The Willett Family » Cooking

Malone’s Pixie Stick Martini

bwillett — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 02:42:05 +0000

http://www.kentucky.com/698/story/505555.html

Pixie Stick martini

3/4 ounce DeKuyper Island Punch Pucker (formerly Island Blue Pucker)

3/4 ounce DeKuyper Grape Pucker

3/4 ounce vodka

Splash of sour mix

Splash of 7-Up

Serve chilled in a martini glass garnished with a slice of orange. Makes 1 serving.

Beer Cheese

bwillett — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 23:57:43 +0000

1 lb Velveeta Cheese
1/2 C Beer (dark beer is best, I think)
1 T Worcestershire Sauce
2 t garlic powder
Cayenne Pepper and/or Frank’s Hot Sauce to taste.

I usually use a lot of Cayenne and not very much Frank’s (maybe a tablespoon of Frank’s). I like my beer cheese really hot. I blend it altogether in a food processor.

Favorite Margarita Recipies

bwillett — Thu, 28 May 2009 00:02:02 +0000

This is a collection of our favorite margarita recipes.

The Best Fresh Margaritas
From Cooksillustrated.com
* 4 teaspoons grated lime zest
* 1/2 cup lime juice from 2 to 3 medium limes
* 4 teaspoons grated lemon zest
* 1/2 cup lemon juice from 2 to 3 medium lemons
* 1/4 cup superfine sugar
* Pinch table salt
* 2 cups crushed ice
* 1 cup 100 percent agave tequila, preferably reposado
* 1 cup Triple Sec

1. Combine lime zest and juice, lemon zest and juice, sugar, and salt in large liquid measuring cup; cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until flavors meld, 4 to 24 hours.
2. Divide 1 cup crushed ice between 4 or 6 margarita or double old-fashioned glasses. Strain juice mixture into 1-quart pitcher or cocktail shaker. Add tequila, Triple Sec, and remaining crushed ice; stir or shake until thoroughly combined and chilled, 20 to 60 seconds. Strain into ice-filled glasses; serve immediately.

The Best Party Margaritas

This recipe was handed down from friends and I modified by added juice and removing some water.

12oz Can Frozen Lime-Aid (1 Can)
12 oz Tequila (preferrably gold) (1 Can)
4 oz Triple Sec (1/3 Can)
6 oz Juice (Orange, Pineapple, or tropical blend) (1/2 Can)
28 oz Water (2 1/2 Cans)

1. Combine all ingredients and stir. Note the amounts of each ingredient. I use the original can from the lime-aid to measure everything and eyeball the triplesec as 1/3 of a can. The water becomes 2 1/2 cans of water and 1/2 can of the juice of choice.
2. Salt Glasses using lime juice and kosher salt.

Tomato Soup

bwillett — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 02:40:21 +0000

Recently made tomato soup for my family the other night from a recipe based off of the Creamless Creamy Tomato Soup from cooksillustrated.com. For a family who is mostly lactose intolerant, this was a wonderful soup which I plan to tweak over time.

The basic soup recipe is as follows:

1/4 cup   extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1     medium onion , chopped medium (about 1 cup)
3     medium garlic cloves , minced or pressed through garlic press (about 1 tablespoon)
Pinch hot red pepper flakes (optional)
1     bay leaf
2     (28-ounce) cans whole tomatoes packed in juice
1     tablespoon brown sugar
3     large slices good-quality sandwich bread , crusts removed, torn into 1-inch pieces
2     cups low-sodium chicken broth
2     tablespoons brandy (optional, required in my opinion)

1. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add onion, garlic, red pepper flakes (if using), and bay leaf. Cook, stirring frequently, until onion is translucent, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and their juice. Using potato masher, mash until no pieces bigger than 2 inches remain. Stir in sugar and bread; bring soup to boil. Reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until bread is completely saturated and starts to break down, about 5 minutes. Remove and discard bay leaf.

2. Transfer half of soup to blender. Add 1 tablespoon oil and process until soup is smooth and creamy, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to large bowl and repeat with remaining soup and oil. Rinse out Dutch oven and return soup to pot. Stir in chicken broth and brandy (if using). Return soup to boil and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve soup in individual bowls. Sprinkle each portion with pepper and chives and drizzle with olive oil.

My first tweak on this recipe will be to add some dried chipolte pepper to get a smokey spicy tomato soup. Don’t know if the rest of the family will like it, but I bet I will!!!!

Sirloin Tacos with Brown Rice Dinner

bwillett — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 22:02:04 +0000

After a nice day of hiking in Red River Gorge, I am preparing one of our favorite dinners. Sirloin Taco’s with homemade salsa and brown rice. I happened to run across this recipe when I was looking for a nice dinner to prepare some friends coming to visit us. I found the sirloin taco & roasted tomato salsa recipe through a google search on a new website I had never run across called Taunton. I new I wanted rice to go along with it and I have been a huge fan of Alton Brown’s baked brown rice recipe. Anyway, thought I would share the recipe’s with you.

Sirloin Tacos

by Robb Walsh

ingredients

1 Tbs. kosher salt
1 tsp. Hungarian paprika
1 tsp. dried granulated garlic
1 tsp. coarsely ground black pepper
1 tsp. dried thyme
2 lb. sirloin steak, about 1 inch thick
12 to 16 small (5-1/2- or 6-inch) flour or corn tortillas, warmed
Roasted Tomato Salsa

how to make

In a small bowl, combine the salt, paprika, garlic, pepper, and thyme; blend well. Sprinkle both sides of the steak with the dry rub and then rub it in. Let the meat sit for half an hour at room temperature.

To cook on a charcoal grill, light the charcoal (preferably hardwood) in a chimney starter. Pour the hot coals into the grill so that the coals are banked to one side. Put the grill grate on the grill. When the coals are coated in gray ash and you can hold your hand 1 to 2 inches above the grate for 2 seconds, set the meat directly above the coals to sear it until dark grill marks form, about 3 minutes per side. Or, heat one area of a gas grill on high and another on low. Set the meat on the grates on the high side and sear it until dark grill marks form, about 3 minutes per side.

When the steak is nicely marked by the hot grill on both sides, move the meat away from the coals (or to the cooler side of a gas grill) and cover the grill so it can cook indirectly. Remove the steak from the grill when it’s slightly firm to the touch and registers 130° to 135°F on an instant-read thermometer for medium rare (about another 5 to 8 minutes), or 140° to 145°F for medium.

Let the steak rest on a cutting board for at least 5 minutes before carving. To serve, trim the fat from the steak and slice the meat on the diagonal into thin strips. Serve with warm tortillas and roasted tomato salsa and let your guests assemble their own tacos.

From Fine Cooking 73, pp. 65

Roasted Tomato Salsa

by Robb Walsh

ingredients

1/2 medium yellow onion, finely diced
1-1/2 Tbs. fresh lime juice (from about 1/2 lime); more to taste
6 medium Roma tomatoes
3 fresh jalapeño or serrano chiles, halved lengthwise, stemmed, and seeded
1 clove garlic, peeled
1 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
1-1/2 tsp. kosher salt; more to taste

how to make

In a small bowl, soak the onion in the lime juice for 15 minutes. In a dry, heavy-duty skillet (preferably cast iron) over high heat, “roast” the tomatoes, chile halves, and garlic clove until charred on all sides, about 2 to 5 minutes for the garlic, 8 to 10 minutes for the chiles, and 12 to 15 minutes for the tomatoes. Pulse in a blender; the mixture should remain slightly chunky. Transfer to a serving bowl and add the onion, lime juice, cilantro, and salt. Taste and add more salt or lime juice if needed. Use immediately or cover and refrigerate for up to a week.

From Fine Cooking 73, pp. 65

Baked Brown Rice

Alton Brown

ingredients

1 1/2 cups brown rice, medium or short grain
2 1/2 cups water
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 teaspoon kosher salt

how to make

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.Place the rice into an 8-inch square glass baking dish.

Bring the water, butter, and salt just to a boil in a kettle or covered saucepan. Once the water boils, pour it over the rice, stir to combine, and cover the dish tightly with heavy-duty aluminum foil. Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 1 hour.

After 1 hour, remove cover and fluff the rice with a fork. Serve immediately.