Fried Ravioli

Well, this is a long overdue post but I am happy to add another entry to the blog this tonight. I guess we are sticking with the usually theme with this recipe and going with another of my favorite comfort foods. Below is my recipe for Fried Ravioli - a simple twist to an Italian staple that makes for a delicious appetizer.

These babies take mere minutes and are packed with flavor. Even better, you have the freedom to use any shape, style, or flavor ravioli. What can be better than that?

I made mine by using square shaped meat ravioli, a simple egg wash, and seasoned breadcrumbs (easily substituted for panko should you desire). Anyways, let's get right into the recipe!

Prep Time: 15m
Cook Time: 3m per batch

Ingredients:

24 Frozen Meat Ravioli
3 Eggs
1 1/2 cups of Italian Seasoned Breadcrumbs
Vegetable Oil for Frying
Parmesan Cheese to taste

1. Preheat oil in deep fryer to about 375F. While heating, crack your eggs and wisk them together (this will serve as your wash to help the breadcrumb stick.

2. Pour the breadcrumb into another bowl. One at a time, dip the frozen ravioli into the eggwash and then transfer into the breadcrumb and coat thoroughly.

3. In batches (depending on the size of your deep fryer), drop the coated ravioli into the fryer with enough room to allow them to move around a bit without overlapping.

4. Rotate as necessary and cook until golden brown. Pull out of fryer and transfer onto a plate covered with a paper towel to collect excess oil runoff.

5. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese while hot.

6. Serve.

And that is all it takes to make Fried Ravioli. I hope you enjoy cooking these. I know my co-workers are going to appreciate me bringing a sizeable batch to work tomorrow (:

Have a great night everyone! Please comment if you have any questions or feedback.

Old Bay Fries

Another one of my favorite foods is Old Bay Fries - a simple twist on a fast food staple. Making these from scratch is extremely easy and definitely makes for a nice snack during a party.

As with most of my recipes, this one allows for a lot of experimentation. You can season these in a multitude of ways. This recipe is also a smaller scale portion for 2 people or so. If you are making it for multiple people, try going upwards closer to 5 lbs of potatoes.

As far as cooking method, a deep fryer is preferred. I actually have both a fry daddy and a small scale basket fryer. This recipe definitely works better in a basket fryer but anything will work - even using a pan on the stovetop.

Prep Time: 20m
Cook Time: 10m

Ingredients:

2 lb Russet Potatoes
Vegetable Oil for frying
Old Bay seasoning to taste
Salt to taste

1. Start by peeling the potatoes. You will then slice the potatoes into long wedges - any thickness that you prefer is feasible - mine were cut thin because I enjoy them more that way.

2. A lot of recipes have you coat the potatoes with flour or some other ingredient before frying for a different texture but I find that the fries cook quite nicely as they are. Drop the potatoes straight until your preheated oil (normal deep frier tempatures between 350F and 375F work well.

3. Allow the fries to turn golden brown and then remove. I transferred briefly to a bowl with a paper towel to remove a bit of the excess grease. I then removed the paper tower from underneath and started seasoning. There really isn't a science to this, simply sprinkle Old Bay and Salt while tossing the fries to ensure an even coating.

4. Serve and enjoy!

Homemade Soft Pretzels

There are few things that I find more enjoyable than heading to a sporting event, grabbing a beer, and munching on a soft pretzel. Well, what if you could make soft preztels at home to eat while watching the game from your living room? No, not microwaved super pretzels... Fresh as if you bought them from a street vendor in Philadelphia.

So what better than to add a recipe for Homemade Soft Pretzels! These might not be the easiest or the quickest to make, but they sure are a delight. Most of you know that above all, I enjoy comfort food. This definitely is that type of food.

If you have a few hours and feel like trying something fun in the kitchen, I encourage you to try this recipe out.

Now, let me start by saying that I have never had the best luck with yeast and this recipe sure tested my patience. I think like all things, practice makes perfect. Here is a breakdown of the ingredients that I used.

Prep Time: 90 Minutes
Cook Time: 20 Minutes

1 Envelope of Dry Yeast (Active)
1 1/4 tbsp Sugar
2 tsp Salt
1 1/2 cups Water (About 120F - any hotter will kill the yeast)
4 1/2 cups Flour
2 tbsp Butter (Unsalted - Melted)
Pretzel Salt
1 Large Egg
1 tbsp Water
1/4 cup Vegetable Oil

1. We need to start be getting the yeast active. Begin by mixing the yeast, warm water, salt, and sugar in a large bowl. Let these ingredients settle for a few minutes.

2. Now, mix in your melted butter and your flour. You will find this dough very easy to form. Now you have a mixer, you could definitely use a doughhook to bring the dough together but I honestly enjoy getting my hands dirty. This means that you will need to knead the door quite a bit and really get the yeast going. I kneaded my dough for about 10 minutes until my hands got a bit tired.

3. Now, take the ball of dough and place in a bowl coated with your vegetable oil. Make sure all sides of the dough have a thin coating of oil but discard any excess oil to avoid the dough sitting in a pool of oil. The dough will need about 45 minutes -60 minutes to rise.

4. Divide the dough into 8 equal parts. Each portion should be slightly smaller than a baseball. You will then roll out each ball into a long strand about half an inch or more thick in diameter.

5. Now, this part can be a bit tricky but the main thing to remember here is that these pretzels aren't being made to enter a beauty pageant, they are to be eaten. They definitely don't need to be in perfect pretzel form. Regardless, the crazy shapes give the pretzels some character! Just try your best. A simple loop over technique on both sides works well.

6. Once shaped, you are going to start stage 1 of the cooking process - cooking for 1 minute in boiling water (30 secs per side). Place the pretzel in the water carefully - I used a spatula and lowered the pretzel into the water.

7. Once removed from the pot, place the pretzels on a baking sheet. You will be brushing the pretzels with your eggwash (the egg and water wisked together). After fully coated, sprinkle a generous portion of your salt on the pretzel. The pretzels will rise so the salt will spread out more than you expect.

8. Now, simple baked in the oven at 425F for about 12 minutes. My oven did smoke up a bit because of the moisture in the pretzel - this is pretty normal - just keep a close eye on everything.

9. Remove from oven and remove from the baking sheet as soon as you can to avoid the bottom crisping up too much.

10. Serve hot.

And now you're done. I hope you enjoy this recipe. Be sure to comment and share your thoughts! Have a great night.

Zucchini Fries

I hope everyone is having a great week so far. If you are like myself, my time during the week is very hectic and dinners are usually thrown together. This next recipe is super quick, very easy, and a true treat. Another recipe very fitting of the comfort food them developing on the blog!

Tonight, I made Zucchini Fries. These are simply sliced, breaded, and fried zucchini which make for a great appetizer (in my case, these were my dinner).

I apologize in advance for the photos below - my camera was not happy with me tonight... The brightness in the corners is not an intentional effect...

As always, let me go through the recipe and break it down for you.

Prep Time: 15 Minutes
Cook Time: 10-15 Minutes

4 Fresh Zucchini
1 1/2 cups Parmesan Cheese
1 1/2 cups Seasoned Breadcrumbs (can be swapped for Panko)
2 Large Eggs
Vegetable Oil for frying (can be swapped for Olive Oil)

1. Start by preheating your oil - I used a pot but a Frydaddy would be great as well. Next, you will want to slice your Zucchini. There is no exact science here but try to slice the zucchini into 3-4 inch strips and about 1/2 inch thick on each side. Finally, prep your workstation - crack the eggs and wisk in a bowl, mix your breadcrumb and parmesan in another bowl, and place another plate out with a papertowel covering it (this is where the completed fries will go).

2. Take the zucchini slices and dip them into the egg. After fully coated, transfer to the bowl of breadcrumbs and cover generously.

3. Next, drop the breadcrumb covered zucchini slices into your fryer and cook until golden brown.

4. Remove the zucchini from the fryer and allow the fries to cool on your papertowel plate which will help absorb any extra oil.

And that is all there is to it. I actually heated up a small side of marinara sauce for dipping but this is very optional. I hope you enjoy trying this recipe. Let me know what you think. Another new recipe to follow soon. Enjoy the rest of your week!

Fried Fresh Mozzarella Balls

Sounds like someone's got a case of the Mondays... but here is the cure! Another recipe continuing the fun-food theme (or more commonly translated as fried and eat with your hands food). I have to admit that my recent experiments with the deep fryer have been quite enjoyable. It may not be the healthest method, but it sure does make some great food.

Here is my take on Fried Fresh Mozzarella Balls. This recipe was relatively simple to prepare but we did have some "casualties" in the process. Let us dive in and see all that this recipe has to offer.

Here is a break down of the ingredients that I used which serve about 30 pieces.

Prep Time: 30 Minutes
Cook Time: 5 Minutes

30 Fresh Mozzarella Balls
About 1 cup Seasoned Breadcrumbs
About 1 cup Flour
2 Eggs
Oil for frying
Salt, Pepper, & Parmesan Cheese to taste

1. First off, coat each of the Mozzarella balls with an even layer of flower. Next, mix your breadcrumb and any salt/pepper/parmesan that you desire.

2. You can then beat you eggs in a bowl. Dip the flour covered Mozzarella into the egg. Once dipped into the egg, transfer each ball to the plate of breadcrumb. Ensure that the mozzarella is fully covered in breadcrumb. You may need to press firmly - any gaps in breadcrumb will cause the cheese to spill out while deep frying and you will have what I call a "fatality" (I had about 4 out of my 30 burst).

3. Once all of the mozzarella balls are breadcrumbed, place in the freezer for 20 minutes or more. This step will help the balls stay together while frying.

4. Lastly, drop in the deep fryer for 1-2 minutes or until golden brown.

5. Serve hot. Very enjoyable with a side of Marinara.

This recipe really does stand out as one of my favorites and I hope you enjoy making it as much as I did. Enjoy the rest of your week. Feel free to comment and let me know your thoughts!

Fried Buffalo Wings

For anyone who knows me, you know that I'm crazy about Buffalo Wings. I don't know if I should go as far as saying that I am a Buffalo Wing Connoisseur but I like to think that I know a good Buffalo Wing when I see it. Buffalo Wings are without a doubt my favorite food.

Here is my attempt at making perfect and authentic Fried Buffalo Wings.

Here is a break down of the recipe. Very important to note that the Hot Sauce and Butter quantities can be tweaked to meet your tastes. I found this mixture very close to ideal for me but everyone has different tastes so feel free to experiment!

Prep Time: 20 Minutes

Cook Time: 10 Minutes

12 Full Chicken Wings (if you prefer easier prep, you can buy them already separated)

40 oz Vegetable Oil (or enough for your Deep Fryer)

1/3 cup Frank's Hot Sauce (accept no substitutions here)

8 tbsp Butter (Unsalted)

Optional:

Blue Cheese

Celery

1. Separate the chicken wings and discard the ends of the wing. Rinse the chicken wings under water to clean them. Make sure to pat the wings dry after this step to remove excess water and prevent the oil from splashing up out of the deep fryer.

2. Set your Deep Fryer to 375F and make sure that your oil is fully heated before proceeding. Depending on the size of your deep fryer, cook as many wings as you can without excessively overlapping them. At this temperature, the wings should only need to cook about 10 minutes - they will turn golden brown and crisp.

3. While the wings are cooking, melt your butter and mix with your hot sauce with the measurements above. Worth noting again that you should feel free to add more butter for milder wings or more hot sauce for hotter wings based on your taste preferences.

4. Remove the cooked wings and place on a plate layered with a few paper towels to remove some of the extra grease.

5. After just a few moments on the plate, you can place the wings in a bowl and pour the Buffalo sauce on top. Mix the wings in the bowl to fully coat all of the wings with the sauce.

6. Grab a beer, dig in to your wings, and enjoy the game!

And that is all for tonight. Good night ladies and gentlemen.

Fried Mac & Cheese

Happy Thursday to all! Another cooking night in the books and another recipe to share.

This recipe was definitely a challenge for me and definitely required a decent time investment but I assure you that it was worth it. Here is my twist on Fried Mac & Cheese.



Let's break down the recipe. Please note that the below figures can be scaled up depending on how many people you are making this recipe for. My recipe serves about 24 pieces.

Prep Time: 1 Hour plus about 10 Hours spent in Fridge/Freezer (I split mine over 2 nights)
Cook Time: 45 minutes

Part 1
3/4 pound of Elbow pasta
1 1/4 cups of Milk (I used Skim)
10 oz Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese (Buy a fresh block and grate at home)
10 oz Gouda Cheese (Buy a fresh block and grate at home)
5 oz Velveeta
1 1/2 tbsp Butter (Unsalted)

Part 2
2 cups of Seasoned Breadcrumbs (you may use slightly more or less)
2 Eggs
2 tbsp Milk
40 oz Vegetable Oil


1. Boil water, add a pinch of salt to pot, and cook pasta until tender. Drain all water from the cooked pasta.

2. Now you will want to prepare the cheese in another pot. First, set the burner to medium and start melting the butter. As soon as the butter melts, add in the milk. Now you want to continue to heat the butter and milk mixture for a few moments until the 2 are blended and heat up (about 2 minutes).

3. You can now add the 3 cheeses into the pot. The Velveeta can be cut into a few smaller pieces to make the process a bit easier. Once all of the cheese is in the pot, continue to stir until everything is blended. Remove from heat and pour over the pasta. Mix thoroughly to ensure the cheese mixture is evenly distributed.

4. Transfer the Mac & Cheese to a shallow pan and place in the fridge to cool for a few hours (I waited just under 3 hours but you could probably get away with 2 hours).

5. Once removed from the fridge, form balls of the cold Mac & Cheese (mine were around 2 inches in diameter). Once formed, you can place the balls on a tray covered with wax paper and put the tray in the freeze for at least 8 hours (mine were in the freezer overnight and most of the next day - nearly 18 hours). This step is crucial to the Mac & Cheese balls staying together while frying.

6. Mix the eggs and milk in a small bowl. Place the bread crumbs on a plate. Take the Mac & Cheese balls straight from the freezer, dip into the egg/milk mixture, and transfer to breadcrumb plate. Ensure an even layer of breadcrumbs is applied. Once coated, place the balls in the freezer one last time for about 15 minutes.

7. While in the freezer, prepare your Deep Fryer set to 375F. Make sure the oil is fully preheated before proceeding. Fry the Mac & Cheese balls in the Fryer for 4-5 minutes until they are nicely browned.

8. Serve immediately. There you have it - Fried Mac & Cheese!

Cheddar Biscuits (Red Lobster Style)

How about a second entry tonight to celebrate the start of my new blog? Game on.

Here is my attempt at Cheddar Biscuits - the only real reason we go to Red Lobster.

Now, there are many recipes similar out there for imitations, but let's breakdown this adaption and the ingredients I used:

Prep Time: 10 Minutes
Cook Time: 15 Minutes

1 1/4 cup of finely shredded Cheddar Cheese (Extra Sharp is a plus)
4 tbsp Salted Butter (1/2 stick - not softened)
3/4 cup Whole Milk
2 1/2 cups Bisquick
1/2 tsp Garlic Power

1. In a large bowl, mix Bisquick and butter. Your goal here is to break down the butter into small pieces - this can be accomplished using an fork and pressing the butter down into the Bisquick. You only want to break down enough so that the butter is distributed but you don't need to mix it as much as you think.

2. Now is a good time to preheat your oven to 400F. You can now add in your cheddar cheese, garlic powder, and whole milk. Feel free to get a bit messy here and mixing with your hands is the best way to blend the ingredients.

3. Break out the baking sheet and place balls of the mixture on the ungreased sheet. Mine were slightly smaller than hockey pucks because I wanted to oversize them but you can make them smaller if you want more smaller biscuits (I ended with 7 but you can definitely stretch to a dozen or so small biscuits).

4. Place the baking sheet in the oven for about 15 minutes or until the biscuits brown slightly.

5. Once the biscuits are done, you will want to spread the butter topping on them for added flavor. Here is what to use:

3 tbsp Salted Butter
1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
1/2 tsp Parsley Flakes
Salt to taste

6. Melt the butter in a glass cup/bowl. Simply mix in the remaining ingredients. This will be your butter topping to spread on the hot biscuits. I used a brush but if you don't have one, you could carefully pour on the biscuits.

7. Enjoy! Don't forget to share them with friends and if you are feeling brave, play around with this recipe to make it your own!

Sausage Stuffed Shrooms

Well, I wasn't sure how I felt about starting on online blog with recipes of my mission to create great food, but my desire to share my passion for food with others won that battle. This blog is for me to share my experiences in the kitchen - the good, and the bad (let's hope to keep the bad to a minimum). My hope is to document each stage of process with pictures so you can see how I went through the recipes in the greatest detail.

My first entry is going to be my experiment with Sausage Stuffed Shrooms. Unfortunately, I only took pictures of the end result in this recipe. Shout out to my buddy Brian who supplied the freshest mushrooms and made this possible.

My inspiration for this recipe came from my mom. This is my adaption of her mushrooms that I grew up loving but never dared to cook for myself. Here is a breakdown of the ingredients I used (any of which can be substituted or excluded based on flavor preferences):

Prep Time: 20 Minutes
Cook Time: 45 Minutes

30 Small-Medium sized Portobello Mushrooms
12 oz Italian Sausage - Sweet (I used sausage links and removed the casings but packaged sausage meat is much easier)
2/3 cup of Seasoned Breadcrumbs
1/3 cup of Grated Parmesan Cheese
1 Small-Medium Spanish Yellow Onion
2 tsp Minced Garlic (approximately 2 cloves)
2 tbsp Parsley
1 tbsp Butter
1/4 cup Olive Oil (Drizzle before Baking)
Salt/Pepper to Taste

Optional:
2 tbsp Butter (cut into thin slices and dropped on baking sheet between mushrooms before baking to increase tenderness)

Now let us breakdown the steps:

1. Washing the mushrooms. The most labor-intensive part of the recipe. Simply use a damp cloth and wipe down the mushrooms thoroughly. Try to avoid washing the mushrooms under running water whenever possible.

2. Remove the stems. The stem should easily break off of the mushroom. Once the stems have been removed, you will dice the stems.

3. Next, dice the onion. You can throw the diced onion into a frying pan and saute with your butter and garlic. The sausage, stems, and parsley will follow very shortly after (I broke up the sausage meat into small pieces and threw in the pan). At this point, simply let the sausage brown while continuing to break down any remaining large pieces of sausage that remain. Continue to cook until the mushroom stems become tender and the sausage has finished browning.

4. After the sausage, onion, and mushroom stems have finished cooking, pour the ingredients into a large bowl. You will now add the parmesan cheese and breadcrumb. Mix together so that the breadcrumb and parmesan are evenly distributed throughout. You can get a bit creative here based on the consistance of stuffing you are looking for but the measurements above seem to work well.

5. This is a good opportunity to preheat your oven to 350F. Well, here comes the fun part. Place the mushroom caps on baking sheet (I sprayed a light coating of Pam spray to prevent sticking). With a small spoon, take spoons of the stuffing and fill the mushroom caps with mounds of stuffing. I found that I had excess stuffing and added even more on my mushrooms after the initial stuffing(as well as storing some for leftovers). After stuffing the mushrooms, this is where you can add the optional butter. Cut the butter into slices and place the slices across the sheet

6. Lastly, drizzle the olive oil across the stuffed mushrooms.

7. You can now bake the mushrooms for 20-25 minutes checking periodically. Mine were closer to 20 minutes but I have an older oven which cooks hotter than most modern ovens so this is where you need to keep a close eye on your mushrooms based on your own oven.

8. Remove from oven and allow a few minutes to cool. After they have had a few minutes to cool down, you can dig in.

And there you have it. If you follow this recipe, you will have some pretty tasty stuffed mushrooms. You will notice that they are heavy on the sausage but who could say no to that? So much of cooking is experimenting and tweaking recipes to taste so don't be afraid to have fun!