Eat for a Week, Episode 26: Poultry Shepherd's Pie

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First off, I've disabled the ads on these videos. In the three years and change that I've been doing this, I've earned a whopping $4.71 in ad views and clicks. Considering that I won't actually get paid anything until I've earned at least $20 well that means I'd be looking at another roughly 12 years before I could hope to actually see any money from this little project. Not really worth it if you ask me. I didn't start this blog to make money, I did it to share the things that I come up with in the kitchen. And let's face it, the ads are just plain annoying. So there you have it, please enjoy your ad-free EFAW. Now to the fun stuff.

A friend asked me to come up with a variant on Shepherd's pie using turkey. This is what I came up with. My bill for this one was just shy of $28. I know that's way above my usual goal. The bill would have been more like $14 had I not been out of some of my staples - mostly herbs. (That's where they get you.) I had to buy pretty much everything but the potato flakes, garlic, and olive oil.

EQUIPMENT:
Large skillet
Large casserole dish (I used 9"x13")
Cookie sheet (not essential, but a good idea)
Sauce pan
Pan for potatoes

INGREDIENTS:
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
5 cloves garlic, chopped
2 carrots, chopped between 1/4" and 1/2"
1 parsnip, chopped between 1/4" and 1/2"
5 crimini mushrooms, chopped
1 C frozen peas
1 lb ground turkey
1 lb chicken breast, chopped*
4 Tbsp butter
4 Tbsp flour
2 C chicken stock
1 tsp dry sage
1 tsp dry thyme
dash of allspice
dash of nutmeg
2 Tbsp worchestershire sauce
1 bay leaf
3 to 4 C mashed potatoes**
1/3 C shredded cheese
Salt & pepper to taste

HOW TO:

Preheat oven to 400°.

Solids:
Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium-high heat.
When hot, add onion and garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes.
Add carrots and parsnips and cook for 2-3 minutes.
Add mushrooms and cook 3-4 minutes.
Add chicken and turkey and cook until cooked through.
Add peas and mix in.
Salt and pepper to taste.

Gravy:
Melt butter in saucepan over medium heat.
Add flour and whisk well. Allow to cook whisking occasionally for 2-4 minutes.
Whisk in stock a little at a time. (This helps avoid lumps.)
Add sage, thyme, allspice, nutmeg, worchestershire sauce, bay leaf, salt & pepper to taste. Mix well and bring to a boil then reduce heat to low and allow to thicken to desired consistency.

Assembly:
In casserole dish, mix meat & veggie mixture with the gravy. Be sure to remove the bay leaf!
Spread mashed potatoes on top. Do your best to make a good seal at the edges of the dish.
Sprinkle with cheese.
Place casserole on a cookie sheet to help keep your oven clean should the dish boil over at all, and bake at 400° for about 30 minutes or until golden brown on top.
Allow to rest 15 minutes before serving.

Music for this episode was Family Reunion (Part 2) by The Hybiscus Journals. You can get it here.


* Put the chicken in the freezer for about 15 minutes before chopping. This will make things much easier.
** I used instant mashed potatoes for convenience, adding the same amount of garlic powder as salt. If you have a mashed potato recipe that you prefer then by all means, use it.

October Update...

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Yeah, so... I suck.

Eat for a Week, Episode 25: Baked Shellfish and Rice

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I decided to try another take on Last Flight for the Bird, but from a seafood angle. I'd have to say I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out. The grocery bill this week was about $13. I bought shrimp, scallops, rice, garlic, a shallot, and a can of clam chowder.

TOOLS:

Large baking dish
Aluminum foil

INGREDIENTS:

1 shallot, finely chopped
5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 C uncooked rice
1 18.5 ounce can clam chowder
3/4 C white wine *
1 C frozen vegetables
1 lb frozen cooked shrimp
1/2 lb scallops
salt & pepper to taste

HOW TO:

Preheat oven to 325°F.
Combine shallot, garlic, rice, chowder and wine in a large baking dish. Mix well.
If necessary, chop the scallops and add to dish.
Remove tails from shrimp and add shrimp to dish.
Add frozen vegetables.
Add salt and pepper to taste. (Be careful with the salt, the chowder is probably pretty well seasoned)
Mix well.
Cover dish tightly with foil and bake for two hours.

Music for this episode is "Roar-shock!" from The Hybiscus Journals' newest EP, "Chaotic Meditations". Download it for free - or whatever you think it's worth - at http://thehybiscusjournals.bandcamp.com/album/chaotic-meditations

(The individual tracks may be downloaded for free but if you buy the whole album you'll get a couple of bonus tracks that you are not otherwise available.)

Also, due to schedule changes in the meatspace I will most likely not be making a new episode next week. Hopefully the following week will work, though.



* If you don't have any wine on hand or don't want to use alcohol, feel free to use water, vegetable stock, or some sort of seafood stock. Clam juice might work, too. In this case, it might be a good idea to add about a Tablespoon of lemon juice for acidity.

Eat for a Week, Episode 24: Pulled Root Beer Pork

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This recipe was inspired by one that was told to me by a co-worker. Of course, I couldn't leave well enough alone so I had to play with it a little. The grocery bill on this was about $12, and I think it's the best $12 I've spent in quite a while. I had to get the meat, garlic, lemon, and root beer.

TOOLS:

crock pot (aka slow-cooker)
baking sheet

INGREDIENTS:

For pulled pork:
3.75 lbs pork loin
7 cloves garlic, crushed
2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
root beer
salt & pepper to taste
2 dill pickles, finely chopped

For sauce:
1 C mayonnaise
2-3 Tbsps prepared horseradish
1 Tbsp white vinegar
juice of 1 lemon
salt & pepper to taste

For potatoes:
3 lbs potatoes
2 Tbsps olive oil
1 Tbsp garlic powder
1 Tbsp ground cumin
salt & pepper to taste

HOW TO:

For pulled pork:
In the crock pot, combine pork, garlic, bay leaves, cayenne, salt & pepper.
Add enough root beer to just cover ingredients.
Turn crock pot to Low and leave it alone for 6-10 hours.
Remove meat from crock pot (leave the liquid) and shred with a couple of forks, allow to cool.

Whisk together mayo, horseradish, vinegar, lemon juice, and salt & pepper. If necessary, refrigerate until ready to use.
Once the pork has cooled somewhat, mix in the sauce and diced pickles. (If the pork is too hot, the sauce will separate.)

For potatoes:
Wash potatoes and slice into wedges.
Toss with olive oil, garlic powder, cumin, salt and pepper.
Spread into an even layer on a baking sheet and bake in a 400°F oven for about 45 minutes.
Allow to cool 5-10 minutes before serving.

Music for this episode is "Family Reunion (Part 3) from The Hybiscus Journals' latest EP, "Chaotic Meditations" available at http://thehybiscusjournals.bandcamp.com/album/chaotic-meditations

Eat for a Week, Episode 23: Hummus-stuffed Gyro Loaf

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This was filmed back in March. I finally managed to edit the video back in June but am just now doing the write-up and it's August. As a result, I have no idea precisely which ingredients I had to buy or what they cost me, and that grocery receipt is long gone.

Now that school schedules are finally settling down for the fall, I'm hoping to get back into a regular routine of cooking, editing & posting. Thanks again for watching!

TOOLS:

aluminum foil (optional but very helpful)
baking dish
cooling rack (optional)
food processor/blender
mixing bowl

INGREDIENTS:

Hummus:
1 can chick peas, drained
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp dry parsley
1 tsp ground cumin
Juice of one lemon
4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
2/3 C tahini
salt & pepper to taste

Meatloaf:
3 lbs ground beef
1 onion
5 cloves garlic
1 Tbsp dry thyme
1 Tbsp dry marjoram
1 Tbsp dry parsley
1 Tbsp dry rosemary
1/2 Tbsp ground cumin
salt & pepper to taste


HOW TO:

Hummus:
Combine ingredients and blend into a smooth paste. You can use either water or some of the strained chick pea liquid to thin it out if you like, but you'll want the hummus to be on the thick side for this application.

Meatloaf:
Combine all ingredients except the beef in a food processor and pulse until well chopped.*
In a bowl, combine beef with chopped aromatics and mix until evenly incorporated.
Spread meat mixture into a large rectangle 1"-2" thick on a sheet of foil.
Mound the hummus along one edge of the meat mixture.
Using the foil to help you, roll the meat around the hummus. Seal the ends of the loaf and transfer to a baking dish.**
Bake at 375° for 45-90 minutes.
Allow to cool 15-20 minutes before serving.

Music for this episode was Exploration No. 4 by The Hybiscus Journals. Download it for free here.

Also, please feel free to check out their newest record, "Chaotic Meditations"


* If you don't have a food processor, that's fine, just be sure to chop the garlic and onion very finely.
** Placing a cooling rack inside the baking dish will help raise the loaf out of its drippings during cooking.

Eat for a Week - Guest Appearance!

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I've been crazy busy lately, so transiit sent me something to upload. Enjoy!

Eat for a Week, Episode 22: Burritos!

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Many recipes call for a packet of taco seasoning. The problem? Those packets are mostly salt and frequently contain MSG. I came up with this recipe to test my own taco seasoning recipe. I think it was pretty successful. While I used beef, this would work well with just about any type of meat. I spent about $14 on beef, sour cream, garlic, an onion, peppers, cilantro, and a lime.

EQUIPMENT:

Large skillet
Rice cooker

INGREDIENTS:

T Tbsps cumin
1 Tbsp chili powder
1 Tbsp dry marjoram (crushed)
1 Tbsp parsley flakes (crushed)
3/4 Tbsp black pepper
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
few grates fresh nutmeg (1/8 tsp ground)
1/4 tsp cocoa powder *

1-2 lbs brisket, cubed (1/4-1/2" pieces)
1 sweet onion, chopped finely
5 cloves garlic, chopped finely
1 jalapeno pepper, chopped
3 yellow banana peppers, chopped
2 bay leaves
2 Tbsps olive oil
1 12 oz. bottle beer **

2 cups uncooked rice
1/4 C chopped fresh cilantro
juice of 1 lime

salt to taste

HOW TO:

Taco Seasoning:
Combine cumin, chili powder, marjoram, parsley, black pepper, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg & cocoa powder. This will make more than is needed for this meal, just save the rest for next time.

Rice:
Cook rice according to your rice cooker's directions.
When done, mix in cilantro and lime juice.

Meat:

Heat oil in skillet over medium heat.
Add peppers and a pinch of salt and cook for 2-3 minutes.
Add onions, garlic, another pinch of salt, and cook until translucent.
Add beef, 2 Tbsps taco seasoning, a pinch of salt, and cook until browned on all sides.
Add beer and bay leaves.
Simmer, stirring occasionally until most of the liquid has evaporated.

Roll rice, meat, sour cream, cheese, and any other desired accompaniments into a burrito, stuff into taco shells, place atop a salad, or whatever else you might come up with.


Music for this episode was "Battling the Robot Overlords of Chiron Beta Prime" from The Hybiscus Journals' release, "The Adventures of Starship Jeffica". Download it for free or whatever you think it's worth at http://thehybiscusjournals.bandcamp.com/album/the-adventures-of-starship-jeffica



* Yes, cocoa powder seems like an odd choice, but as I was perusing ingredient lists on various seasoning packets, I saw that some of them included this so I thought I'd give it a go.
** Don't want to use beer? Substitute 12 ounces of beef, chicken, or vegetable stock. Water will even work in a pinch. For the curious, I used Killian's Irish Red.

Eat for a Week, Episode 21: Chicken de Provence

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Here's another marinated chicken dish, this one of my own devising. I spent about $15 on chicken and veggies. This dish is also really nice when cooked on a grill. But what isn't, really?

EQUIPMENT:

Large bowl
Large skillet
Rice cooker with steamer basket

INGREDIENTS:

2 small bottles chardonnay
1-2 Tbsps spicy brown mustard
2-3 Tbsps herbs de provence
5 cloves garlic, smashed
salt & pepper to taste
4 chicken breasts (approx. 2 pounds)
1 lb fresh asparagus
1/4 lb sugar snap peas
1 can baby corn
5 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
rice
1-2 Tbsps olive oil

HOW TO:

For marinade:
Combine wine, mustard, herbs, salt, pepper and smashed garlic in a large bowl. Mix well.
Slice chicken breasts into strips and add to marinade.
Cover and refrigerate for 1-2 hours.

For vegetables:
Cut into 1 - 1 1/2" pieces and combine with sliced garlic in steamer basket. Season with salt and pepper as desired.
Assemble rice cooker (with rice & water in the bottom vessel) and cook.

Heat olive oil in skillet over medium heat.
Add chicken and smashed garlic, cook until done. (Discard left-over marinade.)

Serve chicken over bed of rice and steamed veggies.


Music was "Party on the Poop Deck!" by The Hybiscus Journals. Download it for free - or whatever you think it's worth - at http://thehybiscusjournals.bandcamp.com/album/the-adventures-of-starship-jeffica.

Eat for a Week, Episode 21: Chicken de Provence

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Here's another marinated chicken dish, this one of my own devising. I spent about $15 on chicken and veggies. This dish is also really nice when cooked on a grill. But what isn't, really? EQUIPMENT: Large bowl Large skillet Rice cooker with steamer basket INGREDIENTS: 2 small bottles chardonnay 1-2 Tbsps spicy brown mustard 2-3 Tbsps herbs de provence 5 cloves garlic, smashed salt & pepper to taste 4 chicken breasts (approx. 2 pounds) 1 lb fresh asparagus 1/4 lb sugar snap peas 1 can baby corn 5 cloves garlic, thinly sliced rice 1-2 Tbsps olive oil HOW TO: For marinade: Combine wine, mustard, herbs, salt, pepper and smashed garlic in a large bowl. Mix well. Slice chicken breasts into strips and add to marinade. Cover and refrigerate for 1-2 hours. For vegetables: Cut into 1 - 1 1/2" pieces and combine with sliced garlic in steamer basket. Season with salt and pepper as desired. Assemble rice cooker (with rice & water in the bottom vessel) and cook. Heat olive oil in skillet over medium heat. Add chicken and smashed garlic, cook until done. (Discard left-over marinade.) Serve chicken over bed of rice and steamed veggies. Music was "Party on the Poop Deck!" by The Hybiscus Journals. Download it for free - or whatever you think it's worth - at http://thehybiscusjournals.bandcamp.com/album/the-adventures-of-starship-jeffica

Eat for a Week, Episode 20: Teriyaki Chicken

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This is my take on my mom's Teriyaki Chicken recipe. I spent about just under $15 on chicken, slivered almonds, broccoli, zucchini, carrots, garlic, yellow squash, and soy sauce.

TOOLS:

Large bowl
Large skillet
Rice maker with steamer basket

INGREDIENTS:

4 chicken breasts
1 crown of broccoli
2 carrots
2 small zucchini
2 yellow squash
1 inch fresh ginger
10 cloves garlic
1/2 C soy sauce
1/2 C honey *
1/3 C water
1/2 tsp ground mustard
1/4 tsp ground cayenne
pinch ground cloves
black pepper to taste
2.25 oz slivered almonds
2-3 Tbsps sesame seeds
1-2 Tbsps olive oil

HOW TO:

In large bowl, combine soy sauce honey, water, mustard, cayenne, cloves, black pepper, 6 smashed cloves of garlic, and raw ginger.
Mix well.
Cut chicken into strips and add to bowl.
Cover and allow to marinate in the refrigerator 1-2 hours, mixing once or twice.

While chicken is marinating, chop broccoli, zucchini, squash and carrots and add to steamer basket of rice cooker. Also thinly slice 4 cloves of garlic and add them with the other vegetables.
Season with salt and pepper.

In small skillet, cook almonds and sesame seeds over low heat until lightly golden brown and a nutty aroma rises from the pan. Once browned, remove from heat.

Start rice cooker with rice and vegetables.
In large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat.
When hot, add chicken (dispose of extra marinade) and cook until done, turning as needed.

Serve chicken over a bed of rice and steamed veggies. If you like, sprinkle some additional soy sauce over the plate.


Music for this episode was "Starship Jeffica Theme" from The Hybiscus Journals' newest EP, "The Adventures of Starship Jeffica". Download it for free - or whatever you think it's worth - at http://thehybiscusjournals.bandcamp.com/album/the-adventures-of-starship-jeffica


* Original recipe calls for 1/2 C brown sugar, but I forgot to pick some up. I had honey on hand, and it worked just fine.

Eat for a Week, Episode 19: Citrus Honey Stir-Fry Pork

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Technically, there's nothing about the way Mom made this one that I can't eat. This recipe also lends itself to great flexibility, so I just can't leave well enough alone. I spent about $12 on veggies, pork, and soy sauce.

TOOLS:

Large wok or skillet

INGREDIENTS:

1-2 lbs pork loin
1 zucchini
1 crown broccoli
1 bunch green onions
1/4 lb sugar snap peas
1 can baby corn
2 Tbsp flour
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1/4 C honey
5 cloves garlic
1" fresh ginger root
Juice of 1 lemon and 2 limes *
2-3 dashes bitters **
salt and pepper to taste
2 Tbsp olive oil or vegetable oil

cooked rice

HOW TO:

Chop all vegetables to approximately the same size.
Juice citrus, finely chop garlic, and grate or finely chop ginger.
Cut port loin into thin strips and coat with flour. (Season pork with salt and pepper if desired, but go easy on the salt since soy sauce is rather salty.)

Heat oil in pan over high heat.
When hot, add pork and cook until browned on all sides.
Remove pork from pan.
Reduce heat to medium.
Add citrus juice, honey, soy sauce, bitters, garlic and ginger to the pan. Stir well, being sure to scrape up any brown bits.
Allow to simmer approximately 10 minutes until sauce has thickened slightly.
Return pork to pan and add vegetables. Stir well.
Allow to cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables have reached desired tenderness. (2-5 minutes is probably best.)
Serve over rice.

One of the things I really like about this recipe is that it is very easy to alter according to my mood or what produce looks good at the store.

Music for this episode is "At Millie's Pancake Haus" by The Hybiscus Journals, available for free - or whatever you think it's worth - at http://thehybiscusjournals.bandcamp.com/track/at-millies-pancake-haus

* Or juice of whatever citrus you prefer, about 1/2 C.
** Completely optional. If you have it, throw it in.

Eat for a Week, Episode 18: Curry Turkey Porcupines

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I always loved it when Mom would make Beef Porcupines. Due to my MSG allergy, it's not something I'm willing to eat now lest there be much pain and suffering. The original recipe is made from a box of beef flavoured Rice-a-Roni and a pound of ground beef. I've chosen to take a curry angle here and use ground turkey.

The only things I didn't have on hand were the meat and coconut milk, which combined cost about $4.50. Since it was so inexpensive, I decided to pick up a bag of salad, bringing my total to just over $8.00.

No, this one won't go for a whole week unless you eat like a bird. I got four meals out of it. Roughly $2.04 per plate? Not too shabby if you ask me.

I apologize for the crappy framing in this episode. I'm still adjusting to the new camera, to which I am unable to affix my wide-angle lens. May need to experiment with other camera placement(s) in the future.

TOOLS:

mixing bowl
large skillet

INGREDIENTS:

For meatballs:

1 lb. ground turkey *
1/2 cup uncooked rice **
1-2 Tbsp olive oil
2 1/2 C hot water
2 heaping Tbsp yellow curry powder
1 Tbsp cumin ***
dash allspice ***
1 tsp ground ginger ***
1/8 tsp cinnamon ***
2 dashes cayenne pepper ***
1/4 tsp nutmeg ***
1 tsp dry thyme ***
1 tsp dry marjorum ***
1 can coconut milk ****
salt & pepper to taste

For mashed potatoes:

Instant mashed potato flakes and whatever ingredients for which the packaging calls. These are usually water, margarine (I use butter), milk (I use water) and salt (we'll use garlic salt here).

HOW TO:

Meatballs:

Mix ground turkey and uncooked rice until well combined, then form into balls. This recipe should yield about 20 meatballs.
Heat oil in a large skillet.
Brown meatballs on all sides.
While meatballs are browning, mix the spices with the hot water.
Once meatballs are browned, add spice & water mixture, salt & pepper, and coconut milk.
If the coconut milk has separated in the can, just mix in the skillet until evenly incorporated.
Allow contents of the skillet to come to a simmer.
Cover and let simmer for 30 minutes. (It's a good idea to check on it once or twice and give things a stir to be sure nothing is burning to the bottom of the pan.)
If sauce is looser than you like after the 30 minutes have passed, continue to simmer uncovered until desired consistency is reached. I like the sauce to be fairly thick.

Potatoes:

Follow instructions on potato packaging, replacing the salt with garlic salt. I've found that using just under twice the amount garlic salt than the salt which is called for is a good balance. Then again, I really like garlic.

I also really like mashed potatoes, so I made six servings-worth for my four servings of meatballs.

CONCLUSION:

Yes, I know mixing uncooked rice with meat sounds odd. The juices from the meat and the sauce will fully cook the rice, however, so it's all good. Also, whatever rice is near the outside of the meatballs gets a bit of a nice, crunchy crust.

Music for this episode was "Yellow" from the album "Chakra Pop" by The Hybiscus Journals. This track, and many more, are available for download for free or whatever you think they're worth at http://thehybiscusjournals.bandcamp.com.

* This can be made with ground beef, though I find the beef flavour too strong for the curry. Also, you'll want to add an egg to the meat & rice mixture since ground beef tends to have less moisture than ground turkey.
** My rice of choice is jasmine rice, but use whatever kind you like and/or have on hand.
*** All these extra herbs & spices are entirely optional. You can drop a small fortune picking them all up in one trip, but I try to keep them on hand at all times, so I use them when I can. If you just have curry powder, salt and pepper, this should still be very tasty.
**** Coconut milk is also optional, though it does add a lovely rich layer to the dish. Coconut milk will separate in the can, so don't let that freak you out. The solids will re-dissolve in the sauce with a little stirring.