Recipes Collection: hot

Showing posts with label hot. Show all posts

Tuesday, April 29, 2014

Next Up Sweet Hot Mustard Chicken

Just a quick note to say thank you to everyone who left their get well wishes on the Family Matters post, and also to say stay tuned for a brand new video recipe tomorrow! My mother is doing much better, and really appreciates all the love youve shown. Thank you!

Sunday, April 6, 2014

So Hot and Cold Right Now

Pretty much everyone in the country has been bitching about how miz the weather is wherever they are. And why wouldnt they?? Its colder than the shoulder Kyle from "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" gave to her own sister Kim all season long!

I figured if were all gonna be trapped inside with people that annoy us, pets that were allergic to, laundry we havent done, and the harsh realities that Toddlers and Tiaras 5th season is coming to end, we might as well start to develop some new obsessions. I literally can not think of a more opportune time to become addicted to something. If you can, youre probably a meth addict. No judgment.*

Here are some of the obsessions Im cultivating while I continue to not freeze my ass off.

*Actually, lots of judgment. Dear GOD, have you seen meth face???

1. Hair Flairs

via HairFlairs

Its not just for 12-year-old girls circa 1997; now everyone can add individual strands of glittery "flairs" to their hair. Okay, maybe not EVERYONE. This look is definitely a little despy for the over-35 crowd. And yes, Adrienne Maloof was wearing them the entire season of TRHOBH. Thank god Im still young enough to pull this look off!! And beautiful, lets not forget very, very beautiful.

Im going to Vegas with a few girlfriends next month and I will 100% be wearing these. I especially like that you can do them yourself without any special equipment and that they come out after a few days.

2. Dexter on Netflix

Okay, I realize Dexter has been on TV for like, a thousand years, but my ~~schedule~~ DVR is always jam packed with such choice programming as Glee, Barefoot Contessa, and RuPauls Drag Race. I simply dont have enough time to get through every show that looks mildly appealing.

However, after reading how much Meg O. loves her some Dexter (like, literally, named-her-cat-after-the-guy obsessed), and Kyle figuring out that the Netflix he streams over Playstation has the first 3 seasons of Dexter, I figure this is the perfect time to add something new to my repertoire.

I just want everyone to know that I did something similar with "Lost" last summer. Like, legit, watched the entire series in 3 months, only AFTER the series came to an end. You may call it "behind the curve", I call it efficient. Me: 1, You: 0.

Anyway, we just got through the first two episodes and Im already hooked. But lets face it, I like any show featuring a hot male lead and lots of food talk.

3. Planning out different recipes I want to try and then not actually doing it.

Image via Food Noveau

That looks so good, right?? Yeah, I know...its one of the many recipes Ive favorited on Foodgawker with the intention of aligning the stars juuuuuuuuuuuust so in an effort to not only make it, but make it perfectly, and, by the way, take pictures that will put ALL other pictures EVER to shame with my new camera in the most perfect natural sunlight, and, inevitably, be selected by the elusive and hard-to-please editors of Foodgawker, at which point my blog will eclipse the likes of Perez Hilton and The Huffington Post and ultimately take charge of all things "blog", because, ya know, its my destiny and whatever.

Unfortunately, I just havent had the time. Cus like, Im too busy with obsession number two, yall. JK, but I havent been cooking as much in the last couple of months, which is a damn shame. This must end...today. Or maybe tomorrow. I unnno.

4. Bridesmaids, the movie

In what is likely to become my favorite movie all time, Bridesmaids is about to break the stereotype of female-led comedies. I dont exactly know what said stereotype is, but Im pretty sure its that women arent as funny as dudes. Im 98% certain this is a stereotype perpetuated by men...Im leaving a 2% margin of error for the non-humanoid marketing mokeys over at Groupon (their sense of humor is questionable, to say the least).

So yeah, okay, this movie was directed by Judd Apatow (the dude that brought us 40-Year-Old Virgin and The Hangover), BUT it was also co-written by SNLs breakout talent of the 2000s, Kristen Wiig. And the fun doesnt stop there!! Throw in a dash of the improv genius of Wendi McLendon Covey, a sprinkle of Maya Rudolphs ridiculousness, and a generous dollop of Melissa McCarthy (Jenny McCarthys cousin, nbd) and youve got a recipe for cinematic genius that will likely make you quite literally poop yourself from laughing too hard.

Ive probably watched this preview (and all of the linked videos) about 84 different times, and ya know what? I laugh equally hard each time. Each and every time.

5. Pressuring my boyfriend to move in with me
I swear to god, its not desperate!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So, what are you doing to keep yourself from dying a slow, miserable death of boredom in this icy cold weather?

Saturday, April 5, 2014

Cold Strawberry Soda on a Hot Summer Day

Michele and I are still mid-remodel, so this easy, breezy, strawberry syrup recipe was a welcomed addition to the video schedule. I have my friend Jen Yu from Use Real Butter to thank for that, since it was her gorgeous post that inspired this answer to all those “summer drink” food wishes I’ve been receiving lately.

Jen publishes one of the best blogs around, and if you want to see how this beautiful beverage should really be photographed, check out her original post. Jens fine food blogging prowess is only eclipsed by her photography skills. Speaking of which, don’t miss her photos of the recent eclipse!

I can’t think of many summer drinks this wouldn’t be great in, but for me it doesn’t get any better than a simple strawberry soda. Give me a big icy pitcher of this blush brew, an Adirondack chair, a little SPF 100 for my bald spot, and I’m ready to happily take on any heat wave. Of course this is only going to be as great as the strawberries you use, so bide your time until you come across those perfect pints.

By the way, the long-lasting aroma that will envelop your home is so enticing, so heady that the syrup almost seems like an added bonus. Michele walked in just as the berries had finished simmering, and couldn’t believe how wonderful the flat smelled. I hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!

Strawberry Syrup (makes about 1 quart)

Original recipe from Marisa McClellan’s highly regarded Food in Jars.

2 lbs very ripe strawberries, hulled and sliced
3 cups cold water
2 cups white granulated sugar

Tuesday, April 1, 2014

Sweet Hot Mustard Chicken Thighs – Good to the Bone

I don’t make a lot of Indian food on this blog, but I do borrow a lot of techniques inspired by that cuisine. Things like toasting spices in fat for stews, marinating meat in yogurt, and slashing chicken down to the bone, as I did with these sweet, hot mustard thighs.

I know it’s a bit controversial, since some say you lose moisture, but any technique thats been practiced for a thousands years is okay by me. I think it helps permeate the chicken with the sweet, hot mustard marinade, as well as gives the final product some fairly cool “racing stripes.”

As I mention, if you insist on using boneless-skinless thighs, this will still work, but it is really is a recipe where the bone is key. You may have heard the expression, “the closer the bone, the sweeter the meat,” and it’s so true. There are many ingredients you can substitute for, but bones aren’t really one of them.

Imagine a chef boning out a rack of ribs before barbecuing them, so that they’re easier to eat? …actually, don’t imagine that, but I think you get the point. Anyway, I hope you try this very easy and delicious sweet, hot mustard chicken thigh recipe soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

(consider all the spices “to taste” and adjust to your liking)

8-10 chicken thighs

1/2 cup Dijon mustard

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1 tsp mustard powder

1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground dry chipotle

cayenne to taste

1 onion sliced into rings

4 cloves minced garlic

vegetable oil for the pan and top of chicken

View the complete recipe

Monday, March 17, 2014

Green Curry Chicken Thats Hot

For many years hearing the word, "curry" was like fingernails on my culinary chalkboard. Where Im from, "curry" meant a thick, greasy, bright yellow sauce made with copious amount of turmeric, covering chunks of mystery meat. I know, as good as that sounds, I still didn’t like it.

All through culinary school, and on into my early career in California, even the smell of turmeric made me cringe. It was my Kryptonite.

As the years went by, and my culinary horizons expanded, so did my understanding and appreciation of curries. I learned that the horrible yellow curry from my youth wasnt even really a true curry, and that curries came in almost every color, from countries all over Asia.

My favorite curries today are definitely the Thai red and green curries. Even though its one of my older, and cruder productions, the Red Curry Beef Stew is still one of my favorite video recipes on the blog.

This green curry chicken recipe was filmed for About.coms Thai site and I was very happy with the results. As usual I take a few shortcuts to make this amazing dish accessible to the average American home cook, but the soul of the dish remains intact.

Traditionally, green curries are considered the "hottest" of all the Thai curries, and as youll see in the video, the green curry paste, which is the base of the dish, is quite an intense formula.

Having said that, theres plenty of flexibility with how hot you decide to make it, although it should, at the very least, produce a little sweat (along with the accompanying endorphin rush). Enjoy!

Video Player Note: About.com no longer allows videos to be embedded off their site. So, to watch these clips just click on the graphic below and off you go. Just, dont forget to come back!