Jekyll2022-05-20T00:38:39+00:00https://saulrh.com/feed.xml Computer wizard and creative builder-of-things. Calling up that which I cannot put down on a biweekly basis!Saul Reynolds-Haertle2019-12-14T00:00:00+00:002019-12-14T00:00:00+00:00https://saulrh.com/recipes/2019/12/14/cream-cheese-cookies-recipe<p><img src="/assets/images/cream_cheese_cookies.jpg?raw=true" alt="A picture of the cookies" /></p> <p>These deliciously soft cookies are surprisingly light thanks to huge amounts of incorporated air trapped by the cream cheese. These are best right out of the oven, where they have just a hint of crispiness that melts in your mouth, but they’re also an excellent choice for parties and cookie swaps.</p> <p>Start to Eat time: ~2 hours:</p> <ul> <li>Mise in place: 1 hour for the cream cheese and butter to come to room temperature</li> <li>Prep: 15 minutes</li> <li>Bake: 30 minutes for 2 batches at 15 minutes per batch</li> <li>Rest: None</li> </ul> <h2 id="ingredients">Ingredients</h2> <ul> <li>3 oz cream cheese, at room temperature</li> <li>1/2 cup butter</li> <li>1/2 cup sugar</li> <li>1 egg yolk</li> <li>1 cup sifted flour</li> <li>1/2 tsp baking powder</li> <li>1/4 tsp kosher salt</li> <li>1/2 tsp vanilla extract</li> </ul> <h2 id="directions">Directions</h2> <ol> <li>Preheat oven to 350.</li> <li>If cream cheese is not at room temperature, wait until it is. Microwaving cream cheese is not a good idea.</li> <li>Combine butter, cream cheese, sugar. Beat until extremely fluffy.</li> <li>Add egg and vanilla extract.</li> <li>Add dry ingredients.</li> <li>Drop onto baking sheet.</li> <li>Bake 13-15 minutes or until edges are lightly golden.</li> <li>Let sit for a minute or two to firm up before transferring to a wire rack to cool.</li> </ol>Saul Reynolds-Haertle

2019-12-14T00:00:00+00:002019-12-14T00:00:00+00:00https://saulrh.com/recipes/2019/12/14/jambalaya-recipe<p><img src="/assets/images/jambalaya.jpg?raw=true" alt="A picture of a bowl of jambalaya" /></p> <p>A hearty, savory creole dish with some personal modifications. The “holy trinity” of onion, celery, and bell pepper are a wonderful aromatic base and tie together a mix of pork sausage, chicken, cayenne, parsley, and thyme. A single batch provides dinners for me for a week; it actually gets better the longer it sits in the fridge as the flavors mix together. As an added bonus, your entire house smells like cajun for days!</p> <p>The quinoa is extremely non-traditional, I know. I do think that quinoa’s texture and taste are an improvement over rice, but the real reason is that I react badly to carbs and the quinoa is healthier than white rice.</p> <p>Start to Eat time: ~1.5 hours:</p> <ul> <li>Prep: 30 minutes</li> <li>Cook: 45 minutes</li> </ul> <h2 id="ingredients">Ingredients</h2> <ul> <li>Jamabalaya seasoning mix (see below)</li> <li>2 bell peppers</li> <li>1.5 pounds chicken</li> <li>1.5 pounds pork sausage (traditionally cajun andouille)</li> <li>1 large onion</li> <li>A few stalks of celery</li> <li>15 oz can of canned tomato</li> <li>15 oz quinoa</li> <li>3.5 cups chicken broth</li> </ul> <h2 id="directions">Directions</h2> <ol> <li>Cut the sausage into pieces, maybe 1/2 inch half-rounds. Cut the chicken into similarly-sized pieces.</li> <li>Dice the onion, bell pepper, and celery.</li> <li>Prep your seasoning mix. Pour a bit onto the sausage+chicken mixture and mix it up.</li> <li>If necessary, wash the quinoa.</li> <li>Bring a dutch oven or very large, heavy frying pan up to temperature. You want it to be as hot as possible.</li> <li>Brown the chicken+sausage mixture over high heat. You don’t need to cook it through; the goal is to develop as much fond as possible. Remove the browned meat, collect some drippings and put them back in the pot, and set the meat mixture aside.</li> <li>Using the drippings, saute the bell peppers, onion, and celery over medium heat until the onions are translucent and the bell peppers are soft, about 15 minutes.</li> <li>Add the canned tomatos, return the meat, and add the rest of the seasoning mix. Heat it all up for about thirty seconds to wake up the spices.</li> <li>Add the chicken broth. Bring it to a simmer.</li> <li>Add the quinoa. Stir.</li> <li>Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 5 minutes.</li> <li>Stir.</li> <li>Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for about 45 minutes.</li> <li>Stir and serve.</li> </ol> <h2 id="seasoning-mix">Seasoning Mix</h2> <p>I’m continually having to tweak the seasoning mix based on what sausage I can find and how old my spices are, so apologies for the vague directions on that. That said, nothing is particularly precise, so just have fun!</p> <p>Warning: I prefer my jambalaya <em>extremely spicy</em>, so you will <em>almost certainly</em> want to reduce the cayenne, red pepper, and chili oil. Seriously, if you don’t fix it it’ll probably mess up your digestion for a few days.</p> <ul> <li>2 dried bay leaves</li> <li>2 teaspoons dried thyme</li> <li>1 tablespoon cayenne</li> <li>2 tablespoons parsley</li> <li>1.5 teaspoons garlic powder</li> <li>1 teaspoon ground black pepper</li> <li>1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper</li> <li>1.5 teaspoons kosher salt</li> <li>1 teapoon of <a href="https://smile.amazon.com/s?k=garlic+chili+oil">“chili oil with crunchy garlic”</a></li> </ul> <h2 id="previous-attempts-at-the-seasoning-mix">Previous attempts at the seasoning mix</h2> <h3 id="attempt-1">Attempt 1</h3> <ul> <li>Bay leaf 1</li> <li>Thyme 1 tsp</li> <li>Cayenne 1 tsp</li> <li>Parsley 1 tbsp</li> <li>Garlic powder .75 tsp</li> <li>Black pepper .5 tsp</li> <li>Salt .25 tsp</li> <li>Red pepper .5 tsp</li> <li>Garlic pepper oil .3 tsp</li> </ul> <p>Roughly doubled because I thought I didn’t have enough. Didn’t double bay leaf, red pepper, garlic oil.</p> <p>Result: Somewhat bland, very spicy. Needs more seasoning? Maybe paprika, better cayenne, more bay leaf, definitely more salt.</p> <h3 id="attempt-2">Attempt 2</h3> <ul> <li>Bay leaf 2</li> <li>Thyme 2 tsp</li> <li>Cayenne 1 tbsp</li> <li>Parsley 2 tbsp</li> <li>Garlic Powder 1.5 tsp</li> <li>Black pepper 1 tsp</li> <li>Salt 1.5 tsp</li> <li>Red pepper 1 tsp</li> <li>Garlic pepper oil heaping 3/4 tsp</li> </ul> <p>Result: …Worked pretty well! Still a bit off. Not sure what to change. Could just be that I used beef sausage instead of pork.</p> <h3 id="attempt-3">Attempt 3</h3> <p>Replicate attempt 2, but this time I found a package of what claims to be pork andouille at whole foods</p> <p>Result: Worked very well! The sausage appears to have been the difference. A bit too spicy, but can fix that next time by using less pepper. There’s still something a bit off but I couldn’t quite figure it out.</p> <h3 id="attempt-4">Attempt 4</h3> <p>Replicate 2, and I think that I found the same sausage. However, there’s only 11 oz of it to the pound that I should have, and I’m using a bit more chicken than usual (4 breasts rather than 3).</p> <p>Result: …I forgot to decrease the red pepper. Dangit. Reorganizing the note to help me remember to do that. Otherwise great. :D</p> <h3 id="attempt-5">Attempt 5</h3> <p>Messed up, didn’t realized I didn’t have enough parsley until I had already finished. Ended up using maybe 2 tsp parsley rather than 2 tbsp. Will have to repeat that attempt.</p> <p>Meat: Aidell’s x2 (28 oz), Chicken 1 lb</p> <h3 id="attempt-6">Attempt 6</h3> <p>Quinoa worked well. Washed extremely thoroughly. Came out a bit soupy, but that’s okay. Will try again with a tiny bit less fluid. Spices worked well. Used the recipe amount of celery, it might have helped with the quinoa.</p> <h3 id="attempt-7">Attempt 7</h3> <p>Gave the quinoa some time to sit after washing and slightly reduced chicken broth, which seem to have fixed the fluid. Spices worked well. I actually really like the quinoa. Definitely sticking with the celery; maybe it’s better here? I think I’m pretty much done.</p> <h3 id="attempt-8">Attempt 8</h3> <p>Yep, this is good. Still extremely spicy, but good for me.</p>Saul Reynolds-Haertle

2019-12-14T00:00:00+00:002019-12-14T00:00:00+00:00https://saulrh.com/recipes/2019/12/14/marbles-recipe<p><img src="/assets/images/marbles_cookies.jpg?raw=true" alt="A picture of the cookies" /></p> <p>These cookies blend sour cream and chocolate to produce a study in contrasting harmony. The sour cream adds some tang to bring out the chocolate and offset the sugar, and the water it adds boils away from the surface to leave behind a crispy cookie shell around a moist, crumbly interior.</p> <p>Start to Eat time: ~2.5 hours:</p> <ul> <li>Mise en place: 1 hour for the butter to come to room temperature.</li> <li>Prep: 15 minutes</li> <li>Bake: 1.5 hours for 3 batches at 25 minutes per batch</li> <li>Rest: None.</li> </ul> <h2 id="ingredients">Ingredients</h2> <ul> <li>2 cups all-purpose flour</li> <li>1/2 teaspoon baking powder</li> <li>1/4 teaspoon salt</li> <li>1/2 cup packed brown sugar light</li> <li>1/2 cup sugar</li> <li>1/2 cup softened butter</li> <li>1 large egg</li> <li>1/2 cup sour cream</li> <li>1 teaspoon vanilla extract</li> <li>1 cup semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate chips</li> </ul> <h2 id="directions">Directions</h2> <ol> <li>Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.</li> <li>In medium bowl combine flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.</li> <li>Combine sugars in a large bowl using an electric mixer on medium speed.</li> <li>Add butter and beat until batter is grainy.</li> <li>Add egg, sour cream, and vanilla, and beat at medium speed until light and fluffy. Scrape bowl.</li> <li>Add the flour mixture. Blend at low speed until just combined.</li> <li>Melt chocolate chips. Cool slightly and pour over cookie batter.</li> <li>Using a wooden spoon or rubber spatula, lightly fold melted chocolate into the dough. Do not mix chocolate completely into dough. You want a marbled look with ribbons of chocolatey cookie and occasional fragments of actual chocolate.</li> <li>Drop by rounded tablespoons, 2 inches apart, onto ungreased cookie sheets.</li> <li>Bake 23-25 minutes. Do not brown.</li> <li>Quickly transfer to a rack to cool.</li> </ol>Saul Reynolds-Haertle

2019-12-14T00:00:00+00:002019-12-14T00:00:00+00:00https://saulrh.com/recipes/2019/12/14/saag-recipe<p>Savory spinach curry, american style. Just like the restaurant makes it but vaguely healthy! I make this with tofu, but it should be easy to change it back to the original paneer.</p> <p>It’s important to use plain yogurt, not greek yogurt; the greek yogurt is too tangy and will dominate the dish. Also, <a href="https://smile.amazon.com//dp/B01AXM4WV2">a good food processor</a> is <em>absolutely necessary</em>; trying to chop the spinach by hand won’t get it fine enough no matter how much chopping you do.</p> <p>Note that I prefer my saag tofu very spicy. You will probably want to reduce this by using a less-spicy pepper or processing it to remove the spicy parts.</p> <p>No picture yet because I’m still trying to figure out how to plate the stuff in a vaguely palatable manner.</p> <p>Start to Eat time: ~1 hour:</p> <ul> <li>Prep: 15 minutes</li> <li>Cook: 35 minutes</li> </ul> <h2 id="ingredients">Ingredients</h2> <ul> <li>12 oz extra-firm tofu</li> <li>2 tablespoons turmeric</li> <li>1 teaspoon cayenne</li> <li>A pinch of salt</li> <li>3 tablespoons oil</li> <li> <p>A bit of cornstarch, maybe a teaspoon or two</p> </li> <li> <p>1 pound fresh baby spinach</p> </li> <li>1 large white onion</li> <li>1.5 inch knob of ginger</li> <li>4 cloves garlic</li> <li> <p>1 serrano or other small hot pepper</p> </li> <li>1.5 tablespoons oil</li> <li>1 teaspoon garam masala</li> <li>2 teaspoons ground coriander</li> <li>1 teaspoon ground cumin</li> <li>1/2 cup plain yogurt</li> <li>A tiny splash of heavy cream, maybe a tablespoon</li> </ul> <h2 id="directions">Directions</h2> <ol> <li>Prepare your mise in place: <ol> <li>Cube the tofu into 3/4-inch cubes. Toss with the cayenne, salt, oil, and cornstarch to coat. Set aside while you prep the other ingredients.</li> <li>Wash the spinach and use the food processor to turn it into a paste. You will have to run it in batches. Transfer it to a bowl and set aside for later.</li> <li>Quarter the onion and throw it in the food processor. Peel the ginger (scraping it with a spoon works well) and throw it into the food processor. Peel the garlic and throw it into the food processor. Prep the pepper however you like; I just throw it in whole, but this makes the dish very spicy and you’ll probably want to cut it open and <a href="https://www.cayennediane.com/anatomy-of-a-chile-pepper/">scrape out the pith</a>. Pulse this mixture until finely chopped, just before it starts turning into a paste.</li> </ol> </li> <li>Transfer tofu to a large, cold frying pan. Do not use non-stick; you want as much crust as possible. Place on medium-high heat. Wait until toasty. Turn. Get as crispy as desired, possibly extremely crispy. Pour out onto a plate and set aside.</li> <li>Add oil to pan. Add onion, garlic, ginger, chile mixture. Saute until evenly toffee-colored, about 15 minutes. If it starts to dry out and burn, add a bit of water.</li> <li>Add spices to the pan. If necessary, add some water so they don’t burn. Cook, stirring often, to wake up the spices, between two and five minutes.</li> <li>Add spinach. Stir well. Add some salt and 1/2 cup water. Cook about 5 minutes with the lid off.</li> <li>Remove from heat. Add yogurt, a little at a time so it doesn’t curdle. Add a splash of cream.</li> <li>Return tofu to the mixture and stir. Return to heat. Cover, cook until warmed through. Serve.</li> </ol>Saul Reynolds-Haertle

Savory spinach curry, american style. Just like the restaurant makes it but vaguely healthy! I make this with tofu, but it should be easy to change it back to the original paneer.

2019-12-13T00:00:00+00:002019-12-13T00:00:00+00:00https://saulrh.com/2019/12/13/hello-world<p>Title says it all.</p>Saul Reynolds-Haertle

Title says it all.