Insulate Your Attic…with Marshmallow Fluff?

Insulate Your Attic…with Marshmallow Fluff?

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Cabernet Braised Spare Ribs

I’ve been cooking for years, and being a proud Southern cook, I’ve smothered my share of pork chops and chicken. Last weekend, however, I realized that “smothering” is very similar to (if not the same as) braising.

This month’s Bon Appetite (Oct. 2007) features these short ribs, and after cooking them, I totally see how they made the cover.

Everything comes together at the end. The ribs cook away in two bottles’ worth of Cabernet for a few hours until they are falling off the bone.

The wine imbues the meat with a deep, rich flavor – and it makes a nice reduction at the end.

We served it over the magazine’s recommendation of Gorgonzola polenta, but to be honest, I didn’t care for it. To be fair, I’m not a huge fan of blue cheeses.

Next time, I am going to serve it over my Roasted Corn Grits. That will make it perfect.

Even though I didn’t love it, the polenta was okay. I’ll post about it tomorrow. Bridget actually said it was better the next day. “Not as blue cheesy,” Bridget said.

Make this for company.

Sneak Peek of the new Blake Makes – Coming This Week!

Hello Blake Makers. After months of using a basic WordPress template, I’m giving my blog a make-over. The new design will be live later this week (it’s being loaded now). It’s been baking in the over, and needed to get just a little browner. It’s done now, and sitting on the counter cooling.

I’m super excited and I’m about to take Blake Makes to the next level.

My Rosemary Pork Gravy is too thin. Help?

Blake Makers, I need your help. I braised some pork chops this weekend, and made some amazing gravy to go with it. Although the flavor was right on, how do I make this gravy thicker and creamier?

Here’s how I made it:

I seared 3 pork chops in a hot, heavy-bottom pot with a little oil. I got a good crust on the chops and then removed them from the pan.

I added a little oil and a little butter to the pan, followed by a chopped onion.

I cooked the onion over medium heat for a few minutes until it started going translucent (and a little brown). I added a couple of cloves of minced garlic and cooked for about a minute longer.

Next, I added 1 cup of chicken stock, and then returned the chops – after which, I covered and cooked on low for about an hour (or longer).

Just before we were ready to eat, I added a few tsp. of minced Rosemary, some chopped Parsley and a splash of Dry Sherry (next time I’ll add Cognac).

The flavor was amazing, but the consistency wasn’t there. To thicken the sauce, I added a little flour-in-butter mixture (see left).

It thickened it a little, but not enough. Should I add more? How can I make it creamier? Add cream?

I’d love any help you guys could give.

Have I mentioned I love Nutella? …on everything!

I’ve always loved flavor combinations. As a child, I didn’t think they got much better than mint and chocolate.

Admittedly, this notion of mint/chocolate being the be-all, end-all followed me to adulthood – to the moment I discovered Nutella.

For all you Blake Makers that have never heard of it, much less tasted it, it’s a luscious, creamy chocolate-hazelnut spread. They eat it a lot in Europe. I compare it to peanut butter. It’s got the same consistency, but much more rich.

One of the best meals I ever had was sharing a Nutella crepe with Beez in Paris. It was our last day there, and it was freezing. We bought the crepe on the street, walked to the Louvre, and ate it in the park. It was warm, decadent and the perfect way to end our trip.

Last weekend, I smeared a ton of the stuff on some big, fluffy pancakes. I bought the jar on Friday. It was gone by the following Wednesday. I usually pour myself a glass of milk and eat it right out of the jar.

For those times when I feel too guilty to do that, I’ll slice an apple and eat it that way.

Just to be clear, I LOVE NUTELLA!

Miss Eaves’ Grilled Cheese

Miss Eaves was my third grade teacher. She gets the honor of having this sandwich named after her, because it reminds me of my childhood (and because “Eaves” sort of rhymes with “cheese”).

This post is nothing special or life-changing. It’s just a nice photo of something we all need from time to time.

Like a hug.

To Make:

Make plain cheese sandwiches using regular sliced bread and Kraft singles (we call it slicker cheese in our house because of its resemblance to a yellow rain pancho).

Heat a non-stick pan over medium heat and melt some butter in the pan.

Gently cook the sandwich until golden on both sides.

I smash the sandwich down right at the end (that’s the way my mom did it).

Cut diagonally into two pieces.

We ate these sandwiches with beef and barley soup for lunch. Good day.

Pot Roast Isn’t Pretty, But…

I try very hard to take beautiful pictures for Blake Makes. We’ve cooked a lot of stuff for the blog (and of course we eat every night), but if it doesn’t look good, I don’t post it.

I broke that rule tonight because this is pot roast. Maybe pot roast isn’t meant to be pretty, but it’s so good.

I don’t think you can screw it up either. I season a big roast with tons of Kosher salt and black pepper.

I heat a pan (not non-stick) to blazing, rub the roast with a little oil, and SEAR!

This is just to seal it, so get a nice crust on all sides (and the ends).

Next, I throw it in my crock pot with some potatoe, onions and carrots. I also toss in a few sprigs of thyme.

Cook it all day. It’s ready when you get home from work (and to nibble at over lunch).

I know it’s redundant, but we serve it over rice. Tuck in.

Can It! These beans are the best.

Bridget used to be known for her homemade red beans and rice.

This is New Orleans, and every Monday we citizens clamor for a nice steamy bowl of the good stuff.

Today’s not Monday, but we were really craving red beans, so here we are.

About a year ago we discovered Blue Runner Red Beans. Sorry Bridget, you just got served.

Yes, these beans are in a can, but after a little Blake Magic, they certainly don’t taste like they do.

I cube some turkey sausage and brown it in my enamel stock pot. When it’s browned, remove it from the pan.

Chop an onion and 2 stalks of celery and cook it in the pot with the sausage bits in the bottom. When the onions are see-through, add 1/2 cup hot chicken stock, scrape the bottom and reduce for a few minutes.

Add 2 large cans of the canned red beans. I season them with Kosher salt and some Tony’s.

Serve over rice.

It may be a carnal sin to enjoy canned beans as much as homemade, but believe me, you’ll never know the difference.

Creamy, Earthy Mushroom Soup

Hello Blake Makers! Before I talk about these amazing looking mushrooms, I wanted to let you know that there are some changes a-comin’. New design, new features, and maybe a few surprises.

Separate the stems and caps from 2 large portobellos, 1 package of creminis and 1 package of shitakes. Set the caps aside.

Let’s make a mushroom stock.

Chop the stems. Chop 1 yellow onion. Chop 1 carrot.

Add 1 tblsp. butter and 1 tblsp. olive oil and saute’ the veggies with 1 whole sprig (stem) of thyme until everything starts to get soft.

Add 6 cups of hot water after that and bubble high, then bubble low for about 30 minutes.

In a separate pot, saute’ 2 chopped leeks in 1/4 lb. of butter. When they soften, and maybe brown a little, add in all the mushroom caps (chopped).

Cook them until they’re all cooked down and maybe a little brown.

Add 1/4 cup of flour and cook for about 1 minute.

De-glaze the pan with 1 cup of white wine, and then add the mushroom stock (strained).

Let this all bubble away for about 30 minutes.

At the end (about 10 minutes before serving), add 1 cup heavy cream, 1 cup half and half, and 1/2 cup freshly chopped parsley.

S&P to taste.

I need to work on this recipe. Don’t get me wrong, it’s tasty, but it’s missing something. I’m thinking hot sauce, creamy goat cheese or sour cream. Maybe a protein. I’m sure round 2 will be even better. I’m also sure Day 2 soup will be even better, too.

I can’t sleep. I’m posting from bed tonight.

Tonight you get a little something different from me. No big, beautiful picture. No heady delicious overload. I just have some things I want to say, and since this is my blog, my forum, my soapbox, indulge me.

So it’s almost midnight and I can’t sleep. Bridget and Chopper are snoring beside me. I’m not making this up, as soon as I wrote that sentence, Bridget rolled over and inaudibly mumbled something to me in her sleep. I think it was a curse. The laptop screen is probably bothering her, but she’s too sleepy to put up much of a fight. Take her, Sleep, take her!

My heart is racing. I’m really excited. I think it’s because I finally realized what it is I want to do with Blake Makes, and maybe even my life. I love this blog. And it’s obvious that I love cooking, but I also love what I do for a living. I’m in marketing and I just started my own marketing firm, Killian Interactive (KI).

The KI site is pretty sparce and generic at the moment, and I think it’s because I haven’t quite found my voice, yet. That’s all changing now. I want KI to do very cool, creative, new things. I want to do mostly things online. I’d love to work with food companies (restaurants, stores, manufacturers, etc.) to build communities online around their products. That’s it. That’s my big idea.

Now, I’m going to make it happen. Blake Makes an amazing life.

I’ve got a list a mile long of things I have to do for KI. I’m working with a business counselor who is the best. Mark my words, this will be the best money I will ever spend. She is helping me clean house, both literally and figuratively. It’s going to take some time for me to get it all sorted out, but once I do (give me 3 weeks), I’ll be ready to WOW.

I could probably rant for hours, and fill up a few feet’s worth of screen here, but I won’t. Instead, I’ll leave you with my latest discovery, Open Source Food. They’re not going to know what’s hit them. I’m about to fill their belly with Blake Makes food. It’s the perfect second home for me.

It seems fitting that I’m sharing this with you in the wee hours of the night. Read it (or re-read it at this point) in a whisper for full effect. This is my catharsis, my outlet, my love. Thanks for listening. Night night. bk