In a Jam

Oh the puns just keep on coming. If you haven't guessed by the title yet, today I made some jam. Strawberry jam to be exact. I meant to make this post much sooner, but those strawberries we picked in a previous post were simply eaten as is. This is a second batch I recently got. 

When I was growing up, all I ate for lunch from age 5-12 was a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Simple creamy JIF peanut butter and no frills Welches grape jelly. I never was into any other fruit jellies until I was much older. I went to college in York, Pa which is right down the road from Lancaster. My wife and I used to make day trips to Amish country all the time and it was here that I began my love affair with all different types of jellies and jams. There is a market named Kitchen Kettle that has every jam you could imagine, and they make them right there in front of you. The freshest ingredients done on old passed down kettles and the tastiest jams ever. My favorite jam from them is their black raspberry. It has a sweetness that cannot be described other then comparing it to the filling of a jelly doughnut.  

What I also took away from going to this place was how easy it would be for me to make my own jams. It wasn't until recently that I've tried and it is one of the simplest things a home cook can do. I will say though that while it is simple it is not the sort of thing that you can start and walk away from the stove. Making jam is something you need to set aside about an hour for. If you walk away the jam can burn and ruin the entire batch. 

For my strawberry jam you need three ingredients. That is it.

2 lbs strawberries

2 2/3 cups sugar

1/4 cup lemon juice

A jar to keep it in would be nice too.

Stem and place the strawberries into your pot. Mash them until just broken up with a potato masher. Put over medium high heat and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add sugar and lemon juice and stir until the sugar is dissolved, about 2 minutes. Bring to a high boil and let boil for about 15 minutes. Pour into your jar.

If you are going to preserve this there are whole steps you need to do such as boiling the jars then properly sealing them. I have never done this because I make it when I want to eat it. 

What type of jelly or jam do you like?

Oh Pickles!

My time of being a stay at home dad is really going to hit me come next week. My daughter graduates from pre school on Thursday, and after that it is Daddy-daughter day, every day. The title of this post actually comes from one of the shows she watches, Higglytown heroes, or something like that, and it is what she tells me I should say when I say words that she can't repeat in public.  Hey! This is a new role for me, I'm learning.

Onto the point of the blog today, the deliciousness that is a pickle. It truly makes me sad that people think simply of the flaccid thing found in the condiment aisle when they think of pickles. There is so much more to the pickle then that. Not to sound too much like Bubba from Forest Gump, but there is the sour pickle, the half-sour, the new, the bread and butter, the sweet, the spicy, the horseradish, not to mention all the infusions that can be done with different herbs and spices.

When I was a kid I fell in love with the pickle thanks to one of the greatest things about New Jersey, the local diner. I really think that before a town is chartered there must also be a business application for a diner in this state. When you order a burger or any lunch sandwich for that matter at one of these fine greasy establishments, you receive a pickle spear, but this isn't the same pickle that mom has been serving you at home. No this is usually a half sour or a new pickle. The freshness of the cucumber comes out and you can taste each of the flavors that were put onto it. It isn't the muddled mess of a vlassic.

Fast forward 20 years and my wife and I were at a farmers market in Morristown. There is a vendor that frequents this market named Picklicous. Their both is a maze of pickle barrels with all sorts of the fantastic vegetables and not just cucumbers either. I would stand there and sample all of the varieties, always with a thought in the back of my head... I can do this at home. 

Making pickles is a simple endeavor, and the only hard step is patience. All you need is some pickling spices, Kirby or gherkin cucumbers, a jar, and your imagination.

Here is the ones I made today:

I like to slice my cucumbers before brining because I think that gives me the best flavor, but you can leave them whole or halve them too. The key is to jam them into the jar so that when the brine is added they do not float to the top. Here is what you need

1 quart sized jar

4 Kirby cucumbers

1 tbs pickling spice

2 cloves of garlic

1/4 cup of kosher salt

3 cups of water

After that, you can add whatever you want. In the ones that I made today I used two sprigs of fresh dill from my herb garden and some red pepper flakes.

Jam the cucumbers into the jar tight. Next add the smashed garlic cloves, pickling spices, and whatever flavors you are adding. In a separate bowl mix the water and salt until the salt is completely dissolved. Pour the salt water over the cucumbers until just about to the top. If you see any of your cucumbers not submerged, squash them back down. If any are not in the brine, they can rot and ruin your batch. After this you place them on your counter at room temperature for 24 hours. At that point you have New Pickles. Place the jar in the fridge and in three days they will be half sour. After about a week they are full sour. I don't know what happens after that because they never last even to the full sour phase in my house.

What type of pickles do you like? Have you tried any other varieties then the ones in the super market?

Father's Day Breakfast

Happy Father's Day everyone. While most fathers enjoy sleeping, relaxing, sitting around and doing nothing, I did what I love to do this morning: cook for my family. A friend of mine posted pictures of chicken and waffles the other day and I've been accumulating waffle recipes ever since. Something like that is always how it starts with me, a picture somewhere. Then I am hellbent on trying to recreate it. I decided to start with the waffles first.

The recipe I settle on this time is a sour cream waffle I found on Martha Stewarts website. (A place I have sent numerous resumes, but that is neither here nor there). I did modify the recipe with ingredients I had on hand, and flavors that I like in a waffle.

5 large eggs

1/2 c. Sugar

1 c. AP flour

1 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon 

4 tbsp melted butter

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt (I added this)

1/2 tsp vanilla (added this too)

Beat eggs and sugar together for five minutes ( it really helps if you have a stand mixer such as a kitchen aid for this recipe, I don't and felt like my arm was going to fall off after minute 3). In a separate bowl whisk together the flour salt and cinnamon. Fold in half the flour mixture with the eggs. Add sour cream and Greek yogurt and fold. Finish with remaining flour mixture. Gently mix in melted butter and vanilla. Let the batter rest for 10 minutes before adding to your waffle iron. 

The original recipe called for a cup of sour cream, and while I would love to tell you that I changed it to Greek yogurt to add protein and make it more healthy, the truth is that I was simply out of sour cream. The Greek yogurt did add a nice tang to the waffle. I also added the vanilla since I have always loved the taste of vanilla with cinnamon. 

These came out okay. Not as crisp as I like, but I may try again. I have mine with peanut butter and nutella, the wife likes real maple syrup and butter, and my daughter likes to look at it and say it looks gross. Now my mind is onto the London broil and cause salad I'm making for Father's Day dinner tonight, and to find a good fried chicken recipe.

What is your favorite breakfast food? What do you like on top of your waffles and pancakes?

Burger chic

I think we have already established that I love a good burger. I could not be happier with the new fad in "fast food" restaurants, the burger joints. I put fast food in quotes because these places are really a little better than the standard McDonalds, Wendy's, and White Castles. I'm talking about Fuddruckers, smashburger, five guys, fat burger, cheeburger cheeburger, and the number of other joints that are popping up seemingly everywhere.  I've been to almost all of these, and I try to visit any that open in the area at least once. Today I went to Cheeburger Cheeburger in Langhorne, PA.

I've been to this place a couple of times before and I love the 50s diner feel that they go for. The great thing about this place is everything is customizable with a number of different toppings or add ons, and I do mean everything. Even your drinks.

The drink on the right is my chocolate coke. Yes that is right... Chocolate Coke. The milkshake was a delightful banana foster shake that had the perfect amount of banana and caramel. And on the far left is a mango iced tea. Each was delightful, and this is just a very small sampling of how customizable the drinks are.

Next are the fries.  I love me some loaded fries. The fact that I can go way beyond the normal chili and cheese is wonderful. 

What looks like a mess on a plate is my take on buffalo wings in the form of fries. These fries had hot sauce, blue cheese, and cole slaw.  It was the perfect combo of spicy, tangy, and sweet. 

Finally we get to the burger. Just like the fries, there are many different toppings you can choose from. This ranges from the normal lettuce, tomato, and onion, to the weird such as peanut butter. I chose a couple of toppings that I liked and the burger came out wonderfully.

This is Provolone cheese, pickles, banana peppers, onion rings, and ranch dressing. I love the sweetness of the ranch next to the mid range spiciness of the pepper, all pulled together by the pickle. Really a great burger. 

I had the half pound option but they had sizes going all the way to a full pound. Getting that one gets your picture on the wall and one day I'll do that. 

Which is your favorite of these step above fast food joints?

Because... bacon

Tonight's meal was one of those extremely gourmet meals that I initially spoke about... A BLT. Oh wait, that isn't glamorous at all, it is simply delicious.  One of the greatest and simplest sandwiches in the world that perfectly combines freshness, smokiness, and saltiness.

There are a few key elements to a great BLT. The first is the bacon. Some people may say bacon is bacon, but just like coffee, there are so many varieties that each have their own subtle flavor differences. The best I've ever had was from a farmers' market I go to in Morristown, NJ. It was made from Berkshire pork, had the perfect level of smoke, and great fat content. Tonight I wasn't so lucky to have that great slab of meat, but I did have a wonderful couple of pieces of uncured, applewood smoked, bacon. 

The tomato is very important as well.  I am currently growing two different varieties of tomatoes out side my townhouse, Roma and beefsteak. The Roma is a plum variety that I will be using in my sauces and salsas, but the beefsteak is the king of all sandwich tomatoes. Perfectly meaty with very few seeds and not much tomato water inside. It won't make your sandwich soggy and it adds a great "bulk", for lack of a better term, to the sandwich. 

The lettuce I used tonight was baby romaine. The tight leaves and smaller core, were sweeter than the larger variety and added a great juxtaposition next to the salty bacon. 

I make my BLT as triple decker sandwiches with the bacon being the star if the bitten half, and all other parts on the top. I love the size of the club and gives an extra layer for that ultra healthy condiment, Mayo.

What is the best bacon you have ever had? Do you fry your bacon in a pan, or bake it in the oven?

Black Gold

While everything on this blog so far has been geared towards food, I have another love of my life in the epicurean world, coffee. My love affair with this wonderful beverage goes beyond simply drinking it as a caffeine delivery service. I love the taste. I love the nuances of different growing regions. I love the smell. I love everything about it.

I started drinking coffee when I was 13, and at that time it was simply what my parents had in the cabinet. Usually just whatever was on sale that week. It wasn't until I was sixteen and got a job as a barista (before people even knew what the hell a barista was) at a mall coffee place name Barney's coffee in the mall that I begin to realize that this morning drink could be much more than just a drink. Like most I first started drinking the mixed drinks such as lattes and macchiatos. Much like a college freshmen starts with frilly mixed drinks with umbrellas prior to getting to the stage of straight bourbon and scotch, I graduated quickly to the greatness of simple black coffee.

While I have tried coffee from many different regions, and each have their great features and tastes, I have found that my favorites come from either Africa or the Arabian peninsula. My all time favorite is from Yemen called Arabian Mocha Sanani. This particular bean is not available all this time, and the flavor is very different each time you buy it, but if it is available I highly recommend it, no matter the price.  My standby coffee is Sumatra.

Brewing method is something that people debate about constantly. I used to be one of these people. I ground my own coffee. I timed it meticulously. I did everything that you can imagine a coffee snob would do. Then I realized I wanted to drink more coffee than I had the time to do all this meticulous things and when I actually had a job, that time was not there. I got a keurig brewer with my new house, and surprisingly I was extremely happy with the results despite giving up the control I had over my beans. That being said, my go to brewing method is still my French press maker. If any of you fellow coffee lovers have not tried this method, I implore you to head to amazon, pick up a seven dollar press, and give it a whirl. 

To brew in a French press, you need to do a couple of steps. First you need your beans to be coarsely  ground. Next you need to make sure you use the proper amount for your maker and the amount of water. I put 27 ounces of water in my maker and use approximately 10 tablespoons of coffee. You then pour water that is just off the boil on top of the grounds. For this I actually use my keurig. Three of the largest setting is perfect for my press. After you fill it stir your grounds with the water. Do this until you get a nice white foam on top of the coffee. Then set your time for four minutes. I like to re stir the coffee about halfway through. When the timer goes off, press the screen over the grounds in a steady firm motion.

The taste and mouthfeel you get from the brewing method is wonderful, and when I'm not being lazy and have the time to take the five minutes, this is my favorite method for coffee. 

What type of coffee do you like? Do you ever venture into the world of flavored coffee, or stay with the simply coffee flavored coffee? Do you switch your beverage up depending on the season?

Buffalo can fly?

Most people's fathers have those corny jokes that get repeated over and over again. Asking me if buffalo could fly was one of my father's go to cornball jokes. Luckily I haven't heard it as much as others since I haven't really fallen in love with spicy chicken wings until college. 

My fraternity, ZBT, seemed to host most get togethers at a chain sports bar named Damon's. The place was wonderful. Four huge screens and a volume selector for whichever game you were watching, large booths that could accommodate at least the executive board (we weren't the sveltest of people), and best of all, amazing wings. Unfortunately the number of Damon's are dwindling and the one that opened by me in Jersey closed very quickly, but the love of wings that was ingrained in me during these formative years is still here and I usually set out to try the wings in most places I go.

That leads to tonight's dinner: TJ's Rooster Wings

I could start by telling you about the wings, but I will start with something I think is oft overlooked: the blue cheese dressing. All commercially available blue cheese dressings are trash. I can say that because I do believe that I've tried them all. They are always too sweet. Sometimes the flavor of the namesake cheese is crowded out by other flavors. No matter what, there is something wrong with all of them. It was because of this that I resorted to the unthinkable for a couple of years... ranch dressing. I tried a bunch of different recipes myself and just could not nail the taste I was looking for. The ranch was suboptimal at best, but would have to do. Last year I decided to give it another go in creating a blue cheese dressing I was at least happy about. There is just something abut the tang of the cheese mixed with the spiciness of the wing that just makes the perfect meal.

I finally found it. I made the simplest of recipes by looking at a number of recipes and paring them down to the basics. My recipe has 5 ingredients. That is all you need for the perfect accoutrement to your greasy, fatty, spicy wings. I had a request to list recipes so here ya go:

1/2 cup blue cheese crumbles (I use a Wisconsin buttermilk blue cheese)

1/2 cup mayo

1/2 cup sour cream

1 tbsp rice wine vinegar

I minced garlic clove

Put all the ingredients into a blender and blend.  This makes a very smooth dressing. If you want it to be chunky, I have added more crumbles after the blend.

Now to the rooster wings. Any idea why I call them that? Remember that heavenly hot sauce Sriracha I mentioned a few posts ago? There is a rooster featured predominantly on its label and since it is the main component to my hot wing sauce I decided to honor the animal in the name.

2 lbs of wings, separated into pieces, tips discarded 

3 tbsp melted butter

1/4 cup hot sauce (I use Sriracha)

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

Dash of black pepper

(You can also add paprika if you want the wings to have a more deep red color, but I usually leave it out since I don't care for it)

Mix together everything but the wings in a bowl. Set aside 2 tbsp of the sauce and marinate the chicken wings in the remaining sauce for a minimum of 30 minutes. Broil (note I'm not frying the wings, this makes me joke with my wife that I'm eating healthy) the wings for 10 minutes, turn over and broil for 10 more minutes. (Watch the wings during these final minutes. They can get very dark). Remove from oven and toss with the set aside sauce.

I've made many different wings. Like most my meals, some have been great and some have been tossed after a bite. These are the best wings I have ever made. I also make a grilled wing with a spicy BBQ sauce, but that is a post for another day.

What type of wings do you like? Are you a breaded or unbreaded  type of person? Wet sauce or dry rub? There are so many different options with the wing, and each one can be delicious.