Author: Jason

Categories
Back to Basics Featured Sauces

Quick and Easy Marinara Sauce

TemperatureN/ATime25 mins

sauces_marinara_062614

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What’s the difference between marinara and red sauce?  Generally speaking marinara is a quick sauce that only has a few ingredients in it and red sauce or tomato sauce can be a lot more complex and stews for a long time.

Homemade marinara is a perfect sauce for a quick weeknight pasta dinner, the perfect sauce for chicken parmesan, or a great base sauce for pizza and it’s super easy to make!

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All there is to marinara!

For those of you who like to get the basics and do your own thing, all you do is sauté garlic and onions in olive oil, add canned diced tomatoes (and the juice) and bring to a quick boil and then add in tons of basil and parsley at the last minute.  See?  It’s super easy to make and way better than store bought stuff!

The RecipeRecipe
Quick and Easy Marinara Sauce
 
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This quick and easy marinara sauce is a great addition to your kitchen arsenal.
Author:
Recipe type: Sauce
Ingredients
  • 1 - 2 Tbsp Olive Oil
  • 1 Onion, diced
  • 3 Cloves Garlic, minced
  • Salt and Pepper
  • 2 28 oz Cans Diced Tomatoes
  • ½ Cup Fresh Parsley, Chopped
  • ½ Cup Fresh Basil, Chopped
Instructions
  1. Heat enough olive oil to cover the bottom of a medium pot on medium (plus a bit) heat
  2. Once the oil has heated up, add the onions and garlic, season with salt and pepper and sauté them until they are translucent (about 5 minutes).
  3. Add the two cans of diced tomatoes and bring to a boil.
  4. After everything is boiling toss in the fresh herbs and let cook for about 5 minutes.
  5. Remove from heat and serve with your favorite pasta!
Notes
If the sauce is too chunky for you, you can pulse it a few times with an immersion blender (or use a potato masher in a pinch).
Tips and TricksTips and Tricks

Canned tomatoes?  Yessir!  Canned (and frozen) vegetables are picked at their peak and – most of the time – are canned (or frozen) in the same day.  Grocery store produce is picked before it’s fully ripe so that it can last for the trip from the farm to your house.  There’s nothing wrong with canned tomatoes (as long as tomatoes are the only ingredient in the can).

Feed the FreezerFeed the Freezer

Marinara freezes great for up to 6 months so make a bunch and freeze them in 1 – 2 cup bags.

Fun FactsFun Facts

Many people don’t know the difference between marinara sauce and spaghetti sauce.

Categories
Back to Basics Featured Main Dishes

Steak in a Cast Iron Skillet

TemperatureN/ATime9 mins

mains_062314_steakcut

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My plan for this post was Tips for Grilling Steak but my grill decided that it wanted a break from all of the hard work it’s been doing over the last few months and ran out of gas.  I discovered this fact 10 minutes before the potatoes and popovers were supposed to come out of the oven so I didn’t have time to get more gas before dinner.

Part of being a good cook is being able to improvise when you’re missing something or something doesn’t go your way so instead of a Tips for Grilling Steak post, this is a Steak in a Cast Iron Skillet post!  The two cooking methods are pretty much the same but instead of “putting the steak on the grill,” we’re going to “put the steak in the pan.”

Tips and TricksTips for Cooking a Steak in a Cast Iron Skillet
  • Take your steak out of the refrigerator at least 1 hour before you plan to cook it.  This brings the meat to room temperature and helps it to cook more evenly.
  • A good cut of meat that is properly cooked only needs a liberal seasoning with salt and pepper.  Marinades, steak sauce, and spice mixes just hide the flavor of the meat.
  • A well done steak = a tough steak.  I like a medium rare steak so I cook mine for 4 minutes per side.  A ¾ to 1 inch medium steak should take about 4.5 minutes/side on high heat (8 – 10) and a medium-well steak will cook for 5 minutes on each side.
  • When cooking steak inside, turn on your vent hood!
The RecipeRecipe
Steak in a Cast Iron Skillet
 
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Author:
Recipe type: Main
Ingredients
  • Steak, ¾ - 1 Inch Thick (I used a strip steak)
  • Salt and Pepper
  • Vegetable Oil for the Pan
Instructions
  1. Season steak liberally with salt and pepper on both sides.
  2. Let the meat come to room temperature.
  3. Put about a tablespoon of oil in the cast iron skillet and spread it all over the bottom of the pan with a paper towel.
  4. Heat the cast iron skillet on medium-high to high heat.
  5. When the skillet is hot, put the steak in the pan and cook for 4 minutes/side for medium-rare, 4.5 minutes/side for medium and 5 minutes/side for medium well. Walk away from the cooking meat and only flip the steak one time!
  6. Let steak rest on a cutting board for 5 to 10 minutes before cutting. If you were just put into a skillet, you'd want a rest too when you got out.
Feed the FreezerFeed the Freezer

Freeze raw steak in a vacuum-seal bag for up to 6 months.  When ready to cook, thaw in the refrigerator over night or under cold water for about an hour, season and let it come to room temperature.

Fun FactsFun Facts
  • The average cow is about 40% steak.
  • Beef is the third highest source of iron behind fortified cereal and grains.
Categories
Bread Featured

Popovers

Temperature400P°Time45 mins

bread_062314_popover

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I had a popover for the first time a couple of years ago and if you’ve never had one, you should do yourself a favor and make that happen ASAP!  These dinner rolls are huge and hollow and crispy and flaky and pretty much all around awesome.  They’re also one of those things that seem like they’re hard to make but they’re super easy.

All you do is mix all of your room-temperature ingredients in a blender for about 30 seconds and divide the batter into 6 wells of a popover pan.  I have this Popover Pan and they turn out great every time!

The RecipeRecipe
Popovers
 
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Author:
Recipe type: Bread
Serves: 6
Ingredients
  • 1 Tbs Melted Butter
  • 2 Eggs, room temperature
  • 1 Cup Milk, room temperature
  • 1 tsp Kosher Salt
  • 1 Cup All-Purpose Flour
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 400°
  2. Spray a 6 cup popover pan with cooking spray.
  3. Put everything in a blender and blend for about 30 seconds.
  4. Fill wells of popover pan about ½ full with the batter. You should have enough for 6 popovers.
  5. Cook in preheated oven for 40 minutes until they are a deep golden brown. Don't open the oven while they're cooking or terrible things will happen!
  6. Remove to cooling rack and poke a small hole in the tops to let steam escape. This will keep them from deflating.
Tips and TricksTips and Tricks

I’ve tried using a muffin tin but you don’t get the volume that you get with a popover pan…the batter needs something to climb up to get the height.

Feed the FreezerFeed the Freezer

If – somehow – there are leftover popovers, you can throw them in the freezer for up to 3 months.  Reheat in a 350° oven for 8 – 10 minutes or until they’ve heated through and gotten some of their crispy back.

Fun FactsFun Facts

Popovers and Yorkshire pudding are very similar.

Categories
Back to Basics Featured Side Dishes

Baked Potatoes

Temperature400°Time1 hour 35 mins

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Sometimes I find that it can be pretty difficult to find a “time and temperature” recipe for something that is rather basic – like oven baked potatoes.  Baked potatoes are a stick-it-in-the-oven-and-walk-away side dish that are amazingly delicious when done right – light and fluffy on the inside and crispy and salty on the outside.

Everyone knows the main purpose of baked potatoes, however, is to be a vehicle for butter, sour cream, cheese, and bacon!

sides_062314_potatoesinoven
Look ma! No pan!

The process here is pretty simple so here are some tips:

  • Salt the potatoes while they’re still wet from washing instead of using oil on the outside.
  • For a crispier skin, place the potatoes directly on the oven rack – no need for a pan.
The RecipeRecipe
Baked Potatoes
 
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Deliciously light and fluffy potatoes with a crispy skin.
Author:
Recipe type: Side
Ingredients
  • Large Baking Potatoes (buy them loose and not in bags/already wrapped)
  • Sea Salt or Kosher Salt
  • Butter, Sour Cream, Bacon, Shredded Cheese, Green Onions for topping
Instructions
  1. Preheat Oven to 400° or Convection Oven to 375°
  2. Wash potatoes under cool tap water
  3. While still wet, sprinkle liberally with salt
  4. Poke holes in the potatoes with a fork
  5. Place directly on the rack of the oven
  6. Cook for 1.5 hours
Tips and TricksTips and Tricks

If potatoes aren’t your thing, try scooping out the innards and enjoy the seasoned, crispy skins with your favorite toppings!

Feed the FreezerFeed the Freezer

I haven’t really had much luck with freezing potatoes but since there’s not really much prep work involved, I generally buy them fresh when I do my weekly shopping trip.

Fun FactsFun Facts
  • Potatoes and lettuce are the two most popular fresh vegetables in the U.S.
  • The average American eats approximately 126 pounds of potatoes each year.
Categories
Dessert Featured

Banana Bread Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Temperature325°Time40 mins

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I talked about Aunt Suzie’s amazing banana bread in a previous post and I can’t say enough how moist and delicious it is.  We’ve noticed that people like to put cream cheese on slices of banana bread so Michael thought it would be good with cream cheese frosting – he was right!

Enter the Banana Bread Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting.  This frosting recipe is what I think I remember my sister’s recipe is…why don’t I know, you ask?  We’ll I’m too busy/lazy to get out the recipe box she made me for Christmas one year to find the card that she wrote it down on!  Either way, it’s delicious and sweet and gooey and cream cheesy and you’ll love the frosting and the cupcakes that live under it.

The RecipeRecipe
Banana Bread Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
 
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Author:
Recipe type: Dessert
Ingredients
For the Cupcakes
  • 2 Super Ripe Bananas, mashed
  • 2 Eggs
  • 1¾ Cup Flour
  • 1½ Cup Sugar
  • 1 tsp Baking Soda
  • 1½ tsp Salt
  • 1 Cup Walnuts (optional)
  • ½ Cup Oil
  • ¼ Cup plus 1 Tbsp Buttermilk
  • 1 tsp Vanilla
For the Cream Cheese Frosting
  • 8 oz Cream Cheese, Softened
  • 3 Cups Powdered Sugar
  • 1 tsp Vanilla
  • Splash of Milk if Needed
Instructions
Make the Cupcakes
  1. Preheat the oven to 325°
  2. Line a muffin pan with cupcake wrappers. This recipe will make at least 12 cupcakes.
  3. Combine all ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer and mix to combine.
  4. Fill wells of the cupcake pan ¾ of the way full and cook for about 25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.
  5. Remove cupcakes from the pan and allow them to cool completely on a cooking rack.
Make the Frosting
  1. Beat cream cheese in the bowl of a stand mixer until smooth
  2. Slowly add powdered sugar ⅓ at a time until it’s all mixed in
  3. Add vanilla and a splash of milk if the frosting is too stiff.
  4. Once the cupcakes are cooled, put the frosting in a large zip-top bag and cut off the bottom corner to make a quick pastry bag. Swirl the frosting on the cupcakes and enjoy!
Tips and TricksTips and Tricks

To make frosting the cupcakes easier, wait until they have cooled down. Use a cake decorating bag or make your own using a Ziplock bag. Put the frosting in the bag and cut off the corner. Frost away!

Feed the FreezerFeed the Freezer

Cupcakes – and any cake for that matter – do great in the freezer!  Just bag them and put them in the freezer unfrosted for up to 3 months.  When you’re ready for cupcakes, take out of the freezer to thaw, whip up a batch of frosting and swirl away!

Fun FactsFun Facts
  • Cupcakes are over 200 years old.
  • 13% of wedding receptions now use cupcakes instead of traditional wedding cakes.
Categories
Breakfast Featured Jason's Favorites

Homemade Frozen Sausage Biscuits

Temperature400°Time25 mins

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It is well known that breakfast is the best meal of the day.  If you were to ask everyone in the world what their favorite breakfast food was, I’m pretty sure the unanimous response would be a sausage biscuit, making the sausage biscuit the single most delicious food in the world.  It is also the perfect grab-and-go breakfast!  If only we could have a delicious sausage biscuit on hectic weekday mornings…

Wait a minute…

We can!!

At it’s most basic, this recipe is

  • Make sausage (or cook up some store-bought sausage)
  • Make biscuits
  • Put sausage in biscuit
  • Freeze

Here are the recipes that you’ll need for this marriage of deliciousness:

The RecipeRecipe

Homemade Breakfast Sausage
 
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Serves: 8
Ingredients
  • 1 - 1.5 lb Ground Pork
  • 1 tsp Kosher Salt
  • 1 tsp Black Pepper
  • ½ tsp Dried Sage
  • ½ tsp Dried Thyme
  • 1 Tbs Brown Sugar
  • ¼ tsp Cayenne Pepper
  • ½ tsp Red Pepper Flakes
  • 1 Tbs Mustard Powder
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 400°
  2. Combine all ingredients in a big bowl until it's one big mixture - think meatloaf.
  3. Divide mixture into 8 equal portions (mine are about 2.5 oz each) and form into patties
  4. Place patties on a sheet pan and cook for 10 minutes, flip the patties and cook for an additional 10 minutes.
  5. Test for doneness and enjoy!
  6. You can also cook these on the stove top in skillet.

Buttermilk Biscuits
 
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Ingredients
  • 3 Cups Flour
  • 4 tsp Baking Powder
  • 1 tsp Salt
  • 1 Tbsp Sugar
  • 5 Tbs Butter
  • 3 Tbs Vegetable Shortening
  • 1⅓ Cup Buttermilk
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 450°
  2. Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar in a large bowl
  3. Cut in cold butter and shortening with a fork, your fingers, or a pastry cutter until you get pea sized chunks of flour/butter/shortening
  4. Pour in buttermilk and mix to combine. The mixture will be clumpy kind of like dry cookie dough.
  5. Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface and bring together into a dough - being careful not to overwork the dough.
  6. Pat dough out into a rectangle that is about ½ an inch thick and cut into biscuits. I cut them into squares because I didn't want to get out the biscuit cutters and reform the dough but you can cut rounds if you'd like.
  7. Place on greased sheet pan and put into the oven for 12 - 15 minutes. Watch them at the end and pull them out when they are golden brown and delicious.

Tips and TricksTips and Tricks

Freezing is not necessary. Eat as many fresh sausage biscuits as you want!

Feed the FreezerFeed the Freezer

So you’ve made the sausage and biscuits and put them together into a delicious sausage biscuit.  Assuming there are any left here’s what’s next…

  • Wrap Sausage Biscuits individually in aluminum foil and freeze.
  • The night before you want to enjoy a sausage biscuit, take one out of the freezer and place it in the refrigerator to thaw.
  • Place wrapped and thawed biscuit in a 400° oven and cook for 30 minutes until heated through.

No time to reheat in the oven?

  • Remove thawed sausage biscuit from aluminum foil and wrap in a paper towel.
  • Microwave on high for 50 seconds until heated through.  Some sort of witchcraft in the paper towel keeps the biscuit from getting that “microwaved bread” texture.  This is the method I use since I get up at 5:45 in the morning.

Forgot to put the biscuit in the fridge the night before?

  • Remove thawed sausage biscuit from aluminum foil and wrap in a paper towel.
  • Microwave on high for 75 seconds until heated through.
Fun FactsFun Facts
  • A biscuit refers to a cookie in the United Kingdom and Canada.
  • White flour, commonly used to bake biscuits, is almost instantly metabolized into sugar. Biscuits will quickly spike your blood-sugar level.
Categories
Bread Breakfast Featured

Aunt Suzi’s Banana Bread

Banana Bread from www.jasonscooking.com
Temperature325°Time1 hour 30 mins

Banana Bread from www.jasonscooking.com

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Sometimes I like the idea of bananas better than actually eating bananas so we have a lot of brown bananas in the freezer.  The best part about all of those bananas in the freezer is that sometimes Michael will turn them into the most amazing banana bread in the world.  This recipe came from his Aunt Suzi and whenever I bring it to work, everyone goes bananas for it!

Seriously…this bread is bananas.  B-A-N-A-N-A-S!

I couldn’t resist…

The RecipeRecipe
Aunt Suzi's Banana Bread
 
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The world's most amazing banana bread. Seriously. Try it.
Author:
Recipe type: Dessert
Ingredients
  • 2 Super Ripe Bananas, mashed
  • 2 Eggs
  • 1¾ Cup Flour
  • 1½ Cup Sugar
  • 1 tsp Baking Soda
  • 1½ tsp Salt
  • 1 Cup Walnuts (optional)
  • ½ Cup Oil
  • ¼ Cup plus 1 Tbsp Buttermilk
  • 1 tsp Vanilla
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 325°
  2. Grease and flour a 9 x 5 loaf pan. We've found that glass works the best.
  3. Combine all ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer and mix to combine.
  4. Pour mixture into loaf pan and bake for 1 hour and 20 minutes or until top is a deep brown and split and a toothpick comes out clean.
Tips and TricksTips and Tricks

Michael says his secret is that he doesn’t put the nuts in it but I’ll leave that up to you.  This bread is great plain or with butter or cream cheese.

Feed the FreezerFeed the Freezer
  • Don’t throw away your brown bananas.  Throw them in the freezer and then thaw them out when you’re ready to make this tasty treat.  The best part is they have their own wrapper!
  • This bread freezes really well after it’s cooked and doesn’t take long at all to thaw so you have a sweet treat on hand whenever you want one.
Fun FactsFun Facts
  • Bananas are naturally radioactive.
  • There are approximately 1000 different types of banana plants.
Categories
Bread Breakfast Featured

Buttermilk Biscuits

Temperature450°Time25 mins

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BackgroundBackground

I love breakfast more than any other meal.  Breakfast has the best meats, the best breads, and sometimes dessert is incorporated right into the meal.  I’ll take a bacon, egg and cheese biscuit over a club sandwich any day of the week!

Growing up in the south, biscuits were a pretty regular sight on the table – whether breakfast, lunch, dinner or supper.  The difference between lunch/supper and dinner is that dinner is fancier and was more likely to feature all the good stuff that southern food is known for, AKA biscuits.

Nanny (my mom’s mom) taught me the basics of biscuits but she never measured so I couldn’t turn out reliable biscuits like she did.  My goal this year was to “get good at biscuits” so I picked up a book called Ratio: The Simple Codes Behind the Craft of Everyday Cooking and a bag of flour and went to work and here’s what I came up with…

The RecipeRecipe
Buttermilk Biscuits
 
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Tender and flaky buttermilk biscuits will make people think that you are a southern grandmother.
Author:
Recipe type: Breakfast
Serves: 8
Ingredients
  • 3 Cups Flour
  • 4 tsp Baking Powder
  • 1 tsp Salt
  • 1 Tbsp Sugar
  • 5 Tbsp Butter
  • 3 Tbsp Vegetable Shortening
  • 1⅓ Cup Buttermilk
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 450°
  2. Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar in a large bowl
  3. Cut in cold butter and shortening with a fork, your fingers, or a pastry cutter until you get pea sized chunks of flour/butter/shortening
  4. Pour in buttermilk and mix to combine. The mixture will be clumpy kind of like dry cookie dough.
  5. Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface and bring together into a dough - being careful not to overwork the dough.
  6. Pat dough out into a rectangle that is about ½ an inch thick and cut into biscuits. I cut them into squares because I didn't want to get out the biscuit cutters and reform the dough but you can cut rounds if you'd like.
  7. Place on greased sheet pan and put into the oven for 12 - 15 minutes. Watch them at the end and pull them out when they are golden brown and delicious.
Tips and TricksTips and Tricks
Feed the FreezerFeed the Freezer

Biscuits are super easy to make and freeze really well.  Get the hang of it and you’ll never buy a bag of frozen biscuits again!

  • Place uncooked biscuits in a single layer in the freezer so they’re not touching.
  • Once the biscuits have frozen, place them in a freezer bag for up to 6 months.
  • Cook biscuits directly from frozen at 375° on a greased pan for 20 – 25 minutes or until they’re golden brown and delicious.
Fun FactsFun Facts
  • A biscuit refers to a cookie in the United Kingdom and Canada.
  • White flour, commonly used to bake biscuits, is almost instantly metabolized into sugar. Biscuits will quickly spike your blood-sugar level.
Categories
Breakfast Featured

Homemade Breakfast Sausage Patties

Tasty breakfast sausage...
Temperature400°Time25 mins

BackgroundBackground

I’m going to show my hand in the controversial bacon vs. sausage debate and align with Team Sausage.  Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day and, while all of the breakfast meats are delicious, sausage is my favorite.  Don’t get me wrong, I love bacon – I just love sausage a wee bit more.  There’s nothing quite like a spicy/sweet sausage patty inside a light and fluffy buttermilk biscuit to get your day started off right.

The RecipeRecipe
Homemade Breakfast Sausage Patties
 
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Making your own breakfast sausage is super easy and you probably have most if not all of the spices you need in your cabinet right now!
Author:
Recipe type: Breakfast
Cuisine: Southern
Serves: 8
Ingredients
  • 1 - 1.5 lb Ground Pork
  • 1 tsp Kosher Salt
  • 1 tsp Black Pepper
  • ½ tsp Dried Sage
  • ½ tsp Dried Thyme
  • 1 Tbs Brown Sugar
  • ¼ tsp Cayenne Pepper
  • ½ tsp Red Pepper Flakes
  • 1 Tbs Mustard Powder
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 400°
  2. Combine all ingredients in a big bowl until it's one big mixture - think meatloaf.
  3. Divide mixture into 8 equal portions (mine are about 2.5 oz each) and form into patties
  4. Place patties on a sheet pan and cook for 10 minutes, flip the patties and cook for an additional 10 minutes.
  5. Test for doneness and enjoy!
  6. You can also cook these on the stove top in skillet.
Tips and TricksTips and Tricks

Here are some things you may not know about sausage:

  • It’s incredibly easy to make at home.
  • You can cook it in the oven!

I had no idea you could cook sausage in the oven!  I’ve been cooking it on the stove top like a schlub for years.  Like bacon, sausage in the oven is super easy and way less messy than cooking it on the stove top.  Give it a shot and I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised!

Feed the FreezerFeed the Freezer

Sausage patties freeze beautifully and can be cooked from frozen on the stove top or in the oven.

  • Place uncooked sausage patties not touching in a single layer in the freezer until they are solid.  Once solid, transfer them to a freezer bag and keep them for up to 6 months.
  • When ready to cook, remove the number of patties you need from the freezer and cook in a cast-iron skillet directly from the freezer until they are no longer pink in the center (about 5-6 minutes per side).

You can also freeze cooked sausage patties and reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop for a quick and mess-free breakfast!

Fun FactsFun Facts
  • 83% of sausages are made from pork.
  • Sausages were called bangers during the Second World War because they contained so much water they exploded when fried.