Mindylynns Kitchen

August 3, 2010

Mushroom spinach risotto

Filed under: Food,Rice,Side dish — Mindy M. @ 8:00 pm

To be honest I’ve only had risotto a couple of times in a restaraunt, so I only have a vague idea of how the results taste and feel when they are properly cooked, but this is how I get to what I consider to be a yummy risotto.

1 1/2 handfuls (per person) of a short grain rice  (calrose will work in a pinch though)
white wine
half and half
butter
handful (per person) of baby spinach
3-5 (per person) button mushrooms or baby bellas sliced
tablespoon (per person) minced onion
olive oil
salt
pepper

Boil a pot of water and add spinach.
In a frying pan saute onion and rice  in olive oil on high for about 3 minutes.
ladle some of the spinach cooking water over rice (enough that the rice is soupy but not so much that the rice is floating)
stir until all the liquid is completely absorbed
Keep adding the water and stirring until the rice isn’t crunchy anymore, but not soft.
Remove spinach (after 3 minutes) from water and chop, add to rice along with the sliced mushrooms.
Alternate stirring in ladle fulls the cooking water, half and half and white wine.
The risotto is done when the texture is similar to al dente pasta (soft but with a little bit of texture, not crunchy at all but also not smushy) there should be enough liquid in the rice for it to slide around the pan on its own, but not so thick that it’s a solid sticky mess
season with salt and pepper
finish with a good parmasean.

Enjoy pipping hot.

Milk braised pork shoulder

Filed under: Food,Pork,Proteins — Mindy M. @ 7:45 pm

I’m always on the look out for simple (read easy) recipes that are delicious. Of course for me there are also other deciding factors in whether or not I’ll try a recipe…for one I really really prefer to cook from scratch and 2 I really really don’t like a lot of ingredients, it’s too darn expensive when there’s a lot of ingredients. As part of my economizing this month I’ve decided to try a new approach…focusing on one cuisine in a shopping period. This week is Italian. So I broke out my wiliams sonoma italian essentials cook book and found Pork loin braised in milk. Pretty darn good, if I do say so myself. Here is my adaptation (read non measured thrown together version) of this unkown (in america) classic.

(more…)

May 31, 2010

My first duck breast

Filed under: Entree,Food,Other,Proteins — Mindy M. @ 2:06 am

I craved duck…for weeks. So I finally convinced my hubby to let me buy some at the store. I read up on cooking duck breast and I prepared it like this:

-1 duck breast

sauce:
-dried cherries
-Southern Comfort
-2 mushrooms
-1/2 tbsp butter
-1/2 tbsp olive oil
-1/3 cup chicken stock
-1/8 cup of apple cider

Preperation:
Soak dried cherries in so. Comfort. Score the duck breast on the skin side every 1/4 inch. Make sure not to cut into the meat. Season with salt and pepper. In a hot (not too hot pan) put the breast skin side down on a medium/low heat. When the meat hits the pan it should sizzle but then the heat should be lowered so it doesn’t burn as the breast should cook skin side down for 5-10 minutes based on the size of your breast. Suatee mushrooms in butter and olive oil deglaze with chicken stock and let simmer until reduced by half. Flip the breast and cook for 2-3 more minutes and place in a 375 degree oven until meat is 140 degrees return to stove top and add sauce to pan. Add cherries and liquid to sauce, and light on fire…come on it’s fun. Continue to cook breast until the meat is 150 then remove from heat and let rest, meat should be about 160. Slice and serve with sauce over the top.

April 26, 2010

Leanna’s first Birthday

Filed under: Unrelated photos and family fun — Mindy M. @ 12:12 am

I can’t believe how quickly time flies.  One day I was struggling to figure out how to get my newborn to stop crying for one minute and the next I was planning her 1st birthday.  And now, it’s almost 2 months later and I realized I never put up pictures.  For shame.  I had so much fun planning her party.  As far as themes go I didn’t really push the envelope or get very creative.  I just knew that I was going to throw her a cowgirl party.  We were going to be in the hick town of my childhood to celebrate so it seemed appropriate…and fun.  My inspiration and my main goal revolved around the cake.  Yes of course…FOOD.
(more…)

April 25, 2010

Cheese

Filed under: Unrelated photos and family fun — Mindy M. @ 9:07 pm

IMG_4179 (2)

This week’s photo challange over at http://iheartfaces.blogspot.com/ is smiles…sooo many pictures to choose from, but this is the most recent cheesey smile that I love.  So, may it bring a smile to your face, and some day soon (6 weeks left until my due date) I will actually be able to move and plot and plan an out door photo shoot and supply something a little more interesting.

April 23, 2010

Salted Caramels

Filed under: Candy,Food — Mindy M. @ 3:58 pm

IMG_4242I went to lunch with my friends Tina & Jaclyn, and since Tina and I are sushi buddies we went to Hiro’s in Petaluma, an amazing sushi restaurant. After lunch we walked across the street and found a little candy shop that had some crazy good caramels. It was there that I was introduced into the wonderful world of salted caramels. In this sad little county in which I live there is no where to get these so I’ve been deprived through 8 months of pregnancy cravings, until today. I spent days googeling looking for a caramel recipe that did not use corn syrup…I found 1, From chez Pim.  I then preceded to walk into my kitchen and sans candy thermometer I made my very first batch of carmels.  OH MY GOD.  I wanted to call everybody I know and exclaim to the world how yummy these were.  I’m beside myself with glee and I can’t stop running to the kitchen to nibble on them.  Enough gushing…and back to the cooking.


(more…)

April 17, 2010

BBQ Hotate Nigiri

Filed under: Food,Seafood,Sushi — Mindy M. @ 12:10 am

IMG_4204 (2)

Makes 4 pieces

1 large (sushi grade) scallop sliced into 1/4 inch thick rounds
4 tubular shaped pieces of sushi rice
4-1 cm wide strips of nori
dynamite sauce
paprika

Very quickly drop the scallops on a hot non stick pan. Flip immediately and remove just as quickly.  Place the scallops on top of the rice and secure with the stip of nori.  Top with dynamite sauce and dust with paprika.  YUM

Dynamite Sauce

Filed under: Food,Seafood,Sushi — Mindy M. @ 12:04 am

this sauce is divine.  I use it for creamy scallop nigiri and BBQ hotate nigiri and I’m planning on using it on grilled albacore.

1/2 cup mayonaise (japanese mayo is best but a delicate flavored one such as from trader joes will work)
*2 tbsp siracha sauce (more or less to taste…so you can controll the spiciness)
1/4 teaspoon of toasted sesame oil

*you can also substitute a combination of franks red hot sauce and sweet chili oil or sauce.

April 16, 2010

Creamy Scallop nigiri

Filed under: Food,Seafood,Sushi — Mindy M. @ 11:59 pm
Creamy Scallop Nigiri

Creamy Scallop Nigiri

OK, so my introduction to the wonderful world of sushi has been slow but wonderful. I asked a waitress at my local sushi restaurant for a recommendation and she suggested the creamy scallop nigiri.  Oh me oh my.  It was love at first bite.  These are the yummiest little tid bits EVER

This is enough for one order (2 pieces) of nigiri, the sauce makes like 3/4 cup (there will be extra)

1 Scallop diced (U-6 to U-8)
1/2 teaspoon sliced green onion
1/2 teaspoon fish roe like capelin roe
enough Dynamite sauce to coat scallop mixture
2- 1 1/4 inch strips of nori
2- 1 1/2 inch balls of sushi rice

Mix scallops, green onion, roe and sauce together and set aside.  Form rice into balls and squish the top and bottom and wrap the nori around the outside and secure the over lap with a little water.  fill the void created by the nori with scallop mixture

April 5, 2010

Success! in the ham department

Filed under: Food,Pork,Proteins — Mindy M. @ 12:49 am

I was introduced to the wonder of honey baked hams from the honey baked ham store…however I cannot bring myself to pay for them…they’re pricey. I tried to find out how they made their hams so special…turns out it’s easy…ish. Mix 1 1/2 cup of white sugar with 1/2 cup of brown sugar and 4 tbsp of pumpkin pie spice. rub onto the outside of the ham and then caramalize with a blow torch or under a broiler. When using the broiler remove from heat ever 2-3 minutes to prevent burning. make sure to get the sides browned too. when it is crispy on the outside turn down the heat to 300 degrees and finish warming the honey ham…serve with any drippings on the side. YUM

« Newer PostsOlder Posts »

Powered by WordPress