Buttermilk Pie

September 7, 2008

I have no idea why, but this is quite possibly my favorite dessert.  It’s ridiculously easy and is almost universally drooled over. I’m making it today in Austin and then going back to New Braunfels after eating one slice.  Its probably best to maintain some distance between yourself and this pie.

Yeah, it is a store bought pie crust.  What are you gonna do about it?

Yeah, it is a store bought pie crust. What are you gonna do about it?

1/2 C FLOUR
3 3/4 C SUGAR GRANULATED
1 TEASPOON SALT
6 EGGS
2 TEASPOONS VANILLA
1 C BUTTER MELTED
1 C BUTTERMILK
Mix dry ingredients. Add yolks, melted butter, vanilla, and buttermilk.  Beat the whites with a fork until frothy.  Don’t  over beat!  Fold egg whites into custard mixture.  Pour into 2 unbaked pie shells and bake at 350 until golden and mostly set.  They’ll jiggle a bit in the middle, but not much.  My mom’s recipe claims they cook in 30 minutes. I’ve never seen them set up in under 45 and its usually more like an hour.

Andy’s Rothko

September 6, 2008

Drawn on iPhone with Scribble.

Vegetarian BBQ Sloppy Joes

August 29, 2008

1 package vegetarian crumble. (Morning Star Farms, frozen)
1 large white onion
1 large package of button mushrooms (probably 2 cups minced)
4 cloves garlic
1 tbs cumin
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp chili powder
salt and pepper
1/2 cup Stubbs BBQ sauce (or more)

Mince onions and mushrooms extremely fine.  You can use food processor but don’t over process or they’ll get too wet.  Saute until soft. Toss in the garlic to soften.  Drain excess moisture.  Press w/ paper towels
to dry further.  Add the crumbles.  Warm through.  Add seasonings.  Add BBQ sauce.  You may need to add a little more if it’s too dry.  Cook till warm.  Serve on buns.

Sometimes, I make it without the crumbles and just double the onion and mushrooms if I’m going for super low calorie.  With the crumbles, the filling is maybe a point on Weight Watchers.

Maple Glazed Brussels Sprouts

August 23, 2008

10-15 brussels sprouts
1 large shallot, peeled and sliced
2 tbs butter
red pepper flakes to taste
kosher salt, cracked pepper
juice of 1 lemon
2 tbs maple syurp (I used grade A medium amber, compliments of Will and Mary Skelton)

Steam whole sprouts lightly.  They should be bright green and just fork tender.  Slice sprouts in half lengthwise, and set aside.  In a heavy cast iron skillet, melt butter.  Saute sliced shallots until they pick up a little color.  Add red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper to the shallots and mix.  Place halved brussels sprouts, cut side down in the butter.  Allow to color for a few seconds, then toss with the shallot mixture.  Deglaze the pan with lemon juice (white wine would be good too), then drizzle on the maple syrup and toss together.  Serve immediately. A dust of freshly grated paermesean couldn’t hurt.

Dilled Yogurt Baked Cod

August 22, 2008

1 cup dill salad dressing  https://nottheknowingone.wordpress.com/2008/04/20/creamy-dill-salad-dressing/
3 green onions, chopped fine
1 cod fillet, seasoned w/ salt and pepper

Mix the green onions with the dressing. (I left the dressing thick instead of thinning it out with buttermilk) On a piece of heavy tin foil, coat both sides of the fillet.  Seal the foil to make a packet and marinate for about an hour.  Place the packet on a baking sheet and open the seal, just a crack.  Bake at 350ºF until flaky, about 20-25 minutes.

Product review: Skippy Natural

August 20, 2008

Gag!!

Always read labels before you buy something.  Also, remember that just because something is supposedly “natural” that doesn’t mean it won’t contain sugar and palm oil.  30 minutes after trying it, I can still taste this alledged peanut butter.  Apparently the stuff has bonded to taste receptors on my toungue, and I’ll never taste anything else.

Suddenly I know why Olive paws at her mouth when she eats something she doesn’t like.

Can Opener Update

August 19, 2008

Jeffrey is afraid of it too.

Veggy Fajitas

August 13, 2008

2 large sweet onions, sliced
2-3 cups crimini mushrooms, sliced
2 red bell peppers, seeded and sliced
2 jalepenos, seeded and chopped
2 yellow squash, chopped
2 zucchinis, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 large can tomatoes, juice reserved
2 limes, juiced
1 MASSIVE amount of cayenne pepper (I’m guessing 2 tbs)
3 tbs cumin (or more if you like)
1/4 cup worchestireshire (how do you spell that?) sauce
1 can beer

Get your cast iron dutch oven smoking hot. Turn the oven to around 500. Spray some no-stick in the dutch oven or add a tiny bit of vegetable oil. Saute the onions until golden add the garlic and saute just to soften the garlic. Remove them. Return dutch oven to the heat. Saute the mushrooms in small batches so they don’t get all sweaty. Remove the shrooms one batch at a time an add to the onions. Toss mushrooms and onions w/ the rest of the raw veggies in a mixing bowl.

Deglaze the dutch oven with the beer. Add the worchestirshire sauce, lime juice, tomato juice, and seasonings to the pot. Simmer to reduce. Allow it to cook until you have less than half the original volume. It will be nearly black and kind of gritty from all the seasonings and burned on stuff from the pan.

Add the veggies back to the pan (or put them in a baking dish if it’s too much for your dutch oven). Stir with the reduction. Pop it in the oven with no lid until it browns up.

Serve on corn tortillas. Maybe add some guac, salsa, pico, or a touch of queso fresco.

512 Brewing

August 9, 2008

3 great free beers in one afternoon.

Stewed okra with Lemon Shrimp

August 9, 2008

I’m a lover of okra.  Fried is of course my favorite, but I also love it pickled, stewed, boiled, gumbo’ed… whatever.  Viva la slime!  This is an extremely easy way to make a side of stewed okra become a main dish.

½ lb jumbo gulf shrimp, peeled and deveined
juice of one lemon
zest of one lemon
kosher salt, fresh cracked pepper

1½ cups okra, sliced
28 oz canned tomato with juice
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 bay leaf
kosher salt, black pepper

Marinate cleaned shrimp in  lemon juice, zest, salt and pepper in the refrigerator for at least one hour.  In a medium sized pan combine okra, crushed tomatoes with their juice, and seasonings.  Simmer until the okra is soft and the flavors have combined.  About 5 minutes before serving, drop drained shrimp into the simmering okra mixture.  Cook just until the shrimp has pinked up and curled.