How-To Tuesday! Simple Substitutions

Sorry I'm a little late posting this...I've been having too much fun with my sister!  But better late than never right?Because I really do think this stuff is helpful.  So many times I think people are turned away from cooking because the ingredients are too complicated.  It is so much nicer to be able to cook with what you have on hand rather than running to the store to buy something you know you aren't going to use again any time soon.  I find myself turning to these substitutions often and I appreciate them for making my life easier and for making complicated recipes more simple.

Some simple substitutions that I use on a regular basis:

Buttermilk-  The real thing is amazing and worth buying if you are going to use it, but if you find a great recipe and all you are lacking is buttermilk this works great too.  Add 1 tablespoon of white vinegar to one cup of milk.  (whole milk is best but others work too)  Stir it in the allow the milk to rest for 5-10 minutes.  Give it another quick stir and add it to your recipe.

Self-rising flour- I keep white whole wheat, all-purpose and cake flours in the house at all times.  For me, three types of flour is more than enough.  If I need self-rising flour I add 1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon of salt to all-purpose flour.  Works like a charm!

Bread flour- Again, this just isn't flour I buy...but I do like to make bread a lot.  Instead of buying more flour I keep a box of vital wheat gluten.  Add 1 teaspoon to a cup of all-purpose flour to make your own bread flour.  The wheat gluten lasts a long time and the little box takes up much less space than a 5lb bag of bread flour.

Chocolate- When baking you'll find recipes that call for unsweetened, sweetened, bittersweet, semi-sweet.....chocolate.  That's a lot of chocolate to keep on hand so most of the time I stick to buying unsweetened chocolate only and I sweeten it myself to suit whichever is called for in the recipe.

**1/2 cup Sweet chocolate - melt 4 oz of unsweetened chocolate (usually 1 square is 1 oz) with 1/3 cup       sugar in a small pan set over another pan of simmering water. (double boiler)

**1/2 cup Semi-sweet chocolate- use the same process as above but only 4 tablespoons of sugar with 4 oz of chocolate.  Bittersweet and semi-sweet can be used interchangeably.

Heavy Cream- for 1 cup use 3/4 cup whole milk and 1/3 cup butter.

Half and Half- for 1 cup use almost a cup of whole milk (about 7/8 cup) and 1 tablespoon of butter

Lemon juice- use 1/2 teaspoon of vinegar to replace 1 teaspoon of lemon juice if necessary.

There really are a ton of these so when in doubt, Google it!  Don't set aside a yummy looking recipe just because you are lacking one item. Happy Cooking!

How-To Tuesday! Pizza Dough

Pizza is one of my favorite things to eat.  Like I said yesterday, it is right up there with Cheeseburgers.  But, for me, there is a big difference between good pizza and bad pizza. I'm not a big fan of delivery pizza and frozen pizzas are pretty bad too.  When I lived in Maryland my favorite was Ledo's.  Its a franchise now but my family has been going there since the original opened in 1955- and growing up we ate Ledo's a lot.  Out here in Las Vegas I like Grimaldi's.  They make coal-fired pizza and the toppings are delicious.  But even though a new Grimaldi's just opened up a few minutes from us, we probably won't be eating there anytime soon.  We just don't take the kids out to restaurants very often yet.  We are such wimps. :P

Instead, to calm my pizza cravings, I learned to make pizza dough!  Sure you can buy it at a lot of grocery stores now, but making it from scratch is really easy and very economical.  Pretty tasty too.

Pizza Dough, adapted from Gordon Ramsay Makes It Easy
(makes 2 large pizza crusts)
2 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 cup warm water
4 cups bread flour **
1 Tablespoon olive oil

**If you don't want to by bread flour like me, you can buy wheat gluten to add to all-purpose flour.  Whole Foods sells it.

In a small bowl add the yeast to the warm water.  Stir it in and let it set for about 10 minutes.  You can make this dough in a stand mixer with the dough hook or in a food processor with the dough blade.  Put your flour and the olive oil into either and then turn it on low and add the yeast/water to it as well.  Mix or process until the dough leaves the sides of the bowl and sticks together.  It should be nice and smooth when it is done.  Add a little water or flour as needed to get the right texture.  Once it is done put the dough in an oiled glass bowl, cover it with plastic wrap and allow it to double in size. It shouldn't take more than an hour.

Split the finished dough in half and either freeze the dough or roll it out on a floured surface to the desired size and shape.  I usually make one large pizza and  freeze the other half of the dough for another day.



Find the perfect sauce (I like this one) and the perfect toppings to make your pizza!  For me, good toppings are just as important as good crust and good sauce.  All three parts are essential to a really good pizza. My favorite toppings are sausage, onions, and fresh tomatoes.  Looks and tastes amazing.  ENJOY!

My masterpiece before it went into the oven.

How-To Tuesday! Buttercream Icing

Birthday coming up?  Make it special and delicious by making some homemade icing!

Buttercream icing is one of the most sinfully sweet creations out there.  It is also simple to make, easy to use, and even very adaptable.  A few simple ingredients and you can say goodbye to the tubs of frosting in the baking aisle.

First, find a kitchen helper or two

Then get out the other ingredients

Buttercream Icing, from Wilton
1/2 cup solid vegetable shortening (like Crisco)
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 cups sifted confectioners suger
2 tablespoons milk

(this makes about 3 cups of icing)

In your mixer, cream together the butter and shortening.  Add in the vanilla extract and then the sugar, gradually, while on medium speed.  Your icing will look very dry once the sugar is all added but don't worry!  Add the milk and continue mixing until the icing is nice and fluffy.

You can refrigerate the icing in an airtight container for up to two weeks!  You just need to toss it back in the mixer before using to fluff it up again.

If you would prefer Chocolate icing add 3/4 cup cocoa powder and another tablespoon or two of milk. Craving Peanut Butter?  Just add 3/4 cup peanut butter to the original recipe along with a few more tablespoons of milk.  Wilton has a ton of great recipes and ideas on their website; I'm looking forward to trying a few more. :)

How-To Tuesday! Vinaigrette

Salad dressing is expensive! A good brand often costs around $5.00 and then you are stuck with it until it is gone. Which, for us, is a while. I love salads, especially in the summer, but we rarely make a traditional green salad. Instead we make bean salads, cucumber salad, potato salad, even coleslaw and each has a vinaigrette to dress it with because I prefer vinegar based salads to creamy salads most of the time.  They tend to be lighter and healthier, and honestly?  I just really love vinegar.  I love the acidity and bite.  I'm originally from Maryland after all, home of Boardwalk Fries which are served only with salt and malt vinegar, hon.

A traditional vinaigrette is three parts oil and one part acid, most commonly lemon juice or vinegar.  To this you can add just about anything: garlic, shallots, mustard, herbs, peppers, honey, etc. etc.   Since I'm such a vinegar lover, my ratio is usually closer to 2 parts oil, 1 vinegar.  But if you want a lower acid vinaigrette you can do 4 to 1 too.  You can make it to suit any taste, that's what makes it great!

Balsamic Vinaigrette
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
3/4 cup olive oil
salt and pepper

Balsamic vinaigrette is super popular and super pricey in the grocery store.  To whip some up in no time in your own kitchen pour the vinegar into a bowl and while whisking, slowly pour in the olive oil at a steady slow stream.   Season with salt and pepper.  Now taste it!  If you want it more acidic, add some more vinegar!  If it has too much bite, add some more oil!  You may even want to sweeten it with a bit of sugar.  Make sure to whisk it fast and to make it right before you use it because, well you know, oil and water don't mix.  It can and will separate.  If it does, shake it up or whisk it again before serving.

Tomorrow I'll share a recipe for a Greek Couscous Salad that uses a lemon vinaigrette; come back and check it out!

Pesto: Messy, Green and Delicious

I have a love/hate relationship with pesto.  The hate part stems from this:

You may not be able to tell but he's not wearing a shirt...and under that bib?  More green stuff.  It's on his arms and legs too.  His brother puts some in his hair for good measure.  BUT!  They love this stuff.  They shovel the little noodles into their mouths as fast as possible.  So I continue to feed it to them, but only on bath night (every other night at Four Pears).  They go straight from the highchair into the tub.  

Now for something I love about pesto?  I love that we have a seemingly endless supply of basil in the back yard. Say hello to the basil bush.  

Just like everything else in this houseshold, there are two of them.  This picture was taken AFTER I cut 3 cups of basil leaves off.  If I didn't trim the basil, I'm pretty sure it would take over the yard.  And its planted in rocks!  Who knew basil loved the hot desert sun so much?  Anyways...yeah, we make pesto almost every week.

We use an Ina Garten recipe (who else?) but substitute pistachios for the pine nuts so we don't bankrupt ourselves.  This sauce is so fresh and delicious!  It freezes well too; just put a thin layer of olive oil over the top of the sauce before storing.  I plan to stock the freezer so we can enjoy some in the winter when the basil bush finally dies...  It will die right?  

Homemade Pesto, adapted from Ina Garten

1/2 cup shelled pistachios

3 tablespoons chopped garlic

5 cups fresh basil leaves, packed

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 1/2 cups olive oil

1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

Put the pistachios and garlic into the food processor and process for about 30 seconds.  Next add the basil, salt and pepper to the machine.  Using a funnel, or a steady hand! slowly pour in the olive oil while the machine is running.  Continue to run the machine until everything is pureed and incorporated.   Lastly, add the parmesan cheese and process again for a minute or so.  Serve at room temperature or over hot pasta.  And feel free to eat it with your fingers! :)

Devilish Deviled Eggs

So deviled eggs may not be the most glamorous of hors d'oeuvres but I love them.  I think most people do...they always seem to disappear quickly.  I have to be especially careful with them in my house, if I make too many Alex and I will eat them all.  And plowing through a dozen eggs at one sitting just isn't good.

Despite my love of deviled eggs I hadn't made any this summer!  Shame.  So I decided to make some on Saturday and we enjoyed them....for lunch.  Anyone else eat deviled eggs for lunch?  No?  Oh well.  Take them to a BBQ instead then.

Best thing about deviled eggs (other than their yumminess of course) is that you can basically do whatever you want to them.  Here's how I made mine last weekend.

Deviled Eggs
6 hard-boiled eggs
1/4 c. mayonaisse
2 tsp. dijon mustard
hot sauce, to taste
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
2 Tbsp. spicy pickles, diced
salt and peper to taste
cayenne pepper or paprika to garnish

Cut your boiled eggs in half and squeeze them gently to pop the yolks out into a small bowl.  Combine the yolks with the remaining ingredients.  Once the filling is nice and smooth, spoon it into the corner of a small plastic bag. Cut off the corner of the bag and squeeze the filling back into the eggs.  Sprinkle the tops of the eggs with a bit of cayenne pepper if you want some more kick; if not stick with paprika.  Refrigerate until serving.

How-To Tuesday! Hard-boiled Eggs

I love eggs.  I can eat them all day.  I LOVE quiche, egg salad, eggs benedict could be the best breakfast ever...you get the point.  We go through a ton of eggs here at the Four Pears household.  You can do so much with an egg!  But the basic skill?  How to hard-boil one.

"I can't even boil an egg!"  It's a popular cliche for not being able to cook but whether you can cook or not, cooking a hard-boiled egg might be intimidating.  Intimidating because there are a bunch of ways to do it and God forbid you do it wrong...yuck.  Green egg yolks are gross.  And getting the shells off isn't fun either.  Unless you know a quick little trick.  Here's how to get a perfect hard-boiled egg every time.

Hard-boiled Eggs
eggs
water

Gently put the eggs in a pan and fill so the eggs are covered by one inch of water.  You can do as many as can fit or as few as just one. Bring the water to boil.  Once boiling, remove the pot from heat, cover and set it aside for 10 minutes.  Meanwhile prepare an ice bath.  Fill a bowl with some ice and cold tap water.  Once the 10 minutes are up, put the eggs straight into the bath.  The ice water stops the cooking process but it also helps get the shells off!  Once cool peel them by tapping one end in the sink or on the counter.  The cold water should have loosened the shell so that it comes right off.   If the egg is cooked properly when you cut it in half the white will be solid and the yolk will be cooked through evenly and bright yellow.  Hard-boiled eggs perfect for making egg salad or deviled eggs (recipe tomorrow)!  A great snack for the kiddos or maybe a rushed mom in need of a protein boost.

How-To Tuesday! Ricotta Cheese

You might not guess it but Ricotta Cheese is so easy to make!  All you need is some milk, cream, and vinegar or lemon juice.  The result is so fresh and creamy; it really puts the store bought stuff to shame!  This is a great  way to amp up your favorite lasagna recipe...or maybe the ravioli recipe I'm posting tomorrow?

Fresh Ricotta Cheese - adapted from Epicurious.com
2 quarts whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 tsp salt
3 Tbsp. white vinegar

In a large pot over medium heat, slowly bring the milk, cream and salt to a boil.  Stir occasionally.  Meanwhile, line a colander with cheesecloth and put it into a clean sink.  Once the milk is boiling, add the vinegar and reduce the heat to low.  While stirring, allow the pot to simmer until curds begin to form.  That takes only about 2 minutes!  At that point remove the pot from heat and pour it into the colander.  Let the cheese drain for about an hour.

Gather the cheese cloth together above the curds and twist to squeeze out any remaining liquid.  Put the ricotta into a storage container with lid and keep it in the refrigerator until you are ready to use it.  It only keeps for about two days so use it soon!

If you are a big fan of Indian food like Alex and I, once drained, press the cheese into the bottom of a square storage container.  When it is cold cut it into cubes....homemade paneer!  You can brown the paneer in a frying pan with a  little oil and serve it with some Tikka Masala sauce and rice for a great vegetarian dinner.

How-To Tuesday! Whipped Cream

Whipped cream is a nice addition to just about any dessert!  But don't grab that can of redi-whip or the tub of cool whip just yet...this stuff is quick and easy to make. Homemade whipped cream is so simple and it tastes so much better than the processed stuff.

Whipped Cream

1 cup heavy cream

2 Tbsp. sugar

1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Put all the ingredients into your stand mixer with the whisk attachment and beat on high until the cream looks shiny and forms stiff peaks. Serve with a slice of pie or fold into a delicious lemon mousse...but that's for tomorrow. :)

How-To Tuesday! Brining

I made my first brine when I was doing my first Thanksgiving turkey.  My motto is obviously, go big or go home.  Luckily it was a huge success. The brine gave the turkey so much flavor and it was so juicy.  A friend who shared the holiday with us always talks about how much turkey he ate that day.  It was just that good.  With the success of the turkey, I started to think about what else I could brine.  Like those frozen pork chops that we purchased in bulk from the local warehouse club that we had been less than enthusiastic about cooking.  I brined that pork for a couple of hours... and MAGIC!  Brining really is super easy and an almost fool-proof way to come away with some pretty amazing, juicy, meat.

Water, Salt, Sweet.   That’s all you really need.  You can sub honey for the sugar if you want.  Then add whatever spices you are in the mood for, or even some veggies.  I like to add rosemary, sage and thyme.  We grow those in the backyard so it is easy to snip off a couple of leaves and sprigs and add them in. 

Basic Brine, adapted from Bouchon by Thomas Keller

1 gallon of water
1 cup of Kosher Salt
½ cup of brown sugar

4 sprigs Rosemary

6-12 Bay leaves

2 Tbsp. Peppercorns

1 bunch of Thyme

6-12 leaves of Sage

Put all ingredients in a large stock pot and bring to a boil.  Let boil for just a minute and then turn off the heat and allow it to cool down.  Once it is cool, put your meat into the pot and put the pot into the refrigerator.  A good rule of thumb is to let your meat sit in the brine for 1 hour per pound, if you go longer the meat may come out salty, I know because I have had salty pork from over brining- not good.  After you take the meat out of the brine, rinse it, pat it down and then cook it as you would normally.  But remember, if you add herbs or other spices to your brine the meat will pick up these flavors, so there is no need to season as much as you usually would.  Just a bit of salt and pepper should do. 

Get ready for the world’s best brined-chicken recipe tomorrow!

How-To Tuesday!

Welcome to How-To Tuesday! Every week we are going to post a “basic” cooking skill, technique or tip. Something easy to do that you can build on to make great things! We’ll do everything from how to hard-boil an egg to making simple vinaigrette. I hope these are fun and helpful!

First off: Homemade mayonnaise, it has become a slight obsession of mine. After finding out how easy it is to make and how much more tasty it is, I have forbidden the purchase of it at the grocery store. Even after my wife pleaded for just a small jar. Why buy it!?! You can make mayonnaise in about 5 minutes. Here’s how:

Classic Mayonnaise

Equipment needed: whisk + elbow grease or food processor (I prefer the food processor for this one)

Ingredients:

3 Egg Yolks
1 Tbsp Lemon Juice
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard or Vinegar
2 cups of Vegetable or Canola Oil
Salt and Pepper to taste

Place the egg yolks and mustard into the food processor and turn on to blend for 30 seconds to one minute.

With the food processor still on, SLOWLY add the oil. I like to use a basic funnel for this so I don’t get the oil everywhere but if you have steady hands just pour directly into the opening of the machine.

You should see the oil and egg yolk starting to combine. BUT If you add the oil too fast it won’t get absorbed correctly and the eggs will split and you will be upset. ( I was….several times) After a minute if all is well you will see mayonnaise! (Don't be alarmed by the amount of mayo in this pic, I doubled the recipe!)

Stop the food processor, taste the mayonnaise, then season with salt and pepper. Turn the processor back on to mix for another 30 seconds. This recipe makes a little over 2 cups of mayonnaise and it will last about 10 days in a covered container in the refrigerator.

Trust me, this will totally amp up that potato salad you are supposed to bring to this weekend’s BBQ! Ina Garten makes our favorite potato salad to date, click here for her recipe.