I've been going back and forth lately on how I want to set up my upcoming cookbook. I have decided that it will begin as an e-book as CD's cost significantly less than the paper, ink, and binding costs of a traditional book, as well as the cost to ship a traditional book. CD mailers are much cheaper and there's always the possibility to have the file emailed or downloaded. Part of my thought process is that an e-book also eliminates the cost-per-square-inch that would traditionally dictate what you do and don't want to include in the book. So I may opt to do a quick nutritional summary at the bottom of the recipe as well as a full nutritional analysis chart. (I have a program that spits it all out for me as long as I accurately input the nutritional information of the ingredients.)
As far as a plan of attack is concerned, I think the best way to do this is to get it typed up in some kind of word processing or notepad type of program so that it can be copied and pasted into the analysis program when I get home. This way I can work on any computer and use my flash drive for storage, or use the pda I have if Bryan's workout program won't sync and he doesn't want to use it anymore. (Or if I can find the really old pda)
Guess that's it for now. Just thinking how many recipes I should include and how to organize... though the organization should go by type of dish. Breakfast, breads, snacks, beef entree, poultry entree, pork entree, seafood entree, sides - veggies, sides - starches, cakes, cookies, pies, other desserts. If you think I'm missing something, feel free to post it.
Monday, January 21, 2008
Habaneros are hot...
Well, I made a turkey and beef hybrid chili last night, complete with whole wheat cornbread and sharp cheddar bread bowls. YUM!!!
I started out by roasting my cubanelle, jalapeno and habanero under the broiler. Then I peeled, seeded and diced them. Started my 2/3 turkey and 1/3 beef mixture in my enameled cast iron pan, drained off the fat (the turkey gave off more than the beef did!) and started my base, starting my onions first then adding cumin, chili powder, granulated garlic, oregano, some freshly ground black pepper and let those get toasty and tasty. Added some minced garlic, then the meat went back in with some fire-roasted tomatoes, crushed tomatoes, and the three peppers.
I will add, at this point, that I did tempt fate. After I added the three peppers to the pot, I noticed one tinsy speck of habanero left on my finger, and I did eat it. It was hot, and it's a good thing I like spicy foods and had some milk right in the front of the refrigerator. My lips, however, were tingly for about 45 minutes. But it was a very flavorful morsel before the heat set in, and I believe the roasting was very good for developing the flavor of the pepper.
I let it simmer, covered, at this point for about an hour or so before adding the small red beans and pinto beans (drained and rinsed) and let that simmer all together for 45 more minutes.
My future adjustments will be: only use half a habanero or no habanero as Bryan doesn't like it quite as hot. (And I think this is a mild/medium borderline chili) I can always add some chipotle hot sauce or make a habanero sauce that I add only to my bowl. Also - one batch of dough could make 4 smaller breadbowls and serve it a little less like a bread bowl and a little more like how you would serve a chow mein sandwich. Unless the 4 lumps of dough will form a tall round rather than a wider flat round of dough before baking... then I'd have tall skinny bowls.
The cornbread is a different story. The adjustments I made this time around improved the moistness of the cornbread. (I made them in mini-loaf pans for extra crustiness too!) I think I will go with half wheat and half white flour next time, use half butter and half oil for additional flavor, and maybe increase the sugar just a bit and/or add some honey because I LOVE honey on cornbread. That's how I'm having my leftovers - chili topped with sharp cheddar and cornbread drizzled with some Orange Blossom Honey that I picked up while on vacation in Florida.
Okay - that's it for now. Back to my leftover chili for lunch before it gets cold!
I started out by roasting my cubanelle, jalapeno and habanero under the broiler. Then I peeled, seeded and diced them. Started my 2/3 turkey and 1/3 beef mixture in my enameled cast iron pan, drained off the fat (the turkey gave off more than the beef did!) and started my base, starting my onions first then adding cumin, chili powder, granulated garlic, oregano, some freshly ground black pepper and let those get toasty and tasty. Added some minced garlic, then the meat went back in with some fire-roasted tomatoes, crushed tomatoes, and the three peppers.
I will add, at this point, that I did tempt fate. After I added the three peppers to the pot, I noticed one tinsy speck of habanero left on my finger, and I did eat it. It was hot, and it's a good thing I like spicy foods and had some milk right in the front of the refrigerator. My lips, however, were tingly for about 45 minutes. But it was a very flavorful morsel before the heat set in, and I believe the roasting was very good for developing the flavor of the pepper.
I let it simmer, covered, at this point for about an hour or so before adding the small red beans and pinto beans (drained and rinsed) and let that simmer all together for 45 more minutes.
My future adjustments will be: only use half a habanero or no habanero as Bryan doesn't like it quite as hot. (And I think this is a mild/medium borderline chili) I can always add some chipotle hot sauce or make a habanero sauce that I add only to my bowl. Also - one batch of dough could make 4 smaller breadbowls and serve it a little less like a bread bowl and a little more like how you would serve a chow mein sandwich. Unless the 4 lumps of dough will form a tall round rather than a wider flat round of dough before baking... then I'd have tall skinny bowls.
The cornbread is a different story. The adjustments I made this time around improved the moistness of the cornbread. (I made them in mini-loaf pans for extra crustiness too!) I think I will go with half wheat and half white flour next time, use half butter and half oil for additional flavor, and maybe increase the sugar just a bit and/or add some honey because I LOVE honey on cornbread. That's how I'm having my leftovers - chili topped with sharp cheddar and cornbread drizzled with some Orange Blossom Honey that I picked up while on vacation in Florida.
Okay - that's it for now. Back to my leftover chili for lunch before it gets cold!
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Excitement and Packaging
So I just placed an order for some packaging supplies; stand up zip top bags that are heat-sealable for my granola, gusseted clear cello bags for biscotti, food tissue sheets, 3*2 cards (no fold) that have a chocolate and sprinkles pattern, a folded card with gold swirls that says "for you", and some pink hope ribbon cello on a roll - I can heat seal it to form baggies :)
I placed the order on my lunch hour and it was already shipped by 9-ish tonight. So, coming soon to A Cook's Delight... new packaging!
I placed the order on my lunch hour and it was already shipped by 9-ish tonight. So, coming soon to A Cook's Delight... new packaging!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)