Beef Rendang

This dish takes a while to make and takes some ingredients you may have trouble finding (depending on where you live), yet the complex, tasty result is so very worth it.  I was a little intimidated about trying such an endeavor, especially since it's something I've never even tasted anywhere before; after finding the ingredients through a couple of different store visits, though, I was determined to not only try, but succeed at it (and did)!
This was also the first time I've ever bought a fresh coconut.  I had my brother puncture it, drain it, and crack it in half.  I attempted to scoop out the meal but it wasn't as soft as I'd expected.  I threw it on the ground to break it into more pieces, which made it far easier--I only needed then to separate the meal from the shell, not difficult in small pieces :)

Here is a link to the original recipe, which I followed very closely:

http://www.finecooking.com/recipes/beef-rendang.aspx

Ingredients:

--Flavor Base--
3 T. sambal oelek
4 large shallots
2 T. bottled minced garlic
1 T. fresh ginger
1 T. fresh galangal
1/4 c. water

--Whole Spice Blend--
4 whole cloves
4 whole green cardamom pods
2 whole star anise
1 3-inch cinnamon stick, snapped in half

--Ground Spice Blend--
2 tsp. ground coriander
2 tsp. ground cumin
2 tsp. ground fennel seeds
1 tsp. ground turmeric
1/2 tsp. coarse ground black pepper

--Rendang--
3/4 c. canola oil (and possibly more)
2 lb. top round steak/beef, cut into 2 inch chunks, 1/2 inch thick
1 can (13.5 oz.) unsweetened coconut milk
1/4 c. tamarind concentrate
3 large pinches of bottled kaffir lime leaves
2 medium lemongrass stalks, bruised with kitchen mallet and tied in a knot
4 tsp. palm sugar
2 1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 c. tightly packed fresh grated coconut (this was about 1/2 of a fresh coconut for me)

Instructions:

1. Put sambal oelek, shallots, ginger, galangal, and water in food processor.  Process to a coarse purée (about 3 minutes).

2. **The original recipe calls for putting all of the whole spices in a bowl together.  Having done this, I took a picture; however, I find this step unnecessary unless you just really feel the need to dump them in all together instead of individually for some reason.**

3. Combine the ingredients for the 'ground spice blend' in a bowl together.

4. Heat 2 T. of the oil in a wok (or 12 in. skillet) over medium-low heat until shimmering.  Add all the whole spices and cook, stirring constantly, until the cinnamon sticks unfold (about 2 minutes)  **Mine only unfolded a tiny bit after closer to 3 minutes, so I stopped there and went to next step.**

5. Add another 2 T. of oil and the ground spice blend.  Cook until fragrant and sizzling (about 30 to 60 seconds).

6. Add the remaining 1/2 c. oil and the flavor base.  Cook, stirring often, for around 10 minutes.

7. Increase the heat to medium, add the beef, and stir to coat.  Cook for 2 minutes.

8. Add the coconut milk, tamarind concentrate, lime leaves, and lemongrass.  Cook until mixture comes to a boil (around 5 minutes), stirring constantly.

9. Meanwhile, in a separate skillet, toast the coconut over medium-low heat (original recipe says low, but that did not yield any toasting for me after 10 minutes), until it is golden brown.

10. Reduce heat (wok) to low.  Add the sugar and salt and simmer for 1 hour and 45 minutes.  Stir occasionally during the first hour, then more frequently during last 45 minutes.

11. Stir the toasted coconut into the stew and keep stirring until incorporated and much of the liquid is gone (about 15 minutes).

12. If you prefer a saucy consistency, add 1 c. water at this point (I did).  Continue to cook for additional 20-30 minutes.  At end of cooking, remove lemongrass, star anise, cinnamon pieces, cardamom pods, and cloves.

13. Serve with rice (or your preferred side) and enjoy!

Microwave Caramel Popcorn

I love this recipe so much--it's yet another one from my middle school cooking classes days :)  It's super easy and delicious!  The paper bag used in this recipe will not be able to be used again afterwards, and it is best to use one that is at least somewhat heavy, yet not too thick. Recipe is designed for microwaves 800-1000W; you will need to adjust cooking times for wattages outside of this range.

Link to my YouTube video of preparation: https://youtu.be/eTzXew_fDvg

Ingredients:

12 c. air-popped popcorn (~2/3 c. unpopped)
1 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. butter
1/4 c. light corn syrup
dash of salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda

Directions:

1. Place popped popcorn in brown grocery bag and set aside.

2. Place brown sugar, butter, corn syrup, and salt in a 2 qt. glass baking dish.

3. Microwave for 1 min, then remove and stir. Repeat 2 more times (total of 3 minutes cooking time--picture is from after first minute).

4. After stirring third time, microwave for additional 2 minutes.

5. Remove from the microwave and stir in baking soda.

6. Pour caramel mixture over popped corn in bag, roll top of bag closed, and shake to coat popcorn.

7. Place bag in microwave and cook for 1 minute and 30 seconds.

8. Remove bag, shake (without opening), and cook additional 1 minute and 30 seconds.

9. Remove bag, open, and pour popcorn onto jelly roll pan--spread out with wooden spoon or spatula to make even layer.

10. Break apart, eat and enjoy!  Leftovers are best kept in airtight container.

Rigatoni Bolognese

Ready for a delicious, hearty, meaty pasta sauce made from scratch?  You've landed on the perfect entry!  I've made this sauce many times and love it every time.  It also freezes well, which helps if you don't have a big family to feed (this makes 4-6 servings).

This recipe comes from a cookbooklet I have called "Perfect Pasta" by Cuisine at Home.  I follow the recipe very closely--only slight variations have been made.

Link to my YouTube video of preparation: https://youtu.be/QUFdm-d-fLY

Ingredients:

1 lb. lean ground beef

1/2 lb. ground Italian sausage (I use links and cut off the casings)

1/2 c. yellow onion

1/2 c. celery

1/2 c. carrot

1 T. bottled minced garlic

1 can (28 oz.) crushed tomatoes (or whole, with juice/undrained)

1 c. dry red wine (I most often use Cabernet Sauvignon or Côtes du Rhône)

1 c. whole milk

1/4 c. tomato paste

2 T. balsamic vinegar

1 tsp. kosher salt

1 tsp. dried basil

1 tsp. dried oregano

1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes

1 lb. cooked rigatoni

Instructions:

1. Brown the ground beef and Italian sausage in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Drain the fat and return meat to pan.

2. Mince the onion, celery, carrot, and garlic in food processor.

3. Add minced mixture to browned meat and cook until vegetables soften, about 5 minutes.

4. Stir in the remaining ingredients (except cooked rigatoni).  Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 1 hour.

5. Serve over rigatoni and enjoy!  (I garnished mine with grated Parmesan Reggiano.)

Malt Shoppe Chocolate Mousse Pie

The baking aisle at the grocery store is the one where I have to control myself the most; I have a tendency to buy items I think I am out of (without confirming first and/or needing), which sometimes results in a small stock up of ingredients I don't use terribly often, such as sweetened condensed milk.  I ended up with 3 cans and decided I needed to find some recipes to use them up before I'd forget I had them and they'd go bad or I'd buy more lol.  I stumbled across this recipe and, given my love of chocolate pie and malted milk balls, figured I needed to try it out:
http://www.eaglebrand.com/recipes/malt-shoppe-chocolate-mousse-pie-7121

It's pretty good; quite rich and sweet (of course).  However, the texture is slightly odd to me for a chocolate pie, so I think I will seek out a different recipe the next time I have such a craving.  It is simple to make, though, so if you are looking for an easy chocolate pie (with malted milk balls), this will do the trick well :)

Ingredients:

1 9-inch unbaked pie crust
1/3 c. brown sugar
1/3 c. chocolate malted milk powder
3 T. cornstarch
1/4 tsp. salt
1 14 oz. can of sweetened condensed milk (I used low fat, which may account for the texture being not quite what I expected)
3/4 c. semisweet chocolate chips
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 8-oz. container frozen whipped topping, thawed
1 5-oz. box chocolate-covered malted milk balls, crushed, divided

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 450°F.  Place unbaked pie crust in pie dish and pierce with fork all over.

2. Bake crust for 10 minutes or until golden brown.  Cool completely.  (Mine suffered some shrinking; guess that's what I get for buying a crust instead of making one!)

3. Combine brown sugar, malted milk powder, cornstarch, and salt in medium saucepan.

4. Turn on heat to medium and whisk in condensed milk.  Cook, whisking constantly, for about 4 minutes or until begins to boil.

5. Remove from heat and stir in chocolate chips and vanilla until melted and smooth.  Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate for 20 minutes.

6. Reserve 1/4 cup of malted milk balls for topping.  Stir remaining malted milk balls and a little over half of the whipped topping into the chocolate mixture.

7. Spoon the chocolate mixture into the crust.  Top with remaining whipped topping and then remaining malted milk balls.

8. Enjoy!

Extra Crispy Fried Chicken

Up until now, I had one recipe I relied on for fried chicken, as it is amazing and not too difficult (just messy).  As I poured through some of my old cooking magazines the other day, this recipe caught my attention and I decided I had to give it go when I had some time on my hands:
http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/extra-crispy-fried-chicken
Oh, am I ever glad I did!  It's really excellent--as much or more so than the other one.  However, it's far more time-consuming--you will need a few hours to fully prep correctly (not all active time--much is spent with the chicken in the oven and the fridge).  As usual, I modified slightly and think it worked out brilliantly!

Ingredients:

1/4 c. plus 2 T. kosher salt
1/4 c. coarse ground black pepper (or freshly ground)
1/4 c. extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 T. minced fresh rosemary, plus 4 sprigs
1 1/2 T. minced fresh thyme, plus 4 sprigs
1 1/2 T. minced fresh sage, plus 4 sprigs
5 minced bay leaves (preferably fresh--which is what I used), plus 5 whole leaves
1 1/2 tsp. bottled minced garlic (or 3 fresh cloves minced)
1 whole head of fresh garlic, broken in to cloves and each peeled
4 lbs. chicken legs/drumsticks (this was 12 for me)
1 qt. buttermilk
1 T. Tabasco/hot sauce
1 tsp. sugar
canola oil for frying
2 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 c. rice flour
1/4 c. garlic powder
1/4 c. onion powder

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 200°F.

2. In a bowl, whisk 3 T. kosher salt, 2 T. black pepper, the olive oil, the minced fresh herbs, and the minced garlic.

3. Rub the mixture over all the chicken pieces and place them in a roasting pan.  Roast for 2 1/2 hours, then remove and let cool on wire rack for 30 minutes.

4. In a large bowl, whisk the buttermilk, hot sauce, and sugar.

5. Add chicken pieces to this mixture, cover, and refrigerate for 1 hour.

6. In a Fry Daddy (or large heavy saucepan on stove; I used the Fry Daddy), pour in oil for frying until it is 2 inches deep.  Heat to 375°F, then add the remaining fresh herb sprigs and garlic cloves.

7. Fry herbs until garlic starts to turn golden brown, then remove and discard.  (The original recipe suggests to save these and use as garnish, but I doubt I would ever do such a thing, personally.)

8. In a large bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, rice flour, garlic powder, and onion powder.

9. Remove a chicken piece from the buttermilk mixture, let drip for a moment, then dredge in flour mixture.

10. Fry in batches (I fried 3 at a time) for 8 minutes each.  Let cool on wire rack and enjoy!

Thai-Curried Chicken Thighs

This is a dish I've made many times, with a few variations.  The first time, I actually used Cornish game hens (as it is written); while they do have a great flavor, I find them to be tedious to work with.  After that, I opted for using bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, which turned out to be a great decision--super tasty and cuts down on the work.  Another way to make it less work is to use the slow cooker instead; this is what I did this time around.  I forgot to pick up the Thai chile peppers this time, figured it might just make it less spicy.  While that was the effect, it took away from the dish too much, thus I recommend against this.  The dish is best with a spicy kick, plain and simple.

Here is the original:
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/thai-curried-game-hens-231599

Ingredients:

3 T. olive oil, divided
1 1/2 T. Thai red curry paste
1 T. tomato paste
1 c. unsweetened coconut milk
1 c. low salt chicken broth
2 cans straw mushrooms, drained
3 kaffir lime leaves (I use 3 big pinches of chopped bottled ones from Whole Foods)
2 T. fish sauce
1 T. (packed) brown sugar
6 cherry tomatoes (or, as I often use, 6 T. canned crushed tomatoes)
6 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
2 Thai red chile peppers, seeded and chopped
dried basil

Instructions:

1. Heat 1 T. of the olive oil in a heavy medium saucepan over medium heat.  Add the curry paste and tomato paste and stir until fragrant, about 3 minutes.

2. Add coconut milk, broth, mushrooms, kaffir lime leaves, fish sauce, and brown sugar.  Bring to a simmer.

3. Remove from heat and add cherry tomatoes and chiles.

4. Season chicken thighs with salt and pepper, then brown in remaining 2 T. olive oil over med-high heat.

5. Turn crockpot on high.  Add chicken and pour sauce mixture over.

6. Cook on high for one hour, then change temperature to low and cook for additional 2 hours.  At the end, add dried basil to taste.

7. Enjoy with rice or your choice of side!