Tasty Breads...

We planted a garden this year, hoping for some summer-time abundance and I have mixed emotions on the outcome.  The cherry tomatoes did very well, the two other beefsteak tomato plants I planted have each yielded two marginal looking yet very tasty tomatoes total...that's right two plants, and two f-ing tomatoes.  The one zucchini plant we have gave us plenty of zucchini, for what we eat and quite a few to spare, consequently I needed to find a use for them...Zucchini Bread!
This is a pretty damn good recipe if I do say so my damn self...

JD'S ZUCCHINI BREAD

INGREDIENTS

Bread
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
2 ¼ cups white sugar
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups grated zucchini
1 cup chopped, toasted pecans (optional)
Crumb Topping:
½ cup quick oats
½ cup brown sugar
¼ cup flour
½ tsp. cinnamon
¼ cup butter (soft or melted)

DIRECTIONS

Grease and flour three 4” x 8” pans. Preheat oven to 325° F.
Combine ingredients for the crumb topping and set aside.
Mix flour, salt, baking powder, soda, and cinnamon together in a bowl.
Beat eggs, oil, vanilla, and sugar together in a large bowl. Add sifted ingredients to the creamed mixture, and beat well. Stir in zucchini and nuts until well combined.
Pour batter into prepared pans and top with crumb topping.
Bake for 50-60 minutes in a convection oven (or about 60-75 minutes in a regular oven), or until tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on rack for 10-15 minutes. Remove bread from pan, and completely cool (I recommend cutting yourself a few pieces, slathering them with butter and eating them with reckless abandon when you remove the loaf from the pan).
Bread will freeze well, and keep in refrigerator for weeks.

Since I have had a little extra time on my hands, I have been doing quite a bit of baking in addition to the normal cooking I do.

My banana bread recipe is pretty good as well...

BANANA BREAD

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 1 hour
Yield: Makes one+ loaf.  I recommend doubling the recipe and making three 4"x8" loaves.

No need for a mixer for this recipe! Clean-up is easy too, if you want, you can mix everything in one bowl.  The best bananas to use for banana bread are those that are over-ripe. The yellow peels should be at least half browned, and the bananas inside squishy and browning.

INGREDIENTS

2-3 very ripe bananas, peeled
1/3 cup melted butter
1 cup of sugar (can easily use 3/4 cup, or drop it down to 1/2 cup if you want it less sweet)
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking soda
Pinch of salt
1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour

DIRECTIONS

-Preheat the oven to 350°F, and butter and flour two 4x8-inch loaf pans.
-In a mixing bowl, mash the ripe bananas with a fork (or paddle attachment) until smooth. Stir the melted butter into the mashed bananas.
-Stir in the sugar, beaten egg, and vanilla extract.
-Mix the baking soda and salt with the flour. Mix in the flour mixture.
-Pour the batter into your prepared loaf pan. Bake for 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes (check at 50 minutes) at 350°F, or until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean.
-Remove from oven and cool completely on a rack. Remove the banana bread from the pan. Slice and serve. (A bread knife helps to make slices that aren't crumbly.)

Game On...

Not long ago, a friend approached me on the proper way to prepare wild game.  While I do have experience eating (and enjoying) everything from Caribou to Elk, Deer and Moose; and even wild boar and rattlesnake, my experience cleaning and dressing of the animal is somewhat limited.  The raw meat we have enjoyed had been prepared by someone with a lot more experience than I had, usually Julie’s grandfather or uncle.

Wild deer lead unpredictable lives with widely varying diets. That means their meat can range from tender and veal-like to strong and gamey, which poses a problem for venison-loving cooks. Although a hint of gaminess is a welcome reminder that you're eating wild-caught meat, anything more than that quickly becomes a fault. Although much of the game, or gamey, taste of venison occurs during the cleaning and dressing of the deer. The more care that is taken during this process, the less gaminess the meat will have. Yet some older bucks and does will retain a game flavor, no matter how meticulous the cleaning process. Some venison has a stronger flavor than others primarily because deer eat a varied diet of weeds, acorn and wood bark. If their diet consists of more acorns than greens the venison will have a "gamier" taste.

Harvested during fall hunting seasons, venison is a lean meat that is lower in fat and calories than an equal-sized portion of beef or pork. Likewise, venison also has less cholesterol than other meats. Fortunately, there are several well-proven techniques to reduce or mask the musky gaminess of wild venison…

Diligent Trimming

With domestic meats such as beef or pork, seams of fat or connective tissue aren't necessarily a flaw in the meat. Both break down as the meat cooks, lending flavor, richness and juiciness to the finished meal. With venison the situation is rather different, because much of the undesirably gamey flavor is concentrated in precisely those tissues. Before cooking your venison, use a sharp knife to trim away any surface fat or large seams of fat between the muscles. If the cut has any observable connective tissue or "silverskin" -- the thin, silvery sheath that encloses some muscles -- trim those away, too.

Soak in Buttermilk

A good way to remove a lot of the gaminess is to soak the venison in milk or buttermilk, which -- like a brine -- leaches away some of the meat's own strong flavor. Food scientists have noted that possibly because of naturally occurring enzymes, dairy products also tenderize the sometimes-tough meat more effectively than traditional acidic marinades. Soaking the meat overnight in buttermilk will help remove the blood from the meat that may be causing a gamey taste.  Slice the fat and silver skin off the venison if there is any present. You want the buttermilk to be able to get into the meat. Rinse the venison in cold water. Place in a large enough bowl that you have enough room to cover it with the buttermilk. Poke holes in the venison with a fork to allow buttermilk to soak into the venison.  Pour enough buttermilk over the venison to cover it entirely. If you do not have buttermilk you can use whole milk and add 1 tbsp. of vinegar for each cup you use. This makes a buttermilk substitute. Let soak at least 90 minutes. You can soak overnight or up to 24 hours. Rinse the buttermilk off the venison. Cook using the recipe of your choice.

Quick Brining

Soaking meats in a concentrated salt solution is a centuries-old preservation method, used to prepare hams and corned beef, among other cuts. If you reduce the percentage of salt, and soak your venison for just hours instead of days, the brine will draw out a portion of the natural juices from your venison. The meat absorbs some of the brine as well, seasoning the meat deeply and diluting its gamey flavor. Brining has the added advantage of helping meat stay moist when cooked, a significant benefit with lean, easily overcooked venison. Rinse thoroughly after brining.

Using Marinades

Some venison and wild game recipes call for strongly flavored marinades to tame the wild-caught flavor. Traditional mixtures include ingredients such as red wine and red wine vinegar, garlic, onions and strong, woodsy-tasting herbs such as rosemary and juniper berries. These are all potent flavors in their own right, and counter the meat's gamey flavor by meeting it head-on and overpowering it. Marinade the meat in your favorite acid-based beef marinade for up to 24 hours before cooking. If you don't have a favorite marinade recipe, you can use oil and vinegar-based Italian salad dressing. When marinating venison, use a base of lemon juice, wine, vinegar or other acid. This will help draw out the gamey taste of the meat. Make a fresh batch of marinade to brush the meat while it is cooking.

Strong Seasoning

When a gamey flavor persists despite your best efforts, flavoring the dish generously is the final weapon in your arsenal. Deep, complex flavors like good curry or chili powders can mask a lot the gaminess of your meat. Earthy, smoky spices such as cumin, paprika and chipotle are especially good at this. Long, slow cooking in a flavorful sauce will usually subdue the meat's gaminess to a tolerable or even an enjoyable level. If the spiciness of curry or chili doesn't appeal to you, a rich tomato sauce or mushroom sauce has a similar effect without the heat.

Other Suggestions

Age the meat in the refrigerator for three to seven days. This will help to improve the flavor of the venison.

Never add salt to raw venison. The salt draws the natural juices out of the meat, making it dryer.

Venison is a very lean meat and as it is low in fat content, it tends to dry out rather quickly. Venison should not be overcooked. Venison should be cooked to no more than medium-rare for the best flavor. Overcooking can cause the meat to become tough and stringy.

You can wrap cuts of meat from older bucks and does in bacon to add moisture and flavor to these tougher venison steaks and roasts.

Ground Venison

Place the ground venison in a bowl. The size of the bowl is determined by the amount of meat that you will soak. Make sure the bowl is large enough to hold the milk as well. Pour milk or buttermilk over the ground venison until it is completely covered. The amount of ground venison and the size of the bowl determine the amount of milk used. Cover the bowl with a lid or plastic wrap and refrigerate for 12 hours or overnight. Drain the milk from the bowl and rinse the meat in cold water. Rinsing the meat ensures all milk and blood are removed from the meat, further removing the "gamey" taste.

Ground venison can be flavored with herbs and spices to help cut the gamey taste of the burger.  To prevent the venison from drying out during cooking, preheat the oven or grill and when pan frying, make sure the pan is hot before adding the meat.

The Great Sonoma Secret

Growing up in the small town of Sonoma, California, we had a lot of activities that centered around the Plaza and the whole town got involved.
One of the things I remembered from a July Celebration in the town was the marinated turkey roasted over hot coals in big pits at the Plaza and then passed out on paper plates (I'm sure they sold it, but as a kid I just remember eating it, not the transaction involved in getting it on the plate).
My parents were friends with the guy who ran the turkey ranch for Nicholas Turkey Farms (more on Nicholas later) who supplied the turkey, and after a lot of pestering he told me the recipe for the marinade - Soy Sauce, 7-Up, Oil and a secret ingredient.
For years I tried to duplicate this marinade, trying herbs, spices, garlic, anything I could think of...it was close, but I could never get it to taste like I remembered.  Then, one day it dawned on me...we lived in Sonoma, in the heart of Wine Country...yep...WINE Country.
So, with equal parts (1 cup) Soy Sauce, Canola Oil, Chardonnay and a can of 7-Up I ventured out to marinade the turkey, then grill it over an open flame...PERFECTION!
This marinade works well with all poultry, but has a better flavor with the dark meat.

SONOMA WAYNE'S MARINDADE

Ingredients
1 cup Canola Oil
1 cup Soy Sauce
1 cup White wine (Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, etc.)
1 can 7-Up (I prefer 7-Up to Sprite or any of the other shitty alternatives)

Directions
In a large container with a lid, mix all ingredients.
Add your favorite poultry to the container, making sure the marinade covers the meat entirely.
Refrigerate for at least 2 hours and for as much as 24 hours.  Make sure to stir everything every so often as the marinade does tend to separate and the meat at the bottom will be darker due to the soy sauce if you let it sit for too long.

Now about Nicholas Turkey Breeding Farms...
Nicholas bred and raised turkeys for commercial distribution on farms throughout California.  Many of us high school students worked for Nicholas at various times in our high school career.  I personally worked in the hatchery located in town, doing anything from maintenance and cleaning to eventually working my way up to delivering of the baby poults to the farms.
Anyway...Nicolas was known for producing award winning turkeys and bred their turkeys with extremely large breasts, sometimes two to three times the industry standard.   Now you know!

Notes on Entertaining

The way things are at our house, relatively open to friends and family, there have been times where we have had some additional guests at dinner that may have been...shall we say...unexpected.  I found an article that helped me put into words what we usually do...
Adapted from an article on TastingTable.com..

PORTION CONTROL

How to plan the right amount of food for a dinner party 

We don’t do a ton of large dinner parties, but we do ‘entertain’ the family and friends on a regular basis.  It doesn’t always happen, but every once in a while we’ll have ‘extra’ guests show up.  I have come to realize a couple of things: a) it’s never a bad idea to cook a little more than you think you'll need, and b) As long as the cook is calm, the guests will be calm. I don't think they even had a clue that I had to stretch the food. Nevertheless, here are a few tips for figuring out how much to make for your next dinner party.

Sketch out your menu first. Once you've decided what you're having, you can start thinking about portion sizes. As a general rule, the more dishes you serve the less of each you need to make.

Play the numbers game. Throw out the old-school recommendation for eight ounces of protein per person: With individual pieces of meat or fish, plan for about four ounces per person instead, or roughly the size of a deck of cards. For pasta, plan on about one cup per person, and for other sides like grains or vegetables, shoot for about a half cup each—unless it's a leafy salad, in which case you should budget about ¾ cup per person.

Sometimes less is more. With roasted meats and stews, the four-ounce recommendation can go out the door. If you cook a large chunk of meat and slice it thinly, people will end up eating far less than if you serve individual steaks, pork chops or a rack of lamb. The same goes for a stew or casserole.

Recipe servings are merely a guide. Recipe amounts are written as though that dish is the only thing you're eating for your meal. So if you see a salad recipe that says it serves four, and you're making it as part of a large buffet spread, chances are that salad will stretch to feed six or eight people.

Plan pre-party bites carefully. Limit appetizers to just one item you have to make—say, wings, crostini, cheese plate, or shrimp cocktail and fill things in with other things you don't have to prep much, like little bowls of olives or roasted nuts. You don't want people filling up before the main event—you're just providing something for them to nibble on while you finish. If you're having cocktail hour before dinner, plan on serving enough for people to have three to five bites of food along with their drink.

Keep dessert servings small. At the end of a three-hour dinner party, your guests aren't going to want a big slab of pie or wedge of cake—just a little something sweet will suffice. A flourless chocolate cake recipe might say it feeds eight, but you can slice it into 12 slivers and garnish each with a dollop of fresh whipped cream and raspberries to fill out the plate. The goal is to leave your guests wanting more, not waddling home stuffed.

Bottom line…Relax and enjoy the party as well!

Drill Comp

We're here at a high school in our region for a drill team competition, so no cooking for today, but this next week I plan on adding a bunch of easy and quick recipes for during the week. I'll keep you posted...
So, about Drill Competition...don't get me wrong, I love and support my girls, so I don't mind sitting in a high school gym for 16 hours, but come on! We got here at 5:20am, stood in 27 degree weather until they let us in at 6:00 and were seated at 6:30. Awards are planned to start at 9:30pm...you do the math!!!

Munchies!

For now, I'll add to both of my blogs since I'll probably want some of this in both places.

There are a couple of things in my repertoire that are a go-to for munchies, whenever or whenever...Grilled PB&J and Ramen.

Although the PB&J has been around for a LONG time, grilling it just seemed like a natural - to me at least.  Most people kind of cringe when they hear it, but after they have tried it...damn!  and they keep coming back. 

GRILLED PB&J

Serves: 1 (so multiply this by as many people as you have)

INGREDIENTS
2 pieces white sandwich bread
1/4 cup smooth peanut butter
2 Tbsp. Strawberry Jam - any kind of jam will do
1 Tbsp. Butter
1 Tbsp. Best Foods Mayonnaise - NOT Miracle Whip or any other shitty brand

DIRECTIONS
You are going to basically make a Peanut Butter and Jam sandwich, so spread the peanut butter on one of the pieces of bread, and the jam on the other piece.
Put the sandwich together.
Preheat an 8" non-stick pan on Medium-Low heat.
Combine the butter and mayo together.  This may seem odd, or even repellent, but the butter will melt into the bread, and the mayo give the mixture a higher burning point and provides a nice browning quality.
Apply 'butter' liberally to the outside of one of the sides of the sandwich.  Place the sandwich, butter side down, in the preheated pan.  Butter the other side of the sandwich and cover the pan.
Cook the sandwich for about 2 minutes, checking for a light-medium brown crust, then flip the sandwich and cook for another 2 minutes, covered until that side is light-medium brown.
Remove from pan, cut on the diagonal and serve with a cold glass of milk...ENJOY!

As for the Ramen, yes it is Ramen...from the package, but it's not your basic Ramen from college.  Amazing how adding just a few ingredients really changes the flavor and overall ramen experience (yes, I said experience).  I like to add an egg, but you can add frozen veggies, left over chicken, or any other grilled meat you have, cheese, etc. the sky's the limit with this one!

 

BIG PAPI'S RAMEN

Serves: 1 (so multiply this by as many people as you have)

INGREDIENTS
1 Ramen Noodle packet, I prefer Maruchan Chicken flavor, noodles and seasoning packet
2 cups water
1 tsp. Low Sodium Soy Sauce
5 drops Sesame Oil
1 tsp. Sriracha Sauce
1/2 tsp. Seasoned Rice Wine Vinegar
1 egg beaten
1/2 cup frozen veggies
2 oz. grilled chicken, diced.

DIRECTIONS
In a small saucepan, bring water, seasoning packet, soy sauce, oil, Sriracha and vinegar to a rolling boil.  Add noodles and cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally and breaking apart the 'block' of noodles into single strands.
Stir noodles and slowly pour in beaten egg, let cook for an additional :30 seconds.
In a bowl, layer meat on the bottom, frozen veggies on top then pour noodles and broth over everything.  Stir, and let cool for a few minutes, then ENJOY!

Off the Cooking Subject...

Had to post this link Jules sent me...
http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifestyle/the-ultimate-suit-wearing-cheat-sheet-every-man-needs.html
Tons of great, time-honored tidbits about how to dress!

Also, Anthony Bourdain and Eric Ripert's Chocolate Bar - Good & Evil (http://www.eater.com/2012/11/7/6524685/heres-bourdain-and-riperts-good-evil-chocolate-bar)   and http://www.eclatchocolate.com/product/good-and-evil-bar/ was SOLD OUT when I tried to buy one...Dammit!
Going to keep an eye out for the 2014 Harvest.  I'll let you know what I think...

A NEW Blog...

So, I created a new blog that has more to do with cooking than this one started out doing.  I'm probably there now, but I'd like to see if I can get some of my recipes out there and let people know how easy it really is to create and have fun with food.  The name is: Real Dads Do Cook (realdadsdocook.blogspot.com).  I'd like to hear what others think about the name, but that's for another time.
Jules and I were watching Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives the other night and this restaurant in Texas was making these pop-overs that are the same process I use for my Yorkshire Pudding.  Oddly enough, or maybe not, Tasting Table had the recipe today, so I thought I'd copy it and try...we'll see how it goes.

GRUYÈRE AND BLACK PEPPER POPOVERS

Recipe adapted from: Foreign & Domestic Food & Drink, Austin, TX

Yield: 16 popovers

INGREDIENTS

2 cups whole milk
4 large eggs
1½ teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 ounces Gruyère cheese, cut into 16 small cubes, plus freshly grated cheese for garnish

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 375˚ and position a rack in the bottom third. Place 2 muffin pans (or enough to make 16 popovers) in the oven to warm.
In a small saucepan, warm the milk over medium heat until it is hot (about 125˚) but not boiling. Remove from the heat. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs with the salt and black pepper until smooth. Slowly whisk in the warm milk. Add the flour and whisk until the batter is just combined. (It may be slightly lumpy.)
Remove the muffin pans from the oven. Spray the pans generously with nonstick cooking spray. Pour about ⅓ cup of the batter into each of 16 muffin cups. Set a cube of the cheese on top of the batter in each cup.
Bake the popovers until puffed and deep golden brown, about 40 minutes (do not open the door or they may collapse). Remove the popovers from the pans, sprinkle with the grated Gruyère and serve immediately.

Wow, I never knew pop-overs were so easy, just in case I'm posting this recipe as well...

POPOVERS

(Makes 6 large or 12 small popovers)

 

One classic American breakfast roll is the popover. It's a breakfast treat very similar to Yorkshire pudding and it's often served with fruit jams or whipped cream and it makes for a perfect dish to include with an Easter brunch.

Typically, popovers are served in a specific popover pan. They are characterized by their tall, straight walls unlike the angled walls of muffin or cupcake pans. That being said, not many of us actually have popover pans on hand mostly because they are good almost exclusively for popovers. We wanted to share a recipe that would work just as well in a muffin pan.

 

INGREDIENTS

2 cup whole milk heated to 110°F

3 large eggs

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

2 cups bread flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon sugar

Shortening to grease the pan

 

DIRECTIONS

Grease a muffin pan with vegetable shortening, then dust lightly with flour. Whisk the eggs in a medium bowl until light and foamy. Slowly whisk in the milk and melted butter until incorporated.

Combine the flour, salt, and sugar in a large bowl. Whisk three quarters of the milk mixture into the flour mixture until no lumps remain. Whisk in the remaining milk mixture. Transfer the batter to a large measuring cup and cover with plastic. Let rest at room temperature for 1 hour.

Just before the hour is up, preheat the oven to 450°F. Place the muffin pan in the oven for 2 minutes to warm. Remove from the oven. Whisk the batter to recombine then pour into the prepared muffin pan, dividing evenly between the cups. Bake until just beginning to brown (15 minutes). Do not open the door to the oven after you put the popovers in. Reduce the heat to 350°F and bake for another 15 minutes, still not opening the oven door until after the 15 minutes are up.

Remove the popovers from the oven. Turn them onto a wire rack and pierce the bottoms with a knife to allow the steam to escape. Cool just enough so they can be handled. Eat immediately and serve with jam. Enjoy!