Asberry.org

Category: Food

  • Recipe – Pasta Sauce

    Pasta is a staple, for us, Sam’s club Classico sauce is bought by the case and it is perfect as a base for either ground Italian sausage or meatballs. But as I start to explore healthier options a simple meatless tomato-based sauce would be nice to have in my back pocket.

    This is from Marcella Hazan and is simply:

    First, the ingredients. You’ll need a 28-ounce can of whole, peeled tomatoes; one peeled, halved onion; and 5 tablespoons of butter. (Yes, 5 whole tablespoons of butter.) You’ll also want a pinch or two of salt.

    Put everything together in a single pot and set it to simmer over medium heat on the stove for 45 minutes, uncovered. Give it the occasional stir.

    And that’s it. After the 45 minutes is up, toss out the onion halves, and pour the sauce over your favorite pasta. Easy.

  • Roasted Potatoes

    I’ve needed a go-to recipe for a potato side dish that isn’t mashed. I’ve done this with red potatoes and even froze them but I’ve never gotten the frozen ones to taste like fresh, go figure…

    In any case, I started with this recipe and changed it up like so:

    • 1.5 pounds of potatoes. This was originally done with yellow potatoes.
    • 4 tablespoons of ghee
    • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
    • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
    • 1 tablespoon parsley
    • 2 tablespoons ranch dressing

    The following cook times are for 1″ potato cubes:

    • Bake at 350°F for 45-50 minutes.
    • Bake at 375°F for 35-40 minutes.
    • Bake at 400°F for 30 minutes.
    • Bake at 450°F for 20-25 minutes.

  • Enhanced Box Cake

    So I like cake, and being an adult I can make it whenever I want. Now I know some people who wouldn’t have a boxed cake in their house to save their lives, I’m not one of them. Boxed cakes are a great place to start but you have to rev it up a bit so it doesn’t taste like, well, a boxed cake. So here’s what you do:

    • The only directions to note are that whatever the back of the box directs you to use, you have to:
    • Add an additional egg.
    • Replace the water with milk, same amounts.
    • Replace the oil with melted butter. DOUBLE the amount.
    • Cook with the same directions that are printed on the box.

    I’m still doing store-bought icing but I think there’s a lot of room to learn on that front.

  • Queso – AKA Velveeta Cheese Sauce

    I’ve always loved Velveeta cheese sauce and have always been meaning to put down a recipe that I can go to when in need so here it is. It’s a bit more viscus when it comes out of the microwave but it thickens as it cools and sets up perfectly for reheating.

    • 8oz Velveeta Processed Cheese
    • 4oz Milk (preferably whole)
    • 1 tbs butter

    Add everything to a microwave safe bowl and nuke on 70% for 3 minutes stirring on the minute. Here’s the dip with corn dogs and Doritos.

  • Instant Pot Cheesecake

    I absolutely love cheesecake but it’s been a culinary DMZ for me for years. Then I got an instant pot, then I got an accessory kit which came with a spring form pan. Cheesecake, in the instant pot? Yes, yes, a thousand times yes!!! This way, now!!!
    This recipe is blatantly plagiarized from these fine folks.

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  • Meatloaf

    Probably one of the better comfort foods around, easy to make and ingredients readily available. Love it with some mashed potatoes and green beans.

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  • Instant Pot Cheesecake

    So since I was a kid I’ve loved the tangy sweet delight that’s known as cheesecake. Mom used to make a cheesecake for the Octoberfest at TCCC, I was 8??? In any case I’ve always loved it but making it seemed a daunting and downright impossible task. Even Alton’s episode left me despondent that it was just downright too hard to make. Fast forward to the current. When I bought my instant pot, I got an accessory kit that had a steamer basket, egg holder, fridge magnets with times and oddly enough a spring form pan. I knew this was the tool for cheesecake but in an instant pot???

    Turns out the answer is emphatically yes. The steam is the perfect way to cook cheesecake and the pressure doesn’t hurt either. I found this recipe which I’ll shamelessly copy for my food blog shortly. Give it a shot, it’s well worth the effort.

  • Pizza Subs

    So having done time in Erie, PA, I’ve developed a taste for pizza subs. Now you’d think this would be an easy order to fill. Any place with sub rolls and pizza fixings should be able to build this, or so you would think. But alas there’s no one willing to do this. There was one place I found down here (Dino’s) that used to have it on the menu, while it lacked a je ne sais quoi that was found in abundance at any hole in the wall Italian place in Erie, it did pass the bar and fit the need. But they stopped making them, when they said they no longer had it on the menu I asked them what they didn’t have, it stymied the order taker and I gave up. But you can make them on your own and here’s the proof:

  • Food Prep Day

    I don’t know if I said yesterday but the new battery came from Sam’s club. That gave me time to do some shopping. I got about 10 pounds of ground beef and 6 pounds of pork chops. I’m lucky enough to have a side by side garage fridge and ample freezer storage along with the prerequisite vacuum sealer and scales. Now I have enough ground beef and pork chops to keep us in food for a little bit.