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Kitchen Experiments: Forbidden Fried Rice

YumSugar — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 16:30:58 -0800

Earlier this week, I gave you a recipe for a Balsamic Soy Chicken. I purposely made an extra serving for lunch the next day. However, when it came time for lunch, the chicken and Forbidden Rice wasn't cutting it. I really wanted a vegetable. To see what I did for my latest kitchen experiment, read more.

The first thing I did was look through my cupboards. There wasn't much left, but I decided to take out two carrots, and some eggs. I peeled and finely shredded the carrots, and then in a separate bowl I lightly beat the eggs. I then threw the rice and chicken into a large skillet, heated it up until it was warm, then I tossed in the carrots, mixed that together, and finally I poured the egg mixture around it. I then scrambled it up, seasoning with salt and pepper as I went along.

The end result was a tasty - if not a bit odd-looking - black fried rice. It made for a delicious meal, and came together really quickly. I topped it off with a bit of sriracha sauce.

What do you think? What would you have whipped together?

Kitchen Experiments: Apple-Date Muffincakes

YumSugar — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 10:01:31 -0800

This weekend I was expecting houseguests and wanted to offer them a homemade treat. I figured a nice breakfast muffincake would be a good option, as it would work for breakfast, dessert, or an afternoon snack. However, I didn't know what kind I wanted to make, so I headed to my kitchen without a recipe and scoped out the ingredients. I was treading dangerously - no recipe - but I ended up with deliciously, moist apple-date muffincakes. If you'd like to see what I did, as well as what went wrong - so wrong that the cakes themselves were laughing at me and I've got the photo to prove it! - read more.

Apple-Date Muffincakes
A Kitchen Experiment by YumSugar

1 cup chopped and pitted dates [I had 14 Medjool dates]
1 apple, peeled, cored, and grated
1/2 cup apple cider
2 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 stick of butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup organic white sugar
4 oz. cinnamon applesauce
2 eggs

frosting:
1 stick of butter
2 cups powdered sugar
1-2 tbsp. milk

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 18 muffin tins with cupcake liners.
In a medium bowl place dates and apple. Pour apple juice on top. Let soak for 15-30 minutes [I soaked it until I was ready to use them.]
In another medium bowl, sift flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon together. Set aside.
In a mixer, cream butter and sugars together.
Add applesauce, mix thoroughly.
Add eggs, one at a time. Making sure each one is fully incorporated.
Gently add in 1/3 of flour mixture. When incorporated add in 1/3 of date mixture (including liquid). Mix completely. Continue until all flour and date mixture is incorporated.
Completely fill each cupcake liner with batter. You should be able to fill 18 liners.
Bake for about 20 minutes, or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. You want the tops to be slightly golden brown.
While baking, make frosting (aka glaze). For the glaze, mix all ingredients in a large bowl until creamy. Adjust sugar amount as necessary. Do not try to frost your cakes before they are cooled. This will result in a glaze. Mine were glazed, but I was actually hoping for a dollop of frosting. As you can see, one is laughing at me for not waiting.

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Kitchen Experiments: Baked Egg in a Ham Shell

YumSugar — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 10:03:38 -0800

Earlier this week, I wanted a simple, yet hearty breakfast. I knew I had some eggs and ham, but I didn't have a lot of time. I had to get ready for work, but also wanted something yummy. That's when I remembered baked eggs. Baked eggs are great because you can pop them in the oven, get ready for work, and have a warm breakfast before you leave.

I was originally going to have a simple egg, but then thought about lining a ramekin with ham in order to make a self-contained meal. Next I decided to toss in some tomatoes sautéed in garlic. To find out how it all turned out and get the recipe I used, read more.

The overall concept was a good one, I don't think you can really go wrong with a baked egg. However, my dish was a bit runny. I halved the tomatoes, but didn't really let them cook down much. This was a mistake, I should have let them cook down as they weren't seeded and the tomatoes were really watery. There was nowhere for the liquid to go, so the bottom of my creation was a bit soggy. The top, however, was great. Next time, I won't get lazy with the tomato cooking!

Baked Egg in a Ham Shell
A kitchen experiment by YumSugar

handful of plum tomatoes, halved
1 clove garlic
2 slices of ham
1 tbsp. jack cheese
splash of milk
1 egg
salt pepper
olive oil

Preheat oven to 375ºF.
Grease a small ramekin or one slot in a muffin tin. Place two pieces of ham inside the ramekin, make sure they overlap to create a sort of crust. Set aside.
In a small pan on medium heat, heat a small amount of oil until shimmering. Add garlic and sauté until fragrant.
Add tomatoes to pan, salt, and cook for a few minutes.
Spoon tomato mixture into the ham shell. Add a splash of milk and cheese.
Crack an egg on top of the mixture. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Place ramekin on baking sheet and place into the oven. Bake for about 20 minutes or until egg white has set.

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Kitchen Experiments: "Heavenly" Banana Bread Pudding

YumSugar — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 10:57:10 -0800

Although my 52 Weeks of Baking series is officially over, that doesn't mean I won't be in the kitchen all the time. This year, in addition to trying new recipes, I have vowed to share my kitchen experiments with you guys. As much as I love recipes, I also just enjoy throwing things together and seeing what I get. I'll warn you now, these don't always work like I planned, but sometimes I get lucky.

On New Year's Day, I woke up to a dirty kitchen - we had a small shindig the night before - two rotting bananas and half of an angel food cake. I was also crazy hungry. So I combined my random leftovers with my appetite for breakfast and threw it all together. The result was a simple bread pudding made with angel food cake as the base. To see what I created, read more.

"Heavenly" Banana Bread Pudding
A kitchen experiment by YumSugar

I created this on New Year's Day morning. I had some leftovers I wanted to get rid of and threw everything together. It was warm and tasty and hit the spot, but it was also lacking something. Maybe a little sugar sprinkled on top? If you try it, be sure to tell me what you think and let me know how you'd improve it.

2 bananas, overripe
2 eggs
3/4 cup milk
2 tbsp. brown sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
3 cups leftover angel food cake, cut into cubes

enough butter or cooking spray to grease the pan

Preheat oven to 350°F.
Grease an 8-x-8 baking dish (or several small ramekins).
Line the baking dish with very thin slices of banana. I used 1/2 of a medium sized banana to cover my 8-x-8 pan.
Place rest of bananas in a large bowl. With a fork mush until you have achieved a smooth consistency. Alternatively, you could puree the bananas in a food processor first. This particular batch was whipped up on New Year's Day, and I was hoping to make the least amount of noise as possible.
Next, add eggs - one at a time - whisking throughly between each egg.
Stir in milk.
Whisk in brown sugar, allowing it to dissolve. Add in cinnamon.
Add in the angel food cake. Make sure all the pieces are coated. Let the cake sit for 10 minutes in order to absorb the liquid.
Pour cake mixture into pan and place into oven.
Bake for 30 minutes or until an inserted knife comes out clean.

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Do You Experiment With New Recipes In The Kitchen?

partysugar — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 09:01:38 -0700

Good Vegan Recipes/Products?

Yum Community — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 10:15:16 -0800

This story was written by member notinthemood and comes from the Kitchen Goddess group in the YumSugar Community.

I have somewhat recently become totally lactose intolerant - as in, no butter, no cheese, no yogurt, and nothing dairy. I'm totally opposed to relying on drugs to allow me to eat something my body clearly doesn't want to digest, so I've been experimenting with vegan cooking. It's been great thus far, but as the holidays approach, I've realized that I can't eat most of what everyone else in my family can because it relies so heavily on butter, cheese, and cream for flavoring. I'm old enough to bring a dish to pass, so I was wondering if anyone knew of any good vegan substitutes or recipes? I say good because I've tried some very bad vegan food substitutes, and don't want to venture down that road again. I've found a good vegan butter substitute in Earth Balance margarine, and I've heard you can use coconut milk for creams (but I haven't confirmed this). If you have a suggestion for a cookbook, even, I'm all ears. So ladies, any suggestions?

Do you have culinary question? Join the Kitchen Goddess group, upload your inquiry and it could be featured on YumSugar! If you are new to the YumSugar Community, here's a detailed guide to posting to groups .

Say Cheese! Pimento Cheese

partysugar — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 10:30:50 -0700

I am not from the South, so before this week, I had never tasted the comforting spread native to the region that's known as pimento cheese. However, I was eager to experience this seemingly exotic food, so I decided to make it. Pimento cheese isn't a type of cheese, but rather, a seasoned cheese mixture. The main ingredients are sharp cheddar cheese, jarred pimentos (a type of sweet succulent aromatic red pepper), and mayonnaise. The history of pimento cheese is fairly unknown, although it appeared in grocery stores and home kitchens somewhere in the early 1900s. It's delicious simplicity made it a hit during the Depression, and since then, pimento cheese has remained popular in the South. The tasty spread can be enjoyed on crackers, celery or other veggies, toast, or plain, old crustless white bread. To look at the recipe I used - it's Paula Deen's - keep reading.

Introducing the YumSugar Community!

partysugar — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 10:15:59 -0700

If you're a regular user, you may have noticed that we've made some positive changes around here with the unveiling of our fabulous new YumSugar Community! Our new food neighborhood is all about you. You can start your very own groups, meet new friends, discuss culinary mishaps, get cooking tips, and most importantly, share your favorite recipes and mouth-watering images. We've made it easier than ever to create content, so check it out and start having fun. If you're lucky, we might just feature your recipes and ideas here on YumSugar.

While we'll be announcing exciting new groups in the future, the YumSugar Community already has tons of incredible groups, like the go-to group for all things deliciously domestic, Kitchen Goddess. There's also the Yum Market group: your place for bookmarking essential culinary gadgets, pretty kitchen linens, and everything in between.

Savory Sights is our answer to food porn; it's the group where you can display the most delectable photographs. So what are you waiting for? Get involved in our community! If you've got a Sugar name, click on over and start participating. For those of you who don't have an account, dive into the YumSugar Community by registering now.

Looking for your unreads? They've gotten an upgrade too and can be found here. Your new profile features your content as well as a link to your very own OnSugar blog. For questions, concerns, or problems, feel free to ask me, refer to our Community Help Group, or send a private message to our community manager.

We're so excited to share our new community with you - experience it now!

Star Chefdom: Does It Affect a Restaurant Kitchen?

YumSugar — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 11:33:28 -0700

Should a diner expect to find a renowned chef in the kitchen the night he pays a visit to an acclaimed restaurant? That's the question molecular gastronomy superstar Grant Achatz poses in his latest guest post for the Atlantic. Achatz, the mastermind behind Chicago restaurant Alinea, addresses the concern, reassuring diners that they shouldn't be too disappointed when the chef isn't in the kitchen the night they dine. He argues that a star chef's absence from a kitchen can actually be beneficial for the chef, his staff, and even the restaurant's guests. The chef has an obligation to tend to other aspects that will make the business successful, and the ever-present obligation of the kitchen will only hinder creativity. Because the second-in-line chef de cuisine feels excited at the prospect of leading a kitchen, he may execute at a higher level than the chef. Achatz writes:

All these activities pull the chef away from the kitchen and therefore the food, but ideally make the restaurant, the brand, and hopefully the overall guest experience better. The diners gain access, the business is financially rewarded, and the employees benefit from freedom and resources not typical in an average restaurant.

While I agree with these points, I believe that this condition only applies in avant-garde dining, where the kitchen staff are exceptionally trained. What do you think: are you disappointed when a celebrity chef isn't in the kitchen of his own restaurant? If so, can you sense a difference in taste?

The Basics: Pie Crust

partysugar — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 03:30:11 -0700

Years ago I was one of those people who thought making pie dough from scratch was difficult, a waste of time, and downright ridiculous. If the grocery store conveniently sold premade pie crusts, why on earth would I make one? Then I realized the reason I used store bought pie dough was because I was horribly afraid of being a pie-dough failure. In matters that apply to the kitchen, instead of running from my fears, I prefer to confront them.

So I scoured the Internet reading countless pie crust recipes, techniques, and tips and I made my very first pie dough. While it wasn't the best crust ever, it was flavorful and buttery. The rewarding and addictive (all of a sudden I wanted to make pie shells over and over again) experience boosted my confidence level as a home cook.

If you've never made pie crust, or pate brisee, as it's known in French, I highly encourage you to experiment with it this Summer. Once the basic procedure is mastered, you can use the dough for fruit pies, custard pies, savory tarts, hearty quiches, and much more. Check out step-by-step photos and learn how it's done by clicking through