Category — Cookware

Katie Quinn Davies is a food stylist by trade, and boy, is she good at it. I saw this photo she styled on Design Sponge and immediately wanted to buy robin-egg blue EVERYTHING.

KitchenAid 325 Watt Stand Mixer-Ice Blue

I am currently obsessed with lime popcorn. I eat it while waiting for dinner to cook because, really, any excuse to eat it is just fine. I make the quickie Orville Redenbacher Lime and Salt, but imagine how great it would be to cook and make my own flavors! Glamour has this amazing recipe for Chili Lime Tequila Popcorn that I’m dying to try!

Chili Lime Tequila Popcorn
Adapted from Dolcetto Confections

Ingredients:

4 quarts freshly popped popcorn
1/4 cup butter, melted (Note: I use less–butter is absolutely optional)
2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lime juice
1/2 teaspoon lime zest
1 teaspoon tequila (optional)
1/2 small jalapeno, seeds and membrane removes, minced
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or SilPat. Set aside. Put popcorn in a large, clean paper bag. In a medium-size bowl whisk together the butter, lime juice and zest, and tequila. Add the jalapeno. In a small bowl combine the black pepper, salt and red pepper.

Drizzle butter mixture over the popcorn, fold over the top of the bag, and shake until the popcorn is coated and moist. Sprinkle pepper mixture over the popcorn, fold over the top of the bag, and shake a few times to coat.

Spread the popcorn evenly over the baking sheet and bake until the popcorn is dry, five to seven minutes. Store in clean paper bag for up to 1 day.

Cuisinart Popcorn Maker

Theater Popcorn Popper

I have a confession. I have been ordering-in Chinese. Broccoli Beef to be more specific. Here’s a simple recipe from New Asian Cuisine that should give me a kick start to back away from my bad, bad habit of lazy eating!

Jaden Hair says, “The secret ingredient to the absolute best Broccoli Beef is Chinese black vinegar, which adds a mellow sweet tang. If you don’t have Chinese black vinegar, substitute it with a good, dark balsamic vinegar. Speaking of sauce, there’s nothing I detest more than goopy brown sauce that normally drags this dish down at most Chinese restaurants.I want my broccoli to be tender-crisp and taste like broccoli, not like cornstarchy brown goop. The secret is to cook the broccoli separate and to use minimal amount of cornstarch – but only in the steak marinade. We’ll simmer the sauce to let it thicken naturally.”

Chinese Broccoli Beef Recipe

1 lb (460 g) top sirloin or flank steak, sliced into 1/8-in (3-mm)-thin strips

For the marinade
1½ teaspoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon cornstarch
½ teaspoon cooking oil

For the Stir-fry Sauce
3 tablespoons oyster sauce
2 teaspoons Chinese rice wine (or dry sherry)
2 teaspoons black vinegar

For the Broccoli
1½ lb (700 g) broccoli, cut into bite-sized florets
½ teaspoon kosher or sea salt
1 tablespoon cooking oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic

Marinate the beef in soy sauce, cornstarch and the ½ teaspoon of oil for 10 minutes at room temperature.

In a small bowl, mix together the stir-fry sauce ingredients.

In a wok or large frying pan, add 1 inch (2.5 cm) of water and salt and bring to a boil. Add the broccoli and cover to steam for 3 minutes. Broccoli should be bright green, crisp tender and you should be able to pierce the stem with a fork. Drain.

Discard the water in the pan and dry the pan well. Heat the pan over high heat and when hot, add the 1 tablespoon of cooking oil and swirl to coat. Add the garlic and fry for 15 to 30 seconds, until fragrant. Add the steak strips, keeping them in one layer and fry 30 seconds. Flip the strips and fry the other side.

Pour in the stir-fry sauce and stir to combine. Simmer until the sauce is thick enough to coat a back of a spoon, about 30 seconds. Add the cooked broccoli back into the pan and toss to coat well.

***
More Options
- To keep this dish vegetarian, replace the beef with fresh, thick, meaty shitake mushrooms (cut in half) or even Portobello (cut in ½ in/13 mm slices).

Alexander McQueen was the king of skulls–he could make something macabre into something beautiful.  McQueen’s skull motif is probably one of his most famous, and in the spirit of the month, all hail McQueen!  Here are some of my favorite  McQueen items that have inspired me in the kitchen to make skull candy:

Women’s Alexander McQueen Studded Skull Clutch

Women’s Alexander McQueen Skull-Print Chiffon Scarf

Skulls Candy Mold

And Skull and Crossbones Ice Cubes? A party isn’t complete without these!

Halloween Party Skull Ice Cube Tray Kitchen Tools

I was lucky enough to marry a man who cooks, and cooks well.  Although he makes a lot of his recipes from scratch through experimentation, he also gets a lot of them from his parents, both of whom are excellent cooks.  This chicken scarpariello recipe comes from my mother in law and is absolutely terrific!  Even though my husband’s father is the Italian one, she cooks some really great Italian dishes. 

Ingredients:

• 2 whole chickens,  cut up into “chunks” with a large cleaver. 
• 8 sweet sausages, cut in thirds
• 8 cloves garlic, crushed with garlic press
• 2 medium or one large onion, cut in big pieces
• 1 bottle white wine.  Cooking wine is fine but it will taste better with “real” wine
• Flour (enough to dredge pieces in)
• Vegetable & Olive Oil (for browning chicken, use your discretion for amounts)
• Fresh black pepper & salt to taste

Preparation: Rinse chicken and pat dry.  Put enough flour into a heavy plastic bag to coat the pieces lightly.  Heat the vegetable and oil and pour into a All-Clad saute pan.  Add chicken and start to brown.  Add sausage pieces and brown.  After 10-15 minutes of browning, add onions and garlic and stir until onion is translucent.  Add ground pepper and salt.  Pour in half bottle of wine into pan and stir.  Cover and simmer for remainder of an hour.  Make sure to test the thickest pieces at the end to be sure they are done. 

I like to serve this dish with pasta but it is also great over rice.  For more flair you could also cook this with mushrooms or leaf spinach.

Brought to you by

all-clad saute pan at Beso.com

A $20 cast iron skillet will last a lifetime. I like those numbers!

Lodge Cast Iron Skillet

Perfection: home fries and over easy eggs cooked in a cast iron skillet. The Parsley Thief makes a ho-hum breakfast into something really beautiful with her simple recipe and drool-worthy pictures. The Parsley Thief’s cooking instructions below:

“Begin by peeling 1 1/2 pounds of Yukon Gold potatoes. Cut them into 1/2″ pieces & add them to a pot. Fill the pot with water & bring it to a boil. Simmer them for just 3 minutes. You just want them parboiled & not cooked all the way through.”

“Drain them & heat a cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons of canola oil to the skillet, add in the potatoes & arrange them in a single layer. Let them sizzle away, undisturbed for 5 minutes, or until they begin to brown. Give them a toss, arrange them back into a single layer & cook for another 5 minutes.
Once they begin to get golden, crack 2 eggs {gently} over the top. If you want the yolk to stay perfectly in tact, you can crack them into a small bowl first.”

I just got over being super sick; I wish I knew about this Green Smoothie recipe beforehand. Golubka calls it a “Glass of Emerald” and vouches for it’s cold-fighting ability and the drink itself is so beautiful!

Per Golubka’s instructions: “Take some familiar greens, or better yet, be adventurous and pick the brightest leaves with the strangest name. A bunch usually serves about three people. Add a banana per person, the riper the better. Stop here for a classic combination, or go on to add some kiwi, apple, grapes, mango, or berries for a more fruity flavour. Add about 1/2 cup of water per person and blend well until smooth and bubbly. Generally, this kind of smoothie tastes like fruit, but some greens overpower the sweetness. Those include collard greens, Swiss chard, and, the mightiest of all, arugula – nothing can mask its presence.”

Oster Classic Beehive Blender – Blue, Chrome, Copper, Red

Oster 14 Speed Blender

Magic Bullet Express

It sounds unconventional, but Panini Press Brownies are an awesome idea! I saw this recipe on Panini Happy and flipped, because it gives me a reason for the homemade blueberry syrup I wrote about earlier, too! Panini Happy’s picture alone makes my mouth water.

Panini Happy’s Directions:

Brownies:

1/4 cup sugar

1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon water
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 egg, slightly beaten
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/3 cup flour
1/8 teaspoon baking soda

Preheat panini grill to 300 degrees.

Try, Cuisinart Griddler Panini Maker

Cook sugar, butter and water in a medium saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture boils.  Remove from heat.  Immediately stir in chocolate chips, stirring until melted.  Stir in egg and vanilla until blended.  Combine flour and baking soda; add to chocolate mixture.

Spoon brownie batter onto the panini grill in 8 equal portions (depending on the size of your grill, you may need to do this in batches).  Close the lid of the grill, leaving about 1/4″ of space between the brownies and the upper grates.  Grill for 5 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a brownie comes out clean.  Carefully remove brownies from the grill (they will be a bit soft).

To assemble each sundae sandwich: Scoop frozen yogurt on top of one brownie.  Sprinkle nuts on top of the frozen yogurt.  Close sandwich with another brownie.  Drizzle blueberry balsamic syrup over the top and finish with a dollop of whipped cream.

Do you love chicken wings, but worry about the fat and calories?  There is an easy way to make baked chicken wings at home that are not only delicious but also not much healthier than most of the rings you’ll find at your standard BBQ joint.

This recipe comes from my mother in law.  She is the queen of finding lower fat ways to make favorite restaurant dishes.   She is a terrific cook, and also happens to be an excellent mother in law as well!

Baked Buffalo Chicken Wings:

Sauce Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup Louisiana Hot Sauce
• 4 tablespoons honey
• 2 tablespoons vinegar
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 heaping teaspoon dry mustard
• 2 tablespoons butter (optional)

To prepare: Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees.  Take your chicken wings, ad cut off the wing “tips” and discard. Cut remaining part of wings in half.  Spray a disposable foil pan with non-stick spray.  Bake the wings in the pan for 1 hour.  Brush the sauce over them with a basting brush.  Broil for 5 minutes, turn, brush again with wing sauce and broil again for 5 more minutes.

When wings are ready, serve with the traditional carrots and celery.  But instead of serving with fatty blue cheese dressing, try a lower fat version instead.  Ken’s Lite Blue Cheese is absolutely delicious and has only 80 calories and 7 grams of fat a serving, about half of what typical blue cheese dressings have.  You could also swap for a fat free ranch for even less fat and calories.

I don’t remember ever being this sick. I got out of bed to go to the drugstore for more cold-fighting supplies and thought I was going to pass out in the process. Here is a picture I took of my bedside table. Obviously, I’m throwing myself a huge pity party.

Enough of the whining. One thing I am so grateful for today is the KitchenAid Slow Cooker. If I didn’t have this, I would probably not have eaten a single thing.

KitchenAid Slow Cooker in Black

All I did this morning was cut up some veggies and some leftover chicken and threw it into some chicken stock. Chicken soup, voila! I didn’t really use a recipe, but I’ve attached a really beautiful one from a blog called “Tight Bod with a Pod.” Cheeky! Cook away, healthy friends!

Chicken Soup–surely for the soul!

• Place chicken stock in a large pot, over medium-high heat and bring to a simmer.  Add carrots, and simmer until tender, about 6 – 8 minutes.  If you have the time to create your own homemade chicken broth, we suggest this recipe for its simplicity and taste by Emeril Lagasse.
• Meanwhile, bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil.  Cook noodles until just tender, about 5 minutes.  Drain noodles and add to the pot of stock.
• Continue by adding shredded chicken, zucchini, corn, salt, pepper and dill to the stock.  Cook all ingredients about 5 minutes, until zucchini is cooked.
• Pour in bowls and garnish with parsley.  (Smash up chicken and veggies for infants with low teeth count.)

Here are some other slow cookers for those nights you just want to curl up and stay out of the kitchen.

Cuisinart 3.5 Quart Programmable Slow Cooker

Hamilton Stay or Go Plus Slow Cooker