Open Source Cook

The weather has been getting hot lately, so Jesse and I have been looking for dinner meals that we don’t necessarily have to cook or anything we can throw on the grill. One thing we found that works beautifully….corn on the cob. It’s actually really easy. Wrap the ingredients in tin foil and stick it on the grill. Thirty minutes later and it’s done. We grilled a couple of ears last night along with a really nice cut of steak and dinner was a success.

We’re still looking for some really good meal ideas that are cool or can be made on the grill.  So if anyone has any suggestions, we’re all ears.

Ingredients:
1 Corn on the Cob in the husk
1 tbsp of Butter or Margarine
3 tbsp crushed ice
tin foil

Directions:

1. Have enough tin foil to wrap each ear twice. Place all ingredients in tin foil and wrap.
2. Grill for 30 minutes.

This is the cake I made for Ian’s first birthday and I know Jesse was sharing the description around at work, so I decided to make it for them this weekend. It’s a really delicious cake that’s fairly easy to make as long as you have a little patience or not quite the perfectionist that I can be.

When you’re buying the ingredients, it’s important to get the ones I suggested. I know most cakes tend to be moist, but do NOT get the super moist cake mixes. They tend to be a little to pliable and will break apart when you try to manhandle them out of the pan and whatnot. Also, make sure you get the whipped frosting. We tried the creamy, but it tended to ooze down the sides and wouldn’t stick to the cake really well. The whipped frosting sticks a lot easier and I didn’t have to use as much of it.

To make this cake, I used the same method as the Triple Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake, but I improved upon it. Instead of using one cake and cutting it in half, I made two separate cakes and stuck them on top of each other. This made it so I didn’t end up getting three pieces when I really wanted two. The only problem with this method is that cakes tend to round out on the top, so when you stick another one on top of it, you end up with a groove around the edges. This is really easy to fix since all you have to do is cut off the top of the cake and level it out. I’m currently looking for a cake leveler so I don’t have to use a knife, but a sharp knife works really well too.

When we crushed the Oreos, Jesse decided to remove all of the filling this time around and he seems to like it better this way. He says the cream filling was a little overkill, but it’s completely up to you if you want to remove them or not.

Ingredients:
2 packages of Dark Chocolate cake mix
3 packages of whipped chocolate frosting
2 packages of Jell-O Oreo pudding mix
2 cups of cool whip
3 cups milk
1 package of Oreo cookies

Directions:

1. Combine 3 cups cold milk and 2 packages of Oreo pudding mix in medium bowl. Beat with wire whisk 2 minutes or until well blended. Stir in 2 cups thawed cool whip. Refrigerate at least 1 hour or until set.
2. Prepare and bake both cakes according to box directions. Cool completely.
3. Take one cake and level the top off, making it flat. Layer Oreo mousse lavishly onto cake. Once completed, gently add the second cake on top of mousse.
4. Frost all sides of the cake.
5. Take 1/2 of a package of Oreos and remove all the filling. Crush the chocolate sides of the cookies until you get a fine powder. Once you have the powder, sprinkle over the cake and along the sides.

This time, I have two different versions of the same recipe, so I’m going to post them together.

Jesse and I tried the instant version, and while they were okay, they definitely need some work. They came off really bland and desperately in need of some flavoring. I’m thinking the chicken broth can go and be replaced with water and a bunch of spices. What those spices are, I’m not entirely sure yet, so I’m up for suggestions.

INSTANT VERSION:
1 can (14 oz.) Swanson® Chicken Broth (1 3/4 cups)
Generous dash ground black pepper
1-1/2 cups instant mashed potatoes flakes or buds
1 green onion , coarsely chopped

Directions:

1. HEAT broth and pepper in saucepan to a boil. Remove from heat. Add potato flakes and onion and stir until liquid is absorbed. Shape potato mixture into 4 (4″) pancakes.
2. COOK pancakes in nonstick skillet until browned on both sides.

FRESH VERSION:
2 lb. Idaho® Potatoes, peeled
8 oz. Yellow onions
2 Large eggs, beaten
4 oz. Ham, diced
1/4 cup Green onions, diced
3 oz. Green bell pepper, diced
4 oz. Cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 tsp. Salt
1/4 tsp. Pepper
Vegetable oil as needed
Sour cream as needed

Directions:

1. Rinse potatoes under cold water. Coarsely grate potatoes and onion using grater or food processor. Place in towel; twist to squeeze out all water.
2. Mix potato and yellow onion with eggs, ham, green onions, bell peppers and cheese. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Heat griddle or non-stick pan with thin film of vegetable oil over medium heat. Drop approximately 2 Tbsp. potato pancake mixture onto griddle and flatten with spatula. Fry until golden, flip over and brown other side, about 4 minutes. Drain on towel; serve immediately with sour cream.

For convenience, frozen hash browns can be substituted for the fresh Idaho® Potatoes.

I just received this from my cousin, Adrian.

Ingredients:
2 cups blueberries, chopped
1 tblspn finely chopped jalapeno peppers
1/3 cup chopped red onion
1/4 cup chopped red and yellow bellpepper
1 fresh lime, juiced
Sea salt to taste
Cilantro
Pinch of cayenne pepper

Directions:
Combine all ingredients into a bowl. Serve cold. Blueberries are a great source of age-defying antioxidants. And they taste sooo good! Note: You may substitute blueberries for ripe mangos, papayas, or even raspberries. For traditional salsa, use organic tomatoes instead of fruit.

I can’t remember if this recipe was given to us or if I found it on his website, but this courtesy of Dev_null, a friend of Jesse’s from #asp. This makes so much chili that I made it once for four and there was so much left over, we were still eating it a week later. This is one of those recipes where you make it for a pot luck or whenever you’re trying to feed a bunch of people. Don’t get me wrong, this chili is great, but it makes a LOT.

So why am I posting about chili during the beginning of summer? Well, Jesse was thinking about it the other day and he showed the recipe to some of his co-workers and the next thing I knew, it was being requested. The only problem is, neither Jesse or I drink beer. Well, I used to (and on some occasions will take a sip or two), so I have no idea what kind to use. Plus, what beer I did drink was imported and I’m not sure if Corona would taste all that great with it (I learned how to drink in Mexico, give me a break). When I made it before, I used chicken broth which was fine. However, I’m going to leave it up to the people who are going to be eating it. Do I use beer or chicken broth? If I use beer, what kind do I use? The plan is to make this in two weeks, so people have two weeks to give their input.  There is a poll in the sidebar, so go cast your vote.  I’ll be back in two weeks to give commentary on the recipe while I make it.

Ingredients:
3/4 of a lb of bacon
1 lb of chicken breasts
1 lb of stew beef
1 lb of sausage
1 can (24 oz) of chicken broth or beer
1 can (32 oz) diced tomatoes
1 can (16oz) kidney beans
1 can (8oz) tomato paste
2/3 tsp black pepper
2 bouillon cubes
2-2/3 tsp ground cumin
1-1/3 tsp garlic powder
2-2/3 tsp mustard
2-2/3 tsp oregano
2 celery stalks
1 large green bell peppers
2 large onions
5 oz cornstarch (optional)
16 oz Salsa (garnish)
24 oz shredded Monterey Jack cheese (garnish)
12 oz sour cream (garnish)
24 flour tortillas

Directions:

1. Chop the stew beef and brown. Add to crock.
2. Chop the bacon into small pieces. Fry bacon preserving grease. Fry the vegetables in the bacon pieces. Moisten mixture with beer. Add to crock.
3. Brown the sausage. Chop the chicken into small pieces. Fry the chicken in the sausage. Moisten mixture with beer. Drain fat from sausage/chicken mix. Add to crock.
4. Add diced tomatoes, bullion cubes, and spice (to taste) to crock. Add beer to keep mixture moist.
5. Simmer for 2-4 hours.
6. Add tomato paste and beans. Add beer as needed to keep moist. Add cornstarch if you added to much beer. Simmer more. (total 12-24 hours)
7. Serve with tortillas, salsa, cheese and sour cream. Substitute chicken broth for the beer when needed

I can’t remember where I found the recipe for Jamaican Coconut Bread, but I like it. It’s an easy bread recipe and I generally have all of the ingredients ready to go in my pantry. The only thing that could be iffy is the coconut, but who doesn’t have that on hand?  It’s sweet in a coconut way and it kind of reminds me of those coconut maroon cookies.

Jesse isn’t crazy about it, because it’s “too spongy”.  Although, I do have to give him that.  This is more of a sponge/pound cake than a bread.  The bread is good, but it’s not one I would make day after day.  But it’s definitely a treat when I do make it.

Ingredients:
2 cups Flour, bread
1-1/2 tsp Baking powder
1/2 tsp Salt
1/3 cup Butter or Margarine
2/3 cup Sugar
2 Eggs
1/2 cup Milk
1 cup Coconut
Cooking spray

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Pour the flour, baking powder, and salt into the medium bowl. Mix well with the spoon and set aside.
3. Place the softened butter and the sugar in the mixing bowl and mix with the electric mixer on low to medium speed until well blended. Add the eggs one at a time and mix well. Then add the milk and mix again. Use the spatula to scrape the sides of the bowl between mixings. Add the flour mixture to the mixing bowl. Mix on low speed until blended, then mix on medium speed until well blended, about a minute or so. Add the coconut and stir gently by hand with the spoon until the flakes are all mixed in.
4. Spray the loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray. Pour the batter into the pan, using the spatula to scrape the sides of the bowl. Put the pan in the oven and bake for about 55 to 65 minutes.
5. Check by inserting the blade of the dull knife into the center of the bread. If it comes out completely clean, the bread is done. If it is not completely clean, bake for about 5 to 10 minutes more, checking again after each 5 minutes of baking. Cool the bread in the pan about 5 minutes. Then place the bread on the wire rack to cool. Cut into slices and serve. This bread is sweet, so you won’t need to spread anything on it.

This one is a new recipe for me. Strawberry Walnut Bread is actually not too bad, but it does need some work.  For one thing, the directions say to thaw the frozen strawberries and then fold them into the batter.  Well, unless you can find some diced strawberries in the freezer section, you will need to chop them up.  I had actually cut them in half and used a electric mixer to add them to the batter, which blended a lot of them up, but not all of them, and it still turned out kind of wet.  The batter itself was great and passed the toothpick test, but the individual strawberries that survived the mixer ended up mushy.  I’m not a real fan of mushy strawberries (and neither is Jesse) so next time I’m thinking of blending them first and then adding them to the batter or maybe finding some other form of strawberry to add.  Maybe a organic strawberry jam or something.  I’ll have to think on it.

Overall, the bread wasn’t a complete bust, just need some changes here and there.

Ingredients:
3 cups Flour, all-purpose
2 cups Sugar
1 tbsp Cinnamon
1-1/2 tsp Baking soda
1 tsp Salt
4 large Eggs
1-1/4 cup Oil, vegetable
1-1/4 cup chopped Walnuts
1 (10oz) pkg frozen Strawberries sliced sweetened, thawed

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour two 9×5 inch loaf pans.
2. Combine flour, granulated sugar, cinnamon, baking soda and salt in a large bowl and mix well.
3. Whisk eggs in a small bowl until blended. Add the eggs and oil to the flour mixture and stir just until blended. Fold in undrained strawberries and walnuts.
4. Spoon equal portions of the batter into the prepared loaf pans. Bake until a toothpick inserted in centers of loaves comes out clean, about 70 minutes.
5. Cool loaves in pans for 5 to 10 minutes. Remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

I originally found the recipe for Oatmeal Cinnamon Bread to be for a single loaf and found that it took a lot longer than 1 hour and by the time it was cooked through, it was starting to burn on top. So, I changed the recipe to 2 loaves, but I haven’t adjusted the time yet.

So I’m playing with the time today. First off, I should mention that I didn’t have any dark brown sugar, but instead had light brown. So, to make up for the difference in sweetness, I added an additional 1/2 cup of light brown sugar to the mixture.

Once you split the batter into two loaf pans, I think the time actually works out.  I baked the breads for 45 minutes, but I ended up leaving it in for a few extra minutes.  So, the time is good.

I remember what I really liked about this recipe…it smelled like fresh baked oatmeal cookies. Which makes sense since it is oatmeal, but it tastes like it as well.  It’s softer than cookies, but it still has that oatmeal cookie taste to it.

Ingredients:
1 cup Oats, quick cooking
1-1/2 cups Water
1-3/4 cups all-purpose Flour
1 tsp Baking soda
1/2 tsp Salt
1 tsp Cinnamon
8 tbsp (1 stick) softened Butter or Margarine
1 cup Sugar
1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
2 large Eggs
1 tsp Vanilla

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour two 9×5 inch loaf pans.
2. Place oats in a small heatproof bowl. Place water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Pour boiling water over oats. Set aside.
3. Combine the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a small bowl and mix well.
4. Place butter in a large bowl. Beat with an electric mixer set at high speed until creamy. Add granulated sugar and brown sugar gradually, beating constantly until well blended. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla extract.
5. Gradually add flour mixture to creamed mixture and beat until smooth. Stir in oats mixture. Spoon batter into prepared pans. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center of loaf comes out clean, about 1 hour.
6. Cool in loaf pan for 10 minutes. Transfer bread to a wire rack to cool completely.

This is actually a really quick and easy dessert to make. You can actually use any kind of peach you want (fresh, frozen, or canned), but I ended up using diced canned peaches and it worked out really well. Sliced peaches are fine, but then you have to mess with cutting the peaches while you’re trying to eat it and that can be a pain. Using the diced peaches worked perfectly because they were already read to eat and no cutting was involved.

The original recipe used toffee chips and my mother uses white chocolate chips, however, I use the semi-sweet chips and they add a very nice bittersweet taste that balances well with the peachy taste well. The recipe makes an 8×8 pan and, according to Jesse’s portions, probably about 5 servings. At least, Ian and I only got two servings each and Jesse ate the rest.

One other thing I should mention, I can’t remember what the original recipe said, but I’m pretty sure I doubled the amounts for the crisp topping. I really like the crisp topping and this had the perfect amount for me, so I’m 99.9% sure that I doubled the original amount into this recipe.

Jesse did want me to mention that he wasn’t crazy about the peaches I used. The diced part was great, but he said there was a taste to the peaches that he didn’t like. His exact words are “they had a funky taste to them.”

Ingredients:
5 medium (2lbs) peaches - peeled and sliced (5 cups), or 5 cups frozen (thawed) sliced, or 2 cans peaches with light syrup
2/3 cups Oats, quick cooking
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup bisquick
1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1 tsp cinnamon

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Spread peaches in ungreased square pan, 8×8x2 inches.
2. Mix remaining ingredients until crumbly; sprinkle over peaches.
3. Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until peaches are tender and topping is golden brown. Serve warm.

Variation: Substitute sliced peeled all-purpose apples for the peaches; substitute toffee bits for any kind of chocolate chip; substitute blueberries (or other fruit) for peaches.

Substitution for Bisquick: 1/2 cup bisquick = 1/2 cup flour + 1 tsp baking powder + dash of salt

Jesse loves guacamole. Not only is it healthy, but it’s so quick and easy. The most strenuous task is cutting up the veggies that go into it, otherwise it’s all stirring and done in 5 minutes. I normally like to make it and refrigerate it for an hour (so the flavors and spices will blend), but Jesse doesn’t normally let it get that far. I barely get done stirring it before he’s dipping a chip into it.

Lately, he’s found another really great way to eat it. Meijers has been selling this artisan bread called “Black Bean & Salsa” and Jesse loves spreading guacamole on slices as if it was butter. He’ll eat it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner until the loaf is gone.

The amount of the onions, tomatoes, garlic, and jalapeños is up to you. I don’t usually measure them, but I do give a rough estimate in the ingredients. I will be honest, about the only thing I do measure is the lime juice and that’s because too much or too little makes a big difference.

Ingredients:
2 large ripe pitted, peeled Avocados
1 medium, finely chopped Roma tomatoes
2 finely chopped Jalapeños
1/4 medium chopped Onion
1-2 finely chopped Garlic Clove
2 tbsp fresh Cilantro finely chopped (or to taste)
2 tbsp Juice, lime
1/2 tsp Salt
dash Pepper, black
dash Pepper, cayenne
1 tsp Onion powder
1 tsp Garlic powder

Directions:
In a medium bowl, mash together the avocados, lime juice, and salt. Stir in cayenne pepper, cilantro and black pepper. Mix in onion, jalapeños, tomatoes, and garlic. Refrigerate 1 hour for best flavor, or serve immediately.