Mmmmmm Baked Beans!

Alright,

So it's still picnic and cookout season.  When the question is raised: "What do I bring?", someone inevitably says: "Why not baked beans?"  The problem with this is that you need a good recipe.  Sometimes it's too sweet, sometimes too salty and there is almost always never enough bacon in them.  Well, my friends, I am proud to announce that I have concocted a recipe that I deem utterly appropriate for all cookout occasions.  With a little help from a recipe I found on epicurious.com, these may be the best baked beans I have ever tasted.

Here it goes:

8 slices thick cut bacon

1 large onion- chopped coarsly

1 T spicy brown mustard

1 T minced garlic

1 1/2 tsp dried Thyme

3/4 cup Ketchup

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

fill a 1/3 measuring cup half with a dark, robust molasses and the other half with honey

1 T brown sugar

1/3 cup water

2 small bay leaves

1 can red kidney beans

1 can cannellini beans

1 can black beans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Alright, you are going to start by cooking your bacon until crisp then setting aside to drain.  Crumble bacon.  Remove some of the drippings from the pan and then add the onions.  Cook these until soft and somewhat losing their color.  Add the mustard, garlic and the thyme and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.  Then add the next 6 ingredients and stir for 1 minute.  Add the beans and bacon, mix well and transfer to a baking pan.

Bake this for about 45 minutes uncovered stirring once halfway through.  If the beans look like they are getting dry, add water by the Tablespoon.  (I didn't have to).

 

This recipe is fairly easy and fast to make!  That is what I loved about it.  It's tangy from the apple cider vinegar; but not too sweet from the sugar (because I didn't add a ton).

Let me know how yours turns out if you make this!  Hopefully you enjoy it!

Let us talk basic kneeds!

New things to come this summer/ Mango Bean Salsa

So guys,

I have been crazy busy this summer.  I thought to myself, oh I will get some time off.  I'll cook, bake and blog; but no!  I have been just as busy.  Camps and work and weddings everywhere!  I am also deeply considering selling my strawberry preserves over the internet.  Let me know if that would interest any of you followers out there!  Anyway, that's no excuse you say.  To that I say you're right!  So, a preview of things to come:

I am going to be:

baking breads

making pies

experimenting with salads/salsas

showing you the best baked beans you ever would taste

much much more!

Most of that is not happening today because I don't have it all prepared.  I did, however, need to get on here and make sure you knew I was still alive and to share one quick fresh recipe.  Another thing to note is that I have been eating a lot of sandwiches lately.  Oh my I dig a good sandwich.  

Anyway, I made a salsa with my dear friend Elizabeth last night.  We were just messing around and here is what we came up with:

Mango and bean Salsa

6-8 ripe tomatoes roughly chopped

2 medium onions chopped

two mangos diced 

3 cans of beans (your choice but we used black)

2 T (or more) minced garlic

2 small limes, juiced

1 medium bunch of fresh cilantro finely chopped

salt and pepper to taste

You are just going to literally mix this all together in a big bowl.  No special order, no nothing!  Nice, right?

This makes a TON of salsa and it's really darn tasty and easy.

Eat this with corn chips mmmmmmmmmmm.  It's a nice summer side dish.  Let me know how yours turns out.

Let us talk basic kneeds!

The one, The only, The MAPLE BACON CHEESECAKE

Okay,

First of all I must deeply apologize to all of you who follow this blog because I have not posted in a very long time.  I have been so unbelievably busy with work that I have hardly had any time to myself let alone to blog.  The good news is that I am making up for this gap in time with one doozy of a recipe.......

So I was asked to come up with some crazy concoction for a friend of mine's going away party.  His specifics were thus: 

Cheesecake

Bacon

And then I said: "OK"

I decided that the best route to take in this would be to include an ingredient that would agree with both parties.

Maple Syrup. 

Thus the Maple Bacon Cheesecake is born:

Here goes the recipe:

Ingredients (in the order needed)

1 lb of bacon

4 Tbs pure maple syrup

2 cups cinnamon graham crackers (about 15-17 whole crackers) crushed

1 stick of butter

3 Tbs sugar

 1 cup pure maple syrup

3 packs of cream cheese (room temperature)

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

3 Tbs flour

2/3 cup sour cream

2 tsp vanilla extract

4 eggs

Here is your disclaimer:

**This recipe is not for the faint of heart or the pressed for time.  This is legit.**

The first thing you must do is candy the bacon.  I used maple syrup but you can use brown sugar if you would like.

Turn on the broiler.  Place your bacon out on baking sheets and coat (using your hands) each slice of bacon with maple syrup.  Place baking sheets and broil bacon until dark and crispy (time varies depending on thickness of bacon so keep your eye on it).  It is very important that your bacon is very crispy even on the edge of looking burnt.  Remove bacon from broiler when it's finished and place it on a paper towel to dry.

As you let the bacon cool, you will want to place in a bowl the next three ingredients listed (graham crackers, butter, sugar).  Mix these together well so that you can form clumps in your hands when the ingredients are squeezed.  Then crumble up 5-6 pieces of the bacon and mix it into the crust.  Press down the crust ingredients into a 9 in spring-form pan lined with wax or parchment paper until even and flat.  Bake the crust at 375 degrees for 10 minutes or until starting to brown.  Remove from heat and let it cool completely.  Reduce your oven temperature to 300 degrees.

While the crust is cooling, place the maple syrup into a saucepan and bring to a boil.  You will want to continuously stir this with a whisk for about 7 minutes or until it is reduced by at least half.  Pour this into a bowl and let stand and cool.  **I take mine to nearly a candied state**

In a separate bowl, beat the cream cheese until it is smooth.  Add the sugar, flour and salt and beat again until smooth.  Then you will add the reduced and cooled maple syrup, sour cream and vanilla extract and blend this until it is smooth.  Then you will add the eggs (one at a time) and beat in until just barely blended.  Then you will stir (not beat) in all the rest but 4 pieces of the candied bacon into the batter.  Pour this onto the crust in the spring-form pan and bake at 300 degrees for about an hour and a half or until the sides of the cake are puffy and the center trembles slightly.  Remove from heat and let cool completely.  Sprinkle with the remaining 4 pieces of candied bacon (crumbled) and serve!

If you try this I MUST know how it goes for you.

Let us talk basic kneeds!

Vegetable Curry- So good

Okay, so curry is one of my favorite things to make.  I love it.  I love it's taste, texture, color, abundance and it's non-dairy glory.  I have reviewed/tried several recipes for curry.  I have decided that none of them really suit my fancy.  So I concocted my own recipe.  The best way to cook this is in a dutch oven on the stove top.  If you don't have a dutch oven, you can just use a large heavy saucepan.  It will definitely need to be large because you will be making a lot of curry!

 

 Ohhh it looks so good!

Curry is easier to make if you start by prepping everything before you start cooking. Once you start cooking, it moves pretty fast.

1 cup chopped Onion

2 large carrots, peeled and diced

2 medium-large potatoes, peeled and cubed

1 can chickpeas, drained

2.5 cups mixed frozen vegetables (I use stir-fry veggies)

2 cups tomatoes chopped WITH the juice (fresh or canned)

**Having your ingredients prepped before you start cooking makes it WAY less stressful!  I also prep my spices.  You can look ahead in the recipe and get all the spices ready in a bowl for when they go in!** 

In this large saucepan or dutch oven, begin by heating about 1.5 Tbs of vegetable oil over medium heat.  Once the oil is ready, begin sauteing the onion.

**The way you know your oil is ready is to get a little bit of water and splashing it on the oil.  If you hear it make a crackling sound, it's ready!**

After sauteing the onions for about 5-7 minutes or until translucent, add 1 Tbs chopped Garlic and saute for another 2 minutes.  Now it's time to add the spices:

2 Tbs Curry Powder

1 Tbs Tumeric

1.5 tsp Cumin

1/2 tsp Cinnamon

1.5 tsp Basil (1 Tbs if fresh)

1 tsp Crushed Red Pepper

Salt and Pepper

 You are going to saute the onions, garlic and spices for about 1-1.5 minutes or until fragrant.  This means that you will actually be able to smell the combination of spices as you stir the mixture.  Stir frequently because it will burn easily if you aren't careful.  Next, you are going to add the carrots and potatoes.  You want to stir this well for about a minute.  Make sure they are well covered with the spices.  Next you will add the chickpeas and the tomatoes with their juice.  This will generate liquid in your pan and stirring will get easier.  Finally you will add your remaining veggies and:

1 can Coconut Milk

2 Tbs Peanut Butter

2 small Bay Leaves

1 tsp Lemon Grass (optional but it makes a difference if you have it!)

1 tsp Grated Orange Peel

I told you this moves fast!  Once you start cooking, you will only be doing about 12 active minutes of cooking!  Now it's time to let this simmer.  You won't need to simmer it too long, only about 30 minutes or until you reach your desired consistency.  You want to make sure the potatoes are done (tender when poked with a fork).

You will want to serve this with rice.  Any rice will work.  I like to cook mine with either vegetable or chicken broth to give it more flavor! 

 Garnish this with basil, a dash of cinnamon, and some orange peel.  Peanut butter is also a good garnish!

**This recipe is vegan!  Unless you cook your rice with chicken broth, of course.  Feel free to add chicken or shrimp to this delicious recipe!**

I really hope you try this!  Let me know how it turns out!

Let us talk basic Kneeds!

Artist Highlights

 Introducing:

Danielle Duncan

Okay, I know she isn't food; but look at how cool she is.

She made me this awesome t-shirt for Christmas this year.  It has a moose with my running shoe hanging off of it's antler and the reverse side of the shirt is wishing everyone a warm and hearty Merry Christmoose!

I am an avid appreciator of art in all forms.  This one is not only is she creative; but she is talented too!  Sometimes I get little stories from her like the one below.  She wrote me a comic depicting her terrorizing adventure home one day where she almost ran over two deer after already hitting and killing a baby skunk!

If you want to check her out for yourself, her blog is Marmalade Bleue 

and her website is Marmalade Bleue Creative 

Check her out for yourself and you might soon be wishing everyone a "Merry Chrismoose!"

:)

Chili-time

Alright, 

Again, it has been a while since I posted.  So much going on!  Anyway, not an excuse right, Melissa?  Right!  I wanted to share my chili recipe with you.  Seeing as the weather took a turn for the colder, I believe now is a good time to cozy up next to a nice bowl of chili.  I usually do vegetarian chili because it is a little cheaper than buying meat.  This time I actually had meat, so I added about 2 lbs of cooked ground beef to this recipe:


*Since I buy my beans dry, I start out by cooking my beans (this takes about an hour and a half).  You can also use two 16 oz cans of cooked beans (whatever beans you like). I use:
1 lb black beans
1 lb pinto beans


In a large dutch oven (cast iron), saute:
2 Tbs olive oil
2 medium onions chopped (almost 2 cups)
1 1/2 Tbs minced garlic
Saute this until the onions are translucent and then add:
 
Chili Seasoning:
6 Tbs chili powder
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 Tbs minced (1.5 tsp powdered) garlic
1 Tbs Cumin
1 tsp basil
1 tsp oregano
1 chipotle cube*
black pepper and salt to taste

*You can use regular chipotle seasoning (1 tsp). I like to get the cubes at the grocery store.  They are usually in the ethnic isle.* 

Saute the seasonings with the onions and garlic for about one minute (until you can smell the fragrance).  Then add:
1 box white mushrooms, chopped
the cooked/canned beans
Stir.  Then add:
3- 14 oz can crushed tomatoes in juice
1- 6 oz can of tomato paste
1 bottle of beer
Simmer this for about 1 hour.  And you're done!  Eat this with your favorite accompaniments like corn bread, chopped onions, sour cream or cheddar cheese (not if you're vegan).

This recipe is vegan and vegetarian (without the meat).  If you want to add a little more flair to the chili, you can add Italian sausage tofurky for some more flavor!

 

 

Let me know how yours turns out!

 

Let us talk basic kneeds! 

Black Bean and Lentil Soup!

Alright, 

This soup is not pretty; but man does it taste good!  I found this recipe, again, off of epicurious.com but I made my own tweaks to it.  Here is the original recipe (which is just for red lentil soup):

1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
2 carrots, chopped (1 cup)
1/2 cup chopped fresh or canned tomato
1 celery rib, chopped
1 1/4 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup dried red lentils
4 cups water
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley




The several modifications that I made were:
- I doubled the garlic, carrots, and celery
- I only used 1 cup of water.  The other 4 1/2 cups were broth (I used beef broth)
- I added 1-1 1/2 cups of black beans (I used raw and cooked them to their halfway point so they could absorb more flavor. Canned works just as well and is faster/easier)
- I added about 1/4 more lentils than it asked for
- I doubled the cumin


This is a really simple recipe to carry out.  Basically, you heat the oil in a large saucepan.  Add the onion and saute until translucent.  Then you add the garlic, tomatoes, carrots, celery, cumin and salt and saute for about 2 minutes until the cumin is fragrant.  Then you add the beans and lentils and stir them until they are covered.  Then add the broth and the 1 cup of water.  You will simmer this for about a half an hour.

 

I told you it wasn't pretty!

This is served best with a little bit of cilantro or parsley and some sour cream.

If you want to make this vegetarian/vegan, just use vegetable broth instead of beef broth!  (vegans, don't use the sour cream as the accompaniment) It's still really tastey!

I hope you enjoy this.  Let me know how yours turns out and if you have any questions for me!  It's really easy!

Let us talk basic kneeds! 

**** UPDATE ****

So I made this again and did a few different things and I wanted to add it to this recipe so you guys could try it too!

So I followed the basic recipe that I had modified originally; but instead of chopping up tomatoes, I used a large can of crushed tomatoes in the juice, vegetable broth instead of beef broth, added a can of chick peas and 1 tsp of thyme.  I think it gave it a little better of a look to it and I LOVE the taste!

  Let me know your thoughts!