Steamy Kitchen Recipes » Video

New Baby Chicks Arrive in Mail!

SteamyKitchen — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 14:56:35 +0000

When we first decided to get chickens, my intention came from an omnivore’s point of view….FRESH EGGS! Little did I know that these little darlings would become our lovable pets first and foremost….and fresh eggs as a really cool bonus feature.

Sidenote: Wouldn’t it be cool if every pet came with an unrelated bonus feature….like if your cat does your dishes or your dog mows your lawn!???

So back in January, I promised the boys that we’d get another batch of chickens to add to our current flock of 5. The three of us spent hours researching each and every kind of chicken breed and finally decided to surprise ourselves with an assortment of 5 day-old baby chicks from the “rare breed” category from My Pet Chicken.

We were guaranteed at least 3 of these breeds (see photo on left from My Pet Chicken).

Some of these guys look so funny! With furry feathered feet, a pompadour hat, mohawk or gown of feathers!

There’s a high demand for day-old chicks (go homesteaders!) and we wouldn’t be able to get our chicks until first week of April.

They finally arrived, the post office called and left a message, “Uh, we’ve got a box for you here and it’s moving and chirping. Um. Please come asap to pick it up, like today.”

Baby chicks are shipped precisely right when they hatch, there’s actually no need for any food or water for a couple of days, as the yolk they’ve consumed during their incubation sustains them during the transport. The biggest worry is cold, so the chicks are shipped with a heat pouch – you know the type you slap and stick in your pocket when you’re skiing.

Sure enough, they arrived safe and sound!

We brought them to school to show the kids, since they were learning about “oviparous” animals (animals that lay eggs)

We toured at least 12 different 1st and 3rd grade classes with the baby chicks.

Oh I wish I had videotaped it – for some of the kids, it was the very first time they’ve ever touched a live chicken.

The oooohs and aaaaaahhhh and awwwwwws!

Falling in love…..

One of the chicks even fell asleep.

These chicks love to sleep! This little one fell asleep standing up:

We haven’t named the chicks yet, we’re spending some a little more time with them first and getting to know each of their personalities. But would LOVE to hear some ideas for names from you! Here were some from Faceobook:

Black Eyed Pea
Chica
Captain Awesome, Savior of Her Peeples (thanks Garrett)
Corn Nut
Hot Wings
Bandit (from Scotty)
Snack Pack
Extra Crispy
Gai (Chinese for chicken) from Jacqueline
Nugget
Honey Bunny
Spotty Dotty
Speckle
Cadbury
Left Eye
Scramble
Camo Chic
Mellow Peep

©Steamy Kitchen Recipes, 2012. | Permalink | 21 comments

Cauliflower and Kale Salad (Cauliflower Tabouli)

SteamyKitchen — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 17:53:53 +0000

8/3/10 Update: Sorry for repeat post from 2 days ago – my database crashed!!! EEEEKS! So I had to restore from older backup and recreate this post. Public service announcement: BACK UP!!!

At the risk of upsetting my vegetarian, vegan and raw fans, I’ll say this: ban the raw cauliflower. Especially the ones you find on raw veggie platters with a generic dip centerpiece. They’re big, bulky and frankly, quite awkward to eat. By the time you’ve managed to wrap your lips around a hunky floret, the drippy ranch dressing has smeared all over the outside of your lipline that’s just out of reach of a sheepish lick. Classy eats.

It wasn’t until a friend came over with a bowl of Cauliflower and Kale Tabouli Salad from Simon’s Coffee Shop in Sarasota that I began making peace with raw cauliflower. Aha! Grating the cauliflower on the large holes of a box grater completely transforms it into elegant nibs.

In fact, it doesn’t even resemble a vegetable anymore, I’ve had dinner guests puzzled over the bits and my own kids thought it was grated cheese (it certainly looks like it!)

If you’re wondering why it’s called “tabouli” when there isn’t an ounce of it in the salad, it’s because the grated cauliflower sort of resemble the grain for people on a raw food diet. It’s a stretch, but okay, I’ll play along with the metaphor in the name of reconciliation.

How to Make Cauliflower and Kale Salad (video)

In this video, I’ll show you a tip on what you need to do with the kale leaf.

Kale leaf (left) Bagged, chopped kale (right) – you can use either in the recipe. Just remove the tough stalk that runs through length of every leaf.

Cauliflower and Kale Salad (Cauliflower Tabouli)

Servings: 4 Prep Time: 15 Cook Time: 0

It takes about 15 minutes to assemble. Leftovers are perfect refrigerated - the kale and cauliflower stay surprisingly crunchy. If you're buying bagged, chopped kale, use 3 large handfuls of kale - but make sure you tear off and discard the tough stalk that runs the entire length of every leaf.

Ingredients:

3 large kale leaves
1/2 head cauliflower
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1 stalk, green onion, finely chopped
1 sprig fresh parsley, minced
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 garlic clove, finely minced
1/2 teaspoon kosher/sea salt (1/4 teaspoon table salt)
freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Directions:

1. Tear the soft leaf of the kale away from the center stalk that runs throughout the length of the kale. Discard the tough stalk. Using a chef's knife, finely chop the kale leaves. Rock back and forth with your knife over the leaves like you are mincing. Add to a large bowl, along with the cherry tomatoes, green onion and parsley.
2. Grate the cauliflower using the large holes of a box grater. Add to the bowl and mix.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, garlic, salt, pepper and the olive oil. Pour dressing into the bowl and toss gently. Taste and season with additional salt if needed.

©Steamy Kitchen Recipes, 2010. | Permalink | 39 comments

Salmon Burger Recipes + video on how to form patties

SteamyKitchen — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 14:50:38 +0000

I love me a good salmon burger! Or crab cake or lobster cake. Or….okay, okay, I LOVE SEAFOOD! But one of the hardest things about making seafood burgers (or patties) is keeping the darn thing together while its on the grill or cooking in the pan. There’s nothing worse than watching your precious fish fall through the grates of your BBQ grill. Sure, you could use more wet filler to bind (like egg or mayo) but there’s a balance…the right balance between fish, binder and breadcrumbs.

Too much binder and the patty turns out soggy bleh. Too much breadcrumbs and that’s all you taste!

Want to know how to I form the patty so that it stays together? (p.s. the recipe is below, first link)

Salmon Burger Recipe – on Steamy Kitchen on TLC (I used salmon, panko, shallots, lemon zest, lemon juice, parsley)

Asian Salmon Burger Recipe (one of my very first posts EVER on Steamy Kitchen!)

Salmon Burger Recipe a la Mark Bittman from Ezra Poundcake

Salmon Burgers a la Martha Stewart & Rachael Ray from YumSugar

Salmon Burgers with Chipotle Aioli by One Perfect Bite

Perfect Salmon Patties by Dana on Tasty Kitchen

Salmon Burger with Wasabi Soy Glaze on Kitchen Daily

**Big thanks to Smith Bites for creating my “sonic brand” (giggle!) the jingle that you hear in the video, as well as the animation. We’ll be sharing the process of how we came up with that jingle soon!

©Steamy Kitchen Recipes, 2010. | Permalink | 28 comments

So…do you think I’m that mischievous???

SteamyKitchen — Wed, 19 May 2010 18:59:21 +0000

Rachelle put together a quick video of our trip to Hollywood and the television show pilot shoot.

How did this end???? LOL you’ll have to wait until the show gets sold to find out!

©Steamy Kitchen Recipes, 2010. | Permalink | 24 comments

Bison Burgers with Bacon & Blue Cheese

SteamyKitchen — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 04:25:21 +0000

When GoodBite asked me to participate in the an “adventure ingredient” challenge, I was like “adventure!? HELL YEAH! bring it on baby!”

For days, I was dreaming of being challenged to make tempura tarantula, something my buddy Eddie Lin of Deep End Dining has feasted on.

Or maybe even baking some vegemite cupcakes.

Ewww! Right?

But damn, that would have been fun to zing off on a totally different tangent of food blogging and freak my mother out.

Well, Chef Dave picked bison as my adventure ingredient – hardly an adventure for a gal like me who’s dined on far freakier things!

So, what to do with Bison meat? Make Bison Burgers with Bacon and Blue Cheese of course!

Clever, eh? All those B’s make me feel adventurous.

Oh…don’t want to forget to mention that um yeah, I totally did say that bison meat is healthier with less calories and less cholesterol…that is…until you fatten it up with BACON and BLUE CHEEEEEEEEZZZZ!

Hey, at least I didn’t include a spread of lard on the buns.

Recipe after the jump…

Bison Burgers with Bacon and Blue Cheese

1 1/2 pounds ground bison
4 strips bacon, each strip cut in half
1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
fresh arugula
salt and pepper
4 burger buns
2-3 tablespoons good quality mustard

1. Season the ground bison generously with salt and pepper. Divide the meat into 4 equal sized patties, about 1-inch thick. Form and shape the patties so that they have a slight indentation in the middle of patty. This helps the burger cook to an even size, as the middle always puffs up during cooking.

2. If you are using an outdoor BBQ grill, preheat your grill on high.

3. In the meantime, place the bacon strips in a large frying pan over medium-high heat and cook until crisp on both sides.

4. To cook the burgers, place the patties on the hot grill, close lid and cook for 2-3 minutes. Flip, close the lid and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Flip once more, turn the heat to medium and cook until juices run clear or to the temperature of your choice.

5. Spread each burger bun with mustard, top with the bison burger, 2 strips of bacon, crumbled blue cheese and fresh arugula.

©Steamy Kitchen Recipes, 2010. | Permalink | 37 comments

Chocolate Wontons + Video

SteamyKitchen — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 10:10:12 +0000

Photo from The Steamy Kitchen Cookbook

My blog would not be complete without mention of one of my kids’ favorite dessert in the whole wide world, Chocolate Wontons. In fact, the site serves as my family’s visual menu of sorts, my kids will click through the site and point at dishes they want to have for dinner. Which is why you don’t see any photos of McDonald’s, Burger King or Bob Evans, the chain restaurant that serves the world’s best gummable food — hey, I live in Florida where 45% of the population is old, retired or have no teeth.

But, I digress. Where was I? Oh yes, chocolate.

You can get all fancy and put your favorite, most expensive dark chocolate truffle in the middle of these wontons. The combo of the sweet sprinkle the powder sugar, crackly crisp fried wonton skin and the warm, melty, oozing chocolate will send you straight to blissdom.

Or, go ghetto like us and just stick a piece of Hershey’s Kiss in there and call it “The Bestest Dessert In the Whole Wide World” according to my kids.

The recipe is flexible, if you really can call a recipe. I’ve adapted this fried wonton dessert for Thanksgiving with Sweet Pumpkin Fried Wontons and even made them with strawberry preserves topped with whipped cream for Mother’s Day. The lovely members of The Daring Kitchen even made them!

Want to know how to make Chocolate Wontons? Watch the short video!

Chocolate Wontons Recipe

from The Steamy Kitchen Cookbook

1 egg
1 tablespoon water
12 wonton wrappers, defrosted (keep wrappers covered with damp towel)
12 pieces or nuggets of chocolate
Vegetable oil
Confectioners’ sugar, for sprinkling

In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and water to make an egg wash. On a clean, dry surface, lay one wrapper down with a point toward you, like a diamond. Place one piece of chocolate near the top end of the wrapper. Brush a very thin layer of the egg wash on the edges of the wrapper. Fold the bottom corner of the wrapper up to create a triangle and gently press to remove all air from the middle. Press the edges to adhere the sides. Make sure the wrapper is sealed completely. Repeat with the remaining wrappers and chocolate pieces. Keep the folded chocolate wontons covered under plastic wrap or a damp paper towel to prevent them from drying.

In a wok or medium pot, pour in two inches of oil. Heat the oil to 350°F (180°C) and gently slide a few of the chocolate wontons into the hot oil. Make sure you don’t crowd the chocolate wontons too much. Fry 1 1/2 minutes, then flip and fry another minute until both sides are golden brown and crisp.

©Steamy Kitchen Recipes, 2010. | Permalink | 58 comments

Baked Fish in Parchment (video)

SteamyKitchen — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 22:22:29 +0000

This is a dish for my bachelor brother, Jay, who lives alone and has those awful working hours only doctors on-call could endure. Sure, it looks glam on Grey’s Anatomy, but I honestly don’t think he’s romping in the supply closet. Or at least I don’t want to think that.

Simple, flexible recipes with little clean-up are the type of recipes that I think Jay would appreciate and this one is from Cooking Know How cookbook by Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough (they have a blog called Real Food Has Curves). Baking fish in parchment paper packets is so incredibly easy, almost foolproof for cooking novices.

Clean up is as quick as crumpling the paper and tossing it away.

Co-author Mark must have had burning ears, because as I was typing this column out, he had sent me an email gushing about their new book that’s hitting the shelves in a few days, “Ham: An Obsession with the Hindquarter,” which they describe as “a hymn to backsides.” I’ll be sure to test a recipe and share with you all as soon as I get a copy in my hands.

How to bake fish in parchment paper (video)

Baked Fish in Parchment Recipe

recipe adapted from Cooking Know How by Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough

You can use any type of fish that you want. I cooked with salmon, and the only thing you need to know about baking salmon is that you might find perfectly safe, but unsightly white protein specs once it’s cooked. It’s a natural occurrence when you bake salmon, so don’t worry if you see it! I’m giving you the recipe amounts for one, but this is a very flexible recipe. If you have 2 people, then make 2 packets.

Two 16-inch parchment paper sheets (or tin foil)
2 rosemary sprigs (or cilantro or parsley or thyme)
One 5-6 ounce skinless fish fillet
1/2 cup diced zucchini
3 cherry tomatoes, halved
2 small artichoke hearts (canned) quartered
1 tablespoon dry white wine
salt and pepper
squeeze of fresh lemon juice

1. Preheat your oven to 450F.

2. Lay one parchment paper over another, long side of the paper horizontal. Lay herb sprigs in middle of the parchment. Season fish on both sides with salt and pepper. Lay fish on top of the herb sprigs. Spoon the zucchini, tomatoes and artichoke hears over the fish. Season the vegetables with a pinch more of salt and pepper. Pour the white wine over everything.

3. Seal the packet closed by rolling and crimping the long sides together over the fish and vegetables. Then roll and crimp the ends closed so no steam can escape. Place on baking sheet.

4. Bake for 10-15 minutes, until fish cooked through. Timing depends on thickness of fish. 10 minutes for 1/2-inch fillet; 15 minutes for 1-inch fillet. If you are cooking more than one packet, add another minute to cooking time for each additional packet. Just before serving, carefully open the packet (hot steam!) add just a squeeze of lemon juice over everything.

How to make Cupcake Cake Pops (video)

SteamyKitchen — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 02:06:28 +0000

I know I’m so incredibly late to the Cake Pops party, but hey I’m here, even if it’s a year later! The beautiful and talented Bakerella introduced the world to her cake pops and I’ve been ooh’in and aah’in from day one.

Bakerella was kind enough to email me a few extra tips to ensure that these cuties would turn out perfect. And they sure did. Since Sunday is Valentine’s Day, I thought this would be a perfect Saturday afternoon project for you and your kids.

I added a big shortcut to the recipe – a BIG one. I always say, if there’s a shortcut to baking something, I’m gonna take it. Wanna know what my secret is? Come watch!

How to make Cake Pops (video): Cupcake Shape

Cake Pops Recipe: Cupcake Pops

Servings: Makes 20 cake pops Prep Time: Cook Time:

It seems like there are a lot of steps, but I’ve taken care to give you detailed instructions so that your cupcake pops come out beautiful! I purchased all my ingredients (except for the cake mix and frosting) at Michael Arts & Craft Store. Use a cookie cutter no larger than 1.25”.

You don't have to bake the cake in the microwave (though technically it's no longer "baking" right!?) and instead you can bake the cake in the oven according to package instructions.

recipe adapted from Bakerella

Ingredients:

1 box red velvet cake mix + ingredients needed to make the cake according to package instructions
1 can cream cheese frosting
1.25” round or flower shaped cookie cutter
1 bag chocolate candy melts (or chocolate bark)
2 bag each pink and hot pink candy melts (or colors of your choice)
3 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
parchment or wax paper
sprinkles
20 popsicle sticks
large styrofoam block
20 clear candy bags
ribbon

Directions:

1. Mix the cake batter according to package instructions. Pour batter in an 13" x 9" microwave safe pan. If you are using a smaller pan, use less batter or divide into two (though your cooking time will decrease and you'll have to adjust on your own.)

2. Set your microwave on medium-high (level 7) and cook time for 9 minutes. Take a peek, and if there is a large area of "wet" batter, add another 1 minute - 3 minutes, until there is barely any wet batter on surface. It's okay if the center is still just slightly wet - it will finish cooking as it cools. Let cake cool 10 minutes. Use a large spoon or fork to break up the chunks so that the steam can escape and cool faster. Now let cake cool the rest of the way.

3. Place the cake chunks into a food processor and pulse until cake is crumbly, about 8 times. You may want to do this in 2 batches. Dump the cake crumbles into a large bowl.

2. Add about 3/4 of the can of cream cheese frosting and use a large spoon mix well until you can’t see any of the frosting. The cake should be a bit wet and sticky. Take a little scoop in your hands and roll into a ball. If the ball falls apart, mix in another big spoonful of frosting. The ball you form should stick together nicely, not crumble apart.

3. Using your hands, roll the cake into 1.5” compact balls and place on baking sheet. If the balls don’t quite stick well, mix in more frosting. Refrigerate the balls for 40 minutes (or freeze for 15 minutes)

4. In separate bowls, melt the candy melts in the microwave at 30 second intervals, stirring each time until smooth. This should take about 1 1/2 minutes. Stir in 1 tablespoon of the cooking oil in each bowl to thin out the frosting a bit.

5. Let’s form the cupcakes. Roll a cake ball into an slight oval. Stick one end into the cookie cutter and use your hands to press and form so that it has a flat bottom and a round muffin top. Pop it out of the cutter and place back on the plate. Repeat with all balls and then return to refrigerator to chill.

6. Line a baking sheet with parchment or wax paper. If your candy melts have stiffened a bit, return to microwave for 30 seconds.

7. Take one cupcake and dip the base into the chocolate melt to completely cover the bottom. If the chocolate is too thick, stir in a teaspoon of cooking oil. Place the dipped cupcake upside down onto the baking sheet. Insert a popsicle stick in the middle of the base. Repeat with the remaining.

8. Now let’s dip the top! Start with the first batch again. If needed, you can warm the pink candy melts in the microwave for 30 seconds. Holding the cupcake by the popsicle stick, dip and swirl the top of the cupcake into the pink. Sprinkle the top with a bit of fun sprinkles and then poke the stick into the styrofoam block to let the cupcake pop dry. Repeat with remaining.

9. When the cupcake pops are dry, package them with the clear bags and a pretty ribbon.

Pork Ragu Recipe

SteamyKitchen — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 11:38:02 +0000

Oink!

This is probably my most favorite Good Bite video of all time – Elise, Ruhlman and I had a great time talking about one of our favorite subjects ever…

And for the recipes and videos: my Pork Ragu over Pasta, Ruhlman’s Grilled Pulled Pork with Chipotle BBQ Sauce and Elise’s Pork Chop with Red Currant Sauce

Pork Ragu over Pasta Recipe Video

Pork Ragu Recipe

Servings: 4-6 Prep Time: Cook Time:

Serve this hearty, stewlike sauce over the pasta of your choice for a delicious, no-fuss, weeknight meal. Using ground pork adds an interesting twist to a classic recipe, and the ragu makes great leftovers

Ingredients:

1 pound pasta
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and diced
1 large carrot, peeled and diced
1 pound lean ground pork
One 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
1 1⁄2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 1⁄2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon sugar

Directions:

1. Prepare the pasta according to the package instructions.

2. While the pasta is cooking, heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Add the bell pepper and carrot and cook until the vegetables are softened and golden-brown, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes.

3. Increase the heat to high and add the ground pork, using a spatula or spoon to break up the meat. Cook until the pork is browned, about 5 minutes. Add the crushed tomatoes, balsamic vinegar, kosher salt, and sugar and bring to a boil, about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 45 minutes.

Serve over the hot cooked pasta.

Miso Soup Recipe

SteamyKitchen — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 02:28:35 +0000

Here’s my latest video from Good Bite – a roundtable with friends Matt Armendariz and Julie Van Rosendaal and we talk about S-S-S-SOUP!

I’m a lazy souper.

Well, let me rephrase that. I’m a forgetful and highly distractable gal and anything that sits on the stovetop for more than 30 minutes tends to be forgotten about, and that means long simmering soups.

So I have to use shortcuts like the pressure cooker or longcuts like the slow cooker (but at least there’s an auto shut-off) or better yet, I make soups that only take 10 minutes from start to finish….like my 10-minute miso soup recipe!

But watch and find out what Matt and Julie love about soup!

And here we have lovely Aarti showing you how to make the miso soup:

Miso Soup Recipe

Servings: 4 Prep Time: 5 minutes Cook Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients:

4 cups water
1 1/2 teaspoons instant dashi granules
1/2 cup miso paste
1 tablespoon dried seaweed (for miso soup), soaked in water
1/2 cup cubed tofu
2 tablespoons chopped green onion

Directions:

Pour the water into a pot and bring to a boil. Add the instant dashi and whisk to dissolve. Turn the heat to medium-low and add the tofu. Drain the seaweed and add the seaweed to the pot. Simmer for 2 minutes.

In the meatime, Spoon the miso paste into a bowl. Ladle about 1/2 cup of the hot dashi broth into a bowl and whisk with chopsticks or a whisk to mix and melt the miso paste so that it becomes a smooth mixture.

Turn the heat off, add the miso paste to the pot and stir well. Top with green onions and serve immediately!