Able Cooking

Monday, October 20, 2014

Tuesday, October 14, 2014

Chopped Competition #1 Winner!

Candied Yams Shepherd's Pie

Ingredients:

Sauce-

half a stick of butter (4 tbsp)

2 tbsp all purpose flour

1% milk

chicken broth

parmesan cheese

salt and pepper

2 handfuls of Cool Ranch Doritos

Filling-

half a stick of butter (4 tbsp)

mirepoix (mixture of diced celery, carrots and onions) I bought the one in the store that is already diced for you, 7 oz container, so about a cup total if you do it yourself.

1/2 tsp minced garlic (equal to 1 clove)

1/4 cup of chicken broth

12 oz precooked chicken sausage (removed from casings and minced, I blended it up a little in the food processor) I used Al Fresco Chicken Sausage, Sweet Italian Style

Candied Yams-

4 yams (pealed, cubed and boiled)

8 oz can water chestnuts

1 to 2 cups of vanilla ice cream (melted) I used Breyers Homemade Vanilla

half a stick of butter (4 tbsp)

Directions:

Sauce-

Melt half a stick of butter in a saucepan and mix in 2 tbsp of all purpose flour Add chicken stock and 1% milk (until the right consistency and amount,) then add Doritos that have been ground up into fine crumbs (about 2 handfuls of chips, I used the food processor to grind them up) and a couple handfuls of parmesan cheese, then a dash of salt and black pepper. This is not an exact recipe, I used my own judgment, I wanted a nice sauce that had a gravylike consistency. Stir well throughout. After it's all well incorporated, reduce the heat way down so sauce doesn't burn before adding it to the filling.

Filling-

Cook diced celery, carrots and onions, cook until onions begin to caramelize. Add minced garlic, cook for about 2 more minutes. Add a sprinkling of black pepper. Add chicken broth to deglaze the pan and stir with spoon. Then mix in chicken and cook for 1 minute. Pour in the sauce and stir. Place mixture into casserole dish or smaller individual serving dishes that are oven safe.

Candied Yams-

After boiling the yams until they are fork soft. strain and place in a bowl for mashing and mixing. Finely blend up the water chestnuts with about 1/4 cup of vanilla ice cream, adding a liquid helps it blend up better. Place the water chestnuts in the bowl of yams. Add the butter and blend with a mixer until butter is mostly melted in. Add vanilla ice cream until the right creaminess that you like, about a cup or so more. Don't make them too wet or they will be runny and too sweet. Use your best judgement.

Assembly and Presentation:

Spoon filling into dishes, leaving room to top with some yams. Sprinkle one good handful of crushed Cool Ranch Doritos mixed with a little parmesan cheese. (just to cover)

Spoon yams over chicken filling. Place under broiler for 4-5 minutes and serve. If you plan to serve later (and broil later) cover and place in the fridge, then bake on 350 for 20 minutes and broil for 4-5 minutes and serve.

Drizzle with vanilla ice cream and sprinkle lightly with some cinnamon.

Wednesday, September 17, 2014

Thursday, September 11, 2014

Using Fresh Roma Tomatoes

Roma tomatoes from my garden. I roasted some in the oven, made caprese salad and manicotti. The sauce on the manicotti is homemade, using the same fresh tomatoes from the garden.

Here are the links to the recipes I used.

Caprese salad recipe- http://masonjarmoments.wordpress.com/2013/07/09/a-summer-staple-caprese-salad/

Manicotti recipe- http://www.cookingclassy.com/2012/05/manicotti-a-simple-yet-incredible-entree/

Roasted tomatoes recipe- http://circle-b-kitchen.squarespace.com/food-and-recipes/2013/11/24/slow-roasted-roma-tomatoes.html

Wednesday, August 20, 2014

It's a Blooming Onion!

Below is the video I followed to make the blooming onion, I didn't follow it exactly but pretty much.

It turned out really really good! I used 2 good size candy onions that I grew in planters out on my deck this summer. I had many other smaller size candy onions that I used in numerous other things I cooked this summer, like chicken noodle soup and homemade tomato sauce. Pictures and recipes for those coming soon.

Monday, May 26, 2014

I don't do a lot of cooking in the summer, there are so many other things to keep me busy this time of the year. I have an annual BBQ in early August, I cook a lot for that. I usually pick a theme for it and I choose food that goes with it. I have had a Luau, a Fiesta, I've done like an Australian theme. I'm trying to think what I'm going to do this year. Maybe I'll create my own unique theme and create my own recipes from scratch. I'm trying to get better at coming up with recipes in my head and just throwing something tasty together, this takes a lot of practice though. Being severely disabled makes it very difficult to get much practice.

I haven't really explained my story very well at all, I think I will do that now. I have Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, it's a disease that weakens my body's muscles more and more as I age. I was diagnosed when I was 5 years old. I could walk when I was younger but the muscle weakness eventually put me into a wheelchair permanently.

I'm a very positive person, I look on the bright side. Sometimes I have days that I have a hard time with things and become a bit down, we all are entitled to bad days sometimes.

I have been on a ventilator and have had a feeding tube (gtube) now for just over 6 years. Since then I could not eat many things by mouth anymore, accept for only a few bites of very soft foods like ice cream, mashed potatoes, cheesecake, chocolate and such.

About 2 years ago I made a delicious cheesecake, I must of ate too much, it sure was good though. Not long after I came down with pneumonia. It was likely aspiration pneumonia caused by food particles going down the wrong way and settling into my lungs. I was very sick and in the hospital for a week. Many weeks following I was on antibiotics, this was not a good time, a bit scary. Needless to say I have not eaten anything by mouth since, the risk of getting very sick and going into the hospital is much too high. It sucks but my life is more important than eating food.

People wonder how I can still enjoy food, as in looking at it, being interested in it and cooking it...if I can't eat it. Looking on the bright side as I often do allows for this. I enjoy the creative aspect of it mostly, I am a very creative person, anything that involves creativity, I'm in! I consider myself a graphic designer and I enjoy gardening, both involve a great deal of creativity. Graphic design is truly the place where I have the most creative control, meaning I do not require any assistance from others to create a design. With cooking and gardening I need complete physical help with, someone else is my hands, I just tell them what to do. Yes I am not physically doing it but it is me giving the directions. I can grow my skills mentally but the rest will only be as good as the person assisting me. Knife skills, a steady hand and creating my vision can only come through my helper. I say that I am the chef and my helper is my sous chef!

I also enjoy cooking and baking because I like to serve others good food and bring happiness to others. I think others that are also truly passionate about food agree, it is really not about them. I'm sure they too get enjoyment out of tasting their own creations but I bet they like serving it to others more. When others are sitting around the table raving about how delicious your food is, it makes you feel fulfilled when you pull off what you aimed to. I always want honest reviews, if it don't taste right or it's off, I want to know so I can grow and get better. Since I cannot taste things myself, I depend on others to assist me with this.

This is part of my story, if you have read this entire post, I thank you so much for your time. If you'd like to know more about me and keep up with my cooking and recipes, check back every now and then.

Thursday, April 3, 2014

Thursday, April 3, 2014

Pork Tenderloin Parmesan

Pork Tenderloin Parmesan

Ingredients: (makes around 12 pieces depending on the size cut)

1 Pound of Pork Tenderloin

2 Eggs

Butter (for coating the pan when pan searing)

Seasoned Italian Breadcrumbs (enough to fully coat each cutlet)

Cayenne Red Pepper (to taste, depending on how spicy you want it)

Salt and Pepper (a sprinkling, to taste)

Parmesan Cheese (to melt over meat)

Marinara Sauce (to put over meat)

Pasta, I used Pasta Roni Angel Hair Pasta with Herbs (1 box)

Directions:

Cut tenderloin into medallions that are about an inch thick, depending on the tenderloin's length and thickness, you can get around 12 pieces give or take.

Pound them out to desired thickness with a meat tenderizer or whatever you can find that will work similarly. Pound between plastic wrap or wax paper. I made them really quite thin.

Setup your dredging station. Mix eggs in a bowl with a fork. Cover a normal size plate with breadcrumbs, mix in cayenne pepper, salt and pepper, to taste. Covering the breadcrumbs in a very thin layer of cayenne pepper should be a nice normal amount so it's not too overwhelming.

Dip and fully cover the tenderloin cutlets in egg first, then place on breadcrumbs, flipping and sprinkling to fully coat each piece.

Burner set to about medium. Heat and fully melt a small bit of butter in a pan. Pan sear (fry) each cutlet about 2 at a time or however many will fit. Cook about 2-3 minutes per side, this will depend on how thick the cutlets are. Melt more butter in the pan if needed. If you plan to heat them up in the oven at a later time, it's ok to very slightly under cook them on this step, to help prevent drying out.

Put hot marinara sauce over and sprinkle with shredded parmesan cheese, melt it if you like in the oven or microwave. I chose pasta as my side, butter and herb angel hair pasta.

It's fine to eat these cold later, just do make sure they are fully cooked if so. I hear a bit of hot sauce with them cold, makes a good snack!

You may also deep fry these or bake them.

Enjoy!