Category Archives: eating

Our New Outdoor Toy: The Smoker

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We bought a new cooking toy – the Weber smoker (Star Wars fans: We’re calling it the “R2 unit”). Actually, it belonged to our brother-in-law. The “R2 unit” was going to make the trip out West, but somehow we managed to sway him into selling it to us. Just joking. It totally saved him the trouble of moving it out and this way, he can still cook for us when he comes to visit!

And, I love barbecue: grill or smoke. Give me a pulled pork sandwich and some slaw…Yum! Filipino BBQ skewers. Delicious. I love when my husband grills. I’m happy to prepare marinades, supply sides, just don’t ask me to cook outside. I don’t possess those skills. (Is it a gender thing?)

So we set out on our inaugural smoking: an eight-hour pork shoulder for lunch. The coals were lit at 11:45 pm. Right. At night. omg. I wish I had bought the remote meat thermometer (now I know what that’s really useful for), and granted, it was my husband who got up every few hours to check the temperature, but still. That’ll be our next purchase. Anyone our there have recommendations?

The cook was quite pleased with the way things turned out. Nice smoke ring, tasty flavor, fall-off-the-bone tender… couldn’t have asked for more. I was worried our initial spice rub might have been too weak, but it was fine. We’ll try adding a bit more next time to give it a nice crust.

Our spice rub was the rub I use for our oven-baked baby back ribs: salt, pepper, brown sugar, garlic powder, chili powder, ground thyme, ground allspice. Add a little cayenne or chipotle pepper for some kick! (Check Alton Brown’s Rub No. 9 recipe for ratios. Ours differs a little.)

Since we’re new to the smoking scene, I’d totally appreciate any tips. Thanks! Have a great weekend!

Eating Quinoa and Lentils :: Ready Made giveaway

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Quinoa and lentils… not at the same time. That might not taste very good. But we are trying to include more healthy choices in our kitchen nowadays. Don’t you love light, crisp salads as we head into warmer weather? Here’s a pretty simple recipe for a tasty, Spring salad! My husband prefers this over couscous, and makes for a nice side dish.

Prepare 1 cup quinoa according to directions on package except include one carrot and celery, chopped coarse, and one bay leaf, ten peppercorns and thyme wrapped up in cheesecloth. It’s all for getting flavor in the quinoa… then I discarded all the veggies and herbs after it was done cooking. Set aside. Finely dice one cucumber and one celery stalk. Finely chop one or two green onions, and finely chop 1/4 cup cilantro. Blanch one 10 oz. package of sugar snap peas. Mix all this in with quinoa.

For the dressing grate or mince 1/2 to 1 tsp. of fresh ginger. Blend with 1/8 cup olive oil, 2 tbsp. rice vinegar, salt and pepper to taste. Add a 1/2 tsp. of curry powder if you’d like, too. Serve room temperature or chilled.

For another healthy recipe, check out the scoop on my easy lentil recipe at Niles Patch.

Do you have a favorite Spring recipe you’d be willing to share with me and our readers? I would love to share with you a chance to win a one-year subscription to Ready Made magazine (one of my new favorite sites and magazines). It’s pretty simple – share your recipe in the comment section, and you’ll be entered in a random drawing. Don’t forget to include your e-mail, so I can get in touch with you.

Comments will be closed Wednesday, April 20 at 5 pm (CST)

Thanks much! Happy cooking (and crafting) as always!

Calphalon & Williams-Sonoma Video Contest

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Remember the Calphalon & Williams-Sonoma party I hosted earlier this year? There’s more…

Calphalon & Williams-Sonoma are proud to present the Easy & Elegant Brunch Video Contest!

There are 4 days left of this contest!

Submit a video answering these three questions:

1.  Why do you need Calphalon Unison cookware for the Holidays?

2.  Why are you excited to meet and cook brunch with Chef Michael Symon?

3.  What will you buy on your Williams-Sonoma shopping spree?

You could win a trip to meet, dine, and cook with Chef Michael Symon!

PLUS!  The first 150 approved videos will all win a FREE 8” Calphalon Unison Omelette Pan! (a $100 value!)

Important Dates:

November 14th:                                             Entry Period Closed

November 18th:                                             3 Finalists Announced

November 19th – 28th:                                  Public Vote

November 30th:                                             Winner Announced

For more information, or to enter, please visit http://www.facebook.com/Calphalon.

All official rules and requirements are available at the contest entry page.

One Grand Prize will be awarded:

  • Round-Trip Airfare for 2 to Cleveland, OH
  • Hotel Room for 2 Nights in Cleveland, OH
  • All Transportation Fees
  • Meet Celebrity Chef Michael Symon
  • Brunch Cooking Demonstration by Michael Symon
  • Dinner for 2 at Michael Symon’s Acclaimed Lola Restaurant
  • 1 10-piece Calphalon Unison Nonstick cookware set
  • 1 Calphalon Unison Kabob Set
  • 1 Calphalon Unison Frittata Pan Set
  • 1 Calphalon Unison Double-Burner Griddle Set
  • $500 Williams-Sonoma Shopping Spree

Fruity Mooncakes

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My in-laws received some delicious mid-autumn festival mooncakes from friends and shared them with us. If you aren’t familiar, these are delicious little Chinese pastries (you could even say, filled cookies) filled with red bean, lotus paste or maybe a hard-boiled duck egg. Ours are fruit-filled which bodes well for the kids.

The imprint on the cake is my favorite thing… I wonder if I can find some “stamps” from a Chinese bakery? Wouldn’t those be fun in a craft room display? And the box that the cakes came in, it’s so cute with a magnetic closure. We’re keeping that for something – maybe my craft supplies. Just when you thought there wasn’t anymore, you get plastic knife and tiny little forks that say, “OK”. You know, because waiting to eat the cakes until you get home from the bakery just won’t cut it.

Oven-Roasted Tomatoes

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We had a great tomato crop this summer and with this fall heat-up, there are still tomatoes ripening on the vine! My family won’t keep up with all the produce even after sharing some with neighbors, so I decided to oven-roast them for use later. Oven-roasted tomatoes are great in salads, sauces… they’re great to substitute for fresh tomatoes in any dish, heck, they’re great for just popping in your mouth, but that’s just me. Actually, I used small slices in my turkey club sandwich the other day.

The tomato flavor is concentrated with a sweetness accentuated only by roasting. And you know, you can freeze your newly shriveled tomatoes for a long time (one of my cookbooks said “indefinitely”). I’d be interested to know how other people preserve their tomatoes.

Back to the oven roasting… if you’re so inclined to try, you’ll have to leave your oven on overnight. Relax. Don’t click to another website. Unless you know that your oven is faulty, (certainly, I don’t know your cooking equipment nor can I take any responsibility for it**), it’ll be okay. It’s worth the wait, and you’ll wake up to a delicious aroma. (Better than when I wake up to my little one’s morning breath which we so fondly call “baby dragon breath”.) Pop them in the oven after dinner, and let it go.

Slow Oven-roasted Tomatoes

  • 18-20 ripe tomatoes
  • 1/4 olive oil (approximate)
  • 1 tablespoon of each – salt, pepper, and sugar
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons each – fresh thyme and rosemary, finely chopped
  • 1 tablespoon sage or oregano (optional)

Heat oven to 170 degrees (or lower if your oven can do it – mine does not). Prepare tomatoes by slicing in half crosswise. Place on a rack that fits on your baking sheet, otherwise, just on the baking sheet. Drizzle olive oil on each tomato so that they are lightly coated. Sprinkle salt, pepper and sugar over the tomatoes. Then finally sprinkle the fresh herbs over the tomatoes. Place in the 170 degree oven, overnight (8-10 hours). Remove from oven and let cool before storing.

** Really, if you think it’s that unsafe to leave your oven on overnight, don’t do it. Be safe!

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