FOOD.MONSTERSTUDIO.ORG

Old Fashioned Fried Chicken

2012-03-12T00:28:41Z

This is the best fried chicken ever.

1 3-lb. fryer
1 tbsp. salt
1 tbsp. black pepper
2 eggs (beaten)
1 cup buttermilk (I used soy milk I soured with a little vinegar)

2 cups flour
1 tsp. paprika
1/4 tsp. ground thyme
1/2 tsp. granulated garlic
Crisco Shortening

Cut chicken in eight pieces. Season well with salt and pepper.

Set aside. Mix eggs and milk, Pour mixture over chicken and let it

marinate for 2-8 hours in the fridge.

In a heavy paper bag, mix flour, paprika, ground thyme, and

granulated garlic. Place chicken in bag with flour mixture.

Shake until chicken is well coated.

Heat oil in a cast iron fryer — oil should reach 350°F.

Place chicken in hot oil. Fry, turning as chicken browns.

Heavy parts such as breast, thighs, and legs will take

15 to 20 minutes, wings about 10 to 15 minutes.

Drain chicken on paper towels.

Clam, Chard and Bacon Pizza

2012-03-10T14:15:00Z

This unusual sounding pizza is fantastic. Try it, you won't be sorry!

1 1-pound store-bought pizza dough (I buy a large unbaked pizza crust from Papa Murpheys)
1 10-ounce can whole baby clams
3 slices thick-cut bacon cut into 1/2"-wide pieces
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons minced shallot
1 1-pound bunch Swiss chard, center stalks removed, leaves torn
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, cut into 1/2" cubes
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon good-quality extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan

Preheat oven to 450°F.

Drain clams, reserving liquid. Cook bacon in a 12" skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, 4–5 minutes. Transfer bacon to a paper towel–lined plate. Add garlic and shallot to drippings in skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 2 minutes. Stir in chard and 1/4 cup reserved clam liquid and cook, stirring, until chard is just wilted, about 2 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir in butter, vinegar, and clams.

Brush top of dough with oil. Spread chard mixture over dough. Top with bacon and cheese. Bake until crust is golden and cooked through, 10-12 minutes.

Asian Meatballs with Peanut Sauce

2012-02-16T01:03:15Z

Yield : Makes 6–8 servings

Prep Time : 15 mins

Cooking Time : 20 mins

Ingredients

For the peanut sauce:

1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp Thai red curry paste
2 tbsp crunchy peanut butter
1 tbsp light brown sugar
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 cup well-stirred canned coconut milk

For the meatballs:

1 lb ground sirloin or pork, or a combination of both
1 tbsp chopped cilantro
1 tbsp Thai red curry paste
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp Thai fish sauce
1 tsp minced tender lemongrass
1 large egg
1 garlic clove, minced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Rice flour, for dusting
Vegetable oil, for deep-frying

Directions

1. To make the peanut sauce, heat the vegetable oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the curry paste and cook for 30 seconds, until fragrant. Stir in the peanut butter, brown sugar, and lemon juice, then gradually stir in the coconut milk. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 5 minutes, or until thickened. If it becomes too thick, stir in a little water. Keep warm.

2. For the meatballs, combine the ground beef, cilantro, curry paste, lemon juice, fish sauce, lemongrass, egg, and garlic, and season with salt and pepper. Roll the mixture into small balls about the size of a walnut. Dust each meatball with the rice flour.

3. Heat enough oil to come halfway up the sides of a large frying pan and heat over high heat until the oil shimmers. In batches, fry the meatballs for about 3 minutes, until browned and cooked through. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to paper towels to drain. Serve hot, with the warm peanut sauce.

Tuna Steaks and Couscous Patties with Mango Salsa

2012-01-30T00:41:05Z

You wanna know what is great together! Try a tuna steak and couscous patties with
mango salsa. Click below for recipes.
Mango Chutney
Couscous Cakes

Cioppino

2012-01-23T01:49:02Z

New Years Cioppino

3/4-Cup Butter

1 medium sweet yellow onion, Chopped

2 Cloves Garlic, Minced

1 cup fresh parsley, chopped

2- 14-ounce cans chopped stewed tomatoes

3 cups chicken stock

1/2-teaspoon thyme

1/2-teaspoon oregano, chopped

2 bay leaves

1-tablespoon basil chopped

1-1/2 cups white zinfandel wine

1-12 pounds large shrimp peeled and devained

1-1/2 pounds bay scallops

18 small clams (or mussels)

1-1/2 pounds crabmeat

1-1/2 pounds cod fillets, cubed

Over medium-low heat melt butter in a large stockpot; add onions, garlic and parsley.

Cook slowly, stirring occasionally until onions are soft. Add tomatoes to the pot. Add chicken stock, thyme, oregano, bay leaves, basil and wine. Mix well. Cover and simmer 20 minutes. Add to the pot the shrimp, scallops, clams, crabmeat and fish. Stir and bring to boil. Cover and simmer until clams open. (approx. 6 Minutes)

Serves 10

Dairy Free Cheesecake II

2012-01-23T01:27:19Z

15 graham crackers, crushed
2 tablespoons butter, melted
4 8oz pkgs TOFUTTI Cream Cheese,softened
1 1/2 C sugar
¾ cups soy milk
4 eggs
1 cup TOUFUTTI Sour Cream
1 tablespoon vanilla
¼ cup flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Grease a 9 inch springform pan. In a medium bowl, mix graham cracker crumbs with
melted butter. Press onto bottom of springform pan. In a large bowl, mix cream cheese with sugar until smooth. Blend in milk, and then mix in the eggs one at a time, mixing just enough to incorporate. Mix in sour cream, vanilla and flour until smooth. Pour filling into prepared crust. Bake in preheated oven for 1hour. Turn the oven off, and let cake cool in oven with the door closed for 5 to 6 hours; this prevents cracking. Chill in refrigerator until serving.

Honey Glazed Ham

2012-01-09T00:39:45Z

5 pounds ready-to-eat ham

1/4 cup whole cloves

1/4 cup dark corn syrup

2 cups honey

2/3 cup butter

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Score ham, and stud with the whole cloves. Place ham in foil lined pan. In a glass bowl, in the microwave, heat the corn syrup, honey and butter. Keep glaze warm while baking ham. Brush glaze over ham, and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes in the preheated oven. Baste ham every 10 to 15 minutes with the honey glaze. During the last 4 to 5 minutes of baking, turn on broiler to caramelize the glaze. Remove from oven, and let sit a few minutes before serving.

Beef O'Bradys (Cedar Rapids)

2012-01-07T19:28:52Z

5240 Edgewood Road NE
Cedar Rapids, Iowa
http://sites.google.com/site/crbeefsobradys/

I don't usually review or even walk into chain restaurants but I hadn't heard anything about Beef O'Bradys and felt I should check it out. Irish themed restaurants scare me as they are usually tacky places with bad food and crappy service. This place was no exception. The dining room was busy on Friday night with mostly football shirt wearing families dotted with screaming children. I could tell the guests did not have discerning tastes in either food or attire.

I am already bored with writing this review so I will get to the food. We ordered greasy onion rings with a disgusting bright orange dipping sauce that tasted like shrimp cocktail sauce, Chicken Caesar Salad and a Reuben. The salad was boring and the sweet salad dressing gross. The Ruben was nothing to write home about, dull and lifeless. Our sever seemed really out of it. She was either stoned or stone deaf and communication was questionable. There is no decent beer on tap, so don't try to drink there.
Yawn,this place sucks and I will not be back.
I award Beef O'Bradys

Citrus Salad with Mint Sugar

2012-01-03T01:50:30Z

Just choose a variety of citrus fruits that you like and look good at the store. Cut citrus supremes using this instructional video as your guide!

http://www.stellaculinary.com/podcasts/video/how-slice-citrus-supremes

Citrus Salad with Mint Sugar Recipe:

7 each of grapefruits, navel oranges, tangerines, and clementines
2 lemons
2 limes
2 tablespoons grand Marnier (optional)
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
8 kumquats,thinly sliced (optional)

Cut peel and white pith from all fruit except kumquats. Slice clementines crosswise into 1/4” slices. Cut between membranes of remaining peeled fruit to release segments. Mix fruits in a large bowl. Add Grand Marnier, if using; toss gently to incorporate. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.

Combine sugar and mint in a small food processor. Pulse until mint is finely chopped. Transfer fruit to a large bowl, scatter kumquat slices over, if using, and sprinkle salad with 2 Tbsp. mint sugar. Serve remaining mint sugar alongside.

Dairy Free Cheesecake

2012-01-03T00:20:03Z

2 8oz pkgs TOFUTTI Better Than Cream Cheese, softened
½ C sugar
½ tsp vanilla
4 oz egg whites
1 9”Graham cracker crust

Mix TOFUTTI Better Than Cream Cheese, sugar, and vanilla at medium speed with electric mixer until well blended. Add egg whites; mix until blended.
Pour into crust.
Bake at 350° for 40 minutes or until center is almost set.
Cool.
Refrigerate 3 hours or overnight. Top with fruit of your choice.

Chicken Fried Frogs Legs and Corn Fritters

2011-12-29T20:59:09Z

Frogs Legs Recipe

2 tsp Garlic Powder

1 tsp Ground Black Pepper

2 tsp Kosher Salt

1 tsp Paprika

1 cup Italian Panko Breadcrumbs

½ cup corn meal

2 eggs

½ cup flour

Directions

In a shallow bowl, mix together the garlic powder, pepper, salt, paprika, Panko and corn meal. In a separate bowl beat two eggs with a tablespoon of water. Put the flour in a third bowl. Heat the oil to 350 degrees. Dip the frogs legs in flour, egg, then the bread crumb mix. Fry in hot oil until golden brown, around 3 minutes. Remove frogs legs from oil and drain on a rack, fry in batches.

Corn Fritter Recipe

3 cups oil for frying

1 cup sifted all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon white sugar

1 egg, lightly beaten

1/2 cup milk

1 tablespoon shortening, melted

1 (12 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained

Directions

Heat oil in a heavy pot or deep fryer to 365 degrees F (185 degrees C).

In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Beat together egg, milk, and melted shortening; stir into flour mixture. Mix in the corn kernels.

Drop fritter batter by spoonfuls into the hot oil, and fry until golden. Drain on paper towels.

Vegan Nacho Cheese Sauce and Dip

2011-12-04T16:51:46Z

This incredible Nacho Cheese Sauce makes great nachos or even a tasty Nacho Cheese dip! I have loved this for years and am happy to have the recipe to share with you!

10.6 oz Potato Cooked

3 oz Carrots Cooked

4.5 oz onion Cooked

8 oz soft tofu

2.5 oz Nutritional Yeast

2.5 oz Tahini

1 oz pickled Jalapeno

2 tablespoons Lemon Juice

1 tablespoon sea salt

2 tablespoons garlic powder

Directions: Weigh ingredients using a food scale as needed. Place all ingredients in a food processor and combine until a smooth consistency is reached. Thin sauce with water if needed.

Duck Burgers

2011-11-29T03:20:42Z

These are pretty good, very beef like texture and flavor and a bit smokey and gamey.
I ground up duck breasts with a few strips of bacon. Grill them up and chow down!

Gourmet Green Bean Casserole

2011-11-27T19:28:51Z

These green beans are from my garden! I will not drown them in Campbells cream of mushroom soup which is filled with chemicals, MSG, preservatives and general crap. This recipe is worth the trouble.

Ingredients

For the topping:

2 medium onions, thinly sliced
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons panko bread crumbs
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Nonstick cooking spray

For beans and sauce:

2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
1 pound fresh green beans, rinsed, trimmed and halved
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
12 ounces mushrooms, trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup half-and-half (I used soy milk and it worked perfect)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 475 degrees F.

Combine the onions, flour, panko and salt in a large mixing bowl and toss to combine. Coat a sheet pan with nonstick cooking spray and evenly spread the onions on the pan. Place the pan on the middle rack of the oven and bake until golden brown, approximately 30 minutes. Toss the onions 2 to 3 times during cooking. Once done, remove from the oven and set aside until ready to use. Turn the oven down to 400 degrees F.

While the onions are cooking, prepare the beans. Bring a gallon of water and 2 tablespoons of salt to a boil in an 8-quart saucepan. Add the beans and blanch for 5 minutes. Drain in a colander and immediately plunge the beans into a large bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. Drain and set aside.

Melt the butter in a 12-inch cast iron skillet set over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms, 1 teaspoon salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms begin to give up some of their liquid, approximately 4 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and nutmeg and continue to cook for another 1 to 2 minutes. Sprinkle the flour over the mixture and stir to combine. Cook for 1 minute. Add the broth and simmer for 1 minute. Decrease the heat to medium-low and add the half-and-half. Cook until the mixture thickens, stirring occasionally, approximately 6 to 8 minutes.

Remove from the heat and stir in 1/4 of the onions and all of the green beans. Top with the remaining onions. Place into the oven and bake until bubbly, approximately 15 minutes. Remove and serve immediately.

Synergy Restaurant (@ the CR Clarion Hotel)

2011-11-27T16:33:26Z

Synergy
525 33rd Avenue S.W.
Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52404
Reservations: 877-949-2992

Cedar Rapids dining has reached an all time low with Synergy in the Cedar Rapids Clarion Hotel.

I had never heard of Synergy until Jeff was thumbing through the phone book a few weeks ago looking for a new restaurant for us to try out. We were excited by the menu in the yellow pages that listed many interesting dishes with an international flair. In fact, the phone book menu breaks down the dishes by country with tantilizing dishes like (USA) Lousiana Bacon Wrapped Scallops, (France) Escargot al 'All, (Japan) Nagoya Style Meat Ball, (Italy) Linguine al Pesto, and (Spain) Fried Blue Cheese Stuffed Green Olives. The funny thing is, that NONE of these items were on the actual dinner menu!

Jeff called Synergy to make a reservation and was told none would be necessary, this was Red Flag #1. We arrived at 6:00pm on a Saturday night to find we were the ONLY guests in the restaurant, Red Flag #2. My first instinct was to get the hell out of there but curiosity and my need to soldier on and solve this culinary mystery was too strong. The dated and tacky dining room was huge and empty and frankly a little creepy, much like in the movie The Shining, Red Flag #3. We were seated and handed menus where we immediatly noticed that none of the items that peaked our curiosity were on the menu. We ordered an appetizer of Shrimp Cocktail and I had a glass wine. Jeff ordered the Prime Rib which comes with the salad bar and I had the crab stuffed mushrooms and a side salad.

The salad bar was small but nice and well filled, not hard to do since we were the only dinner guests. The Shrimp Cocktail was a joke. 5 medium side shrimp, two lemon slices, a dab of cocktail sauce and 2 celephane packages of Club Crackers for almost $9! The Mushrooms were equally dismal and flavorless. The filling had very little crab and contained at least a teaspoon of water per deep fried nugget, disgusting.

Jeff's Prime Rib was the biggest disappointment of the meal. The meat was tough and lacking in any meat flavor. How the hell was the chef able to remove the beef taste from the beef? The appearance of every plate of food was dismal and depressing, tacky and dated.

We paid the $60 check and got the hell out of there. I must award Synergy the grand distinction of being the lowest rated restaurant I have ever reviewed. 1/2 Addy

Seared Duck Breasts with Balsamic Cherry Reduction

2011-11-14T00:30:38Z

For the Balsamic Cherry Reduction:

2 teaspoons olive oil
2 teaspoons minced shallots
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 cup dried cherries
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
11/2 cups rich duck or chicken stock
2 teaspoons chopped fresh sage leaves
1 tablespoon cold butter
Salt and black pepper

Directions

Set a 1-quart saucepan over medium-high heat and add the olive oil. Once the oil is hot, about 30 seconds, add the shallots, garlic and cherries. Cook the shallots, garlic and cherries until the garlic is fragrant and the shallots begin to caramelize, about 1 minute. Deglaze the pan with the vinegar, and when the vinegar is almost completely reduced, about 3 minutes, add the stock and chopped sage. Bring the sauce to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer, and cook for 15 minutes. Once the sauce is cooked, swirl the cold butter into the sauce and season with salt and pepper, to taste.

For the Duck Breast:

2 duck breast halves, 12 to 16 ounces each
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
Fresh or fried sage leaves, for garnish

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Score the duck breasts on the fatty side using a sharp knife, cutting about 1/8-inch into the skin in a cross hatch pattern. Heat a 12-inch saute pan over medium-low heat. Season the duck breasts evenly on both sides with the salt and pepper, and place, skin side down, in the hot skillet. Cook the breast until the skin is crispy and most of the fat has rendered, about 10 to 12 minutes. Pour off the fat from the pan. Turn the breast over, and place in the hot oven for 10 minutes. (internal temp 130) Remove from the oven, allow to rest for 3 minutes, and slice each breast into 12 slices. Serve while hot.

Fettuccine Alfredo with Bacon

2011-09-18T18:38:00Z

Ingredients

1 (9-ounce) package refrigerated fresh fettuccine
2 slices bacon, chopped
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1-1/2 cups milk
2/3 cup (about 2 1/2 ounces) grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

1. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain in a colander over a bowl, reserving 1/4 cup cooking liquid.
2. While pasta cooks, cook bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat 4 minutes or until crisp, stirring occasionally. Remove bacon from pan, reserving drippings. Add garlic to drippings in pan; sauté 1 minute, stirring constantly. Sprinkle flour over garlic; cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Gradually add milk, stirring constantly; cook 2 minutes or until bubbly and slightly thick, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to low. Gradually add cheese, stirring until cheese melts. Stir in salt and reserved 1/4 cup cooking liquid. Add hot pasta to pan; toss well to combine. Sprinkle with bacon, parsley, and pepper.

Orchard Green Restaurant & Lounge (Iowa City)

2011-08-23T00:40:56Z

521 S. Gilbert Street
Iowa City, IA, 52240
319-354-1642
Web Site

Seared Sea Scallops Smoked Salmon with basil cured tomato & capers

This is a Lounge Review Only.

I am happy to tell you about one of the best things I have every eaten and where to get it. Jeff and I set out to do a "Reckless Weekend" where we intended to get crazy as new empty nesters. Our 3rd stop of the evening was Orchard Green to get great beer on tap and fantastic food.

Orchard Green is a fine Dining establishment and we had eaten there before in the dining room. Since we were dressed in jeans and t-shirts and wanted to get rowdy with friends who were meeting us for drinks, we stuck to the lounge area. I love, love, love that Orchard Green has great beer on tap. (see list) We had several Triple Karmeliete's and St. Bernardus Abt 12's, and also Weisenstephaner light and dark. Oh, and I do believe a round of Sutliff Cider! Before we got completely blotto on the high alcohol full flavor beer, we had the Escargot with Grilled radicchio, tomato shiitake mushroom fricassee with polenta & veal jus. This dish was nearly a religious experience for us and as Atheists, that is hard to come by. Jeff and I savored every tasty morsel of the Escargot making the most guttural pleasure noises. We asked for bread which was brought hot and warm from the oven and we mopped the plate for every last drop of the veal jus. I want it, no, need to have it again very soon. We followed up the Escargot with the Seared Sea Scallops and Smoked Salmon with basil cured tomato & capers. The scallops were wonderful but I couldn't keep my mind off of the Escargot. I don't want to forget to tell you about the great service. Our every need was taken care of immediately and without intrusion. We were probably over served, since my husband has some memory loss concerning post Orchard Green. But we were on foot and really set out to take it to the limit. This was the best lounge experience we have had in Iowa City and for this I must award the Lounge at Orchard Green .

I will review the restaurant at later date.

Riley's Cafe & Catering (Cedar Rapids)

2011-08-22T23:25:32Z

836 1st Ave NE
Cedar Rapids, IA
http://rileyscafeandcatering.com/

Really great tasting pesto chicken pizza, sans mozzarella.

This 1st Ave eatery has continued to leave a good taste in my mouth time and time again. I usually go there for breakfast as their "Shipwreck" is fantastic and HUGE. Riley's is your basic hometown cafe with tons of local flair adorning the walls. The crowd is mainly families and blue collar folks looking for a great deal and big homey portions. This is Midwest food done just right. For a no-frills jeans and tee shirt meal with good service and big tasty portions I award Riley's

"The Cuban Sandwich and Mac and Cheese was just okay", says Mr. Bevauns.

Green Lime Zebra Salsa

2011-08-12T19:55:47Z

These beautiful small fruit start green with dark stripes and ripen to a yellow color keeping the green stripes. The amazing sweet and tart flavor makes this one great in Salsas and Salads.

4 Cups diced Green Zebra Tomatoes
1 cup diced sweet yellow Onion
3 cloves Garlic smashed and minced fine
2 Jalapenos diced fine
1 lime juiced
2 tsp. kosher salt