sunday doughnuts

so i made doughnuts today and they were really simple.

i like to collect parlor tricks to show off my fancy cooking skills. i call them parlor tricks because they're actually really easy to make but everyone else will think that they're so hard and that you're so cool.

these doughnuts are a parlor trick.

1 tbs melted butter
1 egg
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 1/4 cup flour

beat eggs, butter and sugar until fluffy. add vanilla and milk. add the rest of the ingredients and stir only until incorporated.
on a well floured surface roll out the dough. keep it kind of thick as it doesn't puff up that much in the oil. take out the holes and save of course.

-- i used biscuit cutters and i used a smaller size than the doughnuts in a doughnut store. i used a proportionately smaller cutter for the hole. you can also just use a drinking glass to cut the dough. just like biscuits, you can do whatever you want to make that dough into doughnuts.

pour enough oil in a medium sauce pan to fill it up halfway. i believe that it was about half a bottle of a big bottle of vegetable oil. it doesn't have to be exact you just have to make sure the doughnuts have room to fry in there. that is, an inch of oil is not enough but if your pan is brimming with oil it's too much. you'll get it.
the oil needs to be at 370F. that's important because if it's not hot enough the dough won't fry and it will just soak up the oil and that would be gross. if you've ever tried to make tempura and didn't check the oil and all you got was a bunch of soggy mess - that's what this will be like. you can get a candy thermometer or just use a regular one. careful though, i melted mine this morning. i bought another one though, phew.
once your oil is hot enough drop in the dough (don't splash!!)
they need about 30 seconds on each side but you can see when it's done.
dry on paper towels.

you can roll them in powdered sugar or make a glaze!

i only had sugar but i liked them plain too!

i brought some extras to church and they were gone in a second!

happy sunday, enjoy your doughnuts!

love,
keighty

lemon sage cheese.

i promised that i would have a video of me making mozzarella and it's coming. i made one but it was too long for blogger and i also have my back to the camera for have of it and you couldn't see anything anyway.

all the cheese i've made so far i've needed enzymes that i had to buy online. but this one you can make right now without waiting for packages that say they'll be there in 2 days but really take a week! (sorry, i'm just bitter. the mail system here is so bad.)

this is a crumbly dry cheese that is also spreadable somehow. it's great on toast with jam and good in spicy enchiladas. it's subtly lemony and just a nice fresh cheese.

1 gallon whole milk (can NOT be ultra pasteurized, if it is, it won't work)
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 tbs fresh chopped sage
dash of cheese salt (optional)
butter muslin - a very fine cheese cloth. this can be found at cooking stores. sorry i lied you do have to go buy one weird thing for this cheese)

heat your milk to 190 degrees, making sure to stir and keep it from burning on the bottom.
add lemon juice and stir well in an up and down motion. (that is not sloshing everything around). remove from heat, cover and leave undisturbed for 15ish minutes. check at 15 to see if a curd has formed.

**a notes on curds and whey. curds and whey is real! who knew? also if you were eating it just like that, that would be super gross and mushy and little miss muffet was gross.
anyway. when milk is heated up and enzymes (or lemon juice) are added it separates into curd and whey. whey is a opaque liquid on the bottom and curd is the cheese a solid white mass on top.

push down gently on the curd to see the whey. is is clearish? then you're done waiting! is it milky? then wait a little longer until it clears up a little more.

once the curd is set scoop it into a colander lined with butter muslin with a bowl underneath or do it in the sink! once you have all the curds in there grab the corners of the muslin and tie them up. hang the bag to drip for 2 hours. i rigged this set up over my sink to dry my cheese. you can also tie it to the faucet if it's high enough. or come up with your own fancy ideas. in any case, your cheese bag need gravity to drain so just let it hang somehow.

in 2 hours open the bag and carefully pour the cheese into a bowl. don't lose any! add salt and sage and mix well.

tada! store in a air tight container for a week.

taste the victory. you just made cheese.

if you get addicted like i did you can visit this website to learn more and buy all the things you need to get started. i just made cream cheese yesterday and it was so liberating.

enjoy, friends.

love,
keighty

make-raul-cry-enchiladas

it takes a lot to make raul admit to something being too spicy for him. he once ate those deadly black chilies at big bowl that the server warns you not to eat.

nevertheless. these enchiladas did him in and lisa too.

as you all know i dislike mexican food ---food not mexicans. exhibit a: raul alvarez, my husband.

but sometimes i make mexican food for my friends to be nice. here was my attempt.

so if you think you can hang. try this.

3/4 cup hot sauce (i had the $1.99 huge bottle from guanajuarto)
5 chopped chipotles -- from a can, unless you're fancy enough to smoke your own jalapenos
2 tbs chopped fresh sage
1/3 tomato sauce
1 tbs olive oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
dash chili powder
dash cayenne pepper
dash sugar
salt and pepper to taste
8 flour tortillas

filling
1 wheel of queso fresco
1/2 cup of lemon sage cheese (optional -- see next post for recipe)
1/2 cup white rice
2 tbs butter
black beans
water, as much as needed


in a sauce pan saute garlic until fragrant. add all the rest of the ingredients and stir together. simmer on low heat while you get the rest of the business together.
in a saute pan melt butter and add rice. toast until the rice is yellow-ish but don't let it brown too much.
add enough water to cover the rice. simmer on low heat.
preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
check the rice. it can be al dente since it's going to be baked in the oven and can finish cooking there. drain and set aside.
pour a little bit of the sauce on the bottom of a casserole dish and spread it around so it coats the bottom.
fill each tortilla with a little rice, beans, a little sauce and both kinds of cheese. roll it up, like you do, and put it in a casserole dish. do it again and again until the dish is full.
once you're done pour the rest of the sauce over the enchiladas and make sure every piece of the tortilla is covered with sauce -- no crunchy tortillas!
grate and sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top -- covering the whole mess with a ton of sweet white deliciousness.

bake for 20ish minutes or until you stick your finger in the middle and you scream because it's so hot --do this at your own risk -- i won't be sued for your burned fingers! :) you could also just wait until the sauce starts to bubble. either way...

serve and watch your guests try to not cry.

and while everyone was dying in front of me while i ate my harmless quesadilla (to fit with the theme), they did all have seconds and in between trips for tissues they said it was great.
milk helps the burn too...

good luck!

love,
keighty

updates!

on the 'chickenless chicken pot pie' entry, my dearest tricia has informed me that i forgot to include the milk in the ingredients list.

so......

it's 1/2 cup of milk.

oh and cheese update:

i did make mozzarella and i did tape it for the blog but it was too long of a movie and i don't know how to edit.... let's just say that there is about 20 minutes of me with my back to the camera where i said nothing...

a video about mozzarella coming soon. also sour cream, chevre, cottage cheese!

love,

keighty

easy peasy vanilla ice cream

i've decided to start storing the bowl for the ice cream maker in the freezer that way it's always frozen. my biggest problem with ice cream is that the bowl isn't frozen. 

you've probably already thought of that but just in case - now you know! 

1 cup heavy cream

2 cups half and half

1 1/2 tbs vanilla extract

1 cup sugar

cook all ingredients in a pot. don't let it bowl. just simmer and take it off when there are a lot of little bubbles forming on the outside. 

take off heat and transfer to another bowl. pots retain heat and it'll take longer if you let it cool in the pot. 

here's a tip, chicagoans! put the bowl of cooling cream outside in the snow. it was cooled down completely in 10 minutes. wow. i know. but if it is actually snowing or freezing raining outside - don't do it. 

once it's cooled down. follow your ice cream makers directions. 

let it do it's thing and once it's done you need to freeze it more. but right before you do add your fixins. i added left over christmas sprinkles. but you can add anything you want!

enjoy. 

love,

keighty

cheesy polenta with roasted vegetables

first off. let's all go read scott's blog. he's a dear friend who made my wedding cake. his blog is more professional than mine but it's one big smith's reference which is all anyone really needs in their life.

next. let's eat.

this meal is so easy that you'll have time to make vanilla ice cream.

various veg - i used cauliflower and brussel sprouts (my fave)
1 1/2 cups instant polenta
cheese (i used cheddar, munster and parmesan)
2 1/2 cups chicken stock, homemade or otherwise
2 1/2 cups water

roast veg.
boil stock and water.
add polenta.
stir.
remove from heat.
add cheese.
stir again.
serve.

see it was almost dumb to write that. but it's so good. just do it. pretend it was hard to make.

love,
keighty