Month: April 2014

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Pan-Fried Abalone

Abalone is one of those ridiculously simple things to cook:  bread it, fry it, eat it.  But it seemed worthwhile  to write a recipe down.  After all, I haven’t cooked it in 15 years, so my skills can get rusty.

Print Recipe

Pan fried abalone

Ingredients

  • Abalone
  • Milk
  • Flour
  • Egg
  • Panko Breadcrumbs
  • Olive oil

Instructions

  • Slice the abalone into steaks approximately 1/4" thick. Soak slices in milk while you wait.
  • Beat the snot out of the abalone. I like to use the flat of the abalone iron so it gives a nice smacking sound. Eventually the meat relaxes. If you beat it more, it will fall apart.
  • Pat the slices dry, dust with flour, dredge with egg, and pat with breadcrumbs.
  • Fry in olive oil briefly. Don't overcook.
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4.3.2014 | TI8

Thursday I Ate:

Breakfast: Grapenuts with cranberry juice

Lunch:  leftover brussels sprouts and bacon pizza

Mid-afternoon snack: some a crapload of dark chocolate M&M’s, some a bunch of peanut butter M&M’s, a couple kind of a lot of gobstopper eggs, Coke Zero

Dinner: leftover chili and green salad, See’s candy (the real kind, not those brussels sprouts things).

Evening Snack: 3 4 5 tastes of cookie-dough brownie bomb-bombs or whatever they’ll get called over at Flour Arrangements

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4.2.2014 | TI8

Wednesday I Ate:

Breakfast: Grapenuts with cranberry juice

Lunch: leftover chili

Mid-afternoon snack: some dark chocolate M&M’s, some peanut butter M&M’s, a couple of Reese’s peanut butter easter eggs, Coke Zero

Dinner: green salad, brussels sprouts and bacon pizza (from White on Rice Couple) made from brussels sprouts left over from April Fool’s joke, See’s candy

brussels sprouts candy
Brussels sprouts in the See’s Candy box become…
brussels sprouts bacon pizza
…brussels sprouts bacon pizza!

 

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Tortilla Soup

Our only copy of the recipe for this warm, comforting, downright delicious soup is a photocopy of a print-out of an email that my niece Katja sent to my mom.  It’s crumpled and soup-splattered and nearly impossible to locate when we need it.  Last time we made tortilla soup, I was on the verge of texting my niece for the recipe when I found it tucked inside my copy of The Bread Bible.  Now that I’m sharing it, we won’t ever have to scramble to find it again.

Both my mom and niece make this recipe on the stove, but we usually simmer it all day long in the slow cooker.  During last week’s dinner emergency, we pressure cooked it and had dinner on the table in less than 30 minutes.  I challenge anyone to find a fourth way to prepare this awesome recipe.  Bring it, people.

Print Recipe

Tortilla Soup

Adapted from Katja Vassilev's recipe. Serves 12.

Ingredients

  • 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
  • 2 15- ounce cans diced tomatoes
  • 1 4- ounce can diced green chiles
  • 1 28- ounce can green enchilada sauce
  • 2 cups frozen corn
  • 2 15- ounce cans black beans drained and rinsed
  • 1 medium onion diced
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 jalapeno minced
  • 2 cups chicken broth
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons Mexican oregano
  • 3 corn tortillas roughly chopped or torn into 1-inch pieces
  • 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro coarsely chopped
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

Garnishes:

  • diced avocado
  • lime wedges
  • sour cream
  • shredded cheddar cheese
  • toasted tortilla strips or tortilla chips

Instructions

  • Place all ingredients except cilantro and lime juice in a slow cooker, large saucepan, or pressure cooker. To prepare in a slow cooker, simmer on high for 4-to-6 hours or on low for 8-to-10 hours. For stove-top cooking, simmer on low for about 2 hours. To use a pressure cooker, bring to pressure and then cook for about 15 minutes.
  • Remove chicken and shred. Return shredded meat to the pot with cilantro and lime juice. Taste and adjust seasonings. Serve with garnishes as desired.