Chocolate Chocolate Chip Almond Cookies [JG]

History:
This is a play on a recipe from the Grit cookbook. The Grit is a vegetarian restaurant in Athens, GA... very good food, so be on the look out more vegetarian fare.

Recipes:
159 grams sugar
102 grams flour [half ap, half cake]
45 grams cocoa powder
1 stick butter
1 egg
tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/3 tsp salt
2/3 cup chocolate chips
1/4 cup almonds

Cream sugar and butter. Add egg and vanilla. Mix in dry. Fold in chips and almonds. Bake 10 minutes at 375.

Oven Roast

History:
I was in the store and saw some cheap meat... we have been low for some time, so I went for it. Didn't know what to make.... roast sounded nice even though it is now summer. Sue me.

Recipe:
Oven Roast
oil
red wine
potatoes
carrots
tomatoes
garlic
thyme
rosemary
s/p
basil
oregano

Create a marinate for the roast. We used oil olive, red wine, bay leaves, thyme, rosemary, salt, pepper, and crushed garlic. Marinate the roast overnight in the refrigerator. Flip and mix occasionally. Pull the meat out of the refrigerator and let it get to room temperature. I put it on a cooling rack to drain. Season with salt/pepper. When ready to cook preheat oven to 375. Dice the vegetables, except onions, and create a bed for the meat with the vegetables. Salt and pepper, drizzle oil olive, then season with herbs. Sear the meat on all sides, and place on top of the vegetables. Don't forget to put fat up. Deglaze the pan with some of the marinate or left over red wine [we don't drink it so it's never left over], saute the large diced onions in the marinate as it reduces. Pour over the meat into the vegetables. Bake ~1 hour for vegetables and to preferred 'doneness' of meat.

Enjoy.

I was running when Clark started to eat, so no picture.

Jamming!

History:
This is a technique post.

What you need:
Ladle
Huge pot
towels
mason jars with lids etc
tongs
thermometer

OK. First and foremost [I did that correct this time], you always run a risk of bacteria growth from jamming on your own. Be clean, be safe. This post is mostly to talk about how easy it really is to jam, but let me know if you want more information about it.

Use soapy water and clean the jars, lids, tongs. Put the towel on the bottom of the pot. Place everything but the lids in the pot. Fill with water. BOIL for 15ish minutes. Then keep warm until ready to use. Put some of the HOT water in with the lids in a separate bowl. Once your jam is mostly ready, using the tongs pull out the jars and rings from the pot and place on a towel on the counter. Fill with the jam. Leave some room at the top to create the vacuum. Wipe the rims and sides down with a wet paper cloth. Put the top on and then tighten the rings. Put back in the pot of hot water and re-boil for x minutes. It is x because of variations in altitude. I usually go 5-10 minutes extra. Pull out and cool to RT on the counter. I put one in the fridge to use, mark the rest and store in the cabinets.

Strawberry Jam [JG]

History:
I love jam... but only when it is just crushed fruit. I hate that fake crap. And then to go to the store it is way too expensive to buy the good stuff. So what should we do? Make our own? OK. Alton Brown had a fun episode about jamming years ago, and Clark and I got to catch a repeat. He made a blueberry jam which I did a few months back. Five jars lasted all of one month. I will make another post later about the jamming/preserving process. For a history jam you do want 1:1 of fruit and sugar.

Recipe:
Two pounds of fresh strawberries, cleaned and large chopped
848 grams of sugar
1/2 lemon, juiced
2 tsp of apple cider vinegar
pinch of salt
1 packet of pectin

Start to cook everything but the sugar. As the juices start to come mash it! Once you have the ratio of whole to mashed you like as the sugar. Turn the heat to high and go until a full boil and temperature hits 212 F. This kills most bacteria.

Again the rest of the process will be in the jamming post.

Editor's Note:
This is good. Really, really good. And I have only had it on pita bread so far. I almost started to drink this.

Roast Chicken [JG]

History:
Clark made a roast chicken. I wanted to as well. Mine is a bit more crazy... I love the variation of taste you can experience when carving. I also made muffins to take to work.

Menu:
Roast Chicken
Salad
Chia Muffins
Blueberry Muffins

Chicken:
Clean, wash, dry. Let sit at RT for ~1 hours... [this was a five pound chicken]. Preheat oven to 425. Salt and pepper the inside. Wheel two lemons. Stuff them in the chicken with rosemary and thyme. Take 1/2-1 stick of butter. Cut holes in the skin and stuff with the butter and/or garlic cloves. Season chicken all over with s/p, and a little rosemary and thyme. Roast for about 1 hour. REST at RT for ~20 minutes.

Salad:
Lettuce. Cherry Tomato. Red Pepper. Onion. Olives. Dressing is olive oil, balsamic vinegar, hint of mustard, basil, oregano, s/p. Whisk.

No picture... I always forget.

Enjoy.

Omelets

History:
Went for a run in the morning... we had clinic at night. Offered to make breakfast for running buddy. Clark got in time to eat as well.

And yes we have not been cooking lately. Really we have nothing in the kitchen. And in fact we have no more left overs. So look forward to some really good recipes coming up as we restock.

Menu:
Savory Biscuits with honey or apple butter
Omelets
Bacon

Check out Sunday Biscuits for the biscuits. They are the savory type. Bacon is just bacon.

Omelets:
Mince whatever additions you want. Wednesday morning we had onions and green peppers, tonight I had tomatoes and onions. We did two eggs per person. Beat the eggs. Really, beat the eggs. I said that twice because this part is key. You know you have beat the eggs enough when you lift a fork and nothing comes up... under beat eggs and the whites stay together. Toss in ~0.5-1 tbsp on additions, mix together. Heat a pan, melt a bit on butter in it. Pour the egg mixture. Occasionally, scape the eggs with your fork to help create a fluffy omelet. When still a bit damp on top shake loose. Sprinkle cheese on top, and then fold. I used a spatula to fold on itself, cover and cook ~ one more minute. Enjoy.

Grilled Shrimp [JG/GG]

History:
I found a fishmonger! I know right, Augusta. So I got a pound of fresh shrimp to see the quality, and yes I will be going back. This is a play on my dad's recipe. I use to have this as a kid all the time. Simple and really good.

Recipe:
Shrimp [23sh count], 1 pound
oil
basil
parsley
garlic
thyme
s/p

Clean the shrimp and wash off. Set to the side. On the stove heat the oil with the basil, garlic, and thyme in it. Infuse the oil as if you where making tea. Cool, pour over the shrimp. Add the parsley and s/p. Toss to coat, and then marinate for ~15 minutes or so.



And then grill.



Enjoy. My dad's was s/p, parsley, garlic powder, and onion powder. Mix with oil, marinate for 15 minutes and grill.