Thursday, June 23, 2011

Making Your Own Beef Jerky

Since the weather is getting warmer, and clothes are getting smaller, Mr. T and I have started to kick it into gear a bit with what we eat.  We've started scaling down our portions and eating less of those oh-so-tasty empty carbs.  I've been struggling to find carb-free substitutions for snacks, but I recently remembered two recipes I saw in Food and Wine Magazine last year for making your own beef jerky.  Today I'm making black pepper jerky and Mexican lime jerky.  Both recipes are pretty simple, and call for ingredients that most of us have already in our cabinets.

Black Pepper Jerky
3 cups amber ale or lager
2 cups soy sauce
1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons cracked black peppercorns, plus 2 tablespoons coarsely ground black pepper, for sprinkling before drying the meat
2 pounds trimmed beef top round or bottom round, about 1 1/2 inches thick

1. In a large bowl, combine the ale or lager with the soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce and the cracked black peppercorns.
What we used for the black pepper marinade

2. Cut the beef into 1/4-inch-thick slices, either with or against the grain.


Mr. T slicing up the beef
 3. Add the beef to the marinade, a few slices at a time, stirring well to coat each slice with the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for 6 to 8 hours.
4. Preheat the oven to 200°. Set a large wire rack on each of 3 large rimmed baking sheets. Remove the beef from the marinade and pat dry with paper towels. Arrange the beef on the racks, leaving 1/4 inch between slices. Sprinkle with coarsely ground black pepper. Bake for about 4 hours, until the jerky is firm and almost completely dry, but still chewy. Let cool completely on the racks before serving.
black pepper jerky before it went into the oven
Mexican Lime Jerky
2 large jalapeños, halved, 1 seeded
1 cup fresh lime juice
1 quart light Mexican beer, such as Corona or Pacifico
1/2 cup soy sauce 
2 pounds trimmed beef top round or bottom round, about 1 1/2 inches thick 
Coarse salt, for sprinkling before drying the meat

1. In a mini food processor, puree the seeded jalapeño along with 1/4 cup of the lime juice. Transfer the puree to a large bowl. Stir in the beer, soy sauce, the unseeded jalapeño and the remaining 3/4 cup of lime juice.

2. Take the beef and cut it into 1/4-inch-thick slices, either with or against the grain.

3. Add the beef to the marinade, a few slices at a time, stirring well to coat each slice with the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for 6 to 8 hours.

4. Preheat the oven to 200°. Set a large wire rack on each of 3 large rimmed baking sheets. Remove the beef from the marinade and pat dry with paper towels. Arrange the beef on the racks, leaving 1/4 inch between slices. Sprinkle with coarse salt. Bake for about 4 hours, until the jerky is firm and almost completely dry, but still chewy. Let cool completely on the racks before serving.


Beef jerky can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 6 weeks.

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Cheap Kitchen Finds


One of my favorite places in Columbia to shop for kitchen supplies was a restaurant supply store, so I was thrilled to find one in Greenville.  While riding down Wade Hampton this afternoon, I spotted Joyce Equipment Company.  You can immediately tell that it’s a restaurant supply store by the stacked pots and pans in their front window. 
  When you're in there, you have to remember the quality of everything.  It may not have a modern design, or come in hot pink or lime green, but its going to last forever.  Everything is made to withstand repeat use, hot temperatures, and the rough dishwashers of restaurants, so its all extremely durable.  Here are the goodies that I picked up today.
2 qt Stainless Steel Mixing Bowl- $2.95

Mini Whisk- $.75


Stainless Steel Bottle Opener- $2.00
 

 
Glass Carafe- $7.95


I bought two of these glass carafes and I'll be using them for sangria this summer.  (Keep an eye out for that recipe) The carafes have a little fleur-de-lis on the front of them which I really like. I didn't get these carafes for dirt cheap, but the glass is thicker than any other ones that I've seen.  Since these will be much more durable, its worth the extra couple of dollars. 
They also have a used restaurant supply section, something I've never seen before in one of these stores.  I didn't find anything I needed today, but they did have some good stuff.  Lots of basic wine, champagne, and beer glasses, a lot of white china, and some other random gadgets as well.

Joyce Eqipment Companay is located at 1839 Wade Hampton Blvd.

Thursday, June 9, 2011

Yeah, I'm an Artist

So this is what I've been up to this week. If you recall from a previous post, I recently painted a canvas in a colorful geometric print.  It was super easy, and once I hung it on my wall I knew it was just begging for a mate.  The canvases that I used were 2'x4', so having two side by side on the wall will light up any room.  I had a little spare time this week, so I decided to start on the second one.  Here's what I've done so far.
I've still got a good bit of painting to do, and I'll have to give everything I have done a second coat, but I'm well on my way.  I wanted to show y'all what the same print looked like with more vibrant colors.  I used a deep purple, chartreuse, metallic bronzy-gold, and a watermelon color.
I've had so much fun with this project.  It feels great to have something hanging on my wall that I've done, not to mention how cool I feel when people compliment it and I can tell them I painted it.  I've never been an artist, so any time I can claim something with out being embarrassed of it, its a serous accomplishment.  Hope you like it!

Thursday, June 2, 2011

April's Bridal Shower

So, it's official.  I now have my first brother!  This weekend, my oldest sister April married her fiance Ian.  The beautiful ceremony and reception were held at 701 Whaley in downtown Columbia.  The day before they wed, last Friday, my mom hosted a bridal shower at Occo Skin Studio.  This is where I surprised April with the fabulous vintage cake plates I bought from Knack.  We planned on having a little lunch in their outside courtyard area, and when April arrived this is what she saw.
I made these macarons for our sweet treat at the bridal shower.  There were blueberry, lemon, rosewater, and vanilla macarons.  The lemon ones were my absolute favorite.  April absolutely loved the macarons and the cake plates, and was so excited to use them at her reception the next day.  She even decided to use some of the macarons to be placed around her wedding cake.
Macarons, not to be confused with coconut macaroons, are little french cookies made from confectioners sugar, ground almonds, granulated sugar, and filled with icing.  These delicate cookies have become very popular in larger cities, but I have yet to see them for sale in Columbia or Greenville.  Since I couldn't find them in any local bakeries, I decided to start making them myself.  The recipe is actually somewhat simple.  I don't consider myself a seasoned baker (pun intended), but as long as you follow the directions, these are pretty simple.  Here is the basic vanilla macaron recipe:

Ingredients for the cookies:
3/4 cup ground almonds (available at Trader Joes)
1 cup confectioners' sugar
2 extra large egg whites
1/4 cup superfine sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Place the ground almonds and confectioners' sugar in a food processor and process for 15 seconds.  Sift the mixture into a bowl.  Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
Place the egg whites in a large bowl and whip until holding soft peaks.  Gradually beat in the superfine sugar to make a firm, glossy meringue.  Beat in the vanilla extract.
Using a spatula, fold the almond mixture into the meringue one-third at a time.  When all the dry ingredients are thoroughly incorporated, continue to cut and fold the mixture until it forms a shiny batter with a thick, ribbonlike consistency.
Pour the batter into a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2 inch plain tip.  Pipe 32 small circles onto the prepared baking sheets. Tap the baking sheets firmly onto a work surface to remove air bubbles.  Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.  Preaheat oven to 325.
Bake in preheated oven for 10-15 minutes.  Cool for 10 minutes.  Carefully peel the macarons off the parchment paper and let cool completely.

Ingredients For the Filling:
4 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted

To make the filling, beat the butter and vanilla extract in a bowl until pale and fluffy.  Gradually beat in the confectioners' sugar until smooth, creamy, and holding stiff peaks.  Use to sandwich pairs of macarons together. 

For the lemon macarons- add finely grated rind of 1/2 lemon to meringue mixture instead of vanilla extract, add a few drops of yellow food coloring, and sandwich the macarons with buttercream and lemon curd.
For the blueberry macarons- add a few drops of blue food coloring to the meringue mixture, and fold in 3 tablespoons of chopped blueberries into the buttercream.  (Make sure to only fold these in gently, DO NOT mix them in)
For the rosewater macarons- add a few drops of pink food coloring to the meringue, and 2 teaspoons rosewater to the buttercream. 

We had such a great time at Occo.  We all got manicures and pedicures.  April even got the quintessential French manicure that every bride needs.  What is it about a shiny diamond and French manicure that just screams Just Married?


On our way out we spotted our Governor, Nikki Haley.  She was so friendly and even took time out of her pedicure time to take a picture with us.  What a perfect ending to a great bridal shower!

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