One down...nine to go?

Whether I make nine more is yet to be determined, but I'd like to give these as Christmas gifts for a few people this year, and I'm encouraged by the first one. And by encouraged, I mean "Could I just eat this one and give the next one away?"

Chicken Biryani

I made a chicken biryani dinner the other Sunday to use for leftovers during the week. I like this dish because it's relatively cheap (after you've accumulated the right assortment of spices) and not terribly difficult to make. However, it does involve a number of steps and the preparation is a little time-consuming. The rewards are well worth it, however.

The dish is made of rice and chicken. The basic strategy is to prepare all the intermediate ingredients, assemble them on the workbench before you, and put the dish together layer by layer.

Going clockwise, we have spiced basmati rice and raisins, cooked in water that has been infused with ginger, cinnamon, cardamom pods and cumin seeds (the little satchel of spices is sitting right next to the bowl). The rice is drained just a couple minutes before it finishes cooking and it has some saffron mixed in with it.

Next to that is a bowl of sauteed onions, with garlic and jalapeno pepper mixed in at the last moment.




Then we have four chicken thighs that have been fried up and are about halfway cooked. I find that chicken tastes better when only halfway cooked.

Lastly, on the chopping block is a mixture of mint and cilantro, chopped finely.

The first step is to layer about half the rice down on a casserole pan.



Next, about half the onion mixture gets layered on top.



Now that the pan is properly cushioned, the chicken thighs are willing to nest down.



The mint and cilantro is sprinkled over top of them.



And finally, another layer of onions and then rice covers them, tucking the chickens in for a nice little nap on top of the stove.

It's My Turn!!

I fear that I've been rather delinquent in posting on this blog. Actually, I've been secretly honing my cooking and crafting skills so that I might someday be worthy of posting on this blog. Well folks, that day has arrived. Daniel and I made a trip out to see Ben about a month ago and what follows are the pictures of some of our meals from that trip.


Daniel's fry-a-roma. we deep fried everything from mushrooms and onions to snickers bars and nutty bars. the nutty bars were terrible by the way.



Ok, so we didn't actually make this, but it was really good : )



Eating good on our canoe trip!

Strawberries and a couple shortcakes

Here's just what you need to bring that warm summer evening to a close. Strawberry shortcakes!

Our version of this classic dessert is based on a substantial biscuit with a hefty crust and a dense but soft interior. It's the perfect foundation for home-made strawberry frozen custard, fresh strawberries, and freshly whipped cream - a triple play that'll bring smiles every time.

The key is to keep is fresh - these strawberries came straight from our garden and the cakes are served hot out of the oven.

In case you're not convinced yet, here's a couple more shortcakes to win you over.

Catching Up

I've had pictures from three cooking expeditions on my camera for quite a while. So this post might look like I've been butchering-bakering-&-candlestickmakering up a storm, but actually this collection goes back at least a week or three.

First: The Birthday Gift That Keeps On Giving

I believe I was turning 29 when Steve and Rachel gave me two bags of rice, a Japanese red rice and a black sweet rice. I've cooked almost all of the red rice, but the black sweet rice is a little harder to use in savory dishes. I was happy to learn that you could make a rice porridge out of it from my Moosewood Cookbook. The rice is still a little crunchy (actually, squeaky is a better word for it), and this makes a great dessert. It also happens to be vegan, which I don't usually think about too much, but comes in handy every once in a while. No cows or rices were harmed in the making of this porridge.


Second: My Own Personal Dannon Factory

I've been eating a lot of plain yogurt lately, and a recent article in the NYTimes had me thinking that it might not be too hard to make my own. Turns out, it's not hard at all.

There are websites and recipes galore, and they're all more or less the same. Basically, you heat milk till it's nearly boiling, let it cool about forty degrees, mix in a batch of existing yogurt (with live bacteria cultures), pour it into containers, and keep it warm for the next several hours while the bacteria go crazy. Then refrigerate and enjoy over the next week or so. I let my yogurt go about six hours in the fermenting stage, which is a little longer than most recipes call for, but results in a yogurt that's a little thicker and tangier. Now if I could only find a good granola recipe...



Third: An Apple Pie a Day Keeps the Doctor Away

Nothing too fancy here, but I had some leftover Granny Smiths and a couple pie crust balls in my freezer and decided to put together an apple pie (à la mode).

It's Slaw Season

For some reason I've been eating a lot of cabbage recently (may or may not be due to the cheapness of said cabbage), and though I like my old stand-by coleslaw recipe (1 chopped head of cabbage, 2 grated carrots, 3 generous dollops of mayo, 1 packet of Hidden Valley Ranch seasoning), I've decided to branch out a little and try some new coleslaw recipes. And since everybody in the family is becoming vegan, why not make a slaw without any animal products?

So here's a shot of last night's Lime and Peanut Coleslaw. Mine isn't quite as colorful as the recipe because I substituted an avocado for the grape tomatoes. But it's still tasty. And if you're Dad (and you like tons of cilantro), be sure to add in a little extra.



And then to disprove my claim about us all becoming vegans, here's a photo of the coleslaw complete with a bacon cheeseburger. Did you know you can grill bacon? I don't know how I've gotten this far in life without knowing that.

First, and first

First grilling of the season (it's on, barbecue lovers!)

First meal in my new dining room.