Our Apologies & Cheese

To anyone who might be checking in for new blogs, we want to apologize for being away for so long.  Brent fell and injured himself early last month.  It looks like he's going to need surgery to repair his knee but the surgery has to wait until after the honeymoon.  Still, it's been a bit hectic for us trying to get him moving around again.  He is better but it's going to be a long time before he's back to normal. 

Yesterday we decided to try to make cheese.  We found a recipe and set off on a quest to find the proper ingredients.  Specifically we were looking for citric acid and rennet tablets.  We went to three different stores and called another and couldn't find either ingredient.  Accepting defeat, we went home.  I decided to do an online search on how to make cheese without rennet tablets. Lo and behold, I found one and I had all the ingredients!  Here's the recipe we used:

8 cups of whole milk
1/2 cup of lemon juice
2 tablespoons of rock salt

Slowly bring milk to a boil.  Immediately remove the milk from the heat when it begins to boil.  Stir in lemon juice and rock salt.  The curds and whey will begin to separate.  Let it sit for 5 minutes, then pour the mixture into a colander lined with cheese cloth.  Allow it to drain through the cheese cloth for 5 minutes.  Gather ends of the cheese cloth together and twist to squeeze out excess moisture. 

 

(This photo is not our original photo.  It was borrowed from another site.) 

We hung the cheese cloth for an hour even though the recipe didn't call for it.  I just prefer my cheese to have less moisture.  I have never had fresh made cheese so the texture was unusual for me but the flavor was very good.  It didn't take long at all.  Total prep time, not counting hanging it for an hour, was probably 15 minutes.

This is something we will definitely try again.  Next time we may put some herbs in the cheese, maybe some garlic or chives.  I think I will probably like it better with herbs in it.  The texture was more like that of a cheese spread or a ricotta.  Brent said the more moisture you get out of it, the harder it will get.  He preferred it with the softer consistency.  I think I'd like mine a bit harder.

This is an easy and inexpensive recipe.  And what's better than fresh, home made cheese?  Give it a try.

Let the Brining Begin

I have some catching up to do here, but I am entertaining my niece/godchild who recently graduated from high school for the next  day or two.  So I can't spend a lot time on this blog but I'll do my best to get as much information on here as possible.

Brent and I tried our hands at brining a turkey breast yesterday.  I won't tell you how it came out just yet.  I have to try to keep you in suspense, right?  Well, here it goes...

We bought a small turkey breast because it was just the 2 of us.  Brent defrosted the turkey breast and removed the gravy packet.  We used my largest soup pot for the brine.  Then we discovered our first mistake.  While preparing to make the brine, I needed to know how much the turkey breast weighed so I would know how much water, salt, etc. we needed for the brine.  At this point the turkey breast was already defrosting in water and the ink had disappeared from the price tag, which meant the weight of the turkey breast had also disappeared so we had to guess.  We knew the weight was less than 8 lbs because for some reason unknown to us, Less Than 8 lbs was printed on the plastic part of the tag.  Sooo, we went with 8 lbs.

Our brine went something like this:

1 1/2 gallons of water
1 1/2 Cups of Morton Kosher Salt
2 1/2 Cups of Orange Juice
1/2 Cup of Honey
3 Tbsp. Cayenne Pepper
3 Tbsp. Black Peper
3 Tbsp. Thyme
3 Tbsp. Sage

I combined all the ingredients and stirred until the salt was dissolved then we put the turkey breast into the brine.  As promised, here's a couple photos:

As you can see from the 2nd photo, the turkey breast was floating in the brine.  We had to make sure it was completely submerged in the brine so Brent paced a clean, small, metal pot on top of the turkey breast to keep it under the water and covered everything with aluminum foil.  We put the brining pot in the refrigerator overnight.

Que the fast forward music!  On to the next afternoon.

After we got back from shopping at  Sam's Club and Wal-Mart, Brent took the turkey breast out of the brine and placed it in a large bowl leaning it vertically against the side of the bowl so the excess water can drain off.  After about an hour we emptied about an inch of water out of the bowl and let it drain a while longer.  Not much more water came off of it after that.  Brent mixed butter and Tony's together.  Using his finger, he separated the skin from the turkey breast and put the butter mixture between the breast and the skin.  He put it in a baking dish and covered it with aluminum foil.  He baked it for about 2 hours then removed the foil and baked it for another 30 minutes.  So here's a picture of the completely cooked turkey breast and mistake #3.  Well, in case you haven't guessed, mistake #3 is that we may have slightly over browned the turkey breast. I know I skipped over mistake #2 but that's coming up soon. 

This turkey breast was the juiciest turkey breast I have ever eaten!  It was even juicier than a fried turkey breast.  I tried to capture images of the juiciness but you know photos can only show so much.  Regardless, here are a couple photos of some sliced, juicy, juicy turkey breast.  (Yes, I meant to say it twice).  

Now, on to the flavor.  Before I tell you about Mistake #2, let me emphasize that this turkey breast was DELICIOUS!  It was juicy (as I mentioned before) and absolutely tasty!  The problem, if you even want to call it that, was that the sage and thyme overpowered the other flavors.  If we intended to make sage and thyme turkey breast, we would have succeeded.  Next time we will either use much less or leave them out all together.  So, in case you missed it, Mistake #2 was using too much sage and thyme in the brine (or using any at all?, I'm not sure.)

In my opinion our brining project was a success.  I would recommend it to anyone!  I told Brent that for Thanksgiving, we are brining a whole turkey!  I can't wait till Thanksgiving.

You probably thought I forgot about the scalloped potatoes.  I didn't!  I want to start out by giving you the recipe exactly as my mom gave it to me.  I love my mom and she's a great cook, but like most cajuns, she measures nothing!  Here's what my mom told me when I asked for her scalloped potatoes recipe:

Use butter and flour to make a white roux and you add your salt and pepper and stuff in there.
You have to slice your potatoes and boil them then you pour your roux over it and put a little cheese on the top and bake it.

Those were my instructions.  Of course, there was a 2nd phone call that involved the question, "Mama, what kind of liquid do you put in your roux?"  Her answer was, "Water or milk.  I use milk but you can use water.  I like to use milk.  I think it tastes better with milk but you can use either one".  To which I said, "So milk, right".  And Mama says, "Yeah milk".

I guessed at the amounts but here's what I did:

Peel and thinly slice about 4 medium size potatoes.  Boil until potatoes are tender but not breaking apart.  Spread or layer potatoes in a baking dish.  Combine 2 tbsp. flour and 2 tbsp. butter.  Brown lightly, just barely!  Slowly pour in about 1 1/2 cups of milk and stir till mixture begins to thicken. Add salt and pepper to taste. Pour mixture over potatoes.  Sprinkle with cheese (whatever kind of cheese you like.  We used cheddar jack cheese.)  Bake at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes.  And here's what my scalloped potatoes looked like:

My scalloped potatoes tasted just like my moms!  Even without any measurements!

Brent ended up taking half of the turkey breast home.  Emily (niece/godchild) and I finished off what was left of my half of the turkey breast and scalloped potatoes for supper tonight.  Both were scrumptious, even as leftovers!

I hope you all enjoyed this blog.  I am planning to teach Brent how to post on the blog so he can do this once in a while and maybe we'll be able to post a little more often!

Happy Brining my friends.  Please leave us comments!  Until next time....

When life gives you lemons...

So sorry we haven't posted in a while.  Sometimes life not only gives you lemons, it throws them at you!  I'm working on getting things back on  track and metaphorically making lemonade.  This weekend Brent and I will be trying to brine a turkey breast and bake it with a side of scalloped potatoes.  This will a be our first attempt at brining.  Wish us luck!  We will keep you updated with pictures, recipes and a critique of our brining project.  I am using my mother's recipe for scalloped potatoes.  I always loved hers the best.  My mom is the best cook in the world although I think most people think the same of their mom.  But really, my mom's food is absolutely delicious!  The funny thing is, she hates to cook!  You would never know it if you ate her food.  I think it's because even though she doesn't enjoy cooking, she still cooks with love for the people she is feeding.  I have tried to learn many of her recipes but I can never get them exactly like hers.  I have come very close but they are never quite as good as my mom's.  When I give you guys my mom's scalloped potatoes recipe, I am going to give it to you just the way she gave it to me!  I hope you'll be able to make it!  But we'll worry about that later.  Let's just hope I can make her scalloped potatoes as well as she does!  In the mean time, how about a nice refreshing recipe for Sweet Minted Tea from Food Network.  This recipe is sure to cool you off in this scorching summer heat!  Sweet Minted Tea

To refrigerate or not to refrigerate...that is the question!

Here's an interesting and informative article about condiments, whether or not to refrigerate and how long they last on the shelf or in the fridge.   I personally prefer to refrigerate after opening.  Brent prefers his condiments at room temperature.  How do you like yours?

Click here to view the article: The Great Condiment Debate

Memorial Grilling Part Deux

The steaks came out pretty good!  The marinade is one we will probably use again.  The steaks were juicy and flavorful.  We used real butter for our marinade.  Margarine would work too.  I try not to use real butter too often in my food but it's SOOO good!  Why does everything that tastes so yummy have to be bad for you?!

Leave us a comment.  Let us know what you're cooking for Memorial day.  Email us your recipes.  If we like them, we might post them on our blog!

Memorial Grilling

So, it's Memorial Day weekend.  I wonder how many people are cooking out this weekend.  I know several people in my neighborhood are.  I just sent Brent outside to make sure nothing was on fire because I smell the strong scent of smoke.  I am super sensitive to smoke.  I have asthma and it affects my asthma very negatively.  Fortunately, no fire trucks outside so someone close by must be getting ready to cook something.

Brent will be lighting our pit in about 30 minutes.  He will be grilling us each a ribeye and I will bake us each a potato in the microwave.  When discussing how to marinate the steaks we decided to try something new.  We melted some butter and added minced garlic, Tony's, onion powder, salt and pepper and poured that over the steaks.  We'll let you know how that comes out!  Wish us luck!

Congratulations to Chef Paul Prudhomme!

Here's a little bit of culinary news for you...

http://www.nola.com/drink/index.ssf/2011/05/chef_paul_prudhomme_honored_fo.html

Recipes

I'd love to share more recipes with you.  My problem right now is that I never measure anything when I cook.  That's how I learned to cook and that's how I still cook unless I'm trying a new recipe.  Even still, I adjust recipes to my liking.  I have a few recipes in mind I would like to share, but I need to make them again and measure what I'm putting in there before I put it so I can pass along those measurements to you.

There's one recipe I can think of right now that I can share because measurements for this dish are approximate and having a little more or a little less of anything really isn't going to change the flavor much.  It's called White Potato Stew.  I don't have a picture for you but the next time I make this dish I'll add one.  This is one that Brent likes me to cook for him from time to time and his mom really likes it too.  My mom taught me to cook this.  It was one of my favorites when I was growing up.  My mom always served it over rice, which is how I still like to eat it, but some people don't like all that starch piled on top of more starch.  Brent and his mom often eat it as a thick soup.  The flavors are there either way.  Here is my recipe (passed down from my mom).

White Potato Stew

5 medium potatoes, peeled and diced into about 1/2" chunks
1 pound smoked sausage, sliced
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp. oil
Water
Salt, black pepper and cayenne pepper to taste

In a dutch oven or stock pot, heat oil and saute' onions and garlic.  When onions turn clear add potatoes and enough water to cover the potatoes.  This is where I add my salt, black pepper and cayenne pepper.  I just add a little at first because I don't want to over-season and you can always add more later but you can't take it out once it's in there!  Use your own judgement.  If you prefer to add them at the end, by all means do so.  Bring potatoes to a boil and add smoked sausage. 

Side note:  Some people like to lightly brown their smoked sausage before adding it to the pot.  You can do so in the oil before you add your onions if you like.  If you do, take the sausage out and set it aside before you saute' your onions.  Either way works just fine.  I don't find any difference in the flavor so I skip this step to save time.

Boil the stew for about 20 minutes on a medium to high heat, stirring occasionally.  Once the potatoes are tender they will begin to break up.  I like to speed this process up by smashing some of the potatoes against the side of the pot.  The broken up potatoes thicken this dish.  Once you have achieved your desired thickness, remove from heat and serve.

This is a nice, hearty dish that is usually welcome on cold days, but we like it year round.  And there's really no measuring involved!  That's my kind of dish!

If you decide to try it, please let me know what you think.

Prayers for local chef

Our thoughts and prayers go out to New Orleans chef Nathaniel Zimet.  Please join us in sending out prayers for his speedy recovery.

Thanks!, Brent & Vicki

http://www.wwltv.com/news/crime/Local-chef-shot-three-times-in-robbery-attempt-122459519.html

Welcome!

Welcome to our blog.  We are Brent and Vicki Rogers. (Well, almost.  We are getting married September 30, 2011).  We are both avid food lovers who enjoy dining out often and discussing what we like and don't like about our meals and service.  We also enjoy creating our own recipes based on restaurant menu items we enjoy.  We love to create new original recipes as well.  Some are successes and some, not so much.  We decided we wanted to share our opinions and recipes with others, so our blog is born.  Happy Birthday to The Rogers' Spoonful blog, born on May 22nd, 2011! 

My (Vicki) favorite meal is breakfast so Brent often takes me out to eat for breakfast.  We will begin with our experience at a restaurant in Ponchatoula, Louisiana on May 14, 2011 where we had breakfast at Taste of Bavaria.  This was my first time eating at a German restaurant, so I was curious to see if I would enjoy it.  We decided to share an order of corned beef hash which came with two poached eggs and fruit.  Brent likes poached eggs better than I do so I ordered scrambled eggs and fruit as well. The scrambled eggs were scrambled with cream, which is exactly how I like them!  They were delicious.  Brent said the poached eggs were cooked well but had a lingering taste of vinegar from the cooking liquid.  The undeniable star of the meal was by far the corned beef hash.  The corned beef, I have to assume, must have been home made.  The flavors were perfectly balanced.  The proportions of corned beef, potatoes and seasoning were perfect.  Brent says it was a hearty meal but not a heavy meal because the corned beef and potatoes were cut smaller than average size.  I had a thin slice of pineapple, honeydew melon and watermelon.  Brent enjoyed a thin slice of cantaloupe, honeydew melon and pineapple.  The fruit was fresh and sweet and the perfect ending to our meal.



We give Taste of Bavaria 4 1/2 out of 5 spoons.



We enjoyed the corned beef hash so much I decided to create my own version of this dish.  Here's how I did it:

Corned Beef Hash
Make 4-6 servings

1/2 lb. sliced deli corned beef (chopped)
1 16 oz. bag of frozen diced hash brown potatoes
1 small onion chopped
1/4 cup chopped green onions
2 tbs. extra virgin olive oil
2 tbs. butter
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat 2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil and 2 tbs. butter in dutch oven.  Add onions and sautee until onions begin to become clear.  Add hash brown potatoes.  Stir together with onions.  At this point I added salt, black pepper and cayenne pepper.  You may want to taste your corned beef before adding any seasonings as the spice of the corned beef can vary.  After adding seasonings stir again and cover.  Cook potatoes on medium heat, stirring occasionally for approximately 10 minutes (or according to cooking instructions on package).  Uncover and stir in chopped corned beef.  Stir frequently for approximately 5 minutes to brown potatoes and heat corned beef.  Add green onions, stir and remove from heat.

We hope you will try our recipe and if you do please let us know what you think!  We would appreciate your feedback.  Thanks for visiting our blog.  Come back again soon for more!