yes, I know your recipe is always better than mine

narya and I were talking about using weights to bake – I think I was talking about bread, specifically. She was kind enough to write up a little primer on why it’s better to weigh your items instead of just measuring them, in case you were wondering about the hows and whys of it all.

I lean heavily on King Arthur’s Weight Chart, found here.

I’m having a friend come over today and we’ll be out and about, but I decided we needed a fun coffee treat, we’ve both had a rough week or two. Their bunny rescue just had 12 baby bunnies show up – five with a mamma and the others were orphans. So lots of hand feeding. Not all of them are going to make it, but they’ll give it their best. She’s up here with a bunny at a vet who specializes in small critters.

That of course, required a sweet treat.  The recipe for my completely improvised Key Lime Cake with Key Lime Glaze is here.  So we’ll have coffee, cake and commiserate.

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From narya:

How to Bake (and Cook) Better

When I went to pastry school, one of the first things they taught us was weighing (120 grams of flour) versus measuring (1 cup of flour). The formulae they gave us used grams rather than ounces. I immediately liked this method, even though it took a bit to get used to it. TaMara thought it might be useful to introduce you jackals to this, if you’re not already familiar with it.

Percentage of what?

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Recipe Exchange: Weights and MeasuresPost + Comments (60)

Next to a deep-fried turkey (that someone else cooks) Bourbon Maple Roasted Turkey has to be one of my favorite ways to cook a bird  – in cheesecloth (!) no less.  A recipe I shared in 2021 when I first tried it.

Turkey basics – try to stay with a 12 to 14 lb bird  – two if you’re expecting a houseful. This size will cook quicker, stay moister, and generally taste better than a huge bird.

Second – spatchcock that baby. You’ll be able to use the back for stock and avoid dried-out white meat. This method roasts quicker, avoids the need to brine or inject the bird and lets the white and dark meats finish cooking at the same time.

Here is a great video on how easy it is to spatchcock a turkey, along with a very simple roasting recipe.

On to the Bourbon and Maple Syrup turkey recipe:

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We don’t deserve Leslie Jones:

 

Let’s start with desserts first! I’m taking this crowd-pleaser to Thursday’s gathering:

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Ropa Vieja is one of my favorite items on a local Mexican restaurant’s menu. I almost always have it in a salad in a tortilla bowl.  So of course I had to figure out how to replicate it at home.

I have tortilla bowl molds and make them for lunch salads all the time. Although you don’t need them, use this method here.

Now to up my game with some tasty ropa vieja.

Ropa Vieja

• 3 lbs of Chuck, London Broil/Top Round, Brisket or Flank*
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 large red pepper, seeded and chopped
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 28 oz of diced tomatoes – I had freshly frozen. Canned is fine.
• 1/2 cup cider vinegar (or wine vinegar – white or red)
• 1 tbsp sweet paprika
• 3 tsp oregano
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 to 1 tsp cayenne (depending on your desired heat)
• pinch of red pepper flakes (or to your desired heat)
• 2 bay leaves
• salt and pepper to taste (I like lots of black pepper, so I’m hesitant to give my measurements, LOL)
• green olives (so very optional! I HATE olives, so you will not find them in mine)

instant pot or slow cooker

Heat oil and brown meat on both sides, add onions, and saute until translucent. Then add peppers and garlic, stirring for a minute before adding remaining ingredients.

Instant pot:  Cook for 45 to 50 minutes on soup or meat setting (or pressure cooker high setting). Check meat after depressurizing. If it doesn’t shred easily, make sure there is enough sauce (add water if needed) and repressurize for an additional 10 minutes.

Slow-cooker: Cook on low for 8-10 hours, add water if the liquid gets too thick too soon.

Whichever method you use, you want the meat to shred easily when done.

When I depressurized mine, the sauce was thin, so I cooked it an additional 20 minutes on the slow-cooker setting until it had reduced to a thick sauce.

Serve with rice and black bean or in salad.

*this cooks until it’s shreddable, so cut doesn’t matter much. I used London Broil because it was at a super sale price. So I stocked up for several recipes that will simmer forever.

Anyone have favorite restaurant items they’ve recreated at home? What’s on your plate this weekend? Don’t forget to share your special recipes!

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Recipe Exchange: Versatile and Tasty Ropa Vieja (Instant Pot & Slow Cooker Versions)Post + Comments (26)

JeffreyW makes mouths water with this photo of his Beef and Barley Soup (with bonus Foccacia recipe here)

I’ve updated the basic soup recipe for Instant Pot style cooking. For the stovetop version, click here.

It has been unseasonably warm here, but I still wanted soup. Checked the freezer and I had a cross-rib roast, that would do since there was not a secret stash of chuck roast tucked away in there. All the other ingredients were handy, so Beef and Barley soup was it.

I added a potato, diced small, just because.

Beef & Barley Vegetable Soup

• olive oil
• 1 lb chuck, cut into small cubes
• 1/2 small onion, diced
• 2 tsp crushed garlic
• 14 oz of tomatoes (fresh or canned)
• 8 cups of water (or water and vegetable broth**)
• 12 oz sliced carrots (frozen ok)
• 12 oz green beans (frozen ok)
• 3 stalks of celery, chopped
• 1/2 cup barley
• 1/4 tsp cayenne
• 1/2 tsp ground pepper
• 1/2 to 1 tsp salt (more as desired)
• 2 bay leaves (remove before serving)

large saucepan

Heat oil in the instant pot on the sauté setting. Sauté onions for 1 minute, add beef and brown on all sides, add garlic and sauté for 1 minute making sure not to burn the garlic. Add remaining ingredients.  Set the pot to Soup/Stew setting and cook for 35 to 40 minutes, until barley is tender.  Use natural release method.

Serve with biscuits or cornbread.

**For vegetable broth,  I blend the tomatoes, and an additional 6 oz of carrots, 6 oz of green beans, 2 stalks of the celery, 1 cup water into a smooth puree, to make a hearty base for the soup.  I like the hearty stock.

Yum.

It’s soup season, so here are a few more: Tomato Soup and Grilled Cheese,  Chicken Tortilla Soup, and Minestrone with Tiny Meatballs

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