A bottle of sriracha, that spicy Thai chili paste, magically appeared in my cupboard a few weeks ago (or maybe my roommate put it there).  Since then, I’ve been trying to work the sauce into a few recipes.  The sriracha, sort of a chili pepper ketchup (it’s made with salt, vinegar, and sugar), adds a big kick of flavor and spice to bland vegetables and side dishes.  Here’s one recipe that has been a big success for me.


Ingredients:
  • About 3 cups fresh broccoli
  • 2 teaspoons soy sauce
  • ¼ cup crushed almonds
  • Vegetable or canola oil
  • Sriracha (to taste)
Equipment:
  • Knife and cutting board
  • 4 cup+ pot
  • 9 inch skillet
  • Mortar and pestle (or substitute: see below)
1.  With a mortar and pestle, crush the almonds.  Sliced almonds will probably be easier to crush than whole, but anything’s possible with a mortar and pestle.  If you don’t have a mortar and pestle (I’ve used mine like twice, so it’s no real loss) place the almonds in a plastic bag and crush with the butt of a glass.  Set the crushed almonds aside for later.

2.  I prefer to use fresh broccoli because I think you get a fuller, deeper flavor with fresh rather than frozen.  If you’re using frozen broccoli, you can skip this step.  Rinse the broccoli in cold water; shake out excess water.  Chop the head into florets.  Set the large stalks aside so you can use them for vegetable stock, cream of broccoli soup, and other dishes at another time.  You can also throw the stalks away if none of those options sound appetizing.

3.  Drop the broccoli into a pot of water.  Place the pot over high heat for 5-7 minutes, or until the broccoli turns a deeper green.  When the color has risen, drain the broccoli.

4.  Heat a small amount of oil (barely enough to coat the bottom of your skillet).  Over heat, toss the broccoli in the oil.  Add soy sauce.

5.  Add your sriracha to the broccoli skillet.  I would start small with just a few drops at a time - this stuff is spicy - until the dish is as hot as you’d like.

6.  Remove the broccoli to a serving dish, sprinkle the almonds on top.

7.  Serve with a bottle of sriracha (for guests who really like hot food/hate their taste buds.)
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Before my Brazilian adventure this summer, I got on a bread pudding kick. I tried a couple variations, substituting banana for applesauce and cake for bread-all too much support. Once I arrived in South America, I found myself craving my new dessert and without measuring devices or chocolate chips so I improvised. They had no applesauce, so I grabbed some plantains off the tree in the backyard and mashed them to create a similar consistency. Though we were chocolate-chip-less, I had two massive chocolate bars begging to be chopped up.The chefs at the Jaguar Lodge enjoyed the variation from their normal dessert spread so much that they asked me to leave the recipe.


Bread Pudding Stateside

Ingredients:
  • About 8 slices dried bread or cake (ripped into pieces)
  • 2 c. milk
  • 2 eggs
  • ¾ c. brown sugar
  • 1-2 t. cinnamon
  • ½ c. chocolate chips
  • ¼ c. dried cherries
  • ¼ c. raisins
  • 2 ½ c. applesauce 

Brazilian Style Bread Pudding

Ingredients:
  • Dried bread or cake
  • Sweetened condensed milk
  • Bananas
  • Raisins
  • Chocolate bar
  • Coconut (optional)
  • Boxed milk

Instructions:

  1. Pre-heat oven to 375°.
  2. Place half of the bread pieces into a 9x13 baking dish.
  3. Mix together 2 cups applesauce with ½ cup brown sugar, cinnamon, dried cherries, raisins and chocolate chips.
  4. Pour mixture into dish with bread and mix to combine.
  5. In a separate bowl combine milk, eggs, and brown sugar.
  6. Pour ¼ of the milk mixture on top of the bread.
  7. Place the rest of the bread in the pan.
  8. Pour the rest of the milk mixture on top of the bread.
  9. Spread ½ cup applesauce on top of the bread.
  10. Sprinkle cinnamon and sugar on top.
  11. Bake until eggs set and sugar caramelizes, about 45-60 minutes. 


Brazilian variation
Don’t measure ingredients- just use what seems right. For the “chocolate chips,” cut pieces of chocolate bars into small pieces. Use mashed bananas in place of applesauce, boxed milk and no dried cherries. Once it comes out of the oven, pour sweetened condensed milk on top of the bread pudding. Sprinkle coconut flakes on top of sweetened condensed milk.
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Although college kitchens may be on the more...tiny...and inefficient...side, remembering to use your kitchen basics is perfect for creating summer time meals.  Not everyone is blessed with a Weber grill in the back yard, like my previous home in Ann Arbor, so it is always fun to find recipes with ingredients that are refreshing, suited for summer,  and can be made in your own oven and stove!


Pasta à la Brandon

Ingredients: 

  • 1 red pepper
  • 1 green zucchini
  • 1 yellow summer squash (yellow zucchini)
  • 1/2 pound penne pasta
  • Butter
  • Olive oil
  • Parmesan Cheese 
  • Fresh basil leaves
  • Red pepper flakes
  • Garlic salt
  • Salt
  • Pepper

  1. Roast the red pepper.  To roast a red pepper, turn your oven on broil.  Put the pepper on a baking sheet and place in the oven for around 30-40 minutes, rotating frequently.  Once the pepper has a black outside, but is not burned on the inside, remove the pepper from the oven.  
  2. Place the pepper in a bowl and cover the bowl with a plate for 10 minutes so the pepper can sweat (this step is crucial for making the removal of the pepper skin easy!).  Once the pepper is done sweating, remove the skin, and Meanwhile, chop the zucchini and yellow summer squash.  Sauté in olive oil and add salt, pepper, garlic salt, and red pepper flakes to 
  3. Cook the pasta al dente and add butter to the noodles after 
  4. Add the sautéed vegetables, and roasted red pepper to the 
  5. Add chopped fresh basil (to taste), parmesan cheese (to taste), and mix 
  6. Most importantly, ENJOY!


** These ingredients would also taste delicious with different sauces if you do not want to just have buttered noodles.
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By the time October rolls around, the crisp and refreshing air cools down Ann Arbor and summer time seems like a distant and past memory. We forget that we used air conditioning units (if you’re lucky enough to have one) or fans to cool us off. Going to the pool or beach seems totally absurd and wearing shorts...what are those, again? Not only do the summers in Michigan offer us beautiful weather, they provide up with delicious produce and herbs. Tomatoes, peppers, corn, beets, lettuce, onions, green beans, broccoli, eggplant, watermelon, blueberries, and one of my personal favorites: basil. Summertime in Michigan is a farmer’s-market-goer’s dream, especially if you like basil. Normally, purchasing fresh basil at your local grocery store can be pricy, so buying three big handfuls at the Ann Arbor’s Farmer’s Market for only $1.50 seemed like a steal!      After buying so much basil, I decided to make about two cups worth and freeze it, that way whenever I want homemade pesto, it’s available right away, and I don’t have to pay the high price of pre-made off-season pesto at a grocery store.  


Basil Pesto

  • 2 cups of fresh basil leaves, packed
  • 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan
  • 1/2(1/3) cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/3 cup pine nuts (or walnuts for less expensive alternative)
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • Salt and pepper-to taste

  1. Chop basil, roughly.
  2. Put basil, garlic, and little bit of the olive oil in the food processor and blend until incorporated.
  3. Add the pine nuts and while the food processor is on, add the remaining olive oil in.
  4. Add the parmesan after te pesto is smooth and quickly pulse to incorporate     throughout pesto (*you may need to add additional olive oil for a more liquidly consistency)
  5. Add the salt and pepper.  
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Some find the idea of creating an alfredo sauce from scratch a daunting task, and jump straight to store bought sauces. This recipe proves to be quick, easy, and absolutely foolproof as the exact measurements can be adjusted to your taste preferences. After several batches, the following is my recommendation for a truly savory and creamy sauce you will be sure to enjoy.    


Ingredients:
2 cloves garlic minced
½ stick butter or 4 tbsp
¾-1 cup parmesan cheese
½ cup heavy whipping cream
Dash of pepper

Instructions:
  1. In a small sauce pan sauté the minced garlic on medium heat until slightly browned.
  2. Keep pan on medium heat and add butter until completely melted.
  3. Add heavy cream and stir with butter until mixed thoroughly.
  4. Stir in parmesan cheese making sure to dissolve any clumps.
  5. Finally add pepper to taste, I recommend about ¼ teaspoon or so.
Can serve about 3-4 people depending on how much sauce you like. 
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Here’s a yummy summer salad recipe with a fresh taste!

Ingredients:
  • ½ head of cabbage
  • 1 small white onion
  • 1 tomato
  • 1 lime
Instructions:
  1. Thinly chop cabbage.
  2. Chop onion and tomato. Add all ingredients to large bowl and mix well.
  3. Squeeze lime over ingredients, mix well.
  4. Easy as that! Perfect side to any summer meal. Enjoy!
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Ingredients:
•    2 avocados
•    1 tomato
•    1 small white onion
•    1 lime
•    ¼ cup of cilantro
•    Salt

Instructions:
  1. Cut avocados in half length-wise. School out pits (if you don’t finish the guac, put pits back in to preserve longer!)
  2. Slice avocados both length-wise and width-wise inside peel. Scoop out into bowl.
  3. Chop tomato and onion, add to avocados in bowl.
  4. Mince cilantro, add to bowl.
  5. Mix everything together with a spoon.
  6. Add a dash of salt for flavor to your liking.
  7. Add lime (personally I like lots of lime so I squeeze the whole thing in, but add however much you want!)
  8. Serves 2-3 people. For larger portion, multiply ingredients proportionally.
  9. Get out the corn tortilla chips and buen provecho!

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Total preparation and cooking time should be about 20-30 minutes.

Ingredients: 
  •      White Potatoes
  •       Vegetable Oil
  •       Fresh Cheese Curd
  •       and Turkey or Brown Gravy  

Instructions:

  1. Gravy should probably be your first concern.  I used a really simple McCormick gravy packet, but homemade gravy can be made from pan drippings if you’ve roasted a turkey, or other large piece of meat.  Gravy can also be made by adding flour and water to stock.  However you’re getting your gravy, it’s nice to get it started and thickening early, before you start frying anything. 
  2. Next, find a pan to fry your potatoes in, fill the pan with about 1½ to 2 inches of vegetable oil.  While bringing the oil up to high heat, wash your potatoes with cold water and peel them if desired (personally, I prefer my fries with the skin on.)  
  3. Chop the potatoes into medium thickness strips for frying (think steak fries rather than shoestring).  When the oil is hot enough (to test the heat, splash a little drop of water into the pan, if the oil starts sputtering, you’re ready to fry) gently slide your potatoes into the pan.  Be careful not to drop the potatoes in, a heavy plop will send burning oil splashing into your face. 
  4.  Leave the potatoes submerged in the oil and undisturbed until they have reached a golden, crispy, brown.  Resist the urge to toss or stir them as the fry, this will cause them to split or break. 
  5. While the fries cook, begin preparing the cheese.  If you found actual fresh cheese curd your job shouldn’t be too hard; just drain the curds and crumble.  If you could not find fresh curds (I couldn’t) you’ll want to use another soft white cheese; I recommend mozzarella.  Whatever sort of cheese you use, crumble or cube it into bite-size pieces. 
  6. When your fries are ready, remove them from the hot oil and drain on a paper napkin.  Lightly salt the potatoes and then assemble your poutine while everything is still fresh and warm.  The process is pretty simple; you’re ready to enjoy your Canadian treat.
As I mentioned before, there is a lot of room to play with this recipe.  One restaurant in Toronto, substituted sweet potato fries, another used heavier beef gravy.  I personally want to give poutine zucchini fries a try (maybe with a tangier wasabi and teriyaki sauce?)  So turn on the curling game, pick up some Timbits, and get creative with this perfect Canadian comfort food.
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Raspberry and Orange Chocolate Truffle Torte
 
Raspberry Puree:
• 1 cup fresh raspberries
 
Truffle Torte
• 1 lb bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 2 sticks unsalted butter, cubed
• 6 eggs
• 3/4 cup raspberry puree
• 1/8 teaspoon pure orange oil
 
 
 
To prepare raspberry puree:
  1. Puree the cup of raspberries in a food processor until smooth and liquified.

 
To prepare the Truffle Torte:
  1. Preheat oven to 425. Line the bottom of a 9-inch spring-form pan with parchment paper cut into a circle. Brush inside of pan with melted butter.  Wrap foil around the outside bottom and sides of pan. Place into a large pan, filled about 1 inch with water.
  2.  Melt the chocolate and butter in a double boiler. Add orange oil. Remove from heat and set aside. Place eggs over the same hot water in a separate bowl and whisk until warm to the touch. *NOTE: THIS DOESN’T TAKE LONG. DON’T LET THE EGGS COOK. 
  3. Whisk eggs until they have tripled in volume. Fold whipped eggs into chocolate mixture, one third at a time, until mixture is smooth. Add raspberry puree until well incorporated.
  4. Pour chocolate mixture into prepare spring-form pan. Bake for 5 minutes. Take torte out of oven. Reduce heat to 375. Cover with foil and bake torte for an additional 10 minutes. Remove from oven, let cool, and remove foil. Cake will be very jiggly. Refrigerate overnight.

 
To remove from pan:
  1. Place pan over burner for 10 seconds. Flip over onto a serving platter.
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Ready to try something a little different? You'll love this!
Ingredients:
  • 1 package oxtails, about 1lb
  • 2 carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
  • 2 onions, peeled and roughly chopped. 
  • 4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
  • One can (14oz ) crushed tomatoes
  • ¾ cup chicken broth
  • ½ tsp cayenne pepper
  • ¼ tsp red pepper flakes
  • 1 tsp salt
  • Half to one bottle red wine, preferably Bordeaux
Instructions:
  1. Sprinkle the oxtails with salt and pepper, heat olive oil in a large pot and brown the oxtails on all sides. Transfer to a plate
  2. Add the onions and garlic to pan, and sauté until onions are tender, around 5 minutes.
  3. Add carrots, then tomatoes with their juice. Add the oxtails back into the pot, and add the rest of the remaining ingredients. Add enough wine to cover the oxtails. 
  4. Allow the pot to simmer for 2-3 hours until the meat is tender.
  5. Now, at this point you can either serve the oxtails as is, or you can de-bone them and cut up the meat and serve with spaghetti. If serving with spaghetti, 
  6. Bring the cooking mixture up to a boil and cook spaghetti directly in the juices. It allows the juices to thicken up a bit due to the starch from the spaghetti, making a wonderful sauce. After spaghetti is cooked until al dente, serve it with either whole oxtails, or the deboned oxtail pieces, salt and pepper to taste, and garnish with a sprig of parsley. Enjoy!
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