high adding cheese and pesto between the slices.
Encircle your eggplant with pasta and sauce and serve.
Basically like this...
eggplant
goatcheese
pesto
eggplant
goat cheese
eggplant
pesto
The baked eggplant works perfectly with the more traditional eggplant parmesan. Basically baked eggplant topped with a red sauce and mozzarella cheese and baked again for 10 or so minutes.
Friday, April 17, 2009
Measurements for Ms. Heather
Here is a guide for those of you who don't have a clue as to what a cup is or for Ms. Heather who finds my use of metrics appalling and unAmerican.
American measurements are available in Sweden making things a lot easier. You can even find measuring pitchers with all of the different measurements printed on the side. I have 3 of them hanging about my cupboards all are used in equal measure so no fits of jealousy at our house.
1 cup = 2.5 dl
1/2 cup = 1.25 dl
1/4 cup = 0.6 dl
1/3 cup = 0.75 dl
1 TBS = 1 matsked
1 tsp = 1 tesked
1 ounce = 28.3 grams
8 ounce in a liquid cup
American measurements are available in Sweden making things a lot easier. You can even find measuring pitchers with all of the different measurements printed on the side. I have 3 of them hanging about my cupboards all are used in equal measure so no fits of jealousy at our house.
1 cup = 2.5 dl
1/2 cup = 1.25 dl
1/4 cup = 0.6 dl
1/3 cup = 0.75 dl
1 TBS = 1 matsked
1 tsp = 1 tesked
1 ounce = 28.3 grams
8 ounce in a liquid cup
Cake Bread?!
Corn Bread aka Cake Bread according to the children I au paired.
This is one of my most popular recipes that I found on the net several years ago when I was hankering for my mom's corn bread. Besides being tasty I love this recipe because it has people ohing and ahing over the fact I made home made bread. Little do they know it is the easiest recipe ever taking a total of 35 minutes from beginning to end. It works perfectly with spicy and rich foods. BBQ, Buffalo Wings, Brunch, Lentil Soup... Okay works with everything.
3/4 cup corn meal/polenta (not corn flour)
1 cup flour
1 cup milk
1/3 cup sugar or honey
2 tsp baking powder
1/3 cup cooking oil
1 egg
Mix the milk and the corn meal together in a separate bowl and set aside. Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Mix the oil and the egg seperately then stir it into to the corn meal and milk. Then add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir it together. It's okay if it's a little lumpy. Grease a smallish glass/ceramic square oven form and bake for approx. 30minutes or until it starts to turn a slightly golden brown on the top. Oven 375F/200C
This also works really well as muffins. You can even add sausage, chillies and cheese to the mix to spice it up a bit.
Serve with butter, alternatively honey butter. Just add a dash of honey to butter and mix.
MMMMMMMMMMMMMM
This is one of my most popular recipes that I found on the net several years ago when I was hankering for my mom's corn bread. Besides being tasty I love this recipe because it has people ohing and ahing over the fact I made home made bread. Little do they know it is the easiest recipe ever taking a total of 35 minutes from beginning to end. It works perfectly with spicy and rich foods. BBQ, Buffalo Wings, Brunch, Lentil Soup... Okay works with everything.
3/4 cup corn meal/polenta (not corn flour)
1 cup flour
1 cup milk
1/3 cup sugar or honey
2 tsp baking powder
1/3 cup cooking oil
1 egg
Mix the milk and the corn meal together in a separate bowl and set aside. Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Mix the oil and the egg seperately then stir it into to the corn meal and milk. Then add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir it together. It's okay if it's a little lumpy. Grease a smallish glass/ceramic square oven form and bake for approx. 30minutes or until it starts to turn a slightly golden brown on the top. Oven 375F/200C
This also works really well as muffins. You can even add sausage, chillies and cheese to the mix to spice it up a bit.
Serve with butter, alternatively honey butter. Just add a dash of honey to butter and mix.
MMMMMMMMMMMMMM
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Kimchee! Kimchee! Kimchee! Kimchee! Kimchee! Kimchee! Kimchee!
Now I haven't been to Korea, but those I know that have report that Kimchee is the ketchup of Korea. Since my introduction to this versatile and lovely little condiment my first waking moments inevitably start with thoughts of kimchee, followed by an eager wait for breakfast to come and go so that I can "legally" whip up a kimchee something, anything to be poured over whatever I can find. Not to unlike the way the Swedish population has in principal crowned ketchup an official food group.
So here we go.
Kimchee Cole Slaw
Not as fatty as it seems.
1 head of spetskål (it's a pointy green cabbage) shredded
3 celery stalks thinly sliced
5 radishes thinly sliced
1 spring onion sauted in butter or olive oil
4 tbs of creme fraiche or sour cream
3 tbs mayo preferably Hellman's, Best Foods or Homemade.
2 good splashes white wine vinegar
1 good squeeze of lemon juice
2-3 tsp kimchee sauce
salt
Put it altogether in a big bowl and mix.
Serve with BBQ, meats, whatever. Beware once you start you can't stop. Or ask your man to take it away from you before you start to lick the bowl clean.
So here we go.
Kimchee Cole Slaw
Not as fatty as it seems.
1 head of spetskål (it's a pointy green cabbage) shredded
3 celery stalks thinly sliced
5 radishes thinly sliced
1 spring onion sauted in butter or olive oil
4 tbs of creme fraiche or sour cream
3 tbs mayo preferably Hellman's, Best Foods or Homemade.
2 good splashes white wine vinegar
1 good squeeze of lemon juice
2-3 tsp kimchee sauce
salt
Put it altogether in a big bowl and mix.
Serve with BBQ, meats, whatever. Beware once you start you can't stop. Or ask your man to take it away from you before you start to lick the bowl clean.
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