Sliders

I bought some teeny tiny bread!  And decided to make sliders a new way.

So I mixed up one pound of burger up with one small onion and a small handful of basil.

Using my hands, I pressed it into a pan in a rectangular shape and baked it on 350* for 15-20 minutes (until cooked through).

Sprinkle on some cheddar, slice into teeny tiny bread-sized pieces.

Add a pickle, add whatever you want on a tiny slider.

Miniature is fun!

Kelp Noodle Stirfry

The ingredient of the month is....
Kelp noodles!

Reportedly another 'superfood' (of the "I feed my goats kelp, and I drink their milk all the time and I never get sick!" variety), kelp noodles are cheap, macro-nutritionally pretty neutral, and taste-free.  Admittedly pretty strange,  I'm pretty sure you could enjoy this stirfry with or without the kelp noodles.  I really didn't mind them at all.

Cook some hamburger and set aside.  Using the same pan, saute onion, mushroom, dis-armed jalapeno and garlic.

When the onions begin to look translucent, add in broccoli.  Rinse the kelp noodles.

Soak the kelp noodles in 50% lemon juice and 50% water (no need to be exact).  This softens them so they aren't oddly crunchy.  Make sure to keep the kelp noodles and your cooking wine separate.  You don't want to grab the wrong glass.

Add the spices and (mostly drained) kelp noodles to the stirfry, along with the precooked burger.  Saute for 3-5 minutes longer.  Serve it up.

Kelp Noodle Stirfry
Ingredients:

• 1 lb burger
• 1 sm onion
• 2 jalapenos, deseeded
• 4 oz mushrooms
• 2 cloves garlic
• coconut oil
• 1 small broccoli head
• 1/2 package kelp noodles
• lemon juice
• 2 tbs fish sauce
• 2 tsp dried basil
• salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions:
1.  Cook the burger.  While the burger is cooking, rinse the kelp noodles.  Put them in a small bowl and add half lemon juice and half water, to cover.
2.  Set the burger aside.  In the same pan, saute chopped onion, jalapenos, mushrooms and garlic in coconut oil.  When onions are translucent, add the chopped broccoli.
3.  Add the (mostly drained) kelp noodles, fish sauce, basil and S&P.  Saute for 3 - 5 more minutes, then serve.

Candied Orange Peel

So citrus.  It's in season.  I've been trying all sorts of tangelos and blood oranges and other round, orange fruits.  There are so many more uses for the peel than just compost.  The peel contains flavorful oils, which can be used for homemade orange cleaners or starting fires (Kyle saved some peels last winter for taking camping).  Or, you can eat them!  Candied orange peels are a little bit like gummy orange candy, but without all the chemicals.  These candies have three ingredients:  citrus peel, water, and sugar.

Start by peeling some delicious oranges.  I lightly sliced the peel into quarters (without cutting into the flesh) and peeled it off.  Then I cut each peel quarter in half.  Once you have your peels, use a sharp knife to cut off as much of the bitter pith as possible.  Ideally, you want to be able to see the pores of the orange (you can sort of see them in the photo below).

Gently place the orange peels in a medium saucepan. Cover them with water and bring to a boil.  Let the water boil for five minutes, then drain the peels.  Cover them with brand new cold water and repeat twice, so that in the end they've been boiled and drained 3 times.  This is especially important for the peels of sour citrus (lemon, lime, grapefruit) because it removes any sourness or bitterness.

Now bring 1.5 cups of water to a boil.  Add 1.5 cups of sugar.  Bring it up to about 230 degrees (using a candy thermometer) then add the orange peels back in.  Let them boil for about five minutes.  Don't stir them, just swirl the pan a bit to keep them from sticking together.  Stirring invites the possibility of crystallizing the sugar.  Drain!  If you can, use a cooling rack with paper towels underneath it.  I do not have a cooling rack.

Let them drip dry for about 30 minutes.  Put a cup of sugar in a plastic container or bag, and add the peels to it. Gently toss so that each peel gets coated.  Spread them out on a sheet of wax paper and let them dry out for a few hours.

Finally get some good light in the kitchen and have a little photo shoot.

 

Candied Orange Peel (inspired by the Oct/Nov 2012 issue of Organic Gardening magazine)

Ingredients:

• Peels of three oranges
• Water
• 2.5 cups of sugar, divided

Instructions
1.   Start by peeling some delicious oranges.  Lightly slice the peel into quarters (without cutting into the flesh) and peel it off.  Then cut each peel quarter in half.  Once you have your peels, use a sharp knife to cut off as much of the bitter pith as possible.  Ideally, you want to be able to see the pores of the orange on the other side.
2.   Gently place the orange peels in a medium saucepan. Cover them with water and bring to a boil.  Let the water boil for five minutes, then drain the peels.  Cover them with brand new cold water and repeat twice, so that in the end they've been boiled and drained 3 times.  This is especially important for the peels of sour citrus (lemon, lime, grapefruit) because it removes any sourness or bitterness.  They should be almost translucent at this stage.
3.   Now bring 1.5 cups of water and 1.5 cups of sugar to a boil.  Bring it up to about 230 degrees (using a candy thermometer) then add the orange peels back in.  Let them boil for about five minutes.  Don't stir them, just swirl the pan a bit to keep them from sticking together.  Stirring invites the possibility of crystallizing the sugar.  Drain, reserving the orange syrup to use for sweetening teas, etc.  Use a cooling rack with paper towels underneath it. 
4.  Let them drip dry for about 30 minutes.  Put a cup of sugar in a plastic container or bag, and add the peels to it. Gently toss so that each peel gets coated.  Spread them out on a sheet of wax paper and let them dry out for a few hours.  Store in an airtight container for up to a week.

For an extra special treat, dip in dark chocolate.

The Super Bowl Food Every Party Needs and Goal Recap

What kind of blogger would I be if didn't tell you my favorite Super Bowl recipe?  To me, it just isn't the Super Bowl if I don't see some buffalo chicken dip!  It might as well be any random Thursday night game until someone brings The Dip.

And check out that nuclear orange color!  Unbeatable.  Not as photogenic as I'd hoped, but the photos just don't do it justice.  And so easy!  Start with some shredded rotisserie chicken.  Or, if you have some on-hand, roast turkey leftovers.

Heat up hot sauce and cream cheese in a saucepan over medium heat on the stove.

Mix until creamy and that violent orange color that just tastes so good. 

Pour it over the shredded chicken.

Now top with...more cheese!  Cheddar, please, and maybe some Mexican if your heart desires.  Now, I would never condone pre-shredded cheese because of all the additives used to keep it from clumping...but everyone has their busy days, and I won't judge.

Bake up the cheesy goodness until melty and bubbly and irresistable.  Or, if you're traveling for your Super Bowl viewing, just throw it all in a crockpot!  That's right, this recipe can adapt to suit your needs.

Tackle this dip with some tortilla chips or, if you're pretending to keep things healthy this year, some celery sticks.

Buffalo Chicken Dip (found all over online)
Ingredients:

• 3 c. of shredded chicken
• 1 c. hot sauce (recommended:  Frank's Red Hot)
• 2 8oz packages of cream cheese
• 2 c. shredded cheddar (and/or Mexican)

Instructions
1.  Heat up the hot sauce and cream cheese in a saucepan over medium heat until the cheese is melted and the mixture is uniform.  Preheat the oven to 350*.
2.  Put the shredded chicken in a 9x13 pan and pour the hot sauce mixture over it evenly.
3.  Sprinkle the cheddar over everything.  Bake for 30 to 40 minutes until everything is melted and bubbly.
4.  Try to let it cool before letting the football fan masses attack it!

Crockpot Alternative:
1.  Heat up the hot sauce and cream cheese in a saucepan over medium heat until the cheese is melted and the mixture is uniform.
2.  Put the shredded chicken in a crockpot and pour the hot sauce mixture in.  Add the cheddar and stir everything up.  Heat on low for 2 to 3 hours.  Stir and serve.
3.  Bring to the party and watch it disappear.

But let's not forget that it's the end of the month!  So let's check back in on the goals.

• Part of January's living simply is to avoid time wasters like facebook and mindless TV.  Except that January was a cold, unfriendly month that I spent snuggled up on the couch with blankets and hot cocoa.  That is to say, fail.  I did have my more social moments, but I spent plenty of time online and watching TV.
• In addition, January also sounds like a good time to avoid sugar.  I did soooo well for three weeks, then kind of lost track.  I'm counting it as a win.
• Make more wine.  It's still brewing!  Won't be ready to bottle for another week or two.  Actually, I might give it more time, because with wine time is on your side.
• Hockey game!  My parents are took us kids out to a game as part of our Christmas swag.  Went to the game, had a great time, Amy caught a tshirt, and then they lost in OT.  Mostly a good time all around.
• A trip to Chicago!  It was COLD.  But we had fun and we'll be down there again in a couple weeks!

 Which brings me right to February:

• Shedd Aquarium!  As a Christmas gift, we're taking some family to visit the aquarium in Chicago.
• Super Bowl!  I love social get-togethers like this.  Yay!  People and food and beer and funny commercials!  Oh, and I guess there's a football game on too.
• Bottle wine.  A recurring goal lately...
• Candied citrus peel!  Winter time is citrus time, and it's high time I learned how to take advantage of every part of the fruit.
• Taxes....  Let's get them done early this year, and not wait until life gets really busy suddenly realize that April 15 is a right around the corner :)

Whew!  Sorry for the double blog post, but I just couldn't wait until after the weekend to post a recipe for the best Super Bowl food EVER.  In the WORLD!