Miss Bee's Frosted Flakes

Miss Bee’s Frosted Flakes
“Miss Bee, WHY would I make these when I can just buy them at the store?”  1) Why not?  2)Because then you can go rogue!
I use these as a topping when I want to add a sweet, whimsical crunch to something.  It makes a great topping for frozen custard!

2 c corn flakes

½ c + 2 T white sugar
¼ c water
¼ t salt
Extra water for brushing the sides of the pan

First do this:

In a large sauce pan over medium high heat, combine ½ c sugar, salt, and water.  Cook to soft ball stage (235°-240°).  While the sugar is cooking, occasionally “wash” the sides of the pan with a pastry brush dipped in water.  This will prevent the sugar from crystallizing too soon.

Then do this:

When the sugar has reached soft ball stage, immediately add the cornflakes and carefully toss in the hot sugar until well coated.  Once well coated, sprinkle the remaining 2 T of white sugar over the syrup coated flakes and continue to toss.  This will cause the syrup to crystallize, hence “frosted" flakes.

Now do this:

Transfer into a thin layer onto a sheet tray to cool.

Eat it like this:

Sprinkle over your favorite frozen custard.  Or maybe pair with sour Door County cherries and a little fresh cognac whipped cream?  Toss with tempered 70% bittersweet chocolate for CRAZY GOOD “hay stack” candies.  (If you’re not drooling, something is wrong with you.) 

If you’re goin’ rogue:

The cool thing about this recipe is that you can be really creative with spices.  ½ tsp ground ginger, or black pepper, or cinnamon.  Those are flavors I dig…  I bet you can come up with some pretty boss spice combos too!  Incorporate these into the sugar syrup from the beginning to allow the spices to cook.  Raw cinnamon, ginger, etc, is not the most appealing flavor.

Do you dig sweet/hot combos?  Add a dash of cayenne pepper to the sugar syrup as it’s cooking!

Keep this in mind:

You’re working with sugar syrup here… AKA napalm.  Be very careful when handling this!  I recommend having a bowl of ice water handy just in case you get hot sugar syrup on your skin and need to take the plunge.  If this happens, immediately pop your hand into the ice water and do your best to remove the sugar as quickly as possible.  The worst thing you can do is the “ow it’s hot” wave, because that sugar isn’t going anywhere.  (If you guessed I learned the hard way, you’re right.)

Friday's Food for Thought - Ain't Too Girly to Grill

Ain't Too Girly to Grill

Okay ladies.  Word around these parts says that some of you are a bit scared of the grill.  It’s not totally your fault…  Your testosterone filled counterpart may have given you the impression that it takes a Y chromosome to cook something over an open flame. 

Well, it doesn’t. 

Grilling is just as easy as cooking on a stove.  You can do anything in a grill that you can do in an oven.  Yes, anything.  Even bake a cake. 

Don’t worry, we won’t jump right into the deep end.  You have to learn to walk before you can run.  Slow and steady wins the race.

Had enough inspirational clichés?  Good.  Let’s grill.

Propane vs. Charcoal:

In my opinion, if you have never grilled before, you will have a better first experience if you start out with propane as your fuel.  You can buy table-top propane powered grills at most big-box stores for under $30, and one pound propane canisters are generally less than $5 a piece.  Economical.  Not scary.  I promise if you follow the assembly instructions on the box, you will not blow up. 

You are also able to purchase table-top charcoal grills for a very reasonable price.  Bags of charcoal range from $5-10 for around 5 pounds, depending on if you choose natural lump charcoal or briquettes.  If you want the best flavor, by all means choose natural lump charcoal.  If you don’t want to mess around as much with lighting, then briquettes are probably your best bet.  Personally, I prefer natural lump charcoal.  It’s burnt wood.  Nothing less, usually nothing more.

Start Me Up:

Lighting and pre-heating a propane grill is as simple as turning a knob, and pressing a button or striking a match.   Timing is important, obviously.  Have your flame ready before you open the propane valve.  (You CAN do it the other way around, but then you may sacrifice your eyebrows.)  Once your flame is lit, let it burn for about 5 minutes to pre-heat your grill.  Putting food onto a cold grill will not produce those yummy black char marks.  Your cook time will be a heck of a lot longer too.
 
Lighting charcoal is also pretty easy.  Avoid using lighter fluid.  My philosophy on that is, if you wouldn’t want it in your food, why would you use it to cook your food?  To get the best coals, you should use a charcoal chimney.  These can be purchased at big-box and hardware stores for $10-$15.  Place a few pieces of wadded up paper in the bottom of the chimney, and pile your charcoal on top.  The paper is lit from the bottom, and will in turn light the charcoal.  In about ten minutes you will have a chimney full of glowing coals.  Pour these carefully into your grill, let your grate get hot, and you’re ready to cook. 

Now You’re Cookin’:

The reason I prefer propane grills over charcoal is that the heat is a lot easier to control.  With a turn of the knob you can raise or lower your flame.  Charcoal requires a little more finesse.  The more coals you have burning, the hotter your grill will be.  Additionally, the center of the grill tends to be hotter than the edges.  Cooking over charcoal requires a bit more attention, but in all honesty the grilled flavor is going to be more robust.

Heat Rises:

When you’re grilling you can use direct or indirect heat.  Direct heat requires cooking immediately over the flame or coals.  With Indirect heat, you will be cooking NEXT to the flame or coals.  Use direct heat for searing meats and to cook things quickly.  Indirect heat is better for cooking larger items for longer periods of time.  (Remember, I said you could bake a cake in the grill?)

Clean Get-Away:

When all is said and done, you’re going to need to clean up.  Removing stuck on bits is as simple as this: burn ‘em off!  With the fuel still burning, close the lid and let the stuck on bits fry.  5-10 minutes will usually do the trick.  Anything that WAS stuck on will be charred to a crisp and can be scraped off with a wire grill brush.  And yes, you should scrape these bits off.  Little burnt bits are tasty.  Giant pieces of “homemade natural charcoal” stuck to your kielbasa is not.

Charcoal can only be burned once.  Once the ash has cooled, pour it into a metal container and dispose.  (Natural ashes can be used in many different yard applications.)

Hopefully this has been a helpful little overview to grilling.  Don’t be scared of it, it’s really quite easy.  Besides, if you do the grilling, then he has to do the dishes!

Sweet Basil Lime-Aid

Sweet Basil Lime-Aid
Sweet, tart, and earthy.

2 quarts cold water

¾ c fresh squeezed lime juice
½ c water
½ c sugar
8-10 fresh basil leaves, whole
Sliced lime and basil sprigs, for garnish

First do this:

In a small sauce pan, combine ½ c water and sugar.  Bring to a boil and remove from heat.  Immediately add the basil leaves, steep for about 10 minutes.  Remove wilted basil.  Chill.

Then do this:

Combine 2 quarts cold water, lime juice, and basil syrup.  Stir. 

Serve it like this:

Over ice in a tall glass.  Garnish with a slice of lime and a sprig of basil.

If you’re goin’ rogue:

Use lemon instead of lime!  Use a few sprigs of  thyme instead of basil!

Keep this in mind:

Fresh herbs are a must here.  Otherwise you will be fishing little specks of basil out of your teeth.  Not sexy.

If you use thyme, the leaves may fall off the sprigs during the steeping process.  Just strain these out before chilling.

Tzatziki Sauce

Tzatziki Sauce
Ever eat a gyro?  This is my version of that yummy white sauce that comes on the side.  It’s not just for gyros. 

2 c sour cream

1 English cucumber, peeled
2 t finely minced garlic
2 T lemon juice
1 T salt, divided
½ t black pepper

First do this:

On a cutting board, combine half  of the salt and the garlic.  With the side of your knife, using a “sliding” motion, mash the garlic and the salt together into a paste.

Then do this:

Divide the cucumber in half.  Grate, or finely dice one half of the cuke.  Chop the other half into ¼” cubes.  Combine this with the garlic paste, lemon juice , salt and pepper.  Let sit for about 20 minutes to macerate, and draw liquid out of the cucumber.

Now do this:

Combine the cucumber mixture with the sour cream.  Stir well.  Set aside for at least 30 minutes to allow the flavors to meld.

Eat it like this:

This is awesome with Greek Style Grilled Shrimp,  gryos, grilled chicken, you name it.  I’m a big fan of serving it with oven roasted potatoes.

If you’re goin’ rogue:

Traditionally, this sauce is made with Greek strained yogurt.  I use sour cream because it’s cheaper, and still very delicious.

Some recipes add olive oil, or vinegar, or different herbs like dill or mint.  Try different things out. 

Purists use white pepper instead of black.  I personally enjoy the aesthetic of the little black flecks.  To each their own.  (White pepper is more expensive and harder to find, by the way)

Keep this in mind:

The longer this sauce is allowed to sit, the more the flavors will meld. 

The cukes will continue to expel liquid as the sauce sits.  So, the next morning when you’re digging your leftovers and you see that water has accumulated on the top of your sauce, just stir it in.

Garlic Grilled Pita Bread

Garlic Grilled Pita Bread
Amazingly simple.  Amazingly delicious.

6-8 Plain, pre made pita bread

½ c Extra Virgin olive oil \
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
2 T flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
2 t salt
1 t black pepper

First do this:

Pre-heat your grill to HIGH.

Then do this:

On a cutting board, combine half  of the salt and the garlic.  With the side of your knife, using a “sliding” motion, mash the garlic and the salt together into a paste.  Combine the garlic paste with the olive oil, parsley, remaining salt, and pepper.  Let sit for about 10 minutes.

Now do this:

Brush both sides of the pita liberally with the garlic oil mixture.  Grill over high heat, until browned and crispy, about 2 minutes each side.

Eat it like this:

Slice the pita into quarters and serve hot!  Pairs well with grilled shrimp, chicken, beef, you name it.  I love it on the side of a big hearty salad.

If you’re goin’ rogue:

You can use dried parsley.  Cut the measurement in half, though.

This also works well with other flat breads like lavash.  You can even use this for thick sliced crusty breads like baguette or ciabatta.

Keep this in mind:

You may get little burn spots on the pita.  This is totally fine, and totally delicious. 

They taste best warm, but are good cold too.  If you’re going to re-heat, don’t you dare put these in the microwave.  Pre-heat the oven to 200°, wrap the left over pita in an aluminum foil pouch, and warm for about 10 minutes.

Acini de Pepe with Olives and Capers

Acini de Pepe with Olives and Capers
This dish can be served hot or cold.  Its blissfully simple to make, but sure doesn’t taste like it.

4 c cooked acini de pepe pasta

½ c green olives with pimentos
2 T capers
2 T minced red onion
¼ c Extra Virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

To prepare the dressing, first do this:

In a large mixing bowl, roughly crush the olives with the back of a ladle or a dough blender.  No need to slice, the rusticity (use that word to impress your friends) looks great! 

Then do this:

Combine the crushed olives with the capers, onion, and olive oil.  Set aside to allow the flavors to meld.

If you want cold pasta, first do this:

Prepare the acini de pepe per the directions on the package.  While the pasta is cooking, line a sheet pan with one or two layers of flour sack towels, or several layers of paper towel, and fill a large mixing bowl with ice water.

Then do this:

Cook the pasta to your preferred level of doneness.  Immediately drain the pasta from the boiling water and shock it in the ice water until no heat remains.  When the pasta is completely cooled, drain from the ice water and spread out on the towel-lined sheet pan, to absorb any excess water.

Now do this:

Add the cooled and drained pasta to the mixing bowl with the olive mixture.  Toss to combine all ingredients.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

If you want warm pasta, first do this:

Prepare the acini de pepe per the directions on the package.  .  While the pasta is cooking, line a sheet pan with one or two layers of flour sack towels, or several layers of paper towel .  Drain the pasta,  DO NOT RINSE, and transfer to your towel lined sheet pan to absorb any excess water.

Then do this:
Add the hot cooked pasta to the mixing bowl with the olive mixture.  Toss to combine all ingredients.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Eat it like this:

This pasta pairs well with pretty much anything.  Well, except  maybe ice cream.

If you’re goin’ rogue:

This is a really good base for a lot of different add ins.  Want protein?  Add 1 c shredded left over grilled chicken.  Want protein but don’t want meat?  Add 1 c of your favorite bean.  (Kidney, black, or garbanzo, are some good ones.)  Want more veggies?  Add 2 c fresh baby spinach.

For you hot-heads:  add ¼ - ½ t (or more) chili flakes when you’re preparing the dressing.

Keep this in mind:

If you’re making the cold pasta and you don’t cool it completely, it will continue to cook while it sits.  Over cooked pasta makes me sad.

If you don’t eliminate the excess water from the pasta, your salad will be water-logged and bland.

Greek Style Grilled Shrimp

Greek Style Grilled Shrimp
Shrimp.  Garlic.  Lemon.  All good things.

1 lb raw jumbo shrimp, peeled, deveined, and washed.  (Keep those tails on, though.)

½ c Extra Virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
Juice and zest of 1 large lemon
2 t dried oregano
½ t salt
½ t black pepper

First do this:

Combine oil, garlic, juice, zest and seasonings in a large bowl, stir well to combine.  Add raw shrimp and toss to coat evenly.  Set aside to marinate for about 20 minutes.

Then do this:

Pre-heat your grill to 450°.  Place 5-6 shrimp each on bamboo or metal skewers.  Grill the shrimp over medium high heat, about 2-3 minutes per side. 

If you can’t do that, then do this:

If you don’t have a grill, pre-heat your oven to 450°.  Skewer up the shrimp, place on a sheet pan.  Bake at 450° about 5-6 minutes.

Eat it like this:

Serve these puppies hot, with a side of homemade tzatziki sauce and grilled garlic pita.  Tossed over a Caesar salad would be pretty bomb as well.

If you’re goin’ rogue:

You can cook these on the stovetop, too.  Throw a little olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat and sauté about 5-6 minutes. 

Using fresh oregano?  That’s boss.  Don’t forget to double up.

You don’t HAVE to use jumbo shrimp.  If you use smaller shrimp, you may have to shorten the cooking time.  You can use prawns too.  (That’s just a fancy name for shrimp, by the way)

Keep this in mind:

If you’re not a fan of cleaning shrimp, you can ask your fish monger to do it for you. 

If you use bamboo skewers, soak them in water for about 30 minutes prior to threading the shrimp.  Bamboo is wood.  Wood burns over the fire.  Wet wood burns less quickly.

Shrimp is fully cooked when the tails are pink and the flesh is opaque white.  Undercooked shrimp isn’t very pleasant.  On the flip side, shrimp cook pretty fast, so don’t walk away while the crustaceans are a-grillin’.  Overcooked shrimp isn’t very pleasant, either.

Garlic and lemon have a higher sugar content, so too high of heat may cause those shrimps to burn.  Burned garlic is bitter.  Bitter, in this case, is undesired.