Archive for December, 2009
I sincerely hope that your Holidays bring laughter, cheer, great food, and good spirits this year. I will be taking a week off from the blog to enjoy the holidays and will resume blogging on the 28th of Dec. In other news, The Culinary Adventures of MadZak has finished Season 1 and boy was it a great time! The MadZak team is creating and planning Season 2 which is going to bring in even more MadZak for you to enjoy. Season 2 will start up on March 1st so be sure to tune in.
In the meantime, enjoy the new and old segments that will appear here starting next week and as always, get in that kitchen and make some real food!
Thank you again and Happy Holidays!
I grew up with this basic dish eating it at least 4 times a week. It wasn’t until I reached my teens I found out that there was an even better version that didn’t all come out of a box. Have fun with the cheese in this recipe as there is no real one choice. Cheddar is a safe bet (staying close to original recipe) but by just combining some white new york cheddar I added a bit of a smoky flavor and made the overall look a bit brighter. Let me know how the cheeses turn out for you and make sure to share this with friends, they will love it!
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 (16 ounce) package of elbow macaroni
- 1/2 pound brick of Sharp Cheddar Cheese
- 1/2 pound brick of New York White Sharp Cheddar Cheese
- 1 tablespoon of butter
- 1 can (12 oz) evaporated milk
- 1 dash of salt
- 1 dash of pepper
METHOD:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add elbow macaroni to boiling water and cook for about 10 minutes. Drain and set aside.
Grease a 9 x 13 baking pan with vegetable oil. Place a quarter of the macaroni in the bottom, followed by a layer of cheese slices (half new york white and regular sharp). Dot with butter and season with salt and pepper. Repeat until once again and then pour milk over top of dish. Bake in the oven for one hour or until the top is golden brown.
Remove from the oven and let cool for 20 minutes, cut and serve. This will make 6 generous portions.a
I first had this dish at Siam Cafe in the “chinatown” of Cleveland, Ohio and I immediately fell in love! The noticeable difference between an american and chinese eggplant is a sweeter flavor and this dish helps show that along with a great characteristic of a sponge. The eggplant soaks up the blend of sauces, soy/vinegar/wine, and provides a consistent flavor on each bite.
For about 20 minutes of cooking time, you will get 4 servings, a great smelling house, and a delightful dinner with plenty of lunch time leftovers. You can also add some hot sauce if you want to kick up the spice.
INGREDIENTS:
- 4 japanese eggplant
- 1/4 cup garlic (diced)
- 1/2 green pepper
- 4 green onion stalks
- 2 tablespoon cornstarch (mixed with 1 tablespoon water)
- 2 tablespoon soy sauce
- 2 teaspoon black vinegar
- 2 tablespoon rice wine (cooking wine will do)
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 cups rice
METHOD:
Wash outside of eggplants and cut off vine end. Cut eggplant in half at the middle, then slice each half lengthwise. Cut each eggplant piece using an angle, you want the eggplant to be chunky but not too big. Turn the skillet to medium-high heat and when heated, add half of the oil, the garlic, and the eggplant chunks. Cook for 5 minutes.
Slice the green pepper and add to the skillet along with the remaining oil. Cook for 5 minutes. In a bowl combine the cornstarch and water and set aside. Add to the skillet the soy sauce, black vinegar, and rice wine. Bring the added sauce to boil, then add cornstarch. Once the sauce is boiling again, remove skillet from heat and continue to stir until sauce thickens and coats all the eggplant.
Place 1 cup of rice in a bowl, pour 1/4th of the eggplant over the top and sprinkle with 1/4th of the green onion. Repeat for the the remaining 3 bowls and serve.
As many of you may noticed, there is always a bunch of turkey left over from the holidays. Being from the bird family, you can easily dress up turkey to appear to be chicken and save that tasty meat from going to waste!
This dish does just that, with the combination of spices the signature turkey taste is covered up and even in pictures appears to look like chicken! A simple combination of spiced turkey, cheese, tomato, and green onion presents itself beautifully in this quesadilla with a rich taste that’s sure to entice you to make it up again or even ask for more left overs.
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 cup turkey (diced)
- 1 cup cheese (colby jack)
- 1/2 cup green onions (about 2 stalks)
- 1 tomato (diced)
- 1 dash pepper
- 1 dash cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon cilantro
- 4 10″ tortilla
METHOD:
Preheat oven to 350. In a mixing bowl, combine tomato, turkey, green onion, cheese, pepper, cayenne pepper, and cilantro. Mix until all ingredients are mixed well.
Lay 1 tortilla on a baking sheet, pour half of the mixture on the tortilla, top with another tortilla. Place in oven on top rack for about 8 minutes. Watch for the tortilla to get brown on top. Remove and Serve with sour creme or guacamole.