The Cooking Carpenter

Pizzaaaaaaaaa!!!!

April 14, 2012April 21, 2012Leave a comment

Pizza! I mean really what more can I say. Kids love them. Parents love them. Friends and family love them. My sister-in-law would probably live on them if we let her. She has Downs syndrome, and pizza is one of her favorite foods. There are thousands of ingredients, and a variety of countries have their own versions. Let us just face it; pizza is a way of life.

I decided to make one from scratch, well, with a Pillsbury Thin Crust dough anyway. The sauce is basically just tomato paste, dried rosemary, oregano, basil, fresh garlic, and some water. My recipe said to use 1 ¾ cups of water, which made it really runny. I ended up adding a can of tomato sauce to help thicken it some. This worked a bit, but the sauce was still fairly thin. Then, I put it in a jar to let it marinade for a couple of days, soaking in the flavor of the herbs.

It was wonderful. The crust was a golden brown. The fixin’s were just what I wanted them to be. It had to have been one of the best pizzas I have ever tasted. My wife even said that it beat out one of our favorite pizza places in Houston, “Spanky’s Pizza” off of 610. UMMMM their garlic and spinach pizza just makes my mouth water. I am going to have to try some other things as well. Maybe I’ll try some pesto, garlic sauce, or Alfredo sauce with chicken. There are so many things that can be done. I cannot wait to try something new.

Just Remember, “Some things are just made better at home!”

Here is what I used for the Pizza Sauce:
(1) 8oz can Tomato paste
(2) Garlic cloves minced
Dried Oregano to Taste
Dried Basil to Taste
Dried Rosemary to Taste
Pinch of salt
(1) cup of water
Optional (1) can of Tomato Sauce

Mix well and let sit for 1 to 2 days.

The Order Of Things

March 31, 2012March 31, 2012Leave a comment

Wood Crafters is one of the best backyard construction companies in the Houston area. I have been working with them for over 16 years now and look forward to learning new things in construction from them. After all, my recreational passions are cooking, building, and comics.

One of the things I have learned recently is about baseboards. I always thought that it was better to do the baseboards last. This way you get a clean look and everything finishes out nicer. It seems weird that my boss always insists that the baseboards should go in before the finished floors.

I thought that it had more to do with the fact that “time is money”, however this is not the case. In the kids room I decided to do it my way – baseboards last. Ultimately I realize that it would have been better to do them before the flooring. They look fine, but they could have been more level without any gaps on the bottom. They would have been easier to install, and touch up would have been easier. I have learned that there is an order to things. When the professionals decide that it needs to be done a specific way, there is always a reason.

Now I wish I had listened and done it the way my boss suggested. It looks nice, but I can tell the difference between what it could have been compared to what it is now. I guess you live and learn! That is why there are Carpenters with a big “C”, and i am one with a little “c”! I have much to learn. So remember, “listen to experience, have a plan, and realize there is an order to things!”

Salmon with Mustard Cream

March 24, 2012March 24, 2012Leave a comment

I have cooked many things since I started this blog. Some have been winners and others have been duds. The things that I put on here are generally what I would call successes or definite winners. This one was definitely a winner. My wife said that it had to be one of the best dinners that I have made so far.

This was one from the Cooking Light Superfast Suppers cook book that my wife got when she was doing Southern Living At Home. It is actually one of our favorite cookbooks. For one, it gives you parings like the one that I did that night. Salmon with Mustard Cream Sauce and Pan-Roasted Potates. If you can find this cookbook I would definately recommend it.

The potatoes were basically store bought potatoes wedges that you find in the freezer section of your grocery store (such as Simply Potatoes). Heat oil in a skillet, put the potatoes in it with some greek seasoning and some fresh ground pepper. It takes about 10-12 minutes to make.

The salmon is broiled and you will need a good broiler pan to make this work the best. Crack some pepper on top of it, and sprinkle it with a little lime or lemon juice. It doesn’t need very much juice to give it a little more of a ting. So don’t over do it. It says that it takes about 8 minutes, but I let it cook a little longer to make sure that it was fully cooked. I also made the potatoes and the cream sauce while it was broiling. This did in fact make it super fast and super easy.

I recommend having your Fishmonger cut the pieces to size and find some really fat pieces of meat as well. Because I did this in advance, I didn’t have to worry about size issues or trying to cut them to the weight myself. I also left the skin on the fish. I don’t know that it really helped or hurt any, but it did keep the fish nice and together when I pulled it off the pan.

This is not only a great evening dinner plan, but it is also Super Fast and Super Easy just like the cookbook says. Just remember, “The simple things in life, can be the most enjoyable.”

Salmon with Mustard Cream
4 (6-ounce) Skinless Salmon Fillets
Cooking Spray
1/8 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1/2 Cup reduced-fat sour cream
1 1/2 tablespoons Dijon Mustard
2 teaspoons chopped fresh dill
1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt

1. Preheat broiler
2. Place fish on a broiler pan; coat fish with cooking spray, and sprinkle with 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Broil about 8 minutes or until the fish flakes easily when tested with fork.
3. Combine sour cream and next 6 ingredients.
4. Place fillets on plates. Spoon sauce over fish.

Yield: 4 Servings (Serving Size: 1 Fillet and about 2 tablespoons sauce.)

Cooking Light Superfast Suppers, Oxmoor House 2003

That’s alot of Bull – and Potatoes!

March 17, 2012Leave a comment

Well the Houston Rodeo is in full swing. This is a huge event with Roping, Riding, Bulls, Horns, Rodeo Clowns, Concerts and best of all BBQ! It has cowboys and cowgirls, hats, boots, and spurs. My wife is still talking about Reba McEntire’s boots. There is nothing like having a cattle drive through one of the largest cities in the United States to make you think of steak. So this is for all you meat and potatoes kind of guys or gals.

Steaks are one of those things that my wife really didn’t think that I could do. I mean she was OK with what I have done, but just wasn’t thrilled with my way of making them and I would have had to agree. So I have been trying to find different ways to make a steak and keep it juicy and full of flavor. Well I have found the solution. I recently watched this video (click here) and learned a lot about how to make a great steak. This was in direct conflict to what my wife said that Nate Berkus’ guest was suggesting. But I think that I have a winner either way.

Fabio (from the video) says that steak is something that you don’t have to mess with a lot. He says not to put salt directly on the raw steak. Nate’s guest said that you should put salt on the steak to bring out the juices. I am going to have to go with Fabio on this one. This was a juicy steak, full of flavor, and best of all, my wife loved it. I mixed some butter, fresh parsley, rosemary, and blue cheese. Then I put some crumbles of blue cheese and some green onions on top. It was delicioso. If you get the chance check out the video, and be amazed with a mouth-watering, succulent, full of flavor steak.

Just remember, “If at first you don’t succeed, look it up on the internet.” Have fun!

It is Simple – Just Use the Manual

March 10, 2012Leave a comment

In carpentry the phrase, “This should be a simple job!” is a curse word. It is kind of like saying “Break a Leg” to an actor before they go on stage. To the actor it is considered good luck, in the other not so much. In almost every case the thing that was supposed to be “simple” just doesn’t turn out that way.

This last weekend I had to install a new attic ladder, so I asked one of my carpenter buddies to come and help me put it in. (This really should be a two-man project.) The wood attic ladder we owned was broken at the joint on the bottom section. These ladders almost always break in this location and I did not want to consider putting a new one back in.

Both Lowes and Home Depot sell aluminum attic ladders. It is better to spend a little extra and get something that will ultimately hold up better and last longer. After putting it in “by following the instructions” I could feel the difference right away. We watched the video first just to see what we thought, and they made it look so simple. We thought to ourselves “Yeah Right! Like it is going to be that easy.” However, once we finally got the old ladder out of there (the hardest part of the job), it really did flow the way the video described it.

Yes, it is possible for men to read the instructions before putting something together. In this case, I highly recommend it. If you have a bum ladder, check out the video and see if you want to tackle this absolutely amazingly difficult project (not really, LOL) for yourself. If I didn’t just curse the project for you remember, “It is simple – just use the manual and a good buddy.”

Fire and Ice Creole Chicken with Asparagus

March 1, 2012February 29, 2012Leave a comment

I remember when I was a child watching a guy by the name of Justin Wilson cooking the Cajun way. “I Garontee!” He was notorious for putting wine in whatever he cooked and then taking a good swig of it. He was probably plastered before he got done with the show, but I loved it. He was one of the first experiences I had of a famous male cook. He made me interested in Cajun Cooking. So, here is to you Justin; you have been an inspiration.

I called this Fire and Ice Creole Chicken with Asparagus because it has some bite to it, but you can cool it down with the cheese sauce on the Asparagus. It is not inherently too spicy, but I thought it was a cool name. After all they say if something is spicy when you eat it, do not reach for the glass of water. Water will just enhance the burning sensation. Milk is what they say will help ease the burn in your throat.

It is amazing what you can do with Velveeta if you try. Basically I just combined some Velveeta Cheese, sour cream, half and half, and dried dill to make a cheese spread over the steamed asparagus. Be careful not to over cook the Asparagus. It will continue to cook even after you take it off the burner. I have done that plenty of times over the years. Timing is everything when it comes to cooking this vegetable. I love Asparagus! Cooked through with just a little bit of hardness, you can have a wonderful side dish to go with this Creole Chicken. (Broccoli would be great as well.)

Just because it has some spice to it, doesn’t necessarily make it creole. This was however a wonderful and extremely easy dish to make. Throw some spices in a Ziploc bag, mix it with the chicken, and then throw it into a skillet. Add some mango salsa and you have a wonderfully simple and luxurious dinner. MMM, MMM!

Just Remember, “A little inspiration can go a long way. I Garontee!”

Recipe: Creole Chicken

Almond Lace Cookies

February 25, 2012February 28, 2012Leave a comment

Well, this week has been a little hectic. Not only were we having problems with the computer, but we have been learning about Foster Care through DePelchin Children’s Center as well. My wife and I are trying to do foster care to adopt for a sibling group of two. We hope to do it later this year. I never knew how much information was involved with a situation like this. These children have lived through some real horror stories. So publishing this on Wednesday/Thursday like I hope to do for future posts was a little more difficult this week, but I Digress.

Almond Lace Cookies are wonderful little treats and easy to make. The recipe said that it would make 72 cookies. I don’t know what size cookies that they like, but this is Texas. Everything in Texas is bigger, and so were my cookies. Let’s just say we only had about 30 cookies when it was all said and done. I basically only did a spoon full when I placed them on the cookie sheets, but this made larger than normal cookies. Even though this is Texas and we want big things, I recommend going a little smaller. Theywill be easier to eat (it’s a fairly brittle cookie) and bake.

If you like almonds, you will probably really love these. The crushed almonds are accentuated with the almond extract which brings out the flavor even more. Everyone that had them really enjoyed them, and they didn’t last very long in our house. After all, there were only 30 cookies.

As for the chocolate, I do not recommend putting it into a Ziploc bag and placing it in the Microwave for a minute. This creates a Texas size mess to clean up. As I was pulling the bag out of the Microwave, only the bag came out. The chocolate stayed right where it was with some of theplastic. After I cleaned the mushy soft chocolate, I decided to try it a little differently.

My wife suggested that I put the Hershey’s dark chocolate bar in a Ziploc bag and place it in boiling water. Well, my wife is one smart cookie. It only took a few seconds to watch the chocolate melt in the bag, and it was very easily managed from this point on. Pulling the bag out of the (caution) boiling water, I snipped a small corner off of the bag, and it was easy to drizzle the chocolate onto the cookies.

This recipe is easy to make and worth the time if you want to treat your little ones. Hopefully we will soon be able to do the same as well. Remember, “Just like the chocolate, don’t leave any child behind.”

For the Recipe: Almond Lace Cookies

Banana Foster French Toast

February 15, 2012February 15, 2012Leave a comment

This weekend was one that I will never forget. My wife and I decided to host the middle school girls at our house for our church’s Disciple-Now weekend. That is 11 middle school girls, a female (College Student) group leader, my mother-in-law, sister-in-law, my wife, and then there was me – the Lone Ranger (man). It was going to be survival of the fittest in this wild jungle of estrogen. At least I have two male cats – who by the way were cowering beneath the table.

D-Now (as they call it) is basically a weekend slumber party for the different age groups with Bible study and group projects. They went to a Bhutanese Refugee camp, had worship, and enjoyed a quality Bible study time at the house. Joking aside, it was a wonderful experience, and I was impressed with the quality of our youth and their leader. The weekend was a blast!

I decided to find a French Toast recipe to make for the girls with some bacon and scrambled eggs. This way they could start the day with a nice meal. I thought only teenage boys ate like that. WOW!

I found a Betty Crocker recipe for Banana Foster French Toast. The title alone made my mouth water. The truth is that it was just alright though. There were definitely things that could have made it better.

First you spray a 13″x9″ glass dish with baking spray, cut the cinnamon bread into cubes, and place it in the dish. Then you mix the ingredients, (minus bananas, walnuts, some syrup, and the rum extract). These items will be used later – about 8 hours later. All in all, this is an easy dish to make.

As good as it sounds like it should be, it was just average. The bananas did not really add anything to it, and I am still trying to figure out the foster part. I guess that was the rum-extract mixed with the real maple syrup. The maple syrup (liquid gold) could have been cut in half as well.

My wife said that she loved just the French Toast part (no fruit), and my mother-in-law called it a glorified bread pudding. Most of the girls really enjoyed it, and our friend the college student wanted the recipe. I think that it was a hit for the most part. The best part is that it is really easy, and you make most of it the night before.

Instead of adding the bananas and rum-extract infused maple syrup (which cuts the cost in almost half), I think that a raspberry or blueberry sauce could have added a lot to this recipe. Either way it was worth the effort and the ease to make, but ultimately was just an average dish.

The basic french toast portion of this dish, provides a great foundation for a different recipe. You need to try it for yourself to really know, and remember “Just because it sounds good, doesn’t make it any more special. It is the guests that make it special!”

Click here for Recipe: Banana Foster French Toast

Easy Salmon Croquettes (Salmon Cakes)

February 8, 2012February 4, 20122 Comments

Oh so delicious. I can remember when my mom used to make salmon cakes when I was a kid. Coupled with some Kraft Mac and Cheese (the only real Mac and Cheese) was a highlight of the evening. I once called them the Poor Man’s Salmon Cakes. We didn’t always have very much, but my mom really could cook. That is where I get some of my passion for it.

My mom made sure that I would learn how to, so to speak, wine and dine if I wanted to. I have tried it a few different ways in the past, and I didn’t realize that I was missing some of the ingredients, like egg and lemon juice. This recipe is the closest that I have come to my mom’s croquettes, and they are AWESOME and easy to make.

I used three cans of “Chicken of the Sea” boneless skinless Salmon instead of the 15 oz can that the original recipe called for. I like it this way because I can open the can and drain the juices out of it before I use them. Basically I would just press the top of the can into it and get as much of the juice out before use. Then I put them in the bowl.

I used Saltine Crackers and crushed them in a zip lock bag. About ½ of a row of crackers equals one cup, once crushed. Add a little bit of onion, salt, pepper, egg, and lemon juice. Then pack them into little patties. The recipe said that it makes 8 patties, but I made 6. They were about 3” in diameter after I pressed them onto some parchment paper.

I got the oil hot and placed them into the pan. With a little sizzle and pop, they started to brown. I made some Mac and Cheese, and I was in HOG HEAVEN. It brought me back to the good ol’ days.

Enjoy and remember, “It doesn’t have to be difficult to be delicious.”

Click here for the recipe: Salmon Croquettes

Mustard Beef Rolls

February 2, 2012February 2, 2012Leave a comment

Awwww! There is nothing like a slab of meat that you roll bacon into before eating. After all bacon is man’s best friend, right?

I love to cook. Not everything that I make is a winner but I think this one is definitely a keeper. The MUSTARD BEEF ROLLS, garlic mashed potatoes, and corn took about 2 hours total to put together (50 minutes of that time was the beef in the oven). The dish was not necessarily difficult, and I would say that I would do it again in the future.

I think that the following things could have made it a little eaiser though:

The recipe called for crumbled bacon and making that upfront from breakfast or the night before might have made the process a little eaiser and cut back some of the cleanup. This could cause a problem if you want to use the bacon drippings, but you could use butter instead.
See if you can have the butcher cut the flank steaks into (5) 2″x5″ pieces ahead of time – pretenderized. This way you know that the size is all ready for you to add the mix too as soon as it is ready.

The hardest part really comes from trying to roll the beef and keep the stuffing intact, but once you get them together, there is not that much left to do. You put them into the flour, fry until they start to brown, add the wine, and then cook for 50 minutes.

My wife described them as tasting like little meatloafs. Which is probably a pretty fair description of what they tasted like. So if you are up for a little experiment, check out the recipe below, and remember to “Spice up your kitchen with something new.”

Click here for recipe: Mustard Beef Rolls