Chili base

I use this base for chili, enchiladas, all kinds of stuff

Get some dried chilies.  Whatever floats your boat


I like to pull the stems off and get as many of the seeds out as possible before proceeding


Bring a pot of water to a simmer and throw the chilis in.  I use the pasta strainer to keep them all under water.  Let it simmer until it's all soft and pliable.  Around 10 minutes.


While that simmers, I toast up some garlic.  You can also toast up some nuts (pepitos, walnuts, whatever) to add a nutty flavor.



Then throw them into a food processor or blender with; the garlic/nuts, enough stock (chicken, veg, etc) to get it wet, and maybe some of the water it was simmering in.  Let it go until it's all mashed up.



Strain it



Now get a skillet, add some oil and spices.  I like cumin and cinnamon.  Toast up the spices then add the sauce.  Let it simmer while stirring for ~10 minutes.  Hit it with salt to taste and maybe a little sugar.




A few notes, this will stain plastics and cloth.  And remember not to touch any mucous membranes after you make this.  Don't put in your contacts.  And definitely do not rub one out.  Unless that's your thing, then more power to you.

Annnd we're back

After a bit of a hiatus, I caught a lot of flack for not posting anything. So to remedy that. I whipped up some biscotti. This recipe is new to me and frankly, needs to be tweaked some. but here it is as I made it.

eggs 10 oz

sugar 18 oz

salt .5 oz

vanilla extract 2 tsp

pastry flour 28 oz

baking powder .75 oz

almonds 10 oz

combine the eggs, sugar and salt. whisk over hot water until the sugar is incorporated into the mixture. stick a finger and and see if it feels gritty. if so, keep whisking.

pull it off the heat and whisk until it's light and thick. i thought about putting it in the kitchen aid, but then I thought about all those Italian grandmas who must have made this through the years. I figure if they can do it, i can too. after whisking it, i said "screw this. i'll just throw it in the mixer next time".

add vanilla

fold in flour mixture

add almonds

shape into about 3 logs.

bake on a silpat or on parchment at 325 for about 40 minutes. turn them half way through.

reduce oven temp to 275.

pull logs out and let cool for a few min.

slice them and lay them out to further toast up. about 35-40 min.

i like to rotate pans and flip the pieces half way through

i dip some in chocolate. but elaine is not a fan of chocolate on her biscotti, so i only do half of them. she's crazy but we love her.

next time, i think i will add some citrus flavor. lemon, grapefruit, etc.

Stinky pee

As you can probably tell, I've been in a cooking funk lately. So I thought I would document something easy (which seems to be all I can make lately)

So my favourite* way to make asparagus is to just broil it with some olive oil and seasoning.

First thing, oven to high broil. Let it get warm for a few minutes.

Take the woody ends off. Throw on a sheet pan with a little olive oil and salt.



Into the oven for 4-5 minutes.

When you next look at them, there should be a fair amount of sizzle going on. Shake the pan a bit to get them moved around and let go for another minute or two.

Pull them out and hit with a little pepper. Done



And of course
Ice


*spelled that way to make our readers who are subjects of the HRH Queen Elizabeth II feel at home

You might already be a winner!

Announcing the first ever

SUPER ULTRA MEGA HAKAMABLOG CONTEST

You can win this AWESOME set of three nesting bowls. These bowls were actually owned by yours truly.


YES, IT'S TRUE. You can actually touch the same bowls I use to cook with!

The rules are simple

You are to pick one of my recipes and make it. Then you send me pictures of said delightful foodstuffs.

I will judge the pictures based on; difficulty of the recipe, how well it turned out, quality of the pictures, and/or phase of the moon.

You have until December 19th.

So start baking.

I look forward to seeing your entries.

Hold on to your hats. I am about to blow your mind

There is a pizza place here in town that is...get ready... better than mine.

Your mind = boggled.
Your foundation = shaken

How can this be true you ask?

Well, it is. Dove Vivi has simply the best pizza I have ever had.

You can blame Bart and Lynn for this. They are the ones who told us about it. Every time I eat there, I shake my fist in the air and curse their names.

Like the starter, this is a super easy recipe.

oven to 475

ingredients for today are;
flour 40 oz
water 30 oz
1 oz salt
.3 oz yeast
various herbs

proof the yeast in the water and sift the flour if it needs it. throw the salt in the flour.


put the poolish we made yesterday in the kitchenaid
add the water/yeast and mix
gradually add the flour/salt mix

let that mix on low for a bit. make sure you get all the flour incorporated.

while that is going, oil up a sheet pan


you want just a sheen of oil. just enough to keep the from sticking. any more that that and the final product will end up being too oily.

by now the dough is ready to go. this is going to be a sticky, soft dough. I usually pour it out into the same container I used to make the poolish to rise.

let it go for a while. once it's ready, pour it into the sheet pan. it will help to add a little oil to your hands so that you don't end up with your fingers cemented together.


now just smooth the dough out to all the corners. I like to spray some plastic wrap with Pam and cover the dough for a second, quicker rise. just really to let it rest for ~5-10 minutes.


once that's done it time to add the toppings. i like to go with rosemary, thyme, crushed red peppers, oregano, and salt


i usually season it pretty heavily. so knock yourself out. just not too much salt.

now off to the oven. this took about 20 minutes. with one turn halfway.


cutting into it, the crumb is kind of tight without a lot of large holes. so it's not quite what i wanted.

2 reason for this:
1) i got in a rush and didn't let it it rise enough
2) i used low gluten flour. it was all i had around. i usually use high gluten or bread flour.

but, this will work well for sandwiches. so the hyper-critical voices in my head can suck it


but olivia does not care one bit. she has ice


if you are by the house, swing by and pick some up.

Ferkakdeh!

Umm I mean focaccia

super simple. You don't even need to turn the oven on today.

But you do need to make a poolish

Start with the following

10 oz water
10 oz flour
pinch yeast

mix it all together and put in an airtight container


It will be pretty soft. Just a bit thicker than pancake batter



Let it sit overnight. It will add flavor and awesomeness for the finished product