Saturday, January 28, 2012

Butternut Squash Velvet

I love Butternut Squash soup. When I go to the supermarket and I see this soup I just have to have it. I just love the flavors. I have never made soup before, the closes I have made is stew. So I decided I had to try. And here is the result....
It was so velvety, and just as good if not better than the soups in the box because I made it myself. As it should be.
And it was from this cookbook. Jacques Pepin is a master.
Above is the recipe. It was very easy and very fast.
Here are all the ingredients plus water.
Everything is in the pot.
After 20 minutes of simmering.
Pureed. Before the cream has been added.
After.
This soup is a treat if you love Butternut Squash.

Have you ever seen the Thunderbirds? That show is so cute. The machines are what make them cool since we never see them walking or running. Here are some role model articles I put together.


I leave this from the words of Marie Curie, Polish scientist
"You cannot hope to build a better world without improving the individuals. To that end each of us must work for his own improvement and at the same time share a general responsibility for all humanity."


Friday, January 13, 2012

Peach and Mustard Glazed Pork Cutlets

Here is my Peach and Mustard Glazed Pork Cutlets. It is a variation off a Peach and Mustard Glazed Pork Chops recipe on About.com.

Peach and Mustard Glazed Pork Cutlets
Makes 4 Servings
Prep Time: 5 minutes Cook Time: 15 minutes Total Time: 20 minutes

1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 can (15 or 16  oz) peach slices in light syrup, undrained
1 lb center cut boneless center-cut boneless pork chops, thin cut
1 Tbs Worcestershire sauce
½ tsp salt 
3 Tbs coarse ground coarse Mustard
3 Tbs Honey Dijon Mustard
1 tsp black pepper

Heat the oil in a sauté pan over med-high heat. Season pork chops with salt and pepper, and add to the pan. Brown each side for 3-4 minutes. 
Remove from pan and reserve. 
Add the peaches, Worcestershire sauce, and mustard to the pan. Whisk together and bring to a simmer. 
Reduce the heat to low, add the pork chops, and simmer for about 5 minutes, or until the pork reaches the desired doneness. 
Turn off heat and let rest for 5 minutes before serving.
And in the end you are left with this for a meal. At least for a protein. 

"All happiness or unhappiness solely depends upon the quality of the object to which we are attached by love."
Spinoza (1632-1677)


Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Have You Made a Snack Lately?

I don't know about you but I love popcorn - especially Kettle Corn.
Doesn't it look yummy! It comes fromAllrecipes.com.


Kettle Corn
By: SUE202
"Take a trip to the county fair with a bowl of old-fashioned Kettle Corn. Your family will never want plain popcorn again! If you use white sugar, it will taste like popcorn balls and if you use brown sugar, it will taste like caramel corn.
Prep Time: 5 Min
Cook Time: 15 Min
Ready In: 20 Min
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup unpopped popcorn kernels
Heat the vegetable oil in a large pot over medium heat. Once hot, stir in the sugar and popcorn. Cover, and shake the pot constantly to keep the sugar from burning. Once the popping has slowed to once every 2 to 3 seconds, remove the pot from the heat and continue to shake for a few minutes until the popping has stopped. Pour into a large bowl, and allow to cool, stirring occasionally to break up large clumps.
Nutritional Information
Amount Per Serving  Calories: 209 | Total Fat: 11.9g | Cholesterol: 0mg

"Did you ever dance with the devil in the pale moonlight? I always ask that of all my prey. I just like the sound of it.
The Joker
Batman 1989




Sunday, January 1, 2012

Deviled Eggs for a New Year's Toast

I made Deviled Eggs for a New Year's Eve treat. Nothing is better than something considered a classic. This, one of my boyfriend's favorite appetizers. I wanted to make sure I cooked them perfectly. I followed the advice of Simply Recipes

How to Make Perfect Hard Boiled Eggs
Cook time: 12 minutes
If you want hard boiled eggs that are easy to peel, make sure they are several days old. If this is Easter time, and everyone is buying their eggs at the last minute, buy your eggs 5 days in advance of boiling. (See the reference to using old eggs in Harold McGee's On Food and Cooking). Hard boiling farm fresh eggs will invariably lead to eggs that are difficult to peel. If you have boiled a batch that are difficult to peel, try putting them in the refrigerator for a few days; they should be easier to peel then. If you need to hard cook fresh eggs, and want them easy to peel, steaming the eggs works well. Even fresh eggs steamed for 20 minutes will be easy to peel.
METHOD
1 Put the eggs in a single layer in a saucepan, covered by at least an inch or two of cold water. Starting with cold water and gently bringing the eggs to a boil will help keep them from cracking. Adding a tablespoon of vinegar to the water will help keep the egg whites from running out of any eggs that happen to crack while cooking, but some people find that the vinegar affects the taste. I don't have a problem with it and I usually add a little vinegar. Adding a half teaspoon of salt is thought to help both with the preventing of cracking and making the eggs easier to peel. Put the burner on high and bring the eggs to a boil. As soon as the water starts to boil, remove the pan from the heat for a few seconds.
2 Reduce the heat to low, return the pan to the burner. Let simmer for one minute. (Note I usually skip this step because I don't notice the eggs boiling until they've been boiling for at least a minute! Also, if you are using an electric stove with a coil element, you can just turn off the heat. There is enough residual heat in the coil to keep the eggs simmering for a minute.)
3 After a minute, remove the pan from the heat, cover, and let sit for 12 minutes. If you are doing a large batch of eggs, after 10 minutes you can check for doneness by sacrificing one egg, removing it with a slotted spoon, running it under cold water, and cutting it open. If it isn't done, cook the other eggs a minute or two longer. The eggs should be done perfectly at 10 minutes, but sometimes, depending on the shape of the pan, the size of the eggs, the number of eggs compared to the amount of water, and how cooked you like them, it can take a few minutes more. When you find the right time that works for you given your pan, the size of eggs you usually buy, the type of stove top you have, stick with it.
I also find that it is very hard to overcook eggs using this method. I can let the eggs sit, covered, for up to 15-20 minutes without the eggs getting overcooked.
4 Either remove the eggs with a slotted spoon and place them into a bowl of ice water (this is if you have a lot of eggs) OR strain out the water from the pan, fill the pan with cold water, strain again, fill again, until the eggs cool down a bit. Once cooled, strain the water from the eggs. Store the eggs in a covered container (eggs can release odors) in the refrigerator. They should be eaten within 5 days.
This recipe comes from the Deviled Egg Gourmet. 

Easy Classic Deviled Eggs 
This recipe is based on the classic formulation for deviled eggs. Just a nice, quick recipe that is easy to make and tastes great.
This recipe is not spicy at all and as such is a good choice for family get-togethers where there are children and you're catering to a wide variety of tastes.
The filling of this recipe is on the firm side. Add a tad more mayo if you would like it a bit softer.
6 hard-cooked eggs, peeled and cut lengthwise
⅛ teaspoon salt
¼ cup Light Mayonnaise or Salad Dressing
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper 
½ teaspoon dry ground mustard
Paprika for garnish
½ teaspoon white vinegar

Pop out (remove) the egg yolks to a small bowl and mash with a fork. Add mayonnaise, mustard powder, vinegar, salt and pepper and mix thoroughly. Fill the empty egg white shells with the mixture and sprinkle lightly with paprika.
Cover lightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to one day before serving.

I've also done a bit of writing over the holiday...

This time I will leave you with a Russian Proverb-
"Love and Eggs are best when fresh."

Happy New Year!