A tough decision...

After a few weeks of thought I have decided to stop posting on this blog. I have some other larger projects in the works and responsibilities that take precedent over the time it takes to write posts for both of my blogs. However I will begin posting on Syracuse Sandwich again starting today. Thank you to everyone who read this blog regularly.

Dan's Daily Dose #41, #42, #43, & #44

FIVE SPICE POWDER     
1 tsp. Ground cinnamon     
1 tsp. Ground cloves     
1 tsp. Fennel seed     
1 tsp. Star anise     
1 tsp. Szechwan peppercorns 

ITALIAN HERB SEASONING     
1 tsp. Oregano     
1 tsp. Marjoram     
1 tsp. Thyme     
1 tsp. Basil     
1 tsp. Rosemary     
1 tsp. Sage 

  

CINNAMON SUGAR     
7/8 cup Granulated sugar     
2 Tbsp. Ground cinnamon 

  

CHILI POWDER 

3 Tbsp. paprika     
1 Tbsp. ground cumin     
2 Tbsp. oregano     
1 tsp. red or cayenne pepper     
1/2 tsp. garlic powder 

Dan's Daily Dose #39 & #40

     Add fresh butter to your fruit pie filling after it has been cooked. Or dot pieces of butter over the fruit before you place on the top crust.

     A Perfect Pastry Crust?  In your favorite recipe, substitute a 4:1 ratio of lard:butter.

Dan's Daily Dose #38

     To restore color and shine to an aluminum pan, boil some apple peels in it for a few minutes, then rinse and dry.

Dan's Daily Dose #36 & #37

     Purchase the best (i.e. heaviest) set of non-stick cookware you can afford.


     Use non-stick cookware so that you don't have to use as much, if any, fat. When sauteing, use a small amount of chicken broth or wine instead of butter or oil.

Dan's Daily Dose #35

     When measuring honey, coat the measuring cup with non-stick cooking spray or vegetable oil before adding the honey. The honey will slide right out.

Sliders Three Ways

     For our weekly meal with Matt, I decided to make sliders and salt potatoes. On the way home I decided I wouldn’t pick up salt potatoes and that we had a ton of chips to eat instead. But while at work I decided to make sliders three different ways. So the meal turned into sliders three ways and a variety of chips. I came up with cheddar/bacon and American/pickle for the sliders quickly but the third style took a bit of thinking. The problem with sliders is they can’t hold much because of their size to whatever you do choose to top them with, needs to be small or cut down to fit on top. Ultimately I decided to go with mozzarella/pizza sauce. I wanted to add pepperoni as well but I didn’t have any at home. I ended up with three sliders of each variety for a total of nine. Here are the ingredients if you want to try making any of these:

Slider buns

1 pound 80/20 ground beef

Salt and pepper

½ cup cheddar cheese

2 strips bacon, crumbles

½ cup mozzarella cheese

¼ cup pizza sauce

1 ½ slices American cheese

3 pickle slices

     Cook the bacon in a pan first and crumble it up, set this aside. While the bacon cooks, toast the insides of the top and bottom buns in a pan or on a griddle until golden brown. Place them open on each plate to make transferring the burgers to the buns easier. Take the ground beef and roll it into golf ball sized balls and then press them to about 1 inch in thickness. Sprinkle a little salt and pepper on the tops of the burgers and then add them top side down into the pan and then sprinkle more salt and pepper on the other side. Let them cook on a medium high heat for about 2 minutes and then flip them over. Immediately start topping these with the cheeses, dividing the amount listed over the three sliders. I add an ice cube to the pan and cover it with a large bowl, this helps melt the cheese quickly. Cook it this way for another two minute and they will be in between medium well and well. Obviously cook them for less time if you want them a little less done. Move them burgers to the buns and top with the other ingredient. I got them ready on the counter beforehand so I could finish them up quickly.

     It was nice to have a variety of smaller burgers because I normally get bored with the same taste throughout a larger burger. We all liked each burger but there was some discussion on which was the favorite. Christine liked the American cheese with pickle on top while Matt and I were both taken with the mozzarella and pizza sauce burger. The cheddar bacon burger was good but we’ve all had it before, so the sauce topped one was the star of the night. If it had just been tomato sauce I don’t think the burger would have been as good. But because I used left over pizza sauce from the pizza we had the night before, I think that made a huge difference. If you read my post about the pizza you might remember me saying I’d eat that sauce with a spoon, so I think the sauce is just that good to make the burger be great. I don’t know if I could eat a whole burger with those toppings but there is only one way to find out.

Rating: Yummy - Three burgers were three times the fun.

Dan's Daily Dose #34

     Do not use dried herbs in the same quantity as fresh. In most cases, use 1/3 the amount in dried as is called for fresh.

Sausage, Mushroom, & Pepper Pizza

     I like making pizza at home because you can do anything you want and it won’t cost you an arm and a leg for tons of topping. I have used raw pizza dough in the past but when loading up a pizza with a lot of toppings it is hard to cook the dough all the way through without burning the toppings. We decided to use a Baboli pizza crust which he hadn’t tried before but the fact that it was somewhat cooked already peaked out interest. We bought fresh meat and produce to make one of out favorite pizzas; peppers, onions, and sausage. Here is the recipe we came up with:

1 Baboli pizza crust

½ jar pizza sauce

1 8oz bag Mozzarella cheese

¾ pound sweet sausage, crumbled

1 green pepper, sliced thin

1 8oz package mushrooms, chopped

½ teaspoon garlic

Olive oil for sautéing

     Start off by browning the sausage in a pan until it is fully cooked through and crumbled. Put the sausage in a small bowl, leaving some of the fat in the pan. Add a little bit of olive oil and the garlic into the pan and let it cook for about a minute or so. At this point, turn the oven on to 450 degrees. I don’t like raw vegetables on my pizza so this next step works if you like them soft. Put both the peppers and the mushrooms into the pan and mix them until everything is coated with the oil. Once everything has softened up, pour everything into a strainer and let it drain for a minute or two just to get most of the oil and fat off. The last steps are to put the sauce, cheese, and toppings on before throwing it all in the oven. There is no set way of putting them on so just spread everything out evenly. This should cook for about 12 – 15 minutes but watch for the cheese to be fully melted and you’ll know it is done.

     There is no way the weight from the toppings would let raw dough cook all the way through so it was good that we used a precooked crust. I would have liked a more bready crust but the amount of toppings made up for that. Because the toppings layer was so thick, I used a knife and fork to eat most of mine. The sausage was from Spera’s and had a ton of flavor from the spices that they add when they grind it. Sautéing the peppers and mushrooms added another dimension that I don’t normally get from pizza shop pizza. The garlic and olive oil gave them a sweet taste that went well with they semi-spicy sausage. My favorite part of it all I think was the sauce which is just Wegmans brand pizza sauce. I’m not sure what it is about the sauce but I could eat it with a spoon, it is that good. Overall not a bad attempt at pizza but the crust needs some work.

Rating: Yummy – Who doesn’t like homemade pizza?

Dan's Daily Dose #33

     If lettuce starts turning a little brown (but not slimy) it may not be suitable for salads, but it is for sautéing. Cook it quickly in a little olive oil, minced garlic, and salt. 

Dan's Daily Dose #32

     When deep frying, dry food well with paper towels before adding to the pot; it helps reduce splattering. 

Dan's Daily Dose #30 & #31

     Use olive oil for cooking when appropriate. It adds to the taste of the dish and is better for you than butter.


     When taking foods off the grill, put them on a clean plate, not the same platter that held raw meat. 

Dan's Daily Dose #29

     Fresh eggs' shells are rough and chalky; old eggs are smooth and shiny. 

Chicken and Biscuits

     Chicken and biscuits isn’t really a summer dish but this recipe makes it easy because the chicken part is made in the crock pot. The biscuits are a dry mix that you just add water to and put in the oven for about ten minutes. The most time consuming part of this meal is making mashed potatoes but they are optional. I made them since Matt was coming over and needed more than just chicken gravy and biscuits for three people. Unfortunately, I forgot to buy sour cream so the potatoes didn’t come out as good as they usually do. Here are the ingredients for an easy meal that cooks while you are busy:

2 large chicken breasts

2 tablespoons butter

2 10.5oz cans cream of chicken soup

1 14.4 oz can chicken broth

1 large onion finely chopped

½ bag frozen mixed vegetables

1 packet Bisquick biscuit mix (I use cheddar biscuits)

½ cup water

     Plug in the crock pot and set the temperature on low. Everything will be done cooking long before the 8 – 10 hours that the low setting is for but because of the cream soup, you don’t want it to burn. Chop the butter into a few small pieces and scatter it in the bottom of the pot. Place both chicken breasts on top of the butter, side by side. Evenly top the chicken with the vegetables and onion. Pour in both cans of cream of chicken and spread evenly over the vegetables leaving room around the edges of the pot. Finally, pour the entire can of chicken broth over the contents of the pot making sure to get some to the bottom around the chicken. Let this cook for at least 4 hours but no more than 8. Just before serving you may notice the mixture looking kind of watery, don’t panic. Using tongs or forks shred the chicken thoroughly in the pot. While you do this, everything will mix around and thicken up. Following the directions on the biscuit mix, bake these in the oven and place one or two on each plate and top with the mixture from the crock pot. If you make mashed potatoes, put them on the plate and top with the mixture as well.

     Like I said before, the potatoes didn’t come out great but with the chicken mixture poured all over them I didn’t really notice. If you look at them recipe again you will notice that there are no spices or seasonings used. Despite the lack of those there was a lot of flavor from the chicken and the soup. The cheddar biscuits were a great vehicle to thicken up this dish as the chicken gravy soaked right into them. This dish would be perfect during a cold winter night but it was good on a humid one too.

Rating: Yummy – Potatoes didn’t work out but everything else did

Dan's Daily Dose #28

     You can correct greasy gravy by adding a little baking soda to it. 

Fried Rice and Cheese Wontons

     After weeks of procrastination over making fried rice each week for dinner, I finally made it and a ton of it because I was feeding three guests. As a side dish I made cheese wontons for the first time. I made the rice the night before because it stops the rice from becoming mushy when cooked a second time. I use jasmine rice which is long grain Thai rice but basmati rice is also a good rice to use when making fried rice. So to make this dish, the first step is to cook the rice as directed on the package the night before. Once it is done cooking, allow it to cool in a large bowl and then put it in the refrigerator, covered. I use the recipe on the back of the Kikkoman fried rice seasoning packet. Since I made two batches of rice, I double everything in the recipe including a second packet of seasoning. Here is what you need for a single batch:

3 cups cold cooked rice

1 egg

2 strips thick cut bacon (Substitute other meats if you choose)

3 scallions (green onion) chopped

1 packet Kikkoman fried rice seasoning

2 tablespoons water

Soy sauce for seasoning

     Since the directions are on the back of one of the ingredients, I’m not going to go into how to make the rice but I will tell you how it came out later in this post. Now to the cheese wontons, usually there is crab meat mixed into these but I omitted it. Here is what you will need for my recipe for cheese wontons:

8oz softened cream cheese

3 scallions (green onion) chopped

½ teaspoon ground black pepper

½ teaspoon paprika

1 package wonton wrappers

Egg whites from one large egg

Oil for frying (Don’t Use Vegetable)

Sweet and sour sauce for dipping

     Before you do anything, put the oil in a deep pan or pot and turn the heat on. You are looking to get the oil to about 350 to 400 degrees. Mix the first four ingredients in a bowl until thoroughly combined. Take a teaspoon of the mixture and place it in the center of a wonton wrapper. Take two fingers, dip them in the egg white, and spread them along the edges of the wrapper. Fold over one corner across the top of the mixture top the opposite corner. Pull the other two corners up to meet the already combined corners and then you’ll have one done. Repeat this process until the cream cheese mixture is gone. I place the wontons on a paper towel until I’m done. Christine’s cousin, sister, and sister’s boyfriend came over during the tedious process of making these homemade cheese wontons so they had to wait a little while before we ate. Once the oil is up to temperature, begin placing these in the oil a few at a time until golden brown. Let them drain on some paper towels and serve them with sweet and sour sauce to dip in.

     The rice was good but not the best that I have made. I chalk it up to making a double batch all at once. The stars of the meal, at least in my eyes, were the cheese wontons. They cooked pretty evenly for not being able to use my new deep fryer. They were crunchy and didn’t taste greasy like they sometimes do when ordered out. Christine commented that they were cream cheesier than from an actual Chinese restaurant which she enjoyed. For a first try, they came out well and I will definitely be making them again. Overall a good meal that I mill make in the future.

Rating: Yummy - I can't wait to perfect these dishes.

Delaware

Normally this blog is for food I make but I decided to share what others made for us while we were on vacation. The sandwiches are reviewed on the Syracuse Sandwich blog. So here are some pictures of the food we enjoyed in Delaware:

Grilled Ham Cheese and Tomato at Robin Hood's

Seafood Scampi at Irish Eyes

Shepherd's Pie at Irish Eyes

Doughnuts at The Fractured Prune

Onion Rings at Dogfish Head Brewings & Eats

Asparagus Peppers and Chicken Pizza at Dogfish Head Brewings & Eats

Vegetable Omelet at Sunrise Restaurant

Eastern Omelet at Sunrise Restaurant

Pretzel Sticks at The Greene Turtle

Chick N Ranch at The Greene Turtle

The Chesapeake Chicken at The Greene Turtle

Taco Salad at Dos Locos

Spicy Pork Burrito at Dos Locos

French Toast at The Penguin Diner

Breakfast Burrito at The Penguin Diner

Dan's Daily Dose #26 & #27

     If you make icing from scratch, use it immediately or else it will begin to set up. This will cause it to stiffen or become crusty.


     When using sprinkles or crumb topping, apply when the frosting is still fresh and sticky. This will ensure the toppings will stay on better.

Oreo Truffles

     There was suppose to be a BBQ for Christine and I thrown by my coworkers on Sunday but the weather did not cooperate. We decided to postpone until after we get back from the honeymoon. Unfortunately for people who planned on coming, they weren’t going to be able to have the Oreo truffles that I made Saturday. I made these truffles once before a few years ago but thought they would be a nice dessert. I found this recipe on Allrecipes.com and didn't have to change a thing when I attempted them for the first time. Here’s the recipe:

1 18oz package Oreo cookies

1 8oz package cream cheese

2 8oz packages Baker’s semi-sweet baking chocolate

     Start off by opening the cream cheese and leaving it out on the counter to soften a little bit. Next, take about 1/10th of the Oreos and put them in a food processor. Blend them down into a fine crumb and place in a small bowl. Set this bowl aside until the coating stage. Then take the other 9/10ths of Oreos and blend them until they turn into a fine crumb and pour in a large mixing bowl. Depending on the size of your food processor, you may have to do two groups on that step. Add the cream cheese to the large bowl of cookie crumb and mix with a spatula until there are no loose crumbs in the bowl and no pockets of cream cheese. It usually takes me about 5 minutes to accomplish this. Once you have done that, begin rolling the “dough” into 1 inch sized balls and place them on a plate covered with wax paper. I get about 24 out of a batch but mine are a little on the large side. Place the plate in the freezer to harden them up a bit or they will come apart during the coating step.

     As soon as you put the balls in the freezer, put the contents of both boxes of semi-sweet chocolate in a small sauce pan. Turn the heat on low to melt the chocolate and stir so it doesn’t burn to the bottom of the pan. By the time the chocolate is all melted, the balls will be hard enough to handle without falling apart. Take the balls one at a time and coat them with chocolate using two spoons to “pass” the ball back and forth to get the excess chocolate off. Place these chocolate covered balls on a pan lined with wax paper. Sprinkle the crumbs from the small bowl of Oreo crumb on each ball as you place them on the tray. Put the tray in the refrigerator, uncovered, for at least 2 hours once they have all been coated and topped. I leave mine in overnight so I know the chocolate on the outside has hardened.

     If you make the balls small, you could have two or three as a dessert but if you make them as big as I do, one is more than sufficient. The center will be moist and soft while the outside will be hard and crunchy. I store mine in a Tupperware container in the fridge and take them as I want them. I was surprised that just three ingredients could make such a rich and filling dessert.

Rating: Delectable – Try adding other ingredients like Butterfingers or white chocolate to change up the recipe

Dan's Daily Dose #25

     To remove egg shells from batter, use the remaining shell to attract the loose piece(s).

Dan's Daily Dose #24

     When making candy that is covered in chocolate, like truffles, use two spoons to "roll" the piece back and forth for an even coating.

Dan's Daily Dose #21, #22, & #23

     Has anyone ever told you how crazy it gets two weeks before your wedding? I'm finding that out and it is putting me behind so here are Thursday's through Today's daily doses:


Marinate red meats in wine to tenderize them.


Marinate chicken in buttermilk to tenderize it.


Pounding out meat not only tenderizes it, but it also allows more even cooking.

Corn Flake Chicken Tenders & Seasoned Potato Wedges

     I had the idea of serving Matt a dish that my mom used to make when we were kids paired with a recipe I made for football one Sunday afternoon. Baked Corn Flake crusted chicken tenders and baked potato wedges are a healthy alternative to heavily breaded and fried tenders and French fries. I remember eating the chicken tenders with a side of honey and bbq sauce for dipping. They were crunchy and had a sweet taste from the cereal while still being tender. The potato wedges were a huge hit when I made them for the guests I had over for football. Paprika, chili powder, onion powder, and garlic powder mixed with olive oil spice up russet potato wedges that gives them a kick once baked. I hoped that the combination of the two would make a great meal. Here are the recipes:

Potato Wedges

3 Russet potatoes cut into wedges

1 ½ teaspoons chili powder

1 ½ teaspoons onion powder

1 ½ teaspoons garlic powder

1 ½ teaspoons paprika

3 tablespoons olive oil

Olive oil for drizzling

Corn Flake Crusted Chicken Tenders

2 lbs. Chicken tenderloins or Chicken breast cut into strips

4 cups crushed Corn Flakes

1 tablespoon season salt

½ cup flour

½ teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon poultry seasoning

2 eggs

1 tablespoon water or milk

Olive oil for drizzling

     Pre heat your oven to 400 degrees and start working on the potatoes. I leave the skin on the potato when I cut it into wedges. Once you have cut the potatoes up, put them in a large mix bowl and set aside. Combine the spices and the olive in a small bowl and mix thoroughly. Pour this mixture over the potatoes and stir the potatoes around until they are coated on all sides. Drizzle olive oil on a large baking sheet and spread the potatoes evenly on top. Put the potatoes in the oven for about 25 – 35 minutes depending on how thick you cut the potatoes, flipping once. Immediately get started on the chicken so both will be done around the same time. Combine all of the dry ingredients in a deep mixing bowl then eat the eggs and water (or milk) in a small bowl. Dip a few tenders at a time in the egg wash and then roll them in the dry ingredients until fully coated. Place these on a plate with a paper towel on it until you have coated all of the tenders you will be cooking. Drizzle olive oil on a large baking sheet and place the tenders on the sheet about an inch apart. Put the chicken in the oven for about 20 minutes, flipping once.

     When the potatoes can be pierced easily with a fork, they are done. The chicken however is tricky because each piece won’t be the same size. I cut the thickest piece to make sure there is no pink left. The potatoes were thick and tender with the consistency of steak fries. The spices added a kick but could be adjusted if you like it more or less spicy. The chicken didn’t get crunchy enough like I wanted and I think I know why. The pieces I cut were thicker than when my mom made them so there was more juice which soaked the cornflakes, not allowing them to stay crunchy. The chicken was tender and cooked perfectly in my opinion. I think I will change the size of the chicken slices next time and change the steps during the breading process.

Rating: Fair - These recipes need some work but definitely worth another try.

Eggs In A Basket

     This dish has many names: toad in a hole, egg in a frame, cowboy eggs and eggs in a basket just to name a few. It has always been, by far, my favorite breakfast dish ever since I was a little kid. I’ve made it numerous times since I’ve been out on my own and I think I’ve finally perfected the art of making it. On Sunday morning, I think they came out as close to perfect as one could possibly make them. If you like fried eggs, no matter how hard you want them cooked, this is a nice change from just eggs and toast on a plate. Here is what you’ll need:

Spreadable butter

Butter spray

Slices of sandwich bread

Eggs

Salt & Pepper to taste

Shot Glass

     I didn’t list amounts for the butter, eggs, or the bread because it depends on how many you are making. This recipe follows a 1:1 ratio so if you want one egg in a basket then you need one slice of bread, one egg, and enough butter to butter both sides of the bread. If you are making more than one, I suggest buttering both sides of all the slices of bread you are going to use. Using the shot glass cut out the center of each slice and set aside. Heat up a large pan on medium heat and liberally coat with non stick butter spray. When making more than two or three, re-spray the pan after every couple of slices. Once the pan is heated, place the bread flat on the pan and crack the egg into the hole. Cook the egg for one to two minutes, just enough to get a spatula under the egg, then flip it over so the bread lays flat and continue cooking to the doneness you are looking for. While you are cooking the egg in the bread, places the small cut out pieces in the pan as well, flipping once, until golden brown on both sides.

     I made six slices, two of which I accidentally cooked to over hard while tending to the bacon I was making on a griddle. The other four came out over medium, which is how I wanted them. Over medium gives you the piece of mind that the egg white has cooked throughly while still giving you some yolk to dip the crispy circle toasts in. Each slice was golden brown and had a crunchy buttery taste. With a little bit of salt and pepper, there's nothing better.

Rating: Delectable - My favorite breakfast...what can I say.