- Put brown rice and water together in a pot with a lid. Use the ratio of 1.5 cups water to 1 cup rice. I normally make 3c rice with 4.5c water for a single batch.
- Set the heat to maximum, and bring the rice/water to a boil uncovered. Then put the lid on the pot, and reduce the heat to low/simmer. If your lid has a steam valve, keep it closed. Let the rice simmer for 20 minutes.
- Turn off the heat, and let the rice sit in the covered pot for another 10 minutes. It’s OK if you let the rice sit longer than 10 minutes (20 or 30 minutes is fine too), but don’t let it go any less. I prefer my rice to be slightly chewy, not mushy, so I usually remove the lid after 10 minutes.
- Eat and enjoy. Be careful when you remove the lid, since a lot of steam may escape when you do.
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Cooking Brown Rice
So you can use this for white rice too, but since we don't have a rice cooker, I like to use this method I found here to cook my brown rice.
Orange Chicken
This recipe comes from my sister Allison, who got it from her roomie Laura, who "invented" it with her brother. Spiffy, I know.
Chicken
Ingredients
Sauce
1/4 cup Sugar
1TB + 1 tsp cornstarch
Orange Zest (not completely necesarry
2 cups Orange Juice
3 dashes Soy Sauce (to taste)
Red Pepper Flakes (to taste)Chicken
1-2 Chicken breasts chopped into bite sized pieces
about 1 cup of flour
1-2 eggs
Oil
DIRECTIONS
SAUCE
Combine all the ingredients in a saucepan stirring constantly until sauce thickens. TIP: whisk a little orange juice or water with the corn starch before you add it in with the rest of the ingredients to prevent the cornstarch from clumping.
CHICKEN
CHICKEN
1.Heat oil in Wok (you will need about 1/2 inch of oil)
2.Put flour and eggs in separate bowls
3. Coat chicken pieces in eggs then flour then put in heated oil
4. Fry until the chicken is golden brown and cooked all the way through (about 5 min)
5. Place cooked chicken in a bowl and mix with sauce until all the chicken is covered.
This is best served over rice. YUM!
Spicy BBQ Pork Chops
So I don't remember where I found this recipe... I just know I got it from one of my cookbooks, but I have seen several variations of it online. This meal is quick and easy and scrumptious. I like to serve it with baked beans and steamed veggies of some sort (corn, green beans, etc). It also is tasty with a side of fries.
Because this is one of my "from memory recipes the measurements are nowhere near precise, so adjust according to your taste.
Ingredients:
4 pork chops about 1 inch thick (or as many as you will eat)
Garlic Salt
Chili Powder
Pepper
Barbecue Sauce of your choosing
Directions:
1. Move your rack to the lowest oven shelf and set oven to broil.
2. Line a baking dish (I use a pyrex dish) with tinfoil.
3. Sprinkle the pork chops with garlic salt, chili powder, and pepper to taste, then rub it into the pork real good. Sometimes I will sprinkle more stuff on after I rub it. I like to do this while the pork chops are already in the tinfoil lined baking dish... less stuff to clean.
4. WASH YOUR HANDS THOROUGHLY :)
5. Stick on the bottom oven rack for 4-5 minutes on EACH side (cook longer for thicker pork chops)
6. Take out the baking dish, flip the pork chops then spread with BBQ sauce.
7. Stick back in the oven for 1-2 minutes
8. Repeat steps 6-7.
Dig In!!
Because this is one of my "from memory recipes the measurements are nowhere near precise, so adjust according to your taste.
Ingredients:
4 pork chops about 1 inch thick (or as many as you will eat)
Garlic Salt
Chili Powder
Pepper
Barbecue Sauce of your choosing
Directions:
1. Move your rack to the lowest oven shelf and set oven to broil.
2. Line a baking dish (I use a pyrex dish) with tinfoil.
3. Sprinkle the pork chops with garlic salt, chili powder, and pepper to taste, then rub it into the pork real good. Sometimes I will sprinkle more stuff on after I rub it. I like to do this while the pork chops are already in the tinfoil lined baking dish... less stuff to clean.
4. WASH YOUR HANDS THOROUGHLY :)
5. Stick on the bottom oven rack for 4-5 minutes on EACH side (cook longer for thicker pork chops)
6. Take out the baking dish, flip the pork chops then spread with BBQ sauce.
7. Stick back in the oven for 1-2 minutes
8. Repeat steps 6-7.
Dig In!!
Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Not only are these cookies delicious, but this marks the first batch of cookies that I have made that look NORMAL. Follow these directions to a tee and you will hopefully have the same result as me.
I found this recipe at Completely Delicious. The title of this blog is VERY fitting.
Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Makes 2 1/2 dozen cookies
Ingredients:
1 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups (1 pound) semi-sweet chocolate chips
How to Brown Your Butter:
In a medium saucepan over low heat, melt the butter. Once melted, continue to cook until it turns golden brown. Swirl the pan occasionally if needed so that it browns evenly. Watch it fairly closely, as it can go from brown to burned quickly. When the color has turned golden, small flecks speckle the butter, and it has a nutty aroma, remove from heat and poor into a shallow dish. Chill in the fridge until it becomes solid. You want it to be soft, but not melted. If it cool too hard, let it come back to room temperature before using.
Cookie Directions:
1.Preheat oven to 375 degrees and line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
2.Beat the brown butter, sugar, and brown sugar on medium high speed with an electric mixer until light and creamy, about 4 minutes. Really beat for about 4 minutes... I never did this in the past and it was one of my reasons for flat cookies.
3.Add the eggs one at a time, mixing after each.
4.Add the vanilla.
5.Add the flour, baking soda, and salt and mix until just combined on medium speed.
6.Add the chocolate chips and mix until incorporated.
7. Spoon by the tablespoon onto the prepared baking sheet, leaving 2 inches in between each cookie.
8.Bake until golden brown, 10-12 minutes.
9.Cool on a wire rack.
And marvel at your tasty cookies!
Tips I have learned about how to make non-flat cookies:
1. Make sure you're using butter and not margarine. The margarine is just a ton of oil and it won't bake up nice... and fluffy. And we all know that butter is better anyhow.
2. You may need to add a little more flour than the recipe calls for. I would test the recipe out first before you do this one.
3. Bake them at a high temp (about 350) for a short period of time.
4. Really cream the butter and sugar, let it get super fluffy. Like I said before, this really works. I never knew how fluffy butter and sugar could get.
5. I had a roommate who used to make a little indent in the bottom of her doughball before she put it on the cookie sheet... I have had positive results when I do this as well, but it's not necessary.
I found this recipe at Completely Delicious. The title of this blog is VERY fitting.
Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Makes 2 1/2 dozen cookies
Ingredients:
1 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups (1 pound) semi-sweet chocolate chips
How to Brown Your Butter:
In a medium saucepan over low heat, melt the butter. Once melted, continue to cook until it turns golden brown. Swirl the pan occasionally if needed so that it browns evenly. Watch it fairly closely, as it can go from brown to burned quickly. When the color has turned golden, small flecks speckle the butter, and it has a nutty aroma, remove from heat and poor into a shallow dish. Chill in the fridge until it becomes solid. You want it to be soft, but not melted. If it cool too hard, let it come back to room temperature before using.
Cookie Directions:
1.Preheat oven to 375 degrees and line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
2.Beat the brown butter, sugar, and brown sugar on medium high speed with an electric mixer until light and creamy, about 4 minutes. Really beat for about 4 minutes... I never did this in the past and it was one of my reasons for flat cookies.
3.Add the eggs one at a time, mixing after each.
4.Add the vanilla.
5.Add the flour, baking soda, and salt and mix until just combined on medium speed.
6.Add the chocolate chips and mix until incorporated.
7. Spoon by the tablespoon onto the prepared baking sheet, leaving 2 inches in between each cookie.
8.Bake until golden brown, 10-12 minutes.
9.Cool on a wire rack.
And marvel at your tasty cookies!
Tips I have learned about how to make non-flat cookies:
1. Make sure you're using butter and not margarine. The margarine is just a ton of oil and it won't bake up nice... and fluffy. And we all know that butter is better anyhow.
2. You may need to add a little more flour than the recipe calls for. I would test the recipe out first before you do this one.
3. Bake them at a high temp (about 350) for a short period of time.
4. Really cream the butter and sugar, let it get super fluffy. Like I said before, this really works. I never knew how fluffy butter and sugar could get.
5. I had a roommate who used to make a little indent in the bottom of her doughball before she put it on the cookie sheet... I have had positive results when I do this as well, but it's not necessary.
Homemade Samoas
So I found this recipe at Once Upon a Plate. They are delicious. I decided to make mine into small heart shapes for V-day.... but I wouldn't recommend you do this unless you have a lot of time on your hands.
FYI: By three cups of coconut they mean three cups of shredded coconut not tightly packed.
Servings: 3 1/2 - 4 dozen cookies
The Cookie:1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
up to 2 tablespoons milk
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2..Cream together butter and sugar in a large bowl.
3. Mix in flour, baking powder and salt at a low speed, next, the vanilla and milk, adding in the milk only as needed to make the dough come together without being sticky (you may not need any at all).
4. The dough should come together into a soft, pliable ball. Add in a bit of extra flour if your dough seems sticky.
5. Roll out the dough to about 1/4 inch thickness - It's easiest to roll the dough out in 2 or 3 batches between pieces of wax or parchment paper.
6. Cut out in 2-21/2 inch circle and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Repeat until the dough is used up (it's okay to re-roll, this dough is shortbread-like and very forgiving.)
7.Bake cookies for 10-12 minutes, until bottoms are very lightly golden brown around the edges.
8.Cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet, to allow them to firm up slightly, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
The Really Tasty Part
3 cups shredded coconut (sweetened or unsweetened)
12-ounces good-quality chewy caramels
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons milk
8 ounces dark or semisweet chocolate (chocolate chips will do)
If you prefer milk chocolate, then that works too.
Directions:
1.Preheat oven to 300 degrees (F)
2. Spread coconut evenly on a rimmed baking sheet and toast 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes, until coconut is golden. Watch carefully, especially near the end of toasting time; the coconut toasts very quickly once it begins to become golden.
3.Cool on baking sheet, stirring occasionally. Set aside.
4.Unwrap the caramels and place in a large microwave-safe bowl with milk and salt. Cook on high for 3-4 minutes, stopping to stir a few times to help the caramel melt. When smooth, fold in toasted coconut with a spatula.
5.Using the spatula or a small offset spatula, spread topping on cooled cookies, using about 2-3 teaspoons per cookie. Reheat caramel for a few seconds in the microwave if it begins to firm up, to make it soft and spreadable once again. (This part was somewhat frustrating as the caramel is a little sticky, but it is worth it.)
6.While topping sets up, melt chocolate in a small bowl on High in the microwave in 45 second intervals, stirring thoroughly to prevent scorching. OR you can use a double broiler, which I did.
7.Dip the base of each cookie into the chocolate and place on a clean piece of parchment paper (I used silicone baking mats instead).
8.Transfer all remaining chocolate into a piping bag or a ziplock bag with the corner snipped off and drizzle finished cookies with chocolate.
9. Let chocolate set completely before storing in an airtight container.
Final Step... PIG OUT
FYI: By three cups of coconut they mean three cups of shredded coconut not tightly packed.
Servings: 3 1/2 - 4 dozen cookies
The Cookie:1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
up to 2 tablespoons milk
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2..Cream together butter and sugar in a large bowl.
3. Mix in flour, baking powder and salt at a low speed, next, the vanilla and milk, adding in the milk only as needed to make the dough come together without being sticky (you may not need any at all).
4. The dough should come together into a soft, pliable ball. Add in a bit of extra flour if your dough seems sticky.
5. Roll out the dough to about 1/4 inch thickness - It's easiest to roll the dough out in 2 or 3 batches between pieces of wax or parchment paper.
6. Cut out in 2-21/2 inch circle and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Repeat until the dough is used up (it's okay to re-roll, this dough is shortbread-like and very forgiving.)
7.Bake cookies for 10-12 minutes, until bottoms are very lightly golden brown around the edges.
8.Cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet, to allow them to firm up slightly, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
The Really Tasty Part
3 cups shredded coconut (sweetened or unsweetened)
12-ounces good-quality chewy caramels
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons milk
8 ounces dark or semisweet chocolate (chocolate chips will do)
If you prefer milk chocolate, then that works too.
Directions:
1.Preheat oven to 300 degrees (F)
2. Spread coconut evenly on a rimmed baking sheet and toast 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes, until coconut is golden. Watch carefully, especially near the end of toasting time; the coconut toasts very quickly once it begins to become golden.
3.Cool on baking sheet, stirring occasionally. Set aside.
4.Unwrap the caramels and place in a large microwave-safe bowl with milk and salt. Cook on high for 3-4 minutes, stopping to stir a few times to help the caramel melt. When smooth, fold in toasted coconut with a spatula.
5.Using the spatula or a small offset spatula, spread topping on cooled cookies, using about 2-3 teaspoons per cookie. Reheat caramel for a few seconds in the microwave if it begins to firm up, to make it soft and spreadable once again. (This part was somewhat frustrating as the caramel is a little sticky, but it is worth it.)
6.While topping sets up, melt chocolate in a small bowl on High in the microwave in 45 second intervals, stirring thoroughly to prevent scorching. OR you can use a double broiler, which I did.
7.Dip the base of each cookie into the chocolate and place on a clean piece of parchment paper (I used silicone baking mats instead).
8.Transfer all remaining chocolate into a piping bag or a ziplock bag with the corner snipped off and drizzle finished cookies with chocolate.
9. Let chocolate set completely before storing in an airtight container.
Final Step... PIG OUT
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Garlic-Lime Chicken
I found this recipe on a blog called Random Anderson and they modified it from a recipe they found on all-recipes
Brad and I LOVED this recipe. It is so tasty. It's also pretty versatile. You can cut up the chicken after you cook it and throw it in a salad or in a taco. OR you can just have the chicken breast.... delicious.
Ingredients
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/8 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon dried parsley
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
2 tablespoons butter ( I didn't use any butter, just olive oil)
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons garlic powder
3 tablespoons lime juice
1. In a small bowl, mix together salt, black pepper, cayenne, paprika, 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder, onion powder, thyme and parsley. Sprinkle spice mixture generously on both sides of chicken breasts.
2. Heat butter and olive oil in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Saute chicken until golden brown, about 6 minutes on each side. Sprinkle with 2 teaspoons garlic powder and lime juice. Cook 5 minutes, stirring frequently to coat evenly with sauce.
Simple right?! Enjoy!
Brad and I LOVED this recipe. It is so tasty. It's also pretty versatile. You can cut up the chicken after you cook it and throw it in a salad or in a taco. OR you can just have the chicken breast.... delicious.
Ingredients
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/8 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon dried parsley
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
2 tablespoons butter ( I didn't use any butter, just olive oil)
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons garlic powder
3 tablespoons lime juice
1. In a small bowl, mix together salt, black pepper, cayenne, paprika, 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder, onion powder, thyme and parsley. Sprinkle spice mixture generously on both sides of chicken breasts.
2. Heat butter and olive oil in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Saute chicken until golden brown, about 6 minutes on each side. Sprinkle with 2 teaspoons garlic powder and lime juice. Cook 5 minutes, stirring frequently to coat evenly with sauce.
Simple right?! Enjoy!
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
So this is your pretty average chocolate buttercream frosting. It's the frosting my mom and I have always made and I have always LOVED it.
Serving Size: This is plenty of frosting for a dozen cupcakes, if you want to frost and fill a two layer cake then make 1 1/2 batches.
Ingredients:
Frost your cupcakes and ENJOY!
Serving Size: This is plenty of frosting for a dozen cupcakes, if you want to frost and fill a two layer cake then make 1 1/2 batches.
Ingredients:
6 tablespoons butter, softened
5-6 Tb of cocoa powder
2 2/3 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5-6 Tb of cocoa powder
2 2/3 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions:
- Cream the butter
- Alternate between adding the powdered sugar and the cocoa powder with the milk. So don't add it all in at once.
- Beat until it reaches a consistency that is easy to spread with.
- Feel free to add more or less cocoa powder according to how chocolaty you want your frosting.
Frost your cupcakes and ENJOY!
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